Jai Opetaia scored a brutal technical knockout win in the ninth round of his cruiserweight clash with Noel Mikaelian on Saturday night, then lined up a potentially massive showdown with pound-for-pound star David Benavidez for Cinco de Mayo next year.
It all went down at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn undercard, and provided the sport with something it has lacked — continuity — in a 200-pound division often overlooked in favor of the traditionally more glamorous weight classes that surround it.
Opetaia walked to the ring sweating, as if he'd warmed up with intent to hurt, and he needed no second invitation to land the first punch of the night. He kept his forearms high to thwart Mikaelian's probing punches, throwing single shots in return, mostly to the head and to the body too. But a clash of heads, likely caused by their opposing stances, appeared to open a cut below Opetaia's eye, slowing The Ring champion's momentum.
IS THIS FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN ⁉️

See y'all next Cinco de Mayo 👀#GarciaBenn pic.twitter.com/rzWlLyVCzN
Whether it was the bruising that had begun to grow, or the loss of his friend and former trainer Louis Meehan, who was shot dead Wednesday in a Sydney suburb, Opetaia seemed momentarily subdued.

#mayo #next

Ryan Garcia will defend his WBC Welterweight ****** le for the first time later TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 12, 2026) against British brawler, Conor Benn, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in what is one of the most anticipated ****** le fights of 2026.
Garcia is riding high on confidence after winning the strap earlier his year, defeating Mario Barrios via unanimous decision (recap here). As for Benn, it's chance to win his first major world ****** le and is coming off a dominant victory over Regis Prograis earlier this year (relive it here).
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, as the main card kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it's always a lot of fun!
147 lbs.: Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn — Garcia wins via second-round TKO
200 lbs.: Jai Opetaia vs. Noel Mikaelyan — Opetaia wins via ninth round KO
Heavyweight: Damazion Vanhouter vs. Raphael Akpejiori — Vanhouter via first-round KO
135 lbs.: Mark Magsayo vs. Andres Cortes — Cortes wims.via unanimous decision
130 lbs.: Oswaldo Molina vs. Pablo Rubio — Rubio wins via unanimous decision
168 lbs.: Abel Gonzalez vs. Raul Salomon — _Gonzalez wins via unanimous decision
154 lbs.: Vlad Panin vs. Dakota Linger — Panin wins via fourth-round KO
147 lbs.: Jose Ramirez vs. Alex Rocha — Rocha wins via unanimous decision
147 lbs.: Sean Garcia vs. Abraham Morales — Garcia wins via majority decision
Round 1:

#decision #round #unanimous #title

Jai Opetaia defended his ****** les with a nasty ninth round standing knockout over Noel Mikaelyan but the bigger moment may have come just a few minutes later when he stared down David Benavidez in hopes of setting up a showdown between them next year.
As the top cruiserweight in the sport, it was no surprise tha Opetaia got the job done on Saturday as he chipped away at Mikaelyan until he finally got the finish. But then Opetaia invited Benavidez into the ring and the two fighters showed nothing but respect and agreed it's time for them to meet in the ring for real.
"He's done a lot for the sport," Opetaia said about Benavidez. "What better fight to make. Let's get it on."
For his part, Benavidez was quick to accept that challenge with hopes that he can add yet another ****** le to his resume in the near future.
"There can only be one monster in this division," Benavidez said. "I'm the person they call when you've got to kill the boogeyman."

#opetaia #ring #noel

Jai Opetaia put on a clinic on Saturday night.
Heading into his second bout under the Zuffa Boxing banner, Opetaia showed out. The undefeated star defended his Ring Magazine **** le and Zuffa Boxing **** les in a dominating display against a tough veteran. Noel Mikaelyan, his opponent, had his moments and made the fight somewhat competitive, but the Australian upped his gear and was strolling to a decisive victory before landing big in the ninth.
A crafty vet of the boxing world, Mikaelyan was using all of the tools at his disposal to frustrate the champion, but it would be his downfall.

