With another strong performance at Boston’s favorite home away from home, Josh Beckett became the first major leaguer to reach 15 wins. His only regret was that he couldn’t finish what he started. Beckett came within one out of his third career shutout, and Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew each drove in two runs to help the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-2 Saturday.
Medici Code rallied for a 1-length victory over favorite Wordly in the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds Saturday at Del Mar. Ridden by Martin Pedroza, Medici Code was third at the top of the stretch, shot past early leader Latin Rhythms in the final eighth and held off a charge from Worldly to cover 1 1-16 miles on the turf in 1:42.57.
Safe Play outlasted John’s Pic through the stretch to win the $60,000 My Frenchman Stakes by a neck at Monmouth Park on Saturday. Trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Chuck C. Lopez, Safe Play paid $6.80 to win after covering the 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track in 1:03. There was no place or show wagering after the field was reduced to three starters because the race was taken off the turf.
Denver Broncos linebacker Warrick Holdman has been advised by doctors not to play football for three months after suffering a spinal cord concussion in a collision with a teammate last week. Holdman was injured on Aug. 2 when he was trying to tackle running back Mike Bell, who lowered his left shoulder and struck the 243-pound linebacker in his helmet.
Adam “Pacman” Jones can appear at a wrestling show Sunday, with a couple of provisions: The suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback won’t be allowed to touch or be touched, use or be hit by any object or anything else that could injure him. That doesn’t leave much for Jones. But at least he can be in the building for the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling pay-per-view event.
Travis Kvapil led 47 of the final 48 laps to win the NASCAR Trucks Series’ Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday night.
Three-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais, trying to end his run of futility at the Road America circuit, captured pole position for Sunday’s Generac Grand Prix here Saturday.
Able to run and jump without pain for the first time in five years, Penny Hardaway insists there’s still much he can do in the NBA. The Miami Heat apparently agree. Hardaway spoke Friday about his new contract with the Heat, one that comes with no financial guarantees for the 36-year-old who has battled knee problems for much of a career that once seemed destined for superstardom.
Newlywed Yao Ming treated his Chinese teammates to a celebratory dinner at a posh hotel, where guests feasted on a 10-course meal — and the 7-foot-6 center had a little too much to drink. The Houston Rockets center “rarely drinks,” but this time he marked the occasion and “drank quite a bit,” Yao spokesman Erik Zhang said “I don’t think (Yao) was drunk but he was pretty close.
