New York Yankees

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Wes Covington, a powerful outfielder on the ill-fated 1964 Phillies team whose unorthodox batting stance was mimicked by a generation of young Philadelphians, died July 4 in Edmonton, Alberta, where he had made his home for decades. Mr. Covington, 79, who hit 131 home runs in 11 big-league seasons, succumbed to cancer, according to family members. A North Carolina native who was signed by the Boston Braves in 1952, Mr. Covington, at his first minor-league stop in Eau Claire, Wis., initially overshadowed his teammate, future Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.

Who: Phillies (5-5) at New York Yankees (3-5) When: 1:05 p.m. Where: George Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, Fla. TV/Radio: None On the mound: RHP Roy Oswalt, RHP A.J. Burnett.

It's the spring fever edition of Phillies fever, as tickets to Florida exhibition games went on sale this morning. These tickets, $13 for standing room to $34, are for 17 games, all but one in March, at Bright House Field in Clearwater. The Feb. 29 game is against the Florida State Seminoles. The others are part of Grapefruit League play against other major-league squads. Until today, the only individual game tickets for sale were for two Philadelphia exhibitions, April 2 and 3, against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park.

The start times for the remainder of the first round were announced tonight and the Phillies and Cardinals will play at 5:07 p.m. on Tuesday in Game 3 and 6:07 p.m. on Wednesday in Game 4, if necessary. The Game 4 start time could move back to 8:07 if that is the only game, should the Brewers-Diamondbacks series end in a sweep. Both games 3 and 4 are scheduled to be in St. Louis. If Game 5 is needed, the Phillies would host an 8:37 start on Friday, if both NLDS go the distance.

COMCAST SportsNet Sixers sideline reporter Meredith Marakovits has been named the New York Yankees' clubhouse reporter for the YES Network. She will be part of Yankees' telecasts, pregame and postgame shows, and the "Yankees Batting Practice Today" show. Marakovits will also appear on additional Yankees programming and will contribute to YESNetwork.com. Her last day with CSN is April 4. The Yankees' season opener is April 6. "I am excited about covering arguably the greatest franchise in sports, the New York Yankees, with its rich history and its continued commitment to excellence," Marakovits said.

Matty Alou, once part of an all-Alou outfield for the San Francisco Giants with brothers Felipe and Jesus, died Thursday in his native Dominican Republic. He was 72. He died of diabetes complications, according to his former Dominican team, Leones del Escogido. The Giants also confirmed his death and said Mr. Alou had been sick for several years with a variety of health issues. Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said he knew his "great friend" had been ailing. "We roomed together a few times with the Giants," Cepeda said by phone.

RAUL IBANEZ has finally found a new home. Ibanez, the Phillies' leftfielder for the last three seasons, yesterday agreed to a 1-year, $1.1 million contract with the New York Yankees, according to sources. Ibanez' deal also includes $2.9 million in performance bonuses. "He's a guy that's hit righthanders very well over his career, can still play the outfield," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, without confirming the agreement. "Has been a productive player if you look over the last 10 years.

TWENTY YEARS ago, Buck Showalter picked up his first managerial win in the majors as his New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox. Tuesday night, he got win No. 1,000, this time against the Yankees, as the visiting Baltimore Orioles beat the Yankees, 7-1. Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy homered off for the Orioles in their first win in five tries against the Yankees this year. Showalter improved to 1,000-958 in 14 seasons with the Yankees, Arizona, Texas and Baltimore. "I'm very appreciative of the players making me feel really young tonight, even though I'm an old goat," Showalter said.

The New York Yankees yesterday signed former Phillies righthander Chan Ho Park to a one-year, $1.2 million contract with incentives that could add $300,000, Newsday reported. Park went 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 45 games with the NL champion Phils last year. He worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings against the Yankees in the 2009 World Series. General manager Brian Cashman called Park "very attractive, especially what he does out of the bullpen. " Park had been looking for an opportunity to break into a team's starting rotation.

The New York Yankees say they aren't for sale. The Daily News reported Thursday that there were rumors in Major League Baseball and New York's banking circles that the Steinbrenner family "is exploring the possibility of selling the Yankees. " Not so, says Yankees managing partner Hal Steinbrenner. "I just learned of the Daily News story. It is pure fiction," he said in a statement. "The Yankees are not for sale. I expect that the Yankees will be in my family for many years to come.

