WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Pinch-hitter Jonah Heim launched a tying homer with two outs in the ninth and the Athletics allowed 11 straight runs before rallying from seven down to defeat the Los Angeles Angels 12-11 in 10 innings Friday night.

Zack Gelof started the comeback with an RBI single in the sixth, and the A's got two-run homers from Jacob Wilson in the seventh, Max Muncy in the eighth and Heim in the ninth to tie it 11-all.

Nick Kurtz walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th to force home the winning run. It was the largest comeback win for the A's this season.

Gelof extended his hitting streak to 23 games — the longest active run in the majors.

Denzer Guzman, Jose Siri, Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe and Nolan Schanuel all went deep for the Angels, matching their season high for homers in a game.

Tyler Soderstrom hit a one-out double in the ninth before Heim connected for his second career tying pinch-hit homer. The first came earlier this month in a 15-14 loss to Milwaukee in Las Vegas.

Henry Bolte drew a leadoff walk from Kirby Yates (0-3) in the 10th. Following a double steal, Muncy flied out and Gelof was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Samy Natera Jr. entered and walked Kurtz on five pitches, scoring automatic runner Lawrence Butler.

A's starter Jeffrey Springs allowed six runs on four hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings. Elvis Alvarado (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win.

José Soriano struck out six in five innings. He permitted six hits, four runs and four walks.

Up next

RHP J.T. Ginn (5-3, 2.91 ERA) pitches Saturday for the A's in the third game of the four-game series. The Angels had not announced their starter.

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom was able to celebrate his 38th birthday with a win after some big gifts from the Texas Rangers offense.

That came after he had given up something he never had in his previous 262 career starts: a grand slam. And Ty France's big blast in the first came the batter after deGrom and the Rangers thought they had an inning-ending strikeout when there were only two umpires on the field.

It was a wild night indeed on deGrom's birthday, but happily ended with his 102nd career win after a 9-7 victory over San Diego on Friday. Texas wiped out a five-run deficit and even took the lead by the end of the first inning, then immediately went back ahead to stay when the Padres got even in the fourth.

“That comeback was as good as there was that I’ve been around in the first inning,” manager Skip Schumaker said.

After a 31-pitch first, deGrom made it through six innings and retired 16 of the last 19 batters he faced. He struck out nine while throwing a season-high 106 pitches.

“It’s incredible, and it just shows you prime deGrom those last five,” Rangers third baseman Josh Jung said. “Pretty incredible to watch, and he was just dominating.”

“He ended up going six innings. I would not have thought that after giving up what he gave up in the first,” Schumaker said. “After that five-run first, and get six innings was just as impressive as our offense in the first inning.”

After San Diego went up 5-0 on France's slam with two outs in the first, the Rangers responded with a six-run burst in the bottom half. They led 6-5 when No. 9 batter Elias Díaz had an RBI single after consecutive two-run doubles by Alejandro Osuna and Jake Burger.

France homered again leading off the fourth to make it 6-all, but Wyatt Langford's RBI double in the bottom of the inning put the Rangers ahead to stay.

“Obviously didn’t have a very good first inning and for them to come back and take the lead in the bottom of the first was big,” deGrom said. “Then I gave it back up and then they got the lead again.”

DeGrom and the Rangers thought they had gotten out of the top of the first down only 1-0. Díaz, the Texas catcher, pointed toward first base to appeal when Xander Bogaerts checked his swing on a 2-2 count. But umpire John Bacon — the only ump in the field at the time — was behind the mound and said there was no swing. So instead of strike three, it was a full count and Bogaerts walked on the next pitch to load the bases for France.

“Um, that was close,” deGrom said. “That was tough, but I've still got to make better pitches.”

Because of travel issues, plate umpire Emil Jimenez and Bacon were the only umps who made it in time for first pitch. At the same time umpires Gabe Morales and Mike Muchlinski were coming out in the middle of the first, Bacon was ejecting Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta after an argument over the Bogaerts plate appearance.

“I will say that the two umpires at the beginning of the game wasn’t ideal,” Schumaker said. “I’m not sure what happened there and I've got to find out because that’s not easy for them. ... That was a big moment in the game so I do wonder what happened there.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

PHOENIX (AP) — Diamondbacks starter Michael Soroka walked off the field after appearing to hurt his leg while warming up to start the second inning against Minnesota on Friday night in a development that could further deplete Arizona’s pitching depth.

The team has yet to reveal the nature or severity of the injury.

The 28-year-old right-hander allowed two hits on nine pitches in a scoreless first inning. He then came out for the second and appeared to hurt himself after one warm-up pitch. Soroka met with a trainer before leaving the field. He was replaced by Taylor Clarke.

With a 3.11 ERA, Soroka (8-3) leads the Diamondbacks in wins, though he’s gone 4-3 in his last seven decisions following a 4-0 start.

His injury comes the same day right-hander Ryne Nelson was placed on the injured list with a sprained elbow and strained forearm. Nelson (3-5) experienced discomfort after going seven innings in a 4-3 win over Anaheim on Monday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out nine over six innings to win on his 38th birthday, even after giving up a grand slam to Ty France in the first, and the Texas Rangers beat the San Diego Padres 9-7 in a wild series opener Friday night.

There were only two umpires on the field for the top of the first when the Padres jumped ahead 5-0 on the slam by France, the first of his two homers in the game. By the time deGrom (6-4) returned to the mound for the second, he had a 6-5 lead.

France homered again leading off the fourth to tie the score at 6, but the Rangers went ahead to stay in the bottom half when Wyatt Langford hit an RBI double. He was thrown out trying for a triple on the hit that chased starter Randy Vásquez (6-5).

Langford also homered leading off the eighth.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner deGrom retired 16 of the last 19 batters he faced, even with an intentional walk, and finished with a season-high 106 pitches (70 strikes) to get his 102nd career win. The only hits in that closing span were France's second homer and his double in the sixth.

Jacob Latz got four outs for his 13th save in 15 chances.

The six-run Texas first included consecutive two-out doubles by Alejandro Osuna and Jake Burger before No. 9 batter Elias Díaz had the go-ahead RBI single.

That came after the Rangers allowed multiple runs in the first inning for the fourth game in a row — all at home. They were just swept by Minnesota, which never trailed in that three-game series.

Gavin Sheets drove in the first San Diego run with a single. He added a solo homer in the eighth.

Because of travel issues, Emil Jimenez and John Bacon were the only umps who made it in time for first pitch. Gabe Morales and Mike Muchlinski joined them on the field in the middle of the first inning.

Up next

Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.14 ERA) starts for San Diego on Saturday, and Nathan Eovaldi (6-7, 4.23) goes for Texas. Both pitched in the 18-inning Game 3 of the 2018 World Series that the Dodgers won 3-2. Buehler started for Los Angeles, and Eovaldi was the ninth Boston pitcher, throwing the last six innings.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Although he saw little action in Canada's World Cup victory over Qatar, there was a moment when goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau was almost persuaded to get more involved in the offense.

Crépeau, speaking to reporters on Friday after Canada's dominant 6-0 win the day before, addressed the final moments of the match, when he delivered the ball up the field and red-clad fans in the crowd at BC Place bellowed, “Shoot!”

“I swear I had the little devil here saying do it and the little angel said just pass the ball and go back,” he laughed. “I heard the crowd and I was like, 'Oh no, I'm not doing it.'”

Crépeau didn't see a shot on goal from Qatar during Canada's first-ever World Cup victory. Canada all but sealed its spot in the knockout round with one final group match remaining, on Wednesday against Switzerland.

“Max’s presence was really important yesterday. But let’s be honest, he hardly had anything to do,” coach Jesse Marsch said. “I don’t think in World Cup history, there’s been such a dominant performance. That’s the truth. I think our team will take a lot of confidence from that, and Max will as well.”

The match was chaotic, with a pair of red cards taking Qatar down to nine players and a devastating injury to Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné, who broke the tibia and fibula in his left leg on a tackle from behind by Assim Madibo.

Crépeau was among the teammates who rushed to Koné's side. He could certainly relate to both the physical and emotional pain that Koné was going through.

In 2022, Crépeau broke his right leg during extra time of Los Angeles FC's MLS Cup victory over the Philadelphia Union. Crépeau was taken from the field by ambulance and later underwent surgery.

The injury knocked the goalkeeper out of the 2022 World Cup, where he was expected to back up Milan Borjan.

After leaving LAFC, Crepeau remained in Major League Soccer with the Portland Timbers. The 32-year-old currently plays for Orlando City.

In the aftermath of Koné’s injury, Crépeau also consoled 20-year-old defender Luc de Fougerolles.

“Every guy lives the emotions a certain way, and we went through the emotions in that time,” Crépeau said. “Man, it’s so difficult to put into words, but it’s just a moment to say, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. I’m feeling the same thing as you, but we have a job to finish for him.’”

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve hit a three-run home run, Jeremy Peña had two solo shots and the Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 9-3 on Friday night.

Altuve’s eighth home run of the season came on the first pitch of the night from Guardians reliever Matt Festa. It landed in the first row of the left- field Crawford Boxes.

Peña’s first home run of the night came in the third inning to cut Cleveland’s lead to a run, and then he led off the seventh with his sixth home run of the season and third multi-homer game of his career. He finished the night 3 for 5 with three RBIs.

Altuve added an RBI double later in the inning for a season-high four RBIs.

After failing to complete the first inning in his previous start, Tatsuya Imai (4-3) struck out a career-high 11 batters while allowing three runs on six hits over six innings without issuing a walk. He retired the final 11 he faced after giving up a two-run homer to Rhys Hoskins in the third inning.

The 11 strikeouts were a season high by an Astros pitcher, and it’s the first time they’ve had a pitcher strike out at least 11 without walking a batter since Yusei Kikuchi on Aug. 31, 2024.

Houston's Yordan Alvarez was 1 for 4 with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 25 games.

Tanner Bibee (2-8) was charged with four runs, three earned, over 5 1/3 innings.

Erik Sabrowski allowed two runs over 1/3 of an inning for Cleveland after being reinstated from the injured list before the game.

Up next

Astros RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-2, 2.57 ERA) was set to face LHP Joey Cantillo (5-3, 4.38 ERA) on Saturday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vinícius Júnior showed why he's the most valuable player for five-time World Cup champion Brazil, scoring one goal and helping to create two others in a 3-0 victory over Haiti on Friday night.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old left winger scored at the end of the first half on a breakaway, casually flicking the ball past Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide. He also assisted on one goal by Matheus Cunha and set up a rebound that led to another.

Vinícius' breakout performance brought Brazil back in the wake of a 1-1 draw against Morocco last week that left coach Carlo Ancelotti apologizing to fans. After applying steady pressure against Haiti in the opening minutes, Brazil broke through with an offensive torrent.

Vinícius took a bending shot that rebounded off Placide's gloves and set up Cunha for the put-away that made it 1-0. Thirteen minutes later, he set Cunha up with a long feed that Cunha drove into the net.

In the third minute of injury time, it was Vinícius who corralled a long pass and easily won the 1-on-1 matchup with the diving goalkeeper.

He nearly had another assist halfway through the second half with a one-touch pass to an open Gabriel Martinelli, who launched the ball off the post.

Before the game, the player nicknamed “Viní” had said he thought he had more to show in the tournament — even after scoring the goal that brought Brazil even with Morocco.

Coming off scoring 16 goals in 36 games with Real Madrid, he made an effort to help the defense on several occasions against Haiti and created numerous scoring chances.

Brazil and Morocco are tied atop Group C with four points, followed by Scotland with three.

The Brazilians are ranked sixth in the world; Haiti is 85th and became the first team eliminated from the tournament.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

ATLANTA (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski had another strong outing against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, topping out at 104.2 mph, but it may not have been strong enough.

Misiorowski went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits while striking out seven, but he was pulled with the Brewers trailing 2-1.

It was the first time since April 25 Misiorowski gave up more than one run in a game. He entered on a historic roll, giving up just one earned run over 54 1/3 innings in a span of eight starts.

He threw 54 pitches of at least 100 mph, according to Statcast, including a record 47 of 101 mph or higher since tracking started in 2008. The previous high for 101 mph or more was 45 by Misiorowski on June 6 at Colorado.

He topped out at 104.2 on Friday on a ball to Eli White that was low and outside in second inning.

He had gone 29 innings without allowing an earned run since May 25 before Mauricio Dubón’s two-run single in the sixth as his major league-leading ERA rose from 1.34 to 1.45.

Misiorowski has pitched well all season, but his 95-pitch, 15-strikeout, one-hit shutout of the Phillies on June 12 turned the spotlight on him like never before.

“He’s got a lot coming at him, and luckily I think a lot of that bounces off him,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before Friday's game. “I really respect how he lives his life that way. He clearly understands what’s important, that he’s got his priorities in order and hopefully it stays that way.”

Misiorowski entered Friday's start averaging 100.1 mph on his fastball, the fastest ever for a starter in the pitch-tracker era. He hit 104.5 mph in his start against the Phillies on a night where he threw at least 103 mph 13 times, including three times in the ninth.

Braves manager Walt Weiss discussed the challenges of facing the 6-foot-7 right-hander.

"It's big-time extension with big-time velocity, so the ball is on you,” he said. “(He) throws strikes, so you have to be aggressive. You've got to be ready to fire. It's a tough guy to have two strikes against, because he's punching people out.”

This was Misiorowski's first time facing the Braves, though he has pitched at Truist Park. Misiorowski threw a scoreless eighth inning for the National League in last year's All-Star Game in Atlanta, making the team after just five career starts.

He was originally scheduled to oppose one of the pitchers he says he's long admired in the Braves' Chris Sale, but a rainout on Thursday in Atlanta pushed Sale's start to Saturday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Harry Higgs was ready to quit golf, burned out by the mental beatings he gave himself, shortly before becoming what he believes was the last of the 156 players in the U.S. Open field.

