Michael Harris II hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Ray Kerr threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Thursday night in the decisive Game 3 of their National League wild-card series.
Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Matt Olson added a solo shot in the seventh for the Braves, who advance to a best-of-five Division Series against the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers.
The Braves won a postseason series for the first time since winning the 2021 World Series and earned their first playoff series win against the Phillies. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.
Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola was pulled after giving up three runs in 1 2/3 innings. Nola walked Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson with one out in the first before giving up the homer to Harris, who hit into two double plays in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss in 10 innings which forced Thursday night’s game.
Kerr made his postseason debut in only his fourth career start. Braves manager Walt Weiss wanted a left-hander to face Phillies left-handed hitters Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper at least once.
Kerr gave up only one hit — to Schwarber in the first — and one walk — to Schwarber in the fourth. Right-hander Grant Holmes followed Kerr and gave up one run in two innings to earn the win.
Kerr left to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd and acknowledged the cheers by lifting up his arm as he approached the dugout.
Left-hander Chris Sale, the starter in Atlanta’s 5-3 win in Tuesday’s series opener, struck out Harper to end the eighth and closed out the win in the ninth by striking out Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp.
Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, the winning pitcher in Sunday’s 7-3 victory over Tampa Bay that clinched the wild-card spot, walked Austin Riley in the fourth before giving up Albies’ homer to right field that gave Atlanta a 5-0 lead. Wheeler gave up two runs in four innings. Jonathan Bowlan, Philadelphia’s fourth pitcher, gave up Olson’s homer to center field.
Kerr, 32, flourished in the postseason spotlight. He pitched in only nine games after being recalled by Atlanta on Aug. 16. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and didn’t pitch in 2025.
Philadelphia’s 2022 World Series loss to Houston began a streak of five straight postseason appearances with progressively quicker exits — the NL Championship Series, two NLDS exits and now the wild-card loss.
The deciding game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves played silently on the Dodger Stadium scoreboard Thursday as Dodgers players practiced below.
The Dodgers were less than 48 hours away from the first pitch of the National League Division Series. The “2026 Postseason” decals had been freshly painted up the baselines that afternoon. All that was left to be decided was their opponent — the winner of the game serving as the backdrop of their intrasquad scrimmage.
About a half an hour after the Dodgers cleared the field, the Braves advanced to the NLDS with a 6-2 win over the Phillies. The Dodgers and Braves will open the best-of-five series at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. PDT.
“We are the team to beat,” veteran utility player Kiké Hernández said. “We are the team that you have to go through. And that’s all nice words and everything, but we got to take care of business on the field. But I feel great about my team.”
The Dodgers are the reigning back-to-back champions and are aiming to become the first National League team to win three World Series in a row.
“Obviously it’s there, but it’s not something we’re really focused on,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said of the three-peat chase. “We’re trying to focus on ourselves getting ready this week, paying attention to whoever we might be playing and just trying to get ready for a postseason series the same way we’ve always gotten ready for it.
“We don’t need to be adding any extra pressure onto ourselves. We’ve been saying that for a long time. When you talk about three-peating, you’re putting that extra pressure on it that doesn’t need to be there. Winning a World Series is already hard enough as it is. So for us, we’re just trying to focus on what we have ahead of us and without the added noise to it.”
So, how did the Dodgers get ready for the postseason? Their bye week consisted of wild-card watch parties, batting practice, live pitching — from a long list of arms on Wednesday, especially — and an open workout Thursday that culminated in a scrimmage. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who’s penciled in to start Game 4 of the NLDS if necessary, started for the home team Thursday.
“Instead of showing up, checking a box to work out, then eject, I think that sacrifice from friends, family, it’s important,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We’re at the home stretch. We’re in the playoffs, and so I think that the more guys spend time with one another, it just lends itself to just more togetherness.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, talks with third baseman Max Muncy during practice Thursday.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
The Dodgers have figured that out over five postseasons in this format. This is their fourth with a bye — after going through the wild card last year. And they introduced the watch parties in 2024.
“You’ve earned the bye and you should take that time to rest and recover,” Muncy said. “But you don’t want to give guys too much time to be at home and get that taste of what it might be like. That really worked for us back in 2024. You get guys here to the field. You’re not forcing anyone to do anything but you’re making all the guys hang out together for extended periods of time when they could be at home enjoying family time — which is great for everybody but not when you know what’s coming for us ahead.
“You’re going to be facing a team that’s already been through the fire. They’ve already been through the emotions. They’ve already been through the roller coaster which is the postseason. It’s hard to go from an at-home setting to trying to find a way to flip the switch.”
The Braves have, indeed, been through the fire. They claimed the No. 3 seed with a 94-68 record and the NL East title. They took Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Phillies but lost Game 2 in extra innings, forcing a winner-take-all Game 3.
