MORRISON, Colo. – Steve Torrence continued his dominant pace on Saturday, powering to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel during the 40th annual Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Bandimere Speedway.

Robert Hight (Funny Car), Richard Freeman (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 in their respective categories at the 14th of 24 races during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Torrence, the defending world champ and current points leader in the class, went 3.738 seconds at 328.78 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to claim the No. 1 qualifier for the third time this season and 22nd time in his career.

After making the second-quickest run in track history on that run and setting the track speed record on Friday, Torrence will race for his eighth win in the past nine races on Sunday. Defending event winner Leah Pritchett qualified second and Jordan Vandergriff was third.

“We ran well the last three sessions, so the confidence in the car was there for sure,” Torrence said. “I knew the numbers were out there and I’ve got a lot of faith in my team. We just need to go out here and do the best we can on the first race of the three-race Western Swing. To make full pulls consistently, it’s been huge and it’s a big part of our success.”

Funny Car points leader Hight earned his seventh No. 1 qualifier of 2019 and 67th in his career after his pass of 3.976 seconds at 326.16 mph during the final qualifying session in his Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Hight will try for his fifth career win at Bandimere Speedway as John Force Racing qualified No. 1 in Denver for the sixth straight year. Tommy Johnson Jr. will start eliminations in second, while Cruz Pedregon is third.

“We came in here testing some stuff and the two runs (on Friday) we were testing stuff didn’t go well,” Hight said. “You have to throw that out, and I’m glad NHRA and the fans stuck this out so we could make another run. You don’t want to into raceday not getting down the track, so that was big for us. We’ve had a lot of good luck up here.”

Pro Stock’s Freeman raced to his first No. 1 qualifier in the class after going 6.948 seconds at 197.33 mph in his Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Freeman, the Elite Motorsports team owner, became the 65th different driver to claim a No. 1 spot in the class and will face Joey Grose in the first round of eliminations. Jeg Coughlin Jr. was second and Matt Hartford is third.

“It’s really neat,” Freeman said. “I’ve always got to stand behind the cars and enjoy that, but we’re super excited. It’s great. It’s exciting and I can’t say enough about our program and the guys we have back there, and the other drivers. It’s been awesome. I think we’re going to be good (on Sunday), so hopefully we come out of here with a win.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, defending world champion Smith went to the top spot with his run of 7.132 seconds at 188.31 mph on his Denso/Stockseth/MSR EBR. It is the second No. 1 qualifier of the year for Smith and the 33rd in his career.

Smith will face Jim Underdahl in the opening round of eliminations and is seeking his third Denver win. Jerry Savoie qualified second and Angie Smith is third.

“I didn’t expect to run that fast,” Matt Smith said. “When I saw Angie go (7.20), I thought I could maybe go a .17 or .16. The track tightened up and, man, my combination just stuck. That’s the quickest and fastest I’ve ever been up here and I just can’t say enough about my team. We just have to take it one round at a time and let this bike do its work.”

Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 3-1 in an entertaining International Champions Cup match in Houston on Saturday.

Both sides gave debuts to high-profile acquisitions in a game that featured appearances from 41 different players.

Real, who started with a full-strength side that included a debut for former Chelsea attacking midfielder Eden Hazard went 1-0 down after just a quarter of an hour.

David Alaba cut the ball back from the left and although Corentin Tolisso's first shot was saved off the line he hammered the rebound into the roof of the net to put the Germans 1-0 ahead.

- International Champions Cup: All you need to know
- Full International Champions Cup daily fixture schedule
- ICC: News and coverage

Real, though, had the better of the first half with only Manuel Neuer's presence and Karim Benzema's profligacy preventing them from drawing equal in a relaxed but end-to-end match.

Bayern made five changes at the start of the second half and Real made 11, with Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo for Real and defenders Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard for Bayern among the big-name off-season arrivals making their debuts.

Real's young and speedy forwards started the second period on top but instead it was two of Bayern's substitutes who helped seal the result.

First Robert Lewandowski held off his marker to turn midway through the second half and fire a low shot home from 12 meters out and then Serge Gnabry took advantage of sloppy defending to score from a similar position two minutes later.

Rodrygo got a consolation goal from a free kick with six minutes to go after the most controversial moment of the match.

The Brazilian teenager went down as he ran through on goal and the referee showed Bayern's substitute goalkeeper Sven Ulreich a red card, even though replays showed there was no contact.

Gareth Bale's time at Real Madrid is almost certainly over after head coach Zinedine Zidane revealed the club is working on transferring the 30-year-old this summer.

The Wales international was left out of Saturday's 3-1 International Champions Cup defeat to Bayern Munich in Houston and, when questioned on the reason after the game, Zidane confirmed that he felt that Bale was surplus to requirements at the club.

"Bale did not play because he is very close to leaving," Zidane said. "We hope he leaves soon. It would be best for everyone. We are working on his transfer to a new team.

"I have nothing personal against him, but there comes a time where things are done because they must be done, I have to make decisions. We have to change.

"The exit is the coach's decision, and also of the player, who knows the situation.

"The situation will change, I do not know if in 24 or 48 hours, but it will, and it's a good thing for everyone."

Sources have confirmed to ESPN that Manchester United are not in the running to sign Bale.

Marca's front cover on Tuesday suggested former club Tottenham were offering Bale "an exit" from the Bernabeu.

The reported deal would see Madrid receiving a €50-60m transfer fee with Spurs paying around half of his €17m-a-year salary, and Madrid handing the winger €25m up front to cover the remaining three years of his contract.

Bale, who has a contract at Real Madrid until 2022, played 42 games for Los Blancos last season, with 21 coming as a starter. Injury problems have limited Bale to only 79 games of a possible 151 in La Liga over the past four seasons.

Rajshahi Kings have signed up JP Duminy, the South Africa batsman who recently retired from international cricket, as one of their two out-of-draft signings. They haven't announced their other signing yet.

Duminy has been a regular in other top T20 leagues like the IPL, but hasn't featured in the BPL until now. He didn't play in the 2019 season of the IPL, having endured an ordinary 2018 season with Mumbai Indians, scoring just 36 runs in six matches at the strike rate of 90.00. He had a better time at the PSL last year, scoring 251 runs at an average of 35.85, with two fifties.

Rajshahi Kings are proud to announce that South African allrounder @jpduminy21 is a King now.

Duminy; an elegant left handed batsman, a useful spinner and a sharp fielder, has served South Africa for more than 14 years.#OwnTheCrown pic.twitter.com/guBdyRJkIe

— Rajshahi Kings (@RKingsOfficial) July 20, 2019

July 18

Khulna Titans rope in Shane Watson

Khulna Titans have roped in Australian allrounder Shane Watson for the 2019-20 Bangladesh Premier League. Watson was the first of the two direct signings for Khulna, who finished at the bottom of the points table last season.

Watson, who had missed the 2017 BPL due to injury, after signing up with Dhaka Dynamites that year, said that his primary goal would be to win a maiden title for Khulna.

"I am super excited to join the Khulna Titans for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League season," Watson said. "The coaching and management team at the Khulna Titans are putting together an amazing squad, so hopefully we can bring home that title that we have always been looking for."

Watson announced his BBL retirement in April, but he continues to be an active player in other T20 leagues. In May, he nearly took Chennai Super Kings to the IPL title and he is now set to turn out in the inaugural Euro T20 Slam.

The seventh edition of BPL is scheduled to start in first week of December later this year.

UFC welterweight Leon Edwards has had a tough time getting the top fighters in his division to fight him. They might not have a choice in the matter after this weekend.

Edwards (18-3) extended his win streak to eight Saturday night, as he defeated former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (29-12) by unanimous decision. The 170-pound bout headlined UFC Fight Night at San Antonio's AT&T Center.

It was an impressive showing by the English welterweight, who has not lost a fight since December 2015 -- to current UFC champion Kamaru Usman. All three judges scored it a blowout victory for Edwards, awarding official scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46.

Immediately after the win, Edwards called for a fight against ranked contender Jorge Masvidal, with whom he got into a brief, backstage altercation at a UFC event in March in London.

"I'm on an eight-fight win streak, in one of the hardest divisions in the sport," Edwards said. "There's a little weasel called Jorge Masvidal. Accept the fight. Let's do it. You're not on my level. Let's make the fight happen."

Masvidal later responded to Edwards' call-out in a series of tweets:

Big difference between putting top ranked opponents to sleep and putting fans to sleep #bum #whoru

— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) July 21, 2019

So I can be clear I was promised a title shot after I beat askren and I plan on cashing in on it. Don't call me out no more until I get that belt #supernecessary

— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) July 21, 2019

Edwards, who was born in Jamaica and fights out of Birmingham, England, has certainly done enough to start making demands. His win streak is the second-longest active run in the division, trailing only Usman's 10 wins in a row. His eight wins since the start of 2016 is tied for the most in that time frame with Usman and Vicente Luque.

He proved to be better than dos Anjos in every area of the fight on Saturday. He out-struck the former champion 106 to 88 overall, according to ESPN's FightCenter data, and stuffed all five of his takedown attempts. He opened a deep cut over dos Anjos' left eye with an elbow in the second round, which threatened to stop the fight.

