“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
CHICAGO CUBS 10 BOSTON 4
TORONTO 5 ARIZONA 2
BALTIMORE 6 MIAMI 5
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6 ATLANTA 5
NY YANKEES 6 COLORADO 3
TAMPA BAY 6 KANSAS CITY 1
TAMPA BAY 4 KANSAS CITY 2
TEXAS 2 CLEVELAND 0
MINNESOTA 10 OAKLAND 7
LA ANGELS 13 HOUSTON 12 (10)
DETROIT 6 SEATTLE 0
PHILADELPHIA 6 SAN DIEGO 4
WASHINGTON 7 ST. LOUIS 5 (10)
ST. LOUIS 9 WASHINGTON 6
SAN FRANCISCO 3 PITTSBURGH 1
PHILADELPHIA 9 SAN DIEGO 4
MILWAUKEE 3 CINCINNATI 0
LA DODGERS 5 NY METS 1
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
OMAHA 8 INDIANAPOLIS 3
GREAT LAKES 6 FORT WAYNE 3
SOUTH BEND 6 QUAD CITIES 1
WNBA SCORES
TEAM STEWART 143 TEAM WILSON 127
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
ORLANDO 2 ATLANTA 1
MONTRÉAL 2 CHARLOTTE 0
NEW ENGLAND 4 DC 0
PHILADELPHIA 2 NEW YORK CITY 1
CHICAGO 1 TORONTO 0
MINNESOTA 1 LAFC 1
CINCINNATI 3 NASHVILLE 1
ST. LOUIS 3 MIAMI 0
AUSTIN 2 KANSAS CITY 1
COLORADO 0 HOUSTON 0
SALT LAKE 3 NEW YORK 1
PORTLAND 3 COLUMBUS 2
SEATTLE 1 DALLAS 1
VANCOUVER 4 LA 2
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 1
FRIDAY
BIG 10 WEEKLY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
MINNESOTA VS. NEBRASKA
THURSDAY, AUG. 31
WISCONSIN VS. BUFFALO
MICHIGAN STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN VS. EAST CAROLINA
PURDUE VS. FRESNO STATE
RUTGERS VS. NORTHWESTERN
INDIANA VS. OHIO STATE
ILLINOIS VS. TOLEDO
MARYLAND VS. TOWSON
IOWA VS. UTAH STATE
PENN STATE VS. WEST VIRGINIA
WEEK 2
MARYLAND VS. CHARLOTTE
PENN STATE VS. DELAWARE
MINNESOTA VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN
ILLINOIS AT KANSAS
INDIANA VS. INDIANA STATE
IOWA AT IOWA STATE
NEBRASKA AT COLORADO
PURDUE AT VIRGINIA TECH
MICHIGAN STATE VS. RICHMOND
RUTGERS VS. TEMPLE
MICHIGAN VS. UNLV
NORTHWESTERN VS. UTEP
WISCONSIN AT WASHINGTON STATE
OHIO STATE VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
WEEK 3
MICHIGAN VS. BOWLING GREEN
WISCONSIN VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN
INDIANA VS. LOUISVILLE (IN INDIANAPOLIS, IN)
MINNESOTA AT NORTH CAROLINA
NEBRASKA VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
NORTHWESTERN AT DUKE
ILLINOIS VS. PENN STATE
PURDUE VS. SYRACUSE
MARYLAND VS. VIRGINIA
RUTGERS VS. VIRGINIA TECH
MICHIGAN STATE VS. WASHINGTON
IOWA VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
OHIO STATE VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY
WEEK 4
INDIANA VS. AKRON
ILLINOIS VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
PENN STATE VS. IOWA
NEBRASKA VS. LOUISIANA TECH
MICHIGAN STATE VS. MARYLAND
NORTHWESTERN VS. MINNESOTA
OHIO STATE AT NOTRE DAME
MICHIGAN VS. RUTGERS
PURDUE VS. WISCONSIN
WEEK 5
PURDUE VS. ILLINOIS
MARYLAND VS. INDIANA
MINNESOTA VS. LOUISIANA
NEBRASKA VS. MICHIGAN
IOWA VS. MICHIGAN STATE
NORTHWESTERN VS. PENN STATE
RUTGERS VS. WAGNER
WEEK 6
NORTHWESTERN VS. HOWARD
OHIO STATE VS. MARYLAND
MINNESOTA VS. MICHIGAN
ILLINOIS VS. NEBRASKA
IOWA VS. PURDUE
WISCONSIN VS. RUTGERS
WEEK 7
MARYLAND VS. ILLINOIS
MICHIGAN VS. INDIANA
WISCONSIN VS. IOWA
RUTGERS VS. MICHIGAN STATE
PURDUE VS. OHIO STATE
PENN STATE VS. UMASS
WEEK 8
MICHIGAN STATE VS. MICHIGAN
IOWA VS. MINNESOTA
NEBRASKA VS. NORTHWESTERN
OHIO STATE VS. PENN STATE
INDIANA VS. RUTGERS
ILLINOIS VS. WISCONSIN
WEEK 9
PENN STATE VS. INDIANA
NORTHWESTERN VS. MARYLAND
MINNESOTA VS. MICHIGAN STATE
WISCONSIN VS. OHIO STATE
NEBRASKA VS. PURDUE
WEEK 10
MINNESOTA VS. ILLINOIS
NORTHWESTERN VS. IOWA (IN CHICAGO, IL)
MICHIGAN STATE VS. NEBRASKA
RUTGERS VS. OHIO STATE
MARYLAND VS. PENN STATE
MICHIGAN VS. PURDUE
INDIANA VS. WISCONSIN
WEEK 11
ILLINOIS VS. INDIANA
NEBRASKA VS. MARYLAND
PENN STATE VS. MICHIGAN
OHIO STATE VS. MICHIGAN STATE
PURDUE VS. MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN VS. NORTHWESTERN
IOWA VS. RUTGERS
WEEK 12
IOWA VS. ILLINOIS
MARYLAND VS. MICHIGAN
INDIANA VS. MICHIGAN STATE
OHIO STATE VS. MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN VS. NEBRASKA
NORTHWESTERN VS. PURDUE
PENN STATE VS. RUTGERS
WEEK 13
NEBRASKA VS. IOWA
FRIDAY, NOV. 24
PURDUE VS. INDIANA
RUTGERS VS. MARYLAND
ILLINOIS VS. NORTHWESTERN
MICHIGAN VS. OHIO STATE
MICHIGAN STATE VS. PENN STATE
MINNESOTA VS. WISCONSIN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
WEEK 0
SATURDAY, AUG. 26
NOTRE DAME VS. NAVY (DUBLIN, IRELAND) | 2:30 P.M. | NBC
MERCER VS. NORTH ALABAMA (MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
JACKSONVILLE STATE VS. UTEP | 5:30 P.M. | CBSSN
NEW MEXICO STATE VS. UMASS | 7 P.M. | ESPN
SAN DIEGO STATE VS. OHIO | 7 P.M. | FS1
VANDERBILT VS. HAWAI’I | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
JACKSON STATE VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (ATLANTA, GEORGIA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
USC VS. SAN JOSE STATE | 8 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
LOUISIANA TECH VS. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL | 9 P.M. | CBSSN
WEEK 1
THURSDAY, AUG. 31
WAKE FOREST VS. ELON | 7 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
UCF VS. KENT STATE | 7 P.M. | FS1
GEORGIA STATE VS. RHODE ISLAND | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN MICHIGAN VS. ST. FRANCIS (PA) | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
UCONN VS. NC STATE | 7:30 P.M. | CBSSN
MINNESOTA VS. NEBRASKA | 8 P.M. | FOX
MISSOURI VS. SOUTH DAKOTA | 8 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
UTAH VS. FLORIDA | 8 P.M. | ESPN
TULSA VS. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
UAB VS. NORTH CAROLINA A&T | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
ARIZONA STATE VS. SOUTHERN UTAH | 10 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
FRIDAY, SEPT. 1
EASTERN MICHIGAN VS. HOWARD | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN+
MICHIGAN STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 7 P.M. | FS1
MIAMI (FLA.) VS. MIAMI (OHIO) | 7 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
GEORGIA TECH VS. LOUISVILLE (MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM IN ATLANTA) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
KANSAS VS. MISSOURI STATE | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
HAWAI’I VS. STANFORD | 11 P.M. | CBSSN
SATURDAY, SEPT. 2
IOWA VS. UTAH STATE | 12 P.M. | FS1
KENTUCKY VS. BALL STATE | 12 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
LIBERTY VS. BOWLING GREEN | 12 P.M. | CBSSN
MICHIGAN VS. EAST CAROLINA | 12 P.M. | PEACOCK
PURDUE VS. FRESNO STATE | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
SMU VS. LOUISIANA TECH | 12 P.M. | ESPNU
TENNESSEE VS. VIRGINIA (NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE) | 12 P.M. | ABC
TCU VS. COLORADO | 12 P.M. | FOX
BOSTON COLLEGE VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 12 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
OKLAHOMA VS. ARKANSAS STATE | 12 P.M. | ESPN
OLE MISS VS. MERCER | 2 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
IOWA STATE VS. UNI | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
TEMPLE VS. AKRON | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
OHIO VS. LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
AIR FORCE VS. ROBERT MORRIS | 2 P.M. | ALTITUDE SPORTS
OREGON VS. PORTLAND STATE | 3 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
INDIANA VS. OHIO STATE | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
AUBURN VS. UMASS | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
MARYLAND VS. TOWSON | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
WISCONSIN VS. BUFFALO | 3:30 P.M. | FS1
WESTERN KENTUCKY VS. SOUTH FLORIDA | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN
WASHINGTON VS. BOISE STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
NOTRE DAME VS. TENNESSEE STATE | 3:30 P.M. | NBC
PITT VS. WOFFORD | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
CINCINNATI VS. EASTERN KENTUCKY | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS VS. RICE | 3:30 P.M. | FOX
APPALACHIAN STATE VS. GARDNER-WEBB | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
ARKANSAS VS. WESTERN CAROLINA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. SE LOUISIANA | 4 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
NORTH TEXAS VS. CAL | 4 P.M. | ESPNU
SYRACUSE VS. COLGATE | 4 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
GEORGIA VS. UT MARTIN | 6 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
CHARLOTTE VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA ATLANTIC VS. MONMOUTH | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA SOUTHERN VS. THE CITADEL | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
JAMES MADISON VS. BUCKNELL | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
MARSHALL VS. ALBANY | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL VS. MAINE | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN+
USC VS. NEVADA | 6:30 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
TEXAS A&M VS. NEW MEXICO | 7 P.M. | ESPN
UL MONROE VS. ARMY | 7 P.M. | NFL NETWORK
VANDERBILT VS. ALABAMA A&M | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
COLORADO STATE VS. WASHINGTON STATE | 7 P.M. | CBSSN
BAYLOR VS. TEXAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
HOUSTON VS. UTSA | 7 P.M. | FS1
KANSAS STATE VS. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
MEMPHIS VS. BETHUNE-COOKMAN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHERN MISS VS. ALCORN STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
TROY VS. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
ALABAMA VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
ILLINOIS VS. TOLEDO | 7:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NORTH CAROLINA (CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
PENN STATE VS. WEST VIRGINIA | 7:30 P.M. | NBC
WYOMING VS. TEXAS TECH | 7:30 P.M. | CBS
LOUISIANA VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN+
VIRGINIA TECH VS. OLD DOMINION | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
TULANE VS. SOUTH ALABAMA | 8 P.M. | ESPNU
NEW MEXICO STATE VS. WESTERN ILLINOIS | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
UTEP VS. UIW | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
ARIZONA VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA | 10 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
BYU VS. SAM HOUSTON | 10:15 P.M. | FS1
UCLA VS. COASTAL CAROLINA | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN
SAN DIEGO STATE VS. IDAHO STATE | 10:30 P.M. | CBSSN
SUNDAY, SEPT. 3
RUTGERS VS. NORTHWESTERN | 12 P.M. | CBS
SAN JOSE STATE VS. OREGON STATE | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
FLORIDA STATE VS. LSU (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
MONDAY, SEPT. 4
DUKE VS. CLEMSON | 8 P.M. | ESPN
COLTS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26 – 10-11 A.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 8 – 9-10:30 A.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 10 – 9-10 A.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 15 – 9-10 A.M.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16 – 6-8 P.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 17 – 6-8 P.M.
