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ATLANTA (AP) — With Auburn’s season on the brink, Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones suddenly became unstoppable.

On to the Elite Eight for the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Pettitford and Jones scored 20 points apiece to lead a second-half barrage that rallied the Tigers to a 78-65 victory over Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

The Tigers (31-5) wiped out a nine-point deficit, outscoring No. 5 seed Michigan 39-17 over the final 12 1/2 minutes to advance to the Elite Eight for only the third time in school history. They also became the fourth Southeastern Conference team to reach a regional final, with the SEC joining the Atlantic Coast Conference (2016) and Big East (2009) as the only leagues to do that.

“Just the kids’ will to win,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Denver got heated up. Tahaad got heated up. We went to them, and they delivered.”

Auburn will face Michigan State in the South Region final on Sunday, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The Spartans held off Mississippi 73-70 in the first game of the night in Atlanta.

Johni Broome scored 22 points to go along with 16 rebounds, but it was Pettiford, a freshman, and Jones, a senior, who took control when Auburn needed them most.

The Wolverines (27-10) built their biggest lead, 49-38, and seemed headed for their most improbable performance yet in a remarkable comeback season under first-year coach Dusty May.

But Pettiford sparked the comeback with a step-back jumper from beyond the 3-point stripe, Jones knocked down two straight from long range before scoring on a drive to the hoop, and Pettiford finished off Michigan with two stunning shots: a trey after briefly losing the ball but getting it back, followed by a three-point play when he knocked one down before landing flat on his back after being fouled.

“I saw one go in, and I just saw the basket get bigger and bigger,” Jones said. “So I just kept shooting.”

Danny Wolf led No. Michigan with 20 points, but no one else on the Wolverines managed more than 10.

Still, the Wolverines had plenty of reasons to be proud after bouncing back from an 8-24 debacle a year ago that set a school record for losses in a season and led to the firing of former Fab Five star Juwan Howard.

“They left a legacy,” May said. ”They established an identity. They should be very, very proud of their body of work.”

The first half was played at a frantic but sloppy pace, with both teams plagued by turnovers and struggling to hit shots.

One sequence epitomized the opening 20 minutes. Tre Donaldson threw the ball away with a lazy pass, but Auburn gave it right back when Chad Baker-Mazara’s unnecessary behind-the-back effort was picked off by Roddy Gayle Jr. The Wolverines took off the other way, only to have Donaldson turn it over again with an errant lob that sailed way out of bounds. In just nine seconds, the teams combined for three turnovers.

Auburn led 30-29 at halftime despite hitting just 12 of 37 shots (32.4%) from the field, including a 3-of-16 showing from beyond the 3-point arc, to go along with 10 turnovers. The Tigers gave themselves plenty of second and third chances, and even a fourth on one possession. They finished with 48-33 edge on the boards, including 19 rebounds at the offensive end.

Broome and the rest of Auburn’s frontcourt held up just fine against Michigan’s two 7-footers, Wolf and Vladislav Goldin.

“We took the game personal,” Broome said. “That’s a great front line, but we wanted to challenge ourselves to make it tough on them.”
Home, sweet home

It felt a bit like an Auburn home game with the Tigers playing only 110 miles from their campus just across the state line in eastern Alabama.

The crowd, largely clad in orange and blue, broke into a “Let’s go Auburn!” chant shortly after the tipoff at State Farm Arena. They really erupted when the Tigers rallied in the second half.

“It obviously helped to elevate their play,” Pearl said. “If you’re the overall No. 1 seed, you should be able to play close enough to home so the fans can see it.”

It definitely felt like a road game to the Wolverines, who were cheered on by a much smaller contingent.

“Obviously in the second half, they hit a few shots and the crowd erupted,” Wolf said. “That was a huge momentum swing.”
Takeaways

Auburn: The Tigers lost in their first trip to the Elite Eight in 1986. They reached their lone Final Four in 2019, when a setback to eventual champion Virginia ended their season. … Pearl did not like one line in particular on the stat sheet — 15 turnovers. “If Michigan can turn us over 15 times, Michigan State could turn us over 25 times,” the coach said. “That’s a concern.”

Michigan: Goldin was held to 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting. He also led the Wolverines with nine rebounds. … Nimari Burnett scored 10 points as well. … Michigan shot just 35.6% from the field (21 of 59), including 5 of 17 from outside the stripe. … The Wolverines had only six assists, compared to 15 for Auburn.

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After a series of blowouts to start the women’s NCAA Tournament, things got a lot tougher to start the Sweet 16.

Duke reached its 12th Elite Eight by grinding out a 47-38 win over rival North Carolina in the lowest-scoring game in the Sweet 16 or beyond in women’s March Madness history.

The Blue Devils move on to face top seed and reigning national champion South Carolina, which had a bit of a grind of its in own in beating Maryland 71-67.

LSU beat N.C. State 80-73, but didn’t hit the go-ahead basket until there was 1:07 left. The Tigers are in the Elite Eight for the third straight year, which included a national championship two years ago.

They’ll face top-seeded UCLA, which beat Mississippi 76-62 behind Lauren Betts’ 31 points.

The second half of the Sweet 16 is Saturday, with UConn, TCU and Southern California among the teams vying for a spot in the Elite Eight.
Games to watch

UConn (33-3) vs. Oklahoma (27-7), Spokane, Washington. All-American Paige Bueckers closed out her final home game at Gampel Pavilion in style, matching a career high with 34 points in a thumping of South Dakota State in the second round. The road to her first national championship gets a bit tougher against the Sooners. Oklahoma rolled through its first two games and has a 136-68 rebounding advantage so far in the bracket.

Southern California (30-3) vs. Kansas State (28-7), Spokane. The big storyline is how the top-seeded Trojans will play without JuJu Watkins. The All-American tore the ACL in her right knee in USC’s win over Mississippi State and is out for the season. The Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002 with a 80-79 overtime victory over Kentucky.

TCU vs. Notre Dame (28-5), Birmingham, Alabama. The experienced Horned Frogs are in the Sweet 16 for the first time after beating Louisville 85-71 in the second round. TCU also has a win over Notre Dame already this season, rallying from 14 down to beat the Irish in the Cayman Islands. But that game came with a catch: Notre Dame was down to six healthy players due to injuries. The Irish now have their full complement of players to go against Sedona Prince, who had a monster game against them in the Thanksgiving tournament.

Texas vs. Tennessee, Birmingham. This all-Southeastern Conference Sweet 16 matchup will be a contrast in styles. The Longhorns like to play bully ball and have outrebounded opponents by nearly 10 per game this season. The Vols play a frenetic style and force 22.4 turnovers per game. Texas won the lone regular-season meeting 80-76 despite being outscored 27-3 from the 3-point arc.
How can I watch the tournament?

Every game of the women’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule — on ESPN’s networks and streaming services with select games on ABC.
Who are the favorites?

The top four betting favorites at the start Sweet 16 week are (in order): UConn, South Carolina, UCLA and Texas, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Who is playing?

There were 31 automatic bids that went to conference champions and they were combined with 37 at-large picks by the NCAA selection committee. Selection Sunday unveiled the bracket matchups.
When are the games?

First- and second-round games concluded Monday on campuses across the country. Sweet 16 weekend (March 28-31) put games at two sites once again: Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane, Washington.

The Final Four is in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, April 4, with the championship game on Sunday, April 6. A year ago, the championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men’s title game for the first time, with an average of 18.9 million viewers watching undefeated South Carolina beat Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Houston spent time this week practicing an inbound play that coach Kelvin Sampson thought his team might need against Purdue.

Milos Uzan, the third option, ran it to perfection.

He tossed the ball to Joseph Tugler, who threw a bounce pass right back to Uzan, and the 6-foot-4 guard soared to the rim for an uncontested layup with 0.9 seconds left, giving the top-seeded Cougars a 62-60 victory — and a matchup with second-seeded Tennessee in Sunday’s Elite Eight.

“Great execution at a time we needed that,” said Sampson, who is a win away from making his third Final Four and his second with Houston in five years. “You never know when you’re going to need it.”

The Cougars (33-4) made only one other basket over the final eight minutes, wasted a 10-point lead and then missed two more shots in the final 5 seconds. A replay review with 2.2 seconds left confirmed Houston would keep the ball when it rolled out of bounds after the second miss.

Uzan took over from there.

“I was trying to hit (L.J. Cryer) and then JoJo just made a great read,” Uzan said. “He was able to draw two (defenders) and he just made a great play to hit me back.”

Houston advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in five years after falling in the Sweet 16 as a top seed in the previous two editions of March Madness. It will take the nation’s longest winning streak, 16 games, into Sunday’s Midwest Region final.

The Cougars joined the other three No. 1 seeds in this year’s Elite Eight and did it at Lucas Oil Stadium, where their 2021 tourney run ended with a loss in the Final Four to eventual national champion Baylor.

They haven’t lost since Feb. 1.

Uzan scored 22 points and Emanuel Sharp had 17 as Houston survived an off night from leading scorer Cryer, who finished with five points on 2-of-13 shooting.

Houston still had to sweat out a half-court heave at the buzzer, but Braden Smith’s shot was well off the mark.

Fletcher Loyer scored 16 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14 and Smith, the Big Ten player of the year, added seven points and 15 assists for fourth-seeded Purdue (24-12). Smith assisted on all 11 second-half baskets for last year’s national runner-up, which played in front of a friendly crowd about an hour’s drive from its campus in West Lafayette.

“I thought we fought really hard and we dug down defensively to get those stops to come back,” Smith said. “We did everything we could and we just had a little miscommunication at the end and they converted. Props to them.”

Houston appeared on the verge of disaster when Kaufman-Renn scored on a dunk and then blocked Cryer’s shot with 1:17 to go, leading to Camden Heide’s 3 that tied the score at 60 with 35 seconds left.

Sampson called timeout to set up the final play, but Uzan missed a turnaround jumper and Tugler’s tip-in rolled off the rim and out of bounds. The Cougars got one more chance after the replay review.

Sharp’s scoring flurry early in the second half finally gave Houston some separation after a back-and-forth first half. His 3-pointer at the 16:14 mark made it 40-32. After Purdue trimmed the deficit to four, Uzan made two 3s to give Houston a 10-point lead in a tough, physical game that set up a rare dramatic finish in this year’s tourney.

“Smith was guarding the inbounder, so he had to take JoJo,” Sampson said. “That means there was no one there to take Milos. That’s why you work on that stuff day after day.”
Takeaways

Purdue: Coach Matt Painter’s Boilermakers stumbled into March Madness with six losses in their final nine games but proved themselves a worthy competitor by fighting their way into the Sweet 16 and nearly taking down a No. 1 seed.

Houston: The Cougars lead the nation in 3-point percentage and scoring defense, an enviable combination.
Scary fall

Houston guard Mylik Wilson gave the Cougars a brief scare with 13:23 left in the game. He leapt high into the air to grab a rebound and drew a foul on Kaufman-Renn.

As the play continued, Wilson was undercut and his body twisted around before he landed on his head. Wilson stayed down momentarily, rubbing his head, but eventually got up and remained in the game.

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The New York Jets signed veteran Josh Reynolds to a one-year deal Thursday, adding depth to their wide receivers group.

The 30-year-old Reynolds, who spent last season with Denver and Jacksonville, is reunited with Jets coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand with whom he worked during three seasons in Detroit.

Reynolds joins a Jets wide receivers room that includes Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley, Irvin Charles and Tyler Johnson, who was also signed as a free agent this offseason. New York released wide receiver Davante Adams, who later signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Reynolds could end up replacing Lazard, who could be traded or released.

Reynolds has 233 career catches for 3,127 yards and 20 touchdowns in 116 regular-season games, including 55 starts, over eight NFL seasons.

He signed last offseason with Denver — where current Jets general manager Darren Mougey was the assistant GM — and played in five games before being placed on injured reserve with a broken finger.

Reynolds was shot in the left arm and the back of the head on Oct. 18 after he left a strip club in Glendale, Colorado, at about 2:45 a.m. Reynolds said he and two other men were followed into and then out of the club before shots were fired into their SUV.

Reynolds made it back onto the field, but was waived by Denver in December and claimed by Jacksonville. He finished with a combined 13 catches for 194 yards and a score in nine games with both teams. He was released by the Jaguars on March 6.

Reynolds was a fourth-round draft pick of the Rams in 2017 out of Texas A&M, Glenn’s alma mater. The Texas native played four seasons with Los Angeles and set career bests with 52 catches and 618 yards receiving in 2020. He signed with Tennessee in 2021, but played in only five games before being waived.

Reynolds was claimed by Detroit, where played the next three seasons and caught 97 passes for 1,393 yards and 10 TDs. Glenn was the Lions’ defensive coordinator and Engstrand was the passing game coordinator during two of Reynolds’ seasons in Detroit.

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This story has been corrected to show the shooting on Oct. 18 was in Glendale, Colorado, not Glendale, Arizona.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

The years of Stefon Diggs being one of the most prolific receivers in the NFL have probably passed.

