MLB
The New York Mets fell to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 last night, evening their National League Wild Card Series at a game apiece. Jackson Chourio tied the game in the eighth with his second homer of the night and Garrett Mitchell delivered a two-run shot later in the inning. The teams will play a decisive Game 3 on Tonight at 7:08. The Brewers will attempt to become the first team to rally win a best-of-three Wild Card Series after losing the opener since MLB went to this expanded playoff format in 2022.
Kyle Higashioka’s solo homer started a five-run rally against Max Fried with two outs in the second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to sweep the Atlanta Braves with a 5-4 win in Game 2 of their NL Wild Card Series. Manny Machado added a two-run double with the bases loaded and Jackson Merrill, a top contender for NL Rookie of the Year, followed with a two-run triple as the sellout crowd of 47,705 — the largest in Petco Park history — roared. The Padres advance to face Shohei Ohtani and the NL West rival Dodgers in a National League Division Series beginning 8:38 Saturday night at top-seeded Los Angeles.
Andy Ibáñez hit a tiebreaking three-run double in Detroit’s four-run eighth inning, and the Tigers swept the Houston Astros with a 5-2 victory in Game 2 of their American League Wild Card Series. Parker Meadows homered as Detroit ended Houston’s run of seven consecutive appearances in the AL Championship Series. It was a sweet moment for Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who led Houston to a championship in 2017 and was fired in the aftermath of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. Next up for the wild-card Tigers is a trip to Cleveland to take on the AL Central champions in a best-of-five Division Series. Game 1 is 1:08 Saturday afternoon.
The Baltimore Orioles were swept out of the playoffs in their only series for a second consecutive year, losing 2-1 to Kansas City yesterday. They haven't won a postseason game in a decade, since advancing to the 2014 AL Championship Series, where they were swept by Kansas City. The latest sweep, which came at home — also at the hands of the Royals — comes a year after Baltimore lost to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. The Orioles scored just one run over two games in the AL Wild Card Series and went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. Plenty of questions will follow about the team's future. The Royals move on to face the Yankees at 6:38 Saturday night in New York.
The Braves’ best pitcher, NL Cy Young Award favorite Chris Sale, was back home in Atlanta with a back injury. Max Fried, who started his career as a San Diego Padres farmhand and won the clinching game in the 2021 World Series for the Braves, was in the trainer’s room by the third inning. Atlanta still put a scare into the sellout crowd at Petco Park by whittling San Diego's lead down to one run Wednesday night. But the Padres closed out a 5-4 win for a two-game sweep of their NL Wild Card Series that ended a most trying season for the banged-up Braves.
The Kansas City Royals endured two seven-game losing streaks in the final month of the season. The second of those ended with a well-timed joke from a three-time World Series winner. Now they're in the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees after opening the playoffs with a two-game sweep of Baltimore. Kansas City's approach allowed a team that lost 106 games last year to turn things around in a hurry. It will be a bigger challenge for AL batting champion Bobby Witt Jr. and Co. to keep it going.
Pete Rose still isn’t going into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The career hits leader’s banishment from baseball 35 years ago was often referred to as a lifetime ban, and his death this week led some to believe that would end. But Rose was actually declared permanently ineligible by Major League Baseball rules for betting on the game. As in forever unless there is a formal reinstatement. Since players or officials on MLB’s ineligible list can’t be considered for election into the Hall of Fame, Rose’s status didn’t change when he died Monday at age 83.
That $82 million contract Jackson Chourio signed before ever playing a major league game looks like more and more of a bargain with every swing the Milwaukee Brewers rookie takes this postseason. Chourio homered twice Wednesday night to help the Brewers save their season with a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets in Game 2 of their NL Wild Card Series. That included a leadoff homer and then a tying drive to start Milwaukee's three-run rally in the eighth inning. The Brewers handed Chourio an eight-year, $82 million contract in December when he had played only six games beyond the Double-A level.
NFL
The Buffalo Bills have grown accustomed to spending the first month of the season leaning on backups stepping up on a depleted defense. Their depth will be further tested in traveling to play the Houston Texans on Sunday minus Von Miller. The Bills' top pass-rusher is out after he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Miller was accused in November of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend at their home outside Dallas during the Bills’ bye week. Coach Sean McDermott placed the focus forward in calling it an unfortunate situation, while respecting the league's decision.
On Thursday night football, Tampa Bay is at Atlanta at 8:15 tonight.
