AP National Sports

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Pro Football Hall of Fame has hired Anthony Muñoz as its first Chief Football Relationship Officer. The hall said Thursday that the 1998 inductee will engage with current and prospective business partners and sponsors; be involved in philanthropic efforts for the museum; promoting the hall’s mission and initiatives. He will

By WARREN MAYES Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rylan Bannon became just the third Baltimore player since 2000 to get a hit on the first pitch of his big league career, Jorge Mateo and Anthony Bemboom homered and the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2. Bannon a 26-year-old third baseman, was recalled from

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer The Cleveland Guardians reported no new COVID-19 cases after an outbreak inside their clubhouse on Wednesday in Chicago caused a postponement and sent manager Terry Francona and five coaches home from a road trip. The team said pitching coach Carl Willis will serve as the club’s acting manager for

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer ROME (AP) — Rafael Nadal struggled with a foot injury toward the end of a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 third-round loss to Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open. The 35-year-old Nadal walked over and leaned on his towel box at one point and grimaced in apparent pain. He also limped

As WNBA star and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner approaches the three-month mark of her detention in Russia, she has no clear prospect of release. The Phoenix Mercury All-Star center may as early as Friday face a Moscow court hearing, which is likely to extend her pre-trial detention. It doesn’t help that she

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham has revived its hopes of beating Arsenal to the final Champions League qualification position by overwhelming its fierce north London rival in a 3-0 win in the Premier League. Harry Kane scored twice and Son Heung-min added another just after halftime to move Tottenham one point behind fourth-place Arsenal, which had

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks want to build off the momentum from a thrilling comeback. The Golden State Warriors seek to put an embarrassing loss behind them as both teams attempt to end their second-round series. Both have 3-2 leads and are at home Friday night for Game

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Seth Brown hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3 on Thursday. Michael Fulmer (1-2) got the first two outs of the eighth, but Jed Lowrie drew a walk and Brown homered to right on a 92-mph

By BEN NUCKOLS AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Taijuan Walker pitched seven no-fuss innings and the New York Mets remained unbeaten in 10 series this season, cruising past the sloppy Washington Nationals 4-1. Mark Canha went 3 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs for the NL East-leading Mets, who took two of

By PATRICK DONNELLY Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jose Altuve homered, doubled and drove in three runs as the Houston Astros piled on and beat the Minnesota Twins 11-3 in the completion of a suspended game. Kyle Tucker also homered, while Jeremy Peña had two hits and drove in three runs for the Astros. Houston

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer CLIFTON, N.J. (AP) — Nasa Hataoka shot a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 in perfect conditions and grabbed an early one-stroke lead in the $3 million Cognizant Founders Cup on Thursday in Clifton, New Jersey. Hataoka ignited her round with a 10-foot eagle putt on No. 2 at Upper Montclair Country

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho has completed a permanent move to Aston Villa from Barcelona for a reported fee of 20 million euros ($20.75 million). Coutinho has been on loan at Villa since January and has signed a contract until 2026. Coutinho had been at Barcelona since January 2018 when he joined

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer Rich Strike will not run in the Preakness after his major upset to win the Kentucky Derby, keeping horse racing from having a Triple Crown winner for a fourth consecutive year. Owner Rich Dawson made the stunning announcement Thursday, 10 days before the race in Maryland. Dawson said he

By The Associated Press Michael Signora, the NFL’s senior vice president of football and international communications, has been selected as the 2022 Horrigan Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America. Signora, lauded for his professional dealings with the media who cover the league, is the 50th Horrigan Award winner and the second person

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer The United States will stage a Rugby World Cup for the first time after being voted as the host of the men’s tournament in 2031 and the women’s tournament two years later. Australia also is staging back-to-back tournaments in 2027 (men) and 2029 (women). World Rugby announced the host

SCALEA, Italy (AP) — French cyclist Arnaud Démare has beaten Caleb Ewan in a photo finish to win a second successive Giro d’Italia stage. Juan Pedro López kept hold of the leader’s pink jersey after the race’s sixth leg. Démare came from behind to edge Ewan by the smallest of margins with Mark Cavendish about