The Rays left Yankee Stadium with everything they wanted and more, completing a sweep of the Yankees with a 4-3 win in Game 3. It was the kind of postseason gut punch that can linger, especially with fan interference playing a role in a crucial sixth-inning sequence. Now Aaron Boone is left to absorb even more pressure after another October setback.
Across the National League, the Dodgers punched their ticket to the NLCS by knocking off the Braves, 4-1. Los Angeles also survived the Padres, 3-1, in Game 4, setting up a series with the Brewers. For Atlanta, the loss opens the door to major offseason questions.
The only division series still alive in the American League belongs to the Guardians, who avoided elimination against the White Sox. That kept a busy night in baseball from turning into a clean sweep across the board.
The WNBA playoffs delivered their own drama, and then some. The Dream escaped with a 101-98 overtime win over the Liberty in a semifinal thriller, with Jordin Canada and Angel Reese combining for 46 points.
The finish also came with clock controversy in the closing seconds. In California, the Valkyries held off the Aces, 83-81, behind a clutch block from Kiah Stokes.
That means the last two WNBA champions are now one loss from elimination on Friday night, trying to do something no team has ever done before: come back from 2-0 down in a best-of-5 series.
Baltimore made a big move on the offensive line, acquiring C Cam Jurgens from the Eagles in exchange for a pair of draft picks. The Ravens had a clear opening at center after losing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, and Jurgens, a two-time Pro Bowler, fills it immediately.
The trade fits a team pushing all-in for a Super Bowl run. It also leaves a bigger question hanging over Philadelphia: are the Eagles about to start a full-scale rebuild?
That answer should come into focus over the coming weeks.
Oregon will be without quarterback Dante Moore against UCLA. Even though Moore was at practice this week, the Ducks listed him as out on Wednesday’s availability report.
That means Dylan Raiola is set for his first start for Oregon. He’ll line up opposite Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who checked in inside the top 40 of the latest CFB QB Power Rankings.
There was also major news in Eugene on the basketball side. Dana Altman announced he is retiring immediately, less than a month before the 2026-27 season tips off.
He leaves with 792 career wins, just eight short of 800. The timing invites a natural question: why now?
NIL and the transfer portal are part of the answer, and so is Oregon’s roster, which simply isn’t very good.
And with NFL Week 5 getting underway tonight, the weekend slate is already taking shape. One of the headline games is Bears-Packers, where Chicago is trying to keep its strong start rolling and Green Bay is looking for a much-needed jolt.
Caleb Williams will not play for the Bears, but Chicago has barely missed a beat. The offense has leaned hard on the run game, and Green Bay has struggled to stop it.
Tyler Sullivan likes Chicago to win and cover, pointing to the Bears’ ground attack and the Packers’ issues against the run. As Sullivan put it: "Chicago has persevered amid Caleb Williams' injury, and both Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent (who'll start on Sunday) have performed at a high level in his stead.
The Bears have leaned on their running game with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, and the team leads the NFL with 196.3 rushing yards per game. That strength could once again be an X-factor as Green Bay is tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns (7) allowed this season."
Elsewhere in the NFL, the 0-4 Texans are staring at a must-win game against the 0-4 Titans, and DeMeco Ryans is taking over play-calling duties in an effort to get Houston’s defense moving again.
The NBA season is almost here too, and John Gonzalez raised eight questions about what’s coming next. Among them: whether the Warriors have enough left. The age and health concerns around that group are hard to ignore, with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford all part of the conversation.
The 76ers are also expected to remain a talking point, and not just for basketball reasons. Knicks announcer Mike Breen recently apologized for an anecdote about James calling out Joel Embiid at practice, which James refuted.
A few other items are worth keeping on the radar: the Cowboys keep getting exposed on special teams, there’s a hypothetical Marvin Harrison Jr. trade to think about in Arizona, Georgia-Alabama may be dealing with ugly weather, Denzel Boston is playing like a first-round pick, Jon Rahm took a hit in LIV Golf 2.0, BYU will be without LJ Martin against Notre Dame, the Flyers have tumbled in the NHL Power Rankings, Arizona and Kansas look like the Big 12 teams to beat in college basketball, Napheesa Collier could have five possible landing spots if she leaves the Lynx, and the USMNT has a promising wave of young talent coming through.
Thursday’s watch list is busy: Sam Houston at Liberty, Missouri State at WKU, Wizards at Knicks in NBA preseason action, South Florida at UTSA, South Alabama at Arkansas State, Guardians at White Sox, and Buccaneers at Cowboys.
In Other News...
Dodgers Draw Fresh National Criticism Over What Fueled Their Postseason Run
The Dodgers keep finding themselves at the center of national debate whenever October rolls around, and this latest round came after MLB Network analyst Rob Parker labeled them the "Luckiest of All Time" for the way their postseason run has unfolded. His case centered on the idea that the biggest names did not always deliver in the most obvious clutch spots, even as Los Angeles kept advancing and turning key moments into wins.
Still, the broader picture is harder to reduce to luck alone. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts have both helped shape the teams playoff identity, and the Dodgers have also leaned on contributions from players outside the star spotlight to keep their run going. The pushback to Parker's take is equally straightforward: whatever label fits the debate, Los Angeles has continued to pair deep rosters with repeated championships, which is usually a difficult thing to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Set NLCS Pitching Plan With One Big Bet Up Front
The Dodgers have set their National League Championship Series pitching plan against the Brewers, and it begins with an aggressive opening move. Tarik Skubal gets the Game 1 assignment, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto lined up for Game 2 as Los Angeles maps out the series around rest and recovery.
Dave Roberts said the rotation is built with the calendar in mind, and Yamamotos usage stands out as the biggest variable in the plan. The Dodgers are leaving open the possibility of having him available again later in the series, including a potential start in Game 6, which gives Los Angeles some flexibility if the matchup stretches deep into the week. [Read more 🡒]
Edwin Dazs Dodgers Turnaround Has An Unexpected Reason Behind It
Edwin Dazs sharp postseason run for the Dodgers has drawn plenty of attention, but the turnaround apparently traces back to an unlikely source. Veteran utility man Kik Hernndez said minor league catcher Chadwick Tromp spotted a mechanical issue in Dazs delivery, and once it was addressed, the right-handers command and velocity both began to tick in the right direction. For a pitcher returning from injury and working his way through a rehab assignment, those kinds of fixes can mean the difference between merely getting back on the mound and looking like himself again.
Dave Roberts has pointed to Dazs recent success as the justification for bringing him in, and that logic is starting to look better by the day. The Dodgers needed a late-inning arm who could handle postseason pressure, and Daz has given them exactly that after a reset that came from a quiet conversation in the organization. It is the sort of detail teams love when it works, a small mechanical tweak leading to a much bigger October payoff. [Read more 🡒]