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The fan who caught Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball Thursday night at Miami’s loanDepot Park reportedly isn't giving it back.

MLB Network's Craig Mish reported Thursday that the fan went into a "discussion" with the Dodgers organization after the game but opted to walk out of loanDepot Park on Thursday night with the baseball.

The souvenir has a special place in baseball history. Ohtani, who went 6-for-6 against the Miami Marlins with three home runs, two stolen bases and 10 RBIs on Thursday, became the first player in MLB history to record at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season. Just five other players in the league's 154-year history have tallied at least 40 of each in a single season.

It remains to be seen what the baseball is worth, but other similar souvenirs have proven to be extremely valuable on the open market. The ball from Aaron Judge's historic 62nd home run in 2022 was sold for $1.5 million to an anonymous bidder.

Tottenham are reportedly eyeing a rising star of Argentinian football but face competition from European giants Atletico Madrid. The River Plate ace has enjoyed a rapid rise in recent years after being catapulted into the national setup from relative obscurity. Now, Thomas Frank's side and Atletico are keen to recruit the 22-year-old but his €100 million release clause may prove to be a dealbreaker for any suitors.

River Plate talent enjoys rapid rise

Not all that long ago, Lautaro Rivero was selling South American dessert alfajores, a type of sandwich cookie, on the street to help his family. Two years on from stopping motorists at traffic lights to shift these treats, the defender is impressing for River Plate and earning his first cap for Argentina, where he came off the bench in his country's 6-0 win over Puerto Rico last month. Now, according to Spanish publication, , Tottenham and Atletico are duking it out to sign the 6ft 1in player. Spurs have quality centre-backs in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso but appear to want more options at the back.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportAtletico put off by €100m release clause

The report adds that Rivero has a €100m (£88m) release clause but the Spanish giants, who are looking for a new centre-back amid Clement Lenglet's struggles in defence and Jose Maria Gimenez's injury troubles, are not interested in paying that much. In fact, they don't even plan to fork out half of that for the former Central Cordoba loanee. Incidentally, Diego Simeone's team are reportedly 'worried' about Tottenham pursuing the defender, with the Premier League side's pursuit likely to push up his price tag. The report does add that River Plate are aware it will be difficult to retain the youngster's services for long, even though his deal runs until December 2028. However, it is 'highly unlikely' any club will pay such a big fee to secure his signature. 

Rivero overjoyed by early success

Rivero, who initially joined Cordoba on an 18-month loan deal in mid-2024 before River Plate cut that short after a year due to his successful exploits there, is still riding the crest of a wave following his humbling beginnings.

He previously wrote on Instagram: "A year ago. I can't believe all this."

"Not only alfajores, but I also sold flowers. I used to go to the central market or the fair to sell notebooks. When we were given vacations in the lower divisions at River, I used to spend my time selling," Rivero added. "It was a process that marked my life. For me and for my future. Despite everything, I never stopped training and going to River. I knew that at some point I was going to solve my problems, but I also knew that training only in the morning was not going to be enough.

"My first objective is to be able to help my family. We are very humble and hard-working people. The first thing I want is for them to be better and to have everything they deserve. I want to see my mom, my dad and my brothers, and my sisters as well. Thanks to them, I am here, fighting day by day."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Rivero?

Amid all this transfer speculation, Rivero will likely be focusing on starring for River Plate and trying to tie down a spot in Argentina's World Cup squad next year. A move to Europe in January could jeopardise his chances of getting regular game time and heading to the tournament in North America, so it may be for the best to stay put with the Buenos Aires outfit for the foreseeable future. In the short term, Rivero will hope to help his team beat Gimnasia La Plata in the league on Sunday night.

The pace bowler continued his remarkable Test career with a hat-trick but when his next appearance will be remains unclear

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2025Scott Boland could lay claim to being Australia’s unluckiest ever cricketer, after adding a Test hat-trick to a magical late-career surge since his famous 2021 Boxing Day debut.Statistically the best Test bowler in more than 100 years, Boland became just the 10th Australian man to take a hat-trick on Monday in Jamaica.His haul came on a record-breaking day for the tourists, who bowled West Indies out for just 27 to wrap up a 176-run win and 3-0 sweep of the Frank Worrell Trophy.Related

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Starc 'uncomfortable' with the attention, but will 'cherish' his special week

