The Kansas City Chiefs are primed and ready to go as they aim to secure a three-peat, so says defensive tackle Mike Pennel.
Kansas City, inspired by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, have won the last two editions of the Super Bowl.
Yet no team in NFL history has ever gone on to win the championship three times in a row.
Indeed, none of the eight teams that have won back-to-back Lombardi trophies has then gone on to reach the Super Bowl the following year.
But Pennel is counting nothing out.
He told Stats Perform: "I think the intent is still the same.
"We've got a lot of veteran competitors. the three-peat is spoken about, but that's something that's within our grasp if we stay focused and they're drilling that in us every day.
"So everybody's taking a very business-like approach to it. Nobody's lives are gonna be handed to them. So everybody's ready to go. You know, they're just chopping at the bit to get to [the start of the season]."
And coach Andy Reid is playing a huge role in that extra level of motivation.
"Coach Reid has always had that philosophy," Pennel added.
"His main thing is letting our personality show who we are, and getting the most optimal player out there. It's just letting us be who we are.
"So I have to fall back on the coaching there because he literally preaches that any time we go on the field, you know, let your personality show out there, have fun. And he genuinely means that.
"I don't have the exact recipe to success, but I know we play good coaches. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Coach Reid.
"He loves his past players, and I think he really just coaches us like his own sons and treats us as that in there, and treats us with the same respect as a man as well.
"So, you know, it's easy to respect the guy and work for the guy and know that he has the philosophy to put you in the best position possible to succeed."
Reid, 66, is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, who he has coached since 2013.
And Pennel does not see Reid calling it a day anytime soon.
Pennel added: "He's been consistent. He's been the same since I've met him, and I know as competitive he is as well, it's just, you know, when he decides it's his time.
"I know that there's been no talks of that or discussions of that in the near future, but whenever he decides to, I think that's what it's going to be about.
"Then he'll always have the opportunity to do it."
The Chiefs open their 2024 season against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.
The legal battle surrounding Jamaican squash player Julian Morrison has taken a contentious turn as his attorneys, Matthew Gayle and Dr. Emir Crowne of New City Chambers, are at odds with the Independent Anti-Doping Panel (IADP) over its decision to hold the upcoming hearing virtually. The dispute arose after Morrison’s legal team, who had planned to attend the hearing in person, was informed at the last minute that the proceedings set for September 3 and 4, would be conducted via Zoom.
Morrison, who was provisionally suspended by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) in April after testing positive for trace amounts of the banned anabolic agent Boldenone, has been eagerly awaiting the chance to clear his name. His legal team has argued that Morrison unknowingly ingested the substance and is determined to prove his innocence.
Matthew Gayle expressed his frustration with the IADP’s unilateral decision to conduct the hearing virtually, especially given the substantial expenses incurred by the athlete for his legal team to travel to Jamaica.
“My personal opinion is that the unilateral decision by the Independent Panel to hold this hearing, a substantive hearing by virtual means, made at the 11th hour, and without any consultation with the parties, offends every sense of justice of the matter," Gayle said. "In particular, Dr. Crowne and I indicated that we were in the midst of making travel arrangements some two weeks ago, and this was communicated to the panel."
He continued, “Since then, the athlete has expended significant funds for us to travel to Jamaica in order to represent him in person, only to find out less than a week before we travel that the hearing is to be held by Zoom. This is in the context of there has been very little, if any, movement in bringing this matter to a head since April. It reeks of bureaucratic inefficiency. I just hope that the athlete is able to get a fair hearing. At the end of the day, this athlete has been on provisional suspension for a significant period, and the case is yet to be heard, yet to be proven.”
The situation escalated further when Sportsmax.TV obtained copies of the correspondence between Morrison’s representatives and Christine Minto, chairperson of the IADP. In the emails, Morrison’s legal team expressed their surprise and disappointment at the decision to hold the hearing virtually, especially after making it clear on multiple occasions that they intended to be present in Jamaica for the hearing.
“We are very surprised to learn that the choice of online forum for the hearing is on account of the athlete's representatives living/working out of the country. The experts appearing virtually is also a surprising rationale, since by that account there would rarely be an in-person hearing," the correspondence read.
The attorneys emphasized that their plans to attend in person had been communicated clearly, both verbally and in writing, yet the decision to go virtual was made without their input.
