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Tigers sweep Yanks, head to World Series

DETROIT, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Jhonny Peralta led a home run barrage Thursday that pushed Detroit into the World Series with an 8-1 win and an ALCS sweep of the New York Yankees.

The Tigers completed a dominating four games, during which they outscored the Yankees 19-6 and held New York to a .156 team batting average, its lowest ever in a playoff series.

Detroit will have the next five days off before opening a bid for its first World Series title in 28 years against either St. Louis or San Francisco.

The fourth and final game of the league championship series symbolized the ease with which Detroit rolled over the Yankees. The Tigers outhit New York 16-2, both of the Yankees' hits coming off starter Max Scherzer during his 5 2/3 innings of work.

Scherzer struck out 10 in recording his first playoff victory this season and the second of his career.

Three relievers combined to throw 3 1/3 hitless innings with Phil Coke working the last two frames.

The Yankees suffered their fourth sweep in a best-of-seven playoff series. The other three occasions took place in the World Series -- against Cincinnati in 1976, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963 and the New York Giants in 1922.

New York superstar Alex Rodriguez, benched for a portion of the playoffs due to a severe batting slump, was not in the starting lineup but came on to get two at-bats as a designated hitter. He did not have a hit in either trip to the plate and finished the series with a batting average of .125.

Detroit pounded out 11 hits against New York starter CC Sabathia, including a first-inning single by Delmon Young that put the Tigers in front for good.

Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Peralta added a two-run shot later in the inning that gave Detroit a 6-0 lead. Austin Jackson contributed a solo shot in the seventh and Peralta finished the scoring with a solo blast in the eighth.

New York's only run came on Nick Swisher's RBI double in the sixth, the inning in which the Yankees produced their only two hits.

The four-game sweep was the first in the ALCS since Detroit pulled off the feat six years ago against Oakland before losing to St. Louis in the World Series.

Detroit's last World Series triumph came over the San Diego Padres in 1984. Their previous championship came over St. Louis in 1968, the year before Major League Baseball expanded its playoffs from two to four teams.

With Detroit Manager Jim Leyland now able to set his starting rotation for the World Series, he is likely to send Justin Verlander to the mound for Game 1. Verlander has won all three of his starts during this year's playoffs with an 0.74 earned run average over 24 1/3 innings.

NHL rejects players' proposal

TORONTO, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday the NHL Players Association and owners are "not speaking the same language" after owners rejected three union offers.

The players offered the proposals after Bettman had proposed a six-year contract Tuesday calling for a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue, entry-level contracts of two years' duration, a five-year maximum for all other contracts, and unrestricted free agency after eight accrued seasons in the league or at 28 years of age.

The league said its offer would also allow for a full 82-game season to be played beginning Nov. 2.

Bettman said the three proposals submitted by the NHLPA on the players' share of revenue were "all variations, to some degree, of the one proposal that they made over the summer and really haven't deviated from since."

"And none of the three variations of players' share that they gave us even began to approach 50-50 (revenue split) either at all or for some long period of time and it's clear that we're not speaking the same language in terms of what they came back to us with," he said.

The commissioner said he was "concerned based on the proposal that was made today that things are not progressing. To the contrary, I think the proposal that was made by the Players' Association was in many ways a step backward."

The NHL lockout of players began Sept. 16 and has caused 82 games from Oct. 11-24 to be canceled.

Cauley, Dawson share lead on PGA Tour

SEA ISLAND, Ga., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Rookie Bud Cauley and Marco Dawson each shot an 8-under 62 Thursday that left them sharing the lead after one round of the McGladrey Classic.

Cauley is looking for his first PGA Tour victory in what has had a solid opening season on the circuit. He has had four Top 10 finishes, including a 2012-best third place at the Wyndham Championship, and he stands 42nd on the money list.

The co-leaders were two shots in front of Greg Owen, Boo Weekley and Rod Pampling while the large group at 65 included Zach Johnson, David Toms and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III.

Johnson was one of only three Americans on the 12-man team to win his singles match at last month's Ryder Cup while the European squad was rallying to a one-point victory.

Jim Furyk, another member of that team, shot a 66 Thursday and was tied for 15th place.

Team USA to meet Russia in soccer battle

CHICAGO, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- USA Soccer announced Thursday the American national team would play for the last time this year in an exhibition against Russia on Nov. 14.

Earlier this week the U.S. squad reached the final round of North American qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The November match will take place in Krasnodar, Russia. The Americans have not defeated the Russians in their four previous meetings with two of the matches having wound up in a tie.

Russia is ranked 12th in the world and the United States has slipped to 32nd.

Team USA will compete with Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama during 2013 for spots in the World Cup. At the end of a 10-match, round-robin tournament the top three in the standings will advance to Brazil. The fourth-place team will play the winner of the Oceania region qualifying for another berth in the World Cup.

Russia is halfway through its World Cup group qualifying tournament and holds a five-point lead over Israel and Portugal. The Russians have not allowed a goal in their four qualifying games to date and their next group contest will be in March against Northern Ireland.