Last month’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has a new winner after IndyCar disqualified victor Josef Newgarden on Wednesday, six weeks after the event.Runner-up Pato O’Ward is now credited as the race winner, despite not leading a lap.IndyCar discovered potential issues Sunday with Newgarden and his Team Penske teammates as they warmed up for the Grand Prix of Long Beach — the second points race on the schedule.The series then reviewed the season opener in St. Petersburg and determined...
ST. PETERSBURG — Pete Fairbanks had a few words, most of them not printable, in trying to explain how he turned what would have been a second straight inspiring Rays win into a frustrating 5-4 loss on Wednesday.Trailing 3-2 with two outs in the eighth inning, the Rays stunningly took the lead when Isaac Paredes singled and Amed Rosario, who delivered the walkoff winner in the 13th inning Tuesday, looked to be the star again by hitting a two-run, go-ahead homer.The Rays summoned Fairbanks, their...
TAMPA — With just one matchup remaining in the regular season, the Lightning are running out of chances to feel good about their game going into the playoffs.Since clinching a postseason berth April 5, the Lightning have lost four of their past five games heading into Wednesday night’s regular-season finale against the Maple Leafs.And while there’s no guarantee that finishing off the regular season strong is a precursor to postseason success — the Lightning stumbled into the postseason before...
TAMPA — For the third time in four seasons, the Lightning will face their cross-state rivals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.The next Sunshine State series will begin this weekend when the Lightning open the first round of the postseason against the Florida Panthers.The Panthers won the Atlantic Division on Tuesday night with their 5-2 home win over Toronto combined with Boston’s 3-1 home loss to the Senators. That earned Florida the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and a date with the...
ST. PETERSBURG — As Mike Trout’s 420-foot blast sailed over the leftfield fence in the eighth inning Monday night, taking the Rays’ lead with it, manager Kevin Cash flashed back briefly to his conversation with reporters before the game.And the irony of it.Cash was asked about the challenge of facing Trout, whose hot 2024 start included a 6-for-12, two-homer series against the Rays last week. He said the best strategy was to keep runners from being on base when the three-time American League MVP...