CLARK EARNS ALL-STAR SPOT

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark was voted to start her third straight All-Star Game and will be joined by Indiana Fever teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, the WNBA announced Thursday.

It’s the second time in four years that three players from the same team were chosen to start the game, with Las Vegas doing it in 2023. Clark wasn’t able to play in last year’s game that the Fever hosted because she was injured right before the All-Star break.

Clark and Mitchell will be joined this year in the backcourt by Dallas’ Paige Bueckers and Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles. It’s the fourth consecutive year that a rookie was chosen as an All-Star starter. Bueckers played last season.

A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, Natasha Howard and Gabby Williams were selected for the frontcourt for the game that will be played in Chicago on July 25. It will be Wilson’s and Stewart’s eighth All-Star appearance while Shepard will be making her first.

Starters were chosen by a mixture of fan, player and media votes. The fan vote counted for 50% while media and player votes were 25% each. Each player’s score was calculated by averaging their weighted rank from all three areas.

ROCCHIO’S HOMER SAVES GUARDS

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brayan Rocchio hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the Cleveland Guardians a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series between the top two teams in the AL Central.

Cleveland (46-42) rallied from a three-run deficit and trails Chicago (45-41) by less than a full percentage point atop the division standings.

Pinch-hitter David Fry launched a solo homer in the seventh that trimmed the Guardians’ deficit to 5-4.

White Sox reliever Grant Taylor (4-2) walked Rhys Hoskins leading off the ninth. Kahlil Watson flied out to center before Rocchio pulled a 99 mph fastball down the right-field line for his sixth home run this season.

Tim Herrin (1-3) pitched a perfect inning for the win.

DIXON SAYS HE’S DONE

LEXINGTON (AP) — Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon is ending a remarkable run with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Owner Chip Ganassi announced Thursday that Dixon recently informed the team he would not return in 2027.

“Scott has meant so much to CGR over the past 24 years,” Ganassi said. “Together we’ve shared championships, many victories and countless moments that have helped define this organization.”

Ganassi said he believed the 45-year-old Dixon’s contract gave him an opportunity to end his career with the team.

“We respect that he’s chosen a different path and wish him nothing but continued success,” Ganassi said. “Scott will always be a special part of this team’s history, and we’re grateful for everything we’ve accomplished together.”

Dixon, who won the 2008 Indianapolis 500, is the defending champion at IndyCar’s next race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday. He is 10th in points this season with one top-five finish.

“Our focus now is on finishing this season strong with the No. 9 PNC team while also preparing for the future at Chip Ganassi Racing,” Ganassi said.

Dixon won karting titles in Australia and New Zealand before moving to the United States where he raced in Indy Lights and CART series before moving to IndyCar in 2003.

He won series championships in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020 and has 59 career victories, trailing only A.J. Foyt.

Dixon was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2024 and was awarded a knighthood last December in New Zealand. He was born in Australia to New Zealand-born parents who later returned to live in Auckland.