Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Reigning champions Palmeiras qualify for Libertadores final

Reigning champions Palmeiras reached the final of the Copa Libertadores on the away goals rule on Tuesday following a 1-1 draw at fellow Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg, the teams played out a turgid first half in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday but the game sparked to life early in the second period when Eduardo Vargas headed home at the far post to give Atletico the lead.

Boxing-Manny Pacquiao retires from boxing to chase Philippine presidential bid

Boxing star Manny Pacquiao, who is planning to run for president in the 2022 Philippine elections, said on Wednesday he was retiring from boxing to focus on the biggest fight in his political career https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/boxer-manny-pacquiao-nominated-presidential-candidate-philippines-2022-election-2021-09-19.

Pacquiao, a Philippine senator who has been dividing his time between politics and fighting, made the announcement in a 14-minute video posted on his official Facebook page.

Tennis-Raducanu handed Indian Wells wildcard entry

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu will play in her first tournament since stunning the tennis world at Flushing Meadows after being handed a wildcard for next month’s WTA 1000 tournament at Indian Wells, organisers said on Tuesday. The 18-year-old Briton became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam earlier this month when she beat fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez of Canada in straight sets.

MLB roundup: Mariners climb within 1 1/2 games of playoff spot

The Seattle Mariners continued their dominance of the visiting Oakland Athletics on Monday night, riding Mitch Haniger’s pair of three-run home runs to a 13-4 trouncing of their American League West rivals in the opener of a three-game series. Seattle pulled within 4 1/2 games of the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West while moving within 1 1/2 games of Boston in the chase for the second AL wild card. The A’s fell 3 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the wild-card race.

NFL-New uniform, same Tom Brady: Super Bowl champ set for dramatic Foxborough return

Tom Brady walks into Gillette Stadium in a different uniform but in the familiar role as defending Super Bowl champion on Sunday, playing in New England for the first time as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. The 44-year-old returns to the New England Patriots’ home turf for the first time since he left after two era-defining decades in which he picked up six of his seven Super Bowl titles before shattering hearts among the team’s fanatic base with his departure.

Factbox-Boxing-Manny Pacquiao, Asia’s rags to riches champion

Manny Pacquiao, one of the most decorated fighters in world boxing, announced his retirement from the sport on Wednesday to concentrate on a run for the presidency in the Philippines. Below are some facts about Pacquiao.

NBA-Unvaccinated players to face extensive COVID-19 restrictions: ESPN

NBA players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to comply with a long list of restrictions to take part in the upcoming season, ESPN https://www.espn.in/nba/story/_/id/32301923/in-memo-teams-nba-crafts-protocols-requiring-unvaccinated-players-many-same-restrictions-rest-league reported. Vaccination is not mandatory but 90% of players already are, NBA Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told Yahoo Sports in July.

Bobsleigh-London long jump champ Rutherford targets Winter Games medal

London 2012 long jump champion Greg Rutherford has secured a place on Britain’s bobsleigh squad, the 34-year-old said, as he looks to become the country’s first athlete to medal at both a Summer and Winter Olympics. Rutherford, who retired from long jump competition in 2018 because of injury, is aiming to help Britain qualify for next year’s Beijing Winter Games.

Olympics-Hospitalisations during Tokyo 2020 Games higher than initially reported, say organisers

A total of 25 people were hospitalised due to COVID-19 during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, instead of the initially reported five, organisers said on Tuesday evening. “The initial five we reported was the figure for overseas residents who were hospitalised,” explained Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto at a news conference.

Basketball-With an ‘underdog’ mentality, Connecticut’s Jones snares WNBA MVP honor

Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones said an “underdog” mentality helped propel her to the top of her sport, after being named the winner of the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player award on Tuesday. Jones won the award in her fifth WNBA season after she received 48 of 49 first-place votes and 487 total points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, the league said, just four years after she was named Most Improved Player.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)