Sports
Lions beat 49ers as showdown with Vikings awaits
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (9) celebrates a touchdown against San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. Jared Goff threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns and the Detroit Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 40-34, at Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday night.
Jameson Williams scored two touchdowns for Detroit (14-2) but the game had no bearing on the playoff picture. The Lions’ home game against Minnesota on Sunday night in the final game of the regular season will determine the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and also gained 46 yards on four receptions.
Brock Purdy passed for a career-high 377 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score, but was intercepted twice in the second half by Kerby Joseph. Ricky Pearsall caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
San Francisco (6-10) led 21-13 at halftime.
The Niners scored on their first possession on Purdy’s 3-yard pass to Pearsall. The Lions answered with a 65-yard drive that Williams finished off with a 3-yard run. The extra point try was blocked, leaving the score at 7-6.
San Francisco scored again on the first play of the second quarter, a 9-yard pass from Purdy to Kyle Juszczyk.
Detroit used some razzle dazzle for its next score. On third and 12, Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown on a short pass. St. Brown then pitched the ball to Williams, who raced down the sideline on the 42-yard hook-and-ladder play.
The Niners got those points back less than four minutes later on Purdy’s 9-yard scramble for the touchdown.
The Lions tied it at 21-apiece on their first possession of the second half when Goff completed a 6-yard pass to Sam LaPorta for the touchdown 5:02 into the third quarter, then hooked up with Tim Patrick on the 2-point conversion.
Purdy passed for 79 yards on the Niners’ ensuing possession, including a 5-yarder to Deebo Samuel for the touchdown that made it 28-21 in favor of San Francisco.
The Lions took the lead before the quarter ended. First, Jake Bates blasted a 57-yard field goal with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter, then Joseph’s first interception set up Goff’s fourth-down, 4-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown with 19 seconds to go in the quarter.
Bates extended the advantage to six at 34-28 on his 42-yard field goal with 10:29 left in the game.
Joseph’s second interception halted the Niners’ next possession and Gibbs’ 30-yard touchdown run with 2:58 remaining put the game away.
San Francisco backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs — who came in when Purdy was injured late — scored on a 7-yard run with 43 seconds left to make it a one-score game, but Jake Moody’s onside kick went out of bounds and the Lions kneeled out the clock.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cal Raleigh's grand slam more than enough for Mariners vs. Reds
Jul 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) hits a grand-slam home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Cal Raleigh hit a grand slam and George Kirby pitched six scoreless innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Cincinnati Reds 8-0 Monday night in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Victor Robles went 4-for-4 and scored twice for the Mariners, who won their third consecutive game and moved into first place in the American League West by a half-game over Texas.
Kirby (8-8) allowed three hits — back-to-back singles by Edwin Arroyo and Ke’Bryan Hayes leading off the third and a one-out infield single by Dane Myers in the fifth. Kirby, a right-hander, walked one batter and struck out six.
The Mariners broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth. Robles led off with a single off Andrew Abbott (5-6) on a soft liner to center field. With two outs, Robles stole second and advanced to third on catcher Tyler Stephenson’s errant throw.
Following a walk to Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez hit a chopper to the left side of the infield. Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz backhanded the ball but double-clutched before making a throw that eluded first baseman Sal Stewart and struck Rodriguez in the left hamstring. The Mariners’ star was credited with a run-scoring single.
Rodriguez left the game after that inning and team officials didn’t provide an update before the end of the game. Rodriguez returned to the lineup Saturday after being on the 7-day concussion list since July 2 when he was hit in the back of the helmet by a throw while sliding into second base.
The Mariners extended their lead with a six-run seventh. Robles and pinch hitter Luke Raley led off with singles to right off reliever Pierce Johnson, with Robles taking third on the latter. Rookie Colt Emerson’s sacrifice fly to left scored Robles.
Arozarena singled and Weston Wilson hit an RBI double into the right field corner. The Reds brought in lefty Caleb Ferguson, whom the Mariners acquired at last season’s trade deadline, and intentionally walked the left-handed-hitting Dominic Canzone to load the bases. The switch-hitting Raleigh crushed Ferguson’s first pitch deep to left-center to make it 7-0.
Raleigh came up with the bases loaded again in the eighth and got a run-scoring groundout for the final margin.
Abbott took the loss despite allowing just one unearned run on four hits over six innings. The lefty walked two and fanned six.
Mariners third baseman J.P. Crawford was a late scratch from the starting lineup. The team offered no immediate reason why.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Walk-off HBP lifts Angels past Cardinals in low-scoring affair
Jul 20, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell (7) reacts after a walk-off hit by pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Jo Adell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to give the Los Angeles Angels a 3-2 walk-off victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.
The Angels, who were 0-48 when trailing after eight innings this season and had lost their last 106 such games, entered the bottom of the ninth behind 2-1.
Cardinals’ All-Star closer Riley O’Brien (3-4) struck out Mike Trout to begin the frame, but Nolan Schanuel followed with a single and Jorge Soler was hit by a pitch.
Vaughn Grissom then doubled off the top of the right field fence, missing a home run by inches, to drive in pinch runner Oswald Peraza with the tying run. After Jose Lowe was then intentionally walked to load the bases, Adell was plunked with a 3-0 sinker to drive in the game-winning run.
Adell also hit a home run among two hits and Schanuel also had two hits for Los Angeles, which won its second straight game. Jose Fermin (3-1) struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief to pick up the win.
Nathan Church went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Jordan Walker doubled and scored a run for St. Louis, which was coming off an 8-7 loss at Arizona on Sunday afternoon that saw it blow a 7-0 lead.
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Walker led off with a line-drive double over the head of Josh Lowe and to the fence in left field and advanced to third on a single by Lars Nootbaar. One out later, Church snapped an 0-for-30 drought with a single to right, driving in Walker and sending Nootbaar to third. Blaze Jordan then drove in Nootbaar with a groundout to third.
Los Angeles cut the lead to 2-1 in the third when Adell led off with his 14th home run, a 389-foot drive to left. The homer snapped an 0-for-24 streak for Adell.
The final inning overshadowed a pair of strong pitching performances from the starter. Angels right-hander Jose Soriano allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings, striking out seven and walking one. St. Louis right-hander Kyle Leahy gave up one run on three hits over six innings, striking out four with no walks.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Three-run inning carries Athletics past host Diamondbacks
Jul 20, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Athletics pitcher Jeffrey Springs (59) throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images Jeff McNeil delivered a tiebreaking pinch-hit, two-run single during a three-run seventh inning and the Athletics’ bullpen made it stand up in a 5-2 victory over the host Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Monday night.
Tommy White went 4-for-5 with a run scored in his third major league game to help the Athletics win for just the third time in their past 18 games.
Jacob Wilson and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer both had a homer among their two hits. Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler also had two hits as the A’s racked up 15 overall.
Ketel Marte smacked a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who lost for just the second time in the past eight games. Geraldo Perdomo had two hits for Arizona.
Nolan Arenado ripped a double into the left field corner in the fifth inning for his 2,000th career hit.
Arenado becomes the sixth active player in the 2,000-hit club. The others are Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Andrew McCutchen, Paul Goldschmidt and Manny Machado.
Diamondbacks All-Star Corbin Carroll right elbow) sat out one day after being injured. The Athletics lost Kuroda-Grauer (testicular contusion) after hitting his first career home run and Colby Thomas (left wrist contusion) during the contest.
Luis Medina (2-1) gave up one hit and struck out two in two scoreless innings of relief for the A’s.
Jose Suarez pitched a flawless eighth. Hogan Harris allowed a bloop single to Gabriel Moreno to start the ninth and walked Tyler Locklear with two outs before fanning Ryan Waldschmidt for his third strikeout of the inning to record his seventh save.
The game was tied at 2 in the seventh when the Athletics received singles from Shea Langeliers, Butler and White to load the bases with two outs against Kevin Ginkel (3-3).
McNeil followed with a two-run single to center to score Langeliers and Butler. With Henry Bolte at the plate, Ginkel unleashed a wild pitch to score White. McNeil was running on the play and stole second and continued to third due to the errant pitch.
Jeffrey Springs of the A’s gave up two runs and six hits over five innings. He struck out two and walked one as his winless stretch continued to 16 straight starts.
Arizona Mitch Bratt gave up two runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one in his third big league start.
Kuroda-Grauer hit the first pitch of the second inning from Bratt over the wall in left-center. It traveled 416 feet.
In the fifth, Wilson hit the inning’s first pitch 399 feet to left to make it 2-0.
Arizona tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as Jorge Barrosa led off with a double to left-center and Marte followed with a 402-foot homer inside the left field foul pole.
–Field Level Media
