Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn was on the brink of making history on Monday night, but the moment fell out of his grasp in the final inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels.
Ginn took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, hoping to become the first pitcher to throw one by himself since Blake Snell did it for the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 2, 2024, and the first to complete one since three Chicago Cubs pitchers combined for one on Sept. 4, 2024.
Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., on May 18, 2026.(William Liang/AP)
The Angels were able to break up the no-no in the bottom of the ninth when Adam Frazier singled. Then, Zach Neto came to the plate and hit a walk-off home run, giving the Angels a 2-1 lead in dramatic fashion.
In almost an instant, Ginn’s shot was ruined.
“Obviously a tough game,” Ginn said after the game. “Just keep your head up and keep moving forward. It’s just the nature of the game that we play. I attack the zone and I live with that.”
Frazier lined a pitch over the shortstop facing an 0-2 count. Neto was up 2-0 in the count when he hit the game-winning home run.
Los Angeles Angels’ Zach Neto is doused with liquid after hitting a walkoff home run during the ninth inning against the Athletics in Anaheim, Calif., on May 18, 2026.(William Liang/AP)
“Just a crazy game to play,” Ginn said. “I fell behind 2-0, threw a good sinker, and he was waiting on it and put a good swing on it. So, tip your cap to him.”
Ginn threw a career-high 105 pitches and struck out 10 batters. He became the sixth major leaguer since 1974 to allow no hits or runs in the first eight innings of the game and take the loss. Rich Hill last made the mark for the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2017.
“J.T. dominated all night. For him to walk off the mound with a loss there, it hurts, obviously,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “He pitched probably the best game he’s pitched in his big league career, and to have an opportunity to get a no-hitter, and two hits later you walk off with a loss, it’s tough. I had full confidence in him going out there in that inning at 100 pitches and trying to get it done. It just didn’t work out.”
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The A’s scored their lone run in the top of the ninth when Lawrence Butler drove in Zack Gelof. The A’s were able to record seven hits off the Angels.
Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom reacts during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., on May 18, 2026.(William Liang/AP)
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Pain can hit in such different ways, you wonder why we lump it all under the same umbrella.
The familiar ache of missing the playoffs for a ridiculous 14 straight seasons grows almost numbing with its persistent frustration. That brand of pain nags like a bum ankle but eventually just feels part of the Western New York uniform, interwoven with the identity of a whole generation of fans whose birthright is disappointment.
The sad comfort of long-term losing is a whole different animal from the gut punch of a second-round knockout. On home ice. In overtime. Of Game 7. After quieting Bell Centre on a Saturday night. After rallying from a 0-2 deficit in a winner-take-all and revving the diehards to can’t-hear-yourself-think decibels.
It’s so late Monday night, it’s almost Tuesday. The Buffalo Sabres goaltender’s eyes are as red as the lamp Alex Newhook lit behind his net in the 72nd minute of Game 7, the final one of his season. Inside the home room hangs a giant, stuffed buffalo head and the quiet of a morgue.
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“It just sucks. It stings. It sucks. I dunno,” Luukkonen says.
The Sabres have just scored nine of the series’ final 12 goals. They’ve just dominated the Montreal Canadiens in every offensive category of Game 7 (shots, attempts, chances, high dangers, expected goals) except the one that matters.
The Canadiens have won 3-2, advancing to the conference final, where they’ll face a Carolina Hurricanes team that must suddenly remember how hockey games work.
All because Newhook pulled a puck on a low-reward rush, slipped defenceman Rasmus Dahlin into a screen, and whipped a knuckle puck that dipped just under Luukkonen’s glove and over his left pad.
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Before shaking hands and saluting fans and answering the tough questions, Luukkonen chucked hunks of his equipment down the hallway.
“It comes down to small things. They got the bounces,” Dahlin says. “F—— sucks.
“One shot decides the whole season. It sucks.”
Why it hurts is because for the first time in 15 years, Buffalo — a hockey town deprived of meaningful hockey — was actually good. And fun. Resilient. And surprising in all the best ways.
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When Dahlin tied Game 7 with a snipe in the third period, KeyBank Center jolted to life like Frankenstein’s monster. Your heart got kickstarted long before Mötley Crüe’s goal song had a chance to blast.
The teams in this series — overall the tightest but within stretches the most lopsided of Round 2 — treated goal-scoring the way Drake treats album drops: long buildups of anticipation, then a bunch all at once. And because of that, you expected the pressing Sabres to complete their plot twist Monday.
