The Minnesota Twins showed why they are a team on the rise as they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 9-4 on Friday.
Twins center-fielder Byron Buxton went deep for the third consecutive day, and it was the second day in a row he has hit multiple home runs, with five in his past three games.
He didn't have to wait long for his first, sending Drew Rasmussen over the fence as the Twins' second batter of the day, and after Isaac Paredes tied things up with his own solo homer, Buxton untied things with his second solo shot in the fifth inning.
Buxton's second home run ignited a massive fifth inning for the home side, with six hits and an error bringing home six runs, turning 1-1 game into a 7-1 blowout.
Sparks would fly again in the seventh inning as Randy Arozerena hit a rare inside-the-park home run for the Rays, and Vidal Brujan backed it up with a home run from the very next at-bat.
Another Arozerena RBI in the eighth inning cut the margin to 7-4, but Twins star Carlos Correa made sure it was a comfortable final inning as he added two more insurance runs with a 410-foot bomb for the longest hit of the game.
On the mound for the Twins was Devin Smeltzer, who is quickly making his case as being the ace of the staff.
Smeltzer gave up three earned runs in six innings, which is the first time in his six starts this season he has allowed more than two earned runs.
Rasmuessen is having a strong season for the Rays, but he was beat up in this game, conceding seven runs in four-and-a-third innings, although three were unearned due to fielding errors.
New Yorkers are walkin' here
It was a pitching display at Yankee Stadium as the New York Yankees eventually came away with a 2-1 home win against the Chicago Cubs after 13 innings.
Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino was terrific, striking out 10 batters while giving up one run in six innings, while Cubs start Wade Miley was withdrawn due to injury after pitching three scoreless frames.
A solo home run to Gleyber Torres in the fourth inning gave the Yankees the lead, until Jason Heyward answered with his own solo home run for the Cubs an inning later, and that would be followed by seven innings of shut-out baseball.
Eventually, in the bottom of the 13th inning, facing the 16th pitcher of the contest, Jose Trevino was able to send the fans home happy with a walk-off base hit.
Bryce Harper and the Phillies stay hot
The Philadelphia Phillies rattled off their eighth consecutive win as they jumped the Arizona Diamondbacks early on the way to a 7-5 win.
Philadelphia's reigning MVP Bryce Harper collected three hits from his four at-bats, but with no RBIs he relied on his teammates to show up in big spots.
Rhys Hoskins got the Phillies off to terrific start with a 423-foot home run in the first inning, before a three-run blast in the second to Kyle Schwarber helped blow the game open, leading 6-0 after two innings.
Daulton Varsho tried his best to drag the Diamondbacks into the contest, with a solo homer in the sixth inning and a two-run double in the seventh, but the Phillies bullpen was able to finish the job.
The Golden State Warriors produced a spectacular defensive second half to defeat the Boston Celtics 107-97 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
With the win on the road, the Warriors tied the series at 2-2, avoiding the dreaded 3-1 deficit that history shows is almost impossible to come back from.
From the jump, it was the Stephen Curry show, scoring 12 points in the first quarter to keep the Warriors in the fight, trailing 28-27 at quarter-time.
Eight quick points from Jordan Poole off the bench gave the Warriors a jolt to start the second period, before Jaylen Brown answered with 10 of his own.
Ultimately it was the Celtics' defense controlling the second quarter, holding the Warriors to two-of-12 shooting from long range in the frame to win it 26-22 and head into half-time leading 54-49.
Everyone expected the Warriors to come out hot in the third quarter, and they did not disappoint, with Curry and Klay Thompson both hitting jump shots in the first 40 seconds, igniting a 30-24 period for the visitors.
Curry scored another 14 points in the third, with a late three giving the Warriors a 79-78 lead heading into the last.
All series the Boston defense has gone up a gear in the fourth quarter, but this time the Warriors gave them a taste of their own medicine, holding the home side to 19 points.
