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🚨 Headlines
🏈 Jets 24, Patriots 3: Aaron Rodgers was brilliant in the Jets’ home-opening win over the Patriots, throwing for 281 yards and 2 TD in his first game at MetLife since last season’s four-play appearance that ended with a torn Achilles.
⚾️ Clinched: The Guardians and Dodgers clinched playoff berths on Thursday, joining the Brewers and Yankees who did the same on Wednesday. Playoff tracker/clinching scenarios.
⚽️ Yamal makes history: Barcelona lost to Monaco, 2-1, but wunderkind Lamine Yamal made history as the second-youngest player ever (17 years, 68 days) to score a goal in the Champions League.
⛳️ LIV eligibility update: The PGA of America, a distinct organization from the PGA Tour, announced that LIV Golf players will be eligible to play in the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship — a significant thaw in the ongoing split in golf.
🏈 Arch’s first start: Arch Manning, who dominated last week in relief of injured QB Quinn Ewers, will make his first start for Texas on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe as Ewers continues dealing with an abdominal strain.
⚾️ Ladies and gentlemen, Shohei Ohtani
He’s done it. Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ $700 million man, became the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. And he did it in the most Ohtani way possible, with perhaps the greatest single-game offensive performance of all time.
By the numbers: He entered Thursday’s game against the Marlins — a 20-4 Dodgers rout — with 48 home runs and 49 stolen bases. He then proceeded to go 6-for-6 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles, 2 steals, 10 RBI and 4 runs scored.
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It was the first five-hit game of his career (much less six), and he’s just the 16th player in MLB history with 10 RBI in a game.
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In fact, he’s the only player to have — over the course of their entire career — a game with 10+ RBI, a game with 6+ hits, a game with 5+ extra-base hits, a game with 3+ home runs and a game with 2+ steals, and he did it all in a single game. To inaugurate the 50-50 club.
Quote of the night: There were two outs and first base was open when Ohtani came to the plate one HR shy of 50-50. The smart move would have been an intentional walk, but Marlins manager Skip Schumacher was having none of that. “F*** that,” he could be seen saying from the dugout just before Ohtani’s historic blast. “I’ve got too much respect for this guy for that s*** to happen.”
What a season: The soon-to-be three-time MVP, who in case you’ve forgotten is rehabbing from elbow surgery, is batting .294/.376/.629 with 51 HR, 51 SB, 120 RBI and 123 R. And by the way, he’s only been caught stealing four times.
The big picture: Thursday was an all-time game at the end of an all-time season from a player who might just go down as the greatest of all-time. And while I’ve run out of words to describe him, here’s Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman on Ohtani, who has proved yet again that he’s capable of the impossible.
This season wasn’t supposed to be about Shohei Ohtani’s stats.
After three years of increasingly mind-blowing on-field achievements from the two-way player, Ohtani’s offseason jump from the Angels to the Dodgers introduced a wealth of intriguing new storylines involving the once-in-a-lifetime talent. But with elbow surgery at the end of last season restricting Ohtani to DH duties in 2024, our collective instinct was to put our hopes for more never-before-seen feats on hold for a year while he rehabbed his way back to two-way status.
In the meantime, there was no shortage of captivating subplots to monitor: A $700 million free-agent contract with unprecedented deferrals. Ohtani’s fit atop a lineup with two other MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. How he would handle his DH responsibilities while simultaneously rehabbing the second elbow surgery of his career. A gambling scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, that rocked the baseball world just before Opening Day. The chance to play in October after six consecutive losing seasons in Anaheim. Teaming up with another Japanese superstar in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. His wife! His dog! And on and on.
With so much else surrounding Ohtani’s debut season in Dodger blue, his raw statistical output — temporarily limited to that of just a hitter (and one who doesn’t play defense) — seemed likely to be secondary.
Or so we thought.
🏀 Bring on the WNBA playoffs
The WNBA regular season came to an end last night, and for Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson that meant the conclusion of two of the greatest campaigns in league history.
Best rookie season ever? Six months ago, Clark wrapped up perhaps the best career in women’s college basketball history. And while some felt it would take time to adjust to the professional game, all she’s done is put together arguably the best rookie season the WNBA has ever seen.
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The Fever point guard averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 3.1 three-pointers per game, with her assist and three-point marks both leading the league.
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She broke the single-season assists record (337) and the rookie scoring record (769), hit the second-most threes ever in a season (122) and became the first rookie to record a triple-double (which she did twice).
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Now, after a regular-season finale that was the most-attended game in WNBA history, she has Indiana back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And the presumptive Rookie of the Year would also be an MVP favorite if not for Wilson’s own historic campaign.
Best season ever? Wilson is all but guaranteed to become the WNBA’s fourth three-time MVP after putting up what looks a lot like the best season in league history.
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The Aces center set the records for most points (1,021) and rebounds in a season (451), and became the first player ever to lead the league in points, rebounds and blocks.
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She averaged a WNBA-record 26.9 points per game (no one else this season even averaged 23), 11.9 rebounds per game (second to Angel Reese’s 13.1), and she might win a third straight Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the league in defensive win shares, too.
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The only thing she has left to do is lead red-hot Vegas — the two-time defending champs who’ve won nine of their last 10 — to the second three-peat in league history (Comets, 1997-2000).
Bring on the playoffs: The first round begins Sunday, with the higher seed hosting the first two games in each best-of-three series.
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No. 1 Liberty vs. No. 8 Dream (1pm ET, ESPN)
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No. 3 Sun vs. No. 6 Fever (3pm, ABC)
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No. 2 Lynx vs. No. 7 Mercury (5pm, ESPN)
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No. 4 Aces vs. No. 5 Storm (10pm, ESPN)
Championship odds (via BetMGM): Liberty (+120), Aces (+225), Lynx (+240), Sun (+800), Fever (+3000), Storm (+4000), Mercury (+15000), Dream (+25000).
⚾️ Can the Tigers end the drought?
The Tigers haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, tied with the Angels for the longest drought in the majors*. But with nine games left, the hottest team in baseball has clawed its way into a tie for the final card spot.
Epic comeback: On August 10, Detroit had the fourth-worst record in the American League (55-63) and sat 10 games out of a playoff spot. Since then, they’ve gone an MLB-best 25-10, and they’re now in a dead heat with the Twins with matching 80-73 records.
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Minnesota holds the tiebreaker, but that might not matter if they keep playing like this: While the Tigers have surged, the Twins have face-planted, losing 11 of their last 16.
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If Detroit completes the comeback and makes the postseason, they’ll be just the second team in MLB history to do so after being 8+ games under .500 in August or later (1973 Mets).
Remaining schedules: The Tigers have three at the Orioles before ending with six at home against the Rays and White Sox, who may have already set the record for most losses in a season by then. The Twins have three at the Red Sox, three vs. the Marlins and three vs. the Orioles.
*Longest active droughts: The only teams across the “Big Four” North American leagues with longer active playoff droughts are the NFL’s Jets and the NHL’s Sabres, at 13 seasons each.
📆 Sept. 20, 1913: Ouimet’s upset victory
111 years ago today, American Francis Ouimet upset Britons Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in an 18-hole playoff to become the first amateur to win the U.S. Open.
From caddie to champion: Ouimet*, 20, lived across the street from and grew up caddying at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, which hosted its first of four U.S. Opens that year.
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He’d taught himself how to play golf and became the best high school and amateur golfer in the state, but he’d never broken through on the national stage.
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After an impressive showing in the U.S. Amateur earlier that month, USGA president Robert Watson — wanting a local amateur in the field — invited Ouimet to compete in the U.S. Open
Huge underdog: It wasn’t just that Ouimet was a 20-year-old amateur, it’s that he had to contend with overwhelming favorites Vardon and Ray, who were such big stars that the USGA postponed the tournament that year to fit their schedules.
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Vardon and Ray, who won a combined nine majors, entered the clubhouse tied for the lead, putting the pressure on Ouimet to play a flawless back nine to join the playoff.
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He did just that, playing the final eight holes at one-under par before dominating the 18-hole playoff for a five-stroke victory.
Growing the sport: The fervor surrounding Ouimet’s U.S. Open victory — the third straight by an American after Brits won the first 16 editions — helped popularize the sport stateside as the number of golfers in the U.S. tripled over the next 10 years.
