Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School in Gurabo was founded in 2001. (John Stoffel) By JOHN STOFFEL Special to The STAR It’s a pleasant, sun-washed Wednesday in January and Ponce feels like the center of the baseball world. Inside Francisco Montaner Stadium, 95 of the island’s top high school baseball players gather for the MLB Puerto Rico Showcase. The crack of the bats and the pop of mitts echo through the stadium as scouts representing teams across Major League Base

Dylan Cease struck out 12 Oakland A’s batters in his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, setting a club record for debuting pitchers. (Instagram via bluejays) By SHAWNA RICHER The Toronto Blue Jays played their first opening day 50 years ago in the snow. Not a flurry, but snow that collected on the brims of people’s hats and accumulated on the field so much that groundskeepers used a hockey rink Zamboni to clear the turf. Blue Jays third baseman Dave McKay, a Canadi

Naya Gross finished with 18 points for the Valencianas in their five-set win over Corozal. (Heriberto Rosario Rosa - FPV) By THE STAR STAFF The Valencianas of Juncos secured their first victory in two outings on Sunday night in the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) Section A quarterfinals, defeating the Pinkin of Corozal in a five-set thriller and handing them their third loss in as many matches. Juncos -- which recently added Puerto Rican s

San Germán shot 51 percent from the field and won going away. By THE STAR STAFF The Criollos of Caguas and the Atléticos of San Germán were winners on Saturday night to cap off the first week of the 2026 Superior National Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) season. At Juan “Pachín” Vicens Auditorium in Ponce, the Criollos of Caguas defeated the Leones of Ponce 99-98 in overtime. Caguas set the pace from the start with an 8-0 run and closed the first quarter leading 23

Emily Elliot (22 points) came up big down the stretch for Manatí (Heriberto Rosario/FPV) By THE STAR STAFF In a Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) Section B quarterfinal match on Saturday night, the host Atenienses of Manatí halted the momentum of the Criollas of Caguas, securing their first victory in three matches and keeping their hopes of advancing to the semifinals alive. Caguas, which was looking to punch a direct ticket to the next rou

By TARIQ PANJA The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned transgender athletes from competing in the women’s category at the Olympics, after telling its members to conduct mandatory genetic testing for women’s competitions. The decision, the most consequential since Kirsty Coventry was elected last year as the first woman to serve as president of the IOC, followed a board meeting and months of speculation over the organization’s policy on one of the most contentious iss

The Vaqueros of Bayamón executed in key moments down the stretch to close out the win in Manatí. By THE STAR STAFF The Vaqueros of Bayamón defeated the Osos of Manatí 73-71 on Wednesday night in a Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) game at Juan Aubín Cruz Coliseum in Manatí. Bayamón entered the final quarter with an eight-point lead following a solid first half, during which they managed to pull away by as many as 14 points. However, the Osos made a run at the start of the fo

Tamara Otene had 13 points as the Cangrejaras of Santurce notched a straight-sets victory over the Valencianas of Juncos in the LVSF quarterfinals. By THE STAR STAFF The Cangrejeras of Santurce defeated the Valencianas of Juncos in straight sets on Wednesday night at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey in the Section A quarterfinals of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish). It was the first postseason match for the Valencianas (0-1). The o

Beyond all the numbers, though, is the fact that we are still seeing LeBron James’ vintage competitiveness and hoops acumen at this stage, and at this age -- 41 -- and it has made these past few weeks wonderful to watch. (Facebook via NBA Philippines) By SAM AMICK / THE ATHLETIC His silly smile said it all. Here was LeBron James in Year No. 23 of his pro basketball career, having just tied Robert Parish for the NBA record in games played, and he looked like a toddler whose mo

The Leonas of Ponce outblocked the Atenienses of Manatí 13-7 en route to the quarterfinals win. (Facebook via Las Atenienses de Manati) By THE STAR STAFF The Leonas of Ponce stole a road victory at Juan Aubín Cruz Coliseum in Manatí in their first match of the postseason on Tuesday night, defeating the host Atenienses in four sets as the quarterfinals of the Women’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSF by its initials in Spanish) continued this week. The outcome marked the second