A player in the KBO League pulled off a rare feat on Thursday that we typically only see at the Little League level.
With runners on first and third in the bottom of the 4th inning of a KBO game on Thursday, a batter laid down a well-placed bunt that forced the pitcher to come off the mound to make a play. The first baseman could not catch the throw, and the ball slowly trickled into right field.
The runner from third scored with ease. After the right fielder had trouble handling the ball, he had to throw home to attempt to get the runner who had come all the way around from first to score. That throw was off the mark as well, which resulted in a three-run, bunt home run for the batter.
Obviously, the play was not scored a home run. It was really a base hit with a whole bunch of errors, but a bunt homer is still impressive to have on your baseball resume.
The start of the main event at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was delayed slightly on Wednesday after a contestant from a previous competition vomited all over the stage.
Between the men’s and women’s hot dog eating competitions, Nathan’s holds a short contest where contestants see how quickly they can chug a gallon of lemonade. Eric “Badlands” Booker won the lemonade chugging event for a fourth straight year with a record time of 21 seconds, beating his previous record of 23.58 seconds.
Booker somehow held all the lemonade down while being presented with his title belt. The contestant to his right did not, however. The other contestant projective vomited all over the stage multiple times, drawing a big reaction from those in attendance.
The name plates for the contestants in the men’s Hot Dog Eating Contest were already set up on stage, so organizers had to delay the main event to clean up a bit. The lemonade chugging contestant who got sick continued to vomit as he exited the stage.
This year’s Hot Dog Eating Contest looked a lot different since Joey Chestnut wasn’t allowed to compete, but there were still plenty of entertaining moments. One of them just happened to involve a bit of extra cleaning.
Shohei Ohtani blasted his 27th home run of the season earlier this week, and the towering shot unfortunately bounced off of a young fan’s head.
Ohtani hit a two-run homer in the 7th inning to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead in their eventual 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Tuesday night. Several fans tried to catch the 443-foot shot, but the unsuccessful attempts resulted in the ball hitting a young boy directly in the head.
The video looked incredibly painful.
The home run had an exit velocity of 112 mph. It is unknown if the young fan suffered a serious injury or required medical attention.
Ohtani is batting .316 on the season with 27 home runs and 64 RBI. His 1.035 OPS is second in MLB behind only Aaron Judge’s 1.135.
Ironically, a bat boy recently saved Ohtani from being drilled in the head with a line drive (video here). It’s a shame no one was able to do the same for the young fan who was on the wrong end of Ohtani’s home run ball.
A Damar Hamlin defensive highlight against Tom Brady at a beach football game probably wasn’t on anyone’s NFL offseason bingo card, but it recently occurred.
Brady, Hamlin, and several other NFL stars played some pick-up football on Thursday at Michael Rubin’s annual Fourth of July “white party” held in the Hamptons in New York.
One play from the star-studded showdown in the sand went viral on social media. Brady tried to hit a receiver who appeared to be running a corner route but severely underthrew the pass. Hamlin intercepted it and ran the other way, much to the delight of everyone watching.
Brady’s teammate, Micah Parsons, couldn’t believe the 7-time Super Bowl winner gave up what appeared to be a pick-six.
“Come on, Tom!” Parsons was heard saying.
The miscue may have reignited the fire in Brady. On the very next play, Brady hit Parsons with a perfect deep ball for a touchdown.
After two years away from the NFL, Brady appears to be thoroughly enjoying his retirement.
From being linked to Brazilian influencers to getting booed at public events, Brady has had a lot going on of late.
Someone needs to check if Christian Walker secretly stole the deed to Dodger Stadium because the Arizona Diamondbacks slugger has completely owned the Dodgers on their home field this season.
On Thursday, Walker got into the Fourth of July spirit with some huge bat-induced fireworks over the Los Angeles skyline.
In the first inning, Walker sent a 94-mph fastball from Dodgers rookie Landon Knack into the seats in left-center field to give the D-Backs a 2-0 lead.
Walker doubled down in the third inning with a 400-foot 2-run blast to left field to extend the lead to 4-0.
Diamondbacks announcer Steve Berthiaume captured the energy of the moment perfectly.
“Another one’s on its way! Christian Walker has taken over Dodger Stadium,” Berthiaume said. “There is no explanation for this. It just goes on, and on, and on. It’s amazing! This defies all logic!”
The home run was Walker’s seventh at Dodger Stadium this season in just six games. It was also Walker’s fourth homer over his last six Dodger Stadium at-bats.
Walker became the first person to homer in five straight games at Dodger Stadium since Joc Pederson did it in 2015 as a member of the Dodgers. Fittingly enough, Pederson, who now plays for the Diamondbacks, also hit a big fly on Thursday.
Walker entered Thursday’s Diamondbacks-Dodgers clash with a .387 batting average, slugging percentage of 1.129, and an OPS of 1.589 in 8 games against the Dodgers this season. Anybody who thought those numbers were finally going down would have been sorely mistaken.
Feb 15, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Former player Chauncey Billups speaks during a ceremony honoring former Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders prior to a game against Los Angeles Lakers at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
For the second consecutive offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers could be trading away their top scorer.
Longtime Blazers writer Sean Highkin reported this week that Blazers guard Anfernee Simons is worth keeping an eye on with regard to a potential trade this offseason. Highkin adds that Simons appears to be open to a move out of Portland as well.
A trade of Simons would be stunning on several different levels. He is by far the longest-tenured Blazer (having been drafted by Portland in 2018) and yet is still just 25 years old. Simons is also a true three-level scorer and led the Blazers with 22.6 points per game this past season on 38.5 percent from deep. On top of that, Simons, seen by some as the heir apparent in Portland after the Damian Lillard trade last summer, still has multiple seasons left on his contract. He does not figure to be threatened either by Portland’s recent additions of center Donovan Clingan (via the draft) and forward Deni Avdija (via trade).
That said, Simons did benefit last season from down years by his fellow Blazers guards. Shaedon Sharpe, 21, missed most of the season thanks to injury, and Scoot Henderson, 20, really struggled to find his footing as a rookie. If Portland believes that those two younger guards are the ones to build around instead, the ex-Slam Dunk Contest champion Simons could become trade bait. That will only increase the uncertainty with the Blazers heading into next season (which even extends to their head coach too).
The Los Angeles Lakers have been among the teams looking to sign DeMar DeRozan this offseason. Could his recent music video appearance mean anything toward making a DeRozan-Lakers union a reality?
DeRozan made a cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s music video for “Not Like Us,” which was released on Thursday. DeRozan was seen in the video briefly during the line when Lamar mentions the 6-time NBA All-Star by name.
“I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither,” the lyric went.
DeRozan only had four seconds of screen time in total. But four seconds appeared to be enough to convince a handful of Lakers fans that a signing with the purple and gold was closer than ever.
DeRozan and Lamar both hail from Compton, Calif. DeRozan has talked openly in the past about wanting to “come home” to play for the Lakers. DeRozan has even admitted that a potential move to the Lakers almost happened in 2021.
DeRozan appears all but guaranteed to leave the Bulls this offseason. The Lakers are also very motivated to be the team that pries him away from Chicago.
Aug 26, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) smiles while on the field before the game against the Oakland Raiders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently did some damage control after fans were alarmed by a circulating photo of him in a walking boot.
Prescott was seen wearing a bulky protective boot on his right foot while walking along a harbor in Los Cabos, Mexico (photo here). A report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later described Prescott’s injury as a “very minor foot sprain.”
On Thursday, Prescott downplayed the foot issue even further in his comments to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The 30-year-old QB explained that the protective boot was merely precautionary while he went deep sea fishing.
“I’m great. … The last time I went deep sea fishing my [ankle] swole (sic) up… same ankle, same issues,” Prescott told Hill via text.
Prescott underwent surgery to repair a compound fracture dislocation of his right ankle back in 2020. The injury forced Prescott to miss the final 11 games of the 2020 season.
Prescott was able to return by Week 1 of the following season. He only missed one game during the 2021 campaign due to a calf strain.
Last season, Prescott played in all 17 regular season games for the Cowboys. The 3-time Pro Bowler tallied an NFL-best 36 passing touchdowns and finished second in MVP voting behind Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.
May 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) warms up before the game against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Angel Reese is ready to cash in on her unique marketing opportunity.
TMZ Sports reported Thursday that the WNBA rookie star Reese is in talks with Hershey’s about a possible endorsement deal. Fittingly, Hershey’s is the company that manufactures Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Reese appeared to hint at the impending partnership on her X page, even referring to her fans as the “Reese’s Pieces.” One of Reese’s posts also got a reply from the candy brand’s corporate account.
The Chicago Sky forward Reese, the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, is having an impressive rookie year with averages of 13.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per contest. Though she still draws most of her publicity by acting as a foil to Caitlin Clark, Reese is now poised to add to her growing list of endorsements (which already includes Reebok, Wingstop, Beats by Dre, and other companies).
Apr 11, 2019; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of a New Era Miami Marlins hat in the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Marlins may soon be parting ways with a homegrown All-Star.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that the Marlins are dangling infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for trade. The news comes with less than four weeks to go before the July 30 MLB trade deadline.
Chisholm, 26, is a versatile talent who can play both middle infield spots as well as center field. He was also an All-Star in 2022 and has produced 10 homers, 39 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 83 games for Miami this season. But Chisholm is also injured extremely often and clearly isn’t too highly regarded by all of his peers.
The lefty-hitting Chisholm has two more seasons of arbitration eligibility left on his contract. That combined with his age and his many skills could justify the risk of an acquisition for a contending team. The toilet-swimming 30-57 Marlins seem to be fully open for business as well and sold off another big name on their roster a little while ago.
