CHICAGO (AP) — José Ramírez homered and drove in three runs, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 to send their AL Division Series to a winner-take-all Game 5. Pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey also went deep and Game 2 starter Gavin Williams got the last three outs as the Guardians won for the second consecutive day in Chicago after beginning their postseason with two straight losses at home. Jo Adell hit a two-run single to cap a six-run sixth inning for the AL Central champions. Cleveland is looking to become the first major league team to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series since the 2017 New York Yankees accomplished the feat against, well, Cleveland. Game 5 is back in Cleveland on Saturday night.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 165 yards, including a 72-yard run to set up the touchdown that put Tampa Bay ahead for good while scoring twice himself, and the Buccaneers beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 night for their first win of the season. Jalon Daniels threw for a TD pass to Irving in the first half while directing a turnover-free offense amid several Dallas miscues in the just the second start for the undrafted rookie. Daniels is filling in for franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield. Dak Prescott led a 99-yard scoring drive but threw two interceptions as the Cowboys continued an up-and-down start to the season.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' concerned look just got more bleak. This was a game they expected to win. Instead, the Cowboys fell behind quickly in the second half against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas is 2-3 after the 24-16 loss on Thursday night. Tampa Bay scored 17 points on its first three drives after halftime. After a two-play opening drive out of the break, the Bucs added scores following an interception by Dak Prescott and then a fumbled kickoff return. Dallas still had a chance to tie the game after the 2-minute warning before another of Prescott's passes was deflected and intercepted.
NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James looks set to make a big impact on the Philadelphia 76ers, and the NBA’s career scoring leader may not even need to shoot much to do it. James made his first appearance with his new team Thursday night, getting started on the expected final stop in his NBA career. He did a little bit of everything in the first half of the 76ers’ exhibition game against the Brooklyn Nets. James, who joined the 76ers this summer for his NBA-record 24th season, had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in the first half, helping the 76ers to a 58-56 lead.
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball proposed to shorten the regular season to 154 games from 162 games starting in 2029 and to expand the Division Series to best-of-seven in bargaining with players. Owners also proposed to allow higher-seeded teams in the first two rounds of the postseason to pick their opponents beginning next year and to make Monday a day off for most teams starting in 2029 except for those in one or two nationally broadcast games. Cutting regular-season games would reduce the opportunity for players to set season and career records.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Enzo Maresca has come out in defense of Manchester City’s ownership despite the club being found guilty of breaking the Premier League’s financial rules in the biggest scandal in the competition’s history. The manager Maresca says he has complete trust in City’s hierarchy and dismisses suggestions the club's unprecedented dominance of English soccer has not been tainted by the bombshell verdict that it had artificially inflated its revenue by more than $1 billion to help sign some of soccer’s biggest stars. City has always denied the charges and has lodged an appeal.
MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid says NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the Spanish top-flight club's ownership group. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has become the latest North American sports star to take an interest in soccer. He follows the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady. Atletico says the partnership is “grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earned.”
George Russell needs to throw everything he can at stopping or even just delaying Kimi Antonelli’s march to the Formula 1 title. That won’t be easy from the back of the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix. Russell was third, with Mercedes teammate Antonelli ahead of him in second, when his power unit suddenly failed Sunday during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. It left him with a penalty this week for an engine change. Russell says his plan is “all-out attack” in a Singapore weekend that includes an unusual daylight sprint race at a track where F1 usually races at night.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Roger Clemens, calling him “maybe the greatest pitcher of all time.” Speaking at a rally in San Antonio on Wednesday night, Trump renewed his calls for Clemens to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Clemens, known as “The Rocket,” has faced suspicions of steroid use during his 24-year career. Clemens, attending the event, expressed his surprise and gratitude. Trump has previously awarded the medal to athletes like Tiger Woods and Mariano Rivera and to the late conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.
The NFL is urging the Supreme Court to rule on the regulation of prediction markets, arguing in an amicus brief that states are better positioned to oversee sports-related contracts “given the current landscape.” The NFL is supporting New Jersey’s request for the Supreme Court to rule on the governing authority for prediction markets, which provide an opportunity to trade — or wager — on the result of future events. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has maintained it has exclusive federal jurisdiction, while states have argued that the array of typically yes-or-no questions is akin to gambling and falls under their purview.
Finals
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Cleveland 9 Chicago White Sox 5
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Carolina 7 Vancouver 2
Final Dallas 4 Buffalo 0
Final Tampa Bay 3 Minnesota 2
Final Ottawa 2 Philadelphia 1
Final Nashville 5 Montreal 2
Final Boston 6 Utah 1
Final N-Y Islanders 4 Chicago 1
Final OT San Jose 3 St. Louis 2
Final Colorado 7 Calgary 3
Final SO Vegas 4 Toronto 3
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 24 Dallas 16