Despite losing their previous eight Six Nations matches, Wales came into the game with confidence after they registered a record four tries against world champions England in their last outing.
They started stronger in Belfast, but Wafer gave Ireland the lead against the run of play when the back row’s persistence paid off and she forced her way over the line before Dannah O’Brien added a challenging extra two.
Wales looked to respond quickly with a huge tackle from Parsons denying Hannah Dallavalle after Carys Cox had taken advantage of a mix-up and fed the ball through.
The visitors kept pushing and registered their first try when Georgia Evans dived over from close range and Keira Bevan was able to convert to level the match.
A double movement denied Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald after she had powered her way over as the home side, buoyed by a vocal crowd, began to settle.
Wafer then turned provider, shrugging off multiple white shirts before a superb offload to Parsons, who raced down the right wing to restore Ireland’s lead.
They then struck a hammer blow just before the break as, opting to play on with clock in the red, Ireland were rewarded for their persistence as they added their third try when Hogan crossed after sustained pressure from a ruck.
After the restart, a television match official [TMO] check confirmed Moloney-MacDonald’s kick out at Evans warranted a yellow card.
Wales were unable to take advantage of having an extra player and it was soon 14-players apiece for a period as Jasmine Joyce was shown a yellow card for placing her hands on the ground when bringing Eve Higgins down.
As the hour mark approached, Aoife Dalton and Linda Djougang linked up and fed the ball to Wafer to cross to secure the bonus point.
Bemand then turned to his bench and made a flurry of changes which added energy to their play.
Replacement Jones thought she had added Ireland’s fifth shortly after her introduction, only for her effort to be ruled out after a TMO review.
Joyce added Wales’ second try in the final five minutes as she held off Parsons and stretched to ground the ball.
Ireland did land a fifth try in the final seconds as Hogan bundled over from close range, with O’Brien able to convert for a fourth time.
ATLANTA — Bobby Cox, the folksy manager of the Atlanta Braves whose teams ruled the National League during the 1990s and gave the city its first major title as well as World Series trips that fell short, died Saturday. He was 84.
Cox died in Marietta, Ga., according to the Atlanta Braves. He had a stroke in 2019 and heart issues that complicated his recovery.
“Bobby was the best manager to ever wear a Braves uniform. He led our team to 14 straight division titles, five National League pennants, and the unforgettable World Series title in 1995. His Braves managerial legacy will never be matched,” the Braves said in a statement.
Cox took over a last-place team in June 1990 and led the Braves to a worst-to-first finish in 1991, losing the World Series to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. That was the start of what was to become a record 14 consecutive division titles, a feat no professional team in any sport had accomplished.
He managed the Braves for 25 years and led Atlanta to its first World Series title in 1995, retired after the 2010 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.
“Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him. His wealth of knowledge on player development and the intricacies of managing the game were rewarded with the sport’s ultimate prize in 2014 — enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame,” the Braves said.
Braves Bobby Cox, right, and Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston look over Camden Yards during All-Star workouts in 1993.
(Carlos Osorio / Associated Press)
As of Saturday, Cox ranks fourth all-time with 2,504 wins, fifth with 4,508 games, first with 15 division titles including a record 14 in a row, first with 16 playoff appearances and fourth with 67 playoff victories.
Only Connie Mack, John McGraw and Tony La Russa had more regular-season wins than Cox. His 158 regular-season ejections also was the most among managers.
“He is the Atlanta Braves,” catcher Brian McCann said in 2019. “He’s the best.”
McCann described Cox as an “icon” and “one of the best human beings any of us have ever met.”
The Braves retired Cox’s No. 6 jersey in 2011, when he joined the team’s Hall of Fame.
Cox spent 29 seasons as a major league manager, including four with Toronto. He managed 16 postseason teams. He brought an old-school approach to the dugout. He always wore spikes and stirrups, and his fatherly demeanor inspired loyalty from his players.
France score 11 tries on their way to a resounding 69-28 win over Scotland, to set up a final day showdown with England for the Women’s Six Nations title.
Get ready for the best high school boys’ volleyball action in the nation on Saturday when four powers face off in the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals.
First up is Huntington Beach hosting No. 1-seeded Mira Costa at 1 p.m. Then it’s Loyola hosting Redondo Union at 5 p.m.
All are capable of beating each other.
Teams are finally healthy, so there could be two five-game matches.
The incident left Valverde ruled out of El Clasico because of concussion symptoms, while both players were fined 500,000 euros (£432,000) following a club investigation.
Tchouameni returned to training on Friday and remains available for the match, although Arbeloa declined to confirm whether the France international would start.
“The players have acknowledged their mistake, expressed their regret and asked for forgiveness. That’s enough for me,” Arbeloa told reporters.
“These two players deserve for us to turn the page and allow them to keep fighting for this club. I’m very proud of them. I won’t allow this to be used to question their professionalism.”
Former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Spain defender Arbeloa also suggested dressing-room disputes were not unusual in elite football environments.
“I’ve had a team-mate who picked up a golf club and swung it at another player,” the 43-year-old said.
“What happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room, and that’s what hurts me the most.”
Arbeloa was referring to an incident during his time at Liverpool in 2007, when a disagreement between Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise during a training camp in Portugal reportedly escalated into Bellamy confronting his team-mate with a golf club.
“These are situations that have always happened, although I’m certainly not justifying it,” Arbeloa added.
“It was an incident and we were unfortunate that Fede ended up with a gash. It was more bad luck than anything else.”
The Madrid coach also accepted responsibility for the situation.
“If you want to blame someone, here I am,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Arbeloa insisted the focus remained on Sunday’s meeting with Barcelona.
“We face the Clasico with the ambition to do things well and go to win.”
Arbeloa does not appear to have a long-term future in his current post, with reports in Spain already linking several high-profile names, including Jose Mourinho, to the role for next season.
Pressure has also intensified on club president Florentino Perez, with questions being raised over a period that has seen Real Madrid go through three managers in two campaigns without lifting a trophy.
The club’s next appointment is now viewed as one of the most significant decisions of Perez’s presidency, as Madrid attempt to restore stability and competitiveness after a turbulent season on and off the pitch.
Despite the scrutiny, Arbeloa strongly defended the 79-year-old president.
“There is no-one more prepared than Florentino Perez to turn this situation around,” he said.
“I remember how the club was before his arrival. He is the president with the most titles in Real Madrid history and he brought the club back to where it belongs. We all have to fight together.”
Iran’s presence at the tournament has been shrouded in uncertainty since the US and Israel launched a war on the country in February.
Published On 9 May 20269 May 2026
Iran’s football federation has said the men’s national team will take part in the 2026 World Cup that begins in June, but demanded that joint hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada agree to its conditions amid the Middle East war.
The call on Saturday comes after Canada refused entry to the federation’s chief last month before the FIFA Congress because of his alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran’s military, which it designated as a “terrorist group” in 2024.
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Iran’s presence at the tournament, which will take place between June 11 and July 19, has been shrouded in uncertainty since the US and Israel launched a war on the Middle East country in February.
“We will definitely participate in the 2026 World Cup, but the hosts must take our concerns into account,” the Iranian federation said on its official website.
“We will participate in the World Cup tournament, but without any retreat from our beliefs, culture, and convictions.”
The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj told state TV on Friday that Tehran has 10 conditions for attending the global spectacle, seeking assurances over the country’s treatment.
The conditions include visas being granted and respect for the national team staff, the team’s flag and its national anthem during the tournament, as well as demands for high security at airports, hotels and routes to the stadiums where they will play.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that Iran’s footballers would be welcome at the tournament.
But he warned that the US may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation with ties to the IRGC, which it also designates as a terrorist organisation.
“All players and technical staff, especially those who have served their military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC, such as Mehdi Taremi and Ehsan Hajsafi, should be granted visas without any problems,” said Iranian football chief Taj.
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the US as scheduled.
Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
“No external power can deprive Iran of its participation in a cup to which it has qualified with merit,” the Iranian federation said on Saturday.
Ranked No. 1 in preseason, St. John Bosco’s baseball team suffered some surprising losses during the National High School Invitational and Boras Classic, losing three straight at one point.
“The little bump in the road was our last opportunities to get guys in there for non-Trinity League games to see what they could do,” coach Andy Rojo said.
The computer rankings didn’t appreciate St. John Bosco’s experimentation. The Braves closed the regular season with 11 straight wins and a Trinity League title, but were punished when the Southern Section Division 1 playoff pairings came out Friday. Orange Lutheran, second place to the Braves, was given a No. 4 seed ahead of No. 6 St. John Bosco.
The disrespect will only add to the motivation for the defending Division 1 champions. St. John Bosco finished the regular season 22-5 and 14-1 in the Trinity League.
It’s another lesson in this new era of relying on computer algorithms for playoff pairings. The people running the computers won’t release their secrets about how teams are really ranked. It’s locked up like the recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Two things are certain for all computer rankings: Head-to-head matchups are really not important and league finish doesn’t matter. Those are two criteria that used to be among the most important in the days when humans put together pairings, so you can understand why old-timers are having a hard time adjusting.
“We feel good,” Rojo said.
And he should. For Southern Section Division 1 baseball, it really doesn’t matter where you are ranked. The 16 teams are so good that everyone is set to go through a gauntlet and may the best team rise to the top.
Orange Lutheran is seeded No. 4 in the Division 1 baseball playoffs.
(Nick Koza)
St. John Bosco opens the playoffs on Tuesday in pool C facing probably the best opening opponent in Crestview League champion Cypress. St. John Bosco has ace Julian Garcia ready to go, but Cypress has multiple pitchers ready to compete. Sierra Canyon is the highest seed in pool C and opens at home against Oaks Christian.
Big VIII League champion Norco received the No. 1 seed for the first 16-team pool play tournament in Division 1. There are four four-team pools with the chance to lose one game and not go home. The first- and second-place finishers in each pool will advance to the single elimination eight-team quarterfinals.
“I love the double elimination,” Rojo said. “If you have a bad day, you get to redeem yourself.”
The other eight divisions remain 32 teams and single elimination.
The Braves effectively managed pitches for Garcia all season in his return from arm surgery that forced him to miss all of 2025. He was even taken out with a no-hitter in the sixth inning against Mater Dei while sticking with 85 pitches to preserve him for the playoffs. He’s had a pitcher-of-the-year season with a 7-1 record, 0.72 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 48⅓ innings.
The big change for the 2026 playoffs for St. John Bosco from 2025 is that closer Jack Champlin will be the No. 2 starter. Sophomore Brayden Krakowski has shown he can be an effective closer. A major decision by Rojo was to shake up his batting order after the three-game losing streak. He switched Jaden Jackson and James Clark, with Jackson becoming the leadoff man and Clark batting second.
“They’re both thriving,” Rojo said.
And so is St. John Bosco, whether computer believes it or not.
Football has gained a foothold in the United States, and the country seems ready to host the World Cup this summer – which was not clear in 1994.
Back then, when the US last hosted the World Cup, the country had no professional league and the national team was cobbled together with ex-collegians, journeymen, and semi-professionals.
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“Leading into ’94, we were at risk on the ticket side,” former US Soccer President Sunil Gulati told Al Jazeera in a recent interview. “For the US Organizing Committee, it was a big concern if we could sell all the tickets.’’
In the end, the 1994 tournament was successful. A record 3.5 million (68,991 per game) attended matches; the US advanced from the group stage for the first time since 1930, losing 1-0 to eventual champions Brazil in the last 16; and seeds were planted for a professional league, Major League Soccer.
Football has since moved from the margins to the mainstream in the US.
MLS is thriving, the national team is ranked a creditable 16th in the world by FIFA, and as the World Cup returns this summer, ticket demand far outpaces supply.
“If you said in 1994 MLS would be a 30-team league, with [22] soccer-specific stadiums and averaging 20,000 crowds – not in our wildest dreams,” Gulati said.
“The landscape is completely different. The most visible thing is the development of professional leagues, MLS and the women’s league [NWSL]. We had no first division league. And now there is [also] USL Division 2 and 3. The number of teams has increased dramatically.”
Today, the US Soccer Federation, commonly referred to as US Soccer, sanctions 127 professional teams – 102 men’s and 25 women’s.
“Eighteen of the top 50 [valued] teams in the world are in MLS,” Gulati said. “That’s an extraordinary statistic. The women’s team in Columbus just sold for $205m. Commercial interest in soccer and soccer leagues is at an all-time high.”
Credit Joao Havelange for seeing the future. During his reign as FIFA president, Havelange usually got what he wanted, and he wanted the 1994 World Cup in the US, along with a professional league.
Easier said than done, though. Organised football has been played in the US since the late 19th century, with the American Cup inaugurated in 1884. But over the following decades, several professional leagues collapsed, and after the North American Soccer League (NASL) folded in 1984, there appeared to be little future for the game. Enter Havelange and FIFA.
“FIFA recognised a long time ago that, for the sport to grow internationally, it had to be successful in the US,” Farrukh Quraishi, a Tampa, Florida-based administrator who played in the NASL, told Al Jazeera.
“For me, it was purely a matter of time. This is a huge and wealthy market. Now, you look at who is buying clubs in MLS, and it’s a who’s who of NFL owners.”
Looking back, it’s remarkable that the US actually competed in World Cups and played host to one at all, without a nationwide professional league.
Brazil celebrates winning the 1994 World Cup after defeating Italy 3-2 in a penalty shootout [Ben Radford/Getty Images]
For years, football’s foundation in the country was built on amateur and youth participation. By the early 1990s, the numbers were high, with an estimated 18 million people playing the sport at some level in the US. But the pyramid lacked a top tier, leaving a dead end for aspiring players, little media coverage, and scattered fan interest.
The 1994 World Cup came and went, and, in 1996, MLS finally kicked off.
Havelange duly arrived to commemorate the inaugural game, sitting in the rickety stands of Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California.
The San Jose Clash edged DC United 1-0, as Eric Wynalda scored an 88th-minute goal – just in time to avoid the game going to a “shootout”, in which draws were decided by players going one-on-one with goalkeepers from 32 metres (35 yards) out. This novel method of deciding games ended in 2000.
Football-specific stadiums started springing up in 1999. Lamar Hunt’s Columbus Crew Stadium became the country’s first major purpose-built football venue since Mark’s Stadium in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1922. Now, Columbus are on their second stadium, the ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, and a total of 22 MLS teams compete at their own venues.
Football finally became part of the American sporting scene.
“Is it in the same way as the NFL, with [average figures of more than 18 million] watching it, or the American Pastime that baseball is? No,” Gulati said.
“It’s not at that viewership level, [but] there is worldwide coverage of games. Look at everyone wearing jerseys on the street, Lionel Messi playing in Miami. It is part of the mainstream.”
‘Soccer still isn’t king in the US’
Not that the picture is not flawed. Wynalda, who went on to score 34 goals in 106 games for the US national team, sees the current system as a recipe for mediocrity, registering millions of youngsters but limiting their ambition as few US players take up prominent roles on MLS teams.
Most are offered the league’s minimum annual salary ($80,622) and only two US players were listed last year among the top 40 highest-paid, according to the MLS Players Association – Austin FC forward Brandon Vazquez (24th at $3.55m) and Nashville SC defender Walker Zimmerman (27th at $3.45m).
“Look at the growth of [MLS] and you can say soccer looks professional, looks like a big deal, looks major league. And a lot of people look at the sport with a different lens now because it’s a legitimate sport,” Wynalda, now a coach and commentator, told Al Jazeera.
“[But] facilities do not create ability. We need more focus on a competitive environment to develop players. We tell them winning doesn’t matter and then wonder why they can’t win. We’ve lost that competitive mentality.”
He favours introducing promotion/relegation as a solution.
“If you’re going to a team that is never going to be relegated, because it’s got enough money, you never learn how to fight relegation, how to beat 11 angry men with their livelihood on the line,” Wynalda said.
And while the MLS franchise model has created riches, with teams valued as high as Los Angeles FC at $1.25bn (thanks to owning the 22,000-seat BMO Stadium) by Forbes Magazine, the quality of play does not always correspond.
MLS teams have tended to struggle in CONCACAF competitions, although in 2022 the Seattle Sounders ended a 22-year drought for an MLS side to win the federation’s elite competition, which was previously won by DC United in 1998 and LA Galaxy in 2000.
“There are things we agree with and disagree with, on and off the field, but [MLS] is successful,” Fox Sports commentator Alexi Lalas, a central defender for the US in 1994, told Al Jazeera. “I don’t think you can argue against that.”
Thanks to the 1994 WC and MLS, football in the US became “a very different world, to finally be even recognised for what you did, let alone respected”, Lalas said. “You know, soccer still isn’t king in the US, but, let’s be honest, it’s part of the palate and certainly part of the landscape when it comes to this generation.”
Lalas predicts the US will harness the “magic” of being hosts to reach the quarterfinals, while Gulati expects the sport to continue to grow in the US after the World Cup.
“That is what the legacy of the tournament is about and why we bid,” Gulati said.
Broderick Turner and Thuc Nhi Nguyen reported that Lakers coach JJ Redick said, “The Thunder is one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history.” Maybe Redick is right. The Lakers were able to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and with Jalen Williams not playing, OKC still won Games 1 and 2 by 18 points each.
Hopefully the Lakers can avoid a sweep when they return to The Crypt, but it doesn’t look very likely, not when committing 39 turnovers in two games.
Vaughn Hardenberg Westwood
It was so bush league to see the Lakers crowd around the beleagued referees at the end of an 18-point loss to the Thunder in Game 2. The number of free throws was nearly even, favoring OKC 26-21. There are no bigger whiners in the league than LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton, who have in their minds never committed a foul and are always fouled with no call on any possession. This is playoff basketball — grow up and play ball. The results in this series speak for themselves.
Bob Goldstone
Corona del Mar
You cannot tell me that the defensive “mauling” allowed by NBA officials during the playoffs would be tolerated during the regular season. It almost looks like the NBA upper brass — Adam Silver and his cohorts/consultants — have directly or indirectly “suggested” that referees simply “let ‘em play.”
This inconsistency and change of “style“ by the officials has either confused or frustrated many offensive players as well as some fans. To me, a foul is a foul, period! Considerations like superstar or rookie, home team or visitors, the fourth quarter versus the first, closing minutes or seconds of a game, regular season versus the playoffs should not matter.
Rick Solomon Lake Balboa
I’m watching Lakers-Thunder Game 2 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is running into people and getting the Michael Jordan treatment. Everything is a foul against the Lakers. On the another hand, LeBron James is getting the stuffing beat out of him and no calls. Coach JJ Redick needs to bring this bias up with the media and put the spotlight on the refs. That’s what Phil Jackson and Pat Riley would do. Lakers fans can start a go-fund-me page for the fine.
Returning to the now, manager Patrick Videira has the club second in Ligue 2 with just one game remaining – and on course for back-to-back promotions.
Consolidation in the second tier was the objective following promotion from the National, an amateur division, the previous summer.
“If, as an objective, you set an obligation to go up, it is the best way to not go quickly and to not reach that objective,” says Gomez.
But Oliveira is clear on the club’s direction of travel: “I would say that our goal in seven years is to consolidate [a place in] Ligue 1, to be one of the top 10 academies in France and to have a brand that is recognisable in global football.”
To grow the “branding and sponsorship” Oliveira has been influenced by Italian side Como, who he considers the benchmark in this domain.
Inspiration, however, will not be drawn from clubs such as Chelsea.
Le Mans have now entered into a multi-club (MCO) model with Coritiba. And while, currently, OutField has no plans to acquire further clubs, such organisations are perceived with scepticism in France.
The anti-BlueCo protests at Strasbourg are a case in point, while, to a lesser degree, there has been opposition to Black Knight Football Club’s (BKFC) full takeover at Lorient earlier this season – Bill Foley’s consortium also owns Bournemouth.
“We don’t like to see ourselves at OutField as the traditional MCO structure. [At BlueCo] you can clearly see that there’s a pyramid and everyone involved is working towards the club on top,” says Oliveira.
“It is the same with City [Group] and with Red Bull. We don’t want to be that and that’s why we’re establishing this horizontal model.”
Gomez speaks about “preserving the club’s identity”, adding: “The investor’s first objective is to understand the club that he invests in, to understand its identity, to remain close to local actors, be it business, supporters, the wider public.”
Growing that fanbase is also on the lengthy list of objectives. In the wider region, there are Rennes, Nantes, Angers, Lorient and Brest to compete with.
Such competition provides sporting challenges – notably regarding youth talent acquisition – and also potentially limits the scope for growing the support.
But the aim is to make Le Mans known for something beyond its 24-hour race, all while harnessing that rich motorsport heritage.
Massa and Magnussen, it is hoped, will help “build a narrative” around the club, whose ground sits in the middle of the famous circuit; it is a sellable one, but to be successful, it must be substantive, too.
In a town famous for its endurance race, Le Mans’ new owners are looking to build a project that will last.
Two big-hitting British heavyweights will collide for a world title in Manchester on Saturday as Fabio Wardley defends his WBO belt against Daniel Dubois.
Unbeaten Wardley, 31, makes the first defence of his title after the Ipswich fighter was upgraded from interim to full world champion last year.
Londoner Dubois, 28, is aiming to bounce back from his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk last summer, as he looks to become a two-time world champion.
With a combined 95% knockout ratio, it seems unlikely the judges will be needed at the Co-op Live Arena.
BBC Sport spoke to figures from the boxing world to get their predictions.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has not come close to winning the Premier League or Champions League since joining the club in 2020.
He did lift a couple of domestic cups under Erik ten Hag – and if United finish third this season, it will be a position they have only bettered once during Fernandes’ time at Old Trafford.
But it represents a meagre return for a player many argue is United’s best signing since legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and someone, they argue, who deserves a place among the club’s best in the Premier League era.
When he spoke to the media in October, he said: “I don’t see it that one player is better than another because he wins more trophies. Not every time the best player in the world is the one that wins the Ballon d’Or.
“I want to win trophies. I want to be recognised by the many good things I did for the club, for bringing something back to the club, not just my individual numbers.”
United will not win a trophy this season, but there are still a couple of significant milestones ahead of Fernandes.
He needs just one more assist to equal the individual Premier League record of 20 in a single campaign – jointly held by Arsenal great Thierry Henry and former Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne.
Fernandes is eight clear of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki in the Premier League’s assists chart this season, with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen third with 10 assists.
Beating the record clearly means a lot to Fernandes, who will be a key part of Portugal’s World Cup squad this summer. So much so, one of his United team-mates told him he felt Fernandes would previously have taken a shot against Brentford recently, rather than set up striker Benjamin Sesko. Fernandes rejected that notion.
Fernandes is also favourite to win the prestigious PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, which Henry and De Bruyne both took twice.
Despite the lack of major trophies, would the assist record and another player of the year award confirm his status as one of the most creative forces of the Premier League era?
UCLA senior Megan Grant hit her 37th home run of the season, tying the NCAA single-season record during the Bruins’ 19-5 win over Wisconsin during the Big Ten tournament semifinal Friday in College Park, Md.
The record was set in 1995 by Arizona’s Lauren Espinoza, but Grant and Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells have hit homers at a blistering pace all season and are battling to close the season as the new title holder. Wells has 36 home runs, but her team was eliminated from the Southeastern Conference tournament Friday and she’ll have to wait until the NCAA tournament begins to add to her tally.
Grant, meanwhile, will be in the lineup when UCLA plays regular-season Big Ten champion Nebraska for the league tournament title at 10 a.m. Saturday in College Park, Md. The game will air on the Big Ten Network. First pitch was shifted earlier with the hope of avoiding storms in Maryland.
Grant’s teammates celebrated blast No. 37 and cheered behind her while she was interviewed on the Big Ten Network.
“I was just focusing as much as I can, just competing within that at-bat,” Grant said when asked about her record-tying blast. “… A one-on-one battle is all I think about. It kind of had a good payout.”
During their semifinal win over Wisconsin, the Bruins hit four home runs and pushed their NCAA record single-season team home run total to 181.
Earlier Friday, UCLA senior Jordan Woolery was named Big Ten player of the year by the league’s 17 head coaches.
Woolery leads the nation in RBIs (107) and is the fifth player in NCAA Division I history to record more than 100 RBIs in a season.
Bri Alejandre, Aleena Garcia, Rylee Slimp and Grant joined Woolery on the All-Big Ten first team. Bruins Kaniya Bragg, Alexis Ramirez and Taylor Tinsley earned second-team honors.
TORONTO — Dylan Cease struck out 10, reaching double digits for the third time in eight starts this season, and the Toronto Blue Jays stopped a four-game losing streak with a 2-0 win Friday night that sent the Angels to their 14th loss in 18 games.
Angels pitcher Alek Manoah returned from Tommy John surgery that had sidelined him since May 29, 2024, and faced his former team for the first time. The 28-year-old right-hander struck out one in a perfect eighth inning, reaching 93.8 mph with his fastball while throwing seven of 11 pitches for strike.
Cease (3-1) gave up five hits and walked none over seven innings in his 28th double-digit strikeout game.
Toronto (17-21) scored twice in the third on Kazuma Okamoto’s RBI single and Ernie Clement’s sacrifice fly off Reid Detmers (1-2), who gave up two hits and a career-high six walks in 3⅔ innings. The Angels dropped to 15-24.
Louis Varland earned his fifth save with a perfect ninth.
Up next: Angels RHP Jack Kochanowicz (2-1, 3.05) and Blue Jays RHP Trey Yesavage (1-1, 0.96) start Saturday.
The Dodgers took two steps forward and one step back in their quest for full strength Friday, putting Glasnow on the injured list because of back spasms while planning to activate Snell from the injured list on Saturday and Betts on Monday.
Snell’s start Saturday will be his first since the World Series. The two-time Cy Young winner opened the season on the injured list because of shoulder fatigue, as the Dodgers eased him into spring with the goal of putting him in the best possible position to succeed in October.
Glasnow left Wednesday’s game because of the injury. An MRI examination revealed “nothing really significant,” according to manager Dave Roberts, but the IL stint allows Glasnow to avoid rushing to be ready for his next start, with the bigger October picture in mind.
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers against the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
Glasnow never has made more than 22 starts in a season. He has been on the injured list in every full season since 2019.
With Glasnow’s status in question, the Dodgers on Thursday reconsidered their plan for Snell. They originally planned for him to make a final rehabilitation start Saturday, but Roberts said the pitcher and the team agreed he could throw the planned five innings in Los Angeles as well as he could in Ontario.
The Dodgers recalled reliever Paul Gervase to fill Glasnow’s roster spot. They could return him to triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Snell on Saturday.
Betts strained an oblique muscle April 4. The shortstop is scheduled to play two minor league rehabilitation games Oklahoma City Friday and Saturday, then return to Los Angeles for evaluation, with the hope he’ll be cleared for activation Monday.
“We’re not going to run him out there every single day,” Roberts said.
Snell and Betts are not the only reinforcements on the way. Utilityman Kiké Hernández and reliever Brusdar Graterol began rehabilitation assignments this week.
The return of Betts would appear to allow the Dodgers to jettison infield reserve Santiago Espinal, although the team opened the season with Espinal on the roster and Hyeseong Kim at triple-A, allowing Kim to play every day and Alex Freeland and Miguel Rojas to split time at second base.
However, since rejoining the Dodgers when Betts was injured, Kim is batting .314 with an .801 OPS.
The Dodgers dropped outfielder Kyle Tucker to sixth in the lineup Friday, in a batting order Roberts said was designed to combat Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale.
In his career, Tucker is 0 for 9 with four strikeouts against Sale.
Trevor Bauer wants to pitch in the majors again — so much so that he’s willing to start over in the lowest levels of the minor leagues and work his way up.
And he’s willing to do it without being paid.
That’s the hypothetical Bauer proposed Friday on X: A talented former Cy Young Award winner signs a minor league deal with an MLB team for a “$0 salary” and can be cut at any time at no financial risk to the organization.
Since his last MLB start on June 28, 2021, as a member of the Dodgers with a $102-million, three-year contract, Bauer has been accused of sexual assault by four women. He served a 194-game suspension for violating the league’s sexual assault and domestic violence policy. He has denied all the allegations and has never been charged with a crime.
While some might think signing Bauer might be a risky move for an MLB organization, Bauer feels his plan is foolproof in that regard.
“Hypothetical: You’re the owner of an MLB team,” Bauer wrote. “I offer to take $0 salary and sign a minor league contract and go to Low A. If the ‘he sucks now’ crowd is right and I get lit up, you cut me, lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club.
Hypothetical: You’re the owner of an MLB team. I offer to take $0 salary and sign a minor league contract and go to Low A.
If the “he sucks now” crowd is right and I get lit up, you cut me, lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club.
If the “clubhouse cancer” crowd is…
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) May 8, 2026
“If the ‘clubhouse cancer’ crowd is right, you see it immediately at Low A and cut me. You lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club. If there’s massive negative PR, which we already know there won’t be, you just cut me and move on. The story is dead in a couple days, you lose $0, and there’s no risk to the big league club.”
In the comments on Bauer’s post, someone challenged him on the notion that “we already know there won’t be” any negative PR if he is signed. In response, Bauer pointed to his current stint with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League to support his argument.
“Where has the negative PR been?” wrote Bauer, who is 3-1 this season and pitched a no-hitter for the Ducks late last month. “I’m playing in America. In New York of all places. Most ‘hostile’ media market in the United States. Stadiums are sold out when I pitch. There’s no boycotts. No media frenzy. Where is it?”
Bauer wrote in his proposal that if none of the negatives he laid out earlier happen, then the organization can promote their cost-free pitcher through the ranks, re-evaluating him every step of the way, until he reaches the big leagues — “if I earn it,” he wrote, “which you’d be 100% in control of deciding.”
“If you don’t think I’m good enough, you lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club,” Bauer wrote. “You could take away my ‘antics’. You could take away my social media. You could ask anything of me. If I don’t comply, you cut me, lose $0, and there’s no risk to the big league club.”
One X user asked why Bauer doesn’t just take away his “antics” on his own.
“Because no teams actually care about that,” Bauer responded. “They enjoy the content. And I’m not going to rob baseball fans of great baseball entertainment just to solve a problem that only exists in the minds of x bots.”
Informed that the MLB Players Assn. might have an issue with him playing for free, Bauer replied, “Who gives a crap about what mlbpa does or doesn’t want?”
This isn’t the first time Bauer has made what he considers to be a low-risk proposal for an organization to bring him back into the league. In 2024, Bauer spoke with The Times’ Bill Shaikin about an offer he made to play for the league minimum.
“The reason for that was, I want to go back to work, and I am trying to find any way that I possibly can to limit the risk and exposure for a team,” Bauer said. “I realize there are a lot of other things, outside of the on-field stuff, that go into whether to sign me. So I figured that, if I could limit the on-field risk as much as possible, perhaps that offsets some of the other perceived risks.”
It remains to be seen whether any club is willing to take up Bauer on his current offer.
“What logical reason is there to not do this?” Bauer wrote. “At worst, you cut me and there’s no risk to the big league club. At best, you get a Cy Young winner for $0 who you know can still pitch and could help the big league team if and when you see fit.”
Former Miami Marlins president David Samson weighed in on Bauer’s proposal in a post on X.
“This will never happen,” Samson wrote. “First of all, no team wants to sign him. Secondly, no player is allowed to play for $0. And finally, no team wants to sign him.”
Santa Clarita Christian at Academy of Academic Excellence
Nuview Bridge at Burbank Providence
Bishop Diego at Nordhoff
Magnolia at Indian Springs
Banning at Artesia
Salesian at Anaheim
Hesperia Christian at Schurr
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
SECOND ROUND
DIVISION 1
Pool A Round 1 Winner vs. Pool A Round 1 Winner
Pool A Round 1 Loser vs. Pool A Round 1 Loser
Pool D Round 1 Winner vs. Pool D Round 1 Winner
Pool D Round 1 Loser vs. Pool D Round 1 Loser
Pool C Round 1 Winner vs. Pool C Round 1 Winner
Pool C Round 1 Loser vs. Pool C Round 1 Loser
Pool D Round 1 Winner vs. Pool D Round 1 Winner
Pool D Round 1 Loser vs. Pool D Round 1 Loser
FIRST ROUND
DIVISION 3
Arlington at Mira Costa
Redondo Union at Ridgecrest Burroughs
Dos Pueblos at Burbank Burroughs
Edison at Damien
Orange County Pacifica Christian at Palos Verdes
Warren at West Ranch
San Dimas at Cajon
Crescenta Valley at St. Francis
Oakwood at Agoura
Garden Grove Pacifica at Chino Hills
Bishop Amat at Corona del Mar
Fullerton at San Juan Hills
Charter Oak at Beckman
South Torrance at Millikan
Summit at La Canada
Simi Valley at Arcadia
DIVISION 5
Paloma Valley at Citrus Valley
Moreno Valley at Irvine
Cathedral at Calvary Baptist
Sunny Hills at Long Beach Poly
Tahquitz at Quartz Hill
Kaiser at Oak Hills
Heritage Christian at Paramount
Loara at Santra Barbara
Montebello at Long Beach Wilson
Jurupa Hills at Santa Fe
Temescal Canyon at Arrowhead Christian
Capistrano Valley Christian at Riverside Prep
Culver City at Cerritos Valley Christian
Mayfair at St. Bonaventure
Bishop Montgomery at Cerritos
Rancho Verde at St. Bernard
DIVISION 7
Palmdale at New Roads
Carpinteria at Flintridge Prep
North Torrance at Baldwin Park
Beverly Hills at Grace
Pasadena Poly at Santa Paula
Milken at Fontana
Patriot at Viewpoint
Placentia Valencia at Victor Valley
Riverside Notre Dame at Hemet
South El Monte at Buena Park
University Prep at Golden Valley
Jurupa Valley at Campbell Hall
Arroyo at Miller
Carter at Adelanto
Nogales at Garden Grove
San Jacinto Valley at Norwalk
DIVISION 9
Redlands Adventist Academy at Dunn
Santa Monica Pacifica Christian at Lennox Academy
Downey Calvary Chapel at Crossroads Christian
Coastal Christian at St. Monica Academy
Mesa Grande at San Bernardino
San Luis Obispo Classical at Ojai Valley
Loma Linda Academy at Webb
Santa Maria Valley Christian at Yucca Valley
Lucerne Valley at Rolling Hills Prep
United Christian Academy at Ambassador Christian
Riverside Bethel Christian at Desert Hot Springs
Anza Hamilton at Westminster
Pomona at Temecula Prep
Cobalt at Environmental Charter
Garden Grove Santiago at Gorman Charter
Animo Leadership at St. Pius X-St, Matthias Academy
Note: Second Round in Divisions 2-9 May 19; Third Round in Division 1 May 19; Quarterfinals in all divisions May 22; Semifinals in all divisions May 26; Finals in all divisions May 29-30.
Tommy Fleetwood shot a four-under round of 67 to put himself within a stroke of the lead after the second round of the Truist Championship.
The 35-year-old Englishman made five birdies and a bogey to finish just behind South Korea’s Sungjae Im, who carded a steady two-under round of 69 to end the day at nine under.
Fleetwood’s compatriot Alex Fitzpatrick and American Justin Thomas are a further shot back at six under.
Fitzpatrick is nine strokes ahead of older brother and world number three Matt Fitzpatrick, who is two over for the tournament.
Netball Super League leaders Loughborough Lightning returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 76-60 victory over Birmingham Panthers on Friday.
Lightning, whose 100% record was ended by defending champions London Pulse last weekend, are now four points clear of second-placed Pulse at the top of the NSL table.
Pulse take on Manchester Thunder, who are six points behind Lightning in third place, on Saturday.
Bottom side Panthers made a quick start to Friday’s game, leading at the end of the first two quarters to take a two-point advantage into half-time.
But Lightning hit back after the break and were four goals ahead at the start of the fourth quarter, before sealing victory with a dominant display in the final 15 minutes of the round 11 match.
