THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” FRIDAY AUGUST 8, 2025

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“THE SCOREBOARD”

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INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS GOLF

TRI-WEST 214 INDIAN CREEK 234

NOBLESVILLE 148 ZIONSVILLE 153

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WNBA SCORES

ATLANTA 86 CHICAGO 65

PHOENIX 95 INDIANA 60

LOS ANGELES 102 CONNECTICUT 91

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MLB SCORES

LAS VEGAS 6 WASHINGTON 0

SEATTLE 4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3 (11)

PITTSBURGH 7 CINCINNATI 0

ATLANTA 8 MIAMI 6

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MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS 4 OMAHA 2

FT. WAYNE 8 SOUTH BEND 3

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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

WEEK 0

SATURDAY, AUG. 23

WEEK 1

THURSDAY, AUG. 28

FRIDAY, AUG. 29

SATURDAY, AUG. 30

SUNDAY, AUG. 31

3 P.M. | VIRGINIA TECH AT SOUTH CAROLINA | ESPN (IN ATLANTA, GA)
7:30 P.M. | NOTRE DAME AT MIAMI (FL)| ABC

MONDAY, SEPT. 1

8 P.M. | TCU AT NORTH CAROLINA | ESPN

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COLTS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE

SAT., AUG. 9: PRACTICE (4-5:10 P.M.)

SUN., AUG. 10: PRACTICE (4-5:30 P.M.)

MON., AUG. 11: PRACTICE (4-5:40 P.M.)

THUR., AUG. 14: PRACTICE (3-5 P.M.)

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2025 NFL PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE

*****WEEK 1*****

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7

BALTIMORE 24 INDIANAPOLIS 16

PHILADELPHIA 34 CINCINNATI 27

LAS VEGAS 23 SEATTLE 23

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8

DETROIT AT ATLANTA, 7:00
CLEVELAND AT CAROLINA, 7:00
WASHINGTON AT NEW ENGLAND, 7:30

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9

N.Y. GIANTS AT BUFFALO, 1:00
HOUSTON AT MINNESOTA, 4:00
PITTSBURGH AT JACKSONVILLE, 7:00
DALLAS AT L.A. RAMS, 7:00
TENNESSEE AT TAMPA BAY, 7:30
KANSAS CITY AT ARIZONA, 8:00
N.Y. JETS AT GREEN BAY, 8:00
DENVER AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30

SUNDAY, AUGUST 10

MIAMI AT CHICAGO, 1:00
NEW ORLEANS AT L.A. CHARGERS, 4:05

*****WEEK 2*****

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15

TENNESSEE AT ATLANTA, 7:00
KANSAS CITY AT SEATTLE, 10:00

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16

MIAMI AT DETROIT, 1:00
CAROLINA AT HOUSTON, 1:00
GREEN BAY AT INDIANAPOLIS, 1:00
NEW ENGLAND AT MINNESOTA, 1:00
CLEVELAND AT PHILADELPHIA, 1:00
SAN FRANCISCO AT LAS VEGAS, 4:00
BALTIMORE AT DALLAS, 7:00
L.A. CHARGERS AT L.A. RAMS, 7:00
N.Y. JETS AT N.Y. GIANTS, 7:00
TAMPA BAY AT PITTSBURGH, 7:00
ARIZONA AT DENVER, 9:30

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17

JACKSONVILLE AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
BUFFALO AT CHICAGO (FOX), 8:00

MONDAY, AUGUST 18

CINCINNATI AT WASHINGTON (ESPN), 8:00

*****WEEK 3*****

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21

PITTSBURGH AT CAROLINA, 7:00
NEW ENGLAND AT N.Y. GIANTS (PRIME VIDEO), 8:00

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22

PHILADELPHIA AT N.Y. JETS, 7:30
ATLANTA AT DALLAS, 8:00
MINNESOTA AT TENNESSEE (CBS), 8:00
CHICAGO AT KANSAS CITY, 8:20

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23

BALTIMORE AT WASHINGTON, NOON
INDIANAPOLIS AT CINCINNATI, 1:00
L.A. RAMS AT CLEVELAND, 1:00
HOUSTON AT DETROIT, 1:00
DENVER AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
SEATTLE AT GREEN BAY, 4:00
JACKSONVILLE AT MIAMI, 7:00
BUFFALO AT TAMPA BAY, 7:30
L.A. CHARGERS AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30
LAS VEGAS AT ARIZONA, 10:00

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TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES

NFL NEWS

NFL PRESEASON ROUNDUP: TANNER MCKEE CARRIES EAGLES PAST BENGALS

Tanner McKee threw for 252 yards and accounted for three first-half touchdowns, leading the host Philadelphia Eagles to a 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday evening.

McKee got an opportunity for extended playing time with starting quarterback Jalen Hurts held out of the Eagles’ first preseason game. He took full advantage, completing 20 of 25 passes. McKee capped off the Eagles’ first drive of the game with a 1-yard touchdown run, threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ainias Smith in the second quarter, and closed out the first half with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper.

Cooper led the Eagles with 82 receiving yards, followed closely by 73 receiving yards from Johnny Wilson. ShunDerrick Powell capped off the Eagles’ scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals elected to start Joe Burrow in their preseason opener. He led the team to touchdowns on each of his two series, completing 9 of 10 passes for 123 yards with touchdown passes to Tanner Hudson and Ja’Marr Chase.

Ravens 24, Colts 16

Keaton Mitchell rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown, and host Baltimore beat Indianapolis in the preseason opener for both teams.

The Ravens jumped out to a 21-9 halftime lead behind a 22-yard touchdown run from Mitchell, an 87-yard punt return touchdown from rookie LaJohntay Wester, and a 2-yard touchdown run from Rasheen Ali. Lamar Jackson sat out for the Ravens and Cooper Rush got the start at quarterback, completing 2 of 4 passes for 16 yards with one interception.

The Colts started Anthony Richardson, but the third-year QB left the game with a dislocated pinkie suffered while taking a sack in his second series and did not return. Daniel Jones replaced Richardson and completed 10 of 21 passes for 144 yards. The Colts’ lone touchdown came on a 1-yard rush by Khalil Herbert.

–Field Level Media

TEXANS S JIMMIE WARD ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGED BOND VIOLATION

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward was arrested on Thursday for allegedly violating the terms of a previous legal order.

He was to spend the night in Montgomery County (Texas) Jail before being released on Friday, his lawyer, Steve Jackson, told KPRC 2 in Houston.

Ward, 34, was arrested on June 12 at his home in Magnolia, Texas, and held on a third-degree charge of felony domestic violence. Per KPRC 2, the case involved the mother of Ward’s child, who sought and received a protective order after alleging that she was assaulted, strangled and threatened by Ward.

He was released on a $30,000 bond at the time.

Jackson told KPRC 2 on Thursday, “It’s a condition of bond, and there are certain conditions like you can’t drink. Jimmie believed it was for not getting intoxicated, like he could have a drink. There was no contact with the complainant. The court has a zero tolerance policy for drinking while on bond, unbeknownst to him.

“The judge issued a sanction, so he will spend the night in jail overnight. This has nothing to do with the complaining witness at all. There are no new allegations against Jimmie. The judge wants to treat him fairly, like anyone else.”

The Texans did not comment on the latest arrest, according to ESPN and KPRC 2.

The original case is headed to a grand jury on Aug. 31, Jackson told KPRC 2.

With the case pending and with Ward nursing a foot injury, he hadn’t taken part in training camp this summer. The NFL reportedly is investigating Ward and could issue a punishment.

Ward recorded 48 tackles and two interceptions — one returned for a touchdown — in 10 games (all starts) last season. He has totaled 549 tackles, 10 interceptions — three returned for a touchdown — in 126 career games (99 starts) with the San Francisco 49ers (2014-22) and Texans.

RAVENS ROOKIE CB BILHAL KONE TO MISS SEASON AFTER SUFFERING MAJOR KNEE INJURY

Baltimore Ravens rookie cornerback Bilhal Kone will likely miss his entire 2025 season after suffering a “torn ligament in his knee” during the team’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said during the postgame press conference on Thursday.

The injury occurred late in the first quarter as Kone was defending a pass in the end zone. He landed awkwardly and immediately grabbed at his left leg and had to be carted off the field with his leg placed in a vacuum splint.

Kone, 23, was drafted in the sixth round (No. 178 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft following a trade with the Tennessee Titans.

A standout at Western Michigan, Kone put together an impressive final college season. He broke up nine passes and recorded 70 tackles along with one interception.

LIONS PUT CB ENNIS RAKESTRAW JR. (SHOULDER) ON IR

After Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. exited Monday’s practice with a shoulder injury, coach Dan Campbell warned that the second-year player could be out a while “at best.”

Indeed that is the case, as the Lions placed Rakestraw on injured reserve after he underwent shoulder surgery on Thursday. As a result, the 2024 second-round pick out of Missouri will miss the entire 2025 season.

Prior to his procedure, Rakestraw posted a picture of himself in a hospital gown to his Instagram story with the caption, “Road to Be back starts soon.”

The shoulder injury was yet another setback for the second-year pro, who was already dealing with a chest contusion suffered during the first day of training camp. His rookie campaign, during which he recorded six tackles across eight games, was also shortened by injuries to his ankle and hamstring.

49ERS GM NOT EXPECTING BRANDON AIYUK TO BE READY FOR WEEK 1

The San Francisco 49ers do not expect to have receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the field for the season-opening game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 7.

Aiyuk is battling back from a serious right knee injury that included tears to the ACL and MCL. He was injured in Week 7 of last season.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch told KNBR on Thursday that Aiyuk is making progress but the team isn’t ready to put a date on his return.

“There’s just steps that you have to continue to hit and I’ll continue to say that Brandon is doing very well in his rehab,” Lynch said. “Do we have an exact date right now? No. I don’t think it’ll be Week 1, but hopefully I’m surprised. We’ll see — continue to watch him work his way through his rehab. But we want him fully healthy.

“He had a significant injury, so you have to do a significant rehab. He’s doing a really good job with that, and we got to continue to do so.”

Aiyuk was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list prior to training camp. If he is still on the PUP list at the outset of the season, he will be required to miss at least the first four games.

Aiyuk, 27, had 25 receptions for 374 yards and no touchdowns over seven games last season after developing into a star over the previous two campaigns. Aiyuk caught a career-high 78 passes for 1,015 yards and a career-best eight touchdowns in 2022, followed by 75 receptions for a career-high 1,342 yards in 2023.

Also, rookie running back Jordan James will miss time after injuring a finger earlier this week.

“Jordan James broke his finger, so he’s getting surgery on that,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He’ll be out a couple of weeks.”

James was a fifth-round pick in April’s draft. He rushed for 2,215 yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons at Oregon.

The 49ers also released veteran cornerback Eli Apple on Thursday, a little more than a week after signing him.

COWBOYS ROOKIE RB JAYDON BLUE INJURED DURING PRACTICE

Dallas Cowboys rookie Jaydon Blue, slotted as the No. 3 running back for the team’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, exited Thursday’s practice with a lower body injury.

A fifth-round pick out of Texas, Blue took a handoff and was taken down by his facemask by Sam Williams. Blue fell to the ground awkwardly and was carted off the field, though he was able to limp his way from the medical tent under his own power to the locker room.

Following practice, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said that the running back would be re-evaluated by team staff, adding that he did not believe the injury to be significant.

Blue has reportedly impressed the Dallas coaching staff since arriving with the Cowboys and was sure to see plenty of reps in the preseason.

In three years at Texas, Blue rushed for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns, including 730 yards on 5.4 yards per carry and eight scores a year ago. He also totaled 368 receiving yards and six TDs in 2024.

PACKERS S XAVIER MCKINNEY (CALF) MAY MISS REST OF TRAINING CAMP

Green Bay Packers All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney is dealing with a calf injury that could take him off the field for the rest of training camp and the preseason.

McKinney, though, promised he’d “be ready when it’s time to go” for Week 1 when speaking to reporters at training camp Thursday.

“Obviously glad that we caught it when we caught it, so just kind of trying to take it slow and then the build-up, obviously,” McKinney said. “But I’ll be ready when it’s time to go, for sure.”

McKinney was a practice participant Wednesday but sat out Thursday.

“It was just something like just lingering a little bit over time, and that’s really all it really was,” McKinney said of the injury.

McKinney, 26, is coming off the best season of his NFL career, which also marked his first season in Green Bay. He started all 17 games and nabbed eight interceptions to go with 11 pass breakups, 88 tackles and one sack on his way to Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors.

He spent the first four seasons of his pro career with the New York Giants before joining the Packers on a four-year, $67 million free agent deal.

JAGUARS TO PLAY STARTERS, INCLUDING ROOKIE TRAVIS HUNTER, IN PRESEASON OPENER AGAINST THE STEELERS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter will make his professional debut playing both sides of the ball.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen said Thursday that Hunter and most of the team’s other starters will play in their preseason opener against Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

“Everybody’s going to play in this game,” Coen said. “A lot of the guys want to play. Two new systems on both sides of the ball. … You can do whatever you want, but everything leans that way in probably being the best thing for our team right now.”

The Steelers have not announced whether they will play any starters. Coen said he planned to connect with Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin later Thursday to share his plan.

Coen said quarterback Trevor Lawrence, center Robert Hainsey and others expressed a desire to be on the field in at least the first preseason game. Lawrence hasn’t taken a snap in a live-ball situation since sustaining a concussion against Houston in early December; he had season-ending shoulder surgery soon thereafter.

“I’ll be excited to get back out there,” Lawrence said. “It’s been a while, so anytime you can play — even preseason — it means something to get on that field.”

Lawrence is learning his third offensive system in five NFL seasons and has two new receivers — including Hunter — as well as two new offensive line starters. The Jaguars even have several new faces on defense, too.

“All of that is kind of what points to (playing),” Coen said. “Look, if we had three (joint practices) and two days of work (within) each of those joints, we probably wouldn’t be playing (starters). That’s just kind of where we’re at. We’ve got to go and probably take advantage of these opportunities.”

All eyes will be on Lawrence and Hunter, who is trying to become the most diverse player in NFL history. The former Colorado star and the second overall pick in the NFL draft is penciled in as a starting slot receiver and a backup cornerback in Jacksonville.

Hunter started switching sides of the ball in practice last week, the latest expansion of his dual role.

“He wants to prove people wrong,” fellow cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “I feel like that’s the type of mindset you have to have to go and be awesome and a competitor out here. Of course he has all the skillsets, but I think it’s the mental aspect of it that makes him different.

“He’s going to show you. He’s going to try to do it tenfold and put his best foot forward doing both things, and whatever they ask him to do, he’s going to do it at full speed. Like I said, his mental fortitude for it is unmatched.”

STEELERS WILL SIT QB AARON RODGERS, OTHER STARTERS IN PRESEASON OPENER AGAINST JACKSONVILLE

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers’ debut in Pittsburgh will have to wait.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said the team’s new quarterback and most of its other high-profile starters won’t play when the club opens the preseason in Jacksonville on Saturday.

T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Jonnu Smith, DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey are also among the group that will watch from the sideline.

“They need less runway to take off, to be honest with you, because of their experience and where they’re at in their careers,” Tomlin said Thursday.

Rodgers, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in early June, said Wednesday he was open to making a rare exhibition game appearance. Tomlin doesn’t think it’s required, though he didn’t rule out Rodgers making a cameo on the field later in the preseason.

The first-team offense struggled in the early days of training camp at Saint Vincent College. Tomlin said there’s been a notable “upswing,” a major factor in why he’s in no hurry to rush the NFL’s oldest player into game action.

“I just make judgments based on what I’m looking at,” Tomlin said. “I just feel comfortable with what I’ve seen during this portion of the process that makes me (OK with Rodgers sitting out).”

Rookie quarterback Will Howard is unavailable after injuring his right (throwing) hand on Tuesday. Tomlin described Howard as “week to week,” and said there’s a chance Howard will be available at some point later this month.

The Steelers signed well-traveled backup quarterback Logan Woodside to pick up some of the reps with Howard out. Woodside has a long relationship with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The two were together in Tennessee in 2019 and 2020 when Smith was the Titans’ offensive coordinator. Woodside also spent time in Atlanta during Smith’s three-year tenure as Falcons’ head coach.

There’s a chance Woodside could be available to play against the Jaguars, though the bulk of the snaps will likely be split between veteran Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.

MAHOMES, CHIEFS STARTERS TO PLAY IN PRESEASON OPENER AGAINST CARDINALS

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is glad that coach Andy Reid is sending him onto the field with the rest of their starters when Kansas City visits the Arizona Cardinals for their preseason opener Saturday night.

“I don’t necessarily look forward to getting hit,” Mahomes added with a smile Thursday.

Getting hit is exactly why some teams have eschewed playing starters at all in the preseason. When coaches finally decided it wasn’t worth the risk to their most valuable players, they began sitting them for one or two games, and last year, teams such as the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles sat them for the entirety of their exhibition slate.

That has never been Reid’s preference, though. Nor has it been that of Mahomes, who believes it does him some good to get hit — once, at least — so that he can get into the right mindset for the rest of the preseason and ultimately the regular season.

“There’s always a little shock,” Mahomes said.

Now, don’t get any misconceptions. The Chiefs might only have those starters on the field for a single series in Arizona, especially if it goes well. But the plan, at least after their final practice before their opener, was that each quarterback will get a full quarter — Mahomes the first, Gardner Minshew the second, Bailey Zappe the third and Chris Oladokun the fourth.

The rest of the offense would presumably follow suit.

There are certainly things that the three-time defending AFC champions want to see out of their preseason opener. Tops on the list is their new-look offense line, where first-round pick Josh Simmons has already turned some heads as the new left tackle and Kingsley Suamataia has the inside track on replacing two-time All-Pro Joe Thuney at left guard.

The Chiefs have invested heavily in their offensive line, both in draft capital and financial resources, over the past couple years, and the need to upgrade the left side in particular became evident in their Super Bowl loss in February.

There is also some competition for the final spots at wide receiver, and some different names could get some extended looks with the first-team offense. That’s because Rashee Rice is sidelined with a groin injury and Marquise Brown with an ailing ankle.

“I think (my advice) is go out there and do what they’re doing this camp,” Mahomes said. “It’s going to be a bigger stage going up against another team, but I think Coach Reid prepares us better than anybody else in the league to go out there and play your best football. We practice hard and we practice fast so when it gets to the game, it’s not that huge step up.”

It’s still a substantial one, especially given Arizona is taking the same approach as Kansas City this year.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon, who held out quarterback Kyler Murray and others his first two years and barely played any starters in the preseason last year, said this week, “I told them (Monday) night that they are going to play.”

“It’s the best thing for our team this year, honestly,” Gannon explained. “We are at a good point with our health, we’re at a good point with our development, and I think this year with our team it’s the best thing to do for our guys.”

NOTES: Hall of Fame WR Terrell Owens watched the Chiefs practice at Missouri Western on Thursday. He played two seasons for Reid in Philadelphia. “Just watching people grow, I’m in a great position to see that,” Reid said. … Former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce also has been in camp, helping longtime friend and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. “Maybe we’ll ask him about some Las Vegas Raiders stuff,” Spagnuolo said with a smile. … CB Kristian Fulton (knee) came off the PUP list and took part in individual drills Thursday. LB Drue Tranquill (back) also returned to practice.

AARON GLENN WILL PLAY JUSTIN FIELDS AND THE JETS’ STARTERS IN THE PRESEASON OPENER AGAINST PACKERS

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Justin Fields and the rest of the New York Jets’ starters will play for at least some of the team’s preseason opener at Green Bay on Saturday night.

“We’re playing,” coach Aaron Glenn said Thursday after the team’s final full practice before the game against the Packers. “I can’t tell you how much guys are going to play. That’s going to be affected by how the game goes, but we’re playing.”

Many teams typically sit most of their starters for the first preseason game, something the Jets’ most recent previous regimes often did. But Glenn wants to see his players on the field during a game after more than two weeks of training camp.

“Because I want to play,” Glenn said when asked for his reasoning to play the starters. “That’s the reason. I want our guys to play. That’s the reason.”

And the first-year head coach also wants the final score of his debut to be in the Jets’ favor.

“Every time we go on the grass, the first thing I expect is to win, I do,” Glenn said. “But I expect to win in ways that we really talk about trying to create during camp. And everything that we talk about trying to build, as far as how we’re trying to get this team to operate, I want to make sure that’s showing up on the tape.”

The decision by Glenn was expected by his players, who figured that would be the case from the way the coach has run practices during camp.

“I mean, if y’all look, we’ve been tackling in practice,” cornerback Sauce Gardner said. “So I was pretty sure that he was going to want us to be able to tackle another team, you know? So I’m embracing that and I’m looking forward to it, but I definitely was not surprised. None of us was surprised when he said that.”

Gardner played in the preseason opener as a rookie after being the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, but hadn’t done so the last two summers.

“I love football, like, you know, I’m obsessed with football,” Gardner said. “So any chance that I’ve got to play, I am always going to, like, love the idea of it.”

Having the starters play will give Glenn and the coaching staff an even better idea of where Fields and the Jets’ passing offense — which has mostly struggled through camp — is at this point.

Fields, in his first season with New York, bounced back from a few subpar practices with a solid showing Thursday. He was unofficially 8 of 14, including a pass that deflected off tight end Jeremy Ruckert’s hands and was intercepted, and had a pretty touchdown toss to Garrett Wilson.

“Man, he’s a very mature person,” Glenn said of Fields. “And listen, he understands the highs and lows of this game and there’s so much outside noise to try to beat him down. And he’s so mature and he doesn’t allow that to be a factor in how he’s going to go about his business.

“He understands the noise. It’s just part of the business, a part of being a quarterback, so he can’t hide from that. And I’m proud of him.”

Bad memory

Aaron Glenn recalled his first preseason game with the Jets as a rookie in 1994 with a bit of anxiety.

“I don’t want to really talk about it. It wasn’t good,” he said, drawing laughs from reporters. “It was against Philly. Herschel Walker was a personal protector and I was catching punts. To see a 240-pound man just streaking down the field right at you trying to catch a punt, that’s not a pretty sight.

“So I tried to wipe that memory out of my mind. But you just brought it up, so.”

Injuries

Defensive tackle Byron Cowart has an ankle injury that will sideline him for the preseason game.

Among those previously ruled out were defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (calf), rookie tight end Mason Taylor (high ankle sprain), left guard John Simpson (back), backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor (knee) and special teams ace Kris Boyd (shoulder).

NFL PLAYERS CAN STILL USE SMELLING SALTS AS LONG AS NOT PROVIDED BY TEAMS

NFL players will be allowed to use “smelling salts” during games after all.

The NFLPA sent a memo to players on Wednesday saying that the ban that the league informed teams about on Tuesday only prohibits team employees from distributing smelling salts and any other ammonia inhalant during pregame activities, games and halftime on the sideline or locker rooms.

“The NFL Players Association is aware of the memo issued by the league Tuesday regarding the use of smelling salts and ammonia capsules,” said the memo to players, which was obtained by The Associated Press. “We were not notified of this club policy change before the memo was sent out. To clarify, this policy does not prohibit player use of these substances, but rather it restricts clubs from providing or supplying them in any form. The NFL has confirmed this to us.”

The memo from the league prohibited any club personnel from providing or supplying products such as ammonia capsules, inhalers, ammonia in a cup, and any form of “smelling salts.” The league cited a warning issued from the Food and Drug Administration in 2024 that there was no evidence citing the “safety or efficacy” of the products and that they have the potential to mask symptoms of concussions.

Smelling salts and other similar products have been a staple on NFL sidelines for years with many players believing they can provide a sudden jolt of energy or alertness.

SHEDEUR’S SHOT: BROWNS’ QB MESS OPENS DOOR JUST A CRACK FOR ROOKIE

There is an optimistic way to view the crowded quarterback room of the Cleveland Browns.

They have a former Super Bowl MVP. They have a recent first-round draft pick. They have the all-time leader in touchdown passes among Division I players. And they have a guy who was, in the lead-up to April’s draft, widely considered to be among the top picks.

Unfortunately for the Browns, there are some complicating factors.

Joe Flacco is 40 years old and won his Super Bowl 13 years ago. He went 2-4 with the Colts last season and, in that limited time, took 18 sacks.

Kenny Pickett, the former first-round pick, has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game exactly once in his career: his second start with Pittsburgh, a game the Steelers lost to the Buffalo Bills by 35 points. The Browns are his third team in four seasons.

Dillon Gabriel, who holds the record with 155 college touchdown passes, was considered undersized as a pro prospect. Cleveland took him with the 94th pick in the draft after the rest of the league had passed on him at least twice.

And Shedeur Sanders – the Colorado standout who at some points last year was considered a possible top-three draft pick – plummeted all the way to the fifth round, at least partly over concerns about his attitude and the outsized influence of his father and college coach, Deion Sanders.

None of these quarterbacks come without concerns, to put it politely. And that’s before mentioning the most grim element of Cleveland’s quarterback picture: the injured Deshaun Watson, still on the hook for a massive salary-cap hit in 2026 even though his time with the Browns appears to be done. He’ll be remembered as the rare time someone was in the discussion for the worst trade of all time and the worst contract of all time. History made.

So, yes, things in Northeast Ohio could be better.

Fascinatingly, it’s Shedeur Sanders, the 23-year-old rookie, who’s likely to get the start in Cleveland’s first preseason game – although it’s mostly by default.

Flacco is the presumed regular-season starter after he played well in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense as an off-the-street emergency addition in the latter half of the 2024 season. But he doesn’t need to see the field much in the preseason, and Stefanski prefers to rest his planned starters until later in training camp anyway.

Pickett and Gabriel, meanwhile, are both nursing injuries, and there’s plenty of camp left for them to audition for roles with the Browns. That leaves Sanders, who has more to prove this summer than almost any player on any team. Depending on who you believe, his unprecedented draft slide was the result of skepticism about his physical tools, teams not wanting to deal with the noise potentially created by his outspoken father, or decision-makers being alarmed by his casual approach to predraft interviews. Maybe it was a little of all three.

Whatever the cause, Sanders spent literal days languishing at the top of “Best Available” boards. All he can do now is try to show the Browns they ended up with a late-round steal. Whether he’ll get a legitimate opportunity to do that is another question. Because Stefanski wants to keep his likely starters out of harm’s way, Sanders will lead something like the third-string offense against the Carolina Panthers in Cleveland’s preseason opener Friday night. Instead of trying to build chemistry with targets like Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku, Sanders will be throwing to depth receivers who, like him, might not even be on the Browns a month from now.

This would be business as usual for a fifth-round draft pick except for the fact that Sanders is already a high-profile player – not just because of his famous dad, but also because his NFL potential has been under discussion for years, especially when his Colorado team was (briefly) the talk of the college game. His ceiling as a professional appeared to collapse in brutal fashion over a couple of days in April, but it remains possible that the Browns, truly one of the NFL’s snakebitten franchises, stumbled on a winning lottery ticket in that draft. Some experts continued loudly, and desperately, insisting that Sanders was a future NFL star even as his name went uncalled.

The Browns have done little to encourage that view, listing Sanders fourth on the team’s initial quarterback depth chart and having him spend most of his practice time with the third-string offense over the first couple of weeks of camp.

Sanders, to his credit, has taken the role he’s been given, telling Cleveland reporters that he’s trying to put in the work to get where he “wants to go.” He also told his father not to visit him at camp, saying he didn’t want Deion to come just to watch him get a few reps with the scout team.

At this point, it seems like a long shot, but if Shedeur Sanders is going to get where he wants to go, the journey begins Friday night in Charlotte.

CHARGERS STAR LT RASHAWN SLATER CARTED OFF FIELD

Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater was carted off the practice field on Thursday with what appeared to be an injury to his left leg, The Athletic reported.

