The Dodgers were able to win their second straight World Series title on Saturday night by beating the Blue Jays 5-4 in a legendary Game 7 at the Rogers Centre.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched six innings in Los Angeles' Game 6 win on Friday night, entered Game 7 with one out in the bottom of the ninth and then worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings to lead the Dodgers to their dramatic victory. He was named the World Series MVP for his heroic efforts, which also included a complete game gem in Game 2.

The righthander had a very subtle classy move in the bottom of the 11th inning that the Fox Sports cameras were able to pick up. Yamamoto was seen tipping his cap to Toronto's Vlad Guerrero Jr. as the slugger prepared to step into the batter's box with his team trailing by a run.

Here's how that played out:

That was such a great moment at such a pivotal moment of the game. Guerrero would go on to hit a double but then Yamamoto was able to close things out thanks to a double play that was brilliantly turned by Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts.

Yamamoto gave up just one hit and had one walk in his relief appearance. He finished his second season with the Dodgers with a 12-8 record and then really became a force in the postseason. Along with his complete game in the World Series, he also had a complete game win over the Brewers in the NLCS.

Fans loved that hat tip from Yamamoto:

Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young award in 2024 by winning the pitching Triple Crown and leading the AL in wins, strikeouts and ERA. In 2025 he proceeded to have an even better statistical season, lowering his ERA and WHIP and striking out even more batters than he did during his Cy Young season.

About to enter his age 29 season, Skubal has one more campaign under Detroit's control before he becomes a free agent. As of right now, he's due to make $22.5 million next season, which is about half what Max Scherzer got annually from the Mets when they signed him to a three-year deal back in 2022.

The Tigers made Skubal an offer last offseason that was deemed "non-competitive" and it seems that another incredible season on the mound did not convince them to make whatever he considers a competitive offer.

According to Jon Heyman of the , the two sides are about a quarter of a billion dollars apart. No, seriously. In the words of Heyman, "Yep, that’s not a misprint. It’s close to $250 million."

While the total money or number of years is not clear, Heyman says that the "baseline for Skubal is seen as $400M." So the Tigers could be doing anything from making an insultingly low offer to being right there on the average salary, but far apart on the length of the contract.

Either way, they're going to have to pay Skubal to keep him.

Who is the highest paid pitcher in MLB?

For Skubal to crack the top five highest-paid pitchers, he'd need more than $35 million a year, which is exactly what Corbin Burnes is getting from the Diamondbacks. Shohei Ohtani has an average salary of $70 million, but unless Skubal can hit 50-plus home runs a season as a designated hitter, he should probably focus on what these guys are making.

Here are the five pitchers with contracts worth an average annual value of over $30 million, when they signed those deals and how long they are.

Pitcher

Average Annual Value

Signed

Contract Length

Zack Wheeler

$42,000,000

2025

3 years

Jacob deGrom

$37,000,000

2023

5 years

Blake Snell

$36,400,000

2025

5 years + club option

Gerrit Cole

$36,000,000

2019

9 years

Corbin Burnes

$35,000,000

2024

6 years

Arsenal are now looking to sign a £87m striker with the same agent as Kai Havertz, joining a number of their Premier League rivals in the race for his signature.

Gunners looking to sign new striker amid Gyokeres criticism

Having knocked on the door in each of the last three Premier League seasons, finishing second on each occasion, the Gunners look like they are finally in a strong position to take the final step and win the title, most recently defeating Crystal Palace 1-0.

The narrow victory ensured Mikel Arteta’s side moved four points clear at the top of the table, with their stellar defensive record one of the main reasons they continue to set the pace, having shipped just three goals in their opening nine league games.

At the opposite end of the pitch, summer signing Viktor Gyokeres was seen as the final piece of the jigsaw, but the Swedish striker has already developed a reputation of a ‘flat track bully’, having scored just three league goals, two of which coming against Leeds United in August.

Troy Deeney has recently made it clear he doesn’t believe Gyokeres is in the same bracket as Harry Kane or Erling Haaland, given that Brighton & Hove Albion’s Danny Welbeck is outscoring the former Sporting CP man in the Premier League this season.

Gyokeres is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, but there has now been a suggestion that Arsenal are already planning to bring in another new striker, with a report from Caught Offside stating they are keen on FC Porto’s Samu Omorodion.

Omorodion is protected by a monster release clause of €100m (£87m), so the Gunners would need to be willing to spend big to get a deal done, and they are not the only English club keen, with Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest also in the race.

The north Londoners have sent scouts to watch the Porto star in action in recent weeks, and they are likely to have been left impressed by his performances…

Arsenal now rivalling Real Madrid for "powerful" £61m maestro who Arteta loves

The Gunners are looking to sign another midfielder.

By
Dominic Lund

Oct 26, 2025

"Box dominator" Omorodion on fire in Portugal

The 21-year-old is off to a very impressive start to the season, amassing eight goals in all competitions for Porto, and the youngster is showing signs he could be on course to have his best season to date, having progressed year-on-year since breaking through in Spain.

Season	Appearances (all competitions)	Goals
2023-24	36	9
2024-25	45	27
2025-26	10	8

During that time, the former Alaves man also caught the eye of scout Ben Mattinson, who hailed him as a “box dominator” back in February.

Omorodion could be capable of becoming a top-level striker, but there are doubts over whether he would be a necessary signing for Arsenal, given that Gyokeres and Havertz are also on the books, with the Spain international interestingly represented by the same agent as the German.

After a mixed start to life as Rangers manager this week, Danny Röhl and his team may now be going into a crucial fortnight with a sense of positivity.

Last Thursday, the Gers were demolished 3-0 by Brann in the Europa League, leaving them bottom of the gigantic league table, but then did manage to beat Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox on Sunday, thanks to second-half goals from Danilo and Youssef Chermiti.

This lifts the Light Blues up to fifth in the Premiership table, with some crucial fixtures ahead.

On Wednesday night, they’ll travel to Edinburgh to take on Hibs, before a League Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden next Sunday, followed by a visit from Roma in the Europa League four days later.

So, ahead of three massive tests, which Rangers star made themselves undroppable with their performance against Killie?

Nicolas Raskin's importance to Rangers

Russell Martin made many mistakes as Rangers manager, but his public falling out with last season’s player of the year Nicolas Raskin proved to be one of the most costly.

The Belgian was unceremoniously left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, before not being included in the matchday squad at all for home matches against Celtic and Hearts.

The latter, a miserable 2-0 defeat, was when the support really started to turn against Martin, with Darrell Currie perplexed as to why any coach would choose to leave their “best player in the stand”.

However, recognising the error of his ways, Raskin was back in the team a week later as Rangers beat Hibs 2-0 in the League Cup quarter-finals, the Belgian heading home the opening goal, albeit this did little to help Martin remain in a job.

Raskin has started both matches since Röhl’s appointment, a trend you can guarantee will continue at Easter Road on Wednesday, but who else has put themselves forward as one of the first names on the team sheet?

Rangers summer signing who starred vs Kilmarnock

Fair to say, plenty of Rangers’ 13 summer signings have not impressed so far; Joe Rothwell, Nasser Djiga, Thelo Aasgaard, Jayden Meghoma and Youssef Chermiti, to name but a few.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, the last of those signings, namely Derek Cornelius, who arrived on deadline day, could prove to be the best.

The 27-year-old Canadian international is something of a globetrotter, having played in Germany, Serbia, his native Canada, Greece, Sweden and France before moving to Scotland, arriving on a season-long loan from Olympique de Marseille, opening his Rangers account with this header on Sunday.

Overall, the late addition was ultra-impressive, as the numbers outline.

Goals

1

1st

Shots on target

2

1st

Dribble success %

100%

1st

Defensive actions

10

2nd

Clearances

9

2nd

Duels contested

15

1st

Duels won

8

1st

Accurate passes

75

2nd

Passing accuracy %

91%

5th*

Touches

107

2nd

Average rating

8.1

1st

*minimum 15 passes completed.

As the table documents, Cornelius was immense against Kilmarnock.

The defender had the most shots on target of any player on the pitch, while registering the most duels contested and duels won, ranked second only to centre-back partner John Souttar when it came to defensive actions, clearances, accurate passes and touches.

Upon his arrival in Govan, then-manager Martin highlighted Cornelius’ “experience”, while Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell heralded his “defensive and leadership abilities”.

Meantime, after games against the Netherlands and France, the latter a memorable goalless draw in Bordeaux​​​​​​​, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch praised his “incredibly strong performances”, adding that the defender is “smart, he understands a lot of the tactical responsibilities, and he’s played with a lot of confidence and belief in himself”.

