By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Welcome to another episode of The Layup Drill. This time around, we take a look at the World Series, the NBA’s Yuki Kawamura, and the New York Liberty winning the WNBA Championship.
Ohtani, Edman help Dodgers win World Series
The Los Angeles Dodgers are World Champions as they defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series. The Dodgers ended the series after winning Game 5 of the World Series in New York.
While Shohei Ohtani was key to the Dodgers’ success this season, he was injured in the second game of the World Series while sliding into second base. While Freddie Freeman was the hero in the World Series, Ohtani, Tommy Edman, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto contributed to the Dodgers’ success.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani smiles as he addresses the crowd during the baseball team’s World Series championship parade and celebration at Dodger Stadium, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Yamamoto was huge during the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Playoffs. He was 2-0, with 15 strikeouts in 4 games for the Dodgers. On the same night that Ohtani was injured, Yamamoto came up with his biggest win of the year for Los Angeles. He allowed just one run in six innings of pitching for the Dodgers.
Earlier in the playoffs, Yamamoto went up against San Diego’s Yu Darvish in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. It was the first matchup between Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB postseason history. It was the 26-year-old Yamamoto who bested the 38-year-old Darvish in the deciding game between the two Southern California teams.
Also contributing in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, 29-year-old infielder Tommy Edman earned the MVP of the series. Edman, who is part Korean, earned the honor after driving in the first four runs in the series, clinching the win over the Mets. Edman had a .407 average during the 6-game series and drove in 11 runs which tied a club record for RBIs of any Dodger in the postseason. Edman was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals mid-season in 2024. He had not played until he was traded to the Dodgers due to a shoulder injury. The trade paid off for the Dodgers because Edman turned in the series of his career.
The New York Yankees’ Anthony Volpe ensured that the World Series would not be a 4 game sweep. Down 3-0, Volpe’s two-out grand slam put the Yankees ahead of the Dodgers and sparked them to victory. Volpe’s mother is of Filipino descent.
Yuki Kawamura debuts with Memphis Grizzlies
The NBA season started last month and the most surprising player to make the roster of an NBA team was Memphis Grizzlies point guard Yuki Kawamura. The 23-year-old, 5-foot-8 point guard had been playing in Japan before signing with the Grizzlies this past September. He signed a “two way” contract which allows him to be on the roster of the Grizzlies and the “G League” affiliated team if the team wants him to move down. Kawamura impressed during the NBA preseason but has played sparingly so far. For the time being, he is sticking with the Grizzlies.
Kawamura is teammates with Chinese Canadian Zach Edey. Edey is the first-round NBA draft pick that helped Purdue University make it to the NCAA National Championship game last spring.
Memphis Grizzlies’ Yuki Kawamura plays during an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Tsai family becomes first Asian American owners to win WNBA title
Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai became the first Asian American owners to win a major professional sports title. The WNBA’s New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in the series deciding fifth game to take the title.
The Tsais purchased the New York Liberty in 2019. Joe Tsai already acquired the Brooklyn Nets and moved the Liberty to the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn to play.
Notably, the Tsais were aggressive in signing key players to win a championship. This included former Seattle Storm’s forward Breanna Stewart. Stewart, a native of New York, decided to forego her career in Seattle to return home. She had won two WNBA titles with the Storm and this year’s title made her third title overall.
New York Liberty co-owner Joe Tsai, right, takes a picture of his wife and co-owner Clara Wu Tsai with the Liberty mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during a ceremony in honor of the New York Liberty’s WNBA championship at City Hall in New York on Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.