Lane Thomas hit a grand slam off Tarik Skubal and Cleveland beat the Detroit Tigers 7-3 on Saturday in Game 5 of their AL Division Series, moving the Guardians into another postseason matchup against the Yankees.

Cleveland will meet New York in the AL Championship Series, setting up another playoff matchup between two teams that have crossed paths six previous times in October. They last met in 2022, with the Yankees taking their ALDS in five games.

Game 1 is Monday in the Bronx.

Thomas had five RBIs for the Guardians, who weren't expected to contend this season. But they won the tough AL Central under first-year manager Stephen Vogt, and Cleveland is still alive with a chance to end a World Series title drought stretching to 1948.

The Guardians had to take down Skubal, the front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award, to keep it going. The left-hander had not given up a run in 24 consecutive innings - 17 in this postseason - before the Guardians tagged him in the fifth for five runs, tying the most he allowed in 2024.

Cleveland had three singles in the inning – one on an infield roller – to load the bases before Skubal hit Ramírez on the left hand to force in a run.

That brought up Thomas, who hit a three-run homer in Cleveland's 7-0 win in Game 1.

The center fielder connected on Skubal's first pitch, sending it just over the 19-foot-high wall in left-center field.

When the ball touched down, the Guardians' dugout emptied and the screaming, red-clad Progressive Field crowd erupted in celebration.

As has been the case all season, Vogt leaned on his MLB-best bullpen, which showed some wear and tear.

After Thomas hit his homer, the Tigers threatened in the sixth, scoring a run on a single by Jake Rogers and loading the bases with two outs. But Hunter Gaddis struck out Kerry Carpenter, who won Game 2 with a three-run homer in the ninth.

The Tigers, though, kept clawing and closed to 5-3 on Colt Keith's one-out RBI double in the seventh. Eli Morgan came in for Cleveland and struck out both batters he faced.

Thomas hit an RBI single in the eighth to put the Guardians up by three, and that's when Vogt turned to All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, the AL's saves leader, to put the Tigers away.

Throwing one 100 mph fastball after another, Clase got the final six outs. When he retired Keith on a routine grounder to first, the Guardians could finally exhale and plan for their first ALCS visit since 2016.

Lee Carsley revealed he did not formally apply to become the next England manager and wants "no regrets" over his time as interim boss.

Gareth Southgate left his position as England manager following their Euro 2024 final defeat in July, with the Football Association (FA) turning to Carsley for the Nations League fixtures.

He has won two of his three games so far, following up back-to-back wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland with a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley on Thursday.

With the return trip against Finland in Helsinki next up for the Three Lions, Carsley admitted prior to the game that he did not apply for the job during the application process earlier this year.

"No, I didn't apply for it," he told talkSPORT. "Because hopefully… I have been doing the U21s, and I am really happy with my job.

"I am an employee of the FA, and I was asked to take the senior team, which is a privilege. It was the proudest moment of my career.

"I am in a really fortunate position in that I am on the inside and I can see how much potential this team's got. It is one of the best jobs in world football.

"There aren’t many jobs where you’ve got a chance of winning. I believe the coach that comes in has got a really good chance of winning, and we deserve the best one that's out there."

Carsley was aiming to become the first England manager to win his first three competitive matches in charge since Fabio Capello in 2008, before Greece claimed their first-ever win over the Three Lions.

The 50-year-old selected an experimental line-up against Greece, fielding five attacking players, but no recognised striker, leaving the side unbalanced,

Harry Kane missed that game with a knock but is expected to return for the trip to Helsinki, having scored twice when they met them in September.

There was widespread criticism of the team after the full-time whistle, but Carsley says he did not want to play it safe during his time as interim boss.

"I think the reaction [to the loss against Greece] is fair enough. You have to respect people's opinions. We didn't perform as well as we can on the night, and I would expect a reaction [against Finland]," Carsley said in his press conference.

"I think it's something that I'll look back on in maybe two or three months and, you know, be better for it.

"I wanted to give this job my best shot for the three camps that we spoke about. I didn't want to have any regrets.

"It's important we do try something different at times. I think I'll be a better coach for that."

Mohamed Salah will return to Liverpool earlier than expected, along with Virgil van Dijk, after he was released from international duty by Egypt on Saturday. 

The 32-year-old was on the scoresheet as Egypt defeated Mauritania 2-0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday, and was also expected to feature in the return fixture on Tuesday. 

However, in a boost for the Reds, who face fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League on October 20, Salah will head back to Merseyside having played just once for his country.

"The technical staff of Egypt's senior football team led by manager Hossam Hassan held a meeting with Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Pharaohs," the Egyptian FA said in a statement. 

"It was agreed during the meeting to rest the player from the upcoming match."

Martin Zubimendi struck in the 79th minute as Spain edged Denmark 1-0 in Murcia to leapfrog their opponents to the top of their Nations League group. 

The Danes kept the European champions at a distance for the majority of the game, but Zubimendi's late volley slipped through the gloves of Kasper Schmeichel, to give the La Roja their second win, and a one-point at the top of League A Group 4. 

Denmark began the game on the front foot at the Estadio Enrique Roca de Murcia as Kasper Dolberg latched onto Christian Eriksen's pass to test Spain goalkeeper David Raya in the third minute. 

Spain captain Alvaro Morata's shot across the goal from an Alejandro Grimaldo cross sailed inches wide of the post in the 21st minute before Lamine Yamal failed to test Schmeichel after beating Rasmus Kristensen for pace and getting behind their defence on the stroke of half-time. 

La Roja made a much brighter start to the second half, though they had to wait until the 68th minute to force a big save out of Schmeichel as he denied Morata from close range.

The turning point came with 11 minutes left on the clock, as Victor Nelsson's headed clearance only reached as far as Zubimendi, who struck a first-time volley from the edge of the box that beat Schmeichel to nestle in the back of the net. 

Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half goals ensured Portugal maintained their perfect Nations League record with a 3-1 victory over Poland.

The pair had put the visitors in control before Piotr Zielinski provided Poland with some late hope, only for Jan Bednarek's own goal to put the result beyond them.

The Selecao started brightly, with Ronaldo striking the underside of the bar before Bruno Fernandes saw a whipped effort palmed away from the top corner.

Silva found the opening 26 minutes in though – Fernandes nodded the ball down to the Manchester City man, who met it sweetly first time on the volley.

Rafael Leao raced in behind to hit a low shot across goal only to hit the far post shortly after, but Ronaldo was on hand to stretch out a leg and turn it home.

With 12 minutes of normal time remaining, Zielinski played a one-two with an off-balance Kacper Urbanski, before rifling a powerful effort past Diogo Costa.

But that proved nothing more than a consolation as Bednarek tried to stop Diogo Jota from reaching Nuno Mendes' cross, only to inadvertently turn it into his own net. 

Data Debrief: No stopping Portugal

Portugal have made a brilliant start to the latest Nations League campaign, and are so far the only team in League A with a 100% record after three games.

Ronaldo has now scored in all three of their matches so far, getting his goal in this game with his only shot on target (three shots overall), as he generated 1.43 expected goals (xG).

However, Fernandes also played his part, having more shots than anyone else on the field (five). He has also now contributed to goals in his last three Nations League appearances (one goal, two assists).

Jannik Sinner says it is a "special feeling" to confirm the year-end number one spot following his Shanghai Masters semi-final win.

Sinner is the first Italian to end a calendar year as number one, having clinched the top ranking with a 6-4 7-5 win over Tomas Machac.

He will face Novak Djokovic in his maiden Shanghai final, and his fourth consecutive showpiece, though he lost the most recent in Beijing to Carlos Alcaraz last week.

Sinner (2023-24) has become only the third player in the Open Era to reach seven or more ATP event finals on hard court in consecutive seasons after Roger Federer (2004-07 and 2014-2015) and Novak Djokovic (2011-13 and 2015-2016).

Sinner, who has 64 wins under his belt this season, is the 18th player to end the year as the top-ranked player and said he has fulfilled a childhood dream in doing so.

"It's amazing. It's something you dream of when you are a kid, when you are young, just to reach the number one," Sinner told Sky Sports.

"Now having the year-end, it's also a different and special feeling.

"It means so much to me, obviously. This is something I could not accomplish without all the people I have around — the family and friends and also a big credit to my team."

India captain Suryakumar Yadav praised a 'selfless' Sanju Samson after his maiden T20I century helped the hosts defeat Bangladesh by 133 runs and win the series 3-0 on Saturday.

Samson's 111-run knock, which came off just 47 balls, helped India storm to 297-6 after batting first, before they restricted the tourists to 164-7 in the third match of the series in Hyderabad. 

The 29-year-old reached his century in just 40 balls to become the second fastest among India's batters to bring up a T20I ton after Rohit Sharma's 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in 2017.

"I think we've achieved a lot as a team. I had said we wanted to have selfless cricketers and want to be a selfless team and enjoy each other's performances. That camaraderie is coming off," Yadav said after the game. 
 
"Gautam Gambhir said the same thing before the series that no one is bigger than the team, no matter if you are on 49 or 99, you have to hit the ball out of the field. That's what Sanju [Samson] did today."

Samson, who hit 11 fours and eight sixes, also became the seventh India opener to score a ton and his strike rate of 236.2 was second only to Sharma among Indians when scoring a T20I ton.

He was ably supported by Yadav, who reached 75 from 35 balls before Ravi Bishnoi picked up three wickets and Mayank Yadav took two to keep Bangladesh at bay. 

A memorable evening

Sanju Samson smashed the second fastest T20I century for #TeamIndia , off just 40 deliveries

Live - https://t.co/ldfcwtHGSC #INDvBAN | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/UC7Iy1j6yY

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 12, 2024  
"We have to be flexible when it comes to batting and bowling. Bowlers have to chip in. Batters have to be flexible, and their performances were commendable," the captain added.
 
India also posted commanding wins against their opponents in the first two matches on their way to winning their 16th consecutive T20I series at home, where they are unbeaten since 2019. 

As for Bangladesh, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto indicated it will be a case of going back to the drawing board. 

"We didn't play our best cricket. We didn't execute our plans as a batting unit. For a couple of overs, we bowled well in some matches, but today we didn't bowl well," Shanto said. 
 
"We need to believe in ourselves that we can compete against any team. We need to change our home wickets and players need to take responsibility.
 
"The way [Towhid] Hridoy batted today was impressive. I liked that the seamers were trying to execute their plans. Our top order needs to improve though."

India will next be in action against New Zealand as the sides play the first of three Tests in Bengaluru from Wednesday. 

Former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza believes Shohei Ohtani is a "modern-day Babe Ruth" after his record-breaking season in MLB.

Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to exceed 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season last month.

So far, he has 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases and hit a three-run homer in his postseason debut when the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres last weekend.

This season, he also surpassed Hideki Matsui's record of 175 for the most home runs by a Japanese player in MLB history (now 225).

And Piazza, who played for the Dodgers between 1992 and 1998, believes Ohtani has already cemented himself among the greats of the game.

"So, he's probably a once-in-a-lifetime player that you're going to see," Piazza told Stats Perform. "I mean, you see players throughout history, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, guys that have done exceptional things, and I think he's no different.

"I mean, the fact that you have the size, the combination of power and speed and he can pitch. I mean he's kind of like a modern-day Babe Ruth.

"Babe Ruth was a great pitcher that a lot of people don't remember him as a pitcher and then ended up hitting over 700 home runs. So, he kind of redefined the sport. I think what Otani is doing now, and I think it also shows the impact and now the effect of Japanese players in the major leagues.

"I was fortunate to play with the first modern ball player, Hideo Nomo, who played for the Dodgers in '95. And ever since then, he was kind of the first pioneer. And now you're seeing Japanese players that want to prove their value in the major leagues. Before, it wasn't so prevalent.

"I mean, up until '95, there was only one in the '60s. So, I think that's another thing that he's done. He's encouraged a lot of attention for Major League Baseball in Japan, and so I mean he's a very special, special talent."

Ohtani's performance against the Miami Marlins on September 19 has been called "one of the greatest" single-game performances in history after he became the first 50-50 player and became the 16th player in MLB history to reach 10 or more RBI in a single game.

He also broke the Dodgers record for RBI in a single game and the most home runs in a single season for the franchise.

Asked if he thought Ohtani was the best baseball player he had ever seen, Piazza added: "He still has some time, I think, to put together a career. I mean he's only been here, what, maybe five years now?

"I think the one thing about baseball is that the true test of greatness would be over, like at least a decade. I'm curious to see if he starts to pitch again, if he starts to pitch and he is effective on the mound, and if he continues his forward hitting, his very hot hitting, and the speed too.

"Because when you play that type of game, when you're stealing, and you're running a lot, it is stressful on the body. So, I think the durability thing will start to come in over the course of the next four or five years for him.

"But he can do it. I mean he's physically strong, the size and the speed, so I'm not ready to say he's the greatest player ever. But he's on a great path and I think the only limits that he has will be if he can stay healthy."

Ohtani represents Japan internationally and could be set for an appearance at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 as baseball is reintroduced to the slate.

Piazza, who is currently the manager of the Italian national baseball team, thinks Ohtani has the ability to revitalise baseball players as global stars, especially if he does appear at the Games.

"I think baseball has been limited in their markets because, obviously, the United States, Latin America and the East, the Far East, Japan and Chinese Taipei, Taiwan, and Korea. But I think you're right [that he could revitalise interest]," Piazza said.

