MLB
Just when it appeared Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees were right back in this World Series, they all but handed away the trophy. 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 an epic meltdown of defensive miscues, beginning with Judge’s embarrassing error in center field, helped the Los Angeles Dodgers rally in a five-run fifth inning that tied the score at 5. Young shortstop Anthony Volpe and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole also committed costly mistakes. New York’s bullpen squandered a one-run lead in the eighth, and the Dodgers held on for a 7-6 victory in Game 5 that wrapped up their eighth championship and second in five years. Finally back in their first World Series since 2009, the Yankees didn’t last long.
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.
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.
When the World Series started, it was hard to figure what Freddie Freeman would be able to provide for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He left no doubt about the MVP winner. Freeman broke records by homering in the first four games and matching a Fall Classic mark with 12 RBIs to power the Dodgers past the New York Yankees for their second championship in five years. The popular slugger delivered yet again last night with a two-run single off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in a five-run fifth inning that helped rally Los Angeles to a clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5. When it was over, Freeman was an easy choice for the Series MVP award.
The Chicago White Sox have hired Will Venable to take over as manager, turning to the former big league outfielder to help turn around the team after a miserable season. Two people with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed the choice to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the franchise hadn’t announced the move. Venable is stepping in for Pedro Grifol, who was fired in August with the White Sox on their way to breaking the modern major league record for most losses in a season. With Grady Sizemore serving as interim manager, the club finished with a 41-121 record. Venable was an associate manager for Texas for the past two years.
NBA
Karl-Anthony Towns had 44 points and 13 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half and the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Miami Heat 116-107 on Wednesday night. Towns had the fourth-most points for the Knicks against the Heat. Jamal Crawford scored 52 in 2007, Carmelo Anthony had 50 at Miami in 2013 and RJ Barrett 46 in 2022. Mikal Bridges added 17 points for New York, which trailed by 13 in the third quarter before flipping the game. OG Anunoby had 11 points and Josh Hart finished with 10 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Tyler Herro had 34 points for Miami, hitting eight 3-pointers.
Dennis Schroder had 33 points and eight assists, Cam Thomas added 19 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-106 on Wednesday night. Ziaire Williams, who started his NBA career with Memphis before an offseason trade, had 17 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 30 points, connecting on 10 of 12 shots, including all three of his 3-pointers. Ja Morant had 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, but was 5 of 16 from the field and made only one of his six shots from outside the arc. Rookie Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke each finished with 13 points, Clarke making all five of his shots. The Nets had 22 turnovers.
Dennis Schroder had 33 points and eight assists, Cam Thomas added 19 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-106 on Wednesday night. Ziaire Williams, who started his NBA career with Memphis before an offseason trade, had 17 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 30 points, connecting on 10 of 12 shots, including all three of his 3-pointers. Ja Morant had 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, but was 5 of 16 from the field and made only one of his six shots from outside the arc. Rookie Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke each finished with 13 points, Clarke making all five of his shots. The Nets had 22 turnovers.
LeBron James let his son, Bronny, have the Cleveland stage to himself. As the Los Angeles Lakers superstar watched from the bench, Bronny James scored his first points in an NBA game — on a shot that looked just like his old man — in a 134-110 loss to the Cavaliers. LeBron James checked out in the fourth quarter and saw his son soak in the love of a Cleveland crowd that cheered him for 11 seasons. Cleveland’s crowd began chanting “We want Bronny!” in the fourth hoping to see the rookie they watched grow up. He checked in with 5:16 left and made first basket on a jumper from the left corner with 2:03 left.
Tre Mann scored 27 points off the bench, Nick Richards had 24 points and 14 rebounds and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Toronto Raptors 138-133 for their first home win of the season. Cody Martin scored a career-high 25 points, and LaMelo Ball chipped in with 19 points for Charlotte. RJ Barrett had 31 points, Gradey Dick had a career-high 30 and Jakob Poeltl had 20 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Raptors, who played without Scottie Barnes. The Hornets got 72 points from their bench, 69 of them coming from Mann, Martin and Grant Williams.
Bilal Coulibaly scored a career-high 27 points, and the Washington Wizards beat Atlanta 133-120 for the second win over the Hawks in three days. The Wizards swept the home-and-home series with the Hawks after a 121-119 win on Monday. Trae Young had 35 points and 15 assists for Atlanta, but Washington took control with a 16-4 run at the start of the fourth quarter. Atlanta was missing two starters in Dyson Daniels and De’Andre Hunter, plus Bogdan Bogdanovic. Washington was without starting forward Kyle Kuzma.
Coby White scored 21 points, Josh Giddey added 20 and the Bulls beat the Magic 102-99. Nikola Vucevic added 18 points and 14 rebounds in Chicago’s second-straight win. Paolo Banchero scored 31 points for Orlando two days after scoring 50 against the Pacers, but it wasn’t enough. Jalen Suggs, who missed a fading jump shot in the final seconds, had 17. The Bulls shot 3 for 15 in the fourth quarter but held on after Orlando shot 4 for 22 in the final quarter. Both teams combined for 28 points in the fourth.
Chet Holmgren gets tired of addressing what he considers a manufactured rivalry with Victor Wembanyama, but he understands the hype. Wembanyama is 7-foot-3 and Holmgren is 7-1. Wembanyama was last year’s Rookie of the Year for the San Antonio Spurs, and Holmgren was the runner-up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both have ballhandling skills and shooting range that are unusually good for players with their height and length. Holmgren scored 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to help the Thunder defeat the Spurs 105-93. Wembanyama was held to six points on 1-for-5 shooting.
