Proud father’s speech caps brilliant century from England’s debutant opener

Firdose Moonda15-Dec-20241:15

Maia Bouchier: My dad’s speech made everyone cry

Maia Bouchier and her father Anthony’s daddy-daughter days involved “sitting on the couch and just watching the best players in the world bat all day,” just like they did in Bloemfontein on Sunday. Sort of.Maia was the one doing the batting – and it was only for three hours and 42 minutes, so not quite all day – while Anthony was in the stands at the Mangaung Oval. He watched as the daughter he raised around the game flicked and pulled and eventually also drove her way to a maiden Test hundred on debut. Afterwards, he got to celebrate it with her and her England team.”My dad came into the changing-room, which was really nice, and he actually made a little speech, and everyone started crying. So that was really sweet,” Bouchier said at the post-match press conference. “Let’s just say it was along the lines of, ”I’m very proud and I think it was the best day of my life.’ And that’s what got everyone.”Emotions always run high around Tests, given the sense of occasion and history attached to the format, and especially around women’s Tests because of how rare they are. In the England camp, they have a tradition of the nearest debutant presenting the next one with their Test cap, which meant Maia was capped by Danni Wyatt-Hodge, perhaps a little later in her career than she would have hoped.Since Bouchier made her white-ball debut in September 2021, England have played five Tests and she may have thought herself in line for at least one of them. In 2022, she was part of an England A side that played against the touring South Africans but could not displace Emma Lamb in the Test side. Now, on the return leg, so to speak, she was given an opportunity ahead of Sophia Dunkley and there could not have been a better country for it to happen for Maia.Maia Bouchier and her father Anthony after her Test cap presentation•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesAnthony has connections to South Africa and facilitated tours between the English club he founded, Primrose Hill Cricket Club (PHCC), and South African sides in the Western Cape. Maia remembers going on some of those tours as a child, and spending time on cricket grounds in South Africa, at a time when young girls were scarce on the cricket scene. Though Anthony never played at a professional level himself, he has been heavily involved in the business of cricket. In 2000, he was one of the principal investors who created Wisden Online, which, three years later, bought this very website (Cricinfo, as it was called then). At the time, Maia was just four years old and would have known only the basics of her father’s love of the game. As she grew older, she would also have been able to gauge his ambitions for her.”Obviously, this is very special for him because he’s waited a long time for it as well,” she said. “What I remember was us watching Test match cricket together just for five days straight, sitting on the couch and just watching the best players in the world bat for all day. I think that’s what he really wanted me to do. Obviously this is my first Test and to just go out there and play how I did, I’m super proud of myself and I know he’s proud of me. So that’s all I can hope for.”Bouchier played with none of the nerves of a newbie and raced to 43 off the first 45 balls she faced; and 40 of those runs were scored in boundaries. She took advantage of anything full and on the pads, and South Africa offered plenty of both. Then, when South Africa tightened up, she changed gears and showed the patience of a much more experienced long-format player. It took her 25 deliveries of watching and waiting to get to fifty, but then only 54 more to reach 100. By that time, she was finding scoring areas on the off-side as easily as she had earlier found them on the leg-side and her straight six off Tumi Sekhukhune, to get into the 90s, will be a shot to find the image of and frame.Related

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She paced her innings so well that, when Maia brought up her hundred, off 124 balls, she held the record for the fastest Test century scored by an England player. Less than an hour later, she had been overtaken by Nat Sciver-Brunt, who took just 96 balls to score the quickest hundred in all women’s Tests and Maia did not mind at all. “She’s a special player. I’m just so happy for her as well because she’s had a tough time and she’s had a lot going on,” she said. “I’m really proud of her as well. She’s just another level.”Maia has singled out Sciver-Brunt as the player she wants to emulate and, with a first Test century against South Africa, she has already done just that. She’s singled out her father as the person she most wants to make proud. However, she also did allow for a small moment of singling out herself and what this means to her, outside of being a dreamer or a daughter.”It’s the pinnacle,’ she said. “To make my debut and to get a hundred, is top of the charts, really.”

Spinner takes four to restrict Northamptonshire to 189 before fifties from Sam Robson and Ben Geddes

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Gohar starred with the ball•Getty Images

Middlesex 192 for 6 (Robson 67, Geddes 51) beat Northamptonshire 189 (Vasconcelos 62, Gohar 4-39) by four wicketsSam Robson and Ben Geddes both struck half-centuries as Middlesex coasted to victory over Northamptonshire to maintain their hopes of a knockout place in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.Robson hit 67 from 70 balls, while skipper Geddes followed up his List A best of 141 not out against Kent with 51 from as many deliveries to propel the visitors across the line at Wantage Road with 17.3 overs unused.The Steelbacks were bowled out for 189 in 38.1 overs despite a third-wicket stand of 108 between Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh, who both registered their first half-centuries of the tournament.But their last eight wickets fell for 77, with Middlesex spinner Zafar Gohar taking 4 for 39 and all-rounder Ryan Higgins 3 for 34 before weighing in with a lively 48 from 34 as his side sealed the win.Higgins, making his first appearance of the competition, had an immediate impact after his side won the toss, achieving plenty of movement as the Steelbacks were reduced to four for two.Tim Robinson departed first ball, caught at second slip off a Higgins outswinger and James Sales also failed to score, perishing in identical fashion before Vasconcelos (62 from 61) and Keogh (60 from 68) launched the repair job.Keogh drove Noah Cornwell for successive boundaries, while Vasconcelos pierced the field with regularity and capitalised on Middlesex’s decision to forgo a slip with the powerplay done.The left-hander drilled Henry Brookes to the cover fence to post his half-century, but was halted in his tracks when Keogh’s powerful straight drive thudded into his helmet at the non-striker’s end.Although Vasconcelos was cleared to resume, the blow had clearly disrupted his rhythm and when he slapped his next delivery from Luke Hollman straight to midwicket, the innings began to crumble.Ravi Bopara, featuring in his first List A game since 2019, lasted just three deliveries before he was bowled around his legs sweeping Gohar and the spinner also claimed the scalp of Keogh, neatly stumped by Joe Cracknell.Gohar picked up two more, with Aryaman Varma superbly caught by Josh de Caires at full stretch running back from midwicket and Brookes wrapped up the innings by bowling Lewis McManus.Northamptonshire’s hopes were raised when Cracknell chopped on to the first legitimate delivery of Middlesex’s reply, extending a lean run of form that has now yielded five runs in as many innings.They might also have removed Robson who, having dispatched Justin Broad twice to the rope in quick succession, edged the seamer to second slip where Vasconcelos spilled the chance.Vasconcelos made amends in Broad’s next over by snapping up De Caires, but Robson took advantage of his earlier escape with a series of leg-side clips and cover drives, advancing beyond 50 as he and Geddes built a steady alliance that realised 76.Rookie seamer Ben Whitehouse eventually made the breakthrough when Robson miscued to mid-off, but Higgins announced his arrival at the crease by thumping the bowler for two fours to keep the scoreboard ticking over.Meanwhile, Geddes unfurled a string of classy strokes off both front and back foot, driving Liam Guthrie for a straight boundary that carried him to his half-century at exactly a run a ball – only to perish straight after the drinks break, top-edging to deep square leg.It was too late to rescue Northamptonshire from a fifth defeat in seven games and, although Higgins holed out late on, Gohar swung George Bartlett over the top to confirm victory.

Fabrizio Romano has now shared an update on Endrick’s future at Real Madrid, with West Ham’s striker search taking a significant twist.

Endrick is gearing up to leave Real on loan in January, and Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have been touted as one of the fierce contenders for his signature.

The 19-year-old, still widely regarded as one of Brazil’s brightest young prospects, hasn’t exactly had a smooth ride since joining the La Liga giants.

With first-team opportunities limited at the Bernabeu as a result of fitness issues and competition for places in Xabi Alonso’s side, a loan move appears to be the next logical step for his development.

West Ham have reportedly held talks about bringing Endrick on loan, already positioning themselves well in the race for his signature ahead of January.

Other clubs are also interested, like Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Brentford, according to some reports, but West Ham’s reported early discussions could give them an edge.

