PITTSBURGH — Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds threw the season’s seventh no-hitter, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 on Friday night. Reds’ Bailey no-hits Pirates ADVERTISING PITTSBURGH — Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds threw the season’s seventh no-hitter, beating
Reds’ Bailey
no-hits Pirates
PITTSBURGH — Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds threw the season’s seventh no-hitter, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 on Friday night.
The seven no-hitters matches the modern record for most in a season, tying 1990 and 1991. There were eight no-hitters in 1884.
The last no-hitter for the Reds was a perfect game by Tom Browning on Sept. 16, 1988. This was the 15th no-hitter in Reds history.
Bailey (13-10) walked one and struck out 10. He threw 115 pitches and retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out pinch-hitter Brock Holt then getting pinch-hitter Michael McKenry and Alex Presley to both pop out.
When Presley’s popup was caught by second baseman Brandon Phillips, Bailey was mobbed near the mound by teammates who doused him with water.
LA backs deal for downtown NFL stadium
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles took a major step Friday toward building a downtown stadium to lure an NFL team back to the nation’s second most populous city, despite questions about how a 72,000-seat venue in the city’s urban core would impact notorious freeway traffic, nearby housing prices and air quality.
The 12-0 vote by City Council came after starkly contrasting predictions about what the $1.5 billion project would mean for an economically troubled city that has fretted over the loss of professional football since the Raiders and Rams fled Southern California in 1994.
Supporters said the deal with developer Anschutz Entertainment Group would create thousands of jobs, a hub of civic pride and new tax dollars for cash-starved City Hall, while critics warned that affordable housing would vanish in the neighborhood while traffic would come to a virtual standstill on game days.
Kansas signs coach Self to $3.8M contract
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Bill Self could be roaming the sideline at Allen Fieldhouse well into the next decade.
The Kansas basketball coach agreed to a restructured contract Friday through the 2021-22 season and includes a raise to $3.857 million per year. Self’s previous deal, worth $3.376 million annually, would have run through June 2018.
Self is coming off his second appearance with Kansas in the Final Four. He led the Jayhawks to the 2008 national title and lost to Kentucky in the championship game in April.
Self’s new contract includes bonus provisions of $50,000 for conference regular-season titles, $25,000 for winning the conference tournament, $100,000 for earning AP coach of the year, $150,000 for reaching the Final Four and $200,000 for winning the national championship.
Wizards’ Wall out
with hurt knee
WASHINGTON —Washington Wizards point guard John Wall called his upcoming absence because of a left knee injury “a minor setback.” Team president Ernie Grunfeld labeled it “a bump in the road.”
However it’s described, Wall is expected to miss the first dozen or so games of the NBA’s regular season after the Wizards announced Friday that their best player — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft — was diagnosed with the early stages of a stress injury to his left kneecap.
The Wizards said the injury does not require surgery. If his rehab goes as expected, Wall will be sidelined for about two months in all, including about the first month of the regular season, which begins Oct. 30 for Washington.
Wall said he “started feeling discomfort” about a month ago, and he got an MRI exam that Grunfeld said did not show any sort of problem. But Wall still was bothered by his knee while working out and went for a second opinion.
He was examined Thursday in New York by orthopedic specialist Dr. David Altchek, and a new MRI revealed the injury.
Twins release Nishioka after 2 rough years
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins released Tsuyoshi Nishioka on Friday, ending their experiment with the Japanese middle infielder after two rough seasons.
The move, which the Twins said came at Nishioka’s request and was supported by the club, wasn’t a surprise. But the way he went out was unique.
Accepting blame for his failure to produce at the plate or play capable defense at shortstop or second base, Nishioka waived his right to his $3 million salary for the 2013 season and a $250,000 buyout.
So they don’t owe him any more money, and Nishioka is now a free agent. With guaranteed contracts, major league teams rarely are able to get off the payroll hook like this for players no longer in their plans. But Nishioka, in a statement released by the Twins, was nothing but graceful.
NHL, locked-out players resume bargaining
NEW YORK — The NHL and the players’ association seemingly had a good day on Friday as they returned to the negotiating table.
It just wasn’t good enough to bring the sides all that much closer to the end of the lockout that threatens the start of the hockey regular season.
The league and the union got back to bargaining for the first time since players were locked out on Sept. 16, and the sides discussed secondary issues without broaching the big economic divide that really is the essence of the dispute.
Officials gather
for contract vote
IRVING, Texas — NFL officials on the verge of approving a new contract say they are excited to get back to work.
Officials arrived Friday at a Dallas-area hotel to discuss and vote on an eight-year agreement reached with the league late Wednesday. They were meeting Friday night with a vote on the contact expected Saturday morning. Some planned to fly directly after the vote to their assigned cities for Sunday’s game.
The deal must be ratified by 51 percent of the union’s 121 members.
The officials were expected to meet the media at 7 p.m. but the news conference was canceled.
Ferrer faces Benneteau in Malaysian semis
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain rallied past Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Malaysian Open.
He’ll face Julien Benneteau of France, who defeated Alejandro Falla 6-2, 6-2 at Kuala Lumpur’s Putra Stadium.
Second-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina beat Vasek Pospisil of Canada 6-3, 6-4 to set up a semifinal against Kei Nishikori of Japan.
Nishikori, Asia’s top-ranked player, advanced when 2009 champion Nikolay Davydenko retired after losing the first set of their quarterfinal 6-4. Davydenko also pulled out of the quarterfinals here last year with an injury.
Radwanska, Petrova reach final in Tokyo
TOKYO — Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska will play Nadia Petrova in the final of the Pan Pacific Open.
Radwanska overpowered Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-1 Friday, while Petrova defeated Sam Stosur 6-4, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Stosur took an injury timeout last in the first set to address a pulled abdominal muscle.
Petrova will play for her 12th career title. It’s the second time she’s beaten two top-10 players in the same week — No. 7 Sara Errani and No. 9 Stosur — but she’s never beaten three.
Tipsarevic, Gasquet move into Thai semis
BANGKOK — Top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia out-rallied Fernando Verdasco of Spain from the baseline to win 7-6 (5), 6-4 and move into the Thailand Open semifinals on Friday.
Tipsarevic set up a match with 2009 champion Gilles Simon, who won the all-French quarterfinal with Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-1.
Another Frenchman, second-seeded Richard Gasquet, made it to his third semis this year in handling eighth-seeded Bernard Tomic of Australia 7-6 (5), 6-4. Gasquet secured the one break from just two chances, and saved all three break points he faced.
Reed, Tulloch, Mundy fined $21,000 by NFL
NEW YORK — Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Mundy each have been fined $21,000 by the NFL for flagrant hits.
Reed was fined for striking defenseless Patriots receiver Deion Branch in the head and neck area last Sunday night. Tulloch was docked for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Tennessee tight end Craig Stevens. Mundy’s hit on Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey resulted in his fine.
Heyward-Bey was taken from the field on a stretcher and hospitalized with a concussion.
Four players were fined $15,750 Friday by the league: Denver LB Von Miller, Cincinnati defensive back Adam Jones, Eagles defensive end Jason Babin and Titans DE Scott Solomon.
By wire sources