Left-hander Martín Pérez (9-9, 3.04) is on the injured list with back inflammation and isn’t expected to be activated for the National League Division Series but right-hander Bryce Elder (8-8, 4.11), who underwent knee surgery in early September, could be available, which would strengthen a rotation that’s missing four starters.
Fortunately, the Braves have a Cy Young candidate in Sale (14-9, 2.16 ERA in the regular season). The left-hander gave Atlanta a solid 6 1/3 innings in the Game 1 win over Philadelphia in the wild-card series this week. Journeyman Tyler Mahle, who went 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA after coming over from the Giants in August, allowed just a run in 6 2/3 strong innings in Game 2 in his postseason debut.
After that, however, Weiss will have to lean heavily on his bullpen and fortunately he has a good one: Atlanta relievers were second in the National League in ERA (3.44) and saves (49) during the regular season. Cuban closer Raisel Iglesias had 34 of those saves (in 37 regular-season opportunities), blowing just one save chance since July 26.
Set-up man Robert Suárez missed more than three months with elbow inflammation but made two appearances in the final week of the regular season to finish the year 4-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 33 games. Ahead of him, Didier Fuentes (7-2, 2.45), Dylan Lee (6-1. 3.09), Dylan Dodd (4-1, 2.54) and Brent Suter (2-0, 1.63 with the Braves) give Atlanta perhaps the deepest bullpen in the playoffs.
The Ducks have signed promising young defenseman Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension worth $43.2 million after just 14 NHL appearances.
The Ducks announced the deal Thursday with the 22-year-old Luneau, whose promising career has been slowed by injury. Now healthy and ready for a full-time NHL role, he inked a long-term deal with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2022.
Luneau was the Quebec major junior league’s top defenseman in the 2022-23 season and he made the Ducks’ roster out of training camp the next fall. But Luneau came down with a viral infection that winter while practicing with Canada’s national junior team, forcing him to miss the rest of the year.
Anaheim took a deliberate approach with Luneau’s health for the past two seasons, keeping him with its AHL affiliate in San Diego for most of that time. But the Ducks never wavered in their belief that Luneau will be an above-average defenseman, and they proved it with a long-term contract for a player who suited up in just one game for the NHL club last season.
Luneau will be expected to play a significant role this season for the Ducks, who lost four veteran defensemen — Jacob Trouba, captain Radko Gudas, John Carlson and Olen Zellweger — from last season’s already mediocre blue line group over the summer.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek moved aggressively to lock up Luneau after being burned repeatedly in restricted free agency over the offseason.
Verbeek spent months failing to reach a deal with center Leo Carlsson, who then signed a $90-million offer sheet with Philadelphia that briefly made him the NHL’s highest-paid player before Anaheim matched it. Carlsson is among the best young centers in hockey, but his deal is worth much more than he was expected to get as a restricted free agent — as is the five-year, $36 million deal given to Pavel Mintyukov by Verbeek after other teams began to sniff around the Russian defenseman in the wake of Carlsson’s massive offer sheet.
Verbeek then signed high-scoring forward Cutter Gauthier to a six-year, $81 million extension last month, but the resulting salary cap constraints from Verbeek’s summer of misadventure effectively forced the Ducks to waive 22-goal scorer Chris Kreider, damaging their depth.
Luneau will join Jackson LaCombe and Mintyukov as the new core of the Ducks’ defense. Rising star LaCombe agreed to an eight-year, $72-million extension a year ago.
Anaheim ended a seven-year playoff drought last spring, advancing to the second round under coach Joel Quenneville. The Ducks open the regular season Friday at Vegas before their home opener Sunday against Florida.
In the same news conference, Jesus said he did not expect to start Ronaldo against Denmark.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the game,” Jesus said. “If we need him to play, he’ll play. If not, he won’t.”
This time, the player did make the decision for the coach.
“Following the national team coach’s news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo posted on social media hours after Jesus spoke.
“In due time, I will tell all the Portuguese about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, which I always dedicated myself to. Now it’s time to wish good luck to Portugal and all my teammates, without exception.”
Former Wales striker Bellamy, who was appointed national boss in July 2024, faced criticism from some fans after holding talks over a potential move to Burnley in June.
In a lengthy news conference after the Norway triumph, he said he feels people “could be kinder to each other” after revealing the negativity aimed at him had also affected his family.
“It’s not me but I have kids and a wife; it’s for them – they see it,” he said.
“I’ve lived in this environment and I had it as a player, but I think there’s ways we can speak to people, and just because it’s the game we love, it doesn’t give us the right to think we can say whatever we want to.
“We’re such a small country, I’m like… why can’t we have each other’s backs? Why don’t we look after each other more? Maybe that’s me.
“I’m not saying everyone’s above criticism, far from it. But I think it’s too easy, and we’re too quick.”
After sitting out the last two games because of injury, Rams star receiver Puka Nacua appears on track to play Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
But the status of star defensive lineman Aaron Donald remains unclear.
“It’s exciting,” Nacua said after practice. “That’s my safe space out there, and to be out there with the guys, I think that’s been the most important thing, feeling that camaraderie and then also the ability to put my foot in the ground.”
Nacua, the NFL receptions leader in 2025, caught five passes for 74 yards in a season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.
What would it mean to return to action against the Eagles?
“I can’t think of anything else but smiling,” he said.
Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, has not practiced this week because of a back issue that surfaced after the loss to the Broncos, a defeat that dropped the Rams’ record to 1-2.
Donald, who ended a two-year retirement in late August, did not make the trip to Australia. In his season debut against the Giants at SoFi Stadium, he made three tackles in the Rams’ 28-6 victory.
Donald had one tackle and one quarterback hit in the 30-26 loss to the Broncos.
“Aaron’s been awesome,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “I think he’s really elevated that whole group.”
With edge rusher Myles Garrett out at least two more games while recovering from knee surgery, the Rams for the first time this season could line up without either of the two future Hall of Famers.
“Those are two of the best players in the world — two of maybe the best players of all time,” Shula said. You’re always going to want them on the field, but we’re lucky where if those guys are out we have a lot of depth and a lot of capable guys. … You’re never going to expect them to perform at the level of Aaron Donald or Myles Garrett, but we expect a lot of guys to go out and contribute and play really well and have a really good rotation going.”
The line feature interior players such as Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford, and edge rushers Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, Desjuan Johnson and Wesley Bailey.
Derrin Horton’s first job was in public address announcing. His first passion was the Lakers. The longtime sports broadcaster’s new job is the marriage of both.
Horton will take over the mic as the Lakers’ home public-address announcer, the team announced Thursday, stepping into the role for legendary Lakers announcer Lawrence Tanter, who died last week.
“There’s no way you can fill his shoes,” Horton said in an interview with local reporters. “And so you just come here with a passion and a goal to be informative and entertaining and be a part of Showtime.”
Tanter, who provided the smooth, baritone soundtrack for Lakers home games for 43 seasons, suffered a stroke on March 17 and missed the final six regular-season home games and the playoffs last season. Tanter announced his retirement in June, transitioning to a game-day advisory role with the team. Horton, a former KTLA broadcaster who has worked as an anchor, reporter, host, play-by-play announcer and voice actor, reached out to the team about the opportunity.
Horton showed up to his audition and instinctively tried to emulate Tanter’s signature baritone voice. He wanted to sound like what he thought the classic PA announcers should sound like. Lakers president and chief business officer Lon Rosen stopped the tryout in mid-sentence.
“He said, ‘Hey! Knock it off! I want to hear your voice,’” Horton said. “And so I just was myself.”
Horton’s new role is a return to his roots. Before carving out a career in sports broadcasting and voice acting, Horton was just a teenaged high school basketball reject. Not good enough to play on the team, he found his first job in communications as the PA announcer for Holy Cross High in Queens. The New York City-raised Syracuse alumnus has been enamored with the Lakers since the Showtime Era. He doesn’t think enthusiasm will be a problem; Horton considers himself a diehard Lakers fan.
And he knows what Lakers fans want at a game.
“They’re there to see the Lakers,” Horton said. “So what I do is just try to enhance the experience like a little salt and pepper. Season it up a little bit.”
The Lakers have their first home preseason game Oct. 8 against the Sacramento Kings. Horton said he is focused on informing fans and mastering the fundamentals. He has been working on player names and practiced at several Sparks games to understand the rhythm of professional basketball. The broadcaster said he favors understated and professional PA announcing. The style that made Tanter famous.
Horton considered the Lakers announcing legend a friend. Tanter even recorded an introduction for Horton’s wedding, announcing the newlyweds as they entered the reception: “‘For the very first time,’” Horton said, dropping his voice low like Tanter’s “‘Mr. Derrin and Elise Horton!’”
Horton wished he could have spoken to Tanter ahead of the first game.
“We’re going to miss him,” Horton said, “and I hope I do him proud.”
Scouting department change
The Lakers hired Pooh Jeter as director of pro scouting, The Times confirmed Thursday. The L.A. native was the Portland Trail Blazers’ player development coach and the assistant general manager of the team’s G League affiliate Rip City Remix.
After an ownership change in 2025, the Lakers have worked to build out their front office, following the lead of the Dodgers. After adding more than 15 people to the front office, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said, the Lakers were still focused on adding more scouts.
Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.
Mike Tomlin’s YouTube video detailing his labor of love of more than a decade is well on its way to a million views in less than 24 hours. His tweet about it has accumulated more than 20 million views.
