Sports
Shohei Ohtani home run caps wild ninth-inning comeback in Dodgers' win over Arizona
PHOENIX — One pitch. One swing. One pure, unmistakable sound.
On a night the roof was open, the air was hot and the Dodgers were engaged in a Chase Field classic against the Arizona Diamondbacks, that’s what the craziest game of their season came down to.
The crack of Shohei Ohtani’s bat — punctuating a riveting contest in early May with another indelible moment of on-demand magic.
“You guys have heard me say how many times?” teammate Max Muncy marveled. “Sho keeps getting put in these spots that you expect the incredible — and he rarely disappoints.”
Indeed, with two on and one out and the score tied in the ninth, Ohtani completed a wild six-run rally with a go-ahead three-run home run deep to right field.
It lifted the Dodgers to a 14-11 win, one that felt impossible after they squandered a five-run lead earlier in the game. It left Ohtani seemingly trying to lift off himself, stretching his arms and flapping his hands after chucking his bat and gliding up the first-base line.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits a three-run home run in the ninth inning against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Up to that point, Friday’s intradivision shootout already featured everything else.
Wild lead changes and sudden momentum shifts. Line-drive rockets and towering home runs. Even the ejection of Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior, when a bad ball-strike call contributed to his team’s mid-game collapse.
Most of all, however, there was Ohtani — meeting yet another moment, rising once again to the occasion.
“For us to score a lot, for them to come back, for us to come back again,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, “it was a game with a lot of passion.”
Added manager Dave Roberts: “He sees his teammates fighting and guys trying to keep us in the ballgame, so that was kind of the climax of that moment. It’s good to see him show emotion like that. It was great.”
Ohtani was having a big night before the ninth, doubling twice during an early offensive onslaught that gave the Dodgers (26-13) an 8-3 lead.
The Diamondbacks (20-19) responded, scoring eight unanswered runs over the next five innings to flip the score in their favor, 11-8.
Four batters into the ninth, however, the Dodgers had tilted the seesaw again.
Shohei Ohtani, right, celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning against Arizona on Friday.
(Darryl Webb / Associated Press)
A leadoff infield single from Freddie Freeman was followed by consecutive run-scoring doubles from Andy Pages and Kiké Hernández, trimming what was an 11-8 deficit to 11-10. Muncy knotted the score by knocking a single to right. Then, when Michael Conforto was hit with a pitch with one out, the Diamondbacks faced a decision.
Arizona could have pitched to Ohtani carefully, and risked a walk that would have loaded the bases but also set up a force out at every bag. Instead, they replaced closer Kevin Ginkel with sidearm right-hander Ryan Thompson, letting him attack the reigning National League MVP in hopes his funky delivery could keep Ohtani off balance.
He couldn’t. In a 1-and-2 count, Thompson threw a splitter that stayed up over the middle. Ohtani clobbered it 426 feet to the right-field bleachers. The sound off the bat alone left little doubt about where it would land.
“Between him and Barry Bonds, they’re the two best players I’ve ever seen,” Roberts said, when asked if Ohtani’s heroics ever cease to amaze. “I played with Barry. But what Shohei does in the clutch — I’ve never seen anything like what he does in the clutch.”
Shouting across the room in the Dodgers’ postgame clubhouse, backup catcher Austin Barnes summed it up even more succinctly.
“The monster,” he yelled, “comes through again!”
Even before first pitch, Friday had the makings of a high-scoring affair.
Eduardo Rodríguez, the veteran left-hander who two seasons ago blocked an agreed-upon deadline day trade from Detroit to the Dodgers, entered the night with a 5.92 ERA and was facing a right-handed-heavy Dodgers lineup, with slumping lefty sluggers Muncy and Conforto dropped to the bench.
Roki Sasaki, meanwhile, was pitching on five days of rest (as opposed to six) for the first time in his career. He was throwing in a dry Arizona climate that can often influence the execution of breaking pitches. And, as a result, there was added importance on a fastball that has disappointed so far this season, averaging well below the triple-digit readings he was hoping to rediscover.
Right from the jump, the Diamondbacks took advantage.
While Rodríguez gave up one run in the first inning after a leadoff double from Ohtani, Sasaki was ambushed for three. Ketel Marte hit a solo home run around the right-field foul pole. Eugenio Suárez belted a two-run blast.
The homers were the fifth and sixth that Sasaki has given up in his last five outings. And all of them have come against his fastball, a pitch that has yielded a lot of hard contact while getting very little swing-and-miss — including no whiffs Friday.
“Just really still in this process of finding out what the root cause [is],” said the 23-year-old right-hander, who finished giving up five runs in four-plus innings to raise his ERA to 4.72.
The Dodgers had an answer of their own in the second, tying the game on Hernández’s sixth home run of the season and Ohtani’s second double in as many innings.
Then, in the third, the Dodgers seemingly took control of the game, exploding for five runs on four hits and three walks while sending 11 batters to the plate — in an inning where the three outs were recorded by Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman no less.
In his first at-bat of the inning, Freeman roped a double down the line to put two runners in scoring position. Pages followed with a two-run single to left. Hernández and Miguel Rojas loaded the bases with a single and a walk. Still with no one out, James Outman hit the ground ball Arizona was looking for, but an errant throw to the plate allowed two more runs to score. Betts later tacked on a sacrifice fly.
That should’ve been enough for the Dodgers, carrying the ensuing 8-3 lead into the fourth.
But on this night, no lead was ever safe.
Sasaki was pulled after issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth, the lead having been trimmed to 8-4 by that point. His replacement, Anthony Banda, failed to stem a turning tide.
Within three batters, the Diamondbacks had the bases loaded. With two outs, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. swung big at a down-and-in sinker. Banda turned to watch it fly for a tying grand slam, evening the score at 8-8.
Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr., left, pumps is fist after hitting a grand slam off Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda, right, during the fifth inning Friday.
(Darryl Webb / Associated Press)
“I just felt that the offense did enough to win the game at that point in time, and to not pitch well, it’s frustrating,” Roberts said. “I just feel that we’re better than we’ve pitched.”
The Diamondbacks’ go-ahead run scored amid more contentious circumstances, as right-hander Luis García tried to escape another bases-loaded, two-out jam he inherited from Banda in the sixth.
In a full count with Suarez, he threw a high sweeper that appeared to catch the top of the strike zone. Home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak, however, ruled it a ball that walked in a run.
After the inning, Prior barked at Rehak from the dugout, triggering his ejection. Roberts then ran toward Rehak for an animated talk.
“There were some pitches that swung counts, and certainly that Luis García at-bat to Suárez, that changed that inning, the scoreboard,” Roberts said. “It gets emotional, always. And so obviously, it’s nothing personal. You can’t argue balls and strikes.”
In the eighth, it was the Diamondbacks’ turn to seemingly put the game out of reach, hitting back-to-back home runs off Alex Vesia for an 11-8 lead.
But, once again, no lead on this night ever proved to be secure.
Especially not once the Dodgers got Ohtani back up to the plate.
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Rory McIlroy is fresh off finishing his career Grand Slam, finally winning the Masters, and earning his place on top of the golf world.
As he geared up for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, McIlroy was asked about his icy reception toward Bryson DeChambeau during the Masters. The two were paired up together for the final round at Augusta and DeChambeau mentioned that McIlroy “didn’t talk” to him once during it.
Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy shake hands during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 13, 2025. (Kyle Terada-Imagn Images)
McIlroy brushed it off when he talked to reporters on Wednesday.
“I don’t know what he was expecting,” he said. “I mean, we’re trying to win the Masters. I’m not gonna try to be his best mate right there.
“Look, everyone approaches the game in different ways. And yeah, I was focused on myself and what I needed to do and that’s really all that it was. It wasn’t anything against him. I felt like that’s what I needed to do to try to get the best out of myself that day.”
Rory McIlroy speaks during a news conference at the PGA Championship at the Quail Hollow Club, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt York)
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DeChambeau said last month that McIlroy appeared to be in the zone.
Despite a blunder-filled day, McIlroy completed the career slam with his first win at Augusta National after defeating Justin Rose in a one-hole playoff on 18 after Rose missed a 15-foot putt for birdie.
Bryson DeChambeau during a practice round for the PGA Championship, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
McIlroy will now look for a third PGA Championship title. He won in 2012 and 2014.
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Sports
Commentary: Roki Sasaki's shoulder issue leaves Dodgers in a familiar and problematic position
Like pretty much every other time the Dodgers have found themselves in a self-made mess, the task of downplaying a major problem once again was made the responsibility of manager Dave Roberts.
So, in the aftermath of a deflating 11-1 defeat by the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night, Roberts trudged into the interview room at Dodger Stadium and applied a good old Stan Kasten spin to Roki Sasaki’s move to the 15-day injured list.
The point relayed by Roberts was basically this: Sasaki underwhelmed in his eight major league starts because of a shoulder pain that he kept secret from the Dodgers “for the last weeks,” and not because the 23-year-old rookie right-hander wasn’t as good as they previously thought.
“He hasn’t been as productive as he would have liked because he was compromised,” said Roberts, who added that Sasaki revealed his condition to the team after his most recent start.
The explanation raised an equally alarming possibility, however.
If Roberts’ story was accurate, and Sasaki experienced a shoulder impingement similar to the one that slowed him down last year in Japan, wouldn’t that point to a chronic problem?
