Off the wire

SOCCER

Ronaldo sets scoring mark

Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest-scoring man in international soccer history with his 110th goal for Portugal on Wednesday. The Portugal captain scored in the 89th minute against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, moving ahead of former Iranian striker Ali Daei. He added a second — another header — minutes later in the 2-1 victory. The 36-year-old Ronaldo, who finalized his return to Manchester United on Tuesday after leaving Juventus, was playing in his 180th game for Portugal. The forward made his debut for the national team in 2003 and began his historic scoring run at the 2004 European Championship in a 2-1 loss to Greece in the group stage. The only two men to net more than 100 times for their countries are Ronaldo and Daei, who scored 109 goals in 149 games for Iran from 1993-2006.

FOOTBALL

Mathieu positive for covid

Kansas City All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu has tested positive for covid-19 and was placed on the league’s reserve list Wednesday, though he could be back with the team soon and available for Week 1 against Cleveland. Mathieu is fully vaccinated, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, and NFL rules released in July say vaccinated players testing positive but are asymptomatic can return after two negative tests taken 24 hours apart. The timing is fortunate in that the Chiefs planned to practice today before taking the weekend off. They will resume their regular game-week preparation next week for a divisional playoff rematch against the Browns on Sept. 12. Mathieu picked off a career-best 6 passes with 62 tackles and 3 tackles for loss last season.

Steelers place Tuitt on IR

The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed veteran defensive end Stephon Tuitt on the injured reserve/ return list. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler said Wednesday that Tuitt is dealing with a knee injury but did not get into specifics about the severity of the issue. Butler did confirm it’s one of the reasons why Tuitt did not practice with the team at all during training camp. While Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin has insisted that the 28-year-old Tuitt — who is coming off a career-best 11 sacks in 2020 — is “fine,” he is also helping his mother grieve the loss of his younger brother. Richard Bartlett III, 23, died after being struck in a hit-and-run accident in Georgia in June.

Jaguars add wide receiver

Jacksonville claimed receiver Tyron Johnson off waivers from the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday, the only move the Jaguars made despite having first dibs on every player waived in final roster cuts. Johnson spent time with Houston, Buffalo, Carolina and the Chargers during his rookie year in 2019. He played in 12 games for the Chargers last season and had 20 receptions for 398 yards and 3 TDs. The New Orleans native played collegiately at Oklahoma State.

Falcons lose left guard

Josh Andrews, who was the favorite to open the season as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting left guard, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after suffering a broken hand in Tuesday’s practice. Players can return from injured reserve after three weeks this season. Andrews’ injury was a setback to offensive line plans for Atlanta’s opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 12. Two rookies are candidates to move up at left guard. Jalen Mayfield,a third-round draft pick from Michigan, could focus on guard after also working at tackle in training camp. Drew Dalman, a fourth-round pick from Stanford who also has worked at center, is another candidate to fill in for Andrews.

Jets cut CB Austin

The New York Jets released cornerback Bless Austin on Wednesday, moving on from a projected starter in their young secondary. The 25-year-old Austin was entering his third season with the Jets, and was expected to start opposite Bryce Hall, who’s in his second year. With Austin gone, second-year cornerback Javelin Guidry and rookies Brandin Echols, Jason Pinnock and Isa- iah Dunn are in the mix to earn the starting job.

BASEBALL

Mets acting GM arrested

New York Mets acting General Manager Zack Scott has been arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated. Scott was arrested on a DUI charge Tuesday morning in suburban White Plains, N.Y. Police found him asleep at the wheel of his SUV at a traffic light and determined he was intoxicated, White Plains police Capt. James Spencer said. He said Scott refused a breathalyzer test. Scott, 44, was booked and released and is due in court today. The Mets on Wednesday confirmed an ESPN report that Scott was at a fundraiser for the team’s Amazin’ Mets Foundation at owner Steve Cohen’s house in Connecticut on Monday night, which was also attended by players.

Maeda out 9-12 months

Minnesota Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda had season-ending Tommy John surgery Wednesday in Dallas, the team said. The 33-yearold right-hander was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 24 with right forearm tightness. Texas Rangers orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister performed the surgery. The Twins hope Maeda could return in 9-12 months. Maeda was the runner-up in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season, when he went 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts. In 21 starts this season, Maeda was 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA.

HOCKEY

Blues, Parayko reach deal

Colton Parayko’s name is out of trade rumors and in the St. Louis Blues’ long-term plans after agreeing to terms Wednesday on a $52 million, eight-year contract. The team’s top defenseman was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and his impending departure threatened to remove another key performer from the blue line that helped St. Louis hoist the Stanley Cup in 2019. Instead, Parayko will count $6.5 million against the salary cap when his new deal starts in the 2022-23 season until it runs out in 2030. Parayko put up 12 points during the Blues’ Cup run two years ago. He was limited to that many during an injury-plagued 2021 season.

MOTOR SPORTS

Raikkonen to retire

Kimi Raikkonen will retire at the end of the Formula 1 season, concluding a career that spanned two decades and included the 2007 world championship. Raikkonen is in the final year of his contract with Alfa Romeo. The Finn announced his departure on Instagram on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Raikkonen’s retirement will open a seat at Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season. The team has fielded the same drivers’ lineup of Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi for the past three seasons. Raikkonen made his F1 debut with Sauber in 2001 and scored points in his debut to quickly gain attention. He replaced Mika Hakkinen at McLaren in the 2002 season and won his first race the next year while finishing second in the championship. He moved to Ferrari in 2007 and won his only championship, beating Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by a single point in the season finale. The 41-year-old has 21 career victories, his last in 2018 at the United States Grand Prix when he was with Ferrari and finished third in the championship standings.