#mikaelyan #saturday #noel

Ravens news: Lamar Jackson, the NFL's first $70 million QB? Insider thinks it's possible appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Plenty of superstar quarterbacks garner massive contracts as some of the best players in the NFL. Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson may be on pace to make history with his next contract later down the line.
Jackson is starting the ninth year of his career with the Ravens. He dominates on the field as one of the best players in the league, often having Baltimore in serious playoff contention.
Jackson is secure under his current contract, ending after the 2027 season concludes. NFL insider Jeremy Fowler discussed Jackson's contract situation, bringing up the idea that a $70 million contract will be on the table for the superstar quarterback.
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#Ravens #lamar #clutchpoints

After an epic 11-inning win Friday night against the Phillies, the Braves were hoping to finish them off in the division race. They got a bit of a boost from the Phillies scratching Jesus Luzardo with long-running shoulder soreness.
Tyler Mahle cruised through the first two hitters before Bryce Harper hit a monster homer and took a comical amount of time rounding the bases, clearly hitting back at the controversy from Zach Wheeler's comments about Ronald Acuna's home run celebrations last week. The Phillies had to be feeling good with a 1-0 lead for a couple innings there, until the Braves essentially ended the game with 8 runs in the fourth inning. Ronald Acuna kicked things off with a towering homer (and a normal home run trot).
La Bestia mode activated 🔥#LocalFordDealer | ronaldacunajr24 pic.twitter.com/blKPAhoG0w
The Braves then got a walk, single, single, single, error, wild pitch, walk, double, and single to score another 7 runs. Drake Baldwin provided the double before things got all the way back around to Acuna for the last single, bringing home the last run of the inning.
Mahle continued to cruise after that Harper homer, finishing 7.0 innings of 1-run ball with no walks, even though he only had 7 whiffs and 3 strikeouts. The Braves added another run on in the sixth with a Ronald ABS strikeout-turned-walk, an error on an Olson ground ball, and an Ozzie sac fly. The Phillies got one back with a solo homer from Crawford in the eighth against Brent Suter. The Braves got another 3 runs against the position-player pitcher for Philly in the eighth, as Kiersey singled, Albies doubled, and Harris hit a homer off the right field foul pole. Suter finished off the Phillies in the ninth, as the Braves only needed to throw Mahle and Suter on the night. The Phillies' bullpen is in rough shape on the other side, after the 11-inning game Friday and the blowout bullpen game they suffered today.

#Phillies #home

Rafael Devers' recent tear, especially when the San Francisco Giants slugger is driving ****** out to right at Oracle Park, makes it impossible not to think of Barry Bonds.
The at-bats share that don't-go-to-concessions-yet vibe. Opposing pitchers are handling Devers as carefully as they can - All-Star closer Mason Miller walked him in the ninth inning Friday - and there's a general buzz when Devers is up with men on base. Saturday, he lasered a low 1-1 sweeper from Michael King out in the first, a two-run shot in the Giants' 7-6 loss to the Padres.
San Francisco again demonstrated some mettle with a late push after Devers' grand slam the previous night cut the deficit to two and the Giants mounted a two-out rally against Miller that came up just short. Saturday, power was the key: rookie catcher Drew Cavanaugh went deep to right in the eighth, the first of his career, 50 games in. Two batters later, Drew Gilbert crushed a two-run shot to cut the deficit to one before lefty Adrian Morejon entered and struck out Devers and Bryce Eldridge.
Earlier in the day, Shay Whitcomb also went deep for San Francisco, which recorded all its runs via homers.
With 13 games remaining, Devers has 37 homers, one shy of his career high. He has a realistic shot at 40, something no Giants hitter has done since Bonds belted 45 in 2004. Devers has 98 RBIs, too, so 100 is well within reach. The last San Francisco player with 100 RBIs was Buster Posey, the man who traded for Devers last year; Posey recorded 103 RBIs in 2012.

