What started as a 16-team MLB playoff field is already down to just five.
Thursday’s action saw three teams punch their tickets to their respective League Championship Series, while another three packed their bags and said goodbye to a 2020 season that will go down in history.
Villains or not, the Houston Astros finished off the Oakland Athletics in Game 4 and are back in the ALCS for the fourth year in a row. They await the winner of the New York Yankees–Tampa Bay Rays series after the former staved off elimination and forced a decisive Game 5.
It was an action-packed day of baseball, so let’s get to the takeaways…
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Padres’ attempted coup runs out of steam
The young Padres looked well ahead of schedule all season in their quest to overthrow the Dodgers for NL West supremacy. It was an admirable effort, but they’ll have to wait at least another year after the Dodgers put the finishing touches on the sweep with a dominant 12-3 win in Game 3, highlighted by catcher Will Smith’s historic five-hit performance.
With Dinelson Lamet unavailable for the series and fellow ace Mike Clevinger removed from the NLDS roster after re-aggravating his elbow issue in Game 1, the Padres were forced to lean heavily on their bullpen. Their effort was admirable but it was clear the stable of relievers just didn’t have anything left in the tank in Game 3. All told, San Diego played six playoff games and used at least eight different pitchers in five of them. That’s probably going to catch up with you at some point in October.
Perhaps the series plays out differently with a healthy Lamet and Clevinger, but Los Angeles looked like the more complete team in all facets of the game — the Dodgers even out-celebrated Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Co. Even though this series ended in lopsided fashion, the rivalry between these juggernaut squads should only continue to get more intense in the years to come.
This season, Dan picks an issue, trend, news item or story from around MLB, and digs in on it with a guest. And he does it five times a week for about 15 minutes a day. Enough time to inform and entertain, but also get fans back to all the sports going on.
Montgomery dances around trouble, Yankees’ bullpen shuts the door
Jordan Montgomery drew the start for the Yankees with their season on the line, and he was able to tiptoe his way out of a couple sticky situations. Tampa Bay opened the third inning by putting runners on second and third with no outs, but Montgomery limited the damage to a single run. He stranded two more Rays runners in the fourth before passing the baton to the bullpen.
Those relievers never gave the Rays any glimmer of hope. New York manager Aaron Boone didn’t mix and match to fill the remaining five innings, he simply rolled out his three-headed monster of Chad Green, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman one after another. None of them surrendered so much as a hit, with the only baserunner reaching on a walk.
Now the Yankees hand the ball to ace Gerrit Cole on short rest in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday — a scenario that is exactly why they forked over $324 million for him last winter.
Rays need Lowe to step up
Brandon Lowe was the Rays’ most productive hitter in 2020, finishing the season with a .916 OPS and a team-leading 14 home runs. He’s been MIA against the Yankees, and Tampa is really missing his bat out of the two-hole in its lineup. Lowe drove in the Rays’ only run of the 5-1 loss on a fielder’s choice, but he remains hitless for the series.
With the way the Yankees can score, Tampa Bay needs its best offensive player to rise to the occasion. Breakout playoff star Randy Arozarena can only do so much on his own.
Correa leads charge in record-setting Astros clincher
If it seemed like baseballs were flying out of Dodger Stadium at a record pace throughout the Astros-Athletics series, your mind wasn’t playing tricks on you. The two AL West clubs combined to hit 24 home runs over their four games, besting the previous LDS mark of 22 set in 1995 courtesy of the Yankees and Seattle Mariners.
Carlos Correa did most of the damage in the series-clinching 11-6 victory, connecting for a go-ahead three-run shot in the fourth inning that put Houston up for good as part of his five-RBI day. That long ball was Correa’s third of the series, as he finished the ALDS with a .500 batting average and 11 RBIs.
The first-overall pick of the 2012 draft had a quiet season, posting a .709 OPS with five homers in 58 games, but has come alive in October. He’s battled a slew of injuries over his career, but when he’s healthy and playing to his potential he undoubtedly belongs in the same breath as the other top shortstops around MLB. It feels like he’s been around forever, but the Puerto Rico native is still only 26 years old.
Marlins’ bizarre, impressive streak finally ends
The Marlins entered the NLDS with a perfect 7-0 record in playoff series, with the franchise’s only two post-season appearances prior to this one resulting in World Series titles. That strange, impressive run has finally come to an end.
Atlanta jumped all over Miami early in Game 3, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the third inning and never looking back, ultimately completing their second consecutive sweep with a 7-0 win. The Braves remain perfect this season when leading by four runs or more and look like a force to be reckoned with, especially with the way they’re pitching. Thursday’s contest was Atlanta’s fourth shutout in five playoff games.
Despite their series loss, the Marlins deserve a ton of credit for their 2020 campaign. After posting by far the worst record in the National League last year, Miami surprised the baseball world by not only reaching the playoffs, but upsetting the Chicago Cubs in the first round.
Even though the expanded playoff field helped their cause, the Marlins had to navigate a COVID-19 outbreak early in the season that left them scrambling to field a competitive roster. Now equipped with some valuable experience, the future looks bright for these young Marlins.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
