Chris Hughes is said to be ‘upset’ that his Love Island ex Olivia Attwood landed a role with ITV’s This Morning after her ‘hitting out’ at his current relationship online
08:54, 03 Jul 2025Updated 09:00, 03 Jul 2025
Chris Hughes is reportedly dreading crossing paths with his ex Olivia Attwood on the set of ITV’s This Morning(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Chris Hughes and Olivia Attwood’s bitter history is threatening to spill over into ITV’s This Morning as the exes now find themselves working on the same show.
Seven years on from their fiery split the former Love Island stars are set to run into each other again as Olivia steps in as a guest host on the daytime programme this summer, which has reportedly left Chris rattled. Sources told The Sun that Olivia’s new role has sparked behind-the-scenes headaches for This Morning bosses, who are keen to keep the former couple apart.
Chris has been appearing regularly on the show as a roving reporter since his stint on Celebrity Big Brother, and it seems that Olivia’s arrival has thrown a spanner in the works for him.
The Love Island alums split up seven years ago but are still said to have major friction(Image: Getty Images)
An insider said: “Chris has been doing regular presenting gigs on location for This Morning ever since Celebrity Big Brother.
“He was starting to build up a really good relationship with the producers on the show and was hoping it would lead to more regular appearances over the summer – including a potential spot on the sofa or in the studio.
“Olivia coming on board to front the show for several dates over the next few weeks feels like a huge blow to him. He doesn’t want to have to do live crosses to his ex in front of the nation – it’s so awkward and he feels like the viewers will be scrutinising their every interaction and every little facial expression will be analysed. It’s the last thing he wants.”
Although it’s been years since they dated, Chris is said to have been hurt by comments Olivia made about his relationship with housemate JoJo Siwa during his time in the Celebrity Big Brother house.
While he was on the Channel 4 reality show, Olivia revealed she needed therapy after dating him. She also accused him of acting “creepy” around JoJo, who is 11 years younger than Chris.
In one TikTok video, Olivia said: “The therapy was expensive and now I’m going to have to go back for another round because I’m getting trolled on this app and because every weird, creepy thing that happens, I’m getting tagged in it.”
She went on to claim Chris was putting on a performance for the cameras. She added: “[Some] people, they go on reality TV, they are one person and when you experience them off camera… It’s like shapeshifters.”
When she was asked about Chris’s romance with JoJo after the show online, Olivia hinted he might be using the relationship for publicity, quipping: “she’s really famous”.
One of Chris’s friends has claimed he was upset by the snippy remarks, adding: “He didn’t understand why she needed to comment on him at all, as he never mentions her publicly. He has always only said positive things about her, both at the time of the split and since then.”
They went on to share more about his current dilemma, saying: “Now, just when all that post-CBB stuff has died down and he is happy with JoJo and really busy with work, Liv lands a gig on This Morning.
“Chris was really shocked as she is a regular on Loose Women, so he didn’t expect her to cross over to the show he works on. He felt like they had their own patches and now that’s no longer the case.
“Liv’s basically the new golden girl of ITV daytime, and he worries he’s going to be phased out, especially as she is the one with the plum main presenter spot on the sofa and he is a smaller part of the This Morning family.
“Ultimately, if bosses have to choose between her and him, he fears he’ll be the more expendable one. He’s also really not someone who likes conflict, so he would rather walk away.”
This Morning and Chris Hughes’ reps have been contacted for comment.
Grammy-winning R&B star Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to one charge connected to his alleged beating of a music producer in a London nightclub in 2023.
The “Kiss Kiss” singer, 36, appeared Friday in London’s Southwark Crown Court for his arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent. “Not guilty ma’am,” he responded when asked how he pleaded to the count.
Prosecutors accuse Brown of attacking music producer Amadou “Abe” Diaw with a bottle of tequila at Tape London, a nightclub, in February 2023. The accusations against Brown echo allegations from a civil lawsuit Diaw filed in Los Angeles against the musician in October 2023. He sued Brown for assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, claiming in court documents that the singer “brutally assaulted” him by “beating him over the head” and that he “continued to ruthlessly stomp” on him as he lay unconscious on the nightclub floor after the bottle attack.
London police arrested Brown in May on suspicion of the single bodily harm charge, but in a subsequent indictment, prosecutors added charges for assault causing actual bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle. Brown did not enter pleas on those additional counts but is due back in court in July.
The “Under the Influence” artist was released from police custody in mid-May after posting $6.7 million bail. His arrest initially posed a threat to his Breezy Bowl tour, which kicked off June 8 in Amsterdam. In an Instagram story shared after his release, Brown informed fans he would be going from “cage to stage.”
The singer’s trial is set for Oct. 26, 2026. A representative for Brown did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Musician and Brown friend Omololu Akinlolu ((who performs as HoodyBaby), 39, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm for his alleged involvement in the 2023 incident and pleaded not guilty during Friday’s hearing.
June 20 (UPI) — R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to assault charges related to an act of violence at a London nightclub.
Brown entered the plea at Southwark Crown Court in London, and the judge then adjourned the arraignment, which moves the next step of the case to July before a trial set for October of 2026.
Brown allegedly attacked music producer Abraham Diaw in February of 2023 with a bottle of tequila at Tape nightclub in London. He was arrested in May on charges related to the incident of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and was then held in custody for almost a week before being released on $6.7 million bail.
Co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, who performs under the name HoodyBaby, also pleaded not guilty Friday at the court to a charge of attempted grievous bodily harm in the same case.
Under conditions of his bail, Brown must reside in the United Kingdom until his trial, and had his passport confiscated by police. The bail conditions do allow him to tour and perform, meaning he can have his passport for travel to shows.
The Grammy Award-winning musician is currently taking part in his Breezy Bowl XX world tour and performed Sunday night in the British city of Manchester, at which he reportedly acknowledged fans for their support before also thanking the jail where he was held.
“It was really nice,” he told the crowd of his time in custody.
Brown is next scheduled to perform at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
Wilder’s second stint was initially a salvage job after a disastrous summer of recruitment hindered predecessor Paul Heckingbottom.
Ultimately it didn’t work, but the seeds of change were sown.
Wilder – known as being a skilled planner – set about changing the plan, and despite a slow, nervy start to the transfer window due the protracted takeover of the club, put together the makings of a good squad which amassed 90 points (92 without the deduction) that remarkably wasn’t enough for automatic promotion, and ended with a defeat in the Championship play-off final.
Following that final against Sunderland three weeks ago, it’s believed a split board decided to discuss a ‘change in direction’ last week which has ultimately led to the pending departure of one of United’s most successful managers.
The delay in holding these talks over his future and the time it’s taken to resolve the situation shows a lack of respect to Wilder, in my opinion, a lack of clarity at the top of the club, and a naivety in offering him a new three-year deal in January, when it was known significant changes to the club’s methods of recruitment were coming.
Celebrity Big Brother stars JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes have had fans gripped with their unexpected romance as the pair are said to be in talks for their own reality show
23:02, 14 Jun 2025Updated 23:02, 14 Jun 2025
JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes may land their own reality TV show(Image: Chris Hughes Instagram)
They struck up a surprise romance when JoJo broke up with her girlfriend Kath Ebbs at the show’s wrap party. Since then, JoJo, 22, and Chris, 32, have been getting to know each other on the outside world with them flying across the pond to be together.
