PLYMOUTH, Ind. — Tyler Courtney bounced back from a 23^rd-place finish on Thursday to collect his second USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship victory in three nights Friday at Plymouth Speedway.

It was the fourth victory of the season for Courtney and his Clauson/Marshall/Newman Racing team.

The team’s high success rate, now with Courtney and CMNR scoring 15 wins in 55 USAC Sprint Car races together since the beginning of their championship campaign in 2018, a winning rate of over 27 Percent  clip, hasn’t provided them much of an opportunity to be in a “bounce back” situation, all to their credit.

“That’s what makes our team so good,” Courtney explained. “We don’t dwell on the night before.  We just go back the next night and try to do our job. That’s win races. We haven’t won as much as we did at this point last year, but we’re not going to give up. We have one heck of a team right now. (Crew chief Tyler Ransbottom) is really working his tail off to make this thing perfect and make my job easy. I’m just getting back in the swing of running a sprint car again. I think I’ve been more of a midget guy here lately. If we’re going to get into the swing, this is the week to do it.”

Courtney started the 30-lap feature sixth after garnering quick time earlier in the evening during Fatheadz Eyewear Qualifying. Up front, however, front row occupiers Chris Windom and Chase Stockon raced side by side for the duration of the first lap with Stockon taking the advantage by a half car length at the stripe.

Windom immediately slid Stockon into turn one on the second lap to grab the position where he would stake claim for the first third of the race while Brady Bacon rolled the bottom in second behind the high-riding Windom.

Bacon continued to eat up ground, bottom-feeding to within a car length of Windom at the start/finish line at the conclusion of lap 12. Bacon tickled the infield tires and used a run off turn two to pull ahead of Windom just in time to greet lapped traffic in the third turn.

A red flag just one lap later brought the race to a halt when 18th running Brandon Mattox hopped in turn one, landed on the left side wheels and barrel-rolled.  Mattox was uninjured.

On the restart, Bacon spurted away on the bottom while Windom and Courtney engaged in a side-by-side battle for the runner up spot. Courtney worked the top to race around Windom for second as the crossed flags were displayed for the halfway mark.

Courtney was charging, eating up the gap and appeared to have a run on Bacon around the outside for the lead at the exit of turn two on lap 18. Bacon drifted wide on exit, stifling Courtney’s momentum, stealing his line momentarily, and forcing him to check up.

“I knew he was good on the bottom,” Courtney recalled. “I could run down there, but I wasn’t as good as him, so I needed to go do something else. That’s the advantage of running second or third midway through the race. I got by Chris around the top, so I knew there was something there. I showed (Bacon) a little bit, but he did what he needed to do to maintain.”

Courtney gathered himself and went back to work on Bacon. Moments later, 17th running series rookie Zane Hendricks tagged the front straightaway wall with his right-rear tire, then proceeded to go into turn one with a full head of steam, tagging the turn one wall and flipping wildly along the topside of the three-eighths-mile dirt oval.

During the red flag period, second-running Courtney and team made a couple of shock adjustments, but agreed they had a pretty good race car and shouldn’t have to do too much.

On the lap 19 restart, Courtney wasted no time putting himself back into contention, switching the game plan up when Bacon slid from the bottom of turn three to the top of turn four.  Courtney anticipated the move and had his NOS Energy Drink – Competition Suspension, Inc./Spike/Rider Chevy locked and loaded to diamond off the top of three toward the bottom of turn four to win the race to the line by a car length

“When we got that red there, I got a good restart,” Courtney remembered. “He slid a little high in four, I got underneath him and cleared him at the line right before the yellow. That played in our favor. If I could just stick the bottom in one and two, I could get out and run my own race. These races are tough to win, especially when everybody’s as close as they are right now.”

Moments later, Thomas Meseraull, who was running 13th, spun around in turn four, forcing out the yellow flag.

Courtney secured the lead with 12 to go, and there wasn’t much that was going to alter that as a gaggle of cars led by Justin Grant, Windom, Bacon, Leary, Jason McDougal and a whole host of others battled for second as Courtney disappeared into the nighttime horizon, expanding his lead to more than a second in the dwindling laps.

Leary, who finished a heartbroken second the night prior at Gas City, was a rocket during the final laps, utilizing the topside to drive around the outside of Grant for the second spot at the finish line.

But, crossing that same line three-quarters of a second earlier was Courtney, who knocked out the 21st USAC National Sprint Car win of his career, equaling 1967 champ Greg Weld for 28th all time.

Behind Courtney, Leary and Grant at the checkered were fourth-place finisher Bacon and Jason McDougal who rounded out the top five.

To see full results, turn to the next page.

ROSSBURG, Ohio — Donny Schatz won his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature in three nights Friday at Eldora Speedway.

Stewart’s triumph in the Knight Before the Kings Royal main event was the 300^thfor team owner Tony Stewart.

“Eldora has always been really good to me,” said Schatz, who’s now won at the speedway 18 times and has an average finish of 1.25. He led all 30 laps on Friday night.

Hunting the 10-time series champion was a fierce David Gravel. Coming off two podium finishes in a row at Eldora, the Jason Johnson Racing driver was eager to claim his third victory at the speedway — his last coming in 2016.

Schatz started on the pole — a virtue of winning the first DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. Daryn Pittman won the second dash and lined up alongside Schatz. When the race went green, Schatz jumped to the lead and immediately began to put distance between he and Pittman.

The reigning champion had a horse capable of charging to the victory. However, 10 laps into the run, Pittman and third-place Gravel began reeling in Schatz.

While Schatz rode the bottom lane, Pittman powered along the cushion — the same line Brad Sweet used to win at Eldora the night before. The Roth Motorsports No. 83 had a run brewing to challenge for the lead. But while he tried to focus on catching Schatz, Gravel continued to poke his nose under Pittman lap by lap, looking to find enough grip on the bottom to make the pass for second.

With 19 laps to go Pittman came within feet of Schatz’s bumper going into turn one, but unlike the lap before Schatz chose the high line. That decision gave Schatz a strong enough run off turn two to put about a six-car length distance between he and Pittman. Then Gravel dove underneath Pittman the next corner and took the position on the exit.

However, Pittman charged back, driving underneath the Watertown, Conn.-native down the front stretch and back by him into turn two. The next time into turn three Gravel mimicked his previous lap, again, diving underneath Pittman. This time it worked, though. He cleared him off the corner and maintained the position into turn one with 14 laps to go.

The hunt for Schatz was on. Lap after lap, running the bottom in turns one and two and the high side in turns three and four, the Mesilla Valley Transportation No. 41 crept closer and closer to the Toco Warranty No. 15 car.

Schatz said he and his team tried something new with the set up and while it worked in the dash, he was just hanging on to his car throughout the Feature. He wouldn’t have been surprised if someone drove by him.

With 11 laps to go, Schatz went from a dot in Gravel’s line of sight to a boulder. But despite Gravel’s charge, Schatz’s proficiency with running the bottom of the speedway threw a shield in Gravel’s run. A few car lengths distance was as close as Gravel could bring his car to Schatz.

To beat Schatz, he was going to need help. With six laps to go, he got it in the form of lap traffic.

Twenty-third-place Parker Price-Miller gave the leader his biggest challenge of the night. Schatz attempted to pass the slower No. 71p car on the bottom through turns one and two — where he struggled to find grip all night — but Price-Miller charged back in front of him down the backstretch. Into turns three and four Schatz, again, tried to pass Price-Miller on the bottom and, again, failed.

“I could make good laps in (turns) three and four and hold my own, but in turns one and two, I was just… I got to lapped traffic and watched the 71 car drive by me,” Schatz said. “I had to change everything I did. I was stomping and stabbing and slinging, doing everything I could. I just couldn’t make it do what I wanted it to do.”

Schatz’s battle with Price-Miller put Gravel a car length behind him.

With five laps to, Schatz launched underneath Price-Miller into turn one, finally able to make the pass. However, he lost traction off turn two, allowing Price-Miller to charge underneath the No. 15 car with Gravel following his trail.

Choosing the middle lane of the track in turn three, Schatz cleared Price-Miller and pulled away from him and Gravel, who had to make a split-second evasive maneuver around the slower Price-Miller into turn three.

Behind them, Pittman and Logan Schuchart traded slide jobs lap after lap for third place.

While they battled for third, Schatz had pulled back to a comfortable half a straightaway lead over Gravel. He looked to be en route for another Eldora Speedway victory, but with three laps to go the caution came out for Cory Eliason, who spun on the backstretch.

Gravel was now close enough to reach out and touch Schatz’s bumper. When the race restart, Schatz chose the high line and Gravel launched his car to the bottom of the track in turn one, coming side-by-side with Schatz in the middle of the corner.

Schatz had the advantage, though, being able to carry the momentum of riding the high side down the backstretch, leaving Gravel to catch up.

The duo remained a few car lengths distance from one another the remaining two laps.