#francisco #rbis #shot #drew

First-inning runs alone won't get you over the line most of the time. Stopping at a pair of early solo shots—at least until the ninth inning—the Dodgers' offense left a lot to be desired in a 4-3 loss to the Marlins, as Tyler Glasnow went through plenty of issues in his shortest regular start of the season (4+ IP). The hard-throwing right-hander walked four and seldom looked in rhythm.
Beginning with a bang, the Dodgers made a statement against Tyler Phillips in the first, taking a 2-0 lead with back-to-back long ****** from Mookie Betts and Max Muncy—the one from Betts had special value, given it represented the 10,000th home run in Los Angeles Dodgers history. The problem is that this so-called statement was left at that, with the offense failing to record another hit in Phillips' three-plus innings of work, pitching with a short leash.
By the time Phillips was removed from the game in the fourth, the Marlins had already taken the lead courtesy of a three-run second against Glasnow. Josue De Paula came back from down in the count to earn a walk against Phillips in the fourth, enough for the Marlins to make the call to the bullpen and bring in left-hander Cade Gibson to retire Hunter Feduccia.
The Dodgers trailed at this early point because Tyler Glasnow seemed to be swimming against the tide for the better part of this one, meshing small periods of dominance with worrisome rallies. After squeezing his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, Glasnow coughed up three runs in the second. The damage started with a two-run shot from Graham Pauley and later on with three straight singles, the last one an RBI knock from Otto Lopez.
It then looked like Glasnow would figure things out with clean innings in the third and fourth, including striking out the side in the latter, but that calmness was short-lived. Walking the first two batters of the fifth, Glasnow was removed, recording just 12 outs and leaving quite a mess for Jack Dreyer, who did himself no favors by loading the bases with an 0-2 HBP. In what felt like a pivotal inning for the Dodgers to remain in this game, they caught all the breaks—an errant throw from Mookie Betts on a routine grounder was snagged by Alex Freeland, preventing multiple runners from scoring, and in the following at-bat, Kyle Tucker flashed the leather with a smooth sliding grab to keep everyone at their stations. With one out, Dreyer induced a timely double play as Agustin Ramírez absolutely smoked a groundball right at Betts. And just like that, the score was at a still manageable 4-2 deficit.

#phillips

On September 3, Genesco (NYSE:GCO) reported a second quarter that should not have worked on paper. Revenue fell 3% to $530 million, yet the company nearly halved its adjusted operating loss and raised full-year earnings guidance to the top end of its range. That combination, shrinking sales alongside expanding profit, is the footwear-first strategy showing up in real numbers. Every one of the company's three brands beat internal expectations, and management says the toughest sales pressure ahead is coming from a deliberate choice rather than a weakening business.
Journeys, the company's teen-focused chain, delivered its eighth consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales, up 2%, even while lapping strong growth from a year earlier. The more interesting story sits underneath that number. The Journeys 4.0 store format, a redesigned concept built around a more elevated ***** ortment, is generating a sales lift of 25% or more wherever it opens, and the company expects roughly 180 locations, about a fifth of its fleet, running that format by year-end. That rollout, combined with fleet optimization and more efficient use of selling staff, handed Journeys 180 basis points of expense leverage in the quarter. Comparable sales kept accelerating into August, marking Journeys' ninth straight month of positive comps and a mid-single-digit gain during the back-to-school peak.
Johnston & Murphy is running its own streak, with comparable sales up 4% in its third consecutive positive quarter, helped by a newly extended, multiyear partnership with Peyton Manning and a broader shift in menswear toward more refined, put-together dressing. Companywide, adjusted gross margin expanded 140 basis points to 47.2%, and the adjusted operating loss narrowed to $8 million from $14 million a year ago. Genesco also collected $22.5 million in tariff refunds during the quarter and cut total debt to $15.8 million from $71 million a year earlier, giving a new CFO and a new Schuh president a far healthier balance sheet to work with as they settle into their roles.
The drag comes almost entirely from Schuh, Genesco's UK chain, where comparable sales fell 9% as management deliberately pulled back on discounting to protect margin. Executives were blunt about the cost of that choice. CEO Mimi Vaughn said "the UK consumer market remains challenged and price sensitive," and the Schuh turnaround is expected to take longer than the one already underway at Journeys. That pressure is now baked into guidance. Full-year total sales are expected to fall about 2%, worse than the prior forecast of down 1% to flat, with management incorporating more back-half sales pressure than it originally planned for given how promotional the UK footwear market has become.

