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SEATTLE (AP) — As Eugenio Suárez crossed home plate, he formed a heart with his hands as he has countless times.

Suárez suddenly stopped, pointed toward his wife in the stands behind home plate and took a second to embrace the moment. His bat had brought the Mariners within a victory of the first World Series trip for a team that started play in 1977.

Suárez hit a go-ahead grand slam after Cal Raleighâ€s tying drive in a five-run eighth inning, giving the Mariners a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday and a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series.

“Iâ€ve been waiting for games like this my whole career,†Suárez said. “Today, I had it. Today, I had it in front of our crowd, in front of my family, my two daughters, my wife, and the moment is very special right now.â€

Suárez also homered in the second inning for Seattleâ€s first run, and the Mariners became the first home team to win in the series.

Game 6 is at Toronto on Sunday night.

“For our fans, theyâ€ve been waiting a long time for this moment and weâ€re here to give it to them. Weâ€re here to fight for a World Series,†Suárez said.

Raleigh, a switch-hitting catcher who led the major leagues with 60 home runs during the regular season, was hitting right-handed for the first time in the series when he led off the eighth by pulling a 2-0 sinker from loser Brendon Little.

“I came in and really couldnâ€t have pitched worse,†Little said.

The 348-foot drive rose 155 feet above the field on a high arc and had a 6.7-second hang time before it dropped over the left field wall at T-Mobile Park.

“It felt like Calâ€s ball was in the air for like an hour,†Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Raleighâ€s fourth homer of the postseason tied the score 2-2.

“Obviously it was really high, so you never know in this building,†Raleigh said. “Luckily today the roofâ€s closed.â€

Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor walked, and Seranthony Domínguez relieved and hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch.

Suárez fouled off a 2-2 fastball, then hit an opposite-field drive to right, and the ball landed several rows into the seats for his fourth slam this season.

“Obviously, this is the biggest home run of my career,†Suárez said.

Suárez, who had put Seattle ahead in the second against Kevin Gausman, entered the game in a 6-for-50 slump. He was reacquired from Arizona at the trade deadline, finished the regular season with 49 homers and has three in the playoffs.

“Iâ€ve been waiting for this for a long time,†Suárez said. “Itâ€s been a while (since) Iâ€ve had a game like this today. It was awesome being able to hit that grand slam there to give the win to my team, to the fans. Theyâ€ve been here supporting us all year long.â€

Seattleâ€s Bryce Miller was pitching shutout ball when he was removed after allowing Addison Bargerâ€s leadoff single in the fifth, and George Springer hit an RBI double off Matt Brash.

Springer left in the seventh when he was hit on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph sinker from Bryan Woo.

“Heâ€s got a right knee contusion. He had X-rays, which were negative, which is a good thing.,†Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “George is about as tough as they come. I think heâ€ll have to really, really be hurting to not be in the lineup on Sunday.â€

Pitching for the first time since Sept. 19 after recovering from pectoral tightness, Woo allowed Ernie Clementâ€s go-ahead single in the sixth.

Gabe Speier got the win with a perfect, nine-pitch eighth inning. Toronto wasted many chances, going 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Raleigh turned only the second 2-3 grounded double into play in postseason history when Clement tapped the ball onto the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth inning. Raleigh grabbed the ball with a foot on the plate for a forceout, then threw to first.

The prior 2-3 DP in Game 2 of the 2000 ALCS was turned by Wilson with the New York Yankees†Bernie Williams at the plate.

“Thatâ€s what heâ€s done all season long,†Wilson said of Raleigh, “both sides of the ball.â€

Up next

Rookie RHP Trey Yesavage, who started Game 2 of both the AL Division Series, will start for the Blue Jays in Game 6. The Mariners scored five runs off the 22-year-old on Monday.

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SEATTLE — Logan Gilbert didnâ€t want to get greedy.

The Mariners had the bases loaded in a 2-2 game in the bottom of the eighth inning of ALCS Game 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. The right-hander was standing in the dugout as a nervous spectator, just like the 46,758 fans surrounding him in the seats and concourses at T-Mobile Park.

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Minutes earlier, Cal Raleigh had rejuvenated the home crowd with a roof-scraping, stadium-rattling, game-tying solo home run to left field after seven agonizing innings of minimal offensive output. The rally continued after Raleighâ€s blast, with Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor drawing walks against Toronto reliever Brendon Little and Randy Arozarena wearing a 98-mph fastball off the elbow from Seranthony Domínguez for a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

Up to the plate walked Eugenio Suárez, the lovable slugger who returned to Seattle in a serendipitous trade-deadline swap, still seeking his signature moment in this postseason.

By the time Suárez settled in for his showdown against Domínguez, Gilbert had been joined in the dugout by rotation-mate Bryce Miller, who started Game 5 on the mound, tossing four solid innings to set an encouraging tone for Seattle. Miller was in the clubhouse handling his post-outing arm care during Raleighâ€s home run, but he rushed out to get a better view as the eighth-inning rally started to build.

“I just ran outside, and next thing you know, bases are loaded, and Geno’s up,†Miller said afterward.

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Domínguez attacked Suárez with fastballs and sweepers, with Suárez fouling off one of each to stay alive in the high-stakes at-bat. In a 2-2 count, Gilbert turned to Miller with a humble plea.

“Logan actually told me, ‘Hey, all I’m asking for right here is a home run — nothing too much,â€â€ Miller recounted.

With the crowd eagerly and desperately awaiting a resolution that could break the tie, Domínguez unleashed a 98.5-mph fastball over the heart of the plate. Suárez delivered his thunderous, right-handed cut that has sent so many baseballs over fences during the course of his 12-year career.

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“And next pitch,†Miller said, “home run.â€

Suárez connected with precision, sending Domínguez’s heater soaring toward the right-field seats. He exited the batterâ€s box calmly and started walking toward first base while holding his bat with two hands, patiently observing the trajectory of the most important batted ball of his life.

Three seconds later, that ball crash-landed into the crowd for a series-altering grand slam and a 6-2 lead that the Mariners would not relinquish.

After Raleighâ€s solo shot had taken the volume in the venue to ear-splitting heights, Suárez’s grand slam achieved seemingly supersonic levels. And with that, Gilbertâ€s wish had been granted.

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“It started as a request,†he told Yahoo Sports postgame. “But we can say that I called it.â€

As Suárez spent his well-earned time rounding the bases, several teammates spilled out of the dugout, unable to contain their excitement about what their beloved teammate had just done. For all Suárez brings to the table as a player, his unwavering positivity and steady leadership rooted in an overabundance of good vibes make him nearly everybodyâ€s favorite teammate, someone whose success is celebrated tenfold because of his impact on the entire roster.

That singular clubhouse presence, which Seattle was familiar with from Suárez’s time with the team in 2022 and ‘23, combined with the massive right-handed power he showcased in Game 5 is what made him such an obvious target for Seattle at the trade deadline. And though Suárez had gone through some considerably cold stretches since returning to the Mariners, the veteran third baseman remained predictably upbeat and continued to work hard, with the belief that his time in October would come.

“I think everybody was thinking what could happen, but the chances of it actually happening in that moment is probably not super high,†Gilbert said. “And then, of course, it happens. Geno’s been so clutch, and so many home runs, so if anybody was going to do it, I feel like it’s him.â€

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“He’s done that for 10 years — that same exact swing,†catcher Mitch Garver said.

It was a swing that not only gave the Mariners the lead but also single-handedly transformed the tenor of a series that had been decidedly in Torontoâ€s favor since the action shifted to Seattle for Game 3. For the majority of the 25 innings played at T-Mobile Park before the Mariners†eighth-inning breakthrough, the good vibes Suárez so passionately preaches were absolutely nowhere to be found.

The Mariners had returned home with a 2-0 lead in the series having flatly dominated the Blue Jays on their home turf, setting the stage for the possibility of clinching the franchiseâ€s first trip to the World Series in front of a fan base that had waited nearly a half-century for such a moment. But Toronto arrived in Seattle intent on reversing the tide and followed through with downright dominant victories in Games 3 and 4. And for the first seven innings of Game 5, a similar story was being written, putting the Mariners in danger of dropping all three home games and letting a golden opportunity turn into an embarrassing and season-threatening series deficit.

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For the third straight night, the Mariners had opened the scoring with a home run, this time on a Suárez solo shot in the second inning. But once again, the bats went ice-cold after that initial blast, allowing Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman to settle in and a relentless Toronto lineup to scratch across a couple of runs and pull ahead 2-1.

Torontoâ€s seizing of the lead was a particular gut punch for Mariners fans, considering who was on the mound when it occurred: All-Star starter Bryan Woo, making his postseason debut at long last as he builds back up from the right pectoral injury that kept him off the ALDS roster. Woo surrendered the double and single that gave Toronto a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

But unlike the previous two nights, when the Blue Jays†offense exploded to put the game out of reach, just one run was the difference as the later innings of Game 5 arrived — a deficit that could be eliminated with one swing. And for as unproductive as the Mariners†lineup had been, it still featured multiple hitters capable of sending one out of the yard when needed. Sure enough, the MVP candidate who just spent the summer smashing home run records and the veteran slugger who has been sending souvenirs into seats for over a decade accessed their power at the perfect time, producing two of the most memorable long balls in the history of the Mariners franchise.

“I have a good amount of beautiful moments in my career, but today is something else,†a beaming Suárez said postgame as he sat at the podium with his daughters, Nicolle and Melanie.

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“Hitting that grand slam and helping my team win games in the postseason, in a big game here in front of our fans … They have been waiting for a long time, and myself, too. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole career.â€

Said Raleigh: “The fans and the stadium, they were waiting 26 innings for something like that. Obviously, it didn’t deliver the first two games. But when those moments happen, they just exploded.â€

Thanks to those two titanic swings from Raleigh and Suárez — and an efficient 1-2-3 ninth thrown by closer Andrés Muñoz, who was finally given a lead at home to lock down — what was trending toward one of the most disappointing three days in the history of Seattle sports transformed into one inning of unfettered jubilation that will be remembered in the Pacific Northwest for generations to come.

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By securing the victory in Game 5, the Mariners have arrived at an entirely unfamiliar juncture for the franchise. Just one win separates Seattle from its first World Series berth and the erasure of a longstanding, not-so-fun fact regarding the franchiseâ€s status as the only big-league ballclub to never appear in the Fall Classic.

The team will now travel back to Toronto, where Game 6 on Sunday represents its first of two chances to punch a ticket to the unexplored final stage of baseballâ€s October tournament.

“They came here last night for this type of game, and I’ve been waiting for this,†Suárez said. “I just feel so grateful right now and feel so good because we’re going to Toronto with an opportunity in front of us to go to a World Series.â€

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  Buster OlneyOct 17, 2025, 09:22 PM ET

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  • Senior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com
  • Analyst/reporter ESPN television
  • Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”

SEATTLE — Eugenio and Genesis Suárez, husband and wife, had long envisioned a moment like the one he experienced here Friday evening, when his dramatic grand slam moved the Seattle Mariners within one victory of winning the AL Championship Series.

With Seattle trailing the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Cal Raleigh tied the score with a solo home run, and then four batters later, Suárez blasted a bases-loaded shot over the right-field wall — his second homer of the game — to help the Mariners win 6-2 in Game 5 of the ALCS.

Seattle has a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series that moves back to Toronto for Game 6 and, if necessary, Game 7.

On Sunday, rookie Trey Yesavage starts the must-win Game 6 for Toronto.

