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CONCORD, N.C. — With NASCAR and the Coca-Cola 600 the promised priority, Kyle Larson will again attempt the Indianapolis 500 next season with the caveat he must leave if rain again ruins his bid to complete “The Double.”

Larson in May became the fifth driver in history to attempt to complete 1,100 miles of racing on the biggest day in motorsports. But the start of the Indy 500 was delayed several hours by rain, and because Hendrick Motorsports had spent so much money on the effort, they decided to keep him at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“It was unfinished business,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “Weather just cost us a lot.”

Larson was a star all of May, where he qualified fifth but a late-race speeding penalty took him out of contention and he finished 18th. He was still named top rookie of the race.

By the time Larson arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 600 had been stopped by rain and never resumed. He never turned a lap, received zero points for the event and it took a prolonged dispute between Hendrick officials and NASCAR before NASCAR granted Larson a waiver to participate in the playoffs despite missing a race.

In the end, missing the 600 did cost Larson as he fell a single point short of beating Tyler Reddick for NASCAR’s regular-season championship — a title worth 15 additional playoff points. Larson could use those points after an early crash Sunday in NASCAR’s playoff opener erased almost his entire lead in the Cup standings.

“We couldn’t control the weather, but it was never intended for us to have to pick and choose, but we did have to make that decision,” Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon told The Associated Press. “It was a group effort, and not necessarily the way NASCAR wanted it to be. But it was his first time doing it, our first time doing it, and I think Indy had to be the priority.

“A second time, it’s just not going to be the same case. NASCAR knows he’ll be at the 600. We don’t want to spot Reddick another entire race.”

Hendrick said that Tony Kanaan, sporting director for Arrow McLaren, would replace Larson in the car at Indy if Larson has to leave for Charlotte. By the reaction on Kanaan’s face, that was news to him.

“We’re going to run the 600, we will be here for the 600 if that means having to cut the race short in Indy, we will,” Hendrick said. “My commitment is to NASCAR, that’s where we’re in, that’s where we run the for the championship. And so if weather catches us, Tony will get in the car.”

Larson followed John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch in attempting both races on the same day. Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles and only did it in one of his two attempts.

Larson, who is again partnering with Arrow McLaren Racing, not only wants to complete the full 1,100-miles but wants to win at least one — if not both — of the races.

“I knew as soon as it was over that I wanted to do it again. I didn’t get a chance to complete ‘The Double’ and that’s important,” Larson told the AP. “But I also want to win the Indy 500 and I want to win the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity.”

Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2021 in what was the 269th career Cup victory for Hendrick — the win that passed Petty Enterprises for the most Cup wins in NASCAR history.

The announcement Tuesday was made at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Larson’s Cup Series No. 5 Chevrolet and his No. 17 Arrow McLaren Indy car were both displayed. On hand was Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and McLaren chief executive officer Zak Brown, who flew in from London and came directly to the news conference.

“We have some unfinished business to try to win the the Indy 500 and of course the NASCAR race a couple hours later,” Brown said. “Having a legend in our race car is a privilege and an honor.”

The initial deal with Larson was for two years, but 2025 was an option year and Hendrick Motorsports had a three-month window to make the decision. Larson told the AP that he knew before the NASCAR race at Indianapolis in late July that he’d be back for the 500 in 2025.

Brown said McLaren will give Larson as much testing as he needs, but it does not plan to enter him in any races besides the Indy 500.

For now, Larson has work to do in NASCAR.

Initially the points leader at the start of Sunday’s race at Atlanta, Larson plummeted to 10th in the standings. Four drivers will be eliminated from the 16-driver playoff field following the Sept. 21 race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR races this Sunday on the road course at Watkins Glen, New York.

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Sources: Red Sox deal Devers to Giants in stunner

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Sources: Red Sox deal Devers to Giants in stunner

The San Francisco Giants are acquiring All-Star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Sunday evening.

The Giants are sending starter Jordan Hicks and 23-year-old lefty Kyle Harrison, among others, to Boston in exchange, sources said.

Devers, 28, is in just the second season of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed to stay in Boston in January 2023, however his relationship with the team suffered a significant blow after the star third baseman was reportedly blindsided by a move to designated hitter in the spring.

Tensions flared again last month after Devers refused an offer from the team to move him to first base after starting first baseman Triston Casas was ruled out for the season with a knee injury.

It reached a point where Red Sox owner John Henry met with the disgruntled star, making a rare trip to meet the team on the road and smooth things over after Devers’ pointed comments about the request to switch positions again.

