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🚨 Headlines
🏀 Not unanimous: Caitlin Clark was named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year, though she fell one vote shy of unanimity (66 of 67), with Chicago’s Angel Reese earning one first-place vote.
⚾️ Francona to Cincy: The Reds are hiring Terry Francona to be their new manager. The longtime skipper will come out of retirement after leaving Cleveland last year.
⚽️ NWSL sanctions Angel City: Angel City is being fined $200,000 and docked three points (among other punishments) for violating NWSL salary cap rules.
🏈 Rice placed on IR: The Chiefs placed star WR Rashee Rice on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next four games for the knee injury sustained on Sunday. No official diagnosis was provided, though.
⚾️ Alonso plays the hero, Mets advance
Pete Alonso played the hero on Thursday, hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning to lift the Mets past the Brewers, 4-2, and into the NLDS.
Historic blast: This was the 10th go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later in a winner-take-all game in postseason history — and the first ever with that player’s team trailing. New York was down 2-0 when Alonso came to the plate.
From Yahoo Sports’ Russell Dorsey…
No player needed a big moment more than Pete Alonso. Throughout the Mets’ incredible September run to reach the postseason, they’d gotten plenty of big hits. But none had come from their star first baseman.
In fact, nothing seemed to be going right for Alonso going into his ninth-inning at-bat in Thursday’s Game 3. His timing looked off; he didn’t look comfortable in the batter’s box.
Frankly, with the Mets’ season on the line, there were probably other guys fans wanted up in that moment. But in baseball, especially in the postseason, the moment finds you.
What’s next: The ALDS and NLDS begin tomorrow with series openers in Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles.
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Tigers at Guardians: The first-ever postseason meeting between AL Central teams is also the first between Detroit and Cleveland.
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Mets at Phillies: Like their AL Central counterparts above, these NL East rivals have surprisingly never met in the postseason.
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Royals at Yankees: AL MVP frontrunners Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. headline this rekindling of a once-fierce rivalry.
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Padres at Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani’s playoff debut should be a doozy, as these NL West foes square off for the third time in the last five postseasons.
Offseason preview: What do the Brewers need to do to stay atop the NL Central?
📸 The world in photos
Atlanta — For the third time this season, the Falcons pulled out a miraculous win, beating the Buccaneers, 36-30 (OT), on KhaDarel Hodges’ walk-off score. Kirk Cousins passed for a Falcons-record 509 yards.
The link “You like that?!” can be found at https://x.com/nfl/status/1842049291550130647?s=46&t=o_YcooE_NLDk6nCdvDo7Hw. Today’s actions demonstrate my commitment to advocating for a competitive market where all parties can succeed. NASCAR stands out as the only sports series where achieving both victory and profitability is nearly unattainable, according to Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports. An exceptional athlete is leading the charge to change this reality.
On October 4, 1906, the Cubs concluded their season with an impressive record of 116-36 (.763), still the best record in modern MLB history. They finished the season with a remarkable 55-8 streak, including winning streaks of 11, 12, and 14 games. Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown was a standout player, with a 1.04 ERA that season, the second-best in modern MLB history.
The top 5 records by winning percentage in a full season since 1901 are as follows:
1. 1906 Cubs: 116-36 (.763)
2. 1902 Pirates: 103-36 (.741)
3. 1909 Pirates: 110-42 (.724)
4. 1954 Indians: 111-43 (.721)
5. 2001 Mariners: 116-46 (.716)
Unfortunately, the Cubs were unable to secure a fairytale ending as they lost the World Series to the White Sox, marking the biggest upset in playoff history based on regular-season winning percentage.
In international sports, the NHL season kicks off in Prague, Czechia, with the Devils and Sabres facing off, while the Jets and Vikings meet in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Additionally, a range of MLB, WNBA, CFB, MMA, NASCAR, MLS, NWSL, and EPL events are lined up for the weekend.
As the MLB Division Series begins, only one current MLB franchise has never played in a World Series and missed the playoffs this year. Can you guess which team it is?
Lastly, a throwback to a game in 1990 featuring the Hoosiers and Wildcats serves as a reminder of the ups and downs in sports.
Exciting Matchup: Northwestern vs. Indiana – Tomorrow marks the first-ever meeting between two FBS teams with 700+ losses. Indiana holds the record with 713 losses, closely followed by Northwestern with 703 losses. Other teams with high losses include Rutgers (695), Wake Forest (687), and Kansas (681).
Trivia Answer: The answer to our trivia question is the Mariners.
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text in a different way:
Please rephrase the following statement:
“The company’s revenue increased by 20% last quarter.”