Harry Kane starred with yet another hat-trick, while Michael Olise contributed with two assists as Bayern Munich thrashed VFB Stuttgart 5-0 to increase their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 13 games. With 37 points, Bayern increased their lead to 11 points at the top of the table over RB Leipzig after comfortably routing their opponents on Saturday.
He wanted to continue batting but was taken off the field by India A coach and the physio
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2025Rishabh Pant gave India a brief injury scare ahead of next week’s first Test against South Africa in Kolkata by having to retire hurt while batting for India A against South Africa A at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.During the first session of the third day, Pant was struck three times – on his body and helmet – by fast bowler Tshepo Moreki, forcing him to retire hurt on 17 off 22 balls in the 34th over of India A’s second innings.However, he allayed fears of serious injury by returning to bat in the final session, after Harsh Dubey put on 184 for the sixth wicket with Dhruv Jurel, who made an unbeaten 127. Pant took on the spinners, racing to a half-century before declaring India A’s innings on 382 for 7. He was dismissed for 65 when he top-edged a slog sweep off left-arm spinner Kyle Simmonds to the wicketkeeper.Pant had walked out to bat at No. 5 in the third over of the day after overnight batter KL Rahul was bowled for 27 – he added just one to his overnight score – by an inducker from Okuhle Cele. Pant didn’t take long to get going, his first three scoring shots were 4, 4 and 6 – all off Cele – but a series of short deliveries left him wincing in pain.Related
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While Pant was keen to continue batting, he had to be taken off by India A coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar and the physios as a precautionary measure. He was grimacing in pain every time the ball thudded into his bat, and his range of motion was limited due to some taping on his elbow after being hit there.The first blow Pant suffered was to the helmet when he attempted a reverse pick-up shot off Moreki, who had bowled a short ball from around the stumps. Pant was off balance at the point of impact and immediately fell to the ground, forcing the physios to conduct a mandatory concussion test. Once cleared, he pulled out from his stance to take his helmet off and gather himself before taking strike.The second blow had Pant groaning as the ball thudded into his right elbow as he shaped to play a short-arm jab. This time, the physio administered some pain-relief spray and taped the elbow. The third blow to the abdomen from a delivery that cut back in off the seam eventually forced the management to take Pant off the field.Having proved form and fitness with a 90 in the second innings of the first four-day fixture that India A won last week, Pant has had a more challenging time in the second game. In the first innings, he was rapped on the glove by a short ball from Moreki and caught at slip for 24.At the toss of the second game, Pant had kept an exact count of the number of days he’d been away for – 98 – while recovering from a fractured toe after being hit by Chris Woakes during the fourth India-England Test in Manchester in July.He spent two months in rehab at the Centre of Excellence following surgery, and resumed training in early September before playing for India A to get some match time ahead of the South Africa Tests. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel kept wickets during the two home Tests against West Indies as well as the fifth Test at The Oval, which India won to level the five-Test series at 2-2.India play two Tests against South Africa from November 14 in Kolkata, and then from November 22 in Guwahati, a city that will be hosting Test cricket for the first time. India are currently third in the World Test Championship table with 61.90% points; South Africa, meanwhile, are fifth with 50% points.
During the last couple of years, Tottenham Hotspur have started to splash the cash in the transfer market to aid them in their quest for success in the Premier League.
In the last four years alone, the hierarchy have dropped over £400m on new additions, but not all the big-money additions have made the desired effect in North London.
Tanguy Ndombele is just one of the players who cost a pretty penny, with the Frenchman costing a reported £63m in 2019 – a deal that was then a club-record.
He was only able to rack up 91 appearances for the Lilywhites over a five-year period, before leaving on a free transfer last summer to move back to his homeland.
With the January window on the horizon, the board and Thomas Frank will need to keep such a deal in mind to prevent themselves from losing a huge chunk of their investment.
The latest on Spurs’ hunt for new additions this January
In recent weeks, Juventus defender Gleison Bremer has been one of the latest players touted with a move to join Spurs during the upcoming transfer window.
It’s been reported that Frank’s men are willing to fork out £35m for the Brazilian centre-back, as the board aim to add key depth and quality to the backline.
The Lilywhites have shipped 11 goals in their last three competitive outings, which could make the 28-year-old a viable option for the upcoming window.
