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2B Daily News – Friday, August 26, 2011 Yanks hit record 3 grand slams to beat A's NEW YORK (AP) — Talk about getting slammed. The Oakland Athletics made it all too easy for the New York Yan- kees, handing out 13 walks that helped set up a record three grand slams Thursday in a 22-9 romp. ''It was definitely embarrass- ing,'' A's manager Bob Melvin said. Rich Harden started the parade, walking Curtis Granderson in the fifth inning with the Athletics ahead 7-2. Moments later, Robin- son Cano launched a slam. ''They were hitting good pitch- es. They hit the mistakes, too,'' Harden said. The next inning, reliever Fauti- no De Los Santos (2-1) walked two and threw a wild pitch. That led to Russell Martin's slam that put the Yankees in front 10-7. A's pitchers issued seven walks in a six-run seventh — somehow, none of the Yankees managed to connect that inning. But Bruce Billings walked another in the eighth, and soon Granderson sent a no-doubt drive into New York's right-center field bullpen, making the Yankees the first team in major league history to hit three slams in a game. Billings watched Granderson's shot sail. ''I was looking at it, hoping that it was not going to go out,'' he said. ''I'm not thinking about try- ing to give up another grand slam.'' By that point, Melvin had seen enough. The walks, including 12 by the bullpen, just made it worse. ''I'm going to have to recalcu- late here and see what we have,'' he said. ''Certainly that makes it worse when you're in that situation,'' Melvin added. ''For the most part at the end, just trying to throw the ball over the plate, trying to get some outs.'' The 22 runs marked the most allowed by the Athletics since 1955, when they were based in Kansas City and lost 29-6 to the Chicago White Sox. In nearly a century of storied slugging, the Bronx Bombers had never put on a show quite like this. Nobody had, in fact. ''I'm surprised it hadn't been done before with all the great teams and great individual hitters that have come throughout the course of the game,'' Granderson said. On a dreary afternoon, some fans headed home with the Yan- kees trailing 7-1 after three innings and rain still falling in a game that began after an 89-minute delay. Turns out they missed the Yan- kees coming home — over and over and over. Cano began the barrage with a clean shot into the lower deck in right field off Harden. Martin con- nected in the sixth off De Los San- tos for a fly that barely made it over the auxiliary scoreboard in right. Granderson then took his turn in the eighth. With MLB in its 136th year and California, Japan advance at LLWS SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Hagen Danner homered and struck out 12, and Huntington Beach, Calif., spoiled the Pennsyl- vania party at the Little League World Series with a 2-0 victory over the home- town heroes from Clinton County on Thursday night. California will face Billings, Mont., in the U.S. final Saturday. Montana beat California 1-0 in seven innings Wednesday night. Pennsylvania was eliminat- ed. Danner was the biggest reason why with a stellar night on the mound being leaving in the sixth because of Little League's pitch- count rules. The 12-year-old ace got out of a fifth-inning jam with one out and a run- ner on third with a grounder and flyout. Danner homered to right- center in the third. With the Lamade Stadi- um stands rocking, Pennsyl- vania later put the tying run at the plate with one out in the sixth after Alex Garbrick reached on an infield single. But closer Braydon Salz- man ended Clinton Coun- ty's run with a strikeout and a force play at second. Japan moved on as well, to the international final Sat- urday against Mexico, with a 9-6 victory over Maracay, Venezuela. Yoshiki Suzuki blasted two homers to lead the mashers from Hamamatsu City trying to defend the crown won by a squad from Tokyo last year. The late game had all the intensity again of a major league playoff game, thanks in large part to the vocal backers of the Keystone Lit- tle League from Clinton County — just 30 miles from South Williamsport. The first Williamsport- area team to advance to the series since 1969 has cap- tured the attention of central Pennsylvania. Blue ''Key- stone'' T-shirts were being LITTLE LEAGUE World Series Thursday's results Hamamatsu City, Japan 9, Maracay, Venezuela 6, Maracay eliminated Huntington Beach, Calif. 2, Clinton Coun- ty, Pa. 0, Clinton County eliminated Saturday's games International championship — Mexicali, Mex- ico vs. Hamamatsu City, Japan, 9 a.m. U.S. championship, Billings, Mont. vs. Huntington Beach, Calif., Noon Sunday's games Third Place International runner-up vs. U.S. runner- up, 8 a.m. World Championship International champion vs. U.S. champi- on, Noon sold at roadside stands around Williamsport, and electronic signboards wished good luck to the ''Big Blue Machine.'' No such luck Thursday night. The teams exchanged high-fives and fist-bumps at home plate before Pennsyl- vania players trotted back to their dugout, still serenaded by chants of ''Keystone'' by proud friends and family. Instead, it's California advancing to the U.S. title game for a rematch with undefeated Montana. Pennsylvania hitters managed just three singles off Danner, who effectively mixed a heater that hit 77 mph with an off-speed pitch that had batters off-balance. The ''Keystone'' chants of roared through Lamade Stadium again after Wyatt Koch reached on an infield single and reached third on two wild pitches in the fifth. Danner got a hug from smil- ing shortstop Trevor Windisch after California jogged back to the dugout in relief without allowing a run in that jam. Pinch-hitter Ryo Takada tacked on an insurance run with an RBI double in the fourth. ——— Japan 9, Venezuela 6 Seconds after the ball left his bat in the third inning, Suzuki raised his right arm in celebration and admired his opposite-field blast just over the left-field wall. Then he did it again in the fifth in a game that had the makings of a blowout before Venezuela rallied late. Venezuela had the tying run at the plate with one out in the sixth after Yonny Her- nandez's RBI single, but reliever Gaishi Iguchi struck out the last two hitters to finally allow Japan to cele- brate and eliminate Venezuela. Japan's berth Saturday in the international final is secure thanks in large part to the long ball. NFL PRESEASON Thursday's results Cincinnati 24, Carolina 13 Philadelphia 24, Cleveland 14 Washington at Baltimore, late Today's games Green Bay at Indianapolis, 5 p.m. St. Louis at Kansas City, 5 p.m. Saturday's games Houston at San Francisco, 5 p.m. Jacksonville at Buffalo, 4 p.m. N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m. Miami at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at Tennessee, 5 p.m. Dallas at Minnesota, 5 p.m. New England at Detroit, 5 p.m. Seattle at Denver, 6 p.m. San Diego at Arizona, 7 p.m. Sunday's game New Orleans at Oakland, 5 p.m. SF (Continued from page 1B) where — though that quiet- ed down once the team began making moves. While San Francisco gave experi- enced receiver Braylon Edwards a fresh start out West, the Niners also lost some key faces on both sides of the ball. Cornerback Nate Clements. Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin. Center David Baas. There are also plenty of questions about the returning veterans. Receiver Michael Crab- tree missed his third presea- son in as many years, two- time Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore is coming back from a fractured right hip that cost him the final five games in 2010, and the offensive line remains a major work in progress. ''It's still new,'' left tackle Joe Staley said of Har- baugh's system. ''I definitely feel like there's a sense of urgency and it's a clean slate for a lot of guys. We're embracing the change. We haven't had the success we've hoped.'' Last year's 49ers had plans to win the NFC West and were considered the favorite entering the regular season. Instead, they lost their first five games in a sur- prising start and spent the whole year trying to get back into the race in the league's worst division. Seattle won the West at 7-9. The 0-5 start in 2010 was the worst since San Francis- co dropped seven straight to begin a 2-14 season in 1979, in the late Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh's first year. It was embarrassing. ''It's a different culture. It's a different atmosphere,'' linebacker Ahmad Brooks said. ''Everything's going to evolve over time.'' Harbaugh comes from an WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB x-Minnesota 21 6 .778 — Phoenix 15 11 .577 5.5 Seattle 15 12 .556 6 San Antonio13 13 .500 7.5 Sparks 12 15 .444 9 Tulsa 1 24 .040 19 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Indiana 19 8 .704 — Connecticut 17 10 .630 2 New York 16 12 .571 3.5 Atlanta 14 13 .519 5 Chicago 12 15 .444 7 Washington 5 21 .192 13.5 x-clinched playoff spot —————————————————— Today's game Tulsa at Seattle, 7 p.m. Friday's games Phoenix at Connecticut, 4:30 p.m. San Antonio at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Washington at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Tulsa at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Saturday's games Atlanta at Indiana, 4 p.m. MCT photo Jemile Weeks steals second base during Thursday's game in New York. approaching its 200,000th regular- season game next month, the Yan- kees knew it was a slammin' day. Not until they saw a note posted on the video board about the three slams, however, did they realize exactly what they'd achieved. ''You're not going to see it again, probably,'' said captain Derek Jeter, who batted a whop- ping four times with the bases loaded and drove in one run. ''You can't explain it.'' Martin homered twice and dou- bled, setting career highs with five hits and six RBIs. Cano and Granderson each drove in five runs as the Yankees pulled off their biggest comeback win since 2006 and avoided a three-game sweep. ''This game has been played for a long time. Pretty much every- thing has already happened. I'm waiting to see who hits four,'' Mar- tin said. Funny, the Yankees had their chances to hit even more slams. They came to bat a startling 16 times with the bases loaded, going 6 for 13 with two walks and a sac- rifice fly. Jeter grounded out twice, struck out and walked in his chances. Overall it was the Yankees' highest-scoring game since they got 22 runs at Boston in 2000, and it tied the team record set in 1931 for most in a home game. Cliff Pennington homered, doubled and drove in four runs for the A's. Scott Sizemore also home- red. Yet for all the combined 36 hits and 15 walks, this day seemed to turn on something much more ele- mentary — the weather. NFL coaching lineage that includes his father, Jack, and brother, John, coach of the Baltimore Ravens. But Har- baugh will have to prove himself again at this level. The former NFL quarter- back was among the most sought after coaches last winter after guiding Stanford to a lopsided Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. ''On the offensive side of the ball, everybody is on the same page. When you watch the film, man, it just looks different,'' Gore said. ''It's not boring. I think Coach Harbaugh brings enthusi- asm. We have fun. He lets you be yourself. It's all about football. If you mess you up, he still lets you know what you can do better. He brings you up. He never tries to bring you down. And that's a plus.'' Gore is confident he can bounce back in 2011. He is determined to put up some big numbers in his contract year — though he hopes to receive a new long-term deal before Week 1. For now, Gore and Co. want to do what they can to make Smith look good. The 27-year-old Smith threw for 2,370 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 games and 10 starts last season, but he also threw 10 interceptions and was sacked 25 times. He shared the starting role with Troy Smith. ''I don't feel it's a risky gamble,'' Staley said of Smith as the starter. ''Coach has been clear that regardless what your name is, the best players are going to play on the field. If he feels Alex is the best quarterback, then he is going to play. We all 100 percent agree with any deci- sion he makes as far as per- sonnel goes.'' MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 14 3 9 51 37 20 Seattle 12 5 9 45 36 27 FC Dallas 12 7 7 43 33 27 Colorado 10 6 11 41 39 34 Salt Lake 10 7 6 36 32 20 Portland 9 12 5 32 33 41 Chivas USA 7 9 10 31 32 29 QUAKES 510 10 25 26 34 Vancouver 3 13 9 18 26 42 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Columbus 11 7 7 40 29 24 Kansas City 9 7 9 36 36 31 Houston 8 7 11 35 34 32 Philadelphia 8 6 10 34 30 24 New York 6 6 14 32 41 37 D.C. 7 7 10 31 34 35 Chicago 3 7 15 24 28 33 N. England 4 11 11 23 26 39 Toronto FC 4 12 11 23 25 48 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. —————————————————— Saturday's games San Jose at Toronto FC, 4 p.m. Columbus at Seattle FC, 1 p.m. Houston at Vancouver, 4 p.m. Portland at D.C. United, 4:30 p.m. Colorado at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. FC Dallas at Kansas City, 5:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m. Sunday's games Los Angeles at New York, 4 p.m. New England at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. OAK (Continued from page 1B) ing a lot of points last year,'' Campbell said. ''We were making plays, and the rea- son is because of his men- tality. He brings that mental- ity of physical, relentless football and playing like a Raider. That's what he's all about.'' The key to Oakland's success rests heavily on Campbell's right arm. Given some rare stability with a second year in Jack- son's system and a reunion with former offensive coor- dinator Al Saunders, Camp- bell is being counted on to take a big step forward from the up-and-down quarter- back he has been for his first six years. Campbell lost his start- ing job twice last season, but still managed to post the second-highest quarterback rating of his career. He has a firm hold on the job — and the offense — this season in a change evident to all around him. ''His pocket presence, his huddle presence, is defi- nitely better than it used to be,'' said offensive lineman Stephon Heyer, Campbell's teammate in Washington. ''It looks like he's more of a leader. He's comfortable. I can see that now more so than ever.'' The Raiders believed so much in last year's talent that they made few major additions in the abbreviated MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 71 59 .546 2.5 A's Seattle 56 73 .434 17 East Division WL Pct GB Boston 79 50 .612 — New York 78 50 .609 .5 Tampa Bay 70 59 .543 9 Toronto 66 64 .508 13.5 Baltimore 51 77 .398 27.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Detroit 71 59 .546 — Cleveland 63 64 .496 6.5 Chicago 63 65 .492 7 Minnesota 55 75 .423 16 Kansas City 54 77 .412 17.5 —————————————————— Thursday's results N.Y.Yankees 22, Oakland 9 Baltimore 6, Minnesota 1 Detroit 2, Tampa Bay 0 Kansas City 9, Toronto 6 Boston at Texas, late Today's games Oakland (G.Gonzalez 10-11) at Boston (Wakefield 6-5), 4:10 p.m. Kansas City (F.Paulino 2-5) at Cleveland (Jimenez 1-1), 4:05 p.m. N.Y.Yankees (A.J.Burnett 9-10) at Baltimore (Tom.Hunter 2-2), 4:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (Shields 11-10) at Toronto (H.Alvarez 0-1), 4:07 p.m. L.A. Angels (Haren 13-6) at Texas (D.Holland 11-5), 5:05 p.m. Detroit (Porcello 11-8) at Minnesota (Swarzak 3-3), 5:10 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Peavy 5-6) at Seattle (Furbush 3-5), 7:10 p.m. Saturday's games Oakland at Boston, 10:10 a.m. N.Y.Yankees at Baltimore, 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay at Toronto, 10:07 a.m. Detroit at Minnesota, 1:10 p.m. Kansas City at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. N.Y.Yankees at Baltimore, 4:05 p.m. L.A. Angels at Texas, 5:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox at Seattle, 7:10 p.m. 74 57 .565 — 59 71 .454 14.5 Yankees fans weren't in a for- giving mood at the outset. They booed when a battered Phil Hugh- es walked off in the third inning and jeered when Pennington hit reliever Cory Wade's first pitch for a three-run homer that put the Ath- letics ahead 7-1. But there was a big cheer when the sun poked through the clouds as the A's batted in the fourth. Between innings, the stadium sound crew played ''Here Comes the Sun'' by the Beatles. This was the seventh time the A's franchise gave up at least two slams in a game, STATS LLC said. Detroit's Ryan Raburn and Bran- don Inge did it last in 2009 and the first came in 1936, when Tony Lazzeri of the Yankees hit a pair at Philadelphia. Boone Logan (4-2) got the win. offseason. Despite losing a pair of Pro Bowlers in cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and tight end Zach Miller, as well as their most consistent lineman in recent years, Robert Gallery, to free agency, the Raiders signed only one potential starter in tight end Kevin Boss. The one big change was at coach. ''Hue stresses just being a bully, being a big bully on the block and just being more physical than anybody in the AFC West,'' defen- sive tackle Tommy Kelly said. ''That's what he wants us to be and that's what we got to be.'' While Jackson is in charge on the field, the Raiders are still Davis' team. Davis has been a much less visible presence this summer, not attending practice even once in the first three weeks of training camp. But Jackson says he still talks to Davis daily about what it will take to improve the Raiders. ''This is his football team and he lets me drive the engine,'' he said. ''I talk to him all the time about what we are doing, where we are, what we are, and where we are getting to. ... I give him my input, he listens; he gives me his input, I listen and on we march.'' How far they march remains to be seen. MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB Arizona 72 59 .550 — GIANTS 69 61 .531 2.5 Colorado 63 68 .481 9 Dodgers 60 69 .465 11 Padres 60 71 .458 12 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia 83 45 .648 — Atlanta 79 53 .598 6 Washington 62 67 .481 21.5 New York 61 68 .473 22.5 Florida 58 72 .446 26 Central Division WL Pct GB Milwaukee 78 54 .591 — St. Louis 67 63 .515 10 Cincinnati 64 66 .492 13 Pittsburgh 61 68 .473 15.5 Chicago 57 74 .435 20.5 Houston 42 88 .323 35 —————————————————— Thursday's results Houston at San Francisco, late Arizona 8, Washington 1 Atlanta 8, Chicago Cubs 3 Pittsburgh at St. Louis, late Cincinnati at Florida, ppd., rain Today's games Houston (Happ 4-14) at S.F. (Bumgarner 7-12), 7:15 p.m. Florida (Hensley 1-5) at Philadelphia (Oswalt 6-7), 4:05 p.m. Atlanta (T.Hudson 13-7) at N.Y. Mets (Capuano 9-11), 4:10 p.m. Washington (Wang 2-2) at Cincinnati (Willis 0-3), 4:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (R.Lopez 4-4) at Milwaukee (Wolf 10-8), 5:10 p.m. Pittsburgh (Ja.McDonald 8-6) at St. Louis (Westbrook 10-7), 5:15 p.m. San Diego (LeBlanc 2-2) at Arizona (Collmenter 7-8), 6:40 p.m. Colorado (Rogers 6-2) at L.A. Dodgers (Lilly 7-13), 7:10 p.m. Friday's games Houston at San Francisco, 6:05 p.m. Atlanta at N.Y. Mets, 1:10 p.m. Colorado at L.A. Dodgers, 1:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 1:10 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee, 4:10 p.m. Washington at Cincinnati, 4:10 p.m. San Diego at Arizona, 5:10 p.m.