Schlittler and Rice torment hometown team as Yankees beat rival Red Sox 9-0 in playoff opener
NEW YORK (AP) — Cam Schlittler pitched another playoff gem against the Boston Red Sox, and Ben Rice also burned their hometown team with a late grand slam and six RBIs as the New York Yankees opened this Wild Card Series rematch with a 9-0 victory. With the Yankees minus star slugger Aaron Judge because of a calf injury, Rice homered twice, doubled and finished with four hits to power the offense. No. 9 batter Austin Wells drove in two runs for New York, and 21-year-old rookie George Lombard Jr. had three hits in his postseason debut. Rice and Schlittler were both raised among Red Sox fans in Massachusetts and went to college in New England before getting plucked by the Yankees out of Boston’s backyard in baseball’s amateur draft.
Austin Riley's 3-run homer off Jhoan Duran rallies Braves past Phillies 5-3 in NLWCS opener
ATLANTA (AP) — Austin Riley hit a three-run homer off All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning and the Atlanta Braves rallied past the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 on Tuesday in the opener of a best-of-three National League Wild Card Series. Duran, who allowed just two homers in 61 regular-season games, gave up a single to Michael Harris II before hitting Ozzie Albies with a pitch. Riley drove the go-ahead blast over the wall in right-center field. Harris had three hits. Braves ace Chris Sale dueled for much of the game against left-hander Jesus Luzardo, who was sharp after missing the last couple weeks of the regular season with left shoulder inflammation.
White Sox strike first in AL wild card, beating Astros 6-3 in Game 1
HOUSTON (AP) — Colson Montgomery hit a solo homer and Sam Antonacci drove in two runs to lead the Chicago White Sox over the Houston Astros 6-3 in Game 1 of an AL Wild Card Series. The White Sox, in the postseason for the first time since 2021, made a remarkable turnaround this year to become the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth. They had lost 100 games three straight seasons, including 121 defeats in 2024, setting the record for most losses since 1899.
Sonny Gray was booed out of the Bronx. He's back and trying to save the season for the rival Red Sox
NEW YORK (AP) — Sonny Gray will have to save Boston’s season on the mound where his big league career derailed. With the Red Sox trailing after losing the opener of the best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Yankees 9-0, Gray on Wednesday night will face a fan base that gave him the Bronx brush-off in 2017 and 2018. Approaching his 37th birthday, Gray tied for the major league lead with 18 wins this year along with a 2.72 ERA, his best in a full season. He took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Yankees at Fenway Park in June.
Nations League: Yamal helps Spain extend unbeaten run in homecoming game. Gordon, Kane lead England
Lamine Yamal led World Cup winner Spain as it defeated Croatia in the Nations League to add to its record unbeaten streak in its homecoming game, while England rebounded from its opening loss to the world champions with a win over 10-man Czech Republic. Yamal scored twice and set up another goal as Spain beat Croatia 4-1 at home to reach 40 games unbeaten. England needed second-half goals by Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane to defeat the Czechs 2-0, with the hosts playing a man down from the 23rd minute after Pavel Sulc was shown a red card.
White Sox receive a letter from Pope Leo XIV before winning playoff opener
HOUSTON (AP) — The Chicago White Sox received a letter from Pope Leo XIV on the same day of their playoff opener against the Houston Astros. The Sept. 9 letter was addressed to White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The team says the note arrived at Chicago’s Rate Field ahead of Game 1 of its AL Wild Card Series against the Astros. Leo is a White Sox fan dating to his days growing up in Chicago. He was known as Robert Prevost or Father Bob when he went to the World Series opener 21 years ago, a 5-3 White Sox victory over the Astros.
Now that it has passed the Senate, what comes next with the Protect College Sports Act?
The Senate has passed a bill aimed at controlling spending and addressing issues in college sports. The bill, which took over four months to pass, faces challenges in the House. Sen. Ted Cruz hopes the House will pass it within four weeks, but the House isn't scheduled to return until after the midterm elections. Some Republicans and Democrats have concerns about the bill, including antitrust protections and the employment status of student-athletes. The bill offers lawsuit protections to the NCAA and increases revenue-sharing with athletes. If the bill doesn't pass, conferences may consider self-governance models.
Dodgers expect a healthier Shohei Ohtani for Game 1 of the NLDS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani to be healthier for the postseason. The two-way superstar played the final five games of the regular season after recovering from injuries. With five days off before the National League Division Series begins Saturday, Ohtani has time to rest and refine his hitting. He went 5 for 21 in those five games. General manager Brandon Gomes says Ohtani is feeling great physically. Despite injuries, Ohtani hit .275 with 30 home runs in the regular season. Manager Dave Roberts is confident Ohtani will be a threat at the top of the lineup.
Man City guilty of almost all the 115 financial charges, Premier League says in explosive verdict
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The Premier League says Manchester City has been found guilty of almost all of the 115 charges of financial wrongdoing in one of the biggest scandals in English soccer history. City now faces severe sanctions that could include a huge points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League. It is set to cause huge reputational damage to its Abu Dhabi ownership. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says the explosive verdict by an independent commission “details how the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade.” The case that was initiated by the Premier League more than three years ago and first arose in 2018 from leaked club emails and documents.
No. 8-seeded Liberty sweep top-seeded Lynx 87-71 in quarterfinals, advance to WNBA semifinals
NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the No. 8 seed New York Liberty beat the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 of their WNBA playoff series and advanced to the semifinals. Breanna Stewart added 21 points and Sabrina Ionescu had 18 to help the Liberty become the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history. The WNBA has undergone a number of different playoff formats. And in many of the formats, it wasn’t possible for those seeds to match up. However, in 2022 the league changed to the current format in which the top eight teams play in the quarterfinals. Now, New York awaits the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series. The Dream are up 1-0 and play at Washington on Wednesday night. The semifinals begin Sunday.
