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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With Michigan‘s 34-3 win over Nebraska on Saturday, the Wolverines have started the season 10-0 for just the third time since 1975.

The last time Michigan was undefeated through its first 10 games was 2006 under Lloyd Carr, and before that was 1997, when the team won the national championship along with the Huskers.

It’s a long way from where the Wolverines were after the 2020 season, after they went 2-4 and there were questions of whether or not Jim Harbaugh would continue coaching at Michigan.

“Just going 1-0, that’s what we’re trying to do each week. Really proud, I’m really proud of the team. I mean, the players are the ones that deserve the most credit,” Harbaugh said after the game. “I mean, they’ve worked so darn hard and it’s such a real tight-knit group, it’s fun. It’s a joyful, happy ride that we’re on.

“It’s a mission but it’s a happy mission. Not one that has any anxiety or any anger or any kind of fear to it. It’s a happy ride.”

Harbaugh guided the Wolverines to a 11-1 record in 2021, losing to Michigan State, and a Big Ten championship win over Iowa. Michigan was able to avenge that loss to the Spartans this season and is now on a collision course with rival Ohio State. It could be the first time the teams are both undefeated for The Game since 2006, when Ohio State was ranked No. 1 and Michigan No. 2.

The Wolverines have to play Illinois first, and Ohio State will play Maryland before the Nov. 26 matchup in Columbus, and Michigan isn’t looking past the Illini just yet.

For the Wolverines, there are still questions on offense surrounding the pass game, but a big part of the team’s success has been on the ground with running back Blake Corum. The junior back had 162 yards and a touchdown against the Huskers and is just the third Big Ten player over the past 15 seasons to run for at least one touchdown in each of his team’s first 10 games.

Corum has had seven straight games with 100 or more rush yards and a touchdown, which is the longest streak by a Michigan player over the past 25 years. He had 28 attempts in the game against Nebraska, and despite the heavy workload, Corum says he’s more than capable of continuing through the last two games.

“I could play a whole another season. No, but, you know, I’m good, I’m feeling great,” Corum said. “I feel that I just continue to get better. You know, I treat my body really good.”

Corum’s longest run on the day was just 12 yards, but he still managed to average 5.8 yards per carry and gave credit to the entire offense for the success on the ground. “They’re definitely packing the box, 100%. but I have the best offensive line in the country. They dominate up front, my tight ends dominate, receivers dominate, so when everyone’s dominating, it allows me to have success and find those matchups and just really run hard,” Corum said. “Like today, there was no long ones, but it was gritty. It was gritty for sure. You know, a lot of runs in the middle and a lot of success.”

That success has propelled Michigan to another win and a 10-0 season. It isn’t over yet, and the Wolverines aren’t celebrating, but it has given Harbaugh a chance to reflect on the time and effort his team has put in to turn the program around to get to this point.

“So much hard work has gone into the team being undefeated. So many guys have just done so much, worked so hard,” Harbaugh said. “Some guys have been banged up along the way. So, a lot of hard work has gone in and we want to keep it going. It was important for them to keep this undefeated streak, this win streak going.”

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

MILWAUKEE — Shohei Ohtani greeted Jacob Misiorowski with a leadoff homer, but the Milwaukee Brewers‘ rookie phenom got the last word.

After giving up Ohtani’s 431-foot blast, Misiorowski responded with another dominant outing. He struck out a career-high 12 batters — including two-way superstar Ohtani in the third inning — to lead the Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

“It’s Shohei Ohtani,” Misiorowski said. “You kind of expect [that]. It’s cool to see him do it in action, but it fires me up even more coming back the next at-bat and striking him out. I’m right there. I think it was a moment of like, ‘OK, now we go.'”

Misiorowski, whose fastball routinely tops 100 mph, threw an 88.2 mph curveball on an 0-2 count to Ohtani, who crushed it for his 31st homer. That’s the most by a Dodgers player before the All-Star break.

It was the 21st career leadoff homer for the three-time MVP, who struck out swinging on a curveball in the third and walked to start the sixth. That was the only walk given up by Misiorowski, who scattered four hits.

“Really good stuff, aggressive in the zone,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But what really stood out to me was his command and control.”

Misiorowski outdueled three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who surpassed 3,000 career strikeouts in his previous outing. Asked Monday about his matchup with Misiorowski, Kershaw said he only knew that the 6-foot-7 right-hander threw hard.

“I know him now, huh?” Kershaw said Tuesday. “That was super impressive. That was unbelievable. It was really special. Everything. Obviously the velo, but he’s got four pitches, commands the ball. I don’t know how you hit that, honestly. That’s just really tough.”

Misiorowski was glad to get Kershaw’s attention.

“I saw something online that he didn’t now who I was, so I hope he knows me now,” Misiorowski said. “It’s kind of cool.”

In five starts since the Brewers called him up from the minors, Misiorowski has already beaten Kershaw and 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. In another outing, Misiorowski carried a perfect game into the seventh inning.

“He’s just broken the shell,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s just out of the egg, all arms and legs. He’s still got gooey stuff coming off, you can see it, all arms and legs, but there’s something special about him.”

The numbers would indicate as much. Misiorowski is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA and has given up only 12 hits in 25⅔ innings.

He topped out at 101.6 mph and threw 20 pitches of at least 100 on Tuesday. He also threw 19 curveballs after using curves only 10% of the time before Tuesday.

He was coming off his only shaky performance, giving up five runs — including a grand slam by Brandon Nimmo — and three walks over 3⅔ innings Wednesday in a 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.

It looked as if it might be more of the same after Ohtani went deep. Misiorowski responded by striking out 12 of the next 16 batters.

“I think that’s my job, is to figure it out on the fly,” he said. “I feel like I did it tonight.”

He got out of a jam in the sixth. The Dodgers trailed 2-1 and had runners on second and third with one out, but third baseman Andruw Monasterio fielded a grounder and threw out Ohtani at the plate, and Misiorowski retired Michael Conforto on a grounder.

Misiorowski pumped his fist as he headed toward the dugout, then watched the Brewers’ bullpen nail down the win.

“It’s so satisfying,” Misiorowski said. “It’s just a dream come true, to do what I did.”

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Giants walk off on Bailey’s inside-the-park homer

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Giants walk off on Bailey's inside-the-park homer

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

Bailey became just the third catcher in MLB history to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run, joining the Chicago Cubs’ Pat Moran in 1907 and the Washington Nationals’ Bennie Tate in 1926.

Bailey’s homer would have been an outside-the-park home run in 29 of 30 ballparks, with Oracle Park being the exception.

Mike Yastrzemski reached base twice and scored to help the Giants to their sixth win in seven games.

Casey Schmitt began the rally with a leadoff double. After Jung Hoo Lee popped out, Wilmer Flores lined a single to center.

Bailey, who grounded into a double play and struck out in two of his previous at-bats, then smashed a 1-0 fastball from Jordan Romano (1-4) into right-center field that ricocheted off the brick part of the wall.

Ryan Walker (2-3) retired one batter, with two on in the top of the ninth, to earn the win.

Phillies All-Star Kyle Schwarber had two hits, including his team-leading 28th home run.

Schwarber flew out, struck out and was hit by a pitch before homering off Giants reliever Spencer Bivens into McCovey Cove. Brandon Marsh, who singled as a pinch hitter leading off the inning, scored on the play.

Two days after being named an All-Star for the second time in his career, Robbie Ray gave up four hits and one run in 5⅔ innings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Mets’ Mendoza: Snubbed Soto ‘an All-Star for us’

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Mets' Mendoza: Snubbed Soto 'an All-Star for us'

BALTIMORE — The New York Mets consider Juan Soto to be a bona fide All-Star, despite the snub he received from those who selected the National League squad for the Midsummer Classic on July 15.

Soto, in his first year with the Mets, has performed well enough to earn the respect of his manager and teammates. In their opinion, he’s deserving of a place in the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

“He’s an All-Star for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday night after the Mets beat Baltimore 7-6. “It’s frustrating, but I’m hoping in the next couple of days we hear something and he makes it.”

Soto drove in the winning run with a sharp single on the first pitch of the 10th inning. That capped a night in which he went 3 for 5 to raise his batting average to .269 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs.

Soto has walked 72 times, by far the most in the majors, but he can also lash out at a pitcher when necessary.

“He’s got a pretty good understanding of what the pitchers are trying to do to him,” Mendoza said. “There is his awareness of the game, he’s going to see pitchers. There are times when he’s going to be aggressive. Tonight was one of those nights. First pitch in the 10th, he’s attacking.”

Soto made the All-Star team as a member of the Nationals, Padres and Yankees each year since 2021. The streak appears to be over. But his teammates believe he deserves to go.

“What he done all year is just incredible, and the results are good enough,” Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes said. “The consistency he’s showed up with, at the at-bats he’s taken, is more than an All-Star. He’s one of the best in the game and a big part of our lineup.”

Soto seems rather philosophical about the snub.

“Sometimes, you’re going to make it and sometimes you don’t,” he told reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Yankees. “It’s just part of baseball.”

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