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Closing out an era: Dodgers reflect fondly on Atlanta-bound Kenley Jansen 

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For many of his time managing the Dodgers, Dave Roberts not often needed to name all the way down to the bullpen earlier than the ninth inning.

If the Dodgers had the lead, he didn’t must say a factor. He knew Kenley Jansen can be getting unfastened, warming up, and getting ready to return in and shut out the sport.

“He would do it naturally,” Roberts mentioned. “I understood him, he understood me.”

Roberts added, appreciatively: “He made my job a lot simpler.”

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That fixed shall be gone this season, after Jansen signed a one-year, $16-million contract with the Atlanta Braves on Friday evening — information was nonetheless sinking in across the Dodgers’ spring coaching facility a morning later.

“He has dominated for a very long time and he was all the time there, yearly,” mentioned Clayton Kershaw, a teammate of Jansen’s going again to their minor league days. “He went on the market and did what he was requested to do. We’re going to overlook him, I’m going to overlook him.”

Added catcher Austin Barnes: “It’ll be bizarre not having him, going to battle with him. However I’m comfortable for him, going to Atlanta, received a great contract and I’m positive he’ll be good over there.”

Although Jansen was coming off one in all his most efficient seasons in 2021, when he posted a 2.22 ERA and transformed 38 of 43 save alternatives, a return to the Dodgers by no means seemed to be within the playing cards.

Jansen was searching for one other profitable contract at age 34. The Dodgers have been seemingly content material with their present crop of relievers, comfy to make use of a closer-by-committee system if wanted.

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Kenley Jansen, left, hugs Austin Barnes after recording a ultimate out in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds in September.

(Aaron Doster / Related Press)

“That’s a part of the hurdles, the enterprise aspect of issues,” Roberts mentioned. “The place he’s received to maximise his earnings and do what’s finest for him and his household, which he’s clearly mentioned. After which, as a corporation, we’ve received form of — timing is necessary. And in order we proceed to maneuver ahead, which we’re accountable to do, it simply didn’t line up with the timing.”

Over his 12 years with the Dodgers, Jansen turned a franchise icon. He has greater than twice as many saves (350) as some other pitcher in group historical past. His 701 appearances are greater than some other Dodgers pitcher, too.

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A 3-time All-Star and two-time Nationwide League reliever of the 12 months, Jansen’s finest seasons have been from 2013-17, when he posted 5 consecutive sub-3.00 ERAs and racked up not less than 40 saves thrice.

Lately, Jansen was inconsistent. He had a 3.01 ERA in 2018, a career-worst 3.71 ERA in 2019 and a 3.33 ERA in 2020, at occasions dropping his place because the membership’s unique ninth-inning weapon.

Though he has glorious profession postseason numbers (a 2.13 ERA, 18 saves and 92 strikeouts in 57 video games), he was additionally on the heart of a number of October disappointments earlier than the group’s 2020 World Sequence title, main some factions of the fanbase to query his function and infrequently even bathe him with boos.

Roberts, nonetheless, put these latest struggles into perspective Saturday, describing Jansen as “a Dodger nice” who was central to one of the crucial profitable stretches in group historical past.

“I believe that over the previous few years, there’s been some sentiment that he wasn’t what he ought to have been, and that’s utterly false,” Roberts mentioned. “I do suppose that as a more in-depth, issues are extra magnified, which they need to be. However this man was as reliable as any within the historical past of the sport. So the numbers don’t lie. They actually don’t.”

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Does Roberts suppose Dodger followers realized how good they’d it?

“Right here’s what I’ll say,” mentioned Roberts, putting a diplomatic tone. “As a fan, you root to your gamers, your group and also you’re in it with them. So I believe that when somebody has been so good, and he’s not so good as you’ve seen at occasions, I believe followers get upset by it. They usually’re entitled to voice their opinions, however I do suppose we’re gonna look again and those self same followers that booed him are going to look again in hindsight and go, ‘Man, he was a heck of a Dodger.’”

