MIAMI: The Miami Marlins had tried almost everything to stop the bleeding. Nothing seemed to work.

Then, on Monday night, they found the most dramatic solution of all — a ninth-inning comeback against one of baseball’s best teams.

The Marlins snapped a franchise-record 12-game losing streak with an unforgettable 8-7 walk-off victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at loanDepot park, rallying from a three-run deficit in the final inning to turn what looked like another painful loss into a night of celebration.

And they did it against two of Philadelphia’s biggest weapons.

First, Miami chased Zack Wheeler after just three innings, tagging the Phillies ace for five runs. Wheeler had entered the game with a 5-0 record and a 2.87 ERA across his previous 10 starts against Miami dating back to 2022.

That streak ended abruptly.

But Miami’s problems were far from over.

The Marlins built a three-run advantage, only to watch it disappear as Philadelphia fought back. With the game heading into the ninth, Miami trailed 7-5 and appeared to be staring at another narrow defeat — the kind that had become painfully familiar during a 12-game skid in which the club scored only 30 runs.

Then came the comeback.

Jakob Marsee and Otto Lopez opened the ninth with consecutive singles before Kyle Stowers was hit by a pitch from All-Star closer Jhoan Duran.

Suddenly, the Marlins had the bases loaded with nobody out.

Up stepped Heriberto Hernández, who had already made his presence felt earlier in the game by hitting his team-leading 15th home run off Wheeler.

Hernández delivered again.

His single through the middle brought home two runs and tied the game at 7-7.

For a team that had spent nearly two weeks searching for answers, the momentum was suddenly unmistakable.

Miami loaded the bases once more after Xavier Edwards reached on a bunt single. Liam Hicks then hit into a force play at home, keeping the game alive.

That left the stage for Griffin Conine.

With two strikes, Conine lined a knuckle-curve past Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott, sending the ball into the outfield and bringing home the winning run.

The Marlins had done it.

After 12 straight defeats, Miami finally had a victory.

For Conine, the moment was even more special. It was the first walk-off hit of his Major League career, and according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became just the fifth player since 2000 to record a walk-off hit for a team where his father had also delivered a walk-off hit.

The victory moved Miami’s record to 53-54 and kept the club’s postseason hopes alive. Just weeks earlier, the Marlins had been tied with Philadelphia for a National League Wild Card position. The 12-game skid sent them tumbling out of the playoff picture, but Monday’s comeback pulled them back to within two games of the third Wild Card spot.

Conine described the atmosphere as something resembling a postseason game.

“I think beating a good team like that, coming from behind in the ninth, like that’s a playoff-type game right there,” he said.

It was exactly the kind of win Miami desperately needed.

The Marlins’ losing streak had been especially frustrating because so many of the games had been close. The club averaged just 2.5 runs per game during the skid, and all but one of the 12 losses were decided by three runs or fewer.

Manager Clayton McCullough had repeatedly stressed that the turnaround would require contributions from the entire roster.

On Monday, he finally got them.

The pitching staff did its part, too. Right-hander Tyler Phillips limited Philadelphia to two runs over five innings, with Bryce Harper providing the Phillies’ only home run against him.

Phillips, who had previously allowed eight runs against his former team in June, even changed his routine in an attempt to bring some good fortune. He returned to the dugout for the seventh inning and turned his cap inside out — a rally trick he remembered from childhood.

The Marlins had already tried plenty of unusual methods during their losing streak, including bringing out a Jobu bobblehead inspired by the movie Major League.

This time, the baseball gods finally appeared to be listening.

The comeback also provided an emotional release for a clubhouse that had endured nearly two weeks of frustration.

Hernández admitted that the players had been asking themselves difficult questions during the skid.

“What was going on? What are we not doing?” he recalled.

On Monday, however, Miami found the answer: keep fighting.

The Marlins still have plenty of work ahead if they want to return to the postseason race. One win does not erase a 12-game losing streak, and the team remains below .500.

