BASEBALL
Jonathon Long injured
Jonathon Long, an infielder in the Chicago Cubs organization, would be unable to join Taiwan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) due to an elbow injury, the CPBL said in a statement yesterday. The body, which coordinates the national team, said it was notified by the Cubs franchise that Long is still hampered by a strained left elbow. The injury has forced the 24-year-old to withdraw from the roster, the CPBL said. “Long was very eager to suit up for the national team and his determination deeply moved us,” it said. “We wish him a fast recovery and hope to see him back on the field soon.” The coaching staff is expected to announce a replacement for Long following a four-day exhibition series between Taiwan and Japanese professional teams, which is to conclude on Saturday. Long sprained his left elbow during a Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers on Saturday last week, when he collided with a runner at the bag and was forced to leave the game. As preliminary checks found no bone fractures, Long had initially hoped to join Taiwan for the WBC games in Tokyo, but follow-up examinations by the Cubs’ medical staff indicated that his rehabilitation timeline would not align with the tournament schedule.
Photo: AP
RUGBY UNION
Alex Mitchell ruled out
England’s Six Nations campaign suffered a major blow when scrumhalf Alex Mitchell was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury sustained in Saturday’s 42-21 defeat by Ireland, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Mitchell, a mainstay of England’s starting lineup with 10 consecutive Six Nations appearances, was forced off in the first half and replaced by Jack van Poortvliet. England are looking to salvage their Six Nations campaign after the heavy defeat, which left them fourth on the table. Steve Borthwick’s side next face Italy in Rome on Saturday next week.
SOCCER
Player revives bird
A player acted on a wing and a prayer when he gave emergency CPR to a gull after it was hit by a ball during a match in Istanbul this week — reviving the bird. The incident unfolded when the low-flying gull got caught in the path of a clearance kick by Istanbul Yurdum Spor’s goalkeeper during an amateur playoff match against Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar, a club official told reporters on Tuesday. As it struck the ground, Istanbul Yurdum Spor’s captain raced over and started performing rudimentary CPR, pumping its ribcage, according to footage sent to reporters by team manager Fatih Buyuk. “Something was falling and I realized it was a seagull. The first thing that came to my mind was heart massage, because it couldn’t breathe, so I tried my luck,” Gani Catan told state news agency Anadolu. When it started breathing, he carried it off the pitch to medical staff, who took care of it. Match commentator Onur Ozsoy did not miss a beat. “Muhammet hit the seagull,” Ozsoy said, referring to the goalkeeper. “They’re doing chest compressions on the seagull right now, this is a moment rarely seen in football history. The seagull is being carried off, he’s been taken to the sidelines with the medical bag where his treatment will continue.” The gull reportedly sustained a damaged wing, but it was not immediately clear what happened to it after the match. Catan’s team lost the match, crashing out of the playoffs.
Wilyer Abreu watched the ball leave the park and tossed his bat high in the air. His Venezuela teammates streamed out of the dugout in celebration. The comeback was on and the win over the reigning World Baseball Classic (WBC) champion Japan was within reach. Japan, their 11-game WBC winning streak on the line, held a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning of Saturday’s thrilling quarter-final matchup when Abreu put his team ahead with the biggest swing of the game: a three-run shot off Hiromi Itoh that sent the loanDepot Park crowd into a passionate roar and helped seize Venezuela’s 8-5
A BREATHLESS BATTLE: France clinched the championship in a vicious back-and-forth match with England, denying Ireland the title by just a few points France won back-to-back Six Nations titles after beating England 48-46 on a last-second penalty-kick by Thomas Ramos in a thriller for the ages on Saturday. England scored their seventh try in the 77th minute and converted for 46-45. If the score held for a few more minutes, Ireland would have been crowned the champion. But France pressed yet again with 14 men, lost possession, regained it, and earned two simultaneous penalties after the fulltime siren. Captain Antoine Dupont debated with referee Nika Amashukeli where the penalty spots were. Ramos, who did not miss a goal-kick all night, finally lined up his seventh
Home runs are greeted with a celebratory shot of espresso and the donning of an Armani jacket. Victories are marked with bottles of red wine while the soaring voice of opera singer Andrea Bocelli echoes through the locker room. Welcome to baseball, Italian-style. Written off as 80-1 underdogs before the World Baseball Classic started, Italy’s fairytale tournament has carried them all the way to today’s (Taipei time) semi-finals in Miami against Venezuela. On Saturday, Italy — who scored a stunning upset of a star-studded US lineup during the pool phase — kept their unbeaten campaign alive with a nail-biting 8-6
Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s second-youngest race winner with a composed drive to victory for Mercedes in an eventful Chinese Grand Prix yesterday. The 19-year-old Italian was the youngest pole position starter and briefly lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari at the start, but retook it soon after and was in control after that. “We did it! We did it!” Antonelli shouted to his team on the radio amid laughs and whoops. It was another 1-2 finish for Mercedes to start the season as Antonelli’s teammate George Russell came through a battle with both Ferraris to finish second. Lewis Hamilton was
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