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Gabriel Arias also went deep for the Guardians, who took two of three games in the series from the two-time defending champions.

Williams (1-1) walked three and allowed only two hits, both singles by Andy Pages. Freddie Freeman homered off Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth, spoiling Cleveland's shutout bid.

Williams overpowered the Dodgers from the outset and faced just one batter more than the minimum through five innings. He ran into his only trouble in the sixth when Pages led off with a single and Alex Freeland worked a walk to bring Shohei Ohtani to the plate as the potential go-ahead run.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander induced a grounder from Ohtani on the first pitch for a 4-6-3 double play and got Kyle Tucker to fly out to end the inning.

Williams completed his night with a perfect seventh, punctuated by striking out Will Smith swinging on an elevated 96 mph fastball.

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Ohtani also struck out against left-hander Erik Sabrowski with runners at second and third to end the eighth. Ohtani went 0 for 3 with a walk at the plate, extending his on-base streak to a career-best 37 games since last August.

Yamamoto (1-1) pitched six innings, allowing four hits and two runs. He walked one and struck out two.

The loss dampened a historic night for the Dodgers, who became the first team to start a Japanese-born pitcher in three consecutive games. Roki Sasaki took the ball in the series opener andOhtani won the middle game.

Up next

LHP Joey Cantillo (0-0) starts Cleveland's home opener Friday against the Chicago Cubs.

Dodgers RHP Emmet Sheehan (0-0) starts the opener of a three-series at Washington on Friday.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/mlb

Connecticut, Illinois, Arizona and Michigan made the national semifinals with their major playmakers having the primary roles. But what has allowed this quartet to reach the biggest stage in men's college basketball is that they also get significant contributions from people outside the spotlight. It's going to take more than the top guys to cut down the nets − just look atUConn's Braylon Mullinsin the Elite Eight.

So, which under-the-radar players have the chance to step up and be the catalyst for a national championship? Here is one player to watch for each team.

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nebraska's Berke Buyuktuncel celebrates with fans following a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on March 21, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Arkansas Razorbacks cheerleaders in the second half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Ore.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.

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See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournamentat Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

Connecticut: Malachi Smith

The health of Silas Demary Jr. has been a talking point for UConn as the lead guard, but Smith has stepped up well and become a reliable guard during the tournament.

It was big for Smith, who started in 77 games at Dayton before transferring to Storrs this season, to accept a bench role for the Huskies, but he's wound up becoming a vital part of the second unit, and his value has only risen as the season ended. After averaging 2.7 assists per game before the tournament began, he's averaging 5.5 in the four tournament games. Smith made the most his starting role in the first two rounds, when he played more than 30 minutes against Furman and UCLA.

Even with Demary back, Smith has earned increased minutes and it's paying off for Dan Hurley.

Illinois: Kylan Boswell

It makes sense to see a senior playing a big role for Illinois, but it's easy to forget Boswell is won't turn 21 until later this month, and he'll have to play up to his experience in order for the Fighting Illini to break through.

A look at the stat sheet may make you wonder how Boswell makes such a difference − averaging just 8.3 points and 2 assists during the tournament − but he is the heart and soul of the team, a guy that brings energy and intensity. That will be needed defensively since Connecticut is one of the best teams sharing, so he will have to bring pressure to limit passing lanes. Illinois' offense has done well, but it could really use Boswell as he has struggled to score, as he went a combined 0-for-7 from the field in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. If he can find a shooting touch, that makes the back court mightily stronger.

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The Final Four means a lot to many, but Boswell is playing a big part on his hometown team. The Champaign native will have the chance to bring its first national title home.

Arizona: Ivan Kharchenkov

You want someone that is willing to lay it all on the line every single play? Kharchenkov is your guy.

There may no be no one with more hustle than than the freshman from Germany who is diving for the ball and playing an aggressive style of ball that really makes opponents uncomfortable. If you look at moments where Arizona swung momentum to its side, most of the time its because of Kharchenkov. Not only that, but he's raised his level in the postseason. He entered the NCAA Tournament averaging 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, but he's improved that to 14 point and 6.5 rebounds per contest.

Teams cannot relax when Kharchenkov is on the court, as he is will do the little things that could be the key moments in an Arizona win.

Michigan: Elliot Cadeau

Michigan is the highest-scoring offense left in the tournament, averaging 87.7 points per game. None of it happens withoutthe guard play of Cadeau.

The North Carolina transfer has had a renaissance in Ann Arbor, averaging 5.8 assists per game. While he's been dishing it out at a great rate, he's really honed in on taking care of the ball, with fewer than four turnovers in each of the last six games. That's on top averaging a career-best 10.2 points per game and becoming a reliable 3-point shooter. What makes it even more incredible? He is partially deaf in his right ear, has asthma and had surgery his freshman year to treat a progressive eye disorder.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara get most of the attention, but the offense doesn't move as exceptional as it does without Cadeau. Michigan needs its guard to spearhead the attack to keep the offense as lethal as its been all season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Final Four X-factors for Arizona, Michigan, UConn, Illinois

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansenlaunched Wednesday evening on a 10-day journeyto circle Earth and the moon.

