Deandre Ayton called it "a blessing" to return to the Phoenix Suns on his new four-year, $133million contract extension.
Ayton, 23, averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this past regular season, making it four consecutive seasons he has tallied at least 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest since entering the league in the 2018 NBA Draft.
The former first overall pick finished fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (63.4 per cent), while also demonstrating he has the defensive versatility to close playoff games – a rare trait for a modern centre in the era of 'small-ball'.
Instead of paying their top pick his max contract a year early to take the pressure off – as the Dallas Mavericks did with Ayton's draft classmate Luka Doncic – the Suns decided against that route, forcing their seven-foot youngster to prove himself again a season after helping the franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.
After waiting to see what price Ayton would command on the open market, the Suns did not hesitate to match the Indiana Pacers' max offer sheet, as it was one year and $42m less than the Suns could have offered as the team that drafted him.
Speaking to ESPN in his first interview since making his extension with Phoenix official, Ayton said while he is grateful, the process has opened his eyes to the business side of the NBA.
"This is a blessing," he said. "This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas.
"I've come to understand that this is a business. So, I was more anxious to know the end of the result so I could focus, move on and just get back to work. The shift in free agency brought a lot of uncertainty through the whole process.
"I got to give a lot of respect to the Pacers organisation – they were aggressive from the start and showing a lot of love – and we agreed to a max offer sheet. The Suns matched, now, I'm back in Phoenix as a Sun.
"I'm happy the process is over. I can put all this behind me and focus on chasing a championship this upcoming season with my brothers."
Suns general manager James Jones told ESPN that the plan was always to bring Ayton back, although he called the decision to play things out through restricted free agency "negotiations", without going into it any further.
"We wanted Deandre here," he said. "He's vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do.
"Throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would.
"So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours [to match the Pacers' offer], that wasn't something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.
"If there's any doubt from anyone that we wanted him, I think that the matching did that. It was urgent for us. It was important. It was critical for us. So, we just wanted to make sure that we handled our business quickly."
Phoenix head coach Monty Williams also said he was ecstatic to have his starting center back, despite an incident in the Suns' Game 7 elimination against the Golden State Warriors where Ayton allegedly refused to re-enter the game during the blowout loss, which Williams called an "internal" matter at the time.
"James [Jones] and myself, we talk a lot and he'll let me know what's going on with the contract and ask for my opinion," Williams said.
"I try to stay out of persuading him when it comes to him making decisions, but we knew any offer that he got, we were going to match.
"I'm happy for Deandre just because I know this is what he wanted. He wants to be in that class of players that's regarded in this way. From that standpoint, I think as a competitor, that's what you want. When you see a guy working for that, that part is pretty cool."
In his first comments about the Game 7 situation, Ayton said any issues are now "in the past" and that his relationship with Williams is "calm".
When Williams was asked about the situation, he simply described it as "a bad day".
"I didn't feel like I had to say anything. I was just doing my job," he said. "We had a bad day, but we had an unbelievable season.
"Unfortunately, in sports and even in society, we focus on the one bad thing. It hurt like crazy, and it still hurts. It was embarrassing to play that way, but as the dust settles and I look at the season from a holistic perspective, I look at all the good stuff that happened."
Los Angeles Angels All-Star Mike Trout revealed Monday that he will serve as the United States team captain for next year’s World Baseball Classic.
Trout made the announcement during a media conference at Dodgers Stadium for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, in which the three-time American League MVP will be unable to participate after suffering a ribcage injury that has been causing spasms in his upper back.
The future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer has been mostly healthy this season and is tied for third in the AL with 24 home runs and fourth in OPS (.967) while recording 51 RBIs and a .270 average in 79 games.
His production has dropped off as of late, however, as he’s hit .200 with a .697 OPS in 18 games since June 20. Trout has struck out 25 times in 65 at-bats over that stretch.
Trout chose not to compete in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2017, citing personal reasons. The tournament was scheduled to be played in 2021 but wound up cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I’m looking forward to playing for our country," Trout said. "It’s going to be awesome to have ‘USA’ across my chest. It really means a lot to me. It’s going to be fun."
The 31-year-old center fielder missed the Angels’ final four games prior to the All-Star break with the injury and was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to July 12. Trout said he’s hopeful of being back in the lineup when first eligible, which would be the Angels’ visit to Atlanta on Saturday in their second game following the stoppage.
"It’s just one of the things that’s got to get right before I start swinging," Trout said. "It is frustrating for sure. I can’t really pinpoint what caused it, it just started to bother me."
Trout was elected to a 10th career All-Star Game – and ninth straight as a starter – but will miss the contest for a second straight year due to injury. He sat out the 2021 edition due to a strained right calf that limited him to a career-low 36 games last season.
The man at the centre of the the biggest potential trade story of the season, Juan Soto, gave another display of his value on Monday as he won the MLB Home Run Derby.
Soto, 23, recently rejected a 15-year, $440million extension with the Washington Nationals, sparking rumours that the franchise would instead try to cash-in on him for what is expected to be one of the greatest trade hauls in league history.
He went second in all three of his matchups, meaning he never had a chance to bat out his full time and put up a monstrous score, but he chased down his target relatively comfortably all three times.
He defeated Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez 18-17 in the first round, setting up a surprise matchup with future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols after the legend shocked top seed Kyle Schwarber 20-19 in a swing-off after tying 13-13 in regulation.
Pujols could not repeat the heroics in the second round, getting eliminated 16-15 as Soto booked his place in the final.
On the other side of the bracket, Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez would steal the show, crushing the highest total of the day with 32 home runs as the very first batter of the event, eliminating Corey Seager.
Rodriguez then showed up the reigning back-to-back champion, Pete Alonso, with a score of 31-23, storming into the final opposite Soto.
Ultimately, Rodriguez ran out of juice, only putting up 18 in the decider, which Soto was able to chase down with 30 seconds to spare to claim the crown. Soto also finished with the longest home run of the day at 482 feet.
As one of the brightest young stars in baseball, Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto was once thought to be untouchable on the trade market.
Shortly after rejecting a 15-year contract to stay with the Nationals, however, Soto finds himself on the trading block, and he isn’t sure what to think about it.
"It feels really uncomfortable," Soto told reporters ahead of Monday’s Home Run Derby in Los Angeles. "You don't know what to trust. But at the end of the day, it's out of my hands in what decision they make."
Over the weekend, Soto rejected a 15-year, $440million contract extension offer, leading to fresh speculation that the 23-year-old slugger is available with the August 2 trade deadline fast approaching.
That deal would have carried the largest total value in baseball history, but the average annual salary of $29.3 million would rank 16th in the league this season – not enough to appease Soto’s representation.
By the lofty standards he set for himself, Soto had a slow start to this season and is hitting .250 at the break, although his 20 home runs have him tied for 14th in the majors.
Soto admitted that, despite his best efforts, his future has been on his mind during this season.
"Here and there, you know. But you can't blame that on your stats or anything you can do on the field," he said. "At the end of the day, I just try to forget about everything outside for three hours, and try to be the 12-year-old that I've been and play baseball as hard as I can and try to enjoy it as much as I can."
After winning the 2019 World Series, the Nationals have been well below .500 in the past two seasons, and are 31-63 this campaign.
Washington have already traded other pillars of that championship team – notably, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner – and Soto’s situation leaves general manager Mike Rizzo on the verge of a total organizational rebuild.
Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka will play her first tournament since the French Open at the Silicon Valley Classic after accepting wild card.
The 24 has won a grand slam in each of the past four years, but crashed out in the first round at Roland Garros with a defeat to Amanda Anisimova – who also knocked her out of the third round of the Australian Open – before withdrawing from Wimbledon due to an injury concern.
Ir was announced on Monday that Osaka will make her return in hard-court event in San Jose that starts on August 1 - four weeks before the US Open gets under way.
Silicon Valley Classic tournament director Vickie Gunnarsson said it was a great outcome to add Osaka to the playing field in the competition where it all began for her.
"We are very excited to have Naomi Osaka returning to the Bay Area," she said. "She made her WTA debut at our event and watching her grow both on and off the court has been amazing.
"She is not only an incredible player but her commitment to equality and social change is truly inspiring."
Osaka is down in 38th place in the rankings and has not won a tournament this year, but reached the final of the Miami Open in April, losing to world number one Iga Swiatek.
Already confirmed for the Silicon Valley Classic are Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, world number five Ons Jabeur, young American star Coco Gauff and 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
Barbora Krejcikova beat Suzan Lamens in the opening round of the Hamburg European Open for her first victory on clay in over a year.
The third seed, who claimed a second Wimbledon women's double title this month, saw off qualifier Lamens 6-2 6-4 to reach the last 16.
Her most recent victory on a clay-court surface prior to Monday came at last year's French Open, winning both the singles and women's doubles titles at Roland Garros in 2021.
Last year's runner-up Andrea Petkovic is also through thanks to a 6-3 6-3 victory over Tamara Korpatsch and will now face Misaki Doi, who defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva.
At the Palermo Ladies Open, meanwhile, fourth seed Sara Sorribes Tormo battled back from a set down to overcome Ana Bogdan 2-6 6-4 6-2.
Third seed Zhang Shuai also avoided an upset as she secured a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (9-7) victory over Rebeka Masarova, while Irina Begu required three sets to beat Marina Bassols.
After taking a shot at Russell Westbrook by using him as the butt of a joke, San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan took to Twitter to say he was "not intending on being disrespectful" to the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
In a social media video, Sochan and fellow Spurs rookie Malaki Branham participated in a word association game while at this month's NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Branham gave the hint, "Russell Westbrook get 'em a lot", with the hope Sochan would guess "triple-double" in response.
However, Sochan immediately said "bricks".
The 19-year-old eventually correctly guessed "triple-double" and apologised for the insult on Twitter.
"It's banter, I was not intending on being disrespectful," he said. "Heat of the moment, I was playing a game baby."
Sochan, the ninth overall pick of this year's draft, later went on to say Westbrook has "been one idol since I started watching the NBA and my dog is called Russell".
While Westbrook is the NBA all-time leader in triple-doubles with 194, the 2016-17 league MVP struggled mightily with his shot from 3-point range last season, shooting 29.8 per cent from beyond the arc.
Among the 142 players with at least 250 3-point attempts in 2021-22, Westbrook had the fourth-worst shooting percentage.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina sprung a surprise in the first round of the Hamburg European Open as he knocked out fifth seed Botic van de Zandschulp.
Van de Zandschulp reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon before losing Rafael Nadal, and he was undone by another Spaniard on the clay in Germany.
Davidovich Fokina broke Van de Zandschulp's serve six times en route to a 6-4 6-4 victory.
He will next face qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who also progressed on Monday alongside Slovakian compatriot Alex Molcan.
Lorenzo Musetti prevailed in three sets against Dusan Lajovic, while Karen Khachanov went the distance in beating Jan-Lennard Struff.
There was a shock at the Swiss Open Gstaad as home wild card Alexander Ritschard knocked out eighth seed Joao Sousa in straight sets.
Fifth seed Pedro Martinez beat fellow Spaniard Carlos Taberner, while there were also wins for Federico Delbonis and Jiri Lehecka.
James Harden made it clear this offseason that at this point in his career he cares more about having an opportunity to win an NBA championship than money.
While his deal with the Philadelphia 76ers has yet to be finalised, Harden is expected to sign a two-year contract that will pay him $32million next season and includes a player option for 2023-24. That $32m salary is a steep discount after he declined his $47.4m player option for 2022-23.
"I had conversations with [76ers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey], and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players," Harden told Yahoo Sports. "I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left over.
"This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete for a championship. That's all that matters to me at this stage. I'm willing to take less to put us in position to accomplish that."
The 32-year-old Harden has racked up plenty of personal accolades – NBA MVP, 10-time All-Star, three-time league scoring champion and NBA Sixth Man of the Year, to name a few. However, he has never won a title and only reached the NBA Finals once, in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Following that NBA Finals appearance, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets and became a superstar in the league. He was then dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021 to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but that experiment failed, and Harden was sent to Philadelphia last February.
Harden averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 games after joining the 76ers. He then put up 18.6 points, 8.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs, where the 76ers lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Harden wound up appearing in 65 regular-season games overall in 2021-22, mostly due to hamstring issues. He averaged 22 points, 10.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in those 65 contests.
"I don't really listen to what people are saying. I wasn't right last season and I still almost averaged a triple-double," Harden said. "If anybody else had those numbers, we'd be talking about them getting the max.
