PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler struck out eight and pitched into the seventh inning to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins in the opener of their NL Wild Card Series. The Phillies moved within a victory of an NL Division Series matchup against Atlanta. Cristian Pache and Bryson Stott had run-scoring singles for the Phillies. Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos added RBI doubles. Phillies reliever José Alvarado struck out Yuli Gurriel with two runners on in the seventh to end a threat.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Royce Lewis hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats to carry the Minnesota Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of their AL Wild Card Series. That ended Minnesota's record 18-game postseason losing streak. Lewis hit a two-run shot off Kevin Gausman to left field in the first inning. He went deep to right leading off the third and became the third player in history to homer in each of his first two career postseason plate appearances. The Twins last won a game in the playoffs on Oct. 5, 2004.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno homered against Corbin Burnes, helping Arizona erase an early three-run deficit and sending the Diamondbacks to a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series. The rally put Arizona in a prime position to advance. Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Wednesday, and the Diamondbacks have ace Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly lined up after rookie Brandon Pfaadt lasted just 2 2/3 innings in the opener. Arizona, which clinched an NL wild card in the final days of the season, had been 0-14 in postseason games when trailing by at least three runs.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Montgomery scattered six hits over seven innings, helping the Texas Rangers beat the sloppy Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 in their AL Wild Card Series opener. Corey Seager and Josh Jung drove in runs and the Rangers benefitted from four errors by the Rays, who also fizzled offensively before a crowd of just 19,704. Texas moved within a victory of a AL Division Series matchup against Baltimore. Tampa Bay, lost its sixth straight postseason game since winning its 2021 Division Series opener against Boston. The Rays have one run in their last three playoff defeats, hitting .133.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Lorenzen, Byron Buxton, Johnny Cueto and Jonathan Hernández were among the players left off rosters for Wild Card Series, while the Texas Rangers made the surprise inclusion of former top draft pick Matt Bush. Minnesota included Carlos Correa and rookie Royce Lewis along with right-hander Chris Paddack, who returned from Tommy John surgery. Correa hasn’t played since Sept. 18 because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot and Lewis has been sidelined since straining his left hamstring on Sept. 19. Outfielder Jose Siri made Tampa Bay’s roster after missing the season’s final three weeks with a broken hand.
UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 is losing its marquee matchup when the Red River Rivalry plays for the final time Saturday under the league’s umbrella. As third-ranked Texas and No. 12 Oklahoma head to the Southeastern Conference in 2024, the Big 12 is in full optimism mode as it expands to 16 schools. But gone will be its most hyped regular-season contest. San Diego State sports marketing researcher Vassillis Dalakas says losing the Red River Rivalry game is a big loss. He says the Big 12 shouldn't try to manufacture any new rivalries but tap into existing ones created by conference expansion.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA took a step toward putting rules in place to regulate the way college athletes can be compensated for their fame. The Division I Council introduced several proposals to bring transparency to the NIL transactions and oversight to those who provide services to students. The proposals could be adopted as soon as January. They include creation of a voluntary registry for NIL service providers, such as agents and financial advisors; requirements for disclosure to schools of NIL deals worth more than $600; and development of a standardized NIL contract.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel is second among active FBS players with nearly 13,000 career yards passing. But he hasn’t had that special moment or big win that grabbed the nation’s attention. He’ll finally get to play in the big-time setting he has imagined. He could put his team in the race for a College Football Playoff spot and make himself a clear Heisman contender when the 12th-ranked Sooners play No. 3 Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Gabriel ranks in the top 10 nationally in passing yardage, total offense, touchdown passes, completion percentage and passer efficiency rating.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA Division I Council approved a package of proposed penalties for infractions cases that would include stricter punishments for individual rule breakers. The proposals include expanding suspensions for coaches to include the days between competitions, having schools incur penalties for employing individuals who are serving a show-cause order and expanding disassociations with boosters who violate rules. The council was also expected to discuss proposals for name, image and likeness compensation regulations and potentially adjusting transfer portal windows before the meeting concludes Wednesday.
TUESDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Texas 4 Tampa Bay 0
Final Minnesota 3 Toronto 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Arizona 6 Milwaukee 3