Latest news with #NationalLeague
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Ohtani homers twice, Dodgers win series opener vs. Yankees
KYODO NEWS - 11 hours ago - 16:18 | Sports, All Shohei Ohtani hit a pair of solo home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the New York Yankees 8-5 on Friday in the opening game of their 2024 World Series rematch series. After Aaron Judge hit his 19th homer of the season to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Ohtani answered with one of his own in the bottom half at Dodger Stadium. Five innings later, Ohtani launched his major league-leading 22nd home run over the head of right fielder Judge to spark the four-run sixth that turned a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 lead. The reigning National League MVP had his second two-homer game of the season. Ohtani has hit 15 home runs in May. Asked to comment after the game on his and Judge's home runs in the first inning, Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, "It was a really good start to the game. It was back and forth between two really good teams, and I'm glad that we came out at the top." Andy Pages singled in two insurance runs in the seventh. Ohtani finished the night 2-for-5 with the two RBIs. The Yankees hit four home runs in the first three innings but were held scoreless the rest of the way. "I feel like I have a pretty good rhythm with my new lifestyle," Ohtani said when asked if he has some "extra dad strength" after the birth of his first child, a daughter, last month. "But we're still really not even in the middle part of the season, so I'm just really focused on one game at a time." Among other Japanese players, Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high-tying 10 games in a 6-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Related coverage: Baseball: Shohei Ohtani hits MLB-leading 20th homer in Dodgers' win
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hughes: Blues must be up for 'messy' National League test
Carlisle are targeting a successful season in the National League after relegation (Image: Ben Holmes) Mark Hughes says Carlisle United must approach the 'messy' nature of the National League in the right way. The Blues boss says that respecting the tough nature of fifth tier football is all important. While Hughes has said Carlisle will be one of the biggest clubs at the level, the National League remains a furiously competitive division. Advertisement And even those at the lesser end of the division can pose problems on any given day, the head coach says. Hughes says he has been drawing on the experience of new head of football operations Marc Tierney for some further insights into Carlisle's new level. 'We've got a good understanding of it,' said Hughes, who yesterday sealed the signing of Altrincham striker Regan Linney. 'Marc Tierney himself has got good experience on the National League with his experience at Altrincham. Obviously, I've been picking his brains on that. Hughes says the competitive nature of the National League must be respected (Image: PA) Advertisement 'The reality is it's a difficult league. Everybody knows it. Probably the top five, top six of the league are comparable to League 2 teams certainly. 'Maybe the rest of the league isn't quite as strong but on any given Saturday or Tuesday night, all teams can cause you problems. 'You've just got to really approach it in the right manner. That's the message. 'We've got to realise that at times it'll be a bit messy. It'll be a fight, it'll be a challenge. 'We've just got to be able to meet that and then allow hopefully the quality that we've undoubtedly got in the building to show through.' Advertisement Carlisle know 22 of their 23 league opponents for the 2025/26 season, with the final side to be confirmed tomorrow afternoon, with Oldham Athletic set to take on Southend United in the National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium. FLASH SALE: Get unlimited access to every Carlisle United article by subscribing to the News & Star for £3 for 3 months, or get 40% off a full year's subscription - click HERE
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Aaron Judge, overlooked? Some early judgments on the 2025 baseball season after two months.
He leads the majors in bWAR, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and has a 1.339 OPS with runners in scoring position. Judge also is the clubhouse leader of a team that shrugged off the Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Best pitcher: It's a healthy debate between Max Fried of the Yankees and Tigers ace Tarik Skubal . The choice is Fried based on the consistency. He hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in a start until Friday against the Dodgers, and the Yankees are 10-2 when he pitches. Advertisement Skubal has struck out 92 against only seven walks, but was knocked around a bit by the Dodgers Top team: The Dodgers don't have the best record, but their season feels like a series of dress rehearsals until they put the exact team they want on the field in September. Advertisement To that point, they just traded for deposed Reds closer Alexis Díaz . The 28-year-old has lost velocity and seen his strikeout rate plummet, but Díaz has options and the Dodgers can stash him at their complex in Arizona and work on fixing those issues. If it works, maybe he's getting big outs in the eighth inning in the playoffs. If it doesn't, they're out $6.2 million counting luxury tax overages. For the Dodgers, it's all about the end game. Rough start: Roki Sasaki had a 4.72 ERA in eight starts before landing on the injured list with what the Dodgers said was a shoulder impingement. The 23-year-old righthander from Japan was Sasaki averaged 96 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball, well off the triple digits that were expected. Sasaki also gave the Dodgers only 34⅓ innings in those eight starts. Maturity, physical and otherwise, is an issue. Life beyond Boston: That Nate Eovaldi has a 3.33 ERA in 66 starts for Texas isn't a good look for the Red Sox considering The Padres also seem to have unlocked something in There's some batted-ball luck involved and Petco Park is better for him than Fenway, but Pivetta also has benefited from increasing the use of his curveball and cutting back on the sweeper. Trade value: Sandy Alcantara's 8.47 ERA through 11 starts isn't helping the Marlins trade him, but that could be attributed to his missing last season after Tommy John surgery. Teams will still be after him. Advertisement The same may not be true for White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. , who has a .632 OPS going back to last season. Kansas City's pitching: Lefty Kris Bubic , a first-round pick in 2018, has emerged as an ace with a 1.45 ERA through 11 starts. Another lefty, Noah Cameron , allowed three earned runs over 25⅔ innings in his first four starts. The issue for Kansas City is scoring. They're a team that could be active in the trade market to balance the roster. Washington monument: James Wood was one of the four players His .964 OPS was fifth in the National League going into the weekend. Another product of that trade, center fielder Robert Hassell III , made his debut May 22. The Soto shuffle: Soto seems to be following the A .755 OPS is well above the league average, but Soto arrived in Queens with a career .953 OPS. His bat speed is down a bit but Soto is only 26, so it's not some physical decline. It's easy to suggest Soto will be fine and that probably will be the case, but he's now the focal point of a prominent team, not just one of the guys. He had buffers with the Nationals, Padres, and Yankees. Not any more. Advertisement Brennan Bernardino (above) and Greg Weissert each appeared in 25 of Boston's first 58 games, one more than Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Everyday Bernie Bernardino always on call for Sox Brennan Bernardino made 112 appearances for the Red Sox from 2023-24 and pitched in 25 of the first 58 games this season. The 33-year-old lefthander recently appeared seven times in a span of 10 games and allowed one run on two hits over 6 innings while throwing 59 of 93 pitches for strikes. How does a pitcher do that? 'For me, it's not wasting pitches,' Bernardino said. 'I try to save my bullets, even when I'm just playing catch because those throws add up over time.' Bernardino also has condensed his warm-up routine to six or seven pitches at times. 'I prefer to throw more than that, but I can be ready after maybe six,' he said. 