SPORTS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017
1B
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS
MLB PLAYOFFS
Dodgers head to World Series
Hernandez hits 3 HR as
LA goes to fi rst World
Series since 1988
By JAY COHEN
Associated Press
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Enrique Hernandez (14) celebrates after
hitting a grand slam during the third inning of Game 5 of the
NLCS against the Chicago Cubs, Thursday in Chicago.
CHICAGO
—
Enrique
Hernandez put a Hollywood ending
on an LA story three decades in the
making.
Fueled by a home run trilogy
from their emotional utilityman,
Clayton Kershaw and the Los
Angeles Dodgers are fi nally going to
NLCS - Game 5
Los Angeles
Chicago
11
1
the World Series.
Hernandez homered three times
and drove in a record seven runs,
Kershaw breezed through six crisp
innings and Los Angeles ended the
Chicago Cubs’ title defense with
an 11-1 rout in Game 5 of the NL
Championship Series on Thursday
night.
“It feels good to hear World
Series,” Kershaw said. “It’s been a
long time coming for this team.”
After years of playoff heartache,
there was just no stopping these
Dodgers after they led the majors
with 104 wins during the regular
season. With Kershaw fi ring away
at the top of a deep pitching staff
and co-NLCS MVPs Justin Turner
and Chris Taylor leading a tough
lineup, one of baseball’s most storied
franchises captured its fi rst pennant
since Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda
managed Kirk Gibson, Orel Hersh-
iser and Co. to Los Angeles’ last
championship in 1988.
See DODGERS/2B
MLB PLAYOFFS
Houston
in need of
another
gem from
Verlander
Yankees just one
win away from
World Series trip
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Associated Press
HOUSTON — Justin
Verlander agreed to that last-
second trade to the Houston
Astros with hopes of another
World Series,
ALCS and has since
all eight
Game 6 won
games he has
pitched.
Eight is not
The
New York enough.
Astros have to
Yankees
(3)
win Verland-
er’s ninth game
— or their
season will end
Houston
short of that
Astros
goal.
(2)
“Obviously.
• Fri, 5 p.m. I know this is
• TV: FS1
one of the main
reasons I was
brought here,”
Verlander said Thursday. “This
is why I’m here.”
Six days after the big right-
hander threw a complete game
against the Yankees to put
Houston up 2-0 in the best-
of-seven AL Championship
Series, the teams will be back
in Minute Maid Park for Game
6 on Friday night with the
Astros facing elimination after
New York swept three games
in the Bronx.
“Well, there’s immediate
belief when you have a Justin
Verlander go,” manager A.J.
Hinch said. “His presence will
immediately make everybody
sit up straight, stand up a little
bit more, have a little bit more
energy because of the presence
that he brings.”
The Astros certainly need
the boost.
Aaron Judge and the Baby
Bombers from New York,
who had a pair of 2-1 losses
in Houston and struck out
13 times against Verlander,
See ALCS/3B
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Locals run wild at Kyle Burnside Wildhorse Invite
Heppner’s Hunter Nichols fi nishes in third place at the Kyle Burnside Wildhorse Invite on Thursday in Mission. Full results from the
race were not available by press time. Check the East Oregonian Weekend Edition for more coverage.
NFL
Raiders score on fi nal play of game to beat Chiefs
By JOSH DUBOW
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — Wins
have been so hard to come by for
the Oakland Raiders that it took
three tries at the fi nal play for them
fi nally to pull this one out and
possibly save their season.
Derek Carr threw a 2-yard
touchdown pass to Michael
Crabtree on the fi nal play after the
game was extended by two straight
defensive holding calls and the
Raiders snapped a four-game losing
streak with a 31-30 victory over the
Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday
night.
“We didn’t give up,” Crabtree
said. “We got a team full of fi ghters.
We believe. ... No matter how
hard the game was, we believed.
We came out with the W and I’m
excited. It’s a good way to win, a
great way to win.”
With their season on the line
following the recent slump, Carr led
an 85-yard touchdown drive in the
Oak-
land WR
Michael
Crabtree-
catches a
TD pass
during
Thurs-
day’s
game
against
Kansas
City in
Oakland.
Thursday Night Football
Kansas City
Oakland
30
31
fi nal 2:25 to give the Raiders (3-4)
the thrilling comeback in a game
they trailed by nine points heading
into the fourth quarter.
Carr fi nished 29 for 52 for 417
yards and three touchdowns, with
Amari Cooper catching 11 passes
for 210 yards and two of the scores.
The Raiders had struggled to get the
ball downfi eld while being held to
17 or fewer points in four straight
games but Carr repeatedly beat the
Chiefs with deep passes.
“No. 4 kept making plays,”
coach Jack Del Rio said. “This is a
special, special win.”
Alex Smith threw for 342 yards
and three touchdowns but it wasn’t
enough for the Chiefs (5-2). They
lost consecutive games for the fi rst
time since Oct. 11-18, 2015, and
AP Photo/Ben
Margot
had their 12-game winning streak in
the AFC West snapped in a thrilling
fi nish.
“I’ve never been part of a game
that came down so dramatic,” line-
backer Derrick Johnson said. “But,
still had a chance to win. Period.
Just have to make a play. One play.
One play.”
The Raiders had an apparent
go-ahead touchdown pass to Jared
Cook with 18 seconds left over-
turned when replay ruled he was
down at the 1. An offensive pass
interference on Crabtree wiped out
another touchdown on the next play.
But holding calls on Ron Parker
and Eric Murray set the stage for
the fi nal play. Carr hit Crabtree in
the front corner of the end zone to
tie it at 30. Giorgio Tavecchio won
it with the extra point , setting off
a celebration on a wild night that
See NFL/2B
Sports shorts
Trail Blazers sign former fi rst
round pick to two-way deal
PORTLAND (AP) — The Portland Trail
Blazers have signed guard Wade Baldwin to a
two-way contract.
Baldwin was the 17th overall pick in the
2016 draft by Memphis. The
former Vanderbilt player averaged
3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.8
assists and 28.2 minutes in
33 games with the Grizzlies,
including one start. He also played
with the then-D-League’s Iowa
Baldwin
Energy.
He was waived by Memphis
earlier this month.
This season teams are allowed to sign two
players to two-way contracts in addition to the
15-man regular season roster. Players signed to
two-way deals can accrue no more than 45 days
of service with their respective NBA clubs.
“That’s what she does.
She’s very comfortable
on that left side and is a
world-class server of the
ball. She continues to
want more from herself
because that’s just the
type of player she is.“
— Jill Ellis
Head coach of the U.S. wom-
en’s national team said about
Megan Rapinoe, who controlled
the tempo of the friendly match
against South Korea. Rapinoe’s
with ambitious, accurate passes
from her position on the left wing
led the team to a 3-1 victory.
Thunder beat Knicks as George,
Anthony make team debuts
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell
Westbrook had a triple-double and the Okla-
homa City Thunder beat the New York Knicks
105-84 on Thursday night in their
fi rst regular-season game with
All-Star additions Paul George
and Carmelo Anthony
Westbrook, the NBA MVP
last season when he averaged a
triple-double, had with 21 points, 16 assists and
10 rebounds.
Paul George, who was acquired in an
offseason trade with the Indiana Pacers, led the
Thunder (1-0) with 28 points. Anthony, who
was traded from the Knicks to the Thunder
right before training camp began, had 22 points
against his former team.
Kristaps Porzingis had 31 points and 12
rebounds for the Knicks (0-1). Enes Kanter
fi nished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1984 Rueben Mayes of
Washington State rushes for
216 yards and scores four
touchdowns to overcome a
28-7 halftime defi cit and lead
the Cougars to a 49-42 victory
over Stanford.
1990 The Cincinnati
Reds complete one of the
biggest upsets in baseball
history, beating the Oakland
Athletics 2-1 to win the
World Series in four games.
1994 George McCand-
less, 83, becomes the oldest
harness driver to win a
pari-mutuel race when he
guides Kehm’s Scooter to
victory in the fourth race at
Freehold (N.J.) Raceway.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com