Sports
Bob Costas retiring from MLB play-by-play work after 42 years
Oct 8, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; MLB TV announcer Bob Costas before the game between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox in game two of the 2021 ALDS at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Bob Costas is bidding farewell to baseball, the sport he is perhaps best known for, and retiring as an MLB play-by-play announcer.
Costas, 72, confirmed his retirement to The Athletic on Thursday but said he will open up on his decision at a later date.
Near the end of a storied sports broadcasting career, Costas has served as the lead play-by-play man for MLB Network games since the network was launched in 2009. He has also worked playoff games for Turner, and his last assignment was the New York Yankees’ win over the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series on TBS.
Costas decided before this season that he would retire after 2024, coinciding with the end of his contract, according to The Athletic.
Costas received the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence in 2018. He called baseball for NBC from 1982-89 and 1994-2000, including World Series broadcasts in 1995, 1997 and 1999.
He has worked as a play-by-play announcer and studio host for several other sports over the past five decades, most notably as the primetime host of the Olympic Games on NBC from 1992-2016.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Liberty come from 12 down to beat Wings in OT
Jul 20, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) drives to the basket against Dallas Wings center Li Yueru (28) during the first half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Breanna Stewart scored 33 points and helped key a fourth-quarter comeback as the New York Liberty defeated the short-handed Dallas Wings 99-98 on Monday in Arlington, Texas, in a game of wild momentum swings.
Stewart also tallied 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Liberty (14-12) while Sabrina Ionescu finished with 21 points, Jonquel Jones racked up 14 points and 10 rebounds and Marine Fauthoux amassed 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The game was rescheduled from last Thursday because of travel difficulties for the Liberty, creating a home back-to-back for Dallas.
The Wings (17-9) built a 12-point third-quarter lead despite playing without star guard Paige Bueckers, who was held out of the game after suffering a head injury late in the Wings’ win over Los Angeles on Sunday.
Dallas led by nine points after a rousing third quarter in which they held New York to 3-of-18 shooting from the floor. But New York fought back with a big fourth, and Jones’ layup with 29 seconds remaining brought the Liberty to within a point. Stewart converted two free throws with 13 seconds to play to put New York on top by one.
Rebecca Allen added a free throw for the Liberty with six seconds remaining in regulation, but she missed the second shot. Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made both free throws to tie the game at 83 with 3.5 seconds left. Allen then missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the game into an extra period.
The teams traded the lead six times in overtime, with Ionescu’s 3-pointer with 1:49 to play putting the Liberty ahead for good at 95-93. Stewart followed with a layup to stoke the margin to four points before Dallas drew to within a point on Ogunbowale’s 3-pointer with 27.5 seconds left.
The Wings then forced a shot-clock turnover and called a timeout with 3.5 seconds to play to set the table for a final shot. That shot was a running layup at the buzzer by Ogunbowale that rimmed out, allowing New York to escape with the win and snap a four-game losing streak.
Ogunbowale had 29 points to lead the Wings, who had a six-game winning streak snapped. Azzi Fudd added 15 points. Jessica Shepard produced 13 points and 16 rebounds, Maddy Siegrist hit for 13 points and Awak Kuier tallied 10.
New York led 25-22 at the end of the first period and owned a 50-47 advantage at the break. Stewart led all players with 15 points before halftime while Dallas got 11 from Ogunbowale and 10 from Fudd and Siegrist over the first two quarters.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trea Turner knocks two out as Phillies control Dodgers
Jul 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) hits a two run home run during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Trea Turner had two homers, a double and five RBIs to fuel the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-7 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
Brandon Marsh, Bryce Harper and Derek Hill also homered for Philadelphia, which provided Cristopher Sanchez (12-4) with plenty of offensive support. After struggling in his first All-Star start last week, the left-hander allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings in this one, striking out seven without a walk.
Mookie Betts homered twice as part of a 4-for-5 night for the Dodgers, while Andy Pages chipped in with two hits and an RBI. Los Angeles starter Emmet Sheehan (4-7) absorbed the loss after allowing six runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Sanchez worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning before Sheehan pitched around a leadoff double in the bottom half.
Sanchez logged a 1-2-3 second inning, setting the stage for his teammates to plate three runs in the bottom of the frame.
Gabriel Rincones Jr.’s RBI double opened the scoring before Justin Crawford’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0. Turner followed with a blast into the left-field seats to extend the advantage to 4-0.
Betts singled and came around to score in the fourth to get Los Angeles on the board. The Dodgers then added two more runs in the sixth against Sanchez and reliever Orion Kerkering.
However, Philadelphia quickly regained the momentum as Marsh homered off Sheehan to begin the sixth. Later in the frame, lefty Alex Vesia surrendered a three-run blast to Turner — his 200th career home run.
Harper reached a milestone of his own in the seventh, launching his 200th homer as a member of the Phillies against reliever Landon Knack. Derek Hill’s solo shot in the eighth made it 10-4.
The Dodgers plated three runs in the ninth against Chase Shugart, highlighted by Betts’ two-run homer. The rally featured a misplay by Turner, who had a rough night at shortstop with an error and multiple other miscues.
Jhoan Duran came on for the Phillies and recorded the final out of the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yordan Alvarez homers twice, Ronel Blanco returns as Astros top Marlins
Jul 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco (56) reacts after retiring the side against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Yordan Alvarez produced his fifth multi-homer game of the season to help the Houston Astros snap a four-game skid with an 8-5 win over the visiting Miami Marlins on Monday.
Alvarez finished 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs. He posted his 12th three-hit game of the season and his 27th career multi-homer game to send the Marlins to their seventh straight loss.
The Marlins seized a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning against Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco, who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list to make his first start since May 17, 2025. Blanco missed 15 months due to Tommy John surgery.
His season debut was uneven. Blanco recorded eight strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings and allowed only two hits. However, Blanco issued three walks, and the two hits were two-run home runs from Joe Mack and Liam Hicks.
Mack followed a two-out walk issued to Jakob Marsee with a 409-foot blast to right field in the second. Blanco opened that frame with strikeouts of Hicks and Griffin Conine, but Mack followed Marsee by drilling a 3-2 fastball for his eighth homer of the season.
The Astros fashioned an immediate response against Marlins right-hander Janson Junk (4-6). Taylor Trammell ignited a six-run second inning with an RBI single that bounced into right and scored LaMonte Wade Jr. Two batters later, Lucas Spence walked to load the bases with one out for Jeremy Pena, who rallied from an 0-2 hole by delivering his second career grand slam.
Pena went the opposite way to right for his seventh homer of the season. Alvarez followed with a titanic shot into the upper deck in right-center field, his 32nd home run covering 428 feet.
Hicks shaved that 6-2 deficit in half in the fourth when he followed a leadoff walk from Xavier Edwards with his 14th home run, a 393-foot shot to right. Blanco rallied and retired the ensuing five batters, but a two-out walk to Kyle Stowers in the fifth spelled the end of his 86-pitch outing.
Alvarez greeted Marlins reliever Lake Bachar with a 419-foot laser to right-center leading off the fifth. Junk allowed six runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over four innings.
Jose Altuve added Houston’s eighth run with a two-out single in the seventh following Isaac Paredes’ triple. Astros closer Josh Hader gave up three hits in the ninth, including Heriberto Hernandez’s run-scoring single, before locking down the win.
–Field Level Media
