Smith’s shot lifts Mets over Yanks
Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, Pete Alonso also connected and the Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday. The Mets completed the sweep with a 4-3 win in Game 2 thanks to Amed Rosario’s walk-off home run.
“With what he’s lived in the last two days emotionally, and what we lived, too, supporting him as well, it was pretty special for sure,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said.
Smith’s drive followed a tying three-run shot by the struggling Alonso, and Jake Marisnick also connected in the sixth inning against Chad Green (2-2), who had been the Yankees’ most reliable reliever.
“He got a couple pitches where he wanted, they just put better swings on it,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, whose team has lost six in a row.
The Astros and Athletics jointly walked off the field following a moment of silence, draping a Black Lives Matter Tshirt across home plate as they chose not to play Friday night.
The Athletics reportedly acquired 2019 All-Star infielder Tommy La Stella from the Angels for infielder Franklin Barreto.
The Yankees placed right fielder
Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured with a strained left calf days after the star slugger returned. He was activated Wednesday but aggravated the injury in a game at Atlanta.
Max Scherzer struck out 11 in six innings and Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick whacked back-to-back homers in a five-run third, leading the Nationals to a 10-2 victory against the host Red Sox.
Scott Kingery hit a three-run homer off Mark Melancon with two outs in the 11th and the host Phillies beat the Braves 7-4 for their fourth consecutive win.
A diversity report released on MLB showed a modest increase in its overall diversity hiring practices, spurred by its improved gender diversity. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics and Sport at Central Florida gave MLB an overall score of 80.7, which was a letter grade of B. That’s up from a 79.5 in 2019. The grade for racial hiring dropped slightly from 89.4 to an 88.7 for a B-plus while gender hiring increased from 69.6 to 72.7 for a C.
Turner rejects Jones’ idea
Packers offensive lineman Billy Turner believes Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ suggested alternative to kneeling during the national anthem would defeat the purpose of the message players want to send.
Jones spoke about how during a 2017 game he and his players knelt before the anthem but then stood during the anthem. Jones added that he “thought that was good” and “that’s the kind of thing we’ll be looking to see if we can implement.”
“That’s not what protesting is about,” Turner said. “Protesting [during] the national anthem is to get a point across that society and everyone watching football games every Sunday has a chance to see so you get your point across.”
The Packers returned to the field a day after canceling practice along with eight other teams to discuss social-justice issues.
Osaka moves into final
Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returned to the court in New York after bringing the push for racial justice to the forefront on the tennis tour, and she advanced to the finals of the Western & Southern Open with a straight-set victory.
“Of course I feel extra pressure now that there’s more eyes watching me,” she said.
After a one-day break in the tournament prompted by her decision to speak out, Osaka, 22, reached the title match by gritting out a 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Elise Mertens.
No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic and former top-30 member Vasek Pospisil would be the co-presidents of a new group they ares trying to set up to represent men’s professional tennis players. A letter emailed to players pushes the formation of a Professional Tennis Players Association, abbreviated PTPA. Tennis players never have had a union the way North American team sports do.
Justin Haley won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway in Florida after his Kaulig Racing teammates wrecked on the final lap. ✶