Erling Haaland continued his sensational start to the new Premier League season with a brace that helped Manchester City come from behind to beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday.

Haaland, the Premier League Player of the Month, had netted hat-tricks in his prior two appearances but had to settle for just the two goals at the Etihad Stadium, moving to 99 in City colours in all competitions.

Yoane Wissa had stunned City in the first minute after capitalising on a defensive mix-up, but Haaland was not kept quiet for long.

City’s master marksman had Pep Guardiola’s side back on terms in the 19th minute, before scoring what proved to be the winner before half-time.

Haaland came close to completing another treble and bringing up his City ton, but the champions had to survive a nervy finish to preserve the Premier League’s only 100% record at the top of the table, with Brentford back in seventh place.

Data Debrief: Haaland closing in City ton

While the combination of the post and the palms of Mark Flekken stopped Haaland from netting his 100th City goal and a third consecutive hat-trick, you feel it is only a matter of time before the Norwegian achieves his landmark moment. 

Haaland has now taken his tally to nine goals in the first four league games this season, the most of any player in the opening four matches of a Premier League campaign (overtaking Wayne Rooney in 2011-12 - eight in first four).

It was also the Norwegian's 50th appearance for City at the Etihad. The striker has been directly involved in more home goals than any other Premier League player across all competitions since his home debut in August 2022 (70 – 59 goals and 11 assists).

But Guardiola's side had to come from behind to secure the triumph, with Wissa's goal after 22 seconds was the fastest ever scored in the Premier League against the reigning champions, while it was the first time that City have ever conceded in the opening minute at home in the competition.

Champions Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 4-1 victory at Hoffenheim on Saturday thanks to a dazzling performance by Victor Boniface.

The Nigerian scored two goals and laid on an assist, ensuring Leverkusen got back to winning ways in their first game since the international break.

The visitors struck twice in the first half an hour for a 2-0 lead, with Boniface setting up Martin Terrier for a tap-in in the 17th minute before turning scorer with a clever finish.

Mergim Berisha, making his first appearances since a knee ligament tear last November, cut the deficit for Hoffenheim just before the break from close range.

Leverkusen restored their two-goal lead courtesy of a penalty, buried by Florian Wirtz in the 72nd minute, after Dennis Geiger fouled Alex Grimaldo in the box.

Boniface then single-handedly dismantled the Hoffenheim defence with a strong run down the left, powering a shot past keeper Oliver Baumann three minutes later to lift Leverkusen to fourth place on six points.

Data Debrief: Normal business resumed

It came as quite a shock before the international break when Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga ended, with RB Leipzig handing them their first defeat in 462 days.

But Xabi Alonso's side quickly shook that result off, and extended their impressive unbeaten run on the road - they are now unbeaten in 19 such matches (W16 D3). It is also the first time they have won their first two away games in a Bundesliga season.

Meanwhile, Baumann made his 464th Bundesliga appearance in this match, drawing him level with Toni Schumacher and Lothar Matthaus. This was his 92nd consecutive game in the competition.

Leeds United suffered their first defeat of the Championship season as they were beaten 1-0 at home by fellow promotion hopefuls Burnley.

Daniel Farke’s side came into Saturday's encounter having won back-to-back matches against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, but their momentum was halted by their clinical visitors.

Burnley forward Luca Koleosho scored the only goal of the game the day before his 20th birthday.

Koleosho took advantage of a slip from Manor Solomon after 18 minutes, before sprinting 70 yards and drilling a shot past Leeds goalkeeper Ilan Meslier.

That proved to be enough to inflict on Leeds a third home league defeat in six matches going back to last season, despite the hosts applying plenty of pressure as they sought an equaliser.

Burnley's Bashir Humphreys was sent off eight minutes into stoppage time at the end of the match, but Leeds were unable to find a way through.

Elsewhere in Saturday's early Championship kick-offs, Luton Town claimed their first win since relegation from the Premier League.

Teden Mengi's fine early effort from the edge of the penalty area was enough to beat Millwall 1-0 away from home.

