WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump honored the World Series champion Boston Red Sox -- well, some of them -- at the White House on Thursday, but made no mention of the controversy that shadowed the visit.

The team's manager, Alex Cora, did not attend the ceremony after citing his frustration with the administration's efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane. And nearly a dozen members of the team, all players of color, skipped the opportunity to shake Trump's hand. Meanwhile, every white player on the team -- as well as outfielder J.D. Martinez, who is of Cuban descent -- attended.

The Red Sox repeatedly denied that there was any sort of racial divide caused by the White House visit, which has been transformed from moment of celebratory ritual to hyper-politicized event under Trump. And there was no sign of discord during the rained-upon ceremony on the White House South Lawn.

The U.S. Marine Corps band played versions of "Dirty Water" and "Sweet Caroline," two unofficial Red Sox anthems. A derogatory shout about the Red Sox's rival, the New York Yankees, was heard. Trump was presented with a Red Sox jersey with the number 18 on the back.

The day was not without mishaps: The White House first incorrectly labeled the team the "Red Socks" on its website and then later, in an email, dubbed the Red Sox the champions of something called the "World Cup Series." But Trump himself stuck to the correct script, honoring the team's dominant run to the title.

"Frankly, they were unstoppable. I watched," said Trump, who noted that the squad now has won more World Series titles than any other franchise this century. He laughed when Martinez teased him for being a Yankees fan.

The president was accompanied by two of the team's stars, Martinez and pitcher Chris Sale, from the Oval Office and joined the rest of the team assembled under the South Portico. The team's third-base coach, Carlos Febles, who is from the Dominican Republic, stood two rows behind the president. And dozens of administration officials and members of government, many of whom hail from the six New England states, stood on the lawn to cheer.

Tom Werner, the team's chairman, downplayed the no-shows, saying it was each player's personal decision whether to attend.

"We don't see it as a racial divide," he said after the team received a post-ceremony tour of the Lincoln Bedroom. "I think, to the extent that we can, baseball is apolitical."

A championship team's coach rarely, if ever, misses the White House visit, a tradition that began in earnest in 1924 when then-President Calvin Coolidge invited the Washington Senators. Cora had considered attending Thursday's White House event to call attention to the plight of those in Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Maria is estimated to have caused nearly 3,000 deaths. But in the end, he opted not to go.

"Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting," Cora said in a statement. "Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane Maria struck. I've used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten, and my absence is no different. As such, at this moment, I don't feel comfortable celebrating in the White House."

Before the visit, Trump defended his stance on Puerto Rico, falsely asserting once again that the territory received $91 billion in hurricane relief money, which he claimed was "the largest amount of money ever given to any state."

In fact, Congress has allocated Puerto Rico just a fraction of that figure. The White House has said Trump's $91 billion estimate includes about $50 billion in speculated future disaster disbursements that could span decades, along with $41 billion already approved. Actual aid to Puerto Rico has flowed more slowly from federal coffers, with about $11 billion given so far. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 cost the U.S government more than $120 billion -- the bulk of it going to Louisiana.

Trump nonetheless told reporters, "the people of Puerto Rico should really like President Trump."

Those around the Red Sox locker room stressed that a player's decision to attend was a personal choice and not, in many cases, political.

"Politically, it didn't matter who was in the White House. If I have an opportunity to go to the White House and meet the president, I'm going to go," relief pitcher Heath Hembree said Wednesday. "Nobody tried to persuade me. They have their reasons why not to go."

For some players, it might be their only chance for a White House invite. It also reflects a larger trend across baseball: A number of players hail from Trump-friendly states such as Texas and Florida, while the sport has also seen a surge in Latino players and a decline in African Americans.

Having also won World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013, the Red Sox -- who also visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday -- have been honored at the White House under both Republican and Democratic presidents. But the events have taken on sharp political overtones since Trump took office.

When the New England Patriots visited in 2017, Trump's first year in office, far fewer players attended than when the franchise won a title under President Barack Obama. After several players on the Philadelphia Eagles and Golden State Warriors publicly declared that they would skip White House ceremonies, Trump disinvited the teams. Trump has also instituted a new tradition for the ceremonies, scrapping gourmet meals in favor of offering plates of fast food to athletes. The Red Sox were not at the White House for a meal, Werner said.

Moreover, the optics of the Red Sox visit are certain to receive additional scrutiny due to the history of racially charged moments for both the team and the city it calls home.

The Red Sox infamously held a failed tryout for Jackie Robinson before he broke the sport's color barrier. They were the last team in the major leagues to integrate. And an Elks Club in the team's former spring training home of Winter Haven, Florida, invited only white players to events, a practice that stopped only in the 1980s, when black players complained.

NEW YORK -- Some tight pitching from New York Yankees starter J.A. Happ on Thursday left Seattle Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon fuming.

Specifically, it was seeing two fastballs inside during one plate appearance -- the second of which was a 90 mph four-seamer that hit Gordon's right wrist and forced him to leave the game -- that had the leadoff hitter enraged.

"I was pissed off. It was the second time he threw up by my head," Gordon said, according to The Seattle Times. "You've got to get the ball down. You can't throw that pitch. I got a family. You need to get the ball, you need to get the ball the f--- down. That's twice. If you can't throw that pitch, don't throw it."

The third-inning fastball that hit Gordon's wrist caused immediate and visible discomfort. He removed his helmet and started walking around the area behind home plate at Yankee Stadium, shouting in obvious pain as a team trainer rushed out of the dugout to evaluate him.

After several moments spent determining whether Gordon would stay in the game -- an eventual 3-1 win for the Yankees -- the decision was made to remove him.

Initial tests were inconclusive. The Mariners will conduct further testing on Gordon's wrist Friday, when they open a weekend series at Boston.

Following the injury, Gordon was replaced by Dylan Moore, who also has a wrist injury after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday. Moore played from the third inning until the eighth, when he was pinch hit for by Jay Bruce. In the next half inning, Edwin Encarnacion took Moore's place in the field at second base, making his first career appearance there.

Encarnacion, too, had an injury scare when he dove for a ground ball that got by him in the inning. He remained in the game.

Gordon's comments hadn't become public when the Yankees' clubhouse was open. For the few minutes Happ spoke to reporters, he wasn't questioned about hitting Gordon with the pitch.

Still, Happ admitted to pitching Thursday with a little extra intensity and emotion as he came off a disappointing four-run, seven-hit outing in his previous start last Saturday against Minnesota. He came into Thursday trying to make up for that effort.

"I just held some frustration from that last start," Happ said. "So I don't know. Pitching with an edge or whatever you want to call it, but I was [definitely] focused out there, and I feel like that helped a little bit."

He felt that edge helped him enjoy his best start of the season, a scoreless, five-plus-inning outing in which he gave up only one hit.

"He was pretty intense throughout that game," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He's been fighting hard, I feel like. Really grinding, and even from late in spring training to early in the season, really just trying to find that way."

Gordon has gotten off to a solid start, batting .304 with 19 RBIs, 14 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in his first 38 games.

During his first plate appearance Thursday, Gordon saw five pitches from Happ. Each one either stayed off the plate outside, or sat in the middle of the strike zone. He walked, and was later thrown out trying to steal second base.

The only two pitches he saw in his second plate appearance were inside. The first was an 89 mph two-seam fastball just below the belt that was called a strike. The second was the one up that hit him.

Albert Pujols recorded his 2,000th career RBI with a solo home run in the third inning of the Los Angeles Angels' game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

Pujols is only the third player in Major League Baseball history to drive in 2,000 or more runs in a career, joining Alex Rodriguez (2,086) and Hank Aaron (2,297) in achieving the feat.

Pujols belted a fastball from Tigers left-hander Ryan Carpenter into the right-field seats during the Angels' 13-0 victory. He received an ovation by the sparse crowd at Comerica Park, where his accomplishment was recognized on the videoboards and by the public address announcer.

"He's one of the greatest hitters ever to walk the planet, without question," Angels manager Brad Ausmus said recently. "For about 10 years, he was the best. He was the Mike Trout of his time. Really, it went from Pujols to [Miguel] Cabrera to Trout, but Albert's body of work is clearly the best."

RBIs became an official statistic in 1920. Prior to that, it is likely that Babe Ruth and Cap Anson also had 2,000 RBIs, but their exact totals are disputed.

The fan who caught Pujols' home run ball said he wasn't opposed to giving it back to Pujols, but he decided to keep it. The Tigers announced the ball can't be authenticated by Major League Baseball.

Pujols told reporters he wasn't upset that the fan kept the ball.

