Asian shares are mostly declining, as worries continue about soaring oil prices and the potential for further escalation in the U.S. war with Iran. Benchmarks slipped in early Monday trading in Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The drops follow the deep declines on Wall Street last Friday that finished off a fifth straight losing week, its longest such streak in nearly four years. Worries have been great in Japan and the rest of Asia about the effective lack of access to the Strait of Hormuz because of the war in Iran, as the region relies greatly on such access for oil shipments. Oil prices climbed.
From
To
Asian shares decline as oil prices soar amid the war in Iran, echoing last week's Wall Street drop
Regional powers met in Pakistan to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East after about 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the monthlong war. Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are in Islamabad for Sunday's talks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held “extensive discussions” on regional hostilities. The war has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.
Pakistan says it will host US-Iran talks, while Iran warns US ground troops would be 'set on fire'
Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox and Chase DeLauter of the Cleveland Guardians have accomplished something in the last week that had been done only twice before. The two rookies homered in each of their first three major league games. Sportradar says the only other players to hit home runs in at least their first three Major League Baseball games were Trevor Story with the Colorado Rockies in 2016 and Kyle Lewis with the Seattle Mariners in 2019. Story owns the MLB record with homers in his first four career games.
Mullins Madness! Freshman's 35-footer gives UConn a 73-72 win over Duke and a Final Four spot
Emerson Hancock threw six hitless innings and Brendan Donovan launched a three-run homer as the Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Guardians 8-0 to earn a four-game split in their season-opening series. Hancock, who won a spot in the Mariners’ rotation in large part because of an injury to Bryce Miller, set a career high with nine strikeouts. The only baserunners the 26-year-old right-hander allowed came when he walked José Ramírez in the first inning and hit CJ Kayfus with a fastball in the sixth. It wasn’t until Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter lined a clean single to right field leading off the seventh against reliever Cooper Criswell that Seattle’s bid for a no-hitter ended. Daniel Schneemann also singled for the Guardians in the eighth.
AP Wire
The Final Four is set. Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will take on Arizona next Saturday, with the winners squaring off two nights later for the national title. The Arizona-Michigan game is a matchup of top seeds. UConn, after a 19-point comeback for a 73-72 win over Duke, is seeded second and will play No. 3 seed Illinois. Arizona is the early favorite to take the title next Monday night in Indianapolis, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed closely by Michigan. The Huskies beat Duke with a 3-pointer from the logo with 0.4 seconds left by Braylon Mullins, who grew up just outside of Indianapolis.
Braylon Mullins sank a desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn an astonishing 73-72 victory over top-seeded Duke, earning the Huskies a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit. The Blue Devils led by three before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Mullins made a shot from well behind the 3-point line. It’s the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, which was the top overall seed in this year’s tournament.
Emerson Hancock pitched six hitless innings for the Seattle Mariners in his season debut against the Cleveland Guardians before being removed from the game by manager Dan Wilson. Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter lined a clean single leading off the seventh against reliever Cooper Criswell to break up Seattle’s bid for a combined no-hitter. The only baserunners Hancock allowed came when he walked José Ramírez in the first inning and hit CJ Kayfus with a fastball in the sixth. The sixth overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft needed 97 pitches to get through six scoreless innings on a chilly late afternoon in the Pacific Northwest. Hancock set a career high with nine strikeouts. No batted ball against him left the infield.