Sports
SEC notebook: Kirby Smart wants Georgia 'bigger' in biggest moments
Jul 21, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Georgia’s recent results would satisfy almost any program.
Kirby Smart, however, is not interested in measuring the Bulldogs solely by their consecutive SEC championships.
Georgia has followed both titles with losses in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, leaving Smart focused on producing better performances once the stakes rise beyond the conference championship game.
“We’ve got to find a way to, whether we win the SEC or not, to get into that playoff and play better and play bigger in bigger moments,” Smart told ESPN Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Fla.
Smart also said Georgia has not played its best football when it was needed most. The Bulldogs lost 23-10 to Notre Dame in the playoffs two seasons ago before falling 39-34 against Ole Miss last year.
To reinforce his message, Smart analyzed the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the selflessness that enabled individual players to succeed within defined roles. He aims for Georgia to find similar success while continuing to adapt rather than relying on the approach that led to previous championships.
“We study successful programs all the time. If you’re not studying how other people are doing it and you’re just fixated on your own team and your own roster, I think you’re missing out,” Smart said. “We’re always trying to grow in our program. We don’t want to stay the same.”
–Golesh gets started with Auburn rebuild
Alex Golesh understands that rebuilding Auburn will eventually be measured in victories, championships and appearances on college football’s national stage.
For now, the Tigers’ first-year coach is focused on shaping what the program should be like before counting wins in his first season.
“I don’t really have any goals, other than laying a foundation for what Auburn football is going to be for years to come,” Golesh said. “If we can leave year one and we have a foundation that’s built on our identity I would tell you it’s a successful year one.”
That foundation will be built on the identity Golesh established during three seasons at South Florida: physical and mentally tough, detail-oriented and increasingly driven by the players rather than the coaching staff.
“That’s what Auburn football was built on, physical and mental toughness,” Golesh said. “The ability to be the most violent football team on the field every Saturday. Violent. I think that’s something you can watch and see.”
Golesh is Auburn’s fourth head coach since 2019 and inherits a program that has endured six consecutive seasons without winning more than six games. The Tigers’ last double-digit-win season came in 2017, when they reached the SEC championship game.
Quarterback Byrum Brown is among 13 South Florida transfers who followed Golesh to Auburn. Brown passed for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns last season while adding 1,008 yards and 14 scores on the ground, giving the Tigers an experienced operator for Golesh’s fast-paced offense.
Golesh acknowledged the urgency surrounding the job but believes the current roster is talented enough to compete immediately. Auburn opens the season Sept. 5 against Baylor in Atlanta.
–Vanderbilt refuses to call 10 wins an arrival
Vanderbilt is dealing with an unfamiliar offseason problem: ensuring unprecedented success does not breed complacency.
The Commodores recorded the first 10-win season in program history last fall, finishing 10-3 after winning six SEC games. They must now replace quarterback Diego Pavia, the Heisman Trophy runner-up and central figure in their rise.
Head coach Clark Lea still believes the program has evolved in ways that go beyond just one quarterback or a single breakthrough season.
“Progress is not the destination. Last season was not an arrival,” Lea said. “It was simply another step in the climb.”
Lea added that the current roster inherited an expectation to win that his earlier Vanderbilt teams did not have.
“With that inheritance comes standard over excuses, responsibility over entitlement, commitment over convenience,” Lea said. “That inheritance gives us a foundation, but our story still must be earned because this team has yet to win a game. That’s the gift of every season. A new beginning, a blank canvas
The Commodores will continue emphasizing a physical running game, though the carries previously handled by Pavia will be distributed more heavily among their running backs. Lea said Vanderbilt cannot duplicate Pavia’s unique impact, but expects new leaders to emerge from players who previously worked outside the spotlight.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twins end losing streak despite Jose Ramirez's return for Guradians
Jul 22, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (22) celebrates his three-run home run in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs and Trevor Larnach added a leadoff blast to go with three RBIs as the Minnesota Twins snapped their four-game losing streak with a 10-6 win over the host Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.
Lee’s three-run shot occurred in the fourth inning, when Minnesota scored four times to seize a 7-3 lead against Guardians starter Slade Cecconi (4-7). Alex Jackson singled in Alan Roden with the go-ahead run, then came home with Luke Keaschall on the homer.
Seven-time All-Star Jose Ramirez had two hits, drove in two runs and scored once in his return from a broken left hamate bone for Cleveland. He had been on the injured list since fracturing his wrist on June 13 against the Detroit Tigers.
Travis Adams (2-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. The Twins had been outscored 34-9 in their previous four games, all on the road, before erupting for their highest-scoring performance since an 11-4 win July 4 at the New York Yankees.
Larnach’s two-run single off Matt Festa and Josh Bell’s RBI hit off Will Dion in the eighth pushed Minnesota’s lead out to 10-4. Kyle Manzardo had a solo homer and an RBI single in the final two frames for Cleveland.
The Guardians built a 3-1 advantage over the first two innings on RBI singles by Brayan Rocchio, Patrick Bailey and Ramirez. Minnesota erased it with a pair in the third on Lee’s RBI single and Bell’s RBI grounder.
All four Minnesota runs in the fourth were unearned thanks to a throwing error by Rocchio. Cecconi pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven runs (three earned) on seven hits, striking out five with three walks.
Bailey Ober worked a season-low-tying four innings for the Twins, allowing four runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk. First baseman Victor Caratini exited the game in the fifth after fouling a ball off his right knee.
–Field Level Media
Sports
D-backs, Cardinals pitchers ride hot streaks into clash
Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (32) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field in Phoenix on July 18, 2026. A pair of starting pitchers trending in the right direction will meet under unusual circumstance on Thursday afternoon when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a standalone game.
Previously an off day for both clubs, the meeting on Thursday will serve as a make-up for a game that was postponed due to weather on June 25. Arizona and St. Louis also met last week in Phoenix, with the Diamondbacks taking two of three games from the Cardinals.
Arizona will begin its road trip a day early before it departs for a three-city stretch in Washington, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Diamondbacks are coming off a home series win against the Athletics, clinching the three-game set with a 15-5 victory on Wednesday.
On the mound, right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (4-1, 4.58 ERA) will be in search of his fifth win in as many starts and his second against St. Louis in less than a week. Last time out, Pfaadt continued his impressive return to the starting rotation, throwing 5 1/3 innings of two-run, six-hit ball, striking out three in a 5-3 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday.
After an uninspiring first three outings of the year led to a demotion to the bullpen, Pfaadt is 4-0 with a 2.14 ERA in four starts since rejoining the starters on June 30.
“Just being aggressive, going out there and pitching to my strengths,” Pfaadt said of his recent improvement. “Commanding the ball, pounding the zone. I think that’s paid off for me.”
Pfaadt is 2-0 with a 3.99 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals.
Former St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, now in his first season with the Diamondbacks, is glad to see Pfaadt’s turnaround — and even happier that he no longer has to face the 27-year-old.
“He’s been phenomenal. Just a totally different pitcher,” Arenado said of Pfaadt. “The times I used to face him, it was never a comfortable at bat because he’s got so many pitches and he throws all of them to everybody. It’s just great to see him be competitive out there.”
The Cardinals mustered just four total runs in their most recent series, salvaging the three-game road set with the Los Angeles Angels with a 1-0 win on Wednesday.
St. Louis on Thursday will turn to right-hander Michael McGreevy (4-7, 2.92 ERA), who enters the game nearly as hot as his counterpart.
McGreevy has posted a 1.46 ERA in his past four starts, and has completed six innings in each of those outings. He faced Arizona on Friday, allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits across 6 1/3 frames, striking out five batters and walking one in a no-decision. The Cardinals won 5-4.
“It was good to see; (McGreevy) did a really nice job,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “He made good pitches when he needed to. He consistently made the pitches and he’s done a good job for us.”
Making the 39th start of his major league career, the 26-year-old McGreevy will face the Diamondbacks for the second time.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Royals' Salvador Perez takes aim at franchise HR record vs. Tigers
Jul 22, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez (13) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants tying the all-time Royals team record for home runs with former infielder George Brett (not pictured) at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images Salvador Perez hit his first home run for the Kansas City Royals nearly 15 years ago, and that milestone occurred against the American League Central rival Detroit Tigers.
The 36-year-old catcher still is with the Royals, and he’ll aim for the franchise home run record when he returns to Detroit for the opener of a four-game series on Thursday evening.
Perez blasted career home run No. 317 on Wednesday to spark a five-run rally in the seventh inning against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Kansas City held on for a 5-4 win to complete a three-game sweep before embarking on a 10-game trip.
The two-run blast cleared the center-field fence and landed in the fountain, prompting a fan to leap into the water in an attempt to retrieve the ball — only to be arrested and escorted out empty-handed.
“If I was him, I’d maybe jump too and try to get that ball,” Perez joked. “Thank you for the hard work trying to get that ball.”
Perez hit his first MLB home run in Detroit off young right-hander Max Scherzer on Aug. 29, 2011, helping the Royals to a 9-5 win.
Scherzer went on to become an eight-time All Star, while Perez was selected nine times.
“What he does, the way he goes about it, the passion with the way he plays the game, it’s unrivaled,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said of Perez in an emotional news conference following the win on Wednesday. “The guy’s a Hall of Famer, and you’re getting to witness it.”
The Royals were trailing 3-0 on Wednesday when Perez came up with no outs in the seventh and Vinnie Pasquantino on second base. He waited on an 0-1 curve from Landen Roupp and launched it out of the park to tie George Brett’s franchise record.
Brett was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
“I’ve said it before,” Quatraro said. “My age (52), knowing of George as a fan, and anytime you’re in that breath, it’s awesome.”
Perez will be up against a young right-hander who hasn’t allowed a home run in his past three starts.
Troy Melton (5-1, 1.80 ERA) also has combined to allow just one earned run in those outings, which cover 17 1/3 innings.
Melton, 25, said he felt strong and rested coming out of the All-Star break. He then limited the Los Angeles Angels to one run and four hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 2-1 win last Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
He was one out from taking the loss, but the Tigers scored two runs with two outs in the ninth.
“The time off, I felt a little bit better than normal,” said Melton, who grew up a few miles from Anaheim. “The adrenaline of being home definitely plays into the factor as well.”
Melton made two relief appearances against Kansas City last season and allowed one run and five hits in a combined three innings.
The Tigers return home after winning four of six on the road coming out of the All-Star break, most recently 5-1 in the decisive contest of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday evening.
The Royals plan to start right-hander Randy Dobnak in the series opener on Thursday.
Dobnak (0-0, 1.93) is coming off his first MLB start in five years and he earned another opportunity after holding the visiting San Diego Padres to one run and four hits over 4 1/3 innings of a 6-1 win last Saturday.
Dobnak, who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners last month for cash considerations., made 21 starts for the Minnesota Twins from 2019-21, but since then his MLB experience is limited to nine appearances over the past three seasons.
The 31-year-old has made five appearances against the Tigers in his career, including three starts, and is 2-1 with a 5.12 ERA.
–Field Level Media
Twins end losing streak despite Jose Ramirez's return for Guradians
D-backs, Cardinals pitchers ride hot streaks into clash
