Watch MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers v Boston Red Sox
Date: 19:04 BST
Title: First Pitch - 19:15 BST
Content: Grounds crew members remove the tarp from the infield before a game
Update:
Date: 17:57 BST
Title: Dodgers' journey from 'best ever' to 'rock bottom'
Content: Ben CollinsBBC Sport
Los Angeles Dodgers v Boston Red Sox
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston
Date: Sunday, 27 July
First pitch: 18:35 BST
Coverage: Live coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website and app, from 18:30
After winning last year's World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers picked up from where they left off.
They made a flying start to the current Major League Baseball season, becoming the first defending champions to win their first eight games.
It had many saying this is the best MLB team that has ever been assembled.
Three months later, the Dodgers remain top of their division, but they are struggling.
After Tuesday's defeat to Minnesota, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was desperate to stop the rot, saying: "It better be rock bottom."
Now his team visit the Boston Red Sox hoping to get their title defence back on track, and you can watch the final game of their three-game series live on the BBC.
To continue reading, click here.
This video can not be played
Shohei Ohtani: La Dodgers star hits a home run in five consecutive games
Update:
Date: 13:11 BST 25 July
Title: Can the Red Sox slow the high-flying Dodgers?
Content: The Dodgers sit top of the National League West division, continuing to dominate this season after their impressive World Series win last year.
They look in good shape to return to the post-season in September, with Shohei Ohtani at the forefront already smashing 37 home runs this year.
But the Red Sox have their own post-season ambitions.
After three years outside the play-offs, they are for now just ahead in a very tight Wild Card race and in position to qualify – but can they stay there?
Update:
Date: 13:04 BST 25 July
Title: Schedule of matches live on iPlayer
Content:
Update:
Date: 13:01 BST 25 July
Title: Ask Me Anything
Content: Our team at Ask Me Anything will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.
No sport is off limits, no question is too big or too small.
Open the contact form here and fire away!
This week Jish from Somerset asked 'how does scoring in baseball work?'
You can find a full explanation of the scoring system, home runs and innings in baseball in this week's Ask Me Anything answer.
Update:
Date: 12:47 BST 25 July
Title: Catcher interference wins game for first time since 1971
Content: This video can not be played
Philadelphia Phillies beat Boston Red Sox in a way not seen since 1971
The Philadephia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox after a catcher interference ruling with the bases loaded - a way of winning a game not seen in the major leagues since 1971.
Update:
Date: 12:29 BST 25 July
Title: Get Involved
Content: Get Inspired#GetInspired
Are you inspired to start playing and following baseball or softball?
Do you want to know what to expect when you start?
Click here to find out how you can get involved, search for your nearest club and follow links to key organisations in the United Kingdom.
#GetInspired
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NFL superstar Jake Ferguson jokes he still hasn't washed his hands after meeting Taylor Swift
When Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson got to meet the world's biggest pop star, it's possible that he realized he'd shaken hands with someone who was a 'cowboy like me'. Ferguson, the fiancée of Miami women's basketball star Haley Cavinder, revealed that he recently met pop icon Taylor Swift at a concert earlier in the summer. Speaking to 'The Sweet Spot' on Sportsradio 96.7FM/1310 The Ticket in Texas, Ferguson revealed that he bumped into the 'Cruel Summer' star in Nashville. He was attending 'Tight End University' - the brainchild of Swift's boyfriend Travis Kelce and 49ers tight end George Kittle. Swift shocked everyone in the crowd by getting on stage at what was initially billed as a Kane Brown concert and performing. 'I shook her hand,' Ferguson revealed. 'I still haven't washed my hand.' He continued: 'She's so normal. She met my fiancée, my fiancée was like, 'She's so nice!' Not that I was expecting anything different, but like, she knew football. 'She was talking like, 'We [the Chiefs] got a big game at Cowboys this year!' Swift is very right about that. The Chiefs will be traveling down to Texas to play the Cowboys in a Thanksgiving Day matchup. Ferguson - who is in Oxnard, California for training camp - just recently inked a four-year, $52million contract extension. He'll be hoping the Cowboys find a way to improve upon their poor 2024 season - when an injury to quarterback Dak Prescott led to a 7-10 finish and missing the playoffs.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Shedeur Sanders gets huge boost as rival Cleveland Browns QB Kenny Pickett injures with hamstring
Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett will be sidelined because of a hamstring injury - potentially opening the door for Shedeur Sanders to stake his claim. The injury to Pickett is believed to have occurred during a red zone 11-on-11 drill late in Saturday's practice, multiple reports have suggested. Coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to address Pickett's status before Monday's practice. Pickett, 27, will be evaluated later in the week. The Browns have their first padded practice on Monday and go for three straight days until taking Thursday off and then practicing on Friday and Saturday. Pickett's injury means Sanders, who slid down into the fifth round of the NFL Draft earlier this year despite many considering him a top three selection, will get more reps. Until now, he has been maginalized with Joe Flacco and Pickett leading the race to be named the starting QB for the Browns. Dillon Gabriel, another quarterback the Browns drafted this year, is also in the running for the starting spot. Cleveland opens the season on Sept. 7 against Cincinnati. Pickett and Flacco have received most of the snaps with the first team during the first four days of practice. Gabriel got some first-team reps while Sanders' just began getting some second-team work Friday and Saturday. 'I'm not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is,' Sanders said on Friday about practicing with the third and fourth team. 'It doesn't make me feel down or it doesn´t make me feel left out or anything because I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as an individual, and I know what I could bring to this team. 'I know whenever I get my opportunity, I've got to maximize it,' he said. 'I just got to think about what I could do to get better even if I´m not getting reps.' After struggling early in the week, Pickett had his best practice on Saturday that included a couple of touchdown passes in red zone drills. The coaching staff likes Pickett's mobility and the ability to create plays on the run. 'Coaches are looking for the guy that´s consistent, that´s the same guy every day that they can count on. They can call any play and they know that we´ll get them out of a bad play,' Pickett said on Thursday. 'If the shots called and it´s not there, we´ll check it down.' Pickett was acquired from Philadelphia in March. A 2022 first-round selection by Pittsburgh, Pickett has 25 career starts with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Tale of 3 A's cities: Oakland left behind, Sacramento a temporary stop, Las Vegas awaits
Those chants of 'sell the team' that rang from every corner of the Coliseum during the Athletics' final seasons in Oakland are noticeably less obvious these days as the club plays the first of three scheduled years at a Triple-A ballpark in California's capital region. Not that all the negative feelings have been cast aside. There is still plenty of ill will toward the team that moved some 90 miles north. During a recent Braves-A's series, two supporters showed up in 'Forever Oakland' T-shirts, while another fan from Fresno arrived at Sutter Health Park wearing a 'Rooted in Oakland" shirt. It's a drastically different scene from the A's old Oakland home. Fans staged 'reverse boycott' protests where they packed the Coliseum, brought homemade signs begging the team to stay and loudly called for owner John Fisher to 'SELL!' In Sacramento, there's a pervading sense the A's are a rental, not a long-term investment. As soon as 2028, they plan to move into a what has been valued as a $1.75 billion ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip. Construction began last month. While many A's fans moved on and want nothing to do with the team, some still drive long distances to games in Sacramento and try to make the best of the situation — a big league team in a small-time stadium. 'It's a big difference walking (through the ballpark) in about five minutes instead of walking the Coliseum in like 20, 30 minutes,' said Francisco Almazan from Modesto. It's not a wholly comfortable setup for players and coaches. The A's built a two-story clubhouse beyond left field that on the top floor includes a lounge, kitchen and offices for manager Mark Kotsay and his coaches. The players' lockers are on the first level. 'Everybody is trying to make the best of it," outfielder Lawrence Butler said. "I'm just thankful for them trying to make it up to big-league standard.' Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged while speaking at the All-Star Game that playing in a 10,000-seat ballpark isn't perfect. He said the circumstances would be different if the A's moved directly into a 33,000-capacity facility like the one underway in Las Vegas. Union chief Tony Clark was less diplomatic, insisting players prefer to work in an actual big league ballpark. 'There's still a little bit of hope that something may come to fruition before 2028 and what's being described as the time where the new ballpark will be in place,' Clark said. "But we'll have to see.' A's players know the situation: The plan is to play in America's party capital less than three years from now, but that seemingly far-off timeline doesn't consume their day-to-day baseball lives. 'I think this group is focused on what they need to be focused on,' Kotsay said. 