Sports
MLB roundup: Brewers win NL Central, then walk off Phillies
Milwaukee Brewers celebrate the victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and winning the NL Central Division championship on Wednesday September 18, 2024 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis. Jake Bauers lined a bases-loaded, walk-off single in the ninth inning, giving Milwaukee a 2-1 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game series between division leaders after the Brewers clinched the National League Central earlier on Wednesday.
Rookie Jackson Chourio sent the second pitch of the ninth from Carlos Estevez (4-5) the opposite way for a triple into the right field corner. William Contreras was walked intentionally and took second on catcher’s indifference. Willy Adames drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Bauers then lined the first pitch down the right field line to clinch a three-game series win for the Brewers.
Milwaukee clinched the NL Central title by virtue of the Chicago Cubs’ 5-3 afternoon loss at home to Oakland. It is the Brewers’ second consecutive division title, third in the last four seasons and fourth in the last seven.
The loss prevented the Phillies from clinching a postseason berth. Philadelphia, which has the best record in baseball, leads the NL East by seven games over the Mets. The Phillies lead the Dodgers by one game for the best record in the National League.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola allowed one run — a sixth-inning homer by Rhys Hoskins — on three hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking one. Brewers starter Freddy Peralta allowed one run on two hits — Alec Bohm’s leadoff homer in the second — over five innings, striking out nine and walking two.
Yankees 2, Mariners 1 (10 innings)
Anthony Rizzo doubled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning as New York clinched an American League playoff berth with a victory against host Seattle.
The Yankees won for the sixth time in their past seven to earn at least a wild-card berth. They have a five-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East. The Mariners remained five games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and three back of the final wild-card spot.
In the 10th, with Jasson Dominguez as the automatic runner, Rizzo lined the first pitch of the inning from Mariners reliever Collin Snider (3-4) into the right field corner. In the bottom of the 10th, Yankees catcher Austin Wells picked off Julio Rodriguez at third after Rodriguez avoided Randy Arozarena’s bat after a strikeout. Ian Hamilton then struck out Justin Turner to end the game.
Dodgers 8, Marlins 4
Shohei Ohtani got closer to the historic 50-50 milestone as Los Angeles defeated host Miami.
Ohtani stole his 49th base. He has 48 home runs this season as he attempts to become the first major leaguer to produce 50 homers and 50 steals in the same season.
Marlins starter Ryan Weathers (3-6) made his first start since June 7 due to an injury to his left index finger. He lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and six runs (five earned).
Padres 4, Astros 0
Dylan Cease allowed just two hits in 8 1/3 innings and Manny Machado homered twice as San Diego blanked visiting Houston to win a tight, well-played interleague series between playoff contenders.
Tanner Scott came out of the bullpen and got the final two outs for his third save with San Diego and his 21st overall. The Padres maintained a 2 1/2-game lead on the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets for the National League’s first wild-card spot and remained 3 1/2 games of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West.
The Astros, who were limited to two hits, maintained their five-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
Athletics 5, Cubs 3
Zack Gelof doubled home the go-ahead run and scored another in a two-run eighth inning, and visiting Oakland sent Chicago to the verge of playoff elimination.
Tyler Soderstrom had two hits, including a homer, scored two runs and drove in a pair for the Athletics, who completed the interleague portion of its schedule with a winning record (24-22).
Despite 2 2/3 shutout innings from Justin Steele in a comeback effort, the Cubs dropped seven games out of the final National League wild-card spot with just 10 games remaining.
Giants 5, Orioles 3
Michael Conforto had three hits, including a homer, and San Francisco frustrated host Baltimore again, dealing the Orioles another setback as they try to remain in the American League East picture.
Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run for the second consecutive night and Casey Schmitt drove in two runs for the Giants.
The Orioles (84-68) have lost eight of their past 10 games and are in danger of sliding out of the chase with the New York Yankees in the American League East. With the Yankees winning 2-1 in Seattle on Wednesday, Baltimore is five games back in the division race.
Mets 10, Nationals 0
Brandon Nimmo hit a three-run homer to cap an impressive nine-run fourth inning and Jose Quintana pitched seven scoreless innings as host New York rolled past Washington.
The Mets outscored the Nationals 20-1 in the final two games of the three-game series after eking out a 2-1 victory on Monday. New York is tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second National League wild-card spot, with both teams two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the third and final wild-card spot.
Quintana (10-9) benefited from strong run support for the second straight outing and allowed two hits and two walks to win his fourth straight start. He struck out four and extended his scoreless streak to a career-best 22 2/3 scoreless innings.
Diamondbacks 9, Rockies 4
Corbin Carroll homered twice, Randal Grichuk also went deep, and Arizona beat Colorado in Denver.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (3-3) had a season-high 11 strikeouts with five hits, two runs and one walk allowed in 6 1/3 innings for Arizona. The Diamondbacks avoided a three-game sweep and remained tied with the Mets for the second National League wild-card berth.
Grichuk, Jake McCarthy and Gabriel Moreno finished with two hits each for Arizona.
Aaron Schunk and Sam Hilliard had two hits apiece for Colorado. The Rockies have captured six of their last nine home series and need to win four of their last nine games to avoid a second straight 100-loss season.
Braves 7, Reds 1
Marcell Ozuna doubled twice and snapped a tie with a towering home run in a three-run seventh inning as visiting Atlanta beat Cincinnati.
Michael Harris II added a no-doubt homer, his 13th, in the eighth as Atlanta defeated Cincinnati for the first time in five meetings this season. The win assured the Braves of staying within two games of the New York Mets for the third and final National League wild-card spot with 10 games remaining. With the loss, the Reds were eliminated from playoff contention.
Cincinnati starter Jakob Junis held Atlanta to one run and two hits over six innings. The righty was perfect early, retiring the first 11 batters before Ozuna broke through with a double just beyond the diving reach of Spencer Steer in left-center. Matt Olson followed with a sharp single to center, scoring Ozuna.
Guardians 5, Twins 4 (10 innings)
Josh Naylor hit a pair of tying solo homers and Brayan Rocchio’s RBI single capped a three-run 10th as Cleveland beat visiting Minnesota.
Carlos Correa’s two-run single with the bases loaded in the 10th off Hunter Gaddis (5-3) capped a four-RBI night and gave Minnesota a 4-2 lead. However, the Twins’ Ronny Henriquez (1-1) allowed RBI singles to Kyle Manzardo and Will Brennan in the bottom of the frame to tie the contest. With one out and runners on the corners against Michael Tonkin, Rocchio delivered the game-winning hit.
With a postseason berth nearly clinched, the Guardians improved to 13-7 since Aug. 28. They hold a 6-game lead in the American League Central over the Kansas City Royals, who lost to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. The devastating result for Minnesota — clinging to the third and final AL wild-card spot — overshadowed a stellar 12-strikeout effort from starter Bailey Ober.
Tigers 4, Royals 2
Tarik Skubal won his fifth straight decision and Riley Greene homered as Detroit beat host Kansas City Royals, completing a three-game sweep.
In the wild-card chase, Detroit closed the gap to two games behind Kansas City and a half-game behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final wild-card spot.
Skubal (17-4) completed five innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. His 221 strikeouts lead the majors, and he leads the American League in wins and ERA, at 2.48. Greene blasted a 427-foot homer over the right field bullpen to open a three-run third inning.
Red Sox 2, Rays 1
Jarren Duran drove in the winning run in a small-ball eighth inning as Boston evened its three-game series with Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
After Trevor Story (2-for-3, homer, two runs) opened the eighth with a weak single past Drew Rasmussen (0-2), the Boston shortstop stole second and third. With one out, Duran slapped the winning hit to right for the Red Sox. Boston starter Tanner Houck yielded one run and four hits in four innings.
Tampa Bay’s Josh Lowe (double, run), Jonny DeLuca (hit by pitch) and Taylor Walls (RBI, walk, stolen base) had two hits apiece. Ryan Pepiot dominated Boston for six innings, allowing one run while fanning a career-high 12. In the fifth, he crafted the fourth immaculate inning (struck out all three batters on a total of nine pitches) in Rays history.
Angels 4, White Sox 3 (13 innings)
Jordyn Adams hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning, giving Los Angeles a walk-off win over Chicago in the rubber game of their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
With automatic runner Eric Wagaman on third base, Adams’ hard grounder on a 1-0 slider by reliever Jairo Iriarte (0-1) against a drawn-in infield deflected off third baseman Miguel Vargas’ glove into the hole at short for his first career walk-off hit.
It marked the 117th loss for Chicago, tying the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics (36-117-1) for the third most losses in a season in modern major league history and just three shy of the major league record of 120 held by the 1962 New York Mets. It was also the 10th walk-off loss of the season for the White Sox.
Rangers 2, Blue Jays 0
Adolis Garcia belted a two-run homer and Cody Bradford tossed seven shutout innings to fuel Texas past Toronto in Arlington, Texas.
Rookie Wyatt Langford singled to lead off the sixth inning before Garcia deposited a first-pitch sinker from Bowden Francis (8-5) over the wall in left field for the game’s only scoring. The homer was Garcia’s 23rd of the season and first since Sept. 5.
The Blue Jays had just five hits on Wednesday after totaling 13 in the series opener. Francis saw his winless streak extend to three starts despite permitting only two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk in six innings.
Cardinals 10, Pirates 5
Jordan Walker hit the game-breaking three-run double in the seventh inning as St. Louis Cardinals past visiting Pittsburgh.
Brendan Donovan hit a two-run homer and Masyn Winn hit a solo shot for the Cardinals, who have won the first three games of this four-game series. Nolan Arenado went 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs and an RBI and Cardinals starter Sonny Gray allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Billy Cook hit a three-run homer for the Pirates, who lost for the fifth time in six games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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