Sports
Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17, captures 800 meters at USATF Outdoor Championships
Jul 26, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Cooper Lutkenhaus wins the 800m in 1:43.48 during the USATF Championships at Icahn Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Cooper Lutkenhaus, at 17 the youngest competitor by four years, became one of the youngest USATF outdoor champions when he captured the 800 meters in a time of 1 minute, 43.48 seconds.
The Texas high school senior was third at the halfway point but ran 25.32 over the final 200 meters to rally for victory.
The victory took place on Sunday, the final day of competition at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships at Ichan Stadium in New York.
“My plan was to move with 200 (meters to go),” Lutkenhaus said after the race. “… I kind of went back to last year, and I was like, 200, 250 out, that’s when we’re going to really push, and that’s what I did today.”
Lutkenhaus is the current U.S. and world champion in the indoor 800 meters.
In the men’s 200 meters, four-time defending world champion Noah Lyles sprinted out to a lead at the halfway point but eased up into the stretch. American indoor record holder Garrett Kaalund earned his first gold, crossing the tape in 20.04.
“I just felt a grabbing sensation. I was like, ‘Yeah, this is the time to stop. There’s no reason to push this,’ ” Lyles told NBC Sports. “It was a somewhat of a cramp. I’m fine. I just need to get stretched out, get some electrolytes in my system, but I’ll be good.”
Vincent Ciattei, who captured silver in the 1,500 meters on Saturday, ran a blistering 54.36 in the final 400 meters to capture the 5,000 title in 13:46.75. Ciattei was seventh with 600 meters remaining, but edged Cooper Teare (13:46.88) at the wire.
Chris Nilsen, the 2021 Olympic silver medalist and American indoor record holder, captured his fourth career USATF outdoor men’s pole vault gold. He cleared 5.82 meters (19 feet, 1 inch) in his first attempt and held on for the victory.
Jordan Geist led after every round and earned gold with a final throw of 22.33 meters (73-2 3/4) in the shot put. Geist earned silver at the 2026 World Indoor Championships.
Christopher Robinson dominated the men’s 400 hurdles, recording a season-best time of 47.61 and winning by nearly one second over James Smith II, who set a personal best with a time of 48.53.
To wrap up the meet, reigning world champion Cordell Tinch edged Bradley Franklin in the 110 hurdles. Tinch outleaned Franklin, beating him by .004 seconds with a 13.00 mark.
On the women’s side, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden cruised past the field in the 200 meters, posting the world’s third-best time in 2026.
Jefferson-Wooden, who won three gold medals (100, 200, 4×100) at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, won by over a half-second, crossing the tape in 21.69. Cambrea Sturgis (22.22) earned silver, while Camryn Dickson (22.58) captured bronze.
Valarie Sion led after every round of the discus competition and topped the field with a throw of 69.54 meters (228-2) in the fourth round to win her eighth consecutive USATF title. Cierra Jackson improved with each round, but her penultimate throw of 67.40 (221-1) was only good enough for second place.
“Every year it has felt like such a different challenge,” Sion said. “I loved it being her in New York, it was a new environment. This field was so competitive, by far the most competitive of I’ve ever been a part of.”
On her final jump, Olympic and world champion Tara Davis-Woodhall appeared to capture the long jump, but her effort of 7.16 meters was taken down due to a protest and ruling of a foul. She finished third with a leap of 6.90 meters (22-7 3/4) in the second round, behind champion Alyssa Jones (6.96; 22-10) and runner-up Monae’ Nichols (6.92; 22-8 1/2).
Emily Mackay, who earned bronze in the 1,500 meters on Saturday night, made a strong late move to win the 5,000 meters. She was nearly even with Shelby Houlihan with 120 meters left, but ended up winning by nearly two seconds (14:55.82).
Nia Akin, who won 800 meter USATF outdoor titles in 2023-24, ran 14.06 over the final 100 meters to capture a third title with a mark of 1:59.25. Akins, who won back-to-back crowns in 2023-24, was near last place at the halfway mark, but nearly broke the one-minute mark in the final 400 meters (1:00.06) to set a season-best time of 1:59.25.
Vashti Cunningham earned her eighth USATF outdoor gold in the women’s high jump, besting Charity Hufnagel. Both competitors cleared 1.92, but Cunningham had fewer misses at lesser heights to triumph.
Anna Cockrell, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist, won her first USATF outdoor title in the 400 hurdles, posting a winning mark of 52.94.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Massey's blast lifts Royals over Tigers
Jul 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lane Thomas (15) hits a home run in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Michael Massey hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the visiting Kansas City Royals hung on for a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
Massey’s eighth homer made a winner of Nate Pearson (2-0), who was making his Royals debut after being acquired in a trade with Houston. Steven Cruz survived a ninth-inning jam to record his second save.
Lane Thomas had a solo homer and Luke Maile added an RBI double as the Royals salvaged a split of the four-game series.
Dillon Dingler had two hits and drove in two runs for Detroit.
Kansas City took a 2-0 lead in the first. Leadoff hitter Thomas hit a 3-2 pitch to the opposite field that just cleared the wall. The Royals then scratched out an unearned run. Nick Loftin singled and Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch. Valdez retired the next two batters before walking Isaac Collins to load the bases.
Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee then bobbled Tyler Tolbert’s grounder, allowing Loftin to score.
The Royals made it 3-0 in the fourth. Tolbert drew a one-out walk and Maile followed with a double down the left field line to knock him in.
Detroit took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Lee led off with a double and Colt Keith walked. Kevin McGonigle singled to load the bases. After Gleyber Torres struck out, Avila was removed for Matt Strahm. Riley Greene hit a bouncer up the middle that got by second baseman Andrew Velazquez for an error. Two runs scored and Greene raced all the way to second. Dingler then knocked in McGonigle and Greene with a single up the middle.
Collins had a bloop single off Drew Sommers with one out in the eighth. Sommers (0-1) struck out the next batter but Massey took advantage of a hanging slider and deposited over the right field wall to give his club a 5-4 advantage.
Detroit had two runners on with no one out in the ninth as Lee walked and Keith singled. Cruz then recorded two strikeouts, sandwiching a popout, to end the contest.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers pound Rockies 11-2
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws during the first inning of their game against the Colorado Rockies Sunday, July 26, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jacob Misiorowski retired the first 14 batters he faced and finished with 12 strikeouts, Andrew Vaughn homered and the host Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 11-2 on Sunday.
Jackson Chourio, Joey Ortiz, Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt and Jake Bauers had two hits apiece for Milwaukee, which broke open a close game in the sixth inning to win the series.
Misiorowski struck out seven in a row to start the game and 12 of the first 13 batters he faced with pitches consistently above 100 mph. Cole Carrigg ended the bid for a perfect game with an opposite-field homer to left.
Willi Castro was hit by a pitch before Misiorowski got Troy Johnston to ground out to end the inning — and his afternoon. Misiorowski (11-4) allowed one run on one hit and didn’t walk a batter in his five innings.
Carrigg’s home run was his fifth of the season and Castro hit a solo home run in the seventh for the Rockies, who finished with five hits and fanned 15 times.
Chourio led off the bottom of the first with the first of his two doubles and scored on Brice Turang’s single. One out later, William Contreras doubled to put runners on second and third, Turang scored on a Freeland wild pitch and Contreras came home on a groundout.
Freeland (2-10) settled in, giving up just two hits over the next four innings before Vaughn led off the sixth with his fourth home run. Freeland left after a one-out walk to Bauers, having allowed five runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The Brewers added on against Colorado’s bullpen.
Bauers stole second and Jimmy Herget walked Gary Sanchez ahead of three straight doubles. Lara brought home Bauers with the first two-bagger, Pratt made it 7-1 with a two-run double and Ortiz put runners on second and third with the next double.
Pratt capped the inning when he scored on a groundout.
After Castro’s 10th home run, Sanchez and Lara had RBI doubles in the bottom of the seventh and Vaughn a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Munetaka Murakami strokes 2 of White Sox's 5 homers in rout of Astros
Jul 26, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Miguel Vargas hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning and Munetaka Murakami added a pair of homers as the host Chicago White Sox routed the Houston Astros 12-3 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep.
Chicago clubbed a season high-tying five home runs compared to three from Houston to extend its lead atop the American League Central to 2 1/2 games over Cleveland.
With his parents throwing out first pitches on his bobblehead day, Murakami went 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs. He drilled an opposite-field two-run homer in the first, drove in a run with a third-inning groundout, added a two-run single in a four-run seventh and finished with a solo clout to right in the eighth.
Jeremy Pena cracked solo homers in his first two at-bats and Taylor Trammell added a solo homer for the Astros, whose five-game winning streak came to a close.
The White Sox’s breakout against Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco in the sixth turned the tide. Sam Antonacci, who collected two hits, led off with a double and advanced to third on a Murakami groundout. Vargas followed with a two-run blast to left field, his 21st homer this season, to put the White Sox ahead 5-3.
Blanco (0-1) scattered five runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. It marked his second start since rejoining the rotation last week following Tommy John surgery in June 2025.
After Pena opened the game with a home run, Murakami reached Blanco for a two-run home run in the first to stop a 13-game homerless streak.
Houston’s own penchant for the long ball kept the club afloat in the early innings. Jeremy Pena stretched his hitting streak to eight games with a pair of home runs.
White Sox starter Erick Fedde yielded three solo home runs among his five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Pena homered against Fedde with one out in the third, then Taylor Trammell sent Fedde’s first delivery of the fifth over the wall in right center.
Fedde walked one and struck out two. Sean Newcomb (1-2) worked around a hit and walk to get the final two outs in the sixth to notch the victory.
Chase Meidroth homered in the seventh for Chicago and Junior Perez added a two-run blast in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
Michael Massey's blast lifts Royals over Tigers
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers pound Rockies 11-2
