MAJOR LEAGUES
A.J. Pierzynski and Mike Napoli had run-producing hits in the first inning against their former team on Sunday, as the Boston Red Sox took a winning average for the first time since three games into the season with a series-clinching 5-2 victory at Texas in the American League.
Napoli put the Red Sox permanently ahead with an RBI double, two batters before Pierzynski’s two-run single. Both went to Boston as free agents after stints in Texas, where Pierzynski was the Rangers’ primary catcher last season and Napoli played the previous two years.
John Lackey (5-2) struck out nine and allowed two runs over seven innings, as Rangers lefty Robbie Ross (1-4) made it through 6-2/3 innings and a career-high 112 pitches.
Also in the AL, Kansas City slugger Alcides Escobar hit a grand slam and Johnny Giavotella added a three-run shot to give the Royals a dramatic 9-7 comeback victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Escobar gave the Royals a 4-0 lead in the second with his first career home run off starter Roenis Elias, but the Mariners rallied on the back of two homers from Dustin Ackley and one from Kyle Seager before Kansas City took the lead in the seventh, scoring four runs off reliever Danny Farquhar (1-1).
In other AL games, the Cleveland Indians edged the Tampa Bay Rays 6-5, the Houston Astros downed the Baltimore Orioles 5-2, the Los Angeles Angels downed the Toronto Blue Jays 9-3 and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3.
In the National League, Pablo Sandoval and Hector Sanchez hit RBI singles in the 10th inning, as the San Francisco Giants recovered to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 after closer Sergio Romo gave up a tying homer to Hanley Ramirez.
Brandon Hicks hit a two-run shot off Clayton Kershaw and Buster Posey had an RBI single for the NL West leaders, who beat the defending division champions for the seventh time in 10 this season.
In other NL games, the Cincinnati Reds downed the Colorado Rockies 4-1, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-2, the New York Mets edged the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 over 11 innings, the San Diego Padres beat the Miami Marlins 5-4 and the Cardinals triumphed 6-5 over the Pirates.
In interleague play, the Brewers beat the Yankees 6-5, the Athletics crushed the Nationals 9-1 to complete a series sweep and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the Chicago White Sox 5-1.
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