Ohtani hit is 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first big league player to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game.

“It was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible. And, you know, it’s something that I’m going to cherish for a very long time,” Ohtani said through an interpreter in a televised interview.

The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-center on two of his three homers at LoanDepot Park. In the sixth inning, he launched a 1-1 slider from George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th.

Ohtani hit his 50th homer in the seventh inning, an opposite-field, two-run shot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth, his 51st traveled 440 feet to right-center, a three-run shot against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who came in to pitch with the game out of hand. The Dodgers won 20-4 and clinched their 12th straight playoff berth.

“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” Ohtani said. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad that it was going well today.”

Ohtani took care of the stolen bases earlier in the game, swiping his 50th in the first and his 51st in the second.

He broke the Dodgers’ franchise record of 49 homers set by Shawn Green in 2001. And he became the third player in major league history with at least six hits, three homers and 10 RBIs in a game, joining Cincinnati’s Walker Cooper in 1949 and Washington’s Anthony Rendon in 2017.

The Japanese superstar led off the game with double against Edward Cabrera and swiped third on the front end of a double steal with Freddie Freeman, who reached on a walk.

Ohtani has been successful on his last 28 stolen base attempts.

He reached the 50-50 milestone in his 150th game. Ohtani was already the sixth player in major league history and the fastest ever to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, needing just 126 games.

Ohtani’s previous career high in homers was 46 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, when he also made 23 starts on the mound and won his first of two American League MVP awards.

Already the consensus best player in baseball whose accomplishments as a pitcher and batter outpaced even Babe Ruth, Ohtani reached new heights as an offensive player while taking the year off from pitching.

Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers last December. The two-way star, who previously spent six years with the Los Angeles Angels, has played exclusively at designated hitter this season as he rehabilitates after surgery a year ago for an injured elbow ligament.

Preparation was a key to Ohtani becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He regularly huddled with the team’s hitting coaches and studied video of opposing pitchers to understand their tendencies with hitters and baserunners.

“I see all the work he puts in,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said recently. “It’s not like he goes out there and it’s too easy for him. He works harder than anybody. He scouts really hard. He’s playing a different game so it’s fun to see.”

Ohtani appeared to make the 50-50 mark his mission. He increased the frequency of his base-stealing attempts and in turn his success rate went up.

But that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.

“He’s not pitching this year so I think he is emptying the tank offensively,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “I do think the power, the on-base (percentage), the average, I think he can do that as a pitcher. He’s done something pretty similar like that with his OPS. But as far as the stolen bases go, I’m not sure about that.”

Ohtani’s teammates have enjoyed watching him crush home runs and scamper around the bases.

“I’m honestly kind of trying to learn from him just seeing the way he goes about his day-to-day business. He’s very consistent, the same demeanor throughout,” outfielder Tommy Edman said recently. “I think that’s why he’s such a good player.”

Third baseman Max Muncy added, “Every night I feel like he does something that we haven’t seen.”

What’s next for Ohtani?

The Dodgers are headed to the postseason in October, which will be another first for Ohtani. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a winning record during his tenure in Anaheim.

Another potential first could be earning National League MVP honors as a designated hitter. No player who got most of his playing time as a DH — without pitching — has ever won MVP, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz placed high in the vote.

It would be Ohtani’s third career MVP award.

The Wildcats (2-0) extended the longest active win streak in FBS by outscoring the Lumberjacks 16-0 in the second half after trailing 10-6 at the break. The nine straight wins matches the school record set in 1974-75 and matched in 1997-98.

Conley, a transfer from San Jose State, led the way as Arizona gained 188 yards on the ground. Receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who had a school-record 304 yards and four TDs in the 61-39 season-opening win over New Mexico, was limited to two catches for 11 yards.

Northern Arizona (1-1) finished with only 198 yards of total offense, 91 after halftime. Quarterback Ty Pennington threw for 84 yards on 14 of 24 passing and added 39 on the ground.

Arizona forced a turnover on downs in Northern Arizona territory to open the second half and converted that into points as Jeremiah Patterson scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Fifita for a 13-10 lead with 12:06 left in the third.

The Wildcats’ Chubba Ma’ae tackled running back Darvon Hubbard in the end zone for a safety with 11:33 left in the fourth, upping the lead to 15-10. And after getting the ball back, Arizona made it 22-10 on a 56-yard scoring run by Kedrick Reescano with 9:32 remaining.

Arizona only led 3-0 after the first quarter after settling for a red zone field goal on its first drive and punting the next two. Northern Arizona took a 7-3 lead with 10:24 left in the half on a trick play, with receiver Isaiah Eastman throwing a 25-yard TD pass to tight end Xander Werner.

A Fifita interception led to more points for the Lumberjacks, with Marcus Lye converting on a 38-yard field goal to make it 10-3 with 6:20 left in the first half.

The Wildcats cut Northern Arizona’s lead to 10-6 with 32 seconds left in the first half on a 48-yard field goal from Tyler Loop.

The takeaway

Northern Arizona: The Lumberjacks, who shocked Arizona in Tucson in 2021, dropped to 10-55 all-time against FBS schools. They have never beaten a ranked FBS opponent.

Arizona: A week after scoring on 10 drives and putting up the eighth-most yards in school history, the Wildcats had fewer yards in the first half (147) than on their first two drives in the Week 1 win over New Mexico.

Up next

Northern Arizona: The Lumberjacks continue a three-game road trip with a visit to Utah Tech on Saturday.

Arizona: The Wildcats hit the road for the first time, taking on Big 12 conference foe Kansas State on Friday in a nonconference game scheduled before they left the Pac-12.

Altuve had three hits and scored three times. Peña’s 15th homer was a three-run shot, capping a five-run sixth inning that started with the Astros clinging to a one-run lead.

Houston entered with a 4 1/2-game lead in the AL West over Seattle.

Arizona, which has dropped three straight and seven of 10, began the day leading the Braves and Mets by 1 1/2 games for the second National League wild card.

Kikuchi (8-9) allowed four runs and seven hits over six innings. He struck out six, giving him a career-high 183 strikeouts this season.

The left-hander has a 3.07 ERA since joining the Astros in a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 29, with a 32.1% strikeout rate.

Kevin Newman homered off Kikuchi in the fourth to put Arizona up 3-1, but Houston rallied for four runs against Eduardo Rodriguez in the bottom half.

Rodriguez (2-2) faced 10 batters and needed 47 pitches to get through the inning. Houston loaded the bases without a hit, and Chas McCormick tied the game with a two-run single. Yordan Alvarez’s two-out RBI single put the Astros on top and, after an error, Alex Bregman capped the flurry with a bases-loaded walk.

Alvarez finished with three hits and is batting .410 with 13 RBIs over his last 10 games.

Eugenio Suárez hit his 25th homer in the sixth to bring Arizona within a run, but the Astros broke open the game with the help of Peña’s three-run drive into the Astros’ bullpen in right-center field.

Dylan Floro was charged with all five Houston runs in the sixth.

Rodriguez gave up five runs, four earned, and seven hits over four innings with one strikeout.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: C José Herrera returned to the lineup after he was removed from Friday’s game when he was hit on the back of the helmet by Kyle Tucker’s follow-through on a strikeout.

Astros: After returning from a 79-game absence Friday due to a fractured right shin, RF Kyle Tucker did not start but was available off the bench. … INF Mauricio Dubón is dealing with a sore left thumb, which forced him out of Friday’s game after he jammed it diving into first base.

UP NEXT

Houston RHP Justin Verlander (3-5, 4.52 ERA) opposes RHP Ryne Nelson (10-6, 4.15) when the series concludes Sunday night.

The former San Jose State coach certainly has the type of roster to continue the upward trajectory, with a quarterback who could end up being in the Heisman Trophy conversation, one of the nation’s best receivers and talent across the board.

“There is all kinds of excitement about the football team we had a year ago, so there’s tremendous momentum,” Brennan said. “And a lot of those players chose to stay together and move forward together, which I think is rare and one of the best stories in college football this season.”

Near the bottom rung of the FBS three years ago, No. 21 Arizona is ranked in the AP preseason poll for the first time since 2015.

The Wildcats again should be explosive on offense with quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan returning. The defense, long the weak link in the desert, has made vast improvements and Arizona has strengthened its depth across the roster.

“We feel great about where we’re at,” Brennan said. “We’re excited for it and we’re excited for the new conference.”

Arizona football’s Noah Fifita and T-Mac

The decisions by Fifita and McMillan to return give Arizona one of the best connections in college football.

Fifita started last season as the backup to Jayden de Laura, but played so well after his teammate was injured that he kept the job when de Laura returned.

Fifita was named the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year after throwing for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns with six interceptions. His completion rate of 72.4% broke the school single-season record.

McMillan was the highest-rated recruit in program history and has so far lived up to the hype.

The athletic 6-foot-5, 212-pound receiver has been a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses, catching 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. In two seasons, he has already cracked Arizona’s top 10 for receiving yards (2,104) and receiving touchdowns (18).

Defensive turnaround

Arizona was among one of the nation’s worst defenses just two years ago, allowing more than 36 points per game. The Wildcats made a huge jump last season, giving up 20.8 points per game.
Arizona has playmakers across its defensive secondary and linebacking corps, including preseason all-Big 12 linebacker Jacob Manu and cornerback Tacario Davis. The Wildcats also return nickelback Treydan Stukes, safety Gunner Maldonado and safety Dalton Johnson in what could end up being one of the Big 12’s best secondaries.

Arizona has questions on the defensive line after several players followed Fisch to Washington, but Brennan turned to the transfer portal to fill the gaps.

Big 12 debut

Arizona’s first foray into the Big 12 won’t be an easy one.

After nonconference home games against New Mexico and FCS Northern Arizona, the Wildcats play their first game as a Big 12 program at No. 18 Kansas State on Sept. 13. Arizona then plays at No. 12 Utah with road games against BYU, UCF and TCU.

The Wildcats close out the regular season at home against rival Arizona State on Nov. 30.

The gold medalists in the 400 hurdles and 200 meters took care of legs two and three for the United States, handing a 30-meter lead to Alexis Holmes, who didn’t lose any ground.

The U.S. finished in 3 minutes, 15.27 seconds, only .1 short of the world record.

The American men won gold in the same race in a much closer finish about 15 minutes earlier.

Rai Benjamin held off Letsile Tebogo on the anchor leg to give the United States a gold medal and an Olympic-record time in the men’s 4×400-meter relay at the Paris Games on Saturday night.

Benjamin added this Olympic title to the one he claimed in the 400-meter hurdles a night earlier and prevented 200-meter champion Tebogo from giving Botswana another triumph over the Americans.

It was Tebogo, the 21-year-old sprinting sensation, who stole the spotlight — and the gold — from the U.S. in the 200 on Thursday, relegating Kenny Bednarek to silver and Noah Lyles, who tested positive for COVID-19, to bronze.

