AP Sports

Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for rest of season because of a torn elbow ligament, Angels GM says

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his right elbow, Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday night. The Angels don’t yet know whether the major league homers leader and 10-game winner will need surgery to repair the UCL ligament nearly five years after the two-way superstar had his first Tommy John surgery in late 2018 following his AL Rookie of the Year season. Ohtani left the mound abruptly Wednesday in the second inning of his start against Cincinnati in the opener of a doubleheader. The injury will have a massive effect on baseball’s free agent market this winter with Ohtani headed to free agency.

FIFA opens case against Spanish soccer official who a kissed player on the lips at Women’s World Cup

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA has opened a disciplinary case against the Spanish soccer official who kissed a player on the lips while celebrating the team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final. FIFA says its disciplinary committee will examine if Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales brought the sport into disrepute. Rubiales kissed Spain player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medal ceremony after the country beat England in Australia. Rubiales had earlier grabbed his crotch as a victory gesture with Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-year-old Princess Sofía standing nearby. FIFA gave no timetable for a ruling.

Yankees turning attention to 2024 in the midst of `a disaster’ season

NEW YORK (AP) — A win ended the New York Yankees’ first nine-game losing streak in 41 years but left them 9 1/2 games out of the American League’s last playoff spot. New York is 61-65, in danger of ending a streak of 30 winning seasons. New York’s projected rotation of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino and Domingo Germán started 79 of the first 126 games. Third baseman Josh Donaldson, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and slugging outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have missed substantial time.

Messi gets 2 assists as Miami beats Cincinnati and reaches US Open Cup final vs Houston

CINCINNATI (AP) — Lionel Messi had two assists and converted in a shootout to lead Inter Miami over MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw and into a U.S. Open Cup final against Houston. Miami and remained unbeaten in eight matches with Messi heading into his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday at the New York Red Bulls. The 36-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined the team last month and led it to the title of the Leagues Cup. Houston won the other semifinal, beating visiting Salt Lake 3-1 in extra time. Miami will host the final on Sept. 27.

ACC progressing toward westward expansion with Stanford, Cal, SMU potential targets, AP source says

The Atlantic Coast Conference is making progress toward an expansion that could grab Stanford and California from the sinking Pac-12, a person with direct knowledge of the ACC’s potential move told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference was not making its internal discussions public. Two weeks ago, the ACC gathered its full board of university leaders to consider adding Stanford, Cal and possibly SMU, the Dallas-based American Athletic Conference school. They never took an official vote, but Commissioner Jim Phillips and a small group of conference leaders has continued to work on sticking points.

Giants tight end Tommy Sweeney collapses from ‘medical event,’ in stable condition

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants say tight end Tommy Sweeney is stable and alert after collapsing during practice and being carted away from the field. The Giants say Sweeney “had a medical event” and was “conversant” while under the care of physicians. The former Boston College standout is now in his fourth NFL season and first with the Giants. He spent his first three seasons with Buffalo. In 2020 he was diagnosed with myocarditis after contracting COVID-19. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart. Sweeney was cleared to resume playing the following offseason. It’s not immediately clear whether there’s a connection between Sweeney’s health history and Wednesday’s episode.

Basketball World Cup 2023: How to watch, who’s playing, who’s favored and more

The Basketball World Cup starts Friday, spread out across three countries for the first two rounds before all the biggest games get played in Manila to decide which nation will go home with gold medals and the Naismith Trophy on Sept. 10. Spain is the defending champion, having won in China four years ago. The U.S. was only seventh in that tournament, its worst finish ever in a major international event. But the Americans have high hopes, and enter as the tournament favorites. Seven teams will directly qualify for the Paris Olympics based on their finish. It’ll be the top two teams from the Americas Region, the top two from Europe, and one each from Africa, Asia and Oceania.

World Cup plans in Okinawa unaffected by North Korean spy satellite launch attempt

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Plans for the start of the Basketball World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, were unaffected Thursday after a North Korean rocket launch prompted an alert ordering some residents to evacuate. Press conferences and practices for the eight teams that are beginning World Cup play in Okinawa went on as scheduled Thursday. The tournament begins Friday, also in the Philippines and Indonesia. There were no reports of damage. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic plays for Slovenia and says he had trouble sleeping after the alarm. Doncic says the episode was “a little scary.”

Winding road takes runner Abdihamid Nur from Somalia to the starting line at worlds for the US

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Abdihamid Nur’s winding road led the distance runner to the track this week at world championships in Budapest. It’s a journey that began in Somalia. His family fled there amid the country’s instability and headed to Egypt and then Kenya before coming to America. It was in Arizona that Nur was in a serious car accident that introduced him to running as a way to recover. That put him on a path to a scholarship at Northern Arizona and to the starting line for the 5,000 meters at the worlds. Nur says “I never thought running would bring me all of this.”

John Isner is retiring from tennis after the US Open. He played in the sport’s longest match

John Isner says he will retire from professional tennis after playing at the U.S. Open. The 38-year-old American announced Wednesday on social media that he is ready to end a career that included one Grand Slam semifinal appearance and a victory in the longest match in the sport’s history. The U.S. Open begins Monday in New York. Isner reached a career-best ranking of No. 8 in 2018, shortly after reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon, won 16 singles titles and has hit more than 14,000 aces, an ATP Tour record. That includes 113 in his win against Nicolas Mahut in 2010 that lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes and ended at 70-68 in the fifth set.