Nick Loftin single produces walk-off win for Royals over Mets
New York trailed 2-0 entering the ninth against All-Star Royals closer Carlos Estevez (4-2). Ronny Mauricio led off with a liner that left fielder Loftin misread and ended up as a double. Pinch-hitter Jeff McNeil followed with an RBI triple that nearly left the park and eventually scored on Jared Young's sacrifice fly to tie the contest.
However, after rookie Tyler Tolbert singled for just his second career hit and stole second in the Royals' ninth, Loftin atoned for his defensive gaffe. He sent a pitch from Sean Manaea (0-1) into left field to break the tie and salvage the finale after Kansas City dropped the first two of this set.
Cameron, meanwhile, continued the stellar start to his major-league career since debuting April 30. The left-hander recorded his seventh quality start while yielding seven hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings to lower his ERA to 2.31 in 12 big-league starts.
New York's Clay Holmes allowed only John Rave's two-run double in the second and four other hits, plus a walk, over five innings.
Then Manaea came on in the sixth for his season debut after dealing with a lengthy oblique issue. Despite taking the loss, the left-hander was solid, allowing the one run and five hits while striking out seven without a walk over 3 1/3 innings and 65 pitches.
Kansas City put runners on second and third with one out in the second inning. After going 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position through the first two games of the set, Rave, who entered batting .167 with four RBIs in 34 career games, laced a double down the right-field line that scored the game's first two runs.
The start to Sunday's contest was delayed a little more than 40 minutes because of rain.
--Field Level Media
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Li Li Leung guided USA Gymnastics out of the darkness. The outgoing president is eager for a break
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And while partial blame falls on Leung's inherent work ethic, the reality is the former Michigan gymnast knew she didn't really have a choice. One of the crown jewels of the U.S. Olympic movement was in tatters, fiscally — USA Gymnastics had all of six weeks of cash flow at the time Leung took over — and, far more pressingly, culturally. Trust, both internally and externally, had eroded. Restoring it would take time. It would also take the kind of compassion that Leung's immediate predecessors had been unable to muster. Before Leung accepted the job, one of her mentors told her to avoid trying to 'boil the ocean,' that trying to become everything to everyone was a fool's errand. It might have been the one bit of advice she received that she didn't take. 'My response to him was, 'Well, I'm going to boil as much of it as I can,'" Leung said. Quiet compassion And while the former NBA executive began the process of trying to keep the organization financially viable, Leung knew early on that the most important aspect of her mission was to restore faith among the organization's hundreds of thousands of members, and just as vitally, the hundreds of women who were abused by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment. While Leung was limited in what she could say publicly as the lengthy mediation process between USA Gymnastics and the survivors played out, she and USAG board chair Kathryn Carson made it a point to attend dozens of hearings, listening to the experiences of the women abused by Nassar and using quiet moments when the tape recorder was off to reconnect. '(We) had the opportunity to express personally how much we cared about trying to do the right thing and heard their stories directly,' Carson said. 'There were a lot of tears.' And eventually, progress. While the record $380 million settlement offered a bit of closure, Leung understood it was merely one milepost in a process that she understands will never be over. When Leung told the organization's leadership group in early June that she was stepping down at the end of the year, her message wasn't to reflect on how far the organization has come, but how far there still is to go. 'I was like 'You guys got this,'' Leung said. 'And they have it. I mean, I think I have instilled in them that we're never done. There's always more that can be done, always challenge ourselves to be better. We talk about it in our meetings all the time. 'What else can we be doing better?' And I think they understand that.' Coming full circle It's one of the reasons why Leung is hesitant to reflect. Growing up in New Jersey, her parents instilled in Leung and her twin sister May May a humbleness that even now, after steering USA Gymnastics out of the darkness, she is reluctant to turn the spotlight on herself. Leung would much rather deflect, pointing out that the work of the team she assembled is just as important as anything she has done. It's a trait that — along with her background in a sport that can be equal parts thrilling and unforgiving — helped her navigate those crucial early days when everything felt so tenuous. 'She did not allow herself to get rattled at times that any of the rest of us might have been,' Carson said. 'The biggest thing that she did was exercise her passion for the sport by being just there in the community, everywhere, with every different type of person.' And do it quietly. Of the many things Leung is, the one thing she is not is performative. 