Guerrero homers off Ohtani as Blue Jays even World Series with 6-2 win over Dodgers in Game 4
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run homer off Shohei Ohtani, Shane Bieber pitched four-hit ball into the sixth inning, and the Toronto Blue Jays shook off their epic 18-inning loss to even the World Series with a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4. Ohtani redefined the concept of short rest by taking the mound just more than 17 hours after he reached base nine times in Game 3, but he gave up four runs and six hits while pitching into the seventh. The Blue Jays reclaimed homefield advantage and guaranteed the World Series trophy will be won at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Shohei Ohtani has an off night in his two-way World Series debut
LOS ANGELES (AP) — This time, Shohei Ohtani was just ordinary. A night after the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar treated baseball fans to one of the greatest performances in World Series history, he looked just fine on the mound and struggled at the plate. Ohtani was tagged for four runs and six hits in the Dodgers’ 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, who tied the best-of-seven series at 2. He struck out six and walked one over six innings.
Gender testing on tap for female skiers, snowboarders with 100 days to Olympics
NEW YORK (AP) — With 100 days to go until the Winter Olympics, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has begun the complicated and expensive task of identifying female skiers and snowboarders who need to take gender tests before they arrive in Italy. The sport’s international federation adopted a rule last month requiring athletes who want to compete in women’s events to take what’s called an SRY gene test, which identifies a Y chromosome. It’s the same test that track and boxing federations adopted earlier in the year. The USOPC’s chief medical officer, Jonathan Finnoff, said the experience in getting athletes from those sports tested in a short window will make this project run more smoothly.
President Trump's granddaughter gets exemption to LPGA tournament
BELLEAIR, Fla. (AP) — The granddaughter of President Donald Trump will be making her LPGA debut next month in The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Florida. Kai Trump is a senior at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach County. She is the eldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and has committed to play for the University of Miami's golf team next year. The Annika is the penultimate tournament on the LPGA Tour schedule and typically has one of the strongest fields of the year except for the majors. Trump says she's thrilled to play an LPGA event and says it's her dream to compete against the best players in women's golf.
George Springer out of Toronto's starting lineup for World Series Game 4 against Dodgers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Toronto’s George Springer is out of the starting lineup for Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a day after hurting his right side during a swing. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said about 2 1/2 hours before game time that he prepared two lineups, one with Springer at designated hitter and one without. Schneider would not reveal the results of Springer’s MRI. Bo Bichette was the DH for Game 4.
Brad Paisley says he's 'Mr. More Baseball' after performing at another World Series marathon game
Country superstar Brad Paisley has made history. And Monday night, it wasn’t for platinum records. The singer performed the national anthem during a landmark World Series game. The Los Angeles Dodgers finished an 18-inning Game 3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays nearly seven hours after Paisley sang. Paisley has performed the anthem ahead of four World Series games that went to extra innings, including two 18-inning games that are tied for the longest in Fall Classic history. In an interview with The Associated Press, Paisley said to call him “Mr. More Baseball.”
WNBA offers 30-day extension as CBA deadline looms, AP sources say
NEW YORK (AP) — Two people familiar with the decision say the WNBA has offered players a 30-day extension to continue negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The people spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday night on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made. The current CBA is set to expire on Friday and tensions have been rising in recent weeks as the sides try to work toward a new deal. In 2019, when the last CBA deal had expired, the two sides agreed to a 60-day extension and eventually ratified the current CBA in January 2020. ESPN was the first to report the extension offer.
Dodgers' Roberts against extending automatic runner to postseason. Blue Jays' Schneider not sure
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is against using the automatic runner for extra innings in the World Series. Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider isn't sure. Roberts and Schneider addressed the possibility a day after the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays 6-5 in 18 innings in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup. The automatic-runner rule has been used in the regular season since 2020 — but not the postseason. Each team starts every extra inning with a runner at second base. Among 209 extra-inning games this season, all ended by the 13th.
US World Series viewers drop 14% for first two games of Dodgers, Blue Jays matchup
LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. viewers for the first two games of World Series between the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays dropped 14% from last year’s matchup between Los Angeles and the New York Yankees, but Canadian and Japanese audiences set records. Last year’s first two games averaged 14.55 million and this year’s first two averaged 12.5 million on Fox, Fox Deportes, Fox One streaming, the Fox Sports app and Univision. Toronto’s 11-4 win in Game 1 averaged 13.3 million and Los Angeles’ 5-1 victory in Game 2, which did not include Univision coverage, averaged 11.6 million.
NBA players set record with 16 40-point games in first week of season
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The NBA season has kicked off with a scoring frenzy. Players have already scored 40 or more points in 16 games, an unprecedented start. Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic of the Lakers, and Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers, have each hit this mark twice. Other players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry have also joined the high-scoring club. Despite these performances, the spotlight is on a gambling scandal involving Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has apologized for the distraction. Meanwhile, scoring averages have jumped, with teams playing faster and getting to the foul line more often.