"People were used to seeing me averaging 40, 30 points, and so they viewed it as a down year. I was in Philadelphia for a couple of months and I had to learn on the fly. That's just what it was. I'm in a good space physically and mentally right now, and I'm just looking forward to next season."
With a full season ahead of playing alongside perennial NBA MVP contender Joel Embiid, and with the additions of P.J. Tucker and Danuel House (thanks in part to Harden's paycut), the 76ers are expected to be a favourite in the East. They also added De'Anthony Melton in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.
"I think we have a much deeper team," Harden said. "That's something we wanted to address. If you look at our team now, we're positioned to go a lot further. I like how we stack up with the rest of the top teams."
Kane Watson and Solesha Young emerged victorious in the respective men’s and women’s open categories at the Jamaican National Senior and Junior Table Tennis Championships held from July 16-17 at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
“We got a record number of entries this year. It was great, the youngsters showed fighting spirit,” said President of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association Andrew Lue.
Watson took home the men’s crown after defeating Christopher Marsh while Rohan Lewis defeated Alphanso Morris for third.
The job was made slightly easier for Watson as defending champion Simon Tomlinson didn’t compete due to personal reasons.
18-year-old Solesha Young won her third women’s open title by beating 14-year-old Tsenaye Lewis while Olivia Petrekin beat Keeara White to take third. Young and Lewis also teamed up to take the crown in women’s doubles.
Lewis was the star of the tournament, however, as she took home the titles in the girls under-15 and under-19 sections as well as the junior girls doubles and junior mixed doubles.
“I’d say she was the outstanding athlete of the championships. She is a prodigy for sure,” said Lue.
The youngest winner of the tournament was eight-year-old William Lei of Supersonic TTC who won the under-9 boys’ category ahead of Jathneil Todd of Infinity TTC and Shacoil Golding of Whitfield Young Stars TTC.
The under-11 boys’ section was won by Ajani Spencer of Hellshire Heights TTC ahead of Anthony Bird Whitfield Young Stars TTC and Ajaani Hall Walfarm TTC.
Logan Royes of SUTTA won the boys’ under-13 section ahead of under-11 winner Spencer and Gmarco Smith of Portsmouth Primary.
Royes was then runner up to Kingston College’s Gari Wythe in the under-15 section while Jamaica College’s Brian Blake was third.
The Boys’ under-19 section was won by Azizi Johnson of Wolmer’s Boys ahead of Kingston College’s Joel Butler and Angels Table Tennis Academy’s Andre Richardson.
Keeara White of Angels Table Tennis Academy, who finished third in the women’s open, won the under-13 title over Kayan Denton of Waterhouse TTC and Abigail Bramwell of Jonathan Grant High.
As mentioned before, Tsenaye Lewis took the under-15 crown ahead of Le-Anna Smith of Angels Table tennis Academy and Karecia Peterkin of Waterhouse TTC and the under-19 title ahead of the Greater Portmore TTC pair of Olivia Petrekin and Janel Blake.
The championships were sponsored by Tastee, Optical Solutions and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
Tyson Fury has vowed to return to face the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua bout, promising to fight his fellow Brit for free if he beats the Ukrainian.
Fury delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at a packed Wembley Stadium to retain his WBC heavyweight title back in April.
Either side of the all-British fight, Fury repeatedly stated his desire to retire and maintained his career was over after remaining unbeaten in 33 fights.
The 33-year-old has since reiterated he is "very happy" out of the ring after the WBC stated it wanted clarity over the world heavyweight champion's future.
But Fury has backtracked on his initial standpoint, suggesting he would face the winner of Usyk and Joshua's September 21 rematch in a unification bout for the right price.
Asked on talkSPORT whether the reports were true he had offered to train Joshua before his clash with Usyk in Saudi Arabia, Fury responded: "I'd train him to beat Usyk very easy, but he doesn't want my help because I would definitely train him to win and he obviously doesn't wanna win.
"I wouldn't tell you [the game plan] because that's giving the secrets away. But probably you'll see what I'll do.
"Because when this little middleweight batters the bodybuilder again, he's gonna lose again, then they're gonna call for Achilles to come out. They will call and groan for Achilles to come back.
