MEXICO CITY (AP) — Toluca defeated the UANL Tigres on penalty kicks 9-8 on Sunday night to win the Apertura tournament title and became the fifth team since 1996 to win back-to-back titles in the Mexican league.
Fernando Gorriaran put the visitors side ahead in the 12th minute, but Brazilian winger Helinho leveled the scoring in the 41st and Portuguese striker Paulinho put Toluca ahead in the 52nd to send the match into extra time with a 2-2 aggregate.
Former Atletico Madrid winger Ángel Correa gave the UANL Tigres a 1-0 lead in the first leg of the final.
The Red Devils joined Pumas, León, Atlas and America as teams that have repeated league titles in Mexico since 1996, when the league started playing two tournaments each year.
Toluca now has 12 league titles to tie Chivas as the second winningest team in Mexico. Both teams trail America, which has 16.
Toluca's coach Antonio Mohamed won his fifth league title in Mexico and is two short of the all-time leaders Ignacio Trelles and Ricardo Ferretti.
Alexis Vega converted Toluca’s first and 12th penalties, with the latter securing the win in a 24-kick shootout. His successful strike ended a streak of five consecutive misses — three from UANL Tigres and two from Toluca — clinching victory for the Red Devils.
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Players of Toluca and Tigres protest referee Cesar Ramos during the Mexican soccer league second leg final match in Toluca, Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Toluca's Helinho celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Tigres during the Mexican soccer league second leg final match in Toluca, Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Toluca's Jesus Angulo, left, and Alexis Vega celebrate their side's second goal scored by Paulinho against Tigres during the Mexican soccer league second leg final match in Toluca, Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Left-hander Jesús Luzardo and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed on a $135 million, five-year contract that starts in 2027, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been announced.
The 28-year-old Luzardo went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 183 2/3 innings and was second in the National League with 212 strikeouts in his first season with the Phillies.
Luzardo agreed in January to an $11 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration. He entered this season seven days shy of six years of major league service, a level that would have made him eligible for free agency.
He was acquired ahead of the 2025 season in a trade with Miami and instantly helped solidify the rotation – he struck out 11 in his first start against Washington -- as the Phillies won their second straight NL East championship. The only time a pitcher recorded more strikeouts in his first game with Philadelphia came in 1997, when Garrett Stephenson had 12 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Luzardo is 41-41 over seven seasons that also included stops with Oakland and the Marlins. He is the latest Phillies starter to agree to a long-term deal.
Cristopher Sánchez has a $22.5 million, four-year contract through the 2028 season, Zack Wheeler a $126 million deal through the 2027 and Aaron Nola a $172 million, seven=-year agreement through 2030. Rookie Andrew Painter is expected to earn the fifth-starter spot in the rotation
The Phillies had a busy offseason. They gave manager Rob Thomson a one-year extension through 2027 after he led the Phillies to their fourth straight playoff appearance, signed NL home run champion Kyle Schwarber to a $150 million, five-year deal and three-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to a $45 million, three-year contract.
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
FILE - Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo throws out Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez at first during the fourth inning in Game 2 of baseball's National League Division Series, Oct. 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
