Hansi Flick has spoken out in support of Hasan Salihamidzic after the Bayern Munich sporting director's family were targets for online abuse, with the outgoing head coach making clear the issues between the pair were never personal.
Both Salihamidzic's wife and son, who plays for the Bundesliga club's under-19 side, posted Instagram messages calling for the personal attacks to stop being sent to family members.
Flick made clear such actions are unacceptable during his media conference on Friday, insisting there are more important things in life than football.
The Bayern boss stated that while the pair have had differing opinions on certain topics, Salihamidzic has still played a crucial role in a hugely successful spell working together.
Victory at Mainz on Saturday would secure a ninth successive league title, making it seven major trophies since Flick's appointment.
"What we are experiencing is a no-go situation. There are lines, borders, that are being over-stepped," Flick said of the online comments sent to members of the Salihamidzic family.
"The history between me and Hasan was never personal. If you look at the press conferences, it was always about the path we were on together. I like working more on being successful than the success at the end.
"In two years we can now win a seventh title – I don't think a lot of people have achieved that. He contributed to that greatly, of course. Not many people in the history of Bayern can say they have won seven titles in two years – and in future that is not going to happen every other year either.
"It's important to focus on the path we went down together. We have a different approach, a different attitude. There are certain topics we have different opinions about, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate each other personally.
"Each one of us here would want to protect our family. It's a no-go situation [to involve them] and I empathise with him. We have to be really, really careful these things don't become normal.
"This is about football. Of course football is important, but it's not the most important thing in life. Family is more important than football. Health is more important than football.
"These things should never be part of the game. With everything that has gone in with Hasan and me, this is something that I find awful. It's totally unacceptable."
Bayern president Herbert Hainer had condemned the attacks towards Salihamidzic and his family in a statement released by the club on Wednesday.
"FC Bayern stands united and emphatically against hostility towards Hasan Salihamidzic," Hainer said.
"Objective criticism is, of course, always permissible. However, we condemn personal attacks and agitation in the strongest possible terms. There is no place in the slightest for that at FC Bayern."
The Milwaukee Bucks have been the regular season pacesetters in the NBA's Eastern Conference in recent seasons, but they sit third heading into the closing stages of the 2020-21 campaign.
It is the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets who instead lead the way, tied with 39-20 records - 2.5 games clear of Milwaukee.
Yet the Sixers had first place outright prior to Thursday's game against the Bucks in which they failed to recover from a tough first quarter.
Philly do not have to wait long for revenge, though, with the two teams meeting once more at Fiserv Forum on Saturday.
MVP challenges are on the line as well as seedings in the East as two potential title contenders get prepared to go again.
TOP PERFORMERS
Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers
Embiid was the MVP favourite until a knee injury at the start of March that forced him to miss almost a month of action.
He was averaging 29.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and the 76ers had a 24-7 record with him on the floor. They were 2-5 in the seven games Embiid missed prior to his extended lay-off.
The center returned earlier this month, seemingly with enough time to wrestle the top individual award back from Nikola Jokic, and he has since averaged 30.1 points, missing only a single game.
But the Sixers have now lost three in a row and Embiid's hopes appear to be fading after he was outshone by the reigning MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks
It does not appear there will be a third MVP win in a row for Antetokounmpo after his momentum was checked by sitting six straight games.
But the 'Greek Freak' was back to his best against the 76ers, scoring a game-high 27 points, and can focus instead on a first title triumph in the postseason.
And Antetokounmpo feels playing a fellow challenger again on Saturday "prepares you for the playoffs".
"Playing teams back to back is awesome," he said.
"On Saturday, they're going to come out and they're going to play harder, they're going to try to execute. We've got to do the same. We've got to do exactly the same."
KEY BATTLE - SLOW START CAN SINK SIXERS
For the 76ers, "playing harder" will have to start from the tip-off. Their 14-point first-quarter deficit proved too significant against such a talented team.
As the Sixers missed one of the best defensive players in the league in Ben Simmons due to illness, Milwaukee firmly had the upper hand early on.
Philadelphia had no answer as they allowed 40 points, their second-worst mark in a first quarter this year. This came as the Bucks shot at 73.7 per cent from the field through 12 minutes, the best rate among the Sixers' 2020-21 opponents.
Jrue Holiday, a star on both ends, had seven of his 12 points in the first three minutes alone.
"That first quarter, they get every shot they wanted," Doc Rivers said. "We didn't offer any resistance."
HEAD TO HEAD
Thursday's game was the teams' second this season and the second Milwaukee victory after they won in overtime in March, again led by Antetokounmpo (32 points, 15 rebounds).
Antetokounmpo has averaged 20.8 points for his career but 22.6 against the 76ers, against whom he boasts a 19-5 record and posted a career-high 52 in 2019.
The Bucks have a 113-102 lead over Philadelphia all-time in the regular season.
Erling Haaland is the name on everyone's lips as Europe's elite queue up to get their hands on Borussia Dortmund's prized asset.
From Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona and Manchester United, to Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich - there is no shortage of interest in the Norwegian sensation.
"I don't think there's a sports director or trainer in the world who would say 'not interested'," Haaland's agent Mino Raiola told BBC Sport in February. "It's like saying: 'Is there a Formula 1 team who would not be interested in having Lewis Hamilton?'"
The issue is, only a handful of clubs – in a coronavirus-impacted transfer market – could realistically afford to prise the €180m-rated Haaland from Dortmund, where the 20-year-old is contracted until 2024 and his reported €75m release clause does not come into effect until 2022.
Step forward, Dusan Vlahovic.
A revelation for relegation-threatened Fiorentina in 2020-21, the powerful but nimble left-footed Serbia international has emerged as a cheaper alternative in a Haaland-dominated market. Vlahovic's 16 league goals this season have reportedly caught the eye of a host of top European clubs, ready to upgrade their forward line in the next window.
Present, not the future
Vlahovic has been destined for the top, the player says so himself.
"I am a Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Belgrade, I will play for the strongest clubs," is what former Fiorentina forward Valeri Bojinov recalled being told by Vlahovic in an interview with Transfermarkt earlier this year.
There have always been high expectations for Vlahovic – the youngest debutant in Partizan Belgrade's history after making his debut aged 16, while he became the youngest goalscorer in the club's 75-year history that season – but he is more than just the future, he is the here and now.
In a struggling Fiorentina side fighting to preserve their top-flight status, Vlahovic has been a shining light. The 21-year-old's tally of 16 goals in 31 appearances this season only behind Haaland (23 in 25) for most goals by players aged under 22 in the top five European leagues in 2020-21.
Vlahovic is the first Fiorentina player to score 16 goals in a single top-flight campaign since Giuseppe Rossi in 2013-14, the first player born after the year 2000 to reach 20 Serie A goals and one of just four players born post-2000 to net 20 career goals in Europe's top-five leagues. He also became the first Fiorentina player to score a first-half Serie A hat-trick since Kurt Hamrin in 1964 after his treble against Benevento in March.
Vlahovic has 22 goals in 71 Italian top-flight appearances, one more goal than Juventus' Paulo Dybala (21) from one game less (72) before the age of 22, though Alexandre Pato bagged 50 goals in 102 Serie A games and Bojinov tallied 22 goals in 86 league matches in Italy before celebrating his 22nd birthday – it did not exactly go according to plan for the latter pair.
The average non-penalty shot conversion rate in Serie A this season is 11.1 per cent and Vlahovic has performed comfortably above this average, by converting 17.6 per cent of his shots – in line with the quality of chances he has been given, with his expected goals (xG) per non-penalty shot at 0.173.
Being able to sustain this over a longer period will reveal more about the qualities he possesses as a forward, but the Belgrade-born sensation is on the right track.
Smarter and wiser
There were signs of promise in 2019-20, but Vlahovic's form was patchy with six goals in total.
Expected to hit the ground running this term, Vlahovic had a dismal return of just one goal from his first 10 appearances of the season. Despite growing pressure, he kept the faith thanks to some advice from star team-mate Franck Ribery.
"When I was down, he spoke to me and told me to never give up," Vlahovic said. "That’s how I understood what it means to be a champion on the pitch and in life."
Starting to realise his enormous potential, Vlahovic made his senior international debut in October last year and scored his second goal for Serbia in March's World Cup qualifier against Ireland – his improvement is clear to see.
In 2020-21, the average quality of his shots is 0.17 xG, not far off being double what it was in 2019-20 (0.10). Now finding more intelligent shooting positions his shot conversion rate has unsurprisingly jumped from 7.8 per cent to 17.6 per cent across the two seasons.