Hicks and Harrison give a pitching-starved Red Sox team more depth on their staff while Devers provides a huge boost to a middling Giants offense.

Devers has more than 200 career home runs to his name and has a .894 OPS for Boston this season.

The deal was first reported by Fansided.

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Ohtani’s pitching return might be coming soon

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Ohtani's pitching return might be coming soon

Shohei Ohtani‘s pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers might be quickly approaching.

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday that Ohtani would throw another simulated game in the coming days that could “potentially” be his last one, and a source told ESPN’s Buster Olney that Ohtani should join the Dodgers’ rotation “sooner rather than later,” potentially within the week.

Ohtani took a big step forward during his most recent simulated game at Petco Park on Tuesday, throwing 44 pitches over the course of three innings against a couple of lower-level minor league players. Ohtani’s fastball reached the mid- to upper-90s, and he exhibited good command of his off-speed pitches in what amounted to his third time facing hitters. Afterward, Roberts said there was a “north of zero” chance Ohtani could join the rotation before the All-Star break.

Because of his two-way designation, the Dodgers can carry Ohtani as an extra pitcher, which means he can throw two to three innings and have someone pitch after him as a piggyback starter. At this point, it seems that is the Dodgers’ plan.

The Dodgers’ pitching staff has again been plagued by injury, with 14 pitchers on the injured list, including four starting pitchers the team was heavily counting on for 2025 — Blake Snell, Tony Gonsolin, Roki Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow.

If Ohtani returns in July — the likely outcome at this point — he will be 22 months removed from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament.

The update isn’t as optimistic for Sasaki. He paused his throwing program and is set for a lengthy layoff. Sasaki has not pitched in a game since May 9 and is not part of the team’s long-term pitching plans this season.

“I think that’s what the mindset should be,” Roberts said. “Being thrust into this environment certainly was a big undertaking for him, and now you layer in the health part and the fact he’s a starting pitcher, knowing what the build-up [required to return] entails … I think that’s the prudent way to go about it.”

Sasaki, 23, went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight starts after joining the Dodgers from the Pacific League’s Chuba Lotte Marines, averaging less than 4⅓ innings per start. He walked 22 and struck out 24 in 34⅓ innings, and his fastball averaged 95.7 mph, down 3-4 mph from his average in Japan.

Roberts said Sasaki was pain free when he resumed throwing in early June, but the pitcher was shut down after feeling discomfort this past week. Sasaki recently received a cortisone injection in the shoulder; Roberts said no further scans are planned.

“I don’t think it’s pain,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if it’s discomfort, if it’s tightness, if he’s just not feeling strong, whatever the adjective you want to use. That’s more of a question for Roki, as far as the sensation he’s feeling.

“He’s just not feeling like he can ramp it up, and we’re not going to push him to do something he doesn’t feel good about right now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Judge 1-for-12 as NY swept: Got to swing at strikes

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Judge 1-for-12 as NY swept: Got to swing at strikes

BOSTON — Aaron Judge blamed himself for swinging at pitches outside the strike zone as the New York Yankees were swept in a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

“You got to swing at strikes,” Judge said after going 1-for-12 in the series, which Boston completed with a 2-0 victory on Sunday.

Judge struck out three or more times in three straight games for only the third time in his major league career.

“That usually helps any hitter when you swing at strikes,” Judge added. “Definitely some pitches off the edge or off the edge in, you know, taking some hacks just trying to make something happen.”

Judge had a tying solo homer in the opener Friday night but struck out nine times as the Yankees were swept in a series for the first time this season.

New York scored only four runs in the three games, matching its fewest in a three-game series at Fenway Park, on June 20-22, 1916 and on Sept. 28-30, 1922.

“It’s very hard,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of facing Judge. “He’s so good at what he does. We used our fastballs in the right spots, we got some swing and misses.”

“Throughout the years we’ve been aggressive with him,” Cora added. “Sometimes he gets us, sometimes we do a good job with that. It’s always fun to compete against the best, and, to me, he’s the best in the business right now.”

Judge’s major league-leading average dipped to .378.

“I don’t think much of it,” teammate Ben Rice said. “If I could have that guy hitting every single at-bat even if he’s not at his best, I would do it. I’m sure he’ll bounce back. He’ll be all right.”

Judge faced Garrett Whitlock with two on in the eighth Sunday and bounced into an inning-ending double play.

“He’s one of the greatest hitters in the world,” Whitlock said. “It’s special to watch him play and everything. We tried to execute and had some execution this weekend.”

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