While Luton have ground to make up in the promotion race, Oxford United's surprise challenge continues on the back of their 100% home record.

That was maintained with a deserved 1-0 victory over Stoke City, with Idris El Mizouni netting the winner three minutes into the second half.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix pole-sitter for the fourth year in a row after a stunning showing on the streets of Baku. 

Leclerc, who emerged victorious in Monza last time out, is in a good position to close the gap to both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship. 

Norris will need an unlikely turn of events to close his 62-point gap to the Dutchman as he encountered yellow flags on his final lap in the first session and will start Sunday's race in 17th. 

Verstappen, meanwhile, will start in sixth after being outqualified by team-mate Sergio Perez, who finished fourth, with Mercedes' George Russell sandwiched in between.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso came next, with Williams producing an excellent display with drives from Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon to complete the top 10. 

Leclerc's performance saw him record the best pole streak for a Ferrari driver in a Grand Prix since Michael Schumacher in Spain from 2000 to 2004 (five). 

Speaking after qualifying, the Monegasque was confident about his chances of becoming the first driver since Felipe Massa to achieve consecutive victories on at least two occasions. 

“It’s one of my favourite tracks of the season, I really like it, it hasn’t been an easy weekend because of the crash in FP1," Leclerc said.  

"It didn’t make me lose confidence as I knew that the pace was there, but you’ve got to be back up to speed.

“In Q3 and qualifying it was all about trying to stay as far as possible from the walls and on the last lap I went for it a bit more and the lap time came very nicely.

“The car felt really good and everything felt great, so it’s amazing to be on pole."

Norris was on course to make it through into the second session comfortably but a yellow flag as he approached the final straight saw his flying lap ruined. 

“The lap was easily good enough, but there was a yellow flag so I had to back off," Norris said. 

“Following is pretty much impossible around here and overtaking is a lot worse than everyone thinks.

“I am not expecting much from 17th, but we will put in a good plan tonight and do our best of course.

"I have been wrong, and I hope there are plenty of chances, but I’m not expecting so.”

But when asked, McLaren team-mate Piastri was confident that the team have the pace to score some big points in the race for the constructors' championship. 

"I think from where we are starting, yes," Piastri said.

But following around here is really tough, we saw yesterday, it was pretty tough once you get behind someone, hopefully get some clean air, which will be good.

"We'll see what we can do. I think our race pace is good, but again, the Ferraris are certainly not slow.

Qualifying results

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

5. George Russell (Mercedes)

6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 

9. Franco Colapinto (Williams)

10. Alex Albon (Williams)

Erik ten Hag believes Andre Onana's penalty save was the "turning point" as Manchester United got back to winning ways with a commanding 3-0 victory over 10-man Southampton.

The Red Devils arrived at St Mary's on a two-match losing streak and almost fell behind in the 33rd minute, but Onana guessed correctly to keep out Cameron Archer's tame spot-kick.

The visitors capitalised on their reprieve as goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford put them 2-0 up at half-time, before Alejandro Garnacho wrapped up the points later on.

Ten Hag was pleased with his team's response and also saluted Rashford, who netted his first goal since March.

"The start was not easy," the United boss told BBC Match of the Day. 

"I think the penalty was the turning point in the game and, not so far after, we scored and that was very important. From that moment on, the game was all ours."

On Rashford's goal, he added: "It's very important. We spoke before the game. It is huge for him, for every striker.

"When the season starts, you want to be on the scoring list. Now he has his first, I'm sure more will come."

Onana was also pleased to see Rashford back on the scoresheet.

"We had a tough season last year, and he was not at his best," he told TNT Sports. "But today, he showed he's a great player - one of the best in the world.

"That's football, that's life. It's now how you fall, it's about how many times you stand up again. I'm really happy for him. Hopefully, he will score many more for the team.

On bouncing back with a win, he added: "Every game when you lose is like it's the end of the world. You have to stay strong, stay together and keep fighting.

"It was very good to save that penalty. It was an important moment for us.

"The most important thing for us is victory. We had a great game and a clean sheet. Hopefully, we will continue playing like this."

