Gasol completes historic double

BEIJING — Marc Gasol looked to the sky as confetti fell, some sticking to his massive shoulders, and then cradled and kissed the giant golden chalice that goes to the World Cup champions.

He’s getting good at hoisting trophies.

Gasol got to bask in a championship celebration for the second time in three months — and this time, he did it for his country. Tournament MVP Ricky Rubio scored 20 points, Sergio Llull added 15 and Spain won the World Cup for the second time by topping Argentina 9575 on Sunday.

“We weren’t the most talented team,” Rubio said. “We weren’t the bigger team. Put anything you want, but we were the team with the biggest heart and we showed it tonight and we showed it during the whole tournament.”

Gasol scored 14 for the winners, who never trailed and added this crown to the one it claimed in 2006. And for him, 2019 will go down as a year the likes of which few others have enjoyed.

The Toronto Raptors center becomes the second player to win an NBA title and a FIBA world gold medal in the same year, joining Lamar Odom — who did it for the Los An95 75 geles Lakers and USA Basketball in 2010. Gasol also became the 19th to win either an NBA or WNBA crown along with a gold medal, either of the Olympic or World Cup variety, in the same year.

The first 18 all did it for the U.S.

This time, Vamos Espana!

“NBA champion and a World Cup champion as well,” Gasol said. “What can I say? How does it sound to you? I feel very fortunate to be in this position and be able to play this game and help these guys be part of history of Spanish basketball.”

Llull and Rudy Fernandez — the team captain, the one who initially got to accept the Naismith Trophy — went to cut down the nets shortly after the final buzzer. Gasol carried the game ball to the goldmedal ceremony, and Spanish fans wept in the stands during the national anthem.

Gabriel Deck scored 24 points for Argentina (81), which got off to a slow start and played uphill the rest of the way. Luis Scola was held to eight points, shooting 1 for 10 from the floor.

“We’re sad right now. We’re very sad,” Scola said. “But I feel confident, in hours, we’ll be able to look back and be very proud. They just played better than us. They were better. They deserved to win. They were the better team in the game and the tournament.”

TORONTO — Dellin Betances made his season debut for the Yankees, strengthening an already top bullpen.

Jordan Montgomery returned, too, though he likely is tuning up for next season.

Betances faced two batters and struck out both Sunday in a 64 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays that ended a 10game road trip, New York’s longest this season.

“To have him come out and be as sharp as his command as he was encouraging,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully he can put 6 4 himself in a position to be an impact guy for us moving forward.”

A 31yearold righthander, Betances was diagnosed with an impingement in his pitching shoulder after his fourth spring training appearance on March 17. His rehabilitation stopped when the team said June 11 that he had strained his right latissimus dorsi muscle, and Betances did not start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment until September.

After three minor league outings, Betances entered to start the fourth inning and threw seven of eight pitches for strikes. He struck out Reese McGuire on a 95 mph fastball and got Brandon Drury to take three straight strikes, the last an 84 mph curveball.

Betances hopped off the mound after the second out, mistakenly thinking it was the end of the inning.

“I knew I only had a couple of hitters,” Betances said. “That’s why I got a little excited out there.”

Betances said he was “a little nervous” about pitching with just one day of rest in between appearances.

“My arm speed is still not where I want it to be, so I’ve got to attack the strike zone and change speeds, and I was able to do that today,” he said.

New York hopes Betances will be a factor in the playoffs, joining an already strong bullpen that includes Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle and Chad Green. Betances also hopes to show he is at or close to full strength going into an offseason in which he is eligible for free agency.

Catcher Austin Romine said Betances looked “pretty close” to peak form.

“His slider had some good depth and his heater had something behind it,” Romine said. “Pretty encouraging stuff when you see that, especially the swings they were taking.”

Ace starter Luis Severino, also sidelined since spring training by a lat strain, is slated to make his first big league outing this season when the Yankees open their final homestand Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels.