Rafael Devers made his debut as a San Francisco Giant on Tuesday night after the Boston Red Sox traded him in a blockbuster move on Sunday.

After the team's 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, Devers opened up about all the emotions he was feeling on Tuesday, especially after he received such a warm welcome from the San Francisco fans.

“I was a little bit overwhelmed,” Devers said through Spanish language interpreter Erwin Higueros, via . “I’m more relaxed now. Tomorrow will be better.”

As the designated hitter on Tuesday, Devers finished his Giants debut with two hits, one RBI and two strikeouts in his five at-bats. Not too bad for being a member of the team for a wee 48 hours.

“Very excited, very nervous at the same time,” Devers detailed about going to the plate. “I was really hoping to just hit one out of the ballpark.”

Devers will have plenty of opportunities to hit a home run with the Giants this season. He hit 15 homers with the Red Sox leading up to this point, which is the 15th most in the league.

Devers will make his second Giants start on Wednesday night against the Guardians again.

Australia’s stand-in captain says bowlers who nibble the ball around can be tough on the current type of pitches

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-20252:17

How important is the first Ashes Test for England?

Steve Smith has hinted England’s pace battery could be the wrong form of attack for the Ashes, believing nibbling seamers would pose a bigger threat on Australia’s lively pitches.England have arrived for the summer with their quickest bowling line-up this century, with almost the entire cartel able to reach in excess of 145kph/90mph.Spearheaded by Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, the tourists also have Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse as support acts alongside captain Ben Stokes.Related

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It’s a far cry from England’s usual attack in Australia, with the now-retired James Anderson and Stuart Broad long relying on swing and seam.And despite the hype around England’s quicks, Smith believes the tourists’ timing could be off and a more traditional seamer would be tougher to face on current wickets.”Those sort of nibblers can be quite tricky,” Smith, who will captain Australia in Perth, said. “So they might have got things the wrong way around, if that makes sense, in terms of the pace from previous years.”But obviously they’ve got those guys at their disposal now. They probably weren’t fit, ready or old enough a few years back.”Anderson’s Test career was brought to an end in 2024 when he was given a farewell outing against West Indies and Broad retired during the final Test of the 2023 Ashes.Chris Woakes dislocated his shoulder in the final Test against India in early August which ended his Ashes hopes and he has since retired from international cricket.Steven Smith has been in excellent from ahead of the Ashes•Getty Images

Smith joked this week that Australian wickets were now so green they “have branches hanging off them”.Asked directly if it was easier to face all-out pace than seamers on home decks, Smith indicated that was the case.”If you can do both, that’s a good skill,” Smith said. “But sometimes the slower guys are almost harder to play on those wickets where you have to make the pace.”It’s going to be different. But I think we’ve got plenty of players that play fast bowling well, and it’s going to be a good challenge.”Smith’s comments come after Mitchell Starc warned England that it would not be easy for the quicks to charge in all summer, given the harder surfaces in Australia.Smith will enter the series in form, with scores of 118, 57 and 56 not out in his three Sheffield Shield innings for New South Wales. Fresh off a six-week break in New York ahead of the summer, Smith said almost upon landing back home he would need a few hits to find his rhythm.That form is now undeniable, even if he briefly “lost his hands” while batting for NSW in their 300-run drubbing to Victoria at the SCG.”I felt awful my first 20 runs [on Wednesday],” Smith said. “Lost my hands for a little bit there and then found them back after that, so that was good.”It was more because I was changing bats, trying to figure out which one I like, to be honest. And they all felt a little bit different. I think I’ve settled on one, so it felt good.”But it was nice to just be able to spend some time in the middle, get some rhythm and feel in a good place.”

Manchester United have an exciting squad to choose from as they look to drum up a run of form this season, but many supporters will also be wondering when Lisandro Martinez is expected to return from injury.

Lisandro Martinez and his Man Utd absence

Argentina international Martinez has become a fan favourite since joining from Ajax back in 2022, registering three goals and three assists in 91 appearances.

However, injury problems have limited his scope for an even greater impact at Old Trafford, none more so than his ACL tear in a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace back in February.

In what was a season-ending blow for Martinez, Ruben Amorim has since been forced back to the drawing board for defensive solutions and the former Sporting boss has maintained a heavy reliance on Harry Maguire, Mathijs De Ligt and Leny Yoro to fill the void.

Nevertheless, Martinez’s capabilities in possession are difficult to replicate. The World Cup winner averaged a 90% pass accuracy in the Premier League last term, while he also made 32 interceptions, per Fotmob, sparing nobody on his way to stopping dangerous attacking moves.

Ayden Heaven has emerged as a naturally left-sided alternative and has impressed supporters. Still, the former Arsenal youth may be one for the longer term, given he is only 18 years of age. Luke Shaw has also featured centrally.

Man Utd want to beat Liverpool to one of the best talents in Europe when he turns 18

The Red Devils are looking to make a statement by securing his signature.

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Sep 14, 2025

Updates on Martinez’s status have been few and far between, even if Fabrizio Romano recently claimed on his YouTube channel that the World Cup winner may be offered a new contract once he returns from injury.

When will that be? It may be sooner than alot of Manchester United fans believe if recent developments are anything to go by.

Lisandro Martinez's Manchester United return timeframe

Per BBC Sport chief reporter Simon Stone, Martinez could be back in contention after the October international break for Manchester United, providing his rehab has gone to schedule, albeit Amorim is likely to take a cautious approach in light of the recovery process he will have to adhere to.

He later went on to suggest that it would be a surprise to see Martinez back before the conclusion of the October break, pointing out that it may take longer for him to actually get back into a flow of starting matches.

Ultimately, the delicate nature of cruciate-related injuries require specialist care and management, so it may be a little while yet before he starts to get up to speed at Old Trafford.

Australia captain says they should have scored more than they did, and that they failed to take their chances

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2025

Alyssa Healy dropped a crucial catch off Jemimah Rodrigues•ICC/Getty Images

Australia captain Alyssa Healy said “we did that to ourselves a little bit” after they failed to defend 338 in the World Cup semi-final against India in Navi Mumbai.”I mean, good contest in the end,” she said after India pulled off the highest chase in women’s ODIs to dethrone the champions and set up a summit clash with South Africa on Sunday. “Probably reflecting on that, we did that to ourselves a little bit. It’s probably the first time that I’ve felt like we’ve done that. So, we probably didn’t finish off with the bat, didn’t bowl that great and dropped all our chances in the field, and still hung in there until the second last over. So, I mean, we can take something out of that, but ultimately, outdone in the end.”At 220 for 2 in the 34th over, Australia looked like posting more than 350 but lost wickets in a hurry and were dismissed for 338 in 49.5 overs. In the field they dropped three catches, including two off Jemimah Rodrigues who scored an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls.”I think we created enough [chances]. We created pressure,” Healy said. “We created opportunities. We just weren’t able to capitalise. And, you know, I’m at fault for that as well, and I think that’s something that Australia really prides themselves on.”Related

