David Fry highlighted a six-run 12th inning with a three-run triple and the Cleveland Guardians snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-5 victory over the New York Yankees in a matchup of division leaders on Tuesday night in the longest major league game this season.
Pinch-hitter Lane Thomas delivered a go-ahead double to ignite the big 12th and Jose Ramirez had an RBI single before a walk to Tyler Freeman loaded the bases. Fry’s triple was just out of the reach of right fielder Juan Soto and made it 8-3.
Guardians rookie Jhonkensey Noel added an RBI infield single when Michael Tonkin was slow to cover first base.
Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase pitched two innings for the first time this season and retired Alex Verdugo with two on to the end the 10th. Tim Herrin was aided by Daniel Schneemann’s leaping catch in right field on Austin Wells and stranded two in the 11th.
Soto and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back homers in the first inning for the Yankees, who have lost three in a row after three consecutive wins.
New York used all eight of its relievers after rookie starter Luis Gil exited in the fourth because of back tightness. The Yankees issued 14 walks for the first time since allowing a team-record 15 at Milwaukee on Sept. 15, 1993.
The game lasted 4 hours, 5 minutes – the longest in the big leagues this season.
Montas pitches streaking Brewers past Cardinals
Frankie Montas allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings and Devin Williams escaped a jam in the ninth as the Milwaukee Brewers won their sixth straight, 3-2 over the reeling St. Louis Cardinals.
Montas allowed his only hit on a single by Alec Burleson in the fourth inning, struck out three and walked one.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but Williams struck out Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman - both swinging - for his fifth save.
William Contreras had three hits for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who are cruising to the division title with an 11 ½ games lead over the Cubs.
Sal Frelick drove in Willy Adames with a two-out single in the second and also tripled and scored on Joey Ortiz's single in the fifth.
Matt Carpenter homered for St. Louis in its seventh loss in eight games.
Profar’s late home run rallies Padres
Jurickson Profar belted a three-run homer in the eighth inning to rally the San Diego Padres to a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins in a matchup of playoff contenders.
Manny Machado also homered and Xander Bogaerts added an RBI double as the Padres improved to 22-5 in their last 27 games. They have won nine of their last 10 series.
The Padres trailed 5-3 before Profar drove a low slider from Steven Okert deep to left. Donovan Solano and Luis Arraez singled ahead of Profar's 20th homer.
Ryan Jeffers homered for the Twins, who lost their third in a row.
Rodri predicted Phil Foden could go on to become England's greatest-ever player after he was crowned PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season on Tuesday.
Foden added the top men's PFA prize to the Premier League Player of the Season award he won in May, having inspired Manchester City to their fourth straight league title last term.
He scored 19 league goals and added eight assists in 2023-24, including vital hat-tricks against Brentford and Aston Villa and a stunning final-day strike versus West Ham.
Rodri was also considered among the contenders for the PFA prize after going unbeaten through all 34 of his Premier League appearances last season (27 wins, seven draws), but the Spaniard believes his team-mate was a worthy victor.
"I'm so, so happy about Phil. To be honest he's a very good kid, a very shy kid. For me, he has the ability to be the best English player in history when he finishes his career," Rodri said at Tuesday's award ceremony.
"He needs to keep the level up in his game, already he's one of the best players in the league and in Europe.
"I think he could get even better. The quality, ambition and hard work he has every day listening to old people like me is very important.
"He was outstanding last season and it's the first season I saw him carrying the team on his back."
Foden is the first Englishman to win the PFA Player's Player of the Year award since Wayne Rooney in 2010, and the first to do so in the same year as winning the Premier League title since John Terry in 2005.
Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland, who joined Rodri and Foden in being voted into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, was also effusive in his praise for the England man.
"He's a great guy, I really enjoy playing with him and joking with him," Haaland said.
"Phil is unbelievable, some of the stuff he does in training that no one sees is also incredible, I'm lucky to play with him."
Juventus have revealed midfielder Khephren Thuram and winger Timothy Weah both suffered hamstring injuries in their season-opening victory over Como in Serie A.
Juve began their first campaign under former Bologna coach Thiago Motta with a 3-0 win over Cesc Fabregas' newly promoted side in Turin.
