Luis Severino combined with two relievers for a one-hitter to hand the New York Yankees a 3-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

Along with the solitary hit, Severino struck out 10 over 92 pitches, before being pulled after the seventh inning for Michael King and Clay Holmes to close the game out.

Tigers pitcher Beau Brieske struck out seven and gave up three hits in six innings, while Miguel Cabrera claimed his 3,033rd career hit, but the damage for the Yankees was done early.

Aaron Judge went deep off Brieske, mashing the rookie on the first pitch in the bottom of the first inning for his 21st home run for the season, before Anthony Rizzo followed suit.

The Pinstripes moved to 38-15 for the season with their fifth consecutive win, extending their lead over the Toronto Blue Jays atop the American League East.

Gore and Cronenworth propel Padres

MacKenzie Gore and Jake Cronenworth were vital for the San Diego Padres as they won their high-profile National League match-up, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 on the road.

Gore continued the impressive start to his rookie season, striking out 10 and giving up only three hits over an astounding 108 pitches in six innings.

Cronenworth homered off Aaron Ashby meanwhile, as well as driving in three runs for the important win.

Pivetta continues impressive form for Red Sox

Nick Pivetta pitched for his fifth consecutive win as the Boston Red Sox won their third straight, defeating the Oakland Athletics 8-0.

Pivetta allowed only two hits and struck out seven over 100 pitches in seven innings, before Tanner Houck and Hirokazu Sawamura closed out for the Red Sox.

Alex Verdugo claimed three hits and two RBIs while Trevor Story doubled twice, as Boston moved to within a game from .500.

Luis Severino combined with two relievers for a one-hitter to hand the New York Yankees a 3-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

Along with the solitary hit, Severino struck out 10 over 92 pitches, before being pulled after the seventh inning for Michael King and Clay Holmes to close the game out.

Tigers pitcher Beau Brieske struck out seven and gave up three hits in six innings, while Miguel Cabrera claimed his 3,033 career hit, but the damage for the Yankees was done early.

Aaron Judge went deep off Brieske, mashing the rookie on the first pitch in the bottom of the first inning for his 21st home run for the season, before Anthony Rizzo followed suit.

The Pinstripes moved to 38-15 for the season with their fifth consecutive win, extending their lead over the Toronto Blue Jays atop the American League East.

Gore and Cronenworth propel Padres

MacKenzie Gore and Jake Cronenworth were vital for the San Diego Padres as they won their high-profile National League matchup, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 on the road.

Gore continued the impressive start to his rookie season, striking out 10 and giving up only three hits over an astounding 108 pitches in six innings.

Cronenworth homered off Aaron Ashby meanwhile, as well as driving in three runs for the important win.

Pivetta continues impressive form for Red Sox

Nick Pivetta pitched for his fifth consecutive win as the Boston Red Sox won their third straight, defeating the Oakland Athletics 8-0.

Pivetta allowed only two hits and struck out seven over 100 pitches in seven innings, before Tanner Houck and Hirokazu Sawamura closed out for the Red Sox.

Alex Verdugo claimed three hits and two RBIs while Trevor Story doubled twice, as Boston moved to within a game from .500.

The best team in baseball put on a show for their home fans on Friday as the New York Yankees hammered the Detroit Tigers 13-0.

The Yankees did it with bat and ball, with ace pitcher Gerrit Cole taking a perfect game into the seventh inning before it was finally broken up by a Jonathan Schoop single.

Cole finished with nine strikeouts, no walks and just two hits in seven full innings, while with the bat the Yankees hit four big home runs.

After a couple of scoreless innings to begin the game, Jose Trevino got things started with a 405-foot homer in the third inning, with MVP candidate Aaron Judge knocking his own 378-footer just three batters later to make it 2-0.

Trevino stayed hot with a two-run triple in the fourth inning, before Anthony Rizzo crushed the biggest hit of the game with a three-run, 430-foot home run to right-field to make it 8-0 in the fifth.

Recent signing Matt Carpenter got in on the fun as well, hitting a 386-foot blast later in the fifth inning. For Carpenter, it was his fourth home run for the Yankees in just seven appearances.

Judge finished with four hits from five at-bats, and the home run was his 20th of the season. Nobody else in the majors has more than Mookie Betts' 16.

Machado shows MVP power

In a battle between the National League's top MVP and Cy Young candidates, San Diego Padres slugger Manny Machado got the better of Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes in a 7-0 win.

With the Padres leading 2-0 in the fourth inning, Machado put his stamp on the game by taking Burnes deep, connecting on a three-run home run to make it 5-0 and signal the end of Burnes' night, getting pulled just two batters later.

Joe Musgrove was the real star for the Padres, though, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning before it was finally broken up. He finished with six strikeouts in eight innings, giving up one hit and three walks.

Twins order homers with extra Garlick

Jose Miranda and Kyle Garlick hit two home runs each for the Minnesota Twins in their 9-3 away win against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Garlick hit his first as the third batter of the game, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and as soon as the Blue Jays were able to tie it back up, it was Miranda's turn, putting Minnesota back up 3-2 in the second frame.

Garlick's second came in the third inning, with Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero answering in the same frame, before Miranda finally gave the Twins some breathing room with his two-run blast in the sixth, pulling ahead 6-3 to grab a winning buffer.

The Houston Astros and Yordan Alvarez have agreed to a six-year, $115million extension that will keep the 2019 American League Rookie of the Year under team control through 2028, according to multiple reports.

MLB.com reports the deal will pay Alvarez $7m in 2023, $10m in 2024, $15m in 2025 and $26m per season over the final three years of the contract. It also contains a $5m signing bonus.

The contract, which ESPN reports to be the largest ever for a player primarily used as a designated hitter, encompasses all of Alvarez's arbitration-eligible seasons as well as his first three years of free agency.

It is also the fifth-largest extension in MLB history for a player yet to reach arbitration, behind Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340m), Wander Franco (11 years, $182m), Buster Posey (eight years, $159m) and Mike Trout (six years, $144.5m).

Alvarez earned the large payday by emerging among the game's premier power hitters since breaking into the majors in June 2019. The 24-year-old has produced a .287 average with 75 home runs, 217 RBIs and a .947 OPS over 278 career games.

The Cuba native enters Friday's play second in the AL with 14 homers, fifth in slugging percentage (.574), sixth in OPS (.941) and eighth in RBIs (31).

Alvarez set a major league rookie record by amassing a 1.067 OPS while batting .313 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs in just 87 games to be named the AL's top newcomer in 2019.

After knee surgeries limited him to only two games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, he bounced back to record 33 homers and 104 RBIs in 2021 and was voted MVP of the AL Championship Series after leading Houston past the Boston Red Sox for a spot in last year's World Series.

Alvarez joins 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve, third baseman Alex Bregman and starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. as core players the Astros have signed to large multi-year contracts in recent years.

Houston were unable to retain two other key contributors to their 2017 world championship run, as outfielder George Springer signed with Toronto following the 2020 season and shortstop Carlos Correa signed with Minnesota this past offseason.

The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Joe Girardi on Friday following a disappointing 22-29 start to a season the team entered with high expectations.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced bench coach Rob Thomson will take over as interim manager through the remainder of the season. The Phillies also relieved coaching assistant Bobby Meacham of his duties as part of the staff shake-up.

The moves come with Philadelphia sitting 12 games back of the first-placed New York Mets in the National League East and five and a half games out of a wildcard spot.

Despite the presence of reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper and a payroll exceeding $225million – the fourth highest in Major League Baseball this season – the Phillies have gone 11-18 since May 1 and are 4-10 in games decided by one run.

Only Texas (2-8) have a lower winning percentage in one-run games in 2022.

"It has been a frustrating season for us up to this point, as we feel the club has not played up to its capabilities," Dombrowski said in a statement. "While all of us share the responsibility for the shortcomings, I felt that a change was needed and that a new voice in the clubhouse would give us the best chance to turn things around.

"I believe we have a talented group that can get back on track, and I am confident that Rob, with his familiarity and experience with our club, is the right man to lead us going forward."

Girardi, who won a World Series managing the New York Yankees in 2009 and was the 2006 NL Manager of the Year with the then-Florida Marlins, was hired by Philadelphia prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The 57-year-old went 82-80 in his first full season with the team in 2021 and amassed a 132-141 overall record with the Phillies.

Thomson has never been a full-time manager at the major league level but the 58-year-old has extensive experience as a bench coach, having served in that role with the Phillies since 2018 and previously holding those duties under Girardi with the Yankees in 2008 and again from 2015-17.

