Sports
Commentary: Would Dave Roberts snub Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start Shohei Ohtani in All-Star Game?
On the 13th of July, Dave Roberts will reveal his selection for the National League‘s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game.
On the 13th of June, Yoshinobu Yamamoto reminded his manager that he is the Dodgers’ best pitcher.
Is that enough for Yamamoto to start the All-Star Game? Probably not.
Is that enough to force Roberts into the uncomfortable position of picking one of his aces over another, like a father picking one of his sons over another? Maybe.
On Saturday, Yamamoto took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. He did it last September too, and in between he painted an October — and a first day of November — for the ages.
We have heard so much about Shohei Ohtani, and why not? Ohtani decided he would win the Cy Young Award this season, and why not?
His earned-run average did not rise above 1.00 until June 10. He also leads the NL in on-base-plus-slugging percentage, well on his way to his annual most valuable player award.
The Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award sounds nice. Not just yet, but someday, how about the Shohei Ohtani Most Valuable Player Award?
But back to the issue at hand: Which NL pitcher should start the All-Star Game?
Ohtani could, of course. He has, in 2021. In a game that is all about the fans, he is the player fans most want to see.
And, if he does not start at pitcher, he could not start at designated hitter, come in later to pitch one inning and remain in the game at DH. (At least, not under the current rules, which major league officials could waive for the All-Star Game.)
For Roberts and the Dodgers, that would be the ideal: Let Ohtani pitch the first inning so he can follow his normal pregame routine, since he has a routine for both pitching and hitting. Or, since Ohtani is trying to complete his first full season as a pitcher since 2022 and win the Cy Young, he and the Dodgers could agree that he would skip pitching in the All-Star Game.
But Roberts figures to have two other very worthy options. In the category of “player everyone wants to see,” he could select Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, not so much for his league-leading 1.34 ERA — Ohtani, at 1.06, doesn’t have enough innings to qualify — but for the 104-mph fastballs he was throwing in the ninth inning of his one-hit, 15-strikeout shutout Friday.
Without worrying about pitching deep into the game, with the opportunity to throw one inning and rear back and fire, can you imagine how hard Misiorowski might throw in the All-Star Game?
Roberts also could select the ace of the home team, Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies, who threw 50⅔ consecutive scoreless innings this season. No one had thrown 50 since 1988, when Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser set the record with 59.
Sanchez has a 1.54 ERA, and he and Misiorowski lead all pitchers in wins above replacement (WAR).
The hometown favorite would be the safe pick for Roberts, although Dodgers fans have long memories: They remember the New York Mets’ Matt Harvey starting over Clayton Kershaw at Citi Field in 2013, a decision that looked regrettable at the time and looks downright shameful in hindsight.
That brings us back to Yamamoto, whose combination of consistency and excellence makes him the natural choice to start a big game — opening day, for instance, or an elimination game in the World Series.
In his 13 starts this season, he has given up three or fewer earned runs all but once and pitched at least six innings all but twice.
In the regular season last year, he pitched as many as eight innings once. This season, he has pitched at least eight innings in his last two starts.
In his last five starts, he has a 1.01 ERA, with five walks and 32 strikeouts. Keep that up for another month, and good luck telling him someone else is starting the All-Star Game.
Look at it this way: Who would you want if you had to pick someone to win you Game 7? You can’t go wrong with the guy who already did.
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Cape Verde is a small island nation located off the coast of Africa. Its population is just over 524,800 and each one of them had to have been jubilant following their soccer team’s FIFA World Cup result against Spain.
Spain is one of the favorites to win the World Cup this year, but only picked up one point in their match against Cape Verde. The two sides came to a 0-0 tie on Monday in one of the biggest shockers of the tournament so far.
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Cape Verde players celebrate after the World Cup Group H soccer match against Spain in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Mike Stewart/AP)
Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha kept Spain at bay in the first half despite an onslaught of shots. Spain had seven shots on goal, compared to Cape Verde’s one, but could never find the back of the net.
Mikel Oyarzabal took five of the seven shots.
Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal started the game off the bench, but even he couldn’t find the shot to get past Cape Verde.
The two squads will come away with one point each in the Group H matchup. It makes the road for Spain that much difficult as they await the result from the Saudi Arabia-Uruguay matchup later Monday.
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Cape Verde’s Dailon Livramento and Sidny Lopes Cabral celebrate after the World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Erik S. Lesser/AP)
Cape Verde is making its first World Cup appearance. The nation was a part of Portugal when the World Cup first began. It didn’t immediately become a FIFA member either.
The country started to vie for a World Cup appearance in 2002. They didn’t qualify for the tournament until this year as the field expanded to 48 nations.
Cape Verde is ranked 67th among FIFA members.
Spain won the World Cup in 2010 when the tournament took place in South Africa. In the last two tournaments, the nation only got as far as the round of 16.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha celebrates a 0-0 draw during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Spain and Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman/Associated Press)
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Spain entered this year’s World Cup ranked No. 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Toronto Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison was tossed from Sunday’s game after committing a hard foul against the Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese.
Reese had established position in the paint nearly four minutes into the third quarter when she was passed the ball. Harrison reached over and tackled her to the floor. Reese’s teammates immediately jumped in to separate the two players.
The takedown occurred with around 6:05 left in the third quarter, while the Dream were leading 52-42. Officials reviewed the play and Harrison was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for contact that was deemed “unnecessary and excessive” and ejected from the game.
Harrison, who was drafted in 2015, was the leading scorer for the Tempo with 17 points at the time she was tossed. Reese ended the game with 15 points and 17 rebounds in Atlanta’s 102-77 victory. It marks the ninth double-double of the season for the two-time All Star.
WNBA officials have been cracking down on physical play this season after complaints about the level of physicality last year.
Things appeared to get heated between the two former teammates, who crossed paths during Reese’s rookie season with the Chicago Sky, starting in the first half of Sunday’s game at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. The players could be seen exchanging words throughout their match-up and at one point during the second quarter, Harrison swatted at the ball being held by Reese after play had already been stopped.
After the game, Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said Harrison’s ejection was “unfortunate” because Harrison was “playing so well.” When asked about what she was hoping to see from her team in their next stretch of games, Brondello mentioned consistency and her players “not getting too high [or] too low.”
“I think sometimes the emotions get the best of us and takes away from how we want to play,” Brondella said.
Dream guard Allisha Gray, who led all scorers with 26 points, praised her teammate after the game.
“Angel’s a beast on the boards,” Gray said. “She does everything that we need to help us win and accomplish our goals for the game. So, I think Angel did really well tonight, keeping her composure and really battling on the boards.”
The Dream (9-4) is currently fourth in league standings, while the Tempo (7-7) sit in ninth place.
Sports
Japanese World Cup fans clean up stadium with NFL quarterback after team draws with the Netherlands
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NFL quarterback Jameis Winston lent a helping hand on Sunday as Japanese soccer fans cleaned up trash around Dallas Stadium after the team came to a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands at the World Cup.
Videos posted to social media showed fans holding trash bags with the words “Japan Pride” emblazoned across them. The New York Giants quarterback, who is a FOX Sports soccer correspondent for the World Cup, was also seen cleaning up trash around the stadium.
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Japan earned a point in the group stage thanks to Daichi Kamada’s game-tying goal in the 88th minute of the match against the Dutch. The Samurai Blue fans were frenzied after the goal went into the back of the net.
“Our players managed to be tenacious but at the same time be patient and just keep calm and finding and seizing an opportunity,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said through an interpreter.
The Netherlands’ Virgil Van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville scored off the post in the second half. Japan’s Keio Nakamura got one back minutes later. All three goals were scored in a 14-minute span.
Japan fans clean up trash in the stadium following the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, on June 14, 2026. (Jessica Tobias/AP Photo)
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But conceding a goal late in the match was tough for the Dutch to swallow.
“It’s disappointing now because obviously conceding the lead is never good,” Van Dijk said. “It’s extra disappointing that we conceded from a set piece so late on.”
Japan fans watch the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, on June 14, 2026. (Jessica Tobias/AP Photo)
The Netherlands beat Japan in their only other World Cup matchup in 2010.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t win, but that’s because we were ahead twice,” Koeman added. “Many people underestimated Japan, but for the 100,000th time, if you underestimate them, that’s your problem. You think Japan’s strength was overexaggerated before the match? Let’s wait until the end of the tournament to see who’s right.”
Japan made it to the elimination round in 2022 and 2018. They’ve never been past the round of 16.
Japan’s Koki Ogawa celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal against the Netherlands during a World Cup Group F match in Arlington, Texas, on June 14, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP)
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The Netherlands is the only country to reach the final three times without winning the World Cup. The squad made it to the quarterfinals in 2022 but lost to Argentina on penalties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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