Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Wednesday, September 4th.

MLB

As fall grows nearer, every game matters just a little bit more. Of the 15 games played last night in Major League Baseball, these four stand out the most:

• A day after hitting three home runs, Kyle Schwarber hit another. His 13th leadoff home run of the season tied a big-league record, and the Phillies won 4-2 against Toronto.

• You know the expression, “it ain’t over till it’s over”? Well, this game was over way before it was over. The Reds scored nine runs in the first inning! They went on to beat the Astros 12-5.

• History at Wrigley Field! Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge combined to throw a no-hitter for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs beat the Pirates 12-0– with an 11-run lead and just 95 pitches through seven innings, maybe Imanaga should have stayed in the game and attempted the no-no on his own? Either way, it was the first no-hitter thrown at the Friendly Confines since 1972.

• On Tuesday, Wyatt Langford hit a walk-off grand slam. The rookie followed that up last night by making a game-ending play with his glove:

TENNIS

Quarterfinal day two gave us four very interesting matches. Here’s what went down in New York:

• Karolina Muchova continued her impressive run through the US Open, beating Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets. It’s the second consecutive US Open semifinal for Muchova– no big deal, she just had major wrist surgery in between.

• Alex de Minaur had a few chances against Jack Draper, but the Brit stepped up in every big moment. Draper advanced to his first career Grand Slam semifinal in style– he’s the only man in New York that hasn’t lost a set.

• The night session got off to a scintillating start, as American Jessica Pegula blitzed the number one player in the world and took the opening set 6-2. Iga Swiatek fought back and made it close, but it was clear she didn’t have her best game. Pegula capitalized and finished off the second set 6-4. After making six Grand Slam quarterfinals, this will be Pegula’s first time in the semis. She’s playing some of the best tennis of her life, and at the perfect time.

• Finally, Jannik Sinner withstood a topsy-turvy match against Daniil Medvedev, winning by a score of 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. The Australian Open champ and number one player in the world is the heavy favorite among the final four.

WNBA

Caitlin Clark registered her second triple-double of the season and the Indiana Fever beat the LA Sparks 93-86. Clark also became the fastest player in WNBA history to make 100 three-pointers. Indiana has won five games in a row and is 8-2 in their last 10. Absolutely no one wants to play against this team in the postseason.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

For the first time since 2003, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi has been named to the Ballon d’Or shortlist, the award for the best soccer player in the world. Tom Brady is a broadcaster, LeBron James’ son is in the NBA, no Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal winning a grand slam for the first time in 20 years, and now this? The end of an era is upon us.

The San Francisco Giants have signed a new deal with 3B Matt Chapman for six years and $151 million. Chapman had an opt-out clause that would have made him a free agent after this season, but now he will be in San Francisco till 2030, when he is 37 years old.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face off against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in a special LIV vs PGA golf match this December. So I guess everyone is getting along again?

The Florida Gators were beaten pretty badly in week one against Miami, but they’ll turn to a new QB to right the ship this weekend against Samford. With Graham Mertz injured, highly-touted freshman DJ Lagway gets the nod as the starter. We’ll see if this is a temporary change, or if DJ gets to play the hits all season.

POWER RANKINGS

A new sports season means a new edition of power rankings! Here’s what the Remix thinks of the NFL landscape:

TIER SIX: Travis Hunter is a really exciting prospect

32. Carolina Panthers | 31. New England Patriots | 30. New York Giants | 29. Las Vegas Raiders | 28. Denver Broncos | 27. Washington Commanders

I actually really like what some of these teams are building. In particular, Jayden Daniels is super exciting as the new QB in Washington. Unfortunately, it might be a rough 2024 season, as this tier is still a ways away from competing.

TIER FIVE: Meh

26. Arizona Cardinals | 25. Indianapolis Colts | 24. New Orleans Saints | 23. Tennessee Titans | 22. Seattle Seahawks | 21. Pittsburgh Steelers

Not bad, not great. QB issues, questionable defenses, and tough divisions plague each of these teams.

TIER FOUR: The Wild Card Battle

20. Tamps Bay Buccaneers | 19. Chicago Bears | 18. Los Angeles Chargers | 17. Jacksonville Jaguars | 16. Cleveland Browns | 15. Minnesota Vikings | 14. Los Angeles Rams* | 13. Atlanta Falcons* | 12. New York Jets* | 11. Cincinnati Bengals*

Using a very secret and rigorous evaluation method, I’ve picked the top four teams in this tier (marked with an asterisk) to make the playoffs. It would not shock me, however, if the remaining six– three from each conference– end the season ahead of my selections. As always, quarterback play and injuries will play a huge role in this very crowded wild card race.

TIER THREE: Confident playoff teams

10. Green Bay Packers | 9. Dallas Cowboys | 8. Philadelphia Eagles | 7. Miami Dolphins

Here’s where we start to see the best teams separate themselves from the rest of the pack. This is a really strong tier that could beat anyone on any given day. Just a half-step behind the top six…

TIER TWO: Super Bowl hopefuls

6. Houston Texans | 5. Buffalo Bills | 4. Baltimore Ravens | 3. Detroit Lions | 2. San Francisco 49ers

I know that if you see any these five squads on the TV guide, you get excited to watch. Explosive offenses, proven stars, and– excluding the young but supremely talented Texans– plenty of playoff experience. Only one thing stands in their way of a Super Bowl...

TIER ONE: The defending champs

1. Kansas City Chiefs

No team in NFL history has ever won three Super Bowls in a row. If anyone is going to make history, why not Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes?

PLAY OF THE DAY

Watching the St. Louis Cardinals this year is a roller coaster ride that I’m not sure anyone has the stomach for. The one constant, however, is the superb play of rookie shortstop Masyn Winn:

What a throw! Winn’s laser to the plate may have been the difference between losing and winning, as the Cards eked out a 3-2 victory in extra innings.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

TENNIS: US Open on ESPN; Two Americans take the court for their first career Grand Slam semifinals.

• Aryna Sabalenka vs Emma Navarro, 7 PM

• Karolina Muchova vs Jessica Pegula, following the previous match

NFL: Ravens @ Chiefs, 8:20 PM on NBC

• What an incredible matchup to kick off the new season! Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are three point favorites as they host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

“Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble.” –John Madden