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“We kind of let ourselves down in that regard today. So that’s probably why it’s disappointing. It felt a little bit similar this time last year, sort of going out playing, you know, not the way that we wanted to play,” she said, comparing this defeat to the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final loss to South Africa. “So we’ll learn from that. We’ll grow. And I think our one-day cricket will hopefully improve since.”Despite the disappointment on Friday, she was proud of Australia’s campaign. “I think we’ve played some unbelievable cricket,” she said. “And, you know, ultimately, like we’ve been saying the whole time, the semi-finals is a knockout game. If you don’t quite turn up on that evening, you know, anyone’s going to get you.”So there was so much to be proud of this World Cup. I’m really proud of our group and every single player’s contribution. I think somebody came in every game and got a job done for us. So I think that’s really cool. Yeah, that’s probably why it stings a little bit more having this conversation with you right now, knowing that we are playing really good cricket, but we just weren’t able to get over that hurdle.”Healy praised the next generation of Australian players, singling out Phoebe Litchfield, whose 119 in the semi-final went in vain.”When you’ve seen players my age walk away from the game, it’s kind of a weird experience to stand there and watch the next generation go about it,” she said. “I thought Phoebe was sensational today, set us off really nicely at the top and then went on to make a hundred, which I thought was really crucial. Kudos to her. It’s been fun to watch her unfold, and I think the next four years leading into the next ODI World Cup are going to be really exciting to watch.”The other change in batting, I think, is around that No.6, No.7 position. I think Ash Gardner has completely owned that role this World Cup.”The 35-year-old also confirmed that this was her final ODI World Cup. “I won’t be there now. There you go,” she said. “That’s the beauty of this next cycle – we’re going to see that unfold. Obviously, there’s a T20 World Cup in the middle of next year, which is really exciting for our group. But I think our one-day cricket is probably going to shift a little bit again.”We’ll learn from what we did wrong tonight. We’ll grow, we’ll get better. And the opportunity for some young players to get greater opportunities in this side is a really exciting thing for Australian cricket.”

Former England batter ends playing career at Somerset to forge new beginning in Bristol

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2025Fran Wilson, the former World Cup-winning batter, has been named as Gloucestershire Women’s head coach after ending her playing career with Somerset.Wilson, 33, made 64 international appearances across formats between 2010 and 2021, including eight of England’s matches at the 2017 World Cup, en route to their victory over India at Lord’s in the final.She also featured in the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia, and made the last of her international appearances on England’s tour of New Zealand in February 2021.Domestically, Wilson made her Somerset debut in 2006, before joining Western Storm in 2016, and also represented Gloucestershire in the 2022 and 2023 Vitality Women’s County T20 competitions while developing her coaching skills through the county’s Girls Emerging Players Programme.In the course of her career, she also represented Sunrisers, Middlesex, Kent, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Thunder, Welsh Fire, Trent Rockets, Oval Invincibles and Birmingham Phoenix.Now, she will be taking full-time charge of Gloucestershire in Tier 2 of the new women’s county structure, having worked with the first team on a consultancy basis during the 2025 season.”I’ve done a lot of coaching alongside playing over the last five or six years, but it’s really exciting to now step into that journey fully,” Wilson said, “especially with Gloucestershire, a great club that I’ve been involved with for a long time.”We all want results, but the real goal is to build sustainable success and to put the foundations in place that allow us to compete and thrive as a Tier 1 Club.”A huge part of my role is about building those foundations from the first team right through to the age groups, having a genuine influence across that pathway.”By developing the resources we already have in the county and creating a strong network and structure around the players, I believe we can achieve long-term success.”Jon Lewis, Director of Cricket at Gloucestershire Cricket, added: “Everyone at Gloucestershire is really excited about the appointment of Fran Wilson as Women’s Head Coach.”We went through a thorough recruitment process, and Fran was the standout candidate throughout. With strong roots in cricket across the South West, a deep passion for Bristol and Gloucestershire, and a long-standing connection with the Club, that understanding of the region was an important factor for us.”Fran demonstrated an exceptional range of qualities during the process and this marks a hugely significant appointment in an area where we have serious ambition. It also comes at the start of a landmark year for the Club, with Bristol set to host England Women v India in May, followed by six matches during next summer’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in June.”An outstanding playing career, a history of success at both club and international level and a deep understanding of elite performance make this an appointment we are extremely proud of. The environment Fran will build will be welcoming, driven and true to the ‘Gloucestershire way’.”Our aim is to provide the best possible environment for our players to learn and develop and we believe Fran is the ideal person to lead that journey.”

Former Chelsea and Brazil star Oscar has been rushed to hospital by ambulance after suffering a heart scare in training with current side Sao Paulo. According to ESPN, the 34-year-old felt dizzy and lost consciousness for several moments during a bicycle test at the club's training centre. Oscar is currently in the intensive care unit, where he is under observation and said to be in a stable condition.

