The Sports Report: Dodgers say farewell to Jason Heyward

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Jack Harris and Mike DiGiovanna: On Tuesday night, Jason Heyward hit a go-ahead home run that manager Dave Roberts described “as probably the highlight of the season for me thus far.�

Some 24 hours later, however, the Dodgers informed their highly respected, veteran clubhouse leader that he no longer had a place on the team.

As the odd man out of the team’s anticipated roster crunch, Heyward was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for returning utility man Chris Taylor, the team announced Thursday.

Not even a dramatic pinch-hit, three-run homer in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners could save Heyward’s job, as the Dodgers chose to keep four-time Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, versatile utility man Kiké Hernández and Taylor on the bench.

The decision was significant, even if it wasn’t all that unexpected.

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‘Not ideal.’ As Dodgers wait on pitching reinforcements, October questions linger

ANGELS

Ernie Clement homered for the third time in his last three games and the Toronto Blue Jays used a five-run second inning to build an early lead and beat the Angels 5-3 on Thursday night.

Clement’s homer came on an out-of-the-strike zone, eye-level fastball from right-hander Mike Baumann. According to MLB, it was the second-highest pitch hit for a home run since pitch tracking began in 2008.

The Blue Jays, who swept a three-game road series against the Angels last week, have won four straight meetings and eight of 10.

Niko Kavadas hit a three-run home run, his first, off Toronto right-hander Tommy Nance with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Angels lost for the eighth time in 10 games hours after they announced a two-year contract extension for general manager Perry Minasian.

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General manager Perry Minasian agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2026 with the Angels.

Minasian agreed to the deal Thursday as the Angels are finishing what’s almost certain to be their fourth consecutive losing season during his tenure. Minasian joined the Angels before the 2021 season on a four-year contract as a first-time general manager.

“Over the last four years, Perry and his baseball operations staff have begun to lay the foundation for a bright future of Angels baseball,� owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “We have been impressed by the steps Perry has taken to infuse our major league team with young and exciting talent while also revamping our player development process. We believe this extension will allow him to continue the vision of building sustainable success throughout the Angels organization and deliver a championship for our fans.�

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UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: Three juveniles accused of stealing items from Colorado’s locker room at the Rose Bowl during a football game against UCLA last October are facing felony charges after the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office decided to pursue the case.

The juveniles — a 16-year-old from Beaumont, a 15-year-old from Banning and a 16-year-old from Banning — each face five felony counts of grant theft and one misdemeanor count of petty theft after allegedly taking jewelry, headphones and cash. Some of the items have been returned to the Colorado players.

After an investigation by the Pasadena Police Department led to the identification and arrest of the three juveniles, they were cited and released into the care of a parent or guardian. None are in custody at this time, according to Lt. Monica Cuellar of the Pasadena Police Department.

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USC FOOTBALL

From Ryan Kartje: Greedy Vance heard all the whispers about USC as he weighed his options this offseason. A coveted corner coming from a top-flight defense at Florida State, Vance had his pick of the transfer portal. Yet here he was joining a USC unit that scraped the bottom of the FBS last year.

“There were a lot of people in my ear about the defense,� the redshirt senior said. “I just wanted to come in and be a part of the turnaround.�

If there is a turnaround in store for the Trojans defense this season, then the secondary is certainly where it will start. There may not be a deeper position on USC’s roster this fall than cornerback, where Vance has joined a room with at least six viable starting options, most of whom are capable of playing multiple positions.

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NWSL

From Kevin Baxter: The NWSL and its players association have agreed to a collective bargaining deal that will eliminate the draft, guarantee contracts and grant unrestricted free agency, giving players unprecedented control over where they play. The agreement, one of the most progressive, pro-player labor pacts in the history of U.S. women’s sports, will enhance player compensation and benefits significantly, increase investment in staffing, charter flights and facilities, and allow the league to create a year-round schedule.

“Given our vision to be the best league in the world, we determined that this was the right time to align with global standards and achieve long term labor peace,� NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “This CBA gives us agency over our business and gives the players agency over their careers.�

The collective bargaining agreement, which extends the current CBA by four years, through 2030, “revolutionizes the game, raises standards, and innovates the business,� Berman added.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1933 — The first televised boxing match is an exhibition fight between Archie Sexton and Laurie Raiteri, staged at the Broadcasting House in London.

1946 — The College All-Stars beat the Los Angeles Rams 16-0 at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

1947 — The College All-Stars beat the Chicago Bears 16-0, before a record crowd of 105,840 at Chicago’s Soldier Field. It’s the second and last time that the college team won in consecutive years.

1969 — Audrey McElmory becomes the first American to win the world road cycling championship which is held in Brno, Czechoslovakia. McElmury overcomes rain and a fall during the fourth lap of the 62-kilometer race to beat Britain’s Bernadette Swinnerton by one minute and 10 seconds.

2004 — The U.S. softball team wins its third straight gold medal with a nearly unblemished romp through the Olympics, capped by a 5-1 victory over Australia. Lisa Fernandez pitches a four-hitter and Crystl Bustos homers twice in the Americans’ best all-around game of the tournament.

2008 — The star-studded American women’s basketball team led by the likes of Lisa Leslie, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi win the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics with a convincing 92-65 win over Australia.

2008 — At the Beijing Games, Angel Matos of Cuba and his coach are banned for life after the taekwondo athlete kicks the referee in the face following his bronze-medal match disqualification against Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov. Matos is declared the loser for taking too much injury time after hurting his leg. Matos angrily questions the call, pushes a judge, then pushes and kicks referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden.

2012 — Lance Armstrong chooses not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. That’s his last option in his bitter fight with USADA and his decision sets the stage for the titles to be stripped and his name to be all but wiped from the record books of the sport he once ruled.

2014 — Nick Davila passes for 237 yards and eight touchdowns and the Arizona Rattlers win their third consecutive ArenaBowl title with a 72-32 victory over the Cleveland Gladiators.

2015 — Ohio State becomes the first unanimous preseason No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll. The defending national champion Buckeyes, receive all 61 first-place votes from the media panel in the rankings.

2020 — Takuma Sato of Japan wins his second Indianapolis 500 under yellow caution flag after a crash with three laps remaining.

Compiled by the Associated Press