After another slow start by the Yankees, Mike Mussina made sure New York didn't get blown out by the Chicago White Sox again.
Mussina gave up two quick runs, then watched his teammates rally for five in the first off rookie Neal Cotts (1-1). The Yankees went on to beat Chicago 7-5 on Thursday in the finale of a three-game series between division leaders.
New York, pummeled by a combined 24-4 in the first two games, headed to Boston for a weekend series with a 4 1/2-game lead in the AL East.
Mussina (15-7) won for the fifth time in six decisions, giving up three runs and eight hits in six innings.
Athletics 6, Orioles 4
In Oakland, California, Adam Melhuse hit a three-run homer and John Halama pitched into the seventh inning as Oakland won its sixth straight, sweeping Baltimore.
Scott Hatteberg led off Oakland's four-run first inning with a homer against Rodrigo Lopez (6-9). Mark Ellis later added an RBI triple as the AL West-leading A's cruised to their 10th win in 12 games -- and their sixth straight victory over Baltimore this season.
Devil Rays 3, Mariners 2
In Seattle, Toby Hall homered in the ninth inning, sending Tampa Bay to a victory over slumping Seattle.
The Mariners fell two games behind Oakland in the ALWest after leading the division for 4 1/2 months. They lost for the eighth time in nine games, leaving them a half-game back of Boston in the wild-card chase.
Twins 6, Angels 1
In Anaheim, California, Jacque Jones hit a two-run homer, leading Kyle Lohse and Minnesota over Anaheim.
Matthew LeCroy and Luis Rivas also drove in two runs apiece for the Twins, who moved within 1 1/2 games of the AL Central lead.
Royals 6, Rangers 5, 11 innings
In Kansas City, Missouri, Mike Sweeney singled in the winning run in the 11th inning to help Kansas City regain first place and overcome two homers by Alex Rodriguez in the Royals' win over Texas.
Indians 8, Tigers 3
In Cleveland, Rookie Jody Gerut homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs, powering Cleveland over Detroit.
Brewers 4, Reds 3
Bill Hall's two-run homer in the 10th inning sent the Milwaukee Brewers to their 10th straight victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Geoff Jenkins homered in his fourth consecutive game for Milwaukee but left with what was likely a season-ending thumb injury.
The Brewers' winning streak is their longest since joining the National League in 1998 -- the last time they won more than 10 in a row was during their club-record 13-game run in 1987.
Expos 4, Phillies 0
In Montreal, Javier Vazquez extended his scoreless streak to 26 innings and Vladimir Guerrero homered as Montreal finished a four-game sweep of Philadelphia.
A crowd of 20,030 saw Montreal complete its third four-game sweep this season, and second in a row at Olympic Stadium. The Expos have won nine straight home games, and five in a row overall.
Rockies 6, Giants 1
In Denver, Preston Wilson hit a grand slam, Jason Jennings pitched seven strong innings and Colorado snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over San Francisco.
With Colorado clinging to a 2-1 lead, Wilson connected off Jim Brower in the seventh for his career-best 32nd homer. Wilson drove in five runs, boosting his major league-leading RBI total to 126, also a career high.
Mets 3, Braves 1
In Atlanta, Jose Reyes became the youngest player in modern major league history to homer from both sides of the plate, leading the New York Mets over the Atlanta Braves.
Al Leiter (13-7) allowed two hits in seven shutout innings for the Mets. He outpitched Mike Hampton (12-6), who had won nine straight decisions.
Cardinals 3, Cubs 2
In St. Louis, Kerry Robinson hit his first home run of the year, connecting for a leadoff shot in the bottom of the ninth inning that lifted the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs.
Robinson hit a 3-2 pitch from Mike Remlinger (5-5) over the right-center field wall. The ball landed in the St. Louis bullpen, where Cardinals pitcher Jason Simontacchi caught it with his cap.
Dodgers 6, Astros 3
In Houston, Eric Gagne earned his 44th straight save of the season, setting a major league record as he closed out the Los Angeles Dodgers' win over the Houston Astros.
Pirates 5, Marlins 0
In Pittsburgh, Josh Fogg pitched shutout ball for 7 2-3 innings and Jack Wilson drove in four runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates held the slumping Marlins scoreless for the second straight game.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
An amateur soccer league organized by farmers, students and factory workers in rural China has unexpectedly drawn millions of fans and inspired big cities to form their own, raising hopes China can grow talent from the ground up and finally become a global force. The nation of 1.4 billion people has about 200 million soccer fans, more than any other country, but it has failed to build world-class teams, partly due to a top-down approach where clubs pick players from a very small pool of prescreened candidates. The professional game is marred by a history of fixed matches, corruption, and dismal performances,
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