Being able to produce shots from wiser positions on the pitch is a sought-after skill and the 21-year-old has excelled in 2020-21. Of the 13 players to have scored at least 10 non-penalty goals in Serie A this season, only Simy (0.21 xG) and Romelu Lukaku (0.20 xG) have averaged better quality shots from open play than Vlahovic.
More than meets the eye
Standing six feet and three inches, Vlahovic is a towering presence on the field. Powerful and quick but technically astute and comfortable with the ball at his feet – trademark Balkan traits.
Vlahovic has been involved in the second-most aerial duels in Serie A this season – 206, behind only Sampdoria midfielder Morten Thorsby. For his stature, it is surprising to discover he has only won 42 per cent of those duels, among the lowest of players to be involved in at least 100 aerials this season in Italy's top-flight.
You would also expect a healthy portion of Vlahovic's goals to come in the air, but this is not the case. Only one of his 16 goals have come from a header, this despite attempting the second most headed efforts in Serie A (17) and just three of these have been on target (18 per cent).
There is more to him than meets the eye, just look at his stunning stoppage-time equaliser against Inter last season – starting with his back to goal in his own half, he left Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij scrambling before producing a clinical shot across Samir Handanovic. Vlahovic's control, awareness, speed and finishing on display for all to see in Florence.
Or there is the Turin example seen in December, Vlahovic splitting Matthijs de Ligt and Leonardo Bonucci and leaving the Juventus pair in his wake as he expertly scooped the ball over the onrushing Wojciech Szczesny.
Fiorentina's Vlahovic is only involved in 25 per cent of shot-ending sequences for the Viola, with just one in four of their open-play shots involving him either as someone in the passing build-up for the shot, the assister of the shot or the player to take the shot. When Vlahovic is involved, he is usually the end of the chain.
Compare this to Haaland, the Norway international is far more involved in the build-up or as the provider than Vlahovic and it is the same story with the Serie A's top two goalscorers, Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter's Romelu Lukaku.
Haaland is much more of a box player than Vlahovic – 24.5 per cent of the former's touches are in the penalty area, with 12.1 per cent shots. If you compare that to his Fiorentina counterpart, whose 15.2 per cent of touches are in the box and just 7.6 per cent are shots.
"I watch him and I try to understand his finishing and how he moves," Vlahovic, whose has scored a lot of his goals from central areas, told La Repubblica of Haaland. "Then, I focus on my strong points and my weaknesses. It may be presumptuous, but with commitment, I can get there too."
While not yet as clinical, Vlahovic is confident he can reach the same level as Haaland and there are not too many reasons to doubt him.
Damian McKenzie landed a penalty after the final siren sounded to secure the Chiefs a thrilling 26-24 win over the Hurricanes on Friday.
Full-back McKenzie was on target with the match-winning kick in the 83rd minute of a see-saw Super Rugby Aotearoa clash that seemed set to yield an upset result.
Asafo Aumua's 68th-minute try, which was converted by Jordie Barrett, had the struggling Hurricanes on course for just their second victory of the 2021 season.
James Blackwell and Billy Proctor also touched down for the visitors - the former doing so in the opening minute of proceedings - as the team stuck at the bottom of the standings gave their second-placed opponents a serious scare.
Chiefs managed two tries themselves through Pita-Gus Sowakula and Bryn Gatland, but it was McKenzie's trusty boot that proved crucial in deciding the outcome.
The New Zealand international landed both conversion attempts as well as four penalties, the last of which dashed Hurricanes' hopes in dramatic fashion.
Giannis Antetokounmpo felt the Milwaukee Bucks were "locked in" from the start after recording a fourth successive win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Bucks scored 77 points in the first half before holding off a 76ers fightback to triumph 124-117 in a battle between two of the leading contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Antetokounmpo led the way with 27 points, though the two-time NBA MVP had plenty of help from his colleagues. Khris Middleton had 24 points while Bobby Portis contributed 23 off the bench.
Milwaukee landed 20 of their 40 three-point attempts as a team, though Antetokounmpo was just as impressed with their efforts when not in possession of the ball.
"Guys were finding open guys, getting downhill, knocking down shots. Everybody set the tone from the start," Antetokounmpo told the media.
"From the start, you could see that everyone was locked in. Defensively also, we really seemed locked in.
"Offensively, we found one another and knocked down shots."
Joel Embiid had 24 points for the 76ers, though he landed just nine of his 21 shot attempts - including going 0-for-4 from three-point range.
Antetokounmpo praised the work done by Milwaukee center Brook Lopez when going up against Embiid, with the Bucks happy to let the MVP candidate take jump shots rather than work closer to the basket.
"Embiid is a great player, he's been playing well all season long," Antetokounmpo said.
"You've got to live with that jump shot. You don't want to send him to the free-throw line and you don't want him to get downhill, with his right hook, and get an easy lay-up.
"The gameplan was good - he was going to shoot his jump shot all night. If he makes it all night? Great. But if you don't make it, it's good for us.
"Brook did a great job on him, but he [Embiid] is a great player too."
Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers felt his team - still without Ben Simmons due to an unspecified illness - paid the price for a slow start, insisting his team were "soft" defensively to allow Milwaukee to open up a commanding lead.
The 76ers hit back as they held their opponents to just 16 points in the fourth quarter, though in the end the gap proved just too big.
"Everybody seemed fatigued, not just Joel, I would love to say Joel played better than most of our guys tonight," Rivers said.
"I just felt like we were late on everything. We were soft tonight defensively. That first quarter, they get every shot they wanted. We didn't offer any resistance."
Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures are set to enter a state of emergency just three months before Japan's capital is due to host the rescheduled Olympic Games.
Restrictions will be imposed from April 25 through to May 11 in a bid to curb rising coronavirus infections in Japan.
Bars, restaurants and karaoke parlours serving alcohol will be asked to close, while sporting events are set to be held behind closed doors.
Additionally, department stores and cinemas will close, while people will be encouraged to work from home. Schools, however, will remain open.
Economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said: "We absolutely have to limit the movement of people, and we have to do it decisively.
"We need powerful, short and focused measures."
Kyoto and Hyogo are the other two areas to come under the new restrictions.
It marks the third time Japan will enter a state of emergency. The decision comes as the country's medical system struggles to contend with a rise in COVID-19 infections caused by new variants.
The Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee has not swayed from its stance that the Games – postponed last year as a result of the pandemic – will go ahead despite a strong swell of public support for a cancellation.
Last week, Toshihiro Nikai – the secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party – said cancellation remains a possibility, although Olympics Minister Tamayo Maruyama said that was not being considered.
International spectators have already been banned from attending the Games, which are due to begin on July 23, while a decision over domestic spectators going to events is reportedly set to be delayed.
Anthony Davis still needs to "get his legs under him" and there will be some "rust" as he works his way back to full fitness, says Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
Davis made his long-awaited return from injury as the Lakers went down to the Dallas Mavericks 115-110 on Thursday, scoring four points, grabbing four rebounds, providing one assist and blocking one shot in 17 minutes.
Davis had been absent since February 14 due to tendinosis and a calf strain in his right leg, missing 30 games for the defending NBA champions.
The Lakers were outscored by 13 points during Davis' time on court and he went just two-for-10 shooting, but Vogel said it will take some time for him to get up to full speed.
"He still needs to get his legs under him, as to be expected," Vogel said.
"You can't simulate NBA action on a practice court, so that's what tonight is going to be about. That's what the next few games are going to be about.
"So we anticipate him having some rust and working out some timing while getting his legs back under him. But this is an important first step for sure."
For his part, Davis was excited to be back playing, even if it was a source of frustration having to take a watching brief in the second half.
"I think it was 15-20 [minutes] was the number, it's just tough when you haven't played in two months, you're not going to get close to that 20 mark," he said.
"I felt good out there, I was able to do some things to give the team a little juice. I came out with a good start, it's just tough when you're able to play and then you have got to watch the whole second half and not be able to contribute on the floor. But I think I felt fine for the most part.
"I didn't think about it [the injury] one time tonight, honestly I just went out there and played. I think you kind of limit what you do if you go out there thinking about your injury.
"I just went out there and played, not think about it, and have some fun. I was just excited to be out there with the guys. I had no limits to any moves. That was a good sign for me."
Trent Grisham homered and the San Diego Padres produced some stout defense to prevail 3-2 over World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers as the two teams renewed their MLB rivalry.
The Dodgers won two of three games in a thrilling National League (NL) West showdown in San Diego last week.
They met again on Thursday, this time at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for the series opener, and the Padres came out on top.
Leading 1-0 following the fourth inning, Grisham hit a sixth-inning home run to give the Padres a 2-0 lead before back-to-back homers from A.J. Pollock and Sheldon Neuse levelled the game in the seventh.
The Padres restored their lead in the eighth inning when Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded a double as Jurickson Profar scored.
A stunning double play in the bottom of the inning, sparked by Jake Cronenworth ensured the Padres held off the Dodgers.
Javier lifts Astros as Casali makes history
Each of the first eight outs recorded by Cristian Javier in the Houston Astros' 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels came via swinging strikeouts. Per Stats Perform, he is the first Astros pitcher to claim his first eight outs in a game by strikeout since Jim Deshaies in 1986.
Curt Casali put on a show as the San Francisco Giants blanked the Miami Marlins 3-0. He became the first catcher in the modern era (since 1900) with at least five successive shutouts in his starts, joining Francisco Cervelli (2015), Chris Hoiles (1995), Alan Ashby (1986), Ed Phelps (1903 – six straight). Casali became the first to do so with five different starting pitchers.
The Arizona Diamondbacks outlasted the Cincinnati Reds 14-11 thanks to David Peralta's three-run triple in a six-run 10th inning. Peralta finished with five hits and a career-high seven RBI as the Diamondbacks swept the Reds in Cincinnati.
Mitch Haniger hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning as the Seattle Mariners rallied past the Boston Red Sox 7-3. The Mariners are 12-7 for the season and tied for the best record in the American League (AL).
Cobb crumbles
The Astros jumped on Angels pitcher Alex Cobb for five runs in less than three innings. Cobb gave up six hits, four earned runs and three walks.
Walk-off win in Chicago
A game-ending, pinch-hit single from Jason Heyward in the 10th inning helped give the Chicago Cubs a 4-3 walk-off victory against the New York Mets. The Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Mets.
Thursday's results
New York Yankees 6-3 Cleveland Indians
Seattle Mariners 7-3 Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs 4-3 New York Mets
Houston Astros 8-2 Los Angeles Angels
Arizona Diamondbacks 14-11 Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 Detroit Tigers
San Francisco Giants 3-0 Miami Marlins
San Diego Padres 3-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
Athletics at Orioles
The Oakland Athletics (12-7) will put their 11-game winning streak on the line when they face the Baltimore Orioles (8-10) on Friday. Cole Irvin starts for the A's as the Orioles counter with Jorge Lopez on the mound.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis made his long-awaited return but the reigning NBA champions lost 115-110 to the Dallas Mavericks.
Davis had been sidelined since February 14 due to tendinosis and a calf strain in his right leg – the eight-time All-Star missed 30 games, the longest injury absence of his nine-year career.
But Davis stepped back onto the court on Thursday, finishing with four points on just two-for-10 shooting, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 17 minutes.
The Lakers – still without superstar LeBron James (ankle) – were led by Dennis Schroder (25 points and 13 assists), Andre Drummond (14 points and 19 rebounds) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (29 points) but fell short in Dallas.
Luka Doncic fuelled the Mavericks with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Giannis tops Embiid and 76ers
Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 27 points on eight-for-15 shooting, 16 rebounds and six assists as the Milwaukee Bucks took down the slumping Philadelphia 76ers 124-117. It was his 41st 25/15/5 game, the most by a Bucks player since the three-point era (1980). No other Buck has more than four in that span. Milwaukee used a 40-26 opening quarter to hand the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers a third consecutive defeat. Joel Embiid had 24 points for the visiting 76ers.
The Boston Celtics upstaged the high-flying Phoenix Suns 99-86. Kemba Walker was inspirational, shooting 11-for-17 from the field for a game-high 32 points. Boston have won seven of their last eight games, beating Phoenix, the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks and Lakers.
Zion Williamson showcased his efficiency in the New Orleans Pelicans' 135-100 victory against the lowly Orlando Magic. The former number one pick had 23 points in 23 minutes on nine-for-12 shooting, while he made all five of his free-throw attempts.
Oh no, Okeke
It was a forgettable outing for Chuma Okeke and the Magic, who dropped their fourth straight game as they lost for the 23rd time in 28 appearances. In 29 minutes, Okeke made just one of his 12 field-goal attempts. He was 0-for-four from three-point range in a four-point performance.
Jalen McDaniels was just as bad for the Charlotte Hornets, tallying a mere three points on one-for-eight shooting as his team suffered a 106-91 defeat to the Chicago Bulls.
Satoransky slam!
There was no stopping Chicago's Tomas Satoransky as he powered his way to the rim emphatically in the fourth quarter.
Thursday's results:
Boston Celtics 99-86 Phoenix Suns
New Orleans Pelicans 135-110 Orlando Magic
Milwaukee Bucks 124-117 Philadelphia 76ers
San Antonio Spurs 106-91 Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls 106-91 Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks 115-110 Los Angeles Lakers
Celtics at Nets
The Celtics (32-27) will make the trip to face the Brooklyn Nets (39-20) on Friday. Brooklyn have the chance to reclaim the top seed in the Eastern Conference after Philadelphia's loss.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has been diagnosed with a lateral left ankle sprain, the NBA franchise announced on Thursday.
Young hurt his ankle during Wednesday's 137-127 loss to the New York Knicks, having posted 20 points and 14 assists before exiting in the third quarter.
Ruled out for Atlanta's next two games, Young's injury status will be updated.
Young has been averaging 25.3 points, a career-high 9.6 assists – only bettered by Russell Westbrook (10.9) and James Harden (10.9) in 2020-21 – and 3.9 rebounds per game for the high-flying Hawks this season.
The 2020 All-Star (516) is only second to Washington Wizards star Westbrook (557) for total assists this term.
Young has helped the Hawks (32-27) catapult themselves into the playoff picture, with Atlanta fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer is moving closer to his long-awaited debut following an injury-hit start to life with the MLB franchise.
Springer was lured to Toronto on a six-year, $150million contract from the Houston Astros via free agency – the largest deal in Blue Jays history – but injuries have prevented the 2017 World Series champion and MVP from debuting for the MLB hopefuls.
The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger had been nearing a return from a left oblique strain, but tightness in his right quad has sidelined Springer.
However, Springer will play in Friday's intra-squad game and could make his much-anticipated Blue Jays bow in the upcoming three-game series against American League (AL) East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays, with the final two games played on Saturday and Sunday.
"He's excited; we're exceptionally excited," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said on Thursday. "Tomorrow is a great day for George.
"He's doing all baseball activity, he's extremely confident and strong. Now it's just a matter of recovery and putting him in a position to play nine innings and feel like he can face elite major league pitching.
"Tomorrow will be a very important day to determine what that next step is and what's best for him."
Heading into the 2021 season, Springer had led MLB with 136 home runs from the lead-off spot since 2015.
Springer has 39 lead-off home runs in his career – fourth most all-time behind Rickey Henderson (73), Ian Kinsler (48) and Brady Anderson (44).
The 31-year-old Springer has recorded seven career World Series home runs – most from the lead-off spot all-time – and he is 19-for-56 (.339) in the World Series in his career. No other current Blue Jays player has a World Series hit in their career.
Springer's 174 home runs since debuting in MLB via Houston are third most by an Astro in a player's first seven career seasons, behind only Jeff Bagwell (187) and Lance Berkman (180).
Meanwhile, in another boost for the Blue Jays, star Nate Pearson (groin) will start and pitch two-three innings in Friday's intra-squad game.
The Blue Jays (8-10) are third in the AL East, behind leaders the Boston Red Sox (12-7) and Rays (10-9).
Diego Simeone warned Atletico Madrid must not relax in a "complex" LaLiga race after a 2-0 win over Huesca moved them back to the top of the table.
Angel Correa's deflected first-half strike and a Yannick Carrasco goal 10 minutes from time at the Wanda Metropolitano on Thursday sent Atleti three points clear of Real Madrid at the summit.
Atleti thrashed Eibar 5-0 last weekend after picking up only one point from the previous two games against Sevilla and Real Betis.
Simeone knows there can be no let-up from his side in the battle to be crowned champions, with six games to go including a trip to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Cadiz on Wednesday had temporarily nudged Atletico down to second place.
Atletico boss Simeone said: "LaLiga is very complex, we cannot relax, tomorrow we will take care of the Bilbao game."
He added: "There are four teams close to being able to close a great season, Sevilla are doing well, Madrid responded well yesterday and Barcelona are playing now.
"We are to think game by game and we are not going to change now. We think about the next game and we will try to move it forward."
Barcelona won 5-2 against Getafe in Spain's late match on Thursday, after Simeone held his post-game news conference, and Ronald Koeman's side remain very much in the title frame, with a game in hand and a home fixture against Atletico to come next month.
Simeone praised his players for the way they have reacted to slipping up against Sevilla and Betis.
"After Betis I said that the team was in a moment of resistance and is growing after that game," said the former Argentina midfielder.
Simeone reiterated that Atletico's withdrawal from a proposed European Super League was the right decision.
"The day before the decision was made, they already told us what was going to be discussed, it seems like a great decision to me." he said.
Barcelona kept within touching distance of LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid as Lionel Messi inspired Ronald Koeman's team to a 5-2 victory over Getafe.
As Atleti were beating Huesca to move three points clear at the top of LaLiga, Barca released a statement prior to their own contest at Camp Nou, reiterating a commitment to the seemingly failed European Super League project.
While that topic seems set to rumble on, Messi served up a reminder of just what the game is at its very best with another sublime showing, scoring twice in an action-packed first half which also saw Sofian Chakla and Clement Lenglet turn into their own nets.
Enes Unal's penalty after a VAR review gave Getafe hope, but Ronald Araujo headed in from Messi's superb corner before Antoine Griezmann converted from the spot in stoppage time.
A magnificent Messi strike seemed set to put Barca ahead within three minutes, yet Getafe survived – the ball bouncing down and away off the underside of the crossbar.
Messi would not be denied again five minutes later, as he beat Getafe's offside trap and finished over David Soria.
But with Oscar Mingueza off the field receiving treatment for a knee injury, Barca were swiftly pegged back when Angel Rodriguez's wayward shot diverted in off Lenglet.
It was a huge stroke of misfortune that saw Getafe concede for a second time.
Soria rushed out to get onto a loose ball, only for Chakla to instead play a blind pass beyond his goalkeeper, whose despairing dive into the net only added to the comedy of errors.
It was 3-1 five minutes later – Messi's right-footed volley coming back off the post, but Barca's talisman was on hand to tuck in the rebound.
Getafe received a lifeline when Araujo was adjudged after a VAR check to have fouled Unal, who converted the resulting penalty to reduce the deficit with 21 minutes remaining.
Yet Araujo made amends in the 87th minute, powerfully heading home from Messi's corner to secure the points, with Griezmann's last-minute penalty adding further gloss to a win which moves Barca third, five points behind Atleti with a game in hand.
Simona Halep started her clay-court season in style at the Stuttgart Open as she saw off Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets on Thursday.
Second seed Halep is hunting her first appearance in a Stuttgart final, and she looked in fine form as she took just 56 minutes to dismiss Vondrousova 6-1 6-3.
Vondrousova – the 2019 French Open runner up – had won both of her previous meetings with Halep, but on this occasion she was no match for the world number three, who has won every major European clay-court tournament other than Stuttgart.
"Starting the clay-court season makes me very happy and motivated, extra motivated actually," Halep said in a post-match news conference.
"I missed playing matches. I had a few weeks without an official match and it was kind of tough when I started the match, but my mind was strong enough just to give focus on what I have to play. So, I did it great and today it was a great match.
"I was a little bit nervous before the match because I played twice against her and she beat me every time.
"It is important for my mind, for my game, because the clay-court season is going to be very tough. Now this match gave me confidence that my level is high, and if I keep doing the same thing, I will be good."
Facing Halep in the quarter-finals will be Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated world number 12 Belinda Bencic, and joining them in the final eight is Elina Svitolina, who defeated Angelique Kerber 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
Two-time Stuttgart champion Kerber and Svitolina had faced off 13 times before Thursday's contest, and the Ukrainian is now 9-5 up in that head-to-head tussle.
While Aryna Sabalenka also progressed, Karolina Pliskova teed up a clash with top seed Ash Barty by coming from behind to beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-3.
At the Istanbul Open, top seed Elise Mertens also needed three sets to forge a path into the last night.
Mertens had to show her mettle in a contest which lasted over two hours, but she eventually got the better of Viktorija Golubic 6-4 4-6 6-1.
Veronika Kudermetova also made the last eight, as did Ana Bogdan, who fended off Barbora Kreijcova, while Fiona Ferro defeated Vera Zvonareva.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
