Lewis Hamilton feels he can continue in Formula One for another five years, according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who is certain the 37-year-old will renew his contract with the team.
Hamilton has won six of his joint-record seven F1 world championships while representing Mercedes, also helping the Silver Arrows to eight consecutive constructors' titles since joining in 2013.
That run is set to end this season, with Mercedes in third and Hamilton winless and struggling in sixth in the drivers' standings.
But Wolff insists his superstar's appetite for the sport remains undiminished.
He believes Hamilton – who he described as "the greatest personality" in F1 history – is sure to extend his Mercedes stay beyond the expiration of his contract in 2023.
"The advantage is we speak a lot together," Wolff told Channel 4. "Just last week we sat down, and he says 'look, I have another five years in me, how do you see that?'
"He's the shining star on and off track. I think we would lose the greatest personality that Formula One ever had.
"Over time we have just grown together. We are totally transparent with each other.
"Lewis will be the first one to say 'I can't do this anymore, because I feel I haven't got the reactions anymore' or 'I've just lost fun doing it, and there is another generation growing up that is just very strong'.
"I have no doubt that whatever we agree on a contract extension – which is going to happen – that we both are always going to discuss, very openly, what the future holds."
Hamilton indicated earlier this year he has "plenty of fuel left in the tank", and Wolff believes he can replicate the longevity of rival Fernando Alonso and NFL legend Tom Brady by competing after his 40th birthday.
"I don't know if 40 is that age where you say that is not adequate anymore for a racing driver," Wolff said.
"If you look at where Fernando is with 41 years, he's still very much there. Now, is he the same Fernando that he was at 25? I don't know, but he's very competitive still.
"You look at Tom Brady, who is somebody I really admire for having the discipline in how he manages his life and his sport, he's 45 – and he's on the pitch.
"So Lewis, with the way he leads his life, with the full, ultra-narrow focus on his Formula One racing – all the other things are just hobbies – I think he can take it quite far."
Hamilton was joined by George Russell at Mercedes ahead of this season, and the former Williams driver sits fourth in the drivers' standings after recording seven podium finishes in 2022 – one more than Hamilton.
Wolff believes Russell will have the opportunity to compete for titles in the future, adding: "George has been great joining the team.
"He's a good personality, he acts with integrity, he's very transparent working with Lewis – these two really have added to the team's development slope this year.
"He was obviously hoping to be in a Mercedes and winning races and championships, which he got that timing wrong, but at least he has progressed to the midfield now.
"That time is going to come – he will win races, he will race for championships, and I think he absolutely has it in him. I feel very good to have him in the team over the long term."
World number nine Andrey Rublev comfortably beat qualifier Laslo Djere 6-4 6-3 to secure his place in the second round of the Astana Open.
The fifth seed found a crucial break of serve when leading the opener 5-4 to take the first set in Kazakhstan, before winning the next three games to put himself in the ascendancy in the second.
And despite a desperate last stand to stay in the match from Djere, Rublev held serve three times with relative ease to finish off his Serbian opponent.
Eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime served 14 aces to Roberto Bautista-Agut's two in their first-round match, but it was the Spaniard who advanced with a 6-4 7-6 (8-6) success.
Meanwhile, world number 10 Hubert Hurkacz overcame Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets.
Adrian Mannarino, the runner-up in Astana in 2020, came from a set down to beat Stan Wawrinka – playing as a wildcard – 1-6 6-2 6-3, and qualifier Zhizhen Zhang romped to victory with a superb third set to seal a 4-6 6-4 6-1 comeback win of his own over Aslan Karatsev.
At the Tokyo Open, fourth seed Frances Tiafoe cruised into the second round with a 6-3 6-4 triumph over Yasutaka Uchiyama, one of three Japanese players who crashed out at the first-round stage of their home tournament.
Uchiyama's countrymen Taro Daniel and Shintaro Mochizuki also tasted defeat at the hands of Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Brandon Nakashima, respectively.
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua's proposed fight with Tyson Fury will not go ahead as things stand, insisting he will not "play a game" with the WBC heavyweight champion.
Fury initially offered Joshua the chance of a December bout last month, with Hearn subsequently revealing positive talks had been held with the Gypsy King's team.
However, Fury then set Joshua's representatives a deadline of September 26 to get the fight signed off, and declared discussions were "officially over" when that was not met.
Last week, Hearn told Sky Sports he was "baffled" by Fury's antics, adding: "we'll see what happens from here".
Hearn now appears convinced the fight will not take place, and has hit out at Fury for repeatedly insulting Joshua on social media.
"As far as we're concerned, the fight's off. We're happy to continue the discussions," Hearn said in an interview with Matchroom Boxing.
"In our mind, he's not fighting Anthony Joshua. We're more than happy to continue those conversations, but what we've been told is the deadline has passed, and so have the entire country.
"We have sent the final version of the contract back, they've come back with points and we were told that the fight is off by the man himself.
"They gave us terms, ultimately, and a date they thought we wouldn't accept. We did accept that. We were ready to go.
"If they were to sign the contract on Monday [September 26], they had a fight. We were asked to agree the deal by Monday, then we were asked to agree it by Wednesday.
"We got the comments back on Wednesday. We were never going to sign the fight [then], and we were told the fight's off.
"It's still there. It's still open for discussion. But we're not going to play a game with a bloke that's just coming out telling AJ it's off, and then that he's a 'dosser', that he's got to sign it, etc.
"Have your fight if you fight someone else, and we'll do our thing and we'll see what happens."
Iga Swiatek warned the tennis schedule is "not safe" and "could cause injury" as she pulled out of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
The world number one was due to represent Poland in an event that will be staged in Glasgow from November 8-13, but withdrew on Monday.
That competition will start just a day after the WTA Finals finish in Fort Worth, Texas.
US and French Open champion Swiatek criticised governing bodies the WTA and International Tennis Federation (ITF), who run the Billie Jean King Cup, over the calendar.
"I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team, but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow," Swiatek posted in an Instagram story.
"It makes me sad. I'm very sorry, because I play for Poland whenever it's possible and I always give it my best.
"Playing in Poland this year [in the qualifiers] was an honour and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season.
"I'm disappointed that tennis governing bodies didn't come to an agreement on something as basic as the calendar of tournaments, giving us only one day to travel through the globe and changing the time zone.
"The situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury."
Christian Horner remains confident Red Bull did not breach Formula One's budget cap rules last season ahead of the results of an FIA investigation.
The constructor faced reports both they and Aston Martin spent more than the $145million during Max Verstappen's title-winning campaign in 2021.
As Sergio Perez stormed to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, clamour over the findings reached fever pitch, with Mercedes principal Toto Wolff claiming the breach was an "open secret".
But Horner has reiterated his belief the team remain inside budget constraints, while continuing to linger the threat of legal action against his rival over comments he considers defamatory.
"We're absolutely confident in our submission," he said. "Our audit was signed off by our auditors. We believe we are comfortably within the cap.
"We will consider all of our options. It was totally unacceptable to make a completely unfounded allegation – and on the basis of what knowledge? Where is this source of information?
"It was a confidential submission between the team and the FIA. I have no idea of the compliance of any of our rivals. So where does that information supposedly come from?"
Verstappen holds a 104-point lead over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, and is closing in on his second world title, though if the FIA were to find Red Bull in breach last season, there could potentially be future repercussions on his prospects.
Jonathan Taylor's knee injury is reportedly not thought to be serious, though the Indianapolis Colts' star is a doubt for their clash with the Denver Broncos on Thursday.
Taylor was injured as the Colts' uneven start to the season continued with a 24-17 defeat to AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The defeat dropped the Colts to 1-2-1, with Indianapolis once again struggling to justify considerable offseason hype.
An extended absence for Taylor, who last year led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, would deal another substantial blow to the Colts' hopes of returning to the postseason.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport calmed fears of Taylor being out for the long term, but pointed out that the tight turnround could make it difficult for him to feature in Week 5.
The Colts are only half a game back in the AFC South race, but another defeat to a conference opponent in the Broncos would leave them in a potentially much more significant hole.
For Taylor's part, he was unsure whether he would be healthy to feature in Denver.
