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Cal Raleigh officially stands alone among catchers in MLB history.

The Seattle Mariners superstar clubbed his 49th home run of the season on Sunday. As such, he now holds the record for most home runs by a catcher in a single season in MLB history, overtaking a record previously held by Royals star Salvador Perez. No player who has been behind the plate for at least 75% of their games has hit more home runs in one campaign.

Raleigh entered play Sunday with 47 home runs. By the time the second inning ended, he'd already smacked two pitches into the seats and made MLB history. Now, he'll look to become the first catcher to ever hit 50 home runs in a season, too.

Raleigh's record-setting home run sent T-Mobile Park into a tizzy, as fans rose to their feet to celebrate their catcher's historic accomplishment. The broadcast was fired up, too, delivering a hearty call of the moment.

Raleigh hadn't hit a home run in any of his previous five games, but he delivered twice in two innings on Sunday to secure the record. An awesome moment for an incredibly deserving player.

Most Home Runs by Catcher in Single Season

Now that Raleigh stands alone with 49 home runs in a season, we'll take a look at some of the players he's passed. Perez's 48-home run season in 2021 stood as the record until Sunday. Prior to that, Johnny Bench held the record for most homers by a catcher in a season with 45, which he achieved in 1970. Javy Lopez hit 43 home runs in 2003, and the only other catchers with 40 or more homers in a season are Todd Hundley, Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza.

Cruz Beckham has fiercely defended his father David after Cristiano Ronaldo claimed he was physically superior to the retired Manchester United legend. The Al-Nassr star is still playing at the age of 40 and boasts an impressive physique, an area he feels he has the beating of Beckham. But the ex-England captain's youngest son has hit back at the Portuguese in savage style.

• Ronaldo puts down Beckham's 'normal' body

  The Portugal icon spoke with journalist Piers Morgan about his career, his future, and much more during a lengthy chat earlier this month. In that conversation, ex-Man Utd and Real Madrid man Beckham, 50, was also briefly brought up. Ronaldo was asked who he thought was the better-looking of the two, with the veteran striker not mincing his words. 

  "His face is beautiful, yeah, handsome face," he said. "The rest is normal, like it's normal. I'm not normal. I'm perfecto. For me [good] looking is not only the face but the whole package. Imagine Cristiano and a normal guy with red speedos on the Copacabana, you think I am not going to have a chance with nobody."

  When asked who would get more attention walking across the Copacabana, Ronaldo boasted: "Me, 100 per cent," before adding, "He's [Beckham] looking good. I like him, he is a guy who speaks good, I like him."

  The former Juventus star also suggested he is the most famous person on the planet.

  "We'll do a debate for the world: who's the most famous? Me or President Donald Trump? I think, in the world, even in small islands, they know me more than him," he said.

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• Cruz sticks up for father David Beckham

  In response to this, the 20-year-old Cruz referenced Ronaldo's "rest is normal" comments and put together a side-by-side shot of the Portuguese when he signed for United as a teenager in 2003; in addition to one of David in his 20s. In that image, Beckham appears to have the edge.

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• Beckham still got it

  A few months before he turned 50, Beckham was on the front cover of Men's Health. The Inter Miami co-owner revealed that to this day, he still does two exercises: push ups and pull-ups. But it wasn't always something he enjoyed. 

  He told the magazine in February: "I hated pull-ups with a passion. I could literally only do two or three – three at most. Bob decided to focus on press-ups and pull-ups. I hated both, and now we do them most days. I didn’t have pecs until I met (trainer) Bob [Rich]. You could say I’ve gone up a few cup sizes as a result. I never really had a desire to, either. I wanted to be as lean as I could. But since retiring, I’ve put a bit of meat in my pecs."

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  What comes next for Ronaldo and Beckham?

  Aside from physique wars, Beckham will be focusing on Inter Miami's Major League Soccer Eastern Conference final clash against New York City on Saturday, which will see Lionel Messi take centre stage once again. Ronaldo, meanwhile, will be hoping his Al-Nassr side can beat Istiklol in the AFC Champions League 2 on Wednesday.

