Die Macht » of the season -- a franchise rec

TOKYO -- Japanese pitcher Shohei Otani added to his reputation as a powerful hitter on Sunday when he hit a fly ball that didnt come down.Otanis towering fly ball in the seventh inning of an exhibition game against the Netherlands got lodged somewhere in the roof of Tokyo Dome.As Otani rounded the bases, teammates, opposition players and umpires looked up in search of the ball that disappeared into the panels lining the ceiling of the domed stadium.What certainly would have been a home run in an open-air stadium was ruled a ground-rule double.While Otani is widely regarded as one of the best pitchers in the world, he is proving his batting abilities are just as impressive. The 6-foot-4 righthander hit 22 home runs this season for the Nippon Ham Fighters.Japan won Sundays game 12-10 to improve to 3-1 in the four-game series that included two games against Mexico and is a tune-up for next years World Baseball Classic.Otani hit a leadoff homer in the fifth inning of Saturdays 9-8 win over the Netherlands.Alex Len Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Damian Jones Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/John-Collins-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Kevin Huerter Jersey . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Damian Jones Hawks Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots needed a big play, and Tom Brady delivered -- again.Brady connected with Chris Hogan for a 79-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to help the Patriots to a 30-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.Brady threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the fourth NFL quarterback with at least 450 career touchdown passes. He also threw just his second interception of the season.LeGarrette Blount rushed for 72 yards on 18 carries, passing 1,000 yards for the first time since his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2010.The Patriots (11-2) have won four straight games and eight of their last nine as they continue to inch toward their eighth straight AFC East title.It was a big game for us, Brady said. You play at home in December on Monday night against a great defense, it was important for us to come out and play well. We knew it was gonna be a 60-minute game.The Ravens (7-6) had won two in a row. They now face a challenging route to the playoffs with two of their last three on the road.Joe Flacco did his best to keep Baltimore in the game, finishing 37 of 52 for 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The 37 completions set a franchise record.The Patriots led 23-3 before the Ravens turned back-to-back New England fumbles on special teams into touchdowns.New England still had a 23-17 lead in the fourth quarter when the Ravens drove to the Patriots 12 before Flacco was sacked by Rob Ninkovich, forcing Baltimore to settle for a field goal.The Ravens entered the week with the NFLs top-ranked defense, giving up just 296.1 yards per game. But the Patriots defense shined early on, limiting the Ravens to just three points and 142 yards in the first half.The Ravens rushed only four times for 7 yards in the opening 30 minutes, and were just 3 for 8 on third downs.FUMBLED AWAYThe Patriots appeared to be in control after Martellus Bennetts 19-yard touchdown reception made it 23-3 with 8:45 to play in the third. But Cyrus Jones couldnt get out of the way of Sam Kochs 53-yard punt. It brushed off his foot as it fell to the tuurf and was picked up by Chris Moore on New Englands 3.dddddddddddd The Ravens scored two plays later.The Patriots then gave Baltimore another gift on the ensuing kickoff when returner Matt Slater lost the ball after a hit by Patrick Onwuasor. Shareece Wright recovered for the Ravens, and Flacco threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Dixon.I think there were some plays I wish we all could have had back, Brady said. But theyre a competitive team. They force you into some errors. It was great to finish the game with the ball in our hands. We always love doing that.QUOTABLEIts something that we preach about, through the whole OTAs, camp, preseason and all that. We want to eliminate big plays. We had a bust, Ravens linebacker Zach Orr said of Bradys touchdown to Hogan. If you miss an assignment, Tom Brady and those guys will exploit that to the max.BLOCKEDPatriots linebacker Shea McClellin showed off his athleticism in the first quarter by hurdling the Ravens line and then blocking Justin Tuckers 34-yard field goal attempt. It was part of a big first half for McClellin, who was also involved in five total tackles in the opening 30 minutes.SCORING DEFENSENew Englands defense was the first unit to get on the scoreboard. After Ryan Allens punt was downed on the 1, Dixon was swarmed in the end zone and brought down by Malcolm Butler for a safety.It was the Patriots third safety of the season -- a franchise record. They also got one on Oct. 9 against Cleveland when Browns quarterback Cody Kessler fumbled the ball out of the end zone and the following week when Donta Hightower sacked Cincinnatis Andy Dalton in the end zone.INJURIESRavens: CB Jimmy Smith left in the first quarter with an ankle injury.UP NEXTRavens: Host the Eagles Sunday in their final home game of the regular season.Patriots: Play two of their final three on the road, beginning Sunday with a trip to Denver.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '