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Despite miscues, SF Giants earn walk-off win to keep pace in NL wild card race

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants and their fans are more worried about wins than style points at this juncture of the season – especially with the race for the National League’s final wild card spot being so nip-and-tuck.That said, if the Giants want to be a part of the postseason, they probably need to play some cleaner games than they did Monday night against the Cleveland Guardians.Still, despite committing three errors and going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position through the first eight innings, the Giants managed a 5-4, 10-inning win over the Guardians before an announced crowd of 20,705, the third smallest of the season at Oracle Park.Down 4-3 in the 10th inning, Blake Sabol singled to right to score Joc Pederson from second base. Sabol then stole second base, advanced to third on a balk by Emmanuel Clase, then scored on a walk-off single by LaMonte Wade Jr.With the win, San Francisco caught the Miami Marlins in the NL wild-card standings, as both teams ar...

Yan Gomes gets key hit as Chicago Cubs top Colorado Rockies 5-4

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Yan Gomes hit a two-run single in the ninth inning and Michael Fulmer stepped up at the very end, helping the Chicago Cubs top the Colorado Rockies 5-4 on Monday night.Gomes finished with three hits and three RBIs. Christopher Morel homered and Dansby Swanson had two hits for Chicago in the opener of a six-game trip.The Cubs stayed three games back of NL Central-leading Milwaukee and two games head of Arizona for the second NL wild card.“Coming out here to Colorado anything can happen at any time,” Gomes said. “Big ballpark, ball travels well, so runs aren’t exactly hard to come by. At this time of the year those wins are important. It’s a good sign for this team that even when we’re behind until that last out we’re going to give us a chance to win.”Drew Smyly (11-9) got four outs for the win, and Fulmer earned his second save of the season in his first big league appearance since Aug. 24.Fulmer, who had been sidelined by a forearm strain, replaced Smyly with one out i...

Kim Jong Un está en Rusia. ¿Qué podría necesitar Moscú de Corea del Norte y viceversa?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

SEÚL, Corea del Sur — El mandatario norcoreano Kim Jong Un llegó el martes a Rusia para reunirse con el presidente ruso Vladímir Putin, un encuentro que probablemente se centre en el deseo de Moscú de adquirir municiones para reabastecer sus agotadas reservas por la guerra en Ucrania.La reunión también pondrá de relieve una creciente cooperación bilateral en momentos en que los dos aislados gobernantes se encuentran enfrascados en distintas confrontaciones con Estados Unidos. A cambio de abastecer municiones, Corea del Norte posiblemente querría cargamentos de alimentos y productos energéticos, así como transferencia de tecnología armamentística avanzada.La entrevista con Putin sería el primer encuentro de Kim con un mandatario extranjero desde que Corea del Norte cerró sus fronteras en enero de 2020. Se reunieron por primera vez en abril de 2019, dos meses después de que las negociaciones diplomáticas en materia nuclear entre Kim y el entonces presidente estadounidense Donald Trump...

El huracán Lee sigue creciendo en tamaño en el Atlántico

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

(CNN) — Lee es un gran huracán de gran tamaño y se espera que crezca, según la actualización de las 11 p.m. hora del este de EE.UU. del Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC). Los vientos con fuerza de huracán de Lee se extienden hasta 128 km desde el centro y los vientos con fuerza de tormenta tropical se extienden hasta 297 kilómetros.El huracán Lee todavía tiene vientos de 185 km/h y se mueve hacia el oeste-noroeste a 11 km/h. El centro de la tormenta está a un0s 643 km al noroeste del norte de las Islas de Sotavento. La tormenta podría fortalecerse ligeramente a medida que avanza hacia el oeste-noroeste durante este martes antes de girar hacia el norte y debilitarse gradualmente a partir de este miércoles.¿Hacia dónde se dirige el huracán Lee y qué lugares del Atlántico impactaría?El debilitamiento adicional aumentará hacia el final de la semana debido a un aumento de la cizalladura del viento y al paso de Lee por las aguas más frías dejadas por Idalia y Franklin.“Aunque...

Cubs place closer Alzolay on the 15-day IL and promote top prospect Crow-Armstrong from minors

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed closer Adbert Alzolay on the 15-day injured list Monday and promoted top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong from Triple-A Iowa.The Cubs also activated reliever Michael Fulmer from the IL before their 5-4 victory at Colorado in the opener of a three-game series. Outfielder Alexander Canario was optioned to Iowa, and left-hander Anthony Kay was designated for assignment.The 28-year-old Alzolay has a forearm strain. The right-hander pitched a scoreless inning on Friday and Saturday against Arizona.“I don’t think he felt like he can really help us right now, and that’s concerning when you feel that way as a competitor,” manager David Ross said.The loss of Alzolay is a big blow for Chicago, which is fighting for playoff positioning in the NL standings. Alzolay has been the team’s most dependable reliever, going 2-5 with a 2.71 ERA and 22 saves in 25 chances during a breakout season.“We’ll fill the gap with some of the guys we have down there,” Ross said of...