A Marcus Smart three-pointer with 5:18 remaining put the Celtics up 94-90, but they would score just three points the rest of the way, spanning nearly four minutes between Smart's bucket and Al Horford's three with 1:32 on the clock.
Curry capped off his magical performance with 10 of the Warriors' last 12 points, finishing with 43 points while shooting 14-of-26 from the field and seven-of-14 from long range. He added 10 rebounds and four assists.
Also shining when the Warriors needed him most was Andrew Wiggins, who snatched a career-high 16 rebounds, including some important offensive rebounds and put-backs with his team trailing, as he also chipped in 17 points and finished with a plus/minus of plus 20. His plus/minus trailed only Kevon Looney's plus 21.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum was solid, but scored inefficiently, with 23 points on eight-of-23 shooting, while adding 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Brown was also respectable, scoring 21 on nine-of-19 shooting, while Derrick White added 16 off the bench.
Hunter Renfrow became the latest wide receiver to get a new contract, agreeing to a two-year, $32million extension with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Renfrow’s new deal includes $21m in guarantees, a source confirmed to ESPN, and comes after the Pro Bowl slot receiver caught 103 passes in a breakthrough season, the third-highest single-season total in franchise history.
Current teammate Darren Waller had 107 receptions in 2020 and Hall of Famer Tim Brown had 104 in 1997.
Speaking to the media after the announcement, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels shared why he values the Clemson product so highly.
"We are thrilled to have reached an agreement with Hunter Renfrow, and look forward to seeing him in Silver and Black for years to come," he said.
"Hunter is one of the true leaders on this team and he exemplifies the values of this organisation in how he comes to work every day. He is a tremendous teammate on and off the field and the entire Raider Nation is excited to see what the future holds for Hunter."
Renfrow, Waller and offseason acquisition Davante Adams should give the Raiders one of the most productive trios of pass catchers in the league.
Adams was acquired from the Green Bay Packers in March and the Raiders wasted no time in singing the star receiver to a five-year, $141.25m contract that includes a reported $67.5m in fully guaranteed money.
Adams’ deal is the largest ever for a wide receiver and was the largest for any non-quarterback in NFL history in terms of annual value and total value, before the Los Angeles Rams signed defensive tackle Aaron Donald to a new $95m contract restructure earlier this week.
Renfrow is the third key Raiders player to get an extension in the offseason under the new regime led by McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Quarterback Derek Carr signed a three-year, $120.5 million extension in April after edge rusher Maxx Crosby got a four-year, $94 million deal in March.
Renfrow has 208 catches for 2,299 yards and 15 TDs in his three seasons in the NFL.
Former Brooklyn Nets head coach and current Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson will be hired as the next head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, with ESPN reporting that he will receive a four-year contract.
Aktinson's head coaching experience with the Brooklyn Nets spanned from 2016-20. He compiled a 118-190 record during his time with the rebuilding Nets, but helped guide the team from 20 wins in his initial season to a 42-40 record in 2018-19 and a playoff berth.
He was chosen to replace outgoing head coach James Borrego after a seven-week search during which the Hornets interviewed veteran coach Mike D’Antoni, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, and assistant coaches Sean Sweeney of Dallas, Charles Lee of Milwaukee and David Vanterpool of Brooklyn. They also interviewed Darvin Ham, who was hired by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Borrego was fired on April 22 following a 43-win season with two years remaining on his contract. He went 138-163 during his four seasons at the helm of the Hornets and they were routed in the play-in tournament for the second straight season.
Atkinson has a reputation as a talent developer and helped turn Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie into key players for the Nets, as well as elevating D'Angelo Russell to his lone All-Star appearance in 2019.
The Hornets have key pieces in place with guard LaMelo Ball and much-improved forward Miles Bridges, as well as veteran Gordon Hayward, but they have a glaring need at center, which could be addressed in a number of creative ways with the NBA Draft and free agency approaching.
Atkinson is the second Golden State assistant to accept a new job during the Warriors' playoff this season after fellow assistant Mike Brown accepted the role of head coach of the Sacramento Kings, though both are remaining with the Warriors through the end of the NBA Finals.
Wyndham Clark was able to hold onto his outright lead at the Canadian Open with an even par second round on Friday, one stroke ahead of Rory McIlroy and the chasing field.
Clark remains at seven under after a spectacular 63 on Thursday, posting three birdies and three bogeys on his second trip around the course.
McIlroy headlines the five-man group at six under, along with American trio Keith Mitchell, Jim Knous and Alex Smalley, as well as England's Matt Fitzpatrick, who closed his round with three consecutive bogeys to surrender the lead.
Alone at five under in outright seventh is Austin Cook, who posted Friday's round of the day with his six-under 64, going bogey-free with six birdies to vault himself into contention after entering play at one over.
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns are in a logjam at four under, as is Shane Lowry, while Tony Finau and Harold Varner III are one further back at three under, rounding out the top-20.
Justin Thomas shot his second consecutive 69 to head into the weekend at two under, while English trio Danny Willett, Justin Rose and Aaron Rai sit at one under.
The second-best score of the round belonged to Cameron Smith, who shot a 65 to land right on the cut-line after a calamitous 76 in his opener.
Rory Sabbatini and Stuart McDonald missed the cut by one stroke, while Camilo Villegas was a further shot back after going five over on his last four holes.
The Buffalo Sabres will honour long-time goaltender Ryan Miller by retiring his No. 30 jersey next season.
Miller joined the Sabres in 2002-03 and spent 10-plus seasons with the franchise, becoming Buffalo's leader in wins (284) and games played by a goaltender (540).
He went on to eventually set the record for wins by an American-born goalie (391) and retired after the 2020-21 season.
The team made the announcement by releasing a video on Friday, which showed Miller being informed of the honour while touring the Sabres' arena with his wife, mother, sister and two children.
The announcement coincided with Miller's trip to Buffalo where he took part in a news conference to discuss being inducted into the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame later this year.
"Ryan Miller embodied what people in Western New York expect from those who wear a Buffalo Sabres uniform: on-ice excellence, commitment, and authentic love for this community," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adam said.
"We are thrilled for Ryan to take his rightful place alongside his fellow Sabres legends and look forward to celebrating his career."
Miller, who also played for the St Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, had his best season in 2009-10 when he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender and earned Olympic MVP honours for helping the United States to a silver medal at the Vancouver Games.
Miller joins NHL Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek as Sabres goalies to have their numbers retired. Miller's 391 career wins rank 14th in NHL history, two ahead of Hasek.
A New York Rangers fan has been banned for life from Madison Square Garden for punching a Tampa Bay Lightning fan in the face after Thursday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final.
Following the 3-1 Tampa Bay win that gave them a 3-2 series advantage, the Rangers fan and Lightning fan exchanged words while exiting the arena, police said.
A video surfaced on social media of the Rangers fan turning and punching the Lightning fan. He then struck another person who tried to intervene.
While the victim received assistance on the ground from witnesses, the assailant fled the arena.
Police confirmed that a 29-year-old Staten Island man was arrested for assault, disorderly conduct and harassment.
A Madison Square Garden statement released on Friday called the incident an "abhorrent assault."
"We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as this is now a criminal matter. The assailant will also be banned from The Garden and all other MSG venues for life," MSG said in its statement.
"All guests - no matter what team they support - should feel safe and respected in The Garden. This has and always will be our policy."
The Washington Commanders have fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for his dismissive comments about the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol building and for comparing the insurrection to protests against police brutality.
Head coach Ron Rivera announced the fine with a statement on Friday, while public hearings are ongoing with the House of Representatives Jan. 6 investigative committee.
On Wednesday, Del Rio referred to the attack on the Capitol building as a "dust-up" compared to the protests that took place in the summer of 2020 after George Floyd was killed in police custody.
"I can look at images on the TV [of the Floyd protests] — people's livelihoods are being destroyed. Businesses are being burned down. No problem," he said on Wednesday. "And then we have a dust-up at the Capitol, nothing burned down, and we're going to make that a major deal. I just think it’s kind of two standards, and if we apply the same standard and we're going to be reasonable with each other, let's have a discussion.”
Later on Wednesday, Del Rio issued an apology for his comment.
"Referencing that situation as a dust-up was irresponsible and negligent and I am sorry," he said in a statement.
"I stand by my comments condemning violence in communities across the country. I say that while also expressing my support as an American citizen for peaceful protest in our country."
The NAACP has called for Del Rio to resign or to be fired.
Rivera's statement said Del Rio's fine will be donated to the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.
"As we saw last night in the hearings, what happened on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an act of domestic terrorism," Rivera said. "A group of citizens attempted to overturn the results of a free and fair election, and as a result lives were lost, and the Capitol building was damaged.
"I want to make it clear that our organisation will not tolerate any equivalency between those who demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd's murder and the actions of those on January 6 who sought to topple our government."
Charl Schwartzel holds a three-shot lead going into the final day of the LIV Golf Invitational in London after another impressive performance at Centurion.
The South African followed up his five-under opening round by going four under on day two of the 54-hole tournament.
His compatriot Hennie du Plessis is six under with Peter Uihlein two strokes further back.
Dustin Johnson, the two-time major champion and highest-ranked player at the event, is in a tie for sixth at one under.
He is one of only eight players under par after 36 holes, with Phil Mickelson struggling to get to grips with the course.
Mickelson ended the day four over par and, though there is no cut, his hopes of victory at the end of a week overshadowed by his and Johnson's ban from the PGA Tour for joining the controversial breakaway have surely gone.
Top seed Maria Sakkari was eliminated from the Nottingham Open at the quarter-final stage by world number 48 Beatriz Haddad Maia on Friday.
Haddad Maia made it three career wins out of three against Sakkari with a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory to reach her first WTA semi-final on grass.
The Brazilian will now take on Tereza Martincova, who beat last year's runner-up Zhang Shuai 6-3 6-2, for a place in Sunday's final.
Sixth seed Alison Riske is also through to the last four after recovering from a set down to beat home favourite Harriet Dart 4-6 6-2 6-1.
Riske's sixth career semi-final on grass will come against Viktorija Golubic, who surprised Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 7-6 (8-6) in the final match of the day.
At The Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, second seed Belinda Bencic's participation was ended with a straight-sets defeat to Veronika Kudermetova.
French Open quarter-finalist Kudermetova prevailed 6-4 6-2 in 87 minutes to snap a three-match losing streak against Bencic.
Russian compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova is up next in the semi-finals after easing past American qualifier Caty McNally 6-0 6-1
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka is into her third semi-final in her past five tournaments, meanwhile, thanks to a 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-5) win over Alison Van Uytvanck.
Shelby Rogers, a 3-6 6-1 6-4 winner against Kirsten Flipkens, awaits Sabalenka in Saturday's semi-final.
Andy Murray claimed his first win over a top-five opponent since 2016 as he stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Stuttgart Open semi-finals.
Murray started his preparations for the grass-court swing with a run to the semi-finals of the challenger at Surbiton.
He knocked off seventh seed Alexander Bublik to reach the last eight in Stuttgart but a meeting with the top seed and world number five represented a much more imposing challenge.
It was one the two-time Wimbledon champion rose to emphatically, winning a first-set tie-break and then claiming the second set in comfortable fashion to cement a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win, gaining revenge for his contentious five-set defeat to the Greek at last year's US Open.
Murray's previous win over a top-five opponent came in the ATP Finals six years ago, when he defeated Novak Djokovic in a year that also saw him win Wimbledon.
"I thought I did well. He served unbelievably in the first set," Murray said in his on-court interview.
