• Texas Tech RB Quinten Joyner suffered a season-ending knee injury in a weekend scrimmage
• The USC transfer was part of a top-rated Texas Tech transfer class
• Texas Tech is the No. 24 team in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll and is among the favorites to win the Big 12

Two weeks before its 2025 season opener, Texas Tech football has lost a player who was expected to be one of its top offensive players.

Red Raiders sophomore running back Quintaelyn ‘Quinten’ Joyner, a USC transfer, will miss the season due to a knee injury he suffered on Aug. 16 during the team’s second preseason scrimmage, the university confirmed to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, a part of the USA TODAY Network, on Aug. 18.

Last season at USC, Joyner rushed for 478 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 7.6 yards per carry. He was rated by 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 145 overall player and the No. 9 running back in the transfer portal last offseason.

Joyner entered fall training camp atop the team’s depth chart at running back. While he’s sidelined, the No. 24 Red Raiders will turn to sophomores J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey. Last season, Williams and Dickey each had 41 carries, with Williams rushing for 236 yards and two touchdowns and Dickey running for 225 yards and one touchdown. Williams rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries in the team’s Liberty Bowl loss to Arkansas.

An Austin, Texas native, Joyner was a part of a 22-player Texas Tech transfer class that 247Sports ranked second among all FBS programs, behind only LSU. Joyner was one of 13 players in the class rated as a four-star transfer.

The Red Raiders have enjoyed a sharp rise in spending on name, image and likeness deals for athletes in recent years, buoyed largely by mega-donors Cody Campbell and John Sellers, the co-founders of the school’s Matador Club collective. 

Softball pitcher NiJaree Canady transferred to the school from Stanford and earned a record-setting seven-figure deal before leading Texas Tech to the championship series of the Women’s College World Series. All-American men’s basketball forward JT Toppin was lured back to the school with a deal worth more than $3 million. In all, Red Raiders athletes will reportedly earn a combined $55 million during the 2025-26 academic year.

Texas Tech opens its 2025 season on August 30 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Though the league didn’t conduct an official preseason poll, the Red Raiders are widely viewed as one of the favorites to win the Big 12 and earn an automatic berth to the College Football Playoff.

As somebody who played his college golf at St. John’s University in Queens, the United States’ Ryder Cup captain is familiar with the area around Bethpage Black Golf Course – considered one of the most difficult tracks in all of golf – in Old Bethpage, New York. The 45th Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 23-28.

‘I think going to St. John’s and being on Long Island, being in Queens, has really taught me how important Bethpage is to the locals here in New York City and on Long Island,’ Bradley told USA TODAY Sports on Monday. ‘They’re passionate about their golf course. They’re passionate about America.

‘They’re going to be loud and proud and I look forward to that.’

From the locals who learn to play on the grounds at the other courses and the energy and mystique of it all, it’s a responsibility Bradley doesn’t take lightly.

‘Our team needs to represent the qualities that Bethpage has,’ he said.

Who made the 2025 Tour Championship? FedEx Cup Playoff standings, points update

Regardless of where the international tournament is held, it’s a high-pressure environment, Bradley said. The intensity is similar to what players experience in majors.

‘But this is another step up,’ Bradley said.

Bradley spoke to USA TODAY Sports through Ralph Lauren, which unveiled the Americans’ uniforms on Monday.

‘There’s nothing more American than Ralph Lauren and the red, white and blue,’ said Bradley, who particularly likes the pieces of apparel emblazoned with the American flag. “I love when the Ryder Cup team is in red, white and blue head-to-toe.’

For Bradley, who was named the Ryder Cup captain last July, the event always felt off in the distance. In the blink of an eye, he said, the deadline of Aug. 27 to pick his 12-member squad is here. Six spots are given to automatic qualifiers, with Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau officially joining the squad Sunday.

But six more picks must be made.

‘It feels like it’s coming up on us fast, which is really fun as well,’ he said.

Complicating matters is that Bradley – who at 39 years old is the youngest U.S. captain since Arnold Palmer held the role in 1963 – has to consider himself for one of the final six spots. His game has been trending well all season and he is ranked 12th in the Official World Golf Rankings (eighth among Americans).

Bradley’s approach has been that while he’s inside the ropes, he’s a player first. After tournaments, he reenters captain mode. That compartmentalization has been beneficial to him this year.

‘I’m just going to tackle what comes at me,’ Bradley said of his mindset. ‘It’s going to be chaos. It’s going to be tough. … It’s been tougher the last month or so.’

The 2025 season will go down as one of the years Bradley is most proud of. At times, he felt like he was playing the best golf of his life.

BMW Championship highlights, results: Scottie Scheffler surges to win

‘With all this chaos going on, it’s something that I’ll always look back on and be very proud of,’ he said.

The U.S. Ryder Cup team is one of the hardest teams in the world to make. There is a specific group of players that Bradley is evaluating, he said, and is following the plan.

‘We have a pretty good idea of where we’re going … and we’ll see in a week,’ he said.

Bradley will have to make some different phone calls – conversations with which he’s intimately familiar. His conversation in 2023 with former captain Zach Johnson was well-documented by the Netflix documentary ‘Full Swing.’

‘It’s going to be one of the most horrible things I’ve had to do in my life, and I know that,’ Bradley said. ‘Because I know how it feels when you get that call and the number pops up and you have no clue what’s on the other end. When it’s bad (news), it feels horrible. It breaks my heart to have to do it.’

But once that happens, it’s full speed ahead to Bethpage Black.

‘I’m especially proud to be the Ryder Cup captain at Bethpage,’ Bradley said. ‘I just think that place is absolutely stunning and amazing. I just think that everything it’s about is stunning and amazing.’

The Minnesota Vikings have spent most of training camp and the preseason operating without their top receiving weapon.

The good news for Vikings fans? Jefferson appears ready to return to the field, well ahead of the Vikings’ Week 1 ‘Monday Night Football’ game against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 8.

Here’s what to know about Jefferson’s injury and his status moving forward.

Justin Jefferson injury update

Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell announced Jefferson would be returning to Vikings practice on Monday.

‘You’ll see him,’ O’Connell told reporters when asked about Jefferson’s status. ‘He will begin to take part in practice. It’ll be kind of a ramp up. You’ll see him take part in bits and pieces of it here, but he will officially be back to work and be ramping up from here.’

Jefferson had been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury during the Vikings’ second training camp practice. At the time, O’Connell referred to the injury as mild and said Jefferson would be re-evaluated in a week.

Jefferson’s absence ended up lasting longer than that. Minnesota held him out of action until Monday’s session, marking 24 days between practices for the star receiver.

But now, it appears the 26-year-old is back to full strength, though the Vikings are preparing to ease him back into action with about three weeks remaining until the start of the 2025 NFL season.

Justin Jefferson stats 2024

Jefferson was the Vikings’ top receiver in 2024, as he posted his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season to open his career and posted more than 100 catches for the third time.

Below is a look at Jefferson’s stats from the 2024 NFL season:

• Games: 17
• Targets: 154
• Receptions: 103
• Receiving yards: 1,533
• Receiving TDs: 10
• Yards per catch: 14.9

Jefferson was named an All-Pro first-teamer for his strong performance in 2024, marking the second time he had received the honor.

Justin Jefferson fantasy outlook

Jefferson figures to once again be one of the best fantasy football wide receivers in 2025. The 26-year-old has proven to be one of the most consistent pass-catchers in the NFL over the last half-decade; his history of success should allow him to retain his billing as the No. 2 fantasy receiver behind only Ja’Marr Chase.

There are a couple of concerns with Jefferson. Notably, the Vikings are set to pivot to first-year starter J.J. McCarthy as their top quarterback; if the 2024 first-round pick gets off to a slow start, Jefferson might start the season on a slower-than-average pace.

Jefferson’s injury was also a point of pain for prospective fantasy managers before his return to practice. Now that he’s back on the field, fantasy managers can feel confident selecting the 26-year-old as a top-five player in their fantasy football drafts. He should have plenty of time to ramp up to full speed before the regular season begins – barring any setbacks.

Vikings WR depth chart

Jefferson is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver on Minnesota’s depth chart. He figures to see an especially large target share in the first three weeks of the season, as Jordan Addison will be serving a three-game suspension during that time.

Below is the pecking order of Minnesota’s top-six receivers according to the Vikings’ most recent depth chart:

• Justin Jefferson*
• Jordan Addison*
• Jalen Nailor
• Lucky Jackson
• Tai Felton
• Jeshaun Jones

* Denotes starter.

The Vikings also lost veteran receiver Rondale Moore for the season due to a knee injury, so their depth at receiver figures to be tested early in the season.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler underwent a successful removal of a blood clot near his throwing shoulder, the club announced Aug. 18.

Wheeler, 35, was placed on the injured list Aug. 16 by the Phillies after complaining of ‘heaviness,’ as an athletic trainer said, following his start the night before. Subsequent examinations by doctors in Washington revealed the clot.

A timeline for Wheeler’s recovery has not yet been determined, the team said, and manager Rob Thomson told reporters he won’t know if and when Wheeler can return to the mound this season until they receive more information.

Wheeler, the 2024 National League Cy Young Award runner-up and Philadelphia’s undoubted ace, had complained of shoulder soreness that resulted in an Aug. 8 start getting pushed back two days, but the club indicated the clot was not related to his pitching-related malady.

The pitcher underwent a thrombolysis procedure, which Penn Medicine defines as a treatment that dissolves blood clots to restore normal blood flow; the thinners are administered intravenously or directly into the blood clot through a catheter.

‘A lot of people ask me about the pitching staff and the team, and right now, my thoughts are just about him,’ says Thomson. ‘Like I said the other day, this isn’t a hamstring, or a calf. This is real. This is life.’

Phillies’ pitching plans without Zack Wheeler

The club was set to go to a six-man rotation with the Aug. 17 activation of Aaron Nola, and Thomson indicated that may still be a possibility, noting that he watched a playback of top prospect Andrew Painter’s start at Class AAA the previous night.

For now, Nola, left-handers Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suárez and Jesús Luzardo and veteran righty Taijuan Walker comprise the rotation.

Zack Wheeler: Stats

Wheeler was closing in on a second consecutive 200-inning season before he was placed on the IL. After striking out 12 and pitching a one-hitter July 6 at Cincinnati, Wheeler had a 2.17 ERA in 18 starts, pitching into the seventh inning in eight of them.

In his six starts since, including a five-inning outing on Aug. 15 that preceded his IL placement, Wheeler has failed to complete six innings in three of them, with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP, compared to his season-long 0.94 mark.

The Phillies remain five games ahead of the New York Mets in the NL East.

It was a full day of winners’ bracket action in the Little League World Series on Monday, Aug. 18.

Every team that took the field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, sported at least one victory in the 2025 tournament, and those teams squared off during a slate of four games.

The action on Day 6 began with Venezuela, representing the Latin America region, blanking Japan 4-0 in an International bracket game. The second International game featured the same 4-0 scoreline with Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific region) beating Aruba (Caribbean region).

In the U.S. bracket, the Mountain region team from Nevada needed an extra frame to beat South Carolina (Southeast region) 1-0 in seven innings. And in the nightcap, a close game early became a huge rout late as Connecticut (Metro region) poured it on to beat South Dakota (Midwest region) 13-1.

The losers of Monday’s games will now come back and play on Tuesday, Aug. 19, while the winners get a day off before their next games.

Little League World Series Day 6 scores

• Game 21 (International): Venezuela (Latin America) 4, Japan 0
• Game 22 (U.S.): Nevada (Mountain) 1, South Carolina (Southeast) 0
• Game 23 (International): Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) 4, Aruba (Caribbean) 0
• Game 24 (U.S.): Connecticut (Metro) 13, South Dakota (Midwest) 1

FINAL: Connecticut 13, South Dakota 1

Luca Pellegrini threw a two-hitter and struck out six, giving up just an unearned run in six innings, while the Connecticut bats turned a 1-0 deficit into a 13-1 rout in the final three innings to remain undefeated in the 2025 tournament. South Dakota took an 1-0 lead in the first inning and held it through three innings before the Fairfield National LL bats came to life with runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Tommy D’Amura went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs, and Jimmy Taxiltaridis went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs to lead Connecticut.

Connecticut turns close game into huge rout

Connecticut ballooned its lead to 13-1 over South Dakota in the top of the sixth inning, using seven singles, a double and five walks. South Dakota recorded the first out of the inning before Fairfield National LL loaded the bases. Tommy D’Amura then drove in two runs with single to right, while Jimmy Taxiltaridis followed up with an RBI single to center.

Things didn’t get any easier for South Dakota after that. Dante Madera and Ben Herbst each hit RBI singles before Boden Dunlap plated two more with a double to right to make it 10-1. The 11th run scored on a bases-loaded walk, and Charlie McCullough plated run No. 12 with a line drive to right before another bases-loaded walk brough home the 13th run. South Dakota used a total of four pitchers in the inning before finally getting the final out

Pellegrini stays under pitch limit

It’s been tough for South Dakota to get through Connecticut starter Luca Pellegrini. If they could just force him out of the game via the pitch count, maybe they’d stand a better chance of winning this game. However, the fifth inning did not go exactly to plan for South Dakota.

Yes, they had two hitters reach base via walks, but Pellegrini is still eight pitches under the limit, meaning he’ll be able to return to the mound for the sixth inning. South Dakota is down to their final three outs as we head to the sixth inning. Connecticut leads 3-1.

Colin Curley’s double doubles Connecticut’s lead

Nursing a one-run lead, Connecticut’s Colin Curley thought his team could use a little more. Curley laced a two-out shot down the left field line, driving in Ben Herbst and extending Connecticut’s lead to two runs. While Curley would not come around to score, a two-run lead in what has primarily been a pitcher’s duel could wind up being the difference maker in this game. South Dakota heads to the plate with six outs to spare and two runs to make up.

Tony D’Amura ties game with a triple

Despite a tremendous effort from Bohde Larson in center field, laying out to try to make the catch, the ball found the ground. The outstretch Larson had a tough time getting up as well, allowing D’Amura to reach third with a triple.

The hit scored Logan Gryga from second base, tying this game up. Immediately afterwards, Jimmy Taxiltaridis would smoke a hard grounder to third. South Dakota third baseman Devin Aukes could not make the play, allowing D’Amura to score the go-ahead run.

South Dakota gets ahead early

The bottom of the first inning was filled with close calls that nearly ended the inning for Connecticut. With two outs, a close play at first nearly ended the inning, but instead, both the ball squirted away from first, allowing runners to advance.

That was followed up with a laser shot to center field from Kenson Henderson, just out of the reach of the diving center fielder, Dante Madera. That scored the first run of the game and put runners at second and third for Landon Vavruska. Although Vavruska would strike out looking on a full count, the damage had been done. South Dakota heads into the second inning up 1-0.

FINAL: Taipei 4, Aruba 0

A tremendous pitching effort from Taipei’s staff practically sealed the deal in this game. All in all, Taipei would record 13 strikeouts, meaning only five outs came from batted balls. It’s tough to score runs when your team doesn’t make contact and Aruba learned that the hard way.

Aruba ended the day with just three hits, which isn’t bad when considering that Taipei only recorded four hits. However, the big difference were the walks. Taipei tallied five walked in the first 3.1 innings alone, while Aruba could only muster two walks all day.

Taipei’s win will match them up with Venezuela for a journey to the international championship match on the line. Aruba, meanwhile, will take on Canada in a win-or-go-home contest tomorrow.

Taipei doubles their lead again

After being held scoreless in the third, Chinese Taipei made sure to tack on two runs in the fourth, courtesy of a single from Lai Yu-Han.

Despite two runs already coming across this inning, there remains only one out with a runner on first for Jian Zih-De.

Taipei pitcher has eight strikeouts through three innings

In the previous game, both starters had double-digit strikeouts. However, their impressive numbers might get blown out of the water if Taipei pitcher Liu Wei-Heng keeps this up. Through three innings, Wei-Heng has struck out eight batters, while surrendering only two hits.

Wei-Heng is also on pace to finish the game at 84 pitches as well, which would be under the pitch limit. While 16 strikeouts would not be the record − 22 by Taipei’s Chin-Mu Hsu, 1971 − it would certainly be a statement figure that should scare every other team in the international bracket.

Taipei extends lead in second

After a strategic run in the first, Taipei leaned on raw power to score their second. With only one out, Chen Shi-Hong lifted a high fly ball to deep left field. The ball was misplayed by the left fielder Emerson Mercado, allowing Shi-Hong to coast into second with a double, and scoring Jian Zih-De.

Delayed steal winds up scoring for Taipei

With runners at first and second and only one out, Taipei made a bold move, having Tsai Yu-Ge steal third on a delay. The throw was close, but Yu-Ge’s leg just barely got in before the tag.

Aruba pitcher Jayderick Wederfoor would end up striking out the batter, but the final strike would get by the catcher, allowing Yu-Ge to score. Without that delayed steal, Taipei would still be tied, but instead, they head to the bottom of the first up 1-0.

FINAL: Nevada 1, South Carolina 0

Nevada knew they needed to outlast Giulietti to give themselves the best chance to win. Finally, in the seventh inning, after Giulietti was forced out, Nevada didn’t just pick up their first hit, they picked up their second and the game-winning run.

With two outs and a runner in scoring position, Cutter Ricafort smacked a single to right field. The ball was misplayed by right fielder Ryder Tillitz, allowing Griffin Vargas to score from second. After six no-hit innings, South Carolina comes up heartbreakingly short, falling 1-0.

Nevada’s next game will be Wednesday, August 20, against the winner of the other U.S. game happening today. Meanwhile, South Carolina moves to the loser’s bracket and will face Hawaii tomorrow.

D’Ambrosio clutches up

After South Carolina bunted the ghost runner over to third to start the top of the seventh, D’Ambrosio faced the tall task of trying to hold that runner. He did just that, striking out both Brody Miller and Ryder Tillitz to end the inning.

D’Ambrosio’s excitement was evident, as he bounced off the mound, shouting the whole way to the dugout. Nevada needs just one run to take this game home. In fact, two sacrifice bunts could win Nevada the game without recording a single hit. Wouldn’t that be something?

We’re headed to extras

Giulietti had just 11 pitches to work with in order to push this game to extra innings. After falling behind 3-1 to the first batter of the inning, Giulietti bounced back to strike out two of the three hitters he faced and was never forced out of the game, meaning we are heading to extras for the first time in the 2025 LLWS.

Giulietti unfortunately may not earn the win despite throwing a no-hitter, but his effort will not go unnoticed. Regardless, this game just became that much more important for South Carolina as a loss would force the team to play several games in the loser’s bracket before Giulietti can return to the mound on Saturday.

D’Ambrosio avoids trouble

With Gallegos out, Luke D’Ambrosio needed to shut the door to give his team a shot at winning before heading into extras. With two outs, South Carolina reached base via an infield single and a walk, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position. D’Ambrosio came through though, striking out Brady Westbrooks to return his team to the dugout with a chance to win.

Obviously, it will be tough to score right now for Nevada. South Carolina pitcher Joe Giulietti still has 11 pitches to work with and has only allowed one baserunner, via a walk. However, if Nevada can waste a few pitches and force Giulietti out, perhaps they’ll gain the advantage they’ve been searching for all game.

Gallegos out, D’Ambrosio in for Nevada

After five and one-third stellar innings for Gallegos, Nevada is swapping pitchers, opting for Luke D’Ambrosio instead.

Gallegos did well to limit this South Carolina squad, tossing 58 of 85 pitches for strikes, and holding the Southeast reps to just five hits and one walk while striking out 12. The game remains scoreless, but Gallegos will be unavailable to pitch until Saturday, which might not be a big issue if Nevada wins here, but a loss in this game could be a big problem as Nevada would be forced to trudge through the loser’s bracket without their ace.

No-hitter still alive for South Carolina’s Joe Giulietti

Giulietti can thank his shortstop, Preston Ware, from not panicking after initially muffing a ball hit to him. Ware calmly gathered the ball and threw to first to beat the runner. No-hit is still alive and Giulietti picked up his 10th strikeout – so now both starting pitchers have over 10 strikeouts in the game. Still scoreless after five innings.

Have a day, Garrett Gallegos

South Carolina has peppered Gallegos for five hits, but none of them have turned into runs yet. Conversely, Gallegos is stopping South Carolina with strikeouts (12 to be exact). We are scoreless after the top of the fifth inning.

Still scoreless between South Carolina and Nevada

South Carolina and Nevada have put together one of the best games of the Little League World Series this year. Through four innings, we are scoreless in large part due to both starting pitchers. Nevada’s Garrett Gallegos has scattered four hits, allowed one walk but more importantly has 10 strikeouts to keep South Carolina off the scoreboard. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s Joe Giulietti has matched that performance with four shutout innings and has allowed only one walk and has struck out nine Nevada batters.

We officially have a pitcher’s duel between South Carolina and Nevada

We’ve seen very few baserunners so far today. South Carolina’s Joe Giulietti has faced seven batters and has four strikeouts. Nevada’s Garrett Gallegos has faced nine batters and has four strikeouts. We are scoreless after two innings.

Scoreless after one inning

Nevada’s Garrett Gallegos and South Carolina’s Joe Giulietti each faced four batters in the first inning. Giulietti had to throw 26 pitches though compared to Gallegos’ 16 pitches. No score after one inning.

South Carolina vs Nevada up next in the LLWS

South Carolina (1-0), which defeated last year’s LLWS champion in the Southeast Region, plays its second game in Williamsport while Nevada (2-0) is one of two 2-0 teams.

FINAL: Venezuela 4, Japan 0

Juan Reyes’ unofficial nickname? How about the ‘shutout king’. The Venezuela ace labored through a 26-pitch bottom of the sixth inning but Japan still wasn’t able to score on him despite getting a runner in scoring position. He finished with a complete game three-hitter with nine strikeouts, including three in the bottom of the sixth inning. Venezuela makes some Little League World Series history by becoming only the sixth team to have shutouts in its first three games in the LLWS, according to ESPN. South Dakota in 2021 was the last team to have three consecutive shutouts to start their LLWS journey. That year, South Dakota finished in fourth place. Now, Venezuela stays in the winner’s bracket and moves on to Wednesday’s 1 p.m. ET game against Chinese Taipei/Aruba winner. Meanwhile, Japan drops into the loser’s bracket and will face Mexico at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday in an elimination game.

Venezuela’s Juan Reyes making a case for best pitcher in the LLWS

Reyes has thrown 11 shutout innings so far in Williamsport. He had a complete game four-hitter with nine strikeouts in a 5-0 victory versus Puerto Rico on Wednesday, August 13. He’s blanked Japan for five more shutout innings so far while only giving up two hits but he’s got six strikeouts.

Japan’s Ryusei Hayaski cruises through the fifth inning

Hayaski is keeping Japan’s chances alive by tossing his second 1-2-3 inning. Overall, he’s recorded nine outs (came on in relief in the third) on only 18 pitches. Reminder, the winner of this winner’s bracket game would only need one more win (Wednesday, August 20 at 1 p.m. ET) to make it to the Little League World Series International Championship game on Saturday, August 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Venezuela’s Juan Reyes showing why he’s an ace

Reyes has tossed four shutout innings for Venezuela so far today. He’s allowed two hits and one walk but has struck out five batters as his country leads 4-0 after four innings.

Japan’s Ryusei Hayashi slows down Venezuela

Hayashi, who came on in relief in the third inning, tosses a three-pitch inning in the fourth (pop out, pop out and groundout) to keep Venezuela off the bases for the first time today.

Juan Reyes is in a groove for Venezuela

Reyes get a 1-2-3 inning via a strikeout, a fly out and another strikeout and he’s retired eight batters in a row. It is still 4-0 Venezuela after three innings.

Venezuela adds to lead

Venezuela forced Japan to go to its third pitcher of the game and the runs kept coming. Juan Reyes’ RBI-single and Jesus Gomez’s sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 4-0 after the top of the third inning.

Japan goes to its third pitcher of the game

Japan’s manager must have seen something he didn’t like with the way Itsuki Masuyama was throwing because he only faced two batters before being lifted. Masuyama (five pitches) is available on Tuesday, if Japan loses.

Itsuki Masuyama is the new pitcher for Japan

Starter Tensei Yazawa went two and one-third innings before Masuyama took over. If Japan loses, Yazawa (37 pitches) wouldn’t be eligbile to pitch Tuesday. If Japan wins, Yazawa could return to the mound on Wednesday.

Sebastian Lopez with the web gem, Juan Reyes has 6-pitch inning

Reyes got the first two batters to swing on the first pitch, both ended in outs. The second out was a web gem by Lopez, the starting centerfielder. He reached up into the air while backpedaling to make a fantastic catch. Lopez then strikes out the final batter in the bottom of the second inning.

Venezuela can’t capitalize on wild pitch

Venezuela gets its fourth and fifth hit to start the top of the second inning and then a wild pitch by Japan’s Tensei Yazama put two runners in scoring position with one out. However, Yazama got a fly out to end the threat.

Japan has one-out threat

Japan got runners to first and second with one out but Venezuela’s catcher handle a high chopper in front of the plate with ease to get the second out and Juan Reyes struck out the final batter to end the bottom of the first inning.

Venezuela strikes first

Venezuela loads the bases with three straight singles and then gets two runs on a fielder’s choice play followed by a throwing error to first base.

Venezuela vs Japan starts Monday’s LLWS action on ESPN

Two undefeated international teams begin Monday’s games from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It will be Venezuela (2-0) facing Japan (1-0) at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

What time does Little League World Series start today?

The first game on Monday, Aug. 18 starts at 1 p.m. ET with the final game starting at 7 p.m. ET. All games take place in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in either Howard J. Lamade Stadium or Little League Volunteer Stadium.

Little League World Series Day 6 schedule

Monday, Aug. 18

All times Eastern

• Game 21 (International): Venezuela (Latin America) vs. Japan, 1 p.m. | ESPN
• Game 22 (U.S.): South Carolina (Southeast) vs. Nevada (Mountain), 3 p.m. | ESPN
• Game 23 (International): Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) vs. Aruba (Caribbean), 5 p.m. | ESPN
• Game 24 (U.S.): Connecticut (Metro) vs. South Dakota (Midwest), 7 p.m. | ESPN

Little League World Series 2025: TV, time and how to watch

The Little League World Series began Wednesday, Aug. 13 and concludes on Sunday, Aug. 24. Games will be presented across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. Viewers can also watch with Fubo, which offers a free trial for new users.

• Times: Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo

Watch 2025 Little League World Series in Fubo

Little League World Series Day 5 results

Sunday, Aug. 17

• Game 17 (U.S.): Washington 3, Massachusetts 2
• Game 18 (International): Canada 12, Australia 0
• Game 19 (U.S.): Hawaii 9, Illinois 1
• Game 20 (International): Mexico 2, Panama 1

Little League World Series Day 4 results

Saturday, Aug. 16

• Game 13 (International): Australia 5, Czechia 3
• Game 14 (U.S.): Massachusetts 7, Texas 3
• Game 15 (International): Mexico 11, Puerto Rico 5
• Game 16 (U.S.): Illinois 3, Pennsylvania 2

Little League World Series Day 3 results

Friday, Aug. 15

• Game 9 (International): Venezuela 4, Canada 0
• Game 10 (U.S.): Nevada 5, Washington 3
• Game 11 (International): Aruba 8, Panama 2
• Game 12 (U.S.): Connecticut 5, Hawaii 1

Little League World Series Day 2 results

Thursday, Aug. 14

• Game 5 (International): Japan 12, Czechia 0
• Game 6 (U.S.): South Carolina 13, Massachusetts 0
• Game 7 (International): Chinese Taipei 3, Mexico 0
• Game 8: (U.S.): South Dakota 2, Pennsylvania 0

Little League World Series Day 1 results

Wednesday, Aug. 13

• Game 1 (International): Venezuela 5, Puerto Rico 0
• Game 2 (U.S.): Nevada 16, Illinois 1
• Game 3 (International): Panama 7, Australia 2
• Game 4 (U.S.): Connecticut 1, Texas 0