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Good morning to everyone but especially to…
SHOHEI OHTANI
At this point, it’s no secret Shohei Ohtani is MLB’s most impactful player given his outstanding work both on the mound and at the plate.
But June was the Angels star’s best month yet, and CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder asserts it was the best in league history. Ohtani launched his league-leading 30th home run a whopping 493 feet on Friday, a fitting illustration of just how massive his month had been. Here’s some context:
Among players with at least 100 plate appearances, Ohtani had the seventh-highest OPS ever in June, with the only players above him being Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (1929, 192, 1930), Lou Gehrig (1930, 1936) and Rogers Hornsby (1925).Ohtani hit 15 home runs in June, tied with Ruth (1930), Pedro Guerrero (1985), Jim Thome (2004), Bob Johnson (1934) and Roger Maris (1961) for the third-most all-time. Across five starts, Ohtani — the only full-time pitcher on the lists above — went 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings.
Ohtani has the Angels — who sit third in the AL West at 45-41 — on track for their first winning season since 2015 and first playoff appearance since 2014, earning a B+ in CBS Sports’ Dayn Perry’s MLB midseason grades.
And not such a good morning for…
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THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Time to reset those clocks, Blazers fans, because it’s no longer Dame Time in Portland. Damian Lillard (finally) requested a trade from the Trail Blazers, and he’s reportedly intent on being dealt to the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
Lillard’s trade request sent shockwaves around the…
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