No, it’s not a deep dive into Tomlin’s 19 years as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a reign that produced a Super Bowl title, zero losing seasons and a 193-114-2 overall record.
It’s about his obsession with “Minecraft,” the immensely popular video sandbox game that takes place in a world of 3D cubes representing raw materials such as wood, ores, stone and dirt. Players craft elaborate structures and — certainly in Tomlin’s case — full-blown cities.
At least one of Tomlin’s former players is astonished that he was able to construct a sprawling “Minecraft” community in the limited spare time enjoyed by an NFL head coach.
“we were tryna to win super bowls and coach T was on minecraft building cities,” former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell wrote on X, adding a crying emoji.
Countless adults were introduced to the game by taking their kids to “A Minecraft Movie,” the 2025 film starring Jack Black, Jason Mamoa, Sebastian Hansen and Emma Myers that brought in a worldwide box office total of nearly $1 billion.
Tomlin got an earlier start, watching his middle school-age sons spending weekends playing the game in 2014, the same year the Steelers went 11-5 to begin a four-year streak of double-figure wins. His sons, Dino and Mayce, eventually outgrew the game, but Tomlin’s interest increased.
“At different times over the course of a 12-month calendar, I would have different levels of fixation on this, but it’s been a project that’s been ongoing for 12-plus years,” he said on the 19-minute video titled “Rooftops, Penthouses, and Urban Living.”
Tomlin said he preferred playing in creative mode, as opposed to survival, hardcore or adventure modes. He also said getting his mind off of football was good for his mental health.
“I kind of remember when I was building communities, neighborhoods, buildings, etc.,” he said. “But more than anything, it was therapeutic for me, some mindless entertainment. I’m not a big TV watcher. [“Minecraft”] allowed me to detach from the realities and pressures of life.”
The realities and pressures of coaching in the NFL include a 24/7 work mentality. Watching film and diagramming plays deep into the night. Sleeping on a cot in the team facility.
The attention to detail he brought to his day job was evident in his “Minecraft” creations.
“I was always really conscious of appropriate amenities,” Tomlin said. “You’ll find, you know, an appropriate number of public restrooms and stuff throughout all my public facilities. Not anything over the top in terms of detail: sink areas, stalls, etc. It was important that I represented that.”
Tomlin’s younger son, Mayce, a 24-year-old Columbia graduate, is having a kick on social media posting reactions to his father’s “Minecraft” reveal.
“Bro I used to come home sometimes and my PlayStation would just be gone. And I wasn’t in trouble😭😭😭” Mayce wrote on X.
Tomlin retired from coaching after the 2025 season and now works as an NFL studio analyst for NBC Sports on the pregame show “Football Night in America.” Presumably he has more time to devote to “Minecraft.”
“I like to build, I’ve always had an interest in architecture and so forth,” he said. “So I started doing this creative city. It was a means of spending time with [my children]. They participated. All over this city, all my kids have got buildings.
“Over the course of time, they got disinterested in the game. They were going to high school and off to college, and their participation became less and less over the years. My participation probably at times increased.”
Real Madrid are keen on Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah, Liverpool are monitoring Club Tijuana’s teenage midfielder Gilberto Mora and Roma remain keen on signing Real Madrid striker Endrick.
Real Madrid are showing an interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s 23-year-old England defender Jarell Quansah, who Arsenal made a bid for in the summer and was subject of an enquiry from Chelsea. (Bild – in German), external
Mexico’s teenage star Gilberto Mora, 17, is on Liverpool‘s radar although Borussia Dortmund and Benfica are also keen on the Club Tijuana midfielder. (Teamtalk), external
Canada forward Jonathan David, 26, is starting to convince Atletico Madrid that they should make his loan from Juventus a permanent £21m transfer. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Inter Milan are keen on Italy midfielder Alessandro Romano and might make a move for the 20-year-old, who is on loan at Calgliari from Roma, if Turkey international Hakan Calhanoglu, 32, leaves the club at the end of his contract next summer. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external
Roma missed out on a loan move for Real Madrid striker Endrick, 20, in the summer but remain interested in signing the Brazil international in January. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external
Barcelona and Inter Milan are monitoring Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch, with the 20-year-old German also attracting interest from Premier League clubs. (Sky Sports Germany), external
Bologna have agreed a deal to sign former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian, 36, on a free transfer after the Italian left Inter Milan at the end of last season. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Manchester City will claim as part of their appeal that key sponsorship deals were funded by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than the club’s owners.
Owners Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) – a private investment company belonging to United Arab Emirates vice-president and deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour – are said to have topped up the value of commercial deals as part of a “disguised funding scheme” to the scale of £830.69m.
This, it was argued, enabled the club to appear to comply with Premier League and Uefa financial rules.
However, as first reported by the Daily Mail and Times, sources have told BBC Sport that City are expected to tell an appeal board that they have evidence showing the money directed to sponsors came from the Abu Dhabi government, rather than from ADUG.
Premier League rules allow state-owned bodies to sponsor clubs.
The independent commission detailed how City had “denied there had ever been any disguised funding scheme of the type alleged by the Premier League. Its case was that [it] had misunderstood how Abu Dhabi sponsorship agreements had been funded… The reality was [the club contested] that Abu Dhabi sponsors had always been liable for all recorded sponsorship fees and all had in fact been paid to the club by Abu Dhabi sponsors from their own funds/resources.
“No part of any recorded sponsorship fee had been paid by ADUG or from using ADUG funds. Abu Dhabi sponsors had from time to time applied for financial assistance from the Abu Dhabi government toward their liability to pay the recorded sponsorship fees – such applications had been granted…”
The independent commission rejected this submission as “untrue”, saying: “We concluded that it was an ‘explanation’ that the club had concocted well after the event in an attempt to obscure and conceal the realities of the disguised funding scheme.”
City’s argument is likely to lead to renewed debate over the extent to which City’s ownership is separate from the Abu Dhabi state, and over the ramifications of club ownership with state connections.
Mansour is a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, and the brother of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Since the takeover in 2008, City have insisted the club is a completely private enterprise, and not state-owned. However, some critics have questioned the distinction, with human rights campaigners claiming the ownership of City has been used to “sportswash” the UAE.
On Saturday, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak referred to “irrefutable evidence” that he claimed supports the club’s claims of innocence. City have claimed the commission’s decision contained “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”.
It has emerged that Al Mubarak, who was appointed chairman of City following the takeover in 2008, is named as an Emirati diplomat on the UK government’s current directory of all foreign representatives.
Representatives of foreign states and their diplomatic staff “enjoy privileges and immunities under the Diplomatic Privileges Act (1964)”, giving diplomats immunity from prosecution under criminal, civil and administrative laws.
City’s principal sponsor Etihad Airways has said it is considering legal action against the Premier League, claiming the release of the commission findings had “damaging implications… despite the airline not being named in the redacted published findings”.
The UAE’s state-owned national airline said it “categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements”.
Etihad is owned by sovereign wealth fund L’Imad which is chaired by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the son of the UAE president.
The Premier League declined to comment when contacted by BBC Sport.
Additional reporting from James Landale, diplomatic correspondent for BBC News.
The Dodgers did not need Tarik Skubal to win the National League West. They traded for him to help them win a third consecutive World Series.
Their legacy is at stake. So is his.
That could be hyperbole. Skubal turns 30 next month, already the winner of two Cy Young awards, one of them unanimously. He could sign the largest contract of any pitcher in major league history this fall. His career might be only at its halfway point, and already we can say he’ll be remembered as a star.
So I asked him if his career would feel somehow empty if he did not win a World Series. No one in Anaheim thinks any less of Mike Trout, and no one in San Diego thinks any less of Tony Gwynn, because neither Hall of Famer won a World Series.
Skubal thought about it. Yes, he said, his career would feel diminished without a championship.
“I think winning is the most important thing, so I think that’s fair to say,” Skubal told me.
“If I retire and I don’t have one, that will definitely be something that I don’t know when I will live it down.”
The Dodgers imported him for five or six starts in October, the first of them this weekend. I wasn’t sure of the right noun to use to capture his feelings: Excitement? Pressure? Responsibility?
“I think all of those things,” he said.
How so?
“I’ve grown to appreciate expectations from teammates, from fans, from organizations,” he said. “I’ve come to appreciate pressure. Early on in my career, there wasn’t much of that. It was more just kind of finding my footing, which I’m grateful for. It helped me learn a lot about myself.
“Having the expectation of being a team that is going to win the World Series, and me being a part of that, is something that I’ve come to really appreciate. I’ve come to appreciate all that stuff. As much as they can be looked at as negative things, or stress-inducing things, I’ve come to really appreciate those things, because I haven’t had that for my entire career.”
As soon as the Dodgers traded for Skubal two months ago, he was delighted to receive a text message from a pitcher who wore the weight of expectations throughout his career.
“Honestly,” Skubal said, “I wanted to get a jersey from him.”
The Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal pitched seven scoreless innings in his final start of the regular season last week against the San Francisco Giants.
(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
They talked pitching too, of course, and stayed in touch. When the Dodgers landed Skubal, Kershaw’s welcome text led to him sharing advice not just about the team itself but about navigating the notorious L.A. roads to Dodger Stadium, and various neighborhoods that Skubal, his wife and two young boys might enjoy.
For Kershaw, the postseason was a widely publicized menace throughout the previous decade. In 2019, after he inherited a two-run lead in the deciding game of the division series, Kewshaw gave up home runs to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto.
