The best team in baseball doesn't need home runs, superstars or big money
Take their weekend at Nationals Park as an example:
On Friday, the Brewers learned their budding young superstar, Jackson Chourio, would be out for longer than expected with a hamstring injury. On Saturday, the player tied with Chourio for the team lead in FanGraphs WAR, Sal Frelick, was pulled from the game with a knee injury. And a few hours before Sunday's series finale, the Brewers announced their 23-year-old pitching prodigy, Jacob Misiorowski, would be heading to the injured list instead of the pitching rubber.
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Hernández: Son Heung-min is LAFC building block to build global brand
Already the home of Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles is now also the home of South Korea's Shohei Ohtani. Like Ohtani, Son Heung-min has been the most popular athlete in his home country by a wide margin for close to a decade. Like Ohtani, Son has a pleasant disposition that has endeared him to people from a wide range of backgrounds. Son was introduced as the latest addition to LAFC at a news conference on Wednesday at BMO Stadium, and he was everything he was made out to be. He came across as sincere. He was warm. He was funny. Read more: South Korean superstar Son Heung-min is signing with LAFC for MLS-record transfer fee 'I'm here to win,' Son said. 'I will perform and definitely show you some exciting … 'Are we calling it football or soccer?' None of this means Son will turn LAFC into the Dodgers overnight, of course. By this point, Major League Soccer and its teams understand that profile players aren't transformative figures as much as they are building blocks. Son will be the newest, and perhaps most solid, block that will be stacked on the foundation established by the club's first designated player, the now-retired Carlos Vela. Outside of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there might not be a player in the world who could be of a greater value than Son to LAFC, which continues to fight for relevance on multiple fronts. There was a reason the transfer fee paid by LAFC to Tottenham Hotspur of England was the highest in MLS history, a reported $26 million. 'Son's arrival marks a new chapter, not just for LAFC but for the league and for football in the United States,' general manager John Thorrington said. 'He brings not only incredible quality on the field but a magnetic presence off it, someone who inspires millions around the world and now will do so here in Los Angeles.' The most talented Mexican player of his generation, Vela forged an immediate connection with the community, carving out a place for LAFC in the congested Los Angeles sports market. Son will do the same, as this city is home to a large Korean community. Supporters of Mexico's national soccer team also share a fondness of Son because of a late goal he scored against Germany in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, which enabled El Tri to advance to the round of 16. More than ethnic background, Vela's success with LAFC was driven by performance. Son is expected to deliver on that front as well. Son might be 33, but he remains a world-class attacker. He should be one of MLS' best players from the moment he steps on the field, if not the best after Messi of Inter Miami. 'We can say I'm old, but I still have good physicality, good legs and still I have good quality,' Son said. LAFC has become a model franchise in MLS not just because of how it markets itself. The club makes smart soccer decisions and Son is the latest. What will distinguish Son from Vela is the opportunity he will present LAFC to build its global brand. 'From the early days of building this club, we've dreamt of building a club that would win trophies and make a major positive impact in our community and Los Angeles, but also make a mark on the world stage of global football,' lead managing owner Bennett Rosenthal said. As much success as it has enjoyed domestically, as much attention as it received for participating in the recent Club World Cup, LAFC doesn't have as much international name recognition as Inter Miami, which employs Messi; or the Galaxy, for which David Beckham played; or even the New York Cosmos, which made its name by signing Pele in the 1970s. Son played 10 seasons with Tottenham, and by one estimate, the club had 12 million supporters in South Korea — or about one in four people in the country. Koreans traveled to London to watch Son play for Tottenham, just as many Japanese people travel to watch Ohtani at Dodger Stadium. Korean companies sponsored the Spurs. The eyes of South Korea have shifted to LAFC. The team scheduled Son's introductory news conference for 2 p.m. local time — or 6 a.m. in South Korea. An estimated 40 Korean journalists were issued credentials to cover the event. Son acknowledged that as he prepared for life after Tottenham, LAFC was 'not my first choice.' A conversation with Thorrington after the season changed his mind. 'He showed me the destination where I should be,' Son said. Son attended LAFC's Leagues Cup victory over Tigres of Mexico on Tuesday night and received a loud ovation when he was shown on the video scoreboard. 'It was just insane,' he said. 'I just wanted to run into the pitch.' Son will be reunited with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, his former teammate at Tottenham. 'He's back to [being] my captain,' Son said. 'So I have to say something good about him because otherwise in the locker room, he's just going to kill me.' Son laughed. His personality will play in Los Angeles, just as it did in London. He will make LAFC a known commodity in South Korea, perhaps beyond. He will further enhance a structure that was built by Vela, ensuring the team's next star will have an even greater platform on which to perform. He won't be as prominent locally as Ohtani or Luka Doncic, but he doesn't have to be. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
a minute ago
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David Bednar goes longer than expected for his 1st Yankees save to end their 5-game skid
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — David Bednar got his first save for the New York Yankees after going a little longer than expected, and ended their five-game losing streak before going home. Bednar got the final five outs, all on strikeouts, in their 3-2 win at Texas on Wednesday. The game-ending one came with two runners on base after manager Aaron Boone had gone to the mound with the intention of pulling the right-hander that New York acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last Thursday. 'I said, 'I'm going to take you here.' And he gave me a look like, no you're not,' Boone said. 'He absolutely wanted the ball and, you know, felt like his stuff was still there. ... What a great, gutsy effort." Bednar's 18th save overall this season came in his third appearance for the Yankees (61-54), who remained ahead of Texas for the American League's third and final wild-card spot. They have a day off before opening a three-game series against AL West-leading Houston at home on Friday night after Bednar's first two series with New York were on the road. Bednar had two strikeouts to end the eighth and two more to open the ninth before Corey Seager walked on six pitches and Marcus Semien grounded a 3-1 pitch through the right side of the infield for a single. Bednar, already at a season-high 36 pitches and with cleanup hitter Adolis García headed to the plate, initially didn't see his new manager walking toward him. 'I was just kind of getting my mind right to face García,' Bednar said. 'I told (Boone) I wanted him and, you know, he agreed. And I just wanted to bear down and get that last one.' Bednar struck out García, finishing with a season-high 42 pitches for his most since 43 in an eight-out save for the Pirates at St. Louis on June 15, 2022. It was the third time this season Bednar recorded five outs, and the second in his week with the Yankees. 'That was awesome, especially that last one,' said Paul Goldschmidt, whose pinch-hit solo homer in the seventh broke a 2-2 tie. 'To go out out there and make those pitches was huge.' ___ AP MLB: Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
Yahoo
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Ohtani homers for 1,000th hit and strikes out 8, but Cardinals rally past Dodgers 5-3
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered for his 1,000th career hit and struck out a season-high eight in four innings on the mound, but the St. Louis Cardinals rallied late to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Wednesday. Jordan Walker had three hits for the Cardinals, including an RBI single that tied the score with two outs in the eighth. St. Louis took a 4-3 lead on the same play when rookie third baseman Alex Freeland made a costly throwing error. Lars Nootbaar added a run-scoring double off reliever Brock Stewart in the ninth. Walker was a late addition to the starting lineup. He replaced Willson Contreras, who had a stomach bug. JoJo Romero (4-3) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Riley O'Brien got four outs for his first major league save. ___ AP MLB:
