SPORTS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
1B
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Yankees complete comeback
MLB PLAYOFFS
Nationals
force
Game 5
Strasburg dominates
with 7 shutout innings
By JAY COHEN
Associated Press
CHICAGO — Stephen
Strasburg gave Washington
everything he had, and it was
more than enough.
So much for all those ques-
tions about heart and character.
Strasburg shook off an illness
and
pitched
seven
domi-
NLDS
nant innings,
Michael
A.
Taylor hit a
Washington late
grand
slam and the
Nationals beat
the Chicago
Cubs 5-0 on
Wednesday to
Chicago
send their NL
Division Series
to a decisive
Game 5.
“I just focused on one pitch
at a time and going as long as I
could,” Strasburg said.
Moments
after
Sean
Doolittle closed out Strasburg’s
fi rst career playoff win, the
focus shifted to the fi nal game
of the series in Washington on
Thursday night. Kyle Hendricks
starts for the World Series cham-
pion Cubs after throwing seven
sharp innings in a 3-0 victory
over Strasburg in Game 1.
Washington manager Dusty
Baker was non-committal when
asked about his starter, with Gio
Gonzalez and Tanner Roark the
most likely candidates.
“You know, whoever it is, I
hope they pitch like Stras did
today,” Baker said.
No kidding.
Strasburg got sick after
his terrifi c performance in the
playoff opener on Friday, and
the Nationals had planned
to go with Roark even after
a persistent rain washed out
Game 4 on Tuesday. That led
to a fl urry of comments and
criticism about whether the ace
had the right stuff to pitch in big
moments.
But Strasburg felt better
See NLDS/3B
5
0
AP Photo/David Dermer
New York Yankees’ Didi Gregorius points to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run off Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey
Kluber during the third inning of Game 5 of a baseball American League Division Series, Wednesday in Cleveland.
New York erases two-games-to-none deficit to advance to ALCS
By TOM WITHERS
Associated Press
ALDS
CLEVELAND — These young
Yankees were unshaken, resilient
and as tough as the city they repre-
sent.
The baby Bronx Bombers have
grown up fast.
Didi Gregorius, following in the
October footprints left by Derek
Jeter, homered twice off Corey
Kluber as New York beat the
Cleveland Indians 5-2 in Game 5
on Wednesday night to complete its
comeback from a 2-0 defi cit in the
Division Series and dethrone the
AL champions.
The
bend-but-don’t-break
Yankees, way ahead of schedule,
staved off elimination for the
fourth time in this postseason and
advanced to play the Houston
New York
Cleveland
5
2
Astros in the AL Championship
Series starting Friday night at
Minute Maid Park.
With a blend of young stars
and older veterans coming up big,
the Yankees rocked Cleveland and
bailed out manager Joe Girardi,
who failed to challenge a key call
in a Game 2 loss that threatened to
sabotage New York’s season.
“These guys had my back and
they fought and fought,” Girardi
said. “They beat a really good team.
What those guys did for me, I’ll
never forget it. “
The Yankees went 2-5 against
the AL West champion Astros,
led by 5-foot-6 dynamo and MVP
candidate Jose Altuve. But none of
that matters now to this group of
New Yorkers.
After winning twice at home,
and after Girardi said he “screwed
up” and felt horrible about it, the
Yankees — with little offensive
help from rookie star Aaron
Judge — came into Progressive
Field and fi nished off the Indians,
who won 102 games during the
regular season, ripped off a historic
22-game winning streak and were
favored to get back to the World
Series after losing in seven games a
year ago to the Chicago Cubs.
Cleveland’s Series drought turns
70 next year — baseball’s longest
dry spell.
“Nobody wanted the season to
be over,” Indians manager Terry
Francona said. “It doesn’t wind
down, it comes to a crashing halt.
It’s disappointing. We felt good
about ourselves. We made it harder
to win, especially in the last two
games.”
The Indians closed to 3-2 in the
fi fth against starter CC Sabathia
before David Robertson pitched
2 2/3 hitless innings for the win.
Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman,
who faced Cleveland in last year’s
spine-tingling World Series and
signed an $86 million free agent
contract in December, worked two
innings for the save.
Chapman went to the mound
with a three-run lead in the ninth
after Brett Gardner battled Cody
Allen for 12 pitches before hitting
an RBI single, with New York’s
See ALDS/3B
PENDLETON
HERMISTON
Bucks in must-win mindset Bulldogs ready for Lava Bears
Pendleton needs
wins with season
winding down
Football
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Pendleton
Hood River
Buckaroos
Eagles
(3-3, 2-2)
(2-3, 1-3)
• Friday, 7 p.m.
• at Hood River
PENDLETON — With
just three weeks remaining
in the regular season, there
is no more room for error for
the Pendleton Buckaroos.
Pendleton (3-3 overall,
2-2 5A Special District 1)
is clinging to the fourth-
and-fi nal playoff spot in the
district with a one-game
lead on Hood River Valley,
Summit and Redmond with
three games left to play. That
means Pendleton needs to
win out to guarantee its fi rst
postseason berth since 2014,
and it starts on Friday night
in Hood River against a
slumping Eagles team.
“I made it real clear this
week to the kids that it’s
a must-win each week if
we want to continue our
season,” Pendleton coach
Erik Davis said at practice
on Tuesday. “The biggest
thing is the kids have to
understand every play is
important and we have to be
focused on every play. The
one thing about this team is
they do want to win and they
do want to make the playoffs,
they have expectations that
they will go to the playoffs
and I have no doubt we’ll be
ready to go this Friday.”
Hood River (2-3, 1-3)
is an improved squad over
the winless team from a
year ago that Pendleton beat
33-23 at the Round-Up, but
the Eagles are in a bit of a
slump. After winning its
fi rst two games in blowout
fashion over St. Helens and
Ridgeview, the Eagles have
lost three straight, most
recently 30-20 on the road at
Redmond last week.
See BUCKS/2B
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Seven
weeks into
Football the season,
Hermiston
holds on to
third place in
Bend
the Special
Lava Bears District
1
(5-1, 4-0)
but
only
by a slim
one-game
Hermiston margin. As
Bulldogs the Bulldogs
(4-2, 3-1) continue to
• Fri., 7 p.m. fi ght for one
• at Kennison of the four
qualifying
Field
spots to reach
playoffs,
they now have to go through
the league’s top team. Well,
Staff photo by E. J. Harris
Hermiston’s Garron Anderson wraps up Hood River’s
Greyson Losee on a kickoff return in the Bulldogs’
win against Hood River on Sept. 29 in Hermiston.
one of them.
Bend will make the trip
north to Kennison Field on
Friday unbeaten in league
play. On the season, the
Lava Bears (5-1 overall, 4-0
SD1) have only one loss —
See BULLDOGS/2B
Sports shorts
Red Sox fi re manager John Farrell
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox fi red
manager John Farrell on Wednesday after the team’s
second straight loss in the AL Division Series.
The Red Sox announced the move less than 48
hours after they were eliminated from the playoffs
with a 5-4 loss to the Houston
Astros. Farrell’s contract had been
scheduled to run through the 2018
season.
Farrell managed the team to its
eighth World Series title in 2013, his
fi rst season. But he found himself
under a harsh spotlight each of the
Farrell
last two seasons after exits in the
division series of the postseason.
Farrell went 432-378 over fi ve seasons with
Boston. He managed Toronto for two seasons
before that and went 154-170.
Farrell began his coaching career with Boston
as a pitching coach from 2007-2010. He was part
of the team’s 2007 World Series title.
“He kind of set the path
for me and my success
and without him none of
this would be possible.
I probably wouldn’t be
talking to (the media) and
you probably wouldn’t be
looking at me as the leader
of this team. He put me in
the position to be successful
and I can’t thank him
enough for that.“
— Ryan Nall
Oregon State Beavers running
back speaking to the media on
now-former head coach Gary
Andersen, who parted ways with
the school after two-plus seasons.
Goodell joins Dolphins for
visit with police, community
MIAMI (AP) — Miami Dolphins receiver
Kenny Stills says he was pleasantly surprised
to be joined by NFL Commis-
sioner Roger Goodell for visits
with police and youngsters in an
effort to build better community
relations.
The collaboration came
from the Ross Initiative in
Sports for Equality founded by
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. Goodell and
the Dolphins visited two schools and the North
Miami Police Department.
Stills and a few teammates have staged
protests during the national anthem. In a memo
to team owners, Goodell reiterated the league’s
belief that everyone should stand for the
anthem and outlined plans to highlight efforts
of players trying to bring attention to the social
issues behind the game-day protests.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1986 — Walter Payton
becomes the fi rst NFL player
to accumulate 20,000 all-pur-
pose yards in the Chicago
Bears’ 20-7 victory over the
Houston Oilers. Payton has
76 yards rushing and 30 yards
receiving for a career total of
20,045.
2009 — Brent Seabrook
scores 26 seconds into
overtime and the Chicago
Blackhawks matched the
biggest comeback in NHL
history, rallying from a
fi ve-goal defi cit to beat the
Calgary Flames 6-5. Chicago
fell behind 5-0 in the fi rst
period before overtaking the
Flames.
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