The official MLB Twitter account pulled its Pride logo from social media on Friday and conservatives celebrated prematurely, with the league now explaining the reasoning behind switching the handle’s photo.
MLB first published the LGBTQ+ logo to social media on Thursday to kick off Pride month, which is celebrated every June.
Olivia Dunne shares flirty video at MLB match: ‘Time to look confused at a Yankee game’
One day later, the league switched back to its original logo, leading to a wave of right-wing conservatives claiming victory over the end to “wokeness.”
Conservatives have recently boycotted several brands due to outrage of “woke” marketing, which primarily targets the LGBTQ+ community.
Bud Light and Target are two of the main brands under attack by the conservative boycotts, considered to be quite effective in hurting the companies’ bottom line.
MLB explains why it pulled Pride logo
Major League Baseball did not succumb to right-wing outrage. Pulling the Pride logo after June 1 was always part of the plan, according to Newsweek.
“The organization always planned to recognize the beginning of Pride Month on June 1. Friday marked Lou Gehrig Day, which is celebrated leaguewide, and MLB later updated its profile picture to reflect that ‘as was the intended plan all along,’” Newsweek reported.
MLB and the LGBTQ+ community continue to make headlines in tandem. The Los Angeles Dodgers recently came under fire for awarding, withdrawing and reawarding a community hero award to a non-profit Pride group.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass was forced to apologize after sharing an Instagram Story in support of boycotting Bud Light and Target.
ESPN has reportedly fired national baseball reporter Marly Rivera after the latter called fellow female reporter, Ivon Gaete, a “f***ing c**t” over an interview with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
The incident took placed on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium before the duel between Judge‘s side and the Los Angeles Angels. Rivera had an argument with Gaete after the latter also tried to interview Judge.
“She no longer works here,” ESPN told The Post.
Rivera was caught on camera called Gaete a “f***ing c**t” before trying to apologise to her fellow reporter.
“I fully accept responsibility for what I said, which I should not have,” Rivera told The Post.
“There were extenuating circumstances but that in no way is an excuse for my actions.
“I am a professional with a sterling reputation across baseball and I do believe that I am being singled out by a group of individuals with whom I have a long history of professional disagreements.”
Having begun her media career in both international radio and television in 2002, Ivon has now become a freelance sportscaster for MLB and TBS Japan.
She bears an extensive background as a sports reporter, broadcaster, and journalist, having previously served as the ambassador for Special Olympics Venezuela.
According to Rivera, who has reported on the MLB and Yankees for ESPN and ESPN Deportes, she offered an apology to Gaete for the insult but the latter did not accept it.
Major-league sluggers like Aaron Judge are hitting more home runs than ever before, and a new study suggests that climate change is partly to blame. The study, published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, explains that the warmer temperatures caused by climate change are affecting the flight-path of baseballs, resulting in more home runs.
According to Christopher Callahan, a Ph.D. candidate in climate science at Dartmouth College and the study’s lead author, “When the air is warmer, it’s less dense, meaning there is less air resistance for a ball to travel through when it’s hit. By increasing temperatures and reducing the density of air during ball games, climate change has to some degree increased the likelihood of home runs.”
Callahan’s research suggests that climate change has contributed to about 1% of all home runs hit in Major League Baseball over the past decade, equivalent to around 50 home runs per year.
At first, some were skeptical of the study’s findings. John Knox, a geography professor at the University of Georgia, admits: “When I first saw the headline, I thought you got to be kidding.” However, after reading the study, he became a convert. “They did a careful analysis,” Knox acknowledges.
By the end of the century, there will be more HRs for this reason
Despite the fact that climate change has only had a small effect on home run rates so far, Callahan warns that rising temperatures could account for up to 10% of home runs by the end of the century.
He suggests that changes to the construction of the baseball, moving day games to night games to avoid higher temperatures, and putting domes over ballparks to insulate them from ambient temperatures could help mitigate the impact of climate change. More importantly, Callahan suggests that we need to take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to mitigate the effects of global warming.
In conclusion, while climate change is not the only factor contributing to the surge in home runs in Major League Baseball, it is a significant factor that cannot be ignored. As Callahan points out, “Climate change will give us more home runs.” It’s up to us to take action to minimize its impact on the sport we love.
