Dodgers, Angels Are Hot

The Angels and Dodgers combined to sell nearly 7 million tickets last season, setting a major league record for a two-team market. The teams are more than halfway there already this season, even though the season does not start for another month.

With each team coming off a division championship and rolling out an advertising campaign to claim Los Angeles as its own, the teams have sold 4.3 million tickets.

The Dodgers announced Monday they have sold more than 2 million, the fastest they have hit that mark since 1993.

The team has sold 22,000 season tickets, up 2,000 from last year, spokesman John Olguin said.

The Angels stand at about 2.3 million, with a record 26,000 season tickets, up 1,000 from last year, spokesman Tim Mead said.

-- Bill Shaikin

Jason Giambi answered the boos with a blast -- and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox when it didn’t count.

Only 4 1/2 months after Boston became the first major league team to overcome a 3-0 deficit by beating New York in four consecutive games of the American League championship series, Giambi hit his first homer of spring training in the Yankees’ 9-2 exhibition win at Fort Myers, Fla.

With fans chanting “Steroids!” Giambi hit a solo shot in the fifth inning.

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C.C. Sabathia probably won’t start the season opener for the Cleveland Indians after tests revealed the left-hander strained a muscle in his right side.

Sabathia strained the abdominal muscle while warming up for his scheduled start against Detroit on Sunday.

He has been ordered not to throw for a week.

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Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas arrived for his first day of spring training and said his recovery from off-season ankle surgery could have him back in the starting lineup by the first week of April.

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Baltimore Oriole pitcher Sidney Ponson was scratched from his first spring training appearance because of visa problems associated with his court case in Aruba.

Ponson was scheduled to start against the Florida Marlins, but the right-hander learned Monday morning that he could not pitch in a game in which admission is charged, according to rules set in place by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Ponson was charged with assault after a Christmas Day brawl in his homeland.