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Wilyer Abreu's HR carries Venezuela into WBC semis over Japan

Baseball: World Baseball Classic Quarterfinal-Venezuela at JapanMar 14, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Japan designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (16) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against Venezuela in the first inning during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Wilyer Abreu hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning Saturday night for Venezuela, which eliminated defending champion Japan with an 8-5 win in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals in Miami.

Venezuela, the runner-up in Pool D with a 3-1 record, will face Italy in Monday night’s semifinal. Italy outlasted Puerto Rico 8-6 in Houston earlier Saturday.

The winner of Venezuela-Italy will advance to Tuesday’s championship game against the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Japan, which went 4-0 in Pool C play, was eliminated prior to the semifinals for the first time in six WBCs as its bid for a fourth title ended.

Abreu’s homer provided the biggest flourish in an entertaining game that began in historic fashion when Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani each homered leading off the first.

Acuna Jr., the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player, and Ohtani, the two-time defending NL MVP who also won two MVPs in the American League, are the first pair of former MVPs to lead off the same game with homers.

Gleyber Torres gave Venezuela the lead a second time with an RBI double in the second before Japan went ahead 5-2 in the third, when Teruaki Sato delivered a run-scoring double and Shota Morishita later followed with a three-run homer.

Morishita entered the game an inning earlier in place of Seiya Suzuki, who exited with a right knee injury after he was caught stealing in the first.

Venezuela began its comeback in the fifth, when Maikel Garcia hit a two-run homer. Ezequiel Tovar and Torres opened the sixth with singles against losing pitcher Hiromi Itoh before Abreu unleashed a wild celebration by hitting a 409-foot homer to right.

Tovar added an insurance run in the eighth when he scored from second when Atsuki Taneichi’s pickoff throw sailed into centerfield.

Enmanuel De Jesus, Venezuela’s third pitcher, earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball. Daniel Palancia notched the save by striking out two in a perfect ninth that ended with Ohtani popping out.

Ranger Suarez started and the game for Venezuela and gave up all five runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for Japan and allowed two runs in four innings.

–Field Level Media

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Macklin Celebrini, Sharks cool off Canadiens

NHL: San Jose Sharks at Montreal CanadiensMar 14, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) plays the puck against Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans (71) during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Macklin Celebrini had two goals and an assist as the San Jose Sharks held on for a 4-2 victory against the host Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Mario Ferraro scored, Colin Graf had a goal and two assists, and John Klingberg had two assists for the Sharks, who have won two straight. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves for his third win in four starts.

Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scored, and Noah Dobson had two assists for the Canadiens, who had won three straight games. Jakub Dobes made 17 saves.

Sharks forward Igor Chernyshov exited the game after the first shift of the first period with an apparent upper-body injury. He did not return.

Caufield put Montreal ahead 1-0 at 7:21 of the opening period. Sharks forward Kiefer Sherwood gave up the puck at the other end of the ice, and Juraj Slafkovsky set up Caufield with a cross-ice pass heading into the offensive zone.

Celebrini tied it 1-1 at 13:12 when Graf set him up with a no-look pass along the boards. Celebrini scored on a snap shot for his sixth goal in nine games after the Olympic break.

Celebrini appeared to score again at 1:07 of the second period, but the goal was successfully challenged for being offside.

Ferraro put San Jose ahead 2-1 at 11:56 with a snap shot through traffic. It was the veteran defenseman’s fifth goal of the season.

Graf made it 3-1 at 16:20 when he got a piece of Celebrini’s snapshot. Suzuki closed the deficit to 3-2 on his score with 2:22 left in the second period.

Celebrini scored into an empty net with 2:04 remaining in regulation for the 4-2 final.

–Field Level Media

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Orlando gets first win in first match with Martin Perelman as manager

MLS: CF Montreal at Orlando CityMar 14, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; CF Montreal midfielder Hennadiy Synchuk (18) takes a shot on goal in front of Orlando City defender Adrian Marin (3) during the first half at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Martin Ojeda scored the decisive goal in the 31st minute and Orlando City SC defeated visiting CF Montreal on Saturday night in Orlando’s first match since the departure of manager Oscar Pareja.

Duncan McGuire also scored early for Orlando (1-3-0, 3 points), which broke through three days after Pareja parted with the club by mutual consent three matches into the manager’s seventh season with the club. Martín Perelman is working as the interim manager.

Pareja guided the Lions to the MLS Cup Playoffs in all six of his previous campaigns after they failed to reach the postseason in any of their first five in MLS.

But before Saturday, Orlando had won only once in its last 14 matches dating back to last August.

Prince Owusu scored for the second time in as many games for Montreal (1-3-0, 3 points), which has two matches remaining in its extended, season-opening road trip.

The visitors outshot the hosts 22-16 but trailed 6-5 in efforts on target on a night the final score accurately reflected the quality of each side’s attacks.

Marco Pasalic helped create McGuire’s 19th-minute opening goal when he slalomed in from the right and unleashed a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area that deflected off multiple players in the box.

Ivan Angulo eventually reached the rebound and directed a low effort off the near left post. That rebound fell kindly to McGuire, who was able to tap it into an open net from close range.

Montreal leveled five minutes later on a straightforward goal from a corner kick.

Wiki Carmona, who scored twice in his side’s 3-0 win at the New York Red Bulls last week, served the ball to the back post where Owusu met it with a powerful header past goalkeeper Javier Otero from close range.

But Orlando went back in front following more promising play from Angulo. Initially, the wide man turned his defender at midfield, got down the left and then played a ball for McGuire further up the pitch.

The pass was slightly short, but Angulo followed the play and reached the loose ball following a defensive deflection, played a give-and-go with Pasalic into the left side of the penalty area, and then fed Ojeda for the finish from about 15 yards out.

–Field Level Media

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Sabres post shootout win in chippy affair with Maple Leafs

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo SabresMar 14, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) looks to make a save on Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Alex Tuch scored the decisive goal of a shootout Saturday night and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2.

The Sabres made two of their three shots in the shootout and the Maple Leafs misfired on both attempts.

Owen Power and Jack Quinn scored for the Sabres in regulation. Quinn also scored in the shootout for the Sabres, who have won nine of ten. Alex Lyon stopped 16 shots.

Dakota Joshua and Max Domi scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost nine of ten. Joseph Woll made 31 saves and was the prime reason the game went to overtime.

Power started and finished the sequence that gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 2:01 of the first period. He lugged the puck out of the Sabres’ zone then moved into the slot to score on Zach Benson’s pass from behind the goal.

Lyon’s first stop of the game came on Wiliam Nylander’s breakaway at 5:15.

Joshua tied the game at 6:09 of the first with a blast from the slot after Buffalo defenseman Luke Schenn failed to clear the puck.

The Sabres continued to be careless with the puck and it allowed the Maple Leafs to generate chances during the middle part of a chippy first period. Toronto played with urgency in their first full game since a knee injury put Auston Matthews out for the season.

Domi, playing in his 800th game, gave Toronto the lead at 0:53 of the second period at the end of a 2-on-1 with William Nylander, who faked a shot from the right circle before passing.

Buffalo scored the tying goal on a power play at 11:21 of the second when Quinn’s shot from the left circle squeezed past Woll’s arm following Noah Ostlund’s no-look backhand pass. Michael Pezzetta was off for slashing. Buffalo had the better of the play for most of the second period but Woll was solid, making 11 saves.

The Sabres were dominant again for large stretches in the third period but failed to break through. Buffalo had a 10-2 edge in shots on goal in the final period.

–Field Level Media

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