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Newtown Pride FC takes home TST's $1M prize

Published in Soccer
Sunday, 04 June 2023 17:06

CARY, North Carolina -- Three days after touching down in the United States from Brazil, Kelvin Nunes scored the game-winning goal in the first edition of The Soccer Tournament to give amateur side Newtown Pride FC a $1 million prize.

Newtown Pride, which is based in Newtown, Connecticut, outlasted a field of 32 and topped Canadian side SLC FC, 2-0, in the championship.

It's unclear how the million dollars will be distributed to the team, but its general manager Matt Svanda said some of the funds will be put back into the club to grow it and some will be donated to the Newtown Pride FC scholarship fund to help with community events.

Despite losing its first game, it was clear early in the tournament that Newtown had implemented a true playing style and system specific for the 7 vs. 7 format and its unique set of rules.

"It was an amazing tournament. It exceeded all my expectations," said Newtown player Gabriel Costa, who scored the team's first goal. "We came here a week earlier than everybody else. So, I thought we were very trained and we were just ready for it. We're happy to take the million dollars home."

Newtown kept a core group of its usual players and added several of the best players from the Major Arena Soccer League. Coach Onua Obasi, a pro indoor player for the Baltimore Blast, calls himself a bit of a tactics nerd and watches more than his fair share of small-sided American soccer.

When he agreed to coach the team, he started reaching out to players from MASL he thought would be good for the format at TST and the recruiting began.

The final, and most important, addition -- Nunes -- didn't arrive until after the first game. But he quickly was able to mesh with the team and was named the tournament MVP.

"He plays for a team in Brazil and we were battling for months to get him here and the visa came in just in time," Costa said. "He missed the first game, which we actually lost and ever since he came, he was a great help and we didn't lose ever since."

Three halves into the tournament, things weren't looking good for Newtown. After losing the first game, 2-1, they were tied with a bad Borussia Dortmund team at half-time and then lost a player to a red card for punching TikTok influencer Noah Beck.

"I remember turning around me, and thinking 'Is this a nightmare right now?'" Obasi said. "We were playing badly and we just got a red card. But now looking back it feels like it was two weeks ago."

But the team bounced back and was dominant through the knockout rounds, beating two teams that featured players with World Cup experience (DMV Diplomats and Blade & Grass) and a team representing Israel club Hapeol Tel Aviv.

Newtown will now return its attention to qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup. It will play in the United States Adult Soccer Region 1 final on June 17, which would send them to the National Amateur Cup Final Four in August. The winner will advance to the Open Cup.

Newtown won the tournament in 2019, but never got the opportunity to play in the Open Cup after it was canceled in 2020.

TST was founded by the TBT Enterprises, which has run The Basketball Tournament for the past decade. The four-day tournament was structured like the World Cup and every game ended on a goal.

Celta edge Barca to beat drop, Valladolid down

Published in Soccer
Sunday, 04 June 2023 17:06

Real Valladolid were relegated from LaLiga on the final day of the season on Sunday, while champions Barcelona ended their campaign with a 2-1 defeat at strugglers Celta Vigo.

Six anxious teams went into the final weekend hoping to avoid the drop, with five breathing sighs of relief when Ronaldo-owned Valladolid's 0-0 draw at home to Getafe ensured they finished 18th, ending their season-long LaLiga stay.

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

"There is not a lot to explain, we tried but couldn't score the goal that we needed," Valladolid goalkeeper Jordi Masip said. "It's a disappointment for the club, the fans and the entire city."

At the Balaidos in Vigo, hosts Celta, who were battling the drop, took the lead in the 42nd minute when Gabri Veiga squeezed past defenders Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen with a burst of pace and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Spurred on by a desire to rubber-stamp their safety, Celta took control of the game, launching wave after wave of attacks on Barca's backline before Veiga scored again with a cross that sailed fortuitously into the net in the 65th minute.

Barca made a raft of substitutions in the second half, with one of those changes, Ansu Fati, scoring in the 79th minute, but Celta held on for the win and ended in 13th spot.

"I think we have had a great season, but we are aware that we need to strengthen because that is the demand at Barcelona, above all in Europe," Barca coach Xavi Hernandez said after the match. "We have to be competitive. We need two players per position.

"We have got the most out of the squad this season. But we need to take steps forward this summer and reinforce well to be able to compete for every trophy. We have to improve to more to be able to win the Champions League."

Valencia and Cadiz survived after 1-1 draws, while Almeria twice went behind to already-relegated Espanyol before an 87th-minute penalty from Adri Embarba earned a 3-3 draw to move them up to 41 points -- one ahead of Valladolid.

Valencia, who were under threat of going down for the first time since they were promoted to the Spanish top-flight in 1987, survived after a 1-1 draw with Real Betis.

"We have achieved it with a lot of hard work, but I am not entirely happy, because this season, since the World Cup break, has been disastrous, lamentable," Valencia captain Jose Gaya told Movistar.

"I feel very bad for the people ... because they don't deserve everything we have suffered. And we have also suffered and thanks to their drive we have achieved it. Hopefully this will be useful for the following years, because we have played with fire."

Cadiz also drew 1-1 at bottom club Elche.

The shock news that Jack Leach has been ruled out of the Ashes is a significant blow to England's preparations, depriving them of a spinner who has flourished under Ben Stokes' leadership, and who has bought into the so-called "Bazball" ethos with his willingness to bowl to attacking fields, and accept the risk of some hard-hitting treatment in return for the rewards of key wickets.

Who then can replace him? ESPNcricinfo runs the rule over the possible contenders, fanciful and otherwise.

(and an all-seam attack)

It's probably the obvious option given how short-notice this injury is, plus the clear concerns over Stokes' knee, which had already left Leach's role looking vulnerable within a four-man attack. Root's attacking offies, habitually delivered from round the wicket with a flat trajectory and an emphasis on overspin, have already claimed 54 wickets in the course of his career, and he's deeply familiar with England's bowling plans, having turned his arm over in all but two of England's 13 Tests since Stokes became captain. His presence would allow England to recall each of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood without a complete clear-out of the seam attack that did the needful at Lord's.

England surely wouldn't be that crazy, would they? Hold my Bazbeer! Rehan doesn't turn 19 until August, when the Ashes will have been and gone, and for all that holding roles aren't really Stokes' thing, the control that Leach offers with his slow left-arm is a distinctly different skill to the magic and madness of red-raw legspin. And yet, there Rehan was in Karachi in December, claiming seven wickets in a fairytale debut, and even emerging as the first official "Nighthawk" in England's gleeful romp to victory. His time will surely come, but once again, the doubts over Stokes rather undermine his credentials. Unless he plays as an allrounder, of course…

England's other debutant spinning success of the Pakistan tour. Jacks hadn't expected his call-up until the eternally luckless Ben Foakes keeled over with the sickness bug that almost delayed the Rawalpindi Test, and within three days, he'd picked off a first-innings six-for. He might not have bowled so many overs had his fellow debutant Liam Livingstone not limped out with a knee injury, but he fulfilled his brief admirably, albeit with some of the most optimistically flighted deliveries you could hope to witness. That diet of 'hit me' balls served a purpose on one of the most lifeless pitches in world cricket, but it might not prove quite so successful against Smith, Labuschagne et al at Edgbaston. Last season for Surrey - effectively his first as an allrounder after head coach Gareth Batty encouraged him to add the string to his bow - he claimed the workmanlike figures there of 1 for 93 in 36 overs.

The man in possession … sort of. At least, when it comes to replacing Leach at short notice. This time last year, Parkinson was plucked off his sofa to make his Test debut, on the opening day of the Lord's Test against New Zealand, after Leach hurtled after a straight drive in front of the pavilion, and concussed himself as he tried to save a boundary. He was the first concussion sub in England's Test history, and though Stokes and Brendon McCullum deserved full marks for the clarity of their decision-making, Parkinson's performance was somewhat underwhelming. He did at least claim his first Test wicket with the last ball of New Zealand's innings, but not only has he never been picked again, he's slipped so far out of favour at Lancashire that he was last month loaned out to Durham in a bid for some Championship action.

