Sports category, Page 906
With 8 shutout innings, Mitch Keller’s masterpiece leads Pirates past Cubs
Mitch Keller was amid a masterpiece when he took a comebacker off his right shin with one out in the eighth inning. The Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star right-hander dropped to the grass, clutching his leg. Pirates catcher Jason Delay came to the mound and showed little sympathy, given that Keller was...
Louis Riddick imparts wisdom to Pitt football players
It’s no secret ESPN football analyst Louis Riddick loves Pitt football. He doesn’t hide it: He boasts about the Panthers any time he can to his colleagues and on social media. The 1991 Pitt graduate was the guest speaker at the Pitt Football luncheon Friday at The Westin, where he...
Morikawa breaks Tiger’s 36-hole mark at East Lake and shares Tour Championship lead with HovlandVideo
ATLANTA — One bad shot during practice led to Collin Morikawa spending two hours looking for a fix. And now he has a scoring record at East Lake that previously belonged to Tiger Woods. Morikawa followed his 61 with another clean card for a 6-under-par 64 on Friday in the...
Chase Briscoe qualifies on the pole for NASCAR’s regular-season finale at DaytonaVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Briscoe won the pole Friday for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. Briscoe had a lap at 181.822 mph in the No. 14 Ford in the final round of qualifying, edging Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola for the No. 1 starting...
Pitt backcourt shorthanded after Dior Johnson leaves men’s basketball team
A once-prized Pitt basketball recruit who ran into legal trouble and redshirted last season, Dior Johnson is “no longer attending the University of Pittsburgh,” a team spokesman said in a statement Friday evening. The move comes as a surprise after the 6-foot-3 guard joined the Panthers on their preseason trip...
Iga Swiatek takes measured approach to repeating as U.S. Open champion
Iga Swiatek wants to win the U.S. Open again, of course. She just doesn’t want to think about trying to win the U.S. Open again. Make sense? Let’s let the No. 1-ranked Swiatek explain. “I already had many opportunities to play tournaments as a defending champion, and, for me, it’s...
US Open 2023: Novak Djokovic is back for the first time in 2 years and seeking a 24th majorVideo
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic is back in the United States, back in New York and back at the U.S. Open for the first time in two years. Unable to compete at Flushing because he was not allowed to fly to the country as a foreign citizen who is not...
Pitt notebook: Panthers choose 3 team captains for ’23 season
Coach Pat Narduzzi announced tri-captains at the teams’s annual football kickoff luncheon Friday at The Westin. The trio selected by their teammates for the upcoming season includes offensive lineman Matt Goncalves, linebacker Shayne Simon and defensive lineman David Green. Goncalves said he didn’t know if he expected to be named...
Secondary takes shape in preseason as Steelers mix in blend young, old faces
On the day the Pittsburgh Steelers reported to Saint Vincent College last summer, coach Mike Tomlin took exception when asked whether his team might experience a learning curve on defense given the amount of turnover in the offseason. “I’ll be very blunt,” Tomlin said July 26. “I’m not concerned about...
Spanish soccer player says kiss on lips with federation president was not consensualVideo
BARCELONA, Spain — The embattled president of Spain’s soccer federation defiantly refused to step down Friday after insisting a kiss on the lips with women’s soccer player Jenni Hermoso was consensual, an assertion Hermoso strongly denied. Meanwhile, all 22 of Hermoso’s fellow world champions, and 58 other Spanish players, announced...
Tim Benz: Reestablishing ‘the standard’ for ascending Steelers — and let’s remember it all the way through January
Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers are giddy in anticipation of the opening game for the 2023 season on Sept. 10. Based on how the preseason went, they should be. Not only did the club win all three of its games, but the first-team offense sparkled under the direction of the...
Why Penn State QB Drew Allar might be college football’s most important player
The expectations for Drew Allar are even bigger than the Penn State quarterback himself — which is saying something about a guy who sees eye-to-eye with the star offensive tackle who protects his blindside. Allar’s pregame warm-ups have made grown men swoon. He played one series in a competitive game...
