MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela has won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2 on Eugenio Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the ninth. Maikel Garcia’s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu’s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring pro-Latin America crowd in Miami. Eduardo Rodríguez and lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits before Bryce Harper's two-out, two-run homer in the eighth tied it. Daniel Palencia retired the side in order in the ninth, finishing a three-hitter.
NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and its players’ union reached an agreement in principle on a transformational new collective bargaining agreement early Wednesday morning. The deal is expected to greatly increase player salaries with a good chance for million dollar players _ a first for the league entering its 30th season that will start on time. Specifics still need to be finalized over the next few weeks as lawyers on both sides work on the new CBA. A term sheet should be done in the next day or two. It will then need to be voted on by the players and the league’s Board of Governors.
MIAMI (AP) — Aaron Judge walked slowly back and forth in the United States’ dugout on Tuesday night while Venezuelan players shed tears and fell to their knees to celebrate the country’s first World Baseball Classic title. Other players from the Americans’ $320 million roster stood frozen for several minutes before finally leaving the field. Team USA brought its most loaded roster ever to baseball’s premier international event, but the Americans lost their second straight WBC final after winning the championship in 2017.
GENEVA (AP) — Morocco was stunningly awarded the Africa Cup of Nations title by appeals judges who overturned Senegal’s victory in a chaotic final in January. The Confederation of African Football says its appeals board ruled Senegal is “declared to have forfeited the Final” and its 1-0 win in extra time becomes a 3-0 default win for host nation Morocco. In the Jan. 18 final in Rabat, Senegal left the field in protest during stoppage time for 15 minutes, and fans tried to storm the field when Morocco was awarded a penalty. Senegal said it would appeal Tuesday's decision.
MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela manager Omar López went beyond the limit to help his nation win its first World Baseball Classic. Major league clubs routinely place restrictions on how national team managers can use pitchers at the WBC. One key for López and Venezuela in Tuesday night’s championship game was that he talked some MLB team executives into dropping their initial limitations. U.S. manager Mark DeRosa accepted such restraints. That allowed López to pitch Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia for the second straight night and third time in four days. Palencia retired three straight batters to seal a 3-2 win.
The Denver Broncos have acquired standout wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a blockbuster deal that sends three draft picks to the Miami Dolphins, including a first-rounder, according to two people with knowledge of the trade. Both spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced. The Dolphins will receive the 30th-overall pick in next month’s NFL draft along with picks in the third and fourth rounds. Denver will get Miami’s fourth-rounder along with Waddle. Waddle gives Bo Nix another main playmaker along with Courtland Sutton, boosting a passing offense that finished 11th in the NFL last season.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is treating a 17-point loss to Texas as a useful reset before the NCAA Tournament. Her fourth-ranked Gamecocks lost the SEC title game 78-61 to Texas after a 14-0 first-quarter hole. A similar loss in the SEC titgle game 2022 ended with a national championship. South Carolina will be the No. 1 seed again and will face the winner of Southern and Samford on Saturday. The Gamecocks have made the Final Four as a No. 1 seed the last five seasons.
NOME, Alaska (AP) — Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes cruised to a repeat victory in the Iditarod, the roughly 1,000-mile sled dog race in Alaska. Holmes guided his dog team Tuesday night across the finish line in the old Gold Rush town of Nome. Holmes pumped both fists in the air as the crowd cheered for him and his team of 12 dogs. The race started March 8 in Willow. The course took dog teams and their mushers over two mountain ranges, along the frozen Yukon River and across the unpredictable Bering Sea ice. Holmes is a former cast member on the National Geographic reality show “Life Below Zero,” chronicling the struggles of people living in rural Alaska.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has put off a decision about barring government officials from major sporting events if their countries voluntarily withhold dues. Tuesday's move pushes a potential showdown with President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials until at least after this summer’s World Cup. The WADA executive committee met and said it would consider the new rule in September, two months after the end of the World Cup, which the U.S. is hosting along with Canada and Mexico. If such a rule is adopted later this year, it would presumably go into effect before the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
GENEVA (AP) — Iran’s Embassy in Mexico has suggested the country is negotiating with FIFA to move Iran’s World Cup matches from the U.S. to Mexico after President Donald Trump discouraged the team from attending the tournament, citing safety concerns. FIFA says it is in regular contact with the Iran soccer federation and it is not changing the match schedule announced last December. Iranian officials have previously said it is up to FIFA and the U.S. to keep the team safe during the World Cup. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was asked about it Tuesday. She said "We’ll see what FIFA decides."
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 2 Minnesota 0
Final Boston 4 Atlanta 3
Final Houston 10 Pittsburgh 2
Final San Diego 9 Seattle 6
Final Seattle 10 Colorado 6
Final Cleveland 8 Cincinnati 6
Final Chicago Cubs 8 L.A. Angels 6
Final L.A. Dodgers 10 Kansas City 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Yankees 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final Chicago White Sox 6 Athletics 4
Final Baltimore 1 Detroit 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 1 St. Louis 0
Final N.Y. Mets 5 Miami 5
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final N-Y Islanders 3 Toronto 1
Final Columbus 5 Carolina 1
Final OT Montreal 3 Boston 2
Final OT Minnesota 4 Chicago 3
Final SO Nashville 4 Winnipeg 3
Final Edmonton 5 San Jose 3
Final Vancouver 5 Florida 2
Final Tampa Bay 6 Seattle 2
Final Buffalo 2 Vegas 0