All aboard the Bess Bus? We can only wait and see. Here's another man who has benefitted from Leach's prior misfortune, in this case the broken thumb in 2018 than earned his then-Somerset spin-twin Bess a maiden Test cap at the age of 20, and he showed his ticker from the outset, albeit more visibly with the bat, with a battling fifty in England's defeat to Pakistan at Lord's, and a further 49 as a nightwatcher one match later. There's little doubt that he'd make an outstanding Bazballer - and when England turned their fortunes around in South Africa in 2019-20 with a team of greenhorns including a young Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley, Bess was in the thick of it claiming five of the top six in the first innings at Port Elizabeth. His form and fortunes crumbled during Covid, and he was virtually unselectable on the tour of India, but in a dressing-room that's overflowing with positive vibes, there's reason to believe he could thrive once again.

If Josh Tongue's surprise call-up for Lord's is any indication, then Sussex's young spinner Carson ought not to leave his phone on silent in the coming days. Tongue's modest haul of 11 wickets in four Championship games for Worcestershire this summer didn't deter the selectors, most particularly Rob Key, who had witnessed his exploits for England Lions in Sri Lanka, including a five-for in the unofficial Test in Galle. And Carson, likewise, was in the wickets on that trip, claiming 4 for 94 in a spirited Bazball-style attempt to set up a run-chase (that proved a touch too ambitious in the end). He's been in the wickets this summer too, including five first-innings scalps against Yorkshire at Hove last month. Liam Patterson-White was also in the Lions mix, but has since picked up a solitary scalp in five matches for Nottinghamshire.

Hampshire's ever-ready bench-warmer, a man possessing of one of the weirdest England careers of all time. The last of his three Test appearances came against South Africa way back in 2017, and he was picked for three 50-over caps against Australia in November having most-recently played the format in October 2018. Yet he still collected a World Cup winner's medal in 2019 after being drafted in as a Mr Dependable back-up, and was also a travelling reserve for the T20 World Cup last winter too, after a similarly lengthy time in the wilderness. He seems utterly unperturbed at his lot in life, and would come into the Test set-up with some impressive red-ball form. His most recent outing for Hampshire in May reaped second-innings figures of 6 for 61, as Northants were routed by an innings.

Is this the moment for Mo? Though he officially retired from Test cricket last year, Moeen Ali was clearly tempted by the prospect of a comeback for last winter's Pakistan tour, after being courted by McCullum in the early weeks of his tenure as coach. In the end, his white-ball commitments made it all too much of a hassle, but if ever there was a window to dip back in, it is now. After all, the Hundred doesn't begin until the day after the Ashes are over, and having just won the IPL with Chennai Super Kings despite barely lifting a finger in the competition's closing stages, he might conceivably be itching to get stuck in. That said, Australia has never been a favourite opponent of Moeen's. In 11 previous Ashes Tests, his 20 wickets have come at a costly 64.65, and though he's only five away from the 200 mark, he may well decide - rather like his fellow white-ball stalwart, Jos Buttler - that that ship has sailed.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket

Hovland wins Memorial with clutch late putting

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 04 June 2023 17:08

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Viktor Hovland handled the toughest stretch at Muirfield Village and delivered three clutch putts at the end to win the Memorial in a playoff over hard-luck Denny McCarthy on Sunday.

Hovland closed with a 2-under 70 on another brutal test on a course baked all week by sun, forcing the playoff with a 30-foot birdie on the 17th -- the only one on that hole in the final round -- and saving par from behind the 18th green.

Back to the 18th in the playoff, Hovland barely got onto the front of the green, some 60 feet away from the back pin, and two-putted by holing a 7-foot par putt.

It was his fourth PGA Tour victory and first on American soil, this one with a $3.6 million winner's check and a handshake from host Jack Nicklaus. The Norwegian's previous wins were in Mexico twice and Puerto Rico.

It was a crushing loss for McCarthy, one of the purest putters on the PGA Tour. He showed his touch by saving crucial pars and playing bogey-free on a day when the average score was just under 75. His only bogey came on the 18th hole -- twice.

McCarthy had a one-shot lead when he missed the 18th fairway to the left, pitched out to the fairway and narrowly missed a 25-foot par putt for the win. In the playoff, his shot from the right rough rolled back off the green some 50 yards away. He pitched to 12 feet and the putt caught the left edge and spun away.

"I'm heartbroken right now," McCarthy said, emotion in his voice after his closest call to win on the PGA Tour in his 156th attempt.

This was a final day when so many went in reverse from the 22 players who had been separated by three shots at the start of the round.

