AMERICAN LEAGUE
Dustin Pedroia singled with two outs in the top of the 16th inning to snap a scoreless deadlock and give the Boston Red Sox a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
Josh Beckett and five relievers combined to pitch a three-hitter for the Red Sox, who won for the eighth time in nine games, retaining a 1-1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees in the AL East.
Photo: AFP
Pedroia lined a single to right field off Adam Russell (1-2), driving in Josh Reddick from third base. Reddick drew a lead-off walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on Marco Scutaro’s infield hit.
Alfredo Aceves (5-1) pitched three scoreless innings for the win. Jonathan Papelbon worked the bottom of the 16th for his 21st save in 22 opportunities.
RANGERS 3, MARINERS 1
In Seattle, Matt Harrison allowed one run in 7-2/3 innings and Mitch Moreland hit a three-run homer as Texas beat Seattle for their 11th consecutive victory.
The Rangers’ streak is baseball’s best since Philadelphia won 11 in a row in September last year and is tied for second-best in team history.
Harrison (8-7) allowed five hits, struck out four and walked one, continuing Texas’ run of dominant pitching. The Rangers held Seattle to two runs over 36 innings in the four-game set.
Going back to before the All-Star break, Texas has allowed just two runs in their last 47 innings.
Neftali Feliz struck out a pair in the ninth for his 20th save in 24 chances.
TWINS 4, ROYALS 3
In Minneapolis, Jim Thome hit his 596th career home run and Joe Nathan picked up the save for the second day in a row to lift Minnesota over Kansas City.
Thome’s tiebreaking three-run drive off Felipe Paulino soared into the upper deck in right-center field in the sixth inning, leaving him four shy of becoming the eighth player to hit 600 home runs.
Jeff Francoeur homered and Melky Cabrera added two hits for Kansas City. Paulino (1-3) struck out eight in seven innings, yielding four runs and seven hits.
TIGERS 4, WHITE SOX 3
In Detroit, Carlos Guillen hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Detroit’s three-run sixth inning to lead Detroit past Chicago.
The Tigers came back from a 3-0 deficit and avoided a three-game sweep.
Chicago led 3-1 when Victor Martinez tied it with a two-run single in the sixth. Jhonny Peralta then singled and Guillen followed with a line drive to right field that drove in Martinez.
Detroit’s Brad Penny (7-6) allowed three runs and nine hits in 6-2/3 innings. Three relievers finished for the Tigers, with Jose Valverde working the ninth for his 25th save in 25 chances.
YANKEES 7, BLUE JAYS 2
In Toronto, Phil Hughes pitched six effective innings to earn his first win of the season as New York salvaged a split of the four-game series with Toronto.
Brett Gardner had three hits and Curtis Granderson finished with three RBIs for the Yankees, who were outscored 23-8 over the first two games in the set.
Making just his fifth start of the season and his second since missing 84 games with a sore right shoulder, Hughes (1-2) gave up two runs and four hits to win for the first time since Oct. 2 last year in Boston.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Athletics 9, Angels 1
‧ Orioles 8, Indians 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AFP, WASHINGTON
In NL action on Sunday, it was:
‧ Reds 3, Cardinals 1
‧ Phillies 8, Mets 5
‧ Braves 9, Nationals 8
‧ Pirates 7, Astros 5 11 innings
‧ Marlins 7, Cubs 5
‧ Brewers 4, Rockies 3
‧ Giants 4, Padres 3 11 innings
‧ Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 1
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely