SOCCER
Raccoon invades pitch
A raccoon on Wednesday ran on the field and stopped play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) match between the Philadelphia Union and New York City. The game was stopped for about five minutes while stadium security tried to capture the animal and remove it from the pitch. Despite lacking real pace, the mammal, native to North America, showed impressive footwork to evade the lumbering stadium staff, one of whom was trying to collect him in a plastic garbage can. The crowd at the stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania, chanted: “Raccoon, Raccoon,” before the invader was caught and taken away. The Philadelphia Union in a post on X said that the raccoon had been “put in good hands” with a pest control company and “safely released.” Meanwhile, MLS dubbed the raccoon “Raquinha” in a post on X. “Unofficially, Raquinho the Raccoon spent 161 seconds on the field tonight, which was the most by a raccoon in @MLS history,” it said.
GOLF
Woods might skip post
Negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf backers the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) are progressing, Tiger Woods said on Tuesday, but with much work still ahead that could keep him from taking on the job of US Ryder Cup captain. A director on the PGA Tour policy board that is trying to hammer out an agreement with the PIF, Woods has had a very full plate while preparing for this week’s PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. The 48-year-old has had to juggle several new business ventures along with the possibility of leading the US against Europe when they host the Ryder Cup next year at Bethpage Black in New York. “We’re still talking,” Woods said, about the Ryder Cup. “There’s nothing that has been confirmed yet, we’re still working on what that might look like.”
SOCCER
Celtic win 54th title
Celtic on Wednesday wrapped up their 54th Scottish league title, and 12th in the last 13 seasons, with a game to spare after a 5-0 thrashing of Kilmarnock. The visitors took the lead through Adam Idah five minutes into the game, before Daizen Maeda doubled their advantage seven minutes later and James Forrest added a third before the break. Matt O’Riley scored a second-half double as Celtic sealed the title after moving to 90 points, six clear of second-placed rivals Rangers, who on Tuesday beat Dundee United 5-2.
CYCLING
Milan claims second win
Italian cyclist Jonathan Milan on Wednesday sprinted to victory at the end of the 11th stage of the Giro d’Italia, while Tadej Pogacar kept his firm grip on the leader’s pink jersey. Milan, who rides for the Lidl-Trek team, edged out Tim Merlier and Kaden Groves in a bunch sprint that was made even more chaotic by the headwind at the finish at Francavilla al Mare. It was Milan’s second win in this year’s race and his third overall following last year’s debut Giro win. It was a lengthy slog on Wednesday, but the 207km route featured just one-third-category climb before it headed along the Adriatic coast. The final 4km had some risky road traffic but Pogacar finished safely with the rest of the contenders to maintain his lead of 2 minutes, 40 seconds ahead of Daniel Martinez.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
RSS