When the white flag was shown, Gravel made one last attempt at out dueling Schatz for the win by, again, diving underneath him in turn one. Like before, it wasn’t enough. Schatz had the run on the high side and carried it the remainder of the circuit to his sixth win of the season — 289th career World of Outlaws win overall.

“My dad always taught me to worry about what’s in front of me, not what’s behind me,” Schatz said. “It’s paid off this long in my career.”

Gravel picked up his sixth podium finish in-a-row, but he was left still hungry for more.

“I think we were good enough to win tonight,” Gravel said. “I wish the yellow didn’t come out. I liked the lap traffic. I had the shot to pass him (Schatz) that one time. I’m happy where we’re at, though. Just a touch off.”

Schuchart was able to make the pass on Pittman for third, collecting his third top-five in three races at Eldora Speedway.

“I just feel like we started too far back,” said Schuchart, who started ninth. “I feel like we might have had one of the fastest cars. On the last restart a bolt came out of the wing there and let it go the whole way back, so I got real tight. Before that, I feel like I was running right with those guys.”

To see full results, turn to the next page.

SINGAPORE - Maurizio Sarri has left the door open for a Juventus return for Paul Pogba by admitting his admiration of the Manchester United midfielder and refusing to rule out a bid for the 26-year-old.

Pogba left Juventus for United in a then-world record £89.3 million move to Old Trafford in August 2016, but the France international has spoken publicly of his determination to a seek a "new challenge" elsewhere this summer.

United have insisted that Pogba is not for sale, but sources have told ESPN FC that the club would only listen to offers in the region of £160m for the player.

But with Juventus keen to re-sign their former player, despite having already added Matthijs de Ligt, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Gianluigi Buffon to the club's wage bill this summer, former Chelsea coach Sarri stopped short of ruling out a move for Pogba when asked about the player in Singapore on Saturday.

"I am not the technical director, so I do not know [if Pogba will come to Juventus]," Sarri said. "I like him very much, but I don't know the situation.

"Paul Pogba is a Manchester United player, so I don't want to talk about that."

- When does the transfer window close?
- All major completed transfer deals

Meanwhile, Sarri confirmed that De Ligt is likely to make his first appearance for Juve in Sunday's International Champions Cup clash against Tottenham (Singapore; 7.30 a.m. ET, 11.30 a.m. GMT -- ESPN2, ESPN Deportes).

De Ligt finally completed his €75m summer move from Ajax earlier this week and Sarri admits he will play some part against Spurs.

"De Ligt just joined and he does not have a minute of practice in his legs," Sarri said. "But he has to play for the team, so we will hope to get him some minutes against Tottenham."

Manchester United have rejected a £54 million bid from Inter Milan for Romelu Lukaku, sources have told ESPN FC.

United value Lukaku, who has four years left on his contract, between £80m and £90m after paying Everton £75m for the striker two years ago.

The Belgium international is keen to move to the San Siro and United are open to letting him leave if a suitable offer is lodged.

Sources have told ESPN FC that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will look to replace the 26-year-old if he moves but with less than three weeks before the transfer deadline, time is running out.

United and Inter are both in Singapore for their International Champions Cup match at the National Stadium on Saturday.

On the eve of the game, Inter boss Antonio Conte confirmed he wants to sign Lukaku, who won't face the Italian side after picking up a knock in training.

- When does the transfer window close?
- All major completed transfer deals

"Lukaku is a United player," said Conte on Friday.

"This is the reality. You know very well I like this player.

"In the past when I was Chelsea coach I tried to bring him to Chelsea. But I repeat, today Lukaku is a player of Man United. This is the reality and this is the truth."

Sources have told ESPN FC that United have rejected the chance to sign Mauro Icardi. The Argentina international is available this summer after being told by Conte he has no future at the club.

Nearly a week after leading his side to their maiden World Cup title, England captain Eoin Morgan felt the result was not fair when there was so little to separate England and New Zealand in the final at Lord's. England were declared winners on the basis of a boundary count, after the match and the Super Over ended in ties. Taking note of the controversial finish to the World Cup final, the ICC has asked its Cricket Committee to review the tie-breaker rule.

"I don't think it's fair to have a result like that when there's very little between the sides," Morgan told the Times. "I don't think there was one moment that you could say: 'That actually cost the game there.' It was quite balanced.

"I'm black and white. I'm normally going: 'I know. I was there, that happened.' [But] I can't stick my finger on where the game was won and lost."

One big turning point, however, came in the final over of England's chase. When it was looking like New Zealand were the favourites, Martin Guptill's throw from the deep deflected off Ben Stokes' bat to give England four extra runs in overthrows, dragging the hosts ahead in the contest.

One would assume that finishing on the right side of the result after such a cliffhanger would have made it easier for Morgan to make sense of all the drama. But the man himself doesn't agree.

"I'm not sure winning it makes it any easier," he said. "A little bit [troubled], because there's no defining moment that you'd say: 'Yes, we thoroughly deserved it.' It's just been crazy."

"I spoke to Kane [Williamson] over the last couple of days on numerous occasions and none of us has come up with a rational explanation as to the various times we gave them the game and they gave it back to us. Like me, he can't get his head around everything."

At the end of the conversation, though, Morgan conceded: "It would be more difficult to lose, of course."

The morning after the World Cup final, Williamson said it would take a long time for him and New Zealand to come to terms with what had happened late afternoon on July 14, when Lord's was transformed into a riveting theatre and everyone - players and fans - was left gasping at the finish. "Make sense of it?" Williamson replied, when asked if he had managed to get his head around the game after some sleep. "I think that'll take quite a bit of time actually. Such a fine line. May be the worst part is there is so much you can't control in those situations and it still sort of eventuates the way it did. All in all it was a real shame that the tournament was decided in the way it was after two teams went at it. And two good teams were playing a cricket game, but it was still a tie."

Morgan had expressed similar feeling when he dropped in to the New Zealand dressing room after the final at Lord's. Williamson had said Morgan was "lost for words".

Morgan, who will be representing Dublin Chiefs in the inaugural Euro T20 Slam, didn't give a definitive answer on his future as England captain, stating the back injury he suffered during the game against West Indies in the World Cup as one of the reasons behind the uncertainty.

"It's a huge commitment to go for another four years or even next year, particularly with the injury I had coming through this tournament, he said. "You can't lead a team and commit to something if you're constantly worried about your back falling out. It will be a difficult decision."

ICC cricket committee to review tie-breaker rule

The issue came up for discussion during the ICC's annual conference, where the powerful Chief Executives Committee asked the Cricket Committee to consider the rules. The ICC Cricket Committee, which is headed by former India captain Anil Kumble, will consider the tie-breaker rule, and discuss if there are any better alternatives in case a similar situation arises in future.

Unified lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, the pound-for-pound king, can move a step closer to becoming the undisputed champion when he returns to the site of his second Olympic gold-medal victory.

Lomachenko, the owner of two 135-pound belts, will defend those titles and compete for the belt vacated by Mikey Garcia when he meets fellow Olympic champion Luke Campbell on Aug. 31 at the O2 Arena in London, Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing announced Saturday.

Lomachenko, who won the 2008 Olympic featherweight gold medal for Ukraine in Beijing, won the 2012 Olympic gold medal in London and will fight there once again when he meets Campbell, the 2012 Olympic bantamweight gold medalist for Great Britain.

The all-southpaw fight will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card (5 p.m. ET) in the United States and air on Sky Box Office pay-per-view in the United Kingdom. A news conference is scheduled for Monday in London.

The fight was headed to a purse bid until Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing reached an agreement a couple of weeks ago before getting everything signed.

"This is a fight for history because my goal is to unify all of the belts in the lightweight division," said Lomachenko, who has won world titles in three divisions. "Luke Campbell is the next challenge for me on that journey. He is an excellent fighter who I remember well from the 2012 Olympics. He has a difficult style, and I cannot afford to overlook him.

"It is very special for me to fight in London. I visited last year, and the response from the people was overwhelming. They respect my fighting style and are passionate about boxing. I can't wait to put on a great show for everyone."

The winner would need the fourth major title to become the undisputed champion, but it is within reach. If Lomachenko wins, his next bout would be in early 2020 for the undisputed title against the winner of the expected fall fight between titleholder Richard Commey and Teofimo Lopez Jr., who earned the mandatory title shot by virtue of his unanimous decision victory over Masayoshi Nakatani on Friday night in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

"Vasiliy Lomachenko is a unique talent who is going to take the United Kingdom by storm," Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. "Luke Campbell is an excellent fighter, but Lomachenko is in a class of his own. The fans on that side of the pond have wanted Lomachenko to return ever since he turned pro. It's going to be a crazy, sold-out crowd at the O2 Arena, and I wouldn't be surprised if Lomachenko has the crowd's support."

Campbell (20-2, 16 KOs), 31, will be getting his second shot at a world title. He was the mandatory challenger when he traveled to Inglewood, California, and lost a split decision against then-titleholder Jorge Linares in September 2017. Lomachenko (13-1, 10 KOs), 31, later knocked Linares out to take his belt and then easily outpointed Jose Pedraza to unify two titles in December. In April, Lomachenko made his second defense by knocking out England's Anthony Crolla in the fourth round in Los Angeles.

