New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports.)
NEW YORK--Aaron Judge homered in his first at-bat, Gerrit Cole struck out 11 in six sharp innings and the host New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 5-0 Thursday afternoon on Opening Day. After hitting an AL-record 62 home runs last season to break Roger Maris' record, Judge homered against the team he grew up rooting for and the team who courted him in free agency. In his first appearance since signing a nine-year, $360 million contract, Judge lifted an 0-1 sinker from Logan Webb (0-1) over the center field fence atop the netting above Monument Park. The 422-foot drive was Judge's first career Opening Day homer. In his fourth straight Opening Day start, Cole (1-0) allowed three hits and surpassed Tim Leary (1991) for the team strikeout record in a season opener. Cole struck out the side in the first and second while putting a runner on in each inning. He reached double-digit strikeouts by fanning Mike Yastrzemski for the second time in the fourth. Cole ended his outing by fanning Joc Pederson for the third time on a 98-mph fastball to end the sixth after Wilmer Flores hit into a double play. Gleyber Torres added a two-run homer in the fourth while starting at designated hitter as the Yankees won a season opener for the fifth time in six seasons under manager Aaron Boone. DJ LeMahieu and Judge added RBI singles in the seventh for the Yankees, who struck out 16 times in a game that lasted two hours, 33 minutes. Judge finished 2-for-4. New York rookie Anthony Volpe was 0-for-2 with a walk and stolen base. He also started the double play that preceded Cole's final strikeout. Playing a season opener in New York for the first time since hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates at Manhattan's Polo Grounds in 1956, the Giants struck out 16 times in their first visit to Yankee Stadium since July 2016. Webb allowed four runs on four hits in six-plus innings. He struck out a career-high 12 hitters. Thairo Estrada went 2-for-4, accounting for half of the Giants' hits.
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) hits a backhand against Aryna Sabalenka (not pictured) in a women's singles quarterfinal on day ten of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports.)
FLORIDA-- Unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea earned the biggest win of her career with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Australian Open champion and world number two Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday to reach the Miami Open semi-final. Cirstea, who has yet to drop a set in Miami and is the last unseeded player in the draw, delivered a stunning performance while taking advantage of some untimely double faults to become only the third person to beat Sabalenka this year.
Netherlands' Memphis Depay in action against Gibraltar during their UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifier Group B match at Feyenoord Stadium, Rotterdam.
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands-- Netherlands defender Nathan Ake scored twice and Memphis Depay also got on the scoresheet as the hosts laboured to a 3-0 home win over 10-man Gibraltar in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Monday.
JOHANNESBURG-- Reeza Hendricks smashed 83 from 44 balls but it was not enough for South Africa, who fell seven runs short of their massive target as the West Indies claimed a 2-1 series win following the third Twenty20 International at The Wanderers on Tuesday.
Netherlands' Memphis Depay misses a chance to score from the rebound after missing from the penalty spot against France during their UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers Group B match at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France.
PARIS-- New France captain Kylian Mbappe lived up to expectations with two goals in a 4-0 statement home win against the Netherlands as Les Bleus got their Euro 2024 Group B qualifying campaign started in ruthless fashion on Friday.
