MLB Playoffs Ignite October: Dodgers Sweep into NLDS as Wild Cards Head to Deciders

On Thursday, it was a pulse of the postseason as the Wild Card Series gave the world of baseball its drama and power. The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds and earned their place in the National League Division Series versus the Philadelphia Phillies. In the meantime, nail-biters kept the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres alive and played decisive Game 3s in their respective series.

Dodgers sweep Reds, Reds-Phillies reunion.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto put his mark on the playoff history by striking out nine of the batters in seven innings in a 5-2 victory that completed the Dodgers. The Japanese star, whom they had obtained in a blockbuster deal, gave up but one run on three hits, and his ERA dropped to a clean 1.29 in two games. His curveball was too hard to hit, and it paralysed the Reds’ batters in critical positions and left stranded runners on numerous occasions.

Key Moments:

Two-run homer by Shohei Ohtani in the third inning against Hunter Greene earned the Dodgers a 3-0 lead, his 50th of the year to carry into October.
Mookie Betts made a defensive gem in the fifth that deprived Elly De La Cruz of additional bases to extend the shutout to the seventh.
The only rally the Reds made was too late; a one-run home run had been hit by Spencer Steer, but the Dodger bullpen shut the door.

The Dodgers are in the postseason eight years in a row, and this sweep leads to a big-stakes NLDS battle with the Phillies, a recurrence of the epic seven-game thriller of last year. Los Angeles gets the first seed with a home-field advantage, but the depth of Philadelphia in rotation is a stiff challenge. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game, We are made to do this. The poise of Yamamoto is a special one.

Yankees beat Red Sox in Thriller, Force AL Wild Card Decider.

The Bronx Bombers were unwilling to roll over in the American League, and they recovered to win Game 2 by a 4-3 walk-off over the Boston Red Sox. The heroics came courtesy of Jazz Chisholm Jr., who hit a single in the ninth inning, scoring Gleyber Torres, who was standing on second base and sending the crowd of Yankee Stadium into a frenzy. This tie has put the series at 1-1 and a winner-takes-all Game 3 on Friday.

Two early on doubles by Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran saw the Red Sox jump ahead early behind the sharp slider of Tanner Houck, plating two in the first. New York scratched it back, knotting it in the sixth when Aaron Judge deflected a 98-mph fastball thrown by Kenley Jansen into a solo home run–his third postseason home run in as many games.

Standout Performances:

Yanks reliever Devin Williams got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, striking out two in a 12-pitch battle that shifted the tide.
Boston’s David Bednar suffered defeat in the game, having surrendered the winning run on a cutter that turned its back on him on the game-winning swing of Chisholm.
The .450 average of the series by the Judge is testimony to his MVP-type shape, and he has stretched the young arms of Boston.

This renewal of the rivalry has gripped the East Coast, and the Red Sox are relying on the rookie pitcher Brayan Bello to decide. Any victory by the Yankees would have them on their way to a possible ALDS match with the Houston Astros.

Padres Batter off Elimination, Machado Sets Game 3.

In Chicago, Manny Machado did retroform to propel the San Diego Padres to a 5-3 win over the Cubs to even their NL Wild Card Series. The 404-foot moonshot on Justin Steele by the third baseman gave the homer of the fourth, which erased a 2-0 deficit and turned the script upside down on a sellout at Wrigley Field.

Cubs: With Seiya Suzuki leading off with a double and Dansby Swanson with an RBI single, the Cubs seemed to be on the verge of a sweep. The opening created by the removal of Dylan Cease after three innings was a golden opportunity for Machado, and he did not miss it. In the seventh, Jackson Merrill provided insurance by hitting a sacrifice fly, but the Padres’ pen saved a late Cubs attack led by Tanner Scott.

Critical Plays:

Chicago was able to get a first-mover advantage against Suzuki, but a go-ahead hit was stolen by Fernando Tatis Jr. in a diving catch in right field, robbing Ian Happ of the lead.
The command of Steele broke down after the homer, as he walked the bases loaded in the fifth, and escaped unharmed.
The blast by Machado was the 15th career playoff RBI in the franchise history of San Diego.

Game 3 moves to Petco Park, where the Padres have the advantage. Chicago Shota Imanaga challenges San Diego Michael King in a contest of accuracy. We grow well in these places, said Machado. “Tomorrow’s ours to take.”

NFL Thursday Night Showdown: 49ers-Rams NFC West Battle Heats Up.

With the lights of baseball fireworks illuminating the night, the NFL Week 5 began with an NFC West marquee between the undefeated 49ers of San Francisco and the resurgent Los Angeles Rams in SoFi Stadium. The two sides were both 3-1, and we were competing to prove which of the two divisions was supreme in a match that was to be fought in the trenches and had some big plays.

The efficiency of Brock Purdy, with a 110.2 passer rating, contrasts with the veteran experience of Matthew Stafford, who just barely followed up a 300-yard, three-touchdown performance last week. The ground game of the 49ers, which is led by elusive cuts by Christian McCaffrey, has a Rams defence that only allows 3.8 yards per carry. On the negative side, on either side, Los Angeles Puka Nacua has burned secondaries with 500 receiving yards over four games.

Matchup Keys:

The pass rush by the San Francisco team, led by Nick Bosa, who has 4.5 sacks, aims at disrupting the rhythm of Stafford with a quick release.
The Rams running back Kyren Williams has an average of 5.2 yards per tote, and this is a test to run the defence of the 49ers, which is ranked 12th in the league.
Weather-indifferent on the play of the dome, we should have a shootout; the over/under is 48.5 points.

Prime Video at 8:15 p.m. ET will have playoff implications at the beginning of the season, with the victor getting a tiebreaker advantage.

College Football Week 6 Preview: Upsets Ring True, Conferences Contract.

The fall and its coldness made the college grounds clear, and the mess from the last weekend is still there. The five most shocking upsets of the year, Penn State, LSU, and Georgia all lost–were the most tumultuous of Saturdays since 2016, and changed the playoff talk. With the arrival of Week 6, the conference chases are increasingly intense in the midst of quarterback carousel spins.

The single FBS game on Thursday is Sam Houston versus New Mexico State (9 p.m. ET, CBSSN), another grudge game between Conference USA teams as the Aggies look to become bowl eligible. Sam Houston had a porous secondary and could be exploited by Diego Pavia in his two-threat adventures.

Lingering Upset Aftermath:

Two weeks later, the 24-21 defeat of Penn State to Ohio State slips the team of James Franklin to 4-1, and the Heisman talk surrounds the 2020 QB Drew Allar.
The 34-27 loss by the LSU team to the Ole Miss team reveals the inconsistency of Garrett Nussmeier as the Tigers dropped to 3-2.
Georgia just puts Georgia through a 20-17 squeaker over Alabama, which seals the redemption arc of Kirby Smart, but also reveals a weakness on the defensive side.

Marquee game of Friday: West Virginia at Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) is a Big 12 smackdown in which the mobility of Garrett Greene will test the rebuilt Bearcat line. The power rankings highlight the Georgia rebirth of Carson Beck and the Texas swagger of Arch Manning, as well as the Arizona underdog Shedeur Sanders limboing on the third-string at Colorado, creating transfer chatter.

Weekend Primers:

No. 1 Oregon vs. Ohio State: a top-five game, which puts Bo Nix against the skill of an edge rusher, Jack Sawyer.
Alabama goes to Tennessee, where the deep ball of Jalen Milroe hits a Volunteers secondary that is giving up 200 yards per game.
Notre Dame-UCLA tops primetime, as the arm of Riley Leonard lifts the Irish in the hostile surroundings of the Rose Bowl.

Essays outside of the Big Three: WNBA Reflections and Global Glimpses.

WNBA reverberations are not over yet as commissioner Cathy Engelbert now comes under the scrutiny of Caitlin Clark’s influence versus league appearance. The Fever’s departure of Clark gave more momentum to the growth arguments, with stars like Napheesa Collier promoting more radical marketing.

On the global stage, PSG made the UEFA Champions League exciting with a late 2-1 win against Barcelona and a 2-2 draw against Manchester City, with Haaland scoring two goals but failing to get three points.

You can see that the sports tapestry of Thursday creates a sense of urgency and beauty to help the fans who are on the verge of madness on the weekend. Playoff bids are suspended, books are balanced, inheritances beckon–the script of October is still in progress.