Campbell said he is excited to test his skills against the best fighter in the world.

"The best fighting the best; this is going to make one hell of a fight," said Campbell, who has won three fights in a row since the loss to Linares. "I am in this sport to be the best, and I am this sport to become a world champion. This is what I train and work so hard for, to become a world champion and fulfill my potential.

"He is ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound on the planet, so for me to fight a guy like that only encourages me more to be the best that I can be, and it is exactly the level that I want to be at. I'm well aware of how good he is and what he is capable of doing, but I'm also well aware of what I can do and what I'm going to do. I think that I can knock out anyone that I hit right. I believe that I am one of the biggest punchers in the lightweight division. This is going to be the toughest fight of my life, and I'm preparing for it, physically and mentally. This is Luke Campbell's year. It's my time."

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, Campbell's promoter, has long been a Lomachenko fan and knows his fighter is the underdog but does not count him out.

"Loma is simply one of the finest boxers to ever lace them up, the best fighter on the planet today, and I'm honored to be promoting his first-ever pro fight in the U.K.," Hearn said, "but Luke is an elite world fighter too, and with his range, ability and heart, the Hull ace can shock the world and rip Loma's titles from him on another epic night of boxing in the [English] capital."

NEW YORK -- On the back of his custom Players Weekend jersey last summer, the then-Colorado Rockies second baseman settled on a simple two-letter nickname he has had for much of his life: "DJ."

Given David John LeMahieu's reticent nature, preferring to fly under the radar, he'll probably just pick it again next month.

But it's not like he doesn't have more creative options to ponder these days.

All season, his first with the New York Yankees, do-it-all infielder DJ LeMahieu has been Mr. Consistent at the plate and LeReliable in the field. He has been a steady, calming force in a lineup that has otherwise endured its share of change amid injury attrition. To his teammates, he has been "The Machine" in clutch at-bats, regularly swinging his "Boat Oar" and routinely delivering run-producing hits with runners in scoring position.

Without LeMahieu -- or whatever they want to call him -- the Yankees would not be where they are: far out in front of their division and holding the best record in baseball.

"He's been one of the MVPs of the league so far," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He's obviously lived up to every expectation that we could have hoped for."

Signed in January to a two-year, $24 million free-agent deal, LeMahieu's arrival was initially met with external skepticism.

Could his right-handed stroke, one that earned him a batting title in notoriously artificially humidified and high-altitude Colorado, translate to near sea level in the Bronx? Putting aside his widely known defensive prowess, could his bat make him a steady contributor in a lineup that, entering the season, already had everyday second basemen, third basemen and first basemen?

Ahead of his first series against his old club this weekend, LeMahieu admitted his arrival was a little tough in the beginning. But that didn't last very long.

"I had been in a routine for seven years out in Colorado, so spring training was a bit of an adjustment," LeMahieu said. "But once baseball starts, baseball's baseball."

The Rockies visit Yankee Stadium for three games beginning Friday.

"It probably will be a little weird since I played with a lot of those guys for a number of years, and watched a lot of those guys' careers go from rookies to really, really good players in the league," LeMahieu said.

Whatever early concerns Yankees fans might have had about him -- including underestimating him -- the productive LeMahieu quickly assuaged them. His first half culminated in his third trip to the All-Star Game, and this week he was handed the Yankees' Heart and Hustle Award.

Last September, former ESPN baseball writer Jerry Crasnick spoke to Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado about LeMahieu. As Colorado was making a late-season playoff push amid LeMahieu's looming free agency, the impact the infielder had long had in that clubhouse was tangible.

"If fans knew how much we appreciate DJ and saw how much we care for him and how important he is to this team, they'd realize what a big factor he is," Arenado said. "He brings a calmness to our team. But when he gets fired up, you know it's something serious. It's something he really feels in his heart, and we feed off that.

"He sets the standard for us. We go where he goes, really."

Those words could very well apply now to the 2019 Yankees.

"When I noticed he was getting three or four hits every day like nothing, he kind of looked like a machine. They would move the shift one way, he would hit it the other way. They would move the shift the other way, and he would hit it another way. That's how [The Machine] came about."

Gary Sanchez

Entering Friday's series opener against Colorado, LeMahieu leads the American League with a .329 batting average. His 119 hits are just nine shy of the major league lead, and his 65 RBIs are just one shy of his previous career high.

One of the three most-used Yankees this season, LeMahieu has proved durable and dependable. But as his teammates are quick to say, none of that should come as a surprise to Yankees fans.

