BASEBALL
Bryant, Trout named MVPs
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout were on Thursday named the winners of this year’s Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. Bryant, who took the National League award, helped propel the Cubs to their first World Series crown in 108 years and became only the fourth player in Major League history to follow up the Rookie of the Year with the MVP the next year. Trout won the American League honor for the second time in his career after 2014. The 25-year-old slugger finished second in 2012, 2013 and last year. Bryant, 24, became the first Cubs player to capture the honor since Sammy Sosa in 1998.
GOLF
Westwood leads in Dubai
Rory McIlroy struggled to a 75 and the other contenders to top the European money list also made slow starts at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday. Experienced Briton Lee Westwood led the field with an opening 66, but Henrik Stenson, who leads the money list, shot a level-par 72 and his Swedish compatriot Alex Noren and Britain’s Danny Willett had rounds of 71. Frenchman Julien Quesne and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts were tied for second behind Westwood after rounds of 67, one shot ahead of Spain’s Sergio Garcia, Italy’s Francesco Molinari and Joost Luiten of the Netherlands. “This is as good as I’ve played for quite some time,” Westwood told reporters.
GOLF
Hughes leads by a stroke
Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes, in only his ninth PGA Tour start, fired a nine-under 61 on Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the RSM Classic. The world No. 287, who turns 26 on Wednesday, reeled off nine birdies and nine pars to grab the lead at the par-70 Seaside course, which along with the par-72 Plantation course is used by each golfer over the first two rounds. “I found a good thought on the range this morning and it just kind of clicked from there,” Hughes said. It was the lowest first round in tournament history and one stroke off Tommy Gainey’s 2012 course record. Stewart Cink and fellow American Jonathan Byrd shared second with career-low 62s. Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung was tied for eighth place after a six-under 66.
GOLF
Feng in pole position
Feng Shanshan credited an attitude adjustment for her red-hot form after the Chinese player shot an opening 66 to lead the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, on Thursday. Feng, who won her previous two starts on the LPGA Tour and has not finished outside the top four since claiming the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in August, led South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon and Britain’s Charley Hull by a stroke. “My confidence level is up,” Feng said. “Before, I think I took it too easy on myself. When I have a chance to win I always tell myself: ‘It’s OK, stick to your same plan and if you don’t win, it’s OK,’ but right now, I’m actually talking to myself and say: ‘When you have a chance, you need to go for it.’ That’s why I can be really consistent recently.” A group of eight players, including two-time major winner Chun In-gee, were another shot back after 64s. Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung shot an even-par 72.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB