AMERICAN LEAGUE
AP, SEATTLE
Ichiro Suzuki hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Seattle Mariners a dramatic 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Friday.
Pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney kept the ninth inning alive with a two-out double. Suzuki then jumped on the first pitch from Yankees closer Mariano Rivera for his 10th homer of the season and second straight day with a game-winning hit.
It was Suzuki’s third career hit off Rivera, and the only the second blown save of the season for the New York closer.
ANGELS 2, RANGERS 0
In Arlington, Texas, Los Angeles moved a step closer to securing the AL West title by beating their closest rival, Texas.
Scott Kazmir pitched six scoreless innings to get his first victory for the Angels, which moved 7.5 games above the Rangers with only 15 to play.
Vladimir Guerrero led off the third inning with a 408-foot blast into the left-field seats to put Los Angeles ahead 2-0.
TWINS 3, TIGERS 0
In Minneapolis, Minnesota tightened the fight for the AL Central crown by defeating leaders Detroit.
Michael Cuddyer’s two-run homer off Rick Porcello helped the Twins move within three games of the Tigers — the closest they’ve been in six weeks. Brian Duensing pitched 6-1/3 scoreless innings.
RED SOX 3, ORIOLES 1
In Baltimore, Boston won its sixth straight game over Baltimore.
Clay Buchholz pitched six scoreless innings for the Red Sox, who have won eight of nine to take a seven-game lead in the AL wild-card race.
Jason Bay hit his team-high 34th home run for Boston.
RAYS 11, BLUE JAYS 4
In St Petersburg, Florida, pitcher James Shields won at home for the first time in more than three months, steering Tampa Bay to a comfortable win over Toronto.
Shields had been 0-5 in his previous 10 starts at Tropicana Field. He gave up four runs in six innings.
Eight Rays batters reached base to start a six-run third inning.
ROYALS 11, WHITE SOX 0
In Chicago, Luke Hochevar pitched his first career shutout as Kansas City thumped Chicago.
Hochevar allowed just three singles and struck out five in his first start since July and won his first game in his past eight decisions.
ATHLETICS 2, INDIANS 1
In Oakland, California, Brett Anderson pitched six shutout innings and had a career-high 10 strikeouts to help Oakland edge Cleveland and win their fifth straight.
Cleveland fell to 0-5 on their current seven-game road trip.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Ryan Howard homered twice and Jimmy Rollins hit a three-run shot as the Philadelphia Phillies overcame a shortened start by rookie J.A. Happ to end Atlanta’s seven-game winning streak with a 9-4 victory in the National League on Friday.
Philadelphia, which has won six straight, snapped the Braves’ longest stretch of consecutive victories since July 2006, dropping Atlanta 8.5 games back in the NL East and hurting their fading wild-card chances.
Howard’s 39th and 40th homers came off Tim Hudson (1-1), who gave up six hits, three runs and one walk with three strikeouts in seven innings.
Rollins’ 19th homer and Ben Francisco’s fifth homer, a solo shot, accounted for Philadelphia’s four-run ninth against Vladimir Nunez.
GIANTS 8, DODGERS 4
At Los Angeles, Eugenio Velez and Pablo Sandoval homered, and pinch-hitter Fred Lewis doubled home the go-ahead run as San Francisco defeated Los Angeles.
The Giants’ 80th victory — their most since winning 91 in 2004 — moved them 2.5 games behind Colorado in the NL wild card race. The Rockies lost 7-5 at Arizona and still trail the first-place Dodgers by five games in the NL West.
Ramirez homered and drove in three runs as the Dodgers’ three-game winning streak ended.
Also on Friday, it was:
• Diamondbacks 7, Rockies 5
• Marlins 4, Reds 3
• Nationals 6, Mets 5
• Pirates 5, Padres 1
• Brewers 3, Astros 2
• Cardinals 3, Cubs 2
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
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite