BASEBALL
Rays win 12th straight
The Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday won their 12th straight game to start the season, one short of the major-league record, as Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer in a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and 1982 Atlanta Braves both opened 13-0, tying for the best mark in big-league history. Tampa Bay’s 12-game winning streak matches the team record set in June 2004. Taj Bradley (1-0) won his MLB debut for the Rays. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed three runs and struck out eight over five innings. Arozarena made it 3-0 with an opposite-field homer off Chris Sale (1-1) in the first.
ICE HOCKEY
Islanders clinch playoff spot
Brock Nelson scored twice on Wednesday as the New York Islanders beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 to wrap up a playoff spot. The Islanders were awaiting the outcome of the Florida Panthers-Carolina Hurricanes game to determine their first-round opponents. Hudson Fasching and Anders Lee also scored for New York, while Ilya Sorokin made 16 saves to close out the regular season. Elsewhere, Wyatt Johnston scored twice, and Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist as the Dallas Stars beat the St Louis Blues 5-2 to take the Central Division lead, while the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 to finish fifth in the Pacific Division.
RUGBY UNION
Japan eyes 2030s events
The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) on Wednesday said that it wants to host the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2035 and 2037. Japan reached the quarter-finals as hosts of the men’s showpiece in 2019, the first time the tournament was held outside the traditional powerhouse nations. Australia is to host the men’s event in 2027 and the women’s tournament two years later, while the US is to stage the 2031 and 2033 tournaments. “We’ve informed them [World Rugby] that we are aiming to host at the earliest [2035 and 2037], and we will go forward looking at when the conditions will allow us to really stage it,” Kyodo news agency quoted JRFU chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi as saying. France is to host the men’s World Cup in September and October, while England is to stage the next women’s event in 2025.
SOCCER
Referee attack earns ban
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya midfielder Ibrahim Bayesh has been suspended for two years for trying to attack a referee after being sent off in a game on Sunday, the Iraqi Football Association said. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya lost 3-2 to Al-Kahraba after a last-gasp goal, to drop to second place in the league. “Ibrahim Bayesh mocked the referee as he was shown a second yellow card, and after that a red card, as a result [the player] ran towards the referee and tried to attack him, and he threatened and insulted the referee,” Iraq’s federation said in a statement on Wednesday. Hammadi Ahmed, a member of the club’s administrative board, also received a two-year ban after he pushed the referee and directed “harsh and obscene words” to the refereeing staff, the federation said. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya have to play three home matches without fans and were ordered to pay a fine of 10 million Iraqi dinars (US$7,637) after their fans rioted after the game.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
Sumo is walking a “tightrope” as it prepares to stage events outside Japan for the first time in 20 years while also trying to preserve its ancient traditions, experts say. The sport is to hold exhibition tournaments in London in October and in Paris in June next year, the first time the Japan Sumo Association has been abroad since Las Vegas in 2005. Sports such as soccer, baseball and football play domestic games overseas in a bid to gain new fans in emerging markets. John Gunning, a former amateur sumo wrestler who commentates on the sport in English on Japanese television, says its
Cole Perfetti on Friday scored three goals for his first NHL hat-trick as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-2. Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists to reach 500 points for his career, while David Gustafsson also scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck had 17 saves. Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah, while Connor Ingram stopped 25 shots. Perfetti gave Winnipeg a 3-2 lead when he lifted the puck over a fallen Ingram on a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov 5 minutes, 51 seconds into the third period. Ehlers stole the puck at his own blue line and raced down
RSS