"And I'm gonna say, 'Get f***ed, I'm retired, I don't wanna fight'. And then, when they're begging me to come out of retirement, I will return, but it's gonna be very costly like I said.
"I'll show you how to deal with a middleweight!"
While Fury referenced a significant payday to entice him to fight Usyk, he claimed he would face Joshua on for free at Wembley should he win the bout against the Ukrainian.
"Anthony Joshua's a s***house and I'll knock him out," Fury added. "If he beats Usyk, he's gotta fight me for free in England, for the fans.
"Not for hundreds of millions abroad in a foreign country, here, in the UK. Free-to-air TV, free tickets, sell out Wembley. It'll be watched by 30 million people for free.
"No pay-per-view. No money earned. We do this one for the fans of the UK. Let's see who's the real man of the people.
"I know I am, that's why I'm willing to do it for free in the UK, but he will not wanna do that, he'll wanna travel abroad because he's a businessman and I don't give a f*** about business."
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the team are not taking any comfort from Ferrari's reliability issues, as he insisted the title race remains wide open despite Max Verstappen's lead.
Ferrari are 56 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings despite Charles Leclerc claiming his first victory in eight races at the Austrian Grand Prix last time out, while Verstappen continues to lead the Monegasque star in the drivers' championship.
With Carlos Sainz triumphing at Silverstone, Ferrari have posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season but have been hampered in their bid to compete with Red Bull by issues with their car.
Sainz looked set to make it a Ferrari one-two in Austria before a dramatic engine failure left his car immersed in flames.
Meanwhile, Leclerc struggled with throttle problems as he held off Verstappen for the win in Spielberg, admitting it was cause for "concern" after the race.
But Horner says Red Bull cannot rely on Ferrari's problems in their bid for a first constructors' title since 2013.
"We are not too focused on them [Ferrari]," he said, looking ahead to Sunday's French Grand Prix.
"We can't control or contribute to that in any way. I think that we've got to focus on ourselves and just getting the best out of our own package.
"They had a very strong car [in Austria], and they could have finished first and second."
Meanwhile, despite Verstappen having a 38-point lead over Leclerc in the drivers' standings, Horner thinks the title race remains wide open, as he praised the team's "damage limitation" efforts last time out.
"We are just at the halfway point of the championship and things swing around quite a lot," he added.
"There is still an awfully long way to go. I would say Austria was sort of damage limitation, as we managed to get the pole, get the sprint victory and see the second place [in the race].
"I think Max has only lost five points to the Charles in the drivers' championship and obviously damage has been relatively contained in the constructors."
Rugby Australia's chief executive Andy Marinos has condemned the "unacceptable" and "offensive" remarks directed towards England and Eddie Jones in Sydney.
England responded to defeat in the first Test by triumphing in the following two meetings to secure back-to-back series victories over the Wallabies Down Under.
The Red Rose had to deal with a late push from Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where they held firm to win 21-17 and seal the slender series win.
Australian-born England coach Jones was greeted with abuse in the aftermath from the SCG crowd, berated as a "traitor" on two occasions by different spectators.
Jones – who was head coach of his country between 2001 and 2005, but has been in charge of England since 2015 – labelled the perpetrators as "clowns", and Marinos has subsequently apologised.
"The offensive remarks made by spectators in the members' areas towards England staff were unacceptable – and not representative of the values of rugby," a Rugby Australia statement read.
"We have a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviour, and we are working with Venues NSW on appropriate sanctions for these individuals.
"Rugby prides itself on values of respect and integrity – as seen in the players of both teams after the final whistle of a hard-fought series at the SCG on Saturday night.
"It is our expectation that spectators adhere to these values of respect and integrity when attending rugby matches – and, we would hope, in society in general.
"Please, cheer for your team with all that you have – but please, always show respect for others."
In a further incident at the SCG, another spectator was caught on film climbing onto the roof of the grandstand and urinating, and Marinos confirmed the fan received a lifetime ban.
"The deplorable actions of the alleged intruder that made his way to the roof of the grandstand were disgraceful and dangerous," the statement added.
"This individual has been issued with a life ban from Rugby Australia events – and we will continue to support the authorities in their handling of the matter."
Brandon Williams scored a game-high 22 points and Trendon Watford had 19 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to an 85-77 win over the New York Knicks in Sunday’s NBA Summer League championship game.
