Ortiz is happy to be home
In his first public comments since a botched assassination attempt in his native Dominican Republic, former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said Monday that he is glad to be home from the hospital and told his fans: “Big Papi will be back soon.”
Following an Instagram post with a statement issued through a Boston public relations agency, Ortiz said he faces several more weeks of recovery from the June 9 shooting at a Santo Domingo nightclub.
Ortiz, 43, was shot in the back by a hired gunman who drove up on a motorcycle and fired at close range, hitting him in the torso, police said. They said the actual target was supposed to be another man.
Doctors in Santo Domingo removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine, and he was flown the next day on a Red Sox plane to Boston, where he had more surgery. The statement issued Monday said that Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General Hospital on Friday.
BASEBALL
Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick’s two-game suspension for his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy on July 7 has been upheld by Major League Baseball.
Marisnick was suspended on July 11 by Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre but appealed the decision to John McHale Jr., a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred. The commissioner's office said Monday the hearing took place July 23 and the penalty was upheld.
Lucroy suffered a concussion and a broken nose. Torre said he didn't believe Marisnick intended to injure Lucroy, but Marisnick's actions warranted discipline because they violated MLB rules designed to protect catchers.
Phillies obtain Vargas: The Philadelphia Phillies bolstered their beleaguered rotation.
Left-hander Jason Vargas was acquired from the New York Mets for Class AA catcher Austin Bossart.
The 36-year-old is 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA, winning his last three starts. He became expendable when the Mets acquired right-hander Marcus Stroman from Toronto on Sunday night for a pair of pitching prospects.
Vargas and Mets manager Mickey Callaway were fined by the team last month for their profanity-filled confrontation with a reporter following a loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
HOCKEY
Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy signed an eightyear, $76 million contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The deal with the Vezina Trophy winner is worth an average of $9.5 million per season.
The two-time all-star appeared in 53 games last season, going 39-10-4 with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage while helping Tampa Bay match the NHL single-season record with 62 wins.
TRACK AND FIELD
Dezerea Bryant, a 2011 graduate of Milwaukee Bradley Tech, won the 200-meter title at the USA Track and Field Championships at Drake University.
The victory earned her a spot on the U.S. national team for the world championships in Doha, Qatar, from Sept. 28-Oct. 6.
The national team berth is a first for Bryant, who went on to star at Clemson and Kentucky before embarking on a professional career.
She won the 200 on Sunday in 22.47 seconds after taking her semifinal heat in 22.49.
SWIMMING
Former Cedarburg star Katie Drabot took the bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly on Saturday at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
Hungary's Boglarka Kapas won the gold with at time of 2:06.78.
Drabot finished less than one-tenth of a second behind American teammate Hali Flickinger, marking the first time since 1978 that the US had two swimmers podium in the event.
SURFING
Kevin Schulz of the United States and Cody Young of Canada made history as the first competitors in the ocean during the sport's debut in the Pan American Games.
Young earned 10.43 points to Schulz's 7.50 at Punta Rocas beach, a reef break located about 38 miles south of the Peruvian capital of Lima.
Surfing will also make its Olympic debut next year in Tokyo.