The Detroit Tigers came back from two runs down to beat the New York Yankees 4-3 and even their playoff series at one game apiece in Major League Baseball on Thursday.
Curtis Granderson hit a go-ahead RBI triple off Mike Mussina in the seventh inning to the cap the rally, and send the Tigers home with a split in their American League division series.
In National League playoffs, the Cardinals defeated the San Diego Padres 2-0 and the Mets downed the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 as St. Louis and New York each took 2-0 series leads.
In a game postponed by the threat of rain the night before, a somewhat stunned Yankee Stadium crowd of 56,252 watched the wild-card Tigers end a six-game losing streak since the final week of the regular season.
Justin Verlander, his pitches reaching 161 kph, allowed his only runs on Johnny Damon's fourth-inning homer, which put New York ahead 3-1. Detroit's bullpen held down the Yankees' mighty offense: Joel Zumaya topped out at 164 kph, Jamie Walker got the win, and Todd Jones pitched the ninth for the save.
The Tigers tied it at 3 on Granderson's fifth-inning sacrifice fly and Carlos Guillen's sixth-inning homer.
Cardinals 2, Padres 0
At San Diego, even local star David Wells couldn't save the Padres, who appear to be headed for their same old playoffs fate against St. Louis.
Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds hit RBI singles off Wells in the fourth inning and Jeff Weaver held the light-hitting Padres in check in five scoreless innings.
The two-time NL West champion Padres have now lost nine straight playoff games dating to its World Series sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees in 1998.
Pujols got three more hits after homering in the 5-1 victory in Game 1.
Weaver, dumped by the Los Angeles Angels with a 3-10 record, and four relievers combined on a four-hitter. The Padres have only 10 hits in the first two games and are 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Mets 4, Dodgers 1
At New York, Tom Glavine, making his 33rd postseason start -- but first since joining the Mets in 2003, tossed six shutout innings and New York scratched out enough runs to beat Los Angeles for a 2-0 lead in their NL playoff series.
Jose Reyes drove in two runs from the leadoff spot, 48-year-old pinch-hitter Julio Franco hustled to beat out a double-play ball for an RBI, and Billy Wagner earned his second consecutive save.
Two days earlier, the NL East champions lost Orlando Hernandez to a calf injury -- leaving him on the sidelines with ace Pedro Martinez all postseason.
But now, they're one win from the NL championship series.
Los Angeles left-hander Kuo Hong-chih (
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
RSS