• Oscar suffers heart scare

  Oscar began to feel unwell on Tuesday at the club's Barra Funda training center and was promptly treated by the club's medical staff, as reported by ESPN Brasil. The midfielder showed "cardiac changes" during his bicycle test and was promptly taken to hospital for more tests on his heart and an MRI scan. Sources at the club have described the incident as "very serious" and believe his family will not allow him to play professional football again. Oscar's wife is currently pregnant and was asked not to visit the hospital by the midfielder.

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• (C)Getty Images
  

  Sao Paulo issue statement

  Sao Paulo issued a statement following the incident that read: "During tests carried out on the morning of this Tuesday (11), at SuperCT, as part of the preparation aimed at the 2026 pre-season, the athlete Oscar presented an incident with cardiological changes, being promptly attended to by the club's professionals and the medical team from Einstein Hospital Israelita, which was present at the site. The player was then taken to the hospital, where he is currently in stable condition and remains under observation for further tests to clarify the diagnosis. As per standard procedure and respecting the player's privacy, new information will be released as soon as there is an update from the medical team, in agreement with Oscar."

• Club president offers 'positive' update on Oscar

  Sao Paulo president Julio Casares has since offered an update on the midfielder. He says he has spoken to Oscar in hospital and offered some detail on what happened at the training ground before he was rushed to hospital.

  "I just wanted to inform you that São Paulo, as is customary, conducts group health assessments of its athletes every year in preparation for the following season. Especially since the preseason starts on January 11th, it will be important, and we are bringing forward some of the exams," he told ESPN Brasil.

  "Today, the Albert Einstein team was there, a large number of professionals, and a cardiac incident was detected in the athlete Oscar. We were surprised at the time, but he recovered quickly. The team and professionals took him to the Albert Einstein hospital, and he is undergoing tests. I spoke with him in the afternoon; he interacted well, with messages, he is doing very well, and now we have to wait for the results of these tests and wish him a speedy recovery. He is a great athlete who has benefited from the institution and receives very important support. 

  "Right now, the focus is on Oscar's recovery and reassuring his family that the initial results are already positive. Now, we need a technical evaluation and a diagnosis of what actually happened. Our leaders will speak about it; I have another commitment, but I'm certain that Oscar will recover."

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• AFP
  

  Oscar's career highlights

  Oscar began his career at Sao Paulo and returned to the club back in 2025 after a career that has taken him around the world. The midfielder is perhaps best known for his five years at Chelsea, which brought Premier League, Europa League and League Cup titles. However, he subsequently stunned the football world by leaving the Premier League at the age of just 25 for a lucrative transfer to Shanghai SIPG in January 2017. Oscar spoke about his decision after completing the switch, admitting he had put his family first.

  "When I made my decision to come here, I was certainly thinking more of my family than of my career," he told Copa90. "Because in my career I had other very good offers from big teams in Europe. But I thought a little more of my family, and after that – I am still young – I can return."

  Oscar didn't come back to Europe and instead spent seven years in China before returning home to his boyhood club on a three-year contract.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been gifted a double-injury boost before their crunch Premier League clash with Man City on Sunday.

Arsenal prepare to host Man City in vital Premier League face-off

For the second time in three top flight games, Arteta’s side face off against fellow title contenders in what is set to be yet another potentially season-defining afternoon.

It is still very early days, but given the sheer investment in Liverpool’s squad and City’s own ambitions to become champions of England once again, the race for Premier League glory will come down to very tight margins.

The head-to-heads between City, Liverpool, Arsenal or even Chelsea could be vital in determining who will be crowned at the end of 2025/2026, and nothing but a win against Pep Guardiola’s side will satisfy supporters as Arteta seeks to end the Gunners’ two-decade-long wait for a title.

The Citizens are on a very mixed run of form, having lost 50 per cent of their Premier League matches already, while Arsenal were handed their first defeat of the campaign against Liverpool just prior to the international break.

Arsenal, partly owing to Cristhian Mosquera’s exceptional displays in place of William Saliba, have conceded just one goal in all competitions this season, so City superstar Erling Haaland is set for a tough afternoon at the Emirates Stadium.

In terms of team news, City will be without Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Mateo Kovacic — who are all absent with long-term injuries — with John Stones and Rayan Ait-Nouri also doubts for the trip to north London.

Guardiola will also make a late fitness call on Rodri, as the 29-year-old hasn’t started three big games of this magnitude in a row since before his season-ending ACL injury last season.

Arsenal gifted double-injury boost before Man City after Mikel Arteta update

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta has now shared team news out of Arsenal.

Despite head-injury worries surrounding both Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres, following their win over Athletic Bilbao midweek, Arteta has now confirmed that the duo are fine and available to play on Sunday in a four-word update.

Elsewhere, Arteta also confirmed that Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are subject to late fitness tests, which will determine whether the trio can also feature against Guardiola’s men.

When asked if Saliba could start his first game back from injury, relegating the in-form Mosquera to Arsenal’s bench, says the Frenchman is “really pushing” to be given the nod against City.

Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are still out with long-term problems, with some reports previously suggesting that the latter may not be back until 2026.

If White, Odegaard and Saka are indeed past fit, Arsenal will have a near-fully fit squad to take on City, but the confirmed presence of Merino and Gyokeres undoubtedly comes as a major boost.

da esoccer bet： Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently looking for their next head coach after Vitor Pereira was removed from his post after no wins from the first ten matches of the Premier League season.

da blaze casino： John Percy reports that Gary O’Neil, sacked by the club in the 2024/25 campaign, is now in advanced talks to take the job for a second time.

Gary O’Neil (Premier League)

23/24

24/25

Matches

38

16

Wins

13

2

Draws

7

3

Losses

18

11

Points

46

9

Points per game

1.21

0.56

Stats via Transfermarkt

The English tactician was sacked by Wolves after losing 11 of the opening 16 games of last season, but may now be brought in to save the Old Gold from their current position.

Instead of going back to O’Neil, who had the team in relegation form before he left last term, the club should look to another manager on their shortlist.

Wolves identify former Championship manager as target

The former Bournemouth boss is not the only head coach who has been linked with a move to Molineux since Pereira was moved on from his position.

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According to The Athletic, O’Neil is one of three managers in the frame to land the permanent job, alongside Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards and Michael Carrick.

The report claims that all three of them are under consideration, as part of the club’s shortlist, but it did add that they would have to pay compensation to land Edwards.

Carrick is, therefore, the most interesting option on the list as an alternative to O’Neil, because he could be a dream option for Wolves for several reasons.

Why Wolves should appoint Carrick

The English boss, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, has stepped in to turn a poor start to a season around before.

He arrived at Boro in October 2022 after they won two of their first 11 Championship matches and led them to a fourth-place finish with 18 wins in 30 games, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he can inspire a group to turn their form around.

That suggests that he has a chance of being the source of inspiration that Wolves need to have any chance of avoiding relegation, with the team currently rock bottom of the division.

On top of that, Carrick, who was coy when asked about the Wolves vacancy on Match of the Day, is a proven Championship manager who can coach his side to play exciting football.

As much as supporters will not want to hear it at this stage of the season, it is worth thinking about how the next managerial appointment will fare if they take the team down, given the situation that they are going to inherit.

Michael Carrick’s two full seasons at Middlesbrough

Championship

23/24

24/25

League finish

8th

10th

xPTS (Expected league finish)

73 (5th)

71 (6th)

xG

69.5

67.4

xGA

55.0

56.4

xGD

+14.5

+11.3

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, Carrick’s coaching essentially delivered successive play-off level performances in the Championship, on top of actually finishing in the play-offs in his first season, but it was not rewarded by the output from his players.

The xGD numbers show that his Boro team consistently created more high-quality chances than the opposition, which tends to be a sign of a well-coached side.

Whereas, as shown in the post above from when he was linked to Norwich, O’Neil’s Bournemouth and Wolves teams, albeit at Premier League level, consistently conceded more chances than they created.

Therefore, Carrick, who is currently a free agent, would be a dream alternative to O’Neil because of the short and long-term impact that he could have.