AMERICAN LEAGUE
Jason Bay belted a two-run homer off the foul pole in the seventh inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 6-4 win over New York on Monday in the first meeting between the bitter rivals at the new Yankee Stadium.
Bay’s blast restored a comfortable cushion to Boston left-hander Jon Lester (2-2), who mowed down the Yankees for four innings before his 4-0 lead shrank to 4-3 on back-to-back home runs by Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira in the fifth.
PHOTO: AFP
The Red Sox (16-10) beat young Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes, scoring single runs in each of the first four innings after the start of the game was delayed by more than two hours because of rain.
The 22-year-old Hughes (1-1) lasted only four innings before giving way to Alfredo Aceves, who yielded the home run to Bay.
Teixeira slugged his second homer of the game leading off the eighth against reliever Ramon Ramirez but closer Jonathan Papelbon sealed the win, pitching out of a bases-loaded ninth-inning jam for his seventh save.
The Yankees dropped to 13-12 with the loss, their fourth in a row to the Red Sox, who swept three games from them last week in Boston.
Yankee manager Joe Girardi was ejected after he came out to argue with home plate umpire Jerry Meals following a called third strike against captain Derek Jeter in the fifth inning.
“It was just the calls for the whole night,” Girardi told reporters.
Girardi said Hughes and Aceves both threw the ball well.
“[Aceves] made one mistake tonight,” he said. “Jason Bay has been a thorn in our side and he hurt us again tonight.”
ROYALS 3, WHITE SOX 0
At Kansas City, Zack Greinke struck out 10 batters and allowed just six hits for his second shutout in four starts as the Kansas City Royals downed the Chicago White Sox.
More than 6,500 fans bought walk-up tickets to watch Greinke become the major league’s first six-game winner.
ORIOLES 8, RAYS 4
At St Petersburg, Florida, Nick Markakis hit a three-run homer and Brian Roberts added a two-run shot to help Baltimore stop a six-game losing streak.
In Monday’s other games it was:
• Twins 7, Tigers 2
• Indians 9, Blue Jays 7
• Angels 5, Athletics 2
• Rangers 6, Mariners 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Carlos Beltran hit a pair of two-run homers and David Wright added a two-run shot of his own as the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 in the National League on Monday to match their total for last year for wins at Turner Field.
The Mets, who went 1-8 in Atlanta last season, improved to 30-63 at Turner Field since the start of the 1998 season.
Beltran, hitting .400, was 2 for 3 with a walk. The two homers gave him four this season.
John Maine (2-2) earned his second consecutive win despite setting a career high with six walks. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
Javier Vazquez (2-3) gave up a season-high six runs in six-and-two-thirds innings.
BREWERS 7, PIRATES 4
At Pittsburgh, Rickie Weeks hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the ninth after a supposedly unavailable Ryan Braun tied it an inning earlier with a two-run double, helping Milwaukee rally for a victory over Pittsburgh.
In Monday’s other games it was:
• Nationals 9, Astros 4
• Phillies 6, Cardinals 1
• Dodgers 7, Diamondbacks 2
• Cubs 4, Giants 2
• Marlins 3, Reds 2, 14 innings
• Rockies 9, Padres 6
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
After Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday pitched five hitless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Rafael Marchon hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off Blake Treinen with two outs in the ninth inning for a 9-6 win. Brandon Marsh had a two-run homer and Max Kepler added a solo shot in a six-run sixth for Philadelphia. Ohtani’s 50th homer leading off the eighth helped the Dodgers tie the game 6-6. The Phillies erased a 4-0 deficit against Justin Wrobleski in another stunning collapse by the Dodgers bullpen. Philadelphia rallied for four runs in the seventh and eighth innings and another in the
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