#comparable #schuh #management #pressure

Rays news: What Junior Caminero said after walking off Astros with 2-run bomb appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tampa Bay Rays star Junior Caminero delivered a two-run walk-off homer Friday night, beating the Houston Astros 3-1 and clinching the Rays' first postseason berth since 2023. His 40th homer ended the series opener at Tropicana Field and made Tampa Bay the first MLB team to secure a 2026 playoff spot. Afterward, theScore's Bryan Mcwilliam shared Caminero's postgame message as the All-Star third baseman made clear reaching October wasn't his final goal.
"We're going to enjoy this, we're going to have a lot of fun, we're going to enjoy the moment, but the job is not finished. We're going to win the division," Caminero said before yelling, "Tampa, this is for you."
Caminero delivered his first career MLB walk-off hit with one out in the ninth and the score tied 1-1. Jonathan Aranda doubled off the right-field wall before Jonny DeLuca replaced him as a pinch-runner. Caminero then attacked Bryan Abreu's first pitch, sending a 96.6 mph four-seam fastball 417 feet to left-center at 107.2 mph.
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#caminero #first #going #junior

The Braves had 'em all the way. Yep, had 'em all the way. At least, that's what we'll tell ourselves whenever a scintilla of a memory of this game pops into our brains, right? It took 12 innings, a brief blip from Chris Sale, and run-scoring scrambles in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh, another huuuuge hit from Ha-Seong Kim, and finally, a walkoff rope off the bat of Drake Baldwin, but the Braves ultimately prevailed in the opener of the final series against their division rivals.
How do you recap this game? It felt like living a few different lifetimes. I guess we'll just go sequentially, but this is a game that warrants watching the highlights.
After a 45-minute weather-related delay, things got started and Sale pretty much picked up where he left off. The top of the Philadelphia order went down on a flyout and two nasty strikeouts. Aaron Nola retired the first two Braves he faced, but then Matt Olson broke a two-week homerless slide with a slice the other way that juuust managed not to go foul and instead became his 38th longball of the year. A homer from the recently homer-shy Braves offense seemed to be an auspicious sign, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.
After the first two outs of the eighth, Edmundo Sosa caught a Sale slider and yanked it for a single. Sale then issued a rare walk to Bryan De La Cruz of all people, and then hit J.T. Realmuto with the next pitch, loading the bases.
***Derek Hill complaints interlude***

#things

We said the Royals were pesky. They came in and proved it in Game 1.
Kansas City beat the Red Sox 3-2 at Fenway Park on Friday night. Not a great start to a series that matters. The Royals had no business being three up through three innings in this ballpark against this team—and yet there they were.
Sonny Gray was the story, and not the good kind. Kansas City touched him for 10 hits across six innings and scored all three of their runs before the third inning was over. Sal Perez's two-out single in the first got past a diving Caleb Durbin down the left field line. Then Carter Jensen's double in the third went high off the Monster, and Vinnie Pasquantino followed by finding the hole right past a shifted-up Nick Sogard to make it 3-0. Three runs. None of them were bloops—decent contact, all of it—just well-placed at the worst possible time.
Gray settled in after the third—and yes, technically this was a quality start, six innings and three earned, which is almost funnier than getting shelled would have been—and the bullpen held Kansas City scoreless in the eighth and ninth, including stranding a runner at third with one out in the top of the ninth. But the damage was already done.
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#kansas #Third #past

ATLANTA (AP) — Drake Baldwin doubled to center field in the 11th inning to score Ha-Seong Kim from first base and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 on Friday night in the opening game of a key NL East series.
The first-place Braves extended their lead over the Phillies to five games. The teams split a four-game series in Philadelphia that began last Friday.
Luis Arraez's single to left field off Didier Fuentes (7-2) in the 11th drove in designated runner Garrett Stubbs to give Philadelphia a 5-4 lead. Kim's single off Brooks Raley (5-6) in the bottom of the inning drove in Ozzie Albies to tie it. Baldwin followed with the winning double.
Phillies right-hander Jonathan Bowlan blew a 3-2 lead in the ninth. Bowlan gave up a one-out single to Mike Yastrzemski. Pinch-runner DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who was recalled before the game, scored from first on Sean Murphy's single up the middle and center fielder Derek Hill's fielding error.
Aaron Nola gave up homers to Matt Olson in the first and Austin Riley in the seventh. Braves left-hander Chris Sale allowed three runs on only three hits in seven innings but struggled with two outs in the second. Edmundo Sosa singled before Sale walked Bryan De La Cruz and hit J.T. Realmuto with a pitch to load the bases. Derek Hill doubled off the center-field wall to drive in three runs.