In response, Minto defended the Panel’s decision, stating that the hearing had been conducted virtually from the start and that it should not have been unexpected that it would continue in the same manner. She pointed out that the athlete’s representatives did not specifically request an in-person hearing early enough and suggested that their decision to book accommodations in Jamaica was based on their preference to be in the same room as their client during the virtual hearing.
“This matter has been conducted virtually since the commencement of the hearing process. We have had at least four hearing dates so far, virtually. Therefore, it ought not to have taken anyone by surprise that the hearing will be continuing and concluding virtually," Minto explained.
She added, "A specific application ought to have been made for an in-person hearing by the athlete. Perhaps at the same time, as the application for a public hearing. It was certainly neither clear to us nor unequivocal that the athlete desired an in-person hearing. Further, the importance of the athlete’s evidence is not diminished or undermined if it is taken virtually.”
As the dispute over the hearing format continues, the focus remains on ensuring that Julian Morrison receives a fair trial and that the case, which has been pending for several months, reaches a timely conclusion.
Andrea Stella insisted that placing full focus on Lando Norris as McLaren's number one driver was "not a good approach" for the last nine races of the Formula 1 season.
Norris, who won his second career race at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, closed the gap to Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship to 70 points.
His dominance was emphasised by the result, finishing 22.896 seconds in front of Verstappen, the largest winning margin by a driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2021.
Norris' McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri finished fourth in Zandvoort, largely blamed for being caught up in traffic, which meant finishing behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
The Australian currently has 179 points in the drivers' championship standings, 46 behind Norris, and claimed his maiden win in the competition in Hungary back in July.
However, the triumph did not come without its controversy, with Norris initially ignoring team orders to hand first place back to Piastri before eventually cooperating.
Zak Brown said afterwards that deciding whether to install a number one driver was up to Stella, but the Italian said the pair would be treated equally.
"I think when it comes to these conversations about being the number one, I don't think that's a good way of approaching racing," Stella said.
"We'd rather approach racing from fairness, integrity, and then see what come from this kind of approach."
Piastri is the current driver on the grid with the best run of Grand Prix's finished (19). If he finishes in Monza, he will become only the second McLaren driver to finish 20 races in a row in F1 after his current team-mate Norris (21 between Abu Dhabi 2022 and Sao Paulo 2023).
McLaren's improvements have seen them have one or both of their drivers on the podium in the last 11 races.
The Italian Grand Prix offers the team a chance to record their fourth best-ever run in the competition (12), with eyes on their first constructors' title since 1998.
"The first target is to win the Constructors' Championship," Piastri said.
"I think naturally, if we're closing the gap in the constructors', there's probably a good chance that we're both closing it in the drivers' [championship] as well.
"I'm not that far behind Lando in the standings either, so of course if the call comes later in the year and it's a realistic shot, then I'll do my part for the team.
"But I think at the moment, the gap is big for both of us so we'll focus on just trying to do the best job that we can and see where we end up a bit later in the year.
"I think for me the biggest thing is just trying to maximise every weekend.
That gives the team the most opportunities for the constructors', that gives me the most opportunities for whatever occurs in the drivers' standings.
"If there's an opportunity for myself to win the drivers' standings, then I'll try my best to make sure I'm there."
Former rugby union star Louis Rees-Zammit has not been selected for the Kansas City Chiefs' 53-man squad for the 2024 season.
Rees-Zammit, who quit rugby in January to pursue a career in the NFL, has been training with the Chiefs throughout the offseason.
The former Wales wing joined the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program before signing a three-year deal with the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl champions.
He featured in all three preseason games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears as he competed for a spot on the regular season team.
NFL teams had until Tuesday afternoon to cut their squads down to 53 players for the season, which kicks off on September 5 when the Chiefs take on the Baltimore Ravens.
However, Rees-Zammit will not be on the sidelines after failing to make the cut under head coach Andy Reid, but his dream of playing in the NFL this season is not over.
He will now be placed on waivers, meaning another franchise could sign him, but he is expected to continue training with the Chiefs as part of their practice squad.
Rees-Zammit was not at practice with the Chiefs on Tuesday as he battled a back injury and his number nine jersey was worn by new signing JuJu Smith-Schuster earlier this week.
Carlos Alcaraz insisted he is not thinking about Rafael Nadal's grand slam record following his triumph over Australian qualifier Li Tu at the US Open.
Alcaraz was able to overcome a scrappy second set to win 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-1 at Flushing Meadows, serving eight aces and producing 50 winners to his opponents' 19.
The Spaniard started strongly, finding himself a set and a break to the good before four double faults in the second allowed Tu a way back into the contest.
However, the world number three would recover, dominating the third as he confirmed his progression to the next round with a love game in the final set.
Alcaraz is aiming to become the third man in history after Rod Laver and Nadal to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same calendar year.
"Well, after this interview I’m going to try to pretend I never heard that," Alcaraz told ESPN when asked about the statistic.
"Obviously it would be a great achievement if I make it, but it is going to be difficult."
The Olympic silver medallist faces Botic van de Zandschulp in the next round after the Dutchman defeated Denis Shapovalov in straight sets.
Data Debrief: Alcaraz continues grand slam winning streak
Alcaraz's triumph at Flushing Meadows was his 15th grand slam victory in a row, last losing in a major tournament against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Among players to begin their career in the Open Era, only John McEnroe (69) has achieved 60 men's singles match wins at grand slam events in fewer matches than Alcaraz (70), following the latter's win over Tu.
Emma Raducanu is hoping lessons will be learned from her first round defeat to Sofia Kenin at the US Open.
Raducanu, who won the tournament 2021, lost in three sets 1-6 6-3 4-6 to her American opponent at Flushing Meadows, reducing her to tears after the encounter.
After being outplayed by Kenin in the opening set, the world number 72 responded in the second to take the match the distance in New York.
However, despite serving four of her six aces during the contest in the final set, Kenin would prove too strong to secure an all-American encounter with Jessica Pegula in the round of 64.
"I feel down, I feel sad," an emotional Raducanu said. "Obviously, this is a tournament I really want to do well in.
"I was maybe a bit slow starting. I would have preferred to probably play, a little bit more before coming into the US Open."
"You know, I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good. You feel like everything's automatic.
"So yeah, I think I can learn from it. And you know my manage my schedule slightly differently."
Data Debrief: Raducanu loses the battle of former grand slam winners
Raducanu's match against Kenin is the second R128 match at this year's US Open between two former women’s singles grand slam winners.
And while not at her best, Kenin was able to showcase her resilience that won her the Australian Open in 2020, saving six of the nine break points she faced.
Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer and Kansas City’s bullpen allowed one run over 7 1/3 innings as the Royals moved into a tie for the AL Central lead with a 6-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night.
The Royals, who lost 106 games last season, improved to a league-best 23-13 since the All-Star break, when they trailed the Guardians by seven games.
Cleveland had been sitting alone in first place in the division since April 14 before dropping the first three games in this series. The Guardians have lost nine of 12 and are 17-21 since the break.
DeJong connected in the second inning off Gavin Williams, and the Royals tacked on three runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Maikel Garcia and Michael Massey, to go along with a wild pitch.
James McArthur struck out four in two innings, and the Royals' bullpen closed with five perfect innings in the combined three-hitter.
Royals starter Michael Lorenzen was forced to leave in the second inning after straining his left hamstring while covering first base.
Urias lifts Orioles over Dodgers
Ramon Urias hit a go-ahead two-run homer and Baltimore’s bullpen worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Orioles’ 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ryan O’Hearn also went deep for the Orioles, who moved within one game of the AL East-leading Yankees.
Cole Irvin allowed two runs and five hits over 4 1/3 innings before Matt Bowman retired all five batters he faced.
Cionel Perez pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings and Yennier Cano got the next two outs – both on strikeouts - before Seranthony Dominguez earned his sixth save by getting Chris Taylor to fly out with two runners on.
Urias took former teammate Jack Flaherty deep in the fifth after Jackson Holliday’s one-out single to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead.
Miguel Rojas had a sacrifice fly and Teoscar Hernandez singled home a run for the Dodgers, who had won six of seven.
Nola shuts down Astros
Aaron Nola pitched seven stellar innings and was backed by Nick Casellanos’ three-run homer as the Philadelphia Phillies won their fourth straight, 5-0 over the Houston Astros.
Nola ended a seven-start winless streak, a span that included five no-decisions and two losses. The right-hander allowed four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
He notched his 56th career win at Citizens Bank Park, tying him with former Phillies ace Cole Hamels for most in the 21 seasons at the ballpark.
