Starting pitcher Aaron Nola has agreed to a seven-year contract to remain with the Philadelphia Phillies, multiple media outlets reported Sunday.
The deal is worth a reported $172million, as the Phillies keep a cornerstone piece in their rotation.
Nola, 30, is the first major free agent to come off the board in a class that is headlined by two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and includes fellow hurlers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.
Nola has spent his entire MLB career in Philadelphia and has finished in the top five of Cy Young award voting twice.
The right-hander saw his numbers slip a bit in 2023 with a 4.46 ERA but rebounded in the post-season with three quality starts and an ERA of 2.35 over 23 innings.
Nola and Zack Wheeler make up one of the best and most reliable rotation duos in baseball.
Since 2018, Nola has thrown 1,065 1/3 innings, the second most in the majors over that span. Wheeler is fourth on that list with 1,007 innings pitched.
Nola is one of five pitchers with at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last three seasons.
Nola was the priority in a vital offseason for the Phillies after making it to the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS last season but falling short of a title.
In 235 career starts, Nola has a 3.72 ERA and has 1,582 strikeouts in 1,422 innings pitched.
Former England international Ugo Monye was left “so fed up” after being subjected to the “most blatant racism” he has heard from a supporter as he left Sunday’s match between Exeter and Gloucester.
The 40-year-old ex-Harlequins player, now a pundit, said the incident occurred as he was leaving Sandy Park on Sunday afternoon following the Chiefs’ 25-24 Gallagher Premiership victory.
Monye wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that as he was leaving the stadium, one supporter running through crowd repeatedly shouted a racist insult. He added: “Disgraceful. Not a single person said a word, challenged or even reported it.
“He walks off after a mild scuffle and fans are now telling me ‘We’re with you’ B******S you’re with me. You weren’t with me when you saw and heard the most blatant racism I’ve seen from a supporter at a live game. So fed up.”
Exeter swiftly issued a statement vowing to investigate the matter and apologising to Monye.
It read: “In light of recent accusations regarding an incident of racist abuse at Sandy Park following the conclusion of our victory over Gloucester in the Gallagher Premiership, Exeter will be launching a full investigation.
“This behaviour will not be tolerated at our rugby club, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
“Our team will begin to review CCTV footage from the stadium immediately in an attempt to identify the individual in question and we would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Ugo Monye, a member of the rugby community that is highly respected by everyone at our club.
“If anyone has any information regarding this incident we would ask you to get in touch with the Chiefs as soon as you can.”
Premiership Rugby also offered support to Monye and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Its statement read: “Premiership Rugby is aware of the accusations of racist abuse suffered by Ugo Monye at Sandy Park following the Exeter match against Gloucester.
“Premiership Rugby offers our full support to Ugo Monye and we stand united with our clubs and players in the fight against racism. Racism has absolutely no place in our game or society.
“Exeter have launched a full investigation and we urge anyone with any information to come forward.”
Nicolai Hojgaard produced a brilliant final round of 64 to claim his first Rolex Series title in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The 22-year-old Dane recorded nine birdies and a solitary bogey to finish two shots clear of Ryder Cup team-mates Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood, and overnight leader Matt Wallace.
Hojgaard’s chances suffered a major blow when he dropped a shot on the 12th to briefly fall three behind Fleetwood, but he responded superbly with a run of five straight birdies before surprisingly missing from inside four feet for another on the 18th.
That left Hojgaard on 21 under par, but none of his rivals were able to find an eagle on the last to force a play-off, Fleetwood having crucially three-putted the 17th.
“It means a lot, it’s the sweetest one,” Hojgaard told Sky Sports after claiming the third DP World Tour title of his career.
“So much hard work has been put in over the past couple years – it feels amazing, this is for family and everything they put in over the years. So much hard work going into this, for it to happen like this is unbelievable.
“We know there are a lot of birdies but we have to hit the shots and hole the putts, anything can happen we were just focused on the job today, to walk up 18 knowing there’s a good chance feels good.
“I played some really good golf. I have to say this is the best golf I’ve played in a tournament and the strongest field in my three wins. My game feels good, I felt good before going out and to finish it like this feels good.
“This is the sweetest way to finish the year, I can’t believe we finished on such a high note, I’m definitely going to enjoy this.”
