MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nelson Velázquez homered twice, Salvador Perez hit his team-leading 10th homer of the season and the Kansas City Royals snapped a three-game skid with a 6-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. Velázquez’s first homer came in Kansas City’s four-run third inning. After Minnesota jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, the Royals countered with four runs off Twins starter Bailey Ober. Perez drove in the go-ahead run with a double to left, and Veláquez knocked in Perez two batters later with a two-run shot to center for a 4-1 lead. Perez hit a solo homer in the fifth inning and Veláquez followed with his seventh homer of the season. Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (9-1) earned his fourth win in as many starts.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Matt Carpenter hit a go-ahead home in the third inning, Nolan Gorman also went deep and the St. Louis Cardinals reached .500 for the first time in six weeks with a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds Carpenter hit his first home run for the Cardinals since April 30, 2021, as St. Louis (27-27) won for the 12th time in 15 games. The Cardinals had not been at .500 since they were 9-9 before play on April 17 and they had dropped to 15-24 before their turnaround. They have won five straight series.
CHICAGO (AP) — Baseball players and fans alike are learning more about the Negro Leagues after the statistics for more than 2,300 players — historic figures like Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Satchel Paige and Mule Suttles — were incorporated into the major league record book following a three-year research project. A 17-person committee chaired by John Thorn, Major League Baseball’s official historian, met six times as part of the meticulous process of examining statistics from seven Negro Leagues from 1920-1948. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene calls the move “long overdue.” Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen says he is doing some “deep diving” into some Negro Leagues players that he hadn't heard of before.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Yankees had the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Angels when they were done in by an unconventional double play. Giancarlo Stanton hit a high popup near the bag at second. Umpires called an infield fly, but Juan Soto bumped into Angels shortstop Zach Neto with his hip as he tried to get back to second base, causing Neto to lose track of the ball and it landing in the infield. Second base umpire Vic Carapazza ruled that Soto interfered with Neto, leading to the second out.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jorge López will be cut by the struggling New York Mets after the reliever threw his glove into the stands following his ejection from a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called the outburst “not acceptable” and said it would be handled internally. López expressed no remorse for his display, saying he didn't regret it. Afterward, the Mets began the process of designating López for assignment. They will have seven days to trade or release him, or send him outright to the minors if no other team claims him on waivers.
LAWRENCE, Kansas (AP) — Kansas has signed athletic director Travis Goff to a seven-year contract extension that includes a hefty raise. The school announced the agreement on Wednesday. Goff was originally earning $700,000 on his five-year deal. He'll start his new contract with a salary of $1.3 million. Goff's compensation will increase each year until he's earning $1.57 million by the end of the deal in May 2031. Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod said Goff is one of the most respected athletic directors in the country.
UNDATED (AP) — UConn forward Alex Karaban is returning to school for a try at a third straight national title. The third-year sophomore announced his decision Wednesday, the final day for players to withdraw from the NBA draft. Arizona shooting guard Caleb Love is also coming back for a second season with the Wildcats after declaring for the NBA draft. And Clemson guard Chase Hunter, who helped the Tigers reach the Elite Eight last season, is also returning to college after withdrawing from the draft.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell, a local prosecutor, asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against Scheffler. Scheffler was not required to be in the courtroom Wednesday. Scheffler was charged with a felony for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, along with three misdemeanors. Scheffler has said he simply misunderstood the commands coming from traffic officers.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Mattias Janmark and Leon Draisaitl scored in a 51-second span in the second period and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Wednesday night in Game 4 to even the Western Conference final. Janmark tied it on a short-handed, 2-on-1 break with Connor Brown with 5:29 left in the period, and Draisaitl followed with his 10th of the postseason with 4:38 to go. Game 5 is Friday night in Dallas. Ryan McLeod, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, into a empty net with 1:53 remaining, also scored for Edmonton. Stuart Skinner made 20 saves. Wyatt Johnson and Esa Lindell scored as Dallas raced to a 2-0 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes. McLeod and Bouchard countered for Edmonton late in the period.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma is chasing history again. The Sooners head into the Women’s College World Series with the opportunity to win an unprecedented fourth straight national title. They open double-elimination bracket play Thursday against No. 10 seed Duke. The Sooners began the season as the favorites and felt the weight of high expectations. It hasn’t gone as smoothly as some years. Texas won the Big 12 regular-season title, but Oklahoma won the Big 12 tournament. Oklahoma entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Texas enters the World Series as the No. 1 overall seed.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa State has already scrapped plans for a new wrestling facility. Texas A&M laid off a dozen or so athletic staffers. That could be the tip of the iceberg when millions in college revenue starts going directly to the athletes instead of coaching salaries, facilities or athletic department staffs. A revenue-sharing model proposed in a court settlement would mean a school could pay up to about $21 million annually to its athletes. One economist called it “an economic earthquake" that will have impacts still being determined.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Detroit 8 Pittsburgh 0
Final Texas 6 Arizona 1
Final Pittsburgh 10 Detroit 2
Final Colorado 7 Cleveland 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 6 Boston 1
Final Tampa Bay 4 Oakland 3
Final Kansas City 6 Minnesota 1
Final Toronto 3 Chicago White Sox 1
Final N.Y. Yankees 2 L.A. Angels 1
Final Seattle 2 Houston 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 5 Cincinnati 3
Final Philadelphia 6 San Francisco 1
Final Miami 9 San Diego 1
Final L.A. Dodgers 10 N.Y. Mets 3
Final Milwaukee 10 Chicago Cubs 6
Final Washington 7 Atlanta 2
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS