Swede Blixt wins Frys.com Open

SAN MARTIN, California — Jonas Blixt is a frustrated hockey player turned golfer. He's also a winner in his first season on the PGA Tour.

"I was more interested in hockey. I wanted to be a hockey player," the Swede said Sunday after his breakthrough victory in the Frys.com Open. "I never really got big enough or good enough to play. Golf kind of suited me pretty well."

Blixt was a defenseman and played hockey well into his teens.

"It's the greatest sport ever," he said. "The lockout just kills me."

The third PGA Tour rookie to win this season, Blixt holed a 4-foot par putt on the final hole for a 3-under 68 and a one-stroke victory in the Fall Series event at CordeValle. He earned $900,000 and a tour exemption through the 2014 season.

"The weird part is I've been working on some stuff with my swing, and I wasn't feeling completely 100 percent about my swing," Blixt said. "I just told myself, 'Just give it a good hit every time and see what happens. Just focus. You can't do anything better than your best.' That's what I did on every shot."

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Aoki takes care of business to give Cinq Reves first win

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. — Entering this season, six-time All-Star Cohey Aoki had made 1,255 baskets — plus 983 free throws, while converting an astonishing 89.2 percent of his shots at the foul line — in 8,642 minutes of playing time in the regular season since the league's inception in 2005. Many of his most important points have come when the shot clock is winding down or in the closing seconds of quarters or games, and he's often come through in the clutch.

Mr Reliable: Tokyo's Cohey Aoki passes the ball during the Cinq Reves' 84-82 win over the Chiba Jets on Sunday. YOSHIAKI MIURA

The numbers add up to one important fact: Aoki has earned a reputation as one of the league's most reliable scorers.

So it was only appropriate that the former Tokyo Apache icon was entrusted with the ball in his hands in crunch time once again on Sunday, this time playing for his new team, the Tokyo Cinq Reves, at Funabashi Arena.

With the score tied at 82-82 after Chiba Jets power forward Joe Werner's layup, Tokyo called a timeout with 4.2 seconds left to draw up a play for the final sequence. Coach Motofumi Aoki, who had seen his star guard's exploits on dozens of occasions around the league, instructed his players to get Cohey the ball.

Smart move. The ball was inbounded to Aoki, he found space to operate and released a mid-range jumper that found nothing but net with 0.3 seconds left on the game clock. Chiba's desperation heave was off the mark. And the scoreboard posted these numbers a split-second later: Tokyo 84, Chiba 82.

The first victory in Cinq Reves history came down to Aoki doing what he does best. Of course, to avid fans, that buzzer-beating shot will be remembered as a typical Aoki production.

Wearing a baseball cap and smiling in his post-game interview, Aoki simply stated, "I have confidence in my shot."

Aoki contributed 14 points, four assists and four steals in his first victory in a Tokyo uniform since March 2011. (After the Apache folded, the star guard played for the Osaka Evessa last season.)

"I knew that he was a legend (in this league), Cinq Reves center Jonathan Jones said of Aoki. "And just being around him now these past two or three weeks I can see that he's a great player and a good leader."

With the game on the line, "he just hit that shot like it was easy, like you do it in your sleep," Jones said, describing Aoki's antics.

"Coach was like, 'Just get the ball in Cohey's hands because he's our best decision maker,' and we knew that he was going to make a good decision with the ball down the stretch," Jones said.

"He just made a good step-back (move) and pulled up and made the jumper,"

Before a lively crowd, the Sunday rematch — a day after Chiba defeated Tokyo 108-86 and got 27 points, including 6-for-6 on 3s, from Marquin Chandler — pitted Jets coach Shinji Tomiyama against one of his mentors. The younger bench boss had worked under Aoki on the Apache bench in 2009-10.

In the first quarter, Chiba jumped out to a 9-0 lead on a Reina Itakura 3-pointer before Tokyo mounted an early comeback, with Rasheem Barrett's jumper igniting the effort.

Tokyo fought back, and capitalized on how the referees were calling the game. The Cinq Reves attempted 18 free throws (17 were good) in the opening quarter alone, notably Jones, who was 5-for-6 in the period, and Aoki, who was 6-for-6. They led 26-22 entering the second quarter.

The refs eased up on the whistle in the second period, and the Jets adjusted, too. After being whistled for 11 first-quarter fouls, Chiba had four in the next quarter.

Chiba's D'Andre Bell took over offensively with a 12-point second quarter, and Tokyo trailed 46-44 at halftime.

The second half exhibited fast-paced basketball featuring two teams putting the building blocks in place for a long, 52-game season.

After his first win at the helm, Aoki described it as a "wonderful game" and appeared genuinely excited for the home fans. The veteran coach said effective man-to-man defense got the job done, but there's room for improvement in all areas.

"The Jets played a hard, disciplined game," he said of his foe.

Tomiyama agreed the game was a well-played contest, saying it was a "super game" and a "constant challenge" for his players. He praised the effort given by the Cinq Reves for their inside play and energy.

After the loss, Tomiyama said the focus now shifts to preparing his team to play the undefeated Iwate Big Bulls, who he coached last season, this coming weekend on the road.

Jones delivered a strong effort in 38-plus minutes, finishing with a game-best 23 points, including 9-for-14 at the line, and seven rebounds. Fellow big man Jared Carter added 13 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, while former Osaka Evessa player Hiroshisa Takada scored 10 points and three 3s, none bigger than his go-ahead 3 that put Tokyo ahead 82-80 with 30.4 seconds remaining.

Ilija Milutinovic, Barrett and Akihito Inoue all scored eight points apiece for Tokyo, which played aggressively on offense and got to the line repeatedly. The Cinq Reves shot 26-for-33 there; Chiba was 14-for-16.

Bell was the Jets' top scorer with 21 points. The Georgia Tech alum also had eight rebounds and two steals. Serge Angounou poured in 20 points and blocked two shots, while Shota Isshiki had 11 points and Itakura scored nine. Chandler, not listed as injured in the boxscore, did not suit up on Sunday after a banner debut in a Jets uniform, though Bell said injuries were a factor for the team.

For Tokyo, which travels to face the Niigata Albirex BB this weekend, a first win is something to build off and use as a confidence builder.

"I think as the season goes on we're going to develop better chemistry and with our size we're going to be tough to guard later down the season," said the 211-cm Jones.

Five Arrows 69, Evessa 66

In Osaka, Takamatsu has completed the improbable, matching its 2011-12 win total after two games.

Paul Williams and Masaaki Suzuki scored 14 points apiece, Brandon Penn had 13 and Dexter Lyons added 11 for the Five Arrows, who went 2-50 last season.

For the new-look Evessa, Nathan Walkup had a team-high 16 points and Masashi Obuchi scored 13.

Osaka, which suited up only three import players for the series, parted ways with point guard Temi Soyebo, a University of North Carolina-Wilmington product, earlier in the week.

Big Bulls 70, 89ers 68

In Sendai, Iwate became the first team to win four games this season by completing a series sweep over the hosts at Xebio Arena.

Guard Masato Tsukino, a 23-year-old who was a Miyazaki Shining Suns player the past two seasons, paced the Big Bulls (4-0) with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field, 4-for-4 at the line, with two steals. Lawrence Blackledge notched a double-double (11 points, 17 rebounds), while Carlos Dixon also had 11 points and Dillion Sneed scored 10 for Iwate.

Forward Karron Clarke led the 89ers with 20 points and 16 rebounds and Kevin Coble scored 11. Captain Takehiko Shimura dished out seven assists.

Sendai was 6-for-14 at the free-throw line, and fell to 1-3 on the season.

"Karron took the loss personally yesterday, and was one of many players who helped us build a 10-point lead at halftime," 89ers coach Bob Pierce told The Japan Times after Sunday's game. "But Iwate controlled the tempo in the second half."

B-Corsairs 88, Broncos 71

In Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, Yokohama routed the hosts for the second straight day to give coach Reggie Geary's club a feel-good start to its second season.

Thomas Kennedy scored 22 points and Masayuki Kabaya was 5-for-10 on 3-point attempts in a 21-point outing for the B-Corsairs, who reached the Final Four as a first-year franchise in May. In the series opener, Kabaya canned 7 of 12 3s in a 24-point effort.

Draelon Burns, meanwhile, made his presence felt in every aspect of the game and recorded a triple-double (12 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists) along with three steals.

Yokohama also got a double-double from Senegalese center Pape Faye Mour (10 points, 11 rebounds) and its offensive clicked at a high level, with 31 assists on 35 field goals.

For Saitama, Randy Orr and Yuki Kitamuki scored 18 points apiece, with both going 2-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Susanoo Magic 81, Rizing 64

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Michael Parker and Brandon Freeman each scored 30 points and the hosts improved to 2-0 with a season-opening sweep of Western Conference rival Fukuoka.

B.J. Puckett grabbed 14 rebounds for the Magic and Parker completed his double-double with 11 boards.

For the Rizing, Akitomo Takeno was the leading scorer with 16 points and Julius Ashby and Josh Peppers chipped in with 13 apiece. Power forward Reggie Warren, a bj-league journeyman, supplied eight points and 10 rebounds for his new team.

Brave Warriors 83, Crane Thunders 62

In Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, the hosts fell to 0-4 after their second double-digit loss in as many days in the franchise's first-ever home series.

Jermaine Green paced Shinshu with 18 points, big man Wayne Marshall had a 15-point, eight-rebound, three-block effort and Takanori Goya scored 13 points.

For the expansion Crane Thunders, Shingo Okada and Lewis Witcher scored 11 points apiece.

Northern Happinets 90, Grouses 58

In Akita, coach Kazuo Nakamura's club erupted for 31 fourth-quarter points in a runaway victory over Toyama and earned a sweep to open the season.

Dion Harris flushed 6 of 14 3-point shots and had a game-high 26 points, Yuki Kikuchi sank three 3s in a 13-point effort and Shigehiro Taguchi made four 4s and finished with 12 points. The Happinets were 14-for-30 from 3-point range.

The Grouses' Masashi Joho was the team's top scorer with 14 points.

Lakestars 75, Shining Suns 53

In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, Shiga used its inside muscle to control the boards and hauled in 24 offensive rebounds in a lopsided road win to bounce back from a two-point loss in the teams' season opener.

Dionisio Gomez, in his second season with the Lakestars, scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds, Ray Nixon added 15 points.

Alfred Aboya, a former UCLA center, and Wayne Arnold each added 10 points.

For Miyazaki, center Dominique Keller had a game-high 26 points.

Phoenix 89, HeatDevils 72

In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Hamamatsu Highashimikawa played inspired, focused basketball after a 95-54 loss to Oita in the series opener.

Kevin Galloway led the Phoenix (2-2) with 29 points and 10 rebounds, Elbert Fuqua contributed 21 points and 12 boards and former league MVP Jeffrey Parmer added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

HeatDevils big man Taj Finger poured in 18 points and Taishiro Shimizu scored 15 points. Naoto Takushi dished out eight assists in the loss.

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Brazil's Marcelo breaks right foot

SAO PAULO — Real Madrid left back Marcelo has broken his right foot in training with Brazil and will be sidelined until at least the end of the year.

Brazil doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said the defender will be out for at least three months because of the injury sustained Sunday in Poland, where the team will play Japan in a friendly on Tuesday.

Lasmar said Marcelo's injury may require surgery, but the player will return to Spain on Monday to be evaluated by Real Madrid doctors.

Marcelo said he will "be back soon" and that he wants to fully recover "in time for the 2013 Confederations Cup" that Brazil will host.

Marcelo has been Brazil's starter at left back under coach Mano Menezes, who will not replace him in the squad ahead of Tuesday's match.

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Cardinals hold off Giants in Game 1

SAN FRANCISCO — This time, Carlos Beltran, David Freese and the St. Louis Cardinals took a six-run lead — and held onto it, barely.

Beltran and Freese hit two-run homers and these wild, wild-card Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the NLCS.

The defending World Series champions took an early 6-0 cushion and made it stand up. Only two nights earlier, the Cardinals came back from a 6-0 deficit, using a four-run rally in the ninth inning at Washington in the deciding Game 5 of the division series.

"The way we play the game, we have been in this type of situation before in the regular season," Beltran said. "These guys have this mentality of not panicking."

The St. Louis bullpen delivered with 5? scoreless innings after starter Lance Lynn was chased early. Edward Mujica, the fifth St. Louis pitcher, struck out the side in order in the seventh for the win. Jason Motte finished for his second save of the postseason.

The Cardinals gave first-year manager Mike Matheny a win against his former club.

Matheny's crew hardly looked road-weary after a cross-country trip. The Giants dropped to 0-3 at home so far during these playoffs, outscored 20-6 at AT&T Park.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night. Chris Carpenter pitches for the Cardinals against Ryan Vogelsong.

This is the first time the previous two World Series winners are facing off in the postseason since the 1958 World Series between the Braves and Yankees.

Beltran's fourth-inning drive into the seats in left-center chased San Francisco starter Madison Bumgarner.

It was Beltran's 14th career postseason homer and third this October.

"Right now I'm really enjoying myself," Beltran said. "Right now I'm seeing the ball well. I feel like I have a good approach at the plate, I feel like I'm not trying to do too much, and good things are happening."

Both teams were well rested a day after a rough night of travel. The Giants barely beat the Cardinals to the Bay Area early Saturday after they were delayed three hours on the tarmac in Cincinnati on Friday night — to refuel and for a mechanical problem after waiting out the Cardinals-Nationals game to know where they were headed next.

Matheny stuck with the same winning lineup that he sent out for Game 5, and some of the same faces came through again.

"They put together some better at-bats than us," Giants center fielder Angel Pagan said. "They hit some homers and were up 6-0. That's a pretty good lead in the playoffs. We tried to battle back. We did our best but it wasn't our night."

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Pena comes good to send Hawks into next round

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Wily Mo Pena said he couldn't remember the last time he was in an elimination game.

Give me some Mo: Fukuoka Softbank's Willy Mo Pena salutes the crowd after hitting a two-run double in the fourth inning on Monday. KYODO

He'll have a hard time forgetting this one.

Pena hit a two-run double in the fourth inning, Seiichi Uchikawa added an insurance run in the eighth, and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks won the Pacific League Climax Series first stage with a 3-2 victory over the Seibu Lions in Game 3 on Monday night at Seibu Dome.

"I was trying to help my team," Pena said. "In my first two games, I didn't get a hit. That's why I was trying to stay positive and just help our team.

"We've got to take the next step. We had to play these games first, and now we have to move on to the next stage and try to get back to the championship like we did last year."

The defending Japan Series champions advanced to the final stage of the climax series with the win. They'll face the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Sapporo for the right to represent the PL in the Japan Series.

"We played the way we played throughout the season," said Hawks infielder Yuichi Honda. "That will be the key for us, to play like that in Sapporo."

Softbank will have to hit the ground running as the Fighters will have an automatic 1-0 advantage in the series as the league champions.

"We play one game at a time, and now we have advanced and can finally think of the next challenge," Hawks manager Koji Akiyama said. "That's how you have to operate in this business."

Pena had been hitless in the first two games and, after a flyout to center in the second inning was 0-for-9 in the series before ripping his two-run double to left.

"I will thank the manager for the rest of my life," Pena said. "I told him it was going to be different. He believed in me and that's what happens when you believe in somebody. It will pay off."

The Hawks were sitting pretty after Uchikawa made the score 3-1 with an RBI single in the top of the eighth.

"I'm so exhausted," Uchikawa said. "We were desperate to get another run, so I put all of my pent-up energy from this year into that hit. It was a huge hit for us."

The Hawks may have given themselves some breathing room, but the Lions weren't going to let them off the hook that easily.

With runners on first and second with two outs, PL home run leader Takeya Nakamura pounced on a slider from reliever Masahiko Morifuku and hit a ball toward the spot where his solo homer in the fourth cleared the wall.

For a moment it looked as if Nakamura had turned the tide of the game with a go-ahead three-run home run, but Ryuma Kidokoro made the catch a few steps in front of the center-field wall to end the inning.

Lions infielder, and former Hawks player, Jose Ortiz hit a solo shot off Hideki Okajima to lead off the ninth to cut the lead to one run. Okajima retired the next three batters to end the game.

"That one run really hurt us," Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "We wanted to prevent that. But our players went all out and played such a great game.

"In a short series, you can't give your opponent a run. We weren't good enough to come back from the deficit."

Hiroyuki Nakajima finished 0-for-3 with a walk in what may have been his final game in a Lions uniform.

Nakajima is expected to purse a career in the major leagues next season. The Lions shortstop was posted last year, but returned to Japan when contract negotiations with the New York Yankees fell apart. Nakajima, a career .302 hitter with 162 home runs and 738 RBIs in 11 professional seasons, is free to negotiate with any team of his choosing this time around.

Hawks starter Kenji Otonari threw five innings of one-run ball to earn the win.

"As a starter, I should have been on the mound longer, but I'm relieved that I left with our team ahead," Otonari said.

Reliever Sho Iwaski worked two scoreless innings and Morifuku survived his close call to keep Seibu off the board in the eighth. Okajima earned the save despite allowing a run.

It was a short outing for Lions starter Kazuhisa Ishii, who entered the game 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 career postseason appearances.

Ishii was charged with a pair of runs over 3? innings. He struck out two and walked one.

Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.

NAGOYA — The Chunichi Dragons' hopes of going to a third straight Japan Series remained alive Monday when they came from a run down in the eighth on a Tony Blanco grand slam to clinch the first stage of the Central League Climax Series.

Trailing 1-0, Blanco slammed a 3-1 pitch from Tony Barnette with the bases loaded into the stands in left field and the Dragons beat the Yakult Swallows 4-1 to win the best-of-three first stage 2-1 and advance to the Climax Series final stage against the league champion Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome starting Wednesday.

Barnette, who earned a two-inning save when the Swallows squared the series at 1-1 with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, came in with two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth. He walked the first batter he faced and threw three straight balls to Blanco.

For the second time in the game, a 3-0 count with runners on was an invitation for the Dominican slugger to swing as hard as he could. He missed the first pitch from Barnette but got all of the second one.

"That was the best ball I've ever hit in my life," Blanco said in the on-field hero interview. "I went up with the intention of driving a pitch to the outfield to tie the game with a sacrifice fly."

The Swallows took the lead in the second inning off 47-year-old Masahiro Yamamoto. Shinya Miyamoto singled to open the inning and stole second with one out on the first pitch to Ryoji Aikawa, who did the honors with a single to right. It was the fourth hit of the series for the Swallows catcher.

The Swallows came within inches of a second score in the inning, but were denied by Dragons left fielder Kazuhiro Wada, who snared a two-out sinking liner in the web of his glove that would have plated Aikawa.

Yakult lefty Kyohei Muranaka repeatedly pitched out of jams with a combination of good pitches, good luck and good fielding and allowed no runs in 5? innings.

The Swallows survived a one-out, two-on jam in the sixth — when Golden Glove third baseman Shinya Miyamoto robbed Blanco with a diving snag of a low-flying rocket headed for the left-field corner. Katsuki Akagawa worked a 1-2-3 seventh but surrendered Yohei Oshima's ninth hit of the series to lead off the eighth.

With one out and the tying run on second, Tetsuya Yamamoto walked the only batter he faced and Barnette, whose 33 saves tied for the CL lead, walked Wada to load the bases before falling behind to Blanco.

Yamamoto took the loss, while Takuya Asao, who worked the final two innings for the Dragons, collected the win.

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Tigers outlast Kuroda for 2-0 lead in ALCS

NEW YORK — Anibal Sanchez and the Detroit Tigers made the plays, benefited from an admitted missed call by an umpire and delivered during their few good opportunities at the plate.

Get it done: Detroit catcher Alex Avila attempts to catch a popup during the Tigers' 3-0 victory over the Yankees on Sunday in New York. The Tigers lead the ALCS 2-0. AP

The reward: a commanding 2-0 lead in the AL championship series, and a trip home with their ace ready to start.

Sanchez shut down a Yankees lineup minus injured Derek Jeter, and Detroit won without any drama this time, beating New York 3-0 Sunday.

Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda pitched perfect ball into the sixth inning. But the slumping New York hitters looked lost a day after their captain broke his ankle in the 12th inning of a 6-4 loss.

Making his second postseason start, Sanchez threw three-hit ball deep into the game to make Tigers manager Jim Leyland's job much easier. A day after closer Jose Valverde gave up four runs in the ninth, Leyland said the righty wouldn't close Game 2.

"I thought we hung in there and took advantage of a couple of things," Leyland said. "And those are some of the things you need in postseason play. You never know how it's going to play out."

The Tigers scored twice in the eighth after second base umpire Jeff Nelson missed a call on a two-out tag at second base. Yankees manager Joe Girardi argued, and was ejected on his 48th birthday.

"The hand did not get in before the tag," Nelson said after seeing a replay. "The call was incorrect."

Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Detroit, with reigning AL MVP Justin Verlander starting for the Tigers against Phil Hughes. Verlander went 2-0 in the division series versus Oakland, including a four-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in the decisive Game 5.

The Tigers led 1-0 in the eighth and had Omar Infante on first with two outs. Austin Jackson singled and when Infante took a wide turn at second, right fielder Nick Swisher threw behind him.

Robinson Cano made a swipe tag as Infante made a head-first dive back to second. Cano missed Infante's arm but brushed his body, replays clearly showed. But Nelson called Infante safe.

Cano and Girardi pleaded the call to no avail. Boone Logan replaced Kuroda and gave up an RBI single to pinch hitter Avisail Garcia to make it 2-0.

"It's frustrating. I don't have a problem with Jeff's effort, I don't, because he hustled to get to the play. But in this day and age when we have instant replay available to us, it's got to change," Girardi said.

"These guys are under tremendous amounts of pressure. It is a tough call for him because the tag is underneath and it's hard for him to see. And it takes more time to argue and get upset than you get the call right. Too much is at stake," he said.

Girardi returned to lift Logan for Joba Chamberlain, and then he remained on the field to resume the argument. Red-faced with neck muscles bulging, Girardi could be seen shouting at Nelson, "You were right there. How could you miss it?" He was tossed by Nelson for his first postseason ejection.

Miguel Cabrera added a run-scoring single in the inning.

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Griffin puts health concerns to rest with electrifying victory

LANDOVER, Maryland — Robert Griffin's concussion was on everyone's mind as he dropped back on a third-and-6, with the Washington Redskins trying to put the game away.

"I took off running and got to the sideline, thought about running out of bounds — because everyone's been telling me that lately," he said with a big smile. "And I felt like I had the guy outflanked, and then I just took off running. And the rest is history."

Not only did his 76-yard touchdown run put the game away, it also dismissed any thoughts that his first serious shot to the head as a pro was going to stop RG3 from being RG3.

The longest scoring run by an NFL quarterback in 16 years was part of his 138-yard rushing performance in the Redskins' 38-26 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

"When Robert gets in top gear, it's like watching a track meet," receiver Santana Moss said. "And he ain't coming in second."

The former college hurdler ran for two scores and threw for another as Washington (3-3) snapped its eight-game home losing streak.

The perennial doormats of the NFC East are becoming relevant again because they finally have a quarterback — a No. 2 overall draft pick able to use his arm and legs to pick apart the Vikings (4-2), who had won three straight and hadn't allowed more than 23 points this season.

Keep in mind that Griffin left the previous week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons when he was hit in the head while trying to get some extra yards on a scramble.

He passed the NFL's post-concussion tests and was cleared to play Sunday, but coaches and teammates hoped that he had learned a lesson about when to keep running and when to slide — or get out of bounds.

Accordingly, Griffin's second-by-second description of his teammates' reaction to his touchdown run is priceless.

"I could see guys telling me I got the first, so they were saying, 'Stay inbounds,' " Griffin said. "And then I was running like, 'I think I can get a little more.' And it all went from 'Stop, stay inbounds,' to 'Go! Go for the touchdown!' "

Lions 26, Eagles 23: In Philadelphia, Jason Hanson kicked a 45-yard field goal in overtime and the Lions rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Seahawks 24, Patriots 23: In Seattle, Russell Wilson found Sidney Rice behind the secondary for a 46-yard touchdown with 1:18 remaining.

Falcons 23, Raiders 20: In Atlanta, Matt Bryant kicked his second game-winning field goal in three weeks.

Bills 19, Cardinals 16 (OT): In Glendale, Arizona, Jairus Byrd's second interception of the game set up Rian Lindell's 25-yard field goal 3:50 into overtime.

Giants 26, 49ers 3: In San Francisco, Antrel Rolle intercepted two passes by Alex Smith, and Prince Amukamara picked off another in a rematch of last season's NFC championship game.

Ravens 31, Cowboys 29: In Baltimore, Jacoby Jones tied an NFL record with a 108-yard kickoff return and the Ravens won their 14th straight regular-season home game.

Buccaneers 38, Chiefs 10: In Tampa, Josh Freeman threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns and Ronde Barber scored on a 78-yard interception return.

Browns 34, Bengals 24: In Cleveland, rookie Brandon Weeden threw two touchdown passes and the Browns snapped an 11-game losing streak.

Jets 35, Colts 9: In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Shonn Greene ran for a career-high 161 yards and three touchdowns, Mark Sanchez was efficient and Tim Tebow made a few big plays.

Dolphins 17, Rams 14: In Miami, Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes and the Dolphins withstood a late rally.

Packers 42, Texans 24: In Houston, Aaron Rodgers set a career high and tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes, three to Jordy Nelson, and Green Bay routed the previously unbeaten Texans.

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Australia 'concerned' about Watson

SYDNEY — Cricket Australia is considering calling allrounder Shane Watson home early from the Champions League Twenty20 tournament so he can rest and be ready for the three-test series against South Africa starting Nov. 9.

Responding to questions about burnout and a lack of longer-form cricket for Watson, CA chief executive James Sutherland on Monday said "We are reviewing his load and circumstance very closely . . . I think it's reasonably well known that it's likely he won't see the tournament out."

Sutherland said CA was "concerned" about Watson, adding "his injury record is unfortunate."

The 31-year-old Watson scored 46 for the Sydney Sixers in the win over the Chennai Super Kings at Johannesburg on Sunday.

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Ex-WADA head Pound slams UCI drug testing

LOS ANGELES — Cycling's governing body set up a drug testing system that was designed to fail and allow Lance Armstrong and other riders to avoid detection, said the ex-boss of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Doping officials knowingly ran a testing regimen that the sport's top teams circumvented and where competitors would be tipped off in advance, Richard Pound, who headed up WADA between 1999 and 2007, told AFP in an interview.

Despite alleging eight years ago that cheating was rife, his complaints to the UCI (International Cycling Union) about the sport's anti-doping measures were repeatedly ignored, Pound said.

"It is not credible that they didn't know this was going on," Pound said. "I had been complaining to UCI for years. They come in in the morning at 5.00 a.m. and do tests then go away, and riders are not chaperoned."

"The race starts at 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. in the afternoon and there are no tests prior to race to see if they are bumped up," he said, adding that after a day in the saddle, riders would be unchaperoned for an hour before being tested again.

"So then you go in and get saline solutions and other means of hiding the effects (of performance-enhancing drugs) EPO and whatever else it is."

"You have to say 'I wonder if it was designed not to be successful?' " Pound said of the system, lambasting the UCI, which is under attack in the wake of a devastating U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report on Armstrong.

The report, which was released Wednesday, detailed Armstrong's alleged use of testosterone, human growth hormone, blood doping and EPO and included sworn statements from 26 people, including 11 former teammates.

The sports agency, which had already stripped the cyclist of his seven Tour de France titles, said Armstrong orchestrated the most complex doping scheme in sports history.

"If they persist with denial then they put their whole sport in jeopardy," Pound said, noting that doping investigations may spread to the Spanish and Italian professional cycling communities, among others.

UCI president Pat McQuaid argued earlier this week that the sport "has moved on" and better tests mean riders are now much cleaner than in the previous era, in which Armstrong, now 41, competed.

"The peloton today is completely different," McQuaid said.

Pound, in reference to the USADA report, said he was dismayed by the scope and vivid details of the alleged doping practices by Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teammates.

"I thought it was a very thoroughly researched report with evidence sworn or otherwise," said Pound, who remains on WADA's 38-member Foundation Board.

Armstrong has always maintained that he did not use banned substances during his career, but in August he chose not to contest USADA's charges.

The Texan rider's days of sparing no expense to hire big-ticket lawyers to muzzle critics may also be coming to an end, Pound suggested.

"I don't think it is credible for Armstrong to say 'all 26 of these people are liars and cheats and axe grinders,' " the former WADA president said in reference to the sworn statements in the USADA dossier.

"I am afraid his time has just run out on that.

"What is going to be a surprise is (if) after all this, Lance persists in saying he never did it. You got to hope he will . . . admit 'I was the best of the worst.'"

Pound said cancer survivor Armstrong should also speak out against the use of performance-enhancing drugs, not just for himself but his five children.

"What are his kids going to think of him? They are going to carry around this burden," said Pound, while stating that many Armstrong supporters, especially in the United States, are still likely to dismiss the allegations.

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Fan stabbed on way to 49ers game

SAN FRANCISCO — A man was seriously wounded after being stabbed near Candlestick Park as he was going to watch the San Francisco 49ers' home game.

Police Sgt. Michael Andraychak said two men suspected of attacking the 27-year-old Elk Grove man Sunday were arrested a short distance away.

Andraychak said the victim was with five friends when the suspects approached them on the southwest side of the stadium. He said they got into an argument and one of the suspects pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the torso.

He was rushed to the hospital, and Andraychak said he was expected to survive.

Andraychak said the victim and his attackers were all 49ers fans.

Police identified the suspects as a 30-year old San Francisco man and a 22-year-old Daly City man.

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Britain basks in unprecedented tennis success

PARIS — Having waited 76 years for a men's Grand Slam champion and 24 years to celebrate a women's tour winner, Britain, once tennis' cash-heavy running joke, is suddenly a serious player.

Leading the charge: Andy Murray's recent run of success has helped spark Britain's renewed interest in tennis. AFP-JIJI

Andy Murray's U.S. Open victory, the country's first men's major since Fred Perry took time off from squiring Hollywood sirens Marlene Dietrich and Jean Harlow to triumph in New York in 1936, led the way.

Then, on Sunday, Heather Watson clinched the Japan Open, the first British winner of a women's tour title since Sara Gomer at Aptos in 1988.

Add Murray's London Olympic gold into the mix as well as 18-year-old Laura Robson making the Guangzhou final last month — the first such run by a British player since 1990 — then it's hardly surprising that tennis is enjoying a mini-boom.

Figures released by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the game's ruling body in the country, show that almost 100,000 under-18s play at a LTA-registered club — an increase of 17 percent on last year.

"I know from speaking to Laura and Heather how passionate they are about getting more young girls into tennis," LTA chief executive Roger Draper told the Guardian.

"They play with a smile on their faces and that enjoyment also comes through in what they do off the court. When we want girls to see tennis as a fun, social sport, what better advert for that than them?"

Social media also plays a role.

Watson, a former U.S. Open junior champion, has over 35,000 followers on Twitter while Robson, the 2008 Wimbledon girls winner, teamed up with Canadian youngster Eugenie Bouchard to make a Gangnam Style parody video, even enlisting the help of Maria Sharapova along the way.

Robson also enjoyed a fine run to the U.S. Open fourth round this year, sending former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters into retirement and defeating 2011 French Open winner Li Na.

Now, both Watson and Robson are expected to be in the top 50 by the end of the year.

Watson, born in Guernsey but based at the same Bollettieri academy in Florida which nurtured Sharapova, said her title in Osaka was the reward for years of sweat and toil.

"I've worked so hard for this moment my whole career — that's why I practiced so hard, ran all those miles and lifted all those weights, for moments like this," she said.

"Britain has been breaking quite a few records recently, so I'm happy I could break another one. I'm proud to do this for my country."

Murray, the world No. 3, has long been Britain's standout performer, and 2012 has been a year to remember for the Scot.

Murray insists there is a healthy future for the sport in Britain for both men and women players, pointing to Liam Broady's runnerup spot at the U.S. Open juniors, a tournament that the Scot won himself in 2004.

"It's in a very good place in the U.K. right now. I hope it stays that way," said Murray.

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Honda fit and ready for Brazil friendly test

WROCLAW, Poland — Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda is ready to roll against Brazil after the CSKA Moscow man finally took part in full-blown training on Sunday.

Honda remained rooted to the bench in Friday's 1-0 victory over France, nursing a bruised right calf that he picked up while playing for CSKA just before the international week.

But Honda, arguably coach Alberto Zaccheroni's most trusted and tried player, and who has served as the focal point of the Japanese attack, trained with the team during a closed session upon arriving in Poland for Tuesday's friendly versus the five-time World Cup winner.

"We couldn't have had a worse first half," Honda said. "The result was too good to be true."

"Our performance was just acceptable, nothing more. I was watching and I thought we were intimidated by them in the first half. If all we want to do is reach the quarterfinals at the next World Cup, then yesterday's game will do.

"But this Japan team, we're capable of a lot more."

While Japan recorded its first-ever win over Les Bleus through a very late goal by Shinji Kagawa, the Asian champions could surely use Honda against Brazil, after failing to click for large phases of the game.

Had it not been for goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima's man-of-the-match caliber performance, there was a chance Japan could have been embarrassed by France — just like 11 years ago when it was humbled 5-0 at the Stade de France under Philippe Troussier.

Japan was without Honda as well as first-choice attacking players Ryoichi Maeda and Shinji Okazaki, and had to cope with an out-of-shape captain Makoto Hasebe, whose lack of playing time for his club (zero appearances this season for Wolfsburg) must be a growing concern for Zaccheroni.

But the consensus among the team is that Japan still should have performed better.

"What we have been saying amongst us players is that we should have seen way more time on the ball," Manchester United playmaker Kagawa said. "We're capable of doing more from a technical, tactical standpoint.

"We should have shown what we can do right from the first half. When you stop to think about it, we didn't accomplish a great deal on the pitch apart from the result."

Japan has never beaten Brazil in eight previous meetings, and the most recent one did not end well. The Brazilians at that time hammered Zico's Japan 4-1 in the last group game of the 2006 World Cup.

"I think you have to look at how far we've come as a team," said Zaccheroni, who took over for Takeshi Okada after the 2010 World Cup and led Japan to a record fourth continental title in January 2011.

"We haven't had too many games where we didn't score so I think we're improving on that front. And we also don't concede that often, either. We've become a very balanced team.

"Up until now, most of our matches were against Asian sides. But the purpose of this trip is to see how we stack up against the world's best teams and we will play another one on Tuesday."

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Kishi gives Takeda a lesson in playoff baseball

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Shota Takeda has all kinds of talent. At the tender age of 19, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks right-hander made 11 starts this season, winning eight and finishing the year with a 1.08 ERA.

Hear me roar: Former Japan Series MVP Takayuki Kishi helped the Lions avoid elimination on Sunday. KYODO

It could probably be said that Takeda has more raw talent than the Seibu Lions' Takayuki Kishi, the pitcher he opposed on Sunday at Seibu Dome. Kishi, however, is a veteran of six seasons and a former Japan Series MVP.

Talent can take you many places, but sometimes winning comes with experience.

The prodigious talent Takeda failed badly in his first postseason appearance, giving up five runs — four earned — and lasting just 2 1/3 innings in the Hawks' 8-0 loss to the Lions in Game 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series first stage.

"He's in his first year out of high school and doesn't have experience on a big stage like this," Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima said. "I think that affected him."

Takeda, the first rookie to start a Climax Series game after being drafted out of high school, walked three batters in the third inning, which in turn helped lead to a seven-run Seibu outburst that Hawks wouldn't recover from.

"Our batters tried to study his pitches, draw walks, and put pressure on him," Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "Takeda is a young pitcher, and we got to him nicely."

Kishi, on the other hand, got himself in trouble early, but was able to work through it.

He gave up a one-out double to Yuya Hasegawa and a single to Seiichi Uchikawa to put runners on first and third in the opening frame. He threw three balls to cleanup hitter Wily Mo Pena before finally retiring him and struck out Nobuhiro Matsuda to end the inning.

"We were in a pinch in the first, but Kishi was patient and managed to get out of it," Watanabe said. "It was big that we didn't give up a run there.

"When our starting pitchers allow opponents to get on the board first, we have a higher tendency to lose, so it was really huge."

Kishi was given a big lead to work with after the Lions put up seven in the third, but worked hard to maintain his focus.

"I was a little relieved," he said of the run support, "but tried to stay balanced and and focus on what I needed to do on the mound. The thing is, no matter how big of a lead you get, you don't want to give up any runs."

Growing pains: Hawks rookie Shota Takeda had a roughing outing in his first postseason start. KYODO

That may have been the difference between the two starters on Sunday. Takeda burst out of the gates, all smiles and bluster, and got off to a good start. He couldn't maintain that pace and once things went south, he couldn't stop his outing from falling apart.

Kishi on the other hand, kept his cool, relied on his experience, and paced himself from the beginning.

He wasn't fazed when he got into trouble, even though he had reason to be. Kishi had finished 1-3 with a 3.18 ERA in five starts against Softbank during the regular season, and was coming off a dismal September that saw him go 0-3 with a 3.21 ERA in five starts.

"Today's not the last game we play, but I'm relieved I could give us a chance to win," Kishi said afterward.

Once he'd pitched his way into trouble, there was no panic. Kishi simply made the pitches he needed to make and reaped the rewards when his offense gave him a big lead.

For all his talent, Takeda didn't have what it took to overcome adversity in the biggest game of his young career. Kishi gave him a crash course on how to win in October, and because of that, the Lions will live on to roar another day.

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Lions rout Hawks to even series

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — A number of Seibu Lions fans spent their time outside Seibu Dome looking into a television camera and imploring their team to get a win. The Lions' players weren't quite ready for the season to end yet either.

Pitcher Takayuki Kishi (left) and shortstop Hiroyuku Nakajima wave to the crowd after the Lions' 8-0 win on Sunday at Seibu Dome. KYODO

In the end, everybody got what they wanted. Well, maybe not the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

The Lions broke open a scoreless affair in a seven-run third inning and never looked back, staving off elimination with an 8-0 win over the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Game 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series first stage on Sunday afternoon at Seibu Dome.

"We were fortunate to win, but it won't mean anything if we drop tomorrow's game," Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima said. "We definitely want to win."

The victory evens the series at 1-1. The teams will meet in a decisive third game Monday, with the winner advancing to face the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the final stage. As the higher seed, Seibu would advance in the event of a tie.

Nearly everyone chipped in for the Lions. Eight of Seibu's nine starters finished with a hit, and all but three recorded an RBI.

The Lions' Yutaro Osaki finished 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, and Ginjiro Sumitani had two hits and drove in a run.

Lions starter Takayuki Kishi got off to a shaky start, putting runners on the corners with one out in the first, but with all the run support behind him it didn't matter.

"I was only trying to get out of it without giving up any runs," Kishi said. "Overall, my fastball felt good, and my curves were good as well."

Kishi allowed six hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over six scoreless innings.

Hawks rookie Shota Takeda had a much rougher time on the mound. The 19-year-old rookie got off to a good start, but his command failed him in the third. Struggling to hit his spots, he helped set the stage for the Lions' big inning before being pulled out of the game.

Takeda took the loss and was charged with five runs — four earned — on two hits. He walked four and struck out three.

"Overall I was pressing," Takeda said. "I didn't have the inner strength and things got worse as I went. Since I was given the task of starting such an important game, and couldn't keep us in the game, I feel sorry for the team. I'm so frustrated."

Seibu batted around in the third, and had eight of its nine starters get on base during the frame.

Sumitani walked to begin the inning, and Takuya Hara moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Sumitani took third on a passed ball, and Hideto Asamura drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Shogo Akiyama drove in the first run of the game with a single, and Nakajima doubled to make the score 2-0.

"I'd watched his (Takeda's) fastball and watched him throw sliders against other batters," Nakajima said. "So I'd seen his pitches and tried not to chase one that would be difficult to hit."

Takeya Nakamura drew a walk to load the bases, and Jose Ortiz followed with an RBI single to left. Esteban German struck out for the second out of the inning, but Osaki plated a pair with a double to right.

Sumitani stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning and hit an RBI single to make the score 6-0. The Lions then executed a double-steal, with Osaki swiping home, before Sumitani was thrown out at the plate while trying to score on a single by Hara.

Nakamura added to the lead with an RBI single in the fourth.

The Hawks will send lefty Kenji Otonari (12-8) to the mound to start Game 3. Kazuhisa Ishii (10-5) is scheduled to toe the rubber for the Lions.

Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report

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JFA faces own Watergate: report

LONDON — A member of the Japan Under-23 soccer team that reached the semifinals of the London Olympics caused ?80,000 (?10 million) worth of damage to a Scottish hotel after a kickaround set off a sprinkler and caused flooding, according to a report published Wednesday in the online edition of Scotland's Daily Record.

Japan played in Glasgow when it stunned Spain in their opening match of the group stage.

The unnamed player kicked the ball at a sprinkler and set off the system, flooding rooms. The rooms had to be evacuated and renovated, racking up a bill that is still unsettled, the report said.

The Marriott Hotel in Glasgow has been in talks with London Olympics and the Japanese soccer authorities after a row broke out over who was liable for the damage, according to the report, which quoted an insider as saying,

"It was an accident but it caused chaos. One sprinkler being activated set off the whole floor and the results were catastrophic.

"Afterwards the hotel was looking to be paid for the damage and LOCOG were in dispute with the Japanese squad about who should pay. They still haven't sorted it out."

However, a source at the Japan Football Association said, "It is true that rooms were flooded but there is no way that a player would be kicking a ball around in his room. There is no clear reason why the sprinkler was set off."

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Thorpe admits depression in book

SYDNEY — Five-time Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe says he's spent much of his life battling "crippling depression," occasionally considered suicide and often turned to heavy alcohol consumption to manage his moods.

In an extract of Thorpe's upcoming book, "This is Me: The Autobiography," published in Australian media Saturday, he said he had never spoken openly about his mental condition to friends or family.

"Not even my family is aware that I've spent a lot of my life battling what I can only describe as a crippling depression."

Thorpe, 30, said while he did not consider himself an alcoholic, he relied on it more and more as time went on.

He retired in November 2006 after setting 13 individual world records and winning 11 world championship golds. He won the 200 and 400 free at the 2004 Athens Olympics in his last major international meet. He came out of retirement last year, but failed to qualify for the London Olympics.

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Ichiro delivers key hit as Yanks make ALCS

NEW YORK — Yankees-Orioles. Playoffs. Disputed home run to right field. Yankees win.

Sound familiar?

CC Sabathia and his New York teammates saw Nate McLouth's long drive called foul by the slimmest of margins — hello, Jeffrey Maier — and then hung on to beat Baltimore 3-1 Friday in the deciding Game 5 of the AL Division Series.

With Alex Rodriguez benched, the Yankees advanced to the AL Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers, starting Saturday night in the Bronx.

"It is still a long way to go," Sabathia said. "I still got hopefully three or four more starts. So the job is not done yet."

Sabathia pitched a four-hitter, wriggling out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning. It was his first complete game in 17 postseason starts, and the first for the Yankees since Roger Clemens did it in 2000.

Yet it was another piece of history that this game evoked.

The Orioles were in a foul mood, stung on a close play in right that echoed what happened across the street at the old Yankee Stadium in the 1996 ALCS opener, on a fly ball that still stirs emotions in Baltimore.

This time, with the Orioles trailing 1-0 in the sixth, McLouth sent a 3-1 pitch deep down the right-field line. Eyes turned to right field umpire Fieldin Culbreth, who demonstrably waved foul with both arms.

Baltimore manager Buck Showalter came out to ask for a video review, and most of the umpiring crew went down a tunnel to examine the images. When they ran back onto the field about two minutes later, they didn't make any signal — meaning the original call stood. McLouth struck out on the next pitch, ending the inning.

"I saw it go to the right of the pole," Culbreth said. "There is netting there and it didn't touch the netting. It did not change direction," he added, indicating he did not think the ball grazed the pole.

Added crew chief Brian Gorman: "We saw the same thing on the replay. There was no evidence to overturn the decision."

Showalter?

Not sure.

"I couldn't tell. It was real close," he said.

Back in 1996, the 12-year-old Maier reached over the wall above right fielder Tony Tarasco and deflected Derek Jeter's fly ball. Umpire Richie Garcia called it a home run, which tied the score 4-4 in the eighth inning, and the Yankees went on to win in the 11th.

Sabathia defeated the Orioles for the second time in six days, Raul Ibanez hit a go-ahead single in the fifth off Jason Hammel and Ichiro Suzuki added an RBI double in the sixth in a 1-for-3 outing.

"I thought this would be a tiring series, but I didn't think that we were finished," said Ichiro. "Teams that give you trouble during the regular season give you trouble until the end. But in the end, we could close it out like this. The Orioles are really an incredible team."

Curtis Granderson boosted the lead to 3-0 with a second-deck solo homer against Troy Patton in the seventh, and the Yankees advanced following their decision to bench the slumping Rodriguez, their $275 million third baseman.

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Morifuku stays calm in pressure-packed situation

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Reliever Masahiko Morifuku made his first postseason appearance of the year in the ninth inning, with the bases loaded, nobody out, and his team clinging to a two-run lead in Game 1 of the first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series.

Getting the job done: (Above) Hawks reliever Masahiko Morifuku (right) is congratulated by teammates after he slammed the door on the Lions, who had the bases loaded in the ninth inning, in Game 1 of the Pacific League Climax Series first stage on Saturday at Seibu Dome. Fukuoka Softbank beat Seibu 2-1. (Below) Starting pitcher Tadashi Settsu (left) greets Morifuku after the game. KYODO

Fukuoka Softbank Hawks starter Tadashi Settsu had tamed the Seibu Lions for eight innings, but he was in the dugout with an ice pack on his shoulder now, and the Lions and their fans were finally roaring after having just sent reliever Brian Falkenborg to join him.

A three-game series leaves precious little margin for error, especially for the road team, and the Hawks were perilously close to ceding control of the series to their hosts.

"In a short series, it doesn't matter if your condition is good or bad," Morifuku would say later. "It's about heart."

All that stood between the Hawks and either a one-game lead or a one-game deficit was diminutive 171-cm, 65-kg Morifuku. With everything riding on his shoulders, Morifuku came through in the biggest moment of the season, recording three quick outs, while allowing a run, to allow the Hawks to escape with a 2-1 victory.

"Perhaps none of us could even swallow during the last part of the game," Hawks captain Hiroki Kokubo said. "We were in a no-out, bases-loaded situation and could rely on nobody but Morifuku there. It reminded me of the Japan Series."

That's right, we've seen this before.

The stakes were much higher the last time the Hawks asked Morifuku to wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam in the postseason. He was down 2-1 on the road in a previously listless stadium that had just come to life in that game as well. That was Nov. 16, 2011, in the sixth inning of Game 4 in the Japan Series at Nagoya Dome — not far from Morifuku's hometown of Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture — and the Chunichi Dragons were ahead 2-1 in the series.

The left-hander shrugged off the pressure and retired three right-handed batters without allowing a run to preserve the lead in a game the Hawks won 2-1. Softbank would eventually win the series in seven games.

"We were talking about that in the bullpen," Morifuku said after Saturday's win. "I didn't actually think it would really happen. But I guess it did."

Morifuku wasn't perfect against Seibu, but he got the job done.

The first batter he faced was pinch hitter Chris Carter, a sparkplug of a player who had delivered in similar situations this season and earlier in the year gave an in-game speech that inspired the Lions so much the team created, and sold out of, shirts to commemorate the occasion. Carter promptly hit a hard grounder that stayed in the infield and drove in a run at the cost of an out. The next batter, Tatsuyuki Uemoto, flew out to short, and Hisashi Takayama flew out to center to end the game.

"Morifuku was composed in the end," pitching coach Ikuo Takayama said.

If the Hawks close out this series, fend off the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the final stage of the Climax Series, then edge the Central League representative in the Japan Series, Softbank can look back at this game as the moment everything began to come together.

One misplaced pitch, off-balanced throw, botched relay, or any number of things really, could've led to a Lions walk-off win. Then instead of having to simply not lose in Game 2 in order to advance, the Hawks would be looking at a pair of must-win games on the road, after having wasted a great start by their best pitcher.

Settsu has dominated the Lions over the better part of the last two seasons, but after 119 pitches over eight scoreless innings, he was running out of gas. Falkenborg was tapped to close things out, but the right-hander has dealt with injures for much of the year and isn't 100 percent yet — and it showed in the ninth.

"Falkenborg isn't that bad and his pitches are coming back," Takayama said. "Settsu hit his limit there," he added. "I bet it was difficult for him to pitch like that after a layoff of more than 10 days."

So when the Hawks were in need, they once again turned to Morifuku, who may have saved both the series and the season for his team.

"I'm happier that our team won more than whether or not I did a good job," Morifuku said. "In this kind of short series, every game is obviously important. So winning is everything. No matter how you do it."

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Chang knocks off top-seed Stosur to advance to Japan Women's Open final

OSAKA — Unseeded Chang Kai-chen of Taiwan upset Australian No.1 seed Samantha Stosur 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) to reach the final of the Japan Women's Open on Saturday.

Chang was two points from defeat, serving 5-6 and deuce in the third set. But she won eight of the next 10 points to win that game and take control of the tiebreaker at Utsubo Tennis Center.

Chang reached her first WTA Tour final as did her opponent for Sunday, Britain's Heather Watson. Watson beat southpaw Misaki Doi 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 in a tight semifinal.

Before this week, Watson's best WTA results were three quarterfinals, all last year, at international-level events in Auckland, Memphis and Quebec City.

Like Watson, Chang's best WTA results before this week were three quarterfinals — Kuala Lumpur and Osaka in 2010 and Birmingham this year.

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Settsu fires Hawks past Lions in playoff opener

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Tadashi Settsu was a long way from Fukuoka, wearing his road uniform and standing on the mound in another team's stadium.

Strong outing: Softbank starter Tadashi Settsu pitches against Seibu in Game 1 of the first stage of the PL Climax Series on Saturday. KYODO

Despite all that, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks ace felt right at home.

Settsu threw eight scoreless innings, and reliever Masahiko Morifuku pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to help the reigning Japan Series champion Hawks edge the Seibu Lions 2-1 in Game 1 of the first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series on Saturday at Seibu Dome.

"I wasn't really thinking too much about anything as I pitched," Settsu said. "My mind was blank. Even after I got some run support, I kept pitching as if it didn't happen."

The victory gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Softbank can advance to the final stage against Hokkaido Nippon Ham with a win or a tie in Game 2 on Sunday.

Settsu has owned the Lions at their place, improving to 7-0 with a 1.60 ERA and 39 strikeouts in his last eight starts at Seibu Dome.

Settsu is 6-1 overall in seven starts against the Lions this season.

"We knew he was a good pitcher," Seibu manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "When you play like we did against him early in a game, you get beaten. So at the end of the day, we should've played differently."

On Saturday, Settsu allowed four hits and struck out five. He left the game after the eighth, and that's when things got interesting.

Reliever Brian Falkenborg walked Takeya Nakamura to start the inning and gave up a double to former teammate Jose Ortiz that put runners at second and third. He then walked Esteban German to load the bases, prompting Hawks manager Koji

Akiyama to bring lefty Morifuku out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and none out.

"I have no excuses," Falkenborg said. "That's just not very good pitching. "I just gotta throw strikes. Coming in, 2-0 lead, you gotta put the ball over the plate. I was extremely lucky today that Morifuku came in and did an outstanding job."

Lions pinch hitter Chris Carter hit an RBI groundout to cut the lead to one, but Tatsuyuki Uemoto popped out to short for the second out of the inning. Morifuku then retired Hisashi Takayama to end the game.

"I was pretty nervous out there," Morifuku said. "I was told to be the back up (in case Falkenborg struggled), so I was ready to go."

The Hawks needed a good performance out of Settsu, because they didn't do much with their bats. Softbank had six hits after three innings, but didn't record another until the ninth.

Kenta Imamiya gave the Hawks the lead with a squeeze bunt in the second and Seiichi Uchikawa doubled the advantage with an RBI single in the third.

Seibu starter Kazuhisa Makita kept the Hawks at bay with a valiant outing in defeat. The submarine hurler went the distance, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five. He retired 13 consecutive batters at one point.

Hawks third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda collected the first of his two hits leading off the second. Matsuda took third on a hit by Hitoshi Tamura and came home when Imamiya was able to connect with a low pitch to lay down his squeeze bunt.

"I tried to make contact by any means," Imamiya said.

Yuichi Honda kicked off the third with a triple and Uchikawa's RBI single later in the inning made the score 2-0.

"Honda came up with the triple and (Yuya) Hasegawa didn't follow (with a hit), so I wanted to do whatever it took to give ourselves a run," Uchikawa said.

Before coming out, Settsu pitched himself into a jam in the eighth. He walked Takuya Hara to start the inning, then retired Hideto Asamura.

Shogo Akiyama reached on an error by first baseman Kenji Akashi, leaving Settsu to deal with runners on first and second with one out and Hiroyuki Nakajima and two-time defending PL home run champion Nakamura due up in the order.

Nakajima worked the count full, but hit a grounder to third, where Matsuda scooped it up and started an inning-ending double play, leaving Nakamura on deck.

The Hawks will try to wrap up the series on in Game 2 on Sunday. Softbank rookie Shota Takeda (8-1, 1.07 ERA) will take the mound against Seibu's Takayuki Kishi (11-12, 2.45).

Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.

NAGOYA — Kazuhiro Wada drove in three runs and scored two to lead the Chunichi Dragons to a 6-1 victory over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series' first stage on Saturday. The Dragons can now clinch a spot in the second stage with either a win or a tie.

Wada opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth inning after Swallows southpaw Masahiro Ishikawa walked the leadoff man. Wada singled with one out in the sixth and scored the Dragons' third run, and singled in a run in their three-run seventh.

"I was just trying to build a rally," Wada said. "I wasn't thinking about who was coming up behind me and was able to make a very smooth swing."

The right-handed hitter dove into a low sinker over the plate and drove it into the stands in left.

Right-hander Kenichi Nakata allowed three hits over five scoreless innings to beat the Swallows for the third straight time this year. He struck out five without walking a batter and also set up a scoring opportunity with a one-out double in the third.

Ishikawa, who was 1-1 against Chunichi this season, lasted just four innings, allowing four hits and two walks. He scraped out of jams in the first and third innings when he couldn't throw strikes, and opened the fourth in similar fashion by walking Tony Blanco on five pitches.

The lefty was pulled for a pinch hitter with two on and two out in the top of the fifth, but Nakata retired veteran Atsushi Fujimoto for the final out.

In the sixth, Wada reached on an infield single, went to second on a groundout and scored on Takehiro Donoue's single.

The Swallows threatened to tie the game in the top of the seventh, when CL home run leader Wladimir Balentien went deep to open the inning off rookie right-hander Shinji Tajima. A pair of walks put the potential tying runs on base with one out, but Takuya Asao, the CL's 2011 MVP, stopped Yakult with two straight outs.

Dragons leadoff man Yohei Oshima, who went 3-for-5, singled to open the seventh against lefty Ryo Hidaka, who loaded the bases with another hit and a walk. With one out, Wada singled to start the runs flowing again. Hirokazu Ibata followed Wada with a sacrifice fly, and pinch hitter Ryosuke Hirata singled in the hosts' final run.

Trailing 6-1 in the eighth, the Swallows threatened against right-hander Jorge Sosa, but Daisuke Yamai got the final out with the bases loaded and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save.

It was just the second time in 11 games against the Swallows at Nagoya Dome this year that the Dragons scored more than two runs. Yakult went 6-3 with one tie there during the regular season.

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Cards advance with epic comeback

WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals finally brought winning baseball back to the nation's capital. They also collapsed in the postseason in a way that will be tough to live down.

Washington's historic season came to an end Friday night with a 9-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NL Division Series. The Nationals sported the best record in baseball during the regular season, but the newfangled "Natitude" of a roster flush with young postseason neophytes blew a six-run lead against the experienced club that won the World Series a year ago.

Closer Drew Storen took the mound with a two-run lead in the ninth and gave up four runs, allowing two-run singles to Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma. Storen had the Cardinals down to their last strike with two outs, but he walked Yadier Molina and David Freese.

"We had it right there, and the most disappointing thing I'll say is that I just let these guys down," Storen said. "I know there's an unbelievable crowd and unbelievable support, but for the amount of adversity we dealt with this year, for it to come down to that was kind of tough."

It was the largest comeback ever in a winner-take-all postseason game, according to STATS LLC. No other club in this sort of ultimate pressure situation had come back from more than four runs down.

Storen threw five pitches with two strikes and two outs in the ninth. All were balls.

"I think he just tried to be too fine," Washington manager Davey Johnson said. "He's got a great-moving fastball. Just need to throw it over."

Storen said he had no problems with the umpire's strike zone. The Cardinals were just disciplined at the plate when it counted.

"I made good pitches," he said. "I wouldn't change a thing. I have no regrets."

The Nationals had been let down by their bats in the first four games of the series, scoring only nine runs. But they greeted Adam Wainwright with a double, triple and homer by Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman in the first inning and chased the St. Louis starter with home runs by Harper and Michael Morse in the third.

The Cardinals battled back, cutting into the 6-0 deficit with a run in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the seventh and one in the eighth. Descalso's solo homer in the eighth off Tyler Clippard made it a one-run game, but Washington pulled back ahead by two in the bottom of the inning on Kurt Suzuki's RBI single.

But Storen, who regained the closer's job late in the season after Clippard struggled, couldn't finish the job. The season of Natitude was over.

In the clubhouse afterward, part-owner Mark Lerner patted players on the shoulder and shook their hands. He wiped a tear from his eye as he spoke to Morse.

"Someone just said to me, 'We've learned to win now,' " Lerner said. "And that's no easy task."

At least the series gave the local faithful an uplifting moment no one will forget anytime soon: Werth's bottom-of-the-ninth homer on the 13th pitch of an at-bat that gave the Nationals a 2-1 win in Game 4.

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Five Arrows open season with victory

The Takamatsu Five Arrows lost 50 of 52 games last season.

They've already have half of their victory total from that horrendous campaign, coming courtesy of an 80-66 road victory over the new-look Osaka Evessa on Saturday in the bj-league.

The Evessa's mass exodus of players and departure of bench boss Ryan Blackwell following the 2011-12 season sparked upheaval among several long-time supporters, many of which opted against attending the opener at Sumiyoshi Sports Center, sources have told The Japan Times.

One fan summed up the once-mighty Evessa's fall this way on Facebook: "Evessa is only (an) historic name now, just a toy of 'the man.' Toys can't beat passions. That's it."

Dexter Lyons' strong all-around game — 18 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists — guided Takamatsu to a rare win under coach Kenzo Maeda, beginning his second season at the helm.

Larry Cox and Masashi Obuchi each had 15 points for the Evessa. Cox also grabbed 19 rebounds, including nine off the offensive glass.

Jets 108, Cinq Reves 86

In Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, the Jets opened their second and final second in the bj-league before defecting to the National Basketball League, the JBL's rebranded circuit, with a win over the new Tokyo expansion team.

Marquin Chandler had a team-best 27 points for Chiba, including 6-for-6 from 3-point range, while fellow newcomer Joe Werner poured in 23 points. Chiba shot 12-for-21 from 3-point range in Shinji Tomiyama's first game as head coach.

Five Cinq Reves scored in double figures, led by big man Jonathan Jones (22 points). Cohey Aoki, the longtime Tokyo Apache star who was in an Evessa uniform last season after the former team folded, finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Brave Warriors 101, Crane Thunders 88

In Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Shinshu gave coach Takatoshi "Big Bashi" a victory in his first regular-season game in charge.

Gunma, an expansion team, fell to 0-3 under Tadashi Hayashi, losing its first-ever home game.

Brave Warriors center Wayne Marshall, a steady player for Osaka the past two seasons, scored 31 points and collected 13 rebounds for Shinshu. Teammates Jermaine Green and Edward Morris scored 22 and 17 points, respectively. Takanori Goya and Yosuke Saito each scored eight points apiece.

Tatsuhiko Toshino scored 20 points for the Crane Thunders, while Lewis Witcher had 19 on 9-for-11 shooting from the field.

Happinets 77, Grouses 70

In Akita, Terry Cummings, son of longtime NBA player Terry, scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Yuki Kikuchi canned 6 of 12 3-point shots in an 18-point effort as the Northern Happinets opened their 2012-13 bj-league campaign by defeating visiting Toyama.

Dion Harris, a University of Michigan product, scored 14 points and Anthony Kent had 11 points, 13 boards and five assists for Akita, a third-year franchise.

Masashi Joho paced Toyama (2-1) with 20 points, while Takeshi Mito had 15 points and Angel Garcia scored 11 and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Akita, which trailed 33-30 at halftime, outscored the Grouses 27-19 in the final stanza. The Happinets limited their turnovers to seven on the afternoon, while dishing out 20 assists, with veteran forward Kazuhiro Shoji, who has played in the bj-league since its inception in 2005, matching Harris' team-high total of five.

B-Corsairs 115, Broncos 94

In Tokorozawa, the Tracy Williams era began with a lopsided loss to Yokohama.

The B-Corsairs went to the Final Four as an expansion team last season under Reggie Geary, the 2011-12, bj-league Coach of the Year.

Draelon Burns and Masayuki Kabaya both scored 24 points in the B-Corsairs' first game of the 2012-13 season. Kabaya canned seven 3s. Burns dished out eight assists and Kenji Yamada had seven.

For Saitama, John "Helicopter" Humphrey was the top scorer with 28 points.

HeatDevils 95, Phoenix 54

In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Oita erupted for 31 second-quarter points en route to a one-sided win over Hamamatsu Higashimikawa in the HeatDevils' season opener.

Five Oita players scored in double figures: Matt Lottich (20 points), newcomer and ex-Miyazaki captain Taishiro Shimizu (18), former Stanford post player Taj Finger (16), UNLV product Wendell White (15 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists) and Cyrus Tate (13).

The HeatDevils finished with 30 assists on their 38 baskets.

Jeffrey Parmer was the Phoenix's lone double-digit scorer, finishing with 13 points.

Hamamatsu shot 6-for-36 from 3-point range and 15-for-46 from inside the arc.

Susanoo Magic 90, Rizing 75

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, coach Zeljko Pavlicevic's team opened its third season with a comfortable victory over Fukuoka.

When it was over, 216-cm center Jeral Davis, the league's leader in blocked shots for the past two seasons, posted this message on Facebook: "Got that win. Gotta come harder tomorrow."

Big Bulls 67, 89ers 63

In Sendai, Iwate edged the hosts in the first bj-league game played at new Xebio Arena before 3,532 fans.

The Big Bulls improved to 3-0 under new coach Dai Oketani. The 89ers fell to 1-2.

"Not the way we wanted to open the Xebio Arena," 89ers coach Bob Pierce said. "We fought back to take the lead, 63-61, with three minutes remaining, but then missed a couple of shots with that two-point lead."

Carlos Dixon scored a team-high 18 points for Iwate, and added five rebounds, five assists and four steals for good measure. Teammate Reggie Okosa had 16 points with nine boards and Lawrence Blackledge contributed 15 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Makoto Sawaguchi added seven points for the visitors, who out-rebounded Sendai 61-42.

Kevin Coble led the 89ers with 19 points, including three 3s, Sam Williard scored 15 points and raked in 16 rebounds and Takuya Komoda scored nine.

Shining Suns 87, Lakestars 85

In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, newcomer Marshall Brown scored 24 points and the hosts picked up a season-opening victory in coach Junichiro Hongo's debut.

Wayne Arnold was the high scorer for Shiga with 19 points.

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Kakunaka's fortunes change in a hurry

We are establishing a new "prize" here. It is the Baseball Bullet-In "Out of the Blue Award" with recognition given to the player in Japanese pro baseball who has the best season among those virtually unheard of and who came from seemingly nowhere to become a star.

The winner of the first annual "Out of the Blue" is outfielder Katsuya Kakunaka of the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Whoever would have thought a player in his sixth professional season, and who batted .266 with no home runs and10 RBIs in just 51 games in 2011, would go on to win the 2012 Pacific League batting title?

That's what Kakunaka has done, finishing the year with a .312 average to edge Saitama Seibu Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima (.311) and take the crown.

Yes, there were some shenanigans during the Oct. 6 Lions-Marines game at Seibu Dome where Kakunaka sat out, and Nakajima was walked twice by Lotte pitcher Takahiro Fujioka. This was explained in Jason Coskrey's excellent "Sports Scope" column in The Japan Times of Oct. 9, and we'll get to that lack-of-class act by the Marines in a moment.

Nakajima, expected to leave Japan for the major leagues in 2013, appeared ready to go out with the title under his belt. He led the league during a good part of the year, and as late as Sept. 26 had a five-percentage point lead with a .318 average to Kakunaka's .313. Nakajima slumped toward the end though, and Kakunaka got hot.

To point out just how unknown was Kakunaka even back in May during the annual interleague play segment of the schedule, Yomiuri Giants pitcher D.J. Houlton was asked how he would prepare to throw against the Marines in an upcoming game. Houlton had pitched in the Pacific League the past four seasons with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and had faced Lotte on numerous occasions. He thought he was aware of all the key hitters on the Marines roster.

"I know their lineup," Houlton said. "They have some good hitters...(Tadahito) Iguchi, (Toshiaki) Imae, Saburo (Omura), (Shota) Ishimine, (Tomoya) Satozaki..."

What about Kakunaka, though?

Houlton scratched his head, saying, "Kakunaka? Kakunaka?" He could not place the 25-year-old left-handed batter who had just begun to heat up as the interleague season was approaching.

Obviously, Houlton had never heard of Kakunaka, but here he is, the 2012 PL batting champion, albeit with a low average for a title winner. Not a slugger, Kakunaka hit only three home runs but drove in 61 — the same as his uniform number.

For sure, the Ishikawa Prefecture native came out of the blue, but can he sustain this year's performance and prove next year he is no fluke?

That question will be answered in due time but, for now, congratulations on a great season.

Now, regarding what happened at Seibu Dome last week, this kind of thing has been going on in Japanese baseball since at least the 1960s.

In 1964-65, Hankyu Braves American slugger Daryl Spencer was competing for the Pacific League home run title with Nankai Hawks catcher Katsuya Nomura. Down the stretch, Spencer never saw a strike, and it got so bad, he began standing in the batter's box holding his bat upside down by the barrel, with the handle up. Of course, Nomura kept his lead and won the crown both years.

Other foreign players who were cheated — if we can use that word — out of a fair chance to win a title or break a Japanese baseball record include Randy Bass, Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Rhodes, in their pursuit of Sadaharu Oh's single-season home run record of 55. Bass fell one short in 1985, while Rhodes and Cabrera somehow were allowed to tie — but not break — Oh's mark in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

It is not necessarily a case of jingoism, either. Kakunaka and Nakajima are both Japanese, and a similar situation occurred in 1982 between Keiji Nagasaki of the Yokohama Taiyo Whales and Yasushi Tao of the Chunichi Dragons. On the season's final day with Taiyo playing Chunichi, Nagasaki led Tao by a point in the Central League batting race.

As Kakunaka did last week, Nagasaki sat on his hands in the dugout with an average of .3510101, while Tao, hitting .3501006, made a late-game pinch hitting appearance, needing a hit to overtake Nagasaki and capture the batting crown.

Had Tao gotten a hit, his average would have gone to .3514056, but he never saw a pitch anywhere near the plate. Of course, both Nagasaki and Tao should have played, batted four or five teams each and been pitched to fairly. The same goes for Kakunaka and Nakajima.

The losers in these types of situations are not only the players who are denied their fair chance to compete, but also the fans who paid to see the best players give their best effort at all times.

Part of the problem is Japan's system of making up rained-out games at the end of the season. With nothing on the line for the teams after the pennant races, playoff seeds and league standings have been decided, the focus shifts to the individual titles, and the funny business takes over.

Had a pennant or Climax Series appearance been dependent on that Oct. 6 game, you can bet Kakunaka would have played, and maybe Nakajima would not have been walked. This is obviously one area in which Japanese baseball lacks one of the most important elements of the game — sportsmanship.

Contact Wayne Graczyk at: Wayne@JapanBall.com

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Rose pockets $1.5 million with WGF win

BELEK, Turkey — Justin Rose picked up a $1.5 million paycheck — the biggest of his career — after beating Lee Westwood on Friday to win the eight-player World Golf Final.

The fifth-ranked Rose shot a 5-under 66 to defeat his Ryder Cup teammate and fellow Englishman by one stroke at the Antalya Club.

Rose, who won all five of his matches in the $5.2 million exhibition, birdied the opening hole on the Sultan Course and led the rest of the way against his fourth-ranked opponent.

Westwood birdied the 16th to get back to one behind before Rose sealed the match by holing a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 17th. It was a similar length to the putt he made at the same hole in his Ryder Cup singles victory last month against Phil Mickelson.

On Thursday, Rose chipped in at the 17th to beat Tiger Woods in the semifinals of the $5.2 million event, sponsored by Turkish Airlines.

"The 17th green has been really good to me this week as I holed my second shot there yesterday and, of course, the 17th at Medinah turned around my match against Phil," he said. "But you have to be pleased to go through this whole week after winning all my five matches."

The paycheck is Rose's highest in his 14-year pro career and $560,000 more than his prize in capturing the 2011 BMW Championship.

"To not get beaten at all in the group stage and then to win the two finals is a great feeling and it's been a great week," he said.

"My golf is just so consistent at the moment and the main thing is that I just don't have any skeletons in the closet, and I don't have that loose shot that is plaguing me all the time."

Westwood earned a check for $1 million for his efforts over three days.

"We both played well with just the slight difference on the greens," Westwood said. "Justin rolled some 20 footers, another crucial one at 17 while the longest putt I made was eight or nine feet on 16. So I left a lot of chances out there but that is the way it goes."

All eight players then participated in a Pro-Am. Turkish Golf president Ahmet Agaoglu was drawn to play alongside Woods.

Woods was reportedly paid a $3 million appearance fee to compete in Turkey. He also earned $600,000 as a semifinalist.

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Webber secures pole position for Korean GP

Red Bull driver Mark Webber upstaged his teammate Sebastian Vettel by claiming pole position on Saturday for the Formula One Korean Grand Prix, outpacing the German and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

The Australian stormed to pole on the last lap of qualifying, finishing just 0.074 seconds ahead of Vettel. Hamilton was third followed by championship leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen qualified fifth, meaning the top five in the drivers' championship standings fill the top five grid slots, raising the prospects of a vital shootout in Sunday's race.

"I was happy with my lap there, it was solid and it's good to get pole," Webber said. "It's a great place to start the race from. I'm looking to get off the first corner very well, that's important as there are two long straights after that."

Vettel has won the past two races, in Singapore and Japan, and would overtake Alonso in the standings with a third consecutive win on Sunday. The German had dominated practice sessions and topped the times in the first two sessions of qualifying, but when it mattered, he could not match the time set by his teammate.

"On the last run, I had to back off starting the lap as (Felipe) Massa was there, it wasn't his fault, but I had to back off," Vettel said. "Nevertheless, the second lap in Q3 wasn't good enough."

Webber, who recorded only his second pole of the season after Monaco, improved his lap time by a half a second on his final run.

Vettel can take some comfort in the fact that neither pole-sitter in the first two editions of the Korean Grand Prix had gone on to win on Sunday.

It was an encouraging result for Hamilton who almost failed to advance to the second session of qualifying, making it through by just a quarter of a second. The Briton said he expects it will be a challenge to overtake the Red Bulls on Sunday.

"It will be very tough to get ahead of them but we've put ourselves in as good a position as we could," Hamilton said. "It was very tough this weekend. These guys have clearly made quite a big step within the last two races so we've just got to keep pushing."

McLaren driver Jenson Button made an error and then was forced to slow for a late yellow flag in the second qualifying session and finished a disappointing 11th.

Raikkonen, who is third in the standings despite not having won a race in his comeback season, qualified fifth, ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Lotus' Romain Grosjean was seventh ahead of Force India's Nico Hulkenberg. The Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher were ninth and 10th, respectively.

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Efficient Antlers advance to Nabisco Cup final

KASHIWA, Chiba Pref. — Defending champions Kashima Antlers earned a shot at a record fifth Nabisco Cup title after claiming a 5-4 aggregate semifinal win over Kashiwa Reysol with a 2-2 second-leg draw on Saturday.

Stepping up: Yuya Osako scores the second goal for Kashima Antlers in a 2-2 draw against Kashiwa Reysol in Saturday's Nabisco Cup second-leg semifinal. KYODO

Antlers, heading into the match at Hitachi Stadium with a 3-2 lead from the first leg, took control with first-half goals from Dutra and Yuya Osako before Jorge Wagner pulled one back for Reysol in the 37th minute.

Osako also missed a penalty before the halftime whistle had even sounded, and even though Reysol's Neto Baiano leveled the score on the night in injury time, it was not enough to prevent Antlers from setting up a Nov. 3 final showdown with Shimizu S-Pulse.

A Genki Omae hat trick gave S-Pulse a 3-0 second-leg win over FC Tokyo in the day's earlier semifinal, wiping out a 2-1 first-leg deficit to give the Shizuoka side a 4-2 victory overall.

"Reysol are the J. League champions, and we knew it would be a tough game today," said Kashima manager Jorginho, who won the competition with the Ibaraki club as a player in 1997. "In the first half we found the gaps in their defense, and I was sure that if we could get the third goal it would all be over. But winning games like this is not so easy."

Reysol knew that a 1-0 win would be enough to send them into the final at National Stadium on the strength of their two first-leg away goals, but manager Nelsinho had to rip up his game plan after finding his team two down after only 24 minutes.

An unmarked Koki Mizuno fluffed the chance to give Kashiwa an early lead when he shot wide in the fifth minute, and the miss would prove costly as Antlers broke the deadlock. Osako split open a static Reysol defense with one pass, and Dutra latched onto it to hit a first-time shot across Takanori Sugeno.

In the 24th minute, Dutra returned the favor. The Brazilian again ripped a hole in the Reysol defense with a pass through the middle, and this time it was Osako who dispatched the ball with a crisp finish.

But if the match was beginning to look like a lost cause for Kashiwa, Wagner gave the home side hope in the 37th minute. The Brazilian beat Hitoshi Sogahata with a brilliant free kick from the edge of the area, only for the dark clouds immediately to return when Antlers were awarded a penalty less than a minute after the restart.

Akimi Barada was booked for felling Dutra in the box, but Sugeno got down quickly to hold out Osako's spot kick, and Reysol breathed another sigh of relief when the striker blasted the rebound high over the crossbar.

That left Kashiwa needing two goals to take the match into extra time, but Baiano's late contribution — slamming home a loose ball from a throw-in — was not enough to stop Antlers from taking their place in the final for an eighth time.

"It is obviously a plus to get to the final, and hopefully it should have an effect on our league performance as well," said first-year manager Jorginho, whose side currently sits 13th in the J. League table. "We had a bad start in the league and it took time for the players to adapt to me.

"We are still aiming for fourth place in the league and we still have the Emperor's Cup to come as well. This is a sport where results count for a lot, but I hope I'll be back to lead the team next season too."

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Top four seeds make semis at Shanghai Masters

SHANGHAI — For the first time in the four-year existence of the Shanghai Masters, the top four seeds have reached the semifinals.

Top-seeded Roger Federer, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, No. 3 Andy Murray, and No. 4 Tomas Berdych succeeded in meeting the expectations of their seedings on Friday.

The top four men's seeds have also reached the semifinals at four other tournaments this year: Australian Open; Doha, Qatar; Estoril, Portugal; and Umag, Croatia.

Federer turned out Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-3, 6-4 to set a semifinal date with Murray, the two-time defending Shanghai champion.

"I assume he's very confident right now and probably playing with a little bit less pressure," Federer said of Murray. "Then again, that can go either way. It's been a long year for all of us.

"I'm looking forward to the match. It's always great playing the best players."

Murray won their last match in the London Olympics final to lead their matchups 9-8. Murray also beat Federer in the 2010 Shanghai final. He improved his Shanghai record to 11-0 by overcoming a tenacious Radek Stepanek 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Djokovic advanced to the semifinals by pasting unseeded Tommy Haas of Germany 6-3, 6-3. He'll face Berdych, who outlasted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in the first match of the day. Berdych has beaten Djokovic only once in 10 matches.

Federer was merely solid, managing to save five of seven break point opportunities he offered to Cilic. He was broken in the fourth game of the first set and when serving for the match at 5-3 in the second.

Haas was the first player this week to break Djokovic's serve with both breaks coming in the second set. The first break was in the second game and the other one came when Djokovic was serving for the match at 5-2.

"(I was) a little bit more up and down with the service games," said Djokovic. "But generally when I needed to, I played well. Played very solid from the baseline."

Stepanek dominated the first set and never offered Murray an opportunity to break serve. The Czech posted 10 winners to only three for Murray.

Murray rebounded in the second set, breaking serve to go ahead 4-2. Stepanek had two opportunities to retrieve the service break on Murray's serve in the seventh game, but Murray held on to his lead.

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Kagawa strikes as Japan notches first win ever over France

PARIS — Shinji Kagawa struck in the dying minutes as Japan defeated France for the first time 1-0 at the Stade de France on Friday night.

In the 88th minute on a counterattack led by Yasuyuki Konno, Manchester United midfielder Kagawa finished off a cross by Yuto Nagatomo to give Japan its first win against Les Bleus in six meetings.

Previously, Japan had lost four and drawn once to France. The two teams last played at the 2003 Confederations Cup where the French won 2-1.

"It was a team effort," Kagawa said. "I just happened to be the one who scored from a great counter made by the entire team."

Kagawa, though, said Japan still has a lot of catching up to do with the elite in world soccer.

The Asian champions had a quiet first half and had it not been for another outstanding performance in goal by Eiji Kawashima, could have been embarrassed by the hosts, who only played Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema for the first half and Bayern Munich's majestic Franck Ribery the last 20 minutes.

Alberto Zaccheroni's side next plays Brazil — another team Japan has yet to beat — on Tuesday in Wroclaw, Poland, to wrap up its European tour.

"We've got to do much better," Kagawa said. "Every player on the team has to play with more confidence. They could have had us because there were moments when we were completely exposed."

"(Brazil) are a more technical side than the team we played today. But I think we can be encouraged by the fact that our defense didn't concede, even though we were on our heels for large parts of the game."

Japan fought an uphill battle with Keisuke Honda, nursing a bruised right calf, on the bench and first-choice striker Ryoichi Maeda having been shipped home earlier in the week also with injury.

"It's a very good result," Zaccheroni said. "We were a bit shy in the first half but I thought we came out of our shell in the second.

"We moved the ball around well, found space and had some good moments."

LONDON — World and European champion Spain romped to a 24th straight qualifying win on Friday, although no one in the country was able to see it.

Pedro Rodriguez scored a hat trick as the world's best team routed host Belarus 4-0 in one of a group of big wins for Europe's leading nations in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

Yet celebrations were muted in the debt-ridden country after no broadcaster paid to televise the national team's match for the first time in 29 years.

Spain's wasn't the most convincing win of the third round of regional qualifiers, with Germany handing Ireland its worst loss since 1971, 6-1 at Dublin.

Wayne Rooney celebrated being handed the temporary England captaincy by scoring twice in a routine 5-0 win over San Marino, taking his goal total in international matches to 31, fifth on the country's all-time list.

But Italy was again unconvincing in beating Armenia 3-1, and the Netherlands managed only a comfortable 3-0 win over Andorra, which is 201st in the rankings.

However, Euro 2012 semifinalist Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, couldn't make the most of its dominance against Russia and lost 1-0 in a match between the top two teams in Group F.

Belgium enhanced its burgeoning reputation as a growing force in Europe with a 3-0 win in Serbia.

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