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HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Ryan Blaney has experienced a range of emotions since Sunday, from disappointment to relief.

The No. 12 Team Penske driver was disqualified after the opening race of the round of eight in NASCAR’s playoffs because of an alleged illegal front shock on his Ford.

But NASCAR reversed the disqualification a day later because of a flawed template used during the postrace inspection, leaving Blaney with a much smaller deficit to overcome in the playoff field when the round of eight continues Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“A lot of emotions,” Blaney said Saturday, “but it was nice that it ended up, I think, as it should have.”

Only Kyle Larson has clinched a spot in the championship finale next month — the Hendrick Motorsports driver won the opening race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But Monday’s reversal restored Blaney’s sixth-place finish in that race and reduced his deficit from 56 points below the playoff cut line to 17.

“It’s still going to be hard to make it,” Blaney said, “but it’s not like a must-win. So it gives you a little more hope.”

Blaney, who is trying to make his first Cup Series championship finale, was running third in Homestead last year before he spun out. He said he’d like to capitalize on his experience in past races here, but anything can happen.

“Here you can have problems. Running the wall you can break some stuff pretty easy,” Blaney said. “You just go race and do the best you can.”

Larson, last year’s Homestead winner, has little to gain in these next two races leading up to the championship, but that doesn’t change his approach to Sunday’s race.

“The pressure is probably a lot less than what other drivers are feeling,” Larson said, “but I feel like I want to win just as bad as anyone else does, too.”

Larson’s teammate William Byron is second in the playoff field. Teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing round out the top four.

Truex gave Toyota its 500th pole win in NASCAR competition with a pole victory Saturday. He will lead the field for Sunday’s race.

Truex turned a lap of 167.441 mph, ahead of teammates Bubba Wallace (167.115 mph) and Tyler Reddick (166.955), who qualified second and third.

It is Truex’s 22nd career Cup series pole.

“I didn’t really expect to get the pole today, honestly,” Truex said. “After practice, I felt like our car was pretty good in the long run, and we needed to make some tweaks to be better for tomorrow.”

Truex won the regular-season title but has flamed out in the playoffs as he vies for a second Cup title.

After Sunday’s race in Homestead, playoff drivers will have one more shot to reach the championship finale. The round of eight concludes at Martinsville Speedway next weekend.

Before that, Kevin Harvick will return to the track where he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship nine years ago.

Sunday’s race is named the 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 in a nod to Harvick, who will retire from NASCAR at the end of this season after 60 career victories, three NASCAR national series championships and 13 consecutive playoff appearances.

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver will run the same paint scheme he won with at the 2014 championship at Homestead. NASCAR senior adviser Mike Helton, whom Harvick has developed a close relationship with over the years, will be an honorary starter for the race, and Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Rodney Childers and his family will serve as grand marshals.

“What we set out to do was tell the story of the past 30 years,” Harvick said Saturday, “and reintroduce the fans that weren’t around to the early part of my career. … It’s been a great ride.”

Childers described his relationship with Harvick as the easiest one could have. Harvick’s fellow competitors lauded his intensity and leadership.

“In my opinion, he’s a Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart — when he leaves, you’re going to notice that he’s not there anymore,” Hamlin said. “He’s certainly been a leader in the sport. He’s kind of the last legacy guy we’ve got in our sport that used to know how it used to be. He’s an important figure.”

Harvick has not won a race this season.

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Padres slugger Machado gets 2,000th career hit

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Padres slugger Machado gets 2,000th career hit

SAN DIEGO — Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres got his 2,000th career hit Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a sharp single off the glove of diving shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.

The milestone hit came off Arizona starter Zac Gallen leading off the fourth inning. Machado received a standing ovation from the crowd at Petco Park, where he has been a fan favorite since he joined the Padres as a free agent in 2019.

The All-Star slugger singled to left field in the first inning for his 1,999th hit and then hit a solo home run in the eighth for his 2,0001st hit. The three-hit performance wasn’t enough to lift San Diego, however, as it fell 6-3.

Machado became the fifth active player and 297th all time to reach the milestone. He is the 12th player to have 350 homers and 2,000 hits by his age-32 season or younger.

“Literally, hat’s off. It’s quite an accomplishment,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said after the loss on 97.3 The Fan. “To have done it, as soon as he’s done it in his career, speaks volumes. … I’m so happy for him. He’s earned it all.”

Machado made his debut with Baltimore in 2012 and had 977 hits with the Orioles before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 18, 2018. He had 73 hits with the Dodgers before signing as a free agent with the Padres on Feb. 21, 2019.

He has 950 hits with the Padres, which ranks fifth on the franchise list. Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn had 3,141 in his 20-season career.

Machado was voted the starting third baseman for the National League All-Star team this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: Who is the slugger to beat?

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: Who is the slugger to beat?

The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is starting to take shape.

Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. become the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He has since been followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.

As the entrants are announced, we’ll add them to the running list below — and break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.

Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more


2025 home runs: 9 | Longest: 467 feet

Why he could win: Acuna has been crushing it since he returned to the lineup May 23 after knee surgery. Indeed, his numbers are even better than during his MVP season in 2023. It should help that he’ll be hitting in front of his home fans in Atlanta: Todd Frazier in Cincinnati in 2015 and Bryce Harper with the Nationals in 2018 rode the loud support to Derby titles. Acuna’s raw power should also translate well to the Derby: Among players with at least 500 at-bats since 2023, he has the longest average home run distance in the majors.

Why he might not: Will he run into Pete Alonso again? Acuna competed in the 2019 and 2022 contests, losing both times to Alonso by a single home run (in the semifinals in 2019 and in the first round in 2022). The home-field advantage can also perhaps be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first with 41 home runs but then tired out in the second round.


2025 home runs: 35 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, with 32 home runs, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.

Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.


2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 451 feet

Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.

Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.


2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet

Why he can win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.

Why he won’t: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.

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Pham homer ends Pirates’ 30-inning scoreless run

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Pham homer ends Pirates' 30-inning scoreless run

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Pittsburgh Pirates are back on the board after Tommy Pham‘s two-run home run in the third inning at Kansas City on Monday night ended a 30-inning scoreless streak.

The Pirates had been shut out in all three games at Seattle during their previous series.

However, they tallied another loss against the Royals, losing 9-3.

The scoreless streak included Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Mariners in which Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes threw 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings before the Pirates gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth.

Before beginning this nine-game trip with the sweep by the Mariners, the Pirates had blanked the St. Louis Cardinals in three consecutive home games. Their streak of playing in six straight shutouts matched the longest in major league history.

Pham, a 12-year veteran who is in his first season with the Pirates, bookended the scoreless skid with RBIs. He drove in a seventh-inning run with a groundout Wednesday during the 5-0 victory over the Cardinals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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