Marquez secures 8th world title with Thailand Grand Prix win

Marc Marquez of Spain passed Fabio Quartararo of France on the last lap to win the Thailand Grand Prix and clinch his eighth MotoGP world title at the Chang International Circuit on Sunday.

In a typically inspired performance the defending champion chased down the Frenchman but left his decisive move until just before the end.

"I planned from the start of the weekend to win the race, not worrying about winning the championship or the battle between me and (Andrea) Dovizioso. My target was to try to find the best way to win the race," said the 26-year-old who also produced a late burst to win the same race last year.

Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team celebrates after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

It was a stunning performance by the Spaniard who crashed on both Friday and Saturday. It was Marquez's ninth win of the season, which propelled him to his eighth world title with a total of 325 points, putting him beyond Dovizioso's reach at 215 points with four races remaining this season.

"Fabio was really fast in most parts of the race. I wasn't able to grab the lead in the middle of the race. I caught up in the last lap and took it from there. It's been an amazing year. It's now time for me to enjoy and celebrate the eighth title," added Marquez who has won titles in 2010, 2012-14, 2016-19.

In another dominating year, Marquez has finished on the podium 14 times in 2019.

Spain's rider Marc Marquez and his Repsol Honda Team celebrate after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

The 20-year-old rookie Quartaroro, the youngest to secure four pole positions in a season including Sunday's race, appeared to be on his way to a maiden victory before the late charge from Marquez.

"I can't say anything except that I'm so proud of the work of my team and myself. I couldn't be happier as I fought until the last corner. I already tried everything. If I didn't try to make a move in the last corner, I would have gone up unhappy. My time will come," said the French rider who had to settle for second for the third time this year.

He finished in a time of 39 minutes and 36.394 seconds with Maverick Vinales of Spain third just over a second behind. Dovizioso just missed out on a podium finish in fourth.

Spain's rider Marc Marquez, C of the Repsol Honda Team celebrates after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team, center, Spain's Maverick Vinales of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team, right, and France's Fabio Quartararo of the Petronas Yamaha SRT, left celebrate after winning Thailand's MotoGP at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez, C of the Repsol Honda Team celebrates after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez, C of the Repsol Honda Team and his teammates celebrate after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team celebrates after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team celebrates after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez, of the Repsol Honda Team, celebrates with an 8 ball after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team celebrates after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team, right, Spain's Maverick Vinales of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team, center, and France's Fabio Quartararo of the Petronas Yamaha SRT, left celebrate after winning Thailand's MotoGP at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez, captain of the Repsol Honda Team, celebrates with a giant 8 ball after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

Spain's rider Marc Marquez of the Repsol Honda Team celebrates after winning Thailand's MotoGP and his 8th Moto GP Championship at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)

CHICAGO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays placed two-time All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a dislocated and fractured left thumb and recalled catcher Brandon Valenzuela from Triple-A Buffalo.

Kirk was injured in the 10th inning of a 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday when Austin Hays fouled a pitch off Kirk's glove. He left the game immediately and went for X-rays.

The Blue Jays also assigned 36-year-old left-hander Patrick Corbin to Single-A Dunedin on Saturday, a day after signing him to a one-year contract.

Manager John Schneider didn't have a timeline for Kirk's return but said before Saturday’s game in Chicago that the 27-year-old would see Dr. Thomas Graham, a hand specialist in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday to determine the next steps.

“(The thumb) was dislocated,” Schneider said. "They put it back in last night, as well as a fracture. So tough news for us and I think for Kirky for sure.

“They're going to see if they need to do any kind of surgical intervention or pin or something like that. We'll know that on Monday, and then kind of determine the timeline after that.”

As an All-Star in 2025, Kirk batted .282 with 15 homers and 76 RBIs in 130 games for AL champion Toronto. He played in all 18 of the Blue Jays' postseason games and hit .308 with two homers and six RBIs in seven World Series games against the Dodgers.

Kirk was batting .150 with one homer and two RBIs in five games this season.

The 25-year-old Valenzuela has yet to play in the majors, but he arrived in Chicago on Saturday and is expected to split time behind the plate with Tyler Heineman while Kirk is out.

In four games with Buffalo this season, he was batting .200 with one homer and four RBIs.

Corbin, a two-time All-Star in 13 major league seasons, was 7-11 with a 4.40 ERA for Texas last season. For his career, Corbin is 110-142 with a 4.51 ERA over 373 games including 354 starts.

Three Blue Jays starters — Shane Bieber, José Bérrios and Trey Yesavage — are currently on the injured list.

Schneider wasn't sure how long it would take Corbin to ramp up and return to the majors.

“I think definitely we view him as a starter or definite length option,” Schneider said. “I think until the dominoes kind of start to fall back into place with Trey and Josey and Biebs ... you look for length and how we can use it.”

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Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk (30) hits a one-run double during the second inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)