AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, NEW YORK
Derek Jeter has tied the great Lou Gehrig for the most career hits for the New York Yankees.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Jeter’s third hit of the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday gave him 2,721 for the Yankees, tying a mark held by Gehrig for more than 70 years.
“It’s just kind of mind-boggling to know my name is next to his,” Jeter said after the Yankees’ 4-2 victory.
Jeter had a chance to break the record in the eighth inning, but he walked against Tampa Bay reliever Grant Balfour.
Already on their feet in anticipation, fans at Yankee Stadium let loose with a roar when Jeter’s sharp grounder inside the first-base line got by a diving Chris Richard in the seventh.
Jeter’s parents, watching from an upstairs box between home plate and first base, raised their arms and exclaimed in excitement.
The Yankees trailed 2-0 at the time, and Jeter said he reluctant to acknowledge the mark because he didn’t want to “disrespect” the Rays.
Rays players and coaches clapped as Jeter stood at first base. He took off his helmet and twice waved it to the crowd of 45,848 during an ovation that lasted about two minutes.
“What an ovation I got from the fans,” he said. “I’ve been trying to do it for them.”
After entering the game in an 0-for-12 slump, his longest hitless stretch this season, Jeter broke out of the rut with a bunt single toward third base leading off the bottom of the first inning. He reached first without a throw, bringing a standing ovation from the crowd.
“That’s why I bunted in the first inning. I needed to get one hit, right?” he said.
He grounded out in the third inning and drove a ground-rule double to straightaway center in the fifth. On his first chance to tie Gehrig, Jeter came through in fitting fashion — with an opposite-field hit.
Jeter also swiped second base in the first inning for his 300th career steal, which ranks second on the franchise list behind Rickey Henderson (326).
TWINS 4, BLUE JAYS 1
At Toronto, Justin Morneau and Orlando Cabrera homered as Minnesota finally got the best of Roy Halladay.
Cabrera tied it with a leadoff shot in the sixth and Morneau hit a two-out tiebreaking drive in the eighth for his 30th homer.
Pinch-hitter Michael Cuddyer added a two-run double in the ninth.
Halladay (14-9) allowed nine hits, struck out nine and walked one in his major league-leading seventh complete game.
In other games it was:
• Red Sox 7, Orioles 5
• Angels 6, Mariners 3
• Royals 5, Tigers 1
• White Sox 4, Athletics 3, 13 inns
• Rangers 10, Indians 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, MILWAUKEE
Albert Pujols hit two home runs for a MLB-leading 47 and Adam Wainwright picked up his 18th win as the St. Louis Cardinals pasted the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in the National League on Wednesday.
Adam Wainwright (18-7) scattered five hits in seven scoreless innings and Pujols powered the offense with his homers in the fifth and seventh innings to complete a three-game sweep of the Brewers.
But St. Louis got a scare when Matt Holliday tumbled running out a grounder in the third and left with a bruised left knee.
In other games it was:
• Cubs 8, Pirates 5
• Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 3
• Rockies 4, Reds 3
• Padres 4, Giants 2
• Phillies 6, Nationals 5
• Astros 2, Braves 1
• Marlins 6, Mets 3
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