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The Los Angeles Angels drafted one of the Joyce brothers in 2022. They grabbed the other one on Tuesday.

The Angels selected Zach Joyce in the 14th round after they took his twin brother, Ben, in the third round of last year’s amateur draft. Zach Joyce helped the University of Tennessee reach the College World Series this season, going 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 10⅓ innings over 13 appearances.

“The story of it being with Ben and being his brother is great, but this was a guy that regardless of any connection to the Angels, I was targeting him as a guy that could help us for sure,” said Tim McIlvaine, the director of amateur scouting for the Angels. “The story now with Ben, too, could be awesome at some point as well, but for sure, he’s a really talented kid.”

Ben Joyce, 22, also starred at Tennessee before he was drafted by Los Angeles. The hard-throwing right-hander made his big league debut on May 29. He went 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in five relief appearances before he was placed on the 15-day injured list with ulnar neuritis in his right arm.

Zach Joyce, who is four minutes younger than Ben, had Tommy John surgery in January 2020. The 6-foot-4 right-hander also stepped away from the game because of clinical depression and anxiety before returning this season with the Volunteers.

“I saw him this fall at Tennessee and he looked great,” McIlvaine said. “He was throwing the ball really well. He was spinning the ball really well, and the velocity started climbing back up.”

There were lots of family ties on the final day of the draft, which included rounds 11-20.

Kansas City selected Stone Russell in the 18th round. The 19-year-old catcher is the son of former major league player and manager John Russell.

DODGERS FIND A QB

DJ Uiagalelei, the former starting quarterback at Clemson Tigers who’s now at Oregon State Beavers, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 20th round (No. 610 overall) of the draft.

Uiagalelei was a pitcher in high school and has not played the sport competitively since then, instead focusing on football. The Dodgers listed Uiagalelei as a two-way player.

Uiagalelei, 22, spent the first three years of his college career at Clemson after being rated a five-star quarterback prospect in high school. He backed up Trevor Lawrence in 2020, showed promise in two starts while Lawrence was in COVID-19 protocol and took over the starting job in 2021.

Uiagalelei has thrown for 5,681 yards, 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions with a 59.8 percent completion rate in his three college seasons.

CATCH THIS

The University of Louisville has become a bit of a catcher factory for the majors. Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Henry Davis of the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the big leagues, and Dalton Rushing is one of the Dodgers’ top prospects.

It looks like there is another Louisville catcher on the way.

Jack Payton was selected by San Francisco in the 11th round with pick No. 330 overall. The 21-year-old Payton hit .374 with 12 homers and 41 RBI in 48 games in his third season with the Cardinals. His older brother, Mark, appeared in a total of 40 major league games with two teams over the past three seasons.

FRENCH CONNECTION

Mathias LaCombe became the second France native to go in the amateur draft when he was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 12th round. The right-hander joins Joris Bert, who was picked by the Dodgers in the 19th round in 2007.

The 21-year-old LaCombe, who is from Pineuilh, France, played for Cochise College in Arizona this season. He went 5-3 with two saves and a 1.74 ERA in 19 appearances, including eight starts.

LaCombe made one appearance for France in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers last year, allowing one run and three hits in one inning during a 14-4 loss to Britain.

“We’re talking about a guy who is 93 to 95 with a real breaking ball, and there’s mechanical things that he knows we’re going to make better in his delivery,” said Mike Shirley, the director of amateur scouting for the White Sox.

CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE

The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping Charles McAdoo can add a World Series title to his family’s list of NBA championships.

McAdoo, a second baseman from San Jose State, was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 13th round at No. 377 overall. McAdoo’s cousin, Bob, won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers during his Hall of Fame career. James Michael McAdoo, another cousin, won a pair of championships with the Golden State Warriors.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Utah’s Dampier now probable to face Colorado

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Utah's Dampier now probable to face Colorado

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier has been upgraded to probable for the Utes’ game against Colorado, according to the updated Big 12 availability report released Friday night.

The junior quarterback has dealt with a lower leg injury this season, and coach Kyle Whittingham said Dampier “got beat up in this game pretty good” after the Utes’ 24-21 loss to rival BYU last weekend.

Dampier was initially listed as questionable Wednesday but progressed throughout the week and took reps in practice, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior, a transfer out of New Mexico, has started every game despite the injury and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in total offense with 1,375 passing yards, 442 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns.

True freshman backup Byrd Ficklin played four snaps against BYU and would be in line to start if Dampier is unavailable Saturday against the Buffaloes (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Utah wide receiver Tobias Merriweather and defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi were downgraded from doubtful to out against Colorado. Merriweather ranks second among Utes wideouts with 130 receiving yards on eight receptions this season.

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2025 World Series: Live updates and analysis from Dodgers-Blue Jays Game 1

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2025 World Series: Live updates and analysis from Dodgers-Blue Jays Game 1

The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers opened the 2025 MLB season in Japan on March 18.

Now, 220 days later, they meet the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

Will the Dodgers be the first team to repeat as champs since the New York Yankees at the turn of the century? Or will the underdog Blue Jays win their first title since 1993?

It all starts Friday night. We’ll have the action covered right here, from pregame lineups to live analysis during the game to takeaways after the final pitch.

Key links: Mega-preview, predictions | Schedule

Live updates

Gamecast: Follow the action pitch-by-pitch here

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Jays’ Bichette to start at 2B, bat cleanup in G1

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Jays' Bichette to start at 2B, bat cleanup in G1

TORONTO — Bo Bichette, who has not played since spraining his left knee in early September, was added to the Toronto Blue Jays‘ roster for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bichette, a two-time All-Star at shortstop, will play second base for the first time in his major league career and bat cleanup in Game 1 on Friday night in Toronto, according to the lineup released by the Jays.

“I’ve been able to get a lot of good work in, but honestly, I’m leaning on a whole life’s work of swings and at-bats that have all been dedicated to being ready for this moment,” Bichette said. “I feel ready, and I’m ready to get out there. I’m super excited.”

The Blue Jays also included first baseman Ty France on their roster for the first time this postseason. Outfielder Joey Loperfido and right-handed reliever Yariel Rodriguez, who were on the American League Championship Series roster, were not included.

Bichette has not played in a game since injuring the knee in a collision with Yankees catcher Austin Wells on Sept. 6. Bichette attempted to return in time for the AL Championship Series but could not run the bases without significant pain the day before the Blue Jays had to submit their roster.

The infielder worked out at second base and faced live pitching Wednesday and Thursday, after which he said the knee was “feeling good enough.” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Bichette could play second base, shortstop or even serve as the team’s designated hitter during the series, a move that would likely push George Springer into right field.

“I’ve seen him do it, albeit minor leagues a few years ago — or a number of years ago,” Schneider, who previously worked in the organization’s minor league system, said of Bichette playing second base. “But as long as he was moving around fine and physically felt OK, you felt good about putting him out there.”

Set to be a free agent this winter, Bichette had a rebound season after posting a .598 OPS in 81 games in an injury-plagued 2024 campaign. The homegrown star, 27, finished second in the majors with a .311 batting average and hit 18 home runs with 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS.

Without him, the Blue Jays have played Andres Gimenez, their regular second baseman, at shortstop in the postseason with Isiah Kiner-Falefa getting most of the starts at second base.

Los Angeles added right-handers Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein while dropping lefty Alex Vesia and righty Ben Casparius. The Dodgers said Thursday that Vesia was not with the team in Toronto because of a family matter. The Dodgers opted to leave Vesia off the roster entirely rather than putting him on Major League Baseball’s family medical emergency list, which would have allowed him to return to the roster within three to seven days.

“We just didn’t want to have any potential for any kind of pressure,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “This is so much bigger than baseball. For us, it was doing whatever small part we could to just a hundred percent be supportive.”

Former closer Tanner Scott was not added. The left-hander was dropped from the National League Division Series roster following surgery Oct. 8 to remove an abscess from an infection on his lower body.

Clayton Kershaw, who was left off the Dodgers’ wild-card series roster and did not pitch in the NLCS, is on the World Series roster. Kershaw has said he plans to retire after this season.

Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and the Associated Press was used in this report.

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