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Sport THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

Wham-bam as Japan’s Naomi Chelsea go to Greece, AC Milan visit China’s ‘Maradona’: ‘Soccer 25 Osaka blazes into Tokyo quarters 26 minnows as Europa League begins 27 Nut’ still going strong at 63

Yanks prevent Red Sox’s celebration Dodgers extend division lead on Taylor’s walk-off HR

NEW YORK: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees flies out during the first inning against the at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday in the Bronx borough of New York City. —AFP

NEW YORK: Neil Walker hit a three-run homer with one Mariners, can secure the season series from Seattle with a (206) as teammates who also have struck out at least 200 RAYS 4, RANGERS 0 out in the seventh inning, and the New York Yankees held victory in the three-game series finale on Wednesday. batters this season. It marks just the fourth time in major Blake Snell went where only one Tampa Bay has on for a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox, preventing Houston won the season series against its four AL West league history that three on one team had 200 or gone before, winning his 20th game of the season as he their rivals from clinching the American League East rivals last season and has already clinched the season more in a season and the first time since the shut down host Texas. Snell, the majors’ winningest pitcher crown Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees set series against its three other division foes excluding the 2013 Tigers (Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal at 20-5 and a prime candidate to win the American up their winning rally when Aaron Hicks and Gary Sanchez Mariners this season. Sanchez) did it. League’s Cy Young Award, allowed just one hit in five drew walks off (6-1). Boston manager innings as he won his eighth straight start. He hasn’t lost a lifted Workman for , who fell CUBS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 1 CARDINALS 8, BRAVES 1 game since July 12. Snell, who lowered his ERA to 1.97, behind Walker and lost the lead when the first baseman Javier Baez homered for the second consecutive game, Paul DeJong homered for the second straight game to behind only Boston’s at 1.92, walked two and lifted a full-count slider into the second deck in right field. Daniel Murphy also homered and visiting Chicago support the strong pitching effort of Austin Gomber as struck out five, giving him 200 strikeouts for the season. It was Walker’s 10th homer, and he became the 11th Yankee increased its NL Central lead to 3 1/2 games with a victo- visiting St. Louis strolled to a win over Atlanta, which lost He threw 92 pitches before giving way to Chaz Roe to to reach double figures in long balls this year. The Yankees ry over Arizona. Top NL MVP candidate Baez has 33 its fourth straight. DeJong hit a two-run shot against start the sixth inning. tied a major league record in becoming the fifth team to homers and an NL-leading 107 RBIs. For the second con- Atlanta starter Anibal Sanchez (6-6) in the fourth inning to achieve the feat. Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge secutive game, he was serenaded by “MVP” chants from a give the Cardinals a lead they never relinquished. It was PIRATES 2, ROYALS 1 (11 INNINGS) returned to the starting lineup and went 0-for-4. He hadn’t boisterous, pro-Cubs crowd. Baez and Murphy each had the 19th homer for DeJong, 15 of them on the road. The Ryan Lavarnway, in his second major league at-bat this batted since July 26, when he sustained a chip fracture in two hits and two RBIs, Murphy scored three times, and Cardinals (84-68) won their third consecutive game and year, hit an RBI single in the 11th inning, giving Pittsburgh his right wrist. Anthony Rizzo had a two-run single as the Cubs won for retained possession of the lead for the second National a win over visiting Kansas City. Kansas City tied it 1-1 in the fifth time in six games and gained a game on the sec- League wild card. St. Louis is 36-22 since the All-Star the top of the ninth on Hunter Dozier’s RBI double. In the DODGERS 3, ROCKIES 2 (10 INNINGS) ond-place Milwaukee Brewers. The teams do not play Game and improved to 5-0 all time and 2-0 this season at bottom of the 11th, Starling Marte led off with an infield Chris Taylor hit a game-ending home run in the 10th again this season. SunTrust Park. single off the glove of Burch Smith (1-6). Josh Bell walked, inning as host Los Angeles extended its lead over second- and both runners advanced on a passed ball. After a strike- place Colorado in the National League West to 1 1/2 NATIONALS 4, MARLINS 2 REDS 3, BREWERS 1 out, Adam Frazier was intentionally walked to load the games. With one out in the 10th, Taylor unloaded on a 2-2 Stephen Strasburg (9-7) struck out 11 batters in six Michael Lorenzen allowed one hit in four innings during bases for Lavarnway, and the pinch hitter smacked the ball pitch from Rockies reliever (6-4) for his innings, leading Washington past host Miami. He entered his first start since 2015, and Cincinnati won at Milwaukee. into center for his first career walk-off hit. 17th home run of the season and his first career walk-off the game with a 4-0 record and a 0.67 ERA against the The right-hander, who has made 42 relief appearances this homer. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw gave up two runs Marlins since April 2017, and was solid again. Strasburg season, allowed one unearned run Tuesday. Lorenzen ANGELS 9, ATHLETICS 7 (one earned) on three hits over seven innings. The Los allowed five hits, two walks and two runs. Four walked one and struck out three. He was taken out after Kaleb Cowart hit his first home run of the season, a Angeles bullpen added three scoreless innings, with Dylan Washington relievers closed out the game, allowing no throwing 52 pitches. Jose Peraza homered for the Reds. sixth-inning grand slam that rallied Los Angeles from a Floro (6-3) striking out the only two batters he faced to runs in three innings. Sean Doolittle pitched the ninth to deficit to a victory at Oakland, Calif. Mike Trout also earn the victory. earn his 25th of the season and send the Marlins PHILLIES 5, METS 2 homered for the Angels, who sent the A’s to their third deeper into the cellar. Jorge Alfaro capped a five-run sixth inning with a straight defeat, allowing the Rays to climb within 5 1/2 ASTROS 7, MARINERS 0 three-run home run, rallying host Philadelphia to a victory games in the race for the second American League wild- Marwin Gonzalez capped a four-run third inning with a INDIANS 5, WHITE SOX 3 over New York. Thanks in part to a Steven Matz solo home card spot. The homer was Cowart’s first since last August two-run home run, and rookie Josh James made a spot Corey Kluber earned his career-high 19th win of the run, his second of the season, the Mets took a 2-0 lead and just the sixth of his career. start and earned his first major league win over visiting season, and Jason Kipnis homered to lead Cleveland past into the sixth inning. Matz pitched five shutout innings, but Seattle. With the victory, their 13th in 16 games this month, visiting Chicago. Kluber (19-7) allowed three runs on eight the Phillies rallied against the New York bullpen. Aaron GIANTS 5, PADRES 4 the Astros reduced their magic number to clinch a post- hits over eight innings. He walked two and struck out 11 to Nola worked the first 5 2/3 innings for the Phillies, allow- Chris Shaw dropped a bases-loaded, two-run single in season berth to two. They also eliminated the Mariners give him 205 strikeouts this season, the fifth consecutive ing two runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out front of charging Padres left fielder with from contention in the American League West. The Astros, season he has registered 200 or more strikeouts in a sea- nine. Pat Neshek (3-1) got the last out in the sixth. one out in the eighth inning, leading San Francisco to a who snapped a five-game home losing streak to the son. Kluber joins Trevor Bauer (214) and Carlos Carrasco victory at San Diego. —Reuters

Dubai Stadium. Skipper Rohit Sharma then struck three The top two teams from the Super Fours will play on 26 by MS Dhoni off Hardik Pandya, cracked one six India rout Pakistan sixes and six boundaries in his 39-ball 52 while fellow the final in Dubai on September 28. Once Pakistan’s and one four in a vigilant innings which lasted 67 balls. opener Shikhar Dhawan hit a six and six fours in his 54- unpredictable batting crumbled, Wednesday’s match Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (six) became Jadhav’s first ball 46 as India romped home in 29 overs. turned into a damp squib for a near-capacity crowd wicket, holing out to long-on where substitute fielder by eight wickets Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik both finished on comprising of Indian and Pakistani expats living in the Maneesh Pandey completed a brilliant catch, throwing 31 not out as India exacted some revenge for their United Arab Emirates. the ball back into the field to avoid running over the in Asia Cup humbling 180-run defeat against their arch-rivals in the Kumar ran through the top order by dismissing rope and completing the catch. final of the Champions Trophy in London last year-the openers Imam-ul-Haq (two) and Fakhar Zaman But it was Malik’s run out which derailed Pakistan, most recent match between the teams until Wednesday. (nought) inside five overs, before Babar Azam (47) and sent back by Asif Ali after setting off for a quick single. DUBAI: India crushed Pakistan by eight wickets in Both Pakistan and India had already qualified for the Shoaib Malik (43) rebuilt the innings during their 82- Paceman Jasprit Bumrah took 2-23 but India lost all- their long-awaited Asia Cup match which failed to live Super Four stage of the Asia Cup and will meet again in run stand for the third wicket. rounder Hardik Pandya to injury. up to its hype in Dubai yesterday. Pace spearhead Dubai on Sunday. Bangladesh and Afghanistan meet in But after Azam was dismissed in the 22nd over, Bowling his fifth over, Pandya fell in his follow Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-15) and part time off-spinner Abu Dhabi in the last Group B match today, having bowled by left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Pakistan through and was stretchered off with a lower back Kedar Jadhav (3-23) sent Pakistan, who won the toss already qualified for the second round after Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 77 runs. Azam hit six injury, the extent of which was being assessed by the and batted, collapsing to just 162 all out in 43.1 overs at crashed out. boundaries in his 62-ball knock while Malik, dropped India team’s medical staff. — AFP