Baseball: Yankees after blood

The New York Yankees, still smarting from their defeat by Boston in last year's American League championship series, begin a new Major League Baseball playoff chase this week that could bring a rematch with the defending champion Red Sox.

The Yankees, who edged Boston for this year's East division title, face the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim today while Boston play the Chicago White Sox.

In the National League, the St Louis Cardinals host the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves play the Houston Astros.