The U.S. quartet of Christpher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Benjamin completed the four laps in 2 minutes, 54.43 seconds, nearly a second faster than the American 4×400 team ran at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And Saturday’s time was just .14 seconds off the world record set by the United States in 1993.

Botswana was a tenth of a second back Saturday, with Tebogo joined by Bayapo Ndori, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi and Anthony Pesela.

Britain was third in 2:55.83.

The 34 track medals were the most for the U.S. at a non-boycotted Games since the early 20th century, when there were more events and fewer countries, and the 14 golds are the most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1968.

The Americans, who hadn’t won gold since the 2012 London Olympics, closed out an undefeated run to the title in their first international campaign under new coach Emma Hayes.

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher preserved the win with a one-handed save on Adriana’s header in stoppage time at Parc des Princes. At the final whistle, the U.S. players celebrated as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” played in the stadium.

The loss is more heartbreak for Brazil and its iconic star, Marta. The six-time world player of the year has never won a Women’s World Cup or an Olympics. This is expected to be her last major international tournament.

It was the third victory for the United States over Brazil in an Olympic final. The Americans also beat the Brazilians in the 2004 in Athens and four years later in Beijing.

Brazil has never finished better than runner up at the Olympics.

“I’m very emotional. It’s been a dream of mine to be in this position,” said Hayes, a London native. “I have to thank my dad because he’s the one who pushed me to this point to be able to come and coach an unbelievable group of players that have received me so well and taken on board everything I have asked. They are tremendous people and players and role models. Yeah, I love them.”

Three years ago in Tokyo, the U.S. settled for the bronze medal. The Americans were knocked out in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Swanson’s 57th-minute goal came in her 100th appearance with the United States.

Tom Cruise and former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe were among those in the crowd.

The U.S. also won gold in 1996 at the Atlanta Games in the first women’s soccer tournament at the Olympics.

Brazil finished third in its group in France, earning one of two third-place spots in the knockout round.

Marta was playing in her six Olympics. Her first was in 2004 — when she was just 18 — which ended with a silver. But she started the match on the bench after a two-game suspension for a hard foul on Spain’s Olga Carmona in the team’s final group match.

Hayes was named coach of the U.S. back in November but she didn’t join the team until May so she could finish out the season with Chelsea — guiding the Women’s Super League squad to its fifth straight title.

Hayes was tasked with turning around a U.S. team that crashed out of last summer’s Women’s World Cup earlier than ever before. Despite her short time with the Americans, she quickly fostered chemistry within the young squad, particularly between forwards Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Swanson.

The trio have scored 10 of the 12 U.S. goals in France.

Brazil had the best chances early. Ludmila was alone in front of the goal in the second minute but her shot went straight into Naeher’s arms.

Ludmila appeared to score in the upper far corner in the 16th minute but was offside.

Swanson took off on a break down the left side in the 25th minute but but Brazil goalkeeper Lorena easily stopped her shot.

Naeher kept the game scoreless at the break by punching away Gabi Portilho’s shot in first-half stoppage time.

Brazilian midfielder Vitoria Yaya was stretched off with an injury early in the second half.

The U.S. continued to threaten after Swanson’s goal. Smith nearly scored on a break in the 66th but her attempt went wide.

Lindsey Horan smashed a free kick into the wall in the 82nd after Tarciane fouled Smith just outside the box.

Hayes made one change to her lineup for the final, starting Korbin Albert in place of Rose Lavelle. It was the second youngest U.S. lineup to start a gold medal match, with an average age of 26.7. The average age of the team that started the 1996 final was 25.8.

The U.S. advanced to the final with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Germany in Lyon. Smith scored the lone goal.

Brazil earned its spot with a wild 4-2 victory over Women’s World Cup champions Spain.

Germany went on to win the tournament’s bronze medal with a 1-0 victory over Spain in Lyon on Friday.

By the slimmest of margins, Thompson was beaten out for gold on a perfectly timed lean from American Noah Lyles on Sunday night. Their times of 9.79 seconds needed to be calculated farther out to determine the winner — with Lyles winning 9.784 to 9.789. Thompson was five-thousandths of a second away from joining the company of fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt as an Olympic champion.

“I’m a bit disappointed,” Thompson said. “But I am happy at the same time. I am going to take it as what it is and move forward from here.”

Someone asked Thompson soon after if he thought the gold medal could be shared, since it was that close of race. It would be a nod to the high jumpers at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar agreed to split the gold medal.

Somehow, Thompson didn’t think Lyles would go for the idea.

“I think the sport is too competitive, no offense to any other sport,” the 23-year-old Thompson said. “It’s too competitive for us to share a gold medal.”

The race was barely over and Thompson was already replaying the little things that could’ve made a big difference. Maybe more of a lean. Maybe a bit more patience to let his speed propel him to the finish line.

“I know that Jamaica would have wanted me to get the gold,” he said. “Everybody loves winners.”

Thompson was in Lane 4 in the final and Lyles in Lane 7. He couldn’t see Lyles out that far so he wasn’t sure precisely where he stood right after the finish. Thompson knew it was close and immediately glanced at the scoreboard for an answer.

He waited. They all waited.

Lyles gave him a glimmer of hope, though.

“I did think Thompson had it at the end,” Lyles said. “I even said, ‘Bro, I think you got that one big dog. And then my name popped up, and I’m like, ’Oh my gosh, I’m amazing.’”

Thompson became the first Jamaican to be on the podium in the men’s Olympic 100 since Bolt’s run of three straight titles in 2008, ’12 and ’16.

“My body language will not show it because I am not an expressive guy, but I am glad,” Thompson said. “I’m super grateful.”

Thompson entered the race with the fastest time of the season and was viewed as the biggest threat to Lyles. It came down to the wire with all eight sprinters separated by a margin of .12 seconds — and even closer for gold and silver.

“That close,” Thompson said. “It was that close.”

“Great day. It’s a great day. It’s a great day,” Griner said after the U.S. women beat Belgium 87-74 to clinch a berth in the Paris Games quarterfinals. “We’ll talk more about it later. But head over heels happy for the families right now. Any day that Americans come home, that’s a win. That’s a win.”

The two-time Olympic gold medalist went through her own high-profile prisoner exchange with Russia in 2022 after having been sentenced to nine years in jail for drug possession and smuggling.

So Griner was thrilled hearing that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, both convicted of espionage charges that the U.S. government considered baseless, were coming home.

Griner didn’t share how she learned of the prisoner exchange, but she said she was “definitely emotional” at hearing the news.

“I’m sure it’ll be emotional even more a little bit later on,” Griner said. Yeah. I’m just happy. Like this is a big win. A huge win.”

Griner returned to the U.S. in December 2022. Now 19 months later, she is playing for the national team, which won its 57th straight at the Olympics. Griner scored seven points while helping the Americans continue their pursuit of an eighth straight Olympic gold medal.

Since returning to America, Griner has taken an active role in helping other Americans detained in foreign countries. She has worked with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign formed in 2022 by the family members of American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas.

She also has spoken twice with President Joe Biden, including once in April to keep the detainees “on the forefront of everyone’s mind.”

Griner also has gone through the readjustment to life back in the U.S., something she’s still working through.

“I know they have an amazing group of people that are going to help them out in whatever way they need them and their families,” Griner said of the resources that will be available to Gershkovich and Whelan. “And I’m glad that I was able to go through that program and get reactivated back into everyday life.”

These Olympics are the first time she’s been overseas since her ordeal in Russia. On a train trip from London with her U.S. teammates, Griner felt anxious when she sat in her seat. It was her first time on a train since heading to a Russian prison.

“Walking up to the train I was fine,” Griner told The Associated Press that day. “When I sat down and looked out the window I was like, ‘Damn, last time I was here I was on my way to prison.’ Anxiety started to heighten up. Then I realized I was good, there were no bars. I’m going to win gold.”

Griner turned to Netflix to calm her mind during a simple commute with her U.S. teammates to the Paris Olympics.

“Everything was cool,” she said.

That doesn’t mean her coach and teammates won’t be keeping an eye on Griner.

U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve said they were extremely happy for the families upon hearing the news, knowing the men endured “just awful, awful time” without their loved ones back home. Reeve’s mind went immediately to Griner knowing how happy she is.

Reeve spent time with Griner in the locker room after the game.

“This is a great day because she knows what for her what that was like,” Reeve said. “And so now knowing and actually visualizing maybe them going through the experience, she seemed OK. But that’s Brittney. She always seems OK. … But we’ll certainly be checking on her.”

Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams also scored for the Americans, who defeated Zambia 3-0 in the opener.

The Americans are playing their first major tournament under new coach Emma Hayes, who took over the U.S. team in late May.

Hayes is tasked with leading the Americans as they seek to distance themselves from the disappointment of last summer’s Women’s World Cup, when they crashed out in the round of 16.

The United States is the winningest team in the Olympics, with four gold medals. The Americans won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games under former coach Vlatko Andonovski, who resigned following the World Cup.

Smith started for the United States after leaving the opener in the first half with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

Ten minutes into the match, Smith struck a cross from Trinity Rodman that sailed past German goalkeeper Katrin-Ann Berger.

Giulia Gwinn equalized in the 22nd minute with a low, bouncing shot from well outside the penalty area that eluded diving U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

Swanson put the United States back in front in the 26th. Berger punched out an attempt from distance by Smith, but Swanson picked up the rebound for a goal. It was Swanson’s third goal of the Olympics.

Swanson is the second player to score three goals in the group at an Olympics, joining Abby Wambach in 2012.

Smith scored her second in the 44th minute on a high-arcing shot that hit the far post and caromed into the goal.

Williams, a substitute, added the final goal in the 89th minute and fans in Marseille chanted “USA! USA!” as time ran down.

U.S. defender Tierna Davidson left the match with an injury and was replaced by Emily Sonnett.

Alexandra Popp left in the 76th minute with what appeared to be a right leg injury. It was a blow to Germany, which was already playing without midfielder Lena Oberdorf (knee).

The United States plays Australia in Marseille to conclude group play. Germany, which defeated Australia in its Olympic opener 3-0, plays Zambia in Saint-Etienne.

The 22-year-old Marchand pulled away in his heat to touch in 4 minutes, 8.30 seconds, with some 15,000 fans at La Defense Arena chanting on every stroke.

“It was a crazy thing,” Marchand said through a translator. “It was beyond what I expected. Everybody was shouting my name.”

It was a comfortable performance for the French phenomenon, who has been compared to Michael Phelps and is guided by the same coach, American Bob Bowman, who was with Phelps for his staggering 23 Olympic gold medals.

Marchand is looking for his first gold, and he’ll be a heavy favorite in the evening final. He was more than a second ahead of Britain’s Max Litchfield (4:09.51), who was followed by Japan’s Daiya Seto (4:10.92) and American Carson Foster (4:11.07).

The big question going into the final: Can Marchand take down his own world record of 4:02.50? He claimed that mark at last year’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, erasing a record held by Phelps for 15 years.

“I wanted to save my energy,” he said. “I’ve been through one (race), so I can kind of take a breath.”

The defending Olympic champion, 30-year-old Chase Kalisz of the U.S., failed to advance to the final after managing just the 11th-fastest time (4:13.36).

A loss in Marseille could have ended the Americans’ chance to advance to the knockout round in just their second Olympic appearance. The U.S. had lost to France in its Group A opener.

Mihailovic calmly hit the penalty in the eighth minute after Nathan Harriel was brought down in the box by Matthew Garbett.

Four minutes later, senior player Walker Zimmerman made it 2-0 when he poked in a goal in a scramble in front of the net following a free kick.

Gianluca Busio scored on a rebound at the half-hour mark and celebrated by dancing with teammate Kevin Paredes. Paxton Aaronson added a fourth goal in the 58th.

New Zealand avoided the shutout with Jesse Randall’s late goal.

New Zealand’s 2-1 opening victory over Guinea had put the team in a strong position to advance. The OlyWhites, as they are known, started the day second in the group to France.

The United States is set to play Guinea in its final group match Tuesday in Saint-Etienne. New Zealand plays France in Marseille.

New Zealand is making its fourth Olympic appearance. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Games after being disqualified for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for using an ineligible player at a qualification tournament.

It was an escape to help her forget her last time on a train. That occurred in 2022 when she was headed to a Russian prison after being sentenced to nine years in jail for drug possession and smuggling.

“Walking up to the train I was fine,” Griner told The Associated Press. “When I sat down and looked out the window I was like, ‘Damn, last time I was here I was on my way to prison.’ Anxiety started to heighten up. Then I realized I was good, there were no bars. I’m going to win gold.”

Griner turned to Netflix to calm her mind during a simple commute with her U.S. teammates to the Paris Olympics.

“Everything was cool,” she said.

Griner and her U.S. teammates were commuters on Thursday, traveling to the Olympics via train. The Associated Press tagged along for the trip.

The U.S. had special accommodations, just like the men’s team did for its train travel on Wednesday. The women’s team arrived at the London station an hour before departure, and the group was whisked through passport control.

National team director Briana Weiss collected the passport of each player and coach and put them in a red bag to hold for the rest of the trip. She first collected the passports once the players got off the plane in London, and she gave them back to each member of the traveling party before they got to the train station.

It’s a practice the U.S. has done for years so that no one potentially would lose their passport.

The players then were escorted to a private lounge area before going down to the train.

Following a quick photo op at the Saint Pancras station with a golden basketball, the Americans boarded their private car at the front of the train.

Players used the 90-minute trip to watch movies, have a quick bite to eat or catch a nap. They mostly kept to themselves.

The coaching staff spent the time watching game-video.

The team was kept away from the public except for a quick few seconds when the players and coaches were heading out of the lounge and going to the train. They exited from their car at the Lille station before everyone else did. As they walked toward the escalator out of the building, some of the passengers held up their phones to take pictures of the players through the windows of the train cars.

When the team got out of the station, the group got into a waiting bus for a trip to the arena for practice. The U.S. was set to head down to Paris on another train after practice was done.

“They wanted to make the travel as easy as possible for us and this was the best way,” U.S. guard Sabrina Ionescu said. “Everything so far has been great. I kind of like trains. My family said they wanted to go to London on one of the off days so I was testing this out for them as well. It seems like a really easy way to travel.”

This was the first time that the Americans had taken a train to arrive to the Olympics. While it was something new for the U.S., Jewell Loyd said it’s a common practice when playing overseas in the winter.

“We do it all the time,” she said. “It’s just an easy way to get around with those teams.”

The U.S. women played an exhibition game in London on Tuesday night against Germany, and the train was the quickest and best option to get to Lille for pool play. The U.S. spent Wednesday sightseeing around London on a double-decker bus.

While the players traveled via train on Thursday, their bags were sent to their Paris hotel Tuesday night after the game against Germany. Over 600 bags belonging to the men’s and women’s teams as well as their guests were driven to Paris in two 26-foot trucks.

The bags would be waiting for the players and their guests when they arrived in their hotel rooms late Thursday night.

An additional truck went to Lille with training supplies and other items needed for practice.

The Americans play Japan in their Olympic opener on Monday night.

The Americans lost to a team of WNBA All-Stars on Saturday in Phoenix before traveling over to London for the exhibition contest against Germany. These two teams are in the same pool in the Olympics and will play again in the Paris Games on Aug. 4.

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi started the scoring in the game for Team USA.

Dee for three to get us started.

🇺🇸 #USABWNT x 📺 @FS1 pic.twitter.com/ylnPzUzCAv

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 23, 2024

She finished the game with five points on 2-of-5 shooting with two rebounds and two assists.

The tongue out celebration has made its way to London! 😜 pic.twitter.com/vz6A57Rvbi

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) July 23, 2024

The U.S. raced out to a 22-9 lead, scoring the first seven points of the game. By the end of the first 10 minutes, the Americans had built that 13-point lead.

The Germans, who will be making their first appearance in the Olympics, closed within 27-20 midway through the second quarter, but could get no closer as the Americans led 44-32 at the half.

The U.S. scored the first seven points of the third quarter and Germany never threatened in the second half.

Luisa Geiselsoder scored 13 points to lead Germany.

Mercury guard Kahleah Copper scored two points off the bench on 1-of-5 shooting.

Kah’s gonna take it to the rack no matter what arena she’s in! pic.twitter.com/HuygC9wpcL

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) July 23, 2024

The Americans were without Brittney Griner, who rested. It was her first trip overseas since she was arrested in 2022 in Russia and sentenced to nine years in jail for drug possession and smuggling. Ten months later, she was free after a high-profile prisoner exchange.

Now the two-time Olympic gold medalist was back suiting up for the U.S.

Members of the U.S. men’s Olympic team sat courtside to watch the game. The Americans edged the Germans 92-88 in an exhibition game on Monday night.

That Valley support from Phoenix to London! KD in the building to watch today’s showcase. pic.twitter.com/DkGrsgvyaX

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) July 23, 2024

Schauffele won the PGA Championship at Valhalla two months ago by making a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole. In a final round set up for big drama — nine players separated by three shots at the start — Schauffele made it look like a nice walk along the Irish Sea.

He played bogey-free in a strong, chilly wind and pulled away with three birdies in a four-hole stretch early on the back nine to go from two shots behind to leading by as many as three.

He won by two shots over American Billy Horschel and Justin Rose, the 43-year-old from England who had to go through 36-hole qualifying just to get into the field. They were among four players who had at least a share of the lead at one point Sunday.

They just couldn’t keep up with Schauffele. No one could.

Given the wind, heavy air off the Firth of Clyde and punishing nature of Royal Troon, Schauffele’s 65 ranks among the great closing rounds in British Open history. Playing in the third-to-last group, he matched the round of the championship with a score that was just over eight shots better than the field average.

The 30-year-old from San Diego became the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2015 to win his first two majors in the same season. And he extended American dominance on this Scottish links as the seventh Open champion in the last eight visits to Royal Troon.

Rose closed with a 67 and it was only good for second place. Horschel, who started the final round with a one-shot lead in his bid to win his first major, dropped back around the turn and birdied his last three holes for a 68 for his best finish in a major.

The player Schauffele had to track down was Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, who birdied three of four holes to end the front nine with a 32.

Schauffele was two shots behind when it all changed so suddenly. Schauffele hit a wedge out of the left rough on the difficult 11th and judged it perfectly to 3 feet for birdie. He hit another wedge to 15 feet for birdie on the 13th, and capped his pivotal run with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th.

Lawrence finally dropped a shot on the 12th and didn’t pick up any shots the rest of the day. He closed with a 68 and earned a small consolation — a trip to the Masters next April, his first time to Augusta National.

Scottie Scheffler, who got within one shot of the lead briefly on the front nine, lost his way with a three-putt from 6 feet for a double bogey on the ninth hole. Scheffler finished his round by topping a tee shot on the 18th and making another double bogey. The world’s No. 1 player closed with a 72 and tied for seventh.

Schauffele went from the heaviest major trophy at the PGA Championship to the smallest and oldest, the famed claret jug that he will keep for a year.

He finished at 9-under 275 and earned $3.1 million, pushing him over $15 million for the season.

And the most recent gold was one of the toughest to get.

At the Tokyo Games three years ago, the U.S. trailed Spain by 10 in the quarterfinals, trailed Australia by 15 in the semifinals and beat France by only five in the gold-medal game. It was yet another reminder that in the international game, winning isn’t automatic for the Americans anymore. And frankly, that’s a notion they’re tired of hearing about.

“I hear a lot of people saying everybody’s catching up to us too, so that keeps us hungry, that keeps us motivated,” U.S. guard Devin Booker said. “We have a lot of respect for those guys, but basketball still lies here.”

Call that the mission within the mission for the U.S. in Paris: Winning is the goal, but there’s also a clear sense that it’d be nice to remind the rest of the world that — while there are great players hailing from all over the planet — no nation can put together a roster like the one the Americans have for these games. A 12-man roster, all of them All-Stars before Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal, led by veterans like three-time medalists LeBron James and Kevin Durant and an Olympic newcomer in Stephen Curry.

“It’s going to be historic for sure with this team, so I’m just happy to be a part of it, honestly,” said U.S. guard Anthony Edwards, one of the Olympic rookies on the roster. “I ain’t even thought about it too much. Just happy to be a part of it.”

There is history on the line: Durant could become the first men’s player with four Olympic basketball golds, James is seeking a fourth Olympic medal and the Americans are trying to win five Olympic titles in a row for the first time since winning the first seven competitions held from 1936 through 1968.

And the rest of the world is waiting.

Germany is the reigning World Cup champion, winning gold last summer in Manila. Serbia – the first U.S. opponent in France — and Canada also won medals at the World Cup, Canada captured its bronze by beating the Americans. And then there’s France, the home team, a squad that lost the gold-medal game to the U.S. at the Tokyo Games 87-82 after beating the Americans earlier in that tournament and now has both home-soil advantage and Victor Wembanyama leading the way.

“I can’t wait to face them,” Wembanyama said of the Americans.

If that matchup happens, it’ll be in the elimination rounds. France is in Group B, along with Germany, Japan and Brazil. The Group A pairing is Australia, Greece, Canada and Spain — which, top to bottom, would seem to be the toughest. And in Group C, it’s the U.S., Serbia, Puerto Rico and Olympic newcomer South Sudan.

Teams play a round robin against the others in their group. Following those three games, the first- and second-place finishers from each group make the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place teams.

“It just gets you back to just enjoying the, I guess you could say the purity of the game and what it takes to put a 12-man roster together,” Curry said. “And if everybody brings that right energy then we’ll get the most out of this experience.”

Antetokounmpo, Group A

Spain is a perennial power and has a now six-time Olympian in Rudy Fernandez, the first men’s basketball player to qualify that many times. Greece has Giannis Antetokounmpo, Canada has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray, and Australia is still feeling some momentum from three summers ago at the Tokyo Games.

Australia’s 0-for-forever run of medals in major international tournaments finally ended in Tokyo with the bronze, and Patty Mills insists the team can go for more this summer.

“From an all-around talent standpoint, you look at our team and the majority of us are in the NBA … and we’ve got a lot of young guys with a lot of experience, which we haven’t ever really had had before,” Mills said.

Wembanyama, Group B

Germany won the World Cup last summer and basically brings back much of that team, but will have to deal with France in group play. The winner of their game probably should win the group.

Brazil and Japan will likely need to spring one upset to be assured of getting out of group, or could rely on the third-place spots to advance behind the clear favorites in Group B.

“Last summer’s experience was super special,” Germany’s Franz Wagner said. “Only when we got done did we realize what we had done as a group, not just the accomplishment of winning gold but realizing the chemistry we had as a team.”

Jokic, Group C

Nikola Jokic didn’t even play for Serbia when his nation won silver at the World Cup last summer; adding him to the mix obviously makes that team look even tougher on paper. Puerto Rico won a qualifier earlier this month to get in led by Jose Alvarado, and South Sudan qualified based on its World Cup result a year ago.

The Serbia-U.S. game to open group play will set the tone.

“It will definitely be a spectacle,” Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic said.

Serbia’s plan will be to use its years of familiarity with one another as the key to beating a team loaded with talent but one that practiced together for the first time earlier this month.

“We are aware that they will be a huge challenge and have a lot of continuity, a lot of players who have played together over the years,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. “And that’s one of the reasons they’ll be as good as they’ll be.”

Phoenix, which was coming off an 88-82 loss to Indiana on Sunday, struggled without Diana Taurasi (back soreness) and Rebecca Allen (lower back). The Mercury were just 2 of 11 from 3-point range through three quarters before finishing 3 of 17.

Harris scored Connecticut’s opening 10 points of the second half to help build a 52-41 lead.

Phoenix center Brittney Griner made her second 3-pointer of the season and Natasha Cloud completed a three-point play with 6:07 remaining to cap a 12-3 run and get within 70-66. But the Mercury didn’t make another field goal the rest of the way.

The Sun maintained their lead at the free-throw line, making their first 21 before a miss with 57 seconds left. Carrington finished 8 of 8 at the stripe, while Jones made all six of her attempts.

DiJonai Carrington added 16 points for Connecticut (15-4), which routed Phoenix 70-47 earlier this season. Veronica Burton added 11 points off the bench and Alyssa Thomas had 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. DeWanna Bonner struggled from the field, going 3 of 12 to finish with seven points.

Griner and Kahleah Copper each scored 21 points for Phoenix (9-10). Cloud added 18 points and 10 assists.

Cloud beat the first-quarter buzzer with a floater from the free-throw line to cut Phoenix’s deficit to 19-17.

Copper, who had a career-high 38 points in her last game, had 14 in the fourth quarter, none bigger than her driving layup with 42 seconds to play. The Aces, down 15 with 5.5 minutes to play, had pulled within 90-88 on Kelsey Plum’s seventh 3-pointer seconds earlier.

Copper added a steal and a layup and Natasha Cloud and Sophie Cunningham both hit a pair of free throws as the Mercury scored the last eight points of the game that had 14 lead changes through three quarters.

What a start to the season from Kahleah Copper. pic.twitter.com/t7NFg6VLtU

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 22, 2024

Sug Sutton added 12 points and Cloud 11 for the Mercury (2-1), who were 16-of-33 on 3-pointers, five by Copper. The Mercury, playing without Brittney Griner since she broke a toe in training camp, lost 89-80 in their season opener at Las Vegas.

Plum had 27 points for the Aces (2-1), Jackie Young added 23 and A’ja Wilson 21 with 13 rebounds.

When Copper hit her fourth 3-pointer without a miss, she had 16 points and the Mercury had a 22-12 lead less than six minutes into the game. But Young led the charge back for the Aces, scoring 10 in the first quarter as Las Vegas closed to within 25-20.

By halftime Young had 19 and the Aces were up 47-46 after five ties and 11 lead changes. Copper had 20 for Phoenix, which got 15 points off its bench to none for Las Vegas. The bench difference ended up 27-2.

Plum opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 53-46 lead but the Mercury’s first three hoops after the break were 3s as they drilled seven in the third quarter to take a 73-68 lead.

The Grizzlies (24-11) sent the Wildcats (23-10) to another early March exit behind Gohlke, a graduate transfer who finished with 32 points, and some late shot-making by his teammates. Trey Townsend had 17 points for the Horizon League champions. DQ Cole added 12, including a 3 from the corner with 28 seconds left that gave the Grizzlies a four-point lead.

Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 27 points. Tre Mitchell added 14 and Rob Dillingham scored 10, but the Wildcats and their roster stacked with NBA prospects spent most of the night trying — and failing — to chase down Gohlke.

The 6-foot-3 guard who came to the Grizzlies this season after playing for Division II Hillsdale College made 10 of 20 3-point attempts, seven in the first half. His only other points came after he was fouled — while attempting a 3.

Gokhle cooled off a bit over the final 20 minutes while often getting picked up at halfcourt, but his teammates helped pick up the slack. Oakland never trailed over the final 14:32 to give the program its first victory in the round of 64.

The Wildcats came in as 13 1/2 point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but with a poor recent track record in March under John Calipari. Kentucky hasn’t advanced past the tournament’s opening weekend since 2019, an uncomfortably long stretch for Calipari and the second-winningest program in NCAA history.

Calipari said his job is to take the pressure off his young roster’s shoulders and place them on his. It must have felt awfully heavy at times while Gohlke and the Bulldogs kept pace with the second-highest-scoring team in the country.

Gohlke won the Horizon League’s Sixth Man of the Year award thanks to his outside shooting. All but eight of his 335 field goal attempts during the regular season were 3s, and he now has made an NCAA-leading 131 this season. He kept firing away against Kentucky, particularly during an electric first half that had the majority of fans at PPG Paints Arena on their feet and the Wildcats on their heels.

Gohlke stuck out his tongue after his fifth 3. When his sixth fell through the net, he turned around and mimicked Michael Jordan’s famous shoulder shrug during the 1992 NBA finals. Gohlke — who of course wears No. 3 — then banked in his seventh as the Grizzlies built a 38-35 halftime lead that had everyone in the crowd not wearing Kentucky blue roaring, just as longtime Oakland coach Greg Kampe hoped.

That momentum carried all the way to the final buzzer as the Grizzlies gave the NCAA’s longest-tenured coach a moment he’d been building toward over 40 years with the program.

Gohlke ended the game with the ball in his hands after one final Kentucky miss as the Grizzlies became the 23rd 14 seed to win a first-round game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

The women’s tournament had long been played down the street from the glitzy downtown arena at Municipal Auditorium, which has tremendous history as one of the homes of early NCAA championship games but has grown antiquated over time.

One of Yormark’s priorities after taking over leadership of the Big 12 was to raise the profile of the women’s tournament, and that meant moving it to the T-Mobile Center. That also required moving the dates of the championship, with early-round games occurring last week and the title game Tuesday night following the first two games of the men’s tournament.

“I think I said to many last year, when I came here the first time to the community, met with many of the leaders, it was a real easy decision when I went back to Dallas that we needed to double down on this community,” Yormark said. “It feels like a Super Bowl each time we’re here. The fan support is tremendous. The community is tremendous.”

The men’s and women’s tournaments were scheduled to be played in Kansas City through 2027, so the extension amounts to four years. But it also comes as the league expands its footprint west with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah replacing Oklahoma and Texas in the league, and that gave the Big 12 other hosting options such as Las Vegas and Phoenix.

In fact, the Big 12 will be holding its football media days in Las Vegas later this year.

“We are a national conference now. We’re in 10 states, four time zones,” Yormark said. “When it comes to men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s soccer, this needed to be our home. We’re going to football media day in Vegas, which we are excited about, and there will be other opportunities to move closer to that footprint, but we needed to be in Kansas City.”

Along with the basketball tournaments, Yormark announced that the Big 12 women’s soccer championship was moving to CPKC Stadium. The first stadium facility built for a women’s professional soccer club in the U.S. — in this case, the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League — is scheduled to open Saturday when the Current plays Portland.

“It’s an amazing time to be in Kansas City, and it’s an amazing time to invest in Kansas City,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who has been supportive of an April ballot issue to renew a sales tax that would help fund renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Super Bowl champion Chiefs, along with a new downtown ballpark for the Royals.

“The Big 12 Conference is part of Kansas City’s DNA. We all have stories about the Big 12, or if we’re old enough, the Big Eight here in Kansas City,” Lucas said. “We’re excited to continue to share the story in Kansas City.”

In other news, Yormark said the lame-duck status of Oklahoma and Texas, which are departing for the SEC after this season, has not created any challenges even as the Big 12 looks toward the future as a revamped 16-team league.

“Texas and Oklahoma, great contributors to the conference. Been here since Day 1,” Yormark said. “They’re finishing strong, obviously, and when the time comes, we’ll wish them well. But there’s never been a better time to be part of this conference.”

Yormark also indicated that he would be in favor of expanding the NCAA Tournament.

“I read what you read, and from what I’ve been told, and what I’m reading, there could be modest expansion. I think 76 is the number that has been out there,” he said. “The data shows if you expand to 76, the power-four conferences will benefit mostly, and that includes the Big 12. I’m all about access. We have the deepest conference in America.”

Kaprizov scored an empty-netter with 2:32 to play, firing the puck the length of the ice to seal the win. Arizona had pulled goalie Karel Vejmelka with just under three minutes remaining.

Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno also scored for Minnesota. Foligno’s goal was an empty-netter after Arizona pulled Vejmelka a second time in the final minutes.

Nick Bjugstad scored for the Coyotes, who have lost four of five.

Hartman’s power-play goal put the Wild up 2-1 with 1:44 left in the second period. He took a centering pass from Kaprizov to beat Vejmelka. Hartman’s goal was his second in as many games and his 17th on the season.

Vejmelka made 27 saves but fell to 8-17-2 on the season.

Kaprizov’s 32nd goal of the season put the Wild up 1-0 at the 6:29 mark of the first period. He fired a shot from the left circle that made its way through traffic, extending his point streak to five games. Kaprizov has six goals and three assists during that stretch.

Arizona answered in the second period when Bjugstad beat defenseman Jonas Brodin and snapped a shot past Fleury. The Minnesota native has four goals in two games in St. Paul this year after his hat trick against the Wild in January.

Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton missed the game with a lower-body injury. Hayton had two assists in Arizona’s loss at Chicago on Sunday.

The Wild celebrated Pride Night. Several players, including Fleury and defenseman Jon Merrill, wore Pride tape on their sticks during warmups. Merrill was named Twin Cities Pride’s Ally of the Year.

Up next

Coyotes: At Detroit on Thursday night.