#lead

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Angel Martínez hit a two-run homer and his double in the ninth inning keyed the game-winning rally as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Friday night.
The Guardians moved two games ahead of Toronto in the race for the AL's third wild-card spot.
Martínez gave the Guardians a 2-1 lead in the seventh with his 15th homer of the season.
After the Twins tied it on Kalen Culpepper's RBI single in the seventh, Martínez hit a one-out double off Yoendrys Gómez (2-3) that moved Travis Bazzana to third. Bazzana scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Gómez and Brayan Rocchio brought home two more with a double.
Hunter Gaddis (4-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Cade Smith retired the side in the ninth for his 36th save.

#Third

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An unorthodox pitching plan worked about as well as the Houston Astros could have hoped Friday. Their offense could not capitalize against another American League contender.
Junior Caminero cranked a walk-off, two-run home run against Bryan Abreu to send the Astros to a 3-1 loss in the opener of a series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who became the first American League team to clinch a spot in this year's playoff field. Houston, which entered the day with a three-game lead in the AL West, ended it with a 75-73 record.
Using an opener, three Astros pitchers combined to hold the Rays to two hits before the ninth inning. Jonathan Aranda hit a one-out double against Abreu. With first base open, the Astros opted to face Caminero, the AL home run leader, who crushed a first-pitch fastball 417 feet to ignite a celebration at Tropicana Field.
The Astros totaled nine hits. But they were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position, with neither of the hits scoring a run, and stranded six men on base.
A 1-1 tie reached the ninth inning. The teams took different routes there. Rays starter Drew Rasmussen worked seven innings, navigating eight hits. One run against him scored on a fielder's choice. He threw 92 pitches before Tampa Bay turned to its bullpen.

#astros #houston #abreu #tampa

It was a day of remembrance, but a night Nolan McLean might want to forget.
McLean's curveball spins at a higher rate than any other in baseball, but Friday night at Yankee Stadium, Cody Bellinger spun one over the short porch in right field into the stands. The three-run homer sank the Mets in a 6-4 loss to the Yankees.
It was the first time in more than a month McLean failed to go more than five innings, and only the second time in his last 14 outings. McLean was charged with five earned runs on a career-worst 10 hits over five innings in his ninth loss of the season (11-9). An NL Rookie of the Year candidate, McLean has looked like a seasoned veteran at times this season. But even the most dominant rookie starting pitchers have outings like the one McLean had against the Yankees.
Rookies slump, sputter and get knocked down, then figure out how to get up again.
No one knows this better than Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year. While his hitless stretches were few and far between with the Dodgers in 2017, there were bad strikeouts and bad games. Individually, they did little to put a dent in his candidacy. The overall body of work was too impressive. The same goes for McLean, who has carried a sub-3.00 ERA for most of the season and has quietly put up some of the best starting pitching numbers in the National League since June.

#five

Alexander Zverev has performed better than any other ATP player at Grand Slams this year.
Men's tennis had been dominated by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz over the past couple of years, with this year's Australian Open being the ninth consecutive major one of them had won.
This all changed at Roland Garros, where Zverev won his first major **** le after Sinner suffered a shock early exit.
Zverev has now reached the US Open final, his third consecutive Grand Slam final this year, and after his win over Karen Khachanov, he spoke about his impressive season at the major tournaments and how it compares to Sinner and Alcaraz.
Photo by Manuela Davies/USTA via Getty Images

#sinner #alcaraz #year #final

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jorbit Vivas hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning to lift Washington to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels that snapped the Nationals' seven-game losing streak Friday night.
The Angels led 2-1 before pinch-hitter Andrew Pinckney tied it with a sacrifice fly off Samy Natera Jr. (1-2) in the eighth. Then Vivas hit a flyball that dropped into the corner in right field to make it 4-2.
Clayton Beeter (6-5) won in relief, and Erik Tolman worked the ninth for his second save. Tolman allowed an RBI double by Christian Moore that very nearly cleared the wall in right-center for a tying homer, but it stayed in the park and the left-hander retired pinch-hitter Kyren Paris on a flyball to end it.
Mike Trout homered for the first time in over a month for Los Angeles.
Trout hadn't gone deep since Aug. 10 against Texas, but after 27 consecutive homerless games, he connected off Cade Cavalli in the first inning to put the Angels up 1-0.

