INTERLEAGUE PLAY
Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez broke the Major League Baseball record for most games at catcher on Wednesday with his 2,227th game at the position.
Now with the Houston Astros, Rodriguez broke the record against the Texas Rangers, the team with which he broke into the major leagues at the age of 19 in 1991.
PHOTO: AP
He surpassed the record of Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, who played for Boston (1969 to 1980) and the Chicago White Sox (1981 to 1993) and made his last appearance behind the plate on June 22, 1993 — against Texas.
“To be able to play so many games behind the plate, it’s unbelievable,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been a long time. But I’m still feeling the same way [as] when I was 19. I love this game. I love what I do.”
Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Sciosia, who caught 1,395 games for the Dodgers, called Rodriguez’s record “an incredible accomplishment.”
“The erosion rate of catchers has really accelerated because of the demands of the position. Those catchers who have caught a long time and maintained their skills [are] extraordinary,” he said.
Rodriguez won an American League Most Valuable Player award, 10 Gold Gloves and 10 All-Star appearances before the Rangers let him go after 12 seasons.
He went on to win a the 2003 World Series title with Florida.
Rodriguez, who had homered for Houston against the Rangers on Tuesday, received a standing ovation prior to his first at-bat on Wednesday, stepping out of the batter’s box to acknowledge the accolade.
The Rangers, who edged the Astros 5-4 in 10 innings, showed a video tribute that included clips of Fisk, Bob Boone and Gary Carter, the only catchers other than Rodriguez to catch more than 2,000 games.
David Murphy hit an RBI single in the 10th as Texas took advantage of two throwing errors by Rodriguez.
It was Rodriguez’s first two-error game since Aug. 26, 2004, and sixth overall in his career. Both miscues led to runs.
Omar Vizquel tied Luis Aparicio for most hits by a player from Venezuela with No. 2,677.
NATIONALS 3, YANKEES 2
At New York, local product John Lannan pitched into the ninth inning in his first career start at Yankee Stadium, leading Washington to a much-needed victory.
Lannan (4-5) allowed two runs and four hits in eight innings.
Adam Dunn homered and Nick Johnson hit a two-run triple for the Nationals, who had lost 16 of 19. Washington improved to 7-24 on the road.
Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon homered, and Wang Chien-ming (0-5) of Taiwan turned in a decent start for the Yankees.
WHITE SOX 4, CUBS 1
At Chicago, John Danks pitched seven shutout innings and Alexei Ramirez homered in the first as the White Sox beat the Cubs 4-1 in Chicago’s interleague derby on Wednesday.
The White Sox, backed by a large and vocal following at Wrigley Field, lead their series that began in 1997, 34-33.
Danks (5-5) allowed five hits, walked none and struck out nine, while being charged with one run.
Leading 1-0 on Ramirez’s sixth homer of the season, the White Sox added a run on Chris Getz’s RBI triple in the second off a wild Ryan Dempster (4-4) and got a third run in the seventh on a squeeze bunt single from Scott Podsednik.
ANGELS 4, GIANTS 3
At San Francisco, pinch-hitters Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero opened Los Angeles’ three-run rally with consecutive singles in the eighth inning to beat San Francisco for its season-high sixth straight victory.
Chone Figgins drove home Hunter and later scored the go-ahead run on Juan Rivera’s groundout for the Angels, who snapped Tim Lincecum’s six-game winning streak with an impressive late surge that included four consecutive hits off the pitcher of the year.
Lincecum (6-2) struck out nine but lost for the first time since April 12, a span of 11 starts. Travis Ishikawa homered for the Giants, who had won nine of 12 before Los Angeles’ three-game sweep.
BLUE JAYS 7, PHILLIES 1
At Philadelphia, Scott Richmond struck out a career-high 11 in eight innings and Aaron Hill hit a two-run homer as Toronto beat Philadelphia.
Richmond (5-3) allowed five hits and retired his last 13 batters.
Rod Barajas and Scott Rolen hit solo shots against their former team, beating up Phillies starter Jamie Moyer (4-6), who gave up six runs and 10 hits in six-plus innings.
Also on Wednesday it was:
• Orioles 6, Mets 4
• Red Sox 6, Marlins 1
• Reds 4, Braves 3
• Brewers 9, Indians 8, 11 innings
• Diamondbacks 12, Royals 5
• Pirates 8, Twins 2
• Cardinals 4, Tigers 3
• Rockies 5, Rays 3
• Mariners 4, Padres 3
• Athletics 5, Dodgers 4
In Wednesday’s only National League game it was:
• Reds 4, Braves 3
South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final. The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action. China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level. The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider. Faker, who won the Most
The Major League Baseball World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but the party is extending all the way to Japan. People milled around local train stations yesterday morning in Tokyo as newspaper extras were ready to roll off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old is a national hero in Japan whose face adorns billboards and TV adverts all over the country. Ohtani this year became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and
Amber Glenn overcame a fall and her own doubts to win a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title on Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. The American skater had the lead from Friday’s short program. That and the support of the crowd got her through a tough free skate in which she fell on a triple flip and put a hand onto the ice to steady herself on two other jumps. “I didn’t feel that great out there today, but I really tried, and the audience really got me through that last half when I was doubting myself,” Glenn
WORLD SERIES: ‘The individuals that were involved in that last night was a very small segment of the east Los Angeles community,’ the Los Angeles county sheriff said Rowdy crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles after the LA Dodgers won the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police on Thursday, but officials said that most fans celebrated peacefully. Video showed revelers throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area on Wednesday night after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the MLB World Series at Giants Stadium in New York. Another video showed someone standing atop
RSS