Sports
Teoscar Hernández has decisive hit as amazing seven-run ninth rallies Dodgers past Rockies
During his team’s resurgence at the plate in recent weeks, in which the Dodgers have once again looked like their high-powered selves, Dave Roberts has used one adjective in his praise of the club above all else.
On more than one occasion, the manager has highlighted his lineup’s “fight” at the plate, extolling their ability to battle off pitches, extend at-bats and keep the team in games.
“We always talk about it here in the clubhouse,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “Don’t give away at-bats. Fight through the at-bats. See a lot of pitches. And try to get a good one.”
On Tuesday, in the kind of comeback the club had not experienced in almost 100 years, the Dodgers epitomized everything Roberts and his players had been talking about, exploding for seven runs in an historic ninth-inning rally to snatch an unlikely 11-9 win over the Colorado Rockies.
“Man, there’s a lot to unpack,” Roberts said afterward, still buzzing from the franchise’s biggest ninth-inning comeback since 1957, and first in which they’d erased a five-run ninth-inning hole without playing extra innings since 1929. “That fight, I couldn’t be more proud of the guys.”
On three separate occasions Tuesday, the Dodgers found themselves trailing by five.
The Rockies led 6-1 in the bottom of the second, and 7-2 at the end of the fourth, with each run coming against Walker Buehler in his worst start of an already frustrating season.
Colorado was ahead 9-4 going into the eighth, having extinguished one Dodgers rally on a diving catch from Brenton Doyle in center field in the top of the seventh, and scoring an insurance run off Dodgers reliever Michael Peterson in his MLB debut a half-inning later.
But, even with their closer, Tyler Kinley, in the game, and the bottom of the Dodgers order due up in the ninth, the Rockies couldn’t get over the finish line.
Instead, the Dodgers loaded the bases on a single and two walks. They got back within one on a pinch-hit grand slam from Jason Heyward. And then — in a moment that not only flipped the script of Tuesday night’s game, but also defined the identity the Dodgers have been striving for this season — Hernández came to the plate, stayed alive in a two-strike at-bat, then launched a towering three-run home run the other way.
A thunderous bow on a seven-run outburst.
“When Jason hit that grand slam to turn the lineup over,” Hernández said, “you knew something was going to happen.”
A few weeks ago, such confidence at the plate appeared to be in short supply for the Dodgers. During a 12-12 stretch from May 10 to June 5, their star-studded offense averaged just 3.7 runs per game. Hitting in the clutch was a particular area of repeated frustration.
Since then, though, the lineup has started to rediscover its stride.
In their last 12 games, the Dodgers are 8-4. They are averaging more than 6.25 runs per contest in that stretch. And this week, they’ve totaled 20 runs in two games at Coors Field even while missing leadoff hitter Mookie Betts, who is out six to eight weeks with a hand fracture.
In Betts’ place, other stars like Shohei Ohtani (who hit his National League-leading 20th home run of the season Tuesday a whopping 476 feet) and Hernández (who is leading the team with 54 RBIs) have stepped up. But the team’s all-around approach has made key strides, too.
“That’s our approach to every single at-bat, every single day,” Heyward said. “Sometimes it looks ugly. Sometimes it looks pretty. But when you’re able to stick with that over the course of a season, to fill out big games, big spots, big moments, I think that’s how you get better. That’s how you improve.”
It’s also how the unlikleiest of wins can still be achieved — how the Dodgers, once looking left for dead on Tuesday, found a way to keep staying alive.
Heyward’s at-bat was perhaps most impressive, a two-strike battle in which the veteran outfielder eventually prevailed.
After swinging through one slider in a 2-and-1 count, then fouling off another on the very next pitch, Heyward simplified his mindset at the plate.
“I just told myself, ‘Alright, you got a feel for the take, you got a feel for the swing. So right here, take your time,’” he said. “If it’s there, it’s there. If it’s not, tip my cap.”
When Kinley fired a third-straight slider, Heyward hammered a high line drive off the foul pole in right.
The deficit suddenly trimmed to one, Ohtani kept the inning going by slicing a single to left, then advancing to second on a wild pitch. The Rockies intentionally walked Freddie Freeman with first base open. That brought up Hernández in the type of high-leverage moment he has thrived in all year.
“He reminds me of Manny Ramirez,” Roberts said. “When guys are on base, that’s when he really starts to lock it in and focus. He hunts those RBIs. That’s how you win baseball games.”
Hernández’s at-bat wasn’t without controversy. With two outs and two strikes, he contorted his body to check what would have been a game-ending swing.
The Rockies appealed to first base umpire Lance Barksdale, but he upheld the call. Manager Bud Black came out to argue, but was immediately ejected from the game. Video replay made it seem like Hernández might have gone around. Countless batters have been called out for less.