Mitchell Starc was the chief destroyer with 6 for 9 up front, but Boland again vindicated the selectors’ call to go with four quicks and leave out a fit Nathan Lyon for the first time in 12 years.Boland later joked about who might get the match ball. “There was talk of cutting it in half,” he told reporters. “100 Tests and 400 wickets. He can have it.”Boland’s inclusion also allowed him to join Glenn McGrath as the only paceman to play for Australia after his 36th birthday in the last 60 years.In Australia’s 39 Tests since his 2021 debut, Boland has played just 14 of them for a hat-trick, 6 for 7 on debut in 2021 and 10-wicket match haul in Sydney last summer. All of it prompting Starc to label the seamer one of the unluckiest men to ever wear the Baggy Green”He would have played so many more Test matches in another team,” Starc said. “But every time he comes in he is on the money, like we saw this week. He is never far from the perfect length.”He is preparing all the time to play, and this week he got his opportunity and showed what a wonderful Test bowler he is.”When Boland’s next Test will come remains unclear. Selectors have repeatedly shown that Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins maintain top billing in Australia’s squad, with Boland only picked ahead of any of them once.The final three Tests of this summer’s Ashes will be played over a 23-day window, potentially opening door for Boland to come in if one of the big three are rested.Otherwise he could be forced to wait again, despite having the sixth-best bowling average in Test history (minimum 50 wickets) with 16.53, and the best of any bowler in the past 100 years.Boland has been close to hat-tricks before, but nailed his execution in Kingston when he took the top of Jomel Warrican’s off stump.Peter Siddle was the last Australian to do it in Tests and quickly sent Boland a message. “Welcome to the club.”He had previously discarded Justin Greaves and Shamar Joseph, edging the former off before having Joseph trapped lbw on review.”Today was three classic Scotty Boland wickets,” Cummins said. “Three right at the stumps or not far away. Really happy for him. He has spent a lot of time running the drinks in the past year or two when the other guys are fit, but he is always quality when he comes in.”

The New York Yankees seemed to be in the driver's seat up 5–0 in the top of the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, but a defensive meltdown in the frame gave the Dodgers new life, and the club took full advantage, tying the game and eventually earning the win to secure a World Series championship.

It's bad enough that the Yankees have to sit and stew over the results of the sloppy inning all winter long. Even worse is the fact that Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly, while speaking to Rob Bradford, host of the podcast, took a dig at New York for its defensive woes.

"We were down 5-0," Kelly said. "They put Fat Joe up on the board [scoreboard] and I was like 'Oh, it's an easy dub now.' Fat Joe's the curse. They started kicking the ball around and playing Yankee defense.

"And I looked over at [Brent] Honeywell and I said, 'The Fat Joe curse, watch.' And we started chipping away, chipping away. Bad play, bad play. And end up getting my second one [World Series championship] with the Dodgers."

Kelly's words become even more biting to the Yankees organization in light of reporting from the Joel Sherman, who outlined the Dodgers' scouting report on the American League champions. According to Sherman, Los Angeles told its players that the Yankees were a team of "talent over fundamentals," and the Dodgers encouraged players to "put the ball in play to make the Yankees execute."

Fat Joe curse or not, the Dodgers followed the scouting report to a tee. They put the ball in play and the Yankees unraveled in the fifth inning. And that was the difference in Game 5, and ultimately, the World Series as a whole.

Tottenham Hotspur were unable to build on the positive momentum that they seemed to have before the international break as they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Spurs had beaten Leeds United 2-1, thanks to goals from Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus, before the break, and started the loss to Villa with an early goal through Rodrigo Bentancur.

It was all downhill for the Lilywhites after that impressive start to the match, though, as Unai Emery’s men came away with all three points, thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia.

Why Spurs must not drop Guglielmo Vicario

Some criticism may go the way of number one Guglielmo Vicario for his part in the match, as he conceded both of the shots against him and should have done better with the first goal.

As you can see in the clip above, the view from behind Morgan Rogers suggests that the Italy international was not in a good position and was then unable to stretch enough to get a glove on the shot, which was nowhere near the corner of the goal.

Vicario, though, should not be dropped by Thomas Frank for his performance against Villa, as he has been a net positive this season.

Per Sofascore, he has prevented 1.72 more goals than expected in the Premier League, which shows that he has been outstanding as shot-stopper on the whole.

A Tottenham player whose place in the starting line-up should not be as secured as Vicario’s, though, is attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, who was underwhelming on Sunday.

Why Xavi Simons is on borrowed time

The Netherlands international has started four of his five appearances for the club in the Premier League since his £52m move from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

He should now be on borrowed time in the starting XI because he has not done enough in his performances as a player who is in the team to score and create goals as an attacking midfielder.

There have been flashes of quality from Simons on the ball, particularly in the win over Leeds, but he has not done enough in the final third so far.

Appearances

5

xG

0.28

Goals

0

Big chances created

1

xA

0.57

Assists

1

Dribble success rate

42%

As you can see in the table above, Simons has only provided one direct goal contribution in his first five appearances, and that was an assist from a corner.

Against Aston Villa, the Dutchman created one chance, which was a short pass for Joao Palhinha to shoot from distance, failed to produce an accurate cross, did not have a single shot on goal and to make matters worse, only won five of his 14 duels, per Sofascore.

The former PSG youngster also failed 100% of his attempted dribbles, per Sofascore. This shows that he was completely ineffective in possession for Spurs, which is why he was as bad as Vicario, who was ineffective with no saves in goal.

His lack of impact in the final thid was not down to a lack of opportunity, though, as he had several opportunities to get a shot away in space on the edge of the box, yet opted to pass the ball sideways instead of trying to test Emi Martinez on multiple occasions.

Simons’ return of 21 goals and 21 assists in two seasons with Leipzig, per Sofascore, show that he does have the ability to score and create goals on a regular basis in a number ten or wide position.

However, he has had a timid start to his career in the Premier League and needs to step up and show more intensity in the final third, to make himself a difference-maker for Frank.

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At this moment in time, Simons is not doing enough on the ball and that is why he is on borrowed time in the starting XI, as the manager may have to consider dropping him out of the team if these underwhelming performances persist.

The New York Mets secured some much needed outfield depth on Tuesday in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Mets acquired veteran outfielder Jose Siri in a one-for-one swap that will send relief pitcher Eric Orze to the Rays, according to SNY's Anthony DiComo.

Siri, 29, featured in 130 games for Tampa Bay last season. He recorded a career-high 1.9 WAR while slashing .187/.255/.366 with 18 home runs, 47 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Over his last two seasons, he's clubbed 43 home runs in 231 games while providing quality defense in center field.

Siri was hit with a three-game suspension early into the 2024 season stemming from an altercation with Milwaukee Brewers reliever Abner Uribe, during which the two sides exchanged punches in a benches-clearing brawl.

As for Orze, the 27-year-old right-handed reliever has only made two appearances in MLB in his career. He owns a 21.60 ERA across just 1 2/3 innings. Orze spent the majority of last season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he had a 2.92 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings.

Tottenham Hotspur produced one of their best performances of the 2025/26 campaign on Tuesday night when they smashed Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League.

Thomas Frank’s side strolled to a comfortable victory in North London, despite Brennan Johnson’s second-half red card, and could have had a fifth when Richarlison missed a penalty late on.

The pick of the goals on the night was, undoubtably, the unbelievable solo run from central defender Micky van de Ven, which will

surely be in contention for the Goal of the Season award next year.

In terms of performances, Dutch attacking midfielder Xavi Simons will be pleased with his personal contribution after an impressive outing.

How Xavi Simons may have kickstarted his season

The £52m summer signing from RB Leipzig ended a run of 11 matches without a goal contribution in all competitions for Spurs with his assist for Johnson’s opening goal.

Xavi played a brilliant pass through to the Wales international, which allowed him to slot into an empty net after rounding the goalkeeper, and that was his second assist of the season.

The Netherlands international created three ‘big chances’ for the team in total, per Sofascore, and was the first Spurs player to create three chances in a Champions League half since the 2016/17 campaign.

Xavi, now, needs to use this impressive performance as a platform to kick on and provide consistency on a regular basis for the Lilywhites.

The Dutchman was not the only star player who could use Tuesday night’s match as a platform, though, as Wilson Odobert had his best night for the club.

Why Copenhagen was Wilson Odobert's best performance for Spurs

Since his move to Spurs from Burnley in the summer of 2024, Odobert has only managed two goals and no assists in the Premier League and the Champions League, with the second of those two goals coming against Copenhagen.

The French winger, who earned the same player rating (8/10) as Xavi from GOAL, remained incredibly composed to finish his chance, as shown in the clip above, when it would have been easy to snatch at it or try to smash it towards goal.

On top of scoring, the former Burnley man also completed three dribbles and created one chance, per Sofascore, which speaks to how direct and effective he was with the ball at his feet.

