Cleveland —The Cleveland Indians swung for the free-agent fences and connected.

Capping a year in which they came within one victory of winning the World Series, the Indians agreed with slugger Edwin Encarnacion on a $60 million, three-year contract on Thursday night.

The deal is contingent upon the 33-year-old Encarnacion passing a physical after the holidays, two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the agreement.

One of baseball’s most feared power hitters, Encarnacion had 42 home runs and 127 RBIs last season for the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost to Cleveland in the AL Championship Series. Over the past five seasons, he’s averaged 39 homers and 110 RBIs in 145 games.

Encarnacion reportedly turned down a four-year offer from Toronto worth at least $80 million before hitting the open market. The AL champion Indians swooped in and worked out a deal to bring in a player who could help put them back in position to win their first Series title since 1948.

Cleveland came within one win of taking it all last season, jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the Series before the Chicago Cubs rallied to win in seven games and capture their first title in 108 years.

Former Utilityman Phil Gagliano Dies

Memphis, Tenn. — Phil Gagliano, a utilityman who played for four different teams in a 12-year major league baseball career, has died. He was 74.

Gagliano played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1963-70. He later played for the Chicago Cubs (1970), Boston Red Sox (1971-72) and Cincinnati Reds (1973-74).

Gagliano batted .238 with 14 homers and 159 RBIs in 702 career games.

College Football Vandals Win Potato Bowl

Boise, Idaho — Matt Linehan threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a another score to help Idaho beat Colorado State 61-50 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in the third-highest scoring game in bowl history.

Idaho (9-4) matched its highest victory total since moving to FBS in 1996, but the victory will do nothing to quell the debate over the school’s decision to move back down to FCS play. In April, the Sun Belt informed the school it was dropping Idaho after the 2017 season.

Colorado State (7-6) finished with a bowl loss for the second straight year.

Men’s College Basketball No. 16 Indiana 97Austin Peay 62

Bloomington, Ind. — James Blackmon Jr. scored 24 points and Robert Johnson added 20 as Indiana blew out Austin Peay.

Indiana (10-2) extended its home-court winning streak to 26 games — the fifth-longest in school history.

No. 24 Cincinnati 93Marshall 91 (ot)

Cincinnati — Troy Caupain rebounded his missed shot and made a short jumper with 0.7 seconds left in overtime, rallying Cincinnati over Marshall.

The Bearcats (10-2) trailed by as many as 15 points in regulation and held the lead only briefly, 75-74 on Tre Scott’s free throw with 2:49 left.

A 3-pointer by Jacob Evans III off a Marshall turnover tied it at 80 and sent it to overtime.