But the 31-year-old believes he still has plenty to offer as he prepares to embark on his latest stop: New England.

“I look forward to getting back on track,” said Diggs, who was introduced with the Patriots on Friday after signing a free-agent deal that is reportedly for three years and $69 million, with $26 million guaranteed.

After posting six straight 1,000-year receiving seasons for Minnesota and Buffalo, the one-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler was dealt to Houston in a blockbuster trade from the Bills last April. He had 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in his first season in Houston, but his lone year with the Texans was cut short when he tore the ACL in his right knee in October.

Asked about the status of his rehabilitation after undergoing surgery on the knee, Diggs deemed himself on track to get back to the field.

“Right now I’m ahead of schedule and trying to stay ahead of schedule,” he said. “We’ll keep playing it by ear. … Stay healthy and the rest will take care of itself.”

Diggs is one of the Patriots’ biggest free-agency acquisitions in what has been an offseason of many moving parts.

One of the top priorities for new coach Mike Vrabel and New England’s front office was to improve the talent around quarterback Drake Maye heading into his second season. The Patriots had only two players — tight end Hunter Henry and Demario Douglas — tally at least 60 receptions and 600 receiving yards last season.

Diggs has had five seasons with at least 100 receptions and feels he’s got the skillset to still fill the role of a No. 1 receiving option.

“I’m excited. I really look forward to it,” Diggs said of working with Maye. “It’s crazy, because when you ask around he has a lot of similarities and what people say through the grapevine is he acts a lot like (Bills quarterback) Josh (Allen). That was my guy. So I look forward to meeting and connecting with him.”

The fact that the Patriots were willing to make a three-year commitment to Diggs appears to be a sign that they are comfortable that he’ll be able to be healthy contributing soon.

He said his initial interactions with Vrabel have been positive.

“I had to figure out where I wanted to be for myself and where I wanted to be for my legacy,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Vrabs, what he’s done as a player and what he’s done as a coach.”

Diggs also has at least some tangential connections to Vrabel’s coaching staff. Texans receivers coach Ben McDaniels is the brother of New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

But like everything, as he prepares to get to work with his fourth NFL team, Diggs said he’s ready to attack his new situation head on.

“Football is football. … I’ll get used to it. I’ll figure it out. Whatever it is,” he said.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

NEW YORK (AP) — Cuba had a record 26 players on Major League Baseball’s opening day rosters and Japan had 12 for its most since 2012.

The percentage born outside the 50 states remained at 27.8%, matching its lowest level since 2016.

There were 265 players from 18 nations and territories outside of the 50 states among 954 players on opening day active rosters and injured, restricted and inactive lists, the commissioner’s office said Friday.

Cuba’s total topped its previous high of 23 in 2016, 2017 and 2022. Japan’s total was its most since 13 in 2012.

The overall percentage matched last year and was down 28.5% in 2023, which was the lowest since 27.5% in 2016. It has remained in the 26-29.8% range since 2002, peaking in 2017.

The total international players was the fourth-highest behind 291 in 2020 (when there were expanded 30-man active rosters), 275 in 2022 (when there were expanded 28-man active rosters) and 270 in 2023.

The Dominican Republic led countries outside the U.S. with 100, down from 108 last year and 110 in 2020. Canada’s 13 matched last year for its most since 17 in 2013.

Venezuela was second at 63, followed by Cuba (26), Puerto Rico (16), Canada (13), Japan (12), Mexico (11), Curacao and Panama (four), South Korea (three), Aruba, Australia and Colombia (two) and Bahamas, Brazil, Germany, Honduras, Nicaragua and South Africa (one apiece).

Atlanta catcher Chadwick Tromp joined San Diego infielder Xander Bogaerts to give Aruba two players for the first time.

San Francisco’s Jung Hoo Lee and Philadelphia’s Jesús Luzardo were listed as miscellaneous, Lee as born in Japan of South Korean descent and Luzardo as born in Peru of Venezuelan descent.

Houston and San Diego topped teams with 16 international players each, with the Astros having a share of the lead for the fifth straight season. They were followed by Atlanta (14), the New York Mets (13) and Baltimore and Miami (12 each).

The 18 nations and territories outside the U.S. matched last year and were three shy of the high, set in 2018 and matched in 2022.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jonah Heim hit two solo homers and rookie Jack Leiter allowed one run over five innings for his first big league win as the Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Friday night.

Heim’s second homer was a 417-foot drive to right-center that put Texas up 2-1 in the fifth, after Leiter (1-0) had thrown the last of his 82 pitches. Heim led off the third pulling a pitch just over the right field wall against All-Star Tanner Houck (0-1), who gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Leiter struck out four with one walk while allowing five singles. The second overall pick in 2021 amateur draft, and the son of former big leaguer Al, made his big league debut last season going 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA in nine games (six starts).

Luke Jackson, the fifth Texas reliever, worked a perfect ninth for his first save.

Wilyer Abreu’s RBI single was the third consecutive Red Sox hit in the fourth. That tied the game at 1 before Connor Wong grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Boston also had two on in the second when Wyatt Langford made a running and lunging catch of Wong’s liner to deep left field.
Key moment

Boston had the bases loaded in the seventh when Rafael Devers struck out, then third baseman Josh Jung made a backhanded stop on Alex Bregman’s chopper and a strong throw to get him for the final out. Jung then exited with neck stiffness.
Key stat

Devers, now solely the Boston DH after the offseason addition of third baseman Bregman, struck out in all four at-bats. He is 0 for 7 with six Ks this season.
Up next

Two-time All-Star right-hander Walker Buehler makes his Red Sox debut on Saturday night, after going 47-22 for the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2017. Tyler Mahle goes for Texas after three starts last August in his comeback from Tommy John surgery.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

HOUSTON (AP) — After slugging his first home run with the New York Mets on Friday night, Juan Soto insisted he isn’t burdened by the lofty expectations to perform after signing his record deal.

“Just thinking about what we can do and what we can be capable of doing as a team I think it takes all the pressure off,” he said. “Because we are here. We are the New York Mets. I mean we’re not here as the Juan Soto Mets. We’re here as a team.”

Soto’s homer helped the Mets to a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

The shot came in the third. With two outs and no one on, Soto drove a 1-2 pitch from Hunter Brown deep to right to give New York a 3-0 lead.

“It was pretty incredible,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Not easy to do. You’re talking about a pitch that’s out of the strike zone, up and in. I think it’s a cutter 96 and he’s able to turn on it and hit it on a line like that — yeah, amazing.”

The 26-year-old Soto watched the ball as it sailed into the outfield and then slowly started walking toward first base before lightly flipping his bat. The homer traveled 390 feet.

Asked if he knew it was gone right away, Soto grinned and said: “100%.”

His first home run of the season comes after he hit a career-high 41 for the Yankees last season.

“It’s always great to have the first one,” he said. “You always want to get the first one out of the way early.”

He smiled slightly as he began to round the bases before pounding his chest and raising both of his hands skyward as he reached home plate.

His big hit came a day after he struck out on a full-count slider from closer Josh Hader that was way outside the strike zone with two on and two out in a 3-1 opening-day loss.

Mendoza wasn’t surprised to see Soto bounce back after Thursday’s tough ending.

“He’s Juan Soto, he’s gonna come through more times than not,” he said. “What you want is to give him and the guys a chance to win a baseball game. We we did that yesterday and we didn’t get the W. Today, he came in and did what he did. He’s a special player.”

Before that, Soto singled and walked twice Thursday in his Mets debut. The slugger signed a $765 million, 15-year contract as a free agent in December.

Soto struck out on his first at-bat Friday night before homering his second time up.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers rookie starter Jack Leiter took a couple of “hits” before getting his first big league victory.

Leiter got hit on the head by a ball while in the outfield during batting practice on opening day. Then when starting in the second game Friday night, he got thumped again — this time by a ball tossed at him when he looked down, and struck him in a more sensitive spot below his waist.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy hopes Leiter has a much better memory after a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.

“That he can win up here, that’s what I hope he takes from this game. He’s a major league pitcher and he can win ballgames up here,” Bochy said. “He can get through a tough lineup, which they have. And, you know, that should really do a lot for his confidence, with what he did tonight.”

Leiter got the win after allowing only one run over five innings. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out four, walked one and allowed five singles. The second overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and son of former big leaguer Al Leiter made his big league debut last season, going 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA in nine games (six starts).

“Honestly, just winning’s nice,” Leiter responded when asked if a burden had been lifted.

After Leiter got done throwing in the outfield before Thursday’s game, a ball hit by teammate Josh Jung struck him on the head.

“That was a memorable opening day, probably not for the right reason,” Leiter said with a grin.

In the second inning of his season debut, after Leiter made his first opening day roster, Boston had a couple of runners on base in the second inning after a walk when catcher Jonah Heim went out to talk with him.

As Heim approached the mound, he tossed the ball at the same time Leiter put his head down.

“Hey, it made him laugh,” Heim said.

“Just tough timing, honestly,” Leiter said. “I guess he thought I was looking, but I thought he wasn’t going to throw the ball at that point.”

After the batterymates shared a laugh, Leiter got out of the inning without allowing a run. He got help from Wyatt Langford’s running and lunging catch of Connor Wong’s liner to deep left.

Heim hit two solo homers, the second coming in the bottom of the fifth for a 2-1 lead after Leiter had thrown the last of his 82 pitches. Five Texas relievers then finished it off with four scoreless innings.

“This was his day … that was really fun to watch,” Leiter said of Heim.

“It’s good to get Jack a win. Good stuff,” Bochy said. “Just a great job, keeping his poise out there, and I’m sure the nerves were going on his first start out there.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings in a ceremony Friday night.

“There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings.

“What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

A choir in the left field pavilion sang “We Are the Champions” to open the ceremony hosted by actor Anthony Anderson.

“Nobody was like us last year and I have a feeling that nobody will be like us this year,” said Anderson, a Dodgers fan.

Ohtani, World Series MVP Freddie Freeman and Roberts received some of the loudest cheers walking a blue carpet to a circular stage between home plate and the mound.

Ohtani waved to the fans. They chanted “Freddie! Freddie!” when it was Freeman’s turn.

They were greeted with hugs from owner Mark Walter, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, president and CEO Stan Kasten and general manager Brandon Gomes, who presented the coaching staff and players with blue boxes.

An injured Kershaw didn’t pitch in the postseason last year, which culminated in the Dodgers’ five-game victory over the rival New York Yankees in the World Series. Ohtani’s Japanese countryman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and catcher Austin Barnes were busy warming up in the bullpen and had a clubhouse manager accept their rings.

The Dodgers unveiled their World Series championship flag in center field and a championship emblem on the right field suite level before a 5-4 win over the Tigers in Thursday’s home opener.

“This is the final piece,” Roberts said. “Just to kind of have the fans here to kind of enjoy this with us and close the book on 2024.”

Roberts had not seen the ring ahead of time.

“It’s a symbol for me,” he said, adding that he doesn’t wear rings although he wears a wedding band.

Roberts said he keeps his World Series rings from 2004 (as a player with Boston) and 2020 (as manager with the Dodgers) in a home safe.

Mookie Betts picked up his third championship ring, to go with a 2018 title in Boston and now two in LA.

“This is my favorite one so far,” he said. “Hopefully I can get some more and then we’ll be able to compare.”

The hand-crafted rings by Jostens contain 14-karat yellow gold, diamonds and genuine sapphires.

Inside the box’s lid, a video plays highlights of the World Series. Using a specialized hinge mechanism, the top of the ring opens to reveal Dodger Stadium displayed in detail and features the Commissioner’s Trophy with one diamond to mark the victory. Eight diamonds represent each of the team’s World Series titles and the years 1883 and 2024 mark the franchise’s 142 seasons.

The left side of the ring top interior includes a piece from the bases used in the World Series. Encircling the base are 34 sapphires honoring the Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who died days before the World Series began.

In a personal touch, players’ signatures are on the interior palm of the ring.

“The ring is incredible,” third baseman Max Muncy said.

Former Dodger Jack Flaherty started for the Tigers on Friday night, so he’ll receive his ring Saturday.

“We can go beat him up today and give him the ring tomorrow,” Roberts joked.

Flaherty, a native of nearby Burbank, California, started Game 1 of the National League Championship Series and Game 1 of the World Series, both at Dodger Stadium where he attended games as a kid. He joined the Dodgers at last year’s trade deadline and provided stability to a starting rotation rocked by injuries.

“He was the right person at the right time for our club,” Roberts said. “He delivered.”

Utilityman Kiké Hernández got out of his sick bed to participate in the ceremony after missing the home opener a day earlier.

“He’s feeling much better,” Roberts said.

The team gathered behind the mound waiting for everyone to cross the stage and then posed for photos, smiling and admiring the bling on their fingers. A brass band broke into “They Not Like Us.”

“I hope it fits,” Roberts said. “If it ends up on my pinkie, we’ll be in trouble.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb