Fried, Bellinger and García lead Yankees over Red Sox 9-2 for 2-game Wild Card Series sweep
NEW YORK (AP) — Max Fried dominated Boston in the playoffs for the second straight year, Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr. homered, and the New York Yankees romped over the Red Sox 9-2 for a two-game AL Wild Card Series sweep. Clinging to a 2-1 lead after Willson Contreras homered to end Boston’s 26-inning postseason scoreless streak, the Yankees broke the game open with a six-run sixth after Spencer Jones reached on a wild pitch while striking out leading off — with the help of a video review. New York will face AL East champion Tampa Bay in an AL Division Series starting Saturday.
Investigators say a money trail ultimately exposed Manchester City's financial schemes
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The alleged scheming that allowed Manchester City to circumvent European soccer's financial fair-play rules was both sophisticated and, at its core, as simple as it gets. An investigatory panel's findings Tuesday contend that after buying a 90% stake in City in 2008, an Abu Dhabi-based private investment company “ultimately owned by” a member of the United Arab Emirates’ ruling family wanted to turn it into a powerhouse. Financial rules, though, prevent teams from spending far beyond what they earn, no matter how wealthy their owners are. According to the Premier League, City set up complex schemes to disguise that it was unfairly being bankrolled by its owner from 2009 until 2018. The club denies wrongdoing and has vowed to appeal.
Red Sox handed another quick playoff exit by rival Yankees after 2 quick hooks by Tracy backfire
NEW YORK (AP) — With the Boston bats ice cold at Yankee Stadium again, a couple of quick hooks by Red Sox rookie manager Chad Tracy led to an early postseason exit. Same story, different year. And this time, it wasn’t even close. For the second consecutive season, the Red Sox were sent home for the winter by their biggest rivals when the New York Yankees rolled to a 9-2 victory Wednesday night and a two-game sweep of their Wild Card Series. While the Yankees easily advanced to a best-of-five Division Series against AL East champion Tampa Bay, the Red Sox were outscored 18-2 overall and left to lament a miserable finish to this roller-coaster ride of a season.
Potential sanctions against Man City could range from fines to expulsion from the Premier League
Manchester City faces an uncertain future after being found guilty of breaking the Premier League's financial rules for nearly a decade. An independent commission delivered the verdict, leaving open various sanctions, including fines, points deduction, or even expulsion from the league. City, owned by the Abu Dhabi-controlled City Football Group, rejects the verdict and promises a relentless campaign to clear its name. The case dates back to 2018 and covers financial dealings from 2009-18. Rival teams may seek compensation, and an independent soccer regulator could force the removal of City's owners. The situation remains one of the biggest scandals in English soccer history.
White Sox pounce early, finish sweep of Astros for first playoff series win since 2005
HOUSTON (AP) — The Chicago White Sox used a big first inning and a three-run homer from Chase Meidroth to propel them to a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros to sweep their AL Wild Card Series. It’s the first time Chicago has won a playoff series since beating Houston in the World Series in 2005. Under the direction of second-year skipper Will Venable and with a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, the White Sox advanced to face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland.
Harper atones for outfield gaffe, Bohm homers in 10th as Phillies beat Braves 4-3 to force Game 3
ATLANTA (AP) — Alec Bohm put Philadelphia ahead with a two-out home run in the 10th inning and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 to force a decisive third game in their National League Wild Card Series. The Phillies rallied with back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper after trailing 3-1 in the seventh. Harper’s homer made up for a crucial fielding mistake an inning earlier. Andrew Painter, a starter in the regular season, saved the Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen with three scoreless innings to close things out. Painter stranded two runners in the 10th when he struck out Dominic Smith with a successful ABS challenge.
Ogunbowale scores WNBA playoff-record 45 as Wings win in OT to force deciding game with Valkyries
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale scored a WNBA playoff-record 45 points, including a tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, and the Dallas Wings beat the Golden State Valkyries 108-100 in an overtime thriller, forcing a deciding Game 3 in their first-round series. Ogunbowale opened the extra period by banking in a 3, then hit another one to put Dallas ahead for good at 103-100 with 1:46 remaining. Gabby Williams scored a career-high 36 points for the Valkyries. The deciding game will be Friday night in San Francisco.
Ronaldo quits Portugal camp after learning he won't start game, vows to one day tell truth over exit
Cristiano Ronaldo has walked out on Portugal’s training camp hours after coach Jorge Jesus said the star forward would not start the game against Denmark in the Nations League on Thursday. The 41-year-old Ronaldo says that “in time” he will “tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons” behind his departure. Jesus had said in the pre-game news conference that he was not planning to start Ronaldo. But he dismissed the notion there was a feud between the pair.
Thin MLB crowds in Atlanta, Houston reflect challenge of selling afternoon Wild Card Series tickets
There has been a noticeable number of empty seats for MLB's Wild Card Series games that are played in the afternoon. The Atlanta Braves drew just over 30,000 fans at Truist Park on Tuesday, well short of the stadium's capacity over 41,000. The Houston Astros had a similar problem, drawing roughly 34,000 fans at Daikin Park, which also holds more than 41,000. Since MLB permanently expanded the playoffs to a 12-team bracket in 2022, attendance at day games during the Wild Card Series has been a problem. The main issue is it's hard for fans to attend day games during the week because people have to work and children are back in school.
Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy find themselves in unfortunate company early this NFL season
Drake Maye has followed up a season when he was the MVP runner-up with an opening month that has been reminiscent of some of the biggest recent draft busts. J.J. McCarthy also finds himself among not-so-illustrious company after being dealt away following a quick flameout in Minnesota. Two of the record-tying six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 draft aren’t having the best starts to the 2026 season.
