In the biggest deal since the baseball...

In the biggest deal since the baseball strike began, American League batting champion Paul O’Neill re-signed with the New York Yankees for $19 million over four years.

O’Neill, who will be 32 next season, hit .359 with 21 homers and 83 runs batted in last season. He was paid $3.5 million in 1994, the final season of a three-year deal worth $10.5 million.

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Infielder Rafael Belliard and pitcher Steve Bedrosian were re-signed by the Atlanta Braves. Belliard got $1.1 million for two years, down from the $1.6 million, two-year deal he just completed. Bedrosian got $750,000, the same amount as called for last season.

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The Angels have decided not to renew Billy Sample’s contract as commentator on radio broadcasts and will replace him with Mario Impemba, 32, director of broadcasting for the triple-A Tucson Toros.

Tennis

Goran Ivanisevic defeated U.S. Open champion Andre Agassi, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), and top-seeded Pete Sampras rolled over Magnus Larsson, 6-1, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the Stockholm Open.

Ivanisevic and Sampras will be joined in the semifinals by Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2 winner over Sergi Bruguera, and Boris Becker, who defeated defending champion Michael Stich, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

Martina Hingis, the 14-year-old Swiss prodigy, lost to Karina Habsudova, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Nokia Grand Prix at Essen, Germany.

Miscellany

Bob Murphy birdied four of the first five holes and then added five birdies on the back nine to match the course record with a nine-under 62 and take a four-stroke lead after the first round of the Kaanapali Classic at Kaanapali, Hawaii. . . . Sterling Marlin set two records in winning the pole position for the Slick 50 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Marlin’s lap of 129.833 m.p.h. broke the qualifying mark of 129.203, set a year ago by Bill Elliott. Marlin became the 16th Winston Cup pole winner this season, breaking the NASCAR modern-era record of 15 set in 1982. . . . Russia’s Foreign Ministry ordered new passports issued to two hockey stars who left the Soviet Union illegally to play in the NHL, effectively pardoning Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres and Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings and clearing the way for them to play in a charity tournament in Russia next month.

Injured California quarterback Pat Barnes (bruised nerve in the shoulder) won’t start against 22nd-ranked Washington State today, the team said. Kerry McGonigal will replace him. . . . Walter Halder, an Olympic gold medalist and member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, died Thursday after a short battle with cancer. He was 74. . . . Bill Koch, winning skipper of the 1992 America’s Cup, said his syndicate is building a new boat for the 1995 defense of the Cup by the America 3all-women’s team. . . . John Bertrand turned back an early challenge by the women’s team on America 3and sailed oneAustralia to a runaway victory in the opening race of the second International America’s Cup Class World Championship in San Diego. . . . Russia’s Irina Slutskaya edged Michelle Kwan of Torrance in the ladies short program at Skate America International in Pittsburgh. The American husband-and-wife team of Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow won the compulsory dance. . . . Russia beat the United States, 15-9, 9-15, 15-9, 16-14, in the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Volleyball Championship in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Cuba, Japan and South Korea are the other semifinalists.