Japan celebrates its WBC crown
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida might have had his most enjoyable day in office on Thursday when Japan's winning World Baseball Classic team paid a visit.
Kishida was beaming when a gold medal from the winning team was placed around his neck, and he also received a large card in a frame containing each player's signature.
“To all the members of Samurai Japan, congratulations on your victory in the WBC,” Kishida said, thanking them for their courtesy visit to his office after their long flight back from the United States.
Japan finished undefeated — only the second team to do that in the World Baseball Classic — after beating the United States 3-2 in the deciding game.
“I thank you for giving tremendous courage and energy to all of Japan. Your huge achievement was possible because the power of each individual and the power of the team as a whole were combined, and I sincerely appreciated it,” Kishida said.
Players wore suits — not baseball uniforms — and posed for photos, including one imitating Lars Nootbaar's pepper-grinder gesture. Players like Nootbaar who compete in Major League Baseball did not return to Japan.
Kishida said he did not get to watch the two final victories over Mexico and United States because he was in Ukraine holding talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama said he'd “hardly seen such an excellent team” and encouraged the prime minister to praise them — which he did.
“I told my players that history is the history of winners,” Kuriyama said. “There are things that cannot be communicated unless we win. I'm really happy that the players really worked hard and won.”
• A trio of NL pennant hopefuls are suddenly dealing with injuries to some pretty important players.
The Philadelphia Phillies lost slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins on Thursday when he damaged his left knee fielding a grounder in a spring training game. He needs surgery for a torn ACL and is expected to miss a significant amount of time.
St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (groin) and Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias (inflamed shoulder) also will begin the season on the injured list.
The Phillies didn't say how long Hoskins is expected to be out. Hoskins, who turned 30 last week, hit six homers in Philadelphia's playoff run last season. The Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.
Philadelphia is already without DH and two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper for at least two months as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery.
Wainwright was in line for his seventh opening day start in what's slated to be his final season. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told reporters Thursday before St. Louis' spring training game against the New York Yankees that Wainwright could miss several weeks.
The 41-year-old apparently strained his groin in a workout before Team USA lost to Japan 3-2 in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday. Wainwright went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA over eight innings to help the U.S. reach the final.
“We'll continue to evaluate over the next few days but no timetable at the moment,” Marmol said, according to the St. Louis PostDispatch. “There is a spot in the rotation now open, and we're going to have to sit down and make sure that we're not missing anything that goes into that.”
With Iglesias, the Braves said an MRI showed the right-hander has “lowgrade” inflammation and will not throw for seven days.
Joshua trying to get back in line for title
For so long the poster boy of boxing's heavyweight division, Anthony Joshua has been facing a new reality in recent months.
Suddenly, the British fighter is on the outside looking in.
His star has fallen — even his promoter acknowledges that — in the wake of punishing, back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk that have led many to question Joshua's ability, even as a twotime world champion.
“You can't be like, `Man, it's been tough, you know, life's been down,'” Joshua told the Associated Press. “You always have to walk with your head held high, chest out.
“It's a different perspective for me now, but it's not one that rules me or makes any difference to my behavior.”
So, while the biggest heavyweight fights are being made — or, in the case of the collapsed bout between Usyk and Tyson Fury, not made — around him, Joshua is adapting to his new status and beginning a fresh phase in his career.
The hunter, as opposed to the hunted.
The pressure, however, is still very much on him.
On April 1, Joshua takes on American boxer Jermaine Franklin in London for his first fight since losing the rematch against Usyk in Saudi Arabia in August. It's the first time in 13 fights, stretching back to December 2015, that Joshua won't be attempting to either retain or regain a world title.
Win, and Joshua — with his brand and standing — will no doubt be thrust back in the conversation for world title fights.
Transgender athletes banned from meets
Track and field banned transgender athletes from international competition Thursday, while adopting new regulations that could keep Caster Semenya and other athletes with differences in sex development from competing.
In a pair of decisions expected to stoke outrage, the World Athletics Council adopted the same rules as swimming did last year in deciding to bar athletes who have transitioned from male to female and have gone through male puberty. No such athletes currently compete at the highest elite levels of track.
Another set of updates, for athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), will impact 13 athletes, WA President Sebastian Coe said. They include Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion at 800 meters who has been barred from that event since 2019.
Semenya and others had been able to compete in events outside the restricted range of 400 meters through one mile, but will now have to undergo hormone-suppressing treatment for six months before competing to be eligible.
