Team India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan made a cheeky remark about opener Abhishek Sharma’s footwear. He posted a picture of Abhishek wearing a pair of traditional Japanese slippers as the side arrived in Tokyo ahead of the Asian Games 2026.
In the photograph posted by Kishan, the swashbuckling batter can be seen posing at a restaurant in a white shirt and blue trousers. He wore slippers with a slight heel on the sole.
Reacting to Abhishek’s choice of footwear, Kishan wrote:
“Loving the heels bro.”
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India are set to take on Japan in a one-off T20I at Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22. It will be the first-ever senior men’s international match between the two nations.
The Men in Blue will then commence their quest for gold at the Asian Games 2026. India have directly qualified for the quarterfinals. They are among the four seeded teams with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
“No one hits as hard even in a video game” – Aakash Chopra’s massive praise for Abhishek Sharma after AFG vs IND 2026 T20Is
Abhishek Sharma was the Player of the Series in India’s 3-0 T20I series clean sweep over Afghanistan. His carnage was among the biggest talking points of the third fixture as he slammed a 30-ball century.
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It was the fastest T20I ton by a batter from a Full Member nation. The southpaw finished with 108 runs off 34 balls. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra reserved huge praise for Abhishek following the explosive knock.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said in his YouTube video:
“What a player, man! No one hits as hard even in a video game as this guy does when he gets going. When he starts hitting, he absolutely tears the bowling apart. He made the fastest T20 century against a Test-playing nation, and then celebrated like this as well. The Kotla ground isn’t particularly big anyway, but he just kept hitting sixes one after another. He was absolutely stellar and stunning.”
Abhishek Sharma was the leading run-scorer of the series, amassing 229 runs across three innings at a strike rate of 269.41.
BALTIMORE — The Milwaukee Brewers haven’t won more than five in a row all year. It hasn’t stopped them from setting a single-season franchise record for victories.
Milwaukee broke the mark it set last season on Sunday night, smothering the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 to improve to 98-58.
“We haven’t had these streaks of greatness,” manager Pat Murphy said. “We haven’t put it all together.”
Even without rattling off an extended run, the Brewers have the best record in the majors. They’ve already clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title and will make their eighth postseason appearance in nine years. Twice in that span they’ve advanced to the NLCS, including last year, but they have not reached the World Series since 1982.
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Milwaukee completed its ninth series sweep of the season while receiving help from all over the roster. The Brewers stole four bases, got a stellar diving catch from center fielder Garrett Mitchell in the seventh inning and had seven pitchers combine on a four-hit shutout for the record-setting victory with six games left.
“It means a lot,” said pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (15-5, 1.86 ERA), who gave up a hit and struck out four in three innings in an abbreviated start designed to manage his workload.
“It’s always a big deal to set a new record, a franchise record at that. Hopefully, we get a few more and get to a little bigger number.”
Milwaukee enters the final week of the season two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the NL and needs only one more victory or an Atlanta loss to lock up a bye into the division series.
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“It’s hard to be in this spot to begin with, and I don’t think it’s appreciated enough,” Murphy said. “I think people don’t realize how hard it is for any of the 30 teams to put themselves in this position, and that’s what makes me proud of these guys. We’re not the oldest team, we’re not the most experienced, we’re not the most talented. We’re not the most a lot of things, but for sure they’ve proven they’re a team.”
The 24-year-old has featured in all five of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this term but struggled with injuries in a disrupted campaign last season, recently saying during a Twitch stream that he “had one leg for 10 months”.
Cole Palmer has withdrawn from England’s squad ahead of the start of the Nations League (Getty)
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick confirmed Rashford picked up an “issue” during the 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday, with the forward substituted while appearing to be struggling with his hip – which was a persistent issue over the summer.
Midfielder Mainoo, who travelled to this summer’s World Cup but did not play a single minute of the tournament under Tuchel, was also substituted during the closing stages of the draw at Craven Cottage.
England will play four matches over the newly expanded three-week international break, kicking off against World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday 26 September. That is followed by trips to Czech Republic and Croatia, before concluding the set of Nations League games against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday 6 October.
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Palmer has started the season in excellent form, with four goals and two assists in seven appearances in all competitions while establishing a dangerous partnership with Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro, who has withdrawn from Brazil’s squad due to injury.
Chelsea do not return to Premier League action until Saturday 10 October with a home game against Bournemouth, giving Xabi Alonso’s side three weeks to manage Palmer’s injury over the international window.
An announcement for Tyson Fury’s long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua is hoped to be around the corner. Now, Peter Fury, uncle and former trainer of ‘The Gypsy King’, has offered his final verdict on the much-debated contest.
Formal confirmation of the clash was anticipated following Fury and Joshua’s success in their respective ‘warm-ups’ against Mariusz Wach and Kristian Prenga back in July, but it soon became clear that talks had stalled.
That is because the organisers of the event had designs on staging the all-British affair in New York City, despite the fact that ‘AJ’ had signed a contract for a fight in the United Kingdom.
Although, it remains unclear whether the main event will be permitted to take place in the early hours of the morning in order to appease Netflix’s US audience or not.
Speaking on the ‘Fight Your Corner’ podcast, in partnership with Midnite, Peter Fury declared that he can only see two possible outcomes in the match-up; either Fury outboxing Joshua or Joshua handing his nephew the first stoppage defeat of his career.
“I haven’t really thought about it [Fury-Joshua] to be honest. He [Fury] is either going to outbox [him] and he will get to Joshua or Joshua is gonna find the target and he will clean him out. So, it is one or the other, isn’t it? So, we will see which one.
“I think it all comes down to what game plans they are going to do.”
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Fans are eagerly awaiting news regarding Fury-Joshua, but it seems as though a deal is now nearing finalisation for one of the biggest events of the 2026 boxing calendar.
Scott White highlights 10 Week 27 sleeper hitters, with the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and White Sox boasting the best matchups
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1 min read
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Whether you’re in need of an injury fill-in or just a hot-hand play, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They’re not must-starts by any estimation, but they’re often the best you’ll find off the waiver wire.
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Several Nigerian footballers were in action across Europe over the weekend, with Kelechi Iheanacho, Gift Orban and Tolu Arokodare among the standout performers after finding the back of the net.
Iheanacho Continues Scoring Run in Turkey
Kelechi Iheanacho continued his impressive form in Turkey, scoring twice to help Bursaspor come from behind to beat Batman Petrolspor 2-1 away from home.
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Bursaspor fell behind before Iheanacho equalised from the penalty spot in the 60th minute. The Nigeria international then completed the comeback five minutes from full time.
The brace means Iheanacho has now scored in eight straight league games for Bursaspor. He has 11 goals and two assists for the club this season.
Orban Scores and Assists Against Beşiktaş
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Gift Orban also made a big impact in Turkey, scoring and providing an assist as Amedspor defeated Beşiktaş 3-2 in the Turkish Süper Lig on Sunday.
Orban opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a powerful long-range effort from about 25 metres before setting up Dia Saba for Amedspor’s second goal nine minutes later.
The 24-year-old now has seven goals and two assists in six league appearances this season. He has also scored in each of his last four league games for Amedspor.
Onuachu Features in Trabzonspor Victory
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Paul Onuachu came off the bench as Trabzonspor recorded an impressive 4-0 home win over Galatasaray.
The Nigerian striker was introduced in the 59th minute as Trabzonspor secured all three points.
His fellow Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen missed the game for Galatasaray because of injury.
Arokodare Rescues Point for Ajax
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In the Netherlands, Tolu Arokodare came off the bench to rescue a point for Ajax in their Eredivisie meeting with Excelsior on Saturday.
Ajax were trailing 2-1 when Arokodare was introduced in the 62nd minute. Just two minutes later, the Nigerian striker scored to level the game at 2-2.
It was Arokodare’s sixth goal across all competitions for Ajax this season.
Bassey, Iwobi Feature in Fulham Draw
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Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi both featured for Fulham in their 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
Bassey played the full match, while Iwobi was on the pitch for 71 minutes as Fulham picked up a point.
Fernandez Plays 90 Minutes in Rangers Win
Emmanuel Fernandez played the full 90 minutes for Rangers in their 1-0 Old Firm derby victory over Celtic in Scotland.
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The Nigerian defender helped Rangers keep a clean sheet as they claimed victory over their city rivals.
Ejuke Features Against Barcelona
In Spain, Chidera Ejuke came off the bench for Sevilla in their 3-1 La Liga defeat to Barcelona on Saturday.
Ejuke was introduced in the 59th minute but could not help Sevilla avoid defeat. It was his sixth appearance of the campaign.
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Lookman Features in Madrid Derby
Ademola Lookman also saw action in Spain as Atlético Madrid defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the Madrid derby on Sunday.
The Nigerian forward came on in the 67th minute as Atlético secured victory over their city rivals.
Chukwueze Starts in AC Milan Win
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Samuel Chukwueze started for AC Milan in their 3-0 victory over Lecce on Sunday.
The Nigerian winger played for 87 minutes before being substituted as Milan secured a comfortable home win.
Moffi Features for Hamburg
In Germany, Terem Moffi featured for Hamburg in their 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Köln on Saturday.
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The Nigerian forward played 45 minutes as Hamburg secured an important three points.
Despite a win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays will end the day in the same position that they began in.
The Blue Jays improved to 77-79 with their victory in Arlington, but remain three games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League wild-card picture after the Southsiders’ win over the Detroit Tigers.
In addition to Chicago’s triumph at home to close its series against Detroit, the Cleveland Guardians held serve in its position atop the AL Central with a their fifth straight win.
Texas, meanwhile, stayed in the AL West lead, thanks to the Houston Astros’ loss to the NL East-champion Atlanta Braves.
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With six games to go before the end of the regular season, Toronto’s playoff hopes have firmly entered long shot territory.
Here’s a look at the standings after Sunday’s action:
Toronto: at Baltimore, 6:35 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ Cleveland: Off Texas: Off Chicago White Sox: Off Houston: Off Baltimore: vs. Blue Jays, 6:35 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet+
ARLINGTON, Texas — Toronto leadoff hitter Brett Bateman reached base and scored three times, twice knocked in by Nathan Lukes, and the Blue Jays beat the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 7-2 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep in the matchup of playoff hopefuls.
Bateman walked twice against Texas starter Jacob deGrom (11-10), scoring on a sacrifice fly by Lukes in the first and a go-ahead RBI single by Kazuma Okamota in the fifth. Bateman had a leadoff double to ignite a four-run seventh, scoring on a single by Lukes.
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With six games remaining, the Rangers (78-78) kept a one-game lead in the AL West after Houston (77-79) lost 4-2 at home to NL East champion Atlanta. The Astros own the division tiebreaker.
Spencer Arrighetti (9-9), the second of seven Blue Jays pitchers, got the win despite giving up the only Texas runs over his two innings.
CLEVELAND — Gavin Williams threw seven shutout innings, Jo Adell had an RBI infield single and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Athletics 1-0 Sunday to remain atop the AL Central.
Steven Kwan added three hits for Cleveland, which posted its seventh series sweep of the season and third at home.
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The Guardians (81-75) are 1 1/2 games in front of the Chicago White Sox. They finish the season on the road with series against Boston and Kansas City.
Williams (14-8) gave up three hits and struck out nine to move into the major-league lead with 244 strikeouts. He has one more than Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski. Toronto’s Dylan Cease is in third with 239. It is the 13th time in 31 starts this season that the right-hander has had at least nine strikeouts.
Cade Smith worked 1 1/3 innings for his 39th save in 44 opportunities.
CHICAGO — Sam Antonacci had a two-run double in a three-run fourth inning and the Chicago White Sox kept pace in the AL Central and eliminated the Detroit Tigers from playoff contention with a rain-soaked 8-1 victory Sunday.
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The White Sox remained a game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the division and hold a three-game lead over the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays for the third wild card.
The start was delayed 3 hours, 50 minutes by rain and most of the game was played in a swirling mist.
Davis Martin threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the White Sox, striking out six, allowing three hits and walking three. He failed to record a win for his 15th straight appearance dating to June 10.
Huascar Brazoban (6-2), activated from the injured list earlier Sunday, pitched a scoreless sixth for the victory.
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Trevor Richards pitched two innings for the 205th White Sox relief outing of 1 1/3 innings or more, a major league record.
BALTIMORE — William Contreras homered, and the Milwaukee Brewers earned their franchise-record 98th victory by beating the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Cooper Pratt drove in two for Milwaukee (98-58), which owns the best record in the majors and surpassed the 97 victories it had last season. The Brewers have already clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title.
The Orioles managed four hits and were shut out for the second consecutive game. Baltimore fell five games behind the Chicago White Sox for the AL’s third wild card and has six games remaining.
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Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski yielded a hit and struck out four in three innings in a planned abbreviated outing. The right-hander, who leads the majors in ERA (1.86) and strikeouts (247), moved into second place on the Brewers’ single-season strikeouts list. Ben Sheets had 264 in 2004.
HOUSTON — Mike Yastrzemski hit a three-run homer during a four-run sixth inning and the Atlanta Braves clinched the NL East title for the seventh time in nine years with a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Ozzie Albies tied it at one with an RBI single before Yastrzemski’s homer to right off Bryan King (3-6).
After finishing 76-86 and missing the playoffs last season, Atlanta bounced back this year under first-year manager Walt Weiss. The Braves are 92-64 and have won at least 90 games for the fifth time in the last eight seasons.
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The Astros’ playoff hopes took a hit after being swept by the Braves. Houston, which has lost seven of its last nine games, trails the Rangers by a game in the AL West, but the Astros own the tiebreaker. The Rangers lost 7-2 to Toronto on Sunday.
DIAMONDBACKS 8, YANKEES 4
PHOENIX (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit his third grand slam of the season top help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees 8-4 on Sunday.
Arenado connected off reliever Brent Headrick (7-4) in the fifth inning. The Diamondbacks loaded the bases against Yankee starter Will Warren when Headrick entered. He struck out Geraldo Perdomo for the second out but walked Corbin Carroll to force in a run before Arenado homered on a 2-1 pitch. He tied Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the major league lead this season, and it was Arenado’s ninth career slam.
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The Diamondbacks had their MLB-best 47th comeback win of the season and kept pace with Philadelphia in the chase for the National League’s final wild-card berth, but trail the Phillies by four games with six to play.
New York still has a slim chance to win the American League East, but must win out and get help. The Yankees open a four-game series Tuesday against the division-leading Rays in New York.
Perdomo had a run-scoring single in the first and an RBI triple in the seventh.
LOS ANGELES — Kiké Hernández hit a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning, Emmet Sheehan did not give up a run in 5 1/3 innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
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Hernández jumped on the first pitch he saw from Sam Hentges (1-7), driving in Max Muncy to put the Dodgers ahead 2-1. Muncy pushed an insurance run across with a single in the eighth.
Kris Bubic (4-2) pitched 2/3 of an inning for the win, and Tanner Scott handled the ninth inning for his 23rd save.
Sheehan made the most of a bullpen game to strengthen his credentials for making the Dodgers’ postseason roster as a long reliever. He had nine strikeouts against one hit and one walk after taking over from Jack Dreyer in the second inning.
Matt Wilkinson allowed three hits and no walks while striking out six in five scoreless innings, but the Giants’ bullpen buckled. The 23-year-old left-hander was acquired as part of the trade that sent catcher Patrick Bailey to Cleveland in May.
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DENVER — Rookie Kade Anderson tossed seven shutout innings, Dominic Canzone drove in two runs, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Sunday to stave off elimination from playoff contention.
Anderson (2-2), in the longest of his six starts since making his major league debut Aug. 22 at the Chicago Cubs, followed his worst outing with his best. He gave up three hits, struck out a career-high seven and didn’t walk a batter.
His performance kept Seattle’s slim postseason hopes alive. The Mariners (73-83) gained a game on Texas in the AL West and avoided, temporarily, being eliminated from the AL wild-card race.
Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz left the game after walking TJ Rumfield with one out in the ninth. Muñoz bent over flexing his right arm after missing on a 98 m.p.h. fastball, bringing out the trainer. Manager Dan Wilson said Munoz’s issue was with his right knee He was replaced by Eduard Bazardo, who got the final two outs around a walk for his first save.
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SAN DIEGO — Jake Cronenworth hit a pair of two-run homers and drove in five runs for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Sunday to move closer to clinching their third straight post-season berth.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his 25th homer for the Padres, who won for the 13th time in 14 games and swept the Marlins for the second time this season.
San Diego reduced its magic number to two for earning a wild-card spot.
The Padres and Cubs remain tied at 87-69 for the top wild-card spot with six games to go, although Chicago holds the tiebreaker. Philadelphia stayed one game back.
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NEW YORK — Cristopher Sánchez earned his major league-leading 18th win Sunday, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-2 victory over the New York Mets.
The Phillies (86-70), who salvaged a split of the four-game series, entered Sunday in the third National League wild-card spot, one game behind the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres and four games clear of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Sánchez surrendered six hits — including Bo Bichette’s sixth-inning homer — and struck out six over 6 1/3 innings as he snapped a tie with the Boston Red Sox’s Sonny Gray for the big league lead in wins.
The last Phillies pitcher to lead the majors in wins was Steve Carlton with 23 in 1982.
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Justin Crawford had a three-run triple and Luis Arraez finished with two RBIs. Alec Bohm and Trea Turner each had run-scoring hits. Kyle Schwarber tied a career high with four walks.
Rookie Jonah Tong (2-2) gave up four runs and struck out five in 4 2/3 innings for the last-place Mets, who finished 36-45 at home — their worst record at Citi Field since the 2013 team went 33-48.
PITTSBURGH — Rafael Flores Jr. hit the go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning to help Pittsburgh to a win over Kansas City and complete a series sweep.
After Ryan O’Hearn led off with a single to center, Flores sent a slider from Nate Pearson (2-3) into the left-field bleachers for his 10th homer this season.
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Pittsburgh rallied with a two-run homer in the eighth for a second straight day. Brandon Lowe had his 33rd of the season in a 6-5 win Saturday.
Carmen Mlodzinki (8-7) got the win. He allowed two runs and three hits in three innings. The reliever gave up a pinch-hit, two-run home run to Vinnie Pasquantino that gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead with two outs in the seventh.
Mason Montgomery earned his 16th save. He retired the first two batters in the ninth before Luke Maile hit a double and took third on a fielding error by Jake Mangum. Montgomery got Isaac Collins to fly out to right to strand Maile.
The Royals went ahead 1-0 in the first inning with three straight singles off Lake Bachar. Bobby Witt Jr. beat out a groundball to second baseman Lowe. He moved to third on a single to right from Jac Caglianone and scored when Perez shot one through the middle of the infield.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Griffin Jax tossed five shutout innings and the Tampa Bay crept closer to the AL East title with a victory over Boston.
The Rays will have an opportunity to clinch the franchise’s fifth division title during Tuesday’s doubleheader at the New York Yankees.
Boston would have clinched a playoff spot with a victory. The Red Sox, who were 32-46 and 15 1/2 games back in the AL East on June 24, have since gone 52-25. They could still wrap up a spot Sunday with a Houston loss.
Jax (8-10) allowed three singles and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning by striking out Roman Anthony. Cole Sulser, Brody Hopkins and Steven Matz each pitched an inning of scoreless relief.
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Boston’s Trevor Story spoiled the shutout in the ninth with a one-out home run off right-hander Ty Johnson.
The Rays scored four first-inning runs off left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-7). Jonny DeLuca smashed a two-run, bases-loaded double down the left-field line and Chandler Simpson followed with a two-run single. Sandoval began the inning by walking Yandy Diaz and Ryan Vilade, then surrendering a single to Junior Caminero.
CINCINNATI — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 45th home run as Chicago moved closer to clinching a post-season berth with a victory over Cincinnati.
Chicago (87-69) reduced its magic number to one and could wrap up a berth if the Diamondbacks lose to the Yankees later Sunday.
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The Cubs began the day tied with the Padres and one game ahead of the Phillies for the top NL wild-card spot which would earn them home-field advantage in the wild-card round. The Cubs own the tiebreakers over the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Phillies.
Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman left Sunday’s game in the fourth inning after being struck in the face by a foul ball off the bat of Michael Busch while standing near the on-deck circle.
Cubs left-hander David Peterson (9-8) allowed a run on three hits in seven innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.
The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the third. Ian Happ singled in a run and Nico Hoerner walked to force in another to extend Chicago’s lead to 3-0. Pedro Ramirez’s two-run single made the score 5-0.
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Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder (6-12) allowed five earned runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
ST. LOUIS — Iván Herrera hit a pair of home runs, and Leo Bernal also homered as St. Louis scored three runs in the eighth inning to come from behind and beat Washington.
