Dodgers eye 3-peat as MLB playoffs begin

Manila Times - Sep 29, 2026

NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers seek a third consecutive World Series title but Boston and the New York Yankees own the spotlight when Major League Baseball’s playoffs begin Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). The Dodgers seek a three-peat not achieved since the Yankees in 1998-2000 after winning 100 games over the six-month season. “It doesn’t change anything as far as our standing going forward in the post-season, but it’s still a nice feather in our cap to win 100 games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Six teams each qualified for the National League and American League playoffs, which start with best-of-three wildcard series play. The Yankees will host arch-rival Boston with the winner advancing to face AL top seed Tampa Bay in the best-of-five division series. Slugger Aaron Judge, recovering from a calf strain after missing 84 games earlier with a rib injury, aims to return against the Red Sox. The Yankees were 7-6 against Boston this season. “My goal is to come back as soon as I can,” outfielder Judge said. “Ask me if I’m going to be back I’ll tell you yeah.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone was more cautious, saying, “We’ll listen to the trainers and medical and see where we’re...

Read full article

MORE NEWS

EJ Obiena remains pole vault king, sepak takraw women bag silver in PH's Asian Games medal rush
Sep 29, 2026

EJ Obiena remains pole vault king, sepak takraw women bag silver in PH's Asian Games medal rush

The Philippines bagged four medals on Tuesday, its biggest single-day medal haul in the 2026 Asian Games.

Kim Hyo-bin dedicates canoeing double gold to his foster parents
Sep 29, 2026

Kim Hyo-bin dedicates canoeing double gold to his foster parents

Kim Hyo-bin, a 25-year-old who has become a rising star in Korean canoeing and won two gold medals at the Asian Games, broke down in tears as he spoke about the couple who raised him with love. Lee Gong-heon, 70, and his wife, Choi Hyeon-suk, 63, took him in when he was 9 months old and cared for him until he left their children's home at 19. “They are my parents,” Kim said, wiping away tears repeatedly. “Although I never experienced the care of my biological parents, I don't think it would be easy for any biological parents to care for me as well as they did.” At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he won two titles alongside his idol and fellow former student from Buyeo High School, Cho Gwang-hee, 33, who also represents Ulsan Metropolitan City Hall. Kim claimed his first gold medal on Sept. 24 in the men's canoe sprint kayak four 500-meter event. The following day, he and Cho won the men's kayak double 500-meter event, making Kim the first Korean athlete to win two gold medals at this year's Games. Caressing his medals, Kim said, “I never expected to win gold in the four-perso

Korea fall to Uruguay for 1st loss under Moreno
Sep 29, 2026

Korea fall to Uruguay for 1st loss under Moreno

Korea took a 4-1 beating against Uruguay in their men's football friendly match in Seoul on Monday, the team's first loss under their temporary head coach Robert Moreno. Darwin Nunes and Giorgian de Arrascaeta each scored a goal, in the 13th minute and then 27th minute, for Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the nation's capital, with Korean defender Kim Min-jae being charged with an own goal late in the first half. After Nunes made it 4-0 in the 62nd minute, Korean captain Son Heung-min got one back for the home team in the 80th minute. The goal was Son's 58th of his career, pulling him into a tie with Cha Bum-kun for the most international goals by a Korean male player. Korea beat Ecuador 3-0 in Moreno's debut last week but were badly outplayed against Uruguay this time. They have one win, two draws and eight losses against Uruguay. The Taegeuk Warriors will next host Venezuela at 8 p.m. Friday in the southeastern city of Ulsan. Korea tried to establish early advantage in ball possession, but Uruguay exploited some holes behind the opposing defense in the 13th minute, with Nunes conve

Lee So-hee, Baek Hana win women's doubles gold in badminton
Sep 29, 2026

Lee So-hee, Baek Hana win women's doubles gold in badminton

ICHINOMIYA, Japan — Lee So-hee and Baek Hana teamed up for their first Asian Games gold medal in the women's doubles in badminton Tuesday, ending South Korea's 24-year title drought in the process. Lee and Baek, world No. 2, took down the top-ranked team from China, Lin Shengshu and Tan Ning, by the score of 2-1 (26-28, 21-18, 21-18) at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya, just northwest of the main host city, Nagoya. Lee and Baek are the first South Korean women's doubles tandem to reach the top of the Asiad podium since Ra Kyung-min and Lee Kyung-won in 2002. Lee and Baek won silver at the previous Asiad in 2023 after losing to Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China, and they beat a different Chinese team Tuesday to grab their first gold. This was the rematch of the world championships final from August, when Lee and Baek also prevailed for their first victory over Liu and Tan. This gold medal contest had the makings of an instant classic between the world's two best women's doubles teams. Down 18-17 in the first game, South Korea earned three straight points to set up a ga

[Asian Games] Badminton star An Se-young captures 2nd straight women's singles gold
Sep 29, 2026

[Asian Games] Badminton star An Se-young captures 2nd straight women's singles gold

ICHINOMIYA, Japan — World No. 1 An Se-young claimed her second straight Asian Games gold medal in badminton in central Japan on Tuesday, becoming the first player to successfully defend the women's singles title at the continental competition. An defeated Akane Yamaguchi, world No. 3 from Japan, by 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya, just northwest of the main host city, Nagoya. An is now the first player to win back-to-back Asiad gold medals in the women's singles since the event was first held in 1962. An has won nine consecutive meetings against Yamaguchi, including twice at this year's Asian Games. Before the singles final, An got the better of her Japanese rival in the women's team event semifinals on Wednesday. An's gold was South Korea's second badminton title on Tuesday, coming moments after Lee So-hee and Baek Hana won the women's doubles gold medal. Yamaguchi came out strong, taking a 4-1 lead with some powerful shots that appeared to catch An by surprise. An took her first lead of

S. Korea's Kim Min-young wins 1st kurash gold at Asian Games
Sep 29, 2026

S. Korea's Kim Min-young wins 1st kurash gold at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea's Kim Min-young won the gold medal in the women's +87-kilogram kurash event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, giving the country its first Asiad title in the wrestling-like sport. Kim beat Chinese Taipei's Shih Liu Li-ling 5-0 in the event's final at Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Nagoya, Japan. Kim became the first South Korean athlete to win a gold medal in kurash since the wrestling-like sport was introduced to the Asian Games in 2018. South Korea has won two silvers and two bronzes at the Asian Games, including one silver by Mo Su-min in the women's 78-kg kurash event the previous day. Kurash is a type of wrestling practiced in Central Asia. Athletes attempt to score by throwing their opponents, with a khalol, a throw that lands the opponent on their back, declared a victory, while other ground techniques are prohibited. Kim, 21, who switched to kurash from judo, won her round of 16 and the quarterfinals by a khalol (a full point). In the semifinals, she edged out Arailym Shegenova of Kazakhstan 1-0. In the gold medal match, Kim took five

Meet Kang Jun-i, TV skateboarding prodigy turned Asian Games champion
Sep 29, 2026

Meet Kang Jun-i, TV skateboarding prodigy turned Asian Games champion

Kang Jun-i, 17, has won Korea's first-ever Asian Games gold medal in skateboarding, bringing renewed attention to his appearance on SBS' "Genius Discovery Team" seven years ago. Kang scored 180.85 points in the men's street final at the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, finishing ahead of Japanese skateboarding stars Toa Sasaki and Ginwoo Onodera. Street skateboarding involves riding a board on the kind of obstacles found in urban environments, such as stairs, handrails, rails, ramps and benches. This marks the first time a Korean skateboarder has won an Asian Games gold medal since the sport made its official debut at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Game. The country's previous best result was a bronze medal won by Eun Ju-won in the men's street event in 2018. The high school student was overcome with emotion after his victory, saying, "It feels like a dream. I can't believe it." He went on to say winning gold at the Los Angeles Olympics would be his next goal. Kang first picked up a skateboard at the age of 8. In 2019, when he was 12, he appeared on SBS' "Genius Discovery Team" as a skateboardi

S. Korea's Park Hye-jeong wins silver in women's weightlifting
Sep 29, 2026

S. Korea's Park Hye-jeong wins silver in women's weightlifting

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea's Park Hye-jeong captured silver in the heaviest weight class in women's weightlifting at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday. In the women's +81-kilogram event final at Nagoya City Trade Industry Center in Nagoya, Japan, Park finished second with a total of 300 kilograms, with 133kg in the snatch and 167kg in the clean and jerk, behind Li Wenwen of China, who lifted a total of 310kg, with 140kg in the snatch and 170kg in the clean and jerk. Bronze went to Ouisal Ikhlef of Qatar, who recorded a total of 273kg. Park won the gold medal in the event at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games but failed to defend her Asiad title. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Park also won the silver medal behind Li.

With 2nd straight gold, An Se-young cements case as greatest shuttler of her generation
Sep 29, 2026

With 2nd straight gold, An Se-young cements case as greatest shuttler of her generation

ICHINOMIYA, Japan — At 24 and still in her athletic prime, shuttler An Se-young has already accomplished more in the past couple of years than what many would take their entire career to achieve. She won the world titles in 2023 and 2026, and also an Olympic gold in 2024. She has held the No. 1 ranking in the women's singles for over 100 weeks. In 2025, An won a record 11 international titles and became the first player in badminton history to earn over $1 million in prize money in a season. The South Korean star etched her name in the record books once again Tuesday at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in central Japan. By beating Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the women's singles final by 2-0 (21-17, 21-9), An became the first player to win back-to-back women's singles gold medals in the competition's history. The women's singles was first contested in 1962. With her latest triumph, An further cemented her case as the greatest badminton player of her generation — if not all time. Despite the strong level of competition in Asia, An reached the top of the podium here with stunning ease. The t

S. Korea blanked by Japan in women's football semifinals, to face China for bronze
Sep 29, 2026

S. Korea blanked by Japan in women's football semifinals, to face China for bronze

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea lost to Japan 2-0 in the semifinals of the Asian Games women's football tournament on Tuesday, after conceding both goals to the host country in the second half. Chiina Kamiya scored a brace at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, about 100 kilometers east of the main host city, Nagoya, and sent Japan to their sixth consecutive Asiad final. Japan will take on North Korea in the gold medal match at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the same Fukuroi stadium. It will be a rematch of the 2023 Asiad final, when Japan prevailed 4-1. South Korea will face China in the bronze medal contest at 3 p.m. Friday, also in Fukuroi. South Korea were chasing their first women's football title, having previously won bronze medals in 2010, 2014 and 2018. South Korea have four wins, 14 draws and 21 losses against Japan, the last victory having come in August 2015. The match did not have a shot on target by either side through the first 35 minutes on this rainy night, until South Korean defender Jang Selgi put one right at goalkeeper Shu Ohba. Things opened up a bit on both ends after the restart. J

[ASIAN GAMES] S. Korea loses to Japan in men's handball bronze medal game
Sep 29, 2026

[ASIAN GAMES] S. Korea loses to Japan in men's handball bronze medal game

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea fell just short of a men's handball medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in central Japan on Tuesday, losing to Japan by a handful of goals in the bronze medal contest. South Korea failed to overcome a first-half deficit and suffered a 37-32 defeat at Entrio in Inazawa, just northwest of the main host city Nagoya, with third place on the line. South Korea has now missed the podium in men's handball in back-to-back Asian Games for the first time since the event was added to the competition in 1982. At the 2023 Asiad, South Korea finished tied for fifth. The country's last gold came in 2010 under head coach Cho Young-shin, who was put back in charge this year with the goal of lifting South Korea to the podium again. However, South Korea lost to the three-time defending champion Qatar 32-20 in the semifinals Monday before absorbing another loss Tuesday. South Korea went down 8-2 less than 10 minutes into the first half and never got to within four goals for the rest of the opening 30 minutes. South Korea cut the deficit to three goals early in the second half bu

[ASIAN GAMES] Asian Games organizers apologize for volleyball team's bus mix-up
Sep 29, 2026

[ASIAN GAMES] Asian Games organizers apologize for volleyball team's bus mix-up

NAGOYA, Japan — The organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday apologized to the South Korean men's volleyball team for a transportation mix-up that disrupted its training schedule. On Monday, the South Korean men's volleyball team was to hold a training session in the morning before its second group stage match against Chinese Taipei in the evening. The official bus took the team to the wrong location, forcing it to cancel the training session. "We caused great inconvenience, and the organizing committee takes this seriously," Ayumi Sakamoto, spokesperson for the organizing committee, said during a press conference. According to the committee, there was an error in assigning buses to the South Korean and Pakistani volleyball teams at their hotel. The bus assigned to the South Korean team transported the Pakistani team, while another bus reserved for Pakistan picked up the South Korean players. Due to the bus mix-up, the Pakistani team arrived late at the venue, delaying its preliminary-round match. The South Korean team canceled its morning training session. "We

RECOMMENDED