Salvador Perez Ties the Kansas City Royals’ Team Home Run Record

Salvador Perez has earned a place in Royals history…

The 31-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball catcher and Kansas City Royals star hit a team record-tying 48th home run in the first inning, then left Kansas City’s game after striking out in the second on Wednesday night.

Salvador Perez

There was no immediate announcement about why Perez exited early.

Perez homered on the first pitch he saw, extending his major league lead with a three-run drive against the Cleveland Indians.

He also tops MLB with 121 RBIs.

The MLB All-Star catcher matched the club mark of 48 home runs set by Jorge Soler in 2019.

It was the 200th career homer for Perez.

Atlanta United FC’s Josef Martinez Notches Historic 100th Career Goal

Make that 100 for Josef Martinez

The 28-year-old Venezuelan professional footballer scored his 100th career goal on a 78th-minute penalty kick, leading the Atlanta United FC to a 1-0 win over visiting Inter Miami CF on Wednesday.

Josef Martinez

In the process Martinez helped moved the hosts above the playoff line in Major League Soccer‘s Eastern Conference.

Martinez became the fastest player in MLS history to reach 100 goals, getting there in his 125th game. The old mark was held by Robbie Keane, who scored 100 goals in 156 games for the LA Galaxy.

Martinez beat Inter Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman after a handball in the penalty area by defenseman Leandro Gonzalez Pirez.

The goal also allowed Martinez to become the fifth player in MLS history to score his first 100 goals with one club. He has 14 goals this season.

Atlanta United (10-8-9, 39 points) earned their eighth win in the past 10 games.

Inter Miami (9-12-5, 25 points) saw their playoff push dented by taking a third consecutive defeat.

With the cushion provided by Martinez, who was replaced in the 89th minute, the Atlanta defense did the rest, keeping Inter Miami from creating a late threat.

Prior to Gonzalez Pirez’s match-altering penalty, both clubs flirted with scoring yet failed to take advantage of several opportunities.

Inter Miami’s first big threat came in the 14th minute when midfielder Blaise Matuidi‘s bid to score was stopped by Atlanta United’s Miles Robinson. Defense continued to dominate the opening half before both Atlanta forwards Luiz Araujo and Martinez were unable to convert shots at close range during the 36th minute.

Robinson failed to get Miami on the scoreboard in the 42nd minute when his shot at goal sailed wide, resulting in the last scoring opportunity of the first half.

Atlanta United struggled to establish any kind of offensive groove until the final third of the match, when they began to pressure the Inter Miami defense, setting the stage for Martinez’s historic goal.

Longtime LA Dodgers Spanish Announcer Jaime Jarrín to Retire After 2022 Season

Jaime Jarrín is preparing for his last call…

The 85-year-old Ecuadorian Hall of Fame sports broadcaster will retire as the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Spanish-language announcer following the 2022 season, ending a 64-year run with the team.

Jaime Jarrín

Jarrín announced his decision on Tuesday, saying he wants to spend more time with his two sons and grandchildren, as well as travel. He turns 86 in December. Jarrín’s son, Jorge, retired in February, ending the first father-son duo to broadcast baseball on MLB Spanish-language radio.

The elder Jarrín began calling Dodgers games in 1959 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, becoming just the second Spanish-language announcer to receive the honor.

“I’m grateful to the Dodgers, the best organization in baseball, for giving me the opportunity to do what I love most for 64 years,” Jarrín said.

He has called three perfect games (Sandy Koufax in 1965, Tom Browning in 1988 and Dennis Martinez in 1991), 22 no-hitters, 30 World Series and 30 MLB All-Star games during his career.

“Jaime was integral in introducing the Dodgers to Los Angeles and in giving a voice to the franchise’s Latino stars,” team president and CEO Stan Kasten said.

“We’re going to cherish this last year with him on the broadcast and wish him the best in retirement.”

Plans to honor Jarrín during the 2022 season will be announced later.

Jose Aldo to Fight Rob Font in Main Event of December UFC Fight Night

Jose Aldo is ready for his next Octagon appearance…

The 35-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a former longtime UFC and WEC featherweight champion, will meet the surging Rob Font in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on December 4 in Las Vegas.

Jose Aldo

The bout was first mentioned by MMA reporter Ariel Helwani on Spotify Greenroom and the date was first reported by Brazilian outlet Combate.

ESPN has Font ranked No. 5 in the world at bantamweight and Aldo at No. 6. The winner would be in pole position for a potential title opportunity, though the division is waiting for the return of champion Aljamain Sterling from neck surgery. Sterling withdrew from a title rematch with former champ Petr Yan at UFC 267 on October 30, and Yan will now fight Cory Sandhagen in an interim title bout.

Aldo (30-7) has won two straight after falling in a title fight to Yan at UFC 251 in July 2020. The Brazilian striker is coming off a unanimous decision win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265 last month. Aldo is one of the most decorated former champions in MMA history. He was the first UFC featherweight champion and took the title from WEC into the UFC, a span of six years. Aldo has the most title defenses in UFC featherweight history (7).

Font (19-4) has won four straight and five of his last six bouts. The Massachusetts native is coming off a unanimous decision win over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in May. Font, 34, sports a 9-3 UFC record.

Alex Palou Becomes First Spaniard to Claim IndyCar Crown

It’s a historic first for Alex Palou.

The 24-year-old Spanish racing driver has picked up the first ever championship trophy of his professional career, planting his lips on the Astor Cup while savoring a dream come true.

Alex Palou

He spent two years racing in Japan, but it was IndyCar where he wanted to be and Palou simulated life as if he drove in America’s top open-wheel racing series.

He’s now an IndyCar champion — his first title since karting as a teen — and the first Spaniard to claim the crown in series history.

Palou finished fourth in an easy Sunday drive at the Grand Prix of Long Beach to cap a smooth and steady second season in IndyCar.

“There were moments where I was just feeling like I was living my dream, and now I’m doing it,” Palou said after the race. “Oh yeah, 100% dream completed. Let’s get another one now.”

Colton Herta won the race — Long Beach is considered his home track — for his second consecutive win and third of the season. Josef Newgarden finished second and Scott Dixon, the six-time and reigning champion, finished third before turning the IndyCar crown over to Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou.

Palou had never before seen Long Beach before he arrived this weekend — the historic course was canceled last year due to the pandemic — but his consistency since winning the season-opener in his first race driving for Ganassi had him in solid position.

His 35-point lead meant a finish of 11th or better would win him the title, and once challenger Pato O’Ward was knocked out with a mechanical problem, Palou just needed to make it to the finish.

It capped a remarkable run in which Palou earned his break a year ago with Dale Coyne Racing then manifested his childhood dream to race for a championship by introducing himself to Ganassi at the Indianapolis 500. He moved into Ganassi’s No. 10 this year, won three races, finished second in the Indy 500 and led the standings 12 of 16 weeks.

“Chip told me when I joined that I had to win a championship, so that’s not too much pressure,” Palou joked. “He likes winners. If you are not one, you are in trouble.”

After climbing his way through the European ranks, Palou raced two years in Japan but had not won a title since competing in go-karts as a teenager in Spain.

“His apprentice program into racing most recently was in Japan, so I think he brings a lot of that Japanese mentality to the team, which a lot of us find refreshing,” Ganassi said. “He brought a certain fortitude that you see in that part of the world. And you know, he didn’t turn a wheel wrong all year.”

Palou has now joined an exclusive club of all-stars in Ganassi’s elite “I like winners” club. The title was the 14th in American open-wheel racing for Ganassi among six drivers and came 25 years after Jimmy Vasser gave the organization its first championship.

Palou joins Vasser, Alex Zanardi, Juan Pablo MontoyaDario Franchitti and Dixon as Ganassi open-wheel champions; he’s the first Ganassi champion since Montoya in 1999 not named Franchitti or Dixon, who combined for nine titles from 2008 through last year.

Franchitti is now the Ganassi driver coach and Palou is considered the best driver in the No. 10 since a head injury forced Franchitti into an early 2013 retirement. Palou is the first Ganassi driver since Franchitti to beat Dixon in the season standings.

“I think he’s raised the bar for all of us this year to keep pushing,” Dixon said. “It definitely feels like kind of the 2009 through sort of ’12, ’13 period with Dario. Super proud of what the 10 car has done. Super proud of Alex. Man, he’s done a tremendous job this year.”

Palou won the championship by 38 points over Newgarden, who bumped one spot ahead of O’Ward once O’Ward was eliminated.

Nuria Párrizas Díaz Defeats Xinyu Wang to Win WTA 125 Columbus Title

Nuria Párrizas Díaz has claimed her second WTA 125K series titles…

The 30-year-old Spanish professional tennis player defeated China’s Xinyu Wang 7-6 (2), 6-3 to claim the title at WTA 125 Columbus event.

Nuria Párrizas Díaz

It’s Diaz’s second title of the year.

She’d previously claimed the title at the WTA 125 Båstad event in July, defeating Belarus’ Olga Govortsova, 6-2, 6-2.

She’s currently ranked No. 86 in the world.

Yair Rodriguez In Final Talks to Fight Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night in November

Yair Rodriguez is thisclose to returning to the Octagon

The UFC is finalizing a featherweight matchup between the 28-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist and former champion Max Holloway.

Yair Rodriguez

Rodriguez and Holloway would headline an event on November 13, according to ESPN.

Contracts haven’t been signed, but the bout is expected to become official shortly.

It will serve as the main event of a UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.

Yair Rodriguez

The 145-pound contest was originally supposed to take place on July 17 in Las Vegas; however, Holloway was forced to pull out due to injury. Rather than book Rodriguez another opponent, the UFC elected to keep the matchup intact until Holloway made a recovery.

According to sources, Holloway accepted the date this week.

Rodriguez (13-2) has not fought since he defeated Jeremy Stephens via decision in October 2019. He was booked to fight Zabit Magomedsharipov in August 2020, but was forced to pull out because of an injury. The Mexican featherweight has only fought three times in the last three years, but is still the UFC’s No. 3-ranked featherweight.

Holloway (22-6) is already viewed as the division’s No. 1 contender. The former champion lost his title to current champion Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision in December 2019. The bout was razor close, and the two fought again in July 2020. Volkanovski won again, by split decision in a bout many observers felt Holloway won.

The 29-year-old Hawaiian fought Calvin Kattar in January, and delivered arguably one of the best performances in UFC history. He defeated Kattar via unanimous decision, and landed 445 total strikes in the process.

The winner of the November bout is virtually guaranteed a title shot.

James Rodriguez Joins Qatari Side Al Rayyan

James Rodriguez is headed to the Middle East…

The 30-year-old Colombian professional footballer and Everton midfielder has joined Qatari side Al Rayyan for an undisclosed fee, both clubs have confirmed.

James Rodríguez

Sources previously told ESPN that Rodriguez was discussing a move with the Qatari club after Everton gave him permission to leave Goodison Park. He was told by manager Rafa Benitez, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti this summer, that he was not in his plans.

The midfielder made an impressive start after he joined from Real Madrid in September 2020, scoring three goals in his first five games, but injury and loss of form saw his contribution diminish markedly in the second half of the season.

He made a total of 26 appearances in all competitions during his time at the club.

Rodriguez began his career at Colombian side Enviagado and later Argentine side Banfield before enjoying spells at FC PortoAS MonacoMadrid and Bayern Munich.

He said in April that he only joined Everton so he could be reunited with Ancelotti, who had signed him for Madrid in 2014 and Bayern in 2017.

Everton had the option of extending his contract at the end of the season if he were to make enough first team appearances, but sources told ESPN that the club were keen to move his £10 million-a-year salary off the club’s wage bill.

His last appearance for the Premier League side came in a 1-0 defeat at home to Sheffield United in May.

