| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Aug 08, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. Today's word count: 1,646 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚾️ 10 years without perfection |  Data: Baseball Almanac and MLB; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios Félix Hernández threw MLB's 23rd perfect game 10 years ago this month. There hasn't been another one since, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: The active 10-season drought is the longest in over four decades (1968–81), and strangely comes on the heels of a historic surge, with six perfectos in four years and a record three in 2012 alone. - 2009–2012: Mark Buehrle (2009), Dallas Braden (2010), Roy Halladay (2010), Philip Humber (2012), Matt Cain (2012), Hernández (2012).
- 2013–present: Eight pitchers have lost a perfect game in the ninth inning, including three on their final out: Yu Darvish (2013, single), Yusmeiro Petit (2013, single) and Max Scherzer (2015, hit batter).
Between the lines: In addition to all that bad luck, an uptick in walks and hit batters (up a combined 10% over the past decade) has also likely contributed to the drought. Another factor? Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts. - Only twice in MLB history has a pitcher been removed in the seventh inning or later with a perfect game still intact.
- Both have come since 2016, and both were pulled by Roberts: Rich Hill in 2016 and Clayton Kershaw in 2022.
The intrigue: While perfect games have disappeared, no-hitters are more prevalent than ever. What they're saying: Braves lefty Max Fried summed up just how borderline impossible it is to achieve perfection on the mound, telling NYT: "Even if you have a lot of strikeouts — like 10, 11, 12 in a game is a lot — that still means that you have about 15 outs in the field that need to get hit right to a guy. And you've got to do it without walking or hitting anyone or having an error happen. ... More than anything, it's almost a team accomplishment." The big picture: As long as this perfect game drought has felt, it's only the fourth-longest of the modern era (since 1901). - 1922–56: 33 seasons
- 1908–22: 13 seasons
- 1968–81: 12 seasons
The bottom line: Perfect games have disappeared from baseball, even amid a golden age of no-hitters. Go deeper: The 23 perfect games (MLB) |     | | | | | | 2. ⛳️ Women's golf has gone global |  | | | Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios | | | | South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai beat In Gee Chun in a playoff on Sunday to win the Women's Open at Muirfield, her first major title. Why it matters: Buhai is the first South African to win the Women's Open since 1979 and her victory continues a trend in women's golf: winners from all over the world. State of play: For the second straight year — and for the fourth time in the past seven seasons — the five LPGA majors were won by players from five different countries. 2022 winners: - Chevron Championship: Jennifer Kupcho (USA)
- U.S. Women's Open: Minjee Lee (Australia)
- Women's PGA Championship: Chun (South Korea)
- Evian Championship: Brooke Henderson (Canada)
- Women's Open: Buhai (South Africa)
The big picture: Women's golf was long dominated by Americans, who won 181 of the 203 majors last century (89%) and represent 10 of the 13 players with at least six major titles. - But it's a different story this century, where they haven't even won the most. That'd be South Korea, with 33 titles to America's 21.
- The top 25 players in the current world rankings by country: South Korea (seven), U.S. (five), Japan (four), Australia (two), Thailand (two), New Zealand, Canada, France, Ireland, Sweden.
| | | | | | | | 3. 🏈 Welcome to Canton |  | | | Dick Vermeil reacts to seeing his bronze bust. Photo: Nick Cammett/Getty Images | | | | Six players, a coach and an official were enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton, Ohio, Jeff writes. - LeRoy Butler (1990–2001): The lifelong Packer invented the Lambeau Leap after returning a fumble for a TD in 1993.
- Sam Mills (1986–97): A year before dying of cancer in 2005 at age 45, the former Saints and Panthers linebacker coined the phrase that remains the Panthers' mantra: "Keep pounding."
- Tony Boselli (1995–2001): The Jaguars' first-ever draft pick made the most of a career cut short by injury, ultimately becoming the franchise's first Hall of Famer.
- Richard Seymour (2001–12): Seymour's selflessness and versatility were integral to the Patriots' first three Super Bowls (2001, 2003, 2004).
- Cliff Branch (1972–85): The once-raw college track star transformed into a star, retiring in 1985 as the NFL's all-time leader in postseason catches and yards. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly in 2019 at 71.
- Bryant Young (1994–2007): The notoriously humble defensive tackle is finally in Canton thanks to a push from an unexpected source: six former offensive linemen who openly campaigned for their old rival.
- Dick Vermeil (head coach): Vermeil spent 15 seasons leading the Eagles (1976-82), Rams (1997-99) and Chiefs (2001-05). His crowning achievement? "The Greatest Show on Turf," his 1999 champion Rams.
- Art McNally (official): Nicknamed the "Father of Modern Officiating," McNally — the first official enshrined in Canton — pioneered instant replay, introducing it to the league in 1986.
What they're saying: Young's poignant speech about his son, who died of cancer in 2016, was the emotional highlight of the ceremony, and Butler had the quote of the day: "When you play for the Green Bay Packers, a lot of doors open up. You win a Super Bowl, all doors open up. When you make the Hall of Fame, football heaven opens up." Looking ahead: Next year's class could feature multiple first-ballot inductees, including Darrelle Revis, Dwight Freeney and Joe Thomas. 🎥 Watch: Speech highlights (NFL) | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Get 3 months free of SiriusXM | | |  | | | | Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music with channels dedicated to your favorite decades and genres. Even better: You'll even get access to exclusive music channels created by your favorite artists. See Offer Details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Eakin Howard/Getty Images | | | | ⛳️ Wanna feel old? Joohyung Kim (aka "Tom") won this weekend's Wyndham Championship, becoming the first player born in the 2000s (June 21, 2002) to win on the PGA Tour. 🎾 Unbroken: Nick Kyrgios won the Citi Open for the second time thanks in part to winning all 64 service games and saving all 10 of his opponents' break points. Imagine being this confident in your serve. 👋 Farewell, Sir Nick: Six-time major winner Nick Faldo was overcome with emotion at the conclusion of his 16-year run as CBS' lead golf analyst. "I'm a single child and I've found, at 65, three brothers." ⚾️ Notable sweeps: The Cardinals became the first NL team in 15 years to complete a three-game sweep of the Yankees ... The Dodgers swept the new-look Padres to firmly retain "big brother" status. ❤️ Must-see video: Sports, man. | | | | | | | | 5. ⚽️ Americans in England |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | Seven USMNT players are in the Premier League this season, up from three in 2021-22. - Brendan Aaronson (Leeds United)
- Tyler Adams (Leeds United)
- Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
- Tim Ream (Fulham)
- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace)
- Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
- Matt Turner (Arsenal)
The big picture: Assuming no more arrive before the transfer window closes Sept. 1, seven will be the most Americans in the Premier League since there were eight in 2012-13. - The record is 12, achieved in both 2006-07 and 2007-08, when players like Claudio Reyna (Manchester City), Tim Howard (Everton) and Brian McBride (Fulham) were in England's top flight.
- Yes, but: Now that the Premier League has established itself as Europe's clear-cut best (and richest) league, "seven in 2022 arguably is more significant than a dozen 15 years ago," writes SI's Brian Straus.
The intrigue: Pulisic is the league's 48th best player, per ESPN+ (subscription); Aaronson scored in his debut (ruled an own goal); Ream and Robinson started in Fulham's shocking 2-2 draw with Liverpool. | | | | | | | | 6. 🌎 The world in photos | | Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images SEATTLE — For the past two decades, Sue Bird has been synonymous with Seattle. On Sunday, she played her final regular-season home game in front of the Storm faithful. Photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images PHILADELPHIA — Pete Rose returned to the field Sunday as part of the Phillies' celebration of their 1980 World Series victory — and quickly found himself at the center of controversy. - What he's saying: "It was 55 years ago, babe," Rose told a reporter when asked about the sexual misconduct allegations that caused the Phillies to call off honoring him in 2017.
Photo: Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images BARCELONA — Barcelona honored club legend Dani Alves on Sunday following their 5-0 win over Pumas, the Mexican club that signed the 39-year-old last month. Beautiful. Photo: Kai-Otto Melau/Getty Images EIDFJORD, Norway — The Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is, well, extreme. The swim portion is particularly wild, with competitors jumping off a car ferry into a fjord and swimming to shore. | | | | | | | | 7. 📺 Watchlist: One week remains |  | | | Photo: Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | The Wings host the Liberty tonight (8pm ET, NBA), kicking off what should be an exciting final week of the WNBA's regular season. - Where it stands: The Wings (current 6th seed) and Liberty (9th) are among six teams fighting for three playoff spots.
- Who to watch: New York's Sabrina Ionescu just became the first player in league history with 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a season.
More to watch: - ⚾️ MLB: Giants at Padres or Yankees at Mariners (9:30pm, MLB)
- ⚾️ Little League: 12 games (9am-9pm, ESPN/ESPN+) ... Regional tournaments ahead of the Little League World Series.
- 🎾 Tennis: Canadian Open (11am, Tennis) ... First-round matches for Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Andy Murray, Nick Kyrgios and more.
| | | | | | | | 8. ♟ The Ocho: Underwater chess |  | | | Courtesy: Temple Adventures | | | | Scuba divers played underwater chess off the coast of Chennai, India, to celebrate the 44th Chess Olympiad, which is currently being held there. How it worked: The team of seven divers used chess boards and pieces designed to stay underwater and played at a depth of 60 feet for over two hours, coming up to the surface every 20 minutes. | | | | | | | | 9. ⚾️ MLB trivia |  | | | Photo: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images | | | | Yadier Molina recorded his 1,000th hit at Busch Stadium on Sunday. - Question: Who's the only other catcher with 1,000 hits at a single ballpark?
- Hint: Played his whole career in the same city.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Top plays: Weekend edition |  | | | King. Photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images | | | - ⚽️ G.O.A.T.
- 🥍 Insane goal
- ⚾️ Arenado special
- ⚾️ What a grab
- 🥎 Full extension
- ⚽️ The beautiful game
- 🎾 King Kyrgios
- ⚾️ Robbery
- 🏒 Beauty
- 😲 Ball = dodged
Watch all 10. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Stream SiriusXM today and get 3 months free | | |  | | | | With SiriusXM, stream expertly curated ad-free music on your devices with channels dedicated to your favorite decades, hits, styles and genres. The deets: Get access to more than 425 channels on the SXM app, plus podcasts, sports talk, Howard Stern and more. See Offer Details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Cue the trumpets" Baker Trivia answer: Yogi Berra (Yankee Stadium) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell friends to sign up. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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