Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — James Shields has returned to Tropicana Field to symbolically retire from a club he helped transform from perennial loser to playoff contender. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Tampa Bay Rays’ season opener against the Detroit Tigers. It was more than a decade after last throwing a

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI (AP) — The New York Mets placed Justin Verlander on the injured list with a strained upper back muscle on opening day, sidelining the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner before his first appearance with the team. The Mets announced that Verlander has a low-grade teres major strain

WASHINGTON (AP) — Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried has exited his opening day start against the Washington Nationals with left hamstring discomfort after 3 1/3 innings. Fried left Thursday’s game after wincing as he ran to cover first base to retire the first Washington batter in the fourth inning. Braves manager Brian Snitker and

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have made seven-time All-Star catcher Salvador Perez the fourth captain in franchise history. The news came before their opener against the Minnesota Twins. The rare title is a reward for one of the club’s most popular players. Aaron Judge of

By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer Frank Solich will make his first public appearance at Memorial Stadium in 20 years when Nebraska honors him at its spring game on April 22. Athletic director Trev Alberts says Solich’s return is long overdue. Solich was a fullback for Bob Devaney’s Cornhuskers in the 1960s and a

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — JR Payne received a five-year contract extension Thursday after leading the Colorado women’s basketball team to its first Sweet 16 appearance in 21 years. The extension announced by athletic director Rick George keeps Payne under contract through the 2027-28 season. “After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and

PARIS (AP) — French coach Hervé Renard has been appointed to guide France’s women’s team at the World Cup this summer then at the Paris Olympics next year. The French federation says the 54-year-old Renard signed a contract that runs until August 2024. Renard quit as coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team, ending a four-year

By RAFIQ MAQBOOL Associated Press MUMBAI, India (AP) — In a glittering splash of luxury fashion, Dior transformed Mumbai’s grand, historic Gateway of India monument into a runway laden with celebrity, beauty and craftsmanship. Flanked by the brightly lit, iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the spectacular decor turned the heritage site in India’s entertainment and

By The Associated Press The Final Four for the national championship in women’s basketball is set. Defending champion South Carolina will face Iowa and AP Player of the Year Caitlin Clark in the second semifinal. LSU will face Virginia Tech in the first game. The Final Four is in Dallas on Friday and the championship

LUQUE, Paraguay (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino says Argentina is capable of hosting the Under-20 World Cup in place of Indonesia though no decision has been announced. Indonesia was stripped of hosting rights amid political turmoil over Israel’s participation. Infantino says a new host will be announced within days. He says Argentina “surely can

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge rang in opening day the same way he marked many nights last season: with a home run. In his first game as New York Yankees captain, Judge hit a solo drive in the first inning off San Francisco’s Logan Webb, a 422-foot shot into the netting above Monument Park

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer Marty Walsh is just beginning to understand the situation he walked into as head of the NHL Players’ Association. Less than two weeks into his new job, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor has already figured out two major concerns for players. Walsh knows they want to get back

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Rizzo gave two bottles of wine to each of his New York Yankees teammates on opening day. Rizzo purchased 26 boxes, each with two bottles of wine from the Il Cellese winery in Castellina in Chianti, Italy, near Siena. Rizzo visited there for a

SEATTLE (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians locked up two more key players to long-term contracts before opening another season. The AL defending champions signed All-Star second baseman Andrés Giménez to a seven-year contract and completed a four-year deal with reliever Trevor Stephan before facing the Mariners in their opener on Thursday night. Giménez’s $106.5 million

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russian players are set to return to table tennis events after the sport’s governing body followed the International Olympic Committee’s advice to let them compete as neutrals. The decision by the International Table Tennis Federation paves the way for players from Russia and its ally Belarus to end a year-long exclusion

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer DALLAS (AP) — Indiana coach Teri Moren is The Associated Press college women’s basketball coach of the year. She led Indiana to its first Big Ten regular season championship in 40 years. The Hoosiers rose to No. 2 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll and earned the school’s

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Tony Skinn has been hired to coach men’s basketball at George Mason. Skinn was a starting guard who helped the Patriots reach the Final Four during March Madness as an 11-seed in 2006. Skinn replaces Kim English, who left George Mason for Providence after Ed Cooley departed Providence for Georgetown. Skinn

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — American runner Lashinda Demus has officially become an Olympic champion at the age of 40 and more than a decade after the 2012 London Games. The International Olympic Committee has formally reallocated Demus the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles. The original winner was Natalya Antyukh of Russia who was later

LEEDS, England (AP) — Leeds midfielder Tyler Adams is in danger of missing the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old Adams underwent what was described by Britain’s Press Association as a “non-invasive” procedure after consulting a specialist. He already missed Leeds’ Premier League game at Wolverhampton on March