20 | Friday, July 3, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY SPORTS

In-flight entertainment BASEBALL MLB stepping up to plate with revamped rulebook

By MURRAY GREIG The designated hitter (DH) rule [email protected] started in the American League in 1973, and for 47 years the National Major League Baseball’s 60­game League resisted calls to adopt it. season will launch on July 23 or 24, The DH does not play a position and the 30 teams have been given in the field, but instead replaces the the green light to schedule as many pitcher in the batting order — osten­ as three exhibition games ahead of sibly to generate more offense. Opening Day. The DH, who can only be replaced MLB announced on Tuesday that by a player who has not entered the each team will play 40 divisional game, can be moved to a fielding games and 20 regional interleague position — but if that happens his games, with the trade deadline set team forfeits the role of the desig­ for Aug 31 and postseason rosters nated hitter. And unlike other posi­ frozen as of Sept 15. tions, the DH is “locked” into the The two biggest rule changes for batting order, so no multiple substi­ the pandemic­shortened season will tutions can be made to alter his rota­ see the National League adopt the tion to the plate. designated hitter, and games that go Meanwhile, the Washington into extra innings will start with a Nationals will try to defend their runner on second base. World Series title without two veter­ The revamped rulebook also stip­ an holdovers from last year’s team. ulates physical distancing when General manager Mike Rizzo said possible, as well as the following: longtime first baseman Ryan Zim­ • All spitting — including sun­ merman and pitcher Joe Ross are flower seeds and peanut shells — is opting out for the safety of them­ prohibited on the field, as well as in selves and their families in the face dugouts and clubhouses. of the COVID­19 pandemic. • Pitchers on the mound will be “We are 100 percent supportive of permitted to keep a moistened cloth their decision to not play this year,” in their pocket to wet the ball ahead Rizzo said on Monday. “We will miss Leicester City’s Demarai Gray (front) and Everton’s Lucas Digne contest a high ball during Wednesday’s English Premier League match of gripping it, instead of licking their their presence in the clubhouse and at Goodison Park in Liverpool. Third­place Leicester’s alarming slump continued with a 2­1 defeat that gives another boost to the chasing fingers. their contributions on the field.” pack in the hunt for Champions League qualification. REUTERS • Lineup cards will not be Zimmerman was due to earn exchanged at home plate. Instead, $740,741 and Ross $555,556 as pro­ managers must enter them into an rated portions of their salaries, orig­ MLB app. inally $2 million and $1.5 million SOCCER • Dugout and bullpen areas will respectively. be expanded, and all on­field per­ Only players deemed high risk are sonnel must adhere to physical dis­ paid if they opt out of the shortened tancing as play allows. Players season. cannot socialize or come within six “Everyone knows how much it feet of members of the opposing means to me to be part of a team and Reality hammered home team on the field or before or after I will miss that camaraderie dearly the game. this year,” Zimmerman, the Nats’ “Players or managers who leave longest­serving player, said in a their positions to argue with statement. umpires, come within six feet of an “Of course I would love to pursue umpire or opposing player or man­ back­to­back titles. I cannot speak ager for the purpose of argument, or for anyone else, but given the unu­ for Lampard’s Chelsea engage in altercations on the field sual nature of the season, this is the are subject to immediate ejection best decision for me and my family.” and discipline, including fines and Zimmerman has been writing a Defeat at West Ham shows talk of title suspensions,” the rule states. diary for Associated Press since the A previously announced rule coronavirus shut down sports this tilt next term looks premature for Blues requiring all pitchers to face at least spring. In the 10th installment last three batters except in case of injury week, he expressed concerns about LONDON — Frank Lampard said returning from English soccer’s remains in effect. playing this summer. Chelsea’s capitulation to lose 3­2 at three­month shutdown due to the relegation­threatened West Ham coronavirus pandemic. United on Wednesday is a sign of “The players in those moments CYCLING how much work he still has