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LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani unleashed a mighty swing and flung his bat just as ferociously. For a brief moment, before making his way up the first-base line to commemorate his two-out, game-tying three-run homer in Saturday’s second inning, he even sauntered.

“I could really feel the intensity of the stadium before the game began,” Ohtani said through an interpreter, “and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

With one swing, Ohtani somehow met the enormous hype he carried into his postseason debut. And through nine innings, the buzz that surrounded a National League Division Series showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres lived up to its billing. It finished with a 7-5 Dodgers win in Game 1 in front of a sold-out crowd. Before that, there were lead changes and early runs, defensive gems and critical errors, tense jams and constant electricity.

The first jolt was provided by Ohtani.

“I don’t even try to explain him anymore,” Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen said. “Just watch and enjoy.”

Ohtani’s homer — a 118 mph line drive to right field on an elevated fastball by Padres right-hander Dylan Cease — came an inning after Manny Machado‘s two-run shot gave San Diego an early three-run lead.

After Xander Bogaerts gave the Padres the lead again on a third-inning two-run double, the Dodgers came back again in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with one out then jumping ahead on a wild pitch and a two-run single by Teoscar Hernandez.

A Dodgers bullpen that will be relied on heavily given the team’s starting-pitching woes took it from there. Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Treinen relieved a wobbly Yoshinobu Yamamoto and combined for six scoreless innings, walking four batters but scattering two hits.

The Padres made it interesting against Treinen in the ninth, putting runners on first and second with two outs to bring up Machado, whose throwing error paved the way for an insurance run in the fifth inning. With the count 1-2, Treinen unleashed a devastating sweeper that sailed way outside and past Machado’s bat for a game-ending strikeout.

“I talked about this for a few weeks: We need to fight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And that’s what we did tonight.”

The Dodgers have experienced major heartbreak the past two Octobers, earning first-round byes only to get eliminated in the NLDS by division rivals they thoroughly outplayed during the regular season. They went into this year’s postseason seeking a certain edge that can carry them against a Padres team that is healthier and more well-rounded, and the Dodgers received it from an assortment of players in Game 1.

It came from Treinen, who was asked to record five outs for the first time all year and delivered. It came from veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas, who played through a tear in an adductor muscle and made a nifty, over-the-shoulder catch with the Padres threatening in the eighth inning. It came from Gavin Lux, who recorded the second out of the ninth inning with a sprawling catch on a Luis Arraez liner. And it came from Freddie Freeman, who contributed two hits and a stolen base despite serious doubts about whether he would be able to play.

“I was told there was a 1% chance that Freddie was going to be able to play,” said Max Muncy, who would have replaced Freeman at first base. “I didn’t believe that.”

Freeman sprained his right ankle Sept. 26 and spent the next eight days fighting to play in the postseason. When he spoke to the media Friday afternoon, he said the ankle was “good enough” to start in Game 1. But Freeman said he “woke up feeling sore.” He told his oldest son, Charlie, on Saturday morning that he probably wouldn’t play then arrived at Dodger Stadium early and went through four hours of treatment.

Roughly three hours before game time, Freeman navigated through light defense and baserunning work on the field then went inside, hit off one of the Dodgers’ high-velocity pitching machines and inserted himself into the lineup.

“I don’t think anybody expected him to play,” Rojas said. “It was a borderline miracle.”

Ohtani’s performance has been nothing short of miraculous in recent weeks. It began Sept. 19, when he went 6-for-6 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases in the game that saw him clinch his first playoff berth and become the first member of the 50/50 club. Ohtani proceeded to navigate a 10-game run that saw him post a 1.853 OPS to finish the regular season. He struggled early on with runners in scoring position then slashed .577/.633/1.308 in that situation in September, at a time when the Dodgers’ division lead seemed in jeopardy.

To Dodgers players and coaches, it provided a snapshot for how Ohtani might handle his first taste of October. Then he delivered in his second at-bat, becoming the third player — along with Brooks Robinson in 1966 and Giancarlo Stanton in 2018 — to homer in his postseason debut.

“He injected an absolute lightning bolt into the stadium,” Muncy said of Ohtani. “And from then on it was like, ‘All right, we got this. We’re good.'”

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White Abarrio wins $3 million Pegasus World Cup

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White Abarrio wins  million Pegasus World Cup

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — White Abarrio won the $3 million Pegasus World Cup with a dominant performance at Gulfstream on Saturday.

He ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.05 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who earned his third career Pegasus victory.

Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, White Abarrio paid $7.60, $3.80 and $3.

Locked returned $3.20 and $2.40, while Skippylongstocking paid $4.40.

White Abarrio hit the apex of his career in 2023, when he won the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic as well as the Whitney at Saratoga for trainer Rick Dutrow. The horse won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream in 2022.

The horse had been transferred when his Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was barred from racing at Churchill Downs and in New York after two of his horses died suddenly 48 hours apart in races at Churchill in the weeks leading up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

White Abarrio’s owners wanted to run him in the Met Mile at Belmont, so they chose the New York-based Dutrow to oversee him. The horse went back to Joseph’s barn in June 2024.

“Today he was spectacular,” a teary-eyed Joseph said. “I’m just thankful.”

In the $1 million Pegasus Turf, Spirit of St Louis edged Integration by a neck.

The 6-year-old gelding ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:44.50, just off the track record of 1:44.45 set by last year’s winner Warm Heart. He paid $17.80 to win at 7-1 odds.

Spirit of St Louis was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and trained by Chad Brown, who won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding trainer earlier in the week.

Chasing the Crown was third.

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Sanders unsure if he will throw at NFL combine

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Sanders unsure if he will throw at NFL combine

FRISCO, Texas — Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders said Saturday he is unsure if he will throw at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis next month.