This comes as Nuno allegedly urges David Sullivan, Karren Brady and the Hammers hierarchy to sign a new defender, midfielder and forward (GiveMeSport), but with funds tight, temporary deals could be a key theme of their winter window.

Endrick is poised to be one of Europe’s finest talents available on loan in January, leaving little wonder why West Ham are very keen to secure his signature.

While the teenager has struggled for game time under Alonso, Endrick did score five Copa del Rey goals to fire Los Blancos to the final of the competition last season, before they eventually lost to Barcelona.

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The former Palmeiras sensation would be an excellent signing for West Ham, and one who’d inject much-needed flair and enthusiasm to their forward line.

The prospect of a Premier League move could also tempt Endrick, as it would do with any other player on the continent, but according to Romano, West Ham now face growing competition for his services.

Fabrizio Romano shares Endrick update as West Ham striker search takes twist

Taking to X, the reliable transfer journalist now claims that Ligue 1 giants Lyon have opened talks to sign Endrick on loan — which could seriously impact West Ham’s chances of a deal.

Endrick is believed to be intrigued by the possibility of a move to France, as Paulo Fonseca’s side already make their intentions known with an “official approach” just over two months before the January window opens.

Commenting further, Romano also says that while Endrick is still waiting to assess all of his options, potentially including West Ham, the attacker is pretty keen on Lyon as an option.

If a move for Endrick eventually becomes out of West Ham’s reach, it is worth noting that they’ve also held rumoured discussions about signing his Real teammate, Gonzalo Garcia.

The Spaniard, who finished last summer’s Club World Cup as the competition’s joint-top scorer, has also struggled to establish himself as a starter for Alonso this season and could be a great alternative to Endrick.

There are other options for West Ham as well, but it is absolutely imperative that the club back Nuno with a new centre-forward, especially considering Niclas Fullkrug’s injury woes and their lack of decent options.

West Ham already working on deal to sign £40 million striker in January.

The Zimbabwe bowlers put in a more disciplined performance on the second day of the first Test in Bulawayo, but Daryl Mitchell’s gritty 80 ensured New Zealand kept their advantage intact.New Zealand started the day on 92 for no loss and marched to 158 for 1 before losing five wickets for 42 runs. But Mitchell, with the help of the lower order, steered them to 307, ensuring a lead of 158. New Zealand then removed the Zimbabwe openers before stumps, still 127 ahead.In the morning, Blessing Muzarabani gave Zimbabwe a dream start, removing Will Young with the first ball of the day. It was a short delivery and Young fended it towards Nick Welch, who was slightly deeper than usual at short leg and completed the catch with a dive. Welch was not sure if he had taken it cleanly, but the TV umpire found no issues with it.Devon Conway was fluent at the other end. With Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga operating from around the wicket, he used the cover drive to good effect and picked up three boundaries with it in three successive overs. Muzarabani switched to over the wicket to deny Conway but by then he was into the last over of his spell.Henry Nicholls, playing his first Test since December 2023, came in at No. 3 and looked a little uncertain. The Zimbabwe seamers found his outside edge a couple of times but they did not carry to the slip cordon. Nicholls grew in confidence as he spent time in the middle. When Newman Nyamhuri missed his line or length, he pounced on it, taking 22 runs off just 24 balls from the left-arm seamer. During this, he also completed 3000 Test runs.Blessing Muzarabani celebrates Michael Bracewell’s dismissal•Zimbabwe Cricket