Marnus Labuschagne will captain Queensland as he continues his push for a Test recall to face England

Alex Malcolm30-Sep-2025Test opener Usman Khawaja has been named to play in Queensland’s Sheffield Shield opener against Tasmania alongside Marnus Labuschagne who begins his quest to regain his Test place in the Ashes.Khawaja is likely to open alongside with another former Test batter in Matthew Renshaw at Allan Border Field on Saturday, with Queensland captain Labsuchagne likely to bat at No. 3 despite being one of the candidates to open with Khawaja in the Ashes.Related

• Australia's Ashes 'bat-off' begins: Who could open against England?

• Labuschagne launches with a century: 'Nothing else matters but runs'

• CA to trial injury subs with tactical twist in Sheffield Shield with eye to Test cricket use

Elsewhere, fast bowler Brendan Doggett, another Ashes contender, will miss South Australia’s opening round clash with Victoria in Adelaide due to a slight hamstring niggle. They are hopeful he will be available for the second round which starts on October 15. Australia quick Scott Boland is a certain starter for Victoria.Khawaja, 38, has not played any cricket since the third Test of the Caribbean tour in early July. He has a top score of 47 in his last ten Test innings. Heading into last summer he played club cricket for Valley as well as three One-Day Cup matches for Queensland and three Shield games before the first Test.It remains to be seen whether Khawaja plays two or three Shield matches before the first Test in Perth but he is unlikely to play all four. Following the drama of last summer when Khawaja and Queensland high performance manager Joe Dawes traded public barbs late in the season over his hamstring issue and unavailability in the final round of the season, Queensland Cricket stated on Tuesday that they “will work with Cricket Australia and support their plans for Khawaja’s individual playing preparations between now and the opening Test of the Ashes series on 21 November.”Queensland have also named exciting former Australia Under-19 World Cup winning captain Hugh Weibgen in their squad and he looks likely to make his first-class debut following a superb start to the season in the Dean Jones Trophy where he made a stunning 115 not out from 94 balls to chase down 322 against Western Australia.Former New South Wales allrounder Hayden Kerr is also in line to play his first Shield game for his new state having not played first-class cricket since October 2023.Queensland are without Xavier Bartlett who is in New Zealand with Australia’s T20I squad while Tom Staker and Lachlan Hearne are unavailable due to Australia A duty in India. Callum Vidler (back) and Mark Steketee (hamstring) are also unavailable.Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Hugo Burdon, Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Hayden Kerr, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth

Victor Robles has apologized for the weekend incident where he threw a bat at a minor league pitcher after he was hit by another pitch while on a rehab assignment with the Seattle Mariners' Triple A Tacoma Rainiers. Robles returned from the IL last week after missing four months because of a dislocated shoulder suffered while crashing into the fence making a catch back in April.

Robles was hit twice in his first game back and again in his second game. By the time a pitch came up and in during the sixth game of the series against the Las Vegas Aviators on Sunday, Robles had had enough.

Late last night he posted an apology on Instagram.

Robles was released by the Washington Nationals in June 2024 and signed with the Mariners and appeared in 77 games for Seattle last season. He had started the first 10 games of the season for Seattle this year before he was injured.

Debutant hailed for seam skills at vital juncture of South Africa’s first innings

Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2024Another day, another impressive performance from an England Test debutant in Bloemfontein. This time it was Ryana MacDonald-Gay, the 20-year old seamer, who struck twice even as lightning could not, either side of a 45-minute weather-related interruption, as South Africa’s batting unravelled.Their collapse of 7 for 44 started when MacDonald-Gay, in her second spell and with the old ball, produced a delivery that held its stump-to-stump line, beat Marizanne Kapp’s drive and hit the top of off. It was a dream dismissal for any bowler, nevermind a complete newcomer taking her first wicket and that too, of one of the opposition’s most valuable players and a franchise team-mate. Kapp, who plays alongside MacDonald-Gay at Oval Invincibles, could only accept being undone.”She actually bowled the best out of all their seam bowlers,” Kapp said in the end-of-day press conference. “If you just look at her seam that they keep on showing on TV, that’s a massive standout. And if you are bowling with a seam like that, you’ll always get movement or a bit of nip or something.”Five balls after Kapp was bowled, the players were taken off the field with lightning visible in the distance. They spent 45 minutes waiting for the storm to pass and when they returned, MacDonald-Gay picked up exactly where she left off. New batter Nadine de Klerk had no answers for a back-of-a-length ball that was zoning in on off stump and nicked off.That opened the door to the South African tail with the second new ball still to come. The remaining five wickets fell when England took it, and Lauren Bell was the biggest beneficiary. She picked up three in seven balls and ended with a career-best 4 for 49 but agreed with Kapp that it would not have been possible without “Ree-Mac,” as she called McDonald-Gay.Related

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• Maia Bouchier's perfect daddy-daughter day

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“I completely agree (that she was the best),” Bell said. “I think (Lauren) Filer and Ree-Mac both bowled unbelievably today. Filer’s pace and Ree-Mac, she presented the seam amazingly and just nipped it around, so she held length. On debut, yeah, she was outstanding today.”Filer’s 2 for 53 included the big wickets of Annerie Dercksen, whom she peppered with short balls, and Sune Luus and proved the value of England including a fourth seamer. With more resources available to her, Heather Knight could use Filer, especially, in short spells. She had only one five-over spell, split by lunch, but was mostly used in three-over bursts, when she could crank the pace up. “That’s the best way to get the best out of our seamers is short spells, go really attacking, and just keep it ticking,” Bell said.She marvelled at Filer’s barrage to Dercksen which ended when the South African No.3 top-edged an attempted cut and sent a chance to Knight at second slip who parried it to Sophie Ecclestone at first. “Filer’s pace is obviously really attacking and she (Dercksen) didn’t look comfortable,” Bell said. “She holds that pace really well throughout her spell and she got her in the end with that team catch.”After lavishing praise on her team-mates, Bell also had the chance to reflect on her own performance and she was happy to call herself a work in progress, both in this innings and overall.Maia Bouchier and MacDonald-Gay pose with their debut Test caps•ECB/Getty Images”The job I had today was to bowl into the wind and I think I wanted to just hold length and hold line as much as possible,” she said. “With the second new ball, I was happier. It took me a while to work out what my best option was in that pitch but by the end I felt really good. At this current moment in time, it’s a process that I am very much going through.”It’s not that I won’t bowl inswing, or that that inswing that I used to bowl is gone. I just have been practising away-swing so much and it’s what I’m most comfortable bowling at this current moment in time. But my game will hopefully get to a point where I’m really comfortable bowling inswing, I’m really comfortable bowling away-swing, I’ve got my wobble ball will obviously make me, I hope, a pretty challenging bowler to face.”Someone Bell may look to emulate is Kapp, who has been South Africa’s best seamer and bowled four especially tough overs to start England’s second innings. The outswinger is Kapp’s poison and she beat Beaumont’s bat several times on the second evening.That may not concern her as much as what happened in the first innings, when Kapp thought she had Beaumont out lbw second ball after pinning her on the pad but umpire Kerrin Klaaste was not interested.In the absence of DRS (due to CSA prioritising it for white-ball women’s matches because of the cost), Kapp could not review. When asked about it, she did not complain.”It’s a new thing that we have DRS available,” she said. “I don’t believe we’ve had it available for T20s and ODI cricket before so it’s really helped in those series. And if I have to be completely honest, I’d probably prefer having it in those two formats.”Laura Wolvaardt also appeared to want to review when she was given out lbw to Sophie Ecclestone when she was on 65 and indicated she had hit it but had to go. South Africa will hope that, if there is another decision they want to go their way, it’s third time lucky.

Arsenal dropped further off the Women's Super League title-chasing pace after being held to a goalless draw by Tottenham in the north London derby. The Gunners, who are without a win through their last three games in all competitions, find themselves stuck in fourth place – nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City – after Alessia Russo and Co posted a blank against stubborn Spurs on Sunday.

The home side started brightly, in front of a lively atmosphere, with Tottenham aware of the need to burst out of the blocks in a bid to end their sorry recent record against their arch-rivals. Arsenal’s defence held firm, though, and Renee Slegers’ side slowly grew into the game.

United States star Emily Fox saw a tame effort saved on the 15-minute mark, before Kyra Cooney-Cross curled an ambitious strike inches past the post seven minutes later. England star Russo fired a difficult volley wide of the target with 10 minutes of the first-half remaining, while Stina Blackstenius saw a poor header and low drive from a tight angle easily kept out before the interval was reached.

