AMERICAN LEAGUE
Alex Avila’s two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Detroit Tigers a wild 13-12 victory over Boston on Sunday, leaving the Red Sox winless in three games under new manager Bobby Valentine.
Detroit trailed 10-7 when Miguel Cabrera tied the game with a three-run shot off Alfredo Aceves in the ninth. Boston then scored twice in the 11th, but Mark Melancon (0-2) could not hold the lead.
Cabrera and Prince Fielder singled, before a wild pitch sent Cabrera to third and Delmon Young’s sacrifice fly cut the margin in half. Avila followed with a drive to right and Cody Ross tried to make a leaping catch, but the ball appeared to hit a gate just above the wall before caroming back onto the field.
Duane Below (2-0) got one out for the win — even though Detroit manager Jim Leyland said he would not be available — and the Tigers completed a three-game sweep in a game that lasted 4 hours, 45 minutes.
Boston are without newly acquired closer Andrew Bailey, who had surgery on his right thumb. Melancon and Aceves are the primary candidates to close in Bailey’s absence and both blew saves on Sunday.
RAYS 3, YANKEES 0
In St Petersburg, Florida, Jeremy Hellickson came within one out of a three-hitter as Tampa Bay beat New York to complete a season-opening sweep and match the best start in club history.
Carlos Pena and Jeff Keppinger homered for Tampa Bay, who also started with three consecutive wins in 2002.
New York are 0-3 for the first time since 1998, when they went on to win 114 games and the World Series.
Celebrating his 25th birthday, Hellickson (1-0) limited the Yankees to three doubles. Last year’s AL Rookie of the Year walked four, struck out four and was one out from his third career complete game and second shutout when he was replaced by Fernando Rodney after 118 pitches.
Pena homered off starter Phil Hughes (0-1) in the third. Another offseason acquisition, Keppinger, hit a solo shot off Boone Logan in the sixth.
In other AL games, it was:
‧ Orioles 3, Twins 1
‧ Royals 7, Angels 3
‧ Indians 4, Blue Jays 3
‧ Rangers 5, White Sox 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Ryan Roberts and Lyle Overbay hit consecutive two-out homers off Matt Cain as the Arizona Diamondbacks tied a franchise record by rallying from six runs down to beat the San Francisco Giants 7-6 on Sunday and sweep the season-opening three-game series.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy was ejected for arguing home plate umpire Mike DiMuro’s call that catcher Buster Posey missed the plate on a forceout, a ruling that allowed what proved to be the winning run to score in the seventh inning.
Posey hit his first home run in nearly a year to help the Giants take a 6-0 lead through three innings.
Wade Miley (1-0) pitched four scoreless innings in relief of starter Josh Collmenter to get the win. Jeremy Affeldt (0-1) allowed two runs while getting just one out.
Niese (1-0) allowed just two balls out of the infield through six innings and retired 15 in a row before walking Dan Uggla leading off the seventh. On the next pitch, Niese’s 99th of the game, Freddie Freeman singled cleanly to right.
Pitching for the first time since the Mets gave him a US$25.5 million, five-year deal, Niese allowed four runs — two earned — and two hits in six-plus innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.
In other NL games, it was:
‧ Pirates 5, Phillies 4
‧ Reds 6, Marlins 5
‧ Cubs 4, Nationals 3
‧ Cardinals 9, Brewers 3
‧ Astros 3, Rockies 2
‧ Mets 7, Braves 5
‧ Padres 8, Dodgers 4
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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
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