Yusei Kikuchi took a one-hit shutout into the eighth inning and Jo Adell homered and drove in three runs to help the Angels beat the Athletics 7-4 on Monday night.
Mike Trout had two RBIs for the Angels, who shook off the latest incredible catch by Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke in center field.
Kikuchi (2-5) yielded just a one-out single to Max Muncy in the fifth and exited after striking out Nick Kurtz with his 104th pitch to begin the eighth. The left-hander struck out five and walked one in a brilliant outing.
Muncy and pinch-hitter JJ Bleday homered late for the Athletics.
Clarke continued to dazzle with his glove, climbing the wall and hanging from the top to rob Nolan Schanuel of a solo homer in the first. Clarke ran full speed into the fence to make a courageous catch against the Orioles last week.
Zach Neto, Schanuel and Trout provided three straight RBI singles off Jeffrey Springs (5-5) to give the Angels a 3-0 lead in the third. Springs entered after Grant Holman opened with a scoreless inning.
Adell hit his 12th home run — a solo shot off Springs in the fourth for a 4-0 lead — and followed a sacrifice fly by Trout in the eighth with a two-run single for a 7-2 advantage.
Muncy hit his fourth home run — a two-run shot off Shaun Anderson in the ninth.
Connor Brogdon gave up a single to Luis Urías after replacing Kikuchi, and Bleday followed with his seventh homer to make it 4-2. Ryan Zeferjahn got the final two outs in the eighth.
Jacob Wilson went 0 for 4 for the Athletics, ending his run of five straight games with multiple hits.
Key moment: The three straight singles by Neto, Schanuel and Trout off Springs came after Holman retired them in order in the first.
Key stat: The Angels outscored the Athletics 31-18 in winning all four games May 19-22 at Sutter Health Park — the A’s temporary home.
Up next: RHP José Soriano (4-5, 4.11 ERA) starts for the Angels on Tuesday. The Athletics hadn’t announced a scheduled starter.
Julio Frenk does not appear to be a university administrator content to watch his school’s athletic program from the sidelines.
In his last stop before becoming UCLA’s chancellor, Frenk led an overhaul of the University of Miami’s athletic department, bringing in a new athletic director and football coach after the Hurricanes were criticized for not making football a priority under Frenk’s leadership.
That shakeup resulted in coach Mario Cristobal leading his team to a 10-3 season in 2024 that represented the Hurricanes’ best finish in nearly a decade.
Can UCLA fans expect a similar level of involvement in athletics from their new chancellor?
In a word, yes.
During a recent interview with The Times, Frenk indicated that he would be hands-on with UCLA athletics because of its importance to the university as a whole.
“I am [going to be involved] because I think athletics plays a very central role,” Frenk said. “It is, first, an avenue for recruiting very talented students. Secondly, it benefits the other students. It enriches the student experience of everyone. But let me tell you, when we talk about the contribution to society, part of the reason many universities have a deficit, it’s not because of football. Football actually has a positive cash flow for the university.
“What we do in the United States that no other country that I know of does, is that universities are the place where we train Olympians, Olympic competitors, competitors who go to the Olympic Games. That function — just like the research function — has been delegated to universities and we are investing in having Olympic athletes. In most of the other countries, it’s government-run high-performance centers.
“But here the federal government doesn’t have to worry about that because universities do that and they fund that. And when we have the Olympics every four years, everyone is very proud to see the United States top the medal chart. That work starts in universities and that’s why we also fund that. It’s an intrinsic part of education. It enriches everyone’s experience. It builds community. It also produces the best performing Olympic teams in the world.”
Frenk’s comments would seem to suggest that he is not considering any cuts to UCLA’s Olympic sports even at a time when the school’s athletic department has run up a $219.5-million deficit over the last six fiscal years. That deficit would be even higher had the university not agreed to provide $30 million to its athletic department as part of its most recent fiscal budget.
Frenk also said that federal legislation was needed “to create a much more predictable model” for football and men’s basketball, controlling expenses while propping up the rest of an athletic department.
UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk speaks during his inauguration ceremony at Royce Hall on June 5.
(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
“I acknowledge this costs money,” Frenk said of allocating resources to the revenue sports, “but the money goes to be able to have all the other disciplines that do not generate money. The most direct way to do that would be to find other sources of funding. Right now, we use the revenue from football and that requires investments to fund the entire athletic operation.
“It is time to have a conversation and create a legal framework that doesn’t leave it to each institution or each state to find their own way in this. We’re part of an ecosystem. I think the move to the Big Ten has been very positive in that respect. And those are the conversations we are having. How do we generate other sources of revenue — mostly to be able not just to maintain the excellence of the sports that are widely followed by the public, but also all the other sports, including, very importantly, the Olympic sports, which are such a source of pride?”
Frenk has shown he will not tolerate failure in high-profile sports — or the perception that he is not doing everything he can to help his teams.
As Miami’s president, he led an upheaval of the school’s athletic department after ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit criticized the Hurricanes during a September 2021 broadcast, mentioning a Miami Herald article stating that football was not a priority for Frenk. Herbstreit went on to say that Miami’s athletic director, football coach and president were not in alignment about team needs like other powerhouse programs.
Five days later, Frenk issued a statement saying that he wanted “to make clear that the board of trustees and I, as president, recognize the essential part of our brand and reputation derived from athletics and we are fully committed to building championship-caliber teams at the U.” Frenk added that he would have his chief of staff and senior advisor engage with the athletic department to enhance his own commitment to sustain winning teams.
With the football team headed for a 7-5 finish that fell far short of preseason expectations, athletic director James Blake was fired before the end of the season and football coach Manny Diaz was dismissed a little more than a week after the final game. The Hurricanes then gave Cristobal a 10-year, $80-million contract, with Frenk attending the introductory news conference and calling his new coach’s selection “a bold vision for the future.”
