<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52614a25ecad042112bd5e43-1200-924/jose-abreu.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Jose Abreu" width="480" /><p class="source">Getty Images</p></div><p></p></div>The White Sox have agreed to a 6-year, $68 million contract with Cuban defector <keyword id="1907558" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jose-Abreu">Jose Abreu</keyword> (<em><a href="http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/9841115/chicago-white-sox-agree-record-deal-cuban-free-agent-1b-jose-abreu">via ESPN.com</a></em>). The deal is a record for a first-year player in Major League Baseball.</p>
<p>The White Sox huge investment in the slugging first baseman could be a reaction to the success of other recent Cuban defectors, Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes. Puig signed a 7-year, $42 million contract with the Dodgers that was criticized by many. Cespedes signed a 4-year deal with the A's worth $38 million.</p>
<p>While Abreu is <a href="http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/8/13/4615980/jose-abreu-yasiel-puig-cuba-contract">considered by some  the better hitter</a>, the White Sox are taking a big gamble on the soon-to-be 27-year-old. Cespedes was 26 during his rookie year and Puig was just 22.</p>
<p>While the $68 million is a record for a player, it is not the most invested by a team in an international free agent. In 2012, the Rangers gave Yu Darvish a 6-year, $56 million contract which came after a $51.7 million posting fee the Rangers paid to Nippon Ham Fighters for the exclusive negotiating rights.</p>

White Sox To Sign Cuban Defector With Record $68 Million Contract

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Houston Astros combined for a no-hitter, the second in World Series history, to beat the Phillies 5-0 in Game 4 of the World Series.</li><li>The no-hitter effort was led by Astros starter Cristian Javier, who at one point struck out five straight batters.</li></ul><p>PHILADELPHIA — The Houston Astros turned the tables in Game 4 of the World Series in Philadelphia, combining to no-hit the home team en route to a 5-0 victory that evened the series at two games apiece.</p><p>In Game 3, the Phillies dominated the Astros with the long ball, tying a World Series record with five home runs in a 7-0 victory that kept the Philadelphia crowd rowdy all night.</p><p>Heading into Game 4, Astros manager Dusty Baker said the crowd was a factor.</p><p>"I think they were pretty civil and having a pretty good time," Baker said of the Game 3 crowd, which greeted the Astros with loud boos and chants of "cheater!" in the first game in Philadelphia, a few hours before the first pitch of Game 4.</p><p>"I would have been having a good time too if I was beating the other team and I was a fan of the Phillies, you know what I mean? So we're going to try to stop so much of that partying tonight."</p><p>Mission accomplished.</p><p>Leading the way was starting pitcher Cristian Javier, whose fastball left the Phillies looking completely lost just a day after <a href="https://www.insider.com/phillies-bryce-harper-alec-bohm-secret-home-run-2022-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the team had seemingly cracked the code on their opponent</a>.</p><p>Javier pitched six innings of no-hit ball, striking out nine batters, including one stretch where he struck out five straight over the fourth and fifth innings. This came against a Phillies team that entered the game undefeated at home and averaging seven runs a game at Citizens Bank Park through the postseason.</p><p>"He was electric," Baker said of his starter after the game. "He threw the ball up, down, and that shows you that the best pitch in baseball is still a well-located fastball."</p><p>On the other side of the ball, Phillies starter Aaron Nola held the Astros scoreless for four innings despite giving up some hits, but the levee broke in the fifth inning. Nola gave up three straight singles to load the bases in a still scoreless game with no outs.</p><p>Phillies manager Rob Thomson turned to reliever Jose Alvarez to stem the bleeding, but his very first pitch got away from him, hitting Yordan Alvarez to push <a href="https://www.insider.com/chas-mccormick-houston-astros-philadelphia-2022-11">Chas McCormick home</a> from third base and open up the scoring for the Astros.</p><p>Alvarado's trouble didn't stop there, giving up a double, sac fly, and single before finally recording the third out. Houston left the inning with a 5-0 lead.</p><p>For the Phillies, five runs hasn't been insurmountable; in Game 1 against Houston Philadelphia had trailed 5-0 before storming back in dramatic fashion to win 6-5.</p><p>But Game 4 was different. The Phillies only base runners of the game had come on walks, and done little to spark the offense.</p><p>A Philadelphia crowd that was rowdy for nine straight innings on Tuesday night started off on Wednesday just as mighty, and remained locked in through the first scoreless stretch of action, but after the Astros finally broke through in the fifth inning, the Phillies faithful were understandably deflated.</p><p>With their 5-0 cushion, the Astros pulled Javier just before he reached 100 pitches on the night, turning to Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly in turn to finish the job.</p><p>For both teams, it was somewhat familiar territory. Back in June, the Astros combined for a no-hitter against the New York Yankees in another game started by Javier. As for the Phillies, they suffered a combined no-hitter at the hands of the Mets in April.</p>

