Adam Duvall starred before blasting a walk-off two-run homer over the Green Monster as the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-8 on Saturday.
Duvall, who joined the Red Sox from the Atlanta Braves in the offseason, had four hits, three runs and five RBIs for the game in a glittering display at Fenway Park.
But his crowning moment came with the Red Sox two out with a runner on first at the bottom of the ninth, hammering a Felix Bautista fastball just above the Green Monster for the walk-off blast.
The Red Sox capitalised on Ryan McKenna's fielding error at deep left field that allowed Masataka Yoshida to get on first base after hitting a routine fly ball.
Duvall's subsequent blast just cleared the Monster, caroming into a tabletop and back on to the field, but the lights flickered, signalling the walk-off homer.
The 34-year-old outfielder homered in the third inning as part of a four-run salvo after the Red Sox trailed 7-1.
Baltimore had raced ahead with Ryan Mountcastle's two-run first-inning homer along with Cedric Mullins three-run blast in the third. The Orioles tagged Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale for seven runs across three innings.
The Red Sox cut it to 8-7 in the seventh after Enrique Hernandez's homer and Duvall's ground rule double for Rafael Devers to score. Austin Hays went five-for-five with two runs for the O's.
Flaherty's mixed day as Cardinals register first win
St Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty threw five no-hit innings along with giving up a career-high seven walks as his side claimed their first win of the season, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Flaherty fanned four, tossing down 49 of 95 pitches for strikes, but only had one clean inning, albeit his final one, on a mixed day on the mound.
The Cardinals opened up a 3-0 lead in the third inning, capitalising on a two-out throwing error by Jays third baseman Matt Chapman, before Nolan Gorman's two-run single.
Angels pile on the runs in Fujinami's A's debut
The Los Angeles Angels scored 11 runs in the third inning as they spoiled Shintaro Fujinami's debut for the Oakland Athletics, winning 13-1.
Fujinami, who joined the A's on a one-year free-agent deal, fell apart in the third after a positive start, with his game ending after 55 pitches with the Angels leading 6-0. The Japanese pitcher allowed eight earned runs with three walks and four Ks.
Taylor Ward blasted a three-run homer off reliever Adam Oller, while Shohei Ohtani had two hits and two RBIs.
Trayce Thompson produced a three-homer, eight-RBI game as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 10-1 over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lamont Butler scored a buzzer-beating game-winner to send San Diego State into the National Championship Game where they will face Connecticut after edging Florida Atlantic 72-71 on Saturday.
Butler got downhill and hit a 17-foot two-point shot as time expired completing a remarkable 14-point second-half comeback for the Aztecs.
It was the first buzzer-beater during this NCAA tournament and only the fifth in the Final Four history.
Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher opted against calling a timeout when Nathan Mensah rebounded Johnell Davis' missed jumper with the Owls leading 71-70 with 10 seconds left, before Butler drove on and took responsibility with his buzzer-beater for the ages.
"I didn't really know how big it was," Butler said who was mobbed by teammates and coaches. "We're going to the national championship. That's not things many people do."
After trailing 40-33 at half-time, SDSU found its defensive grip to work its way back into the contest, with Matt Bradley scoring 21 points with six rebounds.
Alijah Martin top scored for FAU with 26 points including three triples along with seven rebounds.
The Aztecs will face UConn who accounted for the Miami Hurricanes 72-59 with forward Adama Sanogo outstanding with 21 points including two three-pointers and 10 rebounds.
UConn advanced to their fifth National Championship game, with the Huskies having not lost to a non-conference opponent this year and winning all five NCAA games by double digits.
Huskies guard Jordan Hawkins overcame illness to contribute 13 points, while Miami's Isaiah Wong scored a team-high 15 points on four-of-10 shooting with their offense blunted, going at 32.3 per cent from the field as a team.
Luka Doncic scored 42 points with 10 rebounds but it was not enough for the Dallas Mavericks who suffered their sixth loss from their past seven games 129-122 to the Miami Heat on Saturday.
The win was much needed for Miami, who improved to 41-37 to be seventh in the East, with Jimmy Butler top scoring with 35 points and 12 assists at FTX Arena.
The Heat snapped their three-game skid but it left the Mavs' perilous playoff hopes worse off, falling to a 37-41 record, remaining 11th in the West.
Dallas are a game back from Oklahoma City (38-40) in the race for the final play-in spot, with the Thunder owning the head-to-head tiebreaker too.
Doncic tried his best with 42 points on 17-of-25 shooting with two triples along with 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. That was the Slovenian's 14th 40-point game this season.
Kyrie Irving added 23 points and eight assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr drained six three-pointers in his 31 points with six rebound and seven assists.