Forward Samuel Mbangula put the Bianconeri ahead with a fine solo goal before Weah blasted home off the underside of the crossbar to make it 2-0 shortly before half-time.
However, the United States wideman was substituted at the break after appearing to suffer a hamstring strain, while Thuram – signed from Nice last month – was also withdrawn before Andrea Cambiaso added a late third.
The Italian giants have now confirmed both players sustained hamstring issues and will be reassessed in around 10 days, ruling them out of Monday's trip to Verona and potentially the September 1 clash with Roma.
"Following muscular problems suffered during last night's match, Khephren Thuram and Timothy Weah underwent diagnostic tests this morning at the J Medical Centre," a club statement said.
"They revealed for the former a low-grade hamstring injury in his left thigh and for the latter a low-grade hamstring injury in his right thigh.
"New examinations are scheduled for both players in approximately 10 days' time."
Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova again came up with potentially pivotal goals to put Lille in control of their Champions League play-off tie against Slavia Praha on Tuesday.
Both David and Zhegrova had netted against Fenerbahce in the previous round, with the Canada forward's extra-time penalty eliminating Jose Mourinho's men, and the pair were on target once more in a 2-0 win at Valenciennes' Stade du Hainaut.
It initially looked as though this might not be David's night, with last season's 19-goal Ligue 1 star passing up two very presentable openings in the first half.
David would have been particularly disappointed with the second of those, firing over after Zhegrova's effort was blocked by Antonin Kinsky, but he made amends in the 52nd minute when a first-time finish from a Hakon Haraldsson pass crept past the goalkeeper into the bottom-right corner.
The scorer of the first turned provider for the second, albeit David's flick to Zhegrova left the winger with plenty to do as he shimmied into the box and calmly shot beyond Kinsky.
It was not all one-way traffic in the second period as Slavia twice had the ball in the net, but Igoh Ogbu's scrambled goal shortly after the opener was struck off for handball, then substitute Mojmír Chytil's response to Zhegrova's dazzling second was ruled out for offside.
Data Debrief: Slavia slowed
Lille have the stronger team on paper, but Slavia had form on their side, unbeaten in 14 matches, with seven of those coming since the start of their domestic season last month. The Czech side had won their previous six games.
Ultimately, however, Lille's quality told – particularly in the case of Zhegrova.
He accounted for six of Lille's 16 shots and three of seven on target, also creating two chances as he was eventually rewarded for his endeavour with a 77th-minute strike.
Slavia will hope to recover their momentum in the return match in Czechia next Wednesday, with hopes of a place in the Champions League's new league phase waning.
Jamaica national record holder Ackera Nugent is set to open her Diamond League account at the prestigious Lausanne, Switzerland, event on Thursday, August 22.
Nugent, the second-fastest woman in the world this year over the 100m hurdles and Jamaica's sole finalist at the Paris Olympics Games, is set to face an exceptional field in what promises to be one of the most anticipated races of the meet.
Among her competitors are Olympic bronze medallist Jamine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico and compatriot Danielle Williams.
Nugent, 22, has been a standout athlete this year, capturing the spotlight after a dominant win at the national senior trials in a blistering personal best of 12.28 seconds. The mark is also a new stadium record and the ninth fastest time in history over the distance.
Her notable achievements include reaching the finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she failed to finish after hitting the first hurdle.
Nugent looks forward to making her Diamond League debut.
"I'm incredibly grateful to finally have the opportunity to compete on the Diamond League circuit," Nugent said.
"It's a huge step as I transition into a full-time professional athlete. The Diamond League is where I see myself competing for the foreseeable future, so I’m ready to embrace everything that comes with it," she added.
Nugent is also slated to compete at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland this Sunday, August 25, and the Rome Golden Gala on Friday, August 30.
Bruno Fernandes believes Manchester United's transfer business is arming them to "compete with the best", which was his aim before agreeing to a new contract at Old Trafford.
Midfielder Fernandes is the captain and star man at United and committed his long-term future to the club last week ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.
This was despite United falling to eighth last season, their lowest finish in the Premier League era.
Erik ten Hag's men did win the FA Cup, beating Manchester City in the final, but they were unable to consistently compete with their rivals at the top of the table.
