LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru has won its first match in South American World Cup qualifying at the expense of coach Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay. The 1-0 home win Friday gave the hosts a boost in the 10-team round-robin competition after a long losing streak.
Miguel Araujo scored the only goal of the match with a header in the 88th minute to move Peru out of last place in the South American standings.
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Players of Peru celebrate at the end of a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Uruguay at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Peru won 1-0. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Players of Uruguay react after losing a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Peru at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Peru won 1-0. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Uruguay's coach Marcelo Bielsa looks on during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Peru at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Peru's Miguel Araujo, left, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
Players of Peru celebrate at the end of a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Uruguay at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Peru won 1-0. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Peru's Miguel Araujo, bottom, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
Third-place Uruguay has 15 points after nine matches, four less than leaders Argentina and one behind second-place Colombia. The first six teams in the table will secure a berth in the next World Cup in 2026 in North America.
Peru has six points, one more than last-place Chile.
Uruguay wasted several opportunities in the first half, with Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez and Maximiliano Araújo stopped by Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. The hosts took control of the match in the second half.
“I honestly feel responsible, due to the players we had in the midfield and in the offense, for such a small proportion of goal chances we created in the second half," Bielsa said.
Uruguay will host Ecuador on Tuesday, the same day that Peru faces fourth-place Brazil.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Players of Peru celebrate at the end of a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Uruguay at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Peru won 1-0. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Players of Uruguay react after losing a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Peru at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Peru won 1-0. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Uruguay's coach Marcelo Bielsa looks on during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Peru at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Peru's Miguel Araujo, left, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
Players of Peru celebrate at the end of a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Uruguay at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Peru won 1-0. (AP Photo/Daniel Apuy)
Peru's Miguel Araujo, bottom, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Uruguay during a qualifying soccer match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at National Stadium in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers shelled out $1 billion for Japanese talent in the offseason and it's paying off in the playoffs.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto outdueled Yu Darvish in a historic playoff matchup of Japanese-born starters, and the Dodgers got home runs from Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández to beat the San Diego Padres 2-0 on Friday and advance to the National League Championship Series.
“It's pretty sweet,” a smiling Freddie Freeman said.
Yamamoto allowed two hits over five innings for the Dodgers, getting pulled after 63 pitches in a decisive Game 5 between heated NL West rivals who were meeting in a Division Series for the third time in five years.
He signed a $325 million, 12-year deal in December, shortly after the Dodgers lured superstar Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Angels with a record $700 million, 10-year contract.
Ohtani and the Dodgers will play the wild-card New York Mets in the best-of-seven NLCS starting Sunday in Los Angeles.
"We’re ready for the next level,” manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers won a decisive Game 5 at home for the first time since taking a 1981 NL Division Series against Houston after a season split into halves following a players' strike.
“We went through a lot of injuries, a lot of ups and a lot of downs. We fight, we fight and keep going,” star outfielder Mookie Betts said. “All season everybody says the Dodgers are winning the World Series, the Dodgers are winning the World Series. And we get to this series, and all of a sudden we’re the underdog.”
Boasting the majors’ best regular-season record of 98-64, they successfully avoided a third straight NLDS elimination.
“We'd been in a little bit of a DS funk,” said Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations. “For the guys that had been there, they could feel that after we got down 2-1. The new guys wanted no part of that.”
The Padres’ big hitters went bust with their season on the line. Three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar and Manny Machado were 1 for 14 in Game 5 as Los Angeles pitchers retired their last 19 batters.
“Everybody was picking them to win because we have no pitching, we can't hit with runners in scoring position, this and that,” a soaked Kiké Hernández said. “We're the ones popping bottles now.”
San Diego's powerful lineup went scoreless for the final 24 innings of the series, dropping the last two games after taking a 2-1 lead back home.
“I think stunning is appropriate,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.
Machado added, “It’s a devastating one for sure.”
Yamamoto and Darvish were the first Japanese-born starting pitchers to square off in major league playoff history. The 26-year-old Yamamoto was the fifth rookie to start a winner-take-all game in Dodgers history.
“It was awesome to be able to pitch with him, to share the mound on such a big stage,” Darvish said through an interpreter. “He’s not just a great pitcher, but he is a great human being, too. It was a great night for both of us.”
Yamamoto joined Orel Hershiser, Jerry Reuss, Sandy Koufax and Johnny Podres as the only Dodgers pitchers with a scoreless start of at least five innings in a winner-take-all postseason game.
“For Yamamoto, I don’t think any of us can appreciate the pressure on a global scale," Roberts said. "He was pitching for the country of Japan.”
Yamamoto handed the ball to a stellar bullpen that carried the Dodgers during the regular season when their starters were hit hard by injuries. Evan Phillips got five outs, fanning Profar and Machado in the seventh before Alex Vesia whiffed rookie standout Jackson Merrill to end the inning.
Vesia was warming up for the eighth when he exited with an injury. Michael Kopech came on and worked a perfect inning before Blake Treinen got three quick outs for his third career postseason save and second of the series.
With that, the NL West champs spilled out of the dugout for hugs and then headed back into their clubhouse for another celebration. Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Lux, Kopech, Walker Buehler and Tyler Glasnow huddled in a corner smoking victory cigars.
In the middle of the room, its carpet drenched in alcohol and music blaring, a laughing Ohtani delighted in opening bottles of beer and pouring them over the heads of teammates and staff members.
“Anytime you’re smelling like champagne, it means you’re doing something good,” Betts said.
The 38-year-old Darvish, who was Ohtani's childhood idol, gave up an early home run to Kiké Hernández, then set down 14 in a row. Teoscar Hernández’s homer chased Darvish in the seventh and made it 2-0.
The Padres and Dodgers combined to retire 26 consecutive batters — the longest streak in a single game in postseason history.
Darvish gave up three hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out four and walked one. He dropped to 0-5 in elimination games — four of them quality starts.
“I thought Yu was magnificent again. Had them off balance. Couple of swings got him. Other than that, he was really good,” Shildt said.
Darvish and Ohtani teamed to help win last year’s World Baseball Classic for Japan, but they were rivals Friday. Ohtani struck out three times, including twice against Darvish in a game watched on Saturday morning in Japan.
“A lot of fans were looking forward to today’s matchup,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
Ohtani hit a tying three-run homer in Game 1, his playoff debut, but was mostly quiet the rest of the series after becoming the first player in major league history to reach 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.
The teams combined to score 43 runs in the first five games of the series, but the winner-take-all finale was a tense pitching affair in front of a sellout crowd of 53,183 that included Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and a Hollywood contingent of Brad Pitt, Rob Lowe, Bryan Cranston and Jimmy Kimmel.
The wild-card Padres ended the series scoreless since the second inning of Game 3. They became the first team to lead 2-1 in a best-of-five series and fail to push across a run in the final two games.
Yamamoto successfully covered first base three times after inducing grounders, making it easier on Freeman who started after missing Game 4 with a sprained right ankle.
The Dodgers led 1-0 on the drive by Kiké Hernández with two outs in the second. It was the 14th career postseason homer for Kiké Hernández, who was brought back to the Dodgers this season to make an impact in October.
Los Angeles staved off elimination in San Diego with an 8-0 victory in Game 4 to force the deciding game back home, where fans tossing balls and trash on the field caused a 12-minute delay in a Game 2 loss. The public-address announcer warned fans in the middle of the fifth Friday not to throw objects or go on the field.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Roberts said Vesia complained of cramping. He will have X-rays and an MRI.
UP NEXT
The Dodgers are headed to the NLCS for the 16th time overall and first since 2021 when they lost to Atlanta in six games. Los Angeles went 4-2 against the Mets during the regular season.
The Padres head into the offseason with plenty of promise for next year. They challenged the Dodgers for the NL West title down to the final days of the regular season.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Actor Rob Lowe celebrates on the field after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill, left, looks on alongside relief pitcher Jeremiah Estrada, center, and catcher Kyle Higashioka after a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto, left, and Shohei Ohtani celebrate in the clubhouse after a win over the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández, left, gets sunflower seeds to the face to celebrate his solo home run as Mookie Betts (50) looks on during the seventh inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani applauds in the dugout during the second inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish gets a ball back as he pitches during the fifth inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) waits to bat as San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish, right, throws during the fifth inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, left, shakes hands with catcher Will Smith after San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded into a double play during the third inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani pops out during the third inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish throws to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter during the third inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, bottom center, throws to Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani during the first inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Kiké Hernández celebrates as he rounds first base following his solo home run during the second inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish throws to a Los Angeles Dodgers batter during the first inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Kiké Hernández celebrates as he rounds second base following his solo home run during the second inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Kiké Hernández (8) celebrates his solo home run with Shohei Ohtani, center, and Teoscar Hernández during the second inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to a San Diego Padres batter during the second inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Division Series Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
