MLB:
The Los Angeles Dodgers have finally defeated the San Francisco Giants in a winner-take-all series.
The Dodgers are in the NLCS after rallying in the ninth inning to beat the Giants, 2-1. The Dodgers can finally celebrate a postseason series win over their bitter rivals after the Giants captured best-of-3 series in 1951 and 1962 to decide the National League pennant.
Cody Bellinger broke a 1-1 deadlock with an RBI single that scored Justin Turner, who started the rally by getting hit by a pitch with one out.
Neither team scored until Corey Seager singled home a run in the sixth inning. Darin Ruf quickly responded with a solo blast in the bottom half.
Ruf’s blast came off Julio Urias, who gave up just two other hits over four innings of relief.
Kenley Jansen got the win with help from Max Scherzer’s save.
Giants starter Logan Webb struck out seven and allowed a run and four hits over seven innings.
The Dodgers head to Atlanta for Game 1 on Saturday.
The St. Louis Cardinals have fired manager Mike Shildt, one week after the team lost to the Dodgers in the NL wild-card game.
Cardinals president John Mozeliak said the firing was “something that popped up recently,” but he refused to expand on what he called “philosophical differences” between Shildt, the coaching staff and the front office.
The Redbirds went on a team-record, 17-game winning streak last month and made the postseason with 90 victories. They were 252-199 after Shildt took over for manager Mike Matheny during the 2018, winning the NL Central in 2019 and reaching the playoffs the last three seasons.
In other MLB news:
The Braves are preparing to play without outfielder Jorge Soler (HOHR’-hay soh-LEHR’) in the NL Championship Series as they await his clearance following his positive COVID-19 test. The Braves worked out Thursday at Truist Park without Soler, who was pulled from the lineup for Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Milwaukee on Tuesday.
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson says he wants Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa to remain in the dugout next season. La Russa’s future was a bit of a question mark after the White Sox were eliminated Tuesday by Houston in Game 4 of the AL Division Series. Chicago rolled to a 93-69 record and beat Cleveland by 13 games in AL Central for its first division championship in 13 years.
The Yankees say hitting coach Marcus Thames’ and third base coach Phil Nevins’ contracts would not be renewed for 2022 following their AL wild card loss to the Red Sox.
NFL:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading to their bye week with a 5-1 record after holding off the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette each accounted for two touchdowns as the Buccaneers topped the Eagles, 28-22.
Brady tossed TD passes on Tampa Bay’s first two drives while going 11 for 12 for 121 yards. He finished 34 of 42 for 297 yards and an interception.
Tampa increased its lead to 28-7 when Fournette walked in from the 1 in the third quarter. It was his second scoring run of the game.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for two touchdowns but had trouble passing the ball, completing just 12 of 26 for 155 yards.
Philadelphia is 2-4.
The Florida Panthers have had good fortune when opening their NHL schedule at home.
The Panthers erased a late two-goal deficit and defeated the Penguins, 5-4 on Carter Verhaeghe’s goal 97 seconds into overtime. The Pens were up 4-2 until Aaron Ekblad scored the two late goals to extend the game. Verhaeghe also finished with two goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 43 saves for Florida, including a breakaway stop in OT.
The Panthers have won their last eight season-opening home games.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
The Kraken have earned their first franchise victory in two games by beating the Predators, 4-3. Brandon Tanev scored his second goal into an empty net with 1:21 left. Alex Wennberg and Jared McCann each had a goal and an assist for Seattle.
Ondrej Palat scored 2:43 into overtime to finish off the Lightning’s comeback in a 7-6 triumph over the Red Wings. Tyler Bertuzzi scored a career-high four times, three coming in the second period as Detroit took a three-goal lead. Ross Colton, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn scored in a four-minute span for Tampa Bay to make it 6-all.
Andrei Svechnikov provided two goals and an assist in the Hurricanes’ 6-3 downing of the Islanders. Teuvo Teravainen added a goal and an assist to back Frederik Andersen, who stopped 25 shots in his Carolina debut. Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson and Anders Lee each scored goals in the first of 13 straight road games for the Isles to open the season.
The Stars pulled out a 3-2 win over the Rangers on Miro Heiskanen’s goal at 1:38 of OT. Jacob Peterson and Radek Faksa scored early for Dallas, and Braden Holtby and Anton Khudobin combined to make 31 saves. Adam Fox and Chris Kreider each had a goal for New York.
Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty carried the Kings' offense on a 6-2 rout of the Golden Knights. Kopitar set a team record by scoring five points in a season opener, delivering three goals and two assists. Drew Doughty added a goal and three assists to the win.
The Blue Jackets rolled to an 8-2 win over the Coyotes as Oliver Bjorkstrand had two goals and two assists. Max Domi added a goal and two assists to help Brad Larsen win his first game as coach of Columbus. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 36 shots in his first opening-night start.
Anton Forsberg made a career-high 46 saves and the Senators scored three times in the first period before holding off the Maple Leafs, 3-2. Tyler Ennis had a goal and an assist for Ottawa, which also received goals from Alex Formenton and Chris Tierney. Formenton scored on a slap shot with 0.6 seconds remaining in the opening period.
The Sabres have followed a tumultuous summer with a stunning season-opening 5-1 win over the injury-depleted Canadiens. Victor Olofsson and Anders Bjork scored 2:01 apart in the second period. The Sabres converted three of six power-play opportunities, with Tage Thompson pushing Buffalo’s lead to 5-1 early in the third period.
NHL:
Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators have agreed to a seven-year, $57.5 million contract.
Tkachuk was a restricted free agent and had not played for the Senators during the preseason until a deal was reached. The contract has an average annual value of $8.214 million.
Also in the NHL:
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock says he’s agreed to an eight-year extension. Newsday reports the deal is believed to be worth $49.2 million. Pulock and Adam Pelech make up the Isles’ top blueline pairing. Pulock is in the final season of a two-year, $10 million package.
Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog has been suspended for two games without pay by the NHL for boarding Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach. Landeskog was assessed a minor penalty for boarding with 3:38 left in Colorado’s 4-2 home victory Wednesday night.
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey did not practice Thursday, a sign that he could miss his third straight game while trying to rehab from a hamstring injury.
The 2019 All-Pro running back had participated in four straight practices on a limited basis. Coach Matt Rhule (rool) told reporters on Wednesday that McCaffrey was “50-50” for the game and that his playing status would likely come down to a game-time decision.
Carolina’s 2017 first-round draft pick was injured in a Week 3 win against the Houston Texans.
In other NFL news:
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed practice Thursday because of an illness. Jackson was listed on the team’s injury report. He’s missed practice time previously this season but hasn’t missed any of Baltimore’s five games.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is making steady progress after sustaining a concussion in last Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys and has a shot at playing Sunday against the Rams. Running back Saquon Barkley and receiver Kenny Golladay haven’t practiced this week. Barkley has almost no chance to play this weekend.
The Bears have placed running back Damien Williams on the reserve/COVID-19 list, putting his status for their game against the Packers in question. Williams is second on the team with 137 yards and two touchdowns.
The Washington Football Team says it is retiring late safety Sean Taylor’s number this weekend. The last-minute timing has sparked criticism while the organization is dealing with multiple off-field scandals. Taylor was murdered at his home during a botched robbery attempt in 2007, midway through his fourth NFL season.
NBA:
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is expected to miss at least the first week of the regular season.
Williamson’s recovery from surgery to repair a right foot fracture is taking longer than anticipated, although Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin says nothing “has gone wrong.” He says it’s just taking longer for Williamson’s bones to heal than the team had hoped when they initially forecast his return for the regular season opener.
Griffin now says doctors want to re-evaluate imaging of Williamson’s foot in about two-and-a-half weeks.
GOLF:
Robert Streb shot the finest round of his career in taking a one-stroke lead in first-round play at the CJ Cup at Summit in Las Vegas.
Streb had 10 birdies and an eagle in an 11-under 61, but it left him just one shot ahead of Keith Mitchell. When Streb walked off the par-5 sixth hole after a long two-putt for birdie, he already was 7-under par.
Mitchell had more birdies than pars in matching his low round with a 62. Harry Higgs was at 64, while the group at 65 included Sergio Garcia and Viktor Hovland.
TENNIS:
U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez won’t be part of Canada’s team for the Billie Jean King Cup finals next month. Tennis Canada confirmed that Fernandez pulled out of the team’s roster for the Nov. 1-6 matches in Prague and is being replaced by Carol Zhao.
The 19-year-old Fernandez turned in a breakthrough performance at the U.S. Open, making it all the way to the final before losing to another unseeded teenager, Emma Raducanu.
AFGHAN SOCCER PLAYERS EVACUATED:
Qatar says female soccer players have been evacuated from Afghanistan on a flight to Doha. Qatar’s assistant foreign minister says there were around 100 footballers and their families including female players are on board.
Qatar worked with FIFA to coordinate the evacuation of players, who were taken to a compound with other evacuees to undergo coronavirus testing.
Concerns were raised for the safety of female athletes after the Afghan government fell much faster than publicly anticipated by the United States in August, allowing the Taliban to take back control of Kabul.