to do to have to show an extra mentality to make the Blues title contenders see a game through like this when once more. you have a lot of domination.” Chelsea was on course to move After a 2­1 victory over Manches­ Little Froome for third in the Premier League when ter City last week that sealed the Willian’s penalty gave it the lead in title for Liverpool and the signings the first half against the Hammers of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, at London Stadium. Chelsea has been touted as a title maneuver as Tour But the visiting side did not learn rival to City and Liverpool next Andriy Yarmolenko fires home West Ham’s winner as Antonio from the reprieve it received from term. Rudiger’s last­ditch slide fails to stop the Ukrainian in the Ham­ VAR when Tomas Soucek had a However, Lampard believes his mers’ 3­2 victory over Chelsea on Wednesday. REUTERS intrigue builds goal ruled out for offside as the side has to be far more consistent Czech rose highest to level from than it has shown during his first another corner. season in charge. for any side in the bottom five in 30 West Ham was level before the By MURRAY GREIG uled for Switzerland’s hilly Aigle­ Michail Antonio then put the “I’ve seen us play great games, games since the Premier League’s break, though, as Soucek rose high­ Martigny course from Sept 20­27. Hammers in front early in the sec­ but I also have seen opportunities restart. est at another Jarrod Bowen corner Four­time Tour de France cham­ “We’ve got the Yates brothers ond half before Willian’s freekick to close a gap or move into third “We’d be lying if we said we to power home a downward header. pion Chris Froome’s chances of a (Adam and Simon), Thomas and brought Chelsea level once more. wasted. That’s the difference at the weren’t looking at the results (of The Hammers were then reward­ mid­season transfer appear to be Froome. Then we also have James Lampard’s men then looked the minute and shows how much work the other sides),” added Moyes. “I ed for a positive start to the second over after a source told Cycling Knox, Tao Geoghegan Hart and more likely to claim all three points we’ve got to do.” didn’t think we had been as bad as half as Bowen’s low cross was News this week that the 35­year­old Hugh Carthy. They’re all pretty in the closing stages, but were Just a second win in 12 games our results suggested.” smashed home by Antonio. Brit will stay with Team Ineos until strong climbers,” Team Britain caught on the counter­attack when takes David Moyes’ men up to 16th, The controversial VAR call came Pulisic remained Chelsea’s most his contract expires at the end of the coach Matt Brammeier told Cycling Andriy Yarmolenko fired home a three points clear of the relegation at 0­0 when Antonio was adjudged dangerous player and when the season. News. huge winner for West Ham’s chan­ zone. to be interfering with goalkeeper American was brought down again, Tuesday’s revelation followed “Luke Rowe is also in the mix and ces of avoiding the drop. A much­needed victory for the Kepa Arrizabalaga’s line of vision Willian produced another moment weeks of speculation linking Alex Dowsett has been focusing a lot A 10th league defeat of the sea­ former Manchester United manag­ from an offside position on the of set­piece magic. Froome to a mid­season move to on the TT (time trial) as well. The son leaves Chelsea just two points er was all the sweeter after feeling floor when Soucek swept the ball But against the run of play Chel­ Israel Start­Up Nation ahead of this priority for me is having a motivated clear of Manchester United and the injustice of a VAR call for the home from a corner. sea was punished for some lazy year’s Tour de France, which runs group.” Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second time in eight days. “I really dislike VAR,” said Anto­ defending by Marcos Alonso as the Aug 29­Sept 30. Selection for the worlds is compli­ race for a place in the top four and Moyes was unhappy when Tot­ nio. “It’s gone against us so many Spaniard did not track Yarmolen­ Froome had also been linked to cated due to the lack of racing since next season’s Champions League. tenham’s opener in a 2­0 defeat last times. Today it didn’t stop us, we ko’s surge from inside his own half Bahrain McLaren, CCC Team and mid­March. The World Tour is “I wouldn’t say it is the story of week was allowed to stand despite keep going and we got the victory.” and after being picked out by Anto­ Movistar, but Bahrain, hit hard with scheduled to restart in early August our season because it’s been a good a handball in the build­up. Moments later it got even worse nio, the Ukrainian cut inside onto financial constraints related to the but, with the worlds and final stage season, but there have been so “Again the VAR stuff, I’m begin­ for the host as Christian Pulisic was his favored left boot and fired past COVID­19 pandemic, has put its rid­ of the Tour de France overlapping, many of these moments,” said Lam­ ning to lose faith with it,” said the chopped down by Issa Diop and Arrizabalaga. ers on wage deferrals, while CCC Brammeier is looking to hold off on pard, whose side had won all three Scot. Willian confidently dispatched the Team has yet to find a sponsor his picks until the last moment. of their previous matches since West Ham’s victory was the first spot­kick. AGENCE FRANCE­PRESSE beyond this season. “We’re in the final stages of clarify­ A slow response from Team Ineos ing what the selection is going to when it came to contract talks look like. The nuts and bolts won’t be opened the door for other teams to too dissimilar to before but we’re just Aubameyang punishes Norwich errors approach Froome, but at a recent going to have to account for results training camp in Isola, France, the from last year and expand on that team assured him that he would fig­ element of our documents,” he said. Arsenal captain Pierre­Emerick in five years enth place and ahead of north London and the video assistant referee decid­ ure prominently in its three­ “That’s really the only thing that’s Aubameyang was gifted two goals as — to reach 50 rival Tottenham. ed that Sead Kolasinac had not fouled pronged leadership strategy at the changed. It’s going to be a bit more the Gunners thumped Norwich City Premier Arsenal had opened the scoring at Todd Cantwell inside the box. Tour de France. difficult when it comes to selection 4­0 at an empty Emirates Stadium on League goals Southampton last weekend following The Canaries had looked sharper for With Froome’s position at Ineos in and we’re going to have to commu­ Wednesday. in 79 appear­ a goalkeeping error and Norwich stop­ most of the second half until the visitor doubt ahead of the Tour, Egan Ber­ nicate a bit better with what’s going Aubameyang was teed up by ances. He is per Tim Krul mimicked Alex McCarthy made another defensive mistake. nal and Geraint Thomas were tout­ on and then just catch up with the opposing players in either half, and the fastest in north London, dawdling in posses­ A Norwich throw­in inside its own ed to lead the team. riders to see where their focus is, to also set up Granit Xhaka for the mid­ Arsenal play­ Pierre-Emerick sion and striking his clearance straight half was sent toward substitute Josip Returning from a long injury lay­ be honest.” fielder’s first goal of the campaign. er to reach a Aubameyang at Aubameyang, who slotted into an Drmic, whose back pass in the penalty off after crashing at last year’s Crite­ “We don’t have an official long list There was even time for Cedric Soares, half­century. empty net in the 33rd minute. area went straight to Aubameyang, rium du Dauphine, Froome, who but we have a good group and we’re who was signed on loan from South­ “A player that is able to score as The lead was doubled inside four who netted again in the 67th. has not raced a Grand Tour since motivated because it’s our last shot ampton in January in a move made many goals as he has done in that minutes when Kieran Tierney and Soares then needed just four min­ 2018, has repeatedly told British before Tokyo to try and get our permanent last week, to mark his short space of time tells you everything Aubameyang combined before the lat­ utes to mark his long­awaited debut media he is fit and ready to aim for a climbing group together. return from injury with a goal after about the importance that he has for ter fed Xhaka, who hit his first league with a goal as he struck from the edge record­tying fifth Tour title. “It’s going to be a beneficial race making his debut off the bench. us,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. goal in almost 14 months. of the box in the 81st. Meanwhile, both Froome and for us and the lads who were think­ Aubameyang ended a four­game The goals against last­place Nor­ After the break, Norwich was Thomas are in contention for a ing about Tokyo have all put up their run without scoring — his worst spell wich helped Arsenal move up to sev­ incensed when referee Peter Bankes AP place on Britain’s team at the UCI hands and said that they’re motivat­ Road World Championships, sched­ ed to race at the worlds.”