“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
OAKLAND 6 PHILADELPHIA 2
LA DODGERS 4 DETROIT 3
TAMPA BAY 2 CLEVELAND 0
NY YANKEES 4 BALTIMORE 1
NY METS 7 COLORADO 6
CINCINNATI 7 MIAMI 4
KANSAS CITY 6 BOSTON 1
PITTSBURGH 4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1
WASHINGTON 5 MILWAUKEE 2
HOUSTON 6 TEXAS 3
CHICAGO CUBS 5 ST. LOUIS 1
LA ANGELS 6 SEATTLE 5
ARIZONA 5 TORONTO 4
ATLANTA 6 SAN DIEGO 1
SAN FRANCISCO 7 MINNESOTA 1
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
COLUMBUS 8 INDIANAPOLIS 2
INDIANAPOLIS 5 COLUMBUS 2
DAYTON 6 SOUTH BEND 3
FT. WAYNE 9 GREAT LAKES 1
NBA SUMMER LEAGUE SCORES
ORLANDO 106 CLEVELAND 79
MINNESOTA 81 NEW ORLEANS 74
MEMPHIS 103 SACRAMENTO 83 (ZACH EDEY DNP)
HOUSTON 99 LA LAKERS 80
NEW JERSEY 97 INDIANA 94
WASHINGTON 94 ATLANTA 88
LA CLIPPERS 88 DENVER 78
WNBA SCORES
LAS VEGAS 84 ATLANTA 70
INDIANA 95 PHOENIX 86
SEATTLE 91 MINNESOTA 63
MLS
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA HS FOOTBALL
ALL-STAR GAME
SOUTH 41 NORTH 14
INDIANA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
AUG 31 FIU
SEPT 7 WESTERN ILLINOIS
SEPT 14 AT UCLA
SEPT 21 CHARLOTTE
SEPT 28 MARYLAND
OCT 5 AT NORTHWESTERN
OCT 12 OPEN DATE
OCT 19 NEBRASKA
OCT 26 WASHINGTON
NOV 2 AT MICHIGAN STATE
NOV 9 MICHIGAN
NOV 16 OPEN DATE
NOV 23 AT OHIO STATE
NOV 30 PURDUE
PURDUE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
AUG 31 OPEN DATE
SEPT 7 INDIANA STATE
SEPT 14 NOTRE DAME
SEPT 21 AT OREGON STATE
SEPT 28 NEBRASKA
OCT 5 AT WISCONSIN
OCT 12 AT ILLINOIS
OCT 19 OREGON
OCT 26 OPEN DATE
NOV 2 NORTHWESTERN
NOV 9 AT OHIO STATE
NOV 16 PENN STATE
NOV 23 AT MICHIGAN STATE
NOV 30 AT INDIANA
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
AUG 31 AT TEXAS A&M
SEPT 7 NORTHERN ILLINOIS
SEPT 14 AT PURDUE
SEPT 21 MIAMI UNIVERSITY
SEPT 28 LOUISVILLE
OCT 5 OPEN DATE
OCT 12 STANFORD
OCT 19 AT GEORGIA TECH
OCT 26 VS NAVY (IN EAST RUTHERFORD)
NOV 2 OPEN DATE
NOV 9 FLORIDA STATE
NOV 16 VIRGINIA
NOV 23 ARMY (IN BRONX)
NOV 30 AT USC
BALL STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
AUG 31 OPEN DATE
SEPT 7 MISSOURI STATE
SEPT 14 AT MIAMI
SEPT 21 AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN
SEPT 28 AT JAMES MADISON
OCT 5 WESTERN MICHIGAN
OCT 12 AT KENT STATE
OCT 19 AT VANDERBILT
OCT 26 NORTHERN ILLINOIS
NOV 2 MIAMI UNIVERSITY
NOV 9 OPEN DATE
NOV 12 AT BUFFALO
NOV 23 BOWLING GREEN
NOV 29 AT OHIO
NFL TRAINING CAMP DATES
ARIZONA CARDINALS
ROOKIES: JULY 23. VETERANS: JULY 23.
ATLANTA FALCONS
ROOKIES: JULY 24. VETERANS: JULY 24.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
ROOKIES: JULY 13. VETERANS: JULY 20.
BUFFALO BILLS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 23.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
ROOKIES: JULY 19. VETERANS: JULY 23.
CHICAGO BEARS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 19.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
ROOKIES: JULY 20. VETERANS: JULY 23.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
ROOKIES: JULY 22. VETERANS: JULY 23.
DALLAS COWBOYS
ROOKIES: JULY 24. VETERANS: JULY 24.
DENVER BRONCOS
ROOKIES: JULY 17. VETERANS: JULY 23.
DETROIT LIONS
ROOKIES: JULY 20. VETERANS: JULY 23.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
ROOKIES: JULY 17. VETERANS: JULY 21.
HOUSTON TEXANS
ROOKIES: JULY 17. VETERANS: JULY 17.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
ROOKIES: JULY 24. VETERANS: JULY 24.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
ROOKIES: JULY 19. VETERANS: JULY 23.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 20.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
ROOKIES: JULY 21. VETERANS: JULY 23.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 23.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
ROOKIES: JULY 23. VETERANS: JULY 23.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 23.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
ROOKIES: JULY 21. VETERANS: JULY 23.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
ROOKIES: JULY 19. VETERANS: JULY 23.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 23.
NEW YORK GIANTS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 23.
NEW YORK JETS
ROOKIES: JULY 18. VETERANS: JULY 23.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
ROOKIES: JULY 23. VETERANS: JULY 23.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
ROOKIES: JULY 24. VETERANS: JULY 24.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
ROOKIES: JULY 16. VETERANS: JULY 23.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
ROOKIES: JULY 17. VETERANS: JULY 23.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
ROOKIES: JULY 22. VETERANS: JULY 23.
TENNESSEE TITANS
ROOKIES: JULY 23. VETERANS: JULY 23.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
ROOKIES: JULY 18. VETERANS: JULY 23.
NFL WEEK ONE SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 5
- BALTIMORE RAVENS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, 8:20 P.M. ET (NBC)
FRIDAY, SEPT. 6
- GREEN BAY PACKERS VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL), 8:15 P.M. ET (PEACOCK)
SUNDAY, SEPT. 8
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- ARIZONA CARDINALS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- TENNESSEE TITANS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- HOUSTON TEXANS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- CAROLINA PANTHERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT NEW YORK GIANTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
- DENVER BRONCOS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
- DALLAS COWBOYS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, 4:25 P.M. ET (CBS)
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 4:25 P.M. ET (FOX)
- LOS ANGELES RAMS AT DETROIT LIONS, 8:20 P.M. ET (NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 9
- NEW YORK JETS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 8:15 P.M. ET (ESPN/ABC)
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES
BASEBALL NEWS
PIRATES’ SKENES NAMED NL ALL-STAR STARTING PITCHER
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes was named the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star team.
The news comes on the heels of Skenes dominating the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. He was removed from a no-hit bid with 11 strikeouts and one walk over seven innings.
With 11 career MLB starts, it’s the fewest games any All-Star has ever played, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
The 22-year-old is also the sixth-youngest pitcher to ever start the exhibition contest.
Skenes, who was drafted first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft just over one year ago, is also only the fifth rookie to be named an All-Star Game starting pitcher. He joins Fidrych and Valenzuela, as well as Dave Stenhouse and Hideo Nomo.
Skenes made his MLB debut in May and has been remarkable ever since, authoring a 1.90 ERA and 2.58 FIP over 66 1/3 innings.
Now, the rising star is ready to face the best the AL has to offer.
“I’m guessing it’s gonna be (Gunnar) Henderson, (Juan) Soto, and (Aaron) Judge,” he told “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday. “They’re all pretty dang good players so I’ll be focused on getting them out by one by one.”
The Midsummer Classic is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16 at 8 p.m. ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
MLB ROUNDUP: GERRIT COLE, YANKEES SHUT DOWN RIVAL ORIOLES
New York starter Gerrit Cole kept the Baltimore Orioles in check over six innings and Aaron Judge finally homered again as the visiting Yankees won 4-1 in a matchup of American League East front-runners on Friday night.
Judge’s majors-leading 33rd home run was his first long ball in nine games. Cole (2-1) allowed one run on five hits to beat Cade Povich (1-4), who surrendered three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
There was tension with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Orioles manager Brandon Hyde became enraged after Yankees reliever Clay Holmes hit Heston Kjerstad in the head with a pitch. The dugouts emptied and there was some pushing and shoving. Hyde was ejected, and Holmes got a grounder and a strikeout to complete his 21st save.
The Yankees won for only the sixth time in their last 21 games, but it was enough to pull them within a game of first-place Baltimore.
Rays 2, Guardians 0
Taj Bradley scattered five hits over seven innings to lead Tampa Bay past Cleveland to open a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Bradley (4-4) walked two and struck out eight, including All-Star David Fry, who was pinch-hitting with two outs and a runner at second to end the seventh. Colin Poche fanned a pair in the eighth, while Jason Adam struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his fourth save and lower his ERA to 1.71.
Yandy Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Alex Jackson doubled twice and scored two runs, and Josh Lowe also had two hits for Tampa Bay, which won for the third time in its last four games. Carlos Carrasco (3-7) allowed two runs (one earned) over five innings for the Guardians. He surrendered six hits, walked one and struck out three.
Angels 6, Mariners 5 (10 innings)
Willie Calhoun hit a walk-off two-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning to cap a two-homer performance, lifting Los Angeles over Seattle in Anaheim, Calif.
After the Mariners’ Mitch Garver hit an RBI double in the top of the 10th, Calhoun sent the second pitch of the home half of the inning over the right-center-field wall to pin the loss on Austin Voth (2-3).
Hans Crouse (2-0) got the win, while Brandon Drury and Mickey Moniak had two hits apiece for the Angels. Julio Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer for the Mariners.
Diamondbacks 5, Blue Jays 4
Geraldo Perdomo hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning as Arizona rallied to beat Toronto in Phoenix.
Alek Thomas delivered a tying two-run single in the eighth for the Diamondbacks, who won for the ninth time in 13 games. Justin Martinez (4-1) worked a perfect inning for the win.
George Springer had two hits, but the Blue Jays fell to 4-3 on their nine-game western road swing. Chad Green (2-2) took the loss.
Reds 7, Marlins 4
Rookie Rece Hinds continued the torrid start to his career with a grand slam while Jonathan India stayed hot with a leadoff home run as host Cincinnati beat Miami.
Jeimer Candelario added a solo homer, Elly De La Cruz had three hits and starter Carson Spiers (3-2) struck out a career-high nine over five innings as the Reds improved to 4-4 on their 10-game homestand. Nick Martinez tossed three innings of scoreless relief for the Reds, who won for the fourth time in five games.
Jesus Sanchez hit a three-run homer for the Marlins, who lost their fourth straight and fell for the ninth time in 11 contests. Miami starter Yonny Chirinos (0-1) was charged with seven runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked four as the Marlins fell to 14-31 on the road.
Dodgers 4, Tigers 3
Shohei Ohtani drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the ninth inning and visiting Los Angeles edged Detroit.
Freddie Freeman had a solo homer as Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak. Michael Petersen (3-0) picked up the victory in relief and Daniel Hudson notched his fourth save.
Riley Greene drove in two runs for the Tigers, who had won two straight entering Friday. Detroit starter Tarik Skubal allowed two runs and two hits with eight strikeouts in six innings. James Paxton gave up three runs and five hits while walking four over 3 2/3 frames for the Dodgers.
A’s 6, Phillies 2
Pinch hitter Lawrence Butler belted a two-run home run to help Oakland beat host Philadelphia.
Shea Langeliers added two RBI singles and Brent Rooker contributed two singles and an RBI for the A’s in the opener of a three-game series. Osvaldo Bido (1-1) earned the win with three innings of scoreless relief.
Cristian Pache hit an RBI double and Edmundo Sosa added an RBI single for the Phillies. Ranger Suarez (10-4) tossed six innings and allowed six hits and four runs.
Royals 6, Red Sox 1
Cole Ragans allowed one run in seven innings to help visiting Kansas City extend its winning streak to four games by beating Boston.
Bobby Witt Jr. (No. 16 of the year) and MJ Melendez (No. 11) each hit solo home runs for the Royals, who scored a run in the first inning, three in the second, one in the fourth and one in the eighth. Ragans (6-6) gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked one.
Ceddanne Rafaela collected two of the Red Sox’ five hits. Starting pitcher Cooper Criswell (3-4) allowed five runs (two earned) on eight hits in six innings.
Mets 7, Rockies 6
Jose Iglesias and Harrison Bader each hit two homers for host New York, which staved off a Colorado comeback attempt to win the opener of a three-game series.
Mark Vientos also went deep for the Mets, who have won the first four games of a six-game homestand to assure themselves a winning record at the All-Star break. New York (48-45) is three games over .500 for the first time since it was 12-9 on April 21.
Michael Toglia and Brenton Doyle each hit a two-run homer for the Rockies, who also got solo shots from Brendan Rodgers and Charlie Blackmon. Colorado trailed 7-2 en route to its fifth loss in six games.
Astros 6, Rangers 3
Jake Meyers and Alex Bregman slugged solo home runs and Jose Altuve clubbed a three-run shot as Houston extended its home winning streak to 10 games by defeating visiting Texas.
It’s the Astros’ second-longest streak at Minute Maid Park. They won 18 straight in 2004. Houston has won 17 of its last 21 games and improved to 25-11 since June 1. Mauricio Dubon, who reached on an error by Rangers shortstop Corey Seager to start the first inning, turned heads-up baserunning into a 1-0 lead. Meyers followed an inning later with his ninth homer, a 382-foot blast to left-center field. Bregman slugged his 12th home run for a 3-0 advantage.
Rangers starter Andrew Heaney (3-10) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over five innings.
Giants 7, Twins 1
Kyle Harrison ended a personal five-game winless streak, Brett Wisely collected a triple, a double and a single, and San Francisco opened a three-game home interleague series against Minnesota.
Jorge Soler had a triple among his two hits for the Giants, whose five extra-base hits in the game all contributed to the scoring. Harrison (5-4), who hadn’t won since May 18, limited the Twins to one run and five hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
Twins starter Joe Ryan (6-6), a San Francisco native making his first start at Oracle Park, allowed five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out six.
Cubs 5, Cardinals 1
Kyle Hendricks threw seven shutout innings as visiting Chicago defeated St. Louis for its fifth straight victory.
Nico Hoerner and David Bote drove in two runs each for the Cubs, and Miles Mastrobuoni scored twice. Hendricks (7-7) scattered five hits and a walk, while Hector Neris secured his 13th save. Chicago left-hander Luke Little exited in the eighth inning with shoulder discomfort, manager Craig Counsell said postgame.
Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (9-6) allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings. Paul Goldschmidt hit an RBI single in the ninth inning as St. Louis lost its third straight.
Nationals 5, Brewers 2
Jesse Winker hit a homer and an RBI double against his former team, helping visiting Washington top Milwaukee.
Juan Yepez also had two hits for the Nationals, and Robert Garcia (1-3) got the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Kyle Finnegan tossed a perfect ninth for his 24th save.
The Brewers’ Sal Frelick collected three hits and threw out a runner at the plate from right field. Freddy Peralta (6-5) was tagged for four runs on 10 hits in five innings.
Braves 6, Padres 1
Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach worked seven strong innings and retired the last 12 men he faced as visiting Atlanta sent San Diego to its fifth straight loss.
Marcell Ozuna homered twice and Orlando Arcia added a two run shot for the Braves, who ended a two-game skid. Schwellenbach (3-4) allowed one run on three hits in the longest of his eight major league starts.
Manny Machado hit an RBI double for the Padres, who have scored five runs over their last four games. Matt Waldron (5-8) surrendered four runs on six hits over seven innings.
Pirates 4, White Sox 1
Ke’Bryan Hayes had two hits and an RBI and Marco Gonzales pitched five strong innings in his return from a strained left forearm muscle to lift Pittsburgh over host Chicago.
Making his first appearance since mid-April, Gonzales (1-0) allowed one run and seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. David Bednar, who was also activated from the IL after recovering from a left oblique strain, pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save.
Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in five games. Chicago has lost five of six. Chicago reliever Jonathan Cannon (1-3) yielded four runs and seven hits in six innings. All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet started the game but pitched only two innings as the club monitors his innings and workload.
VELOCITY TRAINING HAS PUSHED PITCHERS TO THEIR LIMITS. BASEBALL IS GRAPPLING WITH THE INJURY RISKS
SEATTLE (AP) — Justin Verlander was a gangly teenager. His parents jokingly called him a “brontosaurus.”
Long before he became a three-time Cy Young Award winner, he was a high schooler who couldn’t consistently muster the arm strength needed to get drafted. So he went to college, took the time he required to mature as a pitcher via traditional training methods, and eventually developed an arm that pushed him from prospect into major leaguer and ultimately an ace.
With today’s sophisticated training methods creating opportunities — and pressure — for young pitchers to reach exceptional velocities as early as possible, Verlander may never have gotten that time to evolve into one of the top pitchers in his generation.
“I am not envious of parents of young pitchers in baseball right now,” he said. “If I had a kid in baseball, it’d be a very, very difficult decision to make. Where do I find the right help? How do I get them to the right place? How do I let them grow? Like, he’s obviously got talent.
“These are questions I would ask myself, and I don’t have the answers, and here I am at the highest level. I mean, my family didn’t have a baseball background at all, like, what the hell would they do? No idea.”
The velocity age
Velocity training is the rage in baseball from the youth levels up through the majors. Players go through specialized programs — often using series of progressively weighted baseballs — in the hopes of speeding up their bodies and arms, pushing them to the limits of what might be possible for their age and ability.
Videos of teenagers trying to hit max velo inside training facilities populate social media. They get likes. They draw attention. Their arms can do incredible things. But frequently, their ligaments cannot. Dr. Gary Waslewski, who works with the Arizona Diamondbacks, told the AP in March that “velocity kills elbows.”
Want proof? Look at the situation in the majors this year, which Verlander called a “pandemic” in April. The names of major leaguers shut down in the last 12 months by arm problems could fill out an All-Star roster: Spencer Strider, Cristian Javier, Shane Bieber, Eury Pérez, Shane McClanahan, Félix Bautista and Matt Brash are just some of the names of top pitchers who have undergone major elbow procedures. Forget about staying durable and winning 300 games. Even 200-game winners may soon be extinct.
The concern at the major league level is real. The bigger worry could be what’s taking place with younger ages, where teenagers are undergoing the same surgeries as major leaguers at an alarming rate. There’s no hard data, only anecdotal stories. But they’re getting louder and more common.
It’s the byproduct of the quest for more velocity, more spin, more of the pitching attributes that scouts and recruiters are seeking at a younger age where life-altering money – either through NIL deals in college or a pro baseball contract — is at stake.
Get on the radar of scouts as a high school or college pitcher — throw hard.
Move up through the minors — throw hard.
Find a role on a major league pitching staff — throw hard.
“Now when you go into high school ballparks, it’s amazing how many kids are throwing 97, 98 (mph),” Seattle Mariners senior director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said.
The idea of developing arm strength slowly and seeing those increases in pitch speed simply by playing long-toss and throwing bullpens is now antiquated in the context of today’s advances in information and training.
How much that velocity training is playing a role in what’s happening with injuries is one of the great unknowns in baseball right now. Verlander imagines the uncertainty is maddening for families.
“All of a sudden as a parent your kid goes and optimizes themselves and blows out, you feel like, ‘well, I (messed) that up.’ Did you? You make the best decision you possibly could. I don’t know man. This is what I mean, it’s just a bad cycle and if we don’t rewind it quickly it’s going to be even worse than it is now by tenfold,” Verlander said.
Throw first, worry later
Elite pitchers with professional aspirations have mostly embraced velocity training as the best path to fulfill their dreams. Many are undeterred by injury concerns.
The AP surveyed 25 top major league draft pitching prospects during the combine in June in Phoenix about their use of advanced training methods.
Seventeen of the 25 said they had done some type of weighted-ball training in the hopes of increasing their velocity. Three said they had started the training at 12 years old, while more than half said they started between the ages of 16 and 18.
Perhaps most notable in the survey was the overall lack of anxiety about arm injuries. Asked to rate their concern on a 1-10 scale, no one rated their worry higher than a five, with 14 rating it a zero or a one. With rising success rates on Tommy John surgery and other advances allowing players to continue their careers even after several major injuries, the incentives are clear, even for pitchers aware of the risks: throw hard first, and worry about potential injuries later.
“I didn’t throw hard when I was younger,” said LSU lefty Justin Loer, who rated his concern a four. “That’s where that (elbow injuries) comes from, so I’m a little worried now that I’m throwing harder.”
Developed in a lab
Driveline Baseball sits in a non-descript office park about 20 miles south of downtown Seattle that from the outside masks the baseball laboratory major leaguers have flocked to for training.
Need a boost on your velo? Go to Driveline. Need more spin? Go to Driveline. Reshape your slider? Go to Driveline.
It’s made Driveline a singular name known throughout baseball without need for explanation. They were one of the first training facilities to throw together biomechanics, weighted ball training and technology into a mixing bowl and emerge with an improved pitcher, often with increased velocity or increased spin rate. While Verlander developed by facing hitters and adjusting as he went, today’s pitchers can train in a lab, emerge with incredible stuff and figure out how to make it work in games when they get there.
The success of Driveline’s programs have sparked growth to the industry. Whether it’s Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, California or Wisconsin, players can find facilities where the goal of throwing faster is the selling point.
“The pure velo gains, the pure stuff all over the country is getting so loud,” Hunter said. “I don’t know if it’s the pitching labs in college or just the way people are training these days with private facilities and kids getting bigger and stronger and learning how to throw hard at an earlier age.”
While Driveline and similar facilities have faced their share of criticism, they’ve also demystified what makes good players good. And for pitchers it’s goes back to velocity and spin rate, which comes from arm speed. Teams know it. Teams search for it. And that’s why Driveline and similar facilities are unlikely to stop pushing athletes to pursue those things.
“I do think that data inherently has an ability to bring equity to things because it provides an unbiased source of clarity about where you are and what you need,” said Deven Morgan, Driveline’s director of youth baseball. “And that is a big lever to throw, especially if you consider like the parents dilemma in 2024 where you have a kid that wants to be good, you want them to be good and you have no idea what the path is, and these ideas of bat speed and exit velocity, throwing velocity either feel threatening or mystical.”
‘Reverse the trickle down’
Of course, kids want to throw hard. It’s part of the fun, the aura of playing baseball. But the cost could be adding up even as videos of kids pitching in showcase events trying to max out their velocity flood social media.
Verlander reflected on his path. He started to show some flashes of talent around 10, but at that time the path toward success was traditional and straight forward for his family to navigate.
“I started showing some real talent. I was clearly better than most of the kids around me, or just had a natural ability,” Verlander said. “Nowadays, what do (my parents) do? They probably send me to one of those camps.”
Verlander knows the current direction of pitching isn’t going to change before his career ends. He believes if starting pitching is incentivized at the major league level — the idea of pitchers working through trouble and going through a batting order more than just twice — that there can be another trickle-down where pitching at max effort for max velocity becomes less emphasized.
“I’ve heard Rob Manfred say out of his mouth, we need to bring the starting pitcher back. How you put that genie back in the bottle is a tougher question,” Verlander said. “I think we need to put a lot of heads together and come up with a way. And it’s probably not going to be perfect at first, but you reverse the trickle down.”
WASHINGTON NATIONALS RELEASE THIRD BASEMAN NICK SENZEL
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals have placed third baseman Nick Senzel on unconditional waivers.
The Nationals announced the move on Friday. Senzel had signed a one-year, $2 million contract in December. The team had designated him for assignment on July 6 hoping to trade him.
Senzel is batting .209 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in 64 games this season. He spent his first five major league seasons with the Reds, but his big league career was hampered by trips to the injured list. He opened the season on the list with a broken right thumb sustained in spring training.
He had become a free agent when the Reds failed to offer the 29-year-old a contract for this season. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft has a .235 career average with 40 homers and 143 RBIs.
BASKETBALL NEWS
KNICKS SIGN JALEN BRUNSON TO EXTENSION WORTH REPORTED $156.5M
All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson signed a four-year contract extension worth $156.5 million with the New York Knicks on Friday.
The Knicks confirmed the deal with a social media post, with the value of the deal reported by ESPN and The Athletic.
The extension will kick in for the 2025-26 season and include a player option for the final year.
Brunson could have delayed signing an extension another year, when he would have been eligible to receive a max contract projected to be worth $269 million.
That decision will help the Knicks stay below the salary cap’s “second apron” in 2025-26, giving them more flexibility to pay the rest of their core players. But Brunson is again eligible to sign a new max extension in 2028, his 10th year of service, that would recoup most of the $113 million he is giving up for now.
Knicks teammate Josh Hart, who also played with Brunson at Villanova, appeared to comment on the news when he posted to X, “Build him a statue.”
Brunson is coming off the best season of his six-year NBA career, featuring career highs in scoring (28.7 points per game), assists (6.7 per game) and 3-pointers made (211). He shot 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. Brunson was named an All-Star for the first time, made the All-NBA second team and finished fifth in NBA Most Valuable Player balloting.
In six seasons with the Dallas Mavericks (2018-22) and Knicks, Brunson has averaged 16.9 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game and shot 48.9 percent from the field, including 39.1 percent from 3-point range.
GROUPS REVEALED FOR 2024 NBA CUP
The NBA released the groups for the second edition of the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament, on Friday night.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the inaugural tournament last December, will face the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference’s Group B. That pits the Lakers against last year’s surprise No. 1 seed of the West as well as star players Kevin Durant of Phoenix and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio.
West Group C is a star-studded collection, featuring Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks, Zion Williamson’s New Orleans Pelicans, Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors and Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies. That group also pits Klay Thompson against his old friends in Golden State after he was sent to Dallas in a sign-and-trade this offseason.
The reigning NBA champions headline East Group C, while last year’s in-season tournament runners-up, the Indiana Pacers, are in East Group B, with Milwaukee and Miami posing a threat.
The groups were selected based on last year’s final standings. Teams were divided into five “pots” for the draw, much like how the FIFA World Cup groups are determined. All six groups have one team from each pot.
A single round robin will take place across four Tuesdays (Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Nov. 26 and Dec. 3) and three Fridays (Nov. 15, Nov. 22 and Nov. 29). The quarterfinals of the single-elimination knockout bracket will be played Dec. 10 and 11.
Then the tournament will shift from NBA team markets to Las Vegas, where T-Mobile Arena (home of the NHL’s Golden Knights) will host the semifinals on Dec. 14 and the championship game on Dec. 17.
The six groups are as follows:
West Group A: Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers
West Group B: Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs
West Group C: Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies
East Group A: New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets
East Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons
East Group C: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards
WIZARDS SIGN VETERAN F SADDIQ BEY
The Washington Wizards announced the signing of veteran forward Saddiq Bey on Friday.
His representatives from Excel Basketball told ESPN it was a three-year deal for $20 million.
Bey, 25, averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 63 games (51 starts) with the Atlanta Hawks in 2023-24 before sustaining a season-ending torn ACL on March 10.
He has career marks of 14.1 points and 5.2 boards in 292 games (223 starts) with the Detroit Pistons (2020-23) and Hawks.
It’s a homecoming for Bey, who grew up in Largo, Md., and played high school basketball at DeMatha Catholic and Sidwell Friends School before heading to Villanova.
WNBA NEWS
MERCURY CUT BIG DEFICIT TO FOUR BUT FALL TO FEVER
Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell scored a team-high 28 points, helping the Fever go wire to wire for a 95-86 win over the visiting Phoenix Mercury on Friday.
Aliyah Boston added 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for Indiana (10-14), which has won two of its last three games. Caitlin Clark chipped in 20 points and 13 assists for the Fever, followed by NaLyssa Smith’s 14 points and 10 boards.
Kahleah Copper led Phoenix (12-11) with tallied 36 points on 11 of 25 shooting, although she was just 3 of 11 on 3-point attempts. Sophie Cunningham tallied 21 points, and Mikiah Hebert-Harrigan and Natasha Mack each chipped in 10 for the Mercury, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Indiana led by 20 at halftime, and Mitchell’s midrange jumper and Smith’s three-point play extended the lead to 65-40 with 7:12 left in the third quarter.
Cunningham’s 3-pointer cut the Mercury’s deficit to 22, but the Fever went on an 11-3 burst, capped by Boston’s putback with 3:01 left in the third. Mitchell drained a 3-pointer to give Indiana an 81-50 lead, but Phoenix finished the third on an 8-0 run.
The Mercury continued their run into the fourth, scoring the first nine points to cut their deficit to 81-67 on Cunningham’s deep 3-pointer with 7:27 left.
Another Cunningham trey cut Indiana’s lead to 85-74 at the 5:31 mark, before Copper’s pullup jumper trimmed the deficit to single digits for the first time since midway through the second quarter.
Copper made two free throws and a reverse layup to pull within 85-81 with 3:12 remaining, before Smith’s much needed hook shot gave Indiana a six-point lead.
Boston hit a jumper with about two minutes to play, and Mitchell drained a triple with 1:33 left for some breathing room at 92-83.
In the first quarter, Copper’s triple cut Phoenix’s early deficit to 15-10, but a pair of layups by Boston and Mitchell’s bucket gave Indiana a 21-10 advantage at the 3:11 mark.
Leading 23-14, Mitchell drained a 3-pointer and Katie Lou Samuelson made a layup, pushing the Fever’s lead to 28-14. Indiana led 28-16 after the first.
Up 38-27, Smith’s layup gave the Fever a 13-point advantage, followed by Cunningham’s 3-pointer for Phoenix. Clark then scored the next five points, giving Indiana a 45-30 lead with 2:08 left in the first.
From there, the Fever finished on a 10-5 run, for a 55-35 halftime lead. Mitchell led the Fever with 17 in the first half. Copper paced Phoenix with 13.
STORM HAMMER LYNX, AVERT SEASON SWEEP
Nneka Ogwumike tied her season high with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting Friday night, giving the host Seattle Storm a dominating 91-63 victory over the Minnesota Lynx.
Ogwumike responded in a big way after scoring only nine points, a season low, on Wednesday against the visiting Las Vegas Aces.
Skylar Diggins-Smith had 10 points and 12 assists. Jewell Loyd added 14 points, and Ezi Magbegor chipped in 10 points with eight rebounds for Seattle (15-8), which was playing its eighth straight home game.
With Napheesa Collier out with injury for Minnesota (16-7), Kayla McBride led the way with 27 points. No other player scored more than seven. Dorka Juhasz, Collier’s replacement, scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Seattle carried a 13-point lead into the second half, but McBride got Minnesota going in the third quarter. She scored 11 of the Lynx’s first 15 points of the half, the last nine on a trio of 3-pointers. The Storm’s lead was down to 10 points with about five remaining in the period.
The Storm took a timeout to regroup and went on a seven-point run, slowing down any Minnesota momentum. It was a trend on the night for Seattle.
Minnesota started the night strong, jumping ahead 9-2 lead and forcing three turnovers in the first two minutes.
However, Seattle scoring 32 of the next 45 points. The led 34-22 after Ogwumike’s jumper with 7:42 left in the second quarter. The Lynx didn’t score for the first 5:02 of the quarter and trailed by as many as 18 before halftime. Ogwumike scored 12 straight points in the burst.
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve played the fourth quarter without McBride. Seattle capitalized further, scoring the first nine points of the period behind three straight treys by Sami Whitcomb.
The Storm averted a season sweep, having lost to the Lynx three times. Seattle also won by at least 20 points for the fourth time this season.
A’JA WILSON SCORES 33 AS ACES RACE PAST DREAM
A’ja Wilson scored 33 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead the Las Vegas Aces to an 84-70 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Friday in College Park, Ga.
Wilson, who added five blocked shots and three steals, was coming off her first career 20-point, 20-rebound game. Jackie Young added 19 points and Kelsey Plum had 15 points and seven assists the Aces (15-7), who won for the ninth time in 10 games.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus had 17 points and seven rebounds, Maya Caldwell scored 13, Tina Charles had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Allisha Gray amassed 11 points and seven rebounds for the Dream (7-15), who lost their sixth consecutive game.