Manchester United halted their two-game losing run with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Southampton at St Mary's, with Matthijs de Ligt, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho on target.

United emerged from the first international break of 2024-25 14th in the Premier League table following defeats to Brighton and Liverpool, but they got back to winning ways after surviving an early scare on the south coast.

Making his first Premier League start, Tyler Dibling won a penalty for Southampton in the first half, but Andre Onana kept out Cameron Archer's tame kick and the momentum shifted from there.

De Ligt headed in his first United goal just two minutes later, then an excellent Rashford strike, curled into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the box, gave them breathing room. 

Garnacho came off the bench to add to Southampton's woes in the second half, with Jack Stephens' wild lunge on the Argentine resulting in him being shown a straight red card with 11 minutes to play.

Garnacho then got himself on the scoresheet six minutes into stoppage time, lashing into the roof of the net after Diogo Dalot found him with a cutback from the byline.

Data Debrief: Rashford back in form

Rashford's dip in form in 2023-24 was a major contributing factor in United finishing a lowly eighth in the Premier League, the forward netting just seven league goals after plundering 17 the previous campaign.

However, he showed supreme confidence for his 41st-minute strike, which gave United a two-goal cushion at a crucial moment.

That effort ended a run of 12 games for United without a goal for Rashford, who had only previously endured two longer droughts for the club – 17-match runs that ended in January 2017 and August 2022.

Three of Rashford's last four Premier League goals have come from outside the penalty area, and since the start of 2022-23, only Eberechi Eze (eight), Phil Foden (seven) and Kevin De Bruyne (six) have scored more such goals in the competition than his five.

Lamine Yamal said that it would be impossible to reach Lionel Messi’s level during his career, despite having been through an incredible breakout season.

The 17-year-old made 37 league appearances for Barcelona last season and was thrust further into the public eye as he helped Spain win Euro 2024 in Germany.

Yamal, who was 16 for much of the tournament having celebrated his birthday before the final, swept the boards at the competition, winning Young Player of the Tournament, Goal of the Tournament and was also named in the Team of the Tournament.

The teenage sensation also laid on four assists in seven appearances over the summer and has made a decent start to the 2024-25 season as one of Barcelona’s main men.

In four LaLiga appearances, he has scored once and supplied four assists, with his 11 chances created a total only bettered by team-mate Raphinha (12) and Vinicius Junior (15) in the division.

Such form and media attention has led to inevitable comparisons with footballing legend Messi, who made his competitive debut for Barcelona at 17.

The Argentine went on to score over 600 goals for the club across 17 seasons, winning 34 trophies, while he came to be widely considered as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

But Yamal has been quick to reject the comparison between himself and his Argentinian predecessor, claiming that although he enjoys the comparisons, it is not possible to reach the standards he set.

“I like that they compared me to the greatest player in the history of football, but I want to be myself,” Yamal told Spanish TV station Antena 3.

“Reaching Messi’s level is impossible.”

Despite Yamal’s understandable suggestion that he will be unable to reach the same heights as Messi, the winger still showed his self-confidence in the interview.

Somewhat bizarrely, he was pictured as a six-month old baby with Messi in a charity calendar in 2007, with photos having since gone viral.

Speaking about the experience, the teenager joked that he was able to pick up some of his footballing ability through Messi.

“He passed along some of his powers to me. I still have a lot to give,” said Yamal.

Despite being just 17 years old, Yamal has already played 55 times for Barcelona and, having made such an impression on world football over summer, interest from other clubs is an inevitability.

Yamal’s contract with Barcelona runs until 2026, with a reported release clause of £1bn, while sporting director Deco is keen to renew it when he turns 18.

But the teenager has made clear that he has no desire to leave the Catalan giants, wanting to remain with them for the rest of his career.

“I don’t want those €120m [bids] because then I would have to leave Barca,” said Yamal.

“I hope to never have to leave. I want to be a legend.”

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that Sheldon Clarke former student of Munro College, deserves hearty congratulations and best wishes for his history making advance to the National Football League's International Player Pathway (NFL-IPP) Combine in the United Kingdom.

The NFL International Player Pathway programme offers the opportunity for athletes to bridge the gap between their current skills and the demands of professional American football.

The Combine is scheduled for October 10-12, 2024.

If successful at the Combine, Clarke who is 21, could earn a place in a training programme designed to prepare international athletes for the rigours of the NFL.

Minister Grange said, “This selection is not just a personal triumph for Sheldon, but an inspiration for every young athlete in Jamaica who aspires to play American football."

At the Combine, he will undergo rigorous physical tests, skill evaluations, and interviews with NFL personnel.

 

 

 

The San Francisco 49ers are considering placing star running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve as he continues to battle calf and Achilles issues.

McCaffrey missed the Niners' season-opening victory over the New York Jets on Monday, having struggled with soreness in his right calf and tendinitis in his Achilles. 

On Thursday, head coach Kyle Shanahan ruled McCaffrey out of the team's Week 2 trip to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and conversations are now taking place about placing him on the injured reserve list.

If they do so, he will have to sit out at least four more games, leaving San Francisco without one of their foremost offensive weapons for a significant period of the season.

"It's something we're considering now," Shanahan told reporters. "Yesterday was his worst day. 

"It's on and off, but with yesterday having the most pain. It's something we're going to be discussing together in the next 24 hours."

McCaffrey won the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award for 2023 after helping San Francisco reach Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, where they suffered a dramatic overtime defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs.

He led the NFL in rushing with 1,459 yards with 14 touchdowns in his first full season with the 49ers, having arrived in a blockbuster trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2022.

McCaffrey admitted his injury problems were causing him plenty of frustration earlier this week, telling reporters: "My mindset every week is that I'm going to play.

"There's been weeks when I'll go the full week, not even feeling good enough to do the walk-through, and then I wake up and the body's capable of a lot of cool things. 

"Mentally, I'm always prepared to play, and then I woke up and it was a group decision, a very tough one. 

"I hate not playing, but I look at it as a chess move and something that hopefully you can benefit from the rest of the season."

Tiger Woods has undergone surgery to address the back spasms and pain that hampered him throughout 2024.

Woods has struggled for fitness throughout the last few years, having suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021.

He appeared at all four majors this year but missed the cut at three of those events, also finishing 60th at the Masters, while illness forced him to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February.

The 15-time major champion has also undergone several surgeries on his back throughout the last decade, and he revealed on Friday that another procedure was required to rectify issues that plagued him this season.

"Earlier this morning Tiger underwent micro decompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back," read a statement posted to Woods' X account.

"Dr Sheeraz Qureshi of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach performed the surgery and deemed it successful."

Woods added: "The surgery went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season.

"I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal activities, including golf."

Eddie Howe believes Newcastle are yet to hit "top gear" this season despite taking seven points from their first three Premier League games, as they look to continue that strong start against Wolves at Molineux.

Newcastle made light of Fabian Schar's red card to beat Southampton on the opening matchday, then downed Tottenham 2-1 after earning a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

Those results have the Magpies fifth in the early-season standings, yet Howe still sees room for improvement as far as their performance levels are concerned.

Newcastle have faced a Premier League-high 54 shots in 2024-25, with their average of 18 shots conceded per game their highest on record in a single campaign (since 2003-04).

At Friday's pre-match press conference, Howe said: "We've had some very good results, we're really pleased with the start we have made in what is a difficult league.

"Performance-wise, we haven't hit top gear. We are going into a spell where we have difficult games away from home.

"It's been a very tough start for Wolves. They played very well in their last game against Nottingham Forest.

"They're always tough opponents, I've got lot of respect for Gary O'Neil and the job he has done there. He is very tactically astute so we will be prepared for a tough game."

Wolves, meanwhile, needed three games to pick up their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw with Forest, having opened with defeats to Arsenal (2-0) and Chelsea (6-2).

Boss O'Neil expects a difficult test against a team with plenty of attacking talent, hailing Magpies forward Alexander Isak as one of the best in the league.

 

"They have an abundance of quality attacking players. Isak is one of the best number nines in the league for me, so they are a team that are going to test us, definitely," O'Neil said.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to Molineux, getting back to the group that we know we're going to work with from now until January, at least, and seeing if we can start to upset a few people like we like we managed to last season."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Wolves – Andre

Wolves harbour a doubt over captain Mario Lemina ahead of Sunday's game, which could mean Andre is called upon for his full debut after joining from Fluminense.

Between his Serie A debut in September 2020 and his departure, Andre ranked first for possession won (756) and successful passes (6,574) in the Brazilian top flight, as well as second for touches (8,440) and fourth for dribbles completed (164).

 

Newcastle – Alexander Isak

Isak has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 20 Premier League appearances (15 goals, three assists). 

Since the first game in that run (on Boxing Day last year), only Erling Haaland (20) and Cole Palmer (17) have scored more than the Swede (15) in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION – NEWCASTLE WIN

Entertainment should be a given at Molineux, where both teams have scored in all nine previous Premier League meetings between Wolves and Newcastle.

It is the most-played specific fixture in the competition's history to never feature a clean sheet, while Newcastle have only failed to score once in their last 23 Premier League matches – in a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in April.

No Premier League team is on a longer current run without a shutout than Wolves, meanwhile, with O'Neil's men conceding in each of their last 15 matches.

Wolves have only won one of their last 13 league games, drawing three and losing nine, and are winless in their last six (one draw, five losses). At home, they have lost five of their last six (one win), having only lost four of their previous 19 (11 wins, four draws).

Newcastle have won three of their last five Premier League games against Wolves, drawing the other two, and they enter Sunday's match as favourites.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Wolves – 30.3%

Newcastle – 44.5%

Draw – 25.1% 

After an eventful first 100 days in charge of Napoli, Antonio Conte says hard work is his first requirement ahead of the Partenopei's trip to Cagliari on Sunday.

Conte endured a difficult start to his Napoli career, overseeing a heavy 3-0 defeat to Verona on the opening matchday of the Serie A season.

However, victories over Bologna (3-0) and Parma (2-1) have Napoli looking up, and they could now win three straight league games under a single head coach for the first time since February 2023 – when they went on to win the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti (eight in a row).

At the end of a tumultuous period that also saw Victor Osimhen leave for Galatasaray on loan and Romelu Lukaku join as his replacement, Conte feels the foundations have been laid for future success.

Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Conte said: "We worked not only on the pitch, but also a lot off it. We had to work and we worked hard.

"I am satisfied, these 100 days have given us a direction. I know what awaits me, the expectations on me, but my only weapon is work."

Having won league titles at Juventus, Inter and Chelsea, Conte knows expectations around the Partenopei have been heightened by his arrival.

"I carry a lot of pressure with me. Having won in the past, people add one and one and get two, and expect this regardless," Conte said.

"It's a responsibility, I don't shirk from it, but I live it in a serene way. I expect continuity of performance and results, and continuity from the squad."

Conte also hailed the impact of Lukaku, who came off the bench to score a late goal in their victory over Parma ahead of the international break, just two days after his arrival.

"He used the international break to try to get in full swing on a physical and tactical level. There was great commitment, he also came in during his free time," he said of the striker.

"He is improving in everything and we will see, there are still two training sessions and then I will decide if he will start."

Borussia Dortmund's work rate out of possession was key as they went top of the Bundesliga by beating Heidenheim 4-2 on Friday, according to coach Nuri Sahin.

BVB moved onto seven points from their first three league games under Sahin with their victory at Signal Iduna Park, as Karim Adeyemi scored twice in between strikes from Donyell Malen and Emre Can.

Since losing 1-0 to Schalke in 2004, Dortmund have not lost any of their last 37 Bundesliga home matches played on a Friday, tying the Bundesliga record. 

Only Werder Bremen had previously remained unbeaten at home on Fridays through 37 Bundesliga matches in a row, doing so from 1984 to 1991.

"It was a deserved win and a very good start for us but then we shut the door and I told my players that Heidenheim will not give up. So we had to keep stepping on the gas," Sahin said in his post-match press conference.