Astros combine for no-hitter behind brilliance of Cristian Javier, silencing Philadelphia bats and crowd

<ul class="summary-list"><li>White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night.</li><li>Rodon had a <keyword id="6864909" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Perfect-game">perfect game</keyword> going in the ninth inning but grazed the toe of Roberto Perez.</li><li>Rodon bounced back to get the last out he needed to save the no-no.</li></ul><p>Carlos Rodon was almost perfect on Wednesday night.</p><p>Through eight innings, Rodon faced 24 batters from the Cleveland Indians, and none of them got further than stepping up to home plate.</p><p>With the world watching, a tense ninth inning unfolded. The first scare came from Josh Naylor, who slapped a grounder to first base and sprinted out of the box. First baseman Jose Abreu made a play on the ball and dashed back to the base, kicking out his leg to barely beat out Naylor as he dove headfirst at the bag.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-MLB  (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1382525571029155841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2021</a></blockquote><p>One down. Two to go.</p><p>Unfortunately for Rodon, he'd finish just shy of perfect. After getting up 0-2 in the count against Roberto Perez, Rodon threw a slider chasing for strike three. The pitch barely got away from him and grazed the toe of Perez. Had he been two shoe sizes smaller, the perfect game might have survived.</p><p>Alas, Cleveland had finally made it to first.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-The Comeback  (@thecomeback) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1382526289899229188?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2021</a></blockquote><p>But Rodon was still chasing a no-hitter and recovered to write his name into the history books, throwing the 20th no-hitter in White Sox history.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-MLB  (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1382528085149556742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Rodon's performance was as electric as the result was rare. As Jeremy Frank noted on Twitter, just six times since the turn of the 20th century have pitchers thrown a no-no with the only base-runner coming as a result of a hit-by-pitch.</p><p>Because baseball is a strange sport, it's happened twice in the past week.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Jeremy Frank  (@MLBRandomStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1382528030942363654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Rodon wasn't perfect on Wednesday, but he sure was special.</p>

White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon was just one toe away from the 24th perfect game in MLB history

