Pete Alonso crushed his 49th home run and later worked out a tiebreaking, bases-loaded walk in a four-run ninth that gave the Mets a much-needed 7-4 win over the Rockies. Alonso is three away of Aaron Judge’s major league rookie record of 52 home runs set two years ago. Jeff McNeil also went deep for the Mets, who have set a club record with 225 homers this season.
Adam Ottavino sailed a 30-foot throw home on Albert Pujols’ bases-loaded chopper in the sixth inning to score the tiebreaking run in the Angels’ 3-2 win over the Yankees. Giancarlo Stanton hit a second-inning double in his first at-bat since returning to the Yankees’ lineup. Stanton had been out since June 25 with a strained right knee ligament.
The Giants’ 11-3 rout of the Red Sox made Bruce Bochy just the 11th manager in major league history with 2,000 victories. Stephen Vogt slammed a two-run homer and had four RBIs to back Jeff Samardzija, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
The St. Louis Cardinals have a little more breathing room atop the NL Central after moving three games ahead of the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals took the rubber match of their series with Washington as Adam Wainwright outdueled Max Scherzer in the Redbirds’ 5-1 victory. The 38-year-old Wainwright limited the Nationals to an unearned run in seven innings, helped out by Dexter Fowler’s leaping catch at the wall to rob Asdrúbal Cabrera of a three-run homer. Tommy Edman and Matt Wieters homered for the Cards, who open a four-game set with the Cubs Thursday night at Wrigley Field.
Atlanta has its first three-game skid since mid-July after Bryce Harper’s two-run homer helped the Phillies post a 4-1 victory in Atlanta. Zach Eflin allowed an unearned run and five hits over seven frames as Philadelphia prevented the Braves from padding their nine-game lead over Washington atop the NL East. Atlanta’s magic number remains two.
NFL
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will miss several weeks while recovering from surgery to repair a ligament near his right thumb. Coach Sean Payton wouldn't discuss a timetable for Brees' return, but said it's unlikely he will be placed on injured reserve. That means doctors think Brees will be able to return this season. Payton declined to name a starter for the Sunday’s game at Seattle. Teddy Bridgewater entered last Sunday's loss to the Rams after Brees injured the thumb on his throwing hand while attempting a pass.
Two people with knowledge of the investigation into Antonio Brown being accused of sexual assault tell The Associated Press that one of the accusers has met with NFL investigators and that there is no timetable for concluding the probe. One of the people also confirmed that the district attorney's office and police in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, have reached out to Brown's lawyer about the allegations Britney Taylor made against the Patriots wide receiver in a civil lawsuit.
Jets safety Jamal Adams is calling the NFL "a damn joke" for fining him for a hit he made on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield during New York's loss to Cleveland on Monday night. An angry Adams wrote on Twitter on that the league docked him $21,000. He was called for roughing the passer midway through the first quarter when he hit Mayfield with his left forearm just after the Browns star threw a pass. The NFL's typical fine for roughing the passer for a first-time offense is $21,056.
Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher will undergo surgery on his injured groin, leaving the Chiefs without their blindside protector for Patrick Mahomes for the foreseeable future. Fisher hurt his groin in practice Friday but tried to play Sunday in Oakland. He only lasted a few plays before Cam Erving replaced him.
The Cowboys have waived defensive end Taco Charlton, who didn't live up to his billing as a 2017 first-round pick but should get a second chance with another team. The move clears a roster spot for defensive end Robert Quinn, who was suspended the first two games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancers.
The Falcons have a new backup plan if punter Matt Bosher hasn't recovered from a groin injury by Sunday's game at Indianapolis. Matt Wile worked on punts and kickoffs after he was signed to the practice squad. Wile was Minnesota's punter last season.
NBA
Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai has completed his purchase of the Nets and Barclays Center, then announced that he had hired former Turner Sports President David Levy as CEO. Tsai's purchase of the Nets was unanimously approved by the NBA's board of governors. He spent nearly $3.5 billion for the team and the arena, a record sale for a U.S. sports franchise.
Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas has undergone thumb surgery that is expected to keep him sidelined six to eight weeks. The team says Thomas underwent surgery on Wednesday, two days after he ruptured the radial collateral ligament in his left thumb during routine workouts. This injury is another blow to the Wizards, who are expected to be without guard John Wall for at least the first half of the season and perhaps all of it because of a ruptured Achilles tendon.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UConn coach Dan Hurley is back at work full time, less than two weeks after having surgery for a degenerative spinal condition that required replacing two disks in his neck with artificial ones. Hurley described the fear he felt when doctors told him in August that he needed surgery and that any hard fall or bump could have left him paralyzed. He says before this summer, he had always thought of himself as bulletproof.
The University of Louisville Athletic Association and former men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino have settled lawsuits stemming from his departure from the school. Pitino’s personnel file has been changed to note he resigned and wasn’t terminated. He received no money in the settlement. Pitino sued the ULAA for more than $38.7 million in November 2017. He accused the association of breaching its contract by firing him for cause the previous month in the wake of a federal bribery investigation of college basketball.
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