Philadelphia has won eight of 13 games and maintained its healthy lead in the NL East.
Nola had the run support he needed after the Phillies scored four times off Justin Verlander in the third inning.
Trea Turner poked a single to right that scored Austin Hays, who opened with a leadoff double. A night after his RBI single in the 10th inning off Houston closer Josh Hader won the game, Bryce Harper sliced a single to left that set the stage for Castellanos. Castellanos hit a curveball into the left field seats for his 18th homer of the year and a 4-0 lead.
AL West-leading Houston has lost four of five.
Jannik Sinner survived an early scare in the US Open first round after overcoming Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.
The Italian managed a 2-6 6-2 6-1 6-2 victory over the world number 140, having looked well off the pace in the opening set.
McDonald's fellow American Alex Michelsen awaits in the second round for Sinner, who triumphed in his first major match since an independent tribunal cleared any wrongdoing from positive tests for banned substances.
The world number one may have been impacted by those ongoing off the court and was slow to get going, dropping his serve three times en route to a first-set concession.
Sinner held off seven break-point opportunities from the home favourite in that opener, and improved from then on, losing on his serve just once in the second set.
The 23-year-old never looked back from that second-set clincher, easing to victory in just under two-and-a-half hours.
Data Debrief: Super Sinner flying
Sinner, who won his maiden major trophy at the Australian Open in January, is now 49-5 for the season after an impressive 2024.
That run includes lifting a third ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati last week, where he overcame his next opponent Michelsen in the pair's only ATP Tour meeting to date.
Naomi Osaka secured a long-awaited victory over a top-10 opponent after dispatching Jelena Ostapenko at the US Open on Tuesday.
World number 88 Osaka scored a 6-3 6-2 victory against Ostapenko for her first top-10 win in four-and-a-half years.
Osaka has now won 23 of her 28 matches at the US Open, at an 82% win ratio, which only Bianca Andreescu (86%) can better among current players with 10 or more main-draw matches at the tournament.
The four-time major winner was reduced to tears after downing the 10th seed in New York.
"I was trying not to cry when I was walking out too," Osaka said in her on-court interview. "I remember last year I was watching Coco [Gauff] play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again and I didn't know if I could.
"I didn't know athletically, physically if I was able to. Just to win this match and just to be in this atmosphere means so much to me, so thank you."
Osaka, who won 39 of her 50 service points and held her serve throughout, needed three match points to move into the second round.
"I mean it was stressful, she was hitting some really good shots and I just told myself like, keep going, keep fighting for every point and maybe you'll have an opportunity," she added.
"Eventually I did but then I looked up and then I saw so many faces so I was like, woah."
The unseeded Karolina Muchova awaits on Thursday for the Japanese star after her first-round triumph.
Iga Swiatek moved into the US Open second round after holding off a spirited Kamilla Rakhimova for a straight-sets win on Tuesday.
Lucky loser Rakhimova came close to forcing a decider, but the world number one rallied to win 6-4 7-6 (8-6) in just under two hours.
The early stages of the match suggested it would be a one-sided rout as Swiatek got two early breaks to race into a 4-0 lead, but Rakhimova clawed it back to 4-3 before the Pole dug in to take the set.
A similar story followed in the second set, though the world number 104 was unable to close out the victory after edging in front at 5-4, with Swiatek forcing a tie-break.
Swiatek then saved a triple set point from 6-3 down, winning the final five points to avoid an early upset and set up a meeting with either Daria Saville or Ena Shibahara in the next round.
Data Debrief: Swiatek tries her luck
It could have been a much different story for Swiatek had Rakhimova been able to hold her nerve in the tie-break, but as such, the 2022 winner stays in the tournament.
She is now the fifth-youngest player in the Open Era to win the first round in 20 consecutive women's singles grand slam events.
Meanwhile, only Serena Williams (93) and Venus Williams (94) have made 80 women's singles grand slam wins in fewer matches than Swiatek (97) this century.
Williams have replaced Logan Sargeant with Franco Colapinto for the last nine races of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Sargeant was already set to leave Williams at the end of the season, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz set to take his seat for 2025.
However, his second season in F1 has been cut short, following a huge crash in the final practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday.
In 36 races, Sargeant earned one point for Williams, compared to team-mate Alex Albon, who scored 31 points during that period.