It was only Monday that he was added to the tournament as an alternate, so late that he never unpacked after arriving in New York. With his clothes still in his suitcase, he pulled the wrong item out Thursday morning, which is why he mistakenly showed up at Shinnecock Hills in shorts before a frantic wardrobe change allowed him to play.

Good thing. The Big Rig is trucking into the weekend with his first made cut of the year on the PGA Tour.

“I let the day build and build and build, and man, I felt like a rock star out there,” Higgs said Friday. “I felt like I could do anything.”

Higgs shot a 3-under 68 in the second round, boosted by a 75-foot putt for birdie after missing the 11th green, the kind of bad miss that for so long caused him to spiral. Higgs acknowledged that his tee shot was “the worst place you can hit it” but said he only had about a “3 out of 10 freakout.”

“That would have been, hell, even a week ago, that probably would have been an 8, 9, 10 out of 10 freakout that I would have blamed something or someone else," Higgs said.

Not this week. Higgs told himself he was going to stop berating himself and play like he belonged. He goes into the weekend at 1 under, six shots behind leader Wyndham Clark.

“Again, there’s a lot of golf left, but I can just choose to be a factor," Higgs said. "If the golf goes my way and the result goes my way, great, but I can choose to just, like, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be a small, insignificant piece of the 156 that was playing here,’ even though I think I was 156 of 156.”

Higgs has seen the highs of golf, with a tie for fourth in the 2021 PGA Championship and a top-15 finish a year later at the Masters. But he was having trouble dealing with the lows, and lately there have been many of them as he plays on the Korn Ferry Tour, missing the cut in all six of his PGA Tour starts.

He was ready to give it up while playing in a U.S. Open qualifier on June 8. He thought he was out of it early and this time perhaps never coming back.

“Through six holes in the 36-hole day, I was really close to quitting golf,” Higgs said. "It went the same way as it’s always gone. I missed a bunch of putts from short range early for birdie and then made a terrible bogey on 6. Took my phone out, booked a flight back home to Kansas City from Charlotte.

“We were playing just outside Charlotte and was, like, I’m just going to go home. I’m going to walk off after the ninth hole. I’m just going to go home. I don’t even know if I’m going to go to Amarillo and play the Korn Ferry, and I don’t know that I’m going to keep doing this.”

He stuck around and played well over the final 27 holes. It wasn't good enough to qualify, but he did secure one of the alternate spots. When Bud Cauley won the Canadian Open last weekend and became automatically into the field, Higgs got his spot, getting the official call when he was preparing to fly from Texas.

The flight was delayed, so he didn't get to Shinnecock until Monday afternoon. Then came the fashion faux pas, when he grabbed gray shorts instead of gray pants after his 3:30 a.m. wake-up Thursday. He borrowed a pair until his wife rushed his own to him, which was good, because the golfer who is listed at 235 pounds and leaves unbuttoned the top two on his golf shirt with the Dude Wipes logo thinks the other pair would have ripped.

He stayed positive then and thinks that can continue.

“I haven’t had that feeling in a while,” Higgs said. “I would love to recreate it over the next two days, and if I don’t, I’m just going to try my damnedest and see what happens.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons cashed in on his first All-Pro selection with a record-setting deal.

Tennessee announced Friday the 28-year-old signed a multiyear contract extension. The Titans did not share terms of the deal, but ESPN.com and NFL Network both reported the three-year extension is for $35.3 million per year with $100 million guaranteed — making Simmons the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history.

“From Day 1, this organization believed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to pour into this franchise and community,” Simmons said in a statement. “My job isn’t finished. I believe in this locker room and this staff, and I’m focused on helping this team get back to competing for championships.”

The Titans wanted to keep Simmons as one of the foundational pieces of their rebuild. The new deal locks him up through 2030 and is the second extension Simmons has signed. He also agreed to a four-year deal worth $94 million in 2023.

“You always want to keep your best players and we accomplished that today,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said. “We’re excited for Jeffery to be here in Nashville for the long haul.”

Simmons led NFL defensive tackles with a career-high 11 sacks in 2025 along with his 39 solo tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 60 quarterback pressures.

According to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, Simmons had a 13.9% pressure rate and 18 pressures after being double-teamed. Those were the best in the league among tackles.

The four-time Pro Bowler has been one of the league's defensive stalwarts for years.

Since the Titans selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft at No. 19 overall, Simmons has started 97 of 99 games. He has 42 1/2 sacks, 383 tackles, eight forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 27 passes defensed.

Simmons is a five-time team captain and been the Titans' Walter Payton Man of the Year representative three times.

Borgonzi called Simmons a pillar of the franchise and someone who embodies what it means to be a Titan.

“He’s the premier defensive tackle in the National Football League and you win with players like Jeffery,” Borgonzi said. “Not only is his leadership on the field what we want our program to represent, but off the field, he sets the standard for our community.”

Simmons is one of five players in franchise history to have at least five sacks in five consecutive seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné had surgery after breaking the tibia and fibula in his left leg at the World Cup.

The 24-year-old Koné, coming off his first season with Italian club Sassuolo, was hurt during a tackle from behind by Assim Madibo during the 51st minute of Thursday’s 6-0 win over Qatar.

The Canada Soccer Association said Friday that Koné had surgery on Thursday night.

Madibo received a red card. He apologized in person to Koné after the game.

“You can’t even imagine how grateful I am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers,” Koné posted on Instagram.

“To Canadian brothers, as I turned myself into (an) assistant coach to support you from the sideline. I wanted you to know that I love you guys from the bottom of my heart and our brotherhood is everything to me,” he added. “What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever. I’ll be back very soon and we’ll keep making more memories together.”

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Australian midfielder Aiden O’Neill said the excitement of the 2026 World Cup was a major reason he left Belgium for the United States in his prime.

O'Neill joined New York City FC during the 2025 Major League Soccer season, sharing a locker room with fellow Australian Kai Trewin and several Americans including U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese.

After a season and a half as teammates, O’Neill and Freese have been thrown into the biggest roles of their lives. They'll be on opposite sides on Friday when Australia faces the United States in Seattle.

“We’re excited to play against each other,” O’Neill said. “It’d be good to get one up on him, that’s for sure.”

When manager Tony Popovic boldly left veterans Mathew Ryan and Jackson Irvine out of the starting XI for Australia’s group opener against Turkey, O’Neill quickly became the leader of the Socceroos’ four-man midfield. Meanwhile, Freese got the start in his first-ever World Cup match against Paraguay.

Strong starts

Both O’Neill and Freese shone in their World Cup debuts, contributing to wins. When the teammates face off again on Friday, the result could decide the top of Group D.

Trewin, a defender who is also on NYCFC and Australia’s World Cup squad but did not appear in the 2-0 win over Turkey, added that he has “never wanted to win a game more than this one.”

NYCFC reached the MLS Cup playoff semifinals with O’Neill and Freese as starters in 2025. Trewin moved from Australia to join the two in the starting lineup for 2026, and the squad currently sits in a playoff spot again during the league’s World Cup break.

Now, the matchup between the Australians and Americans will likely be the biggest game for all three to date.

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Ben Kule is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Awer Mabil’s face quickly turned to pure joy. He beamed and fought his emotions, a reaction Australia's veteran forward hardly could have seen coming.

It had nothing to do with a soccer result, either. But rather a reflection that took him back to his tumultuous youth as a refugee and how some good fortune landed him in Australia for a new start in life.

Mabil looked into the audience during his media conference after training Tuesday and discovered a familiar face in David Basheer, the longtime commentator on Australia's SBS network who had just offered a question days ahead of the Socceroos’ World Cup matchup against the United States on Friday in Seattle.

“I grew up watching you,” Mabil said, so taken aback that he asked Basheer to repeat himself.

A touching moment, in this pressure-packed, every-four-years spectacle, and yet one more example of Mabil’s refreshing sincerity as one of the Aussies’ key faces at this World Cup, no matter how many minutes he plays.

He's an ambassador from Down Under, to be sure.

Difficult start to his life

The 30-year-old Mabil also represents the persistence it took to prevail and get this far, given his daunting path. He was born in Kakuma, Kenya, to South Sudanese parents who had escaped civil war, and he moved to Australia 20 years ago at age 10 through the country’s humanitarian resettlement program. He began playing organized soccer in Adelaide, South Australia state.

It's fitting that Mabil is sharing his story during Refugee Week, with World Refugee Day on Saturday.

“It’s a Refugee Week and it’s a week that I would like to say to anybody that is misplaced all over the world that we are with you,” he said. "And we are in a world stage right now, in a big tournament — and just to tell you everything is possible, so keep going.”

Mabil is making contributions in many ways. He took part in a video message about diversity ahead of the World Cup that went viral.

The message: “No matter where you come from, football is for everyone.”

“It’s coincidence again that it’s Refugee Week in the World Cup and also at the same time you have many refugees in the team. And at the same time, when I reflect back, I’m like we all belong to this world together,” Mabil said. “And now we’re representing Australia."

He considers himself a “big brother” to teammates Mo Touré and Nestory Irankunda, fellow refugees from Africa.

A World Cup milestone

The 20-year-old Irankunda became the youngest player to score a World Cup goal for the Socceroos in a 2-0 win over Turkey on Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Australians want to show how far the country has come at the World Cup level.

