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(David Berding/Getty Images)
Kody Clemens achieved every kid's dream on Thursday when he hit the most ultimate of "ultimate grand slams" to lift the Twins to victory in front of their home fans.
Storybook ending: Down 3-0 in the ninth, and facing an 0-2 count with two outs, Clemens blasted a grand slam into the seats in right center field.
Bottom line: We're basically talking about the kind of home run that 7-year-olds fantasize about while hitting off their dad in the backyard. In Kody's case, dad happened to be a seven-time Cy Young winner (Roger).
*Flashback: On Aug. 29, 1986, Dick Schofield hit a walk-off grand slam (with two outs and an 0-2 count) to lift the Angels past the Tigers, 13-12. Like Clemens, Dick's dad was also a former big leaguer.
(Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Training camp is an opportunity for long shots and feel-good stories to make their names, and there might be no lesser-known QB receiving first-team reps than Jack Strand.
Eric Edholm, Yahoo Sports:
With the Falcons' top two QBs, Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., held out of full-team practice Thursday, Strand found himself handing off to Bijan Robinson and throwing to the likes of Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
Not bad for an undrafted rookie who less than a year ago was facing Division II defenses at Minnesota State Moorhead.
When the Falcons opened camp, Tagovailoa was dealing with some back tightness and Penix Jr. was not yet cleared for full-team activities. It left Strand as the only healthy QB on the roster after the team released Trevor Siemian.
Next man up: The Falcons were so short of arms on Thursday that president of football Matt Ryan stepped up to deliver some passes. No, Ryan isn't a QB option this season, head coach Kevin Stefanski joked, and it remains to be seen if Strand even will be. But for now, this relatively unknown QB is getting his chance to shine.
(Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
The ranks of U.S. women's sports leagues will grow this weekend with the launch of the Women's Pro Baseball League. Unlike 70 years ago, when women's baseball last played professionally, the WPBL enters a thriving landscape for pro women's sports.
(Sage Zipeto/Getty Images)
WNBA
The W's success is evident in its viewership, attendance, and groundbreaking CBA. Leading into the All-Star break, viewership was up 12% year-over-year, while attendance had grown 13%. Both figures are unrecognizable relative to the start of the decade, as is player pay, with the average WNBA salary up 450% since 2020.
Denver Summit FC's inaugural home game drew an NWSL record 63,004 fans. (David Zalubowski/AP)
️ NWSL
Through the first half of its season, the NWSL is averaging 11,044 fans per match, up 10% over last year. If sustained for the full season, it would be the fourth consecutive year over 10,000.
(Troy Parla/Getty Images)
PWHL
The PWHL averaged 9,304 fans per game in its third regular season, up 28% over the prior year and 71% over the inaugural season. In June, the league welcomed its first outside investment, reportedly amounting to over $100 million.
Plus:
(Yahoo Sports)
The 2026 Indoor Football League playoffs kick off in earnest this weekend, with four games airing on Yahoo Sports Network (free to watch!). It's the perfect way to ease your brain back into football mode as we hurtle toward the fall.
I bought the final edition of The National, the short-lived American sports daily newspaper that ran from January 31, 1990 to June 13, 1991. Let's take a look inside…
"This is the Air Terra trail running shoe from Nike. Civilized, it ain't."
The biggest news story in that final edition: The Bulls beating the Lakers in five games to capture the 1991 NBA title.
Those box scores are glorious… (see more pages)
Good read:The Greatest Paper That Ever Died (Grantland)
(Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Real Madrid revealed this week that it printed nearly $1.4 billion in revenue for the 2025-26 season, a number most professional sports teams could only dream of hitting.
Question: Two North American sports teams have reportedly breached the $1 billion mark in annual revenue. Who are they?
Hint: NFL and MLB.
Answer at the bottom.
(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
The only three MLB batters without a home run at home this season (min. 200 plate appearances):
One of these is not like the others. While Arraez (an elite contact hitter) and Simpson (zero career HR) are not known for their power, Guerrero is. Or, at least he was. After averaging 32 homers over the last five seasons, the Blue Jays star has just six this year — all on the road. He has 25 home games left to avoid going a full season without a dinger in Toronto.
Trivia answer: Cowboys and Dodgers
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
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️ A KID'S DREAM
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(David Berding/Getty Images)
Kody Clemens achieved every kid's dream on Thursday when he hit the most ultimate of "ultimate grand slams" to lift the Twins to victory in front of their home fans.
Storybook ending: Down 3-0 in the ninth, and facing an 0-2 count with two outs, Clemens blasted a grand slam into the seats in right center field.
- This was the 34th "ultimate grand slam" in MLB history, which is a walk-off grand slam to erase a three-run deficit.
- It was also only the 15th ultimate grand slam with two outs (an ultimate-ultimate grand slam?), which is rarer than a perfect game.
- And Clemens was down 0-2 when wood hit ball, making this rarer still. In fact, that’s never happened in the pitch-by-pitch era, and the only other instance I could find was in 1986.*
Bottom line: We're basically talking about the kind of home run that 7-year-olds fantasize about while hitting off their dad in the backyard. In Kody's case, dad happened to be a seven-time Cy Young winner (Roger).
*Flashback: On Aug. 29, 1986, Dick Schofield hit a walk-off grand slam (with two outs and an 0-2 count) to lift the Angels past the Tigers, 13-12. Like Clemens, Dick's dad was also a former big leaguer.
WELCOME TO THE NFL
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(Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Training camp is an opportunity for long shots and feel-good stories to make their names, and there might be no lesser-known QB receiving first-team reps than Jack Strand.
Eric Edholm, Yahoo Sports:
With the Falcons' top two QBs, Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., held out of full-team practice Thursday, Strand found himself handing off to Bijan Robinson and throwing to the likes of Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
Not bad for an undrafted rookie who less than a year ago was facing Division II defenses at Minnesota State Moorhead.
When the Falcons opened camp, Tagovailoa was dealing with some back tightness and Penix Jr. was not yet cleared for full-team activities. It left Strand as the only healthy QB on the roster after the team released Trevor Siemian.
Next man up: The Falcons were so short of arms on Thursday that president of football Matt Ryan stepped up to deliver some passes. No, Ryan isn't a QB option this season, head coach Kevin Stefanski joked, and it remains to be seen if Strand even will be. But for now, this relatively unknown QB is getting his chance to shine.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
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(Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
The ranks of U.S. women's sports leagues will grow this weekend with the launch of the Women's Pro Baseball League. Unlike 70 years ago, when women's baseball last played professionally, the WPBL enters a thriving landscape for pro women's sports.
You must be registered for see images attach
(Sage Zipeto/Getty Images)
WNBA
The W's success is evident in its viewership, attendance, and groundbreaking CBA. Leading into the All-Star break, viewership was up 12% year-over-year, while attendance had grown 13%. Both figures are unrecognizable relative to the start of the decade, as is player pay, with the average WNBA salary up 450% since 2020.
You must be registered for see images attach
Denver Summit FC's inaugural home game drew an NWSL record 63,004 fans. (David Zalubowski/AP)
️ NWSLThrough the first half of its season, the NWSL is averaging 11,044 fans per match, up 10% over last year. If sustained for the full season, it would be the fourth consecutive year over 10,000.
You must be registered for see images attach
(Troy Parla/Getty Images)
PWHL
The PWHL averaged 9,304 fans per game in its third regular season, up 28% over the prior year and 71% over the inaugural season. In June, the league welcomed its first outside investment, reportedly amounting to over $100 million.
Plus:
LPGA: This weekend's British Open will pay a record $10 million purse, completing a clean sweep of record prize money at this year's majors.- Softball: The AUSL's title game became the most-viewed professional softball game on record, averaging 732,000 viewers on ABC last weekend.
- Flag football: Sunday's title game for the girls high school division drew 1.12 million viewers, proving why the NFL and TMRW Sports are partnering to launch a pro league.
- ️ World Cup: Netflix is reportedly paying $200 million for the U.S. and Canadian broadcast rights to the 2027 Women's World Cup.
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
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(Yahoo Sports)
The 2026 Indoor Football League playoffs kick off in earnest this weekend, with four games airing on Yahoo Sports Network (free to watch!). It's the perfect way to ease your brain back into football mode as we hurtle toward the fall.
️ BLAST FROM THE PAST
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I bought the final edition of The National, the short-lived American sports daily newspaper that ran from January 31, 1990 to June 13, 1991. Let's take a look inside…
You must be registered for see images attach
"This is the Air Terra trail running shoe from Nike. Civilized, it ain't."
You must be registered for see images attach
The biggest news story in that final edition: The Bulls beating the Lakers in five games to capture the 1991 NBA title.
You must be registered for see images attach
Those box scores are glorious… (see more pages)
Good read:The Greatest Paper That Ever Died (Grantland)
TRIVIA TIME
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(Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Real Madrid revealed this week that it printed nearly $1.4 billion in revenue for the 2025-26 season, a number most professional sports teams could only dream of hitting.
Question: Two North American sports teams have reportedly breached the $1 billion mark in annual revenue. Who are they?
Hint: NFL and MLB.
Answer at the bottom.
️ VLAD JR.'S POWER OUTAGE
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(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
The only three MLB batters without a home run at home this season (min. 200 plate appearances):
- Luis Arraez (Giants)
- Chandler Simpson (Rays)
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)
One of these is not like the others. While Arraez (an elite contact hitter) and Simpson (zero career HR) are not known for their power, Guerrero is. Or, at least he was. After averaging 32 homers over the last five seasons, the Blue Jays star has just six this year — all on the road. He has 25 home games left to avoid going a full season without a dinger in Toronto.
Trivia answer: Cowboys and Dodgers
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Continue reading...