Buddy Hield scored a season-best 28 points, Brandin Podziemski had 19 points and fueled a furious second-half comeback, helping the Golden State Warriors rally from 20 down early to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-106. Zion Williamson had a season-high 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting and eight rebounds and Brandon Ingram scored 30 points for New Orleans. Jonathan Kuminga, who started the initial three games for Golden State but had been shooting 33.3% from the field averaging 8.0 points, came off the bench to score 17.
Anfernee Simons scored 25 points, DeAndre Ayton had 15 points and 12 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-105. Deni Avdija had 13 points and 10 rebounds and made a game-saving block when he stuffed Norman Powell on a fast break with 29 seconds remaining to preserve a one-point lead. Powell had 30 points. James Harden had 19 points and 10 assists for the Clippers. Los Angeles made only one field goal and scored just three points and in the final 3:30 of the game.
NFL
Carolina Panthers quarterback is scheduled to get his second straight start on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, who expect to have Derek Carr return under center for the first time since Week 5. Andy Dalton was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. But Carolina coach Dave Canales said he wanted to err on the side of caution and give Dalton another week to recover from the thumb injury he suffered in a car accident. Meanwhile, Carr practiced on Wednesday for the first time since injuring an oblique muscle in a game at Kansas City on Oct. 7. Saints coach Dennis Allen says he was “encouraged” by Carr's form.
Police in Detroit are conducting an internal investigation after Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams was not locked up following a traffic stop despite the discovery of a gun under his seat. Commander Michael McGinnis told WXYZ-TV that the police chief was “very unhappy” when he heard details about the Oct. 8 stop. The gun was registered to Williams, but he did not have a permit to carry it in the vehicle. Prosecutors are reviewing the case. Williams' lawyer noted that the player's brother, who was driving, has a concealed-carry permit.
Jayden Daniels was a limited participant in Washington Commanders practice Wednesday while dealing with a rib injury. The rookie quarterback took several big hits on the way to throwing his Hail Mary touchdown pass to beat Chicago last weekend and get the Commanders to 6-2 this season. Daniels says he feels good and is still intact. The No. 2 pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner does not know when his ribs will be fully healed. But Daniels is fully expected to play against the New York Giants this weekend.
On Thursday Night Football, the New York Jets and Houston Texans face off at 8:15 tonight in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Damon Severson broke a scoreless tie in the third period, Elvis Merzlikins stopped 28 shots in recording his first shutout of the season and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the New York Islanders 2-0. It was the first time this season the Blue Jackets (5-3-1) have strung together two wins straight wins, but they have collected seven of a possible eight points in their last four games. Severson’s shot from a sharp angle on the right caromed off the skate of New York defenseman Ryan Pulock and into the net 5:43 into the third period.
Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists, Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 shots for his 21st career shutout as the New Jersey Devils beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-0. Dawson Mercer and Jack Hughes each had a goal and an assist, and Timo Meir, Ondrej Palat and Tomas Tatar also scored for the Devils. Markstrom’s shutout was his first with New Jersey. Arturs Silovs finished with 17 saves in his first game since Oct. 15 for Vancouver, which snapped a five-game point streak (4-0-1).
Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists to top 500 points for his career, and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-2. Neal Pionk scored two goals for the Jets while Gabriel Vilardi had a goal and an assist, and Nino Niederreiter and Colin Miller also scored. Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves to help Winnipeg bounce back from its first loss of the season against Toronto on Monday. Connor, who entered the game with 499 career points, extended his season-opening point streak to 10 games. He has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) this season. Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat scored power-play goals for Detroit, which has lost three straight. Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider each had two assists, and Alex Lyon had 23 saves.
Nikita Kucherov scored the first of three Tampa Bay goals in the opening 5 1/2 minutes and the Lightning beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Wednesday night for their third straight win. Jake Guentzel and Conor Geekie also scored in the early flurry against goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, who was making his season debut for Colorado after being claimed off waivers from Winnipeg. Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli added an empty net goal with 1:20 left in regulation. Ivan Ivan tipped in a shot from Cale Makar for a power-play goal late in the first period. Makar added a goal in the third period.
Mikhail Sergachev had a goal and two assists, Connor Ingram stopped 30 shots and the Utah Hockey Club beat the Calgary Flames 5-1. Alexander Kerfoot, Barrett Hayton, Maveric Lamoureux, and Clayton Keller also scored to help end Utah’s four-game skid. Anthony Mantha scored for the Flames, who lost their fourth straight. Dustin Wolf finished with 23 saves.
Anze Kopitar had a goal and two assists, including the his 800th career assist. as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala each had a goal and an assist, and Warren Foegele, Alex Laferriere and Joel Edmundson also scored for Los Angeles, which has won three of its last four. Brandt Clarke added three assists and Mikey Anderson had two assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves. Kopitar became the fifth player born outside of North America to reach 800 assists, joining Jaromir Jagr (1,155), Evgeni Malkin (809), Nicklas Lidstrom (878) and Henrik Sedin (830). Kopitar also joins Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby (1,013) and Malkin along with Detroit’s Patrick Kane (818) as active skaters to reach the milestone.
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