Team USA has its opponent for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final on Tuesday night. 

Venezuela ended Italy’s magical WBC run on Monday night, coming from behind to defeat them, 4-2, at loanDepot park, earning a spot in the final against the United States. 

Italy was the surprise team of the tournament, taking down the U.S. in pool play before defeating Mexico to finish a perfect 4-0 in Pool B.

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Eugenio Suárez of Team Venezuela celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against Team Italy in the fourth inning at loanDepot park on March 16, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

But that win over Mexico also kept Team USA alive in the tournament, allowing them to advance to the quarterfinals, where they defeated Canada before earning a thrilling 2-1 semifinal victory over the Dominican Republic on Sunday night to punch their ticket back to the final.

While it felt only right for the U.S. and Italy to meet once more to determine who would win it all before the start of the 2026 MLB season, Venezuela had other things in mind during the bottom of the seventh inning.

Down 2-1 in the contest, Venezuela found themselves threatening with a potential two-out rally after Jackson Chourio, the Milwaukee Brewers’ rising star, singled to center field, allowing Andres Gimenez to advance to third base.

That’s when Ronald Acuña Jr., the face of Venezuelan baseball, reached first on an infield single that allowed Gimenez to score, tying the game at two apiece. But the rally wasn’t over just yet.

The Venezuelans caught fire after Acuña’s single, as Maikel Garcia singled to left field, scoring Chourio, and Luis Arraez brought home Acuña. With two outs, Venezuela seized all the momentum with a three-run seventh inning that made it 4-2.

Italy had been clinging to the lead since the bottom of the second inning, when they made the most of a bases-loaded situation. J.J. D’Orazio walked home a run, while Dante Nori grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored another to give Italy a 2-0 lead.

Slugger Eugenio Suarez got Venezuela on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run to left-center field, cutting the deficit to one. But they weren’t able to string together additional offense until that seventh inning.

From there, Italy could never get a rally started, as Daniel Palencia eventually shut the door in the ninth inning, striking out the final two Italian hitters.

As Venezuela celebrated, Italy hung their heads, but their story this month has been nothing short of incredible. Their espresso machine in the dugout — which captain Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals helped turn into a home run celebration — went viral as they continued to have success. The roster featured established MLB stars, top prospects and players with Italian heritage, earning praise from big leaguers throughout the past two weeks.

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But it’s Venezuela, ripe with top MLB talent, ready to take on Team USA and starter Nolan McLean, who Italy touched up in their pool play game, on Tuesday night to determine who holds the rights to call themselves the best baseball team in the world for at least the next three years. 

Team USA and Venezuela will face each other at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. 

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The Minnesota Vikings free agency might be going at a snail’s pace so far, especially when it comes to incoming players. However, there have been two new players added so far in this year’s Vikings free agency, and Pro Football Focus has had its say.

PFF keeps an up-to-date tracker of every team’s moves in free agency and then gives its verdict on the moves that are made.

PFF Weighed In on Minnesota’s Key Additions Right Away

While some teams have a lot to grade as the league broke the record for most spending over the opening four days, Vikings free agency has been quiet with the $16.125 million spent by Minnesota the least amount spent by any team in the league – a stark contrast to last year when the Vikings were second only to the New England Patriots in FA spending.

In the first week of free agency, the Vikings made sure that Jalen Redmond, Andrew DePaola, and Tavierre Thomas were back in Minnesota for 2026, and also put a right-of-refusal tender on Ivan Pace. Only two new faces have been announced as arriving in Minnesota. The big news at quarterback is Kyler Murray and James Pierre, adding depth to the cornerback room. PFF gave their assessment of these moves.

CB James Pierre signs with the Vikings

Similar to Isaiah Rodgers last year, Pierre turned his best season in the league to date into a good contract from the Vikings. Pierre is a couple of years older than Rodgers, turning 30 in September, but if he can put in the same level of performance as last season as the Vikings’ CB3, that will be a significant improvement in the Vikings’ secondary. Here is what PFF had to say about the move.

• 2025 PFF Grade: 86.2
• 2025 PFF WAR: 0.33
• Contract: 2 years, $8.5 million
• PFF Projected Contract: 1 year, $1.25 million
• PFF Deal Grade: Average

Pierre looked really good in limited work in 2025, earning an 86.2 PFF overall grade on 408 snaps, so this is a worthwhile swing of the bat for the Vikings. It’s a bigger contract than PFF was projecting, but even if all he is is a good depth player, it’s a perfectly reasonable signing. The upside is that if Pierre can continue to improve, as we saw this past season, the Vikings could be getting a starting-caliber cornerback for a steal.

Pierre has never been a consistent starter in the NFL, and it would be unusual for that to start at age 30. The contact looks hefty, with the salary cap continuing to grow year on year, and new FA contracts look big every year. If Minnesota can get a couple of seasons of consistent play out of Pierre, this will have been a good deal.

QB Kyler Murray Signs with Vikings

Who were the Vikings going to bring in at QB? It was the story of the offseason, and it became more and more likely that it was going to be Murray as the weeks went by.

We finally got the confirmation, and Murray lands in Minnesota for one year, hoping to prove he can still be the guy and earn another big contract. Here is what PFF had to say about the deal.

• 2025 PFF Grade: 72.2
• 2025 PFF WAR: 0.55
• Contract: 1 year
• PFF Contract Projection: 1 year, $1.3 million
• PFF Contract Grade: Good

After a trying 2025 season that saw Murray play just five games, he lands in an ideal landing spot with the Vikings. Murray hasn’t been as dynamic over the last three years with a 74.3 PFF passing grade, tossing 48 big-time throws compared to 43 turnover-worthy plays, but he’s still a high-ceiling starter who should push J.J. McCarthy. If Murray plays like peak form, this will look like an absolute bargain.

Some are still pushing the agenda of a QB competition, but it would be a surprise if Murray doesn’t start the season as the Vikings’ QB1. In the situation that Minnesota found itself in, bringing in a player of Murray’s caliber and basically no cost has been a stroke of luck.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

New Zealand vs South Africa 2nd T20I Live Updates And Live Score© AFP

Had the William Reid Stakes remained at Moonee Valley, Jimmysstar was set to begin his autumn there anyway, but Ciaron Maher’s outfit welcomes the move to Caulfield this season.

The million-dollar showdown shifts to Caulfield this Saturday as The Valley undergoes maintenance work.

Jimmysstar’s Caulfield record stands at six starts for five successes, encompassing Group 1 conquests in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m).

The Per Incanto six-year-old enters his return off two winning trials, with assistant trainer Jack Turnbull from the Maher stable eager for his weekend engagement.

“The William Reid is here at Caulfield, which is his favourite track,” Turnbull said.

“He’s had a faultless prep and his trials are obviously there to be seen.

“It would be nice to think he’s come back better – he doesn’t need to – but he tries, he’s very competitive and he’s clearly a very good horse.”

This marks Jimmysstar’s first outing post his third career Group 1 victory in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes; though a leading 1400m performer domestically, Turnbull sees the weight-for-age 1200m as optimal for his fresh assignment.

“He won the Oakleigh Plate here, but that was as a younger horse and he had no weight,” he said.

“Now as a mature horse, effectively he is a ‘seven furlong’ (1400m) horse, but he’s so brilliant and fresh over six (furlongs) he can really rip.”

With 15 declarations for the William Reid Stakes, Jimmysstar shares the Maher interest with Benedetta.

Benedetta has contested twice this time in, both on Flemington’s straight track—third in the Black Caviar Lightning, then sixth in the Newmarket Handicap—and Turnbull praises her unlucky but competitive showings.

“She’s been running bold races against some very good horses,” he said.

“She’s obviously going back to weight-for-age, but she deserves her place as well.”

Joining the Maher runners are 10 other Group 1 winners in the mix: Baraqiel, Charm Stone, Devil Night, Jigsaw, Lady Shenandoah (unlikely), Magic Time, Skybird, Tropicus, and Angel Capital as a probable.

Discover competitive betting markets for the race on the William Reid Stakes.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row. The Tide will are the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and will face the CAA champion Hofstra Pride in Tampa, Florida, in the first round of March Madness.

Alabama (23-9 overall) had a brief stay at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, falling 80-79 to a streaking Ole Miss Rebels team that jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first half before the Crimson Tide made a late push. Labaron Philon led Alabama with 28 points, Aden Holloway added 18, and Aiden Sherrell had 14.

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Hofstra (24-10) defeated William & Mary and Towson before taking down Monmouth, 75-69, in the CAA’s championship game to clinch the Pride’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 25 years. Cruz Davis leads Hofstra in scoring with 20.2 points per game, followed by Preston Edmead with 16. Philon leads Alabama in scoring with 21.7 points per game, which ranked third in the SEC this season.

Alabama is ranked No. 18 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll entering the tournament.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill says that Chris Atherton’s switch to the Republic of Ireland is “disappointing, but we have to accept it”.

Atherton made history in September 2022 when he became the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom at 13 years and 329 days old, when he featured for Glenavon in the League Cup in Northern Ireland.

The 17-year-old moved from Glenavon, who he had been with since the age of four, to Chelsea’s academy in July 2025 before signing a professional contract in October.

Atherton represented Northern Ireland at under-16 and under-17 level, and was a youth ambassador at the announcement in Nyon for the UK and Ireland’s successful bid to host Euro 2028 in October 2023, but has now changed allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking at his squad announcement for the World Cup play-off semi-final in Italy, O’Neill said “every player has the right to make that choice”.

“He’s a young player that had been initially in the Republic of Ireland set-up,” he continued.

“He came back to be part of our set-up and I think Chris played maybe 17 times for representative teams for us.

“But every player has the right to make that choice, and obviously he’s made that choice.”

O’Neill also referenced the decision of Omari Kellyman, who is on loan at Cardiff City from Chelsea and switched to England from Northern Ireland in 2023.

Northern Ireland have also benefited from changes of allegiance, as Jamie Donley and Ronan Hale switched from England and the Republic of Ireland respectively in the past 12 months.

“We can’t handcuff them to a decision that they made initially,” O’Neill added.

“They have the right to make that choice once in their career, and Chris has decided to make that choice.

“We can only wish him well.”

Despite featuring in the Top 10 highest run-getters in IPL history, these legendary players have never won the orange cap even after 18 editions of the tournament.

IPL Trophy. (BCCI/IPL Photo)

Despite featuring in the Top 10 highest run-getters in IPL history, these legendary players have never won the orange cap even after 18 editions of the tournament.

IPL Trophy. (BCCI/IPL Photo)

Despite featuring in the Top 10 highest run-getters in IPL history, these legendary players have never won the orange cap even after 18 editions of the tournament.

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 approaches its blockbuster start of the 19th edition on March 28, the tournament once again promises high-octane cricket, massive runs, and individual brilliance. In an era dominated by batting, where the highest run scorer of season leads to the prestigious Orange Cap, there is a shocking fact that some of the IPL’s greatest run-scorers have never claimed the award.Despite featuring in the Top 10 highest run-getters in IPL history, these legendary players have never won the orange cap even after 18 editions of the tournament.1. Rohit Sharma: One of the biggest names in IPL history, Rohit Sharma is also one of the most successful captains, leading Mumbai Indians to five titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020). Known for his elegant batting, Rohit ranks 2nd in the top run-scorers in IPL history with 7,046 runs in 272 matches. Rohit Sharma’s best IPL season with the bat was arguably 2013, where he scored 538 runs to lead the Mumbai Indians (MI) to their maiden title. Despite his impact, he has never won an Orange Cap. 2. Shikhar Dhawan: Sitting 3rd on the all-time run charts, Dhawan has amassed 6769 runs in 222 matches. He came close to winning the Orange Cap in 2020 and 2021, where he was among the top contenders but narrowly missed out. Representing teams Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, and Punjab Kings, Dhawan has delivered several memorable performances but never topped a season.3. Suresh Raina: Suresh Raina Often called ‘Mr. IPL’ was the backbone of Chennai Super Kings’ batting lineup. He scored 5,528 runs in 205 matches Sitting on 5th on the all-time run charts. His best season came in 2013 (548 runs), but even then, he fell short of the Orange Cap an astonishing fact given his dominance during IPL’s early years.4. AB de Villiers: One of the most destructive batters in IPL history, AB de Villiers thrilled fans with his innovative stroke play. He ended his IPL career with 5,162 runs in 184 matches currently sitting on 8th position, with his best season coming in 2016 (687 runs, 3rd place). Batting mostly in the middle order often reduced his chances of accumulating the highest seasonal tally, keeping the Orange Cap just out of reach.5. Ajinkya Rahane: Ajinkya Rahane currently at 9th position in all time run getters has been a dependable opener in the IPL, scoring 5,032 runs in 183 matches. His standout season came in 2012 (560 runs for Rajasthan Royals), yet he never finished as the top run-scorer in any edition. Despite his classical style and consistency, the Orange Cap has eluded him.

Honourable Mention: MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni, one of the most iconic players in IPL history, has also never won the Orange Cap. The Chennai Super Kings legend has led his team to five titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) and scored 5,439 runs in 278 matches. Known more for his finishing role than accumulating big seasonal tallies, Dhoni’s best seasons 2018 (455 runs) and 2019 (416 runs) still weren’t enough to secure the award mainly because his role as a finisher limited his opportunities to score big runs across the season.

Top 10 highest ‘run scorers’ in IPL history

Yang Hyun-Jun has delivered a clear message to Hearts and the latest Ibrox club, insisting the Celtic squad is fully focused on the title run-in after putting recent distractions behind them…

The winger was instrumental in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Motherwell, netting twice to help close the gap at the top of the Premiership to just two points behind leaders Hearts with eight matches remaining.

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It has been a turbulent campaign for Martin O’Neill’s side, with injuries disrupting progress on the pitch while off-field issues have also created instability throughout the season.

However, there were signs of renewed unity at Celtic Park over the weekend, as the Hoops produced one of their finest performances of the season at a crucial stage of the campaign.

Yang believes the challenges of recent months are now in the past and says the team is fully committed to pushing hard in the closing weeks as they aim to secure another league title.

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Speaking post match after starring in Celtic’s 3-1 win Motherwell, Yang told the mainstream media via Daily Record: “The goal is to win the title now. What has happened this season is in the past now and I am only focusing on the present and what is to come.

“In order for a team to be successful there has to be obstacles. You don’t just get an easy win. It has been difficult at times but if we can achieve our goal this season it will be a massive boost to the team.

“I was really happy with the result and the performance. You can see the character in the team. It just feels like all of the hard work we are doing is paying off and you can see the path the team wants to take. It has to be one game at a time though at this stage of the season.”

Hyunjun Yang of Celtic scores his team’s opening goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Motherwell at Celtic Park on March 14, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

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Yang added: “It was a very tough game. It was nice to get the two goals but my main priority was for the team and getting the win. I was fortunate to get the opportunities to score and I was very happy to contribute.”

“But I was more happy with the win. It was a very important three points following the difficult run of away matches.”

Hyunjun Yang of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the ScottishPremiership match between Celtic and Motherwell at Celtic Park on March 14, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“Motherwell are obviously a very good team. We prepared really well over the past week and I think that contributed to the win. I think this can give me and the team a lot of confidence that we can take into the next game and the rest of the season.”

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