July 31, 2024 4:44 am
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays have the government backing the team needs to build a long-sought-after ballpark. The Pinellas County Commissioners approved on Tuesday the west-central Florida county’s share of the funding for the 30,000-seat stadium. The deal will guarantee the team stays put for at least 30 years. The county voted 5-2 to approve spending about $312.5 million for its share of the ballpark costs from revenue generated by a bed tax. The St. Petersburg City Council approved spending $417.5 million for the stadium earlier this month. The $1.3 billion ballpark is part of a broader $6.5 billion redevelopment project that supporters say would transform an 86-acre tract in the city’s downtown.
July 30, 2024 4:36 pm
PARIS (AP) — “The Redemption Tour” ended in a familiar spot for Simone Biles: atop the Olympic podium. The American gymnastics star and her singular brilliance powered a dominant U.S. women’s team in the finals inside a raucous Bercy Arena. With Biles at her show-stopping best, the Americans’ total of 171.296 was well clear of Italy and Brazil and the exclamation point of a yearlong run in which Biles has cemented her legacy as the greatest ever in her sport and among the best in the history of the Olympics.
July 30, 2024 4:30 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Paul Skenes allowed one earned run over six innings in a no-decision and Michael A. Taylor hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the ninth off Josh Hader that led the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Houston Astros 6-3. Skenes lowered his ERA from 1.93 to 1.90, giving up two runs, five hits and three walks with six strikeouts. His 103 strikeouts in his first 13 starts trail only Hideo Nomo (119), Kerry Wood (118), Herb Score (107), Jose DeLeon (106), while matching Masahiro Tanaka. Skenes’ streak of starts with seven or more ended at nine.
July 30, 2024 4:33 am
The St. Louis Cardinals added starting pitcher Erick Fedde and Milwaukee, the team they are chasing in the NL Central, acquired starter Frankie Montas. Those were among the flurry of trades Monday by playoff hopeful teams on the day before the MLB deadline. Kansas City got veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen. The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers got hard-throwing reliever Michael Kopeck in the three-team deal that sent Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham from the lowly White Sox to the Cardinals. Houston and Seattle are in a tight race for the AL West lead, and both acquired players from Toronto. The Mariners got veteran infielder Justin Turner and the Astros added left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi.
July 30, 2024 4:31 am
PARIS (AP) — The men’s Olympic triathlon has been postponed over concerns about water quality in Paris’ Seine River, where the swimming portion of the race was supposed to take place. Organizers said they will try to hold the men’s triathlon Wednesday instead of Tuesday as planned. The women’s competition is also scheduled for Wednesday, but both are subject to water tests. A risk of rain through Thursday could complicate rescheduling. The decision to postpone the men’s event followed a meeting that included the sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials. The event is now scheduled to start at 10:45 a.m., which may make heat more of a factor.
July 29, 2024 4:38 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Ji Hwan Bae scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in Pittsburgh’s four-run 10th inning, Joey Bart hit a tying run-scoring double in the ninth and the Pirates rallied to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5. Arizona took a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning, only to see it fall apart. Pinch hitter Rowdy Tellez led off the ninth inning with a double against Paul Sewald. Bart followed with a two-out double to tie it. The blown save was Sewald’s fourth in 20 chances. Bae scored on a wild pitch by Justin Martinez after opening the 10th inning with a bunt single. Martinez then hit Alika Williams with a pitch to score another run and Ke’Bryan Hayes made it 6-2 with a two-run bloop single.
July 29, 2024 4:42 am
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Wide receiver George Pickens is finding new ways to establish himself as a leader in his third season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team traded six-year veteran Diontae Johnson to Carolina in March after Pickens had a breakout second season. Now, the 23-year-old Pickens is the Steelers’ longest-tenured wide receiver and the only one on the roster with a 1,000-yard season.
July 29, 2024 4:44 am
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — LeBron James made his Olympic return after a 12-year absence. Kevin Durant played for the first time this summer. And the two most-experienced Olympians on this U.S. team opened the Paris Games — not to mention a bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal for the Americans — with a near-perfect show. Durant made his first eight shots on the way to 23 points in less that 17 minutes, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on Sunday. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points for Serbia.
July 29, 2024 4:45 am
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena in Paris despite complaining of a left calf injury that had her limping. Biles appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her signature.
July 28, 2024 7:32 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered and had three RBIs, pinch hitter Joc Pederson hit a two-run triple and the Arizona Diamondbacks stretched their winning streak to four games with a 9-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night. Jake McCarthy went 5 for 5 with an RBI and Arizona had 13 hits to win for the 10th time in 13 games. The Diamondbacks have won or split eight straight series. The Diamondbacks jumped on the Pirates early, taking a 4-1 lead after Marte’s two-run homer and Corbin Carroll’s solo shot. Oneil Cruz hit a 472-foot homer in the first inning and the Pirates tied it at 4 with three runs in the fifth inning off Brandon Pfaadt (5-6).
