WNBA PLAYOFFS
Breanna Stewart scored 27 points and the New York Liberty beat the Washington Mystics 90-85 in overtime to advance to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs for the first time in eight years. New York hadn’t won a playoff series since 2015. The Liberty will play either No. 3 Connecticut or sixth-seeded Minnesota, who will play the deciding game of their best-of-3 series tonight. The semifinals begin Sunday. The Liberty had to work to advance after blowing an 11-point halftime lead. Natasha Cloud scored 33 points to lead Washington.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 20 points, Teaira McCowan had 12 points and 16 rebounds, and the Dallas Wings advanced to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs after a 101-74 victory over the Atlanta Dream last night. The Wings won a playoff series for the first time since relocating to Dallas for the 2016 season. Dallas will play top-seeded Las Vegas on Sunday. Dallas became the first team in WNBA history to have seven double-digit scorers in a playoff game. Satou Sabally and Awak Kuier each scored 13 points, Kalani Brown added 12, Crystal Dangerfield had 11 and Natasha Howard 10. Rhyne Howard scored 21 points and Allisha Gray added 19 for Atlanta. Rhyne Howard combined for 57 points to set a WNBA record.
NFL
Police are investigating the death of a man following an incident in the stands at a New England Patriots home game. Police and personnel responded to the upper deck at Gillette Stadium shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday. The Norfolk County district attorney's office says 53-year-old Dale Mooney of Newmarket, New Hampshire, “was in apparent need of medical attention." He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The results of an autopsy are expected Tuesday. The Miami Dolphins defeated the Patriots in Sunday’s game.
Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb will undergo surgery on his left knee after suffering a gruesome season-ending injury Monday night in Pittsburgh. A four-time Pro Bowler, Chubb got hurt when Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick tackled him low on a carry in the second quarter. The impact buckled the same knee that Chubb injured in 2015 at Georgia and had reconstructed. Coach Kevin Stefanski did not have any specifics on Chubb’s injury or when he’ll have the operation. The 27-year-old Chubb has rushed for 6,511 yards and scored 48 touchdowns since being drafted in 2018. As Cleveland regroups, the team brought in former Brown Kareem Hunt for a tryout.
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson has a broken right leg and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to coach Frank Reich. Thompson underwent surgery on Tuesday to fix a fractured fibula he sustained in the first quarter of Carolina’s 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. The news is a crushing blow for the Panthers defense, which lost starting cornerback Jaycee Horn to a hamstring injury last week. Horn is expected to miss at least six weeks. Reich would not say who'll start in Thompson's spot Sunday against Seattle. Thompson has been placed on injured reserve.
MLB
George Springer celebrated his 34th birthday with his 57th career leadoff homer, Bo Bichette hit a two-run drive and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 7-1. The Blue Jays ended the night one game ahead of Seattle and Texas for the second AL wild card. The Yankees ended seven games back for the last AL wild card, needing to overcome Seattle and Texas. Yusei Kikuchi (10-6) was pulled one batter into the sixth because of a left upper trap muscle cramp. Kikucki allowed one run and four hits in five-plus innings for his first win since Aug. 2.
Jake Burger hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Miami Marlins beat the New York Mets 4-3 after blowing a late lead. Josh Bell had an early RBI double and Braxton Garrett did not allow an earned run in six stellar innings for the Marlins, who began the day a half-game out of the final NL wild-card spot. All-Star infielder Luis Arraez, who leads the majors with a .354 batting average, was a late scratch from Miami’s lineup because of a left ankle sprain. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Arraez stepped on a baseball during pregame drills. Miami took a 3-1 lead into the ninth, but closer Tanner Scott gave up a two-run double to Brandon Nimmo with two outs.
Josh Jung hit a tiebreaking single in a two-run seventh inning, and the Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 6-4 in their bid for an AL playoff berth. Texas, which ended a four-game losing streak, closed within a half-game of AL West-leading Houston. The Rangers remained tied with Seattle for the third wild card, one game behind Toronto. Texas plays the Mariners in seven of its last 10 games. Aroldis Chapman retired five consecutive batters in the seventh and eighth innings, striking out three, and Jose Leclerc pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
Ronald Acuña Jr. homered twice on his bobblehead night and stole his 67th base, leaving him one long ball shy of becoming Major League Baseball’s first 40-60 player, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 to stop a four-game losing streak. Spencer Strider got his major league-leading 18th win and struck out 11 to increase his big league-high total 270 with his 17th career double-digit strikeout game, his 11th this season. Acuña homered on the first pitch of the game from Cristopher Sánchez and had another solo homer off Yunior Marte in the sixth.
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani had elbow surgery Tuesday, and his doctor said he expects the two-way star will be available as a hitter on opening day next season and will return to the mound as a pitcher in 2025. Ohtani tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23, ending his pitching season. He continued as a batter through Sept. 3 until an oblique strain. Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache operated Tuesday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. He said in a statement that the sides decided to “reinforce the healthy ligament in place,” suggesting the UCL wasn’t reconstructed via Tommy John surgery. ElAttrache performed Tommy John surgery on Ohtani on Oct. 1, 2018.
NHL
Connor Bedard is the most-hyped hockey player since Connor McDavid. But the Chicago Blackhawks top pick is far from the only rookie to watch in the NHL this season. Second and third picks Leo Carlsson of Anaheim and Adam Fantilli of Columbus are also new on the scene. And a few top players from the draft in 2021 and ‘22 also make up this rookie class from Arizona’s Logan Cooley to Toronto's Matthew Knies and New Jersey's Luke Hughes. Knies and Hughes already got a taste of pro hockey late last season and in the playoffs to give them a head start on the Calder Trophy race.
NBA
Victor Wembanyama will be aiming for the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The San Antonio Spurs rookie has reaffirmed his commitment to the national squad for the Summer Games next year in his home country. He spoke in the wake of France’s poor showing at the World Cup last month. He says: “I’ll be present at the Olympics, and there’s no other goal than gold.” The No. 1 draft pick had decided not to play at the World Cup in order to prepare for his rookie season. France came to the World Cup as the reigning Olympic silver medalists but failed to qualify for the second round.
SOCCER
Some of Spain’s World Cup-winning players have started reporting to training camp despite not wanting to be called up for the national team while fighting for changes in the soccer federation. Local media showed some of the players arriving at the hotel where they gathered before heading to Valencia to meet other teammates. They arrived a day after new coach Montse Tomé ignored their decision not to play until their demands for reform at the federation were met. Players who don’t show up risk breaking a Spanish sports law that requires athletes to answer the call of national teams unless there are circumstances that impede them from playing.
GOLF
Duane Bock finally gets to caddie in a Ryder Cup and it's not anything like he expected. For one thing, he'll be working for Sepp Straka, not Kevin Kisner. And he'll be part of Team Europe, not Team USA. Bock is still trying to get his head around how this all came about in three months. Kisner needed a break from poor play and wanting to be home with his young children. Straka had changed caddies and was looking for a fill-in. Straka won the John Deere Classic and was runner-up at the British Open, and the Austrian was picked for the Ryder Cup.
COLLEGE SPORTS
Colorado coach Deion Sanders has condemned the death threats sent to Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn after his late hit Saturday that sent Buffaloes star Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver. Sanders says he has forgiven Blackburn. So has the rest of the team, including Hunter. The police are involved in the case given the nature of the threats toward Blackburn and his family. Blackburn's hit came early in the game, which Colorado won in double overtime. Hunter doesn’t have a definitive timeline for a return. No. 19 Colorado plays at No. 10 Oregon on Saturday.
Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark has won the 93rd AAU James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s top collegiate or Olympic athlete. Clark was honored at the New York Athletic Club. She was the consensus national player of the year in women’s basketball. She led the Hawkeyes to their first national title game appearance, where they lost to LSU. Voting by the public as well as the AAU Sullivan Award committee, AAU board of directors, sports media and past winners determined the winner. The award also recognizes leadership, citizenship, character and sportsmanship on and off the playing field.
From Florida State's re-emergence as a national power to Colorado’s extreme makeover under Deion Sanders and the Pac-12’s resurgence fueled by transfer quarterbacks, reasons to embrace college football free agency are everywhere this season. No. 4 Florida State faces a Clemson team that has mostly ignored the emerging transfer market. The production being done by transfers has increased compared to last season in every category from games started to yards gained passing, rushing and receiving to tackles, sacks and interceptions.
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