TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius played five innings of defense and went 2-for-4 with a walk Monday at extended spring training in his first game action since Tommy John surgery on Oct. 17.

"It was good," Gregorius said.

Playing against Detroit Tigers minor leaguers and in front of Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, Gregorius singled twice and cleanly fielded three grounders but made an error on a throw to first base.

Gregorius is coming back from surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He appears on track to start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment in a week or two and rejoin the Yankees in late June.

Gregorius had an eventful first inning.

He charged to field a one-hopper and then made an accurate throw to first to retire the second batter.

After fouling a ball off his foot and breaking a bat on a pop foul, Gregorius drew a walk in the bottom half. He slid feetfirst into second base on a grounder, then slid headfirst into third on an infield single.

Gregorius hit .268 with a career-high 27 homers and 86 RBIs last season. He injured the elbow while making a throw from left field after a ball bounced off Fenway Park's Green Monster during Game 2 of the AL Division Series at Boston.

Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was scheduled to start an injury rehab assignment for Class-A Tampa on Monday night. He has not played since March 31 because of a strained left biceps and then a strained left shoulder.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, sidelined since April 3 by a strained left calf, resumed on-field batting practice Monday and continued taking grounders at shortstop and third base.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Tommy La Stella had compiled 947 plate appearances across five major league seasons by the time he turned 30, a sample representative enough to typecast. The numbers described him as a slap hitter with no power, and La Stella could've been fine with that. His strengths -- putting pitches in play, differentiating balls from strikes, getting on base -- were enough for sustained employment in his line of work. Change seemed unnecessary. Imprudent, even.

But La Stella remained firm in his belief that there was more in him. Now he stands among the great statistical marvels of the 2019 season, as he has hit more home runs through seven weeks than he managed through five seasons.

"It is weird," La Stella said. "And it's crazy that it's seemingly coming right away, at the beginning of the season. But I always felt like I had the ability to drive the baseball."

La Stella has gone deep more times than Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. He belted his team-leading 11th home run in his 109th at-bat of 2019 after managing only 10 of them in 828 at-bats from 2014 through 2018. The Los Angeles Angels' confounding second baseman has three multi-homer games, despite entering this season with only one, and he trails just eight major league players in home run percentage.

There is no logical explanation. La Stella, listed generously at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, hit one home run in 169 at-bats while serving mostly as a pinch-hit specialist for the Chicago Cubs last season. He has since increased his launch angle significantly, from 8.1 degrees to 14.1 degrees, but La Stella displayed similar launch angles in seasons prior. He should theoretically see more fastballs by hitting in front of Trout, but La Stella didn't start batting leadoff until May.

"I can't explain it, and I'm not really going to search for the answers," Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. "I'll just stay out of the way."

La Stella will tell you that he's back to who he always was -- or, more accurately, who he always wanted to be. He spent his first five seasons molding himself for the role laid out for him and along the way lost sight of who he was.

It began with the Atlanta Braves in 2014. Dan Uggla, a pull-happy, power-hitting second baseman, was struggling badly. The Braves called La Stella up because they liked how consistently he reached base in the minor leagues. They wanted someone to set the table for the next guy and nothing more. La Stella complied.

"I gradually shifted my sights toward the left side of the field," he said, "and I started to lose the ability to pull the ball."

It continued in the Midwest on loaded Cubs teams. Through four seasons, La Stella made 32 percent of his plate appearances as a pinch hitter, never getting the opportunity to build any semblance of a rhythm. His at-bats were merely about survival, about not wasting strikes and using his hands and doing everything possible to reach base. It was, in La Stella's mind, a different skill set altogether.

"I wanted to be really good at pinch-hitting because I knew that was going to be my role," La Stella said. "After a while, I kind of forgot that I at one point planned to be a very different hitter."

A trade to the Angels in late November brought the opportunity for more playing time. La Stella also saw it as a path to rediscovering himself. He arrived in spring training with intentions of swinging harder.

"It was a disaster," La Stella said.

He was either way out in front or swinging over the top of pitches that he used to drive, and he managed only eight hits in 48 at-bats.

Along the way, though, he found something. With the Cubs, La Stella constantly tinkered with batting stances that worked only to free up his hands. In search of a more consistent, sustainable approach, he went back to the stance he used at Coastal Carolina University, where he hit 28 home runs in 125 games -- legs straight, hands still, swing free. Suddenly, the ball was jumping off his bat again.

"It wasn't about tapping into the power. It was about getting back to who I was as a hitter pretty much my whole career," La Stella said. "Because I never had a problem driving the ball."

Only three players since 1900 have hit 20 or more home runs in a season after managing no more than 20 home runs in 800 or more at-bats prior, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The list includes Kirby Puckett (31 in 1986), Al Cowens (23 in 1977) and Brady Anderson (21 in 1992). Soon, La Stella will probably join them.

He has an OPS of .952 for the season, 241 points higher than his career mark before 2019. And he has accumulated 28 hits over his last 76 at-bats. In an industry that continually skews young, La Stella is proof that veteran players can still reinvent themselves and that all at-bats should not be evaluated equally.

La Stella doesn't lament his days as a pinch hitter. He credits the role with helping him condense his focus into two-minute intervals and forcing him to "be the simplest version of myself as a hitter, even if it wasn't the hitter I ultimately wanted to be."

He is, in a sense, a prodigious slugger now, the thought of which still makes him uncomfortable.

"To be honest with you, I feel a little strange talking about it because it is early," La Stella said. "It's just a start, and, you know, anybody can have a hot couple of months. But I feel more like myself again, which is comforting."

American clocks 19.84 200m at Golden Grand Prix, while Jodie Williams and Zharnel Hughes run World Champs qualifying standards in Guadeloupe

Find links to individual reports for various events on a busy weekend below, while other recent highlights are also listed.

Shanghai Diamond League

BMAF Road Relay Championships

Great Manchester Run

Loughborough International Athletics

European Race Walking Cup

Seiko Golden Grand Prix Osaka, Japan, May 19

USA’s Michael Norman dominated the 200m, clocking 19.84 (-0.4m/sec) to equal his PB and take 0.03 off the meeting record. Chinese Taipei’s Chun-Han Yang was second in 20.50.

Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova-Collio won the women’s 200m, also breaking the meeting record with 22.55 (+0.5m/sec).

A third meeting record was broken by China’s Wang Zheng as she won the hammer by more than a metre with 75.27m.

USA’s Justin Gatlin won the 100m in 10.00 ahead of Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu in 10.01. World under-20 champion Lalu Muhammad Zohri of Indonesia improved his own national record by clocking 10.03 in third.

Japan’s men’s 4x100m team returned after their IAAF World Relays disqualification and ran a world-leading 38.00 ahead of USA with 38.73.

Japan’s world under-20 bronze medallist Shunsuke Izumiya ran a winning windy 13.26 (+2.9m/sec) for the third-fastest ever 110m hurdles time by a junior athlete over senior-height hurdles in any conditions.

セイコーゴールデングランプリ
13.26+2.9?
追い風参考が悔しいですが、この記録を公認で超えていけるようにこれからも頑張ります?
応援ありがとうございました！！ pic.twitter.com/ZcroMdCsyz

— 泉谷 駿介 (@izumiya12388) May 19, 2019

USA’s Sharika Nelvis won the 100m hurdles ahead of Australia’s world champion Sally Pearson as both clocked 12.70 (0.4m/sec). Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad had a clear 400m hurdles win in 53.88.

Kenya’s Jonathan Kitilit won the 800m in 1:46.37 as Britain’s Guy Learmonth was second in 1:46.81. Shara Proctor finished fourth in the long jump with 6.29m (-0.5m/sec).

