Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth for second place on the Major League Baseball career home run list Saturday, hitting his 714th homer during San Francisco's 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.
Bonds, ending a nine-game slump, hit into the first deck of the elevated stands in right-center at McAfee Coliseum in the second inning. Though the A's don't provide estimated distances on home runs, this one appeared to travel about 400 feet -- far from being one of Bonds' trademark behemoth drives.
Next up is Hank Aaron's MLB record of 755.
PHOTO: AFP
Ray Durham hit a go-ahead RBI single to score Omar Vizquel in the 10th, Steve Finley added a sacrifice fly in the inning and Mike Matheny homered in the seventh as the Giants ended a four-game losing streak in the Bay Bridge Series.
Jason Schmidt pitched into the ninth before missing his chance to win a fourth straight decision. Armando Benitez (3-0) blew his second save but recovered for the win, while Kiko Calero (0-1) loaded the bases in the 10th on the way to the loss.
White Sox 7, Cubs 0
PHOTO: AP
At Chicago, Tadahito Iguchi hit a grand slam and a two-run drive and the Cubs-White Sox rivalry boiled over in a melee that led to four ejections.
The Cubs' Michael Barrett punched A.J. Pierzynski in the jaw after a home-plate collision between the two catchers in the second inning and the benches emptied.
Freddy Garcia (7-1) won his seventh straight decision, allowing eight hits in eight shutout innings. He was backed by three double plays against a Cubs team that has lost 17 of 21.
Rich Hill (0-4), still searching for his first major league win, gave up five hits and seven runs in four-plus innings, while issuing five walks.
Yankees 5, Mets 4, 11 innings
At New York, pinch-hitter Andy Phillips lined a RBI single in the 11th inning to lift the Yankees to an improbable win in the Subway Series.
Johnny Damon hustled to beat a double-play relay that capped a four-run rally in the ninth inning against Mets closer Billy Wagner.
Phillips, hitting only .174, delivered a two-out single off Jorge Julio (1-2) after Miguel Cairo drew a leadoff walk and stole two bases in the 11th.
Mariano Rivera (2-3) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win.
Pedro Martinez tossed seven shutout innings, and Carlos Delgado and Cliff Floyd homered for the Mets. Martinez struck out eight and allowed four hits.
Mike Mussina allowed five hits and four runs in seven innings for the Yankees, but only two of his runs were earned.
Dodgers 8, Angels 4
At Los Angeles, pinch-hitter J.D. Drew's 150th career homer leading off the seventh drove in the go-ahead run for the streaking Dodgers.
The Dodgers won by scoring seven runs in their final three at-bats.
The win was the 11th in 14 games for the National League club. The loss was the fourth straight and 16th in 21 games for the Angels.
Drew hit a 1-2 pitch from Scot Shields (1-3) into the right-field bullpen to snap a 4-4 tie.
Joe Beimel (1-0) earned his first big league victory since 2003 by striking out the side in the seventh. Willy Aybar also hit a three-run homer for the Dodgers.
Dallas McPherson hit a two-run homer for the Angels.
Rangers 6, Astros 0
At Houston, Kevin Millwood pitched seven sharp innings and Michael Young drove in two runs as Texas blanked Houston.
Millwood (5-3) allowed four hits and struck out six with no walks, improving to 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA on the road. He retired 10 straight batters, striking out four, before Morgan Ensberg's single with one out in the seventh.
Gerald Laird hit a solo homer in the ninth inning off Astros reliever Mike Gallo.
Andy Pettitte (3-5) allowed 12 hits and five runs in six innings to get the loss. It was just the second time Houston had been shut out this season after losing 5-0 at Colorado on May 6.
Pirates 9, Indians 6
At Cleveland, Jason Bay homered twice and drove in four runs to help Pittsburgh improve to 4-18 on the road this season.
The Pirates hit four home runs and won for only the second time in their last 14 interleague games. Cleveland had a four-game winning streak snapped and lost for only the second time in its last 14 games against a National League team.
Bay hit a three-run homer in the third off Jason Johnson (2-4) to give Pittsburgh a 5-2 lead. He hit a solo drive in the ninth against Guillermo Mota, his ninth of the season.
Nate McLouth and Jose Castillo also homered for Pittsburgh. Ian Snell (3-3) gave up two earned runs over five innings to get the win.