He told reporters of his ankle injury: "It just tweaked up a little bit, but I'm feeling good now.
"It was a lot of commotion going on. Things just happen so fast on the field. It's crazy."
Asked about his status for the meeting with the Broncos, Taylor replied: "I'm not sure yet, but we'll see how things are tomorrow [Monday] morning."
Dan Campbell vowed to "look at everything" after the Detroit Lions' defense produced a miserable performance in a 48-45 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
While few anticipated the Lions to emerge as contenders in Campbell's second season as head coach, there were expectations of a significant upturn after a talent-poor team stayed competitive throughout 2021, a campaign that was followed by a strong offseason.
Yet such expectations look misplaced after a 1-3 start in which the Lions have scored an NFL-high 140 points but conceded 141, also more than any other team in the league. They are the first team in NFL history to have scored and conceded at least 140 points in their opening four games.
The Seahawks and Lions combined for 93 points and 1,075 total yards of offense (Seattle – 555 yards; Detroit – 520 yards). It marked the second game in NFL history in which two teams combined for at least 90 points and 1,075 total yards of offense, joining the Cincinnati Bengals at the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 of the 2007 season.
The Lions allowed 10.7 yards per pass play and 7.1 yards per rush in a game in which Seattle converted nine of their 12 third downs.
Campbell showed last season he is not afraid to make mid-season coaching changes, taking over play-calling duties from then offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn after an 0-8 start in 2021.
But he defended defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn despite that unit's ineptitude seeing a sensational offensive performance go to waste.
"I just don't feel our swagger," Campbell said. "I mean, we knew if we could get this team in second-and-long that would go a long way and then, we would — you would need to produce because it's been an area where that team has not been as good. And boy, we didn't make the most of it.
"Now look, they got us in a couple of third downs there late, third-and-longs that we have not been exposed to yet. And they gutted us. They got us good. And it was good designs by them, good play designs and in critical moments, they — it was good. It was real good by them.
"I've got a lot of faith in Aaron Glenn," Campbell said. "I've got a ton of faith in those assistants, and I think it's just — I think we sit down and I think we look at everything together.
"Because really, I think more than anything maybe it's time for a deep dive, a real deep dive into it. Players, everything that we're doing, but I also trust what he's doing.
"And there's a reason why I hired him, and so I want to let him do his job. But certainly, I'm going — I mean, I've got to look a lot deeper than I have."
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh lauded returning quarterback Zach Wilson following Sunday's 24-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Jets looked set for a third loss of the season when Steelers rookie Kenny Pickett scored two rushing touchdowns to hand the hosts a 20-10 second-half lead in Pennsylvania.
However, the first-round draft pick threw three interceptions as the Jets had the last laugh, with Breece Hall sealing victory when he ran for a two-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining.
Wilson – featuring for the first time since he suffered a knee injury in the Jets' preseason opener – was crucial to their revival, completing 10 of his 12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in a brilliant fourth quarter.
Speaking after the win, Saleh hailed Wilson's ability to handle pressure, declaring: "Zach doesn't flinch.
"I'm sure there were a couple of plays he wishes he had back. But he got us out of a lot of bad situations with his mobility. I thought he played a pretty good game, [for] his first game back."
Wilson himself, meanwhile, was delighted by the Jets' late show, adding: "All the ups and downs of trying to overcome adversity, it was just such a good win.
"I think there was so much growth those last two minutes as an offense, executing a drive as clean as it was and punching it in. It was just awesome
"It's just the NFL, man. We had some good things early, we scored, then things got stalled out.
"My mentality is just keep doing my job, keep chipping away. That was my message and that's what everybody did.
"There was some frustration, but it was the right frustration. That was a cool opportunity for us to lose a lead like that and come all the way back for the win."
Asked whether he was convinced the Jets would get over the line on their decisive late drive, Wilson added: "Yeah, 100 per cent from the beginning.
"I think there was no doubt in our minds, especially when I hit a couple of quick passes, we hit a couple of runs as an offense. You could just feel it."
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said a change at quarterback was "not right to speak on" after Baker Mayfield's struggles continued in a 26-16 defeat against the Arizona Cardinals.
Mayfield threw two interceptions in the loss, finishing with a season-low passer rating of 61.9 as the Panthers slipped to 1-3 for the season.
Under Mayfield's leadership, the Panthers have managed a league-low 262.3 yards per game this season, as well as recording the NFL's third-least passing yards per match.
When asked whether Mayfield's status as starter was at risk after the game, Rhule told reporters: "I'm going to refrain from anything big picture until tomorrow.
"At the end of the day, I'm on the headset, I see the things, I know that it's never just one person here, one person there, it's a lot of different things.
"I'll try to give you a really well thought-out answer after watching the tapes.
"All that being said, I believe that we can play better than that. I just feel like we have to expect more from all of us as an offense, and it starts with me first.
"Offensively, we have to score more points. So yeah, we have to get it corrected, but in terms of any one person, I just don't think it's right to speak on it right now."
Mayfield's likely replacement would be Sam Darnold, though he is yet to come back off injured reserve after suffering an ankle sprain in Carolina's preseason.
Darnold started at quarterback 11 times for the Panthers last season, going 4-7 after joining in a trade from the New York Jets.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin refused to commit to starting Kenny Pickett in Week 5 after the first-round draft pick made his NFL debut in their 24-20 loss to the New York Jets.
After a first half in which the Steelers only managed a pair of field goals, Tomlin introduced the 24-year-old quarterback, who ran in for two rushing touchdowns to hand Pittsburgh a 20-10 lead.
However, Pickett also threw three interceptions as the Jets hit back, and rookie Breece Hall's game-winning touchdown reduced the Steelers to 1-3 for the season.
Pickett's introduction came as something of a surprise after Tomlin appeared to rule out a change at quarterback following the Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and he refused to give away his future plans after Sunday's game.
"I'm not going to talk extended as we sit here," said Tomlin. "We did what we needed to do to put ourselves in a position to win this game. We'll do it again.
"But I like to just keep it where we are in terms of what transpired here today. We'll deal with next week, next week."
Asked why he brought Pickett in, Tomlin added: "We just thought we needed a spark.
"We didn't do much in the first half, not enough offensively and thought he could provide a spark for us.
"I thought he did some good things. I thought there was some energy there. We scored some touchdowns. But obviously we also turned the ball over.
"We're disappointed, but what transpired is not anything mystical. That's what we talked about as a collective in there.
"No disrespect to the Jets. They made plays and won the football game. But it's not about who we play.
"It's not about rabbits' foots and so forth. We've got to play better. We've got to put them in a better position. We've got to perform better. And I'm talking about the collection of players and coaches in there."
Pickett, meanwhile, fronted up for Pittsburgh's defeat as he echoed Tomlin's call for improvements, saying: "I'm just disappointed.
"[I] wanted to come in and get the win so that's really just the emotion, just disappointed we didn't come out with the outcome we worked so hard for. Definitely something we need to learn from and move on.
"The plays were there, we made plays, but the turnovers killed us. It's definitely on me and I have to improve."
The decision to go for a touchdown on fourth down instead of kicking a go-ahead field goal "gave us the best chance to win", Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh insisted after the 23-20 defeat to the Buffalo Bills.
With the scores tied at 20-20 in the fourth quarter, the Ravens put together a 14-play, 93-yard drive from their own five-yard line to give themselves the opportunity to gain a precious late lead.
However, the drive stalled at the crucial moment and the Ravens faced a fourth-and-goal from the Bills' two-yard line with just over four minutes left in the game.
While a short field goal would have given the Ravens the lead, Harbaugh opted to go for the touchdown. The decision did not pay off as quarterback Lamar Jackson threw an interception, before Bills quarterback Josh Allen led a 77-yard drive to set up Tyler Bass for the game-winning field goal as time expired.
After the match, Harbaugh defended his late-game strategy, telling reporters: "[If] you kick a field goal there, now it's not a three-down game anymore, it's a four-down game.
"You're putting them out there, you're putting your defense at a disadvantage because they've got four downs to convert all the way down the field and a chance to again score seven, and then you lose the game on a touchdown.
"It didn't turn out that way, unfortunately, and we lost the game. So, hindsight, you could take the points, but if you look at it analytically, understand why we did it."
The decision sparked a furious touchline altercation between Harbaugh and cornerback Marcus Peters, with the former Kansas City Chief having to be pulled away from his coach.
But Harbaugh was not fazed by the interaction after the game, adding: "Emotions run high.
"We're on the same page, he and I. We have a great relationship, we have an honest relationship. I love him, I hope he still loves me. We'll see. I'm a Marcus Peters guy."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback Tom Brady says he will "be all right" after appearing to injure his throwing arm in the 41-31 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brady was strip-sacked by Chiefs safety L'Jarius Sneed in the second quarter, and the 45-year-old signal-caller immediately grabbed at his right arm before making his way to the sideline.
Despite the initial fears, Brady never missed a play and finished the match with season-highs of 385 yards and three touchdowns in defeat.
And Brady was not worried about his arm after the game, saying: "I'll be all right. It's football."
The Bucs' defeat to the Chiefs drops them to 2-2, though they remain atop the NFC South by virtue of their 1-0 record in divisional games.
They could surrender their position next Sunday though as the team second in the division, the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons, travel to face Brady's men at Raymond James Stadium.
There are fears of a serious knee injury for Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams, who head coach Nathaniel Hackett confirmed will undergo an MRI.
Williams was forced out of Sunday's 32-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders with a right knee injury after being floored by defensive end Maxx Crosby in the first play of the third quarter.
The 22-year-old, who entered the game as the Broncos' leading rusher with 176 yards through three games, was unable to put full weight on his injured leg and taken to the locker room on a cart.
Williams was seen on crutches after the game and while Hackett would not elaborate on the extent of the injury amid fears of a lengthy stint on the sidelines, he confirmed he will need scans on Monday.
"We're still evaluating," Hackett said. "We want to be sure we get MRIs and get a feel there."
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson added: "Obviously seeing Javonte go down, that hurt. Hopefully he'll be OK.''
Williams ran for 28 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's game. He has been the Broncos' second-leading receiver with 16 catches for 76 yards this season.
The Raiders' win marked Josh McDaniels' first as head coach of the franchise, coming against the team he led for almost two years before being sacked in December 2010 after losing 12 of his last 17 games with Denver.
"They gave me a great opportunity at a young age and, if anything, I look at it like it was a blessing because I learned so much from it," McDaniels told reporters.
"That made me better and I've been forever grateful to [owner] Mr [Pat] Bowlen for what he gave me an opportunity to do. Unfortunately, I didn't do well enough with it, but hopefully I've learned from it."
The Green Bay Packers got the victory but it was far from pretty as Aaron Rodgers had a poor night and the quarterback admitted that "way of winning is not sustainable".
The Packers won 27-24 in over-time against the New England Patriots, who were fielding a third-string rookie quarterback in Bailey Zappe for the majority of the game.
Green Bay trailed 10-7 at the long break after Rodgers had the lowest passer rating (11.2) of any half in any game he has started throughout his career, including a pick-six right on half-time. That was only the fourth pick-six of Rodgers' career and second at Lambeau Field.
Eventually, Rodgers got the Packers off the hook, driving them down the field in over-time to set up Mason Crosby's 31-yard game-winning field goal.
Rodgers finished the game with a completion rate of 60 per cent on 21-of-35 passing for 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
"This way of winning, I don't think is sustainable because it puts too much pressure on our defense," Rodgers told reporters. "Obviously, I've got to play better and will play better.
"I think we're going to have to play a little bit better against starting quarterbacks and if our defense isn't playing as well as they can."
On his poor first-half, Rodgers added: "I settled in and usually don't have two terrible halves, so I kind of returned to the form I expect from myself, and we started moving the football."
The win means the Packers improve to a 3-1 record, with running back Aaron Jones playing a key role with 110 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Green Bay may have wrapped up the win in regulation time when Rodgers found Romeo Doubs with a 40-yard pass in the endzone with 2:02 remaining, but the rookie wide receiver clearly did not secure the catch.
Despite that, Packers head coach Matt LeFleur threw the red flag to challenge what he thought was a touchdown, costing his side a timeout that would have helped his side win in regulation time.
"I'm not too proud of that moment," LaFleur said. "That was an emotional decision, and I think it's a great learning lesson that you can never make those emotional decisions in the heat of battle.
"You know better. You've got to survive the ground. [Packers assistant quarterbacks coach] Connor Lewis was in my ear, he's up in the box and he's in my ear, and he said, 'I don't think so.' And he said that we shouldn't challenge it.
"Just made an emotional decision, and it was almost like throwing a Hail Mary. That could have came back and bit us in the butt."
The Packers next face the New York Giants (3-1) in London on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes put on a masterclass with three touchdown passes as the Kansas City Chiefs improved to 3-1 with a 41-31 win over Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Mahomes moved beyond 20,000 career passing yards, completing 23 of 37 attempts for 249 yards with three TDs, including an improvised flick for the second of Clyde Edwards-Helaire's TD.
The Chiefs blew away the Bucs early, scoring touchdowns from their opening two drives of the game including a Travis Kelce touchdown after 46 seconds following a Tampa Bay turnover.
Kansas City scored four touchdowns before half-time to lead 28-17 at the main break, representing the most combined points scored in the first half of a game this season.
Running back Edwards-Helaire had 19 carries for 92 yards with one touchdown, along with his one receiving TD, while Kelce made 92 yards from nine receptions with one TD. Kelce also moved past Rob Gronkowski into fifth overall for most career receiving yards for a tight end.
L'Jarius Sneed led the Chiefs' defensive display with eight tackles, including a sack on Brady leading to Noah Grey's one-yard rushing TD. Mahomes found Jody Fortson with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter for their fifth TD to make it 38-17.
Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette scored further TDs for the Bucs to limit the margin after wide receiver Mike Evans, who had eight receptions for 103 yards, scored their two first-half touchdowns.
Brady managed three touchdown passes, throwing for 385 yards on 39-of-52 passing, but the Bucs were always playing catchup after the Chiefs' early domination. The game marked only the fifth time in Brady's career he has scored 31 points and lost.
The Miami Heat signed reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro to a four-year contract extension on Sunday.
The Heat announced the deal, but per club policy terms were not disclosed. According to reports, the contract – which begins with the 2023-24 season – includes $120million in guaranteed money and could be worth as much as $130million with incentives.
"Tyler is an impact multi-faceted player and we are excited to have him signed for the next five years," Heat president Pat Riley said.
"His improvement every year since we drafted him has led to this day. We believe he will continue to get better."
Miami selected Herro with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after he spent one season at the University of Kentucky.
He averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 2019-20 to earn second-team All-Rookie honours.
Herro then put up 15.1 points, 5.0 boards and 3.4 assists per game in 2020-21 before having a career year last season.
Herro averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists en route to being the runaway selection as the league’s top sixth man.
He received 96 first-place votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters after 1162 of his team-leading 1367 points came as a reserve.
Albert Pujols hit a home run in his final regular season home game as a trio of St Louis Cardinals legends were honoured in a 7-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
Pujols, 42, drove in the first runs of the game with a two-run double in the first inning, and with his next at-bat, he connected on the 702nd home run of his career to score another two runs. Only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) have ever hit more homers in their career, and with his three RBIs, he joined Ruth with the second-most ever (2214), trailing only Aaron (2297).
Starting on the mound for the Cardinals was another future Hall-of-Famer, 41-year-old Adam Wainwright, who was being caught behind the plate by 40-year-old Yadier Molina as the two added one more to their record number of starts together.
Unfortunately for Wainwright his final regular season start at Busch Stadium was less of a fairytale ending than Pujols', giving up six runs in four-and-two-thirds innings before all three Cardinals icons were pulled from the game together for a standing ovation.
Bryan Reynolds finished two-for-five at the plate for the Pirates, and the center-fielder hit his 27nd home run of the season to add some breathing room in the seventh inning, after Ben Gamel's three-run blast in the second frame.
