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Red Sox Trade Early

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It won’t go down as the worst Boston trade of the summer of ’26, but it’s close. The Boston Red Sox are trading rookie left-hander and promising prospect Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, according to multiple reports on Saturday night.

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The Red Sox reportedly are seeking help at shortstop ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline and were looking at Mead’s teammate, All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams. Boston’s Trevor Story, out since May 14, has played only 41 games because of a sports hernia.

Early, 24, hasn’t pitched since June 30, going on the injured list July 1 due to left elbow inflammation. The starting pitcher is expected to return in August.

Boston selected Early in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia.

Early is 7-5 this season with a 3.44 ERA, 34 walks and 93 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings over 17 starts. He appeared in four games (all starts) last season and went 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA over 19 1/3 innings.

Mead, a 25-year-old native of Australia, is batting .254 with a .352 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage after going 0-for-3 with two walks and one run after playing third base in Washington’s 5-3 home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. He has 17 home runs and 48 RBIs in 87 games. Mead, who has played first, second and third base as well as designated hitter this season, is a career .244 hitter with 22 homers and 79 RBIs in 239 games for the Tampa Bay Rays (2023-25), Chicago White Sox (2025) and Nationals (2026).

He signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018 and was traded to the Rays in November 2019 for left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, who was selected to his second All-Star Game this season.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: The Streak is None

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Dylan Cease threw a one-hitter and George Springer hit a three-run home run as the visiting Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0 Saturday. Cease (7-5), who took a no-hitter into the ninth against the San Francisco Giants on July 8, only allowed four Red Sox hitters to reach base.

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The teams will play the rubber match of the series on Sunday. Boston is 11-2 in its last 13 games against the American League East and has won 16 of its last 18.

Cease was perfect until walking Caleb Durbin with two outs in the fifth and didn’t allow a hit through five innings. The complete game was the first for Toronto this season and the 12th in the majors. Seven of the complete games have been shutouts.

It was Cease’s fourth career complete game and his fourth career shutout. The right-hander walked three and struck out 12 on a career-high 120 pitches.

Boston starter Sonny Gray (12-2) gave up five runs on 10 hits in five innings. The right-hander didn’t walk anyone and struck out three on 75 pitches.

The Blue Jays took control in the third when they used six straight hits to score five runs with two outs. Nathan Lukes started the rally with a double into the left-field corner and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined a single to left. Kazuma Okamoto kept it going by singling off the glove of third baseman Durbin and Springer made the Red Sox pay by homering just over the Green Monster in left to make it 4-0.

Varsho continued the inning with a single to center and he scored when Ernie Clement doubled off the base of the left-field wall to go up 5-0.

Gray had been 10-0 since coming off the injured list in mid-May. This was his worst outing since giving up five earned runs in four innings in a 6-0 loss to Minnesota on April 14.

Cease, pitching on the second anniversary of his no-hitter for the Padres, didn’t give up a hit until Andruw Monasterio doubled to lead off the sixth.

Monasterio did not advance, however, as Cease induced Connor Wong to ground out, struck out Anthony Seigler and retired Ceddanne Rafaela with a pop out to shallow center.

–Field Level Media

 

LeBron Signs with Philadelphia

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PHILADELPHIA – (Wire Service Report) – NBA great and sure first ballot Hall of Famer LeBron James is heading to the City of Brotherly Love. James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, Klutch CEO Rich Paul told ESPN on Friday. The 76ers will be the fourth team for James, who spent the past eight seasons with the Lakers, highlighted by helping the franchise win the 2020 NBA title.

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A four-time NBA MVP and the league’s all-time leading scorer, James completed his record-setting 23rd NBA season in 2025-26. He addressed his reasoning to return to the court on Friday in a series of posts on X.

“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game,” James wrote. “I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love (playing).”

The 76ers certainly hope so as they seek to halt a 43-year championship.

Per ESPN, 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey stayed in constant communication with Paul behind the scenes. The network also noted that Philadelphia players Tyrese Maxey, who is a fellow Klutch client, Joel Embiid and the newly acquired Jaylen Brown also worked on getting James aboard with the 76ers.

“This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?

“I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.

“Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!”

The 76ers posted a 45-37 record last season and advanced to the second round in the Eastern Conference before getting swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks.

While James warmed up to the 76ers, that meant he left teams like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat out in the cold.

The time he needed to make his decision also affected other aspects of the NBA offseason, including next season’s schedule as well as key players’ respective destinations.

“We have to finish up the schedule, and where LeBron plays affects the schedule,” commissioner Adam Silver said last week at a CNBC event. “It will influence how we set the schedule — opening week, Christmas. So I need him to make a decision.”

James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds this past season with the Lakers. The 22-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion is the all-time leader in games (1,622) and points (43,440).

A native of Akron, Ohio, James was the No. 1 pick of his hometown team, the Cavaliers, in 2003. He played for the Cavs (2003-10, 2014-18) and the Heat (2010-14) before joining the Lakers.

 

 

Kraft Being Krafty

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FOXBOROUGH – (Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team offered Christian Gonzalez a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

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Kraft did not reveal the specific terms of the deal on Saturday, the first day of training camp.

“We love Christian Gonzalez,” Kraft said during the team’s Pawtriots pet adoption event, per the Boston Herald. “We love him as a player, as a person. That’s why we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in the Patriots franchise history.

“So we’re glad we drafted him and we developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time.”

Gonzalez is eligible for a contract extension for the first time after being selected by the Patriots with the 17th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Kraft did not reveal the specific terms of the deal on Saturday, the first day of training camp.

“We love Christian Gonzalez,” Kraft said during the team’s Pawtriots pet adoption event, per the Boston Herald. “We love him as a player, as a person. That’s why we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in the Patriots franchise history.

“So we’re glad we drafted him and we developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time.”

Gonzalez is eligible for a contract extension for the first time after being selected by the Patriots with the 17th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Los Angeles Rams’ Trent McDuffie is currently the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, pocketing $31 million per season on his four-year, $131 million contract that he signed this offseason.

Gonzalez, 24, made the Pro Bowl last season after posting 69 tackles and 10 passes defensed in 14 starts. He has three interceptions, 24 passes defensed, one fumble recovery, one sack and 145 tackles in 34 career games (all starts).

–Field Level Media

The Streak is ONE

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Romy Gonzalez’s pinch-hit RBI double sparked a two-run eighth inning, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 6-4 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

The shot into the left-field corner brought Jarren Duran home from first base with the go-ahead run before Anthony Seigler capped his 4-for-5 day with a wall-ball double to plate another off Toronto reliever CJ Van Eyk (0-1).

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Seigler, who batted leadoff, scored two runs, drove in two more, hit a leadoff homer, and added two doubles while falling just a triple short of a cycle.

The Red Sox have won 16 of their last 17 games.

Garrett Whitlock (6-1) earned the victory in relief, and Aroldis Chapman recorded his 391st career save to take sole possession of ninth on the all-time list.

The Blue Jays clawed back from 4-0 down to tie the game. Starter Trey Yesavage struck out nine across four innings of three-run ball.

Kazuma Okamoto, who entered the night 0-for-22 since the All-Star break, went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in the seventh. It was his 23rd, which moved him past Shohei Ohtani for the most by a Japanese rookie in a single MLB season.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho also had multi-hit games for Toronto.

After Patrick Sandoval danced out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, Seigler immediately staked the Red Sox to a 1-0 lead by depositing Yesavage’s fourth pitch into the right-field stands.

The Toronto righty’s frustrating outing continued two innings later, as he fanned the side in the second before allowing another home run in the third. Seigler knocked an opposite-field single before crossing the plate on Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-run shot just over the top of the Green Monster.

Yesavage retired six of the final seven batters he faced to keep it 3-0, but the offense could not take advantage of back-to-back innings with two aboard. In the fifth, Guerrero singled and Okamoto doubled to put two Blue Jays in scoring position with one out, but Tyron Guerrero relieved Sandoval and escaped the threat.

The Red Sox added to their lead when Masataka Yoshida scored on Andruw Monasterio’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. It could have been more, but Toronto left fielder Nathan Lukes gunned out Caleb Durbin trying to score from second on Connor Wong’s single to end the inning.

In the seventh, Okamoto brought Toronto right back into the game with one big swing, taking Greg Weissert deep to center field for a three-run shot. Ernie Clement (hit by pitch) and Guerrero (single) set the table.

After Jeff Hoffman’s bases-loaded escape in the seventh, the Blue Jays manufactured the tying run off Whitlock — the first he allowed in 13 appearances — in the eighth. Lukes hit a leadoff double to left and Varsho dunked a single into right, setting up pinch hitter Andres Gimenez’s sacrifice fly.

–Field Level Media

Tony Romo Arrested

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MILWAUKEE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo was arrested in Milwaukee Thursday night on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence, according to a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

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The 46-year-old was stopped Thursday around 6:18 p.m. and “performed poorly” on standardized field sobriety tests, per the report.

He was taken into custody and booked before being released at approximately 11 p.m., and has a court date scheduled for Sept. 21.

A first-offense OWI is generally a civil offense, not a criminal charge, in Wisconsin, with a citation typically carrying a fine between $150-$300.

The police stop occurred while Romo was traveling southbound on Interstate 43.

Romo is a native of nearby Burlington, Wis., where he was the first Burlington High School student-athlete to be named all-state in three sports: football, basketball, and golf. His high school football team, the Burlington Demons, plays on a field that was named Tony Romo Field in 2020.

Romo has been the lead NFL game analyst at CBS since 2017, paired with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson to cover games.

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 out of Eastern Illinois, Romo spent the next 14 seasons with the Cowboys. He became their starting quarterback in 2006 and led Dallas to five playoff appearances.

A four-time Pro Bowler, he holds a 78-49 record in 156 regular-season games (127 starts). He had a career 65.3% completion rate, amassing 34,183 yards with 248 touchdowns and 117 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Streak Snapped; Time to Start Over

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.”

For the Boston Red Sox, that meant the end of a franchise-record-tying 15-game winning streak. The quest for a new streak begins on Friday night as the Toronto Blue Jays enter for the start of a three-game weekend series.

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“All of us knew that it was going to end at some point. It just happened to end (on Wednesday),” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said after a 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in the second game of a doubleheader. “The big thing is if we continue to play baseball that way, regardless of how many wins in a row, we’re going to win a heck of a lot more than we lose.”

To say the least, it was a season-turning stretch for Tracy’s group, which went from 37-48 then to 52-49 now. Before Wednesday night, the Red Sox had not lost since July 1, and they were 20-2 since completing a four-game sweep of the archrival New York Yankees on June 28.

Before Tracy could even speak to his team at the end of the streak, veterans Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray took the lead in addressing the clubhouse, imparting a message that matched that of their skipper.

“We can beat anybody. That’s lesson No. 1,” Contreras said. “We are a good team in the battles. We are resilient and a team that sits together, winning or losing. … There’s nothing to be sad about. We have to be happy. We should be proud of what we did.”

The past few weeks have seen Contreras break out to the tune of a .381 average with 13 RBIs in 12 July games. The first baseman had three hits in the Wednesday twin bill, with the nightcap being Boston’s first game scoring fewer than two runs since June 30.

The Red Sox will give the ball on Friday to left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who remains in search of his first win in his third start since returning from a two-year absence following Tommy John surgery. Sandoval (0-0, 4.82 ERA) was touched for five runs, four earned, on nine hits in five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

Sandoval has faced the Blue Jays twice in his career, posting a 6.00 ERA and no decisions in nine innings.

The red-hot run has the Red Sox sitting in third place in the American League East, now six games ahead of the bottom-dwelling Blue Jays.

Toronto arrives in Boston having broken a four-game skid with a 3-1 Thursday afternoon win over first-place Tampa Bay. It was just the second victory for the Blue Jays in a nine-game span.

Shane Bieber dealt seven innings of one-run ball in his second consecutive strong start, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer both had two hits and an RBI.

“Today we played a complete game,” Springer said. “We pitched. We got guys on (the bases), over and in, and we caught the ball, so it was a good day for us, but it’s on to (Friday), and that’s against another extremely good team.”

Trey Yesavage (4-5, 3.78 ERA) will look to keep the Blue Jays on the right track. The 22-year-old right-hander took a loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday despite logging a season-high nine strikeouts over six innings of three-run ball.

Yesavage, who made his major league debut last September, has gotten his first taste of the Red Sox this season. He is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two head-to-head starts, recording a home win on April 28 with 5 1/3 shutout innings before working 7 1/3 innings of three-run ball in a June 18 no-decision at Boston.

–Field Level Media

 

Red Sox Caught Streaking

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FENWAY (Wire Service Report) – A four-run first inning helped the visiting Baltimore Orioles earn a 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday, ending Boston’s 15-game winning streak.

The winning streak was the longest in the majors since St. Louis won 17 in a row in 2021. Had Boston won, the Red Sox would have set a franchise record for consecutive victories. They tied the 1946 club’s record of 15 straight with a 6-3 win in Game 1. Boston had not lost since a 10-2 setback against the Washington Nationals on July 1.

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Kyle Bradish (7-9) pitched six innings to earn the win. He held the Red Sox to one run on four hits, struck out four and walked one. Yennier Cano, Andrew Kittredge and Tyler Wells each tossed a scoreless inning of relief for the Orioles, who won despite going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox were limited to five hits.

Boston starter Eduardo Rivera (0-1) was pulled with two outs in the first inning. He gave up four runs on three hits and walked two. Brayan Bello replaced Rivera and struck out five in 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Red Sox 6, Orioles 3 (Game 1)

Ceddanne Rafaela homered, Jarren Duran drove in three runs and Boston tied a franchise record for consecutive victories with 15 by beating visiting Baltimore in the first game of a split doubleheader.

Boston starter Jake Bennett (6-3) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. Aroldis Chapman tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 23rd save of 2026 and 390th overall, tying him for ninth on the all-time list with former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley.

Dean Kremer (1-3) gave up six runs on eight hits in six innings. Rafaela, Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras each collected two hits for the Red Sox, who never trailed.

 

 

Sox Tie Club Record of 15 Straight Wins

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Ceddanne Rafaela homered, Jarren Duran drove in three runs and the Boston Red Sox tied a franchise record for consecutive victories with 15 by beating the visiting Baltimore Orioles 6-3 in the first game of a split doubleheader Wednesday.

The Red Sox, who also won 15 straight during the 1946 season, haven’t lost since a 10-2 home setback against the Washington Nationals on July 1.

Boston starter Jake Bennett (6-3) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and struck out five. Aroldis Chapman tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 23rd save of 2026 and 390th overall, tying him for ninth on the all-time list with former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley.

Dean Kremer (1-3) gave up six runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Rafaela, Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras each collected two hits for the Red Sox, who never trailed.

The Red Sox, who also won 15 straight during the 1946 season, haven’t lost since a 10-2 home setback against the Washington Nationals on July 1.

Boston starter Jake Bennett (6-3) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and struck out five. Aroldis Chapman tossed a scoreless ninth to earn his 23rd save of 2026 and 390th overall, tying him for ninth on the all-time list with former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley.

Dean Kremer (1-3) gave up six runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Rafaela, Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras each collected two hits for the Red Sox, who never trailed.

Baltimore received a solo home run from Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who had three hits and two RBIs.

Durbin’s two-run single and a two-run triple from Duran handed Boston a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Baltimore made it 4-1 in the third, when Pete Alonso doubled and scored on Tyler O’Neill’s two-out double that Rafaela lost in the sun.

The Red Sox regained a four-run lead in the bottom of the third. Durbin scored on Duran’s sacrifice fly to make it a 5-1 contest.