"I enjoyed watching him play for years when I was in the NL West, and it's the same thing," said Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin, who played in San Diego near the start of LeMahieu's tenure in Colorado. "It's just now he's getting to do it on the biggest stage there is, and I'm happy people can really see just how special and how good he is as he just saunters around as chill and cool as can be. It's fun to just watch him do his thing. It really is."

New York's big stage has certainly upped LeMahieu's profile -- and cemented his reputation.

"People in the offseason thought that he wasn't going to be able to hit outside of Colorado," Red Sox manager and American League All-Star skipper Alex Cora said last week in Cleveland. "Well, he hits outside of Colorado, and in Europe, too."

Cora saw the latter firsthand last month inside London Stadium, where the Yankees and Red Sox met in a two-game series.

During the high-scoring showcase, LeMahieu went 7-for-12 (.583) with three doubles, seven RBIs and four runs scored.

One of the doubles hugged the left-field line as it cleared the bases. On that particular extra-base hit, left fielder Andrew Benintendi had to travel from near the left-center field gap just to pick up the ball in the corner.

Credit, in part, such shift-beating savvy to helping give rise to LeMahieu's most recognized Yankees nickname.

"When I noticed he was getting three or four hits every day like nothing, he kind of looked like a machine," Yankees catcher and nickname creator Gary Sanchez said through a translator. "They would move the shift one way, he would hit it the other way. They would move the shift the other way, and he would hit it another way. That's how [The Machine] came about."

Sanchez, in fact, no longer refers to LeMahieu as anything other than "Machine."

"He calls me that like 20 times a day," LeMahieu said.

Other Yankees have followed suit, endearingly referencing their teammate by the Terminator-like description, which has made its way to the ballpark video board and the team's social media channels.

Even LeMahieu's equipment is earning nicknames. Some around the team have started calling the dark-stained Marucci Sports bat LeMahieu swings a "boat oar."

"He gets that boat oar going in the zone for a long time," Boone said.

LeMahieu touches so much of the strike zone with his bat when he swings it's as if he's swinging a massive paddle.

"He laughs when I mention this because he's so humble, but I'm like, 'When I'm going good, I just sit in bed and I just watch DJ highlights.'"

Cameron Maybin

Coors Field aside, much of what has made LeMahieu so valued as a hitter in recent seasons -- he has averaged .313 batting and an .814 OPS since 2015 -- has been his swing. It's one LeMahieu contends he has tweaked often over the years, but foundationally, it's the same as what he had even back in high school in Michigan and in college at LSU.

"He keeps his bat in the hitting zone for such a long time," Boone said. "And he does such a good job staying on his back side. So he allows the ball to get deep on him, and still gives himself plenty of room to get the barrel of the bat there.

"And it's led to, obviously, consistent, hard contact. Even when he's not getting hits, it seems like he's hitting a line drive somewhere, or hitting the ball hard somewhere."

On certain metrics, LeMahieu is actually performing even better now than he did in Colorado.

According to Statcast, LeMahieu has had the highest percentage of barreled balls of his career this season. His average 91.4 mph exit velocity also is the highest it has been since Statcast began tracking in 2015.

Maybin doesn't need numbers to convince him.

"He laughs when I mention this because he's so humble, but I'm like, 'When I'm going good, I just sit in bed and I just watch DJ highlights,'" Maybin said. "He just cracks up."

Similar in stature to the 6-foot-4 LeMahieu, Maybin watches a lot of clips of the infielder and other taller hitters to try to incorporate their strengths into his own swing. Even before they became teammates and close friends, Maybin always kept an eye on The Machine.

"He trusts his hands, he trusts his mechanics. He knows that nobody can beat him with a pitch," Maybin said. "He's never in a rush, he's never in a hurry. Very seldom you might see him out on his front foot, but it's very seldom. It's not very often you see him fooled, and it's because he trusts his mechanics. He's always inside the baseball.

"I love watching him hit balls inside to right field, and just kind of opening up and getting his hip through and his barrel through. It's really fun, man."

LeMahieu has MLB's second-highest batting average with runners in scoring position (.439), trailing only Miguel Cabrera (.444). Arenado and another of LeMahieu's former Rockies teammates, Charlie Blackmon, rank just behind them in third and fifth place.

Also, of LeMahieu's 65 RBIs, 52 of them have come with runners in scoring position. He had similar RBI numbers in those situations in past seasons, too, as evidenced by his career-high 54 runs driven in with runners in scoring position in 2016, a year he had 66 total RBIs.

