Sports

Mookie Betts continues his torrid start to lead Dodgers past the Nationals

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2024

Mookie Betts continues his torrid start to lead Dodgers past the Nationals

There was a lull in early April, when he went two games without a hit and seven games without a run batted in, but other than that, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts has been on an opening-month rampage, one that continued with a career-high-tying five hits in Tuesday night’s 6-2 victory over the Washington Nationals.

A sellout crowd of 52,718 in Dodger Stadium saw Betts hit two doubles, three singles, score twice and drive in two runs to provide a jolt to a team that had lost four of five games. Betts now is batting .388 with a 1.190 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, six homers, five doubles, 18 RBIs and 22 runs in 20 games,

“He’s pretty locked in right now–it’s fun to watch,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “He’s so locked in to what he’s trying to do with his defense that I feel like that’s carrying over to his offense. He’s fully in tune with what his body’s doing right now, and I feel that’s allowing him to get the most out of what he’s trying to do on both sides of the ball.”

Betts is a six-time Gold Glove Award-winning right fielder who was moved to second base over the winter and then to shortstop–a position he hadn’t played regularly since high school–in early March.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder is determined to mold himself into a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop, so he goes through grueling pregame workouts every day, taking dozens of ground balls–to his left, to his right, directly at him with pace, slow rollers he has to charge–throwing to first base and working on double-play feeds and pivots.

And his offense has not suffered one bit.

“I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as he works before a game,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know how he does it. You would think that he expends too much energy, but he’s just so mentally tough that he can handle it. He’s not a very physical guy, but it certainly hasn’t affected performance.”

Does Betts worry that, over the course of a six-month, 162-game season, he might work so hard before games that his tank is not full for the games?

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s a balance, but I can’t not put in the work,” Betts said. “That’s me. I’m always going to put in work. I’ll overwork before I take a day off. I just gotta figure it out.”

Betts singled to right field to open the first inning Tuesday night and eventually scored on Teoscar Hernández’s double-play grounder.

He followed a single by center fielder Andy Pages, who was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday and smacked the first big-league pitch he saw into right field, and an RBI single by Austin Barnes with an RBI double to left-center for a 3-0 lead in the second.

Kiké Hernández’s 431-foot solo homer to center gave the Dodgers a 4-2 lead in the fifth. Betts doubled to right-center and scored on Teoscar Hernández’s RBI infield single for a 5-2 lead in the seventh, and his RBI single to right made it 6-2 in the eighth.

“I think the thing that stands out most is his plate discipline,” Roberts said of Betts. “He’s just not chasing. He really is controlling the strike zone. Even to be able to get a hit the other way, he’s using the big part of the field.”

The score would have been more lopsided if the Dodgers’ $700-million man had delivered in the clutch.

Three times, Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate with runners in scoring position, and three times the slugger swung at the first pitch, producing a 108-mph groundout to second base in the second, a routine grounder to second in the fourth and a fly ball to center field in the seventh.

Ohtani is now one for 19 (.053) with runners in scoring position this season, paltry numbers for a guy who entered Tuesday with a .289 career average, a .618 slugging percentage, 1.036 OPS and 45 homers with runners in scoring position.

“Shohei is obviously a very aggressive hitter, but he can do a better job of getting into a count,” Roberts said. “Right now, he’s been super aggressive, more than he’s ever been with runners in scoring position. So we’ve got to temper that back, make these guys continue to make pitches. We’ll address that.”

The Nationals cut the lead to 3-2 in the third when Jacob Young singled and stole second and Jesse Winker crushed a 73-mph curve from left-hander Ryan Yarbrough 429 feet into the right-center field seats for a two-run homer.

But Yarbrough, pitching in a bulk role after Kyle Hurt opened the game with two scoreless innings, shook off the homer and retired 12 straight batters from the fourth through seventh innings.

“The biggest difference was getting ahead, keeping them off-balance and getting quick outs,” Yarbrough said. “With Young and Winker, I was falling behind.”

The promotion of Pages, the 23-year-old Cuban native who had season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder just three weeks into 2023–an injury suffered on a swing in his first triple-A game–headlined a flurry of pregame moves on Tuesday.

The Dodgers also recalled Hurt and right-handed reliever Eduardo Salazar and optioned right-hander Ricky Vanasco and left-hander Nick Ramirez, who each threw two perfect innings of relief Monday night.

Outfielder Taylor Trammell was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Salazar. Top pitching prospect Landon Knack will be called up from triple-A to start Wednesday’s series finale against the Nationals.