"I mean, the fact that he's doing some very special things in this new media age, because players can get more exposure than when I played.

"I mean, I only played in the 90s. And there wasn't a lot of people in Europe that knew, obviously, of what I was doing, obviously, in Japan because I was playing with Hideo Nomo. But that's probably the only reason.

"So yes, I think we're in a new age of multimedia and social media. I think he definitely has a chance to become a world star, which is rare for baseball, because baseball has always been, as I said, limited to those markets not so big in Europe and in Asia and, as I said, Latin America, so we'll see. I think he, if anybody, could do it he can."

Andrej Kramaric's 70th-minute header was enough for Croatia to clinch a 2-1 victory over Scotland, with the visitors denied a last-gasp equaliser.

The forward completed the comeback after Igor Matanovic cancelled out Ryan Christie's opener, but Kristijan Jakic's blushes were spared as his last-second own goal was disallowed for an offside against Che Adams.

In a fairly even first half, Christie got the breakthrough, latching onto Luka Sucic's sliced attempted clearance, and bundling the ball over the line with help from Duje Caleta-Car.

However, just under four minutes later, Croatia were back on level terms as Ivan Perisic cushioned the ball to Matanovic, who drilled his low shot into the bottom-right corner.

The hosts upped the pressure after the break, and Sucic thought he had given them the lead, only to have his goal chalked off for a foul in the build-up.

And they got their reward when Craig Gordon pushed away Borna Sosa's volley, with Kramaric on hand to nod it in from close range when it looped into the air.

Adams had already sent a looping effort wide of the far post in his search for an equaliser and thought he had finally got it after pressuring Jakic into poking it over the line. However, he had done so from an offside position so VAR ruled it out, and Scotland were denied a first point this Nations League campaign.  

Data Debrief: Scotland suffer more late heartbreak

Late drama seems to follow Scotland everywhere in this competition at the moment - they lost their first two games in the competition due to late goals despite putting up a fight.

As such, Scotland extended their longest winless run in competitive matches in their history (P9 D3 L6), while they have now lost four consecutive games for the first time in five years, last doing so in October 2019.

The match-winner, Kramaric, scored his 30th goal for Croatia on his 99th appearance, with more than half of these (16) coming since he turned 30, while he has scored twice as many goals (eight) than any other Croatian player since the start of 2023.

Sanju Samson's stunning maiden century set India on their way to a 133-run victory over Bangladesh on Saturday.

Bangladesh had no answers in the chase and fell short as India secured a clean sweep in their three-match T20I series with a comfortable win.

India could not have got off to a better start despite Abhishek Sharma's dismissal for four, as Samson stormed to his century, plundering 111 from just 47 balls.

Suryakumar Yadav (75), Riyan Parag (34) and Hardik Pandya (47) pushed them further towards their total, even as Tanzim Hasan Sakib (3-66) tried to slow them down.

The hosts finished on 297-6, and Bangladesh's hopes of a quick start in their own innings were cut short as Parvez Hossain Emon was caught on the first ball.

Ravi Bishnoi (3-30) and Mayank Yadav (2-32) impressed in the field for India, stunting Bangladesh from building any momentum even as Towhid Hridoy kept them ticking forward with his unbeaten 63.

However, Liton Das (42) was the only other player to score higher than 15 and the tourists slumped over the finish line knowing they would get nowhere near India's total.

Data Debrief: Quick off the mark

With his maiden century in men's T20Is, Samson became the seventh India batter to score a ton as an opener. In fact, his strike rate of 236.2 is second only to Rohit Sharma (274.4 v Sri Lanka) among India batters when scoring a ton in the format.

Samson brought up his century in just 40 deliveries, making him the fourth fastest to do so in men's T20Is among batters from full-member sides and the second fastest among India's batters after Rohit (35 balls v Sri Lanka in December 2017).

He hit 11 fours and eight sixes in his knock, leaving Bangladesh with a mountain to climb from the very beginning. 

Novak Djokovic expressed his relief at reaching the Shanghai Masters final, saying his win over Taylor Fritz pushed him to his limits on Saturday. 

Djokovic kept his hopes alive of claiming a 100th tour-level title with a battling 6-4 7-6 (8-6) triumph over the American after overcoming a hip issue at the end of the second set. 

The 37-year-old required a medical timeout in the closing stages of his almost two-hour-long battle but returned to the court to reach his fifth showpiece match in Shanghai. 

In doing so, Djokovic surpassed Andy Murray (four) for the outright most finals reached at the event, while also extending his unbeaten run against Fritz to 10 matches. 

But the 24-time grand slam champion acknowledged the challenges he faced against Fritz, who threatened to take the encounter the distance. 

"It always takes it out of me, these kinds of battles, but particularly towards the end of the tournament," said Djokovic.

"At this stage of my career, I’m doing my best to recover, and I had some issues here and there on the court, physically, yesterday and today. But I managed to overcome it.

"It was a stern test. Taylor is in form, playing probably the best tennis of his life coming off a grand slam final, and he's playing really well, particularly on this surface.

"He's serving big, so I knew it was going to be a big test for me. I did not want to get to a third set, and I'm just glad to overcome in two.”

The Serbian's victory set up a meeting with world number one Jannik Sinner, who beat Tomas Machac 6-4 7-5 in the other semi-final.

It will be the pair's first meeting since their final four clash at the Australian Open earlier this year, a contest Sinner would go on to win his maiden grand slam title. 

But having performed well at his first tournament since his US Open exit, Djokovic is hoping to join Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer in the 100 club against a player he described as "the best in the world."

"I came to Shanghai after five years of not playing in China, the place where I've always had great success, both in Shanghai and Beijing," said Djokovic.

"[I've won] many titles, had great battles and great performances. I’ve said it many times, the support that I get here is tremendous, and I'm very grateful.

"That creates an energy that keeps me going, keeps me running, so I did come here definitely with a vision and a desire to get to the final and fight for a 100th title.

"I get that chance against the best player in the world, and let's see what happens."

Ederson says it is an honour to be a part of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, though admitted the manager can be "sometimes annoying".

The goalkeeper joined City in June 2017 and has since kept 113 clean sheets in 257 Premier League appearances, more than any other goalkeeper in the competition since his debut.

He has won 15 major trophies with City, including six Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and a Champions League title, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup under Guardiola. 

While on international duty with Brazil, Ederson attended an event for Children's Day and was asked if Guardiola was nice, annoying or angry by one child.

"You're going to get me in trouble," Ederson told ESPN Brasil. "He's all three.

"He's a nice guy, he's sometimes annoying, in the sense of [being] demanding, because he has to [be] demanding to a professional [player], and he's also angry when he has to be angry.

"So he has a mixture of all three. But he's a nice guy off the pitch, and he's a very, very demanding guy on it. And he's also a guy who gets angry like any other person, like any other coach, when things don't go well or when the team doesn't play well.

"Of course, we know that we're not going to be able to play 70 games at a brilliant level. Of course, in one game or another, there's going to be a dip."

Under Guardiola, City became the only English club in history to hold all five trophies – Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup – in a calendar year (in 2023).

In the English top-flight, Guardiola has overseen 311 games since July 2016, winning 230 of those (D43 L38). He has a 73.95% win percentage in the competition and averages 2.36 points per game.

And Ederson believes the Spaniard, who has been named the Premier League manager of the season five times, has changed football in the competition.

"I've been able to play a big part in the project," he said. "You take everything Guardiola has built up with the group, with the squad and everything he's been able to reformulate practically.

"You see every Premier League game today, how the teams try to play more football, have more possession. It's completely different from when he arrived.

"So to be able to be part of this project and achieve everything I've achieved, I feel very honoured, it really is a childhood dream."

Zheng Qinwen is through to the Wuhan Open final after a straight-sets win over Wang Xinyu.

In a historic, first-ever all-Chinese semi-final at a WTA 1000 event, Zheng reached her first such final, prevailing 6-3 6-4.

There was little to separate the two in the opening exchanges – just as Zheng edged in front with the first break in the fourth game, Wang responded, levelling the scores back at 3-3.

However, Zheng rallied, successfully defending a break point on her way to winning the last three games in a row to take the first set.

Wang faced 12 break points throughout the match, but failed to defend one in the second-set opener, before protecting three as she took a 2-1 lead.

Despite her fight, the Olympic gold medallist dug deep once more, getting two back-to-back breaks in order to clinch clinching the match.

She will face Aryna Sabalenka, who has never lost a match in Wuhan, in the final on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Home favourite

It has been a banner year for Zheng, who is also still in with a chance of qualifying for the WTA finals. Including the Olympics, she has reached the final of four events during 2024, the most she has managed during a single season. 

Only Qiang Wang and Shuai Peng (four each) have made more WTA level finals on Chinese soil than Zheng (three, Zhengzhou and Zhuhai in 2023 and Wuhan in 2024) among Chinese players in the Open Era.

In fact, Zheng is just the second Chinese player to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event since the introduction of the format in 2009, after Li Na.