"He can keep it," Pujols said. "It's a great memory for him. I mean we play this game for the fans, and it's a piece of history that he's going to have for the rest of his life."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

There are three old scouting reports of Albert Pujols on the Baseball Hall of Fame website. The first is from a Royals scout named Gary Johnson, filed in November 1998 after Pujols had gone undrafted out of high school in Missouri. This was the most positive of the reports. "Good bat spd. with very strong hands," Johnson wrote. "Can hit up the middle but tends to pull. Competes well & battles at the plate." Johnson gave him a future grade of 5 for his hitting and 6 for power and gave him a value of $80,000 and thought him worthy of a pick from Round 8 to Round 10 in the 1999 draft.

The second report is dated March 26, 1999, when Pujols was playing shortstop for Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City. This was from a White Sox scout named John Kazanas. He gave Pujols a 45 grade for future hitting and 75 for power. He predicted a rookie average of .220. "Outstanding power, raw to all fields," he wrote. "Needs a lot of work w/ set-up approach, shorten stroke, quiet body down during swing -- could be drafted higher because of pop. Feel he needs work." Kazanas apparently didn't like Pujols' crouch position in his stance and wrote that he had "loud feet" in the box, whatever that meant.

The third report came in May 1999, from Brewers scout Russ Bove. He gave future grades of 40 for hitting and 55 for power, predicting major league totals of a .240 average with 24 home runs. His value: $20,000. "Aggressive hitter with mistake HR power," Bove wrote. "Tends to be a hacker. Chases."

None of those three teams drafted Pujols, of course. The Royals, despite their scout's $80,000 tag on Pujols, passed on him 17 times before the Cardinals finally took him in the 13th round. Now, don't go giving the Cardinals too much praise here: They passed on Pujols 15 times before finally selecting him.

In fact, they initially offered Pujols a $10,000 signing bonus. He turned that down and played in the summer amateur Jayhawk League and hit .343. The Cardinals increased their offer to something close to $60,000, and Pujols signed.

His professional career began in 2000 and he had obviously impressed the Cardinals in spring training because he started in the Midwest League. He hit .314 with 19 home runs in the minors. In 2001, slated for Double-A, he instead hit his way onto the big league roster in spring training. He hit .329 with 37 home runs and 130 RBIs as a 21-year-old rookie.

I guess he made the crouch work.

Pujols' first RBI in the majors came in his fourth game, a two-run home run in the fourth inning off Armando Reynoso of the Diamondbacks. His 2,000th RBI in the majors came on Thursday and it too, fittingly, came on a home run, off Ryan Carpenter of the Tigers in a 13-0 victory for the Angels:

2,000.@PujolsFive | #TheHaloWay pic.twitter.com/ejakVObGXV

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 9, 2019

Yes, we know Pujols isn't really helping the Angels much these days -- and hasn't for a few seasons now. He's hitting .208/.285/.408, and with the return of Shohei Ohtani as the full-time designated hitter, Pujols will be sharing first base with Justin Bour.

Still, we can step away from his current value to the team and appreciate this milestone -- and remember what an amazing career Pujols had to get to this point. Since RBIs became an official stat in 1920, Pujols is just the third player to reach 2,000:

Henry Aaron: 2,297
Alex Rodriguez: 2,086
Albert Pujols: 2,000
Barry Bonds: 1,996
Lou Gehrig: 1,994
Babe Ruth: 1,992

Ruth actually topped 2,000 in his career. Baseball-Reference.com, using data from Retrosheet, credits him with 2,214 RBIs. And if you care about 19th century baseball, Cap Anson topped 2,000 as well.

Pujols is tied with A-Rod for most 100-RBI seasons with 14. (Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx had 13.) He topped 100 the first 10 seasons of his career, but this fact is surprising: Pujols never led the majors in RBIs (and he led his league just once, with 118 for the Cardinals in 2010). Here he is year by year:

Pujols has company in this regard: Barry Bonds, Stan Musial (1,950 RBIs) and Eddie Murray (1,917 RBIs) also never led the majors in RBIs.

RBIs, of course, have become widely disparaged in the sabermetric era since they are somewhat context-dependent -- you need runners on base in front of you to collect a lot of them. Case in point to the anti-RBI argument was Pujols' own 2017 season, when he hit .241/.286/.386 with 23 home runs but still drove in 101 runs. While he did improve with runners in scoring position (.264/.323/.448), he drove in 100 runs because of his spot in the lineup and his RBI opportunities.

Still, Pujols has been a great RBI man in his career. Check his career splits:

Overall: .301/.381/.552
RISP: .313/.434/.569
Men on: .309/.405/.553
Late & close: .300/.416/.523
High leverage: .316/.414/.567

As those last two numbers indicate, Pujols was pretty good in the clutch. Brad Lidge would certainly agree:

Remember as well that peak Pujols would draw a lot of intentional walks -- not as many as peak Bonds, but he is second all time in intentional walks (which were first counted in 1955).

Pujols' career high in RBIs came in 2006 with 137. He hit .397/.535/.802 with runners in scoring position that year. He finished second in the MVP voting to Ryan Howard ... who drove in 12 more runs, apparently enough to sway the MVP voters.

Pujols still managed to win three MVP Awards while finishing second in the voting four times. As the 2,000-RBI milestone reminds us, this was one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game.

European record-holder will return to race the 42nd edition of the event in October

Britain’s Mo Farah is to defend his Bank of America Chicago Marathon title on October 13.

The 10-time global track gold medallist broke the European record with his winning time of 2:05:11 last autumn and recently placed fifth at the Virgin Money London Marathon with a time of 2:05:39.

That performance in the UK capital qualified him for the IAAF World Championships in Doha but he declined selection for the GB marathon team which increased speculation that he might target the 10,000m in Doha or another autumn marathon such as Berlin, New York City or Chicago.

The Doha world 10,000m final takes place just seven days before the Chicago race, on October 6, and Farah has since confirmed that his focus for 2019 is solely on the roads.

“Winning the Chicago Marathon last year was very special for me,” said Farah. “It was my first time to win a World Marathon Major and my time was a European and British record.

“I am looking forward to returning in 2019 to defend my title on the streets of Chicago.

“It is a fast course with good organisation. I expect they will recruit a strong field to make it a great race.”

Also announced for the men’s race is Farah’s former training partner Galen Rupp, the 2017 winner in Chicago.

“I am thrilled to announce that I will be running the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon,” said USA’s Rupp. “I could not be more excited to return to a city and marathon that is so special to me.

“After undergoing surgery following last year’s race, I have been pouring all of my energy into my recovery and returning strong in 2019. I look forward to being at my best again and giving it all I have in October.”

Jordan Hasay headlines the women’s race, while defending champions Daniel Romanchuk and Manuela Schär are returning to target back-to-back victories in the elite wheelchair races.

“We are thrilled to have so many champions in this year’s field,” said executive race director Carey Pinkowski.

“Every elite field we put together tells a broader story about the sport – about the pressure to defend a title, the day in and day out commitment and grit of the world’s best athletes, and the pain and beauty of a comeback.

“Mo is an Olympic champion and he put on quite a show here last year, and we are excited that Galen has chosen the Bank of America Chicago Marathon as his comeback race.

“The American record is in play with Jordan, and Daniel and Manuela are unstoppable. I’m confident we are going to see great races up front on October 13.”

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – The season for both the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League and the POWRi Engler Machine & Tool Outlaw Micro League rolls on this weekend with the Midwest Season Opener at Belle-Clair Speedway and Macon Speedway.

The Illinois doubleheader begins on May 10 at the fifth-mile, Belleville, Ill., bullring of Belle-Clair Speedway. On May 11, the POWRi midgets and micros move on to Macon Speedway.

After an April visit to Belle-Clair was rained out, this Friday’s show assumes the role as the 28th annual Knepper Memorial. Celebrating the life of legendary St. Louis racer, Arnie Knepper, the Knepper Memorial has been a staple in midget racing since 1992.

The best of the best have etched their name into the record books with Knepper Memorial wins, such as Bryan Clauson (2013, 2014), Rico Abreu (2012), Brad Loyet (2010), Tanner Thorson (2016), Spencer Bayston (2015, 2017), and Arnie’s cousin Steve Knepper, who owns six Knepper Memorial victories.

Tucker Klaasmeyer of Paola, Kansas enters the Knepper Memorial as the defending event winner. The reigning POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League champion won his first-career race at Belle-Clair Speedway last April, catapulting him to his first title by season’s end.

Heading to Macon on Saturday, Sutter, Calif., young gun Logan Seavey serves as the defending race winner. On a hot streak at that, the 2017 POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League champion is the current points leader as well.

Seavey tops the standings by way of a three-win stretch in the opening five races of 2019.

SAN JOSE -- Sharks captain Joe Pavelski returned to the lineup for Game 7 of San Jose's second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, his first action since suffering a gruesome head injury on April 23 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Pavelski made a quick impact, scoring at the 5:57 mark in the first period to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. He also assisted on Tomas Hertl's goal at the 11:35 mark in the first.

The 34-year-old center had 38 goals and 26 assists in 75 regular-season games for San Jose. In 128 career playoff games, he has 46 goals and 49 assists, including two goals and two assists in his seven games this postseason.

Pavelski was injured in Game 7 against the Golden Knights. After a cross-check from Vegas forward Cody Eakin, Pavelski collided with Knights forward Paul Stastny and fell head-first to the ice. Pavelski was motionless for a moment, bleeding profusely through the top of his helmet, having suffered a "pressure cut." His teammates helped him skate off to the trainers' room, with teammate Joe Thornton pressing a towel against his head.

Pavelski said he suffered concussion-like symptoms that night and into the next day.

The Sharks were cautious with Pavelski in his return from injury. He started skating on his own around Game 4, and then traveled with the team to Denver for Game 6, practicing with them for the first time since the previous round.

"As gruesome as it was, I think he's a tough guy," said coach Pete DeBoer. "The nature of the injury, no one's going to rush that, particularly him. But those kinds of injuries are so unpredictable. You can have an injury like that and miss months, or have one and be back in a week. The symptoms weren't as bad as the result looked."

The Sharks have used Pavelski for motivation during their playoff run. In Game 7 against Vegas, they scored four goals on the controversial five-minute major penalty to Eakin to erase a 3-0 deficit, and then won the game in overtime. Pavelski has been around their locker room during the series against Colorado, and made an unexpected appearance to a thundering ovation during Game 5 at the Shark Tank.

"We're trying to win as many games as we can so we can see him back out on the ice again," Thornton said earlier this round.

The San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche will face off one more time this season, with Game 7 set for 9 p.m. ET Wednesday in San Jose. We debate the key factors that will determine the outcome and make our picks.

Who or what will be the X factor for Game 7 of Sharks vs. Avalanche, and who ya got?

Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: I like the Sharks in Game 7. They were the better team in Game 6, and the job they've done defensively on the Nathan MacKinnon line should continue for another game. They've been in this position (too) many times, and getting this one at home is huge. My ultimate X factor is Joe Pavelski, who is a game-time decision. He hasn't played since his horrific head injury in Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights, but he has skated with the Sharks, accompanied them to Denver and has spoken with reporters on multiple occasions. So he's close. If he plays ... well, the emotional dynamic of Game 7 changes immensely. Heck, Pavelski just showing up to wave to the crowd in Game 5 produced the loudest ovation of the night.

But if Pavelski can't go, I'll go with Tomas Hertl of the Sharks. He has seven goals and four assists in seven home games in this postseason. He had a goal and an assist in Game 7 against the Golden Knights. Hertl had his best campaign as a pro this season, and that momentum has continued in the playoffs.

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: Seeing how frisky these playoffs have been so far, I'm picking the Avalanche for the upset -- in another overtime game. The Avs' top line is my X factor. MacKinnon is the No. 1 superstar remaining in these playoffs; MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen rival Boston's David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand line as the best left playing this spring. Even with Landeskog's overtime goal in Game 6, the Avs' top line hasn't been its usual self the past two games. It was most obvious in Game 5, when MacKinnon and Rantanen combined for just three shots on goal. MacKinnon is playing monster minutes (including a team-high 26:32 in Game 6), which is forcing the Sharks to use their top defensemen plenty (Brent Burns was over 30 minutes in Game 6; Marc-Edouard Vlasic was at 26:10). Eventually, I think he's going to wear on them and capitalize on his scoring chances.

Chris Peters, NHL draft and prospects writer: Watching the way Colorado zipped around the ice in Game 6 and the way the Avs weathered each response from the Sharks impressed me. Yet I can't escape the fact that San Jose is more experienced and deeper and knows how to close a series, so I have to lean San Jose here. The X factor for me in this one is Logan Couture. Of all players in this Game 7, he has been the most productive with six points in five career Game 7 situations. He's one of the few guys who can make things at least difficult for MacKinnon, and his ability to raise his level of play throughout his career in the postseason is notable. With the potential return of Pavelski, I think there's an emotional edge swinging San Jose's way on top of home ice and the opportunity to maximize matchups.

Before I heap too much praise on the Sharks, however, I just want to note that this postseason run the Avs put together feels like a touchstone moment in this organization's redevelopment. The addition of Cale Makar and the potential to deepen the prospect pool in the upcoming draft to support the incredible core of MacKinnon & Co. is going to set this team up for a long time to have some success in a difficult division. Whether the Avs win or lose this Game 7, they have awoken a fan base that has been starving for a team like this for quite some time. And they're not just going to be perennial Cup contenders; they're going to be fun to watch, too.

Dimitri Filipovic, hockey analytics writer: It pains me to say this because I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Colorado's infectious playing style this postseason and I'm not quite ready for my time with them to end, but I'll take the Sharks. The thing that ultimately swings this deciding game in their favor is the home-ice advantage they earned throughout regular season. A big part of the reason this series has been so fun has been the chess match going on between the two coaches, as Jared Bednar tries to free up MacKinnon to run wild offensively while Pete DeBoer does everything in his power to slow him down by blanketing him with his best defensive weapons.

With the benefit of last change in the games played at home, DeBoer has done a masterful job of immediately sending the combination of Couture and Vlasic out on the ice the second he has seen MacKinnon hop over the boards. In those games played at San Jose, Couture and Vlasic have respectively been out there for 58.3 percent and 75.7 percent of MacKinnon's total 5-on-5 minutes. In the games played in Colorado, those totals have dipped to 42.9 percent and 59.9 percent, respectively. No one is going to be able to fully stop MacKinnon, but those two at least give the Sharks a fighting chance of at least making Colorado's best player work for every chance he gets. Given how tight this series has been, that extra little bit of leverage could very well be the difference between advancing to the Western Conference finals and going home early.

Sachin Chandan, ESPN The Magazine researcher: The X factor for the Sharks is goalie Martin Jones. The Sharks regularly give up a lot of shots so far in the playoffs, and Jones has faced 49 high-danger shots in the second round, most of any goalie. The average shot against Jones has come from 30.4 feet out, the closest distance in the second round as well. To make it worse, the Sharks have been short-handed 20 times in the second round, worst in the league. As Emily wrote above, Colorado's top line can put up shots in a hurry, and if Jones falters early, the Sharks may not be able to climb back without another four-goal Game 7 power play. Jones has turned it around after a tough regular season, so if he can pull another strong effort, like in Game 6 vs. Vegas or Game 5 of this series, then I see San Jose advancing to face St. Louis.

Injured striker Harry Kane hopes to return to Tottenham Hotspur's lineup in time for their Champions League final match with Liverpool on June 1 in Madrid.

Kane sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate with his teammates at the final whistle of their dramatic 3-2 semifinal win at Ajax Amsterdam, and could possibly return for what would be the biggest game in the club's history.

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Kane has been sidelined with an ankle injury since last month's quarterfinal first leg against Manchester City.

"Rehab is going well. I start straight line running this week which is why I was okay to run on at the end," Kane said after the match.

England skipper Kane says he would take nothing for granted, however, even if he was fit.

"We beat Manchester City and Ajax so I have to start training even harder to prove myself to the gaffer [Maurico Pochettino]," he said.

"We've just got to take all this in and then look forward to the final."

Tottenham looked down and out at the break as they trailed 2-0, 3-0 on aggregate, but were transformed in the second half with Brazilian Lucas Moura, Kane's stand-in, scoring a hat trick to send the Londoners through on away goals.

A halftime visit to the Tottenham Hotspur dressing room by Kane helped inspire his side to the remarkable win.

Defender Kieran Trippier said Kane had not minced his words at halftime with Spurs trailing to an inspired Dutch side and heading for a fourth successive defeat in all competitions.

Whatever Kane said, it clearly worked a treat.

"It was a disappointing first half and we let them play. I went into the dressing room at half time and we knew it wasn't good enough," Kane said.

"We said we had 45 minutes to give everything. I'm a fan first and foremost and I know how much it means to the club.

"The lads dug deep and showed passion and that is all you can ask for. We had to wait to get the third in the last minute and we found a way. I'm just speechless. I'm a fan, I want to win and I know how much it means to everyone at the club.

"I'm looking at the game and thinking about what I'd be doing out there. You can't switch out of that mode but the lads showed passion, spirit and heart."