However, the attacking department could also be subject to improvement, with Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche once again emerging on their radar after previously wanting to sign the forward in the summer.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, the Lilywhites are extremely keen on a deal to land the 23-year-old this winter, but a deal could cost the hierarchy a pretty penny.
The journalist has stated that the Ligue 1 side are currently demanding a fee in the region of €70m (£61m) for his signature, a deal that would be one of the most expensive in their history.
Why Spurs’ £61m target would be Simons 2.0
Spending big on a young attacker hasn’t been alien for Spurs in the last couple of months, with the board splashing a reported £52m on the signature of Xavi Simons last summer.
The Dutchman’s move generated huge excitement, with the hierarchy selecting the 22-year-old as the player to fill the void in the number ten role after James Maddison’s injury.
However, a couple of months on from his mammoth transfer, the youngster has struggled to hit the ground running, as seen by his tally of zero goals and just two assists to date.
Frank has also evidently been frustrated by the Dutchman’s lack of quality, with the manager leaving him on the substitutes bench in each of the last two outings.
A little ounce of leeway must be handed Simons’ way though, especially with the attacking midfielder often having to operate in a somewhat unnatural left-wing role in multiple of his starts.
However, the club could be about to land another version of the big-money talent this January, especially if they manage to complete a deal for Akliouche in the near future.
He’s been ranked as a similar player to Simons in the Champions League by FBref, with the pair even facing off against each other in the clash between the two sides in October.
When comparing the pair’s respective stats in such a campaign, the Frenchman has dominated the current Spurs star, which could hand Frank the attacking talent he’s craved in recent months.
Akliouche, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by one analyst, has achieved a higher tally of combined goals and assists in the Champions League at present.
How Akliouche & Simons compare in the UCL (25/26)
Statistics (per 90)
Akliouche
Simons
Games played
5
5
Goals & assists
2
1
Pass accuracy
83%
81%
Progressive passes
6.3
4.7
Passes into final third
3.8
2.9
Take-ons completed
2.7
2.1
Carries into final third
2.1
1.3
Crosses completed
2.4
2.1
Stats via FBref
He’s also completed more of the passes he’s attempted, with more of his efforts going into the final third – showcasing his creative nature when in possession.
The aforementioned tallies would undoubtedly hand Frank the big-money talent he’s been craving since taking the reins in North London during the off-season.
The Monaco star has also completed more take-ons per 90 in Europe this season, whilst achieving more carries into the final third per 90 – reaffirming his incredible ability with the ball at his feet.
£61m in today’s market for a player of Akliouche’s quality would be an excellent deal, with the 23-year-old having bags of time to reach the next level in his development.
As for Simons, the Frenchman’s potential move could push him down the pecking order further, but it could also provide him with the
needed kick to ignite his career in North London.
Romero upgrade: Spurs "ready to make" £35m bid for "world-class" defender
Tottenham Hotspur look set to make a huge January move for a new centre-back.
1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 28, 2025
South African Marizanne Kapp has again showed how big a loss she will be to the Melbourne Stars once she leaves the WBBL for international duties. Kapp starred in the field as the Stars easily beat Hobart Hurricanes by 37 runs on Thursday at Junction Oval.Their third-straight win left the Stars second on the ladder ahead of Saturday’s massive home derby against the third-placed Melbourne Renegades.While teammate Amy Jones was Player of the Match, Kapp bowled Lizelle Lee with the first delivery of the Hurricanes innings. She removed fellow opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the third over and took an outstanding catch to remove No.4 Nicola Carey.But Saturday’s match will be the last for Kapp before she returns to the South African team.”Obviously Kappy is going to be a massive loss – it seems like she’s playing her best cricket, now that she’s leaving us, which is a bit frustrating,” teammate Kim Garth said. “But I feel like we do have the depth to cover it.”Garth added they were worried about what damage Lee could do.”I was pretty relieved – she was hitting them pretty well,” Garth said. “We did a lot of planning for her and when Kappy comes in and knocks her over first ball, it’s quite nice.”After starting the season with five-straight wins, Hurricanes have lost their last two and are in danger of ceding top spot to either Melbourne team.Renegades will host Perth on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Stars, who are only one point behind Hurricanes.After Hurricanes won the toss on Wednesday at Junction Oval, Jones and Danielle Gibson gave momentum to Stars’ stalled innings and the home side reached 151 for 6 from their 20 overs. Hurricanes were bundled out for 114 with 22 deliveries left.Jones top-scored with 59 from 40 balls, featuring six fours and a six. Jones and Gibson came together at 91 for 4 in the 14th over – not yet a crisis, but Hurricanes would have felt they had the momentum.Instead, Gibson belted 39 from 27 deliveries, with five fours and a six, as they put on a quickfire 44 for the fifth wicket. Carey took 2-29 from her four overs.After Hurricanes slumped to 59 for 6, captain Elyse Villani and Hayley Silver-Holmes gave them a glimmer of hope with their 40-run stand for the seventh wicket.Then Sophie Day bowled Silver-Holmes for 18 from 14 deliveries and Sutherland bowled Villani for 38 off 21 balls to kill off the late rally.Kapp took 2 for 29 from her four overs, while Sutherland also snared two and Day cleaned up the tail on the way to 4 for 17 from three overs.
Everton are now reportedly keeping close tabs on a Premier League gem who’s been compared to Aston Villa’s Jadon Sancho.
Everton ready to pounce in Zirkzee race
Everton’s January transfer window may well centre around Premier League talent. The Toffees already enjoyed great success in the summer when they welcomed out-of-favour stars Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Now, The Friedkin Group could look to repeat that act of genius.
Despite the fact that Thierno Barry finally scored his first goal for the club against Nottingham Forest last time out, it seems as though those in Merseyside still intend to target an attacking reinforcement.
Reports have even gone as far as to claim that they’re ready to pounce in the race to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United in January. The forward has fallen down the pecking order since the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, but could have his season saved by the Toffees.
Zirkzee may have struggled at Old Trafford, but Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall are living proof that a move to Merseyside can quickly revive a career.
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Even if Barry now kicks on, David Moyes could do with that extra attacking addition, given that Beto is yet to show signs that he’ll become a viable goalscoring option for Everton.
That’s not to say Zirkzee is their only target, however. Alongside the Man United forward, the Toffees have also reportedly set their sights on signing Chelsea’s young, versatile winger, Tyrique George.
Like Zirkzee, the youngster has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and is now looking to leave Chelsea when the winter window swings open in less than a month.
Everton keeping close tabs on Tyrique George
According to TeamTalk, Everton are now eyeing a move to sign George and have joined Leeds United in the early race to secure the 19-year-old’s signature.
Compared to Sancho by Italian media, George wouldn’t be the first struggling Chelsea star to find life at Everton. His former teammate, Dewsbury-Hall has undeniably thrived since arriving in Merseyside.
Ultimately, fresh faces have forced George down the pecking order in West London, but Enzo Maresca was certainly impressed by the teenager last season.
The Chelsea boss told reporters after George’s display against Man United in May: “Very good. Very good. Brave. He was a threat in behind. Not easy for him because on the other side you have Maguire, you have Lindelof, you have Shaw.
“He was fighting against important defenders. But again, we tried to find a solution with a player from the academy. Overall I think also he had the penalty moment, so he works quite good.”
Whether it’s Everton or Leeds, both would benefit from George’s arrival in the January transfer window and the striker himself desperately needs senior minutes if he is to kick on.
Three promising players, and an umpire, made their Test debuts in Sylhet
Mohammad Isam11-Nov-2025It was the day of the debutants in Sylhet. Cade Carmichael, 23, and Jordan Neill, 19, provided a glimpse into Ireland’s future while 24-year-old Hasan Murad showed why he’s a highly-rated left-arm spinner in Bangladesh domestic cricket. Australian umpire Sam Nogajski also made a sound start to his Test career as an umpire.At the end of the first day’s play, there was no discussion about Nogajski, which should serve as good news for the debuting umpire. The three rookie players headlined the day with their strong first impressions.Carmichael scored 59 off 129 balls from No.3 while Neill made 30 off 60 balls from No.8. Murad, meanwhile, returned 2 for 47 in his 20 overs.Carmichael proved the perfect foil for the aggressive Paul Stirling during their 96-run partnership. He struck the ball sweetly to go with some flourish in his followthrough. Ireland then suffered a middle-order slump but despite wickets falling at the other end, Neill batted confidently.Gary Wilson, the Ireland batting coach, said that both Carmichael and Neill earned their places in the Test side.”I think they’re both very, very exciting talents,” Wilson said. “I think that they both performed well. They acquitted themselves very well in Test-match cricket and showed good method at times. They dealt with some pretty good bowling upfront from Bangladesh. I think they can be relatively pleased with their Test debuts.”Carmichael was born in South Africa where he attended Kearsney College, known for producing international cricketers like Andrew Hudson, Kyle Abott and Chad Bowes. Carmichael, however, played most of his formative cricket in Ireland. He was impressive in his lead-up to the ODI debut in May this year, before he made many others sit up and take notice of his talent in his first foray into Test cricket in Sylhet.Like Carmichael, Neill was born in South Africa but played most of his formative cricket in Ireland.”I think they’re the future, but I also think that they’re the now. They are playing on their own merit,” Wilson said. “Cade has come off the back of heavy scoring in domestic. He has good attributes that we like. He looked very accomplished on his ODI debut against West Indies earlier in the year.”[Carmichael] is someone that we have high hopes for. He looks like a very good player. He is only 23. Jordan is only 20 [19]. They are both players for the future and hopefully they can go and have long careers, but they’re also players for the right now.”Related
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As for Murad, he showcased his accuracy and flight, skills that have fetched him a bagful of domestic wickets, when he dismissed Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker. Murad is one of only three bowlers to take 150 first-class wickets in Bangladesh since 2021, the others being the Test bowlers Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan.”I thought [the Bangladesh spinners] bowled accurately,” Wilson said. “It didn’t spin a huge amount in the first couple of sessions and then we began to see more spin towards the end of the day. They made us play if we wanted to take an attacking option. There wasn’t many freebies on board. They made us work for our runs.”Murad faces stiff competition from Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz who are Bangladesh’s first choice spinners in home Tests while Nayeem has been their designated understudy since 2018. There’s also hope that wristspinner Rishad Hossain will make the step-up to Test cricket soon while the likes of Nasum Ahmed and Tanvir Islam are white-ball regulars.Bangladesh, though, need to prepare for life after Taijul, who will turn 34 next February. They are already without Shakib Al Hasan for more than a year, so now it’s time to look into the future and groom Murad.
Chelsea cruised to an emphatic 6-0 win over Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday. An own goal set the Blues on their way to victory before Johanna Rytting Kaneryd teed up Wieke Kaptein and added a goal of her own to put the hosts in control at the break. Substitutes Sjoeke Nusken and Maika Hamano extended Chelsea's lead in the second half before Lucy Bronze wrapped up the win in some style late on.
Roma started the game in positive fashion, but went behind in unfortunate circumstances when Sandy Baltimore fired in a cross from the left which beat Sam Kerr but not defender Valentina Bergamaschi, who thumped a header past her own goalkeeper with only 13 minutes on the clock.
Chelsea promptly took control and added a second through Kaptein. A well-worked move saw Keira Walsh ping a glorious diagonal ball through to Rytting Kaneryd to head back across goal for Kaptein to drill home for 2-0.
Rytting Kaneryd was involved again just before half-time as Chelsea put the game out of Roma’s reach. Veerle Burman got the Blues going with an incisive pass through to Niamh Charles to run onto and deliver into the box. Kerr saw her shot from close range parried only as far as Rytting Kaneryd, who fired high into the net at the far post.
With Chelsea 3-0 up at the break, manager Sonia Bompastor made three changes by sending on Lexi Potter, Nusken, and Hamano and saw the Blues win a penalty in the opening minutes of the second period. Substitute Nusken won the kick and promptly despatched the penalty to extend Chelsea's lead and make it 4-0.
Yet Chelsea remained hungry for goals and simply kept on attacking. Hamano added Chelsea's fifth after good work from fellow substitute Guro Reiten before Bronze sealed the victory with an outrageous effort in the dying minutes.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence
Livia Peng (7/10):
Didn't have much to do in truth, but did put in a crucial challenge to deny Pandini in the first half and made a late block to preserve her clean sheet.
Lucy Bronze (8/10):
Showed her experience up against Pandini and Pilgrim, who got very little out of the right-back. Grabbed Chelsea's sixth of the night with a brilliant effort that may well have been a cross but certainly thrilled the home fans.
Millie Bright (7/10):
Solid at the back and played some dangerous balls forward.
Veerle Burman (8/10):
A really impressive showing. Very strong defensively and played a brilliant pass through to Charles to send Chelsea away for the third goal.
Niamh Charles (8/10):
Another player who enjoyed herself against Roma. Had a fine battle with former team-mate Babajide and grabbed an assist for the third.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield
Catarina Macario (6/10):
Lost a few balls early on but also produced some incisive passes and put in a great cross in for Kerr who somehow managed to miss from close range. One of three changes at half-time with Chelsea already 3-0 up.
Keira Walsh (7/10):
Set up the second goal with a wonderful diagonal ball that opened Roma up. Another player given a breather with the game won at the break.
Wieke Kaptein (8/10):
Fired home Chelsea's second of the night with fine finish and might have scored a second but put an effort just over the bar.
Getty Images SportAttack
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (8/10):
Teed up Chelsea's second goal in fine style with a header back across goal. Also bagged the third with an emphatic finish from close range.
Sam Kerr (7/10):
Missed a couple of good chances but was heavily involved in everything. Lovely dummy to allow Kaptein to score Chelsea's second.
Sandy Baltimore (7/10):
Great ball in from the left which Bergamaschi headed home to gift Chelsea the lead. Caused problems down the left throughout the first half before being replaced at the break.
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Subs & Manager
Lexi Potter (7/10):
A really positive showing after coming on in the second half. Could have scored but was denied a first Chelsea goal by goalkeeper Lukasova.
Sjoeke Nusken (8/10):
Came on at the start of the second half and made a real impact. Won a penalty with her first involvement and made no mistake from the spot. Might have had a second but blazed over.
Maika Hamano(7/10):
Finished off Roma with a easy finish after good work from Reiten.
Oriane Jean-François (7/10):
Had a shot blocked with her first touch and put in some good challenges.
Guro Reiten (7/10):
Replaced Kerr for the final stages and unselfishly set up Hermano for Chelsea's fifth.
Sonia Bompastor (8/10):
A fairly perfect evening for the Chelsea boss, who saw her team completely outclass Roma. Was able to rest players with her team already 3-0 up at the break and saw her substitutes impress in the second half. Will also be pleased to see Kerr get 70 minutes under the belt.
انتقد واين روني، أسطورة نادي مانشستر يونايتد، محمد صلاح، نجم نادي ليفربول، وذلك بعد التصريحات الأخيرة التي أدلى بها الدولي المصري تجاه إدارة الريدز والمدرب آرني سلوت.
ويعتقد روني أن محمد صلاح يدمر إرثه في ليفربول بمثل هذه التصريحات، مشيرًا في الوقت ذاته إلى أنه على أحد الأشخاص الموجودين داخل النادي الإنجليزي التحدث معه سريعًا لحل هذه الأزمة.
وخرج محمد صلاح عن صمته بعد تعادل ليفربول مع ليدز يونايتد بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز يوم السبت الماضي 3-3، حيث كان الدولي المصري بديلًا في تلك المباراة.
ولم يشارك محمد صلاح ضد ليدز ، حيث بقى ابن ال33 عامًا كبديل للمباراة الثالثة على التوالي مع ليفربول، مما جعل اللاعب يخرج عن صمته ويصرح بأن العلاقة مع سلوت قد تدمرت، وبأن إدارة الريدز لم تفي بالوعود التي قدمتها له.
وقال روني في تصريحات لبي بي سي سبورت: “لماذا تصرون على قول ذلك؟ محمد صلاح لاعب رائع مع ليفربول، كلاعب هو هادئ، ومنعزل”.
وأضاف روني في حديثه: “في العام الماضي أعرب عن استيائه الشديد لعدم عرض عقد جديد عليه، يستحق محمد صلاح الحصول على المبلغ الذي يستحقه. لكن لا يمكن قلب الأمور رأساً على عقب والتعبير عما قاله، كان ذلك إهانة لزملائه في الفريق، ولمديره، وللجماهير”.
وأوضح: “يمر الوقت علينا جميعًا، لم يكن محمد صلاح في أفضل حالاته هذا الموسم ولم يكن في أوج عطائه، من الواضح أن سلوت لاحظ ذلك ووضعه على مقاعد البدلاء”.
وأردف روني: “إنه أحد اللاعبين الأساسيين، إن لم يكن اللاعب الأهم في ليفربول خلال المواسم القليلة الماضية، نريد رؤيته يشمر عن ساعديه، أن تتباهى بالقول إنه ليس مضطرًا لكسب مكانه الأساسي في التشكيل؟ عليك أن تكون في أفضل حالاتك كل أسبوع للبقاء في الفريق”.
وتابع روني في حديثه عن محمد صلاح: “لو كنتُ زميله في الفريق لما كنت سعيدًا على الإطلاق بما قاله. هذا هو الوقت الذي يحتاجونه فيه أكثر من أي وقت مضى. بل على العكس، لقد أساء إلى ليفربول بكلامه”.
طالع .. إبراهيم حسن: محمد صلاح سيصنع التاريخ مع منتخب مصر في أمم إفريقيا
ثم نصح روني محمد صلاح قائلًا: “إما أن يتحدث إلى المدرب ويعلن موقفه، ويحاول تصحيح الأمور، أو أن يغادر النادي، يجب حل الأمر بسرعة”.
وقال: “إنه يدمر إرثه تمامًا، الإرث الذي كان بإمكانه تركه هائلا، أساطير ليفربول الذي هو من بينهم تمامًا، سيكون من المحزن أن يتخلى عن كل شيء، لقد أخطأ تمامًا”.
وأضاف روني في حديثه عن محمد صلاح: “سيحظى بالحماية بدءًا من الأسبوع المقبل حيث سيغيب لمشاركته مع منتخب مصر، أما بالنسبة للتوقيت، فقد فعل ذلك لسبب وجيه، إنه كان يدبر لإلقاء قنبلة ثم المغادرة مع مصر”.
وأوضح: “أعتقد أنه سيكون من الجيد لليفربول أن يبعد محمد صلاح عن الصورة حاليًا، على سلوت أن يظهر سلطته ويقول له لن تسافر مع الفريق، ما قلته غير مقبول، ودع الأمور تستقر”.
وأردف: “الأمر الصعب هو أنه عندما تكون لاعبًا وتصل إلى السن الذي ينخفض فيه أداؤك تبحث عن أسباب، آخر شخص تنظر إليه هو نفسك. أعتقد أن هذا ما يحدث مع محمد صلاح، لم يكن أداؤه رائعًا. أنا متأكد أنه خلال العامين المقبلين، عندما يستذكر ما حدث، سيندم على ما قاله”.
وتابع: “هو وحده القادر على مساعدته في الخروج من هذا الوضع من خلال اللعب بشكل أفضل، بدلًا من النظر إلى نفسه، هو يبحث عن أي شيء يلقي عليه اللوم ”.
واستكمل: “لقد مررت بنفس التجربة مع جوزيه مورينيو. بدأت الموسم مع زلاتان إبراهيموفيتش لكنني كنت أعرف أنه عادةً ما يلعب بلاعب واحد في الهجوم”.
وواصل: “في أول ثلاث أو أربع مباريات أشرك مورينيو لاعبين منا، كنت أعرف أنه بمجرد أن ألعب بشكل سيء، لن ألعب، وسيكون زلاتان هو المهاجم”.
وقال: ”دخلتُ وتحدثتُ بصراحة مع جوزيه. طلبت منه الانتقال على سبيل الإعارة في يناير لأنني أردت اللعب، رفض لأنه كان بحاجة لي في الدوري الأوروبي، لكن كان بإمكاني الرحيل في الصيف”.
واختتم روني في حديثه: ”وقفت وصافحته ولم أشتكِ مرة أخرى. جلست على مقاعد البدلاء ولعبت بضع مباريات، كان حديثاً صريحاً، رجلان يتصافحان، وهو ما أعتقد أنه التصرف الصحيح وليس ما فعله صلاح”.
LOS ANGELES — Two hours after the best player in the history of baseball played the best game in the history of baseball, he headed home from the office. Shohei Ohtani was not holding the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player award or the 2025 World Series swag he had earned that night; the half-dozen members of his agency and his security team trailing him could handle that. And besides, his hands were full: He was pushing a Nuna stroller containing his six-month-old daughter and, in the basket below her, his Nederlandse Kooikerhondje.
Almost more impressive than the feats Ohtani achieves on a nightly basis—the devastating splitters, the towering home runs, the fact that sometimes, as on Friday, three minutes pass between the two—is this: He is both the most and least normal person at the ballpark.
The former posture helps him attain the latter performance. He spent two weeks listening to reporters, fans and his own manager question whether his pursuit of pitching greatness was hindering his mastery of hitting greatness. After an excellent regular season—a league-leading 1.014 OPS, plus a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings—he scuffled at the plate in the playoffs. In the National League Division Series, he was 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts, and his swing decisions mystified his bosses.
“We’re not going to win the World Series with a performance like that,” manager Dave Roberts lamented before the NLCS began.
Through the first few games of the series against the Brewers, the results weren’t much better: two hits and five strikeouts in 11 at-bats. The people around Ohtani began to see frustration, which he leavened with humor, but they say that—short of taking batting practice on the field at Dodger Stadium for the first time all year, during which he parked half the pitches he saw in the stands—he did not change his metronomic routine at all. On his start days, Ohtani tends toward “a little bit more focused and quiet,” says hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, but otherwise, says first baseman Freddie Freeman, he’s “goofy.” Ohtani plays pranks on coaches, drops swears in English at the perfect moments and teases teammates and opponents alike. He practices his Spanish with Dominican right fielder Teoscar Hernández. He plays video games on his phone. He hangs out with his family and stages photo shoots with his dog, Decoy. When he joined the Angels from Japan in 2018, and again when he joined the Dodgers last season, his teammates were most astonished not by his extraordinary abilities as a player but by his seeming ordinariness as a person.
That was who they saw amid his slump. He did the same hitting drills and the same scouting work. (His participation in hitters’ meetings typically amounts to reminding his teammates to look for a pitch “middle-middle.”) He reminded himself—and anyone who asked—that opponents were attacking him with lefties, and that although he was struggling, that strategy allowed the Dodgers’ right-handed stars, among them shortstop Mookie Betts and Hernández, to hit with the platoon advantage.
When Japanese reporters asked Ohtani about Roberts’s comments, he said in Japanese, according to the , “The other way to say it is that if I hit, we will win.”
If that confidence ever wavered, he kept his doubts to himself. And why would he change anything? “I do feel like,” he pointed out through interpreter Will Ireton before NLCS Game 3, “I was able to just have a pretty good season offensively.” Teammates began predicting he would break out in Game 4—not because anything had changed, but because nothing had.
You already know the rest: three home runs, six-plus innings of two-hit, 10-strikeout ball to set records no one even knew existed and to help the Dodgers capture the pennant. By the fourth inning, his teammates had stopped cheering and started laughing. Fans chanted M-V-P, presumably only because they could think of no higher award to grant him.
“A lot of times when you have expectations like he has, they’re just unattainable and you just never realize them,” said Roberts afterward. “Certainly the way he was struggling this postseason and not to let it affect him and keep his psyche, his confidence the same is really impressive. So we knew that he was going to come through at some point.”
Meanwhile, Ohtani made it less than 20 minutes before he left the champagne celebration to retreat to the clubhouse, shower, don a dry 2025 World Series T-shirt and baseball cap, and address the media. “There were times during the postseason where Teo and Mookie picked me up,” he said. “And this time around it was my turn to be able to perform.”
He returned to the field to celebrate briefly with his teammates, then shouted to his wife, Mamiko, who was waiting for him in her suite above the third base line. He trotted down the steps into the bowels of Dodger Stadium to reunite with his family. They gathered their passengers, both human and canine, and left the site of his most recent triumph, at which point he turned to his next task: selecting two photos of Decoy in front of a fall-themed backdrop to add to the 67-image gallery labeled “デコ” (a nickname for the pup) saved to his Instagram profile. The superhuman part of Ohtani’s night was over. He was back to being human.
NEW YORK — All season, the Yankees have looked toward October. After a 3–1 loss to the Red Sox in Game 1 of the best-of-three American League Wild Card series, they might get one day there.
After a regular season that felt more precarious than the numbers would indicate—94 wins, tied for most in the AL; 849 runs scored, most in the majors—the Yankees’ 2025 campaign now resides on the brink. For most of the year, their talent washed away opponents. On Tuesday, the flaws that always lurked beneath the surface broke through.
Their best player can’t throw. Their bullpen can’t preserve leads. Their manager sometimes seems to move without sufficient urgency at this time of year. All three sank them Tuesday.
Things started out well: Their major offseason acquisition, lefty Max Fried, did everything the team could possibly have hoped for, scattering four hits and three walks over 6 ⅓ scoreless innings and twice pitching out of jams. Well, almost everything: Perhaps he could have gotten another batter or two. After the game, he said he believed he had more in the tank. But manager Aaron Boone was committed to sending him out only for the lefthanded Jarren Duran in the top of the seventh with a 1–0 lead, and then handing the ball to right-handed erstwhile closer Luke Weaver for the righties, beginning with Ceddanne Rafaela.
“Felt like we were lined up,” Boone said.
A year ago—or even six months ago—that might have been true. Weaver was unhittable last season and had a 1.05 ERA over the first two months of this one, but after he missed 17 days with a strained left hamstring, that figure was 5.31. In seven career plate appearances against Weaver, Rafaela has a 1.762 OPS. Weaver got him to an 0–2 count, usually a good spot against a hitter who had the 18th-worst walk-to-strikeout ratio in baseball this year. But Weaver could not close. Nine pitches later, he left a four-seamer well outside, and Rafaela trotted to first.
Up next came utilityman Nick Sogard. With a 1–1 count, Weaver made approximately the pitch he wanted—a changeup on the outside corner—but Sogard lined it up the middle. Neither center fielder Trent Grisham nor right fielder Aaron Judge charged the ball, and as Sogard sprinted around first, Judge lobbed the ball to second. This sort of play has become routine for the likely AL MVP since he strained the flexor tendon in his right arm in July. He cannot throw at full strength. Last year, Judge averaged 88.1 mph on throws and maxed out at 95.9 mph. On the Sogard play, that figure was 73.2 mph.
As he has been doing since he returned to the outfield in August after six weeks of rehab, he downplayed the injury after the game. “I’m just trying to make a play,” he said.
In any case, Masataka Yoshida lined the next pitch into center to score Rafaela and Sogard for all the offense they would need. “That’s preparation,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Sogard’s stretch for second. “We talk about their outfielders and what we can do or what we cannot do, and [Sogard] saw it right away and took advantage of it.”
Indeed, the Red Sox have found the Yankees’ weaknesses. And New York cannot turn to history for much consolation: Since the current postseason format debuted in 2022, all 12 teams that won Game 1 of the wild card series advanced. Only two teams—the Padres in ’22 and the Brewers last year—even pushed the series to the decisive third game. Meanwhile, the Yankees were 4–9 against the Red Sox this year, including 2–5 at Yankee Stadium. After a century of dominating their little brothers from up I-95, the Yankees have not beaten the Red Sox in a playoff series since ’03, when outfielder Jasson Domínguez was eight months old. Since then, Boston has taken the ’04 AL Championship Series, the ’18 AL Division Series and the ’21 wild card game. (In fact, when New York trailed the Astros 3–0 in the ’22 ALCS, the Yankees watched highlights from the Red Sox’ comeback in the ’04 ALCS. It didn’t work: Houston won Game 4 and the series.)
No, any hope will have to come from inside. Judge, who has begun to develop a reputation as a player whose regular-season success does not carry over to October, went 2-for-4 on Tuesday. Shortstop Anthony Volpe, whose lifeless bat and listless glove made him the most hated man in New York this summer who doesn’t live in Gracie Mansion, hit a second-inning home run and fielded the ball cleanly. His teammates, too, largely avoided the boneheaded defensive plays that plagued them during last year’s run. They have Carlos Rodón, an 11-year veteran who just authored perhaps the finest season of his career, taking the mound in Game 2 against Brayan Bello, who will make his postseason debut. And they have all that talent. If they hope to make it to Oct. 2, it will have to rise to the surface, and to the occasion.