September 12, 2019 3:42 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sam Davis, the guard who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls in the 1970s, has died. He was 75. Davis was found dead Tuesday at New Life Personal Care in McKeesport southeast of Pittsburgh. Davis, who suffered from dementia and was legally blind, had been reported missing from the facility earlier in the day.
September 10, 2019 3:44 am
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Derek Carr threw a touchdown pass on the opening drive of the season, rookie Josh Jacobs ran for two scores and the Oakland Raiders responded to a tumultuous week surrounding former receiver Antonio Brown by beating the Denver Broncos 24-16 on Monday night. The Raiders (1-0) took out all the frustration over the drama surrounding Brown with a convincing win over the AFC West rival Broncos (0-1). The offensive line cleared holes for Jacobs and protected Carr, and the defense harassed Joe Flacco into three sacks and kept Denver out of the end zone until 2:15 remained in the game. The win spoiled the Denver debuts for Flacco and coach Vic Fangio and ended the NFL’s longest opening weekend winning streak at seven games.
September 9, 2019 3:09 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jack Flaherty had another strong start in his scintillating second half, scattering five hits over eight electric innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The 23-year-old Flaherty (10-7) struck out 10 and walked just one to win for the sixth time in his last eight starts and drop his post All-Star break ERA to 0.76. Carlos Martinez worked a perfect ninth inning for his 19th save. St. Louis has won 8 of 11 overall. The Cardinals dominated the Pirates this season, capturing 14 of the 19 meetings. Paul Goldschmidt had an RBI double for St. Louis, and Harrison Bader added a run-scoring single off Pittsburgh rookie James Marvel (0-1). Matt Carpenter went 2 for 3 while starting at third base and is hitting .400 (6 for 15) in September as the veteran tries to shake out of a season-long slump. Marvel, a 36th-round pick in the 2015 draft, was solid in his first major-league start after piling up 16 victories across Double-A and Triple-A this season. Marvel gave up two runs and five hits in five-plus innings with two walks and two strikeouts. It just wasn’t quite enough to keep pace with Flaherty, who has given up just three earned runs in his last 56 innings dating back to Aug. 1. The Pirates had their chances. Kevin Newman led off the first with a double but never advanced. Jose Osuna doubled leading off the fifth and Miguel Cabrera followed with a single but Flaherty escaped after Jacob Stallings hit into an inning-ending double play. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle and second baseman Adam Frazier were both ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes. Hurdle was tossed by home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz after Ortiz called a borderline pitch to Frazier a strike. Frazier followed Hurdle to the clubhouse moments later when he disagreed with Ortiz after taking a called third strike at the bottom of the zone. Flaherty made his 10th scoreless start for the Cardinals, tied with Mort Cooper in 1942 for fifth-most in franchise history.
September 8, 2019 7:14 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Sean Clifford threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns and No. 15 Penn State overcame a halftime deficit to beat Buffalo 45-13 on Saturday night. Trailing 10-7 at half, the Nittany Lions (1-0) took the lead for good when John Reid ran back an interception 37 yards for a touchdown early in the third. Clifford opened the scoring with a 28-yard pass to Jahan Dotson on Penn State’s second drive of the game. He tossed a pair of TDs to tight end Pat Freiermuth in the third quarter and Noah Cain added a 2-yard TD run to give Penn State a 35-13 lead heading into the fourth. Jake Pinegar added a 32-yard field goal for the Nittany Lions and Clifford found Dotson again in the fourth. Clifford finished as Penn State’s leading rusher with 11 carries for 49 yards. Jaret Patterson led Buffalo (1-1) with 75 yards on 23 carries. Matt Myers was 16 for 31 for 236 yards with a touchdown pass to tight end Julien Bourassa late in the second quarter. Alex McNulty kicked a pair of field goals for the Bulls.
September 8, 2019 7:12 am
Tyler Sabo pulled in two interceptions, the second coming with less than two minutes to play, helping #21 Washington & Jefferson past #18 Wittenberg, 16-8, Saturday afternoon. Defense and special teams ruled the day for both sides. W&J’s Jacob Adams threw three first-half interceptions and Justin Heacock added another as the Presidents committed four first half turnovers and gave up a safety on a botched punt snap. A Wittenberg fumble midway through the first quarter set up W&J for the game’s first score, an Adams to Josh Burns 21-yard TD pass. Wittenberg took an 8-7 lead following Heacock’s interception when Blake King connected with Thad Snodgrass for a 35-yard TD on the ensuing play. Very late in the third quarter, W&J punted from inside its own 35-yard line but the ball hit a Tiger blocker. Nick Freiwald recovered. The Presidents got a 24-yard field goal to go up, 10-8 with just under 13 minutes to play. On Wittenberg’s next possession, Mike Williams sacked King, forcing a fumble that Nick Getz scooped and returned 52 yards for the final score of the day. The teams traded punts before Sabo picked off Bobby Froelich pass deep in Presidents territory to seal the win. Adams was rushed most of the afternoon and struggled, but crossed the 4,000-career-passing-yards mark with a 5-yard completion to Jordan West midway through the third quarter. W&J is 3-0-1 all-time against Wittenberg. The Presidents visit Thiel next Saturday to begin defense of their PAC title.
September 7, 2019 4:04 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs and wide receiver Tyreek Hill have signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension. A person with knowledge of the deal says it includes a $5.8 million signing bonus and $35.2 million in guarantees. Hill had a tumultuous offseason in which he was barred from any team activities while the NFL and local authorities investigated allegations of domestic violence. Hill was cleared before the start of training camp. The two-time All-Pro was entering the final year of his rookie contract.
September 5, 2019 2:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Rookie outfielder Jason Martin will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his left shoulder Tuesday night when Marlins pitcher Jarlin Garcia fell on him during a play at the plate. Martin, though, will not require surgery. Meanwhile, Mitch Keller (bruised right wrist) played catch a day after being struck by a line drive and right fielder Gregory Polanco (left shoulder inflammation) will undergo a series of platelet-rich plasma injections. He won’t play again this season. Shortstop Kevin Newman missed his third straight start with a right hip injury but flied out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth.
September 4, 2019 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pirates rookie right-hander Mitch Keller has been pulled from a game with a bruised right wrist after being struck by a line drive. Keller was injured in the second inning on a comebacker hit by Miami’s Garrett Cooper. Considered the Pirates’ top prospect coming into the season, Keller was making his eighth major league start. He is 1-3 with an 8.18 ERA.
September 3, 2019 3:51 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The U.S. Open will continue without the defending women’s singles champion. Top-ranked Naomi Osaka was ousted from the tournament with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to No. 13 Belinda Bencic in the fourth round. Osaka was hampered by left knee pain and was visited by medical personnel during the second set. She looked nothing like the player who rolled to a 6-3, 6-0 win over 15-year-old Coco Gauff on Saturday. Bencic will take on Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals. Vekic survived a match point to beat Julia Goerges 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the Final Eight in a Grand Slam for the first time. American Taylor Townsend’s longest trek through a grand slam has ended with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 loss to Bianca Andreescu. The Canadian made up for seven double-faults with six break points to reach the quarterfinals. Elise Mertens rolled into the quarters with a 6-1, 6-1 win against American Kristie Ahn. Mertens hit 17 winners and took advantage of 25 unforced errors from her opponent. On the men’s side, second seed Rafael Nadal easily passed his first test of the tournament and reached the quarterfinals at a ninth consecutive Grand Slam by downing 2014 champion Marin Cilic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Nadal dropped a set for the first time in this year’s tournament but quickly responded by breaking to lead 3-1 in the third set and was on his way. Nadal is seeking his fourth title at Flushing Meadows and his 19th Grand Slam trophy overall.
September 3, 2019 3:05 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Joe Haden is sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran cornerback and the team have agreed to a new three-year, $32 million contract that will keep Haden in Pittsburgh through the 2021 season. Haden was in the final year of a three-year deal he signed with Pittsburgh after being released by the Cleveland Browns on the eve of the 2017 season. “Letssss Goooo!!!” Haden posted on Instagram late Sunday night. “So glad we got the deal done! On to week 1! Locked IN!!” The 30-year-old has resurrected his career with the Steelers, becoming the team’s top cornerback while helping an inexperienced secondary find its footing. Haden has played 26 games across two seasons for Pittsburgh, with one interception and 19 passes defensed. He did not play in the preseason as a precaution due to an ankle injury. The two-time Pro Bowler said last week the injury would not prevent him from playing in Pittsburgh’s season opener at New England on Sept. 8.