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6050289" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="shohei-ohtani">Shohei Ohtani</keyword> threw a 101 MPH fastball and hit a 451-foot home run against the White Sox on Sunday.</li><li>Ohtani came to <keyword id="133010" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="MLB">MLB</keyword> in 2018 with the nickname "The Japanese Babe Ruth."</li><li>He is living up to that nickname as one of the most versatile players in baseball.</li></ul><p>Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani etched his mark in baseball history on Sunday night against the Chicago White Sox. </p><p>Ohtani, who pitches and hits for the Angels, hit a 451-foot home run with an exit velocity of 115.2 MPH, the same inning in which he threw a 100.6 MPH fastball. Ohtani has been one of baseball's anomalies as an impressive hitter and pitcher since coming over from <keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan">Japan</keyword> in 2018, but Sunday was the first time in his career that he hit and pitched in the same game. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-MLB  (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1379092069038317571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Ohtani's home run was the hardest hit, and his fastball was the fastest pitch of the young MLB season. But he also became the first Angels pitcher to ever hit for himself in a game while the designated hitter rule was in play, and just the third pitcher to do so across baseball in the past 45 years, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/shohei-ohtani-bat-pitch-same-235802713.html">according to The Associated Press</a>.</p><p>At just 26 years old, Ohtani is doing things that simply haven't been done in baseball's modern era, and it has led to comparisons to one of the game's most iconic figures: Babe Ruth. </p><p>On Sunday, Ohtani took the comparisons a step further. As the second hitter in the Angels' batting order, he became the first starting pitcher to hit a home run in the first seven spots of a batting order since Ruth did it in 1933. </p><p>Ruth was famously known as the New York Yankees' legendary slugger, hitting 659 home runs across 15 seasons as a right fielder in New York. But before that, Ruth was a pitcher for The Boston Red Sox, winning 89 starts across six seasons.</p><p>Ohtani was appropriately dubbed "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/12/11/shohei-ohtani-the-japanese-babe-ruth-vs-the-real-babe-ruth-no-contest/">The Japanese Babe Ruth</a>" when MLB teams looked to recruit him out of Japan in late 2017.</p><p>Ohtani's dominance as a two-way star for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball drew the fascination of American baseball fans. Still, experts were skeptical that his skillset as a pitcher and hitter could successfully translate in America.</p><p>Several scouts even said he would have to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2794534-japanese-babe-ruth-shohei-ohtani-should-ditch-pitching-for-40-hr-power">choose between hitting and pitching</a> and spend time in the minors before being ready to play at the major-league level, according to Jeff Passan of <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/verdict-shohei-ohtanis-bat-not-good-023611674.html">Yahoo Sports</a>. </p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rdpIUkNUTK8" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>Ohtani quickly proved ready and lived up to the Ruth comparisons as a rookie, becoming the first player to pitch 50 innings and hit 15 home runs since Ruth did it for Boston in 1919. </p><p>Other arguments against Ohtani's long-term success as a two-way star stemmed from long-standing stereotypes about Asian players being less physically durable. <em>Baseball Prospectus </em>co-founder Joe Sheehan supported that skepticism with a <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.fcgi?id=gSdUr">study that showed that Japanese pitchers</a> more frequently declined after their third seasons in the majors and were more susceptible to injury. </p><p>Ohtani, now in his fourth MLB season, didn't appear to show any such physical decline on Sunday night, setting the early-season benchmarks for power at the plate and on the mound. </p><p>But injuries have put a slight dent in his baseball career to this point, as he's missed significant time to injury in each of his first three MLB seasons. Sunday's performance reminded of those concerns alongside his unique skills, as he had to come out of the game in the fifth inning after a home-plate collision with Chicago's Jose Abreu. </p><p>Ohtani admitted he was "fine" through his translator in his postgame press conference. The Angels revealed that he simply had some soreness after the collision, but he will get further tests on Monday and will get a day off from hitting as the team looks to preserve their star for an expectation-filled 2021.</p><p>This season will be Ohtani's big opportunity to defy the stigma around Asian players declining after their first three seasons, as well as build on the Ruth comparisons as he looks to become the first player to pitch 100-plus innings and have 200-plus at-bats in the same season since Ruth. </p>

An MLB star nicknamed 'The Japanese Babe Ruth' has the sports world buzzing after a 101 MPH pitch and a 451-foot home run in the same game

