The state of Ohio has swept this year's Cy Young Awards. Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber has claimed the American League Cy Young Award in a unanimous vote, while Cincinnati's Trevor Bauer is the National League winner.
Bieber went 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings during the pandemic-shortened season. He led the majors in ERA and strikeouts while tying Cubs ace Yu Darvish for the most wins. Bieber is the first Indian to win pitching's Triple Crown since Bob Feller in 1940. Twins hurler Kenta Maeda finished second in the balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America, ahead of Toronto's Hyun-Jin Ryu. Bauer went 5-4 with an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 11 starts, helping the Reds reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The 29-year-old right-hander struck out 100 in 73 innings and led the majors with two shutouts, a pair of seven-inning performances on doubleheader days. The brash Bauer is the first Cy Young winner for Cincinnati, the majors' oldest franchise. He received 27 of 30 first-place votes. Darvish finished second in the balloting, followed by Mets ace Jacon deGrom.
In other MLB news:
New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman and San Francisco starter Kevin Gausman have accepted $18.9 million qualifying offers for the upcoming season. Stroman didn't play at all last season, suffering an injury during restart camp before opting out due to COVID-19 concerns. Gausman had a bounce-back campaign this year, going 3-3 with a 3.62 ERA and 79 strikeouts over 59 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer, Astros outfielder George Springer, Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto have declined qualifying offers by Wednesday's deadline. Those clubs will receive a draft pick as compensation should their player sign with another team.
Right-hander Josh Tomlin is staying with the Braves after signing a $1 million contract that includes a team option for 2022. The 36-year-old Tomlin was 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 17 games with Atlanta this past season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
This weekend's college football schedule continues to shrink. Saturday's game between 12th-ranked Georgia and host Missouri has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues involving the Tigers, who are short on players. It's the fourth Saturday game involving SEC teams to be postponed by the coronavirus. The Big Ten game between third-ranked Ohio State and host Maryland has been canceled because of an elevated number of COVID-19 cases within the Terrapins program. Maryland has halted team-related activities after eight players tested positive for COVID-19 over the last seven days. Eight games across major college football have been called off this week. Overall, 55 games involving FBS teams have been canceled or postponed since late August.
Meanwhile, Penn State running back Journey Brown says he has a heart condition that is forcing him to give up football. Brown posted Wednesday night on Twitter that he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that causes heart muscle to become abnormally thick and can make it more difficult to pump blood. Brown was Penn State's leading rusher in 2019 and was expected to be one of the best backs in the country this year.
NFL
The Cleveland Browns have activated quarterback Baker Mayfield from the COVID-19 reserve list, clearing him to practice and play this weekend against Houston. Cleveland placed Mayfield on the list on Sunday when the team was on its bye week.
In other NFL news:
The Seahawks may be without Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar against the Rams this weekend. Griffin has missed the past two games with a combination of a concussion and a hamstring injury. Coach Pete Carroll says Dunbar has a knee injury that has bothered him off and on this season.
A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Broncos defensive end Shelby Harris has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss his second straight game Sunday. He was expected to return to practice Wednesday along with guard Graham Glasgow, who tested positive for the virus two weeks ago.
Dolphins receiver Preston Williams has gone on injured reserve with a foot injury, meaning he'll be sidelined for three games and perhaps longer. It's unknown if Williams is expected to return this season, but the injury is more serious than first thought.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule says he doesn't anticipate running back Christian McCaffrey to play Sunday against the Buccaneers. However, Rhule doesn't expect the 2019 Pro Bowl selection to miss the rest of the season due to a strained AC joint.
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey has returned from the COVID-19 reserve list. If Campbell can't play Sunday night at New England, his run of 98 consecutive games will end.
The Cowboys have placed defensive end Tyrone Crawford on the COVID-19 reserve list during a bye week for Dallas. The Cowboys canceled practice Wednesday because Pittsburgh announced a positive COVID-19 test for tight end Vance McDonald on Monday. Crawford joins quarterback Andy Dalton, who has been on it almost two weeks.
The Bengals have bolstered their defensive front by claiming Takk McKinley off waivers from the Falcons. The defensive end has recorded 17 1/2 sacks in 49 games since being taken by Atlanta in the first round of the 2017 draft. The Falcons waived him Monday after he took to social media in recent weeks to make it clear that he wanted out of Atlanta.
The 49ers have been cleared of any potential violations of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols following a positive test from receiver Kendrick Bourne. A person familiar with the investigation said the league and union reviewed the 49ers and determined the team was in compliance of coronavirus protocols. Bourne tested positive for the coronavirus last week and was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list.
NBA
The Oklahoma City Thunder have promoted assistant Mark Daigneault to head coach. He replaces Billy Donovan, who now is coaching the Bulls after guiding Oklahoma City to the playoffs in each of his five seasons at the helm Daigneault coached the Thunder's G League team for five years. He had a .572 winning percentage, won three division titles and made four playoff appearances.
Also, newly-hired Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce has added former Pacers coach Nate McMillan to his staff as an assistant. McMillan has a 661-588 record in 16 seasons as an NBA coach with the Pacers, Seattle and Portland.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Iowa's Luka Garza is the lone unanimous selection on The Associated Press preseason All-America men's basketball team, one of many awards the talented big man has received prior to his senior season. Garza was one of college basketball's dominant players as a junior, averaging 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 54% from the floor. Garza is joined on the First Team by Baylor senior Jared Butler, Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham and Illinois junior Ayo Dosunmu. Seniors Corey Kispert of Gonzaga and Arizona State's Remy Martin tied for the final spot.
Also, Azzi Fudd, the nation’s top women’s basketball prospect, has signed to play at UConn. Fudd is a 5-foot-11 guard from St. John’s College High School in Washington. She chose the Huskies over UCLA, making the announcement on Wednesday, her 18th birthday. The decision gives No. 3 UConn one of the top-ranked recruiting classes in the country for the 2021-22 season. Fudd is joined by 6-2 guard Caroline Ducharme, 6-5 forward Amari DeBerry and 6-2 guard Saylor Poffenbarger. They will join a team that could return all 11 of its current players next season.
TENNIS
The mother of 18-time Grand Slam tennis champion Chris Evert has died at 92. Colette Evert was the matriarch of a tennis family that produced five children who were successful in the age-group and professional ranks. Her calm demeanor made her popular with tournament directors and other players. Chris Evert says her mother often cheered for opponents when they played well against the Evert kids.
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