Trout hits homer in Angels win
Three-time American League MVP Mike Trout moved up to fourth in this season's home run standings as he knocked his 39th in the Los Angeles Angels' 8-3 home win against the Texas Rangers.
Trout's 409-foot blast came in the fourth inning after the Angels piled on six runs in the opening frame, and with three games left he only needs one more home run to reach 40 for the third time in his 12 seasons.
Nobody in the top-20 for home runs this season has played fewer than Trout's 116 games, with the rest of the top-five all totaling at least 153 appearances.
Langelliers, Kaprielian carry the A's
Rookie Shea Langelliers and starting pitcher James Kaprielian were both excellent in the Oakland Athletics' 10-3 win against the Seattle Mariners.
Facing reigning Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray on the mound, the Athletics figured him out in the fourth inning, with Langelliers bombing a big 423-foot home run to left-field. It was one of two homers on the day for the 24-year-old catcher in his first season, also hitting one in the ninth inning for his first ever multi-homer day.
On the mound, Kaprielian was just as good, giving up only one hit and two walks in six scoreless innings, striking out seven batters.
Cooper Rush became the first quarterback in the history of the Dallas Cowboys franchise to win his first four career starts on Sunday, earning praise from team owner Jerry Jones following a 25-10 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Rush, however, could once again find himself backing up Dak Prescott next week with the two-time Pro Bowl selection getting closer to returning from a thumb injury.
The Cowboys have won all three games with Rush under center after Prescott sustained a fractured right thumb in a season-opening 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 11.
The undrafted Rush has completed 55 of 89 passes (61.8 percent) for 673 yards while throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions in those three consecutive victories.
"I can't say enough about his play," Jones said. "What it has possibly done for this team this season to give us a chance to sit here after these last three ball games and maybe have the opportunity we've got for the rest of the year.
"It's amazing. It's far more than what I would've expected."
Jones has said that Prescott will return as the starter once healthy, but he isn’t sure when that will be despite recent reports that it could happen next week when Dallas visits the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
"I can't give you anything there medically," Jones said after Sunday's win. "I don't think anyone knows how he's going to grip the ball but certainly, we feel a lot better the way Cooper is playing, the way our team is playing."
The Las Vegas Raiders rode a massive game from running back Josh Jacobs to a 32-23 home win against the Denver Broncos, marking their first win of the season.
Desperate for a result after an 0-3 start, the Raiders largely played a risk-averse style as they trusted Jacobs to carry the ball 28 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Derek Carr posted 188 yards and no touchdowns.
The Raiders led 19-16 at halftime after Russell Wilson completed first-half touchdown passes to both Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, but when starting running back Javonte Williams was forced to leave the game with an injury, the offense began to stall.
A pair of field goals gave the Raiders a 25-16 lead, which was trimmed to 25-23 when Wilson was able to scamper in for a three-yard rushing touchdown.
But the Raiders would not be denied, marching down the field one more time and punctuating it with Jacobs' second touchdown
The Broncos were yet to concede 100 rushing yards to any player in a single game this season, which was broken by Jacobs, and also had not faced a 100-yard receiver, which was broken by Davante Adams as he collected nine catches for 101 yards.
K.J. Hamler led the Broncos in receiving yards, and all 55 of his yards came on one catch as Wilson completed 17 of 25 passes for 237 yards and two scores.
Dynamic duo deliver for the Packers in overtime
Arguably the best running back duo in the league, Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon were both strong in the Green Bay Packers' 27-24 overtime win against the New England Patriots.
After backup Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered an injury in the first quarter, it was up to rookie fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe to lead New England the rest of the way, and he was more than respectable. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, leading two touchdown drives in the second half to force overtime.
Rookie Packers receiver Romeo Doubs was the man to tie the game at 24-24 with his 13-yard touchdown catch, giving him touchdowns in back-to-back games as he tries to establish himself as Rodgers' top target.
In overtime, the Packers mounted a 13-play, 77-yard game-winning drive that featured seven runs, with Jones reaching 110 yards on 16 carries while Dillon had 73 yards on 17 carries.
Rodgers finished with a solid line of 21 completions from 35 attempts with 251 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
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