Kyle Schwarber stays with Philadelphia Phillies, agrees to $150 million, 5-year contract
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Schwarber is staying with the Philadelphia Phillies, agreeing to a $150 million, five-year contract. Schwarber set career bests this year with a National League-leading 56 homers and a major league-high 132 RBIs along with a .240 batting average and .928 OPS. He also scored a career-high 111 runs in leading the club to its second straight NL East title. Schwarber’s 23 homers against left-handed pitching set a major league record for a lefty batter, surpassing 22 by Stan Musial in 1949 and Matt Olson in 2021.
Díaz agrees to $69M, 3-year deal with World Series champion Dodgers, AP source says, leaves Mets
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that reliever Edwin Díaz has agreed to $69 million, three-year contract with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. A three-time All-Star who turns 32 on March 22, Díaz joins a Dodgers bullpen that struggled last season, causing the team to shift rookie Roki Sasaki to closer in the postseason. Relying on a 97-98 mph fastball and slider, Díaz became a fan favorite at Citi Field, where horns blared and fans danced when he entered games to “Narco” by Blasterjaxx & Timmy Trumpet.
Shohei Ohtani is the AP’s Male Athlete of the Year for record-tying 4th time
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has won The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the fourth time, tying with Lance Armstrong, LeBron James and Tiger Woods for most among male honorees. Ohtani received 29 of 47 votes in balloting among sports journalists from the AP and its members. The AP award has been given out since 1931. The Japanese baseball superstar’s two-way dominance culminated in a repeat World Series title for his Los Angeles Dodgers. Among Ohtani’s goals for 2026 are staying healthy so he can play in every game and to keep working on his English-speaking skills so he bridge the gap with his U.S. fans.
Liverpool without Salah beats Inter in Champions League. Barcelona and Bayern win
Liverpool picked up a much-needed win over Inter Milan in the Champions League without Mohamed Salah while Barcelona and Bayern Munich celebrated comeback wins and Chelsea lost. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up instead of the usual Salah to score the 88th-minute penalty which earned Liverpool a 1-0 win over one of the competition’s best-performing teams. Barcelona beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 and Chelsea lost 2-1 to Atalanta. Bayern Munich’s 17-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl produced an audacious bit of skill to continue his high-scoring start to life in the Champions League in a 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon.
Brunson scores 35 points as Knicks rout Raptors 117-101 to reach NBA Cup semifinals for first time
TORONTO (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 35 points, Josh Hart added 21 and the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals for the first time in three tries by beating the struggling Toronto Raptors 117-101. Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who will face Orlando in the semifinal round at Las Vegas on Saturday. Mikal Bridges scored 15 points for New York and Jordan Clarkson had 12. The only team to reach the quarterfinals in all three years of the event, the Knicks had lost their previous two appearances by a combined 32 points.
NASCAR chairman refuses to budge on team charters in testimony during Michael Jordan’s lawsuit
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR Chairman Jim France has testified in Michael Jordan’s federal antitrust lawsuit against his family that he still has not changed his mind on granting teams permanent charters. Evidence introduced on Tuesday showed that France entered negotiations on a new revenue-sharing agreement determined to thwart teams’ efforts for a bigger piece of the stock car series’ revenue. Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have accused NASCAR of being a monopolistic bully that engages in anticompetitive business practices. Also Tuesday, Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress testified that he only signed a 2025 revenue-sharing agreement because he didn’t want to put his team out of business.
Soccer peace prize for Trump triggers complaints about Infantino to FIFA ethics investigators
GENEVA (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s public support for Donald Trump and a peace prize awarded to the U.S. president are the subjects of formal complaints to the global soccer body’s ethics investigators. FairSquare, a London-based human rights nonprofit, said Tuesday it filed requests for investigations into Infantino’s alleged breaches of FIFA’s statutory duty to be politically neutral. FIFA said its ethics committee does not comment on potential ongoing cases, and could not confirm receiving the complaint. It is unclear if the case will be taken up. Infantino has aligned FIFA with Trump and the U.S. government ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
It’s Messi. Repeat, Messi. The Inter Miami star is MLS’ first back-to-back MVP winner
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi has become the first back-to-back MVP in Major League Soccer history. The 38-year-old Argentine star was announced Tuesday as this year’s winner of the league’s top individual honor. This achievement adds to Messi’s long list of career accomplishments. He scored 29 goals and made 19 assists during the regular season and led Inter Miami to its first MLS Cup title. Messi joins Preki as the only two-time MVP in MLS history. Inter Miami’s value has soared since Messi’s arrival, and he recently signed a three-year extension with the team.
Egypt and Iran complain about planned World Cup ‘Pride’ match in Seattle
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Egypt and Iran, two Middle East nations that target gays and lesbians, have complained to FIFA over the scheduling of a World Cup soccer match in Seattle that’s expected to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride. Leaders in the nation’s soccer federations publicly rebuked the idea of playing the match June 26 at Seattle Stadium. Local organizers say it will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington.” Iran said it planned a formal complaint at an upcoming FIFA meeting in Qatar. Seattle’s organizing committee said it was “moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament.”