MLB PLAYOFFS
Royals outlast A’s in 12
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) β The Kansas City Royals are in the American League Division Series after winning the wildest of Wild Card games.
Salvador Perez hit a walkoff single and the Royals scored twice in the bottom of the 12th to pull out a 9-8 win over the Oakland Athletics in Kansas City. The Royals rallied from deficits of 7-3 and 8-7 before earning the right to face the Los Angeles Angels in the ALDS.
The last comeback occurred after pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo (ky-AS’-poh) laced an RBI single for the A’s following a walk, a bunt and a wild pitch. Oakland reliever Dan Otero got the first out in the bottom of the 12th before Eric Hosmer tripled and scored on an infield single by Christian Colon.
Colon moved up to second when catcher Derek Norris let a pitchout pop out of his glove, allowing Perez to come up with the winning hit.
Brandon Moss hit a two-run homer and a tiebreaking, three-run blast while the A’s were building a 7-3 lead. The Royals scored three times in the eighth and forced extra innings on Nori Aoki (NOHR’-ee ah-OH’-keez) sacrifice fly.
The Royals stole six bases, leading to four runs. Five of those steals came off Derek Norris after Geovany Soto left the game in the third inning, two innings after he suffered a thumb injury during a play at the plate.
Neither starter was very sharp considering their reputations as big-game pitchers. A’s hurler Jon Lester surrendered six runs and eight hits over 7 1/3 innings. Royals ace James Shields was reached for four runs and five hits in five frames, including Moss’ first-inning blast.
Jason Frasor picked up the victory despite allowing the tiebreaking single in the 12th. Otero was the loser.
MLB-ANGELS/INJURIES
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) β Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton says he’s feeling better and is ready for the playoffs this week. The former AL MVP missed 21 of the Angels’ final 22 regular-season games because of shoulder and other upper-body injuries. Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker also said he’s feeling fine after being sidelined the last two weeks because of an oblique strain on his left side.
MLB-TIGERS ROTATION
Ausmus sets starters for AL Division series
UNDATED (AP) β Max Scherzer (SHUR’-zur) will be on the mound when Detroit opens its AL Division Series against the Orioles in Baltimore. Scherzer went 18-5 this season with a 3.15 ERA.
Manager Brad Ausmus will go with Justin Verlander in the second game and David Price in Game 3 when the series shifts to Detroit.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter will start Chris Tillman in Thursday’s opener. Wei-Yin Chen (way yihn-chehn) starts Game 2 for the Birds, followed by Miguel Gonzalez at Comerica Park.
MLB-YANKEES
Beltran undergoes surgery
NEW YORK (AP) β Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran has undergone elbow surgery to remove a bone spur and loose pieces that limited his throwing ability for most of the 2014 season. The team says Beltran can start throwing and hitting in about six weeks and can play baseball in approximately 12 weeks.
FOOTBALL-MICHIGAN
Michigan makes concussion changes
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) β Michigan has announced changes to its injury protocol, admitting a mistake in handling quarterback Shane Morris’ suspected concussion Saturday. The school blamed the problem on a “serious lack of communication” and “confusion” among the coaching staff.
Athletic director Dave Brandon says Michigan plans to have a medical professional in the press box or video booth at future football games.
Coach Brady Hoke has been criticized for not immediately sitting Morris for the rest of the game after he took a hard hit in the fourth quarter against Minnesota.
University President Mark S. Schlissel apologized to Morris, his family and teammates.
NFL-RAIDERS
Allen fired as Oakland coach
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) β The Oakland Raiders have promoted offensive line coach Tony Sparano to interim coach to replace the fired Dennis Allen. Sparano takes over a winless team after four games.
He had a 29-32 record as head coach in Miami from 2008-11.
NFL-COLTS
New deal for Mathis
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) β Linebacker Robert Mathis has agreed to a new contract with the Indianapolis Colts through the 2016 season. Mathis is the Colts’ career leader in sacks and set a single-season franchise record with 19 1/2 sacks last season.
He was suspended for the first four games of this season after violating the NFL’s the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy, and then sustained a season-ending torn Achilles’ tendon.
NFL-PENALTY
League says refs blew it
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) β The NFL says Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah (ab-DOO’-luh) should not have been penalized for dropping to his knees in prayer in the end zone after an interception in Monday night’s game. NFL spokesman Michael Signora writes in an email to The Associated Press that “the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression.
The flag thrown in the fourth quarter of Kansas City’s 41-14 victory over New England last night touched off a firestorm on social media, with many wondering how it was different from players dropping to one knee in Christian prayer.
PHELPS-DUI
Olympic champion arrested
BALTIMORE (AP) β Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has apologized for his arrest early Tuesday on a DUI charge in Baltimore.
Officials say he was doing 84 miles per hour in a 45-mile-an-hour zone and that he failed field sobriety tests when officers pulled him over. Phelps says in a statement that he takes full responsibility for his actions.
This is Phelps’ second DUI charge in Maryland. He faced the first charge in 2004.
Phelps is the most decorated Olympian with 22 medals.
TV BLACKOUTS
FCC rules end to TV blackouts
WASHINGTON (AP) β The Federal Communications Commission has voted to end the decades-old rule preventing cable and satellite operators from airing sports events that were blacked out on local TV.
The commission says the rule was outdated and unnecessary. It was originally adopted to help boost ticket sales in the 1970s.
This may not spell the end to sports blackouts. The NFL would still be able to privately negotiate its own rules with cable and satellite companies that would not have the backing of the federal government.
NFL-REDSKINS NAME-FCC
FCC to look at petition to ban Redskins
WASHINGTON (AP) β Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheelers says the agency will consider a petition to ban the Washington Redskins nickname from the public airwaves.
A law professor has challenged the use of the name on broadcast television, saying it violates FCC rules against indecent content. Native American and other groups have demanded the name be changed, calling it a racial slur.
Wheeler did not offer a timetable for a ruling on the matter.
