Good Morning! Today is Thursday, October 2nd. Here’s what happened this week in the world of sports.

MLB PLAYOFFS

Something to keep in mind as we recap the first two days of the postseason: since this playoff format was introduced in 2022, the team who won game one of the wild card round has advanced every time.

GUARDIANS vs TIGERS

Game one was all about Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The best pitcher in baseball dominanted the Cleveland lineup with 14 strikeouts! Detroit’s lineup scratched across two runs and the Tigers took game one 2-1.

Yesterday’s game two, however, was a different story. What looked like another pitcher’s duel turned on its head late– a Guardians team so desperate for offense they gave Chase DeLauter his Major League debut broke out for five runs in the eighth inning, capped off by a three-run homer off the bat of Bo Naylor. The series is all tied up and set for a winner-take-all game three later today.

PADRES vs CUBS

Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning and the Chicago bullpen was perfect for over four innings. The Cubs won game one of this series by a score of 3-1.

But Manny Machado and the Padres fought back in game two. The Padres slugger blasted a two-run homer, and this time it was San Diego’s bullpen that slammed the door. The winner of today’s game will take on the Brewers in the NLDS.

RED SOX vs YANKEES

Tuesday’s theme of dominant pitching continued in New York, as Max Fried and Garrett Crochet battled it out in game one between these two rivals. The moment Fried left the game in the seventh inning, however, the Red Sox pounced. Smart base-running by Nick Sogard helped Boston out to a late lead. Facing Aroldis Chapman with the game on the line, the Yankees made history in the ninth…

But the Bronx Bombers are still alive. Ben Rice homered in the first inning and Austin Wells broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth, leading New York to a 4-3 win in game two. Now the stage is set for two rookies, as Connelly Early takes on Cam Schlittler in a win-or-go-home game three.

DODGERS vs REDS

We almost got four elimination games today, but the Dodgers weren’t messing around. The defending champs cruised to a 10-5 win in game one before sending Cincinnati home with an 8-4 victory in game two. Here’s a quick breakdown before the Dodgers head to Philadelphia for the NLDS:

• LA’s starting pitching was flawless, as Blake Snell threw seven innings and gave up two runs in game one, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto went 6.2 innings with no earned runs in game two.

• LA’s all-star offense was as advertised, as Shohei Ohtani drilled two homers, Teoscar Hernandez hit two more, and Mookie Betts went 6-8 with three RBIs.

• One thing to note going forward: two anxiety-inducing eighth innings where the bullpen walked seven batters. That’s a real stat– the Dodger bullpen walked seven batters in two innings! However, Roki Sasaki was unhittable in his new role as the closer, so maybe manager Dave Roberts has a plan to fix his roster’s biggest weakness.

WNBA

The Aces eliminated the Fever and advanced to the WNBA Finals, where they’ll take on the Mercury. Once again, however, the big story in the W this week is off the court. Ahead of a crucial renegotiation of the collective bargaining agreement this winter, the relationship between the players and league leadership has really soured:

Cathy Engelbert responded to Collier with a statement of her own. Many players have come out with support for Collier, however, suggesting a long way to go before these issues are resolved.

NEWSWORTHY

Two more managerial positions have opened up in Major League Baseball. The Angels have moved on from Ron Washington after two seasons. It’s believed that Albert Pujols is the front-runner to take over for the Halos. And Brian Snitker has stepped down as manager of the Atlanta Braves after 10 years. A World Series champion and 2018 NL Manager of the Year, Snitker will move to an advisory role and be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame.

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill will miss the rest of the season and potentially some of next year after suffering a brutal knee injury in Monday night’s game against the Jets.

Dillon Gabriel is your new starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Gabriel– and not Shedeur Sanders– will take over for veteran Joe Flacco. The rookie out of Oregon will debut in London against the Vikings.

The Minnesota Wild have signed electrifying forward Kirill Kaprizov to the largest deal in NHL history. Kaprizov will make $136 million over eight seasons.

Let’s go around the NBA as teams kicked off the preseason this week with media day… the Warriors ended the summer-long staring contest with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, signing the talented scorer to a two-year deal… the Warriors also added Seth Curry to the roster, where he’ll play alongside his brother for the first time in the pros… the Thunder’s Jaylin Williams will be the last NBA player to wear the number six, as it has been retired league-wide since 2022 to honor Bill Russell.

And then there’s Victor Wembanyama, who appears to have grown even taller this offseason:

MONFILS

Last but not least, Gael Monfils announced that 2026 will be his last year as a professional tennis player. My favorite player and one of the most exciting athletes in the world, Le Monf reached a career high of number six in the world over the course of his remarkable 20-year career. Monfils released this beautiful statement (and a funny video with some fellow French tennis players) on his decision to hang it up:

THIS WEEKEND’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

THURSDAY:

• 49ers @ Rams, 8:15 PM on Amazon Prime

FRIDAY:

• Mercury @ Aces, Finals Game One, 8 PM on ESPN

SATURDAY:

• Liverpool @ Chelsea, 12:30 PM on NBC

• Dodgers @ Phillies on TBS

  • Shohei Ohtani vs Christopher Sanchez

• Yankees/Red Sox @ Blue Jays on Fox/FS1

• Cubs/Padres @ Brewers on TBS

  • TBD vs Freddy Peralta

• Tigers/Guardians @ Mariners on Fox/FS1

• (16) Vanderbilt @ (10) Alabama, 3:30 PM on ABC

• (3) Miami @ (18) Florida State, 7:30 PM on ABC

SUNDAY:

• Vikings vs Browns in London, 9:30 AM on NFL Network

• Broncos @ Eagles, 1 PM on CBS

• Mercury @ Aces, Finals Game Two, 3 PM on ABC

• Yankees/Red Sox @ Blue Jays, 4:00 PM on FS1

• Buccaneers @ Seahawks, 4:05 PM on CBS

• Commanders @ Chargers, 4:25 PM on Fox

• Tigers/Guardians @ Mariners, 8:00 PM on FS1

• Patriots @ Bills, 8:20 PM on NBC

Reporter: “Year 23 for LeBron. Is that crazy?” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia: “I’m 23 years old…”

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday