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Ninth-inning rally sends Astros to Game 1 victory over Twins

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In a season where so much has been made about the Astros being not able to hit, it was a walk that gave them the edge in the end of the season games.

Jose Altuve drew a two-out, bases-stacked stroll in the ninth inning to help lift the Astros over the Twins 4-1 in Game 1 of their season finisher series Tuesday at Target Field.

The Astros got a respite with a colossal Twins handling faux pas in the ninth.

The Astros had sprinters from the outset and second with two outs in the ninth when George Springer hit a ground ball to Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco that ought to have finished the inning. Rather, Polanco made a deviant toss to a respectable halfway point, permitting everybody to reach securely and set up Altuve’s sensational at bat.

After Altuve’s walk, Michael Brantley conveyed a two-run single to give some pad.

The Astros got a solid pitching trip from Zack Greinke and Framber Valdez.

Greinke got off to an unpleasant beginning, driving the bases in the primary inning, yet he settled down and permitted one sudden spike in demand for only two hits in four innings.

The run he surrendered came when Nelson Cruz conveyed a two-out twofold that took an unusual jump off the right-field divider and ricocheted back over the head of Josh Reddick. Carlos Correa’s hand-off toss home almost cut down the sprinter at the plate, however Max Kepler barely beat the toss.

After only four innings and 79 pitches, Greinke was pulled for Valdez, who seemingly was the Astros’ best beginning pitcher in the standard season.

Valdez experienced difficulty finding the strike zone when he entered, strolling the initial two hitters he saw before settling down and tossing four innings of hitless help.

Valdez pitched the last five innings, blanking the Twins and surrendering only two hits in the last five casings.

The Astros tied things up in the seventh when Reddick, Martin Maldonado and George Springer conveyed three straight two-out singles. Reddick scored the tying run on Springer’s base it, however Maldonado was tossed out attempting to go from first to third.

The series resumes around early afternoon Wednesday.

Matthew Ronald grew up in Chicago. His mother is a preschool teacher, and his father is a cartoonist. After high school Matthew attended college where he majored in early-childhood education and child psychology. After college he worked with special needs children in schools. He then decided to go into publishing, before becoming a writer himself, something he always had an interest in. More than that, he published number of news articles as a freelance author on apstersmedia.com.

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Shohei Ohtani Gets Standing Ovation After Achieving 50-50 Milestone, Then Hits 52-52

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After securing the first 50-50 season in MLB history on Friday, Shohei Ohtani made a triumphant homecoming to Dodger Stadium. He continued doing what he does best after that.

The Los Angeles Dodgers player began the 52-52 club with a home run and a steal against the Colorado Rockies, after the teams reached 50-50 and 51-51 in the same game. In the fifth inning, Ohtani faced Rockies starter Kyle Freeland. He worked the count full before taking a pitch at his armpits to deep center field.

Few batters possess the ability to hit a pitch that high and blast it 423 feet in the opposite direction.

After a double and a single two innings later, Ohtani advanced to second base on Mookie Betts’ first pitch.

Ohtani broke Rickey Henderson’s record of 13 home runs in a single game set in 1986 by recording both a stolen base and a home run for the 14th time this season.

After going 9 for 10 with four home runs, two doubles, three steals, six runs, and 12 RBI in his last two games, Ohtani is now one home run behind Aaron Judge for the MLB lead. The majority of that output occurred on Thursday night against the Marlins, when Ohtani not only reached 50-50 with style, but he also had one of the best offensive outings in MLB history.

Ohtani combined an incredible season-long feat with the 16th 10-RBI game in MLB history in the same game that he hit his 49th, 50th, and 51st home runs of the year and stole his 50th and 51st bases. In addition, it was the first three-homer, two-steal game in MLB history, all on the anniversary of Ohtani’s unbelievable—that he didn’t have Tommy John surgery—on September 19, 2023.

The only downside of that magical night was that it happened on the road. Still, Ohtani received a curtain call at LoanDepot Park in Miami. Dodgers fans made an effort to show their support by giving him a standing ovation before his first at-bat on Friday, which earned him a wave in return.

Though it’s unclear how far into untested terrain Ohtani can go in homers and steals, he may have reached 50-50.

In addition, there’s the playoff issue. With eight games remaining, the 92-62 Dodgers have a four-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the NL West championship. They also secured their spot in the playoffs on Thursday. They’ll need to get beyond a string of pitching injuries if they hope to give Ohtani a ring, regardless of where they finish in his debut postseason.

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Jessica Pegula Upsets Iga Swiatek as Jannik Sinner Advances to US Open Semi-Final Against Draper

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At the end of her standout 2022 season, Jessica Pegula faced a frustrating trend—reaching the quarter-finals in three of the four major tournaments but losing each time to the top seed. After yet another loss to Iga Swiatek at the US Open, Pegula humorously arrived at her press conference with a beer in hand, joking, “I’m trying to pee for doping… although it does help ease the loss.” The lighthearted moment went viral, reflecting her upbeat attitude despite repeatedly falling short of a semi-final spot.

It took two more years and six heartbreaking quarter-final defeats for Pegula to finally break through. In a fitting turn of events, she defeated Swiatek, the world No. 1, 6-2, 6-4 at the US Open, securing her first-ever Grand Slam semi-final appearance. “I’ve lost so many times, I just kept losing,” Pegula said, acknowledging her past defeats to top players. “I just needed to get there again and win the match. Thank God I was able to do it and finally say I am a semi-finalist.”

In the men’s draw, top-seeded Jannik Sinner is the last Grand Slam champion standing. He advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Daniil Medvedev in a hard-fought match, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, setting up a semi-final showdown with Great Britain’s Jack Draper.

Pegula’s triumph over Swiatek was particularly impressive. She employed a smart, tactical approach by hitting deep, flat shots down the middle, limiting Swiatek’s angles and attacking opportunities. Her movement was sharp, absorbing Swiatek’s aggressive strikes and patiently waiting for her own chances to go on the offensive.

While Pegula was on top of her game, Swiatek struggled with her serve and timing throughout the match, ending with 41 unforced errors. “I didn’t find the right solution,” Swiatek admitted. “You’re not going to win if you make so many mistakes. It’s on me.”

Pegula’s victory also marks a historic moment for U.S. tennis, as she joins Emma Navarro, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals. This is the first time since 2003 that multiple American players have reached the semi-finals in both the women’s and men’s US Open draws. Pegula will face unseeded Karolína Muchová, who reached last year’s semi-finals before undergoing wrist surgery. Muchová advanced by defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 6-4.

In the men’s tournament, Sinner’s powerful groundstrokes and strong defense proved too much for Medvedev, who was below his best throughout the match. Although the momentum shifted wildly, with Sinner dominating the first set and Medvedev responding in the second, Sinner regained control in the third and fourth sets to claim victory. Medvedev, who hit 57 unforced errors, couldn’t keep up with Sinner’s intensity.

“It was very tough,” said Sinner after the match. “We knew it was going to be physical. I’m really happy.”

Sinner has now reached the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments, becoming the fourth active player and the only man under 35 to achieve this feat. His next challenge is Draper, a familiar opponent and good friend. The two have faced each other since their junior days and recently played doubles together at the Canadian Open.

“We are good friends off the court, so it’s going to be tough one,” Sinner said. “He’s playing incredibly well, so let’s see who plays better in a couple of days.”

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Texas Loses a Second Running back to an Injury that ends the Season

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Christian Clark, a true freshman, tore his Achilles tendon during practice on Monday, ending the team’s second season-ending injury at running back for No. 4 Texas, the school confirmed on Tuesday.

Six days after revealing that CJ Baxter, the starting quarterback for the first game of the previous campaign, would require season-ending knee surgery, Texas announced that Clark would have surgery and miss the rest of the campaign.

The Longhorns are down to three scholarship running backs as a result of the losses.

This season, Jaydon Blue—who has played in 23 games for Texas—is anticipated to carry the weight after rushing for 431 yards and three touchdowns. In the Longhorns’ College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Washington, he had four receptions for 45 yards and three kickoff returns for 80 yards.

The Longhorns have two players behind Blue: sophomore Jerrick Gibson, who was listed as the No. 2 running back and the No. 3 overall, and Quintrevion Wisner, a sophomore who participated in all 14 games last season on special teams.

In December, Clark, a four-star prospect from Phoenix’s Mountain Pointe High School, committed to Texas.

Although Gibson and Clark both stumbled during Saturday’s scrimmage in what he called a “welcome to college football moment,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters on Monday that both players were improving and were “further down the road than some may think.”

In a post-practice video chat with media on Tuesday night, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers said of the injuries, “It definitely hurts to see that go down.” “Injuries do happen. It’s just a part of the game we play. I think [running backs coach Tashard] Choice and Coach Sark do a good job of recruiting good running backs that can ultimately fill in the position if needed. … I think we have guys that are going to be more than capable of stepping in and filling up those roles.”

After gaining confidence in his running ability, Ewers ran for five touchdowns last season, including 30- and 29-yard touchdown runs against Kansas and Baylor. Sarkisian said after the Kansas game that Ewers realized, “Man, maybe I’m a little faster than I thought.”

On Tuesday, Ewers stated that he would be more than willing to take on additional running responsibilities.

“Ultimately, I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help this team win football games,” Ewers stated. “So if that means I need to run more, so be it.”

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