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.
June 29, 2021 3:51 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning are three wins away from joining the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers as the only expansion teams to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Nikita Kucherov provided a pair of third-period goals and registered an assist as the Lightning whipped the Montreal Canadiens, 5-1 in Tampa. Kucherov put the Bolts up 3-1 early in the third period with a fluky goal that Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot tried to bat down with his hand before it wound up in the net. He scored again at 11:25 of the third, then assisted on Steven Stamkos’ power-play goal that made it 5-1 with just over a minute to go. Kucherov leads all playoff scorers with 23 assists and 30 points. Eric Cernak and Yanni Gourde also scored, and Brayden Point had three assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 18 shots and blanked the Canadiens until Chiarot scored on a deflection off Sergei Sergachev late in the second period. Game 2 is Wednesday in Tampa.
June 28, 2021 3:51 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Max Kranick pitched five perfect innings in his major league debut before a 64-minute rain delay forced him from the game, and the Pittsburgh Pirates went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2. In a season in which there have already been a modern-day record seven no-hitters, Kranick made a bid for perhaps the most unlikely premiere performance of all-time.The 23-year-old righty, who had never pitched above the High-A levels of the minors until this season, set down all 15 batters he faced. Kranick struck out three and threw only 50 pitches. The Pirates led 7-0 when the rain forced a halt. Duane Underwood Jr. relieved to begin the sixth. He set the side down in order in the sixth before giving up a leadoff double to Dylan Carlson to begin the seventh.
June 28, 2021 3:52 am
MONTREAL (AP) – Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and won’t travel with the team to Tampa Bay for Monday’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Armia has already posted playoff career bests with five goals and eight points in 17 games. Coach Dominique Ducharme is out until Friday when the Canadiens host Game 3. He remains in isolation since testing positive for COVID on June 18.
June 28, 2021 3:53 am
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) – The PGA’s Travelers Championship became a marathon at the end. Harris English birdied the eighth hole of sudden death to win the tournament, beating Kramer Hickok. The lengthy playoff came after both birdied the final hole of regulation to force the playoff. It matched the second-longest sudden-death playoff in PGA Tour history, and the longest since the 1949 Motor City Open. English shot a 5-under 65 to finish the fourth round at 13 under.
June 27, 2021 7:37 am
ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright pitched into the seventh inning, Paul Goldschmidt and Paul DeJong hit solo home runs and the St. Louis Cardinals ended a five-game losing streak, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 Saturday. The 39-year-old Wainwright (6-5) again stepped up as the Cardinals’ stopper. Since June 9, he has broken St. Louis skids of six, three, two and five games. Wainwright allowed one run and six hits, and was pulled after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh. He struck out eight and walked one. Now in his 16th major league season, he has gone into the seventh inning in eight of his last 12 starts. Wainwright improved to 18-7 in 43 career outings against the Pirates, including 38 starts. Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Alex Reyes each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Reyes had a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 18 opportunities. JT Brubaker (4-7) gave up three runs on six hits in six innings. Yadier Molina had two hits and drove in the other St. Louis run. The Cardinals entered the game having dropped seven of eight and 18 of their past 24 games. The win snapped a 10-game losing streak to NL Central teams. DeJong, back in the starting lineup after not playing Friday, put St. Louis ahead 2-0 with a solo home run in the second inning. The Cardinals scored in the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Molina. Pittsburgh cut the lead to 2-1 when Gregory Polanco led off the fourth with a home run.
June 27, 2021 7:43 am
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Kramer Hickok finished the third round of the Travelers Championship too late in the day to go fly fishing again. He’ll have to wait until Sunday to try to reel in the biggest catch of his career. The 29-year-old minor league tour regular shot a 2-under 68 on Saturday to tie for the lead with three-time winner Bubba Watson. Hickok, who has never won on the PGA Tour, opened a two-stroke lead before bogeying the final two holes. Watson shot a 68 at the TPC River Highlands, picking up three strokes on Hickok over the final two holes. Jason Day was also also in a tie for the lead before a bogey on No. 18 dropped him into a three-way tie at minus-9. Hickock was 12 under — two strokes ahead of Day and three in front of Watson — heading to the 17th before flying the green and missing a 10-foot par putt. He was still a stroke ahead of the final pairing before three-putting from 8 feet on No. 18 to fall back into a tie.
