“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
NY METS 5 BOSTON 4
BOSTON 8 NY METS 6
LA DODGERS 16 TEXAS 3
SAN DIEGO 14 DETROIT 3
CLEVELAND 1 PHILADELPHIA 0
PITTSBURGH 3 LA ANGELS 0
NY YANKEES 5 KANSAS CITY 2
SEATTLE 9 TORONTO 8
BALTIMORE 6 TAMPA BAY 5
MINNESOTA 3 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 2
OAKLAND 4 HOUSTON 1
COLORADO 4 MIAMI 3
CHICAGO CUBS 8 ST. LOUIS 6
CINCINNATI 4 ARIZONA 2
WASHINGTON 10 SAN FRANCISCO 1
MILWAUKEE 4 ATLANTA 3
BOX SCORES: http://hosted.stats.com/mlb/scoreboard.asp
STATS: http://hosted.stats.com/mlb/index.asp
PLAYER NEWS: http://hosted.stats.com/mlb/news.asp
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
IOWA 5 INDIANAPOLIS 3
FORT WAYNE 6 LAKE COUNTY 4
SOUTH BEND 10 W. MICHIGAN 7
WNBA
SUN 86 DREAM 78
ACES 98 LYNX 81
WINGS 98 SPARKS 84
SKY 90 STORM 75
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NEW YORK 0 NEW ENGLAND 0 (NEW YORK WINS ON PENALTY KICKS 4 – 2)
SALT LAKE 3 SEATTLE 0
PORTLAND 2 SAN JOSE 0
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
SATURDAY’S TRANSACTIONS
BASEBALL
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
BOSTON RED SOX — PLACED RHP BRAYAN BELLO ON THE PATERNITY LIST. RECALLED RHP JUSTIN GARZA FROM WORCESTER (IL). AGREED TO TERMS WITH SSS NAZZAN ZANETELLO AND ANTONIO ANDERSON.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX — REINSTATED RHP JOE KELLY FROM THE 15-DAY IL. DESIGNATED RHP BRYAN SHAW FOR ASSIGNMENT.
SEATTLE MARINERS — RECALLED RHP ISAIAH CAMPBELL FROM ARKANSAS (TL) AND OF TAYLOR TRAMMELL FROM TACOMA (PCL). OPTIONED RHP PRELANDER BERROA TO ARKANSAS. PLACED OF A.J. POLLOCK O THE 10-DAY IL.
TAMPA BAY RAYS — SENT LHP JOSH FLEMING TO THE FLORIDA COAST LEAGUE (FCL) RAYS ON A REHAB ASSIGNMENT.
TEXAS RANGERS — RECALLED RHP YERRY RODRIGUEZ FROM ROUND ROCK (PCL). OPTIONED RHP GRANT ANDERSON TO ROUND ROCK.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — SENT RHP COLE SULSER TO RENO (PCL) ON A REHAB ASSIGNMENT. RECALLED RHP BRANDON PFAADT FROM RENO. OPTIONED RHP JUSTIN MARTINEZ TO RENO.
ATLANTA BRAVES — RELEASED SS ELI WHITE. OPTIONED RHP SETH ELLEDGE TO GWINNETT (IL). SELECTED THE CONTRACT OF RHP ALLAN WINANS FROM GWINNETT.
CHICAGO CUBS — REINSTATED INF DANSBY SWANSON FROM THE 10-DAY IL. OPTIONED INF JARED YOUNG TO IOWA (IL).
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — REINSTATED RHP DREW VERHAGEN FROM THE 15-DAY IL. OPTIONED RHP KYLE LEAHY TO MEMPHIS (IL).
FOOTBALL
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
CLEVELAND BROWNS — SIGNED WR AUSTIN WATKINS JR.
DETROIT LIONS — RE-SIGNED RB JUSTIN JACKSON. WAIVED RB GREG BELL.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — PLACED OL BEN BARTCH ON THE ACTIVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM (PUP) LIST.
TENNESSEE TITANS — AGREED TO TERMS WITH QB WILL LEVIS ON A ROOKIE CONTRACT.
SOCCER
MLS NEXT PRO
NEW YORK RED BULL II — ACQUIRED M RAFAEL MOSQUERA ON LOAN FROM PANAMANIAN C.D. PLAZA AMADOR THROUGH JULY OF 2024.
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: ORIOLES RECOVER FROM BLOWN LEAD, BEAT RAYS
Ryan O’Hearn had a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning on Saturday, helping the Baltimore Orioles rebound from squandering a five-run lead to post a 6-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.
James McCann and Jorge Mateo each hit two-run doubles and Austin Hays added an RBI double in a five-run fourth inning for the Orioles, who have won 11 of their last 14 games. Baltimore welcomed the offensive outburst after it mustered just two hits in a 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay on Friday night.
Wander Franco ripped a two-run single in the sixth inning and added a run-scoring groundout in the eighth. Isaac Paredes and Randy Arozarena each added an RBI single for the Rays, who have lost six of their last seven games.
Adam Frazier looped a single to left field off Pete Fairbanks (0-4) to begin the ninth inning and eventually scored on O’Hearn’s single. The late offense made a winner out of Cionel Perez (3-1), who struck out Brandon Lowe to end the eighth inning. Felix Bautista fanned the final two batters he faced to retire the side in order in the ninth and secure his 27th save.
Reds 4, Diamondbacks 2
TJ Friedl, Matt McLain and Jake Fraley connected on back-to-back-to-back homers in the sixth inning to power Cincinnati to a victory over visiting Arizona.
Brandon Williamson tossed six innings of one-run ball to help Cincinnati win its fourth straight game. Williamson (2-2) struck out five and allowed just three hits and one walk. Friedl and Spencer Steer each had two hits for the Reds. Fraley had two RBIs. Alexis Diaz recorded his 29th save despite allowing a run in the ninth.
Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt (0-4) allowed the three homers while pitching six innings. He gave up three runs, four hits and fanned six. Corbin Carroll hit his 20th homer of the season for the Diamondbacks.
Padres 14, Tigers 3
Luis Campusano had four hits, including a three-run homer, and drove in four runs, Jackson Wolf won his major league debut and San Diego pounded host Detroit.
Manny Machado hit a three-run bomb and Juan Soto, who homered twice on Friday, also had three RBIs for the Padres. Ha-Seong Kim added three hits, including a solo homer. Wolf (1-0) lasted five innings, giving up three runs and six hits. He walked one and struck out one.
Zack Short drove in two runs for the Tigers. Detroit starter Matt Manning pitched two scoreless innings but was removed after a rain delay that lasted nearly 90 minutes.
Dodgers 16, Rangers 3
Freddie Freeman hit two home runs as Los Angeles cruised to a victory over Texas in Arlington, Texas.
Freeman went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs. David Peralta also went 4-for-5, while Max Muncy finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and four runs. Dodgers starter Bobby Miller (6-1) allowed three runs on seven hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk.
Nathaniel Lowe finished with two hits and two RBIs for the Rangers, who got three innings from starter Dane Dunning (8-3). Dunning surrendered five runs on seven hits and two walks while fanning one.
Mets 5, Red Sox 4 (completion of suspended game)
Pete Alonso collected two hits and scored a run to help visiting New York record a victory over Boston in the completion of a suspended game.
The game was halted on Friday night after inclement weather hit with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. New York was up 4-3 when play resumed Saturday, and the Mets added to their lead in the sixth after Alonso doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Brett Baty’s RBI single.
Boston pulled within a run when Triston Casas led off the seventh with a triple and scored on Rob Refsnyder’s sacrifice fly.
Red Sox 8, Mets 6
Triston Casas hit two home runs as Boston ended a three-game losing streak by beating visiting New York.
Casas hit a solo shot in the second inning, and his two-run home run broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth. It was the first multi-homer game in Casas’ major league career. Boston also received solo home runs from Jarren Duran and Yu Chang and a two-run homer from Justin Turner.
Four of the five home runs came against Mets starter Max Scherzer (8-4), who gave up five runs on six hits in six innings. Scherzer struck out seven and walked two. Boston starter James Paxton (6-2) limited the Mets to three runs (two earned) on three hits in six innings.
Brewers 4, Braves 3
Sal Frelick had three hits and drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in his major league debut to pace Milwaukee to a comeback victory over visiting Atlanta.
Frelick’s sacrifice fly off Joe Jimenez (0-3) in the eighth put Milwaukee ahead to stay. The Braves loaded the bases in the ninth, but Devin Williams buckled down to earn his 25th save of the season. Joel Payamps (4-1) tossed a scoreless eighth for the victory.
Austin Riley hit a three-run shot in the third for the Braves. It was his sixth homer in the past five games. Braves starter Allan Winans, making his big-league debut three weeks before his 28th birthday, allowed two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Yankees 5, Royals 2
Gerrit Cole struck out 10 and pitched 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball before DJ LeMahieu hit a tiebreaking home run to open the seventh inning as host New York defeated Kansas City.
Cole allowed five hits and notched his fourth double-digit strikeout game this season. Wandy Peralta (3-1) earned the win, and Giancarlo Stanton added a two-run shot for the Yankees.
Nick Pratto homered in the third for the Royals and Maikel Garcia hit a game-tying single in the fifth as Kansas City dropped to 3-13 over its past 16 contests.
Athletics 4, Astros 1
Rookie Zack Gelof broke up Cristian Javier’s no-hit bid as part of a two-run sixth inning, then added an insurance run with his first major league home run, helping Oakland knock off visiting Houston.
Jace Peterson provided the go-ahead hit with a two-run single, and four A’s pitchers, led by starter Paul Blackburn, combined on a six-hitter to help Oakland overcome Alex Bregman’s third homer in three nights and 16th of the season. Gelof’s homer came off Ryne Stanek in the seventh, increasing the advantage to 3-1.
Austin Pruitt (2-6) picked up the win by throwing just four pitches in relief of Oakland starter Paul Blackburn, who limited the Astros to one run and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five. Javier (7-2) took the loss, allowing just one hit in 5 2/3 innings but walking six. He struck out five.
Rockies 4, Marlins 3
Rookie Nolan Jones belted a three-run homer and Randal Grichuk chopped the go-ahead single in the ninth inning, leading visiting Colorado over slumping Miami.
Colorado starter Chase Anderson trailed 3-0 when he left the game before escaping with a no-decision. He allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings. Daniel Bard (4-1) earned the win with one inning of scoreless relief. Justin Lawrence pocketed his seventh save with a scoreless ninth.
The Marlins have lost eight consecutive games, their longest skid since dropping nine straight last season from Aug. 28-Sept. 7. Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez, who leads the majors with a .375 batting average, went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and a run scored.
Cubs 8, Cardinals 6
Cody Bellinger delivered a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth inning and had four RBIs as host Chicago overcame four deficits to beat St. Louis.
The Cubs trailed 6-5 against St. Louis reliever Zack Thompson (2-3), who loaded the bases in the sixth. Bellinger then plated two with his single to right. Chicago added another run in the inning on Seiya Suzuki’s RBI single. Suzuki and Nico Hoerner each had three hits and Dansby Swanson returned from the injured list to go 2-for-4 with one RBI. Bellinger, meanwhile, is batting .440 with six homers and 19 RBIs in his last 24 games.
Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman homered for the Cardinals, who took the opener of this four-game set for their sixth straight win but have lost the next two. St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas allowed five runs and 11 hits through five innings but was in line for the win after Nootbaar scored on a sixth-inning wild pitch from eventual winner Daniel Palencia (2-0).
Mariners 9, Blue Jays 8
Teoscar Hernandez’s two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a tie as Seattle defeated visiting Toronto.
Seattle hit four solo homers, two by Cal Raleigh and one each by Dylan Moore and Julio Rodriguez. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who won the Home Run Derby, went deep for the Blue Jays, as did teammates Kevin Kiermaier and Brandon Belt.
Rookie Isaiah Campbell (1-0) earned his first major league victory and Justin Topa got his second save despite allowing a run-scoring single by Cavan Biggio in the ninth. Nate Pearson (5-2) took the loss.
Guardians 1, Phillies 0
Tanner Bibee threw seven shutout innings to lead Cleveland to a win against visiting Philadelphia in the middle game of a three-game series.
Bibee (6-2) allowed two hits, struck out eight and walked one. Enyel De Los Santos pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and Emmanuel Clase retired the top of the order in the ninth to record his 27th save.
Jose Ramirez drove in the lone run for the Guardians. Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler (7-5) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. Philadelphia has lost four in a row.
Nationals 10, Giants 1
CJ Abrams homered for the second day in a row and helped spark Washington’s rout of visiting San Francisco, which lost its fourth straight game.
Abrams’ 10th home run of the season was a two-run shot in the second inning that came two pitches after Alex Call delivered a two-run triple. Washington struck for six runs in the inning.
Nationals starter Josiah Gray (7-8) lasted seven innings and permitted one run on four hits and three walks. He struck out four. Logan Webb (8-8) took the loss and was unable to get out of the second inning. He was charged with six runs on five hits with one walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Pirates 3, Angels 0
Endy Rodriguez hit his first homer in his fifth major league game and five Pittsburgh pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Pirates beat Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Osvaldo Bido (2-1) tossed three scoreless innings behind opener Ryan Borucki. Jose Hernandez and Carmen Mlodzinski followed with 1 2/3 innings apiece before the Angels loaded the bases with one out in the ninth against All-Star closer David Bednar, who escaped the jam to earn his 19th save.
Los Angeles struck out 12 times and had its four-game winning streak snapped. The Angels also had their franchise-record streak of 19 consecutive games with a home run come to an end.
Twins 3, White Sox 2
Michael A. Taylor singled in the winning run in seventh inning and Christian Vazquez went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI as Minnesota rallied past Chicago in Minneapolis.
Carlos Correa reached base four times with two hits and two walks, and Jordan Balazovic (1-0) picked up his first major league victory with a hitless inning of relief for Minnesota, which improved to 7-2 since the All-Star break. Jhoan Duran pitched around two singles in the ninth by striking out three for his 17th save.
Tim Anderson stole home on a double steal and had two hits, while Yasmani Grandal and Robert also had two hits apiece for Chicago. Keynan Middleton (2-2) suffered the loss in relief of Dylan Cease, who allowed one run on three hits over six innings while striking out nine.
REPORT: GIANTS INTERESTED IN VERLANDER IF HE WAIVES NO-TRADE CLAUSE
The San Francisco Giants appear to be looking at New York Mets right-hander Justin Verlander in order to make a big splash before the trade deadline.
The Giants are among the teams evaluating the three-time Cy Young winner as a trade candidate ahead of Aug. 1 if the hurler shows a willingness to waive his no-trade clause, sources told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
Verlander could provide a boost to a Giants rotation that already ranks fourth in the National League in ERA and fifth in FIP. The 40-year-old owns a 3.98 FIP and 1.16 WHIP in 14 starts. He’s looked especially good in July, lowering his ERA from 4.11 to 3.47 during his last four starts.
Acquiring Verlander could be an expensive get for the Giants. The veteran pitcher is in the first season of a two-year, $86.7-million deal he signed with the Mets before this season. His contract also includes a $35-million vesting option for 2025 that becomes a player option if he throws 140 innings in 2024.
The Giants enter Saturday three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West. They’d qualify for the postseason as the second wild-card team if the season ended today.
Meanwhile, the high-priced Mets are 6.5 games back of a wild-card spot and 18 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
MARINERS PLACE OF AJ POLLOCK (HAMSTRING) ON IL
The Seattle Mariners placed veteran outfielder AJ Pollock on the injured list Saturday with a left hamstring strain while right-hander Prelander Berroa was optioned to Double-A Arkansas.
In corresponding moves, outfielder Taylor Trammell was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma and right-hander Isaiah Campbell from Arkansas.
Pollock, who was removed from Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays with his injury, was batting .173 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 49 games this season. The 35-year-old is a career .273 hitter over 12 seasons with 145 home runs and 485 RBIs for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2012-18), Los Angeles Dodgers (2019-21), Chicago White Sox (2022) and Mariners.
Berroa, 23, made his major league debut Friday when he walked three batters in two-thirds of an inning but did not allow a run.
Trammell, 25, hit .133 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 20 games with the Mariners earlier this season. The 2016 first-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds is a career .168 hitter with 15 home runs and 39 RBIs in 114 games for Seattle over the past three seasons.
Campbell, 25, made his major league debut earlier this month. Campbell, a second-round draft pick in 2019, did not give up a run over three outings with the Mariners.
RAYS INF TAYLOR WALLS ON IL
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique muscle.
The Rays made the move ahead of Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. Walls did not play Friday, so the move is retroactive to July 21.
Walls, 27, has strong defensive skills and the versatility to move between second, third and shortstop. He put up some big numbers early in the season, hitting .306 in April, but he hasn’t hit above .200 in any subsequent month. He’s batting .211 in 242 at-bats over 79 games with seven home runs and 27 RBIs.
In a corresponding move, Vidal Brujan was called up from Triple-A Durham. In 54 major league at bats this year, Brujan, 25, is hitting .204, but his abilities as a switch-hitting utilityman may be helpful in Walls’ absence.
Saturday’s news follows Friday’s announcement that the Rays lost catcher Francisco Mejia, 27, for three to six weeks with an MCL sprain of his left knee.
The Rays and Orioles were tied for first place in the American League East going into Saturday’s game.
RANGERS’ COREY SEAGER TO HAVE MRI, OUT OF LINEUP VS. DODGERS
Texas Rangers All-Star shortstop Corey Seager is expected to have an MRI on his sprained right thumb and was held out of the starting lineup against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Ezequiel Duran will bat in eighth in the lineup in place of Seager, who sustained the injury after diving headfirst into second base on a double in the eighth inning of Rangers’ 11-5 loss to the Dodgers on Friday. He finished 2-for-3 with a solo home run in his first game against his former team.
Seager will undergo an MRI, manager Bruce Bochy said, after X-rays on his thumb were negative Friday.
Seager, 29, is batting .350 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs. He missed 31 games earlier this season with a left hamstring strain.
Seager, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Dodgers, signed a 10-year, $325 million contract with the Rangers prior to the 2022 season. The 2016 National League Rookie of the Year is a career .292 hitter with 152 home runs and 505 RBIs.
WHITE SOX ACTIVATE RHP JOE KELLY, DFA RHP BRYAN SHAW
The Chicago White Sox activated veteran right-hander Joe Kelly from the injured list Saturday while veteran right-hander Bryan Shaw was designated for assignment.
Kelly, 35, has not pitched since July 4 because of right elbow inflammation. He is 1-4 with a 4.82 ERA for the White Sox in 29 relief outings this season and is 52-36 with a 3.97 ERA in 437 appearances (81 starts) over the past 12 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals (2012-14), Boston Red Sox (2014-18), Los Angeles Dodgers (2019-21) and White Sox.
Shaw, 35, made six appearances with the White Sox this season and had a 9.39 ERA. In 759 career appearances (two starts) over the past 13 seasons, Shaw was 43-45 with a 3.97 ERA for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2011-12), Cleveland franchise (2013-17, 21-22), Colorado Rockies (2018-19), Seattle Mariners (2020) and White Sox.
NFL NEWS
LIONS RE-SIGN RB/KR JUSTIN JACKSON
The Detroit Lions re-signed free agent running back/kick returner Justin Jackson to a contract on Saturday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the Lions.
Jackson, 27, had 42 carries for 170 yards and a touchdown and 12 receptions for 101 yards and a score in 16 games last season. He also averaged 26.7 yards per return on 23 kicks.
Jackson rushed for 1,210 yards and five touchdowns and had 77 catches for 609 yards and a score in 59 career games (seven starts) with the Los Angeles Chargers (2018-21) and Lions. He was selected by the Chargers in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Lions waived running back Greg Bell in a corresponding move on Saturday.
QB WILL LEVIS SIGNS ROOKIE DEAL WITH TITANS
Quarterback Will Levis signed his rookie contract with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
He was the last of the team’s 2023 draft picks to sign.
While the Titans did not disclose contract terms, Spotrac said Levis’ deal is for four years and $9.5 million, with $3.9 million of it a signing bonus.
The Titans moved up in the draft in April to selected Levis with the No. 33 overall pick after he fell out of the first round.
The 6-foot-4 Levis spent two years at Penn State, then two at Kentucky. He appeared in 39 college games — starting all 24 games in his two seasons at Kentucky — and threw for a total of 5,877 yards with 46 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. He added 742 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.
He was 17-7 as the Wildcats’ starter.
Levis took part in the Titans’ offseason activities alongside veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis, a third-round draft pick in 2022.
The Titans open training camp on Wednesday. Their season opener is Sept. 10 at New Orleans.
ADAMS HOPES FOR RESOLUTION BETWEEN JACOBS, RAIDERS: WE’RE GONNA NEED HIM
Davante Adams is hoping the Las Vegas Raiders and franchise-tagged running back Josh Jacobs can find common ground.
Jacobs and the Raiders didn’t agree to a long-term deal before Monday’s deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions. Jacobs, who hasn’t signed his franchise tag, is uncertain for training camp and Week 1.
“If we really want to have a shot at winning the Super Bowl and having all the elite aspirations that we do, we’re gonna need that guy,” Adams said Friday on “NFL Total Access,” according to Coral Smith of NFL.com. “I’m praying that we can still figure something out, but also understanding where Josh is coming from and trying to coach him through it at the same time.”
Adams is no stranger to the franchise tag. The receiver was tagged last year by the Green Bay Packers before being traded to the Raiders, who rewarded him with the long-term deal he sought. The 30-year-old said he’s been offering help to Jacobs.
“I’ve been talking to him, we’ve been in his ear a little bit just trying to coach him through this process,” Adams said. “I’ve been through it a couple times myself, and I know what it’s like to go back and forth about whether or not you feel appreciated.”
Jacobs’ franchise tag is worth $10.1 million. He was one of three players – all running backs – unable to land extensions. The lack of long-term contracts for the position drew criticism from many of the league’s top running backs, with Christian McCaffrey calling it “criminal.”
REPORT: CHIEFS DT CHRIS JONES DOES NOT REPORT TO CAMP
As expected, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones did not report to training camp on Saturday, multiple outlets reported.
Jones’ contract standoff with the team could span the team’s two-week camp or beyond.
Jones is entering the final year of his contract as the defensive tackle market continues to spike upward. That includes the four-year, $96 million deal recently signed by New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Jones had a pass-rush win rate of 21 percent, best in the NFL at the position, last season.
Jones, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, signed a four-year, $80 million contract in July 2020. He’s scheduled to take home a base salary of $19.5 million in 2023. The 28-year-old can earn $500,000 for a workout bonus and a $1.25 million incentive bonus if he records 10 sacks this season.
Jones, who turned 29 earlier this month, finished third in defensive player of the year balloting last season after matching his career best of 15.5 sacks. He has 65 sacks in 107 games (86 starts) over seven NFL seasons.
The Tennessee Titans’ Jeffery Simmons signed a four-year, $94 million deal that falls just $1 million short of the full four-year value of Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s existing contract. Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (four years, $90M) and Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants (four years, $87.5M) also jumped Jones among highest-paid DTs.
REPORT: TOP RBS PLAN ZOOM CALL TO DISCUSS DEPRESSED MARKET
Los Angeles Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler has organized a online video call on Saturday night with several of his peers to discuss the depressed market at their position, Pro Football Talk reported.
Per the report, all of the high-profile running backs have been invited to the conversation on the Zoom platform. The NFL Players Association also will take part in some capacity.
The reported call comes on the heels of star running backs Saquon Barkley (New York Giants), Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders) and Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys) all unable to reach multi-year contracts ahead of the deadline for franchise-tagged players.
That brought about very vocal responses over social media from fellow running backs Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans), Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers) and Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers), among others.
Ekeler, himself, also was unable to receive a long-term contract and is heading into the final season of a four-year, $24.5-million deal with the Chargers.
NFL PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH
The Steelers’ 2023 roster is built like most teams in the Mike Tomlin era: with a dominant defense and a balanced offensive attack.
Pittsburgh will need the defense to be a special unit, with the AFC North featuring three star quarterbacks in the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Browns’ Deshaun Watson and Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
With Kenny Pickett as an unproven starting quarterback, many pundits are projecting the Steelers to finish last in their competitive division—something that has never happened during Tomlin’s 16 seasons in Pittsburgh. The team hasn’t had a losing record, either; Tomlin has the longest current streak in the NFL for most seasons as a head coach without one.
The Steelers don’t appear to be a last-place team with a defense that features T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick. They also added veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson and rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr., a second-round pick.
The offense also has playmakers with running back Najee Harris, tight end Pat Freiermuth and wide receivers Diontae Johnson, Allen Robinson and George Pickens. But for the Steelers to avoid the division’s basement, they’re also going to need Pickett, the 2022 first-round pick, to ascend in his second season.
Biggest gamble this offseason: Buying Pickett’s rookie flashes
Judging from Pickett’s body of work from his rookie season, it’s fair to wonder why the Steelers seemed content with making him QB1 in 2023 without any competition this summer. Pickett had a subpar stat line of 2,404 passing yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he averaged a lackluster 6.18 yards per attempt in 12 starts last season. But Tomlin is all about wins and losses, and the Steelers won six of their final seven games in ’22 with Pickett as the starter. Pickett also displayed, at times, that he can be more than a game manager. According to Pro Football Focus, Pickett had the second-highest passing grade from Weeks 12 to 18, behind only Burrow. Now Pickett will need to put together a consistent Year 2 (with an uptick in yards per attempt) to truly prove he can be a franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh.
Toughest stretch of the season: Weeks 16 to 18
The Steelers have a nice balance of winnable and tough games throughout their 2023 schedule, but the final three matchups might give them trouble, especially if they’re fighting for a playoff spot. In Week 16, the Steelers host Burrow and the Bengals, which could possibly be a critical game for the AFC North standings. Pittsburgh will then end the regular season with back-to-back road games in Seattle and Baltimore. The Seahawks might be one of the better teams in the league with the notable moves they made in the offseason, and the same can be said of Jackson and the Ravens, who welcomed Odell Beckham Jr. in March.
Breakout player to watch: WR George Pickens
Pickens didn’t have a 1,000-yard receiving season like fellow rookie wideouts Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, but he might have had the reception of the year in 2022. Pickens made a diving one-handed catch vs. the Browns in Week 3, which resembled Beckham’s memorable one from ’14. That was just one of many acrobatic catches from Pickens last season, and there could be plenty more in his second season if he and Pickett are able to improve the Steelers’ passing game. Pickens, a ’22 second-round pick, finished last season with 52 catches for 801 yards and four touchdowns.
Position of strength: Edge rusher
The Steelers missed Watt down the stretch last season, but it was an opportunity for Alex Highsmith, who notched a career-high 14.5 sacks, to prove he can handle being a No. 1 edge rusher. Now with a healthy Watt and the emerging Highsmith, the Steelers could have one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league. Watt recorded only five sacks after sitting out the final seven games due to injury, but it wasn’t that long ago that he had 22.5 sacks and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Position of weakness: Offensive line
The Steelers must be banking on first-round rookie Broderick Jones to have a fast start as the starting left tackle, given that there’s plenty of uncertainty across the offensive line. Center Mason Cole, guard James Daniels and right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor struggled as starters in 2022, which led to a lackluster rushing attack. Pittsburgh also added guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency for reinforcements.
X-factor: RB Najee Harris
Speaking of the poor rushing attack, Harris voiced frustration with his team’s run blocking last season, which contributed to his disappointing 3.8 yards per carry and drop-off in rushing yards last season. (Harris went from 1,200 rushing yards as a rookie to 1,034 in his second season.) But the Steelers are going to need the running back to find ways to make plays, regardless of how the offensive line performs. If Harris can’t create his own running lanes, he might need to do more in the passing game, with only 41 catches for 229 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Sleeper fantasy pick: WR George Pickens
Pickens showed flashes as a rookie. While his average of 9.8 points per game wasn’t eye popping, some of his highlight-reel catches certainly were. With a year of experience and an obvious rapport with Pickett, Pickens could be far better than his draft position would suggest. —Michael Fabiano, SI Fantasy
Best bet: Take the over on Najee Harris’s 975.5 rushing yards.
The volume will still be there for the running back who rushed for 1,000-plus yards in each of his first two seasons. Harris ranked sixth in opportunity share and eighth in total touches in 2023. Expect more of the same. —Jennifer Piacenti, SI Betting
Final record: 10–7, third in AFC North
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
AUSTIN PEAY FRESHMAN DB DIES FOLLOWING SINGLE-VEHICLE CRASH
Austin Peay freshman defensive back Jeremiah Collins died Friday night in a single-vehicle accident near the school’s campus in Clarksville, Tenn. He was 18.
Per the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, Collins was driving his 2004 GMC Canyon pickup truck at a high rate of speed and rolled his vehicle after attempting to exit I-24 at Briley Parkway West toward Clarksville.
Police said there were no signs of impairment at the scene. Collins was transported to TriStar Skyline Medical Center in North Nashville, Tenn., and was pronounced dead.
“We are all devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jeremiah Collins,” Austin Peay coach Scotty Walden said. “Jeremiah was an outstanding young man who brought an incredible attitude and energy every day. We grieve with the Collins family for their tragic loss and lift them up in prayer.”
Collins, who was from Louisville, Ky., graduated from Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in the spring.
FAMU SUSPENDS FOOTBALL ACTIVITIES AFTER LOCKER ROOM RAP VIDEO
Florida A&M suspended all football-related activities until further notice after a rap video with explicit lyrics was filmed in the team’s locker room without authorization and released online.
Coach Willie Simmons announced the program’s halt Friday night just hours after the release of the video for “Send A Blitz” from rapper Real Boston Richey.
In the video, Richey is seen in the locker room at Galimore-Powell Fieldhouse on the Florida A&M campus in Tallahassee. Richey is wearing a Florida A&M shirt as well as helmets bearing the team logo. Several Florida A&M football players can be seen in the video.
In his statement posted to Twitter, Simmons said the video was made “without proper authorization” and that a forthcoming investigation will look into who authorized the use of the locker room as well as the use of team apparel, which “potentially violates university branding and licensing agreements.”
Though Simmons said he supports “free speech and … all forms of musical expression,” he expressed disappointment that the content of the video was not in alignment with the university’s image.
The video contained graphic language that “is not consistent with Florida A&M’s core values, principles and beliefs,” the statement said.
Simmons said he hopes the Florida A&M athletes will learn from the experience.
“It is a privilege to wear the orange and green and as a football program, our young men have failed to live up to the standard set before us,” Simmons said in the statement. “They will all learn from this mishap and we will continue to work hard every day to become the best version of ourselves and continue to make Rattler Nation proud.”
Richey is a local of Tallahassee whose real name is Jalen Foster. He performed at Florida A&M’s homecoming game last season.
Simmons is entering his sixth season as head coach of Florida A&M and has a 33-12 record. The Rattlers open the season Sept. 3 against Jackson State at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: MIAMI
2022 Record: 5-7 overall, 3-5 in ACC
Head Coach: Mario Cristobal, 2nd year: 5-7, 12th year overall, 67-67
Rebuilding.
It’s a nice word for a new head coach and a program to use to buy time.
Rebuilding implies that everyone in charge knows that changes have to be made, and it also assumes the problems from past teams needed to be fixed and changed.
Rebuilding buys time. Rebuilding assumes that anything positive is a plus, and anything negative assumes the work being done will eventually lead to a big payoff.
In the modern world of college football, the idea of rebuilding doesn’t really exist like it used to – USC and Lincoln Riley just blew that out of the water. However, there needs to be a mix. Yes, the quick fix of the transfer portal and NIL have to be a part of it, but it’s still vital to crank up your own base of talent.
If you’re a big-time program, the guys you lose through the transfer portal can almost always be easily be replaced or upgraded, and the guys who rock stick around. It’s not like Georgia is fretting over a few nice players taking off.
And that’s the balance Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is striking. A peerless recruiter, the former Hurricane offensive lineman knows how to make the pitch because he certainly knows the program. He was the right fit for Miami several cycles ago, and now he appears to be finding his groove in Year Two.
With Cristobal it’s about talent. That might sound obvious, but he’s not really one of those coaches who recruits to a type or tries to get guys to fit his system and style. He’s about getting the best players possible and going from there, and that’s where the rebuilding comes in.
The starting 22 is loaded with upperclassmen and veteran transfers, but overall this is a very young team. That might mean it’ll be another uneven year before it all comes together, but once it does, that’s how great schools find the long term stability everyone wants.
Are you a program that uses the transfer portal to get players, or are you a program that uses it to fill specific holes and upgrade other parts? The former wants to fill out the depth chart with ready-made players, the latter is on the verge of winning something big, and you don’t get there without doing the basics of building up your own talent level.
Again, that might all seem obvious, and of course everyone is trying to do just that, but Cristobal has the skill set to do that better than just about anyone.
2023 will be about just how close Miami is to the powerhouse being rebuilt, and it begins by getting more out of the …
Everything stalled. Injuries, inconsistencies, the lack of a tough running game, the absence of enough downfield plays – it all stopped. It’s hard to win when you don’t score, and Miami couldn’t do that as it failed to put up more than 24 points against any Power Five team other than in the 35-14 win over Georgia Tech.
Five times the Canes were held to under 17 points. 2007 was the last time that happened – they went 5-7 then, too. But there’s a new offensive coordinator in Shannon Dawson coming in from Houston to crank up the passing game, and …
Everything should start to improve thanks to a much stronger offensive front. Head coach Mario Cristobal is a former Miami offensive tackle – the guy knows how to build up a line. Former super-recruit tackle Zion Nelson is back from the knee injury that screwed him up last year, and now he’s the elder statesman of tackles with five-star recruits Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola expected to get work right away.
Combine a good – but somewhat tenuous, depending on Nelson’s knee – tackle situation with All-ACC-to-be transfers – C Matt Lee (UCF) and OG Javion Cohen (Alabama) for the interior, and the front five becomes a positive.
Tyler Van Dyke is too good to throw for just 1,836 yards and ten scores. He got beaten up and missed time late last year – hence the absence of November points – but he has the NFL size, arm, and accuracy to rebound fast if he gets time to work. He also needs the receiving corps to come through, and …
Until proven otherwise, the Hurricane receivers are okay. Not amazing quite yet, but fine. Now they have to go from young and promising to big-time upperclassmen, and it starts with Colbie Young on the outside – he should blow up in the new style and scheme.
Just about all of the top targets from last year are back, and Tyler Harrell from Alabama will matter, but safety-valve TE Will Mallory has to be replaced after leading the way with 42 catches. That’s where Cam McCormick (Oregon) comes in – he’ll be an instant factor.
There’s talent at running back, and like everywhere else on the Miami offense, the improvement in the line should make them all better. Henry Parrish led the team with 604 yards and four scores, but he was hurt for stretches and struggled to break out.
That’s where star recruit Mark Fletcher is supposed to help – he’ll get every shot to be the new main man for the ground game – and getting Ajay Allen away from Nebraska is a plus.
The Marshall Thundering Herd defense finished seventh in the nation last season. It allowed just 295 yards and 16 points per game, was fourth in the nation against the run, fifth in takeaways, and No. 1 in college football at generating third down stops. So Mario Cristobal hired Marshall defensive coordinator Lance Guidry for the same gig with the Hurricanes.
Miami couldn’t seem to generate a third down stop and the pass defense was mediocre. However, it came up with a ton of takeaways (22) and a whole lot of sacks (37).
Leading pass rusher Akheem Mesidor is back at one end after coming up with seven sacks, and Jahfari Harris is back on the other side after finishing second with 5.5 sacks. They’re good, future NFL defensive tackle Leonard Taylor is special, and getting veteran transfer DT Branson Deen from Purdue makes a good situation great.
There might not be a better safety tandem in the ACC than Kamren Kinchens and James Williams. Kinchens picked off six passes and finished tied with Williams for the team lead in stops with 59. These two are set, veteran UCF corner Davonte Brown comes in – 16 broken up passes and three picks over the last two years – to lock down a gig on one side, Oklahoma transfer Jaden Davis should eventually take another, and there’s a nice mix of young emerging stars and veteran Daryl Porter Jr. to work into the mix.
The 2 in the 4-2-5 is deep and talented. Corey Flagg was second on the team with 56 tackles, and he’s the likely backup in the middle with Francisco Mauigoa (Washington State) going from one corner of the country to the other as a 6-3, 230-pound do-it-all playmaker for the inside.
6-1, 205-pound Wesley Bissainthe might not be all that big, but the former star recruit should be more of a factor in the backfield on the outside.
Stop with all of the turnovers. Everything else should fall into place with the improved talent and depth across the board – the big plays will come, the offense will do more, the defense should quickly overcome all of the meltdowns – but the bulk mistakes have to go away.
No, the D didn’t play well in the 45-31 loss to Middle Tennessee, but the three turnovers didn’t help. The Blue Raiders were fantastic at taking the ball away, but that wasn’t an isolated incident.
Two turnovers against North Carolina – loss. Four against Florida State – ugly loss. Two against Clemson, three against Pitt – blowout losses. And then there was the 45-21 loss to Duke – eight turnovers, five of them fumbles.
0-6 when the Canes turned it over multiple times, 5-1 when they didn’t.
As a program, going back to the middle of 2017, Miami is 1-17 when it turns it over two or more times.
OG Javion Cohen in from Alabama, OT John Campbell to Tennessee. Losing DE Darrell Jackson to Florida State stings, and there are a few other losses across the board that will matter, but not having a veteran in Campbell around leaves the tackle situation thin. Talented, but thin.
UCF all-star C Matt Lee might be the most important new addition to the line, but the 6-4, 305-pound Cohen has the bigger upside. The former All-SEC blocker for Bama should be just the pounder the line needs to get the ground game going.
Miami Hurricanes Key Player
Zion Nelson, OT Sr. There’s a whole lot of talent on the Miami offensive front. True freshmen Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola are going to be special, and some shuffling can happen if desperately needed, but the pass blocking was abysmal last season, and this year the line can’t afford to lose Nelson again.
A good recruit who took the tackle job by storm as a true freshman, he turned into a top pro prospect after moving around a wee bit before settling in on the left side. Last year his knee wasn’t right, and the line wasn’t the same. This year, with all the youth and the lack of depth, he has to not only stay in one piece, but he has to be amazing.
MEN’S GOLF
HARMAN STEADIES HIMSELF AT BRITISH OPEN TO KEEP A 5-SHOT LEAD OVER YOUNG
HOYLAKE, England (AP) The fascination with Brian Harman at the British Open has little to do with his golf so far. It’s rare in Britain to hear tales of hunting turkey, learning to skin a deer at age 8 and packing wild game in the freezer for his family to eat.
One tabloid called him “Brian the Butcher.” Another headline screamed, “I Shoot to Thrill.”
Harman’s only concern is bagging the biggest trophy of his career, and he stayed on target Saturday by overcoming an early wobble with a remarkably steady hand.
His 8-foot par putt on the last hole at Royal Liverpool gave him a 2-under 69 and allowed him to keep his five-shot lead, leaving him 18 holes away from becoming a major champion.
“I’ve thought about winning majors for my whole entire life,” Harman said. “It’s the whole reason I work as hard as I do and why I practice as much as I do and why I sacrifice as much as I do. Tomorrow if that’s going to come to fruition for me, it has to be all about the golf. It has to be execution and just staying in the moment.”
He said he is most proud of making the FedEx Cup playoffs each of his 12 years on the PGA Tour, where he has two wins in 335 tournaments.
Sunday could change all that.
His lead remained five shots. Only the contenders changed on a wet day at the British Open.
Cameron Young, the runner-up at St. Andrews a year ago, showed superb touch from a pot bunker in front of the 18th green that set up a tap-in birdie for a 66 and put him in the final pairing with Harman on Sunday.
“I feel like he’s not someone to back down,” Young said.
Equally daunting is the sight of Jon Rahm, finally getting rewarded with a 63 that he capped off just as Harman was starting. It was the lowest round by two shots ever recorded in an Open at Royal Liverpool, hosting the oldest championship for the 13th time.
“That’s the best round I’ve played on a links course,” Rahm said.
When it was pointed out that his idol, Seve Ballesteros, never shot 63 in a major, Rahm quickly replied, “I’d rather win three times and never shoot 63.”
At least Rahm has a chance, which looked unlikely when he began the third round in the rain and wind and was 12 shots out of the lead.
Harman was at 12-under 201 and he has history on his side. Jean Van de Velde is the last player to lose a five-shot lead in the final round of a major. That was in Carnoustie in 1999 and featured one of the most dumbfounding triple bogeys ever on the 72nd hole of a major.
Harman, the gritty little lefty from Georgia, is not prone to such blunders. He has made the five-shot margin feel larger where he’s been hitting the golf ball – on the grass, not in the pot bunkers – and he rarely has been out of position.
Harman was paired with Tommy Fleetwood, the local star who grew up some 45 minutes up the Lancashire coast in Southport and had a throaty English gallery on his side. They were roaring when Harman bogeyed the opening hole and then went long of the fourth green for another bogey. His five-shot lead suddenly was down to two shots.
And then it wasn’t.
“I got off to a rough start, but I stayed the ship,” Harman said. “I hit a bunch of good ones coming down the stretch. … I was out there trying to hit every shot the best I could, and I did an OK job with that.”
Harman points to two key shots during his round. One was a 3-wood into the par-5 fifth green and a beautiful lag from 70 feet that set up an easy and much-needed birdie. The other was on No. 7, when he was in the rough, hit out 50 yards short of the flag, pitched to 6 feet and made the par putt.
“I had sort of righted the ship, and then I hit a loose one off 7 tee box and was able to make par to keep me from going backwards again,” he said.
The day was a big disappointment for so many others, starting with Rory McIlroy.
He opened with three birdies in five holes – he had birdie chances of 10 and 12 feet on the other two holes – and looked primed to post the kind of score Rahm did earlier. But he didn’t make birdie the rest of the way, and the finish was particularly painful. McIlroy missed birdie chances from 8, 12 and 10 feet.
He chose not to speak to the media for the second time this week, heading straight to the putting green. McIlroy shot 69 and was nine shots behind, his hopes all but over of ending his nine-year drought in the majors.
Fleetwood rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 2 and then didn’t make a birdie the rest of the day. He had to settle for a 71, leaving him in the group at 5-under 208 – seven shots out of the lead – with Jason Day (69), Viktor Hovland (66), Sepp Straka (70) and Antoine Rozner (67).
Young was the biggest threat late. He missed two birdie putts from inside 7 feet, which didn’t bother him because he felt they were good putts and the greens can be deceptive. Nothing really bothered him except for being five shots behind, and there wasn’t much he could do about that.
“With the lead he has right now, it’s not necessarily going to be up to me tomorrow,” Young said. “It’s just really time for me to focus on myself and see where that gets me.”
So the hunter is now the hunted, and Harman is OK with that. He leads the field in putting. He is among the top 10 in driving accuracy, and those are two keys to playing this links. He also has the experience of a 54-hole lead in a major. That was the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, the lead was only one shot, and Harman recalls thinking too much about it.
Now he makes it sound simple.
“I had 36 holes. Now I have 18 holes,” he said.
Nothing short of a silver claret jug is on the line, one trophy that doesn’t go in the freezer.
WOMEN’S GOLF
CHEYENNE KNIGHT, ELIZABETH SZOKOL HOLD ON TO WIN LPGA TOUR’S LONE TEAM EVENT
MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokol held off Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan by a stroke Saturday to win the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, the LPGA Tour’s lone team event.
Knight and Szokol closed with a 5-under 65 in better-ball play at Midland Country Club, waiting out a delay of 1 hour, 40 minutes because of lightning while they were on the 13th hole.
“We’ve been friends for such a long time,” Knight said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better than to get the win with her, and it’s such a fun event. You know, we’re normally just kind of by ourselves out there, so to have someone so fun and positive and kind of keep it light is just incredible.”
The 29-year-old Szokol took her first LPGA Tour title, while the 26-year-old Knight also won the 2019 Ascendant LPGA. The U.S. duo tied for fourth last year after missing the cut in 2021.
“It’s amazing to get my first win.” Szokol said. “It’s something I’ve been working for a long time, and it’s so tough to win out here. Everyone is such a great player. So, to finally do that, and it’s even better with Cheyenne by my side.”
They finished at 23 under, following a better-ball 61 in the second round Thursday with an alternate-shot 62 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round.
After Castren made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th, Knight holed a 6-footer for bridie to maintain their one-stroke lead.
“That was definitely the shot of the day.” Szokol said.
Both teams parred the par-3 18th.
Castren and Tan shot a 63. They also finished second last year.
“It’s been overall a really fun week. Right now, it sucks,” Tan said. “I think when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will cherish the moments that we’ve been through the last few days, and I can only choose to take on the positives.”
The teams of Celine Boutier-Yuka Saso (62), Jodi Ewart Shadoff-Emma Talley (63) and Celine Borge-Polly Mack (63) tied for third at 20 under. Stacy Lewis and Maria Fassi had a 63 to finish sixth at 19 under.
JON RAHM FAVORED AFTER 54 HOLES AT THE OPEN … TO FINISH 2ND
Brian Harman has never won a major tournament and the most recent of his two PGA Tour titles came six years ago, but his commanding five-shot lead may have the rest of The Open field playing for second place.
Harman entered the third round with a five-shot lead and as the +600 favorite by BetMGM to win the Claret Jug on Sunday. After a shaky start, the 36-year-old rebounded to maintain that cushion heading into the final round, and he is now the -175 favorite at the book.
The cautionary story of Jean van de Velde blowing a five-shot lead at Carnoustie in 1999 was quick to be referenced by analysts, but oddsmakers believe the gritty Harman will be able to handle the stage at Royal Liverpool on Sunday.
The former Georgia Bulldog has even shorter odds at DraftKings, where he is the -200 favorite to win the tournament.
Harman said he hoped to get about 10 hours of sleep Saturday night, but also imagined it may be difficult while sleeping on the 54-hole lead of a major.
“The thoughts come and go, so we’ll do our best and sleep as much as we can,” said Harman, who opened the championship as a +20000 longshot.
SECOND STILL PAYS
Harman will be paired on Sunday with Cameron Young, who tied for third at St. Andrews last year in his first Open Championship.
Young birdied the final hole Saturday to push Jon Rahm out of a potential spot in the final group after the Spaniard shot an 8-under par 63. It was the lowest round ever recorded in an Open at Royal Liverpool, and shot the world’s No. 3-ranked player right into contention for his third career major title.
While Young and Rahm are both being offered at +700 by BetMGM to win the championship, it’s Rahm who is the +250 favorite ahead of Young (+275) to finish in second place. Viktor Hovland is +700 while England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a disappointing 71 while paired with Harman on Saturday, is +800.
Young and Rahm are both being offered at +275 in the same prop bet at DraftKings, where Hovland is +550 and Fleetwood is +800.
ALL EYES ON HARMAN
How Harman handles the pressure on Sunday will be one of the main storylines. He rebounded from a pair of early bogeys on Saturday to post a 2-under 69 that included four birdies.
Will he play more cautiously with a big lead, or will pressure from the pack force Harman to keep the pedal down?
He had five birdies in the first round and added four more along with an eagle in the second.
Harman is being offered at +100 by BetMGM to have at least four birdies/eagles on Sunday and at +120 to shoot 70 or lower. Both markets could depend on how much pressure he is ultimately facing.
By contrast, Rahm will most definitely have to play aggressively from the outset, and the book is offering him at -110 to make at least five birdies/eagles in the finale round. He’s also +110 to shoot 69 or lower.
Young, meanwhile, is +110 to make at least five birdies/eagles and +140 to shoot in the 60s.
“I think you just kind of have to see how the first couple holes play out tomorrow and then you maybe start aiming at things that you might not otherwise,” Young said.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to plan on the same plan of attack as the last few days and kind of see where we are after a few holes.”
AUTO RACING
WILLIAM BYRON, MARTIN TRUEX JR. CONTINUE 1-2 NASCAR BATTLE ON FRONT ROW AT POCONO
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. are 1-2 for most wins in the Cup Series. Truex and Byron are 1-2 in the points standings.
They’ll be 1-2 again Sunday at Pocono Raceway – Byron turned a fast lap in the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports of 170.629 mph to take the top spot and Truex joined him on the front row in with a lap of 170.235 in the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
That puts the two NASCAR championship favorites on the front row at Pocono.
“We need to be upfront,” Truex said. “They’re going to be, and they’re going to be challenging for wins, so we need to do the same and I know we can do it.”
Byron has four wins and Truex picked up his third with Monday’s dominant performance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Truex – who has yet to decide if he’ll retire or return for another season at JGR – kept the fast speeds rolling Saturday.
“We’re feeling really great about where we’re at as a team right now and what we’ve been able to do pretty much everywhere we go,” Truex said. “Had a lot of speed today and that’s always a great feeling when you come here.”
Truex won at Pocono in 2015 and 2018 while Byron is winless with two top-five finishes in nine career starts.
Last season’s Pocono race was marred by the disqualification of winner Denny Hamlin and runner-up Kyle Busch.
Hamlin had his record seventh Pocono victory tossed out when the NASCAR inspection team found issues in both JGR Toyotas that affected the aerodynamics. Chase Elliott was declared the race winner off his original third-place finish.
Hamlin was the first disqualified Cup winner since April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank.
Hamlin starts eighth Sunday for JGR while Busch, in his first season with Richard Childress Racing, starts 25th. He won the Truck Series race at Pocono earlier Saturday and is tied with Truex in Cup with three wins.
“Everyone knows we’ll be in the story as long as nothing detrimental happens,” Hamlin said.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON? KYLE BUSCH MAPS OUT PLAN FOR YOUNG SON TO SUCCEED HIM IN NASCAR
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Brexton Busch was just a preschooler when dad tossed him in the air in victory lane at Pocono.
Kyle Busch is ready to toss Brexton the keys — OK, fine, NASCAR vehicles don’t use keys — to his truck at Kyle Busch Motorsports and have his son replace him behind the wheel.
It just might take a few years.
The 38-year-old Busch mapped out a succession plan that started with his retirement from the elite Cup Series when Brexton is 15 years old and ends with his son taking the full-time ride in Trucks once dad completely calls it quits from NASCAR.
Busch, though, is still in his prime and proved it again Saturday at Pocono.
He passed Shane Heim on the last lap and won the Truck Series at Pocono Raceway. It marked the 100th career win for KBM, Busch’s 64th win in Trucks, and extended his record of 229 victories across the three major NASCAR series.
“We needed this 100th win to get it over with,” Busch said. “It’s a monumental day. It’s a century mark of being able to win 100 races. We’re just a small team. We found a home here in the Trucks.”
Brexton is just 8 years old and has carried on the family racing tradition — dad is a two-time Cup champion; uncle Kurt won the 2004 championship — and he already won races in various disciplines around the country.
Kyle’s plan goes like this: Brexton is allowed at age 15 per NASCAR rules to run Trucks races at tracks 1 1/2 miles and shorter and at road courses. Busch & Son would share a ride until Brexton turns 18 and can race the full slate.
Oh, and there’s this wrinkle. Busch, in his first season driving for Richard Childress Motorsports, would quit Cup once Brexton is 15 and try to win a Truck championship. It’s the one NASCAR title that has eluded him — he also was the second-tier Xfinity Series champ in 2009. He’d split the Trucks ride at KBM once Brexton turns 16 and Busch would retire by 50.
“It’s kind of been an idea of mine, but it’s not necessarily why KBM is still going,” Busch said at Pocono. “We obviously give back to the sport doing that and (with) all the drivers that have kind of come through there over the years. We’d like to continue to give back … as I get closer to hanging it up, and then obviously turning it over to Brex.”
Brexton was 5 when he began his racing career in 2020. He competed in the Beginner Box Stock Division at Millbridge Speedway, a 1/6-mile dirt track in Salisbury, North Carolina, and Mountain Creek Speedway, a 1/6-mile dirt track in Catawba, North Carolina. Just a month into his career, Brexton recorded his first win at Mountain Creek.
Busch, who discussed the idea this week on the “ Cars & Culture with Jason Stein ” podcast, founded his KBM Trucks team in 2010 and has won championships with drivers Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
AUSTIN HILL SURVIVES WILD RESTART TO WIN XFINITY SERIES RACE AT POCONO
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) Austin Hill survived a wild restart in the final overtime laps at Pocono Raceway and earned his fourth Xfinity Series victory of the season on Saturday.
Hill won the season opener at Daytona and added two more early season wins at Las Vegas and Phoenix, but hadn’t won over his last 13 races. He seemed like he might have to settle for another solid finish until he caught a break on the final extra two laps.
Josh Berry, needing a win to qualify for the Xfinity playoffs, held the lead until a late wreck brought out the caution. Berry, who won the first two stages went high, slammed into the wall off the restart and wrecked. Hill had enough fuel in the No. 21 Chevrolet to speed away and get the win.
Sam Mayer was second and Chase Elliott, winless in the Cup Series this year, finished third. Riley Herbst and Daniel Hemric rounded out the top five.
“We didn’t get the caution we were looking for,” Elliott said.
Berry faded to 24th.
“I just got loose and got up the track,” Berry said. “It’s just hard racing there on the restart. We just weren’t able to close it out.”
The 29-year-old Hill said he knew he just had to hit his marks on the last two laps to take the checkered flag for Richard Childress Racing. The last two laps were the only ones he led in the race.
“We didn’t have the best car all day,” Hill said. “We got the car better. I thought we were maybe a top-five, top-seven car but I didn’t think we had anything for the leader. (Berry) was so fast today.”
Hill, who rebounded from an early speeding penalty, said he was concerned a Chevy already riding on older tires was about out of fuel, but eventually had just enough to perform a victory burnout.
Hill’s win means five spots are still open with six race left before the 12-car Xfinity playoff field is set.
Hill matched series points leader John Hunter Nemechek for most wins this season. Nemechek, who won the last two Xfinity races, finished only 89 laps and was 32nd.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN WINS HY-VEE HOMEFRONT 250
Josef Newgarden maintained his pristine record in oval races this season, winning the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 at Iowa Speedway on Saturday.
Newgarden’s only two wins of the season had come in oval races entering Saturday, as he prevailed at the PPG 375 in April at Texas Motor Speedway, and he took the checkered at the Indianapolis 500 in May.
Another race at Iowa Speedway, the Hy-Vee One Step 250, is scheduled for Sunday.
“These guys that are about to go lap down, they always run the leader really hard,” Newgarden said. “That’s the name of the game. It’s legal, but man, it’s a little frustrating at times. And it’s gotten worse. It was much worse here than I’ve ever had it.
“I’m gonna study the tape. I’m gonna be better (Sunday) because if that’s how it’s gonna be, then I’ve just gotta elevate my game for Race 2.”
Newgarden, in the No. 2 Chevrolet, was joined atop the leaderboard by his fellow Team Penske driver, Scott McLaughlin, who finished second in the No. 3 Chevrolet.
“I badly want to beat that guy, and I’m going to be trying everything I can to beat him,” McLaughlin said of Newgarden. “But he’s the epitome of a great teammate, and I appreciate the help he’s given me.”
Pato O’Ward, Marcus Ericsson and Will Power rounded out the top five.
Newgarden led a race-high 129 laps. Power sat in first for 119 laps, giving Team Penske the lead for 248 of the 250 laps.
Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, who currently sits in first in the championship standings, came in eighth to match his season-low finish.
TOP INDIANA NEWS/RELEASES FROM ORGANIZATIONS
INDY ELEVEN
RECAP – IND 0:0 TBR
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 22, 2023) – Indy Eleven played to a 0-0 draw with the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night at Carroll Stadium. The point keeps the Boys in Blue in a playoff spot in the USL Championship Eastern Conference at 5-7-7, while Tampa Bay now sits at 10-5-5, third in the division.
A scoreless first half was dominated by the Eleven, earning 62% of the possession and registering the 9-2 advantage in shots and 2-0 lead in shots on target. Sebastian Velasquez, Aodhan Quinn and Sebastian Guenzatti each had two apiece for Indy.
The final stats saw Indy hold a 58%-42% edge in possession after a much more equal second frame. Tampa Bay finished with 13 shots to the Eleven’s 11, and a 4-2 advantage in shots on target.
Quinn led the Indy attack with three shots, while Velasquez and Guenzatti accounted for the Eleven’s shots on goal. Defensively, Mechack Jerome led Indy with six clearances, Macauley King cleared a ball off the line to keep the game level and Yannik Oettl had three saves.
Quinn became the USL Championship’s leader in regular-season minutes played at 20,096, while Douglas Martinez played in his 100th career USLC regular-season match.
Next up, the Boys in Blue hit the road for the first time after four home matches for a midweek meeting at Eastern Conference-leader Pittsburgh. The match is slated for 7 p.m. ET Saturday and will air on ESPN+. Following a pair of road matches, Indy returns home Aug. 5 to host Memphis 901 FC. Single-game tickets for all home games at IUPUI Carroll Stadium and specially-priced group tickets and an increased portfolio of hospitality options are available for purchase now via indyeleven.com/tickets or by calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).
USL Championship Regular Season
Indy Eleven 0:0 Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Michael. A Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
2023 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 5W-7L-7D (-1), 22 pts
Tampa Bay Rowdies: 10W-5L-5D (+12), 35 pts
Scoring Summary
none
Discipline Summary
TBR – Jake Areman (caution) 12’
TBR – Forrest Lasso (caution) 16’
IND – Sebastian Velasquez (caution) 27’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-2-3-1): Yannik Oettl, Younes Boudadi, Macauley King, Mechack Jerome, Douglas Martinez, Aodhan Quinn, Cam Lindley, Sebastian Velasquez (Harrison Robledo 69’), Sebastian Guenzatti (captain), Solomon Asante, Stefano Pinho (Callum Chapman-Page 89’)
Indy Subs: Tim Trilk, Roberto Molina, Diego Sanchez
Tampa Bay line (4-5-1): Connor Sparrow, Aaron Guillen, Forrest Lasso, Freddy Kleemann, Conner Atley, Sebastian Dalgaard (Jake LaCava 33’), Jake Areman, Dayonn Harris (Yann Erka 84’), Jordan Doherty, Charlies Dennis, Jerome Williams (Cal Jennings 73’)
Tampa Bay Subs: Phil Breno, Aril Martinez, Lucky Mkosana, Felix Schroter
INDY ELEVEN W
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 22, 2023) – Alia Martin scored in the 99th minute to earn a 2-1 victory for Indy Eleven and secure the 2023 USL W League Championship. For her efforts, Martin was named the USL W League Final MVP.
The game was played in front of record-setting fans as the USL W League Final drew a crowd of 5,419 to set the record for the most attended women’s soccer match in Indiana History.
Martin’s match-winning goal, which was her second in consecutive games after scoring the late go-ahead goal in the 3-2 National Semifinal win over San Francisco, was her second of the season. The play started with Katie Soderstrom, who secured the corner kick for Indy. Grace Bahr’s service found Annika Creel who redirected the ball back into the center of the 18. Martin made the most of her second chance and connected on a bicycle over the top of the out-stretched Courage keeper.
After a scoreless first half, it was Indy Eleven that broke the stalemate starting with Addie Chester on the right flank. Chester played a short ball in to Maddy Williams who laid it off for a one-two ball to Greta Kraszula. Kraszula’s ball back into the box found Williams who played the ball across the goal and into the lower right corner. It was her ninth goal of the season, which ties the team high alongside Sam Dewey.
NC Cougar evened the score in the 75th minute when Mia Oliaro found Lauren Martinho off a cross.
The Eleven finish the 2023 season 12-1-1.
Complete USL W Bracket & Info
USL W League – National Final
Indy Eleven 2:1 NC Courage 23
Saturday, July 22, 2023 – 2:00 PM
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
Scoring Summary
IND – Maddy Williams (Greta Kraszula) 64’
NCC – Lauren Martinho (Mia Oliaro) 75’
IND – Alia Martin (Annika Creel) 99’
Discipline Summary
NCC – Mackenzie Geigle (caution) 47’
IND – Rhonda Ojongmboh (caution) 120+’
Indy Eleven lineup: Nona Reason, Jenna Chatterton (Susie Soderstrom 81’), Alia Martin, Grace Bahr (Rhonda Ojongmboh 118’), Annika Creel, Greta Kraszula (Rafferty Kugler 67’), Sam Dewey (Maisie Whitsett 67’), Ella Rogers, Addie Chester (Lizzie Sexton 77’), Maddy Williams (Emma Johnson 67’), Katie Soderstrom
IND substitutes: Emily Edwards
INDIANA FEVER
GAME PREVIEW: FEVER LOOK FOR FIRST REGULAR SEASON WIN AGAINST NEW YORK ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON
Indiana Fever at New York Liberty
Sunday, July 23, 2023
Barclays Center | 3:00 p.m. ET
Broadcast Information
Fever Facebook
Pat Boylan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)
The Indiana Fever (6-15) start a three-game road trip in New York on Sunday for a 3 p.m. tip time against the Liberty, who have won nine of its last 11 games entering Sunday.
The Fever enter the matchup with momentum after ending an eight-game losing skid in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday afternoon after defeating the Mystics, 82-76, in the first game back after the All-Star break. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell guided Indiana to the win with her 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with a team-high five assists and four steals. Mitchell was followed in the scoring column by Emma Cannon’s 13 points, Victoria Vivians and Aliyah Boston’s 11 points and Erica Wheeler’s 10 points.
Indiana is led by Mitchell and Boston, who are averaging 16.8 and 15.2 points per game respectively. Mitchell, Boston and NaLyssa Smith all rank in the top 20 in scoring average throughout the league, while Mitchell also enters Sunday sixth in the league for most made 3-point field goals this season at 49. Boston has continued to solidify her case for Rookie of the Year as she continues to lead the league in field goal percentage at 60.1 percent from the floor and ranks seventh in the WNBA in rebounds averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. The rookie All-Star has also consistently led all rookies in scoring average, rebounds, blocked shots (1.2 bpg) and minutes played (30.9 mpg).
Indiana dropped both earlier matchups to New York this season, but showed vast improvement at home on July 12 in the second game. After being defeated in New York, 90-73, in the second game of the regular season, the Fever narrowly fell to the Liberty in an overtime affair, 95-87, on July 12. After erasing a 20-point deficit with a 32-10 scoring run, Boston hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to cap off the run and send the game to overtime. Boston led Indiana in the scoring column in the most recent matchup with New York with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor. Emma Cannon came off the bench to tie a career-high 19 points on a season-high seven made field goals. In addition, rookie guard Grace Berger set new career bests of 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals and 36 minutes of action.
Fever starting guard Lexie Hull is expected to return to the floor on Sunday after being absent two games due to injury. Hull enters the matchup averaging 5.7 points and a team-leading 1.1 steals per contest. In addition, Kristy Wallace and Cannon have offered impactful minutes off the bench averaging 7.0 and 5.4 points per game respectively.
For New York, Sabrina Ionescu led the way in the July 12 win as she netted 34 points on the day. The Liberty guard, who has shot a team-leading 44.3 percent through 20 games this season, shot 7-of-14 from 3-point range and went 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. All-Star captain Breanna Stewart recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Jonquel Jones followed behind with 12 points.
New York comes into Sunday as the best team in the league in assists and are also tied for first in the WNBA in three-point percentage, shooting 38.2 percent from beyond the arc. All five of New York’s projected starters average double-figures in scoring as well. Stewart leads the way averaging 23.2 points per game to go along with a team-high 9.7 rebounds per contest. She is followed by Ionescu (16.7 ppg), Jonquel Jones (11.2 ppg), Courtney Vandersloot (10.8 ppg) and Betnijah Laney (10.3 ppg). Vandersloot also recorded 12 assists in the July 12 matchup against the Fever and leads the league averaging 8.3 assists per contest.
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever (6-15)
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell (16.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Guard – Erica Wheeler (9.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.0 apg)
Guard – Lexie Hull (5.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 spg)
Forward – Victoria Vivians (4.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Center – Aliyah Boston (15.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg)
New York Liberty (15-5)
Guard – Sabrina Ionescu (16.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 5.4 apg)
Guard – Courtney Vandersloot (10.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 8.3 apg)
Forward – Betnijah Laney (10.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Forward – Breanna Stewart (23.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.5 spg)
Center – Jonquel Jones (11.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg)
Game Status Report
Indiana: NaLyssa Smith – out (left foot stress fracture)
New York: TBA
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
PRALL PUNCHES TICKET TO U.S. AMATEUR AT CHERRY HILLS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue’s Luke Prall fired a 9-under par 135 (69-66) to win medalist honors at U.S. Amateur qualifying in Kentucky and advance to the U.S. Amateur in August.
Prall rallied to win the qualifier with a blistering final round, 6-under par 66. He entered the second 18 in a sixth-place tie out of the qualifying seeds (top two), but responded with a 66, including a big eagle on the par-5 16th hole to help him advance.
This marks the first time Prall has qualified for the U.S. Amateur. Currently, he is one of two Boilermakers (Nick Dentino) to advance to Cherry Hills, although it is all but a given that Herman Sekne will be invited as he currently sits comfortably inside the World Amateur’s Golf Ranking’s (WAGR) top 50. Sekne is ranked 28th on the WAGR list and the top 50 players receive invitations.
A year ago, Peyton Snoeberger became the first Boilermaker since Adam Schenk in 2012 to reach the U.S. Amateur round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur.
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 |
| BALTIMORE | 60 | 38 | .612 | – | 30 – 20 | 30 – 18 | 18 – 12 | 18 – 7 | 10 – 7 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| TAMPA BAY | 61 | 41 | .598 | 1 | 36 – 17 | 25 – 24 | 18 – 12 | 16 – 4 | 9 – 10 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| TORONTO | 54 | 45 | .545 | 6.5 | 27 – 20 | 27 – 25 | 7 – 20 | 16 – 6 | 11 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
| BOSTON | 52 | 47 | .525 | 8.5 | 27 – 23 | 25 – 24 | 16 – 11 | 11 – 8 | 11 – 8 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| NY YANKEES | 52 | 47 | .525 | 8.5 | 30 – 23 | 22 – 24 | 13 – 17 | 10 – 8 | 14 – 11 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| CENTRAL | |||||||||||
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | EAST | CENTRAL | WEST | LAST 10 | STREAK |
| MINNESOTA | 52 | 48 | .520 | – | 28 – 22 | 24 – 26 | 12 – 17 | 20 – 12 | 10 – 6 | 7 – 3 | W 2 |
| CLEVELAND | 49 | 49 | .500 | 2 | 26 – 22 | 23 – 27 | 7 – 8 | 13 – 13 | 13 – 9 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| DETROIT | 44 | 54 | .449 | 7 | 20 – 27 | 24 – 27 | 3 – 16 | 18 – 12 | 9 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
| CHI WHITE SOX | 41 | 59 | .410 | 11 | 21 – 25 | 20 – 34 | 6 – 16 | 15 – 13 | 9 – 14 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| KANSAS CITY | 28 | 72 | .280 | 24 | 15 – 36 | 13 – 36 | 5 – 14 | 9 – 25 | 4 – 11 | 3 – 7 | L 4 |
| WEST | |||||||||||
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | EAST | CENTRAL | WEST | LAST 10 | STREAK |
| TEXAS | 58 | 41 | .586 | – | 33 – 20 | 25 – 21 | 14 – 11 | 14 – 5 | 16 – 11 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| HOUSTON | 55 | 44 | .556 | 3 | 25 – 22 | 30 – 22 | 5 – 5 | 8 – 11 | 21 – 12 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| SEATTLE | 50 | 48 | .510 | 7.5 | 29 – 24 | 21 – 24 | 9 – 11 | 10 – 10 | 15 – 11 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| LA ANGELS | 50 | 49 | .505 | 8 | 28 – 23 | 22 – 26 | 11 – 9 | 11 – 8 | 16 – 14 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| OAKLAND | 28 | 73 | .277 | 31 | 15 – 38 | 13 – 35 | 7 – 19 | 7 – 11 | 5 – 25 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| NATIONAL LEAGUE | |||||||||||
| EAST | |||||||||||
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | EAST | CENTRAL | WEST | LAST 10 | STREAK |
| ATLANTA | 63 | 34 | .649 | – | 32 – 19 | 31 – 15 | 22 – 6 | 9 – 2 | 11 – 9 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| PHILADELPHIA | 52 | 46 | .531 | 11.5 | 26 – 19 | 26 – 27 | 9 – 15 | 10 – 6 | 14 – 13 | 4 – 6 | L 4 |
| MIAMI | 53 | 47 | .530 | 11.5 | 30 – 20 | 23 – 27 | 13 – 16 | 11 – 9 | 9 – 12 | 2 – 8 | L 8 |
| NY METS | 46 | 52 | .469 | 17.5 | 23 – 22 | 23 – 30 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 14 | 15 – 13 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| WASHINGTON | 40 | 58 | .408 | 23.5 | 17 – 32 | 23 – 26 | 9 – 16 | 7 – 13 | 11 – 13 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| CENTRAL | |||||||||||
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | EAST | CENTRAL | WEST | LAST 10 | STREAK |
| MILWAUKEE | 55 | 44 | .556 | – | 27 – 22 | 28 – 22 | 9 – 3 | 20 – 9 | 8 – 15 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| CINCINNATI | 54 | 46 | .540 | 1.5 | 27 – 26 | 27 – 20 | 12 – 11 | 12 – 17 | 13 – 8 | 4 – 6 | W 4 |
| CHI CUBS | 47 | 51 | .480 | 7.5 | 26 – 26 | 21 – 25 | 8 – 14 | 14 – 12 | 9 – 8 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| ST. LOUIS | 44 | 55 | .444 | 11 | 22 – 26 | 22 – 29 | 10 – 9 | 12 – 16 | 7 – 13 | 7 – 3 | L 2 |
| PITTSBURGH | 43 | 55 | .439 | 11.5 | 23 – 26 | 20 – 29 | 5 – 5 | 11 – 15 | 14 – 14 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| WEST | |||||||||||
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | EAST | CENTRAL | WEST | LAST 10 | STREAK |
| LA DODGERS | 57 | 40 | .588 | – | 29 – 16 | 28 – 24 | 11 – 7 | 15 – 12 | 14 – 11 | 8 – 2 | W 2 |
| ARIZONA | 54 | 45 | .545 | 4 | 26 – 24 | 28 – 21 | 13 – 15 | 10 – 7 | 17 – 11 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| SAN FRANCISCO | 54 | 45 | .545 | 4 | 26 – 22 | 28 – 23 | 10 – 11 | 18 – 9 | 15 – 10 | 6 – 4 | L 4 |
| SAN DIEGO | 48 | 51 | .485 | 10 | 25 – 23 | 23 – 28 | 13 – 13 | 7 – 13 | 12 – 13 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| COLORADO | 39 | 59 | .398 | 18.5 | 23 – 26 | 16 – 33 | 13 – 14 | 8 – 10 | 6 – 19 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1925 Lou Gehrig’s four-run home run is the difference in the Yankees’ 11-7 victory over the Senators. The New York first baseman’s bases-full homer is the first of a record 23 grand slams he will hit during his 17-year career in the Bronx, which Alex Rodriguez will surpass in 2013.
1928 In a Class C Western Association game, future major league player and manager Paul Richards of the Muskogee Chiefs is summoned from his shortstop position to pitch and uses both hands in his brief appearance on the mound. An unusual confrontation with a switch-hitter briefly results in both the pitcher and the batter continually swapping hands and batter’s boxes, respectively, until the ambidextrous hurler becomes a left-hander and right-hander on alternate pitches, regardless of where the hitter places himself.
1930 Pirates third baseman Pie Traynor hits the eventual game-winning homers in both ends of a doubleheader. The future Hall Famer’s ninth-inning home run beats Philadelphia in the opener, 2-1, and the Massachusetts native also provides the winning margin in the nightcap with a three-run round-tripper in the top of the 13th inning in the team’s 16-15 victory over the A’s at the Baker Bowl.
1939 Using yellow-dyed balls, the Cardinals beat the Dodgers 5-2 at Sportsman’s Park. The experimenting with the colored sphere, designed to make the ball easier to see for the players and the fans, started in Brooklyn last week and will be tested once more in a September game played at Wrigley Field.
1939 At Briggs Stadium, A’s catcher Harry O’Neill appears in his only major league game, replacing Frankie Hayes behind the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning with the team trailing the Tigers, 15-3. In 1945, the 27-year-old backstop will die from sniper fire on Iwo Jima, becoming the second player to die in World War II, joining Elmer Gedeon, who lost his life when the Germans shot down his B-26B Marauder attempting to bomb a Nazi target in France.
1941 White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes becomes the first to employ the defensive alignment against the Red Sox outfielder, who foils the plan when he goes 2-for-5, including a double, in Boston’s 10-4 loss to the Pale Hose at Fenway Park. The Chicago skipper will abandon the strategy when ‘the Kid’ collects four hits in ten at-bats in the two-game series.
1944 In the eighth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Giants manager Mel Ott orders his pitcher Andy Hansen to issue an intentional walk with the bases loaded to Bill Nicholson. The free pass to Swish, who has hit four home runs in the twin bill, doesn’t work when the Cubs score three runs to tie the game.
1957 With a single, fluke double, game-changing triple, and a prodigious poke, Mickey Mantle collects his only cycle and the twelfth in franchise history. The switch-hitter’s massive home run that nearly clears Yankee Stadium stirs the crowd, but his seventh-inning triple with the bases loaded proves to be the decisive blow in the Yankees’ 10-6 victory over the White Sox.
1960 A’s outfielder Whitey Herzog lines into a triple play when Pedro Ramos snags his line drive, tosses the ball to first to double up the runner, with the third out made with a relay to shortstop Jose Valdivielso getting the runner returning to second base. The three outs in the 8-3 loss to the Senators mark the first all-Cuban triple killing in major league history.
1960 Indians center fielder Jimmy Piersall is ejected for the sixth time this season after ignoring the home plate umpire’s warning to stop running around the outfield with his arms raised during Ted Williams’ plate appearance. The Waterbury (CT) native, restrained by teammates when he charges the ump, is guilty of trying to distract the batter from the field, a tactic forbidden by the rule book.
1962 Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player inducted into the Hall of Fame. Joining the Dodger infielder in the Cooperstown ceremony are fireballer Bob Feller, veteran manager Bill McKechnie, and outfielder Edd Roush.
1962 The first telecast of a major league via satellite includes a portion of the Cubs’ 4-3 victory over the Phillies from Wrigley Field. Chicago broadcaster Jack Brickhouse provides the play-by-play of the Telstar Communications transmission.
1964 Kansas City’s Bert Campaneris homers off the Twins’ southpaw Jim Kaat on the first major league pitch he sees. The A’s rookie shortstop homers again in the seventh, knotting the score with a two-run round-tripper in the team’s eventual 4-3 victory in 11 innings at Metropolitan Stadium.
1965 Dick Stuart homers in the first inning in the Phillies’ 5-1 win over New York at Shea Stadium. Dr. Strangeglove, who played in Boston for the last two seasons, becomes the first player to have gone deep in the 19 present major league ballparks.
1967 Mickey Lolich loses his tenth straight game, setting a Tigers’ record for consecutive defeats when Detroit drops a 4-2 decision to the Yankees at Tiger Stadium. After the contest, the 26-year-old southpaw, who will win nine of his next ten starts for the pennant contenders, is called up to the mobilized 191st National Guard unit to help quell riots in the vicinity of the ballpark.
1969 At Washington’s RFK Stadium, the National League scores early and often to coast to a comfortable 9-3 victory over the AL in the 40th All-Star Game. Cardinals southpaw Steve Carlton, the starting and winning pitcher, hits a double in the third inning off Blue Moon Odom to become the last hurler to get an extra-base hit in a Midsummer Classic contest.
1974 At Three Rivers Stadium, Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey, a write-in All-Star starter, singles and doubles to help the National League beat the Junior circuit, 7-2. Mike Schmidt, also chosen by the fans, plays in his first Midsummer Classic thanks to radio intern Howard Eskin’s on-air campaign, which urged Phillies fans to stuff the ballot box for their young third baseman.
1974 After indicating that he had no interest in the position, Hank Aaron publicly states he would accept an offer to manage the Braves “simply because there are no black managers in baseball.” The superstar’s comments create an awkward situation the next day when Atlanta announces the organization has hired Clyde King to replace Eddie Mathews, dismissed three days ago.
1975 At Three Rivers Stadium, Frank Taveras is picked off first base in an unusual play. After getting a big lead, to get a good jump on a sac bunt, the Pirates shortstop is picked off when the catcher throws the ball to first base with the Phillies right fielder Jay Johnstone covering the bag, completing the 2-9 play.
1976 Sadaharu Oh, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, becomes the third professional to hit 700 home runs. The 33-year-old Yomiuri Giants slugger, who will finish his career with 868 career homers, is the first player to accomplish the feat in Japan.
1976 Orioles outfielder Reggie Jackson, tying an American League record shared by five players, hits a home run in his sixth consecutive game. The 13th inning round-tripper off Danny Frisella does not help in the Birds’ 4-3 loss to the Brewers, who scored two runs in the top of the frame in the Memorial Stadium contest.
1985 Oddibe McDowell becomes the first Ranger player to hit for the cycle. His seventh-inning home run completes the unique event, but the center fielder adds another round-tripper in the next frame when Texas beats the Indians at Arlington Stadium, 8-4.
2000 Reds third baseman Mike Bell, joining his grandfather and father, becomes part of the first three-generation family to play for the same team. Gus played for Cincinnati from 1953 to 1961, and his son, Buddy, Mike’s dad, spent the 1987-88 seasons in the Queen City.
2000 The Astros hit four homers in one inning off Cardinal hurler Andy Benes, tying the major league record for round-trippers allowed by one pitcher in a single frame. The second-inning uprising helps Houston set a team record for homers in one inning and ties a team record with six big flies.
2000 After rejecting a trade to the Mets, 36-year-old Barry Larkin agrees to a three-year, $27 million contract extension to continue to play for the Reds. The deal will keep the former Rookie of the Year (1986), NL’s MVP (1995), and 11-time All-Star shortstop in Cincinnati until 2003.
2000 The Big Red Machine rolls into Cooperstown, delivering first baseman Tony Perez, manager Sparky Anderson, and Reds announcer Marty Brennaman into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with 1975 Red Sox World Series rival Carlton Fisk. Also enshrined are 19th-century Cincinnati second baseman Bid McPhee and Negro League star ‘Turkey’ Stearnes.
2002 Hitting three homers in Boston’s 22-4 rout of the Devil Rays, Nomar Garciaparra, on his 29th birthday, ties the major league record, becoming the 26th player to hit five home runs in two games. The contest marks the Red Sox shortstop’s second three-homer game, having accomplished the feat against the Mariners on May 10th, 1999.
2002 Nomar Garciaparra establishes the record for consecutive home runs in the shortest time in terms of innings. In a 22-4 rout of the Devil Rays at Fenway Park, the Red Sox shortstop homers three times in two frames; a pair of two-run homers in the second and a grand slam in the third.
2005 At SBC Park, uniform #36 is added to the second deck of the left-field bleachers, joining nine others when the Giants honor Gaylord Perry. The Hall of Famer, who won 134 of his 314 career victories with San Francisco, remembers his 37-year-old son, Jack, who died last month of complications from leukemia.
2006 In a 3-1 victory over the Indians at Jacobs Field, Francisco Liriano and four Twins relievers establish a club record with 17 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. The Minnesota starter reached double-digit whiffs (10) for the third time this season, with Pat Neshek, Dennys Reyes, Juan Rincon, and Joe Nathan adding seven more punchouts over the last four innings.
2006 Adrian Beltre hits the first inside-the-park home run in the eight-year history of Safeco Field. The eighth-inning blast to centerfield comes off Mike Timlin in the Mariners’ 9-8 victory over Boston.
2008 In a slugfest at Angel Stadium, Los Angeles collects a season-high 19 hits, beating the Indians, 14-11. The hit parade is led by Howie Kendrick (4), Jeff Mathis (4), and Casey Kotchman (5), making it the first time in franchise history three different players have had four or more hits in the same game.
2009 Thanks to a spectacular grab by defensive replacement DeWayne Wise of Gabe Kapler’s bid for a leadoff home run in the ninth inning, Mark Buehrle tosses the 18th perfect game in major league history, a 5-0 gem over the Rays at U.S. Cellular Field. The 30-year-old southpaw, who received a congratulatory call from President Obama, a big White Sox fan, becomes the second pitcher in franchise history to throw two hitless games for the team, matching Frank Smith’s accomplishment against the 1905 Tigers and the 1908 A’s.
2010 With a bases-empty homer in the first, a ground-rule double in the fifth, a two-run triple in the sixth, and a single in the eighth inning of the Diamondbacks’ 7-4 loss to San Francisco at Chase Field, Kelly Johnson becomes the fourth player in franchise history to complete a cycle. The Arizona second baseman joins Luis Gonzalez (2000), Greg Colbrunn (2002), and Stephen Drew (2008) to accomplish the feat with the D-Backs.
2011 For the first time in the 50-year history of the franchise, the Mets compile a 50-50 won-loss record after playing one hundred games. New York achieves the dubious distinction when they lose in Florida, 8-5.
2011 The Mariners tie the 1992 franchise record for consecutive defeats by losing to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 3-1. Seattle’s 14th straight loss results in Boston’s skipper Terry Francona’s 1,000th win as a major league manager.
2013 Wearing their home whites and batting in the bottom of the innings, the visiting Reds drop a 5-3 decision to the Giants in the second game of the twin bill at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. The makeup game on the road set up the possibility that an away team could produce a walk-off win for the first time in major league history.
2019 Washington shortstop Trea Turner collects his second career cycle when he doubles in the eight-run seventh inning of the team’s 11-1 victory over the Rockies at Nationals Park. The 26-year-old infielder becomes the 26th player to complete the deed more than once and the third against the same opponent.
2021 The team called the Indians since 1915 will be known as the Guardians when the season ends due to complaints from Native American groups and MLB. The new moniker, one of nearly 1,200 suggestions, including the Buckeyes, Spiders, and Walleye, was introduced at a news conference with a moving video narrated by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, a super Indians fan.
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
ARKY VAUGHAN
Shortstop
Arky Vaughan was the premier shortstop of his era and one of the best at the plate in baseball history. He hit .300 or better in each of his first 10 major league seasons – all with the Pittsburgh Pirates – and led the National League in runs and triples three years apiece.
Vaughan was born March 9, 1912, in Clifty, Ark. And although his family moved to Fullerton, Calif., when he was an infant, he was nicknamed “Arky” when he was a child because he spoke with an Arkansas accent, picked up from his family.
He was a noted high school athlete who received interest from colleges for his football talent, but he signed a baseball contract with the minor league Wichita Aviators in 1931. He hit .338 in his only season in the minors, then joined the Pirates in 1932 at the age of 20.
Vaughan rose to stardom quickly and was selected to the first of nine straight All-Star Games in 1934. He hit .364 in his career in Midsummer Classics, highlighted by a two-homer, four-RBI game in 1941.
Vaughan’s best season was 1935 when he led the NL in walks, batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. His .385 average that year is the highest ever in the modern era (post 1900) for a National League shortstop.
Vaughan was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers following the 1941 season. He led the NL in runs and stolen bases in 1943, but he clashed with manager Leo Durocher and sat out the 1944, 1945 and 1946 seasons.
After Durocher’s suspension from baseball for the 1947 season, Vaughan returned to the Dodgers and hit .325 in 64 games at the age of 35, helping Brooklyn win the NL pennant. He retired following the 1948 season with a .318 batting average, 2,103 hits, 1,173 RBI and a .406 on-base percentage in 14 seasons. At shortstop, he led the NL in putouts and assists three times apiece.
Vaughan died tragically on Aug. 30, 1952, at the age of 40, when a sudden storm capsized his fishing boat on a lake near his California home. Vaughan tried to save his companion, who could not swim, and they both drowned.
Vaughan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
July 24, 1975 – Ron Waller the 42 year old head coach of the World Football League’s Philadelphia Bell resigns his position stating personal reasons according to an article in the Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph on July 24, 1975. Bell offensive line coach Joe Gardi took over as the interim coach. There were reports that former Green Bay standout Willie Wood was in strong consideration to take over the post as a permanent replacement.
Steelers romp past all-stars 24-0; Shortened game angers fans
Yes this one tells of the July 24, 1976 final Chicago College All-Star game that was played as 52,895 fans saw the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers blank the college players 24-0. A torrential rain storm hit Soldier Field with 1:22 remaining in the third period and officials decided to call the exhibition contest at that point. This caught the ire of the crowd that was hungry for football and they stormed the field and tore down the goal posts. Pittsburgh kicker Roy Gerela booted three field goals while star running back Franco Harris and upstart Tommy Reamon punched in third quarter TDs for the Champs before the rain. This game ended the tradition of the NFL champions playing a Rookie all-Star team for fear by teams of getting a player injured.
Seattle losing roof
July 23, 1994 – It is determined by safety engineering authorities that all of the Seattle Kingdome’s 40,000 ceiling tiles needed to be replaced. Apparently during repairs on the outside of the dome contractors had trouble removing the old roof material using a dry sand blasting method so they tried using a pressure washer to remove the coating. Water apparently seaped into the inside where the 26 pound ceiling tiles were and 4 of these crashed into the empty stands prior to a Seattle Mariners game while the team was warming up. With the cost of replacements being too large to justify plans for a new stadium went into action.
The Kingdome was the home of the Seahawks, the NBA’s SuperSonics, MLB’s Seattle Mariners and the now defunct North American Soccer League’s Seattle Sounders. It serviced these teams from 1976 through the 1998. In 1999 the Dome was purposely imploded as a new stadium was being built, Centurylink Stadium, for the Seahawks and their fans, the “12th Man” to enjoy autumn Sunday afternoons in.
Minister of Defense Returns
July 23, 2000 – The great Reggie White ended his retirement and returned to the NFL to play with the Carolina Panthers. The defensive lineman added 5.5 sacks a forced fumble and 16 tackles to his career resume that season according to the NFL.com. White ended his career with 198 sacks officially in 2nd place, 2 QB take downs behind Bruce Smith’s 200 sacks.
July 23 football birthdays
July 23, 1976 – Matt Birk a center from Harvard University was born on this day. Mr. Birk was drafted as the 173rd overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. The center was selected to the Pro Bowl 6 times wearing the Minnesota uniform. After playing 10 seasons with the Vikes he moved on to play with the Baltimore Ravens for an additional 4 seasons.
July 23, 1989 – K.J. Wright a linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks is birthday celebrator on this day as well. Mr. Wright was selected to represent the NFC in the 2016 season’s Pro Bowl.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
4 – 43 – 41 – 19 – 27 – 34 – 9 – 32 – 5 – 29 – 23
July 23, 1925 – New York Yankee Lou Gehrig, Number 4 hit his first of 23 career grand slam homeruns. That is 92 of his 1995 career RBIs from just these 23 swings of the bat or almost 5% of the runs he drove in.
July 23, 1944 – Chicago Cubs Bill Nicholson, wearing Number 43 hit 4 homeruns tallying 7 RBIs in a doubleheader against the New York Giants.
July 23, 1955 – NY Yankees Bob Cerv, Number 41 and Number 32, Elston Howard are first to hit consecutive pinch homeruns
July 23, 1956 – Joe Cronin who wore Number 4 for much of his career and Hank Greenberg a long time Number 5 were inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
July 23, 1964 – Kansas City A’s Bert Campaneris Number 19 smacked a Homerun on the first pitch he saw from Twins’ Jim Kaat, adds a 2nd HR later, also off of Kaat (in Minnesota)
July 23, 1975 – Los Angeles Dodgers Number 27, Willie Crawford and Lee Lacy, wearing Number 34 became the fifth duo in baseball history to hit consecutive pinch homeruns in a Major League Baseball game.
July 23, 1976 – Baltimore Oriole slugger Reggie Jackson, wearing the Number 9 on his jersey homered in the 6th straight game that he played in.
July 23, 1978 – The Philadelphia Phillies ace Steve Carlton, Number 32 became 78th MLB pitcher to reach the 200 baseball won games plateau in his career.
July 23, 1979 – George Brett, who was Number 5 with the Kansas City Royals reached his 1,000th MLB career hit
July 23, 1984 – Kansas City Royals releif pitcher Number 29, Dan Quisenberry achieved his 200th career save
July 23, 1993 – New York Yankee Mark Hutton, wearing Number 53, became the first Australian to be an MLB starting pitcher. In his debut Hutton took out the Angels 5-2 and propelled a log jam at the top of the standing of the AL East as the Yanks, Red Sox, Blue Jays were in a 3 way tie for 1st place.
July 23, 1994 – Don Mattingly, Number 23 became the 6th New York Yankee to get to the 2,000 hit plateau
July 23, 1994 – Longest baseball rain delay (3:39) as the San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets at home 4-2.
July 23, 2021 – Baseball’s Cleveland Indians announce team will be re-named the Guardians, after the Guardians of Traffic, eight large Art Deco statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge, located near their playing field
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
BOB BABICH
Position: Linebacker
Years: 1966-1968
Place of Birth: Youngstown, OH
Date of Birth: May 05, 1947
Jersey Number: 60
Height: 6-2
Weight: 225
High School: Campbell, OH ( Memorial HS)
Bob Babich was a three-year starter as a linebacker for Miami University in Ohio. He made all-Mid-America Conference two years 1967-68 and in 1968 was named to the All- America teams picked by the American Football Coaches Association, the Sporting News, and Time Magazine. He also was the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year for 1968 and was Miami University’s Athlete of the Year for the school term 1968-69. After his senior season he was picked to play in three post-season games, the Senior Bowl, North-South Shrine Bowl, and All-American Bowl. As a college star Babich stood 6-2 and weighed 225 pounds. He played nine years in the pros with San Diego and Cleveland. By winning election in 1994, Babich became the first player from Miami of Ohio to reach the College Football Hall of Fame.
TV SPORTS SUNDAY
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| British Open | 6:00am | USA |
| British Open | 7:00am | NBC |
| PGA Tour: Barracuda Championship | 5:00pm | GOLF |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| San Diego at Detroit | 12:05pm | Peacock Bally Sports |
| Kansas City at NY Yankees | 1:35pm | Bally Sports YES |
| San Francisco at Washington | 1:35pm | NBCS-BAY MASN/2 |
| Colorado at Miami | 1:40pm | ATTSN-RM Bally Sports |
| Arizona at Cincinnati | 1:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Baltimore at Tampa Bay | 1:40pm | MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| Philadelphia at Cleveland | 1:40pm | NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Atlanta at Milwaukee | 2:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Chi. White Sox at Minnesota | 2:10pm | NBCS-CHI Bally Sports |
| St. Louis at Chi. Cubs | 2:20pm | Bally Sports MARQ |
| LA Dodgers at Texas | 2:35pm | Spectrum Bally Sports |
| Houston at Oakland | 4:07pm | ATTSN-SW NBCS-CA |
| Pittsburgh at LA Angels | 4:07pm | ATTSN-PIT Bally Sports |
| Toronto at Seattle | 4:10pm | Sportsnet Root Sports |
| NY Mets at Boston | 7:00pm | ESPN SNY NESN |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| Formula One: Hungarian Grand Prix | 9:00am | ESPN |
| IndyCar: Hy-Vee One Step 250 | 2:00pm | NBC |
| NASCAR Cup: HighPoint.com 400 | 2:30pm | USA |
| NHRA: Flav-R-Pac Northwest Nationals | 4:00pm | FOX |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| FIFA Women’s World Cup: Sweden vs South Africa | 1:00am | FS1 |
| FIFA Women’s World Cup: Netherlands vs Portugal | 3:30am | FS1 |
| FIFA Women’s World Cup: France vs Jamaica | 6:00am | FOX |
| Club Friendly: Tottenham Hotspur vs Leicester City | 6:00am | CBSSN |
| Club Friendly: Fulham vs Brentford | 4:00pm | Peacock |
| Club Friendly: Newcastle United vs Aston Villa | 7:00pm | Peacock |
| Leagues Cup: New York City vs Atlas | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Leagues Cup: Columbus Crew vs St. Louis City | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| Leagues Cup: Cincinnati vs Sporting KC | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| Leagues Cup: Nashville SC vs Colorado Rapids | 8:30pm | Apple TV |
| Leagues Cup: Minnesota United vs Puebla | 9:00pm | FS1 |
| Argentina Primera División: Atlético Tucumán vs Independiente | 3:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Defensa y Justicia vs Sarmiento | 5:45pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Rosario Central vs River Plate | 8:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Club Friendly: Milan vs Real Madrid | 10:00pm | ESPN |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Phoenix vs Washington | 1:00pm | CBS |
| Indiana vs New York | 3:00pm | NBATV |