'A few heaters and a breaking ball and I'm ready to go.' Bernardino averages a modest 91 miles per hour with his two-seam fastball, and his 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings are the lowest of his career. But opposing hitters are 8 for 58 (.138) against his curveball, changeup, and cutter. 'Mix pitches, keep the hitter off-balance, and play the game of baseball,' Bernardino said. 'I don't try to complicate it too much.' Bernardino has learned a few tips from watching 'One of the hardest workers I have ever seen,' he said. 'To be 37 and throwing as hard as he does and as well as he does, it's amazing. He's strong and flexible. He's very routine-oriented.' A few other observations on the Red Sox: ⋅ Current Red Sox ownership has yet to fire a manager during the season. Bobby Valentine all but burned the place down in 2012 and the Sox waited until the day after the season Advertisement They Ceddanne Rafaela's defense is outstanding, but his approach at the plate is anything but. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff ⋅ Maybe the Sox should start waiting more than a few games before giving prospects long-term contracts. Ceddanne Rafaela is an excellent defensive outfielder, but he has a .650 OPS since he agreed to His idea of a good pitch to swing at is one that doesn't bounce. Craig Breslow called Rafaela a 'cornerstone' at the time. He might be a bench player once Roman Anthony takes over an outfield spot. Related : Kristian Campbell hadn't even played his first series in the majors before the Sox gave him Campbell had a terrific April, then was Brayan Bello didn't get Until proved otherwise, he's no better than a No. 4 starter on a contending team. ⋅ Garrett Crochet has allowed two home runs on the first pitch he has thrown in a game this season. One was Advertisement Crochet starts every game with a fastball and has been ambushed twice. The Sox lost both of those games by one run. 'First pitch of the game, I'm going to throw a fastball. Everybody knows that. I'm never not going to do that,' Crochet said. 'The guy next game could clip me on another first-pitch heater, and I'd be OK with that.' Everybody knows that and you'll keep doing it? And you're OK if you give up more leadoff home runs? Ronald Acuña Jr. , Oneil Cruz , Shohei Ohtani , and Fernando Tatis Jr. are among the leadoff hitters Crochet could face this season. The matchup with Acuña could come on Sunday. Just a thought: Grooving hitters like that a fastball might not be the best plan. ⋅ The Red Sox were a .500 team with Alex Bregman playing at an All-Star level. It could get ugly without him for what is expected to be It won't help this season, but perhaps there is a long-term upside. Bregman can opt out of his contract for next season and become a free agent, or he could stay with the Red Sox for $40 million. If Bregman only plays 100 or so games, staying might be a better play than going back into free agency coming off a major injury and entering his age-32 season. ⋅ Per Baseball Reference, Marcelo Mayer was the It's amazing that every big leaguer in history wouldn't come close to filling Fenway Park. ⋅ The Sox went into the weekend 381-386 in the regular season since they traded Mookie Betts and have played 11 postseason games. The Dodgers are 493-272 and have played 53. Sometimes, you do get what you deserve. ETC. Maine man for baseball memories Jon Perry coaches the baseball team at Hampden (Maine) Academy. He also played at the University of Maine under John Winkin and was a member of the 1981 team that played in the College World Series. (Everybody remembers the famous pitchers' duel between St. John's Frank Viola and Yale's Ron Darling in the NCAA Northeast Regional at Yale Field in '81, but Maine advanced to Omaha.) Carlton Willey pitched three seasons for the Mets, making 28 starts in 1963 before two more years largely as a reliever to finish an eight-year MLB career. Photo courtesy Maine Baseball Exhibit In his spare time, Perry collects baseball memorabilia related to Maine and operates a small museum at the old Hampden Academy building. Perry has uniforms dating to 1910 and other items related to major league players from Maine, along with memorable college and high school teams and players. One of his prized acquisitions is a 1965 Mets uniform worn by the late Carlton Willey , a righthander from Cherryfield, Maine, who played in the majors from 1958-65. The museum also has bats made in Maine by Willard 'Grasshopper' Mains , who played in the majors from 1888-1896. Go to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif., hasn't been a hit with players or fans in the first year of an expected three-year residency by the Athletics. Scott Marshall/Associated Press Extra bases At 37, Craig Kimbrel has appeared in 16 minor league games with the Braves and allowed two earned runs over 16 innings while striking out 20. Kimbrel is on a minor league contract with a clause that forces the Braves to call him up or release him if another team offers him a major league contract … Portland native and Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty is a candidate to manage the Orioles once they decide to make a permanent hire. Flaherty played for the Orioles from 2012-17 … Tampa Bay is 18-19 at Steinbrenner Field and averaging 9,893 fans at the 10,046-seat park. All things considered, they've made the best of a bad situation after being Luis Severino has Chandler Simpson to Triple A on Friday. The incredibly fast rookie outfielder hit .285 and had 19 steals in 35 games after being called up. Tampa Bay had Jake Mangum coming off the injured list and value his being a switch hitter … As the Red Sox endlessly ponder when to bring up Roman Anthony , heed the cautionary tale of Jordan Lawlar . The shortstop made his debut with the Diamondbacks in 2023 and appeared in 14 games late in the season, going 4 for 31. He was on the roster for the postseason, but had only two plate appearances. Lawlar played only 23 minor league games last season because of injuries. He didn't return to the majors until May 13 this season and was 0 for 19 before being optioned. Lawlar, who turns 23 in July, was taken two picks after Marcelo Mayer in 2021 … Chris Sale became Zack Wheeler at Citizens Bank Park. Sale hit 2,500 in 2,026 innings. The old record of 2,107⅔ innings was held by Randy Johnson . Sale has done a lot to improve his Hall of Fame résumé since landing with the Braves … How bad are the Rockies? They have yet to win a series, which is amazingly bad. They did manage to win two games in a row, beating Atlanta at home on April 30 then winning at San Francisco on May 1, but that was preceded and followed by eight-game losing streaks. The Rockies come to Fenway Park for three games July 7-9 … The Red Sox acquired righthanded relievers Ryan Zeferjahn is one of the set-up men for closer Kenley Jansen . He has appeared in 35 games over the last two seasons with a 3.16 ERA and a healthy 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Outfielder Matthew Lugo made his major league debut on May 9 and had an .814 OPS in his first 15 games. Lugo was a second-round pick in 2019 who was initially a shortstop before a move to the outfield … Congratulations to the Endicott College Gulls, who advanced to the NCAA Division 3 championship round in Eastlake, Ohio, this weekend. Through the regionals, they were 43-4 under coach Bryan Haley … Happy birthday to Derek Lowe , who is 52. The righthander played for seven teams during his 17-year major league career, but is best remembered for his eight years with the Red Sox from 1997-2004. Lowe and Jason Varitek were obtained from Seattle at the '97 trade deadline for Heathcliff Slocumb in one of the all-time steals. Lowe was initially a reliever who recorded 85 saves from 1998-2001. The sinkerballer was then 52-27 with a 4.07 ERA in 98 starts through 2004. Lowe Peter Abraham can be reached at
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Dramatic late Mulry point seals Nickey Rackard cup glory for Roscommon
Nickey Rackard Cup final: Roscommon 3-16 Mayo 1-21 Brendan Mulry rode to Rosommon's rescue with a remarkable late winning point to capture the Nickey Rackard Cup title for his county in dramatic circumstances. Trailing by four points in the 68th minute of a rollercoaster game, it looked as if Roscommon were set for another loss to Mayo after National League and Rackard Cup group game defeats. But points from substitute Ben McGahon, joint captain Conor Mulry and Eoin Kiernan tied the game, laying down the platform for Mulry to snatch the winning score with just seconds of stoppage time remaining, clinching their third title. It was a dramatic ending to an exciting game that swung back and forth though Mayo, the Division 3 champions and pre-match favourites, will kick themselves for letting victory slip through their hands. Aside from coughing up that late advantage, they also blasted 20 wides over the 70 or so minutes as they slipped to agonising back-to-back final defeats. Sean Canning, Robbie Fallon and Mulry all finished with 1-02 each for Roscommon who have fought back superbly in the competition after losing their opening game to Mayo and drawing their next match. Roscommon operated in Mayo's slipstream in their previous two meetings, losing that group opener by seven points and conceding 3-25 when they met in the league. Both of those games were in Castlebar admittedly though it looked as if things may go a similar way at neutral Croke Park. Mayo were 0-9 to 0-3 ahead at the end of the opening quarter and dominating proceedings. With a near patent on possession, they racked up point after point and Tooreen's Liam Lavin helped himself to three of the scores. Jason Coyne of Mayo looking dejected after his side's defeat. Picture: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile Eoghan Collins drilled one over too and then set up Eoin Delaney for one of his two scores as Ray Larkin's side turned the screw. The only concern for Mayo was all the wides they were also tallying with far too many chances squandered. They finished the first-half with a whopping 11 wides and another couple of point attempts that dropped short. Roscommon seemed to draw energy from Mayo's difficulties and suddenly came roaring into the contest in the second quarter. They outscored Mayo by 2-5 to 0-2 between the 19th minute and half-time to take an unexpected three-point half-time lead, 2-8 to 0-11. Canning tortured Louth in his previous outing for Roscommon, striking a hat-trick of goals in that final round group game, and blasted 1-2 during the blitz. It was his fourth game in a row to score at least one goal and he posted notice of his blistering pace with an earlier point after a speedy solo run. Canning's 28th minute goal was a trademark powerful strike, coming at the end of a darting run in from the left. Brendan Mulry's goal in stoppage time was more fortunate as he went up to contest Conor Cosgrove's long delivery and smiled as the sliotar deflected in off him. Collins drew a great save from Roscommon goalkeeper Enda Lawless after the restart as Mayo chased scores. Shane Boland, football star Fergal's brother, clipped two points to help reduce the gap to three after 45 minutes, 2-11 to 0-14. Mayo had the deficit down to just one with under 20 minutes to go but were rocked by Roscommon's third goal from full-forward Robbie Fallon. An amazing game still had a couple of crucial turns to take. Mayo once again wrestled control of the game, reeling off 1-5 without response to take that three-point lead, 1-21 to 3-12, thanks in part to Eoin Delaney's 57th minute goal. But just as Mayo seemed certain to get their hands on the silverware, they had it whipped from their grasp in the form of four Roscommon points in a row and that dramatic Mulry winner. Roscommon scorers: S Canning 1-2, R Fallon 1-2 (0-2f), B Mulry 1-2, E Fitzgerald 0-3, B McGahon 0-2 (0-1f), C Mulry 0-2, F Killion 0-1, C Cosgrove 0-1 (0-1f), E Kiernan 0-1. Mayo scorers: E Delaney 1-3, S Boland 0-6 (0-3f), L Lavin 0-4, D Huane 0-2, R Duffy 0-1, E Collins 0-1, K McDermott 0-1, J Coyne 0-1, B Douglas 0-1, S Kenny 0-1 Roscommon: E Lawless; A Donnelly, J Dillon, M Ward; M Hussey, C Cosgrove, D Finn; E Fitzgerald, J Donnelly; F Killion, C Mulry, C Murray; S Canning, B Mulry, R Fallon. Subs: L Óg Coyle for Killion 47, B McGahon for Hussey 50, J Dowling for Murray 54, R Conlon for Fitzgerald 58, E Kiernan for Fallon 62. Mayo: B Douglas; C Murray, O Greally, C Hession; S Thomas, D Kenny, E Collins; D Huane, S Boland; C Phillips, R Duffy, L Lavin; K McDermott, E Delaney, J Burke. Subs: S Kenny for Burke 41, J Coyne for Hession 47, J Heraty for Duffy 62. Referee: C Doyle (Tipperary). Read More GAA previews: Kerry selection shows respect to Cork but Kingdom double forewarned
RTÉ News
7 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Roscommon overhaul Mayo at the death to win dramatic Rackard Cup
