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PHOENIX — Adolis Garcia is not typically one for speeches, but the mood struck him Tuesday afternoon, moments after learning a strain of his obliques would prematurely end his dominant run through this postseason. He gathered his Texas Rangers teammates in Chase Field’s visiting locker room and told them he loved them. He told them to win two more games and capture this franchise’s first World Series championship, in his honor. And he told them he was confident they would pull it off.

“He was vulnerable,” Rangers shortstop Corey Seager said after helping to ignite an 11-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4. “That’s hard to do. To be able to come in, knowing the headspace he’s in, not being able to help us and still contribute — that’s a hard thing to do. He did a great job.”

His teammates did even better.

Facing a string of Arizona Diamondbacks relievers, the Rangers scored 10 runs before the end of the third inning, riding the early onslaught, along with five innings of one-run ball from Andrew Heaney, to a win that felt a lot more lopsided than the final score indicated. The Rangers scored five runs each in the second and third innings, all of them with two outs, and secured their 10th consecutive road victory of these playoffs.

After it was over, a lot of their focus shifted to Garcia, the American League Championship Series MVP who proceeded to hit the walk-off homer to seal a dramatic come-from-behind victory in Game 1 of the World Series. A violent swing that produced a flyout to end the top of the eighth inning in Monday’s Game 3 caused his left side to tighten up, prompting Garcia to exit the game and leave the ballpark for further testing. He showed up early the following day and underwent a heavy round of treatment then took swings in the batting cage, doing his best to avoid what had already felt inevitable.

“I know he did everything possible,” Rangers center fielder Leody Taveras said in Spanish. “Even when he tried, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to go. But he tried anyway because he was just looking for a way.”

Part of Garcia’s pregame message centered on the team’s penchant for overcoming injuries. The tally of Rangers players who spent time on the injured list during the regular season includes six fixtures of their lineup (Seager, Taveras, Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver, Josh Jung and even Garcia himself), two key members of their rotation (Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray) and two high-leverage relievers (Josh Sborz and Jose Leclerc). Jacob deGrom, signed to a lucrative free-agent contract to be their ace, was lost for the year to Tommy John surgery. Max Scherzer, acquired at midseason to lead them to a title, suffered a shoulder injury in late September and didn’t return until the ALCS, and he went down again with back spasms on Monday.

Garcia, teammates say, was devastated by his injury.

It was obvious when he spoke.

“I can’t imagine going through a season, putting up the numbers he did, having an incredible postseason breaking records, and not being able to take the field to finish the job,” Texas reserve outfielder Travis Jankowski said.

Heim agreed.

“Yeah, it was emotional,” he said. “Obviously, you never want to see a guy like Adolis go down. He’s been our MVP all postseason. What he said was emotional, and I think it hit us right in the heart and gave us a little lecture of something to play for today. It’s tough when you see somebody show so much emotion. You know he wants to be out there with us. I think tonight was a good example of us rallying around him.”

Texas infielder Marcus Semien contributed a two-run triple in the second inning of Game 4 and a three-run homer in the third. Seager unleashed a 431-foot home run off the facing of a wall beyond the right-center-field fence. And Jankowski — the speedy, glove-first journeyman who replaced Garcia in right field — contributed a two-run double.

The Rangers became the first team in postseason history to score five-plus runs with two outs in consecutive innings and the first to record a 10-run game in the division series, the championship series and the World Series. In the wake of a devastating blow, with both Garcia and Scherzer taken off its roster, Texas became just the third team in World Series history to score 10 or more runs through a game’s first three innings.

“They felt bad for Doli,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “We all did. But you’ve got to move on. You’ve got to focus forward. That’s what we did.”

A sold-out crowd at Chase Field was stunned silent early but continued to seek moments to get excited. One arrived in the bottom of the fourth, with runners on second and third and two outs, but Heaney limited the D-backs to only one run. Another arrived in the eighth, when Lourdes Gurriel Jr.‘s three-run homer highlighted a four-run inning. And the last one arrived in the ninth, when the Rangers were forced to bring their closer, Leclerc, in for the final moments of the contest. But the outcome had long been decided.

The Rangers, with a 3-1 lead in the Series, are one win away from the first title in the 62-year history of this franchise.

“This is where we want to be,” Semien said. “It’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality. We get some rest tonight and understand that we need to focus on what we need to do to win the ballgame, and that’s all there is to it. We win the ballgame, we get a ring, of course.

“But you need to think about the process of how to get that done — good defense, good pitching, timely hitting, two-out RBIs. Those things that we did the last two nights, we need to continue.”

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Tampa named host city for 2029 CFP title game

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Tampa named host city for 2029 CFP title game

Tampa will host the College Football Playoff national championship game at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 22, 2029, the CFP announced Wednesday.

Tampa will become the fourth city to host the CFP title game for a second time, joining Atlanta, New Orleans and Miami Gardens, Fla.

“We are excited to bring the College Football Playoff National Championship back to Tampa Bay in 2029,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a news release. “The city has established itself as an exceptional host for world-class sporting events, and its vibrant downtown, beautiful waterfront, and proven commitment to excellence make it an ideal setting for college football’s greatest night. We look forward to partnering with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and local leaders to deliver a national championship experience worthy of college football’s biggest stage.”

The 2029 game will be the 15th national championship game in the CFP era, which went into effect following the 2014 college football season.

Miami will host the next national championship game on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium, a game that will feature the winners of the Fiesta and Peach bowls, which will host the semifinals.

The 2027 site will be Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, followed by the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in 2028.

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Sources: Cincy leading rusher Pryor out vs. Utah

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Sources: Cincy leading rusher Pryor out vs. Utah

Cincinnati senior running back Evan Pryor will be officially listed as out with an ankle injury on the Big 12 availability report for the game at No. 24 Utah on Saturday, per sources.

There’s hope Pryor can return for No. 17 Cincinnati’s Nov. 15 game at home against Arizona, per sources.

Pryor suffered the ankle injury against Baylor last week. Pryor, an Ohio State transfer, is the leading rusher for the Bearcats with 478 yards, and he averages 7.2 yards per carry.

Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield said earlier this week that Pryor was expected to be out this week.

At Utah on Saturday night, Cincinnati is expected to lean on Wisconsin transfer Tawee Walker, who has 466 yards and averages 5.2 yards per carry.

Cincinnati has a bye after the game at Utah.

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Just like old times? Orgeron talks LSU return

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Just like old times? Orgeron talks LSU return

LSU football has a high-profile coaching vacancy, and a familiar face has thrown his hat into the ring.

Ed Orgeron, who was ousted by LSU less than two years after coaching the Tigers to a national championship, said he “would love” to return to the school as Brian Kelly’s replacement.

LSU fired Kelly in stunning fashion Sunday, citing the “high hopes” that the program failed to reach under his leadership and announcing that a “national search” was underway for the Tigers’ new coach.

Three days later, during an interview Wednesday with ESPN’s “UnSportsmanLike,” Orgeron was asked whether he wanted his old job back.

“I’d love to,” Orgeron responded. “Are you kidding me? Hey, I’m one phone call away. I just gotta get in my truck; I could be there today.”

One of the top coaches currently linked to the LSU job is Ole Miss‘ Lane Kiffin, who also worked with Orgeron at USC.

Orgeron, who has been out of coaching since leaving LSU in 2021, was asked Wednesday if he would consider returning to the program as an assistant under Kiffin.

“Yeah, I’d consider it,” he said. “I love LSU. I still got my home in Baton Rouge. I loved when I was coaching for Coach Miles being the defensive line coach. I love the Tigers, and if I’m getting back into coaching, for sure I’d consider it. No doubt.”

Orgeron’s tenure as LSU’s head coach ended after the 2021 season in what he described as a mutual decision between himself and the school. He went 51-20 in his six years at LSU, highlighted by the Tigers’ 15-0 run in a 2019 season punctuated by an NCAA championship.

Orgeron, who grew up rooting for the Tigers in nearby Larose, Louisiana, said LSU’s next head coach must embrace being a part of the state’s culture — something he says Kelly never did.

“I think that’s one of the things — whether it’s true or not — the look from the outside, Brian Kelly never embraced the state of Louisiana,” he said. “When you get those guys on your side, it’s very powerful. I think getting everybody to pull in the same direction, like Pete Carroll did, like we did, one team, one heartbeat, is gonna be the key for the next coach.”

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