data-mm-id=”_qzvoo3sbo”>Despite the confounding National League MVP campaign that continues to tout New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani continues to push his unprecedented year to the first-ever 50-50 season of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.With 16 games remaining, Ohtani needs three more homers and two more steals to achieve baseball immortality. Even if he falls short, the third MVP award of his seven-year MLB career is a lock.RELATED: Shohei Ohtani's historic MLB season could be even more legendaryOhtani's next goal would be to lead the Dodgers to a World Series title and the club's first championship parade since 1988 (the pandemic prevented a public party after the team's 2020 title).He could make that happen by powering L.A. at the plate and on the mound.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday on MLB Network Radio that it's possible for Ohtani to pitch in the playoffs."You should always leave some margin, a crack in the door, for any possibility, right?" Roberts said. "If things line up, and there's a need and the game, his body, everything is telling us that it makes sense in that situation, great. And it would be storybook. But to count on it, I think that's not a fair way to go about it."But Shohei is on board, which is to continue his rehab process. I wouldn't put it past him to have his eye on that (a return). And we'll just see how he plays out."Will we see Shohei Ohtani pitching in the postseason?#Dodgers | @Dodgers 🔗 https://t.co/6YbqEWG3tX pic.twitter.com/XD1yfPFkmI— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) September 13, 2024Ohtani has yet to pitch in a game for the Dodgers. His last game on a mound was with the Los Angeles Angels on August 23, 2023, when he walked off the mound in Anaheim with an injury that was later diagnosed as a torn ulnar collateral ligament and required the second right elbow surgery of his career.The 30-year-old two-way unicorn was expected to spend the 2024 season rehabilitating in preparation for a 2025 pitching return. However, L.A.'s staff has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency. If cleared by team doctors, Ohtani, who's normally a starter, could have his workload lessened as a reliever, a role he embraced while helping Japan win the World Baseball Classic last year.On Thursday, the L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke wrote a column adamantly calling for Ohtani to pitch in the playoffs, especially if a scenario requires "three outs to win a series or a ring.""To not give the team and those fans and this city their best chance to win a title would be dereliction of duty," Plaschke wrote. "To not include Ohtani if the situation arises and he’s willing to take the ball would be simply wrong."Ohtani closing out a Dodgers victory to clinch the franchise's eighth World Series title would be quite the Hollywood ending. The most likely outcome is that he helps his team win a ring with just his bat.CHECK OUT MORE TOP STORIES FROM THE BIG LEAD!NFL: League pulls in record viewership in Week 1NBA: Jayson Tatum makes his 2025 Finals predictionWNBA: Indiana farm’s amazing tribute to Fever star Caitlin ClarkMLB: How epic is Shohei Ohtani’s season going to turn out?
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Maurizio Sarri named Ruben Loftus-Cheek in his starting line-up and made Fabregas captain for the day, but it was Morata and Callum Hudson-Odoi who impressed for the Blues as the pair combined for both goals at Stamford Bridge.
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Loftu…
Wolverhampton Wanderers are ready to make a bid for Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, according to . The report in the British tabloid has claimed that Jose Sa wants to leave Wolves in the January transfer window, and that the Wanderers are looking at Johnstone as a potential replacement.
The Sun has reported that Palace could make Johnstone available for transfer in the middle of the season. Dean Henderson, who joined the Eagles from Manchester United in the summer of 2023, is fit and starting matches now, so the London club could decide to cash in on Johnstone.
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Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders says Darwin Nunez is having “a much better season than last year” and that he sees him as a player “full of fire”.
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Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United made it 10 club appearances without netting, his last Liverpool goal coming in the 2-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round win at Bournemouth in early November, but Lijnders says Nunez should not be judged on goals alone.
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Real Madrid has officially announced that midfielder Luka Modric has signed a new one-year contract extension to stay with the Spanish giants.
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Prediction: Shamrock Rovers to win 4-0
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Shamrock Rovers and University College Dublin will lock horns with each other in the League of Ireland Premier Division this week. The match between Stephen Bradley’s side and Andrew Myler’s team will take place at the Tallaght Stadium in Tallaght, South Dublin and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Friday.
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers are one of the biggest and most well-known clubs in the Republic of Ireland and regularly challenge for the title. The Hoops won the League of Ireland Premier Division title last season, and it is very likely that they will do the same this time around. Rovers became the champions of the Republic of Ireland in 2020 and 2021 as well.
Ste…
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Wayne Rooney
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This window has seen Neymar take centre stage and not for the first time in his career either as we waited to find out his location by the end of September 2.
Now we know. Despite all the speculation, and even with the media suggesting half of the Barcelona squad could be moving in the opposite direction, the Brazilian forward will not be back at Camp Nou but instead remain at Paris Saint-Germain at least for the next few months.
The story had more twists than the career of a rollercoaster designer. It was on, then off. Then back on again. Meanwhile, almost as a sideshow while the window remained open, the two clubs happened to start playing competitive games again in their domestic leagues.
Here, …
Duncan Ferguson has left his post as head coach of Forest Green.
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