'They come to prepare every day. You walk through our locker room, there's a consistent routine and consistent work ethic that goes on prior to them playing the game.' Still, as much as they try to stay in the moment, the A's are very much tied to their past, present and future with three far different cities. Oakland is embracing the B's, and the Coliseum has a new tenant Some baseball fans in the A's old market have shifted their interest to the Oakland Ballers. The 'B's' have been a huge hit at intimate Raimondi Park — capacity around 4,000 — complete with mascot Scrappy the Rally Possum and nostalgic nods to Oakland at every turn. The B's have provided a big lift for a city that watched the NBA's Golden State Warriors move to San Francisco in 2019 and the NFL's Raiders leave for Las Vegas the next year. Last month, the Ballers unveiled a mural honoring late Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who died in December at age 65. The Oakland Roots soccer team now plays its home games at the Coliseum, where cricket has also become a popular choice given the dual-sport facility's size. Some longtime employees now work Roots games but many moved on or retired, unwilling to make the trek to Sacramento — though most weren't invited. Las Vegas prepares to welcome an MLB franchise A formal groundbreaking on the new ballpark occurred June 23, with Fisher, Manfred and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo among those speaking at the festivities. There is a tight window for the venue to be ready by opening day in 2028. The A's hope to complete the project in 2027. They launched a construction cam so fans can track the progress, and without a doubt, the team will be under a microscope trying to meet its ambitious deadline. Then the question becomes: Will Las Vegas embrace the A's? Las Vegas' strong support for its first major professional team, the NHL's Golden Knights, helped pave the way for what has become an explosion of sports in a city once shunned because of legalized sports betting. The Raiders draw large crowds, but many game days feel like neutral sites with opposing fans showing up by the thousands. The Aces became the first WNBA team to sell out an entire season — and did so twice. Longtime A's radio play-by-play man Ken Korach has a unique perspective on it. In his 30th season calling A's games, Korach moved to the Henderson, Nevada, suburb in 1992 and has stayed put. He figured MLB might explore the market, either through relocation or expansion. 'There are a lot of conflicting emotions there," Korach said. "I've always felt the Bay Area is a two-team market, and I've always felt that Vegas could support a major-league team.' Rookie infielder Max Muncy, too, can already weigh in on the A's current home and their future one. He has played 81 games in Las Vegas over the past two seasons, but began this season in Sacramento and returned to the big club before going on the 10-day injured list Tuesday after taking a pitch to his right hand. 'I had a great time in Las Vegas,' Muncy said. 'Those fans are great. The atmosphere is great. It's a great city. I enjoyed living there. I think it's going to be a special place to play, as it is here. I really enjoyed my time there, and I think a lot of guys that played there will say the same thing.' Being on the Strip would allow the A's to attract tourists given the ballpark is walking distance for many visitors. That could be especially important for non-marquee, weeknight matchups in contrast to in-demand weekend series against big-market teams like the Yankees or Dodgers. The club has begun trying to establish a foothold in the community. The A's said they have contributed $1.5 million since 2023, including more than $400,000 this year, to nonprofits and other similar organizations that include every youth baseball and softball team. They have been involved in more than 30 events this year from youth sports to festivals to public watch parties with more planned through the end of 2025. Sacramento is trying to enjoy the A's while they're still around Robert Greenberg, an A's fan who lives in Fresno, isn't sure he will keep rooting for the green and gold if and when they move for good even if it's an easier drive to Sacramento than to Oakland. He believes Fisher cut payroll and undermined the team to suppress attendance and facilitate its move. 'I guess he got what he wanted,' Greenberg said. Ayad Bunni of San Mateo said he was a fan before hosting the 'Locked on A's' podcast. He considered not following the A's and understands why many others no longer cheer them on, but said he didn't fault the club for taking these steps. 'As an A's fan and being from here, would I love for them to be in Oakland?" he said. "Absolutely, 100%." The A's average 9,782 fans, and they and Tampa Bay — also playing in a Triple-A ballpark this season after Tropicana Field was damaged by a hurricane — are the only teams were fewer than 10,000 per game. The Athletics averaged 11,386 fans last season in the Coliseum, lowest in MLB. Meanwhile, the players play on, and whether the process turns out to be one big sinking ship remains to be seen. It also could become a move that puts the organization on the trajectory to future success in the box office and on the field. But the here and now gives the A's plenty to think about, and All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker acknowledged he and his teammates have faced adversity most other clubs haven't encountered. 'Every challenge you face in this game or outside this game is going to mold you and build you into the person you're going to ultimately become," Rooker said. 'So anything you can use to your advantage, whether it's adversity, a challenge, a success, a failure, all those things can be made into positives.' ___
