Boone to Soto: Don’t defer to Yankees veterans
-
David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Writer
On the eve of the New York Yankees‘ season opener at Minute Maid Park against the Houston Astros, manager Aaron Boone had a simple directive for his new slugger: It’s your team, too.
Asked how Juan Soto will fit into a team with Aaron Judge as the acknowledged superstar and Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton entrenched as veteran leaders, Boone said on a Zoom call with reporters Wednesday, “My message to him is: It’s his clubhouse, too, and we want to learn and grow from you and want you to feel empowered to say and do whatever you feel like you need to do.”
Acquired from the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster offseason trade, Soto brings his powerful bat, elite on-base ability and Soto Shuffle to a lineup that struggled to score runs in 2023. With the Padres, there were reports during the season as the team’s playoff hopes slowly disintegrated that some of the egos in the San Diego clubhouse — Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. — had clashed, although Soto denied it late in the season.
“Look, anytime you’re a player coming over to a team for the first time, I’m sure you’re toeing the water a little bit, getting a feel for everything,” Boone said. “I do feel like the team from a bonding standpoint has come together really well this spring in short order. I would include Juan in that. He seems very comfortable, he seems happy. I think our leaders do a great job of making guys feel at home. From a leadership and what kind of vocal role he takes, that probably still remains to be seen.”
After a hot start to spring training, with three home runs in his first four games, Soto scuffled a bit toward the end. During the team’s trip to Mexico to wrap up spring training, Soto stayed behind in Tampa, Florida, at the team’s training facility to work on his swing.
“He didn’t get a ton of results here the last couple of weeks, which I often think with a hitter of his caliber isn’t such a bad thing from a timing standpoint,” Boone said. “Every hitter goes through little lulls at different points in the season, so hoping he got that out of the way here, but I think he’s ready to roll. He’s in a great mental state and I can’t wait to watch him go out and tear up the Bronx.”
The Yankees missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016, putting Boone, the team’s skipper since 2018, squarely on the hot seat as the manager most likely to be fired first, according to oddsmakers.
“I’m here to try to win the World Series. All of my energy and all of my focus is on trying to help us be the best possible team we can be and our goal is to be a world champion,” Boone said. “I don’t look at like, ‘This has to happen for me to save my job.’ I’m in competition mode.'”
The season kicks off a series with a tough seven-game road trip to Houston and Arizona — and without the injured Gerrit Cole and DJ LeMahieu. In LeMahieu’s absence, Boone said Gleyber Torres will hit leadoff on Opening Day with Soto and Judge hitting second and third.
-
Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
Boston and Florida turned up the heat in Game 2 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Wednesday with a heavyweight bout between stars Matthew Tkachuk and David Pastrnak.
The visiting Bruins — who entered with a 1-0 series lead — were trailing 6-1 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period when top winger Pastrnak and Panthers forward Tkachuk dropped the gloves in an uncharacteristic fight that Pastrnak was ready to accept when Tkachuk agreed to the challenge.
“I’m not afraid of him, to be honest,” Pastrnak said. “I can take a punch.”
The fisticuffs actually appeared to be approved by Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. Cameras showed Montgomery seemingly giving Pastrnak the nod to mix it up with Tkachuk shortly before the two went after one another.
Montgomery denied he offered explicit permission, but he wasn’t upset over Pastrnak getting physical in the Bruins’ eventual 6-1 loss that tied the series as it moves to Boston for Game 3 on Friday.
“I’m really proud of Pasta,” Montgomery said. “He just went out there and fought. You like your hockey players to be competitors.”
What Montgomery didn’t appreciate was the added hits he thought Tkachuk got in as Pastrnak went to the ice.
“That’s not part of the game to me,” Montgomery said.
For his part, Florida coach Paul Maurice felt the scrap was a positive.
“I thought it was awesome,” Maurice said.
Both Tkachuk and Pastrnak received penalties for fighting and a game misconduct. But as Pastrnak blatantly admitted after the final whistle, “The game was over.”
It was a difficult night all around for Boston, which sustained its most lopsided loss of the postseason. The Bruins started well, with Charlie Coyle offering them a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. But it was all Florida from there, as the Panthers scored six unanswered goals to secure their first victory of the series.
Boston had been enjoying sensational goaltending by Jeremy Swayman throughout the playoffs — he entered Game 2 with a 5-2 record, .955 save percentage and 1.42 goals against average — but Montgomery pulled Swayman early in the third after he allowed the fourth Panthers goal. Swayman, who hadn’t given up more than two goals in a playoff contest to that point, was replaced by Linus Ullmark in his first action since Game 2 of Boston’s first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Montgomery didn’t think the downturn had to do with Swayman, though, as much as the Bruins having played their starter in six of seven games through a first-round series that ended Saturday and again in Monday’s Game 1 — during which Swayman was exceptional in making 38 stops in the win.
“The workload played into our effort tonight,” Montgomery said. “We didn’t have juice tonight. Swayman was terrific. I thought about taking him out at 3-1, and then when the fourth goal went in, I was like, ‘I’m taking him out now.'”
Ullmark finished with eight saves on 10 shots to Swayman’s 19 stops of 23 shots.
It has been the Bruins’ habit not to announce a starting goaltender prior to games in the postseason. It’s unlikely Montgomery will break with tradition prior to Game 3.
-
Paula Lavigne, ESPN Investigative Reporter
Ippei Mizuhara agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to federal charges of felony bank fraud and submitting a false tax return after authorities found that he stole nearly $17 million from Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in order to pay off gambling debts to an illegal sportsbook.
Mizuhara, 39, who had been Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, is expected to enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
A sentencing date has not been set. The total maximum sentence Mizuhara could receive for both crimes would be 33 years imprisonment and fines of $1.25 million, but in exchange for his plea — outlined in the agreement released Wednesday — prosecutors would recommend a reduced sentence.
A spokesperson for Ohtani declined to comment.
Federal authorities filed the complaint against Mizuhara on April 11, just three weeks after an ESPN investigation detailing wire transfers of $500,000 from Ohtani’s bank account to the bookmaking operation. Mizuhara initially told ESPN Ohtani had sent the money to help him pay his debts but later changed his story to say Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling or the wire transfers. Ohtani’s attorneys alleged the slugger had been the victim of a “massive theft.”
“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a press release. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.”
Also in the statement, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher said, “Mr. Mizuhara exploited his relationship with Mr. Ohtani to bankroll his own irresponsibility.”
The documents filed Wednesday further detailed a relationship of trust in which Ohtani, who did not speak English, relied on his Japanese translator to help him with everything from answering questions at press conferences, transacting with financial advisors and sports agents, and opening bank accounts.
Mizuhara began placing bets with an illegal bookmaker in September 2021, and as his losses quickly mounted, he began to exploit his access to Ohtani’s financial accounts to pay off his debts.
Mizuhara took many steps to deceive Ohtani, including changing contact information on the baseball player’s bank accounts so communication would come to Mizuhara. He even impersonated Ohtani on the phone with calls to the bank, which he did at least 24 times, according to the plea agreement.
In September 2023, Mizuhara told Ohtani he needed $60,000 for dental work, which Ohtani arrange to give him via a check drawn from a business account. However, Mizuhara pocketed that money and instead used Ohtani’s debit card to pay the $60,000 dental bill.
ESPN’s Tisha Thompson contributed to this report.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment12 months agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports6 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports1 month agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Environment1 year agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company