The San Francisco Giants locked up ace Logan Webb for the next five years, agreeing to a $90million extension with the right-hander on Friday that will keep him with the team through the 2028 season.
Webb struggled in his first two seasons with the Giants before he had a breakout campaign in 2021, going 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 27 appearances. He followed that up by compiling a 15-9 mark in 2022 with a 2.90 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 192 innings.
Webb, who grew up in nearby Rocklin, California, will earn $4.6m this season in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and would have been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season. He will receive an $8m salary next year, $12m in 2025, $23m each in 2026 and 2027 and $24m in 2028.
"It was just important for me to be able to say I can wear a Giants uniform for a long time," Webb said. "It's important for not only myself but my family and especially my community back home.
"I know they're very excited. There's a lot of diehard Giants fans in Rocklin, California. This is where I want to be – it's an honour."
Webb was the Giants' opening day starter this season, but has got off to a slow start with an 0-3 record and a 4.76 ERA in three starts.
"I've got to be a lot better, the team knows that, I know that and I'm excited to start showing that. I think I'm really close," Webb said. "It does show they have a lot of faith in me, and some of the stuff that's happened the first couple games is not going to happen hopefully very often.
"I don't think anybody, myself especially, thought I'd be 0-3 to start the season, but I'm excited to fix that, excited to get back to that winning baseball not only for myself but for our team."
Webb is 31-22 with a 3.59 ERA in five major league seasons.
Last week's Masters champion Jon Rahm shook off his poor opening round and rebounded with Friday's best score, while Jimmy Walker opened up a three-stroke lead at the RBC Heritage.
Rahm had a bit of a hangover following his second major victory, beginning his week at Harbour Town Golf Links with a one-over 72, before showing the field how it was done with a seven-under 64 on his second trip around the course.
He birdied holes two, three, four and five to kick-start a bogey-free round with seven birdies overall, jumping from the wrong side of the cut line to a tie for 18th at six under.
Meanwhile, at the top of the leaderboard it was Jimmy Walker who raced clear of the pack, posting his second 65 in a row to head into the weekend at 12 under.
Walker, 44, is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, but his last victory came at the 2016 PGA Championship, and he came into this event with only four made cuts from 12 starts this season.
He has his work cut out for him to hold off a star-studded chasing pack, with world number two Scottie Scheffler joined by major champion Justin Rose and world number six Xander Schauffele at nine under.
Fellow top-10 talents Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland are one stroke further back at eight under, where they are joined by English duo Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood in a tie for fifth.
Jordan Spieth is tied for 10th at seven under with a group that includes Rickie Fowler and former RBC Heritage champion Matt Kuchar, and Rahm is joined at six under by reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Young South Korean phenom Tim Kim missed the cut by one stroke, while Max Homa had a week to forget, finishing at three over to miss the cut by five strokes.
Miles Bridges has been given a 30-game NBA suspension without pay for a domestic violence incident involving the mother of his children.
The forward was arrested last June for felony domestic violence and in November pleaded no contest to the charge. He was sentenced to three years of probation and no jail time.
A further two charges were dismissed, but the 25-year-old remained the subject of an NBA investigation.
Bridges, who last played for the Charlotte Hornets two years ago, on Friday learned the punishment imposed by the league.
The NBA ruled he will only be forced to sit out another 10 games of the ban imposed on him if he signs a contract for next season due to the action he has already missed.
A statement released by the league said: "The NBA conducted its own investigation into this matter, reviewing all available materials and interviewing numerous third-party witnesses, as well as the parties involved.
"The NBA also consulted with a group of domestic violence experts who provide the league with guidance in such cases. The 30-game suspension is based on all facts and circumstances of this matter and considers the conduct and its result, as well as the outcome of the criminal matter, among other factors.
"Following his arrest and plea, Mr. Bridges did not sign an NBA contract for the 2022-23 season, missing all 82 games. In recognition of that outcome, the NBA has deemed 20 games of the suspension to have been already served.
"If Mr. Bridges signs an NBA contract, he will be required to miss the first 10 games for which he is otherwise eligible and able to play.
