Scoreboard 8//8/21

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Kansas City 6, St. Louis 5
LA Dodgers 8, L.A. Angels 2
Chi White Sox 9 Chi Cubs 3

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 7, Detroit 5
Tampa Bay 9, Baltimore 6
Seattle 2, NY Yankees 0
Toronto 9, Boston 8
Minnesota 7, Houston 5
Oakland 6, Texas 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 3, NY Mets 0
Atlanta 5, Washington 4
Cincinnati 3, Pittsburgh 2
San Francisco 5, Milwaukee 4
Colorado 13, Miami 8
San Diego 2, Arizona 0

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Chicago 2, New York 1
New England 2, Philadelphia 1
Miami 2, Nashville 1
San Jose 2, Los Angeles FC 1
D.C. United 2, CF Montreal 1
Vancouver 1, LA Galaxy 1 (Tie)

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Key moments from final day of the Olympic Games

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(TOKYO) — A historic 2020 Olympics is coming to a close today, one that saw world records smashed, surprising defeats and teary moments of sportsmanship. Thank you for joining us every day for our daily coverage of the competitions, today will be our concluding roundup of key moments from the past two weeks.

US women’s basketball wins 7th consecutive gold medal

The United States women’s basketball team defeated Japan 95-70 to take home the gold for the seventh consecutive Olympics. This is the fifth Olympic gold medal in basketball for Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, who most likely have played in their final Olympic game.

The effort was led by Brittney Griner who scored 30 points, the most by a U.S. player in a gold medal game.

US women’s volleyball win first-ever gold medal

The U.S. women’s volleyball team has won its first-ever gold medal after defeating Brazil in straight sets, 25-21, 25-20, 25-14. The team has won three silver medals and two bronze since 1984.

US wins most gold medals, most medals overall

The United States has finished the Olympic Games with 39 gold medals, edging out China on the last day of action. Team USA finished with 113 medals overall, leading second-place China by a large margin.

Consistent dread and disruption caused by COVID-19

The reminders of the global pandemic were abundant as the athletes competed in nearly empty stadiums in Tokyo. Athletes were subject to daily tests, medalists had to celebrate with loved ones via screens and everyone present was subject to very strict procedures to remain safe.

Even with the safety protocols in place, 436 people at the Tokyo Olympics tested positive for COVID-19, including many athletes that had to leave competition. The surrounding city of Tokyo consistently reached record numbers of reported cases, reporting 4,066 new cases on the last day of the Olympics.

Looking back on the games: Allyson Felix makes history again and again

Allyson Felix won her 10th and then her 11th medal to first become the most decorated female track athlete in the world and then surpassing Carl Lewis as America’s most decorated track athlete with the latter win. Felix won the bronze in the individual 400m, and the next day won the gold in the women’s 4x400m relay.

The 35-year-old sprinter has most likely finished her Olympic career, competing in five different Olympic Games.

Looking back on the games: Simone Biles overcomes adversity to take home a medal

After Simone Biles withdrew from the overall team competition because of a case of the “twisties” — a vertigo-like affliction that disables gymnasts from knowing where their body is relative to the ground — she received unrivaled amounts of attention, both supportive outpourings and sharp criticisms.

Biles subsequently withdrew from individual events in the vault, uneven bars and floor exercises but returned for her final competition in the balance beam to win the bronze medal.

Looking back on the games: Gold medal shared for the first time in over 100 years

Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim had both cleared 2.37m in the men’s high jump final but each failed in their three events to clear the next height of 2.39m. Instead of going to a jump-off, Tamberi turned to the Olympic officials and asked if they could share the gold medal. The official said yes, and Barshim agreed.