After the game, Kershaw said, “Everything people say is true right now about the postseason.”
In 2024, the Tigers were five innings from the American League Championship Series, leading 1-0 in the deciding game of the division series, with Skubal on the mound. Three singles, a hit batter and a grand slam later, the Tigers trailed for good.
“I felt pretty responsible for the season ending,” Skubal said.
Kershaw earned his redemption in 2020, winning both of his World Series starts as the Dodgers won their first championship since 1988. That title lifted the postseason burden off Kershaw, and I wondered whether Skubal might feel the same way if he leads these Dodgers to a parade.
Skubal rejected the premise.
“I don’t really buy into that narrative with Kersh, the postseason struggles,” Skubal said.
Kershaw’s 41 postseason appearances include four starts on short rest and nine relief outings. In 2013, he pitched a combined 259 innings between the regular season and playoffs. In 2015, that number was 246 innings.
“It takes a superhuman to be held to the standard he was being held to, in the biggest of moments,” Skubal said. “I think he was great. He did everything he could for his team. He wore it out there sometimes. Chasing box scores and stuff is kind of unfair to judge guys on, because I’m sure he was pitching through some stuff and grinding through some stuff.
“But he had to do it, because he was Clayton Kershaw.”
Kershaw’s postseason earned-run average: 4.62. For Skubal, in six postseason appearances, all of them starts: 2.04. In that one five-run inning, he gave up more runs than he has in the other 38-2/3 innings of his postseason career.
After he gave up those five runs, he returned for one more inning and retired the side in order.
“That moment solidified who I thought I am, in terms of how I responded to that failure, how I responded to that adversity,” he said. “It’s weird to say and it’s probably weird to portray, and I don’t know how many people it’s going to resonate with, but that’s what I feel.”
Right time, right place: If Skubal wants to win a World Series, where else would he rather be?
“For him?” pitcher Blake Snell said. “There’s no better time for anybody than right now.”
The Dodgers acquired infielder Tommy Edman from the St. Louis Cardinals at the 2024 trade deadline. For Edman, that’s two Octobers and two parades.
“In St. Louis, I think we were hovering around .500,” Edman said. “I found myself traded here and I was like, ‘OK, all of a sudden I’m on the team with the best record in baseball right now, going for a ring just about every single year.’
“That’s the expectation we have here. There’s definitely a level of excitement.”
“There’s also a difference between being on a team like the Tigers — and nothing against that organization — where the goal really isn’t to win the World Series. It’s the hope,” Roberts said. “But being here and seeing the standard that we have and it’s like: ‘I’m here to win the World Series. This team has the best chance to win the World Series, and I get to be a part of it.’
“So I fully see him, now that he is completely immersed into our culture, where the first month was trying to feel his way: ‘Where do I fit in? I’m this hired gun.’ And now it’s like he’s one of the guys.”
Skubal insists that he has not really thought about his free agency, that his focus is on the here and now, and on each start as it comes. That means this month could be his last in Dodger blue, and that means this really might be his best chance to win a World Series.
“I don’t really know if I like the verbiage of that, thinking I must win this year,” he said. “I don’t think that’s fair.”
LAFC on Thursday named Xavi Tamarit its interim head coach, replacing Marc Dos Santos, who was fired Sunday amid a slump that has seen the team win just two of its last 13 games in all competition.
Tamarit, 44, was named to Dos Santos staff last January. He has more than two decades’ worth of elite coaching experience, including stints in the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Argentina’s top division. A Spanish citizen, he is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
“Xavi brings a wealth of experience at the highest levels of the game and a clear understanding of our players, their strengths and what this group needs now,” John Thorrington, LAFC’s president of soccer operations, said in a statement. “We have full confidence in Xavi and the rest of the staff to get the best out of this team. Our standards and ambitions remain unchanged, and we are committed to giving everything to finish the 2026 season strong.”
LAFC (11-9-8) is sixth in the 15-team Western Conference table with six regular-season games left. That’s good enough for a playoff berth but two places and five points out of home-field advantage for the postsesason. LAFC is 3-6-6 on the road by 8-3–2 at home this season.
Dos Santos, an assistant for both Bob Bradley and Steve Cherundolo at LAFC, was named the third manager in team history last winter and was unbeaten in its first 11 matches in all competition, outscoring opponents 27-3 and advancing to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where LAFC lost to Mexico’s Toluca, the eventual winner. But the team has gone 6-9-7 in MLS play since then, including a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas last Saturday in which Dos Santos was without six key players — including leading scorer Denis Bouanga and captain Son Heung-min — who were with their national teams.
Tamarit’s first game as manager will be at home on Oct. 10 against conference-leading Vancouver.
