LOS ANGELES — Sometimes, a Dodgers player will check the news and find his name in it, alongside his manager’s. Dave Roberts has told the media—and through them, the fans—that he finds something about the player’s performance unacceptable. The player is rarely surprised.
This week, it has been star shortstop Mookie Betts: “I think he’s pressing,” was Roberts’s diagnosis after Betts went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 5 of the World Series to bring his series batting average to .130. “You can see there’s a little anxiousness there.”
This is an unusual approach for a modern manager. This October, Padres skipper Mike Shildt praised right fielder Fernando Tatís’s at-bat quality all the way through his 1-for-12 National League wild-card series. Cubs manager Craig Counsell discounted the idea that Pete Crow-Armstrong was trying to do too much even as the center fielder swung at breaking balls in the dirt. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone spent much of the summer insisting that shortstop Anthony Volpe, who over a two-week stretch in August had more errors (two) than hits (one), had just been unlucky. Six days after the Blue Jays bounced the Yankees from the playoffs, Volpe underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Meanwhile, last week, Roberts told the assembled media that the Dodgers would not win the World Series if two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s at-bats did not improve.
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You might expect that sort of public criticism to rankle his players. They say it does the opposite.
“I’ve always loved it,” says third baseman Max Muncy. “When he comes out and says things in statements to the media, it’s not anything he hasn’t told the player before. So the player is never being caught off guard. And sometimes as players, you need to feel that pressure. If he’s just talking to you and he says it, that’s one thing, but if he talks to you and says it, and then you see it on MLB Network, then it’s like, ”
Roberts sees that level of candor as part of his job.
“I think it’s important for them, for the fans and the media to know that I have certain standards and expectations, and it’s not an embarrassment [thing], it's a transparency [thing],” he says. “And I think that they know that I root for them as hard as anyone else, and so when I’m honest with the media, I think that’s why it lands. I am also the first to support them and back them when things aren’t going well, but I do feel that there’s times where I feel like I gotta be honest with what everyone’s seeing, and I just think that I’ve built enough equity with our guys that they know that I’m not just trying to embarrass them.”
Roberts is typically transparent with his opinions during press conferences. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
And everyone agrees that this only works because Roberts is as willing to challenge his stars as he is his scrubs. After the Dodgers fell to the Padres in four games in the NLDS in 2022, Roberts acknowledged, “You look at that dugout versus our dugout, there was more intensity there.” (He later pointed out that this was as much a criticism of himself as the manager as it was of any player.) This season alone he has identified a lack of “edge” in both reliever Blake Treinen and right fielder Teoscar Hernández.
“When you come in, you’re part of a team,” Muncy says. “It’s not a one-man show. And if you’re doing something negative to that team, you’re gonna get called out about it. It doesn’t matter what your number is, doesn’t matter what your stats are, doesn’t matter what your legacy is. If you’re not doing something to help that team win, you’re putting us in a hole, [and he’ll tell you]. And that really contributes to the culture we’ve created.” He adds, “Sometimes you gotta get guys out of their comfort zone if you want to get the best out of somebody.”
Betts, a frequent recipient of public concern from his manager about his mental approach—last year Roberts wondered aloud if Betts’s postseason struggles had gotten to him—seems almost surprised that not everyone does it this way.
“I think he’s just holding us accountable,” says Betts. “I think that’s really important. I don’t care who you are. If you’re Shohei or the last guy on the team, everyone needs to be held accountable. Usually people like Shohei, [most people] don’t really say anything to him. If he messes up, you kind of let him do his thing. You know he’ll fix it. But it doesn’t work like that. You need someone to hold you accountable. If you want to be good, you should probably hold your guys accountable.”
Indeed, Roberts says he goes out of his way to make sure he’s focusing his most intense criticism on his best players.
“I think I’m probably more apt to do it with those guys, because a lot of times they get a lot more grace than the 26th man,” he says.
And they seem to understand his intent. Besides, if the Dodgers are flustered when their manager acknowledges publicly that they are struggling, are they really mentally equipped to play at the highest level? After Roberts lamented what Ohtani’s at-bat quality was doing to the team, the two-way star agreed with him.
“The other way to say it,” Ohtani pointed out in response in Japanese, according to the , “Is that if I hit, we will win.”
The other key, Roberts says, is that he expects his players to do the same to him. From time to time, he says, he’ll make a decision, then return to his office to find Betts waiting to discuss it with him. Enforcing a standard means enforcing it for everyone, including himself. It also means that if the Dodgers lose the World Series this weekend, they will hear about it from fans and from the media—and from their manager.
