Like father, like son: Tatis goes deep
Although Fernando Tatís Jr. was only 3 months old when his father hit two grand slams in the same inning at Dodger Stadium, the young slugger was well aware his Padres happened to be in the same park Friday night exactly 22 years later. “Oh, I definitely knew this wastheday, Tatíssaidwithabiglaugh. “I told myself, ‘If I could just hit two home runs today, that would be so crazy.’ I think the baseball gods were in my favor.” The baseball gods don’t deserve all the credit for the two hardest-hit homers in the ascendant career of Tatís. Tatís launched two solo homers on the anniversary of his father’s most amazing baseball feat at Chavez Ravine during the Padres’ third straight victory over the Dodgers on Friday. Tatís celebrated a significant family day in style with homers in the third and fifth off Clayton Kershaw (3-2). After driving in a third run in the ninth, Tatís spoke to his father at home in the Dominican Republic. “He was really happy,” Tatís said. “He was saying how blessed we are. It’s just been a celebration all the way around in my family.”
Colton Herta bounced back from a disappointing IndyCar opener by winning the pole Saturday for the street course race in downtown St. Petersburg. Herta was enveloped in a firstlap crash in last week’s season-opening race in Alabama that knocked the championship contender out before he’d even warmed his tires. His pole-winning run put Herta at the front of a competitive field separated by just 0.17955 seconds from first to 24th in qualifying. It is the fifth pole of his career but first since Herta was paired with his father, Bryan, as his race strategist. Colton Herta and Bryan Herta have now won poles at four of the same tracks: St Pete, Laguna Seca, Portland and Mid-Ohio. Jack Harvey qualified second for Michael Shank Racing and was followed by Josef Newgarden, who triggered the firstlap crash at Barber Motorsport Park that wrecked Herta last week. Simon Pagenaud was fourth behind his Team Penske teammate Newgarden, while Sebastien Bourdais and Pato O’Ward rounded out the Fast Six. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson qualified 23rd.
Soccer fans protest American owners
Fans of Liverpool and Manchester United called for the removal of their clubs’ American owners during protests outside their stadiums prompted by the ill-fated European Super League project on Saturday. “£nough is £nough FSG Out” and “Henry, You have blood on your hands,” were the words on some of the banners held up by Liverpool supporters outside Anfield before the team drew with Newcastle 1-1 in the English Premier League. That’s a reference to Fenway Sports Group and principal owner John Henry, who was one of the instigators of the controversial breakaway league featuring some of Europe’s elite clubs which was aborted on Tuesday — two days after it was launched. While the protests on Anfield Road were muted,more than a thousand United fans were estimated to have gathered on the concourse outside the club’s Old Trafford stadium to protest against the Glazer family, which has owned the 20-time English champion since a debt-leveraged buyout in 2005. Local newspaper The Manchester Evening News reported that the protest was peaceful.