Sports
Inside a Shohei Ohtani batting practice, the biggest spectacle of Dodgers spring training
As he threw batting practice to Shohei Ohtani on Friday, Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel learned more about the superstar slugger based on what he did with bad pitches, not good ones.
Plenty of players, Ebel noted, can launch towering drive after towering drive at soft throws over the middle of the plate.
But on pitches that missed the heart of the zone Friday, Ohtani either laid off — a rare trait Ebel said spoke to the hitter’s efficient approach and purposeful work ethic — or made a quick and powerful adjustment in the box, sending them sailing through a bright morning sky all the same.
“He’s just so strong,” Ebel said afterward, an excited smile accompanying his recounting of the session. “I threw away, homer. I threw middle, homer. I threw middle-in, homer. He had a purpose with every swing he took. … Every pitch had like a game-speed swing.”
Ohtani isn’t quite ready for live games yet, nor apparently live pitching.
While he was originally on the schedule to take his first live batting practice of the spring Friday — it would have been his first time facing a real pitcher since having elbow surgery last September — the two-time MVP instead went through only a normal batting practice session with Ebel.
The change of plans was nothing more than a clerical error, Ohtani later explained. He was never planning to take live BP on Friday. He said he was aiming for sometime next week.
Nonetheless, Ohtani is still trending toward being available on opening day. He is still ahead of schedule in his recovery from last year’s Tommy John surgery. And even in a routine batting practice Friday, he still put on a show for the several hundred fans and reporters gathered to watch at Camelback Ranch.
Of his 26 swings, 13 were home runs.
During one round in the cage, he uncorked five long balls in a row in five swings.
“That was impressive,” Ebel said. “Exit velocity had to be through the roof today. Probably every time he hits, it’s like that.”
At least, every time this spring it has been.
Between his three batting practice sessions in the last week, Ohtani has hit 33 home runs in 76 total swings. On each occasion, his BP has attracted masses of coaches, team officials and reporters.
Most of them have emerged with similar takeaways, noting how effortless Ohtani’s power looks at the plate, and how quickly he appears to be progressing through his elbow recovery with his swing.
“He’s a lot further along than any of us not named Shohei would have expected,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s worked really hard, and is very diligent in his work.”
Indeed, Ohtani has approached each session with an obvious focus.
In his first BP last week, he had a nearby tablet displaying instant exit velocities (it rarely dipped below 100 mph), as well as a cellphone giving him other real-time feedback on each of his 10 swings.
The next two sessions have been similar, just with an increased number of swings — and attention.
During Friday’s session, Roberts at one point took out his own cellphone to record some of Ohtani’s drives, following the lead of dozens of spectators encircling the field .
Afterward, Ohtani posed for a photo with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his son, who was trailing his dad around the facility for the day.
On the mound, Ebel also watched in amazement. In Ohtani’s rookie 2018 MLB season with the Angels, Ebel was in his final season as the third base coach in Anaheim. Half-a-decade later, he has been struck by how different Ohtani looks — “He’s so much stronger now, visually,” Ebel said — and, more important, acts as one of the game’s biggest attractions.
“When he walks into a room, there’s a presence,” Ebel said. “He has a mission. He knows what his routine is. Everybody watches to see what he does. When you see that, I’m happy for him. Because when I first saw him to where he is today, and what he’s accomplished, for me he’s the best athlete and best baseball player in the world.”
That hasn’t stopped Ohtani from fitting into his new surroundings with the Dodgers.
All spring, Dodgers personnel have complimented Ohtani’s down-to-earth demeanor around the clubhouse. He has already surpassed expectations regarding his media availability, holding three sessions in less than two weeks (an early departure from his typical once-a-week, at most, media availability with the Angels).
Even during batting practice sessions, his rapport with teammates continues to grow.
On Friday, Ohtani initially headed to the wrong field at the Dodgers’ sprawling Camelback Ranch facility. When he was called back to the diamond where Ebel was pitching, Teoscar Hernández and others in his BP group laughed with him about the mix-up.
“They were like, ‘What are you doing?’” Ebel relayed with a laugh.
Later, after one of Ohtani’s few swings to not threaten the outfield fence — or the parking lot beyond it — infielder Miguel Rojas sarcastically shouted out, “No pop!” It immediately elicited a chuckle from the two-time MVP.
“That’s the kind of stuff I think he likes,” Ebel said. “He wants to be a part of that. Just because it’s Shohei, don’t shy away.”
Exactly what will come next in Ohtani’s ramp-up for the season is somewhat unclear. While he is planning to face live pitching next week, his availability for the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener Thursday hasn’t yet been determined. Neither has the total number of preseason at-bats Ohtani is expected to get, with Roberts noting the slugger might split time between official spring games and informal backfield scrimmages.
“I’m gonna start talking to him on what he likes, as far as his expectation to get ready for a major league season,” Roberts said. “Obviously game at-bats are important. But if we can get at-bats on a backfield, we can do that too.”
The one thing Roberts did say with certainty: “It seems like every single day, he keeps getting better and feels really good.”
Nowhere has that been more evident, so far, than in Ohtani’s show-stopping batting practice spectacles, which have already become the early highlight of Dodgers spring training.
“Certainly everyone wants to see him on a baseball field and playing. I get that,” Roberts said. “But the main thing is to get him ready for opening day. And I think that we’ve got plenty of time to do that.”
Sports
Paraguay stuns four-time World Cup champions Germany in penalty shootout after controversial call
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Paraguay stunned Germany, the four-time FIFA World Cup champions, after moving on to the round of 16 after winning 4-3 in a penalty shootout on Monday in an absolutely thrilling match with a key controversial moment sprinkled in.
That moment came in extra time, which was needed after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes plus stoppage time between these two opponents.
Germany had dominated throughout this match, but Paraguay had made the best of their grade-A chance in the first half when Julio Enciso buried a header in the 42nd minute. The Germans were able to finally get on the board, though, in the 54th minute when Kai Havertz saw his own header flick into the back of the net.
Julio Enciso of Paraguay celebrates with teammate Gustavo Gomez after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 29, 2026. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
From there, Germany was on the offensive, getting chance after chance with some from Paraguay tossed in. But when extra time began, it seemed only a matter of time before Germany would pot another and take the lead.
It appeared to happen when Jonathan Tah rose up and smashed a header on a corner kick past Paraguay keeper Orlando Gill. The German faithful inside Boston Stadium went ballistic, but that was short-lived after the head official went to the VAR screen to review a potential foul.
CURACAO STUNS GERMANY AT WORLD CUP WITH HISTORIC GOAL THAT SENDS SUPPORTERS INTO UNDERSTANDABLE FRENZY
During the corner kick, Germany’s Waldemar Anton seemed to obstruct Gill’s movement toward the ball, and ultimately to defend Tah’s header. And if he was simply trying to sell the foul, it worked.
After review, the goal was annulled with the referee explaining that Anton’s actions had prevented Gill from properly getting the chance to stop the header.
After the 30 minutes of extra time, neither side was able to break the 1-1 tie. As a result, the tournament’s first penalty shootout was set to determine who would move on to the round of 16, and who would be heading home.
Things did not start off on the right foot for Germany when Havertz stepped up to the ball and saw Gill make a save. Maurício used that momentum and scored his first to immediately put Paraguay in a good position to win.
Both sides would ace their next two penalties apiece before Nick Woltemade’s attempt was saved by Gill. Paraguay, now, had a chance to win it all, but Antonio Sanabria missed the team’s fourth penalty.
Orlando Gill of Paraguay celebrates after Julio Enciso scored the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 29, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Nadiem Amiri kept Germany’s hopes alive with a made shot on the team’s fifth attempt, but being that penalties are determined by five shots, Fabián Balbuena had the opportunity to win it all. However, Manuel Neuer, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in soccer history, let alone Germany’s squad, kept up clutch with a save to force another round.
With slight momentum on their side, Tah stepped up to the penalty area with the chance to get another game-winning goal, this time with his boot. But his attempt was a miserable one, belting it over the crossbar and into the stands.
Paraguay, elated after the miss, sent José Canale to the box and he didn’t disappoint. Neuer guessed the wrong way and Canale tucked his shot under the bar and Paraguay celebrated as you’d expect: pure joy.
It’s the first time ever Germany has lost in penalties at the FIFA World Cup.
Germany was left shocked on the pitch, as their 2026 World Cup journey comes to a close. And it’s hard not to think what-if when they appeared to have the game-winner on the scoreboard only for it to be taken away by a call that will certainly be debated for some time.
Paraguay’s midfielder Julio Enciso celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on June 29, 2026. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Paraguay will now await the winner of the round of 32 match between France and Sweden, which will be played at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
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SACRAMENTO — Teoscar Hernández was back from a hamstring injury, and a little bit humble. He was about to play his first game in a month for the Dodgers.
“I don’t think they really need me in the lineup,” he said, with a hint of a smile.
Hernández hit 58 home runs over his first two seasons with the Dodgers, each of which ended in a World Series championship, so of course they need him. But, in his absence, the Dodgers had more than doubled their National League West lead.
Hernández is back, but Will Smith and Kiké Hernández still are out. So are Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Edwin Díaz.
No matter: The Dodgers boosted their division lead to 11 games Monday with a 9-4 victory over the Athletics. Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy and Andy Pages homered to highlight a 17-hit attack.
The Dodgers are on pace to win the NL West by 21 games. They boast the best record in the major leagues at 55-30, and Ohtani and the Traveling All-Stars remain baseball’s best road show.
Before the game, a guy setting up one of the merchandise stands here pointed to all the Dodgers gear for sale. He wore a Dodgers cap. He said he wished he had more Dodgers stuff to sell, because the crowd would be overwhelmingly in favor of the Dodgers.
And so it was, one day after San Diego fans complained of all the Dodgers partisans at Petco Park. In Sacramento, where the wandering home team wears a Sacramento patch on one jersey sleeve and a Las Vegas patch on the other sleeve, there were loud cheers for Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and loud chants of “Let’s go, Dodgers!”
Every Dodger in the starting lineup had two hits except for Betts, who had one.
Eric Lauer, imported to fortify a starting rotation without Glasnow and Snell, worked six innings to record the victory. He gave up three runs and four hits in the second inning, no runs and five hits over the other five.
Dodgers starting pitcher Eric Lauer worked six innings to record the victory. He gave up three runs and four hits in the second inning, no runs and four hits over the other five.
(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
He is 3-0 with 2.88 earned-run average in six starts for the Dodgers, the last three of them classified as quality starts.
“He’s been nothing but impressive for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Glasnow and Snell are weeks away from returning, and maybe more, but Roberts said they would not lose their job because of injury.
“Eric coming over here knew that this was the deal, right?” said Roberts, who posted his 999th career win. “Until they get back. We just don’t know when. He’s just got to stay focused on doing his job. Then when that time comes we’ll see what happens.”
In the top of the second, the Dodgers bunched four hits, all singles — the first by Hernández, beating out an infield single in his first at-bat since the hamstring injury — to take a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the A’s also bunched four hits, including a Colby Thomas home run, to take a 3-2 lead.
The rest of the Dodgers’ scoring: a solo homer by Muncy and a two-run homer by Pages in the fourth, a three-run homer by Ohtani in the sixth, and an RBI single by Freeman in the eighth. The A’s scored the final run on a wild pitch in the ninth.
And, speaking of wild, each team had a Max Muncy playing third base and batting seventh.
“It’s a strange feeling standing at third base and they’re announcing that you’re hitting and it’s not you,” Muncy (the Dodgers one) said.
Miguel Rojas said the Dodgers have flourished in the wake of significant injuries because the organization places a priority on developing players and giving them a fair shot at playing time, citing Pages, infielder Alex Freeland and pitchers Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan, as well as wise trades for supplementary players, including infielder-outfielder Tommy Edman and outfielder Alex Call.
“It’s not living with the narrative of ‘We’re buying championships and spending money,’” Rojas said. “Yeah, we’re spending money to get good players. But we’re not really basing our success just on that.
Shohei Ohtani tosses his bat after hitting a three-run home run for the Dodgers in the sixth inning against the Athletics on Monday night.
(Sara Nevis / Associated Press)
“The front office does quality work on getting the right players and putting the puzzle together. I feel that’s the reason why we can afford losing a couple guys in the middle of the year, because we have a full team that is ready to step up.”
Still, Rojas conceded none of that would matter without Ohtani, Freeman, Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. And, yes, Rojas said, the Dodgers do have an irreplaceable player.
“It’s going to be really hard if we lose Shohei,” Rojas said. “It’s going to be a little bit different than losing another player. Having Shohei at the top of the lineup every single day and doing both sides of the ball has been really helpful.”
Ohtani gave the Sacramento crowd what it wanted to see: a majestic 432-foot home run, with a supercharged, 112-mph exit velocity. On Wednesday, the last day of the Dodgers’ only scheduled visit here before the A’s move to Las Vegas in 2028, he’ll take the mound to give the people more of what they want to see.
“I think we got market share tonight,” Roberts said. “It was fun. A lot of people don’t get a chance to see us play. So people up here in this area, Northern California, get to see us, get to see Shohei put on a show.”
Ohtani, two-way All-Star?
Roberts said no decision has been made about whether Ohtani will pitch in the All-Star Game. Ohtani already has been elected as the starting designated hitter for the National League.
If Ohtani is not the starting pitcher, he will not pitch.
In the 2021 All-Star Game, Ohtani was the starting pitcher and designated hitter for the American League. It would be impractical for Ohtani to warm up to pitch in the middle of an exhibition game in which he is the DH.
The Dodgers closely manage Ohtani’s workload on the mound, which could lead to a decision that he skip pitching in the game. The most likely candidates for NL starting pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cristopher Sanchez of the host Philadelphia Phillies, with Yamamoto also worthy of consideration.
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The Detroit Lions announced they have released cornerback Terrion Arnold, their 2024 first-round pick, following an arrest last week where he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.
This comes after Arnold had his bond set at $1 million on Monday by Hillsborough County Judge Christopher Sabella.
Sabella also added conditions for Arnold, which included no contact with the six co-defendants in the case as well as the witnesses. He also must surrender his passport within 48 hours, and remain confined to his home in Tallahassee, Florida, except when he would be playing, training or traveling with the Lions or making court-related appearances.
Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions runs onto the field before an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 27, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The state also asked Judge Sabella for Arnold to be required to wear a GPS tracking device, but Arnold’s attorneys said he wouldn’t be able to play football with it on.
Prosecutors were pushing for Arnold to be held without bond but, though the charges are serious ones in Sabella’s eyes, he didn’t believe the case was strong enough to hold him in that fashion.
The 23-year-old Arnold was arrested in connection with an alleged kidnapping and robbery that investigators say occurred in February, the Tampa Police Department announced on June 25. Arnold turned himself in and was taken into custody at Orient Road Jail in Hillsborough County on Wednesday night.
TERRION ARNOLD, LIONS’ 2024 FIRST-ROUND PICK, CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING AND ARMED ROBBERY IN FLORIDA
Arnold is charged with four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery.
Spokespersons for the Lions and the NFL told Fox News Digital they were aware of the situation, but wouldn’t comment any further. Now, the Lions have made their move one month before training camp kicks off across the league.
According to investigators, Arnold rented an Airbnb in Largo, Florida, where he periodically stayed with several co-defendants: Arianna Del Valle, 19; Jasmine Randazzo, 19; Lyndell Hudson II, 26; Christion Williams, 24; Boakai Hilton Jr., 23; and Freddie Hughes, 27. Authorities said other individuals also stayed at the property.
Investigators said three male victims, all in their late teens, suffered visible injuries after they were allegedly battered, held at gunpoint and pistol-whipped before being robbed and ordered to leave a residence in the 14000 block of North 46th Street in Tampa.
Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions looks on during the second half of an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sept. 7, 2025. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
According to investigators, multiple personal items belonging to Arnold and others were stolen from the Airbnb on Feb. 1. Authorities said Arnold suspected two of the three victims were responsible, though Tampa police later determined they were not involved in the theft.
On Feb. 3, Arnold, Hilton, Hughes and another individual reported more than $250,000 in stolen property to the Largo Police Department.
Investigators allege that later that day Arnold and Hilton coordinated with Del Valle and Randazzo to contact one of the victims and lure him to an apartment.
Police said the three victims arrived at the apartment on Feb. 4 to meet the women, where Williams and Hudson were allegedly hiding inside a bedroom closet. According to investigators, Williams and Hudson grabbed the victims, held them at gunpoint and assaulted them.
Authorities said Del Valle streamed the incident to Arnold, Hilton and Hughes as they traveled to the apartment. Investigators also said they recovered a group chat involving the defendants in which Arnold and Hilton allegedly gave directions to Del Valle, Williams and Hudson during the assault.
According to investigators, Arnold, Hilton, Hughes and another individual arrived at the apartment around 1 a.m. Police allege Arnold directed the group inside, and that Hughes, Hudson and Williams stole the victims’ personal property while the assault was ongoing.
Authorities said the victims were escorted from the apartment about 40 minutes later, forced into their vehicle and left the scene. They later reported the incident to Tampa police and identified the suspects.
Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions lines up before a play during an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on Nov. 27, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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Investigators said they believe Arnold was the primary organizer of the alleged scheme based on evidence gathered during the investigation. However, Harvey Steinberg, one of Arnold’s attorneys, argued in court that the prosecutors were “not even close” to showing he knew or directed his associates in this incident.
Arnold was expected to be a starting corner for the Lions this season, making his release a big one for the depth chart. He recorded his first career interception this past season in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, though he was only able to play eight games because of a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.
Arnold played 16 games during his rookie season in 2024, tallying 10 passes defended and 60 combined tackles.
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