Dance Moms star JoJo has been spending time with Chris at his home in the Cotswolds, having repeatedly shared her new love for the UK. As interest in their love life shows no sign of slowing down, it seems JoJo and Chris are considering revealing more of their lives.
JoJo has been spending time at Chris’ home
The couple are said to be having talks with ITV about the potential of their own reality TV series as they navigate life together. Bosses are reportedly convinced the show would go global thanks to the love for Chris and JoJo.
“It’s still in the early stages but ITV really think they’d be amazing TV with their own show,” a source told the Sun. “Chris and JoJo are keen too, and while there is no deal signed yet, the talks have been really promising.”
They added: “ITV are eyeing up the show to air on ITV2, hopefully later this year once everything is signed on the dotted line.” If things were to fall into place, it wouldn’t be the first time Chris has starred in something like this.
After he shot to fame on Love Island in 2017, he left the villa with then-girlfriend Olivia Attwood. The pair landed their own ITVBe spin-off show Chris & Olivia: Crackin’ On, before their romance came to an end.
JoJo and Chris have been gushing over each other since they took their friendship to the next level after weeks of ‘are they aren’t they’ rumours. The dancer has even gone as far as saying she has found The One in Chris.
Speaking to Capital Breakfast presenter Jordan North earlier this week, JoJo got sentimental in her description of the pair’s newfound love as she compared it to a house. She said: “You know what’s interesting? As hectic as life is, and as much as that noise goes on, I feel like Christopher and I discovered this beautiful house together.
The couple have had fans gripped with their unexpected romance(Image: Instagram)
“And this house is earthquake proof, and it’s fireproof, and bulletproof. And you know, we discovered this house and found the keys, and we took the keys and locked ourselves in, and now it’s like… You know what I mean? I feel like that with myself, I feel like that with him.”
When Jordan probed further, he asked the singer if she felt Chris was her “happy place”. She immediately gushed back: “Oh my god, absolutely! We’re having the best time. He’s just the best!
“I was saying this to my parents the other day. Like, I’m decently nice; he makes me look like I’m mean! And I’m like known for being nice, that’s the thing. People say to me, ‘Oh, you’re so nice’.
“He makes me we want to be nicer, because he’s such a nice human. He’s the best egg in the batch! I could never get tired of speaking highly of him, he’s just the best.”
The Mirror has contacted ITV as well as Chris and JoJo’s representatives for comment.
Chris Kreider has agreed to move his no-trade clause to accept a trade from the New York Rangers to the Ducks, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not been finalized.
The trade is expected to be completed Thursday.
Kreider, 34, is third on the franchise goal-scoring list with 326 after spending his first 13 NHL seasons with the Rangers. He has two years left on his contract at an annual salary cap hit of $6.5 million.
Moving on from Kreider is general manager Chris Drury’s first offseason change to a roster that underachieved and missed the playoffs.
The New York Post was first to report Kreider accepting the move.
Jo Adell homered twice, Chris Taylor also went deep and the Angels rallied from four runs down and beat the Seattle Mariners 8-6 on Saturday night.
Cal Raleigh homered twice — giving him a major league-leading 26 — and drove in four runs for the Mariners, who have lost five straight and 12 of their last 17 games.
Angels closer Kenley Jansen, who gave up Raleigh’s solo homer in the ninth, finished up for his 14th save.
Angels teammates Zach Neto, left, and Jo Adell celebrate after an 8-6 win over the Mariners on Saturday.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Taylor replaced injured right fielder Jorge Soler (groin tightness) to start the second and led off with a homer off Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (4-4). Two outs later, Adell hit a 431-foot solo shot to left-center to trim Seattle’s lead to 4-2.
The Angels took advantage of two Mariners errors to score twice in the third to tie the score 4-4, and Adell’s 445-foot homer to center put them ahead 5-4 in the fourth.
Doubles by Nolan Schanuel and Taylor Ward pushed the lead to 6-4 in the fifth, and Zach Neto’s RBI single made it 7-5 in the sixth. Adell added an RBI single in the seventh for a three-run lead as the Angels scored in six consecutive innings for the first time since 2011.
Adell is 13 for 32 (.406) with five homers, two doubles and nine RBIs in his last 10 games, raising his season average from .184 to .224.
Seattle center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who singled in his first two at-bats, was knocked out of the game in the third after Randy Arozarena’s hard grounder hit him above the right ankle while Rodríguez was trying to steal third base.
Cole Young doubled and scored in the second and hit an RBI single in the sixth for the Mariners.
Connor Brogdon (1-0) replaced Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz with runners on first and third and one out in the fourth. He struck out J.P. Crawford, walked Jorge Polanco and got Leody Taveras to fly out with the bases loaded to preserve a 4-4 tie.
Stephenson out indefinitely
A pair of MRI tests revealed no structural damage to Robert Stephenson’s surgically repaired right elbow, but the Angels reliever was diagnosed with a stretched biceps nerve that will sideline him indefinitely.
“The good news is there’s no major injury or anything. It’s just a matter of how long it’s going to take,” Stephenson said Saturday night before a game against the Seattle Mariners. “It could be something that disappears overnight. It could be something that takes a couple weeks or longer. They’re kind of tricky.”
The 32-year-old Stephenson was expected to be one of the team’s top relievers after signing a three-year, $33-million deal in January 2024, but he missed all of last season after undergoing an ulnar collateral ligament repair with an internal brace in May 2024.
COLDPLAY’S Chris Martin and his actress fiancée Dakota Johnson have split up after eight years together.
Rumours about their relationship had been swirling for months and it has now been confirmed Dakota, 35, and Chris, 48, have gone their separate ways.
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Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson have splitCredit: The Mega Agency
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The pair were pictured together in JanuaryCredit: Kamera One
A source told the Mail: “Their relationship has been over for a long time, they just haven’t been able to figure out to make it official. Dakota held a flame for them to be together because she loved him so much and loved his kids so much.”
The source said they tried the age old technique of spending time away from each other but the absences didn’t lead to their hearts growing fonder.
“Dakota is devastated that she isn’t going to be around his kids as much anymore, but wants them to know that she is always there for them,” the insider continued.
The pair were pictured holding hands in January at the Babulnath Temple, Mumbai, where Coldplay were touring.
It followed Dakota, who is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, working on new romance movie Materialist with co-stars Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal in New York.
How about last week when pitcher Chris Sale was crowned the fastest to reach 2,500 career strikeouts?
Not to diminish Sale’s accomplishment: It took him fewer innings (2,026) to record No. 2,500 than any other pitcher in history. But because of injuries and a reduced workload — both huge, flashing signs of the times — he didn’t achieve the feat until his 16th season.
Sale was appropriately humble, telling reporters, “I appreciate it for what it is, but I try not to get too caught up in stuff like that right now.”
Perhaps he realizes it took others far less time to reach the 2,500 milestone, including the top two strikeout artists of all time: Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.
Strikeouts are a single lens in viewing the substantive changes over the last 100-plus years in how pitchers are utilized, record outs and withstand the burden. But they can be an instructive one.
Catch a whiff of this: A certain Dodger currently on the injured list strikes out more batters per nine innings than any other pitcher in baseball history, which in effect is another way to express Sale’s “fastest” title.
