Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker hailed his side for never panicking as they edged an 18-inning epic after Jeremy Pena's homer to sweep the ALCS with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

The game was only the fourth 18-inning game in MLB postseason history, and the first in postseason history to go scoreless through 17 innings. It officially lasted six hours and 22 minutes.

The Astros made their own history with the series-sweeping victory, becoming the first team in the MLB to win a playoff series in six straight seasons. Houston also reached the ALCS for a record sixth consecutive time.

That would not have been possible if not for 25-year-old shortstop Pena's 18th-inning solo shot over deep left-center field off a Penn Murfee 3-2 fastball, before Luis Garcia closed it out earning praise from Baker.

"This is some team," Baker told reporters. "These guys they grind and grind and grind. And sooner or later we broke through.

"These guys, they know not to panic. They don't get too excited. They don't get too down. It means a lot."

The Astros have endured plenty over the past few years in light of the sign stealing scandal, before a period of success under Baker since taking over in January 2020.

Houston lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS in 2020, before losing the World Series to the Atlanta Braves in 2021. Baker said their sustained success was all about "excellence".

"Once you've been through it and go through it again and again and again, you expect excellence," he said. "That's what this team expects out of itself."

"We didn’t know who the hero was going to be tonight. We were hoping we'd have somebody and we had somebody in Pena. This whole series it's been different guys. Our pitching staff and our bullpen did a heck of a job during this whole series."

The defeat ended a wild ride for the Mariners, who reached the postseason for the first time in 21 years, and were cheered by their fans at T-Mobile Park after the game despite the defeat.

"We were right there," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "You look at the whole series it really comes down to three swings of the bat.

"I thought our pitching was just off the chart, starting with George Kirby. To fire him out in a must-win game and get seven shutout innings from a rookie, you can't ask for anymore. Great experience.

"The number of young players that played huge roles for us in this series is going to benefit us immensely going forward."

Francesco Bagnaia moved into the MotoGP championship lead after another Fabio Quartararo horror as Alex Rins triumphed in a thrilling Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.

World title leader Quartararo crashed out on the 11th lap after an early mistake saw him fall back in the pack. Quartararo's non-finish makes it three races out of four with no points, with his title grasp slipping away, after the front went from underneath him on Turn 2.

Bagnaia claimed third place which moved him to 233 points, 14 ahead of the Frenchman, although it could have been more after the Ducati driver surrendered his lead on the final lap.

Rins and Marc Marquez swooped on the final lap to pass Bagnaia, with the top seven all finishing within eight-tenths of a second at the Phillip Island Circuit.

If Bagnaia had held on for the win, he could have claimed the title with victory in the penultimate race in Malaysia. Instead, reigning champion Quartararo remains in contention.

Rins' triumph is the third of his career and his first of the season. It is also his third podium this year but first in 14 races.

Marquez's second-place finish brings up his 100th podium in the premier class, ending a long wait after surgery on his humerus in June.

Ducati's Marco Bezzecchi came in fourth to clinch the 2022 Rookie of the Year, with Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini and Jorge Martin rounding out the tightly contested top seven.

Jack Miller had been in contention early on his home track but was taken out to end his world title hopes by Alex Marquez with 19 laps to go.

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak could not remember what happened and will be kept under observation after being "slightly concussed" in Saturday's 1-0 LaLiga win over Athletic Bilbao.

Oblak was taken off in the 69th minute as part of a triple substitution due to an apparent shoulder issue, with his replacement Ivo Grbic making some key late saves at San Mames.

Atletico confirmed after the game that the Slovakian goalkeeper had been substituted "because he was slightly concussed, having also suffered direct trauma to his right shoulder".

Atleti head coach Diego Simeone added: "Jan didn't remember much of what had happened. I haven't talked to him, but the doctor told me that he didn't remember."

The club said Oblak underwent a neurological examination after the game without any worrying symptoms, but will be kept under observation by medical staff.

Oblak attempted to play on after initially appearing to suffer a shoulder injury before succumbing in the 69th minute.

The shot-stopper has started eight of Atletico's nine league games this term, having suffered a thigh issue in early September.

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker says his side simply ran into a hot team after bowing out of the MLB postseason following a 8-3 loss in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

The Phillies completed a 3-1 NLDS win with another dominant display over the 2021 world champions at Citizens Bank Park, backing up Friday's emphatic 9-1 win.

Brandon Marsh delivered a three-run blast in the second inning, before J.T. Realmuto stirred up the home fans with a remarkable inside-the-park homer in the third. Bryce Harper's eighth-inning opposite-field home run put the gloss on the win.

For the Braves, it ended their title defence, having finished top of the NL East with a 101-61 after sensationally overhauling the New York Mets late in the regular season.

The Phillies won Games 3 and 4 scoring 17-4, while they piled on 24 runs across the four-game series despite being kept scoreless in Game 2 after a fine Kyle Wright shift.

Excluding Wright, the Braves starting pitchers struggled throughout the NLDS, with Charlie Morton pulled after two innings on Saturday, following on from Max Fried and Spencer Strider in Games 1 and 3 respectively.

"We ran into a really hot team, pretty much," Snitker told reporters. “They were hitting on all cylinders. They were playing great baseball. They got big hits.

"They shut us down offensively, and I think all the credit goes to the Phillies. They came in here, they got hot at the right time and played a heck of a series."

Snitker was not too downbeat about the Braves campaign, where rookies Michael Harris II and Strider emerged while Wright broke out, offering a solid foundation moving forward.

"They should be very proud of what they did this year," Snitker said. “Like I said earlier, you just never know where the postseason is going to take you and what’s going to happen.

"But we had a really strong year. The goal was to get into the postseason. We did and it didn't happen."

The Phillies, who finished 14 games behind the Braves in the NL East, progressed to the NLCS for the first time since 2010, after a midseason change of manager with Joe Girardi replaced by Rob Thomson.

Philadelphia will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres in the NLCS and will have plenty of belief after dominating the final two games against the Braves.

"The last 24 hours shows what we're made of," Marsh said. "There's a lot of good going with this ball club.

"We've just got to keep it going, keep our heads down and grind and just stay focused on the task at hand. The last 24 hours have been pretty fun."

Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has pledged the club "will find a solution" amid continuing criticism of the Bundesliga champions' commercial tie-up with Qatar Airways.

This is reportedly the final season in Bayern's five-year deal with the Qatari state-owned business, which serves as the German club's official airline partner.

Many Bayern club members have called for an end to the relationship, citing concerns over human rights standards in the country that will host the upcoming World Cup.

Those views were raised at last year's annual general meeting, and the subject was also prominent at the 2022 Bayern AGM on Saturday, but Kahn said there would be no talks held with the sponsor until after the Qatar 2022 finals.

Bayern staged a Qatar-specific roundtable event at the Allianz Arena in July that featured contributions from Kahn and Bayern president Herbert Hainer, plus others including World Cup committee chief Hassan Al-Thawadi and Qatar's ambassador in Berlin, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani.

Updating members on Saturday, Kahn said: "Some fans – and I respect that – are very critical of the cooperation with Qatar Airways. That's why we have met with committed members several times since the AGM and exchanged views.

"Next meetings have already been arranged. We remain in dialogue. And that is very important to me."

Quoted on Bayern's website, Kahn added: "We will continue to discuss the subject intensively with our partner Qatar Airways after the World Cup. We will weigh everything up and we will find a solution for FC Bayern."

David de Gea has expressed his wish to stay at Manchester United for "many more years" ahead of his contract expiring in 2023.

If De Gea features in the Red Devils' meeting with Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Sunday, he will become just the 11th man to make 500 appearances for United in their illustrious history.

Only Ryan Giggs, Sir Bobby Charlton, Paul Scholes, Bill Foulkes, Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney, Alex Stepney, Tony Dunne, Denis Irwin and Joe Spence have previously reached that landmark at United.

However, De Gea's long-term future at the club is uncertain – the Spain international's contract expires in 2023 and he has yet to agree to fresh terms. 

De Gea hopes to have the chance to rack up many more United appearances, however, saying: "This is my club and this is where I feel good. I'm playing well, I feel very well. 

"I think I have many more years to play. I feel confident.

"Yes, I would like to stay here more years and make records of games and records of everything. To try to help the young people here as well with my experience and try to win trophies."

De Gea will turn 32 next month and has already spent 11 years as United's number one goalkeeper, but believes he is now entering his prime.

Asked whether he thought he was entering his peak years, De Gea said: "I feel very, very good in games and training. Of course, with more experience you feel very good. So, yes, I think so.

"I feel good and want to play more years, and most important is to try to win trophies and help the team, as I try to do every day."