#vivas #tolman #inning #pinch

A fresh start, perhaps?
Lineups:
Kirby takes the mound tonight, hoping to be steadier than the uneven Jeffrey Springs. JP is back to leading off, and Birthday Boy Weston Wilson hits ninth. Taylor Ward is the DH tonight against the lefty Springs, and not to complain, but Arroyo would have been more fun.
Back in West Sacramento for three against the A’s. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/FcBpryS2RQ
your friday night plans ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/edUqfja3yE

#kirby

It appears Kyle Shanahan will pass Bill Walsh. And keep on going and going.
The San Francisco 49ers head coach signed a contract extension in the offseason, Netflix's Tom Pelissero reported, although his previous deal – that owner Jed York said on March 30 that he was through 2028 – wasn't close to expiring. The length of this new deal has not yet been disclosed.
"I think Kyle's got three years left (on his contract)," York said then. "I want Kyle to be here for a long time. He's been here for a long time. I want him to be here even longer."
Shanahan, 46, will match Walsh as the longest-tenured 49ers head coach if he finishes his 10th season with the team in 2026. Shanahan and the Rams' Sean McVay are the NFL's second-longest tenured head coaches. They trail only Kansas City's Andy Reid, who is in his 14th season with the Chiefs.
Shanahan has an 83-67 regular-season record with the 49ers and a 9-5 mark in the postseason. His regular-season win total ranks third in franchise history behind George Seifert (98) and Walsh (92). His postseason total ranks third behind Seifert and Walsh, who each have 10. Shanahan's playoff winning percentage (.643) ranks ninth in NFL history (minimum 10 games). In Shanahan's first nine seasons, the 49ers won two NFC **** les, three NFC West crowns, made five playoff appearances and had four 12-win seasons.

#shanahan #head

Katie Lou Samuelson missed all of last season in the WNBA due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Now she'll miss the end of the 2026 season, also because of a knee issue.
The Seattle Storm announced Friday that the former UConn women's basketball star will miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on her left knee on Thursday. The team did not state the reason why Samuelson had the procedure or when she's expected back on the court.
Seattle has four more games remaining this season and resumes game action (the WNBA remains on its World Cup break) on Thursday, Sept. 17 against Las Vegas. The Storm are one of seven teams not to make the WNBA Playoffs this season.
Samuelson signed with the Storm ahead of the 2025 season but tore the ACL in her right knee during training camp that spring. She missed all of last season recovering before making her return to the court on May 30 (Seattle's ninth game of the 2026 season). The former Husky saw action in 32 games this season and averaged 4.4 points on 40.5% shooting from the field, along with 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 ***** ists, and 0.8 steals in 15.3 minutes per game. Samuelson started one game for the Storm this year and scored a season-best 11 points against Chicago on July 15.

#samuelson #WNBA

England had "no plan" and were "out of control" in the face of Razaullah's stunning hitting on the third day of the final Test against Pakistan, according to former captain Alastair Cook.
Razaullah, the 21-year-old batting at number nine on Test debut, clobbered 81 from 63 ****** at Edgbaston.
He shared a ninth-wicket partnership of 121 with Muhammad Abbas to drag the third Test into an unlikely fourth day, with England set 130 for victory.
Though England are heavy favourites to earn a 3-0 clean sweep, the carnage of the final session was an alarming spell as Joe Root begins his second spell as captain.
Root's tactics were often criticised in his first spell as skipper and there were further questions of the Yorkshireman when he stood in for former captain Ben Stokes earlier this summer.

#former

The Justice Department has initiated a criminal investigation into allegations that the Los Angeles Clippers used secret endorsement deals to boost its star player Kawhi Leonard's income while violating the NBA's salary cap, the New York Times reported, just a week after the league suspended the team's billionaire owner Steve Ballmer for a year.
Owner Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers congratulates Kawhi Leonard #2 after his 55-point game to win 112-99 against the Detroit Pistons at Intuit Dome.
Citing unnamed sources briefed on the matter, the Times reported that the matter is being investigated by prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn and the probe is in its "earliest stages."
The report noted that prosecutors have already issued a subpoena as part of the probe, but details of the crimes being investigated remain unclear.
The DOJ investigation began before the NBA handed out its own punishments against the Clippers—including a year-long suspension of the team's owner and ninth-richest person in the world.

#owner #angeles #kawhi

NEW YORK — As the freshly-promoted Anthony Volpe settled into a new locker inside the Yankees' clubhouse on Thursday, he said that he felt as if he had been in a "bubble" at Triple-A.
Not because he was stuck in the minors, but because he was focused on trying to improve his game. Volpe said he was so locked in that he didn't even realize Jazz Chisholm Jr. sprained his thumb on Tuesday until RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan told him.
"I wanted to get a lot out of it," Volpe, recalled on Thursday after Chisholm was placed on the 10-day injured list, said of Triple-A. "You have a game every night to try out different stuff and feel what works and feel like it's going to translate in case an opportunity like this comes. So there was just a lot of trial and error."
On Thursday, however, Volpe only found results, going 3 for 4 with a grand slam that broke open the Yankees' series-sweeping, 10-3 win over the Rockies. The seventh-inning blast earned the New York native a curtain call from a crowd that has booed him plenty over the last few years.
Volpe, batting ninth, also had an RBI single and a stolen base on Thursday. He didn't make an error while starting at second base for the first time as a big leaguer, either.

#didn 't #like

ATLANTA (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays were prevented from possibly becoming the first team to clinch a playoff berth when Martín Pérez threw seven scoreless innings and Austin Riley's run-scoring single in the eighth inning gave Atlanta its first lead of the series in the Braves' 3-1 win Thursday.
Seeking its first division ****** le since 2021, Tampa Bay entered with a four-game AL East lead and would have clinched no worse than a wild card with a victory and a loss by Texas to Seattle or the Chicago White Sox to Pittsburgh.
Riley's hit came after pinch-hitter Ozzie Albies' had his first triple of the season, a drive against Kevin Kelly (6-4). Light-htting Ha-Seong Kim tacked on a two-run single for the offensively struggling Braves that proved crucial when Victor Mesa Jr. led off the ninth with a homer against Raisel Iglesias.
Iglesias bounced back to get the final three outs for his 32nd save in 35 chances for the Braves, who began the day with a three-game NL East lead.
Didier Fuentes (6-2) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win, which sent the Braves into an important series against second-place Philadelphia with a big lift.

#Braves #tampa

The Milwaukee Brewers improved to 91-56 on the season following their 8-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Additionally, they increased their lead in the National League Central Division over those same Cubs to 10.0 games with 15 left play.
Unfortunately, the final contest between Milwaukee and Chicago was a great deal closer than it should have been. The Brewers entered the ninth inning with an 8-1 lead and it looked like they were about to cruise to an easy victory.
Brandon Sproat, though, walked four consecutive batters and Abner Uribe allowed all of the runners he inherited to score as well as allowed an earned run of his own.
Jul 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Garrett Stallings (31) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
After the game, Murphy was justifiably frustrated with Sproat's performance, calling it "unacceptable." It was clear then that this was going to be his final chance on the Major League roster in 2026.

#Chicago #francisco #lead #inning

This article originally appeared in PGHBaseballNOW.com.
The Pirates starting rotation has taken a major hit as Braxton Ashcraft has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right arm discomfort. The move is retroactive to Sep. 7.
Ashcraft has emerged as the team's top starting pitcher this season, his first full year in the big leagues. The 26-year-old is 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts. In 165.1 innings, he's allowed 67 earned runs on 145 hits with 35 walks and 173 strikeouts.
The right-hander ranks fourth in the National League in wins, fifth in WHIP (1.09), seventh in innings, ninth in strikeouts and 12th in ERA.
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#ashcraft

Ismail Kartal resigned as head coach of Fenerbahce just minutes after the Turkish side's 1-1 draw with Roma in the Champions League.
Kartal made the surprise announcement in his post-match news conference, stating he plans to never return to the club he also served as a player and **** istant coach.
He came back to Fenerbahce for a fourth spell as manager in June 2026, with the club returning to the Champions League for the first time in 18 years.
Now he departs with the team sitting ninth in the Turkish Super Lig after two wins and two defeats, and after only one Champions League match.
"I have been here three months. From the beginning of the season until today, the training sessions and camps we held with the players, and the efforts of our president, have been very helpful. Those were wonderful days," Kartal said.

#club #ismail #roma

The Baltimore Orioles (70-75) and the Cleveland Guardians (73-72) continue their three-game series tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles opened the series last night with a 6-4 win to snap a six-game losing streak and pull them to within three games in the race with Cleveland for the final Wild Card spot.
Baltimore grabbed control early. Dylan Beavers delivered an RBI double in the second inning to score Samuel Basallo, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. In the third, the O's advantage increased to 4-0 thanks to a Coby Mayo solo homer followed by control issues for Cleveland's hurlers as evidenced by the fact they walked in a couple runs prior to the end of the inning. Mayo added a two-run blast in the sixth, extending the Orioles' lead to 6-1. On the mound, Trevor Rogers was excellent, working 7.1 innings, allowing just one earned run, six hits, and striking out six without a walk. The Guardians made things interesting in the ninth when Nathaniel Lowe blasted a three-run homer, but Baltimore closer Jordan Walker recorded the final out to preserve the win and arguably, Baltimore's season.
Tanner Bibee (5-15, 4.06 ERA) takes the ball for the Guardians tonight. His last outing came against the Blue Jays on September 3. As he has for much of the season, Bibee struggled, lasting only four innings while allowing five earned runs on four hits. Over his last five starts, Bibee has posted a 5.08 ERA. Brandon Young (9-3, 3.42 ERA) is expected to be on the mound for the O's. Young's most recent appearance came against Boston on September 3, when he worked 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits. Over his last five outings Young owns a 3.37 ERA.
Lets dive further into tonight's game and find a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and **** ysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

#game #Guardians

India continue to make their presence felt at the top of the Women's T20I bowling rankings, with Sree Charani holding on to the No. 1 spot and Deepti Sharma making a two-place jump to sixth following her strong showing at the Asia Cup 2026.

Deepti has been one of India's standout performers in the tournament, claiming eight wickets in three matches as the team booked its place in the semi-finals.
The right-arm spinner's consistent performances have earned her a significant rise in the latest rankings. Deepti, who had previously reached the top spot in December last year, is now within 60 rating points of Charani. Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Lauren Bell are the four bowlers positioned between the two Indian stars.

With Charani and Deepti occupying the top two positions, India continues to dominate the upper reaches of the T20I bowling rankings.
Several players also made significant gains in the latest T20I rankings after their performances at the Asia Cup. Bangladesh's Marufa Akter was among the biggest movers, climbing 19 places to 18th in the bowling rankings. Chamari Athapaththu moved up five spots to 28th, while Sultana Khatun gained nine places to share 37th.

Thailand's Thipatcha Putthawong rose four places to 47th, while teammate Suleeporn Laomi jumped 10 spots to 53rd. There were also gains among Bangladesh's batters, with Sobhana Mostary moving up three places to 36th and Dilara Akter climbing five spots to 62nd.
The latest ODI rankings also saw notable movement following England's home series against Ireland. Stand-in England captain Charlie Dean moved up one place to jointly occupy ninth in the ODI all-rounders' rankings. She also climbed two spots to share 11th among ODI bowlers after taking three wickets in the three-match series.

England's Lauren Filer made an impressive 14-place jump to 39th, while Ireland's Cara Murray rose 16 places to 50th in the ODI bowling rankings.

Ireland youngster Amy Hunter emerged as the biggest winner among ODI batters, moving up nine places to 11th. England's Maia Bouchier climbed 13 spots to 42nd, while Sophia Dunkley made an even bigger leap of 26 places to reach 43rd.

#rankings #places #three #latest