Defending World Series champions the Boston Red Sox slumped to their third loss in a row as the New York Yankees claimed a 4-1 home win.

James Paxton struck out 12 as the New York Yankees thrashed bitter rivals the Boston Red Sox 8-0.

The Los Angeles Dodgers set a record for home runs on the opening day of a Major League Baseball season with eight in the 12-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

105-year-old Elizabeth Sullivan was the guest of honour at the Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners game at Globe Life Park yesterday.

Sport 2 (Hawking, Cent) Rest of the World 1 (Barton OG)

“It’s very… American, isn’t it?” Baseball is a cornerstone of Americana that has helped me get past that attitude.

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in baseball, has been banned for 211 games, starting on Thursday and covering the remainder of this season and all of next, for violations of Major League Baseball’s joint drug prevention and treatment programme and its basic agreement.

The outcome of Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish’s trip to Boston to meet the club’s owners has yet to emerge but the absence of any definitive statement from Fenway Sports Group has only fed speculation about the Scot’s future.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has returned from his trip to the United States to meet the club’s owners but what the outcome of their discussions will be still remains unclear.

CHEAP hot dogs, subsidised travel and discounted tickets.

THERE will be no additional security in place for the Six Nations meeting of Wales and Ireland tomorrow, despite the military conflict in Iraq.