Astros pitcher Framber Valdez denies intentionally hitting his catcher after tense moment in loss to Yankees

Astros pitcher Framber Valdez denies intentionally hitting his catcher after tense moment in loss to Yankees

Houston pitcher Framber Valdez insists he didn't intentionally cross up his catcher and hit him with a ball on purpose during the Astros' 7-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. Valdez gave up a grand slam in the fifth inning of the contest at Daikin Park. Before Valdez served up the homer, catcher Cesar Salazar tried to get his pitcher to step off the mound just before he threw the pitch. Valdez ignored that call and threw the pitch anyways, which led to Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham hitting it out of the park. The grand slam gave the Yankees a 6-0 lead at the time. During the next at-bat, Valdez drilled Salazar in the chest with a pitch that appeared to get away from both of them. Salazar looked stunned, and eventually took his helmet off and stared at Valdez hard from home plate. Valdez immediately turned his back to Salazar and carried on. There's speculation that Astros pitcher Framber Valdez purposely crossed up his catcher Cesar Salazar and hit him with this pitch after Salazar told him to step off before allowing a grand slampic.twitter.com/ds3c9MzQV6 — Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia)September 3, 2025 Valdez insisted after the game that it was accidental. Both he and Salazar were called into the manager's office after the contest, and Valdez said he apologized to Salazar. "It was a pitch I wanted to throw. I called for that pitch. I wasn't able to locate it," Valdez said through an interpreter, viaAstros reporter Will Kunkel. "Then afterwards, we just got crossed up. Afterwards, I told him I was sorry." Salazar backed that up,saying he and Valdez"have a really good relationship." Cesar Salazar blamed Yankees fans taking over their home park for him and Framber Valdez getting "crossed up."😂pic.twitter.com/GEeaNeORrK — Joe Randazzo (@YankeeLibrarian)September 3, 2025 "There was a good amount of Yankees fans, so it was pretty loud after the grand slam," Salazar said. "Maybe my pitch count wasn't in the right spot, so I pressed the wrong button, you know." Even though it didn't look great in the moment, both players insist that it was simply a misunderstanding in a tense situation. The Yankees rolled to the six-run win, thanks both to Grisham's grand slam and a pair of home runs from Jazz Chisholm Jr. That pushed them to 77-61 on the season, and has them 2.5 games back from the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East race. Valdez, in his eighth year with the Astros, holds a 3.40 ERA and a 12-8 record in 27 games this season. The Astros, who have lost three of their last four, still hold a three-game lead in the AL West race despite the latest loss.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

September 02, 2025

Astros pitcher Framber Valdez denies intentionally hitting his catcher after tense moment in loss to Yankees

Astros pitcher Framber Valdez denies intentionally hitting his catcher after tense moment in loss to Yankees Houston pitcher Framber Valdez ...

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Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2

Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Emmanuel Rivera tied his career high with four RBIs on a pair of two-out singles and Tyler Wells won his season debut for the Baltimore Orioles, who beat San Diego 6-2 on Tuesday night to keep the scuffling Padres from gaining on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Jeremiah Johnson homered for the second consecutive night and drove in two runs for the Orioles. Baltimore, last in the AL East, has won two straight against the Padres and will go for a series sweep on Wednesday. San Diego, which has lost three in a row and seven of nine, remained 2 1/2 games behind Los Angeles, which lost 9-7 at Pittsburgh. The Padres are a game ahead of the New York Mets for the second of three National League wild cards. Wells (1-0) pitched five innings in his first start since April 12, 2024. He had right elbow UCL surgery a month later. Wells allowed two runs and five hits, struck out four and walked none. Rivera hit a two-run single off Yu Darvish (3-5) over the head of shortstop Mason McCoy with two outs in the third to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser were aboard on consecutive one-out singles. With two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth, Rivera greeted David Morgan with a single to center field that brought in Gunnar Henderson and Mountcastle to make it 5-2. Jackson homered to left with one out in the first, his fourth. Jackson, who made his big league debut on Aug. 1, also homered in a4-3win Monday. Wells' only big mistake was allowing Luis Arraez's two-run homer with two outs in the third, his seventh. Freddy Fermin was aboard on a double. Key moment Baltimore reliever Rico Garcia came on with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and got two outs. Key stat Arraez went 144 plate appearances and 32 games between home runs. Up next Baltimore's Cade Povich (2-7, 5.04 ERA) and San Diego's Nestor Cortes (1-2, 3.75) are scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

September 02, 2025

Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2

Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Emmanuel Rivera tied his career hig...

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US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25

US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25

NEW YORK — It seems like the old man has spent roughly half of this US Open hunched over at the waist, grabbing at his neck or rubbing his temple. At one point earlier in the tournament, Novak Djokovic even said in an interview with ESPN that he was more concerned about the state of his body than he'd ever been. It's just what happens when you're 38 years old, having accumulated so many miles on the legs, playing one of the most demanding sports on earth against opponents in their physical prime. It hurts. But when Djokovic takes the court, the pain always goes in two directions. And with only two exceptions, it almost defies explanation how often Djokovic still makes his opponents suffer more. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] It is those two exceptions, however, who once again stand between Djokovic and a 25th major title. It has been that way for a couple years, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz shoving him aside from Grand Slam glory the way generations before them were unable to do. Now, havingoutlasted the highest-ranked American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in Tuesday's quarterfinal, it's time to ask: What does Djokovic need to do to hold the US Open trophy one more time? "I have another chance, another shot," he said after Tuesday's victory earned him a trip to the semis, where he'll face Alcaraz. "Everyone is anticipating a finals between the two of them. I'm going to try to mess up the plans. They are definitely playing the best tennis of any player here and they've been dominant since the beginning of the tournament, but I definitely am not going with a white flag on the court. I don't think anybody does when they play them, but particularly not me." Carlos Alcaraz and possibly Jannik Sinner still stand in the way of Novak Djokovic.pic.twitter.com/BQ8FJobiwG — US Open Tennis (@usopen)September 3, 2025 This US Open has largely followed the same script Djokovic has experienced over the last two years. Having cut his schedule to the bare minimum, both to preserve wear-and-tear and spend more time at home with his young children, he shows up at the Grand Slams out of match shape and lacking a feel for the ball. In the first few rounds, it looks like Djokovic is there for the taking but he's still so darned good and tactically superior that he finds a way through. Then, each day the tournament progresses, his endurance builds and shots become more punishing. By the time he gets to the quarterfinals and faces an opponent like Fritz — ranked No. 4 but 0-fer in the majors — he is a reasonable enough facsimile of Peak Djokovic to put even some of the world's best players in a mental torture chamber. Fritz, poor guy, is now 0-for-11 against Djokovic. At 27, he's smack in the middle of his Slam-winning window. But as much as he tells himself he has a better chance every time they play, he's as lost as he was at the beginning trying to figure out how to penetrate Djokovic's game and win enough of the right points. Even Tuesday, after dropping the first two sets, Fritz dug in and felt like he was gathering momentum the longer it went. Djokovic was visibly wearing down. As the match reached nearly 3 ½ hours, Djokovic went all-in at 5-4 in the fourth set, hoping to break Fritz and end the match. Fritz fought off two match points. Djokovic kept grabbing his shorts and gasping for breath. It felt like a moment that could have turned the entire match around if Fritz had just held serve. He couldn't. On the third match point, Djokovic drew a double fault — a microcosm of how Fritz and his late-20s peers simply failed to crack the code. "That's the frustrating thing is I don't need to play that much better to make it happen," said Fritz, who desperately wanted another shot at the US Open title after losing last year's final. "At end of the day, that's one of the things that makes the great players great is they win the big points. I need to go take those points from him. He's not going to hand them over to me, and that's exactly what happened." Of course, the two players Djokovic will likely have to get through to win the title have not struggled with that dynamic. Though Alcaraz has been more vulnerable to him, losing high-profile matchups to Djokovic at last year's Olympics and at the Australian Open this January, he has been impervious at this US Open. Playing the most consistent tennis of his career, the 22-year-old Alcaraz hasn't even come close to dropping a set. Their match Friday in the semifinals will be the ninth time they've played, with Djokovic holding a 5-3 edge. Meanwhile, Sinner has beaten Djokovic five straight times, two of them en route to major titles. The 24-year-old Italian has become almost a stylistic carbon copy of a younger Djokovic, only with more power on his groundstrokes. For Djokovic at this stage of his career, it's perhaps the most nightmarish matchup out there. Under the right circumstances, Djokovic can beat either of them on a given day. But beating them back-to-back for No. 25, at this stage of the game, would arguably be the greatest achievement of his career. "It's not going to get easier, I'll tell you that," he said. "But look, I'm going to try to take one day at a time and take care of my body. Try to relax and recover. The next couple days is key for me to get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it's needed. I just would really love to be fit enough to play potentially five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I like to play big matches on a big stage." Even though making the semifinals of all four majors in 2025 is remarkable given how little Djokovic plays the regular tour, he is realistic enough to know how each year takes a little more out of him. He knows this might be his last, best chance. But at least he's given himself one, and for arguably the greatest winner we've seen in any sport, that's a muscle memory even the aches and pains of being 38 years old can't erase.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

