AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods followed one of the best rounds of his life with a solid 2-under 68 on Saturday in the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational, giving him a seven-shot lead and setting him up for a remarkable eighth victory at Firestone Country Club.

Unlike in a second-round 61 that could easily have been a 59 or even lower, Woods didn’t recover from all of his errant shots. He bogeyed the ninth, 14th and 16th holes, failing to bounce back from mediocre shots.

Yet he still was good enough to put himself in position for yet another lopsided victory, one that will likely mark him as the player to beat next week in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

He had a 15-under 195 total

Henrik Stenson was second after a 67.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Justin Maxwell homered deep into the left-field seats leading off the 12th inning, and the Kansas City Royals overcame a late blown lead and got back to their winning ways with a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday.

Kansas City, which had a nine-game winning streak snapped Friday with a loss in the 11th, is 8-2 in extra innings.

Maxwell, acquired Wednesday in a trade with Houston, hit a 3-2 pitch from David Aardsma for his fifth career pinch-homer and first overall with the Royals. The New York bullpen had been perfect after starter Jeremy Hefner left after six innings, but Aardsma couldn’t retire the first batter he faced.

The Mets lost hours after putting All-Star third baseman David Wright on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The NFL will begin its new clear bag policy for fans this weekend at the Hall of Fame inductions and game.

For security reasons, fans can no longer bring backpacks or large bags into stadiums. The NFL is ratcheting up its safety measures in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing.

The only bags that can be taken into game venues are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC that doesn’t exceed 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches, including one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags.

NFL security director Jeffrey Miller says a secondary perimeter will be set up outside Fawcett Stadium, site of the inductions and the first preseason game, in which Miami plays Dallas. Fans will be reminded of the new policy, and the league plans to make acceptable bags available for fans before they line up to enter the stadium.

The regulations are posted at nfl.com/allclear.

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Induction ceremonies are taking place tonight at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The class of 2013 consists of six former players and a coach, Bill Parcells. The players are Larry Allen, Cris Carter, Curley Culp, Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson and Warren Sapp.

The annual Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibition game is being played tomorrow with the Dallas Cowboys playing the Miami Dolphins. The game is being held at adjacent Fawcett Stadium.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Tiger Woods has tied a career high while storming to a commanding lead at the midway point of the Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods fired a 9-under 61 to match his lowest round ever in relation to score, beginning the day birdie-eagle before dropping in six more birdies. He opened the back nine with four straight birdies for his fourth career 61, 13 years after he did it at the storied Firestone Country Club course.

Woods had a chance for a record-tying 59 before missing birdie tries inside 10 feet on the 15th and 17th holes.

Woods is 13-under through 36 holes, a whopping seven strokes ahead of defending champion Keegan Bradley and Chris Wood. Bradley and Wood each fired 68s.

NEW YORK (AP) — Eric Young Jr. homered with two outs in the 11th inning and the New York Mets overcame a blown lead to beat Kansas City 4-2 on Friday night, snapping the Royals’ winning streak at nine.

Young slammed a 3-1 pitch from Luis Mendoza (2-6) over the right-field fence for his first career game-ending hit and just his second home run of the season. It scored Omar Quintanilla, who had walked.

The Mets led 2-0 on a first-inning homer by David Wright, but New York’s beat-up bullpen couldn’t protect it as Kansas City scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to tie it.

The Royals, whose surge matched the team’s fifth-longest winning streak, were trying for their first 10-game run since they won 14 straight in 1994.

Carlos Torres (2-2), New York’s scheduled starter for Saturday, worked two innings for the win in the 4 hour, 7 minute marathon.

UNDATED (AP) — More and more it looks like any suspensions in the Biogenisis baseball scandal will be handed down by Monday. Under pressure from the clubs to get the matter taken care of, Major League Baseball hopes to have deals worked out with any players caught cheating. The reason is simple: those who are given suspensions that would end before the start of the playoffs would be eligible to play in the postseason.

That brings up the case of Alex Rodriguez, who has started a second minor league injury rehabilitation assignment in Trenton, N.J. The Yankees third baseman is trying to get back in the line-up after suffering a quad injury on July 21.

Rodriguez could be in position to return to the major leagues this weekend at San Diego or during a series against the White Sox that starts Monday. But it appears Major League Baseball will suspend the three-time MVP in coming days for his ties to Biogenesis of America, a closed Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.

Monday appears to be the deadline for Alex Rodriguez and 13 others to accept suspensions for their ties to the scandal.

A person familiar with the process tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball is prepared to issue two simultaneous announcements no later than Monday. One would list players who accept suspensions; the other would name those disciplined without deals, but who could challenge penalties before an arbitrator.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jhoulys Chacin allowed one run on six hits over eight innings and the Colorado Rockies snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Chacin (10-5), who has won seven of his past nine decisions, stayed in the game after taking a sharp line drive off the bat of Starling Marte in the fifth inning.

Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki had a solo homer and an RBI single, and Todd Helton had a two-run single 17 years to the day after making his major-league debut in the same city.

Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole (5-5) needed 102 pitches to make it through 5 1-3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Montee Ball was star struck. Terrell Davis was awe struck.

The Denver Broncos Ring of Famer and current NFL Network analyst visited his old team Friday to interview the rookie running back.

Ball said he caught himself looking at Davis throughout practice and called the former Broncos running back his idol.

Davis said he was touched, especially when Ball told him he emulated not just his running style but how he conducted himself in interviews.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning is about to enter a season of Super Bowl expectations behind an offensive line that’s full of questions, surgical scars, fresh faces and, yes, promise.

Three centers with a combined 18 career starts at the position are vying for the starting job now that J.D. Walton and Dan Koppen are out, and the leading candidate, Manny Ramirez, has none of those starts, although he was Denver’s starting right guard for most of last season.

Ryan Lilja and Steve Vallos have a little more experience in the middle but are also guards by trade and provide depth and flexibility more than anything.

Lilja played guard for six seasons with Manning in Indianapolis and then converted to center in Kansas City last year, then retired after the Chiefs went 2-14.