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LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) – Two East Texas football coaches were inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association’s Hall of Honor on Saturday, after making their mark in East Texas’ legendary football history.

Longview Lobos head football coach John King was inducted into the Hall of Honor on Saturday along with former Marshall High School head coach Dennis Parker.

King has served as the Lobos head coach since 2004 and has led the team to 17 district titles and the 6A State Championship title in 2018. In his time as the Lobos head coach, King has earned a record of 240-52, the best record of any coach in the school’s history.

King has also served as the president of the Texas High School Coaches Association and as one of their board members. King coached his son Haynes in 2018 when the Lobos won the 6A state championship. Haynes went on to play quarterback for the Texas A&M Aggies, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and is now with the Carolina Panthers.

Parker’s over 50 years in coaching started in 1972 and included a stint with Marshall High School where he coached the Mavericks to victory in the 1990 6A State Championship game. Parker also saw championship success with Converse Judson High School, and earned the distinction of becoming the youngest head coach of a 5A Texas football team at just 24-years-old.

“Known for his ‘Coaching to Change Lives’ philosophy, Parker’s lasting legacy lies in his commitment to character development, mentorship, and the profound impact of coaching on young lives,” the Texas High School Coaches Association said of Parker.

To learn more about the Hall of Honor, visit the Texas High School Coaches Association online.

ATLANTA — — Austin Riley and Drake Baldwin each hit two home runs and the Atlanta Braves beat the Texas Rangers 8-5 on Sunday to win the three-game series in a matchup of first-place teams.

Baldwin had a career-high five hits and became the first Braves catcher to hit two homers in a game since Johnny Estrada on May 15, 2004. Riley had three hits and drove in four runs.

The NL East-leading Braves took two of three from the AL West-leading Rangers. The Braves claimed their 21st series of the season, matching their total from 2025.

Wyatt Langford had three hits for Texas, including a homer in the ninth off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.

Riley, who entered the All-Star break hitting only .207 with nine homers, had three homers in the series. He raised his average to .217 with the three hits, including a two-run single in the seventh. He also went deep in the Braves’ 15-1 win in the series opener Friday night.

Riley homered in each of his first two at-bats against Nathan Eovaldi (9-8). Eovaldi, who allowed four runs in four innings, has given up 22 homers this season, the third-highest total in his 15 seasons in the majors. He allowed 23 homers in 2016 and 2024.

Grant Holmes (6-4) allowed three runs in five innings. The Braves led 4-0 before Texas scored three runs in the fifth. Langford had a run-scoring double in the inning.

Up next

Rangers: Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (7-5, 3.49 ERA), who missed his last start before the All-Star break with a mild left glute strain, will return for Monday night’s home opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

Braves: RHP Bryce Elder (5-6, 4.12) will start against San Diego LHP JP Sears (2-2, 5.03) in Monday night’s series opener as Atlanta’s homestand continues.

HOUSTON (AP) — Brandon Young allowed one run over seven innings, Coby Mayo homered, and the Baltimore Orioles extended their season-best winning streak to seven games by beating the Houston Astros 5-2 on Sunday.

The streak is the Orioles’ longest since 2023.

Young (8-2) allowed five hits and one walk while striking out seven, which is one less than his season high. Yordan Alvarez’s third-inning RBI double accounted for the only run he allowed.

With Young out of the game, Rico Garcia allowed a solo home run to Jose Altuve in the eighth inning. Grant Wolfram pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first major league save.

Gunnar Henderson gave Baltimore the lead with a third-inning RBI single. He made it 2-0 later in the frame when he stole home on a double steal.

The Orioles finished with a season-high four stolen bases.

Leody Taveras increased Baltimore’s lead to 4-1 with a broken bat, two-run single in the fifth inning.

Mayo added his solo homer in the sixth.

Dylan Beavers was 2 for 4 with a double.

Orioles’ catcher Samuel Basallo left the game in the second inning due to right shoulder discomfort.

Houston starter Hunter Brown (1-1) allowed four runs on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He issued a career-high six walks and hit two batters.

Astros pitching combined for seven walks and four hit batters.

Houston has lost four straight games and seven of its last nine.

Up next

Astros RHP Ronel Blanco makes his season debut against Marlins RHP Janson Junk (4-5 4.57 ERA) in the first game of a three-game series Monday night in Houston.