Mark Madden: Injuries to Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, Pirates’ Oneil Cruz raise major concerns
A tale of two injuries: Shohei Ohtani’s bum elbow is devastating to so many on so many levels, not least Ohtani himself. Oneil Cruz’s stalled-out rehabilitation for his broken left ankle might diminish the ability of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ projected best player, or even worse. Ohtani’s torn UCL could necessitate...
First Call: Ex-Steelers QB could start in Arizona; pricey Roberto Clemente bat auction; Aaron Donald’s new ring trend
Friday’s “First Call” sees a former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback on the move. John Lynch’s real opinions on the Nick Bosa situation may be shining through in San Francisco. A piece of Roberto Clemente memorabilia is up for auction. And Penn Hills product Aaron Donald may have started a very unique...
To the river!: Pirates OF Joshua Palacios flashes power at the plate with homer into the Allegheny
Joshua Palacios knew the moment his bat connected with Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele’s 2-1 fastball in the third inning Thursday night that it was a home run to tie the game for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Yeah, knew we got that one,” Palacios said, flashing a confident smile to match...
Feats of Strength: Perfect Pickett delivers unbeaten preseason
I’m not going to be the one to remind you that the Steelers went 3-0 in the preseason last year, too, and missed the playoffs. Wait, I did that already. This feels different, though, doesn’t it? The Steelers sparkled in all areas, sweeping through their three-game preseason. It culminated with...
Stock up, stock down for Steelers after concluding 3-0 preseason
After getting out to leads of 27-7, 27-0 and 24-0 in their preseason games, the result actually will matter for the Pittsburgh Steelers the next time they (using Mike Tomlin parlance) “go into the stadium.” But in the 16 days in between, they’ll cut 37 players, assemble a practice squad,...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 24, 2023: Canaan Smith-Njigba homers twice in Indy victory
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 57-64) defeated Iowa (Cubs), 10-9, when 2B Nick Gonzales was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.252) went 2 for 4 with a pair of solo home runs, his 12th and 13th. SS Chris...
Kenny Pickett, Steelers cap perfect preseason by routing Falcons
ATLANTA — It was another perfect start for the first-team offense and quarterback Kenny Pickett, who capped his preseason with a perfect passer rating. Pickett engineered two more touchdown drives in the two series he played, and the Pittsburgh Steelers showcased their big-play offensive capabilities once again in a 24-0...
Cubs beat Pirates as Ian Happ provides heroics with winning single in 10th
Ian Happ has made a habit of providing heroics in his hometown, and the Mt. Lebanon alum came through again for the Chicago Cubs with the winning hit in the 10th inning. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Happ hit a single to shallow right field to score...
WWE star Bray Wyatt dies at 36
Professional wrestler and WWE star Bray Wyatt has died at the age of 36. The news was announced on social media by Triple H (real name Paul Michael Levesque), the company’s chief content officer. “Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the...
Collin Morikawa goes from 9 back to tie for Tour Championship lead
ATLANTA — Collin Morikawa faced a tough road at the Tour Championship, starting the tournament nine shots behind but knowing he had 72 holes — and an example from Rory McIlroy last year — to make up ground in the FedEx Cup finale. He managed to do that in one...
Big week for Pitt punter Caleb Junko as he earns scholarship, starting job
After participating in some light stretching and then booting a couple of balls high into the air at the onset of Thursday’s Pitt football practice, Caleb Junko took a timeout and headed to a familiar spot occupied by his grandfather, legendary former Pitt assistant Bob Junko. “How are you doing?”...
Kendrick Green gets start at right guard for Steelers’ preseason finale against Falcons
ATLANTA – Kendrick Green was in the starting lineup Thursday night for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. Just not at the position he spent much of training camp practicing. And, no, he was not at fullback, either. The third-year offensive lineman, getting one last...
Penn State football’s academics rank at the bottom of Big Ten after worst score in a decade
This story first appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA’s State College regional bureau featuring the most important news and happenings in north-central Pennsylvania. STATE COLLEGE — Penn State’s football team’s academic rating plummeted to its lowest point in more than a decade, placing the...
