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Win country: Truex Jr. surges to 4th career Sonoma Raceway victory

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

SONOMA — Martin Truex Jr. won at Sonoma Raceway for the fourth time in his career Sunday, passing Chase Elliott for the lead after a final-stage restart and holding off Kyle Busch for his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season.The 42-year-old Truex confidently drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to another victory on the hilly road course at the base of Northern California wine country, where he also won in 2013, 2018, and 2019. Only Jeff Gordon has more victories (five) at Sonoma than Truex, who earned the 33rd win of his Cup career and his second in the last six races after winning at Dover.Elliott finished fifth in his return from a one-race suspension for deliberately wrecking Hamlin at Charlotte. Elliott, who has missed seven races this season, twice held the lead in the final stage before Truex blew past him on fresher tires. Truex has seven top-10 finishes in his last nine races.“Hats off to my team,” said Truex, who finished 26th at Sonoma last year. “To be so bad last...

Brandon Crawford closes out SF Giants bullpen game in 13-3 rout of Cubs

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ bullpen game Sunday went so well it ended with a position player on the mound. And not just anyone: Brandon Crawford, who fulfilled a career-long dream while finishing off a 13-3 rout of the Cubs in the finale of their three-game series.Crawford was allowed to pitch the final inning, after the Giants’ rebounded from Saturday’s one-hit shutout by exploding for 13 runs on 15 hits, including two home runs each from Joc Pederson and Thairo Estrada. While issuing a four-pitch walk to the first batter, Crawford eventually recorded the final three outs, topping out at 88 mph.Pederson homered twice and reached base three more times, accounting for five of the Giants’ runs as they avoided a sweep in the three-game series and kept their record (33-32) above water.In the three-game series against his former club, Pederson went 8-for-11 with five RBIs, four runs scored and two home runs. While his four-hit performance in Friday night’s s...

As protest at Coliseum nears, Oakland A’s begin to play their best baseball

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

MILWAUKEE — The A’s used a trio of home runs Sunday to earn an 8-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, completing their first series sweep of the season as they continue to ride their longest winning streak in nearly two years.Seth Brown and Brent Rooker hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning and Kevin Smith also went deep as Oakland erased an early 2-0 deficit and won its fifth straight game. This marks the first time the A’s have had five consecutive victories within the same season since September 2021.“I think the clubhouse is just becoming closer,” Brown said. “Guys are really starting to get to know each other and just starting to kind of jell as a team a bit.”Next comes an A’s homestand that includes a protest by fans who hope to pack the Coliseum on Tuesday night to show their opposition to owner John Fisher’s proposed move to Las Vegas. Nothing like a hot streak to draw a crowd.The A’s (17-50) on Monday begin a four-game series with the Tampa...

PHOTOS: Big rig catches fire in Marin, causes delays on Hwy 101

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

(KRON) -- A big rig caught fire on Highway 101 Sunday afternoon in Marin County, California Highway Patrol announced on Twitter. The semi-trailer truck was in flames on the southbound lanes north of San Antonio Road near Novato.No injuries have been reported from the fire, CHP said. The law enforcement agency posted photos from the incident (below).(CHP)(CHP)(CHP)Officials from 511 first tweeted about the fire at 3:39 p.m. As of 4:30 p.m., the left lane is open, but the right lane remains blocked.CHP advised drivers to use extra caution while driving in the area. No other information was immediately available.

Neto has first 2-homer game, Ohtani remains hot as Angels defeat Mariners 9-4

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Zach Neto had his first two-homer game, Shohei Ohtani kept up a hot June with three hits and the Los Angeles Angels bounced back with a 9-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.Matt Thaiss drove in three runs and Taylor Ward also went deep for the Angels, who have won six of seven.Seattle’s Teoscar Hernández had three hits, including a two-run homer in the fourth. Ty France also had three hits and Mike Ford had a solo shot in the fifth for the Mariners, who finished a 2-6 trip.Griffin Canning (5-2) won for the third time in four starts, striking out seven in five-plus innings.Neto, the 13th overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, hit a pair of solo shots. His drive over the left-center wall off Logan Gilbert (4-4) in the second extended the Angels’ lead to 3-0. He also went deep to left in the eighth to make it 8-4.Ohtani had three hits for the second time in three games and extended his hitting streak to eight games. The two...

Uruguay beats Italy 1-0 to win maiden Under-20 World Cup title

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

LA PLATA, Argentina (AP) — Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 on Sunday to win its first Under-20 World Cup title. The Celeste’s victory ends a streak of four consecutive wins of European teams in the tournament.Luciano Rodríguez scored the winning goal in the 86th minute in a header from close range, giving Uruguay a much deserved victory after an entire match of dominance against Italy. More than 40,000 people, mostly cheering for Uruguay, attended the match at the Diego Maradona Stadium. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also present.Uruguay barely needed to count on its steady defense, which conceded only three goals in the tournament, all against England in the group stage.The South American team had clear chances to open the scoring much earlier in a free kick taken by Rodríguez, two long distance shots by captain Fabricio Díaz and a header by Anderson Duarte that forced goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches to make one of the best saves of the tournament.Italy’s Cesare Casadei,...

For this US Open in LA, fairways look wider than they really are

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rickie Fowler was walking toward his golf ball in the 18th fairway on a cool, cloudy Sunday afternoon when he looked to his right and to his left and asked a most unusual question for any U.S. Open but this one.“Are these the widest fairways for a U.S. Open?” he said.There’s a lot different about a U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and that goes beyond the second-oldest championship in golf being held on the edge of Beverly Hills.The U.S. Open hasn’t had Bermuda rough in play off the fairways since 2005 at Pinehurst No. 2, and yet the greens on the North course are bentgrass.As for the fairways? True, this is one of the widest U.S. Open courses. But it might help to put a notice several tee boxes that says, “Targets are smaller than they appear.”“Looks big,” Fowler said. “Plays small.”Another big change for this U.S. Open is the topic of conversation. The U.S. Open comes one week after the PGA Tour announced the Saudi Arabian wealth fund it had be...

Timothy Bradley, Carl Froch lead class of 2023 into boxing’s Hall of Fame

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

VERONA, N.Y. (AP) — Timothy Bradley Jr. remembers being in England on the night before his first title fight, when his wife started speaking to him in a tone more concerning than usual. “I knew something was up and she said: ‘We only have 11 dollars in our bank account. I spent our last 300 to get here. You must win. You’ve got to win,’” Bradley recalled.He did, a moment that gave Bradley the motivation that guided him the rest of his career and ultimately all the way to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. “That day I vowed that our family would never be broke again,” Bradley said.The former two-division champion was part of the 10-member class enshrined Sunday in at ceremony at the Turning Stone Resort Casino. Carl Froch, a four-time super middleweight titlist, had a message similar to Bradley’s in saying that talent alone wasn’t what got him into the museum in Canastota, New York.“Like I said, I didn’t win them all, but what I never did was quit,” Froch said. ...

Jones, Thomas lead Connecticut Sun past Atlanta Dream 89-77

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Brionna Jones scored 18 points, Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Atlanta Dream 89-77 on Sunday.The Sun scored the last five points of the third quarter to lead 65-60 entering the fourth. Jones and Tyasha Harris then scored the first eight points of the period and Connecticut led by at least nine points the rest of the way.Allisha Gray scored to get the Dream within 84-75 near the one-minute mark, but Thomas made a driving layup and DeWanna Bonner added a technical free throw to put the Sun up by double digits again.Bonner scored 15 points for the Sun. Connecticut got 35 bench points, with Harris scoring 15 and DiJonai Carrington 12.Cheyenne Parker led Atlanta with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Gray scored 18 and Rhyne Howard added 16.Atlanta scored the game’s first 10 points before Connecticut rallied, first tying the game at 16. The score was tied three times in the second quarter and Harris...

NASCAR Cup Series Toyota / Save Mart 350 Results

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:31:09 GMT

SundayAt Sonoma RacewaySonoma, Calif.Lap length: 1.99 miles(Start position in parentheses)1. (8) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 110 laps, 53 points.2. (12) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 110, 45.3. (17) Joey Logano, Ford, 110, 43.4. (7) Chris Buescher, Ford, 110, 37.5. (10) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 110, 32.6. (5) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 110, 38.7. (3) Michael McDowell, Ford, 110, 39.8. (16) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 110, 29.9. (4) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 110, 38.10. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 110, 35.11. (21) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 110, 27.12. (13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 110, 32.13. (22) Ryan Preece, Ford, 110, 24.14. (26) William Byron, Chevrolet, 110, 30.15. (14) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 110, 24.16. (25) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 110, 21.17. (18) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 110, 20.18. (6) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 110, 22.19. (11) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 110, 23.20. (19) Corey Lajoie, Chevrolet, 110, 17.21. (23) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 110, 16.22. (9) Daniel Suárez, Chevrolet, 110, 15.23. (27...