WHISTLER, B. MLB Jerseys China .C. -- Fourth place is starting to get old for Canadas Justin Snith and Tristan Walker. The Calgary duo produced their best result of the World Cup luge season Friday, only to fall agonizingly short of the doubles podium for the fourth time in 2013. Snith and Walker were sixth after the first run before blazing to the third fastest time on their second trip down the course to finish just 0.027 seconds out of third. "We know were close. We were definitely closer than we were last year," said Snith, who along with Walker finished fourth in doubles at the 2013 world championship on the same track. "It was just the difference of our first run. We had a couple little skids on the way down and that was the difference between fourth and third." Snith and Walker, who also finished fourth in last seasons final two World Cup events, wound up with a combined two-run time of one minute 13.378 seconds. "The first run had a couple little sloppy mistakes and its been kind of the story of the season so far," said Walker. "Its been frustrating. We know we have so much more to give once you get the two runs combined, but we know were right there." Germanys Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt continued their doubles dominance while extending their lead in the World Cup standings with a third victory in four races this season, finishing first at the Whistler Sliding Centre with a time of 1:13.087. "Its a very good track for us," said Arlt, who paired with Wendl to win gold at last years world championship. "We like it a lot. Its awesome to be here." German teammates Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, the only men to beat Wendl and Arlt this season, were second with a time of 1:13.171 at the venue that hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. Austrias Penter Penz and Georg Fischler were third in 1:13.351. Germanys Felix Loch then continued his reign in mens singles at Whistler, winning his third straight race here after finishing his two runs in 1:36.686. Loch, who took the overall lead in the World Cup standings with his second victory of the season, won gold at the 2010 Olympics and again last year at the world championship. "The two runs today were really good," said Loch. "In the first run, a little mistake out of (Turn) 12 but it was not a problem. The second one was really good. "Im happy about the two times." Chris Mazdzer of the United States surprised the field with his first-ever podium, finishing in second at 1:36.978. "I love this track," said a jubilant Mazdzer. "Last year I had my best result of my entire career and this year I upped it." German teammates Andi Langenhan and David Moller were second and third after the first run behind Loch, but a couple of mistakes opened the door for Mazdzer in the frigid conditions on the track perched above this picturesque resort town. "I made myself a little more out of control to go faster and it paid off," he said. "Those were two very sketchy runs, Ill call it. Just kind of out of control, on the verge. Luckily I kept the sled going straight and made it down both times. "There were some times I didnt really know where I was going." Italys Dominik Fischnaller finished third with a time of 1:36.981, while Calgarys Sam Edney wound up sixth for the third straight time this season, 0.420 back of Loch. "Sixth place is a great result again. I know that its that close to the podium," said Edney, whose two runs clocked in at 1:37.106. "Its a matter tenths of a second, which is inspiring and motivating." Snith and Walker started the World Cup season with a disappointing 19th-place finish in Norway before following that up with a 12th-place showing in Austria the following week. The pair got things going last week with a fifth-place finish in Winterberg, Germany, and went one better on Friday. "The second run, right from the start, nailed the start cut," said Snith. "On the way down, no problems, no skids anywhere. I knew it was a good one." Canada has never won an Olympic medal in luge, but is hoping to change that in Sochi in February. Germany is the dominant power in the sport, but Canada is in the mix in all four events -- doubles, mens and womens singles, as well as the team relay, which will be making its debut at the Games. "(The Germans) are just humans, theyre not robots," said Snith. "They will make mistakes and we just have to be ready and capitalize on those opportunities. "Theyre a little bit further away than Id like them to be right now, but if we keep working like the way we have been going and working on the start, Im sure that time difference will come down." Arlt agreed that the Canadians are close to cracking a top-three finish in doubles. "Its getting closer," he said. "Theyre very concentrated and work very hard. Its not (far) to the podium." The womens singles and team relay events go Saturday. Notes: Mitchel Malyk and John Fennell, both of Calgary, finished the mens singles race in 19th and 24th, respectively. ... Snith and Walker cost Canada a chance at a second-straight World Cup medal in the team relay last weekend when they left the gate early in their leg of the race and were disqualified. ... The World Cup luge schedule continues next week in Park City, Utah. ... The Whistler Sliding Centre is the same venue where 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died just hours before the start of the 2010 Olympics, prompting criticism that the course was too fast. Cheap MLB Jerseys Nike 2020 . LeBron James believes hes a major reason for their early failures. Discount MLB Jerseys . The Toronto Maple Leafs were holding a news conference, so they got curious. It didnt take long for them to find out via social media that coach Randy Carlyle was coming back — with a two-year extension — and assistants Greg Cronin, Scott Gordon and Dave Farrish were being let go. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . But the young forward is more than willing to shed a little blood if thats what it takes to make the team this season. "It caught me pretty good, dazed me for that shift, but I didnt want to be off the ice for too long," he said after practice, his lip still bleeding a little despite the plastic stitches holding it together.NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter stood on the dugout steps, stone-faced as a statue, when Ichiro Suzuki approached after rounding with the bases with his first home run since last August. Only when the Japanese star was inches away did the New York Yankees captain crack a wide smile and offer a fist bump. Suzuki hit a go-ahead, three-run drive in the third inning against Mark Buehrle, and the Yankees overcame an early deficit to beat the Blue Jays 6-4 Friday night for their 17th straight home win against Toronto. "I was kind of expecting that," Suzuki said through a translator, referring to Jeters reaction. "During batting practice, he always tells me, Cant leave, which means the ball doesnt leave the ballpark." This time, Jeter altered his comment slightly -- or so Suzuki thought. "I think he said, Can leave," Suzuki said before laughing. After months of injuries and mediocre play, the Yankees find themselves back in playoff position and in a much better frame of mind. New York won for the seventh time in eight games since the All-Star break and moved one game in front of the third-place Blue Jays in the AL East. "Its better than the alternative, but it really doesnt mean a whole lot with 60 games to go," manager Joe Girardi said. Jose Bautista homered twice to reach 20 for the fifth straight season. He also doubled and drove in four runs, but Buehrle couldnt hold leads of 3-0 and 4-2. The All-Star left-hander dropped to 1-12 against the Yankees, including 10 straight losses over the past decade. New York is 26-10 against Toronto since September 2012. The bottom four batters in the Yankees lineup combined to go 7 for 14 with four RBIs. "You walk in this stadium, you feel energy. Its hard to really describe why, but its there," said third baseman Chase Headley, acquired from San Diego on Tuesday. Hiroki Kuroda (7-6) shrugged off a shaky start and allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 28 chances, completing the bullpens two-hit, scoreless night. "With the stuff I had, I was struggling all day. Clearance MLB Jerseys. But at the same time, I tried to hang in there," Kuroda said through a translator. Buehrle (10-7) started the season 10-1 but dropped to 0-6 with a 4.83 ERA in nine starts since beating Kansas City on June 1. He gave up six runs and nine hits in three innings, his shortest outing since June 6, 2010, for the Chicago White Sox against Cleveland. "Thats just frustrating," Buehrle said. "A big game like this, we needed to come out and try and make a point." Toronto manager John Gibbons called off pregame batting practice, hoping to change his teams luck in the Bronx. And it seemed to work at first when Bautista hit a three-run homer over the left-field scoreboard on a 3-0 pitch in the first. But New York closed in the second on Brian Roberts bases-loaded infield hit on a bouncer to third and Brett Gardners sacrifice fly. Bautista hit a solo drive in the third -- hes 4 for 16 against Kuroda with four home runs. Carlos Beltrans solo drive and Suzukis first home run since Aug. 30 off Baltimores Miguel Gonzalez put the Yankees ahead. The homerless streak of 294 at-bats was the third-longest of Suzukis major league career. The 40-year-old entered in a 6-for-41 (.146) slide overall but is hitting .431 in his career against Buehrle (25 for 58). Torontos Yankee Stadium skid, which started in September 2012, is the longest for a team at one opponent since Tampa Bay lost 18 in a row in Cleveland from September 2005 to July 2010, according to STATS. Suzuki was happy to have any kind of positive number in his home run column. "Now thats its not a 0, maybe Michael Kay will be easy on me," he said playfully, referring to a Yankees broadcaster. NOTES: New York has come from behind in its last five wins. ... LHP Chris Capuano, acquired from Colorado on Thursday, will become the Yankees 11th starting pitcher and 47th player this season Saturday. RHP Drew Hutchinson starts for Toronto. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira, who hasnt played since Sunday because of a strained back, hopes to play within a few days and avoid the DL. Girardi said Teixeira wont play this weekend. ' ' '