Orioles RHP Shane Baz (4-9, 4.19) starts against Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.11) in the first game of a three-game series Monday night in Boston.

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — The hard work for Ryan Fox was just getting to the 18th hole in the British Open with a share of the lead. Still to come was the toughest hole at Royal Birkdale, which had yielded only four birdies to the 76 players who had already come through Sunday.

For a 39-year-old from New Zealand, the son of an All Blacks rugby star who once only dreamed of having a card on any tour, this was no time to back down.

“I did say to my caddie Dean (Smith) that we were going to take it on, that I was going to try to win the tournament, and I’d live with the consequences if I stuffed it up,” Fox said.

It turned out to be the stuff of major champions.

The drive was powerful and pure. The 9-iron from 175 yards looked good in the air and even better on the ground when it settled 12 feet below the hole. The birdie putt was the biggest of his life.

Fox closed with four birdies over his last six holes — and one bogey that felt equally important — for a 2-under 68 and a one-shot victory over hard-luck Cameron Young for his first major title.

This was pure theater to cap off a week of so much drama — three record-tying rounds of 62, Bryson DeChambeau’s animated protest over a two-shot penalty, Tommy Fleetwood thrilling and teasing his hometown crowd to massive ovations on every hole.

Four players had a share of the lead at some point in the final round. Young was atop the leaderboard for two hours without hitting a shot anywhere but the range because he finished his astonishing 6-under 64 as the last few groups were on the front nine.

Young was on the range when he heard the massive roar and knew it was over. He bowed his head, lifted his driver and tapped the ground before packing up when Fox made his final birdie.

“Everyone practices on the green — you’ve got a putt to win a major championship, to win The Open. It’s not like that in real life. It’s not a very comfortable feeling,” Fox said. “It’s certainly very enjoyable when you see it go in.”

He thrust those powerful arms into the air and was on the phone with his family moments later and was heard telling them, “You asked me to bring a trophy home, and I am, aren’t I?”

His name will go on the base of that shiny claret jug along with another Kiwi, Bob Charles, who won the British Open in 1963. Michael Campbell is the other New Zealand man to win a major at Pinehurst No. 2 in the 2005 U.S. Open.

Fox’s sterling moment brought more disappointment for Young. The American also finished one shot behind in the British Open at St. Andrews four years ago, and he had a Sunday lead on the front nine at the Masters until Rory McIlroy overtook him.

“I gave it everything I had all the way through,” Young said when he finished. He declined interviews when Fox ended the 154th Open.

Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader who was never planning to be at the Open until his wife gave birth to their daughter earlier than expected, lost a two-shot lead and didn’t make birdie over the last 12 holes to finish two shots behind.

“I just couldn’t find them today. Just didn’t have my best stuff,” Burns said. “Given the circumstances, I’m very pleased with the week. I’m looking forward to being home.”

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler somehow managed to stick around until the end, getting two bad bounces that cost him momentum, then getting one big break for a most improbable birdie. He closed with a 67 and shared fourth with Fleetwood, who fell back early but delivered a birdie-birdie finish for a 68.

Missing from all drama, remarkably, was DeChambeau. He lost a golf ball and made triple bogey on the 11th hole and didn’t make a birdie until he was well out of contention. That two-shot penalty he received Friday for improving the path of his swing wasn’t an issue at the end. DeChambeau shot a 72 and tied for 14th.

Fox won for the 10th time worldwide, his biggest title before Sunday coming at the BMW PGA Championship in 2023. He is the oldest first-time major champion since Henrik Stenson was 40 at Royal Troon 10 years ago.

Fox finished at 10-under 270, got his hands on the jug and heard those magic words when he was introduced as the “Champion Golfer of the Year.”

“I’m not quite sure how I hit that putt on 18. Look, it is a dream come true,” Fox said. “Looking at that trophy now, it’s the first time I’ve seen it up close. So it’s pretty amazing.”

Young was flawless until the final hole, his tee shot finding a pot bunker. He tried to open the face of a 6-iron but caught it thin and it smacked into the vetted wall and into the rough. He hit the next shot into a greenside bunker and nearly holed it for par. The bogey put him at 9-under 271.

Burns was losing ground quickly on the front nine with three straight bogeys, none more damaging than a pitch to the reachable par-4 fifth hole that went over the back of the green.

Si Woo Kim emerged as the leader going to the back nine until he made bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes, and he fell out of contention for good with a pair of late bogeys that added to a 40 on the back nine for 72.

That left Young at the top of the leaderboard, waiting to see if anyone could match him.

Fox’s hopes took a nasty turn on the par-3 15th when his tee shot caromed off the side of a bunker and settled next to the lip, leaving him no stance and no shot. He smartly played away from the back pin to the fairway, chipped from 45 yards away to 6 feet and made bogey.

It was as big as any shot he hit until the last.

“To get that up-and-down really kept the momentum going,” Fox said. “I felt a whole lot better walking off that green making bogey that way than probably even if I’d have made par.”

Fox was a late bloomer, a European tour rookie at age 30 and a PGA Tour rookie when he was 37. His goal when he started was to have a tour card. Now he’s a major champion.

“I said to my team last night at dinner, if you’d have given me my career up until yesterday when I turned pro, I’d have jumped at that,” Fox said, speaking with the claret jug at his side. “I don’t know what to think now.”

ARLINGTON, Texas — — Paige Bueckers had 25 points before exiting following a scary collision, Arike Ogunbowale scored six of her 20 down the stretch and the Dallas Wings beat the Los Angeles Sparks 90-82 on Sunday to extend their winning streak to a franchise record-tying six games.

Bueckers hit a 3-pointer that capped an 14-5 spurt and gave the Wings an eight-point lead with 9:12 left in the game.

Jessica Shepard had 11 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Wings (17-8) and Azzi Fudd also scored 11.

The Sparks (10-15) have lost four consecutive games, all on the road.

LA’s Nneka Ogwumike was fouled as she ran downcourt and, as she fell to the ground, collided with Bueckers with about 3 1/2 minutes to play and Dallas leading by four. Both players remained down on the court for a couple of minutes. Ogwumike stayed in the game while Bueckers — who appeared to hit the back of her head on the floor — walked to the locker room and did not return.

Ogunbowale scored six points from there to seal it.

Ogwumike made 7 of 12 from the field and finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Dearica Hamby added 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Cameron Brink scored 10 and Erica Wheeler had 10 assists to go with nine points for LA.

Wings coach Jose Fernandez said after the game that there was no immediate update on Bueckers, but the team expected to know more later Sunday.

Dallas beat the Sparks 104-96 in LA on June 5.

Up next

Sparks: Host Phoenix on Wednesday.

Wings: Host New York on Monday, a postponed game that had originally been scheduled for Thursday.

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Scottie Scheffler rapped an 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and gave a fist pump, which about summed up a third straight day for the defending British Open champion.

It was a mock fist pump. He missed another one.

That’s been the story all week for Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world on the verge of getting shut out of the majors. He has made only one bogey over the last 37 holes but could manage only three birdies during that span. He shot 70 on Saturday and was six shots behind.

Asked what he needed to do, Scheffler replied, “Just make more birdies.”

“I feel like I’m hitting the ball the way I need to in order to score,” he said. “That part is frustrating, but knowing my game is in a good spot is a good feeling as well. There’s been times this year where I feel like I was getting a lot out of my game. This week feels I’m playing a lot better than my score.

“A little bit frustrating, but if I continue to do this and hole some putts tomorrow, I could shoot a really low round and move my way up the leaderboard.”

Scheffler won his first tournament of the season at The American Express, and it was looking like a third sequel to the previous two years. But that remains his only victory, and last week he ended his cut streak at 78 tournaments when he missed the cut in the Scottish Open.

“All I can do is continue to try and execute and give myself opportunities, which I did another good job of today,” he said.

The Scheffler effect

Two players atop the leaderboard spent a lot of time with the No. 1 player in the world.

Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader, has been a close friend of Scottie Scheffler since they competed against each other in college. They are frequent practice round partners. Burns said it has taught him to throttle back when necessary if he’s being too aggressive.

“It helped that I got to play a lot of golf with the best player on the planet and watch what he does,” Burns said. “He makes so few mistakes, and he doesn’t take on unnecessary risks very often, if ever, and seems to always hit the correct shot in the moment.”

Si Woo Kim is tied for second and is part of Scheffler’s money games at home in Dallas. Scheffler even helped the 31-year-old from South Korea get a membership at Royal Oaks.

Kim said earlier this year the matches have been one-sided. He said of Scheffler, “He calls me ATM.”

“I could lose my money, but I want to watch his shot and learn,” Kim said. “I ask questions. He always give me his opinion, so it helps me a lot.”
Herbert’s gamble pays off

Lucas Herbert’s British Open challenge was already going off the rails thanks to back-to-back bogeys when he was forced to take an unplayable penalty at the par-5 17th after hitting his tee shot way left and into a dune.

The Australian stood over his third shot thinking: “This is either going to be unbelievable or this could be the end of my tournament.”

With one slash of a 3-iron, Herbert stayed in contention. His blind shot of some 238 yards somehow found its way onto the green — nearly hitting the flagstick — and he two-putted for par, eventually signing for a 71.

“I think that slots into the top 10 of shots that I’ve hit,” he said.

Herbert, who tied the scoring record of a major with a 62 on Friday, started the third round with a two-shot lead. He finished it three back from Sam Burns.
Fox is in the money

Ryan Fox felt pretty smug after his third round at the British Open — and it wasn’t just because he’d tied the lowest score at a major championship.

After going out early and becoming the latest player to shoot 62 at Royal Birkdale, Fox said he’d spend the rest of the day watching some golf but also taking in a replay of a rugby international between his native New Zealand and Ireland.

Seems Fox and Shane Lowry, an Irishman, had had a wager on it. With New Zealand winning 40-21, Fox had come out of it richer.

“I watched a decent chunk of that this morning and I was pretty happy with that result, too,” Fox said.

“I just saw Shane on the screen, and I’m looking forward to taking 100 quid (pounds) off him, the little bet we had.”
What’s in a name

Ryan Gerard has a real chance of winning the British Open at the first attempt, and the No. 28-ranked American — who is just three shots off the lead — is getting plenty of support from the locals along the way.

That’s because his name bears a similarity to one of the great soccer players to come from these parts in recent decades — the former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard.

Liverpudlians in the galleries were heard chanting songs they once reserved for Gerrard — but simply replacing Steven with Ryan.

“There’s quite a few songs — I think some of them I can’t repeat. The lads were out in full force today,” the 26-year-old Gerard said.

“It’s kind of funny,” he added. “It’s not even spelled the same, but I’ll take it. I’ll take any support that we can from across-the-pond folks.”

Gerard said it was “like a Tony Romo situation” — a nod to the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who, after retirement, has worked on his game and has tried (unsuccessfully) U.S. Open qualifying.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Expect some goals in the World Cup final. At least, that’s what history says.

In the 22 previous World Cup men’s finals (which would include the 1950 match between Uruguay and Brazil that technically wasn’t a final, but decided who won the World Cup), the winning team has averaged 2.6 goals in the title matchup. The losing team has averaged 1.1 goals.

The two most recent World Cup finals have been offensive slugfests, with a combined 12 goals. France beat Croatia 4-2 in 2018, while Argentina and France tied 3-3 in 2022 (before Argentina prevailed in a penalty shootout).

Teams scoring at least two goals have won the World Cup title 17 times; there have been eight instances of a team scoring at least two goals in the final and still falling short.

There have been three 1-0 wins: West Germany over Argentina in 1990, Spain over Netherlands in 2010 and Germany over Argentina in 2014. And there was one 0-0 tie in a final; Brazil wound up winning over Italy in a penalty shootout the 1994 final, which had been the only one played on U.S. soil before now.
Scaloni looking to join elite club

If Argentina wins Sunday, Lionel Scaloni — who led the team’s push to the 2022 title — would be just the second person to coach two World Cup championship clubs.

Italy went back-to-back as World Cup champions in 1934 and 1938, with both those clubs coached by Vittorio Pozzo.

Nobody else has two titles as a coach. There are three men — Brazil’s Mário Zagallo, West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer and France’s Didier Deschamps — to have won World Cups as both a player and a coach.

Messi matters

When he takes the field Sunday, Argentina star Lionel Messi will be the oldest field player to appear in a World Cup final.

Messi is 39. Sweden’s Gunnar Gren was 37 when he played against Brazil in the 1958 final.

The only player older than Messi to play in a final was Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff — who was 40 when his club beat West Germany for the 1982 crown. But among field players, Messi will stand alone as the oldest after Sunday.

Messi is also in position to join Brazil’s Cafu as the only person to play in three World Cup men’s finals. And since Cafu was a reserve in one of his appearances, Messi would be the first to start the title game on three occasions.
For Spain, youth may be served. Experience may, too.

