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A visibly upset Rafael Devers attempts to refuse pinch runner in Giants’ loss

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With the San Francisco Giants down by one run against the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning on Sunday and Rafael Devers standing at first base after drawing a six-pitch walk, it made sense for Giants manager Tony Vitello to call for a pinch runner.

After all, Devers is far from fleet-footed, and his 22nd percentile sprint speed ranks in the bottom half of the league.

Except, the first baseman wanted no part of being substituted for Jonah Cox.

As Cox, who was already announced by the PA system, made his way to first, a visibly upset Devers tried to wave him back. However, first-base umpire Nate Tomlinson intervened, ultimately placing Cox on first base and sending Devers back to the dugout.

When Devers reached the dugout, he dodged bench coach Jayce Tingler’s attempt to give him a back tap.

It was a logical move for the now 31-46 Giants. Facing the potential of a series sweep, Cox and his 89th percentile sprint speed represented the best chance at avoiding that. In the end, it didn’t matter, as Jung Hoo Lee flied out on the third pitch he saw, and Willy Adames hit into a game-ending double play on the second pitch of the at-bat. The Giants fell 2-1, dropping 18 games back of the NL West lead and nine back for a wild-card spot.

Vitello told reporters he did not have a conversation with Devers about the incident and had no plans to do so.

“We talk every day. I’m good,” Vitello said. “I would rather have guys like (Logan Webb), where you have to rip them off the field as opposed to vice versa.”

Instead, Vitello chalked up the incident to Devers’ hunger to win.

Devers declined to address the incident, per the San Francisco Chronicle.

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BBC Sport quiz: Who am I? Guess World Cup star footballer No 15

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Welcome to our Who am I? game.

The rules are simple. Each day there’s a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.

After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points.

Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.

So, take part in quiz number 15 and return for more tomorrow.

Today’s player and clues are set by BBC Sport’s Huzaifah Khan.

After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.

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Prem Rugby play-off semi-finals set to move to neutral venue

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The Prem Rugby play-offs are set be played at a neutral venue from the 2029-2030 season.

The current format, which sees the top two teams in the regular season table getting home advantage in the semi-finals, has been in place since 2005.

But league bosses say they have a vision of playing both the play-offs on consecutive days in one city, similar to the European finals weekend.

It is thought Liverpool and Brighton are two of the cities under consideration at this early stage.

This season’s play-offs were a major success, with Northampton’s Franklin’s Gardens and the Rec in Bath hosting two epic contests in front of sold-out crowds.

However, with both grounds having a modest capacity of about 15,000, Prem Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor believes there is an opportunity to grow the product on both a commercial and sporting level.

France’s Top 14 semi-finals have taken place this season at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, which has a capacity of more than 67,000.

“The semi-finals that we have just had were awesome in terms of the rugby spectacle, and they’re sell-out games with their home crowds,” Massie-Taylor said.

“But I think they would sell out larger venues and neutrals would go as well. This is about the long term. In the long term, it will be more valuable if you are playing in bigger stadia.”

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Mohamed Salah has his cathartic World Cup moment and is happy to let all hear it

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — As a small group of reporters turned a corner in the bowels of BC Place, another even smaller group ahead began shuffling their feet with urgency.

Word had filtered out from the mixed zone that Mohamed Salah, the legendary Premier League striker, was taking questions after scoring in Egypt’s first World Cup victory ever. And there Salah was, standing barefoot on a small podium, the Player of the Game trophy clutched between his hands.

“The only thing I would say,” Salah said, before in fact saying many more things, “(is) we just gave it our best and we achieved something I think is very difficult in history to happen. We need to be hopeful to win the next game and be the first in the group. We just enjoyed the football and (gave) it all for our people.”

Salah was speaking, having chosen to beat the rush of reporters. There were large pools of Egyptian media standing outside the mixed zone hugging each other, making FaceTime calls home to people with tears in their eyes and sending quick video hits back to their editors after Salah, The Egyptian King, scored his team’s second goal in a 3-1 win over New Zealand.

How could they have known the greatest player in their country’s history was commemorating his World Cup moment with an open mic? How could they have known he was about to hold court with a fraction of the number of reporters who usually try to get him to speak in England? How could they have known that this rare occasion was about to unfold?

In England, Salah usually blows through the mixed zone, eyes forward with nothing to share. Speaking with the media is clearly not a part of the job he enjoys. That was even more obvious through an increasingly trying final season at Liverpool, in which Salah played less than usual and looked disgruntled as his minutes dwindled.

One of the greatest players in Premier League history typically only speaks when he has a point to make.

On this historic night, Salah’s point was simple: he wanted to share joy.

“We just do our best in the tournament to make the people happy in Egypt, and I think right now they are happy and proud,” Salah said. “The only thing I can promise them is just that we sweat and we run and we give it our best.”

As a reporter who never gets close to Salah, I have formed an image of him in my mind: that of a player being desolate when it comes to dealing with media. In a great coincidence, I spent much of the time before an earlier World Cup game in Vancouver chatting with a Liverpool-based colleague about how little players at Liverpool speak to the media, compared to Canadian athletes.

Being at the helm of your country’s first World Cup win sure changes things.

Salah ended his final difficult season at Liverpool with an uncertain future. Where he plays next still remains to be seen. He did not exit Liverpool on top of the world. His personal club future lingers over Egypt’s World Cup, one that currently see the Pharaohs atop Group G and with a 61 per cent chance of winning the group, according to The Athletic’s World Cup tracker.

But for one stunning night in Western Canada, his club future was not the focus, and perhaps that moment of catharsis is what prompted Salah to let down his guard. Salah’s unshakeable aura as he proudly answered questions was a rare reminder of the good of the World Cup.

Mohamed Salah leaps after scoring Egypt's second goal vs New Zealand

Mohamed Salah leaps after scoring Egypt’s second goal vs New Zealand (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Salah, who previously scored two goals in Egypt’s futile 2018 World Cup group effort despite playing with an injured shoulder, looked to his right when a question came in English about what this means for him, personally, after his season. He opted for positivity. He wanted to talk about what this win means for him with the Egyptian national team. In a sense, with his goal and the win, he answered questions about his role with the team and what they are capable of with him. But he expanded beyond that.

“I’ve been in the national team for 14 years, so I always give my best for the national team and try to give my experience to the younger players to help them to achieve big things,” Salah said. “Today was a very special day, because it’s our first win ever. And I told them already in the huddle, I told them, ‘Guys … we can write history today and also next game if you qualify first with the group.’ I think it’s (something) we will remember for years to come.”

Salah probably could have dodged questions if he really wanted to. It wouldn’t have been out of character. He took just five and calmly, but still smiling, moved out of the mixed zone. But prior to that, Salah would have looked up into the stands at BC Place — which he likened to a home game given the volume of red-clad Egyptian fans — and seen the tears in the eyes of his supporters. He would have seen reporters who are his countrymen shake with glee.

He would have seen what a first World Cup win can do.

As he spoke, more Egyptian reporters arrived to the mixed zone in various states of shock. Some literally threw their bags to the ground as they reached for their phones. They had to capture the rare bird: a smiling, ebullient national hero waxing poetic and putting the night in perspective.

“We were not lucky with this group to win the African Cup (of Nations), but we qualified to the final two times,” he said, referring to Egypt’s most recent close calls achieving success. “And yeah, we were not lucky enough to win it, because we lost also on penalties.

“We were lucky to win the game today. I think it was a better game. We played against a tough team and a tough group, so now we are on top of the group. And we just need to celebrate … and just focus on the last game.”

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