BOSTON -- Alfonso Soriano walked into a pack of reporters at Fenway Park with his familiar smile, fresh off another big night at the plate. His historic four-game clip had the rest of the Yankees feeling good, too. Soriano has put up eye-popping numbers lately, providing the power his teammates were missing to help New York tighten the playoff race. In a four-game span through Friday nights win at Boston, the 37-year-old Soriano went 13 for 18 with five homers and a record-tying 18 RBIs, becoming the sixth player to drive in that many during a stretch of four games. The huge hits are even more than the Yankees hoped for when they got the good-natured Soriano in a late July trade with the Chicago Cubs, bringing him back to the organization where he began his major league career in 1999. "Its fun to watch the way hes adjusted right away," Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano said. "He was in the National League for six years and to come back to the American League and swing the bat the way he is, is unbelievable, especially right when we need him." Soriano became the first player with 18 RBIs in four games since Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa in August 2002. Before that, it was Yankees Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio in 1939. Soriano had two singles in four at-bats Saturday but was held without an RBI during a 6-1 loss to the rival Red Sox. He is 15 for 22 (.682) in his last five games with five homers and nine runs scored. The Yankees acquired Soriano to boost a struggling lineup that was riddled with injuries and looked nothing like last years team that led the majors with 245 homers. At the time of the deal, they were next-to-last in the AL with 88 home runs. With one four-game outburst, however, he had them thinking about what they could accomplish the rest of the way. The Yankees are chasing a wild-card spot. With the Cubs, Soriano was on a team that had one of the worst records in the NL. "I was having fun," he said Saturday, sitting at his locker about two hours before the game. "But to come back to the Yankees, its more fun. Its back home and makes me feel more comfortable and happy." The season didnt start well for Soriano. He didnt get his 18th RBI until the 47th game, managing just two in 26 April games. Soriano, who has 397 career home runs, hit .254 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs for the Cubs this year. The seven-time All-Star is batting .329 with eight homers and 26 RBIs for the Yankees. In a 10-3 victory Friday night, he hit a three-run homer and drove in four. It was New Yorks fifth win in six games. "Theyre having fun with him. They probably dont want to see him come out of it, either," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Theyre laughing with him and having fun. Hes got a chance to do some damage. Thats the way the guys been his whole career -- from Day One when we saw him. Hes got a lot of power and that still hasnt changed." Missing injured sluggers Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez for most of the year, the Bronx Bombers limped through much of the season. That is, until Soriano arrived and gave them more power behind Cano. "Of course its a big difference," Cano said. "Now, the last thing the pitcher wants is to face a guy like that. Now you see better pitches. You know the guy behind you is really hot and he can do damage at any time." Soriano is just enjoying the ride as much as his teammates. "Theyre happy to see me do what Im doing," he said. And amazed at what hes done. "Its like hes playing slow-pitch softball," Rodriguez said.Cheap NFL Jerseys China . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. China NBA Jerseys . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. http://www.wholesalejerseysnflforsale.com/ .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Cheap Stitched Jerseys . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training.The Big 12 decided Monday against adding any new members after a three-month process during which conference officials held interviews with 11 potential expansion candidates. Reaction from some of the schools who were considered:---Todays Big 12 announcement does not change the fact that we remain committed, competitive and optimistic. This process has only strengthened our collective resolve that we can compete with the best in class from academics to athletics. -- University of Cincinnati interim president Beverly J. Davenport and athletic director Mike Bohn, in a joint statement.---The Big 12s decision in no way changes the mission of the University of Houston that began long before there was talk of conference expansion. ... We remain committed to strengthening our nationally competitive programs in academics and athletics that allow our student athletes to compete on the national stage. We are confident that in this competitive collegiate athletics landscape an established program with a history of winning championships and a demonstrated commitment to talent and facilities in the nations fourth largest city will find its rightful place. Our destiny belongs to us. -- University of Houston President Renu Khator.---One of the telling things about this process is that the Big 12, in wanting to expand, look at who they were talking to. Most of the schools they were talking to were in our conference. I think that shows, without question, that our conference plays at their level and are athletically and academically appropriate to be a Power Five. -- UConn President Susan Herbst, who also serves as chairwoman of the board for the American Athletic Conference.---The Big 12 decision today will likely stabilize the FBS conference landscape in the short term. At Rice, we needd to continue to promote our brand and schedule well to deliver the best environment possible for our students and fans.dddddddddddd -- Rice AD Joe Karlgaard.---Over the last few months, BYU has learned a lot about its strengths as an institution and as an athletic department. Through our in-depth review we have reinforced valuable relationships and have been reminded how strong we are as a university. BYU strives to run its athletic program like a P5 institution. Our national fan base and broadcast ratings, along with the many historical and recent successes of our teams, attest we certainly belong. We believe BYU can significantly contribute to the athletic and academic excellence of a P5 conference. -- BYU official statement.---Our student-athletes, coaches, staff, donors, alumni, fans and community members have propelled our program to profound success in recent years in the American Athletic Conference and I am confident that they will continue to do so in the future. The USF family came together with many in the Tampa community to tell our remarkable story to the world, and we will continue to share it. -- USF athletic director Mark Harlan.---I think its easy to refocus on our vision to be the best program in the American Athletic Conference and if we do that then well compete on a national level across all 17 sports. Now we have everyone devoted to that vision. When we talked in the spring before the Big 12s announcement, we felt we were positioning ourselves to be another power conference. So in a lot of ways, this process validated that belief because ours was the league where they looked. -- SMU AD Rick Hart told the Dallas Morning News. ' ' '