Latest news with #JapaneseHeritageNight
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Jesus Sanchez's heroics in 10th inning lift Marlins to comeback win over Dodgers
Miami Marlins Jesus Sanchez's heroics in 10th inning lift Marlins to comeback win over Dodgers On Japanese Heritage Night at loanDepot park, the Miami Marlins defeated the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-4 walk-off victory in 10 innings, thanks to a clutch hit by Jesús Sánchez. Despite a standout performance by Shohei Ohtani, the Marlins secured their first win of the season against the Dodgers in dramatic fashion. 'It was exhilarating,' Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. 'It was a really fun game, especially with the number of players that contributed on both sides offensively.' Right-hander Cal Quantrill delivered his strongest outing since joining Miami, holding the Dodgers to just one run over five innings. The Marlins took an early lead in the bottom of the fifth, when Quantrill's battery-mate and fellow Canadian, Liam Hicks, belted a two-run home run to put Miami ahead 2-1. Miami Marlins starting pitcher Cal Quantrill (47) pitches during the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at loanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. Alie Skowronski askowronski@ 'That's my Canadian guy,' Quantrill said postgame with a smile. 'I appreciate my catchers and I think they've worked really hard back there, and it's important to let them know they're valued.' The lead was short-lived. On the first pitch of the sixth inning, Ohtani launched a hanging slider from Anthony Veneziano into the upper deck in right field. The solo shot, which left his bat at 109 mph and traveled 403 feet, tied the game at two and ignited the crowd of 17,312—many of whom were Dodgers fans. Moments later, notorious Marlins-killer Freddie Freeman followed with a home run of his own, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. It was Freeman's 42nd career homer against Miami, surpassing Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman for the most all-time by a single player. 'Freddie is an exceptional hitter,' McCullough added. 'An exceptional baseball player who knows how to slow things down and never let the moment get too big.' Miami Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez (7) throws the ball to the infield during the fourth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at loanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. Alie Skowronski askowronski@ But Miami, as they have all year, refused to fold. In the bottom half of the sixth, Connor Norby and Dane Myers each drove in a run to quickly retake the lead, 4-3. 'This is who we are—we never give up,' Myers said. 'Fighting Fish, like we like to say.' Ohtani wasn't done. In the seventh, with a runner on first and one out, the two-way superstar delivered again, lining an RBI double to tie the game at four. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) strikes out during the first inning of the game against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at loanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. Alie Skowronski askowronski@ From there, Miami's bullpen took over. Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender, and Jesús Tinoco combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings, keeping the Dodgers at bay and setting the stage for the walk-off. In the bottom of the 10th, the Marlins loaded the bases with no outs. With the Dodgers deploying a five-man infield, Sánchez remained composed and delivered the game-winning hit. 'With five infielders, I just focused on making contact,' said the Dominican outfielder after his heroic moment. It was the Marlins' fifth walk-off win of the season, improving their record to 14-21. Miami will look to secure the series victory on Wednesday afternoon, with right-hander Valente Bellozo set to make the start.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dodgers merch collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is a natural fit
Artist Takashi Murakami winds to throw the ceremonial first pitch before an exhibition baseball game between the Dodgers and Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo on March 15, 2025. (Eugene Hoshiko / Associated Press) A month ago Dodgers gear festooned with colorful flowers in the unmistakable designs of acclaimed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami sold out in minutes at a pop-up on Fairfax Ave. A couple hundred Angelenos lined up overnight to purchase gear, generating $40 million. Advertisement The pop-up, called the MLB Tokyo Series collection, preceded the two-game, season-opening series in Japan between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, and items soon hit the secondary market for four times the purchase price. The merchandise was so popular that Murakami and the Dodgers responded by approximating the famous words of Hall of Fame Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks: "Let's play two!" A new collection will be available April 28 during Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium and the Dodger Clubhouse store, then can be purchased only online. Murakami, 63, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch as he did before an exhibition between the Dodgers and Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome on March 15. "It's been two months since I started practicing for the first pitch in Tokyo, but given my age, it's not so easy to pick up new skills," Murakami said playfully in an interview with The Times. "Still, compared to the first day when I couldn't throw the ball at all, I've improved significantly. Advertisement "My hope this time is to throw the ball without it bouncing." Read more: 'Beautiful, happy, dopamine-injected.' Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami's frenzied comeback Murakami is unquestionably adept with a brush, a pen or a computer, creating iconic art that features manga, anime, cartoons and brightly colored anthropomorphic cherry blossoms, mushrooms and assorted flowers. He began delivering commissioned projects for luxury brands and celebrities 20 years ago, and a financial pinnacle came in 2008 when his provocative life-size figure "My Lonesome Cowboy" sold for $15.1 million at auction. Since then Murakami has integrated his art on Louis Vuitton handbags, a Kanye West album cover, and the Kid Cudi collaboration Kids See Ghosts. He also had a solo exhibition in 2022 at The Broad titled Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow that included sculpture, painting, wallpaper and immersive installations. Advertisement Now his attention has turned to baseball. The MLB Tokyo Series collection had his familiar colorful flora sprinkled across jerseys, bats, balls, hoodies, flip-flops and a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead. The surprise