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Good Morning! Today is Monday, October 21st. Here’s what happened over the weekend in the world of sports.

MLB

The World Series is set! But first we need to talk about the four games over the weekend that got us there. Even though it’s been a few days, these legendary moments deserve a spotlight. We begin in the American League:

• New York led 2-1 in this series going into game four on Friday night. We’ll move quickly here, but know this– Juan Soto hit a home run to start the scoring, and Giancarlo Stanton hit a homer to add to the Yankee lead. Although Cleveland staged a late comeback, New York won 8-6.

• That set up game five as a must-win for the Guardians. Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee ran into trouble in the first inning, but a beautiful relay by the defense threw out Gleyber Torres at home plate. The brothers Naylor made their mark in the next inning, as Bo drove home Josh with a two-out double. Cleveland was rocking.

• In the fifth inning, Bibee had a 2-0 lead with two outs and a runner on third. Cleveland made the decision to pitch to Giancarlo Stanton… it did not work. Stanton blasted a 3-2 breaking ball over the left field wall and the game was tied. Spoiler alert, but Stanton was named ALCS MVP– an honor he thoroughly deserved.

• Stanton’s home run was the last run scored through nine innings, so we went to extras. Let me set the scene: two outs, runners on first and second. Juan Soto fouls off about a million pitches, and the count runs full. You may have already guessed what happens next, but this may go down as one of the greatest at-bats in modern postseason history. Here’s the swing that won the pennant for the Yankees:

Now to the National League, where every game in the series had been decided by at least four runs. Would that strange trend continue over the weekend?

• For game five in New York, the answer was a resounding yes. Pete Alonso crushed a three-run homer off Jack Flaherty in the first inning, and the Mets never looked back. New York steamrolled LA 12-6 to extend the series. They became the first team since 2002 to not strike out for an entire postseason game. The OMG Mets were still alive.

• With a World Series berth on the line, the Dodgers scheduled game six in LA as a bullpen game, foregoing the use of a traditional starter. New York quickly scored a run in the top of the first inning.

• But the lead didn’t last long. Utility infielder-turned cleanup hitter Tommy Edman laced a two-run double in the bottom of the first, and the home team was out in front. 1-0 Mets to 2-1 Dodgers was the first lead change in the entire series! Unfortunately for New York, it would also be the last…

• Edman had a big hit again in the third, this time launching a two-run homer. A few batters later, Will Smith hit a two-run home run as well, and LA’s bullpen had the lead they needed to get the job done. There was plenty of tension the rest of the way, but game six ended 10-5 in favor of the home team. Edman was named NLCS MVP, and the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to face the New York Yankees in the World Series. What a fantastic postseason this has been so far! One more round to go, when the Fall Classic begins on Friday…

NFL

Week Seven in the National Football League! The Remix has some recaps:

• It hasn’t been a great season so for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Maybe Sunday’s result in London will turn things around. Jacksonville beat New England 32-16, behing a strong performance by rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and this awesome 96-yard punt return for a touchdown by Parker Washington.

• Speaking of special teams touchdowns, how about Charlie Jones starting off the game with a 100-yard kick return score for the Bengals! Cincinnati took down their in-state rival Cleveland Browns, who also lost quarterback Deshaun Watson to what is believed to be a season-ending Achilles injury.

• Saquan Barkley made a triumphant return to New York as he rumbled for 176 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles rolled to a very comfortable 28-3 victory over the Giants.

• Two fantastic games between Super Bowl hopefuls came down to last-second field goals. The Packers took down the Texans 24-22, and the Lions won an entertaining back-and-forth 31-29 against the Minnesota Vikings. This was Minnesota’s first loss of the season. All four of these teams have five wins on the year– I expect this won’t be the last we hear from them.

• Kansas City traveled to San Francisco for a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. This one was a lot different than the game in February, but ultimately we reached the same result. The Chiefs won 28-18 behind some key runs by Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt. Not to mention three interceptions of Brock Purdy, as the Chiefs defense stepped up big time. Mahomes and Kansas City move to 6-0, and are the only team still undefeated.

• And finally, Sunday Night Football was turn-back-the-clock night. It was a battle of the elder QBs, as Russell Wilson and the Steelers took on Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. New York jumped out to a 15-6 lead, but Pittsburgh scored 31 unanswered points to win 37-15. Wilson started slow but finished with a decent box score in his first action of the new season. The big takeaway, however has to be another loss by the Jets. It’s funny– even after trading for star receiver Davante Adams, New York turned the ball over, struggled to stop the run, and missed a key field goal. He was targeted nine times by Rodgers, but Adams had just three catches for 30 yards.

NCAA

There will be more time this week to dive into the college football season (bracketology soon 👀) but for now, a quick rundown from another thrilling weekend:

• We start with the game of the week in Austin, Texas. Georgia was in control for the majority of this one, and ended up with a 30-15 victory. But the win was overshadowed by a strange controversy, as the refs overturned a key pass-interference call after (but maybe not because?) Texas fans threw debris on the field. As if Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs needed more motivation to get back to the National Championship…

• Two unlikely Big 12 schools remain undefeated, as BYU scored a final-minute touchdown to beat Oklahoma State and Iowa State survived an upset bid when a UCF defender celebrated a few yards too early.

• Illinois beat Michigan in a battle of ranked Big Ten teams. The real winner? Look at these helmets!

• Tennessee stormed the field after beating SEC rival Alabama 24-17. Bama QB Jalen Milroe was intercepted as the Crimson Tide drove down the field in the final minute. With two losses this season, Alabama is on the outside of the playoff bubble.

• You know who’s not on the outside of the bubble? Indiana! After stomping Nebraska 56-7, the Hoosiers are 7-0.

• Mizzou starting quarterback Brady Cook left the game early against Auburn with an ankle injury. To be more specific, he left the entire stadium to go to the hospital for an MRI… but when Cook returned late in the game, he led the Tigers to a 14-point comeback victory in the final minute. Take a listen and hear what the incredible victory means to the senior:

WNBA

The Minnesota Lynx won game four of the WNBA finals 82-80 on Friday night. It was a physical, well-played game that came down to the final seconds. And it set up a memorable winner-take-all game five in New York against the Liberty on Sunday. Here’s what happened on the final day of the WNBA season:

• Minnesota was up 34-27 at halftime, and the lead should have been greater. The Liberty stars were struggling, as Breanna Stewart was 2-9 with five points and Sabrina Ionescu was 0-8.

• Credit to New York, who turned the game around in the third quarter. The defense turned up another level, as they held the Lynx to just 10 points.

• New York finally made their first three-pointer of the game with three minutes left, as Ionescu knocked one down and gave the Liberty a lead. However, this one was far from over. After a controversial foul call with seconds remaining in the game, Stewart made two free throws to send game five to overtime. 

• Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve disagreed with the late-game decision by the refs: "All the headlines will be, 'Reeve cries foul.' Bring it on," she said, "Bring it on. Because this shit was stolen from us. Bring it on."

• Needless to say that in overtime, the Liberty took over. Minnesota failed to score a basket in the extra period, only recording two free throws. And for the first time ever, the New York Liberty won the WNBA championship. Despite the struggles of their two big stars, the best team from the regular season found a way to get it done.

SOCCER

The MLS regular season has come to end! 14 teams have qualified for the playoffs, with four more competing in a one-game wild card round beginning Tuesday. While plenty of drama is on the way, there’s only one player and team that you need to know about from the final day of the regular season on Saturday… yep, it’s Lionel Messi again. Messi scored an unbelievable hat trick, leading Inter Miami to a 6-2 victory and the single-season points record. I could keep telling you about it, but I think it’s best if you just saw this goal for yourself:

NHL

Apologies to the NHL, but this was simply too busy of a weekend to devote much attention to the ice. However, there are three stories that cut through the October calendar and earned a spot in today’s issues:

• Just one team remains without a single point this season: the Nashville Predators. That’s right, of the 32 teams in the National Hockey League, they are the only ones with a zero in the most important column. Rough start to the season for a team that ranked tenth in our preseason power rankings.

• How about a moment for family? On Saturday, Pierre-Olivier Joseph assisted on his brother Mathieu’s goal for the St. Louis Blues. It’s the first time the Joseph brothers have played on the same professional team.

• A forward on the Colorado Avalanche has has six goals through five games this season… nope, I’m not talking about Nathan MacKinnon. It’s Ross Colton! Only Nikita Kucherov (7) has more this year.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

The latest update from the Bally Sports bankruptcy saga is a re-brand. As of today, you’ll be watching games on “FanDuel Sports Network”. I’d wager there are still more changes on the way.

Jets star pass rusher Hassan Reddick has agreed to end his holdout and join the team at practice this week. Reddick and New York have reached an agreement regarding his contract. Going to guess that the continued struggles of the Jets defense negatively impacted their negotiating position.

Do you know anyone who goes to Arizona State? Do they enjoy kicking footballs? Head coach Kenny Dillingham has called for an open tryout in his search for a new kicker. That’s right– the Arizona State Sun Devils, a division-one football team, are holding open tryouts midway through the season to find a new kicker. Listen for yourself:

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NHL: Lightning @ Maple Leafs, 7:30 PM on NHL Network

• Just one game on today’s NHL schedule, and it’s a good one. Tampa Bay takes on Toronto in a battle of top teams.

NFL: It’s a Monday Night Football doubleheader… although the second game is available exclusively on ESPN+:

• Ravens @ Buccaneers, 8:15 PM on ABC

  • Baltimore and Tampa Bay are each 4-2 and looking to add a statement win to their resume

• Chargers @ Cardinals, 9 PM on ESPN+

  • LA takes on Arizona in the desert… this game could be 7-3, 55-50, or anything in between. Your guess is as good as mine

“Give me every hard moment. Give me every tough [at-bat]. I'm going to step up to the plate and try to do my best." –Juan Soto