That needed to change for Fernandes to remain happy in Manchester, but he is encouraged by the early signs, with United signing Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
Zirkzee scored a dramatic winner on his debut against Fulham on Friday, ensuring United made a victorious start to the new campaign.
"The club knew that I want to compete with the best teams," Fernandes told MUTV. "They knew that we needed to improve the team. I think we're doing that.
"Obviously, I said to them: 'I don't need you to promise me that we're going to win the league'. No-one can promise that.
"But at least that we will have a team to compete and be competitive through the season, to try to achieve silverware and to compete in the highest levels.
"I think the club is doing that, trying to bring people in to get more players with quality in the team, to get more competitive, so everyone is fighting for your place.
"But my first choice was always to stay at the club. It was not even demands, but the things that I wanted to see: the club going forward, so I could see a future on that.
"To be honest, I look now and I see that the club is making an effort for that."
Southampton have completed a £12.8million move to bring Sporting CP midfielder Mateus Fernandes to the Premier League.
Fernandes, who has been capped seven times by Portugal at under-21 level, spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Estoril, making 28 Primeira Liga appearances and scoring once.
The 20-year-old, who came through Sporting's youth system, has penned a five-year deal with Southampton, who began their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Newcastle United.
Fernandes is the 14th arrival at St Mary's since their promotion back to the top flight, with Flynn Downes, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Cameron Archer among their more expensive acquisitions.
"I'm very happy to be here, it's a dream come true to come to England and play in the Premier League," Fernandes told the club's website.
"It's the best league in the world, in my opinion. It has the best coaches, the best players, the best teams. It's good for me, for my growth and I'm happy."
Fernandes ranked second among all Estoril players for chances created in the Portuguese top flight last season, with 39, also leading their charts for successful passes in the opposition half (534).
Captain Shan Masood says continuity was Pakistan's aim when selecting their side to face Bangladesh in the first of two Tests, with Saim Ayub picked as an opener over Muhammad Hurraira.
Hurraira was expected to get a chance when the two-match series gets under way in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, having impressed on the domestic stage for Islamabad United.
He scored 218 against a Bangladesh High Performance XI in a four-day match last month, also receiving his first international call-up for a tour of Sri Lanka.
He was not selected for his red-ball debut during that series, however, and he has also been overlooked for this week's first meeting with Bangladesh, despite Imam-ul-Haq being rested.
"We have plenty of riches in our opening batting," Masood said ahead of the Test. "Imam-ul-Haq isn't here for this series.
"We don't limit ourselves to 17 players. We have 20 to 25 players who are part of our squad.
"We initially felt that it was our ideal chance to check Muhammad Hurraira and see what he could offer the Pakistan team after doing so well in domestic cricket in the last three or four years.
"We rested Imam in this series. Saim, who is in good touch now, showed potential in the second innings against Australia.
"As a team, you have to send a message of continuity. So we will try to back the players. We want to give him a fair chance."
Masood also said the expected conditions at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium had influenced the decision to select Mohammad Ali to lead the bowling attack.
"You have to look at a few factors," Masood said. "You have to take into account Pakistan's position in the WTC.
"We at least have to win the home matches. Secondly, you have to look at the ground conditions. Thirdly, we have to look at our team combination.
"I think Mohammad Ali gave us the surprise element, we have been seeing it for a long time."
Mason Mount has been backed to improve on a disappointing first season at Manchester United by Dimitar Berbatov, who feels the midfielder needs to take more risks in his play.
Mount joined the Red Devils from Chelsea in a £60million move last year but failed to make an impact in his first campaign at Old Trafford, which was marred by injuries and inconsistency.
He only made 14 Premier League appearances in 2023-24, being limited to five starts and just 513 minutes as United finished a disappointing eighth in the Premier League.
Mount only managed one goal involvement in those matches – a goal in a 1-1 draw at Brentford in March – and created just six chances.
Berbatov, who won two Premier League titles, the EFL Cup and the Club World Cup with United between 2008 and 2012, expects more of the midfielder this campaign.
"The first season was disappointing for him and something to forget. But he can learn from that and what he can learn is to get better," he said in an interview with Futbin.
"If you give him the opportunity he has to go out and give the best he can. He didn't manage to do that last season, unfortunately.
