AP Sports

Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second World Series championship in five seasons, overcoming a five-run deficit with the help of three Yankees defensive miscues and rallying on sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to beat New York 7-6 in Game 5. Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Alex Verdugo’s RBI single chased Jack Flaherty in the second and Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning homer against Ryan Brasier built a 5-0 lead for New York. But the Dodgers rallied, helped by a shaky defensive performance by the Yankees.

Los Angeles sees city bus burned, store thefts and rowdy crowds after Dodgers win World Series

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rowdy crowds took to the streets in Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and setting off firecrackers. But Mayor Karen Bass on Thursday emphasized that “the overwhelming majority of celebrations were joyful and peaceful.” LA police Officer Drake Madison says there were some “unruly, and at times violent and hostile celebrations,” including several acts of vandalism. A dozen arrests were reported. The Dodgers plan to commemorate their championship Friday with a downtown parade followed by a celebration at Dodger Stadium.

Saunas, reindeer and hockey: Stars and Panthers enjoy their time in Finland before 2-game series

Finland is a nation of about 5.5 million people. And it’s the homeland for about 5% of the players in the NHL this season. Finland sends about as many players to the league per capita as Canada and Sweden do and at a rate way, way ahead of the United States and Russia. And on Friday and Saturday, the gorgeous Nordic country gets to celebrate seven of those players — four from Florida, three from Dallas — when the Stars and Stanley Cup champion Panthers play a pair of games in Tampere.

College athletes push for voter turnout while largely avoiding controversy as election nears

University of Montana track athlete Lily Meskers drew attention when she rejected a NIL deal to support Democrat Jon Tester in his Senate re-election bid because she doesn’t agree with his votes on transgender athletes. She’s the rare college athlete to speak out on politics. Many are concerned about risking potential name, image and likeness deals. Others have not figured out what matters to them yet. But many are involved in pushing voter turnout and finding other ways to get involved.

Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty’s football roots trace back to a Navy base in Italy

GRICIGNANO DI AVERSA, Italy (AP) — Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty’s football roots can be traced back to a Navy base in Italy. The Boise State running back played his freshman year of high school for the Naples Wildcats. Coach Jim Davis first noticed Jeanty’s talents when he was in seventh grade and was nearly able to dunk a basketball. The one year of football that Jeanty played in Italy was unlike anything most American high school athletes experience. Naples’ closest competition is nine hours away at a similar base in Vicenza in northern Italy. Jeanty also played games in Germany, Belgium and Spain.

John Fisher pledges $1 billion to construction of A’s stadium in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Athletics executive Sandy Dean says club owner John Fisher and his family will invest $1 billion into the construction of a stadium in Las Vegas and U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs will offer a $300 million loan. Dean made his remarks to a special meeting of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board. Dean said four letters will be presented at the Dec. 5 authority asserting financing and construction details will be in place. Final approvals are expected to be made at that meeting to allow construction of the $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat domed ballpark.

Cooper Flagg has long faced the spotlight as a top NBA prospect. It’s time to do it at No. 7 Duke

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is preparing for a season of high expectations and attention on his every move. The 6-foot-9 forward from Maine is regarded as the nation’s top recruit. He’s also been mentioned as a possible No. 1 overall NBA draft pick long before arriving to play for the seventh-ranked Blue Devils. The preseason Associated Press All-American says he has focused on “just playing basketball” instead of worrying about the hype that has followed him. Coach Jon Scheyer praises Flagg as a player who “wants direction” in improving his game. Flagg picked Duke over two-time reigning national champion UConn.

Japan celebrates as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto win World Series with Dodgers

TOKYO (AP) — The World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but there’s a hearty celebration going on across the Pacific Ocean in Japan, too. People milled around the edge of the Ginza shopping area in central Tokyo on Thursday afternoon as single-sheet, special newspaper editions rolled off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees. The headline in Japanese in the Yomiuri newspaper, set in yellow and blue type — with red highlights — read: No. 1 in The World. Ohtani beats the Yankees.

Hana Wakimoto of Japan shoots 9-under 63 to lead after the first round of LPGA’s Toto Classic

SHIGA, Japan (AP) — Hana Wakimoto of Japan shot a 9-under 63 to lead by two shots after the first round of the LPGA’s Toto Classic in Japan. Jin Young Ko of South Korea was two off the pace after a 65 on Thursday. Four players carded 66s to be within three shots of the lead: Linn Grant, Ayake Furue, Hyo Joo Kim and Jenny Shin. Australian Minjee Lee was tied for seventh after a 67 and Canadian Brooke Henderson shot 70. Only eight players in the 78-player, no-cut field, were over par after the first round.

USC’s Kiki Iriafen heads list of transfers in women’s basketball

Southern California’s Kiki Iriafen can’t wait to start delivering highlight-worthy plays with JuJu Watkins now that the former Pac-12 rivals are teammates in the Big Ten. Iriafen won the Katrina McClain Award last season as the top power forward in women’s college basketball, and her move from Stanford to USC was perhaps the most notable offseason development in the transfer portal. Iriafen and Watkins were two of the five players selected to the Associated Press preseason All-America team. The combination helped earn USC a No. 3 ranking in the preseason Top 25,