AMERICAN LEAGUE
The Cleveland Indians handed Japanese standout Yu Darvish his first major league loss as they jumped on the Texas Rangers pitcher for three runs in the third inning on the way to a 4-2 victory on Sunday.
Ubaldo Jimenez pitched seven scoreless innings for the AL Central Division-leading Indians as he outperformed Darvish.
Photo: AFP
“You have to go out there and bring your ‘A’ game because he’s really tough,” Jimenez, who struck out six and gave up two hits, told reporters. “I’ve seen him on TV, the guy is out there pitching well every time and giving his team a chance to win.”
“The thing you put in your mind is that you have to go out there and compete really hard,” he added.
Darvish, whom the Rangers signed to a six-year deal worth almost US$60 million, won his first four starts in the US big leagues, but he lasted only six innings against the Indians.
“If this was my first loss, I might be emotional,” Darvish said. “But in high school and as a professional in Japan, I had experiencing in losing a lot of games, so I’m not going to dwell on this.”
Asdrubal Cabrera doubled home two runs, then scored on an infield single to give Cleveland a commanding lead in the third.
Jason Kipnis made it 4-0 with a fifth-inning home run, also off Darvish, who struck out 11 but gave up six hits.
“If we could have put up some runs on the board early, it might have been a different situation,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said.
Texas, the West Division leaders, scored twice in the eighth on Josh Hamilton’s ground out to first and Michael Young’s run scoring single.
ANGELS 4, BLUE JAYS 3
In Anaheim, California, Albert Pujols finally hit a home run for the Los Angeles Angels, ending the longest power drought of his career in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Pujols connected in the fifth inning for his first AL homer and the 446th overall. When he returned to the dugout, he had it all to himself. No players, no coaches, no batboys.
Pujols’ teammates gave him the silent treatment, a plot hatched by Torii Hunter. They were all waiting for the slugger in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. Then, a burst of euphoria and they were all back on the bench, high-fiving and slapping him all over his body.
The three-time National League MVP had gone 33 games and 139 at-bats dating to last year without a home run in the regular season.
Pujols drove a 2-2 pitch from Drew Hutchison (1-1) into the left-field bullpen for a two-run shot. He homered in his 28th game and 111th at-bat with the Angels, who signed him to a 10-year, US$240 million contract as a free agent in December last year.
ORIOLES 9, RED SOX 6 (17)
In Boston, Baltimore designated hitter Chris Davis overcame an awful day at the plate by pitching two scoreless innings and getting the win as the Orioles outlasted Boston in the first major league game since 1925 in which both teams put a position player on the mound.
Davis went 0-for-8, striking out five times and grounding into a double play. However, in a season full of surprises for the Orioles, a first baseman by trade delivered the biggest one yet in a crazy game at Fenway Park.
Adam Jones hit a three-run homer in the top of the 17th off Darnell McDonald (0-1), an outfielder the Red Sox turned to once their bullpen was empty.
The last time two teams brought in position players to pitch in the same game was Oct. 4, 1925, when Hall of Famers Ty Cobb of Detroit and George Sisler of the St Louis Browns closed out the second game of a doubleheader on the last day of the season, STATS LLC said.
The last time any position player wound up as the winning pitcher was May 25 last year, when Philadelphia infielder Wilson Valdez threw one scoreless inning in a 19-inning victory over Cincinnati.
J.J. Hardy had five hits, including two homers, as Baltimore completed a sweep and won their fifth in a row. The shortstop also made a relay to the plate that cut down the potential winning run to end the 16th.
Robert Andino hit a three-run shot for the Orioles, who improved to a major league-best 19-9.
Boston rookie Will Middlebrooks hit a grand slam for his first major league homer.
In other AL action, it was:
‧ Yankees 10, Royals 4
‧ Tigers 3, White Sox 1
‧ Athletics 9, Rays 5
‧ Mariners 5, Twins 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Ricky Nolasco remained unbeaten and Giancarlo Stanton drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning as the Miami Marlins beat the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Sunday for their season-best sixth straight victory.
Miami had lost eight of nine before their winning streak. The Marlins have swept consecutive three-game series on the road for the second time in team history.
Stanton’s walk keyed a four-run eighth. The slugger saw eight pitches from Andrew Cashner (2-2) and all of them registered at least 101mph.
Nolasco (4-0) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings to tie Dontrelle Willis for the club record with his 68th career win.
GIANTS 4, BREWERS 3 (11)
In San Francisco, pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez singled over a five-man infield with the bases loaded in the 11th inning, giving San Francisco a victory over Milwaukee.
Buster Poster singled off sidearm submariner Tim Dillard (0-1) leading off the inning and pinch-runner Emmanuel Burriss moved to second on Angel Pagan’s sacrifice bunt.
Travis Ishikawa’s run-scoring double for the Brewers handed fill-in closer Santiago Casilla his first blown save in the ninth.
Left hander Javier Lopez (3-0) got one out for the win after Matt Cain struck out 10 in seven innings. Pagan extended his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest active run in the majors.
PHILLIES 9, NATIONALS 3
In Washington, Cole Hamels gave up five hits over eight innings and Hunter Pence hit a pair of two-run home runs to lead Philadelphia over Washington.
Hamels was in line for his 11th career complete game as he batted to lead off the ninth.
The Phillies’ offense then batted around, scoring six runs, and Hamels was lifted for pinch-hitter John Mayberry when his spot came up the second time in the inning.
Washington rookie Bryce Harper stole home in the first inning, just the latest in an already growing list of accomplishments for the 19-year-old. However, the Nationals lost a key player when right fielder Jayson Werth broke his left wrist while attempting a sliding catch.
In other NL action, it was:
‧ Braves 7, Rockies 2
‧ Cardinals 8, Astros 1
‧ Cubs 4, Dodgers 3 (11)
‧ Mets 3, Diamondbacks 1
‧ Reds 5, Pirates 0
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
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB