Good Morning! Today is Monday, October 6. Here’s what happened over the weekend in the world of sports.

MLB

Before we get to this weekend and the divisional round, we have to acknowledge the incredible performance last Thursday of Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler. His 12 strikeouts and eight shutout innings (plus this awesome catch by Ryan McMahon) were incredible to watch. But that’s old news now…

YANKEES vs BLUE JAYS

Through two games, this series is alllll Toronto. New York had opportunities in game one, but they swung and missed badly (literally). In game two, their rally was too little, too late. But enough about the Yankees– the Blue Jays came to play this postseason! Alejandro Kirk hit two homers on the way to a 10-1 win in game one. Then last night, rookie Trey Yesavage struck out 11 in just 5.1 innings, while Daulton Varsho went 4-5 with two homers and 12 total bases! The final score ended 13-7 in favor of Toronto, but the game was over at 9-0 after Vladdy Guerrero Jr. crushed this grand slam. New York will be facing elimination when they host game three on Tuesday.

MARINERS vs TIGERS

It’s a different story in the other ALDS. Game one between Seattle and Detroit needed 11 innings to decide a winner, before Zach McKinstry finally gave the visitors a 3-2 lead. The Tigers stole game one, but history was made last night at T-Mobile Park. For the first time in 24 years, the Seattle Mariners won a home playoff game. Jorge Polanco hit two solo homers off Tarik Skubal and Julio Rodriguez drove in the game-winning run with a double in the 8th inning as the Mariners tied this series at one game apiece. Two passionate fanbases and exciting, well-rounded teams– this is a fun matchup to watch.

BREWERS vs CUBS

After five days off, the top-seed in the National League came out swinging. Milwaukee jumped all over Chicago starter Matt Boyd, who was pitching on only three days rest in game one. Even though the visitors hit three homers and allowed zero, the Brewers beat the Cubs 9-3. Milwaukee will look to keep that momentum going in today’s game two, although they may be without star outfielder Jackson Chourio.

DODGERS vs PHILLIES

A heavyweight matchup between two of the most dominant teams in baseball of the last five years… and game one lived up to the hype. Christopher Sanchez was magnificent in this one, striking out Shohei Ohtani three times and ending his start with eight Ks total. But his LA counterpart was equally as impressive. Ohtani matched Sanchez, twirling six innings and ending with 9 strikeouts on the mound. Still, when Sanchez exited the game after 5.2 stellar innings, his Phillies led 3-2. Teoscar Hernandez, however, capitalized on the opportunity to face the Philly bullpen. With two on and two out in the 7th, the Dodgers right fielder connected on a center-cut fastball and silenced the raucous home crowd. Hernandez’s homer put LA ahead 5-3, and that’s where the score would stay. Get set for game two later tonight.

NFL

We’re at that point in the NFL season where it seems we know and understand each team. And yet they still go out and surprise us– here’s what stood out from Week Five in the National Football League:

• Carson Wentz and the Minnesota Vikings lost last week in Dublin, but they put together a winning effort in London. Trailing 17-14 late in the game against the Browns and rookie QB Dillon Gabriel, Wentz found Jordan Addison for a game-winning touchdown with just 25 seconds remaining.

• The Ravens hosted the Houston Texans and Baltimore… we have a problem. The offense struggled without Lamar Jackson and the defense continued it’s awful start to the season. Houston won 44-10, dropping the Ravens to 1-4 on the season.

• The Philadelphia Eagles hadn’t lost a game in almost a year, and it looked like their undefeated streak would continue when they led Denver by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Bo Nix and the Broncos didn’t get that memo, scoring 18 unanswered points to take a 21-17 lead. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense had a chance at the end, but the passing game continues to look out of rhythm. The Eagles are undefeated no more.

• Who knew one of the most entertaining games of the day would be the Dolphins vs the Panthers? This was a wild back-and-forth affair, as Miami blew a 17-0 head start and allowed Carolina back into the game. The fourth quarter saw three lead changes as neither defense had any sort of answer. Ultimately, Rico Dowdle’s dominant performance for the Panthers was the difference, as Carolina completed the unlikely comeback victory and won 27-24.