Roberts didn’t shut the door on a attainable future reunion with Jansen, noting that his deal in Atlanta is just for one 12 months.

“We’d see him once more,” Roberts mentioned. “However he’s all the time a Dodger.”

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson's screaming match with umpire leads to ejection in bizarre scene

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson's screaming match with umpire leads to ejection in bizarre scene

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Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson and umpire Mike Estabrook got into a wild screaming match that resulted in an ejection on Father’s Day against the Baltimore Orioles. 

The Phillies weren’t doing well in the top of the sixth inning as the O’s held an 8-2 lead at their home, Camden Yards, and it didn’t help matters when Estabrook reversed a call initially ruled a hit-by-pitch on the Phillies’ Garrett Stubbs. He did so after conversing with his fellow umpires on the field.

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Before Estabrook reversed the call and brought Stubbs back to home plate, Thomson was already fuming about his strike zone behind home plate on the day. 

Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook ejects Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

When Thomson emerged from the dugout and wanted an explanation from Estabrook, that’s when things got heated. The tipping point came when Thomson, who was clearly barking at Estabrook, pointed his finger at him and just missed poking him in the chest as he yelled. 

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That resulted in Estabrook turning around fast and tossing Thomson from the game, which sent the veteran manager into a frenzy. 

But what we normally see in these moments is the manager letting off steam and the umpire simply taking it. Estabrook thought differently as he started to give it right back to Thomson in a wild scene.

Mike Estabrook throws out Rob Thomson

Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook ejects Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

Umpire Laz Diaz let the argument unfold a bit before stepping in and sending Thomson to the clubhouse.

After things settled down, the play was brought to a replay review, and Estabrook bringing Stubbs back to hit was the right call because the ball did not hit him.

The Phillies went on to lose, 8-3, which marked their fourth loss in the last six games.

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Rob Thomson and Mike Estabrook yell

Home plate umpire Mike Estabrook argues with Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)

Still, the Phillies own the best record in the National League even with the loss. They’re 47-24 on the season, though they’ve been worse on the road than at home, owning a 20-14 record in away games. 

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Mookie Betts to miss several weeks after sustaining hand fracture in Dodgers' win

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Mookie Betts to miss several weeks after sustaining hand fracture in Dodgers' win

The good vibes derived from Tyler Glasnow’s dominant seven-inning start and Shohei Ohtani’s two-homer game were shattered in the seventh inning on Sunday when a 98-mph fastball struck the back of the left hand of Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who writhed on the ground for a few minutes before coming out of the game.

The Dodgers went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals 3-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 52,789 at Dodger Stadium, but they lost their dynamic leadoff man in the process — X-rays showed that Betts suffered a broken bone in his left hand, and though he won’t need surgery, he will be sidelined for several weeks, if not months.

“It’s a big blow, it is,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I feel really bad for Mookie. He was having an MVP season. It’s very unfortunate, but you’ve got to move on, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to be fine. We have really good players.”

Mookie Betts is hit by a pitch during the seventh inning Sunday against the Royals at Dodger Stadium.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Mookie Betts, left, writhes on the ground after being hit by a pitch as manager Dave Roberts and a team trainer tend to him.

Mookie Betts, left, writhes on the ground after being hit by a pitch as manager Dave Roberts and a team trainer tend to him during the seventh inning Sunday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Betts, who is batting .304 with an .893 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 10 homers, 16 doubles, 40 RBIs and 50 runs, had a 1-and-2 count when he could not get out of the way of Royals reliever Dan Altavilla’s up-and-in heater. The ball hit Betts on the back of the left hand, which Betts clutched as he fell to the ground.

“I think that’s the first time I got hit in the hand, so I wasn’t sure [how bad it was],” Betts said after the game, his left hand wrapped. “I just went numb, and it hurt. Unfortunately, it’s broken. There’s nothing we can really do now.”

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Betts did not travel with the team to Denver on Sunday night. He will be examined by Dr. Steven Shin, a hand specialist, on Monday.

