BASEBALL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Taylor Cole and Félix Peña of the Los Angeles Angels pitched the second combined no-hitter in franchise history, beating the Seattle Mariners 13-0 Friday night in the team’s first home game since the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
It is the second no-hitter in the majors this season. Oakland’s Mike Fiers no-hit Cincinnati on May 7. It is the 13th combined no-hitter in MLB history and the first since the Dodgers did it against San Diego on May 4, 2018, in Monterrey, Mexico.
Mallex Smith ended the game with a sharp grounder to second baseman Luis Rengifo, who threw to Justin Bour for the final out and the 11th no-hitter in Angels franchise history.
The Angels charged from the dugout and gathered in celebration near home plate. Then, all the Angels players, who were wearing Skaggs’ No. 45 on their jersey, covered the pitching mound with the jerseys as a tribute to Skaggs, on the eve of what would have been his 28th birthday.
“I feel like this is partly Skaggsy’s no-hitter,” manager Brad Ausmus said.
Skaggs was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Texas on July 1. Skaggs’ mother, Debbie, threw out the first pitch during an emotional pregame ceremony which included a 45-second moment of silence after a tribute video was played.
Skaggs’ close friend, Mike Trout, was the offensive hero for the Angels with three hits and six RBIs. In his first at-bat, he hit a Mike Leake sinker 450 feet over the wall in center field on the first pitch for a two-run homer and his AL-leading 29th of the season as the Angels put up seven in the opening frame.
HOLMDEL, N.J. (AP) - Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden has been charged with drug possession in New Jersey after a traffic stop last month.
Gooden’s car was stopped by police in Holmdel, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from New York, early on June 7 for failure to maintain a lane and driving too slow, according to a criminal complaint provided by the Monmouth County prosecutor’s office.
Two plastic baggies allegedly containing cocaine were found in the 54-year-old Gooden’s car.
Gooden has been charged with cocaine possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of drugs.
TENNIS
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Roger Federer will play for a record-extending ninth Wimbledon title in his 12 final at the All England Club after beating Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court.
The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion will face Novak Djokovic for the title on Sunday.
Federer’s serve served him well against his Spanish rival, who won their last meeting at Wimbledon in the 2008 final - taking the epic fifth set 9-7 as darkness descended. The Swiss great finished with 14 aces this time and landed 69% of his first serves.
Federer won his record eighth Wimbledon title in 2017, but lost to Djokovic in the final in both 2014 and 2015.
NFL
NEW YORK (AP) - Jets second-year tight end Chris Herndon has been suspended without pay by the NFL for the first four regular-season games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Herndon pleaded guilty in January to driving while intoxicated in New Jersey in June 2018. The incident occurred about a month after he was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of the NFL draft out of Miami.
New Jersey State Police said Herndon was driving his Nissan Armada when he crashed into a Toyota Land Cruiser that was towing a trailer carrying another vehicle. The 76-year-old driver was not injured.
A municipal judge in Rockaway Township, New Jersey, suspended Herndon’s driver’s license for 90 days in January and fined him $639.
Herndon is eligible to participate in offseason and preseason practices and games. He can return to the Jets’ active roster on Oct. 7.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) - Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s former fiancee has gone to court seeking to prove that he is the father of her newborn twins and to require him to pay child support.
The Kansas City Star reports that Crystal Espinal filed a petition Thursday in Johnson County, Kansas, District Court. Her petition also seeks to establish supervised parenting time for Hill.
The Chiefs suspended Hill on April 25 over allegations that his 3-year-old son was abused, which Hill denies. The local district attorney said in June that an investigation was no longer active because he couldn’t prove who injured the boy.
NEW YORK (AP) - Oakland Raiders guard Richie Incognito has been suspended without pay by the NFL for the first two games of the regular season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Incognito pleaded guilty in April to disorderly conduct in Scottsdale, Arizona, after being accused of threatening employees at a funeral home where his father’s body was being held.
The Raiders signed Incognito in May. He sat out last season in retirement.
NBA
DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Mavericks have officially re-signed Kristaps Porzingis, the 7-foot-3 All-Star selection who still hasn’t played a game for them since being acquired in a big deal before the trade deadline last season.
The Mavericks announced Friday that the deal was done.
Porzingis and the Mavericks agreed earlier this month on a $158 million, five-year maximum contract - the last season being a player option. That will pair the Latvian standout with fellow young Euro star Luka Doncic, the 20-year-old from Slovania who was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year last season when he averaged 21.2 points.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CLEVELAND (AP) - Coach Dennis Felton has been fired by Cleveland State after just two seasons.
Felton and his entire staff were let go Friday. Athletic director Scott Garrett says in a statement the school expects coaches to “operate with the expectation that they should build a culture supportive of our student-athletes in the classroom, accountable for their conduct as representatives of the University, and for their performance on the court.”
Felton, who replaced Gary Waters in 2017, went 22-44 in his two seasons. The 56-year-old previously coached at Western Kentucky and Georgia.
Cleveland State’s program has struggled in recent years. The Vikings went just 5-13 in the Horizon League last season.
Cleveland State last made the NCAA Tournament in 2009.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) - Central Michigan has promoted Heather Oesterle to succeed retiring women’s basketball coach Sue Guevara.
The moves were announced Friday.
Guevara led the Chippewas to the NCAA Tournament the previous two seasons, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2018. She helped the program win the Mid-American Conference title the last three years. The winningest coach in school history was 231-156 over 12 seasons. She previously led Michigan’s program and was an assistant at Michigan State.
Oesterle was on Guevara’s staff for nine years, including seven as associate head coach.
SOCCER
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The celebration was cut short for a member of the World Cup champion U.S. women’s soccer team after she discovered someone had burglarized her hotel room in Los Angeles.
Allie Long tweeted on Thursday it happened after the team was honored at The ESPYS on Wednesday night.
Long wrote “someone stole my wedding ring, cash and the key to my favorite city.” She’s referring to the symbolic key that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio gave the players following a ticker-tape parade on Tuesday.
In the post, she asked de Blasio if they make copies because she “would love a new one.”
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Barcelona has added a third star talent to its already world-class attack.
France forward Antoine Griezmann agreed to join the Spanish champions on Friday after Barcelona said it paid the buyout clause to free him from rival Atletico Madrid.
Griezmann will strengthen an attack led by Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez after agreeing to sign a five-year contract, the Spanish champions said. The 28-year-old Griezmann will most likely play on Barcelona’s left wing that has been vacant since the exit of Neymar two seasons ago.
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