Roger Federer flicked a final winner, trotted to the net and started to shake hands. Then, there was one last challenge. Playfully, Thiago Alves called for a replay review. So the man trying for his fifth straight U.S. Open title and an overmatched qualifier shared a laugh, watching together as the giant scoreboards above Arthur Ashe Stadium confirmed the call: The ball landed squarely on the line,...

The Tampa Bay Rays cleared another hurdle in the effort to distance themselves from their woeful past. Ben Zobrist hit a grand slam, Cliff Floyd drove in five runs and the AL East-leading Rays guaranteed their first-ever winning season with a 14-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. "Going into spring training I knew we were better," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

The New York Mets were one strike from defeat before Carlos Beltran came through with the big hit that had eluded them all night. Beltran hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning off Kevin Gregg, and New York's shaky bullpen held on for a 5-4 win over the Florida Marlins on Friday night. Before Beltran's homer, the Mets were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

The Philadelphia Phillies may have benefited from an instant replay in the seventh inning. Too bad the rule only is in effect for home run calls. Ryan Howard was called out on a close play at first, thwarting a rally that helped the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 for their seventh straight win.