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Shohei Ohtani entered the 40/40 club in grand fashion Friday night, hitting a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to reach 40 home runs for the season and lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ohtani stole his 40th base earlier in the game, reaching on an infield single to lead off the fourth inning then stealing second during Freddie Freeman‘s at-bat.

He is the fastest player in major league history to reach the vaunted 40/40 mark, doing so in his 126th game of the season. Alfonso Soriano held the previous mark, reaching 40/40 in 147 games for the Washington Nationals in 2006.

Ohtani is the sixth major leaguer to reach the milestone, and the first Dodgers player.

“It’s really more about the winning,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Obviously the record is part of the process, but I think the most important thing is about winning the game.”

Friday’s blast was the first walk-off homer of Ohtani’s career and his third grand slam.

“It’s just storybook — 40/40 on the same night,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know if that’s ever been done, and then he wins it with a grand slam. He’s definitely known for the dramatics, and this was something I’ll remember for a long time.”

Ohtani’s 389-foot shot snapped a 3-3 tie. Rays center fielder Jose Siri gave chase, and the ball bounced back onto the field. Siri threw the ball into the stands, so Ohtani didn’t end up with the keepsake, according to Ohtani’s interpreter, Will Ireton.

Ohtani took a curtain call as the crowd of 45,556 stood and cheered. Teammates Miguel Rojas and Teoscar Hernandez soaked him with water on the field.

“It means a tremendous amount for me to be able to do this in front of the home crowd,” Ohtani said.

Dodgers starter Bobby Miller was in the clubhouse watching on television when Ohtani made history.

“I kind of called that one,” he said. “I was like how cool would this be just to get that 40/40 on a walk-off grand slam? He’s a really special player.”

Ohtani joins Soriano, Ronald Acuna Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco in the 40/40 club. Acuna became a member last season, when he belted 41 homers and stole 73 bases.

Ohtani is on pace to be the first player with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season in MLB history, according to ESPN Stats & Information. No player has had 45 homers and 45 steals in a season.

After never making the postseason in his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani finds himself in a pennant race with the National League West-leading Dodgers.

“The No. 1 goal is to get to the postseason and win the World Series,” he said. “Whatever the outcome is for my record, that’s part of the process.”

Ohtani’s 12 stolen bases in August without being caught are the most in a month by a Dodgers player since Rafael Furcal was 12-for-12 in September and October 2007.

“I know that he’s taking very good care of his legs to be able to do it and be that dynamic player,” Roberts said. “He’s doing his homework on opposing pitchers, and he’s getting great jumps. He’s a much better base stealer. He’s very efficient.”

Roberts noted that earlier in the season and going back to when the Dodgers faced the Angels, Ohtani was tentative on the basepaths and his stolen base percentage wasn’t high.

“He’s an elite base stealer with a high success rate,” the manager said. “I’m sure there’ll be more dramatics to come.”

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge leads the majors with 49 homers. He’s favored to win AL MVP honors with Ohtani predicted to do the same in the NL.

“I just don’t see anyone any better,” Roberts said. “Obviously Judge is in the conversation, but man, I’d take Shohei.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.

Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York YankeesAaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.

Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.

Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.

Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.

Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.

He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.

Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.

Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.

A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.

Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.

Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.

Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.

Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.

The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.

Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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