AMERICAN LEAGUE
AGENCIES, BOSTON AND NEW YORK
Closer Jonathan Papelbon halted a two-run ninth-inning rally by the Toronto Blue Jays to help the Boston Red Sox hold on for a 3-2 victory on Saturday.
PHOTO: AP
Papelbon replaced reliever Hideki Okajima, who had given up back-to-back run-scoring hits by Adam Lind and Lyle Overbay in the top of the ninth, to retire the final two batters and record his 32nd save of the season.
Boston starter Clay Buchholz had been sailing along with a three-hit shutout before he was pulled in the ninth after one out and a runner on first and replaced by Okajima.
“I would have liked to stay out there and pitched, but it was the most pitches [107] that I’ve thrown all year,” Buchholz told reporters after being pulled by manager Terry Francona.
PHOTO: AP
Buchholz (3-3) struck out nine and walked two. All his wins this season have come against the Blue Jays. The only hits he allowed were singles by Kevin Millar in the second, Overbay in the seventh and Jose Bautista in the ninth.
“That was a terrific game,” Francona told reporters. “He threw strikes with a lot of pitches. Changuep, breaking ball, fastball — he really pitched well.”
The win kept the Red Sox two-and-a-half games ahead of the Texas Rangers in the American League wild card race.
Dustin Pedroia gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead with a first-inning single before Alex Gonzalez’s single in the sixth made it 2-0. Boston’s third run came on a bases-loaded walk three batters later.
YANKEES 10, WHITE SOX 0
At New York, Sergio Mitre surrendered just one hit before a line drive to his right arm forced him out of New York’ victory over Chicago on Saturday.
Mitre pitched six-and-a-third innings and had a perfect game broken up in the fifth. After he was forced out of the game, Chad Gaudin took the mound for New York and preserved the one-hitter.
Robinson Cano had three hits, drove in two and scored once while Alex Rodriguez had a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored for the Yankees, who stretched their lead over Boston to six-and-a-half games atop the American League East.
Mitre had a perfect game through the fourth inning, setting down the first 12 batters he faced.
INDIANS 5, ORIOLES 3
At Baltimore, Maryland, Andy Marte hit a three-run homer following a long rain delay and Jhonny Peralta also connected in Cleveland’s win over Baltimore.
Marte’s shot off Chris Ray erased a 2-1 deficit in the sixth inning. Peralta’s homer, off Chris Tillman in the fourth, tied the game at 1.
With the Orioles batting against Jeremy Sowers in the fifth, a light rain intensified. Ty Wigginton reached third with two outs and, as thousands of fans headed for cover, Cesar Izturis tripled into the gap in right-center.
When play resumed, Ray (0-2) replaced Tillman and immediately struck out Peralta. But Luis Valbuena and Matt LaPorta followed with singles, and Marte hit a 3-2 pitch deep into the left-field seats.
RAYS 3, TIGERS 1
At Detroit, David Price (7-6) lasted a career-best 7 1-3 innings and allowed a run and five hits to help Tampa Bay beat Detroit. Nate Robertson (1-1) took the loss as he was making his first start of the season since elbow surgery.
In other MLB action it was:
• Rangers 3, Twins 0
• Athletics 4, Angels 3
• Mariners 8, Royals 4
• Dodgers 11, Reds 4
• Giants 5, Rockies 3
• Braves 9, Phillies 1, 8 inns
• Cubs 11, Mets 4
• Diamondbacks 9, Astros 0
• Cardinals 9, Nationals 4
• Brewers 7, Pirates 3
• Padres 7, Marlins 4
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but