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.
Caitlin Clark set the WNBA single-season record for assists with 320 in the Indiana Fever's 78-74 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night.
Clark scored all 18 of her points in the second half and finished with nine assists and eight rebounds. The rookie broke the mark of 316 set last season by Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.
Clark was scoreless on 0 for 5 shooting in the first half and picked up her third foul when she was called for a charge late in the second quarter as the Aces took a 43-35 lead into the break. She scored 14 points in the third quarter to help the Fever trim a 13-point deficit to 60-57 heading into the fourth quarter.
Clark has continued to make history throughout her first year in the WNBA, surpassing the single-season three-point record among rookies on Aug. 28. She also dished out 19 assists in a loss to the Dallas Wings in July, setting a single-game record.
New United States boss Mauricio Pochettino has outlined his ambition to win the World Cup with the co-hosts in two years' time and is excited by the opportunity.
Pochettino was named the manager of the USA on Tuesday in his first role since parting company with Chelsea in May.
The Argentine, who previously enjoyed a successful five-year spell in charge of Tottenham, leading them to a Champions League final, oversaw a sixth-placed Premier League finish in his only season at Stamford Bridge.
And with the USA acting as hosts alongside Canada and Mexico for football's most prestigious tournament in 2026, Pochettino believes his players should harbour ambitions of winning the entire event.
"We need to believe in big things that we can win, not only a game but the World Cup," Pochettino said.
"If we don’t, the journey will be difficult. We have to think big. That is the only way to put your talent in the service of the team. It is a massive challenge."
The USA women's team won the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and claimed Olympic gold this summer in Emma Hayes' first tournament as manager.
Pochettino, who knows Hayes from the period in which they both managed Chelsea's senior teams, reserved special praise for her, while also wanting his players to be inspired by how successful the women's team had become in recent times.
"In Emma, we have the best coach in the world," said Pochettino.
"The women's team has won everything. We need to match them. They need to be our inspiration, not only with results but in the way they create the philosophy to defend the country, the badge and the culture.
"We want to create something special."
Pochettino's first game in charge will be a friendly versus Panama at the Q2 Stadium in Austin on October 12.
Leroy Sane is available for Bayern Munich's game at Holstein Kiel after missing their opening two matches following a groin operation.
Sane featured in all five games for Germany at Euro 2024 before undergoing surgery in July, and also returns in time for the start of Bayern's Champions League campaign at home to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
"We have a lot of players, and we need all of them. Aside from the long-term injuries, all the players are fit," Kompany told reporters.
"We've got a week with three matches coming up, and we're looking forward to it. Leroy will also be in the squad."
Sane also struggled with injuries towards the end of last season, making just one appearance in Bayern's final seven league games, having scored eight goals in their opening nine matches.
"He had a really good first half of last season and was involved in a lot of goals," Bayern's sporting director Christoph Freund said.
"In the early part of this year, he had constant battles with injuries and pain, but he battled on and played through it.
"The nice thing now is that he's pain-free. We're glad he's back and properly fit."
Bayern face promoted side Kiel, who are in the Bundesliga for the first time, on Saturday, and Kompany knows what it is like to take a side up from the second tier after his time in England with Burnley.
"I experienced it myself last year. We completely dominated in the second division with Burnley, and then we got promoted to a different league and struggled," Kompany said.
"But you do all the work for exactly these games and I imagine that Kiel are looking forward to it.
"They're flexible and good on the ball. They were dominant last season and even though they've been promoted, that's stayed in the team."
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has said the team will bring in another quarterback in the absence of Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Thursday's 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bulls in the third quarter, the third of his career with all of them occurring in the past 24 months.
The 26-year-old was 17-for-25 passing for 145 yards against the Bills, with one touchdown and three interceptions, one of which was returned for a Buffalo score, before he got hurt.
Until they can bring in a new recruit, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins' starter, and McDaniel believes he can perform well in the absence of his main man.
He said: "The team and the organisation are very confident in Skylar."
McDaniel was unsure about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve, suggesting his chances of featuring in their next match against the Seattle Seahawks on September 22nd were very slim.
"I have no idea, and I'm not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don't even see myself involved in the most important parts of!" McDaniel said.
"There won't be any talk about where we're going in that regard, none of that will happen without doctors' expertise and the actual player."
Thompson feels ready to step up in Tagovailoa's absence and be an important member of the side for the foreseeable future.
He said: "I feel like I'm ready for whatever's to come. I'm going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job."
Xabi Alonso is hopeful the short time he has had with his Bayer Leverkusen players will be sufficient to get them back to winning ways against Hoffenheim.
Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga ended in their last match, losing just their second game of the campaign at home to RB Leipzig after going the whole of the last league season without a defeat.
The international break has since reduced their preparation time for the trip to Hoffenheim, but Alonso remains optimistic about their chances of bouncing back.
"It was an express preparation, with an express meeting with the team, and individual discussions," Xabi Alonso told reporters on Friday.
"Friday is our last training session with the whole team. Of course, we don't have a lot of time to prepare for Saturday, but that's our normal dynamic.
"We will see if this express meeting was efficient or not."
Leverkusen needed a late goal to snatch a 3-2 win at Borussia Monchengladbach in their opener, before going down 3-2 against Leipzig, but the manager does not believe it is all doom and gloom.
"We're doing a lot of things very well, but there are a few things we need to improve to reach our best level," he said.
"There aren't too many things, but there are important things to improve. Hopefully, we have a better performance, a more complete performance.
"It's a football and a mentality issue. We have to improve tactically, with the ball, but also with our mentality and concentration to improve and be a bit better."
The coach said that all his players returned healthy from international duty, and he took the time to back his defender Jonathan Tah after the German came under criticism from an opposition manager.
After the 2-2 Nations League draw between Germany and the Netherlands on Tuesday, Dutch manager Ronald Koeman said that Tah, who was replaced at half-time, had big problems and made a lot of mistakes.
"It's his opinion. My opinion is that Jonathan is a top player for us," Alonso said.
"What he did in the international break, the international game is not my topic. And he was here yesterday, in a good mood, with a good feeling, so that's my main concern."
Liam Livingstone plundered an impressive 87 from 47 balls to propel England to a three-wicket victory and level their three-match T20I series against Australia.
Australia had put themselves in a strong position to take the series in their 200th men's T20I, but had no answer for Livingstone during England's chase.
Travis Head and Matt Short opened with a 52-run partnership, but Adil Rashid bowled the former before catching out the latter to end their stand.
Jake Fraser-McGurk (50) and Josh Inglis (42) pushed the tourists forward, but Livingstone (2-16) and Brydon Carse (2-26), in for the rested Jofra Archer, soon stalled their progress.
Aaron Hardie's late burst of 20 gave Australia a strong tally of 193-6, and they started strongly with the ball, too.
Short (5-22) ended Phil Salt's stand at 39 before Will Jacks (12) and Jordan Cox (0) were both dismissed by Sean Abbott in a single over.
But Livingstone would prove a thorn in Australia's side once again as he hit his half-century off 27 balls before carrying England closer to their total.
There was a slightly nervy ending, as England, needing just one run off nine balls, lost Livingstone and Carse in two balls before Adil Rashid got them over the line.
Data Debrief: Livingstone hits landmark
England have taken it to the final T20I thanks to Livingstone's heroics, with the series all to play for at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Livingstone's 87 is the highest score for England in a successful chase when batting four or lower, and he did so on his fifth T20I appearance for England.
Rafael Nadal says he cannot commit himself to future tournaments after his withdrawal from the Laver Cup.
Nadal shared news on Thursday that he would not make an appearance at the annual event in Berlin, stating that it would not be in the best interests of Team Europe if he were to participate.
