BASEBALL

Ex-Dodgers outfielder Wally Moon dies at 87

Wally Moon, a wiry outfielder with an old-school crew cut who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win three World Series titles and became a crowd favorite for his towering “Moon shots,” has died at age 87.

A lefty who was a steady hitter with decent power while with the St. Louis Cardinals, Moon was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1954 but was coming off a down year when he was traded to the Dodgers in 1959. He hit .302 with 19 homers that season, and the Dodgers beat the White Sox in the World Series.

Moon also was on the Dodgers’ championship teams in 1963 and 1965 and retired after the 1965 season.

KIDNAP RESCUE: Venezuelan authorities say police rescued the mother of Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz, three days after she was kidnapped.

Zulia state Gov. Omar Prieto announced Sunday evening on his Twitter account that 72-year-old Ana Isabel Soto was rescued earlier in the day by judicial police, state police and other security officers.

Pirates officials gave no specifics on the case, but Venezuelan media said the 24-year-old player’s mother was kidnapped by three armed men at her home in San Francisco, a city about 430 miles west of Caracas.

TENNIS

SUD DE FRANCE: Second-seeded Lucas Pouille beat fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6 (2), 6-4 in Montpellier, France, to win his fifth career ATP title.

It was Pouille’s fourth straight win against Gasquet, who was playing his sixth straight final at the tournament. Gasquet won it in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

SOCCER

PREMIER LEAGUE: Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino set each other up for goals in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Southampton, moving the Reds within two points of Manchester United for second place.

n Manchester United was surprisingly beaten 1-0 by Newcastle for a second loss in its last three games.

Matt Ritchie’s 65th-minute goal – after a free kick awarded for a dive by United defender Chris Smalling – gave Newcastle a win that lifted it out of the relegation zone.

SPANISH LEAGUE: Barcelona stumbled for the second consecutive weekend, being held to a scoreless draw by Getafe, while Atletico Madrid moved within seven points of the leaders by defeating last-place Malaga, 1-0.

ITALIAN LEAGUE: Inter Milan ended a two-month winless streak with a 2-1 win at home against nine-man Bologna, thanks to a goal by teenager Yann Karamoh.

It was Inter’s first league win since Dec. 3, but the Nerazzurri moved up to third place, a point above Roma.

MOTOR SPORTS

DRAG RACING: Brittany Force escaped serious injury in a wall-banging crash Sunday in the season-opening Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California.

John Force Racing said the 31-year-old Top Fuel driver, the daughter of Funny Car great John Force, sustained no major internal injuries but does have some bruising of the lungs and would remain hospitalized overnight as a precaution.

The defending season champion was racing against Terry Haddock in the first round of eliminations when her 11,000-horsepower dragster veered right just off the start, shot to the left – crossing in front of Haddock – and slammed into the left wall. It flipped on its side but ended up back on what was left of the wheels when it finally skidded to a stop.

– News service report