Latest news with #MLBTokyoSeries
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
3 Dodgers Under Most Pressure to Perform Following Shocking Roster Move
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Los Angeles Dodgers shocked the Major League Baseball world on Wednesday as they designated their longest-tenured position player for assignment to call up their No. 1 overall prospect. Catcher Austin Barnes, who had spent his entire 11-year MLB career with the Dodgers, was designated for assignment. Dalton Rushing, the team's 2022 second-round pick and top prospect, has been called up. More news: Dodgers Place Roki Sasaki on IL Adding to Growing List of Injured Pitchers This move sent shockwaves around the baseball world, but also sent a clear message to the league — and to the team's current crop of players: The Dodgers are only focused on winning and putting the best players on the field. So, with that being said, Newsweek Sports wanted to take a look at three other Dodgers potentially now on the hot seat following this massive decision. TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 15: Players from Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after winning the MLB Tokyo Series between Los Angeles Dodgers and Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on March 15, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 15: Players from Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after winning the MLB Tokyo Series between Los Angeles Dodgers and Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on March 15, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.1. Chris Taylor The new longest-tenured Dodgers position player, Taylor has struggled to regain his 2021 All-Star form over the last few seasons. He's had a sub-.700 OPS in three of the last four years. He's just 7-for-32 (.219) this season with an OPS of .500, mainly coming in as a defensive replacement. More news: Former Yankees Pitcher Traded Away for Juan Soto Has Season-Ending Elbow Surgery Taylor is in the last year of his four-year, $60 million deal. He has a $12 million club option for 2026 that will certainly be declined. However, if he continues to struggle — and the Dodgers feel like they could get better bench production elsewhere — it now feels more possible that they move on from him at some point this season. 2. Michael Conforto Conforto signed a one-year, $17 million deal with the Dodgers this offseason, hoping to be this year's version of Teoscar Hernández. It has not worked out. After finally breaking through with a three-hit game on Tuesday, Conforto is now hitting .172 with an OPS of .590. Rushing is also a left-handed hitter who the Dodgers have tried out in left field, Conforto's primary position. The pressure is on for Conforto to start living up to his contract. 3. James Outman The former Dodgers top prospect burst onto the scene with an impressive rookie season in 2023. He's struggled mightily ever since. This year, Outman is just 1-for-15 (.167) with 10 strikeouts. While Rushing won't play center field, the Dodgers could easily move things around to ensure his bat is in the lineup over Outman's on any given day. More news: Yankees Castoff Making New York Regret Giving Up on Him With All-Star Caliber Season
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Los Angeles Dodgers Shortstop Mookie Betts Feeling Stronger After Illness
A mainstay in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup was missing for the last week or so during spring training and at the 2025 MLB Tokyo Series. Mookie Betts missed a handful of games dealing with stomach issues, which he said on multiple occasions kept him from being able to keep food down. Advertisement According to a report from Sarah Wexler, Betts lost at least 18 pounds due to the stomach illness. Wexler reported on Monday that Betts started spring training at 175 pounds and now weighs 157 pounds. However, Betts is back in the Dodgers lineup and started the club's Opening Day game at shortstop in the 5-4 win against 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers. Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images A few days prior, Betts discussed his illness with the reporters and made a surprising statement, saying that he feels better now than he did before his stomach issues occurred. 'I'm actually stronger than I was before. My body has been perfectly fine,' Betts told reporters on Tuesday, per 'It's only been my stomach. Literally only my stomach. I've been working out and doing everything perfectly normal. It was just hard to hold down food.' Advertisement The Dodgers outfielder-turned-shortstop doubled down on the notion that he is in good health and will be playing every day. 'Oh yeah, I'm perfectly fine," Betts added. "Perfectly normal. That's pretty much it.' Betts, a three-time World Series champion and eight-time MLB All-Star, went 1-for-3 with a walk in Thursday's game against the Tigers. He played 12 games during spring training and hit .214 with one home run and three RBIs in 32 plate appearances. Related: Dodgers and Orioles Swap Future All-Stars in Trade Pitch
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.'
Boston Globe
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
This week's TV: ‘The Studio,' ‘MobLand,' and more
The buzzy comedy title will release the first two of its 10 episodes Wednesday, then roll out episodes weekly until its finale on May 21. What else clicks this week? Advertisement Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers applauds fans after the MLB Tokyo Series game between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome on March 19, 2025 in Tokyo. Kenta Harada/Getty 1. MLB opening day doubleheader , Thursday on ESPN: The first ball gets tossed out at Yankee Stadium in the 36th season of the cable network's Major League Baseball coverage. Up at 3 p.m., the New York Yankees with Aaron Judge host the Milwaukee Brewers and Christian Yelich. After that, at 7 p.m., with time for a beer run in between, the 2024 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani welcome the Detroit Tigers and Tarik Skubal to Dodger Stadium. 2. ' Mid-Century Modern ,' Friday on Hulu: Billed as a contemporary gender-switched 'Golden Girls,' the new comedy series from 'Will & Grace' creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham. The gay trio become unlikely Palm Springs roommates and a sitcom is born. In the pilot, the late Linda Lavin stars as Lane's mother. Comedy titan James Burrows ('Will & Grace,' 'Cheers') directs all 10 episodes. 3. ' Number One on the Call Sheet, ' Friday on Apple TV+: Actors aspire to carry the narrative arc, to portray a character that changes over a project's course. The clearest external proof of this is where their name falls on the production call sheet: If it's at the top, then they're the lead, and the story's most important player. In this two-part, in-depth look at Black actors rising to that hallowed spot, the documentarians talk to Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Tiffany Haddish, Halle Berry, and more about their rise to the industry's pinnacle, the costs of getting there, and future opportunities for the next generation of Black talent. Advertisement 4. ' Wildlife Rehab ,' Saturday on National Geographic at 10 p.m.: The nonfiction 'All Creatures Great and Small' unfolds at the Living Sky Wildlife Rehab Center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The dramas and delights of caring for animals in distress unfolds as high-stakes ER events. The caretakers' passionate fight to save and protect rescued animals with the goal of rehabilitating them and returning them to their native habitats propels the series that walks, and flies, on the wild side. 5. ' MobLand ‚' Sunday on Paramount+: Producer-director Guy Ritchie ('The Gentlemen') continues developing stellar, action-packed genre television. In his explosive British crime family saga (originally envisioned as a 'Ray Donovan' prequel), the affluent Irish mob family Harrigan is in the midst of a London turf war. The Mr. and Mrs. (Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren) recruit fixer Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy), who gets enmeshed in the Harrigans' battle for loyalty, spoils, and dominance in a global criminal enterprise.