Yet all that was not enough for Dallas who shot at 61 per cent as a team, after Miami piled on 44 first-quarter points, leaving the Mavs to lament their defense. Miami's 76 first-half points was the third most in franchise history.
Center Cody Zeller offered good support to Butler with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Kevin Love and Max Strus both added 18 points and Tyler Herro contributed 15.
Ingram stars as Pels continue playoffs push
The New Orleans Pelicans moved above the Los Angeles Lakers and into the seven spot in the Western Conference with a crucial 122-114 over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 40 points for the Clippers, who fall to sixth in the West, but Brandon Ingram maintained his fine form with a game-winning display.
Ingram scored 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting with four rebounds and eight assists, while Jonas Valanciunas added 23 points with 12 rebounds.
Leonard shot 15-of-28 from the field with four-of-eight from beyond the arc with eight rebounds and four assists, while Russell Westbrook contributed 24 points with nine assists.
The Pels have won seven of their past eight games to shoot into playoffs contention in the West with a 40-38 record, while the Clippers are 41-38.
Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri says his side "didn’t play very well" leading to him storming down the tunnel before full-time in their 1-0 home win over Verona.
The Bianconeri secured their fifth straight win in all competitions with Moise Kean's 55th-minute strike the difference.
But Allegri was unimpressed with his side and stormed down the post-side tunnel before the full-time whistle.
"We didn't play very well and I think in the last five minutes we had to go and score a second goal, keep pushing them and maintain the pressure," Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
"It doesn't seem like much five minutes, but all Verona needed was a long ball into the box and anything could happen. We could've been here licking our wounds if they had equalised.
"It was a complicated match, as they always are after the international break. It was a tough game and we knew it was going to be because Verona make you play badly, they press all over the pitch.
"That's why we were blocked in the opening minutes, then we managed to move the ball around and create chances.
"We could have done better once we had taken the lead and double our advantage, without giving them a chance to get near our area. It's something we need to improve on."
The win keeps Juventus in the hunt for European qualification, although their 15-point deduction, means they are seventh on 44 points. Juve (44) are behind fourth-placed Milan (48), Atalanta (48) and Roma (47) in the race for Europe, with all but Atalanta having a game in hand.
Allegri was quick to point out if not for that deduction they would be on 59 points and subsequently second in Serie A. Juve will have their appeal against that penalty heard on April 19.
"This result means we have earned 59 points on the field, closing the gap on Inter and momentarily on Milan and Lazio," he said.
"We've got Inter on Tuesday in the Coppa Italia and then Lazio on Saturday, so we’ve got to be ready.
"In football if you have a good run of results, that allows you to catch up pretty quickly. We have to take it one step at a time.
"The 'real' table that we see there shows we are still four points off the Champions League spots and that is a lot."
Anthony Joshua put the ball in Tyson Fury's court after calling his rival out following victory over Jermaine Franklin.
A unanimous decision triumph against Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday brought an end to a two-fight losing streak for Joshua, who swiftly set his sights on a bigger opportunity.
Joshua's clash against Franklin was his first non-title fight in 12 bouts and, if he gets his way, will return to familiar ground next time out.
Fury and Joshua have negotiated for a 'Battle of Britain' clash in previous years without securing an agreement, but the 'Gypsy King's' failure to set up an undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk has opened the door again.
With Usyk expected to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Fury's next move is not clear, and Joshua has issued his challenge.
"I know who the fans want… They said Fury. The ball is in his court," Joshua told DAZN in the ring after his win.
"I would 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. It would be an honour.
"Wherever you are, if you're listening, you know my management, you know my promoter. We've had dialect before, so let's continue and hopefully we can get this done sooner rather than later. We're not getting any younger.
"I can't wait to get back to Texas, to develop and push on. You know how one fight leads to another; I can't wait to get the next big fight."
Promising a new dawn against Franklin, Joshua fell short of expectations despite having the upper hand throughout, acknowledging he should have earned a stoppage.
"Someone else would knock him out, probably, but Jermaine has a good duck and dive style," he added.
"There were opportunities there but he knows how to tuck up. Respect to him, he done well, I respect him for that.
"Well done to him and his team for preparing. I should have knocked him out but what can I say now, it's done, onto the next."
Patrick Rodgers struggled to match his first two rounds at the Valero Texas Open but nevertheless held his nerve to take a one-stoke lead at 12 under into the final day.
The 30-year-old had led overnight after play was halted early on Friday, following an impressive five-under 67 to back up an opening round of six-under 66.
But after carding a more sedate one-under 71 at TPC San Antonio, the American was left with just a single-stroke lead ahead of Canada's Corey Conners, who held on to second place with a three-under 69.
Veteran Matt Kuchar had looked set to challenge for top spot before a double bogey on the 18th derailed his pursuit, though he still finished in a respectable third, three shots off at nine-under for the tournament.
American duo Sam Stevens and Chris Kirk are tied for fourth at eight under, while South Korea's An Byeong-hun and Ireland's Padraig Harrington are among those in a six-way tie for sixth.
Rodgers is chasing a first win on the PGA Tour, having arrived in Texas with six missed cuts from his past eight starts, though he did secure a top-15 finish at the Phoenix Open.
Anthony Joshua returned to winning ways by beating Jermaine Franklin via unanimous decision at O2 Arena on Saturday.
Entering the content having lost three of his past five, including the last two against Oleksandr Usyk to cede his heavyweight belts, Joshua faced his first non-title fight in 12 bouts.
The Brit's camp promised a new dawn for fans of the Olympian, but, despite being in control throughout against Franklin, he showed there was still plenty of work left on his comeback trail.
While Franklin did well to shrug off some heavy hits, he never truly mustered much of a threat and the scorecards reflected what was a largely one-sided affair.
Joshua came out of his corner firing, landing a powerful left jab in the first round and following it up with further shots in the second when he countered a Franklin hit to respond with a strike to the body.
Franklin then began to grow in confidence, sensing there may be an opportunity for an upset, before Joshua came the closest he would to a knockout blow after connecting with a big right-hand uppercut but missing his left swing.
Frustration then began to show for AJ, with Franklin halting any momentum he gained by holding his opponent, and Joshua struggled to create an opening to land a strong overhand right to follow up his consistent jabs.
Both fighters had big shots in the latter rounds, with Franklin surely aware he needed a knockout to clinch victory.
But that hit never came for the American and the scores ringside reflected a routine, albeit uninspiring, win for Joshua.
Scorecards: 118-111, 117-111, 117-111
Brad Binder won MotoGP's sprint race in Argentina after a stunning ride saw him surge from 15th on the grid.
The South African beat Marco Bezzecchi by just 0.072 seconds, with his Mooney VR46 team-mate Luca Marini coming in third to clinch a double podium for the team.
Binder enjoyed a meteoric rise through the pack on the opening lap, leaping from his lowly start position to fourth and taking the lead on lap three en route to victory.
Prior to the sprint, Marquez secured pole after a dramatic day for the Spaniard in Q1 saw him go top, crash out and abandon his number one bike as it caught fire.
The younger Marquez brother rallied in Q2 after gambling on slick tyres in wet conditions to seal a maiden pole and his spot at the front of the pack for Sunday's race, following in his brother's footsteps after his pole in the season opener.
Bezzecchi, who starts second, smashed the top time by two seconds but Marquez pipped him to pole, while a late charge from Francesco Bagnaia saw him bump Franco Morbidelli out of the top three.
Binder's victory in the sprint caused quite a stir, with the man himself among those surprised by his performance.
"I didn't expect that at all, honestly my bike worked so well from the first lap and I got the most unreal start I could have ever asked for," he told reporters.
"I got really lucky [at the start] where there was a gap where the riders split, some were on the left and some were right so I could get down the middle and just chip my way through.
"I couldn't have ever dreamed of getting a start that good, so when I saw an opportunity of getting to first I took it with both hands and from then on it was a case of whoever passed me try and divebomb them straight back.
"We made a huge step from [Friday] and I was able to keep rhythm at my fastest lap from [Friday], so hats off to the team. They did an unreal job.
"My rhythm wasn't terrible, and even though the other guys had a bit extra at the end we won the race so I can't complain and I'm really happy."
GRID CLASSIFICATION
1. Alex Marquez (Gresini) 1:43.881
2. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) +0.172
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +0.858
4. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +2.101
5. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +2.355
6. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +2.582
7. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) +2.707
8. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +2.754
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +2.997
10. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +3.241
SPRINT RESULT
1. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) 19:56:873
2. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) +0.072
3. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) +0.877
4. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) +2.354
5. Alex Marquez (Gresini) +2.462
6. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +2.537
7. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +2.643
8. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +3.754
9. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +4.856
10. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) +5.143
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 41
2. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) 28
3. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46) 25
4. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) 22
5. Alex Marquez (Gresini) 17
6. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) 15
7. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) 15
8. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) 11
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 11
10. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 9
Simone Inzaghi did not hide his frustration at Romelu Lukaku's struggles in front of goal after Inter lost 1-0 to Fiorentina on Saturday.
