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BERLIN — The entire Hertha Berlin team will move into closed accommodation for two weeks after coach Pal Dardai and two others tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of a key game in the fight against relegation, the club said Thursday. Dardai, assistant coach Admir Hamzagic and forward Dodi Lukebakio are all in isolation at home and don't have symptoms, the club said. Another assistant coach, Andreas Neuendorf, is also in isolation as a close contact. The rest of the team and coaching staff were set Thursday to move into closed accommodation until April 28, as required by local health authorities, living together and leaving the site only for training sessions and games. That disrupts Hertha's preparations for what could be a crucial game as the well-funded Berlin club seeks to avoid what would be a shock relegation from the Bundesliga. Hertha is 15th, one place above the relegation playoff spot, and visits 14th-place Mainz on Sunday. Sporting director Arne Friedrich is taking charge of the team until further notice. The former Germany defender has a coaching license and formerly coached the German under-18 national team. Friedrich said Hertha was taking strict measures to stop the virus spreading so that the club can still field a team in the final matches of the season. Friedrich said that besides the closed accommodation, that means strict social distancing. Hertha was already conducting daily coronavirus rapid tests but will now use the more sensitive PCR testing method. “We will accept this challenging situation as a team and do all we can to be successful in our coming games,” Friedrich said in a statement. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
MADRID — One by one, Real Madrid defenders started going down. First it was captain Sergio Ramos with a muscle injury. Then Raphael Varane with the coronavirus. Next was Lucas Vázquez with a knee problem. The outlook was grim for the Spanish powerhouse ahead of the decisive game against Liverpool in the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday. Madrid’s depleted defence would have to go against the English club's prolific attack to try to protect a 3-1 win from last week's first leg. It turned out there was no real reason for concern. It was because of a solid performance by that makeshift defence that Madrid held on for a 0-0 draw at Anfield and made it back to the Champions League semifinals after a two-year absence. As the English team created chance after chance, the Madrid defenders held strong, clearing and blocking attempt after attempt. “The players always want more and the team always shows that character,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “When there are difficulties, they are even more united and want to step up. We have immense quality, but the key is the character of the players.” Only Ferland Mendy was a regular starter in the Madrid defence against Liverpool. Substitutes Éder Militão and Nacho Fernández played superbly in central defence, while midfielder Federico Valverde did well as a right back. And with help of an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and some solid defending by midfielder Casemiro, Madrid kept in check the dangerous trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané to reach the European semifinals for the ninth time in 11 seasons. Militão and Nacho had already been key for Madrid in the first leg against Liverpool, when Ramos and Varane also weren’t available. “We are part of the squad and we are here for a reason,” Nacho said. "We are well-prepared to play games like this. We have played three of the most demanding games together and we have produced top-level performances. So I’m pleased for myself, for Militão and especially for the whole team.” The duo also thrived in the Spanish league last weekend against Barcelona in the clásico, which Madrid won 2-1 to stay in position to repeat as Spanish champions. “They showed that they are ready to play for Real Madrid,” Casemiro said. “It’s not easy to play for this team, but they are ready. We were missing Ramos and Varane, two of our captains, but Nacho and Militão came through and showed their worth.” In the right side of the defence, Valverde held his ground while replacing Vázquez, who had been playing well in the absence of regular starter Dani Carvajal because of a long injury layoff. Vázquez got hurt in the first half of the match against Barcelona on Saturday. “Valverde put in a great performance in a position where he’s not used to play,” Zidane said. And when Valverde and the rest of the makeshift defence failed, Courtois was there to keep Madrid safe. “He is playing brilliantly,” Zidane said. “It’s so important to have a goalkeeper who is as secure as he is. He has always been like that for us. He has been doing a fantastic job.” Zidane soon is expected to get some of his regular starters in defence back, especially Varane and Carvajal, who are in the final stages of their recovery. But Vázquez is likely to miss the rest of the season and Ramos will still be out for a while because he has also tested positive for COVID-19. Zidane is probably not as concerned now, though, knowing that he can safely count on all the defenders in his squad. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports ___ Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press
Carlos Rodón throws the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history, plus Bo Bichette walks off on his second home run in this edition of FastCast
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Roberto Pérez becomes the only Cleveland batter to reach base as he takes a pitch to the foot and breaks up Carlos Rodón's perfect game
Kevin Iole talks 1-on-1 with Jorge Masvidal ahead of his rematch with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on April 24 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
CHICAGO — Carlos Rodón jumped around near the mound, surrounded by exuberant teammates. All the injuries, all the uncertainty, it seemed like a lifetime ago. From no roster spot to no-hitter — Rodón had arrived at his moment. The left-hander threw the second no-hitter of the young baseball season Wednesday night, losing his bid for a perfect game on a hit batter with one out in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. “It just feels good to finally sit here and tell you I dominated today, and it felt good,” Rodón said. “I've never really done that. I've never done that on this level at least, and it feels good to say I did it.” The 28-year-old pitcher got some help from AL MVP José Abreu, who picked up Josh Naylor's slow bouncer leading off the ninth and got his toe on first base in the nick of time. The pandemic-limited crowd of 7,148, bundled up on a cool, crisp night, had to endure a quick replay review when the Indians challenged, but the call was upheld. Rodón then plunked Roberto Pérez on the back foot with an 0-2 slider — the only runner he allowed. An incredulous Rodón looked on almost in bewilderment as Pérez made his way to first, asking the veteran catcher if the ball actually hit him. It had. A perfect game saved by inches — then lost by a foot. Rodón regained his composure in time to strike out Yu Chang looking and retire Jordan Luplow on a sharp grounder to third baseman Yoán Moncada, starting a joyous celebration. Rodón held out his arms as Moncada jumped toward him and backup catcher Zack Collins joined the impromptu party. “That was the most incredible thing that I’ve ever been a part of behind the plate,” the 26-year-old Collins said. Sidelined by a string of arm injuries throughout his career, Rodón was out of a job for a while last winter. Back in December, the White Sox declined to offer him a 2021 contract. The No. 3 pick in the 2014 amateur draft re-signed with the team as a free agent, agreeing to a one-year deal for $3 million on Feb. 1. Looks like a pretty good call at the moment. Rodón (2-0) won a spot in the rotation in spring training and pitched five scoreless innings in his first start of the season. “There's an old saying: ‘There’s not a lot of justice in this game, but every once in a while,'” Chicago manager Tony La Russa said. “Proved to me he's a finisher, and that's a really good thing for his future and ours.” It was the first no-hitter for the White Sox since Lucas Giolito pitched one Aug. 25 last year against Pittsburgh and No. 20 in franchise history, second-most among major league teams behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (23). Pérez made two hard outs earlier in the game and said when he came up in the ninth, he was unaware Rodón had not permitted a baserunner. "To be honest, I didn’t really think he had a perfect game until I got hit,” Pérez said. “I thought he had a no-hitter going on but I really didn’t think he had a perfect game. It’s hard, man. I’m not going to stand there and get hit, especially on a night like tonight when it was cold. But that’s just part of the game.” Rodón’s gem came only five days after Joe Musgrove threw a no-hitter for his hometown Padres at Texas — the first no-no in club history. San Diego had been the only big league franchise without one. Working quickly in short sleeves with the top of his jersey unbuttoned, Rodón threw 75 of 114 pitches for strikes. He struck out seven in his first major league shutout and second complete game. It was his first home win since pitching six effective innings for a 7-3 victory over Minnesota on Aug. 22, 2018. The game-time temperature was 45 degrees, and most of the other players wore long sleeves. But the cold didn’t appear to bother Rodón at all. He was in control right from the start. Franmil Reyes saw eight pitches leading off the fifth, but bounced to third on a 2-2 offering. The crowd cheered loudly when José Ramírez lined to left on a 3-1 pitch for the final out of the seventh. “He kind of overwhelmed us,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. Rodón was helped by a six-run first inning that included another long homer by rookie Yermin Mercedes, one of baseball’s biggest surprises early in the season. With one out and runners on the corners, Mercedes turned on Zach Plesac's fastball and drove it an estimated 431 feet to left for his third homer. He went 3 for 5 to run his batting average to .500 (19 for 38). Leury García hit an RBI double and scored on Nick Madrigal’s single before Francona pulled Plesac (1-2) with two outs. It was the shortest start of his career. “This has been the toughest game, day, of my entire career so far,” Plesac said. “Minor leagues, big leagues, high school, college, anything. It hurts, man.” IT'S HAPPENED BEFORE In 2015, Washington ace Max Scherzer was one strike from a perfect game against Pittsburgh when he hit José Tabata with a 2-2 pitch. Scherzer retired the next batter for a no-hitter. TRAINER’S ROOM Indians: Pérez was in the starting lineup a day after he got crossed up with reliever James Karinchak in the 10th inning and ended up catching a pitch barehanded. White Sox: RHP Dylan Cease was placed on the injured list and RHP Zack Burdi was recalled from the team’s alternate site. Cease has some symptoms associated with COVID-19, but general manager Rick Hahn said the pitcher hasn’t tested positive. The team is working on a plan in case Cease is unable to pitch Friday at Boston. ... OF Adam Engel (strained right hamstring) thinks he could return during the next homestand beginning April 23. Engel got hurt during spring training and had a setback during rehab, but said he is feeling much better. UP NEXT Right-handers Aaron Civale and Lance Lynn pitch in the series finale Thursday afternoon. Civale (2-0, 2.45 ERA) tossed 7 2/3 innings of three-hit ball in Cleveland’s 11-3 victory over Detroit on Saturday. Lynn (1-0, 0.00) is coming off his second career shutout, striking out 11 during a 6-0 victory over Kansas City in Chicago’s home opener last week. ___ Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
Condensed Game: Jazz Chisholm Jr. clubbed a three-run homer and Jesús Aguilar drove in two runs to help the Marlins top the Braves, 6-5
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