Other Sports

Yankees beat Jays in MBL

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-31 17:17

TORONTO, May 30?- The New York Yankees pounded the Toronto Blue Jays 10-5 in a controversial road win on Wednesday that snapped the Yankees' five-game losing streak.

With a one-run lead at the top of the ninth, Alex Rodriguez hit a two-out, run-scoring single that gave the Yankees a 7-5 advantage.

The Yankees third baseman then sparked controversy by yelling at his Toronto counterpart Howie Clark on a popup by Jorge Posada. Clark appeared distracted and the ball dropped safely for a run-scoring single.

The incident infuriated the Blue Jays and umpires had to step in to prevent players coming together.

Rodriguez said he shouted "Ha!" as he passed Clark, but the Toronto player insisted he heard a call for the ball and as a result he left it for team mate John McDonald.

"Maybe I'm naive," Toronto manager John Gibbons told reporters. "But, to me, it's bush league. You always look at the Yankees and they do things right.

"That's not Yankee baseball."

Rodriguez said he was just trying to help the Yankees win.

"We're desperate," he told reporters.

"We haven't won a game in a little bit now. We won the game."

The Yankees took a 5-0 lead after the first inning but Toronto kept plugging away and reduced the gap to the slender one-run margin going into the ninth.

Robinson Cano went 4-for-4 with three doubles and Marinao Rivera earned the save after Tyler Clippard pitched five innings.

Johnny Damon singled in the second inning for his 2,000th career hit.

*Daisuke Matsuzaka was pounded for 12 hits and six runs in five-plus innings as the Cleveland Indians ended the Boston Red Sox's five-game winning streak with an 8-4 road victory.

Matsuzaka (7-3) struck out only four as the Indians grabbed a 6-2 lead with a four-run sixth inning that included Grady Sizemore's two-run homer.

The prized Japanese pitcher gave up five hits in the inning, including two doubles and Sizemore's homer.

*Torii Hunter walked with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, giving the Minnesota Twins a 7-6 home win over the Chicago White Sox.

*Dan Haren (6-2) won his sixth consecutive game, pitching four-hit ball for eight innings in the Oakland Athletics' 6-1 road win over the Texas Rangers.