Shohei Ohtani homered in consecutive innings, including a 459-foot drive that was the longest of his Major League Baseball career, and drove in four runs to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox 12-5

Formula One has long been the established championship at the pinnacle of motorsport racing, but that is now all changing in the eyes those involved in another series. Alejandro Agag is chief of the Formula E championship which is now in its ninth season, running a third generation all-electric racecar. Over the weekend, the famous streetrace of Monaco hosted the ninth race of 2023 - just past the midway point in the campaign - and Agag feels the new vehicle is perfectly suited for such an historic and prestigious track. Moreover, Agag says the championship as a whole has progressed to such an extent over the past couple of years that it can now lay serious claim to being a requirement for the best drivers to conquer, the Independent has learned. “It’s a car made for the streets of Monaco. This Gen 3 really takes Formula E to another level,” Agag said on TalkSport’s On Track show. “It takes it to a level where strategy is key. “I think we’ve put it in a place where if you really want to call yourself the best driver in the world, you really need to win Formula 1 and Formula E.” That is a view which has been echoed by several drivers on the FE grid, who feel the added strategy and control required makes it the real pinnacle of motorsport. Dan Ticktum, a British driver with NIO, told the Independent in March that F1 drivers could be picked up on factors including nationality and financial backing - whereas FE drivers were simply there on talent. “All the drivers are here because we’re good. It’s all merit-based,” Ticktum said. “You very rarely get signed because of a nationality. In Formula 1, a lot of people are being signed now who are not actually good enough in my opinion, it’s just where they are born. Formula E doesn’t pay attention to any of that. “The best drivers rise to the top – merit only. There are very few championships in the world where every driver is paid to do their job; from a fans’ point of view I would like that a lot – it’s the best drivers in the world going head-to-head.” At present, the only past Formula E champion currently involved in F1 is Nyck de Vries, in his debut season with AlphaTauri. Several of those on the FE grid have previously been in F1, but the claim would suggest Max Verstappen, F1’s current champion and leader in this season’s championship, would need to also make the switch to unify the titles, as such. ::The On Track show - the only dedicated weekly motorsport show on UK national radio - airs from on TalkSport at 1pm on Tuesday and repeats at 9pm. Read More FIA face scrutiny after Norris almost drives into official in another near-miss Where are Mercedes and Ferrari? Frankly, you don’t want to hear the answer George Russell takes aim at ‘distracting’ razzmatazz before Miami Grand Prix

Kevin Harvick has fond memories of Michigan International Speedway, where he won for the sixth time last summer

Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels insists the confidence he has in his offense is intact

England skipper Taylor Harwood-Bellis will head into Saturday’s European Under-21s Championship final convinced his side deserve to emerge with the trophy. Lee Carsley’s youngsters face Spain at the Batumi Arena in Georgia determined to deny their opponents a record sixth title after sailing into the showdown having won all five of their games – three of them at final venue – to date in the tournament without conceding a goal. Manchester City defender Harwood-Bellis admits he has been dreaming of getting his hands on the silverware, but knows there is plenty to do before he and his team-mates can celebrate a first success in the competition since 1984. Speaking at England’s pre-match press conference, he said: “It’s good to visualise yourself lifting the trophy, but there’s a long way to go before that happens. At least 90 minutes. “It would be massive for us to win. We’ve put in so much work over the last two years, we’ve played at such a high level and I think the squad would deserve to lift the trophy.” England’s progress in Georgia and Romania has been serene, topping Group C with successive 2-0 victories over Czech Republic, Israel and Germany before edging past Portugal in the last eight and dispatching the Israelis for a second time in the semi-finals. Spain, who last lifted the trophy in 2019, are likely to provide a much sterner test, although Carsley believes there is more to come from his side. Since coming into the knockout stages, we know we only have one chance. England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley He said: “We were ranking sixth coming into the tournament, so getting to the final is a big achievement. I felt getting out of the group was a good achievement. But I think this team has another two or three levels to go. “Since coming into the knockout stages, we know we only have one chance. Someone is going to win tomorrow. I expect us to be under pressure, but the players know that too, and I know they will react in the right way. “We’ve watched Spain a lot. They’re a great team. My players have played brilliantly this tournament, and now they have a chance to show everyone back home they are potential new senior internationals.” Spain captain Abel Ruiz, like coach Santi Denia and team-mates Antonio Blanco, Sergio Gomez, Juan Miranda, are looking to complete a treble after winning the Under-17s European Championship in 2017 – they beat an England team including Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho on penalties in the final – and the Under-19s edition two years later. Ruiz said: “We know England well – there are one or two of them who played against us at Under-17s level. “We expect a keenly contested game. They have kept plenty of clean sheets. We know we have to do really well to be able to score against them and take the trophy.” Denia added: “We have to try and play the perfect game. We need to be as near to that as possible to beat England. It’s difficult, but that’s what we need to do.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Katie Boulter backed to cause problems for defending champion Elena Rybakina Top seed Carlos Alcaraz battles into third round at Wimbledon Jasper Philipsen pips Mark Cavendish to claim third stage win of Tour de France

The Los Angeles Dodgers were turned down by the pitcher they pursued after Justin Verlander was taken off the market when he invoked his no-trade clause.Justin Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros despite Houston having no prospects to offer and not nearly enough cash to be considered the ...

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane praised Manchester United for not letting the game slip away from them in their Champions League meeting. Bayern won 4-3 at home to the Red Devils on Wednesday.

Wayne Barnes will referee the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and South Africa in Paris on Saturday

As excited as we are for beach season, it doesn't come without its challenges — namely, finding that perfect swimsuit for lounging by the sea. This can be an especially tiresome process when you're working with D+ assets. Finding support, comfort, and style can be easier said than done, so we're here to help.

Rick Hummel, an esteemed writer who covered the St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball for five decades for the Post-Dispatch until his retirement last year, has died

Stanford pulls stunning comeback win over Deion Sanders and Colorado

Rory McIlroy is the reigning FedEx Cup champion, but who are all of the winners of the PGA Tour's season-long race and playoffs?