No stranger to drama, A.J. Pierzynski found himself at the center of it again. This time, he didn’t mind.

Pierzynski led off the 10th inning with his second homer of the game and the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 6-5 Wednesday night for their seventh straight win.

“Ozzie was yelling at me to not try to be a hero and hit a single,” Pierzynski said. “When I hit it, I was like, its got a chance. But I didn’t know it was going to make it.”

It did, giving the White Sox a three-game sweep and their second 10-inning win in as many nights.

Pierzynski always seems to find himself at the center of the action for the White Sox, from reaching base on a controversial dropped third strike against the Los Angeles Angels in the 2005 playoffs to fighting with former Cubs catcher Michael Barrett in 2006.

This type of attention he’ll take.

Masa Kobayashi (4-4) pitched a perfect ninth before Pierzynski drove the first pitch of the 10th out to left-center for his seventh homer. Teammates mobbed Pierzynski as he crossed the plate.

Adam Russell (2-0) worked the 10th for his second win in as many nights and the second of his career.

C.C. Sabathia allowed five runs and seven hits in eight innings for Cleveland. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner struck out five and walked two.

The last-place Indians have lost five straight and are 12 1/2 games back of the White Sox in the AL Central. They could look to deal Sabathia if they continue to lag behind in the division, with the big left-hander eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

“I’m just worrying about day to day pitching,” Sabathia said. “I get the ball and that’s it.”

Grady Sizemore hit two solo homers for Cleveland, tying it at 5 with a drive off Scott Linebrink in the ninth.

“I made a bad pitch tonight and he got it,” Linebrink said. “You can’t make mistakes to him. You certainly don’t want to put him on the bases to lead off an inning in a close ballgame like that because you put him on the bases, the next thing you know he’s on second in scoring position. You want to be aggressive and go after him. It was a changeup up in the zone and he hit it. I’ve got to make a better pitch right there.”

Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye went deep in the first inning and Nick Swisher singled in a run in the second to give Chicago a 3-2 lead.

Sizemore walked and scored on Jamey Carroll’s triple in the fifth and connected in the sixth to put the Indians ahead, but Sabathia ran into trouble in the seventh.

Pablo Ozuna led off the inning with a grounder to third baseman Casey Blake, whose wild throw allowed Ozuna to reach second. Alexei Ramirez lined a one-out infield single off Blake’s glove and Brian Anderson followed with a two-run double to left-center.

Nick Masset was in line for his first win after pitching a scoreless seventh, but with closer Bobby Jenks getting the night off because of soreness in his left side, the White Sox turned to Linebrink in the ninth. He blew his second save in as many chances when Sizemore connected.

“I thought we did a good job of taking the momentum back our way,” Sizemore said. “Obviously it was still a tie game but I thought we had the momentum. I was confident we were going to win.”

A few more starts like this and those minor league T-shirts Sean Gallagher distributed to his teammates will become relics.

Gallagher had his best start, and Aramis Ramirez and Kosuke Fukudome capped a three-run seventh with run-scoring hits to lead the Chicago Cubs to their second straight 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on a bone-chilling, windy Tuesday night.

“Definitely with the wind blowing, you go out there with a little less fear,” Gallagher said after allowing one run and four hits in a career-high seven innings while striking out three and walking two.

The rookie (2-1) started the season in the minors after making eight relief appearances for the Cubs last season. If he keeps pitching like this, he’ll remain in the rotation.

“He’s still got a couple things to work on, but he’s telling us that he wants to stay in the rotation,” manager Lou Piniella said.

The Dodgers got an RBI single from Blake DeWitt in the fourth, but the third baseman’s error in the seventh allowed the tying run to score and helped turn what looked like a win for Hiroki Kuroda (2-4) into a loss.

The right-hander, who won his previous start, was charged with two runs (one earned) and seven hits while striking out three and walking three. He left with a 1-0 lead after Alfonso Soriano, his teammate with the Hiroshima Carp in 1997, lined a single to left with one out in the seventh, putting runners on first and third.

