Jose Ureña shines, Texas Rangers offense mashes in blowout win against Tigers (2024)

OAKLAND, Calif. — In Kelsie Whitmore’s own words, Thursday was just another game. She became the first woman in Pioneer League history to start a game, but nothing changed regarding how she went about her work. Her preparation the same. Her routine was the same. Her pitch mix was the same.

MLB

Yes, you can bring your green Philadelphia Eagles jersey to São Paulo, Brazil, and, yes, you can even wear your green Eagles jersey inside Corinthians Arena.

WASHINGTON — Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese’s leadup to her homecoming game against the Washington Mystics on Thursday night encompassed everything that has turned her into the polarizing star she is.

Barry Mortimer often tells his wife that he’ll stay up for just a few innings of the Phillies game after he tunes in from his home in England.

BASEBALL

Friday

Friday

Stuart Skinner is the biggest question going into the Stanley Cup Final. The play of the Edmonton Oilers goaltender will be a determining factor in the series against the Florida Panthers. Skinner just this postseason has been at times unplayable to the point of being pulled and at others nearly unbeatable. Oilers management and coaching have now firmly put the team's championship hopes on Skinner's shoulders. The 25-year-old hometown product now has the chance to bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993.

All Times EDT

United States forward Josh Sargent could miss Saturday’s friendly against Colombia and could be dropped from the Copa America roster. A 24-year-old from O’Fallon, Missouri, Sargent scored 16 goals in 26 league games with Norwich in England’s second-tier League Championship but finished the season while playing with foot swelling. After the U.S. plays Colombia at Landover, Maryland, it meets Brazil on Wednesday at Orlando, Florida. At the Copa America, the U.S. has first-round matches against Bolivia, Panama and Uruguay. Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are the other forwards on the U.S. roster.

Hunter Ensley went 3 for 4, including a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning, and No. 1 national seed Tennessee beat Evansville 11-6 on Friday to begin the Knoxville Super Regional. Tennessee (54-11), playing in its fourth consecutive super regional, can advance to the College World Series with a victory over Evansville (38-25) on Saturday. Christian Moore became the first Tennessee player ever to hit 30 home runs in a season when he blasted a shot in the third for a 3-2 lead. His error on a routine play at second hurt the Vols in the fifth as Evansville had a two-run double off the wall and an RBI single to center to tie it at 5-all. Ensley hit his 10th home run of the season.

----------------------------------------------------

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is scheduled to make a second minor league injury rehabilitation start for Double-A Somerset on Sunday, remaining on track for a possible return to the New York rotation in mid-to-late June. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner threw 45 pitches over 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Patriots on Tuesday night. That was the 33-year-old right-hander’s first game action his only spring training start on March 1. He was diagnosed then with nerve inflammation and edema and told to rest. A usual progression to is increase pitch count by 10-15 per outing.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager isn't in the starting lineup after exiting the previous game because of tightness in his left hamstring. Manager Bruce Bochy said before Friday night's series opener against San Francisco that it looks as though Seager will be out at least a couple of days. There are currently no plans for the shortstop to go on the 10-day injured list. Josh Smith is starting at shortstop and batting second. Smith has been the primary third baseman with Josh Jung recovered from a fractured right wrist. Seager left Wednesday's game after reaching for his hamstring after an RBI single in the second inning.

Kayla Sharples is a Chicago kid, through and through. She went to Naperville North High School, then attended Northwestern University. She was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars. On Saturday, Sharples and Bay FC will play in the Windy City’s most renowned venue — and make history in the process.

Former world champion Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia won the discus throw on the opening night of the European athletics championships. Ceh’s throw reached 68.08 meters to put him ahead of Lukas Weisshaidinger of Austria and world record holder Mykolas Alekna. Olympic champion Antonella Palmisano and Valentina Trapletti finished 1-2 in the 20-kilometer race walk. Ireland won the 4x400 mixed relay for its first gold at Euros since since Sonia O’Sullivan swept the 5,000 and 10,000 in 1998. Jessica Schilder and Jorinde Van Klinken led a 1-2 for the Netherlands in the shot put. The six-day championships end on Wednesday.

At more than 2,500 miles, Florida-Edmonton is the furthest apart two teams have been while playing in the Stanley Cup Final, eclipsing the previous record of Boston-Vancouver in 2011. The series is a contrast of everything, from hockey history and traditions to weather, ice quality and style of play. The Oilers, led by reigning NHL MVP captain Connor McDavid, are looking for their sixth championship and first since 1990. That was three years before the Panthers came into existence. Florida is still looking to hoist the Cup for the first time.

Receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has signed his rookie contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thomas was the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft. Thomas was slated to get a four-year deal worth $14.6 million under the NFL’s rookie slotting system. The contract includes a signing bonus estimated at roughly $7.5 million as well as a club option for a fifth year. Jacksonville traded down six spots before drafting the former LSU standout to help build around franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Veteran forward Kyle Okposo parachuted onto the Panthers’ roster in March, about a month before Florida began its postseason journey back to the Stanley Cup Final. He played six regular-season games with the Panthers, but he quickly learned the team’s attitude.

NEW YORK — Juan Soto, the Yankees and their fans breathed sighs of relief on Friday, as the slugger doesn’t appear to be dealing with a major injury after exiting Thursday’s game with left forearm discomfort following a lengthy rain delay.

Kyle Okposo’s first Stanley Cup memory came as an 8-year-old boy, when he watched the Colorado Avalanche defeat the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. That series — a quick sweep for the Avalanche, who won their first ever trophy — ignited Okposo’s love for hockey. Now, after a career that has lasted 17 years and spans three NHL teams, the 36-year-old Florida Panthers right winger finally gets a shot at his own championship experience. The Florida Panthers, who he joined at the March trade deadline, will host Edmonton on Saturday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Liverpool Football Club is determined to play a Premier League match in New York City, where the team has a sizable fanbase.

BOSTON — In a city where pre-Revolutionary War history seems to lurk around every corner, the Mavericks have none at all. Nor does the city of Dallas carry any sporting weight in these parts.

The eagerly awaited showdown between former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and social media star Jake Paul has a new date after being postponed last week, Most Valuable Promotions announced Friday.

HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn’s hierarchy is holding its collective breath as Dan Hurley flew out to Los Angeles Friday to meet with a Lakers management team that seems determined to hire him as their next head coach.

A day later, Kansas City Chiefs defensive end B.J. Thompson is awake, responsive and fortunate his seizure happened where it did.

LOS ANGELES — Magic Johnson didn't hesitate.

Veteran pass rusher Randy Gregory is suing the NFL and the Denver Broncos over more than $500,000 in fines he received for using medications containing THC. Gregory's attorneys filed the lawsuit in Arapahoe County in suburban Denver. The complaint says Gregory was denied accommodations to use medicine containing THC to treat social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The NFL declined to comment on the lawsuit and so did the Broncos, for whom Gregory played in 2022 and 2023. The league's drug policies are collectively bargained with the players association and administered by a third party.

Yankees slugger Juan Soto has elbow inflammation and was not in the starting lineup for the first time this season when New York opened a high-profile series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Aaron Boone said he doesn’t expect Soto will go on the injured list. Soto had imaging of his forearm and elbow that did not show any ligament damage. He will take medication and did not require an injection. Soto was removed from Thursday night’s 8-5 win over Minnesota after five innings because of left forearm discomfort.

Friday

Friday

Alexander Zverev has moved a win away from his first Grand Slam title with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open semifinals. Their semifinal Friday began hours after a pending domestic violence court case in Zverev's native Germany was resolved. The fourth-seeded Zverev had lost in the Roland Garros semifinals each of the past three years, including against No. 7 Ruud in 2023. Zverev will play No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's final.

Alexander Zverev reaches the French Open final by defeating Casper Ruud 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Including playoffs, Florida coach Paul Maurice has 935 wins as an NHL head coach. Only Cup winners Scotty Bowman, Joel Quenneville and Barry Trotz have more. Maurice’s next win will break a three-way tie for fourth that he’s currently in with Lindy Ruff and another Cup winner, Ken Hitchco*ck. And only Bowman and Quenneville have coached more games than Maurice. His resume is nearly beyond compare. But without a Cup, it won’t seem complete. And the Panthers want to be the team that gets his name etched onto hockey’s best trophy. They'll get that chance starting Saturday against Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Final.

Agustín Canapino is taking a leave of absence from IndyCar racing after he disputed Theo Pourchaire's claim that Argentinian fans had issued death threats to the rival driver this week. Nolan Siegel will drive Juncos Hollinger Racing’s No. 78 Chevrolet in Canapino’s place Sunday at Road America. JHR did not specify how much time Canapino would miss. Pourchaire said Monday that he had received the threatening messages on social media after making contact with Canapino during theDetroit Grand Prix last Sunday. Canapino said he saw no such messages. Canapino was embroiled in similar controversy last year when former teammate Callum Ilott said he consistently received online abuse and death threats from Canapino supporters.

Bayer Leverkusen has signed 19-year-old French defender Jeanuël Belocian in the first new arrival since Xabi Alonso’s team won the German league and cup double. Belocian, who has played twice for the France under-21 national team, arrives from Rennes on a contract through 2029. He played 39 times for Rennes since making his first-team debut in March 2022, including in the Europa League. Belocian was born on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. His older brother Wilhem is a two-time Olympic hurdler for France who has also won the European indoor title.

Pinehurst No. 2 is holding the U.S. Open for the fourth time dating to 1999. What follows is a hole-by-hole description of the course. It remains mostly the same from the last U.S. Open in 2014. It's actually a few yards shorter. The biggest change is the grass. The greens were a bent grass in 2014. Now it's changed to ultradwarf bermudagrass. It thrives in the summer and that should give the USGA more flexibility in how they play.

Jasmine Paolini has secured her spot in the French Open women’s doubles final with partner Sara Errani after defeating Marta Kostyuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse. In the final on Sunday, Paolini and Errani will face Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova, who eliminated Desirae Krawczyk and Caroline Dolehide on Friday. Paolini will also compete against defending champion Iga Swiatek in the singles final on Saturday. In the men’s doubles, Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic will face Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori after upsetting top-seeded Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos. The men's doubles final is scheduled for Saturday.

(All times Eastern)