MLB: Ryan Raburn drove in the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Washington Nationals survived another bullpen collapse for a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets on Monday night.
Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven sharp innings for his second straight win following a long slump, and the New York Yankees beat the skidding Toronto Blue Jays 6-3. Hours after announcing they'll both compete in the Home Run Derby next week, All-Star sluggers Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez sparked New York's offense.
Andrew Benintendi blooped a two-run single over a drawn-in infield in the 11th inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 7-5 for their AL-best fifth straight victory. Boston needed extra innings after Mike Napoli led off the Rangers ninth with a homer off All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, who had blown only one of his previous 24 save opportunities.
Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, the Baby Bombers who lead the New York Yankees' offense, will participate in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Miami on July 10. Judge, a rookie who homered in his first major league at-bat last August, leads the majors with 27 homers and tops the American League with a .327 average and 62 RBIs. Sanchez is hitting .289 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs despite missing nearly a month with a strained biceps. Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton will defend his title. Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger, who leads the National League with 24 homers, also says he will compete.
TENNIS: Neither a nagging injury to his left hip nor a brief rain delay seemed to pose any challenge to Andy Murray. The top-seeded Murray opened the defense of his Wimbledon title with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan on Monday in the opening round. Murray, whose only competitive grass-court appearance was a first-round loss at Queen's last month, showed no effects from an injury that caused him to call off two exhibition matches last week. He said after the match: "My hip felt good. It's still a little bit sore, but I was moving really good on the court today."
Back at Wimbledon and still playing his best, Rafael Nadal advanced to the second round at the All England Club. The fourth-seeded Spaniard, who won his 10th French Open title last month, beat John Millman of Australia 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 on No. 1 Court. Nadal is a two-time champion at Wimbledon. From 2006 to 2011, he reached the final every year except 2009, when he skipped the grass-court major because of injury.
NHL: Right winger Alexander Radulov got the richest contract given to an unrestricted free agent this offseason when he signed a $31.25 million, five-year deal with the Dallas Stars.
Only after agreeing on terms with the Stars did Radulov get an offer from the Canadiens to stay in Montreal for that long.
NBA: The NBA Finals MVP gladly accepted a pay cut.One day shy of a year after announcing his decision to join the powerhouse Warriors, Kevin Durant took far less than he could have to help make sure they stay winners and chase more championships. KD agreed to terms Monday on a contract worth approximately $53 million over the next two years. Still excited about his first career title, Durant has made it clear he hopes to build a dynasty alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
The New York Knicks have signed former Vanderbilt center Luke Kornet to one of the two-way contracts allowable under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The 7-foot-1 Kornet averaged 13.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks last season, earning All-SEC and All-SEC defensive honors. He holds the NCAA record for 3-pointers made by a 7-footer with 150.
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