September 30, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – Lucas Giolito was outstanding in the Chicago White Sox’s first postseason game in 12 years. Giolito carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of his postseason debut to pitch the White Sox to a 4-1 win against Oakland in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. Giolito’s perfect game bid ended with Tommy La Stella’s leadoff single in the seventh, and the Chicago hurler left after allowing a run and two hits with eight strikeouts over seven-plus frames. Jose Abreu’s two-run homer was sandwiched around solo shots by Adam Engel and Yasmani Grandal.
The Athletics’ lone run came on an eighth-inning grounder.
In other AL Wild Card Series openers:
– Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner each homered and drove in three runs as the Yankees blew out the Indians, 12-3. Aaron Judge set the tone with a two-run blast off Shane Bieber just two batters into the game. Giancarlo Stanton also homered to back a sharp performance by Gerrit Cole, who struck out 13 and held the Indians to two runs and six hits over seven innings. Bieber was tagged for seven runs over just 4 2/3 innings after compiling a major league-best 1.63 ERA during the regular season.
– Blake Snell was sharp in the Rays’ 3-1 win over the Blue Jays, striking out nine while holding Toronto to one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Snell no-hit the Jays until Alejandro Kirk led off the sixth with a single. Manuel Morgot gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer in the seventh. Willy Adames brought in the game’s first run by walking with the bases loaded.
– The Astros scored three times in the ninth to hand the Twins their major league-record 17th consecutive postseason loss, 4-1. Jose Altuve drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run following a two-out error by Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco. Michael Brantley added a two-run single to cap the rally and back winning pitcher Framber Valdez, who pitched five scoreless innings in relief of Zack Greinke. Valdez allowed only a pair of ninth-inning hits before getting a game-ending double-play grounder.
September 30, 2020 3:51 am
West Virginia University will allow the general public to attend football games at a reduced capacity next month. WVU athletic director Shane Lyons said attendance will be limited to about 15,000 fans – or 25% capacity – starting with the Oct. 17 home game against Kansas.
September 30, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – The University at Buffalo says 19 football players are among 25 athletes to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Athletic director Mark Alnutt says five members of the women’s volleyball team and one women’s soccer player also tested positive. Alnutt says the athletes have been placed in isolation and are doing well.
September 30, 2020 11:45 am
(WPXI) – Sunday’s Steelers-Titans game is being postponed after Tennessee players and team personnel tested positive for COVID-19. The NFL made the announcement late Wednesday morning, issuing the following statement: “The Steelers-Titans game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, will be rescheduled to allow additional time for further daily COVID-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel. Details on the new game date and time on either Monday or Tuesday will be announced as soon as possible.” ESPN reported Wednesday that an NFL spokesperson said a fourth Titans player tested positive for COVID-19. “Additionally, league found no close contacts with the Titans player whose test came back positive today, which tells them their isolation procedures are working in this case,” Graziano tweeted. On Tuesday, the NFL said three players and five personnel tested positive for the virus.
September 29, 2020 3:52 am
BALTIMORE (AP) – Patrick Mahomes put on a scintillating show while outperforming Lamar Jackson, and the Kansas City Chiefs deftly played the role of defending Super Bowl champions in a 34-20 thumping of the Baltimore Ravens. Just about everything Mahomes did worked against an overmatched Baltimore defense that had allowed only two touchdowns in its first two games. Mahomes threw four touchdown passes to help the Chiefs emphatically end the Ravens’ 14-game regular season winning streak while extending their own run to 12 games, including playoffs. Jackson is 21-4 as the Ravens’ starting quarterback, with three of those losses to Mahomes and the Chiefs.
September 29, 2020 3:48 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning are the champions of bubble hockey. Brayden Point scored his playoff-best 14th goal, and the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup and finish off the NHL playoffs staged in quarantine during the pandemic. The clock hitting zeros in an empty arena set off a wild celebration for a group that endured years of playoff heartbreak and two months in isolation. Goals from Point and Blake Coleman and a 22-save shutout by Andrei Vasilevskiy were enough to power the Lightning to their second championship in franchise history after winning it in 2004. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. The playoffs became a showcase of the big Swede’s skills on both ends of the ice. He also showed key leadership in the absence of injured captain Steven Stamkos.
September 29, 2020 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The arrival of rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes gives the Pittsburgh Pirates something to build on heading into 2021. The Pirates finished with the worst record in the majors during the truncated 2020 season, but Hayes looked like a cornerstone going forward after hitting .376 in 24 games. Hayes was named the National League Rookie-of-the-Month for September. The starting rotation should get a boost next year with the return of Jameson Taillon from Tommy John surgery. There are bigger questions surrounding the bullpen and the future of right fielder Gregory Polanco. Polanco, who hit just .153 in 50 games, is scheduled to make $11.6 million next season.
September 28, 2020 4:00 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – James Conner ran for 109 yards and the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter as the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed perfect by rallying past the Houston Texans 28-21. The Steelers improved to 3-0 for the first time in a decade by putting the clamps on the Texans in the second half. Houston managed just 51 yards and two first downs after halftime as an early 11-point lead vanished. The Texans dropped to 0-3. Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt collected a sack to win bragging rights over older brother J.J., a star defensive end for the Texans.
September 28, 2020 3:57 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – The Cleveland Indians are staying home for the first round of the postseason – with the New York Yankees coming to town. Carlos Santana had four RBIs and delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning as the Indians rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6 to gain home-field advantage for their wild-card series. The Indians finished second in the AL Central and grabbed the No. 4 seed in the American League playoffs when the Chicago White Sox lost to the crosstown Cubs. Cleveland will face the fifth-seeded Yankees in a best-of-three series beginning Tuesday at Progressive Field. The opener features a prime pitching matchup, with Cy Young Award favorite Shane Bieber scheduled to face Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
September 28, 2020 4:03 am
UNDATED (AP) – Ron Roenicke has been told he will not return as manager of the Red Sox, ending a one-year, shotgun stopgap on the final day of a pandemic-shortened season that resulted in a last-place finish in the AL East. Roenicke was hired on the eve of spring training after Alex Cora was implicated in Houston’s sign stealing scandal.