Meeting Guadeloupe Grande Caraibe, Guadeloupe, May 18

Fresh from a 100m PB at the beginning of the month, GB’s Jodie Williams achieved a 200m qualifying standard for the World Championships in Doha, clocking a winning time of 22.92 (+0.3m/sec).

Zharnel Hughes won the 100m in 10.03 (-0.9m/sec) to improve the Worlds standard for that event.

USA’s world record-holder Keni Harrison clocked a world-leading 12.47 (0.0m/s) in the 100m hurdles.

NJCAA Division 1 Championships, USA, May 17-18

Kenny Bednarek ran 19.49 for the fastest ever wind-assisted 200m, as the wind reading was +6.1m/sec.

He went on to clock 19.82 into a headwind of -0.8m/sec and a 44.73 400m, becoming just the second athlete to break both 20 seconds for 200m and 45 seconds for 400m on a single day.

Bryn Meadows Caerphilly 10K, Wales, May 19

Matt Clowes and Rachel Felton both ran event records to claim victory, Alex Donald reports.

Cardiff Man Clowes was a convincing winner over the undulating course in a race which forms the first fixture in the 2019 Welsh 10k Series.

With the halfway mark passed in 15:06 and despite a stiff climb at the 9km point, Clowes came home in 30:22, 11 seconds ahead of his mark from last year.

James Hunt was second in 31:09 followed by Dan Bodman in third.

“It’s a hilly course,” said Clowes. “I enjoyed it, though. It was a good test and it was good to run faster than I did last year because that was run on tired legs, following the London Marathon.

“My main aim for later in the year will be the BMW Berlin Marathon.”

Felton was equally convincing in her victory which came nearly two minutes ahead of Lucy Marland. Her winning 35:01 sliced a second of the previous record set by track specialist Rhianwedd Price in 2016.

Alaw Beynon-Thomas was third just weeks after her marathon debut in Newport.

TCS World 10K Bengaluru, India, May 19

Kenya’s Agnes Tirop retained her title, clocking 33:55 as just two seconds covered the top five. Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi was second and Letesenbet Gidey third and they were also both given a finishing time of 33:55.

Ethiopia’s Andamlak Belihu won the men’s race, adding this title to the Delhi Half Marathon crown he won seven months ago, crossing the line in 27:56.

Uganda’s Mande Bushendich finished second in 28:03.

City Of Gloucester 10K Run, May 19

Britain’s 2007 world 10,000m bronze medallist Jo Pavey raced for the first time this year and finished fourth overall, winning the women’s title in 34:39.

Had a nice time at the City of Gloucester 10K. I have really missed racing. Nice to get one done. I’m attempting to race myself back to fitness!??‍♀️? Well done to everyone who took park & a huge thanks to all the volunteers. #WeWhoRun Photos @NickParford @GlosLiveOnline pic.twitter.com/iVLboedCnO

— Jo Pavey (@jopavey) May 19, 2019

Kate Malthy was second with 36:29 and Emily Chandler third in 40:27.

Harry Bishop won the men’s title in 32:20, ahead of Charlie Jones with 33:04 and Marcus England with 33:06.

British Wheelchair Racing Association Track Championships, Stoke Mandeville, May 18-19 

Five-time Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft won the T34 100m, 400m and 800m, respectively clocking 17.58 (+1.9m/sec), 59.49 and 2:10.15.

Nathan Maguire won the T54 100m ahead of Richard Chiassaro, 14.63 to 14.81.

In the 200m, Chiassaro won in 25.64 to Maguire’s 26.13.

Stephen Miller threw 29.79m in the F32 club throw, while Gemma Prescott recorded 20.49m to win the women’s event.

Belgian Inter-Club Championships, Gaurain-Ramecroix, May 18

Continuing her comeback after injury, Olympic, world and European heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam improved her 200m PB to 24.37 into a headwind of 1.5 m/sec.

She also threw 52.71m in the javelin and formed part of a winning 4x100m team which clocked 47.97.

USATF Distance Classic, Los Angeles, USA, May 16

Josh Kerr ran 13:28.66 to finish second on his 5000m debut, with his fellow Scot Chris O’Hare running a PB of 13:33.99.

Kyle Langford clocked 1:47.31 for the runner-up spot in the 800m and Neil Gourley was sixth in 1:48.42.

There was a 4:09.31 1500m PB by Amy Eloise-Neale for fourth in the women’s race.

World Schools Cup, Split, Croatia, May 15-16 

Jasmine Jolly won the 300m hurdles with a time of 42.73, while Dominic Ogbechie jumped 7.36m to win the long jump

Serena Vincent won the shot put with a 16.79m throw, while there was a big PB of 13.74 for Jenna Blundell to take third in the 100m hurdles.

The elite orienteer on discovering a love of running through orienteering

Ralph Street was born and raised in London and admits that to have ended up among the world’s elite in a sport that has its origins in the Scandinavian wilderness is probably fairly unexpected.

He first competed for Great Britain in 2007 and since then orienteering has taken up more and more of his life. After finishing university in 2012 he moved to Scandinavia to really chase his orienteering dreams and last year finished 13th in the middle distance at the World Championships which is his best individual result so far.

Ahead of August’s World Orienteering Championships in Norway and as part of World Orienteering Week, Street shares some insight into his sport and its crossover with running.

Athletics Weekly: What was your route into orienteering? Were you a runner, or an orienteer, first?

Ralph Street: I was an orienteer first as both my parents were involved in the sport so I started competing as a youngster. Orienteering gave me a love of running, particularly cross country, so I took that up at school when it was on offer.

AW: What do you love most about orienteering?

RS: I like the challenge that orienteering presents: it is always different. The forests vary as well as the courses; sometimes there are short straight legs or longer routes that are more complex. You have to keep thinking and concentrating the whole time, so the key is to match your physical ability and mental alertness. I like the sense of adventure in orienteering, it’s no exaggeration to say you are heading off into the unknown and even at a big race you can find yourself completely alone in the terrain.

AW: How do you prepare for major championships? Do you have an ‘average’ training week?

RS: At the start of the year I sit down with my coaches and we set a plan a for the year filling in the races, training camps and key sessions. I usually follow a single peak periodisation plan focused towards the World Championships where, like all other athletes, I am trying to be in the best possible shape both physically, technically and mentally. On the physical side I have found that focusing on threshold training is the best way for me to hit my peak, so this forms a key part of my taper. For mental and technical training, I try and work out what kind of challenges I am likely to face while out in the forest and how I can overcome them in the best possible way.

As I am based in Oslo my training varies a lot from winter to summer; I do a lot more cross training (mostly cross country skiing) and gym work when the snow is here. On a snow-free average week I will fit in two hard sessions, two gym sessions and a long run. I then fill in the rest with as much running and orienteering as my body can sensibly tolerate.

AW: Can you talk about the crossover between the two sports and the necessary skillsets?

RS: All the top orienteers have to be very good runners. The main difference is that orienteers have to prepare for a great variety of terrain: hills, marshes, forest, rocks, so we learn to be most efficient over rough terrain. Even running on a forest trail can be different from a tartan track. Another big difference is most orienteering competitions are run as a time trial which means that you are alone in the forest and have judge the pace and effort yourself; there is no lead pack to hang on to.

AW: What are your key 2019 targets in both running and orienteering?

RS: My main focus this year is the World Championships in Norway in August. Before then I hope to go to Finland in June for some World Cup races and I will also compete in the big Scandinavian club races (think National Road Relays but along with about 20,000 other orienteers at the largest race) which is good for dealing with pressure but also great fun. The key for me now is managing the transition back into a high running volume after a winter largely on the cross country skis so that I avoid any injury setbacks.

AW: What are you most proud of having achieved in your elite career so far?

RS: Fourth place in the World Championships relay when it was held in Scotland in 2015 was a great result in front of a home crowd.

London Irish have signed forward Ruan Botha from Durban-based Super Rugby side The Sharks on a six-month deal.

The South African has made 64 Super Rugby appearances and will initially join Irish as Rugby World Cup cover.

The 27-year-old will then re-join the Exiles at the conclusion of a spell with Kubota Spears in Japan in time for the English pre-season in June 2020.

"Ruan being available during the Rugby World Cup period is a boost to us," director of rugby Declan Kidney said.

"He has a lot of top-class rugby experience and will also bring a lot more to the squad in terms of his leadership qualities."

Botha is the latest of a host of players to join London Irish, who achieved an immediate return to the Premiership by winning the Championship title this season.

Allan Dell, Adam Coleman, Sean O'Brien, Nick Phipps, Sekope Kepu, Paddy Jackson, Curtis Rona, Waisake Naholo and Will Goodrick-Clarke have also signed for the promoted Exiles.

Israel Folau will not appeal against his sacking by Rugby Australia for comments about gay people but says his decision is "in no way an acceptance of the judicial panel's findings".

The full-back, 30, had his contract terminated after saying "hell awaits" gay people in a social media post.

A code of conduct hearing upheld the RA decision. Folau had 72 hours to appeal but has chosen not to.

"I am considering all potential avenues open to me," said Folau.

The fundamentalist Christian, who had a contract running until 2022, could still take his case to the courts in Australia.

"My decision not to commence Rugby Australia's appeal process is in no way an acceptance of the judicial panel's findings," he said.

"I simply do not have confidence in Rugby Australia's ability to treat me fairly or lawfully throughout this process.

"I believe I still have a lot of rugby left in me and the potential impact of Ruby Australia's decision on my reputation and my career is substantial."

Folau's sacking stems form a banner he posted on his Instagram account in April that read: "Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators - Hell awaits you."

He requested a hearing into his dismissal, at which he was found guilty of a "high-level breach" of RA's player code of conduct.

"As Folau has not notified the panel of his intention to appeal, the code of conduct process has now formally concluded," said an RA statement.

"With the code of conduct matter complete, Folau's employment contract will be terminated."

In addition to his rugby union career, Folau has also played professional rugby league and Australian rules football. In April, Australian rugby league's governing body ruled out Folau returning to the NRL.

He has recently lost sponsorship deals with Land Rover, who withdrew a car issued to him, and sportswear brand Asics.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Acknowledged as a premier amateur road racing series in North America, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour winners can truly take pride in their accomplishment.

But emerging victorious more than once in the same weekend at a single event, that’s something to be cherished. And that’s exactly what a handful of drivers achieved this weekend at Portland Int’l Raceway during a two-day event hosted by SCCA’s Oregon Region.

Driver Scotty B. White can legitimately lay claim to an exalted status after earning three first-place finishes over the course of 48 hours. On Saturday, White scooped up the Touring 3 (T3) win in his No. 0 GOT CDL?/Extreme CMT/Hawk Brakes Ford Mustang. On Sunday, White was again victorious in T3 on the 1.97-mile, 12-turn circuit, but also slipped into his Ford Mustang for a GT-3 win later in the day.

A racer who brought home two wins was Bill Collins, a serious challenger frequently seen at Hoosier Super Tour events. In his No. 63 Interstate Truck Driving School Chevrolet Corvette, Collins drove to both Touring 1 and Touring 2 victories on Sunday.

“This is the first time I’ve ever done this,” Collins said about grabbing two wins on the same day. “Racing in SCCA keeps me young. We love this stuff and I’m going to keep doing this forever. I’m almost 69 years old and I’m going strong.”

Speaking of strong, Formula Mazda champion Melvin Kemper took wins Saturday and Sunday in his No. 4 Goodyear MSR Formula Mazda. But the wins didn’t come easy. On both days, Kemper had to fight with Bill Weaver and his Star Formula Mazda.

