Stats highlights from the first day’s play at Headingley, where Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal scored hundreds

Sampath Bandarupalli20-Jun-2025359 for 3 – India’s highest total on the opening day of a Test in England. Their previous best was 338 for 7 at Edgbaston in 2022.India’s 359 is also the highest opening-day total for a visiting team in England since South Africa made 362 for 4 at The Oval in 2003.5 – Indians with a century on captaincy debut in men’s Tests, including Shubman Gill. His unbeaten 127 at Headingley is the third-highest score on captaincy debut by an India batter, behind Vijay Hazare’s 164* against England in 1951 and Virat Kohli’s 141 against Australia in 2014.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 – Test hundreds for Yashasvi Jaiswal away from home – 171 in Roseau in 2023, 161 in Perth in 2024, and now 101 in Leeds. All three centuries have come in his first Test in these countries. No other player has hundreds in their maiden Tests in the West Indies, Australia and England.23 years 174 days – Jaiswal’s age when he scored his hundred at Headingley. Syed Mushtaq Ali is the only younger India opener to score a Test hundred in England; he was 21 years and 221 days old when he scored 112 at Old Trafford in 1936.ESPNcricinfo Ltd402 – Number of international matches India have played between Karun Nair’s previous Test appearance in 2017 and this one – the most games a player has missed between two appearances for his country. Nair missed 77 Test matches in these eight years. Only Jaydev Unadkat (118), Dinesh Karthik (87) and Parthiv Patel (83) missed more Tests between two appearances for India.1 – B Sai Sudharsan became the first India player to bag a duck on debut while batting at No. 3 in men’s Tests. Only six Indians, including Sai Sudharsan, have bagged a duck in the top three on their Test debut.Sai Sudharsan’s first-class average coming into this match was 39.93, the lowest for a specialist batter on Test debut for India since 1990. Wriddhiman Saha made his Test debut as a batter with a first-class average of 35.59, but was predominantly a wicketkeeper.

Can England swallow their pride and settle for stalemate in the second Test?

Vithushan Ehantharajah03-Jul-2025

Ben Stokes prepares to bowl on day two•Associated Press

Michael Jordan did not always take clutch shots.Arguably his most famous passing on a moment came at the end of game six of the 1997 NBA Finals against Utah Jazz. In the final seconds, Jordan kicked the ball out to Steve Kerr on the edge of the key, who drained the game winner.”Well, I guess I gotta bail Michael out again,” joked Kerr afterwards. For all his qualities, Kerr knew this was more Jordan’s bag. But even a man who prided himself on being him – one such Jordan make in a playoff game against Cleveland Cavaliers is immortalised simply as “The Shot” – saw the value of going against his nature.Of course, to not feed Kerr in that moment would have been irresponsible. Sure, Jordan is Jordan. But swarmed by defenders, taking up the option of a trusted alternative was a no-brainer. He might have a brand to preserve, but he’s a winner first.Related

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On Thursday evening, as Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj swarmed all over England’s top-order batters, you wondered if they may finally try and kick one out to the reliable free man. One that, while they have never used, has been a handy crutch of pretty much every other team to make a success of Test cricket. The draw.In 37 Test matches since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum joined forces to revolutionise the Test side, England have not once chosen to play for the draw. The sole stalemate in that sequence came during 2023’s Ashes, the result of almost two days of rain being dumped on Manchester. Now, trailing in the first innings by 510, with three days to go, they might have to embrace it.It’s as much an ideological stance as a placebo. Ahead of the summer, Stokes, when handed a scenario of a chase of 400 in 40 overs during an Ashes by Nasser Hussain, joked, “well, Adelaide is short square”, without actually answering if maybe that would be the time to shut shop.That same bolshiness filters to the team, and in creating a belief that the win must be pushed for at all costs, you get situations like last week in Leeds when 371 is chased with little fuss.1:39

