Carlos Zambrano tried to talk the Cubs out of placing him on the disabled list, but in the end was convinced it was the right thing to do — even if it makes White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen happy.

Zambrano was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday, and will miss two starts, because of inflammation in his right shoulder. That means Zambrano will not pitch in the Interleague series between the Cubs and White Sox.

Guillen and Zambrano had dinner together at Zambrano’s home, dining on Venezuelan dishes such as arepas, and the White Sox manager jokingly suggested the pitcher take the time off.

“I said, ‘I may miss one start,’” Zambrano said. “He said, ‘You better miss two.’ I said, ‘No, just one.’ He said, ‘Why don’t you go on the DL and miss two starts?’”

Zambrano was scheduled to pitch next weekend when the intracity series shifts to U.S. Cellular Field.

The last baseball Barry Bonds hit out of the park sold for $376,612 on Saturday, the winning bid coming from a buyer who wanted to remain anonymous.

There were a total of 13 bids on the baseball that was caught by Jameson Sutton last Sept. 5 during a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field.

Home run ball No. 762 is a bargain considering that SCP Auctions handled the sale of Bonds’ record-breaking No. 756, which fetched $752,467.

“I was hoping that it would be higher than that,” said David Kohler, president of the auction house. “If Barry Bonds never plays again, whoever bought this ball has a valuable piece that’s worth seven figures.”

Kohler said the uncertainty of whether Bonds will return to the field played a factor in the lower price. The San Francisco Giants did not bring back Bonds this season and he’s found no takers on the free agent market.

“I think that some people thought he could come back and might have backed off,” Kohler said. “But someone ended up with a nice heirloom.”

Sutton, a 24-year-old from Boulder, Colo., kept the ball in a safe deposit box before deciding to put it up for the highest bid this year after it appeared Bonds’ career might be finished.

At the time, Sutton said he would use some of the proceeds from the sale to help defray medical expenses of his stepfather, David Arguijo, who had lung cancer. Arguijo died Wednesday.

“I am happy with my decision to sell the (762nd) ball and wish the new owner the best,” Sutton said in a release. “I’m especially proud to help my family pay some of the medical costs due to my father’s illness.”

Bonds hit No. 762 over the left-field fence on a 99 mph fastball by Ubaldo Jimenez.

SCP said it authenticated Sutton’s ball by studying game films and interviewing fans, including Robert Harmon, who was scrambling for the historic ball along with Sutton. SCP also had Sutton take a polygraph test, and he passed.

Bobby Abreu singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, as the Yankees rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the rubber match of a season-opening three-game series.

Abreu had two of the six hits for the Yankees, who came back from a 2-0 deficit and won with spectacular relief from the tandem of Billy Traber, Brian Bruney, Joba Chamberlain (1-0) and Mariano Rivera.

David Eckstein went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored for the Blue Jays, who left the potential tying run stranded at third base in the ninth.

Toronto’s Dustin McGowan gave up four hits and two runs over six innings, while Phil Hughes had a similar line in his start for New York.

Melky Cabrera singled to right field to start the New York eighth, and Scott Downs then replaced Brian Wolfe (0-1) on the mound for the Blue Jays. Johnny Damon put down a sacrifice bunt, but Downs bobbled the ball along the first base side, and both runners were safe. Derek Jeter then put down a sacrifice bunt before Abreu blooped a base hit in front of center fielder Vernon Wells.

The Yankees could’ve had more runs after Jason Giambi was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Robinson Cano flied out to end the inning.

Rivera, who also had the save in Tuesday’s 3-2 Yankees victory, allowed a single to Wells to start the ninth. Groundouts from Shannon Stewart and Lyle Overbay moved the potential tying run 90 feet from home plate, but Rivera froze Aaron Hill on a called third strike to end the game and get the save.

Eckstein doubled to lead off the fourth and scored an out later on an Alex Rios single to center. The Yankees stranded a runner at third in their half of the fourth, and it became 2-0 the next inning. Marco Scutaro walked with two outs and Gregg Zaun doubled before Eckstein’s infield hit widened Toronto’s lead.

The Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out and tied the game in the sixth. Damon doubled and Jeter was hit by a pitch on his left arm. Abreu then walked and Damon scored on a wild pitch by McGowan. After Alex Rodriguez struck out, Giambi hit a sac fly to right. The throw home by Rios was cut off and Abreu was thrown out trying to go to third.

Traber struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh and Bruney retired the next two batters before Chamberlain worked around a two-out single to Matt Stairs in the eighth to keep the game tied.

Game Notes

Rios extended his hit streak versus the Yankees to 23 games, dating back to the 2006 season…The Blue Jays will play their home opener on Friday against Boston in the opener of a three-game series, while the Yankees host Tampa Bay for four games, from this Friday to Monday…Blue Jays designated hitter Frank Thomas was ejected by home plate umpire Bill Miller after arguing a called third strike to end the top of the fourth.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. will earn a record $20 million for his first professional wrestling match next month.

The undefeated WBC welterweight champion will take on Paul “Big Show” Wight as part of WWE’s “WrestleMania XXIV” at Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on March 30.

The one-fight deal, which is believed to be the largest single purse for a pro wrestling match, was finalized in January by Mayweather’s advisor, Leonard Ellerbee.

“I had approached the (WWE) about a year ago but it didn’t fit into our schedule,” said Ellerbee after a news conference at Staples Center. “We sat down with them again about a month ago and they made an incredible offer and me and my business partner Al Heyman sat down with them and we cut the deal. It’s an eight-figure deal worth $20 million just for this one fight.”

Mayweather is 39-0 in the ring, but the wrestling match will have a slightly more skewed tale of the tape than the 5-foot-8, 150-pound boxer is used to. Wight comes into match standing 7 feet tall and weighing 430 pounds.

“I weigh three times as much as he does. It’s not fair, but I’m a businessman and I see an opportunity for business,” said Wight, punctuating his statement by flinging the wooden podium to the floor.

Mayweather hopped onto a chair and exchanged glares with Wight while WWE regulars Randy Orton, John Cena, Triple H and Edge looked on

“We’ve wanted to do something with Mayweather for quite sometime,” said WWE Executive Vice President Shane McMahon. “I brought my dad [Vince McMahon] into it because he grew up and did a lot of promotions with [Muhammad] Ali and I told him this guy is Ali-plus. He’s tailor-made for our business.”

Mayweather plans to train with WWE Latino star Ray Mysterio, who wears a mask on his face. “WWE is the biggest it gets,” Mayweather said. “This is going to be an event like none other.”

While other boxers such as Ali, Mike Tyson and Joe Louis have stepped into the pro wrestling ring, all of them did it at the end of their careers. Mayweather is making the transition in his prime, as a possible re-match with Oscar De La Hoya awaits in September.

“I’m not just any ordinary fighter,” said Mayweather, who earned about $20 million for his 2007 fight against De La Hoya, which was the richest boxing match ever, generating revenue of $120 million.

“I dance with the stars, I play in NBA celebrity games; you just never know what Floyd Mayweather will do next. Next year I could be playing for an NFL team or an NBA team. You just don’t know.”

Roger Clemens was 50 feet in front of me, walking fast and talking into a cell phone. He was headed to an off-limits area at the Houston Astros’ minor league complex here in Kissimmee, Fla., so I rushed forward and asked him if he had a few minutes. He put the cell phone down and agreed to answer some questions.

By showing up in Kissimmee to throw batting practice to his son, Koby, and other minor leaguers, Clemens is seemingly trying to show that life is normal even though his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, has accused him of using human growth hormone and steroids, prompting Congressional hearings and possibly a criminal investigation. He dismissed the notion that he sits at home agonizing over his situation.

“I think everybody is thinking that I’m sitting around with my hands buried in my head or something,” Clemens said. “I don’t get where everybody is coming from.”

Clemens said that he does not check in with Rusty Hardin, his lawyer, every day. When I asked him about the possibility that the Justice Department might bring perjury charges against him, Clemens insisted he was not worried.

“We don’t worry about what other people are saying,” Clemens said. “We’ve said everything that needs to be said. We’re moving forward. So that’s what we’re doing.”

Clemens said that he did not see Andy Pettitte’s news conference in Tampa last week and added that he has not spoken to his friend and former teammate. As the questions grew more pointed, Clemens slowly walked away.

“We’re just moving on,” he said.