MAJOR LEAGUES
Gerrit Cole retired the final 17 hitters he faced as the surging Pittsburgh Pirates clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 3-2 win over the free-falling Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
The Pirates’ win combined with Milwaukee’s loss to Cincinnati assured Pittsburgh of no worse than an National League wild-card. The Pirates wrapped up their berth exactly one year after clinching a place in last year’s playoffs.
Starling Marte gave Pittsburgh the lead with a sixth-inning double.
They reacted to the final out on Tuesday with little emotion. The Pirates exchanged high-fives in a line on the field before sharing hugs in front of their dugout.
The Pirates, who are still chasing St Louis for the NL Central title, have won 11 of 13.
ROYALS 7, INDIANS 1
Rookie Yordano Ventura blanked Cleveland’s punchless offense for seven innings as the Kansas City Royals kept pressure on first-place Detroit in the AL Central with a win over the Indians.
The hard-throwing Ventura (14-10) allowed four singles and threw a 160kph fastball on his 104th pitch.
Salvador Perez’s two-out, two-run double off Danny Salazar (6-8) put the Royals ahead 5-0 in the fifth and they turned their attention to the left-field scoreboard to monitor the Tigers’ score. Kansas City entered one game out of first and with a grasp on one of the league’s two wild-card spots.
The Royals are closing in on their first post-season appearance since 1985, when they won their only World Series title.
At 86-71, Kansas City matched their win total from last season. It is the first time the Royals have had consecutive seasons with at least 86 victories since 1978.
DODGERS 4, GIANTS 2
Justin Turner homered twice and Matt Kemp had a two-run shot in a testy first inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the second-place Giants to stretch their NL West lead to 4.5 games.
The Giants’ seventh loss in 10 games kept them from clinching a playoff berth after Milwaukee lost in Cincinnati.
The Dodgers had a chance to win the division title with a victory in the series finale yesterday.
The game got off to a rocky start when both benches emptied after left-hander Madison Bumgarner hit Dodgers star Yasiel Puig in the left foot with a pitch. Order was soon restored.
ANGELS 2, ATHLETICS 0
Gordon Beckham homered as the Los Angeles Angels dropped the Athletics into a tie for the top American League wild-card.
Sonny Gray whiffed Mike Trout three times among his career-best 12 strikeouts, one month to the day after Jon Lester fanned the Angels slugger three times at the Coliseum. However, Gray had nothing to show for it as the Athletics were shut out for the seventh time since Aug. 1.
Oakland and Kansas City are tied for the two wild-card spots at 86-71, three games ahead of Seattle with five to play. The Royals beat Cleveland 7-1 earlier in the night and won the season series with Oakland 5-2, giving Kansas City the tiebreaker.
That means if the Royals and A’s win the wild-cards and finish with identical records, Kansas City would host their one-game playoff on Tuesday next week.
In other games on Tuesday, it was:
‧ Tigers 4, White Sox 3
‧ Orioles 5, Yankees 4
‧ Nationals 4, Mets 2
‧ Blue Jays 10, Mariners 2
‧ Rays 6, Red Sox 2
‧ Reds 3, Brewers 1
‧ Marlins 2, Phillies 0
‧ Rangers 2, Astros 1
‧ Cubs 4, Cardinals 3
‧ Twins 6, Diamondbacks 3
‧ Rockies 3, Padres 2
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely