The Seattle Mariners announced that Ichiro Suzuki, who retired in March after playing his final two games in Japan, will receive the Franchise Achievement Award.

The award will be presented during a pregame ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14, before a game against the Chicago White Sox.

The great left-handed hitter, a 10-time American League All-Star, Suzuki had 10 consecutive seasons of at least 200 hits, breaking the major league record with 262 in 2004.

During that period, he got 2,533 of his 3,089 major league hits playing for the Mariners.

Suzuki, 45, began his pro career in Japan in 1992. The Mariners signed him before the 2001 season.

He played 18-plus in the major leagues for Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. The Mariners traded him to the Yankees on July 23, 2012, and he played 2½ seasons there in a backup role before moving on for three seasons with the Marlins. He returned to Seattle to end his career where it started.

LOS ANGELES -- The Freeway Series was about to begin, and Dave Roberts, manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, spoke vaguely about the challenges of facing "the best player in the game," a label that has become so synonymous with Mike Trout that his name isn't required for clarification. The Dodgers' TV reporter, Alanna Rizzo, playfully stated that Cody Bellinger -- MVP favorite in the National League, breakthrough star at the age of 24 -- didn't play for the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Roberts laughed.

"I hear you," he said, "but you're talking about longevity. And Trout has done it so consistently for so long."

Later that night, Trout recorded an out at home plate with a throw that nearly reached 100 mph and blasted a towering home run that landed in the left-field upper deck, leading his Angels to the first of back-to-back victories against the crosstown Dodgers.

Trout's 6.6 FanGraphs wins above replacement leads the majors, topping that of Bellinger (6.1) and Christian Yelich (5.9) and far ahead of the next American League player, Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (4.7). With 64% of the season complete, Trout leads the AL in OPS (1.105), home runs (33), RBIs (81) and walks (80), all of which are on pace to set career highs.

In a year when Bellinger is aiming for the Triple Crown and Yelich is chasing his second straight NL MVP, Trout remains the sport's undisputed overlord.

He is the AL MVP front-runner by a wide margin, even though his Angels sit 11½ games back in their division.

"No doubt," teammate Kole Calhoun said. "But I don't have a vote. I mean, he's finished second a couple times when I thought he should've been the MVP. He's the best player I've ever seen. Everybody's astonished he can keep doing it and keep doing it, but I've stopped being impressed. He's the best in the world, and he lives up to it every day."

Lately, the production has come in the wake of tragedy.

At the start of July, Trout lost a teammate and a close friend when Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his Texas hotel room. The Angels have somehow rallied ever since, winning 12 of 18 to move a season-best five games above .500, and Trout has helped carry them with a .291/.397/.945 slash line. His 11 July home runs, in only 15 games, are two shy of the Angels' record for a month.

Angels manager Brad Ausmus was asked how Trout can maintain such an elite level in the midst of such sobering circumstances.

He shrugged.

"I don't know," Ausmus said. "I guess we all kind of expect it from him at this point."

Skaggs was noticeably at the forefront of Trout's mind after Tuesday's game. He laughed about how Skaggs would have given him a hard time for bragging about his 98.6 mph throw, which stood as the third-hardest outfield assist this season. And he brought up how his home run traveled 454 feet, Skaggs' number forward and backward, just as one did on the night of an inspired no-hitter.

"It's tough," said Trout, who also lost his brother-in-law, Aaron Cox, last August. "It's been tough."

Trout is slashing .296/.443/.662 while on pace for 52 home runs, 127 RBIs and 126 walks. His contact rate (84.4%), chase rate (17.8%) and strikeout rate (17.5%) are on pace to be the best of his career. Barring the unforeseen, he will finish within the top two in MVP voting for the seventh time, already only two shy of Barry Bonds for the major league record. At this rate, he will capture his third MVP trophy before his age-28 season, a feat accomplished only by Stan Musial.

"He's the most talented hitter on the planet," Ausmus said. "No offense to Cody Bellinger, who's also very talented."

Top seed Andy Lapthorne and Scot Gordon Reid both triumphed at the British Open to reach their respective semi-finals.

US Open champion Lapthorne will face third seed Sam Schroeder in the quad singles after a 6-3 2-6 6-2 win over Brazilian seventh seed Ymanitu Silva.

Seventh seed Reid saw off Dutchman Tom Egberink 6-3 6-2 to set up a meeting against world number one and 2017 champion Gustavo Fernandez.

Jordanne Whiley lost 7-5 3-6 6-2 to top women's player Diede de Groot.

Meanwhile, Reid and compatriot Alfie Hewett came from a set down to defeat Joachim Gerard and Stefan Olsson 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 and reach the men's doubles semi-final.

