July 13, 2023 4:24 am
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Daniil Medvedev has ended American Chris Eubanks’ surprising run at Wimbledon in the quarterfinals. Medvedev came back to beat Eubanks in five sets on Wednesday. The 2021 U.S. Open champion reached his first semifinal at the All England Club. Next up for Medvedev is a matchup against No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who eliminated Holger Rune. Ons Jabeur eliminated defending champion Elena Rybakina in a rematch of last year’s final to get back to the semifinals. Jabeur now meets Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, a winner against American Madison Keys.
July 13, 2023 4:23 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Adalberto Carrasquilla converted the decisive penalty kick after Cristian Roldan failed to convert his attempt, and Panama beat the defending champion United States 5-4 in a shootout after a 1-1 tie to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Mexico. Iván Anderson scored in the ninth minute of extra time. Jesús Ferreira tied the score for the U.S. six minutes later. Panama reached the final for the third time after losing to the U.S. in 2005 and 2013. The U.S. failed to reach the final for the first time since a 2015 semifinal loss.
July 12, 2023 4:27 am

SEATTLE (AP) — Elias Díaz hit a two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning, and the National League snapped a nine-game losing streak in the All-Star Game with a 3-2 win over the American League. The NL won for the first time since an 8-0 victory in 2012 in Kansas City thanks to Díaz, a catcher who became the first Rockies player to win the All-Star MVP award. Díaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates at the end of 2019, drove a 2-2 pitch from Baltimore’s hard-throwing closer deep to left to put the NL in front. Díaz was the lone representative for Colorado in his first All-Star Game appearance.
July 12, 2023 4:29 am
SEATTLE (AP) — Elias Díaz may be the most unlikely All-Star MVP. Just 3 1/2 years after Pittsburgh failed to offer a contract and allowed him to become a free agent, his go-ahead, two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning lifted the National League over the American 3-2. A first-time All-Star at age 32, the Colorado catcher put his name on an award won by Willie Mays, Joe Morgan, Frank and Brooks Robinson, both Ken Griffeys and Mike Trout. Díaz says: “I honestly can’t believe that my name is going to be next to some of those names.”
July 12, 2023 4:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A PGA Tour executive has told Congress that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund agreed to invest more than $1 billion in a new commercial entity controlled by the tour. Ron Price, the tour’s chief operating officer, also said at a hearing Tuesday that Greg Norman will be ousted as the CEO of LIV Golf if the business deal between the Saudis and the tour is finalized. The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is looking into the negotiations between the tour and the Saudis and the geopolitical implications of Saudi investment in American sports. However, there was no indication that Congress would block the tour from going into business with the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
July 11, 2023 4:37 am

SEATTLE (AP) — Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr, joined Vladimir Sr. to become the first father-son duo to win the All-Star Home Run Derby, beating Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the final round. Guerrero defeated Julio Rodríguez 21-20 in the semifinals after the Mariners star hit a record 41 in the first round in front of his hometown fans. Batting against Blue Jays manager John Schneider, Guerrero was the last of the four semifinalists to swing and the first of the finalists, setting a final round record for homers to top Pete Alonso’s 23 two years ago. Vladimir Sr. won the 2007 derby.
July 11, 2023 4:39 am
Bob Huggins says he has checked into a rehabilitation facility following a drunken driving arrest and disputes that he resigned at West Virginia. Huggins issued a statement Monday saying he wanted to “set the record straight” on the events of the past two weeks since his arrest in Pittsburgh on June 16. Huggins says he never gave formal notice to resign under the terms of his contract. He also says a resignation statement issued by the university on June 17 indicating it was from Huggins was not drafted or reviewed by him. The university says it has no plans to reinstate Huggins.
July 11, 2023 4:38 am
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern has fired coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership of the program and damaged the university’s reputation after it mishandled its response to the allegations. Fitzgerald’s dismissal completed a rapid fall from grace for the former Northwestern linebacker. The 48-year-old Fitzgerald had been firmly entrenched at his alma mater, an annual fixture on any list of college coaches with the most job security. Northwestern President Michael Schill says the culture within Fitzgerald’s program was “broken” in some ways.
July 10, 2023 4:39 am

SEATTLE (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have selected hard-throwing LSU right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes with the top pick in baseball’s amateur draft. Skenes went 12-3 as a pitcher, with 209 strikeouts in 122 innings in helping lead the Tigers to the College World Series championship. The pick was announced by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., the top pick of the 1987 draft by the Seattle Mariners. For the second time in three years, the Pirates held the top overall selection after selecting catcher Henry Davis at the top of the 2021 draft. Davis made his major league debut last month for Pittsburgh. LSU teammate Dylan Crews went No. 2 to Washington with high school outfielder Max Clark being selected third by Detroit.
July 10, 2023 4:41 am

PHOENIX (AP) — Ji Man Choi hit a two-run homer, seven Pittsburgh pitchers combined on a four-hitter and the Pirates ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Choi homered off Zach Davies in the second inning and the Pirates bullpen took turns shutting down the Diamondbacks a day after giving up a late lead in a 3-2 loss to Arizona. Osvaldo Bido allowed a hit in 1 1/3 innings and All-Star closer David Bednar worked around a walk in the ninth inning for his 17th save in 18 chances after Jared Triolo hit a run-scoring single in the top half. Alek Thomas homered for the second straight game for the Diamondbacks.