The Columbian

National Sports

Seattle Mariners' Domingo Santana hits a grand slam off Oakland Athletics starter Mike Fiers in the third inning of Game 1 of their Major League opening series baseball game at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Athletics catcher is catcher Nick Hundley.

Mariners top A’s 9-7 in season opener

March 20, 2019, 7:29am National Sports

Ichiro Suzuki drew the loudest ovation back home in Japan and Domingo Santana delivered the biggest hit, launching a grand slam that led the Seattle Mariners over the Oakland Athletics 9-7. Read story

Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a record $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history.

Trout, Angels close to record $432M, 12-year deal

March 19, 2019, 2:46pm National Sports

Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. Read story

International Olympics Committee member and head of the Japanese Olympic Committee Tsunekazu Takeda attends a JOC executive board meeting in Tokyo Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Takeda is resigning amid a bribery scandal that investigators suspect helped Tokyo land next year’s Olympics. Takeda announced Tuesday he will stand down when his term ends in June, but he denied corruption allegations against him.

Japanese Olympic Committee head resigns amid bribery scandal

March 19, 2019, 9:42am Nation & World

Tsunekazu Takeda is stepping down as the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee amid a vote-buying scandal that French investigators suspect helped Tokyo land next year’s Olympics. Read story

Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki warms up during his team’s practice at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo Saturday, March 16, 2019. The Mariners will play in a two-baseball game series against the Oakland Athletics to open the Major League season on March 20-21.

Opening day intrigue: Ichiro keeps ‘em guessing about future

March 18, 2019, 10:59pm National Sports

Major League Baseball opens the 2019 season Wednesday at Tokyo with Seattle facing Oakland to start a two-game series. The 45-year-old Ichiro is expected to play in both. What happens next? Ichiro isn't saying. Read story

Dominic Thiem, of Austria, raises a trophy over his head after defeating Roger Federer, of Switzerland, in the men’s final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, Calif. Thiem won 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. (AP Photo/Mark J.

Thiem edges Federer in 3 sets to win Indian Wells title

March 17, 2019, 6:30pm National Sports

Dominic Thiem went on to beat Roger Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and win the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, denying Federer a record sixth tennis title at Indian Wells. Read story

Bianca Andreescu, of Canada, smiles as she hugs her trophy after defeating Angelique Kerber, of Germany, in the women’s final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Indian Wells, Calif. Andreescu won 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. (AP Photo/Mark J.

Canadian teen Andreescu upsets Kerber to win Indian Wells

March 17, 2019, 4:30pm National Sports

Bianca Andreescu upset three-time major champion Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, becoming at age 18 the first wild-card winner in tournament history. Read story

Kyle Busch drives during the early laps of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Auto Club Speedway, in Fontana, Calif., Sunday, March 17, 2019.

Kyle Busch ties Petty’s record with 200th career NASCAR win

March 17, 2019, 4:22pm National Sports

Kyle Busch tied Richard Petty’s NASCAR record with his 200th career victory across the three national series Sunday by using an impressive late surge through the field following a speeding penalty to win the Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway. Read story

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, holds the trophy after winning The Players Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 17, 2019, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

McIlroy emerges from wild day to win Players Championship

March 17, 2019, 3:00pm National Sports

Rory McIlroy made two late birdies amid the wild theatrics of Sunday at The Players Championship and closed with a 2-under 70 to win the next best thing to a major. Read story

Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki heads to first as he grounds out in the fourth inning of a pre-season exhibition baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo Sunday, March 17, 2019.

Ichiro hitless as Mariners beat Yomiuri 6-4 in exhibition

March 17, 2019, 12:03am National Sports

Ichiro went hitless in three at-bats on Sunday when his Seattle Mariners beat the Yomiuri Giants 6-4 in an exhibition game ahead of their MLB season-opening series against the Oakland A's. Read story

Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto made nine trades in the offseason, shedding the team of heavy salaries and burdensome contracts. In exchange, the club targeted 2021 as a time when they could be more than just a team stuck in the middle. Ted S.

Mariners 2019 Preview: Focus on the future

March 16, 2019, 9:11pm National Sports

Whether it's a "step-back" or a "rebuild" or a "reimagining" of Seattle's current situation and its future hopes, the reality is for the first time in quite a while there appears to be a plan in place to perhaps get the franchise out of the purgatory of mediocrity. Read story