“It was close,” Hernández said. “Now that I saw the replay, I don’t think so. But you could’ve called it either way, and I think it would’ve been fine.”
The at-bat still alive, Hernández attacked the very next pitch, clubbing a center-cut fastball the other way for the deciding three-run shot.
“I honestly feel like we just got rewarded with our process right there,” Heyward said.
A process that, lately, has been marked by the Dodgers’ ability to battle at the plate and — even down five runs in the ninth inning — find a way to fight.
Buehler IL stint “possible”
After Buehler’s four-inning, seven-run start Tuesday — the most runs the pitcher has given up in a start since 2019 — both he and Roberts hinted at the possibility of the right-hander getting some sort of break amid his poor start to the season.
With a 5.84 ERA through eight starts this year, in his first season back from a 2022 Tommy John surgery, Buehler said there has been some thought internally of giving him a midseason “blow” in order to “reset” his performance.
Buehler was also hit in the hip by a comebacker Tuesday. While it didn’t force him from the game early, Roberts said there was some “concern” about the residual soreness it would create, making an injured list stint “possible” for the struggling 29-year-old.
“Given how he’s feeling, how he’s throwing the baseball and what happened tonight with that liner off his hip, it’s certainly going to be a conversation,” Roberts said. “We have some off days coming up that could line up so a blow is possible, for sure.”
Sports
Indy 500: Counting Down The 10 Best Finishes In Race History
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The best Indianapolis 500 finish could be subjective, depending on which driver a fan was rooting for to win.
It certainly is in the eye of the beholder.
So take this list for what it’s worth. One view of the 10 best finishes in Indianapolis 500 history. Of course, it skews to more recent decades when the runs have come a little faster and the finishes have had a tendency to be a little closer.
We’ll add one each day to this list of fantastic finishes ahead of the 110th running of the Indy 500 on May 24 (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
10. Ericsson outduels O’Ward (2022)
After a red flag, Marcus Ericsson held off Pato O’Ward in a two-lap shootout. The shootout didn’t last two laps, though, as there was a crash on the final lap behind them. Ericsson had a comfortable lead when the red flag came out for a crash with four laps to go, a situation where in past Indianapolis 500 races, they likely would have ended the race under caution with Ericsson as the winner.
9. Foyt survives chaos (1967)
How does a driver who wins by two laps end up on this list? It’s because the win nearly didn’t happen on the last lap. A big crash with cars and debris littering the frontstretch just ahead of Foyt as he came to the checkered flag forced him to navigate through the wreckage for the win.
8. Sato can’t catch Franchitti (2012)
This was one of those finishes where the leader holds on for the win, but boy did the leader have to hold on. Takuma Sato tried to pass Dario Franchitti early on the final lap but to no avail and Franchitti sped off for the victory. This was one of those Indy 500s that made you hold your breath all the way to the checkered flag.
Sports
UCLA softball pummels South Carolina to advance to NCAA super regional
No. 8 UCLA stuck with right-hander Taylor Tinsley throughout the Los Angeles Regional and that faith in the senior paid off.
During the Bruins’ NCAA tournament opener at Easton Stadium, Tinsley gave up 10 runs before her teammates rallied for a walk-off win. She returned less than 24 hours to pitch against South Carolina, giving up two earned runs in a victory. Tinsley was back in the circle Sunday afternoon, yielding one run in UCLA’s 15-1 victory over the Gamecocks to advance to the super regionals.
“I am proud of Taylor’s resiliency, the ability to do whatever she can to help this team,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “She got stronger through the weekend. I am proud of that.”
Tinsley and her teammates will host Central Florida in a super regional that begins Friday.
“I feel good,” Tinsley said after pitching three key games in three days. “I could have gone more innings if needed.”
South Carolina right-hander Jori Heard gave up only one hit through two innings, keeping UCLA’s potent bats relatively quiet. The Gamecocks had runners on first and second with two outs in the second, but Tinsley escaped the inning with a pop-up to left field.
The Bruins got on the board first with a two-run home run from left fielder Rylee Slimp in the third inning. The Bruins followed it up by loading the bases with no outs in the fifth for right fielder Megan Grant.
Grant cooked up a grand slam to make it 6-0. She has 40 home runs, extending her hold on the NCAA single-season home run record. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells trails Grant with 37 homers.
“Its just incredible because I am blessed to be able to say the number 40,” Grant said.
South Carolina broke through on an RBI single from left fielder Quincee Lilio to cut UCLA’s lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning after being held to just one hit since the first inning. The Gamecocks couldn’t cash in the rest of the way.
The Bruins resumed scoring in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and Grant at bat again. Fans at Easton Stadium anticipated another grand slam, holding up their cellphones hoping to catch some magic. Grant served up a two-run RBI single to expand the lead 8-1.