The native Canadian will be tasked with improving a team who have had one winning season since last reaching the playoffs in 2011. The Phillies' postseason drought is the second-longest active streak in MLB, trailing only the Seattle Mariners' run of 20 consecutive seasons missing the playoffs.

"I am extremely excited for this opportunity and I appreciate the confidence Dave has shown in me," said Thomson. "Having said that, this is an emotional day for me, having worked closely with Joe for so many years.

"I care deeply about this franchise, this city, our players, our coaches, our staff and our fans. I am ready to lead this team and look forward to getting to work and turning this around."

Shohei Ohtani had a bad time in the Bronx on Thursday, as the New York Yankees took the first of two games in a double-header against the Los Angeles Angels.

Matt Carpenter continued his solid form since signing as a free agent, seeing his way through an 11-pitch at-bat to score a lead-off home run off Ohtani in the 6-1 win.

Carpenter now has three home runs from 16 at-bats for the Yankees, while the reigning American League MVP gave up eight hits and four runs on the way to being pulled after three innings.

Jameson Taillon took a perfect game into the eighth inning as the Pinstripes won Thursday's second game 2-1, moving their record for the season to 36-15.

Further misfortune was dealt to Ohtani in the second game, with Wandy Peralta striking him out to confirm the save.

Rookie Ashcraft leads Reds in Nationals win

Rookie starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft continued his impressive start in the major leagues, as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Washington Nationals 8-1.

The 24-year-old secured his first win last Friday, throwing six scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants, and did not have to wait long for his second in another dominant performance.

The right-hander struck out five and gave up four hits over 92 pitches in seven innings, setting up what was only the Reds' 18th win of the season.

Alcantara assumes control against Giants

Sandy Alcantara allowed only three hits in an assured display, leading the Miami Marlins to a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.

The 26-year-old walked two and struck out eight, while extending his run of at least seven innings pitched to five starts, and lowering his ERA to 1.81.

The Marlins scored early via a Jacob Stallings single, and that was all the run-support Alcantara needed, moving them to 21-28 for the season.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has been ruled out of Thursday's primetime matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers after reportedly jamming his finger while closing a door.

Lindor is the Mets' hottest batter, driving in a run in a career-high 10 consecutive games, hitting .365 during that stretch.

The Mets (35-17) are currently one game behind crosstown rivals the New York Yankees (35-15) in the race for the best record in baseball, while the Dodgers (33-17) are third, one game behind the Mets. 

Lindor's absence puts the Mets' six-game winning streak in danger, and he told reporters he is disappointed to miss out after his finger quickly swelled up and his nail turned black.

"The last time I pinched a finger, I was 12 years old," he said.

"I ran around the room for like three minutes. I didn't want to look at it. I felt like I had my heart in that finger.

"It's frustrating to not be out there with the boys – I want to be out there every day and do whatever it takes to help the team win."

Lindor is not expected to miss more than a day or two.

An offensive explosion in the sixth inning saw a combined nine runs as the Philadelphia Phillies held on for a hard-fought 6-5 home win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

Both teams had their ace pitchers on the mound, and they were both excellent through the first five innings as Philadelphia's Aaron Nola and San Francisco's Carlos Rodon combined for one earned run.

The Phillies led 2-0 heading into the sixth frame – with one of the runs going down as unearned for the pitcher due to a fielding error – before the Giants finally found their groove.

The Giants' first five batters in the sixth inning went: double, RBI rouble, single, hit-by-pitch, before being capped off with a big three-run home run to Wilmer Flores.

With their big inning, the Giants jumped ahead 5-2, and after seeing Nola fall apart, the visitors opted to pull Rodon from the game. It was a decision that will be questioned after the Phillies rallied back with four runs of their own in the same frame.

They came with a pair of two-run homers – the first a 348-foot shot from Nick Maton, before Kyle Schwarber sent his 392 feet over the wall to put his side back in front 6-5.

From that point on the bullpens took over, with no hits and no walks allowed by either team in the final three frames, allowing Corey Knebel to come in and collect the save for the Phillies.

Verlander teases a no-hitter

Houston Astros star pitcher Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before his side then had to fight from behind to beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4.

Verlander was spectacular, allowing just one walk through the first six innings, but only led 1-0 as Cole Irvin was also at the top of his game on the mound for the Athletics.

In the seventh inning, an Elvis Andrus RBI double and a two-run Christian Bethancourt home run turned the game on its head, grabbing a 3-1 lead for the Athletics in the process, holding it until the ninth inning.

It was a poor showing from Oakland reliever Dany Jimenez, allowing the bases to load before walking in a run to make it 3-2, setting the plate for Yordan Alvarez to be the hero with a three-run, bases clearing, game-winning double.

Rockies win a shoot-out

The Colorado Rockies beat the Miami Marlins 13-12 in an extra-innings crowd-pleaser, ending in a walk-off home run.

Six Rockies finished with at least two hits, but Brendan Rodgers was the undisputed star of the show, hitting solo home runs in the second and fifth innings, before crushing his third long-ball of the day for the walk-off winner in the 10th frame.

Ryan McMahon was also terrific with the bat for the home side, with a three-run triple in the third inning and an RBI double in the fifth, as he and Rodgers combined to drive in eight of Colorado's 13 runs.

Mark Canha and Starling Marte led the New York Mets, who claimed 17 hits in their 10-0 thrashing of the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.

Canha claiming four of those hits leading off for the Mets, and Marte got it rolling with his home run in the first inning, going deep off Patrick Corbin.

Jeff McNeil also had three hits while Eduardo Escobar homered off Nats reliever Francisco Perez, as Francisco Lindor extended his RBI streak to nine games.

The Mets' hitting did not have to counteract for any poor performances from the mound, with Trevor Williams giving up only three hits over 80 pitches in a full five innings.

Every Mets starter claimed a hit as the National League East leaders went to secure their season-best fifth consecutive win.

Thor hammered as Halos lose to Yankees

Across town, former Met Noah Syndergaard had a disappointing return to New York, as the Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Angels 9-1.

Syndergaard allowed five runs and seven hits, including a two-run homer from Matt Carpenter, and he was pulled after only 45 pitches.

Jordan Montgomery pitched solidly as the Yankees kicked off a high-profile three-game series against the Halos, striking out four and giving up four hits over 87 pitches in seven innings.

Kody Clemens hitless as Tigers

Jonathan Schoop starred for the Detroit Tigers as Kody Clemens made his major league debut, beating the Minnesota Twins 4-0 on Tuesday night to split a double-header.

Schoop claimed a home run and drove in four runs against the American League Central leaders, while the 26-year-old Clemens went zero-for-three on debut, with his father and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens watching from a suite.

Clemens was without such blemishes in the field at second base, however, handling a ground-ball for the final out of the game.

The St. Louis Cardinals received strong performances from two rookies as they defeated the San Diego Padres 6-3 on Monday.

After the Padres took an early 1-0 lead, rookie second-baseman Nolan Gorman hit his second career home run with a 403-foot, two-run shot to right-field.

Tommy Edman was the player who trotted the bases along with Gorman for his home run, and he added another run himself with an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 3-1.

Austin Nola pegged one back for the Padres with a base hit in the sixth frame, before the red-hot Paul Goldschmidt gave the Cardinals some breathing room with a two-run home run, crushing one 414 feet over the left-field wall to extend the lead to 5-2. It also extended Goldschmidt's hitting streak to 21 consecutive games.

Future Hall-of-Famer and 39-year-old Cardinals legend Yadier Molina capped off a fun night for the home faithful with an RBI double to center-field in the seventh inning.

Packy Naughton gave the Cardinals a decent start on the mound, striking out four batters and allowing one run in his two-and-a-third innings, before rookie Andre Pallante came in and earned his first career win, pitching three-and-a-third frames for one earned run and five strikeouts.

Both the Padres and the Cardinals remain three-and-a-half games off the leaders in their respective divisions.

Valdez pitches complete game for Astros

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez needed no help on the mound, pitching nine complete innings in his side's 5-1 win against the Oakland Athletics.

Valdez gave up just two hits and three walks, striking out seven, and was able to finish the job in 114 pitches.

With the bat, star Jose Altuve collected two hits, including a 394-foot, two-run homer in the fifth inning, while teammate Yordan Alvarez also had two hits, and both were massive.

Alvarez's first home run travelled 469 feet to center field, and his second was a 444-foot bomb to right-center – but he was not even close to Tuesday's biggest blast.