medium might have been collaborating with Topps on baseball cards. "Since 2023, I have been creating trading cards and trading card games with my team, so I felt I approached this project with a good understanding of the context," Murakami said. "But when we filmed the unboxing event for the Topps Complex Series and Tokyo Series on YouTube, I recognized anew how profound the world of American sports trading cards is, which shook me with excitement." Read more: Review: Takashi Murakami captivates at Blum & Poe The overall success of the Tokyo Series collection delighted Murakami, who said he remembers playing catch with his father as a child. Advertisement "Honestly, I had thought baseball wasn't as major a sport in Japan these days, so I was surprised by the overwhelming response," he said. "I received messages from childhood friends and was approached by neighbors afterwards, which made me realize that baseball remains the beloved sport among the Japanese public." The addition of Japanese megastars Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki made collaborating with the Dodgers a natural. The team's popularity in Japan has never been greater. "The Dodgers are the team Hideo Nomo joined when he first played Major League Baseball, overcoming various obstacles," Murakami said. "His success had a significant impact on Japanese players entering the majors, and his achievements are vivid in my memory. "Shohei Ohtani joining the Dodgers feels like a fateful story for Japanese baseball, and I'm deeply moved by it. In that sense, I consider myself a Dodgers fan." Advertisement Read more: All eyes are on Ohtani in Tokyo | Dodgers Debate Murakami added that he has felt comfortable in L.A. since his exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2007-2008. "I believe my career as an artist in the contemporary art world took off in Los Angeles," he said. "The [MOCA] exhibition, curated by Paul Schimmel, was pivotal in establishing my career in America. Whenever I visit Los Angeles, I feel a strong connection, as if it's my second hometown, with fans saying hello to me around the city. So I'm especially grateful for this new relationship with the Dodgers in Los Angeles." 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.
Los Angeles Times
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Dodgers merch collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is a natural fit
A month ago Dodgers gear festooned with colorful flowers in the unmistakable designs of acclaimed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami sold out in minutes at a pop-up on Fairfax Ave. A couple hundred Angelenos lined up overnight to purchase gear, generating $40 million. The pop-up, called the MLB Tokyo Series collection, preceded the two-game, season-opening series in Japan between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, and items soon hit the secondary market for four times the purchase price. The merchandise was so popular that Murakami and the Dodgers responded by approximating the famous words of Hall of Fame Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks: 'Let's play two!' A new collection will be available April 28 during Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium and the Dodger Clubhouse store, then can be purchased only online. Murakami, 63, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch as he did before an exhibition between the Dodgers and Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome on March 15. 'It's been two months since I started practicing for the first pitch in Tokyo, but given my age, it's not so easy to pick up new skills,' Murakami said playfully in an interview with The Times. 'Still, compared to the first day when I couldn't throw the ball at all, I've improved significantly. 'My hope this time is to throw the ball without it bouncing.' Murakami is unquestionably adept with a brush, a pen or a computer, creating iconic art that features manga, anime, cartoons and brightly colored anthropomorphic cherry blossoms, mushrooms and assorted flowers. He began delivering commissioned projects for luxury brands and celebrities 20 years ago, and a financial pinnacle came in 2008 when his provocative life-size figure 'My Lonesome Cowboy' sold for $15.1 million at auction. Since then Murakami has integrated his art on Louis Vuitton handbags, a Kanye West album cover, and the Kid Cudi collaboration Kids See Ghosts. He also had a solo exhibition in 2022 at The Broad titled Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow that included sculpture, painting, wallpaper and immersive installations. Now his attention has turned to baseball. The MLB Tokyo Series collection had his familiar colorful flora sprinkled across jerseys, bats, balls, hoodies, flip-flops and a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead. The surprise medium might have been collaborating with Topps on baseball cards. 'Since 2023, I have been creating trading cards and trading card games with my team, so I felt I approached this project with a good understanding of the context,' Murakami said. 'But when we filmed the unboxing event for the Topps Complex Series and Tokyo Series on YouTube, I recognized anew how profound the world of American sports trading cards is, which shook me with excitement.' The overall success of the Tokyo Series collection delighted Murakami, who said he remembers playing catch with his father as a child. 'Honestly, I had thought baseball wasn't as major a sport in Japan these days, so I was surprised by the overwhelming response,' he said. 'I received messages from childhood friends and was approached by neighbors afterwards, which made me realize that baseball remains the beloved sport among the Japanese public.' The addition of Japanese megastars Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki made collaborating with the Dodgers a natural. The team's popularity in Japan has never been greater. 'The Dodgers are the team Hideo Nomo joined when he first played Major League Baseball, overcoming various obstacles,' Murakami said. 'His success had a significant impact on Japanese players entering the majors, and his achievements are vivid in my memory. 'Shohei Ohtani joining the Dodgers feels like a fateful story for Japanese baseball, and I'm deeply moved by it. In that sense, I consider myself a Dodgers fan.' Murakami added that he has felt comfortable in L.A. since his exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2007-2008. 'I believe my career as an artist in the contemporary art world took off in Los Angeles,' he said. 'The [MOCA] exhibition, curated by Paul Schimmel, was pivotal in establishing my career in America. Whenever I visit Los Angeles, I feel a strong connection, as if it's my second hometown, with fans saying hello to me around the city. So I'm especially grateful for this new relationship with the Dodgers in Los Angeles.'
