Matt Stairs

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff According to the CBC, Matt Stairs has decided to retire after being designated by the Nationals. He is 43 and played on 12 teams including the Red Sox for 39 games in 1995. Stairs played in New Britain and Pawtucket that season before the Sox let him go. One of his 265 career home runs came for the Sox. "I'm not sad. I had a great career, a long career. And it's one of those things where I can walk away today and not be sad about it," Stairs told the CBC.

This release from NESN: NESN announced today that Jenny Dell will join the network as its Red Sox field reporter and Matt Stairs will join as a Red Sox studio analyst. Dell and Stairs will join NESN's popular and talented Red Sox broadcast team that includes play-by-play voice Don Orsillo, color commentator Jerry Remy, studio host Tom Caron, and the network's trio of Hall of Famers — Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice and Peter Gammons — who all serve as studio analysts. Jenny Dell Dell comes to NESN from ESPN where she served in several different roles,...

This release from NESN: NESN announced today that Jenny Dell will join the network as its Red Sox field reporter and Matt Stairs will join as a Red Sox studio analyst. Dell and Stairs will join NESN's popular and talented Red Sox broadcast team that includes play-by-play voice Don Orsillo, color commentator Jerry Remy, studio host Tom Caron, and the network's trio of Hall of Famers — Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice and Peter Gammons — who all serve as studio analysts. Jenny Dell Dell comes to NESN from ESPN where she served in several different roles,...

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff According to the CBC, Matt Stairs has decided to retire after being designated by the Nationals. He is 43 and played on 12 teams including the Red Sox for 39 games in 1995. Stairs played in New Britain and Pawtucket that season before the Sox let him go. One of his 265 career home runs came for the Sox. "I'm not sad. I had a great career, a long career. And it's one of those things where I can walk away today and not be sad about it," Stairs told the CBC.

NEW YORK -- Angel Berroa hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the eighth inning, Andrew Sisco escaped a jam in the ninth, and the Kansas City Royals stopped their 13-game losing streak by holding off the New York Yankees, 7-6, last night. Derek Jeter got his 2,000th career hit for the Yankees, who had won 14 straight home games against Kansas City since Aug. 6, 2002. Reggie Sanders homered to help the Royals improve to 3-20 on the road and 11-35 overall, the worst record in the major leagues.

The lowly Royals completed a stunning sweep of the New York Yankees with a 5-2 victory last night in Kansas City, Mo., behind consecutive home runs from Matt Stairs and Terrence Long. Kansas City, which has the worst record and second-lowest payroll in the major leagues, finished its first three-game sweep of the Yankees at home in 15 years. With Buddy Bell improving to 3-0 as their manager, the Royals earned their first sweep of anybody in 78 series. It was the longest drought in the majors since the Phillies went 79 series without a sweep from 1996-97.

Alex Rodriguez showed all the skills that make him the best all-around player in baseball. He and the New York Yankees have even more help on the way, too. Rodriguez stole home, hit a long homer, and made a pair of fine plays at third base yesterday to lead host New York past the Baltimore Orioles, 6-4. "He can light a game up, there's no question," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. New York also made a big deal just one minute before baseball's 4 p.m. trade deadline, acquiring All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza from the Chicago White Sox for enigmatic righthander Jose...

After being thoroughly outplayed by the undermanned Minnesota Twins in their sixth straight defeat, it's clear that everything is going wrong for the New York Yankees. If George Steinbrenner was upset before, he's really going to be angry now. Lew Ford homered, tripled, and drove in three runs to lead host Minnesota to a 6-3 victory over the slumping Yankees last night. "We're frustrated, disappointed," Yankees starter Mike Mussina said. "We certainly aren't proud of the way we're playing.

Matt Stairs and Emil Brown got Buddy Bell off to a good start, collecting two hits apiece and leading the host Royals to a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees last night in Bell's debut as Kansas City's manager. Zack Greinke (1-6) won for the first time in 15 starts as the Royals broke a six-game losing streak. The Yankees, who have lost three straight, were under the direction of bench coach Joe Girardi. Manager Joe Torre watched the game on television in the clubhouse while serving a one-game suspension.

Adam Riggs hit a bases-loaded single over a drawn-in outfield in the 11th inning last night, giving the Angels a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees at Anaheim, Calif. Riggs, called up from the minors earlier in the day to replace injured third baseman Troy Glaus, lofted an opposite-field fly over the head of Gary Sheffield in right to break the scoreless tie. Jeff DaVanon led off the 11th against Paul Quantrill (4-2) with his third single of the game, and Vladimir Guerrero followed with a single.

The White Sox couldn't ask for much more from their pitchers right now. After a winless road trip, however, Chicago's hitters have a lot to answer for. Dustin McGowan outpitched Javier Vazquez in an entertaining duel, and Matt Stairs homered to help the Blue Jays beat the slumping White Sox, 1-0, last night for a four-game sweep in Toronto. Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan walked the bases loaded in the ninth inning but got Pablo Ozuna to ground into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game, earning his fifth save.

Jeff Francis struck out a career-best nine in seven solid innings, and Matt Holliday homered and drove in three runs to lead the Colorado Rockies past the New York Yankees, 6-1, last night in Denver. By taking the first two games, the Rockies won a club record sixth straight series and improved to 8-0-1 in their last nine series, the best stretch in franchise history. They're a major league-best 19-7 since May 22. This series has been nothing like the one these teams had five years ago in the Yankees' only other visit to Coors Field when several records were set that stand to this day,...

When it comes to knowledge of the Royals, nobody has more than Allard Baird, the former Kansas City general manager and newly appointed Red Sox special assignment scout, who will report to Boston GM Theo Epstein today as the Sox begin a three-game series against Baird's former team. "This certainly wasn't by design," said Baird, a Rochester, N.H., native hired by the Sox two weeks ago after being fired by the Royals May 31, on returning to Fenway Park the same day his former team was in town.

NEW YORK -- Angel Berroa hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the eighth inning, Andrew Sisco escaped a jam in the ninth, and the Kansas City Royals stopped their 13-game losing streak by holding off the New York Yankees, 7-6, last night. Derek Jeter got his 2,000th career hit for the Yankees, who had won 14 straight home games against Kansas City since Aug. 6, 2002. Reggie Sanders homered to help the Royals improve to 3-20 on the road and 11-35 overall, the worst record in the major leagues.

After being thoroughly outplayed by the undermanned Minnesota Twins in their sixth straight defeat, it's clear that everything is going wrong for the New York Yankees. If George Steinbrenner was upset before, he's really going to be angry now. Lew Ford homered, tripled, and drove in three runs to lead host Minnesota to a 6-3 victory over the slumping Yankees last night. "We're frustrated, disappointed," Yankees starter Mike Mussina said. "We certainly aren't proud of the way we're playing.

The lowly Royals completed a stunning sweep of the New York Yankees with a 5-2 victory last night in Kansas City, Mo., behind consecutive home runs from Matt Stairs and Terrence Long. Kansas City, which has the worst record and second-lowest payroll in the major leagues, finished its first three-game sweep of the Yankees at home in 15 years. With Buddy Bell improving to 3-0 as their manager, the Royals earned their first sweep of anybody in 78 series. It was the longest drought in the majors since the Phillies went 79 series without a sweep from 1996-97.

The White Sox couldn't ask for much more from their pitchers right now. After a winless road trip, however, Chicago's hitters have a lot to answer for. Dustin McGowan outpitched Javier Vazquez in an entertaining duel, and Matt Stairs homered to help the Blue Jays beat the slumping White Sox, 1-0, last night for a four-game sweep in Toronto. Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan walked the bases loaded in the ninth inning but got Pablo Ozuna to ground into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game, earning his fifth save.

Jeff Francis struck out a career-best nine in seven solid innings, and Matt Holliday homered and drove in three runs to lead the Colorado Rockies past the New York Yankees, 6-1, last night in Denver. By taking the first two games, the Rockies won a club record sixth straight series and improved to 8-0-1 in their last nine series, the best stretch in franchise history. They're a major league-best 19-7 since May 22. This series has been nothing like the one these teams had five years ago in the Yankees' only other visit to Coors Field when several records were set that stand to this day,...

Matt Stairs and Emil Brown got Buddy Bell off to a good start, collecting two hits apiece and leading the host Royals to a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees last night in Bell's debut as Kansas City's manager. Zack Greinke (1-6) won for the first time in 15 starts as the Royals broke a six-game losing streak. The Yankees, who have lost three straight, were under the direction of bench coach Joe Girardi. Manager Joe Torre watched the game on television in the clubhouse while serving a one-game suspension.

Alex Rodriguez showed all the skills that make him the best all-around player in baseball. He and the New York Yankees have even more help on the way, too. Rodriguez stole home, hit a long homer, and made a pair of fine plays at third base yesterday to lead host New York past the Baltimore Orioles, 6-4. "He can light a game up, there's no question," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. New York also made a big deal just one minute before baseball's 4 p.m. trade deadline, acquiring All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza from the Chicago White Sox for enigmatic righthander Jose Contreras and $3...