“I hope we're starting to gain a little bit more respect,” defender Alessandro Circati said. “I don't want to be the underdogs for the rest of my life.”

Mabil will do his part to help the Socceroos build something special.

He played briefly as a substitute in two group-stage matches four years ago for the Aussies, then didn't get on the field for the opener this year.

“I’m proud of the boys,” he said. “A lot of the young boys now making the difference for the national team all come through Adelaide, and it’s a credit to the football community.”

He and his mates are loving the omelet bar and lining up for it at their team headquarters, the Claremont Resort and Club in nearby Berkeley. They are training at the former headquarters of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.

“Coming in as a senior player I think is more mental that you have to be present for the younger ones. Sometimes you want to slap them," Mabil joked.

"I’ll play my role to the best of my abilities to be available for the young ones and also the older ones because the older ones also they go through difficulties so they don’t have all the answers — nobody has all the answers. We just have to continue to be there for each other. In these kind of tournaments, it’s very important to remain united.”

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton on Thursday night.

Atlanta made room for Bart on the 40-man roster by designating catcher Sandy León for assignment. The Pirates assigned Stratton to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Bart was batting .259 with two homers, six RBIs and a .670 OPS in 21 games with Pittsburgh. He grew up in the Atlanta suburbs and played college ball in the city at Georgia Tech before being selected second overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 amateur draft.

The NL East-leading Braves (46-27) already have two fine catchers in 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin and 2023 All-Star Sean Murphy, but Murphy is on the 60-day injured list with a broken finger.

Stratton appeared in one game with the Braves this year and pitched a scoreless inning. He played for the Pirates from 2023-25 before getting traded to Atlanta last July.

León was batting .091 with zero RBIs in 21 games this season.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Qatar’s World Cup defeat to Canada on Thursday went so awry that goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada appeared to break down in tears after the final whistle, receiving comfort from a teammate and Canada’s Jacob Schaffelburg.

“It was a tough match, because everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” coach Julen Lopetegui said. “That’s how football is sometimes.”

Qatar played two men down for most of the second half after a pair of red cards and went on to lose 6-0, the worst defeat in the Persian Gulf country's short World Cup history. Qatar debuted in the tournament as the host in 2022 and lost 2-0 to Ecuador, 3-1 to Senegal and 2-0 to the Netherlands.

The second red card was issued to midfielder Assim Madibo, who tackled Canada's Ismaël Koné from behind, breaking Koné's lower left leg. Koné was stretchered off the field and taken to a hospital for surgery.

Koné’s replacement, Nathan Saliba, buried a 20-yard free kick in the 64th minute for Canada’s fourth goal.

Controlling rebounds was a struggle for the Qatari defenders, who could not clear the ball after two of Abunada’s saves. Canada had 10 shots on goal while Qatar had none.

Standout left back Homam Ahmed was the first player sent off. His yellow card was upgraded to a red in the 33rd minute.

“It was a very tough match for many reasons,” Lopetegui said. “The players did their best. It was very difficult to face this match with two players less with this environment.”

After Canada's postgame huddle, Lopetegui and Canada coach Jesse Marsch had a heated exchange.

Marsch said Madibo apologized to Koné after the game, but he took issue with the way Qatar players reacted after the injury.

“I don’t understand a reaction from their entire bench to try to start a fight about it being a red card when a clear foul just happened that broke a player’s leg,” Marsch said. “So, strange behavior.”

Qatar is last in Group B but still has a chance to reach the knockout round. It faces Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday in Seattle.

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Ben Kule is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Juan Soto hit two solo homers and made a sliding catch in the left-field corner to rob Bryce Harper of a run-scoring hit as the New York Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 on Thursday night.

Pinch-hitter Eric Wagaman provided the tiebreaking single with two outs in the seventh inning, and Marcus Semien followed with a two-run triple off reliever José Alvarado (3-2).

Soto took Phillies starter Aaron Nola deep in his first two at-bats to give him 16 homers this season. It was the 30th multihomer game of his career. Soto also took away an extra-base hit from Harper when he lunged and slid to catch a ball on the warning track in the third.

Huascar Brazobán (4-1) earned the win in relief of starter Sean Manaea, and Devin Williams worked the ninth for his 11th save.

Following a one-out walk and some shaky Mets defense, Williams allowed an RBI single to Justin Crawford before Kyle Schwarber lined out to right field with two runners on to end it.

Bo Bichette made his first appearance in Philadelphia since spurning the Phillies to sign with the Mets last offseason. He was booed lustily each time he stepped to the plate and finished 0 for 5 after six straight multihit games.

Alec Bohm had a single, a double and two RBIs for the Phillies, who dropped consecutive games for the first time since losing three straight in mid-May.

Philadelphia shortstop Trea Turner left after the second inning with a bruised right calf. He was hit by a 79 mph sweeper from Manaea.

It was the second time this week Turner exited a game after being hit by a pitch. He was pulled from Monday’s game against Miami after getting drilled on the right wrist and missed the next game.

Up next

After a rare Friday off as Philadelphia hosts a World Cup match, the teams resume their three-game series Saturday night. RHP Freddy Peralta (5-5, 3.90 ERA) starts for New York against LHP Cristopher Sánchez (8-3, 1.82).

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ATLANTA (AP) — Some of the most passionate soccer fans at the Czech Republic-South Africa match didn't really care who won.

This wasn't a battle between favorites to win the World Cup. There were no megastars to fawn over. Some in the crowd of 67,442 were there, well, just because it's the World Cup.

Rami Abdoch and the Abdurhman brothers sat in section 338 and erupted at every flashy play, shouted at all the controversial calls, and participated in every stadium-wide wave while booing among the masses at both hydration breaks.

The three men wore jerseys from Argentina, Spain and South Africa while proudly detailing their multilingual backgrounds and international travel. They said the World Cup perfectly captures the beauty they've experienced around the world.

“We love all of the teams, and we want to see a great, great match. The experience — all the energy, the diversity, and the love for one game is unmatched, it's unique and legendary," Abdoch said. "We all speak multiple languages. We’ve traveled, all of us, to 10, 15, 20 different countries ... the World Cup encapsulates that experience."

Two-thirds of the trio drove in from Memphis, Tennessee. Across the stadium, Jonathan Arango, 33, had just embarked on a similar road trip from South Carolina. Another family of four came in from Mississippi. The road-trippers made their presence felt among the patches of yellow and red jerseys supporting the Czech Republic and South Africa.

For people in the region, Atlanta is the closest and most feasible World Cup host city.

Arango traveled with his wife, daughter and father for the match. All four were Columbia fans, but to experience the World Cup, with or without their team on the field, meant fulfilling a lifelong dream.

And then there were those who traveled a bit further, like brothers Octavio and Diego Ochoa from Mexico.

The Ochoa brothers flew from Guadalajara to Boston, from Boston to Atlanta, and tomorrow, they'll head out on the penultimate leg of their journey from Atlanta to Philadelphia. Three cities and three matches later, they said it's still cheaper than going to a match in Mexico.

“In Mexico, the tickets to matches can be up to 100,000 pesos (nearly $6,000), so it's a lot less expensive here," Diego said. “We prefer to travel and see the matches.”

The Ochoa brothers spent $150 on tickets to Thursday’s match. They said to go to the World Cup is well worth every headache of navigating a new city or a long airport line.

As the match ended in a 1-1 draw, fans trickled out with smiles on their faces, eager to find their next World Cup-viewing destination.

Octavio couldn't have asked for anything better.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Travis Bazzana hit a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning, Parker Messick pitched six effective innings and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Thursday.

David Fry and Kyle Manzardo also homered for the Guardians, who lost the first two games of the series.

Messick (7-3) held the Brewers to two runs and four hits while striking out nine in his 96-pitch outing. Cade Smith got four outs for his 24th save in 26 opportunities.

Bazzana’s towering home run off Grant Anderson (1-3) in the seventh gave the Guardians a 3-2 lead. Cleveland tacked on a run in the inning on Drew Rom’s bases-loaded wild pitch.

The Brewers loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but Colin Holderman retired Andrew Vaughn, who worked a full count, to end the inning on a grounder. Milwaukee loaded the bases again in the eighth with two outs before Smith struck out Christian Yelich.

Gary Sánchez’s run-scoring single off Messick gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the second. The Brewers had a chance for more with two on when right fielder Kahlil Watson, making his major league debut, made a diving catch to end the inning.

Fry’s fourth home run of the season tied it at 1 in the third.

The Brewers took the lead in the fourth when Sánchez walked, moved to third on Blake Perkins’ double and scored on Cooper Pratt’s sacrifice fly.

The Guardians pulled even again in the sixth on Manzardo’s homer off Joel Kuhnel.

Shane Drohan, making his fifth start, gave up three hits and one run in five innings. He struck out three and walked three.

Up next

Guardians: Tanner Bibee (2-7, 3.96 ERA) takes the mound Friday at Houston vs. Tatsuya Imai (3-3, 6.43).

Brewers: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (8-2, 1.34) will start Friday at Atlanta against RHP Bryce Elder (5-4, 3.15)

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LONDON (AP) — Tottenham confirmed the signing of Netherlands international Jan Paul van Hecke on Thursday from Brighton for a reported fee of 52 million pounds ($68 million).

