KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer that highlighted a six-run fifth inning and Kansas City beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0 in front of the Royals’ second-largest crowd of the season. Friday night’s attendance of 36,351 at Kauffman Stadium was topped only by the 38,775 on opening day. The Royals moved 10 games over .500 at 57-47 and eclipsed last season’s win total. Brady Singer (7-6) was nearly flawless, allowing just two hits in seven innings while striking out five and walking two. The 27-year-old right-hander combined with Will Smith and Chris Stratton to limit the Cubs to four hits. Kyle Hendricks (2-9) allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings in the loss.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jacob Young hit a bases-loaded triple in the 10th inning in the Washington Nationals’ 10-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night. Luis Garcia Jr. drove in three runs for the Nationals, a day after they were no-hit by San Diego’s Dylan Cease for their third straight loss. Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer, and rookie Maysn Winn hit a two-run homer and added an RBI single. Juan Yepez drove in two runs and had three hits. Jacob Barnes (6-2) worked the ninth for the victory. Ryan Fernandez (1-3) pitched the 10th and took the loss.
PARIS (AP) — A hot-air balloon brought an Olympic ring of fire into a rainy sky and singer Celine Dion belted from the Eiffel Tower as Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century. The four-hour-long, rule-breaking opening ceremony Friday unfurled along the Seine River. On-and-off showers didn't seem to hamper the enthusiasm of the athletes. Some held umbrellas as they rode boats down the river. It marked a showcase of the city’s resilience as authorities investigated suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s high-speed rail network. Crowds crammed along the River Seine and watched from balconies, “oohing” and “aahing” as Olympic teams paraded in boats along the waterway.
CHATEAUROUX, France (AP) — China has won the first gold medal of the Paris Olympics. Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao beat South Korea’s Keum Jihyeon and Park Hajun in the final of the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event held Saturday morning. Shortly before that, Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev became the first medalists of the games when they beat Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich 17-5 for the bronze.
PARIS (AP) — Olympic organizers said they “deeply apologize” for introducing South Korea’s athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. As the South Korean athletes waved their nation’s flag on a boat floating down the Seine River on Friday evening, they were announced in both French and English as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. South Korea is the Republic of Korea. The International Olympic Committee said in a post on X in Korean, “We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean team during the opening ceremony broadcast.” South Korea’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry asked South Korea’s Foreign Ministry to file “a strong government-level complaint” with the French government.
PARIS (AP) — The Olympic cauldron that made a stunning first flight at the Paris Games opening ceremony will rise again every evening. Paris Olympics organizers say starting Saturday the balloon-borne cauldron will fly more than 60 meters above the Tuileries gardens from sunset until 2 a.m. During daytime hours, 10,000 people each day can get free tickets to approach the cauldron.
UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension worth $220 million. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. Love’s new deal includes a $75 million signing bonus and $155 million in new guarantees. The new deal comes after Love led the NFL’s youngest team to a 10-9 record and playoff berth last season in his first year as a starter while stepping up to the challenge of replacing four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
UNDATED (AP) — The Miami Dolphins have signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a four-year contract extension valued at a franchise-record $212.4 million. Athletes First, the agency that represents Tagovailoa, provided contract terms to ESPN. At an average of $53.1 million per year, Tagovailoa will rank third in the NFL in quarterback pay behind Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. The deal includes $167 million guaranteed. Tagovailoa was still playing under the contract he signed when the Dolphins made him the fifth overall selection of the 2020 draft.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia wide receiver Rodarius “Rara” Thomas has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest on charges of cruelty to children and battery, adding to the team’s recent legal woes. Athens-Clarke County jail records show Thomas was booked early Friday on felony charges of cruelty to children and misdemeanor battery charges. Bail had not been set Friday afternoon. It is the second arrest for Thomas in two years. Thomas, a transfer from Mississippi State, was arrested by University of Georgia police in 2023 on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor count of family violence battery. The charges were dropped.
UNDATED (AP) — Thousands of former college athletes will be eligible for payments ranging from a few dollars to more than a million under the $2.78 billion antitrust settlement agreed to by the NCAA and five power conferences. The deal also paves the way for schools to directly compensate athletes while attempting regulate payments from boosters. The document was filed in federal court in the Northern District of California, a little more than two months after the framework of an agreement was announced. The deal must still be approved by a judge.
FRIDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Cleveland 3 Philadelphia 1
Final Cincinnati 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final San Diego 6 Baltimore 4
Final Kansas City 6 Chicago Cubs 0
Final Houston 5 L.A. Dodgers 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Minnesota 9 Detroit 3
Final Boston 9 N.Y. Yankees 7
Final Toronto 6 Texas 5
Final Seattle 10 Chicago White Sox 0
Final Oakland 5 L.A. Angels 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Mets 8 Atlanta 4
Final Miami 6 Milwaukee 2
Final Washington 10 St. Louis 8
Final Arizona 4 Pittsburgh 3
Final San Francisco 11 Colorado 4