June 17, 2026 4:32 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi delivered his first World Cup hat trick and matched Miroslav Klose’s career scoring record before thousands of Argentina fans packed into Arrowhead Stadium for a match against Algeria on Tuesday night. The defending champions went on to win 3-0. Messi scored his first goal in the opening minutes, the second early in the second half, and the third just before subbing out. The performance came 20 years after his World Cup debut, when Messi also scored. Messi now has 16 goals in six World Cup appearances. The hat trick upstaged stars like Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, each of whom also scored twice in their matches earlier Tuesday.
June 16, 2026 4:32 am
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nick Kurtz hit two homers and drove in five runs, Jeff McNeil also went deep and knocked in four, and the Athletics beat the scuffling Pittsburgh Pirates 11-2. J.T. Ginn pitched six strong innings for the A’s. McNeil went 3 for 4 and snapped an 0-for-20 slump with an RBI single in the second. Kurtz followed with an opposite-field homer to left for a 3-0 lead and finished 3 for 5. McNeil hit his third homer to make it 5-1 in the fourth and added an RBI single in the seventh before Kurtz followed with a three-run shot to left. Eight of Kurtz’s 18 home runs have come in June. Pittsburgh has lost eight of 10 to fall a game under .500.
June 16, 2026 4:36 am
Transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby will not play for Texas Tech this fall. He is instead planning to enter the NFL supplemental draft. That will end an unprecedented legal fight over the college eligibility of a player who had acknowledged betting on college and pro sports, including some wagers on his own team while a freshman at Indiana four years ago. The decision by Sorsby came exactly one week before the deadline to apply for the NFL supplemental draft. It was also on the same day the NCAA and Big 12 Conference had filings in different courts challenging a temporary injunction that cleared the way for Sorsby to play despite being declared ineligible after he acknowledged making thousands of bets worth at least $90,000 while in college.
June 16, 2026 4:34 am
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The coach of Iran’s World Cup team says it was ordered to leave the U.S. and return to its training base in Mexico only a few hours after opening its politically charged tournament by playing to a 2-2 draw with New Zealand. Coach Amir Ghalenoei didn’t say who ordered the Iranians to leave earlier than planned. The team had expected to spend the night in California. The Iranians’ World Cup cycle has been in upheaval since the U.S. and Israel began a war against Iran on Feb. 28.
June 15, 2026 4:53 am
The Marlins took two out of three from the Pirates with a 4-2 win Sunday afternoon. Pitcher Max Meyer allowed just one run in six innings. Paul Skenes took the loss for the Pirates. The Pirates will be on the road for a three-game series against the Athletics. Jared Jones will get the start tonight. The game will be available on 1450 AM at 9:15 PM.
June 15, 2026 4:55 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years on Sunday night, using a suffocating defense in Game 6 to shut down the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 and winning three straight games of a thrilling final filled with momentum swings and spectacular offense. Brandon Bussi, who entrance late into Game 3 helped turn around the series, recorded his first career playoff shutout in stopping 22 shots. Jackson Blake backed him up with a goal and assist, and Taylor Hall scored just 3:47 into the game to set the tone. Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal.
June 15, 2026 4:58 am
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Yasin Ayari scored twice and Sweden showed it belonged at the 2026 World Cup, pounding Tunisia 5-1 to move atop Group F. Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres each had a goal and an assist, and Mattias Svanberg also scored for Sweden, which entered ranked 39th in the world and missed the 2022 World Cup after reaching the quarterfinals eight years ago in Russia. Omar Rekik scored for 45th-ranked Tunisia, which is playing in its seventh World Cup but has never advanced beyond the group stage. Ayari bookended the scoring for the Swedes at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, with long-range goals in the seventh minute and in second-half stoppage time.
June 15, 2026 4:56 am
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin is still planning to retire at the end of next season but won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway for his third consecutive victory. That moves him past the late Kyle Busch for ninth on the all-time wins list. Hamlin is the oldest full-time driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series at 45. He now has 64 career victories. Despite his success, including four wins this season, he remains firm on retiring when his deal with Joe Gibbs expires in 2027. Tyler Reddick finished second, and William Byron was third. NASCAR’s next event is a street race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
June 14, 2026 7:25 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Spencer Horwitz was hit by a pitch from Anthony Bender with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to bring in the go-ahead run and give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-2 win over Miami. Bender (1-1) struck out the first two batters of the inning before surrendering singles to Tyler Callihan and Jake Mangum and walking Jared Triolo. On the first pitch following a mound visit, Bender hit Horwitz with a 97 mph sinker to bring home Callihan. Yohan Ramírez (4-2) struck out the next three in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the lead. Gregory Soto got his 10th save.
June 14, 2026 7:28 am
NEW YORK (AP) — It was bedlam on Broadway as the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years, with exuberant celebrations marred by mayhem and violence, including gunshots in Times Square. Outside the team’s Manhattan arena, Madison Square Garden, fans roared as the Knicks rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Spurs in San Antonio in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night. Soon after, rowdy fans were clashing with police, smashing windows on a police car, climbing scaffolding, light poles and a statue, standing atop school buses in Times Square and trying to hitch a ride on a moving fire truck. The NYPD said there were multiple arrests but wouldn’t have a total until later on Sunday.