*On the silver screen: In 2005, Shia LaBeouf starred as Ouimet in Disney’s “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
📺 Watchlist: The Laver Cup
The seventh annual Laver Cup is this weekend in Berlin (Fri-Sun, Tennis), where Team World seeks its third straight win over Team Europe in tennis’ version of the Ryder Cup.
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Team Europe (captain: Björn Borg*): Germany’s Alexander Zverev (world No. 2), Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (3), Russia’s Daniil Medvedev (5), Norway’s Casper Ruud (9), Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov (10) and Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (12).
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Team World (John McEnroe*): USA’s Taylor Fritz (7), USA’s Frances Tiafoe (16), USA’s Ben Shelton (17), Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo (22), Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo (31) and Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis (78).
How it works: There are three singles and one doubles match per day, with teams earning one point for a win on Friday (7am ET and 1pm), two on Saturday (7am; 1pm) and three on Sunday (6am). First to 13 points wins, with an extra doubles match played in case of a tie.
More to watch:
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🏀 WNBA Playoffs: No. 8 Dream at No. 1 Liberty (Sun. 1pm, ESPN); No. 6 Fever at No. 3 Sun (Sun. 3pm, ABC); No. 7 Mercury at No. 2 Lynx (Sun. 5pm, ESPN); No. 5 Storm at No. 4 Aces (Sun. 10pm, ESPN)
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🏈 NFL: Texans at Vikings (Sun. 1pm, CBS); Eagles at Saints (Sun. 1pm, Fox); Chargers at Steelers (Sun. 1pm, CBS); Ravens at Cowboys (Sun. 4:25pm, Fox); Lions at Cardinals (Sun. 4:25pm, Fox); Chiefs at Falcons (Sun. 8:20pm, NBC) … Week 3.
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🏈 NCAAF: No. 24 Illinois at No. 22 Nebraska (Fri. 8pm, Fox); No. 11 USC at No. 18 Michigan (Sat. 3:30pm, CBS); No. 12 Utah at No. 14 Oklahoma State (Sat. 4pm, Fox); No. 6 Tennessee at No. 15 Oklahoma (Sat. 7:30pm, ABC) … Week 4.
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⚾️ MLB: Tigers at Orioles (Fri. 7pm, Apple); Phillies at Mets (Fri. 7pm, Apple); Phillies at Mets (Sun. 7pm, ESPN)
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⚽️ EPL: Manchester City vs. Arsenal (Sun. 11:30am, USA)
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⚽️ Serie A: Inter vs. Milan (Sun. 2:45pm, Paramount+)
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⚽️ MLS: Colorado vs. Toronto (Sat. 9:30pm, Apple); Philadelphia vs. D.C. (Sun. 6:15pm, FS1)
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⚽️ NWSL: Kansas City vs. Washington (Fri. 8pm, Prime); Gotham FC vs. Utah (Sun. 1pm, ESPN2)
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⛳️ DP World Tour: BMW PGA Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf)
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⛳️ LIV: Dallas (Fri-Sun, CW) … The Team Championship and season finale tees off at Maridoe Golf Club.
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🏁 F1: Singapore GP (Sun. 8am, ESPN)
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🏁 NASCAR: Bristol Motor Speedway (Sat. 7:30pm, USA) … The playoff field will be cut from 16 to 12 after this race.
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🏐 Women’s Volleyball: No. 5 Nebraska at No. 4 Louisville (Sun. 12:30pm, ABC)
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🥊 Boxing: Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois (Sat. 5:30pm, DAZN PPV) … At London’s Wembley Stadium for the IBF heavyweight title.
*Changing of the guard: Borg and McEnroe have been captains every year since the inaugural event in 2017, but both will step away from the role after this year. Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi will replace them.
⚾️ MLB trivia
Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 season is even more impressive when you realize there are only two other players in MLB history who’ve ever recorded both a 50-homer and 50-steal season at any point in their careers.
Question: Can you name those two players?
Hint: Their names both start with a “B.”
Submitted by: Bill T. from Las Vegas
Answer at the bottom.
⛳️ GIF of the day: Shot shaping
An absolutely mesmerizing shot from Pablo Larrazábal.
Trivia answer: Barry Bonds (73 HR in 2001; 52 SB in 1990) and Brady Anderson (50 HR in 1996; 53 SB in 1992)
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