Quick Hitters
Yankees hit 5 HRs, rip Orioles for 8th straight win
BALTIMORE — Gio Urshela and Kyle Higashioka each hit two home runs, and the Yankees’ long-ball outburst against the Baltimore Orioles reached historical proportions Wednesday night in a 14-2 blowout that extended New York’s winning streak to eight games.
Urshela had a pair of two-run drives, and Higashioka totaled five RBIs with his two shots. It was the first career multihomer game for both players.
The Yankees have 11 players with multihomer games against Baltimore this season, breaking the record of 10 set by San Francisco against the Dodgers in 1958.
Cameron Maybin also went deep for the Yankees, who tied a major league record with 16 home runs in a three-game series. New York has hit 52 homers against the Orioles this season, breaking its own major league mark of 48 against the Kansas City Athletics in 1956.
All these numbers are bound to increase next week, when the teams meet again for a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Dolphins’ receiver, owner at odds on support of Trump
MIAMI — Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is defending his support of longtime friend Donald Trump after being criticized about it by one of his players.
Receiver Kenny Stills’ comments Wednesday followed a report by the Washington Post that Ross plans to host a fundraiser for the president.
Stills tweeted a screen capture from Ross’ anti-racism RISE initiative’s website and wrote, “You can’t have a non-profit with this mission statement then open your doors to Trump.”
The mission statement says RISE “educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations.”
Ross’ fundraiser is scheduled for Friday at his home on Long Island, the Post said.
“I always have been an active participant in the democratic process,” Ross said in a statement. “While some prefer to sit outside of the process and criticize, I prefer to engage directly and support the things I deeply care about.”
Ross and Trump have been friends for 40 years. Both are New York real estate billionaires with homes in Palm Beach, Florida.
In the wake of last weekend’s mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, Trump’s critics have blamed his incendiary rhetoric for inflaming political and racial tensions.
Said Ross in his statement: “I have been, and will continue to be, an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education and environmental sustainability, and I have and will continue to support leaders on both sides of the aisle to address these challenges.”
Stills has been kneeling during the national anthem before Dolphins games since 2016 and has been vocal in discussing racial inequality and other issues.
In video, Kaepernick says he’s ‘still ready’ to return
Colin Kaepernick says he’s “still ready” to return to the NFL, even though he is set to enter his third season out of the league.
In a video posted Wednesday on social media, the 31-year-old Kaepernick is shown working out in a gym. He says in the video: “5 a.m. 5 days a week. For 3 years. Still Ready.”
Kaepernick, then with the San Francisco 49ers, helped start a wave of protests about social and racial injustice in 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem at games.