Youth may be served by Spain in this World Cup final. And if La Roja prevails, experience would also have paid off.

It’s an interesting mix.

Spain is slated to have two teenagers — Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, a pair of 19-year-olds — play Sunday against Argentina in the World Cup final, and no team has ever had more than one teen in the lineup and won the title.

So, that’s the power of youth.

Here’s the flip side of that: If Spain wins, coach Luis de la Fuente — who is 65 — would become the oldest World Cup-winning sideline boss, passing Vicente del Bosque, who was 59 when Spain won its first title in 2010.

For the record, teenagers enter Sunday unbeaten in World Cup finals, according to FIFA, which says only three have ever played in soccer’s biggest game. Pelé was 17 when he helped Brazil win the final over Sweden in 1958, Giuseppe Bergomi was 18 when Italy beat West Germany in 1982, and Kylian Mbappé was 19 when France beat Croatia in 2018.
Spain seeking record streak

Spain is 28-0-9 in its last 37 matches, which has tied Italy for the longest unbeaten run by a European men’s national team.

Italy also went 28-0-9 from October 2018 through September 2021 — before losing to Spain 2-1 on Oct. 6, 2021 in Milan.

Argentina has a streak worth noting as well. It has won seven consecutive World Cup matches, tied with Italy for the second-longest such run in men’s tournament history. Only Brazil, which won 11 straight spanning 2002 and 2006, has a longer World Cup winning streak.
Argentina-Spain history

The game is just the second head-to-head meeting in a World Cup between Argentina and Spain. Argentina won 2-1 in the 1966 group stage.

Across all competitions and friendlies, the sides have played 14 times. Each has won six times and they tied twice.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma City is trading starting forward and defensive standout Lu Dort to Atlanta as part of a three-team deal that also has the Hawks sending former No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Atlanta also will receive Ryan Nembhard from Dallas and the Thunder will be getting three heavily protected second-round draft picks, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal has yet to receive the necessary approvals from the NBA.

The trade allows the Thunder to shed the salary needed to get below the second apron, gives the Hawks another top defender in Dort and gives the Mavericks a third No. 1 overall pick — the most currently on one roster in the NBA. Risacher will be joining 2011 top pick Kyrie Irving and 2025 top pick Cooper Flagg in Dallas.

Dort averaged 11.6 points over his first seven seasons, all with the Thunder. Risacher — a runner-up for rookie of the year in 2024-25 — averaged 11.1 points in two seasons with Atlanta and Nembhard averaged 6.6 points for Dallas as a rookie this past season.

NEW YORK (AP) – Lionel Messi has quite a climb to catch Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot.

The Argentina superstar has won just about everything in soccer except for the award for being the leading scorer at the World Cup, and he’s now two behind Mbappé after the France striker upped his total to 10 goals in a wild third-place game.

Even if Messi can’t get there, a record-extending third Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player seems well in reach after Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

He’s already the only player to win the award multiple times since it was first given in 1978, and sparking Argentina’s run to a second straight final at age 39 gives him a strong case for another.

“He is the history. He is the legend,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.

The other awards to be presented Sunday for performances at the World Cup are the Golden Glove for the top goalkeeper, and the Best Young Player Award, given to the top player 21 years old or younger.

Spain is in good shape to win at least one if not both of those, with Unai Simón allowing only one goal in seven games and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal providing the dazzle up front and showing why he is already considered one of the most promising players in the world.

Messi is at the other end of a career in which he’s won the Ballon d’Or, given to soccer’s player of the year, a record eight times.

The Golden Boot has eluded him, but he had the lead going into the final two matches of this year’s tournament. Both Messi and Mbappé had eight goals through the semifinals, but Messi owned the tiebreaker with one more assist.

Mbappé then scored twice Saturday in France’s 6-4 loss to England, making him the first player with 10 goals in a World Cup since Germany great Gerd Müller had 10 in 1970.

Mbappé also won the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, when France lost to Argentina in the final. This time, he could join players such as Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci in 1990, Croatia’s Davor Suker in 1998 and Germany’s Thomas Müller in 2010 as players whose goals in a third-place game carried them to the Golden Boot.

Should Messi beat out Mbappé in an Argentina victory, he would be the first Golden Boot winner to play for the champion since Ronaldo scored eight goals when Brazil won the title in 2002.

