SEATTLE (AP) — Jorge Polanco hit a game-ending single in the 15th inning, and the Seattle Mariners advanced to the AL Championship Series by outlasting the Detroit Tigers for a 3-2 victory in the longest winner-take-all postseason game in baseball history. With one out and the bases loaded, Polanco drove in J.P. Crawford with a liner to right off Tommy Kahnle. Crawford hit a leadoff single, Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch and Julio Rodríguez was intentionally walked before Polanco’s big swing on the 472nd pitch of the epic game.
A’ja Wilson has achieved an unprecedented season in the WNBA. She won the MVP award and scoring title, and helped the Las Vegas Aces secure a championship while earning the Finals MVP. While NBA stars like Michael Jordan have achieved similar feats, none did so while also being the defensive player of the year, a title Wilson shared this season. Wilson’s stats are remarkable, with 31 points in the title-clinching game and setting records for points and rebounds. At 29, she has more total points and rebounds before turning 30 than any other WNBA player.
A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces are in rarified air. The franchise won its third WNBA championship in four seasons, completing a sweep of Phoenix in the best-of-seven Finals on Friday night. Only Houston has done better over a four-season span, winning the first four titles in WNBA history from 1997-2000. Wilson became the first player to win the regular-season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season. Whether Las Vegas can keep its run going depends a lot on how the negotiations for the new collective bargaining agreement go. Most of the Aces are free agents.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Working as a starting pitcher in the NL Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers has been one tough job. Twenty-one of the 35 runs in the series have been scored in the first inning. The series concludes on Saturday night with a winner-take-all Game 5 to determine which of these NL Central rivals will face the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. Neither team has announced its Game 5 starting pitcher yet.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols has met with the Los Angeles Angels about returning to their dugout as their next manager, a person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Angels aren’t publicly discussing their search for a successor to Ron Washington, who wasn’t brought back after two seasons. Pujols met with general manager Perry Minasian in St. Louis, and the iconic slugger appears to be the current front-runner to take over the Angels in what would be his first in-season major league coaching job of any kind.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Folarin Balogun scores in the 71st minute, helping the United States secure a 1-1 tie against Ecuador in a friendly. Enner Valencia scored in the first half for Ecuador. Balogun's goal is his seventh in 20 international appearances. The 16th-ranked Americans have one win in their last nine games against top 25 opponents since March 2024. They play Australia on Tuesday in Colorado. Ecuador, ranked 24th, extended its team-record unbeaten streak to 12 games. American star Christian Pulisic didn't start due to a sore ankle but entered in the 73rd minute.
DENTON, Texas (AP) — Byrum Brown accounted for five touchdowns, Jhalyn Shuler returned a fumble 34 yards for South Florida's fourth TD in span of 3 1/2 minutes and the 24th-ranked Bulls beat North Texas 63-36. It was the first loss this season for the 5-1 Mean Green. The 5-1 Bulls overcame three first-quarter turnovers and tied the game at 21-all with 2 seconds left before halftime. They then scored had three quick scores after the break, and two of those TDs coming off North Texas turnovers. The Mean Green hadn’t gone this deep into a season without a loss since a 5-0 start in 1959.
The NFL has initiated a review of the concussion protocol used for New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart on Thursday night in the team's game against Philadelphia. Cameras caught coach Brian Daboll looking into the injury tent while Dart was being evaluated. Daboll admitted he was impatient and apologized to the Giants' head physician for being in the wrong. The league's chief medical officer said in a preseason media tour of medical facilities that only specific personnel are allowed in the tent during evaluations.
SHANGHAI (AP) — Two cousins will meet in the final of the Shanghai Open after qualifier Valentin Vacherot stunned a hobbled Novak Djokovic and relative Arthur Rinderknech fought back to beat Daniil Medvedev. The 204th-ranked Vacherot earned the biggest win of his career by downing Djokovic 6-3, 6-4. A couple of hours after beating Djokovic, Vacherot walked onto the court and hugged Rinderknech to help celebrate his cousin's 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback over Medvedev and relish the rare moment. Rinderknech says “In the best dreams, we couldn’t have dreamt about this."
SEATTLE (AP) — Tarik Skubal was terrific. And he was long gone when the season ended for the Detroit Tigers. Skubal struck out 13 in six dominant innings in Game 5 of the AL Division Series at Seattle. But the Tigers were eliminated when Jorge Polanco singled home J.P. Crawford in the 15th inning, giving the Mariners a 3-2 victory. Skubal did his part with Detroit on the brink of the franchise’s first appearance in the AL Championship Series since 2013. The ace left-hander allowed one run and two hits in what turned into baseball’s longest winner-take-all postseason game by innings.
Finals
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal Seattle 3 Detroit 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALLFinal (24)South Florida 63 North Texas 36