SUZUKA, Japan -- Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday but will have to wait to seal a fourth-straight Formula One title as nearest rival Fernando Alonso finished fourth. Tom Seaver Jersey . Vettel surged into the lead on the 41st lap and led a Red Bull one-two ahead of teammate Mark Webber by 7.1 seconds. Webber, who started from pole position, passed Lotus Romain Grosjean on the penultimate lap. Grosjean led much of the race but could not take his maiden F1 victory and finished third. It was Vettels fourth win in the past five races at Suzuka and his ninth win of the season. "We had a great car and were fast again this year," Vettel said. "Being able to finish on the podium and to win four times here is incredible. The fans here are incredible, they really respect us." Vettel managed the rare feat of a fifth-straight race win and leads the championship by 90 points from Alonso with four races remaining. The last driver to win five races in a row was Michael Schumacher in 2004. Vettels two-stop strategy and controlled tire wear was the difference. Grosjean, who started on the second row, grabbed the lead at the first turn and held it until the 29th lap when he went into the pits for the second time to change tires. Vettel took the lead and waited for his final pit stop on lap 37. With fresh hard tires, Vettel blasted past Grosjean on lap 41 to take the lead for good. Vettel got off to a rough start when he clipped Lewis Hamiltons right rear tire before Turn 1, forcing the Mercedes driver to retire after the ninth lap due to a puncture and associated damage. "I had a very poor start," Vettel said. "I clipped the front wing but after that we were patient and I managed to get past Romain and beat Mark on the tire strategy. The decision (on the tires) was made on the first stint because we stayed out longer on the first tires. It was not easy to make the two-stop work especially in the middle sector but it worked in the end." Grosjean was bidding to become the first French driver to win a Grand Prix since Olivier Panis at Monaco in 1996. "What a start," Grosjean said. "Today was a very good race but the Red Bull caught us but we were the only ones who were able to challenge them." Despite preserving the championship race, Alonso conceded the title is virtually decided. "Even if Sebastian retires in all four races I need to win them all but we are struggling a bit at the moment," Alonso said. "We will continue to give our all in every race though and then if he wins it, Ill shake his hand." Caterham driver Giedo van der Garde and Marussias Jules Bianci were involved in contact at the back of the field after the start and were both out of the race quickly. Prior to Sundays race, the drivers honoured Maria de Villota with a moment of silence. The former F1 test driver was found dead in a hotel room in Seville, Spain, on Friday. Her family said an autopsy showed that lingering injuries from her racing accident a year ago likely caused her death. Homer Bailey Jersey . The 42-ranked Czech saved seven break points while converting his one chance, and defeated the No. 3 seed in 1 hour 46 minutes. Rosol, who lost in the final in Stuttgart against Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday, awaits the winner between Philipp Kohlschreiber or 2011 champion Gilles Simon. George Foster Jersey . Join World Soccer Pickem 2014 for your chance to win $5,500 in cash prizes by picking the winner of each game all the way through to the tournament final. Will you ride a favourite such as Spain or Germany, or cast your lot with an underdog like Ivory Coast or Mexico? Perhaps key victories from Netherlands or the United States will be your key to victory. http://www.redsgearshop.com/Reds-Barry-Larkin-Kids-Jersey/ . The American secured his first back-to-back ATP match wins since June to leave Tsonga relying on his performance at next weeks Paris Masters to clinch one of the final three places for the season-ending event in London. Tsonga would have moved up one spot to No. 6 with a win over Querrey at the City of Arts and Sciences, but his serve deserted him in the second set as the 116th-ranked American broke twice to reach the quarter-finals.DENVER -- Marlon Byrd hits better when hes sweating and not shivering. He throws more accurately, too, especially since he can feel his fingers. Byrd hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning and threw out a runner from right field in the ninth to lead the New York Mets past the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Thursday in a makeup game for the one that was snowed out on April 17. Give him heat any day, whether its a fastball or the weather. Byrd didnt much care for his last trip to Denver, when the temperature was hovering around 28 degrees and the area was blanketed in snow. A 95-degree day with hardly a cloud in the sky? Now that was much more to his liking. "The cold has never been good for me," Byrd said. "This was nice. Had a real good day to play baseball. To come out with the win was even better." His bat gave the Mets the lead, and his arm protected it. With the Mets trailing 2-1 and a runner on, Byrd drove a fastball from reliever Matt Belisle (4-5) into the left-centre seats. One inning later, the right fielder threw out Michael Cuddyer when he tried to stretch a leadoff single into a double. "Thats that old-school Minnesota Twins baseball," Byrd said of Cuddyer, who began his career with the Twins. "Cuddyer knows how to play the game. He was trying to put pressure on the defence, which I know that he does. I came up and made a decent throw." Byrd practices throwing to the bases all the time. Its really a lost art around the majors, but Byrd makes a point to work on it, just in case of days like Thursday. "He made a good throw," Cuddyer said. "It took a perfect throw to get me and kudos to him, he made it." That was a downer on an otherwise big day for Cuddyer, who had three singles to extend his hitting streak to a franchise-record 24 games. Cuddyer entered the game tied with Dante Bichette before breaking the Rockies mark with a single to centre off Jeremy Hefner on a scorching afternoon. "Anytime you can put your name in any type of record book for a good thing is a good thing," Cuddyer said. "Id trade it for a win, though." The homer by Byrd was about the extent of the offence for New York with star slugger David Wright receiving a rare rest. Hefner drove in the teams other run on a groundout. "Without D-Wright in the lineup, you wonder if were going to score runs," Byrd said. "But we got enough today. Thats the big thing." LaTroy Hawkins (3-1) earned the win with a scoreless seventh and Bobby Parnell closed for his 14th save in 17 chances. The fourth-place Mets finished 7-4 on a four-city road trip that took them to three time zones. They have won eight of 12 overall. The weather was drastically different from the Mets trip to town iin mid-April, when the temperatures were bitterly cold. Custom Cincinnati Reds Jerseys. The series opener was postponed, forcing a frosty doubleheader the next day. The game on April 17 was called off, too, leading to New Yorks quick detour to Denver on Thursday after a two-game series in Chicago with the White Sox. This time, the weather was more suitable for baseball. It was tied for the seventh-hottest home game in Rockies history. Colorado was cruising along until the eighth, when shortstop Jonathan Herrera and second baseman Josh Rutledge collided while trying to field Daniel Murphys single up the middle. Murphy stole second and Byrd followed with his 12th homer. It was yet another strong outing from Hefner. He went six innings, giving up two runs -- one earned -- and five hits. "My performances are finally matching up to the expectations," Hefner said. "This doesnt surprise me." Tyler Chatwood took a no-hit bid into the fifth before it was broken up by Zach Lutz, one of four hits the Mets managed off Chatwood. The righty threw a season-high 103 pitches, and his best may have been his last when he struck out Juan Lagares looking on a 92 mph fastball with the bases loaded in the sixth. Earlier in that inning, Chatwood took a line drive off his right leg. After a few warmup pitches, he remained in the game. New York loaded the bases with none out in the fifth, but Chatwood was able to work out of the sticky situation, giving up only one run on a fielders choice by Hefner. Left fielder Carlos Gonzalez ended the threat with a sliding catch in foul territory. "I really didnt have very good command at all today but I was able to keep our team in the game," Chatwood said. "I was happy with it." The Rockies scored twice in the second, when Cuddyer led off with a single and went to third on Wilin Rosarios double. Todd Helton hit a sacrifice fly, and Rosario later scored on a throwing error by first baseman Josh Satin. New York had two former Rockies batting 1-2 in the order in Eric Young Jr. and Omar Quintanilla. Young was acquired by the Mets last week from Colorado after he was designated for assignment. Young received a round of applause from the crowd in his first plate appearance. Hes long been a fan favourite, especially since his dad played in the Mile High City. "Im excited to get a chance to play back here so soon," Young said. NOTES: Mets manager Terry Collins said SS Ruben Tejada (strained quadriceps) might be ready to play in some Gulf Coast League games this weekend. Tejada could head to either Double-A or Triple-A on a rehab assignment after that. ... The Rockies signed INF Reid Brignac to a minor league deal. ... Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (broken rib) has started some light throwing. Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Bruins Jerseys Cheap Sabres Jerseys Cheap Flames Jerseys Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Florida Panthers Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys ' ' '