As it was, Sasaki was already viewed as a high injury risk. He never remained healthy for an entire season with the Chiba Lotte Marines.
At this point, what’s worse? That Sasaki’s lack of control and decline in fastball velocity were because of a chronic shoulder issue? Or because he just was too raw to compete in the major leagues?
Either scenario would be problematic.
So, what now?
As much as the Dodgers sold Sasaki on how they could one day guide him to a Cy Young Award, his future isn’t their only priority. They also have to consider what’s best for their team, which is positioned to become baseball’s first repeat champion in a quarter century.
Even if the Dodgers acknowledge that Sasaki is more of a long-term project than a short-term solution and want to send him to the minor leagues when he returns, they might not have the luxury of doing so. They have signed four potential frontline pitchers in the last two years, and three of them are currently on the injured list — Sasaki, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The other, two-way player Shohei Ohtani, isn’t expected to pitch until after the All-Star break.
Snell was examined by a team doctor on Tuesday but the team didn’t provide any details about his condition. Glasnow played catch but Roberts didn’t provide a timeline for his return.
The rotation is in such a state of ruin that not only were the Dodgers forced to start Landon Knack on Tuesday, they were desperately awaiting the return of 37-year-old Clayton Kershaw four days later.
Roberts described Sasaki’s injury as “benign” but didn’t say when he might resume throwing. The manager insisted there were no thoughts of sending him to the minors, despite Sasaki posting a 4.72 earned-run average and completing six innings in just one start.
“I think our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong, make sure his delivery is sound for him to pitch for us,” Roberts said.
In other words, Sasaki will return to the mound in the major leagues. He will have to gain familiarity with low-quality American baseballs in the major leagues. He will have to become more comfortable with the pitch clock in the major leagues. He will have to strengthen his body to prevent future injuries in the major leagues. He will have to learn to throw something other than a fastball, forkball and slider in the major leagues.
The Dodgers knew Sasaki would require an adjustment period, but they couldn’t have imagined anything this drastic.
The introductory news conference they staged for Sasaki in January was matched in scale in recent years only by Ohtani’s and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s. That was where president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman declared Sasaki would start the season in the Dodgers’ rotation, and general manager Brandon Gomes compared him to Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Back then, the Dodgers’ plan for Sasaki was simple: Insert him into the rotation and watch him develop into one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Sasaki can still become everything the Dodgers envisioned, but his path to greatness has become infinitely more complicated. Roberts remained characteristically upbeat, saying Sasaki concealed his shoulder problems not because he was selfish but because he didn’t want to let down an injury-ravaged team.
“He’s a great teammate,” Roberts said.
With his rotation crumbling, Roberts didn’t have the luxury of viewing the situation any other way.
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The NFL is playing seven international games during the 2025 season, and there is some history involved on multiple levels.
Almost all the games and teams involved were announced on Tuesday, and each destination has been set.
London, which has been the sight of NFL regular-season games since 2007, will have three contests. The NFL is also heading back to Brazil and Germany, while two countries will have its first taste of regular season football this year.
A wide view of play in the first half during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
Dublin, Ireland and Madrid, Spain will also host teams vying for the Vince Lombardi Trophy next season. Here’s the full rundown of who will be playing in each game:
- Week 1: TBA vs. Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo (Sept. 5)
- Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings in Dublin (Sept. 28)
- Week 5: Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns in London (Oct. 5)
- Week 6: Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets in London (Oct. 12)
- Week 7: Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London (Oct. 19)
- Week 10: Atlanta Falcons vs. Indianapolis Colts in Berlin (Nov. 9)
- Week 11: Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Commanders in Madrid (Nov. 16)
FOX ANNOUNCES SATURDAY NFL DIVISION RIVAL DOUBLEHEADER WHEN PLAYOFF RACES GET SPICY
It was reported the Kansas City Chiefs were going to travel to Brazil to face their AFC West-rival Chargers, though the announcement with exact opponents should come Wednesday.
Also, it’s worth noting that the Vikings will become the first team in NFL history to play in two separate countries on back-to-back weeks. Their dynamic offense, which is expected to be led by J.J. McCarthy next season, will be on full display in Ireland and the United Kingdom early in the schedule.
( Tuane Fernandes/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Continuing the global initiative is what the NFL has made a point in doing, and that includes increasing the number of international games on the regular season schedule.
London was the main hub for building NFL fandom, but in 2022, the league also started to make its presence known in Germany. The Falcons-Colts matchup will be the fifth game played in the country since that year.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers made history this past season with a game in São Paulo, which was the start of Saquon Barkley’s Offensive Player of the Year season with his new squad.
Neo Quimica Arena before a game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
And while the league is excited to see games in two different countries this season, there is already a plan in place to get one down under in Melbourne, Australia in 2026.
The season schedule for every team in the league will drop on Wednesday.
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