The unbelievable act of sportsmanship between the two friends brought tears to the eyes of spectators as they watched Tamberi jump into Barshim’s arms, the Italian quickly shedding some tears of his own.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 8/7/21

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(NEW YORK) —    Here are the scores from Saturday’s sports events:

 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

 INTERLEAGUE
 Final  Chicago White Sox   4  Chicago Cubs   0
 Final  St. Louis           5  Kansas City    2
 Final  L.A. Dodgers        5  L.A. Angels    3
   
 AMERICAN LEAGUE
 Final  N.Y. Yankees   5  Seattle     4
 Final  Toronto        1  Boston      0
 Final  Oakland       12  Texas       3
 Final  Detroit        2  Cleveland   1
 Final  Houston        4  Minnesota   0
 Final  Boston         2  Toronto     1
 Final  Tampa Bay     12  Baltimore   3
   
 NATIONAL LEAGUE
 Final  Philadelphia    5  N.Y. Mets    3
 Final  Washington      3  Atlanta      2
 Final  Cincinnati     11  Pittsburgh   3
 Final  Colorado        7  Miami        4
 Final  San Francisco   9  Milwaukee    6
 Final  San Diego       6  Arizona      2
   
 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
 Final  Atlanta                3  Columbus         2
  Final tie  Orlando City           1  Cincinnati       1
 Final  Minnesota              2  Houston          0
  Final tie  New York City FC       2  Toronto FC       2
 Final  FC Dallas              2  Austin FC        0
  Final tie  Sporting Kansas City   0  Colorado         0
 Final  Portland               3  Real Salt Lake   2

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Report: Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler signs extension with the Heat

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(MIAMI) — Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler has signed a 4-year, $184 million extension with the team, keeping him in Miami through the 2025-26 season according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Butler, 31, was named to the All-NBA Third Team this past season after averaging 21.5 points, 7.1 assists, and 6.9 rebounds per game. He also made the cut for the NBA’s second-team All-Defense last season for the fifth time in his career.

Butler made the All Star Team in the previous season, leading the Heat to the NBA Finals where they would ultimately lose to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Butler’s current deal runs through the upcoming NBA season and he holds a player option for the 2022-23 season.

“Jimmy is the anchor and face of our franchise along with Bam [Adebayo] and Kyle [Lowry],” said Heat President Pat Riley in a statement on the team’s website.  “With Jimmy, we get an All-NBA player, an All-NBA Defensive player, tough as nails and a complete player across the board. He’s very deserving of this contract as he continually puts himself at the top of the league at his position. Having him in the HEAT organization has been a great, great coup for us.”

The Heat have made a plethora of roster moves to retool for another run at the Finals. Their front office resigned guard Victor Oladipo on a minimum deal, paid 3-point specialist Duncan Robinson with a contract worth $90 million, and added a versatile defender in P.J. Tucker. 

Most importantly, the Heat were able to land veteran point guard Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade that sent guard Goran Dragic and forward Precious Achiuwa to the Raptors (although that move is now under investigation by the NBA for tampering, per Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne).

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Key moments from Day 15 of the Olympic Games

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(TOKYO) — Each day, ABC News will give you a roundup of key Olympic moments from the day’s events in Tokyo, happening 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. After a 12-month delay, the unprecedented 2020 Summer Olympics is taking place without fans or spectators and under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Allyson Felix becomes most decorated American track athlete of all time

Allyson Felix won her 11th medal in the women’s 4x400m relay and has now become the most decorated American track and field athlete of all time, surpassing Carl Lewis’ record of 10 medals. Felix and an all-star cast of Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu blazed past the competition to win the gold in the 4x400m relay.

The 35-year-old sprinter won her 10th and 11th medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, taking the bronze in the individual 400m.

US men’s basketball wins 4th straight gold

The U.S. men’s basketball team defeated France 87-82 to bring home the gold medal for the fourth straight Olympics. The effort was led by Kevin Durant who had 29 points and secured his third gold medal, which tied Carmelo Anthony for the most gold in men’s basketball. This is now Team USA’s 16th gold medal in basketball since 1936.

US track and field makes gold sweep in 4x400m relays, bronze in marathon

Directly after the U.S. women’s team took gold in the 4x400m relay, the men won in a similar dominating fashion, taking the gold in the last track event of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Earlier in the day U.S. runner Molly Seidel finished with the bronze in the marathon.

COVID-19 cases at Olympics rise to 409, Tokyo continues reporting record number of cases

There were 22 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, all among personnel, contractors or media. The total now stands at 409, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

The surrounding city of Tokyo reported 4,566 new cases on Saturday, a new record for the third straight day. The seven-day average increased by 133.3%, according to data from the Tokyo metropolitan government.

US women’s water polo wins gold

The U.S. women’s water polo team handily defeated Spain 14-5 to bring home the gold medal. Team USA’s women have now won gold in three consecutive Olympic Games.

Nelly Korda takes home gold in golf

U.S. golfer Nelly Korda took home the gold with a one-shot victory, completing a U.S. sweep of stroke play in the Olympic Games. Xander Schauffele secured the gold for the men’s division last week.

US baseball loses to Japan, takes home silver

The U.S. baseball team was defeated by the host country’s team 2-0, but still brought home a silver medal from the 2020 Olympic Games. This was Japan’s first gold medal in baseball, which was played in the Tokyo Olympics for the first time in 13 years.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 8/6/21

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Friday’s sports events:

 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

 INTERLEAGUE
 Final  Chicago White Sox   8  Chicago Cubs   6
 Final  St. Louis           4  Kansas City    2
 Final  L.A. Angels         4  L.A. Dodgers   3
   
 AMERICAN LEAGUE
 Final  Cleveland      6  Detroit     1
 Final  Toronto       12  Boston      4
 Final  Tampa Bay     10  Baltimore   6
 Final  N.Y. Yankees   3  Seattle     2
 Final  Minnesota      5  Houston     4
 Final  Oakland        4  Texas       1
   
 NATIONAL LEAGUE
 Final  Cincinnati    10  Pittsburgh      0
 Final  Philadelphia   4  N.Y. Mets       2
 Final  Atlanta        8  Washington      4
 Final  Milwaukee      2  San Francisco   1
 Final  Colorado      14  Miami           2
 Final  Arizona        8  San Diego       5

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Allyson Felix makes history with 10th career medal at the Tokyo Olympics

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(TOKYO) — American sprinter Allyson Felix has made history in her last individual Olympic race. Felix took the bronze in the women’s 400-meter on Friday, her 10th career medal.

If she wins another, she’ll smash another record.

The 35-year-old U.S. track star had won nine medals across four Olympics — the most out of any female athlete in U.S. track and field history — heading into the games.

On Friday, she won her 10th medal in Tokyo, her first bronze, to become the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field history, besting the record held by Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey.

Felix finished with a time of 49.46 seconds. Bahamian runner Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Rio gold medalist, dominated the race with a personal best to defend gold.

If Felix wins two medals at the games, Felix would have the most medals out of anyone in U.S. Olympic track and field history, surpassing legend Carl Lewis’ record of 10.

She also is a member of the relay pool, meaning she could run on the 4-x-400 meter relay Saturday.

The Los Angeles resident competed in the 400-meter after finishing second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field in June with a season-best time of 50.02 seconds.

Felix qualified for Friday’s 400-meter final after placing second in her semifinal heat this week with a time of 49.89 seconds.

The U.S. women’s 400-meter relay team also advanced to the medal round after winning their heat on Thursday. She did not run in the heats, but Felix could run in Saturday’s final.

The U.S. team also competed in the 4-x-400 mixed relay final on July 31 — minus Felix — winning bronze. She had been considered a possibility for that race.

The legendary athlete is one of the most decorated in her sport. She has won six golds and three silvers in sprinting events at the games, starting with silver in the 200-meter in her Olympic debut as a teenager at the 2004 Athens Games.

Even if she wins medals in the 400 and 4-x-400, totaling 11, she’ll come up one shy of Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, who holds the all-time record for track and field medals with 12.

In 2019, just 10 months after giving birth to her daughter, Felix broke the record for most gold medals of any athlete at the track and field world championship, when she clinched her 12th and 13th world titles.

The mom has been a prominent voice against gender inequality in sports. Writing in The New York Times in 2019, Felix detailed her lack of maternity protections with her then-sponsor Nike after giving birth to her daughter, Camryn. Following the publication of the opinion piece, Nike announced a new maternity policy for all sponsored athletes.

She recently launched a lifestyle brand, Saysh, that she says was inspired by her experience with “gender injustice” during her journey to motherhood.

