Zack Greinke produced a complete game to inspire the Houston Astros' 13-1 demolition of the Toronto Blue Jays in MLB action on Friday.
Astros ace Greinke threw his first complete game since 2017 and the 17th of his career to lead the Astros to a crushing victory over the Blue Jays.
Greinke – a six-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger – turned back the clock, the 37-year-old pitcher giving up six hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
"This was one of the first times where I felt really strong at the end," the 2009 American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner said.
"Most games I feel a little tired later on. Today it felt just as good, if not better, in the last inning, as it did in the first inning."
Astros team-mate Carlos Correa also homered twice in Buffalo, where Martin Maldonado hit a grand slam as Houston won for the fifth time in six games.
Ohtani show continues, Snell flirts with no-no
Shohei Ohtani tied a season high with 10 strikeouts as the Los Angeles Angels edged the Seattle Mariners 3-2. The two-way star did not walk a batter for the first time in his 20 career starts. He allowed two runs on four hits across six innings. Since 1900, Ohtani is the only player with 15-plus home runs in a season and at least one 10-strikeout game that year, having also achieved the feat in 2018.
The San Diego Padres blanked the New York Mets 2-0 behind ace Blake Snell, who was scoreless across seven innings. He allowed just one hit while striking out 10.
World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first MLB team to have an 11-run inning in one game and then an eight-run inning in their next outing since the Astros in 1969, according to Stats Perform. The Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 9-5 thanks to an eight-run fifth inning.
Per Stats Perform, Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals became the first player to have two hits, a homer and a stolen base in the opening inning of a game since Oakland's Rickey Henderson in 1980. The Royals blitzed the Minnesota Twins 14-5.
Ryu fades
Toronto ace Ryu Hyun-jin had a game to forget after a promising start. Usually the Blue Jays' most reliable pitcher, Ryu allowed seven runs on seven hits, two homers and three walks in 5.2 innings, having retired his first seven batters.
That walk-off feeling
Yermin Mercedes hit a game-ending single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 9-8 walk-off victory over the Detroit Tigers. Mercedes snapped a 0-for-22 skid entering the game.
Friday's results
Boston Red Sox 5-2 New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles 3-1 Cleveland Indians
Pittsburgh Pirates 9-2 Miami Marlins
Washington Nationals 2-1 Philadelphia Phillies
Houston Astros 13-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Los Angeles Dodgers 9-5 Atlanta Braves
Texas Rangers 5-4 Tampa Bay Rays
Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago White Sox 9-8 Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals 14-5 Minnesota Twins
Cincinnati Reds 6-4 St Louis Cardinals
Oakland Athletics 9-5 Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Angels 3-2 Seattle Mariners
San Francisco Giants 8-5 Chicago Cubs
San Diego Padres 2-0 New York Mets
Mets at Padres
Star pitcher Jacob deGrom will take to the mound as the Mets look to bounce back from back-to-back defeats to the Padres in the third meeting of a four-game series on Friday. Joe Musgrove starts for the Padres.
Phillies beat Mets on Castellanos' walk-off single to even NLDS at 1
Nick Castellanos once again delivered a clutch hit for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Castellanos, who led all of MLB with four walk-off hits this season, sent the Phillies to a 7-6 win over the New York Mets with a game-ending single with two outs in the ninth inning off Tylor Megill to even the NL Division Series at one game apiece.
Philadelphia needed Castellanos' heroics after Mark Vientos hit a two-run homer with one out in the top of the ninth to tie the score at 6-6. It was the second two-run homer of the day for Vientos, and Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo added solo shots for New York.
The Phillies trailed 4-3 in the eighth until Bryson Stott lined a two-run triple down the right-field line off Mets closer Edwin Díaz to put Philadelphia ahead. Stott later came around to score on J.T. Realmuto's grounder.
Philadelphia was held off the scoreboard until the sixth inning when Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer and Castellanos followed with a solo blast two pitches later off Mets starter Luis Severino.
Game 3 between these NL East rivals is Tuesday in New York.
Padres crush six homers to rout Dodgers in Game 2
The San Diego Padres tied an MLB play-off record with six home runs in a 10-2 pounding of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 for their first win in this NLDS series.
The game took an ugly turn in the seventh inning, when fans at Dodger Stadium threw baseballs at San Diego left fielder Jurickson Profar, as well as trash on the warning track near the Padres bullpen. The game was delayed for 12 minutes.
