October 9, 2025 4:28 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered twice, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of their NL Division Series. The Phillies avoided a sweep with the win on Wednesday night. Schwarber’s first homer cleared the right-field pavilion, the first allowed by the Dodgers in these playoffs. The Phillies add five more runs in the eighth inning, including a solo shot by J.T. Realmuto and a two-run drive by Schwarber. Clayton Kershaw struggled in his first postseason relief appearance since 2019. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman went hitless, while Mookie Betts tripled and singled in four at-bats.
October 9, 2025 4:30 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a tiebreaking two-run single and the Chicago Cubs avoided a sweep by holding off the Milwaukee Brewers for a 4-3 victory in Game 3 of their NL Division Series. Crow-Armstrong’s two-out swing was part of a four-run first inning for Chicago — continuing a wild trend. Michael Busch kicked off the rally by becoming the first player in major league history with multiple leadoff homers in a single postseason series. The matchup of NL Central rivals is the first postseason series in which both teams scored in the first in each of the first three games. Jake Bauers rallied Milwaukee with an RBI single in the fourth and a leadoff drive in the seventh.
October 9, 2025 4:31 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer each drove in a run, and eight Toronto pitchers shut down the New York Yankees in a 5-2 victory that sent the Blue Jays to the American League Championship Series for the first time in nine years. Nathan Lukes provided a two-run single and Addison Barger had three of Toronto’s 12 hits as the pesky Blue Jays bounced right back after blowing a five-run lead in Tuesday night’s loss at Yankee Stadium. AL East champion Toronto took the best-of-five Division Series 3-1 and will host Game 1 in the best-of-seven ALCS on Sunday against the Tigers or Mariners. Those teams are set to decide their playoff series Friday in Game 5 at Seattle.
October 9, 2025 4:31 am
DETROIT (AP) — Riley Greene and Javier Báez homered in a four-run sixth inning and the Detroit Tigers kept their season alive with a 9-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. The Tigers forced a Game 5 by winning at Comerica Park for the first time in more than a month. They went 0-8 after Tarik Skubal’s 6-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 6, including Seattle’s 8-4 win on Tuesday. The series decider will be on Friday in Seattle, with Skubal facing George Kirby.
October 9, 2025 4:32 am
PHOENIX (AP) — A’ja Wilson made a turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds left, capping a stellar 34-point night and lifting the Las Vegas Aces over the Phoenix Mercury 90-88 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday for a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Aces are one victory away from winning their third title in four seasons. Game 4 is on Friday in Phoenix. Las Vegas looked like it had a comfortable 76-59 lead entering the fourth quarter, but DeWanna Bonner made two free throws with 1:01 left to tie it at 88. That set up Wilson’s heroics in the final seconds.
October 8, 2025 4:19 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Brazeau scored twice, Arturs Silovs stopped all 25 shots he faced for his first regular-season NHL shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-0 in each team’s opener. Dan Muse won his debut as Penguins coach with his predecessor, Mike Sullivan, on the other bench running his first game with the Rangers. Sullivan guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17 as part of a nearly decade-long run there before parting ways in April.
October 8, 2025 4:23 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a tying homer and drove in four runs during a clutch performance for the ages, and the New York Yankees staved off elimination by rallying from five runs down to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 in Game 3 of their AL Division Series. Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning and the Yankees took advantage of two Toronto errors to avoid a three-game sweep. They scored eight unanswered runs and pulled to 2-1 in the best-of-five playoff, with Game 4 on Wednesday night in the Bronx.
October 8, 2025 4:24 am
DETROIT (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer, Eugenio Suarez and J.P. Crawford had solo shots and the Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 8-4 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Division Series. The Mariners are within a win of their first AL Championship Series since 2001. Their first chance to advance is on Wednesday afternoon in Game 4 at Comerica Park and if necessary, another opportunity awaits on Friday back in Seattle for a decisive Game 5. Seattle’s Logan Gilbert gave up one run on four hits while striking out seven and walking none over six innings.
October 8, 2025 4:20 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have strengthened their hold on the AFC North despite not playing last weekend. Pittsburgh is at 3-1 and in first place, while Cincinnati, Cleveland and Baltimore are dealing with serious health issues. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he’s focused on preparing for upcoming games and not where his team sits in the standings. Pittsburgh could be close to full strength when the Browns visit Acrisure Stadium in Week 6. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith are expected to return after missing multiple games. The only real issue for Pittsburgh is at wide receiver, where Calvin Austin III is dealing with a shoulder injury.
October 8, 2025 2:21 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Flacco is staying in Ohio but heading to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals acquired the veteran quarterback from the Cleveland Browns along with a 2026 sixth-round draft pick on Tuesday for a fifth-round pick next season. The 40-year-old Flacco gives Cincinnati another option. Jake Browning has struggled since replacing Joe Burrow, who is out with a toe injury sustained in Week 2. Flacco started the first four games for the Browns this season, completing 93 of 160 passes for 815 yards and two touchdowns with six interceptions. Rookie Dillon Gabriel replaced Flacco in the Browns’ starting lineup. Rookie Shedeur Sanders now moves up to the backup spot in Cleveland.
