Gerrit Cole helped end the New York Yankees' four-game skid with 15 strikeouts in a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in the MLB on Wednesday.
Cole struck out Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani three times in a commanding display across seven innings on the hill, allowing only four hits.
The Yankees pitcher's 15 strikeouts are tied for the second most in a game without a walk in Yankees history. It was Cole's fifth game with 12 or more strikeouts this season.
Cole becomes only the third player this season to have 15 Ks in a game after Corbin Burnes on August 11 against the Chicago Cubs and Jacob de Grom on April 23 against the Washington Nationals.
The 30-year-old right-hander's starring display came at a crucial time for the Yankees who had won 13 straight before their four-game skid, which he ended in the final game of their nine-game road trip.
Leading 3-1 in the eighth inning, Aaron Judge homered for the 30th time this season to seal the win.
Yankees general manager Aaron Boone said: "He’s obviously had some really good ones in his career and certainly with us the last two seasons. That for me was up there. That was a guy in control, I felt like a step ahead of those guys all day."
Rays' hot streak halted by Red Sox
The Tampa Bay Rays' nine-game winning streak was halted by the Boston Red Sox 3-2 despite rookie Wander Franco continuing his on-base run, with the result having implications in the wildcard race.
Franco delivered a two-run homer from Chris Sale to put the Rays 2-1 up at the top of the third inning but the Red Sox replied with a Christian Vasquez's solo shot in the seventh to tie it up.
With Boston at bat in the ninth inning with two on, Jarren Duran hit into right field and Rafael Devers touched down to clinch the Red Sox win.
The win keeps the Red Sox (76-59) hot on the heels of the Yankees (77-56) but it also opens a gap on the Oakland Athletics (73-60) who lost 8-6 to the Detroit Tigers.
Miguel Cabrera homered for the Tigers before a crucial RBI when scores were tied at 6-6.
The Los Angeles Dodgers moved into top spot in the National League (NL) West for the first time in months as they secured a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Max Scherzer tossed six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts before the Braves squared it 3-3, with AJ Pollock's low single allowing Justin Turner to get home for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.
The San Francisco Giants suffered their fourth straight defeat, going down 5-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers, with the Dodgers jumping above them in the NL West.
The Seattle Mariners completed a shut-out of the Houston Astros to stay in the wildcard hunt with a 1-0 win.
Darvish's woes continue
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish had a tough time on the mound in his side's 8-3 loss to the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks piled on six runs in the third inning as Darvish was pulled. The Padres pitcher allowed eight hits, one walk and five earned runs.
Edman's flying catch
St Louis Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman went flying beyond the netting and into the front row of the stands as he took an amazing catch from Tyler Stephenson in his side's 12-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Edman hustled 120 feet, leaping over the tarp, to make the catch.
Wednesday's results
St Louis Cardinals 5-4 Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies 9-5 Texas Rangers
Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners 1-0 Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds 12-2 St Louis Cardinals
Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 Baltimore Orioles
New York Yankees 4-1 Los Angeles Angels
Boston Red Sox 3-2 Tampa Bay Rays
Detroit Tigers 8-6 Oakland Athletics
Chicago White Sox 6-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Cleveland Indians 5-3 Kansas City Royals
Chicago Cubs 3-0 Minnesota Twins
Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 Atlanta Braves
A's at Tigers
The wildcard permutations will continue to evolve when the Athletics take on the Tigers again to round out their three-game series.
Kane not ruling out reaching 100 goals for England
Harry Kane is not ruling out scoring 100 goals for England after becoming his country's all-time leading goalscorer this international window.
The Tottenham striker's penalty in last week's 2-1 Euro 2024 qualifying victory over Italy moved him in front of Wayne Rooney outright on 54 goals for the Three Lions.
He added to that tally with another strike in Sunday's 2-0 win over Ukraine at Wembley to make it 55 goals in 82 appearances since making his debut in 2015.
Only Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo (122) and Iran great Ali Daei (109) have reached triple figures for men's international goals, while Argentina's Lionel Messi is one short.
But Kane, who will only turn 30 in July, is looking to chase down that big milestone ahead of qualifiers with Malta and North Macedonia in June.
"Getting 100 will be tough for sure, but I never count out anything," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"I am still young – I am 29, I am still fit and strong. I want to play for England for as long as I can. Every game there is I will be putting myself forward to try and play.
"We will take it step-by-step. The next step will be trying to get into the sixties.
"A hundred is not out of the question. It will be extremely tough, but we will have to see how the next few years go."
Kane has scored 39 goals with his stronger right foot for England, seven with his left and nine via his head.
While he has yet to win a trophy with England – or indeed with Tottenham at club level – he won the Golden Boot with his six goals at the 2018 World Cup.
"I am extremely passionate about my country. I love playing for England," Kane, who also recently became Tottenham's record scorer, said of his Three Lions career to date.
"To think of all the English legends and strikers that have played the game and to be number one now is just beyond my dreams.
"Playing for England is special and to have this record is special.
"I don't think I dreamed this far. I dreamed of playing for England and scoring for England – to be record goalscorer was not even in my dreams.
"I have had so many great moments and hopefully there are more to come."
Nikola Jokic believes his main rival for a third-straight NBA MVP award, Joel Embiid, will "be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league."
The clash between the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers had been billed as the league's two leading players facing off, only for the Sixers to rest Embiid due to a calf injury.
Jokic led Denver to a 116-111 victory on Monday, scoring 25 points with 17 rebounds and 12 assists, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season.
With James Harden also out, Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 29 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, but the main talking point after the game remained Embiid, with Jokic reserving words of praise for his rival.
"I think he's a great player," he said. "I think he's gonna be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league. The guy's a beast, and he's so talented.
"He can affect [the game] many ways on the floor. He can post up, he can face up, he can shoot threes. He can defend really well. He can, in some situations, guard one through five. So he's a really, really good player."
Embiid leads the league for points-per-game this season (33.3), ahead of Luka Doncic (32.9), Damian Lillard (32.2), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.1).
Sixers coach Doc Rivers said prior to the game he was tired of the animosity brought about by the debate around this year's MVP award, with Jokic having won it the last two seasons and having had another stellar year for the Nuggets.
"It's like we can't celebrate people," Rivers said. "The league is in a great place. It's in an amazing place.
"You've got Joel Embiid and Joker, two centers, in a non-center league, dominating the league. You've got Giannis, and I always put him as a whatever, because we don't know what [position] Giannis is, but he's one of the best players in the league. Jayson Tatum is playing unbelievable. Kevin Durant, if he wasn't hurt. You can just keep going.
"You can like them all, and you can actually not like one because you love the other one. But you don't have to hate on anybody. I think we just need to get back to judging whatever your flavour is, and I don't think you have to hate the other one, for sure."
Netherlands 3-0 Gibraltar: Ake nets twice as Koeman gets first win of second spell
Ronald Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge of the Netherlands as the Oranje dispatched 10-man Gibraltar 3-0.
Nathan Ake scored twice in a game that saw the Netherlands have 50 attempts without allowing one at the other end, as Koeman's team got up and running in Euro 2024 qualifying following last week's heavy defeat to France.
Ake's second-half double came after Memphis Depay had put the Dutch ahead against the Group B minnows in Rotterdam on Monday.
It marked a 19th straight defeat in Euro qualifying for Gibraltar, who had Liam Walker sent off for a rash challenge on Dutch debutant Mats Wieffer.
In need of a response following their hammering in Paris, the Netherlands had control from the off, and the lead came in the 23rd minute.
Following a patient move, Denzel Dumfries – back from suspension – supplied an inviting cross that Depay glanced in.
Georginio Wijnaldum volleyed just over while Wout Weghorst twice went close – spurning a great chance when he shot wide from eight yards out before Dayle Coleing produced a smart reflex save to deny the Manchester United striker.
The Dutch doubled their lead five minutes after the break, Dumfries helping a deep cross back into the centre for Ake to head home.
Gibraltar were reduced to 10 men less than 60 seconds later. Walker caught Wieffer with a dangerous challenge, leaving referee Morten Krogh with little choice but to brandish a straight red.
Coleing denied Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo while Roy Chipolina blocked Weghorst on the line, but Ake's deflected strike eight minutes from time added gloss to an easy victory.
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