Brendan Mulry will be the toast of Roscommon hurling after capping a remarkable Croke Park fightback with a dramatic winning point to steal the Nicky Rackard Cup title. Trailing by four points in the 68th minute of a rollercoaster game, it looked as if Roscommon were set for another loss to Mayo after National League and Rackard Cup group game defeats. But points from substitute Ben McGahon, joint captain Conor Mulry and Eoin Kiernan tied the game, laying down the platform for Mulry to snatch the winning score with just seconds of stoppage time remaining. It was a dramatic ending to an exciting game that swung back and forth though Mayo, the Division 3 champions and pre-match favourites, will kick themselves for letting victory slip through their hands. Aside from coughing up that late advantage, they also blasted 20 wides over the 70 or so minutes as they slipped to agonising back-to-back final defeats. Sean Canning, Robbie Fallon and Mulry all finished with 1-02 each for Roscommon who have fought back superbly in the competition after losing their opening game to Mayo and drawing their next match. Roscommon operated in Mayo's slipstream in their previous two meetings, losing that group opener by seven points and conceding 3-25 when they met in the league. Both of those games were in Castlebar admittedly though it looked as if things may go a similar way at neutral Croke Park. Mayo were 0-09 to 0-03 ahead at the end of the opening quarter and dominating proceedings. With a near patent on possession, they racked up point after point and Tooreen's Liam Lavin helped himself to three of the scores. Eoghan Collins drilled one over too and then set up Eoin Delaney for one of his two scores as Ray Larkin's side turned the screw. The only concern for Mayo was all the wides they were also tallying with far too many chances squandered. They finished the first-half with a whopping 11 wides and another couple of point attempts that dropped short. Roscommon seemed to draw energy from Mayo's difficulties and suddenly came roaring into the contest in the second quarter. They outscored Mayo by 2-5 to 0-2 between the 19th minute and half-time to take an unexpected three-point half-time lead, 2-8 to 0-11. Canning tortured Louth in his previous outing for Roscommon, striking a hat-trick of goals in that final round group game, and blasted 1-02 during the blitz. It was his fourth game in a row to score at least one goal and he posted notice of his blistering pace with an earlier point after a speedy solo run. Canning's 28th minute goal was a trademark powerful strike, coming at the end of a darting run in from the left. Brendan Mulry's goal in stoppage time was more fortunate as he went up to contest Conor Cosgrove's long delivery and smiled as the sliotar deflected in off him. Collins drew a great save from Roscommon goalkeeper Enda Lawless after the restart as Mayo chased scores. Shane Boland, football star Fergal's brother, clipped two points to help reduce the gap to three after 45 minutes, 2-11 to 0-14. Mayo had the deficit down to just one with under 20 minutes to go but were rocked by Roscommon's third goal from full-forward Robbie Fallon. An amazing game still had a couple of crucial turns to take. Mayo once again wrestled control of the game, reeling off 1-05 without response to take that three-point lead, 1-21 to 3-12, thanks in part to Eoin Delaney's 57th minute goal. But just as Mayo seemed certain to get their hands on the silverware, they had it whipped from their grasp in the form of four Roscommon points in a row and that dramatic Mulry winner. Roscommon: Enda Lawless; Adam Donnelly, James Dillon, Mark Ward; Micheal Hussey, Conor Cosgrove (0-01, 0-01f), Darragh Finn; Eoin Fitzgerald (0-03), Jack Donnelly; Finn Killion (0-01), Conor Mulry (0-02), Cian Murray; Sean Canning (1-02), Brendan Mulry (1-02), Robbie Fallon (1-02, 0-02f). Subs: Liam Og Coyle for Killion 47, Ben McGahon (0-02, 0-01f) for Hussey 50, Jack Dowling for Murray 54, Ryan Conlon for Fitzgerald 58, Eoin Kiernan (0-01) for Fallon 62. Mayo: Bobby Douglas (0-01); Connor Murray, Oisin Greally, Conal Hession; Simon Thomas, David Kenny, Eoghan Collins (0-01); Danny Huane (0-02), Shane Boland (0-06, 0-03f); Cormac Phillips, Ryan Duffy (0-01), Liam Lavin (0-04); Kieran McDermott (0-01), Eoin Delaney (1-03), Joe Burke.
