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Pete Alonso is going to get his Home Run Derby grudge match against Julio Rodriguez. And this time it will be in front of a partisan crowd.

The first-round matchup between the New York Mets‘ first baseman, a two-time champion, and the Mariners‘ center fielder highlights the slate for the 38th Derby, which will air Monday on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET from Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. The winner will receive a $1 million prize.

After winning the previous two Derbies, Alonso was ousted last year in the semifinals at Dodger Stadium by Rodriguez, then a 21-year-old rookie. The winner of No. 2-seeded Alonso and No. 7-seeded Rodriguez will face the winner of third-seeded Mookie Betts, making his Derby debut, and sixth-seeded Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who set the single-round (40) and whole-Derby (91) records in 2019 but lost to Alonso in the finals.

Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert, who announced his participation Wednesday, will be the No. 1 seed on account of his 25 home runs. He’ll face Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, whose 11 homers are the fewest among the competitors.

Joining Betts, Robert and Rutschman as first-timers are the final participants, fourth-seeded Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia and fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who are close friends.

Among those not in the Derby: defending champion Juan Soto, megastar Shohei Ohtani — who has competed once, in 2021 — and Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz, who said he turned down an invitation.

The Alonso-Rodriguez matchup should provide compelling theater for a Derby that has been reinvigorated by a new format in which the league introduced a bracket format, gave each player 4 minutes a round to hit as many home runs as possible (with one timeout) and awards 30 seconds of bonus time for players who hit two home runs at least 440 feet.

Rodriguez, the sixth seed last year, hit a first-round-best 32 home runs and followed by beating Alonso, 31-23 in the semifinals. He stumbled in the finals, hitting 18 home runs and losing by one to Soto. Rodriguez’s 81 home runs were the second-highest total in Derby history. Alonso’s prodigious power has him tied with Robert among Derby participants with 25 this season. He beat Guerrero and Trey Mancini in back-to-back contests by the same score, 23-22.

Betts, who at 30 is the oldest participant, said he agreed to partake in the even because his wife, Brianna, asked him to. With 23 home runs through 82 games, Betts is on pace to smash his personal single-season record of 35 set last year. The 24-year-old Guerrero’s power stroke lagged through the first two-plus months of the season, but with four homers in his last 10 games, he is up to 13 on the season.

The 25-year-old Rutschman, better known for his on-base prowess and defensive excellence than his power stroke, made his major league debut just weeks before last year’s Derby. His opponent, the 25-year-old Robert, has already nearly doubled his career high in home runs and ranks second in the American League, six behind Ohtani.

One month after the St. Louis Cardinals cut Garcia in December 2019, they traded Arozarena to the Rays. Both from Cuba, Garcia and Arozarena roomed together during spring training in 2017 and were teammates that year and the following season at Double-A and Triple-A. Garcia, 30, is one of six Rangers All-Stars, and Arozarena, 28, is lone AL outfielder voted by fans to start who will play in the game, as Yankees star Aaron Judge and Angels star Mike Trout are out with injuries.

Robert said Arozarena and Garcia convinced him to partake in the Derby.

“I talked with a couple of my countrymen who said they are going to participate in the Derby and then they convinced me. Randy and Adolis. We all said, ‘let’s do it,'” Robert said through an interpreter. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to feel very happy during those two days. It’s going to be very special for me.”

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Wisconsin QB O’Neil carted off with leg injury

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Wisconsin QB O'Neil carted off with leg injury

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin quarterback Danny O’Neil was carted off the field and into the locker room after injuring his leg in the first quarter of the Badgers’ game against No. 24 Washington (No. 23 College Football Playoff) on Saturday.

O’Neil got up at the end of a 21-yard keeper, limped and then went back down and clutched his right leg. Wisconsin announced in the second quarter that O’Neil would miss the rest of the game with what was officially ruled a lower-body injury.

The San Diego State transfer was making his first start since a Sept. 13 loss to Alabama, though he had played in a reserve role Sept. 20 against Maryland and Oct. 18 against Ohio State.

Freshman Carter Smith took over for O’Neil and made his college debut Saturday.

Quarterback issues have hindered Wisconsin throughout the season. Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin’s first-team quarterback at the start of the year, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers’ season opener and has played only one full series since.

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Indiana rallies to stay unbeaten in ‘improbable’ win

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Indiana rallies to stay unbeaten in 'improbable' win

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Omar Cooper Jr. jumped to catch a pass from Fernando Mendoza in the back of the end zone, sweeping his inside foot within the field of play to go ahead of Penn State 27-24 with 36 seconds remaining and save No. 2 Indiana from its first loss of the season Saturday.

The downtrodden Nittany Lions, led by an interim coach and riding the school’s longest losing streak in 21 years, almost denied the Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) their first Happy Valley win in school history.

Penn State (3-6, 0-6) came back from down 13 points in the third quarter and was a couple of first downs away from the upset. Once the Nittany Lions were forced to punt, they couldn’t respond with late-game heroics of their own in the little time the Hoosiers left them. A Hail Mary effort from midfield was unsuccessful.

“It was the most improbable victory I have ever been a part of,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “And there couldn’t have been a better place to make it happen.”

The Hoosiers entered Happy Valley used to losing in the sprawling, 107,000-seat Beaver Stadium. Before Saturday, the Nittany Lions owned a 25-2 edge head-to-head, winning all 13 games on their home field.

“It’s just a rocking crowd. When you hear that silence when you get hit when you throw, then you know it’s a completion,” said Mendoza, who was sacked three times, threw for 218 yards with one touchdown and an interception and also ran in a score.

Penn State rallied to take the lead 24-20 in the fourth quarter when Ethan Grunkemeyer connected with Nicholas Singleton for a 19-yard score with 6:27 to play.

Penn State punted to Indiana with 1:51 remaining, giving Mendoza the ball back at his own 20. He was sacked on first down, but recovered to hit receivers for 22, 12, 29 and 17 yards before finding Cooper at the back edge of the end zone.

Afterward, a smiling Cooper called it the best catch of his career. Mendoza agreed.

Kaelon Black scored a rushing touchdown and Nico Radicic kicked two field goals for the Hoosiers. Charlie Becker had seven receptions for 118 yards and Cooper finished with six receptions for 32 yards.

Singleton added two rushing touchdowns for the Nittany Lions, who are playing under interim coach Terry Smith and have lost six in a row.

“It’s just very humbling,” Smith said. “I think back to Joe Paterno and him running on the field. I’m in the same position that he was and I have to do better for our guys. We have to taste victory because they deserve it.”

After a pair of stunted possessions to start the game, the Hoosiers easily zipped down the field on their third try when Mendoza hit Becker for a 53-yard pass down the middle. Mendoza scrambled through Penn State’s defense for an 18-yard touchdown two plays later.

Penn State tied it 7-7 with a 10-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a short scoring plunge by Singleton, but the Andy Kotelnicki-called offense didn’t get rolling until the fourth quarter and Indiana led 17-7 at halftime.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ohio St. WR Tate sits out with undisclosed injury

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Ohio St. WR Tate sits out with undisclosed injury

Ohio State standout receiver Carnell Tate sat out Saturday’s game against Purdue after suffering a minor undisclosed injury during pregame warmups.

Coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes held Tate out just as a precaution.

“[Tate] wanted to play,” Day said, “but we’ve got a lot of football ahead us.”

The top-ranked Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) still defeated Purdue 34-10 to remain unbeaten. Jeremiah Smith led Ohio State with a career-high 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown.

This season, Tate has 39 receptions for 711 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.

The Buckeyes play UCLA next weekend.

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