Boston Red Sox legend Luis Tiant, one of MLB's best and most recognizable pitchers, died Tuesday, the league announced.

Another giant of the game, MLB Hall of Famer and longtime Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench, took to X (formerly Twitter) later Tuesday to pay his respects to Tiant with a heartfelt message.

"We may have taken the World Series in 1975 but Luis Tiant shut us out in Game 1 and threw another complete game victory in Game 4," Bench wrote. "He meant so much to the Red Sox organization, baseball certainly lost another icon. My condolences to his family and the Boston fans."

Bench, a two-time MVP and World Series champion, twice faced the then-34-year-old Tiant in the thrilling 1975 World Series that went a full seven games. And twice the Red Sox ace baffled Cincinnati's Great Eight, a lineup that featured three Hall of Famers in Bench, Joe. Morgan and Tony Perez, and another in the late Pete Rose, who surely would have been elected if not for his lifetime ban from baseball due to gambling.

Tiant started three games in the '75 World Series, winning a pair while allowing 10 earned runs in 25 innings pitched. And Bench, despite being the victor in the series, didn't want people to forget just how good "El Tiante" was on the game's biggest stage.

Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio asked a surprising rhetorical question as the Brewers began spring training.

“Is my job to win a World Series," Attanasio said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today, “or is my job to provide a summer of entertainment and passion and a way for families to come together?"

Ideally, the answer would be both. Though the Brewers have been one of the more competitive teams in MLB recently, making the postseason in six of the last seven years, they have yet to win a World Series and have been eliminated in the wild-card round in each of the last two seasons. Surely, winning a World Series would provide even more entertainment.

Attanasio clarified that he does want the Brewers to be competitive, but acknowledges the challenges of running a small market team. The Brewers simply don't earn nearly the television revenue that large market teams do, making it much more difficult for them to acquire and retain the high-priced free agents and players that could put them in position to win a championship.

Attanasio seemed to suggest that MLB could follow in the footsteps of the NFL, who splits television revenue equally across 32 teams, allowing small market teams to have a chance.

“You see what the NFL has done with their media contract," Attanasio told Nightengale. "You see what the NBA has done. It's all sitting right there. If we can do something like that, the pie is bigger for everybody, for owners, for players, for everybody."

For now though, Attanasio and the Brewers will stick to the strategy that has served them well over the last decade. They might not draw the talent to consistently contend for a championship, but they should remain in the mix for October baseball for the near future.

The New York Yankees, eschewing nearly 50 years of tradition, stunned the sports world last week when they announced they'd be loosening the club's longtime facial hair policy, allowing players to sport "well-groomed beards."

Yankees chairman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner later explained to reporters that one of the biggest drivers behind his decision to make the historic change was a fear that the policy could potentially impact the club's ability to add talent via free agency.

Two-time American League MVP and Yankees captain Aaron Judge, speaking to reporters from the club's spring training site in Tampa, Fla., offered a strong stance on the notion that such a policy would affect a player's desire to join the storied franchise.

"If that little rule is going to stop you from coming here, then you probably shouldn’t be here," Judge said, via . “If a little rule like that is going to stop you from doing your job, then I don’t think — I don’t know.

"So I haven’t heard too much about guys, it stopping them from coming here. But [Steinbrenner] dug in a little bit more than I did on that."

Steinbrenner, moved by a conversation with new closer—and the now beard-less—Devin Williams, held discussions about opinions on the club's facial hair policy with a group of current and former Yankees players that included the likes of Judge himself, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Ron Guidry. Steinbrenner then made the final call.

The facial hair policy and no hair below the collar rule, both of which were instituted by the late George Steinbrenner back in 1976, served as a disciplinary guidepoint for Yankees past and present, including Judge, who said he won't be putting down the razor despite the new relaxed mandate in place.

"I got drafted by this organization, so the very first day I was here, I’ve been shaving since 2013," Judge said. "This is what I know, this is what I’m used to. I look around the building, look at old photos of the past legends and people that played here, they all followed that rule, so I just tried to follow on their path. 

"I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal until it got brought up the past couple weeks. I think the rule will be good. I think it’ll help a lot of guys. If it gets us a couple more players that’ll help us win games, everybody will be on board for that."

After authoring MLB's first 50-home run, 50-stolen base season and winning the National League MVP award in 2024, Shohei Ohtani has picked up right where he left off. In Tuesday's season-opening win over the Chicago Cubs, Ohtani rapped out two hits. On Wednesday, after narrowly missing a home run in his first at-bat of the game, Ohtani belted a solo homer in the top of the fifth inning to give the Dodgers a 6-2 lead.

So, the Cubs, seeing firsthand the damage Ohtani had already done, decided to take no chances. Chicago intentionally walked Ohtani in his fourth plate appearance of the game in the top of the seventh inning—and the fans at the Tokyo Dome were not happy.

On the one hand, one can hardly get mad at the Cubs for not wanting to pitch to Ohtani, a three-time MVP and arguably the best baseball player on the planet. On the other hand, it was a perfectly understandable reaction from the fans in Japan, who have enjoyed every bit of the show that the Dodgers star has put on in his return to his native country.

New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge didn't understand why Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad was so angered by teammate Pablo Reyes's maneuver at second base, which irked Kjerstad and led to the benches clearing during Wednesday's game.

"Yeah it was a weird bench clearing," Judge said while speaking to reporters after the Yankees' 5-4 loss to the Orioles. "The guy's [Reyes] jumping up to make a play. I don't know what he's [Kjerstad] all mad about. But I don't know about a rivalry. We've got a job to do. We're just out here to play ball."

In the bottom of the fourth inning with no outs and the count full, Kjerstad, who was on first base, took off for second on a stolen base attempt. Yankees catcher Austin Wells's throw careened skyward and forced Reyes to leap into the air to corral the ball. As Reyes was airborne, his left foot made contact with Kjerstad's head, to the chagrin of the Orioles outfielder.

Kjerstad immediately had words for Reyes, leading to the benches clearing—and one very memorable reaction from Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay.

Order was eventually restored, though the umpiring crew did issue a warning to both teams. After the game, Reyes explained to reporters that he was simply trying to "make a play" to prevent the ball from sailing overhead into the outfield.

"Especially on a play like that, you're just trying to make a play there,” Reyes said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “It happens in the game when you're competing sometimes. It's out of your control sometimes, the intensity that can come up."

Kjerstad, meanwhile, downplayed the incident after the game.

"We got tangled up there," Kjerstad said. "Emotions from both sides kind of went up. I don't think it was too much."

It's not the first time Kjerstad has taken a hit to the head against the Yankees. Last July, he was plunked in the head by then-Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes, sparking a heated fracas.

By comparison, Wednesday's benches-clearing incident was mild.

"Just a high throw, and Pablo jumped and bumped him," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "So I don't think anything more than that. It was really not that big a deal. I think it was probably a misunderstanding."

Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde agreed.

"I had somebody run in front of me, so I didn’t exactly see what happened," Hyde said. "It sounded like Heston and Reyes got tangled up a little bit. I didn’t think it was much."

The Yankees and Orioles next play in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium, beginning on June 20.

Shohei Ohtani essentially threw a rehab start at Dodger Stadium against the San Diego Padres Monday. Too valuable as a hitter to the Los Angeles Dodgers to send to a normal minor league rehab stint to build arm strength, Ohtani returned immediately to a big league mound for the first time in 662 days and after undergoing a second elbow procedure.

How did he look? Amazing, of course. Only Ohtani could throw a pitch 100.2 mph and hit a double 105.2 mph after not pitching for 22 months.

It’s only one start—the equivalent of a rehab outing, at that—so we’re a long way from drawing any conclusions. But it’s our first look at Ohtani pitching for the Dodgers, so let’s dive into first impressions. Here’s what we learned from Ohtani’s debut as a Dodgers pitcher:

Ohtani is throwing harder than ever.

His average four-seam fastball velocity of 99.1 mph was a career high in his 84 games. , you say,

Ok, then: it was the highest first-inning velo in his career, topping the 98.9 mph he averaged just before he was hurt in August 2023.

Ohtani threw from the windup.

We had not seen that before. I like it, especially for a guy with two elbow procedures. He is tall and athletic, assets that should not be diminished by pitching from the abbreviated stretch with bases empty.

Ohtani threw from the lowest release point of his career.

His release point was 2 1/4 inches lower than where it was in 2023. This continues a trend for him. His release point Monday was 6 3/4 inches lower than in 2021.

Here you can see how his release point over the years has gradually declined (all pitches here are four-seam fastballs with the bases empty):

Shohei Ohtani is one-of-one. Not just because he is the only player in MLB history to have ever hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season. Not just because he's the first guy to regularly hit and pitch since Babe Ruth.

He also appears to be a very nice and present player. Earlier this season umpires told us that Ohtani is the only player in baseball who says hello every single time he comes to the plate. On Tuesday night he showed a whole new level of concern for the home plate umpire.

First, Ohtani, coming off an 0-for-10 streak, made sure to clean some rogue dirt off the plate after a pitch in the dirt made a mess of home plate. Then a couple pitches later he fouled a ball off the inside of home plate umpire Alan Porter's knee. Ohtani immediately checked on him.

And then he hit a baseball very far.

Ohtani is now tied with Aaron Judge with 30 home runs, just three behind Cal Raleigh. Judge and Raleigh both still trail Ohtani in kind gestures.

The New York Yankees have acquired Chicago White Sox outfielder Austin Slater in exchange for right handed pitcher Gage Ziehl. Ken Rosenthal of was first on the trade, and 's Bob Nightengale was first on the return.

Slater was one of several outfield names that the Yankees were considering ahead of the trade deadline amid the elbow injury to star slugger Aaron Judge. The Yankees were considering a reunion with former outfielder Harrison Bader, but Slater proved most palatable for New York.

Slater has hit .236 this season with five home runs and 11 RBI.

Chelsea fans are elated after watching Enzo Fernandez's highlights in Argentina's win over Guatemala.

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• Chelsea fans hail Enzo Fernandez
• Provided brilliant moment on international duty
• Hoping for a better season at Stamford Bridge

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Fernandez had a stellar outing on Saturday as Argentina came back from behind to thrash Guatemala 4-1. The midfielder played an important role in the team's third that saw him sending a brilliant long ball to Messi before delivering an outstanding lobbed pass towards Lionel Messi, who in turn set up a perfect ball for Lautaro Martinez to score.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  As the Argentine performed brilliantly in the international friendly, Chelsea fans across the world started hailing their star player and some of them went on to compare him to Germany legend Toni Kroos.

  A handle named Vintage CFC wrote on X: "Look at this sequence from Enzo Fernandez. If this was Kroos you won’t hear the end of it."

  Another handle named Gbenga manifested that Enzo would send a similar pass to Chelsea linked Crystal Palace forward Michael Olise next season as they wrote: "Enzo long pass to Olise is what I'm seeing already."

  A handle named CFC Factosv4 called Enzo the next generation Kroos as he wrote, "Enzo is literally next gen Toni Kroos ffs. Can’t believe we’ve been robbed last season due to Poch using him in some Dele Alli SS role. Will laugh so much next season."

  ModernPlaymaker believes that the Argentine will shine for the Blues in the upcoming season. "Enzo Fernandez will have his best season ever next season mark my words," they wrote.

  Similarly a fan named RealtorJubey remained confident about the midfielder's success next season: "Next season we would see the real Enzo Fernandez."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 23-year-old did not find much success in his first full season for the West London side as he appeared in 40 matches across all competitions where he scored seven goals and provided three assists. However, he will hope to transform his game in the upcoming season under new manager Enzo Maresca.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ENZO FERNANDEZ?

  The former Benfica player will be next seen in action for La Albiceleste on June 21 as they take on Canada in their Copa America 2024 opener.

Juan Soto made sports history this offseason, signing a record 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets, a contract that has clauses that could push the deal to $805 million.

According to Soto, it wasn't even the biggest contract offer he received this offseason.

Appearing on the Spanish-language with Dominican reporters Vian Araujo Puello and Ricardo Rodríguez, Soto confirmed that his negotiations came down to five teams: the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and the Mets.

“The Mets weren’t the ones who offered the most money,” Soto said, according to NJ.com. “There were teams that offered more than the Mets.”

The Instagram teaser for the interview ends after Rodríguez asks whether Soto would be willing to name those teams. The full podcast is set to be released on Sunday.

The Yankees, for whom Soto played last season, reportedly offered Soto $760 million over 16 years. Soto has said that it was not a purely financial decision to choose the Mets over a return to the Bronx, however, saying in the podcast clip that it was a "collective decision," echoing his explanation from his December introductory press conference.

"The Mets is a great organization," Soto said after signing with New York. "What they have done in the past couple years showing all of the ability to keep winning, to keep growing a team, to try to grow a dynasty is one of the most important things. What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable."