Sports briefs
Pirates send Skenes to Altoona
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Monday that pitcher Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 draft, has been promoted to Class AA Altoona.
Skenes becomes the fifth player in franchise history to be selected first overall and suit up for the Curve.
The 21-year-old, who hails from Lake Forest, California, made his Pirates debut with the FCL Pirates on Aug.10 in the Florida Complex League with a scoreless inning against the FCL Twins. Skenes has also made two starts with Low-A Bradenton totaling three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Skenes is expected to make his Curve debut Saturday when Altoona hosts the Akron RubberDucks at 6 p.m. at Peoples Natural Gas Field. He is ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in the minors by MLB Pipeline.
In the NHL
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier has decided to retire after playing more than a decade in the NHL, a career that spanned six teams and included winning a Stanley Cup ring.
Bernier played more than 400 regular-season and playoff games since making his debut in 2007.
He won the Cup as a backup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 before moving on to bigger roles in Toronto and elsewhere.
In college football
Iowa State football player Jirehl Brock, who was charged in the state investigation into illegal sports wagering by ISU and Iowa athletes, has left the program, the school confirmed Monday.
Brock, the Cyclones’ leading rusher last season, was among five projected football starters since Aug. 1 to be charged with tampering with records for allegedly attempting to disguise his identity on a mobile sports betting account.
Brock, who is from Quincy, Illinois, placed 1,327 illegal wagers totaling over $12,000 between February 2022 and February 2023, according to a criminal complaint.
In auto racing
NASCAR and Netflix announced a partnership for a documentary series that will offer an in-depth look at the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs.
The docuseries is scheduled to premiere on Netflix in early 2024, providing behind-the-scenes insights into the battle for the championship in five 45-minute episodes.
Filming has already begun on the series, which has not yet been named.
In tennis
Simona Halep was dropped from the U.S. Open tennis field because of a provisional doping suspension.
The U.S. Tennis Association announced that Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player, “was automatically withdrawn” when the tournament’s qualifying draw was held.
Play begins on Aug. 28.
Little League coach goes missing
A coach with Cuba’s first-ever Little League World Series baseball team has gone missing, a tournament official said Monday.
Bayamo Little League coach Jose Perez left the Little League International Grove late Saturday night and did not return.
In track & field
American Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100-meter world title.
The 23-year-old outsprinted a star-studded field to take a gold medal two years after a positive marijuana test derailed her Olympic dreams. Running on the far outside in Lane 9, Richardson finished in 10.65 seconds to match the year’s best time and set the world-championship record.