MLB trade deadline: Tarik Skubal is the big prize, but buyers have other options, too
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is approaching, and several top pitchers could be on the move. Tarik Skubal, a two-time Cy Young winner, is a standout candidate. Despite recent surgery, he’s been performing well for the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are still on the periphery of the playoff race, which complicates trade decisions. Other pitchers like Freddy Peralta and Mason Miller are also attracting attention. Teams like the Yankees, Rays and Dodgers are clear buyers, while others remain undecided. The deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. EDT, and many teams are weighing their options as they consider potential trades.
Rafaela hits 2 homers as streaking Red Sox take lead in 8th and edge Yamamoto and Dodgers 3-2
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andruw Monasterio hit a ground-rule double to lead off the eighth and scored the go-ahead run on Connor Wong’s double-play grounder as the streaking Boston Red Sox edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2. The Red Sox have won four straight and are 22-4 since the start of July. Boston is 13-3 since the All-Star break. The only hits allowed by Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto through seven innings were home runs by Ceddanne Rafaela in the first and third innings. Teoscar Hernández had three hits, including a two-run homer, for the Dodgers.
Pirates acquire former All-Star reliever Camilo Doval from the Yankees
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are acquiring reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees to boost their struggling bullpen. Pittsburgh is sending prospects Omar Alfonso and Luis Cruz to New York for Doval. The 29-year-old former All-Star provides a much-needed experienced arm as the Pirates compete for a National League wild-card spot. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been an issue all season, with 20 blown saves contributing to their 55-56 record. Doval went 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA in 44 games this season for the Yankees. Pittsburgh hopes a new setting provides Doval with a fresh start.
Women’s Professional Baseball League makes a rainy debut in front of enthusiastic crowd
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Women’s Professional Baseball League has started its inaugural season. Mo’ne Davis and the Los Angeles Queens rallied for a wild 10-8 victory over Denae Benites and the New York Heights on opening day for the first women’s professional baseball league in the United States in almost 30 years. A steady rain delayed the start of the game at a soaked Robin Roberts Stadium, the 101-year-old home of the WPBL’s first season. But much of the crowd started lining up hours before the first pitch, hoping to grab a Davis bobblehead. The line for the main merchandise booth stretched all the way to the outfield along one side of the ballpark.
UEFA declares no confidence in Infantino and vows accountability for failed World Cup equity plan
GENEVA (AP) — UEFA says it has lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino and that “no option should be off the table” as it will pursue a full review of his now abandoned plan to sell stakes of the World Cup to private equity investors. Infantino was forced to scrap the plan early Saturday after his senior adviser who sat on a White House panel resigned and Asia’s soccer body joined Europe and North America in opposing it. Infantino had proposed creating a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with private investors, but drew backlash that grew every day since Tuesday’s announcement.
Members of the 1986 World Series champion Mets celebrate the 40th anniversary of team’s last title
NEW YORK (AP) — Members of the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets celebrated the 40th anniversary of the franchise’s last title on Saturday. The Mets team won 108 regular-season games and beat the Boston Red Sox in seven games that year. Members of that squad marveled at the miraculous turn of events against Boston on the way to the championship and lamented the plight of the current team, which has the second-worst record in the National League at 47-64 heading into Saturday’s game against Miami.
Yealimi Noh seizes on Ryu’s late collapse to build 3-shot lead in Women’s British Open
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Yealimi Noh has her first 54-hole lead in a major at the Women’s British Open. The 25-year-old Californian has taken advantage of Haeran Ryu’s surprising collapse. Noh finished with four birdies over the last 10 holes for a 69. That gives her a three-shot lead. Ryu is going after her third straight major and led by four shots on the front nine. She then fell apart with five bogeys in an eight-hole stretch for a 74. She’s among five players who are three behind. The group includes Jeeno Thitikul who is No. 2 in the world.
Davis Riley closes strong, takes 1-shot lead into final round of the last Rocket Classic in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) — Davis Riley shot a 7-under 63 to reach 15 under and took a one-shot lead at Detroit Golf Club, where the relatively easy course will give a lot of players on the tightly-packed leaderboard a chance to win the last Rocket Classic. Riley closed with consecutive birdies, making a 54-foot putt at No. 17 and a 10-footer at 18 to pull into a first-place tie with Michael Brennan on Saturday. Rasmus Hojgaard, Chris Kirk, Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young were three shots back. Xander Schauffele is in a group another stroke back, going into the final round on Sunday.
Women of Colour Hockey Collective broadens its reach by introducing the game to Jamaican children
Women of Colour Hockey Collective broadens its reach by holding a recent weekend clinic in Jamaica. The event was a homecoming of sorts for many WCHC members, including co-founder Saroya Tinker and Canadian national team defender Sophie Jaques, whose families have ties to the Caribbean nation. The collective’s objective is to make hockey more accessible to women and girls of color, and backed by the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The clinics were held in the nation’s capital of Kingston, and attracted about 150 girls and boys, including foster children. Swift Hockey, which specializes in manufacturing and selling affordable hockey sticks, donated 75 sticks for the trip.
Infantino abandoned his World Cup equity plan after seismic FIFA backlash. Here’s what to know
GENEVA (AP) — Gianni Infantino has abandoned his plans to invite investors to buy a stake in future profits from the World Cup and all FIFA events. Infantino was at risk of losing his job as FIFA president two weeks after seeming untouchable following a financial bonanza of a World Cup. Infantino’s proposal sought to create a subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise for the money-making parts of the not-for-profit soccer body’s work: Running tournaments like the World Cup, selling broadcasting and sponsorship, tickets and hospitality. Private equity and petrostate sovereign wealth money has been normalized in European club soccer yet they still seem unthinkable for many observers in the World Cup.