Aaron: English bowlers were way off their mark

Now, though, we might be on the cusp of England needing to hold on to what they have. Not only do they have a 1-0 lead, but it is one they earned in one of Jasprit Bumrah’s three scheduled appearances. Given the storm that played out on day one following India’s decision to rest Bumrah, they should be wary of offering the tourists a more straightforward route to victory without their frontman. This could be a momentum-shifting equaliser for them.Typically, even in the short history of this England team, there are crumbs to nourish them. While this is only the fourth time in Test history that England have won the toss, bowled, and conceded 500, it is the second time they have done so in the Stokes-McCullum era.That first time came against New Zealand in that 2022 summer, when they strolled down a target of 299 in Nottingham. And while they do not have a Jonny Bairstow anymore, they do have unusually short Test boundaries – none longer than 65 metres – to offer some Trent Bridge-like qualities. It is also worth noting the other two times a team has scored 500 in their first innings – both Pakistan (Rawalpindi 2022, Multan 2024) – England have won.

“What happens tomorrow – and I suppose what happens every day – is a big direction-turner in terms of how we approach the game. I think we’ll have a little think about it tonight and we’ll see how tomorrow pans out, especially that first session”Jeetan Patel

As such, you can forgive the optimism Jeetan Patel brought to the end-of-the-day press conference, particularly with Joe Root and Harry Brook resuming on Friday morning.”Oh, 100%,” England’s assistant coach immediately answered when asked if winning remained a possibility. “I’ve said this many a time in front of all of you and you keep laughing at me,” Patel added, referencing similar utterances two years ago, midway through the Hyderabad heist, and in Multan, when Pakistan had put on 328 for 4 on the opening day of the first Test in 2024.”We’ll just try and find another way to get over the line. And I think that’s the beauty of the team that we have and the players that we have.”There’s still three days of cricket left, there’s lots of cricket to go and, on a fast-scoring ground, I think you never know what can happen… And we’ve got two of the greatest batters in the world at the crease at the moment.”1:11

How significant will the Jadeja-Gill partnership prove to be?

And yet, for all that Baz-zeal, there were nuggets of practicality on day two. Slivers of a more considered and less confrontational manner amid the toil, hinting at a more open view of preservation.Previously, Stokes might have hammered the short-ball tactic, and perhaps even flogged himself out of being able to fulfil his allrounder role fully in the third Test at Lord’s. Instead, he and Chris Woakes tried to eke something out of the new ball at the start of play.As soon as that trail went cold – England have this pitch down as a new-ball wicket, and could themselves have had India 20-odd for 3 on day one, as they themselves were on day two – neither Stokes (having bowled the 92nd over) nor Woakes (93rd) were seen again for the remaining 58 overs of the innings.Brook bowling five overs of filler, on the ground where he came on as first-change against Australia two years ago, could not have better summed up this shift from their galaxy-brain ideas. And though he later launched an aggressive retaliation when charging Siraj and clouting him back over his head for six – taking England to 50 for 3 – the 23 dots he and Root accumulated together as they saw out the final five overs were geared towards survival.1:24

Aaron impressed with Akash Deep’s pace

Prior to the start of this series, Stokes spoke about the need to be smarter in situations when the opposition are in control. And those final 13.5 overs, having been 25 for 3, spoke to that.”What happens tomorrow – and I suppose what happens every day – is a big direction-turner in terms of how we approach the game,” Patel said, perhaps hinting at a more open perspective to other results than he had previously let on. “I think we’ll have a little think about it tonight and we’ll see how tomorrow pans out, especially that first session.”There is a broad understanding within the England dressing-room that this chapter of their story should be about success. And they know their default style of play will fulfil the entertainment side of the deal, without having to force it.But the most loved Test teams are the ones that win series. And nothing will be cherished more than achieving those against India and then Australia.That might mean going against the brand from time to time. And this could play out as one of those times. The relentless pursuit of wins is not always a route to success. Even Jordan kicked a few out to someone else.

Arsenal are now prepared to break the bank to sign Vinicius Jr, amid a major new update on the forward’s future at Real Madrid.

The Gunners should be well-positioned to start competing for the signatures of some of the world’s best players once again, having announced themselves as serious contenders for the Premier League title as a result of the 4-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Signing the Real Madrid star would certainly be a major statement of intent, given that he is still regarded as one of the best wingers in world football, despite narrowly missing out on the 2024 Ballon d’Or, finishing as runner-up behind Manchester City star Rodri.

Interestingly, an exciting new report has now suggested that the move could be a realistic possibility, following a major new update on the Brazilian’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu…

Arsenal prepared to break the bank for Vinicius Jr

According to a report from Spain, Arsenal are now prepared to break the bank to sign Vinicius Jr, with the Emirates Stadium now one of his most likely destinations, having informed Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez he does not currently wish to sign a new contract.

The winger’s unwillingness to put pen to paper on a new deal stems from a difficult relationship with manager Xabi Alonso, and negotiations have now stalled, which could open the door for a move to north London, and Stan Kroenke & co clearly mean business.

However, the Gunners may need to be willing to make the Brazil international one of their highest earners to get a deal over the line, given that he has been demanding a very high salary to extend his stay with the Spanish club.

In truth, the 25-year-old isn’t having the greatest of seasons, failing to score or assist in his last 10 matches for club and country, so it is no surprise he has fallen down the pecking order at Madrid, most recently being benched for his side’s 2-2 draw against Elche.

The forward’s attacking output has been very impressive previously, however, having contributed a whopping 111 goals and 87 assists in 339 matches for Real Madrid, and Liverpool manager Arne Slot sung his praises earlier this month.

With Arsenal looking to lift the Champions League for the first time in their history this season, it would make sense to bring in Vinicius Jr, who has won the competition twice, and ranks very highly in the 2026 Ballon d’Or Power Rankings…

Where Vinicius Jr ranks in the 2026 Ballon d'Or Power Rankings Related Ballon d'Or 2026 Power Rankings

Who will be lifting the individual honour in 2026?

Posts ByCharlie Smith Nov 6, 2025

Bangladesh recorded their second ever win at a Women’s World Cup, against the same opposition as their first – Pakistan.In the first of 11 group games in Colombo, the two teams that came through the qualifiers fought a low-scoring battle, despite good batting conditions, as the attacks took centre stage.The headlines belonged to Bangladesh’s bowlers. Sole seamer Marufa Akter set the tone with two wickets in the first over, before their five-pronged spin attack caused all sorts of problems for Pakistan. Bangladesh’s three leg spinners, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan and Shorna Akter claimed six wickets between them with Shorna finishing with career-best figures of 3 for 5.The result means Pakistan have only won one of their last 22 World Cup matches and three out of their 31 overall, and will be disappointed with the way they started this competition. After opting to bat first, only two Pakistan batters – Rameen Shamim and Fatima Sana – got past 20 and they had a highest partnership of 42. In contrast, Bangladesh’s debutant opener Rubya Haider batted through the innings and scored a half-century to back up their strong performance in the field.A visibly more conditioned Marufa found swing immediately and success soon after. The penultimate ball of her first over pitched outside off and shaped back into Omaima Sohail, who stayed on the back foot, left a gap between bat and pad and was bowled. The final ball was even better, hooped in and took Sidra Amin’s inside-edge on its way to leg stump. That was Amin’s first golden duck in ODIs, and first since 2019. Left-handed Muneeba Ali faced Marufa’s hat-trick ball at the start of the next over, and it angled in and straightened on her but she was able to keep it out, only to be beaten next ball.At the other end, the tournament’s youngest player, offspinner Nishita Akter took the other new ball. The first boundary came off her, when Muneeba clipped Nishita fine and then swept her away to deep backward-square. The sweep quickly became Pakistan’s go-to shot as they scored 20 of their first 45 runs with it.Left-arm spinner Nahida Akter was introduced in the eighth over, with Muneeba and Shamim, batting at No.4 for the first time, starting to settle. Nahida removed both. Muneeba chased a wide Nahida delivery and cut it to Nishita at point, ending the third-wicket partnership at 42. In Nahida’s next over, she tossed it up to Shamim, who chipped it straight back for the simplest of return catches. Pakistan were 47 for 4 in the 14th over.Aliya Riaz and Sidra Nawaz launched a mini counterattack when Aliya brought up the team’s fifty with a slash through backward point and Nawaz hit back-to-back boundaries off Fahima. But Nawaz’s stay at the crease was troubled. She was given out lbw to Fahima on 0 and reviewed. UltraEdge showed she had hit the ball. Three overs later, Nawaz was given not out off Rabeya Khan and Bangladesh reviewed a close call. Replays showed the ball close to both the bat and the pad as it spun back in and third umpire N Janani ruled it had hit the pad first. Nawaz was out for 15.Sana came in at No.7 and hit the sixth ball she faced for four. She was the only batter to get Marufa to the boundary, when she creamed her through point. But Bangladesh soon applied the squeeze again. Pakistan scored six runs off the next 24 balls and pressure told: Aliya tried to hit Nishita over long-off but didn’t get enough on it and Marufa ran in from the rope to take a good catch. Sana didn’t last much longer. Two overs later, she played down the wrong line against Fahima, was hit on the front pad and given out. Sana reviewed immediately, thinking both bat and pad were close to the ball, but umpire Janani upheld the on-field decision.Shorna Akter took 3 for 5•ICC/Getty Images

