BASEBALL
Source: Tigers tap Gardenhire
The Detroit Tigers are expected to make the safe play. Faced with a number of painful rebuilding years on the horizon, the Tigers are expected to hire veteran Ron Gardenhire as the manager to guide the young team into the future, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who told the Detroit Free Press. The person requested anonymity because the Tigers have not officially announced the hire. A contract agreement or length of the deal is unknown. It is likely the Tigers and Gardenhire still are negotiating a contract. The decision was made after Gardenhire impressed General Manager Al Avila in an interview at Comerica Park on Tuesday. He interviewed with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. Gardenhire, 59, is the most accomplished managerial candidate on the market. In 13 seasons with the Minnesota Twins in 2002-2014, he won six American League Central championships and posted a managerial record of 1,068-1,039 (.507 winning percentage). His lone playoff series victory came in 2002 in the American League Division Series. He was the Arizona Diamondbacks’ bench coach this season, but was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February and underwent surgery in April. He missed five weeks, before returning to the team in May. Gardenhire replaces the departed Brad Ausmus, whose contract was not extended after this season. Ausmus led the Tigers to the playoffs in his first year, but the Tigers finished 314-332 (.486 percent) in his four seasons, including a league-worst 64-98 this year. The Tigers will have the top pick in the 2018 MLB draft.
BASKETBALL
Surgery for Hayward
The agent for Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said the surgery Wednesday night “went really well.” Mark Bartelstein said Thursday that doctors “got everything sort of fixed and put back in the right place. So that’s great. There’s no doubt we’ll get him back to be better than he was before. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.” Celtics Coach Brad Stevens, who was Hayward’s college coach at Butler, said the situation is difficult for him personally, but Hayward will have lots of support. After signing a four-year, $128-million free agent contract to come to Boston from the Utah Jazz, his only professional team, Hayward’s Celtics career was less than six minutes old when an awkward landing in Cleveland on Tuesday night left him with a broken left tibia and dislocated ankle. Bartelstein didn’t have details on a timeframe for Hayward’s recovery, but said it’s very unlikely that Hayward will play this season. Players on both teams reacted in horror to Hayward’s gruesomely bent leg. Stevens said he couldn’t watch the replay. The Celtics, who trailed the Cavaliers by 16 points at halftime, lost 102-99 when Kyrie Irving missed the potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer. Unable to attend the home opener against Milwaukee a night later, Hayward recorded a video message from his hospital bed before heading into surgery, telling Boston fans: “It’s hurting me that I can’t be there.” Boston fell to 0-2 when Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, adding 13 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-100 victory. Irving scored 17 points for Boston on 7-for-25 shooting, and Jaylen Brown scored 18. Hayward’s acquisition was part of a near-complete roster overhaul for the team that finished first in the East last season before losing to the Cavaliers in the conference finals. The team also traded guard Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland for Irving and shipped out regular starters Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder. In all, just four players on the roster finished last season with the team.
Lin out for season
Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin is expected to miss the rest of the season after rupturing the patella tendon in his right knee. Lin was hurt midway through the fourth quarter of the Nets’ 140-131 loss Wednesday night in the season opener at Indiana. He landed hard behind the baseline after a drive and was in tears as he clutched at his knee. The former Harvard guard was hoping for a stronger second season with the Nets. He was limited to 36 games last season, mostly because of a left hamstring injury, while Brooklyn finished with the NBA’s worst record. Lin scored 18 points before he was hurt while starting alongside fellow point guard D’Angelo Russell, the former No. 2 pick acquired from the Lakers in an offseason trade.
GOLF
Thomas shoots 63
Justin Thomas eagled twice in a 9-under-par 63 to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the CJ Cup in Jeju, the first U.S. PGA Tour regular-season event in South Korea. Thomas started on Thursday with a bogey at the 10th hole but made amends with eagles on the par-5 12th and 18th holes around four consecutive birdies from No. 14-17 to turn in 29. He added three more birdies and a bogey to hold his margin. Thomas set up a long eagle putt on No. 12 with a driver and a 3-wood. His second eagle on 18 came when he hit a wedge to three feet from the hole. Thomas won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia in 2015 and 2016 and said he is comfortable playing overseas. Chez Reavie, Gavin Kyle Green, Scott Brown, Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman all opened with 66s and were in a five-way share of second at 6 under. Jhonattan Vegas and Charles Howell III were among five players a shot further back at 5 under. Jason Day and fellow Australian Rod Pampling were at 4 under, one stroke ahead of Pat Perez, who was coming off a victory last week at the CIMB Classic.
Garcia leads in Spain
Tournament host Sergio Garcia shot a 5-under 66 to grab a share of the lead at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters in the European Tour in Sotogrande, Spain. The Spaniard had seven birdies and two bogeys at Real Club Valderrama to finish the opening day level with Joost Luiten of the Netherlands. Garcia, 37, is competing in his native Spain for the first time since winning his first major at the Masters in April. Fellow Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal shot a 4-under 67 to share second place with Englishman Robert Rock. Andrew Johnston, who won at Valderrama last year when it hosted the Spanish Open, shared sixth place after a 2-under 69. Spain’s Jon Rahm got off to a disappointing start with a 3-over 74. Pep Angles (Central Arkansas), also from Spain, shot a 4-over 75.
Ji in front
Eun-Hee Ji carded a 6-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Taiwan Championship on a rainy Thursday in Taipei, Taiwan. Ji got off to a strong start with back-to-back birdies at the Miramar Resort and Country Club, and added four more to finish the bogey-free round clear of fellow South Koreans Sei Young Kim and Megan Khang, and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand. Ji, yet to win this year, hit 10 of 14 fairways. Former Arkansas Razorbacks Stacy Lewis and Gaby Lopez shot a 74 and a 76, respectively.
SOCCER
U.S. women slide by
Alex Morgan scored in a fourth consecutive game, Julie Ertz scored for the fourth time in five games, and the United States women beat South Korea 3-1 on Thursday night in New Orleans. Megan Rapinoe added her 34th international goal and her 42nd assist. Having assisted on Ertz’s diving header in the first half, Rapinoe scored on a penalty kick she drew in the 49th minute when pounced on a loose ball about 12 yards in front of the goal and was tripped by Ji Sohyun. Han Chaerin scored her first international goal in her South Korea debut to make it 2-1 just before the end of the first half. U.S. forward Mallory Pugh had to leave the game late in the first half with a right hamstring injury. There was no immediate word on the severity of her injury after she was helped off the field by trainers. Meanwhile, Carli Lloyd returned from a nine-week absence because of ankle injury, entering the game as a substitute in the 77th minute.