July 2, 2021 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed kicker Sam Sloman to a one-year contract, giving veteran Chris Boswell some competition going into training camp. Sloman made 10 of 13 field goals as a rookie last season while splitting time between Tennessee and the Los Angeles Rams. Boswell connected on 19 of 20 field goals and 34 of 38 extra points last season, though he did miss three games late in the year because of an injury. Boswell has two years remaining on his current contract.
July 1, 2021 3:45 am
DENVER (AP) – Jon Gray tossed six strong innings in another solid outing for Colorado starters, and the Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Garrett Hampson had four hits for the Rockies, who swept the three-game series and improved to 28-16 at home. Colorado is just 6-31 on the road.A day after being no-hit by German Marquez for eight innings the Pirates jumped on Gray for their first runs of the series. Adam Frazier led off the game with a triple, scored on a sacrifice fly and Bryan Reynolds homered for a quick 2-0 lead.It was Reynolds’ 14th of the year.Gray (5-6) didn’t give up another hit before leaving four a pinch hitter in the sixth. He walked four — one intentional — hit a batter and struck out five to continue the strong run of outings by Colorado starters.
July 1, 2021 3:50 am
DALLAS (AP) – The NCAA has cleared the way for athletes to profit off their fame and celebrity. The move comes just as legislation is set to become law in a dozen states that would allow for that kind of compensation. The NCAA wants to have federal laws or its own rules regarding the issue known as NIL but was forced to seek a temporary solution. The decision applies to more than 450,000 athletes across all three divisions of the NCAA.
July 1, 2021 3:46 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Will Bednar and Landon Sims combined on a one-hitter, Mississippi State scored early and built on its lead, and the Bulldogs won their first national championship with a 9-0 victory over Vanderbilt in the deciding third game of the College World Series finals. Bednar was working on three days’ rest and walked three of the first five batters he faced before retiring 15 in a row. He turned the game over to the Bulldogs’ star closer to start the seventh. It’s Mississippi State’s first national title in a team sport.
July 1, 2021 3:49 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning lead the Stanley Cup Final two games to none after beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night. Andrei Vasilevskiy made a playoff career-high 42 saves to keep the defending champions in the game and Blake Coleman scored the Game 2 winner on a highlight-reel diving buzzer beater in the second period. Montreal outshot Tampa Bay 43-23 and was the better team for much of the night. But the Lightning beat Carey Price three times and showed they can lean on great goaltending and score opportunistic goals much like the Canadiens. Game 3 is Friday night in Montreal.
June 30, 2021 3:44 am
DENVER (AP) – German Marquez came within three outs of what would have been a record-tying eighth no-hitter this season before allowing Ka’ai Tom’s single leading off the ninth inning in the Colorado Rockies 8-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 26-year-old Venezuelan right-hander faced one batter over the minimum. Jacob Stallings was hit in the left ribs by a knuckle-curve with a 1-2 count and one out in the second inning, and Phillip Evans checked his swing and walked on a 3-2 slider that went low and outside with one out in the fifth. Kevin Newman then grounded into an inning ending double play.
June 30, 2021 3:45 am
UNDATED (AP) – Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago has become the first player disciplined under Major League Baseball’s crackdown on grip-enhancing foreign substances, receiving a 10-game penalty. The punishment was announced two days after Santiago was ejected from a game at the Chicago White Sox. Santiago has appealed the decision to MLB special adviser John McHale Jr., allowing him to play until the appeal is decided.
June 30, 2021 3:47 am
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) – Time is running out as Serena Williams continues her quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. The 39-year-old Williams had to retire in the first set after she hurt her leg in an Wimbledon opening-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus. Williams slipped on the grass while hitting a forehand in the fifth game. She received a medical timeout and was in the seventh game when her knee buckled, causing her to crumple to the grass. She was in tears as she walked to the net to concede. Williams hasn’t won a Slam since 2017, keeping her one off the record held by Margaret Court.
June 29, 2021 3:45 am
DENVER (AP) – Kyle Freeland pitched five scoreless innings before leaving with an apparent leg injury suffered while running the bases, Elias Diaz homered and the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0. Yonathan Daza had an RBI triple and an over-the-shoulder catch of Erik Gonzalez’s deep flyball to the center field warning track. The game was dubbed “Opening Day 2.0” after the lifting of all pandemic-induced attendance restrictions at 50,000-seat Coors Field. The Pirates had six hits, all singles. Freeland (1-2) allowed three hits and struck out seven in his seventh start of the season. Daniel Bard got the save.
June 29, 2021 3:47 am
DENVER (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates have optioned right-hander Max Kranick to Triple-A Indianapolis, a day after he pitched five perfect innings to win his major league debut. The Pirates, who are using a six-man rotation, recalled right-hander Cody Ponce from Indianapolis. Kranick retired all 15 batters he faced Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals before a lengthy rain delay forced him from the mound. The Pirates went on to win 7-2. Kranick became the first pitcher since 1893 to leave after at least five innings with a perfect game intact in his MLB debut.
