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As a teenager growing up in the Bronx, Juan Perez spent many nights training at a running track adjacent to the old Yankee Stadium.
Perez had dreams of playing in the major leagues, and he needed no bigger reminder of that dream than the hulking, concrete structure next to his training site — the House That Ruth Built.
Perez played games in a park across from Yankee Stadium, the Stadium's player parking lot facing his park's left field. A chain-link fence separated the two, although the metaphorical barrier between the worlds was much wider.
Perez sometimes stayed in left field after games and peered through the fence as players walked into the Stadium. He was not a huge Yankees fan, but he admired players like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and hoped to one day make his mark at Yankee Stadium.
On Sunday, a September afternoon meant to honor Rivera and Andy Pettitte, Perez, a 26-year-old rookie for the San Francisco Giants, had his chance. His eighth-inning throw home to nab Robinson Cano helped the Giants preserve a 2-1 win. One inning after his spectacular throw, Perez singled against Rivera.
"Coming back to New York, my hometown, with my family, having such a good series here in New York, helping my team win means a lot to me," Perez said.
With two outs in the eighth, Yankees third baseman Eduardo Nunez stepped to the plate with runners on first and second, and much at stake, against reliever Santiago Casilla. Several of the teams ahead of the Yankees in the wild-card race had already won, and a loss would put their postseason hopes further in jeopardy.
In left field, Perez thought to himself, he said, that it was unlikely that Nunez would pull the ball against the hard-throwing Casilla. But just in case, he mentally prepared himself to do everything possible to keep Cano from scoring from second. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Nunez lined a 97-mile-per-hour fastball into left.
The ball quickly reached Perez, at the same time that Cano was rounding third base. Perez grabbed the ball and quickly unleashed a strong throw, the force of his effort sending him to the ground.
Perez lay there, watching as catcher Hector Sanchez fielded the throw and tagged out Cano.
"I threw everything I've got into that throw," said Perez, who pounded the ground in excitement as the play was made at the plate. "And I made a perfect throw to get him out. It was a pretty exciting moment."
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said: "He put it right on the money. That's the only way we get him. A huge part of his game is defense. He saved the game for us."
In 2001, Perez's parents, Juan Sr. and Maritza, permanently moved their family to the Bronx from Santiago, Dominican Republic. Perez attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx before moving on to Western Oklahoma Junior College. He was drafted by the Giants in the 13th round of the 2008 amateur draft and made his major league debut June 9 this season.
After Sunday's game, Perez talked about his homecoming over the past few days. On Thursday, he had three hits in a 2-1 win against the Mets at Citi Field. On Friday, he had two hits against the Yankees' ace, C. C. Sabathia. Then came Sunday.
"They say this is a country of opportunities," said Perez, who had finally gotten the opportunity he had dreamed about.
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Henrik Stenson, at 13 under, finished three shots ahead of Jordan Spieth and Steve Stricker.
ATLANTA — Henrik Stenson relished the sight of a clear sky when he peeked outside his window Sunday morning.
In the first two and a half rounds of the Tour Championship, contested under dry conditions, he was 14 under par. Over the next nine holes, when he kept swapping out golf clubs for an umbrella, Stenson was three over.
On Sunday, Stenson resumed his impeccable fair-weather play. A two-under-par 68 took him to minus 13 over all, good for a three-stroke victory and the FedEx Cup points championship.
Stenson had given back five strokes of a nine-shot lead on the back nine Saturday. On Sunday, Jordan Spieth made four straight birdies beginning at No. 13 that crashed Stenson's comfort zone, briefly reducing the spread to one.
Spieth bogeyed No. 17 as Stenson birdied the 15th. Spieth tied for second with Steve Stricker.
Stenson called his smaller lead a blessing.
"It really made me focus, go out there and play my game to hold the guys off," he said.
But he acknowledged a dip in confidence, saying, "It can turn around very quickly in this game."
Stenson's combined earnings of $11.14 million might soothe some financial wounds left by a disastrous investment with his former sponsor, Stanford Financial Group. The firm was shut down by federal authorities for operating a suspected Ponzi scheme, and no money has been returned to clients.
"At this stage of my career, I'm playing for these," he said, tapping the crystal tournament trophy. "Whatever will happen with the Stanford issue, I'm in a good place financially."
The 20-year-old Spieth was not well known at the start of the season, when he was ranked 809th and playing on the Web.com Tour.
Aware of his two United States Junior Amateur titles and his N.C.A.A. championship in his only try, golf insiders predicted success for him, just not so soon. Spieth had always exuded maturity, even if quitting football as a starting quarterback might be considered crazy by his fellow Texans. He was outrageously competitive at any venture, even fishing.
"I just had to readjust goals a couple different times this year," Spieth said. One goal he achieve was to secure a guaranteed PGA Tour slot in 2014.
Spieth has risen, unofficially, to No. 21 in the world, becoming the youngest PGA Tour event winner since 1931. Spieth has wearied of news media references to his youth. But he must deal with it for two more weeks, because he was chosen for the Presidents Cup, where his American teammates range from age 27 to 46.