SOCCER
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have another trophy, along with home-field advantage throughout the Major League Soccer playoffs. Messi scored twice in the final minutes of the first half, goalie Drake Callender stopped a penalty kick in the 84th minute and Inter Miami beat(ing) the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew 3-2 on Wednesday night, wrapping up the Supporters Shield — given annually to the team with the best regular-season record. It was Messi’s 46th major trophy won for club or country, extending his record for the most by any men’s soccer player in history.
Teenager Mitja Ilenic scored his first career goal and Santiago Rodríguez scored on a penalty kick and added an assist, leading New York City to a 3-2 victory over FC Cincinnati. Ilenic, a 19-year-old defender, scored his first career goal to give NYCFC (13-11-8) a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute. Ilenic was making his 29th start and 44th appearance dating to last season — his first. Maxi Moralez notched his fifth assist this season. Alonso Martínez gave NYCFC a two-goal lead in the 65th minute when he took a pass from Rodríguez and scored for the 15th time in his first full season in the league. It was the 10th assist for Rodríguez. Cincinnati (17-10-5) got on the scoreboard in the 69th minute on a penalty-kick goal by reigning MVP Luciano Acosta.
John Tolkin, Lewis Morgan and Elias Manoel each scored a goal in the second half and the New York Red Bulls beat Toronto FC 4-1. New York (11-7-14) has not lost to Toronto (11-18-4) since a 3-1 decision at BMO Field in July 2019. The Red Bulls are unbeaten in their last 11 meetings with Toronto, a run that includes eight victories. Emil Forsberg opened the scoring for New York in the 27th minute when he calmly rolled in a penalty kick. He is 4 for 4 this season from the spot. Toronto’s Prince Owusu scored on a penalty kick in the 66th to get within 2-1. But New York answered three minutes later when Morgan also converted from the spot.
Ezequiel Ponce scored in the 50th minute, Erik Sviatchenko added his first career MLS goal, and the Houston Dynamo beat the New England Revolution 2-1. Houston (14-9-9), which qualified for the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 2013 on Saturday, matched its points total of 51 from last season — with two regular-season matches remaining. The Dynamo are undefeated in 15 of their last 18 MLS matches, while finding the back of the net 32 times over the stretch. Houston has allowed just 35 goals the entire season. Ponce, a second-half substitute, opened the scoring with a strike from distance. Sviatchenko settled Coco Carrasquilla’s free kick with his chest and fired a shot into the back of the net in the 68th.
Josef Martínez scored two goals against his former team and moved into seventh in MLS history with 115 career regular season goals and CF Montreal beat Atlanta United 2-1. Martínez tapped in a one-touch finish from point blank range that gave Montreal a 2-1 lead in the 76th minute. The 31-year-old Martínez — who scored 98 goals across six seasons with Atlanta, including a then-MLS single-season record 31 in 2018 — moved past Ante Razov (114 goals from 1996-2009). Jonathan Sirois had six saves for Montreal. Martínez opened the scoring with 43rd with a chip shot from near the penalty spot that slipped under the crossbar to give Montreal (10-12-10) a 1-0 lead. Daniel Ríos scored on a header to make it 1-1 in first-half stoppage time.
Karol Swiderski had two goals and an assist, and Charlotte clinched a playoff spot with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Fire. Charlotte (12-11-9) has beaten Chicago (7-17-9) in five straight matches. It marked the first time since 2015 that a Charlotte-based major professional sports team advanced to the postseason in consecutive years, joining the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Swiderski opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a give-and-go with Pep Biel. Swiderski scored again in first-half stoppage time by heading in a cross by Nathan Byrne for a 3-1 lead. Júnior Urso scored his first goal for Charlotte in the 30th minute for a 2-1 lead. Liel Abada made it 4-1 in the 58th off an assist by Swiderski.
Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire each scored a goal to help Orlando City beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1. Torres scored on a one-touch finish off a ball played by Luis Muriel to open the scoring in the 57th minute. Then, in the 64th, on the counter-attack, Muriel flicked a perfectly-placed through ball to McGuire, who beat goalkeeper Andre Blake one on one to give Orlando (14-11-7) a 2-0 lead. Quinn Sullivan put away an entry played by Dániel Gazdag with a one-touch finish from point-blank range for Philadelphia (9-12-10) in the 72nd minute. Orlando had 55% possession and outshot the Union 20-16, 6-3 on target.