The 26-year-old Van Hecke, who is playing at the World Cup, will be reunited with coach Roberto De Zerbi, having played for him at Brighton.

“I already have a really strong connection with the head coach, who I’m looking forward to working with again,” Van Hecke said in the Premier League club's announcement.

Tottenham described Van Hecke as “passionate and imposing." The team said he signed a “long-term contract” without specifying the number of seasons.

“He is a strong, intelligent centre back who is brave in possession and plays with personality,” De Zerbi said. “Those are important qualities for the way I want our team to set up.”

Van Hecke made his World Cup debut on Sunday in the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan.

After narrowly avoiding relegation, Tottenham has been bolstering its defensive ranks. Spurs signed Argentina center back Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth and left-back Andy Robertson from Liverpool on free transfers.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

MIAMI (AP) — The eight teams playing World Cup matches on Thursday are taking part in an International Day for Countering Hate Speech commemoration, with a pre-match exchange of pennants denouncing such language.

Captains involved in the Czechia-South Africa, Mexico-South Korea, Switzerland-Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada-Qatar matches will have pennants reading “We Play Together. We Stand Against Hate" with the wording in English on one side and the teams' native language on the other.

FIFA says it has deleted more than 30 million abusive posts and comments since its social media protection service was created before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA says it deleted nearly 400,000 negative or abusive posts in the first few days of this World Cup — more than it did in the entirety of the 2022 event.

Other stadium activations involving that message are planned during Thursday's matches.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — After a season of turmoil, American-owned French soccer club Marseille was threatened with a one-year ban from European competitions and fined 10 million euros ($11.5 million).

UEFA imposed the sanctions by its expert panel that monitors the finances of every club which qualifies for its competitions like the Champions League. The monitoring system was once called Financial Fair Play.

Marseille, majority owned by Frank McCourt, the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner, missed financial targets agreed with UEFA in a previous round of monitoring, UEFA said.

UEFA acknowledged Marseille was affected by the “significant and unexpected collapse of the domestic broadcasting revenues.”

Still, Marseille will be barred from the next European competition it qualifies for, unless “the club complies with the football earnings target in the 2026-27 season.”

Marseille failed to qualify for the next Champions League, finishing fifth in Ligue 1 in a season where coach Roberto de Zerbi was fired, president Pablo Longoria left and fans protested about the direction of the club that was European champion in 1993.

Marseille’s expected prize money from UEFA for playing in the Europa League next season would typically be half of the estimated 50-60 million euros ($57-69 million) earned from being in the Champions League this season.

An extra UEFA sanction is cutting the quota of senior players Marseille can register in its Europa League squad.

In a separate case, UEFA imposed fines totaling 6 million euros ($6.9 million) on Roma for missed financial targets agreed in a previous round of settlement talks. Roma also has a U.S. owner, the Friedkin family.

Italian clubs and the Serie A league have struggled to keep pace in the past two decades with the rising revenue of rivals, especially in England's Premier League.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

ATLANTA (AP) — San Francisco hit three homers in the second inning, including a two-run shot by Luis Arraez, Carson Whisenhunt won a matchup of rookie starting pitchers and the Giants held off the Atlanta Braves 7-5 on Wednesday night to sweep a split doubleheader.

The Giants won the opening game of the doubleheader 7-2 as left-hander Robbie Ray threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings. It was the completion of Tuesday night's game, which was suspended due to rain.

Whisenhunt (1-0) allowed two runs on six hits in five-plus innings in his season debut.

Atlanta right-hander JR Ritchie (1-2) gave up five runs in five innings on five hits, including three homers. Willy Adames, Arraez and Bryce Eldridge homered in the four-run second inning. Arraez added a two-run single in the ninth.

Giants left-hander Matt Gage (right knee inflammation) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list and gave up a two-run homer to Mauricio Dubón in the ninth. Gage gave up two more hits. Right-hander Tristan Beck overcame a run-scoring wild pitch to record the final two outs for his first save.

The Braves recalled right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who allowed two runs in four innings. Right-hander Spencer Strider (inflammation in right elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Center fielder Michael Harris II, who left Tuesday night's game with lower back tightness, was held out of Wednesday's games. The Braves also are without right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., who was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 11 with a strained left hamstring.

As part of a flurry of defensive changes in the top of the ninth, Braves first baseman Matt Olson shifted to right field. Olson, who had three hits, made his first appearance in the outfield since playing in left field for Oakland in 2017.

Up next

Giants RHP Landen Roupp (5-7, 4.24 ERA) is scheduled to face Braves LHP Martín Pérez (5-3, 2.90) in Thursday night's final game of the series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb