Sports
Cal Raleigh's grand slam more than enough for Mariners vs. Reds
Jul 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) hits a grand-slam home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Cal Raleigh hit a grand slam and George Kirby pitched six scoreless innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Cincinnati Reds 8-0 Monday night in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Victor Robles went 4-for-4 and scored twice for the Mariners, who won their third consecutive game and moved into first place in the American League West by a half-game over Texas.
Kirby (8-8) allowed three hits — back-to-back singles by Edwin Arroyo and Ke’Bryan Hayes leading off the third and a one-out infield single by Dane Myers in the fifth. Kirby, a right-hander, walked one batter and struck out six.
The Mariners broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth. Robles led off with a single off Andrew Abbott (5-6) on a soft liner to center field. With two outs, Robles stole second and advanced to third on catcher Tyler Stephenson’s errant throw.
Following a walk to Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez hit a chopper to the left side of the infield. Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz backhanded the ball but double-clutched before making a throw that eluded first baseman Sal Stewart and struck Rodriguez in the left hamstring. The Mariners’ star was credited with a run-scoring single.
Rodriguez left the game after that inning and team officials didn’t provide an update before the end of the game. Rodriguez returned to the lineup Saturday after being on the 7-day concussion list since July 2 when he was hit in the back of the helmet by a throw while sliding into second base.
The Mariners extended their lead with a six-run seventh. Robles and pinch hitter Luke Raley led off with singles to right off reliever Pierce Johnson, with Robles taking third on the latter. Rookie Colt Emerson’s sacrifice fly to left scored Robles.
Arozarena singled and Weston Wilson hit an RBI double into the right field corner. The Reds brought in lefty Caleb Ferguson, whom the Mariners acquired at last season’s trade deadline, and intentionally walked the left-handed-hitting Dominic Canzone to load the bases. The switch-hitting Raleigh crushed Ferguson’s first pitch deep to left-center to make it 7-0.
Raleigh came up with the bases loaded again in the eighth and got a run-scoring groundout for the final margin.
Abbott took the loss despite allowing just one unearned run on four hits over six innings. The lefty walked two and fanned six.
Mariners third baseman J.P. Crawford was a late scratch from the starting lineup. The team offered no immediate reason why.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Spain new No. 1 in FIFA rankings; Norway are biggest climber
Spain midfielder Rodri (16) holds up a trophy after the FIFA World Cup Final game at MetLife Stadium, Jul 19, 2026, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. Spain overtook Argentina for the No. 1 spot in the FIFA men’s world rankings Monday, as expected after La Roja defeated the defending champions 1-0 in the World Cup final on Sunday.
Argentina were the No. 1 team in the world rankings as of the last official rankings update on June 11, the day the 48-team World Cup began in Mexico. Spain entered the tournament No. 2.
France and England remained third and fourth, respectively, despite England’s 6-4 triumph over the French in the World Cup third-place match. France still had enough of a cushion in the total points column to absorb that head-to-head defeat.
Brazil and Morocco moved past Portugal for the fifth and sixth spots. Portugal lost 1-0 to regional rival Spain in the round of 16.
Mexico climbed four spots in the 10th position after their strong showing at the World Cup. They went 3-0-0 in the group stage and blanked Ecuador 2-0 in the round of 32 before England pulled out a 3-2 win in the next round in Mexico City.
The United States also inched up one spot to No. 16 after winning their group and shutting out Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. The Americans’ tournament ended in a disappointing 4-1 defeat at the hands of Belgium, who are now ranked eighth in the world.
But the biggest climbers were none other than Erling Haaland and Norway, who moved up 12 spots to No. 19.
The Vikings became one of the darlings of the tournament after getting through to the knockouts and upsetting Brazil in the round of 16. Their tournament also ended at the hands of England, 2-1 in the quarterfinals, but it was Norway’s furthest World Cup run in their history.
The nation with the largest drop since June, Tunisia, also moved 12 spots. They now sit back at No. 57 after being the only African nation out of 10 in the field not to qualify for the knockouts.
FIFA Men’s World Rankings (as of July 20, 2026)
1. Spain
2. Argentina
3. France
4. England
5. Brazil
6. Morocco
7. Portugal
8. Belgium
9. Netherlands
10. Mexico
11. Colombia
12. Germany
13. Croatia
14. Switzerland
15. Italy
16. United States
17. Japan
18. Senegal
19. Norway
20. Uruguay
21. Denmark
22. Iran
23. Austria
24. Egypt
25. Ecuador
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Lionel Messi to miss next two Inter Miami games, All-Star Game
Argentina forward Lionel Messi (10) is trapped by Spain midfielder Rodri (16) during the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami FC teammate Rodrigo De Paul will not play in the MLS club’s next two games, ESPN reported on Monday.
Both Messi and De Paul played in all eight matches for Argentina in the World Cup. Messi started all eight contests and played all 120 minutes in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the final.
Also according to the report, both players, who were selected to the MLS All-Star Game on July 29, will not compete in the contest against the Liga MX All-Stars.
Messi skipped the 2025 MLS All-Star Game without league approval and was suspended for Inter Miami’s next regular-season match. Miami has informed the league that Messi will miss this year’s game, per ESPN.
FIFPRO, the global representative organization for pro soccer players, has recommended a 21-day rest period at the end of each season for health reasons.
In 2025, FIFA and FIFPRO agreed to a 72-hour rest period between matches for the World Cup.
Messi and De Paul will not play against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday and CF Montreal on Saturday.
Miami plays at home against Columbus on Aug. 1, then competes in the Leagues Cup from Aug. 5-12 before returning to MLS action on Aug. 15. Barring injury, the two players would miss three MLS games that fall within the 21-day window.
Messi scored eight goals and added four assists in the World Cup, finishing second to France’s Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race.
Inter Miami sit in second place in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with a 9-2-4 record, five points behind first-place Nashville SC.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: NFL analyst Ryan Clark laid off by ESPN
Dec 29, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ESPN MNF broadcaster Ryan Clark shown on set prior to the game between the Los Angeles Rams against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images In the first of another round of layoffs at ESPN, the network parted ways with NFL analyst and former NFL standout Ryan Clark on Monday.
The move occurred as Clark, who has been with ESPN for 11 years, was on the air during “NFL Live.” Sources told The Athletic that Clark was told of the decision during the broadcast and the outspoken 13-year former NFL safety did not finish the program.
Clark’s departure had been rumored since February and those rumors ramped up last week, according to The Athletic.
The Emmy-Award winning Clark was earning about $2 million per year.
ESPN sources told Sports Business Journal the move was planned for Tuesday, but the network was receiving media inquiries and feared the news would leak out before they could inform Clark.
Disney, the parent company of ESPN and the NFL Network, is expected to cut ties with additional on-air ESPN personnel, and a larger number of NFL Network employees, as soon as Tuesday.
ESPN acquired NFL Network in February, giving the NFL a 10% stake in ESPN. The deal was valued at approximately $3 billion.
–Field Level Media
Spain new No. 1 in FIFA rankings; Norway are biggest climber
Report: Lionel Messi to miss next two Inter Miami games, All-Star Game