Encarnacion-Strand’s home run came against Bennett in the fourth and cut Boston’s lead to 5-2. It was his second home run in as many games since being called up from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Rafaela’s home run, his ninth of the season, extended Boston’s edge to 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth, but Encarnacion-Strand’s third hit of the game was an RBI single that drove in Coby Mayo and trimmed Boston’s advantage to 6-3 in the sixth.

–Field Level Media

It’s All About Spain

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Wire Service Report) – Ferran Torres believed it was Spain’s destiny to win this World Cup. And he struck his decisive finish like a man certain of his convictions.

Torres powered home an emphatic half-volley from nine yards out in the 106th minute to lift Spain to their second World Cup title with a 1-0 win over gutsy, 10-man Argentina in Sunday’s final.

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“I think that in the end, the goal belonged to 47 million people, not to me or the 26 players here,” Torres said via an interpreter. “I believe that today destiny was written. It was meant for us to win, far from our fans, but we tried to make them feel as close as possible.”

Torres’ deserved decider came 16 years and eight days after Andres Iniesta also scored in extra time to lift the Spaniards to their first World Cup with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.

The winning goal came on La Roja’s 20th shot of the contest against the defending champions, who failed to manage any to that point and struggled to wrest possession away from their superior Iberian opponents.

That was true at even strength and became more difficult when the Albiceleste’s numbers were reduced when Enzo Fernandez’s late challenge of Pau Cubarsi left referee Slavko Vincic no choice but to produce a second caution just before the end of normal time.

Spain remain the only nation ever to win the European Championship and World Cup in successive tournaments, having now done so a second time after their Euro 2024 title. They are also the first World Cup champion ever to concede only once across an entire tournament. And they are the first winner of the UEFA Nations League to capture a world title, having triumphed at the eight-year-old competition in 2023.

“We’ve won everything, everything,” Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said through an interpreter. “And that’s wonderful, with a generation of footballers, I’ll say it again and again, who are an example for Spanish  sport, for Spanish youth, for Spain. Together we are stronger, let there be no doubt about that.”

Lionel Messi’s Argentina failed to earn another title after winning their last three major tournaments, having also captured the 2021 and 2024 Copa Americas on either side of their 2022 World Cup triumph.

The 39-year-old, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi finished the competition with eight goals and four assists, but had little time on the ball until Spain finally took the lead. Even in some nervy late moments for Spain, he never seriously looked like lifting his side to another great moment as he has so many times in the last two World Cup cycles.

“Well, in the end, all finals are difficult, and when you have Messi on the opposing team, you always get nervous,” Torres said. “But ultimately, we’ve always depended on ourselves, on playing our style of football, and I think we demonstrated that once again today.”

Spanish midfielder Rodri won the FIFA Golden Ball for his efforts throughout the tournament, including his help in containing Messi Sunday, despite not tallying a single goal or assist himself.

Emi Martinez made 11 saves for the Albiceleste, who fell short in their bid to be the first consecutive World Cup champions since Brazil won the 1958 and 1962 titles.

“Yes, I think the game should have been decided much earlier,” de la Fuente said. “Dibu’s great saves prevented us from winning the game sooner. We could have taken a more comfortable lead. But this is a world championship final, and even with 10 men, you have to suffer at the end. But since we like to suffer, we’ve shown once again that we’re ready for anything.”

What had felt so difficult for the first 105 minutes suddenly looked easy after 37 seconds of play in the second period of extra time.

Pedro Porro curled in an outswinging cross from the left to the back post. Nico Williams won the header and nodded it back into space, and Torres hammered a half-volley at last past the flailing Martinez. It was his only goal of the tournament, making him the seventh player to score during a tournament in which his side never trailed.

An Argentina side that literally hadn’t managed a shot somehow found its way forward in the dying stages.

Messi curled a speculative effort just over the top left corner of Unai Simon’s goal, and after consecutive corners, Giuliano Simeone fired high from just beyond the top of the six-yard box. But for once this tournament, there was no miracle late drama in the Albiceleste’s favor.

Simon, who took home the Golden Glove award, notched his seventh clean sheet in eight matches this tournament and has nine clean sheets in his World Cup career, one away from tying the all-time mark.

–Field Level Media