Scott Kazmir did his part to get the Tampa Bay Rays back on track. The All-Star left-hander allowed one hit in six scoreless innings, and the Rays' bullpen weathered ninth-inning home runs by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to beat the Yankees 7-5 and avoid a three-game sweep on Thursday night. Willy Aybar homered and drove in three runs for the AL East leaders, who avoided a three-game sweep and...

As a season-ticket holder, Darrell Buono spent 13 years rooting for the New York Mets in blue, loge-level seats at Shea Stadium. So he bought them. The seats cost $869 for a pair and will have a place of honor in Buono's basement in New Hyde Park when they are shipped, sometime after the last game is played at Shea this fall and the Mets begin dismantling the stadium.

Alex Rodriguez figured that one of his prodigious home runs would provide the historic first test for major league baseball's week-old instant replay system. "There's probably 800 players in the big leagues. The odds of my being in some controversy are probably 2-to-1," the New York Yankees slugger said Wednesday night, after his ninth-inning homer against the Tampa Bay Rays was upheld in the first...

Alex Rodriguez made major league history by agreeing with an umpire. The New York Yankees third baseman, a lightning rod for headlines on and off the field throughout his career, saw his ninth-inning home run Wednesday night the same way as third base umpire Brian Runge. So did baseball's instant replay system.

Mike Mussina is doing all he can to help the New York Yankees cling to their slim playoff chances. The 39-year-old right-hander earned his 17th win, and the Yankees got home runs from Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady in a 7-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night that included a scoreless relief outing by Joba Chamberlain.

What could have been a September showdown between the teams with the two biggest payrolls in baseball instead had very little impact on the pennant races. Thanks to a guy known as "Pudge," it wasn't devoid of emotion. Alex Rodriguez sparked a scoring barrage with a two-run single in the first inning and added an RBI in each of the next two frames to help the New York Yankees build a huge cushion...

No longer a pitching prodigy, K-Rod still is putting up prodigious numbers. With 53 saves in 58 chances this year, the Los Angeles Angels' Francisco Rodriguez needs only four saves to match the major league single-season record set by Bobby Thigpen with the Chicago White Sox in 1990. And Rodriguez still has a month to do it.

Roy Halladay made the most of Yankee Stadium's final season. Halladay won his fourth straight start, giving him four wins over the New York Yankees this year, and Scott Rolen homered for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 6-2 victory Sunday. The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner, Halladay improved to 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA in five starts against the Yankees this season.

A landslide of little things have plagued the Yankees all season, and the Toronto Blue Jays took advantage of a couple more on Saturday. Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer, Gregg Zaun drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and a key error by second baseman Robinson Cano helped the Blue Jays rally from four runs down for a 7-6 victory.

Carl Pavano said he didn't hear the cheers when he walked off the mound after striking out Alex Rios, the years of fan animosity seemingly turned to adulation in just six short innings. He did hear Joe Girardi, though, when the Yankees manager made a request. "I asked for six innings and I got exactly what I asked for," Girardi said.

Two big swings by Jason Giambi invigorated the New York Yankees. Now, can they muster one more run at the playoffs? Giambi saved the Yankees on Thursday, coming off the bench to hit a tying homer in the seventh inning and a game-winning single in the ninth for a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Desperate to get back in the pennant race, New York salvaged the finale of a three-game series and won...