BASEBALL
Rays win 12th straight
The Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday won their 12th straight game to start the season, one short of the major-league record, as Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer in a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and 1982 Atlanta Braves both opened 13-0, tying for the best mark in big-league history. Tampa Bay’s 12-game winning streak matches the team record set in June 2004. Taj Bradley (1-0) won his MLB debut for the Rays. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed three runs and struck out eight over five innings. Arozarena made it 3-0 with an opposite-field homer off Chris Sale (1-1) in the first.
ICE HOCKEY
Islanders clinch playoff spot
Brock Nelson scored twice on Wednesday as the New York Islanders beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 to wrap up a playoff spot. The Islanders were awaiting the outcome of the Florida Panthers-Carolina Hurricanes game to determine their first-round opponents. Hudson Fasching and Anders Lee also scored for New York, while Ilya Sorokin made 16 saves to close out the regular season. Elsewhere, Wyatt Johnston scored twice, and Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist as the Dallas Stars beat the St Louis Blues 5-2 to take the Central Division lead, while the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 to finish fifth in the Pacific Division.
RUGBY UNION
Japan eyes 2030s events
The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) on Wednesday said that it wants to host the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2035 and 2037. Japan reached the quarter-finals as hosts of the men’s showpiece in 2019, the first time the tournament was held outside the traditional powerhouse nations. Australia is to host the men’s event in 2027 and the women’s tournament two years later, while the US is to stage the 2031 and 2033 tournaments. “We’ve informed them [World Rugby] that we are aiming to host at the earliest [2035 and 2037], and we will go forward looking at when the conditions will allow us to really stage it,” Kyodo news agency quoted JRFU chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi as saying. France is to host the men’s World Cup in September and October, while England is to stage the next women’s event in 2025.
SOCCER
Referee attack earns ban
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya midfielder Ibrahim Bayesh has been suspended for two years for trying to attack a referee after being sent off in a game on Sunday, the Iraqi Football Association said. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya lost 3-2 to Al-Kahraba after a last-gasp goal, to drop to second place in the league. “Ibrahim Bayesh mocked the referee as he was shown a second yellow card, and after that a red card, as a result [the player] ran towards the referee and tried to attack him, and he threatened and insulted the referee,” Iraq’s federation said in a statement on Wednesday. Hammadi Ahmed, a member of the club’s administrative board, also received a two-year ban after he pushed the referee and directed “harsh and obscene words” to the refereeing staff, the federation said. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya have to play three home matches without fans and were ordered to pay a fine of 10 million Iraqi dinars (US$7,637) after their fans rioted after the game.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
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