February 23, 2021 3:51 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Fernando Tatis Jr.’s $340 million, 14-year contract has been finalized by the San Diego Padres, the longest deal in baseball history. Tatis had been eligible for salary arbitration after this season and for free agency after the 2024 season. The length of his contract exceeds the $325 million, 13-year agreement between Miami and Giancarlo Stanton and the $330 million, 13-year contract between Bruce Harper and Philadelphia. A son of former big league infielder Fernando Tatis, he has played in only 143 games during two seasons, including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, yet has quickly become one of the faces of baseball.
February 23, 2021 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a tiebreaking power-play goal in the third period and Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves, leading the New York Islanders to a 3-2 win over the last-place Buffalo Sabres. Pageau got his seventh goal at 15:08 when he banged in a rebound on the backhand after Oliver Wahlstrom’s initial shot was stopped by Buffalo goaltender Linus Ullmark. The Islanders beat the Sabres for the third straight time this season after two victories in Buffalo last week. The Islanders also moved to 5-0-1 at Nassau Coliseum.
February 22, 2021 3:49 am
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Luka Garza scored 23 points to become Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, and the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes beat Penn State 74-68. Garza has 2,126 points for Iowa, breaking the record of 2,116 points set by Roy Marble from 1985-89. Garza also had 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. It was the fourth consecutive win for Iowa. Izaiah Brockington and Myreon Jones each had 11 points to lead Penn State. CJ Fredrick added 18 points for the Hawkeyes, who took control with a 13-2 second-half run.
February 22, 2021 3:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Capitals avoided losing for the sixth time in their last eight games. Alex Ovechkin’s power-play goal with 4:04 remaining lifted the Caps past the Devils, 4-3. Ovechkin’s tally gave Washington a 4-2 lead, but New Jersey got within a goal when Nikita Gusev beat Craig Anderson with 11.9 seconds left. T.J. Oshie scored twice to end his nine-game goal drought and help Anderson pick up his first start and first victory since March.
February 22, 2021 3:52 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Max Homa may not have scripted it this way, but the 30-year-old California has earned a victory in the PGA tournament near his hometown. Homa captured the Genesis Invitational in a one-hole playoff against Tony Finau. The win was secured just minutes after Homa missed a 3-foot birdie putt on 18 to extend the tournament. Homa closed with a 5-under 66 and played the final 26 holes without a bogey for a minus-12 total. Finau recorded his 10th runner-up finish worldwide since his lone victory in the Puerto Rico Open five years ago. Sam Burns closed with a 69 and missed the playoff by one shot after leading the second and third rounds. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods said he isn’t sure if he’ll be able to compete in the Masters this spring.
February 21, 2021 7:58 am
PITTSBURGH — It was one special day for Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby — from the beginning to the very end. Crosby had two assists in his 1,000th NHL game, and the Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Saturday night. Kris Letang scored twice, including a tiebreaking goal in the third period, as Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in five games. Mike Matheson also scored, and Tristan Jarry made 33 saves. Letang was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2005, the same year as Crosby. Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored for New York, which has dropped two straight following a season-high eight-game point streak. Semyon Varlamov stopped 15 shots. Nelson gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead with his fifth goal just 53 seconds into the third period, but the Penguins responded. Matheson tied it with his first goal for Pittsburgh at 7:35. He started the rush and eventually finished the play with a wrist shot from the slot. Letang put the Penguins ahead for good at 13:34. His center-point wrist shot beat Varlamov over the shoulder to the blocker side.
February 21, 2021 8:01 am
AUSTIN, Texas — Bob Huggins didn’t divulge exactly how he lit into his West Virginia team at halftime when it trailed Texas by 10 points. The message registered. Sean McNeil and No. 13 West Virginia erased a 19-point deficit in the second half, then withstood a flurry of last-second misses to hold off No. 12 Texas 84-82 on Saturday. McNeil played only two minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls, and scored all 16 of his points after the break. He also committed two turnovers in the final 11 seconds, giving Texas a chance. With Texas down by two, the Longhorns’ Matt Coleman III missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation with eight seconds left. The Longhorns got the ball back, but Andrew Jones’ 3-point attempt rimmed out with four seconds left — he had made a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to beat West Virginia 72-70 on Jan. 9. Texas had one last try, with three-tenths of a second left, on an inbounds pass after Jones missed. But Jericho Sims missed inside after taking a lob pass from Coleman. Miles McBride scored 17 for West Virginia (15-6, 8-4 Big 12), which was down 62-43 early in the second half. Taz Sherman, Emmitt Matthews Jr. and Derek Culver scored 14 apiece.
February 21, 2021 8:03 am
PITTSBURGH — Florida State is way more than leading scorer M.J. Walker. Raiquan Gray had 16 points and eight rebounds, and the 16th-ranked Seminoles beat Pittsburgh 79-72 on Saturday for their third straight win. Florida State (13-3, 9-2 ACC) led for more than 35 minutes, but never by more than 11 points. Malik Osborne had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. RayQuan Evans also scored 12 points, and Scottie Barnes had 11. Pitt (9-9, 5-8) was able to shut down Walker, who finished 0 for 5 with no points, but Florida State’s depth was too much for the Panthers. Nine Florida State players scored four points or more. Walker remains seven points away from 1,000 for his career. Pitt (9-9, 5-8) shot 38.2% from the floor as Florida State used its size advantage and reserves to wear down the Panthers on both ends of the court. The Panthers were able to close the margin to four points in the game’s final minute after a Xavier Johnson jumper. Evans made five free throws down the stretch to help secure the victory.
February 20, 2021 2:57 am
One of the busiest local sports weeks crescendos to a conclusion Saturday. We’ve already provided live coverage of the AA Section 1 and AAA Section 4 Sub-Section wrestling tournaments. Over the next few days, we’ll have three high school basketball games, two Section wrestling tournaments and the WPIAL AA Championships. Here’s the schedule for the rest of the weekend:
Saturday, 8:50 am AAA Section 4 Wrestling Tournament (AM)
Saturday, 1:20 pm North Allegheny at Trinity girls basketball (FM)
Saturday, 1:50 pm WPIAL AA Wrestling Quarterfinals, Semifinals (AM)
Saturday, 5:20 pm WPIAL AA Wrestling Championship & Consolation Finals (AM)
February 20, 2021 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is showing no signs of slowing down as he reaches the 1,000-game plateau. Crosby will reach the milestone when Pittsburgh hosts the New York Islanders. He is the first member of the Penguins to reach the 1,000-game mark and at age 33 remains as dynamic as ever. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan says Crosby’s work ethic sets him apart. Crosby is off to a solid start for the Penguins this season. His six goals are tied for tops on the team.
