Novak Djokovic doubles down on Kosovo comments after reaching third round at French Open

Djokovic defended his message in comments to Serbian media, saying that Kosovo is Serbia's "cradle, our stronghold."

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WBC duo Kazuma Okamoto and Shosei Togo lead Giants past Marines

Kazuma Okamoto homered twice and Samurai Japan teammate Shosei Togo worked eight innings.

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Rugby World Cup ‘timely’ as sport deals with off-field problems

Issues in the sport over recent months have included clubs in England continuing to experience financial woes and Welsh players threatening to strike over contract ...

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Summer Basho offered excitement and a streamlined experience for sumo fans

The sport has emerged from three years of pandemic-era restrictions into a rapidly changing landscape that requires better delivery of content and a more attractive ...

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Quiet man Nikola Jokic ready for crowning glory in NBA Finals

While the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant embrace the 28-year-old Serb as a member of the league's elite, some critics aren't convinced by ...

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Thiago Wild shocks Daniil Medvedev; Novak Djokovic in political storm

Medvedev said he had no regrets about his claycourt season ending prematurely.

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Novak Djokovic cruises at French Open, risks controversy with Kosovo message

Roland Garros organizers said there were no official Grand Slam rules on what players can or cannot say.

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Jose Mourinho targets sixth European title, end to Sevilla’s streak

Twenty years after winning his first European trophy with Porto, the Portuguese coach is defying the naysayers who said his career was on the wane ...

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Red-hot Tigers riding wave of momentum into interleague season

Regular-season contests between Central and Pacific League clubs in NPB happen during a fixed period on the calendar, allowing the format to avoid becoming too ...

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Comeback king Terunofuji hungry for more titles after latest triumph at Summer Basho

Resurgent Summer Grand Sumo Tournament champion Terunofuji vowed to add to his title haul, which stands at eight after his latest victory.

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Daichi Kamada set for move to AC Milan

Japan attacker Daichi Kamada is set to move from German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt to AC Milan in Italy's Serie A, a source with knowledge ...

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Max Verstappen earns wire-to-wire win at Monaco Grand Prix

Two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen led a soggy and slippery Monaco Grand Prix from start to finish on Sunday to stretch his Formula One ...

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Ayaka Furue settles for second for second straight year at Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play

Ayaka Furue came up just short for the second straight year at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play on Sunday, losing 3-and-1 in the final ...

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Takefusa Kubo happy after Real Sociedad secures spot in Champions League

Japan attacker Takefusa Kubo is in line to make his Champions League debut next season after Real Sociedad qualified for Europe's premier club competition for ...

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Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk booed after refusing to shake hands with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka at French Open

Kostyuk honored her pledge to not shake hands with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Belarus is a key military ally ...

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Shohei Ohtani strikes out 10 but Angels fall in 10th inning

Going for his sixth win of the season, Ohtani allowed two runs on six hits in six innings.

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Ryukyu Golden Kings sweep Chiba Jets for first B. League title

The Okinawa-based team completed a 2-0 sweep of the best-of-three finals at Yokohama Arena a day after winning Game 1 96-93 in double overtime.

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Djokovic says ‘part of me will leave’ when Nadal quits

"I'm not going to make any announcement today, but just reflecting on it. I felt also a little bit emotional about what he was saying," ...

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Luton promoted to Premier League after playoff win over Coventry

Luton is the first team to go from the top tier to non-league and back.

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Terunofuji clinches 8th Emperor’s Cup with win over Kiribayama

Returning from dual knee surgeries in October, the 31-year-old grand champion claimed the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament by improving to an insurmountable 13-1.

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Novak Djokovic heads to French Open hoping to take sole possession of Grand Slam record

Djokovic and Nadal are tied for the most men's Grand Slam titles in history with 22 each, and Djokovic can take sole possession of the ...

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Vinicius Jr. situation stirs painful memories for F1 star Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton feels the sports world needs to do more to tackle the problem of racism

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Celtics cruise past Heat to push East finals to Game 6

"We had a great team win," Celtics guard Jaylen ]Brown said. "We hit shots. They let us get two, so don't let us get another ...

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‘Unstoppable’ Japan horses fuel races, sales

Japan’s racehorses are now nearly unstoppable. This year again, they ran in races in the Middle East, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. In ...