“I don’t think anyone in this room felt like we were done yet,” Tage Thompson says. “I thought we played a really good game, which makes it even tougher.
“Luuk played great. Keeps it tight for us. Pull our way back into it and felt like we had all the momentum. Just couldn’t score.”
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No team in the Eastern Conference has scored more often than these Sabres, who piled 326 goals between the regular season and playoffs. A 327th would’ve kept them alive.
Still, they should be celebrated for their accomplishments.
According to the royal-blue-and-gold hat legendary NFL broadcaster Chris Berman sported to the game, these Sabres were a WAGON. And a whole city guzzled Blue from a beer sabre and jumped aboard for the joyride.
“This is a giant step for us. A giant step for all the players to really get a feel what it’s really like to be proud of being a Buffalo Sabre, to be proud of playing here,” coach Lindy Ruff says.
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“You know, when I took the job, I thought No. 1 was I wanted these guys to like being a Buffalo Sabre. I think they like being a Sabre, and I think they did our city proud. It wasn’t the result we wanted, and to a man they’re all disappointed, but they gave me everything you had in their tank.”
Forget the quenching of a drought that lasted since 2011, this was the best Sabres squad in 19 years.
They jumped year-over-year from 79 to 109 points, their most since 2007. They ousted the Bruins and nearly the Canadiens. After years of drafting top five, they finish top five.
“I don’t think you get to this spot, especially the way we started the season, without a group of brothers that want to go to war for each other,” Thompson says. “You’re going to face doubt and hate, and a bunch of noise all year long, especially in the position we were in. And the only way to get through that is to lean on each other.
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“We did that all year. We leaned on each other hard. A lot of hard work went into this season by everyone that lot of people don’t get to see. A lot of adversity and a lot of challenges. The physical and mental grind that we went through to get here is why it hurts so bad. Felt like we should have got rewarded for it a little bit more.”
Be it digging out of a self-inflicted October hole, overwhelming the more veteran Bruins in Round 1, or pushing the Habs to the brink, Ruff will remember this group for its resilience.
“This was a team that they never quit. And they probably had every excuse to at times, but they always found a reason to win,” Ruff says.
“The energy around our team, around the city, in this building, outside the building, this was the first time our players got to experience something like this. And I couldn’t be more proud of the way our city represented themselves with our play.”
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Tonight feels dark, no doubt, but the future is bright for the third-youngest roster in the NHL.
Local man Alex Tuch, who failed to register a point in this series, is an impending unrestricted free agent, and he won’t be cheap to keep. Bulldog Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs are both restricted and in need of raises. But the bulk of Buffalo’s core is locked up, most at reasonable if not favourable rates. And GM Jarmo Kekalainen has cap space and momentum on his side.
But just because the long-suffering Sabres are entering a window of relevance doesn’t guarantee their ticket to Round 3 will be so close to getting punched.
“The way we were playing, I think everyone in the room felt like we were winning that game,” Thompson says. “We just gotta, unfortunately, take that taste with us into the summer and do something about it.”
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The only remedy for this type of pain is winning.
“I told the team it hurts,” Ruff says. “That pain will go away. But I won’t let this one game define the season we had.”
India’s archery squad for the 2026 Asian Games has been finalised after selection trials at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI’s) National Centre of Excellence in Sonipat, with several established names missing out.
Olympians Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das narrowly failed to secure places in the recurve category after finishing outside the top three.
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In compound, former world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale, Abhishek Verma and Rishabh Yadav were also left out.
While fresh faces emerged across categories, experienced archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam once again led the women’s compound standings, underlining continuity in a squad that also reflects significant changes ahead of the continental event.
India’s squad for Asian Games 2026
The final squads were selected based on the top-three finishers in each category during the trials in Sonipat.
Sahil Rajesh Jadhav topped the men’s compound standings, while Kushal Dalal and Ganesh Thiru Muru completed the line-up. In the women’s compound section, Jyothi Surekha Vennam once again finished on top, with Taniparthi Chikitha and Prithika Pradeep sealing the remaining places.
B. Dhiraj and Kirti Sharma emerged as the top performers in the men’s and women’s recurve categories, respectively. Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, however, narrowly missed qualification after finishing just outside the top three.
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How Indian archers performed at Asian Games 2023
India enjoyed its best-ever archery campaign at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where a 16-member contingent returned with nine medals. The archery events were held at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre, featuring medal contests in both recurve and compound categories across individual, team and mixed-team events.