Rodriguez has 80 international caps for Colombia, scoring 23 goals, and played in two World Cup tournaments, notably winning the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Salvador Perez Breaks Johnny Bench’s Record for Home Runs by a Catcher in a Season

Salvador Perez is one hit ahead in the history books…

The 31-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball player for the Kansas City Royals hit his 46th home run on Monday, breaking Johnny Bench‘s record for home runs by a catcher in a season, as the Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2.

Salvador Perez Perez hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, topping Bench’s total from 1970 for the most by a player who played at least 75% of his team’s games at catcher.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I thank God for this. It’s amazing.”

Perez also moved into a tie for the major league lead in homers with Toronto Blue Jays‘ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and leads the MLB with 115 RBIs, the first catcher with that many RBIs since Mike Piazza in 1999.

It has been a long road for Perez this season to put himself in contention for the home run title. He trailed Shohei Ohtani — the home run leader at the time — by 12 at the MLB All-Star break and made up the distance by hitting 25 homers since July 24.

Only Jimmie Foxx in 1935 has won the home run title after trailing the leader by at least 12 dingers at the All-Star break, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

“It’s just hard to get your head around, to be honest,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “The long history in this game and how many great players have come through. For him to do something that nobody’s done, it’s amazing.”

Starting again behind the plate — the durable All-Star has seen some time at designated hitter — Perez drove a 1-2 pitch from Triston McKenzie into the left-field bleachers, a drive that traveled 429 feet. Perez pointed to the sky after crossing home plate and was hugged by several teammates as he entered the dugout.

“For a guy who’s so respected in this clubhouse, it was different than your normal home run,” Matheny said. “You could see the look on Salvy’s face. He’ll never forget it.”

Perez tied Bench on Thursday night in Kansas City as the Royals played Seattle. He went 1-for-13 at the plate in the final three games of the series but didn’t feel any pressure to set the record and was more focused on winning games.

“Perez is one of those rare individuals to find energy and passion just to keep playing,” Indians interim manager DeMarlo Hale said. “And the offensive year he’s having it’s even more special. People don’t talk about him in the MVP race, but I’ll tell you what, he’s there in my book.”

Perez also singled in the first and made his presence known defensively when he threw out Myles Straw trying to steal second base in the bottom of the inning.

“He’s a great hitter, to start,” McKenzie said. “Second of all, he’s a great catcher. Threw out Straw early in the game, kind of shut down some of our momentum. He’s a guy that can always make you pay for mistakes. He did just that. He has definitely caught fire toward the end of the season.”

Brandon Moreno to Defend UFC Flyweight Title Against Familiar Foe, Deiveson Figueiredo

It’s a case of tres-jà vu for Brandon Moreno.

The 27-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist and reigning UFC flyweight champion‘s first title defense will come against a familiar foe — former champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

Brandon Moreno, Deiveson Figueiredo

Moreno (19-5-2) has agreed to defend his 125-pound championship against Figueiredo (20-2-1) at UFC 269 on December 11 at a site to be determined. Contracts for the matchup should be finalized soon. It will mark the third meeting between the two flyweights.

The UFC initially looked into booking Moreno against Brazilian title challenger Alexandre Pantoja. But Pantoja will not be ready to compete before the end of the year due to a knee injury.

Moreno’s team told ESPN the he wanted to fight again before the end of 2021 and was open to any challenger. Moreno is also committed to keeping the flyweight division moving. Thus far, there has been only one 125-pound title fight this year.

Moreno, of Tijuana, Mexico, claimed the title in a third-round submission victory over Figueiredo at UFC 263 in June. Prior to that, the two fought to a majority draw in November 2020, a bout many considered to be the fight of that year.

Figueiredo, of Belem, Brazil, has campaigned for an immediate rematch ever since his loss to Moreno. He struggled with his health prior to the first fight and was adamant Moreno owed him a rematch since he granted Moreno a second fight after their draw.

A female bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena is set to headline UFC 269.