Sanders is attending the East-West Shrine Bowl but will not participate in practice or in the game Thursday. He was at the West team’s first practice at the University of North Texas on Saturday morning but stood on the field, watching the other prospects.

While Sanders won’t conduct any on-field work at the Shrine Bowl, he reiterated his belief that he’s worthy of being the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He has been training in the Dallas area with former Miami‘s Cam Ward, another top quarterback prospect in this year’s draft.

“We changed the program at Jackson [State University],” Sanders said. “We went to Colorado, changed the program. And we did everything people didn’t think we were able to do. So, that’s why I know I’m the most guaranteed risk you can take.”

Sanders met with multiple teams Friday, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, who hold the first three picks in the draft, respectively. The Titans met with Sanders for 45 minutes.

“I like that I’m able to get in the forefront of everything and they’re able to understand me and ask me whatever questions they want,” Sanders said. “I’m not ducking. I ain’t hiding. I’m right here, live in the flesh and able to answer whatever questions are out there.”

While Sanders is confident in his worthiness as the first overall pick, he said he would be “thankful for whatever situation and whoever drafts me. I know I’ll be able to change their program.”

Asked what he will bring to a team, Sanders smiled and said, “A lot of wins.”

Shedeur’s older brother Shilo, a safety, is also in Texas for the game. Colorado is also represented by wide receivers Will Sheppard, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr. and cornerback Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.

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Mets’ Cohen: Alonso negotiations ‘exhausting’

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Mets' Cohen: Alonso negotiations 'exhausting'

NEW YORK — The New York Mets held their first winter event for fans in five years at Citi Field on Saturday, and there was one notable absence. Pete Alonso wasn’t in attendance because, for the first time since the 2016 draft, he isn’t a member of the Mets’ organization.

The homegrown star first baseman remains a free agent and, though a reunion remains possible, he might have played his last game as a Met.

Owner Steve Cohen bluntly said as much Saturday after taking the stage for a fireside chat with fans to chants of “We want Pete!”

“Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation,” Cohen explained. “I mean, [Juan Soto’s negotiation] was tough. This is worse. A lot of it is, we’ve made a significant offer. I don’t like the structures that are being presented back to us. I think it’s highly asymmetric against us and I feel strongly about it.”

Alonso, along with third baseman Alex Bregman, is one of the two best position players left on the free agent market. The first baseman, who is represented by Scott Boras, originally sought a long-term deal, but he is open to returning to the Mets on a three-year contract and the Mets have been open to such a deal, according to a source. The obstacle has been money.

“I will never say no,” Cohen said. “There’s always the possibility. But the reality is we’re moving forward and we continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have and that’s where we are.

“I’m being brutally honest. I don’t like the negotiations. I don’t like what’s being presented to us. Maybe that changes. I’ll always stay flexible. But if it stays this way, I think we’re going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”

The Mets recently re-signed outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker to a one-year, $7.5 million contract and added left-handed reliever A.J. Minter on a two-year, $22 million deal. They’ve also signed Soto (15 years, $765 million), Sean Manaea (three years, $75 million), Clay Holmes (three years, $38 million), and Frankie Montas (two years, $34 million), among other moves, this winter.

Preparing for life without Alonso, the Mets recently instructed third basemen Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to work out at first base. Vientos and Baty both confirmed the organization’s request Saturday.

“We all love Pete, and we’ve said that many times,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “And I think, as we’ve gone through this process, we’ve continued to express that. We also understand that this is a business and Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right and earned the privilege, really, to see what’s out there. We also feel really good about the young players who are coming through our system who have the ability to play at the major-league level.”

Vientos, 25, enjoyed a breakout season as one of the best hitters in the National League after solidifying himself as the Mets’ every-day third baseman in May and helping fuel the team’s run to the NL Championship Series. Baty, a former top prospect, was the club’s opening day third baseman last season. He struggled after a hot start before he was demoted to Triple-A and didn’t return to the majors.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also named veterans Jared Young and Joey Meneses, both of whom signed this winter, as other options at first base if Alonso doesn’t return.

“Pete’s been here since I’ve been here,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has starred for the franchise since 2021. “He was here before me. So, yeah, it would be different if he goes somewhere else. Yeah, it would be different. But I think he should take his time. I think he should make the best decision for himself and not feel that he’s rushed.”

Alonso, 30, became a fan favorite while becoming a franchise cornerstone over his six seasons in Queens. He’s hit 226 home runs since making his major-league debut — the second-highest total in baseball behind only Aaron Judge. His 53 home runs in 2019 set a rookie record. He’s been a reliable everyday presence; he’s never missed more than nine games in a season and played in all 178 games, postseason included, in 2024. He’s made four All-Star teams and won the Home Run Derby twice.

But he rates as a poor defender and baserunner whose offensive production has declined over the last three seasons, creating a free-agent market that hasn’t been as fruitful as projected when he declined a seven-year, $158 million contract extension in 2023.

“Listen, he’s a special player,” Hall of Famer and former Mets catcher Mike Piazza said Saturday. “Guys that can hit 40 home runs are not walking on the street. So when he’s really in his game, he’s a special player. I hope, from a personal standpoint, I hope they work something out.”

Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the longest-tenured player on the roster after debuting in 2016, signed an eight-year, $162 million contract to remain with the Mets two offseasons ago. Like Alonso, Boras is his agent. Unlike Alonso, he reached a resolution in December, not with spring training around the corner.

“I would love to see Pete back with us, but I also understand that I don’t make those decisions,” Nimmo said. “And that’s between Pete and our front office and David [Stearns] and Steve [Cohen]. And from what I understand, there’s been a lot of talks between them. I’m still hopeful that we’ll sign him.”

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