Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara made a triumphant debut for Baltimore in a 7-5 triumph on Wednesday over the New York Yankees, spoiling the MLB return of Taiwan’s Wang Chien-ming.
Uehara, who spent 10 seasons in Japan with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, allowed one run on five hits and a walk in five innings for the victory.
“The Yankees have a great lineup, a lot of great players,” Uehara said. “It was an honor to have a chance to pitch against them and get a win. I’m really happy. It’s right at the top [of my greatest achievements].”
PHOTO: AFP
The 34-year-old right-hander signed a two-year deal worth US$10 million in January to become the Orioles’ first Japanese pitcher.
“We didn’t hit too many balls off him,” Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon said. “His changeup was good and he kept his fastball down. He has a good idea out there.”
Baltimore pounded out a 7-1 lead off Wang, who was making his first start since June after a foot injury sidelined him for the last half of last year’s campaign. Wang surrendered seven runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
PHOTO: AP
“He never got his sinker going,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “When he doesn’t have a sinker, he’s going to struggle and that’s what happened.”
Nick Markakis went 3-for-3 with a home run and knocked in three runs for the Orioles, who batted around the order in a five-run fourth inning to oust Wang in his shortest start since going 2 2/3 innings against Toronto in August 2007
“It has been so long. I just wanted to win so badly,” Wang said through a translator. “Hopefully, I can get my sinker back as soon as possible.”
Wang had not lost in nine road starts dating to 2007 in Boston but struggled for a Yankees squad that has baseball’s highest playroll at US$201 million but has lost its first two games of the season.
Wang won 19 games in the 2006 and 2007 seasons but tore a tendon in his right foot while running the bases last June against the Houston Astros. Wang was 8-2 with a 4.07 earned-run average in 15 starts before that injury.
ATHLETICS 6, ANGELS 4
At Anaheim, California, pinch-hitter Nomar Garciaparra, Mark Ellis and Matt Holliday hit RBI singles with two outs in the ninth inning off new closer Brian Fuentes, rallying Oakland over Los Angeles.
Rookie reliever Andrew Bailey (1-0) earned his first major league victory with a hitless eighth inning and Brad Ziegler finished for his second save.
Fuentes, who got the closer’s job after Rodriguez signed with the Mets, took over to start the ninth with a 4-3 lead. After issuing a leadoff walk to Jason Giambi, Fuentes (0-1) retired the next two batters.
Kurt Suzuki followed with a trickler up the first-base line.
Fuentes and catcher Mike Napoli both reached for the ball but backed off, and Suzuki reached with an infield single.
Garciaparra singled to score pinch-runner Bobby Crosby with the tying run, and Ellis and Holliday delivered their with hits.
In other American League action on Wednesday it was:
• Rays 7, Red Sox 2
• Tigers 5, Blue Jays 1
• Royals 2, White Sox 0
• Twins 6, Mariners 5
• Rangers 8, Indians 5
At San Diego, Manny Ramirez hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning and finished with three RBIs as Los Angeles downed San Diego 5-2.
Chad Billingsley worked six solid innings for the Dodgers and three relievers combined to finish the three-hitter. Jonathan Broxton struck out two during a scoreless ninth.
Edward Mujica (0-1) threw a called strike past Ramirez, who drove the next pitch into right-center to put Los Angeles ahead 4-2. James Loney tacked on an RBI single off Cla Meredith later in the inning.
In other National League action on Wednesday it was:
• Phillies 12, Braves 11
• Cubs 11, Astros 6
• Marlins 6, Nationals 4
• Rockies 9, Diamondbacks 2
• Mets 9, Reds 7
• Brewers 4, Giants 2
• Pirates 7, Cardinals 4
• Rockies 9, Diamondbacks 2
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
RSS