Profar was in the middle of a couple of heated moments. In the sixth inning, he exchanged words with Dodgers catcher Will Smith after starting pitcher Jack Flaherty hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch, and in the first inning, Profar reached over the wall to rob a potential home run by Mookie Betts and promptly stared down some fans.
Tatis hit a pair of home runs, while David Peralta and Jackson Merrill each hit two-run homers, and Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Higashioka added solo shots.
Yu Darvish held Los Angeles to one run and three hits over seven innings, while the top of the Dodgers' batting order struggled.
Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 4, Betts was hitless in a sixth consecutive play-off game and Freddie Freeman struck out and flied out in two at-bats before exiting after five innings with discomfort in his sprained right ankle.
Brighton 3-2 Tottenham: Rutter inspires remarkable Seagulls comeback
Brighton managed a remarkable second-half comeback as Georginio Rutter scored one and played a key role for another in a thrilling 3-2 home victory over Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou's visitors had won their last five games, including their EFL Cup and Europa League exploits, and started well on Sunday as in-form Brennan Johnson scored for a sixth straight outing.
James Maddison doubled the away side's lead before the interval, aided by Bart Verbruggen's handling blunder, but Yankuba Minteh halved that deficit after the restart with a thumping finish.
Destiny Udogie was somewhat at fault for Minteh's finish, and the Spurs defence again struggled as Rutter restored parity before the hour mark after dancing around a couple of defenders.
Former Leeds United star Rutter then edged past numerous Tottenham charges once more, with his cross deflecting up for Danny Welbeck to head in the 66th-minute winner and seal a memorable turnaround.
Verbruggen was still required to deny Udogie late on, however, as Fabian Hurzeler's side held on for a victory that lifted them to sixth and ended Spurs' impressive winning run.
Data Debrief: Johnson's heroics in vain
Johnson has now scored in each of his last six appearances in all competitions, becoming the first Spurs player to do so since departed talisman Harry Kane between December 2018 and January 2019.
The winger's six goals across 10 appearances this season are also more than he managed in 34 outings for Spurs last campaign, though Johnson's efforts proved ultimately in vain.
Sunday marked the 10th time that Tottenham have lost a Premier League game in which they led by two or more goals – they are the first club to hit double figures for this, and have done so three more times than any other club in the competition's history.
Indeed, this memorable turnaround saw Brighton win a league game after trailing by two or more goals at half-time for the first time since a 3-2 victory against Charlton in the Championship in December 2015.
Ten Hag insists Man Utd 'all on board together' amid future speculation
Erik ten Hag insisted he and Manchester United's hierarchy are "all on board together" following the Red Devils' goalless draw with Aston Villa.
United played out their fourth stalemate in five games across all competitions - losing the other against Tottenham last weekend - as the spoils were shared at Villa Park.
The Red Devils' tally of eight points, which keeps them 14th in the table, is their lowest after the first seven matches of a Premier League season, with their struggles increasing the pressure on Ten Hag.
However, as speculation surrounding his future continues to grow, the Dutchman remains calm on the matter, as he focused on the positive aspects of his side's performance.
When asked if he has spoken to United's board, he told Sky Sports: "We always speak, every week we speak. We are all on board together, on one page, we know what we are working through. It's a long-term process.
"I think it's the fourth clean sheet this season. You saw we had a very good organisation and togetherness. There was good character and good spirit as a team; determined, resilient.
"We almost didn't concede a chance. At the end, they had a big chance [Diogo Dalot blocking Jaden Philogene's stoppage-time attempt], but I think it was almost the only chance.
"We have come through two very tough away games. This is a team, we showed the belief and faith we have."
However, only 19th-place Southampton (four) have scored fewer goals than United (five) so far, while only in 1972-73 (four) have they ever netted fewer in their first seven matches of a top-flight campaign.
Ten Hag acknowledged his players must show a greater cutting edge in attack.
"We have created loads of chances in our seven games, but we have to step up," he added.
"We know, at this moment, we have a lack of goals. In that perspective, it's not a good start. That's an area we have to improve."
Meanwhile, Jonny Evans said he and his team-mates have been affected by the speculation surrounding Ten Hag, but praised the spirit demonstrated by the team.
"It does affect the players. It's on our minds, too," the defender told BBC Match of the Day.
"I think the more experience I've got in my career, I've made sure I do everything to be ready and give everything I can to the team.
"That was the important thing, to show the spirit in the team. Everyone competed as much as they could. That's a pleasing thing to see."
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