Just last week, Joey Porter Jr. told reporters he “definitely” would play for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season despite a contract standoff and a lingering back issue.
That’s not going to happen. The Steelers have traded the fourth-year cornerback to Dallas for a second-round 2028 draft pick and a sixth-round 2027 pick, the Cowboys announced Thursday morning.
“Here I come…… Dallas,” Porter wrote on a post to his Instagram Stories early Thursday.
The son of a former Steelers great — Joey Porter Sr. won a Super Bowl with the Steelers during his 13 years as an NFL linebacker and spent several years with the team as a defensive coach — Porter was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2023 draft. He broke up 31 passes over his first three seasons.
Porter missed all of training camp and preseason while on the Steelers’ physically unable to perform list because of the reported back issues. During the same period of time, he and the Steelers were unable to come to terms on a contract extension on the rookie deal that was set to expire after this season. The Steelers do not negotiate contracts once a season has begun.
Since the season started, Porter has been a limited participant in practices but was inactive in all three games. As the Steelers prepared to face the Cleveland Browns on “Thursday Night Football” this week, Porter was listed as a full participant in practice, although the team added a back injury to Porter’s injury status on Wednesday.
Porter is the third Steelers player traded to the Cowboys in the last two years, following receiver George Pickens last year and offensive lineman Broderick Jones just before this season started. First-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy was the Cowboys coach from 2020 to 2024.
Last year, a contract dispute led Dallas to deal star edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers just before the start of the regular season.
Nico O’Reilly has withdrawn from the England squad for their final two Nations League matches of the international break because of injury.
The left-back played the full game for manager Thomas Tuchel’s side in the 3-2 defeat by Spain but missed Tuesday’s 2-0 win against the Czech Republic.
O’Reilly has now returned to club side Manchester City for “further assessment” and will miss the trip to Croatia on Saturday and the return game against the Czechs on Tuesday.
England do not plan to call-up any replacements.
Lewis Hall replaced O’Reilly against the Czech Republic and the Newcastle United full-back combined well with former Magpies team-mate Anthony Gordon on England’s left flank.
What should be a little more straightforward is giving Kieron Bowie another start.
The Sassuolo striker was sacrificed just over 10 minutes into his first Scotland start to make space for Welsh in defence.
His partnership with Oli McBurnie showed promising signs in the 20 minutes or so they were together in Slovenia, but there was little time to build on that cameo against the Swiss. Surely he and the Hull City striker will get another chance?
If there were any concerns McBurnie wasn’t up for the fight – five years on from his last international involvement – they have been quashed in these past two games.
His work-rate as a largely solo striker – hauling his team up and holding the ball in – was commendable. If only Bowie was still on the field for the flurry of flick-ons he won in the first half.
Pocognoli has inherited one of the overriding problems Clarke wrestled with during his spell – scoring goals. That’s four games now without one, and the Scots are just 25 minutes away from setting a new – unwanted – record for failing to score.
In 1970-71, they went 447 minutes without finding the back of the net – it’s been 422 minutes of football since McGinn’s deflected strike against Haiti in Boston.
Leg-spinner Mason Crane could play for England for the first time in eight years after being recalled for the one-day international tri-series in Pakistan.
The 29-year-old won his only Test cap against Australia in Sydney in 2018 and is now given an opportunity in the series which also involves Sri Lanka next month.
Crane, who also played two T20 internationals in 2017, could also push his case in the fight to be England’s number one spinner in Test cricket.
Sam Curran and Adil Rashid both return after injuries, and uncapped pair James Coles and Henry Crocombe are included.
Brydon Carse, who is under an investigation from the Cricket Regulator following an incident outside a nightclub in Derby in August, remains absent.
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England squad for tri-series in Pakistan: Harry Brook (Yorkshire – captain), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), James Coles (Sussex), Jordan Cox (Essex), Mason Crane (Glamorgan), Henry Crocombe (Sussex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).
When public prosecutors tapped telephone calls at Italian football giants Juventus in 2004, they were hunting for evidence of doping.
What they believed they found was corruption on a far more systematic scale.
They thought they had evidence of Juve general manager Luciano Moggi pressurising referee officials to favour certain clubs, including his own. Moggi denied the claims.
However, Juve, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were all implicated in influencing referees.
All were given points deductions, but only Juventus ultimately dropped into the second tier of Italian football.
There was a split in the club’s superstar squad.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira joined rivals Inter Milan for a combined £23m, Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson went to Real Madrid for £13.7m, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta joined Barcelona for £13m, and Adrian Mutu went to Fiorentina for £5.5m.
But other key players – notably Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro del Piero, Giorgio Chiellini, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet – remained with Juve in Serie B.
Despite beginning the season with a nine-point penalty and an opening-day draw with minnows Rimini, Juventus were promoted at the first attempt.
