Oneil Cruz Nabs Runner at Home Plate with Incredible 105.2 MPH Throw

Oneil Cruz is armed and dangerous…

The 26-year-old Dominican professional baseball center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates made a 105.2 mph throw to nab the Seattle Mariners‘ J.P. Crawford at the plate on Sunday, the second-hardest thrown ball to produce an outfield assist since Statcast started tracking in 2015.

Oneil Cruz“It was unbelievable, honestly, one of the best plays that I’ve seen live,” Pirates interim manager Don Kelly said. “To be able to make that going that way and across his body and throw back to home as accurate as it was, just an amazing play.”

It was one of few highlights for the Pirates, who were shut out by Seattle for a third straight game, losing 1-0.

The fastest throw from the outfield that produced an out in Major League Baseball‘s Statcast era was 105.5 mph by Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees in 2016.

Cruz’s throw was the fastest of any kind by a Pirates outfielder. The one-hopper to the plate came as a surprise to Crawford, who did not slide on the play.

With one out in the first inning, the Mariners’ Jorge Polanco lined a single to left-center off All-Star right-hander Paul Skenes. Cruz ranged to his right, fielded it and threw on a line toward catcher Henry Davis.

The ball bounced directly into Davis’ mitt and he made the tag, much to Skenes’ surprise as he backed up the play behind the plate.

“Yeah, I had the best seat in the house. That was unbelievable,” said Skenes, who struck out 10 in five scoreless innings. “Henry played it perfectly, too. It feels lucky, but I know Henry and Oneil created luck for me there.”

The 6-foot-7 Cruz was already a Statcast hero of sorts.

In May, he had the hardest-hit ball since Statcast started tracking, a home run at PNC Park that left the bat at 122.9 mph and splashed into the Allegheny River.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Andrey Rublev to Advance to Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz continues his Wimbledon winning streak.

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star’s latest up-and-down Wimbledon performance began with a dropped set. Later Sunday, he was in danger of getting broken to fall further behind in the third.

Carlos Alcaraz,  But then, as he so often does, Alcaraz seized the moment, produced some magic and moved closer to a third consecutive title at the All England Club.

Alcaraz stretched his winning streak in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament to 18 matches — and his unbeaten run across all events to 22 — by coming back to defeat No. 14 seed Andrey Rublev 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 at Centre Court and return to the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, earned his 75th major match win in 87 opportunities — equaling Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe as the fastest men in the Open era to 75 victories at majors.

In this fortnight’s first matchup between two men ranked in the top 20, Alcaraz brought out his best while down 3-2 in the third set. First, he needed to fend off a break chance for Rublev, doing so with a forehand passing winner.

After eventually holding to 3-all, Alcaraz earned his own break opportunity and didn’t let Rublev escape. On an eight-stroke exchange, Alcaraz sprinted from one corner of the court to the other and, with a stomp of his right foot and a bit of a slide, flicked a crosscourt forehand winner.

Alcaraz spread his arms wide, pointed to his right ear and basked in the crowd’s loud adulation, the noise bouncing off the underside of the stadium’s closed roof.

Rublev sat in his sideline chair, looked up at his guest box and made an “OK” hand signal. Just 10 minutes later, that set belonged to Alcaraz, who will face 2022 semifinalist Cam Norrie — the last British player in singles — on Tuesday for a berth in the semifinals.

“I always said that it’s just about belief in yourself,” Alcaraz said. “It doesn’t matter that you are one-set-to-love down. Tennis is a sport that can change in just one point. One point can change the match completely, turn around everything.”

At 22, Alcaraz already owns five Grand Slam trophies and will be making his 12th major quarterfinal appearance, matching the second most by any man before his 23rd birthday and trailing only Boris Becker’s 13.

Alcaraz hasn’t lost a match anywhere since April 20 against Holger Rune in the final at Barcelona.

Turkey’s Fenerbahce Sign Jhon Durán on Loan from Saudi Pro League Side Al Nassr

Jhon Durán is heading to Turkey…

Fenerbahce have announced the loan signing of the 21-year-old Colombian professional footballer on a one-year-deal from Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

Jhon DuránFenerbahçe Spor Kulübü, commonly known simply as Fenerbahçe, or colloquially as Fener is the football branch of Fenerbahçe Sports Club association, based in Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey. They compete in the Süper Lig, the top division of Turkish football

Duran’s move comes just six months after joining Al Nassr on a mammoth €85 million ($88m) transfer fee from Aston Villa.