Bridges averaged career highs of 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the 2021-22 season before his arrest, which came just days before he entered restricted free agency.
The NBA has fined the Dallas Mavericks $750,000 for violating the league's resting policy in a 115-112 defeat to the Chicago Bulls last week.
Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr, Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood were omitted for the game last Friday, while Luka Doncic only played the first quarter at American Airlines Center.
A loss at the hands of the Bulls ensured Dallas missed out on the play-in tournament but retained their number 10 slot in the 2023 NBA Draft lottery, still owing the New York Knicks a top-10 protected pick as part of a 2019 trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd called the selection an "organisational decision", adding: "It's not so much waving the white flag. It's [that] decisions sometimes are hard in this business. We're trying to build a championship team. With this decision, this is maybe a step back. But hopefully it leads to going forward."
The NBA on Friday announced the franchise will pay for "conduct detrimental to the league".
A statement released by the league said: "The Mavericks violated the league's player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organisation's desire to lose the game in order to improve the chances of keeping its first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
"The league did not find that the players who participated in the game were not playing to win."
Joe Dumars, the NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations, said: "The Dallas Mavericks' decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport. The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league."
The 2023 NBA playoffs are here and promise to be as thrilling as ever.
There are narratives all over the place ready to be written, with the Golden State Warriors trying to retain their championship, the Los Angeles Lakers coming from 2-10 to potentially win it all, and the Boston Celtics looking to make up for last season's Finals heartbreak.
Between now and the start of the Finals in June, who knows how many shock results, big performances and memorable moments basketball fans will be treated to.
The final two places will be decided on Friday with the last two play-in games determining who will face top seeds the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets, while the first round gets underway straight away on Saturday.
Stats Perform takes a look at the six confirmed series so far, starting with arguably the most intriguing of them all.
Western Conference:
Phoenix Suns (4) v Los Angeles Clippers (5)
After an outstanding 2021-22 campaign in which they finished as the top seed in the West with a record of 64-18, the Suns began this season with a 6-1 run.
However, by the end of their first game of 2023, Phoenix had already lost as many as they did in the entirety of the previous regular season and only managed a record of 45-37 in the end to finish as a fourth seed.
Adding Kevin Durant in February gave them a much-needed boost, though, and his link-up with Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul feels like it could lead to something special in the postseason. Durant is 8-0 as a Net.
They will be up against a Clippers team who have had stumbles during the season but went 11-5 heading into the playoffs.
Kawhi Leonard's return from injury in November was huge for Ty Lue's team, with he and Paul George both averaging 23.8 points per game for the season.
The teams split their four meetings during the regular season, albeit including a Clippers victory in their final game when the Suns rested their starters.
Sacramento Kings (3) v Golden State Warriors (6)
It feels like the Kings quietly went about their business this season, amassing 48 wins, more than half of which (25) came on the road.
That could not really be further removed from the Warriors' experience, which saw only 11 of their 44 victories come as the away team.
However, after starting 7-29 on the road this season, Golden State won four of their final five. That included a 56-point victory at the Portland Trail Blazers on April 9, tied for the second-largest road win by any team in NBA history (Pacers at Thunder in May 2021 – 57).
De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will lead the way for Sacramento, but a certain Stephen Curry will be expected to shine again in the postseason as he has done so often in the past.
Since 2013-14, Curry has gone 27-2 against the Kings, the second-best record by any player against a single opponent (min. 20 games) during that span (Norman Powell, 19-1 vs Nets). Curry has averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds over those games.
Golden State were 3-1 against the Kings this season, with Curry (25 points) and Klay Thompson (29) doing much of the damage in their victory in the penultimate game of the campaign against shorthanded opponents.
Memphis Grizzlies (2) v Los Angeles Lakers (7)
As LeBron James recently said, the Lakers were given just a 0.3 per cent chance of making the playoffs by analysts when they started the year 2-10.
As it turned out, they nearly reached the postseason without even needing the play-in tournament, but a fairly routine win against the Minnesota Timberwolves got them to the dance.
James has been outstanding again this season, averaging 28.9 points, and will be eager to produce fireworks now that he and the Lakers are back in the postseason.
On the other side, Ja Morant seems to have put recent problems behind him and looks ready to lead the Grizzlies.
His 26.2 points have been ably supported by Desmond Bane (21.5) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (18.6), though they will miss the presence of the injured Steven Adams, who averaged 11.5 rebounds this season.
The Lakers went 2-1 against the Grizzlies this season, although the home team won on each occasion.
Eastern Conference:
Cleveland Cavaliers (4) v New York Knicks (5)
It was a strong year for Cleveland, winning 51 games in the regular season, although they had a losing record on the road (20-21).
Donovan Mitchell (28.3 points) has been sensational for the Cavaliers, who could hold a significant advantage throughout the playoffs as they boasted a perfect 7-0 record for games that went into overtime during the season.
The Knicks are looking for their first playoff series win in 10 years in what is only their second postseason appearance in that time.
Coach Tom Thibodeau has Julius Randle (25.1) and Jalen Brunson (24.0) to thank for guiding his team to a comfortable playoff place, with Randle also averaging 10.0 rebounds.
New York's starters are averaging 86.5 points this season, the most by any starting unit (Cleveland rank fifth at 83.5). That accounts for 74.6 per cent of the team's scoring, which is the highest rate by a Knicks squad since 2010-11 (74.7).
The Knicks were 3-1 against the Cavs this season, including their last one at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse just two weeks ago.
Philadelphia 76ers (3) v Brooklyn Nets (6)
Ever since he went to Philadelphia, it has felt like James Harden has been the story heading into any clashes between these two.
It feels like there is so much more to it now, though, especially since the Nets also lost Durant and Kyrie Irving.
No longer a team of stars, the Nets are reinventing themselves as just a team, and it will be interesting to see how they manage the postseason. The Nets finished the season 10-4 in games decided by three or fewer points, tied with the Knicks for the best record in the league (min. 10 one-possession games).
Harden and Tyrese Maxey have provided capable support to Joel Embiid, who has been his usual impressive self, with an average of 33.1 points, the most in the entire league.
The Sixers certainly have the momentum going into this series, winning all four of their meetings this season, including in the final game. It was the first time one of the teams swept the season series since Philadelphia won all four matchups against the New Jersey Nets in 2010-11.
Boston Celtics (2) v Atlanta Hawks (7)
Few expected the Celtics to make the Finals last year, and even fewer thought they would take a 2-1 lead against the Warriors.
It all went south from there, though, ultimately losing 4-2, but their response this season has been impressive again.
Boston started 21-5, and although that levelled out towards the middle of the regular season, they put together some more impressive runs to finish 57-25.
Jayson Tatum's average of 30.1 made him briefly a contender for MVP, while Jaylen Brown (26.6) and Marcus Smart are expected to be fit again during the first round.
Trae Young led the Hawks through their play-in clash with the Miami Heat, and he and they will now need to step up again.
Young has scored 30 or more points in four straight road games against the Celtics. Since the NBA-ABA merger, just four players have scored 30-plus points in five straight games in Boston (including playoffs): Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Curry and James.
The Celtics won all three regular season meetings, including in their final games before the postseason, although both fielded weakened teams.
Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev were both dumped out at the quarter-final stage of the Monte Carlo Masters, with Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune advancing.
Seeded second and third respectively, Tsitsipas and Medvedev began Friday as the tournament's highest-ranked players following Novak Djokovic's shock exit, but both found themselves on the receiving end of comprehensive defeats.
World number three Tsitsipas was the victim as Fritz claimed his first victory over a top-10 ranked player on clay, ending the Greek's 12-match winning run at the competition with a 6-2 6-4 success.
Tsitsipas – who won the event in both 2021 and 2022 – was unable to contain Fritz as the American hit a series of huge winners en route to his third Masters 1000 semi-final.
Fritz will face Andrey Rublev in the final four after the fifth seed saw off the challenge of German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff, posting a 6-1 7-6 (7-5) win.
Meanwhile, Medvedev came up short in his tussle with Rune, as the 19-year-old waltzed into his second Masters 1000 semi-final with a 6-3 6-4 triumph.
"It wasn't easy for sure, it's always tough to play Daniil," Rune said after his win. "It was actually my first time playing against him in a real match, but we've practised tonnes of times.
"I have huge respect for everything he's done. In the last week it was not easy to stop him, but I'm happy I managed to do it."
Rune now has a 10-8 record in meetings with his fellow top-10 players, and he will have to win another such duel to make the final, with Jannik Sinner his semi-final opponent.
Sinner needed 76 minutes to beat fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-2 6-2, and the 21-year-old now has the chance to reach his third Masters 1000 final, having previously finished as runner-up at two editions of the Miami Open.
Ferrari will begin their challenge to a costly time penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix when they take part in a hearing on Tuesday.
Motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, confirmed the Italian team would get their chance to petition for a review of the five-second penalty when they meet with stewards.
The punishment was imposed on Sainz after his collision with Fernando Alonso during the April 2 race.
Sainz was demoted from fourth to 12th place after making contact with his Spanish compatriot's Aston Martin following a chaotic penultimate-lap standing restart.
There were another two crashes prior to a red flag being waved for a third time at Albert Park.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were involved in a collision, while Logan Sargeant ran into the AlphaTauri of Nyck de Vries but none of those four drivers were penalised.
Sainz was not impressed with the punishment imposed on him and Scuderia team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed Ferrari would appeal against the decision that cost the driver a points finish.
In a statement issued on Friday, the FIA said: "The stewards of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix have received a letter from Nikolas Tombazis, single-seater director of the FIA, attaching a petition by competitor Scuderia Ferrari dated 6th April 2023 under article 14 of the FIA international sporting code, seeking a review of the stewards' decision number 46 made within the framework of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix and requesting that the stewards: 'consider such request and to make a determination whether or not a significant and relevant new element exists in relation to the decision/incident'.
"The driver(s) and team representative(s) are required to report to the stewards for a virtual hearing to be held on 18th April 2023 at 0800 CET in relation to the petition."
Zandre Roye and Jodi Munn-Barrow topped the Jamaica Golf Association's (JGA) Easter Jamboree golf tournament held last weekend at the Upton Estate Golf & Country Club in St. Ann.
Roye won by six strokes over the reigning national amateur golf champion Oshae Haye while Munn-Barrow was the only female player in the Ladies 0-12 handicap category.
Roye shot scores of 69 and 73 over the two days for an even-par score of 142.
"The game plan for the week was just to manage the game as best as possible, try to keep big numbers off the card, hit as much greens in regulation as possible and I think I did that the first day pretty well,” he said.
“(I) didn't putt as how I wanted on the first day but I hit 15 of 18 greens, shot two under par. I had a six-shot lead going into the second day so it was all about maintaining that lead, try and minimize the mistakes and just execute the game plan as best as I could, and the last few holes coming in I think I really did that."
Haye, meanwhile, scored 75 and 73 for an overall score of 148 for second place while William Knibbs finished one stroke back on 149 (79, 70) in third place.
Munn-Barrow posted 155 over the two days on the back of 80 and 75, respectively.
Six women completed the tournament in the 13+ handicap section with Alison Reid winning after posting an overall score of 193, seven strokes ahead of second place Diane Hudson (200) and Valerie Grant (201) who was third.
Tenny Davis - 155, Giovanni Blair - 164 and Richard White - 175 were the top three in the Men & Men Senior 7-12 section.
The Men Super Senior 0-12 went to Mike Gleichman who scored nine over par 151. He won by four strokes ahead of Wayne Chai Chong who shot 155. Dorrel Allen was third with 158.
Philip Wilson (154) won the Masters section ahead of George Watt who had a combined 173 over the period. The juniors who completed the tournament were Boys 18 & U Jerone Thomas - 178 and Jamal Stewart - 192 who competed in the Boys 14-15 category.
Rafael Nadal will not play at next week's Barcelona Open as he waits to return from a hip injury.
The 22-time grand slam winner has not played since going out to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open in January.
Nadal did not feature at tournaments in Indian Wells or Monte Carlo, and his latest withdrawal casts further doubt on his participation at the French Open, which begins at the end of May.