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The Top 25 voters are over 60journalists covering college football for AP-member news organizations. They're urged to base their votes on head-to-head results, not reputation, preseason speculation or regional bias. 3. When does the 2025 season start? The wait is almost over. Opening weekend begins Saturday, Aug. 23. Here's the latest: AP Top 25 college football poll rankings: 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Ohio State 4. Clemson 5. Georgia 6. Notre Dame 7. Oregon 8. Alabama 9. LSU 10. Miami (FL) 11. Arizona State 12. Illinois 13. South Carolina 14. Michigan 15. Florida 16. SMU 17. Kansas State 18. Oklahoma 19. Texas A&M 20. Indiana 21. Ole Miss 22. Iowa State 23. Texas Tech 24. Tennessee 25. Boise State Can SEC powerhouses Georgia and Alabama bounce back from disappointing seasons? Year one without Nick Saban coaching Alabama was unremarkable for the historically dominant Crimson Tide, which finished No. 6 in the SEC with a 9-4 overall record and 5-3 conference record. All eyes are on the Tide this year as Coach Kalen DeBoer enters year two in Tuscaloosa and Alabama prepares for a new offensive identity post-Jalen Milroe. The Bulldogs, too, are entering a new era at signal caller with Gunner Stockton taking full reign of the offense. Georgia's previous back-to-back title wins are far in the rearview mirror after more recent consecutive Big Ten national championship victories. But unlike Alabama, Georgia has the stability that its longtime head coach Kirby Smart brings to the table. Heisman hopefuls: Early favorites to win the award It's never too early to talk about the Heisman Trophy, the most coveted award in college sports. Quarterbacks Arch Manning (Texas), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith headline early conversations. Smith, the sole receiver on the list of favorites, is expected to have another huge season for the Buckeyes after leading the team with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns during his freshman campaign. Klubnik finished the 2024 season with 3,639 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, the third-most in the FBS behind first-overall pick Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Nussmeier boasted a higher completion percentage (64.2), and threw for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The 12-team playoff bracket is in place for a second year The 2024-2025 season marked the start of the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, giving eight additional teams a shot at the title and adding a new meaning to bowl games. The five highest-ranked conference winners automatically qualified, and the next seven highest-ranked teams earned at-large bids. Conference winners Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State received first-round byes, which prompted criticism and changes. This year's 12-team version will have straight seeding based on CFP rankings when the field is set in early December. Coaches' college football poll is still hanging in there The preseason coaches poll was dropped last week with Texas at No. 1 and Ohio State at No. 2 ahead of their Aug. 30 showdown. Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame rounded out the top five. Will the AP poll be different? It often is, stay tuned! Who topped last year's preseason poll? Georgia was No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 a year ago, earning 1,532 points and 46 first-place votes. Ohio State was second ahead of Oregon, Texas and Alabama. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship and Georgia wound up sixth in the final Top 25. Poll sets the stage for Big Ten rivalry vs. SEC After two consecutive national titles won by Big Ten teams, the SEC is hungry to get back on top. The Big Ten and SEC rivalry goes beyond the football field. Over the offseason, the two most powerful conferences struggled to nail down a new playoff format. The Big Ten wants a 16-team format, with four guaranteed spots for both the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the Big 12 and ACC and 1 at-large bid. The SEC favors five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, which would presumably favor the top conferences most seasons. Stay tuned! Why bother with preseason rankings? There is a school of thought that preseason rankings for any sport are a waste of time; after all, how do you accurately assess teams with new players from last season that have not played a game yet? That argument has not and probably never will stop the proliferation of preseason guesswork, including media outlets with full-time journalists who provide analyses of just how good a team might be. After all, the conversation around the season isn't limited to game days. And if a preseason ranking turns out to be wildly inaccurate – as they can often be – that's part of the conversation, too. What is the AP Top 25? The AP Top 25 college football poll preseason rankings will be released today at 12 p.m. ET. A tradition since 1936, no organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than the AP — and now you can follow live updates before and after the poll drops. See where your team ranks and which teams and players to watch ahead of the 2025 college football season.