The Athletic’s Jay Harris suggested it was his “best performance in a Spurs shirt”, and that is hard to argue with, when compared to the only other game in the Premier League or Champions League that he has contributed to a goal in.

Minutes

90

80

xG

0.47

0.21

Goals

1

1

Pass accuracy

70%

88%

Key passes

0

1

Dribbles completed

1/1

3/6

Duels won

2/6

6/9

As you can see in the table above, Odobert was better in duels, as a dribbler, as a creator, and as a passer against Copenhagen than he was against West Ham when he scored his first league goal for the club.

These statistics suggest that the French sensation, who was as effective as Xavi on Tuesday night, did play his best match for the Lilywhites against the Danish outfit.

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Like the Dutchman, Odobert should look to use this performance as a platform to build from for the rest of the season to kick on and become a star for Tottenham.

Derbyshire four-down at the close with an uphill battle awaiting them

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025Derbyshire 377 (Andersson 105, Chahal 6-118) and 52 for 4 trail Northamptonshire 550 for 9 dec (Broad 171, Keogh 125*) by 121 runsAllrounder Justin Broad hit a brilliant 171, his second score in excess of 150 this month amid a Northamptonshire run-fest against Derbyshire at Wantage Road as the hosts racked up a mammoth 550 for nine declared.Returning from a wrist injury, Broad struck 18 fours and a six, following his maiden first-class ton, 157 not out at Canterbury at the beginning of July. On a day of records, his 171 was the highest score ever made by a number seven from any team against Derbyshire.With Rob Keogh also striking an excellent unbeaten 125, the pair put on 208, the highest seventh-wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire as the visitors’ attack wilted in the afternoon sunshine.Luis Reece was the pick of Derbyshire’s bowlers, finishing with figures of three for 114.Northamptonshire declared 173 ahead and reduced Derbyshire to 52 for four at stumps, Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal picking up two wickets in two balls. It leaves the visitors with a mountain to climb on a pitch offering turn and bounce, still trailing by 121 at the end of day three of this Rothesay County Championship fixture.Earlier, resuming on 265 for five, Broad and George Bartlett extended their sixth-wicket partnership to 127, also the highest for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire. But after posting 66, his highest score this season, Bartlett was trapped lbw by a Ben Aitchison delivery which nipped back and kept low.Broad and Keogh though looked relatively untroubled by a lacklustre Derbyshire bowling display throughout the morning as they focused on building a partnership and taking a first innings lead, picking up a handful of boundaries along the way. Broad, 64 overnight, deployed the pull against Zak Chappell and on drove handsomely, while Keogh swept and reverse swept against Joe Hawkins’ spin.Broad lunched nervously on 99, but despite flashing outside off stump against Martin Andersson after the break, he took a single off Hawkins to celebrate his first century at home.With the scoring rate accelerating, Keogh drove Andersson sweetly through midwicket to reach his second successive half-century off 112 balls and crunched Andersson through extra cover to bring up the 100 partnership and put Northamptonshire ahead. Broad then punched Blair Tickner down the ground for another boundary.Derbyshire plugged away, trying several short-term experiments to try to force a breakthrough. Andersson bowled consistently wide outside off-stump to Broad, while Aitchison reverted to bowling spin. Then for Chappell, three fielders were stationed in the area between mid-on and short midwicket.But Northamptonshire’s batters continued unabated, Keogh cutting Tickner to backward point to bring up the 150-partnership before passing the previous highest seventh-wicket stand (163) by Josh Cobb and David Willey at Derby in 2015.Frequent Northamptonshire milestones continued to keep the public address announcer busy, Keogh turning Andersson away for two to bring up his century, Broad taking a single next ball off Hawkins to reach his 150.In a scrappy passage of play before tea, Derbyshire’s tired fielders shelled three catches, but picked up one vital wicket in between. First, Keogh, on 101, swept Hawkins firmly to short midwicket where Madsen put down a straightforward chance. Then after Broad smashed Reece through extra cover, Caleb Jewell dropped one at backward point off an attempted reverse sweep.Undeterred, Broad and Keogh celebrated their 200 partnership, Broad swinging Reece for six into the sightscreen as Northamptonshire accelerated further. Broad’s 273-ball knock finally ended though when he hit Reece down the ground again but was caught just inside the ropes.George Scrimshaw won an immediate reprieve when Aitchinson failed to hold a one-handed grab at first slip off Reece. But his intentions were evident as he quickly went on the offensive against Hawkins.Tickner struck after tea castling Scrimshaw with a full and straight delivery, but Keogh found good support from Liam Guthrie (22), Northamptonshire declaring when Hawkins had the Australian caught hitting down the ground.Derbyshire’s reply started ominously when Jewell flashed outside off, Ricardo Vasconcelos snatching the ball at first slip.Promoted to opener Zak Chappell made 22 before Chahal’s double strike. First Chappell reverse swept straight to backward point, then Harry Came was lbw playing back to a slider. Finally skipper Wayne Madsen edged Keogh to Broad at first slip to further compound Derbyshire’s woes.

Germany's new star forward Nick Woltemade finally broke his silence on the 'idiots' Newcastle claim made by Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after the Bundesliga champions lost the transfer race to sign the striker from Stuttgart for £65m. After selling Alexander Isak to Liverpool on deadline day, the Magpies brought Woltemade as the Swede's replacement.

Rummenigge called Newcastle 'idiots' after losing Woltemade race

After missing out on one of their key transfer target for the summer, Bayern board member Rummenigge branded the Magpies 'idiots' for spending a massive transfer fee and even sarcastically congratulated Stuttgart for cashing in. The Bundesliga champions made several attempts to bring the German striker to the club over the summer, with their final bid reportedly touching €60m (£52m/$70m). Stuttgart, however, refused to let the player leave below their asking price of €75m (£65m/$87m).Ultimately, a desperate Newcastle made a club-record £69m bid and got the deal done.

Speaking to , Rummenigge said: "I can only congratulate them in Stuttgart for finding, so to speak, an idiot who would pay that much money, because we certainly wouldn't have done that. I said: We're coming in on a scale that I no longer find acceptable. We shouldn't meet all of their demands. 

"The players and their agents must also be careful not to trap themselves. The money has to come from somewhere, and that comes from expanding competitions or creating new ones."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWoltemade reacts to Rummenigge's comments

The Magpies star has now finally reacted to Rummenigge's comments as he told : "My team-mates commented on it, I didn't. I think that was the right thing to do. A lot was made of my name, Bayern, and transfer fee during the summer; that was the story of the summer. To answer your question: the headlines everywhere said 'idiots.' But I read Mr Rummenigge's entire statement – it was certainly somewhat unfortunate, but not quite so dramatic.

"When I arrived at the national team, everyone congratulated me. Bayern players also congratulated me. When they see a player taking a step forward, you get congratulations. That was the case for me too. There were no negative comments, especially since my circumstances were special."

Ex-Newcastle star hit back at Rummenigge

Reacting to the Bayern chief's harsh comments, former Newcastle winger Chris Waddle told : "They probably thought they had him at a lower price. Newcastle have obviously looked for a centre-forward after the saga with Isak. They've looked around and thought who's available? They've looked at Woltemade because he's a good player. He's a tall guy. He's quite mobile. Technically he's all right. 

"Bayern Munich thought, 'he’s a player we can snap up who could replace Harry Kane in a couple of years.' They probably thought they had a deal done. But Newcastle came in and I think it's a little bit of sour grapes. I think Newcastle's offered a better contract, better wages, better everything. Bayern Munich would probably think they would get him at the price that they think he's worth. They think Newcastle's paid over the top. Time will tell on that."

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Getty Images SportHow is it going for Woltemade?

Woltemade has made an instant impact since moving to the Premier League from the Bundesliga in the summer. He has appeared in 14 matches for the Magpies thus far across all competitions and scored seven goals, including four in eight league appearances. 

He has also performed consistently for his national team and he recently starred with a brace in Germany's close win over Luxembourg, which kept their hopes alive of securing a direct berth at the World Cup next year. The 23-year-old will be back in action for Germany on Monday as the four-time world champions face Slovakia.

The Pittsburgh Pirates put a little surprise gift in their fans' stockings on Monday morning by announcing they'll be bringing back a familiar face.

Citing themselves as the source, Pittsburgh can report that veteran outfielder Andrew McCutcheon will be flying under the Jolly Roger in 2025. Alex Stumpf reported that McCutchen's deal is for one year, $5 million.

McCutchen, now 38, starred for the Pirates during the first nine years of his lengthy MLB career, garnering five All-Star selections and slugging his way to the 2013 National League MVP. He bounced around between the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies before returning to PIttsburgh in 2023.

Last season the right hander hit 20 home runs and drove in 50 runs in 120 games before partially tearing his Achilles tendon. He opted to enter free agency on Halloween before ultimately deciding to return to the place where he is a fan favorite and wrote most of his baseball story.