Dos Anjos tried everything he could to turn the tide, but there was simply no doing so. He had some success early on with leg kicks, but Edwards' range and ability to mix things up dictated the standup. Dos Anjos tried hard in the third round to take the fight to the ground, but Edwards used his size and defensive grappling to calmly remain on his feet.

Masvidal hit Edwards at UFC Fight Night in March, after Edwards said something to him as Masvidal was being interviewed backstage. Masvidal's management has said he does not want to fight anyone other than Usman or Conor McGregor at the moment.

Dos Anjos has now lost three of his past four bouts. His only win during that time came in May, when he defeated Kevin Lee fourth-round submission.

Manny Pacquiao became the fifth-oldest male boxer to win a world title on Saturday, winning by split decision over previously unbeaten Keith Thurman in Las Vegas.

Two judges scored it 115-112 in favor of Pacquiao, with one judge giving Thurman the edge at 114-113.

Pacquiao, 40, claimed the WBA welterweight title, improving to 20-4-2 all-time in world title fights. He's now 62-7-2 overall in his career.

The 30-year-old Thurman (29-1) entered the bout holding the "super" version of the WBA title, while Pacquiao held the "regular" version.

Thurman was making his fifth defense of the title he won in 2015 against Robert Guerrero.

PITTSBURGH -- John Candelaria can't quite pinpoint when the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates adopted "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge as the club's de facto theme song on the way to a World Series title.

Ultimately, the timing doesn't really matter. What matters is that every word rang true. The proof came on those off days on the road during that memorable summer and fall, when Candelaria and his teammates would rent a hotel suite, open up a few pops -- "or whatever," as the pitcher put it with a smile -- and open the floor for discussion.

"If there was anything on anyone's mind, right then and there in that room, that's where it stayed," Candelaria said Saturday while joining more than a dozen members of the 1979 team for a 40th anniversary celebration at PNC Park. "And we were good about that."

Candelaria -- who won 14 games for the Pirates in 1979 and earned the victory in Game 6 of the World Series against Baltimore as Pittsburgh became the first team to rally from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven to win it all -- isn't sure how successful his group would have been able to keep things in house in today's social media environment.

"We would have been in deep crap," Candelaria said. "Cameras and everything? Aww geez. That would have been ugly. It really would have."

Those long talks deep into the night helped forge the bond that helped the Pirates emerge from an early-season funk to chase down Montreal to capture the division title. Pittsburgh swept Cincinnati in the National League Championship Series, then stormed back against the Orioles, culminating in a chilly, on-field celebration at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore on Oct. 17.

In the giddy aftermath, they thought 1979 was the start of something special. It wasn't. The Pirates failed to reach the playoffs in the 1980s, and despite pockets of success -- from the Barry Bonds-led group that reached the NLCS three straight years in the early 1990s and the Andrew McCutchen-led group that advanced to the postseason from 2013 to 2015 -- Pittsburgh is still waiting for another shot at the World Series.

"Forty years, I never would have thought that the Pirates would have gone 40 years without doing it again," outfielder Dave Parker said.

It sounds like a long time, and in some ways, it is. Several members of the team -- from manager Chuck Tanner to Hall of Fame first baseman Willie Stargell -- have passed away. Parker -- a seven-time All-Star during his 19-year career -- is battling Parkinson's and used a cane to make his way onto the field before the current version of the Pirates faced the Philadelphia Phillies. Several others used wheelchairs to get around.

And yet from the moment they gathered, in some ways it was as if no time had passed.

"We had fun," Parker said. "Other teams would come in and not know if we were getting ready for a game or doing a barbeque. We were a team that had fun and threw everything we had on the field we could to win."

Including copious amounts of offense from Parker, who hit .310 with 25 home runs and 94 RBIs in 1979 while also winning a Gold Glove and finishing 10th in the Most Valuable Player voting, part of a prime that made the player nicknamed "Cobra" one of the most feared players in baseball.

Despite finishing with 2,712 hits, a career .290 batting average and 339 home runs, Parker remains on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in. There is a groundswell of support recently, and Parker insists he's not worried about his legacy.

"Well, I think I should be there," Parker said. "Most people that know me and played against me, they look at me as being a Hall of Famer anyway. I don't think that there is anybody from 1975 to '81 that was a better player than me."

And how would Parker and Stargell have fared in today's home-run centric version of the game?

"We would have capsized some boats," said the left-handed hitting Parker with a laugh, referencing the Allegheny River that runs behind the right-field wall at PNC Park.

