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WASHINGTON — Dylan Crews drove past the Washington Monument and the memorials on the National Mall on the way to his first day of work as a major league player. The Washington Nationals hope Crews will become the newest attraction in the nation’s capital.

The 22-year-old Crews, the No. 3-ranked prospect in baseball, was recalled by the Nationals on Monday and made his major league debut against the New York Yankees.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Crews said hours before the game. “This is going to be my job every day. I am going to a major league stadium and this is going to be my job. It’s kind of hard to wrap your head around. It’s going to be awesome to wake up every day and see all the monuments and the White House. I haven’t been there yet. So hopefully I’ll go there one day. It’s pretty awesome to be here in the nation’s capital.”

Manager Dave Martinez put Crews in right field and in the second spot in the batting order, between two players the Nationals hope will be part of their core for years to come: All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams and rookie left fielder James Wood.

“We are facing a left-handed pitcher,” Martinez said. “It just makes sense to put him between Abrams and Wood. Kind of exciting to see those three together. We have been waiting a little while but I really believe that this is another piece to the puzzle and to our future. I am excited for the kid and his family. We are all excited here. Nationals fans should be excited.”

In his first at-bat, Crews hit a routine fly to Yankees star right fielder Juan Soto — who began his career with Washington and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series before being traded away. Crews finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in Washington’s 5-2 loss.

“It was an awesome feeling to go out there for the first time and compete with the guys,” Crews said. “Obviously, we didn’t end up winning today, but tomorrow we’re going to come out swinging.”

The Nationals’ decision to call up Crews was first reported on Friday, allowing anticipation to build, and after the team selected his contract Monday morning, it blasted an email to fans announcing a promotional T-shirt giveaway tied to his debut.

Crews was the No. 2 overall pick in the amateur draft last summer — one spot behind his LSU teammate, right-hander Paul Skenes, who was the National League starter in this year’s All-Star Game for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Nationals hope Crews will be a crucial component of a rebuild that began in 2021, less than two years after their World Series title, and help them contend next season. He joins Wood and speedy center fielder Jacob Young in what could become a dynamic outfield.

In 100 minor league games this season, Crews batted .270 with 21 doubles, 6 triples, 13 home runs, 68 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. He got the news of his promotion from Matt Lecroy, the manager at Triple-A Rochester.

“[Lecroy was] talking about pillars, how the pillar holds up a house,” Crews said. “He asked somebody who he thinks is a pillar on our team. And he goes, ‘I think Dylan’s a pillar. He likes to win. He plays hard. He plays with a little chip on his shoulder.’ And [Lecroy] said, ‘You know, you are right. That’s why he is going to the big leagues.’ It was a pretty cool moment.”

Crews had been hot with Rochester since Aug. 3, batting .309 (21 for 68) and slugging .529 over the past 16 games.

He drove through Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on his way to his new home with the Nationals. That’s where the Little League team from his hometown of Lake Mary, Florida, won the Little League World Series championship Sunday.

“That is where it all started right there,” Crews said. “It’s like a little circle coming around. We drove right through Williamsport on our way here. It’s kind of where I started Little League. Lake Mary ended up winning it. It was kind of a cool moment and now we are here obviously. I am very happy that they won it and congratulations to them.”

Crews also reflected on those who’ve helped him realize his dream.

“I’m forever thankful,” he said. “It makes you think about your family and all the sacrifices that it’s taken for me to get to this point.”

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.

Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York YankeesAaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.

Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.

Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.

Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.

Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.

He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.

Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.

Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.

A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.

Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.

Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.

Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.

Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.

The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.

Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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