MLB
Juan Soto homered during New York’s three-run third inning, Carlos Rodón got his first postseason win and as the Yankees took advantage of Cleveland’s wildness in a 5-2 victory in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. Cleveland became only the second team to throw a pair of run-scoring wild pitches in a postseason inning and tied a postseason record with five overall. Guardians pitchers walked six in a nine-batter span and nine overall. Giancarlo Stanton added his 13th career postseason homer for the Yankees, who are seeking a record 41st AL pennant. Game 2 is at 7:38 tonight in New York.
Turns out, Taylor and Travis like to watch a little baseball, too. Pop superstar Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, were at Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees. The famous couple sat together in a suite down the right-field line. Kelce went to high school in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. It was the second major sporting event they’ve attended in New York City over the past five-plus weeks. The couple also sat in a box to watch the men’s final at the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Sept. 8 in Queens.
Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos homered as the New York Mets stopped the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record-tying postseason scoreless streak at 33 innings in a 7-3 victory, tying the NL Championship Series at a game apiece. Lindor added to his storybook season with a leadoff homer in the first inning against Ryan Brasier. Viento delivered during New York’s five-run second, connecting for a grand slam against Landon Knack. Before Lindor went deep, Los Angeles had a string of 33 consecutive scoreless innings. Jack Flaherty led the Dodgers to a 9-0 victory in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday night. Game 3 is 8:08 Wednesday night in New York.
NFL
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills overcame a Hail Mary touchdown throw by Aaron Rodgers as the first half ended to beat the New York Jets 23-20 and take control of the AFC East. Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and Tyler Bass made up for an earlier miss by kicking a go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 3:43 left to help the Bills snap a two-game skid. The loss was the third in a row for the Jets, who capped a tumultuous week during which coach Robert Saleh was fired, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich replaced him as the interim coach and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was demoted from play-calling duties in favor of Todd Downing.
Aaron Rodgers did it again. The New York Jets quarterback threw a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Allen Lazard as time expired in the first half of a 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. With the Jets trailing 20-10 and at their 48-yard line, Rodgers took a few steps back and danced around a bit before launching the ball toward the end zone. Lazard reached up in front of two Bills defenders and fell on his back in the end zone. After a quick huddle, officials ruled it a touchdown. It’s the fourth Hail Mary Rodgers has completed in his career.
Leave it to Jim Harbaugh to call an audible when addressing his health. The Los Angeles Chargers coach wasn’t supposed to do his Monday news conference because he was undergoing medical testing after he experienced an irregular heartbeat during Sunday’s 23-16 win at Denver. Harbaugh, though, got back from his appointment with a cardiologist earlier than planned. He spoke to reporters and said he is taking steps to address the arrhythmia he has had for many years. That includes wearing a heart monitor for the next two weeks and taking a blood thinner so his heart doesn’t go out of rhythm.
NHL
Brock Nelson scored his first two goals of the season 2:49 apart in the second period, and the New York Islanders beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 to give coach Patrick Roy a win in his first game back in Denver. Roy won two of his four Stanley Cup wins with Colorado and coached the team for three years before stepping down a month before training camp in 2016. Anthony Duclair, Kyle Palmieri, Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal also scored for the Islanders, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 shots. Calum Ritchie got his first NHL goal and Casey Mittelstadt also scored for Colorado, which has dopped its first three games. Alexandar Georgiev made 32 saves.
Chris Kreider scored the go-ahead goal on the power play late in the second period and the New York Rangers beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1. Kreider tipped Mika Zibanejad’s shot with 2:55 left in the middle period to snap a 1-1 tie after the teams traded goals in the first. Alexis Lafreniere, Reilly Smith and Zibanejad also scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin finished with 31 saves. Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit with 2 seconds left in the first after Lafrieniere opened the scoring for the Rangers with 8:15 to go. Alex Lyon had 24 saves for the Red Wings in his first start of the season.
Sam Reinhart scored on a power play and added a short-handed goal that gave the Florida Panthers the lead for good in the second period and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Boston Bruins 4-3. Anton Lundell also scored twice. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 shots for Florida. The Panthers have eliminated Boston from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
Jake Allen registered his first shutout with New Jersey and rookie defenseman Seamus Casey scored early in the second period as the Devils downed the Utah Hockey Club 3-0. Stefan Noesen and Nico Hischier also scored Monday for the Devils, who won for the fourth time in five games to start the season. New Jersey missed the playoffs last year. Utah lost for the first time in four games. They won their home opener over Chicago, then defeated the Islanders and Rangers each in overtime to start their current road trip. Allen finished with 20 saves.
Lars Eller had two goals against his former team, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-3. Kris Letang, Kevin Hayes and Rickard Rakell also scored for Pittsburgh, and Tristan Jarry stopped 24 shots. Sidney Crosby was held off the scoresheet, keeping him one point shy of 1,600. The 37-year-old is looking to become just the 10th player in NHL history to reach the mark. Kaiden Guhle, Juraj Slafkovsky and Emil Heineman scired for Montreal. Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson each had two assists and Sam Montembeault made 26 saves.
Josh Norris capped a two-goal effort with the game-winning goal 56 seconds into overtime and the Ottawa Senators beat the Los Angeles Kings 8-7. Zack MacEwen also had a pair for the Senators, with Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson, Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux also chipping in. Anton Forsberg surrendered three goals on nine shots before being replaced by Mads Sogaard, who was recalled on an emergency basis Monday morning and allowed four goals on 17 shots. Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere each scored a pair for the Kings, while Trevor Lewis, Adrian Kempe and Tanner Jeannot also scored. Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves.
NBA
Philadelphia 76ers prized free agent acquisition Paul George left Monday’s preseason game against Atlanta with a hyperextended left knee. There was no immediate update how much time George might miss following his injury. A nine-time All-Star, George’s knee buckled on a defensive play in the second quarter. He scored eight points in 12 minutes in a 104-89 victory. The Sixers have been cautious with their star players and shut down All-Center Joel Embiid on Sunday for the rest of the preseason for what the team called left knee management.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Kansas is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 preseason men's basketball poll ahead of Alabama and two-time defending national champion UConn. The Jayhawks got 30 of 60 first-place votes while the Crimson Tide received 14 and the Huskies got 11. Houston and Iowa State round out the top five, followed by Gonzaga, Duke, Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona. The Big 12 has half of the top 10 teams but the SEC has the most in the Top 25 overall with nine. That includes No. 16 Arkansas, led by new coach John Calipari, and No. 23 Kentucky, where Mark Pope replaced him.
Plenty of playoff contenders suddenly find themselves dealing with major injuries to notable players as the college football season reaches its halfway point. Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison, Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili and Texas defensive back Derrick Williams are out for the rest of the season. Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons also has an injury that could end his season. All went down as part of a brutal weekend that included Florida quarterback Graham Mertz and Colorado State receiver Tory Horton undergoing season-ending injuries and Utah quarterback Cam Rising suffering a lower leg injury that has him out for the rest of the season.
No. 2 Oregon had 12 men on the field late in its 32-31 win over No. 4 Ohio State, with the resulting penalty causing precious seconds to wind off the clock. Turns out, it was on purpose. Oregon coach Dan Lanning confirmed the Ducks purposely put 12 men on the field following a timeout, resulting in an illegal substitution penalty. Because it was a live-ball penalty, Ohio State lost four seconds off the clock down to six. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard scrambled up the middle on the ensuing play, sliding a second too late for Ohio State to call a timeout for a potential game-winning field goal at Oregon’s 26.
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