José Ramírez homers as the Guardians beat the White Sox 9-5 to force a decisive Game 5 in ALDS
CHICAGO (AP) — José Ramírez homered and drove in three runs, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 to send their AL Division Series to a winner-take-all Game 5. Pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey also went deep as the Guardians won for the second consecutive day in Chicago after beginning their postseason with two straight losses at home. Jo Adell hit a two-run single to cap a six-run sixth inning for the AL Central champions. Cleveland is looking to become the first major league team to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series since the 2017 New York Yankees accomplished the feat against, well, Cleveland. Game 5 is back in Cleveland on Saturday night.
Bucky Irving and rookie QB Jalon Daniels help Bucs beat sloppy Cowboys 24-16 for 1st win of season
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 165 yards, including a 72-yard run to set up the touchdown that put Tampa Bay ahead for good while scoring twice himself, and the Buccaneers beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 night for their first win of the season. Jalon Daniels threw for a TD pass to Irving in the first half while directing a turnover-free offense amid several Dallas miscues in the just the second start for the undrafted rookie. Daniels is filling in for franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield. Dak Prescott led a 99-yard scoring drive but threw two interceptions as the Cowboys continued an up-and-down start to the season.
LeBron James has a strong start in his first game with the 76ers and expects things to get better
NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James looks set to make a big impact on the Philadelphia 76ers, and the NBA’s career scoring leader may not even need to shoot much to do it. James made his first appearance with his new team Thursday night, getting started on the expected final stop in his NBA career. He did a little bit of everything in the first half of the 76ers’ exhibition game against the Brooklyn Nets. James, who joined the 76ers this summer for his NBA-record 24th season, had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in the first half, helping the 76ers to a 58-56 lead.
MLB proposes shortening regular season to 154 games in 2029, expanding Division Series to best-of-7
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball proposed to shorten the regular season to 154 games from 162 games starting in 2029 and to expand the Division Series to best-of-seven in bargaining with players. Owners also proposed to allow higher-seeded teams in the first two rounds of the postseason to pick their opponents beginning next year and to make Monday a day off for most teams starting in 2029 except for those in one or two nationally broadcast games. Cutting regular-season games would reduce the opportunity for players to set season and career records.
Trump says he'll award fireballer Roger Clemens the Presidential Medal of Freedom
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Roger Clemens, calling him “maybe the greatest pitcher of all time.” Speaking at a rally in San Antonio on Wednesday night, Trump renewed his calls for Clemens to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Clemens, known as “The Rocket,” has faced suspicions of steroid use during his 24-year career. Clemens, attending the event, expressed his surprise and gratitude. Trump has previously awarded the medal to athletes like Tiger Woods and Mariano Rivera and to the late conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.
NFL urges the Supreme Court to rule on regulation of prediction markets
The NFL is urging the Supreme Court to rule on the regulation of prediction markets, arguing in an amicus brief that states are better positioned to oversee sports-related contracts “given the current landscape.” The NFL is supporting New Jersey’s request for the Supreme Court to rule on the governing authority for prediction markets, which provide an opportunity to trade — or wager — on the result of future events. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has maintained it has exclusive federal jurisdiction, while states have argued that the array of typically yes-or-no questions is akin to gambling and falls under their purview.
Jerry Jones' Cowboys have plenty of reason for concern after home loss to winless Buccaneers
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' concerned look just got more bleak. This was a game they expected to win. Instead, the Cowboys fell behind quickly in the second half against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas is 2-3 after the 24-16 loss on Thursday night. Tampa Bay scored 17 points on its first three drives after halftime. After a two-play opening drive out of the break, the Bucs added scores following an interception by Dak Prescott and then a fumbled kickoff return. Dallas still had a chance to tie the game after the 2-minute warning before another Prescott pass was deflected and intercepted.
Caitlin Clark denounces the hateful messages Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell says she received
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark still wants Kelsey Mitchell as a teammate — even though Clark understands that’s not always easy. In her final interview of the season, Clark denounced the hateful messages Mitchell says she received on social media and urged the soon-to-be free agent to stay with the Indiana Fever next season. Mitchell made her comments during an exit interview Saturday. Clark responded Thursday by saying she not only “loves” Mitchell and wants to keep playing with her. Clark also said she was “upset” that Mitchell or anyone else should be subjected to any degrading remarks.
Heat center Bam Adebayo kept the secret that A'ja Wilson was the WNBA's MVP again
MIAMI (AP) — A'ja Wilson has been named the WNBA's Most Valuable Player and her partner, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, knew about the win last week but kept it a secret. This is Wilson's fifth MVP award. The couple has been together since meeting at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Adebayo frequently attends Aces games, and Wilson supports him at Heat games. Wilson has dominated the WNBA since her debut, receiving 54% of first-place votes over nine seasons. She is also an eight-time All-Star with the highest career points per game in WNBA history.
Singing `New York, New York,' Rays revel in recognition as they head to AL Championship Series
NEW YORK (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are celebrating after sweeping the New York Yankees and securing a spot in the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020. They'll host the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians on Monday in their first ALCS game at Tropicana Field since 2008. The Rays, who had an AL-best 98-64 record, are aiming for their first World Series title. The Rays drew their largest crowds of the year for their Division Series games against the Yankees