She also has teamed up with apparel company Athleta and the Women’s Sports Foundation to launch The Power of She Fund: Child Care Grants, which help cover child care costs for professional mom-athletes traveling to competitions.

For more Olympics coverage, click here.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Key moments from Day 14 of the Olympic Games

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(TOKYO) — Each day, ABC News will give you a roundup of key Olympic moments from the day’s events in Tokyo, happening 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. After a 12-month delay, the unprecedented 2020 Summer Olympics is taking place without fans or spectators and under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. beach volleyball takes home the gold

U.S. beach volleyball players April Ross and Alix Klineman beat Australia 21-15, 21-16 to win the gold medal and complete the set of Olympic medals for April Ross, who won a silver in 2012 and a bronze in 2016.

In the last 48 hours, the U.S. has faced Australia in the women’s basketball quarterfinals, the men’s basketball semifinals, the women’s soccer bronze medal game and the beach volleyball gold medal game. The U.S. has won every match.

U.S. women’s basketball advances to gold medal game

The United States women’s basketball team beat Serbia 79-59 in the semifinals and will advance to the gold medal game. The effort was led by Brittney Griner, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds. The team is after its seventh consecutive gold medal and will take on the winner of Japan and France, who play later this morning.

COVID-19 cases at Olympics rise to 387, Tokyo hits record high again

There were 29 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday. No new cases involved athletes. The total now stands at 387, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

The surrounding city of Tokyo reported 4,515 new cases on Friday, a new record for the second straight day. The seven-day average increased by 152.7%, according to data from the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Belarusian coaches removed from Olympics

The International Olympic Committee announced it was investigating the actions of Artur Shimak and Yury Maisevich surrounding the incident with sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya. The two coaches had their credentials canceled and were removed from the Olympics.

The incident started when Tsimanouskaya criticized her coaches on social media. She was quickly removed from her event and taken to the airport against her will to depart for Belarus. Tsimanouskaya said team officials intimated she would face punishment upon her return and, fearing for her safety, she hailed airport police.

Tsimanouskaya was granted a humanitarian visa at the Polish embassy in Tokyo and is currently in Poland.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 8/5/21

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 8, Boston 1
LA Angels 5, Texas 0
Toronto 3, Cleveland 0
NY Yankees 5, Seattle 3
Kansas City 3, Chi White Sox 2
Minnesota 5, Houston 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 4, NY Mets 2
Colorado 6, Chi Cubs 5
San Francisco 5, Arizona 4
Philadelphia 7, Washington 6
Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 4
Atlanta 8, St. Louis 4

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Pittsburgh 16, Dallas 3

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

J.R. Richard, Astros legend, dies at 71

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(HOUSTON) — J.R. Richard, a Houston Astros legend, has died at the age of 71, the team announced Thursday. 

Richard played ten years for the team and struck out 600 batters, but had his career cut short by a stroke in 1980. 

During his career, Richard had a 107-71 record with a 3.15 ERA. In 1979, he struck out 313 batters. That record stood until Gerrit Cole surpassed it in 2019. 

“Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, J.R. Richard,” the Astros said Thursday. “J.R. will forever be remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest pitchers in club history. He stood shoulder to shoulder with club icons Larry Dierker, Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan, to form a few of the best rotations in club history. Sadly, his playing career was cut short by health issues, but his ten years in an Astros uniform stand out as a decade of excellence. We send our heartfelt condolences to J.R.’s wife, Lula, his family, friends and countless fans and admirers.”

On the franchise’s all-time list, Richards ranks third in ERA and strikeouts, fourth in complete games, and fifth in wins and shutouts. 

He was elected to the team’s inaugural Astros Hall of Fame in 2019.

“I’ve known J.R. for a long time,” said Enos Cabell, an Astros teammate, said in a statement. “In the Minor Leagues, I played against him and then we were teammates with the Astros for many years. He was one of the greatest pitchers we ever had and probably would have been in the Hall of Fame if his career was not cut short. On the mound, he was devastating and intimidating. Nobody wanted to face him. Guys on the other team would say that they were sick to avoid facing him. This is very sad news. He will be missed.”

In 1980, Richard was named the National League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star game. He suffered a stroke on July 30th.

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