Sports briefs
Kershaw gets
$93M over 3 years
Clayton Kershaw is staying with the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreeing to a $93 million, three-year contract after he initially opted out and chose free agency.
The agreement was reached Friday, when Kershaw opted out of a $215 million, seven-year contract that had two seasons remaining at a total of $65 million.
The left-hander gets an additional $28 million in guaranteed money. The new agreement includes $4 million annually in performance bonuses, in four $1 million increments for 24, 26, 28 and 30 games started, which could raise the deal’s value to $105 million over three years.
He also can earn award bonuses of $1.5 million for winning the NL Cy Young Award or $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting.
Also Friday, the Dodgers made $17.9 million qualifying offers to two of their other free agents: pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and catcher Yasmani Grandal.
Winner of the NL Cy Young in 2011, ’13 and ’14, Kershaw was limited to 26 starts this year because of a back injury and went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA while striking out 155. The Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight season, with Kershaw taking the loss in Sunday’s season-ending Game 5 defeat to Boston.
Cubs keeping Hamels, trade Smyly
The Chicago Cubs exercised their $20 million option on Cole Hamels Friday, solidifying their rotation for next year, and traded fellow left-hander Drew Smyly to the Texas Rangers.
Hamels, who turns 35 in December, went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts after he was acquired in a July 27 trade with Texas – a frequent trade partner for Chicago since Theo Epstein took over the Cubs’ front office in 2011. Had the Cubs declined the option and paid a $6 million buyout, the Rangers would have paid the Cubs an additional $6 million.
The 29-year-old Smyly is heading to Texas after missing his only year in Chicago as part of his recovery from Tommy John surgery in June 2017. The Cubs also parted with a player to be named in exchange for a player to be named.
Field hockey
No. 18-ranked Washington & Jefferson advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament championship game with a 1-0 victory over Hartwick at Cameron Stadium on Friday.
The Presidents picked up their program-record 16th win of the season, as they are 16-1. Hartwick fell to 12-6.
The game-winning goal was credited as an own goal in the first 1:09 of overtime. W&J’s Alana Boyd dumped the ball into the opposing circle and intended for Rachel Buyan when a Hawks defender tried to tip the ball away but ultimately hit it into her own cage.
First-seeded W&J will battle second-seeded St. John Fisher in the final 1 p.m. Saturday at Cameron Stadium.
Blaney takes pole
Ryan Blaney earned the pole at Texas after going 200.505 mph during NASCAR Cup qualifying Friday.
While Blaney had the fast lap in the final stage of qualifying, three championship contenders from Stewart-Haas Racing were among the Fords that took the top five spots.
Clint Bowyer was the highest of the playoff contenders, also exceeding 200 mph. His lap of 200.230 mph put him on the front row with Blaney, with teammates Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola in the second row. Kurt Busch, the other Stewart-Haas driver who had won the last two poles in Texas, qualified seventh.
Brad Keselowski, who like Blaney is out of championship contention, qualified fifth.