HONOLULU (AP) — Warren Upton, the oldest living survivor of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the last remaining survivor of the USS Utah, has died. He was 105.
Upton died Wednesday at a hospital in Los Gatos, California, after suffering a bout of pneumonia, said Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
The Utah, a battleship, was moored at Pearl Harbor when Japanese planes began bombing the Hawaii naval base in the early hours of Dec. 7, 1941, in an attack that propelled the U.S. into World War II.
Upton told The Associated Press in 2020 that he had been getting ready to shave when he felt the first torpedo hit the Utah. He recalled that no one on board knew what made the ship shake. Then, the second torpedo hit and the ship began to list and capsize.
The then-22-year-old swam ashore to Ford Island, where he jumped in a trench to avoid Japanese planes strafing the area. He stayed for about 30 minutes until a truck came and took him to safety.
Upton said he didn't mind talking about what happened during the attack. Instead, what upset him was that he kept losing shipmates over the years. By 2020, there were only three crew members of the Utah still alive, including himself.
There were an estimated 87,000 military personnel on Oahu on the day of the attack, according to military historian J. Michael Wenger. After Upton's death, there are only 15 still alive.
Warren Upton holds a portrait at his home in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Warren Upton walks with his care giver Eva Martinez, in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Warren Upton sits for a portrait with his daughter Barbara Upton at his home in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Teoscar Hernández is headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The free agent outfielder has agreed with the reigning World Series champions on a $66 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press late Friday night.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move had not been announced by the team.
After initially looking for a three-year contract that never materialized in free agency last offseason, Hernández and his representatives turned their focus to getting the best short-term deal from the best team interested. That led to a $23.5 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers, where he joined a loaded lineup that included Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Hernández wanted to play deep into October, and did, becoming a a World Series champion during an All-Star season when he was the Home Run Derby champion and won his third career Silver Slugger, which got him a $1 million bonus.
The Dominican outfielder had a huge impact as the Dodgers won their second World Series title in five seasons. He hit .272 with a career-high 33 homers and 99 RBIs in 154 regular-season games.
Hernández had made it clear he wanted to stay in Los Angeles, saying that was his priority. He got emotional when thanking fans during the World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium after the club's championship parade.
“I play this game to win,” he told the fans that day. “And the Dodgers gave me the opportunity to come here so I could help this organization, this team, these people, this city, win a championship. You guys made this dream come true. Thank you for making me a world champion.”
Now they will get to try to do it again, with Hernández likely switching from left field to right field, his best defensive position. There are plans for Betts to move back into the infield next season.
Hernández turned 32 during the playoffs, when he hit .250 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 16 postseason games. He struggled during the six-game National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, going 2 for 21 with one RBI. That was after he hit .333 with seven RBIs in a five-game Division Series against San Diego, and before hitting .350 in the World Series against the Yankees — including a two-run double in the fifth inning of Game 5 for a 5-all tie before the Dodgers clinched the title with a 7-6 victory.
Hernández has a .263 career batting average with 192 homers, 572 RBIs and 65 outfield assists for Toronto (2016-22), Seattle (2023) and the Dodgers. His first All-Star season came withe Blue Jays in 2021, when he hit 32 homers while setting career highs with his .296 average and 116 RBIs.
His 2024 deal with Los Angeles included $8.5 million in deferred money that will be paid over 10 equal installments each July 1 from 2030-39.
AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández is high-fived in the dugout after scoring on a sacrifice fly ball by Gavin Lux during the second inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