September 02, 2025

US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25

US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25 NEW YORK — It seems like the old ma...

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Factbox-What's in the EU-Mercosur deal and why is it contentious?

Factbox-What's in the EU-Mercosur deal and why is it contentious?

By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The following are details of a trade accord between the EU and South America's Mercosur bloc. The European Commission is set to formally propose the deal on Wednesday for approval by the EU's parliament and member states. TARIFF CUTS, LARGER FARM PRODUCE QUOTAS Mercosur will remove duties on 91% of EU exports, including for cars from a current 35% over a period of 15 years. The EU will progressively remove duties on 92% of Mercosur exports over a period of up to 10 years. Mercosur will also remove duties on EU agriculture-based products, such as the 17% on wines and 20-35% on spirits. For more sensitive farm products, the EU will offer increased quotas, including 99,000 metric tons more beef, while Mercosur will give the EU a duty-free 30,000-ton quota for cheeses. There are also EU quotas for poultry, pork, sugar, ethanol, rice, honey, maize and sweet corn and for Mercosur on milk powders and infant formula. Further, the deal recognizes 350 geographic indications to prevent imitation of certain traditional EU foodstuffs such as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. WHAT PROPONENTS SAY The Commission and proponents like Germany and Spain say the deal offers a route away from reliance on China, especially for critical minerals, and relief from the impact of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Commission says the free trade agreement is the largest it has ever agreed in terms of tariff reductions, removing over 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) of duties on EU exports annually, and a necessary part of the EU's push to diversify its trade ties. The EU says that given Mercosur's modest collection of trade agreements, the EU would have an early-mover advantage and notes that EU companies will be able to bid for public contracts in Mercosur on the same terms as local suppliers - something Mercosur has not previously offered in trade agreements. The EU also sees Mercosur as a reliable partner as it seeks to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals, such as battery metal lithium. The agreement will ensure there are no taxes on the export of most such materials. Proponents say the extra beef represents just 1.6% of EU beef consumption and poultry 1.4% and point to existing imports, such as 200,000 tons of beef per year, as proof that Mercosur does meet EU standards. There are also potential safeguard measures to address possible market disturbances. WHAT CRITICS SAY Friends of the Earth has called the deal "climate-wrecking", saying it would lead to increased deforestation as Mercosur countries would sell more farm produce and raw materials, often sourced from forested areas, including the Amazon, with dire consequences for the environment and human rights. France, with a large beef sector that could be threatened by increased imports, has said it will sign the free trade agreement only if it "safeguards the interests" of French and EU agriculture. Italy and Poland have also expressed opposition. Together, the three countries could block the deal. European farmers have repeatedly protested that a deal would lead to cheap imports of commodities, notably beef, that do not meet the EU's green and food safety standards. The European Commission says the EU's standards will not be relaxed. The deal does include commitments on the environment, including to prevent further deforestation after 2030. However, green groups say it lacks enforceable measures. ($1 = 0.8542 euros) (Reporting by Philip BlenkinsopEditing by Frances Kerry)

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

September 02, 2025

Factbox-What's in the EU-Mercosur deal and why is it contentious?

Factbox-What's in the EU-Mercosur deal and why is it contentious? By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The following are details of...

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Construction intensifies at site linked to Israel's suspected nuclear program, satellite photos show

Construction intensifies at site linked to Israel's suspected nuclear program, satellite photos show

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Construction work has intensified on a major new structure at a facility key to Israel'slong-suspected atomic weapons program, according to satellite images analyzed by experts. They say it could be a new reactor or a facility to assemble nuclear arms — but secrecy shrouding the program makes it difficult to know for sure. The work at theShimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Centernear the city of Dimona will renew questions about Israel's widely believed status as the Mideast's only nuclear-armed state. It could also draw international criticism, especially since it comes after Israel and the United Statesbombed nuclear sites across Iranin June over their fears that the Islamic Republic could use its enrichment facilities to pursue an atomic weapon. Among the sites attacked was Iran's heavy water reactor at Arak. Seven experts who examined the images all said they believed the construction was related to Israel's long-suspected nuclear weapons program, given its proximity to the reactor at Dimona, where no civilian power plant exists. However, they split on what the new construction could be. Three said the location and size of the area under construction and the fact that it appeared to have multiple floors meant the most likely explanation for the work was the construction of a new heavy water reactor. Such reactors can produce plutonium and another material key to nuclear weapons. The other four acknowledged it could be a heavy water reactor but also suggested the work could be related to a new facility for assembling nuclear weapons. They declined to be definitive given the construction was still in an early stage. "It's probably a reactor — that judgement is circumstantial but that's the nature of these things," said Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, who based his assessment on the images and Dimona's history. "It's very hard to imagine it is anything else." Israel does not confirm or deny having atomic weapons, and its government did not respond to requests for comment. The White House, which is Israel's staunchest ally, also did not respond to requests for comment. Construction underway for years The Associated Press first reported onexcavations at the facility, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Jerusalem, in 2021. Then, satellite images only showed workers digging a hole some 150 meters (165 yards) long and 60 meters (65 yards) wide near the site's original heavy water reactor. Images taken July 5 by Planet Labs PBC show intensified construction at the site of the dig. Thick concrete retaining walls seem to be laid at the site, which appears to have multiple floors underground. Cranes loom overhead. There's no containment dome or other features typically associated with a heavy water reactor now visible at the site. However, one could be added later or a reactor could be designed without one. Dimona's current heavy water reactor, which came online in the 1960s, has been operating far longer than most reactors of the same era. That suggests it will need to be replaced or retrofitted soon. "It's tall, which you would expect, because the reactor core is going to be pretty tall," Lewis said. "Based on the location, size and general lack of construction there, it's more likely a reactor than anything." Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Union of Concerned Scientists, also said the new construction could be a box-shaped reactor that doesn't have a visible containment dome, though he acknowledged the lack of transparency made it difficult to be certain. Israel "doesn't allow any international inspections or verification of what it's doing, which forces the public to speculate," said Lyman. While details about Dimona remain closely held secrets in Israel, a whistleblower in the 1980sreleased details and photos of the facilitythat led experts to conclude that Israel had produced dozens of nuclear warheads. "If it's a heavy water reactor, they're seeking to maintain the capability to produce spent fuel that they then can process to separate plutonium for more nuclear weapons," said Daryl G. Kimball, the executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association. "Or they are building a facility to maintain their arsenal or build additional warheads." Israel's program is thought to rely on byproducts of a heavy water reactor Israel, like India and Pakistan, is believed to rely on a heavy water reactor to make its nuclear weapons. The reactors can be used for scientific purposes, but plutonium — which causes the nuclear chain reaction needed in an atomic bomb — is a byproduct of the process. Tritium is another byproduct and can be used to boost the explosive yield of warheads. Given the secrecy of Israel's program, it remains difficult to estimate just how many nuclear weapons it possesses. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in 2022 put the number at around 90 warheads. Obtaining more tritium to replace decaying material may be the reason for the construction at Dimona, as Lyman noted it decays 5% each year. "If they're building a new production reactor," he said, "it doesn't necessarily mean they're looking to expand the plutonium they have, but to manufacture tritium." Israel has a policy of nuclear ambiguity Israel is believed to have begun building the nuclear site in the desert in the late 1950s after facing several wars with its Arab neighbors surrounding its founding in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust. Its policy of nuclear ambiguity is thought to have helped deter its enemies. It is among nine countries confirmed or believed to have atomic weapons and among just four that have never joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms. That means the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, has no right to conduct inspections of Dimona. Asked about the construction, the Vienna-based IAEA reiterated that Israel "is not obligated to provide information about other nuclear facilities in the country" outside of its Soreq research reactor. ___ The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage fromthe Carnegie Corporation of New YorkandOutrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape:https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

September 02, 2025

Construction intensifies at site linked to Israel's suspected nuclear program, satellite photos show

Construction intensifies at site linked to Israel's suspected nuclear program, satellite photos show DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — ...

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