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Welcome to the roundup of must-see sports news from Tuesday, highlighted by Yasiel Puig being at the center of a brawl between the Reds and Pirates on the same night he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a blockbuster, three-team deal for starting pitcher Trevor Bauer.
We’ll also take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals learning wide receiver A.J. Green will miss some additional time with an ankle injury and United States women’s national soccer team head coach Jill Ellis stepping away after a pair of World Cup titles.
All this and more as we get you up to speed with the sports world on this Wednesday!
GOING OUT SWINGING: Yasiel Puig Brawls in Final Game With Reds, Traded to Indians for Pitcher Trevor Bauer
Yasiel Puig went down swinging in a fitting farewell with the Reds. Pitcher Trevor Bauer spent his final outing with the Indians throwing for the fences.
But before we dig into the trade that involved multiple teams and pieces, let’s break down the wild scrap between the Reds and Pirates, which Puig was also at the center of.
There were four Pirates and four Reds ejected in Pittsburgh’s 11-4 win on Tuesday night, including Puig, who had been reported to be in the blockbuster trade just moments before throwing down with the Pirates.
With the game out of hand, Reds pitcher Jared Hughes plunked Starling Marte in the top of the ninth, leading to an ejection. Reliever Amir Garrett came in for Cincy, but it wasn’t long until he did his best Puig impression, charging the Pirates dugout and taking on effectively the entire team before backup showed up.
That backup included Puig and manager David Bell, who had been ejected earlier in the game, but ended up back on the field in a headlock on the dirt in front of the Pirates dugout.
The struggling division rivals were involved in a bench-clearing dust-up earlier this season as well.
Benches clear in Pittsburgh during Reds – Pirates game.
Puig arrived in Cincinnati this offseason following a trade from the Dodgers. He’s been ejected three times this season after being ejected just four times during his six seasons in LA.
“That’s crazy,” Puig responded when asked about his final moments with the Reds.
So back to the important stuff, here’s what the trade looks like, courtesy of MLB.com.
- PADRES GET: Taylor Trammell (from Cincinnati)
- REDS GET: Trevor Bauer (from Cleveland)
- INDIANS GET: Yasiel Puig, Scott Moss (from Cincinnati); Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, Victor Nova (from San Diego)
Bauer had his own moment of frustration recently, although it involved less punches being thrown. After being pulled by manager Terry Francona on Sunday, Bauer turned and tossed the ball over the centerfield wall.
Bauer was an All-Star a season ago, but hasn’t had his best stuff this year for the Indians. He’s sporting a 3.79 ERA and a 9-8 record in 24 starts.
Puig is hitting .255 with 60 RBIs and 22 home runs. The Indians are three games back of the Twins in the AL Central.
BAD NEWS BENGALS: A.J. Green Likely to Miss Multiple Games
The Bengals were dealt a hefty serving of bad news when it was revealed that star receiver A.J. Green will likely miss multiple games this season as he recovers from an ankle injury he suffered on the first day of training camp. The seven-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher had surgery on Tuesday.
“He’s going to miss some regular-season games,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “How many, I don’t know. Very hopefully he’s back at the beginning of the regular season and it’s not more than a couple of games.”
Another update on #Bengals WR AJ Green: Following surgery, based on what they found cleaning out the ankle, he’s now expected to miss a few games, I’m told. Not ideal.
Green missed seven games of last season with a toe injury and is in the last year of his deal in Cincinnati. With the opportunity to be a unrestricted free agent next offseason and the Bengals being given just a 7% chance to make the playoffs, it’d be understandable if Green took his time getting back to full strength.
While dealing with his toe injury last season, Green missed the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. He’s averaged 80.2 yards receiving per game over his eight years in the NFL and collected over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first five seasons. Green’s career-season came in 2013 when he recorded 1,426 yards and 11 TDs.
VICTORY LAP: Jill Ellis Steps Away From USWNT After Back-to-Back World Cup Titles
Jill Ellis has decided to go out on top. The skipper of the USWNT announced on Tuesday that she would be stepping down after more than five years at the helm.
The team has won eight tournament titles under Ellis, including a pair of World Cups, the most recent coming earlier this month in France. Ellis had a 102-7-18 overall record with the team.
“The opportunity to coach this team and work with these amazing women has been the honor of a lifetime,” Ellis said in a statement released by U.S. Soccer on Tuesday. “I want to thank and praise them for their commitment and passion to not only win championships but also raise the profile of this sport globally while being an inspiration to those who will follow them.”
Ellis added that she hopes the next coach of the team will also be a woman.
“I think there are a lot of qualified females. You also hope by doing it people have trust a female can do this,” she said. “People have seen it and people potentially want to aspire to coach, not just soccer but whatever sport. You really hope that is part of the legacy you leave behind.”
Ellis will remain with the team for its five-game World Cup victory tour, which starts on Saturday against Ireland at the Rose Bowl. Following those games, she will function as a U.S. Soccer Ambassador.
DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Sports Headlines
- Blazers’ CJ McCollum gets 3-year, $100M extension
- Free agent WR Dez Bryant says he has ‘no interest’ in playing football
- New Golden State uniforms reportedly leak ahead of move to San Francisco
- Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys sued $20M for alleged conspiracy
- Braves land reliever Chris Martin from Rangers
- Players across the NFL join together to help former Raider Neiron Ball
- WATCH: Blue Jays rookie Vlad Jr. rips grand slam
WHAT’S ON TAP IN THE SPORTS WORLD
MLB TRADE DEADLINE
Who will make the next big move as Major League Baseball’s trade deadline approaches? Trevor Bauer was dealt on Tuesday, but big names could still be on the move, including Mets star Noah Syndergaard and Giants hurler Madison Bumgarner.
When: Today, 4 p.m. ET
SOCCER: MLS All-Stars vs. Atlético Madrid
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and company look to guide the MLS All-Stars to victory over La Liga squad Atlético Madrid and Diego Costa at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
When: Today, 8 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
NFL PRESEASON: Hall of Fame Game, Denver vs. Atlanta
Football is back — well, kind of. Backups will get the majority of reps as the Broncos and Falcons take the field in Canton, Ohio for the annual preseason contest. The rest of the league will begin preseason play on Aug. 8.
WHEN: Thursday, 8 p.m.
TV: NBC
Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here for it.
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Your Must-See Sports Headlines for Today, July 31