But the way this victory unfolded could prove far more valuable than a single mark in the win column.

They beat a team with championship ambitions.

They knocked out a Cy Young contender early.

They rallied against an All-Star closer.

And they won the game with three runs in the ninth inning.

After everything Miami had endured, there was perhaps no better way to finally end the skid.

As Phillips put it after the game, it was only one victory.

But for the Marlins, it was a very big one.

WEST SACRAMENTO: Sometimes, a home run does not look like a home run when it leaves the bat. For Ceddanne Rafaela, however, the ball had already become the biggest hit of his Major League career by the time it finally cleared the wall.

Rafaela smashed the first grand slam of his career in the sixth inning, turning a tight game on its head and giving the Boston Red Sox a 4-2 victory over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. The result extended Boston’s remarkable run to 10 consecutive road victories.

The 29-year-old’s breakthrough moment was anything but routine. After connecting with a 2-0 slider from left-handed reliever José Suarez, Rafaela initially believed the ball would be caught. Athletics left fielder Colby Thomas appeared to have a chance, but the ball carried farther than expected, with Thomas’ glove only managing to tip it over the fence.

Rafaela’s reaction said it all.

“I thought it was a flyout,” he admitted after the game, explaining that he did not feel he had made particularly strong contact.

But as the ball continued to travel, Rafaela could only hope.

“Go ball, please,” he recalled thinking.

The ball went.

And with it went the momentum of the game.

Boston had been held without a hit through the first five innings and trailed 1-0. Everything changed in the sixth. Connor Wong opened the inning with a double, while Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu later drew walks to load the bases with two outs.

That brought Rafaela to the plate.

One swing later, the Red Sox had transformed a one-run deficit into a 4-1 advantage.

For Rafaela, the grand slam was the latest chapter in a growing reputation for producing in important situations. Entering the game, he had been a career .355 hitter with the bases loaded, posting an .827 OPS in those situations. The one thing missing from his résumé was a grand slam.

That box was finally checked.

“I want to be in those positions to help my team out,” Rafaela said. “I always want to be in those kind of situations.”

The victory also highlighted just how dramatically Boston’s season has changed.

The Red Sox began the campaign with a disappointing 32-46 record. Since June 25, however, the team has surged to 23-4, including a perfect 10-0 on the road during that stretch.

It is the kind of turnaround that can completely change the mood inside a clubhouse.

Left-hander Payton Tolle, who earned the win, summed up the atmosphere after Rafaela’s shot.

“Go, go, go, go! Keep going, keep going,” Tolle said, describing the reaction from the dugout as everyone watched the ball carry toward the fence.

Rafaela’s contribution was even more significant because he entered the night with a changed role in the batting order. Interim manager Chad Tracy moved him from second to fifth following the arrival of Curtis Mead, who made his Boston debut before leaving the game with a left wrist contusion.

With Mead, Abreu and Contreras potentially providing more opportunities in front of him, Rafaela could find himself in even more run-producing situations.

The change may also give him greater freedom on the basepaths. Rafaela already has 13 stolen bases this season, and Tracy pointed to that speed as another reason behind the lineup adjustment.

For now, though, Rafaela’s biggest moment came with his bat.

According to Statcast, his 11th home run of the season carried a 40-degree launch angle and stayed in the air for 5.9 seconds. The numbers may not have suggested a guaranteed home run when the ball left his bat, but Sutter Health Park proved once again that appearances can be deceiving.

Boston still had to survive some tense moments. The team was not flawless defensively, and the Athletics threatened to make things interesting. But the Red Sox held on to complete another road victory and continue their extraordinary midseason surge.

For a team that once looked buried at 32-46, Boston is suddenly playing with the confidence of a contender.

And at the center of the latest win was Rafaela, who finally got the moment he had been waiting for throughout his professional career.

