Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Pochettino asks Chelsea owners to be patient; Spring training roundup: Shohei Ohtani homers in Dodgers debut and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Spring training roundup: Shohei Ohtani homers in Dodgers debut

Shohei Ohtani belted an opposite-field home run in the fifth inning of his first spring training game with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to a 9-6 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in Phoenix. Ohtani took Dominic Leone to left with a high-arching shot in his third at-bat of his Dodgers debut, cutting the deficit at the time to 4-3. Ohtani, signed in the offseason on a record $700 million deal, also struck out in the first and scored a runner on a double-play grounder in the third.

Soccer-Pochettino asks Chelsea owners to be patient

Manager Mauricio Pochettino implored Chelsea's owners to be patient and afford him the time needed to get back to winning ways and turn around the Premier League club's fortunes. The Argentine manager is under immense pressure following Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup final, with two-times Champions League winners Chelsea also sitting 11th in the league standings and facing a tough task to qualify for European football.

Athletics-Canadian teenager Morales Williams' world indoor 400 record not ratified

Christopher Morales Williams' world indoor record in the 400 metres cannot be ratified due to issues with the starting blocks, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) said on Tuesday. The 19-year-old Canadian clocked a time of 44.49 seconds at the NCAA's Southeastern Conference championships on Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Falcons' Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot: All QB options on table

INDIANAPOLIS -- As the Atlanta Falcons settle in for the NFL Scouting Combine this week, team brass tackled the quarterback question head-on. "If we had better quarterback play last year," new head coach Raheem Morris said Tuesday, "I might not be standing here."

CONCACAF Champions Cup: 10-man Union advance

Mikael Uhre knocked in a goal off a corner kick in the 94th minute, lifting the 10-man Philadelphia Union past Costa Rica's Saprissa on Tuesday in the conclusion of a CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round series at Chester, Pa. Saprissa leveled the two-match, total-goals series at 5-5 by outscoring Philadelphia 3-2 in regulation on Tuesday.

WTA roundup: Anhelina Kalinina advances at ATX Open

No. 1 seed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine faced little resistance on Tuesday, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 sweep of Czech Sara Bejlek in the first round of the ATX Open in Austin, Texas. Kalinina never trailed in the match, winning 14 of 16 first-service points. She won three of the final four games of the first set, then kept rolling in the second, where she raced to a 5-1 lead.

Bills have work to do to get below increased salary cap

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane heard the NFL salary cap was set at $255.4 million, he couldn't contain his excitement. "To get to $255 (million), I was smiling," Beane said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.

Confident Chris Kirk defends title at Cognizant Classic

Last year's triumph at the PGA Tour's Honda Classic was a story about redemption for Chris Kirk. Both the name of the tournament and the trajectory of Kirk's career are totally different this time around.

Warriors hand Steve Kerr multi-year contract extension

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr signed a multi-year contract extension, the team announced on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed by the Warriors, however ESPN reported the two-year deal will make Kerr the highest-paid head coach in the league with an annual salary of $17.5 million.

Peers welcome Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh back to NFL

INDIANAPOLIS -- There was no sign of Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh in and around Lucas Oil Stadium as the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine kicked off Tuesday, but the welcome committee was ready to celebrate his return. "He's gonna do great," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday at a podium session his brother declined. "We've been together the last couple days. He's fired up, enthusiastic, talking to players, he knows a lot of these guys. It's been fun."