"But the talent and the quality are there. Everybody saw what he did at Chelsea, but he didn't produce it at United."
Berbatov does feel Mount needs to show greater self-confidence if he is to nail down a spot in Erik ten Hag's team, adding: "My only wish for him is to get through the thought that he is new and that he doesn't want to take responsibility.
"It is his second season now and he needs to have a good season. This is the moment to make or break, so he has to go out there and be brave.
"Take some chances and risks. He has the quality, so don't be afraid, Mason."
The pitches for the first two matches at New York's Nassau County Stadium during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, as well as the one for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, have been rated "unsatisfactory" by the ICC.
The verdict comes nearly two months after the tournament, which India won by beating South Africa by seven runs in the final on June 29.
In those two games at the Nassau County Stadium, Sri Lanka were skittled out for 77 against South Africa on June 3 while Ireland were dismissed for 96 by India two days later.
In the second game, a number of players from both sides copped were struck on the body as a result of the uneven bounce in the pitch.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt as a precautionary measure after being hit on the upper arm by Josh Little.
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and Ireland batsman Harry Tector were also struck as a result of the nature of the surface.
At the time, Andy Flower had said the pitch in New York was "bordering on dangerous," while former England captain Michael Vaughan called it "shocking."
The venue in New York was readied in five months. Damian Hough, chief curator at the Adelaide Oval, was brought in by the ICC to prepare the drop-in pitches.
But after criticism from various quarters, the ICC had acknowledged that the pitches there had been substandard and the short turnaround time between matches didn't help. New York hosted eight games in two weeks.
Remedial work was carried out, and ahead of the following game, between Canada and Ireland, areas where grass shoots were growing under the cracks were covered with topsoil and rolled in to make the surface much flatter.
The surfaces used for the subsequent fixtures in New York, including India vs Pakistan, where 119 beat 113 for 7, have been rated as "satisfactory".
The bigger point of scrutiny, perhaps more than New York, was on the surface for the semi-final, where Afghanistan were bowled out for 56 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The wicket was wildly unpredictable as some deliveries rolled along the ground while a few reared up from a similar spot.
At the time, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott was clear "that's not a pitch you want to play a semi-final on".
Generally, surfaces at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy were a challenge. West Indies, who scored 149 there and defended it narrowly against New Zealand, were tottering at 30 for 5 at one stage.
The ICC rates pitches, and outfields, for all international games on a scale of very good to unfit: very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unfit.
The surface at Providence for the India vs England semi-final was rated "satisfactory", while the Kensington Oval deck for the final between India and South Africa was rated "very good".
The ICC was largely happy with the state of the outfields, with only New York and Guyana receiving "satisfactory" ratings, while the others were "very good".
Jamie Carragher believes a repeat of Liverpool's third-place finish in their final season under Jurgen Klopp will represent a success in Arne Slot's first campaign at the helm.
Liverpool fell off at the tail end of 2023-24 to finish third behind Manchester City and Arsenal, before former Feyenoord boss Slot took the reigns from Klopp.
The Dutchman's first league game at the helm ended in a 2-0 win over newly promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday, with the Reds producing an impressive second-half display.
Liverpool created the highest expected goals figure (2.65 xG) of any team on matchday one of the Premier League season, registering 15 shots and 43 touches in the Ipswich area after half-time as goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah handed them victory.
Despite a positive start to Slot's reign, Carragher believes Liverpool's supporters will be forgiving if he fails to deliver silverware in his first season.
Speaking in his role of Sky Sports pundit, Carragher said: "I don't think Liverpool supporters are expecting the world in the first season.
"They realise the situation he is coming into, I think Liverpool replicating what they did last season would be enough.
"I was really impressed with a couple of things from the weekend. I was impressed with how decisive he was at half-time, he identified a problem and dealt with it.
"When I was watching Liverpool play out from the back, we've all played in those games on a dry pitch, the opposition are onto you.
"I liked what he said, that you don't need to keep playing short passes in those situations, you can go a bit longer.
"He's the total opposite of Klopp, the crowd were chanting his name at the end and he shied away from it."
