Ardie Savea says he backs "my coach" Ian Foster "100 per cent" after New Zealand lifted the gloom with a magnificent 35-23 win over South Africa on Saturday.
Foster may still lose his job as All Blacks head coach despite a thrilling Rugby Championship victory at Ellis Park.
New Zealand opened up a 15-0 lead in the first half, but the world champions came storming back and were in front for the first time with 12 minutes to play.
With Beauden Barrett in the sin bin it looked like the Springboks would extend the All Blacks' losing streak to four matches, but late tries from David Havili and Scott Barrett ensured they stopped the rot and lifted the Freedom Cup.
Foster said he has no idea if he will remain in his role despite the much-needed win, but Savea - who was immense in Johannesburg - is fully behind his embattled head coach.
"This performance was for all of us, but for me, that's my coach, I back him 100 per cent, side by side," said the number eight, who made 13 carries for 58 metres.
"He has been under a lot of pressure, and I know Foz [Foster] doesn't want to make it about himself, but I just want everyone to know that all the players have got his back.
"He's a great coach, he's got great coaches beside him, and we back him 100 per cent. I hope everyone that reads this backs us because we are going to get it."
Asked if Foster deserves to stay on, Savea replied: "Like I said, he's my coach. That's it."
Captain Sam Cane and Samisoni Taukei'aho crossed in the first half, while Richie Mo'unga scored 15 points with the boot for the holders
Savea expressed his pride following another almighty battle at the end of a challenging week.
"The last couple of weeks this team has been through adversity, and in life and sport when you go through adversity it brings the best out of people," he said.
"I saw something saying belief only takes us so far … it took us pretty far this week. I'm just proud of everyone in this team stepping up, especially at Ellis Park. It's bloody hard, I'm knackered, and can't wait to hit the sack and go see the family next week."
He added: "There are always doubters, always negativity, but that's okay, because that makes everyone better, and people care. Our fans care, the media care, which is fair, but also we had to step up and do our job.
"When people go through adversity, when they're stuck in the trenches, some things come out that make us special. Today that was it, but it's only a start. We've won one out of two in the Rugby Championship, and we’ve got to keep going."
Dave Rennie pulled no punches as he labelled Australia's 48-17 Rugby Championship hammering at the hands of Argentina as a "massive disappointment" and "not good enough".
The depleted Wallabies were without a host of players including fly-half Quade Cooper, who damaged his Achilles in the opening-round win over the Pumas last weekend.
Even accounting for the absentees, Australia were still pre-match favourites but were completely outclassed in San Juan as Argentina ran in seven tries.
It represented the Pumas' biggest ever win over Australia and moved them top of the standings after two games.
Speaking to Stan Sports after the game, New Zealander Rennie made no excuses for his side's poor performance.
"Massive disappointment. That's not good enough," Rennie said.
"We would [like to have a consistent team list] but we had a good enough side to do the job
"We gave them a few soft points early on and fought our way back into it. We have to do better and we'll get a few players back. Whoever puts the jersey on has to front up but we weren't good enough.
"We conceded four tries with kicks in between us and got dominated in the collision area. We created plenty of opportunities but we have to be patient and our rucks not a disaster.
"We just weren't clinical enough. We definitely lacked cohesion with a few changes. We'll look at the footage but we're better than that."
Australia will look to rebound when they host South Africa in Adelaide on August 27.
Hubert Hurkacz will contest the second ATP 1000 final of his career after coming from a set behind to defeat world number five Casper Ruud 5-7 6-3 6-2 in the semi-final of the Canadian Open on Saturday.
It was an interesting clash of styles going into the contest, with Hurkacz expected to rely on his dominant serve, while Ruud is one of the game's top returners, so when Ruud responded to an early break and was the one serving up a storm, it spelled trouble for the world number 10.
Ruud landed 78 per cent of his first serves in the opening set, compared to 60 per cent for Hurkacz, and the Norwegian won 95 per cent of those points (20-of-21) to allow just one break point in the frame while creating four for himself.
As Ruud's serve began to falter – with his first serve accuracy and effectiveness both cratering in the second and third set – his game began to struggle to hold up to the metronomic consistency of Hurkacz, who won the ace count 18-to-eight.
After pulling the match even at one set each, Hurkacz took the contest by the scruff of the neck and won the first four games of the deciding frame to pull away.
Poland's Hurkacz – who won his only previous ATP 1000 final against Jannik Sinner at the 2021 Miami Open – will now face Pablo Carreno-Busta in the decider after the Spaniard prevailed in a three-hour war of attrition against Daniel Evans 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 6-2.
In a match that was close in every area, Carreno-Busta was slightly better, winning 68 per cent (68-of-100) of his service points compared to 60 per cent (66-of-110) for Evans, while committing just one double fault compared to the Englishman's six.
It will be Carreno-Busta's first ATP 1000 final appearance, with the 2021 Hamburg Open – an ATP 500 event – the only career title for the 31-year-old above the ATP 250 level.
All three Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks threw at least one touchdown pass in Saturday’s preseason opener, but rookie Kenny Pickett had the most impressive performance.
Pickett threw for a pair of touchdowns, including a 24-yarder to Tyler Vaughns with three seconds remaining to lift the Steelers to a 32-25 victory over the visiting Seattle Seahawks.
Pickett, the 20th overall selection in this year’s draft out of Pittsburgh, is competing with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph to replace retired two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. He certainly did nothing to hurt his chances on Saturday.
He played the entire second half and led a seven-play, 75-yard drive on his opening possession, completing all five of his passes, culminating in a three-yard TD pass to Jaylen Warren.
His winning throw in the waning seconds capped a five-play, 43-yard drive. Pickett finished 13-of-15 for 95 yards with two scores, and completed 10 consecutive passes at one point.
Trubisky, who spent last season as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo, led the Steelers to a TD on the opening possession with a 90-yard drive. He was four-of-seven for 63 yards, connecting with Gunner Olszewski on a 13-yard scoring strike.
Rudolph, Roethlisberger’s backup the past four seasons, led touchdown and field goal drives on the first two of his three possessions. His 26-yard TD pass to exciting rookie George Pickens gave the Steelers a 14-0 lead. Rudolph was nine-of-15 for 93 yards.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the first National League team in 100 years to win 12 consecutive games by multiple runs after they hammered the Kansas City Royals 13-3 away from home on Saturday.
Fans were still finding their seats when Dodgers lead-off hitter Mookie Betts opened the scoring from the fifth pitch of the game, connecting on a 421-foot home run.
It was the first of five runs from the Los Angeles side in the opening frame, with Max Muncy, Justin Turner and Gavin Lux also driving in runs.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith added another couple of tallies with a two-run homer an inning later to establish a 7-0 lead early, and after the Royals snatched two runs back through a Michael Massey triple later in the second, Lux homered in the third and Muncy homered in the fourth to open up a 10-2 buffer.
Cody Bellinger and Joey Gallo gave Dodgers fans who stuck around for the ninth inning a treat, with another two home runs putting the icing on the cake.
Muncy finished with four hits and four RBIs, while Betts went three-for-four at the plate and both Smith and Lux picked up a pair of hits.
Starting on the mound for Los Angeles, Andrew Heaney made it through three innings before he was forced to leave the game early, suffering a contusion in his throwing forearm.
The last National League team to match the Dodgers' feat were the 1922 Pittsburgh Pirates, who had their 13-game multi-run winning streak snapped exactly 100 years ago to the day.
DeGrom dominates the Phillies
New York Mets ace and arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball Jacob deGrom looked at the peak of his powers in his third start of the season, holding the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless through six innings in a 1-0 win.
DeGrom retired 18 of the 20 batters he faced, striking out 10 and making it through his six innings in an efficient 76 pitches.
The game's only run came in the first inning, with Pete Alonso's base hit scoring Starling Marte, as Phillies starter Aaron Nola also pitched beautifully, going eight full innings with eight strikeouts, allowing one run from four hits and a walk.
Kiner-Falefa the unlikely Yankees hero
The New York Yankees will have a chance to win their three-game series away from home against the Boston Red Sox tomorrow after coming back to win 3-2.
After dropping the first game of their slate 3-2 in extra innings yesterday, the Yankees were in danger of losing their fourth series in a row when they trailed 2-0, before Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning for his first home run of the season.
With the scores still tied at 2-2 in the last frame, Kiner-Falefa came through again as he was able to bunt for a hit while bringing home Andrew Benintendi from third base. From his 103 games this season, it is only the second time he has collected three RBIs.