During his stint in Saudi Arabia, he scored 12 goals in 18 appearances as Al Nassr finished third in the league and were knocked out in the semifinals of the ACL Elite.

“We have reached an agreement with Al Nassr FC and Jhon Duran for the player to join our squad on a one-year loan deal,” Fenerbahce said in a post on social media.

“We wish him a successful season in our yellow and navy colors.”

The Colombia international established himself as one of the most exciting forwards in Europe in the first half of the 2024-25 season, where he scored 12 goals for Villa in all competitions.

These included sensational long-range winners against Everton and Bayern Munich.

Solana Sierra Makes History By Advancing to Fourth Round at Wimbledon

Solana Sierra continues her Cinderella run at Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old Argentine tennis player, who was out of the competition a week ago at the All England Club, has become the first ‘lucky loser’ in the Open Era to reach the women’s singles fourth round at Wimbledon.

Solana SierraLucky losers are players who lost in qualifying but end up in the main draw if others withdraw.

Sierra only got 15 minutes’ notice before her first-round match that she’d be playing, following an injury to Belgium’s Greet Minnen.

And Sierra has grasped her opportunity with both hands, beating Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1 in the third round on Friday.

“I remember I was really sad that day [I lost in qualifying], and today is like the best day of my life,” she told BBC Sport.

“So it’s been really crazy. Seven days ago, I was out of the tournament, right now I’m into the second week. So it’s really crazy, and I’m just super happy.”

She is the first Argentinian woman since Paola Suarez in 2004 to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.

By getting to that stage, Sierra will take home a minimum of £240,000 in prize money, adding considerably to her £330,000 career earnings until this point.

“[I feel] super lucky,” said the world number 101, who beat Britain’s Katie Boulter in the second round. “But I think I also take the opportunity, and I really want to keep going and to keep dreaming in this tournament.”

Sierra has picked up her fourth different room key as she keeps up her historic progress at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Sierra has extended her latest accommodation booking until Tuesday, which means if she beats Germany’s Laura Siegemund on Sunday, she will still have somewhere to stay until the quarterfinals.

While Sierra is the first woman to achieve the feat, there have been five lucky losers to reach the men’s singles fourth round, most recently Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in 2024.

And there is a lucky loser impressing in the men’s singles this year too.

The 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Marton Fucsovics beat Gael Monfils over five sets, and across two days, to reach the third round.

The Hungarian, who said he had gone from “hell to heaven” since losing in qualifying, will play the American 10th seed Ben Shelton on Saturday.

David Benavidez to Defend WBC Light Heavyweight Title vs. Anthony Yarde

David Benavidez is going on the defensive…

The 28-year-old Mexican & Ecuadorian American professional boxer will make the first defense of his WBC light heavyweight title against Anthony Yarde in November, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and president of the Saudi Boxing Federation, has announced.

David BenavidezThe date and location of the bout, which will mark Benavidez’s Riyadh Season debut, have not been determined.

Benavidez has wanted to fight undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. However, with Alvarez showing little interest, Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) moved up to the light heavyweight division.

Benavidez earned a decision win in his debut in the weight class in June 2024 over Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the vacant WBC interim light heavyweight title.

Benavidez beat David Morrell for his first successful defense of the interim title in February.

Benavidez was elevated to full champion when the then-undisputed champion Dmitry Bivol fought Artur Beterbiev for a third time rather than fulfill the WBC‘s request to defend the championship against the interim titleholder.

Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) will make his third attempt to win a world title. Fighting out of London, Yarde started his career 18-0 before suffering his first loss against Sergey Kovalev in 2019 when he challenged for the WBO light heavyweight title.

Yarde fell short in his second attempt for championship gold when he was knocked out by Beterbiev in their January 2023 meeting for the WBC, IBF and WBO titles.

In his last outing, Yarde won a decision over Lyndon Arthur on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn in April.

