Baseball: Felix Hernandez will make $27 million in the final year of his new $175 million, seven-year contract with the Seattle Mariners, which includes a conditional eighth-year option should he need elbow ligament surgery during the length of the deal.

Hernandez also is receiving a $6 million signing bonus for the contract he signed on Wednesday, the largest deal for a pitcher in baseball history. The signing bonus is payable within 30 days of the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball, and he’ll make $19 million this season and $22 million in 2014. The $47 million due during 2013-14 is $6.5 million more than he was due under his previous deal.

Associated Press

Whitworth out to wrap up title

Basketball: Whitworth closes out the Northwest Conference men’s basketball regular season this weekend on the road, suddenly looking to right a ship that had been on cruise control.

Whitworth has lost two consecutive game and the Pirates’ four-game lead in the NWC standings has been halved. The Pirates (12-2 in conference, 20-3 overall) now lead second-place Whitman (10-4) by two games.

The Pirates have seen their national ranking in the D3hoops.com poll fall nine places, from No. 3 to No. 12 in this week’s Top 25 list.

For the third straight game, Whitworth can clinch the outright NWC regular-season championship with a victory – this time in McMinnville, Ore., against last-place Linfield (3-11).

The Pirates’ regular-season finale is Saturday night in Salem against Willamette (4-10).

The Northwest Conference tournament begins Thursday.

The pairings for the national tournament will be announced Feb. 25.

Steve Christilaw