BASEBALL
Ohtani undergoes surgery
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani had arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder, following an injury he sustained during Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26. The Dodgers said the Japanese two-way player is expected to be ready for spring training in February. Ohtani injured his non-throwing shoulder while sliding into second base on a stolen base attempt, which resulted in a shoulder dislocation. He returned to play the next three games, helping the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games to win the championship.
CRICKET
Warner returns as captain
David Warner was named captain of Big Bash League team Sydney Thunder yesterday, a fortnight after having his lifetime ban on any leadership role in Australian cricket lifted. In 2018, the opening batsman, who this year retired from international cricket, conspired to tamper with the surface of the ball using sandpaper. He was suspended from playing for a year and banned from any leadership role for life, until a Cricket Australia panel last month ruled to lift the ban. “Captaining the Thunder again this season means a lot to me,” the 38-year-old Warner said. “I was part of the team from the start and now to be back with that ‘C’ next to my name feels fantastic.”
BASKETBALL
Embiid suspended
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been suspended for three games without pay for shoving a member of the media, the NBA said on Tuesday. The locker room incident occurred after the 76ers’ game on Saturday, when oft-injured Embiid, who has not played this season due to what the team have called left knee management, confronted and shoved a Philadelphia newspaper columnist. Embiid took issue with a column the journalist wrote that questioned the seven-time NBA All-Star and former league Most Valuable Player’s effort to stay in shape and also mentioned the player’s son and late brother. “Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” league executive vice president Joe Dumars said in a news release. “While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.”
ATHLETICS
Runner banned from marathon
A social media influencer from Texas was disqualified from last week’s New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow. Race organizers New York Road Runners said in a statement on Tuesday that Matthew Choi contravened the group’s code of conduct and competition rules, not to mention those of World Athletics, by competing “with the assistance of two unauthorized people riding the course on electric bicycles, obstructing runners.” The former college football player posted online several videos of himself running the marathon that immediately drew scorn. “As a runner, seeing him was amazing. Gave me extra motivation to pass him and make sure I never had to see him and his dumb crew for the rest of the race,” one user on Reddit wrote.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
TWO-NIL LOSS: Taiwan’s best chance to score came at the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and one out, but Venezuela’s Liarvis Breto got out of the jam Taiwan yesterday suffered a shutout 2-0 loss to Venezuela in the opening game of the WBSC Premier12 Super Round at the Tokyo Dome. Taiwan had seven hits, one more than Venezuela’s six, but catcher Carlos Perez’s two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning delivered the only runs scored by both teams and secured victory for Venezuela. Taiwan’s best chance came at the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and only one out. However, Venezuela reliever Liarvis Breto struck out Chen Chen-wei before reliever Pedro Garcia finished the inning by allowing an infield flyball by Lin
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