"After a brief, 54-year intermission, NASA is back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Wednesday at a post-launch news briefing.

The launch of the Artemis II mission was the first time thatNASA's Space Launch System rocketand Orion spacecraft carried human passengers into orbit.

The flight is intended as a step toward a planned moon landing in 2028.

An estimated 250,000 space fans flocked to central Florida to see the Artemis II mission lift off. Though a few minor issues cropped up during the countdown, they were resolved quickly, and the rocket made a stunning ascent through cloudless skies.

Now that the astronauts have reached space, they will have little downtime. For their first 8½ hours in orbit, the crew is tasked with testing out the Orion capsule's various systems, including the potable water dispenser, the toilet and the air quality control system.

Another crucial test is to practice a docking procedure using the Space Launch System's upper stage as a target. The technology demonstration will be crucial for future Artemis missions, during which astronauts will need to dock with a commercially built lunar lander before they travel down to the moon's surface.

On Thursday, NASA will prepare for a major engine burn to send the Orion capsule toward the moon. Called the trans-lunar injection burn (TLI), the crucial maneuver is scheduled to take place roughly 24 hours into the mission. Flight controllers will meet earlier in the day to decide whether to proceed with the burn, which would put the astronauts on an irreversible path around the moon.

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"We're looking to make sure that the life-support systems work, the vehicle's healthy," Norm Knight, director of NASA's Flight Operations Directorate, said after the launch. "Once we commit to TLI, they have to function."

If all goes according to plan, theArtemis II astronautswill spend the following three days journeying to the moon.

Their next major milestone will come Monday, when they are scheduled to fly around the moon. When they do, they could venture farther from Earth than any humans have before, surpassing the distance record of 248,655 miles set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.

Over the course of the flyby, the Artemis II astronauts will come within 4,000 to 6,000 miles of the moon's surface,according to NASA. From that vantage point, the moon should appear about the size of a basketball held at arm's length.

As the astronauts swing around the moon, they will become the first to see parts of the lunar surface with human eyes. That is because the far side of the moon always faces away from Earth.

After the flyby, the astronauts will spend the final few days of the mission traveling back to Earth. They are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on April 10.

Artemis II is a key part of NASA's efforts to return astronauts to the moon and establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface. The agency eventually hopes to build a base on the moon.

Next year, NASA aims to launch the Artemis III mission, which will conduct technology demonstrations in low-Earth orbit with the commercially built moon landers. SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing landers to carry NASA astronauts from lunar orbit down to the moon's surface, so the mission could test one or both.

Then, NASA aims to launch the Artemis IV mission sometime in 2028 to land on the moon.

NEED TO KNOW

• No injuries were reported, though videos posted online showed widespread disruption and at least one crash involving a halted vehicle.

• The incident adds to growing concerns about autonomous vehicle safety, following recent issues in the U.S. involving driverless cars

Passengers in Wuhan, China, were left stranded in the middle of busy streets after a large group of self-driving taxis stopped working at the same time.

A mass outage involving at least 100 robotaxis caused the vehicles to halt mid-traffic on Tuesday evening, with authorities later attributing the disruption to a "system malfunction." Officials did not provide further details, and no injuries were reported, per theAssociated Press.

Videoscirculating on social media showed driverless cars sitting motionless in active roadways, some blocking lanes and intersections.In one clip, a crash involving a stopped vehicle could be seen, though theBBC reportedthere were no injuries and that passengers were able to exit the vehicles safely.

The vehicles are operated by Apollo Go, an autonomous ride-hailing service run by Chinese tech company Baidu. The company has been expanding its robotaxi operations across China and has plans to grow internationally, according toCNBC.

For passengers inside the cars, the experience was both confusing and unsettling.

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According to the Associated Press, one passenger told Chinese media that their robotaxi stopped shortly after turning a corner. A message displayed on the vehicle's screen read, "Driving system malfunction. Staff are expected to arrive in 5 minutes." When no one arrived, the passenger pressed an SOS button and was again told that help was on the way. The rider was ultimately able to open the door and exit the vehicle on their own.

The Wuhan incident comes amid a series of recent issues involving self-driving vehicles, both in the United States and abroad.

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In December, a widespreadpower outage in San Franciscoleft roughly 130,000 homes and businesses without electricity, PEOPLE reported at the time. During the blackout, driverless cars were unable to function properly without traffic signals, stopping in the middle of roads and contributing to traffic jams.

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