Conway and Nicholls took New Zealand into the lead before Muzarabani returned to end the 66-run stand for the second wicket. Seeing Nicholls back away, Muzarabani followed him. Two balls earlier, Nicholls had hit a boundary using the same ploy. But this time, he was cramped and ended up hitting the ball straight to Brian Bennett at gully.That triggered a collapse in which New Zealand lost five wickets for 42 runs.Rachin Ravindra was the next to fall, edging Sikandar Raza to slip, where Craig Ervine completed an otherwise regulation catch on the second attempt.After lunch, Chivanga got the reward for his hard work. His extra bounce had Conway, on 88, miscuing an uppercut to Bennett, who took his second catch at gully. In his next over, Chivanga used the short ball to get rid of Tom Blundell, who pulled one into the lap of deep square leg.Muzarabani, too, used the short ball to have Michael Bracewell top-edging a pull. For a moment, it looked like wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga had misjudged it but he put in a full-stretch dive in the end to complete the catch near fine leg. That left New Zealand at 200 for 6.Mitchell and Mitchell Santner added 33 for the seventh wicket to lend the innings some stability before Santner chipped one back to legspinner Vincent Masekesa. After that, Mitchell took the lead. In the company of Nathan Smith, he brought up his fifty and added 61 for the eighth wicket. Smith played his part by scoring 22 and resisting for 79 balls, of which he took two on the body. He had to eventually retire hurt.With Matt Henry falling soon after and Smith not coming back, Mitchell was forced to take risks. He moved across his stumps to scoop Nyamhuri but missed and lost his middle stump. By then, though, New Zealand had regained their advantage. They extended it when Henry had Ben Curran hooking one to fine leg and Will O’Rourke had Bennett edging one to the wicketkeeper before stumps.

The Red Sox are red hot.

With a 4–1 win over the Rays on Sunday, Boston has now won 10 straight games as the baseball world heads into the All-Star break. It’s a notable high for the Sox, who have been a drastically streaky team to start 2025.

While the run of wins may have come as a shock to the baseball world, or at the very least the Red Sox’ recent opposition, one man who was not surprised was manager Alex Cora. In fact, Cora essentially called the streak two months ago while Boston was stuck with a middling record.

NESN shared a video from back in late May, when Cora talked openly about how his team was just one win streak away from being near the top of baseball.

“You guys know how I feel about 10-game win streaks. we haven’t done that in a while,” Cora said. “When you get on a hot streak, you want to get eight games over .500, 10 games over .500. We’re still playing where we’re at. An average team. Hopefully when we get our streak, we can get to eight games over .500 and then take off.”

With their 10-game winning streak, the Sox are officially 53–45—eight games over .500—as they head to the All-Star break. It’s Boston’s first 10-game winning streak since the 2018 season.

The Red Sox still have some work to do in an impressive AL East division, with the Yankees and Blue Jays still both ahead of Boston as we head into the Midsummer Classic.

Still, if Cora’s prediction continues to hold true, this winning streak is just the start. After the All-Star break, they might just take off.

Tottenham Hotspur have now reportedly joined the race to sign a Premier League star alongside interest from London rivals Chelsea.

Thomas Frank clarifies Sarr decision

It’s early days in the Thomas Frank era, but Tottenham have already shown marked improvement. The Lilywhites have already shown glimpses of their best form under the Dane, albeit whilst also slipping up more than once, and should look to hand him all the resources he needs to step things up in 2026.

It’s still a transitional period for the new manager, himself, who was questioned earlier this week for dropping Pape Matar Sarr in recent games just weeks after it seemed as though the midfielder would play a pivotal part.

The decision to drop the midfielder has been an interesting one given how he initially started, but one that represents how Frank is still attempting to find his best side.

Sunday’s clash against Everton is certainly a game that Spurs could do with winning, with or without Sarr. Coming in off the back of defeat against Aston Villa and then a midweek draw in Monaco, the Lilywhites should be desperate to avoid three games without victory.

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Meanwhile, away from the pitch, those in North London are also commencing a new era without Daniel Levy and already reportedly have one of their first signings in mind.

Tottenham join race to sign Konsa

Setting their sights on defensive reinforcements, Tottenham have joined the race to sign Ezri Konsa. According to The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, the Lilywhites have joined Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool in pursuit of the centre-back’s signature in 2026, with Aston Villa still facing PSR issues.

Considering the previous injury woes of Mick van de Ven and Cristian Romero, who is one of the best defenders in the Premier League when fit, signing an additional centre-back would be no bad idea. Konsa, as an experienced Premier League star, also stands out as a formidable option to target.

The £75,000-a-week England international has already earned praise from the likes of Jamie Redknapp too, with the former Tottenham star going as far as to describe the Villa star as “tremendous” last year.

It’s now up to a new-look board to secure what would be an excellent signing for Tottenham ahead of a number of Premier League rivals.

Liverpool have been warned that they could lose two key midfield stars amid transfer interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. After a trophy-winning campaign in the 2024-25 season, which saw them equal Manchester United's tally of 20 top-flight English titles, Arne Slot's side have endured a nightmare journey in the current season, having already lost six league matches.

Liverpool's tumultuous season so far

After winning the Premier League title for a record-equalling 20th time, the Reds spent heavily in the summer transfer window as Slot oversaw a major overhaul of his squad. They broke the British transfer record twice in the same window as they brought in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. The English champions also spent heavily to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt as they looked to bolster their attack, and the club strengthened the backline by signing full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

Slot's men got off to a flying start in the new season as they won seven matches in a row across all competitions, but from the end of September they experienced a massive dip in form as they lost six out of their next seven matches, including five straight losses in the league. They somewhat recovered from the setback with back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but on Sunday they fell to an humbled 3-0 loss at the hands of old foes Manchester City.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLiverpool warned they could lose key midfielder

According to the , Liverpool are at risk of losing two of their key midfield stars in the upcoming transfer windows as Real Madrid and Barcelona are plotting moves for Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, respectively. Both midfielders were signed by Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2023 as the German coach was looking to bolster the team's midfield. They took time to adjust to their new surroundings and experienced a slow start, but since last season the duo have become an integral part of the Reds' line-up. After starring in their title-winning campaign, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch are among the first names in Slot's team sheet. 

Both players have their Anfield contracts running until 2028 but Liverpool are reportedly worried that they could be snapped up in the coming windows. While the Hungarian midfielder has attracted interest from Real Madrid and Manchester City, Barcelona apparently have their eyes on Gravenberch.

The report also adds that, realistically, the Blaugrana are not in a sound financial position to lure Gravenberch away from Anfield, as he still has over two years left on his contract. However, a report from has claimed: "Barcelona are monitoring the Dutchman and have identified him as a priority for the upcoming summer transfer window."

Liverpool to open contract talks with midfield duo

Transfer specialist and journalist Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Liverpool have begun early talks with the midfield duo over new contracts, as he wrote on X: "Liverpool have started talks over new deal with Dominik Szoboszlai, after exclusive story 2 weeks ago. The plan was clear: Szobo and Gravenberch to discuss new contracts soon, as talks started with the Hungarian. Club super happy + top performances." 

Szoboszlai and Gravenberch are currently believed to earn around £270,000 a week between them. The new deal is expected to extend those terms further by a couple of years and also bring a significant pay rise for both.

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Getty Images SportReds to initiate contract talks with several other stars

Other than Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, Slot also has to focus on the contracts of other first-team stars like Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate. Discussions with the French centre-back are understood to be ongoing, while Robertson’s future remains uncertain as the club are focusing on their long-term options. Konate is also wanted by Real Madrid and the English champions would hope to avoid a Trent Alexander-Arnold-esque situation where they lose the Frenchman for nothing with his contract expiring next summer.

يلعب منتخب اليمن ضد جزر القمر، اليوم الأربعاء، في مباراة التصفيات النهائية المؤهلة إلى دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب 2025.

وتقام بطولة كأس العرب، في قطر خلال الفترة من 1 حتى 18 ديسمبر المقبل، بمشاركة 16 منتخبًا.

وسيتواجد المتأهل من مباراة اليمن وجزر القمر، مع منتخبات المجموعة الثانية من بطولة كأس العرب، وفقًا لما أسفرت عنه القرعة.

طالع | مواعيد مباريات سوريا في كأس العرب 2025

وتضم المجموعة الثانية من بطولة كأس العرب، كل من السعودية والمغرب والفائز من اليمن وجزر القمر والمتأهل من مباراة عمان والصومال. موعد مباراة اليمن وجزر القمر اليوم في كأس العرب 2025

تقام مباراة اليمن وجزر القمر، اليوم الأربعاء 26 نوفمبر، في تمام الساعة 6 بتوقيت مصر، 7 بتوقيت السعودية واليمن. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة اليمن وجزر القمر اليوم في كأس العرب 2025

تنقل مباراة اليمن وجزر القمر، اليوم، عبر قناة أبو ظبي الرياضية 2 وقناة بي إن سبورت أكسترا 1 وقناة الكأس 2.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

