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SPORTS Saturday 24 auguSt 2019

Curacao’s Clay Winklaar (10) celebrates as he crosses home
plate and is greeted by teammates after hitting a grand slam off
South Korea’s Jinwon Na during the first inning of an elimination
baseball game at the Little League World Series tournament in
South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019.
Associated Press
Unbeaten Japan takes

on Curacao in Little In this Friday, May 31, 2019 file photo, Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, left, Ecuador’s Richard Antonio
Carapaz Montenegro, and Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, right, cross the finish line at the end of the 19th
stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race, from Treviso to San Marino di Castrozza, Italy.
League semifinal Ex-ski jumper Roglic has chance
Associated Press

By TYLER KING
Associated Press to shine at Spanish Vuelta
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Japan is just one win
away from its eighth Little League World Series champion- By JOSEPH WILSON are this year’s Giro winner next year after eight sea-
ship game appearance this decade. The Chofu City Little Associated Press Richard Carapaz, along sons together, which have
League team is continuing what has been a dominant BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — with Julian Alaphilippe, included Quintana winning
run in South Williamsport for a country with a population With many top names out, Tom Dumoulin, Vincenzo the Vuelta, the Giro and
of nearly 127 million. the Spanish Vuelta looks Nibali, and Mikel Landa. twice coming in runner-up
The only thing standing in Japan’s way? A team from like a good opportunity for Roglic has been given the at the Tour, among other
the tiny island of Curacao, which has a population of just lesser known but talented leadership role on his Jum- successes, before his dip in
162,000. That’s smaller than the population of Chofu City, riders like Primoz Roglic to bo-Visma team, where he form the last two years.
which has almost 230,000 residents. win a Grand Tour. will be supported by Steven “I feel good and would like
But this is no David vs. Goliath matchup. The 29-year-old Slovenian, Kruijswjik, who finished third to close an era in the best
The teams will meet Saturday at Lamade Stadium, with who transitioned to cycling in this year’s Tour. possible way,” Quintana
the victor earning a place in the championship game from ski jumping in 2012, ex- “I’m here to help the team said. World champion Ale-
against either Hawaii or Louisiana. cels at time trials and has win La Vuelta, but I’d like jandro Valverde will be a
STORY SO FAR: While Japan has outscored its opponents shown he can hold his own to do it myself of course,” co-leader of Movistar. The
by 30 runs in its 3-0 start to the tournament, Curacao has in the mountains, some- Kruijswjik said. “Primoz is 39-year-old Spaniard won
a run differential of plus-23 in its five games in South Wil- thing he will need in the also one of the favorites the Vuelta a decade ago
liamsport. Spanish race with its mul- and we have to see half- and cannot be ruled out
Outside of two solo home runs allowed against South Ko- tiple demanding climbs. way through La Vuelta. We entirely.
rea on Wednesday, the Japanese pitching staff has had Roglic finished fourth over- start with the ambition to SOUTH AMERICAN SWEEP?
an unblemished performance. Japan blew out Italy 20-0 all in the 2018 Tour de be up there and we can Starting with Quintana, the
in its opening game then followed that with convincing France and was third in the play some games, being so field features a group of
wins over Mexico (5-0) and South Korea (7-2) to reach this Giro d’Italia in June, where strong as a team.” Colombians who should all
point. he also won two stages. He Nairo Quintana, the 2016 be considered contenders.
Curacao has had to fight back through the losers’ brack- should be well rested after Vuelta winner, tipped Ro- If one of them does ride tri-
et this week to make it to Saturday’s game. The Carib- skipping this year’s Tour in glic as the pre-race favor- umphantly into Madrid on
bean regional champions lost to South Korea 4-0 on Sun- July. “To finish on the podi- ite, especially given the in- the final stage on Sept. 15,
day, but got redemption on Thursday with a 5-3 win that um of a Grand Tour is nice dividual time trial on Stage it would complete a South
included a first inning grand slam by Clay Winklaar. but I’ve already done it at 10, when the race jumps American sweep of this
WHO TO WATCH: Japan will have every member of its the Giro so I want to win across the border into year’s three Grand Tours.
talented pitching staff available to throw in Saturday’s here,” Roglic said. “I’ll try France for a 36-kilometer Carapaz, from Ecuador,
game, but it might be the only player not to start a game everything to win it.” (22.3-mile) jaunt from Jur- won the Giro and Bernal,
who has stood out the most. Yuto Misaki has made a relief The 21-day race starts on ancon to Pau. a Colombian, took the
appearance in all three of Japan’s games and hasn’t al- Saturday with a team time “He is a complete rider, French prize.
lowed a run in 5 ? innings, while striking out nine batters. trial to Torrevieja on the better than the rest in the The other top Colombians
Curacao’s Curley Martha has been a force at the plate southeastern coast. time trial, and with a team are Miguel Ángel López of
all tournament. He’s 8-for-13 with a pair of home runs and Last year’s winner Simon that we will have to work Astana, Rigoberto Urán of
six RBIs. His solo home run helped provide an insurance Yates is not defending his hard to stop,” Quintana EF Education First, and Es-
run in the win over South Korea on Thursday and he’s driv- title. Ineos, the powerhouse said of Roglic. “The time teban Chaves of Michel-
en in a run in all but one of Curacao’s games so far. team formerly known as trial is long, but we will have ton-Scott. “It would be the
DID YOU KNOW: Jurdrick Profar, the youngest brother of Sky, is bringing a weaker to do our best.” greatest pride to win La
Oakland Athletics infielder Jurickson Profar, is the third lineup that does not in- LAST RACE Vuelta and have a Latin
Profar brother to play in the Little League World Series clude Tour winner Egan This will likely be the last ma- American party,” Quintana
and has been a key contributor to the Curacao team. Bernal, Geraint Thomas, jor race for Quintana with said. Carapaz was going to
When Jurdrick takes the field Saturday, all three of the or two-time former Vuelta his Movistar team. ride the Vuelta for Movistar
Profar brothers will have made it as far as the internation- champion Chris Froome, Both he and the outfit have but had to pull out due to a
al championship.q who is injured. Also missing said they are parting ways shoulder injury.q