Blake Snell averages a record 11.1679 strikeouts per nine innings, edging out Sale, who is second all-time at 11.1056 among pitchers who average at least one inning per team game.
The believe-it-or-not distinction might explain why the Dodgers gave Snell a five-year, $182-million free agent contract last offseason. His wicked stuff that features a 96 mph four-seam fastball also could help explain why he’s on the injured list for the eighth time in the last eight seasons, this time out since April 6 with left shoulder inflammation.
Snell is the epitome of a highly valued starter in today’s game: He accumulates strikeouts at a higher rate than anyone else, gives up fewer hits than anyone else, and elicits only shrugs when someone points out that he has a grand total of one complete game in 213 career starts.
It is revealing that 13 of the top 20 pitchers on the all-time strikeout per innings list are active. The only one who didn’t pitch in the 21st century is Ryan at No. 19, just ahead of another believe-it-or-not name, Lucas Giolito.
Among the 33 pitchers to average more than a strikeout per inning, the only one whose career began in the 1950s has a statue outside Dodger Stadium: Sandy Koufax.
Koufax and Snell are two of 10 Dodgers among the 33, a clue as to what the Dodgers front office values in mound performance. Several of the names are less than luminary.
Note: Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani averaged a mammoth 11.40 strikeouts per nine innings in six seasons with the Angels but hasn’t pitched enough to qualify for the all-time list. He has recovered from elbow surgery and is expected to return to the mound after the All-Star break for the first time since August 2023.
Sale’s accomplishment, then, is sustaining a near-record rate of strikeouts per nine innings for more than 2,000 innings, certainly worthy of note.
An equally valid definition of “fastest” to reach a strikeout milestone would be how long it took to get there. The pitcher that the 6-foot-6, left-handed Sale surpassed was his boyhood idol: Johnson, a 6-10, left-handed flamethrower who ranks second to Ryan on the career strikeout list with 4,875.
Johnson notched No. 2,500 in inning No. 2,108 — 82 more than it took Sale. But he did so in only his 11th season, five seasons “faster” than Sale.
Incidentally — and incredibly — Johnson was only halfway through his career. He retired in 2009 after 22 seasons with 4,135.1 innings and 303 wins.
Granted, Johnson was an anomaly, the only hurler ever to amass more than 200 innings and 300 strikeouts in multiple seasons well into his 30s. At ages 35-38 from 1999-2002, he averaged a staggering 354 strikeouts and 258 innings a season.
The only comparable hurler was Ryan (record strikeout total: 5,714), who also reached No. 2,500 in his 11th season, the milestone whiff coming in inning No. 2,287 when he struck out Andre Thornton of Cleveland while pitching for the Angels in 1978.
Ryan’s longevity was even more impressive than Johnson’s: 27 seasons from 1966-93, 5,386 innings and 324 wins. No current pitcher will come close to those numbers.
On the other end of the strikeout spectrum are Hall of Fame pitchers from more than 100 years ago who logged vast numbers of innings while striking out far fewer batters per inning. Velocity wasn’t nearly as high or as prized as it is today and pitchers were expected to complete games they started.
Sale ranks No. 40 on the all-time strikeout list, and he next will pass Christy Mathewson, who needed a prodigious 4,788 innings to log 2,507 strikeouts from 1900-16. Mathewson is far down the list of strikeouts per nine innings, checking in at No. 689 with 4.71.
Walter Johnson, the legendary “Big Train” out of Fullerton Union High, is third all-time with 5,914 innings and ninth with 3,509 strikeouts in a career spanning 1907-27. But he averaged just 5.34 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking No. 520, a few notches ahead of the less than legendary former Dodgers swingman Elmer Dessens.
Other fabled names associated with blazing fastballs compiled surprisingly low strikeout rates as well. Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller, for example, sits at 6.07 strikeouts per nine innings.
Kershaw, meanwhile, is on the cusp of reaching a milestone that very nearly guarantees entry into the Hall of Fame: 3,000 strikeouts. The career Dodger in his 18th season has 2,974, and he’s inching toward the finish line, having struck out six in three abbreviated starts since coming off the injured list two weeks ago.
Although Kershaw has consistently downplayed the significance of reaching 3,000, he told Tyler Kepner of the Athletic last week that it’s on his mind.
“Yeah, I’d be lying if I didn’t want to do it,” Kershaw said. “But I think the coolest part is the company you get to be a part of. You know what I mean? There’s just some really special names.”
They include, of course, Ryan and Johnson. Nineteen pitchers have reached the milestone and 17 are in the Hall of Fame, with Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling falling short for reasons that had nothing to do with strikeout totals.
Kershaw is considered a Hall of Fame shoo-in, his earned-run average of 2.51 the lowest of any active pitcher that meets the innings qualification and his 212 career victories an impressive number in today’s game.
Snell’s candidacy falls into the “way too early to tell” category. Yes, he is the only pitcher to win a Cy Young award in each league, and his 3.18 career ERA sparkles. And, of course, striking out more batters per nine innings than anyone else in history stands out on his resume.
Yet Snell is in his 10th season and he has just 77 wins. Hall of Fame starters with the fewest MLB wins are Dizzy Dean (150) and Koufax (165), the careers of both cut short by arm injuries.
Snell’s career should be far from over. He’s only 32 and his lucrative Dodgers contract doesn’t expire until after the 2029 season. But to have a shot at the Hall, Snell must fulfill the promise that prompted the Dodgers to sign him.
The only active pitchers besides Kershaw considered Hall of Fame locks are Justin Verlander and Scherzer, both hard throwers with the requisite strikeout totals.
Verlander, 42, has 3,457 strikeouts while averaging 8.98 per nine innings. He also has 262 wins — 46 more than Scherzer and 50 more than Kershaw, the next two active pitchers on the all-time list. No one else is close to 200.
Scherzer ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.65, trailing only Snell, Sale, Robby Ray (another believe-it-or-not name) and Jacob DeGrom. Scherzer’s career total of 3,408 ranks 11th, just behind Verlander.
Gerrit Cole, 34, appeared on a Hall of Fame track before undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. He won’t pitch again until early next season, putting a long pause on his current totals of 153 wins, 2,251 strikeouts and 10.37 strikeouts per nine innings.
The only recently retired starter who might be rehearsing his Hall induction speech is another former Dodger, Zack Greinke, who posted 225 wins and 2,979 strikeouts along with a 3.49 ERA before retiring in 2024 after 20 seasons.
What about Sale, whose rebound from four years of debilitating injuries to win a Cy Young award with the Atlanta Braves was one of baseball’s best stories of 2024? He finished in the top five of Cy Young voting seven years in a row from 2012-2018, and his 3.04 career ERA is lower than any active starter besides Kershaw and DeGrom.
“He’s kind of doing Hall of Fame stuff,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters. “That guy is probably as big a baseball fan as anybody, just the history of the game and the competition. He’s a ballplayer, and it’s really cool to watch.”
Yet Sale has only 141 wins, and that perceived blemish could be an interesting litmus test for Hall voters who profess to recognize that wins are much more difficult to accumulate now that teams routinely limit starters to six or fewer innings.
Strikeouts are king these days, and the Dodgers clearly know it.
JOJO SIWA and Chris Hughes have driven fans wild with an intimate backstage moment as her mum captures sweet moment on camera.