Rory McIlroy chipped in from below the fourth green for birdie and had the lead on the front nine, but he gave away far too many shots on the back -- three bogeys in a row -- for a 75 that took him out of the picture.

Scottie Scheffler closed with a 67 and finished third and missed the playoff by one shot, remarkable considering he made the cut on the number. The No. 1 player in the world has not finished worse than 12th in his 13 starts this year.

Scheffler turned a statistically dominant performance from tee-to-green, picking up 20.7 strokes on the field in that category. But he lost 8.5 strokes to the field in his putting. This might be the best context -- it was nearly a 20-shot differential in putting to McCarthy, and Scheffler finished one shot behind.

"I think a little bit of my struggles with the putting have probably helped me elevate my ball striking, just because if I'm trying to compete out here ... with the putts not going in, I've got to hit it really good. And I've been able to do that," Scheffler said.

"Maybe people are asking me about my putting so much more because I'm hitting it so good," he said. "When you're hitting a bunch of greens it's not easy to make every putt. I mean, if I was putting the best this week, I would have won by a crazy amount of shots."

That belonged to Hovland, who joined McCarthy (70) at 7-under 281.

Hovland, who moves to No. 5 in the world ranking, didn't feel as though he did anything special. He has had better weeks striking the ball. His lowest round all week was 69. But he was the only player to break par in all four rounds.

"I played smart. I played my game. And I came up clutch this time," Hovland said.

He was particularly strong at the end. The final three were the toughest at Muirfield Village all week. Hovland birdied two of the three on Saturday to get in the mix, and he played them 1 under on Sunday to get into a playoff.

Si Woo Kim, who played in the last group with McIlroy, had a 73 to finish alone in fourth. Jordan Spieth was in the group another shot back.

AC Milan and Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Sunday he had decided to end his football career.

The 41-year-old's Milan contract expires at the end of June and will not be renewed following a season plagued by injuries, prompting him to end a remarkable and successful career.

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

Ibrahimovic scored 93 goals in 163 appearances over two spells at Milan. He returned in January 2020 and helped Milan win the Serie A title last year -- his second league trophy with the Rossoneri.

The prolific striker, who had 561 goals for club and country over the course of his career, had tears in his eyes on the sidelines as the Milan fans unfurled a giant banner at one end saying "Godbye" and chanted his name. Ibrahimovic cupped his hands in the shape of a heart and blew kisses to the fans.

There was also a special ceremony dedicated to him after the match, with the Milan players and staff giving him a guard of honor as he walked out onto the field.

"I say goodbye to football, but not to you," he said after being feted by the San Siro crowd following Milan's 3-1 win over Hellas Verona in their season finale.

The striker started his professional career at Malmo FF in 1999 and left for Ajax Amsterdam in 2001 before embarking on a career that has included leading European teams including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Milan.

Ibrahimovic had struggled with injuries and only made four appearances this season for Milan, after undergoing a knee operation last year.

"I have so many memories and emotions inside this stadium," he said. "The first time I arrived you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love.

"I want to thank my family. I want to thank my second family: the players. I want to thank the coach and his staff for the responsibility, I want to thank the directors for the opportunity. Last but not least, from my heart, I want to thank you fans."

Ibrahimovic, Sweden's all-time top scorer with 62 goals in 121 matches, quit the national team after Euro 2016 but returned in 2021 for their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign. He scored the most goals in his career with PSG, netting 156 times in 180 matches, while finding the back of the net 53 times in his 55 games played for the LA Galaxy in MLS.

Ibrahimovic ended his speech with a smile and in his typical flamboyant style.

He said: "It's too difficult, there are so many emotions going through me now. But I will say, 'I'll see you around, if you're lucky.'

Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was used in this story.

USA women win 3x3 FIBA gold; men take silver

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 04 June 2023 17:08

The Team USA women won the 3x3 FIBA World Cup on Sunday in Vienna, taking their first world gold medal since 2014 with a 16-12 victory over France.

The Team USA men took home the silver medal in heartbreaking fashion, losing a lead to 3x3 power Serbia as Jimmer Fredette missed a potential game winner before the U.S. lost 21-19.

Hailey Van Lith, a star at Louisville who recently transferred to join national champion LSU, had seven points and six rebounds in the title game. Cierra Burdick, a former star at Tennessee, also scored seven points with six rebounds in the final as the Americans played strong defense against the French women, who went 0-of-12 on 2-point shot attempts.

Stanford Cardinal rising senior forward Cameron Brink, playing in her first 3x3 tournament, was named the women's World Cup MVP. She averaged 4.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over eight games.

The Team USA men were looking to reclaim the World Cup title they last won in 2019. Serbia dominates the world stage in the event, now having won five of the past six World Cups, which are played every other year. Fredette scored 10 points in the final and made four 2-point baskets, which are shots behind the arc. The 3x3 game is played first to 21 or whichever team is ahead at the end of the 10-minute game clock.

Team USA was ahead 19-15 at one point and Fredette had a clean look at a 2-pointer that would've clinched the title but missed. Dylan Travis, a veteran 3x3 player whose full-time job is as teacher in Omaha, Nebraska, scored five points in the title game. Canyon Barry, the son of Rick Barry who also played at Florida, scored four.

Serbia was led by Dejan Majstorovic, the most decorated player in 3x3 World Cup history, who scored seven points and made three 2-pointers.

Both the Team USA men and women secured berths in the Olympic qualifying tournament for next year in Paris. In 2021, the Team USA women won the first-ever Olympic 3x3 gold in Tokyo. Lativa won the men's gold.

Dodgers OF Thompson hits IL with oblique injury

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 04 June 2023 17:22

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson, injured on a check swing on Saturday night, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain on Sunday.

Thompson left the game after walking in the seventh inning of a 6-3 home loss to the New York Yankees. He was a pinch hitter and was unable to remain to the game as a defensive replacement.

In a corresponding move Sunday, the Dodgers promoted outfielder Jonny Deluca, 24, to the major leagues for the first time in his career.

Thompson, 32, had recently emerged from an 0-for-39 slump with a 3-for-3 game, including a home run, two RBIs and a walk, on May 28 in an 11-10 loss at Tampa Bay. For the season, the outfielder is hitting .155 with five home runs, 14 RBIs, a .310 on-base percentage and a .366 slugging percentage in 36 games.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timing of Thompson's injury was frustrating.

"I feel for him," Roberts said. "He took a good at-bat right there and I was looking forward to him playing on Wednesday in Cincinnati. Now we've got to re-assess, but I'm sure he's really disappointed."

Deluca was hitting .315 with three doubles, one triple, four homers and 19 RBIs in 17 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He started the season with the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, Tulsa, and hit .279 with 10 homers and 18 RBIs.

The Dodgers selected Deluca, a native of Thousand Oaks, California, out of the University of Oregon in the 25th round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft.

Thompson has played parts of seven MLB seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2015, 2018), Dodgers (2016-17, 2022-23), Oakland Athletics (2018), Chicago Cubs (2021) and San Diego Padres (2022). For his career, he is hitting .216 with 44 home runs and 123 RBIs in 333 games.

Hendriks wins on National Cancer Survivors Day

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 04 June 2023 17:22

CHICAGO -- Jake Burger's game-ending grand slam handed Liam Hendriks his first win since returning from cancer, and the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-2 on Sunday for a three-game series sweep.

Hendriks (1-0) worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two. It was the third big league appearance for the All-Star closer since he missed the start of the season after he was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hendriks' win coincided with National Cancer Survivors Day in the United States.

"Hopefully, I can continue moving forward and continue somewhat of at least doing the right thing on the field, and give people some hope to continue fighting," Hendriks said.

On Monday, an emotional Hendriks, 34, allowed two runs on three hits and a walk to the Los Angeles Angels, his first outing since recovering from non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Telling reporters afterward, that "it was humbling going out there," he now has three innings of work under his belt.

Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson walked with one out to load the bases for Burger, who hit a drive to left-center off Alex Lange (3-1) for his 12th homer of the season. It was his first career slam and game-ending homer.

"We'd faced (Lange) a couple times and he's a great pitcher," Burger said. "Today, we got the better of him, but he's gotten the better of us in the last couple of outings. That's baseball."

Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run homer for Detroit, which has dropped five of six. Matthew Boyd struck out nine while pitching five innings of one-run ball.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Lange had been on "such a good roll," but was a "little erratic" in the ninth.

"(The grand slam) makes it sting even more when you can't finish the game," Hinch said. "Frustrating day."

It was the first homer allowed by Lange in 25 appearances this year.

"It sucks," Lange said. "You hate blowing it for the boys. They fought hard all day. ... It's tough, but you move on."

White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech permitted two runs and three hits in seven innings. He struck out nine and walked one.

Torkelson's fifth homer gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the fourth, but Eloy Jiménez responded with an RBI single for the White Sox in the bottom half.

Chicago tied it at 2 on Yasmani Grandal's bases-loaded single with two out in the sixth. Detroit reliever Will Vest surrendered back-to-back singles to Luis Robert Jr. and Jiménez before walking Andrew Vaughn to load the bases for Grandal.

Robert caught Javier Baez's drive at the center-field wall in the eighth, stranding Zach McKinstry at second. Detroit's Jake Marisnick returned the favor in the bottom of the eighth, snagging a fly ball from Vaughn at the wall.

The White Sox will open a series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, when right-hander Lucas Giolito (4-4, 4.08 ERA) will take the mound.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Judge out after banging toe during wild catch

Published in Baseball
Sunday, 04 June 2023 17:22

LOS ANGELES -- Aaron Judge was out of the New York Yankees' starting lineup on Sunday, one day after penetrating the right-field gate at Dodger Stadium to turn in a phenomenal over-the-shoulder catch late in Saturday's victory. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Judge's right foot, mostly in the area of his big toe, was too sore to play.

Judge "seemed a little bit better this afternoon," Boone added, but keeping him out of the lineup for the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers allows them to take advantage of Monday's off day and give Judge back-to-back days off his feet. Asked if he thinks Judge might have to go on the injured list, Boone said, "Not at this point, but we'll see how he is today, tomorrow and the next day."

Nestor Cortes, however, is expected go on the IL.

Cortes, the Yankees' left-handed starting pitcher, has been battling soreness in his left shoulder that has been slow to recover between starts in recent weeks. Cortes will undergo further testing when the team returns to New York, but Boone doesn't believe he'll miss more than one or two turns through the rotation.

"Don't think it's anything too major," Boone said, "but the last couple times, recovering in between, it's just kinda that achiness."

Cortes, 28, was an All-Star last year but has struggled to a 5.16 ERA through his first 11 starts this season, most notably giving up a combined 13 runs in nine against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers. Cortes will join Frankie Montas and Carlos Rodon among Yankees starters on the IL. The Yankees will start Clarke Schmidt in Cortes' place against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and are undecided about Wednesday.

Judge, 31, is off to another MVP-caliber start this season, slashing .291/.404/.674 with an American League-leading 19 home runs and 40 RBIs.

His catch on Saturday showed why he can also be a dynamic right fielder.

The Yankees held a two-run lead with one on and none out in the bottom of the eighth when J.D. Martinez, one of the hottest hitters in the sport, uncorked a deep drive to the opposite field. Judge ranged back, stretched out his left arm, secured the catch and ran so hard into the bullpen gate that he lodged the door open, stumbling initially before picking himself up and tossing the baseball back into the infield.

Judge's feet banged up against a concrete lining that sits under the padded portion of the fence while making the catch. Boone and a couple of the Yankees' trainers went out to check on him, but Judge waved them off and remained in the game.

"The training staff should've come out for the gate -- not for Judge," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped.

Andy Murray is playing in the Surbiton Trophy, the first grass-court tournament of the season - and you can watch it live on the BBC.

The two-time Wimbledon champion has accepted a wildcard for the event.

Murray, 36, will begin his grass-court season against 2018 Australian Open semi-finalist Chung Hyeon on Monday.

British number two Dan Evans and Liam Broady also feature in the men's draw, while compatriots Jodie Burrage and Heather Watson are in the women's.

Matches will be streamed from 11:00 BST on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app and the BBC Red Button.

Murray, who reached the semi-finals at Surbiton last year, skipped the French Open to prepare for Wimbledon.

He will be joined by compatriot Ryan Peniston, while Harriet Dart, Katie Boulter and Katie Swan are also in the women's draw.

Last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria is the highest-ranked player in the women's competition.

The BBC also has live coverage of the grass-court events at Birmingham and Nottingham, as well as Queen's and Eastbourne. There will also be comprehensive coverage of Wimbledon across the BBC from 3 to 16 July.

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