Jabari Walker chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench to help Portland to its second Summer League title, while Watford added seven rebounds and was unanimously chosen the game’s MVP.
The Blazers previously won the 2018 Summer League after defeating the Lakers in the championship game, one year after losing to Los Angeles in the finals.
Portland built a lead as large as 16 points late in the third quarter, but the Knicks closed the gap with a 13-4 run to pull within 64-57 with seven minutes remaining.
Watford answered with a three-pointer and recorded seven points during an 11-4 scoring spurt that extended the Blazers’ advantage to 75-61 with under four minutes left.
Williams then helped seal the victory by going eight-for-eight on free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, capping an 18-for-20 performance by Portland from the foul line.
"We stuck together and when we came back in, we turned it up and I’m just proud of all these guys," Watford said post-game. "It was big time, our chemistry came together since day one."
Quentin Grimes put up 19 points for the Knicks but finished five-of-16 from the field and two-of-11 from three-point range. Miles McBride also scored 17 points in defeat.
The Baltimore Orioles took Oklahoma high school shortstop Jackson Holliday with the first overall pick of a 2022 MLB Draft that went top-heavy on sons of former standout players.
Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, went one spot ahead of Georgia prep outfielder Druw Jones, taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks at pick two. Jones’ father, Andruw, made five All-Star teams and earned 10 Gold Gloves over a 17-year career spent mostly with the Atlanta Braves.
With the third overall pick, the Texas Rangers made onetime Vanderbilt hurler Kumar Rocker the first pitcher selected in an unexpected move, with most predictions having him in the teens at the earliest. Rocker was taken 10th overall by the New York Mets last year, but did not sign and spent this season in the independent Frontier League.
Holliday hit .685 in 41 games as a senior at Stillwater High School while setting a national prep record with 89 hits in a season, breaking the mark previously held by Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed hitter also won two national Gold Glove awards and was named Baseball America’s 2022 High School Player of the Year.
Matt Holliday hit .299 with 316 home runs in 16 major league seasons, mostly spent with the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies, winning four Silver Slugger awards and capturing the National League batting title in 2007.
Jackson Holliday has verbally committed to Oklahoma State, where his uncle, Josh Holliday, is the head coach. However, the 18-year-old is expected to sign and enter the pro ranks.
Jones hit .570 with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases as a senior at Wesleyan High in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The six-foot-four, 180-pound Vanderbilt commit was ranked as this year’s number-one overall draft prospect, one spot ahead of Holliday, by MLB.com.
Rocker, who helped Vanderbilt win the College World Series as a star freshman in 2019, is the second straight former Commodores pitcher taken by the Rangers in the first round. Texas selected Jack Leiter, son of former All-Star pitcher Al Leiter and close friend of Rocker, with the second overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Rounding out the top-five, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected powerfully built high school second-baseman Termarr Johnson at fourth overall, before the Washington Nationals selected IMG Academy outfielder Elijah Green with pick five.
The Seattle Mariners set a new record on Sunday as they defeated the Texas Rangers 6-2 for their 14th consecutive win – the longest winning streak entering the All-Star break in MLB history.
Prior to this season, the longest winning streak heading into the All-Star break was 10 games, set by the 1935 Detroit Tigers, the 1945 Chicago Cubs and the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. All three teams ended up making the World Series.
It was a great showing from the Mariners' top hitters as their two All-Stars drove in a pair of runs each.
A late addition to the American League All-Star roster, Ty France connected on the longest drive of the game with his 432-foot solo home run in the fifth inning, extending the Mariners' lead to 3-1.
Rookie of the Year favourite – and the only rookie All-Star – Julio Rodriguez then drove in a pair of runs with his double in the seventh inning, and Rodriguez was brought home by a France RBI base hit as the very next batter.
Of all rookies in the majors this season, Rodriguez leads in hits (93), home runs (16), RBIs (50), runs (52) and stolen bases (21).
The Mariners are now 51-42 for the season, giving them the fourth-best record in the American League. They are also one game away from tying their longest winning streak of all time, with 15-in-a-row set in 2001.
