By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. In this month’s edition, we write about MLB starting its season in Japan, the Aura taking over March Madness, and a figure skater returning to form.
MLB season starts in Japan
Major League Baseball’s regular season started early for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. The two teams played two “regular season” games a week before the rest of the teams.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to the plate during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Dodgers have some of the most high-profile Japanese pro baseball players in the game. Of course, we know Shohei Ohtani. But there is Yoshinobu Yamamoto who started the opening game of the season versus the Cubs and newly signed in the offseason Roki Sasaki. Sasaki started game 2 in Tokyo.
Chicago Cubs’ Shota Imanaga talks with others near the dugout before an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
In the first game, Yamamoto faced off against Cubs’ starting pitcher Shota Imanaga. The lefty for the Cubs did well in striking out two and not allowing a run through four innings. Yamamoto gave up a run through five innings but struck out four. The Dodgers were led in hits by Ohatni who had two and LA won a 4-1 game. In the second game, Sasaki had a shaky start with five walks through just two innings. But the Dodgers managed to win a 6-3 game for the sweep in Japan.
Also, this past offseason the Dodgers extended the contract of manager Dave Roberts. Roberts, who is half Japanese, has won two World Series championships and is in his 10th year as Dodgers manager. LA extended Roberts to a 4-year, $8 million contract for the 52-year-old.
Aura is the sensation of March Madness
Amir “Aura” Khan
The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournament took over March with wall-to-wall basketball during the month. While there were stars on the court, the unlikeliest of stars was a basketball manager from McNeese State. Amir “Aura” Khan was an unassuming student manager at the start of the season and a big deal by the end of it. The bespectacled, stocky Indian American student manager went viral when he led the team onto the court with a big boombox around his shoulder singing the lyrics to Lud Foe’s “In and Out,’ a hip hop song.
Khan became a viral sensation, and he has Name Image and Likeness (NIL) deals with Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick, and Insomnia Cookies. Under Armour also flew out a jumpsuit especially for him. During the second-round game between McNeese State and Virginia, Khan sat next to filmmaker Spike Lee. He also is being flown to the NCAA Final Four. It was the first time that a student manager has received an NIL deal.
McNeese State scored an upset in the first round over Clemson, which helped give Khan another couple days of fame. According to the school, he has received over six figures in NIL deals.
As with the current state of college athletics allowing for students to enter the “transfer portal” to go to another school, Khan is leaving McNeese State to attend North Carolina State University. McNeese State coach Will Wade was offered the basketball head coaching job at North Carolina State and accepted. One assumes that Khan is following Wade to become the team manager.
Filipina tennis star breaks though at Miami Open
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines serves to Jessica Pegula during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
19-year-old Alexandra Eala had a breakthrough tournament last month at the Miami Open. The Filipina tennis star received a “wildcard” entry into the tournament and beat the number 5 women’s player in the world, Madison Keys. It was her first win over a top 5 player in the world. She then went on to upset world number 2 player Iga Swiatek. She became the first Filipina in WTA Tour history to reach the semifinal stage and the third player overall to reach her first WTA Tour semifinal in Miami.
While she lost in the semifinals, the tournament wins accelerated the Filipina’s career. Eala has been training at professional tennis player Rafael Nadal’s Academy since she was 12 years old.
Notably, her mother won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke in the 1985 Southeast Asian Games. Her brother played collegiate tennis at Penn State University.
Liu wins women’s figure skating world championship
American Alysa Liu became the first American women’s figure skating world champion in over 19 years with a win in Boston last month. By winning the long and short programs, Liu dethroned the three-time champion, Kaori Sakomoto of Japan. The last time a U.S. women’s skater won the World Championships was 2006.
It has come full circle for Liu who was once a skating prodigy and won the U.S. championships at the age of 13. She went on to compete in the 2022 Beijing Olympics finishing 6th in competition. In April 2022, she decided to take a leave from the sport as skating became “less of a joy and more of a job” and wanted to attend college without the demands of a professional athlete. But the thrill of competition and adrenaline rush got the best of her and she decided to make a comeback with a social media announcement in March 2024.
The 19-year-old, who attends UCLA, will likely set her sights on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.