The pop star, 22, who just performed two shows in London, gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her pre-show routine—with Chris, 32, right by her side.
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JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes drive fans wild with intimate backstage videoCredit: Instagram
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JoJo’s mum captured sweet moment on cameraCredit: Instagram
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The pop star gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her pre-show routineCredit: Instagram
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The clip shows JoJo warming up before being joined backstage by ChrisCredit: Instagram
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The pair were filmed hugging each other, holding hands and putting bracelets on each otherCredit: Instagram
In a post to TikTok JoJo gave fans an inside look into her pre-show routine, the former Big Brother star was seen in the video warming up and spending time with her dancers.
JoJo captioned the post: “Pre show is always my favorite hour. Just pure chaos and love and energy warming up. What a beautiful perfect 2 shows in London this week wow.”
The clip showed JoJo getting ready before being joined backstage by her new beau Chris.
The singer is shown stretching whilst the camera pans to Chris who cheekily chimes “Stretch it off then” as he walks into the room.
The pair were later filmed by mum Jessalyn hugging each other, holding hands and putting bracelets on each other.
Former Love Islander Chris also learnt her hit song Karma and is videoed singing the lyrics alongside her.
Fans rushed to the comments, gushing over the pair’s sweet on-camera moment.
One user penned: “Chris is the biggest green flag ive ever seen, u two are the cutest (red heart emoji)”
Another chimed: “The way his hand stays on her leg after she gets off his lap.”
“Sweet christopher being JoJo’s number1 fan” added a third.
Watch as JoJo Siwa makes Chris Hughes blush with cute tribute as he proudly watches her perform in London
“Chris singing your lyrics Love ittttt!” wrote a fourth.
JoJo recently sent fans wild at her London gigs this week after she told them onstage she had “never felt so special and so loved”.
She also went on to change the lyrics of Bette Davis Eyes to “Chris Hughes’ eyes” as he looked on, giddy and red-faced at a music venue in Shoreditch.
Chris could not attend the second of her two-night run there — but JoJo didn’t miss her moment to shout out to him, singing to his orange beanie which she had placed in the crowd.
It comes after Chris made the 12-hour flight from the UK to Mexico to support JoJo as she performed to fans in Mexico City.
He later posted cosy snaps of them together online.
The two were then spotted kissing while straddling a lilo at an adults-only hotel during a loved-up getaway there.
When JoJo later returned to London the pair had a emotional reunion at Heathrow airport as JoJo flew in from Los Angeles — Chris greeting her with a large bouquet of red roses.
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When JoJo returned to London for her shows this week the pair had a emotional reunion at Heathrow airportCredit: Instagram
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The two were recently spotted kissing while straddling a lilo at an adults-only hotel in Mexico
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Chris made a 12-hour flight from the UK to Mexico to support JoJo as she performed to fans in Mexico CityCredit: itsjojosiwa/Instagram
Former Dodgers utilityman Chris Taylor signed a one-year, major league minimum contract with the Angels on Monday.
Taylor will start in center field against the New York Yankees on Monday and bat eighth.
Angels prospect Kyren Paris, who was struggling at the plate in recent weeks — hitting just .190 — was optioned to triple-A Salt Lake City to make room for Taylor on the roster.
“He’s been through the wars,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of Taylor, adding that the Angels plan to use him in the outfield and the infield. “He’s a good piece for those young guys to talk to about how to handle a grind. He’s been in a grind over there with L.A., every day, winning, and we want that.”
Released by the Dodgers in the final year of his four-year, $60-million contract last week, Taylor was hitting .200 with seven hits in 35 at-bats before entering free agency.
A career .250 hitter and a one-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Taylor has experience playing in the infield and all three outfield positions, adding versatility and depth to an Angels team waiting for outfielder Mike Trout’s return from the injured list (knee). Angels closer Kenley Jansen, who played alongside Taylor on the Dodgers from 2016 to 2021, learned of Taylor’s signing while on his way to Angel Stadium.
“It’s nice to have him back,” said Jansen, who said he spoke to Angels general manager Perry Minasian about Taylor on Sunday. “I think once he gets more playing time here, I think, you know, it’s going to be great for the organization and help us win ball games.”
When asked about Taylor’s release Wednesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said his former longest-tenured position player was looking for an opportunity to play more often rather than accepting a demotion to triple-A.
“He wanted an opportunity, if it wasn’t going to be here to play more, to play somewhere else,” Roberts said. “So that’s kind of the thought behind how it played out, and I respect him for betting on himself and hopefully get an opportunity to play more somewhere else.”
Chris Packham, 64, has opened up about his mental health battles and how he once ‘didn’t want to be on this planet any longer’, but his beloved pets gave him ‘purpose’
18:25, 26 May 2025Updated 18:45, 26 May 2025
Chris Packham has poignantly disclosed that his pets provided him with ‘purpose’ during his lowest moments, confessing: “My dogs saved my life.”
The much-loved wildlife expert is set to grace our screens again on Monday, May 26, with the return of the beloved series Springwatch, where he will co-host with his long-time colleague Michaela Strachan.
Despite his cheerful television presence, the 64-year-old has spoken out about his struggles with mental health and a time when he “didn’t want to be on this planet any longer”.
In an intimate chat with Country Living, Chris, who rose to fame with the ’80s hit show The Really Wild Show, revealed: “My dogs saved my life.”
He elaborated: “I’ve been in some dark places. I was so miserable I didn’t want to be on this planet any longer, but my dogs took that choice away. They gave me the gift of purpose – and it’s the reason I’m still here,” reports Gloucestershire Live.
The devoted animal enthusiast expressed how his connection with his Poodles was so profound that he “couldn’t break it”.
He remarked: “I used to call my previous dogs ‘my joy grenades’. I’d let them off the lead, and they’d run for the sheer joy of running. It didn’t matter how miserable I was, that would always put a smile on my face.”
Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of 44, Chris notes that individuals on the autism spectrum can often form even stronger bonds with dogs.
“I think it’s because we’re never judged. We are always accepted by that animal: the bonds are very tight,” he explained.
“Dogs offer us unconditional love. They are always pleased to see us. We trust them implicitly. I sleep with my dogs, we eat the same thing. I have an enormous responsibility and duty of care to make sure that my dogs are happy and healthy.”
Chris with Springwatch co-star Michaela Strachan(Image: BBC Studios/Olli Hillyer-Riley)
Springwatch is celebrating its 20th year with a brand new segment called Springwatch Street, giving viewers a glimpse into the hidden lives of urban wildlife like foxes and swifts.
Ahead of the new series, Chris spoke about his relationship with co-host Michaela, saying: “We’re great friends. We know each other really well, so sometimes we may disagree about something, and the team may look at us and think, ‘Oh my goodness, the presenters have fallen out!’
“But we haven’t. We don’t get upset about those things. We don’t have to agree about everything. We just move on. So, the fact that we’re great, lifelong, trusted mates helps, but also that we work in very different ways in terms of way that we approach our job.”
Springwatch returns to BBC Two from Monday, May 26 at 8pm
*If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit Samaritans
It would be nice if the Dodgers could schedule a special day to honor Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor, giving fans and teammates a chance to provide a proper farewell for this pair of beloved, true-blue Dodgers.
Anthony Moretti Lomita
I’m sure Taylor and Barnes are nice guys, but they’ve been making millions of dollars and haven’t performed for years. I don’t think anyone has to feel sorry for them.
Mike Schaller Temple City
Fans of ’70s-era sci-fi movies can see clear parallels between the classic “Logan’s Run” and the Dodgers’ front office behavior. Like the movie’s plot, the Dodgers have concluded that former impact players now over age 30 are expendable and must be immediately eliminated. The struggling Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández must be taking note.
CHRIS Hughes’ brother Ben has broken his silence on the star’s budding romance with JoJo Siwa after their cosy display.
The pair shared a series of intimate snaps with one another after reuniting in Mexico and Florida to celebrate JoJo turning 22 – three weeks on from their CelebrityBig Brother stint.
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Chris Hughes’ brother Ben has had his say on his budding romance with JoJo SiwaCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures’ Digital Picture
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The pair have shared a slew of cuddled up snaps after reuniting in MexicoCredit: Instagram/Chris Hughes
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The close pics have raised eyebrows once moreCredit: Instagram/Chris Hughes
He left a very telling comment under Chris’ Instagram post all about JoJo.
Ben wrote to his brother: “Nice to see a smile on your face.”
He followed it up with two blue love heart emojis as he appeared to throw his full support behind the budding connection.
It comes as JoJo gave Chris a shoutout live on stage in another moment which continues to fuel romance rumours.
During her latest gig, JoJo was singing the famous song Bette Davis Eyes.
In a VERY telling moment, JoJo could be seen looking to the side of the stage where Chris, who had previously been spotted backstage, was believed to be standing.
Instead of singing, “she’s got Betty Davis eyes”, the YouTube star sang; “Chris Hughes‘ eyes”.
The crowd could be then be heard cheering their approval.
Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa seen on dinner date in Florida as fans spot sweet CBB reference
The smitten star posted the clip on Instagram, and her fans went wild.
We look back at JoJo Siwa’s romance with Kath Ebbs:
JoJo Siwa went public with hers and Kath Ebbs’ relationship in January 2025.
The Dance Moms star had been introduced to 27-year-old Australian content creator Kath by a mutual friend called G-Flip six months earlier.
JoJo had split with her girlfriend Dakayla Wilson in November 2024 and it is believed she hooked up romantically with Kath soon after.
Speaking in March at the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, JoJo said of her relationship: “I am so happy. I am in a very mature relationship, and it’s beautiful. It’s taught me so much about life.
“It’s taught me so much about love and respect, and it’s a beautiful thing.
“It’s different in more ways than I can count. I wouldn’t even know what to say the biggest is ‘cause just everything is so different and special.”
Kath even claimed they had talked about marriage together.
However, JoJo’s romance with Kath abruptly hit the skids on April 25, 2025, at the Celebrity Big Brother wrap party.
JoJo dumped Kath at the bash after spending 19 days in the CBB house – where she had grown close to Love Island star Chris Hughes.
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The pair have been very close since CBBCredit: Instagram/Chris Hughes
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Their bond in the house became the talk of the townCredit: ITV
On Sunday, Taylor was released by the Dodgers, making him the second longtime team veteran, along with former backup catcher Austin Barnes, to be cut loose by the team in the last week.
In corresponding roster moves, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman from the injured list and added pitcher Lou Trivino to the 40-man roster. Trivino was in Los Angeles on Sunday — occupying the same locker stall Taylor used to — after fellow reliever Kirby Yates was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain he suffered Saturday night.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough. But with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything. We felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.”
Taylor was in the last season of a four-year, $60-million contract with the Dodgers. The former All-Star was the longest-tenured position player on the roster, after Barnes was designated for assignment last week. But, just like with Barnes, Taylor’s declining production, coupled with the emergence of a younger and more productive alternative in rookie utilityman Hyeseong Kim, left the 34-year-old expendable.
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PETE ROSE POLL
We asked readers of our Sports Report and Dodgers Dugout newsletters, “Should Pete Rose and Joe Jackson be in the Hall of Fame?” After 19,803 responses
Pete Rose Yes, 46.6% No, 53.4%
Joe Jackson Yes, 55.4% No, 44.6%
SPARKS
From Anthony De Leon: You only get one shot at a first impression — and for the Sparks, led by a first-year coach and a new superstar, Sunday marked the home crowd’s first glimpse of the new-look squad inside Crypto.com Arena.
With high aspirations, including a return to the playoffs, the Sparks faced an early litmus test in the Minnesota Lynx — a perennial contender and last year’s WNBA runner-up, led by one of the league’s elite talents in Napheesa Collier.
The Sparks showed they are clearly capable of competing for a playoff spot with their energetic and cohesive play, but their 89-75 loss to Minnesota also demonstrated they’re still behind the league’s elite teams.
In the first half, the Sparks (1-1) went toe-to-toe with the Lynx. They trailed 46-45 at halftime, an encouraging start for a team learning to gel under new leadership while facing a battle-tested opponent returning five starters from last year’s Finals run.
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) at Oklahoma City 125, Denver 93 (box score)
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) at New York 119, Boston 81 (box score)
Conference finals
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 6 Minnesota Tuesday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday, May 26 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Wed., May 28 at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ESPN* Friday, May 30 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN* Sunday, June 1 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 3 New York vs. No. 4 Indiana Wednesday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT Friday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT Sunday at Indiana, 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday, May 27 at Indiana, 5 p.m., TNT Thursday, May 29 at New York, 5 p.m., TNT* Saturday, May 31 at Indiana, 5 p.m., TNT* Monday, June 2 at New York, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
UCLA SOFTBALL
Alexis Ramirez went three for four and drove in five runs and UCLA cruised to the NCAA Super Regionals with a 12-1 dismantling of UC Santa Barbara on Sunday in the Los Angeles Regional.
The ninth-seeded Bruins (52-10) travel to face eighth-seeded South Carolina next weekend. UCLA is chasing its ninth Women’s College World Series berth in the last decade. In going 3-0 in this weekend’s regional play, UCLA outscored it opponents 31-2. UCLA started the weekend with a 9-1 win over the Gauchos (36-26) on Friday.
Ramirez started the hit parade driving in the game’s first two runs. UCLA scored four runs in the first and second innings, three in the fourth and the game was mercy-ruled after the Gauchos came up empty in the bottom of the fifth.
From Kevin Baxter: Records aren’t supposed to matter in Derby matches. When you’re facing your most bitter rival, the past is just that — the past.
So it meant nothing that the defending MLS Cup champion entered Sunday’s El Tráfico winless in 13 matches while LAFC was unbeaten in six straight.
“That all becomes irrelevant,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “Those games are kind of isolated on their own.”
Perhaps it was fitting, then, that LAFC and the Galaxy played to a 2-2 draw in front of a crowd of 23,083 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The draw kept LAFC (6-4-4) unbeaten since April 5. For the Galaxy (0-10-4), the tie ended a five-game losing streak — their longest since 2020 — but it also extended their winless one to 14 matches, the worst start in franchise history and the worst ever for a reigning MLS champion.
Scottie Scheffler worked harder than he imagined and got the result everyone expected Sunday in the PGA Championship: A most pleasant walk to the 18th green with another major title secure in the hands of golf’s No. 1 player.
Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm and everyone else trying to catch him on a final day that turned tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens.
“This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time,” Scheffler said. “It was a grind out there. I think at one point on the front I maybe had a four- or five-shot lead, and making the turn, I think I was tied for the lead.
“So to step up when I needed to the most, I’ll remember that for a while.”
He closed with a bogey he could afford for an even-par 71, giving him a five-shot victory and his third major title. Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.
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) at Dallas 2, Winnipeg 1 (OT) (summary)
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) Toronto 2, at Florida 0 (summary) Florida 6, at Toronto 1 (summary)
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)
Conference finals
Western Conference
Central 2 Dallas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Wednesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Friday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Edmonton, noon, ABC Tuesday, May 27 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday, May 29 at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN* Saturday, May 31 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., ANC* Monday, June 2 at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Metro 2 Carolina vs. Atlantic 3 Florida Tuesday at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT Thursday at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT Saturday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT Monday, May 26 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT Wed., May 28 at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT* Friday, May 30 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT* Sunday, June 1 at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1909 — In his first title defense Jack Johnson fights ‘Philadelphia’ Jack O’Brien to a no decision in 6 rounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to retain his world heavyweight crown.
1923 — Zev, a 19-1 long shot ridden by Earl Sande, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1½ lengths over Martingale.
1935 — NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1965 — West Ham United of England win 5th European Cup Winner’s Cup against 1860 München of West Germany 2-0 in London.
1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, rallies from last with a powerful move on the clubhouse turn to win the Preakness Stakes by 2½ lengths over Sham. There is controversy over the timing of the race as original teletimer time was 1:55 for the 1 3/16-mile race. Pimlico amends it to 1:54 2/5, two days later.
1974 — The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1979 — Spectacular Bid, ridden by Ron Franklin, wins the Preakness Stakes by an easy 5½ lengths over Golden Act.
1984 — Stanley Cup Final, Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, AL: Wayne Gretzky scores twice as Edmonton Oilers beat NY Islanders, 5-2 for a 4-1 series win; Oilers first SC title.
1990 — Hobart wins its 11th straight NCAA Division III lacrosse championship, beating Washington College of Maryland 18-6. The Statesmen, winners of every final since the tournament’s inception in 1980, are 100-3 in Division III in that time.
1991 — Willy T. Ribbs becomes the first black driver to make the lineup for the Indianapolis 500.
2001 — Manchester United lose 3-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane but win English Premier League title for the 3rd consecutive season.
2004 — NHL Western Conference Final: Calgary Flames beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 2.
2007 — Curlin, ridden by Robby Albarado, nips Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense by putting his head in front on the final stride, winning the Preakness Stakes in a riveting finish. The winning time was a blazing 1:53.46, equaling the stakes record of 1:53 2/5.
2007 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,826): Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1 – 0 (a.e.t.); Didier Drogba scores 116′ winner for Blues’ 4th title.
2007 — NHL Eastern Conference Final: Ottawa Senators beat Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 1.
2008 — NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Dallas Stars, 4 games to 2.
2012 — I’ll Have Another overtakes Bodemeister down the stretch to win the Preakness. Like the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another races from behind to beat pacesetter Bodemeister, who also finished second in the Derby. I’ll Have Another, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, covers the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.94.
2012 — UEFA Champions League Final, Munich: Chelsea beats Bayern Munich, 4-3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra time; Blues’ first title.
2014 — Lucy Li becomes the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California. The 11-year-old Li shoots rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course and surpasses Lexi Thompson as the youngest competitor in a U.S. Women’s Open when she tees off at Pinehurst on June 19. Thompson was 12 when she qualified for the 2007 Open.
2015 — The NFL announces it is moving back extra-point kicks and allowing defenses to score on conversion turnovers. The owners approve the proposal to snap the ball from the 15-yard line on PATs to make them more challenging.
2017 — LeBron James scores 30 points, Kevin Love had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers steamroll the Boston Celtics 130-86 to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals and tie an NBA record with their 13th straight playoff victory.
2018 — Justify holds off several hard-charging challengers and win the Preakness Stakes on a sloppy, slippery track. Ridden by Mike Smith, the 2-5 favorite wins by a half-length after completing the race in 1:55.93. Bravazo edges Tenfold for second. Trainer Bob Baffert ties D. Wayne Lukas’ record with his 14th Triple Crown victory and matches 19th-century trainer R.W. Walden with his seventh Preakness title.
2018 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1-0; Belgian international Eden Hazard scores 22′ penalty.
2019 — PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Bethpage State Park: Defending champion Brooks Koepka leads wire-to-wire; wins despite 5 bogeys on last 8 holes by 2 strokes from world #1 Dustin Johnson.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1910 — Cy Young won the 500th game of his career as the Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 5-4, in 11 innings.
1910 — Boston beat the Pirates 6-3 for the first time in 26 tries.
1933 — For the first time in major league history, brothers on opposite teams hit home runs in the same game. Boston Red Sox catcher Rick Ferrell homers off his brother Wes Ferrell in the 2nd inning, but the Cleveland Indians pitcher returns the favor as he homers in the 3rd on a pitch called by his sibling. It is the only time that the Ferrell brothers homer in the same game.
1942 — Paul Waner of the Boston Braves got his 3,000th career hit off Pittsburgh’s Rip Sewell in a 7-6, 11-inning loss to the Pirates.
1956 — Pittsburgh’s Dale Long hit a ninth-inning homer against the Chicago Cubs. It was Long’s first of eight straight games with a homer.
1962 — Stan Musial of St. Louis became the NL career hits leader. The 41-year-old got a ninth inning single for his 3,431st hit and moved past Honus Wagner. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers, 8-1.
1968 — After hitting 10 home runs in six games, Frank Howard of the Washington Senators was stopped by pitcher Earl Wilson of Detroit, which won the game 5-4.
1976 — Carl Yastrzemski has the only three-homer game of his illustrious career, going deep three times in a 4-for-4 day in a 9-2 Red Sox win over the Tigers. He victimizes three pitchers — Dave Roberts, Steve Grilli and John Hiller.
1979 — After a bitter six-week strike, the major league umpires return to work. During the work stoppage, the men in blue were replaced by amateur and minor league arbiters.
1981 — Pittsburgh’s Jim Bibby gave up a leadoff single to Terry Harper of the Atlanta Braves, then retired the next 27 batters for a 5-0 one-hitter. Bibby also hit two doubles.
1998 — Mark McGwire hit three two-run homers against Philadelphia. It was the second time this season and fourth time in his career McGwire hit three homers in a game. McGwire became the 12th player to have two three-homer games in a season.
2000 — Jason Kendall hit for the cycle and drove in a career-high five runs, leading Pittsburgh to a 13-1 rout of St. Louis. Kendall had a two-run homer in the first inning, an RBI single in the second, a double in the third and a two-run triple in the eighth.
2004 — Atlanta’s 45-year-old Julio Franco broke his own record for the oldest player to hit a pinch-hit homer. Franco, who had a pinch-hit homer two weeks earlier against San Diego, hit a two-out, two-run homer to tie the score at 4 in the eighth. The Braves lost 6-4 in 11 innings to the Diamondbacks.
2008 — Boston’s Jon Lester shut down Kansas City 7-0 for the first no-hitter in the majors this season. The 24-year-old lefty, who survived cancer to pitch the World Series clincher for the Red Sox last fall, allowed two baserunners, walking Billy Butler in the second inning and Esteban German to open the ninth. Jason Varitek catches his fourth no-hitter, tying Ray Schalk for the major league record; one of Schalk’s no-hitters was later removed from the official records, making Varitek the first backstop to have four official no-hitters to his name.
