NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto’s home run punctured Cleveland pitching, which then went wild. Soto put New York ahead in a three-run third inning, Carlos Rodón got his first postseason win and the Yankees beat the Guardians 5-2 on Monday night in an AL Championship Series opener that included Cleveland throwing five wild pitches and walking nine batters. Giancarlo Stanton added his 13th career postseason homer for the Yankees, who are seeking a record 41st AL pennant and their first since winning the 2009 title. “Getting the start-off win is big,” Stanton said. “It’s a message in its own.” Cleveland became the second team to throw a pair of run-scoring wild pitches in a postseason inning and tied a postseason record with five overall. Guardians pitchers walked six in a nine-batter span and nine overall.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The New York Mets weren’t sure what they were going to get with the Los Angeles Dodgers sending out a parade of relievers in a bullpen game. They found out right away. Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos homered as the Mets stopped the Dodgers’ record-tying postseason scoreless streak in a 7-3 victory on Monday, tying the NL Championship Series at a game apiece. Lindor added to his storybook season with a leadoff homer in the first inning against Ryan Brasier. Viento delivered during New York’s five-run second, connecting for a grand slam against Landon Knack.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were expecting to go into halftime against the New York Jets with a 10-point lead and all the momentum. That changed with one eye-popping pass by Aaron Rodgers that sent the Jets and their fans into a frenzy and had social media buzzing. The Bills overcame Rodgers’ 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown throw as the first half ended to outlast the Jets 23-20 on Monday night and take early season control of the AFC East. Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and Tyler Bass made up for an earlier miss by kicking a go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 3:43 left to help the Bills (4-2) snap a two-game skid. They have never lost three straight with Allen starting at quarterback.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Leave it to Jim Harbaugh to call an audible when addressing his health. The Los Angeles Chargers coach wasn’t supposed to do his Monday news conference because he was undergoing medical testing after he experienced an irregular heartbeat during Sunday’s 23-16 win at Denver. Harbaugh, though, got back from his appointment with a cardiologist earlier than planned and decided it would be better to address the subject immediately instead of waiting until Wednesday. Harbaugh said he is taking steps to address the arrhythmia he has had for many years. That includes wearing a heart monitor for the next two weeks and taking a blood thinner so his heart doesn’t go out of rhythm.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said Monday that he “had a run-in” with his cattle last weekend, leaving him with an eye injury that caused him to hold his weekly media conference on Zoom without a camera. “I’ve got a bad eye that I didn’t think would be particularly enjoyable for people when they were looking at my pretty face in a live interview,” Gundy joked. “But more importantly, it’s full of blood, and I get dizzy. So it’s not easy to be upright and be in a normal function. But other than that, I’m doing great.” Gundy’s Cowboys are 3-3 heading into a Friday night game at No. 13 BYU. If he was a player, he’d likely be listed as probable on an injury report. “I’m fine, and it should get better every day,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll get a little better. But I’m fine. I’m working the same hours. I mean, it’s no big deal. I just didn’t think it was very appealing.”
MONDAY'S SCORES
Major League Baseball playoffs
American League Championship Series
NY Yankees 5, Cleveland 2 (Yankees lead best-of-seven series 1-0)
National League Championship Series
NY Mets 7, LA Dodgers 3 (Series is tied 1-1)
National Football League
Buffalo 23, NY Jets 20