The Boston Red Sox collected money on Monday to buy food and medicine for flooding victims in the Dominican Republic, the homeland of stars Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.
More than 1,000 have been killed by floods near the Haitian border, and thousands more have been left homeless.
"The Dominican Republic has produced wonderful, talented members of our club, and we now have the opportunity to help this country that has given us so much," Red Sox spokesman Charles Steinberg said. "Our players do so much in the Boston community and in their home communities. This is a unique opportunity to support their effort while helping thousands of people in dire need of assistance."
PHOTO: AP
The team set aside an area inside the main gate for fans to contribute. Monday was the final game of a homestand, but the team will continue to accept contributions through the mail.
Checks made out to the Red Sox Foundation should be sent to: Dominican Relief Effort, Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.
Orioles 13, Red Sox 4
Rodrigo Lopez had his best game as a starter and B.J. Surhoff had four of Baltimore's 16 hits, including a homer that helped the Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 13-4 Monday.
Lopez (4-2) struck out seven in 5 1-3 innings, allowing one run and four hits in his third start since being promoted from the bullpen May 20.
"To shut down a team like Boston, you are doing something," Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli said. "This Red Sox team is explosive."
Melvin Mora had four RBIs and three hits, including a homer, and Brian Roberts three hits, including a bases-clearing double in the seven-run sixth inning. Baltimore has 13 or more hits in six straight games.
"It makes you feel more comfortable on the mound," Lopez said. "Knowing that they're going to score runs, it makes you more relaxed."
Derek Lowe (4-5) allowed seven runs, eight hits and four walks in five-plus innings. Boston dropped into second place in the AL East, percentage points behind the New York Yankees.
Mariners 6, Blue Jays 2
In Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki had three hits to give him 50 in May and Randy Winn drove in three runs for Seattle in a victory over Toronto.
Suzuki became the first player since Pete Rose to have two 50-plus hit months in his career. He had 51 in August of 2001. Rose had 52 in July of 1973 and 51 in September of 1979.
Suzuki finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and closed out the month 50-for-125 (.400).
Jamie Moyer (4-2) won his third straight start and lowered his ERA to 4.06 after opening the season with a 1-2 record and a 5.29 ERA through his first eight starts.
Moyer allowed seven hits and two runs over 7 2-3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Toronto starter Pat Hentgen (2-4) lasted five innings, allowing eight his and four earned runs. He walked three and struck out six.
Rookie Nick Green's first career homer highlighted a six-run seventh inning Monday and led the Atlanta Braves over the Montreal Expos 8-2.
With the score tied 2-all in the seventh and a runner on third with two outs, Montreal manager Frank Robinson elected to walk Rafael Furcal and pitch to Green, who hit a three-run drive off Livan Hernandez (3-5).
Following much coaxing from teammate Chipper Jones and hitting coach Terry Pendleton, Green agreed to a curtain call.
"I didn't know I was supposed to go out there until Chipper yelled at me that I needed to go," Green said. "I hope they saw me. I only went up to the top step of the dugout."
Russ Ortiz (6-4) pitched six shutout innings before Brian Schneider's two-run homer in the seventh.
"Both pitchers did a tremendous job of keeping the ball in the ballpark because the ball was jumping today as much as I've ever seen," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
Atlanta's J.D. Drew hit his 10th homer.
Cubs 3, Astros 1
In Chicago, Greg Maddux earned his 293rd career victory and Moises Alou homered to lead the Cubs over Houston.
Maddux (4-4) allowed seven hits in 6 2-3 innings, including Lance Berkman's ninth homer in 13 games, before leaving with a mild strain of a muscle in his right side.
Maddux said after the game he was OK and planned on throwing on the side in two days. He is not expected to miss his next start.
Joe Borowski, Chicago's fourth pitcher, worked the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances.
Reds 9, Marlins 7
In Miami, Ken Griffey Jr. passed Lou Gehrig on the career home run list with a go-ahead, three-run drive in the seventh inning that helped Cincinnati beat Florida.
Griffey's home run off Justin Wayne (3-2) was his 13th this season and the 494th of his career, moving him into sole possession of 20th place.
Sean Casey homered twice and raised his major league-leading average to .394. He scored four runs and had three RBIs for Cincinnati, which overcame a 5-0 deficit and stopped Florida's five-game winning streak.
Jeff Conine went 4-for-4 and Mike Lowell had three RBIs for the Marlins, who lost for only the third time in their last 12 games.
John Riedling (4-0) got the win, despite walking four while retiring just three batters. Danny Graves pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th.
Dodgers 3, Brewers 2
In Los Angeles, Cesar Izturis hit an RBI single in the 10th inning, giving the Dodgers' come-from-behind victory over Milwaukee.
Jose Hernandez drew a leadoff walk in the 10th from Dave Burba (3-1), was sacrificed to second by Dave Roberts and scored when Izturis sent Burba's 0-1 pitch into right field.
The win went to Cy Young closer Eric Gagne (2-0), who pitched one inning.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Crowds descended on the home of 17-year-old Chinese diver Quan Hongchan after she won two golds at the Paris Olympics while gymnast Zhang Boheng hid in a Beijing airport toilet to escape overzealous throngs of fans. They are just two recent examples of what state media are calling “toxic fandom” and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it. Some of the adulation toward China’s sports stars has been more sinister — fans obsessing over athletes’ personal lives, cyberbullying opponents or slamming supposedly crooked judges. Experts say it mirrors the kind of behavior once reserved for entertainment celebrities before
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures