Sports category, Page 932
‘Years in the making:’ After struggles as starter, Pirates’ Mitch Keller evolves into ace
When Mitch Keller hears his name mentioned as a potential All-Star and Cy Young candidate after the first two months of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander can’t suppress his smile. Then Keller makes it clear he’s in no way satisfied with the early success. What Keller really wants is...
Millersville ends Seton Hill’s baseball season in NCAA Super Regional
Millersville’s potent bats ended Seton Hill’s baseball season Saturday, sending the Griffins to an 11-6 loss in Game 2 of an NCAA Super Regional. Millersville (45-8) swept the best-of-three series and heads to the NCAA Division II tournament in Cary, N.C. Like Game 1, Seton Hill (48-13) jumped out to...
Pirates activate RHP Vince Velasquez to start Saturday, DFA RHP Duane Underwood Jr.
As expected, the Pittsburgh Pirates activated right-hander Vince Velasquez from the 15-day injured list Saturday so he can return to the starting rotation. The corresponding move, however, was unexpected. To make room on the 26-man active roster, the Pirates designated right-handed reliever Duane Underwood Jr. for assignment. Velasquez (4-3, 3.06...
New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million
CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced late Friday in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000-seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Would it really matter if anyone saw Kenny Pickett’s stolen playbook?
Kenny Pickett got his SUV and playbook stolen. The SUV (a perk from a sponsor) got swiped. The playbook was in it. Each could be easily replaced. Free cars are plentiful for star athletes, and Matt Canada authored the playbook. Light reading by an unheralded author. The crime was easily...
Level Green native Brandon Svoboda is poised to be an NHL draft pickVideo
Within the span of less than a week, Brandon Svoboda had two profound reasons to celebrate. The most recent occasion came Thursday when he graduated from Penn-Trafford. And six days earlier, he had something much larger over his head than a green mortarboard affixed with a yellow tassel. On May...
Pirates match franchise record with 7 homers, top Mariners
With their ace, Mitch Keller, on the mound Friday night at T-Mobile Park to begin a three-game series in Seattle, the Pittsburgh Pirates probably weren’t aiming to do anything out of the ordinary offensively. But by game’s end, having tied a modern-day franchise record with seven home runs, the Pirates...
Pirates farm report for May 26, 2023: Cal Mitchell homers in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 23-25) gave Columbus (Guardians) a pretty good beating, 7-3. LF Cal Mitchell (.261) went 1 for 2 with his fifth homer and three walks. 1B Aaron Shackelford (.270) went 1 for 3 with a two-run homer, his seventh, and three RBIs. RF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.235) went 1 for...
Tour rookie Harry Hall up 3 despite Harris English ace at Colonial
FORT WORTH, Texas — Harris English quipped to his caddie that no one is beating him at Colonial’s par-3 eighth hole, which is true after he followed his birdie in the opening round with a hole-in-one Friday. There is only one player ahead of him on the leaderboard. PGA Tour...
Golden Knights aim for closeout win vs. Stars in Western Conference finalVideo
LAS VEGAS — Alec Martinez was part of the 2014 Los Angeles Kings team that erased a 3-0 first-round series deficit and beat Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks in Game 7. Pavelski and coach Pete DeBoer were the centerpiece of a Sharks comeback from 3-1 down in the...
Ganassi vs. McLaren headlines Indianapolis 500 title fight, some 300,000 fans expectedVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Four custom McLaren GTs lined the curb in front of St. Elmo’s Steak House, the see-and-be-seen spot in downtown Indianapolis, in a massive flex by the race team trying to win the Indianapolis 500. The rebuilt, rebranded and rebounded Arrow McLaren organization has turned the buildup to the...
Seton Hill drops 1st game of NCAA Super Regional
Cole Houser and Justin Taylor hit back-to-back home runs as part of a five-run fourth inning, leading Millersville to a 9-4 victory over Seton Hill in the first game of a best-of-three NCAA Division II Super Regional on Friday in Millersville. The teams will meet again at 11 a.m. Saturday....
Pennsylvania college baseball player dies while dismantling unapproved dugout
HARRISBURG — A college baseball player died after he was struck in the face when a makeshift dugout he was helping to dismantle collapsed on him this week. Angel Mercado, 19, was a middle infielder who had just completed his freshman season at Division II Central Penn College. He was...
‘Block’ party over at Colonial for PGA Championship sensation club proVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — Michael Block walked out after signing his scorecard Friday afternoon at Colonial with his cap turned backward, his shirt untucked and still with a smile after a grueling 36 holes and being at the bottom of the 120-player field. A week after the club pro from...
Column: Remembering Georgia Tech’s Clint Castleberry, who paid ultimate price of warVideo
ATLANTA — Clint Castleberry had one glorious season at Georgia Tech, a whirlwind of a player whose star burned bright. A newspaper scribe dubbed him “Jackrabbit” — a testimonial to his blinding speed on the gridiron. In an era when players lined up on both offense and defense, Castleberry seemed...
New location at Steelers headquarters, but same determination for QB Mason Rudolph
If Mason Rudolph didn’t get the change of scenery he thought he might find in free agency after spending five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he certainly got it when he returned to the team’s practice facility for organized team activities. Rudolph’s locker, the one he had used every year...
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina lead women entering French OpenVideo
PARIS — All of those questions about who would step to the fore once Serena Williams walked away from the tennis tour — joining more recent No. 1 Ash Barty in retirement — seem to be getting answered with three names: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. As the...
Analysis: NFL can’t shake perception it doesn’t care what players and coaches thinkVideo
Even when the NFL institutes a rule designed to reduce concussions, it can’t shake the perception that it doesn’t care what players and coaches think. The league took a step toward eliminating kickoffs this week by enhancing the touchback rule for a one-year trial with a priority on player safety....
Steelers’ Larry Ogunjobi buys dream home for parents
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi purchased a house for his parents. The 28-year-old posted images of his family celebrating the new home on Instagram Thursday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Olumide Larry Ogunjobi (@olumide) “To the man and woman, that gave me and my sister...
No ‘joke’: Biden celebrating LSU, UConn champion basketball teams at White House
WASHINGTON — It’s sports Friday at the White House. President Joe Biden was hosting the NCAA championship men’s and women’s basketball teams at separate events. His wife, Jill, planned to join the celebration for Louisiana State’s women’s team. After the Tigers beat Iowa for the title in April in a...
Arizona Cardinals release receiver DeAndre Hopkins
TEMPE, Ariz. — The DeAndre Hopkins era is over for the Arizona Cardinals, who are on the hook for quite an expensive breakup. The Cardinals released the three-time All-Pro wide receiver in a salary cap move Friday after they failed to find a trading partner in the offseason. Arizona made...
Grand Canyon’s Jacob Wilson, son of former Pirates shortstop, has 12 strikeouts in last 478 plate appearances
Jacob Wilson came of age in baseball when the dictates of analytics removed the shame of striking out if it meant hitting more home runs. The Grand Canyon shortstop considers himself a throwback to the time when striking out equated to failure. “Striking out,” he said, “is not OK.” His...
NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon on life, secret talents and duels with Dale Earnhardt
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In 1994, Jeff Gordon won his first race in NASCAR’s signature series, taking the checkered flag at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway at age 22. Gordon would win 92 more times after that, becoming racing royalty and a NASCAR Hall of Famer. Now he’s our...
Even after his latest ejection, Yankees manager Aaron Boone doesn’t want robo umps
NEW YORK — Ejected for the fourth time this season and second time in a four-game span, Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t think there was a need for robot umpires. “I don’t want that,” Boone said after Thursday night’s 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Boone was tossed in the...
Mark Madden: Nikola Jokic showed dominance, but LeBron grabs headlines
LeBron James got his backside handed to him by Nikola Jokic in the NBA playoffs. Denver eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in four straight games. James, 38, was very good. Jokic, 28, was utterly dominant. But, in the immediate aftermath, James pondered whether he’d retire. The media swarmed like piranha....