Diego Luna Scores Two Goals Against Guatemala to Lead United States to Concacaf Gold Cup Final

It’s the golden hour for Diego Luna.

The 21-year-old Mexican American soccer player scored twice in the first 15 minutes helping the United States beat Guatemala 2-1 on Wednesday night to reach its first Concacaf Gold Cup final since 2021.

Diego LunaLuna put the U.S. ahead with a left-footed shot in the fourth minute, then scored with his right in the 15th for his third goal in two games.

Olger Escobar, an 18-year who was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, cut inside and slid a shot from inside the area between Matt Freese and the far post in the 80th for his second goal of the tournament. Freese parried José Morales’ shot toward the far post in the second minute of stoppage time.

The U.S. plays defending champion Mexico or Honduras for the title Sunday at Houston, the Americans’ last competitive match before their World Cup opener next June.

Mexico has won nine Gold Cups, the U.S. seven and Canada one.

The 16th-ranked Americans advanced to the Gold Cup final for the 13th time.

All five losses in finals have been to Mexico.

Carlos Alcaraz Extends Match Winning Streak to Personal ATP Tour-Best 20 with Wimbledon Victory Over Oliver Tarvet

It’s a personal best winning streak for Carlos Alcaraz.

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated 733rd-ranked Oliver Tarvet 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the second-round of Wimbledon to extend his match winning streak to 20, the longest of his ATP Tour-level career that includes defending his title at the French Open.

Carlos AlcarazWhile he had to face several break points along the way — saving all but two — it was a considerably smoother win than his 4½-hour, five-set victory over Fabio Fognini in the opening round.

“I just love his game, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I knew at the beginning that I had to be really focused and try to play my best tennis.”

Asked about his recent run of success, Alcaraz said the key for him the past two to three months has been finding the “right way to enjoy … doesn’t matter if I’m winning or losing.”

Alcaraz became the third man in tennis history to win 20 or more matches at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon before his 23rd birthday. The others are Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.

He will next face either 25th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round, as the Spaniard bids for a third straight Wimbledon title.

The match between Auger-Aliassime and Struff was suspended, level after two sets, due to darkness.

Neymar Extends Contract with Santos Through the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Neymar is staying home

The 33-year-old Brazilian forward has signed a contract extension with Santos through the end of 2025, the club has announced.

NeymarThe deal includes an option to extend his contract through the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, per ESPN Brasil sources.

His previous contract at Santos was due to expire on June 30.

Neymar rejoined his boyhood club in January after terminating his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal by mutual consent.

“I made a decision and I listened to my heart,” Neymar said in Santos’ statement. “Santos is not just my team, it’s my home, my roots, my history, and my life.

“Here, I was a boy who became a man, and I am truly loved. Here I can be myself, truly happy. And this is where I want to fulfill the dreams that are still missing in my career. And nothing will stop me.

“I go, I come back and I stay. Where it all began, where it’s never going to end.”

The new deal includes an additional contract between Santos and NR Sports for the use of Neymar’s image, sources told ESPN Brasil.

In the agreement, Santos agreed to pay a minimum of $15 million for all the new contracts from sponsors and earnings in investments generated by Neymar’s presence with the club, sources added.

Earlier this month, Neymar turned down an offer to play on loan at Brazilian club Fluminense in the Club World Cup, with the former Barcelona star focused on regaining his full fitness.

Neymar spent much of his time in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines due to an ACL injury he sustained while on international duty with Brazil in October 2023.

Recurring muscular injuries have limited Neymar to three goals and three assists in 15 games for Santos this year and prevented him from making his long-awaited return to the national team.

But the signing has paid off in other ways for Santos. The club’s president Marcelo Teixeira said that Neymar’s return to Vila Belmiro has led to record-breaking social media growth and significant commercial gains for the club.

“It is a historic and remarkable day for Brazilian football, a gift for the Santos FC fans,” Teixeira said as part of Tuesday’s announcement. “Our idol, our boy, the prince with our number 10 shirt, remains.

“It is a very important moment in this rebuilding process, and we needed Neymar, both on and off the field. The phrase ‘I go, I come back and I stay’ is emblematic and fundamental to the repositioning of Santos FC at its rightful level.”

Despite not being at the top of his game, Neymar’s father and agent, Neymar Sr., recently said that his son has an “interested market” that included European clubs that will compete in the Champions League next season.

“We have started a very good partnership and hope to continue for a long time,” Neymar’s father said in Santos’ statement.

Neymar, who is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, is hopeful of playing in a fourth World Cup.

Brazil’s Serie A was paused on June 12 but will resume after the FIFA Club World Cup.

Santos, who returned to the top flight this year, are 15th in the standings with three wins in 12 games.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Takes Lead Among American League First Basemen in MLB All-Star Voting

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is taking the lead…

The 26-year-old Dominican-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, a four-time MLB All-Star, has jumped ahead of seven-time MLB All-Star Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees for the top spot at first base in the American League as the first stage of Major League Baseball‘s All-Star Game balloting nears its conclusion.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,Guerrero, who will tie a franchise record if he’s selected by the fans for a fourth time, has garnered 1,192,604 votes for a season that has him batting .279 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs through 76 games. Goldschmidt, the National League’s MVP in 2022, remains in striking distance with 1,118,501 votes.

Also going for a franchise record is Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who seeks a fifth MLB All-Star nod from the fans that would match Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy for the most in Braves history.

Acuna, who would get to play in front of his home fans July 15 at Truist Park, jumped two spots in the latest tabulations to rank fourth among National League outfielders with 1,140,061 votes. His leap is likely due to the .396/.504/.698 slash line he has produced — along with 29 runs and eight home runs — in 27 games since returning from the injured list May 23.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh looks well on his way to his first All-Star appearance as he leads the majors in home runs with 31. His 1,901,389 votes are tops among all American League catchers and rank second overall in the AL.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, who have combined to win five of the past eight Most Valuable Player awards, continue to lead the way in overall voting.

Judge, the New York Yankees slugger who paces the majors in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.468) and slugging percentage (.727), leads all players with 2,699,483 fan votes.

Ohtani, who has amassed an MLB-best 76 runs to go with a .291 batting average, 26 homers and 11 steals, leads in the NL with 2,521,718 votes.

This year’s All-Star Game balloting process features two stages of fan voting. The current stage runs through Thursday. At that point, the top two vote-getters at each position (including six outfielders) in each league will engage in a runoff to determine which players will start July 15 at the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Field.

Here are the top American League vote-getters at each position:

Catcher: Seattle’s Cal Raleigh
First base: Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Second base: Detroit’s Gleyber Torres (1,133,888)
Shortstop: Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson (1,120,791)
Third base: Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez (1,780,631)

The top three AL outfielders are Judge and Detroit’s Riley Greene (1,370,098) and Javier Baez (901,969). Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn (937,205) leads AL designated hitters.

Ohtani and his Dodgers teammates are well-represented among the National League’s top vote-getters at each position:

Catcher: Los Angeles’ Will Smith (2,099,944)
First base: Los Angeles’ Freddie Freeman (2,095,672)
Second base: Arizona’s Ketel Marte (1,561,235)
Shortstop: New York’s Francisco Lindor (1,641,053)
Third base: San Diego’s Manny Machado (1,683,022)

The top three NL outfielders are Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong (2,005,630) and Kyle Tucker (1,219,866) along with Los Angeles’ Teoscar Hernandez (1,366,537).

Ohtani’s total votes put him in first place in DH voting for the NL, followed by San Francisco’s Rafael Devers (1,103,085) and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki (641,687).

Al Hilal in Advanced Talks with AC Milan for Theo Hernández 

Theo Hernández is nearing a deal to move to the Middle East.

Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal are in advanced negotiations with AC Milan to sign the 27-year-old half-Spanish French soccer player for a fee close to €30 million ($34.6m), per ESPN sources.

Theo Hernández

The French international was reportedly under consideration by Atlético Madrid, but negotiations fell through.

Sources told ESPN that all indications are he will continue his career in Saudi Arabia.

A source admitted to ESPN that the full-back had some doubts about a move to Al Hilal, but added that negotiations are progressing well, with some minor details still pending.

He is known for his speed, dribbling, and goal scoring ability.