The England batter has been mightily prolific this year, making a century about every four innings

Ian Chappell20-Oct-2024The England selectors did Joe Root a huge favour when they unburdened him from the captaincy and released him to become a run-making machine.He was already an exceptional batter – as a struggling skipper he still made 14 centuries in 118 innings – but let’s face it, captaincy and Joe Root shouldn’t appear in the same sentence. Since becoming solely a team member two and a half years ago, Root has regularly amassed big scores with an amazing ten centuries in just 54 innings.Incredibly, in this calendar year he has already sped past the thousand-run mark whilst piling up centuries at the incredible rate of around one every four innings. That is a superhuman performance.On this run rampage he passed the defiant opener Sir Alastair Cook as England’s highest Test run-scorer. Root is now in the process of increasing his advantage. He will only enter his 35th year as the calendar flips over, so the difference will likely be substantial by the time he retires.Related

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Root was born to make runs and posted a highly respectable 73 in his first Test innings, in India. He’s a joy to watch, as he balances a solid technique with the desire to score at every opportunity.Some of his partnerships with fellow Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow were exhilarating, as both players ran brilliantly between wickets and continually looked to keep the scoreboard ticking over.As England entered the Ben Stokes captaincy era and some of the batting became frenetic, Root occasionally succumbed to the idea of adopting modern shots. Not surprisingly, he handled the change comfortably but one ill-judged scoop that landed in the hands of an opposition slip fielder made him re-evaluate his priorities.Root sensibly went back to his old ways and has become an even more difficult batter to dismiss. I’m not sure why he temporarily changed his approach because scoring rate has never been an issue for Root.The glue to England’s rapid scoring has been Root, who is prepared to compile big innings while some of his team-mates take the wrecking ball to the opposition attack.One of the few anomalies in Root’s record is his failure to score a Test century in Australia despite having played 27 innings there. His last chance to rectify that statistic will likely come in 2025-26, when – barring injury or retirement – he will play another Ashes series.

Root was born to make runs. He’s a joy to watch, as he balances a solid technique with the desire to score at every opportunity

It’s not as though Root has performed poorly in Australia, as his average of around 35 is respectable. However, the lack of a century despite making nine scores in excess of 50 is most unlike Root.In Australia, the four main bowlers have dismissed Root a number of times and this could be pointed to as a weakness. Nevertheless there’s an easy answer: if you’re going to be dismissed, it’s preferable to get out to a good bowler.The more worrying Root statistic in Australia is the number of times he’s been caught behind. Keepers have had a bonanza as ten times they’ve clasped Root’s edges in just 27 innings. While he could counter with “you’ve got to be good enough to nick ’em”, it does suggest he needs to re-assess the extra bounce Australian pitches provide.Root’s phenomenal run-making will again be tested when first he faces India at home and then Australia away. In those two series Root will be facing the best attacks in Test cricket, and his technique against both pace and spin will again be fully scrutinised.Those are difficult challenges that Root and England will face in the future. Currently they’re desperately involved in a bid to win after Pakistan levelled their three-game series with a spin-revolution victory against a clueless England.As the most technically gifted, Root will have the task of convincing his fellow team-mates that numerous versions of the sweep shot aren’t the ideal way to combat good spinners. Despite Root’s proven talent, that will be a very difficult task.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Actually, it might be difficult to find someone who would earnestly argue that he's not. The lefthander picked up his 10th win of the year on Sunday night by overpowering the Texas Rangers with 11 strikeouts while surrendering a single run. That dropped his ERA to 2.19 on the year and within one of Boston's Garret Crochet for the Major League strikeout lead.

Long story short, almost every batter he faces is overmatched and it shows. Except Corey Seager. For some reason, Seager owns him.

The Texas shortstop collected two hits in his first two at-bats Sunday night to move his career ledger to 8-for-11 against Skubal.

And both times Skubal could only share a laugh with his nemesis or throw his hands up in exasperation.

Skubal did manage to finally retire Seager on a soft liner in their final encounter, which elicited another strong reaction.

Detroit prevailed, 2-1, for its 60th win of the year and Skubal inched closer to another Cy Young Award. As long as he doesn't have to face Seager again, his numbers should remain gaudy.