“What’s next? I’m honestly not sure,” Betts said. “Obviously, I’ll be watching the boys, cheering them on, but other than that, it’s just rest, maybe use it as a mental break, be ready to go whenever it heals up.”

Betts moved from right field to second base over the winter and from second base to shortstop because of Gavin Lux’s throwing woes in early March.

The Dodgers have an excellent defensive option at shortstop in Miguel Rojas, but Rojas is nowhere near the hitter Betts is, and he has been slowed this season by leg injuries that prevent him from playing every day.

Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run off Royals pitcher Brady Singer in the third inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run off Royals pitcher Brady Singer in the third inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Roberts said utility man Kiké Hernández will also be used at shortstop. The team will recall left fielder Miguel Vargas from triple-A Oklahoma City to replace Betts on the roster. Ohtani will likely be moved to the leadoff spot in the order.

“It’s very tough to see as a teammate,” Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said of Betts. “He’s obviously a very important part of the team. If he’s out for some time, it’s really up to the rest of the team to pick him up.”

The Betts injury, which came on the same day the Dodgers put pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the 15-day injured list because of a rotator-cuff strain, put a damper on an otherwise successful afternoon for the Dodgers.

Glasnow allowed three hits, striking out nine and walking one, over seven scoreless innings, and Ohtani and Freddie Freeman powered the offense with solo home runs.

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Setup man Daniel Hudson struck out two of three batters in a scoreless eighth inning, and closer Evan Phillips threw a scoreless ninth for his 10th save.

Glasnow gave the Dodgers much-needed length after the team employed a “bullpen game” on Thursday night against the Texas Rangers and were forced into another bullpen game when Yamamoto left Saturday night’s start against the Royals after two innings because of injury.

“I definitely knew I had to be efficient and try to fill up the zone,” said Glasnow, who improved to 7-5 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 starts. “I just tried to get ahead, mix up my pitches a bit more, not be so heavily reliant on the fastball, mix in the two-seamer, and it worked out today.”

Glasnow’s only real trouble came in the fourth, when Bobby Witt Jr. reached on a one-out infield single and Vinnie Pasquantino walked. He escaped the jam by striking out Salvador Perez with an 83-mph curve in the dirt and getting Adam Frazier to ground out to Betts, who ranged to the second-base side of the bag for Frazier’s grounder.

Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during the first inning Sunday.

Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during the first inning Sunday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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“He was absolutely fantastic,” Ohtani said of Glasnow. “Really, no threats throughout the game.”

Glasnow needed only 85 pitches, 62 of them strikes, to complete seven innings. He leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball, which averaged 96.0 mph, and an 83-mph curve that he used to induce eight of his 15 swinging strikes. He also got five called strikes with the curve.

“I’ve been able to land it for strikes the last couple of starts,” Glasnow said of his big breaking ball. “I’ve made some mechanical adjustments to try to keep it in the zone as opposed to just always trying to strike out guys with it.”

Glasnow’s third pitch is usually an 89-mph slider that he threw 15 times on Sunday, but he also threw a 96.8-mph two-seam sinker 15 times on Sunday after throwing it only 64 times in his first 14 starts.

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“It’s basically just a heater, so it’s not like you have to learn a new pitch, and I think it gets me behind my four-seamer, too,” Glasnow said. “I’ve been a lot more comfortable throwing it kind of up and in to righties, and today to a lefty. I’m just trying to mix it in a little bit more to not be so predictable.”

Ohtani gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead when he “used the big part of the field,” as Roberts likes to say, crushing a 451-foot solo home run — his second-longest of the season — to left-center field off Royals right-hander Brady Singer in the third inning.

Ohtani had been “getting a little too rotational” in his swing over the past week, Roberts said, causing him to pull off pitches early and hit too many ground balls to the right side, but he stayed on Singer’s 93-mph sinker for his 18th homer of the season, a laser that left his bat at 114.3 mph.

“That swing he took for that homer to left-center, that’s as good a swing as I’ve ever seen,” Roberts said. “When he does things the right way, gets his pitch, uses the big part of the field, it’s pretty special.”

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Ohtani then crushed an 80-mph first-pitch slider from Singer over the right-field wall to lead off the sixth inning for his 19th homer of the season and 18th multiple-homer game of his career, this shot leaving his bat at 110.7 mph and traveling 400 feet.

Freeman followed with his 10th homer of the season, driving a 2-and-0 slider from Singer 401 feet to right-center field for a 3-0 Dodgers lead.

“That last homer was a slider down below,” Roberts said of Ohtani, “and for him to hit it like that instead of pulling it foul or hitting on the ground speaks to him seeing the ball better.”

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Angel Reese defends hitting Caitlin Clark in head, resulting in flagrant foul: 'It's a basketball play'

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Angel Reese defends hitting Caitlin Clark in head, resulting in flagrant foul: 'It's a basketball play'

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The Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever rematch was a highly anticipated game Sunday afternoon with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese pitted against each other in another chapter of their WNBA journey. 

And things got a bit testy when Reese whacked Clark in the head on a block attempt in the third quarter of the Fever’s 91-83 victory, resulting in a flagrant foul.

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Reese was asked about the flagrant foul by a reporter after the game, and she cut him off quickly.

Angel Reese, left, of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark, right, of the Indiana Fever during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse June 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

“A basketball play. It was a basketball play,” Reese said. “I can’t control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot tonight.”

Reese was adamant officials were not calling the same game on both ends of the floor. The Sky were called for 21 personal fouls as a team, while the Fever were whistled for 17. Reese and fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso each had five fouls. 

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“I think we went up really strong a lot of times, and we didn’t get a lot of calls,” Reese explained when asked about her and Cardoso’s performances. “Going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle. But just being able to play hard as best as we can.”

CAITLIN CLARK UNBOTHERED BY PEOPLE USING HER NAME IN CULTURE WARS: ‘BASKETBALL’S MY JOB’

It’s unclear who Reese was referring to when talking about the “special whistle.”

As for Clark’s thoughts on the flagrant foul, she didn’t have anything bad to say about Reese. She agreed the physicality wasn’t anything malicious. 

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Caitlin Clark drives to the basket

Caitlin Clark, left, of the Indiana Fever drives to the basket against Marina Mabrey, right, of the Chicago Sky during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse June 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

“What’s going through my mind is, ‘I need to make these two free throws,’” Clark said when a reporter asked her thoughts immediately after the foul. “That’s all I’m thinking about. Just a part of basketball. It is what it is. Just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens.”

Clark continued by lauding Reese’s competitive spirit and using her platform to promote the game.

“I think it’s just the emotion and passion we play with,” Clark said. “I think people love to see that, and I think that’s maybe not something that was always appreciated in women’s sports. And it should be. That’s what makes it fun. We’re competitors. That’s the way the game should be. It’s going to get feisty, it’s going to get physical. But, at the end of the day, both of us are trying to win.

“I think what she’s done with her platform has been absolutely incredible, and she has an entire fan base that’s supported her for what she did at Maryland and LSU. Obviously, I played her a very long time, and she’s been a tremendous player. So, it’s getting to compete against [her], and I think it’s been really good for the game. And people love to see great matchups. 

“But, also, at the same time, people tune in for these matchups, but then they get to see how amazing these teams are, and they find new players to support. And continue to come back for them, too. So, I think that’s another benefit of it, honestly.”

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Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark side by side

Angel Reese defended her block attempt on Caitlin Clark, which resulted in a flagrant foul. (Getty Images)

Fever head coach Christie Sides also believed the “right call was made” by officials on the Reese flagrant. She also alluded to flagrant fouls not being called, which we’ve seen recently with the Chennedy Carter shove on Clark. It was later upgraded to a flagrant foul. But during their previous matchup, it was a common foul. 

“I was really proud of how they all kept their composure,” Sides said. “The right call was made in that moment — flagrant-1, two free throws and the ball. Just make the right call in those moments, and we can move forward. When we don’t make the right call in those moments, that’s when there’s a problem. 

“They made the right call tonight.”

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