Legspinner Shorna found bounce and turn and had Natalia Pervaiz caught behind in her first over. Pakistan were in danger of being bowled out inside 35 overs. They avoided that, but only just and still lost their ninth wicket in bizarre fashion. Nashra Sandhu left a full ball from Shorna and as her bat came down, she struck her own stumps to become only the second batter to be dismissed hit wicket in Women’s World Cups.No runs were scored off Shorna’s first three overs before Diana Baig swept her for four but the fun was short lived. Sadia Iqbal holed out to mid-on halfway through the 39th over to end the innings with 69 balls remaining.With a modest score to defend, Pakistan had to strike a balance between taking wickets and keeping Bangladesh quiet – Sana and Baig got it right early on. They found movement and teased the edge and Bangladesh had only scored seven runs off the first 22 balls of their reply. And then Baig struck. She beat Fargana Hoque with a ball that seamed in and hit her on the knee roll. Pakistan reviewed and Ultra Edge confirmed there was no bat and the ball would have hit legstump. Baig delivered a five-over spell upfront, through the powerplay, with an analysis of 5-3-2-1.Pakistan went for double spin after the fielding restrictions were lifted and offspinner Shamim got the next wicket. She had Sharmin Akter out lbw as she was hit on the back pad.Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana took ten balls to get off the mark but when she did, it was in some style. She advanced down the pitch to turn a Sadia Iqbal delivery into a half-volley and hit it down the ground for four. The tension was broken in the next over when Shamim’s first ball beat everyone for four byes and then Sultana swept and reverse swept her way to two more fours.Haider then got in on the action. She cleared the front leg to hit Shamim wide of mid-on for four, and then took on Sandhu, in an over that cost 14 runs. Haider swung Sandhu over mid-on, carved her through backward point and then charged down the pitch to hit her over mid-off. Sana brought Baig back on and Haider sent her over mid-on too as Bangladesh took control.Pakistan kept fighting as Baig and Sana tried their best to remove Haider and Sultana. Sana thought she had found Haider’s outside edge and had her caught behind and sent it upstairs but the ball hit her thigh pad on the way through. Soon Baig thought she had Sultana lbw and called for a review but ball tracking showed it was sliding down leg. Eventually, the Pakistan pair combined when Sultana tried to short-arm jab Sana through short mid-wicket but bottom-ended to Baig.Haider reached fifty off her 64th ball when she sent Ramim between point and cover for four. Bangladesh needed 29 runs from the last 24 overs and got there with 113 balls to spare.

On managing workloads of Jasprit Bumrah & Co: “We’re going to take a call on a match-to-match basis,” Shubman Gill says

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-20252:50

‘Nothing is pre-decided’ – Gill on Bumrah’s workload

It’s “very important” for India to do well in the two-Test series against West Indies after they were blanked 3-0 in their previous home Test series by New Zealand, Shubman Gill said on the eve of the first Test in Ahmedabad.”We are looking to play some hard, grinding cricket. Over the past few years, if you see the Test matches, they haven’t got to five days. So what we are looking to do is play some good, hard cricket,” Gill said at a press conference. “All the Test matches that we played in England went pretty deep [all five Tests went into the fifth day]. And I think what you can expect from us is good, hard, grinding cricket and we won’t be looking for any easy options.”And I think we have the skills to dominate in any kind of situation and the kind of talent we have got in the team, we can turn around from any situation, so that’s what we will be looking to play.”Related

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In recent years, when India have hosted teams for Test cricket, spin-friendly pitches have been prepared more often than not. Seeing how well India competed in the 2-2 series in England earlier this year, what sort of pitch should we expect?”I can’t speak about the conversations before I came, but we would be looking to play on wickets that offer [something] to both the batsmen and to the bowlers,” Gill said. “But, having said that, any team that comes to India, the challenge is the spin and reverse swing. These are the two things that, if teams can play spin well and if they can challenge the reverse swing, they are going to get good success.”So keeping these challenges in mind, you’d be looking to play on wickets that offer [something] to the batsmen and the bowlers.”In England, India picked a pace-heavy bowling attack, and the only spinners in the mix were the allrounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, with Kuldeep Yadav sitting out all five Tests. Two days out from the Test, the Ahmedabad pitch appeared to be greener than anticipated.”The weather and wickets we have in India, it will be difficult to follow that template [employed in England],” Gill said. “We have such quality in our team. Someone like Kuldeep, such a wicket-taker for us in all formats, didn’t get a chance to play in England, which was very unfortunate. Here, I think, playing four spinners, and spinners of such quality, you are always tempted to look at the batting depth, you have to just weigh in your options, what can give you a bit more.”6:18

Aaron on Bumrah: India not taking any chances after NZ drubbing

Will Jasprit Bumrah play both Tests?It was a constant talking point in England after it had been announced before the series that Jasprit Bumrah would play only three of the five Tests to manage his fitness. What happens now?”We’re going to take a call on a match-to-match basis depending on how long a Test match goes on and how many overs our fast bowlers bowl,” Gill said. “Nothing is pre-decided. We’re going to take the call once the Test match is over and how our fast bowlers feel and how their bodies feel after the match.”And what about Gill himself? Going from red-ball cricket in England to white-ball cricket in the UAE and back to red-ball cricket, on a red-soil pitch this time, just three days after winning the T20 Asia Cup?”For a batsman, I don’t think it’s physical fatigue. It’s more mental for a batsman. That’s a little different for a bowler,” he said. “As of now, I feel fresh and my body is ready. I am just looking at what I have to do this week and next week and that’s how I will be taking my decisions.”

Over the last couple of weeks, Tottenham Hotspur have massively struggled to deliver within the final third, which has resulted in numerous disappointing results.

Thomas Frank will no doubt have huge questions to answer in the near future, with the Derby Day defeat against Arsenal the latest failure in his tenure after taking the reins in the summer.

The Dane made a bold decision to switch to a 5-4-1 system at the Emirates to try and nullify the threat posed by Mikel Arteta’s side, but ultimately, it was ineffective as seen by the 4-1 scoreline.

Such a decision also restricted the Lilywhites massively within attacking areas, as Richarlison’s long-range effort was the only moment of note in the final third.

Numerous figures from the club’s recent Premier League outings highlight the struggles in attacking areas, with an immediate solution desperately needing to be found by the manager.

The stats behind Spurs’ recent struggles in attacking areas

As previously mentioned, Sunday was an afternoon to forget for all Spurs supporters, with the defeat arguably the worst of Frank’s tenure after his appointment in June.

The defensive setup massively nullified their own attacking threat, resulting in an embarrassing 0.07 xG produced, with only one shot on target registered, excluding the goal.

In total, the Lilywhites only managed to notch a total of three shots, whilst also registering just four touches in the Gunners’ 18-yard box during the 90-minute contest.

However, the club’s struggles have also been evident in other outings, with the defeat to Chelsea on home soil at the start of the month also showcasing their struggles in front of goal.

Frank’s men failed to find the back of the net in the London derby, again only notching one shot on target and amassing a total xG of just 0.10 in the loss.

No player in the squad was able to complete a cross against Enzo Maresca’s men, which no doubt would have contributed to the lack of quality within the final third.

The Spurs star who can solve Frank’s attacking woes

Spurs’ lack of quality in front of goal has undoubtedly produced a cause for concern, especially given the numbers produced under Ange Postecoglou last season.

The Lilywhites managed to score 64 goals in the Premier League during 2024/25, an average of 1.7 per 90, despite recording a measly 17th-placed finish in England’s top-flight.

Such a tally was the sixth best in the division, but Frank’s men have been unable to replicate such levels over the last couple of months of the new season.

His men have netted 20 goals in the 12 league outings to date, an average of 1.6, with Richarlison sitting as their top scorer on five goals – a quarter of the whole team’s tally.

However, the manager could find an immediate solution to the Lilywhites’ issues in attacking areas by unleashing Brennan Johnson over the next few weeks.

The Welsh international netted 18 goals across all competitions last campaign, but has often struggled for starts under the Dane after the investment from the hierarchy.

Mohammed Kudus arrived in a £55m transfer from West Ham United, which has seen the Ghanaian international often fill the void on the right-hand side of the attack.

However, Johnson is deserving of a recall to the starting eleven, with his numbers from last campaign showcasing the threat he carries within the final third.

His goalscoring tally from 2024/25 was by far and away the highest of any player in the first-team squad, with his underlying figures reflecting his all-round quality.

The 24-year-old achieved a total xG and xA per 90 of 0.51, the third highest in the squad, which further highlights his ability to star alone or find a teammate in dangerous areas.

Games played

51

2nd

Goals scored

18

1st

xG & xA per 90

0.51

3rd

Chances created

22

4th

Crosses per 90

1.4

2nd

Dribble success

56%

2nd

Shots per 90

2.2

3rd

Penalties won

2

1st

Johnson, who’s been labelled “impossible to defend” by one analyst, also ranked fourth in the first team for chances created – which could provide Richarlison with the ammunition to improve his own tallies.

Other tallies, such as 1.4 crosses completed per 90 and how dribble success of 56% both placed him in second position, with the winger having the all-round quality Frank’s men have hugely lacked.

There’s little denying that Johnson is a player who has divided opinion in North London, but his figures from last season highlight the quality he does possess with the ball at his feet.

If Frank is to find an immediate short-term solution to his side’s struggles, he may need to recall the Welshman back to his starting eleven against Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

Paratici could fund mega Semenyo move by selling "disaster" Spurs flop

Tottenham Hotspur should ruthlessly cash in on this flop to help fund a move for Antoine Semenyo.

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أصبح اسم الأردني يزن النعيمات لاعب العربي القطري، يتردد بقوة خلال الوسط الرياضي المصري، في الفترة الحالية، وذلك بعد أنباء عن وجود اهتمام قوي من النادي الأهلي لضمه.

ووفقًا لصحيفة الراية الأردنية، قالت إن محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي الأهلي كلف سيد عبد الحفيظ عضو مجلس الإدارة بإنهاء المفاوضات مع يزن النعيمات لضمه في انتقالات يناير القادمة.

وتواصل برنامج “استاد المحور” مع المتحدث الرسمي لنادي العربي القطري الذي يضم يزن النعيمات، لمعرفة حقيقة المفاوضات وموقف النادي من رحيل لاعبه إلى الأهلي.

