Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona has brought up Rigo Beltrán to be the AL Central champions’ new bullpen coach.  Beltrán replaces Brian Sweeney, who was recently named Kansas City’s pitching coach. Beltrán spent the past four seasons as the pitching coach for Triple-A Columbus and has been with Cleveland’s organization since 2014.

NEW YORK (AP) — American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees have finalized their $360 million, nine-year contract, the third-largest deal in baseball history. Judge hit 62 homers last season to break the previous AL record of 61 set by the Yankees’ Roger Maris in 1961. Judge’s contract trails only Mike Trout’s

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has signed coach Bret Bielema to a new six-year contract through 2028. He’s transformed a struggling program into a winner in two seasons, going 13-11. He gets a bump in salary from $4.2 million to $6 million. The deal is pending approval by the school’s board of trustees in January.

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Argentina’s dramatic World Cup final victory over France is the second most-watched soccer match of any kind in the United States. That’s according to early numbers from Nielsen, Fox and Telemundo. Sunday’s match had an English- and Spanish-language combined audience of 25,783,000. That trails the 2015 Women’s World Cup

NEW YORK (AP) — The newest Major League Soccer expansion franchise will begin its inaugural campaign on the road when St. Louis City SC plays at Austin FC on Feb. 25 before making its home debut in Week 2. The league schedule for 2023 is highlighted by the debut of St. Louis City, the 29th

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett was out sick and running back Nick Chubb didn’t practice because of a foot injury as Cleveland began preparing for Saturday’s game against New Orleans — and bone-chilling weather. Garrett has 13 1/2 sacks despite playing much of this

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers expect quarterback Kenny Pickett should leave the concussion protocol this week, clearing the way for him to start against Las Vegas. Pickett did not play in a 24-16 victory over Carolina after sustaining his second concussion in two months early in a loss to Baltimore on Dec. 11. Mitch

LONDON (AP) — Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been charged by the English Football Association with 30 more breaches of betting rules. Toney was charged in November with with 232 alleged breaches between 2017 to 2021. The west London club says it has been informed by the governing body of the additional alleged breaches. Toney

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer A person with knowledge of the negotiations says mortgage executive Mat Ishbia has agreed in principle to buy the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury from embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion. It’s the first step in a process that is expected to take several weeks to complete, according

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals and well-traveled right-hander Jordan Lyles have agreed to a $17 million, two-year contract. That’s according to a person familiar with the deal who told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The 32-year-old

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts still has a chance he could play Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys. Hurts sprained his right shoulder in Sunday’s win against Chicago. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni did not rule out Hurts on Tuesday. Sirianni said there’s a chance Hurts could play

The Associated Press Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim and UCLA linebacker Laiatu Latu have been named college football’s comeback players of the year. Penix transferred to Washington after four seasons at Indiana, each ending with a serious injury. With the Huskies, Penix played all 12 games and heads into the

By TARIK EL-BARAKAH Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Tens of thousands of jubilant Moroccans have welcomed home their national soccer team after the players exceeded their wildest expectations and finished fourth at the World Cup in Qatar. Fans packed squares and lined up along avenues and streets in and around Rabat, lighting flares, waving

MONACO (AP) — Kenyan marathoner Diana Kipyokei has been banned for six years and stripped of her 2021 Boston Marathon title for doping and tampering. The Athletics Integrity Unit says Kipyokei’s urine sample after winning in Boston in October 2021 had traces of triamcinolone acetonide — an anti-inflammatory prohibited at races when an athlete does

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander says owner Steve Cohen and his willingness to spend his hedge-fund fortune on building a World Series-contender is the reason he joined the New York Mets. The team introduced Verlander at a news conference on Tuesday. Verlander agreed to a $86.7 million, two-year

By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Associated Press review finds that gambling interests positioning for lucrative business in Ohio’s developing betting landscape gave nearly $1 million to a nonprofit that helped Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine get reelected. Donations to the Republican Governors Association between January 2021 and this September

By DANIEL POLITI and ALMUDENA CALATRAVA Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of fans streamed into the streets of Buenos Aires Tuesday, eager to catch a glimpse of the open-top bus carrying the Argentine national soccer team that won one of the greatest World Cup finals of all time. The bus

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Zach Wilson will start at quarterback for the New York Jets against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coach Robert Saleh says Mike White still has not been cleared by doctors to play as he recovers from broken ribs. Wilson has been taking the snaps