The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds were ready to start their engines Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. 

Then Mother Nature waved the red flag not once but twice before play was ultimately suspended.

The MLB Speedway Classic began with a 2 1/2 hour rain delay, followed by less than a full inning of baseball, followed by another delay that resulted in a suspension of play until Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the same venue.

Cincinnati will take a 1-0 lead into the next day. The Reds scored off an Austin Hays single to left, their third hit of the frame.

First pitch finally arrived at 9:40 p.m. ET.

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Because of the lengthy delay, Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider was scratched from the start. Strider, who grew up in Tennessee, went through warmups prior to the delay.

Left-handed reliever Austin Cox, who had previously started only three games in his brief MLB career, got the nod for the Braves instead. They were planning to lean on their bullpen Saturday night.

The Reds, on the other hand, didn’t scratch their starter. They still rolled with Chase Burns, a 22-year-old who grew up in Tennessee as well and played college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Burns produced a 1-2-3 inning to start the game.

Leading up to the original 7:15 p.m. ET start time, pregame festivities included performances from Pitbull and Tim McGraw, U.S. Navy Musician First Class Kathryn Dobyns singing the national anthem, NASCAR pit crews helping introduce the starting lineups by servicing Braves- and Reds-themed stock cars and a flyover by four U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.

But the rain started coming down. It was pouring when Braves icon Chipper Jones and Reds legend Johnny Bench participated in the ceremonial first pitches.

Jones, an eight-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion with the Braves, threw to NASCAR driver Chase Elliott.

Fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Busch — a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion — walked out to Bench, a 14-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the Reds, and traded spots, allowing the 77-year-old Bench to man his old position as catcher.

As the rain continued to hit the converted diamond in the heart of the race track, the tarp came out.

Nevertheless, a good number of fans originally expected to break MLB’s all-time regular-season, single-game attendance record Saturday stayed put.

Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci collected interviews for Fox Sports during the delay, showcasing how players and coaches for both teams still shared that enthusiasm.

The grounds crew started removing the tarp around 8:50 p.m. ET.

After the field was drained, the game finally started. But it wasn’t long before the rain picked up again and the tarp returned.

“We’ll be back tomorrow, 1 o’clock resume,” said Michael Hill, MLB senior vice president of on-field operations. “We are optimistic for a better weather forecast tomorrow.”

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell made his first start since April 2 on Saturday and gave up two home runs during a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

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Snell was activated off the injured list after missing the last four months with left shoulder inflammation. He had made only two starts to begin the season, allowing two earned runs and 10 hits in nine total innings. However, the left-hander only registered four strikeouts with eight walks, likely indicating something wasn’t right. 

On Saturday, Snell went five innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts. Yandy Díaz, Snell’s former teammate in Tampa, took him deep twice during the Rays’ win.

The Dodgers were curiously quiet at the MLB trade deadline, adding reliever Brock Stewart and outfielder Alex Call. But that may have been because the team anticipated getting pitchers like Snell back. If he’s as effective as he’s been during his previous nine seasons, Snell could be a more impactful addition than any trade acquisition. 

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Wednesday that Snell was scheduled to start Saturday. He threw a bullpen session Thursday to get into his routine for a regular starting spot.

Snell started 108 games for Tampa Bay, compiling a 3.24 ERA and 42-30 record while averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He was traded to the San Diego Padres before the 2021 season and pitched for the Dodgers’ NL West rivals for three seasons, posting a 3.15 ERA, averaging 11.9 Ks per nine innings and winning the National League Cy Young Award in 2023. 

After becoming a free agent following the 2023 season, Snell was one of the “Boras Four,” clients of infamous super-agent Scott Boras who had difficulty getting lucrative long-term contracts on the open market. Ultimately, Snell settled for a two-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. But he opted out of the deal after the first year, trying free agency again after notching 145 strikeouts in 104 innings. 

Snell signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers last November, joining what appeared to be a powerhouse rotation for one of the best teams in baseball. 

Injuries have prevented that rotation — which includes Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Shohei Ohtani — from following through on that promise. But with nearly all of those pitchers now recovering, the Dodgers could have a formidable rotation by the end of the season and into the postseason if they remain healthy.

Pitcher Tanner Houck will undergo Tommy John surgery, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (via MassLive’s Chris Cotillo) on Saturday. 

Houck, 29, has been on the injured list with a flexor pronator strain in his right forearm since May 13. Such an injury is often a precursor to a tear that requires reconstructive surgery, but the Red Sox hoped Houck would recover with rest and rehabilitation. 

However, Houck’s rehab assignment was cut short on July 9 when he was still feeling soreness in his right arm. Last week, the Red Sox shut him down from throwing, making a 2025 return seem unlikely. At the time, Cora said surgery wouldn’t be necessary. But orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister recommended a procedure after viewing his MRI results.

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Now, Houck will not only miss the remainder of the 2025 season but by undergoing surgery in August, he will likely be sidelined for the 2026 campaign as well. In nine starts before going on the IL, Houck registered an 8.04 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings. 