NFL PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE
NFL/HALL OF FAME GAME – AUGUST 3
N.Y. JETS VS. CLEVELAND (NBC), 8:00
WEEK 1
THURSDAY, AUGUST 10
HOUSTON AT NEW ENGLAND, 7:00
MINNESOTA AT SEATTLE, 10:00
FRIDAY, AUGUST 11
N.Y. GIANTS AT DETROIT, 7:00
GREEN BAY AT CINCINNATI, 7:00
ATLANTA AT MIAMI, 7:00
PITTSBURGH AT TAMPA BAY, 7:00
WASHINGTON AT CLEVELAND, 7:30
DENVER AT ARIZONA, 10:00
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12
INDIANAPOLIS AT BUFFALO, 1:00
TENNESSEE AT CHICAGO, 1:00
N.Y. JETS AT CAROLINA, 4:00
JACKSONVILLE AT DALLAS, 5:00
PHILADELPHIA AT BALTIMORE, 7:00
L.A. CHARGERS AT L.A. RAMS, 9:00
SUNDAY, AUGUST 13
KANSAS CITY AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
SAN FRANCISCO AT LAS VEGAS, 4:00
WEEK 2
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17
CLEVELAND AT PHILADELPHIA, 7:30
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
CAROLINA AT N.Y. GIANTS, 7:00
CINCINNATI AT ATLANTA, 7:30
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
JACKSONVILLE AT DETROIT, 1:00
MIAMI AT HOUSTON, 4:00
BUFFALO AT PITTSBURGH, 6:30
CHICAGO AT INDIANAPOLIS, 7:00
TAMPA BAY AT N.Y. JETS, 7:30
KANSAS CITY AT ARIZONA, 8:00
NEW ENGLAND AT GREEN BAY, 8:00
TENNESSEE AT MINNESOTA, 8:00
DENVER AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30
LAS VEGAS AT L.A. RAMS, 9:00
DALLAS AT SEATTLE, 10:00
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
NEW ORLEANS AT L.A. CHARGERS, 7:05
MONDAY, AUGUST 21
BALTIMORE AT WASHINGTON (ESPN), 8:00
WEEK 3
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24
PITTSBURGH AT ATLANTA, 7:30
INDIANAPOLIS AT PHILADELPHIA (PRIME VIDEO), 8:00
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
DETROIT AT CAROLINA (CBS), 8:00
NEW ENGLAND AT TENNESSEE, 8:15
L.A. CHARGERS AT SAN FRANCISCO, 10:00
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
BUFFALO AT CHICAGO, 1:00
SEATTLE AT GREEN BAY, 1:00
CLEVELAND AT KANSAS CITY, 1:00
ARIZONA AT MINNESOTA, 1:00
N.Y. JETS AT N.Y. GIANTS, 6:00
CINCINNATI AT WASHINGTON, 6:05
MIAMI AT JACKSONVILLE, 7:00
BALTIMORE AT TAMPA BAY, 7:00
LAS VEGAS AT DALLAS, 8:00
L.A. RAMS AT DENVER, 9:00
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27
HOUSTON AT NEW ORLEANS (FOX), 8:00
WEEK 1 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
DETROIT LIONS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (THU) 7:20P (CT) 8:20P NBC
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
HOUSTON TEXANS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
TENNESSEE TITANS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT CHICAGO BEARS 3:25P (CT) 4:25P FOX
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DENVER BRONCOS 2:25P (MT) 4:25P CBS
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 1:25P (PT) 4:25P CBS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 4:25P (ET) 4:25P CBS
LOS ANGELES RAMS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1:25P (PT) 4:25P FOX
DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS 8:20P (ET) 8:20P NBC
BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW YORK JETS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ESPN/ABC
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: BREWERS TOSS COMBINED ONE-HITTER, BAFFLE REDS
Freddy Peralta and three relievers combined on a one-hitter and the visiting Milwaukee Brewers used three solo home runs to record their third straight shutout over the Cincinnati Reds, posting a 3-0 victory on Saturday night.
Peralta (6-7) only allowed a one-out, broken-bat infield single by Jake Fraley in the fourth inning, striking out six while issuing two walks to record Milwaukee’s seventh win over Cincinnati in nine meetings this season.
For the second straight night, Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps and Devin Williams each threw a scoreless inning to complete the shutout, with Williams converting his 22nd save in 24 chances.
Christian Yelich, William Contreras and Owen Miller had the solo shots for the Brewers.
Angels 13, Astros 12 (10 innings)
Trey Cabbage scored on a throwing error in the 10th inning to lift Los Angeles over Houston in the middle game of a three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
With runners on first and second and Phil Maton (2-3) on the mound, Taylor Ward hit a grounder to second baseman Mauricio Dubon. Dubon flipped the ball to Grae Kessinger, whose throw to first was wide, allowing Cabbage to score. Luis Rengifo, Zach Neto, Mike Moustakas and Shohei Ohtani all homered for the Angels.
Chas McCormick had three hits and scored four runs, and Kyle Tucker and Jose Abreu each contributed three RBIs. Astros starter Framber Valdez allowed a season-high five runs and seven hits before leaving with one out in the seventh because of a left calf injury. He matched his career high with 13 strikeouts.
Phillies 6, Padres 4 (Game 1)
Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting host Philadelphia to a win over San Diego in the first game of a doubleheader.
Philadelphia starter Ranger Suarez tossed six innings and allowed three runs on six hits. Matt Strahm (6-3) earned the win in relief despite permitting one run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings. Craig Kimbrel worked around two walks in a scoreless ninth to secure his 15th save in 15 chances.
Manny Machado went deep for San Diego for his 300th career homer. Ha-Seong Kim added three hits for the Padres, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Rays 6, Royals 1 (Game 1)
Jose Siri homered twice in support of six strong innings from Tyler Glasnow as Tampa Bay beat host Kansas City in the first game of a split doubleheader.
Glasnow (3-3) surrendered one run on six hits and two walks, fanning seven over six innings to collect his first win since June 14. Francisco Mejia also went deep for the Rays.
Salvador Perez went 4-for-4 to record his 11th career four-hit game and first of the season as he broke out of a 4-for-43 slump dating back to June 24. Royals starter Alec Marsh (0-3) struck out a career-best 11 over six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk.
Nationals 7, Cardinals 5 (10 innings)
CJ Abrams scored three runs and stole two bases as visiting Washington defeated St. Louis in the resumption of a suspended game from Friday.
Joey Meneses drove in two runs for the Nationals, who won their third straight game. Washington starting pitcher Trevor Williams allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings on Friday before rain halted the game.
Brendan Donovan hit a three-run homer, and Lars Nootbaar and Willson Contreras hit solo shots for the Cardinals.
Cubs 10, Red Sox 4
Cody Bellinger’s grand slam capped a six-run third inning as host Chicago rolled to a win over Boston, evening the teams’ first series out of the All-Star break.
Bellinger went 2-for-4 and now has 12 home runs on the season. Every Chicago batter delivered at least one hit in the win.
Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (10-6) allowed just one run in his six innings en route to the win. He struck out three and limited Boston to three hits. Triston Casas hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox.
Blue Jays 5, Diamondbacks 2
Whit Merrifield hit a tiebreaking homer and fill-in starter Chris Bassitt pitched six solid innings as Toronto notched a victory over visiting Arizona.
Bo Bichette also homered for the Blue Jays, who have won seven of their last eight games. Bassitt (9-5) started for All-Star Kevin Gausman (side discomfort) and gave up two runs and seven hits while striking out five and walking none.
Geraldo Perdomo had three hits and Jake McCarthy had two hits and two RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of their past nine contests. Zac Gallen (11-4) labored through much of his five innings, giving up three runs, six hits and three walks while fanning five before departing after 94 pitches.
Rangers 2, Guardians 0
Andrew Heaney and a trio of relievers combined on an eight-hit shutout as Texas beat Cleveland in Arlington, Texas.
Heaney (6-6) allowed six hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Grant Anderson and Will Smith followed before Aroldis Chapman worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his third save and first since being acquired by the Rangers on June 30.
The Guardians outhit the Rangers 8-5, but they left eight runners on base and were shut out for the ninth time this season. Cleveland starter Gavin Williams (1-2) was lifted after giving up two runs on four hits over five innings.
Orioles 6, Marlins 5
Anthony Santander gave Baltimore its first lead of the game with a one-out single in the seventh to complete a comeback from a four-run deficit as the Orioles defeated visiting Miami for their seventh straight win.
Gunnar Henderson hit a solo home run leading off the bottom of the seventh to pull the Orioles even for the first time since the beginning of the second inning. Mike Baumann (6-0) was the winning pitcher with 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief.
Luis Arraez went 4-for-5 but didn’t score a run despite reaching the four-hit mark for the sixth time this season. Five Marlins each had one RBI. Huascar Brazoban (3-2) was charged with the loss.
Giants 3, Pirates 1
Michael Conforto hit a tiebreaking single that plated two runs in the eighth inning to lift visiting San Francisco to a victory over Pittsburgh.
Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo homer for the Giants, who have won four straight games. Taylor Rogers (5-3) pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the win, and Camilo Doval pitched the ninth for his major-league-leading 28th save.
Henry Davis hit a solo homer for the Pirates, who are 2-9 in their past 11 games. Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo allowed one hit — Yastrzemski’s homer — over seven innings. He matched a career high with 10 strikeouts. Carmen Mlodzinski (1-2) took the loss.
Phillies 9, Padres 4 (Game 2)
Kyle Schwarber homered and drove in three runs, Bryce Harper added a home run and double and host Philadelphia defeated San Diego to sweep a day-night doubleheader.
Harper’s homer was his first since May 25, and Johan Rojas added three hits and two RBIs. Phillies starter Taijuan Walker (11-3) tossed five innings and gave up four hits and two runs. It was the seventh consecutive victory for Walker.
Juan Soto had two hits and an RBI and Trent Grisham added an RBI single for the Padres. San Diego starter Ryan Weathers (1-6) allowed six hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Twins 10, Athletics 7
Kyle Farmer spoiled Freddy Tarnok’s season debut with a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning and Minnesota, after blowing a 6-0 lead, held on to win against host Oakland.
Michael A. Taylor also homered for the Twins, who have earned back-to-back narrow victories over the A’s. After his teammates had scored in four consecutive innings to draw even at 7-7, Tarnok (0-1) retired the first two Twins in the seventh before Farmer launched his fifth homer of the season to left field. Tarnok was promoted from Triple-A on Friday.
Reliever Jovani Moran (2-2) was credited with the win after pitching two-thirds of an inning and Jhoan Duran worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two, for his 14th save.
Rays 4, Royals 2 (Game 2)
Luke Raley’s tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning boosted Tampa Bay to a doubleheader sweep of host Kansas City.
Harold Ramirez led off the decisive eighth with a first-pitch single to left and moved up on Randy Arozarena’s deep fly to center. One batter later, Raley delivered a two-out RBI single to right against reliever Carlos Hernandez (0-5), breaking a 2-2 tie.
Colin Poche (7-2) earned the win with a hitless seventh inning and Pete Fairbanks allowed only a leadoff single in the ninth to earn his 10th save. In his Royals debut after being acquired on June 30 as part of a trade for Aroldis Chapman, Cole Ragans gave up one run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings.
White Sox 6, Braves 5
Andrew Benintendi drove in three runs and Jake Burger hit his 20th home run as Chicago won its first-ever game in Atlanta.
The White Sox entered the game 0-7 on the road against the Braves, but scored two late runs — including Burger’s tiebreaking solo homer in the sixth — and ended their three-game losing streak. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. went 3-for-5 with two homers in the loss.
Benintendi was 3-for-5 with a double and a run. Chicago starter Lance Lynn (6-8) pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Atlanta starter Spencer Strider (11-3) pitched six innings and gave up five runs on eight hits with 10 strikeouts.
Cardinals 9, Nationals 6
Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and Nolan Arenado drove in two runs apiece as St. Louis defeated visiting Washington.
Alec Burleson went 3-for-4 with a solo homer for the Cardinals, while Dakota Hudson (1-0) threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory. Every St. Louis hitter recorded at least one hit.
Alex Call and CJ Abrams hit solo homers for the Nationals and Ildemaro Vargas hit a two-run double. Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin allowed four runs on six hits in three innings. Reliever Amos Willingham (0-1) took the loss.
Dodgers 5, Mets 1
David Peralta collected a tiebreaking RBI by beating out the back end of a potential inning-ending double play in the eighth, and visiting Los Angeles pulled away from skidding New York.
Peralta added an RBI single during a three-run ninth, while Mookie Betts went 4-for-4 with a third-inning homer for the Dodgers, who have won six straight.
On the decisive play, Pete Alonso threw high to shortstop Francisco Lindor, who was able to touch second but could not throw to first in time to double up Peralta. Adam Ottavino (0-4) took the loss as the Mets lost their fourth straight.
Yankees 6, Rockies 3
Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in four runs, and Clarke Schmidt tossed six-plus strong innings to lift New York to a victory over Colorado in Denver.
Gleyber Torres had an RBI single and former Rockie DJ LeMahieu recorded his second three-hit performance of the season for the Yankees. Schmidt (5-6) allowed two runs on three hits while striking out eight batters to win his third straight decision.
After the Yankees scored twice in the second to break a 1-1 tie, Stanton deposited a 1-2 fastball from Connor Seabold (1-7) over the wall in right field for his 11th homer of the season. Seabold yielded six runs on as many hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Tigers 6, Mariners 0
Michael Lorenzen pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and Kerry Carpenter hit two homers and drove in four runs as Detroit won for the second straight night in Seattle.
The showdown between All-Star pitchers, who both appeared in Tuesday’s game in Seattle, was no contest. Lorenzen (4-6) allowed two hits, walked five and struck out seven. The Mariners’ George Kirby (8-8) gave up six runs on eight hits over five innings, with one walk and four strikeouts.
Carpenter homered to left field leading off the second to open the scoring before adding a three-run shot to right center to cap a four-run fifth. The Mariners finished with just three hits.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
MARKETA VONDROUSOVA IS WIMBLEDON’S FIRST UNSEEDED FEMALE CHAMPION AFTER BEATING ONS JABEUR
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) Marketa Vondrousova came to the All England Club a year ago unable to play tennis at all. She had a cast on her surgically repaired left wrist, so her visit was limited to sightseeing around London with her sister and cheering for a friend who was competing at Wimbledon.
This trip was a lot more memorable: She is leaving as a Grand Slam champion.
Vondrousova became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon on Saturday, coming back in each set for a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur in the final.
“When I was coming back, I didn’t know what’s going to happen, if I can play at that level again,” said Vondrousova, a 24-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic who was the runner-up at the 2019 French Open on clay as a teenager and a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics on hard courts two years ago. “On grass, I didn’t play well before. I think it was the most impossible Grand Slam for me to win, so I didn’t even think of it. When we came, I was just like, ‘Try to win a couple of matches.’ Now this happened. It’s crazy.”
After being sidelined from April to October, she finished last season ranked just 99th. She was 42nd when she arrived at Wimbledon and was the first unseeded woman to even reach the final at the All England Club in 60 years – the last, 1963 runner-up Billie Jean King, was seated in the front row of the Royal Box on Saturday alongside Kate, the Princess of Wales.
Following the match, King greeted Vondrousova with a hug and told her: “First unseeded ever. I love it.”
Centre Court’s retractable roof was closed for the final, shielding everyone from the wind that topped 20 mph (30 kph) outside, and that allowed Vondrousova’s smooth strokes to repeatedly find the intended mark. She also liked that she didn’t have to worry about any gusts or the sun or anything else while playing – a reminder of days practicing at indoor courts during winters in Prague.
“I always play good indoors,” Vondrousova said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, maybe that’s going to help me.’”
On this afternoon, she trailed in each set but collected the last four games of the first, then the last three games of the second as Jabeur fell to 0-3 in major finals.
The 28-year-old from Tunisia is the only Arab woman and only North African woman to make it that far in singles at any Grand Slam tournament.
“You cannot force things,” the sixth-seeded Jabeur said. “It wasn’t meant to be.”
She lost to Elena Rybakina 12 months ago at the All England Club and to No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the U.S. Open last September.
“I think this is the most painful loss of my career,” Jabeur said Saturday, pausing to wipe away tears.
Vondrousova’s surge to her Slam title was hard to envision at the start of this fortnight.
She was 1-4 in previous appearances on Wimbledon’s grass, only once making it as far as the second round, before going 7-0 on a run that included wins against five seeded foes.
One key was that Jabeur, who acknowledged feeling tension and pressure, kept making mistakes: She finished with 31 unforced errors; Vondrousova made merely 13.
That helped Vondrousova overcome deficits of 4-2 in the first set and 3-1 and 4-3 in the second. One she went ahead in each, the crowd’s support for the popular Jabeur, nicknamed the Minister of Happiness for her demeanor on and off the court, would only rise, applause and shouts ricocheting off the cover atop the arena.
Staying steady down the stretch, Vondrousova broke to lead 5-4 and served for the match. She was soon up 40-love – and that’s when the enormity of the moment hit her.
“I couldn’t breathe,” Vondrousova said. “I just was thinking to myself: ‘Just be over.’”
When she ended the match by reaching to put away a volley, she tumbled to the grass, then laid on her back and put her hands over her visor and face, the happiest she’s ever been on the surface.
She climbed into the stands to share hugs with her husband, who had been home on cat-sitting duty until going to England to watch the final in person. Vondrousova joked that his tears of joy at match’s end were the most emotion he’s shown in the eight years they’ve been together; their first wedding anniversary is Sunday.
Vondrousova has other plans for her first full day as a major title winner, too: She and her coach agreed to get tattoos if she won the trophy.
MEN’S SOCCER
LIONEL MESSI MAKES IT OFFICIAL BY SIGNING WITH INTER MIAMI AND MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
(AP) — Lionel Messi has finalized his deal to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuing, Inter Miami has landed a global icon.
Messi’s contract became official Saturday, a little more than five weeks after he declared that he would be coming to Inter Miami. The team will introduce him Sunday night at its stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the first home match of the Messi era could be as early as Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul.
A formal news conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced that Messi’s deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually – putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.
“BIENVENIDO 10,” the team posted Saturday on Twitter.
Welcome, Messi, indeed.
“We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our League and our sport in North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “We have no doubt that Lionel will show the world that MLS can be a League of Choice for the best players in the game.”
It is, in many ways, an unusual marriage. Messi – still perhaps the biggest star in the game – is signing with a team that entered Saturday in last place in the MLS’s Eastern Conference standings. It’s a club in just its fourth season that plays in a temporary home that will seat only about 22,000 people when some rushed renovations like adding extra bleacher seats get completed.
Doesn’t matter. Soccer royalty now plays for Inter Miami.
Messi arrived in South Florida on Tuesday following vacation, then started the process of physicals and paperwork on Wednesday and the deal got finalized Saturday afternoon. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner – the trophy given annually to the world’s best player – is making his Miami move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” Messi said in a statement. “This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”
It was widely known that Messi would be leaving PSG. The mystery was where he was going. Some thought Messi eventually would choose to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, following longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo to a kingdom where some clubs now are funded by its sovereign wealth fund. Going back to Barcelona, a storied franchise where he spent most of his career, was another possibility.
In the end, Miami won. An idea that co-owner David Beckham began floating publicly in 2021 – two years before, evidently, the team actually started thinking about how to pull this off – has now become reality.
“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said in June when announcing his decision.
He led Argentina to the World Cup title last December. Messi has more than 800 goals in his career for club and country, making him one of the greatest scorers in the sport’s history. He scored twice in last year’s World Cup final against France, a match that ended 3-3 with Argentina prevailing 4-2 on penalty kicks.
He is a four-time Champions League winner and his 129 goals in the top club competition are second to Ronaldo’s 140. Messi has won 10 La Liga titles and two Ligue 1 championships, seven Copa del Reys and three Club World Cups plus a Copa América and Olympic gold medal for Argentina.
“Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city,” Beckham said. “Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much.
“Today that dream came true.”
The club had a road match Saturday at St. Louis, yet when word got out that Messi may have been at the team’s facility that morning a couple hundred fans showed up just hoping for a glimpse, not even deterred by a late-morning thunderstorm. Many wore Messi jerseys – some the light blue of Argentina, some the pink-and-black of Inter Miami. Some carried flags; one carried a sign mostly in Spanish, but the words “Messi” and “GOAT” made the messaging clear.
It’s just part of a welcome party that is only getting started.
Messi was seen at a Publix supermarket near Fort Lauderdale – the grocery chain is an Inter Miami sponsor – with his family earlier in the week, and the cart had a few items picked out by the kids: Froot Loops, Cap’n Crunch, Lucky Charms. The scene went viral by the time he hit the checkout lane.
A serial goal scorer is evidently a cereal fan as well.
And now, it’s time for the soccer to start. Inter Miami plans to introduce Messi on Sunday night, at an event the club is calling “The Unveil.” Shakira is rumored to be attending, and tickets are long gone for the show that has been anticipated for weeks.
Hopes for the franchise are now officially sky-high. Inter Miami has never contended for a title; Messi could change everything in a hurry for a team that has won only 34% of its matches in MLS play.
“Lionel Messi is an incomparable talent,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said. “What he brings on and off the field will elevate everyone around him and we’re excited to have him at Inter Miami.”
MEN’S GOLF
RORY MCILROY MAKES ENOUGH PUTTS TO LEAD SCOTTISH OPEN BY 1 OVER TOM KIM
GULLANE, Scotland (AP) Rory McIlroy made just enough birdie putts for a 3-under 67 in increasingly windy conditions Saturday to keep his one-shot lead over Tom Kim in the Genesis Scottish Open.
McIlroy still didn’t make as many as he expected, a common refrain for most players, though he has raw numbers supporting him. One day after missing nine putts from 10 feet or closer, he missed an eagle attempt from just over 3 feet and a birdie putt from 5 feet as he was trying to build a cushion at The Renaissance Club.
“I’m still in a really good position,” McIlroy said. “As I said, I feel like I’ve left a few out there. But I mean, it’s hard to be disappointed when you’re in the lead going into the final day. I’ll certainly take it.”
McIlroy was at 13-under 197 as he bids for his first professional victory in Scotland. He has never finished in the top 10 in seven previous tries as a pro, and he has three runner-up finishes in the Dunhill Links. He has four top-five finishes in British Opens held in Scotland.
Kim made everything he needed to for a 67, and that’s what kept him in the game. He said he didn’t hit the ball as well as he did the previous day and often was out of position but was most pleased that he hung around and managed a bogey-free round.
That was in jeopardy on the par-4 18th hole when Kim missed the fairway to the right, found himself in a nasty lie to the left and walked off with a par and a fist pump after making his putt from about 10 feet.
“I felt like that putt was the cherry on top because I fought so hard just to get everything out of that round,” Kim said. “To be able to walk off with a par … that was huge, obviously, with momentum and everything. Puts me in a good spot of have a chance tomorrow.”
And then it might be time for everyone to hold on to their hats.
Starting times were moved up to early morning Saturday because of heavy rain expected in the afternoon. The Sunday forecast called for wind of around 30 mph, and that was before gusts. The Sunday start is 6:45 a.m., even earlier than the third round.
That could bring others into the mix, and there is a long list of candidates.
Tommy Fleetwood was the first group out and posted a 63 that put him at 11-under 199, two shots out of the lead and tied with Brian Harman (67). Fleetwood didn’t get off to the best start and now has played his last three nines in 32-32-31.
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, found himself eight shots behind late on the front nine with very little going right. But he birdied three of the last four holes, making a birdie from about 25 feet on the 18th hole, for a 67.
Scheffler was at 200 along with Shane Lowry (65), J.T. Poston (65), Eric Cole (64) and Byeong Hun An (69). An and Cole are the leading candidates to earn the three spots available for the British Open for those not already exempt.
“I think if you flipped the round around the other way, I would feel a little bit bad about my positioning,” Scheffler said. “But when you have it the way I did today, where you have the good finish and stealing at least two shots on the last two holes, definitely a good feeling.”
Padraig Harrington, who started the weekend three shots behind, could manage only a 70 and fell six shots off the pace. Harrington has said he would abandon the PGA Tour Champions in a bid for Ryder Cup consideration depending on how he plays the Scottish Open and the British Open next week at Royal Liverpool.
Also six shots behind was Sam Burns, who had the most misfortune. Burns was in a pot bunker left of the fairway on the par-5 10th when his shot slammed into the vetted side – and stayed there. It stuck as if it were plugged, though the ball was not embedded. He had to play it from there and the ball went into the side again and back to the bunker.
He got the next out, missed the green and failed to get up-and-down to take triple-bogey 8.
STRICKER, FRAZAR SHARE LEAD AT FIRESTONE IN KAULIG COMPANIES CHAMPIONSHIP
AKRON, Ohio (AP) Steve Stricker shot a 5-under 65 on Saturday for a share of the lead with Harrison Frazar in the Kaulig Companies Championship, the fourth of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major tournaments.
Frazar had a 70 to match Stricker at 7-under 203 at Firestone, with the third-round tee times moved up in a successful bid to dodge afternoon rain.
“It was important that the leaders didn’t go too far away, and I needed a 4-, 5-under round and I did it, I got it,” Stricker said. “And they helped me out a little bit by not going low themselves.
The 56-year-old Stricker rebounded from a second-round 73. He has four victories this season, winning the first two majors of the year.
“Tomorrow should be fun,” Stricker said. “There’s a lot of guys with the opportunity to win and we’re on a great golf course and the weather looks perfect for tomorrow.”
The 51-year-old Frazar is winless on the 50-and-over tour. He won the 2011 FedEx St. Jude Classic for his lone PGA Tour title.
“I feel like I need to have the same mindset I had today,” Frazar said. “Be a little bit more confident off the tees, try to get a little bit more aggressive with the iron shots.”
Stewart Cink was a stroke back after a 70. Ernie Els (70) and K.J. Choi (69) were 5 under, and Scott Parel (68) was 4 under.
Bernhard Langer, the 65-year-old German star who won the U.S. Senior Open two weeks ago to break the PGA Tour Champions career victory record, was tied for eighth at 1 under after a 70.
WOMEN’S GOLF
LIN GRANT SHOOTS 62 IN DANA OPEN, MISSING CHANCE TO BECOME SECOND LPGA TOUR PLAYER TO BREAK 60
SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) Linn Grant missed a chance to become the second LPGA Tour player to break 60. Putting herself in position for a breakthrough victory in the Dana Open was a big consolation on a long, rainy Saturday at Highland Meadows.
Nine under on her first 13 holes, Grant played the final five in even par for a 9-under 62. Fellow Swede Annika Sorenstam is the lone LPGA Tour player to shoot 59, accomplishing the feat in the 2001 Standard Register Ping at par-72 Moon Valley in Phoenix.
“There was a spectator who called it out in my face,” Grant said when asked if she thought about a 59. “He just came up to me and he said, `Do you think you have a 59 in you?′ And then all of a sudden I was like, `Oh, God.′ So, I just tried to just not focus on it at all.”
Two strokes back entering the round, Grant had an 18-under 195 total to take a six-stroke lead over U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz (68), Stephanie Kyriacou (65), Maria Fassi (67), Matilda Castren (67) and Emily Pedersen (67).
Seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, the 24-year-old Grant won the Jabra Ladies Open in May in France for her fifth Ladies European Tour title in two seasons.
Grant opened with a par Saturday and birdied the next four. After a rain delay of 3 hours, 48 minutes, she resumed play on No. 8 and added a birdie on No. 9 for a front-nine 29. She holed out from 148 yards for eagle on the par-4 11th and birdied Nos. 12 and 13.
“Eleven was amazing,” Grant said. “I hit a really good drive and a really good second shot, it just took one bounce pretty much and went in. I think it’s my first hole-out eagle, probably. Just really cool.”
Needing to play the final five in 3 under for a 59, the former Arizona State player parred the next two, bogeyed the par-4 16th, birdied the par-5 17th and parred the par-5 18th.
“After, probably, 13 I just felt like it was maybe going a bit too fast,” Grant said. “So, just starting to get nervous and felt like I didn’t have control over the situation at all. So, I just held back a little bit. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I felt like that was what I needed to do. So just really happy that I took control of the situation.”
Corpuz won the U.S. Women’s Open a week ago at Pebble Beach for her first tour title. She played alongside Grant and second-round leader Annie Park in the final group.
“Linn absolutely lit it up today,” Corpuz said. “I’m hoping the best for her tomorrow. I mean, no one’s going to catch up if she plays the way she did today.”
Park had a 71 to drop into a tie for seventh at 11 under with Minjee Lee (67).
AUTO RACING
MARTIN TRUEX JR. IS UNDECIDED ON RETIREMENT OR ANOTHER NASCAR SEASON FOR JOE GIBBS RACING
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) Martin Truex Jr. stood with his back to a table where hours earlier Kevin Harvick had been gifted a colonial musket from New Hampshire Motor Speedway in honor of the driver’s final race at the track.
Harvick made his retirement call ahead of the Daytona 500 and has been feted with gifts and tributes throughout his last NASCAR season.
The 43-year-old Truex has yet to make a decision — at least, publicly — on if he’ll return for another season at Joe Gibbs Racing or hang up the helmet and end a career that included the 2017 NASCAR championship.
Truex has floated retirement before, only to be coaxed back to return for another year in the No. 19 Toyota. Truex is having fun again at the track and has two wins after he missed the playoffs last season.
Truex cracked “next question” when asked Saturday about retirement but conceded an announcement must be made soon, maybe even this week.
Is that his timeline or JGR’s? JGR would need to make crucial decisions on the driver, sponsorship and potentially a new team to put in place for 2024 should Truex retire.
“Probably more so their timeline than mine,” Truex said.
Truex announced last June that he would return for a 19th season, so discussions for a potential replacement never got far with team owner Joe Gibbs. Without a top-tier free agent available at the end of this season, the team would likely look to Xfinity Series drivers John Hunter Nemechek or Sammy Smith to complete the four-car group. The team promoted Ty Gibbs this season to take Kyle Busch’s spot after he left to drive for Richard Childress.
Truex understood the clock was ticking.
“I think about it a lot during the week but not at the racetrack,” Truex said. “That’s why I don’t really talk about it much. I haven’t made a decision yet, so no need to talk about it.”
He opened the season with a win in the exhibition Busch Light Clash and has since won at Dover and Sonoma. Truex did everything but win last season, which was his downfall. He ran inside the top-10 in the standings through the entire regular season, only to miss a spot in the playoffs because NASCAR had a record-tying 19 different winners last season.
Truex is primed to end this season in championship contention — and maybe go out a winner.
RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY
With heavy rain in the forecast, New Hampshire could mark the third straight race shortened by weather.
William Byron won last week at Atlanta in a race sliced by 75 laps. Shane van Gisbergen won his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Chicago in a race called because of fading sunlight.
“I think if we start a race in the rain, we need to have a time limit or something,” 2014 NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick said. “The rain laps are so much slower and it just winds up taking all day.”
Aric Almirola won a 2021 race at New Hampshire delayed by rain and shortened by eight laps because of darkness. The idea is always to finish the race on Sunday, even if at a few less miles than promised.
“I think you kind of saw maybe a little bit of rain factor last week in the racing at Atlanta, where guys were really pushing because they knew the rain was coming so they wanted to be up front, so the aggression was high,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch said. “But besides that, race distance, race length, I think if you can find a happy spot with a TV window, then just stick to that.”
MELON SMASH, BEER BASH
Ross Chastain celebrates each victory with a watermelon smash, in tribute to his family watermelon farm in Florida. He can crush some beers, too, now that Busch Light will serve as his primary sponsor starting next season.
Chastain already attended beer school and learned it’s much tastier to drink a cold beer out of a pint glass rather than the can.
Anheuser-Busch and Trackhouse Racing announced a multiyear agreement that connects one of NASCAR’s four premier partners with one of Cup’s most polarizing drivers. Chastain developed an aggressive driving style that repeatedly rubbed other drivers the wrong way.
Might be a pretty good fit for a race day beer-drinking fan.
Busch Light has been a sponsor in NASCAR for 44 years, investing not only in race teams but also lending its name to the Busch Pole Award and the Busch Light Clash. The brand has sponsored the No. 4 car of Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing since 2016.
Harvick, of course, was featured in many Busch Light commercials and other advertising spots. Chastain said he’s not yet used to the glare of the promotional appearances ahead for him.
“It’s going to be things that I’m not probably totally comfortable with, things that I’ve not experienced before,” he said. “As long as we believe in each other, it’s going to be a great partnership.”
SRX RINGER
Ryan Preece, from Berlin, Connecticut, grew up going to New Hampshire with his father and grandfather and later had success at the track racing modified stock cars. He’s a local fan favorite and hopes to expand his reach on “ Thursday Night Thunder.”
Preece, who has yet to record a top-10 finish this season driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, was a late add to next week’s SRX all-star series race in Connecticut. Preece was a track regular at Stafford Speedway before his NASCAR career took off and he was thrilled to compete against a lineup that included Hailie Deegan, Brad Keselowski and Marco Andretti.
“It’s a great opportunity for the hometown fans to see a hometown guy go against them,” Preece said.
ODDS AND ENDS
Kyle Larson is the betting favorite to win Sunday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. … 2021 Daytona 500 champion Michael McDowell topped the lone practice session with a lap of 126.416 mph. Martin Truex Jr. had the best 10-lap average at 125.495 mph. … Kyle Busch will start at the back of the field after a crash in qualifying.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK WINS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR 2ND STRAIGHT XFINITY TRIP TO VICTORY LANE
LOUDON. N.H. (AP) John Hunter Nemechek had one thought inside the dominant car of the day as the NASCAR race at New Hampshire was set to resume after a few extra laps and one final caution.
“Don’t mess up,” he said.
No need to worry.
Nemechek survived a wreck-marred NASCAR race Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and won for the fourth time this season in the Xfinity Series.
“I expect to win with the best car,” he said. “It’s not exciting. But it’s exciting for me.”
The 26-year-old Nemechek followed last week’s win at Atlanta with another dominant performance for Joe Gibbs Racing. Nemechek pulled away off the final caution, the perfect spot to avoid one more final wipeout behind him. Nemechek rolled in the No. 20 Toyota to the finish line under caution – the 10th of race – that ended the race under the white flag.
“This is one of the first weekends where we had no issues, no mistakes,” Nemechek said.
It’s a familiar path to victory lane for Nemechek, who became the first Xfinity driver to win consecutive races this season. He took the lead off the final restart in Atlanta and drove away from the pack to earn his third victory of the season.
The race was slowed by wild wrecks after restarts and a slew of damaged cars limped to the garage. Cole Custer and Sheldon Creed wrecked to bring out the final caution. That was enough to help Chandler Smith, who started from the pole, to finish in second place. He was followed by Austin Hill, Daniel Hemric and Sammy Smith.
“I felt like that was the best race car I had,” Hemric said.
Smith slumped against his car on pit road in exhaustion after his runner-up finish, in large part because of a malfunction that pumped hot water throughout his cool suit.
Nemechek, the son of former NASCAR second-tier series champion Joe Nemechek, led 137 of 206 laps – six more than scheduled – and gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 196th career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory. JGR now has 598 NASCAR wins across the three national series.
“Had, I think, our first clean race this year,” Nemechek said. “I’m a lucky guy that gets to sit behind the wheel of this 20 car every weekend.”
Nemechek leads the point standings by 33 points over Hill. He’s having fun again after a winless stint over parts of three Cup seasons – 2020 was his only full season – and the drop down to NASCAR’s developmental level has paid off. He enjoyed his sixth victory in 85 career Xfinity Series races.
“Winning just keeps getting better and better every time you do it,” he said.
JGR could get a No. 20 weekend sweep on Sunday. Christopher Bell, who won last year’s race at New Hampshire, starts Sunday in the No. 20 Toyota on the pole for the Cup race.
CHRISTOPHER BELL CAPTURES POLE FOR CRAYON 301
LOUDON, N.H. — Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell will start Sunday’s Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway exactly where he finished his last start at the 1.058-mile New England track: in position No. 1.
Bell, 28, won Saturday’s pole qualifying session for the Crayon 301 (2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with a lap of 124.781 mph in the No. 20 JGR Toyota — just a tick faster (.007-seconds) — than his teammate, Martin Truex Jr., who will start his No. 19 JGR Toyota alongside on the front row.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola was close to earning his second pole in as many weeks — putting his No. 10 SHR Ford only .18-second off Bell’s work. He’ll start on the second row next to fellow Ford driver Joey Logano in the No. 22 Penske Racing Ford Mustang.
It’s the first pole position of the year for Bell and fifth of his career and it comes at a track where the Oklahoma-native has already established himself one of the very best. He joins Kyle Busch as the only two drivers with victories in all three of NASCAR’s national series at New Hampshire — highlighted by last year’s NASCAR Cup Series win and also including three consecutive NASCAR Xfinity race wins from 2018-21 and a 2017 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory.
“The amount of sliding around we did today, the lack of grip, I think the cream is going to rise to the top [in the race],” Bell said. “The good drivers, good cars will be able to pass and get their way to the front. I start at the front and hopefully we stay up there but this is a place where people will try different strategies by staying out, taking two tires, short-pitting, long-pitting, whatever the case may be so you’re not guaranteed to just start out front and stay there all day.”
The remaining top qualifiers include Penske Racing’s Joey Logano and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick will start fifth and sixth on the third row. Current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader William Byron was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to advance to the final qualifying round and he will start his No. 24 Chevrolet seventh — alongside Reddick’s teammate Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota.
Brad Keselowski — a two-time New Hampshire race winner — will start the No. 6 Roush-Fenway-Keselowski Ford ninth, alongside a fellow champion of the sport, three-time New Hampshire NASCAR Cup Series race winner Kyle Busch in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick – a four-time New Hampshire winner – will start 13th in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. He is attempting to become the track’s all-time winningest driver in his final start before retiring at the conclusion of the season.
Noah Gragson was the top qualifying rookie. He’ll roll off 29th in the Legacy Motor Club No. 42 Chevrolet. Fellow rookie Ty Gibbs will start the No. 54 JGR Toyota last in the 36-car race field.
–Kyle Busch off to a fast start
Kyle Busch’s three victory total so far in 2023 already tops his season win tally in each of the last three seasons.
The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion sits in second place in the standings — only 36 points behind leader William Byron heading into Sunday’s New Hampshire race. The driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet said Saturday that he absolutely has his eyes set on challenging for the regular season title and the extra points bonus that pays for the 10-race Playoffs to close out the year.
“I think I was looking at it about race two or three,” Busch said with a laugh, noting the regular season priority. “I think you always kind of try to keep a pulse on it and just kind of see what’s going on. Seven weeks ago, we weren’t looking too good. But we’ve made some really good headway in the last seven weeks of being able to work our way back up the points standings and get ourselves closer to that front.
“I was doing a points study earlier this week. We’re 120 stage points less than William Byron. And if I had half of that I’d be leading the points by 20, you know what I mean. We have to be able to execute better in the stages to get stage points. That’s what it’s going to come down to. We know our weaknesses, just still trying to figure out how to improve that.”
–Fabulous four for Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick’s four wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway are most among drivers. Should he collect a record fifth winner’s lobster at the New England-miler, it would be his first trip to New Hampshire Victory Lane since 2019 and first trip to any victory lane since the 2014 series champion’s back-to-back victories last summer at Michigan and Richmond, Va.
In recognition of Harvick’s retirement at the end of the season, New Hampshire presented Harvick with a personalized musket, a nod to historical nature of the area.
“It’s just been a good place for us to race throughout the years,” said Harvick, who not only has a series high win total here, but Top-5 finishes in nine of the last 12 races, including three wins in the just the last eight trips to the oval.
“I grew up on a lot of the short tracks and flat short tracks out West and we spent a lot of time at RCR [Richard Childress Racing] at a lot of the flat tracks – and always ran good. That carried over to Stewart-Haas Racing and just wound up being one of our really good spots.
“I feel like four wins should be 10, but I feel like that at a lot of places. So, I guess that’s just the racer’s mentality on how you think about things. It’s been a great place to race and I’ve seen it go through some different transitions as far as the layout of the track, but it’s been fun to come here and we have a great following up here.”
–Ryan Preece feels at home
Stewart-Haas Racing newest addition to the driver lineup, Ryan Preece arrived in New Hampshire especially optimistic about earning his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at what he considers his “home track.” The Connecticut native figures he has easily turned more laps and run more races at New Hampshire than at any other track that circuit visits.
Although Preece earned his career first pole position at Nashville last month, he is still racing for his maiden series victory and he currently sits 81 points below the Top-16 Playoff cutoff line.
This weekend is important to him.
“New Hampshire is a place I’ve had a lot of laps on – a lot more than most tracks we go to” said Preece, who drives the No. 41 SHR Ford. “I feel really comfortable here. It’s that energy you have, that swagger when you walk into a race track where you feel comfortable. New Hampshire was definitely a track going into it, that I know what I need as a race car driver to find victory lane or run really well.”
–Intensity rising as playoffs near
With only seven races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field, drivers concede there is a very real uptick in intensity. Obviously, where they sit in the championship standings affects their approach. This, they say, is exactly the kind of season-long intensity this NEXT Gen car has created.
“I think the intensity is as much as ever, with how much Playoff points matter, I think it matters even more now because there’s not real clear favorites, there’s not cars that are the fast car every single week now,” said Logano, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion. “Knowing that, collecting Playoff points and doing great in the regular season becomes more important.
“You can probably group five or six cars together and say those are the favorites and then everyone else is trying to catch them, but I don’t there’s like “that’s the guy.” He may be for four or five weeks and then everybody catches up to him. It doesn’t take much to get ahead these days or get behind.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
TENNESSEE VACATES 11 WINS FROM 2019, 2020 SEASONS
Tennessee on Saturday learned that it had 11 wins vacated as part of the punishment for the 200-plus recruiting violations committed by former coach Jeremy Pruitt.
All 11 games won in the 2019 and 2020 seasons have been erased, wiping the Volunteers from the top 10 all-time in college football victories.
Sixteen ineligible players competed in all the vacated victories, a Tennessee spokesperson told the Knoxville News and ESPN on Saturday. The players were ineligible due to their involvement in any of the 18 Level I violations and 200 individual infractions committed during Pruitt’s short tenure.
Tennessee went 8-5 in 2019, including a bowl win, and 3-7 in 2020. The official record book will now show 0-5 and 0-7 records for those two seasons.
The vacated wins now mean Tennessee is 856-410-53 in its history, dropping from the top 10 all-time. The Vols are now No. 11 all-time.
On Friday, the football program was placed on five years’ probation and fined $8 million after the NCAA discovered more than 200 violations during Pruitt’s tenure.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions also cut 28 scholarships for the Volunteers, while Pruitt received a six-year show cause and will be suspended for the first full season if another school hires him.
Pruitt compiled a 16-19 record in three seasons in Knoxville from 2018-20. He worked as a senior defensive assistant for the New York Giants in 2021, his most recent employment in major football.
Tennessee avoided a bowl ban. The Volunteers went 11-2 last season under coach Josh Heupel and won the Orange Bowl.
The NCAA charged the program with 18 Level 1 violations in July 2022. They included charges that Pruitt and his wife, Casey, provided $60,000 in impermissible benefits and cash payments to players’ families.
Tennessee self-imposed several penalties after the violations were announced, including a 16-scholarship reduction over the past two seasons.
4-STAR MICAHI DANZY COMMITS TO FLORIDA STATE 2024 CLASS
Local product Micahi Danzy, a four-star prospect in the 2024 class, committed Saturday to Florida State.
A safety at Florida State University High School in Tallahassee, the 6-foot-1 Danzy is listed as the No. 13 overall athlete by the 247Sports composite.
“It feels great,” Danzy told 247Sports. “Growing up being a Florida State fan, it feels good. Being able to represent for the Danzys because they’re Florida State fans. It feels good to be able to represent for our family and Tallahassee.”
He is expected to move from the safety position to the offensive side of the ball, both as a rusher and pass catcher.
“They kind of plan to throw some passes to me, get some outside zone, get me in space so I can do what I can do,” Danzy told the outlet.
He is the 18th commit to the Seminoles’ 2024 class, which is highlighted by five-star tight end Landen Thomas from Georgia.
Florida State has the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation and No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, per 247Sports.
BIG 10 PREVIEW: MINNESOTA
2022 Record: 9-4 overall, 5-4 in Big Ten
Head Coach: PJ Fleck, 7th year: 44-27, 11th year overall: 74-49
There was a time when Minnesota was a college football superpower.
It won the 1960 national title – which was sort of hoo-ha considering it lost the Rose Bowl to Washington in a time when national championships were declared before the bowl games were played – and it roared for a stretch from 1931 to 1941 with four perfect seasons, three real national titles, and a few non-AP ones.
1941. That’s the last time Minnesota won an outright Big Ten title, but 1) it was sort of the Big Ten, even though it was also the Western Conference that morphed into the Big Ten, but whatever, and 2) the 1960 and 1967 titles were co-championships, which were soured by 1) losing the 1961 Rose Bowl and 2) not going to a bowl game after the ’67 season, because it was a three-way tie and the Big Ten had only one bowl tie-in at the time.
From 1961 to 1998 Minnesota went to three nondescript bowl games, had one outlier of a ten-win season in 2003, and through all that time it nestled into a comfortable role as a Big Ten also-ran.
(Growing up in Minnesota, I learned EXACTLY what the working definition of mediocre college football looked like, and yes, a very young me sat through the business end of 1983 Nebraska’s 84-13 win, when the Metrodome Stadium scoreboard by quarter read NEB 21 21 21 21.)
Why the rambling self-indulgent history lesson? Context.
PJ Fleck took one year to refurbish things. Without a slew of Johnny Five-Stars, in the last four years he has more seasons with nine or more wins than the program came up with from 1906 to 2018. (To be fair, Minnesota didn’t play more than nine games for a bunch of those years before 1948, but you get the idea.)
So a few things can be true at once. Yes, Fleck has been amazing since taking over, and yes, he made the program relevant going 4-for-4 in bowl games, yes, he was responsible for the program’s first season with at least 11 wins since 1904, yes, he’s beating Wisconsin, and yes … Northwestern, Purdue, Iowa, Nebraska, and of course, Wisconsin are all schools currently in the West that played in the Big Ten Championship, and Minnesota hasn’t.
Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska – those three are relative newbies and get a pass – and Indiana, who was co-champ with the Gophers back in 1967. Those are the four other programs that haven’t won at least a piece of a Big Ten title since the last time Minnesota got a chunk of one.
It would take something amazing for the Gophers to break the drought – more on the schedule later – but this can be a very, very interesting season if …
The offensive backfield has to come together fast. Athan Kaliakmanis got his feet wet last season at quarterback, and Western Michigan transfer RB Sean Tyler is a big-time producer who’ll bring a lot more flash to the ground attack, but it’s asking a lot to replace the production of Mohamed Ibrahim and the experience of QB Tanner Morgan – even if Kaliakmanis took over late in the year and threw for 319 yards in the win over Wisconsin. Fortunately …
Life is going to be much easier with a loaded receiving corps to work with. Chris Autman-Bell is back after suffering a leg injury early last season – he was the top target in 2021 catching six of the 12 touchdown throws – but he’s hardly alone. Brevyn Spann-Ford is one of the Big Ten’s better tight ends, and in from the transfer portal comes Corey Crooms from Western Michigan and Elijah Spencer from Charlotte. Both of them are very experienced, and very, very good.
Finding parts and production for the offensive line hasn’t been a problem under PJ Fleck, but you don’t get better by losing the new starting center for the New York Giants. John Michael Schmitz is the big hole to fill, but G Quinn Carroll and OT Aireontae Ersery have all-Big Ten talent.
There’s an interesting mix of things happening once again with the Minnesota defense. It was the best in the Big Ten and among the best in the nation in third down stops, it finished eighth in the country in total defense and fourth in scoring D, and it did it with absolutely no pass rush or pressure whatsoever.
What playmaking in the backfield there is will come from Danny Striggow on the edge – he led the team with just 3.5 sacks – and the active rotation on the inside worries more about the run than getting into the backfield.
As always, the Gophers have a few tough guy linebackers that aren’t flashy, but they live around the ball. Cody Lindenberg was second on the team with 71 stops, and on the way from Western Michigan is Ryan Selig, a ready-made man for the middle who made 135 tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.
The secondary makes a surprising amount of plays considering it doesn’t get a lick of help from the pass rush. With a nice mix of veterans, lots of parts from the transfer portal, and a strong recruiting class, this is a good overall situation.
Mega-tackling safety Tyler Nubin in the star of the bunch – he came up with four picks last year, too – and the combination of Justin Walley and Elon transfer Tre’Von Jones will be solid on the outside.
Stop teams from completing passes. Getting the running game working and keeping the other side from rumbling matters, but when it comes to making the whole formula work, the Gophers have to slow down accurate passing games.
Yeah, everyone wants to do that, but time of possession means the world to the team, and third down conversions and completed passes hurt that. Minnesota was 7-0 when allowing teams to hit fewer than 60% of their passes, and 2-4 when it didn’t.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Top Transfer, Biggest Loss
RB Sean Tyler in from Western Michigan, DT Trill Carter gone to Texas. There weren’t any massive blows to the Gophers in the transfer portal, but there were a slew of little ones. Just about everyone can and will be replaced without a problem, but losing a 300-pound veteran defensive tackle is tough.
Tyler represents the Western Michigan invasion coming in to take on huge roles. LB Ryan Selig made 135 tackles over the last two seasons, WR Corey Crooms caught 115 passes for 1,766 yards and 12 scores, and then there’s Tyler, a smallish-quick back who ran for well over 2,000 yards with 16 touchdowns over the last two years. All three will be instant factors.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Key Player
Athan Kaliakmanis, QB Soph. Tanner Morgan was a mainstay of the program for years, but the quarterback play overall hasn’t been anything amazing outside of one monster 2019 season. The 6-4, 210-pound Kaliakmanis saw a little time as a true freshman and threw for 946 yards and three touchdowns with four picks, and now he has to be more accurate – he only hit 54% of his throws – and grow into the leader of the Gopher O for the next few years.
NFL NEWS
PREVIEW: SAN FRANCISCO
Kyle Shanahan’s era in San Francisco has been both successful and entirely frustrating.
Over the past four seasons, the 49ers have reached the NFC championship game three times. In the first, they smashed Aaron Rodgers and the Packers before blowing a 20–10 lead to the Chiefs in the final seven minutes of Super Bowl LIV. Two years later, they arrived at the conference title game again, this time relinquishing a two-score lead to the Rams in the fourth quarter.
Last season, it was a blowout at the hands of the Eagles, with starting quarterback Brock Purdy going out with a torn UCL in the first quarter.
For Shanahan, it’s time. The Niners have arguably the league’s best roster, save for the uncertainty surrounding Purdy. And while that’s a massive caveat, the NFC is wide open, even with it. San Francisco has no excuse not to jaunt back to the final weekend in January once more and arrive at its second Super Bowl in five seasons.
If the Niners fall short, serious questions have to be asked about the ability to develop a quarterback, and where things go. Because knocking on the door is terrific—unless the door never opens.
Biggest gamble this offseason: Believing in the right side of the line
If there’s one clear weakness of the 49ers, it’s the right side of their offensive line.
This winter, San Francisco watched as right tackle Mike McGlinchey signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the Broncos. While the Niners probably won’t regret not matching that money, his departure does leave a significant hole on the edge. To replace him, general manager John Lynch is likely rolling with Colton McKivitz, who has started five games across three years.
Meanwhile, the Niners are hoping for a better performance out of second-year guard Spencer Burford, who started 16 games as a rookie last season. Burford was inconsistent at best, struggling with both run blocking and pass protection. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 49.6, a number he’ll hope to raise substantially in 2023.
While the left side is strong with future Hall of Fame tackle Trent Williams and guard Aaron Banks, the right side is a major question mark.
Toughest stretch of the season: Weeks 12 to 14
Despite having a first-place schedule to contend with, the Niners don’t have an especially difficult slate.
However, things get tough come Thanksgiving night, with a trip to Seattle for San Francisco’s first game against its division rival Seahawks. The following week, the 49ers visit the East Coast for a rematch of the NFC title game against the Eagles. Finally, a return engagement in Week 14 with Seattle, for a game that could have massive implications on who wins the NFC West.
The big question is who will be under center for the 49ers by that time.
Breakout player to watch: DL Drake Jackson
Jackson is the pick, largely because he played well within a small sample size as a rookie.
The 2022 former second-round pick out of USC played only 33% of the defensive snaps last year, and yet he racked up three sacks. The number isn’t eye-popping, but considering he has Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave rushing the passer alongside him, don’t be surprised if Jackson takes advantage of some optimal matchups. Factor in the free-agent departure of Charles Omenihu, and the opportunity is there.
Don’t be surprised if Jackson becomes a key part of the rotation as a second-year starter.
Position of strength: Front seven
One could argue for the weaponry, but San Francisco’s front seven is the best football has to offer.
Last season, Bosa registered 18.5 sacks across 16 games, cementing himself as a first-team All-Pro and finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. Middle linebacker Fred Warner also earned All-Pro honors, notching 130 tackles, two sacks and an interception.
Add in a surrounding cast that includes stellar defensive tackles Armstead and Hargrave, and star outside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and the 49ers will be able to defeat an offense in a multitude of fashions.
Position of weakness: Quarterback
Are there any other options to choose from? The Niners might be the only team in football with an All-Pro in every position meeting room outside of quarterback.
San Francisco is hoping Purdy will be there for the start of the season, but after offseason elbow surgery, it’s a risky bet. If he can’t go, the job falls to Trey Lance, unless newcomer Sam Darnold can beat him out for the job.
Regardless, the trio of Purdy, Lance and Darnold has upside, but there’s also reason to believe they’re the ones who hold San Francisco back from winning it all.
X-factor: Which Deebo Samuel are the 49ers getting?
While it’s easy to expect a bounce-back year from Samuel, should we? History says his All-Pro campaign could be the outlier.
In 2021, Samuel became a superstar in San Francisco, posting 1,770 total yards and 14 touchdowns. In his other three years, Samuel has combined for 2,271 total yards and 12 scores.
If the Niners don’t get the best version of Samuel, they’re suddenly mortal on the outside with Brandon Aiyuk manning the other spot. But if Samuel does regain his elite form, San Francisco has arguably the best group of weapons in the sport, including running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle.
Sleeper/fantasy pick: RB Elijah Mitchell
McCaffrey has missed a good chunk of games over the past three years due to injuries. Also, this duo did somewhat split the workload when both were healthy last season. Mitchell will be one of the top handcuffs, and he could etch out some flex value at times, too. —Michael Fabiano, SI Fantasy
Best bet: Take the over on Christian McCaffrey’s 900.5 rushing yards
This is a bet purely on health. If McCaffrey is healthy for all 17 games, he goes over, easily. McCaffrey averaged 68 yards per game with the 49ers in 2022. Between the two teams last season, McCaffrey totaled 1,139 ground yards.
Final record: 12–5, first in NFC West
TOP INDIANA NEWS/RELEASES FROM ORGANIZATIONS
INDIANS BASEBALL
INDIANS SURRENDER THREE HOME RUNS TO STORM CHASERS IN 8-3 SETBACK
PAPILLION, Neb. – Alika Williams hit a solo home run as part of a three-hit performance, but the Indianapolis Indians allowed three home runs in an 8-3 loss to the Omaha Storm Chasers on Saturday night at Werner Park.
The Storm Chasers (42-43, 4-9) grabbed the lead for good in the second inning on a three-run homer by Tyler Gentry, his ninth of the season. Williams opened the Indians’ (41-47, 8-6) half of the third inning with a solo home run – his fifth in his last 16 games – but Logan Porter popped a two-run shot off José Hernández in the bottom half to extend Omaha’s lead to 5-1.
In the fourth, John O’Reilly uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded and two outs to give Omaha its sixth run. Indianapolis cut its deficit to 6-2 in the sixth inning when Endy Rodríguez, who led off the frame with his second double of the night, took third on a wild pitch before scoring on a groundout by Miguel Andújar.
Indy brought the tying run to the plate by loading the bases in the seventh for a 2023 Futures Game All-Star showdown between Rodríguez and reliever Will Klein, but the switch-hitting catcher flied out to left field to end the threat. After the stretch, CJ Alexander launched a two-out, two-run homer off Hunter Stratton. Aaron Shackelford finished off the scoring in the eighth with a two-out RBI single.
Cam Alldred (L, 5-2) yielded three earned runs in 2.0 innings pitched for Indy while Walter Pennington (W, 3-0) gave up one earned run in 3.0 relief innings for Omaha.
Williams has eight multi-hit efforts and nine extra-base hits in his last 13 games overall. Andújar singled in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
The Indians and Storm Chasers conclude their series on Sunday at 6:05 PM ET. RHP Jared Jones (1-1, 5.12) is slated to start for Indianapolis against RHP Max Castillo (2-6, 4.74).
COLTS FOOTBALL
ONE BIG COLTS TRAINING CAMP QUESTION, DEFENSIVE LINE: DOES AN EIGHT-DEEP ROTATION EMERGE?
Usually, training camp practices pit the first team offense against the second team defense and vice versa. There are, of course, hyper-competitive ones-on-ones portions of practice, but often the majority of reps come with ones facing twos.
And if you’re looking for something sneakily important to watch up at Grand Park when the Colts’ first-team offense is on the field, shift your eyes across the line of scrimmage to the four guys defensive line coach Nate Ollie rolls out in the trenches.
Good depth is critical to the overall health of a defensive line. It’s one thing to have dominant front-line players – like defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart have proven to be – and it’s another to have a handful of guys who a defense can count on to play at a high level for, say, a third of the snaps in a given game.
Here’s a quick look at why it matters.
Buckner’s 874 snaps were seventh-most among defensive linemen in 2022, while Stewart’s 781 were 19th. Both players were so effective against the run and pass that the Colts didn’t want to take them off the field.
Buckner and Stewart deserve plenty of credit for not only keeping themselves in remarkable shape, but for fighting through the wear and tear that comes with a 17-game season, to play that many snaps (Buckner, in particular, played most of the season with a brace on his elbow).
But Buckner and Stewart are not – just like every other defensive lineman – playing ever single snap in a game. Buckner played about three-fourths of the Colts’ defensive snaps last season, while Stewart checked in at a career high 68 percent. That leaves about 15-20ish snaps a game where Buckner and/or Stewart are taking a breather on the sideline.
The same thing goes at defensive end. Kwity Paye played two-thirds of the Colts’ defensive snaps over the 12 games in which he played last season, and heavy rotation at those prime pass-rushing spots is important to keep wave after wave of guys crashing after opposing quarterbacks.
So this is where the second-team defensive line comes in, both during games and when a starter is out.
The Colts added a few guys who will compete for snaps via free agency and the NFL Draft earlier this year: Defensive ends Samson Ebukam and Titus Leo, and defensive tackles Taven Bryan and Adetomiwa Adebawore, among others. Ebukam will have a chance to start at defensive end, where he could compete with 2021 second-round pick Dayo Odeyingbo, among other players there opposite Paye.
Odeyingbo and Tyquan Lewis both have the versatility to play defensive end or defensive tackle, making them at a minimum valuable rotational players or spot starters. The Colts drafted Adebawore with the plan to play him at 3-technique defensive tackle (Buckner’s spot) after he played defensive end in college at Northwestern, and believe he has untapped potential there.
Those are some of the guys to keep an eye on this summer in Westfield, as their development will go a long way toward sustained success on the Colts’ defense.
INDIANA FOOTBALL
BIG TEN FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS LINEUP SET
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference will host the 2023 Big Ten Football Media Days presented by Old National Bank on July 26-27 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the Indiana football quartet of head coach Tom Allen, linebacker Aaron Casey, running back/return specialist Jaylin Lucas and defensive back Noah Pierre representing the Cream and Crimson.
Indiana is slated to appear at the event on Thursday, July 27 with Allen and the student-athletes appearing live on the Big Ten Network throughout the day, along with a full schedule that includes national television partners, national and local media interviews and the Big Ten Network crew getting the first glimpse of the 2023 college football landscape.
Allen will begin his seventh season at the helm of the Indiana program. The 2020 American Football Coach Association National Coach of the Year, Allen ranks No. 6 all-time on the Indiana coaching victories list, just one shy of John Pont (1965-72). Over his first six seasons at the helm, four Hoosiers have earned All-America recognition, 60 have garnered All-Big Ten honors and IU has played in three bowl games. Allen led IU to back-to-back January bowl games for the first time in program history during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
A first-team All-American kick returner as a true freshman in 2022, Lucas was also named the Big Ten Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten. In 11 games, the Houma, Louisiana, native led the NCAA in kickoff return touchdowns (2) and was one of three true freshmen with a kickoff return touchdown. His kickoff return score at Rutgers (10/22) was the first at IU since Tevin Coleman at Northwestern in 2012. He was also the first Hoosier since Coleman in 2014 with three 70-yard scoring plays in a single season. He paced the Hoosiers in all-purpose yards with 944, an average of 85.8 per game.
Casey and Pierre are the top two returning tacklers for the Hoosiers from last season. Casey led the team with 86 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss in 2022. He added 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 11 games. Pierre paced the team with three forced fumbles last season. He added 4.0 tackles for loss – which included 3.0 sacks – with three pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
LOYD NAMED WNBA ALL-STAR GAME MVP AFTER RECORD-BREAKING NIGHT
LAS VEGAS — Jewell Loyd’s ever-growing list of WNBA accomplishments just got longer.
On Saturday, Loyd was named the WNBA All-Star Game MVP after posting 31 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. She broke the All-Star game record with her 31 points, which included 10 made shots from deep. Team Stewart topped Team Wilson on the night, 143-127.
“I had extra motivation, today,” Loyd said with a huge smile on her face after the game. “My family is here, and I want to wish a happy 40th anniversary to my parents. They wanted me to shoot a lot of threes, so that’s what I did.”
Loyd is the leading scorer in the WNBA at the break with 25.7 points per game. She is averaging 3.7 treys per game and became the second woman in WNBA history to hit nine three-pointers in a game when she did so against the Washington Mystics on July 11. If the former Irish guard continues scoring at her current pace, she will break the WNBA single-season scoring record.
In addition to Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale and Jackie Young took to the court in Las Vegas. Ogunbowale had 18 points, while Young notched 6. Ogunbowale also had 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC 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/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 60 | 35 | .632 | – | 35 – 15 | 25 – 20 | 17 – 10 | 16 – 3 | 9 – 7 | 3 – 7 | W 3 |
| Baltimore | 56 | 35 | .615 | 2 | 28 – 18 | 28 – 17 | 16 – 11 | 18 – 7 | 10 – 7 | 8 – 2 | W 7 |
| Toronto | 52 | 41 | .559 | 7 | 25 – 18 | 27 – 23 | 7 – 20 | 16 – 6 | 11 – 8 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| NY Yankees | 50 | 43 | .538 | 9 | 28 – 23 | 22 – 20 | 13 – 17 | 8 – 8 | 14 – 8 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| Boston | 49 | 44 | .527 | 10 | 26 – 22 | 23 – 22 | 16 – 11 | 11 – 8 | 10 – 6 | 8 – 2 | L 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 47 | 46 | .505 | – | 26 – 22 | 21 – 24 | 12 – 17 | 18 – 12 | 7 – 4 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| Cleveland | 45 | 47 | .489 | 1.5 | 24 – 22 | 21 – 25 | 7 – 8 | 13 – 13 | 13 – 8 | 5 – 5 | L 3 |
| Detroit | 41 | 50 | .451 | 5 | 20 – 25 | 21 – 25 | 3 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 9 – 9 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| Chi White Sox | 39 | 55 | .415 | 8.5 | 21 – 25 | 18 – 30 | 6 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 9 – 14 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| Kansas City | 26 | 67 | .280 | 21 | 13 – 33 | 13 – 34 | 4 – 12 | 8 – 22 | 4 – 11 | 2 – 8 | L 2 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 54 | 39 | .581 | – | 29 – 18 | 25 – 21 | 11 – 11 | 13 – 5 | 16 – 11 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| Houston | 51 | 42 | .548 | 3 | 25 – 22 | 26 – 20 | 5 – 5 | 8 – 11 | 18 – 11 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| LA Angels | 46 | 47 | .495 | 8 | 24 – 21 | 22 – 26 | 8 – 9 | 11 – 8 | 16 – 13 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| Seattle | 45 | 46 | .495 | 8 | 24 – 22 | 21 – 24 | 7 – 11 | 7 – 8 | 15 – 11 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| Oakland | 25 | 69 | .266 | 29.5 | 12 – 34 | 13 – 35 | 5 – 18 | 7 – 10 | 4 – 23 | 3 – 7 | L 6 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 61 | 30 | .670 | – | 31 – 16 | 30 – 14 | 22 – 6 | 8 – 1 | 10 – 7 | 7 – 3 | L 1 |
| Miami | 53 | 41 | .564 | 9.5 | 30 – 18 | 23 – 23 | 13 – 16 | 11 – 6 | 9 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
| Philadelphia | 50 | 42 | .543 | 11.5 | 24 – 17 | 26 – 25 | 9 – 15 | 9 – 4 | 13 – 13 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| NY Mets | 42 | 50 | .457 | 19.5 | 20 – 21 | 22 – 29 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 14 | 14 – 13 | 6 – 4 | L 4 |
| Washington | 37 | 55 | .402 | 24.5 | 15 – 32 | 22 – 23 | 9 – 16 | 6 – 10 | 9 – 13 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Milwaukee | 51 | 42 | .548 | – | 26 – 21 | 25 – 21 | 6 – 1 | 19 – 9 | 8 – 15 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Cincinnati | 50 | 43 | .538 | 1 | 23 – 23 | 27 – 20 | 12 – 11 | 12 – 16 | 9 – 6 | 6 – 4 | L 3 |
| Chi Cubs | 43 | 48 | .473 | 7 | 22 – 23 | 21 – 25 | 6 – 13 | 12 – 11 | 9 – 8 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 41 | 51 | .446 | 9.5 | 22 – 23 | 19 – 28 | 5 – 5 | 11 – 15 | 14 – 13 | 2 – 8 | L 2 |
| St. Louis | 39 | 53 | .424 | 11.5 | 18 – 26 | 21 – 27 | 6 – 9 | 11 – 14 | 7 – 13 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 53 | 38 | .582 | – | 29 – 16 | 24 – 22 | 11 – 6 | 15 – 12 | 14 – 11 | 7 – 3 | W 6 |
| Arizona | 52 | 41 | .559 | 2 | 26 – 24 | 26 – 17 | 11 – 14 | 10 – 5 | 17 – 11 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| San Francisco | 51 | 41 | .554 | 2.5 | 26 – 22 | 25 – 19 | 10 – 9 | 15 – 7 | 15 – 10 | 5 – 5 | W 4 |
| San Diego | 44 | 49 | .473 | 10 | 25 – 23 | 19 – 26 | 13 – 12 | 7 – 13 | 12 – 13 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| Colorado | 35 | 58 | .376 | 19 | 21 – 25 | 14 – 33 | 11 – 14 | 8 – 10 | 6 – 19 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1897 Colts’ first baseman Cap Anson becomes the first major leaguer to collect 3000 hits when he singles off George Blackburn. The 45-year-old infielder’s historic safety comes in a 2-1 loss to Baltimore at Chicago’s West Side Grounds.
1909 The Tigers and Senators play the longest scoreless game in American League history. Detroit’s Ed Summers, who gives up just seven hits, goes the distance but doesn’t get a decision when the 0-0 contest at Bennett Park ends after the 18th inning.
1913 In a game against the Cubs, Superbas’ second baseman George Cutshaw handles 14 chances without an error. The infielder’s defensive prowess helps Brooklyn beat Chicago at Ebbets Field, 4-2.
1920 After pitching 16 scoreless frames, Earl Hamilton and the Pirates lose to the Giants in the 17th at Forbes Field, 7-0. New York starter Rube Benton tosses 17 shutout innings to get the victory.
1924 George Kelly goes deep over the left-field fence, homering in his sixth consecutive game to set a major league record. The future Hall of Famer’s seventh-inning two-run homer proves to be the difference in the Giants’ 8-7 victory over the Pirates at Forbes Field.
1932 Tommy Thomas collects his third victory in three days, all against the same team, when the Senators rout St. Louis at Griffith Stadium, 11-0. The 32-year-old right-hander, who will defeat the Browns seven times this season, picked up two of his three wins against Washington as a reliever before going the distance in today’s contest.
1933 Reds right-hander Red Lucas beats the Giants and Roy Parmelee, 1-0, in a 15-inning game that both starters go the distance. The Redland Field contest ends when Rollie Hemsley’s single to right field plates George Grantham with the winning run.
1948 Branch Rickey and Giants owner Horace Stoneham agree on a deal that releases Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher to become the Giants’ skipper, replacing the popular Mel Ott. Burt Shotton will take the ‘Lip’s’ place in the Dodger dugout.
1956 Radio executives John Fetzer and Fred Knorr buy the Tigers and Briggs Stadium for a record $5.5 million from a reluctant Walter Briggs, Jr., ordered by family estate administrators to sell the ownership he inherited from his father. The deal includes an agreement to retain Briggs, who will become the team’s general manager, as executive vice president, but the former owner will resign from both posts at the start of next season.
1966 Horace Clarke hits his second career home run, a tenth-inning grand slam, giving the Yankees an eventual 9-5 win over the A’s at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium. The New York shortstop’s first-ever round-tripper was also hit with the bases full last season.
1968 After making a running catch of Chuck Hinton’s blooper, Indians’ center fielder Jose Cardenal continues to move to the infield, doubling up Jim Fregosi at second base to complete an unassisted double play. The Cleveland outfielder becomes only the fourth flychaser to record two unassisted double plays in one season, joining Socks Seybold (1907, A’s), Tris Speaker (1918, Indians), and Adam Comorosky (1935, Pirates).
1969 Rod Carew steals home for the seventh time, establishing a new American League standard and tying Pete Reiser’s major-league mark for swiping the plate in one season. After further research in 1991, Ty Cobb retains the record, having stolen home eight times in 1912.
1969 At Jarry Park, Willie Stargell becomes the first major leaguer to homer into a swimming pool when his 495-foot blast splashes into a recreational pool located beyond the right-field fence. When Pirates’ first baseman retired in 1982, the Expos presented him with a life-preserver in tribute to the homers he hit into what became known to the locals as “Willie’s pool” or referred to in French as la piscine de Willie.
1970 Three Rivers Stadium debuts precisely on the same spot as Exposition Park, the Pirates’ home from 1891-1909. Cincinnati’s first baseman Tony Perez hits the park’s first home run as the Pirates lose to the Reds, 3-2.
1975 The owners re-elect Bowie Kuhn to his second term as baseball commissioner. Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley attempted to persuade others to vote to remove Kuhn, who had become his adversary on many issues during his first seven years in the position.
1978 Tulsa southpaw starter Dave Righetti, who doesn’t get the decision when the Drillers lose in the tenth, strikes out 21 Midland Cubs over nine innings, establishing a Texas League record. In the off-season, the 19-year-old Ranger farmhand becomes part of a ten-player trade that sends him to the Yankees.
1985 The All-Star Game telecast at Minnesota’s Metrodome becomes the first-ever program to be transmitted in stereo. NBC, which broadcasted the first professional baseball game in 1939, airs Midsummer Classic.
1985 The National League beats the AL, 6-1, marking its 21st victory in the last 23 All-Star Games. Sparky Anderson, the first manager to win 100 games in the National and American Leagues, becomes the first skipper to lose a Midsummer Classics in each league.
1988 In the longest game ever played in Texas League history, the San Antonio Missions beat the visiting Jackson Mets in 26 innings, 1-0, when Manny Francois ended it with a bases-loaded single to center. The V.J. Keefe Stadium contest, which started on July 14th, was suspended at 2:25 a.m. the following day and continued on July 16th, taking seven hours and 23 minutes to complete.
1990 Steve Lyons slides headfirst into first base to beat out a bunt. The play becomes memorable when the White Sox first baseman drops his pants to brush away the dirt inside his uniform in front of 14,770 surprised fans at Tiger Stadium.
1999 New York closer Mariano Rivera blows the save, giving up four ninth-inning runs in the team’s 10-7 loss to Atlanta, after hearing Enter Sandman played as his entrance song for the first time. Seeing the San Diego fans’ enthusiastic reaction to Trevor Hoffman’s entrance to AC/DC’s Hell’s Bells during the World Series, the Yankees’ ownership comes up with the iconic Metallica heavy metal rock song for the quiet Panamanian, who is a devout Christian.
2000 A 1919 Chicago ‘Black Sox’ autographed baseball fetches $93,666 at an eBay auction. The ball’s value, believed to be the most for such an item, was unusually high because it included the signature of Shoeless Joe Jackson, an illiterate player who usually just signed legal documents.
2000 The Twins announce the possibility of playing a home series outdoors in a temporary stadium next season. However, moving away from the Metrodome would require the approval of major league baseball, the players’ association, the opponents, broadcast affiliates, and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission.
2001 Fred McGriff invokes his no-trade clause, blocking a deal that would have sent him to the first-place Cubs from the last-place Devil Rays. Later in the day, the ‘Crime Dog’ homers, helping Tampa Bay to beat the Braves 6-5.
2001 President George W. hosts the first White House Tee Ball All-Star Game on the South Lawn, featuring a player from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson served as the Honorary Commissioner of the contest, designed to encourage fitness among America’s youth while promoting the sport as the country’s national pastime.
2003 At the age of 77, Minnie Minoso becomes the first player to play professional baseball in seven decades. The Cuban native, who played his last full season in 1963 with the White Sox, walks as the designated hitter for the St. Paul Saints against the Gary SouthShore RailCats in Northern League action, an independent minor league.
2003 The Yankees send pitching prospects Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia, and Ryan Bicondoa to the Mets for hard-throwing embattled closer Armando Benitez. The 30-year-old All-Star reliever, slated to be the setup man for closer Mariano Rivera, blew seven of 28 save opportunities and became the object of much booing at Shea Stadium.
2005 The Northern League initially approves the fans in the stands and the players looking on from their dugouts, watching the video stadium monitor as two kids determine the action of the first two innings using an X-Box and the MVP Baseball software. Although individual Kansas City T-Bones and Schaumburg Flyers statistics generated by the video game would not have counted, the league officials nix the promotion, deciding instead to the game’s final two innings replayed on the game system.
2005 The Yankees acquired recently released Al Leiter from the Marlins to bolster their injured pitching rotation. The 39-year-old $8-million southpaw, who posted a disappointing 3-7 record and a 6.64 ERA with the Fish, will quickly pay dividends, limiting the Red Sox to one run and three hits in his first start back as a Bronx Bomber.
2006 At Wrigley Field, Mets outfielders Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran hit grand slams during a franchise-record 11-run inning in the sixth of the 13-7 defeat of the Cubs. The pair of four-run homers marks only the seventh time a team has accomplished the feat in one inning.
2006 Chipper Jones ties a major league record by collecting an extra-base hit in his 14th straight game. The Braves third baseman’s fourth-inning home run equals the mark established in 1927 by Pirates outfielder Paul Waner.
2006 Mariano Rivera records his 400th career save, pitching two innings in New York’s 6-4 victory over the White Sox. The Yankee closer becomes the fourth major league reliever to reach the milestone, joining Lee Smith (478), Trevor Hoffman (460), and John Franco (424).
2006 The Reds honor perfect game hurler Tom Browning and slugging first baseman Lee May with induction into the team’s Hall of Fame. Cooperstown and Mets Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, who spent five-plus seasons with the team, hurling a no-hitter with Cincinnati in 1978, is also included as an inductee.
2008 In Washington, D.C., the United States Post Office releases the Take Me Out to the Ball Game commemorative stamp, marking the 100th anniversary of baseball’s official anthem. Scottsdale (AZ) graphic artist Richard Sheaff designed the 42-cent postage stamp based on a circa-1880 “trade card” image from his private collection that features a baseball scene promoting a product made in Michigan.
2009 In Miami, Ryan Howard, playing in his 658th game, becomes the fastest player to hit 200 home runs when he goes deep off Marlin right-hander Chris Volstad with his solo shot in the sixth inning in the team’s 4-0 victory. Hall of Fame slugger Ralph Kiner, who played in 48 more contests than the 29-year-old Phillies first baseman to reach the plateau, had previously held the mark.
2009 The Diamondbacks and Rockies announce that the teams will share an Arizona spring training home in 2011. The Pima-Maricopa Indians, according to a 25-year agreement, plan to build an 11,000-seat ballpark and a complex, making the major league facility the first to be located on a site believed to be tribal land.
2010 Bengie Molina becomes the eighth major leaguer and the first backstop since 1900 to hit a grand slam and a single, double, and triple in the same game. The slow-footed catcher, the eighth Ranger to hit for the cycle, legs out an improbable triple in the eighth inning to complete the feat.
2010 The Yankees honor Bob Sheppard’s memory, wearing commemorative patches on the left sleeve of their uniforms as a tribute in the first game played at the Bronx ballpark since his death. During the contest against Tampa Bay, the public address announcements come from an empty PA booth.
2013 In the first All-Star Game played in the Queens in 49 years, the American League pitchers hold their National League opponents to just three hits, blanking the Senior Circuit at Citi Field, 3-0. Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, voted the game’s MVP, receives a standing ovation from the enthusiastic 45,186 fans in attendance when he enters the contest in the eighth inning en route to retiring three consecutive NL batters.
2013 In the All-Star Game played at New York’s Citi Field, Salvador Perez, who replaced Joe Mauer behind the plate in the last inning, leads off the eighth with a single to right field off Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel. The Kansas City catcher becomes the first Royals player to get a hit in the Midsummer Classic since Bo Jackson blasted his memorable moonshot at Anaheim Stadium in 1989.
2021 Padres’ second baseman Jake Cronenworth completes the cycle when he scratches out a sixth-inning infield single in the team’s 24-8 of the Nationals in Washington. The 26-year-old rookie doubled in the second, tripled in the third, and homered in the fifth frame en route to accomplishing the rare feat, the first for the club since Wil Myers did it against the Rockies in 2017.
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
HACK WILSON
Center Fielder
Lewis R. “Hack” Wilson played in major league baseball for 12 seasons, finishing his career with a lifetime .307 average, 244 home runs and 1,063 RBI.
Though his tenure in baseball was relatively short, his impact of the game resonates to this day.
After stellar seasons in the minors from 1921-23, Wilson’s contract was purchased by the New York Giants in September of 1923 for a reported $11,000. Wilson hit .295 in 107 games in 1924, helping the Giants win the National League pennant. But he struggled in 1925, prompting Giants manager John McGraw to send Wilson to Double-A Toledo of the American Association. Following that season, the Cubs took Wilson in the Rule 5 Draft.
From there, Wilson began a five-year stretch that saw him lead in the NL in home runs four times and RBI twice. At 5-foot-6 and 190 pounds, Wilson was also a capable defender in center field – leading the league in fielding percentage in 1926 (.972) and putouts in 1927 (400).
But it was at the plate where Wilson established his legend. After leading the NL with 159 RBI in 1929 while powering the Cubs to the NL pennant, Wilson had one of the greatest seasons in big league history in 1930. He he launched 56 long balls, a National League record that stood for 68 years, and totaled 191 RBI – still the all-time major league single-season record – with a .356 batting average. In his season of highlights, he also had a .723 slugging percentage, walked 105 times and compiled 423 total bases.
Wilson’s RBI total puts him ahead of fellow Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig (who had 185 in 1931), Hank Greenberg (with 184 in 1937) and Jimmie Foxx (who had 175 in 1938). No player has gotten within 15 RBI of his mark since Foxx in 1938.
Wilson drove in more than 100 runs in six of his 12 seasons. He also led the league in walks twice and retired with a .395 on-base percentage and a .940 OPS.
Wilson passed away on Nov. 23, 1948. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Three Rivers Opens
July 16, 1970 – In Pittsburgh it is the Pirates who open up Three Rivers Stadium in a 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The stadium would serve as the home to both the Pirates and the NFL’s Steelers from 1970 through 2000. The Stadium was so named as it sat next to the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Mohongahelia Rivers. The USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers and the University of Pittsburgh also played some home games at Three Rivers. The stadium was the venue where the first night World Series game took place in 1971 and also had the famous Immaculate Reception occur on December 23, 1972. The final game in Three Rivers Stadium took place on Dec 16, 2000 in a Steelers victory.
Here Comes the Pres!
July 16, 1980 – Ronald Reagan was nominated as the Republican Party candidate for President of the US. Reagan’s connection to football is that he played for Eureka College as a lineman. More famously he portrayed the University of Notre Dame legend George Gipp in the film from 1940 titled Knute Rockne, All American. Reagan became known as the Gipper from that film going forward based on George Gipp’s famous quote of, “just win one for the Gipper.”
Sheveport Home Start up!
The Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the Day comes from the July 17, 1994 edition of the Town Talk in Alexandria, Louisiana with their headline of:
Toronto Edges Pirates
The article is a recount of the July 16, 1994 Canadian Football League game where the CFL’s Shreveport Pirates lose their first home game 34-35 to the Toronto Argonauts. Argo’s quarterback Mike Kerrigan threw two second half TD strikes that helped Toronto to the victory. The Shreveport squad jumped on top early with back to back 64 yard plays, a rushing TD by back Reggie Barnes and then a scoring pass from Terrence Jones to Wayne Walker. The Argonauts ended an 18 game road losing streak that extended back to the 1991 season with this win. The Shreveport Pirate franchise would fold in 1995 as many of the US based CFL would befall in the failed expansion of the league beyond the Canadian Southern border.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR JULY 16
July 16, 1889 – Roxbury, Massachusetts – Percy Wendell was a halfback from Harvard University that earned a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame in the entry class of 1972. Wendell emerged as one of the East’s finest runners per the NFF’s bio on him. His Harvard team finished 8-0-1 that season, keeping arch rival Yale scoreless in the final game to force a tie per the National Football Foundation. “Bullet” was the star, gaining 103 yards on 21 rushes against the Elis. In the final victory of 1910, an 18-0 decision over Dartmouth, Percy had produced both of his team’s touchdowns. During the 1911 season, while Wendell continued to dominate the Crimson attack, he lead the club in scoring. He drew Walter Camp’s All-America selection in each of his first two years, but injuries sidelined his abilities as Harvard’s senior captain in 1912. He went on to coach football at Boston University, Williams College and LeHigh University.
July 16, 1943 – Port Arthur, Texas – Jimmy Johnson the head coach of the national champion University of Miami Hurricanes and the Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys was born. Johnson got his first head coaching stint in 1979 with the Oklahoma State football team and stayed there until the Hurricanes hired him in 1984. He was unsure if he really wanted to leave Stillwater or not especially filling the shoes of former Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger, who had won Miami’s first national championship in 1983 and then left for a job in the USFL. He brought the 4-3 defense to the Canes and an atmosphere that encouraged the players to showboat at times, By the 1986 season Miami was undefeated but was upset by number 2 Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes went undefeated in the regular season yet again in 1987, and won the school’s second national title by defeating Oklahoma. A year or so later Jimmy was hired by the struggling Dallas Cowboys in 1989. It wasn’t pretty at first but soon he started putting the pieces together on a great team. Some draft picks and a blockbuster trade that included star runner Herschel Walker and the Boys had the stamp of Jimmy Johnson. He served five seasons with the Cowboys and guided the team to two Super Bowl championships. Johnson also coached the Miami Dolphins for four seasons and led the club to the playoffs in all but his first year on the job. He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach in the class of 2020.
July 16, 1946 – Chicago, Illinois – Ron Yary according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame was an offensive tackle that played for Southern Cal in college and in the NFL for both the Vikings and later the Rams. Ron found himself being picked first overall in the 1968 NFL Draft by the Vikings. In his 15 NFL seasons Yary played in 7 Pro Bowls as he reached All-Pro status in 6 straight years. During Yary’s pro career, the Vikings won two NFL Central Division titles and nine NFC Central championships. Minnesota with Yary won the 1969 NFL championship and NFC titles in 1973, 1974 and 1976. This great player played in five NFL/NFC championships and Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX and XI. Mr. Yary was selected into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981 after his great play at USC and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
July 16, 1951 – Olton, Texas – Jerry Sisemore was a former offensive lineman from the University of Texas that is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame for his outstanding play. The National Football Foundation claims Jerry was a integral starter on the 1970 Longhorn team that built an unbeaten streak to 31 games. The next year Jerry blossomed into one of the nation’s best linemen as he had the first of two consecutive seasons where he was both an all-conference and Unanimous All-America selection. Mr. Sisemore after college played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles for over a decade.
July 16, 1968 – Wichita, Kansas – Barry Sanders the running back from Oklahoma State during the 1986 through 1988 seasons was born.
July 16, 1974 – Bradenton, Florida – Tommie Frazier was a Quarterback out of the University of Nebraska who went into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. Mr Frazier spearheaded the Huskers teams that won the National Championship titles in 1994 & 1995, going undefeated in both, a feat that was only done five times in college football history per the FootballFoundation.org. As an individual Frazier was money in big games, taking home the MVP honors in the 1995 Orange and 1996 Fiesta bowls en route to the national title. Tommie was a 1995 consensus First-Team All-American and Johnny Unitas Award winner and was the runner-up for the 1995 Heisman Trophy and a finalist for the Walter Camp and Maxwell awards. Tommie played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 1996 before trying his hand at the coaching profession both at Nebraska and Baylor.
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
OTIS ARMSTRONG
Position: Halfback
Years: 1970-1972
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
Date of Birth: Nov 15, 1950
Jersey Number: 24
Height: 5-10
Weight: 190
High School: Farragut (Chicago, IL)
One of the top runners of his era, Otis Armstrong left school owning Big Ten MVP honors, First Team All-Conference accolades and the league’s all-time rushing record. He becomes the sixth Boilermaker to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. The eighth-place finisher in 1972 Heisman Trophy voting and a consensus All-American, Armstrong’s 3,315 career rushing yards set school and conference records and placed him sixth in NCAA history at career’s end. Armstrong’s senior campaign in 1972 remains the best in Purdue history. He earned the Swede Nelson Award for great sportsmanship and team MVP honors by rushing 243 times for 1,361 yards, accumulating 1,868 all-purpose yards (all of which set single-season school records at the time). Armstrong led the Big Ten in rushing that season, and his 276-yard effort versus Indiana remains a school best. His 670 career carries remain a school record. A first round selection by the Denver Broncos in the 1973 NFL Draft, Armstrong played eight seasons with Denver. He led the NFL in rushing in 1974, earning First Team All-Pro honors and appearing in his first of two Pro Bowls. The Englewood, Colo., native helped the Broncos appear in Super Bowl XII. Armstrong is an active church member, and he frequently helps young children stay out of trouble by teaching football skills. He was inducted into the Purdue Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.
SPORTS NUMBERS
5 – 34 – 29 – 23
July 16, 1902 – Legend John McGraw officially became the manager of baseball’s New York Giants. His tenure of being the skipper of Giants baseball lasted for 30 years (1902-32). McGraw’s teams: won ten pennants (matched only by Casey Stengel, who played for and learned from him); three World Series; 2,763 victories as an MLB manager ranks third overall behind only Connie Mack and Tony La Russa; he holds the NL record with 31 seasons managed.
July 16, 1924 – As a matter of fact one of McGraw’s players of those NY Giants teams, George Kelly was the first to hit homeruns in 6 consecutive games, on this very day the accomplishment was reached.
July 16, 1941 – Joe DiMaggio, the New York Yankees legendary hitter who wore Number 5 at the plate went 3 for 4 against the Cleveland Indians, hitting safely in his 56th straight game.
July 16, 1947 – Bobo Newsom, Number 34 won his 200th career game, and his very 1st as a member of the New York Yankees. It was the 18th straight victory for New York that season as they whalloped Cleveland 8-2. Bobo had played for 7 other MLB squads before arriving in New York. He would go on to play in 3 additional cities before his career would be over.
July 16, 1969 – Minnesota Twins’ speedster Rod Carew stole home for his career best 7th time of the season, against the Chicago White Sox. The third year player wore Number 29 for his entire career. In that brilliant 19 year MLB tenure Carew swiped 353 bases for both Minnesota and California.
July 16, 1987 – New York Yankee Don Mattingly wearing Number 23 hit his 4th grand slam of season and tied an American League record of homers in 6 straight games (on way to tie major league record of 8)
TV SPORTS SUNDAY
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| Champions Tour: Kaulig Companies Championship | 12:00pm | GOLF |
| LPGA Tour: Dana Open | 3:00pm | CBS |
| PGA Tour: Barbasol Championship | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| San Francisco at Pittsburgh | 12:05pm | Peacock NBCS-BAY ATTSN-PIT |
| Chi. White Sox at Atlanta | 1:30pm | NBCS-CHI Bally SPorts |
| San Diego at Philadelphia | 1:35pm | MLBN NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Miami at Baltimore | 1:35pm | MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| Arizona at Toronto | 1:37pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| LA Dodgers at NY Mets | 1:40pm | MLBN Spectrum SNY |
| Milwaukee at Cincinnati | 1:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Tampa Bay at Kansas City | 2:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Washington at St. Louis | 2:15pm | Bally Sports MASN/2 |
| Boston at Chi. Cubs | 2:20pm | NESN MARQ |
| Cleveland at Texas | 2:35pm | Bally Sports |
| NY Yankees at Colorado | 3:10pm | YES ATTSN-RM |
| Houston at LA Angels | 4:07pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-SW |
| Minnesota at Oakland | 4:07pm | MLBN NBCS-CA Bally Sports |
| Detroit at Seattle | 4:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports Root Sports |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| IndyCar: Indy Toronto | 1:30pm | Peacock |
| NASCAR Cup: Crayon 301 | 2:30pm | USA |
| NHRA: The Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals | 4:00pm | FS1 |
| NBA SUMMER LEAGUE | TIME ET | TV |
| Philadelphia vs. New Orleans | 3:30pm | NBATV |
| Brooklyn vs. Cleveland | 4:00pm | ESPN |
| Detroit vs. Indiana | 5:30pm | NBATV |
| Utah vs. Houston | 6:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio | 7:30pm | NBATV |
| Miami vs. Portland | 8:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Atlanta vs. Dallas | 9:30pm | NBATV |
| LA Lakers vs. LA Clippers | 10:00pm | ESPN2 |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| Brasileirão: Internacional vs Palmeiras | 10:00am | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Fortaleza vs Cuiabá | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: São Paulo vs Santos | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Fluminense vs Flamengo | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Athletico-PR vs Bahia | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Cruzeiro vs Coritiba | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Goiás vs Atlético Mineiro | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Liga MX: Pachuca vs Pumas UNAM | 9:00pm | VIX |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Wimbledon Men’s Final | 9:00am | ESPN |