'The Boss' gets 7th title

Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees said throughout the postseason they wanted to win another title for George Steinbrenner.

The frail owner wasn't around when New York beat Philadelphia 7-3 on Wednesday night to win the World Series, but there's no doubt the outcome brought a smile to his face.

It was the 79-year-old Steinbrenner's seventh crown since he bought the team in 1973 and first since turning over the day-to-day operation of the team to his son, Hal, last November. Hal Steinbrenner was expected to accept the championship trophy.

George Steinbrenner has made few public appearances since his health deteriorated in recent years. He attended the first two games against the Phillies, returning to the new Yankee Stadium for the first time since opening day.

The Yankees' objective to win one for Steinbrenner was never more obvious than the Series opener last Wednesday, when the grounds crew donned T-shirts that read "WIN IT FOR THE BOSS" on the front and 27 on the back - New York won its 27th crown overall.

Records: Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch in the third inning Wednesday night, tying two World Series records.

Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were plunked three times each against the Phillies, joining Pittsburgh's Max Carey in 1925 as the only players to be hit three times in a single Series.

The 2009 Yankees, 1909 Pirates and 2001 Diamondbacks are the only clubs with six HBPs as a team in a Series.

Too little, too late: Ryan Howard broke out of his World Series slump, but it wasn't enough for the Phillies to force a Game 7.

Howard hit an opposite-field, two-run homer to left off Andy Pettitte in the sixth inning to cut New York's lead to 7-3, but that was it for the Philadelphia offense. The big first baseman batted just .174 (4-for-23) against the Yankees with a Series-record 13 strikeouts.

Howard, who was MVP of the Phillies' NL Championship Series victory over Los Angeles, finished with 17 RBIs in the postseason, tying the National League record set by San Francisco's Rich Aurilia in 2002 and equaled by Florida's Ivan Rodriguez in 2003.

Lilly has surgery: Chicago Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly, who has been one of the team's most consistent starters the past three seasons, had surgery on his left shoulder, and no timetable has been set for his return.

The Cubs said the arthroscopy and debridement procedure performed Tuesday by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles revealed no major damage to Lilly's shoulder.

Yocum performed a washout and clean-up of the shoulder during the one-hour surgery.

Lilly, who was 12-9 with a 3.10 ERA in 27 starts this season, said he was told initially he might not be able to start throwing for four months, depending on how well his rehab progresses.

"That could change one way or the other. My intention is to try to get back as fast as I can without setting myself back," Lilly said Wednesday during a conference call.

The Cubs are hoping he can join the rotation sometime in April.

Dodgers' Padilla in accidental shooting: Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla is recovering from a bullet wound in his leg after a target shooting instructor accidentally shot him.

Dr. Eduardo Reguera said Padilla, who signed with the Dodgers in August, didn't need surgery after spending time at a hospital in Managua, Nicaragua.

Police spokesman Vilma Reyes said Wednesday that Padilla's pistol apparently jammed during a target shooting session late Tuesday.

Padilla handed the pistol to a shooting instructor, a former police captain, who didn't realize there was a bullet in the chamber and shot himself in his hand, Padilla's legal adviser Roberto Calderon told The Associated Press. The bullet also grazed Padilla's leg.

Padilla went 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA for the Dodgers the final two months of the regular season.

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