Instead, he had to settle for blasts at cavernous -- and now long since gone -- Three Rivers Stadium. While the game looks different than the way it did when "We Are Family" blared, Parker is confident his group of Pirates would have found a way to thrive anyway.

"We looking to go out and take 3-1 from somebody," he said. "These guys, you never know how these guys heart is. These guys got big hearts, and that was reflected 40 years ago, and if we had to tear it up right now, it'd be effective right now."

LOUDON, N.H. – Christopher Bell was unmatched en route to victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series ROXOR 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Bell started second and took the lead from polesitter Cole Custer on the opening lap. He was rarely challenged throughout the 200-lap event, leading 186 laps en route to the dominant victory in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra.

“I just had a really good race car,” said Bell, who is undefeated in two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his career. “I’m very thankful to be able to drive these Supras for Joe Gibbs Racing and all of our partners.”

Not even a the final caution flag of the afternoon with 47 laps left when Harrison Burton was spun into the outside wall by Paul Menard could slow Bell down. On the ensuing restart with 42 laps left Bell steadily pulled away from the field, easing out to a 4.068-second victory at the checkered flag.

“I just can’t say enough about this team. It’s so, so fun to be able to drive for this groups of guys,” Bell added. “All of our partners at Rheem, Ruud, Toyota, Toyota Racing Development, they’re the ones that make this happen. I’m really thankful to be able to drive for them. They give me race cars that are as fast as this one here.”

Custer, who had won two of the last three Xfinity Series races entering Saturday’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finished a distant second behind Bell at the checkered flag.

“There at the end I felt like we had a car that could compete with him (Bell), but I just wasn’t driving the car right at the start of the race and I got us behind on adjustments,” Custer said. “From there, we were kind of playing catchup. They gave me a really fast car and I think I learned a lot, but I wish we would have won.  I learned a lot though and I’ll be better next time.  I knew I wasn’t the best here, so I thought there was stuff I had to learn.  I thought I had a good idea of what I needed to do, but there was still a little bit of a learning curve during the race.”

Justin Allgaier earned his best finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with a third-place effort, followed by Tyler Reddick and Menard.

Chase Briscoe, Ryan Truex, Ryan Sieg, stage one winner Brandon Jones and Noah Gragson completed the top-10.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pete Alonso came off the bench and hit his 33rd home run, setting the Mets rookie record for RBIs as New York beat San Francisco 11-4 Saturday to end the Giants' seven-game winning streak.

Dominic Smith, Jeff McNeil and Todd Frazier all went deep as the Mets powered up with four home runs, one day after losing 1-0 in 10 innings. Walker Lockett (1-1) pitched five mostly sharp innings to earn his first major league victory.

Pablo Sandoval singled four times for the Giants. San Francisco (49-50) had won 14 of 16 and was attempting to get above .500 for the first time this season.

Before the game Mets manager Mickey Callaway said he felt Alonso needed a break with his young first baseman in a 3-for-30 slump coming out of the All-Star break after winning the Home Run Derby. Alonso wasn't happy -- "I don't feel worn down," he said -- but took a spot on the bench until Callaway called for him to pinch hit in the pitcher's spot in the sixth.

Alonso's three-run homer off Derek Holland gave him 75 RBIs, one more than Darryl Strawberry had as a Mets rookie in 1983. Alonso already holds the franchise rookie records for home runs and extra-base hits.

Lockett gave up five hits and one run after being called up from Triple-A Syracuse before the game. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter.

Smith, whose error in left field in the 10th inning allowed the winning run to score Friday night, hit a solo home run in the second, had an RBI single in the fourth and added a two-run single in the ninth.

McNeil homered in the fifth off the foul pole in right. Frazier hit his 13th home run in the sixth, four batters before Alonso went deep.

Jeff Samardzija (7-8) gave up four runs and six hits in five innings. Samardzija has lost all six career starts against the Mets.

MESSY MOP-UP

New York reliever Stephen Nogosek entered with a 10-run lead in the ninth but struggled for the final three outs. Nogosek gave up a two-run home run to Alex Dickerson and a one-out solo shot by Mike Yastrzemski before getting a flyout and strikeout to end it.

ROSTER SHUFFLE

The Mets optioned right-hander Jacob Rhame to Syracuse to make room for Lockett. Rhame was the losing pitcher Friday.

HONORING WILLIE MAC

The Junior Giants Stretch Drive that honors the legacy of Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey ends Sunday. Proceeds from the three-day event will help fund the program which supports 24,000 children in underserved communities. McCovey died last October.