The Spaniard was last in action playing doubles at the Paris Olympics with Carlos Alcaraz, and while he says he is in a good space mentally, he was not able to confirm when he would next make a professional appearance on a tennis court.
He said: "Mentally, I’m good, no problems. I'm at home enjoying other things, training as much as I can every day.
"No drama, obviously these are decisions [the Laver Cup withdrawal] that are being made, and this was a possibility - it's been a while without competing. There will be someone else who can do better.
"Right now I’m not in a position to put myself down for anything.
"I said [I would play] until the Olympics and then we would see, and I'm in that period of rest."
Nadal has endured a difficult 2024 so far, playing just 21 competitive singles matches with a record of 13-8.
He has only one grand slam victory to his name this year, beating Jack Draper in the Australian Open, but he lost in the first round of the French Open to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev.
Sheffield United continued their fine start to the Championship with a comfortable 2-0 win away to Hull City.
Goals from Gustavo Hamer and Sam McCallum were enough to give Chris Wilder's side victory and send them up to third in the table.
The home side made an encouraging start to the game but fell behind after a stunning Blades counter-attack, with Callum O'Hare driving forward before playing in Hamer, who gave keeper Ivor Pandur no chance with a neat finish.
Hull went close to equalising through Abdulkadir Omar's free-kick, but he was thwarted by a flying save from Michael Cooper in the Sheffield United goal.
The away side doubled their advantage in the second half as substitute McCallum swept in a fine effort from Andre Brooks' cutback.
Marvin Mehlem nearly handed the Tigers a way back into the encounter, but his header crashed against the crossbar, leaving Hull 19th in the table, still without a league win this campaign.
Data debrief: Blades make best start in 12 years
With three wins and two draws under their belt in the Championship, Sheffield United will be proud of how they have adapted to life back in the second tier.
It marks their best start to a campaign since the 2012-13 season, which saw them go unbeaten in their first 16 games in League One.
Wilder also continued his good record as Blades boss at MKM stadium, winning a fourth successive match away to Hull after losing in February 2018, in his first spell in charge.
Karim Adeyemi scored twice and set up another goal as Borussia Dortmund earned a 4-2 victory over visitors Heidenheim on Friday.
Adeyemi first set up Donyell Malen, who drilled his low shot through Kevin Muller to give the hosts the lead in the 12th minute.
The 22-year-old then doubled their advantage six minutes later with his first goal after completing a textbook break five minutes later.
Heidenheim briefly cut the deficit with Marvin Pieringer's powerful header after 39 minutes, but Dortmund restored their two-goal cushion before the break with Adeyemi's low drive wrongfooting the goalkeeper.
The visitors set up a nervy finish after being awarded a 74th-minute penalty for a foul by Niklas Sule on Mikkel Kaufmann, with Maximilian Breunig confidently hitting the back of the net.
But Dortmund earned a spot kick themselves in stoppage time thanks to Omar Traore's handball, and Emre Can coolly slotted in to make it 4-2.
Data Debrief: Home advantage
While it looked like Dortmund may be in for a nervy ending after Heidenheim's late penalty, that was not the case, and it means they extend an impressive home record.
The Black and Yellow are unbeaten in 37 Bundesliga home games on a Friday since a 1-0 loss to Schalke in January 2004, which is a league record, level with Werder Bremen between 1984 and 1991).
Dortmund are unbeaten so far this campaign, but Heidenheim's six-match winning run in all competitions is now at an end.
Carlos Alcaraz has led Spain to the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup Finals after a straight-sets win over Ugo Humbert.
The 21-year-old needed just one hour and 21 minutes to cruise through with a 6-3 6-3 victory, hitting 21 winners to his opponent's 14 as he backed up Roberto Bautista's win earlier on.
Bautista had to come from behind to edge past Arthur Fils, beating him 2-6 7-5 6-3, and converting 40% of his break points, bettering the Frenchman's 27%.
Spain are through in Group B, but elsewhere in Group D, US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper's return was unable to inspire Great Britain to victory.
Dan Evans was beaten by Tomas Martin Etcheverry earlier on Friday before Draper's first match since New York ended in a straight-sets 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 defeat to Francisco Cerundolo.
Despite making fewer unforced errors than the Argentinian (23 to 39), the British number one struggled to find an edge, though Evans and Neal Skupski claimed a consolation win in the doubles to make it 2-1.
They sit second in the group, missing the chance to qualify for the last eight, and now needing a win against Canada, who have been in fine form so far.
The opening day of the Diamond League Finals in Brussels on Friday was a triumphant one for Caribbean athletes, as Julien Alfred, Ackeem Blake, Tajay Gayle, and Marileidy Paulino all capped their seasons as champions, showcasing their dominance on the global stage.
Julien Alfred, fresh off her historic Olympic gold in Paris, exacted revenge on American rival Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100m. Alfred clocked 10.88 seconds, beating out Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, who led for much of the race but finished second in 10.92. Côte d'Ivoire's Marie-Josée Ta Lou secured third in 11.05, while Richardson, who had edged Alfred in their last meeting in Zurich, faded to eighth in 11.23.
Reflecting on her win, Alfred expressed her joy at finishing the season on a high. "I am so happy, it feels amazing to finish my season on a good note and to take the win. I am just so proud of myself. My preparation was a bit difficult, it was really hard for me after Zurich. But I think that actually prepared me for Brussels. That gave me the energy to do so good today, and during [the race], I tried to relax and to enjoy the last race of my season."
Alfred hinted that losing her previous race to Richardson fueled her determination to perform well in Brussels. "I think losing kind of put me up again, I had to perform. I wanted to prove to myself that I deserve to be here and that I am not a one-time thing. Because after Zurich, I watched the race on YouTube to analyze my race, and I read some comments that said I was a one-time thing, and that’s really not nice to say. But I was here to prove to myself that I can win. But sometimes those comments can be very hard. And now I am going back to Saint Lucia and to Aruba! Last year I stayed in Austin, but not this year."
Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake delivered one of the performances of the night, storming to victory in the men’s 100m in 9.93 seconds. In a field that included heavyweights like Olympic bronze medalist Fred Kerley, Christian Coleman, and Akani Simbine, Blake was the only sprinter to dip below 10 seconds. Coleman finished second in 10.00, while Kerley was third in 10.01.
Blake, still riding high after a breakout season, admitted that he was surprised by his victory. "For me, it was a surprise to win here today. It was a very competitive field, and this was my first Diamond League final. It really means a lot," Blake said. "I’ve been working very hard this season, and I know this is just the beginning. There’s much more to come in the next few years."
Marileidy Paulino, the Olympic 400m champion and the fastest woman in the world this year, continued her dominance by winning the 400m in 49.45 seconds. USA’s Alexis Holmes finished second in 50.32, with Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke rounding out the top three in 50.96.
Jamaica's Stacey-Ann Williams secured second in the Women’s Invitational 400m, clocking 50.53, while Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone delivered a powerful performance to win the Invitational 400m in 49.11 seconds, underlining her incredible ability over the distance. Romania's Andrea Miklos finished third in 51.16.
Stephenie-Ann McPherson, who will retire at the end of this season, finished fourth in her final Diamond League race with a time of 51.24, marking the end of an illustrious career.
In the men’s 400m, Grenadian legend Kirani James narrowly missed out on the title, finishing second in 44.63 behind Great Britain’s Charles Dobson, who won in 44.49. Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga finished third in 44.69.
Tajay Gayle, who had endured an up-and-down season, saved his best for last, leaping to a season’s best of 8.28m to win the men’s long jump. Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer finished second with a jump of 8.16m, while Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou settled for third at 8.15m.
Despite his inconsistent performances throughout the season, Gayle's championship-winning leap reaffirmed his status as one of the best in the world.
In the women’s triple jump, Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez claimed the title with a jump of 14.37m. Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts secured silver with a leap of 14.22m on her final attempt, while her compatriot Ackelia Smith jumped to 14.11m to take third.
Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin battled hard to secure third place in the women’s 800m, clocking 1:58.94. Kenya’s Mary Moraa took the win in 1:56.56, while Great Britain’s Georgia Bell finished second in 1:57.50.
With several standout performances, Caribbean athletes wrapped up their Diamond League campaigns in style, proving once again their dominance in world athletics.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was cautious about his chances of winning two Formula 1 races in succession for the first time in his career despite going fastest in the second practice of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Leclerc recovered from a crash in the morning to set the pace in the afternoon, 0.006 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez and 0.066 seconds in front of Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.
Championship leader Max Verstappen finished fifth, while his challenger Lando Norris struggled and languished in 17th after the second classification in Baku.
Despite going quickest, Leclerc admitted there were issues with his Ferrari car, leaving work to do if he wants to get pole position in Azerbaijan for a fourth successive year.
He said: "The thing is that when we started FP2 there was an actual problem on the car that we saw later on, once I stopped, and we changed that particular part.
"It's one of the tracks that I quite like, and we've been pretty quick in the past, but that doesn't mean it will be the case for tomorrow.
"I mean, the crash, there's not much to go into. I braked a little bit too much on the right, the track was still dirty, I locked up, and it was too late to go to the right [run-off] – so I went into the wall."
Norris endured a far more difficult afternoon, only mustering 17th after coming across Alpine's Pierre Gasly in the final sector when attempting his fastest lap.
The Brit cannot afford many slip-ups from now until the end of the season, as he looks to overhaul Verstappen's 62-point lead with eight races remaining, but was downbeat about McLaren's chances this weekend, believing they were lagging behind their competitive rivals.
"We're quite a long way off," Norris said.
"I’m having to push way too much to try and get a lap time out of it.
"Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, they're all very similar. And then there's a good 0.3 to 0.4 second gap back to us, so a lot of work to do.
"Ferrari are very quick here. Mercedes will be quick with these track conditions. It's very slidey out there."
After three games without a win, Paulo Fonseca's main focus is getting a first victory of the season against Venezia, without looking ahead to other big matches.
Fonseca is already under pressure, with Milan having collected only two points from three games, and with their first Champions League match at home to Liverpool on Tuesday followed by a derby clash with Inter next weekend, things could get even worse.
For now, though, the 51-year-old badly needs a win and, with the visit of Venezia to San Siro the priority, Fonseca has prepared his 14th-placed team to take on the promoted side, who have one point and are second-bottom in the standings.
"They [games] are all important, even more so at this time. I am confident, as always. It's important to win on Saturday, then we'll think about Liverpool," Fonseca told a press conference.
"Milan must always win, not just on Saturday. I looked at Venezia. They are a dangerous team on the counter-attack.
"Against Parma [2-1 defeat] we suffered, but against Lazio [2-2 draw] we improved a lot. The problem was defensive organisation. We worked on it. We know Venezia's strong point, and we are prepared."
Milan have conceded six goals in three games, with no other Serie A side allowing more so far this season, and the international break has given Fonseca time to work on their defensive problems.
"We didn't have many players during the break, but we had many defenders. We worked on the behaviour of the defensive line and on individual behaviour," he added.
"We have to improve on the many goals conceded. A team that doesn't want to concede goals must keep the ball more. We are working on it.
"The players understand the importance of keeping the ball and managing the game with the ball."
Fonseca is well aware of the scrutiny he is under after the poor start to the season, but the real pressure comes from the fans, who will again be there supporting Milan on Saturday.
"We coaches always are [under scrutiny], we depend on the results. But I'm just focused on my work," Fonseca said.
"After these first three games, having 70,000 supporters is a great declaration of love.
"It's also a big responsibility for us, to keep evolving and make the fans proud of us. That's what we want to do tomorrow, repay the support of our fans."
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