Sports

TOKYO (AP) — Roki Sasaki is the 20-year-old Japanese pitcher with a 100 mph fastball and a devastating splitter. He will try for perfection again when he starts Sunday for the Chiba Lotte Marines against the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka. Sasaki pitched a perfect game on April 10, the first one in Japan in 28

By TYLER MASON Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Friday for giving fans the middle finger during a game Wednesday in Cleveland. Anderson is appealing the ban and remained in the lineup hitting leadoff Friday night

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta feels the Ravens have generally been pretty conservative in the draft when it comes to injuries. That’s a relevant issue after a decimated Baltimore team dropped six straight at the end of last season to miss the playoffs. The

AVONDALE, La (AP) — Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele shot a 4-under 68 in alternate-shot play Friday at windswept TPC of Louisiana to maintain a one-stroke lead in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Cantlay and Schauffele opened with a tournament-record 59 on Thursday in best-ball play. They were a tournament-record 17 under. The teams

ATLANTA (AP) — The NBA playoff game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks was delayed Friday night after a suspicious package was found outside State Farm Arena. The tipoff was pushed back nearly an hour while police investigated the package. Three gates were closed while security personnel made sure there was no danger. The

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Kevin Obanor is returning to Texas Tech for a super senior season. The 6-foot-8 forward started all 37 games in his first season with the Red Raiders and had double-doubles in all three of their NCAA Tournament games last month. Obanor announced his decision after weighing the possibility of turning pro

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The way the Miami Dolphins see things, they had the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft. And they used it on the 165th pick in the 2016 draft. It makes sense. While most other general managers will spend the early rounds of

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans have a first-round draft pick for the first time since 2019, and thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade they have two selections in the opening round. The Texans have the third overall pick in the draft, which begins Thursday, because of last year’s

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — New Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has several directions he could go to address the team’s issues in the draft. Chicago hopes to surround quarterback Justin Fields with the pieces he needs to improve on a shaky rookie season. The Bears could also use a

CHICAGO (AP) — Clint Frazier’s injury-plagued career took another hit when the Chicago Cubs announced the outfielder has been sidelined because of appendicitis. Frazier was put on the 10-day injured list. The 27-year-old Frazier missed the final 82 games of last season with the New York Yankees because of vertigo. He signed a one-year, $1.5

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions have been so bad in recent years, winning an average of four games since 2018, that they desperately need an influx of talent at a lot of positions on both sides of the ball. Help might be on the way. The Lions are

By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Thanks to Tom Brady’s return, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t looking for any quick fixes in the NFL draft. The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s decision to end his brief retirement not only resolved the team’s quarterback situation, but also helped general manager Jason Licht retain

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer The NFL will capitalize on Christmas Day falling on a Sunday. The league will have three games on Dec. 25 for the first time — two in the afternoon on CBS and Fox followed by a prime-time contest on NBC. NFL vice president of broadcasting Mike North revealed the

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken have signed defenseman Ryker Evans to a three-year entry level contract. The deal locks up the second draft pick in franchise history. Evans was picked No. 35 overall by the Kraken in last summer’s NHL entry draft. The 20-year-old just completed his fourth season of junior hockey for the

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera’s quest for his 3,000th hit was delayed for at least one more day when the game between the Detroit Tigers and Colorado Rockies was rained out. The game was called about an hour before it was supposed to begin at Comerica Park. The teams

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Barring a spectacular trade, the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams won’t make a first-round pick for the sixth consecutive year. Thanks to two major deals to acquire the veteran talent that led them to their title, the Rams aren’t scheduled to make a

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Ty Gibbs is in his first full season of Xfinity Series racing and has quickly built a reputation as NASCAR’s newest villain. The 19-year-old has won three times through eight races this season but has been criticized for back-to-back high-profile incidents. He moved his