Sports
Oklahoma QB John Mateer intent on bouncing back from 2025 setback
Jul 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Oklahoma star quarterback John Mateer had his 2025 season sabotaged by a broken thumb on his throwing hand but says he is at full strength entering the upcoming campaign.
Mateer had his throwing motion tweaked in the offseason and said he is stronger physically and mentally during his Monday session with reporters at Southeastern Conference Media Days at Tampa, Fla.
“It was not strong,” Mateer said of the thumb. “And the range of motion, I had to change how I held the ball.
“In the offseason you put in the work to be prepared, and I had a belief because of the work, and the work it didn’t matter. I don’t want to say it got taken away from me, but physically it wasn’t the same.”
He received early-season Heisman Trophy hype last season before an injury derailed his season and all but ended Oklahoma’s national title aspirations. The Sooners (10-3) did make the College Football Playoff before losing 34-24 at home to Alabama in the first round.
Mateer broke the thumb in a Sept. 20 game against Auburn and finished the contest. He underwent surgery and was recovering while the Sooners had a bye and a following game against Kent State.
Mateer was intent on playing against Texas – returning ahead of doctor’s forecasts just 17 days after surgery – and it didn’t go well. He was intercepted three times in a 23-6 setback and his struggles continued into late November.
“I’m glad I did it because it showed me that you could fight through a lot, even though I was obviously not 100%,” Mateer said. “It was a very difficult thing to do. I’m glad I did it — even though I failed.”
Mateer was a highly billed transfer after a huge 2024 season at Washington State in which he passed for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 scores.
But with the Sooners, he tossed just 14 scoring passes against 11 interceptions while throwing for 2,885 yards. He added 431 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
Mateer said he also was living up the life as Big Man on Campus at a national powerhouse school.
He said he is scaling back that persona.
“There’s a lot of personal opportunities here at Oklahoma playing quarterback, and I don’t know if I was thinking too much about those, and then I got to the peak, and God was like, ‘No, that’s not why we’re doing this,'” Mateer said. “So I’ve been trying to scale back on the personal stuff. If it happens, it happens, but the team is what matters. You taste the playoff. That’s what I want. You get it, and they can’t take it away from you. It means so much to so many people.”
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables expects to see a much-improved version of Mateer this season.
“I just think we’re going to be a lot better around him,” Venables said. “And to his point, it’s hard to throw a football consistently or down the field, push it or throw it with the velocity when he can barely squeeze it.”
The Sooners open the regular season against visiting UTEP on Sept. 4.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals' Salvador Perez hits 317th homer, ties George Brett's club mark
Jul 21, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez (13) celebrates after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Kansas City’s Salvador Perez clubbed a two-run shot in the seventh inning on Wednesday to tie George Brett’s Royals franchise record of 317 career home runs.
Perez’s 437-foot blast in a 5-4 home win over the San Francisco Giants went to the fountains beyond the wall in right-center. The homer off right-hander Landen Roupp pulled the Royals within 3-2.
Perez, who has played all 15 of his major league seasons with Kansas City, has hit three of his 14 homers this season in the last five games.
In an on-field postgame interview, Perez said he was honored to be in the same category as Brett, the Hall of Famer who excelled for the Royals from 1973-93.
“Everybody knows what George Brett did here for this city,” Perez said. “To be (tied with) a Hall of Famer, I’m certainly excited, too.”
Perez, 36, is batting just .211 with 43 RBIs in 95 games this season. He is a nine-time All-Star and a five-time Gold Glove catcher.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Scottie Scheffler heads field, makes debut at Minnesota's 3M Open
Jul 19, 2026; Southport, ENG; Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt on the ninth green during the final round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Scottie Scheffler wasn’t about to take three weeks off before the FedEx Cup playoffs commence.
The World No. 1 golfer chose to fly from England to Minnesota and compete for the first time at the 3M Open, where he’ll be far and away the favorite when the tournament tees off Thursday in Blaine, Minn.
Scheffler missed the weekend at the Genesis Scottish Open — his first missed cut in about four years — before tying for fourth at the Open Championship last week at Royal Birkdale. There are three tournaments to go before the playoffs, and while Scheffler certainly doesn’t need a points boost as he leads the FedEx Cup standings, he didn’t want rust to gather.
“This is a tournament that I haven’t played before, so excited to be here,” Scheffler said. “This might be my first time in Minnesota. I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually been to this state before.
“For me it was good scheduling. Like I said, we had two weeks in the UK, and three weeks off before the Playoffs didn’t seem like the most ideal way to set up my schedule. This was a tournament that I’ve heard a lot of good things about and so far everything seems pretty true, which is nice. So I’m excited to get the week started and yeah, play some golf.”
Most players of Scheffler’s caliber are taking at least one week off after the UK swing. That leaves the Texan as the most notable player at TPC Twin Cities by a mile. He’s the +260 favorite to win at DraftKings and +275 to win at BetMGM; defending champion Kurt Kitayama is a distant second at +2400 and +2500, respectively.
The thing is, Scheffler went 0-for-4 at the majors for the first time since 2023 and has not won a tournament of any stripe since January. He’s atop the FedEx Cup standings despite that.
“One of the things I like in this game, one of the things that I’ve always kind of prided myself on is the consistency,” he said. “That’s something that shows that I’m playing some pretty good golf. It just hasn’t been quite good enough to win some tournaments.
“I haven’t played any great golf yet, but I’ve played some nice golf over the course of the season.”
Last year, Kitayama squeaked into the weekend at 6-under-par when the cut line was at 5 under. He proceeded to fire an 11-under 60 on Saturday and a 65 on Sunday to win by one stroke over Sam Stevens.
Kitayama posted a remarkable 13 birdies in 18 holes on the front nine of the third and fourth rounds.
“I feel like I had a few more wedges maybe on the front nine,” Kitayama recalled. “I hit those close on the weekend. Back nine maybe (played) a little tougher. You know, coming down the stretch, maybe (played) a little more conservative.”
Other notables in the field include Scottish Open champion Tom Kim of South Korea, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Max Homa and Canada’s Corey Conners. They’ll take on a par-71, 7,431-yard track that has produced winning scores in the high teens or low 20s under par most years since the tournament’s inception in 2019.
Aaron Wise, a former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, will continue his comeback after taking off nearly two full years to address his mental health. After missing his first six cuts of 2026, he’s made his last three, including a T3 finish at the ISCO Championship and a T15 at the Corales Puntacana Championship, alternate events opposite the Scottish and The Open.
“It’s just a matter of … the days are stressful, so how do you then calm yourself down, how do you even deal with the stress as the day’s going on,” Wise said. “Keeping your mind in a good frame to where you feel like you can go keep hitting good shots and keep playing well, and on top of it, enjoying it.
“Even though it’s stressful, we’re supposed to like being out here. We started playing golf because we love the game.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Joey Ortiz (three hits), Brewers take series from Mets
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) hits a two-run triple off of New York Mets pitcher Christian Scott (45) during the second inning of their game Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joey Ortiz ripped a two-run triple, collected three hits and scored twice to fuel the Brewers to a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon in Milwaukee.
Christian Yelich had an RBI single in Milwaukee’s three-run second inning and a run-scoring triple in the sixth for the Brewers, who captured the decisive contest of the three-game series. Milwaukee has won five of six games since the All-Star break.
Logan Henderson (4-1) allowed two runs on five hits and matched a career high with nine strikeouts over five innings. He also fanned nine batters in his MLB debut against the Athletics on April 20, 2025.
Aaron Ashby struck out four batters over two scoreless innings and Abner Uribe bridged the gap to Trevor Megill, who allowed New York’s Francisco Alvarez an RBI single in the ninth before retiring the side to secure his 16th save of the season.
Marcus Semien belted a solo homer in the second inning and Brett Baty added a homer in the fifth to atone for a previous miscue in the field.
Semien capped a seven-pitch at-bat by depositing a Henderson heater over the wall in left field. The homer was Semien’s 10th of the season and first since June 14.
Milwaukee responded with two outs in its half of the inning. Baty misplayed an Ortiz fly ball in right field and allowed Garrett Mitchell and Andrew Vaughn to score. Ortiz trotted home on Yelich’s single to left field off Christian Scott (3-2).
Baty halved New York’s deficit after belting a 1-2 changeup from Henderson over the wall in right field. The homer was Baty’s sixth of the season and third in the last seven games.
The Brewers got that run back in the sixth, as Ortiz scored following Yelich’s blast that caromed off the wall in center field.
Scott permitted three runs on four hits with three walks in 3 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Royals' Salvador Perez hits 317th homer, ties George Brett's club mark
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