TRAINERS ROOM

Giants: 3B Evan Longoria (plantar fasciitis) is still wearing a walking boot on his left foot but has resumed baseball activities. Longoria played catch and did some light throwing before the game.

UP NEXT

Mets LHP Steven Matz (5-6, 4.87 ERA) is winless in his previous five starts heading into Sunday's series finale. The Giants plan to call up LHP Conner Menez to make his major league debut Sunday. Menez was 2-0 with a 3.82 ERA in six starts for Triple-A Sacramento.

At Wrigley Field, misters in the back of the bleachers tried to cool the crowd. At Yankee Stadium, only one player took batting practice on the field. In Cleveland, rules were relaxed on what fans could bring into the park.

Even for a sport that promotes high heat, Saturday was a scorcher across the major leagues. The National Weather Service said it was part of "a dangerous heat wave" gripping much of the country.

From the Northeast through the Midwest, no player, manager or umpire was spared as temperatures soared near triple digits.

Hours before Baltimore played Boston at sweltering Camden Yards, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde pulled aside starting catcher Chance Sisco and issued a stiff directive.

"I told Chance, 'Do not go outside until the game starts,'" Hyde said.

Sisco went all nine innings Friday night and was in the lineup again while backup Pedro Severino recovers from an illness.

"I told Chance, I don't want him hustling on and off the field. I want to see him walking," Hyde said. "When you're a catcher in these type of games, it's not easy. After the eighth inning, his face was beet red."

No relief in sight, either. The temperature was forecast to top 100 degrees for Sunday afternoon's series finale.

In Chicago, where it was 94 when the Cubs started against San Diego, there was a big ovation in the seventh inning -- for the weather.

That's when the wind suddenly shifted and began blowing in. The temperature immediately dropped and many in the crowd of 40,314 cheered the wind in the Windy City.

For those sitting in the stands with no cover, it was hard to take.

Jaclyn Jendrisak, 31, was in town from St. Louis for a bachelor/bachelorette party. Fortunately for her group, the Cubs created a cooling station in right field.

"Standing in the shade, have some air conditioning blowing on us. We're sticking to water and not having beer. It's helping a little bit," she said.

It also was 94 degrees in New York, the hottest for a Yankees game this season.

The Yankees set up supplemental hydration stadiums in all three decks and the bleachers, and made announcements over the public address system reminding fans to keep drinking water.

Chris Del Vecchio, 33, from Verona, New Jersey, and his pal Bruna Silva walked around the ballpark with bags of ice on their neck and shoulders as the Yankees topped Colorado 11-5.

"Sitting in the bleachers is where our seats are, and we made it about two innings; they scored about six runs, so it kind of extended those innings and made it seem a little longer. But, it's pretty brutal out there," Del Vecchio said.

Injured Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin was the only player who took BP on the field. In the steamy conditions, Colorado's Tony Wolters had the bat accidentally slip from his hands on a swing and sail into the Yankees dugout.

Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado exited in the late innings with a leg cramp, presumably caused by the weather.

"It was fine when we were walking on the grass, but as soon as you got to the plate it was like a cone of heat. It was awful," Yankees catcher Austin Romine said. "It was a struggle out there."

All over, portal bench coolers helped teams in hot spots, while umpires ducked off the field between innings to stay fresh.

At Comerica Park, where the scoreboard showed 94 degrees about an hour before Detroit hosted Toronto, there was a message on the markerboard in the Tigers clubhouse saying the team would do its work indoors because of the heat.

"We're not going to be silly. Just let them hit in the cages, and hopefully we'll be ready to play the game. I think we hit enough. We take enough ground balls," Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said.

At Progressive Field, the Cleveland Indians eased the regulations on what fans could carry into the ballpark. Empty thermos bottles were permitted for the game against Kansas City.

"They didn't have Gatorade when I played," Royals manager Ned Yost recalled. "No, we didn't have the knowledge about hydration back then. It was take a couple salt pills and drink a little bit of water. We didn't know anything about hydrating."

The Red Sox didn't take batting practice Friday or Saturday, and planned to skip the session Sunday in Baltimore.

"You've got to be smart in the way you spend your energy," manager Alex Cora said. "It's that part of the schedule. We knew we were going to run into something like this. And we did."

The weather began to break in some spots.

A day after it was 94 when Minnesota hosted Oakland -- the second-hottest start in Target Field's 10-year history -- it was about 20 degrees cooler in the Twin Cities.

On Friday night, All-Star pitcher Jake Odorizzi struggled with the A's lineup and the humid setting.

"It was only like pitching in a rainforest," he said.