Hatboro-Horsham's Pete Moore says outfielder Casey Saverio is pretty much a human sponge. "He soaks everything up," the coach said. "His baseball instincts are phenomenal. " Saverio, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior, is the latest in his family to star on the diamond. His brothers, Sean and Brett, played at La Salle and Hatboro-Horsham, respectively. The boys' father, Lee, is an assistant for the Hatters. Previously, he was head coach at Cheltenham High, La Salle University, and St. Joseph's University.

EVEN KEVIN Millwood was caught up in Andy Pettitte's return to the big leagues. Still, he was happy to play the spoiler. Millwood pitched three-hit ball for seven innings and Casper Wells and Justin Smoak each hit a two-run homer, lifting the visiting Seattle Mariners past Pettitte and the New York Yankees, 6-2, Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep. "I was watching him," Millwood said of Pettitte, who hadn't pitched since retiring after the 2010 season. "I think everybody was kind of curious.

ANDY PETTITTE is set to rejoin the New York Yankees and start this Sunday at home against the Seattle Mariners. "Everybody's in agreement he's not going to benefit from any more time below," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday. Pettitte retired after the 2010 season and sat out last year. The lefty, who turns 40 next month, returned to the team in spring training and has been pitching in the minors. Pettitte threw five shaky innings Sunday in his first Triple A start in his comeback, allowing five runs and eight hits.

TWENTY YEARS ago, Buck Showalter picked up his first managerial win in the majors as his New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox. Tuesday night, he got win No. 1,000, this time against the Yankees, as the visiting Baltimore Orioles beat the Yankees, 7-1. Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy homered off for the Orioles in their first win in five tries against the Yankees this year. Showalter improved to 1,000-958 in 14 seasons with the Yankees, Arizona, Texas and Baltimore. "I'm very appreciative of the players making me feel really young tonight, even though I'm an old goat," Showalter said.

YU DARVISH overcome a rocky start and got a big boost from the powerful Texas lineup, winning his much-anticipated major league debut in the Rangers' 11-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. After giving up four runs while throwing 42 pitches in the first inning, then allowing another run in the second, Darvish (1-0) settled down and later retired 10 in a row while pitching into the sixth. Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer in the third for Texas to tie the game at 5, then Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton both went deep in the fourth to give Darvish an 8-5 lead.

COMCAST SportsNet Sixers sideline reporter Meredith Marakovits has been named the New York Yankees' clubhouse reporter for the YES Network. She will be part of Yankees' telecasts, pregame and postgame shows, and the "Yankees Batting Practice Today" show. Marakovits will also appear on additional Yankees programming and will contribute to YESNetwork.com. Her last day with CSN is April 4. The Yankees' season opener is April 6. "I am excited about covering arguably the greatest franchise in sports, the New York Yankees, with its rich history and its continued commitment to excellence," Marakovits said.

He couldn't stay away. Would you, if you were Andy Pettitte? The 39-year-old lefthander, who was in camp earlier with the New York Yankees as an instructor and threw batting practice, ended his one-year retirement Friday and signed a minor-league deal with an invite to big-league spring training. If he makes it, he gets a $2.5 million, one-year contract. Given that he was an all-star and went 11-3 for the Yankees in 2010, we don't blame either the pitcher or the club for wondering if there's still something left.

DAVID ROBERTSON walked out of the Yankees clubhouse, holding a pair of crutches, his right foot in an oversized black boot. Instead of making his second spring-training appearance, he had gone to a hospital yesterday for an MRI after a household accident: He sprained a foot when he stumbled on stairs while moving boxes. "It's embarrassing. I already had 'Mo' rag me out about it," he said after speaking with closer Mariano Rivera. The New York Yankees were waiting to find out the cost of their first misstep of 2012.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Austin Hyatt, 25 and unassuming, has a modest goal for 2012: He wants to pitch at triple-A Lehigh Valley. "That would be the next step along the progression, I guess," Hyatt said, "so hopefully I end up there. " On Wednesday, he was bestowed the honor of starting the Phillies' first exhibition game of the spring. In a 6-1 victory over Florida State University, Hyatt tossed two scoreless innings and struck out three. It was his first time pitching in front of Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee, and for a pitcher who won't have many chances this spring to make an impression, he was pleased.