CINCINNATI -- Elly De La Cruz hit a 458-foot drive for his first major league homer and Will Benson hit a game-ending home run in the ninth that lifted the Cincinnati Reds over Los Angeles 8-6 on Wednesday night and extended the Dodgers' losing streak to a season-high four.

De La Cruz, a 21-year-old switch-hitter who was named baseball's top prospect by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel in his updated rankings last month, hit an 0-1 fastball from Noah Syndergaard in the first inning. The ball left his bat at 114.8 mph and landed in the last rows of the right-field stands at Great American Ball Park for a two-run homer that tied the score at 2-2.

A day after making his big league debut, De La Cruz had the second-hardest-hit home run by a player 21 or younger since Statcast started tracking in 2015, behind only Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 115.9 mph on Aug. 21, 2020.

"The first thing I thought was, that ball's gone," De La Cruz said through a translator. "I didn't know where it landed. I was looking at my teammates. They told me it almost left the building."

De La Cruz played shortstop a day after manning third and finished 2-for-4 at the plate. He tripled on a curveball in the third, a drive that went to the wall in right-center on four hops. He reached third in 10.83 seconds, the fastest time in the major leagues this season, according to Statcast. It was the second-fastest since the start of the 2020 season, behind 10.75 seconds for Arizona's Corbin Carroll last Oct. 3.

Cincinnati overcame a 6-2 deficit in a four-run third on Jonathan India's sacrifice fly, Spencer Steer's RBI single and Tyler Stephenson's two-run homer.

TJ Hopkins reached on an infield single in the ninth and Benson homered off Evan Phillips (1-2), giving Cincinnati its second straight walk-off win and a three-game winning streak. Benson became the third Cincinnati player with a walk-off for his first home run after Jay Bruce on May 31, 2008, and Drew Stubbs on Aug. 20, 2009.

"Honestly, you can't dream it," Benson said. "I was trying to get ready. I knew my time was coming up to bat. I knew it. I got it clean. You play with raw emotion, play with everything you have. When you succeed it overcomes you."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

American Jessica Pegula, who is third in the singles world rankings and second in the doubles, is the latest leading WTA Tour player to feature in a BBC Sport column.

The lack of women's matches in the night sessions at this year's French Open is disappointing.

Only one of the 10 night sessions featured WTA players - that was when Aryna Sabalenka played Sloane Stephens in the fourth round on Sunday.

We want to see more women in those spots, to highlight good tennis matches if we can, so it hasn't been ideal that there has only been one primetime match for us.

I'm a member of the WTA players' council and this issue has been raised a lot.

Last year, when there was also only one women's night match, we spoke to tournament organisers about it.

That makes this year more disappointing because we tried to address it. We haven't seen any improvement. We're not sure what has happened.

After the event, when we follow up with the Grand Slams and give feedback, I'm sure we will definitely express our thoughts that we were upset not to see more women's matches on the night schedule.

I'm not saying every match is going to be an amazing match but if we don't have the opportunity, how are we ever going to show it?

We know people like women's tennis, and the fans like to watch it, but it feels like our product is undervalued here and in Europe in general.

A number of reasons are put forward by some people for why they aren't more women's night matches - the men's matches are generally longer, women's matches don't give as much value for money, the match-ups are potentially not as exciting, etc.

But it goes back and forth, and if you want to showcase our great tennis, then you have to give us a chance.

The conditions can be difficult on Court Philippe Chatrier at night - a bit chilly and a bit windy - and that's definitely a factor for the players, too.

Playing on Chatrier this year in the daytime, I found it is like a wind tunnel. That can definitely favour some players over others and a lot are aware of these kind of things.

I think a lot of girls don't mind playing in the day - and I also don't think anyone really wants to be waiting around and following a long five-set match.

Whatever the reasons, hopefully we can showcase more women's matches in this slot next year and won't be going through the same discussions again.

'Harry Styles helped take my mind off tennis'

While I've been here in Paris, it has not all been about tennis - earlier this week, I went to see a Harry Styles concert at the Stade de France.

I wouldn't say I'm a big Directioner - the fandom name for obsessed One Direction fans - but I definitely like his stuff.

It was nice to take my mind off tennis and do something different, especially considering it has been a long six weeks in Europe for the clay-court swing.

He did two dates at the Stade de France - where I'd never been before - and I went on the second night with a couple of other players, including Asia Muhammed and Caroline Dolehide.

The trip was organised by Alexa Guarachi, another doubles player, because she absolutely loves him - she's, like, obsessed.

Alexa planned this months ago and bought us all the tickets, but she lost early in the doubles and decided to go home.

We couldn't believe it! We said "you're going to go home? This was your whole idea, it's your thing!" But she left and Caroline subbed in for her. She got lucky!

Even the readers who claim they don't know anything about Harry Styles, they will definitely know Watermelon Sugar - that was being played everywhere on the radio constantly.

He has some decent music, he's a good performer, he's got a lot of different sounds.

He interacted with the crowd a lot. It was funny because the crowd get doing French chants and he was so confused.

He wondered what they were, saying: ""hat are these chants? I've never heard them." They kept going and he was telling the crowd: "Guys, we need to play some more songs."

I felt like I was used to them because I hear them at Roland Garros - like the bullfighting trumpet fanfare which the tennis fans sing - so it was funny to hear the same thing at a concert.

Although Harry didn't get booed for random stuff like the fans boo the players at the tennis!

Jessica Pegula was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Roland Garros.

Every player at the Women's World Cup will be paid at least $30,000 by FIFA, and the 23 players in the title-winning team will each get $270,000.

The details confirmed Wednesday by FIFA fulfils a promise made in March to financially reward the 732 players taking part in the July 20 - Aug. 20 tournament hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

It means more than half of FIFA's total prize money fund of $110 million must be paid to the players in the 32 team squads.

Players from the 16 teams that do not advance from the group stage are still guaranteed to get $30,000 -- more than the annual salary many get from their clubs.

FIFA said it is making "a huge investment in women's football and, for the first time ever, we are guaranteeing prize money for players."

The $110 million pool is more than three times the $30M prize fund FIFA paid out at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at its annual congress in Rwanda that money should go directly to players.

The players' union FIFPRO had challenged FIFA to secure a "global guarantee" that 30% of the prize money would go to players.

"Players are united behind simple yet concrete demands for greater professionalization of the FIFA Women's World Cup," FIFPRO said in March.

The 16 nations exiting in the group stage will get a total of $2.25M from FIFA -- $690,000 to shares among the players and $1,560,000 for the federation.

FIFA will pay $10.5M to the title-winning nation. The majority of that, $6.21M, will be distributed among the players with the remaining $4.29 million going to the federation.

FIFA previously allocated $30.7M in total to help the 32 teams prepare for the tournament. The players' clubs will also get daily-rate payments from a $11.5M fund for releasing them to national-team duty.

It adds up to $152M in FIFA payments compared to $50 million for the tournament four years ago.

Infantino has set a target of equal prize money for men and women at their next World Cups in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The 32 national federations whose teams played at the men's 2022 World Cup in Qatar shared $440 million in FIFA prize money.

Infantino has cited getting a better commercial deal for women's soccer as the reason for publicly pushing broadcasters in key European markets to raise their offers for tournament rights.

Deals in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain -- all with teams in the tournament lineup -- are unsigned just six weeks before the opening game.

Jarrod Bowen scored in the 90th minute as West Ham United secured a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday to clinch a first major European trophy in over half a century.

The match at Prague's Eden Arena looked like it was heading to extra time when Lucas Paqueta slipped a ball through to Bowen who outpaced the defenders and fired past Fiorentina keeper Pietro Terracciano.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

"I obviously dreamed of scoring, but to score the winner in the last minute. It's what you always say you want to do. To do it in front of these fans. I thought I was going to cry. I'm just happy," Bowen told BT Sport.

West Ham took the lead in the 62nd minute when Said Benrahma converted a penalty after a VAR review confirmed a handball by the Italian side's captain Cristia

West Ham took the lead in the 62nd minute when Said Benrahma converted a penalty after a VAR review confirmed a handball by the Italian side's captain Cristiano Biraghi, who had earlier received medical attention after being struck on the head by a plastic cup thrown from the stands.

Fiorentina immediately stepped up the pace after going behind and were rewarded five minutes later when Giacomo Bonaventura controlled the ball with two defenders on him and sent an angled shot past West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.

Both sides struggled to create much in a nervy opening half with Fiorentina controlling possession but lacking a cutting edge in the final third, while West Ham had long spells without the ball.

When the referee blew the final whistle, the West Ham players raced to the corner to celebrate in front of their fans who revelled in the team's first win in a European final since they lifted the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965.

"It hurts to lose like this. We played well but we can't concede such an easy goal in the final minutes. The team gave their all but in certain situations we have to be more concentrated - keep controlling the game and pressing. In finals, small details make the difference," said Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

The supporters of both teams made their presence felt in a noisy atmosphere. UEFA had allotted only 5,780 tickets to each club, leaving legions of supporters unable to attend the match at Slavia Prague's stadium with a capacity set at 18,000 for the final.

Many thousands of West Ham supporters instead watched the match in bars and fan zones aground the city. Earlier in the day, Czech police said they had detained 16 Fiorentina supporters after they attacked West Ham fans in a local bar and a police officer.

Sergio Busquets has held talks with Inter Miami CF about the possibility of following Lionel Messi to the Major League Soccer franchise, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Busquets, 34, is also in negotiations with Saudi Arabian sides Al Nassr and Al Hilal after announcing last month he will not renew his contract with Barcelona when it expires on June 30.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Sources say that Busquets' next club, save any late twists, is expected to come from one of those three.

Messi's announcement on Wednesday that he has turned down the chance to move to Saudi Arabia or return to Barca in favour of a move to Miami could influence Busquets' decision.

The two spent over a decade playing alongside each other at Camp Nou and remain close friends, regularly meeting up in recent months when Messi has been back in the Catalan city.

After confirming his MLS switch, though, Messi said he was unaware of Busquets' plans and that their decisions were not linked.

"The media said I was going with Busi to Saudi Arabia, that we had it all sorted," Messi told Diario Sport.

"Everyone looks out for their own future. I am obviously awaiting [his decision], what he will do, but never in any moment did we agree to go one place or another. I made my decision and I don't know what he is going to do."

Busquets has also spoken previously about a desire to play in the United States, even name-dropping the possibility of moving to Miami last November.

Any move to Miami would be complicated by the MLS club already having their maximum allotment of three designated players, with the contracts for Josef Martinez and Rodolfo Pizarro unable to be bought down and Messi set to arrive.

However, as was the case with Messi, sources confirm that Busquets has been offered more money to move to Saudi Arabia.

ESPN first revealed in January that Al Nassr, the club Cristiano Ronaldo joined from Manchester United last December, had made contact with Busquets' camp.

Sources now confirm that Al Hilal, who had hoped to sign Messi as well, are also in the running for Busquets' signature as Saudi clubs continue to invest heavily.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema this week joined Al Ittihad, with reports suggesting Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante will join him at the Jeddah-based club imminently.

MIAMI -- The NBA is considering giving head coaches a second challenge of an official's call if the first challenge of the game is successful.

Byron Spruell, the league's president of basketball operations, said the idea would be further discussed during Thursday's meeting with the NBA's competition committee.

"We're absolutely looking at it," Spruell said during ESPN's NBA Today on Wednesday. "The competition committee over the summer will review it. It's still a process. We have to get it through a Board [of Governors] vote over the summer, test it as well, but we feel like it's an incremental movement that we would potentially like to see."

The league introduced the coaches' challenge in 2019-20, allowing a head coach to trigger an instant replay review of a called personal foul charged to his team, a called out-of-bounds violation or a called goaltending or basket interference violation. (Reviews of out-of-bounds, goaltending and basket interference calls in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime are exclusively triggered by referees, not subject to coaches' challenges.)

Under the current rule, coaches are limited to one challenge per game. A successful challenge results in the team being allowed to keep the timeout that was used to trigger the review. Coaches typically are hesitant to challenge a call earlier in games, even if it's clearly wrong, because they want to reserve that option for crunch-time situations.

Under the new proposal, the team would be allowed to keep its timeout with a successful challenge and be given another challenge to use later in the game.

"There's an appetite for it," Spruell said. "We'll see where it comes down."

Spruell also said the league office is considering using technology to ensure timely accuracy on out-of-bounds and goaltending calls in the final two minutes of games. Those will be tested during the NBA's summer leagues.

"We always want to get those calls right, and the timing and accuracy of those are important," Spruell said. "Those are areas where they're more objective and technology can take a look at those, and that'd be assisted by the replay center. So some opportunity for technology to be viewed in the replay center, assisted first, and then be able to make those calls to the officials on the court.

"Now, over time, maybe those even become more automated, like you see in tennis, like you see in baseball, like you see in even soccer. So we're excited by the innovation there and what it could potentially lead to, including for our referees, taking that focus off of those objective calls and letting them to get to more complex, more real-time and more judgment-type, subjective calls and shifting their focus."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays slugger Brandon Lowe won't participate in baseball activities for two to three weeks because of another back injury.

"He'll have a lot of rehab work, core work," Rays manager Kevin Cash said before Wednesday's game against Minnesota.

Lowe went on the 10-day injured list with a lower-back issue on Monday and is hitting .199 with nine homers and 29 RBI in 50 games. He struck out 63 times in 176 at-bats.

Lowe was limited to 65 games last season by injuries, including a stress reaction in his lower back. He hit 39 homers and drove in 99 runs in 2021 but went deep just eight times and had 25 RBI last year,

Cash said the current injury is different from the back problem last season.

Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks, out since May 28 with right hip inflammation, is expected to either throw batting practice or pitch in a rookie-level Florida Complex League game on Friday. The right-hander is 0-1 with five saves and an 1.54 ERA in 13 appearances.

Right-hander Calvin Faucher was placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation and converted reliever Luis Patiño was recalled from Triple-A Durham.

Faucher is 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA in 13 relief outings, Patiño went 3-3 and had a 7.64 ERA in 10 starts and six relief appearances at Triple-A Durham.

Major League Baseball has announced it is postponing games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.

A National Women's Soccer League game in New Jersey and an indoor WNBA game set for Brooklyn were also called off Wednesday amid hazy conditions that have raised alarms from health authorities.

The New York Yankees' game against the Chicago White Sox was rescheduled as part of a Thursday doubleheader starting at 4:05 p.m. ET, and the Philadelphia Phillies' game against the Detroit Tigers was reset for 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, originally an off-day for both teams.

What Yankee Stadium normally looks like vs. what it look like today pic.twitter.com/uutCu4Znqh

— Joon Lee (@joonlee) June 7, 2023

"These postponements were determined following conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts and all of the impacted clubs regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities," MLB said in a statement.

The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for New York City, saying: "the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects." In Philadelphia, the NWS issued a Code Red.

"One thing we did right away was we canceled batting practice and we're going to do our stuff inside," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday, a day after the Yankees and White Sox played through a lesser haze Tuesday night. "I don't know why I wanted to walk outside, but I just walked out and you know, see the orange coming through the doors and then you walk out, you're like, whoa."

Boone added there wasn't a specific protocol in place that led to the game being cancelled. There was a meeting between team and league executives with weather and health experts that led to the cancellation.