Jordan Woolery added to the scoring with a two-run RBI double down the left-field line, and Kaniya Bragg hit a home run to left-center field. Soo-jin Berry put a bow on the win with one more home run.
Sports
Pro wrestling star learns what ‘land of opportunity’ means in US as he details journey from Italy to America
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Cristiano Argento has been tearing up opponents in the ring for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as he worked his way up the ladder to get a few shots at some gold.
But the path to get to one of the most prestigious pro wrestling companies in the U.S. was long and a path that not many wrestlers have taken.
Argento was born and raised in Osimo, Italy – a town of about 35,000 people located on the east side of the country closer to the Adriatic Sea. He told Fox News Digital he started training in a ring at a boxing gym before he got started on the independent scene in Italy. He wrestled in Germany, Sweden, France and Denmark before he came to the realization that, to become a professional wrestler, he needed to make his way to the United States.
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Cristiano Argento performs in the National Wrestling Alliance (Instagram)
He first worked his way to Canada to get trained by pro wrestling legend Lance Storm. He moved to Canada, leaving most of his friends and family behind and without a firm grasp on the English language.
“At the time, my English was horrible. I didn’t speak any English at all,” he said. “But I was with my friend, Stefano, he came with me and he translated everything for me. I probably missed 50% of the knowledge that Lance Storm was giving to us because I was unable to understand. I was only given a recap and everything I was able to see. I’m sure if I was doing it now with a proper knowledge of English, it would have been a different scenario.
“Eventually, I moved back to Italy after the training and I said, OK, now, I want to go to the U.S. So, I studied English more properly, and eventually I got my first work visa that was in Texas. I was in Houston for a short period of time. I trained with Booker T at Reality of Wrestling. I got on his show, which was my debut in the U.S. That was awesome. I eventually got a new work visa in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I currently live since 2017. Since then, my wrestling career, thankfully, kept growing, growing, growing and growing until now wrestling for the NWA. One of the bigger promotions in the U.S.”
Argento said that his family thought he was “nuts” for chasing his pro wrestling dream.
He said they were more concerned about his well-being given that he was half-way around the world without anyone he knew by his side in case something went sideways.
“My family, friends, everybody was like why do you want to move to the opposite side of the world not knowing the language, not knowing anybody, by yourself, to try to become a professional wrestler? And I was like, well, we have one life, I love, and that’s what I’m gonna do,” he told Fox News Digital. “Eventually, my family was really supportive. But when I first said, ‘Hey, mom and dad, I want to do that.’ They looked at me like, ‘Are you nuts? Are you drunk or something? What are you talking about?’ And I said, no that’s what I want to do. And they knew I loved this sport because in Italy I was traveling around Europe, spending time in Canada training, so they started to understand slowly that’s what I want to do with my life. They were proud of me.
Cristiano Argento works out in the gym. (Instagram)
“They’re still proud of me. I think more like the fact that you’re gonna try that, that it’s hard than more like you’re gonna leave us. The fact like, oh, my son is gonna go on the opposite side of the world for a six-hour time difference and we’re gonna see him maybe, when, like, I don’t know. Not often. I think it was more that. And for me too, it was really hard. It was heartbreaking not being able to see my family every day or every month. Like once a year if I’m lucky. I think that was the biggest part for them because of concern or that I was here by myself and if I have any issue or any problem, I didn’t have nobody. So they were scared. Like, you get sick, if you have a problem, anything, and they’re not being able to be here next to me. But they were really supportive since day one.”
Argento is living out his dream in the U.S. He suggested that the moniker of the U.S. being the “land of opportunity” wasn’t far from what is preached in movies and literature – it was the real thing.
“I was inspired by people who came to the U.S. and made it big,” Argento told Fox News Digital. “The U.S. was always like the land of opportunity. That’s how they sell it to us and this is what it is. I feel like, in myself, that was true because anything I tried to do so far I was able to reach a lot more than if I wasn’t here. I’m not yet where I’d like to be but I see like there’s so many opportunities in this country. Not just in wrestling but like in any business to reach the goal. I’m really happy of the choices I did here.
National Wrestling Alliance star Cristiano Argento poses in Times Square in New York. (Instagram)
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“But my big inspirations were big-time actors who moved to the country, who didn’t know English, with no money, no support system. I had one dream, I have to go right there to make it happen and I’m gonna go and do it and I’m gonna make it happen. So those people were always the biggest inspiration even if it wasn’t in wrestling, just how they handled their passion, how they pursued their dream without being scared of anything, how far you are, how alone by yourself … You don’t know the language, you’re like, let’s go, let’s do it.”
Outside of the NWA, Argento has performed for the International Wrestling Cartel, Enjoy Wrestling and Exodus Pro Wrestling this year.
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