Sanchez crushes year's longest home run

The Miami Marlins lost 7-1 away against the Colorado Rockies, but the visiting side's one run was a memorable one, coming from the longest home run of the season.

With both sides still scoreless in the second inning, Marlins center-fielder Jesus Sanchez hooked a monstrous 496-foot solo home run deep over the right-field wall and over the third deck.

It was one of only four hits given up by Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner, who finished with seven complete innings for one run and six strikeouts.

No Rockies hit home runs in the game, but both Connor Joe and Garrett Hampson hit triples.

Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani hit a home run in each of his first two at-bats on Sunday, but it was not enough to stop the Toronto Blue Jays from winning the high-scoring battle 11-10.

Ohtani scored the game's opening run with a solo home run in the first inning, but by the time he stepped to the plate for a second time, his side trailed 6-2.

After sending his first blast 413 feet to center field, his second shot was a 425-foot, two-run homer, trimming the score back to 6-4.

Los Angeles catcher Max Stassi tied the game with a two-run single later in the third inning, before Travis Ward's two-run home run in the fourth frame made it 8-6 Angels.

Ward drove in another run with an RBI double in the sixth inning, but the Blue Jays tied things up at 9-9 in the seventh when three runs came home from a pair of bases-loaded walks, and an RBI single to Raimel Tapia.

Stassi made sure that tie was short-lived with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, before Bo Bichette again pulled the Blue Jays level with his own solo homer in the eighth.

After Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr was intentionally walked, Lourdes Gurriel made the Angels pay, driving in what would be the game-winning run with a double to make it 11-10, setting the table for David Phelps to come in and secure the save.

Overall the two teams combined for 25 hits, and while nine players finished with multiple knocks, Stassi was the top performer with the bat, going four-for-five with three singles and a home run.

McClanahan bests the Yankees

New York Yankees MVP candidate Aaron Judge hit his league-leading 18th home run, but his side was no match for Tampa Bay Rays Cy Young candidate Shane McClanahan, going down 4-2 on the road.

McClanahan pitched six complete innings, striking out seven, while conceding just one run from seven hits and no walks.

As he kept the Yankees quiet, the Rays were able to build a lead thanks in large part to solo home runs from Choi Ji-man and Taylor Walls, leading 4-1 before Judge blasted a 420-foot consolation shot in the eighth inning.

Red Sox hold their own Home Run Derby

The Boston Red Sox hit a season-high five home runs in their 12-2 home win against the Baltimore Orioles – and they were the first five scoring hits of the game.

Bobby Dalbec got things started with a two-run homer in the second inning, with Franchy Cordero adding a solo shot later in the inning – his 448-foot bomb would be the biggest of the day.

Rafael Devers sent his moonshot 431 feet over the right-field wall in the third frame, and just an inning later both Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez chipped in with their own solo home runs to make it 6-0.

Nick Pivetta was terrific on the mound in front of the Fenway Park faithful, pitching six innings for one earned run and five strikeouts.

Los Angeles Angels catcher Kurt Suzuki is "alert" after suffering a neck contusion when he was struck by a warm-up pitch during a 6-5 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

Suzuki was removed from the game at Angel Stadium after a pitch from Michael Lorenzen before the third inning bounced in front of him and struck him on the neck.

The 38-year-old was assessed by a trainer and manager Joe Maddon before being helped down the steps.

Suzuki was taken to hospital, but returned to the stadium following a check-up.

A statement released by the Angels said: "Kurt Suzuki was removed from tonight's game with a neck contusion. He is alert and currently undergoing further testing.

"Additional information will be released at the appropriate time."

Suzuki could reportedly be available to face the Blue Jays on Sunday.

Jeff McNeil delivered the go-ahead home run as the New York Mets continued their excellent start to the season with an 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

Trailing 2-1 in the fourth inning with two runners on base, McNeil stepped up for the Mets for a three-run blast over right field.

McNeil revealed after the game that he thought he spotted an eagle in the crowd moments before stepping up. "I was kind of staring out into space, into nothing, and I saw something," McNeil said. "I don't know what it was. It was a bird."

McNeil's blast put the Mets up 4-2, before Francisco Lindor extended his RBI streak to a career-best six games.

