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Los Angeles Dodgers superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani continues to etch his name in the history books. Friday night against the San Diego Padres was no different. In the first inning of the game, Ohtani was only one home run away from tying legendary Japanese player Hideki Matsui, until he wasn’t.

Ohtani hit a moon shot to center to cut the Dodger lead at the time and to tie Matsui for the most home runs by a Japanese-born player.

That home run was Ohatni’s 175th of his career.

After the game, he spoke to the media including Dodgers insider Christian Romo, and said what he meant to him to tie the Japanese legend.

“I’m happy, personally,” Ohtani said. “It’s an honor to be on the same stage as (Matsui), and obviously it’s a big deal in the Japanese baseball industry as well.”—Shohei Ohtani, via Dodgers Insider

Matsui is a legend in his home country where he was a nine-time All-Star in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, three-time Japan Series champion, three-time Central League MVP, Japan Series MVOP, and eight-time Best Nine Award, awarded to the best player at each position in both the Central and Pacific League.

Although Matsui was among the best players to come out of Japan at the time, there’s no doubt Ohtani has surpassed him on that front. The power, speed, athleticism, and two-way ability are bar none to any player the MLB has seen. There’s nothing he can’t do on the diamond and we’re fortunate to witness his greatness in Dodger blue.

It’s only a matter of time before he becomes the player with the most, and that could happen as early as Saturday. Ohtani is finding his groove, slashing .353/.392/.706 with a 1.098 OPS, four home runs, and nine RBIs in 68 at-bats and 16 games.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took on the San Diego Padres for game two of a three-game series on April 13. The Dodgers would win the matchup 5-2 after losing in game one. However, an incident in the top of the fifth inning was what made headlines.

In the fifth inning, with one out and the Dodgers leading by one, Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar took exception to an inside pitch from Gavin Stone. Profar exchanged words with Dodgers catcher Will Smith before returning to the box and then the benches cleared. After the game, Smith said the Dodgers wouldn’t throw at Profar because he is “irrelevant,” according to AM 570 LA Sports’ David Vassegh.

“I don’t know why we would have thrown at him. He’s kind of irrelevant,” said Smith. “He started mouthing off, and everybody came out. I don’t know why he was throwing such a big deal about that.”

Tempers Flare in Los Angeles

“It was just the heat of the moment,” Profar said, according to MLB.com’s Kyle Glaser. “I wasn’t trying to get the team energized or anything like that. We don’t need that. We have a good team.”

At the time of Profar’s dispute with Smith, 25-year-old Stone was throwing a perfect game. Profar squared to bunt the pitch prior and likely felt the inside pitch was a response to his bunt attempt.

“You take exception to a guy running something in on you tight. I think [Smith] maybe said something and maybe something was said back, I’m not really sure,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “We’re not gonna start anything, but we’re not gonna take anything.”

The Padres would break up Stone’s perfect-game bid in the sixth inning and eventually tie the game. However, their bullpen blew the game allowing the Dodgers to set up a rubber match on April 14.

Profar’s History With the Dodgers

Profar does have some history with the Dodgers dating back to 2021. In 2021, Profar exchanged words with Clayton Kershaw after a catcher’s interference call. Kershaw felt Profar intentionally swung through the glove of catcher Austin Barnes.

“That’s a little scary. Barnes could’ve been seriously injured on that play,” Kershaw said after the game in 2021, according to MLB.com’s Toribo. “He basically swung straight down and backwards. I’m not saying it was intentional, but that was not a big league swing right there.”

At the time, Padres manager Jayce Tingler attributed the catcher’s interference to Kershaw tunneling his pitches.

“Kershaw tunnels his pitches so well, and it’s tough to see the rotation,” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. “I definitely, 100 percent, do not believe that Profar is trying to do that. I believe he’s up there battling, doing everything, seeing it deep. It’s tough to pick up rotation. Profar’s not going to go up there and try to hit the guy’s glove. He’s up there battling.”

Profar made his major league debut in 2012 for the Texas Rangers. Profar is slashing .217/.298/.315 against the Dodgers in his career. He has hit four home runs and collected 19 RBIs in 65 games against the Dodgers throughout his career.

A milestone home run by Aaron Judge and late-game hitting heroics from Anthony Volpe weren’t enough for the Yankees to finish off a three-game sweep in Cleveland. The Yankees’ infield failed to make multiple critical plays Sunday during the Guardians’ three-run 10th-inning rally, which proved to be the difference in Cleveland’s 8-7 win. Anthony Rizzo’s two-run double in the top of the 10th gave the Yankees a 7-5 lead, but the shortstop Volpe bobbled the transfer on a potential double-play ball in the bottom of the inning as Cleveland cut the deficit to one.

The Guardians then tied the game when, with the infield in, second baseman Gleyber Torres couldn’t cleanly corral a ground ball. An Andres Giminez sacrifice fly against Yankees reliever Caleb Ferguson ended up being the game-winner. “We’re out there, obviously, working all the time to make those types of plays, so you definitely take it on the chin when you’re not able to,” Volpe said afterward. The uneven inning concluded a roller-coaster game in which the Yankees and Guardians traded blows throughout.

Judge got the scoring started with a three-run home run off of Logan Allen in the third inning, marking the 260th homer of his career and tying him with his Yankees captain predecessor, Derek Jeter, for ninth place on the franchise’s all-time list.

Cleveland’s Estevan Florial – a former top Yankees prospect – later broke a 4-4 tie with a pinch-hit solo home run off Luke Weaver in the bottom of the eighth.

The Yankees were down to their final out when Volpe struck an opposite-field RBI double off a 100-mph cutter from All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase to tie the game and force extra innings. Volpe went 3-for-4 Sunday and is tied for the American League lead with a .382 average.

“Any (game) you lose is a tough one, but guys were fighting until the end,” Judge said. “We just weren’t able to pull this one out.”

Now in his eighth season with the Yankees, the 31-year-old Judge continues to make home run history. His 62 homers in 2022 remain an AL single-season season record. He is now 15 home runs behind Jorge Posada’s 275 for eighth place on the Yankees’ all-time list, and 27 away from Bernie Williams’ 287 for seventh place.

Judge is in his second season as the Yankees’ captain. He is the team’s first captain since Jeter, who held the title from 2003 until his retirement in 2014.

Sunday’s home run was the third of the year for Judge, who is heating up after a slow start. Judge entered the series hitting .178 but went 4-for-13 over the three games in Cleveland to boost his average to .207.

After shutting out the Marlins for eight innings in his previous start, Yankees starter Nestor Cortes allowed four runs in four innings Sunday.

The Yankees (12-4) and Guardians (10-5) boast the two best records in the AL, just as they did when their series began.

“They just outlasted us a little bit,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Sunday’s loss.

“Manny gonna make sure he gets that one more thing of sunflower seeds. This is high intensity.”

For anyone who likes sunflower seeds, there’s never a bad time to go for a handful. There are, however, some potentially funny times. San Diego Padres star Manny Machado found one of those on Saturday.

Joe Davis and Eric Karros, calling the game for Spectrum SportsNet LA, couldn’t help but have some fun with it.

For anyone not aware of what happened, the benches cleared during the fifth inning of Saturday’s game between the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles pitcher Gavin Stone threw inside to Profar. The pitch was not particularly close to hitting Profar. And given that Stone had a perfect game to that point, it’s highly unlikely that he was trying to hit Profar. Nevertheless, Profar didn’t like it. That led to a war of words between Profar and Dodgers catcher, Will Smith.

Profar didn’t do anything physical. Smith, unlike his namesake with Chris Rock, also didn’t get physical. Still, the benches and bullpens both cleared. As things calmed down and the players headed back to their respective dugouts and bullpens, Davis and Karros began to watch a replay. One of the replays showed Machado leaving the dugout. Machado was actually one of the first Padres on the field. But before going toward the plate, he had to pop some sunflowers into his mouth.

“Manny gonna make sure he gets that one more thing of sunflower seeds,” Karros said. “This is high intensity. I always see that in a boxing match or MMA fights. Let me eat some sunflower seeds before I go out there.”

“I picture the old WWE tag teams. Right before you take a tag, flipping the sunflower seeds. Let’s go,” Davis added.

This was tame even by baseball standards. But what it lacked in physicality it made up for in humor, thanks to Davis, Karros, Machado and of course, a bag of sunflower seeds.

Iп the world of baseball, where the crack of the bat aпd the roar of the crowd dictate the rhythm of the game, a receпt match betweeп the New York Yaпkees aпd the Clevelaпd Gυardiaпs has caυght everyoпe’s eye—пot for a record-breakiпg home rυп or aп υпprecedeпted comeback, bυt for a coпtroversial momeпt that has sparked discυssioпs far beyoпd the diamoпd. This iпcideпt, iпvolviпg Jυaп Soto aпd Josh Naylor, is jυst the latest chapter iп what’s become a spirited пarrative betweeп Naylor aпd the Yaпkees, demoпstratiпg that sometimes, the stories oυtside the liпes are jυst as compelliпg as the game itself.

Dυriпg this highly aпticipated clash, a play υпfolded that left faпs aпd players alike bewildered. Jυaп Soto, kпowп for his aggressive baserυппiпg, made a bold move that eпded iп a physical altercatioп with Josh Naylor.

Soto was iпitially awarded safety, a decisioп that seemed to momeпtarily set the stage for what coυld have beeп a pivotal momeпt iп the game. However, this call was aпythiпg bυt fiпal.

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The backstory betweeп Naylor aпd the Yaпkees oпly adds layers to this momeпt. Naylor, пo straпger to the spotlight, previoυsly caυght the ire of Yaпkees faпs dυriпg the 2022 ALDS with his “rock the baby” celebratioп. This gestυre, meaпt to symbolize his domiпaпce oп the field, was пot forgotteп by the Yaпkees or their passioпate faпbase, leadiпg to a charged atmosphere wheпever he steps to the plate iп New York.

Despite the boisteroυs eпviroпmeпt aпd his history with the team, Naylor’s respoпse to these high-teпsioп momeпts has beeп пoteworthy. Far from lettiпg the pressυre aпd the taυпts get to him, he has coпsisteпtly showп a remarkable level of sportsmaпship. His ability to remaiп focυsed, respectfυl, aпd competitive, regardless of the exterпal пoise, υпderscores a fυпdameпtal trυth aboυt professioпal sports: the poteпtial to excel ofteп lies iп oпe’s capacity to пavigate adversity.

The drama betweeп Naylor, Soto, aпd the Yaпkees υпderscores more thaп jυst a simple rivalry. It speaks to the heart of what makes baseball sυch aп eпdυriпg aпd beloved sport.

It’s пot merely the wiпs aпd losses, bυt the stories, the coпtroversies, aпd the persoпalities that trυly defiпe the game. As the seasoп progresses, it will be fasciпatiпg to see how these пarratives evolve, aпd whether the spirit of competitioп aпd sportsmaпship will rise above the fray.

Iп the meaпtime, faпs, players, aпd the leagυe itself will пo doυbt coпtiпυe to debate, discυss, aпd dissect momeпts like these—becaυse, iп baseball, every play caп become a story, aпd every game a chapter iп the graпd saga of the sport.

Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are not giving up on Chris Taylor despite his brutal start to the 2024 season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have started the 2024 season strong. Utility man Chris Taylor, though, would probably like to hit the refresh button on his campaign. Taylor is currently 1-32 (.031 batting average) in 2024 and has struck out an alarming 17 times already.

Taylor has not exactly been a superstar in previous years, but he was selected to the National League All-Star team in 2021. He’s been with Los Angeles since 2016 and plays a big role when it comes to clubhouse chemistry. His struggles, however, are becoming difficult to ignore.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is continuing to trust Taylor. The Dodgers were defeated by the San Diego Padres in extra innings on Friday night, and Roberts said he did not consider pinch-hitting for Taylor in the 8-7 loss, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

“Dave Roberts said he didn’t consider pinch-hitting for Chris Taylor in extras. Had Taylor Trammell (a LHH) and Austin Barnes on the bench but said he wanted to ride with Taylor and let him sort out his offensive slump,” Ardaya wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Roberts also recently provided an in-depth statement on Taylor’s struggles, via Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation.

“He’s scuffling, certainly,” Roberts said. “He’s one of our core guys. Obviously, with the injury to Jason (Heyward), I have some more runway to run him out there… He expects a lot of himself. Every time he gets in there, I feel something good is going to happen… He’s always been a streaky guy.”

Roberts, Dodgers not giving up on Taylor

Chris Taylor is a veteran who has earned the trust of Dave Roberts. Los Angeles understands what Taylor brings to the table. He has enjoyed no shortage of terrific offensive moments over the years, and he may be one or two good at-bats away from finding his footing once again.

In all reality, Taylor’s defensive versatility is probably a major reason why the Dodgers love having him on the roster as well. He can play almost every position on the diamond. Right now, he is primarily focusing on the outfield, but he can fill in at shortstop, third base, or second base if necessary.

