Connect with us

Published

on

LOS ANGELES — The first person Shohei Ohtani encountered on his way to the dugout was Teoscar Hernandez, who, amid so much newness and so much turmoil, has become quite possibly his best friend on the team. Hernandez, the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ affable corner outfielder, stood near the railing and bestowed Ohtani with the offering that awaits every teammate who homers: a face full of sunflower seeds.

Ohtani had finally broken through.

The past four months had seen Ohtani face the pressure of a $700 million contract, the transition to a new organization and, most shockingly, the uneasiness of a betting scandal that led to the firing of his longtime interpreter and closest confidant, Ippei Mizuhara. A slow start followed. But on Wednesday night, in the late stages of a 5-4 victory that solidified a sweep of the division rival San Francisco Giants, Ohtani cranked his first home run in his ninth game, a seventh-inning, 430-foot drive to right-center field.

It came on the final day of the Dodgers’ first homestand, in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 53,000 people.

For the first time as a Dodger, it seemed, Ohtani belonged.

“There certainly was some relief,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I’m certain of that.”

Ohtani, the American League’s unanimous MVP in 2021 and 2023, slashed .242/.297/.333 through his first eight games and was in the midst of his longest homerless drought to begin a season. He had previously expressed feeling slightly off with his swing. But Roberts noticed signs of him getting back in sync as Wednesday’s game played out, particularly with an opposite-field lineout in the fourth inning against left-hander Kyle Harrison.

Ohtani came up again with two outs and the Dodgers leading by only a run in the bottom of the seventh, facing another left-hander in Taylor Rogers. He waited back just enough on a 3-1 sinker up and away and pulled it 105.6 mph. It was the first home run Rogers had given up on a sinker since September 2022; he threw the pitch 346 times last season.

“Honestly, very relieved that I was able to hit my first homer,” said Ohtani, whose homerless streak extended to 18 games dating back to last season, the second-longest drought of his career. “It’s been a while, and honestly my swing hasn’t been great, so, overall, very relieved.”

Ohtani, speaking through new interpreter Will Ireton, met the woman who caught his home run and retrieved the baseball in exchange for two caps, another game-used ball and a bat.

Between Ohtani’s first two games of the season in South Korea, ESPN reported that at least $4.5 million in wire transfers had been sent from his bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation that is under federal investigation. An Ohtani spokesman and Mizuhara initially told ESPN that Ohtani sent the money to help pay off Mizuhara’s gambling debts. Mizuhara then said Ohtani had no knowledge of his debts and had not transferred the money, while Ohtani’s camp alleged a “massive theft” had taken place. Days later, on the Monday before the Dodgers’ stateside opener, Ohtani delivered a long statement in which he denied ever placing sports bets and said Mizuhara, who was promptly fired by the Dodgers, “has been stealing money” and “told lies.”

Ohtani, the biggest baseball star in the world, had already been covered feverishly in his native Japan. The salaciousness of a betting scandal amplified the noise around him, all while he was preparing for a season of grand expectations. Through that, teammates and coaches marveled at how Ohtani never let on that any of that bothered him — while admitting they had no idea what was going on internally. It’s why they all seemed so happy to see him homer.

“It was nice to see that relief off his shoulders and his face, everything,” Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said. “It’s really hard. That guy works extremely hard to be a professional and deal with everything every single day. There’s a lot of media, he’s recovering from a surgery. We ask a lot of Shohei, and for us to see him get some success — it’s always important and it’s always nice for us to see him feel comfortable in the clubhouse around the new guys. I think it’s going to be huge now that he got the first homer out of the way. Now he can just relax and play baseball.”

The Dodgers won six of seven games in their season-opening homestand and have scored at least five runs in each of their nine games in 2024. Since 1900, only the 1932 New York Yankees (13) had a streak of more than 10 five-run games to begin a season. Mookie Betts has been off to a scorching start, and Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Hernandez have all made major contributions, exemplifying the depth of the Dodgers’ lineup.