Bernal hit his fifth homer of the season off Yovanny Cruz (0-2) after Erik Tolman walked Jordan Walker with two outs in the eighth inning.
Herrera hit his second homer of the game and 18th of the season to tie the game at 3-all after hitting a solo shot in the first inning.
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It was Herrera’s third career multi-homer game and second this season after going deep twice on June 13 at Minnesota.
Luis Gastelum (5-3) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for St. Louis, and Riley O’Brien pitched a perfect ninth to earn his National League-leading 38th save.
Cardinals starter Quinn Mathews allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks in a career-high seven innings.
Jake Irvin allowed two runs on three hits and had eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for the Nationals.
CALGARY — There aren’t many better ways to serve notice you feel ready for an NHL roster spot than by scoring twice and ringing a beauty off the post.
Aydar Suniev took a big step towards showing he may soon be capable of helping fill the team’s scoring void with a pair of pre-season finishes Sunday night that had the 20-year-old Russian grinning.
“I was working on my shot all summer and I’m glad it’s paying off,” said Suniev, following a 4-2 loss to open the Flames pre-season schedule at the Dome.
“Felt great. Too bad we lost.”
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Suniev also happened to score the Flames only goal in last week’s prospects game.
“Three goals so far and he’s scored all three, so good on him,” said coach Ryan Huska.
“He can shoot a puck, and when he has opportunities it’s nice to see him have success.
“Every year that Suni has come back there’s been a lot of growth in his game. That’s what we’re excited about. He’s maturing both mentally and, for sure, physically as well.”
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Selected in the third round of the 2023 draft after scoring 45 goals and 90 points in 50 games with the Penticton Vees, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder with the world-class shot offers plenty of hope for an organization desperately in search of goal scorers.
Suniev cut Seattle’s 2-0 lead in half by converting a nifty feed from Sam Honzek in the slot to beat Philipp Grubauer with a quick release along the ice. He stepped across the blue line and rifled a shot in off Nikke Kokko’s glove to tie the game 2-2 with 10 minutes left.
Suniev spent two years at UMass-Amherst before spending last season with the Wranglers, where the bulk of his 16 goals came in the second half as the team put an emphasis on helping him learn the defensive side of the game.
A look at a few other notable performances:
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The best player on the ice all night was a youngster who made a big splash in camp two autumns ago when the 2023 first-rounder led the pre-season in scoring, earning an opening-night gig in the bigs. Injuries ruined that season for him, and last season wasn’t much better, as he missed the last five months due to shoulder surgery.
But on this night he was involved at both ends of the ice, forcing turnovers, creating chances and eventually setting up Suniev’s first with a brilliant interception and feed.
The two seemed to have good chemistry when on the ice together, giving fans plenty of hope that the roster spot he’s been penciled in for due to Jonathan Huberdeau’s injury will likely be well-earned.
“He was back like he hadn’t missed a year,” said Huska of the 6-foot-4, 186-pound lefty, who opened the night with a big hit that should give him confidence his shoulder woes are behind him.
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“He brings an element to our team we don’t have a lot of — he’s got size, but he’s also got some real speed. And when he’s on the ice he’s noticeable not just for his ability to forecheck and put pressure on the opponents, but tonight he made some really good plays with the puck.”
Parekh appeared to pick up right where he left off late last season with a confident stride and approach that had him wheeling all around the offensive zone, making great passes and attempting plenty of shots as he moved in from the point.
By night’s end he had 10 shot attempts, but only one got through.
Paired with Yan Kuznetsov all night, he also ran the first power-play unit where he had a particularly impressive 4-on-3 in which he, Suniev, Matvei Gridin and Rory Kerins snapped it around in impressive fashion before Suniev rang his shot off the post.
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Parekh’s engagement level was high, as he took exception to a late shove from Nathan Villeneuve and responded with several shoves, prompting an official to break them up.
The man they call Brew ran the second PP unit and looked comfortable in a young group.
Some may have been surprised when he started camp in the second group, behind players like Joel Hanley and Brayden Pachal, but the coach said that had more to do with the fact it makes no sense to keep nine defenders in the first bunch.
“The goal is to play in the NHL every single day,” said the 21-year-old, who played 34 games with the Flames last year and 34 with the Wranglers.
