October 20, 2021 3:55 am
BOSTON (AP) – The Houston Astros have knotted the AL Championship Series at two games apiece by finally regaining their hitting stroke. The Astros erupted for seven runs in the ninth inning to come away with a 9-2 thumping of the Red Sox. It was a 2-2 game until Jason Castro’s RBI single opened the floodgates. Michael Brantley broke it open with a three-run double before Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa and Kyle Tucker followed with RBI singles to empty Fenway Park. The Red Sox managed just five hits and failed to score after Xander Bogaerts belted a two-run homer in the first inning. Alex Bregman homered for the Astros, who are guaranteed a Game 6 at home. Game 5 is Wednesday in Boston.
October 20, 2021 3:53 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Five outs from a three-games-to-none deficit in the NL Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Atlanta Braves. Mookie Betts provided the tiebreaking single while the Dodgers erupted for four runs in the eighth inning to pull out a 6-5 victory over the Braves. Cody Bellinger tied it with a three-run blast off losing pitcher Luke Jackson. Corey Seager opened the scoring with a two-run homer for LA. Atlanta trailed 2-0 in the fourth inning until Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall and Dansby Swanson delivered RBI singles ahead of Eddie Rosario’s bases-loaded walk. Duvall also singled home a fifth-inning run. Tony Gonsolin was credited with the win after getting out of an eighth-inning jam. Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the ninth to get the save.
October 19, 2021 3:47 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – All NFL football fans ready to anoint the Buffalo Bills as the best team in the AFC may want to cool their jets for a while. Derrick Henry scored his third touchdown with 3:05 left before the Titans stopped quarterback Josh Allen on a fourth-down sneak to end the Bills’ four-game winning streak, 34-31. The AFC East-leading Bills drove to the Titans 3 on their final possession and could have sent the game to overtime with a field goal. Instead, they went for the win and turned the ball over on downs with 12 seconds left. Henry finished with 143 yards, topping 100 for the fifth consecutive game. He also had a 76-yard TD run and a 3-yarder. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill added another TD run against a Buffalo defense that came in third against the run. Allen finished with 353 yards passing and three TDs. Both teams are 4-2, one game behind Baltimore for the conference lead.
October 19, 2021 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-3 heading into their bye week thanks in large part to linebacker T.J. Watt. Watt became the first player in NFL history to have two sacks and a forced fumble in overtime in a 23-20 win over Seattle. Watt’s strip-sack of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith set up Chris Boswell’s game-winning field goal. The Steelers have won two straight following a 1-3 start. They will get a chance to rest up before traveling to Cleveland on Halloween to face the Browns.
October 19, 2021 3:42 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh is hoping its appearance in the AP college football poll is more than a cameo. The Panthers climbed into the rankings at No. 23 after improving to 5-1 with a blowout win on the road at Virginia Tech. This is the fifth time in coach Pat Narduzzi’s seven seasons that Pitt has been ranked for at least one week. The Panthers are hoping for an extended stay in the polls. They’ll get a chance to impress the voters next week when national power Clemson visits Heinz Field.
October 19, 2021 3:44 am
BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Red Sox appear to have stumbled on a formula for beating the Houston Astros. The Red Sox grabbed an early 9-0 lead for the second straight game, hit another grand slam and throttled the Astros, 12-3 to take a two-games-to-one lead in the AL Championship Series. Kyle Schwarber hit Boston’s third slam in two games, highlighting a six-run second. The Sox are the first team with three slams in a postseason series. J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers homered again after belting grand slams on Saturday. Christian Arroyo added a two-run blast in the rout. Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez picked up the win after allowing five hits in as many innings, including Kyle Tucker’s three-run homer. Losing pitcher Jose Urquidy was chased in the second. Game 4 is Tuesday at Fenway Park.
October 18, 2021 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Chris Boswell hit a 36-yard field goal with 2:50 left in overtime to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 23-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Boswell’s third field goal of the game came three plays after Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt forced Seattle quarterback Geno Smith to fumble deep in Seahawks territory. Pittsburgh inside linebacker Devin Bush scooped it up to give the Steelers possession. Two snaps to center the ball in the middle of the field set up Boswell to win it.
Seahawks linebacker Darrell Taylor had movement in all of his extremities after leaving Seattle’s game Sunday night against Pittsburgh late in the fourth quarter on a stretcher with an unspecified injury. Taylor fell to the ground after a collision during a 3-yard gain by Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris with the Steelers driving near midfield with 3:10 to play in regulation. Taylor laid on the ground for more than 10 minutes while being attended to by medical staff. Players from both sides came out to offer support and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital. After the Steelers won in overtime, NBC reported Taylor had movement in all of his extremities.
October 18, 2021 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Arizona Cardinals remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team and continue their best start since 1974. Kyler Murray tied a career high with four touchdown passes and the Cardinals improved to 6-0 with a 37-14 dismantling of the Browns. Murray connected with DeAndre Hopkins for two TDs and finished 20 of 30 for 229 yards. The Cardinals built a 20-0 lead in the first half and kept their perfect record intact despite not having head coach Kliff Kingsbury or star linebacker Chandler Jones, who both tested positive for COVID-19. Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield threw for two TDs and was 19 of 28 for 234 yards and an interception. The Browns have dropped two straight for the first time under second-year head coach Kevin Stefanski.
October 18, 2021 3:51 am
ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Braves hold a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series following their second walk-off win in as many nights. Eddie Rosario singled home the winning run in the ninth inning to send the Braves past the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4. Rosario had four hits for the Braves, who trailed 2-0 and 4-2 before maintaining home-field advantage. Austin Riley doubled home the tying run in the eighth, one night after supplying a walk-off single. Joc Pederson belted a two-run homer for Atlanta, which also owned a 2-0 lead against the Dodgers in last year’s NLCS before losing in seven games. The Los Angeles runs came on Corey Seager’s two-run homer in the first inning and Chris Taylor’s two-run double in the seventh. Mookie Betts scored on both hits. Game 3 is Tuesday in Los Angeles.
October 17, 2021 7:46 am
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are doing just fine so far without injured stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Drew O’Connor scored his first NHL goal, Danton Heinen got his third in three games and Pittsburgh tallied four times in the first period to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 in its home opener Saturday night. With the victory, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan surpassed Dan Bylsma for most regular-season wins in franchise history. Brock McGinn scored his first goal with the Penguins and Teddy Blueger added his second of the season, both in the first period. Jason Zucker also scored for Pittsburgh, and Tristan Jarry made 18 saves. Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury started against his former team but lasted less than 12 minutes. Kevin Lankinen stopped 15 shots in relief.
