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A22 SPORTS
Friday 7 december 2018
Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray is named the AP Player of the Year

By ERIC OLSON will be presented Saturday on to become one of three
AP College Football Writer night in New York. Murray 4,000-yard passers in the
Kyler Murray is The Associ- and Tagovailoa will face nation and threw for 40
ated Press college foot- each other in the College touchdowns. He also has
ball Player of the Year, the Football Playoff, when No. rushed for 892 yards and 11
second straight Oklahoma 1 Alabama plays No. 4 TDs.
quarterback and fifth over- Oklahoma at the Orange Murray leads the country in
all to win the award since it Bowl semifinal on Dec. 29. total offense (4,945 yards),
was established in 1998. Murray joins Baker Mayfield points responsible for (306)
Murray beat out Alabama (2017), Josh Heupel (2000), and passing efficiency
quarterback Tua Tago- Jason White (2003) and (205.7).
vailoa on 56 ballots submit- Sam Bradford (2008) as Murray started his career at
ted by AP college football previous winners from Okla- Texas A&M, where his fa-
poll voters and announced homa. No other school has ther, Kevin Murray, set sea-
Thursday. had more than two players son and career passing re-
Ohio State quarterback win AP Player of the Year. cords as the Aggies' quar-
Dwayne Haskins Jr. was Murray, a 5-foot-10, terback in the mid-1980s.
third. 195-pound junior from Al- Kyler Murray transferred to
"It's humbling and an honor len, Texas, won the award Oklahoma after his fresh-
to be named AP Player of in his final year as a college man season, sat out a sea-
the Year, to be mentioned athlete. son per transfer rules and
in the same realm as a lot The Oakland Athletics took then backed up Mayfield.
of great players, a lot of hall Murray with the ninth pick "It's been a long journey
of famers," Murray said. "It's in the Major League Base- with a lot of waiting, but I
a special deal for me and ball draft in June. Murray, think it's all been worth it,"
hopefully I can continue to who batted .296 with 10 Murray said. "All the hard
make my family and team- home runs and 13 doubles work with my teammates
mates proud." in 50 games as the Soon- has really paid off."
Murray received 39 first- ers' center fielder, signed Murray also is a finalist for
place votes and a total of for nearly $5 million, with the Davey O'Brien Award
145 points. the A's agreeing to let him as the nation's top quarter-
Tagovailoa received 13 return to school and play back and Maxwell Award
first-place votes (117 points) In this Dec. 1, 2018, file photo, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler football this season . as the best player. Those
and Haskins was listed first Murray hoists the Most Outstanding Player trophy after beating Murray was Mayfield's awards and others will be
on four ballots (55 points). Texas 39-27 in the Big 12 Conference championship NCAA col- backup last season and presented Thursday night
All three are finalists for the lege football game, in Arlington, Texas. won the starter's job in pre- at ESPN's college football
Heisman Trophy , which Associated Press season practice. He went awards show in Atlanta.q

AP sources: Corbin, Nats agree on $140M, 6-year contract

By HOWARD FENDRICH mondbacks, joins a rota- ket is right fielder Bryce
AP Sports Writer tion in Washington that al- Harper, the 2012 NL Rook-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Add ready includes three-time ie of the Year and 2015
Patrick Corbin to the All- Cy Young Award winner NL MVP for the Nationals.
Star starting staff the Wash- Max Scherzer and Stephen Washington made a late-
ington Nationals have as- Strasburg. Corbin was an season offer to Harper in a
sembled. NL All-Star selection in 2013 bid to keep him, but that
A person familiar with the and this year; Scherzer was not accepted.
deal said the left-handed has been picked for each Corbin recently made the
Corbin has agreed to a of the past six Midsum- rounds of free-agent suit-
six-year contract with the mer Classics; Strasburg has ors, including meeting with
Nationals, pending a physi- made it three times. Nationals owner Mark Le-
cal exam. Another person The 29-year-old Corbin is rner and general manager
familiar with the terms said coming off his best season Mike Rizzo.
the contract is for $140 mil- in the majors, going 11-7 The signing of Corbin —
lion. with a 3.15 ERA while pitch- who had drawn interest In this Sept. 22, 2018 file photo Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher
Patrick Corbin throws in the first inning during a baseball game
The people confirmed the ing 200 innings for the sec- from the New York Yankees against the Colorado Rockies in Phoenix.
details of the agreement ond time in his career. and Philadelphia Phillies, Associated Press
to The Associated Press on He finished fifth in voting among other clubs, and
condition of anonymity for NL Cy Young honors; was expected to draw of- ment with Corbin, the Na- by Arizona and the Nation-
Tuesday because nothing Scherzer was second as he fers of at least $20 million a tionals already have add- als will pay luxury tax this
had been announced by came up just shy of a third year — could be a signal ed two catchers — Yan year, Washington would
the team. consecutive prize. that the Nationals are mov- Gomes via trade, Kurt Su- forfeit its second- and fifth-
Corbin's contract would Corbin was considered the ing on from Harper. zuki in free agency — and highest picks in next June's
include $10 million in de- top starter available in an After going 82-80 and fail- two back-end-of-the-bull- amateur draft and lose $1
ferred money, one of the elite free-agent class and ing to make the playoffs pen relievers — Kyle Barra- million in international sign-
people said. became the first player after two NL East titles in a clough via trade, Trevor ing bonus allocation for
Corbin, who has played among them to sign a big row, Washington has been Rosenthal in free agency. 2019-20. Arizona would gain
his entire major league money, multiyear deal this busy this offseason. Because Corbin declined a an extra pick after the first
career for the Arizona Dia- offseason. Still on the mar- In addition to the agree- $17.9 million qualifying offer round as compensation.q