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“Obviously playing a little bit last year was good to see how everyone prepares and goes about things, and then obviously the feedback of what I need to work on in the summer was good.”
He worked on his skating, and Huska said he’s noticed the difference.
Just a few days after re-signing on a one-year deal with the team as an RFA, the 23-year-old made an early splash with a big hit on defenceman Ville Ottavainen along the boards. The officials didn’t like it, and kicked him out of the game with an elbowing major, but not before Seattle’s John Hayden got a chance to try offering up a little payback with a fight that ended without consequence.
Too bad he only lasted five minutes, as the winger acquired from the Rangers last season for Jacob Battaglia had the best early scoring chance when he took a great feed from Honzek and was denied by the crossbar.
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“For the short time he was in the game, he had an impact,” said Huska.
“It’s too bad that he got tossed out because he was very noticeable — he drew a penalty, had a chance off the crossbar and had a big hit.”
As the only player in camp on a professional tryout, the 28-year-old son of former Flame Michael Nylander has just two games to show he’s worthy of being offered a contract.
On a team that will be desperately searching to find more goals this year, the thought was that Nylander might be able to help the team’s power play, as he’d scored 23 and 34 goals his last two years in the AHL.
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You can certainly see the skill and shiftiness, but it’s hard to imagine this limited look would entice the team to eat up a roster spot otherwise destined for youngsters in the organization.
Team India landed in Tokyo ahead of the upcoming Asian Games 2026. The Men in Blue will also square off against hosts Japan in a historic one-off T20I at Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video on social media, giving fans a glimpse of the team’s arrival. A few fans were spotted cheering Team India at the airport, and some of them also clicked pictures with the cricketers.
The video ended with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan speaking a few words in Japanese. Watch the clip here:
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India will defend their gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. They will begin their campaign in the quarterfinals at Korogi Sports Park on September 28. Shreyas Iyer will continue leading the side, with Tilak Varma serving as his deputy. The side will face the runners-up of Group A, consisting of Afghanistan, Nepal, and Japan.
“Get used to the conditions” – Shreyas Iyer opens up on India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign
India captain Shreyas Iyer remarked that the team will look to get used to the conditions in Japan. He pointed out that they have not played any cricket in the country, and the one-off T20I against the hosts will set the ball rolling for the Asian Games 2026.
Iyer said in a video posted by the BCCI on social media:
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“Regarding the Asian Games, this is going to be my first time. So, I am looking forward to going there and firstly to get used to the conditions because we have never been there before. So, having a set of ideas about how the wickets are over there, it’s going to be a combination of everything and the most important aspect is that again we gel along as a team, and this series is definitely a great momentum towards Asian Games.”
India will go into the Asian Games following a clinical 3-0 T20I series whitewash over Afghanistan.
Pierce underwent offseason surgery on the same lower leg
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The Indianapolis Colts will be without their most important wide receiver for the remainder of Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Alec Pierce left the game late in the first quarter with a heel injury which he appeared to sustain while making a break on a route downfield. The Colts officially ruled him out. ESPN is reporting that X-rays were negative and Pierce will be further evaluated on Monday.
Pierce ran downfield and cut right toward the sideline, and he lost his footing while changing directions. He stood back up, continued his route and pulled up in obvious pain. Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams was in coverage but did not appear to make meaningful contact with Pierce when the injury occurred.
The Colts’ entire medical staff surrounded Pierce on the sideline and helped him into the medical tent. He was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he entered the tent. After nearly 10 minutes of examination, the staff carted Pierce into the locker room to conduct X-rays.
The injury is particularly concerning given Pierce’s recent history. He underwent surgery on his left ankle in the offseason, and the recovery process made him unavailable for most team activities until practice leading up to Week 1. He was a limited participant in practice at the start of the season and is only now approaching full speed.
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Pierce secured one catch for 11 yards on his lone target in the first quarter. In his absence, Josh Downs figures to be elevated to the No. 1 role while late-offseason addition Keenan Allen could also see an uptick in targets. Tight end Tyler Warren was active early and scored the game’s first touchdown, so he also projects as a larger part of Indianapolis’ game plan with Pierce unavailable.
Pierce is among the NFL’s most lethal big-play threats. He led the league each of the last two years in yards per reception, and he caught four passes for 61 yards in Week 1.
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