UCLA football went 5-7 last season under first-year coach DeShaun Foster.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Last month, while making his first public remarks about UCLA athletics at a UC regents meeting, Frenk referenced the role athletics played in the school’s institutional identity, mentioning legendary basketball coach John Wooden and the Bruins’ dominance in Olympic sports with the school set to host the athlete village for the 2028 Olympics.
Frenk also mentioned how UCLA’s recent move to the Big Ten Conference was made with “the goal of stabilizing the program and positioning it for long-term success.” The chancellor referenced the school’s national championship in men’s water polo, a Final Four appearance in women’s basketball and a national runner-up finish in women’s gymnastics as part of a haul that also included six team and four individual conference titles, the most of any Big Ten team.
Ultimately, an athletic department is only as healthy as its highest-profile sports. UCLA’s football team needs to fully capitalize on the recent buzz created by the arrival of transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava after finishing 5-7 in coach DeShaun Foster‘s debut season. The men’s basketball team must maximize the ability of transfer point guard Donovan Dent to make everyone around him better if it hopes to make it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023.
Going forward, every UCLA team seems assured of one thing: Their new chancellor will be watching.
Kano governor declares day of mourning after athletes representing the state at a national sports event are killed.
A bus crash in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano has killed 22 athletes returning home from a national sports event, according to the local governor.
The bus, which was reportedly carrying more than 30 passengers, plunged off the Chiromawa Bridge on the Kano-Zaria expressway on Saturday, Kano Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf told The Associated Press news agency.
The exact cause of the accident was not known, but the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said it “might have occurred as a result of fatigue and excessive speed” after a long overnight trip.
The survivors of the crash were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Yusuf said the athletes, who were accompanied by their coaches and sporting officials, were representing Kano State at the Nigerian National Sports Festival, held about 1,000km (620 miles) to the south in Ogun State.
He declared Monday a day of mourning for the state. His deputy, Aminu Gwarzo, said the families of the victims would receive 1 million naira (about $630) and food supplies as support.
The National Association of Nigerian Students released a statement, Nigerian daily The Guardian reported, saying the “heartbreaking” incident had “cast a shadow of grief over the entire nation, particularly the youth and sports communities”.
Road accidents are common in Africa’s most populous country, in part due to poor road conditions and lax enforcement of traffic laws.
In March, at least six people died near the capital, Abuja, after a trailer crashed into parked vehicles and burst into flames.
Last year, Nigeria recorded 9,570 road accidents that resulted in 5,421 deaths, according to FRSC data.
The Nigerian National Sports Festival brings together athletes from the country’s 35 states every two years.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu recently said the games, which include sports ranging from wheelchair basketball to traditional West African wrestling, represent “the unity, strength and resilience that define us as a nation”.
WEST SACRAMENTO — Taylor Ward hit a go-ahead grand slam, Logan O’Hoppe also homered in a five-run seventh inning and the Angels rallied past the skidding Athletics 10-5 on Thursday for their seventh consecutive victory.
Ward and O’Hoppe both connected off reliever Grant Holman (4-1), sending the A’s to their ninth loss in a row.
It was the second go-ahead slam in 10 days for Ward, who finished with three hits and five RBIs. He has an extra-base hit in eight straight games — one shy of the club record set by Darin Erstad in 1998.
Ward has 17 RBIs in his last 10 games. He and O’Hoppe each have 14 homers this season. Zach Neto also had three of the Angels’ 13 hits.
The Angels (24-25) completed a 7-0 trip, winning four games against the Athletics to sweep them on the road for the first time in 28 years. The Angels have hit multiple home runs in six consecutive games for the third time in franchise history (also 1961 and 2019). It’s only their third seven-game win streak in the last 10 seasons.
SACRAMENTO — Logan O’Hoppe hit two home runs and drove in three runs, Jo Adell and Zach Neto also homered and the Angels beat the Athletics 10-5 on Wednesday night for their season-high sixth straight victory.
O’Hoppe led off the fourth with his second homer of the game, third in two nights and 13th of the season, just before Adell hit his sixth. Neto’s two-run homer in the third, his eighth, gave the Angels the lead for good at 4-3. The Angels had five two-run innings.
Taylor Ward had three hits, including a triple and double. Jorge Soler had three hits, with two doubles and two RBIs.
Reliever Héctor Neris (2-1) got the win.
The Athletics have lost a season-high eight in a row during which they have been outscored 62-21. JP Sears (4-4) went five innings and gave up six runs and eight hits. The four homers he gave up were a career high.
Rookie Nick Kurtz hit his third and fourth homers. He also homered Tuesday. Lawrence Butler hit his seventh homer, a three-run shot,
Tyler Soderstrom and Max Schuemann had three hits each for the Athletics, who left 13 runners on base.
The Athletics’ Jacob Wilson, third in the majors with a .341 batting average, did not play after leaving Tuesday’s game when he was hit on left forearm with a pitch.
Key moment
Every homer went over 400 feet, with O’Hoppe’s second-inning two-run blast topping them all at 470, easily leaving Sutter Health Park, the Athletics’ temporary home.
Key stat
The Angels have homered in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the majors. They have hit 15 homers in their last six games.
Up next
The four-game series concludes Thursday with the Angels’ Tyler Anderson (2-1, 3.04) set to start against Luis Severino (1-4, 4.22).
SACRAMENTO — Logan O’Hoppe homered and had a tiebreaking RBI single as the Angels beat the Athletics 7-5 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Kenley Jansen gave up pinch-hitter Seth Brown’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth but struck out Tyler Soderstrom to get his 10th save and hand the Athletics their seventh straight loss.
Yoán Moncada had a tying three-run homer in the fifth to tie it 4-4 before O’Hoppe’s RBI single put the Angels ahead for good.
Zach Neto had an RBI double in the ninth and Taylor Ward added a run-scoring fielder’s choice to put the Angels up 7-4.
Angels (2-5) starter Kyle Hendricks gave up four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Shea Langeliers hit a solo homer and Nick Kurtz had a two-run shot in the fourth to give the Athletics a 4-1 lead.