Soto homers in Nationals win
Washington Nationals star Juan Soto showed why he is expected to fetch one of the largest trade hauls in the history of the league as he connected on his 20th home run of the season in his side's 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Soto is reportedly on the trade block after turning down a 15-year, $440million contract extension, with the 23-year-old considered one of the purest hitters in the game.
He connected on his homer in the eighth inning to put the finishing touches on the win and continue his barnstorming July. After an uncharacteristically poor start to the season, Soto is 17-of-40 at the plate this month, with an on-base percentage of .589 while slugging .850.
Cease pitches a gem
Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease was at the top of his game as his team hammered the Minnesota Twins 11-0.
Cease, arguably the best pitcher not to be named an All-Star this season, showed his quality with seven scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and two walks while striking out eight.
Nine of the 10 White Sox batters collected at least one hit, with elite first baseman Andrew Vaughn hitting a home run among his three knocks, and their lone offensive All-Star Tim Anderson had a two-RBI single to open the scoring.
Maxime Cressy staged an impressive fightback in the Hall of Fame Open final to outlast Alexander Bublik and scoop his first ATP Tour title.
When he trailed by a set and 3-0, Cressy's hopes looked almost forlorn, yet the French-American came back to win 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in two hours and 23 minutes.
The run of six consecutive games in the second set saved Cressy's skin, before he edged a decider against Russian-born Kazakh rival Bublik in which neither man could force a break of serve.
Cressy had a brief injury timeout near the end of the third set, before sweeping through the tie-break.
The grass-court tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, earlier saw Lleyton Hewitt inaugurated to the International Tennis Federation's Hall of Fame, with the former US Open and Wimbledon champion on hand to receive the accolade.
Hewitt won the last ATP title of his career at the Hall of Fame Open in 2014, having lost in the final in the previous two seasons.
The 41-year-old Australian described the Hall of Fame entry on Sunday as "an incredible honour", saying he had previously considered it out of his reach and "for the people that were my idols growing up and the absolute legends of the sport".
Newly crowned Open champion Cameron Smith said he was just "here to win golf tournaments" as he declined to say whether he could soon join the breakaway LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The Australian was asked about the prospect in a news conference after landing the first major of his career on Sunday, pipping Cameron Young by one shot and Rory McIlroy by two at St Andrews.
It remains to be seen whether Smith has been tempted by the prospect of signing up for the lucrative, Saudi-backed breakaway competition.
He was not open to giving a direct answer when asked whether there was truth behind rumours he could defect to LIV Golf.
"I just won the British Open, and you're asking about that. I think that's pretty not that good," Smith said.
When asked to answer the question one way or another, Smith replied: "I don't know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I'm here to win golf tournaments."
The 28-year-old would be joining the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood if he joins LIV Golf.
Big incentives are on offer for committing to play in the new series, along with hefty prize purses.
Critics of LIV Golf have claimed it is an attempt at "sportswashing" by the Saudi Arabia regime, attempting to improve the country's image amid allegations of human rights violations.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have come out in opposition to the series, as have a number of leading players, including Tiger Woods and McIlroy.
Smith's fellow Australian Greg Norman is CEO of LIV Golf.
Norman also happened to be the last Australian winner of the Open until Smith's sublime closing 64 at the home of golf saw him vault to the top of the leaderboard and lift the Claret Jug.
In a congratulatory Twitter message to Smith, Norman, the 1986 and 1993 Open winner, wrote: "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi! A spectacular final round mate. A triumph for you and for Australia as the first Australian to win in 29 years. You’re in good company."
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale suffered yet another injury Sunday as he broke the pinky finger on his pitching hand when he was hit by a line drive in the first inning against the New York Yankees.
Sale was making his second start of the season after recovering from a fractured rib sustained while working out during the Major League Baseball lockout.
With two outs in the first inning Sunday, Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks hit a liner off Sale’s hand that ricocheted into right field for an RBI single. Sale looked down at his hand and immediately walked to the Boston dugout.
Sale signed a five-year, $145million contract extension with Boston in 2019, but he’s pitched a combined 48 1/3 innings since the end of that campaign.
The seven-time All-Star missed the pandemic-shortened 2020 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery before making his 2021 debut on August 14, going 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA in nine starts.
If Sale needs surgery on his pinky, he could miss the rest of the regular season for a Boston team that heads into the All-Star break in the hunt for an American League wild-card spot.
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