NEW YORK — For the second night in a row, with a crowd there to see him, Jazz Chisholm showed them his back. On Tuesday, he rifled through his locker and mumbled monosyllables as reporters asked him if he agreed with manager Aaron Boone’s decision to bench him in Game 1 of the American League wild card series. On Tuesday, back in the starting lineup for Game 2, Chisholm dashed around third from first base on an eighth-inning single, slid on his belly into home plate and lay there, pounding the dirt, for nearly 10 seconds.
Redemption was not on his mind, he insisted later. Winning was.
Well, he got both. His run was the game-winner in a 4–3 victory over the Red Sox, the second straight classic in the best-of-three series. He also saved at least one run—Boston manager Alex Cora thought it was more like two—with a diving stop in the seventh.
“That was the game right there,” said reliever Fernando Cruz, who extinguished a fire that inning to preserve the 3–3 tie and then celebrated so passionately that Boone joked about getting out of his way in the dugout. “That’s something that people don’t notice a lot of times, but I want to make sure it’s mentioned. Jazz saved us the game, completely.”
Chisholm, too, has always played with passion, often to the chagrin of his opponents and sometimes even his teammates. So when he learned that on the heels of a season in which he became only the third Yankee ever (after Bobby Bonds in 1975 and Alfonso Soriano in 2002 and ’03) to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases, he would sit in Game 1, he shared his frustration with anyone who asked. Chisholm did not care that as a lefthanded hitter, he was part of a group that hit .166 with a .455 OPS against the Red Sox’ lefthanded ace, Garrett Crochet.
“As tough as Crochet is, he has been especially tough on lefties,” Boone said, explaining why he was sitting Chisholm, lefthanded first baseman Ben Rice and lefthanded third baseman Ryan McMahon in favor of righties Amed Rosario, Paul Goldschmidt and José Caballero. (Crochet allowed one run and struck out 11 in 7 ⅔ innings, so it might not have mattered who was in there anyway.) “There’s no great matchup.”
Chisholm obviously thought he was one. His reaction to his Tuesday benching could have rankled the Yankees, but on Wednesday, they said they understand who he is. “He is a guy that wears his emotions on his sleeve,” Boone said before Wednesday’s game. “I don’t need him to put a happy face on. I need him to go out and play his butt off for us tonight. That’s what I expect to happen.” Afterward, right fielder and team captain Aaron Judge praised Chisholm’s maturity in not letting his disappointment distract him.
Indeed, Chisholm said that by the time he managed his custom New York Aliens team (starring him, Ken Griffey Jr. and Jimmy Rollins) to a 12–1 victory in the video game on Tuesday night, he had moved on.
“All that was clear before I came to the field today,” Chisholm said. “After I left the field yesterday, it’s . It is win or go home for us. It is all about winning.”
Wednesday was a banner day for the players who sat on Tuesday. With a man on first in the first inning, Rice became the sixth player since 2000 to homer on the first pitch of his postseason career. Third baseman Ryan McMahon added a single and a walk. (Rice did not attribute his success to residual frustration over the lineup decision. “I know my role,” he said. “Yesterday my role was to be ready for a big at-bat off the bench, and today I was starting.”)
Chisholm’s role on Wednesday was to key his team to a win. After three lackluster at-bats, he took the field behind lefty Carlos Rodón to open the top of the seventh. Rodón had begun to show signs of weakening both physically and mentally—after he allowed a sixth-inning leadoff homer to Trevor Story to tie the game at 3, he looked furious with himself and walked the next batter, Alex Bregman, on four pitches—and he began the seventh with eight straight balls to put two of the Red Sox’ fastest players, Nate Eaton and Jarren Duran, on base. Boone summoned the right-handed Cruz to face Ceddanne Rafaela, who popped up a bunt. Cruz then induced a fly ball to left field. He got to 3–2 on Masataka Yoshida, and both runners took off. Yoshida lined a ball up the middle, and Chisholm knocked it down. The runners held at second and third. Cruz got Story to fly to deep center to end the threat. Cruz all but burst into flames in celebration.
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“For me, you know what’s going on,” Chisholm said afterward. “You see a ground ball, you gotta stop it. You have to keep it in the infield. You have to stop that run from scoring. I felt at that point it would have been a really crucial run. I was doing what I could to keep the ball in the infield. Not trying to make the play at first base but keep it in the infield.”
An inning later, he worked a walk and then took off when Austin Wells singled to right. When Wells went to congratulate him, Chisholm grinned. “If it was anywhere—left or right—I was scoring,” he said. Wells just laughed. He knows better than to doubt Chisholm.
Boone has insisted he made the right decision on Tuesday, and he may well have. But on Thursday, the Red Sox will start lefty Connelly Early—and Boone will start Chisholm.
The 2025 MLB season has reached its final month and there are still questions that need to be answered, division races to shake out and award races to be decided. Which division leader’s lead is safest? And with a month of games remaining, is the playoff field already set?
In terms of individual player milestones, will Aaron Judge, who surpassed Yogi Berra on the Yankees’ all-time home run list, one day pass the legendary Babe Ruth as well? And could Justin Verlander, after notching his 265th career win, become just the 25th pitcher to record 300 career victories?
We’ll answer each of these questions and more in the latest edition of Fact or Fiction.
The playoff field in MLB is already set
I know I’m being a bit of a party pooper with this answer, but it’s hard to argue with the current playoff landscape in MLB.
For a brief moment to begin August, the Mets and Yankees, both mired in dreadful slumps, had their fan bases longing for the return of New York football. However, both clubs have emerged from the danger zone and stand on firmer ground as the calendar flips to September.
As for the other current wild-card holders, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where the likes of either the Red Sox or Padres, two of baseball’s best teams since the All-Star break, fall out of the playoff race. Likewise for the Cubs, who, even after a middling month of August, still have a firm grasp on the third National League wild card.
If there’s going to be a shakeup in the postseason landscape, it will happen in the American League, where the Royals, Rangers and even Guardians all could conceivably catch the Mariners for the third wild card. But all three of those clubs have a noticeable Achilles heel—offensive woes for the Royals and Guardians, injuries for the Rangers—that make it tough to envision these teams taking the field come October.
Of the six division races, one is seemingly decided—the AL Central—and two are trending toward that territory—the NL East and Central. The division-leading Blue Jays, Astros and Dodgers all sport leads of fewer than five games.
All of this to say, there could be some musical chairs going on in the season’s final month as clubs jockey for positioning. The seeding and playoff bracket could look a bit different come season’s end. But get used to the teams that currently represent the playoff field.
Of the 12 teams in pole position entering September, 10 of them boast 90 percent or better postseason odds on FanGraphs and nine of them have similar figures in Baseball Reference’s playoff odds. Hopefully, the good folks at FanGraphs and Baseball Reference are wrong and there’s a September surprise or two in store. Just don’t be too crestfallen if that doesn’t happen.
Verdict: Fact
Aaron Judge will one day top Yankees’ all-time home run list
Aaron Judge is in fifth place on the Yankees’ all-time home run list. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Aaron Judge on Sunday belted the 358th home run of his career, surpassing Hall of Famer Yogi Berra for fifth on the Yankees’ all-time home run list, which is a who’s who of legends. Judge now trails only Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth for the most home runs in club history.
DiMaggio, who belted 361 home runs in his career, is next on the list for Judge. That will almost certainly happen at some point in September, barring a cold spell from the two-time AL MVP. So, should that occur, Judge would trail only Gehrig, Mantle and Ruth.
he one day surpass Ruth, who swatted 659 homers in pinstripes? Let’s take a deep dive. Judge, 33, is under contract with the Yankees for the next six seasons, through the 2031 campaign. And he’ll likely be wearing the pinstripes for the remainder of his career. Back in July, he told Ian O’Connor of that he not only plans to play into his mid-40s, but that he expects to sign another contract that would allow him to do so. So that means, health willing, Judge could conceivably play for another 10 years.
Let’s say he clubs seven homers in September and finishes with an even 50 in 2025. Judge would need to average about 29 homers per year for 10 seasons to match the Sultan of Swat on the Yankees’ all-time list. Given that Judge has averaged just above 35 homers per season for his career thus far, a drop to 29 per year accounts reasonably well for the dip that aging will undoubtedly induce.
That’s the elephant in the room when it comes to Judge potentially catching The Babe. We simply don’t know how well Judge will age because MLB has never seen a player with Judge’s size who also possesses his level of athleticism. And given that he’s been arguably more durable in his thirties than he was in his twenties, there’s reason to be optimistic about his chances of one day standing alone among Yankees sluggers.
I’ll say that Judge surpassing Gehrig and DiMaggio but falling just short of Ruth is still an incredible accomplishment. Time is not on his side, and not only did he get a late start as an older rookie, but he also missed out on effectively another full season due to the pandemic-shortened year in 2020. But that these circumstances occurred and we’re even having this conversation about Judge potentially——being able to catch Ruth one day is a testament to how truly great he is.