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Shohei Ohtani hits 12th home run of season to help Angels beat Red Sox

Shohei Ohtani launched his 12th home run of the season for the Los Angeles Angels in a 7-3 victory over a Boston Red Sox team ...

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Panthers finish off Hurricanes to sweep into Stanley Cup Final

Matthew Tkachuk is taking his flair for the dramatic to the Stanley Cup Final — and bringing the Florida Panthers with him.Tkachuk's second goal of ...

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Former Spain great Andres Iniesta to leave Vissel Kobe during season

The 39-year-old midfielder will play his final home game for Kobe on July 1 against Consadole Sapporo at Noevir Stadium.

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Shosei Togo and Kazuma Okamoto carry Giants to win over BayStars

Togo threw a shut out, and Okamoto provided the run support with a solo home run.

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Shota Horie, Rikiya Matsuda back in Japan squad for World Cup training camp

The Brave Blossoms' final World Cup squad will be announced in early August.

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Honda to power Aston Martin’s F1 title ambitions from 2026

The new "works" partnership will transform Aston Martin into Honda's sole focus on the starting grid.

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Michael Block gets text from Michael Jordan after magical PGA Championship

In a magical run that captivated golf fans, the 46-year-old recorded the best finish by a club professional in a PGA Championship since 1986.

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Terunofuji and Asanoyama tie for lead as newcomers cause upsets

Day 10's biggest shock was No. 5 Kinbozan's victory over demotion-threatened kadoban ozeki Takakeisho.

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UFC eager to bring Japan back inside the octagon

The mixed martial arts promotion sees potential in the country, which was once considered among the sport's biggest global hubs.

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Rui Hachimura’s Lakers swept in NBA Western Conference finals

The Japan star averaged 12.2 points on 55.7% shooting across the entire playoffs.

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Seibu’s Hotaka Yamakawa referred to prosecutors over rape allegation

The 31-year-old infielder was removed from the team on May 12.

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Spanish soccer admits racism problem after Vinicius incident

Brazil's government on Monday summoned the Spanish ambassador to explain the incident.

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Meisei beats Terunofuji to move into tie for lead at Summer Grand Sumo Tournament

"I don't remember much," Meisei said. "The yokozuna is big, and attacking him from the side was something I had in mind.

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Alex Palou earns pole position pole for 107th Indianapolis 500

Spain's Alex Palou seized pole position for the 107th Indianapolis 500 with the fastest pole run ever for the storied race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ...

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Heat blow out Celtics in Game 3 to move to brink of NBA Finals

Miami won easily despite a relatively quiet 16-point night from star Jimmy Butler.

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Adam Walker hits two-run home run to propel Giants to fifth straight win

The victory at Tokyo Dome was the Giants' fifth straight and completed a two-game sweep of the last-place Dragons, who have lost seven in a ...

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Brooks Koepka savors return to top after winning PGA Championship

Koepka's two-shot victory over world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler and Norway's Viktor Hovland was a landmark win for LIV Golf and also showed he can ...

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Terunofuji takes outright lead with Day 8 win over Kotoshoho

The Mongolian-born grand champion continued to impress in his injury comeback at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

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Why do runners still race with paper pinned to their shirts?

Some athletes think racing bibs, a cornerstone of a runner’s race day kit and a source of race day revenue through sponsorships, are in need ...

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Kasper Junker double hands Grampus comeback win over Sanfrecce

Grampus is four points behind leader Vissel Kobe after it was held 1-1 away to struggling Kashiwa Reysol.

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Terunofuji and Asanoyama continue to dominate summer tourney

Yokozuna Terunofuji and former ozeki Asanoyama, each making a kind of comeback at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, continued to look unbeatable Saturday as each ...

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Foster Griffin and Takumi Oshiro lead Giants to win over struggling Dragons

Griffin had another strong showing against Chunichi, and Oshiro backed him up with a grand slam.

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Cleveland Browns legendary running back Jim Brown dies at 87

Brown's NFL career spanned just nine seasons from 1957-65, but he remains one of the NFL's legendary running backs.

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Rafael Nadal will always be part of French Open

Nadal has become as much a part of the Roland Garros landscape as the red clay beneath everyone’s feet, but it will be someone else’s ...

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Wakamotoharu stunned on Day 6 of Summer Grand Sumo Tournament

The lead group was trimmed to three wrestlers, including yokozuna Terunofuji and former ozeki Asanoyama.

