AP National Sports

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have hired Houston assistant general manager Pete Putila as their new GM. President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi announced that Putila will replace Scott Harris, who was hired as GM for the Detroit Tigers last month. The 33-year-old Putila was in his 12th season with the Astros

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of a preseason game against the Washington Wizards when he got his foot stepped on while driving to the basket. The Hornets announced that Ball will not return to the

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Intae Hwang wanted to play basketball. His parents wouldn’t allow it. He reached the NBA anyway. Hwang took the ultimate leap of faith nearly three years ago: Move his family halfway across the world, from their native South Korea to a new home in New Jersey, to follow his

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — When Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the AL Division Series on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, it will have been almost three years since his last playoff appearance. Verlander, who missed almost two seasons after Tommy John surgery,

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is still showing no concussion symptoms after a hit against the Jets on Sunday caused him to leave the game, but he remains in the concussion protocol after the NFL’s revised concussion rules. Starter Tua Tagovailoa is still in the

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer The Seattle Mariners turned to George Kirby to close out the team’s wild-card sweep against Toronto. Logan Gilbert gets the ball for Seattle’s return to the AL Division Series. The Mariners have two of baseball’s best young arms in Kirby and Gilbert, and they are hoping the right-handers are

CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians reliever Nick Sandlin will miss the rest of the postseason with a shoulder strain suffered in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. The team says Sandlin underwent an MRI that revealed the strain of his Teres major muscle. The right-hander will be shut down for up to six weeks,

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — After guiding the Philadelphia Phillies to their first playoff series victory since 2010, manager Rob Thomson had the interim removed from his title. The Phillies have signed Thomson to a two-year contract to remain as their manager through 2024, rewarding him for a turnaround that earned

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins are heading into the season thinking it could be the last for captain Patrice Bergeron. Team CEO Charlie Jacobs said at the team’s media day that Bergeron is teaching the next generation of players how to be Bruins. Bergeron led the Bruins to

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer Players for the Chicago Red Stars have called on owner Arnim Whisler to sell his stake in the team following a disturbing report into misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League. The players issued a joint statement Monday, a move that comes after the Red Stars’ board of

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — J.J. Wolf of the United States rallied to beat local wild card Francesco Maestrelli 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the Firenze Open. The 19-year-old Maestrelli was playing his first tour-level main draw match and broke Wolf’s serve in the very first game. Wolf will next face fourth-seeded Maxime

MADRID (AP) — Elche has conceded a second-half equalizer in a 1-1 home draw against Mallorca to remain the only winless team in the Spanish league after eight rounds. The host went ahead early after Ezequiel Ponce’s header in the 15th minute. Mallorca equalized from a penalty kick converted by Vedat Muriqi in the 71st.

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Nottingham Forest has climbed off the bottom of the English Premier League after drawing at home with Aston Villa 1-1. A sweetly struck shot from 25 meters by Villa left back Ashley Young in the 22nd minute canceled out a header from Emmanuel Dennis seven minutes earlier at City Ground. Forest

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — England is prepared to face FIFA punishment by wearing the “OneLove” anti-discrimination armband at the World Cup. Ten European nations have committed to promote inclusion and campaign against discrimination this season. Eight of them have qualified for Qatar. FIFA is coming under pressure to allow

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee starting safety and captain Jaylen McCollough has been arrested for aggravated felony assault. That puts his status for Saturday’s game against No. 3 Alabama in question for the sixth-ranked Volunteers. Coach Josh Heupel said the team learned about McCollough’s arrest on Sunday night. According to an arrest warrant obtained by

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, is one of five high school and college basketball players who have signed endorsement deals with Nike. The name, image and likeness deals announced Monday are permissible in college sports and at the high school level in a growing number of

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Baseball Writer OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Billy Beane still firmly believes the Athletics will secure a new ballpark in Oakland, and he plans to stick around to see it through. The club’s longtime executive vice president of baseball operations says he plans to be with the A’s for as long as

DENVER (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have claimed defenseman Jarred Tinordi off waivers from the New York Rangers. The 30-year-old Tinordi scored a goal in seven games with New York last season. He was selected by Montreal in the first round of the 2010 draft. The Blackhawks open the regular season on Wednesday night at

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Caleb Porter has been fired as coach of the Columbus Crew. The team made the move one day after it failed to make the Major League Soccer playoffs. Porter had a regular-season record of 45-43-7 in four seasons and won the MLS Cup in 2020. But the Crew missed the playoffs