The club still lay claim to the 2004–05 and 2005–06 titles that were stripped from them, counting 38 rather than the official 36.
Britain’s Sonay Kartal won on her return to the WTA Tour after almost six months out with injury as she beat Andrea Lazaro Garcia at the China Open.
The 24-year-old injured her lower back at Indian Wells in March and only made her return to tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup on 22 September.
Kartal, who narrowly lost to Czech world number 26 Marie Bouzkova on that return last week, produced a confident performance in Beijing to beat Spain’s Lazaro Garcia 6-2 6-3.
The Briton broke the qualifier’s serve five times – helped by four double faults from her opponent – and landed 69% of her first serves.
World number 129 Kartal will face Chinese 31st seed Wang Xinyu next as she bids to work her way back up the world rankings.
Fellow Briton Cameron Norrie lost 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 to US Open champion and world number two Alexander Zverev, while Harriet Dart is in action later on Thursday.
Elsewhere, British number one Arthur Fery fell 6-4 3-6 6-4 to Portuguese lucky loser Jaime Faria in the Japan Open first round.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz claimed a rusty 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-1 win over Alex Michelsen as he made his return to the ATP Tour.
Spanish world number three Alcaraz was sidelined for just over five months with a wrist injury before returning at the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz struggled on serve against Michelsen, committing five double faults to five aces.
However, he saved five of the 13 break points he faced to advance and set up a second-round meeting with Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.
Denmark’s Holger Rune also lost on his first ATP Tour appearance for almost a year.
Former world number four Rune tore his Achilles tendon in October 2025 and has since dropped out of the top 100.
He was beaten 6-3 6-1 by France’s Kyrian Jacquet in Tokyo.
England striker Ivan Toney has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a man at a central London nightclub.
The 30-year-old footballer, from Northampton, is accused of headbutting and punching Saber Da Silva at a nightclub in Wardour Street, Soho, on 6 December.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Toney confirmed his name and age, and pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
District Judge Briony Clarke said the case could be tried in the magistrates court, but Toney elected for a Crown Court trial in front of a judge and jury.
He was freed on unconditional bail until a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 29 October.
Toney won 10 caps for England and was part of the squad that reached the Euro 2024 final.
He started his football career with Northampton Town and played for teams including Wigan Athletic and Peterborough United before signing for Brentford in 2020.
He currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
In 2008, Drogheda went into examinership, Ireland’s equivalent of administration, and were deducted 10 points in the league.
Trabzonspor fans heard of their plight and sent letters to the club with cash inside.
Two years later, their relationship was made official when they became sister clubs and there were plans for a ceremonial friendly in Dublin in 2013.
“They travelled over here to play and there was a freak deluge of rain that fell within an hour of kick-off,” explains Wogan.
“We had our staff in the turnstiles waiting to scan tickets in, but the game was deemed unplayable and Trabzonspor went home without playing the fixture.”
So Thursday’s match has been a long time coming.
When Drogheda announced the friendly on social media on 2 September, Trabzonspor fans reacted in their droves. The post on X has been seen well over half a million times.
About 30% of Drogheda’s social media following is from Turkey. More than their share of followers from Ireland.
And it is not just online where the crossover of fans is being seen.
Trabzonspor shirts and flags are commonly spotted at Drogheda matches and Turkish fans sometimes visit the club during the week just to see the stadium.
One Trabzonspor fan, Cafer Bektas, lives a couple of miles outside Drogheda and attends every game.
When he first moved to the area, wearing a Trabzonspor jersey caught the attention of locals and got him discounts in shops.
A Michael Jordan jersey from his ‘Last Dance’ season has sold for $12.3m (£9.3m), a record for a piece of Jordan memorabilia.
The jersey was worn in game three of the 1998 NBA Finals in his last season with the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan helped the Bulls win the series 4-2 for his sixth and final NBA Championship. He was named Finals’ Most Valuable Player in all six.
The previous record for a piece of Jordan memorabilia was $10.1m (£7.6m) for his jersey from game one of the 1998 Finals.
The jersey was put up for sale by entrepreneur Ryan Gough and sold at Joopiter, Pharrell Williams’ digital auction house, which gave it an estimated price of $10-15m (£7.5-£11.3m).
Jordan’s 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello was sold for $2.7m (£2m), four times the auction record for that model.
“Few objects in the history of sport embody greatness as completely as Michael Jordan’s game three jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals,” Joopiter said in the auction posting.
“Worn during the Last Dance… it marks the culmination of an era that transformed basketball into a global cultural phenomenon.
“Today it stands among the most important game-worn sports artifacts ever to come to market.”
The record price for a piece of game-worn sports memorabilia is the jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth when he “called the shot” during the 1932 World Series, which was sold for $24.1m (£18.2m) in 2024.