AP PHOTOS: Humpback whales draw thousands of visitors to a small port on Colombia’s Pacific coast

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

BAHIA SOLANO, Colombia (AP) — Every summer, thousands of tourists descend on the Colombian town of Bahia Solano to experience the thrill of watching humpback whales as they migrate from the frigid waters of the southern Pacific to Colombia’s warm waters.The town lies on a remote stretch of coast covered by dense rainforests that are home to monkeys, toucans and colorful poison dart frogs. But the main attraction are the humpback whales that migrate to the area from July to October of each year.Bahia Solano, which is built along a U-shaped bay, has become one of the most famous spots in Colombia to sight humpback whales. Every summer, the town of 10,000 residents is visited by thousands of visitors who board small fishing boats that get close to the gentle giants.Whale watching helps boost the income of boat captains, hotels, tourism agencies and restaurants. The animals are also important for the local ecosystem, because they fertilize algae that smaller fish depend on.The marine ma...

Taiwan says it spotted 22 Chinese warplanes and 20 warships near the island

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan said Tuesday it spotted 22 Chinese military aircraft and 20 vessels near the island over the previous 24 hours, as Beijing steps up its military activities in the area. Over the weekend, the United States and Canada sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait in a challenge to China’s sweeping territorial claims. On Monday, China sailed a naval formation led by its aircraft carrier Shandong, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) to Taiwan’s southeast. The vessel was expected to conduct drills simulating aircraft, submarine, warship and land attacks, according to Chinese state media.Thirteen of the Chinese military aircraft reported on Tuesday had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial demarcation zone between China and Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry.China claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, as part of its territory to be reunited by force if necessary. Over the past year, Beijing has stepped up military activities ar...

Israeli Supreme Court hears first challenge to Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday opened the first case to look at the legality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul — deepening a showdown with the far-right government that has bitterly divided the nation and put the country on the brink of a constitutional crisis.In a sign of the case’s significance, all 15 of Israel’s Supreme Court justices are hearing appeals to the law together for the first time in Israel’s history. A regular panel is made up of three justices, though they sometimes sit on expanded panels. The proceedings were also being livestreamed.“It’s a historic day,” said Susie Navot, vice president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank that has been critical of the overhaul. “This is the first time we’ve had this kind of hearing.”Netanyahu’s coalition, a collection of ultranationalist and ultrareligious lawmakers, launched the overhaul early this year, shortly after taking office. Proponents of the pl...

Japanese companies drop stars of scandal-tainted Johnny’s entertainment company

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Several major Japanese companies have decided to stop using stars who are represented by Johnny & Associates, an entertainment company at the center of a sexual assault scandal. Beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings — known for its Super Dry beer — will no longer air its ads featuring Junichi Okada, Toma Ikuta and Sho Sakurai, the company said Tuesday, and there are no plans to sign singers, dancers or actors affiliated with Johnny’s. Other companies, including Japan’s flagship carrier Japan Airlines and major insurer Nippon Life Insurance Co., are following suit in distancing themselves from the scandal.Victims have come forward, demanding an apology and financial compensation from Johnny & Associates, which remains one of this nation’s most powerful entertainment companies. Some say they want the company name changed to get rid of the reference to Johnny, noting the sheer mention of that name is traumatic. Julie Keiko Fujishima acknowledged Thursday that her lat...

North Korea’s Kim is in Russia ahead of a meeting with Putin as their nations draw closer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:13:33 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin where they are expected to offer each other increased support in their escalating standoffs with the West.Kim is expected to seek Russian economic aid and military technology in exchange for munitions to be used in Russia’s war in Ukraine.North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim boarded his personal train bound for Russia on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by members of the ruling party, government and military. After decades of complicated, hot-and-cold relations, Russia and North Korea have drawn closer since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The bond has been driven by Putin’s need for war supplies and Kim’s efforts to boost his partnerships with traditional allies Moscow and Beijing as he tries to break out of diplomatic isolation.South Korea’s military assessed the train crossed into Russia early Tuesday, Jeon Ha Gyu, spokesperso...