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.
Novak Djokovic is hoping his Olympics success will spur him to US Open glory despite not playing since the Paris Games.
Djokovic became just the second player in the Open Era to win all four grand slams, the gold medal at the Olympics and the ATP Tour Finals after Andre Agassi.
The Serb triumphed at Flushing Meadows last year, winning his 24th major title, but one year on, is still waiting for the win that would take him clear of Margaret Court as the outright record holder.
He came close at Wimbledon but lost the final in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz, who he then beat to claim his elusive gold medal earlier this month.
Djokovic, the number two seed for the tournament, will begin against Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot on Monday, and he believes his recent success will serve as the perfect springboard for a similar outcome in New York.
"I hope to never recover from that [Olympic triumph] because it's the best set of feelings that I ever had as an athlete," he told Eurosport.
"On the court but also off, when we went back to celebrate with our people, all of the Serbian Olympians that managed to win a medal.
"It was a very unique moment for me. I'll never forget it, and I'll try to use it as a great confidence boost for what's coming up in New York in the next few weeks."
At 87.1%, Djokovic holds the second-best win percentage at the US Open in the Open Era of players to have featured in at least 30 matches at the event, after Sampras (88.8%).
And the 37-year-old will be hoping that is a good omen as he aims to win a joint-record fifth title at the tournament.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have split the major trophies between them so far in 2024, while the last time Djokovic failed to win a single grand slam in a calendar year was in 2017.
Djokovic has not competed in the hard-court swing so far, instead choosing to recover, having struggled with a knee injury since the French Open in May, but he is sure that break will help his performance.
"I haven't had much time to recover or much time to train," he added. "I tried to get the most out of the few weeks that I had.
"I had more than all the other guys that played the tournaments, but that was a conscious decision that I made not to have any lead-up tournaments to the US Open because I just felt that the calendar is too congested this year with the Olympics.
"I needed my break, short but sweet, celebration, family quality time and then, of course, [I] started my training and trying to build my body, build my form for the start of the tournament."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has blamed the Silver Arrows' struggles at the Dutch Grand Prix on an upgrade to the floor of the team's car.
Mercedes enjoyed a mid-season resurgence, triumphing at three of the last four races prior to the summer break, following a difficult start to the year.
Lewis Hamilton was victorious at the British and Belgian grands prix after team-mate George Russell triumphed in Austria, but neither driver was competitive in Zandvoort when the season resumed on Sunday.
Russell finished seventh and Hamilton was one place further back after qualifying in 12th, as McLaren's Lando Norris claimed a dominant win to close the gap to drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen.
Mercedes used a new floor for the race after abandoning the planned change at Spa, and Wolff admits the team may have got things wrong.
"I think these cars are a surprise-box. We've had six podiums in a row and that doesn't look like the car three weeks ago that was first and second," he told Sky Sports.
"You can't really end up with a result like this without any major factor playing in, and that's something we need to analyse in the next few days before Monza.
"Was it because we put something on the car that didn't help? Did we engineer something into the car that wasn't good?
"Then how do you justify these swings of performance? Sometimes we looked really good this weekend and then obviously today, in terms of degradation, that was not very impressive.
"Was it a setup? Was it the track? What is it that we got wrong? Was it the floor that we put on the car? Was it all of this together?
"So, hopefully we can sort it out until Monza and become competitive again. But the swing in performance from P1-P2 and P7-P8, there's a biggie in there. It's not something that was simply a setup decision in my opinion."
Keegan Bradley was in disbelief after putting himself in FedEx Cup contention by winning his second BMW Championship title on Sunday.
Bradley, who was appointed as the United States' 2025 Ryder Cup captain last month, edged out Adam Scott to claim a one-shot victory at the event near Denver.
Scott pulled level with Bradley at the start of his final round but later bogeyed three straight holes as the American won his seventh PGA Tour title.
Bradley, who also won the 2018 tournament by beating Justin Rose in a play-off, now sits fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, behind Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama.
Following his victory, the 38-year-old set his sights on another triumph at next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, having only just squeezed into the 50-player field at Castle Pines.
"Oh, man, it just shows why you've got to grind it out every week because you never know how fast it can switch," Bradley said.
