HOUSTON -- It didn't take long for Juan Soto to launch his first home run in a New York Mets uniform.

The superstar right fielder, playing in his second game with his new club Friday night, blasted a solo shot in the third inning against the Houston Astros. Soto turned on a 96 mph cutter up and in from right-hander Hunter Brown to give the Mets a 3-0 lead in an eventual 3-1 win at Daikin Park. The ball traveled 390 feet to right field at 107.3 mph, bouncing off the second deck's facade.

Soto, who has been booed before each of his at-bats in this series, struck out in his previous two at-bats, going back to the Mets' season-opening loss Thursday, when he went down swinging as the game-tying run to end the game.

He exacted some revenge Friday with his first home run since signing his 15-year, $765 million contract after clubbing a career-high 41 homers in his lone season with the New York Yankees.

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings in a ceremony Friday night.

"There's just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players," manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles hosted the Detroit Tigers.

A choir in the left field pavilion sang "We Are the Champions" to open the ceremony hosted by actor Anthony Anderson.

"Nobody was like us last year and I have a feeling that nobody will be like us this year," said Anderson, a Dodgers fan.

The Big Three Champs. pic.twitter.com/sD15j4mrAd

Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 29, 2025

Ohtani, World Series MVP Freddie Freeman and Roberts received some of the loudest cheers walking a blue carpet to a circular stage between home plate and the mound.

Ohtani waved to the fans. When it was Freeman's turn, they chanted "Freddie! Freddie!"

The stars were greeted with hugs from owner Mark Walter, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, president and CEO Stan Kasten and general manager Brandon Gomes, who presented the coaching staff and players with blue boxes.

An injured Kershaw didn't pitch in the postseason last year, which culminated in the Dodgers' five-game victory over the rival New York Yankees in the World Series. Ohtani's Japanese countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto and catcher Austin Barnes were busy warming up in the bullpen and had a clubhouse manager accept their rings.

The Dodgers unveiled their World Series championship flag in center field and a championship emblem on the right-field suite level before a 5-4 win over the Tigers in Thursday's home opener.

"This is the final piece," Roberts said. "Just to kind of have the fans here to kind of enjoy this with us and close the book on 2024."

Roberts had not seen the ring ahead of time.

"It's a symbol for me," he said, adding that he doesn't wear rings other than a wedding band.

Roberts said he keeps his World Series rings from 2004 (as a player with Boston) and 2020 (as manager with the Dodgers) in a home safe.

It's all in the details. pic.twitter.com/FskW3IsNDG

Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 29, 2025

The handcrafted rings by Jostens contain 14-karat yellow gold, diamonds and genuine sapphires.

Inside the box's lid, a video plays highlights of the World Series. Using a specialized hinge mechanism, the top of the ring opens to reveal Dodger Stadium displayed in detail and features the Commissioner's Trophy with one diamond to mark the victory. Eight diamonds represent each of the team's World Series titles and the years 1883 and 2024 mark the franchise's 142 seasons.

The left side of the ring top interior includes a piece from the bases used in the World Series. Encircling the base are 34 sapphires honoring the Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who died days before the World Series began.

In a personal touch, players' signatures are on the interior palm of the ring.

Former Dodger Jack Flaherty started for the Tigers on Friday night, so he'll receive his ring Saturday.

"We can go beat him up today and give him the ring tomorrow," Roberts joked.

Flaherty, a native of nearby Burbank, California, started Game 1 of the National League Championship Series and Game 1 of the World Series, both at Dodger Stadium, where he attended games as a kid. He joined the Dodgers at last year's trade deadline and provided stability to a starting rotation rocked by injuries.

"He was the right person at the right time for our club," Roberts said. "He delivered."

Utilityman Kiké Hernández got out of his sick bed to participate in the ceremony after missing the home opener a day earlier.

"He's feeling much better," Roberts said.

The team gathered behind the mound waiting for everyone to cross the stage and then posed for photos, smiling and admiring the bling on their fingers. A brass band broke into "Not Like Us."

"I hope it fits," Roberts said. "If it ends up on my pinkie, we'll be in trouble."

Russian Daria Kasatkina will switch allegiance to Australia after her application for permanent residency was accepted.

The 27-year-old, who has criticised Russia's LGBTQ+ rules and opposed the war in Ukraine, has been living in Dubai and has not returned to Russia in two and a half years.

Last month she denied suggestions she had switched to Spanish nationality after a mix-up with the flag used next to her name at a WTA Tour draw ceremony.

The world number 12, who has won eight singles titles, wrote on social media: "Australia is a place I love, is incredibly welcoming and a place where I feel totally at home.

"I love being in Melbourne and look forward to making my home there.

"As part of this, I am proud to announce that I will be representing my new homeland, Australia, in my professional tennis career from this point onwards.

"Obviously, there are parts of this decision that have not been easy. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to my family, coaches and everyone who has supported me throughout my tennis journey to date."

Kasatkina revealed she is gay in a video interview in 2022 and left Russia, which has strict laws on LGBTQ+ rights.

After also criticising the war in Ukraine in the interview, a Russian politician unsuccessfully called for her to be listed as a 'foreign agent' - someone acting against Russian interests.

Last year, she said she was expecting "consequences" following her actions.

Her statement on Friday added: "I will always have respect and fond appreciation for my roots, but I am thrilled to start this new chapter in my career and my life under the Australian flag. Thank you all for your understanding and continued support."

Sale: Carpenter, Roebuck, R du Preez (c), Bedlow, O'Flaherty; Ford, Warr; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Bamber, Hill, Van Rhyn, T Curry, JL du Preez.

Sin-bin: Ford (36).

Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, John, Andrews, Dugdale, Thomas, Addison, Reed.

Northampton: Ramm, Freeman, Odendaal, Dingwall (c), Hendy; James, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Davison, Munga, Coles, Kemeny, Scott-Young, Pollock.

Sin-bin: James (9), Freeman (13).

Replacements: Walker, Haffar, Green, Mayanavnaua, Augustus, Pearson, Weimann, Litchfield.

Referee: Hamish Smales

MEXICO CITY -- León captain James Rodríguez and coach Eduardo Berizzo urged FIFA on Friday to reconsider booting the Mexican team from the Club World Cup.

León was axed last week for failing to comply with regulations regarding multi-club ownership.

León and fellow Mexican club Pachuca both qualified but have the same owner, Grupo Pachuca.

"It's a big injustice," Rodríguez said in a news conference. "If they leave us out it is not going to be fair and it will be a stain on soccer. There are fans that have bought tickets and are in debt to pay for them. How do you tell them now that they are not going to go?"

Rodríguez, the Golden Boot winner at the 2014 World Cup, signed a one-year deal to play for León and one of the reasons was to play in the Club World Cup staged in the United States this summer.

"I'm happy to be here," Rodriguez said. "Whether or not we play in the Club World Cup does not change the fact that I want to stay here. This is something new for me. I never qualified for a Club World Cup, and weeks before they tell you that you are out. I hope FIFA can do something."

León's owner Grupo Pachuca has announced it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport next month.

"The CAS should rule in our favor," Berizzo said. "We have the right to compete, we did not break any law. The decision is unfair, there is time to fix this."

FIFA has yet to announce a replacement team but Costa Rican club Liga Deportiva Alajuelense has put its hand up. Alajuelense asked FIFA last November to enforce its multi-ownership rules.

"The teams raising their hands for the right to compete in our place should be ashamed of themselves," León midfielder Andrés Guardado said.

"It is a brutal injustice. If anyone has done things wrong it is FIFA. Multi-club ownership in Mexico has existed for many years and FIFA still allow us to compete."

In Mexico, beside León and Pachuca, three more companies own two or more clubs in the first division. Grupo Caliente owns Tijuana and Queretaro, while Grupo Orlegi controls Atlas and Santos. TV Azteca owns Mazatlan and has partial ownership of Puebla.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 2:22 left, and Chloe Kitts added 15 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 1 seed South Carolina beat fourth-seeded Maryland 71-67 on Friday in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA tournament.

The defending national champion Gamecocks went back and forth with the Terrapins all game before putting it away in the final few minutes.

South Carolina will face Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Blue Devils beat Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina 47-38 earlier Friday.

Dawn Staley's team trailed 60-59 with 3:25 left before holding Maryland without a point over the next three minutes. Fulwiley's layup began the 7-0 run that gave the Gamecocks (33-3) just enough cushion.

Kitts added three free throws during the spurt and Fulwiley scored on a coast-to-coast drive.

The Gamecocks were up 66-60 with 25 seconds left when Saylor Poffenbarger ended Maryland's scoring drought with a 3-pointer.

But the Terps couldn't get closer as the Gamecocks made five of six free throws down the stretch, including two by Fulwiley with 10.9 seconds left that made it 71-65.

Kaylene Smikle scored 17 points to lead Maryland (25-8) before fouling out.

Neither team got into an offensive flow in the first three quarters. South Carolina trailed 43-39 late in the third before closing out the period with a 13-7 run that was capped by a spectacular transition basket by Fulwiley, who went behind her back and then hit a pull-up shot.

The two teams had met once in the NCAA tournament, an 86-75 win for South Carolina in the Elite Eight in 2023.

South Carolina avoided becoming the first defending champion to lose this early in the tournament since Louisville knocked off Brittney Griner and Baylor in 2013 in the Sweet 16.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens reached a three-year contract extension with coach John Harbaugh on Friday, which maintains continuity for one of the most stable franchises in the NFL.

The new deal keeps Harbaugh under contract with the team through the 2028 season.

Harbaugh, 62, was entering the final year of a contract that he signed in March 2022. The Ravens have never let him start a regular season on the final year of his contract since he was hired in 2008.

He is the team's all-time winningest head coach with a 185-115 record over 17 seasons. Harbaugh guided the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2012, and his 12 playoff berths are the second most in the league behind Andy Reid (14) since he arrived in Baltimore.

Harbaugh is the second-longest tenured NFL coach behind the Steelers' Mike Tomlin, who completed his 18th season in Pittsburgh. No other coach has been with his current team for more than 12 years.

An extension between Harbaugh and the Ravens had been expected. Shortly after Baltimore's season ended with a 27-25 divisional round loss in Buffalo in late January, Harbaugh said he wasn't worried about his contract status.

This past season, Harbaugh led Baltimore to its second straight AFC North title despite an 0-2 start, which included a home loss to the 4-13 Las Vegas Raiders. He also helped first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr bounce back from some early-season struggles by adding Dean Pees as a senior adviser.

Harbaugh's strength of keeping his team even keel came into play at the end of last season, when Baltimore fell to 8-5 heading into the bye and trailed first-place Pittsburgh by two games with four weeks remaining. The Ravens then rebounded to win their last four games of the regular season by a combined score of 135-43.

But playoff success has been a challenge lately, even with one of the top players in the NFL in quarterback Lamar Jackson. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens have advanced past the divisional round only once since winning the Super Bowl 12 seasons ago.

The Ravens have become one of the most sound franchises since relocating from Cleveland in 1996. Over the past 29 years, the Ravens have had three head coaches (Ted Marchibroda, Brian Billick and Harbaugh), two general managers (Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta) and two owners (Art Modell and Steve Bisciotti).

When the Ravens hired Harbaugh in 2008, he was considered an outside-the-box hire because his expertise had been on special teams. In replacing Billick, Harbaugh changed the culture and turned the Ravens into a perennial Super Bowl contender.

Using bold decisions and a team-first mentality, Harbaugh has led Baltimore to a .617 win percentage -- including the playoffs -- and has guided the Ravens to six AFC North titles, two No. 1 seeds and four trips to the AFC Championship Game. The Ravens have had just two losing seasons under Harbaugh, when his starting quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Jackson suffered season-ending injuries in 2015 and 2021.

With Harbaugh's new deal, the Ravens removed one of the bigger question marks surrounding the championship-caliber team. By returning 19 starters, the Ravens have the third-best odds to win the Super Bowl this season (+650), according to ESPN BET.

SPOKANE, Wash. -- USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb made it clear Friday that she did not think the play that resulted in JuJu Watkins' season-ending ACL tear was dirty.

Gottlieb also condemned the online bullying against Mississippi State player Chandler Prater, who was guarding Watkins when she was injured in the first quarter of the Trojans' second-round win Monday.

"There was nothing to me that looked like it had any intent to hurt her. ... I mean, that's not a USC view at all," Gottlieb said. "It was a physical game. ... No one deserves online bullying in any realm, but certainly not a young woman in Chandler, who was trying to make a play, and unfortunately our player got hurt."

As Watkins sprinted down the floor, Prater came to guard her and the two made contact as Watkins started to drive toward the basket. Watkins' right knee buckled, and she crumbled to the court, eventually needing assistance to get back to the locker room. It was later revealed that she tore an ACL in the knee and was done for the year.

For the rest of the game, boos rained down on Mississippi State, especially any time Prater touched the ball.

Bulldogs head coach Sam Purcell said after the game that he was praying for Watkins, adding that his team doesn't "play to hurt, we play to compete." He also expressed his hope that the situation wouldn't stir up further unrest or ill will between the two teams.

But Prater still became the subject of hateful comments online. Some fans called her a "dirty" player and said "it's war" against her. Others told her to "learn to play basketball without fouling and injuring players."

Prater has disabled the ability for users to comment on her most recent social media posts, but fans went to older posts to send their messages.

"We have really passionate fans, and there's a lot of love for JuJu, and I understand people being sad and hurt that she's hurt, but nobody in our camp feels like there was any type of attack on her and would not support any type of online bullying or things of that nature," Gottlieb said. "She's a young person that was playing basketball, too, and I'm sure did not want any part of a negative situation that it turned out to be."

USC continues its season Saturday in a Sweet 16 matchup against Kansas State.

PHOENIX -- Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt agreed to a five-year, $45 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday as the team continues its push to secure its young standouts on long-term contracts.

Pfaadt's deal begins in 2026 and includes a club option for 2031 and a mutual option in 2032.

Pfaadt, 26, was one of the team's most consistent pitchers last season, finishing with an 11-10 record and a 4.71 ERA while setting career highs in wins, starts (32), innings pitched (181) and strikeouts (185).

Pfaadt also gave the team an unexpected boost during its postseason run to the World Series in 2023, going 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA over five starts.

He'll make $799,400 this year before the new contract kicks in next season.

Pfaadt's deal is the latest example of the D-backs signing young players to long-term extensions, joining shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (four years, $45 million) and reliever Justin Martinez (five years, $18 million).

Pfaadt was a fifth-round pick out of Bellarmine in 2020.