Good Morning and welcome to Fall! Today is Thursday, September 25. Here’s what happened this week in the world of sports.

MLB

It’s the final weekend of the regular season. Everything comes down to this…

• The Phillies are ready for October baseball– Kyle Schwarber demolished two homers, Edmundo Sosa hit three, and the Phillies set a franchise record with eight dingers last night.

• Speaking of home runs, Cal Raleigh absolutely crushed his 59th home run last night. A few innings later, he launched number 60. Has Raleigh done enough to win the MVP this season? His competition, Aaron Judge, hit homers number 50 and 51 last night. This weekend is all about the playoff race, but let’s celebrate the great accomplishments of these two sluggers and their historical seasons at the plate.

• Cleveland beat Detroit in each of the first two games of their pivotal series. 15.5 games back on July 8 and 10.5 on September 1st… a remarkable turnaround from earlier this season as the Guardians sit atop the AL Central. Detroit, meanwhile, has a one-game lead over Houston for the last wild card spot.

• The Yankees officially clinched a playoff spot, and they caught the Blue Jays in the AL East. The two teams are tied with four games to play.

• Finally, the mess that is the NL Wild Card race… is still messy. The Mets have a one game lead over the Reds and Diamondbacks. Anything could happen as we arrive at game 162!

WNBA

The semifinals are all tied up! Phoenix and Minnesota are knotted at one game apiece, as are Las Vegas and Indiana. The Mercury won a classic over the Lynx in overtime as the playoffs continue to heat up. Game three for each series takes place Friday night.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Once again, the Lions are legit. Detroit ran wild on Baltimore, beating the Ravens 38-30. This was a very well-played football game between two incredibly talented teams. And yet one executed there game in all facets, while the other dropped to 1-2 on the season. The Chiefs are up next for the Ravens, which means either Baltimore or Kansas City will start the season 1-3. No one saw that coming…

Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Ballon d’Or, the award given to the best soccer player in the world. PSG forward Ousmane Dembele won on the men’s side, while Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati won her third consecutive women’s Ballon d’Or.

DEPARTURES

Bruce Pearl is stepping down as head coach of the Auburn men’s basketball team. He will be replaced by his son, Steven Pearl. There are rumors that Bruce is gearing up for a run at the Senate, but for now, the elder Pearl will remain with Auburn in an ambassador position. The new coach, Steven, has never led a college team before. His only coaching experience has been the last few years working with his dad.

Star defensive end Nick Bosa tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Yet another injury for the San Francisco 49ers.

Houston Rockets point guard Fred Van Vleet tore his ACL, too. While not confirmed, it is likely he misses the entirety of the upcoming NBA season.

The New York Liberty decided they will not bring back head coach Sandy Brondello. New York lost in the first round of the playoffs this season, failing to defend their championship-winning performance from a year ago.

Mike Gundy is out as the head coach of Oklahoma State. The winningest football coach in school history, Gundy coached at OSU for 20 seasons.

Oklahoma QB John Mateer broke his hand and will be miss at least a few weeks of action. It’s a tough blow for the Sooners to lose the emerging Heisman candidate.

Loyola Chicago chaplain Sister Jean is retiring from her position. The 106-year-old is well known for her support of the basketball team, where she was seen at almost every game.

ARRIVALS

After an 0-3 start to the season, first round pick Jaxson Dart is taking over as quarterback of the New York Giants. The rookie from Ole Miss will face the Chargers in his first career start, while it may be the end of the line for Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson.

Major League Baseball will institute the Automatic Balls and Strikes (ABS) system starting in 2026. Each team will have two challenges during the game– the pitcher, catcher, or hitter will be able to tap their helmet in protest of the umpire’s call. I think this is the right balance of technology and getting calls right with tradition and keeping the human element of umpires in the game. It’ll be an adjustment, but this is a good step forward for the game.

And last but not least, tomorrow is the start of Ryder Cup. The US will take on Europe at Bethpage Black in New York. Taking place every two years, the home team has won each of the last five tournaments. With two evenly matched squads, the pressure is on for the US to deliver a winning weekend. Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau headline America’s group going up against Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and the Europeans. Whether you’re a casual golf fan, hit the links every weekend, or neither, this is an event you’ll want to tune in to see.

THIS WEEKEND’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

Check out this week’s MLB postseason preview for the weekend’s baseball calendar

THURSDAY:

• Seahawks @ Cardinals, 8:15 PM on Amazon Prime

FRIDAY:

• Ryder Cup Day One, 7 AM - 6 PM on USA

SATURDAY:

• Ryder Cup Day Two, 7 AM - 6 PM on NBC

• (21) USC @ (23) Illinois, Noon on Fox

• (4) LSU @ (13) Ole Miss, 3:30 PM on ABC

• (6) Oregon @ (3) Penn State, 7:30 PM on NBC

• (17) Alabama @ (5) Georgia, 7:30 PM on ABC

SUNDAY:

• Vikings @ Steelers, 9:30 AM in Ireland on NFL Network

• Ryder Cup Final Day, Noon - 6 PM on NBC

• Eagles @ Buccaneers, 1 PM on Fox

• Ravens @ Chiefs, 4:25 PM on CBS

• Packers @ Cowboys, 8:20 PM on NBC

“It's going to be painful. That's my guy. He was always like a good mentor for me. But you know how it is. He always told me if I ever faced him that it'll be a great matchup, so I'm excited to see what Sunday brings itself," –Micah Parsons, speaking about the possibility of sacking Cowboys QB Dak Prescott in his return to Dallas this weekend

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday