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Albany, NY – Well it's all tied up atop the American League East...
Last night in Chicago, Ivan Nova fanned a career-high ten, as the Yankees cruised past the White Sox 7-2. The victory moves New York into a first place tie with Boston, who fell to Cleveland 7-3. The Yankees and Red Sox begin a critical, three-game set tonight at Fenway.
In Los Angeles, Dan Haren took a one-hitter into the eighth, as the Angels sank Minnesota 7-1. In the loss, Twins' slugger Jim Thome belted his 598th career homer, leaving him just two shy of becoming the eighth player to hit 600.
Elsewhere in the AL, Texas dumped Detroit 5-2, Tampa Bay topped Toronto 7-6 in 12, and Kansas City crushed Baltimore 9-4.
Over to the NL, Philadelphia blanked San Francisco 3-0, the Cubs clipped Pittsburgh 7-6, St. Louis held off Florida 7-4, and Colorado doubled up Washington 6-3.
In other baseball news, Alex Rodriguez's publicist says the Yankees' third baseman is looking forward to cooperating with Major League Baseball in its investigation of his alleged involvement in illegal poker games.
In NFL news, the players have ratified a new, 10-year collective bargaining agreement, and sources say the contract allows for testing for human growth hormone. The NFL would become the first major U.S. professional sports league to use blood testing for HGH.
Eagles defensive tackle Mike Patterson has a brain condition that may require surgery. Tests revealed that the 27-year-old has a congenital tangle of blood vessels just outside his brain, referred to as AVM. Patterson was hospitalized after suffering a seizure Wednesday morning on the practice field.
In golf, Tiger Woods' left leg has passed its first test. Woods showed no signs of the knee or Achilles' tendon problems that sidelined him for nearly three months, firing a 2-under-68 in the opening round of the Bridgestone Invitational. Despite the showing, Woods finds himself six shots back of leader Adam Scott.
I'm Tristan O'Neill, WAMC News.