The first chance of the second 45 also fell to the Swedish striker, but she fired high over the crossbar from eight yards out when leaning back and getting her effort all wrong. Substitute Olivia Smith will feel that she should have done better with a sight of goal on the hour as she drilled straight at Lize Kop before Mariona Caldentey lashed high over the top with her left foot 10 minutes from time as the contest began to fizzle out.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Brisbane Road..

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Daphne van Domselaar (6/10):

  Did what was required of her on a relatively quiet afternoon – making one early save – with the odd risk being taken in possession when closed quickly by Tottenham forwards.

  Emily Fox (6/10):

  Fired in Arsenal’s first effort of note, which set the tone from that point. Happy to sit and allow others to flood forward, with Spurs being forced deeper into their shell.

  Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):

  Never looked flustered and kept Spurs at arm’s length. Does not dive into challenges, forcing opponents to take an extra touch. Kept a clean sheet on her 100th WSL appearance.

  Steph Catley (6/10):

  Shaken up after taking a blow to the head during the first-half, which left her requiring treatment. Played through any pain and was rarely troubled by the Tottenham attack.

  Katie McCabe (5/10):

  Sloppy in possession, doing little to aid Arsenal’s cause when it came to building attacks. Was booked and it came as little surprise when she was hooked at the interval.

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  Midfield

  Kyra Cooney-Cross (6/10):

  Drove the Gunners forward with positive intent. Set-piece delivery from deep caused Spurs problems at times and came as close as anybody to a goal when curling narrowly wide.

  Mariona Caldentey (6/10):

  Surprisingly quiet in the opening exchanges, seeing few touches, but her influence grew as the game wore on. Tried to drive Arsenal through midfield, but lacked any end product.

  Caitlin Foord (5/10):

  Despite Arsenal seeing a lot of the ball, she was rarely involved in their most promising moves. Formed part of a second-half shuffling of the Arsenal pack.

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  Attack

  Alessia Russo (6/10):

  Arsenal’s record when fielding her and Blackstenius is impressive, but the Lionesses striker is better leading the line. Had a couple of half chances while being starved of service.

  Beth Mead (6/10):

  Replaced at half-time. Provided a couple of dangerous deliveries and was always looking to tee up team-mates. Took a terrible free-kick moments before the interval.

  Stina Blackstenius (5/10):

  Found space hard to come by early on. Saw a tame header and shot from a tight angle easily saved. Fired over when well placed early in the second half before being hauled off.

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  Subs & Manager

  Olivia Smith (7/10):

  Strong in the tackle and willing to race forward. Made an immediate impression and posed a threat on the right throughout the second 45 – with one clear sight of goal being passed up.

  Taylor Hinds (5/10):

  Did not have much to do defensively, which may have impacted her concentration. Did not offer much of an improvement on McCabe.

  Frida Maanum (6/10):

  One bright burst into the penalty area troubled Tottenham, but her cross-shot was ultimately cut out before it could reach Russo.

  Chloe Kelly (N/A):

  Thrown on for the final three minutes.

  Renee Slegers (6/10):

  Did her best to mix things up with second-half changes, but was unable to find that attacking spark. Needs a win to raise morale in the Gunners camp.

Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2025New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe, starting on July 30 in Bulawayo, with a shoulder injury. In his absence, New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the side.Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game for Birmingham Bears earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test. According to an NZC release, he will remain with the squad and hope to be fit for the second Test starting August 7.”It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” head coach Rob Walter said.Related

• Smith ruled out of second Zimbabwe Test, Foulkes called up as replacement

• NZ back in whites sans stars, Zimbabwe seek redemption

• Ben Curran and Sikandar Raza in Zimbabwe squad for NZ Tests

• Bracewell replaces Phillips for NZ's first Test against Zimbabwe

• From net bowler to 'X-factor' – Matt Fisher on the cusp of a potential Test debut

“It’s never great when you lose your captain, who’s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we’re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test. “We’ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he’ll recover in time.”Santner, who’s played 30 Tests, will be leading New Zealand in the format for the first time. New Zealand will go into the Tests fresh off a T20I tri-series win in Harare where they remained unbeaten throughout the series under Santner’s captaincy.”Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series,” Walter said. “He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.”Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he’s going to do a great job.”The two-match series will mark New Zealand’s first Test tour of Zimbabwe since 2016.

Ivan Juric is on the brink of being sacked as Atalanta manager, with the club already in advanced negotiations with Raffaele Palladino to take over. The decision comes after a disastrous start to the Serie A season and a challenging Champions League campaign, exacerbated by a recent heavy defeat and a deteriorating relationship between Juric and the club's ownership and fanbase.