They haven’t needed Ohtani to produce.

Perhaps he will now too.

“I know everyone is saying, ‘Finally,’ but it’s still early,” said Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward, placed on the injured list because of back tightness before Wednesday’s game. “It’s still very, very early.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Suit accusing BYU QB Retzlaff of rape dismissed

Published

on

By

Suit accusing BYU QB Retzlaff of rape dismissed

A civil lawsuit accusing BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff of rape has been dismissed, according to court records.

The parties jointly agreed to dismiss with prejudice, ending the case which was filed last month. None of the parties was immediately available for comment.

Retzlaff now plans to transfer from BYU as he faces a possible seven-game suspension for violating the school’s honor code by admitting to premarital sex during the legal proceedings, sources told ESPN. He has begun informing staff and teammates of his intention to leave, sources said.

Retzlaff had been working out with the squad and participating in summer workouts and practices. The team is on break until July 7.

The BYU staff has been ramping up the preparation of the three backup quarterbacks — McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and Bear Bachmeier — in anticipation that Retzlaff might not be available.

The woman alleged Retzlaff raped, strangled and bit her in November 2023. In a response to that lawsuit filed Friday, a lawyer representing Retzlaff denied those allegations but said Retzlaff had consensual sex with the woman.

The response indicated Retzlaff and the woman traded lighthearted text messages for months after the encounter and characterized the lawsuit as an extortion attempt based on the idea that Retzlaff developed into an NFL prospect roughly a year later.

The lawsuit described the encounter much differently.

Both the complaint and the response agree that Retzlaff and the woman connected through social media, which led to her visiting Retzlaff’s apartment to play video games on or around Nov. 22, 2023. The woman arrived with a friend, and friends and teammates of Retzlaff also were present.

Later that evening, the woman’s friend left, after which Retzlaff and the woman started watching a movie and began to kiss, the lawsuit states. While “Retzlaff began escalating the situation,” the suit says, “Jane Doe A.G. tried to de-escalate the situation and attempted to slow things down, trying to pull away, and saying ‘wait.’ She did not want to do anything sexual with him.”

The lawsuit says the woman told Retzlaff “no” and “wait, stop,” but he continued to force himself on her. After she tried to get up out of the bed, the lawsuit alleges, in graphic detail, that Retzlaff put his hands around her neck and proceeded to rape her.

A few days later, the woman visited a hospital, where a rape kit was performed and pictures of her injuries were taken. The lawsuit says she was connected with Provo, Utah, police but did not initially share Retzlaff’s name.

No criminal charges have been filed against Retzlaff.

After the lawsuit was filed, BYU issued a statement, saying: “The university takes any allegation very seriously, following all processes and guidelines mandated by Title IX. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”

Retzlaff is not the first high-profile BYU athlete who faced a lengthy suspension for an honor code violation related to premarital sex. In 2011, basketball player Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team — which at the time was 27-2 and ranked No. 3 in the country — and suspended from school. He was reinstated that fall. In 1999, running back Reno Mahe was suspended from school and forced to leave the football team. He transferred to a junior college and later reenrolled at BYU.

Retzlaff, who has graduated from BYU, is expected to enter his name in the transfer portal in the coming days. He started 13 games for the Cougars in 2024, his first year as the starter, leading the team to an 11-2 record. He passed for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

Continue Reading

Sports

Pac-12 welcomes Texas St. ahead of ’26 relaunch

Published

on

By

Pac-12 welcomes Texas St. ahead of '26 relaunch

Texas State has officially joined the Pac-12, the conference announced Monday, becoming the league’s ninth member ahead of its relaunch in 2026.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State’s board of regents voted to authorize a $5 million buyout to the Sun Belt Conference early Monday. The Bobcats will remain in the Sun Belt through the 2025-26 season before joining the Pac-12 in all sports for the 2026-27 school year.

