Young players Cabrera, Sanchez emerging as Marlins beat Cubs, split four-game series

The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case. Prosecutors alleged Ippei Mizuhara stole $16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts. Mizuhara’s scheduled arraignment Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles was postponed earlier Tuesday. The shocked baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan when the news broke in March. Mizuhara was initially charged with one count of bank fraud. Authorities say there was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators.

Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel will not cover the Indiana Fever in person this season after an awkward interaction with No. 1 WNBA draft pick Caitlin Clark. Gannett, the newspaper’s parent company, made the announcement. Doyel made a heart gesture with his hands at the start of an interaction with Clark at a news conference and told her if she made that gesture to him they would get along fine. Doyel was roundly panned for the comments. He has apologized. His most recent column was more than a week ago.

The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals game has been rained out. The teams will instead play at 5:15 p.m. on Aug. 5 in St. Louis. The Mets were looking to sweep the series on Wednesday. The last time they swept the Cardinals was in April 2007 to open that season. New York won the series’ first two games 4-3 and 7-5. It’s the team’s first series win since April 19-21 at the Dodgers. The Mets were looking for their first road series sweep of the season.

Nelly Korda will try to become the first woman to win six consecutive LPGA events when play starts in the 72-hole Cognizant Founders Cup on Thursday at the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey. The 25-year-old is coming into the event after taking two weeks off following a three-stroke win in The Chevron Championship in Texas. Korda's streak ties her with Hall of Famers Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) and Nancy Lopez (1978) for most consecutive LPGA tournament wins. Byron Nelson holds golf’s all-time record with 11 straight wins in 1945. Korda missed the cut in this event last year.

A late penalty from Lucas Beltran that rewarded an intense pressing by Fiorentina ensured the Italian team progressed to the Conference League final for the second straight year with an aggregate 4-3 win over Club Brugge. Fiorentina lost to West Ham in the title match last year. It will be up against either Olympiakos or Aston Villa in the May 29 final in Athens. The Greek team hosts its English Premier League rival on Thursday holding a 4-2 lead from the first leg in England. Beltran’s goal secured a 1-1 draw after Brugge captain Hans Vanaken put the hosts in front with a first-half goal to level the tie. Fiorentina had prevailed 3-2 in the first leg in Italy.

Rory McIlroy won’t be returning to the PGA Tour board. He said Wednesday that a plan to replace Webb Simpson was met with resistance from board members. Simpson is one of six player-directors. He recently offered to give up his seat, but only if McIlroy were to replace him. McIlroy would have needed board approval to be reinstated to a position that he resigned from last November. But McIlroy said ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship that conversations surrounding his potential return became “pretty complicated and messy." Simpson said he now plans to fulfill his three-year term on the board.

Brazil’s soccer federation has suspended matches involving three top-tier clubs of the country’s flood-ridden southern region, but only for 20 days. Gremio, Internacional and Juventude, which are based in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, will only return to activities after the harms of major flooding are mitigated. Ten of their matches in the Brazilian league and the Brazilian Cup will be rescheduled. The decision also applies to away matches of the three clubs. Many fans and players had pushed for a complete halt to competitions in the South American nation. The soccer body said it will reassess its move after May 27.

The Milwaukee Brewers have activated outfielder Christian Yelich from the 10-day injured list. He had been on the injured list since April 16 with a low back strain. He was in Wednesday’s starting lineup against the Kansas City Royals as the designated hitter. The Brewers optioned infielder Tyler Black to Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move. Yelich has five home runs and 11 RBIs in 11 games this season. His batting average is .333 and on-base percentage .422.

Two Republican Congressmen have introduced a bill that would provide the NCAA, college conferences and member schools federal protection from legal challenges that undercut their ability to govern college sports. The Protect The Ball Act is sponsored by Representatives Russell Fry of South Carolina and Barry Moore of Alabama. The bill is intended to provide legal safe harbor for the entities that run college sport, which has been under siege from antitrust lawsuits. Fry and Moore are members of the House Judiciary Committee. The NCAA and power conferences are considering a settlement in an antitrust case that could cost billions in damages.

Micah Leon's journey to the NFL was far from normal. He was a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina State, UConn and Florida. His entire collegiate career spans seven years and includes two mop-up appearances. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 78 yards, barely enough to create a highlight reel. So getting a tryout with the Miami Dolphins during rookie minicamp this weekend was some feat. It's also a testament to what scouts and general managers see when they weigh Leon’s 6-foot-5 frame and clean throwing motion against his thin resume and lack of game experience. His QB coach calls him “a prototype" waiting to be discovered.

Former Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell says he will not return to Front Row Motorsports after this season. The 39-year-old has been with Front Row Motorsports since 2018. McDowell won the Daytona 500 in 2021 and last year’s Cup race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course driving the No. 34 Ford for Front Row. He said he’s not retiring and is looking for a new seat in the Cup Series.