[外電] A-Rod's 30th Helps Yankees Hammer Angels

[pleased ()]

A-Rod's 30th Helps Yankees Hammer Angels
By BEN WALKER
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/08/ap/sports/d8q8l5q80.txt

NEW YORK - Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees held their own home run
derby Sunday. Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano hit three-run homers
and the Yankees hammered their way into the All-Star break, routing the Los
Angeles Angels 12-0.

Rodriguez leads the majors with 30 home runs and 86 RBIs. Still recovering
from a strained left hamstring, he'll sit out Monday's Home Run Derby in San
Francisco but play in the All-Star game the next night.

"I'm never satisfied," he said. "There's always a lot of room for
improvement."

Chien-Ming Wang (9-4) threw 6 1-3 scoreless innings for his sixth straight
victory. Despite winning five of seven, the Yankees headed into the break
under .500 for the first time since 1995. At 42-43, they're 10 games behind
Boston in the AL East.

"We're playing with a lot of heart right now and it's unfortunate we have to
take a two-, three-day break here," Rodriguez said.

The AL West-leading Angels matched their most-lopsided shutout loss in 20
years, and fell for the eighth time in 12 games. They trailed 10-0 by the
fourth inning, and manager Mike Scioscia soon pulled outfielders Vladimir
Guerrero and Gary Matthews Jr. on the 92-degree afternoon.

"We've haven't played well. There's no sugarcoating it," Scioscia said.

The Angels also lost 12-0 at Detroit in May. The California Angels lost 14-0
to Seattle in 1987.

Rodriguez raised his arms after launching his 494th home run, moving him past
Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff into 22nd place on the career list.

A-Rod's homer total is the highest for a Yankees player at the All-Star break
since Roger Maris hit 33 in 1961. Rodriguez also had an RBI single and
boosted his average to .317.

"Phenomenal," manager Joe Torre praised. "Knowing him, it's not something
he's going to be satisfied with until he puts together the other half.

"I'm happy for him, knowing how tough last season was for him."

Matsui's shot into the upper deck in right field made it 4-0 in the first
against Ervin Santana (5-10). After the next batter walked, Scioscia took off
his sunglasses and went to the mound himself _ he usually sends pitching
coach Mike Butcher _ for an eye-to-eye talk with Santana.

Cano connected off Santana in the fourth and Rodriguez homered later in the
inning against reliever Chris Resop. Five pitches later, Resop left because
of irritation in his right elbow. The six-run inning matched the Yankees'
biggest of the year.

Santana had been 5-0 lifetime against the Yankees, including a win in the
2005 playoffs. But he quickly fell into his strange home-road pattern: he is
4-2 with a 3.42 ERA at Anaheim this season, and 1-8 with an 8.59 ERA
elsewhere. He wound up with his fourth straight loss, matching a career worst.

"It is frustrating. Our confidence is still strong with Ervin," Scioscia
said. "The results are obviously 180 degrees from what we need."

Wang gave up five singles and remained unbeaten in eight starts since losing
to the Angels in late May. He beat them for the first time _ he'd been 0-3,
including a postseason loss.

Wang rarely was in trouble, especially once he got his sinker working. None
of the first eight batters hit the ball on the ground, then the next seven
did. Coming off seven shutout innings against Minnesota on Tuesday, he
boosted his team-leading win total.

"Once things began to unravel, Wang got tougher," Scioscia said.

Relievers Mike Myers, Scott Proctor and Ron Villone finished the five-hitter.

Miguel Cairo pinch-hit for All-Star Derek Jeter in the seventh and lined a
two-run double. Rodriguez followed with a long fly to center that excited
what remained of the crowd of 53,921 before it was caught on the warning
track.

Notes:@ Rodriguez has 1,433 RBIs, moving him past Yogi Berra into 55th place
on the career list. ... Wang has not given up an unearned run in his last 39
starts. That's the longest such string by a Yankees pitcher since the AL
began charting unearned runs in 1913, the Elias Sports Bureau said. ... The
Yankees were flawless in the field, a day after making five errors, their
most in a game since 2002. ... Resop will be examined Monday in Los Angeles.
... Next year's All-Star game will be at Yankee Stadium.

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→ pleased:Maybe the first All-Star game for Wang will be at home
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