About a half-hour before the postponement was announced by MLB, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he thought Wednesday night's game would be played. The Philadelphia skyline could not be seen from the ballpark because of haze and a smoky smell remained.

The WNBA said a game between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty would not be played Wednesday, saying the decision was made to "protect the health and safety of our fans, teams and community." A makeup date wasn't immediately announced.

The NWSL postponed Orlando's match at Gotham in Harrison, New Jersey, from Wednesday night to Aug. 9.

"The match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index," the NWSL said.

At nearby Belmont Park, the New York Racing Association said training went on as planned ahead of Saturday's Triple Crown horse race.

"NYRA utilizes external weather services and advanced on-site equipment to monitor weather conditions and air quality in and around Belmont Park," spokesperson Patrick McKenna said Wednesday. "Training was conducted normally today, and NYRA will continue to assess the overall environment to ensure the safety of training and racing throughout the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival."

New York's NFL teams, the Giants and Jets, both had Wednesday off from offseason workouts. The Giants had been planning to practice inside Thursday, and the Jets said they are also likely to work out indoors Thursday.

ESPN's Joon Lee and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The British pair struck NCAA indoor gold in March and are making the most of the land of opportunity

Making the decision to travel to the US and spend years honing your craft, away from family and friends, is not an easy one to make. Imagine being that apprehensive teenager who finishes school, lands in a new city and has to get to know new people in another country – not to mention perform well in their chosen sport.

On the surface, it’s a daunting prospect but it’s a path which has been trodden by a number of British athletes over the years, who go there to sample the high levels of competition and experience facilities which far exceed what’s on offer in the UK. It’s not a recipe which works for everyone, of course, but Yusuf Bizimana and Amber Anning look right at home.

The British duo were gold medallists at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico (March 10-11).

The 22-year-old Bizimana finished second to Navasky Anderson in the men’s 800m final, but was promoted to first place after the Jamaican was disqualified. That meant he became the first Briton since Josh Kerr in 2018 to win an NCAA individual indoor title, having also run a personal best of 1:46.02.

Anning, also 22, was part of the Arkansas 4x400m foursome – alongside Joanne Reid, Rosey Effiong and Britton Wilson – which obliterated the NCAA record with 3:21.75 and set the fastest indoor 4x400m time in history, bettering the world record of 3:23.37 set by Russia in 2006.

In the process, Anning recorded the fifth-quickest indoor anchor leg ever, with 51.47.

“It was the title I always dreamed about winning before I set foot in the US,” says Bizimana, who is going to study for a major in advertising at the University of Texas alongside his track career. “I set my goals really high and I know, deep down, if I give everything I have to achieve those things and surround myself with the right people, why not me?

“The reason why I left home was to become an NCAA champion. I completed the mission and it felt so good. It wasn’t the way that I wanted to win as I wanted to go crazy across the line. In that race, I’d gone to a place that I’d never been to before.”

Inspired by Kerr, who won an Olympic 1500m bronze medal in Tokyo just three years after his NCAA title victory, Bizimana is grateful for the high-level competition the US college scene provides.

“He [Kerr] was killing it in the NCAAs and coming back and making the [British] team,” Bizimana adds. “I liked that kind of route. The times set here are winning championships. I want to be a part of that. I could have stayed in London but I knew what I wanted and I had to move to the USA to compete with the best every week.”

Such high-level competition across the NCAA circuit means that athletes are recording times that would be enough to win a BUCS title in the UK but wouldn’t make a podium in a US university/college level event.

For example, Anning’s personal best of 50.68 was the quickest by a British athlete in 22 years but her Arkansas team-mates Wilson and Effiong, plus Talitha Diggs and Irish star Rhasidat Adeleke, have all gone faster over 400m on the NCAA circuit just this year.

“It didn’t even feel that fast,” Anning tells AW, reflecting on Arkansas’ record-breaking relay. “That [the strength in depth in talent] is one of the reasons why I came to America and why my mum pushed me to come here.

