Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal take Cy Young Awards after both were pitching triple crown winners
Atlanta's Chris Sale and Detroit's Tarik Skubal have each won their first Cy Young Award. The left-handers were honored Wednesday night after sharing the MLB lead with 18 wins while leading their respective leagues in strikeouts and ERA. Sale went 18-3 and topped the National League with 225 strikeouts, while his 2.38 ERA in 29 starts was the best among all major league qualifiers in his first season with the Braves. The 35-year-old was an All-Star for the eighth time and won his first Gold Glove this year. Skubal, who turned 28 on Wednesday, went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and a big league-best 228 strikeouts in 31 starts to take the American League prize in a unanimous vote.
Trump feuded with NFL players in his first term. Now, some are busting out his dance moves
Donald Trump and the National Football League had an adversarial relationship during his first term in the White House. Now, players are breaking out the 'Trump dance' to celebrate sacks and scores. It involves swaying one's hips slowly and swinging the arms back and forth like Trump has long done on the campaign trail. The celebrations began two weekends ago when Nick Bosa hit the Trump dance following a sack only days after he was fined for wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap on TV after a game. On Sunday, four players made the Trump dance the centerpiece of their celebrations.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma breaks NCAA wins record, getting 1,217th career victory
STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- Geno Auriemma soaked in the moment. The UConn Hall of Fame coach now stands alone atop the NCAA college basketball wins list. Auriemma broke a tie with former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, earning his 1,217th career victory with an 85-41 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night. He has spent four decades building UConn into the standard for women's basketball. The school celebrated those 40 years Wednesday night. Surrounded by the greatest players in UConn history, including Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Rebecca Lobo, Auriemma and longtime assistant Chris Dailey took in the incredible achievement in a postgame ceremony.
Steinbrenner wants his relationship with Soto to be similar to how he gets along with Judge and Cole
NEW YORK (AP) -- Hal Steinbrenner wants his relationship with Juan Soto to be similar to his friendship with Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole, and the New York Yankees owner emphasized the team's commitment to continually improve its roster if the star free-agent outfielder stays in the Bronx. Steinbrenner said the Yankees delegation at Monday's meeting included team president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone and senior adviser for baseball operations Omar Minaya. Asked how confident he was about keeping Soto, Steinbrenner said: "No idea. We'll be in the mix. I'll leave it at that."
MLB will test robot umpires at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball will test robot umpires as part of a challenge system during spring training at 13 ballparks hosting 19 teams, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026. MLB has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in the minor leagues since 2019 but is still working on the shape of the strike zone. An agreement for big league use would have to be reached with the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, whose collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says: "I would be interested in having it in '26."
Las Vegas Grand Prix in better shape after ironing out inaugural year kinks that nearly ruined race
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- There's never been a faster 180-degree turn than the one Max Verstappen took a year ago at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Dutchman hated the event before he arrived. By the time he crossed the finish line for his 18th win of the season, he was singing "Viva! Las Vegas!" on his radio. Just like that, the race that seemed on a crash course for failure was stamped as one of the best of the 2023 season. The second Las Vegas Grand Prix is coming up on Saturday night and Verstappen could clinch a fourth consecutive title.
Freddie Freeman's historic walk-off grand slam ball from the World Series to hit the auction block
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) -- Freddie Freeman's historic walk-off grand slam ball from Game 1 of the World Series is hitting the auction block. The Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman homered in the 10th inning against the New York Yankees last month, giving the Dodgers a 6-3 victory. They went on to win the Series in five games and Freeman was named MVP. A 10-year-old boy named Zachary Ruderman corralled the ball in the stands. It will be part of a sale run by SCP Auctions from Dec. 4-14. Company president David Kohler says he believes the Freeman ball is "easily worth seven figures."
Maui Invitational returns to a Lahaina still grappling with raw emotions left by deadly wildfire
HONOLULU (AP) -- Residents of the Hawaii town devastated by last year's wildfire are awaiting the return of one of the nation's most prestigious basketball tournaments with mixed feelings. Fans are excited about the Maui Invitational bringing high-caliber competition to Lahaina. And they welcome the economic boost Lahaina will get from the thousands of travelers eating in restaurants and staying in hotels. But there's also a fear that travelers might show disrespect by wandering into the burn zone and taking photos of the devastation. And there is worry tourists might trigger unpleasant memories with questions about that catastrophic day. Residents say feelings are still raw.
Gallaudet women's volleyball team is signing, quietly winning and rolling into the NCAA Tournament
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sometimes opponents think players on Gallaudet's women's volleyball team are trying to distract them by using their hands and arms to talk in American Sign Language. They're happy to let them think that because the team made up almost entirely of deaf and hard of hearing athletes is 30-4 this season. Gallaudet is back in the NCAA Division III Tournament, succeeding in silence in a sport usually predicated on verbal communication. A victory would be the program's first in the tournament since 2006.
College football picks: Never mind Hoosiers, Ohio State has lots riding on showdown at the Horseshoe
Much has been made about the stakes for unbeaten Indiana in Saturday's top-five showdown with Ohio State. Don't forget what this game means for the Buckeyes. Ohio State hasn't won a Big Ten championship since 2020. That also was the last time the Buckeyes made the College Football Playoff. Ohio State has had its last three seasons ruined by Michigan in the final regular-season game. Imagine the noise in Columbus if Indiana is the spoiler this year. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day says every game has been a must-win situation for his team since its loss to Oregon.