July 11, 2025 4:18 am
DALLAS (AP) — The Stars have traded Matt Dumba to Pittsburgh in a swap of defensemen as Dallas gets Vladislav Kolyachonok while sending a 2028 second-round pick to the Penguins. Dumba never had an impact after signing a $7.5 million, two-year contract in free agency last year. He was a healthy scratch for all 18 playoff games as the Stars lost in the Western Conference final for the third consecutive year. The 30-year-old Dumba had one goal and nine assists in 63 games during the regular season. Kolyachonok played for the Penguins and Utah last season.
July 11, 2025 4:23 am
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Brent Rooker and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have joined the lineup for Monday night’s All-Star Home Run Derby in Atlanta. Rooker, representing the Athletics, says he won’t change his usual approach at the plate. This marks the first time an A’s player has participated since 2021. Rooker has hit 58 home runs since 2024, third among American League players. His former youth coach, Joe Caruso, will pitch to him during the event. Chisholm, a Yankees infielder, is making his Derby debut. Other participants include Ronald Acuña Jr., Byron Buxton, Junior Caminero, Oneil Cruz, Cal Raleigh and James Wood.
July 11, 2025 4:21 am
Lee Elia, a former major league player and coach who was managing the Chicago Cubs in 1983 when he famously criticized the team’s fans in a memorable postgame rant, has died. He was 87. The Philadelphia Phillies say Elia died on Wednesday. No further details were provided by the team. Elia, a Philadelphia native, had a 238-300 record in four seasons as a big league manager, two with the Cubs and two with the Phillies. He was a shortstop during his playing career, batting .203 with three homers and 25 RBIs in 95 games with the White Sox and Cubs.
July 10, 2025 4:27 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez homered twice, Jac Caglianone hit the longest measured homer by a Royals rookie, and Kansas City beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 to complete a three-game sweep. Perez broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning with his longball off Isaac Mattson. He opened the scoring with a 444-foot shot to center in the second. But the most impressive homer of the game belonged to Caglianone — a 466-foot, two-run drive to center in the fourth against Bailey Falter. It was the longest homer by a Royals rookie since Statcast started tracking in 2015 and the fourth-longest by any Kansas City player at Kauffman Stadium.
July 10, 2025 4:29 am
Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero announced he will compete in the Home Run Derby on Monday in Atlanta. Hours later, he learned he will start at third base for the American League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. All that came after Caminero belted his 22nd homer in a 7-3 win over Detroit. The 22-year-old leads AL third basemen in home runs during his breakout season and is batting .254 with 58 RBIs. Caminero joins five others in the Derby lineup, with two spots still open. Rays manager Kevin Cash calls it a “coming-out party” for Caminero, showcasing his talent to fans nationwide.
July 10, 2025 4:31 am
LONDON (AP) — Novak Djokovic has reached the Wimbledon semifinals for a men’s-record 14th time as he pursues his unprecedented 25th title from all Grand Slam tournaments. Djokovic beat Flavio Cobolli 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday to set up a showdown against No. 1 Jannik Sinner for a berth in the final. Sinner eliminated Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4 and didn’t play like someone dealing with an injured right elbow. He used terrific serving and his usual booming forehand to win against Shelton for the sixth consecutive time. Sinner hurt his elbow in a fall during his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday night.
July 9, 2025 4:33 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nick Loftin hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, then won it in the ninth with a one-out RBI single as the Kansas City Royals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. Rookie Jac Caglianone homered for the Royals, a 421-foot drive leading off the second inning that was his first extra-base hit in 14 games at Kauffman Stadium. He had been 5 for 46 at home before Tuesday. Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz tied it in the fourth with a 458-foot shot over the fountains in right field on the day he was announced as a participant in next-week’s Home Run Derby.
July 9, 2025 4:35 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz has been added to Monday’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta. He joins Cal Raleigh, Ronald Acuña Jr., Byron Buxton and James Wood. Cruz is known for his powerful homers, and he hit his 16th of the season Tuesday night at Kansas City. On May 25, he hit a homer with a record-breaking 122.9 mph exit velocity. That was the fastest since Statcast started tracking in 2015. The 26-year-old Cruz hit a career-best 21 homers last season.
July 9, 2025 4:36 am
Gavin McKenna said he is committing to Penn State in a highly anticipated decision by one of the most highly projected NHL-caliber prospects since Connor McDavid’s draft year in 2015. Just as significant, McKenna’s decision to jump from the Canadian Hockey League to the college ranks highlights how much the junior developmental hockey landscape has changed in North America since the NCAA’s landmark decision to lift its ban on CHL participation in November. McKenna, who turns 18 in December, is regarded as a generational talent who has been projected as the 2026 NHL draft’s top prospect.
July 8, 2025 4:24 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez hit two of Kansas City’s four home runs to back a strong start by rookie Noah Cameron, and the Royals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-3 on Monday night. Cameron struck out seven in a season-high seven innings. The left-hander allowed three hits, a walk, and two runs — on Tommy Pham’s two-run shot in the third. Witt went 2 for 3 and scored twice to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Witt hit his 13th homer, a two-run shot the opposite way to right-center field off reliever Chase Shugart to give the Royals a 6-2 lead in the fourth.
