Joshua Báez of the Cardinals hits 3 homers in his first 3 at-bats in a historic major league debut
CHICAGO (AP) — Joshua Báez became the first player to hit a home run in each of his first three at-bats in the majors, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Called up from Triple-A Memphis before the game, Báez had 30 members of his family in attendance at Wrigley Field. The traveling party, which included his mother, Yris, gathered on the field for photos afterward in spite of rain. He hit the first pitch he saw from Matthew Boyd an estimated 449 feet. The left fielder’s next at-bat ended with a solo shot down the left-field line and the third, on his ensuing at-bat, went the opposite way.
WNBA icons say the discourse and scrutiny around the league are part of the growing pains of success
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — During Hall of Fame weekend, nearly everyone would like the attention to be on basketball, but it's difficult to ignore the conversations that are swirling around the WNBA — especially with some of the league's greatest icons being enshrined. The ongoing vitriol centered around race, gender and sexuality makes for daily headlines for the league while the impressive play on the court in the WNBA’s 30th year often gets overshadowed. Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, who is getting inducted again with the 1996 Olympic women’s basketball team, sees a lot of parallels between what the WNBA is going through and what the NBA went through in its earlier stages.
Scottie Scheffler with a 68 builds a two-shot lead over Sam Burns and Sungjae Im in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler has had five runner-up finishes and five top 4s since his lone victory this year in January. Now he sees if he can get another trophy. He shot a 68 and has a two-shot lead over Sam Burns and Sungjae Im. Burns shot a 62. He and Scheffler are close friends and will be in the final group together for the first time. Im shot a 67. Sunday is not just about who wins. The top 50 in the FedEx Cup advance in the postseason and are assured of playing the $20 million signature events next year.
Joey Logano holds off Chase Briscoe to win NASCAR race at Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Joey Logano continued his surge toward the NASCAR Chase, winning Saturday night at Richmond Raceway with a late-race charge on fresh tires. The three-time Cup Series champion scored his second victory in the past four races while climbing from 17th to ninth in the points standings. With 24 laps remaining, the Team Penske driver snatched the lead from Christopher Bell, who had pitted 20 laps earlier and was trying to stretch his tires to the finish. Logano earned his 39th career victory and third at Richmond by 0.392 seconds over Chase Briscoe, who led a race-high 171 of 400 laps.
Lani Pallister stuns Katie Ledecky with her first international 800 free loss at Pan Pacs
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Lani Pallister of Australia has stunned Katie Ledecky with her first international 800-meter freestyle loss at the Pan Pacific Championships. Pallister was under world-record pace for much of the race and finished in 8 minutes, 6.10 seconds. She erased Ledecky's championship record from 2018. Ledecky took silver in 8:07.26. She is the four-time Olympic champion in her signature event. The American's only previous defeat in an 800 free final since 2010 came in a small domestic meet in February 2024 against Summer McIntosh of Canada.
Make it 17 straight! Makhachev sets UFC record for consecutive wins in welterweight title defense
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Islam Makhachev sets a UFC record with his 17th straight victory, defeating Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision at UFC 330 on Saturday night. Makhachev, who hasn't lost since 2015, won the welterweight crown in 2025 and successfully defended it for the first time. Mackenzie Dern also defended her 115-pound title with a unanimous decision over Gillian Robertson. Edson Barboza retired after a loss to Esteben Ribovics, ending a career that began in 2009. UFC returned to Philadelphia for the first time since 2019, with local fighter Jeremiah Wells winning by submission.
Seahawks, CB Devon Witherspoon agree to 4-year, $132 million deal, AP source says
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks and cornerback Devon Witherspoon have agreed to a four-year, $132 million contract extension with $101 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract, which would make Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, hasn’t been finalized. On March 26, the Seahawks exercised their fifth-year option on Witherspoon. They signed him to a long-term deal on the same day they started preseason play against the Dallas Cowboys.
Kate Douglass swims 2nd world-best time in 50 free on same day at Pan Pacs
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Kate Douglass has lowered her own world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle for the second time in the same day. She won the final in 23.19 seconds. In the morning preliminaries, she swam 23.49, taking the mark from teammate Gretchen Walsh. Walsh finished second in the evening final in 23.74. Walsh had held the record since June when she set it in Rome. This is the third time Douglass has lowered the world mark in the sprint race. Douglass, 24, is a five-time Olympic medalist.
Delle Donne and Parker inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in the 2026 class
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Elena Delle Donne and Candace Parker’s WNBA career were intertwined with so many great moments. Now they are forever bonded being enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 class Saturday night. They were joined by the 1996 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team, Chamique Holdsclaw, NBA player Amar’e Stoudemire, longtime NBA official Joey Crawford, NBA coaches Doc Rivers and Mike D’Antoni and Gonzaga coach Mark Few.
Novak Djokovic ousted from Cincinnati Open in his first match since Wimbledon
MASON, Ohio (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s stay at the Cincinnati Open was a short one. The 24-time major champion fell to Thiago Agustin Tirante 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in a match that took 2 hours, 44 minutes in hot and humid conditions. A 25-year-old from Argentina, Tirante is ranked No. 50 in the world. The 39-year-old Djokovic was playing for the first time since his loss to top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the semifinals at Wimbledon. Up next for Djokovic is the U.S. Open. Djokovic appeared to struggle physically in the heat and had his 10-match winning streak in Cincinnati snapped. He won the title in 2020 and 2023. In a rain-delayed match that ended at 2:15 a.m. Sunday, top-seeded Alexander Zverev beat Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