• But the weirdest game of the day was far and away the Cardinals and the Titans. It all started in the third quarter: Arizona led 21-6 when they snapped the ball off QB Kyler Murray’s face and lost a fumble. Still, the Cardinals were holding onto the same 15-point lead when Emari Demercado broke free in the fourth quarter on what looked like a 70-yard touchdown run… except Demercado dropped the ball in celebration before crossing the goal line. With Arizona’s assistance, Tennessee clawed their way back into the game and eventually won 22-21 on a last-second field goal. Again, this was a weird and sometimes ugly game. "That's 'How to Lose a Game 101,’” said an exasperated Murray after it was over. But the comeback was highlighted by a very entertaining and strange Titans touchdown that you have to see to believe:

• Finally, the last unbeaten team in the NFL was taken down on Sunday Night Football. Buffalo were the heavy favorite against the visiting Patriots, but in the words of Bills head coach Sean McDermott, “I thought we beat ourselves.” The home team had four turnovers and New England capitalized, as Andres Borregales kicked the game-winning field goal with 15 seconds left. Former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs was the star of the evening, finishing the game with 10 catches for 146 yards.

NCAA FOOTBALL

I’ll admit it– at one point on Saturday afternoon, I had four screens on plus the score of a fifth game being monitored on my phone. That’s how fun this Saturday was, between baseball playoffs and a surprisingly entertaining slate of college football. Here are the highlights:

• Neither team has met their lofty expectations, but all eyes were on the marquee coaching matchup between Dabo Swinney’s Clemson and Bill Belichick’s North Carolina. It was clear from the very first play which side was going to win… the Tigers demolished the Tar Heels 38-10.

• UC… LA! UC… LA! Heading into the weekend, the 0-4 Bruins were widely considered to be among the worst teams in college football. But that didn’t matter on the field as they got their first win of the season with a monumental upset over a suddenly reeling (7) Penn State.

• Florida and QB DJ Lagway really struggled to begin the season, but the Gators put on their best performance of the year with a 29-21 win over Texas and Arch Manning.

• A few more notable scores… Cincinnati upset (14) Iowa State 38-30… Alabama earned their revenge over Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt, as the Crimson Tide left Nashville with a 30-14 victory… and Miami continues to look like one of the best teams in the country after holding off Florida State 28-22 in the battle of Florida.

NEWSWORTHY

The Las Vegas Aces have a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA finals.

Congratulations to Keenan Allen, the fastest NFL player in history to reach 1,000 career receptions!

Texas has their new skipper. The Rangers have agreed to a four-year deal with Skip Schumaker. A former NL Manager of the Year in Miami, Schumaker had spent this past season in the Rangers front office.

The NHL is back! Tomorrow is opening night; the defending champion Florida Panthers get the season started against the still rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. Keep me honest here, because I owe you all an NHL preview. But, to borrow a phrase from a fellow writer, there’s a lot going on at the moment. For now, let’s celebrate the return of hockey without overwhelming ourselves this morning. Instead, please enjoy this wonderful summary of Saturday’s incredibly ridiculous preseason game between the Panthers and Lightning:

THIS WEEK’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

MONDAY:

• Dodgers @ Phillies, 6:08 PM on TBS

  • Blake Snell vs Jesus Luzardo

• Chiefs @ Jaguars, 8:15 PM on ABC

• Cubs @ Brewers, 9:08 PM

  • Shota Imanaga vs Aaron Ashby

TUESDAY:

• Mariners @ Tigers, 4:08 PM on FS1

  • Logan Gilbert vs Jack Flaherty

• Blackhawks @ Panthers, 5 PM on ESPN

• Penguins @ Rangers, 8 PM on ESPN

• Blue Jays @ Yankees, 8:08 PM on FS1

  • Shane Bieber vs Carlos Rodon

WEDNESDAY:

• Mariners @ Tigers, 3:08 PM on FS1

  • TBD vs Casey Mize

• Brewers @ Cubs, 5:08 PM on TBS

• Blue Jays @ Yankees, 7:08 PM on FS1 (if necessary)

  • TBD vs Cam Schlittler

• Aces @ Mercury, 8 PM on ESPN

• Phillies @ Dodgers, 9:08 PM on TBS

  • TBD vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto

“I’m happy their season’s done,” –new Yankees legend Cam Schlittler, after beating the Red Sox

That’s all for now– see you on Thursday!