AP National Sports

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nolan Ryan pitched for a record 27 seasons in the big leagues, struck out 5,714 batters and threw seven no-hitters. He might have never been close to those numbers if not for his wife. Ruth Ryan was the one who encouraged and insisted that Nolan

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy was more interested in his own history in the majors than the peculiar heritage at Southern Hills on Thursday at the PGA Championship. Southern Hills has proven to be favorable to frontrunners. As for McIlroy, he has failed to break par in the

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez will undergo X-rays and other imaging tests on his right shin after being injured during an at-bat in a 4-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Ramírez collapsed in pain after fouling a ball off his shin in the eighth

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Hours after the Mets learned Max Scherzer will join fellow ace Jacob deGrom on the injured list, Pete Alonso kept New York rolling with a two-run homer in the 10th inning for a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Paul Goldschmidt tied the score

LONDON (AP) — Prospective new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly saw third place effectively secured with a 1-1 draw with Leicester in the Premier League. Marcos Alonso’s volley recovered the point for Chelsea in the 34th minute after the wingback’s failure to track back had allowed James Maddison to fire Leicester in front. Christian Pulisic scuffed

By TODD KARPOVICH Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Santander lined a three-run homer in the ninth inning off Lucas Luetge and the Baltimore Orioles avoided a four-game sweep by beating the New York Yankees 9-6. New York lost for just the second time in 11 games and is still a major-league best 28-10. The

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Nick Pope’s saves ensured Burnley drew 1-1 at Aston Villa to lift the team out of the relegation zone and keep its Premier League status in its own hands heading into the final round. Burnley led through Ashley Barnes scoring his first goal in 15 months from a penalty in the

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes are getting the offensive production they need so far from their blue liners in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Hurricanes outlasted the Boston Bruins in a seven-game series with defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Tony DeAngelo leading the team in points. Then they

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer TULSA, Okla. (AP) — By the time Tiger Woods walked toward the fifth tee box Thursday, the hot start to his return to the PGA Championship had turned cold, and what was quickly becoming a steamy day at Southern Hills had also become an agonizing grind. Two early birdies

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Yu Darvish struck out five and walked none over seven shutout innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres took two of three from the Phillies and moved 10 games over .500. Robinson Cano lined an RBI

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones doesn’t show his emotions much. So it’s understandable he didn’t say much about the team’s recent decision not to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. The 24-year-old who was the sixth player taken in the

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer Jason Kidd has been here before in his first season as coach of the Mavericks, down 1-0 in a third consecutive NBA playoff series. The Bay Area native is looking for another bounce-back from Luka Doncic and company in his first trip to the conference finals as a coach,

GENEVA (AP) — Second-seeded Casper Ruud has advanced to the Geneva Open semifinals in defense of his title by beating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 7-6 (3). No. 8-ranked Ruud forced the only service break in the first set of a quarterfinals match that saw only four break-point chances created. Ruud will next face fourth-seeded American Reilly

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Tyler Naquin homered in the fifth inning and scored on Kyle Farmer’s go-ahead single in the eighth, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians. It was Cincinnati’s first series sweep of its Ohio neighbors since 2014. The Reds won both games

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves are talking to Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly about their vacant president of basketball operations role, The Associated Press has confirmed. The talks were confirmed by a person familiar with the discussions, who spoke with AP on condition of anonymity because neither franchise

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Longtime Ravens punter Sam Koch retired Thursday and will join the Baltimore coaching staff as a special teams consultant.  A 16-year veteran, Koch, 39, appeared in a franchise-record 256 regular-season games, 239 consecutively from 2006-20, also a team record. He was a member of Baltimore’s 2012 Super Bowl championship team,

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mitch Kupchak has signed a multiyear contract extension to remain the Charlotte Hornets’ general manager. His contract was set to expire this summer. Kupchak told reporters on Thursday that “for better or for worse I will be here for the next couple of years.” He

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Three people were injured when the chartered bus carrying the Murray State softball team was involved in a two-vehicle crash on the way to the NCAA Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, police said. Murray State said the three had injuries that weren’t life threatening after the accident Wednesday. The school didn’t say