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Jordan Hicks has been on the Blue Jays for a few weeks and he’s already in the record books

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When the Blue Jays completed the trade for Jordan Hicks, arguably the main plus was adding one of the hardest throwing pitchers in all of baseball. Now he’s actually go on to prove just this.

The 26-year-old achieved the feat while pitching in relief, during the eighth inning of Saturday’s game in Cincinnati. He took just 14 pitches to complete a clean inning, including two which reached 103 miles per hour (mph).

Hicks is one of just two pitchers in the majors to hit 100 mph on his average fastball speed. His 100.7 mph is only beaten by the Twins’ Jhoan Durán, who throws 101.7 mph on average.

Now it should be noted records of this nature only date back to 2015, when Statcast started being implemented around the Majors. Regardless, Hick’s achievement is a noteworthy and impressive one.

The righty is renowned for his ferocious fastball, as well as an outstanding curveball. As such, it was understandable why fans were intrigued by his addition to an already strong bullpen.

Admittedly, Hick’s tenure in Toronto didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts. In his first outing versus the Orioles, he allowed three hits and two earned runs in one inning.

Since then however, the 2015 third round draft pick has mostly looked more like the reliever the Blue Jays believed/hoped they were getting. In eight subsequent appearances, he has given up just four hits and two earned runs in seven combined innings.

Now it should be noted this sequence does have to factor in that the two earned runs resulted in Hicks being tagged with a couple of losses. Overall though, there is still a lot to like about him.

In particular, the Houston, Texas native seems to have finally got a handle on his issue with walks. Often criticized for problems with his location, he has a 6.3 percent walk-rate in Toronto, which by extension has contributed towards a 1.125 WHIP.

Prior to his trade, Hicks was producing a walk-rate of 12.7 percent in St. Louis. For his five-year career in the Majors as a whole, he has a 13.0 percent walk-rate.

Now we appreciate the improved walk-rate is only a small sample size over a short period of time, but it still provides some reason for encouragement. Consider that he is adding this to a 30.3 percent strike-rate, which is on course to be the best of his career.

Next. Jays 2022 draftees. How the Jays’ top 10 2022 draftees have performed in 2023. dark

Overall, Hicks appears to be throwing with more confidence in general, which is scary news for the rest of the league. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he manages to top the Blue Jays record he sent in Cincinnati, before the season is over.

NB – All statistics up to and including August 20.

 

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David Lipsky shoots 65 to take 1st-round lead at Silverado in FedEx Cup Fall opener

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NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.

Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.

After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.

“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”

Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.

“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”

Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.

Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.

Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.

Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.

Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.

Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.

Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.

Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.

Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.

That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.

“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”

Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.

Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.

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AP golf:

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Canada’s Marina Stakusic advances to quarterfinals at Guadalajara Open

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.

The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.

Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.

The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.

Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.

However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

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France investigating disappearances of 2 Congolese Paralympic athletes

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PARIS (AP) — French judicial authorities are investigating the disappearance of two Paralympic athletes from Congo who recently competed in the Paris Games, the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny confirmed on Thursday.

Prosecutors opened the investigation on Sept. 7, after members of the athletes’ delegation warned authorities of their disappearance two days before.

Le Parisien newspaper reported that shot putter Mireille Nganga and Emmanuel Grace Mouambako, a visually impaired sprinter who was accompanied by a guide, went missing on Sept. 5, along with a third person.

The athletes’ suitcases were also gone but their passports remained with the Congolese delegation, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the case.

The Paralympic Committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo did not respond to requests for information from The Associated Press.

Nganga — who recorded no mark in the seated javelin and shot put competitions — and Mouambako were Congo’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, organizers said.

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AP Paralympics:

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