MLB:
The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 last night to reach the National League Championship Series. Daniel Murphy stole an uncovered third base and went on to score the tying run, then hit a go-ahead homer off Zack Greinke. The Mets will open their championship series against the Cubs Saturday in New York. Matt Harvey is expected to start the opener for the Mets. Cubs skipper Joe Maddon says Jon Lester will pitch Game 1, followed by Jake Arrieta on Sunday.
New York trailed 2-1 in the decisive Game 5 of the NL Division Series when with three infielders on the right side and no one near third, Murphy strolled to second on Lucas Duda's walk and sprinted to third. Travis d'Arnaud followed with a sacrifice fly, and Murphy homered in the sixth.
Jacob deGrom allowed runners in all six of his innings but just two runs. Noah Syndergaard pitched the seventh, and Jeurys Familia got the first six-out save of his career. Despite a record $289 million payroll, the Dodgers remained without a World Series title since 1988. Andre Ethier shouted at Dodgers manager Don Mattingly in the dugout in the third.
Toronto starts its series in Kansas City tonight at 8 p.m.
Major League Baseball will review security at Toronto's Rogers Centre in an effort to prevent a repeat of the fan disturbance during Game 5 of the Blue Jays' AL Division Series win over Texas.
Spectators littered the field with debris during an 18-minute delay Wednesday. Toronto catcher Russell Martin hit Texas batter Shin-Soo Choo with his seemingly simple return throw to the pitcher, which resulted in a go-ahead run for the Rangers after several conferences and an umpire's review. Toronto scored four runs in the bottom of the inning and went on to win 6-3.
In a statement, MLB called the fans reaction "a major source of concern."
NFL:
On Thursday Night Football, New Orleans downed Atlanta for its first loss of the season 31-21.
On Sunday at 1 o’clock, Washington is in New York to see the Jets, Cincinnati is in Buffalo to face the Bills, and the Patriots goes head to head with Indianapolis at 8:30. On Monday Night Football the Giants take on Philadelphia at 8:30.
New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara will miss two to four weeks because of a chest injury. Giants coach Tom Coughlin disclosed the pectoral injury before yesterday's practice for Monday night's game at Philadelphia. Amukamara was hurt in the victory over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday night.
Seattle fullback Derrick Coleman has been suspended indefinitely by the Seahawks after his arrest in a hit-and-run investigation. Coleman was booked into King County Jail in Seattle early Thursday and bail was denied until his first court appearance. Coleman's agents say in a statement their client may have fallen asleep. He is being investigated for vehicular assault and felony hit and run.
The NFL has suspended side judge Rob Vernatchi for one game for not managing the clock properly in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's game at San Diego on Monday night. After a kickoff that was not returned, 18 seconds ran off the clock. The side judge is in charge of monitoring the game clock, which is kept on the stadium scoreboard. He will sit out this weekend's games.
NHL:
In the NHL, Montreal blanked the Rangers 3-0, the Islanders skated by Nashville 4-3, Washington topped Chicago 4-1, Florida edged Buffalo 3-2, Dallas beat Tampa Bay 5-3, Pittsburgh won against Ottawa 2-0, St. Louis doubled up Edmonton 4-2, and Minnesota defeated Arizona 4-3.
The NHL has fined Jordin Tootoo of the New Jersey Devils more than $2,200 for a dangerous trip in a game against the Nashville Predators. Tootoo tripped defenseman Seth Jones in the third period and was assessed a minor penalty in Tuesday night's game in New Jersey.
NBA:
In preseason NBA play, Indiana beat Cleveland 107-85 and Golden State won against Houston 123-101.
NCAAF:
In college football, No. 15 Stanford won against No. 18 UCLA 56-35.
An email obtained through an open records request shows University of Minnesota athletic officials were notified this summer about a "concerning pattern" of sexual misbehavior involving Gopher football players over the past year.
The July 16 email notes players were accused of sexual assault on two occasions, and the school's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office also handled two separate allegations of sexual harassment involving groups of football players.
Fantasy Sports:
Nevada regulators have ordered daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel to shut down, saying they can't operate in the state without a gambling license.
The decision comes amid growing backlash by investigators and regulators over the sites, which have grown in popularity in the past year.
DraftKings and FanDuel say the sites provide games of skill and not of chance. They believe they are protected by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act established in 2006, which has language protecting fantasy sports. The games are legal in 45 states.
LPGA:
Lydia Ko made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead Friday in the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship.
The 18-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander moved into position to regain the No. 1 spot in the world from South Korean star Inbee Park, one of her playing partners Friday. Ko would take the top spot with a victory and also could move up under other scenarios. Ko had a 10-under 134 total on Sky 72's Ocean Course.
Park was tied for 25th at 3 under after a 72. American Lexi Thompson was second after a 67. Sung Hyun Park, the first-round leader after a course-record 62, had a 74 to drop into a tie for third at 8 under with fellow South Korean player Yoon-Ji Cho.
Olympics:
Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius can leave prison and move to house arrest next week.
A parole board at the prison where Pistorius has served nearly a year of his five-year sentence for manslaughter made the decision. It came after an initial ruling to release the double-amputee athlete in August was canceled. Pistorius was convicted of shooting his girlfriend to death in 2013.
Pistorius was acquitted of murder last year in the shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp, but prosecutors have appealed that decision and will seek a murder conviction again at South Africa's Supreme Court on Nov. 3.
Binghamton Uni. Athletics:
A gynecologist who arrived in the United States from Korea with only $50 in his pocket has donated $1 million to Binghamton University's athletic department.
The Press & Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton reports Dr. Bai Lee's award is quadruple the amount of the previous largest donation to the New York state university's athletic department.
To show its appreciation for Lee's support, the university has said the doctor's name will appear on the Bearcats' basketball court.
The funds will be used to upgrade the school's strength and conditioning and sports medicine facilities, along with the Student Athlete Success Center.
Binghamton President Harvey Stenger says the university is just as excited about the donation as Lee, who's a big sports fan.
Lee and university officials determined that the athletics department was most in need of funding.
Tennis:
A former maintenance worker at a New York tennis academy co-owned by John McEnroe says he and others weren't paid for overtime.
Jose Magalhaes says he and others routinely worked 10-hour days at the Long Island academy but were not paid overtime, as required by state labor law.
Newsday reports that the suit was filed against the John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Sportime NY in Kings Park. It also names McEnroe, a four-time U.S. Open champion.
Magalhaes was a maintenance worker at the Kings Park facility from March 2011 to June 2014.
There was no immediate comment from the lawyer for Sportime NY. McEnroe's lawyer hasn't responded.
McEnroe has another tennis academy in Syosset. He is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
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