Jacob Wilson, third in the majors with a .341 batting average, left the game in the third inning after he was hit on the wrist by a pitch from Hendricks.
Hendricks gave up a two-out RBI single to Luis Urías in the second inning as the Athletics grabbed a 1-0 lead. O’Hoppe hit his 11th home run with two out in the fourth to tie it against rookie right-hander Gunnar Hoglund.
Hoglund (1-2) gave up five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Jansen has a save in three straight games. He is fourth on the all-time list with 457 — 21 behind Lee Smith for third place.
Trout resumes running
Mike Trout has started to do some light running as he works to return from a bone bruise in his left knee that has kept him out of the lineup for the past three weeks.
Trout told reporters that he ran at about 50% intensity on Monday and that he plans to run harder later this week. The three-time MVP was hurt trying to beat out an infield single on April 30 against the Seattle Mariners.
The 33-year-old was hitting .179 with nine homers and 18 RBIs before the injury. He’s missed substantial time in three of the past four seasons because of various injuries.
WEST SACRAMENTO — Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer, Nolan Schanuel also went deep and the Angels beat the skidding Athletics 4-3 on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Kenley Jansen struck out Tyler Soderstrom for the final out with a runner on second. Coming off a surprising three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium, the Angels (21-25) have won four in a row to start a seven-game trip.
The Athletics (22-26) have lost six straight and 10 of 12, falling to 8-14 at Sutter Health Park.
Schanuel, who had three hits and scored twice, connected off J.T. Ginn for his third homer this season to give the Angels the lead two batters into the game. Ginn was activated to make his fourth start of the year and first since April 24, when elbow inflammation landed him on the 10-day injured list.
Lawrence Butler’s double, a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first against Angels starter José Soriano. Butler scored when Brent Rooker grounded into a double play, and Shea Langeliers’ infield single made it 2-1.
Zach Neto singled and Schanuel doubled to start the third. Yoán Moncada had an RBI groundout before Ward hit his 13th homer for a 4-2 lead.
Soderstrom doubled with two outs in the fifth and scored on Rooker’s single to make it 4-3.
Soriano (3-4) went six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks. Jansen gave up a two-out single to Jacob Wilson in the ninth before pinch-runner Max Schuemann stole second. Jansen fanned Soderstrom on three pitches for his ninth save in nine opportunities.
Ginn (1-2) left after four innings and 79 pitches, yielding four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts.
Key moment: Soriano loaded the bases with one out in the third before striking out Langeliers and Nick Kurtz swinging to escape unscathed.
Key stat: Rooker has a 15-game hitting streak against the Angels. Bill North set the club record in the series at 17 games spanning the 1974 and ’75 seasons.
Up next: RHP Kyle Hendricks (1-5, 5.18 ERA) pitches Tuesday for the Angels against RHP Gunnar Hoglund (1-1, 3.78), who makes his fourth career start.
Tebogo talks to Al Jazeera about breaking the American and Jamaican dominance, and the future of sprinting in Africa.
Doha, Qatar – Loud cheers greeted Letsile Tebogo when he stepped onto the track for the men’s 200-metre race at the World Athletics Doha Diamond League in Qatar and stepped away a winner a few minutes later.
The Botswanan Olympic gold medallist made his Doha debut with a time of 20.10 seconds on a balmy Friday evening, coolly glancing sideways at his closest competitor as he crossed the finish line 0.01s ahead of Courtney Lindsey of the United States (US).
It was a leisurely run compared with his triumphant 19.46s finish at the Stade de France nine months ago, when he left a star-studded American lineup – including 100m gold medal winner Noah Lyles – in his wake as he brought Botswana its first Olympic gold.
As a young boy, Tebogo was a keen footballer with a preference for manning the left wing, but was pushed towards athletics by his teachers.
Seven years later, the reluctant sprinter made the world sit up and take notice as he became the first African to win a 200m gold at the Olympics.
A day prior to the Doha Diamond League, the World Athletics 2024 Athlete of the Year sat down with Al Jazeera to reflect on his achievement in Paris and its the impact on the African continent:
Al Jazeera: How has life changed for you since winning the Olympic gold? Letsile Tebogo: In so many ways.
To begin with, there’s increased awareness of the scale of my achievement, which has brought along commercial interest.
I now have multiple opportunities to support myself as multiple brands want to be associated with my name.
What I’m most excited about, though, is the impact I have made on aspiring athletes.
I have proved that by staying on the right track and working hard, it is possible to achieve your dreams no matter which part of the world you’re from.
Wherever you are, whatever you have, just make sure you put in enough effort and dedication.
Al Jazeera: How difficult is it for you to step out of your house when you’re in Botswana? Tebogo: I’m never out unless it’s for an event. I stay locked up indoors because I don’t want to be out there too much. I like having an element of mystery and want to leave people wondering: where is he, what’s he doing?
Al Jazeera: How does it feel to break the American and Jamaican hold on sprinting medals at the Olympics? Tebogo: That’s always been my goal. To snap their dominance. It was sad to see only two nations rule the sport for decades.
I wanted to make a breakthrough for African athletes. I aspired to be the one to make it happen and then take in the world’s response. And that reaction has been heartwarming.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (second left) sprints ahead of his American competitors Erriyon Knighton (left) and Noah Lyles (second right) in the men’s 200m final at the Paris Olympics 2024 [File: Al Bello/Getty Images]
Al Jazeera: When compared with the success in distance running, Africa has not been able to bag as many medals in sprinting. What challenges do African athletes face when it comes to sprinting at the highest level? Tebogo: It’s mostly down to infrastructure and support but I am not entirely sure. However, I can see that Africa is looking towards investing in its athletes beyond distance running.
Once the governments are on board, it makes a massive difference to the sport.
Al Jazeera: Can you see the impact of your success for Batswana athletes? Tebogo: It’s still early days but I’ve definitely seen athletes shed a layer of self-doubt. They are no longer afraid of coming forward to showcase their talent.
