Nov 17, 2017 4 min read

Wild Things

re-sign Burns

The Washington Wild Things have re-signed right-handed pitcher Aaron Burns for the 2018 Frontier League season.

Burns played his first season of professional baseball with the Wild Things in 2017, and had a 4.33 earned run average, bouncing between a long-relief role and starting roles. The 24-year old was 4-3 with a save in 19 appearances (10 starts).

The Irving, Texas, native came to Washington after a solid career at Temple College (2014) and Texas-San Antonio (2015-2016).

Burns joins fellow pitching staff members Chase Cunningham, Frank Trimarco, Jake Eaton, Davis Adkins, Trevor Bradley and Zach Strecker in re-signing with the team. Catcher Kyle Pollock also was re-signed.

Truex fastest

among contenders

Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest of the four NASCAR Cup Series championship contenders in qualifying and will start second in Sunday’s finale.

Truex, the regular-season champion, turned a lap of 173.952 mph at Homestead-Miami Speedway Friday night. Denny Hamlin stole the pole from Truex on the last lap of qualifying. Hamlin went 173.980 mph to take the spot and give Toyota a 1-2 front row.

Kyle Busch, Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, will start third and Brad Keselowski fifth. Kevin Harvick qualified ninth.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the 24th-best qualifying effort, but an engine change will drop NASCAR’s favorite son to the rear of the field for his final NASCAR Cup race.

Yankees interview Boone

Having never managed or coached at any level, Aaron Boone believes his provenance prepared him to lead the New York Yankees.

“I would say in a way I’ve been preparing for this job for the last 44 years,” Boone said Friday after becoming the fourth person to interview for the job that opened when Joe Girardi was let go Oct. 26.

Boone’s grandfather, Ray, was a two-time All-Star infielder from 1948-60. His father, Bob, was a four-time All-Star catcher from 1972-90, then managed Kansas City from 1995-97 and Cincinnati from 2001-03.

Aaron Boone was a big league third baseman from 1997-2009 and was an All-Star in 2003, when New York acquired him from the Reds at the trade deadline.

Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson, former Cleveland and Seattle manager Eric Wedge, and San Francisco bench coach Hensley Meulens previously interviewed.

Cook shoots 62, takes lead

PGA Tour rookie Austin Cook made a 6-foot birdie putt on his final hole for an 8-under 62 and a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the RSM Classic.

Cook has gone 36 holes without a bogey on the Plantation and Seaside courses at Sea Island Golf Club. He played Seaside – the site of the final two rounds in the last PGA Tour event of the calendar year – Friday and ran off four straight birdies on his opening nine holes.

“We’ve just been able to it hit the ball really well,” Cook said. “Speed on greens has been really good and getting up-and-down has been great. I’ve been able to hit it pretty close to the hole to make some pretty stress-free putts. But the couple putts that I have had of some length for par, I’ve been able to roll them in. Everything’s going well.”

The 26-year-old former Arkansas player was at 14-under 128 and had a one-stroke lead over Brian Gay, who shot 64 on Seaside. No one else was closer than five shots going into the final two rounds.

The 45-year-old Gay won the last of his four PGA Tour titles in 2013.

“I’ve hit a lot of greens and fairways,” Gay said. “I’ve hit the ball, kept it in front of me. There’s a lot of trouble out here, especially with the wind blowing, so I haven’t had to make too many saves the first couple days and I putted well.”

Cook has made the weekend cuts in all four of his starts this season. He earned his PGA Tour card through the Web.com Tour, and has hired Gay’s former caddie, Kip Henley.