■BASEBALL
No guns in the clubhouse
Major League Baseball has a new message for players and employees this spring training: Keep guns, long knives and explosives out of the clubhouse. Signs have been placed in spring training locker rooms stating “individuals are prohibited from possessing deadly weapons while performing any services for MLB.” The rules apply to employees of the commissioner’s office, other central MLB businesses and to teams, including players. New MLB Players’ Association head Michael Weiner said the rules were put in place last season but the signs were not posted until now. Titled “Major League Baseball’s Weapon-Free Workplace Policy,” they say the MLB “shall prohibit the possession or use of deadly weapons in any facility or venue owned, operated, or controlled by it.” Included are “firearms, explosives, daggers, metal knuckles, switchblade knives, and knives having blades exceeding 5 inches.”
■SOCCER
F-Marinos eye Nakamura
Japan’s Yokohama F-Marinos have made a renewed approach to unsettled Espanyol midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese media reported yesterday. The 31-year-old snubbed his boyhood team in favor of Espanyol last June but has failed to establish himself in the Spanish top flight. Yokohama want to try again to lure Nakamura away from La Liga before the start of the J-League season on March 6. “It’s a delicate process,” Yokohama President Akira Kaetsu told the Sankei Sports newspaper. “We don’t have much time.” F-Marinos manager Kazushi Kimura said Nakamura could struggle to make an impact for Japan at this year’s World Cup if he did not get regular first-team soccer. “The situation needs to be sorted out quickly — for the player’s sake,” Kimura told the Nikkan Sports. “While he is not playing, he’s losing his match sharpness.”
■SOCCER
Hoffenheim rally for draw
Carlos Eduardo’s late penalty completed Hoffenheim’s comeback from two goals down in a 2-2 draw at home with Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Friday. The draw left both teams in the middle of the standings. Hoffenheim captain Per Nilsson gave away a penalty in the 30th minute when he handled the ball at the edge of the area and Filip Daems scored from the spot. Moenchengladbach’s second came after 51 minutes when Raul Bobadilla connected with a cross at the far post and headed toward the net. The ball was going inside but Roberto Colautti pushed it across the line, just in case. Hoffenheim did not give up and stepped up the pressure. Eduardo shook off Michael Bradley and played the ball square to Ibisevic, who slotted home to cut the deficit in the 69th. Moenchengladbach got a lucky break shortly afterward when the referee failed to spot Dante’s handling of the ball. In the 76th, Bradley had a point-blank attempt blocked by Hoffenheim goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand. Hoffenheim got its penalty when Daems blocked Ibisevic’s cross with his arm and Eduardo drove the ball home in the 88th.
■SOCCER
Injury sidelines Drenthe
Real Madrid’s left-sided Dutch midfielder Royston Drenthe will be out for between two and three weeks with an injury to his left leg, the club announced on Friday. Drenthe, who can also play as a left-back, underwent scans following training on Friday. The scans revealed a muscle tear in his left leg that will require “two to three weeks” to fully heal, according to a Real medical bulletin.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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