data-mm-id=”_ixr66loji”>Pittsburgh Pirates uber-prospect Paul Skenes was on the mound for a spring training game in Florida on Monday and man he had the glove popping. I'm going to say something that sounds ridiculous but it's true: the sound of Skenes' fastball hitting the glove is glorious. Here's one pitch from his outing and, please, turn the sound up:The Sound of Paul Skenes' Fastball. 🔊 pic.twitter.com/hpmEaTTtxD— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 4, 2024That sounds like a gunshot. And, yes, I'm aware there's probably something weird going on with the acoustics in the stadium, but when a guy can routinely hit triple digits, things are going to sound different. Skenes has been up to 102 mph this spring already and dominated in his first outing. On Monday, Skenes went two innings, struck out three, allowed three hits and one run — a solo home run by Amed Rosario. Rosario was the first batter Skenes faced. Here's the highlight of Rosario's home run, which came on the second pitch Skenes threw:💥 @Amed_Rosario goes yard for the first time as a Ray pic.twitter.com/2lQbyURZnm— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 4, 2024Other than that, Skenes looked really good considering he hasn't faced big league hitters before. The Pirates made Skenes the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and gave him a $9.2 million signing bonus for a reason. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound LSU product is universally recognized as the top pitching prospect in all of baseball. He won't spend much time in the minor leagues.
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insists he too is fed up with the situation around William Saliba amid reports the centre-back is frustrated in north London.
Signed from Saint-Etienne in 2019 for a reported £27million (€29.7m) last July, Saliba was loaned back to the Ligue 1 club for the 2019-20 season, which was curtailed in France due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although he returned to the Gunners prior to the start of 2020-21, the 19-year-old is yet to make his competitive debut under Arteta and a second loan move to his old club collapsed in the final hours of the latest transfer window.
There have been reports Saliba is unhappy with how things are progressing at Arsenal, but Arteta says he shares those frustrations, suggesting the player could be loan…
Best Odds: 1/1
Bookmaker:
Looking to build off of their European victory in midweek, Manchester City will make the trip to a struggling Bramall Lane on Saturday lunchtime.
Sheffield United
Starting with the hosts, failing to hold onto their shock lead away at Anfield last weekend, Sheffield United eventually slumped to a 2-1 defeat against the defending champions and are a side really in the midst of a worrying extended spell. Along with signing off the extended 2019/2020 campaign by losing each of their final three Premier League appearances over the summer, Chris Wilder s side have drastically struggled to find their feet this time around. While Wilder might have felt that his side made some much-needed improvements last weekend, the Blades have managed to co…
According to a recent report from Sky Italy, Inter Milan and Roma are getting closer and closer to agreeing a swap deal that would involved Matteo Politano and Leonardo Spinazzola. As a direct result of this potential swap, the chances of Ashley Young making the jump from Manchester United to the San Siro could now be in jeopardy.
Inter were initially in talks with United over the signing of Young, who recently turned down an extension to remain at Old Trafford – with the main aim being for him to make the jump to Inter. Alas, with the Italian giants turning their focus towards Spinazzola, it would obviously highlight a shift in direction, meaning that Young would have to look elsewhere in order to secure a move away.
If Young is showing as much disrespect towar…
Wales face United States in their first World Cup match in 64 years on Monday, yet manager Rob Page insists his side are not in Qatar to merely make up the numbers.
Not since 1958, when eliminated in the quarter-finals by a 17-year-old Pele, have Wales made it to the showpiece tournament – the longest ever gap between participations.
The Dragons have reached the past two European Championships, however, making it all the way to the semi-finals in 2016 and to the first knockout stage last year.
Page wrote his name in Welsh folklore by guiding his nation to a second ever World Cup, after taking over from Ryan Giggs, and he is targeting another famous tournament run.
Managers are greedy, he said. We are grateful that we have got to this stage. But you lo…
Arsenal are interested in signing Jordan Amavi from Marseille in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported by the French publication that the Gunners have made an enquiry, but the North London club have not made any bid.
Crystal Palace are also interested in securing the services of the former Aston Villa left-back in the January transfer window, and so are Napoli, according to the report. The 26-year-old is out of contract at Marseille at the end of the season and will become a free agent then.
Amavi has been on the books of Marseille since 2017 when he joined from Villa. The 26-year-old was on the books of the Villans from 2015 until 2017, but he failed to make a huge impact at Villa Park. According to , the left-back made 26 starts and eight su…
Jose Mourinho insisted he and his coaching staff remain the best in the business after his Tottenham tenure took another wrong turn in the 2-1 loss at West Ham.
Mistakes early in each half allowed Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard to score for David Moyes side, who are riding high in fourth position.
Lucas Moura pulled one back from a Gareth Bale corner, with Wales star Bale also hitting the crossbar as Spurs failed to claim a share of the spoils.
Tottenham have now lost five of their past six Premier League games, with a 2-0 win against relegation-threatened West Brom the only moment of encouragement during this slump.
Mourinho has never endured such a poor six-game sequence during his decorated career, but he balked at the post-match news conference whe…
Newcastle United are set to open talks with a move for Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City in the January transfer window, according to Rudy Galetti. The Italian journalist has reported on X that Italian giants Juventus are also keen on the England international midfielder.
Premier League club Newcastle are keen on signing a midfielder to strengthen their midfield. Sandro Tonali is suspended, and the Magpies want to sign a player in his position as a replacement. Juventus are also keen on the former Leeds United midfielder, but they are unable to do a deal as per the current terms.
https://twitter.com/RudyGaletti/status/1740294079286833401
Phillips has been on the books of City since the summer of 2022 when he joined from Leeds United. The 28-year-old England i…
With the Premier League making its return on Boxing Day, we are treated to what is a stacked day of festive action. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Christmas acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Monday December 26th
BST 12:30 Brentford vs Tottenham
While Tottenham might mark their return on Boxing Day battling it out in the top-four chase, it is fair to say that Antonio Conte s side had struggled to find much stability prior to the festive break. Last seen on November 12th when eventually claiming a thrilling 4-3 victory at home against Leeds, the one-time Chelsea boss will be desperate for his side to claim back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since the middle of October. With some question ma…
Serge Gnabry was the hero as Bayern Munich defeated a game Lyon 3-0 to book their place in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Five days on from the 8-2 obliteration of Barcelona, Bayern avoided an upset against a Lyon side who had shocked Manchester City to reach Wednesday s semi-final at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Germany winger Gnabry, a scorer in the Barca rout, was influential, smashing in a stunning 18th-minute opener following a lively Lyon start before adding a much easier second.
The prolific Robert Lewandowski added his 55th goal of an incredible season in the closing stages for the Bundesliga champions.
Lyon found some encouragement in the second half but there is little doubt Bayern deserve their spot in the showpiece on Su…
Best odds: 21/10
Bookmaker:
Italy, the reigning European champions, find themselves in an unusual position in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C as they aim to secure a spot in the next continental tournament. With just three points from two games, they are currently behind England (12 from four) and Ukraine (six from three) in the standings due to having played fewer matches than other teams in the group. North Macedonia are directly below with the same tally, having played one game more.
In their most recent international fixtures, Italy faced disappointment in the Nations League. Now, they must focus on their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying match against North Macedonia. The match will take place in Skopje, and Italy will be eager to secure a victory and improve thei…