Indian compound archers dominated the competition, sweeping all five gold medals available in their discipline. Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale were the standout performers, winning the women’s and men’s individual compound gold medals, respectively. Jyothi and Ojas also played central roles in India’s team and mixed-team triumphs, with both ending the campaign with three gold medals each.
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India’s recurve contingent also contributed to the medal tally. The men’s recurve team of Dhiraj Bommadevara, Atanu Das and Tushar Shelke secured silver, while Bhajan Kaur, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur claimed bronze in the women’s team event.
2023 medal winners who will miss the 2026 Asian Games
Several archers who contributed to India’s record haul in Hangzhou have not made the 2026 squad.
In compound, Ojas Pravin Deotale and Abhishek Verma — both medal winners in 2023 — failed to qualify after missing the top three in the men’s trials. Ojas had won individual gold and was part of the men’s team and mixed-team gold-winning combinations, while Abhishek had claimed individual silver and team gold.
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In recurve, Atanu Das also misses out after narrowly falling short in selection. He had been part of India’s silver medal-winning men’s recurve team at the 2023 Games.
Deepika Kumari, although not among India’s 2023 Asian Games medal winners, was another high-profile exclusion from the 2026 squad after finishing outside the qualification spots in women’s recurve.
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Despite these omissions, India retains some proven performers from Hangzhou, with Jyothi Surekha Vennam, B. Dhiraj and Ankita Bhakat among those returning for another Asian Games campaign.
Ahmedabad: India’s Jasprit Bumrah during a training session on the eve of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)(PTI03_07_2026_000358A)
NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were named in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming Afghanistan series as the BCCI on Tuesday announced the teams for the one-off Test and three-match ODI leg in June.Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested for both the Test and ODI assignments, while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant does not feature in the ODI setup.Rohit’s inclusion in the ODI squad, along with Hardik Pandya’s, is subject to fitness clearance.India’s ODI squad will be led by Shubman Gill with the series expected to serve as part of the team’s preparations towards the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.Gill will lead India in both formats, with KL Rahul appointed vice-captain for the one-off Test. The squads feature a blend of established names and fresh faces, with Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar included in the Test setup.The ODI squad also sees Prince Yadav earn his maiden India call-up alongside senior players Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer — named vice-captain – and KL Rahul as India continue preparations for next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.India will face Afghanistan in a one-off Test in New Chandigarh from June 6 before the ODI series begins in Dharamsala on June 14.
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.India last played a Test in November last year against South Africa in Guwahati, where Rishabh Pant captained the side in the absence of an injured Gill.The Afghanistan series will mark only the second Test meeting between the two nations. Afghanistan had previously played their maiden Test in India in Bengaluru in 2018.Afghanistan tour of India 2026 schedule:
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One-off Test: June 6-10, New Chandigarh
First ODI: June 14, Dharamsala
Second ODI: June 17, Lucknow
Third ODI: June 20, Chennai
The selectors have largely retained the core of the side that last featured in ODI cricket during the home series against New Zealand earlier this year, though a few fresh faces have also found a place in the setup.
Arsenal F.C. moved closer to winning the Premier League title after a 1-0 victory over relegated Burnley F.C. at the Emirates Stadium.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the match to give Arsenal an important win in the title race.
The German forward had a difficult evening after escaping a red card following a VAR review. Referee officials decided his late challenge on Lesley Ugochukwu deserved only a yellow card.
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The victory moved Arsenal five points clear of second-placed Manchester City F.C., although Pep Guardiola’s side still have two matches to play, starting with Tuesday’s game against AFC Bournemouth.
If Manchester City fail to win, Arsenal will be confirmed as Premier League champions.
Manager Mikel Arteta selected an attacking line-up against Burnley, and Arsenal controlled the game from the beginning.
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Before the goal, Leandro Trossard struck the post with a strong effort, while Bukayo Saka created danger with an excellent cross after beating defender Lucas Pires.
Arsenal finally scored in the 37th minute when Havertz headed home from a Saka corner kick.
The win leaves Arsenal close to their first Premier League title in 22 years. Even if Manchester City beat Bournemouth, Arsenal can still secure the title with victory over Crystal Palace F.C. on Sunday.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland’s 43-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon is going to the World Cup alongside teammates who were not born when he made his national-team debut in 2004.
Scotland coach Steve Clarke announced a 26-man squad Tuesday for the country’s first World Cup in 28 years, with Gordon among three goalkeepers who combined to play in just four league games for their clubs all season.
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Gordon would be the second-oldest player in the World Cup’s 96-year history if he gets on the field in North America. Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary was 45 when he played at the 2018 World Cup.
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Gordon played three times in January for Heart of Midlothian, the long-time Scottish Premiership leader that was edged for the title Saturday by Celtic, but has been dealing with shoulder injuries. The other two goalkeepers, likely first choice Angus Gunn of Nottingham Forest and Liam Kelly of Rangers, have also been largely out of favor at their clubs.
Clarke has two options with speed on the wings in 20-year-old Ben Gannon-Doak of Bournemouth and 19-year-old Findlay Curtis, who impressed in recent months playing for Kilmarnock on loan from Rangers.
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland was also picked and should lead the attack when Scotland opens its World Cup campaign against Haiti on June 14 in Boston.
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Scotland also plays Morocco in Boston and finishes the group against Brazil in Miami on June 24.
Napoli‘s Scott McTominay heads a strong group of midfielders playing for Italian clubs, but Clarke did not include Udinese’s Lennon Miller who was an expected pick.
The central defenders include Rangers’ John Souttar, whose younger brother Harry Souttar is in line to play for Australia at his second straight World Cup.
The team’s captain is Andy Robertson, the veteran Liverpool left-back who is leaving Anfield after the season.
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Scotland quad:
Goalkeepers: Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Craig Gordon (Heart of Midlothian), Liam Kelly (Rangers).
Brazilian football superstar is back on the world stage. His country’s all-time leading goalscorer, he earned a dramatic recall to Brazil’s World Cup squad, returning to the national team after nearly three years away. The 34-year-old will headline Carlo Ancelotti’s roster as Brazil chases a record sixth World Cup title.
When putting into context the significance of Freiburg reaching their first ever European final, the words of Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany feel the most pertinent.
“I think it [Freiburg’s success] embodies everything that is positive about football,” Kompany said recently. “It’s a small club that’s building itself up with its own resources. What Freiburg are doing is a great example for many other clubs.”
Much has been written about the small club from Baden-Württemberg in recent years. A local club in its origin, Freiburg have evolved from a team yoyoing between the divisions to an established Bundesliga side.
Despite a first-ever German Cup final in 2022 (one that ended in a dramatic defeat on penalties), a Europa League tie against Juventus the year after and a new stadium in 2024, Freiburg have never strayed from the core values of a local club. They are prudent with their business, growth always feels organic, and ultimately, in an era of staggering financial power, remain that rarest of all things in football: a sensible club.
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Freiburg’s old stadium was near the edge of the forest but the move to the new stadium hasn’t seen them lose their connection to their originImage: Heuberger/imago images
Youth development, money management, cultural vibes
Freiburg have an excellent record of developing young players. It is estimated that 60 or more players currently in the top three divisions were either developed by or have played for the club. Then there’s the financial restraint the club has shown in recent years. Beyond their approach in the transfer market – their record signing is Ritsu Doan in 2022, for a reported fee of just over €10m ($11.6m) – the management of the books is truly an example for others.
In 2025, Freiburg reported a profit of €11.8 million despite not playing in Europe, where prize money is higher. Also, unusually, Freiburg have no bank liabilities.
Noah, who has had a season ticket since he was six, believes that this management is what helped steer the club through the coronavirus pandemic, a time when historically more powerful clubs like Schalke and Borussia Mönchengladbach struggled.
“I’d even go so far as to say that without the pandemic, this dramatic rise wouldn’t have happened, because the other clubs would have been able to continue operating as usual” Noah told DW.
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Beyond that, there is also the way the city and the club work together.
“There are cafes in Freiburg where you know players go,” Noah said. “They don’t live a closed-off life. You can see them walk through the city and you can say hello. I think this is why many players stay at the club for years instead of taking the next step, even if they could.” Matthias Ginter and Vincenzo Grifo are the two most obvious players who both left but returned. Both have played their best football in Freiburg. “The club knows me, and I know the club,” is how Grifo summed it up to the Pforzheimer Kurier newspaper. “I feel like I never left.”
Head coach connection also key to development
The club’s success and recognition are also connected to their charismatic, emotional and outspoken head coach Christian Streich, who left in 2024 after 12 years in charge. Streich regularly spoke out about social issues in Germany and often reminded football of its place in the world. Now, the club quietly enjoying its tenth consecutive season in Germany’s topflight has a chance to win a major European trophy and qualify for the biggest show in club football, the Champions League.
“With Christian Günther, who is now the club’s all-time leader in appearances, with Vincenzo Grifo, who is our all-time leading scorer, and now with Nico Höfler, who has simply been the face of this club for years and who’s going to play his last game for the club in an international final in Istanbul, it’s emotional,” said Noah, who described the season as “incredible.”
And then there’s head coach Julian Schuster. A former playing legend who played under Streich, his transition to head coach has been seamless.
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“I remember him as a player, as our captain. I still remember him scoring a bicycle kick. Then, in 2022, he was there in the away end in Hamburg for the German Cup semifinals, singing along to the songs at the top of his lungs,” said Noah, explaining why he’s such a natural fit.
Julian Schuster has made a seamless transition as Freiburg head coach, following on from the iconic coach Christian Streich (right)Image: Ulf Schiller/IMAGO
A fairytale ending in sight?
This European run saw Freiburg finish seventh in the league phase, before seeing off Genk, Celta Vigo and Braga to make the final. Their opponents are Premier League side Aston Villa, who have a squad market value of nearly €550m – more than twice that of Freiburg’s.
To say they are the underdogs, would be an understatement.
“To be completely honest, I’d also be a little afraid of what would happen to the club if they actually won a game like that,” said Noah, admitting his Freiburg DNA might be getting the better of him. “With the club’s growing success and the ever-increasing number of members— I’m worried that it will eventually become a question of how to preserve our own identity and maintain realistic expectations.”
Emotion, not expectation will be the hardest thing for Freiburg fans to manage in the next few days.
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“The chance to share that with people I’ve been in the stands with since I was a little kid, with people who I’ve experienced all of this with, who I traveled to Sandhausen with, to Koblenz with, and who’ve been with me to all those away games, even in the second division, and who have simply been with this club for years… that’s real, and it makes me really happy and emotional,” said Noah.
May 18, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Josh Bell (56) hits a solo home run against the Houston Astros in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Josh Bell went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins held on for a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on a rain-soaked Monday night in Minneapolis.
Luke Keaschall added two RBIs for Minnesota, which took the opener of a three-game series. The Twins have won six of their past nine games.
Christian Walker went 2-for-5 with an RBI for Houston. Jeremy Pena and Christian Vazquez added one RBI apiece.
The game included a rain delay that lasted nearly two hours.
Twins right-hander Eric Orze (2-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Orze was one of six relievers to follow rookie left-hander Kendry Rojas, who fired four scoreless innings in his first big-league start.
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Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (1-2) allowed three runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked none and struck out five.
Twins southpaw Taylor Rogers got the final two outs for his first save of the season.
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the second. Bell timed a changeup from Imai and crushed a 429-foot homer over the wall in center field.
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Bell struck again in the fourth to put the Twins on top 3-0. Trevor Larnach led off with a single and advanced to second on a balk, and Bell followed three batters later with a two-run blast to left for his second homer of the game and his fifth of the season.
After the rain delay, the Twins scored three more runs in the sixth to make it 6-0. Bell started the big inning with an RBI single to right, and Keaschall followed in the next at-bat with a two-RBI single to center.
The Astros got on the scoreboard in the seventh. Vazquez hit an RBI single against his former team, Pena added a sacrifice fly to right and Walker hit an RBI single to slice Houston’s deficit to 6-3.
Twins outfielder Byron Buxton missed his fifth game in a row because of hip soreness. Manager Derek Shelton said Buxton is “very close” to returning.
Oleksandr Usyk has beaten both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury twice, giving him a unique insight into how the all-British mega fight will play out should it happen this year.
Joshua now trains alongside Usyk and will have his first proper assignment under the new set-up – excluding a bout with Jake Paul last year – on July 25 when he faces Kristan Prenga.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Usyk backed his new training partner to win but had equal praise for Fury, who he calls ‘dangerous.’
“We will help AJ in training. My opinion is AJ [beats] Tyson Fury. Fury is an unbelievable fighter. A very dangerous guy. But, I look at how Anthony works and how he has changed. I like Fury, this is my greedy belly best friend … he’s an amazing fighter, but I want more Anthony to win. I think he deserves it.”
As all three men close in on retirement, ‘The Gypsy King’ still wants a trilogy with Usyk following two points losses. He has, however, stated that he will only sign to fight the Ukrainian if it takes place in the UK or the US, believing he will not get a fair rub of the green if they return to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Usyk takes on kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven this weekend in Egypt. Should he win as expected, he will be ordered to face WBC mandatory challenger, Agit Kabayel.
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