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Former Pirate Bart sinks former team with two HRs

PITTSBURGH — Joey Bart hit a two-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 win over his former team on Wednesday after Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jared Jones pitched six perfect innings before being lifted. Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot drive to left-centerfield off a slider from Dennis Santana (2-4). Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth. Jones struck out eight on 77 pitches, including 53 strikes, to lower his ERA to 4.37 ...

Messi, Morocco, and 6 teams from Europe in quarterfinals

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — More World Cup teams. Same World Cup story. This edition started with 48 teams; it’s now down to eight, with six of those from Europe. And unless Morocco pulls off a series of surprising outcomes over the final two weeks, the champion will come from Europe or South America. Again. As always. A tournament that has been around for nearly a century — the first World Cup was in 1930 — has been contested on 22 previous occasions. The champions: 12 from Europe, 10 from South America, zero from the rest of the globe combined. This year’s quarterfinal ...

Verlander plans to retire after this season

DETROIT — Justin Verlander plans to call it a career later this year. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, two-time World Series champion and 2011 AL MVP will retire after this season with the Detroit Tigers. Verlander made the announcement on Wednesday, shortly after he was added as a Legend Pick to the American League All-Star roster. “While I’m fully committed to giving my team everything I have for the rest of this season, I’ve decided this will be my last,” Verlander shared on social media. “It’s fitting that I get to finish where it all started — with the ...

Poland 10U takes District 2 crown, tops Canfield, 6-0

BOARDMAN — The first time Poland and Canfield met in the Little League 10U baseball District 2 tournament, Canfield jumped ahead early, forcing Poland to claw back en route to a win. On Wednesday in their second meeting at Boardman’s Fields of Dreams, however, Poland flipped the script, ...