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Shohei Ohtani milestone can't hide Dodgers' bullpen woes in loss to Padres

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Shohei Ohtani milestone can't hide Dodgers' bullpen woes in loss to Padres

Shohei Ohtani pulled even with a boyhood idol with a milestone home run in the first inning and added doubles in the fifth and seventh innings on Friday night, but the Dodgers’ hottest hitter was left holding the bat in the on-deck circle during the final out of an 8-7, 11-inning loss to the San Diego Padres in at Dodger Stadium.

Ohtani sparked an early assault on Padres starter Michael King with a first-inning solo home run to left-center field that gave him 175 career homers, tying former New York Yankees and Angels slugger Hideki Matsui for the most homers by a Japanese-born major leaguer.

“I’m happy personally,” Ohtani said in Japanese through interpreter Will Ireton. “He’s known as a power hitter, a left-handed hitter like me. It’s an honor to be associated with somebody like that. Obviously, it’s a big deal in the Japanese baseball industry, so I’m going to look forward to the next one.”

The Dodgers followed Ohtani’s cue by adding three more homers — a Max Muncy solo shot, a Mookie Betts three-run bomb and a Teoscar Hernández two-run shot, which increased his major league-leading RBI total to 17 — in the second and third innings to take a 7-3 lead and position Yoshinobu Yamamoto for a win.

But San Diego torched the Dodgers bullpen for four runs in the sixth and seventh innings and nicked it for another run in the 11th, while the Dodgers couldn’t put a dent in the Padres bullpen over the final six innings, the difference in San Diego’s comeback victory in front of a crowd of 49,606.

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“At times we were very good at collecting hits and keeping the line moving, and then in the later innings, we expanded the zone and our swings got bigger,” manager Dave Roberts said. “All you need is a base hit or to control the strike zone, and we didn’t do a good job of that. We caught a lead, but could’ve done a better job of finishing them off.”

Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough gave the Dodgers a chance by stranding the automatic runner on second base in the top of the 10th, and Will Smith advanced Freddie Freeman to third with a fly ball to deep center field to open the bottom of the 10th.

San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr., left, hits a two-run home run off Dodgers reliever Ryan Brasier in the seventh inning Friday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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But after Muncy was intentionally walked, Hernández struck out on three pitches from Enyel De Los Santos, and Kiké Hernández flied to center against closer Roberto Suarez.

Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia, who gave up two homers earlier in the week, retired the first two batters in the 11th but left an 0-and-2 fastball up and over the plate to rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill, who smacked it into left-center field for an RBI single and an 8-7 Padres lead.

“Alex did a nice job getting into leverage against Merrill, and you’ve just got to expand [the strike zone] right there,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to take advantage of that kind of leverage, and we didn’t do that.”

Suarez retired Chris Taylor, who is one for 32 with 17 strikeouts on the season, Miguel Rojas and Betts in order in the bottom of the 11th. The left-handed-hitting Taylor Trammell was available off the bench, but Roberts defended his decision to stick with the right-handed-hitting Taylor.

“He’s got to find his way,” Roberts said. “Chris has come up with big hits. So you’ve got to ride the guys, run them out there, and hopefully they find their way.”

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Ohtani has certainly found his swing after a so-so start to the season, batting .458 (16 for 35) with four homers, seven doubles and six RBIs over his last eight games. He hit four balls with exit velocities of 102 mph or more Friday night and he was robbed of extra bases when Merrill made a diving catch of his second-inning drive on the warning track in left-center.

“Shohei, he’s doing it, man, he’s playing great baseball,” Roberts said. “He’s got that look in his eye like he wants to be at the plate. He’s just taking really good swings, hitting everything hard. I just marvel at what he’s done each day in his preparation, and just the talent is something that’s pretty remarkable.”

Yamamoto, who lasted only one inning against the Padres in his March 21 Dodgers debut in South Korea, giving up five runs and four hits in the 43-pitch outing, gave up three runs and four hits in five innings, striking out six and walking one, Friday night.

The 25-year-old right-hander was punished for two early mistakes, Manny Machado crushing a hanging curveball for a two-run homer to left field in the first and Ha-Seong Kim lining a fat fastball into the left-field seats for a solo shot in the second.

Yamamoto blanked the Padres over the next three innings, striking out Tyler Wade looking with a 95-mph fastball and Bogaerts looking at an 80-mph curve to end the fifth, but with his pitch count at 91, he was pulled after five.

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“He did a nice job settling in, but unfortunately, like most of his starts, early on, he accrues a higher pitch count,” Roberts said. “Innings three, four and five, the breaking ball was sharp, the splitter was back, the fastball was good. But his pitch count was up at that point in time, and you just can’t run him back out there for the sixth.”

Reliever Daniel Hudson yielded a solo homer to Jake Cronenworth in the sixth, and Ryan Brasier gave up three runs in the seventh on a Xander Bogaerts’ RBI groundout and a Fernando Tatis Jr. two-run homer to left-center to tie the score 7-7.

“Huddy left a breaking ball that was up to Cronenworth, but I thought outside of that, he was good,” Roberts said. “You know, Braser tonight, I just didn’t think he was sharp, to be quite frank.”

Walker Buehler injury update

Walker Buehler’s third minor league rehabilitation start Friday, this one for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, was cut short after he was struck on the right hand by a comebacker in the second inning.

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The erstwhile Dodgers ace, who is recovering from a second Tommy John surgery, finished the inning but did not come out for the third. Buehler gave up one run and three hits in the two innings, with one walk and no strikeouts, and threw only 27 pitches, well short of the 75-85 pitches he was slated for.

“I don’t think it was too serious,” Roberts said. “He came out as a precaution.”

Buehler made his first two starts for triple-A Oklahoma City, giving up three earned runs and five hits, striking out eight and walking two in eight innings, and was scheduled to make at least one more minor league start on Thursday before returning to the rotation.

Short hops

Ambar Roman, the 28-year-old Whittier resident who caught the ball Ohtani hit into the right-field pavilion for his first home run as a Dodger on April 3, met the Dodgers slugger and posed for pictures with him before Friday night’s game. “Just shook Ohtani’s hand … never washing my hand again,” Roman said in a social media post on X. “Best birthday ever!” … Right fielder Jason Heyward, put on the injured list because of lower-back tightness on April 3, took batting practice and ran wind sprints Friday and appears to be on track to return sometime next week. … Reliever Brusdar Graterol threw off a bullpen mound Friday for the first time since the right-hander was put on the 60-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation on April 2.

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Auburn fans shower officials with debris after wild buzzer-beater gets overturned

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Auburn fans shower officials with debris after wild buzzer-beater gets overturned

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A chaotic scene unfolded at Auburn University on Tuesday night as a wild buzzer-beater was waved off well after the Tigers had celebrated on their own court.

With 0.6 seconds remaining and Auburn trailing 90-88, KeShawn Murphy, somehow left wide open, caught an inbounds pass and nailed a long 3-pointer for what was thought to be the game-winner.

However, officials went to the scorer’s table to review the play, which was awfully close.

 

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Auburn Tigers players watch the replay of a possible game-winning shot that was called back as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Ultimately, officials ruled that the shot had not gone off in time, ending the Tigers’ celebration and prompting one from Texas A&M.

The officials quickly made themselves public enemy number one and were showered with debris from fans on their way off the court. At least one referee needed his head to be covered.

One fan sitting courtside even turned his back and threw his drink over his shoulder aimed at an official.

“They didn’t say a word. They just said it was no good and ran off the floor. I probably wouldn’t want to talk to me in that moment, anyway,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl, who took over for his dad, Bruce this season, said after the game. “So, I get why they’d run away from me. Just from the angles that I saw, it looked like it was off his fingers. But that was just, I don’t have all the same angles they have.”

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Texas A&M Aggies players celebrate victory as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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It is now six losses in their last 10 games for the Tigers after starting 5-1. They lost in the Final Four last year to Florida, who won the national championship over Houston.

Auburn (9-6, 0-2) led 47-37 at halftime and extended the margin to 61-45 with 12:29 remaining.

KeShawn Murphy of the Auburn Tigers reacts after officials ruled that his last-second shot did not beat the shot clock to win the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena on Jan. 6, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Images)

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Texas A&M answered with a steady run fueled by outside shooting, taking its first lead at 8:42 when Pop Isaacs buried a 3-pointer. The Aggies followed with back-to-back triples from Isaacs to open a five-point cushion that they would not relinquish, by the skin of their teeth.

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Former NFL player Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after accident on his ranch

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Former NFL player Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after accident on his ranch

Two-time All-American wide receiver and prominent Outdoors Channel host Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after an accident on his ranch in Texas, his family said in a statement.

Shipley, 40, was described as stable after remaining hospitalized Tuesday night in Austin. The statement said a machine that he was operating near his hometown of Burnet caught fire. The former Texas great suffered “severe burns on his body.”

Shipley abruptly retired in 2012 after three NFL seasons primarily because of persistent concussion issues and chronic knee problems. He quickly transitioned to television shows that showcased his passion for deer hunting, co-hosting “The Bucks of Tecomate” and “Tecomate Whitetail Nation.”

“It was not hard at all,” Shipley said at the time of retiring at 27. “Only because I never saw myself as a football player first. Don’t get me wrong, I worked my tail off for football and I loved it but never saw that as my whole identity because I had such a big background in outdoors. Really, with this opportunity I had I was actually pretty excited about moving forward.”

Although he enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 with 52 receptions for 600 yards and three touchdowns, he is best remembered as a record-setting player at Texas.

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Shipley starred as a receiver and a kick returner from 2006 to 2009, setting program single-season records in 2009 with 116 receptions and 1,489 yards. He also remains the career leader for receptions with 248 and ranks second in career receiving yards with 3,191, behind Roy Williams. Shipley also returned four punts or kickoffs for touchdowns.

After being drafted in the third round by the Bengals, he became one of the most popular players with Cincinnati fans, and his No. 11 jersey was worn by thousands. After a debilitating knee injury early in the 2011 season, he was never the same player, and he had short stints with Tampa Bay and Jacksonville before retiring.

According to his family, Jordan was operating a machine at his ranch when it caught fire. He managed to free himself from the machine, but “not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process.” Jordan was airlifted to the hospital in Austin.

“He was able to get to one of his workers on the ranch, who drove him to a local hospital. He was then care-flighted to Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition,” the statement said.

Shipley’s younger brother, former Texas wide receiver Jaxon Shipley, 33, asked for prayers in a statement on Instagram: “Please pray for full healing and no infections or other issues on his road to recovery. I don’t want to get into all the details, other than his life was spared today by the grace of God and the sheer will to live. I believe prayer is effective so I’m asking anyone and everyone to lift Jordan up in prayer.”

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Tom Izzo explodes on former Michigan State player in wild scene: ‘What the f— are you doing?’

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Tom Izzo explodes on former Michigan State player in wild scene: ‘What the f— are you doing?’

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Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has been known to get visibly angry with his players over his years in East Lansing, but what happened Monday night against USC was different.

Izzo let loose his frustration on a former player.

During the Spartans’ blowout over the Trojans, 80-51, Izzo was spotted unloading on former Michigan State center Paul Davis, who played for the team from 2002-06, after he caused a disturbance in the stands.

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Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a call during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena Jan. 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Referees pointed out Davis, who was a spectator, from his courtside seat after he was among many in the building who disagreed with a call in the second half. Davis stood up and shouted at referee Jeffrey Anderson.

Anderson responded with a loud whistle, stopping play and pointing at Davis. Then, Anderson went over to Izzo to explain what happened, and the 70-year-old coach went ballistic.

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First, he was motioning toward Davis, and it was clear he asked his former center, “What the f— are you doing?”

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Davis was met by someone asking him to leave his seat, and that’s when Izzo went nuts. He shouted “Get out of here!” at Davis, who appeared to gesture toward Izzo, perhaps in apology for disturbing the game.

Izzo was asked about Davis’ ejection after the game.

“What he said, he should never say anywhere in the world,” Izzo responded when asked what happened. “That ticked me off. So, just because it’s 25, 20 years later, I’m going to have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. And you know what he’ll say? ‘I screwed up, coach. I’m sorry.’”

Izzo quickly clarified that what Davis said “wasn’t something racial” and “it wasn’t something sexual.”

Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo protests a call that benefited the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center Dec. 2, 2025. (Dale Young/Imagn Images)

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“It was just the wrong thing to say, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Davis later met with reporters Tuesday, apologizing for his actions.

“I’m not up here to make any excuses. I’m up here to take accountability, to own it,” Davis said. It was a mistake that will never happen again. It was a mistake that’s not me, but, unfortunately, last night it was.”

Izzo said Davis was one of his “favorite guys” during his time playing for the Spartans. He had a breakout sophomore campaign with 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and two assists per game in 30 starts for Izzo during the 2003-04 season.

Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena Jan. 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb.  (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

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In his senior year, Davis averaged 17.5 points, a career-high, in 33 games.

He was taken in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Davis played just four seasons in the league, his final one with the Washington Wizards.

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