SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers advanced to the National League Championship Series for the second straight season with a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres to win their best-of-five Division Series 3-1. Garrett Mitchell tripled and scored the tiebreaking run on Jackson Chourio’s single in the fifth inning. Mitchell drove in Sal Frelick with Milwaukee’s first run, and Frelick added a sacrifice fly in the sixth as the Brewers snapped their 12-game postseason road losing streak since 2018. After fending off the surging Padres in four tight games, the 103-win Brewers will get an NLCS rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Mesa Jr. hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Max Fried in the sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-3 with the help of a fan interference call for a three-game sweep of their AL Division Series. Ryan Vilade also homered for the Rays, who reached the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2020 and host the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians in the opener on Monday. After Mesa’s homer gave the Rays a 4-2 lead, Anthony Volpe appeared to hit a two-run shot against Griffin Jax with two outs in the bottom half as a fan reached over the left-field wall and caught the ball. A video review left Volpe with an RBI double.
ATLANTA (AP) — Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead, and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 to clinch their NL Division Series. The Dodgers won back-to-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five matchup 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series as they seek to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series. The Dodgers will face the Brewers in an NLCS rematch beginning Sunday in Milwaukee. Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in the NLCS last year. Pages lined a 3-2 pitch from Robert Suarez up the middle to drive in Teoscar Hernández and pinch-runner Tommy Edman.
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Volpe was denied a tying home run for the New York Yankees in Game 3 of their AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays when a replay review determined a fan interfered with his drive to deep left field. The Yankees wound up losing 4-3 by the very run that was taken off the board and had their season end in a three-game sweep. Players and managers on both sides mostly agreed the right decision was made. The play came nearly 30 years to the day after young Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium to turn Derek Jeter's flyball into a home run during the 1996 American League Championship Series against Baltimore.
CHICAGO (AP) — Jo Adell and José Ramírez powered Cleveland with a pair of two-out triples, and the Guardians avoided an AL Division Series sweep by cooling off the Chicago White Sox with a 9-3 victory in Game 3. Adell’s three-run triple gave Cleveland a 4-1 lead in the third inning. Ramírez’s three-bagger drove in Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey for a 7-3 advantage in the eighth. The Guardians hit two triples in a postseason game for the first time in franchise history. Game 4 is Thursday in Chicago, with the White Sox leading 2-1 in the best-of-five matchup. Once again, they’ll try to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1906 World Series.
ATLANTA (AP) — The New York Liberty opted not to advance the ball for a better shot at a tying 3-pointer, then said after their loss Wednesday night that officials told them they didn’t have a reset timeout left. Angel Reese made two free throws to give the Atlanta Dream a three-point lead with 4.3 seconds remaining in overtime. The broadcast of the game showed that the Liberty had their reset, which is a WNBA rule allowing a team to advance the ball to halfcourt without going back to its bench to huddle. But Breanna Stewart said after missing the potential tying shot that a referee told her the Liberty didn't have a reset remaining.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Veronica Burton hit a deep 3-pointer that put Golden State ahead with 41 seconds left and converted two free throws in the closing seconds, Tiffany Hayes had 21 points, and the Valkyries held off the Las Vegas Aces 83-81 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series. In a wild finish, Jackie Young missed the second of two free throws with six seconds left to give Las Vegas one last chance and Chelsea Gray grabbed the rebound and droved under the basket for a layup attempt. Kiah Stokes blocked the shot and Burton corralled the ball. The Valkyries moved a win away from reaching the WNBA Finals in just their second season. Game 3 is Friday night in Las Vegas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A hurricane is menacing the Gulf Coast, but President Donald Trump remains eager to attend a big college football game in Alabama on Saturday night. Trump hopes to visit Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Top 10 Alabama-Georgia matchup. Officials are still discussing how the storm might affect the game. Trump said on Wednesday that he doesn't want to do anything to strain resources. His love of sports and large crowds are often key factors in his travel plans, even close to the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The White House sees the games as a way to energize Republicans, but others say mixing sports and politics can be risky.
NEW YORK (AP) — Max Fried gave up two home runs, the New York Yankees had one taken off the board by fan interference and then their season ended with a whimper. After Anthony Volpe’s would-be tying homer in the bottom of the sixth inning turned into a double on video review, the Yankees did not get a runner past second base. When leadoff hitter Trent Grisham struck out to end the ninth, it capped a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the AL Division Series and a series sweep that extends the Yankees’ championship drought to 17 years.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s 429-foot home run to straightaway center field leading off the third inning got the sellout crowd of 47,712 at Petco Park revved up and waving their yellow rally towels. That was pretty much the extent of the excitement for the long-suffering fans as the Padres once again fell short of their dream of winning their first World Series. Tatis’ second homer of the postseason tied the game at 1, but the Milwaukee Brewers went on to win 3-1 on Wednesday night to take their NL Division Series in four games.
Finals
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Cleveland 9 Chicago White Sox 3
Final Tampa Bay 4 N.Y. Yankees 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final L.A. Dodgers 4 Atlanta 1
Final Milwaukee 3 San Diego 1
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Washington 5 Pittsburgh 3
Final Winnipeg 3 Colorado 2
Final Edmonton 5 Anaheim 2