Lindor's triple moved the Mets further ahead, with his long fly ball skipping off the wall at left-center field. He has 14 RBIs during his six-game run.

Pete Alonso was more quiet by comparison, but still drove in another RBI as he homes in on a franchise record held by Gary Carter of 34 RBIs in any month. Alonso now has 29 for May which is a franchise record for that specific month.

Kluber and Cole face off as Rays win

The Tampa Bay Rays ended the New York Yankees' four-game winning run with a 3-1 victory in their AL East clash.

Manuel Margot extended his hitting streak to 15 games with an RBI single in the eighth with Wander Franco scoring.

Corey Kluber and Gerrit Cole jousted on the mound across six innings, with Kluber allowing one run and three hits while striking out five. Cole struck out 10, giving up one run, two hits with three walks.

Betts blasts Dodgers to victory

Mookie Betts continued his stellar May form with a leadoff homer in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Betts' leadoff homer was his 14th home run of the season and 11th of the month. It was also his 32nd career leadoff home run.

The win means the Dodgers improve to a 32-14 record in the NL West.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler has explained that he will not stand for the United States national anthem due to concerns over the "direction of our country".

On Tuesday, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The MLB paid tribute by holding a moment of silence before games, prior to playing the national anthem.

Kapler on Friday published an essay on his website detailing how on "the day 19 children and two teachers were murdered, we held a moment of silence at sporting events around the country, then we played the national anthem, and we went on with our lives."

He then explained that he will not be coming out to stand for the anthem, and that he wanted to take a knee during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner on Wednesday.

"Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I'm participating in a self-congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place," he wrote.

"On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honoured the victims in Uvalde. I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on guitars.

"My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn't listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn't want to call attention to myself. I didn't want to take away from the victims or their families.

"There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn't understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.

"But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn't let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you're dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this."

Kapler told reporters on Friday: "I don't expect it to move the needle necessarily, but it's something I feel strongly enough about to take that step."

His decision follows on from an impassioned plea from Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who used a pre-game news conference earlier this week to express his dismay over another school shooting and demand changes to gun laws.

The Boston Red Sox could not finish the job with a six-run lead against the Baltimore Orioles, going down 12-8 after leading 8-2 through the sixth inning.

It was a red-hot start for the surging Red Sox, who had won seven of their past eight games leading into Friday's contest, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks in large part to a three-run homer from Xander Bogaerts.

Boston's lead was extended to 6-0 in the second inning through a bases-loaded automatic double from Alex Verdugo, before the Orioles finally got on the board through a two-run home run from Anthony Santander in the fourth inning.

Those would be the only runs given up by Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock, who pitched six full innings for two earned runs from five hits and one walk, striking out four; but when he was withdrawn, everything fell apart for the home side.

The Orioles would score 10 runs in the final three frames, as a three-run blast from Jorge Mateo in the seventh and a two-run homer in the eighth from Austin Hays quickly helped make it 8-8 heading into the final inning.

Baltimore racked up another five hits in the ninth as the Boston bullpen simply could not close the show, before Orioles closer Jorge Lopez showed them how it was done, retiring the last three Red Sox batters in order.

Taillon pitches a gem for Yankees

The New York Yankees have extended their league-best record to 33-13 after a 2-0 shutout win away at the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

It was all about Yankees starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, who proved nearly unhittable, pitching eight complete innings for just two hits and no walks, striking out five in the process.

The Yankees were kept scoreless in eight of their innings as well, but had a pair of game-winning swings of the bat in the fourth frame, with solo home runs to Gleyber Torres and Matt Carpenter.

Carpenter has only been with the Yankees for less than a week, being picked up in the midst of an injury crisis after he was released by the Texas Rangers.

Polar Bear delivers for Mets

New York Mets first-baseman Pete Alonso – nicknamed the 'Polar Bear' – was terrific in his side's 8-6 win against the Philadelphia Phillies, finishing with a game-high four RBIs.

Alonso drove in his first run in the first inning through a sacrifice-fly, before doing it in a more emphatic fashion in the third frame, hitting a 400-foot, two-run home run to left-field.

His fourth RBI came from another hard-hit ball, this time a double to deep right-field, opening up a 7-0 lead in the process.

The Phillies would threaten a comeback, cutting the margin back to 7-6, but the Mets' bullpen was able to shut things down in the final three innings.