ATLANTA -- Craig Kimbrel had a feeling this would be a special night, so he wanted about 30 to 40 family members and friends from Alabama to come watch him reach a rare milestone.

The hard-throwing closer became the eighth pitcher in major league history to earn 400 saves as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 on Friday.

"I'm happy it was here in Atlanta," said Kimbrel, who began his career with the Braves. "I am happy the majority of my family was here to see it. Getting to take it in and enjoy it with them is great."

Making his 730th career appearance, Kimbrel, 34, worked a scoreless ninth inning to get his sixth save in six chances this season. Of the seven previous relievers to reach 400 saves, only Mariano Rivera (697 games), Trevor Hoffman (706) and Kenley Jansen (778) reached the milestone in under 800 appearances.

Kimbrel, the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year, played his first five seasons in Atlanta, was a four-time All-Star with the Braves and still holds the franchise record with 186 saves. This is his first season with Philadelphia. Over his past 15 games since April 16, Kimbrel has faced 54 batters and has 26 strikeouts in 14 innings, but the right-hander has struggled at times this year with a 5.68 ERA.

Kimbrel grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, about a three-hour drive from Atlanta, and it was with the Braves that he broke through as one of the game's most feared relievers. He has been named an All-Star eight times, and he helped the Boston Red Sox win the 2018 World Series.

He said he never set out to break records or join exclusive lists, but his career has worked out pretty well.

"My goal is to show up and get ready to pitch in those opportunities as much as I can," Kimbrel said. "Always knowing I was closing games, I was hoping to get 35 to 40 a year doing my job, and that's about it. It's one year at a time, one save at a time."

Brandon Marsh hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth for Philadelphia.

Facing reliever Joe Jiménez (0-1) with the bases loaded, Marsh made it 4-3 with a single to left field that scored Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto. The Phillies scored twice in the seventh off Lucas Luetge on Trea Turner's RBI double and Bryce Harper's sacrifice fly.

The NL-leading Braves dropped to 31-20. Philadelphia, stuck in fourth place in the NL East after advancing to the World Series last year, is 24-27. The Phillies are seven games back of Atlanta in the division standings.

For Kimbrel, the night was special because he got to celebrate with so many loved ones.

"They've been supporting me forever," he said. "A lot of them were saying, 'This feels weird celebrating here in Atlanta.' It brought back a lot of memories, hanging out with the same group of people in the tunnel after the game and catching up."

He said he wasn't even nervous coming out of the bullpen, and he closed the game by getting Ronald Acuna Jr. on a grounder to third with a runner on.

"No, I was pretty locked in," Kimbrel said. "I mean, I had a lot of chances to think about it. I've been sitting pretty close to this milestone for a while now and I've just been able to throw the ball well lately. I was really just worried about getting the win tonight, and once the final out was made I was able to relax."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers shortstop Willy Adames was to spend the night in the hospital after being struck by a foul ball from teammate Brian Anderson while watching from the dugout during Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants.

"He was alert and responsive as he left, and then we got pretty good news at the hospital, too," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said after the Giants' 15-1 win. "Obviously, he's in pain. But I think overall I think not bad news, considering how scary it was."

Counsell said that tests revealed no fractures, but Adames would remain in the hospital overnight "just for monitoring purposes" and would get placed on the injured list.

"Anticipate him being released tomorrow morning," Counsell said. "It'll be a concussion. It'll be an IL."

Anderson was batting in the bottom of the second inning when he hit a line drive that struck Adames. Video appeared to show that Adames was hit in the head or face.

The game was stopped for a few minutes to allow Milwaukee's training staff to attend to Adames as he sat on the bench. Anderson's concern was apparent on his face as he waited from near the batter's box.

"Initially from the sound it made, I thought it hit the cushioned pad," said Brewers infielder Mike Brosseau, who was on deck at the time. "The way they reacted to it, you're getting scared, and then after a couple of seconds of them being on the bench, I realized it was a little more serious than that. I heard it more than I saw it.

"It's a one-in-a-million chance," Brosseau added. "It's just scary. I don't know how hard BA hit that ball but I know it was coming off hot. To make direct contact like that, yeah, it's really bad to see."

The situation seemed to impact the Brewers emotionally the rest of the night.

After Brice Turang replaced Adames at shortstop, Milwaukee committed two errors and allowed seven runs in the top of the third inning as the Giants broke the game open. Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta, who is close friends with Adames, gave up a career-high 10 runs.

"It's hard to see somebody that you love having that moment," Peralta said.

Adames has been one of the Brewers' emotional leaders and most popular players since they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in May 2021. He has been named the team's most valuable player by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America each of the last two seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka says she "cannot do anything" if Ukrainian opponent Marta Kostyuk "hates" her because of her nation's support of Russia's invasion.

Belarus is an ally of Russia and allowed troops to use its territory to launch last year's invasion of Ukraine.

"If they feel good not shaking hands, I'm happy with that," said Sabalenka.

The 25-year-old Sabalenka is aiming to claim back-to-back Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros after winning the first major of her career at the Australian Open in January.

The Belarusian also has the opportunity to become WTA world number one for the first time, overtaking Poland's Iga Swiatek at the top of the rankings.

Sabalenka has previously said "no-one supports war" and reiterated in Paris on Friday she would stop it if she could.

Kostyuk, 20, refused to shake hands with Belarus' Victoria Azarenka at last year's US Open and also said seeing Russian flags being waved by supporters of Vladimir Putin at the Australian Open in January "hurt a lot".

Asked about Kostyuk's reaction when they play in the first round on Sunday, Sabalenka added: "I don't want to waste my energy on this kind of stuff.

"It's none of my business, you know. If she hates me, OK. I can't do anything about that.

"There are going to be people who love me, there are going to be people who hate me. If she hates me, I don't feel anything like that to her.

"I kind of understand why they are not shaking hands. At the same time, I feel like sports shouldn't be in politics, we're just athletes."

British number one Cameron Norrie lost 6-3 6-0 to Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the semi-finals of the ATP Tour event in Lyon on Friday.

It appeared he might retire when he headed to his bench during the opening game of the second set, but the world number 14 managed to finish the match.

Norrie, 27, had won the tournament in 2022 and reached the final in 2021.

However, against 28th-ranked Cerundolo, the Briton dropped serve in the opening game and never looked like getting back into the contest.

"He played better than me and that showed in the score," said Norrie. "I was disappointed with my level compared to the other two matches.

"I have had a few matches before the French Open, which is exactly what I came here to do. It was a difficult way to go out but he played better than me and deserved the win."

Cerundolo, 24, said he "played one of the best matches of the season" and added: "I'm super happy because it was a tough match. Cam is a great player, but I played amazingly and I'm happy to be in the final."

The French Open begins on Sunday with Norrie, the 14th seed, playing French wildcard Benoit Paire, 34, in the first round.

Jarry continues excellent run to reach final

In the Geneva Open in Switzerland, Chile's Nicolas Jarry, ranked 54th in the world, will play Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in Saturday's final.

Unseeded Jarry, 27, has enjoyed a fine tournament with wins over sixth seed Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands in the last 16 and world number four Casper Ruud of Norway in the quarter-finals.

Jarry backed that up with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semi-finals on Friday.

World number 33 Dimitrov, who has been as high as third in the world rankings, showed great form as he fought back from a set down to beat world number nine Taylor Fritz of the United States 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-2).

The final is the second match of the day on Saturday after Britain's Jamie Murray and New Zealand's Michael Venus face the pairing of Spain's Marcel Granollers and Argentina's Horacio Zeballos in the men's doubles final.

Emma Raducanu's victory at the US Open papered over the cracks in the state of British tennis, says Dan Evans.

With Raducanu injured, there are no British players in the women's singles.

"There's enough people playing junior tennis. We just don't help them in my opinion. It's a scarce draw, isn't it?" said the British men's number two.

Evans, 33, has long been a vocal critic of the pathway in British tennis and said the nation was "lucky" to see Raducanu emerge as a major champion in 2021.

Asked if Raducanu's win as a teenage qualifier in New York "papered over cracks", Evans said: "Is that a rhetorical question? Yes.

"She's a very good tennis player but the rankings don't lie, do they?

"I don't want to sound like a broken record. But there is way further to go than just the top players. It's from the bottom up."

Britain has four players ranked in the men's world top 60, although Andy Murray is not joining Norrie, Evans and Draper at Roland Garros after deciding to focus on the grass-court season.

Raducanu, 20, is also missing from the clay-court Grand Slam following surgeries on her wrists and ankle.

Raducanu has recently dropped to 106th in the world, meaning there are no British players inside the top 100 of the women's rankings.

Seven women lost in qualifying at Roland Garros - Harriet Dart, Katie Swan, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Heather Watson, Lily Miyazaki and Francesca Jones - as did Ryan Peniston, Liam Broady and Jan Choinski in the men's event.

Speaking at Roland Garros on Friday, Evans added. "Argentina got 13 men in the qualifying here. They have no money, they have nothing. Not a federation basically.

"We need to make people love tennis and get involved. That's what I think we need to do: get a bigger pool, pool it all in and get going.

"It's simple. It's simple maths."

In response to Evans' comments, the Lawn Tennis Association acknowledged the disappointing results in French Open qualifying but insisted it is "making longer term progress.

"There is more work to do before we consistently have the numbers we would like to see across all levels," said the governing body.

"That's why we are investing in our junior players, staging more international competitions in this country and supporting players development whatever is the best route for them to reach the top of the game, including both professional and the college system routes.

"Of course we need to go further and want players moving up the rankings - but we do believe we are heading in the right direction."

Since returning from a drugs ban in 2018 after testing positive for cocaine, Evans has put his partying lifestyle behind him and urged others to dedicate themselves more to the sport.

Evans reached a career-high ranking of 22nd aged 31 and also won the first ATP title of his career in 2021.

"You've got to work hard," he said.

"I know what it's like to not work hard and what you get from that and I know what it's like to work hard and get decent rewards.

"I'm not sitting here saying I know the answers.

"Put it this way, if you play 20 tournaments a year, you are allowed one bad tournament because you get 19 that count towards your ranking.

"If you play 30, you give yourself a decent chance to have some bad weeks and you'll also have some good weeks."

The BBC has secured exclusive audio rights to every match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

All 48 matches will be live across BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and on the BBC Sport website and app.

"We are delighted the BBC has secured the UK audio rights for Rugby World Cup 2023," Sir Bill Beaumont said.

England start their World Cup campaign against Argentina on 9 September, the same day Ireland face Romania. Scotland meet reigning champions South Africa on the following day, with Wales also playing Fiji.

Beaumont, the chairman of World Rugby, added: "With almost 100 days to go, France 2023 is shaping-up to be the greatest celebration of rugby and togetherness in the sport's 200th birthday year and the BBC's expert storytelling, reporting, commentary and analysis will ensure listeners are at the heart of the celebrations."

BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle will produce bespoke output for the 10th edition of the men's World Cup for their nations.

Meanwhile, the Rugby Union Daily podcast will also bring all the news, debate and big issues from France.

In this week’s post-PGA Championship edition, we celebrate Brooks Koepka – the player not the narrative – the legend of Michael Block and far-too-early Ryder Cup debates.

Made Cut

How broken was Brooks. Lost in the hyperbole of Koepka’s victory at Oak Hill was a reclamation story that should be celebrated.

On the eve of Koepka’s victory, his swing coach, Claude Harmon III, explained that “Brooks 2.0” had a mountain of issues to overcome, including two dislocated kneecaps and a torn labrum in his hip.

“I don’t think anyone realized how bad the injuries were,” Harmon said. “It was close to game over.”

Even when Koepka and Harmon reunited last year there were questions about his ability to ever play the game like he once did. But slowly, his team was able to put him back together and the results followed with his runner-up finish at the Masters foreshadowing his triumph at the PGA.

“He’s finally healthy,” Koepka’s father, Bob, said. “It took some time, but now he’s healthy and happy and at peace.”

In the wake of Koepka’s victory many of the narratives focused on what it meant to professional golf, but lost in that headline is a player who overcame so much more than most will ever know.

Block party. In the age of oversaturation maybe the tale of Michael Block was a bit much but consider the true worth of his story goes beyond the 47-year-old club professional’s journey at Oak Hill.

Paired with Rory McIlroy in the final round at the PGA, Block inspired and entertained with his Everyman humor and self-deprecating style as well as his play. But it’s what he represented that makes the secret sauce.

Regardless of which side of the professional golf divide you reside, the Michael Blocks of the golf world are the meritocracy magic elixir that makes the game different than other sports. In what other sport can the guy who is working in the pro shop one week find himself in a Super Bowl or NBA Finals the next week?

As professional golf evolves into something that feels more insular, let Michael Block’s story be a reminder of why meritocracy is important.

Made Cut-Did Not Finish (MDF)

Cup conundrum. In many ways, Koepka’s victory at Oak Hill will likely make things easier for U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson.

If Koepka, who moved to No. 2 on the U.S. points list, finishes inside the top 6 later this fall and earns an automatic spot on Team USA, Johnson and the PGA powers will have no choice but to welcome him into the team room.

If he doesn’t earn one of the automatic spots, however, the debate is sure to break the Internet. There’s also the possibility that other players who joined LIV Golf – Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson or Patrick Reed – could play well enough in the year’s final two majors and join what promises to be a spirited debate.

Zach Johnson has been largely non-committal when it comes to how LIV players would be viewed in terms of potential captain’s picks. In May, it’s a luxury the captain cling to, but August and difficult decisions are looming.

More Cup conundrum. Unlike Zach Johnson, European captain Luke Donald is unburdened by the LIV Golf dilemma as evidenced by news this week that the Englishman recently informed Sergio Garcia he wouldn’t be considered for a captain’s pick for this year’s team.

“I talked to [Donald] two or three weeks ago,” Garcia said this week at the LIV Golf event in Washington D.C. “Obviously, I had to make some decisions when it comes down to the DP World Tour, and I wanted to see where I stood in regards to the Ryder Cup. Luke is a good friend, but I wanted him to be sincere and tell me the truth, and he pretty much told me I had no chance.”

Garcia, along with Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, resigned his DP World Tour membership after the circuit handed down fines for those players who joined LIV Golf and violated its conflicting-event release regulations. Players must be members of the European tour to play the Ryder Cup.

“It was sad because I felt like, not only because of my history but the way I've been playing, that I probably could have a chance, but it didn't sound like it, so that's what it is,” said Garcia, who earned a spot into next month’s U.S. Open at the 36-hole qualifying event Monday in Dallas.

In a different time without the politics of the moment clouding things, Garcia, Europe’s all-time points earner, would certainly have been a part of this year’s team given his status as one of the Continent’s most accomplished players, but to argue for a captain’s pick based on the “way I’ve been playing” feels disingenuous.

The Spaniard missed the cut at the Masters, has just a single top-10 finish this year in events that award world-ranking points (an Asian Tour event) and his last three finishes on the LIV Golf circuit are 26^th, ninth and 45^th out of 48 players. His legacy on the European team is unassailable, but a spot on this year’s team based on his performance is not.

Missed Cut

Tweet of the week: 

There’s a divide in professional golf but it wasn’t created by the golf media. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia financed the league (and owns 93 percent of the breakaway circuit, according to court documents), the PGA Tour suspended players for violating its conflicting-event release policy and some of the suspended players sued the Tour for what they claimed are anti-trust violations. The players have all withdrawn from the litigation, but it continues with LIV Golf now as the plaintiff. The golf media had no hand in any of those actions.

The majority of golf media have covered the story responsibly and fairly. It’s a polarizing subject to cover and these are polarizing times, but don’t conflate the issue or lecture about something you clearly don’t understand.

Michael Block ran out of gas this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge, where he shot rounds of 81 and 74 the first two days to finish 15 over and miss the cut.

“I have no legs,” Block said Friday. “I was scheduled to fly out at 10:00 a.m. last Saturday. So if that gives you any idea how much confidence I had of making the cut at the PGA Championship.”

Block didn’t expect any of this: the fame, the expectations, the (believe it or not) scrutiny that comes with going from an unknown club pro to a star that takes the golf world by storm. He expected to be back home in California throwing a ball for his black lab, Messy.

Instead, he took center stage at Colonial, where he was greeted by droves of fans who wanted a closer look at the man who competed with the best in the world at Oak Hill.

“Appreciation for everybody is beyond for me,” Block said. “I appreciate everybody that's shown their support. The people here, the pros here, the members here, the volunteers here, and the fans have been amazing. I thought I was just going to hit a chord with like 40-year-old – what do they call it? Dad bods. I thought I was going to hit a chord with the dad bods, which I think I did, but I think I hit a chord with all the other ones, too, which is really, really cool.”

Block definitely struck a chord with golf fans from every demographic, and he isn’t too worried about the poor on-course performance in Texas.

“I think I felt the wrath of the golf gods this week, which I get it,” Block said. “I completely get it, and I don't blame them for it because they gave me a lot of positive things last week.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman has seen enough horror stories the past two years at Grayhawk to give anyone nightmares for weeks.

Balls bounding over greens.

Putts rolling like they’re on glass.

Extreme heat that can easily – and often does – suck great golf out of the best players in the world.

Last season at the NCAA Championship, Steelman was one of those horror stories, starting his tournament 6 over through six holes and carding just three birdies in four rounds. He ended up solo 77^th, beating just one player who made the 54-hole cut.

“This course was punching me right in the teeth from the get-go last year,” Steelman said.

On Friday, though, the Yellow Jackets senior punched back. In 18 holes, Steelman doubled his career birdie total at Grayhawk, notching six birdies as part of a bogey-free, 6-under 64, which gave him the early first-round lead by two shots. Georgia Tech, at even par, also sits atop the leaderboard as a team.

Steelman holed 20-foot birdie putts on each of his first two holes to get some momentum early, and even when he put himself out of position off the tee – like at the par-4 closing hole when he left himself 222 yards in, out of the rough and over water – he quickly scrambled to at least earn himself an easy par.

“His iron play was ridiculous,” Georgia Tech head coach Bruce Heppler said. “Heck of a round.”

Steelman is the first player that Heppler has ever signed without meeting him prior to his commitment. Steelman grew up in Columbia, Missouri, about 5 minutes from Mizzou’s campus. While many of Steelman’s current peers learned the game at private clubs and from PGA Tour-level instructors, Steelman got his start at Perche Creek, a par-3 course that abuts the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70, just west of town. Steelman’s instructor, Jake Poe, owned the course, but later sold it and opened a golf shop in town, giving lessons out of simulator. Steelman would work for Poe when he wasn’t in school, and before he received his first band-new golf club at age 14, Steelman would occasionally rummage through Poe’s used-clubs bin to fill out his bag.

His favorite used discovery: the Titleist 7-wood with the red-and-black, whippy shaft that he found when he was 12 years old.

“I hit the crap out of that thing,” Steelman recalled. “I used it until the face cracked about five years later.”

Steelman was a good-but-not-great junior player, deciding early that he wanted to stay close to home and attend his dream school. But after two years at Mizzou, where he won twice, Steelman’s game had progressed enough to where his coaches recommended that he transfer to a top-10 program where he could further develop. And so, Steelman landed at Georgia Tech, where he was like a kid in a candy store – an elite practice facility, private-jet travel, renown academic opportunities, all at his disposal.

“His putting, wedges and chipping have all gotten better since he’s been here,” Heppler said. “He’s just become a complete player.”

But as Steelman said, though he now has a relationship with Titleist that has effectively ended his days of scouring resale racks, “I’ll still always hold onto the memory of rummaging through used clubs that people didn’t want any more. I hope I’m always appreciative for what I have.”

Right now, that’s a lot. Not only is Steelman in early position to potentially win an NCAA individual title – and possibly later a national team championship – he also is ranked sixth in PGA Tour University. After several high-profile seniors, including North Carolina teammates Austin Greaser (ranked ahead of Steelman) and Dylan Menante, decided to pull out of the ranking and return to school for an additional season, Steelman was bumped up to just outside of that coveted top 5. While No. 6 will still get in all the Korn Ferry Tour events this summer because No. 1 will be competing on the PGA Tour, No. 5 and better also earn a ticket straight to final stage of PGA Tour Q-School while Nos. 6-20 are only exempt into second stage.

Steelman had also briefly flirted with the idea of coming back for a fifth year, but now he’s decided this NCAA Championship will be his last event as an amateur. He needs at least a solo fifth finish or better to crack the top five without any other help.

“This week it’s control your own destiny for me individually,” Steelman said. “I’m glad Austin is going to be doing what he enjoys doing in going back to school. I’ve talked to him about it, and he loves North Carolina. But it was nice to see that he dropped out selfishly to kind of improve my potential status.”

Added Heppler: “Ross wants to play golf for a living, and he’s ready to go do that.”

What a difference a year makes.