Simona Halep came from a set behind to defeat seventh seed Jessica Pegula 2-6 6-3 6-4 in the semi-final of the Canadian Open on Saturday, booking her place in the final against Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Romania's Halep, the 15th seed, struggled to return Pegula's serve in the opening set, winning just 32 per cent (nine-of-28) of her return points while compounding her early issues with four double faults.
Whether Pegula began to run out of steam, or Halep figured something out, she had significantly more success against the American's serve the rest of the way, winning 55 per cent (12-of-22) of her return points in the second set, and 57 per cent (20-of-35) in the decider.
Halep has now won 11 of her past 13 matches, and Pegula is her third consecutive win against a top-25 opponent after defeating both world number 21 Jil Teichmann and world number 13 Coco Gauff in straight sets.
While this will be Halep's 18th career WTA 1000 final, it will be Haddad Maia's first, after she emerged triumphant 6-4 7-6 (9-7) against 14th seed Karolina Pliskova.
She did not have a serving advantage against Pliskova, who won the ace count nine-to-one, but she was gritty, saving four of the six break points she faced, and refused to concede the second set after dropping the first three games.
Haddad Maia – the only Brazilian ranked inside the top-100 – has now beaten five consecutive top-25 opponents on her way to the final, including world number one Iga Swiatek, Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic and Canadian hometown hero Leylah Fernandez.
American J.J. Spaun is 18 holes away from a wire-to-wire victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship after finishing Saturday one stroke clear of the chasing field, shooting a two-under 68 to head in at 13 under.
After rounds of 62 and 67 had Spaun leading at the conclusion of each of the first two rounds, he opened his round on Saturday with nine consecutive pars, but after bogeying the 10th, he responded with birdies on 11, 16 and 17.
Austria's Sepp Straka was all set to finish tied with Spaun at 13 under before he bogeyed the 18th, leaving him in outright second-place at 12 under.
A pair of serious challengers are part of the three-man group tied for third at 11 under, with Trey Mullinax being joined by potential PGA Tour Player of the Year Cameron Smith and consistent major contender Will Zalatoris.
Zalatoris, specifically, has been in sparkling form after struggling to a one-over opening round, shooting Friday's round of the day with a 63, and only Im Sung-jae posted a better Saturday score than his 65.
In classic Zalatoris fashion, his work with the putter was not pretty – dropping 0.38 shots on the greens according to Data Golf's strokes gained stats – but he thrived from tee-to-green, finishing with the most strokes gained from approach shots (2.90) while coming in third in the off-the-tee category (1.78).
American duo Tyler Duncan and Troy Merritt are tied for sixth at 10 under, while Saturday's top performer Im rode his terrific round to join the logjam at nine under, which features the red-hot Tony Finau and U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Last week's winner Joo-hyung 'Tom' Kim is a further shot back at eight under along with South Korean compatriot Lee Kyoung-hoon, America's Collin Morikawa and Chile's Joaquin Niemann, with Spain's Jon Rahm and Australia's Adam Scott part of the small group at seven under.
After shooting a 62 on Thursday to be the early joint-leader, Kim Si-woo's week has taken a turn for the worst as he followed it with a 73 on Friday and a 72 on his third trip around TPC Southwind.
Ian Foster has "no idea" if New Zealand's 35-23 Rugby Championship win over South Africa on Saturday will be enough to save his job.
Foster has faced huge pressure as head coach of the All Blacks after a dismal run of five defeats in six Tests, but his team put in an impressive performance in Johannesburg.
Tries from captain Sam Cane and Samisoni Taukei'aho gave them a strong start, only for the world champions to fight back and take the lead with 12 minutes to go courtesy of scores from Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi, as well as 15 points from the boot of Handre Pollard.
Beauden Barrett had been sent to the sin bin for New Zealand, but late tries from David Havili and Scott Barrett turned things around for the All Blacks and secured a defiant win.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Foster was asked if he thought the victory might allow him a stay of execution, to which he said: "I have no idea, I am just going to enjoy tonight.
"It's never easy when you are coming off a couple of losses, but [I am] so proud. Just so proud of the effort... they hung in and finished strong."
Three consecutive defeats saw New Zealand plummet to fifth in the world rankings after losing their Rugby Championship opener last weekend, their lowest point in history.
Foster said after that defeat in Mbombela that it had been his team's best performance of the year, despite being beaten by South Africa.
"I know I got a little bit mocked for saying that last week, after the loss, but we made a big shift last week through our forward pack," he added.
"The work [forwards coach] Jason Ryan has done out there was strong, and I really felt we were creating a few opportunities. We wanted it so much we were rushing things. Whereas today [Saturday], we were just more patient."
The All Blacks' next game is against Argentina in Christchurch, and it remains to be seen if Foster will still be at the helm when that takes place on August 27.
Argentina claimed a rare win over Australia as the Pumas emerged 48-17 victors in an entertaining Rugby Championship clash on Saturday.
Australia had only lost one of their previous 14 Tests against Argentina, but the depleted Wallabies were clearly second best in San Juan as Michael Cheika's side got their first points on the table.
A fast start had the Pumas 14-0 up by the seventh minute thanks to tries from Juan Imhoff and Thomas Gallo, and just when Australia looked to have the momentum, another quickfire double courtesy of Jeronimo De La Fuente and Juan Martin Gonzalez had the hosts back in charge.
The second half was a much tighter affair until Gallo's second try of the day, the Pumas ultimately romping to an emphatic victory with more late tries from Emiliano Boffelli and Tomas Albornoz.
A purposeful Argentina were helped to an early lead as a defensive mix-up saw the ball drop kindly in Australia's 22 for Imhoff, who darted over before a successful conversion.
They got their second try of the match in just the fifth minute as prop Gallo bundled over under the posts, with the extras added once again by Boffelli amid a ferocious start by the hosts.
Australia responded as James Slipper went over from close range following a well-worked lineout, and James O'Connor converted before also successfully kicking a penalty.
O'Connor looked to have put Australia in front with 21 thrilling minutes played, but an earlier infringement earned Argentina a reprieve that they duly took full advantage of.
De La Fuente beat two men and dotted down for a gutsy try after seemingly pulling his hamstring partway through his run, and another fine Boffelli kick opened up an 11-point lead.
The deficit was further increased five minutes later thanks to Gonzalez, who charged clear from outside the 22 following an O'Connor fumble, but Australia had a lucky escape soon after when Boffelli had a try harshly chalked off despite appearing to touch the line with the ball.
After a quiet start to the second period, the Pumas effectively put the game beyond Australia with 16 minutes to go.
Gallo again showed great strength to force his way over from close range, and Boffelli's conversion made it 36-10.
Len Ikitau quickly hit back with a try of his own and O'Connor kicked the extras, but Bofelli then touched down after chasing down a low kick and with the final action of the game, Albornoz ran in behind to cap a memorable win.
Gallo embodies Pumas' spirit
This was some performance from 23-year-old Gallo. The prop's power and sheer determination was routinely on display, and never more crucially than with his two tries.
The two efforts were very similar in style as he simply refused to be tackled, and the second of which essentially killed off any hope of an Australia comeback.
O'Connor frustrated
The mercurial fly-half was given the chance to impress in the absence of Quade Cooper, who suffered a serious Achilles injury in Mendoza last weekend, and he certainly had his moments.
One such instance was his disallowed try, a decision that looked pretty harsh at the time. But ultimately he just did not have the influence he might have expected, and was also the man caught in possession prior to Gonzalez dotting down.
Ian Foster may have been given a lifeline at Ellis Park as New Zealand stopped the rot with a thrilling 35-23 Rugby Championship win over South Africa.
All Blacks head coach Foster has faced huge pressure after a dismal run of five defeats in six Tests, but his side appear to be behind him on the evidence of their impressive performance in Johannesburg on Saturday.
They opened up a 15-point lead following tries from captain Sam Cane and Samisoni Taukei'aho, but the world champions fought back to take the lead with 12 minutes to go courtesy of scores from Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi, as well as 15 points from the trusty boot of Handre Pollard.
New Zealand were also a man down with Beauden Barrett in the sin bin, but late tries from David Havili and Scott Barrett stunned the Springboks to deliver a vital victory.
Richie Mo'unga scored 15 points from the tee as the holders secured a battling victory for the under-fire Foster.
South Africa lost Damian Willemse to the sin bin for a ruck infringement early on and Jesse Kriel was unable to return after a head injury assessment, but they prevented New Zealand from scoring when they were a man down.
A scrappy Test burst into life after Mo'unga's 25th-minute penalty, as Cane finished in the corner following an incisive break from Caleb Clarke and Taukei'aho crashed over for a try that Mo'unga converted brilliantly.
