The Los Angeles Angels were happy to split a series at the home of the only team with a better record. The Boston Red Sox simply shrugged off their lead in the AL East dropping to four games over New York after they lost to left-hander Joe Saunders 3-1 on Sunday. “If the Yankees win 20 in a row, they’ll catch us,” Mike Lowell said.
Johnny Damon proved he’s still got some pop in his bat, and the surging New York Yankees showed off a couple of lively young arms in their rebuilt bullpen Sunday. Damon hit a tiebreaking homer and New York got lights-out relief pitching from rookies Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramirez, sending Chien-Ming Wang and the Yankees to a 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Javier Valentin had no chance to prepare for his pinch-hitting appearance. He responded with a game-winning double, helping the Cincinnati Reds to their first winning road trip in more than a year. Valentin’s bases-loaded, two-run double in the eighth inning gave the Reds a 7-6 victory over the struggling Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
Johan Santana gave the crowd at the Metrodome something to remember on the same weekend the Minnesota Twins honored their first championship team. Santana set a franchise record with 17 strikeouts in eight innings to lead the Minnesota Twins past the Texas Rangers 1-0 Sunday. “You see these guys from 1987 coming in and what they did 20 years ago was really good,” said Santana, who was 8 years old…
Colts quarterback Jim Sorgi just wanted to make a guest appearance in the Super Bowl. Nothing fancy, maybe kneel down at game’s end or hold for an extra point. He never got a chance backing up the game’s MVP, Peyton Manning. On Monday night, Sorgi and the other super subs will take center stage in the pseudo-Super Bowl rematch between Indianapolis and Chicago.
The Denver Broncos returned from their week in the Texas heat in a world of hurt. They lost starting defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban for the season to a torn Achilles’ tendon and workhorse running back Travis Henry sprained his left knee and might not play again until the season opener. Henry underwent additional tests Sunday to confirm the original diagnosis of a first-degree (least serious) sprain…
Student Council shocked the field to win Sunday’s $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
Student Council, a 23-1 long shot making his first trip to the West Coast, stunned defending champion Lava Man and won the $1 million Pacific Classic by a half-length Sunday at Del Mar. Sent off as the even-money favorite, Lava Man faded to sixth in front of 34,000, the largest crowd since 2002 and third-largest in the race’s 17-year history.
Greg’s Gold accelerated in the stretch turn, passed pacesetter Bordonaro, then held off Surf Cat by 1 1/2 lengths to win Sunday’s $300,000 Pat O’Brien Handicap at Del Mar. Crossing the Line won the $400,000 Del Mar Mile by three-quarters of a length over Becrux. Both winners earned guaranteed spots in the Breeders’ Cup as part of a new selection process.
By Bruce Martin PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor
Sebastien Loeb won the Germany Rally for the sixth straight year and closed in on series leader Marcus Gronholm for the world title on Sunday. Loeb picked up his 33rd rally win in his Citroen and finished 20.3 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Francois Duval with Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen third. “I am delighted to have won again,” Loeb said.