2009 — Washington became the fourth team in major league history to score at least five runs in each game of a six-game losing streak. The Nationals lost 8-5 in 10 innings to Pittsburgh after they rallied to tie the score with a run in the ninth, but another letdown from a bullpen with a collective 1-14 record allowed them to join the 1929 Pirates, 2004 Cincinnati Reds and 2005 Texas Rangers.
2010 — CF Angel Pagan hits the first inside-the-park homer in the history of Nationals Park.
2011 — After sitting on the bench for most of the season so far, veteran 1B Jason Giambi has the first three-homer game of his career in the Rockies’ 7-1 win over Philadelphia. He hits homers in his first three at-bats, driving in all 7 of his team’s runs, but fails in his last two at-bats to become only the 16th player to hit four dingers in one game. Giambi entered the game hitting .115 with 1 homer and 4 RBI; at 40, he is the second-oldest player to hit three home runs in a game, after Stan Musial who was 41 when he accomplished the feat on July 8, 1962.
2018 — The Rays have been experimenting with “bullpen days” all season, when the starting pitcher is not expected to go deep into the game, going all out for 3 or 4 innings before handing the ball over to another reliever, but today they take it even further. Short reliever Sergio Romo starts today’s game against the Angels, his first start in the majors after 588 appearances out of the bullpen, and is only asked to pitch one inning before handing the ball over to Ryan Yarbrough. The plan works perfectly as Romo strikes out the three men he faces — Zack Cozart, Mike Trout and Justin Upton, all righthanders — then hands the ball over to lefty Yarbrough in the 2nd. Yarbrough pitches scoreless ball until allowing a run in the 8th as Tampa Bay wins, 5-3. It is the first time a starting pitcher leaves after a perfect 1st inning since Ernie Shore had done so on October 5, 1915. Manager Kevin Cash is so pleased with how the scheme goes that he picks Romo to start the next day’s game as well.
2021 — Corey Kluber of the Yankees is the latest pitcher to join this season’s no-hitter parade, pulling off the feat with a 2-0 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. It is already the 6th 9-inning no-hitter this year, and comes one day after Spencer Turnbull of the Tigers had pitched the previous one.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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Four years later, the memory remains uncomfortably fresh.
The last time the Dodgers tried to defend a World Series title, they racked up 106 victories. They matched the best winning percentage in the franchise’s Los Angeles history. They had seven All-Stars and three Cy Young vote-getters.
And it still wasn’t enough to win them the National League West.
The San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers still well remember, won 107 games in the 2021 season, marking the only time in the last dozen years someone else has claimed the division crown. The Dodgers eventually knocked the Giants out of the playoffs that October, but their elongated path through the postseason as a wild card team left them gassed in the NL Championship Series. They were eliminated six wins shy of a repeat title.
For president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the experience underscored an all-important truth.
“Our primary goal during the regular season is to win the division,” Friedman said. “That is what we feel like puts us in the best position to accomplish our ultimate goal.”
Thus, with another tight division race looming this year, the Dodgers didn’t wait to act aggressively this week.
Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor were struggling. Dalton Rushing and Hyeseong Kim looked like intriguing big-league options. And in two moves that were made in an effort to “win as many games as we can” in this season’s World Series title defense, Friedman said, the longtime veterans were released to make room for the rookies. Sentimentality lost out to the odds of even slightly better regular-season success.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Friedman said, addressing reporters hours after Taylor was released on Sunday. Barnes was designated for assignment earlier in the week. “Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough.”
“But,” Friedman countered, “with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything — we felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest … [to] put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.”
Note the first factor Friedman mentioned in his answer.
Though the Dodgers are tied for the best record in the National League at 29-18, they continue to nurse the slimmest of NL West leads, entering Monday just one game up on the rival San Diego Padres (27-18) and upstart San Francisco Giants (28-19), and only four games clear of even the fourth-place Arizona Diamondbacks (25-22).
With their pitching staff already in tatters, at least temporarily, because of a wave of early-season injuries, the importance of consistent offense has also suddenly heightened; the Dodgers needing to maximize the production of their lineup to help offset a 4.18 team ERA that ranks 21st in the majors.
In a world where the Dodgers were running away with the division, or pitching the way they expected after two offseasons of spending heavily on the mound, maybe they could have tolerated Barnes’ and Taylor’s combined .208 batting average. They might have been more comfortable giving two longtime cornerstones of the franchise a longer leash to turn things around.
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Instead, as club brass surveyed this year’s competitive division landscape, they recognized that — this season more than most — every single victory could matter come the end of the campaign. That every single loss would make the challenge of winning another World Series incrementally tougher.
So, as Rushing crushed triple-A pitching and Kim excelled in what was initially planned to be only a brief big-league call-up, the Dodgers did what they felt like they must. Rushing replaced Barnes as backup catcher. Taylor was cut loose so Kim wouldn’t be sent back to the minors. And a roster that once seemed too top-heavy now has, at least in theory, more potential impact options to bring off the bench.
“We didn’t feel like coming into the season this was something that we would necessarily be doing in May,” Friedman said. “But with where we were, all things factored in, while not easy, we felt like it was the right thing to do.”
There were other reasons, of course, the Dodgers felt motivated to make such emotionally conflicting decisions now.
Manager Dave Roberts noted that Rushing (who was batting .308 in the minors this year, and has started his big-league career an impressive four-for-10) and Kim (who has hit .452 since arriving in the majors, and has impacted games with his versatile glove and lightning-quick speed) deserved opportunities for more prominent roles.
With most of the team’s core players on the wrong side of 30, there are longer-term considerations about developing younger talent as well.
“I think some of it is the [division] race,” Roberts said. “Some of it is, you still want to continue to develop young players and give them opportunities with a veteran ball club.”
Eventually, it was always likely that Rushing would force his way to the majors, and that Kim would carve out a niche with his well-rounded skill set.
But the early pressure being applied by the team’s NL West rivals still sped up that timeline. The Dodgers remember what happened in 2021. And, wary of having that reality repeat itself, they didn’t wait to begin acting with urgency this year.
“We saw it in 2021, winning 106 games and not winning the division,” Friedman said. “We have a tough division [again this year]. We’ve got some really good teams in our division who are playing well. And so for us, it’s about doing everything we can each night to try to win a game.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Let’s hope the Dodgers don’t have to face the Angels in the postseason.
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Last week, the Dodgers designated longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes for assignment to make room for Dalton Rushing. The other shoe dropped Sunday when the Dodgers released Chris Taylor to make way for a returning Tommy Edman.
Taylor is a longtime fan favorite whose last good season at the plate was 2021. After that season, he signed a four-year, $60-million contract. He also had elbow surgery that offseason, and was never the same after that. Still good-to-great defensively, but on offense, well, the numbers speak for themselves:
Taylor had only 35 at-bats spread over 28 games this season. When Hyeseong Kim came up from the minors and played so well, there was no reason to keep Taylor when Edman came off the IL. It would have been really hard to justify sending Kim down.
But, showing that it’s possible for two conflicting thoughts to be true at the same time, while it was the best thing for the Dodgers to release him, it’s still hard to see him go.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters before Sunday’s game. “Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough. But with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything. We felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.”
Taylor, who went to Virginia, was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. He reached the majors in 2014 with the Mariners and was considered a disappointment at the time after hitting only .240/.296/.296 in 86 games with the Mariners. The Dodgers acquired him on June 19, 2016 for one-time top prospect Zach Lee. Not much attention was given to the deal, and the attention it was given was for the Dodgers giving up on Lee.
A few years later, Jerry DiPoto, who was GM of the Mariners for the trade, called it the worst deal he ever made.
Taylor hit .207 in limited playing time with the Dodgers over the rest of the 2016 season, before the Dodgers, or Taylor, or both, unlocked something offensively. He hit .288/.354/.496 with 34 doubles, 21 homers, 72 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 2017 while playing five different positions and was a key player on the team that reached the World Series before losing to the Houston Astros*. Taylor hit two homers during the NLCS and one during the World Series. He was named co-MVP of the NLCS with Justin Turner. Little-known fact: He didn’t make the team out of spring training. He was brought up for the minors on April 19, 2017 when Logan Forsythe suffered a broken toe when hit by a pitch. How would Dodger, and Chris Taylor’s, fortunes have changed if Forsythe wasn’t hit by that pitch?
in 2018 he hit .254/.331/.444, with 35 doubles and 17 homers, .262/.333/.462 with 29 doubles and 12 homers in 2019 and .270/.366/.476 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He made his first and only All-Star team in 2021. And then the wheels started falling off.
Here’s a guy who has been with the team since 2016, and what do we know about him? Not much. He never sought the spotlight, just did his job every day to the best of his abilities.
“He is the consummate pro, the way he did a trust fall when he got here,” Friedman said. “He came in hungry and wanting to get better, and dove in with our hitting guys, with our position coaches. … He was a huge part of so much success that we’ve enjoyed. Can’t say enough about the human, the worker, the teammate, the player.”
If you dig a little deeper about Taylor, you discover he quietly helped families who were hurt by the devastating wildfires earlier this year. His CT3 Foundation raised millions of dollars for organization in L.A. and his hometown Virginia Beach, including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Variety Boys and Girls Club, The Friendship Foundation, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters, and Roc Solid Foundation.
He was just shy of reaching 10 seasons in the majors. Once a player reaches 10 years of service, they are eligible for up to $265,000 per year if they wait until age 62 to activate their pension. Seasons are counted as 172 days on the 26-man roster, so if you are bounced up and down from the minors, only your time in the majors counts. That’s how Taylor can be listed as “12 seasons” in the majors on most stat sites, but really be shy of 10 seasons. He needed to be on the Dodgers until early August to make it. If some other team signs him, then his time there will also count toward his 10 seasons. Taylor is at 9.037 seasons. He has also been paid almost $74 million in his career, so he should be fine. He just beats me out by about…. $73,500,000. Austin Barnes was at 8.098 seasons of service. He has been paid $18 million in his career.
Taylor’s first career home run was a grand slam with the Dodgers. His 100th career home run was a grand slam with the Dodgers, making him the only player in history whose first and 100th home runs were grand slams.
He appeared in 80 postseason games with L.A., hitting .247/.351/.441 with 13 doubles, nine homers and 26 RBIs. The most important homer may have been his walk-off homer in the 2021 wild-card game against St. Louis. You can watch that here.
Taylor was a part of two World Series winning teams. There aren’t a lot of players who can say that. It seems likely some other team will pick him up and see if he can recapture some of his old magic. We wish him well and thank him for some great memories.
*-The Astros cheated during that season and postseason.
First outing
Clayton Kershaw had his first outing of the season Saturday and the results were…. mixed. He gave up three runs in the first inning and looked bad. Then he settled a bit before seeming to tire. His line: Four innings pitched, five hits, five runs, three walks, two strikeouts.
We can draw no conclusions from this. We couldn’t if he had thrown five hitless innings. It’s going to take a couple more starts to figure out just how Kershaw is.
“I love getting back out there. It’s a special thing to get to go back and pitch at Dodger Stadium,” Kershaw told reporters after Saturday’s game. “Obviously, I wanted to pitch better. I need to pitch better going forward. But I think there’s some glimpses of some of my stuff being there, which is good. The problem tonight was just command.”
Dave Roberts on Kershaw to reporters after the game: “The stuff overall, I was impressed with. The velocity was more than it’s been in quite some time. At times the slider was good. At times the curveball was good. He mixed in a lot of change-ups, which was good. The command just wasn’t consistent. He got to a lot of two-strike counts and couldn’t put hitters away, where typically that’s his hallmark.”
Pete Rose poll
We asked readers of our Sports Report and Dodgers Dugout newsletters, “Should Pete Rose and Joe Jackson be in the Baseball Hall of Fame?” After 19,803 responses
Pete Rose Yes, 46.6% No, 53.4%
Joe Jackson Yes, 55.4% No, 44.6%
All-time leaders
The Dodgers’ all-time leaders in batting average with two out and runners in scoring position, minimum 150 at-bats.
Los Angeles only 1. Freddie Freeman, .343 2. Corey Seager, .327 3. Mike Piazza, .318 4. Mookie Betts, .317 5. Lou Johnson, .313 6. Paul Lo Duca, .311 7. Jeff Kent, .304 8. Steve Garvey, .295 9. Ron Fairly, .293 10. Adrián González, .287
Is there a top 10 Dodgers list you’d like to see Email me at [email protected] and let me know.
These names seem familiar
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.
Chris Taylor hits a walk-off homer to win the 2021 wild-card game. Watch and listen here. Chris Taylor makes an incredible catch to preserve a 2018 NLCS Game 7 lead over Milwaukee. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
On Sunday, Taylor was designated for assignment by the Dodgers after a 10-year tenure with the club, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.
In corresponding roster moves, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman from the injured list and added pitcher Lou Trivino to the 40-man roster. Trivino was in Los Angeles on Sunday — occupying the same locker stall Taylor used to — after fellow reliever Kirby Yates suffered a hamstring injury Saturday night.
Taylor was in the last season of a four-year, $60-million contract with the Dodgers. The former All-Star was the longest-tenured position player on the roster, after the Dodgers designated Austin Barnes for assignment last week. But, just like with Barnes, Taylor’s declining production coupled with the emergence of rookie utilityman Hyeseong Kim left the 34-year-old expendable.
Thus, for the second time in the last week, the Dodgers parted ways with one of the most familiar faces of the team.
A second man has been charged in connection with an alleged assault at a London nightclub involving R&B star Chris Brown.
US national Omolulu Akinlolu – the artist known as HoodyBaby – will appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court later charged with grievous bodily harm with intent, the Metropolitan Police said.
Brown, 36, appeared at the same court on the same charge on Friday and was remanded in custody.
He is accused of using a bottle to cause grievous bodily harm to music producer Abe Diaw at the Tape club in London’s Mayfair in 2023.
Brown, who was arrested at Salford’s Lowry Hotel on Thursday, will next appear at London’s Southwark Crown Court on 13 June.
The American singer was scheduled to perform in Amsterdam on 8 June, before heading to Germany then embarking on dates in the UK.
Akinlolu, a rapper and producer, and Brown are known to be friends and have collaborated on a range of musical projects.
