Sports Briefs

BASEBALL

Lee Dae-ho drives it home for Seattle again and again

Lee Dae-ho of the Seattle Mariners played with authority on Monday at Safeco Field in Seattle when his team took down the Texas Rangers 14-6 to tally its 70th win of the season.

Playing first baseman while batting sixth, the Korean rookie played a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 while scoring two runs and driving home three runners.

During his first at-bat at the bottom of the first inning, Lee singled a line drive to see Kyle Seager home. Two plays later, with Jesus Sucre on the plate, Lee hauled his way home when Sucre hit a single. The slugger hit another single at the bottom of the second to bring home Robinson Cano and tally his second run batted in (RBI). Lee reached the base once more at the bottom of the sixth, this time on a fielder’s choice, during which Nelson Cruz drove home while Lee got to first base for his third RBI. After getting to second when Leonys Martin walked during the next play, Lee finally drove home to tally his second run of the day later in the inning.

Against the Rangers’ Cole Hamels, a lefty who had Lee play over his platoon partner, Adam Lind, Lee is 4-for-9. After the game, Lee’s batting average went from .242 to .262.

By Choi Hyung-jo

FOOTBALL

Kosovo draws 1-1 against Finland in qualifying match

TURKU, Finland - Kosovo kicked off its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against Finland on Monday in a big night for the tiny Balkan nation.

It was a maiden competitive match for Kosovo as a new FIFA member after it was accepted together with Gibraltar in May and fast-tracked into the 2018 World Cup qualifying.

Kosovo coach Albert Bunjaki called it a “historic match.”

“I am very happy that the whole team showed such strong character,” Bunjaki said.

Kosovo hosts Croatia on Oct. 6, three days before it plays Ukraine, which does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

AP