Boston’s first-round draft pick (No. 24 overall) in 2017 out of Missouri, Houck has compiled a 3.97 ERA and 24-32 record in 113 appearances (80 starts), averaging 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He was named to the MLB All-Star team last season, finishing with a 3.12 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 178 2/3 innings. 

Houck’s uncertain status made getting another starting pitcher a priority for the Red Sox at the MLB trade deadline. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acquired Dustin May (6-7, 4.85 ERA) from the Los Angeles Dodgers, in addition to reliever Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals. 

However, critics asserted that the team didn’t add nearly enough when it’s four games out of first place in the AL East and has a tenuous hold on one of the league’s three wild-card playoff berths. 

The Red Sox rank 12th in MLB with a 4.01 ERA from their starters, with a Cy Young Award candidate in Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello also pitching well. 

However, Walker Buehler has been disappointing, while Lucas Giolito has been inconsistent. Additionally, Hunter Dobbins suffered a season-ending right ACL tear before the All-Star break and Patrick Sandoval has not fully recovered from left elbow surgery and is doubtful to pitch in 2025 after signing as a free agent.

“Tough year for him, tough year for us,” Cora said, via MLB.com. “But he’ll kill the rehab, he’ll do his job, and when he comes back, he’s going to be OK.”

Baseball is simply a different sport at Coors Field. That worked out to the Colorado Rockies’ benefit on Friday, in one of the wildest games of the year.

The Rockies trailed 9-0 after the top of the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They trailed 16-12 after the top of the ninth. And yet, they won 17-16.

Center fielder Brenton Doyle supplied the final blow, clubbing a walk-off, two-run homer off Pirates reliever Dennis Santana.

In total, the game saw 33 runs, 40 hits, 13 extra-base hits, 14 walks and 56 total bases. Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, it was only the third time of MLB’s divisional era (since 1969) that a team won after trailing by at least nine in the first inning, joining the 1989 Philadelphia Phillies and 2006 Cleveland Indians.

Here’s what that looks like, in graph form:

After the Pirates’ nine-run first inning, the Rockies slowly chipped their way back, though the Pirates remained in seemingly safe territory with back-to-back three-run innings in the fourth and fifth. The Rockies were down by seven entering the eighth inning, with homers from Yanquiel Fernández and Hunter Goodman getting them within striking range for Doyle’s heroics.

It had been a brutal season for the Rockies this year and for Doyle in particular. While a gifted fielder, he entered the game hitting a woeful .216/.263/.328 despite the Coors bump and would have likely been demoted from the regular lineup had he played for nearly other team. By wRC+, which weighs offensive contributions and adjusts for park, he was literally the worst offensive qualified player in the majors entering Friday.

Now he and the Rockies have a very real highlight. The win improves their record to 29-80, which is still MLB’s worst mark, but they are no longer on pace to break the losses record set by last year’s Chicago White Sox.

The New York Yankees’ trade deadline haul got off to the most brutal start imaginable on Friday, with four different acquisitions combining to blow seven runs’ worth of leads.

The club acquired a trio of relievers at the deadline Thursday, bringing in David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies and Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants. They also brought in a few position players, including Tampa Bay Rays utility man José Caballero. All four made their Yankees debut the next day against the Miami Marlins.

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With a 9-4 lead in place when Bird took the mound in the seventh inning, it should have been a low-stress way for the right-hander to introduce himself to his new fans. Unfortunately, he got into a one-out, bases-loaded jam with Miami’s lone All-Star, Kyle Stowers, due up.

It did not end well for Bird.

Stowers’ grand slam cut the Yankees’ lead to one, prompting manager Aaron Boone to pull him for Bednar, who was one of the top relievers in the National League at the time of his trade.

Bednar got the second out, then allowed a game-tying homer from Javier Sanoja.

The damage kept coming after that, with three straight hits from Jakob Marsee, Xavier Edwards and Agustín Ramírez adding a go-ahead run before a Heriberto Hernandez pop-out ended the inning.

Fortunately for the new Yankees, an Anthony Volpe homer tied the game again in the eighth inning and a ninth-inning rally gave them a two-run lead. Two more trade deadline acquisitions, third baseman Ryan McMahon and Caballero, scored those ninth-inning runs.

Tempting fate, the Yankees brought in their third new reliever, Doval, to close out the game. He also got into trouble, allowing two runners to reach base before this single to Xavier Edwards — a single that evaded the glove of Caballero to score both runners.

“You get to a point where you just can’t make this up,” Yankees broadcaster Paul O’Neill said after the error. “It’s like a Little League game going on out here.”

One batter later, Ramírez delivered the inevitable walk-off hit in a 13-12 Marlins win. It was the first time since 1940 the Yankees scored at least 12 runs on the road and lost, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.

The full damage from the Yankees’ new-look bullpen:

The Yankees were one of most aggressive buyers at the deadline, especially in the relief market due to a bullpen that entered Friday ranked 20th in MLB in ERA at 4.19. A bad day for four of the seven guys acquired to fix those issues doesn’t automatically mean that effort was a favor, but it’s certainly not a good start.

