September 7, 2020 4:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A fit of anger has cost Novak Djokovic a chance to win a fourth U.S. Open title. The top-ranked player and prohibitive favorite was defaulted from his fourth-round match after he accidentally hit a line judge with a tennis ball. Djokovic had just lost a game to his opponent, Pablo Carreno Busta, to fall behind 6-5 in the first set. As he walked to the sideline for the changeover, Djokovic smacked a ball behind him. The ball hit a female line judge, who dropped to her knees at the back of the court and reached for her neck. The chair umpire announced the default following a minutes-long conversation with officials on court. It seemed clear Djokovic did not intend to hit the line judge; there was concern written on his face as soon as he realized what happened. But players who hit a ball out of anger and make contact with an on-court official have been defaulted in the past. It was a stunning end to Djokovic’s bid for an 18th Grand Slam title and his 26-0 start to this season. It also means the men’s winner will become a first-time Grand Slam champion.
September 6, 2020 7:38 am
PITTSBURGH — Eugenio Suarez hit three homers in a game for the first time in his career, driving in five runs and leading the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Saturday night. Suarez hit a three-run shot deep down the left-field line to cap a four-run third inning. He added solo homers in the sixth and eighth innings, giving him 12 this season — he hit 49 last year. This marked the third baseman’s ninth career multihomer game and gave him six home runs and 16 RBI in his last 12 games. Tucker Barnhart led off the Reds’ third by lining a home run to the shrubbery beyond the center-field fence. Pirates center fielder Anthony Alford broke his right elbow when he slammed into the wall chasing the ball. Claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays last month, Alford will most likely miss the last three weeks of the season.
September 6, 2020 7:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Quarterback Paxton Lynch’s NFL odyssey might have to continue somewhere other than Pittsburgh. The Steelers cut the former first-round pick on Saturday while trimming their roster to 53 players. Lynch, taken 26th overall by Denver in 2016, signed with Pittsburgh last October to provide some depth. There is a chance Lynch sticks around as a member of the practice squad if he is not claimed by another team. Pittsburgh also cut wide receiver Ryan Switzer, opting to stick with free agent Ray-Ray McLoud instead. The Steelers also parted ways with longtime defensive tackle Dan McCullers. A sixth-round pick in 2014, the massive McCullers (6-foot-7, 352 pounds), carved out a niche as a backup but struggled to get into the regular defensive line rotation. Pittsburgh also cut linebackers Tuzar Skipper and Jayrone Elliott, both of whom had experience with the team. Running backs Trey Edmunds, brother of Steelers starting safety Terrell Edmunds, Kerrith Whyte Jr., and Wendell Smallwood were also released. Finding a roster spot on a team with experience at nearly every position during a camp in which there were no preseason games due to the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult. Yet rookie free agent cornerback James Pierre from Florida Atlantic earned a job. So did well-traveled defensive back Curtis Riley. Signed on Aug. 3, Riley had an impressive showing during camp, his No. 33 visible regularly. The Steelers open the 2020 season on Monday, Sept. 14 on the road against the New York Giants.
September 6, 2020 7:40 am
TORONTO — Coach Barry Trotz has spent the past two seasons attempting to instill a team-first, all-in identity with the New York Islanders. No more was that evident than Saturday night, when the Islanders handily confronted their biggest test of the year — decades perhaps — in beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 in Game 7 of the second round series. The Islanders advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1993, where they’ll face the Tampa Bay Lightning. The win came courtesy of a backup goalie, Thomas Greiss, stopping 16 shots for his first playoff career shutout in his first Game 7. Brock Nelson scored a goal and set up two others. And defensemen Scott Mayfield, with his first career playoff goal, and late-season trade addition Andy Greene, spurred the victory by scoring 3:46 apart in the first period.
September 6, 2020 7:42 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Bob Baffert endured the lowest of lows and highest of highs within minutes in the Kentucky Derby. He was bummed before the horses left the paddock after Thousand Words reared up and fell on its side, getting disqualified and injuring Baffert’s assistant trainer. That emotion was quickly replaced by Authentic’s front-running victory that gave Baffert a record-tying sixth Derby win. Then Baffert found himself down again, literally, getting knocked to the grass by a skittish Authentic in the winner’s circle. “This is the craziest year ever,” he said. Authentic kicked away from heavy favorite Tiz the Law in the stretch on Saturday, winning the 146th Derby by 1 1/4 lengths without the usual crowd of 150,000 on hand at Churchill Downs for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bay colt ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.61 under John Velazquez, who won his third Derby.
September 5, 2020 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates took advantage of an uncharacteristically average performance by Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer to earn a doubleheader split with a 4-3 win in the nightcap. The Reds took the opener 4-2 behind the strength of Luis Castillo, who picked up his first victory in nearly a year when he worked six solid innings. Cincinnati, however, missed a chance to sweep a doubleheader for the third time this season when the Pirates scrounged up just enough offense against Bauer. The Reds right-hander allowed six hits in six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. His record fell to 3-3.
September 5, 2020 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The race to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting right tackle is still too close to call. Head coach Mike Tomlin says hasn’t decided whether to tab Chukwuma Okorafor and Zach Banner for the starting spot when the Steelers open the regular season at the New York Giants. Tomlin credited both players for their steady improvement during training camp and didn’t rule out potentially rotating between the two. Pro Bowl right guard David DeCastro remains hampered by a lower-body injury but Tomlin is optimistic DeCastro will be ready in time to face the Giants on Sept. 14.
September 5, 2020 3:55 am
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) – Top-ranked Clemson is the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship for a sixth straight season. The league released voting results Friday from media members for predicted order of finish and preseason all-conference picks. Those picks included quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the preseason pick for player of the year. No. 10 Notre Dame was picked to finish second as it gives up its football independence amid the coronavirus pandemic to play for the ACC title. No. 18 North Carolina was third, followed by Louisville, Virginia Tech to round out the top five in the 15-team league.
September 5, 2020 3:59 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – It took three tries this week, but both the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights have finally advanced to the NHL’s Western Conference finals. The Stars are this far into the postseason for the first time since 2008, while the Golden Knights are in the conference final for the second time in their three-year history. Rookie Joel Kiviranta completed his first NHL hat trick 7:24 into overtime to give the Stars a 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Kiviranta also provided the tying tally with 3 1/2 minutes left in regulation, just 10 seconds after Vladimir Namestnikov put the Avs ahead. Kiviranta had played in just two other postseason games and scored one goal in 11 games during the regular season. Alexander Radulov provided the other Dallas goals, and Anton Khudobin stopped 40 shots. Colorado was trying to win the series after dropping three of the first four games. The Golden Knights put away the Vancouver Canucks with a stifling 3-0 victory. Robin Lehner needed to make just 14 saves for his third shutout of the series. Neither team scored until Shea Theodore netted a power-play goal with 6:08 remaining. Alex Tuch and Paul Stastny added empty-netters for Vegas, which dropped the previous two games before earning a meeting with the Stars.
September 5, 2020 4:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Top-seeded Novak Djokovic stayed perfect for 2020 and advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open with a straight-sets win. He beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in an hour and 43 minutes, holding serve throughout. Djokovic has won his last 29 matches and is 26-0 this season, making him a prohibitive favorite to get his fourth U.S. Open title.
