The Yanks won a battle of American League division leaders as Nick Swisher's slam in the third inning allowed the Bombers to turn a 2-0 deficit into an 8-2 rout of the Rangers. Derek Lowe gave up just two hits in his first Yankees appearance, just hours after he signed with the team. David Phelps got the victory by working five innings.
Red Sox were off yesterday but sad news from Boston as one of the most beloved athletes in Boston sports history has died. Long-time Boston Red Sox fixture Johnny Pesky died Monday at 92. Pesky was a lifetime .307 hitter in 10 major leagues seasons and compiled a .313 average during his eight years with the Sox. He helped Boston win the American League pennant in 1946, earning his lone All-Star berth and finishing fourth in the AL MVP balloting after hitting .a career-high .335. The right field foul pole at Fenway Park has been commonly referred to as Pesky’s Pole since a 1948 game when Pesky hit a game winning home run down the short right field line just around the pole. Pesky later served as a manager, coach and broadcaster. Jason Varitek told ESPNBoston, "I'm almost speechless. This is a very sad day for me and for anyone who has ever spent any time with Mr. Pesky." He recently served as a special instructor as part of his 60-plus years affiliation with the Red Sox. Unofficially, he was the club's goodwill ambassador.
Over to the National League, Philadelphia shutout Miami 4-0 as Cole Hamels went the distance on a seven-hitter. Juan Pierre went 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored to support Hamels' 13th win. The Nationals expanded their lead in the East while San Francisco fell into a first-place tie with Los Angeles in the West. Danny Espinosa went 4-for-6 with a two-run homer, three RBIs and three runs scored to lead Washington's 21-hit attack in a 14-2 thrashing of the Giants. Roger Bernadina finished with four hits and three ribbies, while Kurt Suzuki drove in four runs with three hits.
Boston will take on Baltimore tonight, the Yankees at home against Texas and the Mets play in Cincinnati tonight. The first place Reds are five games ahead of the Pirates in the NL Central, they’re also coming off a one-day break after beating the Cubs on Sunday 3-0.
In NFL News the Super Bowl champion New York Giants are going to wait until the fall to decide whether to keep the University at Albany as their preseason training camp site. Giants co-owner John Mara says the franchise will discuss returning for a 17th season in the next couple of months. And the New York Giants appear to have lost interest in the New York Jets, and some don't even see Rex Ryan and his circus as their biggest rival. Some members of the Super Bowl champions say they could care less about bragging rights when the teams meet in their annual preseason game at MetLife Stadium on Saturday.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