Bayern Munich's sporting director Max Eberl says that Leon Goretzka will not be exiled if he stays at the club after the transfer window closes.
Under Thomas Tuchel last season, Goretzka started in 25 of his 30 Bundesliga appearances, winning 23 of his 41 tackles, only ranking sixth highest in the Bayern squad.
The midfielder looks to have slipped down the pecking order since Vincent Kompany's arrival, playing a bit-part role during pre-season.
Goretzka, who has made 221 appearances since joining from Schalke in 2018, was left out of the squad for their 4-0 win over Ulm in the first round of the DFB-Pokal last Friday.
However, he did start Tuesday's 4-0 friendly win over Grasshopper Club Zurich, playing just over an hour as he filled a gap in defence after it was confirmed Josip Stanisic will miss the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
Goretzka's future is no clearer heading into the start of the season, with only tentative links to Liverpool or Barcelona being reported.
The German is reportedly keen to fight for his place in Kompany's squad, and Eberl says that will be a possibility if he is still at the club at the end of the transfer window.
"At Bayern Munich, there's no second training group," he told Sky Sports Germany. "Leon is a great player and played well today. If he stays, he will be a full member of our squad."
While speaking to Abendzeitung, he said: "We never spoke badly about Leon. He has done great things for FC Bayern.
"Competitive situations are quite normal in football. Leon is a full member of the team. We only hinted that it could be difficult."
Bayern's final pre-season game ended in another dominant win, with Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Mathys Tel and Thomas Muller netting the goals.
They will begin their season against Wolfsburg on Sunday, and Eberl noted the importance of the extra preparation before they launch a title challenge.
"It was important that we had another test to get fit, to internalize the processes and new ideas," Eberl told Bayern's media channels.
"It's a positive result, we didn't concede a goal. We are satisfied
"We have a new coaching team that brings new energy into the dressing room. We showed decent performances in the preparation, and now we want to win every game."
Jannik Sinner has been cleared after twice testing positive for a banned substance in March.
The world number one tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – during Indian Wells.
Sinner was notified about the positive tests in April and was originally given a provisional suspension, but he successfully challenged it and was able to keep playing.
The Italian had been inadvertently contaminated by the substance from his physiotherapist, who had used an over-the-counter spray for a cut on his own hand before treating Sinner, the International Tennis Integrity Agency's (ITIA) investigation found.
The ITIA accepted the explanation that the contamination was not intentional, and the 23-year-old was cleared of all fault or negligence by an independent tribunal last week.
Sinner will still lose the ranking points won at Indian Wells, where he was beaten in the semi-finals by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
"I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me," Sinner said in his statement.
"I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA's anti-doping programme, and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance."
The ATP praised the work done by the ITIA during their investigation to get to the right outcomes about the Cincinnati Open winner.
"We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner's part," the ATP posted on X.
"We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing.
"This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments. Integrity is paramount in our sport."
Sinner will next be in action at the US Open, which starts on August 26 in New York.
Justin Herbert returned to practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday after recovering from a foot injury, leaving head coach Jim Harbaugh delighted.
Herbert was diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot on July 31 and has been wearing a protective boot for the last three weeks.
The Chargers remained hopeful of having Herbert available for their Week 1 clash with the Las Vegas Raiders on September 8, and the prospect of him starting Harbaugh's first game at the helm looks increasingly likely after he returned to the practice field.
Herbert did not participate in full team work on Monday but played plenty of snaps as Harbaugh put his players through seven-on-seven drills.
Asked by reporters how it felt to see Herbert return, Harbaugh – who left the University of Michigan to take the Chargers job in January – said: "It felt great.
"It felt like music should be playing, I thought I heard music, the voices of angels maybe. It felt great.
"He looked great with a capital G. No drop-off, pinpoint accuracy. He looked really good."
Herbert only missed two games through his first three seasons after being drafted sixth overall by the Chargers in 2020, but sat out the final four weeks of the 2023 season.
He broke the index finger on his throwing hand in Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, with the subsequent surgery ending his campaign.
Herbert completed 297 of 456 attempted passes (65.1%) and threw for 20 touchdowns in 2023. That latter figure was the lowest of his career, having thrown for 21 scores in 2020, 38 in 2021 and 25 in 2022.
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