June 18, 2024 4:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rookie Paul Skenes pitched one-run ball over six innings to win his fourth straight decision and lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 on Monday night. Skenes (4-0) allowed six hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and one walk, lowering his ERA to 2.29. The 22-year-old right-hander has 53 strikeouts and seven walks in 39 1/3 innings, and the Pirates are 6-1 in his starts. David Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances. He has converted 14 in a row after blowing three of his first four.
June 18, 2024 2:00 am
PIAA officials have asked Commonwealth Court to intervene in its dispute with Aliquippa regarding the Association’s Competition Formula. The Quips were slated to be upgraded to Class 5A following two years of statewide success and multiple transfers into its football program. The school sued PIAA in Beaver County Court and was granted a temporary injunction May 23, barring PIAA from moving Aliquippa up from 4A where it had played the past four seasons. The Association asked Beaver County Judge James Ross to stay implementation of his temporary injunction pending Commonwealth Court proceedings. That request was denied. The WPIAL, a member district of PIAA, re-worked football schedules two weeks ago as a result of Judge Ross’ injunction, moving Aliquippa into its traditional Beaver County 4A conference. PIAA executive staff would not comment on active litigation.
June 18, 2024 4:38 am
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds as the Celtics topped the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to claim the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history. Boston earned its latest title on the 16th anniversary of hoisting its last Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2008. It marks the 13th championship won this century by one of the city’s Big 4 professional sports franchises. Jaylen Brown added 21 points. Jrue Holiday finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Luka Doncic finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, which failed to extend the series after avoiding a sweep with a 38-point win in Game 4.
June 18, 2024 4:39 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated during testimony in federal court Monday that the league’s “Sunday Ticket” package, the subject of a class-action lawsuit, is a premium product while also defending the league’s broadcast model. Goodell was called as a witness by the NFL as the trial for the lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers entered its third week. The class-action covers 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package from 2011 through 2022. The lawsuit claims the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering “Sunday Ticket” only on a satellite provider.
June 17, 2024 4:36 am
DENVER (AP) — Jared Triolo had two hits and two RBIs, Jason Delay had a three-run double, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 8-2. Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds singled in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the majors. Four Pittsburgh pitchers combined to hold Colorado a pair of runs. Carmen Mlodzinski got the victory with two innings of shutout relief of Josh Fleming. Andrew McCutchen had a single for the Pirates but his streak of consecutive games with a home run at Coors Field was snapped at five.
June 17, 2024 4:41 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. The former MVP and seven-time All-Star was drilled in the hand by a 97.9 mph fastball from Dan Altavilla and fell to the ground, writhing in extreme pain. Manager Dave Roberts didn’t know how much time Betts would miss but said the injury would not require surgery. Betts made an appearance in the clubhouse after the Dodgers’ 3-0 victory with his left hand wrapped. He will see Dr. Steven Shin, a hand specialist, on Monday.
June 17, 2024 4:39 am
PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau is the U.S. Open champion for the second time. It was another thriller at Pinehurst No. 2 that came down to the last hole. He was tied with Rory McIlroy, who was in the group in front. McIlroy missed a 4-foot par putt to fall one shot behind. DeChambeau blasted out of a bunker from 55 yards away to 4 feet and made the par putt for a 71. It wasn’t quite the famous putt of Payne Stewart in 1999 when he made par from 15 feet. But DeChambeau celebrated the second major for a LIV Golf player.
June 17, 2024 4:42 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Florida Panthers return home for another chance to win the Stanley Cup licking their wounds from an 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers that prevented the final from being a sweep. They are still up 3-1 and have the opportunity to close out the series in front of their fans in Game 5 on Tuesday night. And coach Paul Maurice and the players think they understand what went wrong to cause Game 4 to get away from them. Isolating and fixing how they defend some of the Oilers’ best and quickest players could be key to clinching the first championship in franchise history.
June 16, 2024 6:55 am
DENVER (AP) — Hunter Goodman had two homers and five RBIs in his first four-hit game, Ryan McMahon doubled twice and stole home, and the Colorado Rockies scored their most runs in two years in a 16-4 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Goodman made his second big league start at catcher and put the Rockies ahead with a 440-foot solo homer in the third inning against rookie Jared Jones. He doubled in a run in a three-run fourth, singled and scored in the sixth, hit a 429-foot, two-run homer in the seventh off Justin Bruihl and had an an RBI groundout in a six-run eighth.
June 16, 2024 7:15 am
PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — World top-ranked player Scottie Scheffler closed play Saturday at the U.S. Open with his third straight over-par round. Scheffler says he’s having “a lot of trouble” reading Pinehurst No. 2’s tricky domed greens. He survived the cut at 5 over entering the weekend, then shot a 1-over 71 on Saturday. His round included two birdies and three bogeys. And there were multiple holes where Scheffler barely missed birdie putts to improve his scorecard. The PGA Tour says Scheffler has four consecutive rounds over par for the first time as a pro going back to last week’s win at the Memorial.
