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Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Ohtani aims to break Dodgers' consecutive HR record as team hits the road
LOS ANGELES, July 24 (Reuters) - Shohei Ohtani hit his fifth home run in as many games to help the Los Angeles Dodgers secure a 4-3 walkoff victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, tying a franchise record and moving closer to setting a new mark when the team opens a nine-game road trip Friday in Boston. Ohtani gave the Dodgers an early advantage with a solo shot to left-center field in the first inning on a sun-soaked day at Dodger Stadium for his National League-leading 37th homer of the season. The Japanese slugger became the first MLB player to hit home runs in five consecutive games since Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees achieved the feat last season. He also matched the Dodgers' franchise record for consecutive games with a home run, a milestone reached five times previously, most recently by Max Muncy in 2019. The fear Ohtani puts in the hearts of opposing teams was laid bare when the Twins intentionally walked him with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, moving Mookie Betts into scoring position and Ohtani to first, where he represented the game-winning run. Esteury Ruiz followed with a walk to load the bases, and Freddie Freeman lined a single to left field that got under the glove of the diving Harrison Bader, sealing the win and snapping the Dodgers' recent slump. "How we got here today, showing the fight and willing ourselves to get Freddie an at-bat to win a game like that, I'd like to think that is momentum building," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with Los Angeles prior to last season, is the frontrunner for a second consecutive NL MVP award and fourth overall. After becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season last year, Ohtani continues to produce at the plate, leading the NL in runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS. He returned to the mound last month for the first time since August 2023 following a second surgery on his right elbow. Roberts has limited Ohtani's workload, with the two-way star pitching six times for a total of 12 innings this season as the NL West-leading Dodgers pursue a second consecutive World Series title. The Dodgers open their road trip against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday.
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
The more comical the action at women's Euros, the more woke BBC get – one pundit's pearl of wisdom was red card offence
A SIMPLE equation is at play with the BBC and ITV's coverage of the women's Euros – the funnier the football gets, the more earnest the pundits must become. To the point, when things go really haywire, they sound more like they're dissecting Garry Kasparov versus the Deep Blue chess computer than the latter stages of a football tournament. 7 BBC's pundits during the England/Sweden game 7 Pundit Gabby Logan for BBC Sport Credit: Instagram/gabbylogan 7 Ian Wright during ITV's coverage of England/Italy semi-final Credit: Pixel8000 A sly reference to the exquisite mayhem of the England/Sweden penalty shoot-out, in Zurich, on BBC1, which has to be a contender for the...
Press and Journal
5 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Don Cowie assesses Ross County's biggest Premier Sports Cup test - against league rivals Partick Thistle
Manager Don Cowie insists Saturday's must-win showdown with Partick Thistle will show how ready Ross County are for the Championship kick-off. Tuesday's rousing 8-0 rout over League Two visitors Edinburgh City in the Premier Sports Cup – on the back of last weekend's 1-0 win at Championship hosts Queen of the South – means County still have a chance of reaching the last 16. The back-to-back wins followed a 1-1 draw at League Two Stranraer, which ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat at Stair Park. Thistle have won all three of their ties, so have a two-point lead ahead of the weekend's Dingwall tie. The final Group B fixture comes exactly a week before County, relegated from the Premiership in May, kick off their league campaign at Airdrieonians. For four years running, Partick have reached the promotion play-offs but have yet to clinch their place back in the top-flight, following relegation in 2017-18. In 2023, County staged the most remarkable recovery to beat Partick in the play-off final on penalties, after the Glasgow team led by three goals. Now under the sole management of Mark Wilson, Jags fans will expect their side to again be in the promotion race. Cowie reckons that will be a multi-club chase for places in the Premiership. While beating Edinburgh City in such style was pleasing, Cowie knows only the best will do against Partick. He said: 'I think pretty much every team will be a play-off or a title contender because of how competitive the league is. 'We've seen that year after year and Partick have been really consistent to finish in the play-off for the last few years. 'It will be a good test to see where we are, and we'll have to temper Tuesday tonight. 'Edinburgh are a League Two team and now we're going to be facing a Championship team, so we'll see where we really are. 'It was great to get eight goals but Saturday is what really counts now. 'Like we said after the first game in the group, we gave ourselves a bit of a mountain to climb. 'We knew that but we also knew that winning the next three games would give us a real chance of finishing top. 'We've won two and that was always our aim. It will be a different quality of opposition on Saturday against Partick, but we're looking forward to it.' Saturday's win in Dumfries was County's first victory since March, with a major dip in form taking them out of the top-flight via a play-off final loss against Livingston. Cowie hopes his new-look side – with 11 new faces – can get used to winning to gather momentum when the league season gets going. He said: 'We want to build momentum to start the season well, and we want our new players to have that good feeling. 'Winning is a habit and last year it became a struggle at the end because we weren't winning, so we want to get into that mode and that habit again. 'The good sign (from Tuesday) was that even though it was 3-0 at half time, we didn't take our foot off the gas. We kept going and it finished 8-0, and that's the mentality we need to create. 'It would be important for us to get out of the group and finish top, and that's what we're aiming to do.' Defender Akil Wright, who played every Premiership minute for his side last term, sat out the goal feast against Edinburgh but he should be back to face Thistle. Returning midfielder Jamie Lindsay is set for his first County appearance since helping the club win the Championship in 2019. Cowie explained: 'Akil felt a little niggle from the weekend, so we thought it was best to be a bit cautious and leave him out on Tuesday and hope that means he is available for Saturday. 'It was good to see Dylan Smith playing in his natural position, and I thought he played really well too, so that was a real positive. 'Akil will hopefully be back, and I think Jamie Lindsay has a good chance. 'He has only just re-joined us, and he's keen and eager to be involved. I thought tonight was far too soon, but Saturday is still a few days away so I think that's realistic. 'Gary Mackay-Steven is back training with the squad, but I think it will be the first league game before he's back, and Connor Randall will be back with us then as well with the protocol (after a head knock).' Cowie underlined that recruiting another centre half remains a priority in the coming week or so after the early capture of ex-Dundee United defender Declan Gallagher.
