Sports
Luke Raley's career night powers Mariners past White Sox
May 8, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Luke Raley (20) rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Luke Raley hit a grand slam and three-run homer and Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor also went deep to power the visiting Seattle Mariners to a 12-8 victory against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
Raley collected a career-high seven RBIs while Naylor was 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Randy Arozarena added three hits and Rodriguez had two.
Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock withstood early trouble to pick up the victory and send the White Sox to their fourth loss in five games.
Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first as Munetaka Murakami smacked a solo home run to the opposite field in left.
Murakami set a major league record by homering in his eighth successive series opener. He also matched New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge for the major league home run lead with 15.
Seattle answered in the second by capitalizing on Chicago starting pitcher Sean Burke’s wildness. Burke had a walk, wild pitch and two hit-by-pitches. Cole Young absorbed the second HBP, which forced in a run and forged a 1-1 tie.
Both teams rallied for four runs in the third, with the Mariners doing all their damage with two outs. Two singles and a walk brought Raley to the plate. He drilled an 0-2 fastball from Burke over the right-field wall for his first career grand slam.
Chicago chipped away with Sam Antonacci’s run-scoring single in the bottom half before Hancock walked a pair to load the bases. Colson Montgomery followed with a three-run double to left center on the first pitch.
Rodriguez led off the fifth with a solo shot to put the Mariners ahead 6-5. Raley (seventh inning) and Naylor (eighth) put the game away with three-run blasts against the Chicago bullpen.
Raley became the first Mariner with a grand slam and three-run shot in the same game since Nelson Cruz on July 23, 2016.
Hancock (3-1) spaced five runs and five hits over six innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
Burke, who entered with a streak of 14 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings, fell to 2-3 after allowing six runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.
Antonacci had two hits for the White Sox. Jarred Kelenic and Tristan Peters drove in runs in the eighth. Randal Grichuk closed the scoring with a pinch-hit solo homer off the left field foul pole in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Defender Chris Richards returns to USMNT practice
June 8, 2026; Irvine, California, U.S.; Chris Richards of the U.S. signs an autograph for a fan during training. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Defender Chris Richards is back on the field with the United States Men’s National Team on Monday and appears to be on track for the World Cup opener against Paraguay this week.
“We will see … first time with the team,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said Monday. “Nearly everyone ready to be selected for the game.”
Richards sustained an ankle injury last month and is viewed as a vital defender in the center of the backline.
Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie filled in for Richards on Saturday in the final World Cup tuneup against Germany in Chicago.
At Monday’s practice in Irvine, Calif., Tyler Adams was not on the field. He worked in the gym for load management purposes, Pochettino said.
Richards, 26, suffered a pair of torn ligaments in his left ankle on May 17 as his Crystal Palace team played Brentford in a Premier League match. He did complete the match but limped off the field and has not competed since.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Kings to hire Peter Laviolette as head coach
Mar 29, 2025; San Jose, California, USA; New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette instructs his team as left wings Artemi Panarin (10), Chris Kreider (20) and Brennan Othmann (78) look on against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Kings are set to hire Peter Laviolette to a three-year deal as their next head coach, Sportsnet and ESPN reported Monday.
Laviolette had been in talks to become the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs as recently as last week, according to multiple reports, and the Edmonton Oilers had also reportedly looked at him as a candidate to fill their head coaching vacancy.
Laviolette, 61, has been an NHL head coach for 23 seasons.
He won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He also reached the Stanley Cup Final as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017.
He most recently coached the New York Rangers from 2023-25. The Rangers went 55-23-4 (114 points) in Laviolette’s first season and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, where they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in a six-game series. New York went 39-36-7 (85 points) the following season to finish six points out of a playoff spot, leading to Laviolette’s dismissal in April 2025.
He owns an 846-562-161 record (25 ties) as head coach with the New York Islanders (2001-03), Hurricanes (2003-09), Flyers (2009-14), Predators (2014-20), Washington Capitals (2020-23) and Rangers.
His 846 regular-season wins are the most among United States-born coaches in NHL history and seventh all-time.
Laviolette appeared in 12 NHL games during his playing career as a defenseman, all during the 1988-89 season with the Rangers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top 2 seeds ousted in chaotic opening day at Libema Open
Aug 27, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia serves against Wang Xinyu of China in the second round of the women’s singles at the US Open at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds each fell in straight sets on a chaotic first day of women’s competition in the Libema Open at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands on Monday.
No. 1 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia — a two-time winner at the event in 2022 and ‘23 — fell 6-4, 7-6 (5) to Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, who ranks nearly 50 spots lower (65th to 17th). In a match that was statistically even in a number of spots, the difference may have been Udvardy’s one more converted break (3 of 6) in an equal number of chances.
Second-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark lost 6-4, 6-4 to Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova, a 17-year-old who won the final five games of the match to secure her first career top-30 win. No. 3 seed Belgian Elise Mertens avoided the same fate with a thorough 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Canada’s Bianca Andreescu.
In other Monday action, Poland’s Magda Linette rallied for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Australian Kimberly Birrell, Robin Montgomery pulled out a 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 victory against Daria Kasatkina of Australia and Ukraine’s Daria Snigur swept Spain’s Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-6 (2).
HSBC Championships
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic rallied for a 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-3 defeat of McCartney Kessler in first-round action at London.
Pliskova was sloppy on her serve with three aces and 11 double faults but made up for it by winning 51% of her return points and converting 8 of 11 break-point opportunities.
In the only two other matches completed on Monday, when multiple matches were delayed or postponed by rain, Great Britain’s Harriet Dart beat Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, while Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian swept Qinwen Zheng 6-4, 7-6 (4).
The final match of the day, which pitted No. 8 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada against Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, was suspended due to darkness with Fernandez up a set and the second set level at 3 games apiece.
–Field Level Media
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