Good Morning! Today is Thursday, October 16. Here’s what happened this week in the world of sports.

MLB

We begin our postseason recap in the National League, where the visitors took a commanding 2-0 lead…

DODGERS vs BREWERS LA leads 2-0

There’s a theme in this series, and that’s the dominance of LA’s starting pitching. Blake Snell got things going with eight shutout innings in game one, allowing just one hit. Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run and the Dodger offense scratched across a key run in the ninth inning, before the bullpen just barely secured an opening night victory. And if that wasn’t entertaining enough, we got to witness one of the strangest baseball plays of all time. Truly, you see something new every time you watch this game:

Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up a solo homer to Jackson Chourio on the very first pitch he threw in game two. But afterwards, he was practically unhittable. Yamamoto threw a complete game, allowing just three hits and striking out seven Brewers. Max Muncy and the LA offense made the Milwaukee bullpen work and the Dodgers won game two 5-1. It’s pretty tough to beat the Dodgers when Yamamoto and Snell are at their best, and it appears the Dodger starters are peaking at just the right time .

MARINERS vs BLUE JAYS Seattle leads 2-1

Seattle continued their hot hitting with 10 runs in game two. The Mariners launched three homers off the bats of Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and the early favorite for the American League playoffs MVP, Jorge Polanco.

Back in Seattle for game three, it was Toronto’s turn to run up the score. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 4-4 and finished a triple away from the cycle as the Blue Jays blasted five homers off the the Mariners. The visitors won a crucial game three by a score of 13-4.

NHL

I think this is how we’re going to approach the early hockey season– one crazy play or weird stat each morning. Today… look away, Rangers fans:

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Monday night football gave us an unexpected result and a pretty entertaining fourth quarter. First, Bijan Robinson and the Atlanta Falcons upset the Buffalo Bills 24-14. Buffalo will enter their bye week on a two-game losing streak. Later, Chicago drilled a game-winning field goal in the rain to beat Washington 25-24. It’s good to see the two young quarterbacks from last year’s draft– Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams– on teams that get more competitive each week.

NEWSWORTHY

The Titans have fired head coach Brian Callahan. Tennessee started this season 1-5, and apparently they had seen enough from their second-year leader to make a change.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced his retirement. It was a surprising decision by Shildt, who explained, "the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally."

Russell Westbrook has signed with the Sacramento Kings. One of the highest-profile free agents remaining in the NBA, the former MVP will join the team ahead of their season opener next week.

Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman is expected to opt-out of the remaining years of his contract and become a free agent. Bregman will be one of the most sought-after bats on the market for the second season in a row.

2017 rookie of the year Malcolm Brogdon is retiring from pro basketball. It’s a bit surprising, considering Brogdon won the Sixth Man of the Year award just two seasons ago in 2023. He signed with the Knicks and was expected to contribute for New York this year off the bench, "I have proudly given my mind, body and spirit to the game over the last few decades. With the many sacrifices it took to get here, I have received many rewards. I am deeply grateful to have arrived to this point on my own terms and now to be able to reap the benefits of my career with my family and friends. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who have had a place in my journey," said Brogdon in a statement.

Introducing the new mascot of the Utah Mammoth… say hello to Tusky!

THIS WEEKEND’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

THURSDAY:

• Brewers @ Dodgers, 6:08 PM on TBS

  • TBD vs Tyler Glasnow

• Steelers @ Bengals, 8:15 PM on Amazon Prime

• Blue Jays @ Mariners, 8:33 PM on FS1

  • Max Scherzer vs Luis Castillo

FRIDAY:

• Blue Jays @ Mariners, 6:08 PM on FS1

• Brewers @ Dodgers, 8:38 PM on TBS

  • TBD vs Shohei Ohtani

SATURDAY:

• (10) LSU @ (17) Vanderbilt, Noon on ABC

• (12) Georgia Tech @ Duke, Noon on ESPN

• Washington @ Michigan, Noon on Fox

• (14) Oklahoma @ South Carolina, 12:45 PM on SEC Network

• (5) Ole Miss @ (9) Georgia, 3:30 PM on ABC

• (11) Tennessee @ (6) Alabama, 7:30 PM on ABC

• (20) USC @ (13) Notre Dame, 7:30 PM on NBC

• (23) Utah @ (15) BYU, 8 PM on Fox

• Brewers @ Dodgers, 8:08 PM on TBS (if necessary)

SUNDAY:

• Rams @ Jaguars in London, 9:30 AM on NFL Network

• Eagles @ Vikings, 1 PM on Fox

• Colts @ Chargers, 4:05 PM on CBS

• Commanders @ Cowboys, 4:25 PM on Fox

• Mariners @ Blue Jays, 8:03 PM on FS1 (if necessary)

• Falcons @ 49ers, 8:20 PM on NBC

“Han perdido! They lost!” –the Pope, responding to a shout of “Go Cubs” during a parade at The Vatican

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday