MLB
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his 50th homer of the season, connecting in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies. Then he connected for No. 51 in the seventh in New York's 10-3 victory. Judge drove a 0-2 changeup from Austin Gomber into the visiting bullpen in left-center to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. It was his 18th homer in the first this season, matching Alex Rodriguez in 2001 for the major league record. Judge joined Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Babe Ruth as the only players in major league history with three 50-homer seasons.
Eugenio Suárez hit a go-ahead three-run homer over the Green Monster, and the charging Arizona Diamondbacks rallied past the Boston Red Sox 7-5 for their sixth straight victory to complete a three-game sweep. Holding the NL’s top wild-card spot, the Diamondbacks reached a season-high 19 games over .500 by winning for the 34th time in 47 games. Geraldo Perdomo hooked a solo homer around the Pesky Pole, estimated at just 319 feet. Rafael Devers hit his 200th career homer to become the 11th player in Red Sox history to reach that mark.
Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen is enjoying his odd slice of baseball history as he prepares to become the first major league player ever to appear in the same game for both teams. Jansen was in the lineup for the Toronto Blue Jays when their June 26 game in Boston was suspended because of rain. It’s scheduled to be made up today in a double header in Toronto's first trip back to Fenway Park. In the meantime, Jansen was traded to Boston. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said he will put Jansen in the lineup when the game resumes.
Rookie Jackson Merrill homered off Edwin Díaz with one out in the ninth to lift the San Diego Padres to a dramatic 3-2 win against the New York Mets and a split of a four-game series between teams in playoff contention. Merrill gestured toward the Padres’ dugout and slapped five with Jurickson Profar, who hit a tying two-run shot in the eighth, before beginning his trot. He was greeted by a wild celebration after touching home. Díaz fell to 5-2. Robert Suarez (8-1) pitched the ninth for his win.
Kyle Schwarber had two hits and three RBIs and Garrett Stubbs had a career-best four hits to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to an 11-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Philadelphia’s Kolby Allard, recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Sunday’s game, worked five innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Kansas City’s Seth Lugo allowed six runs, five earned, on 11 hits in the loss.
Lars Nootbaar hit a two-run single with two out in the ninth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Minnesota Twins for a 3-2 win. Victor Scott II homered for St. Louis, which has won four of five overall. Willi Castro went deep and Royce Lewis hit an RBI double for Minnesota, which trails AL Central-leading Cleveland by three games. Shawn Armstrong got two outs for the win, and Ryan Helsley worked the ninth for his 40th save.
Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to take the weekend series. After Shohei Ohtani was hit in the left forearm on a sinker by Richard Lovelady, Betts drove the first pitch he saw from the left-hander over the wall in left-center to put the Dodgers back on top. Kiké Hernández opened the scoring with his ninth homer in the fifth inning, helping the NL West leaders improve to 5-1 on their nine-game homestand. Next up is a three-game series against Baltimore. Jonny DeLuca homered for the Rays.
Joey Estes allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings, and the Oakland Athletics scored four times in the fourth in a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday to avoid a sweep. Estes held the Brewers, who had scored 20 runs over the first two games of the series, to only two hits while striking out five and walking one. Mason Miller recorded his 21st save of the season, entering the game with two outs in the eighth and holding a one-run lead. Brewers starter Frankie Montas sent down the A’s in order through the first three innings, but Oakland broke through in the fourth for four runs.
Bryan Woo pitched seven strong innings, and the Seattle Mariners capitalized on two hit batters in the sixth to score twice and beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Sunday. The game was tied at 2 when Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch leading off the sixth. Justin Turner singled and Jorge Polanco was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Arozarena scored when Mitch Haniger hit into a double play, and Josh Rojas’ single drove in another run to make it 4-2. The Mariners got their first series win since finished a sweep of the New York Mets on Aug. 11.
Jhonkensy Noel homered for the second straight game and Matthew Boyd pitched six effective innings for his first win in more than a year, helping the Cleveland Guardians beat the Texas Rangers 4-2. Noel hit a solo shot in the second against Cody Bradford, a towering 413-foot drive to center. It was the 12th homer for the 23-year-old rookie since his June 26 debut, matching Russell Branyan for the most by a Cleveland player in his first 41 games. Boyd allowed one run and three hits in his third start in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. Corey Seager hit a solo homer for Texas.
After Taylor Ward offered a critical take on Toronto right-hander Bowden Francis’ latest strong start, fellow Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt showed his support for his teammate. Francis struck out a career-high 12 in Toronto’s 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. He was working on a no-hitter before Ward hit a leadoff homer in the ninth inning. Ward said afterward he felt everything from Francis "was hittable.” While Francis was being interviewed from the dugout during the TV broadcast of Sunday’s game. Bassitt stood over his teammate’s shoulder holding a sign that read “15 innings, 2 hits, 20 Ks. Hittable + Nothing Special.”
Andy Ibáñez homered and had three RBIs as the Detroit Tigers sent the Chicago White Sox to their 100th loss with a 9-4 victory on Sunday. Andrew Vaughn doubled, homered and had two RBIs for the White Sox, who dropped to 31-100. The White Sox need to go 12-19 to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets, who were 40-120-1, for the modern major league record for losses in a season. Chicago will fall short of the all-time record held by the Cleveland Spiders, who finished 20-134 in 1899. Colt Keith had three hits and three RBIs for the Tigers, who have won four of five.
Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz hit solo homers on consecutive pitches in the seventh inning, lifting the Houston Astros to a 6-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles and a split of the four-game series. Ramón Urías hit a three-run shot for the Orioles to tie the game in the fifth, but Bregman and Diaz went deep in the seventh off Burch Smith to give Houston a 5-3 edge. Houston remained 4 1/2 games ahead of Seattle atop the AL West, and Baltimore fell 1 1/2 games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East.
DJ Herz struck out eight in five sparkling innings, and the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 to avoid a three-game sweep. CJ Abrams had two hits and two RBIs for Washington. Jacob Young also had two hits and scored two runs. Herz allowed one hit — Orlando Arcia’s second-inning single — and walked three in his 14th major league start. Jacob Barnes pitched an inning for the win, and Kyle Finnegan got four outs for his 32nd save. Matt Olson hit his 22nd homer for Atlanta, which had won six of seven. The Braves finished with three hits.
Connor Norby homered, doubled and singled, and the Miami Marlins snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Jesús Sánchez also went deep and Jonah Bride had two hits for the Marlins, who began Sunday with an NL-worst record of 46-83. Marlins starter Adam Oller allowed one run and four hits over 5 2/3 innings. Oller retired 11 straight before Cody Bellinger’s one-out walk in the sixth. Called up from Triple-A on Monday, Oller walked two and struck out six.
Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, sending the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Bryan De La Cruz was hit by a pitch from Alexis Díaz before Grandal connected for his seventh homer — a drive into the first row above the Clemente Wall in right field. It was Grandal’s fourth career game-ending homer. Aroldis Chapman handled the ninth for the win. Elly De La Cruz reached on a leadoff single, but Chapman picked him off before striking out Tyler Stephenson and TJ Friedl. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits for Pittsburgh, which won three of four in the series.
WNBA
A’ja Wilson scored as time expired to save Las Vegas from blowing a 13-point fourth-quarter lead over Chicago. The Aces won 77-75 on Sunday despite another 20-rebound game from Angel Reese. Wilson’s winning layup for Las Vegas came after Lindsay Allen hit a 3-pointer and Chennedy Carter followed with two more to pull Chicago even with a second remaining. Wilson finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds for her 21st double-double this season. Reese grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds for Chicago. She is the first player in league history to record 20-plus rebounds in three straight games.
Arike Ogunbowale had 33 points, Natasha Howard scored 30 and the Dallas Wings stormed back from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Los Angeles Sparks 113-110 Sunday. Odyssey Sims had 24 points through the first three quarters to help Los Angeles (6-24) build a 92-73 lead. Howard made a layup for Dallas (7-22) and Ogunbowale followed with two free throws to get the Wings within 105-96 with 3:22 left. Dallas crept within 109-107 with 64 seconds remaining. Teaira McCowan knotted the score with a layup and gave Dallas the lead with a rebound basket with :07 to go.
NFL PRESEASON
Drake Maye completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown for New England in the Patriots’ 20-10 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday night in the preseason finale. Maye, the rookie from North Carolina battling Jacoby Brissett for the starting job, made a good case, while the offensive line made it clear why first-year coach Jerod Mayo might not want to throw him in right away. Brissett started the first series, and was sacked hard by defensive lineman K.J. Henry. Brissett finished the series, but left after that and the Patriots listed him as having a right shoulder injury. Maye finished the first half, throwing an 18-yard scoring pass to Kevin Harris.
Saints rookie Spencer Rattler threw a touchdown pass and led four scoring drives to make his case for New Orleans’ back-up job in a 30-27 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans. Titans reserve QB Malik Willis twice connected with Bryce Oliver for fourth-quarter touchdowns. The second came on a 5-yard toss with 1:25 left to lift the Titans to a comeback victory. Saints receiver Samson Nacua, the brother of Rams receiver Puca Nacua, returned a missed field goal 106 yards before being forced out of bounds at the Tennessee 3-yard line as time expired in the first half.
Zach Wilson got his most extensive action yet for the Broncos on Sunday when he led Denver to a 38-12 win over the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason finale. Wilson was acquired from the Jets this spring and was quickly relegated to also-ran status as Bo Nix won the starting job over Jarrett Stidham during a training camp QB competition. Wilson showed the strongest arm of the trio however and all three could end up on Denver's 53-man roster Tuesday. The Cardinals split snaps between Clayton Tune and Desmond Ridder who are in a tussle to back up Kyler Murray.
Apparel manufacturer Fanatics has refiled its lawsuit against Arizona Cardinals rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., adding his father, Marvin Harrison Sr., and fraud allegations in addition to breach of contract. The lawsuit was originally filed in New York Supreme Court this spring, claiming Harrison Jr. did not fulfill his obligations from a May 2023 deal he signed with the retailer and estimated the damage in “millions of dollars.” The amended lawsuit adds that Harrison Sr. “aided and abetted Harrison Jr.’s fraud on Fanatics.”
TENNIS
Tennis fans who can’t decide which players have the best shot at doing well at the U.S. Open aren't the only ones. Even the players themselves are not sure who will be at their best on New York's hard courts when the year's last Grand Slam tournament begins today. There is the usual uncertainty that comes at the U.S. Open thanks to the vagaries of injuries and the grind of a long season. One additional factor this time could be all the surface-switching: Tennis at the Summer Olympics was on courts at Roland Garros, also the French Open site. So players went from clay in Paris to grass at Wimbledon, then back to clay, before shifting to hard courts. The defending champions are Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic. Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz are the betting favorites. Iga Swiatek is the top-seeded woman, and Jannik Sinner leads the men's seeds. The total amount of player compensation — prize money and travel expenses — rises to a record $75 million in 2024. That is $10 million more than a year ago. The women's and men's singles champions each will earn $3.6 million.
GOLF
Lydia Ko has captured her third major title and first in eight years by winning the Women’s British Open by two strokes at the home of golf at St. Andrews. It capped a summer when she also took gold at the Olympic Games. The 27-year-old New Zealander made birdie at the storied 18th hole on the Old Course to shoot 3-under 69 and finish ahead of top-ranked Nelly Korda, defending champion Lilia Vu and two-time champion Jiyai Shin. That quartet of past or present No. 1s shared the lead at one point down the stretch. It’s been a golden summer for Ko, who qualified for the Hall of Fame by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Keegan Bradley has gone from the last man in the BMW Championship to the winner. He held off mistake-prone Adam Scott, Ludvig Aberg and Sam Burns to win at Castle Pines. And it changed everything so quickly for the Ryder Cup captain. Bradley went from No. 50 in the FedEx Cup to the fourth seed at the Tour Championship. He'll start four shots behind in a chase for the $25 million bonus. He also enters the conversation for a Presidents Cup pick for Montreal next month. Bradley is the first Ryder Cup captain to win on tour in nine years.
LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES
Lathan Norton scored from second base on an overthrow at first as Lake Mary, Florida, rallied Sunday to beat Taiwan 2-1 in eight innings and claim the Little League World Series championship. This is the first championship in nine tries for Florida, which also came from behind in its 10-7 semifinal win over Texas on Saturday, scoring five runs in its final at-bat. Taiwan was a dominant team at the LLWS from 1969, when it won its first championship, to 1996, when it claimed its 17th. But it had only made the title game once since, in 2009, a loss to California, before Sunday.
CAR RACING
Martin Truex Jr. should feel safe heading to Darlington Raceway for the NASCAR Cup Series’ regular-season finale. The 2017 series champion has a 58-point cushion in the playoff standings. It's likely enough considering the most any driver could make up is roughly 60. Thirteen of the 16 postseason spots are locked, with Harrison Burton surprisingly securing the latest at Daytona International Speedway. Truex has a strong grasp on one of the remaining three, so NASCAR essentially has two bids up for grabs at the track nicknamed “Too Tough to Tame.” It will make for an intriguing race next weekend, with Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain vying for one spot based on points and nearly two dozen others needing to win to get in.
Will Power remained in the IndyCar championship hunt with a wire-to-wire victory Sunday at Portland International Raceway. Power started second alongside polesitter Santino Ferrucci. Sixty-six points behind championship leader Alex Palou at the start of the race, Power vowed to be aggressive at the start and drive like three-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen. The 43-year-old Australian was serious about it, too, as he slid ahead of Ferrucci entering the first turn. Power now trails Palou by 54 points with three races remaining. Palou finished second at a track where his win last year wrapped up a second IndyCar title.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Michigan has received the final version of a notice of allegations from the NCAA related to an investigation into an in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation being run by a football staffer. The NCAA and Michigan both confirmed that the NOA had been received by the school. Michigan previously received a draft of the NOA that included allegations of violations by former head coach Jim Harbaugh, current head coach Sherrone Moore, former recruiting analyst Connor Stalions and several other members of the staff. Michigan has 90 days to respond to the allegations in the notice.
HORSE RACING
Fierceness won the Grade I Travers Stakes Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. The 3-year-old Jim Dandy winner beat out a competitive field, breaking his streak of alternating wins. Under jockey John Velazquez, Fierceness held off a late-charging Thorpedo Anna, who was hoping to become the first filly to win the race since 1915. Among the competition was Dornoch, winner of the Third Leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, and Haskell. He finished fourth behind Sierra Leone. The New York Racing Association said all-sources handle exceeded $63 million, beating the previous record of $55 million set in 2022, with more than 47,000 fans packing the track. The meet continues through Labor Day.
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