"I felt like I had very few chances, but when he was creating chances on my serve, I stayed strong.
"I played a really solid tie-break and in the second set, once I was in the rallies, I felt like I was dictating a lot of the points. It was a good performance."
Murray is up to 53rd in the live ATP rankings and is bidding to get back into the top 50 for the first time since 2018.
Standing between him and a place in the final is Nick Kyrgios, who was 7-6 (7-3) 3-0 up when Marton Fucsovics retired from their quarter-final clash.
Matteo Berrettini beat Lorenzo Sonego in three sets, while Oscar Otte won by walkover against Benjamin Bonzi.
At the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships in 's-Hertogenbosch, Daniil Medvedev saw off Ilya Ivashka 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.
Medvedev, who will soon return to world number one when the ranking points from the French Open come into effect, sees the grass-court season as a chance to cement his grip on that spot.
"I don't have many points to defend on grass and I have some to win, so hopefully I can play well, starting here," said Medvedev. "Every round is points and the higher you get, the more you need to step up."
He will face defending champion Adrian Mannarino in the semi-finals, while second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime is into a last-four clash with home hope Tim van Rijthoven after beating Karen Khachanov.
Stephen Curry will not have any minutes restriction in Game 4 as the Golden State Warriors bid to level the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Curry suffered a foot injury in the Warriors' 116-100 defeat in Game 3 at TD Garden on Wednesday.
The two-time MVP had insisted he would not miss Game 4 and head coach Steve Kerr confirmed Curry will be available for the entirety of Friday's critical clash.
"He's feeling well, just went through shootaround. He said he's ready to go," Kerr told reporters.
The Warriors trail the series 2-1 and will have history against them if the Celtics claim a third win in four.
Only one team in NBA Finals history has come back from a 3-1 deficit to prevail, the Cleveland Cavaliers famously doing so against the Warriors in 2016.
Curry has scored 26.8 points per game so far in the postseason. He has averaged 31.3 across the first three games of the Finals.
Bryson DeChambeau has become the latest high-profile player to shun the PGA Tour and join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The 2020 US Open winner, who has eight PGA Tour titles to his name in total, joins the likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson in switching to the rival circuit.
DeChambeau's involvement was made official on Friday by LIV Golf, which launched with its first event on the outskirts of London on Thursday.
His first appearance will be in the second of the eight-series event in Portland later this month.
LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman said in a statement: "Bryson DeChambeau is an exciting addition to LIV Golf's supercharged style of play.
"He is passionate about the sport, innovative in his approach and committed to pushing the boundaries in pursuit of excellence.
"He's not afraid to think outside the box and supports our mission of doing things differently to grow our game.
"The power and energy he brings to the course will deliver added electricity to our competition in Portland and beyond."
DeChambeau is currently 28th in the world rankings after slipping out of the top 10, where he had spent most of the past two years, due to a niggling injury issue.
The American missed the cut at last week's Memorial Tournament and will now be blocked from competing in any further PGA Tour events, likely including next week's U.S. Open.
That comes after the Tour confirmed on Thursday that all players competing in the opening event this week, and any who play in future events, are indefinitely suspended.
DeChambeau is the eighth major champion to defect to LIV Golf, along with Sergio Garcia, Johnson, Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.
Lewis Hamilton has confirmed he is working on a Formula One movie with Brad Pitt.
It was reported this week that seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton had taken on a producer role in a film starring Hollywood legend Pitt for Apple TV+.
Hamilton says he has relished the opportunity to work on such an alternative project.
He said during a media conference ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix: "It's a really cool project and we are already working on the script.
"I'm much involved in the script, which is fun, and spending good time with Brad, which is pretty epic… and really from my responsibilities and something that I take on is just making sure the cast and crew in the background is diverse – something I really highlighted at the beginning.
"It's been very difficult, if you look at all the racing movies, you can't necessarily say all the racing movies that have been in the past have been spectacular and that's something we want to change.
