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.
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
Taiwan yesterday defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ farm team 5-1 in their final warm-up game ahead of their World Baseball Classic (WBC) Pool C opener. Taiwan’s bullpen used an unconventional rotation, with a different pitcher throwing each inning for the first seven innings. Together, they combined for eight strikeouts while allowing only four hits. The lone run surrendered came in the bottom of the eighth inning after a pitcher from Japan’s independent league took the mound. The pitching strategy was designed to preserve the arms of the Taiwanese ahead of their game against Australia at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow morning. Taiwanese-American Stuart Fairchild
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