I hope the new [Botswana] government will take the next step and help these athletes.
Al Jazeera: How do you see the future of sprinting in Africa? Tebogo: Africans are stepping up and we see an increased number of African athletes in global competitions.
I dream of an all-African lineup at the Olympics one day.
Tebogo is the first African to win an Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m category [File: Julian Finney/Getty Images]
From Jack Harris: As is typically the case when a team wins 19-2 like the Dodgers did against the Athletics on Thursday night, plenty of hitters in the team’s star-studded lineup aligned to have monster nights.
Shohei Ohtani homered twice in a six-RBI performance, tying the major league lead with 15 long balls this season. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also went deep, helping the club set a season-high for runs. Hyeseong Kim reached base all five times. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts also combined to get aboard five times before being removed after the third inning, the lead at that point already 11 runs.
All of those accomplishments, however, paled in personal significance to what the Dodgers’ starting catcher did.
Making his major league debut after being called up in a major roster move the day prior, top prospect Dalton Rushing walked in his first at-bat, singled in the next and went two-for-four while navigating a pre-determined bullpen game behind the plate — a strong showing for a 24-year-old slugger with so much potential, the Dodgers cut longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes to get him on the roster.
“He’s very comfortable, I think, in a good way,” manager Dave Roberts said of Rushing, a second-round draft pick in 2022 who has blossomed into one of the most highly touted prospects in baseball. “I think he thought he was ready [for the majors] when he signed.”
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PETE ROSE POLL
Should Pete Rose and Joe Jackson be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Click here to vote in our survey. Results will be announced Monday.
LAKERS
From Dan Woike: In the shadows, I was asking around about the Lakers’ biggest story this offseason, at least according to the internet.
Are the Lakers going to trade Austin Reaves?
My friend and colleague Bill Plaschke argued in those hallowed Times’ pages that the Lakers must tradeAustin Reaves to fulfill their needs for a big man no matter how painful the decision would be. Bill Simmons predicted on his podcast that Reaves “will get traded” this summer.
So what was the buzz at the NBA combine about all this?
Everyone is aware of the noise from the media and on the message boards (shoutout Lakers reddit), no one is acting like a trade is going to happen this summer for a couple of reasons.
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets Denver 121, at Oklahoma City 119 (box score) at Oklahoma City 149, Denver 106 (box score) at Denver 113, Oklahoma City 104 (OT) (box score) Oklahoma City 92, at Denver 87 (box score) at Oklahoma City 112, Denver 105 (box score) at Denver 119, Oklahoma City 107 (box score) Sunday at Oklahoma City, 12:30 p.m., ABC
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 99, at Minnesota 88 (box score) at Minnesota 117, Golden State 93 (box score) Minnesota 102, at Golden State 97 (box score) Minnesota 117, at Golden State 110 (box score) at Minnesota 121, Golden State 110 (box score)
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Indiana 120, at Cleveland 119 (box score) Cleveland 126, at Indiana 104 (box score) at Indiana 129, Cleveland 109 (box score) Indiana 114, at Cleveland 105 (box score)
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 3 New York New York 108, at Boston 105 (OT) (box score) New York 91, at Boston 90 (box score) Boston 115, at New York 93 (box score) at New York 121, Boston 113 (box score) at Boston 127, New York 102 (box score) Friday at New York, 5 p.m., ESPN Monday at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
CHARGERS
The Chargers will seek approval to sell an 8% stake in the franchise to private investment firm Arctos at next week’s NFL team owners meetings.
The approval request was sent in a memo to NFL team owners, according to a person with knowledge of the memo not authorized to speak publicly about it.
If approved, Chargers owner Dean Spanos and siblings Michael Spanos and Alexis Spanos Ruhl would still own approximately 61% of the franchise.
It is the second major change for the Chargers ownership group in the last year after Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores bought a 27% stake in the team in September. That transaction resolved a long-running dispute between Dea Spanos Berberian and her siblings as Gores and his wife bought Spanos Berberian’s share of the franchise.
From Ryan Kartje: USC may have taken a step back in Lincoln Riley’s second season, but the coach remained comfortably among the top rung of college football’s highest-paid coaches in 2023.
USC paid Riley more than $11.5 million in reportable compensation in 2023, according to the school’s latest federal tax returns, obtained by The Times. His $10.2 million in base compensation ranked No. 4 nationally in 2023.
Of the $11.5 million credited by the school to Riley, $100,000 is listed under bonus and incentive compensation and $1.15 million is categorized as other reportable compensation.
Perhaps that felt like a bargain to USC compared to the previous year, when it shelled out nearly $20 million in reportable compensation to land Riley, $4.5 million of which was used to pay his buyout at the University of Oklahoma.
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Super Bowl champion and Olympic gold medalist? Some NFL players could be at the center of the Venn diagram in 2028.
NFL team owners could vote next week at the league’s meetings on whether to allow NFL players to participate in Olympic flag football in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. A resolution, announced Thursday, included several possible guidelines as further negotiations continue between the NFL Players Assn., the league, national governing bodies and Olympic authorities.
The proposed resolution would permit players under an NFL contract to try out for a 2028 Olympic flag football team, but limit NFL player participation to no more than one from each NFL team for each national team. In addition, each NFL team’s designated international player can play for his home country.
From John Cherwa: Trainer Bob Baffert loves to come to the Preakness. He loves the fact that all the top horses are in the same barn, so he can kibitz with his fellow trainers, such as an extended conversation with Mark Casse about the best crabcakes in town. He loves the casual atmosphere, in contrast to the high stakes, high pressure feeling at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby.
Or maybe it’s because he’s won the second leg of the Triple Crown eight times, more than any other trainer in history.
So, he was asked why he was bringing Goal Oriented, an undefeated two-time starter who has never run in a stakes race, to the Preakness.
The strongest field of the majors gave way to a few surprises Thursday in the PGA Championship, starting with Jhonattan Vegas charging into the lead with a seven-under 64 and the top 10 players in the world nowhere to be found among the top 10 at Quail Hollow.
A long day filled with sunshine and mud balls ended with Vegas in the penultimate group playing the best golf hardly anyone saw.
A briefly energized crowd had mostly left when Vegas blazed his way to the finish with five birdies on his last six holes, ending with an 18-footer on No. 8 and a 25-footer on the rugged ninth.
It was Vegas’ best score in 45 rounds playing the majors. The Venezuelan has never finished in the top 20 in a major and hadn’t qualified for this one in three years.
Holland praised Hiller and looked ahead to their new partnership Thursday during the Hall of Fame hockey executive’s introductory news conference at the Kings’ training complex. Holland is returning to the NHL after a one-year absence, taking over as the replacement for Rob Blake.
The 69-year-old former GM of the Detroit Red Wings and the Edmonton Oilers immediately made it clear he isn’t in Los Angeles to blow up a team that has made four straight playoff appearances, only to lose to the Oilers in the first round every spring. Holland won’t make an immediate change behind the Kings’ bench — or even in the front office, where he plans to retain the assistant GMs and hockey executives who worked for Blake.
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Edmonton 4, at Vegas 2 (summary) Edmonton 5, at Vegas 4 (OT) (summary) Vegas 4, at Edmonton 3 (summary) at Edmonton 3, Vegas 0 (summary) Edmonton 1, at Vegas 0 (OT) (summary)
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Dallas 3, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) Winnipeg 4, at Dallas 0 (summary) Dallas 5, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) at Dallas 3, Winnipeg 1 (summary) at Winnipeg 4, Dallas 0 (summary) Saturday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ABC Monday at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) at Toronto 4, Florida 3 (summary) at Florida 5, Toronto 4 (OT) (summary) at Florida 2, Toronto 0 (summary) Florida 6, at Toronto 1 (summary) Friday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT Sunday at Toronto, 4:30 p.m., TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Carolina 2, at Washington 1 (OT) (summary) at Washington 3, Carolina 1 (summary) at Carolina 4, Washington 0 (summary) at Carolina 5, Washington 2 (summary) Carolina 3, at Washington 1 (summary)
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1884 — Isaac Murphy, a Black jockey and one of the greatest American riders, wins the Kentucky Derby aboard Buchanan. He will win the showcase race two more times.
1916 — Damrosch, ridden by Linus McAtee, takes the early lead, gives it up in the stretch, and comes back to beat Greenwood by 1½ lengths in the Preakness Stakes.
1925 — Flying Ebony, ridden by Earl Sande, becomes the fourth field horse to win the Kentucky Derby, a 1½-length victory over Captain Hal. The first network radio broadcast of the Kentucky Derby airs from WHAS in Louisville.
1930 — 6th Walker Cup: US, 10-2.
1955 — Rocky Marciano beats Don Cockell by TKO in the 9th round at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco to retain his world heavyweight boxing title.
1964 — Northern Dancer, ridden by Bill Hartack, wins the Preakness Stakes by 2½ lengths over The Scoundrel.
1973 — AC Milan of Italy win 13th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Leeds of England 1-0 in Saloniki.
1975 — Muhammad Ali TKOs Ron Lyle in 11 for heavyweight boxing title.
1976 — The Montreal Canadiens win their 19th Stanley Cup with a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, capping a four-game sweep.
1977 — Muhammad Ali beats Alfredo Evangelist in 15 for heavyweight boxing title.
1979 — FC Barcelona of Spain wins 19th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Fortuna Düsseldorf of West Germany 4-3 in Basel.
1980 — The Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 123-107 to win the NBA title in six games. Rookie guard Magic Johnson takes the opening tip for the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and comes up with 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists and is named the Finals MVP. The 42 points are the most scored by a rookie in an NBA Finals game.
1982 — Stanley Cup Final, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC: 3-peat for NY Islanders; sweep Vancouver Canucks in 4 games with a 3-1 Game 4 win.
1984 — Juventus of Italy win 24th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Porto of Portugal 2-1 in Basel.
1985 — Michael Jordan named NBA Rookie of Year.
1992 — America’s Cup: America Team USA defeats II Moro di Venezia 4-1 in San Diego.
2009 — Rachel Alexandria, ridden by Calvin Borel wins the 134th Preakness in 1:55:08.
2014 — Paris Saint-Germain F.C. & Manchester City F.C. are each fined €60 million for breaching Fair Play Regulations.
2019 — Brooks Koepka fires tournament record equalling, and course record 63 (-7) to lead the PGA Championship by 1 stroke after the 1st round at Bethpage Black, N.Y.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1933 — Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made his major league debut with five hits in a 12-inning, 11-10 win over the Chicago White Sox.
1939 — The Cleveland Indians beat the Philadelphia Athletics 8-3 in 10 innings in the first American League night game, held at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park.
1953 — The White Sox loaded the bases against the Yankees in the ninth inning, but Vern Stephens, who had 10 grand slams in his career, was lifted for a pinch-hitter. Pitcher Tommy Byrne, the substitute batter, then hit a homer off Ewell Blackwell for a 5-3 win.
1965 — Jim Palmer, 19, won his first major league game and hit his first homer, off Jim Bouton. The Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 7-5.
1972 — Rick Monday hit three consecutive homers to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 8-1 win at Philadelphia. Greg Luzinski’s 500-foot home run hit the Liberty Bell monument at Veterans Stadium for the Phillies’ only run.
1978 — The White Sox trade OF Bobby Bonds to the Rangers for OF Claudell Washington and OF Rusty Torres.
1981 — Craig Reynolds of Houston hit three triples to lead the Astros to a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
1996 — Sammy Sosa becomes the first Cub ever to hit two homers in one inning, hitting them in the eight-run 7th inning at Wrigley Field.
1997 — The Montreal Expos overcame an early nine-run deficit and rallied past the San Francisco Giants 14-13 on David Segui’s RBI single in the ninth inning. The Giants took an 11-2 lead after three innings. Montreal came back with four runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and three more in the sixth for a 12-11 lead. Glenallen Hill’s RBI single capped a two-run seventh that put the Giants ahead 13-12.
2000 — The Dodgers went into the Wrigley Field crowd after a fan ran off with Chad Kreuter’s cap in the ninth inning of a 6-5 victory. The game was delayed for nine minutes while some Dodgers and fans fought.
2001 — Rickey Henderson leads off with a home run, extending his major-league record for leadoff home runs to 79. This is the same as the combined total for the #2 and #3 players on the list: Brady Anderson (44), and Bobby Bonds (35).
2006 — The New York Yankees, down 9-0 in the second inning, matched the biggest comeback in Yankees history when Jorge Posada hit a game-winning, two-run homer with two out in the ninth for a 14-13 victory over the Texas Rangers.
2008 — Jayson Werth of Philadelphia hit three home runs and tied the team record with eight RBIs in a 10-3 win over Toronto.
2009 — Gabe Gross and Akinori Iwamura pulled off a double steal in the fifth inning of a 4-2 win over Cleveland, giving Tampa Bay at least one stolen base in 18 straight games. It was the longest stretch in the AL since the New York Yankees had a 19-game run in 1914.
2012 — Is there anything the old man cannot do? 49-year-old Jamie Moyer picks up his second win of the year for Colorado by throwing 6 1/3 innings, during which he allows a single run, and helps his own cause with a two-run single in the 4th.
2015 — Miguel Cabrera hits the 400th home run of his career.
2020 — The owners release figures showing that on average, teams will lose $640,000 per game played without fans. This is done in the hope of convincing players to accept a form of revenue sharing in conjunction with their plan to play a truncated season starting around July 4th, with no spectators present – at least at the outset – due to the coronavirus pandemic. They also provide the Players Association with a detailed protocol on how such games would be played in order to minimize contact between persons present at the ballpark and maintain social distancing. All of these proposals still require the players’ approval before they can be implemented.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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As is typically the case when a team wins 19-2 like the Dodgers did against the Athletics on Thursday night, plenty of hitters in the team’s star-studded lineup aligned to have monster nights.
Shohei Ohtani homered twice in a six-RBI performance, tying the major league lead with 15 long balls this season. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also went deep, helping the club set a new season-high for runs. Hyeseong Kim reached base all five times. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts also combined to get aboard five times before being removed after the third inning, the lead at that point already up to 11 runs.
All of those accomplishments, however, paled in personal significance to what the Dodgers’ starting catcher did.
Making his major league debut after being called up in a major roster move the day prior, top prospect Dalton Rushing walked in his first at-bat, singled in the next and went two-for-four while navigating a pre-determined bullpen game behind the plate — a strong showing for a 24-year-old slugger with so much potential, the Dodgers cut longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes to get him on the roster.
“He’s very comfortable, I think, in a good way,” manager Dave Roberts said of Rushing, a second-round draft pick in 2022 who has blossomed into one of the most highly-touted prospects in baseball ever since. “I think he thought he was ready [for the majors] when he signed.”
Rushing’s rise wasn’t that quick, requiring the University of Louisville product to climb through the farm system over four minor-league seasons. But after batting .277 with 54 home runs, 185 RBIs and a .931 OPS as a farm hand, the Dodgers decided their minor league player of the year award-winner from last season was finally ready.
As far as first impressions go, Thursday was a good start.
In the second inning, Rushing got a three-run rally started by drawing a leadoff walk. In the third, he worked a full count before blasting a belt-high sinker through the infield at 110 mph off the bat. In the eighth, he tacked on another base hit when a ground ball to first was booted.
The Dodgers have been contemplating when to bring Rushing to the majors for a while, long ago convinced his bat was ready to handle big-league pitching.
It’s part of the reason why, during the second half of last season, they experimented with him in left field; a position where, at the time, he had a clearer pathway to regular playing time.
This offseason, however, the club decided to rededicate his focus to his duties behind the plate, “challenging him,” as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman put it, to improve his defensive fundamentals, pitching-calling during games and ability to build rapport with members of the pitching staff.
“He’s continued to improve and get better,” Friedman said. “When we drafted him, he was new to catching. So there were a lot of areas to improve upon. But his work ethic is off the charts. And he really cares about being great. Each challenge we’ve given him, he’s met that challenge. And the success he’s had, there’s also an important element of having our finger on the pulse of that with guys, in terms of moving them up.”
And over the last couple weeks, the ways Rushing could potentially impact the club’s MLB roster became increasingly more clear.
Two weeks ago, the Dodgers sorely missed a left-handed bat like his off the bench in a May 4 loss in Atlanta, a game that ended with Barnes and fellow soft-hitting veteran Miguel Rojas recording outs in tough right-on-right matchups against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.
In Barnes’ final Dodgers start last Saturday in Arizona, his weakened throwing arm was also exposed, the Diamondbacks stealing three bases in a game Barnes one-hopped one throw to second base and airmailed another to the outfield.
Perhaps, if the Dodgers weren’t facing the prospect of a tight division race in this year’s talented National League West, such problems would have been more tolerable. But, with the team’s MLB-best 29-15 record affording them just a one-game division lead so far this year, it’s already become clear that fine margins could matter this season.
So, once the Dodgers returned home from their 10-game trip this week, the front office decided to pull the trigger.
“Rush has obviously been on our radar for a long time in terms of when and how to introduce him to the major league team,” Friedman said. “I think with the improvements we’ve seen year over year, coupled with being in a tight division race … I think it falls in line with our consistent message of doing anything and everything we can to win.”
That didn’t mean cutting Barnes, who was in his 11th season with the Dodgers and won two World Series with the club, wasn’t difficult.
“Obviously Austin has been a huge part of this organization for a long time, he’s been in the middle of a lot of really big moments for us,” Friedman said. “His impact has been significant. So it was one of the harder decisions.”
Barnes’ departure sent ripples around the rest of the clubhouse, as well.
“I think everybody was surprised,” Clayton Kershaw said when asked of Barnes, whose 68 games behind the plate for the future Hall of Famer trails only A.J. Ellis for most in Kershaw’s career.
“It’s sad. Barnesy’s one of my best friends on or off the field. You won’t find a guy that competes better than Austin Barnes. He wants to win more than anybody, and he always found a way, and he came up with some big moments for us throughout the years. I think a lot of people forget he was starting a lot of playoff games and winning a lot of games for us, getting big knocks. It’s sad to see someone like that go who’s been here that long, and I think we all kind of feel it.”
“It’s no disrespect to Dalton,” Kershaw added. “I know he deserves it, and he’s going to be a great player. It’s just for me, personally, I think for a lot of guys on the team, it was disappointing to see [Barnes] go.”
As the door on Barnes’ Dodgers career closes, however, a new one is opening for Rushing.
And one night in, the early results were promising.
“The last mile of his development is helping lead a major league staff,” Friedman said. “We felt like now is the right time to give him that opportunity, and for us to learn some things about him that you can’t know until they’re at the major-league level, and for him to experience the speed of game here, which will be insightful for all of us in terms of the next set of things to work on.”
That doesn’t mean the implication doesn’t bother him.
Five times since Betts and Shohei Ohtani flipped spots in the Dodgers’ lineup late last season — Ohtani moving to the leadoff spot, and Betts to the two-hole — opposing teams have intentionally walked Ohtani to bring Betts to the plate.
On almost every occasion, Betts has made it a regrettable decision.
That was the case again Wednesday in the Dodgers’ 9-3 win over the Athletics; a game that was close until Betts broke it open in the eighth, coming through once more after a free pass to Ohtani.
With one out in the inning, and Kiké Hernández standing at second base after being bunted over by Miguel Rojas following his leadoff single, the Athletics made the sensible choice. Manager Mark Kotsay elected to intentionally walk Ohtani, trying to avoid disaster with his club facing a 4-3 deficit. He instead wanted reliever Tyler Ferguson in a right-on-right matchup against Betts, whose up-and-down start to the season had once again been on the decline with seven hitless at-bats to begin this week’s series.
Ever since this phenomenon began last September, Betts has repeatedly acknowledged the logic behind it.
“I mean, I get it,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to pitch to Shohei either. I understand.”
But the more it has happened, the more Betts has seemed to take it personally. And on Wednesday, he let the A’s know exactly how he felt.
In a 2-and-1 count, Betts got a fastball over the heart of the plate and drove it deep to the right-center field gap. Hernández scored easily. Ohtani raced home behind him. As Dodger Stadium erupted in celebration, however, no one screamed louder than Betts.
As the former MVP and eight-time All-Star pulled into second base, he immediately turned toward the visiting first-base dugout, clenched his fists and — with three separate, pointed shouts — bellowed, “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” in the Athletics’ direction. There was no smile, or sigh of relief. Just a brief display of the contempt he so obviously felt.
Shohei Ohtani, right, celebrates with Kiké Hernández after scoring on Mookie Betts’ two-run double in the eighth inning Wednesday against the Athletics.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“Just let some emotion go,” Betts said afterward. “You’re just in the game, and you kind of get lost in it.”
In his five at-bats following an intentional walk to Ohtani, Betts is now three for four with seven RBIs, including:
A three-run home run in extra innings at Angel Stadium last September.
A tie-breaking ninth-inning single against the Atlanta Braves a few weeks after that.
A bases-loaded walk last week in Miami, doubling a seventh-inning lead from one run to two.
And Wednesday’s double, which when combined with Max Muncy’s three-run homer three batters later turned what had been a close game into a six-run laugher.
“To be quite frank, it was the right baseball decision, given how Mookie was swinging the bat [compared to] Shohei,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, with Betts batting .263 to Ohtani’s .304 average.
“But it was good,” Roberts said of the outcome. “Sometimes that kind of unlocks a player. It locks them in a little bit more when you take things personal. And for him to come through in that moment — it seems like when things like that do happen, he seems like he comes through more times than not.”
Betts offered a similar take, noting that “choosing to pitch to Shohei is probably, a lot of times, a losing battle” and that “I hadn’t hit anything all day,” having left two runners stranded on a flyout that ended the sixth inning in his previous at-bat.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers during the first inning Wednesday against the Athletics.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I’m sure if you look at the percentages,” Betts continued, “it probably adds up in their favor, for sure.”
Still, as soon as Betts watched Rojas lay down his sacrifice bunt with Ohtani on deck, “I knew when he was walking to the plate they weren’t going to pitch to him.”
So, he entered a different, more revenge-minded headspace.
“I just tried to mentally prepare to do something great,” he said.
That wasn’t the only example of greatness the Dodgers (28-15) received Wednesday.
Ohtani and Andy Pages both hit leadoff homers in the first and second innings, giving the team an early 2-0 lead.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-3, 2.12 ERA) grinded out a quality six-inning, three-run start even though his velocity was down a tick and his usually pristine command remained spotty for a fourth-consecutive outing — evidenced by a hanging first-pitch curveball Tyler Soderstrom hit for a two-run homer in the third, and a leadoff walk in the fourth that set up Miguel Andujar for a go-ahead double.
Hyeseong Kim also continued his hot start to his MLB career, leveling the score at 3-3 in the fifth with a wallscraping line drive for his first big-league blast. He also added an infield single, raising his batting average to .360 since being called up two weeks ago, and made a couple nice plays defensively in his first start at Dodger Stadium.
Hyeseong Kim, right, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after hitting his first career home run in the Dodgers’ win Wednesday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“As a person who always dreamed to play in this stadium, I’m really happy,” Kim, a childhood Dodgers fan while growing up in South Korea, said through interpreter Joe Lee. “I’m really thrilled right now.”
Rojas, meanwhile, had perhaps the night’s biggest hit in the sixth, coming off the bench for a pinch-hit double that scored Michael Conforto all the way from first to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.