"Now I go to Atlanta with a chance to win the FedEx Cup. I can't believe it. I'm so excited.
"I'm in a bit of a state of shock because there was a time a week ago about this time that I didn't think I was going to be coming here.
"I had to have a lot of magical things happen for me to just play in this tournament, and when I got here, I was so grateful just to be here.
"I played with a real sense of calm all week, which is not the norm for me"
Aaron Judge hit two more home runs to become the fifth player in MLB history with three seasons of 50 or more, and the New York Yankees went deep five times in all en route to a 10-3 rout of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
Judge connected on a two-run homer in the first inning to join Babe Ruth (four times), Mark McGwire (four), Sammy Sosa (four) and Alex Rodriguez (three) as the only players with three 50-homer seasons. The American League MVP front-runner added a solo shot in the seventh, one of three consecutive homers that helped the Yankees earn their fourth win in five games and extend their lead to 1 1/2 games over the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East.
Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres also homered for New York. All three finished with two hits, with Torres driving in four runs on the day and Soto two.
Judge's 50th homer came with Torres aboard and erased an early 1-0 deficit after Colorado scratched home a run in the top of the first. Charlie Blackmon led off the game with a walk against Marcus Stroman, advanced to third on an Ezequiel Tovar single and an error, and scored on Brenton Doyle's fielder's choice grounder.
The Yankees extended the lead to 4-1 in the second inning with four consecutive two-out singles off Colorado starter Austin Gomber, including run-scoring hits by Torres and Soto.
Drew Romo singled in Jake Cave in the fourth to allow the Rockies to close the gap, and they got within 4-3 an inning later when Doyle drew a walk against Stroman and came home on Ryan McMahon's two-out double.
The Yankees pulled away in the seventh, however, when Soto, Judge and Stanton all homered in succession off reliever Jeff Criswell.
Judge's blast was his seventh homer in six games and put him on pace for 63, one ahead of the AL-record 62 he hit during his 2022 MVP season.
Torres pushed the margin to 10-3 in the eighth when he followed singles by Alex Verdugo and DJ LeMahieu with his 11th homer of the season.
Stroman (9-6) received the win after striking out five and allowing three runs in five innings. Gomber (4-9) lasted six innings while surrendering four runs.
Bregman, Diaz homers help Astros earn split with Orioles
The Orioles lost ground to the Yankees in the AL East race with a 6-3 defeat to the Houston Astros, who were boosted by back-to-back home runs from Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz in the seventh inning that snapped a tie game.
Bregman's two-out shot off Burch Smith broke a 3-3 deadlock, and Diaz took the Baltimore reliever deep on the very next pitch to give the AL West leaders a two-run advantage.
Zach Dezenzo added a two-run double to help Houston earn a split of this key four-game series. Dezenzo, Bregman and Mauricio Dubon all finished with two hits.
The Orioles managed just two hits on the night, though one was Ramon Urias' three-run homer that tied the game in the fifth inning.
Houston had gone up early by scoring three times in the fourth inning, all with two out. Jeremy Pena began the rally with a single and then raced all the way from first on Victor Caratini's base hit to account for the game's first run.
After Ben Gamel followed with a single, Dezenzo extended the margin to 3-0 with a double off Baltimore starter Dean Kremer.
Houston's Yusei Kukuchi didn't allow a hit until Eloy Jimenez's lead-off single in the bottom of the fifth, but the left-hander later walked Emmanuel Rivera to set the stage for Urias' game-tying homer on a 1-2 pitch.
Bregman and Diaz's power displays would put the Astros back in front in the seventh, and Houston scratched home another run in the eighth. Gamel walked before advancing to third on a Dezenzo single and an error by Urias, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Jake Meyers.
The Orioles put the lead-off man on in the ninth when Gunnar Henderson drew a walk off Josh Hader, but the veteran closer later got a game-ending double play to seal the win and notch his 28th save.
Kikuchi yielded just two hits despite surrendering three runs in 5 2/3 innings. Kremer struck out five while permitting three runs in six innings.
Diamondbacks finish sweep of Red Sox, extend win streak to six
Eugenio Suarez's go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning lifted the surging Arizona Diamondbacks to their sixth straight win, a 7-5 comeback victory over the fading Boston Red Sox.
Suarez went 4 for 4 to cap a huge series in which the third baseman drove in 10 runs to help the Diamondbacks to a three-game sweep. Geraldo Perodomo added a solo homer while knocking in a pair of runs in the finale.
With his team trailing 4-3 in the sixth, Suarez followed Pavin Smith's single and a walk to Adrian Del Castillo with a drive over the Green Monster in left field off Boston starter Tanner Houck that put Arizona ahead.
Perdomo provided some insurance with a solo homer in the top of the ninth. Justin Martinez gave up Tyler O'Neill's solo shot in the bottom of the inning that brought Boston within 7-5, but retired the next three men he faced to record his sixth save.
The Red Sox fell to 6-11 over their last 17 games despite building a 4-0 lead after four innings, with Triston Casas quickly putting them ahead with a solo homer off Merrill Kellly in the first.
Casas and Wilyer Abreu singled in the fourth to put two on for Rafael Devers, who crushed Kelly's pitch over the center field wall for his 200th career homer.
Houck (8-9) held the Diamondbacks scoreless through four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth, as he walked two batters around a Suarez single to load the bases with none out.
Arizona proceeded to manufacture two runs on a Perdomo groundout and Corbin Carroll's sacrifice fly, and another on Jake McCarthy's RBI single which cut the lead to 4-3.
Kelly moved to 4-0 on the season despite permitting four runs with five strikeouts in six innings. Houck was tagged for six runs on seven hits and walked four over six innings.
Carlos Alcaraz insists his recent ankle concern is nothing serious and that he will "be at 100%" for this year's US Open.
The Spaniard is seeking his second triumph at Flushing Meadows, where he was victorious two years ago, as well as a third major of the season following his success at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Although, there were briefly question marks over Alcaraz's participation in the year's final slam after he pulled out of practice on Friday with an ankle injury.
Nevertheless, he said the reason for not continuing the session was precautionary above anything else.
"After a few hours after finishing my practice, I have not felt anything and everything is fine and under control," said Alcaraz, who begins his campaign against Li Tu on Wednesday "I think it is not going to be anything serious.
"We will take care of it in the next few days and we will be extra cautious. I think it was just a scary moment, but I am sure I will be at 100%."
Alcaraz also reflected on his Olympic gold medal match against Novak Djokovic earlier this month, in which the Serb avenged his Wimbledon showpiece defeat to complete a career golden slam.
The Spaniard admitted it was a defeat that hurt, but made him more determined to go the extra step in four years' time.
"It was one of the most important finals of my career, my life," he said. "I know the Olympic Games is every four years, so I don't know if I'm going to have another chance to win the gold. I'm going fight for it, for sure, at the next Olympic Games.
"It was a difficult moment [for me to] deal with, losing the gold medal in a really close match when I had opportunities, but in front of me, I had a really good player that day.
"[Djokovic] was fighting for the same thing as me and he deserved it, and days after the Olympics, I realised that I won the silver medal. It was a great achievement for me."
Max Verstappen insists he and Red Bull have "no need to panic" despite seeing his Formula One winless streak stretch to five races at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Drivers' Championship leader was forced to settle for a second-place finish at Zandvoort behind Lando Norris, who closed the gap in the standings to 70 points.
Verstappen, who had won his home race in each of the past three seasons, began his 200th F1 race second on the grid with Norris in pole, but swiftly overtook the Briton with a fast start.
However, the Dutchman was unable to prevent Norris' response, and he felt a lack of grip on the tyres were impacting his performance.
Verstappen conceded he was lacking confidence in the speed of his car, and was subsequently focused on securing second place.
"You always try to do better," he said. "We had a good start, we tried everything we could today, but throughout the race, I think it was quite clear that we were not quick enough, so I tried to be second.
"I know that we have good starts, so I was quite confident that we would have another one, and luckily it was like that.
"I was just doing my own race, looking after the tyres, I tried to do the best I could. But, at one point, nothing was turning or responding anymore. Once [Lando] passed, I just focused on doing my race, tried to bring it to the end in second.
"I think this weekend was just a bad weekend in general, so we need to understand that. But the last few races, they haven't really been fantastic. So that, I think in a sense, was already a bit alarming.
