Manager of Nexen fired

The Nexen Heroes fired Kim Si-jin as their manager.The Heroes terminated their contract with Kim, who had signed a three-year extension last season, said officials of the Korea Baseball Organization team. He is the second managerial casualty in the KBO this year, after the last-place Hanwha Eagles let go of their manager Han Dae-hwa in late August.Bench coach Kim Sung-kap will be the interim manager for the rest of the season, officials added.Kim Si-jin, 54, took over as the Heroes’ manager in 2

Sept. 18, 2012

White Sox pad lead in AL Central

CHICAGO (AP) ― Alex Rios went barreling into second base with a hard slide that teammate Gordon Beckham said might be the biggest play of the season for the White Sox as they try to win the AL Central.Rios was trying to break up a double play and when he went into Detroit second baseman Omar Infante, it caused an errant throw that allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to score Monday as the White Sox beat the Tigers 5-4 and went up three games in division.“That’s a situation where every second bas

Sept. 18, 2012

Martin’s 3-run HR helps Yanks sink fading Rays

NEW YORK (AP) ― Nick Swisher drew a nice cheer for his rare bunt, Eduardo Nunez energized the crowd with three steals, and Russell Martin earned the biggest ovation for his home run.The New York Yankees mixed and matched against Tampa Bay ― at the plate and on the mound ― and emerged with a 6-4 win Sunday that kept them ahead in the AL East and ended a most damaging road trip for the Rays.Now, the Yankees can relax. For a bit, anyway.“We have a day off. Guys are going to rest tomorrow,” manager

Sept. 17, 2012

Nova sharp in return as Yanks down Rays

NEW YORK (AP) ― Some critical reinforcements are still on the way for the Yankees. With the AL East race up for grabs, New York would be thrilled if those players are as sharp as Ivan Nova when they get back.Nova was downright nasty in his return from a shoulder injury and New York got back-to-back home runs from Curtis Granderson and Eduardo Nunez in a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.“Even though he hadn’t pitched a lot, you could see where his endurance level was, where his vel

Sept. 16, 2012

Elbow pain forces Park off roster

Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean in U.S. major league history, has been taken off the top-tier lineup of the Hanwha Eagles. He was delisted from the first division for the first time since his debut in Korea this season after playing in the U.S. and Japan. So far this year, the 39-year-old veteran pitcher had sat out two games due to fatigue and back pain but stayed on the list.“I removed Park from the entry list due to his continued elbow pain,” acting manager Han Yong-duk told reporters on

Sept. 11, 2012

Montero HRs again off Weaver, Mariners beat Angels

SEATTLE (AP) — Jesus Montero hit another home run off Angels ace Jered Weaver, leading Hisashi Iwakuma and the Seattle Mariners past Los Angeles 2-1 Sunday.Carlos Peguero also homered against Weaver. Iwakuma pitched 7 1-3 scoreless innings and helped end the Angels' five-game winning streak.Montero singled early, then hit his 15th home run of the season in the fourth. He has four homers in nine career at-bats against Weaver.Only Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez have more home runs (5) agains

Sept. 3, 2012

Angels rally in eighth inning for 5-2 win over Mariners

SEATTLE (AP) ― Felix Hernandez’s remarkable run came to a sudden halt.Mark Trumbo hit a two-run single in the eighth that chased Hernandez and gave the Los Angeles Angels their fifth straight victory, 5-2 over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.“I felt good. I felt the same,” Hernandez said. “I was throwing the ball pretty good until the eighth. I’m still strong.”King Felix gave up five runs ― four earned ― in 7 1-3 innings. He yielded nine hits, walked two and struck out seven.Hernandez (13-6) en

Sept. 2, 2012

Hanwha Eagles manager resigns

Han Dai-hwa, manager of the Hanwha Eagles, has resigned from his post to take responsibility for the team’s poor performance in the Korean pro-baseball league.The club was said to have told Han late Monday night that his contract would be terminated early. The club announced his resignation Tuesday morning. It is the first time Hanwha has replaced its manager during a season. His three-year contract was to expire at the end of this year. There are 28 games left in the season.“Han has been under

Aug. 28, 2012

Dice-K sharp in return as Sox win

BOSTON (AP) ― All the offseason work, rehab starts and minor league outings finally paid off for Daisuke Matsuzaka.Matsuzaka returned from the disabled list with his best start of the season and Cody Ross drove in three runs, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday.Starting the season on the DL after Tommy John surgery in June, Matsuzaka (1-3) earned his first big league win since May 16 of last season.The Japanese right-hander made eight rehab starts before

Aug. 28, 2012

Yanks beat Tribe

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Rafael Soriano and the New York Yankees dodged their way to an important win.Curtis Granderson hit his 200th career homer and Soriano shook off getting hit on the side of his right hand by a line drive as the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2 Sunday.“It feels fine right now,” Soriano said after getting struck in the ninth inning by a shot by Jason Kipnis that was headed right at his head. “It hit my glove or my hand, I’m not sure which one first.” Detroit 5, LA Angels 2 St.

Aug. 27, 2012