MILWAUKEE (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out 11 in seven no-hit innings in another dominant performance, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 on Thursday. Skenes threw 99 pitches in his 11th major league start, 65 for strikes. The All-Star right-hander walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.90. Colin Holderman replaced Skenes (6-0) and surrendered a leadoff single to Jake Bauers for Milwaukee’s first hit in the eighth. The Brewers loaded the bases with two down, but Holderman escaped the jam when he struck out William Contreras swinging. Aroldis Chapman handled the ninth for his fourth save, finishing a two-hitter for Pittsburgh.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Monte Kiffin, the longtime NFL and college assistant coach whose Tampa Bay defenses routinely ranked among the league’s best, died Thursday. He was 84. One of the architects of the ultra successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme, Kiffin spent 13 seasons as defensive coordinator of the Bucs under former coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden from 1996 to 2008 and helped the franchise win the first of its two Super Bowl titles. The University of Mississippi football program announced on the social media platform X that Kiffin, once the head coach at North Carolina State, died surrounded by family and friends in Oxford, Mississippi, where Kiffin’s son, Lane, is coach of the Rebels.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Uruguay striker Luis Suárez defended his teammates’ decision to enter the stands following a 1-0 loss to Colombia in the Copa America semifinals, saying the action was necessary to defend families and supporters. After a physical and emotional game that included seven yellow cards and one red card, players exchanged words and shoves at midfield of Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday night. Uruguay players, including Darwin Núñez, noticed an altercation behind the team’s bench and about a dozen or so players then climbed into the stands as the melee continued. Some players were seen throwing punches before Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officers and stadium security restored order after about 10 minutes.
“Obviously when one has your woman, your little child, your father, elderly people you want to go and see if they’re OK,” Suárez said. “Here these things, it’s an image that no one wants to have created but obviously if someone is attacking your family you want to go and defend them. But that doesn’t justify the image that it created. We had to protect our families that were there.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Led by host Serena Williams, The ESPYS celebrated a landmark year for women’s sports, with Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley and JuJu Watkins among the honorees on Thursday night. Staley, coach of the national champion South Carolina women’s basketball team, received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Her friend, Tennessee standout Nicki McCray-Penson, died of breast cancer and Staley’s sister was diagnosed with leukemia. Staley’s Gamecocks won the best team award. Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces won as best women’s sports athlete and as best WNBA player. The best men’s sports athlete was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He also claimed best NFL player.
THURSDAY'S SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 10, Cleveland 1
Tampa Bay 5, NY Yankees 4
Boston 7, Oakland 0
Seattle 11, LA Angels 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 8, Colorado 1
NY Mets 7, Washington 0
Pittsburgh 1, Milwaukee 0
Philadelphia 5, LA Dodgers 1
Arizona 1, Atlanta 0
INTERLEAGUE
Toronto 5, San Francisco 3
Chicago Cubs 8, Baltimore 0
Houston 6, Miami 3