Rangers hero Adolis García out of World Series Game 4 lineup due to injury

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October 31, 2023

The Texas Rangers will head into Game 4 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks without their Game 1 hero, Adolis García, on Tuesday night.

Garcia is dealing with a “moderate oblique strain,” according to manager Bruce Bochy, which Garcia tweaked in the Rangers’ Game 3 victory on Monday night. Because of that, García wasn’t in the starting lineup for the Rangers.

While Bochy said that García would be evaluated, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that he was walking through the clubhouse with a bat and said “all is good.”

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Adolis García of the Texas Rangers reaches for his back after flying out in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game 3 of the World Series at Chase Field on October 30, 2023, in Phoenix. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

“It’s not great news,” Bochy said.

Travis Jankowski replaced García in the lineup, as he will play in right field. Mitch Garver also moved up the lineup to the No. 3 spot where García has exclusively been. Evan Carter will hit fourth and Josh Jung will hit fifth.

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García left Monday night’s game in the eighth inning after flying out. He was in pain once he made the swing, and he was immediately taken out of the game by Bochy for further evaluation. The initial diagnosis was left-side tightness before Bochy’s comments on his oblique.

García has had a historic run in October, hitting .323/.382/.726 with eight home runs in 15 games for Texas.

García was named the ALCS MVP after smashing three homers in a six at-bat stretch to lead Texas over the Houston Astros in Games 6 and 7. His flair for the dramatic also came out in Game 1 of the World Series as he hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning after Corey Seager’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth forced extra innings.

Adolis García walks off field with back injury

Adolis García of the Texas Rangers, left, walks off the field in the eighth inning during Game 3 of the World Series at Chase Field on October 30, 2023, in Phoenix. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

That home run gave Garcia 22 RBI for an MLB postseason record, breaking St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese’s previous record during the 2011 playoffs, where the Rangers fell in the World Series.

The Rangers, now up 2-1 in the series after beating the Diamondbacks on Monday night, 3-1, are taking García’s absence from the lineup in stride. It’s a next-man-up mentality.

“Whoever slots into his spot in the lineup is going to do a great job; whoever plays right field will do a great job,” Nathaniel Lowe told ESPN. “It’s nothing new to us.”

Adolis García of the Texas Rangers looks on prior to Game 3 of the World Series at Chase Field, October 30, 2023, in Phoenix. (Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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First pitch is set for Game 4 at 8:03 p.m. ET on FOX with the Rangers giving the ball to Andrew Heaney and the D-Backs going with Joe Mantiply to start.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Saudi Arabia tabbed as host venue for 2034 World Cup

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Reporters News Wire

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October 31, 2023

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FIFA announced Tuesday that the men’s 2034 World Cup is to be played in Saudi Arabia.

The decision came shortly after Australia decided not to place a hosting bid – no other country formally declared interest in hosting.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has built close ties to Saudi soccer and the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Associated Press.

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An oversize FIFA World Cup trophy is shown in front of Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images)

“Football unites the world like no other sport, and the FIFA World Cup is the perfect showcase for a message of unity and inclusion, as well as providing an important illustration of how different cultures can be together and can learn and better understand one another,” Infantino said in a statement on Instagram.

“As we live in an increasingly divided and aggressive world, we show once again that football, the leading global sport, unites like nothing else. We all need these occasions of unity and the upcoming FIFA World Cups provide a unique force for good in this respect.”

Qatar hosted the tournament last year, which was won by Argentina, but to much criticism as it was dogged by years-long allegations of rights abuses of migrant workers needed to build its stadiums.

Lionel Messi of Argentina holds the World Cup trophy at Lusail Stadium, December 18, 2022, in Al Daayen, Qatar. (ANP via Getty Images)

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With the tournament in Saudi Arabia 11 years from now, human rights activists are worried.

“FIFA must now make clear how it expects hosts to comply with its human rights policies,” Amnesty International official Steve Cockburn said in a statement Tuesday. “It must also be prepared to halt the bidding process if serious human rights risks are not credibly addressed.”

The possibility that FIFA could award Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup despite its appalling human rights record and closed door to any monitoring exposes FIFA’s commitments to human rights as a sham,” said Minky Worden, Human Rights Watch director of global initiatives.

Saudi Arabia has aimed to become a major player in global sports – the Public Investment Fund financially backs the LIV Golf league and got several of golf’s biggest stars to defect from the PGA Tour for reported nine-figure deals.

People gather around the official countdown clock that shows the remaining time until the kickoff of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, on November 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic/File)

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Cristiano Ronaldo recently signed a deal worth $75 million per year to play in Saudi Arabia.

The next World Cup is to be played in North America, with the final likely taking place at either MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, or SoFi Stadium in Englewood, California.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mookie Betts says teams should sign former teammate Trevor Bauer: ‘He’s an awesome guy’

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October 31, 2023

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Former MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer was initially handed down a 324-game suspension that was reduced to 194 after allegations of sexual assault.

After spending last season playing in Japan following his release from the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of his former teammates wants to see the 2020 Cy Young Award winner back in the majors.

Mookie Betts, who only played with Bauer for roughly half a season in 2021 before Bauer was placed on administrative leave and then suspended, said the pitcher is “an awesome guy” and teams should “think about” signing him.

“My experience with Bauer is not anything remotely close to what everyone else’s experience is. I love him. I think he’s an awesome guy,” Betts told the Los Angeles Times, via The Associated Press. “The personal things? I have no control. I have no say. Obviously, nothing ever came from it.

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Trevor Bauer of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on after giving up a hit to Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers during the game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12, 2021. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

“He’s an awesome pitcher. He’s a great guy, somebody who wants to take the mound every fifth day. But, at the end of the day, I don’t make the decision. That’s a decision that’s not as simple as baseball.”

The suspension came after Lindsey Hill, a woman whom Bauer met on social media, alleged Bauer beat and sexually abused her in 2021, and she sought a restraining order but was denied. Los Angeles prosecutors said in February there was insufficient evidence to prove the woman’s accusations beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bauer said all actions between the two were consensual, and that the two engaged in rough sex at his Pasadena, California, home at her suggestion and followed mutually set guidelines in advance. He said each encounter ended with them joking and her spending the night.

Los Angeles Dodger Mookie Betts after hitting a double

Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after hitting a double during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 21, 2023. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

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A 27-minute phone call was released earlier this month of the two discussing their encounter, with Bauer offering support. The call was recorded by police who were sitting next to Hill throughout.

A friend told Hill to “secure the bag” after seeing Bauer’s net worth was $51 million. Hill also called a “star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers” her “next victim,” Bauer revealed in a video earlier this month. The two settled their legal dispute.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer reacts during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on June 18, 2021. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

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“Now, over the last two years, I’ve been forced to defend my integrity and my reputation in a very public setting, but hopefully this is the last time I have to do so, as I’d prefer to just remain focused on doing my job, winning baseball games and entertaining fans around the world,” Bauer said earlier this month. “So, today I’m happy to be moving on with my life.”

Bitget, Floki teams accuse each other of manipulation after token listing

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October 31, 2023

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The teams behind the Floki protocol and Bitget crypto exchange have accused each other of market manipulation after the protocol’s token, TokenFi (TOKEN), was listed and delisted by Bitget. This is according to an October 31 social media post from the Floki team and a blog post from Bitget.

The Floki team claimed that Bitget listed the token before it was launched, referring to the Bitget listing as a “fake token,” while Bitget claimed that the Floki team was “suspected of market manipulation by maliciously controlling the initial liquidity.”

8536585d a782 41d3 a55e 6de4b3e60e64 — *Bitget statement on TokenFi delisting. Source: Bitget.*

The Floki team said it submitted a proposal on October 18 to the Floki decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) to launch a staking program with a reward token that would “target a trillion-dollar industry with strong potential.” Meanwhile, the team was talking with centralized exchanges to list TokenFi. The name of the token was not released in the DAO proposal, and the team did not state what the purpose of the “reward token” would be. However, they claim that this information had been revealed to multiple centralized exchanges.

According to the team, they told centralized exchanges not to list the token until at least seven days after it had been launched because doing so would violate governance rules established by the DAO. All exchanges agreed to this stipulation, the Floki team claimed in its post. However, they claimed that Bitget violated this agreement. Instead of waiting seven days to list TOKEN, they listed it before it was launched. This meant that the token was not available for sale at the time it was listed on Bitget, the team stated.

On October 26, Floki sent out a warning to investors that any current TOKEN listings on centralized exchanges were unauthorized, although they did not mention Bitget by name.

The TokenFi token was scheduled to launch at 3 p.m. UTC on October 27, according to a social media post from the team. Coincodex data shows that it was listed at an initial price of $0.00005011 and was launched on October 28, although time zone differences may have caused the discrepancy in date. The price rose almost immediately to $0.005850, a gain of 11,574%. At the time of publication, its price has gone even higher, to $0.006053 per coin.

According to the Floki team, Bitget listed TOKEN without having any of it to sell to its customers. As a result, it was unable to process withdrawals. They claim that Bitget ended up with a $20 million liability to customers and no TOKEN assets to hedge this liability.

Floki claims that Bitget then attempted to buy tokens from the TokenFi treasury at a 90% discount to its current market price, which the team refused. Bitget allegedly released its “delisting” statement in response to this refusal.

According to Bitget’s post, TOKEN was listed on October 27, 2023. After the listing, the Bitget team noticed that TOKEN had “significant price fluctuations.” Because of the large fluctuations, the exchange suspected the development team of “market manipulation by maliciously controlling the initial liquidity.” Bitget claims that only $2,000 worth of initial liquidity was added to the token’s pool. They also claim that they discovered “an opaque token economy and an unclear vesting schedule,” which made continuing to offer TOKEN untenable.

In its statement, Bitget offered to buy back all the TOKEN it has sold to its customers. The token’s peak price before delisting will be paid out to customers, which is $0.00605002 per token or about 121 times its initial price. This implies that any losses that may have occurred before the delisting will be covered by the exchange. However, investors who bought from Bitget will not benefit from any token appreciation after delisting.

The Floki team rejected Bitget’s claim that Floki only provided $2,000 worth of tokens in its initial liquidity pool. They claimed nearly $2 million of liquidity in each of the two TOKEN pools. They posted an alleged screenshot from DEXTswap showing the amount available.

a88db242 e761 4788 8ff3 a85585ac26ee — *TOKEN liquidity in Uniswap and Pancakeswap. Source: Floki, DEXTswap.*

The screenshot shows current liquidity, not the initial liquidity that Bitget referred to. The contract addresses are abbreviated in the image, making it difficult to look up the pools in a block explorer. Cointelegraph could not determine the TOKEN’s initial liquidity by the time of publication.

TOKEN isn’t the only token-launch snafu to result in millions of dollars in losses. BALD token on Base fell 85% after its developer pulled liquidity from the pool, though they claimed they weren’t responsible for the price drop. Investors also lost over $2.2 million in the launch of Pond0X, which allegedly contained a faulty transfer function.