With outfielder Jason Heyward’s recovery from a lower-back injury going much slower than expected and utility man Chris Taylor mired in a brutal 1-for-33 season-opening slump, manager Dave Roberts said Pages would start against Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin Wednesday and get a considerable “runway” to play over the next few weeks.

“I’ll try to get him in as much as I can to see what we have,” Roberts said of Pages, who hit .371 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 15 games for Oklahoma City this season. “He’s a complete player. A very heady player. He lives and breathes baseball. Very good defender. He’s got plus power.

“And coming back from this really traumatic surgery he had last year, he’s been nothing but fantastic since spring training. We’re really excited.”

Sports

State Department lists major sporting events in addition to World Cup, Olympics exempt from Trump’s visa ban

Published

8 hours ago

January 16, 2026

Press Room

State Department lists major sporting events in addition to World Cup, Olympics exempt from Trump’s visa ban

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The Trump administration has revealed various “major sporting events” in addition to the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games in which athletes and coaches will be exempt from a broad visa ban on nearly 40 countries, allowing them to travel to the U.S. to compete.

In a cable sent Wednesday to all U.S. embassies and consulates, the State Department said athletes, coaches and support staff for the World Cup, the Olympics and events endorsed or run by a lengthy list of collegiate and professional sporting leagues and associations would be excluded from the full and partial travel bans subject to citizens of 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority.

But foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors who wish to attend the events would still be impacted by the ban unless they qualify for another exemption.

TRUMP TOUTS 2026 WORLD CUP DRAW SUCCESS, CLAIMS MASSIVE VIEWERSHIP

The Trump administration has revealed the “major sporting events” in addition to the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games in which athletes and coaches will be exempt from a broad visa ban. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

“Only a small subset of travelers for the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics, and other major sporting events will qualify for the exception,” the message said.

The federal government has issued several immigration and travel bans as well as other visa restrictions as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb immigration, although the administration still wants athletes, coaches and fans to be able to attend major sporting events in the U.S.

Trump’s proclamation last month banning the issuance of visas to the 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority had included an exception for athletes and staff competing in some sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympics, and a decision on the other sporting events that would be covered would be made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

WORLD CUP FANS BANNED FROM US TRAVEL MAY BE UNABLE TO ROOT FOR TEAMS IN PERSON

Foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors who wish to attend the events would still be impacted by the ban unless they qualify for another exemption. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The events covered, according to the cable, include all competitions and qualifying events for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games and Parapan American Games; events hosted, sanctioned or recognized by a U.S. National Governing Body; all competitions and qualifying events for the Special Olympics; and official events and competitions hosted or endorsed by FIFA or its confederations.

Official events and competitions hosted by the International Military Sports Council, the International University Sports Federation and the National Collegiate Athletic Association as well as those hosted or endorsed by U.S. professional sports leagues such as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Little League, National Hockey League, Professional Women’s Hockey League, NASCAR, Formula 1, the Professional Golf Association, Ladies Professional Golf Association, LIV Golf, Major League Rugby, Major League Soccer, World Wrestling Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship and All Elite Wrestling are also covered under the exemption.

Other events and leagues could be added to the list in the future, the cable said.

Other events and leagues could be added to the list in the future. (Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)

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Under the new visa restrictions, a full travel ban covers citizens of Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and individuals holding Palestinian Authority–issued passports.

A partial ban applies to citizens of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Togo, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sports

High school basketball: Tuesday’s scores

Published

8 hours ago

January 16, 2026

Press Room

High school basketball: Tuesday’s scores

CITY SECTION

Animo Venice 62, Animo Pat Brown 57

CNDLC 54, Rise Kohyang 51

Collins Family 62, Alliance Bloomfield 35

New Designs Watts 43, Burton 31

Smidt Tech 61, Stern 48

Triumph Charter 79, Valley Oaks CES 20

WISH Academy 66, Animo Watts 42

SOUTHERN SECTION

Ambassador 60, Compton Early College 45

Animo Leadership 79, Summit View West 48

Arcadia 72, Crescenta Valley 54

Beaumont 55, Citrus Valley 37

Bishop Diego 56, Foothill Tech 45

Burbank 69, Burroughs Burbank 50

Calvary Baptist 90, Bethel Christian 12

Chino 66, Don Lugo 54

Colton 55, Arroyo Valley 36

Crespi 63, Chaminade 52

Crossroads Christian 67, NSLA 29

Damien 64, Chino Hills 41

Desert Christian Academy 56, San Jacinto Valley Academy 50

Diamond Ranch 51, Chaffey 50

Eisenhower 64, Kaiser 57

Elsinore 79, San Jacinto 52

Etiwanda 61, Rancho Cucamonga 56

Fairmont Prep 50, Capistrano Valley Christian 31

Fillmore 58, Carpinteria 41

Fullerton 59, Placentia Valencia 56

Garden Grove 68, Costa Mesa 31

Great Oak 74, Temecula Valley 66

Harvard-Westlake 47, Loyola 36

Hillcrest Christian 71, Beacon Hill 57

Katella 50, Ocean View 44

Laguna Hills 77, Godinez 67

La Habra 61, Sonora 54

Los Osos 63, Upland 60

Magnolia Science Academy 51, Downey Calvary Chapel 33

Montclair 66, Ontario 62

Palm Desert 72, La Quinta 37

Palm Springs 38, Shadow Hills 33

Palm Valley 31, Noli Indian 24

Rancho Mirage 65, Xavier Prep 38

Redlands East Valley 85, Yucaipa 55

Riverside Notre Dame 88, Carter 72

Samueli Academy 50, Avalon 39

San Jacinto Leadership 53, Nuview Bridge 20

San Fernando Valley Academy 70, Glendale Adventist 24

Segerstrom 80, Westminster 34

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 71, St. Francis 48

Sierra Canyon 83, Alemany 48

Silverado 72, Victor Valley 54

St. Monica Academy 68, Desert Christian 60

Summit 74, Grand Terrace 40

Summit Leadership 52, AAE 45

Temecula Prep 98, Santa Rosa Academy 69

Temescal Canyon 48, Tahquitz 33

Trinity Classical Academy 64, Lancaster Baptist 53

United Christian Academy 46, La Sierra Academy 40

Valley Torah 73, Santa Clarita Christian 67

Vistamar 81, Wildwood 43

Webb 60, Tarbut V’ Torah 56

Western Christian 69, Newport Christian 57

INTERSECTIONAL

Canyon Country Canyon 75, Canoga Park 50

CSDR 60, CSDF 22

Ft. Lauderdale (FL) Calvary Christian 71, St. John Bosco 60

GIRLS

CITY SECTION

Animo Venice 40, Animo Pat Brown 29

Animo Watts 69, WISH Academy 36

New Designs Watts 21, Burton 20

Northridge Academy 70, Fulton 10

SOCES 34, Vaughn 23

Stern 30, Smidt Tech 29

Triumph Charter 48, Valley Oaks CES 14

VAAS 37, East Valley 29

SOUTHERN SECTION

Alemany 67, Immaculate Heart 32

Alpaugh 31, SLOCA 26

Animo Leadership 38, Summit View West 36

Arroyo Valley 43, Riverside Notre Dame 28

Barstow 56, Granite Hills 21

Bishop Amat 66, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 63

Bishop Diego 61, Santa Clara 10

Bishop Montgomery 78, St. Monica 47

Burbank Burroughs 76, Burbank 42

Calvary Baptist 63, Bethel Christian 19

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 59, St. Mary’s Academy 27

Chino 79, Don Lugo 21

Chino Hills 59, St. Lucy’s 11

Crescenta Valley 67, Arcadia 57

Crossroads 64, Windward 56

Desert Christian Academy 39, San Jacinto Valley Academy 32

Dos Pueblos 46, Oxnard 38

El Toro 46, Trabuco Hills 40

Etiwanda 67, Rancho Cucamonga 33

Flintridge Sacred Heart 42, Mayfield 25

Fontana 44, Carter 39

Knight 41, Antelope Valley 11

Lakewood St. Joseph 54, La Salle 45

Lancaster 58, Palmdale 33

Loma Linda Academy 56, Mesa Grande Academy 20

Los Alamitos 51, Newport Harbor 15

Mary Star of the Sea 49, Paraclete 44

Notre Dame Academy 57, Marymount 48

NOVA Academy 46, Anaheim Discovery 22

Ontario 42, Montclair 17

Palm Desert 60, La Quinta 45

Pasadena 59, Muir 49

Redlands 44, Cajon 38

Quartz Hill 65, Highland 57

Sacred Heart of Jesus 70, Pomona Catholic 13

San Bernardino 70, West Valley 28

San Jacinto 57, Elsinore 24

San Jacinto Leadership 68, Nuview Bridge 20

San Juan Hills 58, Dana Hills 22

Santa Margarita 47, JSerra 43

Shadow Hills 60, Palm Springs 36

Shalhevet 53, Compton Early College 2

Silverado 58, Victor Valley 30

St. Bernard 75, San Gabriel Mission 20

St. Bonaventure 85, Thacher 13

St. Monica Academy 43, Desert Christian 35

Temecula Prep 51, Santa Rosa Academy 26

Trinity Classical Academy 86, Lancaster Baptist 21

Vistamar 47, Wildwood 8

Xavier Prep 50, Rancho Mirage 10

Yucaipa 90, Redlands East Valley 25

INTERSECTIONAL

Castaic 60, Lake Balboa College 11

CSDR 59, New Mexico School for the Deaf 11

Sports

Education Dept launches 18 Title IX probes after SCOTUS hears arguments in efforts to protect women’s sports

Published

20 hours ago

January 15, 2026

Press Room

Education Dept launches 18 Title IX probes after SCOTUS hears arguments in efforts to protect women’s sports

Supreme Court hears landmark women’s sports cases

Independent Women’s Law Center Director May Mailman joins ‘America’s Newsroom,’ reacting to the ongoing hearings to determine if transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Wednesday it had launched 18 Title IX investigations into several school districts across the country, a day after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the fight to protect women’s and girls sports.

School districts with high-profile transgender athlete controversies were among those under investigation. The targeted districts are in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington.

“In the same week that the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the future of Title IX, OCR is aggressively pursuing allegations of discrimination against women and girls by entities which reportedly allow males to compete in women’s sports,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a news release.

“Time and again, the Trump administration has made its position clear: Violations of women’s rights, dignity, and fairness are unacceptable.

A protester holds a sign outside the Supreme Court during arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“We will leave no stone unturned in these investigations to uphold women’s right to equal access in education programs, a fight that started over half a century ago and is far from finished.”

The schools under investigation included the following:

Jurupa School District (California)
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (California)
Santa Monica College (California)
Santa Rosa Junior College (California)
Waterbury Public Schools (Connecticut)
Hawaii State Department of Education (Hawaii)
Regional School Unit 19 (Maine)
Regional School Unit 57 (Maine)
Foxborough Public Schools (Massachusetts)
University of Nevada-Reno (Nevada)
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District (New York)
New York City Department of Education (New York)
Great Valley School District (Pennsylvania)
Champlain Valley School District (Vermont)
Cheney Public Schools (Washington)
Sultan School District No. 311 (Washington)
Tacoma Public Schools (Washington)
Vancouver Public Schools (Washington)

Fox News Digital reached out to each school and district.

The districts are accused of maintaining “policies or practices that discriminate on the basis of sex by permitting students to participate in sports based on their ‘gender identity,’ not biological sex,” the Education Department said. “These policies jeopardize both the safety and the equal opportunities of women in educational programs and activities.”

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District responded to a request for comment.

“The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District has been notified of a review by the U.S. Department of Education,” a school official said. “Our priority has always been to provide safe, respectful and inclusive learning environments for all students while meeting our obligations under state and federal law. The district’s policies were adopted in good faith and are aligned with applicable law, and we will fully cooperate with all requests related to this matter.”

Maine’s Regional School Unit 57 told Fox News Digital, “RSU 57 received notification yesterday afternoon from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), that a complaint has been filed alleging discrimination. OCR has indicated it is opening an investigation. RSU 57 complies with all state and federal laws related to discrimination and harassment, and provides a safe and inclusive learning environment for all of its students. RSU 57 will provide OCR with the information that it has requested and looks forward to resolving this matter.”

Cheney Public Schools told Fox News Digital, “We are aware of the investigation that the Department of Education initiated today. At this time, we cannot comment on the substance of the investigation, but we intend to cooperate with the investigator throughout this process.”

Vancouver Public Schools told Fox News Digital, “We did receive notice earlier today alerting us that the Office for Civil Rights is initiating an investigation. We are reviewing the allegations, but are unable to provide further comment while the investigation is pending.”

INSIDE THE SCOTUS HEARING BOUND TO BE A TURNING POINT IN THE CULTURE WAR OVER TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks to the crowd as protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The OCR’s announcement came as the Supreme Court heard arguments in two landmark cases to protect women’s and girls sports.

The issue at hand is whether laws in Idaho and West Virginia that prohibit transgender athletes who identify as women from playing on teams that match their gender identity, discriminate based on sex.

In the case of Little v. Hecox, a biological man who sought to compete on the women’s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University contended that Idaho’s law, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, violated the equal protection clause by excluding transgender women.

West Virginia v. B.P.J. centers on a 15-year-old transgender athlete who identifies as a girl and who argued the state’s ban violated both the Constitution and Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination in federally funded education programs.

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Lawyers for the states defending the bans maintain that separating sports based on biological sex preserves fairness and safety for female athletes and is consistent with Title IX’s definition of sex.

Fox News’ Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.