“Bill got a really good jump Sunday, and it was on,” Kemper said. “I caught back up in traffic and we seesawed a little bit. He’s pretty quick and tough. Bill would’ve been really tough to pass … but he got caught up a little bit in some traffic.”

B-Spec racer Cherie Storms, in the No. 16 WCS Motorsports Mazda 2, also managed back-to-back wins on the weekend. However, it came at a price. Cherie and her father, Ford Fiesta driver W.C. Storms, were fighting for the B-Spec victory when they both came across a portion of track slicked down by the fluids of another race car.

“We were having a great race, me and my dad, and I was so happy keeping him behind me,” Cherie said. “But there must have been oil down in turn 12 and my car just took off and hit the wall, and dad took off behind me and we were both in the wall.

“I was able to get out of the wall and finish the race,” Cherie continued. “It was important for me to finish the race, even if they were slow laps. I’m just happy to finish and really happy to race with my dad. Big thanks to my dad … and we got some work to do on these cars after this weekend.”

Other competitors who claimed double victories during the weekend included H Production’s Michael Cummings in the No. 32 Huffaker Engineering/Hoosier Tires Austin Healey Sprite, Formula 500’s Lance Spiering in his No. 29 KBS MK VII, Formula Continental® newbie Nick Persing in the No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc Van Diemen RF00, Thomas Burt in his No. 45 SCCA Formula Enterprises 2 Mazda, Prototype 1 ace Jim Devenport in the No. 23 Cranbrook Group Norma M20F, Prototype 2 star Tim Day Jr. in his No. 8 Mere Mortal Apparel/George Dean Racing Engines Stohr WF1, GT-3 champion Collin Jackson in the No. 53 Specialty Engineering Nissan 240SX, Touring 4 driver Derrick Ambrose in the No. 70 CorkSport Mazda Performance/BFGoodrich/Monarch Inspections/G-LOC Brakes Mazda 3, Super Touring® Lite’s Kristina Etherington in the No. 96 EZ Racing Mazda RX-8, and Super Touring® Under’s Whitfield Gregg in the No. 22 TFB Mazda Miata.

PORT COLBORNE, Ontario — The New Humberstone Speedway opened up the gates for their 60th season opener presented by the Seaway Mall Sunday night and it looked like the racing action was going to get completed.

Feature action was held for the JC Auto Thunderstocks with Dave Bailey getting the win. Craig Vlasic picked up the win in the Mini Stocks and Dylan Llord scored the win in the Airhardt Deliveries Pro 4 Trucks.

Double features for the Cosco Haulage DIRTcar Sportsman and the Pro Fabrication RUSH Late Models will take place next Sunday. Speedway management will work the organizers with the UMP Modifieds about a reschedule date.

CALIFORNIA, Mo. — Tyler Blank won Sunday night’s 360 winged sprint car feature at Double-X Speedway.

Tyler Utz and Korey Bales started on the front row. Utz would lead the first two laps before Bales would take the point until sliding off of the top of turn two. On the restart, Utz was back at the point with opening night feature event winner Blank in second.

Utz would lead with Blank keeping pace, on lap 10 Blank would show his front wing to Utz on the low side of turn four and as Utz moved to protect the low line, Blank moved to the top shelf in turns three and four to make the pass for the lead. Evan Martin moved around Utz two laps later to take second and began to reel in the leader.

Martin closed up to challenge for the lead on lap 22, but as he was working around the lapped car of Tyler Utz he slid over the berm in turn one. Martin was able to keep his momentum and came back on the track as the yellow flag waved on for the stalled car of Broc Elliott.

On the restart, Blank moved back to the low groove and held off Evan Martin to claim his second win on the season at Double-X. Taylor Walton was third, Riley Kreisel finished a good run in fourth and Ben Brown finished fifth.

Cody Frazon won the super stock feature and Rick Girard topped the hobby stock race.