In Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees used a two-run home run by Jorge Posada to beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-1.
The Yankees finally beat their archrivals Saturday after losing to the Red Sox in their first four meetings. New York also avoided its first eight-game losing streak since 1995.
The victory did not come without cost, as pitcher Jeff Karstens broke his leg on the first pitch of the game when the ball was hit sharply back to him, striking his right leg just below the knee.
In another American League contest, the Minnesota Twins roughed up last year's top rookie pitcher, getting 17 hits off Justin Verlander in an 11-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.
The Baltimore Orioles snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-4 win over Cleveland, ending the Indians' six-game winning streak. The Texas Rangers edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-8, in 10 innings. The Oakland Athletics scored six runs in the first inning on the way to easing past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 12-5. The Los Angeles Angels shut down the Chicago White Sox, 3-0. And, the Kansas City Royals ended Seattle's five-game winning streak with an 8-3 decision over the Mariners.
The top National League matchup turned into a rout for the Chicago Cubs, who scored seven runs in the fifth inning on the way to beating the Cardinals, 8-1, in St. Louis.
The Cincinnati Reds ended Pittsburgh's five-game winning streak with an 8-1 thumping of the Pirates. Houston's seven-game losing streak is over, as the Astros crushed the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-1. The Florida Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 11-5. The Atlanta Braves downed the Colorado Rockies, 6-2. The New York Mets used two-run hits by Carlos Beltran and David Wright in the 12th inning to beat the Washington Nationals, 6-2. The San Diego Padres edged the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2. And, the Arizona Diamondbacks got by the San Francisco Giant, 5-4, overcoming slugger Barry Bonds' 742nd career home run.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