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58b84a29e46c159a238b4688-910/undefined" alt="Jose Abreu" data-mce-source="Jon Durr/Getty Images"><p class="source"><span>Jon Durr/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>First baseman Jose Abreu came to the United States from Cuba in 2013 and signed a $68 million contract, the largest ever for an international free agent, after a fierce bidding war with several other teams.</p><p>More than three years later, Abreu is testifying <span>under a grant of limited immunity </span>during a federal alien smuggling trial about how he was able to travel from Cuba to the United States.</p><p>Abreu's testimony included a bizarre story about how he ate a page out of a fake passport.</p><p>Abreu is testifying in a case against <span>agent Bartolo Hernandez and trainer Julio Estrada, who are accused of smuggling players out of Cuba so that they could sign large contracts with Major League Baseball teams. A third man, Amin Latouff, has been indicted in the case, but has not been arrested.</span></p><p><a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18798743/jose-abreu-chicago-white-sox-tells-jury-ate-fake-passport-way-us" target="_blank">According to the Associated Press</a>, Abreu testified that first received the fake passport from <span>Latouff </span>when he arrived in Haiti on a boat from Cuba. Abreu would later take a flight from Haiti to Miami.</p><p>According to Abreu, <span>Latouff told him to destroy the passport while on the plane. However, Abreu testified that he ordered a beer on the flight and slowly ate the page of the passport that included his photo and the fake name.</span></p><p><span>"Little by little I swallowed that first page of the passport," Abreu testified. "I could not arrive in the United States with a false passport."</span></p><p><span>Once in Miami, Abreu was allowed to remain despite not having any travel documents, thanks to the now-rescinded "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy.</span></p><p><span>Abreu also testified that Estrada's company, Total Baseball Representation and Training, received 20% of the money earned in the $68 million contract in exchange for negotiating the deal and providing training and lodging for Abreu.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fighting-nhl-hockey-violence-sports-code-referee-2017-2">This is why fighting is allowed in pro hockey - and why the NHL has no plans to ban it</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="hoaWxyOTE6rTXG5N5k1Yd8FuOfo0sgVf" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'hoaWxyOTE6rTXG5N5k1Yd8FuOfo0sgVf',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Cuban baseball player testifies during smuggling trial that he ate part of a fake passport on his flight to the US

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59539bb9a3630f88018b5fb4-1500/ap17179127690097.jpg" alt="College World Series" /><p class="source"><span>Nati Harnik/AP</span></p><p class="caption">The Florida Gators won their first College World Series.</p><p>Good morning! Here are the plays everybody will be talking about Wednesday:</p><p><strong>The interference call that helped the Florida Gators win the College World Series.</strong> In the seventh inning of Game 2, LSU was threatening to tie the game and possibly take the lead with runners on first and third and no outs, down 2-1. However, with the Gators willing to give up the tying run to turn a double-play, interference was called on LSU's slide at second base. That not only gave the Gators two outs, it also sent the runner on third base back to third. The Gators would eventually get out of the inning with the lead intact. The Gators threw out another potential tying run in the eighth inning at home plate before eventually tacking on four insurance runs and winning 6-1 to win the series two games to none.</p><p><strong>The Mikie Mahtook catch.</strong> The math people say Mahtook ran 123 feet to rob <span>Salvador Perez of an extra-base hit. That sounds like a long ways. It looks even farther. Also, ouch!</span></p><p><strong>The New York Yankees blown win.</strong> With Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances having pitched each of the two previous nights, the Yankees gave Chapman the night off on Tuesday and called on Betances to close out a 3-2 lead against the Chicago White Sox. Except he did not. After getting one out, Betances walked two straight batters and then hit a third to load the bases. Betances could have still gotten the save with a double-play ground ball. He got the ground ball from Jose Abreu, but it found a hole in the infield, two runs scored, and the Yankees had lost their 11th game out of the last 14.</p><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/m3q1z/kujmyj?autoplay=1&amp;muted=1" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" style="width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;left:0px;top:0px;overflow:hidden;"></iframe><blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tracked. It. Down.<a href="https://twitter.com/MikieMahtook8">@mikiemahtook8</a> ranges 123 feet to take away extra bases. <a href="https://t.co/E3GsdBSzv7">https://t.co/E3GsdBSzv7</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Statcast?src=hash">#Statcast</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pyqxduo8LQ">pic.twitter.com/Pyqxduo8LQ</a></p>- #Statcast (@statcast) <a href="https://twitter.com/statcast/status/879871810157850625">June 28, 2017</a></blockquote><iframe src="http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=1548212683&amp;topic_id=6479266&amp;width=600&amp;height=336&amp;property=mlb" width="600" height="336" frameborder="0">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/12-time-olympic-medalist-dara-torres-eating-habits-during-training-2017-6">A 12-time Olympic medalist reveals her eating habits during training</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video                    

The 3 plays in sports everybody will be talking about today

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59567418a3630f1b008b6c9f-1000/gettyimages-803703536.jpg" alt="Dustin Fowler" /><p class="source"><span>David Banks/Getty</span></p>In one of the most painful moments of the 2017 season, New York Yankees rookie Dustin Fowler was carted off the field after suffering a gruesome injury during his Major League debut against the Chicago White Sox.<p>Fowler, a 22-year-old outfielder who slugged .542 in Triple-A this year, was called up to the big leagues for the first time in his career a few hours before the game. The injury occurred in the bottom of the first inning on a foul ball hit by Chicago's Jose Abreu. Fowler ran hard towards the stands, and by the time he realized he was going to run out of room, it was too late to stop his feet from slamming into the wall.</p><p>You can watch the heartbreaking scene below:</p><p>As you can see, Fowler attempted to walk it off but was unable to put any weight on his right foot. He ended up being carted off the field. The official diagnosis was an open rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee. He underwent surgery at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center on Thursday night.</p><p>The Yankees quickly rallied around their injured outfielder. Manager Joe Girardi expressed his sympathy for Fowler after the game.</p><p>"I was in tears, actually," Girardi said, <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19771081/dustin-fowler-new-york-yankees-ruptures-patellar-tendon-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN</a>. "Because I know what it takes to get here and how hard he has worked and what is supposed to be a really exciting day for him turns into a really bad day. I'm still disbelief. I'm in tears for the kid."</p><p>Another Yankees rookie, Aaron Judge, also expressed his distress, though not in so many words.</p><p>"I was sick to my stomach," he said.</p><p>The Yankees have yet to announce a timetable for Fowler's return, but a ruptured patellar tendon usually requires four to six months to recover fully, <a href="http://www.sportsmd.com/knee-injuries/patellar-tendon-rupture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to sports physicians Bryson P. Lesniak and Asheesh Bedi</a>. That means that, barring the coincidence of a deep postseason run and a speedy recovery, Fowler is done for the year.</p><p>Although he appeared in just one inning, the loss of Fowler won't help the ailing Yankees. They lost Thursday's game to fall to 4-12 since June 13 and trail the Boston Red Sox in the American League East by one game.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Just a heartbreaking scene for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yankees?src=hash">#Yankees</a> Dustin Fowler, who had to leave the game due to injury in his <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB">@MLB</a> debut. <a href="https://t.co/dal7DOAukN">pic.twitter.com/dal7DOAukN</a></p>- 120 Sports  (@120Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/880628701158711296">June 30, 2017</a></blockquote>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-gym-routine-abs-quick-body-weight-workout-circuit-conbody-coss-marte-2017-6">Here's a simple no-weights workout that could lead to real results</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video                    

You Searched For "Jose Abreu" and got 7 results

White Sox To Sign Cuban Defector With Record $68 Million Contract

Cork Gaines

Astros combine for no-hitter behind brilliance of Cristian Javier, silencing Philadelphia bats and crowd

Tyler Lauletta

White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon was just one toe away from the 24th perfect game in MLB history

Tyler Lauletta

An MLB star nicknamed 'The Japanese Babe Ruth' has the sports world buzzing after a 101 MPH pitch and a 451-foot home run in the same game

Jackson Thompson

Cuban baseball player testifies during smuggling trial that he ate part of a fake passport on his flight to the US

Cork Gaines

The 3 plays in sports everybody will be talking about today

Cork Gaines

New York Yankees rookie Dustin Fowler suffered a serious knee injury in his MLB debut

Sam Belden