He may not need any goals to secure another Golden Ball.

Messi won that trophy for the first time in 2014, when Argentina was the runner-up, and again in 2022 when his seven goals in seven games powered his country to its third title.

The Golden Ball, Golden Glove and the Best Young Player Award are voted on by members of the media from a list of players compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

HOUSTON (AP) – Gunnar Henderson scored the tiebreaking run from second base on Tyler O’Neill’s infield single with two outs in the 11th inning, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.

Baltimore’s winning streak is its longest since May 30 to June 5, 2025.

O’Neill beat the throw to first from second baseman Jose Altuve, allowing Henderson to score with ease. That left runners at first and second, and Leody Taveras followed with an RBI single off Enyel De Los Santos (0-3).

Yordan Alvarez hit a tying double for Houston in the bottom of the 10th, and the Astros loaded the bases with nobody out. But they failed to push across the winning run against Andrew Kittredge (1-1).

O’Neill threw out Nick Allen at the plate after catching Altuve’s flyball to shallow right field. With runners on second and third, LaMonte Wade Jr. tried to bunt for a hit and was thrown out at first.

Cam Sanders retired the side in order in the bottom of the 11th for his first major league save.

Orioles starter Trevor Rogers allowed one run and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings with a season-high eight strikeouts. He was removed with runners at the corners in the seventh, and Houston tied the score at 1 on Allen’s squeeze bunt against Rico Garcia.

Rogers has a 1.23 ERA over his last six starts.

Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti gave up one run and one hit in five innings. He issued four walks, one of which scored on Dylan Beavers’ double in the fourth.

Baltimore took a 2-1 lead in the 10th on a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Jeremiah Jackson.

Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña left after a third-inning strikeout due to a right hamstring cramp, and first baseman Christian Walker exited during his at-bat in the fourth with right hip tightness. Astros manager Joe Espada said both will undergo imaging.

Houston has lost three straight and six of eight.

Up next

Orioles RHP Kyle Bradish (6-9, 3.61 ERA) faces RHP Hunter Brown (1-0, 3.57) when the series concludes Sunday.

ATLANTA (AP) – Brandon Nimmo’s two-run single in the sixth inning gave Texas the lead as the Rangers rallied from an early deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6 on Saturday in a matchup of first-place teams.

Texas left-hander MacKenzie Gore (6-8) gave up a two-run homer to Eli White in Atlanta’s four-run second inning and another homer to Michael Harris II the following inning. After giving up five runs in the first three innings, Gore gave up no more runs while pitching 5 2/3 innings.

All-Star left-hander Jacob Latz recorded the final four outs for his 19th save.

Evan Carter hit a two-run homer off Tyler Kinley (5-4) in the sixth as the Rangers pulled even at 5-5. Dylan Lee allowed infield singles to Wyatt Langford and Josh Jung before Nimmo’s two-run single up the middle gave the Rangers the lead. Nimmo drove in three runs with two hits.

Braves right-hander Owen Murphy allowed three runs, two earned, in 2 2/3 innings in his first major league start.

Murphy, who made two relief appearances before his first start, was hurt by Mauricio Dubón’s fielding error in the Rangers’ two-run third inning. Dubón collided with Harris on Kyle Higashioka’s fly ball to center field. Langford and Nimmo had run-scoring singles in the inning.

Dubón’s run-scoring double in the seventh trimmed the Rangers’ lead to 7-6.

The Braves had 19 hits in Friday’s 15-1 win to open the series.

Up next

Braves RHP Grant Holmes (5-4, 3.61 ERA) will start in Sunday’s final game of the series. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said RHP Nate Eovaldi (9-7, 4.04), who has been out with an illness, is tentatively set to start.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard has agreed to a $75 million, five-year contract, completing a major offseason goal for the team.

The rebuilding Blackhawks announced the deal on Saturday. Bedard, who turned 21 on Friday, had been a restricted free agent.

“Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a release. “He utilizes all aspects of his game to not only be a constant threat, but to make the players around him better every time he steps on the ice. Connor’s strong work ethic and determination to always improve his game has set an extraordinary standard for our young core.”

The deal was finalized 10 days after Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder. The center is expected to miss the start of the season after he got hurt while skating with a group of NHL players in western Canada.

Chicago went 29-39-14 this year, an 11-point improvement on the previous season and still nowhere near playoff contention. The team has finished No. 31 in the NHL each of the last three years.

The Blackhawks haven’t made a postseason appearance since the NHL used an expanded playoff format after the 2020 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They acquired defenseman Bowen Byram in a trade with Buffalo on June 23, and they also signed forward prospect Roman Kantserov in May.

Bedard has been the centerpiece of the team since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He made his anticipated NHL debut that October and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year.

He had 23 goals and 44 assists while appearing in all 82 games in his second season. He continued his steady improvement this year, setting career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games.

“He’s so important to our team,” Davidson said in April. “He took such a big step forward this year in every facet.”

Bedard missed nearly six weeks of his rookie season with a broken jaw, and he was sidelined for 12 games this year after he injured his right shoulder.

With the contract done, the next big moment for Bedard could be taking over as the 36th captain in franchise history. He became an alternate captain after the team traded away its entire leadership group in March.

His teammates think he’s ready for the challenge.

“I think that he has every leadership quality like I was just talking about to be a captain in this league,” forward Oliver Moore said in April. “He brings it every day.”

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Sam Burns gets his best chance at winning a major he never planned to play.

Two weeks after his daughter was born, one week after Burns changed his mind and decided to fly from Louisiana to play in the British Open, he followed his record-tying 62 with a 5-under 65 on Saturday to build a two-shot lead at Royal Birkdale.

Perhaps even more impressive is that Burns played with purpose amid the chaos that is Bryson DeChambeau, who played alongside him and heard big support from the gallery a day after he theatrically protested a two-shot penalty for improving the area of his swing.

DeChambeau seems to thrive among distractions, and two late birdies kept him in the game. Even with a bogey on the final hole — after playfully engaging with the gallery — DeChambeau had a 69 and goes into the final round four shots behind.

Burns was at 10-under 200 and with a two-shot lead over Si Woo Kim (67) and Ryan Fox, who became the third player this week to tie the major championship record with a 62. That took the New Zealander from even par into the final group with a shot at his first major.

Also still hanging onto hope was Southport’s own Tommy Fleetwood, who had a 69 and was five shots behind. About the only one missing was Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion, who struggled again to make putts and had to settle for a 70, leaving him six shots behind.

Of the leading 10 players going into Sunday, DeChambeau — a two-time U.S. Open champion — is the only player who has won a major.

That’s not to say Burns hasn’t experienced the pressure.

He was a 17-foot putt away from forcing a playoff in the U.S. Open last month at Shinnecock Hills. He was the 54-hole leader in the U.S. Open at Oakmont last year and was slowed only by wet conditions in which he lost control of two key shots because of all the water in the fairway.

Part of Burns feels as though he has nothing to lose because he never expected to be at Royal Birkdale. His wife, Caroline, was due to give birth the week of the British Open, but he never withdrew. She gave birth to a daughter, Belle, on July 3.

“To be able to come here was a bonus,” Burns said. “I didn’t think there was anyway possible. It will be a great challenge tomorrow. No matter what happens, I can live with the results.”

LONDON (AP) – British runner Josh Kerr ran 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds to break the long-standing men’s mile world record at a Diamond League meet in London on Saturday.

Kerr broke Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj’s mark of 3 minutes, 43.13 seconds, set in Rome in 1999, and the Edinburgh native then set off on a lap of honor at London Stadium.

Kerr, 28, was so dominant Saturday that he finished just over three seconds clear of American Yared Nuguse in 3:45.69.

The crowd support as he closed in on the record was “just incredible,” Kerr told the BBC.

“It was just me, my shoes and the track,” he said. “I was absolutely deaf in that last 110 meters.

“I didn’t take my foot off the gas,” he continued, “but … I started to glide and I was like ‘Oh wow, this feels incredible.’ It’s incredible because I’m slowing down. So, I was like ‘I better get to the line.’ So, crossing the finish line, seeing 42-something — anything — was my goal, so it was great.”

Kerr’s previous best time was 3:45.34 in 2024.

He had targeted the mile race at the Diamond League meet as a main goal in a track season with neither Olympics nor world championships.

The mile is not a championship event, yet it has iconic status in track history, with the four-minute barrier broken in 1954 by another British runner, Roger Bannister.

Kerr was a silver medalist in the 1,500 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics.