Sports Blog

Yankees Joba Chamberlain was suspended for two games Friday and fined $1,000, a day after he threw consecutive 98-99 mph pitches over the head of Boston’s Kevin Youkilis.

Chamberlain, ejected by plate umpire Angel Hernandez, claimed the ninth-inning pitches slipped and “there was no maliciousness or bad intention.”

Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president for discipline, cited Chamberlain for “inappropriate actions.” Watson at first contemplated suspending him for three games but decided on a two-game penalty after conversations with Yankees officials

With drama and flair, the New York Yankees completed another August sweep of the Boston Red Sox and moved into prime position for a September playoff run.

There was a week’s worth of highlights during the Yankees’ 5-0 victory Thursday: a no-hit bid by Chien-Ming Wang into the seventh inning, a pair of big home runs by Robinson Cano off Curt Schilling, a disputed play involving Alex Rodriguez that led to the ejection of Boston manager Terry Francona.

And then in the ninth, Yankees rookie sensation Joba Chamberlain was tossed following a pair of pitches over Kevin Youkilis’ head.

Less than two years ago, the Houston Astros were celebrating their first National League pennant. On Monday, they were starting over.Less than two years after leading the Astros to the NL pennant, Phil Garner is out of a job. Houston released Garner on Monday, closing another chapter in Garner’s long managerial career.

Manager Phil Garner and general manager Tim Purpura were fired by owner Drayton McLane, who said the franchise “needed a fresh start” after a plunge to the bottom of the NL Central.

Bench coach Cecil Cooper was appointed interim manager, and team president Tal Smith will serve as interim general manager.

The Texas Rangers rounded the bases at a dizzying pace and became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record Wednesday in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.

“This is something freaky. You won’t see anything like this again for a long, long time. I am glad I was on this end of it,” said Marlon Byrd, who hit one of two Texas grand slams.

Trailing 3-0 in the opener of a doubleheader, Texas couldn’t be stopped. At last, the last-place Rangers did something right.

Johan Santana set a franchise record with 17 strikeouts in eight innings to lead the Minnesota Twins past the Texas Rangers 1-0 Sunday.

Santana’s 17 strikeouts were the most in the majors since Ben Sheets fanned 18 in Milwaukee’s 4-1 win over Atlanta on May 16, 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He broke the Minnesota record of 15, accomplished four times - the last by Bert Blyleven on Aug. 1, 1986, against Oakland.

It was the fifth time this year Santana has reached double digits in strikeouts. He struck out 13 in a 7-1 win at Texas on May 22.

Bonds extended baseball’s home run record to 760 with a two-run shot in the fifth inning off Rick VandenHurk, putting the San Francisco Giants ahead to stay in their 4-3 win over the Florida Marlins on Saturday night.

He struck out in his first two appearances against VandenHurk, later saying part of the problem was that he couldn’t find soft dirt to plant his feet in the batter’s box. But he hit the right spot in his third at-bat, delivering his 26th homer of the season — a 444-footer to right-center field.

Ankiel homered twice and drove in three runs, the latest power display by the former pitcher, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 on Saturday. Ankiel, who scored three times, hit the first pitch he saw in the first and seventh innings to right field, giving him three home runs since he was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. After an embarrassing bout of wildness and an arm injury, the one-time phenom scrapped his pitching career during spring training in 2005. He capped his first game back in the majors — as an outfielder — with a three-run homer against San Diego on Thursday.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia wasn’t too comfortable with the way the Minnesota Twins’ infield was guarding against a bunt by Maicer Izturis, so he called him over and told him to swing away.

Izturis did just that, hitting his third home run in 11 at-bats to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs for Los Angeles in the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory Saturday night.

One of the team’s least-likely power threats at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, Izturis hit his first career grand slam in Friday night’s 10-1 victory and a tiebreaking shot off Boston’s Curt Schilling in Monday’s win.

Barry Bonds raised both arms over his head like a prize fighter in victory, fists clenched — and then he took off.

It was over at long last.

Like him or not, legitimate or not, he is baseball’s new home run king.

Bonds hit No. 756 to the deepest part of the ballpark Tuesday night, and hammered home that very point. He broke Hank Aaron’s storied record with one out in the fifth inning, hitting a full-count, 84 mph pitch from Washington’s Mike Bacsik.

“I knew I hit it,” Bonds said. “I knew I got it. I was like, phew, finally.”

Later, he firmly and flatly rejected any suggestion that this milestone was stained by steroids.

Barry Bonds swung, took a half-dozen steps and clapped his hands. With no trace of a smile but a strong shot for all the doubters, he caught Hank Aaron and tied the career home run record Saturday night.

No. 755 was an opposite-field drive to left-center, moving Bonds within one swing of having baseball’s pinnacle of power all to himself.

Commissioner Bud Selig stood up and put his hands in his pockets while Bonds’ family hugged and high-fived. When Bonds crossed the plate, he lifted his batboy son, Nikolai, and carried him several steps in an embrace.

The Petco Park crowd stood and cheered, with some boos mixed in, when the San Francisco slugger homered off Clay Hensley in the second inning. Several fans held up asterisk signs.