NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani made his point. After Ohtani helped cap the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Game 3 win in the NL Championship Series with a three-run, eighth-inning homer, teammate Freddie Freeman gave the Japanese star what sounded like some good-natured ribbing. “Freddie talked to me to make sure that I joined the party earlier than later,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. So after Ohtani drove Jose Quintana’s second pitch into the New York Mets bullpen in right-center field in Game 4, Ohtani aimed a finger at the Los Angeles dugout as he left the batter’s box. “I was able to do that this time in my first at-bat,” he said Thursday night after a 10-2 victory gave the Dodgers a 3-1 series lead and moved then one win from a World Series trip. Ohtani took Quintana’s first pitch for a ball, then drove a sinker over the middle of the plate 422 feet for his third postseason homer. The likely NL MVP began the night 0 for 22 in the postseason when batting with nobody on base and 7 for 9 with two homers and eight RBIs when hitting with runners aboard.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Sean Payton made a point of getting to the Superdome long before he normally would for a game — six hours before kickoff — so he could ease into his emotional return to a place where he coached on the home sideline for a decade and a half. “I’m glad I was here early,” Payton said, reflecting on the heady times in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, when the Saints became a morale-boosting, inspirational force in the lives of rebuilding residents. “That was a unique time,” Payton recalled. “None of us understood what it would mean and how big it would become. Coming back here is different and kind of special.” And made better by seeing his current team, the Denver Broncos, win handily. Javonte Williams rushed for two touchdowns, Cody Barton returned a fumble 52 yards for a score, and the Broncos beat the banged-up and reeling Saints 33-10 on Thursday night. Bo Nix passed for 164 yards and ran for 75 yards for Denver (4-3), which dominated statistically. The Broncos outgained New Orleans 389 yards to 271 while sending the Saints (2-5) to their fifth straight defeat.
Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett never chased the spotlight. That included with his stunning and abrupt decision to retire effective immediately, announced on the eve of the start of the season. The program said Thursday the 55-year-old Bennett will announce his retirement at a news conference on Friday at 11 a.m. EDT. No reasons were given for his decision, which was unveiled simply in an online post by the program months after he had signed a contract extension to keep him in the job through at least 2030. It came a week after Bennett appeared at the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason media days, and with the Cavaliers’ opener against Campbell looming at home on Nov. 6. Bennett led the Cavaliers to the national title in 2019. In his 15 seasons as the coach in Charlottesville, he made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. He went 364-136 at Virginia, a tenure that included two ACC Tournament titles and six regular-season conference championships. He was voted AP national coach of the year twice, once at Washington State in 2007 and at Virginia in 2018.
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns are moving out of their lakefront home. The team officially announced plans Thursday to leave their 25-year-old stadium on the shores of Lake Erie when the lease expires in 2028 and move to a domed facility in suburban Brook Park despite the city’s efforts to keep it in Cleveland. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb met Wednesday with owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, who told him they were moving forward with their intention to build the $2.4 billion facility and entertainment complex 12 miles south of downtown. The Haslams explored several possible sites and considered renovating their current home before deciding the move was their best option. They made the announcement amid a four-game losing streak and 1-5 record heading into Sunday’s home game against Cincinnati.
THURSDAY SCORES
Major League Baseball Playoffs
Cleveland 7, NY Yankees 5 (10 inns) (Yankees lead best-of-seven series 2-1)
LA Dodgers 10, NY Mets 2 (Dodgers lead series 3-1)
National Football League
Denver 33, New Orleans 10