Colapinto will make his competitive debut at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, having previously driven for Williams in practice at the British GP earlier this year.
"It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of," Colapinto said.
"The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front, which I can't wait to be part of.
"Coming into F1 mid-season will be an enormous learning curve, but I am up for the challenge, and I'm fully focused on working as hard as I can with Alex and the team to make it a success."
The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed a contract with JuJu Smith-Schuster to return to the team for the 2024 season.
Smith-Schuster spent the 2022 season with the Chiefs and was the leading wide receiver in their Super Bowl-winning team, catching 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
He spent 2023 with the New England Patriots after joining from the Chiefs but was released from his three-year contract earlier this month after struggling to replicate that form. He finished the season having caught 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown.
Prior to his first spell in Kansas City, Smith-Schuster spent five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him in the second round of the 2017 draft.
At wide receiver, the Chiefs also added Marquise Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy, though the former dislocated his shoulder in their first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Chiefs will kick-off the new NFL season on September 5 against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead.
Aryna Sabalenka made light work of Priscilla Hon to kick-start her US Open campaign in confident fashion on Sunday.
Sabalenka, who reached the final last year before losing out to Coco Gauff, did not face one break point in the first set and recovered from an indifferent start to the second to stroll into the second round with a 6-3 6-3 victory.
The Belarusian has won the last 12 sets she has played following on from her victory at the Cincinnati Masters, and this was her 40th Tour-level win this year.
Sabalenka will face Italy's Lucia Bronzetti in the second round on Wednesday.
Data debrief: Sabalenka keeps up hard-court form
This was Sabalenka's 24th WTA-level victory on hard courts this year.
Only two players have recorded more victories on the surface in 2024 - Emma Navarro (26) and world number one Iga Swiatek (25).
Novak Djokovic was not at his best to start his US Open title defence, but still eased beyond Radu Albot in straight sets.
Djokovic, who is hunting his first grand slam title of the year on the back of claiming Olympic gold in Paris, won 6-2 6-2 6-4 on Sunday.
However, Djokovic was not at his best, making 40 unforced errors and 10 double faults.
"I wanted to kick start the tournament in the right way and I think I did," Djokovic told ESPN.
"Some ups and downs which I think is normal, getting the rust off your shoulders coming off a different surface and the Olympic Games.
"I haven't played on hard courts for six months, so I'm still finding that groove, finding the tempo on the court."
Next up for Djokovic, who would claim his 100th Tour-level title should he triumph in New York, is his compatriot Laslo Djere, who defeated Jan-Lennard Struff.
Data Debrief: Djokovic equals Federer
Only the great Jimmy Connors (98) has won more US Open singles matches than Djokovic, who claimed his 89th victory at Flushing Meadows to match Roger Federer's tally.
This was also Djokovic's 78th win at Arthur Ashe Stadium, a competition record for a male player.
Salvador Perez drove in a career-high six runs on a pair of homers, including a grand slam, as the Kansas City Royals moved within a game of the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central with Monday's 9-4 victory that capped a doubleheader sweep.
The surging Royals, winners of nine of their last 12 games, won the opener by a 4-3 score on Bobby Witt Jr.'s tie-breaking solo homer in the eighth inning.
Kansas City trailed 3-0 early in the nightcap but battled back to take a 5-4 lead on Perez's first homer of the game, a solo blast off Cleveland starter Logan Allen in the fifth inning. The All-Star catcher put the contest out of reach an inning later with a grand slam off Tim Herrin that marked his 17th career multi-homer outing, tied with Hall of Famer George Brett for the most in Royals' history.
Perez, who went 3 for 3 in the opener, also knocked in a run with a third-inning groundout that plated Maikel Garcia, who led off with a single and took third on a double by Witt.
Garcia and MJ Melendez each had three hits for Kansas City in the second game, while Paul DeJong went 2 for 4 with a solo homer.
The scuffling Guardians lost for the eighth time in 11 games despite three doubles and an RBI from Jose Ramirez in the nightcap. Daniel Schneemann had two hits for Cleveland, including a solo homer.
Cleveland is now 0-8 in doubleheader games this season.
In the opener, Witt drove a pitch from reliever Hunter Gaddis into the left field seats to give the Royals a 4-3 edge in the top of the eighth inning. John Schreiber and Lucas Erceg protected the one-run lead from there, with Schreiber earning the win and Erceg recording his eighth save with a scoreless ninth.
The Royals had taken a 3-2 lead on Melendez's three-run homer in the fourth inning, but the Guardians pulled even when Ramirez doubled in the seventh and later scored on Josh Naylor's single.
Jansen makes history, plays for the Blue Jays and Red Sox in same game
Danny Jansen became the first player in MLB history to appear for both teams in the same game when the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox completed a previously suspended contest.
Jansen was a member of the Blue Jays when a June 26 matchup with the Red Sox was suspended in the second inning due to rain. He was traded to Boston on July 27 and inserted into the Red Sox's lineup when the game resumed Monday to accomplish the unprecedented feat.
The catcher's old team got the better of his current one, however, as Toronto posted a 4-1 win in the suspended game before dealing the reeling Red Sox a 7-3 defeat in Monday's regularly scheduled contest.
George Springer homered in both games, including a three-run shot in the fifth inning that erased a 1-0 deficit for Toronto in the nightcap.
Springer followed a double by Leo Jimenez and a walk to Steward Berroa with an opposite-field blast off Brad Keller to give the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead. Toronto scored twice more in the fifth on an RBI single from Addison Barger and a run-scoring double by Ernie Clement.
The big inning helped Jose Berrios (13-9) win his fourth straight start after the Toronto hurler held the Red Sox to three runs - two earned - and struck out six over 7 2/3 effective innings. Brendon Little relieved Berrios and tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his first major league save.
Toronto has now won five straight in addition to the suspended game, while Boston has dropped four in a row along with the makeup game and is now five games out of a play-off spot in the AL.
Jarren Duran also homered in both games for Boston. The All-Star outfielder accounted for the Red Sox's lone run in the suspended game with a solo homer, then went 3 for 4 with a two-run shot in the follow-up meeting.
Springer's solo homer off Nick Pivetta in the suspended game snapped a scoreless tie in the seventh inning, and the Blue Jays scored three more times in the eighth on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s two-run double and an RBI double from Barger.
Pivetta (4-5) took the loss despite striking out 10 in six innings. The Boston right-hander allowed three runs - two earned - and just four hits.
Harper's hit in 10th puts Phillies over Astros
Bryce Harper's run-scoring single off Josh Hader in the 10th inning lifted the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 comeback win over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game interleague series between division leaders.
After Philadelphia center fielder Johan Rojas made a diving catch with a runner at third to keep the game at 2-2 in the top of the 10th, Harper stepped to the plate with runners at first and second in the bottom of the inning and sent a ground ball through the infield. Kyle Schwarber beat the throw home from Houston right fielder Ben Gamel to score the deciding run and give the National League East-leading Phillies their third straight win.
Philadelphia trailed 2-0 after four innings, but closed the gap on Brandon Marsh's solo homer in the fifth and tied it in the sixth when Harper doubled and later scored on a Nick Castellanos single.
The Astros had gone ahead with two runs in the fourth. Victor Caratini drew a walk against Philadelphia ace Zack Wheeler and Gamel followed with a single, and both runners came home when Shay Whitcomb delivered a two-out double to left.
That was the only rough inning for Wheeler, who permitted two runs and struck out six over six frames.
Ronel Blanco worked 5 2/3 innings for Houston and also surrendered two runs while striking out five.
The Astros lost for the fifth time in seven games and had their lead atop the AL West shrink to 3 1/2 games after the second-place Seattle Mariners recorded a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
Jerod Mayo is yet to name the New England Patriots' starting quarterback for the season but says Drake Maye has closed the gap to Jacoby Brissett.
Rookie Maye has impressed in preseason so far, racking up 66 snaps and going 21-of-34 for 192 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also added seven rushes for 32 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Brissett, who has struggled with a shoulder injury, started all three games, playing 27 snaps and finishing 5-of-14 for 36 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Despite losing two of their three games, including a defeat to the Washington Commanders in their final outing on Sunday, Mayo has been pleased with the form shown by his quarterbacks, especially Maye.
"I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby," Mayo said on Monday in his weekly appearance on WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show'.
"Now in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work, going all the way back to the spring and beginning of training camp. And we'll see where we end up.
"It's Drake becoming more comfortable with the scheme and more comfortable with the players around him. I don't know how the story ends with Drake's rookie season, but all possibilities are open."
Mayo is set to tell the Patriots who will be playing as the quarterback on Tuesday in their season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
The coach has kept a close eye on his two options throughout the offseason, explaining how everything he has seen over the last few months has played a part in his decision.
"It starts in practice and also in the game, where Drake has played better," Mayo told reporters later on Monday.
"In saying that, everyone wants to know who the starter is going to be. There are multiple factors that have to go into this decision.
"One is the total body of work, whether we're talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp. And I would also say, oftentimes we forget about the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision we have to make in the near future.
"I'm happy with the way those guys are battling it out. Hopefully, over the next couple days, we can name a starter and get the season rolling."
Dominic Thiem's grand slam career ended in the first round of the US Open in a straight-sets defeat to Ben Shelton on Monday.
Thiem won his sole major at Flushing Meadows in 2020, coming from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev with no crowd present due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In what turned out to be his final appearance at a grand slam, Shelton cruised to a 6-4 6-2 6-2 victory, before the American led the crowd in a standing ovation for Thiem.
The Austrian has struggled with a wrist injury in recent years, and announced in May that he would be retiring at the end of the 2024 tour.
Thiem was the first Austrian player in the Open Era to receive a wildcard for the men's singles at the US Open, and the first to receive wildcards to multiple grand slam events after last year’s Australian Open
"It's actually a really important moment for me because I had my greatest success of my career here on this court, in a weird 2020 in very strange and different circumstances," Thiem told the crowd.
"I'm super happy that I got the chance to play my last US Open and I can spend some time with you guys, just to say thank you and to make the time up from what we missed four years ago."
Elsewhere, fourth seed Zverev, Andrey Rublev and 2022 finalist Casper Ruud were among the winners in the first round in New York.
Defending champion Coco Gauff stormed into the second round of the US Open with a comfortable straight-sets win over Varvara Gracheva on Monday.
The 20-year-old only needed 67 minutes to see off the Frenchwoman 6-2 6-0 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gracheva started brightly, serving to love in the first game and twice came close to breaking Gauff's serve in the second before the American finally found her footing.
Gauff got two breaks shortly after, going on a three-game winning run to take the first set.
She was in cruise control in the second though, comfortably seeing off Gracheva without dropping a game as she set up a second-round meeting with Tatiana Maria.
Elsewhere, Olympic gold medallist Qinwen Zheng had to come from behind to beat Amanda Anisimova.
After losing the first set, the seventh seed rallied to win 4-6 6-4 6-2, gaining control of the match in the decider to book a place in the next round.
Data Debrief: Gauff sends out statement
Gauff won her first grand slam title at Flushing Meadows last year, becoming the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999.
And she is now the youngest player to register eight consecutive wins at the tournament since Maria Sharapova who won nine between 2006-07.
Gauff is also the youngest player to secure 15 women's singles wins at the US Open since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.
CeeDee Lamb will begin the 2024 NFL season with a new contract.
The Dallas Cowboys signed the superstar to a four-year, $136million contract extension on Monday, according to multiple sources.
As part of the deal, he receives a $38million signing bonus - the largest ever for a wide receiver - and $100million in guaranteed money.
With an average annual value of $34million, he becomes the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, totalling just less than the $35million Justin Jefferson received from the Minnesota Vikings in early June.
Heading into the final year of his rookie contract after being selected 17th overall in the 2020 NFL draft, Lamb had been holding out of training camp while seeking a new contract.
The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the league's top receivers, leading the NFL with a Cowboys franchise-record 135 receptions in 2023. His 1,749 receiving yards were also the most in a single season in team history and were 50 fewer than the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill for the most in the NFL last year, while his 12 touchdown catches ranked third.
He was named an All-Pro for the first time this past season and finished third in Offensive Player of the Year voting.
In 66 career games in four seasons, the three-time Pro Bowler has 395 receptions, 5,145 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns. Only Jefferson (5,899), Michael Thomas (5,512) and Randy Moss (5,396) have more receiving yards through their first four pro seasons.
Dallas finished 12-5 last season to capture the NFC East crown, but again failed to advance to the conference championship, suffering a 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the play-offs.
The Cowboys, who haven't reached the NFC title game since winning the Super Bowl in the 1995 season, open this season on the road against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.
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