BASEBALL
Taipei Dome adds seating
An additional 4,700 seats would be available at the Taipei Dome for the Asian Baseball Championship finals on Sunday, Farglory, the builder and operator of the stadium, said yesterday. With the addition of the infield seats, the Taipei Dome will be able to accommodate 22,000 spectators for the championship game, Farglory said, adding that the opener between Taiwan and South Korea on Sunday last week drew nearly 17,000 fans. The 4,700 seats to be added will all be on the upper deck of the newly completed venue, which has a capacity of about 40,000, it said. The games on Sunday are to start at 12:30pm with the third-place game, followed by the final at 6:30pm. Taiwan face Japan today in the Super Round.
CRICKET
England level series
Sam Curran took three wickets and Jos Buttler scored a half-century on Wednesday to help England claim a six-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second ODI, leveling the three-match series at 1-1. Set a target of 203 for victory in North Sound, Antigua, England romped home in less than 33 overs to set up a series finale in Barbados tomorrow. Buttler made 58 not out in a 90-run partnership with Harry Brook (43) to get the tourists over the finish line. Gudakesh Motie was the pick of West Indies’ bowlers, picking up the wickets of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in back-to-back overs. Earlier, Curran (3-33) decimated the hosts’ top order in a devastating spell, claiming the wickets of Brandon King, Keacy Carty and Shimron Hetmyer.
TENNIS
Raducanu to play in NZ
Britain’s Emma Raducanu has accepted a wild card to play at the Auckland Classic in the New Year after missing out on one in the initial batch offered by the Australian Open. The former US Open winner has had a lengthy absence from the tour following operations on both wrists and an ankle this year, but hopes to be fit for the start of next season. The 21-year-old is set to return to Auckland with a protected ranking of 103 and a year on from exiting the tournament in tears after rolling her ankle during a second-round match moved indoors due to wet weather. “Despite the fact she had to retire this year, she was really happy to come back,” tournament director Nicolas Lamperin told New Zealand media yesterday. Raducanu joins a field featuring reigning champion and US Open holder Coco Gauff and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Nawaqanitawase switches
Wallabies star Mark Nawaqanitawase yesterday announced that he would jump codes and join rugby league team the Sydney Roosters, with beleaguered Rugby Australia voicing disappointment. Nawaqanitawase, 23, played 11 Tests and was a standout performer for Australia in their disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign in France this year. “We’re delighted to have secured Mark’s services and look forward to welcoming him to our club in 2025,” Roosters head of recruitment Daniel Anderson said in statement of the two-year deal. “We are disappointed — Mark has been a strong player over the last 12 months,” Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said of the NSW Waratahs player.
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
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