“I just thought that tonight we competed really well,” Roberts said. “I thought the fight with our guys was really good.”
Still, after watching the upstart Athletics (22-21) explode for 11 runs in Tuesday’s series opener, the Dodgers knew more late-game breathing room might be required. That, Betts added, was also part of the reason he was so animated after his game-sealing double.
“We just needed something to happen to ensure a win there,” he said. “It was a mix of happiness for myself and the boys.”
Plus, his reaction so clearly epitomized, a dash of disrespect being released, as well.
“I do like the way that he takes it personally,” Roberts said. “I think that you could see that frustration kind of come out, with the joy.”
After seeing a series of bullet-point slides and hearing a slew of buzzwords about UCLA’s athletic department finances, Bob Myers put the crisis facing his alma mater in much simpler terms.
“It’s like water’s coming in the boat and you’re trying to get it out, but how does this thing not sink?” asked Myers, who sandwiched a hugely successful run as the Golden State Warriors’ general manager between his time as a reserve forward on the Bruins’ 1995 national championship basketball team and his appointment as the newest member of the UC board of regents, Tuesday afternoon at the UC regents meeting. “Or how can we help, I suppose?”
Myers was inquiring about an athletic department deficit that has ballooned to $219.5 million after running in the red for six consecutive fiscal years, including a $51.8-million shortfall in the 2024 fiscal year.
To address the increasingly complex issue, new UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk and athletic director Martin Jarmond brought Stephen Agostini, who recently started his second year as the school’s vice chancellor and chief financial officer, to speak to the regents’ special committee on athletics at the University of California, San Francisco.
Agostini outlined many of the UCLA athletic department’s financial challenges, including an anticipated House settlement with the NCAA that will prompt UCLA to make an annual payout of roughly $22 million to its athletes, Olympic sports running about $34 million in the red during the most recent fiscal year, the lack of suite and premium-seat revenue at the Rose Bowl as part of UCLA’s lease agreement with the stadium, and licensing and sponsorship agreements with Associated Students UCLA that provides the lion’s share of revenue to the student organization.
“As many of you know, we have a fairly substantial financial challenge ahead of us,” Agostini said. “We are folding in the athletics deficits within that and will endeavor to address that. We are looking at other revenue streams … but it won’t be easy and given the volatility of the space, we’re hoping to stay abreast in an environment that changes almost monthly.”
In addressing Myers’ question, Agostini said the football and men’s basketball teams — with the women’s basketball team likely following suit — were moving toward a professional sports model in which media revenue is shared equally within conferences. USA Today recently estimated that every Big Ten Conference school besides Oregon and Washington, which agreed to take reduced shares for seven years, would receive a $75-million distribution from the conference for the 2025 fiscal year.
Since that figure is the same for almost every Big Ten school, additional income streams are essential.
“That means that what you generate out of your facilities and your other revenue opportunities becomes really critical to your bottom line,” Agostini said. “And as Martin [Jarmond] just mentioned, if we can’t generate additional revenue from tickets or premium seating or the arrangement we have with ASUCLA, it really makes that challenging for us.”
Myers then asked about tangible ways in which the athletic department could mitigate those issues.
Jarmond said the Rose Bowl had agreed to construct a premium seating section in the south end zone that could generate revenue for the school after the 2026 season. The lack of suite or club-level revenue as part of UCLA’s lease agreement with the Rose Bowl because it doesn’t own the stadium is depriving the school of roughly $15 million to $25 million a year, according to Jarmond. UCLA is also examining the possibility of Pauley Pavilion renovations that could include premium seating, Jarmond said.
Earlier, Jarmond had discussed ways that his department was doing its best to cut costs. He noted that UCLA was in the bottom quartile of coaching salaries after all nine head coaching hires he had made in his nearly five years on the job were from candidates who were assistant coaches.
“That’s been a strategy that I’ve utilized,” Jarmond said, “to give opportunities to assistant coaches but also to help us competitively with personnel and cost containment.”
The school has also regionalized nonconference schedules as much as possible, with the men’s basketball team pulling out of the CBS Sports Classic to reduce travel and increase scheduling flexibility. Jarmond said UCLA was on track to come in below the $5-million increase it had budgeted for travel expenses during its first year in the Big Ten.
“We’re working our way up toward building more revenue and being able to compete in the Big Ten [and] we’ve got to do more, I will tell you that,” Jarmond said. “We can’t do it on a shoestring budget and be competitive and win at the level that we have won and want to win. It’s something that we’ve been ramping up.”
There was no mention of UCLA’s $30 million in direct campus support to the athletic department during the most recent fiscal year, an unprecedented move to help offset the massive deficit. But in his first public comments about UCLA’s athletic department, Frenk both recognized the school’s rich athletic history and acknowledged the many challenges facing a university that will host the athlete village for the 2028 Olympics.
“There continues to be a lot of uncertainty, the landscape continues to shift, the outcome of recent litigations, which have been adverse to universities, the NIL changes, new models of athlete compensation — all have huge financial implications for us,” Frenk said. “But by joining the Big Ten, we have put UCLA in the strongest possible position to navigate the current volatility and to continue supporting our students in every dimension of their lives.
“So this is a key moment in the history of intercollegiate athletics; I think it’s going to continue to be transformed rapidly in the years to come and we are trying to face this with a strategic vision, a commitment to the fact that these are students first and foremost — our commitment to their education, a commitment to competition with integrity, fair competition and those values will continue to be upheld during this time of transition.”
After UCLA’s nearly hourlong session was finished, officials from UC Santa Cruz offered a presentation on their athletic department, an NCAA Division III outfit with a tiny budget but also a corresponding $2.2-million deficit for the most recent fiscal year that might more closely align with the ideals of college athletics.
“It will be interesting, I think,” UC Santa Cruz chancellor Cynthia Larive said, “for you to see the juxtaposition of UCLA and UC Santa Cruz.”