Slater was embraced by several teammates after he left the field.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Slater signed a four-year, $114 million contract extension on July 27 that included $92 million guaranteed to become the highest-paid offensive lineman in history at $28.5 million per season.

Slater, 26, was a first-round pick (13th overall) by the Chargers in the 2021 NFL Draft and is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He will earn a base salary of $2 million, a signing bonus of $29 million and a roster bonus of $7 million this season.

Slater has started all 51 of the games in which he has played for the Chargers, including 15 last season.

He was limited to just three games in 2022 due to a ruptured biceps tendon. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2024 and was named Second Team All-Pro in 2021.

STEELERS SIGN OL ANDRUS PEAT, QB LOGAN WOODSIDE

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran offensive lineman Andrus Peat and journeyman quarterback Logan Woodside to one-year deals on Thursday.

Peat, 31, was a first-round pick (13th overall) by New Orleans in 2015 and was selected to three straight Pro Bowls with the Saints from 2018-20.

Peat has started 103 of his 126 regular season games with the Saints (2015-23) and Las Vegas Raiders (2024). He has primarily played left guard.

Woodside, 30, was a seventh-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018. He has appeared in 13 games (no starts) with the Tennessee Titans (2020-21) and Atlanta Falcons (2022-23), completing 4 of 7 passes for 34 yards and one interception.

The Steelers waived long snapper Tucker Addington and guard Nick Broeker to make room on their training camp roster.

TEXANS S C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON CARTED OFF WITH LEG INJURY

Houston Texans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a right leg injury in practice on Thursday and was carted off the field.

Houston television station KRPC2 reported the injury appeared to be to his right knee and an MRI will be done to determine the full extent. He was unable to put weight on the leg before departing, according to the report.

The injury occurred as Gardner-Johnson attempted to tackle wide receiver John Metchie III.

Players gathered around the safety and took a knee as medical personnel helped him on the field at the training camp site in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Gardner-Johnson, 27, is in his first season with Texans, traded by the Philadelphia Eagles after winning Super Bowl LIX last season.

He was listed on the depth chart the Texans released earlier this week as a starter at safety.

A 2019 fourth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints, he joined the Eagles in 2022, played for the Detroit Lions in 2023 and rejoined Philadelphia last season.

In 16 games (all starts) with Philadelphia last season, Gardner-Johnson made six interceptions, returning one 69 yards for a touchdown, and defended 12 passes. He added a forced fumble and 59 tackles.

In 74 career games (61 starts), he has 18 interceptions, 304 tackles, four sacks and 51 passes defensed.

The Texans open the regular season on Sept. 7 against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif.

BILLS WR KHALIL SHAKIR (ANKLE) ON TRACK FOR WEEK 1 RETURN

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir should return from an ankle injury in time for the season opener, coach Sean McDermott said Thursday.

Shakir, 25, has been considered day-to-day since sustaining a right high-ankle sprain in practice last Friday. He is likely to miss all three preseason games.

Shakir posted career highs in receptions (76), targets (100), receiving yards (821) and touchdown catches (four) in 15 games last season.

He has 125 catches for 1,593 yards and seven TDs in 46 games (21 starts) since the Bills drafted him in the fifth round in 2022 out of Boise State.

Buffalo opens the preseason Saturday against the visiting New York Giants. The regular season kicks off on Sept. 7 at home against the Baltimore Ravens.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

ARCHIE MANNING: ARCH WON’T LEAVE TEXAS AFTER 2025 SEASON

Archie Manning doesn’t expect his grandson Arch Manning to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft after completing his first season as Texas’ starting quarterback.

“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Archie told TexasMonthly’s S.C. Gwynne. “He’ll be at Texas.”

Arch is considered one of the top draft-eligible quarterbacks for 2026. Archie admitted he hasn’t spoken to his grandson about his intentions.

The 21-year-old is set to lead the Longhorns’ offense after serving as Quinn Ewers’ backup for the first two years of his college career. He was the fourth-ranked signal-caller and fifth overall on ESPN’s 300 for the 2023 recruiting class.

Arch has only played 250 snaps and two starts with Texas. In those two starts, he racked up 583 passing yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also flashed his ability to make plays with his legs, running for a 67-yard touchdown last September against UTSA.

Despite his limited playing time, there are high expectations for Manning in 2025. Texas is No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll, and the signal-caller is among the betting favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Archie thinks that kind of buzz is premature.

“People are saying he’s a Heisman candidate. You’re not a Heisman Trophy candidate when you haven’t played but three games,” Archie said. “It’s crazy.”

Texas will kick off its season against Ohio State on Aug. 30.

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

SCHERZER VS. KERSHAW: A RARE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN 3,000-STRIKEOUT PITCHERS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw sounds like an enticing postseason matchup in October. Fans won’t have to wait that long. The likely Hall of Famers square off Friday in a rare contest between the most recent members of baseball’s 3,000-strikeout club.

“You probably aren’t going to see that very often these days,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I have a lot of respect for Max. It’ll be good to see him and hopefully we can have our way with him.”

Scherzer is, alongside his left-handed opponent, perhaps one of this generation’s greatest pitchers. He and Kershaw have each won World Series titles and are three-time Cy Young Award winners. Scherzer, 41, is an eight-time All-Star, while the 37-year-old Kershaw has 11 All-Star appearances, including this year as a Legend Pick by Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Scherzer became the 19th member of the 3,000-strikeout club while pitching for the Dodgers in September 2021. Kershaw joined him as the 20th member last month. The duo, along with Justin Verlander, are the only active pitchers to reach the 3,000-strikeout mark.

“I loved playing with him. I love competing against him. I have all the respect in the world for him,” Scherzer said from Colorado, where the Toronto Blue Jays earned a sweep this week. “We’ve been pitching for so long, you don’t know how many more chances you are going to get at this, to face somebody of his ilk. This is what you dream of, facing the best. It should be a lot of fun.”

But such a high-stakes duel doesn’t always live up to the anticipation.

In September 2023, Scherzer and Verlander squared off for the first time in a matchup of 200-game winners. Scherzer, then with Texas, didn’t make it to the fourth inning. Verlander, also a three-time Cy Young Award winner who was then with Houston, scattered six hits over seven innings.

Rookie left-hander Jack Dreyer has a locker just a few feet from Kershaw’s in the Dodgers clubhouse. He also played against Scherzer last season in a rehab outing.

“The way they go about their business is what separates them. To an extent there’s the talent, but they also just work harder than everybody else, especially Kersh,” Dreyer said. “It’s not always easy to listen to guys if they’re talking to you about how to get better but you don’t see them doing it. With him, it’s just so easy because I see him working his butt off every single day. He’s the easiest guy in the world to learn from.”

Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly will be watching Scherzer and Kershaw, who he managed in LA from 2011-15.

“They work. They are detailed in what they want to do,” Mattingly said in Colorado.

Mattingly credits then-Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt for helping Kershaw develop a slider to add to the primary fastball-changeup mix that he used early in his 18-year career.

“Just that two-pitch combo is tough. Umps miss that curveball because it is big. So they’d ‘ball’ it on him,” Mattingly said. “Then he came with the slider, which really changed him, being able to get down under the right-hander. Speed them up a little bit, and then that curveball was kind of a putaway when he had that going.”

Friday’s series opener at Dodger Stadium is a matchup of division leaders. The Blue Jays lead the AL East by four games over Boston. The Dodgers’ NL West lead over San Diego has shriveled to two.

And that’s ultimately what matters to Scherzer.

“If you start putting the importance on this matchup with them and put your attention toward this, you are going to overlook some other things,” he said. “They won the World Series last year. They’re the champs. You want a shot at the champs. You want to beat them. That’s what this game is about.”

MLB ROUNDUP: MARINERS WALK OFF WHITE SOX IN 11 INNINGS TO COMPLETE SWEEP

Dominic Canzone singled home the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Seattle Mariners defeated visiting Chicago White Sox 4-3 Thursday afternoon to complete a sweep of the three-game series.

Randy Arozarena hit a two-run homer for the Mariners, who improved to 6-1 on their 10-game homestand and pulled within 1 1/2 games of division-leading Houston in the American League West. Seattle starter Logan Gilbert went five innings and allowed one run on two hits.

Michael A. Taylor and Brooks Baldwin hit solo shots for the White Sox, who lost their fourth in a row. Starter Shane Smith went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits.

Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor, acquired from Arizona before the trade deadline, left before the start of the fourth inning with shoulder soreness and is considered day-to-day. Naylor appeared to be in discomfort on swings while at bat in the previous inning.

Athletics 6, Nationals 0

Jacob Lopez struck out a career-high 10 batters over 7 2/3 scoreless innings, fueling the visiting Athletics to a shutout victory over Washington.

Colby Thomas belted a two-run shot in the second inning for his first career homer. He also had a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Tyler Soderstrom’s solo homer in the eighth inning extended his hitting streak to a season-best eight games.

Washington starter Mitchell Parker (7-12) was tagged for four runs on six hits over five innings of work as the team suffered its seventh loss in the last eight games.

Pirates 7, Reds 0

Paul Skenes tossed six shutout innings and struck out eight to lead host Pittsburgh to a victory over Cincinnati.

Despite allowing a career-high seven hits (five singles), Skenes (7-8) delivered another dominant performance to bolster his case for the National League Cy Young Award. Jared Triolo and Henry Davis each had two hits and two RBIs to give Skenes more than enough of a cushion to secure a win for the third time in his past four starts. It was Skenes’ third consecutive start with eight or more strikeouts.

Bryan Reynolds, who also had two hits, homered in the first inning off Reds’ starter Brady Singer (9-9), who lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits, walked four and struck out two.

Braves 8, Marlins 6

Rookie Drake Baldwin hit two homers and drove in five runs as Atlanta erased a four-run deficit to beat visiting Miami Marlins in the opener of a five-game series.

Baldwin went 3-for-5 with his 12th and 13th homers. He also knocked in the tying run with a seventh-inning RBI single and scored the go-ahead run later that frame.

Marlins reliever Josh Simpson (2-1) took the loss, allowing two runs, one earned, in one-third of an inning. Graham Pauley hit a two-run homer, his third, to cap off the Marlins’ five-run second inning.

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WNBA NEWS

MYSTICS TRADE AALIYAH EDWARDS TO SUN FOR JACY SHELDON

The Washington Mystics traded forward Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun on Thursday for guard Jacy Sheldon.

Edwards, 23, is averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21 games off the Washington bench this season. She averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 boards in 55 career games (17 starts) with the Mystics.

Sheldon, 24, is averaging 7.5 points and 2.0 assists and shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range in 28 games (17 starts) for Connecticut this season. She has career averages of 6.3 points and 2.3 assists in 68 games (43 starts) with the Dallas Wings (2024) and Sun.

Sheldon (fifth overall) and Edwards (sixth) were selected with back-to-back picks in the first round of the 2024 WNBA Draft.

The deal also gives Washington the option to swap rights for two 2026 first-round picks: the pick the Sun received from the New York Liberty for the pick the Mystics received from the Minnesota Lynx.

ALYSSA THOMAS’ RECORD TRIPLE-DOUBLE LEADS MERCURY PAST FEVER

Alyssa Thomas had her WNBA-record third straight triple-double, DeWanna Bonner scored a season-high 23 points, and the host Phoenix Mercury blew past the Indiana Fever 95-60 on Thursday.

Thomas had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, her final assist setting up a Bonner 3-pointer from the left corner with 3:47 remaining.

Thomas, who exited to chants of MVP, is the first player in league history with three straight triple-doubles. She had triple-doubles against Chicago and Connecticut in the last two.

Satou Sabally had 15 points and eight rebounds and Kahleah Copper had 11 points as the Mercury avenged a 107-101 loss at Indiana eight days ago.

Fever guard Sophie Cunningham had a season-high 18 points in her return to Phoenix, but leading scorers Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston combined for only 16 points on 5 of 23 shooting.

Mitchell, averaging 20.0 points per game, had 12 points on 4 of 17 shooting. Boston (15.5) did not have a field goal until the fourth quarter and finished with four points and nine rebounds.

The Fever had won five of six.

For the second game in a row, the Mercury led wire-to-wire. After Cunningham’s fifth and final 3-pointer midway through the third quarter cut the Mercury lead to nine, they went on a 14-0 run and led 73-47 after three quarters.

The Mercury, who have won three in a row and four of six, stitched their lead to as large as 36 in the fourth quarter.

Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark missed her ninth straight game with a right groin injury and has played in only 13 games this season. The Fever are 9-9 without her.

The Mercury had a 44-32 rebounding edge and limited the Fever to 34.3 percent shooting from the field.

Fever guard Aari McDonald, who had a season-high 27 points in the first meeting, had four points on 2 of 5 shooting.

Cunningham spent her first six seasons with the Mercury before going to the Fever as a part of a 10-team offseason deal that brought Thomas and Sabally to Phoenix.

Fever reserve forward Sydney Colson suffered a left knee injury with 44.8 seconds remaining in the first quarter. She was helped from the floor and did not return.

JULIE ALLEMAND’S FIRST TRIPLE-DOUBLE SEND SPARKS PAST SUN

The surging Los Angeles Sparks picked up their eight win in nine games on Thursday, beating the visiting Connecticut Sun 102-91 thanks to balanced scoring and Julie Allemand’s first career triple-double.

Los Angeles (14-15) trailed at halftime as season-long leading scorer Kelsey Plum struggled mightily to get going offensively. She did not make her first basket until late in the third quarter, but did so in time to contribute to a pivotal Sparks run.

Trailing 59-51 with 7:42 left in the third, Los Angeles went on a 9-0 before Connecticut responded with five quick points. The Sparks regained the lead as Azura Stevens, Rae Burrell and Plum connected on back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers.

Cameron Brink was the fourth Los Angeles shooter to knock down a triple over a flurry spanning 2:46, and the Sparks never trailed again.

Connecticut (5-24) battled back to force a tie in the early fourth quarter, but the Sun — playing the second date on a four-game road swing — could not keep up down the stretch.

Los Angeles went on a 10-2 run capped with one of Plum’s three made 3-pointers on the night to establish a double-digit lead, then held on.