Cleveland's Grady Sizemore hit a two-run homer for his eighth drive of the season and third in three games.
Cardinals 4, Royals 2
At Kansas City, Missouri, Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to help St. Louis hand Kansas City its eighth straight loss.
Pujols, who went to high school just a few miles from Kauffman Stadium, leads the majors with 21 home runs and 53 RBIs.
The Cardinals continued their dominance of their cross-state rivals, winning for the ninth time in the past 10 meetings. Kansas City dropped to 10-30, the worst record in franchise history after 40 games.
Rockies 5, Blue Jays 1
At Denver, Jeff Francis took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Brad Hawpe tripled home two runs for Colorado.
Francis (3-3) gave up one earned run and four hits in six-plus innings. He benefited from a defense that produced four spectacular run-saving plays.
Nobody came close to getting a hit off Francis until Aaron Hill led off the sixth with a clean blooper to left-center. The Blue Jays mustered three more hits in the inning but only managed one run as the Rockies threw out two runners at the plate to preserve a 3-1 lead.
Ty Taubenheim (0-1) allowed five hits and three runs in five innings in his major league debut for the Blue Jays.
Tigers 7, Reds 6, 10 innings
At Detroit, a throwing error by shortstop Felipe Lopez allowed Carlos Guillen to score the winning run in the 10th inning, and Detroit overcame Ken Griffey Jr.'s grand slam in a victory over Cincinnati.
The Tigers trailed 6-5 with two outs in the ninth, but Curtis Granderson brought the crowd of 43,128 to its feet with a tying homer off David Weathers (1-2), who has blown three straight save chances.
Fernando Rodney (2-1) pitched a perfect 10th for Detroit, which has won eight of nine.
Griffey's 15th career slam, off rookie Joel Zumaya, came in a five-run seventh as the Reds erased a 5-1 deficit. Griffey has now homered in 42 ballparks, matching Sammy Sosa for second-most -- one behind Fred McGriff's record.
Red Sox 8, Phillies 4
At Philadelphia, Josh Beckett hit a solo homer, an RBI single and pitched seven solid innings to lead Boston over struggling Philadelphia.
Beckett (6-1) allowed four runs and six hits to win his third straight start and give AL East-leading Boston its 10th victory in 13 games. He became the first Red Sox pitcher to go deep since Marty Pattin on Sept. 26, 1972.
Ryan Howard hit a three-run homer, Chase Utley had a solo shot and Brett Myers (2-2) was a hard-luck loser for the Phillies, who have lost five consecutive games after winning 13 of 14.
Nationals 8, Orioles 3
At Washington, Alfonso Soriano homered for the third straight game and drove in three runs to lead Washington past Baltimore.
Ryan Zimmerman scored the tiebreaking run during Washington's four-run sixth inning on an errant pickoff throw by catcher Ramon Hernandez, helping the Nationals to their fourth win in 15 games at RFK Stadium.
With the game tied at 3, the Nationals rallied against Rodrigo Lopez (1-7). His only victory came on opening day.
Jon Rauch (1-1) worked a scoreless sixth for the win.
Devil Rays 4, Marlins 3
At St. Petersburg, Florida, Russell Branyan hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Tampa Bay a victory over Florida.
Branyan's shot off Logan Kensing (0-1) drove in Travis Lee, who opened the inning with a double. Ruddy Lugo (1-2) pitched a scoreless inning for his first major league win.
The Marlins have lost six straight. This was the fourth time in five games Florida has led in the ninth only to wind up losing. The other three defeats came in extra innings.
Twins 16, Brewers 10
At Milwaukee, Michael Cuddyer drove in a career-high five runs and Joe Mauer had four RBIs as Minnesota beat Milwaukee.
Mauer went 4-for-5 with a home run and Cuddyer had two hits for Minnesota, which finished with 15 hits.
The Twins scored six runs in the first inning as Brewers starter Ben Hendrickson (0-2) failed to retire any of the six batters he faced. Mauer, Torii Hunter and Cuddyer had run-scoring singles, Justin Morneau added a two-run double, and Juan Castro drove in Morneau with a sacrifice fly.
Twins starter Scott Baker (2-4) struck out a career-high eight in five innings.
Rickie Weeks, Geoff Jenkins and Bill Hall homered for the Brewers.