Brady acquires stake in Las Vegas Aces
Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady has acquired an ownership stake in the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. He attended an Aces game on May 31 and later sent Las Vegas star Kelsey Plum a jersey and other gifts.
“I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization,” Brady said in a statement Thursday. “My love for women's sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters' games — they were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me.”
Brady announced his retirement Feb. 1 at age 45. He won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Buccaneers and owns multiple passing records.
CHICAGO CUBS:
DETROIT PISTONS: Signed F Eugene Omoruyi to a remainder-of-season contract.
HOUSTON ROCKETS: Signed G D.J. Augustin to a remainder-of-season contract.
ARIZONA CARDINALS: Agreed to terms with LB Josh Woods on a one-year contract.
BUFFALO BILLS: Signed G David Edwards to a one-year contract.
CHICAGO BEARS: Signed LB Dylan Cole.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: Signed QB Joshua Dobbs.
DALLAS COWBOYS: Signed RB Tony Pollard to his franchise tag.
GREEN BAY PACKERS: Re-signed OLB Justin Hollins.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: Signed CB Duke Shelley.
MIAMI DOLPHINS: Re-signed LB Andrew Van Ginkel.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Signed P Corliss Waitman.
NEW YORK GIANTS: Signed WR Jamison Crowder and CB Amani Oruwariye to one-year contracts and TE Tommy Sweeney to the roster.
NEW YORK JETS: Signed RB Ty Johnson to a one-year contract.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: Signed OT Trent Scott.
ARIZONA COYOTES: Assigned Fs Bokondji Imama and Milos Kelemen and D Michael Kesselring to Tucson (AHL).
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Returned C Cole Sillinger to Cleveland (AHL).
DETROIT RED WINGS: Recalled G Alex Nedeljkovic from Grand Rapids (AHL).
EDMONTON OILERS: Reassigned G Ryan Fanti from Bakersfield (AHL) to Fort Wayne (ECHL).
MONTREAL CANADIENS: Activated C Jake Evans from injured reserve.
OTTAWA SENATORS: Signed D Tyler Kleven to a three-year, entry-level contract. Reassigned G Leevi Merilainen from Karpat (Liiga) to Belleville (AHL).
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Recalled G Dustin Tokarski and C Filip Hallander from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Waived D Carl Dahlstrom.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Activated D John Carlson from injured reserve. Loaned G Zach Fucale and D Gabriel Carlsson to Hershey (AHL).
ATLANTA UNITED: Signed F Luke Brennan, Ms Alan Carleton and Nick Firmino to short-term contracts. PHILADELPHIA UNION: Signed D Nathan Harriel to a two-year contract.
REAL SALT LAKE: Extended the contract for M Damir Krellach through the 2024 season.
PROVIDENCE: Named Kim English head men's basketball coach.
Thursday's results
Arizona (ss) 11, Dodgers 5
N.Y. Yankees 1, St. Louis 1
N.Y. Mets 2, Atlanta 2
Toronto 3, Minnesota 0
Boston 7, Pittsburgh 4 Philadelphia 4, Detroit (ss) 1 Chicago Cubs 11, Arizona (ss) 1
San Francisco (ss) 6, Chicago White Sox 3 Milwaukee 4, San Diego (ss) 2
San Diego (ss) 6, Kansas City 3 Detroit (ss) 8, Baltimore 8 Houston 5, Washington 4 Cleveland 10, San Francisco 0 Oakland 7, Texas 7
Seattle 17, Cincinnati 6
Today's games
Minnesota vs. N.Y. Yankees (ss) at Tampa, Florida, 10:05 a.m.
N.Y. Mets vs. Tampa Bay at St. Petersburg, Florida, 10:05 a.m.
Chicago White Sox vs. Oakland (ss) at Mesa, Arizona, 1:05 p.m. Milwaukee (ss) vs. Dodgers at Phoenix, Arizona, 1:05 p.m.
San Francisco vs. Kansas City at Surprise, Arizona, 1:05 p.m.
Texas vs. Chicago Cubs (ss) at Mesa, Arizona, 1:05 p.m.
Cincinnati vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, Arizona, 1:10 p.m.
Colorado vs. Milwaukee (ss) at Phoenix, Arizona, 1:10 p.m.
San Diego vs. Angels at Tempe, Arizona, 1:10 p.m.
Atlanta vs. Boston at Fort Myers, Florida, 3:05 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees (ss) vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, Florida, 3:05 p.m.
St. Louis vs. Washington at Palm Beach, Florida, 3:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Florida, 3:05 p.m. Philadelphia vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Florida, 3:07 p.m.
Houston vs. Miami at Sarasota, Florida, 3:40 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (ss) vs. Cleveland at Goodyear, Arizona, 6:05 p.m. Oakland (ss) vs. Seattle at Peoria, Arizona, 6:40 p.m.
Saturday's games
Atlanta (ss) vs. Minnesota (ss) at Fort Myers, Florida, 10:05 a.m.
Boston vs. Tampa Bay at St. Petersburg, Florida, 10:05 a.m.
Miami vs. St. Louis (ss) at Sarasota, Florida, 10:05 a.m.
Minnesota (ss) vs. Atlanta (ss) at North Port, Florida, 10:05 a.m.
N.Y. Yankees vs. Philadelphia at Clearwater, Florida, 10:05 a.m.
Kansas City vs. Dodgers at Phoenix, Arizona, 12:05 p.m.
Milwaukee vs. Oakland at Mesa, Arizona, 12:05 p.m.
San Diego vs. Texas at Surprise, Arizona, 12:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs vs. Angels at Tempe, Arizona, 12:10 p.m.
Seattle (ss) vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale, Arizona, 1:05 p.m.
Arizona vs. Seattle (ss) at Peoria, Arizona, 1:10 p.m.
Houston vs. Washington at Palm Beach, Florida, 3:05 p.m.
Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh at Bradenton, Florida, 3:05 p.m.
Detroit vs. Toronto at Dunedin, Florida, 3:07 p.m.
St. Louis (ss) vs. N.Y. Mets at Port St. Lucie, Florida, 3:10 p.m.
Chicago White Sox vs. Cincinnati at Goodyear, Arizona, 6:05 p.m. Cleveland vs. Colorado at Scottsdale, Arizona, 6:10 p.m.
At Corales Golf Club
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Purse: $3.8 million
Yardage: 7,670; Par:
First round
Brice Garnett ........................... 33-33—66 -6 Ben Martin ............................... 33-33—66 -6 Matt Wallace ........................... 33-34—67 -5 Ricky Barnes ............................ 33-35—68 -4 Kelly Kraft ................................ 33-35—68 -4 Max McGreevy ........................ 33-35—68 -4 Sean O'Hair .............................. 32-36—68 -4 D.A. Points ................................ 34-34—68 -4 Dylan Wu .................................. 35-33—68 -4 Wyndham Clark ....................... 35-34—69 -3 Austin Eckroat .......................... 32-37—69 -3 Doug Ghim ................................ 35-34—69 -3 Brent Grant .............................. 35-34—69 -3 Bill Haas .................................... 33-36—69 -3 Sam Stevens ............................ 34-35—69 -3 Martin Trainer ......................... 35-34—69 -3 Erik Van Rooyen ...................... 35-34—69 -3 Tyson Alexander ...................... 34-36—70 -2 Kevin Chappell .......................... 32-38—70 -2 Austin Cook ............................... 35-35—70 -2 Thomas Detry ........................... 34-36—70 -2 Scott Harrington ...................... 33-37—70 -2 Michael Kim .............................. 35-35—70 -2 Brandon Matthews .................. 36-34—70 -2 Andrew Novak .......................... 36-34—70 -2 Jonathan Byrd ........................... 34-37—71 -1 Erik Compton ............................ 39-32—71 -1 MJ Daffue .................................. 35-36—71 -1 Brian Davis ................................ 35-36—71 -1 Tyler Duncan ............................. 35-36—71 -1 Michael Gligic ........................... 36-35—71 -1 Emiliano Grillo .......................... 35-36—71 -1 Harry Hall .................................. 36-35—71 -1 Harry Higgs ............................... 37-34—71 -1 Nicolai Hojgaard ...................... 36-35—71 -1 Mark Hubbard .......................... 36-35—71 -1 Sung Kang ................................. 34-37—71 -1 Seung-Yul Noh .......................... 36-35—71 -1 Vincent Norrman ..................... 35-36—71 -1 Chad Ramey .............................. 36-35—71 -1 Matthias Schwab ..................... 37-34—71 -1 Stephen Stallings Jr ................. 36-35—71 -1 Chris Stroud .............................. 37-34—71 -1 Kevin Tway ................................ 35-36—71 -1 Camilo Villegas ........................ 34-37—71 -1 Scott Brown ............................... 34-38—72 E Wesley Bryan ............................. 36-36—72 E Rafael Campos .......................... 36-36—72 E Greg Chalmers .......................... 35-37—72 E Jason Dufner .............................. 37-35—72 E Tano Goya ................................... 35-37—72 E J.J. Henry .................................... 32-40—72 E Justin Hicks ................................ 35-37—72 E George McNeill .......................... 36-36—72 E Chris Nido ................................... 36-36—72 E Henrik Norlander ...................... 35-37—72 E Brian Stuard ............................... 35-37—72 E Akshay Bhatia .......................... 36-37—73 +1 Cougar Collins ......................... 36-37—73 +1 Trevor Cone ............................. 34-39—73 +1 Ben Crane ................................ 39-34—73 +1 Joel Dahmen ............................. 36-37—73 +1 Juan Jose Guerra ..................... 36-37—73 +1 Paul Haley ................................ 36-37—73 +1 Nick Hardy ................................ 37-36—73 +1 David Hearn ............................ 33-40—73 +1 Kramer Hickok ........................ 35-38—73 +1 Hank Lebioda ........................... 36-37—73 +1 William McGirt ....................... 34-39—73 +1 Kevin Roy .................................. 37-36—73 +1 Kyle Westmoreland ............... 38-35—73 +1 Carson Young .......................... 36-37—73 +1 Aaron Baddeley ....................... 35-39—74 +2 Sang-Moon Bae ....................... 35-39—74 +2 Fabian Gomez ......................... 38-36—74 +2 Cody Gribble ............................ 37-37—74 +2 Charley Hoffman ..................... 37-37—74 +2 Russell Knox ............................ 38-36—74 +2 Adam Long ............................... 35-39—74 +2 Justin Lower ............................ 38-36—74 +2 Cameron Percy ....................... 40-34—74 +2 Scott Piercy ............................. 37-37—74 +2 Trevor Werbylo ........................ 39-35—74 +2
At The Club at Steyn City, Johannesburg Purse: $1.5 million
Yardage: 7,716; Par: Suspended first round for darkness
Darren Fichardt ....................... 33-31—64 -8 Martin Vorster ......................... 34-30—64 -8 Nick Bachem ............................ 33-32—65 -7 Joakim Lagergren ................... 33-32—65 -7 Hennie O'Kennedy ................... 31-34—65 -7 Sebastian Soderberg .............. 31-34—65 -7 Aaron Cockerill ........................ 33-33—66 -6 George Coetzee ....................... 33-33—66 -6 Ewen Ferguson ........................ 34-32—66 -6 Gavin Green ............................. 34-32—66 -6 Calum Hill ................................. 32-34—66 -6 NiklasNorgaardMoller ......... 34-32—66-6 Jayden Trey Schaper .............. 33-33—66 -6 Martin Simonsen ..................... 33-33—66 -6 Julien Brun ................................ 34-33—67 -5 Trevor Fisher ............................ 34-33—67 -5 Benjamin Follett-Smith .......... 33-34—67 -5 Daniel Gavins ........................... 36-31—67 -5 Mikko Korhonen ...................... 33-34—67 -5 Hurly Long ................................ 34-33—67 -5 Joost Luiten .............................. 32-35—67 -5 Wilco Nienaber ........................ 34-33—67 -5 Andy Sullivan ........................... 33-34—67 -5 Sami Valimaki .......................... 35-32—67 -5 Daniel Van Tonder ................... 33-34—67 -5 Nicolai Von Dellingshausen .. 33-34—67 -5 Paul Waring .............................. 32-35—67 -5 Matthew Baldwin .................... 34-34—68 -4 Kyle Barker ............................... 35-33—68 -4 Wynand Dingle ........................ 34-34—68 -4 Jamie Donaldson ..................... 34-34—68 -4 Oliver Hundeboll Jorgensen..33-35—68 -4 Yeongsu Kim ............................ 33-35—68 -4 Alexander Knappe .................. 34-34—68 -4 Jeong-Weon Ko ........................ 34-34—68 -4 Jbe Kruger ................................ 34-34—68 -4 Jacques Kruyswijk .................. 34-34—68 -4 Romain Langasque ................. 34-34—68 -4 Thriston Lawrence .................. 34-34—68 -4 Joshua Lee ................................ 35-33—68 -4 ZanderLombard ..................... 36-32—68-4 Tom McKibbin .......................... 35-33—68 -4 Jake Redman ............................ 34-34—68 -4 Kalle Samooja .......................... 33-35—68 -4 Marcel Schneider .................... 36-32—68 -4 Robin Sciot-Siegrist ................ 32-36—68 -4 Stefan Wears-Taylor ............... 35-33—68 -4 Oliver Wilson ........................... 32-36—68 -4
SEATTLE 4
Regional Semifinals
At Seattle
Today's games
Mississippi (25-8) vs. Louisville (23-10), 7 p.m.