وقال جمال الغندور مقدم برنامج “استاد المحور” المذاع على قناة “المحور”، :”محمد الكواري المتحدث الرسمي لنادي العربي القطري قال غير صحيح تفاوض الأهلي معنا لضم يزن نعيمات في الفترة الحالية”.

طالع | حقيقة مفاوضات الأهلي مع بابلو الصباغ لاعب منتخب سوريا

وأضاف: “الأهلي لم يتواصل معنا رسميًا أو شفهيًا، واللاعب مستمر بشكل طبيعي في صفوف العربي القطري”.

ويعد يزن النعيمات، أحد اللاعبين المميزين في الوقت الحالي بالوطن العربي، حيث يقدم مستويات رائعة تجعل جميع الأندية تهتم بضمه والظفر بخدماته، وساهم في تأهل منتخب الأردن إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026 القادم، كما كان قد وصل إلى نهائي بطولة كأس أمم آسيا الأخيرة وخسر مع النشامي اللقب أمام قطر.

The American League Championship Series comes down to one game to decide who will meet the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series.

What follows is a look at the five players who will decide the outcome of Game 7 on Monday night.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladdy Jr. has been on fire in the postseason, hitting .462 with a franchise postseason record six home runs and 12 RBIs. He's posting a ridiculous OPS of 1.532 in October, but has hammered Mariners pitching in this series. In the last four games, he's 9-for-15 with three home runs, three walks and one strikeout. He has also done some crazy things. There isn't a baseball player on the planet hotter than Guerrero right now. He'll have his say on Monday night.

Cal Raleigh

Like Guerrero, Raleigh has been big in the playoffs. He's hitting .302 with four home runs and seven RBIs, and also boasts an OPS of 1.028. Aaron Judge's only challenger for the AL MVP award, Raleigh has been mostly bottled up in this series. The 60-homer man is 5-for-22 with two home runs against the Blue Jays. In his career against Toronto's Game 7 starter Shane Bieber, Raleigh is 2-for-8 with a pair of singles and a strikeout. Seattle needs him to break through against the righty. If he doesn't, Seattle's offense may not have the punch it needs to win.

Shane Bieber

Speaking of Bieber, who would have thought he'd be here? He spent most of the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, then the Guardians sent him to Toronto at the trade deadline before he'd pitched a big league game in his return. Now he's starting Game 7 of the ALCS. The former Cy Young winner has made two postseason starts and is 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP and 10 striekouts against two walks in 8 2/3 innings. He took the win in Game 3 of the series, as he went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out eight. Toronto would take that performance again in a heartbeat.

George Kirby

Kirby took the loss in Game 3 and had the opposite performance of Bieber. He surrendered eight runs on eight its in four-plus innings and the Blue Jays hit three home runs on him. Before that, the 27-year-old righty had allowed three runs on nine hits in 10 postseason innings. His lone ALCS start ballooned his playoff ERA to 7.07. The Mariners need him to bounce back and put his Game 3 disaster behind him. If he can't, the season may end Monday night.

Josh Naylor

Naylor has made himself a lot of money in the postseason. The Mariners acquired the impending free agent from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline and he has been oustanding when it has mattered the post. His has three postseason home runs and is hitting .341 with a .974 OPS in October. He has hammered Toronto's pitching in this series as well. Naylor is 9-for-21 with all three of his postseason homers in the first six games of the series. In the last three games, he's 6-for-10 with two bombs. If Seattle is getting a big hit in Game 7, there's a good bet Naylor will be the one delivering it.

In the MLB postseason, teams have to be ready to adjust on the fly. This is doubly true for do-or-die elimination games, such as Friday night’s decisive Game 5 between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers.

In a game where one run might decide the difference between your season ending and your quest for the World Series carrying on, a team might have to pinch run for a better player than you normally would, or bring in a starting pitcher out of the bullpen to keep the game going, or any number of other bold strategies we only see in the playoffs.

And sometimes, in extreme circumstances, you have to let the loser fish win the mascot race.