Jonathan Broxton came in, and DeWitt booted Mike Fontenot’s slow roller, allowing Ryan Theriot to score the tying run from third.

“I should have made the play but didn’t,” DeWitt said. “I had no chance at him at home. You need to get the guy out at first base there.”

After Derrek Lee flied to right, Ramirez drove in Soriano with a single to center and Fukodome followed with a double down the left-field line that drove in Fontenot.

The Dodgers loaded the bases against Carlos Marmol in the eighth but stranded the runners after coming up empty twice in similar situations during Monday’s loss to Chicago. Marmol struck out James Loney and Matt Kemp grounded into a force to end the threat, and the Dodgers stranded eight runners after leaving 12 the previous day.

Kerry Wood then pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save in 16 chances, the crowd chanting “Kerry! Kerry!” before Russell Martin grounded out to end the game.

The game featured two of the biggest names to move from Japan in the offseason—Kuroda and Fukudome—and both came up big.

Kuroda dismissed the matchup with Fukudome, saying through an interpreter, “It was any other hitter. This is a team game and I can’t be facing individuals.”

With the game-time temperature at 42—a 33-degree drop from Monday—Kuroda froze a team that was second in the majors with a .283 average entering the game for six innings. The exception was Fukudome.

A .330 hitter with four homers against Kuroda in Japan, Fukudome had a single and walk in three trips to the plate against his countryman before doubling against Broxton. He also raced in for a diving catch on Andre Ethier’s liner to right in the sixth.

“I’m just throwing the ball over the plate, trying to throw strikes, and to have my defense like that making plays … it makes it easier,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher made it look easy for much of the night.

He distributed a box of T-shirts with his name that the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate shipped but, otherwise, bore little resemblance to a minor leaguer. There was a scare in the first, when he deflected Ethier’s infield single with his bare hand, but Gallagher shook that off. Then, he shooed away the Dodgers.

Ted Lilly has located his strikeout pitch, and Alfonso Soriano has found his batting eye and power.

It was a strong combination Wednesday night, one that led the Chicago Cubs over the San Diego Padres 8-5.

Lilly fanned 11 in six innings to get his third straight win and Soriano had his second leadoff homer in as many nights.

“I don’t think I just stand out there and try to throw fastballs by guys,” said Lilly, who has consecutive double-digit strikeout games for the first time in his career.

“I have to mix my pitches and change speeds and locate the ball and things like that,” he said. “And at times, when I got my curveball going, I’m going to get some strikeouts on it. But I’m not going to say I’m a power pitcher.”

Backed by three RBIs apiece from Soriano and Geovany Soto, who also homered, Lilly (4-4) allowed four runs and six hits in six innings. After striking out 10 against Arizona in his previous start, he fanned eight in the first four innings. He left after throwing 102 pitches on a 46-degree night.

Cubs pitchers combined to strike out 15 against the Padres, whose 308 strikeouts are second in the major leagues behind Florida’s 326.

Soriano, who has three homers in as many games, is 10-for-19 over the last five games after a slow start that included a trip to the disabled list. He also had a key two-run single in the second inning after a wild pitch by Jake Peavy on a third strike to Lilly allowed the pitcher to reach. The single gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

“I feel great. I’m swinging the bat really well,” said Soriano, who was booed early in the 10-game homestand. “That’s part of the game. It motivates me to try to make myself a better player.”

Peavy (4-3) needed 87 pitches to make it through four innings. He gave up four runs and seven hits, struck out eight and walked two.

The wild pitch was costly.

“It would have been a different game. I still had the chance to make some pitches to Soriano there,” Peavy said. “I’d much rather get Ted Lilly out there than have to face Soriano, but I didn’t. I have to make better pitches. I’m obviously just frustrated. I have to do better than that. Having to get pulled after four is embarrassing.”

Kosuke Fukudome did everything he could in his first major league game—except bring the Chicago Cubs a victory.

Instead, the start of the Cubs’ 100th season since winning the World Series ended in familiar fashion. Tony Gwynn hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat Chicago 4-3 on a wet Monday at Wrigley Field.