The Springboks quickly reduced the arrears when Am showed power and pace to round off a slick move on the right wing and Pollard cut the gap to five points with a mammoth penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Mo'unga was on target again after Pollard's second successful penalty early in the second half and the All Blacks fly-half put his side eight points up when he sent another kick between the posts after Mapimpi had a try disallowed for obstruction.
Mapimpi was not to be denied moments later, though, taking a brilliant pass from Willemse and touching down for a score that Pollard expertly converted from the left touchline.
Pollard booted the Springboks into the lead for the first time with 12 minutes to go after replacement Beauden Barrett was yellow-carded for obstructing Jaden Hendrikse.
New Zealand dug deep to win it despite being a man down. with Havili going over in the corner following a brilliant break started by Rieko Ioane and Scott Barrett putting the icing on the cake from close range - with Mo'unga adding the extras for both scores.
The New York Jets and their fans can breathe a sigh of relief after an MRI on Zach Wilson's right knee showed a healthy ACL, avoiding the worst-case scenario.
The scans showed that the second-year quarterback is dealing with a bone bruise and torn meniscus, according to multiple media reports. Wilson will undergo arthroscopic surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the preseason.
His status for the Jets' season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on September 11 is in question, but there is some optimism that he could suit up.
Wilson suffered the injury Friday night while scrambling in the Jets' preseason opener against the Eagles.
Wilson made an awkward cut during the 7-yard rush and fell to the turf. Given the non-contact nature of the injury, Jets fans and pundits feared he had torn his ACL, which would have ended his season.
The second overall pick in the 2021 draft, Wilson went 3-10 as a starter in his rookie campaign, throwing for nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Tyson Fury has vacated The Ring Magazine heavyweight belt following the announcement of his retirement.
The Gypsy King has not fought since successfully defending his belts against Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April, where he immediately expressed his intention to retire.
Speculation continued to persist that Fury would return to the ring, with the winner of Anthony Joshua's rematch against Oleksandr Usyk touted as the likely opponent.
On Friday, his 34th birthday, Fury again reiterated his desire to retire and has now vacated one of his heavyweight titles.
"The Ring Magazine championship has always been the holy grail of boxing. They've been fantastic with me and I've always carried that title with pride," he told The Ring Magazine.
"The greatest moment of my career was winning the world championship (by outpointing Wladimir Klitschko) back in 2015.
"There's the great comeback after that with the three [Deontay] Wilder fights. There's been a lot of great highlights in my career – even the Dillian Whyte fight in front of 94,000 at Wembley. It doesn't get much bigger than that. And I went out with a bang."
While it is not the first time that Fury has stated he would retire, he has not previously vacated any heavyweight belts and has made it clear he will not disappear entirely – hinting at a Hollywood appearance.
"It was fun while it lasted. I had a good 14-year career. I actually boxed for 20 years, from 14 to 34 years old," he said.
"I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed the ups and the downs. My career was an Indian summer that just kept giving.
"I've done well out of boxing. The world is open to so many things now. I'm doing a Netflix documentary at the moment. I'm going to be recording an album soon. Who knows, you might even see me on the silver screen."
Fury still holds the WBC heavyweight title and it is not known whether he will vacate that belt following his announcement.
Baker Mayfield will be the Carolina Panthers' first quarterback to take the field when they open their preseason schedule against the Washington Commanders, the team confirmed.
Mayfield and Sam Darnold continue to battle for the starting job in Carolina.
The pair are each expected to play one series on Saturday before turning over the bulk of the game to P.J. Walker and rookie Matt Corral.
Mayfield getting the first chance on Saturday could be an indication that he has the inside track to the starting job, but the competition remains open.
Head coach Matt Rhule has called the quarterback competition an "ongoing process", and it would be no surprise if the Panthers used the entire preseason to evaluate before naming a starter.
"When we know, we know," Rhule said. "If we knew for sure, we would say it and just move on with it. When we, we know.
"Every day brings new evidence. Every day brings new insights.
"But at the same time, they're both competitors. If one guy has a strong day, the next guy fights back the next day.
"I think it's been healthy for our team. It's been healthy for the staff. I think it's been done the right way. I'm pleased with where it's at."
The Panthers open the regular season on September 11 against the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield's former team.
The two signal-callers will be forever linked as the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2018 draft, with Mayfield going first overall and Darnold being chosen third.
Darnold spent three seasons with the New York Jets before being traded to the Panthers for draft picks last April. He won his first three starts with Carolina last season before finishing 4-7 with nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
Mayfield started 59 career games for the Browns, and his efficient play in 2020 helped lead Cleveland to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season.