Hojgaard’s joy was tempered by the news that his twin brother Rasmus had narrowly missed out on one of the 10 PGA Tour cards for 2024 on offer to the highest finishers in the Race to Dubai, who were not otherwise exempt.
Rasmus finished 11th on the list, less than 27 points behind Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, who joined Adrian Meronk, Ryan Fox, Victor Perez, Thorbjorn Olesen, Alexander Bjork, Sami Valimaki, Robert MacIntyre, Matthieu Pavon and Jorge Campillo in earning playing privileges on the US circuit.
“I really wanted him to get that card. He was in a great position,” Nicolai said.
“It came down to a crazy scenario, I think, in the end. I feel sorry for Ras, but he’s going to bounce back. He always does. He’s one of the best golfers I know and he’s going to come back stronger afterwards.”
Defending champion Jon Rahm carded a closing 66 to finish in a tie for fifth on 17 under, with Race to Dubai winner Rory McIlroy another seven strokes back after a 70.
McIlroy had been assured of a fifth money list title before arriving in Dubai and now has his sights set on the six of Seve Ballesteros and Colin Montgomeier’s record tally of eight.
“It’s great,” McIlroy said. “I think over the last 10 years I’ve won eight season-long titles between America and here, so it just shows my level of consistency.
“It’s just about trying to be a little more clinical when I get to those weeks where I have chances to win. I’ve still got a little bit left in the tank. I think I’ve still got a good eight to 10 years left in me where I can play at the top, top level.
“I’d like to think that I’m going to challenge, at least try to get past Seve and then try to get past Monty as well. But it’s certainly a goal of minute for the rest of my career to do something like that. It would mean a lot to me.”
Iberico Lord came out on top for Nico de Boinville and Nicky Henderson in the Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The five-year-old was a 7-1 chance under 11st and travelled well among a busy field of 15, galloping into contention at the foot of the hill and running gamely to the line to reel in Neil King’s Lookaway.
Lookaway was second at 12-1, with Henderson also responsible for the third-placed horse in Luccia (6-1).
Henderson – still on a high after brilliant win of the also JP McManus-owned Jonbon in the Shloer Chase just 35 minutes earlier – said: “We wanted to get a team assembled for this meeting as JP was coming back for it so we gathered a few of the troops together for the weekend with Impose Toi and these two and it has paid off.
“Under Control, who is going for the Gerry Feilden at Newbury, beat him at Sandown fair and square and there was no fluke about it. I thought he was very good to start with, then he fell on his second start for us, then his wind didn’t work in his next one and then everything went wrong, but we got him there at the end of the day.
“Apparently this is my first time winning this race, but I can’t remember what happened 40 something years ago.
“Going to the last I thought ‘one of you please win’. They both ran super races.
“It took time for him to get his act together last season. He won a very moderate race at Stratford and it didn’t sound like we were heading for the Greatwood Hurdle at that time. The Sandown run was good, but Under Control might be pretty good, too.
“AP (McCoy) said he thought the Ascot race (Betfair Exchange Trophy) would suit Impose Toi, but so it would this horse. One of them will have to go there, but as JP said that is a nice problem to solve. It has been a good weekend altogether and Nico has given them all some lovely rides.”
Neil King, trainer of the runner-up Lookaway, said: “He has done nothing wrong and Jack (Quinlan) has given him a cracking ride from the front. We have won our Grade Two here and he went up 10lb for that, and maybe without that we would have won today, but we will take the Grade Two and finish second today.
“We might now go to Ascot for the Betfair Exchange Trophy at Christmas and that is what I have got on my mind at the moment. I must admit I thought we would take a lot of catching today, but there was just one who turned out to get past us unfortunately.”
Luke Humphries is gunning for a second major title in two months after setting up a final showdown with Rob Cross at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Humphries won his first crown at the World Grand Prix in October and has brought his good form to Wolverhampton, beating James Wade 16-10 in Sunday’s first semi-final.
It was a tense affair for the majority of the match but he clinched victory by winning six of the last seven legs, including the last four, finishing with six 180s and an average of 95.8.
The world number four, who is looking a strong contender for the World Championship which begins next month, must get past Cross later.
The 2018 world champion has never been past the quarter-final at this event but put himself one win away from the title after ending Stephen Bunting’s good run with a 16-13 victory.
The pair were tied at 7-7 after 14 legs, but Cross reeled off three successive legs, including one on Bunting’s throw with a 110 checkout.
He never relinquished the lead after that and always held Bunting, who beat Peter Wright earlier in the week, at arm’s length.
If Cross were to win it would be his biggest title since winning the European Championship in 2021.
American Mike came out on top from Fact To File as the two high-class bumper performers made their fencing debuts under rules in the Race And Stay Irish EBF Beginners Chase at Navan.
The Gordon Elliott-trained American Mike never quite hit the heights over hurdles that his bumper career had promised, but judged on this evidence he is set to take high rank over the larger obstacles.
For his part, this year’s Champion Bumper runner-up Fact To File has missed out hurdling altogether to go straight over fences – a move his trainer Willie Mullins famously made with the brilliant Florida Pearl.
American Mike (9-4) and Jack Kennedy set out to make all, and while Fact To File (8-11 favourite) really quickened going to two out American Mike refused to give way and was three and a quarter lengths to the good at the line.
“I was delighted with him. In fairness to Jack he’s put a lot of work into this horse and has been schooling him every day himself. He’s even been changing the bit and doing different things with him,” said Elliott.
“He finished his race out today which is the first time he’s done it since he was a bumper horse.
“I got deflated with him over hurdles as he never finished one out. I think he might have bled one day and it took him a long time to get over it. He looked good there today and hopefully he can keep going forward.
“He could maybe go to Limerick at Christmas.”
Elliott, who has his string in tremendous shape, went on: “I’m absolutely thrilled, that one meant as much as all the rest of them because Noel and Valerie (Moran, owners) are from Navan and they are massive supporters of mine. That was extra special for me.
“They are good friends of mine and we hit the crossbar with a few yesterday. They deserved every bit of luck they get with what they are putting into horse racing and into Meath football. They are just brilliant people and for them to have a winner today meant a lot.
“For me Navan is up there with the best racecourses in Ireland. The festival has been great, the crowds are great and it’s great racing.
“We’re on to Punchestown next week for the Morgiana and the John Durkan and then Fairyhouse the following weekend. We don’t realise in Ireland the racing we have.”
A delighted Noel Moran added: “That was very good and he jumped very well. I think he’s back to his best and it was a good performance.
“He was always going to make a chaser. You always get a kick out of a winner, but to have one here at our local track makes it all the better, especially with the two-day festival here for the first time.
“It’s absolutely brilliant, we have a lot of friends and family here today and we’ll have a good night tonight!”
Jonbon was much the best and had little trouble in the winning the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham.
In a field of four for the Grade Two highlight on the final day of the November Meeting, Nicky Henderson’s gelding was joined by Edwardstone, Nube Negra and Editeur Du Gite – all good horses in their own right.
Jonbon was the 4-9 favourite under Nico de Boinville as regular rider Aidan Coleman has not yet recovered from injury.
The duo hit their stride early and disputed the lead with Editeur Du Gite, but it was not long before Jonbon pushed to the fore and from there he was never going to be caught and strode to a straightforward success from Edwardstone, who has the best part of 10 lengths in arrears.
“The back-end of the last season, after the Arkle, we were dying to go two and a half (miles),” said Henderson.
“The two-mile novice at Aintree was much the easier race and then 13 days later he went to Sandown (Celebration Chase) and that was to find out if he was a two-miler against the second, third and fourth in the Champion Chase.
“He didn’t wait for them. He does look like a two-miler there, he’s got to stay there for now because of the Tingle Creek (at Sandown on December 9). Two and a half looks like it’s getting further away, I’m sure he’d stay but why go there if you don’t have to?
“I thought he was great, we’ll see what everyone else wants to give him!”
He added: “His only two defeats have come here, one was Constitution Hill (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle) and one was El Fabiolo (Arkle Trophy). If we can convince Willie (Mullins, trainer of El Fabiolo) to stay in Ireland we can have a rematch (in March). I think he’s grown up a lot.”
The likeable grey Coko Beach put in a neat round of jumping to land the Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase for Danny Gilligan and Gordon Elliott – who had 14 of the 20 starters in the Navan feature.
The eight-year-old was always handy in the three-mile affair, with Gilligan’s 5lb claim easing the 11st 10lb burden he was required to carry off what was nearly a career-high mark of 153.
He ran a rhythmical race and met each fence well, easing into contention as the race developed and eventually staying on best of all to win by two and a quarter lengths from Gavin Cromwell’s 4-1 favourite Limerick Lace.
As a result he was introduced to the Grand National market at a price of 33-1 with Coral and cut to the same price from 50-1 with Betfair.
“He’s a great horse and we’re lucky to have him. He’s been knocking on the door in all those races, so he deserved to win one,” said Elliott.
“Jack (Kennedy) actually kind of wanted to ride him, but I wanted to claim off him and thank God I did. Danny is a great little rider and it’s a valuable 5lb.
“I thought it was a good race to watch. It was helter-skelter the whole way, they went a good gallop and all horses seemed to be home safe.
“He’s a bit of a boyo at home, he’s just a character. He had a good run in Limerick the last day.
“In the past he hasn’t been that strong of a finisher, he’s often faded out from the last home.
“We’ll probably head for a National with him, the Paddy Power would be a bit quick. He probably likes soft ground. He could also go for the Thyestes.
“He has schooled over cross-country and we won’t rule that out either.”
On running a huge team of horses, he added: “Thank God I won it anyway! We have to support these races, if I didn’t run in it there would only have been seven runners (at declaration time).
“It’s massively important for Navan racecourse, for the sponsors Bar One and for Irish racing that these races are full.
“I’ll support them and so will my owners. I don’t know if it’s the type of slow horses that I buy, but I seem to have a lot of them!”
Malina Girl was a wide-margin winner of the Jewson Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
A 11-2 chance for the staying contest, last season’s Ulster National heroine jumped well for Sean Flanagan as Venetia Williams’ Cloudy Glen made the running.
At the turn for home Flanagan asked his mount to challenge and after two ground-covering leaps up the hill the Gavin Cromwell-trained six-year-old was well clear at the line to record a 10-length success from Cloudy Glen. Guetapan Collonges finished well up the hill to be just a length adrift of the runner-up spot.
“She’s very small little mare, but she has a huge heart,” said Cromwell, who was at Navan.
“I was disappointed with her first run back over hurdles, I thought she’d run a big race but I was scratching my head a bit after it.
“But those extended trips, and English fences probably help her, too. I’m delighted. She powered home.”
He added: “Those staying handicaps, we’ll see what the handicapper does. To be honest, I thought she’d found her level and we’d be back at the Ulster National next year, but it might be different now.”
Croke Park continued his progression with what was ultimately a clear-cut victory in the John Lynch Carpets & Flooring Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan.
In a race dominated by Gordon Elliott runners, the Clonmel maiden winner did have to be asked a question or two in setting about catching stablemate and long-time leader Mel Monroe between the last two flights.
He still had to work to get to Mel Monroe after the final obstacle, but did look like he would do so and in the end the 4-6 favourite was going away at the line to take Grade Three honours.
The gallant Mel Monroe was three and a quarter lengths back in second, with fellow Cullentra inmates Search For Glory and Pinyon Jay third and fourth respectively.
“He’s a lovely horse, Jack (Kennedy) said he probably wants three miles in time. He said he didn’t do a whole lot when he got there, but he did it well and jumped well,” said Elliott.
“We probably don’t have to go three miles yet. He’s a big horse and he’s had two runs now so I might even keep him for (the Grade One in) Naas. I don’t know if I’d be wanting to be going to the well too much. I think he is a nice horse.
“Mel Monroe is a nice mare and has improved an awful lot from Cheltenham. She was just about fit enough to go there and ran well. It looks like she came on again and it was a great run, a nice bit of black type for the boys.
“Search For Glory might come back here for the good handicap hurdle, the €100,000 race. Mel Monroe might come back for that as well, she could step up or drop back in trip.”
Cannock Park held on gamely to the land the mallardjewellers.com Maiden Hurdle at Cheltenham for Craig Nichol and Paul Robson.
The five-year-old has been faring well since winning his sole point-to-point start, taking a bumper at Bangor last time out by four lengths.
He was a 15-2 chance in a field of seven at Prestbury Park and made the running from the start, gaining a lead that grew wider as the race developed.
The gelding looked to tire when climbing the hill, but did not fold and toughed it out to prevail by a neck from Innatendue, with odds-on favourite The Kemble Brewery in third.
“He tied up a bit, but he had a bit of an accident at home about four weeks ago and we had to back off him a bit. He’ll certainly come on for it and there’s a nice race at Wetherby at the end of the year we can look at,” Borders-based Robson said.
“I think he wants soft ground and I’m not sure we’ll get that in March, but we’ll see. We can dream.
The United States Embassy in Jamaica sponsored the USA-based Humpy Dumpty Institute (HDI) that partnered with Fight for Peace and the Jamaica Boxing Association (JBA) to provide boxing training at three venues, namely Denham Town Community Centre, Portmore and Montego Bay between November 14 and 19.
The HDI brought along a trainer and two accomplished female boxers to demonstrate their skills and assist with the training sessions.
The first two-day session on Tuesday and Wednesday last week was held at the Denham Town Community Centre and was preceded by a short launch on Tuesday morning where the parties - the US Embassy, the HDI, Fight for Peace and the JBA highlighted the benefits to be derived from the sessions.
Acting Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy, Gabriel Hurst said, "The support that we have towards the programme is a clear example of our steadfast support to Jamaica's bright future. Our overall training objective is the development of a safer, stronger and more secure Jamaica. (I am) really looking forward to seeing the positive impact that it’s going to have."
Lennox Blackmoore of the HDI decided to bring the programme to Jamaica, "Because Jamaica has good athletes and so we decided to try Jamaica."
Blackmoore along with another trainer Timor Juhasz and the female boxers Ronica Jeffrey and Jenna Gaglioti began the training session with an intense exercise session with the group of aspiring male and female boxers who are part of the Fight for Peace Programme on the island. They were supported by a number of local trainers headed by accomplished local boxer Sakima Mullings.
Blackmoore, a former British Commonwealth champion is from Guyana where he won his country’s lightweight and light middleweight titles during the 1970s. He now operates out of the Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey was happy to share her knowledge with the young boxers. "We are here to teach the boys and the girls' defensive work and the skill of boxing. I think that boxing is such a great sport for young people. It directs them in a safe direction to relieve their anger or just to have something that can show them discipline."
For her part, Gaglioti believes that boxing “is a sport for your mental health, for your emotional health. It does have the kids stay off the streets, stay disciplined and that's what we want to teach the kids also."
Rasheed Evans who recently graduated from Mona High School welcomed the training sessions, adding that he likes the sport and plans to become a professional. "It has helped me to become a better person. It has helped me to motivate myself better. It has helped me to understand life and how it works," he said.
Mark Cole, the programme coordinator for Fight for Peace and who also works in a number of inner-city communities, using boxing and martial arts to guide young people to make better life decisions, detailed some of the components of the training.
"We will be doing biographies of some of the great boxers, walking them through some basic boxing techniques as well as have some advanced boxers do some advanced training, and exposing them to the different boxing styles and what it takes to become a professional boxer."
He believes the presence of the two female boxers will help to empower aspiring female boxers to help them take the sport seriously.
According to Stephen 'Bomber' Jones, president of the Jamaica Boxing Board, the sessions will help increase awareness about the sport across the island.
"We are grateful that this is happening. It's in line with what we have been pushing in terms of expanding the footprints of the sport. The boxing board is here to facilitate the programmes that we have in terms of what you see happening here through Fight for Peace.
“They are here to benefit from the two-day clinic and then we move to Fun Robics Gym in Portmore and then in Montego Bay where we have another national gym where Jasmine Graham will be leading the charge for the girls and boys there."
This boxing program is the third to be implemented by HDI. The first was held in the Dominican Republic in 2022 and the second one was with female boxers in the Palestinian territories in February of this year.
They were all done with the support of the US Embassy.
Gordon Elliott’s Kala Conti was an effortless winner at Navan on her Irish debut.
The filly is French-bred and won her sole start in her home nation by 10 lengths in May before changing hands.
Her Irish career began in the Bar One Racing “Price Boosts Across All Channels” 3-Y-O Hurdle, a race she was the 2-13 favourite in against just two rivals.
Under Jack Kennedy she made all the running and never saw another horse, easily navigating her way around the two-mile trip to cross the line at a canter 14 lengths ahead of stablemate Roboreti.
“She’s a nice filly. Jack said he could have gone around again, she would have done more at home,” said Elliott.
“I’d imagine we’ll probably look at the Graded race in Fairyhouse in two weeks’ time and she’ll have an entry at Newbury on the same weekend.
“The other horse was taking her on and you’re always waiting for something to go wrong in those races but it was pretty straightforward and she did it well.”
Brian Acheson’s Robcour colours did not have to wait long for another success with a smart prospect, as Look To The West took the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle for Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead.
Another making her debut under rules in Ireland, the five-year-old was the 9-4 joint-favourite and made the running before prevailing by a length.
“Delighted with that. She came well recommended for her point-to-point, but last year she was just a bit immature still and had a couple of little issues,” said De Bromhead.
“She’d been working really well and we thought she was nice.
“It’s not easy to make it around there and it looked a nice race. She hasn’t run for a long time so hopefully she’ll keep improving as well.
“She jumped a bit right but otherwise she was really good.
“We’ve got her started and now we can look at the next level. I’d say she’ll get further, but she looked good over that trip. She gallops and jumps.
“Maybe something like the Solerina, but we’ll see what everyone wants to do and enjoy today.”
Lando Norris is expected to be fit for next weekend’s season-concluding race in Abu Dhabi after he was discharged from hospital following his crash in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old British driver was transported to University Medical Centre – four miles east of the Las Vegas Strip – after his 180mph shunt on the third lap.
Norris lost control of his McLaren through Turn 11 before thudding backwards into the concrete wall.
Norris was then a passenger as his machine bounced off the tyre wall before skidding sideways along the track – narrowly avoiding his team-mate Oscar Piastri – and then slamming head-on into the Armco at Turn 12.
Norris’ car was wrecked in the high-speed smash, and he appeared to be winded as he breathlessly reported he was “all good” over the radio.
Norris emerged from his cockpit before making his way to the medical car. He was subsequently transferred to hospital for “precautionary investigations”.
Norris was able to return to the paddock in the early hours of Sunday morning, with McLaren confident he will be given the green light by the FIA’s medical team for the race in Abu Dhabi.
“An unfortunate end to our Las Vegas GP weekend,” said Norris in McLaren’s post-race press release. “I just bottomed out on the restart, lost the rear and hit the wall.
“Not the way we wanted the weekend to end. Big thanks go to the medical staff for checking me over, and to the team for the work they’ll now put in on the car. One week to reset and go again for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: “The most important thing today is that Lando is in good condition after what looked like a scary accident in a very fast section of this circuit.”
Max Verstappen overcame a five-second penalty, a collision with George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to claim a historic Las Vegas Grand Prix win.
On a wild night in Sin City, where the lead of the race changed hands on multiple occasions, it was Verstappen who prevailed to take his 18th win from the 21 rounds so far with popstar Justin Bieber waving the chequered flag.
Charles Leclerc passed Sergio Perez on the final lap to finish runner-up, while British driver Lando Norris was taken to hospital for precautionary checks after he crashed out on the third lap at 180mph.
The build-up to Formula One’s debut race on the Strip has been mired in controversy following Thursday’s practice washout and Verstappen comparing the Las Vegas race to football’s National League.
But the 3.8-mile venue served up a brilliant race which culminated in Verstappen passing Leclerc for the lead on lap 37 of 50.
A celebrity-jammed grid dispersed moments before the lights went out in Sin City, and it was Verstappen who raced away from his marks to gazump the pole-sitter into the opening bend.
However, Verstappen’s move courted the attention of the stewards with Leclerc forced off the track.
Behind, Fernando Alonso’s spin triggered a pile-up as Perez tagged Valtteri Bottas. Carlos Sainz also thudded into Lewis Hamilton, but the latter escaped without damage.
The virtual safety car was deployed following the first-corner chaos and when the race resumed three laps later, Norris was in the wall.
Norris lost control of his McLaren through Turn 11 and was soon a passenger as he thudded backwards into the concrete wall amid a flurry of orange sparks, before the car righted itself and Norris went head-on into the run-off barriers at Turn 12.
Norris’s machine was wrecked in the high-speed smash, but the 23-year-old was on the radio to report he was okay, before he made his way into the medical car.
Out came the safety car and Verstappen was dealt a five-second penalty for forcing Leclerc off the road at the first bend.
“Yeah, that is fine,” he said over the radio. “Send them my regards.”
Verstappen might have felt he would have the sufficient speed in his Red Bull to open up a gap to Leclerc, but the Ferrari man was soon in his mirrors. And on lap 16 the Monegasque swept by to take the lead. In came Verstappen for new tyres.
Further back, and Hamilton, who had been on the charge, sustained a puncture following a collision with Oscar Piastri.
The seven-time world champion limped back to the pits for repairs, but he emerged 19th and last, and a credible result on American soil was in tatters.
In the other Mercedes, Russell, now ahead of Verstappen following the Dutchman’s penalty, had the Red Bull swarming in his mirrors.
Verstappen threw his Red Bull underneath a surprised Russell at Turn 12 and the British driver turned into his rival as they duelled for a net third.
Russell made contact with Verstappen’s Red Bull with debris falling off both of their machines.
The safety car was out for a second time and Leclerc took the lead with Perez moving up to second by virtue of a free pit stop.
When the safety car came back in, Perez passed Leclerc to take the lead on lap 32 while Verstappen was also on the move as he swatted Piastri aside for third.
Three laps later, and Leclerc was back on top after fighting his way back past Perez. A lap later, Verstappen moved ahead of Perez on the Las Vegas Boulevard for a second, and then on lap 37, he slung his Red Bull underneath Leclerc’s scarlet machine for the lead.
Perez looked to have completed a one-two for Red Bull when he made his way ahead of Leclerc with seven laps to go only for the Monegasque to fight his way back past on the last tour.
Russell crossed the line in fourth, but was demoted to eighth after he was hit with a a five-second penalty for his collision with Verstappen. Esteban Ocon took fourth, one place ahead of Lance Stroll with Carlos Sainz sixth and Hamilton seventh.
Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey each scored twice and the New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Saturday to extend their point streak to 11 games.
Panarin scored a first-period power-play goal and his second goal midway through the third forged a 3-3 tie.
He set a franchise record by running his season-opening point streak to a career-high 15 games, breaking the mark he shared with Rod Gilbert.
The 15-game point streak is the longest by a Ranger since Wayne Gretzky in 1996-97.
Igor Shesterkin returned after missing four games with an undisclosed injury and stopped 30 shots as the Rangers improved to 10-0-1 in their last 11 contests.
Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist in his return after missing five games with an upper-body injury, but New Jersey lost for the fourth time in five games.
Avalanche score 6 straight to beat Stars
Valeri Nichushkin ignited a four-goal third period and the Colorado Avalanche scored six unanswered goals in a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars.
Colorado’s Cale Makar became the fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach 200 career assists with three in his 254th game.
Tyler Seguin’s second goal of the game early in the second period gave Dallas a 3-0 lead, but Colorado responded with goals by Miles Wood and Ryan Johansen to make it a one-goal game.
Nichushkin’s unassisted goal tied it at 4:19 of the third, Mikko Rantanan put the Avs on top with 5:28 remaining and Andrew Cogliano’s goal just 21 seconds later extended the advantage.
The Stars had a four-game winning streak snapped, while Colorado won its third in a row.
Ovechkin scores 827th as Capitals stay hot
Alex Ovechkin scored the 827th goal of his career to lead the surging Washington Capitals to a 4-3 win over the reeling Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hendrix Lapierre had a goal and two assists and Sonny Milano added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have won four straight and eight of 10.
Johnny Gaudreau, Justin Danforth and Ivan Provorov scored as Columbus dropped its eighth in a row (0-6-2).
Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 40 points and Damian Lillard added 27 to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 132-125 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in a marquee matchup featuring superstars.
Antetokounmpo shot 18 of 26 from the field and grabbed 14 rebounds to go with seven assists, as he bounced back from scoring 16 points Friday at Charlotte.
Pat Connaughton scored 16 points, including a 3-pointer with 67 seconds left to extend the Bucks’ lead to 130-125.
Kyrie Irving scored 39 points and Luka Dončić had 35 with nine boards and nine assists. The duo combined to shoot 31 for 54 from the floor.
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 40 in Thunder’s OT win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and Chet Holmgren has his best game as a pro with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder handed the Golden State Warriors their sixth straight loss, 130-123 in overtime.
Andrew Wiggins sank a 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to put Golden State up 117-114, but Holmgren’s 3 with one second remaining forced overtime.
The Thunder outscored the Warriors 13-6 in the extra period, with Gilgeous-Alexander scoring eight straight points.
Wiggins finished with 31 points and Stephen Curry had 25 in his return from a right knee injury, but Golden State dropped to 1-6 on its home court.
Bulls rally to end Heat’s winning streak
DeMar DeRozan hit a key basket late and the Chicago Bulls overcame a 21-point deficit for a 102-97 victory, ending the Miami Heat’s seven-game winning streak.
Chicago fell behind by double digits for the third straight game and trailed 22-1 midway through the first quarter but managed to rally to end a three-game skid.
DeRozan scored 23 points and his 18-foot fadeaway with 22 seconds left put the Bulls ahead for good.
Jimmy Butler had 25 points for Miami, which didn’t trail until the game’s final minute. He missed a pair of 3-pointers in the final seconds.
Organisers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix are facing a class action lawsuit following the farcical start to this weekend’s race on the strip.
Formula One sold the sport’s Sin City comeback after four decades away as the greatest show on Earth.
But fans witnessed just eight minutes of practice on Thursday after a drain cover broke free and tore a hole into the underbelly of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
The second running was delayed by two-and-a-half hours, and took place in front of vacant grandstands as furious fans were ejected to comply with local employment laws. Practice finished at 4am on Friday morning.
Spectators who held a 200 US dollar (£160) general admission ticket for Thursday’s two practice sessions have since been offered a voucher for the same amount to be redeemed on merchandise.
But those in attendance on a three-day pass – the cheapest of which is 500 US dollars (£400) – will not receive any compensation.
On Friday, Nevada-based Dimopoulos Law Firm and co-counsel JK Legal & Consulting filed a lawsuit with the Nevada District Court seeking damages for the 35,000 paying spectators.
“We will vindicate the rights of the fans that travelled great distances and paid small fortunes to attend, but were deprived of the experience,” said Dimopoulos Law Firm owner Steve Dimopoulos in a statement.
A spokesperson for Las Vegas Grand Prix said: “We cannot comment on the litigation.
“Our focus is on ensuring that our fans have an entertaining experience in a safe and secure environment which is always our top priority.”
Earlier, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali stopped short of issuing an apology in a 650-word joint statement with CEO of the Las Vegas race, Renee Wilm.
“We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula One races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues,” they said.
“It happens, and we hope people will understand.”
The maiden race on the Las Vegas strip gets underway at 10pm local time on Saturday (6am GMT on Sunday).
James Harden says he is feeling "close to myself" after hitting a clutch three to help the Los Angeles Clippers to victory on Friday.
His best game yet as a Clipper saw him record 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as his new team took a 106-100 win over the Houston Rockets, who Harden played for between 2012 and 2021.
Harden had previously struggled to make an impact in Los Angeles, losing all five games he had played for the Clippers before Friday's win, in which the 34-year-old made eight of his 11 shots, including the vital three at the end.
Harden believes he is getting back to his former self, saying: "I'm getting real close.
"I'm getting close to myself. Every game I feel like I'm improving."
Russell Westbrook played just 17 minutes in the victory, his fewest since joining the Clippers prior to the All-Star break last season, with head coach Tyronn Lue revealing after the game that Westbrook had requested to come off the bench as the sixth man to help the team end their losing run.
"He wanted to do that, which [is] an ultimate sacrifice for a guy of his caliber," Lue told reporters. "For things he's done in this league, the things he's done for this team.
"So shout out to Russ for wanting to do that. It's a huge part of what we've talked about, just sacrificing wanting to win at a high level."
Paul George also appreciated Westbrook's sacrifice, explaining: "It's tough with his energy and obviously there's a ton of chemistry there.
"We've always played well off one another, but it just takes a lot for his sacrifice and what he did for us going forward to try new things out. [I] can't say enough on the character of Russ and his leadership."
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