He wrote on Instagram on Friday: "Barcelona is a special tournament for me, because it's my adopted club and because playing at home is always a unique feeling.
"I'm still not prepared and therefore I'm still in my preparation process for the return to competition.
"Good luck to my friend [tournament director] David Ferrer and his whole team for this edition of the Godo that will surely be a success as always on all levels."
Nadal is a 12-time winner of the Barcelona Open, which he last won in 2021.
The 36-year-old recently dropped out of the world's top 10 men's rankings for the first time since 2005 due to his injury absence, and he currently sits in 15th place.
Novak Djokovic was "not really in the mood to speak" after suffering a jarring early defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters, but insisted he would bounce back.
The 35-year-old world number one was playing his 50th main-draw match at the tournament, but it did not go to plan as he lost 4-6 7-5 6-4 to Italian Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday.
Djokovic's post-match reaction exposed huge frustration, with his first competitive outing in over a month ending at the last-16 stage.
He was forced to miss the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments last month, being denied permission to enter the United States due to his refusal to accept a COVID-19 vaccination.
Hopes he had of a long run on the Monte Carlo clay have been scuppered, but the Serbian has plenty of time to find form in time for the French Open, which begins on May 28.
Defeat marked the first time Djokovic had failed to reach the quarter-finals in a tournament since last year's Monte Carlo event, when he lost his opening match to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
The loss to Musetti included an argument with the umpire over a line call, while Djokovic also smashed a racket in frustration at one point.
"The feeling is terrible after playing like this, honestly," Djokovic said. "But congrats to him. He stayed tough in important moments, and that's it.
"You always hope for the good day in the office, but I know I'm not playing so great and he's playing very well, so I knew it was going to be a tough match.
"I don't think it's catastrophic, but my feeling is bad right now because I lost the match. It's not a great day for me, so I'm not really in the mood to speak."
Djokovic is a two-time former winner of the ATP 1000 event but has not reached the semi-final stage since 2015, the year he was last champion.
He continues his clay campaign at a low level tournament next week in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Musetti moved on to face fellow Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. Victory over Djokovic made Musetti the first Italian man to beat the world number one in Monte Carlo since 1973, when the ATP rankings began.
Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux showered Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani in praise on Thursday, comparing him to legends Babe Ruth, Nolan Ryan and Barry Bonds.
Ohtani, 28, is the most unique talent in the sport today. A dominating starting pitcher who has also racked up 80 home runs over the past two seasons, he trails only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge for the MLB's most long-balls since the beginning of 2021.
As well as his terrific power hitting, Ohtani's six-foot-four frame also can produce fastballs eclipsing 101mp/h, and his 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings had him second in the majors among qualifying starters last season, only narrowly behind former San Francisco Giant Carlos Rodon (12.0).
Maddux himself has a remarkable resume, becoming the first player to ever win four Cy Young Awards in a row between 1992-95, and during an appearance on ESPN radio show 'Canty and Carlin' he shared his admiration for Ohtani.
"He's one of the top two or three pitchers in the game and he's one of the top two or three power hitters in the game," he said. "We've never seen a player like that before, and it's definitely fun to watch.
"You can watch him throw a shutout one night and go deep the next night. It's kind of special to see a guy that good just dominate as much as he does.
"He kind of reminds you of Nolan Ryan, and then he reminds you of freaking Barry Bonds. He's both of those guys, I mean he's got great stuff and he can hit a home run with the best of anybody.
"Nobody else has done it before, I mean the last guy was who, maybe Babe Ruth? Nobody's been able to do that."
Ohtani was named the 2021 AL MVP, and it took a historic season from Judge to deny him the award in 2022. After an MVP performance in March's World Baseball Classic, Ohtani is again the favourite to be crowned the AL's top talent.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash reflected on a "pretty amazing" achievement on Thursday after his side improved their perfect start to 13-0.
The Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 9-3 to bring up their 13th consecutive win, tying the 1982 Atlanta Braves and the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers for the best start to a season in modern history.
Tampa Bay are seven games away from tying the overall record of 20-0, set 139 years ago by the St Louis Maroons back in 1884.
They did it with a fifth-inning surge, where they turned a 3-1 deficit into an 8-3 lead. A double and three singles brought in three Rays runs to jump ahead by one, and after Wander Franco was hit by a pitch, Manuel Margot surprised even his manager with his decision.
With bases loaded and two outs, Margot opted to drop a first-pitch bunt down the third-base line, safely reaching first, bringing another run in and keeping the inning alive.
Designated hitter Harold Ramirez took full advantage, following with a bases-clearing double to take the contest by the scruff of the neck.
Speaking after the win, Cash was asked what the most impressive aspect of their current run has been.
"Just the overall quality of our at-bats," he said. "I can't say that we foresaw that coming, but we've got a bunch of guys who are seeing the ball well right now.
"We've come up with some timely hitting – [tonight] might have been the mostly timely to-date. But we got momentum, and it just seemed like it was going to continue to roll.
"Manny's at-bat, the bases-loaded bunt – it certainly shocked me – and then Harold comes up and hits a double down the line to open up the game.
"I think we were all pretty shocked [by the bunt]... but it worked."
Touching on their 13-0 record after series sweeps against the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics and now the Red Sox, Cash said it is rare to have everything clicking like this.
"Pretty amazing," he said. "Congrats to all of our guys, and I'm glad that we did it at home, because we had tremendous fan support throughout this entire home stand. They really got loud when we needed them to, and it seemed like our guys were energised by that.
"When you do something like that you're playing really well. There's not one part of our game right now that we don't feel good about.
"We want to be really good with our roster from 14-15 throughout 40, and we feel like we are. We've got many guys who are going to contribute during the season, and many guys that have already contributed.
"To go on a run like this everything's got to be clicking, and you've got to get contributions from all parts of your roster."
Tampa Bay's 13-game winning streak also sets a new franchise record for longest winning streak at any point of a season, eclipsing their 12 wins in a row during the 2004 campaign.
The Tampa Bay Rays tied the record for the best start to an MLB season since 1884 after defeating the Boston Red Sox 9-3 on Thursday to improve to 13-0.
To reach 13-0, the Rays completed their fourth consecutive series sweep to begin the campaign. They began their season at home with a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, before a three-game sweep at the Washington Nationals, followed by a three-game sweep of the visiting Oakland Athletics.
Thursday's victory polished off a four-game series against the Red Sox, and while the whole team is in great touch, nobody is swinging a hotter bat than second-baseman Brandon Lowe.
Lowe, 28, hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, marking his fifth game with a home run from his past six starts. He has made the most of his extra-base hits, with only one double and no triples, as five of his 11 total hits this season have cleared the wall.
Tampa Bay ended up scoring the last eight runs of the contest, as the Red Sox opened up a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning thanks to a home run from Rob Refsnyder and RBIs to Enrique Hernandez and Justin Turner.
But a seven-run explosion from the Rays at the bottom of the fifth turned the tide, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from designated hitter Harold Ramirez as one of his three hits on the day.
Tampa Bay starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs was forced to leave earlier than planned in the fourth innings due to inflammation in his elbow, but that only put a slight damper on the evening as they joined the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers as the only teams since 1884 to reach 13-0.
One more win on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday would give the Rays the best post-1900 start to a season, with 20-0 the overall record set by the 1884 St Louis Maroons.
Rutschman nails walk-off homer for Baltimore
Elite young catcher Adley Rutschman was the hero as he connected on a walk-off home run to give the Baltimore Orioles an 8-7 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
In a back-and-forth contest where the teams combined for 21 hits, Rutschman himself was hit-less from four at-bats when he stepped up for a fifth time to lead off the bottom of the ninth.
He saw two fastballs, and connected on the second, sending it 405 feet to right-center field and ending the game.
Orioles shortstop Jorge Mateo collected his league-leading seventh stolen base, while team-mate Cedric Mullins stole his sixth to sit in a tie for second.
Twins hammer Yankees rookie
It was a day to forget for New York Yankees rookie starting pitcher Jhony Brito as he was only able to secure two outs before being pulled in his side's 11-2 home loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Brito gave up six hits and a walk, punctuated by a two-run Michael Taylor homer to put the Twins up 7-0 in the first inning. Brito was pulled, but his replacement Colten Brewer gave up two more solo homers before the end of the first.
Taylor ended up hitting his second two-run homer of the game in the third inning, before Anthony Rizzo added a pair of consolation solo home runs to put the Yankees on the board.
Play was suspended in Thursday's opening round of the RBC Heritage with Viktor Hovland clinging onto the outright lead following his seven-under 64.
It was a great first trip around Harbour Town Golf Links for the Norwegian, going bogey-free with seven birdies.
Hovland, 25, is coming off some terrific results, tying for third at The Players Championship in March before a tied-seventh finish at the Masters last week.
He leads by one stroke from Jimmy Walker, Aaron Rai and Brian Harman, although Harman is the only of the trio to have finished their round, with Walker still having two holes to play, while Rai has three more to try and track down Hovland.
There is a logjam tied for fifth at five under including major champions Matt Fitzpatrick, Zach Johnson and Justin Rose, with Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele a further shot back at four under.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth is joined by world number two Scottie Scheffler and three-time champion at this event Stewart Cink at three under, while top-10 talents Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay headline the group at two under.
Last week's Masters champion Jon Rahm shot a disappointing one-over 72, and world number seven Max Homa (two over) is also on the wrong side of the cut-line heading into Friday.
The Golden State Warriors have cleared forward Andrew Wiggins to play in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
"Andrew looks great, feeling good and is ready to go," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after practice Thursday.
Wiggins last played on February 13 and spent several weeks away from his team while attending to a family matter. He returned to practice last week to re-acclimate himself and work on conditioning, but the Warriors remain unclear on how much to expect from Wiggins right away after two months off.
Donte DiVincenzo started in all but one of Golden State’s final 25 regular-season games while Wiggins was away, and the team could opt for the status quo until their All-Star forward is back in top form.
"I think it sort of depends on how he feels [Friday] and going into Saturday,” Kerr said. "On the one hand, 'Wiggs' is one of those guys who just doesn't seem to fall out of shape or get tired. He's just a naturally gifted athlete.
"On the other hand, he hasn't played in 10 weeks. So maybe the game will dictate it. We'll just have to play it by ear."
A 2021-22 All-Star, Wiggins played a critical part in the Warriors winning the NBA title last summer, their fourth in an eight-season span.
Wiggins was especially valuable in the NBA Finals, averaging 18.3 points and 8.8 rebounds while spending heavy minutes defending Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
"Defense, rebounding," center Kevon Looney said Wednesday when asked how Wiggins helps the Warriors. "He's a guy that guards the other team's best players.
"And he's a guy that when the shot clock is getting low, you can just throw him the ball and he's going to get a bucket. That's something we've been missing all year.
"To have him back for the playoffs is going to be important for our team. The playoffs, teams start taking some things away. Sometimes you got to go get a bucket, and he's one of the best at that."
A nine-year NBA veteran, Wiggins averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 37 games this season.
In three games against the Kings this season, Wiggins scored 24, 25 and 26 points while shooting over 50 percent from the floor in each contest.
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder has reached an agreement to sell the franchise to Josh Harris for a record price of $6.05billion.
Harris, who co-owns the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, has not finalised or sent an agreement to the league, but a sale is expected to go through if no issues emerge.
Any sale would need to be approved by the NFL's finance committee and at least 24 of the league's 32 owners, who are scheduled to meet in Minneapolis in May for the Spring League Meeting.
The widely reported $6.05billion fee would shatter the previous record price for an NFL franchise, set only last year when the Denver Broncos were sold to the Walton-Penner group for $4.65billion.
Current owner Snyder and the Commanders remain under investigation concerning allegations of workplace misconduct and potential unlawful financial conduct, while the franchise recently settled lawsuits with Maryland and the District of Columbia over fans' season-ticket deposit money.
Washington have been under Snyder's ownership since 1999 but have not won a playoff game since 2005, while their last postseason appearance came in 2020.
Overall, the Commanders have a 164-220-2 record in the Snyder years with six playoff appearances.
Liam Smith fully regrets his homophobic taunts towards Chris Eubank Jr. and expressed his apologies for comments before January's middleweight clash.
Smith previously admitted he had "crossed the line" after being heavily criticised for asking Eubank Jr.: "Nobody in this room has ever seen you with a woman. Do you have something you want to tell us?"
Eubank Jr. responded by taunting Smith about his social class, with both boxers widely condemned and remaining under an ongoing investigation by the British Boxing Board of Control.
Those comments were made in the press conference leading up to the fight, which was won by former world champion Smith, who explained he still regrets his homophobic taunts.
He told Sky Sports on Thursday: "The stuff that got said at the press conference should never have been said, in any form of life, never mind at a boxing press conference.
"I'm facing the backlash of it still to this day, and there will be people I'll never win back over.
"I fully regret how that press conference went and what got said should never have been said, and again I apologise to anyone I offended."
Eubank Jr., who was subsequently stopped in the fourth round by Smith at Manchester Arena, wore a rainbow armband throughout the weigh-in as a response to those jibes.
Smith acknowledged he may never be able to convince people otherwise, though he insists his homophobic comments were out of character.
"Of course, I can understand people who looked into it, I can understand them thinking I was trying to make fun of it, but I fully wasn't and that was not my intention," Smith added.
"I get that there'll be people who will never accept my apology and I'll never get back on side now, and that's something I've got to live with going forward."
When pressed on how he would explain his remorse to an offended person, Smith said: "I do apologise and I fully understand why you're hurt by it.
"I'm not homophobic, I'm not a homophobic man, I'm a family man from a good family and I apologise for what got said."
Smith and Eubank Jr. are set for another bout after the latter activated his rematch clause, with suggestions that clash could take place at Liverpool's home stadium Anfield.
Odell Beckham Jr. received no assurances he will be able to link up with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore next season, but he hopes to.
The three-time Pro Bowler was confirmed as the Ravens' newest addition on Thursday on a one-year deal, having been available as a free agent since leaving the Los Angeles Rams, last appearing at Super Bowl LVI.
Beckham missed the whole of the 2022 campaign after a lengthy rehabilitation for an ACL tear sustained in that Super Bowl victory with the Rams.
The 30-year-old was introduced as a Raven in a press conference alongside general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh.
And conversation unsurprisingly turned to quarterback Jackson, who has requested a trade but had the non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him and has not yet resolved his future.
"I didn't get any assurances for anything," Beckham said. "Life's uncertain. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day; we only know what's happened in the past.
"To me, it's about the possibility of that [playing with Jackson]. My thoughts would be that he would be here.
"I know that these two want him to be here. At the end of the day, it's going to be up to them."
GM DeCosta remains optimistic, adding: "Lamar is in our plans. We're hopeful to still get a long-term deal. He's the right player for this team."
Beckham has 7,367 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns in 96 career NFL games and will join a Baltimore team who finished 10-7 in 2022, losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Wild Card game.
On having the chance to play again, Beckham said: "I'm excited but also very determined and hungry. Through the smiles, there's still this [feeling] that I really want this badly."
He has reportedly signed a $15million deal worth up to $18m, with a base salary of $1.165m in 2023 to fit under the Ravens' salary-cap restrictions.
Great Britain has joined the breakaway international boxing federation, World Boxing, in an attempt to counter a threat to the sport's Olympic future.
World Boxing was established in response to issues surrounding the Olympic sport's existing governing body, the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019 over governing issues and alleged corruption.
At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, boxing was organised by the IOC and the situation is the same for the 2024 games in Paris as, while World Boxing is seeking Olympic recognition, it may take up to two years for that to be achieved.
Boxing's position in the Olympics moving forward is under threat, with the sport left off the initial programme for Los Angeles in 2028 as the IBA has refused to implement the changes requested by the IOC.
In October, the IBA lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, contravening IOC guidance, which saw multiple nations boycott the Women's World Championships last month.
World Boxing aims to replace the IBA's current role in the sport, with a number of national bodies said to have indicated their interest to join the new federation and the membership process will begin in May.
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