MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base and moved closer to becoming the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 8-4 Wednesday night. Ohtani, who began the day two shy of each mark, singled to lead off the game then swiped second. He flew out to left, struck out, lined out to right and struck out in his next four plate appearances. Tommy Edman hit his sixth homer in the last eight games for the NL West-leading Dodgers (90-62), who remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego. Enrique Hernández and Will Smith also went deep and Freddie Freeman had three hits. The Dodgers reached 90 victories for the 11th consecutive season of 162 games.
SEATTLE (AP) — A year ago, the New York Yankees were knocked out of playoff contention with a week to go in the regular season, ending a string of six straight postseason appearances. Remembering what that was like made wrapping up a playoff berth with more than a week left this time around feel that much better. “We’ve been through a lot already this year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We understand it’s just a first step — but it’s an important one. We’re in the dance.” After spending last year sitting at home when the postseason arrived, the Yankees secured their place in the 2024 playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Wednesday night.
Coco Gauff split from coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and one Grand Slam title together, the pair announced Wednesday via separate messages on social media. The end of their partnership comes 2 1/2 weeks after Gauff’s defense of her 2023 championship at the U.S. Open unraveled amid 19 double-faults during a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. That Sept. 1 loss was the latest in a series of disappointing-for-her results in recent months for Gauff, a 20-year-old American who recently dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the WTA rankings. It was after a first-round exit at Wimbledon last season that Gauff really took off with the help of the coaching duo of Gilbert and Pere Riba. Riba wasn’t with her this year.
The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon’s biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play in 2026. The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who also own the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League. They paid $125 million for the franchise. Some 300 invited guests attended a kickoff event at Portland’s Moda Center on Wednesday afternoon with the Bhathals, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and other state and local officials. Afterward, there was community-wide event outside the stadium.
WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Major League Baseball
American League
LA Angels 4, Chicago White Sox 3
Cleveland 5, Minnesota 4
Boston 2, Tampa Bay 1
Detroit 4, Kansas City 2
NY Yankees 2, Seattle 1
Texas 2, Toronto 0
National League
Arizona 9, Colorado 4
LA Dodgers 8, Miami 4
Atlanta 7, Cincinnati 1
St. Louis 01, Pittsburgh 5
NY Mets 10, Washington 0
Milwaukee 2, Philadelphia 1
Interleague
Oakland 5, Chicago Cubs 3
San Francisco 5, Baltimore 3
San Diego 4, Houston 0