49ers acquire RB Christian McCaffrey from Panthers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have acquired star running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers for a haul of draft picks. The Panthers announced the deal that sends McCaffrey back to the Bay Area where he starred in college at Stanford in Thursday night. They said it will be finalized when McCaffrey passes a physical. A person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity that the Panthers will receive picks in the second, third and fourth rounds of the 2023 draft, as well as a fifth-rounder in 2024.
Bregman HR as Valdez, Astros edge Yankees 3-2, lead ALCS 2-0
HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit an early three-run homer, Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and the Houston Astros edged the New York Yankees 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge just missed a two-run homer in the eighth when his drive was caught just in front of the short wall by right fielder Kyle Tucker. The ball would’ve landed in the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium, Statcast showed — with the roof open at Minute Maid Park, the wind might’ve knocked down Judge’s bid. The Astros improved to 5-0 this postseason. A night after Justin Verlander fanned 11 to begin the best-of-seven series, Bregman’s third-inning homer was all the offense Houston needed. The Astros improved to 5-0 this postseason.
Cardinals use two pick-6s in first half to down Saints 42-34
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons scored touchdowns on two pick-6s late in the first half and used that stunning change in momentum to lift the Arizona Cardinals over the New Orleans Saints 42-34. The Cardinals snapped an eight-game home losing streak that was the franchise’s longest since 1958. The game was tied at 14 when Saints quarterback Andy Dalton threw the game-changing interceptions on consecutive drives that were barely a minute apart just before halftime.
Altuve engages with fan who rushed field for selfie in ALCS
HOUSTON (AP) — Astros star Jose Altuve was more than happy to oblige when a fan ran onto the field and asked the Houston second baseman to take a selfie with him during Game 2 of the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees. Security at Minute Maid Park wrestled the man away from Altuve before he could click off the shot with his cell phone as the ninth inning was set to begin Thursday night.
NCAA on trial in concussion case of dead USC football player
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The widow of a former University of Southern California football player suing the NCAA for failing to protect her husband from repetitive head trauma is taking her case to a Los Angeles jury. Opening statements are scheduled Friday in what could be a landmark case. Matt Gee was on the 1990 Rose Bowl winning squad. Alana Gee says he took enough serious blows to the head to develop a degenerative brain disease that led to his death at 49. The NCAA says it had nothing to do with Gee's death and his mental decline was from years of hard drinking. The case could be the first of its kind to go to a jury.
MLB Playoffs: Astros seek 2-0 lead vs Yanks; NLCS tied, off
Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros got the jump on the New York Yankees. Now they’ll try to take a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series when All-Star lefty Framber Valdez pitches against Yankees right-hander Luis Severino on Thursday night in Houston. It’s a day off in the NLCS, with the Padres and Phillies tied 1-all as their best-of-seven series shifts from San Diego to Philadelphia for three games beginning Friday night. Verlander recovered from a rocky start and struck out 11 over six strong innings to lead the Astros to a 4-2 victory in the ALCS opener. Yuli Gurriel launched a tiebreaking homer in the sixth. Chas McCormick and rookie Jeremy Peña also went deep for Houston.
Cowboys QB Prescott says injury absence ending against Lions
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott says he will start Sunday at home against the Detroit Lions. Prescott's return would end a five-game absence after he fractured his right thumb in a season-opening loss to Tampa Bay. Dallas went 4-1 with backup Cooper Rush, starting with a four-game winning streak. Prescott says he had a full workload as the first-team QB in practice. Dallas players are crediting Rush for keeping the club in contention. They also see Prescott as the “life source” of the team's offense.
Yankees turn to Gerrit Cole as HR-heavy offense falters
HOUSTON (AP) — The Yankees’ season keeps coming down to Gerrit Cole. New York’s $324 million man will take the mound at Yankee Stadium on Saturday with New York trailing the Houston Astros 2-0 in the AL Championship Series. He beat the Guardians in the Division Series opener and, with the Yankees trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five series, won Game 4 at Cleveland. New York scored 18 of 24 runs this postseason on 11 long balls. The Yankees are hitting .138 in the two games against the Astros and have struck out 30 times to Houston’s eight.
Padres turn to October ace Musgrove vs. Phillies in Game 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies are tied 1-1 in the National League Championship Series. The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday. The Phillies also will host Game 4 on Saturday and Game 5 on Sunday, if necessary. The Padres send hometown boy Joe Musgrove to the mound for Game 3. The Phillies counter with lefty Ranger Suárez. The Phillies and Padres have not yet announced starting pitchers for Game 4. There is no scheduled off day for the rest of the series so bullpens could play a vital role in deciding the outcome.
Giannis scores 21, Matthews' 3 sends Bucks past 76ers 90-88
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Wesley Matthews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 90-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Brook Lopez scored 17 points for Milwaukee in its season opener. James Harden scored 31 points for the Sixers. The Sixers fell to 0-2. Joel Embiid had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Embiid did not score in the second half. Tyrese Maxey added 15 points for the Sixers.