Alex Rodriguez hit his 19th career grand slam to power the New York Yankees to an 8-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in the American League on Friday.
Minnesota were leading 4-2 in the seventh inning when Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire made the curious decision to introduce reliever Matt Guerrier, as Rodriguez had a four-for-six record with three home runs off him.
Rodriguez carried his bat all the way to first base, then raised a fist in triumph after the homer, which was his 587th, moving him past Frank Robinson and into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time list.
Joba Chamberlain (1-1) struck out the Twins in the eighth to take the win.
Red Sox 7, Tigers 2
In Detroit, Michigan, David Ortiz had his second multihomer game this month and drove in four runs, lifting Boston over Detroit.
Ortiz hit a three-run homer after Dustin Pedroia’s two-run drive in the first inning. Ortiz added a solo shot in the fourth to restore Boston’s five-run cushion. He has hit five home runs in nine games after clearing the fence only once in his first 16 games.
Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz (4-3) gave up just one run in six-and-a-third innings.
Detroit’s Max Scherzer (1-4) gave up six runs over five innings in his fourth poor start in a row.
Friday’s other results:
• Blue Jays 16, Rangers 10
• Mariners 4, Rays 3
• Angels 4, Athletics 0
• Royals 6, White Sox 1
• Orioles 8, Indians 1
AP, CINCINNATI, Ohio
Albert Pujols ended St Louis’ longest homer drought in three years with a two-run shot that helped the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 in Friday’s clash of National League Central leaders.
Ryan Ludwick added a two-run shot off Aaron Harang (2-5) that also cleared the wall, sparking an offense that hadn’t homered in the previous nine games.
St Louis starter Jaime Garcia (4-2) has gone at least six innings and given up two or fewer earned runs in all seven starts.
It’s the best such opening streak by a rookie since the L.A. Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela did so in eight games in 1981.
Dodgers 4, Padres 3
In San Diego, California, Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer in the seventh that a frustrated Tony Gwynn Jr got his glove on as it sailed over the wall, sending Los Angeles to a win over San Diego.
Gwynn leaped at the center-field wall to take a stab at Kemp’s fly-ball, but it hit the end of his glove and went over. After he came back down, Gwynn punched the padded wall.
The Dodgers won their fifth straight, while the Padres had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Kemp’s homer off Luke Gregerson (0-1) came with Russell Martin aboard on a double.
Friday’s other results:
• Marlins 7, Mets 2
• Phillies 9, Brewers 5
• Giants 8, Astros 2
• Braves 6, Diamondbacks 5
• Pirates 10, Cubs 6
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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