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Mercedes forced to push back debut of upgraded Formula One car

Mercedes was hoping to introduce its upgraded Formula One car in Imola, Italy, this weekend, but the cancellation of that race means Lewis Hamilton and ...

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Rafael Nadal withdraws from French Open, intends to retire in 2024

"It's not a decision I'm taking, it's a decision my body is taking," Nadal said at a news conference in his native Mallorca.

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Yokozuna Terunofuji wins fifth straight bout at Summer Basho

Terunofuji, a seven-time Emperor's Cup winner, has so far dispelled concerns about his health at the 15-day meet.

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Jimmy Butler powers Heat past Celtics in Game 1

Jimmy Butler carried the Miami Heat during the first two rounds of the postseason, and the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals was no ...

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Novak Djokovic hails arrival of new generation after upset loss in Rome

Novak Djokovic said the long awaited "shift of generations" has finally come to men's tennis after the world No. 1 lost to 20-year-old Dane Holger ...

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Manchester City routs Real Madrid to reach Champions League final

Manchester City will be a strong favorite to finally conquer Europe when it faces Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.

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Naoyuki Uwasawa pitches shutout to lead Fighters past Lions

Naoyuki Uwasawa struck out nine over the distance for his first shutout in five years as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Seibu Lions ...

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Terunofuji wins as five wrestlers remain perfect after Day 4

Two sekiwake wrestlers, Daiesho and Wakamotoharu, improved to 4-0, along with No. 6 Meisei and former ozeki Asanoyama, currently wrestling as a No. 14 maegashira.

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Rui Hachimura drops 17 but Lakers lose West finals opener

Hachimura was called on to defend Nuggets center Nikola Jokic at times and had some success in slowing the two-time league MVP.

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Inter wins Milan derby to reach Champions League final

Inter will undoubtedly be the underdog against either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final in Istanbul on June 10.

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French prodigy Victor Wembanyama set to learn team in NBA lottery

The teenager's size — he stands a towering 221 centimeters — and smooth shooting touch have left longtime NBA watchers salivating at his potential.

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France withdraws as host of 2025 Rugby League World Cup

Organizers said a lack of funding meant hosting the tournament carried unacceptable financial risks.

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Yokozuna Terunofuji cruises past Abi on Day 2 of Summer Basho

Returning from a prolonged injury layoff at the 15-day tournament, Terunofuji stayed perfect by brushing aside No. 1 maegashira Abi.

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Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi voted Scottish Premiership Player of the Year

Furuhashi becomes only the second Japanese player to win the award since former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura in 2007.

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Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek reach last 16 at Italian Open

Novak Djokovic reached the last 16 of the Italian Open after winning a battle with Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, while blistering Iga Swiatek thrashed ...

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Jayson Tatum scores 51 in Game 7 to carry Celtics into Eastern Conference finals

Tatum added 13 rebounds, five assists and a couple of steals, and the Celtics' suffocating defense neutralized newly minted NBA MVP Joel Embiid.

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Kashima beats Nagoya to mark J. League’s 30th anniversary

The special match at Tokyo's National Stadium featured two of the league's 10 original clubs.

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Returning Terunofuji, ozeki-chasing Kiribayama win on Day 1

Ozeki Takakeisho, the only wrestler placed in the second-highest rank, managed to swing No. 1 maegashira Abi around at the edge before pushing him out.

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Spears edge Sungoliath to reach League One final

The crowd of 13,065 at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground were presented with a thrilling finale.

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Thirteen-year-old Ginwoo Onodera wins gold in X Games debut

The Yokohama native is the youngest medalist in the history of the men's street contest at the X Games.

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Marika Koroibete, Rikiya Matsuda see Wild Knights into final

Robbie Deans' team has lost just once in the two-year history of the tournament.

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Japan drawn into same pool as former champion Iraq for Asian Cup

"We've been put in an extremely difficult group," Samurai Blue manager Hajime Moriyasu said. "Our objective is winning the championship. "

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Saki Niizoe captures first judo world title

Saki Niizoe won her first individual world title in the under-70 kg final at the World Judo Championships on Thursday.Niizoe beat unseeded Italian Giovanna Scoccimarro ...

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World Baseball Classic documentary headed to theaters in Japan

A documentary film about Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic victory will be shown at theaters around the country for three weeks from June 2, NPB ...

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Marines’ Roki Sasaki wins second monthly pitching honor

The 21-year-old Sasaki previously won for March and April 2022, when he became Japan's youngest perfect-game pitcher.

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Stephen Curry and the Warriors roll in Game 5 as series heads back to L.A.

Still up 3-2 in the series, the Lakers will get a second shot at advancing to the conference finals when the series returns to Los ...

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NBA looks to open more stores abroad in international push

The league operates 37 stores across 12 countries, with new locations opening over the past year in Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi.

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Haruka Funakubo loses worlds 57-kg final to Canada’s Christa Deguchi

Japan's gold medal tally remains at three in Doha after Soichi Hashimoto came third in the men's 73 kg.

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‘Done deal’: Source says Lionel Messi set for megabucks Saudi move

The deal would mean the Argentine potentially joining his archrival Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League as the Gulf state lavishes its oil wealth ...

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Faf de Klerk says Springboks motivated to ‘prove world wrong’

The feisty scrum-half believes the underdog tag fits the fourth-ranked defending world champions ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

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Fighters acquire switch-hitting infielder Alen Hanson

The 30-year-old from the Dominican Republic played a total of 261 MLB games for the Pirates, White Sox, Giants and Blue Jays.

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Tsunoda wins third world judo title, Olympic champion Takato falters

Tsunoda won all five of her matches in the women's 48-kilogram category by ippon, including the final against top-ranked Shirine Boukli of France, at the ...

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Furuhashi nets 30th goal as Celtic seal Scottish title

The milestone follows the disappointment of being left out of Japan's 2022 World Cup squad, which Furuhashi has turned into a source of motivation.

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Brave Blossoms to be added to rugby’s top tier of nations

The promotion to Tier 1 comes after Japan showed strong results in recent years, such as a quarterfinal finish at the 2019 World Cup in ...

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Lakers rout Warriors, Heat rip Knicks to grab NBA series leads

Anthony Davis scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while LeBron James added 21 points for Los Angeles.

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Aryna Sabalenka hopes to extend ‘amazing’ rivalry with Iga Swiatek

The world No. 2 produced an aggressive performance on Saturday to establish herself as a serious contender at the upcoming French Open.

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Urawa beats Al Hilal to capture third Asian Champions League title

A strong defensive performance delivered continental glory for Maciej Skorza's team in front of more than 53,000 red-clad fans at Saitama Stadium.

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Formula One grapples with ‘boring’ label as series rolls into Miami

Red Bull's early season dominance has removed some of Formula One's shine, particularly in the U.S., with critics labeling the first four races as "boring."

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Forte enters Kentucky Derby as early favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher

Forte has won six of seven career starts, including five straight in graded stakes races.

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Lionel Messi’s future with PSG in doubt after suspension over unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia

While Messi once looked set to extend his stay with PSG for another year, a source close to the club said he was now "much ...

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Kentucky Derby to go ahead despite death of four horses at Churchill Downs

There are three Japan-based horses in the field for the 149th Run for the Roses.

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Shohei Ohtani strikes out 13 and joins Babe Ruth in exclusive club in Angels’ win over Cardinals

The two-way star reached 500 career strikeouts in MLB, making him only the second player in major league history to record 500 strikeouts as a ...

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Sixers star Joel Embiid hopes improbable path to MVP award inspires others

Newly crowned MVP Embiid hopes to be a role model after overcoming extraordinary odds.

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Trevor Bauer has strong debut in BayStars’ win over Carp

The 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner with the Cincinnati Reds allowed seven hits and walked one in a 98-pitch outing.

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Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes’ highest-paid athletes after Saudi move

The Portugal star's contract has been estimated by media to be worth more than $220 million.

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Novak Djokovic set for U.S. Open after vaccine mandate lifted

The 35-year-old world No. 1 last played the U.S. Open in 2021.

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Jose Osuna hits two home runs to power Swallows to win over Giants

Osuna broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run home run.

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Masataka Yoshida’s hit streak reaches 11 in Red Sox’s walk-off win

The former Pacific League batting champion raised his batting average for the season to .286 with his 2-for-4 effort on Monday.

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Trevor Bauer set for midweek NPB debut with BayStars

The scheduled start comes five days after Bauer threw 93 pitches for the BayStars' affiliate in the second-tier Eastern League.

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Sergio Perez dreaming of Formula One title after beating Max Verstappen in Azerbaijan

Sergio Perez said he should be leading the Formula One championship and saw himself as a true title contender after beating Red Bull teammate Max ...

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