The Evening Brief: Vollering claims worlds, Italy set for Ukraine final, Curry's discount deal

Saturday brought closure to one of baseball's most accomplished careers and clarity to four championship races entering their final stages.

Justin Verlander, 43, made his 595th and final Major League start for Detroit against Pittsburgh, throwing 91 pitches over 5 and two-thirds innings with six strikeouts. He exceeded his own pregame target of five innings despite a six-month absence from hip and hamstring injuries. His daughter Genevieve, 7 years old, removed him from the game in the sixth inning as part of an arranged ceremony. The Tigers won 4-3 on a walk-off home run by rookie Eduardo Valencia. Verlander's career spans 21 seasons, all with Detroit, and closes with 3,561 strikeouts, 266 wins, and a 3.33 ERA.

In cycling, Demi Vollering won the women's road race world championship in Montreal on Saturday in four hours 45 minutes nine seconds, defeating Kasia Niewiadoma in a sprint finish with less than 200 meters remaining. The race circuit measured 13.4 kilometers with eight laps around Montreal and included steep gradients that claimed 15 total crashes, including the defending champion and the race favorite. Vollering's victory caps a season in which she won two grand tours and multiple classics.

On the golf course, the Internationals hold a 10-5-7.5 lead over the United States after day three of the Presidents Cup at Medinah and need five of a possible 12 points in Sunday's singles matches to secure their first title in 28 years. The Internationals trailed in every match at one stage on day three. Canada's Corey Conners preserved the lead with a par save on the 18th in the final match.

In tennis, Italy advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup semifinals on Thursday by defeating China 2-1 in Shenzhen, with Jasmine Paolini winning both singles and doubles to extend her tournament winning streak to nine consecutive matches. She beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the deciding singles and paired with Sara Errani for a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 doubles win. Italy will face Ukraine on Saturday; Ukraine advanced to the semifinals for the second time, defeating Belgium 2-1 earlier Thursday with Anhelina Kalinina and Lyudmyla Kichenok securing the doubles point. The Billie Jean King Cup final is scheduled for Sunday. Czech Republic also advanced, defeating Britain 2-0 in their quarterfinal.

Off the field, Stephen Curry signed a 2-year, $116 million extension with the Golden State Warriors on Friday, keeping him through his 20th professional season. The deal includes a player option for 2028-29. Curry took more than $20 million below his maximum eligible salary, which would have been close to $137 million over two years, to provide the Warriors financial flexibility. His cap figure for 2027-28 will be $55.7 million. Before the extension, Golden State could have entered the 2027 offseason with over $100 million in cap space. Since winning their last championship in 2022, the Warriors have made the playoff just twice in four years and have not returned to the Western Conference Finals.

Separately, Manchester City was found guilty on 114 of 115 charges in the Premier League's financial probe on Friday, covering breaches across 14 seasons from 2009-10 through 2022-23. The most serious charges relate to failure to provide accurate financial information and breaches of profitability and sustainability rules. City has until October 9 to file an appeal. Available sanctions range from fines to points deduction to suspension from competition or expulsion.

In hockey, the NHL is adopting an 84-game regular season for the first time since 1994, effective 2026-27, as part of a collective bargaining agreement in place through 2030. The expansion adds two games per team and creates 1,344 total regular-season games spread over 194 days. Opening night is September 29, the earliest start date in North American professional sports this year.