"But we know that we don't need to panic. We are just trying to improve the situation, and that's what we are working on. But F1 is very complicated."
Lando Norris claimed the pace of his McLaren even surprised him as he overcame a poor start to clinch victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris was overtaken by home favourite Max Verstappen early on, but soon recovered, passing the reigning Formula One champion on lap 20 before building a comfortable lead, eventually winning by 22.8 seconds.
The 24-year-old was even slightly taken aback by the pace of his car in the first race back from the summer break.
He said: "Obviously, I didn't start in the most optimistic way, but the pace was unbelievable from the beginning, and I could go with Max quite happily at the start.
"I just didn't expect our pace to be probably as good as what it was today, which is a good thing. It's nice to be kind of a little bit surprised by this. And as soon as I got ahead, it was quite straightforward.
"I could push. I had good confidence to push the whole race, save the tyres a little bit, but just get in a good rhythm and go from there. So the car felt amazing."
Norris cut Verstappen's lead to 70 points in the Drivers' Championship with nine races remaining, but was under no illusions as to how difficult the challenge would be to overtake the Red Bull star, and was not keen to talk up his prospects.
"I've been fighting for the championship since the first race of the year. There's no sudden decision of now. I need to do better," he said.
"I've been working hard the whole year and I'm still 70 points behind Max. So it's pretty stupid to think of anything at the minute.
"I just take one race at a time and just keep doing what I'm doing now because there's no point to think ahead and think of the rest. I don't care about it at the minute."
Lando Norris ended Max Verstappen's run of victories at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, winning from pole despite being immediately passed by the Formula One champion.
Verstappen had won his home race in each of the past three seasons since it returned to the calendar, but he qualified behind Norris on Saturday.
The Dutchman, racing for the 200th time in F1, still could have claimed another triumph, tearing away from Norris almost immediately as the pole-sitter endured another tricky start.
However, Verstappen was soon complaining about a lack of grip and could do little to stop Norris responding.
The Briton stuck with his rival throughout the opening laps and then eased past into the lead at the first corner.
Once back in front, Norris assumed full control, disappearing off into the distance to win by 22.8 seconds as Verstappen was forced to settle for the second step on the podium.
The Red Bull superstar is now five races without a win, allowing Norris to close the gap in the drivers' championship to 70 points.
McLaren are also applying pressure in the constructors' championship, 30 points behind Red Bull now despite Oscar Piastri being beaten to third by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc following a lengthy battle.
Data Debrief: Dutch pole trend continues
Verstappen may have got in front early on, but he clearly was not confident he had the fastest car this weekend, having qualified behind Norris.
With the McLaren man instead winning, it means five of the past six Dutch Grands Prix have been won by the driver starting on pole, including Verstappen in each of his three prior triumphs.
Attention for Verstappen now turns to Italy and ending his five-race winless run, his longest such sequence since 11 in a row in the 2020 season.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 295
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 225
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 192
Constructors
1. Red Bull - 434
2. McLaren - 404
3. Ferrari - 370
Caitlin Clark has again written her name into the record books following her latest performance for the Indiana Fever.
Clark, the first overall pick in this year's draft, has already set a number of benchmarks in her rookie WNBA season.
And that continued on Saturday even as the Fever lost 90-80 to the Minnesota Lynx.
Clark finished with 23 points and eight assists, and in doing so improved her seasonal tally to 520 points and 240 assists.
She is now the youngest player in WNBA history to pass 500 points and 200 assists.
Clark had already set a new record for assists in a rookie WNBA season, with her performances keeping the Fever on course for the playoffs.
Emma Raducanu says she is always ready to "do things a little bit differently" as she prepares for the US Open.
The 21-year-old is set to play just her second match at Flushing Meadows since winning the grand slam as a teenage qualifier in 2021.
She will face American Sofia Kenin in the first round, with Jessica Pegula a potential second-round opponent if she gets through.
Raducanu has only played one tournament since being knocked out in the fourth round at Wimbledon, opting to miss the Olympics, as she continues to ease herself back into regular action after her long injury lay-off.
She reached the quarter-finals in Washington, going out to eventual champion Paula Badosa, but chose not to play in Toronto before deciding against qualifying for Cincinnati.