Leagues Cup continues this evening with a handful of Liga MX vs MLS fixtures. Check back throughout the night for updates! 

Key Fixtures 

2025-08-04T01:02:56Z

And we’re underway between New York Red Bulls and Rayados!

New York and Monterrey’s first ever meeting kicks off now. 😤#LeaguesCup2025 | 📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/cVoSWpHbpxpic.twitter.com/nmElkBwvVl

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 4, 2025

2025-08-04T00:19:32Z

GOAL

Chivas are level in Charlotte thanks to a ferocious Richard Ledezma strike from outside of the box!

¡GOLAZO de @Chivas! 🤯⚽️ Richard Ledezma with a long distance cañonazo para empatar el partido#LeaguesCup2025pic.twitter.com/GyJ57UOPKP

— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 4, 2025

2025-08-04T00:12:08Z

GOAL

Thanks to a fortunate deflection in front of the Chivas goal, Charlotte take the lead against the Mexican giants! 

Liel Abada strikes and @CharlotteFC leads Chivas early! 💥

📺 #MLSSeasonPass, Apple TV+, Univision, TUDN or FS1: https://t.co/H2dmFGKrFtpic.twitter.com/DYBw4eqgRV

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 4, 2025

2025-08-04T00:01:24Z 2025-08-03T23:57:21Z

Underway in Charlotte!

🔛 Inicia un partidazo en la #LeaguesCup2025:@Chivas 🆚 @CharlotteFC.#MLSSeasonPass, @AppleTV+, @Univision, @TUDNUSA, @FS1: https://t.co/YOZjYoRcKapic.twitter.com/yOEYIRkpqh

— MLS Español (@MLSes) August 3, 2025

2025-08-03T23:54:34Z

FULL-TIME 

Juárez take down Cincinnati in a penalty shootout!

2025-08-03T22:48:59Z

Zaha appears to be starting up front for Charlotte this evening as they take on Chivas! 

👑 OUR STARTING XI 👑#ForTheCrownpic.twitter.com/fAzeYD4mVV

— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) August 3, 2025

As New Year’s Eve, and with it the Citrus Bowl, drew near Illinois Head Coach Bret Bielema discussed how he spent his Christmas Eve. He was in Oakland, California, convincing his starting left tackle, J.C. Davis to come play in the bowl game.

It wasn’t until January 4, five days after the Citrus Bowl that the announcement came of Davis having eligibility to return in 2025. After 2024 ended, Davis was seeking an additional year of eligibility, and it came via the NCAA granting a blanket waiver to former junior college transfers.

Davis spent his first year in college (2021) at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California. He then transferred to New Mexico, where he earned All-Mountain West honorable mention in 2022 and then All-Mountain West first team the next season. He then transferred again, this time to Champaign, where he started all 13 games at left tackle for the Illini last season, earning the team’s newcomer of the year award.

He was also All-Big Ten third team, according to the coaches vote. Bielema’s yuletide recruiting efforts paid off handsomely, as Davis allowed zero pressures in Illinois’ win over #14 South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl. The bowl game victory broke new barriers for the program, as Davis came up huge against a powerful Gamecocks front seven. His performance in Orlando saw him registering the 7th highest pass-blocking grade for any tackle (minimum 40 snaps) during the postseason period.

That’s according to Pro Football Focus, who scored him an 87.6 for the New Year’s bowl. The dominant performance turned in by the 6-5, 320 pound behemoth landed him on the AP All-Bowl Team.

And the emphatic statement he made in closing out 2024 has vaulted his prospects for 2025. With his “additional” and final season, Davis has a chance to be dominant, and with it, get selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As a left tackle, he plays a position that NFL teams lace a premium on, and thus has plenty of inherent draft stock. It also helps that the program he plays at has been producing plenty of draft picks lately. On Tuesday, he was one of just 16 OTs named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Outland Trophy, which honors the nation’s best interior lineman.

The list was composed by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Davis brings a lot to the table, especially durability, reliability and consistency. He’s made 37 consecutive starts across his last two schools, and 2,357 career snaps at left tackle.

He’s allowed just two sacks in his last 25 games (1,462 snaps). He’s a prospect rising up the board of 2026 LTs.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: J.C. Davis is a developing star at left tackle, a premium position

The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.

And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.

For this article, we continue with the 35th jersey number in the series, jersey No. 35, with 11 players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.

The sixth of those players did so in the Seattle SuperSonics era, wing alum Jerry Reynolds. After ending his college career at LSU, Reynolds was picked up with the 22nd overall selection of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Brooklyn, New York native would play the first three seasons of his pro career with the Bucks before he was dealt to Seattle in 1988. His stay with the team would span a single season, coming to an end when he was selected by the Orlando Magic in the 1989 NBA expansion draft.

During his time suiting up for the Sonics, Reynolds wore only jersey No. 35 and put up 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder jersey history No. 35 – Jerry Reynolds (1988-89)