Wilson scored six of the Aces’ first seven points of the third quarter as the visitors opened a 51-34 lead.
Destanni Henderson, Gray and Caldwell made consecutive baskets to get the Dream within 11. Plum had two points and an assists to help Las Vegas rebuild the lead to 57-40.
The Aces went scoreless for the final four minutes of the quarter and Henderson had a field goal and two assists during a closing 7-0 run that got Atlanta within 57-47 at the end of the period.
Kate Martin made a pair of 3-pointers for Las Vegas’ first points of the fourth quarter as the lead grew to 12 points. The Dream got within 10 points twice before Young’s 3-pointer pushed the margin to 68-55 midway through the period.
Atlanta crept within eight points with three minutes remaining, but Wilson answered with a basket and Young followed with a 3-pointer to put the Aces in command.
Young had five points as the Aces jumped to an 8-0 lead. Caldwell’s field goal ended the Dream’s scoring drought after 3 1/2 minutes.
Atlanta got as close as three points before Las Vegas took a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Parker-Tyus had six points and the Dream scored the first eight points of the second quarter to grab a three-point advantage. Wilson made a 3-pointer to tie the score before Atlanta grabbed the lead twice more, then went cold.
Wilson made two 3-pointers before Plum had five straight points to start a closing 12-0 run that left the Aces with a 44-30 halftime lead.
TENNIS NEWS
DEFENDING CHAMPION CARLOS ALCARAZ BEATS DANIIL MEDVEDEV TO RETURN TO THE WIMBLEDON FINAL
LONDON (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz is only a couple of months past his 21th birthday, and yet this whole Grand Slam success thing is already a bit been-there, done-that for him.
Moving a step closer to a second consecutive Wimbledon title and fourth major championship overall, Alcaraz overcame a shaky start Friday to beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals at Centre Court.
“I feel like I’m not new anymore. I feel like I know how I’m going to feel before the final. I’ve been in this position before,” Alcaraz said. “I will try to do the things that I did well last year and try to be better.”
After a so-so opening set, Alcaraz transformed back into the energetic, attacking, crowd-pleasing force who already was the first teenager to be No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is the youngest man to have won a major trophy on three surfaces: grass, clay and hard courts.
Now the Spaniard is one victory away from joining Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open era, which began in 1968, with multiple championships at the All England Club before turning 22.
Alcaraz also triumphed at the U.S. Open in 2022 and the French Open last month.
He is 3-0 in major finals so far and will go up against 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Mussetti on Sunday. That duo was scheduled to meet in the second semifinal — the 49th appearance at that stage of a Grand Slam tournament for Djokovic, and the first for Musetti.
A year ago at Wimbledon, Alcaraz eliminated 2021 U.S. Open champion Medvedev in straight sets in the semifinals before defeating Djokovic in five sets in the final.
This time, on a cloudy afternoon — the main stadium’s retractable roof open because there was none of the rain that fell throughout the first 1 1/2 weeks of the tournament — the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz went through some ups and downs against No. 5 Medvedev, a 28-year-old from Russia who was trying to get to the seventh Slam title match of his career.
“ I started really, really nervous,” Alcaraz said. “He was dominating the match, playing a great, great tennis. … It was difficult for me.”
Indeed, Medvedev grabbed an early 5-2 lead, but then got into trouble with his play and his temper.
Alcaraz broke to get within 5-4 with a drop shot that chair umpire Eva Asderaki ruled — correctly, according to TV replays — bounced twice before Medvedev got his racket on the ball. He appeared to curse afterward, and Asderaki, after climbing down from her seat to huddle with tournament referee Denise Parnell during the ensuing changeover, issued a warning to Medvedev for unsportsmanlike conduct.
He regrouped quickly and was just about perfect in that set’s tiebreaker.
Then it was Alcaraz’s turn to get headed in the right direction, which didn’t take long.
Three forehand errors by Medvedev translated into a break for Alcaraz and a 2-1 lead in the third set, accomplished with a backhand winner that capped a 27-stroke point that was the match’s longest. Fans roared and stood; Alcaraz held an index finger to his ear, and the noise grew louder.
He got the last break he would need for a 4-3 edge in the fourth when Medvedev sailed a backhand long, then sat in his sideline chair, locked eyes with his two coaches up in the stands and started muttering and gesticulating.
That’s what Alcaraz can do to an opponent.
Nearly every time Alcaraz emitted one of his “Uh-eh!” two-syllable grunts while unleashing a booming forehand, spectators audibly gasped, regardless of whether the point continued. Often enough, it didn’t: Of the match’s 28 forehand winners, 24 were produced by Alcaraz’s racket.
That, needless to say, is hardly the kid’s lone skill. He was terrific at the net, whether serve-and-volleying or otherwise, winning 38 of the 53 points when he moved forward. He won three points via drop shots in the opening set alone.
As dangerous he can be at his aggressive best, his defense is something to marvel at, too.
At times, it feels as though an exchange is never over until he decides it is. And if it appears that way from the comfort of the stands, just imagine how frustrating that must be for foes. On one point, Alcaraz left a skid mark several feet long in the grass when he sprinted, then slid, to reach an apparently unreachable ball. He sent up a lob that drew an errant Medvedev overhead in response.
Still, Alcaraz was determined not to get into the kind of stretched-out baseline points Medvedev loves. Only 38 of the semifinal’s 244 points lasted nine or more shots.
“I tried not to play long rallies. I tried to hit slices, drop shots. Tried to go the net as much as I can,” Alcaraz said. “Tried not to play his game.”
In addition to the Wimbledon men’s final, Sunday’s sports schedule features the final of the men’s soccer European Championship in Germany, where Spain will meet England.
When Alcaraz alluded to that in his on-court interview by saying, “It’s going to be a really good day for the Spanish people, as well,” he drew boos from the locals. Alcaraz smiled and added: “I didn’t say Spain is going to win. I just said that it’s going to be a really fun, fun day.”
GOLF NEWS
RIVIERA TO HOST GOLF COMPETITION AT L.A. 2028 OLYMPICS
Riviera Country Club will host the men’s and women’s golf competitions at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The International Golf Federation and the LA28 organizing committee made the announcement Friday in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The site of The Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour, Riviera also hosted tournaments that include the 1995 PGA Championship, 1998 U.S. Senior Open and 2017 U.S. Amateur, and is set to host the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2031 U.S. Open.
“The Riviera Country Club will offer a prestigious and continuously challenging backdrop for golf’s most elite players, and we look forward to sharing one of the finest courses with our fans around the world,” said Antony Scanlon, executive director of the International Golf Federation.
The club was founded by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and will mark its centennial in 2026. It is located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, about 20 miles west of downtown.
The golf competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics begins Aug. 1. It will be played at Le Golf National, the site of the 2018 Ryder Cup.
PIERCESON COODY STILL ON TOP AT LOW-SCORING ISCO CHAMPIONSHIP
Pierceson Coody used a late trio of birdies Friday to ensure he entered the weekend with the lead at the ISCO Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky.
Coody, the 18-hole leader after opening with a red-hot 61, began his second round on the back nine. He was one off the pace as he played the front nine, but birdies at the par-5 fifth, par-4 seventh and par-5 eighth holes gave him a 5-under-par 67 for the day and pushed him to 16-under 128.
The PGA Tour rookie will carry a two-shot edge over Chez Reavie, Matthis Besard of Belgium and Rico Hoey of the Philippines into the weekend.
“It wasn’t quite 61, but 67’s still a really nice score,” Coody said. “I definitely could have made a couple more six- to eight-foot putts, left a couple out there, but bounced back in a lot of really good ways and kept my round going.”
Coody, who’s seeking his maiden PGA Tour title, sank birdies from 18 1/2 and 21 1/2 feet away at Nos. 16 and 17. He hit his drive at No. 18 way to the left and lost the ball, forcing him to play a provisional. From there, he went fairway, green, cup to save bogey.
“To make bogey the way I did, it almost was a good positive to execute the next drive, hit a perfect wedge and remind myself that I’m playing good golf and to keep that going through the back nine,” the 24-year-old said.
Reavie and Cooper Musselman (who stands at 11 under) had the rounds of the day with 10-under 62s. Reavie piled up eight birdies before eagling his penultimate hole, the par-5 eighth, after his second shot nestled within 5 feet of the pin.
“Kind of got off to a slow start,” the three-time PGA Tour winner said. “When you look up at the leaderboard like, oh, jeez, what’s going on. Then I started hitting some good shots, made a few putts and kind of got in a flow and rattled four off in a row to finish the front and had good momentum going into the back.”
Besard posted a 63 and Hoey had a 66. Tied for fifth at 13 under are Alex Smalley (64), Johannes Veerman (65), Hayden Springer (67), Garrick Higgo of South Africa (64), Angel Hidalgo Portillo of Spain (66) and Andy Sullivan of England (66).
According to the tour, the cut line of 8 under par was the lowest 36-hole cut relative to par on record since 1970. Notable names to miss the cut included Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain (7 under), Joel Dahmen (6 under) and Daniel Berger (4 under).
STEVEN ALKER LEADS STEVE STRICKER BY ONE AT KAULIG
Steven Alker of New Zealand shot the round of the day Friday to jump into the lead halfway through the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
Alker’s 5-under-par 65 put him at 7-under 133 through two rounds, one shot above defending champion Steve Stricker (68) at the event previously known as the Senior Players Championship. Kenny Perry (69) and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson (66) were tied for third at 4 under.
Alker posted his low number in spite of a double bogey he carded at the par-4 fourth hole. That misstep came amid a stretch of four birdies in six holes on the front nine; he then added three birdies on the back.
“I felt it early on,” Alker said. “I was in the groove hitting my irons well, making a few putts. Very sloppy double on 4 was it, I think, but eliminated that pretty quickly, made a couple of birdies coming back on the back nine.”
Then, Alker said, he “got a bit loose” with his driver on the back nine.
“I think just one shot at a time, the old adage,” he said. “Just stick with it, keep at it. Then if you miss it in the right place around here, you’re OK. The right side of the fairway or the right part of the green, you can manage yourself around.”
Alker, 52, won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup in 2022 and has been one of the tour’s best players since he joined in late 2021. So far, he has one senior major title on his resume.
Stricker, a co-leader after the first round, opened his day strong with birdies at Nos. 10 and 11. Then he went quiet, managing mostly pars the rest of the day with one bogey and one more birdie.
“It was a good ball-striking day,” Stricker said. “I let a few get away really on the greens and that’s been my bugaboo so far this year. Some good putts and then some head scratchers that I don’t know where it’s coming out of.”
Stricker also won this major in 2021 and was the runner-up in 2022. The 57-year-old has yet to win on the PGA Tour Champions this year but has 17 titles to his name, including seven majors.
Duffy Waldorf shared the first-round lead with Stricker but struggled to a 74 Friday and dropped down to even par.
K.J. Choi (68) of South Korea, Angel Cabrera (69) of Argentina and Jerry Kelly (66) are tied for fifth at 3 under. South Africa’s Ernie Els (68) is part of a group at 2 under along with Rocco Mediate (69) and Paul Stankowski (70).
LUDVIG ABERG CLAIMS LEAD, RORY THREE BACK IN IDEAL CONDITIONS AT SCOTTISH OPEN
Ludvig Aberg claimed a one-shot lead at the Scottish Open on Friday, clear of the field with a tournament score of 12-under-par with defending champion Rory McIlroy just three shots off the pace.
Aberg delivered the best 36-hole score (128) of his career with back-to-back rounds of 64 to establish the scoring record through two rounds at The Renaissance Club in events when par is 70.
He entered the clubhouse early with a one-shot lead over France’s Antoine Rozner (11 under) and wrapped his 36th hole before McIlroy was fully into his second 18 on Friday.
“There’s, what, 150-something players in the field? No one is going to play perfect golf for 72 holes,” Aberg said Friday. “I think it’s going to happen to everyone at some point, and whenever that happens, you’ve just got to try to deal with it the best you can, and all I can do is try to put good swings on it, and then hopefully the decision that we’ve made is the right one and try to hit it again when we find it.”
Weather has been a rare non-factor in North Berwick, Scotland, with temperatures in the low 60s and wind speeds barely noticeable at less than 10 mph.
First-round leader Justin Thomas dropped well off the pace with a 72 in the second round, 10 shots worse than his round on Thursday.
Aberg has hit 31 of 36 greens in regulation, which doesn’t count landing his ball on the green at the eighth in the first round. That approach landed directly on top of the resting approach shot of Collin Morikawa, sending both golf balls away from the hole in opposite directions. Aberg made bogey in the first round and followed with a par Friday, when he recorded six birdies and no bogeys.
“It’s been very nice. I felt like we’ve had a very good game plan and executing the shots,” Aberg said. “We try not to force anything.”
With an eagle at the par-5 third hole and four birdies Friday, Rozner enters the weekend contending for his sixth professional tournament win and first since the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in 2022. He’s also trying to qualify for the Open Championship next week.
“It’s definitely on my mind,” Rozner said. “As of now, I’m going to try to win this tournament. I’m in pretty good contention. But yeah, I’m trying to not think too much about this. There’s still two rounds of golf to play. It’s a big event for us, so whatever result I have, it will be good points and yeah, hopefully I can, yeah, as I said, play well this weekend and potentially qualify for The Open.”
Sungjae Im (South Korea) was 3 under Friday and tied at 10 under for the tournament with Italy’s Matteo Manassero, one clear of a tightly packed grouping one shot behind.
Sweden’s Alex Noren bogeyed 17 to fall back of Im and Manassero with two U.S. golfers, Sahith Theegala and Morikawa, McIlroy, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard and Spain’s Alejandro Del Rey. Del Rey posted a 62 in the second round with birdies on his first six holes.
“I was 6-under through six but still didn’t feel like I was hitting the ball as good as I probably wanted,” he said. “I don’t know, hitting decent shots at the right moment and making putts, but I still struggled a little bit off the tee all day. Trying to keep it in the fairway. That’s been tough so far this week.”
Theegala called the relatively pristine weather conditions “eerie” for the first two rounds, comparing it to a California day.
“I’ve taken my jacket off in the first five holes of the round, which I can do a full seven-day trip out here and not take it off one time. So been really lucky with the weather. Without a little bit of weather, the golf course doesn’t show too much teeth,” Theegala said. “It’s a tough golf course. Obviously the winning scores the last few years is not very low, or it’s pretty high. Can’t expect four days of perfect weather. So I’m just going to assume the next couple days are not going to be as good as the last two.”
Hojgaard enters the weekend with a one-shot advantage over his brother, Nicolai Hojgaard, who sits at 8 under and earned a spot in The Open Championship at this event last year.
Adam Scott, who missed the cut last year, followed a first-round 67 with a 65 on Friday, tallying 13 birdies in his first 36 holes.
“I didn’t play well today but somehow I still managed to make some birdies. So putter must have been performing quite nicely but we’ve had ideal conditions,” Scott said. “So although pins were a bit more tucked today, it was a good day for the putter to roll a few in and I’m hanging in there.”
McIlroy is in the hunt in his first appearance since his disastrous finish to the U.S. Open last month.
“It’s a great leaderboard,” McIlroy said. “Collin is up there. Sahith is up there. Bob (Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, who is 8 under) has played pretty solid the first couple days. Obviously a home interest to root for for everyone here. Yeah, it’s another weekend where I’m right in the mix of a golf tournament, and that’s a nice position to be in after the last three weeks that I’ve had.”
AUTO RACING NEWS
AS SEASON DWINDLES, PLAYOFF POSITIONS AT STAKE AT POCONO
For the second straight week, the weekly stop on the NASCAR Cup Series tour produced a first-time winner in 2024, which has further muddled the makeup of the 10-race postseason lineup.
At the Chicago Street Race, hampered by persistent rain for the second straight year, NASCAR resorted to a time clock — racing to 8:20 p.m. local time — and saw Alex Bowman hold off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick for his first victory since March 2022.
This week, the series rolls into a track that is not new to NASCAR — Pocono Raceway — for Sunday’s 21st race, with six more chances existing for non-winners to raise a checkered flag in Victory Lane and stake their claim to a title shot.
After The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono, the series will visit venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 21 before taking a few weeks off for the Summer Olympics in Paris, returning on Aug. 11 at Richmond.
So far, 12 drivers have filled the 16-car field by qualifying for the postseason, with Bowman turning the trick Sunday in the Windy City.
Four of the past six races have resulted in 2024 first-time victors — Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Bowman — and given them a championship chance at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10.
The quirky, triangular Pocono features three distinct turns modeled after ones found at some of racing’s most well-known tracks: Turn 1 after defunct Trenton (N.J.) Speedway, Turn 2 in honor of Indy and Turn 3 for the Milwaukee Mile.
Winless thus far, Martin Truex Jr., Chris Buescher and Kyle Busch would like to win again at the eastern Pennsylvania track.
The 2017 series champion, the 44-year-old Truex is a two-time winner (2015, 2018) on the 2 1/2-mile layout and rides 13th in the playoff standings as the top points earner among winless drivers.
Now in his final season of competition, the 10-time playoff qualifier from Mayetta, N.J., has turned many laps at Pocono but hasn’t won since last July 17 in New Hampshire.
Both of his Pocono wins were with Furniture Row Racing in the No. 78, one a Chevrolet and the other a Toyota.
Fifteenth in the playoff standings, putting him currently in playoff position, Buescher said Bowman’s win made the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford’s plight that much harder.
“We didn’t need another (new) winner,” said Buescher, whose first career win was Aug. 1, 2016, at Pocono for Front Row Motorsports in a weather-shortened event. “It will make the points thing harder if it comes down to that, but it absolutely will not affect how we go about the next few weeks.”
Winless Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain round out the top 16 drivers presently holding a playoff spot, but Busch — a four-time Pocono winner — is 98 points behind 16th-place Buescher and could really use a fifth checkered flag to make the postseason.
A track-record seven-time winner at Pocono in 34 career starts, JGR’s Denny Hamlin opened as Hard Rock Bet’s favorite to win Sunday’s 21st race of the season’s 36 at +375.
Hamlin has 54 career victories, tied with Lee Petty for 12th place all-time and one shy of Rusty Wallace, and owns four poles at the 2 1/2-mile track.
SOCCER NEWS
YAMAL AND SPAIN MEET ENGLAND IN THE EURO 2024 FINAL. IT’S THE BEST TEAM AGAINST THE MOST RESILIENT
BERLIN (AP) — One is the best team in the tournament, on the brink potentially of a new era of success because of a teenage wonderkid, an outstanding midfield and a tweak in philosophy.
The other is a survivor, limping to the end with big moments, resilience and an oft-criticized coach who has another chance to end his country’s long wait for a major men’s title.
The European Championship final between Spain and England on Sunday is dripping with narrative — with one arguably standing out above the rest.
Inside Olympiastadion, the historic venue in Berlin built by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympic Games, Lamine Yamal — a day after his 17th birthday — will look to crown his breakthrough as soccer’s newest superstar by leading Spain to a first major men’s trophy since the 2008-12 era, when it won back-to-back Euros either side of the World Cup in 2010.
Yamal has been the shining light in a tournament where many of the high-profile figures — Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, even England’s Harry Kane — have underwhelmed. If his three assists before the semifinals hinted at his undoubted promise, Yamal’s spectacular curling shot that propelled Spain to a 2-1 win over France in the last four signaled a new star had arrived.
“He’s a generational talent,” England striker Ollie Watkins said Friday of Yamal. “He has got the world at his feet.”
While Yamal and fellow winger Nico Williams now offer their national team a hitherto-lacking directness out wide, it’s the central midfield that has given Spain the edge over all of its rivals.
Rodri, perhaps pound-for-pound the world’s most effective player, and Fabian Ruiz are the axis from which Spain thrives. Dani Olmo has joined them as the most attacking of pretty much a complete central-midfield three that England will struggle to contain.
Spain topped a group containing defending champion Italy and 2022 World Cup semifinalist Croatia, before eliminating host nation Germany and Mbappé’s France, for many the pre-tournament favorite.
It’s six straight wins for La Roja. No wonder they are being so heavily backed ahead of the final.
“They have been the best team,” England coach Gareth Southgate said of Spain. “… but we are there and from what we have shown to this point, we have as good a chance as they do.”
Indeed, Spain should not underestimate England, whose tenacity and character have stood out way above its quality of play at Euro 2024. The nation’s most talented squad for 20 years has underperformed, looking unbalanced, short of ideas and in some cases fatigued, but has somehow scrapped through to a second straight European Championship final.
Three years ago, England lost to Italy in a penalty shootout on home soil at Wembley Stadium, extending the birthplace of soccer’s painful wait for a major men’s title since its one and only at the 1966 World Cup.
Southgate’s team is back in the title match — its first ever outside England — and is an increasingly confident underdog, with potential matchwinners dotted throughout the team in Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Kane. Someone has always popped up with a crucial goal — Bellingham with the stoppage-time equalizer against Slovakia in the last 16, Saka with the 80th-minute equalizer against Switzerland in the quarterfinals, even backup striker Watkins pretty much exactly on 90 minutes against the Netherlands in the semifinals.
Who will come to Southgate’s rescue on Sunday — if indeed someone does?
“They are able to inflict a lot of damage, even without playing in a very fluid way,” Spain defender Dani Vivian said. “But they have that quality that makes them able to produce those sparks.”
The smart money, though, is on Spain winning a seventh straight game to clinch a record fourth European Championship title.
It would be a just end to a tournament where few teams really clicked apart from the Spanish, who have dovetailed a more ruthless attacking edge with their longstanding possession game that perhaps peaked in the Euro 2012 final when a team of midfielders — notably Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso and David Silva — ran over Italy in Spain’s 4-0 win.
The class of 2024 might not have those names, but they’d be worthy successors.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
INDIANA PACERS SUMMER LEAGUE
GAME REWIND: PACERS 95, NETS 97 – OT
Sloppy play sank the Indiana Pacers late in their Summer League opener in Sin City.
In the Blue & Gold’s first game of the 2024 Las Vegas competition, the Brooklyn Nets outlasted the Pacers 97-95 in overtime on Friday at Cox Pavilion.
Both teams struggled to maintain possession from tip to final buzzer, as the Pacers finished with 26 turnovers and the Nets had 21 giveaways.
Indiana led at the end of each of the first three quarters, including by 13 midway through the final frame, but a 10-2 run by Brooklyn in the final 90 seconds of regulation tied the game at 89, forcing an overtime where the first team to seven points won.
In extra minutes, reigning G League Rookie of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe scored two quick baskets for the Pacers from inside before Indiana 2023 eighth overall pick Jarace Walker tied the game at 95 with free throws. On the final possession, however, Nets guard Keon Johnson hit a turnaround fadeaway shot over two defenders from 11 feet to end the game.
Neither team shot well from the field, as the Pacers made 43.6 percent of their attempts and the Nets shot 40 percent overall. From 3-point range, the Pacers went 4-for-23 and the Nets finished 9-for-36.
“We played hard, we didn’t necessarily play smart,” Pacers Summer League coach Jannero Pargo said. “The game was moving pretty fast for a lot of our guys. I think in the second half it kind of slowed down, but offensively we turned the ball over way too many times. Playing fast but not playing smart really hurt us. We just have to kind of slow down, protect the ball, value the basketball, and get shots at the rim.”
Walker, who hopes to become a fixture in Indiana’s rotation this upcoming season, logged 25 points (9-for-18 shooting), six rebounds and four assists across 35 minutes. Pacers 2022 draft pick Kendall Brown followed Walker with 19 points and Tshiebwe had the only double-double in the game with 17 points and 19 rebounds.
“I’m definitely way more comfortable for sure,” Walker said. “Just having that whole year under your belt, you learn a lot. Just being able to take all that in, just learn and develop, and get ready for year two.”
Johnny Furphy, the 35th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft from Kansas, registered 12 points and four rebounds across 24 minutes in his Indiana debut. Enrique Freeman, the 50th pick from Akron, totaled seven points, five rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes for the Pacers.
Jalen Wilson, who hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to send it to overtime, topped five Nets players who scored in double figures by dropping 25 points.
Anchored by 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting from Walker, seven points by Brown, and six points and five rebounds from Freeman, the Pacers outshot the Nets 39 to 33 percent in the first half to lead 41-33 at intermission.
Both teams shot poorly in the opening five minutes of action, but the Pacers shook off their rust and used a 12-3 run to build a 21-17 advantage over the Nets by the end of the first quarter.
Walker looked strong to start, scoring seven points in as many minutes, while Furphy and Freeman registered their first buckets with the Blue & Gold by draining a 3-pointer and flushing a putback dunk, respectively.
Indiana never relinquished the lead in the second quarter as Walker added seven more points to the Blue & Gold total.
Freeman continued providing a spark off the bench early on, registering a trio of buckets from close range and a highlight chase-down the block from behind before the break.
With one second left in the half, Walker drew a foul on a 3-point attempt off an inbounds pass and sank two of three freebies to push the Pacers ahead by nine.
The Pacers turned the ball over 10 times in the third quarter and the Nets took advantage, cutting their deficit to 61-60.
Brooklyn used a 12-3 run to make it a one-point game with 31 seconds left, but didn’t go back in front by the end of the frame as Furphy threw down an alley-oop dunk and hit a 3-pointer in the final 2:44 of the third quarter.
Indiana started the fourth quarter on a 11-2 run, and built a 82-67 lead with 4:53 on the clock.
The Nets, however, didn’t back down, as they narrowed it 89-86 before Wilson drained a 3–pointer with 16 seconds left to tie the game.
Indiana’s Quenton Jackson was fouled with less than a second left, but missed both free throw tries as the game went into overtime, where the Nets pulled out the win thanks to four points each by Wilson and Johnson.
The Pacers will next play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV before taking on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at 4 p.m. (ESPNU) and Denver Nuggets on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (ESPN 2).
All 30 NBA teams participate in the Las Vegas Summer League , which consists of 76 games from July 12 to 22. Each team will play at least five games.
After four games, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs while the remaining squads play consolation games. The two semifinal games will take place on July 21, and the winners will play for the championship on July 22.
INDIANA FEVER
GAME RECAP: FEVER EARN WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN AT HOME AGAINST PHOENIX
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever (10-14) earned a wire-to-wire win against the Phoenix Mercury, 95-86, on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the last home game for Indiana before this year’s Olympic break. In the win, Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and NaLyssa Smith became the first trio of teammates in WNBA history with a double-double and at least two blocked shots each in the same regular season game. Boston ended with 21 points and 13 rebounds, Clark added 20 points and tied a franchise record with 13 assists for the third consecutive game and NaLyssa Smith recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds for her 27th career double-double.
Fever guard and WNBA All-Star Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with a season-high 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting and Boston’s eight offensive rebounds was a career-high. Clark made history again Friday night as she set a franchise record for most assists recorded in a single quarter when she dished out seven in the first quarter. Clark penciled in her eighth double-double of the season and fifth consecutive double-double in points and assists.
Indiana outscored the Mercury in the first three quarters on Friday night. A strong start from a 21-10 run in the first quarter, coupled with a 19-8 run in the third quarter, positioned Indiana to maintain a lead for the entirety of the game. Indiana outscored Phoenix in paint points, 60-28, and outrebounded the Mercury, 42-30.
For Phoenix (12-11), four Mercury players were out with injuries during Friday night’s game, including usual starting guards, Diana Taurasi and Natasha Cloud. Additionally, Mercury center Brittney Griner suffered an injury approximately four minutes into the second quarter, and she did not return to the game.
Four Mercury players scored in double figures, led by Mercury guard Kahleah Copper’s game-high 36 points. Copper scored 20 points in the final quarter alone, and Friday marked her second consecutive game scoring at least 30 points. Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham trailed with 21 points which included a season-high five made 3-point field goals, six rebounds and four assists. Forwards Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and reserve Natasha Mack both tallied 10 points each and together, totaled 16 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
UP NEXT
The Fever head out to take on the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. Sunday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN.
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANS SPLIT TWIN BILL WITH CLIPPERS
INDIANAPOLIS – Domingo Germán fired a quality start to propel Indianapolis to a 5-2 win over Columbus in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday night at Victory Field, but the Indians went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the second leg of the twin bill to fall to the Clippers, 8-2.
The Indians (6-8, 39-48) never trailed in the opener and scored four runs off Triston McKenzie (L, 0-1) through the first two frames. Ji Hwan Bae was involved in the scoring in both innings, lining a leadoff single ahead of his 10th stolen base to set up an Edward Olivares sacrifice fly. In the second, Matt Fraizer brought home Malcom Nuñez with a run-scoring single, and after Andrés Alvarez walked to load the bases, Bae slashed a single into left field to plate two more.
The Clippers (8-7, 40-49) cut their deficit in half with a run in the third and solo home run by Raynel Delgado in the fifth inning, but Jake Lamb lined a single to right to score Liover Peguero in the bottom half to keep the visitors at bay.
Germán (W, 4-4) limited the Clippers to two earned runs on five hits and two walks with seven punchouts in 6.0 innings pitched. Ben Heller (S, 2) struck out two in a 1-2-3 seventh inning to extend his scoreless streak to 14.1 innings in Triple-A dating back to May 21.
Bae reached base safely in three of four plate appearances, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Fraizer also doubled as part of a two-hit performance.
In the nightcap, Johnathan Rodríguez, who went 14-for-29 (.483) with four doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI in the six-game series for Columbus at Victory Field in early June, drove in four runs – two on a first-inning double and two more on an opposite-field home run during a four-run seventh. Delgado added a two-run shot of his own in the fifth, and former Indian Dom Nuñez also cleared the wall with a two-run bomb in the final frame.
Seth Beer gave Indy its first run of the game in the second inning on a single to right that scored Malcom Nuñez, who logged a double and two singles.
Joey Cantillo (L, 1-1) racked up six strikeouts in 5.0 innings of one-run ball, and Anthony Gose (S, 7) fanned three of four batters faced to close it out. Luis Cessa (L, 3-4) was charged with four earned runs on five hits in 4.0 innings.
The Indians and Clippers continue the series on Saturday at 7:05 PM. LHP Logan Allen (0-0, -.–) is scheduled to start for Columbus while Indy has yet to name its starting pitcher.
INDY ELEVEN
PREVIEW #INDVLDN
Indy Eleven vs Loudoun United FC
Saturday, July 13, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis
Margaritaville Night
Follow Live
WRTV
Stream: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
Spanish Radio: Exitos Radio 94.3 FM & exitos943.com
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Stats: #INDvLDN MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2024 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 9-5-3 (+5), 30 pts; 3rd in Eastern Conference
Loudoun United FC: 7-6-4 (+6), 25 pts; 6th in Eastern Conference
SETTING THE SCENE
Indy Eleven starts a two-match homestand hosting Loudoun United FC Saturday at The Mike. This will be the eighth overall meeting between the sides, and the first of two this season (10.8).
The Boys in Blue are coming off a 2-1 U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal win over MLS-side Atlanta United and tied Rhode Island, 3-3, in the last USL Championship action to remain in third in the Eastern Conference (9-5-3). Loudoun sits sixth at 7-6-4 after defeating Hartford, 3-0, its last time out.
| IND | LDN | |
| 17 | Games | 17 |
| 30 | Goals | 26 |
| 25 | Goals Conceded | 20 |
| 18 | Assists | 18 |
| 82 | SOT | 85 |
| 70 | Shots Faced | 75 |
| 2 | Clean Sheets | 6 |
SERIES VS. LOUDOUN
Saturday marks the eighth meeting between the two sides, with Indy holding the 5-2-0 advantage. The Boys in Blue won both meetings in 2023 and haven’t lost in the series since Match 12, 2022. Indy has not lost at home to Loudoun.
Indy Leads 5-2-0 | GF 10, GA 8
Recent Meetings
August 26, 2023 | W, 2-1 | Home
May 6, 2023 | W, 2-1 | Away
September 25, 2022 | W, 1-0 | Home
March 12, 2022 | L, 1-0 | Away
FAMILIAR FOE
Former Boy in Blue Robby Dambrot, who played for Indy from August 2022 through the 2023 season has suited up 14 times, making 10 starts, and has one goal for the visitors this season.
#GOALS
The Boys in Blue scored in 15 straight USLC matches to open the 2024 season, bringing their total to 30 goals (T3 USL), and have scored in 16 of their 17 games, no team has done so more often in the USL Championship this season. The streak, which ended on June 22 against Orange County, is the longest to open a USLC campaign and is the longest run overall within the same season for the club. In total, Indy scored in 18 straight regular season matches dating back to Sept. 30, 2023.
The Boys in Blue have scored 18 first half goals this season. Defensively, Indy has held its opponents scoreless in the first half in 10 of 17 matches in 2024.
STREAKING
The Boys in Blue were unbeaten in 12 straight matches across all competitions, including a club-best eight straight wins in USL Championship matches before falling to Orange County on June 22. The eight-match USLC win streak tied for fifth over the league’s history.
Indy outscored opponents 23-6 in those matches, while posting six clean sheets and never conceding more than one goal.
4.17 Chicago Fire FC II^ W, 1-0
4.20 at Colorado Springs Switchbacks SC D, 1-1
4.27 North Carolina FC W, 2-1
5.4 at Monterey Bay F.C. W, 1-0
5.8 San Antonio FC^ W, 2-0
5.12 at Miami FC W, 3-1
5.18 Hartford Athletic W, 4-1
5.22 Detroit City FC^ W, 3-0
5.25 Phoenix Rising FC W, 2-1
6.1 at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC W, 2-1
6.9 at Birmingham Legion FC W, 1-0
6.15 San Antonio FC W, 1-0
^denotes U.S. Open Cup match
THIS IS MAY
Indy Eleven finished off the month of May going 4-0-0 in USL Championship action and 6-0-0 across all competitions. The four wins for the Boys in Blue were the most for a side in the USLC to take maximum points in a month.
TOP-10 TEAMMATES
Sebastian Guenzatti (6th, 73) and Augi Williams (9th, 71) serve as the only pair of active teammates in the USL Championship’s top 10 for all-time regular season goals. Williams currently sits at five goals in 2024, while Guenzatti has three. Williams also has a three in U.S. Open Cup action this season to lead Indy.
ALLOW ME TO ASSIST YOU
Aedan Stanley is tied atop the USL Championship stats with seven assists, which includes his first career multi-assist game, a two-helper performance against his old club Miami FC on May 12. He also has a team-high two in Open Cup games. Stanley has 15 career USL Championship assists, posting no more that three in a season before joining Indy Eleven for 2024.
2024: 7 | 2023: 3 | 2022: 3 | 2020: 2
TOTW REGULARS
Jack Blake has been named to the USL Championship Team of the Week five times in 2024, tied for the most for any player in the league, while Aedan Stanley has three nods and a Player of the Week accolade to his name. Additionally, five players have had at least one selection in Younes Boudadi (to HFD 6.13), Adrian Diz Pe, Benjamin Ofeimu, Hunter Sulte and Augi Williams.
In total, seven players have earned team of the week nods, while eight total have received either team or bench honors.
LAST TIME OUT – U.S. OPEN CUP EDITION
KENNESAW, Georgia (Tuesday, July 9, 2024) — Indy Eleven made history Tuesday night, defeating Atlanta United, 2-1, to advance to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals for the first time since opening play in the tournament in 2014. The victory was also the first for the Boys in Blue over an MLS opponent in its fourth match-up.
Indy is now 8-7-1 all-time in U.S. Open Cup action and picked up its second road victory in tournament history, with the first coming in this season’s Third Round at Chicago Fire II. The Boys in Blue have outscored opponents, 8-1, in this season’s edition.
Indy’s leading goal scorer in U.S. Open Cup action, Augi Williams, opened the scoring in the 31st minute off an assist from Douglas Martinez, his second helper of the tournament. The tally was the third for Williams in the Cup, scoring in the third consecutive match, while the goal was the first Atlanta had given up after opening the tournament with a pair of shutouts.
The insurance goal, and what proved to be the match winner for Indy, was another product of Williams, who played a dangerous cross into the Atlanta box intended for Elliot Collier, but was errantly touched in for an own goal.
Atlanta’s goal came from Nick Firmino in the 83rd minute.
Offensively, Josh O’Brien led the Boys in Blue with three shots, while Sebastian Guenzatti had a pair on frame. On defense, Benjamin Ofeimu had a match-high seven clearances and Hunter Sulte registered two saves.
Tuesday night was the second appearance in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals for Atlanta, who went on to win the tournament in 2019.
Scoring Summary
IND – Augi Williams (Douglas Martinez) 31’
IND – Own goal 83’
ATL – Nick Firmino (Daniel Rios) 90+2’
Discipline Summary
ATL – Caleb Wiley (caution) 48’
IND – Douglas Martinez (caution) 52’
LAST TIME OUT – USL CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION
SMITHFIELD, Rhode Island (Friday, July 5, 2024) – Indy Eleven returns from Rhode Island with a point after drawing 3-3 with the first-year USL Championship Eastern Conference opponent.
The Boys in Blue scored twice in the opening half as Laurence Wootton registered the opener off an assist from Cam Lindley in the 20th minute. The goal was the first professional tally for Wootton and the assist was the first for Lindley in 2024.
Indy doubled the lead less than 10 minutes later off a 28th minute strike from Elliot Collier. His goal came by way of Romario Williams’ first points representing the Circle City.
Indy now has 16 first-half goals on the season, the second most of any team in the USL Championship (17, Charleston).
Rhode Island got a pair back to open the second half off the corner combination of goal scorer Frank Nodarse and Marc Ybarra in the 52nd and 69th minutes.
Indy retook the lead in the 79th minute off the first goal of the season from Tyler Gibson via an assist from Douglas Martinez, but Rhode Island struck back in the final seconds, earning the equalizer from Isaac Angking in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Scoring Summary
IND – Laurence Wootton (Cam Lindley) 20’
IND – Elliot Collier (Romario Williams) 28’
RI – Frank Nodarse (Marc Ybarra) 52’
RI – Frank Nodarse (Marc Ybarra) 69’
IND – Tyler Gibson (Douglas Martinez) 79’
RI – Isaac Angking 90+5’
Discipline Summary
RI – Frank Nodarse (caution) 19’
IND – Ben Mines (caution) 35’
IND – Hunter Sulte (caution) 52’
IND – Josh O’Brien (caution) 59′
RI – JJ Williams (caution) 80’
RI – Jojea Kwizera (caution) 84’
INDIANA BASEBALL NEWS
HOOSIERS READY FOR 2024 MLB DRAFT
ARLINGTON, Texas – A contingent of Indiana Baseball players are prepared to hear their name called as the 2024 MLB First Year Player Draft begins this weekend (July 14-16) in Arlington, Texas. The draft will be held simultaneously with MLB All-Star weekend at the home of the defending World Series Champions, the Texas Rangers.
There has been no shortage of representation from IU in the MLB Draft with the program turning itself into a player development powerhouse over the past 15 years. In total, 107 unique players have been drafted, dating all the way back to 1966. IU has two players picked in 2023 in relief pitcher Craig Yoho (8th Round) and shortstop Phillip Glasser (10th Round).
Among the players expected to be selected include three-year everyday starters in infielder Brock Tibbitts and outfielder Carter Mathison. The two players combined to appear in 350 career games for the Hoosiers in three seasons. Outfielder Nick Mitchell, who transferred to IU for his junior season, is a projected top-10 round pick with his plus speed and outstanding bat-to-ball skills.
Junior right-handed pitcher Luke Sinnard, who broke the single-season strikeout record in 2023, missed all of the 2024 season but is expected to be picked early in the proceedings. He pitched for scouts in Bloomington and made a trip to the MLB Draft Combine where he was a standout with his spin rate and velocity numbers.
A trio draft-eligible sophomores will likely hear their names called during the three-day draft. Pitchers Connor Foley and Brayden Risedorph and shortstop Tyler Cerny are all on the older side of their grade, making them eligible for this year’s draft. As sophomores, the three players hold higher leverage and can decide on whether to return to Bloomington for the 2025 season.
Additional IU standouts, including senior pitchers Ty Bothwell and Drew Buhr and junior third baseman Josh Pyne, could be picked near the backend of the MLB Draft. The draft, which was shortened to just 20 rounds following the COVID-19 pandemic, lasts from Sunday (July 14) to Tuesday (July 16) with over 600 selections.
Since head coach Jeff Mercer took over the program in 2019, 20 unique players have been drafted. 10 different Hoosiers have been picked in the top-10 rounds including outfielder Matt Gorski (2-57), who was picked by Pittsburgh and now plays in Triple-A for the Indianapolis Indians.
PURDUE VOLLEYBALL
SHONDELL ADDS TRANSFER RAVEN GRAY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Art and Connie Euler women’s volleyball head coach Dave Shondell announced the addition of transfer Raven Gray to the roster ahead of the upcoming 2024 season. She will compete for Purdue as an outside hitter/right side and will wear the #8 jersey.
Selected by USA Volleyball as being the top collegiate players in the nation, Gray was a U.S. Women’s National Team Open Program attendee in February alongside Eva Hudson and Lourdès Myers. She was one of three Division II outside hitters, opposites or right-side players to receive the invitation.
“I’m very pleased to have Raven join our program for her final year of eligibility,” Shondell said. “Raven is a very powerful athlete who truly competes. In my conversations with Raven, I have learned that she has tremendous family values, high expectations for herself, and is an awesome student-athlete. She is a valuable addition to our crew of pin attackers and has the versatility to play on either pin.”
Transferring to Purdue from Winston-Salem State, she received First Team All-Conference last year after leading the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in both points (335.5) and kills (292). She produced nine 15+ kill performances and seven double-doubles last season, including a 25-kill, 22-dig showing to set a career-high 29.5 points versus Virginia Union (10/1).
The Purdue volleyball season will begin Friday, August 30 at home vs. K-State in the Stacey Clark Classic. A total of 12 matches between Big Ten and non-conference play will come against opponents ranked or receiving votes in the 2023 AVCA final poll, including up to seven versus top-15 opponents, contingent on non-conference tournament results.Purdue returns three AVCA All-America honorees in Second Team All-American Eva Hudson, Third Team All-American Chloe Chicoine and Honorable Mention Raven Colvin. The Boilermakers produced a 23-8 record last season, including a 15-5 record in Big Ten play, taking down Penn State twice, Minnesota twice and Wisconsin on their way to a third-place finish in the Big Ten standings and an NCAA Regional Final appearance. In addition to selling out the entire home slate, Purdue went 11-5 against teams ranked or receiving votes in the latest poll with one of the youngest and most talented teams in program history.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S SOCCER
NOTRE DAME WINS MEN’S 2024 CAPITAL ONE CUP
The University of Notre Dame earned the 2024 Men’s Capital One Cup following the 2023-24 collegiate athletics season, marking the third time the Fighting Irish have claimed the Cup title on the men’s side.
With the title, Notre Dame moves into a tie for first for most Men’s Capital One Cups in the award’s history, joining the Florida Gators and Stanford Cardinal.
The Fighting Irish were the only men’s program to reach the 100-point mark, finishing with 103 points from the sports of lacrosse, soccer, fencing and swimming and diving. The 103 points also represent the most the Fighting Irish have ever recorded in the Men’s Capital One Cup.
The Notre Dame athletic department will receive a donation of $250,000 towards its Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund as a result of the first-place finish.
Here is how the Fighting Irish compiled the 103-point total.
Lacrosse – No. 1 final ranking in national poll (60 pts)
Soccer – No. 2 final ranking in national poll (36 pts)
Fencing – No. 2 final ranking in national poll (6 pts, co-ed sport)
Swimming and Diving – 10th-place finish at NCAA championship meet (1 pt)
Notre Dame has now captured the Men’s Capital One Cups in 2024, 2022 and 2014.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
NOTRE DAME, USC ANNOUNCE HOME-AND-HOME
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — One of Notre Dame’s annual football rivalries is making a return to the basketball court, and it is looking like it could be a top-10 matchup.
On Friday, the Irish announced that Notre Dame and USC will meet in Los Angeles on November 23, and a 2025-26 season matchup in South Bend will follow. The Irish are the No. 4 team in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, while the Trojans are No. 2.
There are numerous connections between these rosters. The matchup will pit last year’s rookie phenoms against each other in Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and USC’s JuJu Watkins. Hidalgo ranked sixth nationally with 22.6 points per game (which was also the Notre Dame program record) and led the nation with 4.6 steals per contest, while Watkins was second in scoring with 27.1 points per game.
Both programs also added notable, high-level transfers this offseason. Notre Dame welcomed All-ACC forward Liatu King and All-BIG EAST forward Liza Karlen. King played at Pittsburgh for her first four years, while Karlen was at Marquette. USC added both Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen from Stanford and Oregon State, respectively. Iriafen was the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player last season, and both players were on the All-Pac 12 Team.
Also of note, Notre Dame freshman Kate Koval will get to see her high school teammate and fellow rookie Kayleigh Heckel in Los Angeles. They were both McDonald’s All-Americans last season and five-star recruits according to the 2024 ESPN HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.
Notre Dame is 8-2 all-time against the Trojans and last saw the program on Nov. 25, 2011 as part of the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas. The Irish last visited SC in 2006.
Television details for the game will be released at a later date.
MARIAN BASEBALL
MARIAN UNIVERSITY NAMES TODD MILLER AS HEAD BASEBALL COACH
INDIANAPOLIS – On Thursday, July 11, Director of Athletics Steve Downing and the Marian University Department of Athletics announced the hiring of Todd Miller as the next Marian baseball head coach. Miller, who joins the Marian staff after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Davidson University, is the eighth head coach in program history.
An 18-year coaching veteran, the Indiana-native Miller returns to the Hoosier state after spending the previous two years as a recruiting coordinator, hitting coach, and outfield positional coach for Davidson College. Miller is a 2006 graduate of Hanover College, where he was an all-conference football and baseball player.
“It is an honor to be named the head baseball coach at Marian University,” said Miller on being named the head coach of the Marian baseball program. “I would like to thank President (Dan) Elsener, Steve Downing, and Mark Henninger for giving me the opportunity to lead the baseball program. Our family is excited to come back home, be involved in a great city, and at a school offering a phenomenal experience. I’m excited to build on the past successes of Marian and I look forward to leading the program to new heights.”
In his time at Davidson, Miller helped develop and coach the Wildcats 2023 A10 Player of the Year Ryan Wilson, while helping record the fourth-most victories in a single season in school history. Miller coached three players that went on to be drafted or signed through the MLB draft, including a fifth and ninth round selection. At Davidson, the Wildcats set school records for home runs and times hit by pitch, while leading the A10 in numerous categories during Miller’s tenure as an assistant coach.
Before beginning his most recent role with Davidson, Miller spent one season in a similar position at Tennessee Tech, serving as the offensive coordinator and infield positional coach in addition to the recruiting coordinator. The 2022 Tennessee Tech squad earned their first victory in school history over the top-ranked team in college baseball, as the Golden Eagles earned a victory against the University of Tennessee with Miller on staff. Tennessee Tech led their conference in batting average, hits, runs, and home runs, as well as several other categories in his time.
“I am excited to name Todd Miller as our next baseball coach,” said Director of Athletics Steve Downing. “Todd brings a strong baseball background to our Marian program, and will bring a new energy and spark to our team. I look forward to working with Todd, and watching him take our baseball team to a new level of play.”
Prior to Tennessee Tech, Miller spent considerable time coaching at the NCAA Division II level, including three years at Tusculum and four-year stints at Belmont-Abbey and Catawba.
Miller began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Bluffton University in 2006 and later served as interim head coach during the 2007 season. It was for his leadership in this role that he received the 2010 NCAA Award of Inspiration for leading the team during a period of unprecedented challenges. Also while at Bluffton, he completed his master’s degree in business administration.
“Todd will be a great fit for our University and our department,” said assistant athletic director Mark Henninger. “He stood out among an extremely strong pool of candidates as an Indiana native with such a strong background of success at every level of college baseball. I look forward to working with Todd and I am excited about what he brings to the future of our baseball program.”
At Catawba from 2011-14, Miller helped the Indians win 161 games, three South Atlantic Conference titles and make three NCAA Tournament berths. In 2012, the Indians finished No. 4 in the nation and reached the NCAA Division II College World Series. While in Salisbury, Miller worked with six MLB draft picks and one National Pitcher of the Year.
Miller spent the next four seasons at Belmont-Abbey, where he helped the Crusaders to 141 wins and their best four-year run. The highlight of his tenure came in 2018, when Belmont-Abbey went 40-14, climbed to second in the nation and reached the final of the NCAA Southeast Regional. That club included six all-conference selections, three all-region performers and Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Luke Cureton. All-region pick Matt McGarry, a second baseman, was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 34th round, and Miller also worked with Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team pick Thomas Yoder.
At Tusculum, Miller helped develop one MLB draft pick, three All-Americans and one MLB free agent signing. The 2021 Pioneers won 30 games and finished second in the SAC, behind only eventual national champion Wingate. Tusculum climbed to No. 7 in the nation and finished third in the country in hit-by-pitches, fifth in walks, sixth in on-base percentage, eighth in runs per game and in the top 15 in sacrifice flies, runs scored and stolen bases.
In addition to his college coaching duties, Miller has worked in other capacities in the game, including with the Indiana Bulls player national travel ball organization and the Thomasville HiToms of the Coastal Plain League.
Before his collegiate playing days at Hanover, Miller was a standout baseball, basketball, and football player at Franklin Community High School. The Indiana native Miller and his wife, Leigh, have a daughter, Madeline, and two sons, Brooks and Boone.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
3 – 38 – 30 – 25
July 13, 1896 – Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Ed Delahanty became just the second major league player to have ever hit 4 Homeruns in a game as Phillies lose 9-8 to Chicago Colts at the West Side Grounds, Chicago
July 13, 1919 – It was truly a frustrating day. Boston Red Sox pitcher Carl Mays walked off of the mound right after the second inning in a game against the Chicago White Sox where they lambasted the pitcher for four runs in the first inning blaming teammates for lack of support in field as they had two errors. The game ended with Chicago winning by the score of 14-9. Mays is always portrayed and pictured as sort of a hot head and a dark figure and perhaps he was in history. In a famous photo of him he is sort of hunched over, and turned away from the camera so that his back is showing, his face partially hidden from view with just his eyes peering towards the viewer. It is very sinister. Mays had a miserable childhood as his father died when he was 12 leaving his mother to raise and care for 7 children. Later when pitching for the Yankees Mays used his very unpredictable ‘submarine” pitch against Cleveland’s popular star player Ray Chapman and the combo of the fast moving pitch along with Chapman crowding the plate the ball nailed the hitter in the head, eventually killing him. Mays insisted he didn’t mean to hit Chapman and even fellow ballplayers remarked at how Chapman would typically crowd the plate. However it forever shadows his career along with his nasty submarine pitch.
July 13, 1934 – New York Yankees Number 3, Babe Ruth hit his 700th career home run against the Detroit Tigers.
July 13, 1963 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, Number 38 of the Cleveland Indians won his 300th and last MLB game at the age of 43.
July 13, 1979 – It is quite improbably to happen once but twice the same day…? California Angel’s pitcher Nolan Ryan (Number 30) and Boston Red Sox hurler Steve Renko (Number 25) each lost what would be up to that point no-hit decisions in the 9th inning
FOOTBALL HISTORY
The story told of how on July 13, 1972 owners from the LA Rams, Robert Irsay and the Baltimore Colts, Carroll Rosenbloom swapped franchises in a rare NFL owner’s trade. This $19 million deal had Irsay and partner Willard Keland of Racine, Wisconsin purchasing the Rams then they traded the franchise to Rosenbloom who had multiple financial interests in Southern California including stock in Warner Brothers. Rosenbloom in turn said he would keep Tommy Prothro as the head coach of his newly acquired LA squad stating that,” One of the reasons I wanted the Rams was because he’s tied up for five years.” It is interesting that just months later, Prothro was dismissed on January 24, 1973, in favor of Chuck Knox. Less than a year later Prothro became the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.
If you want to be able to be able to read through some old articles like The News-Messenger in Fremont, you need to check out Newspapers.com. At Newspapers.com, you can get access to over 640 million pages’ worth of news from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and more dating back from 1798 to yesterday. Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers. And with a paid subscription, you’ll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows.
July 13, 1994 – Former NFL RB, O.J. Simpson gives hair samples to authorities as he was being investigated for murder.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for July 13
July 13, 1903 – Salem, Ohio – One of Carnegie Tech’s tackles from 1923 through the 1926 season, Lloyd Yoder claimed his date of birth. The National Football Foundation celebrates this great player with a nice biography sketch that includes that Carnegie Tech, now called Carnegie Mellon, was a big-time football power when Lloyd Yoder played. Carnegie Tech played juggernauts of the era such as Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Penn State, and West Virginia. “The Plaid Bull” as Yoder was called lettered four times on the gridiron at Carnegie and had a record of 21-11-2 in his time playing which included three victories in four starts against powerful cross-town rival Pittsburgh per the National Football Foundation. During the 1926 season Yoder and company pulled off one of the biggest college upsets in early football when they knocked off Notre Dame 19-0 helping to secure the Plaid Bull as an All-America selection that season! Lloyd Yoder’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1982. Lloyd proudly served in World War II as a lieutenant commander in the Navy. Using his fine education and life lessons later in life, Yoder worked for NBC for 40 years, managing stations in San Francisco, Denver, Cleveland, and Chicago and holding the title of vice-president. This man had football in his blood as he later worked 25 years, from 1928 to 1952, as a football official.
July 13, 1922 – Istanbul, Turkey – Alex Sarkisian, a two way player from Northwestern at center and at linebacker during the football era of 1946 to 1948 was born. According to his bio on the FootballFoundation.org, “Sorky’s” coach for the Wildcats Bob Voigts remembers Sarkisian’s great leadership with this story:” We were playing Minnesota and got behind 16-0. Alex called the players together and said, ‘We are going to win. Anyone who doesn’t think so can get off the field right now.’ We won 19-16.” The 1948 Northwestern team went to the Rose Bowl and beat California 20-14. In 1948 Mr. Sarkisian was voted as a 1st Team All American at linebacker and 2nd Team All-American at center per the National Football Foundation. His fine play earned him a place in the College Football Hall of Fame in the 1998 induction class. After his playing eligibility was over Sarkisian stayed on at Northwestern as an assistant coach and then after getting his Masters Degree from the University he went on to teach and coach at the high school level.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
July 13
1896 — Philadelphia’s Ed Delahanty hit four home runs in a losing effort, a 9-8 loss to Chicago.
1934 — Babe Ruth hit his 700th home run in a 4-2 victory over Tommy Bridges and the Detroit Tigers. Lou Gehrig left in the first with a severe case of lumbago, the most serious threat to his streak. He returned for one at bat the next day.
1943 — The first night game in All-Star history, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, went to the AL, 5-3, despite a single, triple and home run by NL center fielder Vince DiMaggio of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The big blow was a three-run homer by Bobby Doerr of the Boston Red Sox, which gave the AL the lead for good.
1945 — Chicago’s Pat Seerey hit three home runs, a triple and drove in eight runs to lead the White Sox in a 16-4 win over New York at Yankee Stadium.
1954 — Pitcher Dean Stone did not retire a batter but received credit for the AL’s 11-9 All-Star victory at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. Red Schoendienst tried to steal a run for the NL after Stone was summoned in the eighth inning, but the pitcher’s throw to the plate nailed the runner for the third out.
1963 — Early Wynn, at 43, registered his 300th and last victory, pitching the first five innings of Cleveland’s 7-4 triumph over the Kansas City A’s.
1965 — The NL took the lead over the AL for the first time since the All-Star series began, winning 6-5 at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minn.
1971 — Reggie Jackson’s mammoth home run off the power generator on the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium highlighted a barrage of six homers — three by each team — as the AL beat the NL 6-4 in the All-Star game.
1982 — The NL registered its 11th consecutive All-Star victory over the AL with a 4-1 victory at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, the first All-Star game played outside the United States. Dave Concepcion’s two-run homer off Dennis Eckersley in the second inning was the deciding hit.
1993 — Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett homered and doubled to win the MVP award in the AL’s 9-3 victory in the All-Star game at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
1999 — Boston’s Pedro Martinez pitched himself into the All-Star game record book, becoming the first to strike out the first four hitters in an All-Star game, fanning Barry Larkin, Larry Walker and Sammy Sosa in the first inning, and Mark McGwire to start the second. Martinez struck out five in the first two innings — tying an American League record — to lead the AL to a 4-1 victory over the National League.
2010 — Brian McCann’s three-run double in the seventh inning provided the NL all the offense it needed to capture its first Midsummer Classic since 1996 with a 3-1 victory.
2013 — Tim Lincecum threw the second no-hitter in 11 days, a gem saved by a spectacular diving catch by right fielder Hunter Pence in the San Francisco Giants’ 9-0 win against the last-place San Diego Padres. Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, was the loser when Cincinnati’s Homer Bailey no-hit the Giants on July 2.
2014 — Madison Bumgarner became the first pitcher in 48 years to hit two grand slams in a season, and Buster Posey also hit a slam that boosted San Francisco to an 8-4 win over Arizona.
2021 — The American League wins the 91st All-Star game with a 5-2 win over the National League for their 8th straight win.
2022 — The Blue Jays, who had entered the season with sky-high expectations, fire manager Charlie Montoyo after the team has lost eight of its last ten games and is now barely ahead of the 5th-place Orioles. Bench coach John Schneider takes over as manager on an interim basis, and Casey Candaele is promoted from AAA Buffalo to step into the breach left by Schneider on the coaching staff.
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July 14
1916 — St. Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob went the distance in a 17-inning 0-0 tie with the Boston Red Sox. Carl Mays went the first 15 innings for the Red Sox and Dutch Leonard finished.
1946 — Cleveland player-manager Lou Boudreau hit four doubles and a home run in the first game of a doubleheader against Boston, but Ted Williams connected for three home runs and drove in eight runs for an 11-10 Red Sox victory.
1956 — Mel Parnell of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox for a 4-0 victory at Fenway Park.
1967 — Eddie Mathews of the Astros hit his 500th home run off San Francisco’s Juan Marichal at Candlestick Park. Houston beat the Giants 8-6.
1968 — Hank Aaron hit his 500th home run off Mike McCormick as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2.
1968 — Don Wilson of the Houston Astros struck out 18 Reds in a 6-1 victory over Cincinnati in the nightcap of a doubleheader.
1969 — Oakland’s Reggie Jackson knocked in 10 runs in a 21-7 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Jackson had five hits in six at-bats, including two two-run homers and a double.
1970 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds scored on Jim Hickman’s 12th-inning single after bowling over Cleveland’s Ray Fosse at home plate to give the NL a 5-4 victory over the AL at Riverfront Stadium.
1972 — In a major league first, Bill Haller was the umpire behind the plate while his brother Tom was the catcher for the Detroit Tigers.
1995 — Ramon Martinez threw the first no-hitter of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 7-0. Martinez was perfect for 7 1-3 innings before walking Tommy Gregg.
2006 — The New York Yankees snapped Jose Contreras’ winning streak at 17 decisions with a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. Contreras (9-1) hadn’t lost since dropping a 4-2 decision to Minnesota last Aug. 15.
2008 — Josh Hamilton of Texas, with a dazzling display of power, hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium before he was beaten out by Minnesota’s Justin Morneau in the finals.
2009 — The American League continued its dominance over the National League with a 4-3 win in the All-Star game. The AL is 12-0-1 since its 1996 defeat at Philadelphia — the longest unbeaten streak in All-Star history. Carl Crawford of Tampa, robbed Brad Hawpe of a go-ahead homer in the eighth and took home MVP honors.
2014 — Yoenis Cespedes successfully defends his title as Home Run Derby champion in the annual event held before the All-Star Game at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN. Cespedes defeats Todd Frazier in the final round, 9 long balls to 1, having hit 28 overall. Ken Griffey Jr. was the only other repeat winner in the event, winning in 1998 and 1999.
2015 — Mike Trout became the first player in 38 years to lead off the All-Star Game with a home run, and the American League beat the National League 6-3 to secure home-field advantage in the World Series for the third straight time and 10th in 13 years. Trout also became the first player to be selected the game’s MVP two years in row.
2018 — The Cardinals fire manager Mike Matheny just before the All-Star break, following a loss to the Reds that puts them just one game above .500. Hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller are also let go, while bench coach Mike Shildt is named interim manager, with a permanent replacement expected to be named when play resumes after the Mid-Summer Classic in a few days. However, Shildt will do so well that he will be made permanent within a few weeks.
2023 — Brothers Josh Naylor and Bo Naylor both hit two-run homers in the 3rd inning in the Guardians’ 12 – 4 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Park. It the first time that brothers hit multi-run homers for the same team in the sasme inning.
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July 15
1901 — Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched his first of two career no-hitters, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0.
1921 — NY Yankees slugger Babe Ruth ties MLB record of 138 career home runs (held by Roger Connor since 1895).
1960 — Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson goes 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle and driving in three runs to lead the Orioles past the Chicago White Sox 5-2.
1969 — Cincinnati’s Lee May hit four home runs in a doubleheader split with the Atlanta Braves. May had two home runs and drove in five runs in both games. The Reds lost the opener 9-8 but won the second game 10-4.
1969 — Rod Carew stole home off Chicago’s Gerry Nyman in the Minnesota Twins’ 6-2 victory. It was Carew’s seventh steal of home for the year and tied Pete Reiser’s 1946 major league mark.
1973 — Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 17 batters and threw his second no-hitter of the year, beating Detroit 6-0.
1980 — Johnny Bench broke Yogi Berra’s record for home runs by a catcher, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos 12-7. Bench hit his 314th homer as a catcher off David Palmer. Bench had 33 home runs while playing other positions.
1997 — The San Francisco Giants scored 13 runs to set a modern NL record for runs in a seventh inning en route to a 16-2 rout of the San Diego Padres. The Giants set the NL record for the most runs in a seventh inning since 1900.
1999 — After 22½ years in the dreary Kingdome, Seattle finally played a home game outdoors, moving into a $517.6 million ballpark with a retractable roof. Jose Mesa wasted a ninth-inning lead by walking four batters and the Mariners lost 3-2 to the San Diego Padres in Safeco Field’s opener.
2003 — Anaheim’s Garret Anderson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double, powering the American League past the National League 7-6 in the All-Star Game.
2005 — Baltimore’s Rafael Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach 3,000 career hits, curling an RBI double into the left-field corner off Joel Pineiro in the fifth inning of a 6-3 win over Seattle. Palmeiro joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.
2007 — The Philadelphia Phillies lost their 10,000 game, 10-2 to St. Louis. The franchise, born in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and later unofficially called the Blue Jays in the mid-1940s, fell to 8,810-10,000.
2008 — Justin Morneau slid home just in time on Michael Young’s sacrifice fly in the 15th inning, giving the American League a 4-3 victory in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The AL extended its unbeaten streak to 12.
2014 — With Derek Jeter going out a winner in his last All-Star appearance, Mike Trout drove in two runs with a triple and a double to lead the American League past the National League 5-3. Jeter started his 14th and final midsummer classic and went 2 for 2 before being removed in the top of the fourth inning.
2017 — Cody Bellinger became the first Dodgers rookie to hit for the cycle and Alex Wood became the first Dodgers pitcher in more than a century to win his first 11 decisions in a season, helping Los Angeles beat the Miami Marlins 7-1.
2021 — Tampa Bay catcher Travis d’Arnaud becomes first player in MLB history to hit 3 homers while catching and batting leadoff in the Rays’ 5-4 win over the NY Yankees.
July 16
1897 — Chicago’s Cap Anson became the first major leaguer to reach 3,000 hits when he singled off Baltimore’s George Blackburn.
1902 — John McGraw was named manager of the New York Giants, a post he would hold for 30 years.
1909 — Ed Summers of the Detroit Tigers allowed only seven hits and pitched all 18 innings of a 0-0 tie with the Washington Senators, the longest scoreless game in AL history.
1920 — Babe Ruth broke his own season record of 29 homers with his 30th as the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-2. Ruth would finish the season with 54.
1933 — Red Lucas of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a 15-inning 1-0 win over Roy Parmelee and the New York Giants in the opener of a doubleheader.
1941 — Joe DiMaggio extended his hitting streak to 56 games with a 3-for-4 day as the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 10-3.
1948 — After 8 1/2 years as Brooklyn manager, Leo Durocher stunned baseball by taking the helm of the archrival Giants in midseason.
1958 – In the nightcap of a doubleheader, Baltimore pitcher Jack Harshman hit two homers in a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.
1970 — The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pirates 3-2 before 48,846 in the first game at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium.
1985 — Sparky Anderson became the first manager to lose an All-Star Game in both leagues. The National League won 6-1 for the 21st win in the last 23 games.
1996 — Colorado’s streak of scoring seven runs in a game ended at 11. The Rockies beat the Giants 5-3 and tied the 1911 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1938 New York Yankees and 1976 Cincinnati Reds with 11 7-run games.
1997 — Kevin Brown pitched his first career one-hitter to lead Florida to 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brown, who no-hit San Francisco on June 10th, faced two batters over the minimum and allowed a lead-off single to left by Raul Mondesi in the fifth. He struck out eight and retired his final 15 batters.
1998 — Randy Johnson pitched a one-hitter to lead Seattle to a 3-0 win over Minnesota. Johnson struck out fans 11 and gave up a single to third baseman Brent Gates.
2006 — Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer in Atlanta’s 10-5 win at San Diego to give him an extra-base hit in 14 straight games, tying a 79-year-old major league record. Jones tied the record set in 1927 by Pittsburgh’s Paul Waner.
2006 — Mariano Rivera earned his 400th save, escaping two jams and getting six outs to preserve the New York Yankees’ 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Rivera joined Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman and John Franco in the 400-save club.
2009 — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard became the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 career home runs, breaking the record previously held by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. Howard reached 200 homers in his 658th game, hitting his 23rd of the season in the sixth inning of a 4-0 win over Florida. Kiner hit No. 200 in his 706th game.
2013 — Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect eighth inning in his final All-Star appearance, Jose Bautista, J.J. Hardy and Jason Kipnis drove in runs to back a night of pulsating pitching, and the American League beat the National League 3-0.
2015 — Brock Holt became the first Boston player to hit for the cycle since 1996 and the Red Sox slugged their way out to a 9-4 victory over Atlanta.
2021 — Jake Cronenworth hit for his first career cycle, Wil Myers had a grand slam and a two-run shot and the San Diego Padres set a franchise record for runs in a 24-8 blowout of the Washington Nationals.
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July 17
1924 — Jesse Haines of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Boston Braves.
1925 — Tris Speaker is the 5th player to reach 3,000 hits.
1936 — Carl Hubbell’s 24-game winning streak over two years began as he beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0 on five hits.
1941 — Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak of 56 games was stopped by Al Smith and Jim Bagby of the Indians before 67,000 at Cleveland. The Yankees still won, 4-3.
1956 — In the second game of a doubleheader against Kansas City, Ted Williams hit his 400th career home run. Williams connected in the sixth inning off Tom Gorman to give the Red Sox a 1-0 win over the A’s.
1966 — Chicago’s Billy Williams hit for the cycle to lead the Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a Sunday doubleheader. Williams singled in the first inning, doubled in the third, had an RBI-triple in the fifth, homered to center in the seventh and popped out to third baseman in foul territory. The Cardinals took the opener 4-3 in 11 innings.
1969 — Jim Kaat, Gold Glove winner for seven straight years, was charged with three errors, leading to three unearned runs against the Chicago White Sox. Nevertheless, he won the game at Minnesota 8-5.
1974 — Bob Gibson struck out Cesar Geronimo of the Reds in the second inning to become the second pitcher in major league history to record 3,000 strikeouts. Cincinnati beat St. Louis, 6-4.
1978 — Doc Medich of the Texas Rangers saved the life of a 61-year-old fan who had a heart attack just before a scheduled game at Baltimore. Medich, a medical student, administered heart massage until help arrived.
1987 — Don Mattingly became the first AL player to hit at least one home run in each of seven consecutive games as the New York Yankees disposed of the Texas Rangers 8-4.
1990 — Minnesota became the first team in major league history to pull off two triple plays in one game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Boston as the Red Sox beat the Twins 1-0.
2007 — Ryan Garko hit a game-tying pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning and singled home the winning run in the 11th to give Cleveland a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.
2011 — Dustin Pedroia singled with two outs in the top of the 16th inning, snapping a scoreless tie and giving the Red Sox a 1-0 victory over the Rays. It was the longest 1-0 game in the major leagues since the Brewers at Angels on June 8, 2004 went 17 innings.
2016 — Starling Marte hit a solo home run in the 18th inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-1 in a marathon game that lasted almost six hours. Pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy homered with two outs in the ninth inning for Washington.
2022 — Second-generation players take the first two spots in the 2022 amateur draft as SS Jackson Holliday, son of Matt Holliday, goes first overall to the Orioles, while OF Druw Jones, son of Andruw Jones, is selected second by the Diamondbacks. P Kumar Rocker, who had been the #10 pick in 2021 but had failed to come to an agreement with the Mets following a disagreement over the health of his pitching arm, goes #3 to the Rangers, who sign him mere hours after his selection. Rocker is coming off a brilliant stint of pitching in the independentFrontier League.
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July 18
1882 — Ambidextrous pitcher Tony Mullane of Louisville pitched with both hands in a major league game at Baltimore. Normally a right-hander, Mullane switched to the left hand in the fourth inning. He eventually lost 9-8.
1912 — The Chicago Cubs had 21 hits in 11 innings but still lost to the Philadelphia Phillies when Gavvy Cravath stole home.
1921 — Babe Ruth achieves 139 home runs and becomes the all-time home run leader in Major League Baseball, taking the title from Roger Connor.
1927 — Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics doubled off the glove of Harry Heilmann for his 4,000th hit.
1948 — Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox hit four home runs in a 12-11, 11-inning victory over the Philadelphia A’s in the opener of a doubleheader. Seerey hit two mammoth shots off Carl Scheib, one off Bob Savage and the game-winner off Lou Brissie in the top of the 11th.
1962 — Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins each hit grand slams in the first inning of a 14-3 rout of the Cleveland Indians.
1970 — Willie Mays bounced career hit number 3,000 through the left side of the infield off Mike Wegener in the second inning of the San Francisco Giants’ 10-1 romp over the Montreal Expos. Mays becomes the 10th player to get 3,000 hits.
1987 — New York’s Don Mattingly tied Dale Long’s 31-year-old major league record when he hit a home run for the eighth consecutive game in the Yankees’ 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.
1999 — With Don Larsen on hand to help celebrate Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, David Cone pitched a perfect game. Cone dazzled the Montreal Expos, throwing the 14th perfect game in modern history to lead the New York Yankees to a 6-0 victory.
2001 — Roger Cedeno was 4-for-5 with a double, triple, two homers and six RBIs in Detroit’s 12-4 win over the New York Yankees in the second game of a day-night doubleheader.
2006 — Atlanta became the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games following a 14-5 victory over St. Louis. The Braves have scored 65 runs during their offensive explosion that included two 15-run games.
2016 — A federal judge sentenced the former scouting director of the St. Louis Cardinals to nearly four years in prison for hacking the Houston Astros’ player personnel database and email system in an unusual case of high-tech cheating involving two Major League Baseball clubs. Christopher Correa had pleaded guilty in January to five counts of unauthorized access of a protected computer from 2013 to at least 2014, the same year he was promoted to director of baseball development in St. Louis.
2018 — As has been rumored for some time, the Dodgers trade for All-Star SS Manny Machado, who will become a free agent at the end of the season. The price is steep for what amounts to a short-term rental: five prospects, including AA OF Yusniel Diaz, one of the stars of the most recent Futures Game. The Dodgers have a gaping hole to fill, however, having recently lost SS Corey Seager for the remainder of the season.
2022 — Youth is served in the annual Home Run Derby, held at Dodger Stadium on the eve of the All-Star Game as 23-year-old Juan Soto defeats 21-year-old rookie Julio Rodríguez in the final round, but not before 42-year-old Albert Pujols manages to upset NL home run leader Kyle Schwarber in the initial round. Two-time defending champion Pete Alonso goes down before Rodríguez in the semi-finals. Soto misses the title of youngest-ever winner ever by one day, behind 1993 winner Juan Gonzalez.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
July 13
1881 — William Renshaw sets the record for the shortest men’s championship match by time and games by beating John T. Hartley 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 in 37 minutes at Wimbledon.
1934 — Babe Ruth hits his 700th career home run against Detroit.
1941 — The PGA tournament is won by Vic Ghezzi with a 1-up 38-hole victory over Byron Nelson. at Cherry Hills CC Denver
1943 — The first night game in All-Star history is played at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park. Boston’s Bobby Doerr provides the big blow, a three-run homer, for the AL’s 5-3 win.
1963 — Early Wynn wins his 300th and last MLB game at 43.
1968 — Gary Player wins the British Open by two strokes over Bob Charles and Jack Nicklaus. It’s the second Open championship for Player and his fifth major title.
1971 — Reggie Jackson hits a mammoth home run off the power generator on the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium to highlight a barrage of six homers — three by each team — as the AL beats the NL 6-4 in the All-Star game.
1972 — Robert Irsay buys the stock of the Los Angeles Rams for $19 million and swaps the franchise for the Baltimore Colts. The players and coaches are not affected.
1980 — Amy Alcott shoots a record score of 280 to win the U.S. Women’s Open by nine strokes over Hollis Stacy.
1994 — Tonya Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly sentenced to 2 years in prison for attack on American Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.
1996 — Cigar matches Citation’s modern North American record of 16 consecutive wins, pulling away to take the $1.05 million Arlington Citation Challenge by 3½ lengths.
1997 — Alison Nicholas holds off Nancy Lopez for a one-stroke victory in the U.S. Women’s Open. Nicholas shoots a 72-hole total of 10-under 274, the most under par in the 52-year history of the event.
2003 — Beth Daniel becomes the oldest winner in LPGA Tour history, birdying the final two holes to beat Juli Inkster by a stroke in the Canadian Women’s Open. At 46 years, 8 months and 29 days, Daniel breaks the age record set by JoAnne Carner in 1985.
2011 — Abby Wambach breaks a tense tie with a thunderous header in the 79th minute, and the United States earns its first trip to the Women’s World Cup final since winning it in 1999 with a 3-1 victory over France. Japan upsets Sweden 3-1 in the other semifinal.
2014 — Mo Martin hits the best shot of her life to become a major champion in the Women’s British Open. Martin hit a 3-wood that hit the pin on the par-5 closing hole at Royal Birkdale, settling 6 feet for an eagle. Martin closes with an even-par 72 and finishes at 1-under 287 for a one-shot win over Inbee Park and Shanshan Feng.
2014 — Mario Goetze volleys in the winning goal in extra time to give Germany its fourth World Cup title with a 1-0 victory over Argentina.
2017 — Venus Williams reaches her ninth Wimbledon final and first since 2009, turning in her latest display of gutsy serving to beat Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-2. At 37, Williams becomes the oldest finalist at the All England Club since Martina Navratilova was the 1994 runner-up at that age. She also stops Konta’s bid to become the first woman from Britain in 40 years to win Wimbledon. In the opening semifinal, Garbine Muguruza overwhelms Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour.
2019 — Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Simona Halep beats Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in just 55 minutes; first Romanian to win a Wimbledon singles title.
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July 14
1912 — Kenneth McArthur runs Olympic record marathon (2:36:54.8).
1951 — Citation is the first horse to win $1 million in a career by taking the Hollywood Gold Cup by four lengths in Inglewood, Calif. Citation retires after the race with total earnings of $1,085,760. In 45 starts, Citation ran out of the money only once.
1964 — Jacques Anquetil wins his fifth Tour de France. It’s his fourth straight title of the cycling event.
1967 — Eddie Mathews of the Astros hits his 500th home run off San Francisco’s Juan Marichal at Candlestick Park. Houston beats the Giants 8-6.
1968 — Hank Aaron hits his 500th home run off Mike McCormick as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2.
1973 — Tom Weiskopf wins the British Open by three strokes over Johnny Miller and Neil Coles. Weiskopf goes wire-to-wire and his total of 12-under-par 276 matches the Open Championship record set by Arnold Palmer on the same Troon Golf Club course in 1962.
1985 — Kathy Baker beats Judy Clark by three strokes to win the U.S. Women’s Open golf title.
1985 — The Baltimore Stars defeat the Oakland Invaders 28-24 to win the United States Football League championship.
1986 — Jane Geddes beats Sally Little in an 18-hole playoff to take the U.S. Women’s Open championship.
1991 — Meg Mallon shoots a 4-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Pat Bradley in the 46th U.S. Women’s Open. Mallon finishes with a 1-under 283.
1995 — Ramon Martinez throws a no-hitter, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 7-0 victory over the Florida Marlins.
2001 — John Campbell scores an unprecedented sixth victory in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace as Real Desire beats favored Bettor’s Delight in the stretch. Real Desire paces the mile in 1:49.3 in matching the record set by The Panderosa two years ago in the race that gave Campbell his fifth win. Campbell, 46, is a winner of a $1 million race 19 times.
2005 — In Oklahoma City, the United States is beaten in an international softball game for the first time since 2002, losing 2-1 to Canada in the inaugural World Cup of Softball.
2009 — The American League continues its dominance over the National League with a 4-3 win in the All-Star game. The AL is 12-0-1 since its 1996 defeat at Philadelphia — the longest unbeaten streak in All-Star history.
2011 — Kaio breaks former grand champion Chiyonofuji career sumo victory record, beating Mongolian Kyokutenho for No. 1,046. The 39-year-old Kaio forces out Kyokutenho in the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
2011 — Amateur Tom Lewis shoots a record 5-under 65 in the opening round of the British Open. The 20-year-old Lewis posts the lowest round ever by an amateur in golf’s oldest major to pull even with Thomas Bjorn at Royal St. George’s.
2013 — Jordan Spieth becomes the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in 82 years. The 19-year-old outlasts David Hearn and Zach Johnson on the fifth hole of a playoff to win the John Deere Classic. He’s the first teenager to win since Ralph Guldahl took the Santa Monica Open in 1931.
2015 — Mike Trout becomes the first player in 38 years to lead off the All-Star Game with a home run, and the American League beats the National League 6-3 to secure home-field advantage in the World Series for the third straight time and 10th in 13 years. Trout also becomes the first player to be selected the game’s MVP two years in row.
2018 — Angelique Kerber claims her first Wimbledon title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over seven-time champion Serena Williams.
2019 — Novak Dokovic wins the longest ever Wimbledon title over Roger Federer 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12 in 4 hours 57 minutes.
2019 — English Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins a record 6th British Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone; moves him 1 win clear of Jim Clark and Alain Prost (5).
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July 15
1912 — Jim Thorpe wins the decathlon at the Stockholm Olympics and, in the closing ceremony, Sweden’s King Gustav proclaims Thorpe the world’s greatest athlete.
1921 — NY Yankees slugger Babe Ruth ties MLB record of 138 career home runs (held by Roger Connor since 1895).
1922 — Gene Sarazen shoots a final-round 68 to beat out Bobby Jones and John Black for the U.S. Open golf championship.
1923 — Amateur Bobby Jones beats Bobby Cruikshank by two strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open golf title.
1927 — Bobby Jones wins the British Open shooting a championship record 7-under 285 at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. It’s the second straight Open title for the amateur, who goes wire-to-wire for a six-stroke victory over Aubrey Boomer and Fred Dobson.
1945 — Byron Nelson defeats Sam Byrd in the final round of the PGA golf tournament.
1961 — Arnold Palmer shoots a 284 at Royal Birkdale to win his first British Open title.
1967 — Argentina’s Roberto DeVicenzo wins the British Open by two strokes over defending champion Jack Nicklaus.
1972 — Lee Trevino wins his second consecutive British Open title by beating Jack Nicklaus by one stroke.
1978 — Jack Nicklaus shoots a 281 at St. Andrews to win his third and final British Open.
1984 — Hollis Stacy wins her third U.S. Women’s Open golf title, beating Rosie Jones by one stroke.
1990 — Betsy King overcomes an 11-shot deficit over the final 33 holes to win her second consecutive U.S. Women’s Open as Patty Sheehan blows an eight-shot lead over the final 23 holes.
1991 — Sandhi Ortiz-DelValle becomes the first woman to officiate a men’s professional basketball game, working a United States Basketball League game between the New Haven Skyhawks and the Philadelphia Spirit.
2000 — Lennox Lewis stops Francois Botha at 2:39 of the second round to retain his WBC and IBF heavyweight titles in London.
2007 — BYU star Daniel Summerhays becomes the first amateur winner in Nationwide Tour history. Summerhays scores a two-stroke victory over Chad Collins and Chris Nallen in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational.
2007 — The Philadelphia Phillies lose their 10,000 game, 10-2 to St. Louis. The franchise, born in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and later called the Blue Jays in the mid-1940s, fall to 8,810-10,000.
2007 — Copa América Final, Maracaibo, Venezuela: Defending champions Brazil win their 8th title with a 3-0 win over Argentina.
2008 — Justin Morneau slides home just in time on Michael Young’s sacrifice fly in the 15th inning, giving the American League a 4-3 victory in the All-Star game at Yankee stadium.
2010 — Rory McIlroy, a 21-year-old from Northern Ireland, ties the major championship record by shooting a 9-under 63 in the opening round of the British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2010 — Caster Semenya wins her first race since being cleared to return to competition after undergoing gender tests, winning the 800 meters in a modest time against a weak field at a low-key meet in Finland.
2018 — Novak Djokovic wins his fourth Wimbledon title with a 6-2, 6-2 7-6 (3) victory over Kevin Anderson. It’s Djokovic’s 13th major trophy, the fourth-highest total in the history of men’s tennis, trailing only Roger Federer’s 20, Rafael Nadal’s 17 and Pete Sampras’ 14. At No. 21, Djokovic is the lowest-ranked Wimbledon titlist since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.
2018 — France wins its second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in a dramatic final in Moscow.
2019 — Tampa Bay catcher Travis d’Arnaud becomes first player in MLB history to hit 3 home runs while catching and batting leadoff in the Rays’ 5-4 win over the NY Yankees.
July 16
1920 — Babe Ruth breaks his season record of 29 homers with his 30th, leading the New York Yankees past the St. Louis Browns, 5-2. Ruth ends the season with 54.
1920 — The United States sweeps Australia in five matches to win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1913. The U.S. team is made up of Bill Tilden and Bill Johnston.
1938 — Paul Runyan wins the PGA Championship by routing Sam Snead 8 and 7 in the final round.
1947 — Rocky Graziano scores a technical knockout with a barrage of 30 punches against Tony Zale in the sixth round to win the world middleweight boxing title. Held in Chicago Stadium, it’s the largest grossing fight in history.
1950 — Uruguay beats Brazil 2-1 to win soccer’s World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
1967 — Kathy Whitworth wins the LPGA championship by one stroke over Shirley Englehorn. Whitworth sinks a fifty-foot uphill putt for a birdie on the 18th green at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton Mass.
1989 — Betsy King birdies three of the first four holes of the final round to win her first U.S. Women’s Open championship by four strokes over Nancy Lopez.
1993 — Nick Faldo ties the best single round in 122 years of the British Open with a course-record 63 to give him a one-stroke lead after the second round.
1995 — Annika Sorenstam of Sweden wins the U.S. Women’s Open by one stroke over Meg Mallon, her first victory on the LPGA Tour.
2005 — In Las Vegas, Jermain Taylor beats Bernard Hopkins for the undisputed middleweight title. Hopkins, a winner of a record 20 consecutive defenses, starts slowly and the undefeated challenger builds up a big enough lead on two judges’ scorecards to take the crown.
2006 — J.R. Todd becomes the first black driver to win an NHRA Top Fuel event, beating Tony Schumacher in the Mopar Mile-High Nationals.
2011 — Kyle Busch wins the Nationwide race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to become the third driver to win 100 races in NASCAR’s three national series. Busch, with 22 Cup victories and 29 Trucks wins, also ties Mark Martin for first place in career Nationwide Series victories with 49. Richard Petty and David Pearson are the other drivers with at least 100 wins.
2012 — Roger Federer surpasses Pete Sampras to set the record for the most weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings. After winning Wimbledon a week ago — his 75th career ATP title — Federer returns to the top for the first time since June 2010. Today marks his 287th week at No. 1, one more than Sampras.
2017 — Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, to claim a record 8th Wimbledon men’s title.
2023 — Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: In a classic final, 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz ends Novak Đoković’s 34-match win streak at the All England Club with a 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
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July 17
1939 — Henry Picard beats Byron Nelson 1-up in 37 holes to win the PGA championship.
1941 — Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak of 56 games is stopped by Al Smith and Jim Bagby of the Indians before 67,000 at Cleveland.
1955 — Beverly Hanson beats Louise Suggs by three strokes in a playoff to capture the first LPGA championship.
1966 — Jim Ryun becomes the first American to hold the record in the mile since 1937. With a time of 3:51.3 at Berkeley, Calif., Ryun shatters Michel Jazy’s mark of 3:53.6 by 2.3 seconds.
1974 — Bob Gibson strikes out Cesar Geronimo of the Reds in the second inning to become the second pitcher in major league history to record 3,000 strikeouts.
1979 — Sebastian Coe breaks the world record in the mile with a time of 3:48.95 in Oslo, Norway. The time is rounded up to 3:49.
1983 — Bobby Hebert passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Michigan Panthers to a 24-22 win over the Philadelphia Stars in the first USFL championship game.
1983 — Tom Watson wins his second straight and fifth career British Open title. Watson shoots a 9-under 275 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England to finish one stroke ahead of Andy Bean and Hale Irwin.
1990 — Minnesota becomes the first team in major league history to pull off two triple plays in one game, but it isn’t enough to overcome Boston as the Red Sox beat the Twins 1-0.
1994 — Brazil wins a record fourth World Cup soccer title, taking the first shootout in championship game history over Italy.
2005 — Tiger Woods records another ruthless performance at St. Andrews, closing with a 2-under 70 to win the British Open for his 10th career major. He wins by five shots, the largest margin in any major since Woods won by eight at St. Andrews five years ago. He joins Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win the career Grand Slam twice.
2006 — Stacey Nuveman and Lovieanne Jung each homer to power the United States to the World Cup of Softball title with a 5-2 victory over Japan.
2011 — Japan stuns the United States in a riveting Women’s World Cup final, winning 3-1 on penalty kicks after coming from behind twice in a 2-2 tie. Goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori makes two brilliant saves in the shootout. Japan, making its first appearance in the final of a major tournament, hadn’t beaten the Americans in their first 25 meetings.
2011 — Darren Clarke gives Northern Ireland another major championship, winning the British Open by three strokes over Americans Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.
2016 — Henrik Stenson shoots an 8-under 63 to beat Phil Mickelson by three strokes, becoming the first man from Sweden to win the British Open.
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July 18
1896 — James Foulis wins the U.S. Men’s Open golf championship at Shinnecock Hills, Southampton, N.Y.
1921 — Babe Ruth achieves 139 home runs and becomes the all-time home run leader in Major League Baseball, taking the title from Roger Connor.
1927 — Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics doubles off the glove of Harry Heilmann for his 4,000th hit.
1951 — Jersey Joe Walcott, at 37, becomes the oldest fighter to win the world heavyweight title with a seventh-round knockout of Ezzard Charles at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
1970 — San Francisco’s Willie Mays gets career hit number 3,000 off Montreal’s Mike Wegener in the second inning.
1975 — The trial of Dave Forbes, the first pro athlete to be indicted for a crime committed during play, ends in a hung jury. Forbes, of the Boston Bruins, was indicted for excessive force used on an opponent. Forbes’ victim was Henry Boucha in a game on Jan. 4 against the North Stars at Minnesota. The prosecution decides not to seek a retrial.
1987 — New York’s Don Mattingly ties Dale Long’s 31-year-old major league record when he homers for the eighth consecutive game in the Yankees’ 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.
1993 — Greg Norman shoots a 64 on the final day to set a record with a 13-under 267 and wins the British Open. Norman wins by two strokes over defending champion Nick Faldo.
1995 — Britain’s Jonathan Edwards breaks the 10-year-old world triple jump record, leaping 59 feet in the Salamanca Provincial meet. Edwards tops the previous mark of 58-11½ set in 1985 by Willie Banks of the United States.
1999 — Jean Van de Velde’s triple bogey on the 72nd hole sets the stage for Paul Lawrie to become the first Scotsman to win the British Open in his native land since Tommy Armour in 1931. Lawrie, 10 strokes behind when the final round began, wins the four-hole playoff over Van de Velde and Justin Leonard, making birdies on the last two holes to complete the biggest comeback in a major.
1999 — David Cone dazzles the Montreal Expos, throwing the 14th perfect game in modern history to lead the New York Yankees to a 6-0 victory.
2005 — In Oklahoma City, the United States loses a tournament title game for the first time since 1997, falling 3-1 to Japan in the championship of the inaugural World Cup of Softball. The Americans, which lost to Canada earlier in this tournament, lost to Australia 1-0 in the championship game of the 1997 Superball, held in Ohio.
2010 — Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa shoots a 1-under 71 for a seven-stroke victory at 16-under 272 in the British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Lee Westwood of England finishes second.
2021 — Colin Morikawa wins the Open Championship 15-under par at Royal St. George’s by two strokes over Jordan Speith. It was Morikawa’s second major championship win following his 2020 The Masters win.
TV SPORTS SATURDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Dodgers at Tigers | 1:10pm | SNLA Bally Sports Detroit |
| Pirates at White Sox | 2:10pm | ATTSN-PIT NBC Sports Chicago |
| Cubs at Cardinals | 2:15pm | MARQ Bally Sports Midwest |
| Athletics at Phillies | 4:05pm | NBC Sports California NBC Sports Philadelphia |
| Yankees at Orioles | 4:05pm | FS1 YES MASN |
| Guardians at Rays | 4:10pm | Bally Sports Great Lakes Bally Sports Sun |
| Marlins at Reds | 4:10pm | Bally Sports Florida Bally Sports Ohio |
| Nationals at Brewers | 4:10pm | MASN2 Bally Sports West |
| Rangers at Astros | 4:10pm | Bally Sports Southwest SCHN |
| Rockies at Mets | 4:10pm | Rockies.TV SNY |
| Royals at Red Sox | 4:10pm | Bally Sports Kansas City NESN |
| Braves at Padres | 7:15pm | FOX |
| Twins at Giants | 7:15pm | FOX |
| Mariners at Angels | 9:38pm | ROOT Bally Sports West |
| Blue Jays at Diamondbacks | 10:10pm | Sportsnet YurView |
| NBA SUMMER LEAGUE | TIME ET | TV |
| Milwaukee vs Chicago | 4:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| Charlotte vs New York | 5:00pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| Miami vs Boston | 6:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| Detroit vs Philadelphia | 7:00pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| Oklahoma City vs Toronto | 8:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| San Antonio vs Portland | 9:90pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| Utah vs Dallas | 10:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| Phoenix vs Golden State | 11:00pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| Xfinity: Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 | 3:00pm | USA |
| IndyCar: Hy-Vee IndyCar Race 1 | 8:00pm | NBC |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| LPGA Tour: Evian Championship | 4:00am | GOLF |
| DP World Tour: Scottish Open | 10:00am | GOLF |
| Champions Tour: Kaulig Companies Championship | 12:00pm | GOLF |
| DP World Tour: Scottish Open | 12:00pm | CBS |
| American Century Championship | 2:30pm | NBC |
| PGA Tour: ISCO Championship | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Women’s Friendly: USA vs Mexico | 3:30pm | TNT MAX Peacock |
| Canadian Premier League: Cavalry vs York United | 4:00pm | FOX Soccer Plus |
| Liga MX: Necaxa vs Puebla | 7:00pm | TUDN |
| MLS: DC United vs Nashville SC | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Cincinnati vs Charlotte | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: CF Montréal vs Atlanta United | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: New England vs Orlando City SC | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Toronto FC vs Philadelphia Union | 7:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Copa América Third Place Match | 8:00pm | FS1 TUDN Fubo |
| MLS: Austin vs Seattle Sounders FC | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Chicago Fire vs New York City | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Dallas vs LA Galaxy | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Houston Dynamo vs Minnesota United | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: St. Louis City vs Vancouver Whitecaps | 8:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Liga MX: Toluca vs Juárez | 9:00pm | TUDN |
| Liga MX: Santos Laguna vs Pumas UNAM | 9:05pm | TUDN |
| MLS: Colorado Rapids vs New York RB | 9:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Portland Timbers vs Real Salt Lake | 10:25pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: Los Angeles FC vs Columbus Crew | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| MLS: SJ Earthquakes vs Sporting KC | 10:30pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Liga MX: Monterrey vs Cruz Azul | 11:10pm | TUDN |
| MMA | TIME ET | TV |
| UFC Flyweights: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez | 10:00pm | ESPN |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| New York at Chicago | 1:00pm | ABC |
| Los Angeles at Dallas | 3:30pm | CBS |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Wimbledon | 9:00am | ESPN |
TV SPORTS SUNDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Yankees at Orioles | 11:35am | Roku |
| Athletics at Phillies | 1:35pm | NBC Sports California NBC Sports Philadelphia |
| Royals at Red Sox | 1:35pm | Bally Sports Kansas City NESN |
| Dodgers at Tigers | 1:40pm | SNLA Bally Sports Detroit |
| Guardians at Rays | 1:40pm | Bally Sports Great Lakes Bally Sports Sun |
| Marlins at Reds | 1:40pm | Bally Sports Florida Bally Sports Ohio |
| Rockies at Mets | 1:40pm | Rockies.TV SNY |
| Nationals at Brewers | 2:10pm | MASN2 Bally Sports West |
| Pirates at White Sox | 2:10pm | ATTSN-PIT NBC Sports Chicago |
| Rangers at Astros | 2:10pm | Bally Sports Southwest SCHN |
| Cubs at Cardinals | 2:15pm | MARQ Bally Sports Midwest |
| Twins at Giants | 4:05pm | Bally Sports North NBC Sports Bay |
| Mariners at Angels | 4:07pm | ROOT Bally Sports West |
| Blue Jays at Diamondbacks | 4:10pm | Sportsnet YurView |
| Braves at Padres | 4:10pm | Bally Sports Southeast Padres.TV |
| NBA SUMMER LEAGUE | TIME ET | TV |
| Cleveland vs Milwaukee | 3:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| Brooklyn vs LA Clippers | 4:00pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| Minnesota vs Indiana | 5:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| Houston vs Washington | 6:00pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| Orlando vs New Orleans | 7:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| San Antonio vs Atlanta | 8:00pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| Denver vs Toronto | 9:30pm | NBATV ESPN+ |
| Chicago vs Golden State | 10:00pm | ESPN2 ESPN+ |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship | 11:00am | USA |
| IndyCar: Hy-Vee IndyCar Race 2 | 12:00pm | NBC |
| NASCAR Cup: The Great American Getaway 400 | 2:30pm | USA |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| LPGA Tour: Evian Championship | 4:00am | GOLF |
| DP World Tour: Scottish Open | 10:00am | GOLF |
| DP World Tour: Scottish Open | 12:00pm | CBS |
| Champions Tour: Kaulig Companies Championship | 12:00pm | GOLF |
| American Century Championship | 2:30pm | NBC |
| PGA Tour: ISCO Championship | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Phoenix vs Connecticut | 1:00pm | ABC |
| Las Vegas vs Washington | 3:00pm | MNMT SSSEN |
| Indiana vs Minnesota | 4:00pm | ESPN |
| Atlanta vs Seattle | 6:00pm | Prime Seattle PeachtreeTV |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| UEFA Euro Finals | 3:00pm | FOX VIX Fubo |
| Canadian Premier League: Forge vs Pacific | 7:00pm | FS2 Fubo |
| Copa América Finals | 8:00pm | FOX Univision Fubo |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Wimbledon | 9:00am | ESPN |