THE HOT CORNER

1 SOCCER: Major League Soccer and Liga MX will pause play for a month each summer beginning in 2023 for an expanded Leagues Cup tournament. The tournament will include all the teams from the two leagues and decide three berths for the CONCACAF Champions League, including a spot in the round of 16. 2 HOCKEY: The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year, $27 million contract extension, the team announced. Merzlikins will be in the final year of a two-year contract this season with a cap hit of $4 million. The new contract locks him up through the 202627 season with an annual salary of about $6.7 million. 3 PRO FOOTBALL: The Jacksonville Jaguars signed cornerback Nevin Lawson to a one-year contract Wednesday, giving them an experienced veteran in case CJ Henderson can’t play against Arizona. The team placed tight end James O’shaughnessy (ankle) on injured reserve to make room for Lawson.

4 CYCLING: Veteran Tony Martin ended his much-decorated career in style as Germany won the mixed relay race at cycling’s world championships Wednesday. The 36-year-old Martin, a four-time time trial world champion from Germany who also won five Tour de France stages and wore the famed yellow jersey, announced last week he would end his 14-year professional career after the world championships. HORSE RACING: Medina Spirit, 5 the Kentucky Derby winner who failed a postrace drug test, won’t run in Saturday’s $1 million Pennsylvania Derby. Embattled Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Tuesday he is going to keep the colt in California and run in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes against older horses at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.