Rivera successful in return
NEW YORK, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- One day after Roger Clemens came off the disabled list, closer Mariano Rivera also made a successful return Thursday, needing just seven pitches to preserve the New York Yankees' 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Rivera recorded his 25th save in his first appearance since facing only one batter against the Boston Red Sox on July 20. He got rookie Aaron Guiel and Neifi Perez to fly out before Brent Mayne tapped back to the mound to end the game.
Andy Pettitte (7-4), the Yankees' most effective starter since the All-Star break, allowed 10 hits but just three runs over 7 2/3 innings with no walks and one strikeout.
The 30-year-old lefthander posted his third straight win and improved to 5-1 with a 1.85 ERA in his last six starts.
Pettitte was not quite as sharp as in his last outing, when he tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings at Anaheim, but his teammates backed him with more power. Robin Ventura, Raul Mondesi and Alfonso Soriano accounted for all of the Yankees' offense with home runs.
It marked the 21st time New York has hit at least three homers in a game this season. The Yankees, who lead the major leagues with 172 homers, accomplished that feat 20 times all of last year.
Clemens earned the victory Wednesday, his first triumph since turning 40.
Other American League results: Baltimore 4, Minnesota 1; Baltimore 4, Oakland 2; Seattle 3, Toronto 1; Tampa Bay 4, Cleveland 2; Detroit 2, Texas 1; Chicago 3, Anaheim 2.
Glavine dominates Diamondbacks
PHOENIX, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Tom Glavine allowed four hits in eight-plus innings and the Atlanta Braves got power from surprising sources in Mark DeRosa and Julio Franco Thursday night en route to a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Glavine tossed eight scoreless innings before Junior Spivey led off the ninth with his 12th homer. The lefthander walked three and struck out five for his fourth win in five decisions.
Closer John Smoltz worked a perfect ninth to record his franchise-record 40th save. The former Cy Young Award winner also set a major league record by recording No. 40 in Atlanta's 114th game, four games faster than Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox in 1990.
DeRosa led off the fifth inning with a homer, his first of the season, off starter Brian Anderson (5-8). Henry Blanco singled and Franco clubbed his fourth homer with two outs to give Atlanta a 3-0 lead.
Other National League results: New York 9, Milwaukee 0; Colorado 10, Cincinnati 3; Chicago 9, San Francisco 3; Florida 4, Houston 3; San Diego 7, Philadelphia 4; St. Louis 5, Montreal 3.
Hewitt, Agassi to meet in quarterfinals
CINCINNATI, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt set up a showdown Thursday by advancing to the quarterfinals of the Tennis Masters Series-Cincinnati.
Agassi disposed of Thomas Enqvist, 6-4, 7-5; and Hewitt, tuning up for defense of his U.S. Open crown, rallied to defeat Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
The two tennis giants will meet in the quarterfinals Friday. The last time they met, in the final at San Jose earlier this year, the Australian edged the American 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4) in one of the year's top matches. Hewitt saved two match points before pulling out the victory.
Hewitt is one of the few players with a winning career record over Agassi. They have met five times with Hewitt owning a 3-2 advantage.
Agassi has won four titles this year in Scottsdale, Miami, Rome and Los Angeles. Hewitt leads this year's ATP Champions race with victories at San Jose, Indian Wells, Queen's and Wimbledon.
In other round of 16 matches, Juan Carlos Ferrero downed Taylor Dent, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-6 (7-4); Andy Roddick rolled past Wayne Ferreira, 6-3, 6-2; Carlos Moya was a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Michael Chang; Fernando Gonzalez disposed of Richard Krajicek, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; Wayne Arthurs won over Tommy Robredo, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4; and Rainer Schuettler defeated Xavier Malisse, 6-4, 6-3.
In the quarterfinals, Gonzalez will meet Roddick, Schuettler will face Moya and Ferrero will take on Arthurs.
Stewart fined by team sponsor
ATLANTA, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Officials of The Home Depot, chief sponsors of the machine driven on the NASCAR circuit by Tony Stewart, announced Thursday Stewart would be fined $50,000 for striking a photographer following last Sunday's Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis.
Stewart had already been fined $10,000 by NASCAR and placed on probation for the remainder of the season.
The popular race driver has said he would seek anger management counseling as a result of the incident.
The announcement was made by Hugh Miskel, director of sales promotion for the company, which is headquartered in Atlanta.
He said the altercation involving Stewart did not, "at all represent the values and beliefs," of the firm.
Miskel said the $50,000 would be forwarded to the United Way of Central Indiana.
Jets win exhibition opener
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Vinny Testaverde drove New York 70 yards in 16 plays against Pittsburgh's No. 1 defense to open the game Thursday night and the Jets went on to down the Steelers, 16-6, to start the first full week of NFL exhibition play.
LaMont Jordan scored on a one-yard run at the end of the opening drive, one that took 8:38 off the clock. The march was kept alive when Pittsburgh had 12 men on the field when New York punted on fourth-and-three.
Jordan's touchdown was the only one of the game with New York's John Hall kicking field goals of 33 and 40 yards and teammate Danny Boyd adding one of 42 yards in the fourth quarter.
Todd Peterson accounted for Pittsburgh's points on field goals of 21 and 31 yards.
Testaverde was six of eight for 61 yards on the opening drive and sat out the rest of the night. Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart was five of seven for 80 yards in first-quarter action. Although he could not get his team in the end zone, the Steelers' Tommy Maddox completed 12 of 16 passes for 147 yards without throwing an interception.
New York's Bryan Thomas, the 22nd overall pick in this year's draft out of Alabama-Birmingham, blocked a punt and forced an interception in the fourth quarter when he hit quarterback Tee Martin.
Steelers second-round pick Antwaan Randle El, who was a quarterback as a collegian but has been moved to wide receiver, had four catches for 33 yards. He also ran an end around for 11 yards.
In action Friday night, Cincinnati will be at Buffalo, Jacksonville at Atlanta, Detroit at Baltimore and Oakland at Dallas.
Kent Jones leads Buick Open
GRAND BLANC, Mich., Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Six months removed from his lone top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, Kent Jones fired a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Buick Open.
The unheralded Jones found himself on a leaderboard that included Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh.
Jones, 35, collected seven birdies at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club for a one-shot lead over Mark Brooks and South Korea's K.J. Choi.
Woods was among nine players who opened with a 67 as he tunes up for next week's PGA Championship, the final major of the season.
While Woods has 32 career PGA victories, Jones' lone top-10 finish came in the first week of February, when he tied for eighth at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Among those tied with Woods at 67 were Hal Sutton, Jay Haas and Luke Donald.
Current PGA champion David Toms, who will defend his title next week, was at 68 while Mickelson birdied the last two holes to shoot a 69. Singh was in a large group at 70.
Stockton to play again
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- John Stockton has told officials of the Utah Jazz that he will return for his 19th season.
"I've seen how he takes care of himself, so I'm not surprised at all," Coach Jerry Sloan said.
Stockton signed a two-year contract last summer worth $8 million annually, but was not sure if he wanted to play two more years. But after averaging 13.4 points -- his highest in five years -- and shooting 52 percent from the field last season, Stockton was expected to return in 2002-03.
Stockton will be counted on to tutor point guard Raul Lopez, the team's first-round pick from Spain's Real Madrid in 2001.
Women's British Open has surprise leader
TURNBERRY, Scotland, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Candie Kung fired a 7-under-par 65 on her 21st birthday Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Karrie Webb after the first round of the Women's British Open at the famed Turnberry Golf Club.
Defending champion Se Rik Pak shot a 67 and was tied for third at 5-under in the year's final major.
A three-time American Junior Golf Association All-American who turned pro last August, Kung last played a links course competitively two years ago in a World Amateur in Germany. On Thursday, she birdied four of her last five holes to finish a bogey-free round with a 31 on the back nine.
Born in Taiwan, Kung's family moved to the United States in 1995 and she started playing golf at the age of 13. She attended the University of Southern California, where she was a two-time All-American and the 2000 Pac-10 Conference champion.
