BOSTON (AP) ― When Wei-Yin Chen saw right fielder Nick Markakis make a diving grab in the fifth inning, sure, he thought about a perfect game.Chen didn’t permit a runner until the sixth, Adam Jones helped provide an early cushion and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 10-6 Wednesday for a three-game sweep.The Orioles took an 8-0 lead in the fifth. Markakis robbed Allen Craig with a catch in the gap for the second out in the bottom of the inning. “Of course it still crosses your mind,

BaseballSept. 11, 2014

North Korea will send Olympic gold medalists and world champions to the upcoming Asian Games to be held in South Korea, local organizers said Thursday.According to the organizing committee for the Asian Games in Incheon, west of Seoul, North Korea’s list of 150 athletes, to compete in 14 of 36 sports, features reigning Olympic champs and winners of recent world championships.Om Yun-chol, the 2012 Olympic weightlifting gold medalist and the 2013 world champion in the men’s under-56 kg division, w

More SportsSept. 11, 2014

ATLANTA (AFP) ― World No. 1 Rory McIlroy isn’t convinced the absence of both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson from the U.S. PGA Tour Championship signals a changing of the guard in golf.But the 25-year-old reigning PGA Championship and British Open champion noted Wednesday, the eve of the season-ending event, the passing years for Mickelson, 44, and Woods, who turns 39 in December.“They are just getting older,” McIlroy said. Phil is 43 or whatever and Tiger is nearly 40. So they are just getting i

GolfSept. 11, 2014

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) ― Olympic officials are increasing their collaboration with Interpol to combat match-fixing and illegal betting.International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach met Tuesday with Ronald Noble, secretary general of the international police agency.The IOC says the talks focused on “the risks related to the manipulation of competitions, intelligence gathering, the conducting of investigations and prosecution procedures.”The IOC says Interpol’s expertise in investigati

More SportsSept. 10, 2014

LONDON (AP) ― The Netherlands had a disappointing start to qualifying for the European Championship, and fellow World Cup team Bosnia-Herzegovina lost to Cyprus in Tuesday’s biggest surprise.Wales narrowly avoided a similar stumble at tiny Andorra, while Italy had a comfortable victory in Antonio Conte’s first competitive game in charge.Defender Daryl Janmaat’s blunder handed substitute Vaclav Pilar an injury-time goal, lifting the Czech Republic to a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands. Janmaat at

SoccerSept. 10, 2014

Organisers are confident a "frugal" and unflashy Asian Games can put South Korea's Incheon on the map despite low ticket sales raising the prospect of swathes of empty seats.Days before the start, only 10 percent of tickets had sold for the Olympic-style event, which has mainstream sports as well as niche pursuits like sepak takraw and kabaddi.Interest has not been helped by North Korea's decision not to send their squad of 350 well-drilled cheerleaders, who proved a big attraction at previous e

SportsSept. 9, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) -- Kei Nishikori didn't have enough left in his legs to make more history.Trying to become the first man from Asia to win a Grand Slam singles championship, Nishikori's run ended Monday in the final of the U.S. Open. Marin Cilic of Croatia, also playing in his first major title match, won 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.The 24-year-old Nishikori defeated three of the top five seeds. He beat No. 5 Milos Raonic and No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in five sets in back-to-back matches totaling more than 8 1/2 hours

More SportsSept. 9, 2014

GOYANG (Yonhap) -- With its new head coach looking on from the stands, South Korea fell to Uruguay 1-0 in their football friendly on Monday.Uli Stielike, an ex-German international appointed as the South Korea boss last week, watched the 59th-ranked Asian side fall to the sixth-ranked visitors before the sellout 38,000 fans at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just west of Seoul.Defender Jose Gimenez foiled the South Koreans' bid to make a strong first impression on their new coach, heading in the winne

SoccerSept. 9, 2014

   South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae won the bronze medal for the hoop in the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in the Russian city of Kazan.   She finished third by scoring 18.000 for the hoop in the finals on Sunday. It marked the 11th straight time that she has won a World Cup medal.   The latest medal comes as she vowed to practice further ahead of the Asian Games to be held in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, later this month. (Yonhap)

More SportsSept. 8, 2014

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colorado (AP) ― Rory McIlroy ran out of par saves late in the opening round at the BMW Championship and had to settle for a 3-under 67 on Thursday, good enough to share the lead with Jordan Spieth and Gary Woodland. Cherry Hills, one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour when factoring in the mile-high air, held up just fine. “It’s tricky. It really is,” top-ranked McIlroy said. “The altitude, we’ve had a couple of days to adjust to that. It’s fine. But these greens have

GolfSept. 5, 2014

BARI, Italy (AP) ― Italy scored twice in the opening 10 minutes and Antonio Conte got the better of Guus Hiddink in their coaching debuts as a 10-man Netherlands was beaten 2-0 in a friendly on Thursday.Ciro Immobile scored his first international goal three minutes in, and Daniele De Rossi added a penalty in the 10th.The opening goal was set up by a long, vertical pass from defender Leonardo Bonucci, which Immobile controlled expertly then dribbled around goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen before slot

SoccerSept. 5, 2014