"We had a few chances and we could have finished it off earlier but we dealt well with the pressure."

Dortmund, who had new signing Serhou Guirassy in the lineup for the first time following his recovery from injury, quickly took a two-goal lead in the first 17 minutes, Adeyemi teeing up Malen for the opener before getting his first of the encounter shortly after.

"We measure our players also on assists and goals but we can only defend well if the players press. Karim took the momentum from his Germany Under-21 performances with him," Sahin said.

"The first half was our best performance so far but we want to develop further."

Champions Bayer Leverkusen travel to Hoffenheim on Saturday while Bayern Munich, on six points, will look to make it three wins from three games when they take on newly-promoted Holstein Kiel.

Gunnar Henderson tripled with two outs in the ninth inning to break up the Tigers’ combined no-hit bid and Detroit held on for a 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

Beau Brieske and Brant Hurter combined to retire Baltimore’s first 21 batters before Adley Rutschman’s eight-pitch walk leading off the eighth.

Brenan Hanifee retired the next three batters and Tyler Holton relieved to start the ninth.

Emmanuel Rivera flied out and pinch-hitter Coby Mayo took a called third strike before Henderson pulled a first-pitch sweeper into the right-field corner for the Orioles’ second baserunner.

Henderson became just the second batter to end a no-hit bid with a two-out triple in the ninth, joining the St. Louis Cardinals' Bernard Gilkey against the Chicago Cubs' Frank Castillo on Sept. 25, 1995.

Holton then struck out Anthony Santander to remain perfect in eight save chances.

Kerry Carpenter homered on the third pitch of the game from Zach Eflin, who allowed five hits in 6 2/3 innings.

The Tigers have won five of six to pull within 2 ½ games of Minnesota for the final AL wild card.

Brieske was planned to start as an opener and retired four batters while throwing 11 of 16 pitches for strikes.

Hurter struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings while throwing 53 of 71 pitches for strikes. He started 17 of 18 batters with strikes, including his first 14.

Hanifee relieved after Rutschman’s walk and got a pair of strikeouts around a forceout.

 

Judge ends homer drought with slam

Aaron Judge ended the longest home run drought of his career with a go-ahead grand slam to lift the New York Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.

The star slugger had gone 16 games and 75 plate appearances without a longball before launching a clutch drive into the lower left-field seats off reliever Cam Booser in the seventh inning to give the AL East leaders a 5-4 advantage.

Judge's eighth career slam and second this season sent the Yankee Stadium crowd of 45,292 into a frenzy, and he came out of the dugout for a curtain call.

It was the 52nd homer of the season for Judge, who also leads the majors with 130 RBIs. He hadn't gone deep since Aug. 25, when he homered twice against Colorado.

New York moved three games ahead of Baltimore for the AL East lead, its largest cushion since it led by 3 ½ games before a June 15 defeat at Boston that started a 4-14 slide.

Mark Leiter Jr. got four outs in relief of starter Clarke Schmidt for the win. Luke Weaver struck out five in two scoreless innings for his second career save.

 

Mets use homers to rout Phillies

Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Harrison Bader hit three-run homers, Jose Quintana allowed three hits in seven shutout innings and the New York Mets routed the Philadelphia Phillies 11-3 for their 12th win in 14 games.

Alvarez and Nimmo homered in a three-run fifth inning off Aaron Nola, Alvarez's second three-run homer in a span of three at-bats.

Bader homered in the eighth against Tyler Gilbert and Pete Alonso went deep in the ninth off infielder Kody Clemens. It was the first big league homer allowed in 12 career pitching appearances by Clemens. His father, seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, gave up 363 in 24 seasons.

New York All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor had an RBI double and left in the middle of the seventh because of lower back soreness. Manager Carlos Mendoza said it was precautionary and Lindor likely would've stayed in the game had the score been closer.

Philadelphia leads the NL East by seven games over New York, which remained one game ahead of Atlanta for the last wild card. The series opener began a stretch of seven games in 10 days between the rivals.

 

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.