Curacao found a comfort level in their second-ever World Cup match, pulling off a 0-0 tie with Ecuador behind the play of goalkeeper Eloy Room to earn the country’s first-ever point in a Group E match Saturday night in Kansas City.

Room made 15 saves, just shy of the record 16 made by the United States’ Tim Howard in a 2014 World Cup match against Belgium. The effort helped Curacao rebound from a 7-1 loss to Germany in their World Cup debut last Sunday.

At the final whistle, Room went to his knees, and the 37-year-old bowed his head onto the turf in relief.

Ecuador’s disappointing World Cup run continued with a second consecutive scoreless match. They lost to Ivory Coast 1-0 on Sunday.

Neither team was officially eliminated from advancing to the knockout round, although they will each need a win on the final matchday to stay alive.

Ecuador (0-1-1, 1 point) has a daunting task ahead with a match against Germany on Thursday at East Rutherford, N.J. Curacao (0-1-1, 1 point) will complete their group-stage schedule with a simultaneous match against Ivory Coast at Philadelphia.

Among the many high-level saves Room made, the most impressive might have come in the third minute on a shot from close range from Ecuador’s Enner Valencia. With a clean look at goal, Valencia’s shot was stopped on a dive from Room to his left.

The stop set a high standard that the goalkeeper from Miami FC of the second-division USL Championship was able to maintain throughout.

Ecuador primary held possession on Curacao’s end in the closing minutes. Early in stoppage time, Ecuador substitute Angelo Preciado took a shot from long range that rebounded off the top of the crossbar.

Room reached 15 saves on a long-range shot from Ecuador’s Pedro Vite in the 80th minute. Ecuador was unable to get another shot on target despite constant pressure.

Ecuador dominated the run of play with 63% of possession to 26% for Curacao. Ecuador also had a 28-10 advantage on shots with Curacao taking three on target.

–Field Level Media

Kyle Schwarber had three home runs, including two in one inning, for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 15-3 rout of the visiting New York Mets on Saturday.

Bryce Harper hit for the cycle while going 4-for-5 for the Phillies, who had lost two in a row. Starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (9-3) held New York to one run on five hits and struck out five with one walk in six innings.

Freddy Peralta (5-6) allowed 10 runs on 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings for the Mets, who had won two straight games.

Harper sent a fastball over the wall in right-center field to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead in the first.

In the second, Alec Bohm singled, J.T Realmuto drove him in with a double and then came around to score when Justin Crawford knocked a double of his own for a 3-0 advantage.

The Phillies went through 12 batters to blow the game open in the third, chasing Peralta.

Schwarber (4-for-5, six RBIs) rocked a solo shot 456 feet to the upper deck in right center to lead it off. Harper doubled and scored on a Brandon Marsh single. Marsh went to second on a throwing error by Marcus Semien on his hit, and Bryson Stott brought him in with a double. Realmuto connected for another pair of bases, scoring Stott to extend it to 7-0.

Crawford walked and Trea Turner singled to drive in Realmuto. That marked the end of Peralta’s night.

Cionel Perez entered to face Schwarber in his second turn of the frame, and he blasted a sinker 457 feet to the same spot to make it 11-0.

The Mets got on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Mark Vientos connected for a solo shot to left field.

Philadelphia added two more in the fifth. With two on and two out, Harper completed the cycle with a triple to center field off Tobias Myers, scoring Turner and Schwarber.

Carson Benge’s two-run homer to right-center in the seventh off reliever Max Lazar cut it to 13-3.

Schwarber connected for his third home run of the night in the bottom half of the frame, a two-run shot to right.

–Field Level Media

The Baltimore Orioles placed catcher Adley Rutschman on the seven-day concussion list on Saturday after he was injured on an unusual play on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners.

The move, which is retroactive to Friday, came after Rutschman was hit on the left ear while running to first base on a grounder in the ninth inning. Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson was trying to complete a double play and threw the ball inside second base at close range. Rutschman came out of the game and host Seattle went on to win 3-0.

Rutschman, 28, missed Friday’s 6-5 loss to the Dodgers as well as Saturday’s game in Los Angeles.

“Obviously, it sucks for Adley,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “Especially with concussions and head injuries, it’s tough, and especially the position he plays, with the constant foul tips and balls in the dirt and backswings, plays at the plate. So right now, Rutsch is on the concussion IL and we’ll kind of take it day by day and see where he’s at.”

Rutschman also was on the 10-day IL from April 11-21 due to left ankle inflammation. He is hitting .254 with 15 doubles, eight home runs, 40 RBIs and has a .787 OPS in 54 games.

For his career, Rutschman is batting .254 with 69 homers and 270 RBIs in 559 games. Baltimore selected him first overall in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Oregon State.

In a corresponding move on Saturday, the Orioles recalled outfielder Michael Siani from Triple-A Norfolk.

Siani, 26, has hit .221 (76-for-344) with two homers and 20 RBIs in 160 games over parts of four seasons for the Cincinnati Reds (2022-23) and St. Louis Cardinals (2023-25).

He hit a combined .185 (25-for-135) in 44 games this season for Triple-A Oklahoma City (Dodgers affiliate) and Norfolk (Orioles).

–Field Level Media