"There's no need to let everything sink in now," he said, already looking toward the competition, which begins Oct. 1. "I've got to stay focused."
Spieth remained focused for a 10-hole stretch starting at No. 7, with seven birdies and three pars.
Stenson said, "It was definitely game on."
On the par-4 17th, Spieth miscalculated his approach shot and missed the green. A bogey finished him off, and he was caught by Stricker, who eagled the 15th.
"The kid's played great," Stricker said. "He's a good kid."
Even with $43 million in tournament purse and the Cup bonus money at stake, there were moments of levity.
After Keegan Bradley one-hopped a fairway blast on the par-4 seventh hole into the cup for an eagle, he dropped to the ground and mimicked a slumped-over pose known as Dufnering, a nod to Jason Dufner, who first made the move, widely seen in a video online.
"It was the highlight of the year for me," said Bradley, who said he was plotting the gesture all season, awaiting an opportunity that finally came.
Dufner joked that he did not expect Bradley's version to draw nearly as many views online.
Dufner said, "He's not that popular."
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The Tampa Bay Rays rode the momentum of a marathon victory to another big win.
Desmond Jennings drove in four runs, Alex Cobb took a three-hit shutout into the ninth, and the Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-1, on Saturday in a matchup of exhausted teams as Tampa Bay maintained its lead in the American League wild-card race.
"We've got to keep things going," Jennings said. "There's no relaxing or anything like that. Keep finding ways to win games."
The first pitch came 10 hours 56 minutes after the Rays' 5-4, 18-inning win over Baltimore in St. Petersburg, Fla., which ended at 2:05 a.m., a game that stretched for 6 hours 54 minutes — a record time for both teams.
INDIANS 4, ASTROS 1 Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer, and Cleveland maintained its hold on an A.L. wild-card spot with a win over visiting Houston.
RANGERS 3, ROYALS 1 Matt Garza pitched eight impressive innings for his first victory in six starts, and Texas, a half-game behind Cleveland for a wild card, won at Kansas City for its fifth victory in 19 games in September.
ATHLETICS 9, TWINS 1 Oakland lowered its magic number to one for clinching its second straight A.L. West title, beating visiting Minnesota behind Jarrod Parker (one run in six innings) and Alberto Callaspo (four hits, three runs batted in).
TIGERS 7, WHITE SOX 6 A.L. Central leader Detroit tied the game with a six-run rally in the ninth, then beat visiting Chicago when Omar Infante hit an infield single with the bases loaded in the 12th.
CARDINALS 7, BREWERS 2 Lance Lynn won for the first time since early August, and St. Louis prevailed in Milwaukee to keep a two-game lead in the National League Central.
PIRATES 4, REDS 2 A. J. Burnett scattered four hits over seven strong innings, striking out a season-high 12, as Pittsburgh won at home to move a game in front of Cincinnati for the top spot in the N.L. wild-card race.
CUBS 3, BRAVES 1 Dioner Navarro hit a tiebreaking single in a three-run eighth, and Chicago kept visiting Atlanta on the doorstep of the N.L. East championship.
METS 5, PHILLIES 4 David Wright and Daniel Murphy hit solo home runs, and the visiting Mets beat Philadelphia in a game called in the top of the seventh inning because of rain.
IN OTHER GAMES Clay Buchholz (11-1) lost for the first time this season, and A.L. East champion Boston fell at home to Mark Buehrle and Toronto, 4-2 ... Clayton Kershaw struck out 10 in seven dominant innings, Yasiel Puig and A. J. Ellis hit two-run homers, and N.L. West champion Los Angeles won in San Diego, 4-0.
Morry Gash/Associated Press
Melvin Gordon getting past Purdue's Antoine Lewis to score a touchdown for Wisconsin. Gordon ran for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns in the No. 24 Badgers' 41-10 win.
KEVONTE MARTIN-MANLEY AND B. J. LOWERY Martin-Manley, right, returned two punts for touchdowns, and Lowery returned two interceptions for scores in Iowa's 59-3 win over Western Michigan.
A. J. HENDY The Maryland defensive back scored on a 28-yard interception return and recovered two fumbles in a 37-0 victory over West Virginia, helping give the 4-0 Terrapins their best start since 2001.
TOM SAVAGE The Pittsburgh quarterback tied an Atlantic Coast Conference record with 6 touchdown passes and threw for 424 yards in a 58-55 win over Duke.
DAK PRESCOTT The Mississippi State quarterback threw for a touchdown, ran for two and caught a scoring pass in a 62-7 win over Troy.
ZACH ZENNER The South Dakota State back ran for 202 yards and 2 scores in a 59-20 loss at Nebraska.
TAKING ON THE N.C.A.A.
Some players from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Northwestern had the letters APU — All Players United — written on their gear as a show of solidarity that organizers hope will lead to changes in the N.C.A.A.
The National College Players Association organized All Players United. The association, founded by the former U.C.L.A. player Ramogi Huma, is pushing for better health care of college athletes, more scholarship money, and the lifting of N.C.A.A. restrictions on legitimate employment and the players' ability to directly benefit from commercial opportunities.
In a statement, the N.C.A.A. said it "supports open and civil debate regarding all aspects of college athletics."
EXTRA INEPTITUDE
Teams often match scores in an overtime period. Marshall and host Virginia Tech matched a lack of scoring for two.
The game entered overtime tied at 21-21. In the first extra period, the backup kicker Ethan Keyserling missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt for Virginia Tech. Marshall also failed to score as the Hokies blocked Justin Haig's 39-yard attempt.
In the second overtime, Marshall lost a fumble, and Keyserling missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt. Logan Thomas finally gave the Hokies a 29-21 lead in the third overtime, running for a 2-yard touchdown and then for a 2-point conversion (teams must go for 2 after the second overtime). The Virginia Tech defense then held off Marshall for the victory.
BACK, THEN OUT AGAIN
David Ash, back as the Texas quarterback after missing a game with concussionlike symptoms, passed for 166 yards and a touchdown in the first half against Kansas State. He missed the second half with a new head injury as the host Longhorns, coming off disappointing losses to Brigham Young and Mississippi, won by 31-21.
Ash, who had been cleared to play Friday night, showed no effects of the previous head injury early. But he took several big hits, both on runs and when standing in the pocket, before throwing a touchdown pass to Kendall Sanders.
Case McCoy took over at quarterback in the second half and led two touchdown drives.
The Islanders made history on Saturday, playing the first N.H.L. game in Brooklyn, although the outcome could have been better for the announced crowd of 14,689 — many wearing the blue, orange and white of the home team — as the Islanders fell to the Devils, 3-0, in a preseason matchup at Barclays Center.
"I thought the atmosphere was great," Islanders Coach Jack Capuano said. "The crowd was into it. It was exciting for our guys. Too bad we couldn't get a win tonight. When the time comes, we'll be excited to be here."
After a ceremonial puck drop by Charles B. Wang, the Islanders' owner, and Bruce C. Ratner, chief executive of Forest City Ratner Companies, the Barclays Center developer, the fans quickly began a "Let's Go Islanders" chant accompanied by Paul Cartier, the Nassau Coliseum organist. But the Devils scored in each period to spoil the Islanders' debut in what will be their full-time home beginning in the 2015-6 season.
Saturday's game — a makeup of sorts after a scheduled preseason meeting last September at Barclays was canceled because of the lockout — gave fans a chance to test the Islanders' move to Brooklyn from their longtime home at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.
"It's great the Islanders are staying in New York, that's most important to me," said Andrew Caprio of Queens, an Islanders season-ticket holder since 1979. "To me, there's still no better place to watch a game than Nassau Coliseum, but we'll see how the new place works out. "
One pregame ritual outside the Coliseum will be lost in Brooklyn.
"There's no place for tailgating," said Megan Leach, 23, who lives in Medford and took the Long Island Rail Road from Ronkonkoma to Brooklyn, about a 90-minute trip. "That changes the whole dynamic of going to Islander games."
Leach said the year-old Barclays Center, built initially for basketball and concerts, was wanting.
"You get the creature comforts of a new arena, but I was unimpressed with the spectator area," she said. "There were a lot of terrible sight lines."
Steve Cotrone, a 24-year-old from Manorville, who also took the L.I.R.R. from Ronkonkoma, said he was trying to get used to the idea this would be the Islanders' home in two years.
"I feel misplaced, almost like hockey doesn't belong here," he said. "It feels fictional."
The Islanders announced their move to Brooklyn last October after years of fruitless efforts to redevelop the Nassau Coliseum, where the team has played since joining the league in 1972. In August 2011, Nassau County voters defeated a proposal to spend $400 million to overhaul the Coliseum. The Barclays — which has a capacity of 15,813 for hockey, compared with the Coliseum's 16,234 — has some quirks when it comes to hosting hockey. The rink at Barclays does not fit in the center of the arena, so the overhead video scoreboard is not centered on the ice. There are not standard seats behind one of the goals on the lowest level, typically a premium seating area. Instead, a high-end hospitality area is behind and to the sides of the goal.
Gerry McDonald, a defenseman who played briefly for the Hartford Whalers in the early 1980s and the father of Islanders forward Colin McDonald, said his initial impression of Barclays Center was positive.
"I like the brightness of the arena, and to me the sight lines look good for hockey," McDonald said. "I'm excited for the Islanders' future."
Several Islanders agreed.
"It's an unbelievably cool place," defenseman Travis Hamonic said. "It makes you look forward to being here. I thought the rink was great."
As fans left the arena Saturday, some said it was difficult to envision the Islanders as permanent residents of Brooklyn. Cotrone, wearing a blue No. 91 John Tavares jersey, said he came away with a greater appreciation for the 41-year-old Nassau Coliseum, where the Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983.
"The Coliseum has the better, older, more hockey-related vibe and feeling," he said. "That's where I'd rather pay to see the game."
