Baseball, softball agree to merge in bid

LONDON (AP) ― Seven years after they were cut from the games, baseball and softball have agreed to merge into a single international federation in a joint bid to return to the Olympics.The two sports, which were last played at the 2008 Beijing Games, each failed in separate attempts to win reinstatement for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.The heads of the two governing bodies said Saturday they plan to unite into the International Baseball and Softball Federation in hopes of increasing their chances

July 23, 2012

Thome’s 2-run HR clips Choo, Indians

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Jim Thome’s two-run homer in the seventh inning led the Baltimore Orioles to their fourth straight victory, a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night.Thome, who passed Sammy Sosa for seventh place on the all-time home run list on Friday, hit his 611th and second with Baltimore since being acquired from Philadelphia on July 1 off Zach McAllister (4-2).Chris Tillman (2-1) allowed only Choo Shin-soo’s leadoff homer in the first in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up six hits, st

July 22, 2012

Santana’s HR helps Indians rally

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) ― Carlos Santana found his power stroke again at an opportune time.Santana hit a three-run homer during a five-run seventh inning and the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 10-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.Choo Shin-soo and Asdrubal Cabrera hit two-out singles off Kyle Farnsworth (0-2) before Jason Kipnis’ RBI single against Jake McGee tied it at 4. After Michael Brantley had a run-scoring single, Santana extended the lead to 8-4 with his first ho

July 19, 2012

Moore out of control but Rays still beat Indians

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) ― Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said Matt Moore showed some growth in his wild outing. More importantly, it ended in a Rays victory.Moore won despite control issues, Carlos Pena homered and the Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2 on Tuesday night.Moore (6-6) allowed two runs and three hits, but walked five in five-plus innings. The rookie left-hander was coming off a five-walk ― in 4 2/3 innings ― loss at Cleveland on July 7.“Matty was not really sharp with his fastba

July 18, 2012

Choo, Indians hold on against Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) ― Zach McAllister shrugged off being struck in his pitching arm by a line drive to finish six solid innings and the Cleveland Indians held on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Monday night.McAllister (4-1) appeared to get hit in the right arm above the elbow by Jeff Keppinger’s RBI single in the fourth inning. He remained in the game to retire the next six batters and eight of the last nine he faced overall.Choo Shin-soo had a RBI double in the third after he had wha

July 17, 2012

Players retract All-Star game boycott

An association of professional baseball players said Friday its members will participate in the All-Star game, retracting an earlier threat to boycott the festive event in protest against the league’s delay of expansion.The decision came after the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association received assurances from the Korea Baseball Organization that it would work toward expanding the league to 10 teams. The annual All-Star Game this year is scheduled for July 21 in Daejeon.“The association

July 13, 2012

Plans for 10th KBO club to be discussed

The Korea Baseball Organization’s board of directors announced on Tuesday that it will review information regarding the establishment of a 10th team.The decision of the pro baseball governing body is a reversal from its earlier decision on June 19 to postpone the discussion. The decision is thought to be a result of the increasing pressure of fans, local governments and players. The Korea Professional Baseball Players Association announced that its players would boycott the All-Star Game and Wor

July 10, 2012

Lotte players to shine at All-Star game

The Lotte Giants in the nation’s top baseball competition on Monday became the first team in league history to be represented in all of the starting positions at an All-Star game.The Korea Baseball Organization announced that all 10 starting players for the Eastern League, nine position players plus the designated hitter, are members of the Giants. Catcher Kang Min-ho earned a record 892,727 votes from fans.In the eight-team KBO, the All-Star Game is played between Eastern and Western leagues, e

July 9, 2012

Jimenez, Cleveland knock off Tampa Bay

CLEVELAND (AP) ― While fans endured sweltering heat, Ubaldo Jimenez looked at the thermometer and just smiled.Jimenez shook off the mid-90s heat and left his own mid-90s fastball on the shelf, using a variety of breaking balls to strike out eight over six innings and help the Cleveland Indians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on Saturday.“I love this weather,” said Jimenez, a native of the Dominican Republic. “You get good and loose right away. I felt very comfortable.”Jimenez (8-7) allowed a two-run

July 8, 2012

Closer Lim Chang-yong undergoes elbow surgery

South Korean pitcher Lim Chang-yong of the Yakult Swallows in Japan has undergone a successful surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, the club said.The Swallows said in an announcement Thursday that Lim had his second elbow reconstructive operation, also known as Tommy John surgery after the former major league pitcher. The team estimated Lim, 36, will need about a year to recover.L

July 6, 2012

Indians rout Angels

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Derek Lowe won for the first time in more than a month and the Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels 12-3 on Wednesday.Lowe (8-6) gave up three runs and 11 hits in six innings for his first win in six starts since June 1. The 39-year-old right-hander was 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA in five outings between victories.Michael Brantley hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Ervin Santana (4-9) and Casey Kotchman had a three-run shot in a six-run second as Cleveland took a 9-1

July 5, 2012

Lee Dae-ho will slug for the All-Stars

Lee Dae-ho earns spot in Japan All-StarsOrix Buffaloes batter Lee Dae-ho will be slugging in the All-Star Series of the Nippon Professional Baseball according to Japanese reports on Tuesday. A Japanese sports daily reported that the 30-year-old veteran slugger was recommended for the lineup by his coach. This is the power hitter’s first season in the Japanese league.“Big Boy” Lee was voted second by Japanese fans to play first base behind Inaba Atsunori who plays for the Hokkaido Nippon-ham Figh

July 4, 2012

500-homer mark at hand for Lee Seung-yeop

The 500-home run milestone is close at hand for Lee Seung-yeop of Samsung Lions.The first baseman hit a homer flying high over the center right field fence against Nexen Heroes in Daegu on June 29. It was his 15th home run of the season and the 498th of his pro career, including in the Japanese league. Lee is now two short of the 500-homer mark.Earlier, he had made the 2,000th hit of his Korean and Japanese pro baseball careers combined, against Lotte Giants on May 8.His career 500 homers, even

July 4, 2012