August 17, 2026 4:55 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tommy John, the pitching great known for the surgery that bears his name, has died at 83. According to agent Mike Maguire, John died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night. John had a remarkable 26-year career, winning 288 games and becoming the first pitcher to successfully return after groundbreaking elbow surgery. This procedure, now known as Tommy John surgery, has saved the careers of many baseball stars. John was a four-time All-Star and played for several teams, including the Yankees and Dodgers. His legacy extends beyond his pitching, as his surgery revolutionized baseball.
August 16, 2026 7:20 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sonny Gray worked seven innings for his career-best 15th win of the season, Wilyer Abreu hit a home run, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0. Gray (15-3) struck out seven and allowed six hits while walking one. He had won 14 games in three other seasons. Abreu hit his 22nd homer in the second inning to put the Sox ahead 1-0. Andruw Monasterio drove in two more with his ninth-inning RBI double, and Jahmai Jones drove in Monasterio. Jared Jones (2-5) took the loss. The Pirates were led by Esmerlyn Valdez and Jake Mangum with two hits each.
August 16, 2026 7:46 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Joey Logano continued his surge toward the NASCAR Chase, winning Saturday night at Richmond Raceway with a late-race charge on fresh tires. The three-time Cup Series champion scored his second victory in the past four races while climbing from 17th to ninth in the points standings. With 24 laps remaining, the Team Penske driver snatched the lead from Christopher Bell, who had pitted 20 laps earlier and was trying to stretch his tires to the finish. Logano earned his 39th career victory and third at Richmond by 0.392 seconds over Chase Briscoe, who led a race-high 171 of 400 laps.
August 16, 2026 7:47 am
MASON, Ohio (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s stay at the Cincinnati Open was a short one. The 24-time major champion fell to Thiago Agustin Tirante 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in a match that took 2 hours, 44 minutes in hot and humid conditions. A 25-year-old from Argentina, Tirante is ranked No. 50 in the world. The 39-year-old Djokovic was playing for the first time since his loss to top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the semifinals at Wimbledon. Up next for Djokovic is the U.S. Open. Djokovic appeared to struggle physically in the heat and had his 10-match winning streak in Cincinnati snapped. He won the title in 2020 and 2023. In a rain-delayed match that ended at 2:15 a.m. Sunday, top-seeded Alexander Zverev beat Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
August 16, 2026 7:50 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Islam Makhachev sets a UFC record with his 17th straight victory, defeating Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision at UFC 330 on Saturday night. Makhachev, who hasn’t lost since 2015, won the welterweight crown in 2025 and successfully defended it for the first time. Mackenzie Dern also defended her 115-pound title with a unanimous decision over Gillian Robertson. Edson Barboza retired after a loss to Esteben Ribovics, ending a career that began in 2009. UFC returned to Philadelphia for the first time since 2019, with local fighter Jeremiah Wells winning by submission.
August 15, 2026 3:23 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit a three-run home run and rookie Rafael Flores Jr. homered for the third time in two days to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. Lowe’s homer came in the fifth inning off Jovani Moran and landed in the right-field stands, extending the Pirates’ lead to 7-2 as they won back-to-back games for the first time since July 26-27. Flores hit a solo shot off Jake Bennett (7-6) in the second to open the scoring after connecting twice Thursday in a 13-1 win at Miami.
August 15, 2026 3:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales was struck on the helmet by a pitch from Jovani Moran in the fifth inning and left Pittsburgh’s game against the Boston Red Sox. Gonzales, who entered the day third in the NL in hitting, sustained a facial contusion and was replaced by pinch-runner Jacob Gonzalez. The Pirates said Gonzales is day-to-day. The 27-year-old went 0 for 2, dropping his batting average to .307 in 118 games. He also has six home runs and a career-high 53 RBIs
August 15, 2026 3:27 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler birdied the first five holes and shot a 9-under 61 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The top-ranked Scheffler had 11 birdies and two bogeys in 100-degree heat at TPC Southwind in the playoff opener. He had an 11-under 129 total. Scheffler tied the tournament course record. He has played the TPC Southwind more times (seven) without winning than any other course on the PGA Tour. Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im were tied for second at 8 under. Hovland had a 64, and Im shot his second 66. Scheffler entered the week with a 794-point lead over Matt Fitzpatrick in the FedExCup standings. Fitzpatrick was 3 under after a 67.
August 14, 2026 4:19 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rookie Drew Allar threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the Green Bay Packers 28-9 in the preseason opener for both teams. Allar was a third-round pick from Penn State. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 154 yards, including short scoring tosses to Kaden Wetjen and Riley Nowakowski. Will Howard also impressed for Pittsburgh, guiding the Steelers to a touchdown late in the first half. Green Bay’s Jordan Love completed 3 of 5 passes while making a brief appearance. Pittsburgh star Aaron Rodgers watched from the sideline while the competition to serve as his backup heated up.
August 14, 2026 4:21 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Elandon Roberts is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team has signed the veteran linebacker to a one-year deal. Roberts, 32, spent two seasons with the Steelers in 2023 and 2024 before playing for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. Roberts has 694 tackles, 14 1/2 sacks, and one interception in his 10-year career. He won two Super Bowls with New England in 2016 and 2018 before moving to Miami and then Pittsburgh. Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin described Roberts as a “tooth chipper” for his physical play. Roberts joins an inside linebacker group with Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, and Cole Holcomb.
