Sports
MLB roundup: Shohei Ohtani makes history as Dodgers clinch playoffs
Sep 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts to a standing ovation from the fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to reach 50 home runs and 50 steals in the same season as his Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a playoff berth with a 20-4 beatdown of the host Miami Marlins on Thursday afternoon.
Ohtani went 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs, three homers, two doubles, two steals and four runs. He got to 50-50 with an opposite-field homer in the seventh inning, earning a standing ovation from the crowd in Miami. He finished the night with 51 homers — a new Dodgers season record, breaking Shawn Green’s mark of 49 in 2001 — and 51 steals.
The Dodgers, who have made the playoffs 12 straight years, got solid pitching from Jack Flaherty (13-7). He went six innings, allowing five hits, two walks and three runs. He is 3-0 in three career starts in Miami, and his 13 wins this season are a career best.
Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (4-8) took the loss after wildness limited him to just 2 1/3 innings. He walked five, hit a batter and gave up four hits in surrendering seven runs.
Astros 3, Angels 1
Jon Singleton slapped a two-run, two-out double into center field in the bottom of the eighth inning and host Houston beat Los Angeles, remaining unbeaten in nine games started by Yusei Kikuchi.
Singleton capped a rally against Angels reliever Ryan Miller (0-1) by lining a 1-2 sweeper to center field. Yordan Alvarez — who had worked a leadoff walk — and Yainer Diaz scored to snap a 1-1 deadlock.
Kikuchi pitched six innings, giving up five hits and one walk and striking out nine. Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu (3-3) and Josh Hader — who notched his 32nd save — worked a scoreless inning each as the Astros reduced their magic number to clinch the American League West to five games.
Diamondbacks 5, Brewers 1
Brandon Pfaadt took a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning as visiting Arizona kept pace in the National League wild-card chase by beating Milwaukee.
Pfaadt (10-9) allowed only a single in the fourth inning before Garrett Mitchell’s two-out solo homer in the seventh cut Arizona’s lead to 3-1. Pfaadt struck out a career-high 12, including seven in a row to tie a franchise record, and walked none in a 104-pitch outing. A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez each followed with a perfect inning to complete the two-hitter as Arizona moved within two games of idle San Diego for the top NL wild-card spot.
The Diamondbacks snapped a scoreless tie with three runs on one hit in the fifth. Gabriel Moreno and Geraldo Perdomo opened with consecutive walks. Corbin Carroll then reached on an error by third baseman Andruw Monasterio, with Moreno scoring.
Mets 10, Phillies 6
Brandon Nimmo hit the tie-breaking homer in the third inning and finished with three RBIs for red-hot New York, which beat visiting Philadelphia in the opener of a four-game series between the National League East rivals.
Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso hit back-to-back homers in the first inning and Francisco Alvarez hit a three-run shot in the fourth for the Mets, who scored at least 10 runs for a third straight game for the first time in franchise history.
Trea Turner briefly tied the game by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the third while Bryce Harper had a two-run double for the NL East-leading Phillies, who missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth.
Pirates 3, Cardinals 2
Nick Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run and the decisive RBI as visiting Pittsburgh edged St. Louis.
Yasmani Grandal hit a home run for the Pirates, who avoided a four-game sweep. Luis Ortiz allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (4-5) recorded the victory and Aroldis Chapman earned his 10th save.
Brendan Donovan went 4-for-4 with two RBIs for the Cardinals. Erick Fedde allowed one run on four hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one. Reliever JoJo Romero (7-3) took the loss.
Guardians 3, Twins 2 (10 innings)
Andres Gimenez had three hits, including a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning, as Cleveland clinched a playoff spot by rallying to defeat visiting Minnesota.
With Minnesota’s Caleb Thielbar (2-4) on the mound and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez as the automatic runner at second base in the 10th, Josh Naylor struck out before Lane Thomas was intentionally walked. Gimenez then laced a hit to right field to end it.
Kyle Manzardo had a home run among three hits for Cleveland, which won for the fifth time in six games to earn at least a wild-card spot in the upcoming playoffs.
Orioles 5, Giants 3
Anthony Santander hit a game-ending, two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel Baltimore past San Francisco.
Santander fouled off four consecutive two-strike pitches from Ryan Walker before connecting for his 42nd homer of the year. Jackson Holliday hit a two-run single and Zach Eflin pitched six strong innings to help the Orioles snap a three-game losing streak.
Trying to protect a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth, Baltimore closer Seranthony Dominguez walked Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos to lead off the inning. Casey Schmitt hit a drive to right-center, with Baltimore outfielders Cedric Mullins and Austin Slater colliding on the play. Brett Wisely, who pinch-ran for Bailey, scored the tying run. Michael Conforto also homered for the second day in a row for the Giants.
Braves 15, Reds 3
Matt Olson and Michael Harris II each clubbed a pair of home runs as Atlanta crushed host Cincinnati in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Harris finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs scored. Ramon Laureano and Jorge Soler also smacked three-run homers for the Braves. Starter Chris Sale (18-3) set a career high by picking up his 18th win. He gave up two runs on five hits in five innings, walking two and striking out six.
Rookie Blake Dunn hit his first major league home run as part of a 2-for-3 day for the Reds, who have dropped five of their last eight. Dunn scored three times. Elly De La Cruz had three of Cincinnati’s 10 hits.
Mariners 3, Yankees 2
Logan Gilbert snapped a six-start winless streak as Seattle salvaged the finale of a three-game series with visiting New York.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered for the Yankees, who had clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 victory in 10 innings on Wednesday night and lead the AL East by four games over Baltimore.
Gilbert (8-11), who hadn’t won since Aug. 10, allowed two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out nine for the Mariners.
Blue Jays 4, Rangers 0
Kevin Gausman threw five hitless innings and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a pair of solo homers to back up a pair of early runs as Toronto won in Arlington, Texas.
Guerrero went 3-for-4 with three runs and a walk. Gausman (13-11) was perfect through 4 1/3 innings before surrendering a walk to Nathaniel Lowe. Gausman had six strikeouts on 58 pitches without allowing a hit before being removed because of “lower back tightness,” according to the team.
Texas, which had just two hits, lost for the sixth time in its last nine games. In his second major league start and home debut, Rangers rookie right-hander Kumar Rocker (0-1) surrendered two runs (one earned), two hits and four walks, striking out five in three innings.
Rays 2, Red Sox 0
Zack Littell allowed just one hit over seven innings as Tampa Bay blanked Boston in a combined one-hit shutout in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In an economical 75-pitch outing, Littell (8-9) fanned seven without a walk in his 28th start. He retired 21 of 22 batters he faced, allowing just a single to center by Nick Sogard in the third — the only Red Sox baserunner on the night. The Rays’ Brandon Lowe had an RBI, and Jose Caballero singled and produced his American League-leading 44th stolen base.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello yielded one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, recording seven strikeouts and two walks.
Cubs 7, Nationals 6
Dansby Swanson collected three hits and four runs and Cody Bellinger had three RBIs to lift host Chicago past Washington.
Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki launched a two-run homer and Ian Happ had three hits and scored twice. Isaac Paredes drove in a pair of runs for the Cubs, who banged out 12 hits to snap a modest two-game skid.
Washington’s Joey Gallo belted a three-run homer and James Wood, Andres Chaparro and Jose Tena each drove in a run. CJ Abrams recorded four hits and scored twice for the Nationals, who have yielded 29 runs during their four-game losing skid.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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