MLB
Instead of closing in on title No. 28, the New York Yankees are on the verge of getting swept in the World Series for just the fourth time. Aaron Judge again looked lost at the plate, starting pitching faltered for the second straight game and the Yankees dropped into a 3-0 Series deficit with a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Judge is 1 for 12 with no RBIs and seven strikeouts in the Series and is hitting .140 with 20 strikeouts in this postseason. He is down to a .196 average with 15 homers, 31 RBIs and 86 strikeouts in his postseason career. Game 4 is at 8:08 tonight in New York.
Freddie Freeman homered for the third straight game and Walker Buehler pitched another World Series gem as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-2 for a 3-0 lead in the Fall Classic. With superstar Shohei Ohtani playing despite a partially dislocated left shoulder, Los Angeles moved within one victory of a surprising sweep in this much-hyped matchup between traditional powers. Buehler and six relievers combined on a five-hitter for the Dodgers, who are on the cusp of their second championship in five years and the eighth in franchise history.
Hundreds of fans filed into a public viewing center in Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan on Tuesday morning to cheer the country’s top celebrity in Game 3 of the World Series. They got what they came for as the Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-2 to move within one win of the World Series title. Fans lined up outside the Oshu City Cultural Center, a 500-seat auditorium, on a perfect fall morning to watch their local hero in a live telecast of the game. This is the town where Ohtani played Little League, starred as a pitcher and hitter at Hanamaki Higashi High School.
Freddie Freeman tied George Springer’s record of homering in five straight World Series games, hitting a two-run drive off the New York Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt in the first inning to put the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead 2-0 in World Series Game 3. Seeking their second title in five years, the Dodgers won 4-2 and lead the Series 3-0. Shohei Ohtani, playing two days after partially separating his left shoulder, walked on four pitches leading off. After Mookie Betts flied out, Freeman drove a high cutter with a 1-2 count about five rows deep into the lower deck in right field. An eight-time All-Star and the 2020 NL MVP, the 35-year-old Freeman has seven RBIs in the Series.
NFL
On Monday night football, Calvin Austin III returned a punt for a touchdown and hauled in a lob by Russell Wilson for another score as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New York Giants 26-18. Austin raced across the field before sprinting down the sideline for a 73-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave the Steelers the lead for good. He added a 29-yard over-the-shoulder grab from Wilson early in the fourth as Pittsburgh won its 22nd straight home game under the Monday night lights. Rookie Tyrone Tracy ran for a season-high 145 yards and a touchdown for New York. The Giants have lost three straight.
NBA
Darius Garland scored a season-high 34 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 4-0 by beating the New York Knicks 110-104 on Monday night. Donovan Mitchell added 25 points, Evan Mobley had 17 and Jarrett Allen finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers, off to their best start since beginning defense of their 2016 NBA title by starting 6-0. Jalen Brunson had 21 points and seven assists for the Knicks (1-2), who led by 13 in the second half. Mikal Bridges scored 19 points, Josh Hart had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and OG Anunoby scored 15 points. Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out with 13 points and 10 boards.
Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Payton Pritchard came off the bench and hit eight 3-pointers en route to 28 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 119-108. Jayson Tatum added 15 points and eight rebounds for Boston (4-0). Derrick White had 13 points and eight assists. The Celtics improved to 4-0. Damian Lillard led the Bucks with 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 10 boards and six assists. The game was close until late in the third quarter. Pritchard hit a 3 at the buzzer and the Celtics added to their lead early in the fourth.
Paolo Banchero scored a career-high 50 points, and the Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 119-115. Banchero also had 13 rebounds and nine assists in a terrific performance. Jalen Suggs had 25 points and seven assists for Orlando, and reserve Mo Wagner finished with 14 points. Pascal Siakam had 26 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers.
Jimmy Butler had 23 points and seven assists, Terry Rozier added 20 points and the Miami Heat beat the Detroit Pistons 106-98. Tyler Herro scored 19, Bam Adebayo added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. also scored 12 for the Heat. Cade Cunningham scored 24 points for Detroit, which is 0-4 for the third time in the last five seasons. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20, Jaden Ivey scored 18 and backup Isaiah Stewart had 15 rebounds for Detroit.
Kyle Kuzma had 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and the Washington Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-119 for their first win this season. Jordan Poole scored 26 points for Washington, and reserve Corey Kispert had 21 points. The Wizards improved to 1-2 after two one-sided defeats. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 29 points. Trae Young, who missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, was limited to 2-for-15 shooting. He finished with 14 points, 13 assists and six turnovers.
Nikola Jokic scored seven of his 40 points in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets overcame a 15-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 127-125. Canadian star Jamal Murray sent the game to overtime by making a reverse layup for the Nuggets with less than a second remaining in regulation. Aaron Gordon had 16 points and 11 boards for Denver. Toronto’s RJ Barrett missed a 3 in the final seconds of OT, and Ochai Agbaji and Jakob Poeltl were unable to tip in Barrett’s miss.
Zach LaVine scored 30 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter to key a Chicago comeback as the Bulls defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 126-123. Nikola Vucevic finished with 22 points for the Bulls. Coby White scored 20 and Josh Giddey finished with 12 points, eight assists and 13 rebounds, including a key offensive rebound in the final seconds. Desmond Bane led Memphis with 30 points, making 11 of 19 shots, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Jaren Jackson Jr had 19 points, while Jake LaRavia finished with 17 points, Scotty Pippen Jr. had 14 points and 10 assists.
Jalen Green scored 34 points and the Houston Rockets never trailed in a 106-101 victory over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. Jabari Smith added 17 points and Alperen Sengun had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Houston. The Rockets rebounded from a 109-106 loss to the Spurs on Saturday to close out a two-game set in San Antonio. Jeremy Sochan had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Wembanyama had 12 points and 18 rebounds for the Spurs.
Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and Klay Thompson added 18 to lift the Dallas Mavericks over the Utah Jazz 110-102. Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks was wheeled off on a stretcher with a broken leg midway through the third quarter after he fell to the floor without any contact near the baseline beneath Utah’s basket. The team said he had a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle. Luke Doncic had 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on an off shooting night.
Devin Booker scored 33 points, Kevin Durant added 30 and the Phoenix Suns rallied to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 109-105. The Lakers took an 83-76 advantage into the fourth, but couldn’t hold on, suffering their first loss of the season after winning three in a row. Durant made back-to-back jumpers to give the Suns a 105-101 lead with 2:17 left. LeBron James responded with a 3-pointer with 1:58 left to cut the margin to 105-104, but the Lakers couldn’t regain the lead. James finished with just 11 points, narrowly extending his NBA-record streak of at least 10 points in a game to 1,226.
De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points and surpassed 10,000 for his career, DeMar DeRozan added 23 points and the Sacramento Kings beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98 for their first win of the season. Fox became the fifth player in franchise history to reach the 10,000 mark when he made a 3-pointer in the third quarter. The Kings never trailed, expanding a 60-58 lead midway through the third quarter to 26 points in the fourth. DeAndre Ayton had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, joining Bill Walton as the only players in franchise history to start a season with four straight double-doubles.
Stephen Curry will miss at least the next two games for the Golden State Warriors nursing an injured ankle that he hurt in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry had an MRI exam after the game and it showed no structural damage and revealed a left peroneal strain. The team said he would be reevaluated Friday. Golden State plays consecutive home games Tuesday and Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Their next game after Curry is examined again is Saturday at Houston.
NHL
Florida captain Aleksander Barkov had a goal and an assist in his return after missing eight games with a lower-body injury, and the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-2. Carter Verhaeghe scored the go-ahead goal with 3:16 left in the second period, and added an assist to extend his point streak to seven games. Jesper Boqvist and Sam Reinhart staked the Panthers to a 2-0 lead by scoring 55 seconds apart in the first period. Rasmus Dahlin and Jason Zucker scored in a span of 1:52 to tie the game at 2 midway through the second period.
Mikael Pyyhtia scored his first NHL goal, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 for their second straight home win. Sean Monahan had two goals, Cole Sillinger added a goal and two assists, and Adam Fantilli and Mathieu Olivier also scored for Columbus, and Kirill Marchenko had two assists. Elvis Merzlikins carried a shutout through 19:33 of the third period before giving up a late goal, but he stopped 31 shots as the Blue Jackets continued their trend of winning every other game on the season. Mattias Ekholm scored and Stuart Skinner stopped 19 shots for the Oilers, who snapped a two-game win streak.
John Tavares scored three goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat Winnipeg 6-4, handing the Jets their first loss of the season. William Nylander had a goal and two assists, and Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly also scored for Toronto, which had lost three straight (0-2-1). Max Pacioretty, moved up from the fourth line to the second line, had three assists and Anthony Stolarz had 19 saves. Kyle Connor had three goals and an assist for Winnipeg to extend his point streak to nine games (nine goals, five assists). That set a franchise-record for longest point streak to start a season, which had previously been held by former captain Blake Wheeler since 2015-16. Mark Scheifele had a goal and assist, and Josh Morrissey added three assists for the Jets. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 30 shots.
Nick Paul scored 3:22 into overtime and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Nashville Predators 3-2, spoiling the return of longtime captain Steven Stamkos. Brayden Point had a goal and an assist, and Mitchell Chaffee also scored to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead in the first period. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves. Stamkos, who played his first 16 NHL seasons with the Lightning before signing with Nashville on July 1, received a standing ovation after being honored with a video tribute in the first period. His assist on Ryan O’Reilly’s power-play goal midway through the second period was his first with the Predators, and he got his second by setting up Gustav Nyquist’s game-tying goal at 18:40. But Paul won it by beating Juuse Saros after the Predators had dominated overtime.
Ryan Donato scored twice, including an empty-netter with 57.8 seconds remaining, and the Chicago Blackhawks snapped a four-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Kurashev, Lukas Reichel and Donato had goals as the Blackhawks led 3-2 after the first period. Donato and Ilya Mikheyev added empty-net goals in the final minute. The Avalanche were playing on the second night of a back-to-back at home and didn’t have their usual zip down the ice early. Once they found their stride they were bottled up Petr Mrazek, who stopped 24 shots. Casey Mittelstadt and Nathan MacKinnon scored for an Avalanche team that saw their five-game winning streak halted.
Alexander Wennberg scored a power-play goal at 1:26 of overtime and the San Jose Sharks beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-4 for their first win of the season. Fabian Zetterlund had two goals, and Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli also scored for San Jose. Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 19 saves. Matias Maccelli had two goals to lead Utah, and Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev also scored. Connor Ingram made 41 saves as Utah lost its fourth straight game. The Sharks rallied from a three-goal deficit late in the third period, tying it on Toffoli’s snap shot with 2:42 left in regulation. Zetterlund and Granlund scored 25 seconds apart less than two minutes earlier to key the rally.
Keegan Kolesar had two goals and an assist, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Calgary Flames 5-0. Vegas closed out a 4-0 homestand, outscoring its opponents 24-8 during the impressive stretch. Kolesar posted his first career multigoal game. Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone and Nic Roy also scored, and Adin Hill made 16 saves in the team’s first shutout of the season. Dan Vladar made 31 saves for the Flames.
Sebastian Aho scored 47 seconds into overtime and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Martin Necas had a goal and an assist, and William Carrier and Jack Roslovic also scored in regulation for the Hurricanes, who won their fourth straight. Pyotr Kochetkov finished with 25 saves. Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes each had a goal and an assist for the Canucks, and Pius Suter got the tying goal late in the third period. J.T. Miller had two assists and Kevin Lankinen had 28 saves.
WNBA
The Connecticut Sun is parting ways with Stephanie White. White led the Sun to the WNBA semifinals both of her seasons as coach. The Sun finished third in the regular season with a 28-12 record, swept Indiana in the first round of the playoffs and lost a five-game semifinal series to Minnesota. The Sun are the seventh WNBA team to make a coaching change, and the announcement came a day after the Indiana Fever fired Christie Sides. White led the Sun to a franchise-best 27-13 record in her first season and was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year.
SOCCER
Spanish midfielders Rodri and Aitana Bonmatí won the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or award on Monday as the world’s best soccer players, while Real Madrid snubbed the star-studded ceremony in Paris in apparent protest. The 28-year-old Rodri won the prestigious award for the first time after helping Manchester City win the Premier League and being a key player in Spain’s European Championship triumph. He succeeded eight-time winner Lionel Messi of Argentina and beat Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior into second place, a result which greatly displeased the Spanish club. Madrid and its players stayed away from the ceremony, then vented their feelings on social media. The 26-year-old Bonmatí retained her award after helping Barcelona win the Spanish league and the Champions League.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Luciano Acosta picked up an assist on Yamin Asad’s first career postseason goal and Roman Celentano made it stand up as FC Cincinnati beat New York City FC 1-0 in the opener of a best-of-three first-round series for the MLS Cup. Asad ended a scoreless match in the 51st minute when he took a pass from Acosta and sent a header into the net to give Eastern Conference No. 3 seed Cincinnati the lead in the match and the series — which shifts to Citi Field in New York on Saturday. It was the first postseason goal for Asad in his third career playoff appearance. Acosta notched his third assist in his 10th postseason match. Celantano totaled two saves in goal for Cincinnati on the way to his third career clean sheet.
Alex Roldan scored the decisive goal in a 5-4 shootout after Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei and Houston’s Steve Clark dueled to a scoreless draw in regulation and the Sounders rallied to beat the Dynamo in a best-of-three first-round opener for the MLS Cup. Frei was not tested the whole rainy night and finished without a save in his shutout effort. But he guessed right in the fourth round of the shootout — forcing Erik Sviatchenko to miss wide left. Roldan sent a right-footed shot to the top right corner for the winner for the Western Conference’s fourth-seeded Sounders. Houston will host Seattle on Sunday. The two clubs played to a 2-2 draw there during the regular season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Penn State coach James Franklin isn’t sure if starting quarterback Drew Allar will be ready to play when the No. 3 Nittany Lions host No. 4 Ohio State. Allar suffered an apparent left knee injury late in the first half of Penn State’s 28-13 win over Wisconsin. Allar returned for the second half wearing a knee brace, but after a short, ineffective warm-up, yielded the offense to Beau Pribula. Allar has completed 117 of 164 passes for 1,640 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions this year. He hasn’t missed a game yet since taking over the starting job at the start of the 2023 season.
None of the last eight unbeaten teams in major college football this season were unbeaten going into November last year. Or the year before that. Or the year before that. Or in the decades before that, in some cases. The last eight unbeatens: No. 1 Oregon (8-0), No. 3 Penn State (7-0), No. 5 Miami (8-0), No. 9 BYU (8-0), No. 11 Iowa State (7-0), No. 13 Indiana (8-0), No. 18 Pitt (7-0) and No. 21 Army (7-0). There are some true surprises on the list.
BASEBALL
With the Frontier League adding two new baseball teams, the Tri-City ValleyCats will have their earliest opening day in franchise history next year. The independent club will begin its 23rd season on May 9th with the first of 48 home games. The regular season wraps up August 31st on the road. With new franchises- the Down East Bird Dawgs in Kinston, North Carolina and the Mississippi Mud Monsters in Pearl- coming in 2025, the league is realigning into four divisions. The ValleyCats, who call Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy home, will compete in the Atlantic Conference’s East Division with Quebec, Ottawa, New England and Trois-Rivieres.
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