Fukudome, the team’s main offseason acquisition, went 3-for-3, hitting a tying, three-run homer in the ninth off Eric Gagne (1-0).

But it wasn’t enough for the Cubs, who haven’t even reached the World Series since 1945.

“It was a pretty good day for me, but we lost the game,” Fukudome said through a translator.

Fukudome excited the crowd of 41,089 when he doubled on his first major league pitch from Ben Sheets, then singled, walked and homered. He got ovations throughout the game, including one when he first went to right field. He tipped his cap and bowed at the beginning of what would be an auspicious start.

Gagne gave up a leadoff single to Derrek Lee in the ninth and walked Aramis Ramirez before Fukudome’s drive into the right-center field bleachers. Fukudome then came out for a curtain call.

“He had a great day today. We don’t really have a game plan for him yet. We’ll see how we adjust to him,” said Sheets, who gave up only two hits in 6 1-3 innings, both by Fukudome. “I know he’s a good player.”

Pinch-hitter Craig Counsell opened the 10th with a double off Bob Howry (0-1) and moved up on a sacrifice. And after Rickie Weeks was hit by a pitch for the second straight inning, Gwynn delivered the go-ahead fly. David Riske pitched the bottom of the 10th for the save.

Sheets and Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano pitched shutout ball, the Cubs ace forced out in the seventh because of a forearm cramp.

But closers Kerry Wood and Eric Gagne both had rough outings.

“Gagne sputtered a little bit today but things like that happen,” Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. “Their stopper sputtered, too. It was funny, the starters went out and pitched great and the stoppers struggled.”

The Brewers went ahead in the ninth off Wood. After the Cubs chose to intentionally walk Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun hit an RBI single before falling down coming out of the batter’s box, and Corey Hart’s two-run double made it 3-0.

The Cubs overcame Milwaukee’s 8 1/2 -game lead in late June to win the NL Central last season, but the Brewers believe they’ve learned from the experience.

“I think last year we would have lost a game like this a lot of times,” Braun said. “It was disappointing when they came back like that, but everybody stayed together, stayed tough. We were confident that we were going to come out with a win and we did.”

Zambrano allowed three hits in 6 2-3 innings. He had problems with cramping last season, as well.

“I have to take care of myself,” he said. He had just picked Bill Hall off second base when he grabbed his arm in the seventh. Earlier in the inning, he’d been knocked to the ground by Derrek Lee as they chased a pop, but he said that had nothing to do with the cramping.

Because of the 100th anniversary, even more attention has been focused on the Cubs’ travails. Manager Lou Piniella has already told his team not to worry about he past and forge its own reputation.

“How do I view it? … It’s not something I came up with, believe me,” Piniella said before the game. “It seems rather improbable. I mean a long time.”

The Cubs have another streak Piniella would like to end first.

“I read the same things that everybody else does,” he said. “Not only have the Cubs not won in 100 years, but they haven’t been in the postseason two years in a row in that span.”

The Cubs honored one of their greats, Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, whose brilliant career also lacked a World Series appearance.

The team unveiled a statue of him in front of Wrigley Field on a wet afternoon. The game was delayed by 41 minutes at the start and another 49 minutes in the bottom of the third.

As the inning unfolded, C.C. Sabathia felt as if he was watching a favorite movie, one with a dialogue he knows by heart and predictable ending.

“Not to sound cocky,” the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner said. “But I think everybody knew what was coming.”

Say this for the Cleveland Indians, they can do drama.

The defending AL Central champions won in familiar fashion at Progressive Field—their ballpark previously known as Jacobs Field—as Casey Blake hit a three-run double in the eighth inning Monday for a 10-8 opening win over the Chicago White Sox.

Blake’s shot off the wall against Octavio Dotel capped a 3-hour, 21-minute opener that featured five homers, controversial calls and unseasonably pleasant weather in a city finally thawed out from the snowiest March on record.

After blowing a 7-2 lead, the Indians loaded the bases in the eighth on two singles and a two-out walk before Blake’s clutch hit.

“It was not that big of a surprise,” said Sabathia, who made his fifth and potentially final opening day start for the Indians. “Nobody in this clubhouse was ever in doubt. We always have faith that somebody would come through and it was Casey—once again.”

They may not play in the Jake anymore, but everything else seemed in place for the Indians, who won 23 times in their final at-bat last season.

With the score 7-7, Kelly Shoppach and Jhonny Peralta opened the eighth with singles off Dotel (0-1), who bounced back and got two quick outs. Franklin Gutierrez, who hit a three-run homer in Cleveland’s seven-run second off Mark Buehrle, walked to load the bases.

Blake fell behind 1-2 in the count before lifting a shot high off the 19-foot-high wall in left, barely missing a grand slam but starting a new chapter of memories for Indians fans, who have resisted the ballpark’s new corporate moniker.

“I was begging for a homer,” said Blake, who batted just .190 with runners in scoring position last year.

Chicago’s Jim Thome hit a pair of two-run homers off Sabathia, who couldn’t protect a 7-2 lead but wound up with a no-decision. The lefty struck out seven in 5 1-3 innings.

The White Sox threatened in the ninth as Jermaine Dye homered off Joe Borowski, last year’s AL saves leader who once again had pulses racing before retiring Joe Crede on a foul pop to get the save for winner Rafael Betancourt.

The comeback didn’t comfort losing’s sting.

“There’s no such thing as a moral victory,” catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “To come back from 7-2 against C.C. is huge, but give them credit. They got the hits when they needed them and we didn’t.”

Consecutive, debatable went against the White Sox in the eighth, preventing them from going ahead.

Crede led off with a double but was held at third when he had to check up on Juan Uribe’s hard-hit double to left-center off Betancourt. After an intentional walk, Orlando Cabrera bounced to shortstop Jhonny Peralta, whose high throw home for a force pulled catcher Kelly Shoppach off the plate. Shoppach, though, managed to tag Crede as he slid by.

At least that’s the way Gerry Davis saw it.

“Nobody tagged me,” Crede said. “I didn’t feel anything. I went in and looked at the TV replay and he didn’t tag me.”

Thome then shattered his bat on a grounder to second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, who flipped to Peralta. After stepping on the bag for one out, Peralta was making his throw to first when he was grabbed on the left leg by a sliding Orlando Cabrera, who was called out for interference.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen sprinted out of his dugout for the second time in minutes to protest another call that didn’t go Chicago’s way.

“The umpire was right,” Guillen said. “I went down and saw the replay.”

Gutierrez and Grady Sizemore homered off Mark Buehrle, who didn’t get out of the second and was disappointed with his first outing of ‘08.

“It doesn’t get much more embarrassing for a starting pitcher than that,” the left-hander said.

On their way to building a 7-2 lead, the Indians lost All-Star catcher Victor Martinez to a hamstring injury. Martinez, hurt in last year’s home opener, came up limping while running to second in Cleveland’s big inning, which he started with a base hit and ended with an RBI single.

Martinez was taken for an MRI exam following the game, and the Indians were hoping their best hitter wouldn’t miss much time.

Page after page, Roger Clemens‘ name was all over the Mitchell Report.

Count them, 82 times.

Barry Bonds showed up more often. So did Jose Canseco. Andy Pettitte, Eric Gagne and Miguel Tejada also became part of baseball’s most infamous lineup since the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

But they didn’t get the worst of it Thursday. That infamy belonged to Clemens, the greatest pitcher of his era.

The Steroids Era.

“Those who have illegally used these substances range from players whose major league careers were brief to potential members of the Baseball Hall of Fame,” former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell wrote in his much-anticipated report on performance-enhancing drugs.

“They include both pitchers and position players, and their backgrounds are as diverse as those of all major league players.”

Seven MVPs, two Cy Young Award winners and 31 All-Stars — one for every position. In all, the 409-page report identified 85 names to differing degrees, putting question marks if not asterisks in the record book and threatening the integrity of the game itself.

“If there are problems, I wanted them revealed,” commissioner Bud Selig said. “His report is a call to action, and I will act.”

Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Troy Glaus, Gary Matthews Jr., Paul Byrd, Jose Guillen, Brian Roberts, Paul Lo Duca and Rick Ankiel were among other current players cited. Some were linked to Human Growth Hormone, others to steroids. Mitchell did not delve into stimulants in his 20-month investigation.

While he vehemently denied it through his lawyer, Clemens was the symbol.

Considered a lock for the Hall of Fame earlier this week, Clemens’ path to Cooperstown was thrown in doubt after he was singled out on nearly nine pages.

Seven-time Cy Young Award winner, eighth on the career list with 354 victories, an MVP and All-Star himself, Clemens suddenly had more to worry about than simply whether to play next season.

“It is very unfair to include Roger’s name in this report,” said Clemens’ lawyer, Rusty Hardin. “He is left with no meaningful way to combat what he strongly contends are totally false allegations. He has not been charged with anything, he will not be charged with anything and yet he is being tried in the court of public opinion with no recourse. That is totally wrong.”

Much of the information about Clemens came from former New York Yankees major league strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee.

According to the report, McNamee also told investigators that “during the middle of the 2000 season, Clemens made it clear that he was ready to use steroids again. During the latter part of the regular season, McNamee injected Clemens in the buttocks four to six times with testosterone from a bottle labeled either Sustanon 250 or Deca-Durabolin.”

The report was unlikely to trigger a wave of discipline. While a few players, such as Bonds, are subjects of ongoing legal proceedings, many of the instances cited by Mitchell were before drug testing began in 2003.

Mitchell said punishment was inappropriate in all but the most egregious cases, and Selig said decisions on any action would come “swiftly” on a case-by-case basis.

Mitchell said the problems didn’t develop overnight and there was plenty of blame to go around.

“Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades — commissioners, club officials, the players’ association and players — shares to some extent the responsibility for the Steroids Era,” Mitchell said. “There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on.”

Mitchell recommended that the drug-testing program be made independent, that a list of the substances players test positive for be issued periodically and that the timing of testing be more unpredictable.

“The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game,” the report said. “Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records.”

Canseco, whose book “Juiced” was cited throughout, was mentioned the most often — 105 times. Bonds, already under indictment on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroids, was next at 103.

A total of 20 Yankees, past and present, were identified. Players were linked to doping in various ways — some were identified as users, some as buyers and some by media reports and other investigations.

Former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski also provided information as part of his plea agreement in a federal steroids case.

Rafael Palmeiro, who tested positive for steroids, was among the former players named. So were Kevin Brown, Benito Santiago, Lenny Dykstra, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice, Mo Vaughn, Wally Joyner and Todd Hundley.

Mike Stanton, Scott Schoeneweis, Ron Villone and Jerry Hairston Jr. were among the other current players identified.

“Other investigations will no doubt turn up more names and fill in more details, but that is unlikely to significantly alter the description of baseball’s `steroids era’ as set forth in this report.”

Mitchell is a director of the Boston Red Sox, and some questioned whether that created a conflict, especially because none of their prime players were in the report.

“Judge me by my work,” Mitchell said. “You will not find any evidence of bias, special treatment, for the Red Sox or anyone else. That had no effect on this investigation or this report, none whatsoever.”

Giambi, under threat of discipline from Selig, and Frank Thomas were the only current players known to have cooperated with the Mitchell investigation.

“The players’ union was largely uncooperative for reasons that I thought were largely understandable,” Mitchell said.

Union head Donald Fehr made “no apologies” for the way they represented players.

“Many players are named. Their reputations have been adversely affected, probably forever,” he said. “Even if it turns out down the road that they should not have been.”

Certainly a lot of people read the names. The report was downloaded 1.8 million times off MLB.com in the first three hours after it was posted.

About two hours after the report was released, two congressmen at the forefront of Capitol Hill’s involvement in the steroids issue asked Mitchell, Selig and Fehr to testify at a House committee hearing Tuesday.

California Democrat Henry Waxman and Virginia Republican Tom Davis — the leaders of the panel that held the March 17, 2005, hearing at which Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Palmeiro testified — want to know “whether the Mitchell Report’s recommendations will be adopted and whether additional measures are needed,” they said.

Also, a Congressional subcommittee will hold a hearing on Jan. 23 relating to steroid use in professional sports.

One swift move, two new stars. The Detroit Tigers are loading up for another run at the World Series, this time with Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

Detroit reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday to acquire Cabrera and Willis from the Florida Marlins for a package of six players, an unexpected blockbuster trade that developed quickly at the winter meetings.

“I’m glad we’re in the other division,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “That lineup just got scary.”

In a huge deal that took the spotlight away from Boston’s pursuit of Johan Santana, Florida gets lefty Andrew Miller, outfielder Cameron Maybin and four other prospects from the Tigers, a baseball official with knowledge of the talks said on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been finalized.

The Marlins also receive catcher Mike Rabelo and right-handers Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz and Dallas Trahern. The players involved must pass physicals for the deal to be completed.

“It’s very serious, but nothing is finalized yet because some issues need to get worked out,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland told The Associated Press.

Cabrera, an All-Star in each of the past four seasons, would join an imposing lineup that already includes Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Ivan Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco. The Tigers also acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria, a five-time All-Star, in a trade with Atlanta this offseason.

Willis, the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, is coming off a down year in which he went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA. He would be part of a solid rotation with Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman as Detroit tries to reach the World Series again after losing to St. Louis in 2006.

Florida didn’t even approach the Tigers until Tuesday morning. The Marlins told the Tigers they could have both stars for those six players, then Detroit called back about two hours later and agreed, the baseball official said.

“If it does happen, obviously they’re getting two very good players,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who managed the Marlins in 2006. “Miguel Cabrera is one of the finest hitters in the game. He can do so many things with a bat, whether you want him to hit a home run for you, you want to hit and run, work the count, get on base. And Dontrelle Willis has been one of the premier lefties in the National League.”

Willis was on vacation when he heard the news.

“I’m in Mexico right now with my family. I’m kind of busy,” he told the AP.

Detroit had not been considered a contender for Cabrera or Willis. Both can become free agents after the 2009 season.

Cabrera and Willis were the last players left from Florida’s 2003 championship team. Unable to secure a new ballpark, the Marlins keep shedding players when they are due to earn huge salaries. Cabrera made $7.4 million this year and Willis $6.45 million. Both were eligible for arbitration and likely to receive raises.

“I halfway expected one of them to get traded, but not both in the same deal. So it’s a little bit of a shock,” Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham said. “It’s deflating.”

In return, the Marlins get a pair of highly rated prospects: Maybin was the 10th pick in the 2005 amateur draft and Miller was selected sixth overall the following year.

The 24-year-old Cabrera made 23 errors this season at third base. To make room for him, it appears Detroit could trade third baseman Brandon Inge or left fielder Marcus Thames. Cabrera played the outfield in 2004 and 2005.

The Los Angeles Angels had pursued Cabrera for weeks. The Marlins didn’t give the Angels a last chance.

“The deal they appear to have reached, they felt was a better fit for them,” Angels general manager Tony Reagins told a pool reporter.

Boston, meanwhile, was focused on Santana, Minnesota’s two-time Cy Young Award winner. Finding the price too high, the Yankees ended their efforts to acquire the 28-year-old left-hander.

Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner had set a Monday deadline for an agreement with the Twins.

“A deadline is a deadline. It was pretty much done as of this morning,” he said Tuesday. “He’s a fine pitcher, but there’s a lot of things that go into this. This isn’t fantasy baseball.”

Boston had offered the Twins packages built either around pitcher Jon Lester or outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, but not both.

“I know there’s a lot of speculation that we’re close to something big,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. “Until we reach an agreement, then we’re not that close.”

New York had proposed pitcher Phil Hughes and center fielder Melky Cabrera. The Twins dropped their demand that pitcher Ian Kennedy be included, but the sides couldn’t agree on a third player.

“To tell you the truth, toward the end, Minnesota negotiated in good faith. They really did,” Steinbrenner said. “I have no problem with them.”