AMERICAN LEAGUE
Josh Hamilton hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th inning to lift the Texas Rangers to an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League on Saturday.
Toronto had taken a 7-5 lead in the top half, but Elvis Andrus doubled in a run off Ryota Igarashi to start the comeback. Hamilton’s third game-ending homer came off Jason Frasor (0-1) and was his 20th home run of the year.
In the top of the 13th, Omar Vizquel hit an RBI single for Toronto and later scored after Nelson Cruz misplayed a flyball by Yunel Escobar with two outs.
ROYALS 4, ORIOLES 3
In Baltimore, Maryland, Eric Hosmer singled in the game-winning run in the eighth inning as the Royals rallied to beat the Orioles.
Hosmer went three for four with two RBIs to help the Royals make up a three-run deficit.
Billy Butler’s 10th homer cut it to 3-2 in the sixth, Hosmer scored the tying run in the seventh and then put Kansas City ahead for the first time in the eighth.
Greg Holland (1-2) pitched the seventh for the win, while Pedro Strop (3-2) took the loss.
TIGERS 6, TWINS 3
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Max Scherzer struck out nine in a rain-shortened outing and Prince Fielder had his first four-hit game with the Tigers, leading Detroit to victory over the Twins.
Scherzer (4-3) gave up three runs and six hits in 5-1/3 innings before leaving due to a rain delay and Andy Dirks had two doubles and two RBIs for the Tigers.
Jose Valverde picked up his eighth save in 10 chances.
Carl Pavano (2-4) allowed six runs on 10 hits in 4-1/3 innings for the Twins, who have lost four straight. Justin Morneau and Denard Span homered for Minnesota.
YANKEES 9, ATHLETICS 2
In Oakland, California, Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer and a solo shot as the Yankees beat the Athletics for their fourth straight win.
Teixeira and Robinson Cano each homered for a second straight day as the Yankees added three more homers to give them nine homers in the last three games.
Oakland’s Josh Reddick connected leading off the third for his 13th home run and second in as many games, but the A’s lost their eighth in a row at home to the Yankees.
WHITE SOX 14, INDIANS 7
In Chicago, Dayan Viciedo homered in his third straight game as the White Sox pounded the Indians for their eighth win in nine games.
Paul Konerko had four hits, three of them doubles.
Derek Lowe (6-3) lasted just 2-1/3 innings in his shortest start this season and watched his ERA jump from an American League-leading 2.15 to 3.25 after giving up eight runs.
Jake Peavy (6-1) gave up a pair of two-run homers to Jason Kipnis and allowed seven runs in all while struggling through 6-1/3 innings.
In other AL play, it was:
‧ Red Sox 3, Rays 2
‧ Angels 5, Mariners 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, NEW YORK
Johan Santana pitched a four-hitter for his first shutout since 2010 as the New York Mets backed him with three home runs in a 9-0 win over the San Diego Padres in the National League on Saturday.
Santana’s last shutout in August 2010 came less than a month before shoulder surgery cost him the rest of the year and all of last year. Santana (2-2) had gone without a decision in his last three starts, all Mets losses, and had six no-decisions in his first nine.
NATIONALS 8, BRAVES 4
In Atlanta, Georgia, Bryce Harper homered and Danny Espinosa added a three-run shot to help Washington beat reeling Atlanta.
Stephen Strasburg (5-1) got the win despite setting a season high with four walks and giving up four runs and six hits in five innings.
The Braves’ season-worst losing streak reached six games. Before the game, the Braves placed Chipper Jones on the 15-day disabled list with a bruised left leg.
Kris Medlen (1-1) took the loss.
MARLINS 5, GIANTS 3
In Miami, Mark Buehrle pitched into the eighth inning and the Marlins moved within a victory of matching the team record for the most wins in a month.
Giancarlo Stanton hit two doubles and scored twice while Logan Morrison drove in two runs for the Marlins.
Miami are a Major League best 18-7 this month. The Marlins went 19-10 in August 1997.
Buehrle (5-4) allowed two runs and eight hits while throwing 69 of 100 pitches for strikes.
Madison Bumgarner (5-4) took the loss.
PHILLIES 4, CARDINALS 0
In St Louis, Missouri, Kyle Kendrick threw a seven-hitter for his first career shutout, putting the Phillies on the verge of their first four-game sweep in St Louis since 1913.
Shane Victorino’s RBI double in the fourth was the only support Kendrick (1-4) needed, while John Mayberry added a two-run double in a three-run sixth.
Jaime Garcia (3-3) took the loss for the Cardinals, who hit the wall against the team they upset in the NL Division Series last fall.
In other NL play, it was:
‧ Reds 10, Rockies 3
‧ Pirates 3, Cubs 2
‧ Diamondbacks 8, Brewers 5
‧ Dodgers 6, Astros 3
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