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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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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Soccer star Lionel Messi not returning to FC Barcelona

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(BARCELONA) — Soccer star Lionel Messi will not be staying at FC Barcelona, the club announced Tuesday. 

“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations),” the club said in a statement.

Messi’s contract ended after the season and has been a free agent since. 

“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life,” the club said. 

The Argentine national has spent his entire 17 year career with Barcelona winning ten La Liga titles, 4 Champion’s league titles, and scored 474 goals in 464 appearance’s. 

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SEC extends commissioner Greg Sankey through 2026

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(ATLANTA) — The SEC has agreed to extend commissioner Greg Sankey’s contract through at least 2026, the conference announced Thursday. 

Sankey has been at the helm of the SEC since 2015. 

“College athletics is in the midst of a transformational period, and the SEC is fortunate to have a highly impactful leader to guide us forward at this critical time in our history,” said Jere Morehead, President of the University of Georgia and current President of the SEC, in a statement. “He has effectively introduced change and advancement for the conference while respecting the institutional traditions that make the SEC unique. His leadership and ability to foster collaboration through the COVID-19 pandemic helped establish a framework for all of college sports, and those leadership skills will be critical as we move forward with change in the years ahead.”

The extension comes just days after the conference welcomed the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma to the conference in 2025. 

“I am grateful for the support of the SEC’s presidents and chancellors, and for the continuing opportunity to serve our universities while supporting the student-athletes of the Southeastern Conference,” said Sankey in a statement. “We are in the midst of a time of change for college athletics, and I look forward to working with the SEC’s campus leaders to identify a path forward that will sustain the incredible success of our Conference and provide opportunities for young people to grow academically and challenge themselves athletically.”

During the 2020-2021 academic year, nine SEC team’s won national championships. Since being named commissioner in 2015, 32 SEC teams have won national titles. 

Sankey came to the SEC in 2002 as the Associate Commissioner for Governance, Enforcement, and Compliance. He was promoted to the Executive Associate Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer for the league office in 2012.

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RG3 set to join ESPN’s college football coverage, according to report

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(NEW YORK) — Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III will join ESPN as a college football analyst this fall, according to a report byFront Office Sports.

He could also contribute to ESPN’s NFL coverage, according to the report.

The former Baylor star was drafted second overall by Washington in the 2012 draft and started 28 of 32 games his first two seasons before injuries derailed his career. Griffin threw for 6,403 yards and 36 touchdowns his first two seasons.

Griffin, who is a free agent, spent the past three seasons with Baltimore, appearing in 14 games and starting two.

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Knicks Julius Randle signs 4-year, $117 million extension

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(NEW YORK) — New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has agreed to a four-year, $117 million contract extension, his agents told ESPN. 

The extension includes a player option in 2025-2026, according to ESPN. 

Randle was named the NBA’s most improved player and a second-team All-NBA selection after averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists last season. 

He led the Knicks to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. As the fourth seed, the Knicks lost to fifth the fifth-seeded Hawks 4-1. 

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Team USA’s Matthew Centrowitz misses out on final, will not defend 1500 meter crown

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(TOKYO) — Team USA’s Matthew Centrowitz, the defending Olympic champion in the men’s 1500, will not repeat after failing to make it out of the semifinal round in Tokyo. 

Centrowitz became the first American to win the men’s 1500 since 1908 during the 2016 Rio games. He won in 3:50.00, the slowest 1500 meter final since 1932. 

Centrowitz finished ninth, 3:33.69, in a blistering fast second semifinal, which saw the Olympic 1500 meter record fall with Kenya’s Abel Kipsang taking the win in 3:31.65. 

Team USA’s Cole Hocker made the final after finished second in the first semifinal with a time of 3:33.87. 

Hocker edged out Centrowitz to win the USA trials. 

The final will be at 7:40 am ET on Saturday.

Finalists

  1. Kenya’s Abel Kipsang: 3:31.65 
  2. Norway’s Jacob Ingrebristen: 3:32.13 
  3. Great Britan’s Josh Kerr: 3:32.18 
  4. Spain’s Adel Mechall: 3:32.19
  5. Australia’s Stewart McSweyrn: 3:32.54
  6. Great Britain’s Jake Heyward: 3:32.82
  7. Luxembourg’s Charles Grethen: 3:32.86
  8. Great Britain’s Jake Wightman: 3:33.48
  9. Team USA’s Cole Hocker: 3:33.87
  10. Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot: 3:33.95 
  11. Australia’s Oliver Hoare: 3:34.35
  12. Spain’s Ignacio Fontes: 3:34.49
  13. Poland’s Michael Rozmy: 3:54.53* Advanced To Next Round By Referee

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