BASEBALL

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani says the upcoming Major League Baseball season opener with the San Diego Padres in Seoul will provide “great memories” for him and his wife. The 29-year-old player spoke to media at a packed press conference room a day after he arrived here with his wife Mamiko Tanaka, a former professional basketball player.

The Dodgers-Padres games on March 20-21 will be Ohtani’s debut with the Dodgers.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole won’t throw for three to four weeks because of nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow. Cole discussed his injury before a game against Toronto.

He likely will need a spring training-like period after he resumes throwing to be ready to rejoin the team. The Yankees disclosed Monday that the AL Cy Young award winner was experiencing issues bouncing back following spring training starts, and the 33-year-old right-hander traveled to Los Angeles to be examined by Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache, an elbow expert. Cole returned to Tampa on Friday.

Nestor Cortes will start the March 28 opener at Houston.

FOOTBALL

Defensive lineman Aaron Donald has announced his retirement after a standout 10-year career with the Los Angeles Rams. The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year made his surprising announcement on social media.

Donald spent his entire career with the Rams, who drafted him in the first round in 2014.

He was selected for 10 Pro Bowls and eight All-Pro first teams, and he won the award as the league’s top defensive player in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Donald was the cornerstone of every Rams defense during his career, drawing habitual double-teams away from his teammates and still racking up 111 total sacks.

TENNIS

Maria Sakkari outlasted Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 after blowing three match points in the second set of their rain-delayed semifinal at the BNP Paribas Open. Sakkari advanced to Sunday’s final against top-ranked Iga Swiatek.

Swiatek routed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 6-1 in the other semifinal. Swiatek has beaten Sakkari in three of their five meetings.

There were delays of 20 minutes and two hours in the Sakkari-Gauff match.

An hour and 10 minutes after holding three match points, Sakkari earned her fourth with a forehand winner. She closed out the match on Gauff’s forehand error.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic will skip the Miami Open, saying less than a week after a surprise loss at Indian Wells that he needs to balance his “private and professional schedule.”

Djokovic’s announcement Saturday on his social media accounts follows his 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 defeat to unheralded Luca Nardi on Monday in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. The 36-year-old Djokovic is a six-time champion in Miami. The hardcourt tournament begins next week.