June 26, 2026 4:24 am
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs hold the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft that opens on Friday night. The Leafs find themselves in a familiar position and setting, 10 years after selecting Auston Matthews with the first pick of the 2016 draft. Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is the top-ranked prospect, but has company in a draft class filled with defensemen. The Leafs aren’t revealing who they intend to select, and NHL executives are having difficulty guessing how the top five picks will shake out. San Jose has the No. 2 pick, followed by Vancouver, Buffalo and the New York Rangers. The Penguins will have the 22nd selection in the first round.
June 24, 2026 4:26 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft pitched six strong innings, batterymate Endy Roriguez drove in three runs and Ryan O’Hearn had three hits to help the Pittsburgh Pirates rout the Seattle Mariners 11-1 on Wednesday night. Ashcraft (7-3) had 10 strikeouts and no walks while allowing one run and five hits. He became the first Pirates pitcher to have at least two starts in the same season with at least 10 strikeouts and zero walks since at least 1901. Rodriguez’s two-run double opened the scoring in a five-run fourth inning against Bryan Woo (6-6) as the Pirates went ahead 5-1. Rodriguez also singled in a run in a four-run seventh that pushed the lead to 9-1. Carmen Mlodzinski pitched four scoreless innings for his second save.
June 25, 2026 2:56 am
The NHL has cleared the Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospective buyer. U.S.-based Hoffmann Family Companies announced this week that it had received unanimous approval from the NHL Board of Governors to acquire the team. In a release, the company said the transaction is expected to close “imminently.” Financial terms were not disclosed. George Hoffmann will serve as the team’s governor, alongside alternate governors Greg Hoffmann, CEO of the HF Companies’ real estate arm; Kyle Dubas, Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations; and David Hoffmann, founder and chairman of HF Companies. HF Companies would take ownership from Fenway Sports Group, which purchased the Penguins in 2021 for $900 million from Ron Burkle and Lemieux.
June 25, 2026 4:29 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark left the Indiana Fever’s loss to Phoenix with a back injury in the third quarter. The All-Star guard has been dealing with a back issue this season and left with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter. She went back to the locker room and didn’t return. Clark appeared to tweak her back in the second quarter when she was fouled shooting a 3-pointer in the second quarter. She fell to the ground and was rubbing her back as she stood up. In the first quarter she went back to the tunnel and returned to the bench wearing a wrap around her back. She finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes.
June 24, 2026 4:23 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cole Young hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning in his first major league game in his hometown to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 22-year-old second baseman’s drive into the right-field bleachers kept the Mariners in first place in the AL Wes. Young grew up in Pittsburgh’s suburbs. The Mariners’ other run came in the fourth inning when Cal Raleigh led off with a solo shot. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead on an RBI single by Marcell Ozuna in the second inning and a throwing error in the third.
June 24, 2026 4:24 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona. Griffin has been sidelined since May 31 with a right forearm strain. He made his major league debut with the Pirates on April 3 and was signed to a nine-year, $140-million contract five days later. Griffin, 20, is hitting .270 with four home runs, 22 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 51 games this season. The Pirates do not have a timetable for when Griffin will be activated. Further imaging on right-hander Jared Jones’ right elbow revealed no damage. He was hit on the elbow by a line drive Sunday.
June 24, 2026 4:26 am
Brendan Sorsby will have to wait until 2027 to begin his NFL career. The NFL informed the 22-year-old quarterback on Tuesday that it will not hold a supplemental draft this year, and encouraged him to focus on preparing for possible entry into the league through the regular draft next year. The league told Sorsby of its decision in a letter that was obtained by The Associated Press. Sorsby had applied for the supplemental draft after a legal battle with the NCAA, which had declared him ineligible for making thousands of bets on sporting events worth at least $90,000 during his college career.
June 24, 2026 4:26 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Wizards selected forward AJ Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring in his one season at BYU, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, highlighted by a 43-point effort that broke BYU’s freshman scoring record. At 6-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, who happens to be his favorite player. Durant grew up in the Washington area, and Wizards fans can only hope Dybantsa can live up to the comparisons.
June 24, 2026 4:27 am
The NCAA adopted a new eligibility model for Division I athletes allowing five seasons of competition over a five-year period beginning upon initial college enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The Division I Cabinet approved the change from the longstanding tenet of college sports that gave athletes five years to complete four seasons of competition with their eligibility clock starting at the time of enrollment, regardless of age. It eliminates waivers for extended eligibility except for pregnancy, religious missions or active-duty military service. No longer will extensions be considered for athletes who are injured.
June 23, 2026 4:20 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Oklahoma capitalized on North Carolina’s uncharacteristic pitching struggles and got another clutch performance from LJ Mercurius out of the bullpen on its way to a 13-2 victory in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the College World Series finals. The win gave the Sooners their first national championship since 1994. The Sooners won the Southeastern Conference’s seventh straight title after finishing 11th in the regular season and entering the NCAA Tournament off losses in seven of nine games. North Carolina was runner-up for the third time since 2006 and now has 13 CWS appearances without a title.