"I really wanted to play in Toronto, especially because I was born there, but the turnaround was too tight for qualifying," she told BBC Sport.
"I would have had to play on Sunday, and I finished [in Washington] late Friday night, so flying there and adjusting, I just felt was too tight.
"Otherwise, I just always do things a little bit differently.
"[In Cincinnati] I would have pretty much had to wait around just for one tournament in qualies and then another week off before the US Open - so I think it was a better decision we all made to just go back and work on things there."
Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka is hoping familiar surroundings will help to boost her confidence after a tough run in 2024.
Since returning from a 15-month maternity break in January, Osaka has struggled to recapture her top form, and in her most recent outing in Cincinnati, she was knocked out in the second round of qualifying.
Having won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, the 26-year-old believes being back in the city she grew up in will help her find her footing.
"I feel like, throughout the year, I have had really hard matches, and it kind of dipped my confidence a little," Osaka told reporters on Saturday.
"I do think coming to this specific tournament helps me out. But also, whenever I step foot here, I don't really think about the two tournaments I won.
"I just think about how I felt when I was a kid, because I did grow up coming here, and I have such vivid memories of watching my favourite players. It's more of a childhood nostalgia that I really enjoy."
Keegan Bradley is proud of his fighting spirit as he regained a one-shot lead over Adam Scott in the BMW Championship heading into the final day.
Bradley, who was named the United States' Ryder Cup captain for 2025, had led after the first round but slipped down the leaderboard after Scott's impressive 63 on Friday.
However, after a rollercoaster day that saw him card eight birdies and six bogeys at Castle Pines, he ensured he was back on top of the pile by sinking a birdie on the final hole to card a two-under 70.
Scott, who was the unlikely leader at the halfway stage, remains within touching distance after two late birdies helped him to 74.
Ludvig Aberg and Alex Noren also remain in contention, tied for third on 10-under after carding 71 and 70 respectively on Saturday.
Xander Schauffele is three shots further back on seven under in joint fifth, after hitting a five-under 67 in the third round.
"It was tough out there today," Bradley admitted. "It was really windy, a lot of elevated tees that were into the wind, which makes it really tough.
"Proud of the way I fought today. I played some brilliant golf, but I hit also some terrible shots, too. I guess that's the way of the world. But I'm proud of the way I fought there in the end."
Bowden Francis took a no-hitter into the ninth inning and struck out 12 in a dominant performance before the Toronto Blue Jays closed out a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
Francis lost his bid for history when Taylor Ward drove a 3-2 fastball deep to center for a leadoff homer in the ninth. It was Ward's 17th homer of the season.
Francis walked three and hit a batter in his third consecutive win. He threw a career-high 117 pitches, 84 for strikes.
Chad Green got the final three outs for his 14th save in 14 chances.
Francis is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 27 strikeouts in his past three starts.
Dave Stieb pitched the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history at Cleveland on Sept. 2, 1990.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 27th homer as the Blue Jays won their third straight overall and sixth consecutive meeting with the Angels.
Los Angeles has scored eight runs during a four-game skid.
Realmuto’s blasts power Phillies
J.T. Realmuto homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs and Bryson Stott went 4 for 4 to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to an 11-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals.
After a pair of Royals defensive misadventures put runners at the corners to open the sixth, Realmuto hammered Brady Singer’s 100th pitch above left-field bullpen for a 5-1 lead.
Realmuto hit a 424-foot shot into the fountains in left-center during a five-run eighth inning and added an RBI grounder in the ninth.
Ranger Suarez pitched five effective innings in his return from the injured list. He allowed a run on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts for his first win since June 8.
The Phillies matched a season high with 18 hits, including a season-best nine for extra bases.
Gallen pitches surging Diamondbacks past Red Sox
Zac Gallen pitched two-hit ball over six innings and struck out nine as the Arizona Diamondbacks won their fifth straight, 4-1 over the Boston Red Sox.
Gallen worked around four walks to end a three-start winless streak as Boston went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. He took a no-hitter into the fifth before Connor Wong dropped a single into right field.
Ryan Thompson and A.J. Puk each worked a scoreless inning before Paul Sewald gave up Masataka Yoshida’s RBI double in the ninth.
The Diamondbacks have won 23 of their last 29 games to take hold of the top NL wild-card spot.
Arizona managed just one hit – and a lone baserunner – against Kutter Crawford through three innings before Joc Pederson hit a long flyball toward left field with one out in the fourth. Boston center fielder Jarren Duran crashed into the Green Monster trying to catch it, but it went off his glove for a double.
Josh Bell walked, and one out later, Eugenio Suárez doubled off the left-field wall to make it 2-0.
The Diamondbacks scored two more runs in the seventh without a hit when Lucas Sims walked two, then Brennan Bernardino walked two more and threw a wild pitch that brought in another run.
Lewis Hamilton believes his weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix is "done" after being knocked out in the second qualifying session.
He has also since been hit with a three-place grid penalty after he was deemed to have intentionally impeded Sergio Perez during the first session.
As such, he will now begin the race in 15th instead of the original starting position of 12th.
Hamilton was already left frustrated by his performance in qualifying and wrote off any chances of him earning a fourth podium in as many races.
"It just went downhill like a domino effect from the moment with Checo [Perez], then the balance just got more and more snappy, more and more 'oversteery' – it was terrible," he said before being hit with the grid penalty.
"It's definitely very, very frustrating, naturally, but it is what it is. It's kind of the weekend done, and I'll have to move on to next week [at Monza].
"I think ultimately, if everyone had had a dry P3, we probably would have done a bit of a better job with the set-up, maybe, for qualifying, but still, I think just [the] performance wasn't there from my side."
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen will start his home Grand Prix from second after being pipped to pole position by Lando Norris by 0.356s.
It is the first time he has not started top of the grid at Zandvoort since the race's reintroduction to the calendar in 2021, while he is aiming to win the Dutch Grand Prix for the fourth consecutive year.
While Verstappen still had some complaints about the lack of pace in his car, he was optimistic that he could challenge for the title on Sunday.
"I think the whole qualifying we just lacked a bit of pace," the reigning world champion said. "I tried the best I could. I'm still very happy of course to be on the front row.
"I'm happy with second. I think after Friday as well this is a good result.
"We'll give it a good go. Of course, when you're more than three-tenths behind in qualifying, I think we have to be realistic. I'll just try to have a good race tomorrow."
Alex Albon was disqualified from Dutch Grand Prix qualifying after his floor body failed technical checks.
He had qualified in eighth, but will now start at the back of the grid with Williams teammate Logan Sargeant, who did not compete in qualifying after a heavy crash in the final practice session.
Lando Norris claimed pole for the Dutch Grand Prix but expects Max Verstappen to "put up a good fight" in his home race.
The McLaren driver had cemented himself as the favourite following promising practice sessions and produced a stunning lap to edge the Dutchman by 0.356s in the final round of qualifying.
It is the first time that Verstappen will not start on pole at Zandvoort in his career and will face stiff competition as he aims for a fourth-straight win in the Netherlands, with Oscar Piastri behind him in third and Mercedes' George Russell in fourth. Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez rounds out the top five.
While Norris had been self-critical in the lead-up to the mid-season break, he was much more optimistic about his chances of claiming a second-ever Formula 1 victory at Zandvoort.
"An amazing day. It's nice to be back and start with a pole. It was a nice lap, honestly," he said after qualifying.
"The qualifying was always pretty smooth, and I put in some good laps, especially the one at the end, which is always the most important. A great job by the team, and I'm happy.
"It's not easy, but I felt comfortable out there, the car was feeling amazing. We've got some upgrades on the car for the first time in a while and everything's working very well, so a big thanks to the team too.
"I'm sure it's going to be tough. Max has been quick all weekend. I know we got him today, but he's still second, and he's going to be putting up a good fight, especially at his home race. I'm looking forward to it."
Charles Leclerc, in sixth, is Ferrari's sole representative in the top 10, while Alex Albon finished eighth, in between the two Aston Martin drivers, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll seventh and ninth respectively.
Pierre Gasly finished 10th, while Lewis Hamilton will start 12th after being knocked out in the second session after a mistake on the penultimate corner of his final lap.
The seven-time champion also faces a stewards' investigation to see whether he impeded Perez in the first qualifying session.
Top 10
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Alex Albon (Williams)
9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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