BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran has apologized for directing a homophobic slur at a heckling fan during a 10-2 loss to the Houston Astros. The exchange caught on a live mic during the broadcast of Sunday's game occurred when Duran was at the plate in the sixth inning. A fan at Fenway Park can be heard shouting “You need a tennis racket!” Duran turned his head toward the fan and replied: “Shut up,” followed by a curse word and the slur. In a statement issued through the team, Duran said he used a ”truly horrific word" and apologized to the LGBTQ community.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Austin Dillon raced to his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in nearly two years, sending Joey Logano into a spin on the final lap to win in overtime at Richmond. It was Dillon’s first win since Aug. 28, 2022, at Daytona. He had just two top-10 finishes this year and entered the race ranked 32nd in the standings. Now he’s on track for the postseason. But he didn’t do it gently. Logano clearly got the better of Dillon on the final restart. Then Dillon came up behind Logano and spun him. And when Denny Hamlin appeared to be moving past him on the inside, Dillon made contact with him too and sent him into the wall.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stetson Bennett rebounded from a four-interception afternoon and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Miller Forristall with 4 seconds remaining as the Los Angeles Rams rallied for a 13-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon in the preseason opener for both teams. Bennett led the Rams on a 13-play, 70-yard drive, including his sidearm throw to Forristall on fourth-and-goal from the Dallas 6-yard line. Bennett went the distance at quarterback and was 24 of 38 for 224 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions while Trey Lance passed for 188 yards in his first game for the Cowboys.
OLYMPICS
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Paris has closed out two and a half extraordinary weeks of Olympic sports and emotion with a star-studded show in France’s national stadium. The French capital has handed over hosting duties for the Summer Games to the next city in line: Los Angeles in 2028. Hollywood star Tom Cruise descended from the top of the stadium to the “Mission: Impossible” theme song, before taking the Olympic flag from star gymnast Simone Biles, putting it on the back of motorcycle and roaring out of the stadium. Los Angeles is looking to prove that topping Paris isn't mission impossible. The French capital made spectacular use of its cityscape, with the Eiffel Tower and other iconic monuments serving as backdrops and venues.
PARIS (AP) — During the 2024 Olympics, crowds from Paris to Tahiti have surprised even themselves with their enthusiasm for two and a half weeks of sports. They've plunged into the party like Léon Marchand parting the waters for his four swimming golds. Now, they're saying “au revoir” — see you again — as the Games drew to a close Sunday. After the 100-year wait since Paris’ last Games, no one can say when France’s capital and the Olympics will next embrace. But they’re both emerging changed — in some ways for the better — from their summer romance. As well as hitting high notes, Paris also experienced lows.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — As the Olympics close in Paris, Los Angeles has now taken the torch. The city will become the third to host the games three times. The last was in 1984, when Los Angeles was as much a star as Olympians Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton. Olympic organizers will take advantage of a recent building boom in the city. The nearly new SoFi stadium will host an opening ceremony that will also incorporate the century-old Memorial Coliseum. The region has much more public transportation than it did in '84, but is looking to build much more by 2028.
PARIS (AP) — U.S. Olympic officials say they will appeal a court ruling that resulted in American gymnast Jordan Chiles being asked to return the bronze medal she won in the Paris Olympics floor exercise. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles’ coach that vaulted her to third, saying the appeal came 4 seconds beyond the 1-minute time limit for scoring inquiries. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said Saturday night it would respect the court’s decision and elevate Barbosu to third. The International Olympic Committee confirmed the ruling Sunday, announcing that it was reallocating the bronze from last Monday’s women’s floor final to Romanian Ana Barbosu.
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles stole the show at the Paris Olympics with a captivating comeback that had everyone watching everything she did both in and out of the gymnasium. All eyes were on Biles as she won four medals, but the spotlight was bright enough to highlight new names, new faces and some unlikely new stars. The Paris Games will be remembered for breathtaking venues, unprecedented accessibility, Snoop Dogg taking a starring role in NBC’s record-smashing coverage and remarkable athletic performances.
PARIS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 21 points and the U.S. survived the biggest challenge of its unprecedented run to eight straight gold medals with a 67-66 win over France on Sunday. No team had been able to push the Americans during this impressive streak of 61 consecutive wins. Only two of those victories had been by single digits before the game against France. The eight straight golds broke a tie with the American men’s program that won seven in a row from 1936-68. The women’s victory came less than 24 hours after the U.S. men’s team also beat France. This was the first time in Olympic history that both gold medal games featured the same two teams. Unlike the men’s game this one came down to the final minute and one last shot by France that was just inside the 3-point line.
SUNDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final L.A. Angels 6 Washington 4
Final Detroit 5 San Francisco 4
Final Seattle 12 N.Y. Mets 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 2 Baltimore 1
Final Oakland 8 Toronto 4
Final Houston 10 Boston 2
Final N.Y. Yankees 8 Texas 7
Final Cleveland 5 Minnesota 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Miami 7 San Diego 6
Final Cincinnati 4 Milwaukee 3
Final Colorado 9 Atlanta 8
Final Arizona 12 Philadelphia 5
Final L.A. Dodgers 6 Pittsburgh 5
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Final Denver 34 Indianapolis 30