AP Sports

Ohtani keeps showing a flair for the dramatic during his historic 1st season with the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani keeps showing a flair for the dramatic during his historic first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Japanese superstar is now the only player in Major League history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. He did it with his first career three-run homer game, his first six-hit game and a franchise and career-record 10 RBIs in Miami on Thursday. Now Ohtani and the Dodgers are back home Friday where he will resume trying to top himself. The Dodgers clinched their 12th consecutive postseason berth and are looking to wrap up the NL West title soon. It’ll be the first time Ohtani has played October baseball in the United States.

Japan celebrates as Ohtani becomes the first major leaguer to reach 50-50 milestone

TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s feat of becoming the first major leaguer with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season was met with extra editions of newspapers for fans to read on their way to work. Ohtani raced past the 50-50 milestone as he hit three homes and stole two bases in a game during the 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Thursday, securing a playoff berth for the Dodgers. The news topped morning headlines, and “Ohtani-san” was the No. 1 trending topic of social media platform X.

Joel Embiid signs a 3-year, $193 million contract extension with the 76ers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid has signed a contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers, keeping him with the franchise through the 2028-29 season. The NBA All-Star and the 76ers reached a three-year, $193 million extension with a player option for the 2028-2029 season, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not yet been announced. Embiid broke his own news early Friday morning when he posted a photo on Instagram of him signing a contract alongside team owner Josh Harris.

A’ja Wilson set records. So did Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. WNBA stats in 2024 were eye-popping

A’ja Wilson had a season like none other in WNBA history. Caitlin Clark set records and made the Indiana Fever the biggest draw in the women’s game. Angel Reese rebounded like nobody the league has ever seen. The WNBA regular season is over and the stat sheets were filled like never before. Lots of records like most points, most rebounds, most assists, even most people at a game all fell during the WNBA’s 28th regular season.

Hotter summers are making high school football a fatal game for some players

BRANDON, Mississippi (AP) — The beginning of high school football season has seen a string of deaths. Players are most at risk in the late summer months of August and September of suffering heat-related illnesses due to searing temperatures and high humidity. Those conditions have worsened in recent decades due to climate change. Fifty-eight players have died from exertional heat stroke between 1992 and 2024, according to the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, and thousands more are sickened each year. This summer has been especially bad, with five high school players dying since July of suspected heat-related illnesses.

Jets’ offense is clicking with Aaron Rodgers feeling and playing like himself again

Aaron Rodgers had the type of performance the New York Jets envisioned when they acquired him last year. The star quarterback was calm, cool and dominant while leading the Jets to a 24-3 rout of the New England Patriots on Thursday night. And Rodgers said he’s only now starting to feel like himself again. The Jets had 400 yards and 27 first downs, thoroughly outperforming the Patriots in the home opener on a night when everything was clicking. Coach Robert Saleh said Friday there’s nothing fluky about how the offense has performed and it will only get better.

Analysis: Injuries already piling up, forcing teams to turn to the next man up

Injuries already are accruing across the NFL, knocking several star players out and forcing teams to turn to backups and reserves. Everyone has to be ready because “one play away” is more reality than a cliche in football. The best teams at the end of the season often are the ones who have the depth to overcome injuries early on. The inactives read like a Pro Bowl roster. Russell Wilson hasn’t made his debut for Pittsburgh because of a calf injury sustained in the preseason. Jordan Love went down with a knee injury in Green Bay’s season opener. Miami lost Tua Tagovailoa for at least four games and possibly longer after he suffered his fourth concussion in five years.

Many players who made their MLB debuts in 2020 felt like they were ‘missing out’

Nearly half of the 212 players who made their MLB debuts during the pandemic-altered 2020 season are still playing or have been in the big leagues this year. There have been 17 players from that class that became All-Stars, six for the first time this season. But there are also 24 players who after making their debuts never got back to the majors after that season to play a game with fans in the stands. Boston Red Sox All-Star pitcher Tanner Houck feels blessed to have been part of the group that got to continue to play in the big leagues after such a weird year.

Max Verstappen punished for swearing in F1 news conference

SINGAPORE (AP) — Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has been punished for swearing in a news conference in which he argued against greater restrictions on drivers swearing. Stewards ruling for the sport’s governing body, the FIA, decided Verstappen should “accomplish some work of public interest.” The details must be agreed with the FIA. Verstappen used an expletive Thursday to describe his car’s performance in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the week before. The ruling comes after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem criticized the amount of swearing. Verstappen argued against “putting bans on drivers” for swearing.

Why does Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 feat resonate so much in baseball?

Among the roughly 23,000 men who played played Major League Baseball over the past century-and-a-half, none had a season with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases — until now. Shohei Ohtani became the first 50-50 player on Thursday when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his 50th and 51st home runs and stole his 50th and 51st bases.