KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Willson Contreras hit a pair of two-run homers and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-5 on Friday night. Contreras opened the scoring in the first with a two-run shot off the top of the bullpen fence in right and added another two-run shot in the ninth, blasting his 15th homer 424 feet to left for his 15th multi-homer game. Trailing 5-3 after five innings, the Cardinals scored five runs on seven hits against six relievers. St. Louis took a 6-5 lead on Victor Scott II’s two-out, two-run double. Matthew Liberatore (3-3) threw three hitless innings in relief of Miles Mikolas.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Domingo Germán is getting a second chance in the big leagues, a year after he flamed out with the New York Yankees because of behavioral issues. The Pittsburgh Pirates have selected the right-handed pitcher’s contract from Triple-A Indianapolis. Germán was 6-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 13 starts with the Indians this season. Last June, Germán tossed the 24th perfect game in major league history. Two months later, he was put on MLB’s restricted list following an incident in the Yankees clubhouse that reportedly involved a confrontation with manager Aaron Boone. It was another strike against The 32-year-old Dominican pitcher was suspended 81 games in 2019 by MLB for violating the league’s domestic violence policy during an incident involving his then-girlfriend, whom he later married.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass to Tank Dell in his preseason debut to help the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-12 on Friday night. Held out of the Hall of Fame game last week against Chicago, Stroud completed 2 of 4 passes for 41 yards. Following a three-and-out, Stroud led the Texans to the touchdown on a three-play series. Stroud threaded a pass to Dell, who dodged a pair of missed tackles for a 34-yard score. Justin Fields played three series for Pittsburgh, finishing 5 of 6 for 67 yards. He was sacked twice and fumbled two exchanges.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California bookmaker who took thousands of sports bets from the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani has pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business. Mathew Bowyer entered the plea in federal court in Santa Ana on Friday. He also pleaded guilty to money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return. He's due to be sentenced Feb. 7. Federal prosecutors contend that Bowyer ran an illegal gambling business for at least five years in Southern California and Las Vegas, and that he took wagers from more than 700 bettors, including Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Beau Hossler shot a 10-under 60 on Friday in the rain-delayed Wyndham Championship, squandering a chance for a sub-60 round with pars on the last three holes at soft and vulnerable Sedgefield Country Club. Hossler had a two-stroke lead over Billy Horschel in the tournament that started a day late after heavy rain and wind from Tropical Storm Debby washed out play Thursday. Play also was delayed Friday, with Horschel among the 66 afternoon starters unable to finish the round because of darkness. He had two holes left. With players allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairways, Hossler was 6 under after a tap-in eagle on the par-5 fifth and birdied the par-4 eighth in a front-nine 28.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders was in a feisty mood Friday when he held a news conference ahead of his second season as football coach at the University of Colorado. Sanders sparred with reporters and even declined to let some ask their questions in what is normally a day of positivity for the program. Sanders rebuilt his 4-8 team this offseason and the Buffaloes are moving to the Big 12 following the breakup of the Pac-12.
UNDATED (AP) — Plaintiffs’ attorneys in a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA that is not part of a recent $2.78 billion settlement agreement filed a motion Friday asking a judge to deny preliminary approval of the deal. Attorneys in Fontenot v. the NCAA say the agreement to settle three antitrust lawsuits facing the association and five major conferences is settling for “just pennies on the dollar.” The NCAA, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference agreed in May to pay billions in damages to former and current college athletes. A preliminary approval hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 5.
OLYMPICS
PARIS (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 16 points and the U.S. women advanced to their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal game with a 85-64 victory over Australia on Friday. The Americans, who extended their Olympic winning streak to 60 consecutive games, will face France on Sunday. The U.S. is trying to become the first team to win eight consecutive gold medals, breaking the tie with the American men’s program that won seven in a row from 1936-68. A win Sunday would give Diana Taurasi a record six gold medals.
PARIS (AP) — Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. She emerged victorious Friday from a tumultuous run at the Games where she endured intense scrutiny and online abuse over misconceptions about her womanhood. Khelif beat Yang Liu of China 5:0 in the women’s welterweight division, wrapping up the best series of fights of her boxing career. Cheering crowds have embraced Khelif in Paris, chanting her name, waving Algerian flags and roaring every time she's landed a punch. That's even as she's faced an extraordinary amount of scrutiny from those who questioned her sex or falsely claimed she was a man. She thanked her supporters and said her win was a dream for eight years.
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Sha’Carri Richardson won her first Olympic gold medal, bringing the American women from behind in the anchor lap to capture the 4x100 relay. The U.S. men extended their drought to 20 years without a medal, disqualified for an illegal pass after Christian Coleman crashed into teammate Kenny Bednarek. Andre De Grasse put a bright mark on an otherwise disappointing Olympics by anchoring Canada to gold in a time of 37.50 seconds. Rai Benjamin won gold for the U.S. in the 400 hurdles, defeating world-record holder Karsten Warholm.
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — The night Noah Lyles won a bronze medal in the 200 meters, his coach said the sprinter had a 102-degree fever. It’s what made that medal, in his last sprint at the Paris Olympics, all the more impressive to Lance Brauman, who described the sprinter’s condition and his future in an interview with The Associated Press Friday. Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and finished third in Thursday’s final behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and American teammate Kenneth Bednarek. Lyles was back at the track Friday night wearing a protective mask while accepting his medal. Brauman says he expects Lyles to compete again at the 2028 Games.
FRIDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Washington 3 L.A. Angels 2
Final Chicago Cubs 7 Chicago White Sox 6
Final St. Louis 8 Kansas City 5
Final Seattle 6 N.Y. Mets 0
Final San Francisco 3 Detroit 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas at N-Y Yankees 4:35 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Minnesota 4 Cleveland 2
Final Baltimore 4 Tampa Bay 1
Final Toronto 3 Oakland 1
Final Houston 8 Boston 4
Final Minnesota 6 Cleveland 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final San Diego 6 Miami 2
Final Milwaukee 8 Cincinnati 3
Final Colorado 6 Atlanta 5
Final Arizona 3 Philadelphia 2
Final L.A. Dodgers 9 Pittsburgh 5
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Final Houston 20 Pittsburgh 12
Final Miami 20 Atlanta 13
Final Philadelphia 16 Baltimore 13