Mariners 6, Padres 3
At Seattle, Gil Meche pitched a season-high 7 2-3 innings and Kenji Johjima hit his second homer in as many games in Seattle's win over San Diego.
Jeremy Reed doubled, tripled and scored two runs and Yuniesky Betancourt had two hits and two RBIs in the Mariners' second straight win after they were swept in three games at Oakland.
Khalil Greene hit his ninth home run for the Padres, who lost for the fourth time in five games after beginning May by winning 13 of 14. Clay Hensley (2-3) allowed nine hits and six earned runs in six innings for San Diego.
Meche (4-2) allowed three runs and four hits. He struck out seven and walked one.
J.J. Putz pitched 1 1-3 innings for his fifth save in six chances.
Brandon Webb threw a four-hitter to become the National League's first seven-game winner and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the Atlanta Braves 13-0.
Webb (7-0) struck out a season-high eight and walked one in the second shutout and fourth complete game of his career. He joined Randy Johnson (2000) as the only Arizona pitchers to win their first seven decisions.
The Seattle Mariners granted Matt Lawton his wish by designating him for assignment, ending a brief relationship between the recently suspended outfielder and one of the few teams willing to sign him last winter.
General manager Bill Bavasi said Lawton was pleased with Saturday's move. The team has 10 days to trade or release the two-time All-Star outfielder, who had volunteered to be released weeks ago while rarely playing for a last-place team.
Utility player Mike Morse was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to take Lawton's roster spot.
Lawton was suspended for the first 10 days of the season after testing positive last autumn for a steroid while he was struggling with the New York Yankees.
Upon his return, Lawton appeared in only 11 games, going 7-for-27 (.259) with one RBI while sitting behind corner outfielders Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez.
The Mariners were so uncomfortable with Lawton in center field they recently started infielder Willie Bloomquist there to replace the slumping Jeremy Reed.
Seattle signed Lawton to a one-year, US$400,000 deal with a limited no-trade clause. Idling cost him up to a potential US$1.25 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances.
Last season, he earned US$7.5 million to finish a US$27 million, four-year contract.
"In the offseason, he was looking for a chance to play and he took just above the minimum to play," Bavasi said.
"He wasn't doing this for money he was doing this for another chance to get his career back on track after what happened last year in New York."
The Mariners could send Lawton to the minor leagues after 10 days, but only with the 34-year-old's permission -- which he almost certainly would not grant.
Lawton is a career .267 hitter with 138 home runs. He was an All-Star in 2000 with Minnesota and 2004 with Cleveland.
Morse played in 72 games for Seattle last season, his first in the major leagues. He batted .278 with three home runs.
The Mariners also activated reliever Julio Mateo (shoulder tendinitis) from the 15-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Emiliano Fruto back to Tacoma.
DiMaggio auction
A uniform worn by baseball great Joe DiMaggio in his final World Series sold for US$195,500 Saturday during the second day of an auction of his memorabilia.
The pinstriped flannel home uniform was won by an anonymous bidder. DiMaggio wore the jersey during the 1951 World Series, when the New York Yankees defeated the New York Giants.
According to Hunt Auctions Inc., the matching pants -- while worn during the 1951 season -- couldn't be verified as being used in the World Series. DiMaggio retired after winning the championship, turning his spot in center field over to Mickey Mantle.
Also fetching top prices were items related to DiMaggio's one-time wife, actress Marilyn Monroe. The couple married in January 1954, but split after nine months.
Monroe's 1954 US passport sold for US$115,000. A photograph of herself that she autographed with the words "I love you Joe, Marilyn" sold for US$80,500. And a Monroe-autographed handwritten letter sent to DiMaggio and dated March 1, 1954, sold for US$51,750.
A pair of watches awarded to DiMaggio following his first two Most Valuable Player seasons sold for US$92,000 (1939) and US$86,250 (1941). The latter came in the year that DiMaggio achieved one of Major League Baseball's most enduring marks, his 56-game hitting streak.
On Friday, the first day of the two-day auction, DiMaggio's 1947 Most Valuable Player award was sold for US$281,750 to New York collector Pete Siegel.
In all, more than 1,000 DiMaggio items went on the auction block. All sale prices included a 15 percent buyer's premium.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.
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