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Brisbane end Penrith’s five-peat dream with stunning comeback win to book place in NRL grand final

  • Broncos defeat Panthers 16-13 at Suncorp Stadium

  • Comeback victory sets up grand final showdown with Melbourne Storm

Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds has stepped up in the biggest moment of his career to end Penrith’s five-peat dream with a stunning 16-14 comeback victory.

The Broncos’ win in the NRL preliminary final has set up a grand final showdown with fierce rivals Melbourne.

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Marc Márquez beats brother Álex to emotional MotoGP world championship

  • Francesco Bagnaia wins Japanese Grand Prix

  • Márquez takes unassailable lead with five races to go

Ducati’s Marc Márquez clinched his seventh MotoGP world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday and his first since 2019 after he took an unassailable lead with five rounds to spare.

Márquez needed to outscore his brother, Álex, of Gresini Racing by three or more points by the end of the weekend, and finished second behind his teammate Francesco Bagnaia in Sunday’s race to clinch the title.

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Guardians clinch postseason spot with walk-off hit by pitch, complete historic turnaround

CLEVELAND — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said in the midst of Cleveland’s 10-game losing streak in early July that there was light at the end of the tunnel and things would turn around.

Vogt ended up selling his team a little short, as the Guardians made one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history.

Cleveland clinched a postseason spot in fittingly improbable fashion. C.J. Kayfus was hit in the arm by a fastball from Texas Rangers reliever Robert Garcia with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning Saturday night, scoring Petey Halpin with the winning run to give the Guardians a 3-2 victory that put them in the playoffs.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time since at least 1920 that a team won on a walk-off hit by pitch to clinch a postseason spot.

“When they walked (Gabriel) Arias (to load the bases), I knew I had a job to do. I knew I was going to get that job done one way or another, but I definitely didn’t think it was going to be like that,” said Kayfus, called up from the minors in early August.

The Guardians (86-74) became the fourth major league team and first in the American League to reach the postseason after having a 10-game losing streak, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1951 New York Giants.

“It’s exactly us. Of course we’re going to get in on a walk-off hit by pitch” a champagne-soaked Vogt said in the clubhouse as his team was celebrating. “Just to stop and think about where we came from to get here, there’s no words. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. They’ve earned every bit of this.”

According to FanGraphs, the Guardians had a 2.9% chance to make the postseason and a 0.2% chance to win the AL Central on Sept. 1.

Cleveland remains tied with Detroit for the division lead after the Tigers also wrapped up a postseason spot Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

If Cleveland and Detroit end up tied after Sunday’s games, the Guardians would win the AL Central due to an 8-5 advantage in the season series. They would host a Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.

Even though Steven Kwan and José Ramírez have been the Guardians’ offensive stalwarts all year, others have picked up the slack in September.

Johnathan Rodríguez, called up Wednesday after David Fry was hit in the face by a pitch Tuesday night, batted cleanup and hit a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Guardians up 2-1. It was the first at-bat for Rodríguez, who had a .167 batting average in 29 big league games, since he was called up for his third stint this season.

“They showed me the lineup last night and I showed it to my wife. She said just to play like you did at Triple-A,” Rodríguez said.

On Wednesday, the Guardians became the first major league team to overcome a deficit of 15 1/2 games and take the lead in either division or league play with a 5-1 win over the Tigers. Cleveland was 40-48 and also 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot on July 6 after a 7-2 loss in 10 innings to the Tigers extended the losing streak to 10.

Since July 7, the Guardians are an AL-best 47-26.

The 1914 Boston Braves were 15 games back in the National League on July 4 and rallied to win by 10 1/2 games, according to Elias. Since baseball went to division play in 1969, the biggest deficit overcome was 14 games by the 1978 New York Yankees to win the AL East.

On Sept. 4, the Guardians were 69-70 and 11 games behind the Tigers before going 15-1, including a 10-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep in Detroit. It is the largest September lead overcome to tie or take the lead in the division or league, according to Elias. The previous mark was 8 1/2 games by the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals and 1964 Cincinnati Reds.

Cleveland found its way back to the postseason despite reliever Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz being placed on non-disciplinary leave in July as part of investigations into their possible involvement in gambling during games. Ortiz was placed on leave July 3 and Clase on July 28.

“I give our players and coaches and staff and (Vogt) a ton of credit because it was a really hard mountain to climb to make this a reality,” Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “There were obviously times during the season where this looked really far away, and our group was never daunted by that. They showed up each day with the same energy, the same focus, the same intensity, to try to figure out a way to win a game that night, and that mindset’s really carried us forward to today.”

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Observations From Blues' 4-2 Preseason Loss Vs. Blackhawks

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues remain winless in the preseason after falling in their home opener, 4-2 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

The Blues (0-2-1) were cruising along, leading 2-0 after two periods before the Blackhawks (1-1-0), playing mostly a younger lineup with few NHL-experienced players, rallied to score four times in the third period, including three on backup goalie Will Cranley.

The Blues agreed to terms with defenseman Cam Fowler, who played 25:25 on Saturday and had an assist, to a three-year contract extension that will keep him in St. Louis through the 2028-29 season, but a number of veterans played their first game on Saturday.

Dalibor Dvorsky and Brayden Schenn scored the goals for St. Louis, whose new home uniforms are kick-a**.

Here are some observations of players’ performances (at least through two periods):

* Dalibor Dvorsky – I thought the 2023 first-round pick (No. 10 overall) may have been the best all-around Blues player of the night.

Not only did Dvorsky score a wicked, nasty goal using Blackhawks defenseman Louis Crevier as a screen and catching perhaps a surprised Spencer Knight off guard, but Dvorsky was also responsible defensively and off the puck. It’s something that he knows he has to work on to become a more complete player.

“Every single player is great on this level,” Dvorsky said. “I’ve just got to be ready all the time. I just have to learn to play the system pretty good. I’m just trying to do my best every single game.”

Associate coach Steve Ott liked what he saw.

“Talking about those first two periods, I thought his game was a lot stronger,” Ott said. “He’s continuing to grow through camp. He’s an exciting player. He had a lot of good puck possession, some strong plays and his growth continues to excel as this camp’s gone on.”

As far as his goal?

“First, ‘Peki’ (Juraj Pekarcik) gave me a great pass,” Dvorsky said, “which it was a hard pass. Happy it went through and then I had a one-on-one there with the ‘D’ and I just tried to shoot it between his legs, so the goalie can’t see the puck and I’m happy it went in.”

* Jordan Binnington – Let’s just cut to the chase how: No. 50 is ready for the season to begin.

He stopped all 16 shots he faced through two periods, some of them in tight.

It’s the second straight solid start for Binnington, who has allowed just one goal on 31 shots in four periods spanning two games of action.

We don’t need to get into any sort of lengthy soliloquy here; he’s ready.

* Juraj Pekarcik – It was the 2023 third-round pick’s first preseason game after missing a week of camp with a shoulder ailment.

Pekarcik played on a line with Dvorsky and 2025 first-round pick Justin Carbonneau and finished with 13:10 of ice time with three hits and two giveaways, one in which he will be shown the video of a dangerous no-look backhand flip that was turned over in the defensive zone.

He did have a nifty move to the net using a toe-drag and turnaround pass into the slot that was just off the mark and needed a stick on it. Not a bad performance for a skater likely bound for Springfield of the American Hockey League.

* Logan Mailloux – I didn’t have Mailloux on my bingo card for a fight, but the 22-year-old dropped the gloves with Colton Dach after delivering a clean check to Sam Lafferty in the defensive zone.

Another player that we know can perform offensively, Mailloux continues to hone in on his defensive game and had some nice breakups killing plays. He used his size and stick to his advantage once again, playing 18:59 with five shot attempts and three hits.

* Will Cranley – It was not a good night for Binnington’s backup on Saturday.

He came into the third period holding a 2-0 lead, a lead that lasted halfway through the final stanza before the brakes came off.

Cranley allowed three goals on nine shots, including the first and second goals 27 seconds apart, the second which tied the game 2-2 that Cranley misplayed a puck behind the net.

It’s safe to say he will be among the cuts on Sunday.

* Justin Carbonneau – The 2025 first-round pick wasn’t as noticeable as he was in the first three preseason games when he scored a goal and assisted on another.

He played 13:38 in the game and had a shot on goal and two shot attempts but also committed two penalties, one a holding minor 200 feet from his net and jumped onto the ice prematurely that resulted in a too many men on the ice.

Carbonneau was saying goodbye to what will one day be his future Blues teammates one day and will head to the QMJHL on Sunday. This was a great experience for the 18-year-old but it’s evident another year in junior may be best for his long-term growth.

* Adam Jiricek – I didn't think the 2024 first-round pick had as strong of a game as he did against the Columbus Blue Jackets last week.

Jiricek, who played 17:13, had just one shot attempt in the game after he was focused on funneling and shooting pucks from the blue line in his preseason debut, had a few turnovers in the D-zone that could have resulted in dangerous situations.

It just didn't seem like a clean game for him.

* Hear what Blues players and Ott had to say postgame, including Fowler on his three-year contract extension:

(UPDATED): St. Louis Blues, Cam Fowler Agree To Terms On Three-Year Extension(UPDATED): St. Louis Blues, Cam Fowler Agree To Terms On Three-Year Extension ST. LOUIS – Cam Fowler is staying put. Toropchenko, Blues Feel There's More Offense To Big Russian's gameToropchenko, Blues Feel There's More Offense To Big Russian's gameMARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Alexey Toropchenko returned to St. Louis this summer feeling like a new man.