Inter's losing streak in Serie A was extended to their worst in six years as Giacomo Bonaventura's second-half header proved decisive at San Siro.
The Nerazzurri have now lost three straight top flight matches, with Bonaventura's winner coming shortly after a woeful miss from Lukaku.
Having rediscovered his goalscoring touch while on international duty with Belgium, Lukaku was unable to transfer that form across to his club side as he failed to hit the target from close range with the goal gaping.
No Inter player had more shots than his three, with Lukaku not managing to get any of them on target, despite accumulating 1.2 expected goals.
While not pinning the blame entirely on Lukaku – who is reported to have confronted Inzaghi about a lack of opportunities while he has been fit this season – Inter's coach was quick to point out the importance of those misses.
Speaking to DAZN, Inzaghi said: "If he had scored those chances, Lukaku's performance would be judged in a very different way.
"His role is to create the opportunities, make the movements that the team needs.
"He wasn't the only one who had chances today, so I wouldn't focus only on Romelu."
Inzaghi also stressed he is ultimately responsible for turning Inter's fortunes around.
"There is great disappointment, we lost two consecutive home matches," he said. "We need to work more, starting with me.
"At the moment, we need to be more determined, because we had so many chances to score and we should have done.
"I cannot ask for more in terms of effort, as the players did everything I asked of them."
Inzaghi is not wrong. While Fiorentina had more shots (19 to 16) and got the same number of attempts on target (three each), Inter finished with a 2.8 xG compared to the visitors' 1.2, suggesting the quality of opportunities that went their way was far greater.
Lukaku's glaring miss came from by far the best opportunity of the match, with Opta's model estimating the chance would be converted 92 per cent of the time (0.92 xG).
The 29-year-old's future is uncertain. He is on loan at Inter, but due to return to parent club Chelsea at the end of the season.
Before the match, Inter chief Giuseppe Marotta told DAZN: "[Lukaku's] love for the Inter jersey is 10 out of 10, we'll evaluate the prospects with Chelsea."
Xavi highlighted Barcelona's success as a team effort rather than down to individual performances after a comfortable 4-0 win in LaLiga over Elche.
A Robert Lewandowski double, plus goals for Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres, saw the Blaugrana swat aside their rock-bottom hosts at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
Against a team who look almost certain to be relegated, there were few doubts about Barca's superiority.
But Xavi was quick to praise his side's unsung heroes as much as their headline-makers, stating his belief that it is a balance of both that will bring them the title.
"It has been a rounded night," he said. "[It was] a very good game, from start to finish. We have a team with players who do not necessarily participate too much.
"[But] they performed at a high level. This is [the definition of] a team. We have taken one more step [towards the championship], we are closer. We have shown that we are a unit."
The coach highlighted the versatility of several of his players, including Eric Garcia, who played in midfield, and Marcos Alonso, who fulfilled a centre-back role.
On Fati, Xavi was happy to see the player put his off-field distractions behind him, following a week where his father complained about his lack of minutes for the club.
"Ansu made a difference," he added. "It has left him exhausted, but he has done a great job for the team. His goal comes because of his work ethic and talent.
"He has that, and it will come out. If he continues to work like this, he will end up playing more often."
Elena Rybakina's superb run in the United States was ended by Petra Kvitova, who won 7-6 (16-14) 6-2 to clinch the Miami Open title.
Two-time grand slam champion Kvitova, 33, became the second-oldest Miami champion, denying young gun Rybakina a Sunshine Double in the process.
Rybakina, fresh from her triumph at the Indian Wells Open, has been in stunning form but could not find her groove on Saturday.
After clinching the first set following a marathon tie-break, Kvitova took momentum into the second, cruising into a 5-2 lead before sealing the win with a break – Rybakina sending a forehand long.
Kvitova equalled Simona Halep as the players with the third-most WTA 1000 titles (nine), with only Serena Williams (13) and Victoria Azarenka (10) having won more since 2009.
"It feels unbelievable. I'm 33, and it's my 30th title, so I'm very happy," Kvitova told Amazon Prime Sport.
"I didn't think, that was the key. Elena didn't lose a tie-break [this season]. I thought, well, she has to lose at some time. I had to be a bit more aggressive, it was a bit of a struggle. I was a bit nervous, yes.
"I would have laughed [if someone told me I was going to win] but it feels great for sure. Nobody expected this, not me, not my team. I'm happy I'm injury free and, oh my God, I made it."
Kvitova is the second woman to win the singles title in Miami after turning 33, following Serena Williams in 2015.
Indeed, only Serena Williams (68), Justine Henin (42), Venus Williams (40), Kim Clijsters (40) and Maria Sharapova (36) have more WTA singles title to their name in the 21st century than the Czech.
Rybakina, meanwhile, will lament the chance of a Sunshine Double going begging.
The 23-year-old is the fourth player to fail to win the Sunshine Double in Miami's final after Serena Williams (1999), Lindsay Davenport (2000) and Sharapova (2006 and 2013).
"I want to congratulate Petra for a great two weeks here in Miami, and good luck for the rest of the year," said Rybakina. "Thank you to my team, we'll keep going."
Robert Lewandowski's latest Barcelona double helped take them another step closer to the LaLiga title with a 4-0 win over rock-bottom Elche on Saturday.
The Poland international's goals either side of an Ansu Fati finish helped the Blaugrana cruise to a comfortable victory at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.
Ferran Torres added a fourth as Xavi's visitors moved 15 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid in the table to further underline their domestic dominance this season.
For Sebastian Beccacece, Elche's fourth different boss of the season, it was a chastening reminder of the task at hand.
Barca pressed hard for an opener from the start and were duly rewarded 20 minutes in when Lewandowski turned in a Ronald Araujo header from Jordi Alba's free-kick.
But Lewandowski missed a golden opportunity to double the visitors' lead before the break with a flying header, as did Jules Kounde when he saw Edgar Badia save his shot.
The Blaugrana were more ruthless in the second half, though.
Fati capped off a fluent breakaway move with a cool, low finish to put Barca two up in the 56th minute
Lewandowski was then on hand 10 minutes later, latching onto a Gavi throughball and dispatching a neat finish, before Torres brought down the forward's looping pass outside the box for a fine strike of his own.
That added a last touch of gloss to a dominant performance that edges Barca closer to silverware.
Moise Kean fired Juventus to a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions with a 1-0 win against Verona at Allianz Stadium.
A relatively quiet game offered little in the way of clear-cut opportunities, Danilo hitting the frame of the goal in the best chance of the first half.
However, Kean ensured the home fans would have something to celebrate after capping off a fine Juve move.
Though far from a vintage performance, Juve have moved four points behind fifth-placed Atalanta and three behind sixth-placed Roma, who play on Sunday.
Verona almost broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, Kevin Lasagna pulling a dangerous cross to the far post for Fabio Depaoli to smash a volley narrowly wide of Wojciech Szczesny's goal.
Danilo came closest before the break, his free-kick clipping the top-left corner of the crossbar.
Juve got their winner in the 55th minute. An excellent move culminated in Manuel Locatelli playing in Kean, who smashed home to take his tally of league goals for the season to six.
Massimiliano Allegri's side were not home and dry, however, with Szczesny charging off his line to push a loose ball away with Lasagna lurking after his defence left him in the lurch.
Juve had Szczesny to again thank when he kept out Filippo Terracciano's fierce effort.
Bremer squandered a golden opportunity to wrap up the points late on, somehow bundling an attempt over from inside the six-yard box, though fortunately for the defender, Verona could not make Juve pay for his miss.
Thomas Tuchel's first game as Bayern Munich coach may have been an impressive 4-2 victory over rivals Borussia Dortmund, but he knows there is work to do.
Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann during the international break, and his first game in the dugout was Saturday's Klassiker against his old club Dortmund, who had won nine of their first 10 league games in 2023 to leave them top of the Bundesliga.
But Bayern leapfrogged them to the summit in style.
Gregor Kobel's error and a Thomas Muller double had the 10-time reigning champions 3-0 up within 23 minutes.
Kingsley Coman made it 4-0 shortly after half-time, and though consolation goals from Emre Can and Donyell Malen somewhat took the shine off their victory, Bayern now look the clear favourites to claim an 11th straight Bundesliga title, with Opta rating it at an 87.7 per cent chance they become champions again.
Despite the great start to his tenure, Tuchel insists there is still much work to do if Bayern are to get where he wants them to be, telling Sky TV: "I was very nervous today. It was a good first step but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
"It was a bit too wild, we wanted to have more dominance. We started very nervously. The whole game was actually too sloppy with too many ball losses.
"We have a lot to analyse. The team is extremely willing to learn. I understand that some things haven't worked out yet. All in all, it was too many turnovers that made life difficult for us. We want to be in possession.
"It's a bit like a band or an orchestra. We have to find our rhythm."
Nagelsmann's sacking came despite Bayern being in the Champions League quarter-finals.
"Everyone was aware of what was at stake here. A change of coach always brings unrest, there was a lot to absorb," Tuchel added.
"The will to implement everything was there 100 per cent. That's the most important.
"When we played calmly and clearly, we had top-class chances. We have leaders, and that will give us peace and confidence."
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