Cabrera wins Triple Crown

NEW YORK — It is more rare than a perfect game and about as uncommon as an unassisted triple play.

Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera won baseball's first Triple Crown in 45 years Wednesday night, becoming only the third living player to achieve the feat.

Cabrera led the American League with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs, making him the 15th Triple Crown winner and the first since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Cabrera, whose team defeated the Kansas City Royals 1-0. "It was hard the last two days because everybody talked about it. I just had to focus, I had to go out there and do the job. The hardest part was to go out there and focus and win games. I said, 'If we win the division, everything would take care of itself.' "

Cabrera joined an honor roll of Triple Crown winners that includes Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb. Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby each did it twice.

In contrast, there have been 23 perfect games and 15 unassisted triple plays in major league history.

"I am glad that he accomplished this while leading his team to the American League Central title," Yastrzemski said in a statement. "I was fortunate enough to win this award in 1967 as part of the Red Sox Impossible Dream Team."

Los Angeles Angels rookie Mike Trout was second in the AL batting race at .326, while New York Yankees slugger Curtis Granderson and Texas star Josh Hamilton finished tied for second with 43 homers. Hamilton ranked second with 128 RBIs.

Granderson homered twice Wednesday night, then was removed from a 14-2 blowout against Boston.

"For me, earning the batting title over Tony Oliva, who we played against in the last series of the year, was the hardest part," said Frank Robinson, a Triple Crown winner in 1966. "For Miguel, I am sure it was even more challenging, given all the specialized relievers in the game today."

Until Cabrera's run, Triple Crowns seemed to be a relic from another era. When the feat was last accomplished, the World Series was still played in the daytime, there were no playoffs and each league had eight teams.

In horse racing, no thoroughbred has won all three big races — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes — since Affirmed in 1978 became the 11th to sweep the trio.

Cabrera had topped each category before, winning the home run title in 2008, the RBI crown in 2010 and the batting championship last year. His remarkable 2012 season ended the longest gap in baseball history between Triple Crown campaigns.

"He's the best hitter in the game," Trout said. "I think his approach, the way he battles with two strikes; you leave one pitch over the plate that at-bat and he's going to hit it. He had an unbelievable year."

San Francisco's Buster Posey became the first catcher to win the NL batting title since the Boston Braves' Ernie Lombardi in 1942. Posey finished with a .336 average, nine points ahead of Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen.

"I don't think it's something that you ever think about doing. It's such a long season, and from Day One you try to grind out at-bats no matter what the situation is," said Posey, who missed most of 2011 following left leg and ankle injuries from a collision at the plate with the Marlins' Scott Cousins. "I give a lot of credit to our entire training staff for all the work they did in the offseason to get me back on the field."

Posey's teammate, Melky Cabrera, had a .346 average, but the All-Star Game MVP was disqualified at his own request after he was suspended Aug. 15 for a positive testosterone test.

Melky Cabrera missed the final 45 games of the regular season and his 501 plate appearances fell one short of qualifying under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players' union to change the usual rule, which would have added an extra hitless at-bat to his total.

After his positive drug test was overturned in an arbitration proceeding last winter, NL MVP Ryan Braun won his league's home run title with 41. San Diego's Chase Headley led in RBIs with 115, three ahead of Braun.

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Bosh carries Heat in triple OT without Wade, James

ATLANTA — There may be no need for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to rush their return from injuries.

Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh proved Thursday night they can play the starring roles for the Miami Heat.

With James and Wade cheering from the bench, Bosh scored 33 points and the Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 116-109 in triple-overtime.

Chalmers had 22 of his 29 points after the third quarter for the Heat, including five of Miami's seven points in the third overtime.

"Coach said I had to be aggressive," Chalmers said.

Wade missed his second straight game with a sore left foot and James was held out after he turned his left ankle late in the third quarter of Wednesday night's 118-83 win over Indiana. Neither star was in uniform.

Bosh hit a last-second, tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force the first overtime.

"It was a lucky shot," Bosh said.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said his team survived a test of its character.

"That game, the way it went down in the end, was an exercise in absolute endurance and mental and physical toughness," Spoelstra said.

"Both teams played their hearts out there at the end."

Joe Johnson had 20 points for the Hawks, who did not score in the third extra period. It was only the 10th time in NBA history a team did not score in an overtime period.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said his players ignored his warning against a letdown if James and Wade didn't play.

"There was a total, total mental letdown," Drew said. "I didn't see the sense of urgency I saw in Miami," Drew said. "The tendency is to let your guard down, and we certainly did tonight."

Kings 103, Bucks 100

In Sacramento, Tyreke Evans made four free throws in the final minute to finish with 26 points, and the Kings overcame a 21-point halftime deficit to stun Milwaukee.

Spurs 93, Mavericks 71

In San Antonio, Matt Bonner scored 17 points and the Spurs limited Dirk Nowitzki to just six in a win over Dallas.

Trail Blazers 107, Lakers 96

In Portland, Gerald Wallace had 31 points and sparked a key third-quarter run to lead the Trail Blazers to a fast-paced victory over Los Angeles.

SACRAMENTO CALIFORNIA — If the Sacramento Kings stood any chance at success this season, Paul Westphal had to find a way to control talented but volatile center DeMarcus Cousins.

He couldn't — and lost his job because of it.

The Kings fired Westphal Thursday after two-plus seasons as coach, cutting ties amid a slow start and an escalating dispute with Cousins.

Assistant Keith Smart, let go by the Golden State Warriors in April after one season at the helm, signed a deal to become the team's new head coach.

With the Cousins-Westphal spat showing no resolution, Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof finally decided to take action.

Instead of trading away a promising young big man, they made Westphal the first firing of the lockout-shortened season.

"We're in a situation here where you can't take a philosophical vacation because things are happening in real time," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said. "You start to keep seeing the same things over and over again, you can't sit around and meditate forever about how you're going to approach them or try and change them."

A talented and athletic — albeit raw — roster entered Thursday night's home game against Milwaukee with a 2-5 record and in last place in the Pacific Division. Westphal finished with a 51-120 record in Sacramento.

In a statement released by the team, Westphal thanked the Maloofs, his coaching staff and players for the opportunity.

"While the job is far from finished, I am proud of the strides we were able to make," he said.

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