Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Tuesday, October 15.

MLB

Game two of the ALCS was not the prettiest baseball game. The Guardians and Yankees went 2-17 with runners in scoring position, Cleveland committed two errors, and Jazz Chisholm of the Yankees got both picked off and caught stealing. But if you’re a Yankee fan, none of that matters– a win is a win. Gerrit Cole battled through 4.1 tough innings, Aaron Judge hit his first home run of the postseason, and New York defended their home-field advantage with a 6-3 victory. The Guardians have their work cut out for them in this series (see the stat linked below)… although Yankee fans will be quick to remember that no lead is safe in the ALCS.

NHL

Ready for some hockey highlights? Time to whip around the league and see what happened:

• Filip Gustavsson scored a rare goalie goal for the Minnesota Wild, flipping this one all the way down the ice and sealing a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. It’s Gustavsson’s first goal at any level of hockey, the Wild’s first goalie goal in franchise history, and just the 15th goalie goal in NHL history.

• Speaking of goalies, with his victory on Monday over Utah, New Jersey goalie Jake Allen became the first goalie in NHL history with wins over all 33 franchises.

• The Edmonton Oilers got their first win of the season last night. Down 3-2 in the third period, Evan Bouchard tied things up and sent the game to overtime. That’s when superstar Connor McDavid found Leon Draisaitl for the game-winner.

• Finally, a moving tribute by the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets at the Columbus home opener. For those who don’t know, Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed in a tragic accident over the summer, struck by a drunk driver while riding their bicycles. A talented goalscorer and beloved teammate, Gaudreau’s absence on the ice this season has been felt by all:

SOCCER

Team USA lost 2-0 to Mexico last night in Guadalajara. It was just a friendly, and not all the best players were in the lineup. Still, it was America’s first loss to Mexico since 2019. New manager Mauricio Pochettino has lots of work ahead of him.

There are no words left to describe Lionel Messi. The greatest player of all-time scored three goals and dished out two assists in a 6-0 win for Argentina over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifying match last night. "I'm just enjoying all this. I am more emotional than ever and taking all the love from the people because I know these can be my last games," he said afterwards.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Big trades in the NFL yesterday! After rumors swirled around this potential move for what feels like decades, Davante Adams was dealt by the Raiders to the New York Jets. Adams is reunited with his former Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers, and forms one of the best receiving duos in the league with Garrett Wilson. Elsewhere in the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills acquired Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. A really good pickup for Josh Allen and the Bills offense, who lacked a true number one at the wideout position.

Houston Rockets guard Jack McVeigh will be the first player in NBA history to wear the number 58. The Australian forward led went to Nebraska, before playing the last few years in the Australian Basketball League for the Tasmania JackJumpers (my new favorite team)

Tom Brady is now a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s a big purchase for many reasons, but I think the most interesting is how it affects Brady’s new career in broadcasting. Because he has a stake in a team, Brady can no longer attend practices or production meetings with the opposition. He’s limited in what he can critique of officials and other franchises on air, too. This probably rules out any sort of on-field comeback, too.

The University of Hawaii has joined the Mountain West as a member in all sports, expanding their football-only membership by 2026. It’s a big move for the conference, as Hawaii satisfies the NCAA’s requirement to have eight full-time programs. 

Tomas Tuchel has been hired as the new manager of the England men’s national soccer team. The German has been quite successful leading a number of Europe’s top clubs. But he was also replaced after just one season at Chelsea by none other than Team USA’s new manager Mauricio Pochettino. Take that England!

The preseason AP poll for the upcoming NCAA women’s basketball season was released, and it’s no surprise who remains at the top. South Carolina returns every starter except one as they try to defend their national title. Paige Bueckers and UConn are ranked second, while JuJu Watkins and USC are third. Notably absent from the list? Iowa and Stanford, who have brand new coaches and lost their star players (Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink) to the WNBA.

What a day of news, right? We’ve got one last headline, and you can file this one away in long-term storage. The NFL announced the Super Bowl will be played in Atlanta in 2028, returning to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time since 2019. This season’s game is in New Orleans, before heading to San Francisco and LA in 2026 and 2027.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NBA PRESEASON: Timberwolves @ Bulls, 8 PM

• The Remix generally has a zero-coverage policy for preseason games, but this is a notable one in Chicago. After multiple knee surgeries and a lengthy recovery, Lonzo Ball is set to make his return to the court tonight. It will be Ball’s first appearance since January of 2022.

NHL: Four games on the ice tonight, and you can watch two of them on a national network:

• Buffalo Sabres @ Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 PM on TNT/Max

• Boston Bruins @ Colorado Avalanche, 9:30 PM on TNT/Max

WNBA FINALS: Liberty @ Lynx, 8 PM on ESPN

• Game three of this best-of-five series tips off in Minnesota. One of these teams will be a win away from a championship after tonight.

MLB: Dodgers @ Mets, 8:08 PM on FS1

• Walker Buehler takes the mound for LA against Luis Severino and the New York Mets. It’s game three of the NLCS in Queens.

”Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.” –Yogi Berra