Yahoo Sports AM: 162 games later
👋 Good morning! The WNBA couldn't have scripted a better finish, with the two superteams in New York and Las Vegas now set to meet in the Finals. Game 1 is Sunday.
— Kendall Baker (email), Jeff Tracy (email)
Let's sports...
HEADLINES
🏀 Jrue to Boston: In a follow-up trade to last week's Damian Lillard blockbuster, the Celtics landed Jrue Holiday from the Trail Blazers in exchange for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon and two first-round picks.
🏈 AP poll: Georgia's hold on the No. 1 spot loosened after a narrow win over Auburn. The Bulldogs received a season-low 35 first-place votes, with No. 2 Michigan (12), No. 3 Texas (10), No. 4 Ohio State (1) and No. 5 FSU (4) getting the others.
🥊 Canelo tops Charlo: Canelo Alvarez dominated Jermell Charlo on Saturday in a battle of undisputed champions. "I'm the best," said the 33-year-old Alvarez. "Nobody can beat this Canelo."
💔 RIP, Tim Wakefield: The Red Sox legend died of brain cancer at age 57, the team announced Sunday. "Tim's kindness and indomitable spirit were as legendary as his knuckleball," said owner John Henry.
⛳️ More than a medal: Golfers Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim helped South Korea win gold at the Asian Games, exempting them from serving two years of mandatory military service before age 35.
BRING ON THE PLAYOFFS
MLB's regular season concluded on Sunday, setting the stage for the 12-team postseason, Jeff writes.
Playoffs: The Wild Card Round starts tomorrow, with the higher seed hosting each best-of-three series. Winners advance to face the top two seeds in each league, who've already earned byes.
No. 6 Blue Jays at No. 3 Twins: Winner faces the No. 2 Astros in the ALDS.
No. 5 Rangers at No. 4 Rays: Winner faces the No. 1 Orioles in the ALDS.
No. 6 Diamondbacks at No. 3 Brewers: Winner faces the No. 2 Dodgers in the NLDS.
No. 5 Marlins at No. 4 Phillies: Winner faces the No. 1 Braves in the NLDS.
Notes:
Title odds: The Braves are World Series favorites (+275), followed by the Dodgers (+425), Orioles (+600) and Astros (+750), per BetMGM. The Diamondbacks and Marlins (+5000) are the two biggest longshots.
Streaks continue: The Dodgers (11 straight appearances), Astros (seven), Braves (six) and Rays (five) are currently riding four of the 13 longest postseason streaks in MLB history.
Quick turnarounds: In 2021, four teams had 100+ loss seasons (Orioles, Pirates, Rangers, Diamondbacks). Two seasons later, three of them are in the playoffs.
Down to the wire: The Astros clinched their third straight AL West crown on the final day, winning their final four games to overtake the Rangers, who lost three of their last four, and the Mariners, who fell just short of the playoffs.
100-win teams: For the sixth straight full season, at least three teams won 100+ games (Braves won 104, Orioles won 101, Dodgers won 100). Prior to this streak, there had been only five other seasons with that many 100-win teams.
Making your wins count: The Marlins (-56) and Diamondbacks (-15) both made the playoffs despite a negative run differential. Only five other teams had ever done that before in a full season. Meanwhile, the Cubs (+96), Mariners (+99) and Padres (+104) all missed the playoffs.
Money doesn't equal wins: For the second time in the Wild Card era, the top three teams in payroll (Mets, Yankees, Padres) all missed the playoffs. The only other time that's happened was in 2008 (Mets, Yankees, Tigers).
Further reading:MLB playoff power rankings
EUROPE WINS THE RYDER CUP AT HOME (AGAIN)
It took a little while longer to secure than the home team would have liked, but the Ryder Cup is going back to Europe, writes Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee.
Quick recap: Team Europe thoroughly dominated their American counterparts through the first three sessions, then held off an American charge during Sunday's singles matches in Rome. The day ended with the gallery swarming the entire course as the Americans could only watch.
Day 1: Team USA got off to a historically bad start, failing to record a single victory in a Ryder Cup day for the first time ever. Fueled by a raucous crowd at Marco Simone, the Europeans took a commanding 6.5-1.5 lead into the second day.
Day 2:HatGate took center stage on Saturday when a report alleged Patrick Cantlay wasn't wearing his hat to protest the lack of payment to players (Cantlay denies this). The day ended with Rory McIlroy and Cantlay's caddie getting into a heated argument.
Day 3: Europe slammed the door shut on Sunday to win their seventh straight Ryder Cup on home soil. The final score was 16.5-11.5, not quite the 19-9 butt-kicking the Americans delivered at Whistling Straits in 2021, but a statement win nonetheless.
Rory with the quote of the day: "I've said for the last 6-7 years to anyone that will listen that one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup. And that's what we’re going to do at Bethpage."
The next five Ryder Cups hosts:
2025: Bethpage Black (Farmingdale, New York)
2027: Adare Manor (County Limerick, Ireland)
2029: Hazeltine National (Chaska, Minnesota)
2031: Europe (undecided)
2033: Olympic Club (San Francisco)
NFL WEEK 4: SUNDAY SCOREBOARD
Sunday's NFL slate featured some thrilling games — and a bunch of blowouts.
Close contests: Six games were decided by one score, with two needing overtime.
Chiefs 23, Jets 20: Zach Wilson played well in front of Donna Kelce — I mean, Taylor Swift. But it wasn't enough to beat Isiah Pacheco (158 total yards, TD) and the defending champs.
Eagles 34, Commanders 31 (OT): Jake Elliott drilled a 54-yarder to keep Philly perfect (4-0). Solid showing from Sam Howell and the 'Manders.
Rams 29, Colts 23 (OT): Puka Nacua scored the walk-off in Indy. That's now 39 catches for the breakout rookie, the most by any player through four career games (and it's not even close!).
Broncos 31, Bears 28: The bad news for Chicago? They're 0-4 and have lost 14 straight games. The good news? They currently own the top two picks* in the 2024 draft (one via the Panthers).
Vikings 21, Panthers 13: Minnesota won the other matchup of winless teams, mounting a second-half comeback behind All-World receiver Justin Jefferson (85 yards, 2 TDs).
Chargers 24, Raiders 17: Khalil Mack had six sacks, one shy of the NFL record held by Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas.
Blowouts: The other eight games were all extremely lopsided, with an average margin of victory of 23.5 points.
Bills 48, Dolphins 20: Miami got served some humble pie in Buffalo, losing by 28 points a week after winning by 50. Damar Hamlin made his return for the Bills, playing on kickoff coverage.
49ers 35, Cardinals 16: Christian McCaffrey was nearly unstoppable (177 total yards, 4 TDs) and Brock Purdy was nearly perfect (20/21, 283 yards, TD) for the undefeated Niners.
Cowboys 38, Patriots 3: Dallas thoroughly dominated New England, handing Bill Belichick the worst loss of his head coaching career.
Jaguars 23, Falcons 7: Jacksonville emerged victorious in their first of two straight London games. ICYMI: ESPN's "Toy Story" broadcast was awesome.
Texans 30, Steelers 6: Pittsburgh lost its QB (Kenny Pickett, knee), while Houston appears to have found theirs. For the fourth straight game, rookie C.J. Stroud had 300+ passing yards.
Titans 27, Bengals 3: Derrick Henry (1) had more passing TDs than Joe Burrow (0). He also added 122 rushing yards and a score, fueling a dominant win.
Buccaneers 26, Saints 9: Most preseason projections banished Tampa Bay to the NFC South basement. After four weeks, they stand alone at the top.
Ravens 28, Browns 3: John Harbaugh won his 150th game, moving him past Bill Cowher for 24th on the all-time list.
Quick links:
Fun fact: The 1992 Colts are the only Big Four sports team to ever have the first two picks in the same draft. They took Washington DE Steve Emtman and Texas A&M linebacker Quentin Coryatt.
IN PHOTOS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL, WEEK 5
Durham, North Carolina — A week after suffering a last-second loss to Ohio State, Notre Dame returned the favor against Duke, winning 21-14 on Audric Estimé's TD run with 31 seconds left.
Oxford, Mississippi — Speaking of last-minute victories, Ole Miss fans stormed the field after their Rebels beat LSU, 55-49, on a go-ahead score with 39 seconds left. What an epic game.
Lexington, Kentucky — Ray Davis (280 rushing yards) and Kentucky routed Florida*, 33-14, to move into the AP poll at No. 20 — and drop the Gators out entirely.
More from Week 5:
*Oh, how the tables have turned: From 1987 to 2017, Kentucky lost 31 straight games against Florida. Since then, they've won four of six, including three straight.
DAILY RANKING: MLB JERSEY SALES
Shohei Ohtani had the best-selling MLB jersey this season, the first time a Japanese player has finished in the top spot. 10 of the top 20 players were born outside the U.S.
Top 20:
Shohei Ohtani, Angels
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
Aaron Judge, Yankees
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Mookie Betts, Dodgers
José Altuve, Astros
Julio Rodríguez, Mariners
Matt Olson, Braves
Alex Bregman, Astros
Mike Trout, Angels
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
Austin Riley, Braves
Joey Votto, Reds
Corey Seager, Rangers
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Elly De La Cruz, Reds
Manny Machado, Padres
Ozzie Albies, Braves
Francisco Lindor, Mets
Adley Rutschman, Orioles
By division: The AL West leads the way with six players on this list, followed by the NL East (five), NL West (four), AL East (three) and NL Central (two). The AL Central is not represented.
OCT. 2, 2016: VIN SAYS FAREWELL
Seven years ago today, the late Vin Scully called his final game, a 7-1 Dodgers loss to the Giants, Jeff writes.
Vin's final sign off: After 67 years and more than 9,000 games* — including 18 no-hitters and three perfect games — it was finally time for the baseball legend to hang up his microphone. And boy, did he do so beautifully…
You know, friends, so many people have wished me congratulations on a 67-year career in baseball, and they've wished me a wonderful retirement with my family, and now, all I can do is tell you what I wish for you.
May God give you, for every storm, a rainbow; for every tear, a smile; for every care, a promise; and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share; for every sigh, a sweet song, and an answer for each prayer.
You and I have been friends for a long time, but I know, in my heart, I've always needed you more than you've ever needed me, and I'll miss our time together more than I can say. But, you know what, there will be a new day, and, eventually, a new year, and when the upcoming winter gives way to spring, ooh, rest assured, once again, it will be time for Dodger baseball.
So, this is Vin Scully wishing you a pleasant good afternoon, wherever you may be.
🖐️ 1977: After Dusty Baker hit his 30th HR of the season, he and rookie teammate Glenn Burke celebrated at home plate with what is believed to be the first-ever high five.
🏈 2005: The Cardinals beat the 49ers in Mexico City in the NFL's first regular-season game played outside the U.S. There have been 39 more since then, including Sunday's game in London.
*Worth a listen: Scully's 20 most legendary calls
WATCHLIST: MNF RETURNS TO METLIFE
The Giants host the Seahawks tonight* (8:15pm ET, ABC/ESPN) in their first home game since losing 40-0 to the Cowboys, and the first "Monday Night Football" game at MetLife Stadium since the infamous Aaron Rodgers game three weeks ago.
Alternate broadcast: Will Ferrell joins ESPN2's ManningCast for the show's return after a two-week hiatus.
Betting lines: Spread: SEA -1.5 | O/U: 47 | Money: SEA -125, NYG +105
More to watch:
⚽️ NWSL:Angel City FC vs. Orlando Pride (10pm, CBSSN) … They're tied for seventh with three games left and sitting just two points behind sixth (top six teams make playoffs).
⚽️ Premier League:Fulham vs. Chelsea (3pm, USA)
🏒 NHL preseason:Senators at Penguins (6pm, NHL)
Fun fact: The Seahawks have the best record of any NFL team in Monday games (29-12), per StatMuse. The Giants have the second-worst (26-48-3).
MLB TRIVIA
Miguel Cabreraplayed his final game on Sunday, ending his career as one of just three players in MLB history with 500 home runs, 3,000 hits and a .300 career batting average.
Question: Can you name the other two players?
Hint: They were All-Star teammates 22 times.
Answer at the bottom.
BAKER'S DOZEN: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEKEND
I watched all the top highlights from the weekend, chose the best 13 and put them in one place for you to enjoy because that’s what friends do.
___
Trivia answer: Hank Aaron and Willie Mays
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