Update on the latest sports
APVIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS
Five of 30 MLB teams able to relax coronavirus protocols
UNDATED (AP) — A fifth major league team has been able to relax coronavirus protocols after 85% of its players and other on-field personnel completed vaccination.
Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association made the announcement Friday without identifying any teams. It said seven additional teams had reached the 85% level of having received final doses and would be able to relax protocols within two weeks once they are fully vaccinated.
The New York Yankees and Detroit said last weekend they were able to relax protocols, and Milwaukee said earlier this week it had been able to relax them.
MLB said Friday that more than 83% of all Tier 1 individuals such as players, managers, coaches, athletic trainers and support personnel had been partially or fully vaccinated, up from 81% on April 30.
There were no positive results among 10,330 monitoring tests in the past week and one among staff at an alternate training site, a 0.009% positive rate. Thus far this season, there have been 44 positive tests — 27 players and 17 staff — among 145,647 samples tested, a 0.03% positive rate. The positive tests are among 21 teams.
In other pandemic-related developments:
— As Darlington Raceway prepares for its first of two NASCAR visits this season, track officials announced Friday they plan to fully open the grandstands for the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend. The raceway will hold the Goodyear 400 on Sunday to limited spectators. Darlington President Kerry Tharp said that will change this summer when the series returns when there will be no limits on fans. Darlington Raceway has a seating capacity of about 47,000. This is the first time since 2004 the track has had two scheduled races for the NASCAR Cup Series.
— Alabama football coach Nick Saban has taped a public service announcement encouraging Alabamians to get vaccinated. The Alabama Department of Public Health says Saban and others, including former NBA star Charles Barkley, participated in the PSA. Less than 25% of Alabamians have been fully vaccinated, which ranks last nationally, according to the CDC.
F1-SPANISH GP
Hamilton tops qualifying at Spanish GP for 100th pole
MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) — Lewis Hamilton has won his 100th career pole position after barely edging Max Verstappen to the fastest time in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton pushed his Mercedes to a flying lap of 1 minute, 16.74 seconds. Verstappen in his Red Bull was only 0.03 seconds behind.
Hamilton leads leads Verstappen by eight points in the Formula One standings. Hamilton won the season opener in Bahrain and last week’s race in Portugal. Verstappen won the season’s second race in Italy.
Hamilton’s milestone increases the distance between his mark and Michael Schumacher’s 68 poles in second place all-time.
LPGA THAILAND
Tavatanakit holds 1-shot lead after 3 rounds
PATTAYA, Thailand (AP) — Patty Tavatanakit will take a one-shot lead over fellow Thai Atthaya Thitikul and German Caroline Masson into final round of the LPGA Thailand tournament.
Tavatanakit struggled on the front nine but recovered to shoot a 2-under 70 in the third round at Siam Country Club. Tavatanakit and 18-year-old Thitikul are playing under high home expectations despite no crowds due to the pandemic. The 21-year-old Tavatanakit became Thailand’s new leading female golfer following her breakthrough win at the ANA Inspiration major last month.
SOCCER-GERMAN ROUNDUP
Leipzig loss hands Bayern 9th consecutive Bundesliga title
BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich clinched its record-extending ninth consecutive Bundesliga (BOON’-dehsh-lee-guh) title without even kicking a ball on Saturday thanks to second-place Leipzig’s 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
Leipzig’s defeat means it can no longer overhaul Bayern, which holds a seven-point lead before hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach in the late game. Two rounds remain after this weekend’s games.
It’s Bayern 30th Bundesliga title and its 31st German championship including the 1932 title.
The Bundesliga was formed in 1963 and the rest of Bayern’s titles came after its promotion in 1965.