“It’s tough but it just raises your mentality. I think sometimes you can get too comfortable with who you are so it’s nice that I’m not always the fastest and I’ve got to go out and improve myself all the time. It just builds a different confidence in you.

“Training with people like Britt [Wilson] is inspiring because I’m running with someone who ran the second-fastest time ever indoors [49.48] and a couple of months ago it would have been the world record. To see how she trains on a regular basis pushes all of us. To have that kind of group at our age is incredible.”

Anning, who is studying operations management and is aiming to do a major in public relations and advertising, understands the significance of academia alongside athletic pursuits.

There is also an awareness that the US set-up provides an opportunity to grow a wider profile via social media. In an age where sponsorship deals and potential income are related to your digital presence, on top of performance, the duo have realised they have to capitalise.

Given NCAA track and field athletes can now use NIL deals – Name, Image and Likeness agreements which essentially means students can profit from their image – those who compete on the circuit are able to build large followings.

“So many people who aren’t even track fans have commented on my clothing,” Bizimana says, when asked about posting images of himself turning up to track meetings in suits. “That includes brands who have reached out about partnerships in fashion. So I was like cool, just me wearing suits gets exposure?

“In the UK, it’s very hard to do that. In the US, that system is already in place and you just have to perform to get that. If I was to do this in the UK they might even think I was going too far and there’s stigma attached to self-promotion.

“Imagine turning up in a suit at Lee Valley? I would do that. I don’t care because this is what people want to see and it’s what makes our sport more interesting. It’s what creates the hype.”

Anning agrees with that assessment and regrets not starting up a vlog when she first arrived on a scholarship at LSU [Louisiana State University] in 2020, before moving to Arkansas last year.

“I tell my friends back at home, you’ve got to start posting more,” she adds. “It might be cringeworthy or cheesy but to be honest you have to cater towards your fans. They’re not following you because they’re concerned about what you look like, they care about track and wonder how you train and what you eat.

“Building your image is critical and starting off doing this stuff is super important. You’ve got to take advantage of everything that is out there and social media is something I need to be aware of more as you can maximise your image doing so.”

It hasn’t all been easy for the pair who left south London to pursue their dreams. Both Bizimana and Anning state they have come off a tough couple of years which included homesickness, self-doubt and questioning their decisions. There is a desire, however, to repay those who helped them to make the leap.

The long-term goal for both is the Paris 2024 Olympics but a more immediate focus is the chance to win titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Texas in early June.

“My family and quite a few people are coming out to it,” Bizimana says. “I’ve got to focus on what’s in front of me and right now it’s not about making teams or Diamond Leagues just yet.”

Anning, meanwhile, is targeting a place on the British 400m and 4x400m team at the World Championships in Budapest and wants to nail down the qualifying mark of 51.00 – her outdoor best is 51.78 – in the US.

Her ultimate aim is to break Christine Ohuruogu’s British 400m record of 49.41, which would be fitting as both were coached by the late Lloyd Cowan.

“Next year is a big one,” says Anning. “I just think track hasn’t been exciting for me over the past couple of years and now I’m around people who have those similar goals to me, it pushes you on to want greatness.”

PRAGUE -- Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi was left with a cut on his head after he was struck by an object thrown from the West Ham crowd during the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

West Ham fans threw empty cups and other items onto the pitch on multiple occasions during the first half, with the most heated incident coming around the half-hour mark when Biraghi went to take a corner.

Biraghi was struck on the head, causing streaks of blood to pour down from the back of his head. He received medical treatment and continued the game with a bandage wrapped around his head.

UEFA urged fans over the in-stadium public address system to stop throwing objects in a message that read: "Attention please! This is an important security announcement. Stop throwing objects on to the pitch immediately! Please respect the players and the officials. Thank you!"

Fans throwing objects has become an increasing issue in European football this season, most notably in the Netherlands where the Dutch Football Association has decided all matches would be stopped immediately if a player or match official was hit by an object from the crowd.