The Sports Report: Dodgers will put Shohei Ohtani on the IL
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Dodgers rout the Reds
From Kevin Baxter: The Dodgers departed Wednesday for their final multi-city trip of the regular season with their magic number to clinch a fifth straight division title at six, meaning their first champagne shower of the year could come as early as Sunday in Miami.
But Shohei Ohtani won’t be there to enjoy it. The Dodgers put the four-time MVP on the injured list after Wednesday’s 14-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds and called up top prospect Josue De Paula to take his place. De Paula, 21, who slashed .302/.400/.539 with 26 homers and 31 stolen bases at double-A Tulsa, will make his major league debut Friday as the Dodgers’ designated hitter.
“Talking to Shohei, the doctors, the training staff, it’s the right thing to do,” manager Dave Roberts said of shelving Ohtani for the next two weeks. “We tried to kick the can as much as we could. It’s more of let’s take the 15 days and get him reset, get him feeling better, and then build him back up to get the best of him for the postseason.”
Ohtani, the team leader in home runs (30) and RBIs (80) hasn’t had one of either since Aug. 18. He has taken just seven at-bats this month while battling lingering injuries to his left knee, right biceps, neck and left hip. The right arm is the biggest issue now, Roberts said. Ohtani played Monday and took a swing that “didn’t feel great,” the manager said, which led to the decision to shut him down.
Ohtani will remain in Los Angeles to consult with doctors during the Dodgers seven-game trip. He will be eligible to return to the roster in 15 days, giving him for the final week of the regular season to get ready for the playoffs.
Rams open season today against familiar foe
From Gary Klein: After months of buildup — and nearly 8,000 miles traveled — the Super Bowl-favorite Rams will open the season against the San Francisco 49ers.
As many as 100,000 fans are expected at Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first NFL game in Australia, which will air on Thursday night on Netflix back home.
It is the first showcase for a Rams organization that once again has gone all-in to play in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in February.
A team that lost to the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks in last season’s NFC championship game enjoyed a blockbuster offseason, trading for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, signing cornerback Jaylen Watson and trading for edge rusher Myles Garrett, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year.
Garrett’s goals are modest — by his standard.
“Super Bowl. Win DPOY again, obviously,” he told reporters in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “I think those are the two main things on my mind.”
The Rams and coach Sean McVay also welcomed the return of defensive lineman Aaron Donald. But the three-time defensive player of the year, who retired after the 2023 season, did not make the trip for the opener as he continues to work toward playing shape.
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Barry Melrose dies
Barry Melrose, a hockey player-turned-coach who led the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before going on to a long career in broadcasting the sport, has died. He was 70.
ESPN announced Melrose’s death Wednesday after his wife informed the network.
“From the flowing locks of his distinctive mullet to the flared lapels of his trademark long suit coats, Barry Melrose cut an unmistakable figure whenever you were fortunate enough to run into him at a rink or catch him on your television screen,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “You were even more fortunate if you engaged him in conversation or listened to his analysis because he never failed to boost your love of the game of hockey.”
Melrose stepped away from his analyst role in 2023 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Wayne Gretzky at the time said Melrose was “bigger than any team.”
Byron Scott’s trial is put on hold
From Chuck Schilken: The civil sexual assault trial of Lakers star Byron Scott is on hold after the former player and coach filed for bankruptcy last week.
Hayley Dylan has accused Scott in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting her in the summer of 1987 when she was a 15-year-old student at Campbell Hall School and he was 26 and married. The case originally was set to go to a jury trial Tuesday and then was pushed back to Oct. 12 because of a court scheduling conflict.
Now it seems the trial might be delayed further, if it even happens at all. When Scott filed for Chapter 7 protection on Friday in the United States Bankruptcy Court-Central District of California, it triggered an automatic stay of the civil case against him. The automatic stay stops state court proceedings such as Dylan’s, pending further order from the bankruptcy court, according to Ori Blumenfeld, a bankruptcy partner at Offit Kurman P.C.
Former Pac-12 Commish Larry Scott has a new gig
From Douglas Robson: The hum of this U.S. Open is a roar of commercial excess, from its soaring ticket prices and $100 caviar-topped chicken nuggets to the new luxury suites rising as part of an $800-million transformation of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But away from the din at the crammed Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, a quieter labor-management battle is unfolding over who controls the sport’s money and how much should go to players. The campaign has played out in backrooms, private hotel suites and discreet dinner tables in Midtown Manhattan. And helping orchestrate the players’ push against tennis’ most lucrative tournaments is a familiar face: Larry Scott.
Five years ago, Scott left the Pac-12 after a controversial, increasingly tumultuous tenure. A decade of ambition that initially pushed the West Coast Power Five league to the forefront of college sports had unraveled in a blizzard of criticism. Two years after his departure, the century-old conference itself began to collapse.
Angels defeat Red Sox again
Zach Neto hit a three-run homer over the Green Monster, Ryan Johnson gave up three runs over six innings and the Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 6-4 on Wednesday night to take the series.
Jose Siri added a two-run shot and Denzer Guzman a long solo homer for the Angels, who won consecutive games for the first time since taking three straight against Texas on Aug. 11-13.
Winning for just the fourth time in 15 games, the Angels won their first road series since taking two of three from Houston on Aug. 18-20.
Galaxy shut out by Vancouver
Ryan Gauld scored his 50th career goal with Vancouver and Yohei Takaoka recorded his 11th clean sheet of the season to help the Whitecaps beat the Galaxy 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Gauld is the first player in Vancouver’s MLS era to record 50 goals and 50 assists with the club.
The Galaxy (7-10-8) have posted a 2-3-1 record over their last six MLS matches.
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LAFC defeats New York
Jude Terry and Armindo Sieb each scored a goal, Hugo Lloris had his MLS-leading 12th shutout this season, and LAFC beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0 on Wednesday night to end a six-game winless streak.
The Red Bulls (7-11-6) are winless in six straight dating to a 3-2 home victory over Orlando on Aug. 1.
Lloris finished with one save for LAFC (11-7-7).
This day in sports history
1933 — Fred Perry wins his first U.S. men’s singles title with a 6-3, 11-13, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Australian Jack Crawford.
1937 — The Cleveland Rams play their first NFL game and lose 28-0 to the Detroit Lions.
1962 — Rod Laver becomes the first man since Don Budge in 1938 to win the Grand Slam beating Roy Emerson 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, at the U.S. Open. Margaret Smith becomes the first Australian woman to win the U.S. Open with a 9-7, 6-4 win over Darlene Hard.
1966 — Muhammad Ali knocks out Karl Mildenberger in the 12th round in Frankfurt, Germany, to retain his world heavyweight title.
1967 — John Newcombe beats Clark Graebner to win the men’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Assn. championships. Billie Jean King wins the singles, doubles and mixed doubles championships.
1972 — The United States men’s basketball team loses its first game in Olympic competition. The Soviet Union wins 51-50 with the help of a controversial ending. Dr. William Jones, secretary general of the International Amateur Basketball Federation, tells the referees to have the players replay the final three seconds and the Soviets score a last-second bucket. The Americans, who had the lead when the buzzer sounded the first time, protest in vain. The U.S. team later refuses to accept the silver medal.
1972 — Emerson Fittipaldi wins the Italian Grand Prix to become the youngest to win a Formula I championship. Fittipaldi, 25, wins his fifth race of the season and clinches the title with two races remaining.
1978 — Jimmy Connors becomes the only player to win the U.S. Open on three different surfaces, with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over Bjorn Borg. Connors wins the first men’s final played on the Deco Turf II courts at the new USTA National Tennis Center. Connors had won the 1974 U.S. Open on grass and the 1976 U.S. Open on clay courts.
1983 — Larry Holmes TKOs Scott Frank in 5 for heavyweight boxing title.
1988 — Steffi Graf becomes the third women to complete the Grand Slam, defeating Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the U.S. Open.
1989 — Five days after hitting a HR for Yankees in a 12-2 win over the Mariners, MLB and NFL player Deion Sanders returns a punt 68 yards for a touchdown, his first.
1989 — Indianapolis running back Eric Dickerson rushes for 106 yards against San Francisco to become the fastest player to top the 10,000 yard plateau; 91st career game.
1993 — Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez fight to a majority draw. Two judges score the fight 115-115 and the third scores the fight 115-113 for Whitaker. It’s the first blemish on Chavez’s record who was 87-0 entering the bout.
1995 — Pete Sampras wins his third U.S. Open men’s singles title, taking down the No. 1 seed and defending champion Andre Agassi, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
1995 — Fuad Reveiz of the Minnesota Vikings sets an NFL record for consecutive field goals, converting from 32 and 27 yards to give him 30 in a row.
2004 — Zippy Chippy, thoroughbred racing’s lovable loser, makes it 0-for-100 when he finishes last in an eight-horse field at the Three-County Fairgrounds in Northampton, Mass.
2006 — Roger Federer defeats Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the U.S. Open final for his third major championship this year and ninth of his career. Federer becomes the first man ever to win back-to-back Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns for three straight years.
2006 — Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts make fewer mistakes than Eli Manning and the New York Giants in the first NFL game to feature two brothers starting at quarterback. Big brother Peyton is 25-of-41 for 276 yards and a touchdown and the Colts score on five of their first seven possessions to defeat Eli and the Giants 26-21.
2012 — Andy Murray wins the U.S. Open in five grueling sets to become the first British man since 1936 to capture a Grand Slam title. Murray beats defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in his fifth try in the final of a major tournament.
2017 — Rafael Nadal wins his 16th Grand Slam title by sweeping Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the U.S. Open final.
2017 — The Rams rout the Indianapolis Colts 46-9 in 31-year-old Sean McVay’s impressive debut as the youngest head coach in modern league history.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1919 — Cleveland’s Ray Caldwell pitched a no-hitter against the New York Yankees, a 3-0 victory by the Indians in the opening game of a doubleheader.
1950 — Joe DiMaggio became the first player to hit three home runs in one game at Griffith Stadium, and the New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators 8-1.
1967 — Joe Horlen of the Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers with a 6-0 no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader.
1969 — The New York Mets swept Montreal in a doubleheader at Shea Stadium, 3-2 in 12 innings and 7-1. The victories moved the Mets into first place in the NL East for their first time on top.
1974 — Lou Brock tied Maury Wills’ single-season stolen base record in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. He broke the record with steal No. 105 in the seventh inning.
1977 — Roy Howell hit two home runs, two doubles and a single and drove in nine runs, powering Toronto past the New York Yankees 19-3.
1980 — Bill Gullickson struck out 18 — the most by a rookie — to lead the Montreal Expos past the Chicago Cubs 4-2.
1997 — Mark McGwire joined Babe Ruth as the only players in major league history with consecutive 50-homer seasons by hitting a 446-foot shot off Shawn Estes in the third inning of St. Louis’ game against at San Francisco. McGwire, who hit a major league-leading 52 homers for Oakland last season, became the first player with back-to-back 50-homer seasons since Ruth did it in 1927 and 1928.
2000 — Arizona’s Randy Johnson became the 12th player to reach 3,000 strikeouts, fanning a season-high 14 in seven innings in the Diamondbacks’ 4-3 loss to Florida in 12 innings.
2003 — St. Louis’ Tony La Russa became the eighth manager in major league history to reach 2,000 wins when the Cardinals beat Colorado 10-2. La Russa is 2,000-1,782 in 25 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and St. Louis.
2007 — Kurt Suzuki and Dan Johnson hit grand slams to power Oakland past Seattle 9-3.
2013 — Mark Trumbo matched a team record with four extra-base hits, including back-to-back home runs with Josh Hamilton, and the Angels beat Toronto 12-6.
2017 — Aaron Judge became the second major league rookie with a 40-homer season, going deep twice in New York’s 16-7 rout of the Texas Rangers 16-7.
2022 — 42-year-old Albert Pujols, who has stated many times that he will retire at the end of the season, hits his 17th homer of the year and No. 696 of his career off J.T. Brubaker of the Pirates in the 6th inning of a 7-5 Cardinals win to tie Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the all-time list.
2024 — By leading off the bottom of the first with a homer off Taj Bradley at Citizens Bank Park, Kyle Schwarber sets a new record with his 14th leadoff homer of the season. The Phillies go on to defeat the Rays, 9-4. The previous record holder was Alfonso Soriano, who had hit 13 for the 2003 Yankees.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time...
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