"It's really about showing how great this sport really is to people that have never watched it and also making sure that we keep the real heritage and the true racing spirit within the movie and within the script, so that's part of my role."
The Mercedes driver says a cast has not yet been finalised.
Hamilton added: "We're going to need drivers I'm sure at one stage. What I think will be important is - it's not my movie, it's Formula One's, it's for all of us, so there's lots of people within the sport who are being a part of this, helping educate those who are trying to create this movie, so it's going to include lots and lots of people and there's talk already of how we're going to capture the footage and it's going to take us drivers to be involved in that.
"But we're not actors. We don't want it to be crap… which is probably why I'm not going to be a part of it! We need some good actors."
World number one Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the bett1open next week due to a shoulder injury.
Swiatek, who won her second grand slam title at the French Open last weekend, was due to start her grass-court season in Berlin a fortnight before Wimbledon gets under way.
But the all-conquering Pole pulled out of the WTA 500 tournament on Friday, revealing she will take time to rest ahead of the third major of the year at SW19.
Swiatek tweeted: "Due to a recurrent discomfort I am feeling in my shoulder, unfortunately I need to withdraw from the bett1open in Berlin.
"I'm sorry I will not be able to play there. I will focus on recovery and rest in order to be ready for Wimbledon."
Swiatek beat American teenager Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 to regain the title at Roland Garros last Saturday.
That took the 21-year-old's winning run to a staggering 35 matches, one more than Serena Williams' best streak back in 2013.
Venus Williams is the only other woman since the start of 2000 to have reeled off 35 consecutive victories, while Swiatek and Serena Williams are the only women in the same period to have won six titles in the first six months of a year.
Swiatek was beaten by Ons Jabeur in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year but is a strong favourite to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish for the first time next month.
The Las Vegas Raiders have signed wide receiver Hunter Renfrow to a two-year extension.
Renfrow has emerged as a critical part of the Raiders' offense since being drafted in the fifth round in 2019.
And he has been rewarded with a $32million extension that includes $21m in guaranteed money, according to multiple reports from NFL Network.
He becomes the third high-profile Raider to receive a lucrative extension this offseason, following quarterback Derek Carr and edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
With his future now secured, Renfrow will hope to form a prolific pass-catching triumvirate with tight end Darren Waller and Davante Adams, for whom the Raiders traded in a blockbuster deal in March.
Renfrow has caught 208 passes for 2,299 yards and 15 touchdowns across his three seasons in the NFL.
Renowned as one of the NFL's best route runners from the slot, Renfrow enjoyed a career year as the Raiders made the playoffs in 2021.
He finished last season with 103 catches for 1,038 yards – his first 1,000-yard campaign – and nine touchdowns.
Max Verstappen says it would be "completely wrong" to introduce a salary cap for Formula One drivers who "put our lives at risk".
F1 introduced a budget cap at the start of last season and that figure was reduced to $140m (£119m) a team this year.
There has been talk of a limit being place on the wages drivers are paid, but world champion Verstappen made it perfectly clear what he thinks about the prospect of that being implemented.
"It's still a bit vague. I think no one really knows where it is going to go but from my side, it's completely wrong," he said ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:
"I think at the moment, F1 is becoming more and more popular and everyone is making more and more money, including the teams and FOM [Formula One Management].
"Everyone is benefitting, so why should the drivers, with their IP rights and everything, be capped? We actually bring the show and put our lives at risk, because we do, eventually. So for me, it's completely wrong."
Verstappen says youngsters making their way in junior categories would also be affected.
He added: "Also, in all of the junior categories, if you see how many of the drivers have a sponsor or a backer who will have a certain percentage of their income in F1 or whatever.
"I think it's going to limit that a lot because they'll never get their return in money and if you get a cap, so it will hurt all the junior categories as well and I don't think you want that."
Sebastian Vettel does not believe there has been a "changing of the guard" in Formula One, saying older drivers would thrive with "the right tools"
Max Verstappen won his first F1 world title last season, dethroning Lewis Hamilton in the most dramatic fashion in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Red Bull's Verstappen leads Charles Leclerc by nine points in the battle for the 2022 title, with the 37-year-old Hamilton sixth.
Vettel, 34, has picked up only five points for Aston Martin, while the 40-year-old Fernando Alonso having 10 points to his name
Verstappen, Leclerc and George Russell – all aged 24 – have emerged as a new generation of drivers with long careers ahead of them.
Four-time F1 champion Vettel says they are fortunate to have cars that enable them to challenge for victories.
Asked about the young drivers coming through, the German told Stats Perform: "I think it very much depends how competitive your environment is.
"Obviously, usually you're saying that there's a changing of the guard, Lewis has been arguably fighting for the title until the very last lap last year, so it's not too long ago.
"I think it depends always on the situation you're in for sure. There's drivers that are a little bit older like Fernando and Lewis then myself, but I'm sure that you give us the right tools, we still can do the right work."
Vettel hopes Ferrari can give Leclerc every chance of winning his first F1 title.
He said: "Obviously, Charles is one of them and in a good car he deserves to be up there. Hopefully the car will be good enough for him to fight for the title this year until the end.
"We will see, throughout the field you have more that one or two drivers that will be able to battle for victories.
"But usually the right drivers get the right package at the right time, so I'm very happy for him and hopefully he has the car to do it until the end."
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The New York Yankees survived a disappointing starting performance by ace pitcher Gerrit Cole to come back and defeat the Minnesota Twins 10-7 on Thursday.
Cole, who entered the contest with an ERA of 2.78, got beat up in the very first inning, giving up three consecutive home runs to the top of the Twins' order. Homers by Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa all travelled at least 396 feet, and would have been home runs in all 30 major league stadiums.
The pain did not end there for Cole, as Buxton launched his second long-ball with a three-run shot in the second inning, before giving up his fifth home run of the game courtesy of a 441-foot bomb from Trevor Larnach an inning later.
Larnach's blast spelled the end of Cole's night, finishing with seven earned runs in two-and-a-third innings, and five conceded home runs from seven hits.
But the Yankees made sure their ace would not have to take a loss on his record, with two home runs from Joey Gallo in the first five innings, the second cutting the Twins' lead to 7-4.
D.J. Lemahieu then hit his own solo home run in the fifth inning, before Aaron Hicks tied things at 7-7 with another two-run homer in the sixth.
RBI base hits to Anthony Rizzo and Hicks in the seventh inning gave the Yankees some breathing room, before Rizzo came home on a wild pitch in the eighth to ice the game.
The win moves the Yankees' to 41-16 as the best record in baseball, four games clear of the field.
Harper's heater continues
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper hit his fifth home run in six games as his side defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3 on the road.
Harper, who is trying to win his second consecutive NL MVP, was one of three Phillies to go deep off the Brewers' Cy Young candidate Corbin Burnes.
After Milwaukee's Hunter Renfroe hit a solo shot to cut the Phillies' lead to 3-2, Harper's solo homer restored the margin. Then, a 432-foot, two-run shot by Kyle Schwarber in the eighth inning, and another two-run shot by pinch-hitter Odubel Herrera in the ninth secured the win.
Ohtani carries Angels to first win in 15 games
The Los Angeles Angels' franchise-record of 14 consecutive losses finally came to an end as Shohei Ohtani delivered with both bat and ball in a 5-2 home win against the Boston Red Sox.
Ohtani started on the mound and pitched seven strong innings, conceding one earned run from four hits and two walks, striking out six.
He also provided his own run-support, scoring the Angels' first runs of the night with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, giving his side a 2-1 lead they never relinquished.
Andrew Velasquez finally allowed the home fans to breathe in the sixth inning, with his three-run blast opening up the margin to 5-1, letting the bullpen coast to the win without issue.
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