Team Achievement - Baseball Wiretap

One big inning was more than enough Sunday for the New York Yankees.

Fueled by a fiery pep talk from captain Aaron Judge, the Yankees scored 13 runs in the third and beat the Athletics 13-8, finishing one run shy of the highest-scoring inning in the storied history of the franchise.

"Remarkable," manager Aaron Boone said. "Glad we were able to make it stand up. Obviously, a lot of really good things offensively. ... I don't think the prettiest game on either side, necessarily. But we were able to make a really outstanding inning stand up."

 Yankees manager Aaron Boone watched the hits begin to pile up on the massive, crown-shaped scoreboard beyond the centerfield wall at Kauffman Stadium, and he knew that his team was doing something impressive against the Kansas City Royals.

He didn't know until afterward that it was something historic.

Yes, there were six home runs, including two from Amed Rosario. And the Yankees put up 24 hits in the 15-1 romp, their most since a game against Baltimore in July 2011. But what set the performance apart from all others Tuesday night -- including all those games played by Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle -- was this simple fact: For the first time in their storied history, the Yankees got at least two hits from every single player in their starting lineup.

The Houston Astros have pitched several combined no-hitters. This one might have been the biggest surprise.

Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai threw six hitless innings after walking three of the first four batters he faced Monday night. Steven Okert then got three outs before Alimber Santa made his major league debut and retired the final six hitters to complete the Astros' 17th regular-season no-hitter -- four of them combined efforts -- in a 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers.

"The first inning, you never thought that this was going to be the outcome of the game," manager Joe Espada said. "Imai, he continued to compete. ... He continued to pound the zone, he fought through it. Six strong innings, and then the rest is history."

The Tampa Bay Rays and local officials announced a tentative $2.3 billion agreement Thursday for a new ballpark funded by public and private money.

The nonbinding memorandum of understanding among the Rays, Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa outlines the costs of a stadium, which would include $967 million of tax dollars. Elected officials for the city and county are expected to vote on the deal at separate meetings next week.

Make it 10 wins in a row for the Chicago Cubs again. That's twice in one season -- for the first time in nine decades.

Ian Happ extended his on-base streak to 29 games, Michael Busch hit a three-run double and the Cubs clinched their second 10-game winning streak this year with a 7-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

This is the first time since 1935 that Chicago has had two 10-game winning streaks in a season. The only time the Cubs had more was in 1906 with four.

Venezuela captured its first World Baseball Classic title Tuesday night, defeating the United States 3-2 at LoanDepot Park in Miami. Designated hitter Eugenio Suarez delivered the decisive blow, a go-ahead RBI double in the ninth inning off Garrett Whitlock, to stun the heavily favored Americans.

The victory carried profound weight for a nation enduring political upheaval at home, with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro currently in U.S. custody following a military operation in January.

"The country needs this happiness with all the things that we've gone through," Suarez said in Spanish.

Wilyer Abreu provided Venezuela's second run with a solo home run to center field, extending an early lead built on Maikel Garcia's sacrifice fly in the third inning. Garcia, who led the tournament with 10 hits, was named WBC MVP.

Veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez silenced the American lineup over 4⅓ innings. Three relievers followed before Bryce Harper jolted Team USA with a tying two-run homer in the eighth inning. Venezuela responded immediately, with Javier Sanoja stealing second base before Suarez lined a seventh-pitch changeup into the left-center gap.

"Obviously I'm not OK with winning silver," Harper said. "But at the end of the night, man, they did it, they won. They fought hard. They played a great game. I've got nothing but respect for them."

Closer Daniel Palencia retired the final three batters in order, ending the game on a 99.7 mph fastball to strike out Roman Anthony.

"I'm sure each Venezuelan was watching this game, and I'm sure they enjoyed it more than us," Suarez said. "Venezuela, as a country, everyone who is here, those who are in our country, deserve this and much more."

The United States, runners-up for the second consecutive WBC, lost 3-2 to Japan in the 2023 final.

Dominican shortstop Geraldo Perdomo threw his hands up in the air in disgust and United States closer Mason Miller lifted his in celebration.

Miller's full-count slider sailed below the strike zone but was called a strike by home plate umpire Cory Blaser on Sunday night, giving Team USA a 2-1 victory in a star-studded World Baseball Classic semifinal that was every bit as tense and as tightly contested as anticipated.

The dream World Baseball Classic matchup between Team USA and the Dominican Republic is on -- and it will determine which country advances to the championship game.

The United States booked its spot in the WBC semifinals with a 5-3 victory against Canada on Friday night, joining the Dominican team that mercy-ruled Korea in a 10-0 win in seven innings. San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb twirled 4⅔ shutout innings, and Team USA withstood a late Canada rally to set up the Sunday night showdown between the tournament's two most talented teams.

"The boys are excited, that's for sure," U.S. captain Aaron Judge said. "Definitely getting a taste for playoff atmosphere in March, definitely gets the juices flowing ... we're excited to hop on a flight to Miami and get this rolling."

Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer, and Roman Anthony added a three-run blast in a big third inning to lead the United States to a 5-3 win over Mexico in the World Baseball Classic at Houston's Daikin Park on Monday night.

The U.S. improved to 3-0 and will meet Italy (2-0) on Tuesday night, seeking to secure a spot in the quarterfinals in Houston this weekend.

Jarren Duran homered twice for Mexico (2-1), which will face Italy on Wednesday night in the last game of Group B play.

Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer and Brice Turang had three hits and four RBIs to lead the United States to a 15-5 win over Brazil in its World Baseball Classic opener Friday night.

There was one out and one on in the first when Judge, the first player to commit to the team last April, connected off Bo Takahashi at Houston's Daikin Park.

Lucas Ramirez -- with his father, 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, in attendance -- homered twice for Brazil. He cut the lead to 2-1 with his leadoff homer, and his solo shot in the eighth got Brazil within 8-5.

At 20 years, 49 days, he became the youngest player in WBC history with a multihomer game.