Gabriel Pirani used both feet to score a pair of unassisted goals during second-half stoppage time after Christian Benteke netted his league-leading 22nd goal and D.C. United rallied from two down to stun Nashville SC 4-3. The come-from-behind victory leaves DC United (9-13-10) in a three-way tie with Toronto FC and the Philadelphia Union for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with two matches left in the regular season. DC United trailed 3-1 when Benteke used assists from rookie Jacob Murrell and Mateusz Klich to score in the 76th minute. Pirani, who subbed into the match in the 67th minute, followed with his fifth and sixth goals of the season — scoring left-footed in the fourth minute of stoppage time and right-footed in the seventh to pull out the victory.
Rookie Gabriel Pec scored early in the second half and had assists on two Riqui Puig goals from there as the Los Angeles Galaxy rallied for a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids. Neither team scored until Connor Ronan took a pass from Djordje Mihailovic and found the net in the 45th minute to give the Rapids (15-12-5) a 1-0 lead at halftime. It was the first goal of the season for Ronan and the second of his two-year career. Pec pulled the Galaxy (18-7-7) even in the 50th minute when he used assists from Mark Delgado — his seventh — and defender Maya Yoshida — his first — to score for the 14th time this season. Pec picked up an assist when he set up Puig in the 58th minute for the go-ahead score.
Dayne St. Claire had four saves for Minnesota is a 0-0 tie with Real Salt Lake. Minnesota United (13-12-7) are unbeaten in three consecutive games and have won four of their last six. Minnesota will clinch a berth in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs with a FC Dallas tie or loss later in tonight against the San Jose Earthquakes. Salt Lake (14-7-11), which locked up its postseason place with 3-3 tie with the Portland Timbers on Sept. 21, is unbeaten in four consecutive games. Real Salt Lake’s Brayan Vera, who was shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute, was shown a red card in stoppage time.
Denis Bouanga scored in the first minute of first-half stoppage time and Hugo Lloris wasn’t tested on the way to his league-leading 13th clean sheet of the season as Los Angeles FC blanked St. Louis City 1-0.Bouanga used assists from Mateusz Bogusz and Olivier Giroud to find the net for the 19th time this season for LAFC (16-8-7). Bouanga is second only to the 22 goals of D.C. United’s Christian Benteke in the race for the Golden Boot with two matches left in the regular season. Bogusz’s assist was his seventh, while Giroud notched his second in seven career appearances. Lloris grabbed the shutout lead without having to make a save. Benjamin Lundt saved five shots in his second start in goal for St. Louis City (7-12-13) this season.
Dani Pereira scored a goal in the 42nd minute, 33-year-old Brad Stuver had a career-high 11 saves and Austin FC beat the Portland Timbers 1-0 to avoid elimination from playoff contention. Pereira won a failed clearance and then ripped a shot from outside the area that deflected off defender Kamal Miller into the net to give Austin a 1-0 lead just before halftime. The Timbers outshot Austin 26-7, 11-1 on target. Portland (12-11-9) had its three-game unbeaten streak come to an end.
Rookie Hernán López scored a goal in each half and the San Jose Earthquakes eliminated FC Dallas from playoff contention with a 3-2 victory. San Jose (6-23-3) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when López used assists from Cristian Espinoza and rookie defender Bruno Wilson to score. Alan Velasco pulled Dallas (10-15-7) even at halftime when he scored in the 41st minute with assists from first-year forward Petar Musa — his third — and Paul Arriola — his seventh. It was Velasco’s second goal in three starts and six appearances this season. Amahl Pellegrino subbed into the match in the 75th minute and set up López’s sixth goal of the season four minutes later for the go-ahead score.
Georgi Minoungou scored his first MLS goal, Albert Rusnák added a goal and an assists and the Seattle Sounders beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0. The 22-year-old Minoungou opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Rusnák converted from the penalty spot in the 65th minute and then, on the counter-attack, set up Paul Rothrock for a finish from the left side of the area that gave Seattle a 3-0 lead in the 67th. The Sounders have five wins and just one loss in seven games since returning from the Leagues Cup break and has outscored its opponents 15-5 during that span. Vancouver’s Fafà Picault, who was shown a yellow card in the 46th minute, was shown a red card in the 88th.
WINTER SPORTS
Winter sports are facing a long-time crisis because of climate change and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation has teamed up with the United Nations weather agency. It’s an initial five-year partnership between FIS and the World Meteorological Organization. It aims to help national ski federations, venues and race organizers better understand weather forecasting to manage natural and artificial snow. An online meeting is set for Nov. 7. The Switzerland-based organizations say winter sports and tourism face a bleak future because of climate change.
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