Iowa (25-6) vs. Colorado (25-8), 4:30 p.m.
GREENVILLE 2
Regional Semifinals
At Greenville, S.C.
Today's games
Miami (21-12) vs. Villanova (30-6), 11:30 a.m. Utah (27-4) vs. LSU (30-2), 2 p.m. GREENVILLE 1
Regional Semifinals
At Greenville, S.C.
Saturday's games
Maryland (27-6) vs. Notre Dame (27-5), 8:30 a.m.
South Carolina (34-0) vs. UCLA (27-9), 11 a.m.
SEATTLE 3
Regional Semifinals
At Seattle
Saturday's games
Virginia Tech (29-4) vs. Tennessee (25-11), 3:30 p.m.
UConn (31-5) vs. Ohio St. (27-7), 1 p.m.
Third Round Thursday's results Eugene, Ore.
Oregon 81, San Diego 61
Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas 64, Nebraska 55
Allston, Mass.
Harvard 74, Rhode Island 63
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green 73, Memphis 60
Clemson, S.C.
Florida 73, Clemson 63
At Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens Purse: $8,800,000
Surface: Hardcourt outdoor
Round of 128
Jiri Lehecka, Czech Republic, def. Federico Coria, Argentina, 6-3, 6-4. Quentin Halys, France, def. Pedro Martinez, Spain, 6-2, 7-6 (4). Aleksandar Kovacevic, United States, def. Jaume Munar, Spain, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-1. Cristian Garin, Chile, def. Marcos Giron, United States, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Roberto Carballes Baena, Spain, def. Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Spain, 6-0, 3-0, ret. Adrian Mannarino, France, def. Juncheng Shang, China, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Alex Molcan, Slovakia, def. Jordan Thompson, Australia, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 Christopher Eubanks, United States, def. Denis Kudla, United States, 7-6 (2), 6-2 Mackenzie McDonald, United States, def. Daniel Elahi Galan, Colombia, 6-4, 6-2. Yosuke Watanuki, Japan, def. Benoit Paire, France, 6-4, 7-5. Richard Gasquet, France, def. Christopher O'Connell, Australia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Thiago Monteiro, Brazil, def. Jason Kubler, Australia, 6-4, 7-6 (6). Gregoire Barrere, France, def. Roman Safiullin, Russia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Argentina, def. Pavel Kotov, Russia, 6-2, 6-2. Lorenzo Sonego, Italy, def. Dominic Thiem, Austria, 7-6 (7), 6-2. Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australia, def. Zizou Bergs, Belgium, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7).
Round of 64
Zheng Qinwen (23), China, def. Irina-Camelia Begu, Romania, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. Elise Mertens, Belgium, def. Daria Kasatkina (8), Russia, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Paula Badosa (21), Spain, def. Laura Siegemund, Germany, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2. Petra Martic (29), Croatia, def. Wang Xiyu, China, 6-3, 6-3 Liudmila Samsonova (12), Russia, def. Viktorija Golubic (14), Switzerland, 6-1, 6-1. Jessica Pegula (3), United States, def. Katherine Sebov, Canada, 6-3, 6-1 Danielle Collins (30), United States, def. Viktoriya Tomova, Bulgaria, 7-6 (3), 6-2 Anastasia Potapova (27), Russia, def. Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine, 6-1, 6-3. Jelena Ostapenko (24), Latvia, def. Mirjam Bjorklund, Sweden, 6-3, 6-4. Coco Gauff (6), United States, def. Rebecca Marino, Canada, 6-4, 6-3. Beatriz Haddad Maia (13), Brazil, def. Tereza Martincova (21), Czech Republic, 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-0. Claire Liu, United States, def. Julia Grabher, Austria, 6-4, 6-3. Magda Linette (20), Poland, def. Evgeniya Rodina, Russia, 6-3, 6-4. Martina Trevisan (25), Italy, def. Nao Hibino, Japan, 6-4, 6-3. Victoria Azarenka (14), Belarus, def. Camila Giorgi, Italy, 6-3, 6-1. Elena Rybakina (10), Kazakhstan, def. Anna Kalinskaya, Russia, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.