AMERICAN LEAGUE
On the day Alex Rodriguez passed Mickey Mantle on the major league home run list, the New York Yankees were left mourning Bobby Murcer — the former star who replaced Mantle in the lineup long ago.
Rodriguez’s 537th home run moved him into 13th place and Derek Jeter hit No. 200 of his career to help the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 in the American League on Saturday.
PHOTO: AP
After the game, the Yankees learned of Murcer’s death because of complications from brain cancer and players spoke fondly of a man who spent nearly four decades with the team as a player, executive and beloved broadcaster.
New York right-hander Darrell Rasner (5-7) gave up four runs in the first, but shut out the Blue Jays over the next four innings to win.
Toronto’s Jesse Litsch (8-6) gave up eight runs — three earned — and seven hits in two-and-two-third innings.
TWINS 6, TIGERS 5
In Detroit, Michigan, Joe Mauer hit a home run and Brendan Harris homered and had a season-high four RBIs to help Minnesota beat Detroit for the third straight day.
Harris singled in the Twins’ first two runs and opened the seventh inning with a solo shot off Tigers starter Nate Robertson (6-8) that give the Twins the lead for good. Mauer, the starting catcher for the American League All-Star team, added a two-run shot later in the inning.
Minnesota’s Scott Baker (6-2) allowed four runs and six hits in seven-plus innings and won for the fourth time in five starts. The Twins improved to 21-6 since June 13, the majors’ best record in that period.
RED SOX 12, ORIOLES 1
In Boston, Kevin Youkilis had a career-high six RBIs, thanks to his first grand slam, and Tim Wakefield pitched seven innings of two-hit ball to lead Boston over Baltimore.
J.D. Drew and Manny Ramirez homered on consecutive pitches in the first inning and Youkilis cleared the bases in the third when the Red Sox scored seven times to chase Radhames Liz (3-2). Youkilis also added a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a run-scoring infield single in the eighth.
Wakefield (6-6) retired his last 13 batters after walking Adam Jones with one out in the third inning. Jones went to second on a passed ball — the only base runner besides Ramon Hernandez, who hit a solo homer, to get that far against the Boston Red Sox starter.
Indians 8, Rays 4
In Cleveland, Ohio, Ryan Garko drove in five runs to help Matt Ginter earn his first major league win in more than four years as Cleveland handed Tampa Bay their season-high sixth straight loss.
All-Star Grady Sizemore hit his American League-leading 23rd homer for Cleveland, who have dominated the Rays in 12 successive home games since 2006.
Ginter (1-0) gave up five hits over five innings and tied a career high with five strikeouts in his first big league start since Sept. 18, 2005.
Matt Garza (7-5) gave up seven runs and 11 hits in five innings.
Saturday’s other results:
• White Sox 9, Rangers 7
• Royals 5, Mariners 4
• Angels 4, Athletics 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, CHICAGO
Rich Harden struck out 10 in an impressive debut for the Chicago Cubs, who blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning before beating the San Francisco Giants 8-7 on Reed Johnson’s single in the 11th on Saturday.
Jim Edmonds homered and drove in four runs early for the Cubs, who led 7-0 after four innings and held on to win for the fifth time in six games in the National League. The Giants have lost six straight.
Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall singled off Brian Wilson (0-2) to start the bottom of the 11th. Mark DeRosa then walked and Marshall was forced out on Mike Fontenot’s bunt attempt. Johnson then laced a hit to right and DeRosa slid into home just ahead of Emmanuel Burriss’ throw.
METS 3, ROCKIES 0
In New York, Jose Reyes hit a home run and the resilient New York bullpen shut down Colorado after Pedro Martinez left with a sore shoulder, combining on a one-hitter.
Fernando Tatis and Brian Schneider also drove in runs for the New York Mets, who have won eight straight for the first time since June 15, 2006.
Martinez left after four innings having allowed just a hit and a walk.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner was replaced by Carlos Muniz (1-1) at the start of the fifth inning.
Saturday’s other results:
• Diamondbacks 10, Phillies 4
• Pirates 12, Cardinals 11, 10 inn
• Reds 8, Brewers 2
• Astros 6, Nationals 4
• Braves 4, Padres 1
• Marlins 5, Dodgers 3, 11 inn
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB