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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Verlander fires Tigers by Athletics, into ALCS

OAKLAND, California — Already an ace and MVP, Justin Verlander proved to be the Detroit Tigers' ultimate closer, too.

Goes the distance: Detroit's Justin Verlander fires a pitch against Oakland in Game 5 on Thursday night. AP

Verlander struck out 11 in a four-hitter, pitching Detroit into a second straight AL Championship Series a day after Jose Valverde failed to hold a ninth-inning lead with a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the decisive Game 5 of their division series Thursday night.

Verlander tossed his first career postseason shutout and complete game with a 122-pitch masterpiece.

"He had a look in his eye today," manager Jim Leyland said. "A complete-game look in his eye."

The Tigers will face either the New York Yankees or Baltimore Orioles, tied at two games apiece heading into Game 5 on Friday night in New York. Game 1 of the ALCS is scheduled for Saturday.

Verlander, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner and MVP, was so sharp nobody in the bullpen ever got up to throw. He struck out 22 in his wins on both ends of this nail-biting series.

After squandering two chances to clinch the series, including blowing a two-run ninth-inning lead in Game 4, Leyland left it all up to Verlander just as he said he would.

"I think it's one of those things I expected to go nine innings," Verlander said. "In this situation, in a Game 5, I wanted to go all the way."

Austin Jackson hit an RBI double in the third and a run-scoring single as the Tigers added on in a four-run seventh. Prince Fielder hit an RBI single.

Detroit is on to another ALCS despite getting just one RBI all series from Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera — on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, no less.

Booed by the yellow towel-waving sellout crowd of 36,393 each time he stepped into the batter's box. Cabrera finished 5-for-20, and it was his hard-hit ball dropped by Coco Crisp in a 5-4 Game 2 victory Sunday that allowed two runs to score.

Leyland all but called Verlander's latest gem.

"Justin Verlander's a pretty tough chore for anybody," Leyland said.

The Detroit skipper gave the ball to his 17-game winner and said beforehand the Tigers would likely win or lose with the hard-throwing right-hander on the mound.

And, against the A's, Verlander usually wins.

"I don't have anybody better than him," Leyland said. "And if they get to him that much we'll probably be in trouble. I'm not taking him out, I can assure you of that, because I don't have anybody better to bring in."

Verlander became the fifth pitcher to start a winner-take-all playoff game the year after winning the Cy Young — and the first to win. In all four previous instances, that pitcher's team lost the game: Steve Carlton (1981 Phillies), David Cone (1995 Yankees), Barry Zito (2003 Athletics), and Roy Halladay (2011 Phillies).

"When you're going into pressure situations like this, there's nobody better to have on the mound than Justin," Jackson said.

Verlander followed up an 11-strikeout outing in Detroit's 3-1 Game 1 win Saturday at Comerica Park with another overpowering performance in his 10th postseason start. He improved to 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA in three postseason starts against the A's and also upped his career mark to 5-4 with 2.15 ERA in 10 starts at the Coliseum.

Verlander had allowed one earned run with a 0.69 ERA in beating the A's twice during the regular season.

"He's always tough. You go out there and you battle him the best that you can," Crisp said. "Today he had some of his best stuff of the year."

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Referees union fires back at NFL

The NFL referees union says the league is "engaged in a misinformation campaign" following unsuccessful negotiations earlier in the weekend.

The two sides failed to reach an agreement Saturday when they met for the third day in a row, and the league said it's proceeding with replacement officials.

The NFL locked out the referees in early June, and hired replacements, whose work in exhibition games has been heavily criticized.

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McIlroy fires 65 to take lead at Deutsche Bank

NORTON, Massachusetts — Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods played together in the opening two rounds of the season in Abu Dhabi. They were together again for the opening two rounds at Bethpage Black for the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The idea is to get them together with a trophy on the line.

Take charge: Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a putt during the second round on Saturday in Norton, Massachusetts. AP

Both took a step in that direction Saturday in the Deutsche Bank Championship.

McIlroy went from one extreme to another on par 5s just 30 minutes apart — a 4-iron into 10 feet for eagle on No. 18, a 5-wood in the water for bogey on No. 2 — but steadied himself for another 6-under 65.

Woods, playing in the afternoon, had three birdies on the opening six holes until he could no longer get a putt to drop. He made birdie putts of 30 feet and 15 feet late in the round to salvage a 68, which left him only two shots behind.

In between was Louis Oosthuizen, the former British Open champion with one of the purest swings in golf. Oosthuizen had four 2s on his card of 65, and goes into the third round just one shot behind and in the final group with McIlroy.

"Everything seemed to work pretty well out there," McIlroy said. "I felt like I drove the ball a bit better today and hit more fairways, which gave me some more opportunities to make birdies. And I was putting well enough to take a few of those. Yeah, pleased with where I am and looking forward to the weekend."

Ryan Moore had a 68, playing the front nine in 1 over, and joined Woods at 10-under 132.

Woods missed out on a chance to be paired with McIlroy on Sunday when he missed the fairway on the par-5 18th, laid up short of the marsh and came up just short of the green and its front hole location. He had to get up-and-down for par.

Even so, this Labor Day weekend could bring another heavyweight bout.

The TPC Boston is where Woods and Vijay Singh had a memorable battle on Labor Day in 2004, when Singh won to replace Woods at No. 1 in the world. Two years later, Woods closed with a 63 to rally from a three-shot deficit against Singh. And in the first year of the FedEx Cup in 2007, it was Phil Mickelson who played three rounds with Woods and wound up beating him by two shots.

"I think if you look at the overall list of champions here, they're all big hitters," Woods said in an effort to explain why the Deutsche Bank Championship provides such great theater.

McIlroy, who won the PGA Championship by a record eight shots at Kiawah Island three weeks ago, looked comfortable on the smoother greens of TPC Boston and had only one bad spell of back-to-back bogeys on his back nine.

Woods came out firing in the afternoon with back-to-back birdies, only to get slowed quickly with a bogey from the bunker on No. 3 and going bunker-to-bunker on the fourth hole when he scrambled for par. He got back with a shot into 3 feet on the sixth for birdie, but he couldn't take advantage of several shots in the 12- to 15-foot range.

It looked as though it was getting under his skin, but all he had to do was think back to that opening round of 64.

"You've got to let it balance itself out because I made everything yesterday," he said. "Today was one of those days where I had some good looks, missed them, but didn't feel like I was really rolling it correctly. Then I figured something out, and then from then on, I poured it pretty good."

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Wilson fires 62 to grab share of Humana lead

LA, Quinta California — When Mark Wilson got to 8 under through 11 holes on the Palmer Private course Friday, he seriously discussed golf's magic number with playing partner Harrison Frazar, who once shot a 59 on another Humana Challenge course.

Tearing it up: Mark Wilson hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during the second round of the Humana Challenge in La Quinta, California, on Friday. Wilson shot a 62 and is tied for the lead. AP

"I don't know why the conversation went there . . . but I thought about it," Wilson said.

Wilson ended up posting the lowest score of his career, and that 62 wasn't even the best round of the day in the desert. Bob Hope's name is no longer on this reformatted tournament, but its tradition of stunningly low scores is still going strong.

Wilson pulled even with Ben Crane and David Toms at 16-under 128 to share a three-stroke lead after the second round of the Humana Challenge on Friday, topping a leaderboard covered with bogey-free rounds and personal bests.

Extremely low numbers always dominate the erstwhile Bob Hope Classic, which features two of the PGA Tour's three easiest courses. Add a second day of ideal Palm Springs weather, and exceptional play is necessary just to stay in contention.

For example, Ryan Moore tied the Nicklaus course record with a 61, yet he was still five strokes back of the lead — and he wasn't even among 23 players who played bogey-free rounds Friday.

"Everything has been much improved, and we got a much better field because of it," said Crane, who had just 48 putts in his first two rounds. "This is a great place for players to start their year, because it's like playing indoors."

To illustrate his point, Crane mimed his caddie picking grass blades and dropping them from shoulder height.

"I'm like, 'Where's the wind?' " Crane said. "He's like, 'I don't know.' I'm like, 'OK, let's just hit a normal shot here.' "

Crane shot a 63 on the three-course tournament's Palmer Private course, and Toms had a 65 on the Nicklaus Private course to match Wilson at 16-under 128. Rookie Harris English had a 62 on the Nicklaus Private course to join five players in fourth place at 13 under.

"That's what you've got to do out here," said English, the University of Georgia graduate playing his sixth round on the PGA Tour. "Put it in the fairway and then try to go out and get after it. I was getting my putter hot, and it was a lot of fun."

Moore tied Charlie Wi's 2009 record on the Nicklaus course despite starting with consecutive bogeys on his second and third holes before an eagle on the fourth. He then birdied 11 of 12 holes, including six straight around the turn.

"Really the last thing I remember was being 2 over through three, and then I just walked off the 18th hole," said Moore, who rose 103 spots on the leaderboard. "Maybe that just freed me up. I just let go. . . . I don't know if I ever putted that good in my entire life."

Wilson earned a reputation as a fast starter when he won in Hawaii and Phoenix during the first five weeks of last season. He also gets a boost from his offseason connection to the Coachella Valley, including a membership at the Ironwood Country Club near his in-laws' home in Palm Desert.

"It's always been very good to me, and then Q-school has been good to me in the desert," Wilson said. "I get a lot of good vibes here."

Toms shot a fairly pedestrian 65 on the Nicklaus course with a second straight day of steady play — but not everybody chewed up the three courses. Toms' playing partner, Phil Mickelson, shot a 69, but remained well back of the leaders after opening with a 74.

"I'm excited about how I was playing heading into this tournament, but I had a big slap in the face with my first two scores," said Mickelson.

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Nervy QPR fires manager Warnock

LONDON — Queens Park Rangers fired manager Neil Warnock on Sunday, with the club admitting it feared for its Premier League future.

QPR has lost six of its last eight league matches to sit 17th in the standings, one point above the relegation zone in its first season back in the topflight after 15 years.

Announcing the departure of the manager who led QPR back into the Premier League, the club said: "The board's commitment to retaining our Premier League status ultimately led to this decision."

Warnock's last match in charge saw the west London club held to a 1-1 draw in the F.A. Cup on Saturday by MK Dons of the third tier. Key midfielder Alejandro Faurlin was injured during that match and QPR's survival hopes were dealt a blow on Sunday with the Argentine announcing on Twitter that he had been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

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Yokohama fires manager Kimura

Yokohama — Yokohama F. Marinos said Friday they have fired manager Kazushi Kimura following the club's loss in the Emperor's Cup semifinals to second-division team Kyoto Sanga.

Kimura, 53, will be replaced by 50-year-old coach Yasuhiro Higuchi.

Kimura, who greeted players at the clubhouse Friday morning after Marinos' 4-2 extra-time defeat to Sanga the previous day, was given notice of his termination by team president Akira Kaetsu after the match.

"I wanted to win this title for the players," Kimura said. "I am sorry that I wasn't able to provide the leadership to achieve that result."

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Toms fires another 62, leads Colonial by seven

FORT, Worth Texas — David Toms has gone from a disappointing playoff loss to matching the PGA Tour scoring record for the first 36 holes of a tournament.

On a roll: David Toms watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the Colonial on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. Toms shot a 62 and leads by seven strokes. AP PHOTO

Toms shot his second straight 8-under 62 at Colonial on Friday to open a seven-stroke lead.

Coming off a playoff loss Sunday to K.J. Choi in The Players Championship, the 44-year-old Toms tied the mark of 124 set by Pat Perez in the 2009 Bob Hope Classic. Perez had rounds of 61 and 63.

Already off to another impressive start before a 2?-hour weather delay in the middle of his second round, Toms took full advantage after heavy rain softened the Colonial course and the wind stopped. On the eight holes he completed when play resumed, he had four birdies — and came up just short of two more.

"I came out and the conditions were perfect for scoring, and my mind-set was to just keep making birdies, try to separate myself a little bit," Toms said. "I just went out and played great the last eight holes or so, some of the best golf I've played in a long time."

Steven Bowditch (64) and Charlie Wi (67), who finished before the delay, were tied for second with Mark Wilson (66) and John Senden (66). Wilson played in the same group with Toms.

Toms also was the 36-hole leader last week at TPC Sawgrass, where he needed a birdie on the final hole of regulation to get into a playoff. But he then missed a short par putt on the first extra hole.

He hasn't made another bogey since.

Toms started at Hogan's Alley with his best score in 429 rounds — since a career-best 61 at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2006, in the last of his 12 PGA Tour victories. He matched that Friday and got halfway to his goal of finally winning again.

"I just still need to put those four rounds together and somehow get over the hump again," he said.

For the second day in a row, Toms carded 31s on both nines.

When play was suspended, Toms had just teed off at the par-5 11th hole after saving par at No. 10 with a two-putt from 65 feet.

The wind was already whipping with the storm front approaching when he finished his front side with an aggressive play at No. 9, when he opted for driver instead of 3-wood off the tee. He then hit his approach inside 4 feet for birdie.

"It was a bonus to make birdie, but it was all about the best way to make par," he said.

Toms made a 17-foot birdie putt at No. 11 after play resumed, then hit his approach at the 445-yard 12th hole to 5 feet for another birdie. He also birdied Nos. 15 and 17, and had putts rolling on line at 16 and 18 that came up short.

"It was late afternoon golf after a rain shower. I've done it hundreds of times at home in Louisiana. That's what it felt like," he said. "It was hot and humid, greens were receptive, fairways were receptive, the greens weren't rolling very fast."

Rory Sabbatini, the 2007 Colonial champion who lives in Fort Worth and plays the course often, shot 64 and was at 8 under with first round co-leader Chev Reavie (71).

Reavie had two birdies, a bogey and a double bogey through eight holes before the delay. After a birdie at Colonial's longest hole, the 635-yard 11th and his second of the day, Reavie had a double bogey 6 at No. 12, where he hit out of the same greenside bunker twice. Three holes later, his approach went into another greenside bunker and he had a bogey.

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