“We still have home-field advantage,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “As cool of an environment it is to play here, I know that our fans are going to be ready for us to get home on Sunday. I’ve said it all along. It’s a seven-game series, and we did our job coming in here taking two out of three, and we’re going to go home and we’re going to definitely be ready to play.

“All we can do is enjoy the flight back to Toronto, enjoy our beds at our homes and our families, and we’re going to get after it on Sunday. … We’ll get after it on Sunday. We’ll be ready to play. I wouldn’t have it any other way with this group. Our backs are going to be against the wall, great. We don’t give a s—. … It’s going to be fun, and I hope these guys are ready for it.”

This is Suárez’s 12th year in the majors and, afterward, he explained that he and his wife had prayed for a moment like this, when all parts of his life would collide, professional and personal, success and joy and family, melded together.

“I’ve been waiting for games like this my whole career,” Suárez said. “Today, I had it. Today, I had it in front of our crowd, in front of my family, my two daughters, my wife, and the moment is very special right now.”

Eugenio Suárez on putting Seattle on the verge of its first World Series appearance with a late, go-ahead grand slam: “This is the biggest home run of my career.” AP Photo/David J. Phillip

It was unexpected, based on what occurred in recent days and in the early innings of this game. The Jays had blown out the Mariners in Games 3 and 4, and then in Game 5, Toronto took a 2-1 lead when Ernie Clement singled home Alejandro Kirk in the sixth inning. Schneider placed that lead in the hands of left-hander Brendon Little in the eighth inning, continuing to throw different relievers at different parts of the Seattle lineup, rather than allowing the Mariners’ best hitters get accustomed to the same relievers day after day.

But Raleigh, batting right-handed, clubbed a high fly ball to left — it felt like the ball was in the air for an hour, Mariners manager Dan Wilson said later — and after reaching an apex of 155 feet, it dropped into the stands. Tie game.

Raleigh and Suárez were the only stable parts in a lineup that had been altered before this game, with Wilson moving Julio Rodriguez to the leadoff spot and Josh Naylor to cleanup, dropping Randy Arozarena to the fifth spot. But for Little, the sequence of hitters didn’t really matter; he just couldn’t throw strikes.

He walked Jorge Polanco, and Naylor. Seranthony Dominguez replaced him, and hit Arozarena with a pitch, loading the bases for Suárez, who had hit a solo homer in the second inning.

Suárez played for the Mariners in 2022 and 2023 and in that time, his Seattle teammates came to appreciate his relentless good nature and his positive personality. On the July day that Seattle reacquired him from the Diamondbacks, he happened to be passing through the same Sacramento airport as the Mariners — Seattle had just finished a series against the Athletics, and the Diamondbacks were just arriving. The Mariners’ charter held for Suárez and his family to collect their things at baggage claim, and as the Suárez clan boarded the Seattle express, the players cheered happily.

Suárez didn’t hit especially well in his 53 regular-season games with the Mariners, batting .189 with 13 homers, struggles that continued into this postseason; he had a .162 average for October going into Game 5. In pregame work throughout this slump, Suárez had focused on driving the ball through the middle of the field, but without results.

Dominguez threw three straight sweepers, trying to get Suárez to hack at something outside of the strike zone; Suárez took one for a strike, fouled off another. When Dominguez fired a 97 mph fastball, Suárez fouled it off. The count was 2-2.

Bryce Miller had been in the clubhouse when Raleigh tied the score with his home run, and returned to the dugout, where he was standing next to Logan Gilbert as they watched Suárez’s at-bat. “Hey,” Gilbert said dryly to Miller, “all I’m asking for is a home run.”

Dominguez’s next pitch was 98 miles mph, on the outer third of the plate, and Suárez leaned into his swing, aiming to take the ball to right field. Contact. The Jays’ Nathan Lukes ran back to the warning track, head tilted upward to track the fly and then peeled off; there was nothing he could do. The home run landed three rows into the stands, and there was nothing Barger could do.

Suárez lifted both hands toward the sky, as if to accept a gift, and jogged slowly around the bases. T-Mobile Park, Wilson said later, was as loud as he had ever heard it. Rodriguez ran onto the field, briefly forgetting where he was and what he needed to do; when he regained some equilibrium, he raced back to the dugout, grabbed the Mariners’ trident and handed it to Suárez, who hoisted it into the air and yelled, sharing the moment with the crowd.

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Not long after the Mariners’ closed out the Game 5 victory, Suárez slipped into a side door of the interview room with his two young daughters, Nicolle and Melanie, guiding with a hand on the shoulder of each. They had flown in from Florida late Thursday night, arriving at 1 a.m., and now they were with him as he met spoke with the media.

A reporter asked the girls what was the best thing about their Dad. Nicolle spoke up. “Doing the home run,” she said.

On this day, two home runs. The girls are flying back to Miami on a redeye tonight, Eugenio said as he walked out of the interview room, because Nicolle has a presentation in school Monday, while Eugenio is headed to Toronto. That is where the Mariners need one more win to reach the World Series for the first time in the history of the franchise.

“I just feel so grateful right now,” Suárez said, “and feel so good because we’re going to Toronto with an opportunity in front of us to go to a World Series.”

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With the bases loaded, Eugenio Suárez’s grand slam in the eighth sealed it for the Seattle Mariners, lifting them to a 6-2 win Friday and a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series.

Seattle jumped out to a 2-0 series lead on the road before Toronto battled back to even the series on Thursday.

The Mariners regained the advantage when Cal Raleigh hit a clutch home run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game, setting the stage for Suárez’s grand slam to seal the win.

Suárez went 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBIs, while Raleigh added a RBI on a solo homer, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate.

Mariners ace Bryce Miller got the start, striking out four while allowing four hits, two walks and one earned run over four innings.

Fans erupted over Suárez’s grand slam that secured the Mariners’ series lead.

Suárez put the Mariners on the board with a 396-foot home run in the second inning, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead over the Blue Jays.

In the top of the fifth, a double from Blue Jays’ George Springer brought home Addison Barger from second to even the score at 1-1.

Alejandro Kirk followed with a double in the sixth, setting up a RBI from Ernie Clement that gave the Blue Jays their first lead of the game, 2-1.

Raleigh delivered the game-tying home run in the eighth, a deep shot that just cleared the wall to even the score at two. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Suárez launched an opposite-field grand slam to send the crowd into a frenzy and give Seattle a 6-2 lead and the win.Â

While the Mariners and Blue Jays battle in the ALCS, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers are facing off in the National League Championship Series to determine who advances to the World Series.

Los Angeles currently leads that series 3-0 and will look to complete the sweep Friday night.

The series between the Mariners and Blue Jays will shift back to Toronto for a decisive Game 6 on Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET.

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Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Japan Open before Friday’s quarter-final because of a leg injury sustained in the second round.

The former world number one held back tears and needed painkillers to come through a three-set last-16 win over defending champion Suzan Lamens on Wednesday.

Top seed Osaka, who completed the match with strapping on her left thigh, was due to face Jaqueline Cristian in the last eight but the Romanian will instead progress to the semi-finals.

The Japan Open made the announcement on X, saying: “We regret to announce that Naomi Osaka has not recovered from a left leg injury sustained during the second round of this tournament and has withdrawn from the quarter-finals scheduled for today.”

It is not yet known whether Osaka will play in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo later this month.

The four-time Grand Slam champion is the latest high-profile player to suffer late-season injury issues.

In September, Iga Swiatek complained the season is “too long and too intense” following a string of injuries among players at the China Open.

British number one Emma Raducanu called time on her season on Thursday after retiring from her two previous matches with illness.

Australia’s Daria Kasatkina, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Spain’s Paula Badosa also ended their seasons early in recent weeks.

Across two tournaments in China last week, five players retired injured.

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MILWAUKEE — Max Muncy was inches away from hitting a grand slam for the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the scoring in the National League Championship Series.

Little did he know his 404-foot drive instead would end the top of the fourth inning in one of the most incredible plays of this or any postseason.

“Itâ€s definitely the worst fielderâ€s choice/double play Iâ€ve ever hit in my life,†Muncy said after the Dodgers†2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1.

Hereâ€s how Muncyâ€s potential grand slam turned into an unusual 8-6-2 double play:

With the bases loaded and one out, Muncy hit a long drive to center field, where Sal Frelick jumped and reached over the wall in an attempt to make the catch.

The ball popped out of Frelickâ€s glove and hit the top of the fence before Frelick caught it in the air. Muncy wasnâ€t ruled out because the ball hit the wall — but the Dodgers†runners scrambled back to their bases thinking the ball was caught on a fly.

“I didnâ€t see it hit the wall,†said Will Smith, who was on second base. “I just thought he kind of brought it back in and caught it.â€

Frelick fired to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who quickly relayed a strike to catcher William Contreras. Aware a force was still in effect, Contreras alertly stretched for the throw with his right foot on home plate, rather than position himself for a tag that would have been necessary if the ball hadnâ€t hit the wall.

Contreras caught the ball before Teoscar Hernández slid across the plate, forcing out Hernández after he had hesitated at third base.

“Teo knows the rule. I think right there he had just a little bit of a brain fart, appreciating that when it does hit the glove, you can tag (up) there,†Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But then he tagged, did it correctly, then saw he didnâ€t catch it, (and) he went back. That was the mistake. But he owned it. And after that, thereâ€s nothing else you can do about it.â€

After the force out at home plate, Contreras smartly got up and jogged to third to force out Smith, too.

Smith had gone back to second when he thought Frelick made a clean catch.

“From home plate, I had a pretty good view of it,†Contreras said through an interpreter. “I could tell pretty much right away it hit off the wall. Right away once it hits off the wall, you know that ball is played live. Tremendous job by the guys there just doing what we needed to do to finish that play off.â€

As all of it was developing, Frelick had his arms out with a quizzical look on his face, wondering what exactly had just happened — not unlike many fans.

The Dodgers challenged the call, but a replay review confirmed the force outs at home and third for a most unusual inning-ending 8-6-2 double play.

Umpires called it correctly in real time all the way through the play.

“Honestly, I didnâ€t know they ruled it a no-catch,†Roberts said. “I just wanted clarity on the whole situation. And then kind of making sure that they got a couple of force outs, which they did. And ultimately, those guys and replay, the guys on the field got it right. They nailed it.â€

At 404 feet, it was the second-longest projected distance on a batted ball resulting in a double play since Statcast tracking began in 2015 — regular-season games included. For Muncy, it goes down as a grounded-into-double play, even though the ball didnâ€t touch the ground.

There had not been an 8-6-2 double play in the postseason over the last 35 years, the Elias Sports Bureau said. Those type of official scoring details are not always clear in records going back any further.

The most recent 8-6-2 double play in the regular season involved a ball hit by Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa to Cincinnati center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. in April 2004 — though that one ended with a tag at the plate.

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PASADENA, Calif. — NBA great Magic Johnson will preside over the 137th Rose Parade as grand marshal next year.

The 66-year-old retired Los Angeles Lakers superstar will ride down Colorado Boulevard as part of the 5½-mile route on Jan. 1.

“I’m going to be waving like crazy to all the great fans,” Johnson told the crowd gathered Wednesday on the lawn at Tournament House in Pasadena. “The Rose Parade is watched even more than the football game. Wow, a lot of pressure.”

He’ll be part of the coin flip for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the 112th Rose Bowl game later that day. “I’m a big football fan, too,” he said.

Tournament of Roses president Mark Leavens announced Johnson for the 2026 parade, which has a theme of “The Magic in Teamwork.”

Johnson said he grew up “a poor kid” in Lansing, Michigan, and recalled turning on the TV on New Year’s Day to see who the grand marshal was.

“Who would ever think I would be grand marshal?” he said. “I’m glad my mother is still alive that she can witness this special day coming up on New Year’s Day. This is a true blessing for me.”

Johnson said he’s excited to share the experience with his children and grandchildren.

“I think I’ll be kind of cool in their eyes,” he said. “They didn’t watch me play basketball, but they’ll be able to see me in that car.”

He follows in the footsteps of Hall of Fame tennis star Billie Jean King, this year’s grand marshal, as part owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers to preside over the parade. He also has ownership interests in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club, the NFL’s Washington Commanders and the NWSL’s Washington Spirit.

Johnson was a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, three-time league MVP, and won a gold medal as part of Team USA’s “Dream Team” at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Earlier this year, Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

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Amateur players will have the chance to win a million-dollar prize when they face tennis’ top professionals – including Carlos Alcaraz – in a single-point showdown before January’s Australian Open.

Organisers of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament announced the ‘Million Dollar One Point Slam’ on Tuesday, which will pit 10 amateur players against 22 professionals.

Headlined by Spain’s world number one Alcaraz, the winner of the event will take home one million Australian dollars (£490,360).

For context, players that reached the semi-finals of the men’s or women’s singles main draw in the 2025 Australian Open won A$1.1m (£539,500).

Players will play ‘rock, paper, scissors’ to determine who serves or receives.

Whoever wins the point also wins the match and progresses to the next round, with the final to be played on Rod Laver Arena.

It follows the US Open’s decision to stage a revamped, stand-alone mixed doubles tournament in August which encouraged top singles players to participate, with the winners receiving $1m (£736,880).

The Australian Open held its inaugural ‘One Point Slam’ event earlier this year, but the prize fund was considerably lower at A$60,000 (£29,400).

Australian professional Omar Jasika won the tournament, which pitted 16 amateurs – eight men and eight women – against 16 professionals.

The amateurs were aged between 15 and 72 in the inaugural edition.

A coin toss was used to determine who served rather than ‘rock, paper and scissors’, while the professionals were only allowed to serve once and the amateur players could serve twice – as is the norm in traditional tennis.

Eight amateurs will qualify through events in each state and territory for the 2026 tournament, while an extra two spots will be up for grabs during the opening week, which starts on Monday, 12 January.

“I can reveal today that world number one Carlos Alcaraz will headline the pro player line-up in the Million Dollar One Point Slam,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tilley said.

“Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Entries will open soon at clubs across the country, and during opening week, finalists will compete for a chance to face the pros on Rod Laver Arena.”

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Draper was modelling next summer’s collection for one of his sponsors last week and has been working out regularly at the National Tennis Centre in London this week.

The work is primarily physical at the moment, and when pre-season training begins in earnest later this month, the initial on-court drills are likely to be low in intensity.

The British number one first felt discomfort in his upper left serving arm during the clay court season in the spring, and following a scan after Wimbledon, did not hit any serves for a month.

But the period of rest proved insufficient. He won his first-round match at the US Open, but withdrew before the second, and the opportunity to make his debut at the season ending ATP Finals was gone.

â€He’s top 10 and he played half of the year. Just to say how good he is…†Mouratoglou added.

“His only problem for the moment is the injuries: he has been through several injuries already in the past.

“I always thought he was going to be a top player, but for every player that is supposed to become a top player, there are things to solve.

“For him, it’s to find a way to be injury free as much as possible because that’s what made him lose a little bit of time otherwise he would be higher [in the rankings], I think.”

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Over the weekend, Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) hosted its Pro Wrestling Grand Prix series in Oberhausen, Germany — their second biggest weekend of the year after 16 Carat Gold. The weekend featured the finals of three major tournaments, saw two championships change hands, and included several announcements for the 2026 edition of the 16 Carat Gold tournament.

Grand Prix Tournament Summaries

König der Catcher (King of Wrestlers)

The “König der Catcher” tournament, a round-robin competition held as a tribute to the late Karsten Beck, was won by Ahura. Beck, who won wXwâ€s last major fall round-robin tournament in 2013, passed away from a brain tumor in 2020. Ahura went undefeated in his block to proceed to the final.

• Final: Ahura defeated the winner of Block A, Elijah Blum, in the main of Night 4 of the Grand Prix
• Block A Standings: Elijah Blum advanced with 4 points, followed by Bobby Gunns and Marius Al-Ani with 3 points each and LaBron Kozone with 2 points
• Block B Standings: Ahura dominated with a perfect 6 points, followed by Joseph Fenech Jr. and Adam Priest with 2 points each. Hektor Invictus and Dennis Dullnig scored 0 points.

Femmes Fatales 2025 Tournament

Safire Reed emerged as the winner of the womenâ€s tournament.

• Final: Safire Reed defeated Anita Vaughan (her tag team partner in Hyperactive)
• Semifinals:
  • Safire Reed beat Leyla Hirsch
  • Anita Vaughan was victorious over Orsi
• Quarterfinals:
  • Leyla Hirsch defeated Baby Allison
  • Orsi beat B3CCA
  • Safire Reed defeated Stephanie Maze
  • Anita Vaughan was victorious over Emersyn Jayne

World Tag Team Tournament

The Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones) from the UK won the tournament. Although they lost in the final, The Grind (Laurance Roman & Nick Schreier) likely earned a future title opportunity by defeating reigning wXw World Tag Team Champions Planet Gojirah in the semifinals.

• Final: The Greedy Souls defeated The Grind
• Semifinals:
  • The Grind advanced by defeating Planet Gojirah (Marc Empire & Robert Dreissker)
  • Greedy Souls beat Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku)
• Quarterfinals:
  • Planet Gojirah defeated Hype Dawgs (Kuro & Mecca)
  • Violence Is Forever were victorious over The Gulyas Bros (Atilla Gulyas & Vilmos Gulyas)
  • The Grind beat KxS (Axel Tischer & Fast Time Moodo)
  • Greedy Souls defeated Dragon Dia & Dragon Kid

Title Changes

Two championships changed hands during the weekend:

• wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: Peter Tihanyi recaptured the championship he never lost by defeating 1 Called Manders. Tihanyi had been sidelined with a shoulder injury since February and recently returned as the #30 entrant of the Shortcut to the Top battle royal, which he won and earned the title shot in the process.
• wXw Shotgun Title: In a no holds barred match, Dennis “Cash†Dullnig became the new champion after defeating former tag team partner Hektor Invictus.

16 Carat Gold 2026 Announcements

wXw also began announcing participants for its marquee 16 Carat Gold tournament 2which will take place from March 6-8, 2026. Tickets for the event are now on sale. The first three entrants are:

• YAMATO (Dragon Gate)
• Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls, first ever female Japanese entrant)
• Arez (El Clon in AEW)

Other Major Matches & Events

• The weekend kicked off Thursday with wXw Inner Circle 18 at the wXw Academy in Gelsenkirchen. In the main event, Adam Priest defeated one-half of the wXw World Tag Team Champions, Robert Dreissker. Also on the show, future tournament finalists Laurance Roman and Elijah Blum scored singles victories.
• At Pro Wrestling Grand Prix – Show 2, special guest stars from Japan Los Tranquilos de Japon (BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito) defeated the team of Metehan & Rambo.
• The wXw Extreme Wrestling Party show featured a three-way fans bring the weapons match won by Iceman and a Four Corners Of Pain intergender match where Emersyn Jayne defeated Norman Harras.

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