They will now face Fernandez of Argentina and Japan's Shingo Kunieda.

THOMASVILLE, N.C. – Pocono Organics will join Jacob Companies as primary sponors on the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford of B.J. McLeod this weekend at Pocono Raceway.

Pocono Organics, one of the largest public-facing regenerative organic farms in North America, is located on a 90-acre parcel of land in Long Pond, Pa. Pocono Organics has partnered with Rodale Institute, the global leaders in Regenerative Organic Agriculture practices and research, to manage the farm and further expand this mission and message.

“We are very fortunate to be able to partner with Ashley Walsh, founder of  Pocono Organics, and bring awareness about Pocono Organics on our Jacob Companies No. 51 this weekend at Pocono,” commented Don Perry, owner of Jacob Companies. “Pocono Organics is leading the way with how natural foods will be grown in the future. It is reassuring to know that their foods will be grown in a way that will help later generations have safe and healthy foods.”

“RWR takes a great amount of pride in participating with different companies by helping promote them on the NASCAR stage,” said team owner Rick Ware. “After reading up and learning more about Pocono Organics, I am especially proud to have them on our car this weekend. As a professional sports team, we all are very particular about what we eat and want to make sure that we are taking care of our bodies as much as possible. Pocono Organics is showing us the future, right now, on how foods can be grown naturally and be a healthier alternative.”

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – The Fraternal Order of Eagles, an international non-profit organization, will be the sponsor of Aug. 8 qualifying night during the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store.

This will mark the first time Fraternal Order of Eagles has promoted itself via grassroots, dirt track racing.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is dedicated to raising money for charities across the country through social events like the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store. One hundred percent of the $10 million raised annually by Eagles goes directly to individuals and communities who are in need.

“Iowa and racing are two things at the heart of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and its members, so we’re tremendously excited to be a part of this year’s Knoxville Nationals,” said Fraternal Order of Eagles Grand Worthy President Ron Malz. “Iowa is home to our F.O.E. Diabetes Research Center, where we donated $25 million to fund groundbreaking medical research with the potential to change hundreds of millions of lives. It’s also home to one of our Ekso GT suits, which are being donated throughout the country to help paralyzed veterans and citizens learn to walk again.”

In 2008, the Fraternal Order of Eagles founded the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa, just 100 miles northeast of Knoxville Raceway. The state-of-the-art facility has more than 100 doctors dedicated to finding new ways to combat diabetes. Fraternal Order of Eagles also partnered with Ekso Bionics to fund the donation of Ekso GT rehabilitation suits to medical facilities throughout the United States, including one at Younker Rehabilitation Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

“We’re proud to have the Fraternal Order of Eagles, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of others, join us at Knoxville Raceway for the greatest week of dirt track racing,” said Kendra Jacobs, Director of Marketing at Knoxville Raceway. “The NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store brings together the greatest race car drivers and race fans anywhere and we’re confident that the F.O.E will feel the support of our great dirt track racing community.”

The Fraternal Order of Eagles Qualifying Night at the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store will take the green flag with hot laps at 7:15 p.m. CT, on Aug. 8. Defending Knoxville Nationals champion Brad Sweet will be competing that night in a bid to earn his second consecutive title and $150,000 prize.

The 16 highest point earners following Wednesday’s BRANDT Professional Agriculture Qualifying Night and Thursday’s Fraternal Order of Eagles Qualifying Night will make up the top-eight starting rows in Saturday’s NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Store finale.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) has confirmed that the annual WeatherTech Night of Champions will take place Sunday night, Oct. 13.

The Chateau Élan Resort & Winery in Braselton, Ga., will once again host the event for the fourth consecutive year. The winners will be honored for their achievements in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship less than 24 hours after the season concludes at the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The resort will also host the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Awards – as it has since 2014 – on the evening of Friday, Oct. 11. That will take place just a few hours after the season closes with the FOX Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The WeatherTech Night of Champions recognizes team, driver and manufacturer champions in all four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes – Daytona Prototype international (DPi), LMP2, GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD). Honoring the champions of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup and WeatherTech Sprint Cup will also take place.

“The WeatherTech Night of Champions is annually one of the most important dates on our calendar,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “We had a great deal of positive feedback last year by holding the event on Sunday, and we are looking forward to another special event this October. This year’s championships appear to be going down to the last lap. This event will allow everyone the chance to see that raw emotion from the champions that have put so much time and effort into their title.”

Chateau Élan is minutes away from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the site of the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans that will close out both the 2019 WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup season. The weekend also will include season finales for the Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA Prototype Challenge and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama.

SPEED SPORT has been covering auto racing for 85 years, and over that time, tens of thousands of stories from all forms of motorsports have been told in its pages, as well as online.

Tony Kanaan scored his first Indy car victory 20 years ago this week, during the CART U.S. 500 at Michigan Int’l Speedway. We look back at that 1999 race in this week’s edition of Torn From The Headlines.

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Tony Kanaan took his first Indy car victory in a thrilling finish to the U.S. 500 presented by Toyota on July 25 at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

Kanaan edged out Juan Pablo Montoya by .032 seconds after a wild last lap saw Max Papis run out of fuel going down the backstretch and Kanaan barely survive Montoya’s final-gasp charge.

The Brazilian only led seven of the 250 laps, but he was out in front for the most important one, if only by a nose at the finish line.

“It’s mine, we finally did it!” exclaimed Kanaan. “Mom, I did it! I didn’t crash this time. Finally!”

The war of attrition was slowed just three times by caution, but only 11 drivers ultimately reached the checkered flag. However, the final 67 laps went uninterrupted and featured a mix of strategy that led to the exciting finish.

Papis led the field back to green for the final restart of the day and was the dominant driver for much of the final stint, keeping his Bobby Rahal-owned No. 7 out in front for 38 consecutive laps before ducking down pit road for his final round of service with 30 to go.

Thanks to an alternate strategy, Kanaan had been able to run nearly seven laps longer than the rest of his rivals, elevating him up to second behind Papis when the cycle worked itself out.

Inside of 25 to go, Kanaan began to close up on Papis’s rear wing in the race for the lead, but Papis pulled away as Kanaan tried to move in and left the Forsythe driver to deal with Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Montoya and Jimmy Vasser.

Drafting together, Vasser and Montoya were able to pass Michael Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy, and were closing in on Kanaan when Vasser had to pit for additional fuel due to a problem with his fuel rig discovered following his final pit stop.

That left Montoya alone in trying to chase Kanaan, but that battle for second ended up being the battle for the victory when Papis’ car began to sputter and slow coming off turn two on the final lap.

It was a moment that nearly left Kanaan in disbelief as he came back around to the checkered flag.

“I knew my luck had to turn around eventually, and it finally did in this one,” said a jubilant Kanaan in victory lane. “I lost my radio at lap number 10, so it was a long day to begin with, because we went a lap down. The car started to improve, though, and the track got better. The team did a great job and we never gave up.”

Montoya got a run on Kanaan coming to the start/finish line and ducked to the inside like an angry hornet, but came up just inches short of stealing the victory for team owner Chip Ganassi.

“When everything got so close at the end, I thought I had a chance,” Montoya lamented. “I was catching him really quickly. Every time we’d come into the pits, I’d be top three … and when we’d leave I’d be ninth or 10th. … I think Dario and Michael were the hardest to get by, but our car was strong all day.

“It just wasn’t our day here today.”

Tracy nipped Andretti for the final podium spot, with Franchitti completing the top five finishers.

Papis limped to the finish line, but finished a heartbreaking seventh after leading 143 of the 250 laps.

“On the last stop, our dash had gone out, so we didn’t know where the fuel meter was,” noted Forsythe team manager Tim Cindric. “We made a calculation based on what the tank said, ran it lean towards the end, but obviously fell one lap short. We went down on the fuel (number), but we didn’t think it would be that tight … or we would have gone down more. You just hate to lose one like that.”

Drivers who failed to finish included Team Penske teammates Alex Barron and Al Unser Jr., as well as Scott Pruett, Bryan Herta, Greg Moore, Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves.

The finish:

Tony Kanaan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Tracy, Michael Andretti, Dario Franchitti, Adrian Fernandez, Max Papis, Christian Fittipaldi, Jimmy Vasser, Patrick Carpentier, Dennis Vitolo, Richie Hearn, Al Unser Jr., Scott Pruett, Gualter Salles, P.J. Jones, Cristiano da Matta, Alex Barron, Roberto Moreno, Bryan Herta, Michel Jordain Jr., Mauricio Gugelmin, Greg Moore, Gil de Ferran, Helio Castroneves, Robby Gordon.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues has been awarded a one-year, $2 million contract following an arbitration hearing.

The independent arbitrator's ruling was announced by the Sabres on Thursday, two days after the hearing. The value of the contract represents a $1.35 million bump in pay over what Rodrigues made last season.

Rodrigues was a restricted free agent who set career highs with nine goals, 29 points and 74 games played in his fourth season with Buffalo. Overall, Rodrigues has 21 goals and 62 points in 154 NHL career games.

Rodrigues was an undrafted free agent before signing with Buffalo in April 2015 after completing his college career at Boston University, where he was a teammate of current Sabres captain Jack Eichel.