His first Major League grand slam did not come with a dramatic bat flip. Instead, there was a simple swing, a little uncertainty and one desperate thought as the ball sailed into the night:

“Go ball, please.”

This time, the ball listened.

The Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea has begun with an emphatic statement.

Chelsea opened their pre-season campaign with a convincing victory over Western Sydney Wanderers at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, with Joao Pedro stealing the spotlight by scoring a sensational hat-trick.

For Alonso, the match represented the beginning of a new chapter after taking charge of the London club earlier this summer. The former Real Madrid boss has been brought in with the difficult task of rebuilding confidence at Stamford Bridge following a turbulent 2025/26 campaign.

And while a pre-season result should never be taken as a definitive measure of what lies ahead, the performance offered Chelsea supporters plenty to be excited about.

Joao Pedro steals the show

The biggest headline from Chelsea’s opening pre-season fixture was undoubtedly Joao Pedro.

The Brazilian forward found the net three times to complete his hat-trick, giving the new Chelsea coaching setup an ideal start to life on the touchline.

His performance was particularly significant as Alonso begins to assess the squad at his disposal. The Spanish coach will be looking closely at how his players adapt to his tactical ideas, especially with the new Premier League season approaching.

For Joao Pedro, meanwhile, a three-goal performance is exactly the kind of statement a player wants to make at the beginning of a new campaign.

Alonso begins Chelsea rebuild

The arrival of Xabi Alonso marks one of the biggest changes at Chelsea following a difficult season.

The club endured a disappointing 2025/26 campaign, finishing 10th in the Premier League after going through three managerial changes, including two separate spells for Callum McFarlane.

Chelsea’s decision to appoint Alonso reflects the club’s ambition to bring greater stability and a clear tactical identity to the team.

The former midfielder arrives with an impressive coaching reputation, having previously established himself as one of Europe’s most highly regarded young managers.

His first assignment is now to transform a Chelsea side that has struggled for consistency into a team capable of competing at the top end of English football.

New signings add to the excitement

Chelsea have also been busy in the transfer market.

The headline arrival is Morgan Rogers, who joined the club from Aston Villa in a reported record £117 million ($155.6 million) deal.

However, Rogers was not part of the squad in Australia. The winger remains on holiday following England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals and is expected to join his new teammates later in the summer.

His Chelsea debut could come closer to the start of the Premier League season, potentially in the club’s final pre-season fixture against Real Sociedad on August 15.

The Blues have also added Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda to their squad, among other summer arrivals.

With the transfer window still open, further changes are expected.

Welbeck and Henderson linked with Chelsea

Chelsea’s recruitment plans may not be finished yet.

Reports have linked the club with experienced Premier League figures Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.

The potential additions would bring a different kind of experience to a squad that has often relied heavily on young players.

Whether either deal materialises remains to be seen, but Chelsea’s interest suggests Alonso could have a squad that looks significantly different by the time the competitive season begins.

A tough summer for Western Sydney

For Western Sydney Wanderers, the pre-season fixture represented an opportunity to test themselves against one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

The Australian side, however, entered the contest after a difficult campaign of their own.

The Wanderers finished bottom of the A-League, ending the season five points behind Brisbane Roar, who finished second from bottom.

Facing Chelsea therefore provided a valuable test against high-level opposition as the club looks to regroup and prepare for a new campaign.

Chelsea supporters will want more

Chelsea’s victory will undoubtedly provide encouragement to supporters, but Alonso and his coaching staff will know that the real challenge lies ahead.

Pre-season matches are about much more than results. They are opportunities to test formations, assess players, introduce tactical concepts and build fitness.

For Alonso, the most important takeaway will be how quickly his squad responds to his methods.

Still, there is no denying that starting a new era with a hat-trick and a convincing victory is a welcome boost.

After a season that left Chelsea supporters frustrated, the club has now turned the page.

The Xabi Alonso era is officially underway—and if Joao Pedro’s opening performance is anything to go by, Chelsea’s new chapter could be worth watching closely.