The Mariners have hosted the Salmon Run—a mascot race around the warning track—at every home game at T-Mobile Park since the start of the 2024 season. Like many mascot races, the Salmon Run includes a lovable loser, who earns their status as a crowd favorite despite never coming in first. In Seattle, that’s Humpy.

As Friday’s game carried into the 14th inning, someone high atop the production team made a call—there would be a second “Salmon Run.” And this time, Humpy would win.

With the initial Salmon Run taking place before the game went to extras, it was decided that a second race would be run in the middle of the 15th inning, at which point the game was still tied 2–2 with the Mariners up to bat.

Despite falling behind early, the other salmon contenders ran into each other late, and Humpy was able to sneak through for their first ever victory. The crowd was electric.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Mariners would finally score the walk-off run that sent them to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2001.

Obviously, it’s the players on the field that deserve the most credit for the win, but I do think it’s worth shouting out Humpy and whatever production staff was behind the decision to run a second race.

Before Humpy’s victory, things at T-Mobile Park were . The Mariners had gotten runners in scoring position several times in extra innings, but never able to bring them home. The ballpark was still packed despite the game nearly entering its sixth hour.

When you have a loser in the mascot race and you want them to win, you can only fire that bullet once, but given the circumstances, there was simply no better time for the Mariners’ stadium ops team to pull the trigger. The result was an explosion of joy across the tens of thousands of fans at T-Mobile Park, which also served as a collective exhale after two hours of baseball that were as edge-of-your-seat as the sport can get.

The gambit worked. Humpy and the Mariners left Friday’s game as winners. Who doesn’t love an underdog story?

This has not been a good week for Chelsea Football Club.

Down to ten men against league leaders Arsenal, they did at least salvage some pride from that game. To hold one of the best sides in Europe, if not the best side in Europe this season to a 1-1 draw with fewer players is certainly reason to celebrate.

However, a week on from defeating Barcelona in the Champions League, this midweek was a great deal more frustrating for Enzo Maresca and Co.

A game against Leeds United should have been easy, right? Think again. The Blues lost 3-1 and slipped further behind the Gunners in the race for the title. That dream looks over for another year, but according to Maresca, there is one big reason to remain positive.

Maresca shares good news for Chelsea

Maresca has admitted that Cole Palmer’s return to action at Elland Road was the only positive.

The attacking midfielder has been absent for a large portion of the season but has been back among the matchday squad across the last two games.

Palmer came off the bench in the 61st minute for his first outing since late September after toes and groin problems and understandably, that was the only consolation Chelsea’s Italian gaffer could extract from such a horror night on the road.

Maresca said: “Probably it’s the only good news of the night. I’m happy for him, he’s back, now he needs to build a little bit the physical condition and he will be important for us, for sure.

“He’s getting better, but he needs to play minutes. He had more-or-less half-an-hour, hopefully we can give him more in the next game.”

Palmer has been a breathtaking signing at Stamford Bridge, notably bagging 18 goals and registering 14 assists in all competitions for his club last season.

Well, Maresca will certainly need his talisman to rediscover that form after dropping points in consecutive fixtures.

Speaking about the result, the former Leicester City manager stated: “When you play the last two games against Barcelona and Arsenal, you expect a better performance, no doubt.

“But, for many reasons, it’s not going to be possible for every game again, because we change players, because we have players that we said many times it’s not possible to play every two, three days. When you change players, also the level drops, that is the reality, because they are important players for us. Moises, Reece (James), with these kind of players, we cannot use them every game. It’s impossible, because otherwise they can get injury again and be out for months.”

Chelsea are now fourth in the table after Aston Villa defeated Brighton in midweek. While the Blues looked in something of a title race last week, they are now nine points off top spot.

For the World Champions, you would expect that their hopes now rest on the cup competitions for the rest of the ongoing season.

As bad as Tosin: Maresca's 4/10 flop must never start for Chelsea again

Chelsea’s title hopes seemingly went up in smoke away at Leeds United.

By
Robbie Walls

Dec 4, 2025