Well, very early into his Rangers career, the centre-back is starting to show some of that potential, crucially forming an encouraging partnership alongside Souttar.

Thus, with games against Hibs, Celtic and then Roma next on the agenda, Cornelius has catapulted himself into the undroppable tier of Rangers players, alongside Raskin and Djeidi Gassama, but few others.

​​​​​​​

Holding back Raskin: Röhl must drop the "cooked" Rangers flop vs Kilmarnock

Following a 3-0 defeat to Brann in Danny Röhl’s first match as Rangers manager, he must move on from his flop holding back Nicolas Raskin.

Oct 26, 2025

Leeds United’s stance on recalling Joe Gelhardt from Hull City in January has now been revealed.

Gelhardt starring at Hull on loan from Leeds

The Whites have been struggling in front of goal in the Premier League this season, with only bottom of the table Wolves scoring fewer than Daniel Farke’s side.

The 49ers Enterprises arguably failed to bolster the final third as well as they should’ve, with free transfers Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin joined by Noah Okafor as Leeds’ only attacking additions.

They did decide to loan out Gelhardt to Hull once again, and the 23-year-old has been in fine form for the Tigers in the second tier.

In 15 Championship games, Gelhardt has already scored seven goals and provided two assists, coming in for praise from manager Sergej Jakirovic.

“When I watched him in last season’s games, I begged Mr Chairman (Acun Ilicali) to bring him back here.

“He likes playing here and he wanted to come back here. He has a completely different profile to the players we have. He has the quality to play in a number of positions and is able to pass, shoot and has speed, which is special.

“He’s 23 years old and maybe he can reach the Premier League. But, right now, he’s made the difference.”

As a result of Gelhardt’s form, there has been speculation over a potential recall in the New Year to help Leeds in their Premier League survival push.

The forward played his part in the 2021/22 season as a teenager to help the Whites remain in the top flight, scoring a memorable winner against Norwich City and providing a late equaliser for Pascal Struijk against Brighton in the penultimate league fixture.

Hull want Harry Gray

However, according to TEAMtalk, ‘Leeds have no plans to bring Gelhardt back to Elland Road’ in the New Year.

The Whites are happy for the forward to remain with Hull until the end of the season and Gelhardt’s form could help the 49ers sell him for £4m, which would result in a 300% profit following his move from Wigan in 2020.

As well as keeping hold of Gelhardt, Hull also have their eyes on a potential loan move for Harry Gray after the Leeds teenager penned his first professional contract in Yorkshire.

Gray, 17, is yet to feature under Farke in 25/26 after being handed his debut on the same day Leeds won promotion to the Premier League. He’s also being eyed by Charlton Athletic, Derby County and Swansea City.

Leeds are considering allowing Gray to leave for the second half of the season so he can get regular senior game time, but when it comes to Gelhardt, don’t expect to see him in a Leeds shirt in the New Year.

Academy star who's never played a senior minute for Leeds could replace Bijol

Liverpool are now ready to accelerate talks to sign a key defensive addition, who could put an end to Ibrahima Konate’s struggles.

Romano shares update on Slot's Liverpool future

It’s been a disastrous season for Liverpool so far. The defending champions have seen their crown go from gold to paper in a matter of 12 Premier League games. Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Anfield against Nottingham Forest turned a blip into a crisis and questions are now being asked of Arne Slot.

The Dutchman, for the first time in his Liverpool career, is under pressure to turn his side’s form around. According to Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, however, the Reds are not searching for another manager just yet, even if everyone involved at the club is well aware that the current results cannot go on.

The news will come as a relief for Slot, who clearly has plenty of credit left in the bank after winning the Premier League title in his first season at the club.

There is still no denying that the Red must turn a corner sooner rather than later, though. They currently sit 12th and are on course for one of the worst title defences in Premier League history.

Having spent big in the summer, breaking their transfer record twice, those at Anfield could turn towards the January window to make further, much-needed additions.

Names such as Marc Guehi have continued to steal the headlines on that front, but reports are now claiming that Liverpool are ready to accelerate their talks to sign Goncalo Inacio.

Liverpool ready to accelerate Inacio talks

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are ready to accelerate their move to sign Inacio from Sporting CP in 2026. The impressive central defender has a release clause worth €80m (£70m) in Portugal, but that looks unlikely to be enough to fend off the interest of those at Anfield.

Xabi Alonso makes decision about Liverpool role if he is sacked by Real Madrid

The Spaniard is also under pressure in Spain.

1 ByTom Cunningham Nov 26, 2025

By signing Inacio, Liverpool would also have the chance to rub salt in the wounds of Ruben Amorim. The Manchester United boss was a big fan of the centre-back at Sporting, telling reporters: “Gonçalo is perfect for the way we play. He can defend aggressively, step up to win the ball, and then start an attack with one pass. His ability to do both phases so well is rare.

“I’ve said it before—Gonçalo has everything to play at the highest level. His technique, his vision, his bravery. He’s brilliant, and he’s still improving every day.”

Minutes

990

976

Progressive Passes

98

45

Successful Aerial Duels

24

42

Ball Recoveries

69

30

It’s also worth noting how impressive Inacio has been compared to Konate this season. If the Frenchman does leave as a free agent next summer, then Inacio would provide Liverpool with the perfect upgrade.

Liverpool launch move to sign "perfect" right-back ahead of Arsenal

The Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants are two teams who need to get hot in the second half of the season if they want to return to the playoffs in 2024.

The two teams will begin an interleague series against each other on Tuesday night in San Francisco. Whichever team wins this series by mark the start of a much-needed hot streak heading into the All-Star Break.

Let's dive into everything you need to know to bet on tonight's opening game.

Blue Jays vs. Giants Odds, Run Line, and Total

Run Line

Blue Jays +1.5 (-200)Giants -1.5 (+164)

Moneyline

Blue Jays +108Giants -126

Total

7.5 (Over +100/Under -122)Blue Jays vs. Giants Probable PitchersToronto: Yusei Kikuchi (4-8, 4.12 ERA)San Francisco: Blake Snell (0-3, 9.51 ERA)Blue Jays vs. Giants How to WatchDate: Tuesday, July 9Time: 9:45 p.m. ESTVenue: Oracle ParkHow to Watch (TV): Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, TVA Sports, NBCS BABlue Jays record: 41-49Giants record: 44-47Blue Jays vs. Giants Players to WatchToronto Blue Jays

Spencer Horwitz: The Blue Jays infielder has been electric since being called up to the team last month. In 26 games, he is sporting a .329 batting average along with three home runs and nine RBIs. He is the type of player that can give this team a spark when they need in most.

San Francisco Giants

Blake Snell: The Giants' must feel some buyers remorse at this point of the season. Blake Snell won the NL Cy Young last season with the San Diego Padres and since joining the Giants before the season began, he has posted an abysmal 9.51 ERA in six starts. He'll make his first start tonight since June 2.

Blue Jays vs. Giants Prediction and Pick

I simply can't bet on the Giants when Blake Snell takes the mound, which is a crazy thing to type after he posted a 2.25 ERA last season en route to his second Cy Young, but he has been a disastrous signing for the Giants. After posting a 9.51 ERA in six starts, he'll be making his first appearance for the team since early June. Based on his struggles so far this season, I need to be shown he can return to his 2023 form before I can back the Giants as favorites when he's on the mound.

The Blue Jays offense may be finally starting to round the corner and when Yusei Kikuchi, who gets the start for them, is on his "A" game, they can be a tough team to beat.

I'm going to fade Snell and back Toronto as the betting underdog in San Francisco tonight.

Stats highlights from Bulawayo, where Ireland completed a hat-trick of Test wins

Shubh Agarwal10-Feb-2025

1

This is Ireland’s first Test win after opting to bat first. Ireland were 31 for 5 at one stage, from where they recovered to register a win by 63 runs. In the 21st century, this is the third-lowest score for which a team lost half their side in the first innings (of the match) and then went on to win the contest. Pakistan were 21 for 5, but they toppled England in Dubai in 2012, while Sri Lanka recovered from 26 for 5 to win the Colombo Test against Australia in 2016.

3

Just 10 matches in, Ireland have completed a hat-trick of wins in Test cricket. They are the only side to amass three Test wins in a row within their first 10 Tests. Two of these wins have come against Zimbabwe against whom Ireland hold a 100% win record with two wins in two games.Ireland also have the joint second-most Test wins for a team in their first 10 Tests, only behind Australia’s tally of six wins. Ireland are also the only team with no draws in their first 10 Tests.

6 for 57

The left-arm orthodox spinner Matthew Humphrey took 6 for 57 in the second innings which is now the record for the best bowling figures by an Ireland bowler. He surpassed his spin-bowling partner, Andy McBrine who had picked up 6 for 118 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2023.

127

McBrine and Mark Adair helped Ireland revive from 31 for 5 to post a first-innings total of 260. The duo added 127 runs for the seventh wicket, now the second-highest partnership for any wicket in Ireland’s brief Test history.

11 years

Zimbabwe haven’t won a Test at home since their 24-run victory over Pakistan in 2013, stretching their winless streak at home to 11 years.Their last win in Bulawayo came in 2001 against Bangladesh, 20 Tests ago, the longest winless streak at a venue for any team. The next on this list is New Zealand with 17 matches without a win at the Eden Park in Auckland from 1959 to 1981.

90

Nick Welch scored a fighting 90 in Zimbabwe’s first innings. Welch’s effort is the third-highest score for a Zimbabwe batter on debut, only behind the century makers, Dave Houghton (121 vs India in 1992) and Hamilton Masakadza (119 vs West Indies in 2001). There is also Gary Ballance, who scored 137* against West Indies in 2023 in his first outing for Zimbabwe, albeit it was his 24th Test with the preceding 23 coming in an England shirt.

5

Andy Balbirnie’s 66 in the second innings is his fifth 50-plus score, taking him one step ahead of McBrine, Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker (four each) for most 50-plus scores for Ireland in Test cricket.

106 runs and four wickets

With scores of 90* and 16, along with the bowling figures of 3 for 59 and 1 for 69, McBrine is the first Irish player to score over 100 runs and pick up four wickets in a Test. Consequently, he was adjudged the Player of the Match. He also won this award in Ireland’s previous victory over Zimbabwe, making him the only Irish cricketer with more than one Player-of-the-Match award in Test cricket.

Nobody was happier that Game 5 of the American League Division Series between the Mariners and Tigers went much longer than anyone could have expected than the Blue Jays.

Toronto awaited the winner of Seattle and Detroit in the AL Championship Series with Game 1 slated for Sunday. As Game 5 at T-Mobile Park went deep into extra innings, both sides had to dig into the depth of their bullpens and even return to their starters from earlier in the series.

Seattle finally finished off the Tigers thanks to a hit from Jorge Polanco that drove in J.P. Crawford in the bottom of the 15th for a 3–2 win in one of the wildest playoff games you'll ever see.

The Tigers used eight pitchers compared to seven for the Mariners in 15 innings of their wacky decisive game that turned into one of the 10 longest games in MLB postseason history. Both teams used three of four starters from the series in Game 5. With bullpens and rotations becoming depleted, the Blue Jays’ social account posted the perfect GIF on the team’s X account as their team watched comfortably at home:

Polanco eventually played hero with a walk-off single with the bases loaded, sending the home crowd in Seattle into a frenzy. With the win, the Mariners advanced to the ALCS for the first time in 24 years.

The Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees in four games to finish their ALDS matchup Wednesday. As a result, Toronto got some extra rest and then some considering the 15-inning marathon that the Mariners had to play to close out their own series.

Seattle will now travel to Toronto for Game 1 of the ALCS Sunday evening. Hopefully Cal Raleigh and Co. can get some rest in between celebrations.

Unlike in the National League, where Shohei Ohtani was unanimously voted as the league MVP, the result of the American League MVP award was always going to be more heavily disputed. There were two very worthy finalists in Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, both of whom enjoyed fantastic seasons.

In the end, Judge won. It’s hard to argue that he wasn’t deserving, even if there’s a laundry list of reasons Raleigh was deserving. The decision from the Baseball Writers Association of America to select Judge was a narrow one. The Yankees outfielder took home 17 of the 30 first-place votes, with Raleigh claiming the other 13. Neither player received a single vote below second place. Judge had 13 second-place votes, and Raleigh had 17. Judge won by 20 points, 355–335, in what was an incredibly close race.

Judge’s second straight AL MVP win led to plenty of discussion on social media among MLB fans. There were mixed feelings about the result, with some supportive of the decision to name Judge MVP, due to his prolific hitting numbers, while others were upset, feeling that Raleigh was robbed after a historic season.