AP National Sports

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City has completed the signing of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea on a four-year contract for around $32 million plus add-ons. The 29-year-old Croatia midfielder was part of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning team of 2021. He becomes City’s first signing since it won a treble of trophies last season. Pep Guardiola’s team

GENOA, Italy (AP) — Andrea Pirlo is returning to Italy as coach of Serie B club Sampdoria. Sampdoria has announced that Pirlo signed a two-year contract. Pirlo coached Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük last season. Pirlo as a player helped Italy to the 2006 World Cup title. He began his coaching career at Juventus but lasted just

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota United signed Finnish and former Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki to a designated player contract. The MLS club is in search of a badly needed scoring boost. The deal is for two years, with a club option to extend it through December 2025. The Loons have just 17 goals

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Rose Zhang has played two tournaments since turning pro. She won the Mizuho Americas Open and was one shot off the lead at the Women’s PGA until tying for eighth. But under an archaic LPGA policy, she doesn’t get Solheim Cup points for her win. That’s because Zhang technically

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — LSU’s Jay Johnson became the first baseball coach to win a national championship before his third year at a school. His Tigers won a three-game College World Series finals against Florida to give the program its seventh title and first since 2009. Johnson was at

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer The NHL and NHLPA are launching a new Player Inclusion Coalition aimed at diversifying hockey and making it more welcoming. The 20-member group includes current and former men’s and women’s players with minority and LGBTQ+ representation. It’s the latest step in a process started in the summer of 2020

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga team Stuttgart has mainly agreed on a sponsorship deal with local car manufacturer Porsche and consultancy firm MHP that it says could yield more than 100 million euros. The club says Mercedes-Benz will remain its main sponsor though it is giving up naming rights to the stadium. The management and

EASTBOURNE, England (AP) — Defending champion Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from the Eastbourne International citing fatigue. No. 9-ranked Kvitova won her 31st WTA singles title on Sunday in Berlin. The two-time Wimbledon champion was due to start her Eastbourne defense against Jelena Ostapenko, whom she beat in last year’s final. Kvitova followed the exit of

By FOSTER NIUMATA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — England has surprisingly recalled Worcestershire fast bowler Josh Tongue for the second Ashes test against Australia at Lord’s. Express pacer Mark Wood and frontline spinner Moeen Ali weren’t considered fit enough. Tongue replacing Ali is the only change by England after losing the first test at Edgbaston

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer How much do you know about Wimbledon? How much do you know about tennis? The AP has put together a quiz to test your knowledge. Who was the last player other than Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray to win the men’s singles championship at the

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — While the home run is always going to be part of how the Seattle Mariners find success offensively, a collective effort relying less on the long ball seems more satisfying. J.P. Crawford and Eugenio Suárez both homered, Luis Castillo overcame a shaky beginning to pitch seven

By JERRY BEACH Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander was called for an automatic ball in the New York Mets’ 2-1 loss to Milwaukee on Monday night for throwing his final warmup toss ahead of the third inning with 27 seconds left on the clock, 3 seconds later than allowed. Verlander, believing he

By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout scored on a game-ending wild pitch, Shohei Ohtani hit his 26th home run, and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-1. Trout slid home head-first on the bad throw by Aaron Bummer, helping the Angels get a critical seven-game homestand off

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer BALTIMORE (AP) — Jordan Westburg had a productive night at the plate and made a slick defensive play in his big league debut, helping the Baltimore Orioles to a rain-soaked 10-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The game started 15 minutes late because of the weather, and there was