Cabrera Can’t Break Record

The Pacific League champion Seibu Lions defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines on Monday in their last regular-season game this season, but Lion fans were let down by Alex Cabrera’s failure to break Japan’s home run record.

Cabrera -- formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks -- had one hit in four at-bats.

On Oct. 2, Cabrera tied the Japanese season record of 55 home runs, set by the legendary Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by Tuffy Rhodes last year.

Frustration mounted last week for Cabrera, a 30-year-old from Venezuela, when he accused pitchers of jinxing his chances of breaking the record by throwing away from him.

But in his final three games, he found more pitches to hit.

“It is disappointing I could not break the home run record,” Cabrera said.

“But I appreciate the pitchers contesting with me more than I thought since hitting the record of 55.”

Tennis

Agustin Calleri defeated James Blake, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round of the Tennis Masters Madrid. Also, Magnus Norman beat Mariano Zabaleta, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), 6-2; Marcelo Rios defeated Gaston Gaudio, 6-2, 6-2, and Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian beat Francisco Clavet, 6-1, 6-1.... Fifth-seeded Jelena Dokic defeated Iva Majoli, 6-1, 6-4, in the first round of the Swisscom Challenge at Zurich, Switzerland.... Fifth-seeded Francesca Schiavone beat Adriana Serra Zanetti, 7-5, 6-3, in the first round of the VUB Open at Bratislava, Slovakia.

College Football

Louisiana State quarterback Matt Mauck’s right foot is swollen and in a cast, but X-rays showed no break. Mauck was injured during the Tigers’ 36-7 victory over Florida on Saturday. The injury will be reevaluated tonight or Wednesday morning.

Nebraska quarterback Jammal Lord was ticketed in Lincoln, Neb., for disturbing the peace.

Lord and Greichaly Cepero, a women’s basketball and volleyball player at the school, appeared to be drunk and were taken to a detoxification center early Sunday. They were released later and never arrested, police said.

Florida quarterback Rex Grossman left practice early to receive treatment for an unspecified injury.

The team would not elaborate.

Miscellany

Marla Runyan held off a furious charge from Kenya’s Teresa Wanjiku to win the USA National 10K championship at the 26th annual Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women at Boston.

Runyan, running in her first 10K, finished in 31 minutes 46 seconds, two-tenths of a second ahead of Wanjiku in the closest finish in the history of the race.

The NCAA Committee of Infractions wants to speak with Arkansas officials before settling a case involving allegations of improper payments by a former booster to football and basketball players, university officials said.

Audrey Mestre, who died Saturday near La Romana, Dominican Republic, while trying to set a free-diving world record of 561 feet, will be recognized as the record holder after all.

The Miami-based International Assn. of Free Divers will recognize Mestre’s unofficial practice attempt Wednesday, when she dove 558 feet and met all the requirements in front of judges.

For a dive to be considered a record, the diver must surface safely.

Mestre, 28, reached 561 feet on a single breath Saturday, then apparently blacked out.

Passings

Eddie Lynch, a partner in the ownership of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks, died of complications following a stroke. He was 67.