Sports
Yankees-Mariners opener to pit Luis Gil against Bryan Woo
Sep 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil (81) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Short and sweet.
That’s what fans can expect Tuesday night when the New York Yankees send Luis Gil (13-6, 3.18 ERA) to the mound for the opener of a three-game series in Seattle against fellow right-hander Bryan Woo (8-2, 2.38).
The six combined letters in their surnames will at least tie a major league record for the fewest to start against each other, since Fu-Te Ni never opened a game for Detroit in two seasons with the Tigers (2009-10).
Gil and Woo have both made two career starts against the opposition, and neither has allowed a run.
Gil will be making his third start since a stint on the injured list with a lower back strain.
He pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball to win his return Sept. 6 at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs, then gave up one run on five hits over five innings Wednesday against Kansas City in a game the Yankees won in 11 innings.
“The more innings that I pitched, I was feeling more comfortable and loose on the mound,” Gil said through an interpreter. “The arm was feeling good and in a good rhythm. I definitely felt that towards the end. I had more velo and was feeling stronger.”
The performances couldn’t have come at a better time for the Yankees (87-63) as they try to hold off Baltimore for the American League East title.
Gil defeated the Mariners 5-0 on May 23 at Yankee Stadium, allowing one hit with eight strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. He was backed by home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.
While Gil’s fastball in his past two starts has been in the mid-90s, a tick slower than usual, he didn’t sound worried.
“I’ve been saying it all year: pitch execution,” Gil said. “(It’s) really staying within the lane that you’re trying to attack, the zones you’re trying to attack. That’s really it.”
Woo took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his last start before giving up a home run to San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr.
“I didn’t feel great in the bullpen. I was just kind of all over the place, and then you get out there and it just clicks,” Woo said. “It’s just a weird game.”
Woo pitched with flair — as in Ric Flair — wearing new cleats that featured a cartoon of the professional wrestling legend with his catchphrase, “Woo!!”
The shoes were a gift from “PitchingNinja” Rob Friedman, a popular social media personality.
“I really, really appreciate everything that he does for the game,” Woo said of Friedman. “And growing up, especially in college when he kind of got big, I learned so much from his stuff. And watching all of his interviews, watching all of his stuff, like, you get grips from this guy.
“As a pitcher, that’s the stuff that you really, really appreciate — like, truly growing the game and truly trying to help the next generation of getting better at pitching.”
The Mariners (77-73) have won three games in a row as they try to chase down either Houston in the American League West or Minnesota for the third and final wild-card playoff berth. They are 4 1/2 games behind Houston and 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota.
With home runs from Mitch Garver and Randy Arozarena, Seattle blanked the Texas Rangers 7-0 on Sunday to take three of four games in the series. The Yankees also took three of four last weekend, stymying the rival Boston Red Sox.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
Feb 22, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick rounds the track at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images AUSTIN, Texas — One of the few things that wasn’t startling about Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Circuit of the Americas was Tyler Reddick’s run for the pole position.
Negotiating the 2.4-mile road course in 97.760 seconds (88.380 mph) in the second qualifying group, Reddick claimed his third Busch Light Pole Award in six attempts at the track. He will lead the field to green in Sunday’s DuraMAX Grand Prix Powered by Reladyne (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Of course, there’s more at stake for Reddick than simply a victory at COTA. In winning at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta last Sunday, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota became the sixth Cup competitor to start a season with two consecutive wins. No driver has ever won three straight to open a season.
The 23XI Racing driver acknowledged that the pole position, the 12th of his career, is a positive first step toward that goal.
“It helps the chances, certainly,” said Reddick, whose series-best average finish of 4.6 at COTA includes a victory in 2023. “I think starting up front is huge.”
Michael McDowell led the first qualifying group of 19 drivers with a lap at 88.031 mph but fell to sixth soon after the second group took to the track. Ultimately, Ross Chastain posted the second-fastest lap at 88.256 mph (97.897 seconds) and will start on the front row beside Reddick.
The shocker was not that Chastain, the 2022 COTA winner, fashioned an excellent lap. What was surprising was that his two Trackhouse Racing teammates, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch — both vaunted road course racers — failed to crack the top 10 in qualifying.
Van Gisbergen was 13th fastest on his third lap. Zilisch could do no better than 25th. Van Gisbergen is seeking his sixth straight road course victory in the Cup Series, a mark that would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most consecutive road course wins.
Chase Briscoe (88.242 mph) will start third, followed by Ryan Blaney (88.179 mph) and Chase Elliott (88.161 mph). Elliott leads active drivers with seven road course victories.
Behind McDowell in sixth, AJ Allmendinger qualified seventh, followed by defending race winner Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and William Byron.
“We’ll see how it gets going,” Reddick said. “Certainly, Ross, Shane, Ryan Blaney-there’s a number of good drivers who were really strong in practice today. We’ll try to understand what that all looks like and make our best decisions on the car and everything.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Warriors F Gui Santos signs multi-year extension
Feb 25, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) passes the ball as Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos signed a multi-year contract extension on Saturday.
Specific terms were not disclosed by the Warriors. However, ESPN reported it was a three-year, $15 million contract extension with a player option in 2028-29. Santos was in line to become a restricted free agent prior to this extension.
Santos, 23, is posting career-best averages in points (6.6), rebounds (3.2) and assists (1.7) in 48 games (13 starts) this season.
He is contributing 4.9 points, 3.0 boards and 1.4 assists in 127 career games (15 starts) since being selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Isaiah Evans, No. 1 Duke overwhelm No. 11 Virginia
Feb 28, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Isaiah Evans (3) grabs a pass as he moves around a pick center Patrick Ngongba II (21) as Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis (5) defends during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images Isaiah Evans used a hot start on the way to 19 points and top-ranked Duke’s defense contained No. 11 Virginia for much of Saturday afternoon’s showdown in a 77-51 victory at Durham, N.C.
The Blue Devils, with two games remaining, secured at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship and locked up the top seed for the upcoming ACC tournament.
Cameron Boozer racked up most of his 18 points on free throws for Duke (27-2, 15-1 ACC), which built its lead to 28 points in the second half. Boozer also had a team-high nine rebounds, while Patrick Ngongba II added 11 points.
Thijs De Ridder had 16 points for Virginia (25-4, 13-3), which was bidding to pull even atop the ACC standings. Instead, the Cavaliers’ nine-game winning streak was halted as they were held to a season-low point total.
Virginia went 29.1% from the field, including 7-for-35 on 3s, so the Cavaliers’ 12-for-13 shooting at the foul line couldn’t save them. Virginia collected nine offensive rebounds despite its volume of missed shots.
Evans shot 5-for-9 on 3-pointers and was 7-for-11 overall from the floor, accounting for nearly half of Duke’s 12 baskets from 3-point range.
Boozer had 11 first-half points on 11-for-12 free-throw shooting, but didn’t make a field goal until a 3-pointer early in the second half. He ended up 3-for-9 from the field in 33 minutes in Duke’s second-to-last home game of the season.
Aside from De Ridder, Virginia’s starters shot a combined 4-for-22 from the field.
An 11-0 run in the second half stretched Duke’s advantage to 70-43.
Duke built an 18-9 lead across the first 11 minutes, with Evans providing 14 of those points. The Blue Devils carried a 41-26 lead into halftime.
Virginia shot 4-for-17 on first-half 3s, while going 4-for-8 on 2-point range attempts.
By game’s end, Boozer attempted 12 of Duke’s 14 free throws.
–Field Level Media
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
Warriors F Gui Santos signs multi-year extension
