Sports

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Rodríguez sent a buzz through T-Mobile Park, whether it was the second-deck home runs or running down flyballs in center field. And this was just the workout day for the Seattle Mariners. The reigning AL rookie of the year seems more than ready for the

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Sorana Cirstea advanced to her first semifinal of a WTA 1000 event in a decade, beating Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-4 at the Miami Open. The 32-year-old Cirstea also beat the highest-ranked opponent of her career by knocking off the second-ranked Sabalenka. Cirstea previously defeated No. 4 Caroline

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Rangers have signed Filip Chytil to a four-year extension worth $17.75 million. Chytil will count just under $4.44 million against the salary cap through the 2026-27 season. The 23-year-old Czech forward is in the midst of a career year. He has set career highs with 22 goals, 20

TAMPA, Fla (AP) — Amir Abdur-Rahim has been named as the coach at South Florida after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth this season. Abdur-Rahim replaces Brian Gregory, who was fired on March 10 after after going 79-107 over six seasons at the school. The Bulls were 14-18 this season.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Temple has hired Penn State assistant Adam Fisher its head coach. Fisher is just the fifth Owls coach since 1973. Temple hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019. Fisher takes over a team in flux with six players in the transfer portal. Temple has yet to find any steady success in the

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired center fielder Cristian Pache from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for a minor league pitcher. Pache has played in in 115 games for the Atlanta Braves (2020-21) and Athletics (2022). He played center field in all but two of them. The A’s got 23-year-old right-hander Billy Sullivan. He

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer Penn State has hired VCU’s Mike Rhoades to be its men’s basketball coach. The Pennsylvania native takes over a program coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade. The Penn State board of trustees approved a seven-year deal worth $25.9 million for Rhoades.

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Major league pitchers and batters aren’t the only ones going on the clock this season. Big league broadcasters have also been using spring training to adjust to baseball’s new rhythm amid a series of rules changes. When the season opens Thursday, Major League Baseball will usher in an age

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres third base coach Matt Williams has colon cancer and will have surgery on Friday. Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Schildt will fill in as third base coach Thursday, when the most eagerly anticipated season in Padres history begins with a home

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR has fined Daniel Suarez $50,000 for hitting another vehicle on pit road following the race at Circuit of the Americas. The fine was classified as a behavioral penalty and NASCAR cited “contact with another vehicle on pit road after the race.” Suarez hit both his Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers center fielder Leody Taveras will start the season on the injured list while still recovering from a strained oblique sustained during a batting practice session at spring training. General manager Chris Young says Taveras has made significant progress, but the team didn’t want to rush him. With Taveras on

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and Arsenal have reached the semifinals of the Women’s Champions League. Barcelona cruised into the last four for the fifth straight year by routing Roma 5-1 in the second leg of the quarterfinals. Barcelona advanced 6-1 on aggregate and will face defending champion Lyon or Chelsea in April’s semifinals. Arsenal

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have operated the last handful of seasons under the philosophy that they want to contend for as long as possible rather than going all-in during a particular season. But a look at their roster indicates that championship window might not stay open much

LONDON (AP) — The draw for the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals set up a possible meeting between No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 Novak Djokovic as Spain and Serbia were placed in the group. Spain will host Group C in Valencia in September. It also includes the Czech Republic and South

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A NASCAR appeals panel has rescinded hefty points penalties levied against Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman. The three-person panel restored 100 points to each of the three drivers following a hearing but upheld fines and suspensions for four Hendrick crew chiefs. With the points returned, Bowman

By BEN WALKER AP Baseball Writer A major shift in how Major League Baseball is played. About time, too. Aaron Judge aiming at his own home run record, Shohei Ohtani trending with every pitch and swing, Dusty Baker trying to win another World Series ring. All-Stars in different spots, a new scheduling concept featuring each