Mayfield's injury-marred 2021 campaign was a letdown, however, and the Browns chose to pursue Deshaun Watson in the trade market.
Deshaun Watson "understands there's work to do" following his Cleveland Browns preseason debut, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Watson has not played a competitive game since January 2021 and is set to see that wait extended at least into October.
The Browns quarterback is facing a six-game suspension following a disciplinary hearing, although the NFL has appealed for a longer ban after sexual assault and misconduct allegations.
Watson, who faced 24 civil lawsuits, was not charged by two grand juries and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing, but he apologised "to all of the women that I have impacted" ahead of Friday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
When the game got underway, Watson was clearly rusty, with his first pass in a Browns uniform an awful overthrow.
Although the Browns won 24-13 – having trailed 13-0 – Stefanski acknowledged Watson's debut might not have gone exactly as he planned, but the coach was asked if the uncertainty around his suspension had contributed to the shaky performance and replied: "I don't think so, I don't."
Stefanski said: "I think he probably wants some throws back.
"Obviously playing football for the first time in a while, it was important for him to get out there, with his team-mates, in this scheme, hearing a different voice in the helmet, those kind of things.
"I'm sure he had the butterflies and the jitters early, but I think he understands there's work to do."
While Watson's status has been unclear for some time, Stefanski explained the team had been working towards giving him his bow in preseason.
"It's been something we've been talking about throughout the last months and weeks, trying to figure out what the best path forward was not just for our quarterbacks but for our entire team," he said.
"We just thought getting him some time out there in a game setting made sense in this preseason."
Fernando Tatis Jr.'s suspension for a drug violation represents "a blow" to the San Diego Padres, but the team are still confident they can make the World Series.
Tatis was banned for 80 games on Friday after testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance.
The star shortstop said he had taken a medicine containing Clostebol to treat ringworm.
It means the Padres will not see Tatis for the rest of this year or for the first 32 games of the 2023 season.
San Diego had been eagerly awaiting the return of the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner following a broken wrist sustained during the MLB lockout.
Manager Bob Melvin had revealed prior to Friday's news that Tatis could have made his season debut as soon as next week.
Now, the team – who occupy the third NL wild-card berth – will have to make do without him, meaning Melvin is relieved they went all out at the trade deadline with a blockbuster move for Juan Soto among a number of signings.
"This is a blow for us. We'll have to move on," Melvin said.
"I'm glad we made the moves we did at the deadline. We feel like we have a really good team still, and sometimes you have to deal with some adversity as a team."
Indeed, Tatis' team-mate Manny Machado sees no reason why the Padres should adjust their aims in light of the suspension.
"He hasn’t been part of the team all year," the third baseman said. "We've gotten to this point so far without him.
"We were waiting for him to get back and hopefully for him to be a spark plug for the team.
"We have the guys to get where we want to be. Obviously, with the trade deadline, what we did there, we reinforced the team and made the team a lot better.
"We still have the same goal, which is to try and make a World Series and bring a championship to San Diego. That's what we're going to try to do."
Aaron Judge homered for the 46th time this season to bring up his 100th RBI, but the New York Yankees lost again, beaten 3-2 by the Boston Red Sox in extras on Friday.
Judge cleared the green monster at the top of the third inning with a 429-foot blast to put the Yankees up 2-0.
The home run was 46th for the season, meaning he is equal with Babe Ruth (1921) for homers in the first 113 team games in MLB history. Barry Bonds is the only player to better both, with 48 in 2001.
J.D. Martinez brought in Alex Verdugo to make it 2-1 in the fourth inning, before Martinez sent the game to extras with a ninth-inning RBI with Xander Bogaerts scoring.
In extras, Tommy Pham was the hero for the Red Sox at the bottom of the 10th inning with a shot down the third-base line allowing Christian Arroyo to score.
The result means the Yankees' recent woes continue, sitting 71-42 at the top of the American League (AL) East, with the Red Sox last in that division with a 56-58 record.
Soto returns to D.C. to rousing reception
Juan Soto returned to the capital for the first time since his trade from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres earlier this month, receiving a heroes' welcome.
Soto registered his first hit against his former team in the fifth inning, before the Padres piled on seven runs in the frame to open up an 8-0 lead.
Jefferson Profar and Soto scored from Manny Machado's two-run RBI. Soto, who went 2-6, drove in an RBI in the fifth as the Padres ran away 10-5 winners.
Mets' winning run halted by walk-off Phillies
The presence of Max Scherzer was not enough to prevent the Philadelphia Phillies from snapping the New York Mets' six-game win streak in a 2-1 walk-off defeat.
Scherzer pitched across seven innings with six strikeouts and nine hits, his second most this season. The Mets right-hander did not walk anyone and only allowed one earned run.
The game went to extras, before Bryson Stott got home from Alec Bohm's sacrifice fly to right fielder Starling Marte, who thundered in a throw but catcher Tomas Nido could not complete the out on the hop.
The San Diego Padres hoped to get injured star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the lineup soon for a push to the postseason.
Those hopes were dashed Friday when Tatis received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
With the suspension effective immediately, Tatis will not play in the majors this season and will then miss the first 32 games next season.
MLB said Tatis tested positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance.
"I've been informed by Major League Baseball that a test sample I submitted returned a positive result for Clostebol, a banned substance," Tatis said in a statement through the MLBPA.
"It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol. I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so.
"I want to apologise to Peter, AJ, the entire Padres organisation, my teammates, Major League Baseball, and fans everywhere for my mistake. I have no excuse for my error, and I would never do anything to cheat or disrespect the game I love."
Tatis has yet to play this season after breaking his left wrist, reportedly in a December motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic. He had surgery in mid-March and began a minor league rehabilitation assignment on Aug. 6.
"Obviously, everybody's very disappointed. Somebody that from the organization's standpoint we invested time and money into," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said.
Tatis was an All-Star last season when he hit .282 with a NL-leading 42 home runs and 97 RBIs.
He becomes one of the most prominent players penalized for PEDs, joining the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Robinson Cano and Miguel Tejada.
The Padres entered Friday 63-51 and hold the final of three NL wild-card spots. They recently acquired superstar Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals and hoped to have Tatis join a formidable lineup with Soto and All-Star Manny Machado.
Two-time major winner Simona Halep continues to find form ahead of the upcoming US Open with a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) victory over Coco Gauff clinching her spot in the Canadian Open semi-finals.
Halep defeated 10th seed Gauff, who had beaten Naomi Osaka, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka this week, in one hour and 47 minutes.
The Romanian 15th seed was broken five times and sent down eight double faults, but found the edge with speed, finesse and power.
The win means Halep has won the third most matches (36-10) on the WTA Tour this season, behind only top-ranked Iga Swiatek (49) and Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeir (37).
Halep's improved form comes after she teamed up with Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou in April following a difficult 2021 season.
"Before I met him I was super down with my motivation," Halep told reporters. "I couldn't really work, keep working. I was almost done with tennis. He brought this fire back and the motivation. He trusted that I still can play good tennis and he transferred this to me."
The 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon champion added: "Physically I'm good. Mentally I'm good, so I think it's all positive."
Halep, who won the Canadian Open in 2018, has reached the semi-finals for the fifth time in her career where she will take on seventh seed Jessica Pegula.
Pegula got past Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-3 in one hour and 21 minutes. Qualifying for the last four at the Canadian Open for the second straight year.
Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia maintained her Canadian Open run, having ousted Swiatek in the third round and local favourite Leylah Fernandez in the second, with a 2-6 6-3 6-3 victory over Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic in two hours and 11 minutes.
Haddad Maia became the first Brazilian to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament. She will face Karolina Pliskova in the semi-finals after the Czech 14th seed beat Qinwen Zheng 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Serena Williams has been drawn to face reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in a blockbuster first-round match-up at next week's Cincinnati Masters.
Williams, who earlier this week declared her intention to retire after the upcoming US Open, will open her tournament on Monday evening against the 19-year-old Briton who is currently ranked 10th in the world.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion recorded her first singles win in more than a year at this week's Canadian Open, defeating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz on Monday, before losing in the second round to Belinda Bencic.
In between the matches, Williams had signaled her retirement plans in an article in Vogue magazine.
The first-round clash is one of several intriguing matches including 14th seed Karolina Pliskova meeting Venus Williams, two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka facing Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi.
In-form Simona Halep is drawn against 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Karolina Muchova, while four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka will face Zhang Shuai.
In the men's singles draw, 12th seed Matteo Berrettini will face Frances Tiafoe straight up, while Nick Kyrgios is scheduled to take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
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