The Toronto Blue Jays put on a clinic against the Boston Red Sox in a doubleheader on Wednesday, sweeping both games with a score of 4-2.
In the first game, the Blue Jays wasted no time in taking the lead, scoring three runs in the second inning. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a powerful two-run double and Randal Grichuk contributed an RBI single.
The Red Sox tried to mount a comeback, scoring two runs in the third inning, but the Blue Jays were able to hold on and secure the win.
Vlad Jr. leads the charge as Blue Jays’ pitching dominates Red Sox in doubleheader sweep
The second game saw the Blue Jays take an early lead once again, thanks to a massive two-run homer by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Red Sox were able to score a run in the fourth inning, but it was not enough as the Blue Jays added two more runs in the fifth inning to solidify their victory.
The Blue Jays‘ starting pitchers, Robbie Ray and Steven Matz, both delivered excellent performances and earned their team the wins. Ray struck out an impressive nine batters over six innings in the first game, while Matz only allowed one run over five innings in the second game.
The Blue Jays‘ impressive performance brings their season record to 8-3, while the Red Sox now sit at 5-6. It was a tough day for the Red Sox, but the Blue Jays showed that they are a force to be reckoned with and will be a team to watch as the season continues.
Shohei Ohtani is a superstar unlike any seen before, to the point where many are already calling him the ‘new Babe Ruth‘. And while he still has a long way to go to reach the legendary status of the great Bambino, the truth is that he is currently the most complete baseball player in the world.
Ohtani was a key player in Japan’s 3-2 victory over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which the Japanese squad won for the third time in their history. In fact, the Los Angeles Angels star was named MVP of the tournament and has practically everyone at his feet.
But one thing that draws attention to Ohtani is that, despite being in the MLB since 2018, he doesn’t speak English in his interviews, but through a translator. This has generated criticism from ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, who said that a player who requires an interpreter is not the best representation of baseball in the United States.
The reason is very simple: he doesn’t speak it fluently as he would like.
Ohtani explained in an interview with GQ why he prefers to speak in Japanese during his interviews: “If I could speak English, I would speak English,” he says in Japanese. “Of course, I would want to do that. Obviously, there would be no negatives that would come from that.
“But I came here to play baseball, at the end of the day, and I felt that my game on the field could be my way of communicating with people, with fans. That’s all I really took from it in the end.”
Ohtani learned English in Japan, as it is a mandatory part of the curriculum, but he points out that the way they taught them English was to meet a certain standard, not to become fluent speakers.
Since he doesn’t speak English fluently, he prefers to speak in Japanese and have his words translated by an interpreter.
Shohei Ohtani emerged from the bullpen and fanned Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in a matchup the whole baseball world wanted to see, leading Japan over the defending champion United States 3-2 Tuesday night for its first World Baseball Classic title since 2009.
Ohtani, the two-way star who has captivated fans across two continents, was voted MVP of the WBC and clutched the award against his chest.
Ohtani beat out an infield single in the seventh inning as a designated hitter before walking down the left-field line to Japan’s bullpen to warm up for his third mound appearance of the tournament.
Ohtani closed the first game of his career, and it was magic
Flashing his 100 mph heat, Ohtani walked big league batting champion Jeff McNeil to begin the ninth before getting Mookie Betts to ground into a double play.
Trout, the U.S. captain and a three-time MVP, then ended the game by striking out on a full-count breaking ball. Ohtani’s only other save was in a Japan postseason playoff game in 2016.
Ohtani batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks as Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball’s premier national team tournament. Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP was 2-0 with a save and a 1.86 ERA on the mound, striking out 11 in 9 2/3 innings.
Japan went 7-0 and outscored opponents 56-18, reaching the final for the first time since winning the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009. No other nation has won the title more than once.
Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto homered as Japan built a 3-2 lead.
Trea Turner put the U.S. ahead in the second with his record-tying fifth home run of the tournament and Kyle Schwarber pulled the Americans within a run when he went deep in the eighth off Yu Darvish.
It was the second straight major title for the Japanese, who beat the U.S. 2-0 in Yokohama for the 2021 Olympic gold medal. Japan used top players in that tournament while the U.S. sent released major leaguers and top prospects.
Turner put the U.S. ahead in the second inning with a drive to left against Shota Imanaga (1-0), tying South Korea’s Seung Yuop Lee in 2006 for the most in a WBC. That lit up a sellout crowd of 36,098 – fans were given wristbands with colored lights that flickered.
Murakami, at 23 already a two-time Central League MVP, tied the score on the first pitch of the bottom half when Merrill Kelly (0-1) elevated a fastball. Murakami drove it at 115.1 mph into the right-field upper deck, 432 feet away.
Murakami’s game-ending double lifted Japan over Mexico 6-5 in Monday night’s semifinal and his third-inning homer off Nick Martinez put Japan ahead in the 2021 gold medal game.
Japan loaded the bases in the second on singles by Okamoto and Sosuke Genda, and a walk to Yuhei Nakamura. Lars Nootbaar, the first non-Japanese-born player to appear for the Samurai Warriors, followed with a run-scoring groundout off Aaron Loup for a 2-1 lead.
Okamoto boosted the lead in the fourth when he sent a flat slider from Kyle Freeland over the wall in left-center.
Japan was outhit 9-5 as Imanaga combined with six relievers to hold the U.S. to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. The 29-year-old left-hander and Shosei Togo pitched two innings each, Hiroto Takahashi, Hiromi Itoh and Taisei Ota got three outs each, with Ota escaping two-on, no-outs trouble by retiring Trout on a flyout and getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground into a double play.
Trout and Ohtani hugged behind the batting cage during pregame workouts, then held their nation’s flag while leading their teams toward home plate in single file during the introductions, Trout down the right-field line and Ohtani in left.
Several thousand fans had arrived hours early to watch Ohtani take batting practice and applauded when he hit a drive off the video board above the second deck in center.
Trout hit .296 in the tournament with one homer, seven RBIs and 12 strikeouts.
MONEY MATTERS
Japan gets $3 million in prize money and the U.S. $1.7 million. Half of each goes to players, the other half to the national baseball federaton.
UP NEXT
MLB openers are March 30, the same day the season starts in Japan.
The Mexican Baseball Team played a great game and dominated Japan most of the game, however, their relief pitching fell apart and they ended losing in a dramatic 5-6 loss to Japan in the closing of the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Japan wins with a walkoff home run
Mexico was ahead the entire game and even led by three runs at the start of the game and two more in the eighth inning. However, closer Giovanny Gallegos could not hold a one-run lead in the ninth and Japan pulled out the bats at the right time in the bottom of the ninth to take the win.
Randy Arozarena’s night
Mexico relied heavily on the glove of Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena and the arm of starter Patrick Sandoval, who kept the dangerous Japanese bats at bay for the first four innings of the game.
While Randy stole two home runs in the sixth inning to maintain the 3-0 lead, one of them would have been a grand slam. He also had other important catches in left field and above all, he connected an important double in the eighth that helped Alex Verdugo to bring him to the plate, when Japan had just tied the game at three runs.
In fact, Randy took advantage of the breaks in the game to sign balls and be loved by the Mexican fans, who already consider him an idol.
Mexico took the lead in the third with a powerful three-run homer by Luis Urias off Japan’s promising pitcher Rooki Sasaki and held the lead until the seventh, when Yoshida returned the courtesy to JoJo Romero.
In the eighth, Mexico responded with Verdugo’s double and a single by Isaac Paredes that drove in Jarren Durn, who came in as a pinch runner.
With many difficulties, Mexico managed to get out of the eighth. In fact, Japan started leaving runners on base in the fifth inning.
The Japanese scored with a sacrifice fly by Yamakawa and in the ninth, Shohei Ohtani hit a long double to the Mexican closer to put himself in scoring position. Yoshida took a base on balls and Murakami towed them in with a shot to right, away from Arozarena’s glove.
Randy Arozarena became a Mexican citizen barely a year ago and he’s already won the hearts of Mexican fans all over the world as
Mexico reached the Semi-Finals of the World Baseball Classic and people are paying attention to all the news regarding the team, and especially those of Cuban-Mexican slugger Randy Arozarena. Arozarena arrived on Mexico’s Caribbean peninsula in 2015 and was naturalized only a year ago so he could proudly and passionately lift the Mexican flag.
Arozarena asked the Mexican President to speed up his naturalization
Last year Randy Arozarena was Cuban and could not represent the country in the World Baseball Classic, so he asked for his naturalization letter, which he obtained in 2022. The baseball player went even further by asking the fans to convince President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to help him with his process.
Today Randy is the man of the hour of the Mexican team and he is on fire with the bat, not only offensively but also defensively he is making great plays like the impressive catch against Puerto Rico
Randy Arozarena, is the story of a Cuban who defected from the island
The baseball player escaped from Cuba on a raft in 2015 to undertake a dangerous journey bound for Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Randy emerged unscathed in search of a much better quality of life, which he achieved by establishing himself as a baseball player in the Mexican Baseball League and the Mexican Pacific League.
After a few years, Arozarena stood out for his great level of play and earned his right to play in the Major Leagues, where he also stood out for his enormous talent.
“For me, my second country, it was where I arrived when I left Cuba, I have a Mexican girl, grateful to Mexico and it is as if it were my home,” said Arozarena. “Excitement, happiness, eager to show the world how proud I am to be Mexican, since I was a kid I wanted to play a World Classic and I get the opportunity with Mexico.”
Team USA has to thank Trea Turner’s much-needed performance which helped to turn things around after a Venezuelan 5-run rally took the wind out of Team USA who had more than half the crowd rooting for the South American team.
It was thanks to an incredible Grand Slam by the Phillies’ centerfielder that Team USA was able to get their air back as there was a moment when Venezuela was feeling like the winner of an unfinished game, however, a grand slam changes everything.
Team USA is in the Semifinals where they will face Cuba
In addition, Venezuela’s second baseman Jos Altuve left the game in the fifth after being hit by a ball, which caused him to fracture the thumb of his right hand after being hit by a pitch from Daniel Bard, who had a dreadful relief with two wild pitches and a ball that allowed Venezuela to come back 5-6.
Jose Altuve had to leave the game in the 5th Inning
In front of a great atmosphere of Venezuelan fans at the home of the Miami Marlins, the defending champion had a game where they hit the floor running putting together a rally in the top of the first inning to go up 3-0 and then went down 5-7 until Turner rescued them when they were about to give up. The crack of his bat silenced the stands full of Venezuelan fans.
Cuba is ready for Team USA as is Japan, who will face Mexico on Monday
Arozarena has many good luck charms and celebrations
Randy has tried to show, whenever possible, the pride he feels for having obtained Mexican nationality. First, he told his story about how he managed to escape from the Cuban dictatorship and the way that Mexico opened the doors for him to boost his career as a baseball player, to make the jump to the Major Leagues, where he is currently triumphing with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Then, he celebrates his hits by putting on charro hats when he arrives at the dugout, he wore a Mistico wrestler mask, one of the most popular wrestlers nowadays, and even strikes a pose in the dugout with his ‘Boots of Power‘ because he considers that they bring him good luck since years ago.
Another curious gesture of Randy is that when making an important play he crosses his arms. The Mexican baseball player has already explained the meaning of this movement, which is followed by his teammates
Randy Arozarena’s celebration
The player explained in an interview with MLB Network that this celebration is simply a pose with which he has fun with his teammates and provides a show with what they have achieved on the field.
“This is how I flow. You have to have fun. Baseball gives you great moments like the ones I’m experiencing in the Classic with Mexico, so it’s happiness and it’s a new celebration. It is to pose for all the cameras and get caught with a good photo,” explained Arozarena.
But Randy is also the offensive clutch for the Mexican team. In the group stage alone, he finished as the player with the most runs for Mexico, with a total of 9, surpassing Jorge Cant’s 8 in 2006.
Mexico and the rest of the Mexican Baseball Team are in the Semis and they will face a difficult task which is to beat Japan and the Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani on Monday evening. On the other side of the bracket, we have the US versus Venezuela which will face each other on Saturday.
