In Major League Baseball, Detroit slugger Ivan Rodriguez clubbed a three-run home run in the ninth inning to give the Tigers a 3-2 win over the Royals in Kansas City.
Rodriguez hit the first pitch he saw from relief pitcher David Riske for the game-winner in Sunday's contest.
In another American League game, Boston's David Ortiz snapped out of an early-season slump with two homers to give the Red Sox a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers in Texas.
The American League's top pitcher last season, Johan Santana, allowed just one hit in seven innings of work for Minnesota, leading the Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox. The Baltimore Orioles beat the Yankees 6-4 on a snowy day in New York. The Oakland Athletics edged the Los Angeles Angels, 2-1. And, the Toronto Blue Jays tripped up the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6-3.
In the National League, San Diego's Kevin Kouzmanoff singled in the game-ending run in the 10th inning to give the Padres a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Jose Cruz hit a homer in the eighth inning to tie the game for the Padres.
The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals crushed the Houston Astros, 10-1. The Pittsburgh Pirates doubled the Cincinnati Reds, 6-3. The Atlanta Braves rallied with two runs in the eighth inning to edge the New York Mets, 3-2.
The Arizona Diamondbacks completed a four-game sweep of Washington with a 3-1 decision, giving the Nationals the worst record in the majors this season (1-6). It was the first time this year Washington did not fall behind 4-0.
The Milwaukee Brewers clubbed the Chicago Cubs, 9-4. The Los Angeles Dodgers used two home runs by Luis Gonzalez to beat the San Francisco Giants, 10-4. And, the Florida Marlins downed the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
