NFL
Tom Brady reached yet another NFL milestone while leading the New England Patriots to their second straight win since a 1-2 start.
Brady's third and final touchdown pass of the night was also the 500th of his career as the Patriots downed the Colts' 38-24. The 41-year-old quarterback reached the milestone by hitting Josh Gordon for a 34-yard score with 9:19 remaining, giving New England a 31-17 lead. It came 3 ½ minutes after Andrew Luck found Eric Swoope for a 13-yard score to get Indianapolis within seven points.
Brady also ran for a TD and was 34 of 44 passing for 341 yards and two interceptions. He tied former teammate and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri for most NFL victories with 226.
Sony Michel carried 18 times for 98 yards and James White had 10 receptions for 77 yards. Michel put the game out of reach with a 34-yard TD burst with just over seven minutes to play.
Luck was 38 of 59 for 365 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions for the 1-4 Colts.
Edelman activated:
Patriots’ receiver Julian Edelman made his season debut Thursday after being activated to the 53-man roster.
He looked good in the Pats' win over the Colts, grabbing seven passes for 57 yards
Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancers. The Pats went 2-2 without Edelman, who had 98 receptions for 1,106 yards and three touchdowns during the 2017 regular season.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
Panthers three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen has returned to practice on a limited basis just four weeks after re-breaking his right foot in the team's Sept. 9 regular season opener. Coach Ron Rivera says Olsen won't play Sunday against the Giants and his status will be reevaluated next week.
This Sunday in NFL Matchups:
The Tennessee Titans travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills at 1 p.m.
The New York Jets host the Denver Broncos at 1 p.m.
The New York Giants travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers at 1 p.m.
The Pittsburgh Steelers go against the Atlanta Falcons at 1 p.m.
The Minnesota Vikings take on the Philadelphia Eagles at 4:25 p.m.
MLB
There were a few raised eyebrows when Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts elected to start Hyun-Jim Ryu over Clayton Kershaw for Game 1 of their National League Division Series against Atlanta. The move paid off as Ryu scattered four hits while striking out eight over seven innings of the Dodgers' 6-0 shutout of the Braves.
Ryu was well-supported from the start as Joc Pederson led off the bottom of the first with a homer, one inning before Max Muncy slammed a three-run shot. Kike Hernandez also went deep for the league's most productive home run team during the regular season.
Losing pitcher Mike Foltynewicz lasted just two innings, surrendering four runs and three hits.
The series stays in L.A. for Game 2 on Friday at 9:37 p.m. Kershaw will start against Anibal Sanchez of the Braves.
Atlanta is spending the series without shortstop Dansby Swanson, who was kept off the LDS roster because of a torn ligament in his left hand. Charlie Culberson started in place of Swanson, who hit .238 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs in 136 games before injuring his left hand last week.
Brewers blow lead in 9th, win anyway:
The Milwaukee Brewers were within three outs of a 2-0 victory in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. Instead, they had to wait an inning before pulling out a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Mike Moustakas bailed out Jeremy Jeffress and the Brewers with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th. MVP candidate Christian Yelich opened the rally with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch, but the losing pitcher Adam Ottavino was one out from getting out of the jam until Moustakas delivered.
Yelich was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and two walks. He went deep in the third inning to put Milwaukee ahead, 2-0.
Colorado managed just one hit through the first eight innings off four members of Milwaukee's bullpen before Gerardo Parra, Matt Holliday and Charlie Blackmon hit consecutive singles against Jeffress to make it a 2-1 game. Nolan Arenado knotted the score with a sacrifice fly.
Manager Craig Counsell sent nothing but relievers to the mound. Brandon Woodruff didn't allow a hit over the first three innings before he was replaced by Corbin Burnes. The no-hitter continued until Carlos Gonzalez laced a two-out triple off Burnes in the fifth.
Joakim Soria worked the 10th to pick up the win.
Game 2 is Friday at 4:15 p.m. at Milwaukee's Miller Park. Jhoulys Chacin is the Brewers' scheduled starter against Tyler Anderson.
Also in the majors:
In tonight’s ALDS action the New York Yankees travel to Boston to take on the Red Sox at 7:32 p.m. and the Houston Astros host the Cleveland Indians at 2:05 p.m. J.A. Happ will start on the mound for New York and Chris Sale will open for Boston.
Rajai Davis is getting the chance to further his October legacy. The speedy outfielder received the Indians' final spot on the 25-man roster for the AL Division Series against the Astros, getting the nod over backup infielder Erik Gonzalez.
Top international free agent Victor Mesa is one of three Cuban prospects who will try out for major league scouts on Friday at Marlins Park in Miami. Also participating will be Mesa's brother, Victor Mesa Jr., and pitcher Sandy Gaston. All teams are invited to attend. The Mesa brothers are outfielders who were recently declared free agents by Major League Baseball and can be signed by any team.
NHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins have opened their NHL schedule by knocking off the team that bounced them from the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last May.
The Penguins coughed up a 6-4 lead late in the third period before Kris Letang notched a power-play goal at 1:20 of overtime to lift Pittsburgh past the Stanley Cup-champion Washington Capitals 7-6.
Evgeni Malkin scored 2:45 into the third period to give the Pens a two-goal lead, but T.J. Oshie tied it by scoring twice in a :21 span.
Letang and Jake Guentzel each scored twice and Malkin had two assists.
The Caps have opened the season by netting 13 goals in their first two games.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
The defending Western Conference champs were beaten as Wayne Simmonds scored twice in the Flyers' 5-2 victory over the Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury allowed five goals and stopped 11 of 16 shots before being replaced by Malcolm Subban with 9:49 left in the second period.
Jaroslav Halak stopped 32 shots and the Bruins rebounded from Wednesday's season-opening, 7-0 loss in Washington by blanking the Sabres, 4-0 in Buffalo. Brad Marchand set up all four goals, scored by captain Zdeno Chara, rookie Ryan Donato, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron.
The Jets rolled to a 5-1 win at St. Louis as Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist. Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves and Adam Lowry scored while short-handed to spark Winnipeg's three-goal flurry in a 1:44 span early in the third period.
Third-period goals by P.K. Subban and Colton Sissons pushed the Predators past the Rangers, 3-2. Filip Forsberg also tallied and Sissons set up Subban's tiebreaking goal with 16 ½ minutes remaining.
Patrick Kane delivered an overtime goal to send the Blackhawks past the Senators, 4-3. Alex DeBrincat, Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook also scored for Chicago.
The Blue Jackets also won it OT as Artemi Panarin provided the game-winner midway through the extra session to complete a 3-2 triumph over the Red Wings. Detroit had five players make their NHL debuts, the most in a league game since the 1985 Wings.
The Islanders beat the Hurricanes, 2-1 on Josh Bailey's power-play goal 43 seconds into overtime. Thomas Greiss handled 45 shots and was perfect until Jordan Staal beat him with 1:35 left in regulation.
Carl Soderberg and Mikko Rantanen each had a goal and an assist in Colorado's 4-1 verdict over the Wild. Rantanen also made a nifty pass for Nathan MacKinnon's game-winner, snapping a 1-1 tie midway through the second period.
Jim Montgomery was a winner in his NHL coaching debut as Ben Bishop handled 30 shots in the Stars' 3-0 shutout of the Coyotes. Devin Shore, Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg scored less than two minutes apart in the second period to support Bishop's 25th career whitewash.
In Saturday’s NHL Action:
Edmonton takes on the New Jersey Devils at 1 p.m.
The New York Rangers take on the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m.
The Islanders host the Florida Panthers at 7 p.m.
Montreal goes against Pittsburgh at 7 p.m.
The Philadelphia Flyers face off against the Colorado Avalanche at 9 p.m.
Sunday in the NHL:
The New York Rangers take on Carolina at 5 p.m.
T25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Starting tight end Zander Neuville will likely miss the rest the season for No. 16 Wisconsin because of a left knee injury.
Neuville hurt his right knee late last season, knocking him out for the Big Ten title game and the Orange Bowl. The senior missed this season's opener before playing the next three games.
PGA
Phil Mickelson had six straight birdies in an opening-round 7-under 65 at the PGA's season-opening Safeway Open.
The 48-year-old Mickelson birdied Nos. 9-14 and closed with four straight pars on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa. The string of birdies leaves him two shots behind Sepp Straka, who birdied his final three holes for a 63.
Chase Wright had a 64, playing the last three holes in 4 under with an eagle on the par-5 16th and two birdies.
COLLEGE CORRUPTION
The father of a top college basketball prospect has testified that his son was offered tens of thousands of dollars to play at major programs.
Brian Bowen Sr. testified on Thursday at a federal trial that aspiring agent Christian Dawkins told him he could get $50,000 to play at the University of Arizona, $150,000 to go to Oklahoma State or $80,000 to go to Creighton.
Bowen was testifying at the New York City trial of Dawkins and two other defendants accused of making secret payments to recruits' families.
Prosecutors say Bowen's son ended up signing with Louisville after a deal was struck to pay the family $100,000.
Brian Bowen Jr. now plays professionally in Australia.
OBIT
Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist Dave Anderson of The New York Times has died at 89.
The newspaper said he died Thursday at an assisted living facility in Cresskill, New Jersey.
Anderson worked at the Times from 1966 to 2007 following stints with the Brooklyn Eagle and New York Journal-American. He wrote elegant, descriptive commentary, displaying a wealth of expertise in baseball, the NFL, boxing and golf.
Anderson wrote 21 books and received the 1994 Red Smith Award for outstanding contributions to sports journalism from the Associated Press Sports Editors. He was inducted into the National Sports Writers and Sportscasters Hall of Fame in 1990. He was known for his warmth to friends and strangers and unflagging politeness.
His Pulitzer cited six columns from 1980, notably "The Food On a Table At the Execution." It portrayed the scene at George Steinbrenner's office when the New York Yankees owner forced out rookie manager Dick Howser.
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