Bobby Cox, manager of Braves’ teams that ruled National League and won 1995 World Series, dies at 84

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox has died. Cox died Saturday in Marietta, Georgia, according to the Braves. Cox had a stroke in 2019. Cox managed the Braves to prominence during the 1990s and the team’s first championship in 1995. He took over a last-place team in June of 1990 and the next season led the Braves to a worst-to-first finish. Atlanta lost in the World Series to Minnesota in seven games. That was the start of a record 14 consecutive division titles. He managed the Braves for 25 years, retired after the 2010 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Bobby Cox was 84 years old.

Harden hits clutch shots, Mitchell scores 35 and the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 116-109 in Game 3

CLEVELAND (AP) — James Harden hit three clutch shots in the final two minutes, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 116-109 on Saturday to cut the Pistons’ lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Harden bounced back from two mistake-marred performances to finish with 19 points and Jarrett Allen scored 18 for the Cavaliers, who will look to even the series when they host Game 4 on Monday night. Mitchell reached 2,000 career postseason points in his 73rd game. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham had his second career postseason triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but also committed eight turnovers. Tobias Harris added 21 points.

Caitlin Clark-Paige Bueckers matchup highlights WNBA’s big opening weekend

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Indiana Fever fans returned to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the season opener, it seemed everything was back in place. The street banners dotted the downtown landscape, the handmade signs were visible from any vantage point inside the sold out arena and, of course, Caitlin Clark jerseys and T-shirts remained a trendy favorite. And why not live it up as Clark’s 10-month wait to play a meaningful game on her home court finally ended with the weekend’s featured matchup against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. The Wings held on for a 107-104 victory.

The Giants trade struggling catcher Patrick Bailey to the Guardians. Bo Naylor optioned to Columbus

The San Francisco Giants traded struggling two-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians. The Giants received minor league left-hander Matt Wilkinson and the 29th pick in the 2026 amateur draft in the trade. Cleveland optioned Bo Naylor to Triple-A Columbus to make room for Bailey. Naylor has been the Guardians’ regular catcher since 2023. Bailey has been regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in the game thanks in part to his elite pitch-framing skills since being called up in 2023. But his hitting has been an issue. Bailey was batting .146 with one homer, five RBIs in 89 plate appearances with a .396 OPS.

John Harbaugh considers his first Giants rookie minicamp a rehearsal more than a competition

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Rookie minicamp is the start of the rehearsal stage of the offseason for the New York Giants under new coach John Harbaugh. Top-10 draft picks Arvell Reese and Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa were among those on the field Saturday. Harbaugh wants this draft class and undrafted free agents to use this experience to prepare them for the next phase of team workouts when veterans are back in the mix. Practices from next week through training camp will include a kicking competition. Michigan’s Dominic Zvada was signed to compete for the job against holdover Ben Sauls and free agent addition Jason Sanders.

UCLA’s Megan Grant sets NCAA softball record with 38th home run this season

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — UCLA slugger Megan Grant has set the single-season home run record for Division I softball. She hit her 38th of the season on Saturday. Grant drove an 0-2 pitch from Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm deep to left-center field for a solo home run, giving UCLA a 2-0 lead in the third inning of the Big Ten Championship Game. The senior broke the record she shared for one day with Arizona’s Laura Espinoza, who hit 37 home runs in 1995. Grant had tied the record on Friday. Nebraska defeated UCLA 7-2 to win the conference championship.

Mercury rout the Aces 99-66 to spoil Las Vegas’ ring ceremony

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Alyssa Thomas scored 20 points and the Phoenix Mercury walloped the the Las Vegas Aces 99-66, making sure the only celebration for the reigning WNBA champions at their season opener would be their pregame ring ceremony. The win Saturday was a measure of revenge for the Mercury, who were swept by the Aces in last season’s WNBA Finals. This was the Mercury’s largest margin of victory since defeating Indiana 95-60 on Aug. 7, and it’s the Aces’ worst defeat since a 111-58 loss to Minnesota on Aug. 3. Las Vegas then finished the regular season with 16 consecutive wins.

Ogunbowale and Bueckers hold off Clark’s Fever as Wings win highly anticipated season opener 107-104

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale had 22 points, Paige Bueckers scored 20, and Caitlin Clark missed a deep 3 with a chance to send the game to overtime as the Dallas Wings beat the Indiana Fever 107-104 to open their WNBA seasons. Odyssey Sims also had 20 points for the Wings, and No. 1 draft pick Azzi Fudd scored three in 18 minutes. Kelsey Mitchell, who also missed a chance to tie the game at the final buzzer, led Indiana with 30 points. Aliyah Boston had 23 points, and Clark finished with 20 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five turnovers.

The NBA’s draft lottery is Sunday, and tankers may prosper. Here’s what to know

CHICAGO (AP) — Washington will emerge with a top-five pick. Brooklyn and Utah may receive a great prize after putting together arguably the least-competitive seasons in their histories. Oklahoma City could win the whole thing without even trying. The NBA draft lottery is Sunday. It could be boring. It may reward tanking. Nobody knows. The story will be told by four ping-pong balls, plucked out of a hopper in a secure room, with sequestered onlookers from each of the involved teams and a few members of the media looking on. Those balls will create a four-digit combination that will match one previously assigned to the lottery teams, and with that, somebody wins the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft.

Shane van Gisbergen will defend NASCAR win at Watkins Glen from the pole position

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Shane van Gisbergen celebrated his 37th birthday by earning the fifth pole position of his NASCAR Cup Series career and his first since last July. The New Zealand native will be a heavy favorite in Sunday’s race, having won five of the last six races on road or street courses in NASCAR’s premier series. Michael McDowell qualified second, nearly 0.3 seconds off van Gisbergen’s No. 97 Chevrolet. Austin Cindric will start third, followed by Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch, van Gisbergen’s Trackhouse Racing teammates.