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Sports

Shohei Ohtani delivers on mound in spring debut for Los Angeles Angels

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MESA, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani featured an upper-90s fastball and a wipeout splitter in his spring pitching debut Friday, a 41-pitch outing that seemed to validate the Los Angeles Angels’ hopes that he can contribute as a two-way player this season.

Ohtani, pitching two days after unleashing a 486-foot home run to straightaway center field, struck out five of the 10 Oakland Athletics batters he faced, the last three on splitters that dropped well below the strike zone.

The right-hander issued two walks, gave up three hits — two of which went for extra bases — and was removed with two outs in the second inning because the Angels had set a 40-pitch limit. But Ohtani was around the strike zone far more frequently than during his short pitching stint last summer, and he displayed a cleaner, more repeatable delivery, which Angels manager Joe Maddon said he was hoping to see.

“The big thing for him — the success is gonna be repetition of delivery and knowing where his fastball is going consistently,” Maddon said postgame. “If that occurs, he’s really gonna take off.”

Ohtani, 26, has acted as a two-way player for only two months over the past three years, in April and May of his 2018 rookie season, before having Tommy John surgery. He spent the rest of the 2018 season and all of 2019 serving as the Angels’ primary designated hitter, then struggled in his return to two-way action during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Ohtani made only two rough starts before straining the flexor-pronator mass near his surgically repaired elbow, limiting him to hitting only.

After the season — he batted .190 and had a 37.80 ERA — Ohtani underwent an aggressive offseason regimen in which he got into more game-like situations as a hitter and pitcher, revamped his diet and workout regimen and sought advice from third parties, including, sources said, experts at the renowned baseball facility Driveline. Ohtani’s progress showed during the workout portion of spring training and is now manifesting itself in game settings.

Ohtani, speaking through his interpreter, said he mistakenly started “cutting” some of his pitches while overthrowing with runners in scoring position, but he was pleased with his splitter as an out pitch and he believes his velocity will continue to rise as the season progresses.

Maddon has said he wants to ease some of the restrictions, such as when Ohtani’s turn comes as part of a six-man rotation rather than on a certain day each week. Maddon also is open to the possibility of putting him in the lineup the day after his start, which hadn’t been the case.

“The big thing was to put him in charge of his own career and not try to dictate so much to him, permit his athleticism to take over and not be so concerned about getting hurt,” Maddon said of the reasoning behind more aggressive usage. “He’s done this in the past, he should know himself better than we do, and we did not want to create these limitations or set guidelines that we didn’t know if they would work or not.”

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Entertainment

Hilaria Baldwin thanks ‘special angels’ who brought newborn daughter into world

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Hilaria Baldwin opened up on social media about the birth of her sixth child, a daughter named María Lucia.

On Thursday, the 37-year-old fitness instructor penned a lengthy message about the newborn, who arrived five months after she and husband Alec Baldwin welcomed their fifth child, a son named Eduardo “Edu” Pao Lucas.

“Our hearts are filled with so much gratitude. The Baldwinitos craved so much to have a little sister,” Baldwin wrote. “Many of you may remember the loss of their sister at 4 months in the end of 2019. There isn’t a day that goes by where we don’t ache for our daughter. When I found out our baby had died, I told our children that their sister was going to come, just not at that time.”

“Nothing will ever replace her, but two wonderful souls have come into our lives, and we are humbled to know them,” she added.

HILARIA AND ALEC BALDWIN WELCOME THEIR SIXTH CHILD TOGETHER

The wellness expert explained how Edu is their rainbow baby, while “special angels … helped bring Lucia the world.”

“María Lucía Victoria and Eduardo Pau Lucas: our babies who bring light into our lives — almost like twins, we love you so much.” Lucia was reportedly born via surrogate. 

Hilaria Baldwin and Alec Baldwin welcomed their sixth child, a daughter named María Lucía Victoria.
(Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

The Baldwins also share daughter Carmen Gabriela, 7½, and sons Romeo Alejandro David, 2½, Leonardo Ángel Charles, 4, and Rafael Thomas, 5½.

HILARIA BALDWIN REVEALS NAME OF BABY: ‘WE ARE SO IN LOVE’

The “30 Rock” star is also a father to his 25-year-old daughter Ireland from his previous relationship to Kim Basinger. 

In the past few months, the famous couple has made headlines not for any kind of pregnancy announcement, but rather for a scandal that saw the wellness expert taken to task for allegedly exaggerating her Spanish heritage. Although she denied ever lying about being born in the United States, Baldwin issued an apology on Instagram earlier this month. 

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“I’ve spent the last month listening, reflecting, and asking myself how I can learn and grow. My parents raised my brother and me with two cultures, American and Spanish, and I feel a true sense of belonging to both,” she wrote in part.

Baldwin was put on blast in December when it was discovered she wasn’t actually born in Spain — as she had implied — and instead was born and raised in Boston, Mass. Baldwin was also criticized for allegedly faking a Spanish accent. The bilingual mother of six’s accent noticeably fluctuated over the years when she made appearances on TV. 

Fox News’ Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report.



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Science

“Snow angels” help dig out Action News van

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MONTGOMERY CO., Pennsylvania (WPVI) — The snow was piling up in Montgomery County, Pa. on Monday as yet another winter storm pushed through the region.

In fact, at one point the Action News van got stuck while we were looking for a parking spot.

Fortunately a couple of “snow angels” were there to help.

RELATED: Get the latest from AccuWeather at 6abc.com/Weather

They not only plowed the area behind the van, they even got out their shovels to help dig us out.

Some parts of the area were being hit hard by the storm. The village of Skippack in the central part of the county was reporting nearly six inches of snow by noon.

Copyright © 2021 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Sports

Los Angeles Angels get Dexter Fowler in trade with St. Louis Cardinals

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels acquired veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler from the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night for cash or a player to be named later.

Fowler batted .233 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 23 games last season, his fourth with St. Louis. The switch-hitting former Rockies and Cubs slugger is a career .259 hitter with 127 homers and 561 RBIs.

Fowler, who turns 35 next month, can play all three outfield positions. Although Fowler’s production has declined in recent years, the Angels see the veteran as an important leader for their clubhouse and a short-term solution in right field so they can give more minor league development time to Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh.

“He’s an outstanding human being, and he’s a high-energy player,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said. “Over a 162-game season, energy is important, and this guy brings that smile, that energy on a daily basis. And we still think he can play. We think there’s a lot left in the tank. The homework we’ve done, he’s put in a ton of work this offseason. For him to waive his no-trade clause … it’s an honor.”

Fowler also is costing the Angels only $1.75 million in salary.

He is headed into his 13th full big league season in the final year of a five-year, $82 million contract. He has a $14.5 million salary in 2021, and St. Louis remains responsible for the two final $1 million installments of his $10 million signing bonus, due July 1 and Oct. 1.

As part of the trade, the Cardinals agreed to pay the Angels $12.75 million in 12 installments of $1,062,500 on the 15th and final day of each month from April through September.

Fowler’s switch-hitting abilities will provide a counterpart to right-handed hitting Angels outfielders Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Adell. Taylor Ward also is expected to compete for a roster spot in the Halos’ outfield in spring training.

The 21-year-old Adell, the Halos’ top prospect, struggled in his major league debut last season as their everyday right fielder, batting .161 with a .478 OPS over 38 games. Fowler’s presence will allow Adell’s development to proceed more deliberately in 2021.

“We like (Fowler) in right field, and we feel like offensively he’s going to bring a lot to the lineup,” Minasian said. “We feel really good about Jo. We think Jo is going to have an outstanding career, and we feel like at some point this year, he’s going to impact this club.”

Fowler earned his only All-Star selection and his only World Series ring in 2016 with Chicago under current Angels manager Joe Maddon.

Fowler is the third veteran who played under Maddon at a previous stop to join the Angels in this offseason, along with former Cubs starter Jose Quintana and former Rays starter Alex Cobb. Minasian and Maddon only began working together three months ago, but the rookie GM says their philosophies are already quite similar.

“We want a certain type of player, and I think Joe and I are really aligned in this,” Minasian said. “We want a certain type of makeup, a certain mentality, and him putting his stamp on those players make them more desirable.”

Fowler has spent just one season of his career in the American League, playing for Houston in 2014.

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Sports

Los Angeles Angels acquire veteran pitcher Alex Cobb from Baltimore Orioles

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The Los Angeles Angels announced their acquisition of veteran right-hander Alex Cobb from the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night in a deal that might solidify the team’s starting-pitching depth for 2021.

The Angels will part with young utility player Jahmai Jones as part of the deal. They will pay only a third of the $15 million owed to Cobb in 2021, some of which is deferred, according to The Athletic.

Cobb, 33, established himself early on with the Tampa Bay Rays, going 32-21 with a 3.19 ERA in 446 innings in his mid-20s from 2012 to 2014, then spent most of the next two years recovering from Tommy John surgery. He compiled 331⅔ innings and a 4.23 ERA from 2017 to 2018 and was named the Orioles’ Opening Day starter to begin 2019, but he was limited to only three starts that year and underwent hip surgery.

Cobb remained healthy for most of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, posting a 4.30 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 18 walks in 52⅓ innings. He joins an Angels rotation that is also expected to include Andrew Heaney, Jose Quintana, Dylan Bundy, Griffin Canning and Shohei Ohtani, who will return to a two-way role.

All of the players acquired by first-year general manager Perry Minasian — Cobb, Quintana, shortstop Jose Iglesias, closer Raisel Iglesias, catcher Kurt Suzuki and lefty reliever Alex Claudio — will be free agents at season’s end.

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Sports

Andrelton Simmons says depression, thoughts of suicide led to decision to opt out last week of Los Angeles Angels’ season

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Shortstop Andrelton Simmons says that depression and thoughts of suicide led to his decision to opt out during the last week of the Los Angeles Angels’ 2020 regular season, telling the Orange County Register that “the idea of finishing the season in a bubble was too much for me to handle.”

Simmons, who recently finalized a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, chose to share his story in writing, through a series of Twitter direct messages, instead of verbally, because “it is still difficult to articulate certain things or be open.”

The Angels announced on Sept. 22 that Simmons had opted out of the final five games of the regular season. No additional information was provided, though Simmons said in a statement that he felt it was “the best decision for me and for my family.” At the time, the Angels remained mathematically in the race for the second wild card and second place in the AL West. Although their chances of reaching the postseason were slim, league rules required that potential playoff teams begin quarantining that week in preparation for upcoming playoff games.

“It was tough for me mentally to where the thought of suicide crossed my mind,” Simmons told the Register. “It was something I vowed a long time ago I would never consider again. I was fortunate to talk to a therapist, which helped me let go of those thoughts. At the end when a lot of people were still going through what most would think of as tough times, the idea of finishing the season in a bubble was too much for me to handle.”

Simmons played in just 30 games during the abbreviated regular season, missing time due to an ankle he injured for a third straight summer. He told the Register it was difficult to focus on baseball when so many people were struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“First time was driving through Oakland and seeing some of the shops and restaurants trying to stay open with all the homeless people camping outside,” he said. “That’s when it really hit me.”

Simmons began communicating with a therapist, but his hesitations about entering a playoff bubble persisted.

“I was really saddened by how much I was hearing about the death toll, and seeing how smaller businesses were going out of business and I was a little depressed at how the effects of all the new rules and fears were gonna affect people’s livelihoods and how disconnected people were becoming,” he said.

Simmons told the Register he wasn’t forthcoming about his reasons for opting out at the time “because I don’t like the idea of having to explain every detail of my life” and “was afraid of people judging and people twisting my story.” But he said he changed his mind when he realized that being open about his situation could help others who are struggling.

Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez was used in this report.

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