The Pac-12 needed to reach eight football-playing schools to meet the NCAA minimum for an FBS conference prior to the 2026 season.

The conference’s board of directors, which includes representatives from all current and future members, voted unanimously to admit Texas State following the university’s formal application. Texas State joins Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State and Washington State as members of the rebuilt league.

Texas State president Kelly Damphousse called the move “a historic moment” for the university.

“Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move — it is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country,” Damphousse said.

Athletic director Don Coryell echoed that sentiment, calling the opportunity “a new era” for Texas State, which has been in the Sun Belt since 2013 after making its FBS debut with one season in the WAC in 2012.

“This historic moment belongs to our coaches, staff, student-athletes, fans, alumni and students,” Coryell said. “As the Pac-12’s flagship school in Texas, we proudly embrace the opportunity and responsibility that comes with it.”

The long-awaited announcement comes on the heels of the Pac-12’s announcement last week that it had finalized a five-year agreement with CBS for a portion of the conference’s football and men’s basketball media rights, including both sports’ championship game. Additional media partners are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Texas State is located in San Marcos, which is only about 35 miles south of the University of Texas in Austin. Texas State has more than 40,000 students, with one of the 25 largest undergraduate enrollments among public universities in the U.S.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Alabama lands top 3 OLB Griffin for 2026 class

Published

on

By

Alabama lands top 3 OLB Griffin for 2026 class

Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class landed another significant late-June recruiting boost Saturday when four-star defender Xavier Griffin, ESPN’s No. 3 outside linebacker, announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide over Florida State, Ohio State and Texas.

Griffin, a versatile, 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect from Gainesville, Georgia, is the No. 30 overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300. A former longtime USC commit, Griffin took official visits with each of his finalists in June. He now stands as the top-ranked prospect among 14 commits in Alabama’s incoming class, joining days after the program secured top 300 pledges from running back Ezavier Crowell (No. 31 overall) and tight end Mack Sutter (No. 138) on Thursday night.

Griffin told ESPN that the Crimson Tide’s pedigree and vision laid out by Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson were driving factors in his decision.

“Growing up, just seeing them, all the draft picks and stuff that they’ve had — all the guys they’ve put in the league — it speaks for itself,” Griffin said. “They have history and they’re really clear about what they’re trying to build with this new staff.”

A physical defender capable of dropping into coverage, Griffin has cemented his status as one the nation’s top linebackers at Gainesville (Georgia) High School, where he’s recorded 97 total tackles and 21 sacks across his sophomore and junior seasons.

He initially committed to USC last July and remained one of the Trojans’ top prospects over next 10 months before Griffin pulled his pledge from the program on May 14. Sources told ESPN at the time that Griffin’s decommitment stemmed from his intention to schedule official visits with programs this spring, bucking against USC’s policy against committed players taking official trips to other campuses.

Upon reopening his recruitment, Griffin locked in official visits with Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas for this month, closing with a trip to the Crimson Tide from June 20-22. Despite his lengthy USC pledge, Griffin told ESPN that no program recruited him more actively than Alabama across the past two years, led by Robinson, the program’s second-year assistant.

“He’s been one of the most consistent with me throughout my whole process,” Griffin said. “He’s just a really, really good guy.”

The highest-ranked of seven ESPN 300 pledges bound for Alabama in 2026, Griffin now leads an increasingly talented Crimson Tide defensive class forming in the current cycle.

Alongside Griffin, Alabama holds commitments from top-10 cornerbacks Jorden Edmonds (No. 38 overall) and Zyan Gibson (No. 65) in 2026. Defensive end Jamarion Matthews, Griffin’s teammate at Gainesville High School and ESPN’s No. 92 overall recruit, has been pledged to the Crimson Tide since February, and Alabama’s latest defensive class could get even deeper over the next month as priority targets including top-60 prospects Jireh Edwards, Anthony Jones and Nolan Wilson approach the final stages of their recruiting processes.

Continue Reading

Trending