Diego Simeone was delighted to see Atletico Madrid's trademark resilience come to the fore in a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao, declaring 'the team's work continues to excite me'.

Antoine Griezmann's second-half goal – his 100th strike for Atletico in LaLiga – ensured Los Colchoneros leapfrogged Athletic into third place in the early season standings on Saturday.

Discounting Alvaro Morata's disallowed opener, Atletico failed to manage a single attempt prior to Griezmann's 47th-minute goal, and they recorded just three shots throughout the game – their lowest tally of the league season.

Atletico came under pressure late on and were indebted to substitute goalkeeper Ivo Grbic for making a flying save from Inigo Martinez's header, but Simeone always felt they were in control.

"It was seen what we came to try to do. We were undoubtedly facing one of the best teams in LaLiga and I think we were able to take the game to where we felt better," Simeone said.

"The most difficult thing in the game is to control the game, and that doesn't mean only with the ball, but also the positional game. 

"In the second half, the goal came with a very nice play and great definition. Today we had the forcefulness and it generates optimism for the rest of the match. 

"The team's work continues to excite me, it's been 11 years here."

Atletico have now won three successive league games for the first time since April, and trail Barcelona and Real Madrid by just three points ahead of the duo's Clasico meeting on Sunday.

Simeone has faced criticism for a perceived lack of progression this season, but he believes his team are on track, adding: "I think we're gaining mettle in a championship with a large number of games. 

"It's hard to please all the boys, they all want to play, they have the World Cup close and it's hard when they don't see themselves in the starting 11. 

"We are going to count on everyone, it is impossible to play every three days with the same ones. Hopefully they feel proud of what they do, because winning in this field is not easy."

The Golden State Warriors have continued the mission to keep their championship core in place, with forward Andrew Wiggins agreeing a four-year, $109million contract extension.

Wiggins was entering the final year of his previous deal and will now be owed a total of $143million over the next five seasons.

The news, reported initially by ESPN, comes just hours after Golden State and Jordan Poole were revealed to have agreed to a four-year, $140million extension.

Wiggins was a crucial contributor to the Warriors title run in June, with the 27-year-old averaging 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

The number one overall pick in 2014, Wiggins had several productive seasons on losing teams with the Minnesota Timberwolves but had his best moments as a pro in the 2022 playoffs as a two-way force for the Warriors.

Wiggins has averaged 19.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 598 career games.

With Wiggins, Poole and star Stephen Curry signed at least through the 2025-26 season, attention now turns to veterans Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who are under contract this season and have player options in 2023-24.

The Warriors were well over the NBA's luxury tax threshold last season, paying over $300million for their roster, an NBA record.

This year's bill will be even more expensive for team owner Joe Lacob.

Despite Lacob's track record of paying exorbitant taxes to maximise the Warriors' chances at more championships, some have wondered if there will be enough money to go around in two years to keep Green and Thompson in the Bay Area.

Andrey Rublev set up a final meeting with Sebastian Korda at the Gijon Open, overcoming Dominic Thiem in straight sets in the last four.

The world number nine battled through an up-and-down opener before remaining patient to seal the second set and the match on Thiem's serve, taking a 6-4 6-4 victory.

Russian Rublev has now won eight successive sets of tennis against the 2020 US Open champion, and he is one win away from his fourth title of 2022 after triumphs in Belgrade, Dubai and Marseille.

Speaking on court after the win, Rublev said: "I was lucky I played a really good game and Dominic helped me out a little bit.

"Then I felt more confident and I was able to win in two sets, which was the most important thing. This week I have been playing really well, and I'll try to show my best tennis of the week tomorrow."

Korda will be Rublev's opponent on Sunday after the American saw off France's Arthur Rinderknech for a 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 win.

Meanwhile, at the Firenze Open, top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime saw off home favourite Lorenzo Musetti 6-2 6-3, moving one step closer to a second ATP Tour title.

The Canadian will face JJ Wolf in the final in Florence, after the American clinched a 6-4 6-4 win over Sweden's Mikael Ymer.

Jurgen Klopp joked Pep Guardiola should take a four-year sabbatical when his Manchester City contract expires at the end of the season.

Guardiola has led City to four Premier League titles in the last five seasons, but his future at the Etihad Stadium is unclear with less than 12 months remaining on his deal.

On Friday, Guardiola said he was not considering his contract situation for the time being, declaring there would be "plenty of time" for talks after the Premier League breaks for the World Cup next month.

Liverpool have often suffered due to Guardiola's brilliance, finishing as Premier League runners-up to City on two occasions, and Klopp says there can be no questions over his rival manager's quality.

Asked whether he thought Guardiola would remain at City beyond this campaign, Klopp said: "I would prefer for Pep to be doing a sabbatical for four years or something, 100 per cent.

"Actually, my preferred solution would have been if he had a sabbatical these past four years. Honestly, it's a joke, but I have no idea.

"I've said it, I don't know how often; he is the best manager in the world. He has proven that all the time, every day. It's special, what they are doing, and I respect that."

Asked whether Guardiola's incredible standards made his own job the toughest in football, Klopp said: "Yeah, but it's fine, I am a very happy person. I have no problem with the situation.

"I'm not [Roger] Federer and Pep is not [Rafael] Nadal, they compete on the highest level and are best friends. Pep and I are not best friends because we don't know each other.

"But I respect him a lot, I know he respects what we are doing as well, so that's fine. For a rivalry you don't need to be disrespectful.

"Around the games, we have a good relationship; during the games we are both competitors. I could always admit brilliance when I saw it, and with him, that's the case."

While Guardiola has brought 11 pieces of silverware to City since his 2016 arrival, he has yet to deliver the Champions League trophy, but Klopp says that has no bearing on his standing in the game.

"I am not here to name City's targets. They are the best team in the world, I think it's obvious," Klopp said. "I think they won an awful lot, to be honest, and were unlucky in moments to not go through in the Champions League, nothing else.

"Last year they should have gone through, but that's how life is. From a sports point of view, I couldn't respect what they do more, that's the 100 per cent truth.

"What Pep is doing, it's absolutely outstanding. He will never stop, he wants to win each game desperately… he has so many things which are special for a manager."

Reece James has not given up on his World Cup dream despite being ruled out for eight weeks with a knee injury. 

James was substituted during Chelsea's 2-0 Champions League triumph over Milan in midweek, and the Blues confirmed on Saturday that the right-back would undergo a "rehabilitation programme" that will keep him sidelined for two months.

That would mean him missing England's World Cup campaign in Qatar, which starts against Iran on November 22. 

A statement on Chelsea's official website read: "Following the knee injury sustained in our away match against Milan, Reece has received treatment from the Chelsea medical department and visited a specialist this weekend.

"After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks."

James, however, does not appear to have written off the possibility of making Gareth Southgate's squad. 

Posting on Twitter, the 22-year-old said: "The race against time is on… But we won't give up."

Southgate faces a problem on the right side of defence ahead of the tournament, with fellow right-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker also battling injuries.

Walker faces a race to be fit in time to make the squad after undergoing surgery for a groin issue, while Alexander-Arnold has struggled for form this season and is sidelined with an ankle problem.

Antoine Griezmann fired Atletico Madrid to a valuable 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and reached 100 LaLiga goals for the club in the process.

Atletico announced on Monday that Griezmann's loan return from Barcelona would be made permanent, and the France forward marked his first league appearance since with a composed second-half finish.

Alvaro Morata had earlier been denied an opener by a VAR review, but Griezmann's effort proved enough for coach Diego Simeone's men during a typically disciplined display. Athletic rightly had a late penalty award overturned.

The victory sees Atletico leapfrog their hosts into third place in LaLiga, trailing Barcelona and Real Madrid by three points ahead of Sunday's Clasico.

Inaki Williams headed over the crossbar when left unmarked from an early free-kick, and only a VAR review prevented Athletic from being punished for that miss after 10 minutes.

Morata appeared to have taken advantage of a slip from Yeray Alvarez before rounding Unai Simon to score, but on second viewing the referee ruled the Spain striker was guilty of a foul, much to Atletico's frustration.

Simeone's visitors failed to register a single shot between Morata's disallowed strike and half-time, but they hit the front within two minutes of the restart when Griezmann side-footed Morata's cut-back into the bottom-right corner.

Griezmann then miscued a volley after finding space at the back post, before injured goalkeeper Jan Oblak was replaced by Ivo Grbic in an apparent blow to Atletico's hopes.

Atleti were indebted to their substitute goalkeeper, however, when he made a spectacular save from Inigo Martinez's header. The visitors then survived late drama when a penalty was awarded for handball against Reinildo, with a VAR check showing the referee called that incorrectly, the ball having struck the defender's face.