Shohei Ohtani’s “dad strength” finally kicked in on Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ slugger hit his first home run since the birth of his daughter to jump-start a 15-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.
“It was a good home run to get back on the board for this game,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I haven’t hit one since being a father, so it’s a really nice one to be able to do that.”
Whether it is a myth or statistically proven fact, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is a firm believer in “dad strength,” the theory that some players gain physical strength and stamina upon entering fatherhood.
Photo: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / USA Today
The MLB.com’s research department found that among the more than 200 instances of hitters returning to action from the paternity list from 2011 to last year, 28 hit a home run in their first game back.
“Now that he’s a father, we might see some 120mph [193kph] exit velocities off the bat,” Roberts said last week.
In Baltimore, the New York Yankees greeted the Orioles’ Kyle Gibson in his return to the major leagues by homering on three of his first five pitches.
When Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice went deep, it marked the second time this year that New York began a game with three consecutive home runs.
The Yankees are the first team to do that more than once in a season — and they did it before the end of April.
Cody Bellinger — the game’s fifth batter — also hit a solo homer, and Gibson allowed another one to Rice in the second.
The Yankees ultimately went deep six times and thrashed the Orioles 15-3.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before