• Juric's imminent sacking following Sassuolo defeat

  Juric's tenure at Atalanta appears to be drawing to a close, with reports from and indicating that his dismissal is imminent. The final straw seems to be the comprehensive 3-0 home defeat to Sassuolo on Sunday, a result that has intensified internal discussions within the Bergamo club. Two goals from Domenico Berardi and one from Andrea Pinamonti sealed Atalanta's fate in a match that saw them register only two shots on target despite having 66% possession.

  The combination of poor results and a strained relationship with both the club's owners and the fans has reportedly forced the decision, with an announcement expected shortly.

  Juric, who previously coached Southampton and Roma, is facing his third dismissal in 12 months, highlighting a difficult period in his managerial career.

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  Raffaele Palladino in pole position to replace Juric

  Atalanta have moved swiftly to identify a successor, with Palladino reportedly in pole position to take over from Juric. confirms that "negotiations between Atalanta and Raffaele Palladino are at an advanced stage," suggesting that a deal is close to being finalised.

  Palladino, 41, is a former Fiorentina coach and a student of Gian Piero Gasperini, having also been a teammate of Juric at Genoa. This background suggests a desire for tactical continuity, aligning with the playing style and mentality established by Gasperini during his successful period at the club. Palladino's recent coaching experience includes leading Monza to two consecutive Serie A salvations and guiding Fiorentina to a seventh-place finish in Serie A and a Conference League semi-final last year.

  The decision to appoint Palladino is seen as a move to bring stability and a familiar footballing philosophy back to Atalanta, aiming to replicate the successful periods under Gasperini.

• Deteriorating relationships cited as a key factor in Juric's departure

  Beyond the on-field results, a significant factor contributing to Juric's impending departure is the breakdown of his relationships within the club. Reports indicate that his position was already tenuous even before the Sassuolo defeat, with internal discussions intensifying due to a perceived "lack of chemistry between the fans and Juric himself."

  This lack of connection with the fanbase, coupled with disagreements with the ownership, has created an untenable situation for the Croatian coach. The club's American co-owner Stephen Pagliuca was present at the Gewiss Stadium to witness the dismal performance against Sassuolo, which reportedly led to a late-night summit and the final decision to make a change.

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• Juric's dismal record in Serie A and Champions League

  Juric's statistical record at Atalanta paints a grim picture. In 11 Serie A matches this season, Atalanta have collected a mere 13 points, resulting from just two wins and seven draws. This is a stark contrast to last season, where they had 22 points and were in third place after 11 rounds. The team has scored only 13 goals in the league, while conceding 11.

  Their last league victory dates back to September 21, a 3-1 win against Torino. Since then, they have picked up only five points and scoring just four goals in their last seven Serie A matches, including consecutive defeats away to Udinese and at home to Sassuolo.

  While their Champions League campaign has yielded a more respectable seven points from four games, including a positive performance against Marseille, it has not been enough to secure the trust of the club hierarchy. Atalanta currently sit in 13th place in Serie A, significantly underperforming expectations for a team that has consistently challenged for European spots in recent seasons. Their form in their last five league matches includes three draws and two losses.

Mumbai presented an opportunity for New Zealand, and they rallied around Ajaz to script some serious history

Alagappan Muthu04-Nov-20241:24

Manjrekar: Have to take your hats off to Ajaz

For the majority of the 23.1 overs that they bowled together, Glenn Phillips and Ajaz Patel were in sync. But there was this one moment where one got the other in a little bit of trouble.Phillips, for some reason, decided he needed a warm-up. He’d been holding one end up for most of the three-match series but just after the afternoon drinks break on Sunday, his shoulders needed some loosening up. Ajaz offered to help and quickly regretted it because unlike most bowlers, who lob it into the hands of a team-mate, Phillips just fired one in.Poor Ajaz. He had to track back at top speed to avoid being hit. Finally, he was struggling, like every other spinner that’s ever toured India. Muthiah Muralidaran had to shell out 574.5 overs to scrape the 40 wickets he has in this country. His offbreaks had a habit of playing non-consensual ding-dong-ditch. Those sweet batters. They’d be there one minute and, whether they liked it or not, gone the next.Related

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• Ross Taylor: 'New Zealand outfielded, outbatted and outbowled India'

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• 'We're just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world'

• Stats – New Zealand Ajaz Patel on a high

Ajaz’s overs count is still in the 100s – 197.1 – and yet he’s already got his name on 32 dismissals. He took a third of that in one innings in Mumbai in 2021, and now another third in one match, ahead of which he had the cheek to thank his hosts for giving him the opportunity to work his magic at the Wankhede again. He was sure they’d have the good sense (aka superstition) never to let New Zealand play a Test here for as long as he was still active.”To be honest, after my ten-for, I wasn’t sure whether I’d get another opportunity to play out here again throughout my career,” Ajaz said last Wednesday, “So I’m very grateful that the BCCI have scheduled a game out here.”So is a country whose entire population can fit inside Mumbai with space to spare. Former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond was following the game as it ebbed and flowed. “I gave a little fist pump when Ajaz went through the gate–” his face broke into a smile at this point, almost as if he was picturing Washington Sundar’s stumps hitting the floor again. “– on that last wicket. I’m absolutely delighted for the players.”ESPNcricinfo LtdThey were delighted for themselves too. Ajaz was lost inside a group hug from two Toms and a Daryl. Matt Henry, from short fine, was running up to join them, but took a detour towards the other spinner who had been fielding at deep midwicket. Phillips received his own group hug and eventually the two group hugs became one long huddle.Henry had dropped a catch off Phillips in the first innings. Even when it happened – with the mistake and its potential repercussions still fresh – New Zealand made sure to pull Henry back from the void. They’d done the same when substitute Mark Chapman dropped a catch just minutes before. This wasn’t just about camaraderie. New Zealand knew that cricket in the subcontinent changes on a dime. So they needed their players to be focused. They understood that catches can sometimes go down but shoulders simply cannot.On Sunday, with Rishabh Pant leading a little recovery and the Wankhede willing him on, Tom Latham stood next to Ajaz and instigated a low-five. Pant vs Ajaz was the whole match and Pant was winning. He was 53 not out and India had gone from 29 for 5 to 92 for 6 and the target was only 55 runs away. But Latham knew his best bet was still his left-arm spinner and so as he began his spell after lunch, he did his bit at lifting him.8:53

Vettori: ‘New Zealand’s win is great for Test cricket’

Four balls later, Ajaz got rid of Pant. He had 4 for 197 on this tour coming into the Mumbai Test. Over the last three days, he’s picked up 11 for 160 and a fairly high-profile admirer as well.”I think he’s just really consistent,” former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori told ESPNcricinfo. “His action is repeatable. The ball he bowls is repeatable. And he gets a lot of revolutions on it. He has a lovely seam position and for him to be consistently be able to put pressure on these great Indian batsmen, I thought New Zealand set some amazing fields to allow that pressure to maintain. All those things in combination put together another incredible Wankhede performance from him.”As everybody was preparing for the presentation, Ajaz was looking up at the stands, raising the ball up high, a smile made all the more visible by its contrast with that incredible beard. He has roots here in Mumbai. He keeps making history here as well.”Everyone knew how hard it was with only two Test match wins [for New Zealand in India] in 80 years and a lot of trying,” Vettori added. “You’d have to go back to the great Sir Richard Hadlee’s era to get one win. So he could only get one win. So for this team to come here to get that first one and then to win a series is probably one of New Zealand cricket’s greatest achievement.”

The Dodgers will celebrate the late, great Kobe Bryant at Dodger Stadium next month.

The team announced a flurry of promotional items for the second half of the 2025 MLB season, a collection ranging from a Teoscar Hernandez bobblehead to a Mookie Betts World Series ring. Included in that group is a bobblehead of Bryant, who is depicted wearing a Lakers jersey while holding a bat in a left-handed stance.

The bobblehead will be handed out to the first 40,000 fans in attendance at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 8—likely to honor the No. 8 jersey Bryant wore for the Lakers from 1997 to 2006 before he switched to No. 24.

Bryant grew up as a Mets fan in Philadelphia, but he was often seen at Dodger Stadium throughout his basketball career. Bryant also read the Dodgers lineup before Game 4 of the 2018 World Series against the Red Sox.

Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna, died Jan. 26, 2020 in a helicopter accident.