Verdict: Fiction
Walker Buehler will be the most impactful late-season addition
How many times does a club with championship aspirations land a two-time World Series winner with big-game pitching experience this late in the season? That’s what happened when the Phillies on Sunday inked Walker Buehler to a minor-league deal after the Red Sox had parted ways with the veteran righthander amid his struggles in Boston.
Any way you slice it, Buehler (5.45 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) has not been good this year. But opportunity knocks for a Phillies club that lost ace Zack Wheeler for the remainder of the year. If Buehler can tinker with his mechanics and figure out a way to pitch better, he has a chance to be most impactful late-season addition.
Right now, though, I’m going in a different direction for that honor. And the winner is … Red Sox first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. That may sound crazy. Lowe, perhaps burdened by the weight of futility, had posted a career-worst .665 OPS in 119 games for the woeful Nationals. Now, however, Lowe is playing for something again—and it shows.
He’s been a revelation for the Red Sox, who are in the thick of both the AL wild card and AL East races. In 12 games with the club—admittedly, a tiny sample size—he’s posted an OPS of .973 and has solidified first base both offensively and defensively for a Red Sox team that had been searching for production from the position since before Rafael Devers (remember him?) was traded.
But to a certain degree, this is who Lowe has been all his career. A solid hitter who makes the pitcher give him a pitch to hit, puts the ball in play and works long at-bats. So while he might not be the flashiest or highest-profile late-season addition, Lowe might just prove to be the most impactful come October.
Verdict: Fiction
Justin Verlander will get to 300 career wins
Justin Verlander needs 35 wins to enter the hallowed 300-win club. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Justin Verlander is the last of a dying breed in MLB: the old-school ace. Verlander on Sunday did something seldom seen in baseball anymore, as he struck out 10 batters over five scoreless innings on 121 pitches. 121 pitches! In the day and age of beefed-up bullpens and analytics-savvy managers, that simply does not happen anymore.
Aside from that truly rare occurrence, Verlander’s impressive outing was notable for another reason: the start was his 265th career win, inching him ever closer to hallowed ground: 300 career wins. To be clear, wins don’t quite mean what they used to, as talent evaluators—and the game itself—have moved to better indicators of pitcher success, such as ERA. But wins still matter to pitchers, especially to ones like Verlander.
“Talk to almost any starting pitcher,” Verlander told back in February. “How do you feel after you win compared to a loss or no-decision? It’s easier to write off a loss when you know you do well and give up one or two runs and say, ‘I gave us a chance.’ But I’d rather go seven, give up three and win. “We’re here to win.”
It’s predominantly one of the reasons why the 42-year-old, who said he’d like to pitch in 2026, is still on the mound—300 wins is a career milestone that to Verlander. And it’s of even more significance because he could be the last pitcher to ever achieve the feat. The only other active pitchers close enough—Clayton Kershaw (221), Max Scherzer (221) and Gerrit Cole (153) are all either already 40 years old or in their mid to late thirties. So, Verlander is seemingly the last hope.
Will he get there? Simple math says he at least has a chance. The veteran righthander has averaged roughly 13 wins per season in his illustrious career. In order to get to 300 victories, he’d have to average just under 12 wins per season for the next three campaigns to hit the mark. On paper, he could do it—and it may be unwise to doubt Verlander, whose Hall of Fame career was years ago sparked by a perceived snub from a fall in the 2001 MLB draft.
The odds are against him, though. For one thing, look no further than this season for the best proof that games aren’t played on paper. Plagued by a lack of run support and an, at-times, leaky Giants bullpen, Verlander didn’t get his first win of the season until late-July.
Then, there’s the injuries. Verlander missed almost two months of the 2024 season with a neck injury, which he later said he returned too quickly from. He’s had an injured list stint in 2023 and this season for the Giants. Even if Verlander stays healthy, he’s racing against the clock. But should he need to miss any starts due to injury in the next season or two, it could prove costly to his quest for 300.
Ultimately, Verlander doesn’t 300 wins for any other reason than to join an exclusive club in MLB history. He’s a three-time Cy Young Award winner, a former AL MVP and Triple Crown winner, a two-time World Series winner and a member of MLB’s 3,000-strikeout club. It would simply be the cherry on top to one of the greatest careers any pitcher has ever had.
Verdict: Fiction
Brewers will set the franchise record for wins
Buoyed by a franchise-record 14-game winning streak in August, the Milwaukee Brewers seized the title of ‘best team in baseball’ and haven’t relinquished their grasp on the honor. Now, entering September with 85 wins, a different piece of franchise history is very much within reach.
The Brewers, with 24 games remaining in their schedule, have a chance to surpass the 2018 club, which won a franchise record 96 games, for the most victories in team history. In order to do so, Milwaukee, which has won its games at over a 60 percent clip, will need to merely play .500 ball the rest of the way to reach 97 wins and stand alone in Brewers’ lore. Seems like an easy ask for this club.
Schedule luck is on their side, too. Milwaukee has the ninth-easiest remaining schedule, with half of its eight remaining series coming against teams below .500. Among the toughest tests remaining for the Brewers are two more games against Philadelphia this week and three contests against the Padres (Sept. 22–24). In theory, all the Brewers would need to do is take care of business against the easier matchups, and history would be theirs.
Given that Milwaukee sports the best record in baseball against teams above .500, there’s a chance this team could become the first in franchise history to win 100 games. Now would be entering the postseason on a high noteSo, even though the team’s torrid winning pace has slowed since its record winning streak, I’ll still say that come season’s end, this Milwaukee club will stand alone in team history with 97-plus victories.
Despite strong spells from Warrican and Mujeeb, fielding lapses cost Royals in a tight finish
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2025Karima Gore continued his superb form in CPL 2025, scoring his second consecutive half-century to guide Antigua and Barbuda Falcons to a commanding six-wicket victory over Barbados Royals on Saturday. Chasing 152, Falcons rode on Gore’s unbeaten 64 to claim their first points of the tournament in front of a home crowd.After a disappointing loss against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in their season opener – despite Gore’s 61 – Falcons bounced back with a disciplined all-round performance. Winning the toss and opting to field, the Falcons bowlers kept Royals in check for most of the innings. Quinton de Kock provided a brisk start with a fluent 57, and captain Rovman Powell added a late flourish with a powerful unbeaten 51 off just 24 balls to take Royals to 151 for 6. Jayden Seales was the pick of the bowlers for Falcons, returning 2 for 15 in an economical spell.In response, Falcons lost a couple of early wickets, but Gore held the innings together. Batting at No. 3, he anchored the chase, rotating strike effectively and finding the boundary when needed. He scored 39 off his first 41 balls, and by the end of the 16th over, Falcons still needed 45 off 24. Gore then accelerated, smashing 19 runs off his next six deliveries – including two consecutive sixes off Eathan Bosch in the 18th over – to ease the pressure. Eventually, it came down to six off the final over, and Gore sealed the chase with two balls to spare.Royals will be left ruing their missed opportunities in the field. Several dropped catches and missed run-out chances allowed Falcons and Gore to flourish. The fielding lapses not only released pressure but also gave Gore at least two reprieves, which he capitalised on to steer the game in Falcons’ favour.Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman conceded just 43 runs from their eight overs combined and picked up a wicket each, but it wasn’t enough to contain Falcons.
Brace of centuries hunt down hefty 393-run target as Worcestershire are left facing relegation
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Jul-2025
Zen Malik made a career-best 142•Getty Images
Warwickshire 184 (Smith 68, Webster 57, Shahzad 6-42) and 396 for 5 (Malik 142, Webster 100*, Mousley 69) beat Worcestershire 333 (Brookes 140, D’Oliveira 57) and 243 (Brookes 87, Roderick 50) by five wicketsWarwickshire pulled off the third biggest run-chase in their history to record a sensational five-wicket Rothesay County Championship victory over Worcestershire at Edgbaston.Second best for the first three days, on the fourth, Warwickshire chased down a target of 393, reaching 396 for five thanks to Zen Malik (142 from 222 balls), Beau Webster (100 not out, 166), Dan Mousley (69, 107) and Kai Smith (48 not out, 40). As the sun came out for the first time in the match and batting conditions eased, they delivered a remarkable recovery from 12 for two the previous evening.Malik unfurled a high-class career-best while Australian all-rounder Webster, in control from his first ball faced, was just as pivotal to the triumph. It was a real heartbreaker for Worcestershire as a victory which would have galvanised their survival fight turned into a defeat which shunts them to the brink of Division Two.Twenty-three days earlier at Southampton, Worcestershire needed to take seven Hampshire wickets on the last day and took only one. This time they need to take eight and found just three. That inability to close out winning positions will almost certainly cost them their First Division status.Warwickshire resumed on the final morning on 55 for two and, to their delight, the thick cloud that sat over Edgbaston for the first three days had departed. Batting was much at its easiest all game and Mousley and Malik applied themselves diligently to deny the visitors early impetus from a wicket.Mousley, recalled to the championship side due to Sam Hain’s paternity leave, reached 50 from 89 balls and a long overdue maiden championship century beckoned when he reverse-swept Bertie Foreman to short third man.Malik chugged on with immaculate concentration while Webster restrained his attacking instincts to launch another productive partnership. When Malik struck Foreman for ten in two balls to take the total halfway to the target, the home crowd’s thoughts started to turn towards an unlikely win.Malik reached his second first-class century (156 balls) with a six over the well-peppered short Hollies-side boundary. Webster followed to his half-century from 103 balls and Warwickshire went into tea on 267 for three, needing 126 from 35 overs.Malik skied Ethan Brookes to long on but left with his side firmly on course for victory. Ed Barnard edged Tom Taylor behind in the first over with the new ball, but Smith joined Webster to work the ball astutely around the big field to add an unbroken 84 in 11.2 overs.The unlikeliest of victories ultimately arrived with great comfort with 82 balls to spare, and Warwickshire’s exhilaration was as great as Worcestershire’s desolation.
Hampshire reply with resolve after title-chasers post imposing 578 for 8 declared
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay23-Jul-2025Hampshire 90 for 0 (Weatherley 43*, Middleton 34*) trail Nottinghamshire 578 for 8 dec (James 203*, Haynes 103, McCann 79, Hutton 71) by 498 runsLyndon James masterfully struck his maiden double-century as title-chasing Nottinghamshire took control of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Hampshire.James helped his side to maximum batting points with an awesome 203 not out, overtaking his previous personal best of 164.With him, Jack Haynes took himself to a fourth hundred of the season – the most in Division One – while Brett Hutton’s 71-run cameo allowed Nottinghamshire to declare on 578.Joe Weatherley and Fletcha Middleton reached close with no damage for the hosts – ending on 90 without loss, in arrears by 498 runs.The day was a procession of bat raises from Nottinghamshire batters – six of them in total.Haynes was the first as he converted his overnight 70 to three figures in 42 day-two balls – 129 in total. It was the fourth time he had passed fifty, and the fourth time he had converted to a hundred this season.But after a flourish of drives and boundaries, his 106-run stand with James was ended when Kyle Abbott got Haynes chipping the second new ball to mid-on.Hampshire had an inexperienced attack – without Keith Barker, Liam Dawson, Brad Wheal and John Turner – and failed to build any pressure throughout the day, albeit with an unhelpful ball.However trouble-free much of the bowling was, the batter standards were incredibly high – led by James.The all-rounder kept up the scoring rate throughout his innings as he mixed a constant yearning for runs with a tight technique.His one major life came on 94 when Hampshire missed a third chance in the slips during the innings – a frequent pattern this season, and one which was met by derision in the stands and by Abbott curling into a frustrated ball at mid-on.James shook off the nineties nerves to reach his second century of the season, and the sixth of his career – one of real fluency.Liam Patterson-White had accompanied him for 66 runs – one of six partnerships to pass 40 – before James Fuller pinned him lbw.But Hutton – who will be replaced by Josh Tongue from day three onwards after his release from the England squad – arrived to ignite the innings even further.Where fours had previously been struck, short balls were cannoned into the stands by both Hutton and James – combined they struck 12 in total – as any hope of containing them had disappeared for Hampshire.Nottinghamshire reached maximum batting points – which could be crucial in their Championship bid. They had started the round just a point behind leaders Surrey.Hutton picked out long-on for an 87-ball 71, but James kept going despite being disturbed by tea when on 197. He reached his double century with a flick to the boundary and a fist pump.Nottinghamshire immediately declared on 578 and gave Hampshire’s refreshed opening pair of Middleton and the recalled Weatherley a testing 32 overs – with Ali Orr absent with a concussion suffered in the Second XI.As it happened, both breezed through with sturdy defences, although the defensive nature could harm their quest for much needed bonus points in the long term.
يواصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، استعداداته لمواجهة إنبي ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية “كأس عاصمة مصر”.
وعقد ييس توروب، المدير الفني للأهلي، محاضرة فنية مطولة للاعبين قبل انطلاق المران، حيث ناقش معهم العديد من الجوانب التكتيكية وخطة العمل للمباراة المقبلة، في إطار البرنامج الموضوع للمرحلة القادمة.
وشهد المران بداية بتدريبات بدنية مكثفة، تلاها تنفيذ مجموعة من الفقرات الفنية والخططية، بينما خاض حراس المرمى تدريبات قوية قبل المشاركة في التقسيمة التي أجراها الجهاز الفني بمشاركة جميع اللاعبين المتاحين.
طالع.. 3 صفقات عربية قريبة من الأهلي.. ورحيل مُنتظر
وقرر الجهاز الفني منح راحة لمدة 5 أيام للرباعي محمد شريف وياسين مرعي ومحمد مجدي أفشة وكريم فؤاد، عقب انتهاء مشاركتهم مع منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العرب، وذلك بهدف منحهم فرصة لالتقاط الأنفاس قبل العودة إلى المباريات المحلية.
وأكد وليد صلاح الدين، مدير الكرة بالنادي، أن اللاعبين حصلوا على إجازة من التدريبات حتى يوم الإثنين المقبل، حتى ينالون قسطًا كافيًا من الراحة بعد المجهود الكبير الذي بذلوه خلال البطولة.
ويلتقي الأهلي مع إنبي، مساء غدًا الخميس على أرضية استاد السلام، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر.
England star’s maiden appearance for RCB earns quiet approval as pragmatism holds sway in selection
Matt Roller02-May-2025A decision that would have provoked outrage a decade ago was met with a shrug of the shoulders on Friday: an England player missing a Test match due to their involvement in the IPL. Jacob Bethell scored half-centuries in each of England’s last three Tests, shortly after his 21st birthday, but did not feature in the squad named to face Zimbabwe on May 22.After crossed wires last year prompted short-notice withdrawals from the play-offs and frustration from franchises, the ECB have honoured a commitment to the BCCI that England players will be fully available. The result is that Bethell will be with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in India as they push for a maiden title, rather than batting at No. 3 at Trent Bridge.England’s decision not to pull Bethell out of the IPL early reflects the realpolitik of world cricket, and the status of a one-off Test against Zimbabwe. To do so would have undermined the ECB’s relationship with the BCCI – at a time when Indian investment in English cricket is being finalised – while unfairly placing him in the eye of a storm. Pragmatism has won the day.Bethell’s absence has also deferred a tricky call for England’s management, which will now wait until their series against India in mid-June. “You want your best players always available, don’t you?” Luke Wright, the national selector, said. “But he’s an outstanding cricketer… He’s ticking along really well [at the IPL] and we’re excited to have him back in the summer.”Wright said that he has been “in close contact” with RCB’s management this season to check on Bethell’s progress, and has received positive reports from head coach Andy Flower and director of cricket Mo Bobat – both of whom used to work at the ECB. “To get that experience to even open the batting with Virat Kohli… what an experience that is,” Wright said.
He’s destined for greatness. I think England have a genuine superstar in the making and selfishly, as RCB, we’re very happy to have bought him slightly earlier in the cycleMalolan Rangarajan, RCB’s lead spin-bowling coach
Bethell’s first appearance of the season, against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, was as full-on as it gets: walking out to delirious cheers for his opening partner, and facing a new-ball attack of Axar Patel and Mitchell Starc. He slog-swept his sixth ball to deep backward square, but in whipping a six and a four over the leg side of Starc, Bethell gave the IPL a glimpse of his quality.On Test debut in New Zealand, Bethell earned as much praise for his first-innings 10 as for his second-innings half-century: the scorecard alone did not reflect the impression he made while seeing off probing new-ball spells from Matt Henry and Tim Southee. In the same vein, his 12 on Sunday was only a footnote in RCB’s win, but still made an impression on those who saw it.Starc offered a wry smile after both of Bethell’s boundaries. “We were laughing about it at breakfast,” Alyssa Healy, the Australia women’s captain and Starc’s wife, said on the podcast. “Mitch said, ‘I executed! That ball was top of off. That’s exactly what I was told to bowl.’ And he’s gone for six over backward square… This kid is an absolute gun.”Bobat first encountered Bethell as a 14-year-old playing in the prestigious Bunbury Festival; Bobat was working as the ECB’s player identification lead, and Bethell, playing with boys a year older than him, was named player of the week. Six years later, he signed him for INR 2.6 crore (£250,000 approx.) at the IPL’s mega-auction.Bethell impressed in his maiden Test series in New Zealand•AFP/Getty Images”Everyone in England probably knows that he is going to be one of England’s brightest stars over the next five-to-ten years, across formats,” Bobat told ESPNcricinfo in Delhi. “To secure a player at the value we did of that potential in year one of an auction cycle is brilliant. I’ll be amazed if he’s not featuring more regularly [for RCB] over the next few years.”He’s way beyond his years. He’s 21 years old, but you wouldn’t know it: he may as well be 30. He’s very calm, very professional, and incredibly driven. He’s soaking in everything that the IPL – and RCB – is providing him: there’s some big players here that he is watching, observing, and learning from.”Chief among those is Kohli, Bethell’s opening partner on Sunday night. “Virat’s brilliant around our practice environment, brilliant with the younger lads,” Bobat said. “We’ve paired them up batting together [in the nets] at times too. He’s spent a huge amount of time with him.”Related
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When England toured India earlier this year, Bethell found himself getting stuck against spin. He has worked closely with Flower and Dinesh Karthik, RCB’s batting coach: “He’s working really hard on his game against spin, which for most English players is an important work-on,” Bobat said. “He’s opening up different scoring areas now.”He has been encouraged to develop his own left-arm spin by England, working with Malolan Rangarajan, RCB’s lead spin-bowling coach. “He has been unbelievable with his work,” Rangarajan said. “He’s destined for greatness. I think England have a genuine superstar in the making and selfishly, as RCB, we’re very happy to have bought him slightly earlier in the cycle.”Bethell may find himself running the drinks again when RCB play Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, with Phil Salt set to return from the illness which vacated an overseas spot. He would have played more cricket if he had spent April and May with Warwickshire, but it is abundantly clear that being in India has helped Bethell’s all-round development.”If he was playing in England right now, of course he’d be developing his red-ball game… But what he’s getting out here is a proper feel for the premier white-ball competition in the world,” Bobat said. “I can say this, having been on both sides of the fence: English cricket likes to pit Championship cricket against the IPL. I don’t believe it needs to be an either/or.”
O Botafogo encerrou sua participação no Campeonato Carioca com a vitória sobre o Boavista e conquista da Taça Rio no domingo (31). Com a goleada por 4 a 0 e enorme vantagem conquistada no jogo de ida, o Alvinegro entrou em campo com um time alternativo, repleto de jovens da base e jogadores que retornam de lesão.
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Mais que o troféu e a vaga assegurada na Copa do Brasil de 2025, o Botafogo ganhou ótimas notícias e reforços para a sequência da temporada. O bom desempenho de peças secundárias do elenco e a volta de importantes jogadores, como Luiz Henrique e Jeffinho, dão uma maior confiança no crescimento do time às vesperas do início da fase de grupos da Libertadores.
LH retornou ao time logo como titular, após seis semanas fora por lesão na panturrilha. Agora dono da camisa 7, o ponta-direita atuou por 45 minutos e foi o melhor jogador do Botafogo enquanto esteve em campo, levando muito perigo tanto com dribles quanto armando o jogo. Principal contratação do clube para a temporada, o jogador fez apenas seu terceiro jogo com a camisa alvinegra.
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No intervalo, Luiz Henrique deixou o campo para dar lugar a Jeffinho, que também fez sua volta após quase dois meses machucado. Talvez o melhor jogador do Glorioso no primeiro mês de temporada, o atacante viu Júnior Santos crescer enquanto esteve ausente e terá de lutar por seu espaço no time. Contra o Boavista, o camisa 47 foi discreto, mas teve flashes com bons dribles.
Quem também fez seu retorno após lesão foi Patrick de Paula. Afastado dos gramados por 400 dias, o meio-campista entrou durante o segundo tempom já com o 2 a 0 consumado, e foi bem participativo. PK recebeu algumas bolas no ataque e até arriscou de longe duas vezes, primeiro em falta na entrada da área, e depois em chutaço que parou o goleiro.
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Além da volta de lesionados, atuações de jovens que ganharam minutagens nesta Taça Rio. Kauê, autor do segundo gol do Botafogo na noite de domingo (31), tem tido cada vez mais espaço com Fábio Matias. Por sua vez, foi Matheus Nascimento que assistiu o companheiro em lindo passe de calcanhar e teve uma atuação muito sólida.
Desta forma, o Alvinegro pode contar com outras peças que não os recentes protagonistas para o restante da temporada, e inicia sua trajetória na fase de grupos da Libertadores em seu melhor momento. O Botafogo recebe o Junior Barranquilla na quarta-feira (3), às 19h, no Estádio Nilton Santos.