Connect with us

Published

on

LOS ANGELES — Chris Woodward has been named first-base coach by the Dodgers, marking his second stint on manager Dave Roberts’ staff.

The Dodgers made the announcement Friday night. Woodward was the Dodgers’ first-base coach from 2016 to 2018 before leaving to take over as manager of the Texas Rangers.

Woodward fills the opening created after former first-base coach Clayton McCullough recently became manager of the Miami Marlins.

Woodward had a 211-287 record in nearly four seasons with the Rangers. He has been a senior adviser on the Dodgers’ major league and player development staff for the past two seasons.

Dodgers executive vice president and general manager Brandon Gomes said Woodward will take over baserunning and infield responsibilities with third-base coach Dino Ebel shifting to outfield duties.

Continue Reading

Sports

Harris return short-lived as Ole Miss WR exits

Published

on

By

Harris return short-lived as Ole Miss WR exits

Ole Miss standout receiver Tre Harris aggravated an injury in the first half at Florida on Saturday and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, a 24-17 Gators win.

Harris initially injured his hip/groin area against LSU on Oct. 12. He returned against Florida, only to go down after a catch late in the second quarter.

During the broadcast, ABC’s Molly McGrath reported it was an aggravation of the original injury.

Harris was seen in street clothes on the sideline to start the second half. He had one catch for 43 yards and a touchdown before exiting.

Harris came into the game as one of the top receivers in the nation, leading the No. 9 Rebels with 987 yards and six touchdowns.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ward breaks Kosar’s season passing yards record

Published

on

By

Ward breaks Kosar's season passing yards record

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Another week, another pair of records for Miami quarterback Cam Ward, breaking 40-year-old marks by Bernie Kosar in both cases.

Ward, Miami’s Heisman Trophy contender who already holds the Hurricanes’ single-season record for touchdown passes and is on pace to break the school mark for completion percentage, on Saturday eclipsed Kosar’s school records for both passing yards in a season and completions in a season in the Hurricanes’ 42-14 win over Wake Forest.

Ward completed 27 of 38 passes for 280 yards, plus ran for a score. Ward now has 3,774 yards on 268 completions this season. Kosar threw for 3,642 yards on 262 completions in 1984.

Ward’s 13-yard completion to Damien Martinez with 1:27 left in the second quarter gave him 3,643 yards for the season. Kosar’s mark of 3,642 yards was set in 1984.

Later Saturday, Ward threw a 15-yard pass to Xavier Restrepo for his 263rd completion of the year, topping Kosar’s mark of 262, also set in 1984.

“Congrats #CamWard,” Kosar posted on social media. “U R Awesome.”

Ward is on pace to break Miami’s single-season completion percentage mark of 65.8% set last year by Tyler Van Dyke. He also is on pace to top the Miami career mark (among those with at least 300 attempts) of 64.3% set by D’Eriq King in 2020 and 2021.

Continue Reading

Sports

Judge giving Soto space amid free agency frenzy

Published

on

By

Judge giving Soto space amid free agency frenzy

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge is one of the few people on Earth who can relate to Juan Soto‘s current situation. Two years ago, Judge was the free agent superstar clubs across the majors coveted. Eventually, he chose to return to the New York Yankees. Now it’s Soto’s turn.

In a conference call with reporters Friday, after unanimously winning the American League MVP award Thursday night, Judge said he hopes Soto makes the same choice and returns to the Bronx. Judge is not, however, actively recruiting his All-Star teammate.

“I haven’t talked to him at all. I think the best thing is to really give those guys space,” Judge said. “And I talked to him all season. He knows how we feel about him. And I think the most important thing is now let him do his thing with his family, pray about it, talk with people and come to the right decision for him and his family. So I haven’t talked to him at all.”

Soto met with Yankees officials, a group that included owner Hal Streinbrenner, general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone, in California on Monday. Two days later, Steinbrenner called it “a good meeting” with “very honest back-and-forth dialogue.” Soto has also met with the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

While Judge said he hasn’t spoken with Soto, he disclosed that he has met with Steinbrenner to discuss Soto and other possible offseason moves.

“I went down to Tampa for about a week kind of right after the season and met with him and just discussed a lot of things,” Judge said. “From Juan to other guys that are out there that I think could definitely help this team. So, you know, I kind of just give my input on a couple of things.”

Judge partnered with Soto to become one of the most productive duos in recent baseball history. While Judge recorded arguably the greatest season by a right-handed hitter ever, Soto clubbed a career-high 41 home runs with a .989 OPS. His 8.1 fWAR ranked fourth in the majors.

That production helped the Yankees win 94 games and the American League East title after missing the postseason in 2023. He then shined in October, batting .327 with four home runs and a 1.102 OPS in 14 postseason games. His go-ahead three-run home run in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series sent the Yankees to the World Series. Six days later, the Yankees played Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Soto’s 26th birthday.

It was a platform year impending free agents dream of. And it drove Soto’s price — already projected to be historic coming off his age-25 season — to another bracket. With several big-market teams interested, Soto could command a contract approaching, if not surpassing, $600 million. He will surely sign a contract larger than the nine-year, $360 million deal Judge and the Yankees landed on two years ago. Judge said that doesn’t matter to him.

“It ain’t my money,” Judge said. “I really don’t care as long as we get the best players, we get the most that we can. I’m with whatever. That’s never been something on my mind about who gets paid the most. It’s just whatever we can do to get the best players, I’ll take it.”

Losing Soto after one season was a risk the Yankees assumed when they decided to trade five players to the San Diego Padres for Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham last December to give Judge the ideal complement — an elite, patient, left-handed hitter who posts every day. He performed as advertised — and then some — in helping the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time in 15 years and becoming a fan favorite, which would make his possible defection a tougher blow before the season started.

Soto hit second in the Yankees order, one spot ahead of Judge. All season, Judge marveled at Soto’s at-bats. His approach. His flair. His relentlessness. On Friday, he again credited Soto for directly helping him register his historic season by constantly making pitchers work.

“That was a big impact, having a guy like that in front of you,” Judge said. “If I could have eight Juan Sotos in the lineup with me, I would love that.”

The Yankees would settle for one.

Continue Reading

Trending