Plum rallied from her slow start to score 18 points, joining five other Los Angeles players in double figures. Allemand totaled 10 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

Dearica Hamby led the Sparks with 21 points, while Rickea Jackson posted her fourth 20-plus-point game in the last five outings with 20 points. Stevens added 10, and Brink delivered her best offensive performance since returning from a 13-month absence caused by an ACL tear, scoring 11 points.

Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey led Connecticut with 19 points each. Bria Hartley added 16 points, and Leila Lacan contributed 10 points and seven assists.

Mabrey and Hartley combined to shoot 9-for-18 from 3-point range, and the Sun were 13-for-29 (44.8 percent) from deep overall, but they were only 20-for-51 (39.2 percent) on attempts from inside the arc.

Los Angeles shot 11-for-25 (44 percent) from long distance, 56.5 percent overall.

DREAM SURGE PAST SKY IN SECOND HALF FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN

Allisha Gray had 25 points, and the visiting Atlanta Dream overcame a rough first half to win their fourth game in a row, 86-65 over the Chicago Sky on Thursday night.

Atlanta (19-11) never led during a first half in which they shot 30.3 percent, trailing by as many as nine points and 34-28 at intermission. Then the Dream scored the first 10 points of the second half to take their first lead and assume control of the game.

Gray knocked down a 3-pointer near the corner out of the break, and Te-Hina Paopao (12 points) followed with her own make from distance. Two free throws from Naz Hillmon, who recorded 11 rebounds, gave the Dream their first lead with 8:27 left in the third, and another Gray basket made it a 38-34 lead the visitors would never give up.

Jordin Canada added 17 points, six assists and six rebounds for the Dream, who shot 64.3 percent and outscored Chicago 32-18 during the pivotal third quarter. Nia Coffey scored all 10 of her points in the second half for Atlanta, which has won six of seven and swept the four-game season series from the Sky.

Atlanta, which also owned a 13-2 advantage in fast-break points, won all four meetings with Chicago by at least 13 points.

Rachel Banham went 3-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 18 points for the Sky (8-22), while star teammate Kamilla Cardoso notched 12 points, five assists and four blocks.

Chicago committed 13 turnovers that led to 15 Atlanta points. Losers in nine of 10, the Sky played without injured star Angel Reese (back) for the seventh time in the last nine games.

Chicago scored 12 of the game’s first 15 points and held Atlanta to 3-of-11 shooting from behind the arc during the first half. Cardoso had eight points, five rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals through the first two quarters for the Sky, who totaled 12 assists on 15 field goals to that point.

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GOLF NEWS

COLLIN MORIKAWA, TONY FINAU CHANGE CADDIES AHEAD OF ST. JUDE

Collin Morikawa is banking that the fifth time is the charm with respect to his new caddie.

Mark Urbanek, a longtime caddie for Tony Finau, will be on the bag for the two-time major champion on Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

Urbanek is the fifth caddie used this season by Morikawa, who previously had JJ Jakovac until April. Since then, Morikawa has worked with Max Homa’s ex-caddie Joe Greiner, Billy Foster and college teammate KK Limbhasut.

Finau has Tim Tucker on the bag at TPC Southwind. Tucker was Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie when he won the 2020 U.S. Open

Morikawa, 28, has six career PGA Tour victories, with his last at the Zozo Championship in October 2023. He is ranked 19th in the FedExCup standings.

AKSHAY BHATIA FIRES 62 TO SET EARLY PACE AT FEDEX ST. JUDE

MEMPHIS — Akshay Bhatia fired an 8-under-par 62 in Thursday’s first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship to grab a one-stroke lead over England’s Tommy Fleetwood in the opening event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs.

Fleetwood made a late charge up the leaderboard by birdieing the final four holes for his 7-under 63 at TPC Southwind.

Two strokes behind Bhatia at 6-under 64 are Bud Cauley and Englishmen Harry Hall and Justin Rose. Si Woo Kim of Korea shot 65.

Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Maverick McNealy, Russell Henley and Ben Griffin are four back after 4-under 66s. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a chance to join them, but his short par putt on 18 slid past the hole and he settled for a 67.

Bhatia tossed aside a season filled mostly with disappointment to move atop the leaderboard. His strong start included four birdies on the front nine and an eagle-3 on the par-5 16th hole. The only blemish on Bhatia’s scorecard was a bogey on the par-4 12th. He closed in impressive fashion, following the eagle on No. 16 with birdie putts on Nos. 17 and 18.

“I felt like I wasn’t putting great throughout the day, but then those last couple putts managed to drop,” Bhatia said. “All in all, I felt like (my) iron play was nice. I just need to kind of clean up a couple things, like a couple wedge shots, and get a little more comfortable with the putter, but all in all, I felt like I was driving it nice.”

The 62 represented Bhatia’s low round on tour this season, one stroke better than his third-round total at the 3M Open last month and his opening round at the Truist Championship in May.

After opening the 2025 season with three top-10 finishes during the first three months, Bhatia has struggled. He has not recorded a top-10 since his third-place finish at The Players Championship in March. He also has missed four cuts and withdrawn after one round in another event.

“I’ve been looking at a lot of numbers that I don’t need to look at, obviously FedEx Cup, world ranking, and I’m still doing it, and I still catch myself doing it,” Bhatia said. “But I’m just really trying to have a little more peace on the golf course.

“I think this game can consume your life, your happiness, and so I’m just trying to figure out ways to change that because I feel like I don’t really want to live my life based off of an unstable game. That’s going to drive me nuts. This whole year it has, so I’m just trying to be just a little more at ease with whatever I shoot.”

Fleetwood has had five top-10 finishes this season, including a near-victory at the Travelers Championship in June when he was runner-up to Keegan Bradley.

On Thursday, he was even after seven holes, but shot 7-under across his final 11 holes.

“I felt like I hadn’t made the most of any of the chances that I had given myself (early in the round), and I think just being patient through that stretch and then I eventually got something going,” said Fleetwood, in his 15th year on Tour.

Cauley, who has never won a PGA Tour event, closed strong to make a run at Bhatia. Cauley birdied Nos. 10, 12, 15, 16 and 17, all of the putts inside 15 feet. He had moved to 7 under, but his approach on 18 found water and a bogey dropped him back to 6 under.

Hall, who played in the same group with Bhatia, had a bogey-free round. Rose, the runner-up to McIlroy at the Masters, had seven birdies and only one bogey.

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup points standings qualified for the St. Jude, but second-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the reigning Masters champion, opted to skip the playoff opener.

Those who finish Sunday ranked in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup points standings qualify for the second round of the playoffs to be held next week in Owings Mills, Md. The top 50 also will be eligible for each of eight PGA Tour signature events in 2026.

–Phil Stukenborg, Field Level Media

LIV GOLF ALTERS FORMAT FOR SEASON-ENDING CHAMPIONSHIP

LIV Golf tweaked the format of its season-ending team championship by eliminating first-round byes and introducing a play-in match.

The 13-team league will stage a play-in match on Wednesday of the LIV Golf Team Championship at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Mich., between the teams who sit 12th and 13th in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, there is no first-round bye for the top seeds as in prior years.

“I think you’ll see a few teams get knocked out that you maybe wouldn’t expect,” said Australia’s Cameron Smith in a LIV Golf news release. Smith captains the defending team champion, Ripper GC.

“More pressure. Each day matters more,” Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau added.

The play-in will be held Aug. 20, then the remaining 12 teams head to the course on Aug. 22 for the quarterfinals. For the semifinals on Aug. 23, six teams will be in the championship bracket and the three winners will move on to the stroke-play finals on Aug. 24.

In other changes to the format, all 48 players from those teams will compete and the captains of the higher-seeded teams will be given the advantage of seeing his opponent’s lineup before finalizing the matchups.

Legion XIII, captained by Spaniard Jon Rahm, currently lead the team standings ahead of DeChambeau’s Crushers in second and Spaniard Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC in third. The current bottom two teams are Majesticks GC, captained by Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, and Kevin Na’s Iron Heads GC.

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TENNIS NEWS

BEN SHELTON COMES BACK TO CLAIM TORONTO TITLE IN THREE SETS

Fourth-seeded Ben Shelton rallied for the biggest championship of his career, recording a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov in the final of the National Bank Open on Thursday in Toronto.

Shelton, 22, earned his first ATP Masters 1000 title while becoming the youngest U.S. player to win a Masters 1000 event since Andy Roddick was the champion at Miami in 2004.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Shelton said. “It’s been a long week, not an easy path to the final. My best tennis came out when it mattered most. I was clutch, I persevered, I was resilient. All the qualities I like to see in myself.”

After squandering three set points just before losing the first tiebreaker, Shelton got the only service break of the second set for a 5-4 lead. Khachanov had four break points in the following game but couldn’t level the set.

Neither player had a break point in the third set before Shelton won the first three points of the decisive tiebreaker and pulled away from there.

The result will move Shelton up to a career high ranking of sixth in the world ahead of the U.S. Open later this month.

Shelton had never been in a final of this magnitude previously, and he has never reached a Grand Slam final. His only previous tournament victories came at a hard-court event in Tokyo in 2023 and a clay-court event in Houston last year.

Shelton piled up a 16-3 edge in aces and won 80 percent of his first-serve points. He had more winners than Khachanov (38-29) but also more unforced errors (45-30).

Khachanov, a 29-year-old Russian, was competing in his second ATP Masters 1000 final, having won the Paris event in 2018. Like Shelton, he is a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist but has yet to reach a major final.

WTA ROUNDUP: CANADIAN TEEN VICTORIA MBOKO WINS TITLE IN MONTREAL

Canadian 18-year-old Victoria Mboko completed a Cinderella run at the National Bank Open, defeating Japanese star Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday night to capture the WTA 1000 title in Montreal.

Mboko became the third Canadian woman to win her national open following Faye Urban (1969) and Bianca Andreescu (2019). Mboko won her first WTA title of any kind and will rocket to No. 25 in the world rankings next week.

When Osaka gave her the match-winning point by hitting a back-handed shot into the net, Mboko dropped her racquet and went to her knees while covering her face.

“It’s been an incredible week here in Montreal,” Mboko said. “… I also want to thank Naomi for an incredible match. I’ve always looked up to her when I was really little, so it’s always great to play with an amazing player like you.”

Mboko’s stunning tournament was highlighted by a straight-sets upset of No. 1 seed Coco Gauff in the Round of 16. She also took down No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the semifinals, rallying from a set down just as she did in the final.

Osaka controlled the first set Thursday, winning the first three games and never facing a break point. Then came a topsy-turvy second set in which the returning player broke the server in each of the first five games, resulting in a 3-2 Mboko lead.

Mboko won a service game and broke Osaka again for a 5-2 lead en route to evening the match. After each woman broke the other to start the third set, Mboko ran the table by claiming the final five games.

The championship match featured 14 service breaks, more than half of the 25 total games.

That’s where Mboko found her advantage, as she converted 8 of 9 opportunities to break Osaka’s serve while saving 7 of 13 break points herself.

Cincinnati Open

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain defeated Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round in Mason, Ohio.

Williams, 45, was in the field as a wild card as she continues her return to competitive tennis after more than a year away. Her next planned appearance will be in the U.S. Open mixed doubles draw with Reilly Opelka.

The opening day of action saw a trio of three-setters during the early action. Romania’s Sorana Cirstea beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-1, 4-6, 6-3; Mexico’s Renata Zarazua rallied past Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; and Germany’s Eva Lys battled past Bernarda Pera 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

Other winners included Maya Joint of Australia, Anastasia Potapova of Russia, Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, Aoi Ito of Japan, Olga Danilovic of Serbia and Tatjana Maria of Germany.

The two night matches pitted Clervie Ngounoue against Hailey Baptiste and Peyton Stearns against China’s Yafan Wang.

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TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES

COLTS FOOTBALL

ANTHONY RICHARDSON INJURED AS COLTS FALL TO RAVENS 24-16 IN THEIR PRESEASON OPENER

BALTIMORE (AP) — With Lamar Jackson sitting this one out, Baltimore’s passing game sputtered for 60 minutes.

The Ravens needed a few big plays on special teams to pull through.

LaJohntay Wester scored on an 87-yard punt return, fellow rookie Tyler Loop kicked a 52-yard field goal and Rasheen Ali added a long kickoff return to lift Baltimore to a 24-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.

“Obviously, what LaJohntay did was awesome,” coach John Harbaugh said. “You see Rasheen hit that kick return was good. That was big field position for us.”

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson exited on their second offensive possession of this preseason opener with a dislocated pinky on his throwing hand. Daniel Jones relieved him, and Riley Leonard came on in the second half to guide Indianapolis to its lone touchdown.

Richardson went 2 for 3 for 21 yards in his brief outing. Jones went 10 of 21 for 144 yards, and Leonard was 12 of 24 for 92 yards with an interception.

“I made some plays on my feet, but I think I can’t rely on that. In certain situations, you have to go through your reads and trust these guys,” said Leonard, who led Notre Dame to the national title game last season. “They were getting open for me, so I just had to find them. You can’t always just use that as a bailout escape route in the NFL. That’s what I’m learning.”

Cooper Rush started for the Ravens and threw for just 16 yards. Devin Leary passed for 43. Each was intercepted once.

“We’d like to pass for more than 59 yards. I assure you,” Harbaugh said.

But the Indianapolis quarterback situation was always the more compelling aspect of this game. After leading the Colts to a field goal on their opening drive, Richardson left with an injured finger in the middle of their second possession after being sacked by David Ojabo.

Jones came in and played the rest of the first half but could not lead the Colts to the end zone.

“Got to be ready to go. That’s part of the game,” Jones said. “Some good, some bad. Caught a rhythm there I think at points, and we were moving the ball well, executing, but a couple things here and there kept us from getting in the end zone.”

Derrick Henry joined Jackson in sitting this game out for the Ravens, but Keaton Mitchell showed he could be a useful backup for Baltimore this season. He broke away for a 23-yard run, then scored from 22 yards out two plays later to give the Ravens a 7-3 lead.

Wester, who was drafted in the sixth round this year out of Colorado, made it 14-3 with his touchdown on special teams. He apparently called his shot to some extent in practice.

“He said he was going to take one to the crib, and he did it,” Mitchell said.

Wester also contributed a 30-yard reception in the second half.

Ali added a 69-yard kickoff return late in the first half, setting up his own 2-yard TD run that gave the Ravens a 21-9 halftime lead.

Indianapolis scored in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Khalil Herbert.

Kicking update

Spencer Shrader made three field goals for Indianapolis but also hit the left upright from 52 yards in the second quarter. Maddux Trujillo did not get to try a field goal but made an extra point in the second half.

Loop, the rookie draft pick trying to replace Justin Tucker for Baltimore, missed his first field goal try from 46, but then connected in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens an eight-point lead.

Injuries

Baltimore DB Bilhal Kone was carted off in the first quarter with a severe knee injury that is expected to keep him out for the season.

Up next

Baltimore’s next preseason game is at Dallas on Aug. 16. Indianapolis hosts Green Bay that same day.

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INDIANA FEVER

GAME RECAP: FEVER FALL TO MERCURY IN FINAL STOP OF ROAD TRIP

The Indiana Fever fell to the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night, 95-60, in the final game of Indiana’s four-game road trip.

Sophie Cunningham scored a season-high 18 points in the loss, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Kelsey Mitchell was the only other Fever player to reach double figures, tallying 12 points and four assists.

Indiana shot just 34.3 percent from the field and 7-for-30 (23.3 percent) from 3-point range while also committing 22 turnovers.

DeWanna Bonner scored a game-high 23 points off the bench for Phoenix, while Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The Fever will return to Indianapolis and open a three-game homestand on Saturday night, when they host the Chicago Sky at 8:00 PM ET.

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INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

BOWEN AND WILLIAMS’ BLASTS BOOST INDIANS TO A 4-2 VICTORY

INDIANAPOLIS– A pair of solo shots from Jase Bowen and Alika Williams provided all the offense the Indianapolis Indians would need as they took down the Omaha Storm Chasers, 4-2, on Thursday night at Victory Field.

Bowen’s homer opened the scoring for Indianapolis (24-12, 66-44). It came in his first career Triple-A at bat after being promoted from Double-A Altoona prior to Wednesday’s contest.

Bowen sparked Indy’s offense again in the fifth, doubling with one out. He came in to score one batter later via a Brett Sullivan single to extend the Indians’ lead. They tacked on another run in the sixth, courtesy of a Cam Devanney double to drive in Ronny Simon, who reached on a lead-off walk and stole second to set up the opportunity.

The Storm Chasers (12-24, 43-67) strung together three singles to scratch across their first run in the seventh. Alika Williams responded in the bottom half, pushing the Indians’ advantage back to three with his fourth home run of the season. Isan Díaz drove in Drew Waters from second base to score Omaha’s final run in the ninth before Colin Holderman (S, 1) shut the door.

Hunter Barco spun 4.0 shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four in his 14th start of the season for Indy. Michael Darrell-Hicks (W, 2-0) picked up the win after twirling a scoreless fifth inning while striking out the side. Chandler Champlain (L, 3-8) made the start for Omaha and allowed three of Indianapolis’ runs across 6.0 innings while fanning eight batters.

The Indians and Storm Chasers are set to play Game 4 of their six-game set from Victory Field on Friday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Thomas Harrington (7-8, 5.48) will make his 19th start of the season for Indy across from RHP Luinder Avila (2-2, 4.97).

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INDIANA FOOTBALL

MENDOZA PART OF O’BRIEN WATCH LIST

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – First-year Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been named to the preseason watch list for Davey O’Brien Award.

The 35-player Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025 will be announced on October 28, with semifinalists named on November 12. The Foundation will announce the three finalists on November 25. The 2025 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on December 11 during The Home Depot College Football Awards.

With 20 career games played and 19 starts over three seasons at Cal, Mendoza was the No. 14 overall prospect in the Transfer Portal and No. 3 quarterback per 247Sports for the 2025 cycle. He finished his career at Cal as the all-time leader in completion percentage (66.4%) and tied for No. 7 in 250-yard passing games (10). His 2024 season produced just the ninth 3,000-yard passing season in Cal history (3,004 yards) and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 49th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held February 16, 2026, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit www.daveyobrienaward.com.

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.

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PURDUE FOOTBALL

TRANSFER FROM USC LEAVES PURDUE FOOTBALL

Former USC WR Charles Ross has left the Purdue football team. The sixth-year player has 70 career receptions with three schools (Nevada, San Jose State, and USC). According to Purdue Coach Barry Odom, Ross left the team for a health-related issue. Ross was expected to be in the rotation this season.

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INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL

INDIANA STATE MOURNS PASSING OF EDWARD AMANKWAH

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – It is with deep sorrow that we share the news of the unexpected passing of Sycamore football student-athlete Edward Amankwah. He was 22 years old.

“We’re heartbroken over Edward’s passing, and our hearts go out to the Amankwah family and all of his loved ones,” said Head Coach Curt Mallory. “He was a quality young man who brought light into every room and left a lasting impact on his teammates, our coaching staff, and everyone fortunate enough to know him.”

“Edward embodied the spirit of our university—resilient, kind, and full of promise,” said President Mike Godard. “His sudden passing leaves a void in our Sycamore Family, and our hearts are heavy for all who knew and loved him. At Indiana State, our culture of care means standing together in grief, supporting one another, and honoring the life and legacy of those we’ve lost.”

Edward, a redshirt senior defensive back from Tinley Park, Illinois, was pursuing his graduate degree at Indiana State after earning his bachelor’s degree in athletic training. He was preparing to enter his final season with the Sycamore football team and was widely admired for his leadership, kindness, and positive spirit—both on and off the field.

While Edward was an active member of the football program, the circumstances of his passing were unrelated to any athletic activities. Out of respect for his family’s privacy, no further details will be provided. We ask our campus community to extend compassion and support to those mourning this loss.

“Our Sycamore Family is devastated by the loss of Edward Amankwah,” said Athletic Director Nathan Christensen. “He was more than a student-athlete—he was a friend, a leader, and a deeply valued member of our community. Edward carried himself with humility and heart, and we are better as a department because he was part of it.”

We understand that loss affects each of us differently, and we encourage members of our community to care for themselves and one another. Counseling and grief support are available to all students, faculty, and staff through the Student Counseling Center, which can be reached at (812) 237-3939.

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SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER

USI WOMEN’S SOCCER PROJECTED SIXTH IN OVC

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer is projected to place sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in a vote submitted by the league’s head coaches and communication directors.

The 10-team OVC will feature a schedule with each team playing each other once for a nine-match conference schedule. The OVC postseason tournament starts on campus sites with the first round and quarterfinal matches on October 30 and November 2, with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting matches. The event switches to the site of the No. 1 seed the following weekend with semifinal and championship matches on November 6 and 9.

Tennessee Tech University, the 2024 OVC regular-season champions, topped the OVC preseason poll with 156 points and 14 first-place votes. Lindenwood University, the reigning OVC tournament champions, was picked second with 146 points and six first-place votes.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Morehead State University were selected third and fourth with 127 and 103 points, respectively. The fifth spot went to Eastern Illinois University with 86 points before USI in sixth with 78 points. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (65), the University of Tennessee at Martin (64), Southeast Missouri State University (57), and Western Illinois University (18) rounded out the preseason poll.

As part of the OVC’s preseason announcement, redshirt sophomore forward Eva Boer represented USI on the 2025 OVC Women’s Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List. Last season, Boer tied a team-best three goals and added an assist for seven points on the 2024 campaign. Boer made 11 starts in 14 appearances and totaled over 600 minutes last year, finishing strong after a midseason injury. One of Boer’s three goals in 2024 came in the OVC quarterfinal match against Morehead State.

Seniors Charli Grafton and Emerson Grafton were also highlighted in the OVC’s preseason announcement as USI’s two returning all-conference players. Both were named Second-Team All-OVC in 2024. Charli Grafton anchored USI’s defense in all 19 matches last season, playing all but 30 minutes during the season, and helped USI collect four shutouts. She also scored a goal and was a two-time OVC Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2024. Emerson Grafton paced Southern Indiana with 12 points on a team-high six assists, which ranked second in the OVC, and tied with Boer for a team-best three goals. She made 14 starts and appeared in all 19 matches last season. In addition to being named to the 2024 OVC All-Newcomer Team, she earned OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors in the final week of the 2024 regular season.

USI hosts Illinois State University in a preseason exhibition match on Saturday at 3 p.m. from Strassweg Field before kicking off the 2025 regular season on the road with a first-ever contest against a power-conference opponent when the Screaming Eagles visit the University of Nebraska on August 14 at 7 p.m. The Screaming Eagles will open their regular-season home slate on August 17 at 1 p.m. against Cleveland State University. The first OVC contest of 2025 is September 20, when Southern Indiana travels to UT Martin.

2025 OVC Women’s Soccer Predicted Order of Finish

1. Tennessee Tech (14) – 156

2. Lindenwood (6) – 146

3. Little Rock – 127

4. Morehead State – 103

5. Eastern Illinois – 86

6. Southern Indiana – 78

7. SIUE – 65

8. UT Martin – 64

9. Southeast Missouri – 57

10. Western Illinois – 18

2025 OVC Women’s Soccer Returning All-OVC

MF – Abby Reinl, Jr. – Eastern Illinois

F – Alex Tetteh, Jr. – Eastern Illinois

F – Mackenzie Compton, So. – Lindenwood

MF – Tasneem Dizdarevic, So. – Lindenwood

GK – Caroline Ritter, So. – Lindenwood

MF – Amaya Arias, Sr. – Little Rock

F – Candice Kilderry, Jr. – Little Rock

GK – Peyton Urban, Sr. – Little Rock

D – Hannah Burke, Jr. – Morehead State

D – Charli Grafton, Sr. – Southern Indiana

F – Emerson Grafton, Sr. – Southern Indiana

GK – Maggie Conrad, Sr. – Tennessee Tech

MF – Lucia Cuadra, Gr. – Tennessee Tech

F – Katie Toney, Sr. – Tennessee Tech

D – Parker Gelinas, Gr. – UT Martin

2025 OVC Women’s Soccer Watch List

Ella Kratochvil, Jr., GK, Eastern Illinois

Anna Johnson, Jr., F, Lindenwood

Serenity Thake, Sr., MF, Little Rock

Ava Peck, So., F, Morehead State

Justi Nelson, Jr., MF, Southeast Missouri

Sarah Bozeman, Jr., GK, SIUE

Eva Boer, R-So., F, Southern Indiana

Allison Lee, R-Jr., MF, Tennessee Tech

Peyton Cook, Jr., F, UT Martin

Ariel Bernard, So., GK, Western Illinois

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“SPORTS EXTRA”

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Aug. 8

1903 — A week after pitching his first doubleheader triumph, Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity of the New York Giants scored a double victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers 6-1 and 4-3. In the second game, he stole home.

1915 — Philadelphia’s Gavvy Cravath hit four doubles and drove in eight runs in a 14-7 victory over the Reds at Cincinnati.

1920 — Howard Ehmke of the Detroit Tigers pitched the fastest 1-0 game in American League history — 1 hour, 13 minutes, for a victory against the New York Yankees.

1931 — Bob Burke of the Washington Senators pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox.

1954 — The Brooklyn Dodgers pounded the Cincinnati Reds 20-7 at Ebbets Field. The Dodgers scored 13 runs in the eighth inning after two were out.

1973 — Designated hitter Orlando Cepeda hit four doubles as the Boston Red Sox posted a 9-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

1985 — Baseball, after a two-day walkout, resumed playing with 18 games scheduled, including five doubleheaders.

1988 — The first night game scheduled in the 74-year history of Chicago’s Wrigley Field’s was postponed with the Cubs leading the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 after heavy rains started in the bottom of the fourth inning. Philadelphia’s Phil Bradley led off the game with a home run, but all numbers were wiped out when the rain came.

1992 — Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley had his consecutive save record snapped at 40. His consecutive save records — 36 straight to start a season, and 40 straight over two seasons — ended trying to protect a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals. Eckersley gave up a two-out, two-run single to Gregg Jefferies to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. But the Athletics came back to win the game in the ninth, 5-3.

1997 — Randy Johnson struck out 19, matching the major league record for left-handers he had tied earlier this season, as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-0.

1998 — Paul Molitor stole his 500th base in Minnesota’s 6-3 loss to Baltimore become the fifth player with 3,000 hits and 500 steals. Molitor joined Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins and Lou Brock.

2000 — Darren Dreifort of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit two homers and was the winning pitcher in a 7-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

2001 — Damion Easley went 6-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs as Detroit pounded Texas 19-6.

2014 — Bartolo Colon records the 200th win of his career in the Mets’ 5 – 4 win over the Phillies.

2016 — Brandon Crawford became the first major league player in 41 years to get seven hits in a game, putting the San Francisco Giants ahead to stay with an RBI single in the 14th inning of an 8-7 victory over the Miami Marlins. Crawford tripled, doubled and had five singles in eight at-bats.

2018 — Milwaukee’s Jesus Aguilar, Travis Shaw and Eric Thames hit consecutive first-inning homers to spoil the debut of San Diego’s Brett Kennedy in the Brewers 8-4 win over the Padres.

2018 — Jacob deGrom struck out 10 over six innings, received rare significant run support and earned his first win in nearly two months as the New York Mets blanked the Cincinnati Reds 8-0. Brandon Nimmo tied a team record with three doubles and drove in three runs as the Mets won for the 22nd time in their last 66 games. DeGrom (6-7) ended a seven-start winless streak, allowing four hits in a 100-pitch outing and lowering his major league-leading ERA to 1.77.

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Aug. 9

1916 — The Philadelphia A’s ended their 20-game losing streak as Joe Bush beat the Detroit Tigers 7-1.

1939 — Red Rolfe of the New York Yankees started a streak of 18 consecutive games in which he scored at least one run. During those games, he scored a total of 30 runs.

1960 — Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hit home run No. 511 to tie Mel Ott for fourth place on the all-time list.

1975 — Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers stole his 32nd consecutive base without being caught in a 2-0 victory over the New York Mets, breaking Max Carey’s 1922 record. Lopes tacked on six more steals before being caught on Aug. 24.

1976 — John Candelaria became the first Pirate pitcher in 69 years to throw a no-hitter in Pittsburgh by blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0. Candelaria’s no-hitter came at Three Rivers Stadium. No Pirate ever threw a no-hitter at Forbes Field.

1981 — Baseball returned following the strike with the All-Star game in Cleveland before a crowd of 72,086. Gary Carter of the Montreal Expos hit two home runs to give the NL a 5-4 triumph over the AL. Vida Blue became the first pitcher to win an All-Star game in both leagues. His AL victory came in 1971 at Detroit.

1988 — The Chicago Cubs won the first official night game at Wrigley Field by beating the New York Mets 6-4.

1998 — Dennis Martinez became the winningest Latin pitcher in baseball history, breaking Juan Marichal’s record of 243 victories. Martinez pitched a perfect eighth inning and got the victory when Chipper Jones hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves held on for the win.

2001 — Mike Hampton tied the NL record for pitchers with his seventh homer as the Rockies beat the Cubs 14-5. Hampton’s seventh homer matched the NL mark shared by Don Drysdale (1958, 1965) and Don Newcombe (1955). The major league record is nine by Cleveland’s Wes Ferrell in 1931.

2002 — Barry Bonds hit his 600th homer, becoming the fourth major leaguer to reach the mark. With a 421-foot, solo shot off Pittsburgh’s Kip Wells, the San Francisco Giants slugger joined Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays in the exclusive club.

2007 — Failed pitcher Rick Ankiel hit a three-run home run to cap his debut as a major league outfielder in St. Louis’ 5-0 victory over San Diego.

2018 — Mookie Betts homered for Boston in the ninth inning to complete his first career cycle, and Toronto held on to beat the Red Sox 8-5.

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Aug. 10

1901 — Frank Isbell of the Chicago White Sox set an AL record by stranding 11 teammates on the basepaths.

1944 — Charles “Red” Barrett of the Boston Braves threw only 58 pitches to beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 in a nine-inning game.

1957 — Mickey Mantle became the first player to clear the center-field hedge at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium when his 460-foot homer hit the base of the scoreboard. The Yankees beat the Orioles, 6-3.

1969 — Cesar Tovar of Minnesota broke up the second no-hit bid against the Twins by a Baltimore pitcher. Tovar singled with no out in the ninth off Mike Cuellar. Earlier in the year, Tovar singled with one out in the ninth to spoil Dave McNally’s bid.

1971 — Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins hit his 500th home run in the first inning off Baltimore’s Mike Cuellar to become the 10th player to hit 500 or more in a career. Killebrew also hit No. 501 off Cuellar but the Orioles won 4-3.

1981 — Major league baseball resumed play after a two-month strike. In the St. Louis Cards-Phillies game at Philadelphia, attended by 60,561 fans, Pete Rose broke Stan Musial’s NL hit record when he singled for his 3,631st hit. It came off Mark Littell in the eighth inning.

1987 — Philadelphia’s Kevin Gross was ejected in the fifth inning after umpires discovered a strip of sandpaper glued to the heel of his glove to scuff balls. The Phillies had a 4-2 lead over the Chicago Cubs. Gross would be suspended for 10 games the next day.

1995 — Ball Night at Dodger Stadium turned into the first forfeit in the majors in 16 years. Los Angeles forfeited a game to the St. Louis Cardinals after fans threw souvenir baseballs onto the field three times. The game was called with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

2003 — Atlanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal turned the 12th unassisted triple play in major league history against the St. Louis Cardinals. With runners on first and second in the fifth inning, Furcal made a leaping grab of pitcher Woody Williams’ liner. The runners were going, and Furcal stepped on second base to double up Mike Matheny before tagging out Orlando Palmeiro.

2004 — Barry Bonds became the first player in major league history to hit 30 home runs in 13 consecutive seasons, hitting a solo shot off John Grabow in the seventh inning of San Francisco’s 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh. Bonds has now hit 30 homers in 14 seasons, one shy of Hank Aaron’s record.

2006 — Boston’s Curt Schilling tied the AL record by allowing 10 extra-base hits in a 5-4 loss to Kansas City. Schilling gave up nine doubles and a home run, matching the mark set by Washington’s Dale Gear in 1901 and equaled by Cleveland’s Luis Tiant in 1969.

2009 — Troy Tulowitzki had five hits, hit for the cycle and had a career-high seven RBIs to help Colorado beat the Chicago Cubs 11-5.

2018 — Kole Calhoun and Justin Upton hit two-run homers, Albert Pujols reached another milestone and Los Angeles rallied past Oakland for 4-3 win. With a single in the sixth inning, Pujols recorded his 1,000th career hit with the Angels. He became the ninth player all-time with at least 1,000 hits in each league after getting 2,073 with St. Louis.

2018 — The Orioles’ awful season continues as they blow an early 8 – 3 lead against Boston to lose, 19 – 12. This puts them 46 1/2 games back of the division-leading Red Sox, with 46 games remaining, meaning they are mathematically eliminated. It matches the earliest date this has happened in baseball history, set by the 1932 Red Sox and copied by the 1962 Mets, two notoriously awful teams, and the 46 games left to play at the time of elimination is a new record in the divisional era.

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Aug. 11

1907 — In the second game of a doubleheader, shortened by agreement, Ed Karger of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched a seven-inning perfect game, beating the Boston Braves 4-0.

1926 — Tris Speaker of Cleveland hit his 700th career double but the Indians lost to the Chicago White Sox, 7-2. The double came in the third inning off Joe Edwards.

1929 — Babe Ruth hit his 500th career home run in the second inning off Willis Hudlin at Cleveland’s League Park. The homer was Ruth’s 30th of the year, but it wasn’t enough as the Indians beat the Yankees 6-5.

1951 — Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Giants 4-0, dropping the Giants 13 1/2 games behind the first-place Brooklyn Dodgers.

1961 — Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves scattered six hits to beat the Chicago Cubs, 2-1, for his 300th career victory.

1970 — Philadelphia’s Jim Bunning beat the Houston Astros 6-5 to become the first pitcher to win 100 games in both leagues since Cy Young.

1980 — Reggie Jackson hits his 400th career home run, off Britt Burns, in the Yankees’ 3 – 1 victory over the White Sox at Yankee Stadium.

1986 — Cincinnati player-manager Pete Rose, 45, singled four times and doubled to set a NL record with the 10th five-hit game of his career. Rose drove in three runs in a 13-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants, to move one ahead of Max Carey for the record.

1987 — Mark McGwire of the Athletics broke Al Rosen’s AL rookie record by hitting his 38th home run in Oakland’s 8-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

2004 — Randy Wolf homered twice and threw seven solid innings to lead Philadelphia to a 15-4 victory over Colorado. Wolf went 3-for-3 and scored three runs.

2007 — Rick Ankiel homered twice and drove in three runs, the latest power display by the former pitcher, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1.

2010 — Arizona tied a major league record by hitting four consecutive home runs, with Adam LaRoche, Miguel Montero, Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew all connecting in the fourth inning of an 8-2 win over Milwaukee.

2013 — After Mariano Rivera blew a third straight save for the first time in his famed career, Brett Gardner homered with two outs in the ninth inning to give the New York Yankees a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Rivera with a record 643 saves, had never failed three in a row in 936 relief appearances.

2018 — Oakland’s Ramon Laureano pulled off a spectacular double play and the Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-0. With one out and Eric Young Jr. on first, Laureano raced into the gap in left-center to haul in Justin Upton’s drive. The rookie center fielder then uncorked a 320-foot throw on a fly to first base to complete the double play. Marcus Semien homered twice and Khris Davis also connected for Oakland.

2022 — The Cubs win the second annual Field of Dreams Game, played in a temporary ballpark near Dyersville, IA, next to the site where the eponymous movie was shot, 4 – 2 over the Reds. Nick Madrigal leads the way, going 3 for 5 as both teams wear retro uniforms for the occasion. Before the game, Ken Griffey Sr. sets the tone by playing a friendly game of catch with his son, Junior, soon joined by a group of kids and then legendary players from both teams in a scene straight out of the iconic movie.

Aug. 12

1948 — In the second game of a doubleheader, the Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Browns 26-3 with a 29-hit barrage. The Indians set a major league record as 14 different players hit safely.

1964 — Mickey Mantle hit a home run both left- and right-handed in a 7-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was the 10th time in his career and a major league record for switch-hit homers in a game.

1966 — Art Shamsky of the Cincinnati Reds connected for three home runs in a 14-11, 13-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Crosley Field. Two of the homers came in the 10th and 11th innings.

1970 — Curt Flood lost his $41 million antitrust suit against baseball.

1974 — Nolan Ryan of the California Angels set an American League record by striking out 19 in a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. Ryan, who walked two, bettered the 18 strikeouts set by Bob Feller in 1938 and tied the major league record set by Steve Carlton in 1969 and Tom Seaver in 1970.

1984 — Perhaps one of the ugliest brawl-filled games in major league history took place in Atlanta. Atlanta’s Pascual Perez hit San Diego’s Alan Wiggins in the back with the first pitch of the game. It escalated as the Padres pitchers retaliated by throwing at Perez all four times he came to the plate. The game had two bench-clearing brawls, the second of which included several fans and 19 ejections including both managers and both replacement managers. The Braves beat the Padres 5-3. San Diego manager Dick Williams would be suspended for 10 days and fined $10,000 while Atlanta manager Joe Torre and five players each received three-game suspensions.

1986 — Don Baylor of the Boston Red Sox set an AL record when he was hit by a pitch for the 25th time for the season, breaking the record he had shared with Bill Freehan (1968) and Norm Elberfield (1911). Kansas City’s Bud Black was the pitcher as the Royals completed a doubleheader sweep with a 6-5 victory.

1988 — The Boston Red Sox set an AL record with their 23rd straight victory at home, beating the Detroit Tigers 9-4. Boston surpassed the league mark of 22 set by the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics.

1994 — Major league baseball players went on strike for the sport’s eighth work stoppage since 1972.

1998 — Alex Rodriguez becomes the fourth youngest player to 100 home runs in a 11 – 5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

2010 — Casey McGehee set a franchise record with his ninth straight hit, going 4 for 4 and leading the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. McGehee had a solo homer, a two-run double, an RBI single and another single.

2015 — Clayton Kershaw tied Sandy Koufax’s franchise record of six straight 200-strikeout seasons while tossing eight scoreless innings, and Los Angeles defeated Washington 3-0. Kershaw struck out the side in the second to equal the mark set by Koufax from 1961-66.

2015 — Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners throws a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Orioles. Iwakuma becomes the second Japanese pitcher to throw a no-hitter following Hideo Nomo.

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Aug. 13

1910 — The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates played to an 8-8 tie. Each team had 38 at-bats, 13 hits, 12 assists, two errors, five strikeouts, three walks, one hit batsman and one passed ball.

1921 — George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns became the first batter in American League history to hit for the cycle twice. Sisler went 5-for-5 and drove in three runs in a 7-5, 10-inning win over the Detroit Tigers.

1921 — John “Mule” Watson of the Boston Braves pitched two complete-game victories over the Philadelphia Phillies.

1931 — Tony Cuccinello of the Cincinnati Reds had six hits in six at-bats in the first game of a doubleheader at Boston. Cuccinello had a triple, two doubles and three singles to knock in five runs as the Reds won 17-3. Cuccinello hit a three-run homer in the eighth of the nightcap to give the Reds a 4-2 win.

1939 — The New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics 21-0 to equal the major-league record for lopsided shutouts. Every batter in the Yankees lineup hit safely. Joe DiMaggio and Babe Dahlgren had two home runs apiece, each hitting an inside-the-parker. Pitcher Red Ruffing had four hits and drove in three runs.

1948 — Satchel Paige, 42, pitched his first major league complete game against the Chicago White Sox. Paige gave up five hits en route to 5-0 Cleveland victory.

1957 — Milwaukee pitcher Lew Burdette hit his first two home runs to lead the Braves to a 12-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

1969 — Jim Palmer of the Orioles, plagued by arm trouble the year before, threw an 8-0 no-hitter against the Oakland A’s in Baltimore.

1979 — St. Louis’ Lou Brock reached 3,000 hits with an infield hit off Chicago Cubs pitcher Dennis Lamp. St. Louis won 3-2.

2004 — Kansas City rookies Abraham Nunez and John Buck hit grand slams to lead the Royals past the Oakland Athletics 10-3.

2005 — New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera blew his first save since April 6 in a 7-5 win over Texas. Rivera had converted a career-best 31 consecutive saves before allowing Kevin Mench’s two-run, game-tying single in the ninth.

2013 — Paul Goldschmidt hit the first pitch of the 11th inning for a game-ending home run after leading off the ninth with a tying homer, to help Arizona beat Baltimore 4-3 with a winning blast for the second straight night.

2015 — The Toronto Blue Jays won their 11th straight game, beating the Oakland Athletics 4-2. The AL East leaders also won 11 in a row in June, becoming the first team with winning streaks of at least 11 since Cleveland in 1954.

2016 — Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge became the first teammates to hit home runs in the first at-bats of their major league debuts in the same game, sparking the New York Yankees to an 8-4 win over Tampa Bay.

2018 — Ronald Acuna Jr. hit leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader for the Atlanta Braves.

2020 — Mookie Betts hits three home runs (the 6th of his career) in an 11-2 win over the Padres. the three run home run game ties Betts with Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa for the most all-time although Betts reached the total in 813 games while Mize needed 1,884 and Sosa 2,364.

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Aug. 14

1919 — Chicago’s Happy Felsch tied the major-league record with four outfield assists in a game. The White Sox still lost to the Boston Red Sox 15-6.

1932 — Brooklyn’s John Quinn, 49, became the oldest pitcher to win a major league game. Quinn pitched the last two innings of a 2-1, 10-inning win over the New York Giants.

1933 — Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics hit for the cycle and drove in nine runs in an 11-5 win over the Cleveland Indians. The nine RBIs set an American League record for one game, breaking the 22-year-old mark set by Topsy Hartzell of the New York Highlanders.

1958 — Vic Power of the Cleveland Indians stole home twice, in the eighth and 10th innings, in a 10-9 win over Detroit. He had only three steals all year.

1960 — Bill White of the St. Louis Cardinals hit for the cycle in a 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opening game of a doubleheader.

1971 — Bob Gibson of St. Louis pitched a no-hitter, blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0.

1987 — Oakland’s Mark McGwire set a major league rookie record with his 39th homer of the season to help the A’s to a 7-6, 12-inning victory over the California Angels.

1998 — Baltimore’s Chris Hoiles became the ninth major leaguer and first catcher to hit two grand slams in one game.

2002 — Trevor Hoffman became the first reliever in major league history to have 30 or more saves in eight straight seasons in San Diego’s 6-2 win over the New York Mets.

2007 — Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ejected after the fifth inning for arguing a called third strike in the Braves’ 5-4 victory over San Francisco. It was his 132nd ejection, breaking the mark set by Hall of Famer John McGraw.

2009 — Felix Pie became the fourth player in Orioles history to hit for the cycle, and Baltimore tied club records for extra-base hits and doubles in a 16-6 rout of the Los Angeles Angels.

2011 — Albert Pujols hit the longest home run at 6-year-old Busch Stadium in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 6-2 win over Colorado. Pujols’ two-run drive in the first inning was estimated at 465 feet.

2013 — Alfonso Soriano homered twice for the second straight night and drove in a career-high seven runs, giving him 13 RBIs in two games while powering the New York Yankees to an 11-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

2015 — Matt Kemp hit a triple in the ninth for the first cycle in the history of the San Diego Padres, who beat the Colorado Rockies 9-5.

2018 — Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr., 20, became the youngest major leaguer to homer in five straight games.

2021 — Arizona Diamondbacks Tyler Gilbert became the fourth pitcher and first in 68 years to throw a no-hitter in his initial big league start, leading Arizona over the San Diego Padres 7-0 with the record-tying eighth no-hitter of the season.

2024 — With a long ball off Chad Kuhl in the 8th inning, Aaron Judge reaches the 300 Home Runs mark, doing so in fewer games (955) and at-bats (3,431) than anyone before him. The homer follows a rare intentional walk issued to Juan Soto and is part of an emphatic 10 – 2 win by the Yankees over the White Sox.

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TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

Aug. 8

1902 — The United States, led by William Larned, beats Britain three matches to two to capture the Davis Cup.

1903 — Britain wins the Davis Cup by beating the United States 4-1.

1936 — At the Berlin Olympics, the United States finishes 1-2-3 in the men’s decathlon. Glenn Morris sets a world record with 7,900 points, followed by Robert Clark and Jack Parker.

1981 — Shiaway St. Pat, driven by Ray Remmen, wins the first Hambletonian Stakes run at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. in four heats.

1982 — Ray Floyd, who shot a record 63 in the opening round, wins the PGA championship by three shots over Lanny Wadkins.

1984 — Carl Lewis sets the Olympic record in the 200 meters with a 19.80 clocking.

1987 — Mack Lobell, driven by John Campbell, wins the Hambletonian in straight heats with a record-smashing performance. Mack Lobell wins the second heat, and the race, by 6¼ lengths over Napoletano in 1:53 3-5, a fifth of a second off the world all-age trotting record set by Prakas in 1985.

1992 — The Dream Team picks up its gold medal and Carl Lewis anchors a world-record 400-meter relay, winning his eighth gold medal in three Olympics. The U.S. basketball team beats Croatia 117-85, with the 32-point margin of victory the smallest of the Games. In the 400, Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell and Lewis set a world record of 37.40 seconds. Steve Lewis anchors another world-record as the Americans won the 1,600 relay by nearly half the length of a football field. The team of Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Michael Johnson and Lewis ran the 1,600 in 2:55.74.

2006 — Roger Goodell is chosen as the NFL’s next commissioner. Favored for months to get the job, he is unanimously elected by the league’s 32 owners on the fifth ballot.

2010 — Los Angeles Sparks forward Tina Thompson scores 23 points to become the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader in a 92-83 loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars. She surpasses Lisa Leslie’s career total of 6,263 points. Thompson is the last of the original WNBA players.

2012 — Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States become the first three-time gold medalists in Olympic beach volleyball history. The duo beat Jennifer Kessy and April Ross 21-16, 21-16 in the all-American final, extending their Olympic winning streak to 21 matches.

2012 — Brittney Reese wins the long jump, becoming the first U.S. woman to win the Olympic long jump since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988. Caster Semenya makes her Olympic debut three years after being forced to undergo gender tests, finishing second in her 800 heat.

2015 — Katie Ledecky ends her world swimming championships in spectacular style, lowering her own world record by 3.61 seconds in the 800-meter freestyle for her fifth gold medal. The 18-year-old American completes a sweep of the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyles in Kazan, Russia. She was the anchor leg on the victorious 4×200 free relay, too.

2018 — The NCAA Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors adopt a “series of significant policy and legislative changes” as part of an effort to “fundamentally” change the NCAA’s structure. The NCAA changes eligibility rules, allowing top prospects to hire agents in high school and giving college players more leeway to return after declaring for NBA draft.

2021 — USA women’s basketball team wins it’s record extending 7th consecutive Olympic gold medal with 90-75 win over Japan in Tokyo; guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi each win their 5th straight gold.

2021 — USA Women’s volleyball defeats Brazil in straight sets to win the gold medal. It’s the first olympic gold medal in USA Women’s volleyball history. The win would give the United States 39 gold medals breaking a tie with China on the final day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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Aug. 9

1936 — Jesse Owens becomes the first American to win four Olympic gold medals as the United States sets a world record in the 4×100 relay at the Berlin Games. The record time of 39.8 seconds lasts for 20 years.

1950 — Lusty Song, driven by Delvin Miller, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in straight heats over Star’s Pride. Lusty Song wins by a length in the first race and by a neck in the second.

1981 — Larry Nelson beats Fuzzy Zoeller by three strokes to take the PGA Championship.

1984 — Britain’s Daley Thompson wins his second Olympic decathlon with a record 8,797 points and Valerie Brisco-Hooks sets her second Olympic record with a 21.81 time in the 200-meter run.

1987 — Larry Nelson sinks a 6-foot putt in the first hole of a playoff to beat Lanny Wadkins in the PGA Championship.

1988 — Edmonton Oilers trade Wayne Gretzky to LA Kings for $15-$20 millions.

1992 — The Summer Olympics ends with the Unified Team holding a 112-108 lead in medals over the United States, the closest race since America won 90-86 in 1964 at Tokyo.

1995 — John Godina becomes the first American to win the shot put event at the World Championships with a toss of 70 feet, 5¼ inches.

2007 — Alexis Thompson becomes the youngest quarterfinalist in the 107-year history of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, beating fellow 12-year-old Pearl Jin 5 and 4 in the second round and Lizette Salas 5 and 4 in the third.

2007 — David Beckham makes his long-awaited Major League Soccer debut, entering in the 72nd minute of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 1-0 loss to D.C. United.

2008 — Mariel Zagunis leads a U.S. sweep of the women’s saber fencing for the first American medals of the Beijing Games. Zagunis, the 2004 gold Olympic champion, beats Sada Jacobson 15-8 for the gold medal. Becca Ward takes the bronze.

2009 — Jennifer Song becomes the second woman to win two U.S. Golf Association championships in the same year, beating Jennifer Johnson 3 and 1 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur final at Old Warson. The 19-year-old Song, coming off her freshman year at Southern California, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in June. Pearl Sinn is the only other woman to win two USGA titles in a year, taking the 1988 Amateur and Public Links.

2010 — No American player appears in the top 10 for the first time since the men’s tennis computer rankings began in 1973. Andy Roddick drops from No. 9 to No. 11 in the latest ATP rankings.

2012 — Usain Bolt wins the 200 meters in 19.32 seconds, making him the only man with two Olympic titles in that event. He adds it to the 100 gold he won Aug. 5, duplicating the 100-200 double he produced at the Beijing Games four years ago. This time, Bolt leads a Jamaican sweep, with his training partner and pal Yohan Blake getting the silver in 19.44, and Warren Weir taking the bronze in 19.84. The American men take the top two spots in the men’s decathlon (Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee) and triple jump (Christian Taylor and Will Claye), raising the U.S. track and field total with three days to go to 24 medals.

2012 — The U.S. women’s soccer team wins the Olympic gold medal, avenging one of its most painful defeats with a 2-1 victory over Japan. Carli Lloyd scores in the eighth and 54th minutes for the Americans, who lost to the Japanese in penalty kicks at last year’s World Cup final.

2012 — Maggie Steffens scored five times and the U.S. women’s water polo team beat Spain 8-5 to take the Olympic tournament for the first time. U.S. middleweight Claressa Shields caps her swift rise to the top of women’s Olympic boxing with a 19-12 victory over Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova. The 17-year-old Shields dances and slugs her way past her 33-year-old opponent.

2014 — Nick Rimando breaks the MLS record with his 113th shutout in Real Salt Lake’s 3-0 victory over D.C. United. Rimando broke a tie with Kevin Hartman for the record.

2016 — Michael Phelps adds to his Olympic record medal haul twice. He avenges his London 2012 loss to South African rival Chad le Clos with a 200-meter butterfly victory and his 20th career gold. Then, he anchors the 4×200 freestyle relay team for his 21st gold.

2016 — American swimmer Katie Ledecky wins her second gold medal of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 1:53.73 in the women’s 200m freestyle ahead of Sarah Sjöström of Sweden and Australian Emma McKeon.

2022 — Tennis superstar Serena Williams announces her intention to retire in an interview with “Vogue”.

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Aug. 10

1900 — The first Davis Cup is held with the United States beating Britain, 3-0.

1949 — Ezzard Charles knocks out Gus Lesnovich in the eighth round at Yankee Stadium in his first world heavyweight title defense.

1975 — Jack Nicklaus wins the PGA Championship for the fourth time with a two-stroke victory over Bruce Crampton and Tom Weiskopf.

1980 — Jack Nicklaus wins his fifth PGA Championship with a record score of 274, seven strokes ahead of Andy Bean.

1984 — The US beats Spain 96-65 to win the men’s basketball gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics; future ‘dream team’ members Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin feature.

1984 — The much anticipated matchup between American world champion Mary Decker and South African Zola Budd in the women’s 3000-meter race at the Los Angeles Olympics ends in controversy. Just past the midpoint of the race, Decker steps on Budd’s heel, causing Budd to stumble and Decker to trip over Budd. Budd gets back into the race and Decker goes down with an injured thigh. Romania’s Maricica Puica, who had set the fastest time in 1984, wins the race and Budd finishes seventh.

1995 — Michael Bradley, a third-year pro without a tour victory, shoots a record-tying 63 in his first PGA round to lead the PGA Championship.

1996 — Cigar’s bid for a 17th straight victory ends when longshot Dare and Go passes the super horse in the upper stretch and pulls away to win the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Cigar, 3 1-2 lengths behind Dare and Go, fails to break a tie with Citation for the record winning streak by a North American-based horse this century.

2008 — In Beijing, Michael Phelps begins his long march toward eight gold medals by winning the 400-meter individual medley in 4:03.84 — smashing his own world record. The U.S. women’s 400-meter freestyle relay team, anchored by 41-year-old Dara Torres, takes the silver behind the Netherlands’ Olympic record effort. It’s the 10th medal of Torres’ career.

2008 — Ireland’s Padraig Harrington rallies from three shots behind to win the PGA Championship, closing with a 4-under 66 at Oakland Hills to become the fourth player to win the British Open and PGA in the same year. Harrington, the first European to win consecutive majors, closes out Sergio Garcia with a 15-foot par on the 18th for a two-shot victory.

2012 — The United States wins the women’s 4×100-meter track relay in a world-record time of 40.82 seconds to give the Americans their first Olympic victory in the event since 1996. Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter combine for a perfect trip around the track that ends a string of disappointments for the U.S. in the marquee relay.

2012 — Maurice Purify catches a record seven touchdown passes and the Arizona Rattlers win the Arena Bowl with a 72-54 win over the Philadelphia Soul.

2014 — Rory McIlroy wins his second straight major championship and fourth of his young career, rallying on the back nine in the PGA Championship. The tournament finishes in near-darkness at Valhalla Golf Club, with the final two groups essentially morphing into a foursome as they race to beat nightfall. McIlroy rallies from a three-shot deficit at the turn, to shoot a 3-under 68 to beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke. McIlroy finishes at 16-under 268.

2016 — Daryl Homer becomes the first American to win an Olympic silver medal in men’s individual sabre in 112 years.

2016 — Kristin Armstrong wins the road cycling individual time trial, finishing with a time of 44:26.42 for her third consecutive gold in the Olympic event.

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Aug. 11

1919 — Green Bay Packers football club founded by George Calhoun and Curly Lambeau – named after sponsor Indian Packing Company.

1929 — Babe Ruth is the first MLB player to hit 500 home runs.

1943 — Volo Song, driven by Ben White, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in the third heat.

1948 — Demon Hanover, driven by Harrison Hoyt, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in straight heats.

1974 — Lee Trevino beats Jack Nicklaus by one stroke to capture the PGA Championship.

1979 — Peter Haughton wins his second International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway by driving Doublemint to victory.

1984 — Carl Lewis duplicates Jesse Owens′ 1936 feat, winning his 4th Olympic gold medal as part of the US 4 x 100m relay team; world record (37.83).

1984 — Britain’s Sebastian Coe sets an Olympic record in the 1,500 meter with a 3:32.53 winning time.

1985 — Hubert Green beats defending champion Lee Trevino by two strokes to take the PGA Championship.

1986 — Bob Tway’s bunker shot on the final hole gives him the PGA Championship over Greg Norman.

1991 — John Daly, the last alternate to make the field, wins the 73rd PGA Championship with a 1-under 71 to finish three strokes ahead of Bruce Lietzke.

1995 — Michael Johnson wins the 200 meters in 19.79 seconds in the World Track & Field Championships to become the first runner to capture the 200 and 400 meters in a major championship.

1996 — Mark Brooks makes a 5-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Kenny Perry to win the PGA Championship.

2002 — Karrie Webb’s latest comeback establishes a new standard of excellence on the LPGA Tour: the Super Slam — winning the four tournaments currently regarded as majors as well as the du Maurier, which lost its major status in 2000 after 21 years. Webb shoots a 6-under 66, rallying from three strokes behind to the first three-time winner in the Women’s British Open.

2008 — The US 4 x 100m freestyle replay team of Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones & Jason Lezak beats France by 8 seconds to win gold and smash world record at the Beijing Olympics.

2012 — Usain Bolt is a perfect 3 for 3 at the London Olympics — three events, three victories — just like Beijing four years ago. Almost even with the last U.S. runner when he gets the baton for the anchor leg of the 4×100 meters, Bolt steadily pulls away down the stretch to cap his perfect Summer Games by leading Jamaica to victory in a world-record 36.84 seconds. Allyson Felix wins her third gold medal, giving the United States a 20-meter lead after the second leg of the 4×400-meter relay. DeeDee Trotter, Felix, Francena McCorory and Sanya Richards-Ross bring home the victory for the Americans’ fifth straight Olympic title in the event.

2012 — Candace Parker scores 21 points and the heavily favored U.S. women’s basketball team wins a fifth straight Olympic gold medal with an 86-50 victory over France.

2013 — Ashton Eaton of the United States wins the decathlon world championship title to add to his Olympic gold medal. He completes his collection with a season-leading total of 8,809 points in a 10-event competition.

2013 — Jason Dufner wins his first major title with a two-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship.

2016 — Michael Phelps wins his fourth gold medal of the Rio Olympics and 22nd overall with a victory in the 200-meter individual medley. It was the 13th individual gold and 26 medals overall.

2016 — Simone Biles soars to the all-around title in women’s gymnastics at the Rio Olympics. Her total of 62.198 is well clear of silver medalist and “Final Five” teammate Aly Raisman and Russian bronze medalist Aliya Mustafina.

2017 — The NFL suspends Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott six games after a yearlong NFL investigation of his domestic violence case in Ohio.

2021 — Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi confirms signing a rich 2-year contract with French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain after leaving FC Barcelona.

Aug. 12

1876 — Madeleine wins two straight heats over Canada’s Countess of Dufferin to defend the America’s Cup.

1936 — Rosalind, driven by Ben White, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in straight heats.

1937 — Shirley Hanover, driven by Henry Thomas, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in straight heats.

1942 — The Ambassador, driven by Ben White, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in the third heat.

1953 — Helicopter, driven by Harry Harvey, wins the Hambletonian Stakes in the third heat.

1978 — Cold Comfort, driven by 23-year-old Peter Haughton, ties the International Trot mark of 2:31 3-5 at Roosevelt Raceway which makes Haughton the youngest driver to win the International.

1990 — Wayne Grady of Australia sheds his runner-up image with a 3-stroke victory over Fred Couples in the PGA Championship.

1994 — Major league baseball players strike in the sport’s eighth work stoppage since 1972.

1995 — Ernie Els sets a PGA record with the lowest three-day score in a major. Els, with a 197, holds a three-stroke lead in the PGA Championship.

2000 — Evander Holyfield scores a 12-round unanimous decision over John Ruiz in Las Vegas to win the vacant WBA heavyweight title.

2007 — Tiger Woods captures the PGA Championship to win at least one major for the third straight season and run his career total to 13. Woods closes with a 1-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Woody Austin.

2008 — American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins his 3rd of 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics when he takes the 200m freestyle in world record 1:42.96.

2011 — Tiger Woods misses the cut at the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. With one final bogey for a 3-over 73, Woods finishes out of the top 100 for the first time ever in a major. He is 15 shots behind Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley.

2012 — The U.S. men’s basketball team defend its title by fighting off another huge challenge from Spain, pulling away in the final minutes for a 107-100 victory and its second straight Olympic championship. The victory by the men’s basketball team gives the United States its 46th gold medal in London, the most ever by Americans in a “road” Olympics.

2012 — Rory McIlroy breaks the PGA Championship record for margin of victory that Jack Nicklaus set in 1980. McIlroy sinks one last birdie from 25 feet on the 18th hole to give him a 6-under 66 for an eight-shot victory. McIlroy closes out a remarkable week by playing bogey-free over the final 23 holes of a demanding Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C.

2016 — Katie Ledecky caps off one of the greatest performances in Olympic history with her fourth gold medal and second world record, shattering her own mark in the 800-meter freestyle. Ledecky is the first woman since Debbie Meyer swept the three longer freestyle events at the same Olympics. Meyer took the 200, 400 and 800 at the 1968 Mexico Games.

2017 — Usain Bolt ends his stellar career in excruciating pain. The Jamaican great crumples to the track with a left-leg injury while chasing a final gold medal for the Jamaican 4×100-meter relay team at the world championships in London. Having to make up lots of ground on the anchor leg, Bolt suddenly screams and stumbles as he comes down with the first injury he has experienced at a major competition.

2018 — Brooks Koepka wins his first PGA Championship, playing poised and mistake-free golf down the stretch amid ear-splitting roars for Tiger Woods and a late charge from revitalized Adam Scott. Koepka becomes the fifth player to win the U.S. Open and the PGA in the same year.

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Aug. 13

1919 — Upset scores a win against Man o’ War in the Sanford Memorial Stakes at Saratoga. The defeat is Big Red’s only loss in 21 starts.

1933 — Gene Sarazen wins the PGA Championship by defeating Willie Goggin 5 and 4 in the final round.

1935 — The first roller derby begins in Chicago by promoter Leo Seltzer.

1979 — Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals reaches 3,000 career hits with an infield hit off Chicago Cubs pitcher Dennis Lamp.

1987 — Jackie Joyner-Kersee equals the world record in the women’s long jump — 24 feet, 5½ inches — in the Pan American Games at Indianapolis. She matches the mark set in 1986 by Heike Dreschler of East Germany.

1995 — Cuba’s Ana Quirot, severely burned in a 1993 kitchen accident, wins the 800 meters at the world championships at Gothenburg, Sweden.

1995 — Steve Elkington shoots a final-round 64 and birdies the first playoff hole to beat Colin Montgomerie and win the PGA Championship. The 64 is the lowest final round by a PGA Championship winner.

1997 — Wilson Kipketer topples Sebastian Coe’s 16-year-old record in the 800 meters, finishing in 1 minute, 41.24 seconds in Zurich, Switzerland. Haile Gebrselassie also shatters his own 5,000 record with a time of 12 minutes, 41.86 seconds.

2002 — Natalie Coughlin breaks the 100-meter backstroke world record, timed in 59.58 seconds at the U.S. national championships. She is the first American to hold the world record since Catherine Ferguson in 1966.

2008 — Michael Phelps swims into history as the winningest Olympic athlete with his 10th and 11th career gold medals and five world records in five events at the Beijing Games. He wins the 200-meter butterfly and swims leadoff for the U.S. 800 freestyle relay team.

2016 — The U.S. women’s 4×100-meter medley relay team of Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Dana Vollmer and Simone Manuel — winners at the Rio Games — delivers the nation’s 1,000th gold medal in Summer Olympics history. Michael Phelps closes the Rio Olympics with a gold medal in the butterfly leg of the 4×100 medley relay. Phelps finishes his career with 28 medals, having won five golds and a silver at these games.

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Aug. 14

1903 — Jim Jeffries knocks out Jim Corbett in the 10th round to retain his world heavyweight title in San Francisco.

1936 — In Berlin, the U.S. wins the first Olympic basketball gold medal with a 19-8 win over Canada. The game is played outdoors on a dirt court in a driving rain. Joe Fortenberry leads the U.S. with seven points. James Naismith, the inventor of the game, presents the medals.

1959 — The formation of the American Football League is announced in Chicago. Play will begin in 1960 with franchises in six cities with the probability of adding two more teams.

1977 — Lanny Wadkins beats Gene Littler on the third hole of sudden death to take the PGA Championship.

1977 — The Cosmos, led by Pele, play before a Meadowlands crowd of 77,961 in East Rutherford, N.J., the most to see a soccer game in the U.S. The Cosmos beat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 8-3 in an NASL quarterfinal playoff game.

1994 — Nick Price wins the PGA Championship, finishing at 11-under 269 for 72 holes, six strokes ahead of Corey Pavin. It is the lowest stroke total in an American major championship.

2003 — The New York blackout forces the evacuation of workers and players from Shea Stadium hours before the Mets-Giants game. It’s the only major league baseball game affected by the blackout that stretches from the Northeast to Ohio and Michigan. Elsewhere, two WNBA games are postponed, and Yonkers (N.Y.) Raceway cancels its card.

2005 — The U.S. 4×400 relay team, anchored by Jeremy Wariner, races to a record 14th gold medal for the United States at the field world championships.

2011 — Keegan Bradley wins the PGA Championship after trailing by five shots with three holes and then defeating Jason Dufner in a three-hole playoff. Bradley becomes the third player in at least 100 years to win a major championship in his first try.

2014 — Rob Manfred is elected baseball’s 10th commissioner, winning a three-man race to succeed Bud Selig.

2016 — South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk breaks Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old world record in the 400-meter final in Rio de Janeiro. Usain Bolt becomes the first to capture three straight 100-meter titles at the Olympics. He finishes in 9.81 — 0.08 seconds ahead of Justin Gatlin.

2019 — French woman Stephanie Frappart is the first woman to referee a major match in a European men’s tournament. UEFA Super Cup, Chelsea vs. Liverpool in Istanbul.

2024 — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits 300th career home run in a 10-2 win over the White Sox. Milestone reached faster than Ralph Kiner (in games), and Babe Ruth (in at bats).

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TV SPORTS

(All times Eastern)

Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts

Friday, August 8

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)

5:30 a.m.

FS1 — AFL: Essendon at Geelong

FS2 — AFL: Essendon at Geelong

11 p.m.

FS2 — AFL: St. Kilda at Richmond

2 a.m. (Saturday)

FS2 — AFL: Sydney at Brisbane

5:30 a.m. (Saturday)

FS2 — AFL: Gold Coast at Carlton

AUTO RACING

11:30 a.m.

FS2 — NASCAR NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Practice, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.

12:40 p.m.

FS2 — NASCAR NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Qualifying, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.

2 p.m.

FS2 — ARCA Menards Series: The Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.

4 p.m.

FS1 — Indy NXT Series: Practice, Portland International Raceway, Portland, Ore.

5 p.m.

FS1 — NASCAR NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race at Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.

5:30 p.m.

FS2 — NTT: IndyCar Series: Practice, Portland International Raceway, Portland, Ore.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

9 p.m.

CBSSN — AVP League: Week 8 – Day 1, Dallas

GOLF

7:30 a.m.

GOLF — DP World Tour: The Nexo Championship, Second Round, Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Noon

FS1 — LIV Golf League: First Round, Bolingbrook Golf Club, Bolingbrook, Ill.

2 p.m.

FOX — LIV Golf League: First Round, Bolingbrook Golf Club, Bolingbrook, Ill.

GOLF — PGA Tour: The FedEx St. Jude Championship, Second Round, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.

6 p.m.

GOLF — USGA: The 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Quarterfinals, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore.

10 p.m.

GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Boeing Classic, First Round, The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, Wash. (Taped)

HORSE RACING

1:30 p.m.

FS2 — NYRA: Saratoga Live

4 p.m.

FS2 — NYRA: Saratoga Live

8 p.m.

FS2 — The Dan Patch Stakes: From Harrah’s Hoosier Park Casino Racetrack, Anderson, Ind.

9:30 p.m.

FS1 — The Dan Patch Stakes: From Harrah’s Hoosier Park Casino Racetrack, Anderson, Ind.

LACROSSE (MEN’S)

9 p.m.

ESPN2 — PLL: Carolina vs. Utah, Boston

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL

1 p.m.

ESPN — Little League World Series Regional: TBD, Midwest Region, Whitestown, Ind.

3 p.m.

ESPN — Little League World Series Regional: TBD, Mid-Atlantic Region, Bristol, Conn.

5 p.m.

ESPN — Little League World Series Regional: TBD

7 p.m.

ESPN — Little League World Series Regional: TBD, Metro Region, Bristol, Conn.

9 p.m.

ESPN — Little League World Series Regional: TBD, Northwest Region, San Bernardino, Calif.

LITTLE LEAGUE SOFTBALL

4 p.m.

ESPN2 — Little League Softball World Series: TBD, Elimination Game, Greenville, N.C.

7 p.m.

ESPN2 — Little League Softball World Series: TBD, Elimination Game, Greenville, N.C.

MLB BASEBALL

6:40 p.m.

APPLE TV+ — Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

7:05 p.m.

APPLE TV+ — Houston at N.Y. Yankees

8 p.m.

MLBN — Regional Coverage: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis (8:15 p.m.) OR Philadelphia at Texas (9:05 p.m.)

11 p.m.

MLBN — Regional Coverage: Toronto at L.A. Dodgers (10:10 p.m.) OR Washington at San Francisco (10:15 p.m.)

NFL FOOTBALL

7 p.m.

NFLN — Preseason: Cleveland at Carolina

SOCCER (MEN’S)

2:55 p.m.

CBSSN — English League Championship: Ipswich Town FC at Birmingham City

10:55 p.m.

FS1 — Liga MX: Puebla at Tigres UANL

TENNIS

11 a.m.

TENNIS — Cincinnati-ATP/WTA Early Rounds

WNBA BASKETBALL

7:30 p.m.

ION — New York at Dallas

THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” FRIDAY AUGUST 8, 2025

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