"I never really thought about [hitting with runners in scoring position] until I got to college and pro ball," LeMahieu said. "I just hit. I just liked to hit. When you get to this level, you realize that with the pitching nowadays, runs are so important, and it's just that for me, I'm always trying to get on base. But when there are guys in scoring position or guys on base, it's kind of my chance to make a mark on the game."

LeMahieu credits the Yankees hitting around him.

"It just seems like I've had a lot of guys on base in front of me," LeMahieu said. "I just feel like it's a really good lineup, and I don't feel like the game is resting on my shoulders in that situation.

"Watching these guys day in and day out, and watching their compete level no matter the situation, I feel if I don't get the job done, the next guy will. If I can just get on base and have good at-bats, I feel like that sets up the inning well."

A consistent swing, trust in his teammates and a boat oar of a bat have this machine running smoothly in the Bronx.

CARSON, Calif. -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic took aim at those who compared him to Carlos Vela after the LA Galaxy star's hat trick settled El Trafico against his big rival on Friday.

Ibrahimovic claimed ahead of the match he was "by far" the better player between himself and Los Angeles FC's Vela.

And the 37-year-old backed up his words with actions by scoring the perfect hat trick -- right foot, left foot and a header -- to lead the Galaxy to a 3-2 win.

"Please do not offend me, I don't need to prove nothing, even if I don't score the goals today," Ibrahimovic told a postmatch news conference.

"I have a lot of respect for Vela, he's a good player, but you did one mistake, you compared him with me, that was your biggest mistake."

Vela opened the scoring early on before Ibrahimovic responded with three goals of his own. Vela's late strike took his tally to 21 for the season for MLS' leading scorer but it wasn't enough.

"I have my confidence and I believe in myself. People call it arrogant, I call it confidence. Ignorant people call it arrogant, intelligent people call it confidence," Ibrahimovic said.

"I have a bulletproof mind. When I go out there, I know what I'm able to prove -- and I do it good."

The victory cut LAFC's lead at the top of the Western Conference to nine points and Galaxy manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto was full of praise for his match-winner afterwards.

"He's wonderful. Not today, always," Schelotto said. "Today he was the best player on the field."

ESPN FC's Cesar Hernandez contributed to this report.

Brendon McCullum knows what it is to lose a World Cup final. In 2015, under McCullum's captaincy, New Zealand enjoyed a bumper run to the final, only to lose to Australia by seven wickets at the MCG. Four years later, New Zealand reached another World Cup final, this time at Lord's, and tied the game. The manic Super Over, the first in World Cups, ended in a tie as well, and England eventually won the title on boundary count.

McCullum's side had turned a rugby-mad country into a cricket-loving nation in 2015. Williamson's men have created similar impact now, and McCullum believes they will move on from the Lord's heartbreak.

"That's the thing and it's going to be so difficult for those guys," McCullum told stuff.co.nz. "I was lucky enough to have a beer with them in the changing room and they were pretty broken, that's for sure.

"They were also really proud of what they did and how well they played. Over the coming months and years, whilst it's still raw now, they'll understand just how magnificent that spectacle was. And for it to happen on the biggest of stages, to have played the hand that they played in that match is absolutely amazing."

McCullum looked back on the MCG final in 2015 and called it "a missed opportunity", but said he was pleased with the way how the team dealt with the result then and even now.

"Yes, it would've been lovely to have been a World Cup champion, but I've always said the game doesn't define you but it's the person and character you are," McCullum said. "I was so pleased with how our team handled that loss, also the success throughout that tournament. It's a bit different [but] I thought they've handled themselves magnificently in the aftermath of that result [at Lord's]."

A bizarre play in the last over of England's chase turned the final decisively. When Ben Stokes dived at the striker's end to complete a second run, he inadvertently deflected a throw from outfielder Martin Guptill to the third-man boundary. England were awarded six runs, and there were questions raised on the call made by the umpires at the time. McCullum, though, chose not to dwell on that play which had worked against New Zealand.

"I guess if you look at the rules, it may not have been the right call but it's just luck, that's how it works," he said. "There's nothing to say that if Ben Stokes was facing the last ball and he needed four off that rather than two, he wouldn't have struck that low full-toss out of the ground.

"I just don't think you can focus on those things. It's bitterly disappointing they didn't work out for us but we had our elements of luck throughout that World Cup too, which gave us a chance. Unfortunately on the day it didn't fall our way. I certainly don't blame anyone."

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Jordan Spieth was finishing up a call and heading for the cart that would whisk him away from the course when a young worker stepped in and asked him to pose for a picture. Spieth put his arm around the boy's waist and gently moved him out of harm's way -- another cart was approaching quickly from the rear -- and then handed the phone to his agent, Jay Danzi, who took the side-by-side photo of the player and this really lucky fan.

Moments later that fan's luck ran out when he was chastised by a tournament superior for ignoring prior instructions and bothering a competitor at The Open.

The world-famous golfer was more willing than the kid's boss to cut the kid a break. Of course, very few people who have come in contact with Jordan Alexander Spieth would be terribly surprised by that.

Though Spieth might have lost some of his innocence over time with his tee-to-green struggles and rants -- some directed at himself, some at his caddie -- he still stands among the most agreeable and thoughtful players on tour. He is not yet 26 and already gets it. You can be a nice guy while still raging against Leo Durocher's claim that nice guys are destined to finish last.

As a competitor, Spieth's determination and grit have honored that of the legend he was named after -- Michael Jordan. He had no problem ripping the heart out of friend Matt Kuchar's chest during that 13th-hole passion play at Royal Birkdale two years ago; if necessary, Jordan, the old North Carolina Tar Heel, would have run Dean Smith's four-corner offense on Kuchar, too. Spieth did what he had to do to take the Claret Jug from Kuchar and make it his own.

That's why he should be considered a lethal threat over the next 36 holes at The Open despite his two-year victory drought, his almost comical weekend failures and his admission Friday that he still isn't hitting the ball worth a spit. Spieth's fire, and Spieth's faith, are his best friends as he moved into second-round contention following his 4-under 67.

His fire was obvious in becoming the youngest man to ever win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, and in claiming his third major title four days before his 24th birthday; Tiger Woods was six months older when he won his third. His faith was evident Friday when asked if his Birkdale muscle memory would help him Saturday and Sunday, even though he isn't hitting the ball anywhere close to where he hit it in 2017.

"Yeah, I think it's something very important to draw back on," Spieth answered. "I think I need to be looking at the positives of the history of this tournament, and my history in major championships, versus focusing on anything else.

"If I can walk tall knowing that there's very few people who have been in this situation contending in the weekend in majors as many times as I have, that's certainly a confidence boost for myself. So that's going to be the mentality."

It's the right mentality to have when the top of the leaderboard at Royal Portrush is populated by men the likes of Shane Lowry, J.B. Holmes, Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood.

Men who have never won a major.

No question Spieth has serious hurdles to overcome if he's going to pull this off. The Texan who always put on a master class in putting on his way to the No. 1 world ranking for parts of 2015 and 2016 is now ranked 38th. Though Spieth is ranked 16th on tour in first-round scoring and second in second-round scoring, he has been stumbling across the weekend like a drunken sailor on shore leave. He is ranked 166th in third-round scoring (71.31) and 196th in fourth-round scoring (73.08). Spieth also walked into Royal Portrush ranked 189th in driving accuracy and 183rd in greens in regulation. Two rounds deep into this Open, he has hit only 39 percent of his fairways.

"At some point I hope to be playing off the short grass this week," Spieth said.

Asked what kind of progress he has made with his long game since missing the cut at the Travelers Championship last month, Spieth said, "Not much. I put in a lot of hours, but I think it's going to take maybe a couple of weeks to trust. I think I hit maybe two or three fairways [on Thursday]. I posted a score that was pretty incredible from where I played my second shots from."

Spieth somehow went birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie on a four-hole stretch on the front side Friday; he made a 25-footer from off the green for the eagle at the par-5 7th, and then a 20-footer for birdie on the next hole to punctuate the flurry.

"It was really the putter," Spieth said, "and just how I was attacking the holes."

It was also his firm belief in himself as a certified winner. Spieth has already built a Hall of Fame career before turning 26, shaped by 11 tour victories and a spirited run at the Grand Slam in 2015 that ended at St. Andrews, where he finished one shot out of a playoff.

"My game is in a different place than it was then," Spieth said. "And I'm working to get it back to where it was then. But anytime in an Open Championship that I'm in contention, I feel good about the potential of being able to make a run at it Saturday and Sunday."

He is a creative player who grew up shaping his ball in the Texas wind, threatening again in the major that requires more creativity and wind management than the other three. "I love links golf," Spieth said.

And links golf loves him back.

Does that mean Spieth will end his drought Sunday and reclaim his position among the two or three signature players of the post-Tiger generation?

No, not necessarily. But unlike the contenders ahead of him on the board, Spieth has proved he knows how to win this championship. If he doesn't have the game, especially off the tee, Spieth does have the faith and the fire.

That makes him a very dangerous man with two very dangerous clubs in his bag.