From Jack Harris: Dodger Stadium wasn’t so much cheering, as it was pleading with its team’s maddening offense.
All month, the club’s lineup has looked off. All night Wednesday, it had been shut down by Toronto Blue Jays rookie phenom Trey Yesavage in Game 5 of the World Series.
But now, in the bottom of the seventh inning, there was one last hope for life. Teoscar Hernández had hit an infield single. The Dodgers, down four runs, had a chance to chip away. And as Tommy Edman came to the plate, a capacity crowd in Chavez Ravine rose to its feet in desperate anticipation.
Seven pitches later and one inning-ending double play later, they would be quiet again — and, this time, for good.
In a 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays that gave Toronto a 3-2 lead in the series, the Dodgers showed a deflating, disconnected and yet all too familiar identity at the plate.
Plaschke: Disappearing Dodgers backed to the brink of disaster after World Series Game 5 loss
WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE, RESULTS
All times Pacific
Dodgers vs. Toronto
at Toronto 11, Dodgers 4 (box score)
Dodgers 5, at Toronto 1 (box score)
at Dodgers 6, Toronto 5 (18) (box score)
Toronto 6, at Dodgers 2 (box score)
Toronto 6, at Dodgers 1 (box score)
Friday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio
*Saturday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio
*-if necessary
UCLA
From Ben Bolch: A large group of former UCLA football players sent a letter to chancellor Julio Frenk earlier this month asking for besieged athletic director Martin Jarmond to be replaced “to reestablish the university’s commitment to excellence, both on and off the field.”
The 64 players, who represent multiple eras of UCLA football spanning coaches Bob Toledo to Chip Kelly and include several who went on to play in the NFL, wrote to “express deep concern with the current direction of UCLA Athletics under Martin Jarmond. Despite the resources, history, and opportunities at his disposal, Mr. Jarmond has not demonstrated the level of leadership or vision consistent with UCLA’s proud legacy. Rather than building on the foundations of greatness established by those before him, his tenure has fallen short of advancing UCLA to its rightful place among the nation’s premier programs.
“UCLA deserves an athletic director who understands that this role is not merely about administration, but about stewardship of a legacy — one rooted in excellence, historic achievement, and national leadership. Unfortunately, Mr. Jarmond has not embodied these values, nor has he positioned UCLA Athletics to rise to the standard its history demands.”
Rose Bowl accuses UCLA of trying to move football games to SoFi Stadium in lawsuit
What can Jamar Brown do for UCLA? Plenty, based on his performance in exhibition finale
From Ryan Kartje: USC had lost four of five, its season already all but lost, when Lincoln Riley made a bold move early last November that would have lasting ripple effects. He benched starting quarterback Miller Moss, in favor of backup Jayden Maiava, whose big arm and mobility gave the Trojans’ offense a different, more dynamic look.
The sudden switch made for a tense two weeks leading up to last season’s meeting with Nebraska. Not everyone in the locker room, you see, was thrilled with Moss’ removal.
But the move paid dividends in the end. Maiava injected life into the offense, USC returned from its bye and won three of its last four to finish the season. More critically, Riley found his quarterback of the future.
A season later, USC is once again searching for answers coming out of its second bye, with Nebraska looming in November. Though, none of the questions this time concern the quarterback, who has been one of the best in the Big Ten. Nor are they as easy to solve as plugging in one player.
LAKERS
From Broderick Turner: At some point, the Lakers will get stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James back in the fold. But exactly when they will return to play from their injuries is still unknown.
James has been out all season with right sciatica irritation, and Doncic has been out since last Sunday with a left finger sprain and a lower left leg contusion.
But in their absence, Austin Reaves has taken up the mantle and has delivered time and time again, his latest masterpiece a game-winning floater in the lane that lifted the Lakers to a 116-115 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves that led to Reaves being mobbed by his teammates Wednesday night at the Target Center.
The Lakers had lost all of their 20-point lead after Julius Randle scored to give the Timberwolves a 115-114 lead with 10.2 seconds left.
But Reaves wouldn’t let his teammates down, scoring 28 points and handing out a career-high-tying 16 assists.
LAFC
Nathan Ordaz scored an easy tap-in in the 79th minute to give LAFC a 2-1 victory over Austin on Wednesday night to begin the best-of-three series in the MLS playoffs.
LAFC plays at Austin on Sunday for a chance to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
LAFC took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute on Brendan Hines-Ike’s own goal. Ryan Hollingshead beat his defender in the box for a cross in front of goal that was deflected in by Hines-Ike.
BREEDERS’ CUP
From John Cherwa: Sovereignty, the top-ranked horse in the country, will not run in the $7-million Breeders’ Cup Classic after developing a fever this week. The winner of the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes will recover although it’s unclear if he will ever race again.
Trainer Bill Mott made the announcement Wednesday morning and informed Breeders’ Cup officials of the scratch.
“I actually started thinking, ‘We might be OK.’ But then, in a matter of hours, my optimism was taken away,” Mott said. “When he had a real mild fever and we medicated him right away, he acted normal. I actually was maybe looking at it with rose-colored glasses.”
Meet the Porter Ranch super fan attending his 42nd consecutive Breeders’ Cup
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1943 — Gus Bodnar of Toronto scores a goal 15 seconds into his first NHL game as the Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers 5-2.
1955 — Jim Patton of New York returns a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown as the Giants beat the Washington Redskins 35-7.
1966 — Jim Nance of the Boston Patriots rushes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
1971 — Eric Allen of Michigan State rushes for 350 yards in 43-10 rout of Purdue.
1974 — Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire, to regain the world heavyweight title in the “Rumble in the Jungle”.
1975 — John Bucyk of the Boston Bruins scores his 500th career goal in a 3-2 victory over St. Louis.
1977 — Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears rushes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-0 triumph over the Green Bay Packers.
1993 — Erin Whitten becomes the first woman goalie in pro hockey to be credited with a victory as Toledo beats Dayton 6-5 in the East Coast Hockey League.
1996 — The WNBA announces the eight cities that will compete in the WNBAs inaugural season. Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston and New York will play in the Eastern Conference and Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah will compete the Western Conference.
1997 — Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona announces his retirement on his 37th birthday.
1997 — Violet Palmer makes professional sports history by becoming the first woman to officiate an NBA game. There is little reaction by the crowd when her name is announced just before tip-off of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Vancouver Grizzlies.
1999 — Marques Tuiasosopo becomes the first college player to pass for 300 yards and run for 200, racking up a school-record 509 yards as Washington rallied to beat Stanford 35-30. Tuiasosopo completes 19-of-32 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown and rushes 22 times for 207 yards and two TDs.
2001 — Michael Jordan misses his biggest shot of the night and commits two crucial late turnovers in the Washington Wizards’ 93-91 loss to the New York Knicks, Jordan’s first regular-season game after a 3 1/2-year retirement.
2003 — In the first regular-season game of his NBA career, 18-year-old LeBron James has 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, but the Cleveland Cavaliers lose 106-92 to the Sacramento Kings.
2004 — Trainer Bobby Frankel finally breaks through in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, with Ghostzapper blazing to victory in America’s richest race held at Lone Star Park. Frankel, who had just two wins with 62 Breeders’ Cup starters before the $4 million Classic, had saddled the beaten favorite the past three years.
2004 — Dana College’s Tom Lensch sets an all-division college record by attempting 101 passes in a 60-35 loss to Hastings College. Lensch completes 56 passes for a school-record 507 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
2011 — The Baltimore Ravens erase a 24-3 deficit to defeat Arizona 30-27. It marks the fifth time this season a team trailed by at least 20 points and came back to win. That is the most in a single season in NFL history.
2016 — Derek Carr throws a 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 1:45 remaining in overtime, capping a record-breaking day for the Oakland Raiders in a 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carr throws for a franchise-record 513 yards — completing 40 of 59 passes without an interception — and the Raiders overcome an NFL-record 23 penalties for 200 yards.
Compiled by the Associated Press
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1945 — Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to the Montreal Royals.
2019 — Washington Nationals beat Houston Astros, 6-2 in Game 7 at Minute Maid Park, Houston to win first title in franchise history; MVP: Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
2024 — MLB World Series: Dodgers win 8th title in franchise history; overcome 5-0 deficit to beat New York Yankees 7-6 at Yankee Stadium for 4-1 series victory; MVP: Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman (4HR, 12 RBI).
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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