AMERICAN LEAGUE
Bobby Abreu hit a go-ahead two-run single and Vladimir Guerrero belted his first home run of the season on Sunday as the Los Angeles Angels downed Boston 5-4 in a tense Major League Baseball contest.
Things got testy early as the benches cleared in the first inning when the Angels were angered that Boston pitcher Josh Beckett threw a pitch over Abreu’s head just as home plate umpire Paul Schreiber was calling a timeout.
PHOTO: AP
Abreu said something to Beckett and was held back by Schreiber, then both dugouts and bullpens emptied, although no punches were thrown.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia ordered his players and coaches back to the dugout, and remained on the field discussing the situation with officiating crew chief Joe West before Beckett walked toward Scioscia and exchanged some heated words.
Players poured onto the field again, with more pushing and shoving before Angels center fielder Torii Hunter was ejected and had to be restrained by teammate Howie Kendrick.
Mickey Hatcher and reliever Justin Speier were also ejected.
The Angels had won the series opener on Friday after paying emotional tribute to 22-year-old rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed last Thursday along with two friends when the car they were in was rammed by a van driven by a suspected drunken driver.
In Sunday’s other games it was:
• White Sox 6, Twins 1
• Indians 8, Blue Jays 4
• Rays 11, Orioles 3
• Mariners 1, Athletics 0
• Royals 6, Yankees 4
• Tigers 6, Rangers 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
AP, MIAMI
Josh Johnson pitched a five-hitter for his second complete game in 45 career starts as the Florida Marlins scored two unearned runs to edge the Mets 2-1 on Sunday, handing the New York ace Johan Santana his first loss since June 28.
While Johnson retired 15 batters in a row, Santana was just as good. The left-hander struck out 13 in seven innings, allowing only three hits. But left fielder Daniel Murphy dropped a two-out flyball in the second for an error that led to both Florida runs. Santana (1-1) had made 18 starts in a row without a loss, winning 10 straight decisions.
The Marlins totaled only three hits, but ended their season-opening homestand at 5-1, the best start in franchise history.
Also on Sunday it was:
• Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 1
• Reds 2, Pirates 0
• Cardinals 3, Astros 0
• Padres 6, Giants 1
• Braves 8, Nationals 5
• Phillies 7, Rockies 5
• Cubs 8, Brewers 5
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