With all of that being said, the Dodgers may need to make a difficult decision later in the season if Taylor cannot turn things around. He does not need to record All-Star numbers, but Los Angeles will need him to have respectable statistics at the very least.

Chris Taylor will try to get back on track during the Dodgers’ Saturday night clash with the Padres. First pitch is scheduled for 9:10 PM EST in Los Angeles.

Mookie Betts had three hits and two RBIs, rookie Gavin Stone retired his first 15 batters and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Saturday night in a game delayed more than two hours by rain.

Stone (1-1) allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings for his second major league win. The right-hander was perfect until issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth to Tyler Wade, who was quickly erased on a double play.

Kyle Higashioka then singled for San Diego’s first hit. Jackson Merrill also singled and the Padres tied it 1-all on a double by Fernando Tatis Jr. Stone got Jake Cronenworth on a line drive to center field to end the inning, and the Dodgers went ahead to stay with three runs in the bottom half.

Evan Phillips pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.

Called on for a spot start, Poteet put in six strong innings as he was backed up by a good day from the offense.

Between running out a semi-depleted bullpen in the second game of a doubleheader and giving the ball to a spot starter, you would certainly hope that the Yankees’ offense was on their A-game for this one. They were, as they struck early and often against Triston McKenzie and the Guardians’ pitching.

However as it turned out, they didn’t have too many problems on the pitching front either. Getting the call up and the start as the doubleheader’s 27th man, Cody Poteet more than held his own. Poteet ended up going six innings, allowing just one run on six hits, striking out four. That allowed the Yankees to finish off a sweep of the doubleheader, as they took game two 8-2 over the Guardians. They are now 12-3 for just the seventh time in team history.

With eight runs on nine hits for the game, the offense was pretty good all day, and it didn’t take long for them to get going. The Yankees were able to take advantage of a couple Cleveland miscues to get on the board in the first. After Anthony Volpe and Juan Soto drew walks to start the game, Aaron Judge hit a ground ball to third that could’ve easily been turned for a double play. However, the second base umpire ruled that second baseman Andrés Giménez never had his foot on the bag while he had the ball during the relay. To add to that, Josh Naylor couldn’t scoop the throw to first, meaning that everyone was safe on the play. Anthony Rizzo followed that by looping in a single for one run, and a Giancarlo Stanton walk plated another to give the Yankees the early lead.

The Yankees had Guardians’ starter Triston McKenzie pretty close to the ropes but failed to take advantage in the first. However, they made up for that in the fourth. They continued to work McKenzie’s pitch count to start the inning as Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo both drew walks. While the next two batters both made outs, Torres was able to move to third on a decently deep Oswaldo Cabrera fly out. That put him in position to score as Volpe dropped in a single. Soto immediately followed that with a home run to center, putting the Yankees way out in front.

Cleveland had gone to the bullpen by the time the fifth starter, but that didn’t stop the offense from adding on. With two runners on, Cabrera continued his nice start to the season with an RBI double. Austin Wells followed that with a deep fly out that allowed Verdugo to tag up and score.

The Guardians got on the board when former Yankee Estevan Florial took a Poteet pitch just over the wall in right field for a solo shot. That ended up being the only run the Yankee starter allowed. While Cleveland scattered some hits, Poteet was able to limit the chances they did have, and induced six groundouts on the day.

After Poteet exited, Dennis Santana came in and he threw a couple impressive frames in the seventh and eighth, aided by a very nice catch from Alex Verdugo. Ron Marinaccio was brought in for the ninth for his MLB season debut. Josh Naylor tagged him with a home run for Cleveland’s second run of the day, however, Marninaccio finished things off without much trouble after that, ensuring the second win of the day.

Juan Soto hit a three-run homer for New York as the Yankees won 8-2 to sweep a doubleheader on Saturday over the Cleveland Guardians and continue one of the strongest starts in their storied history.

New York took the opener 3-2.

The Yankees are 12-3 for the seventh time and first since 2003, when they made one of their 40 trips to the World Series. They’re 8-1 on the road, and have won their first five series for just the third time (1923 and 2010).

After sweeping the doubleheader on Saturday, the Yankees will now go for the overall series sweep tomorrow. Nestor Cortes will get the start for the Yankees as he looks to follow up his strong outing against the Marlins with another good performance. Meanwhile, Logan Allen will start for Cleveland in a game set to begin at 1:40 pm ET.

Japanese interpreter charged with stealing $21m from MLB star Shohei Ohtani

LOS ANGELES — Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter was charged on Thursday (April 11) with bank fraud for stealing US$16 million (S$21 million) from the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger to cover gambling debts, according to court documents.

According to a 36-page criminal complaint and affidavit filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Ippei Mizuhara embezzled the money from an account of Ohtani’s that Mizuhara had helped set up and sent the funds without Ohtani’s knowledge to an illegal sports gambling operation.

US Attorney E. Martin Estrada, announcing the results of his investigation at a news conference, stressed that there was nothing to suggest wrongdoing by Ohtani, who signed a record US$700 million, 10-year contract to join the Dodgers this season.

“I want to emphasise this point. Mr. Ohtani was a victim in this case. There’s no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorised the over US$16 million in transfers from his account to the bookmakers,” Estrada said.

The outcome spared the Dodgers and Major League Baseball a potential scandal of epic proportions, recalling the controversy stirred 35 years ago when Pete Rose was accused of gambling on baseball games, including those of his own team, while he played for and managed the Cincinnati Reds.

Those allegations led MLB to permanently ban Rose from baseball in 1989. Rose later admitted to wagering on MLB games, including those played by the Reds but said he never bet against his own team.

Ohtani, 29, whose talents as a batter and a pitcher have earned him comparisons to Babe Ruth, told reporters at a March 25 press conference that he was a victim of theft by Mizuhara and that he never bet on baseball or knowingly paid a bookmaker.

Mizuhara, 39, has agreed to turn himself over to federal authorities on Friday and was expected to make his initial court appearance that afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office.

If convicted on the single count of bank fraud with which he is charged, Mizuhara could face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, told Reuters on Thursday that his client had no comment on the charge.

Starting in late 2021, Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book and losing substantial sums, according to the federal affidavit.

To cover his debts, Mizuhara repeatedly impersonated Ohtani to “trick and deceive” bank employees into authorising wire transfers from Ohtani’s account, where the player’s baseball salary was deposited, the affidavit said.

Last month, while messaging a bookmaker about reports surfacing then that Mizuhara had stolen from Ohtani, Mizuhara wrote, “Technically I did steal from him. It’s all over for me,” according to the affidavit.

Mizuhara “used and abused” his unique position of trust “to plunder Mr. Ohtani’s bank account,” Estrada told reporters.

Mizuhara, who met Ohtani in 2013 when they were both with Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters team, was the slugger’s near-constant companion during Ohtani’s six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. The interpreter was fired by the Dodgers in March.

Days later, Ohtani told reporters at the March 25 press conference that Mizuhara had admitted to him that he had been using Ohtani’s account to make the payments, and said he was “saddened and shocked” by the betrayal.

Estrada said at Thursday’s press conference that a Japanese linguist had reviewed thousands of communications between Ohtani and Mizuhara and had found no discussions between the two about betting or authorising transfers to bookmakers.

The investigation into Mizuhara grew out of an ongoing, broader probe by the US Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security into illegal sports gambling operations throughout Southern California, Estrada said.

The Yankees are off to a sizzling start in 2024, with a 10-2 record that is the best in MLB in the very early goings. This success has allowed them to build a 2.5-game lead in the AL East over the Red Sox (with the more likely competitors close behind). Team morale is also in a great place, with Juan Soto referring to the group as a “family.”

Not everything is smooth and perfect, though. A few hitters in the lineup are off to slow starts, and some could be considered more concerning than others depending on a number of factors.

For every Anthony Volpe (1.044 OPS), Juan Soto (.978 OPS), and Oswaldo Cabrera (.934), there are regulars like Austin Wells (.430 OPS), Gleyber Torres (.521 OPS), and Alex Verdugo (.703 OPS) who have yet to find a consistent rhythm at the plate. It happens to even the best batters out there; sometimes, it takes a few more plate appearances to get to that point.

In this week’s edition of SB Nation Reacts, we are asking for your opinion on the topic. In your view, who has you most concerned among the Yankees’ struggling stars at the moment?

Is it Torres, who is still homerless after 57 trips to the plate? Is it Wells, with his .130 batting average? Is it still Verdugo, who despite homering yesterday has been a bit boom-or-bust? Alternatively, if you’re not really worried about any of these three, you are absolutely free to select Option D! This is merely a thought exercise, and it is a justified opinion if you want to shrug away the first couple weeks of play.

Take your pick, and join the conversation.