Nola threw harder than usual, which is normal for pitchers amped up for a big start, but he could not find the strike zone. His four-seam fastball averaged nearly two miles per hour above his season average but only 32% of his pitches were in the zone. He threw his sinker 37% of the time, about double his season rate. His knuckle curve, which held hitters to a .177 average this season, was barely a quarter of his pitches.
He was chased after a single by Dominic Smith, who was in the lineup because of his past success against Nola. Left-hander Tim Mayza replaced him with Zack Wheeler in the bullpen.
Nola, 33, is the longest-tenured player on the Phillies. He went 7-12 with a 4.67 ERA this season, though he had a 2.45 ERA over 11 starts from late July to late September. He has four years and about $98 million left on the seven-year, $172 million deal he signed in November 2023.
After the U.S. Olympic hero answered some hockey questions, Mleczko said she was glad Hughes was healthy.
"Let's wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year, that sound good?" she asked.
"I think that's a weird joke. Big game, but ...," Hughes said as he skated away.
Mleczko, a two-time Olympian, said on camera: "No sense of humor here in a big game, but I appreciate his time and he had a good start here this season."
Hughes would go on to score the overtime goal to beat the Flyers 3-2. He tossed his stick into the stands and it was caught by a fan wearing a Jack Hughes Team USA jersey.
The Devils' response to Hughes' goal on social media? "Can't keep him wrapped up."
Hughes had started the 2025-26 season coming off shoulder surgery in the previous season and got off to a strong start. But he needed surgery after cutting his finger at a team dinner in Chicago.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) follows through on a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
Gerrit Cole hasn’t pitched yet in this postseason, but that is certain to change against the Rays in the ALDS.
Access the Yankees beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
For Cole, who missed all of last season — including the playoffs — following Tommy John surgery, it will be worth the wait.
“This time around, I have a different perspective,’’ Cole said in the celebratory clubhouse late Wednesday night. “Having missed it last year to now being right in the thick of it. To overcome the obstacles from the surgery and maintain my performance and be in this position after a lot of hard work, it means a little more this year.”
Cole said of this postseason, “It’s 2.0. A second bite of the apple.”
For Cole, who arrived in The Bronx with much fanfare in December 2020, the goal has always been to get the Yankees — his childhood team — another World Series title.
They took a shot at it in 2024 before falling short to the Dodgers in five games, but now, after tearing his UCL the following spring training, the 36-year-old feels they have a good chance to keep this postseason run going.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) follows through on a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, Wednesday, September 23, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A big part of that is their rotation, which will be tested more in the best-of-five ALDS against Tampa Bay than in the two-game sweep at home over a Red Sox team that was gasping to the finish line.
At various points during the season, nearly all of the Yankee starters dealt with at least some injury concern, whether it was Cole returning from Tommy John in May, Carlos Rodón also missing the beginning of the season following his offseason elbow surgery or Max Fried battling a bone bruise in his left elbow.
But as the Yankees now head into the heart of the playoffs in the first week of October, their rotation is lined up as well as they could have planned.
“The mix of all of us looks good,” Cole said. “We have four or five unique arms, with completely different stuff and it’s elite.”
The Yankees didn’t announce their rotation order for the ALDS on Wednesday, but Cole and Rodón are in line to pitch Game 1, with Cam Schlittler potentially in Game 2 so he would be available for a Game 5 start.
“However they draw it up, I think we’re in a good spot,’’ Cole said. “Carlos and I will just take the ball and we all have our own unique ways of doing it.”
He believes the same is true of the rest of the team, which showed off some flexibility in the wild-card series, with multiple players playing first base, second, third, center field and right.
For the two games against Boston, they hardly even seemed to miss Aaron Judge, who remains out with a strained calf.
The 2023 Yankees were unable to overcome his absence and missed the playoffs when Judge suffered a torn ligament in his toe.
“It’s taken all of us,’’ Cole said. “We found a way to thrive with a hand behind our back … [and] we have a lot of different ways to beat you.”
Cole hopes he’s one of them in the next round, having last pitched a postseason game in the ugly Game 5 loss to the Dodgers two years ago.
Michael Harris II smacked a three-run home run in the bottom of the first on Thursday, Oct. 1 at Truist Park.
With a 2-0 count, the center fielder took a low pitch from Phillies starter Aaron Nola and swung at his ankles. He sent the ball sailing over Bryce Harper and into the stands in right field.
The home run also scored Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson, who were both walked, and put the Braves up 3-0.
"Ball was a little low, but I was just trying to hit it out," the 2022 Rookie of the Year said on the NBC broadcast before the bottom of the second inning. "I did it."
The series is tied 1-1. The winner will go on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That doesn’t bode well for Dalton Knecht, who could find himself on the outside looking in.
Knecht, the third-year wing the Lakers selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, made a big splash as a rookie.
The Lakers’ roster crunch doesn’t bode well for Dalton Knecht. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He was in the rotation from the start of the 2024-25 season, stepping into the starting lineup in mid-November amid injuries — which produced the best stretch of his brief NBA career: Knecht averaged 18.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in the final nine games of November 2024 (nine starts).
Even when he hit a shooting slump in January and December, Knecht was still getting consistent playing time as a part of the rotation.
It looked like Knecht was going to come out of the slump after scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the Lakers’ win over the Clippers on Feb. 4, 2025.
That was still true during Knecht’s second season with the Lakers in 2025-26: He played 553 total minutes during the regular season across 54 games after recording 1,494 minutes in 78 regular-season games as a rookie.
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick commended Dalton Knecht for his approach to training camp. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But with a significant roster reconstruction around star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, there’s plenty of playing time to go around.
“It’s a whole new opportunity for all of us,” Knecht said on media day this week. “Like [coach] JJ [Redick] said, there’s a lot of minutes open.”
But it’s unlikely Knecht will soak up those minutes.
The Lakers still have time before they need to make decisions on trimming their roster. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Until Thursday, Knecht wasn’t mentioned — directly or indirectly — by Redick or president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka during any of their media availabilities.
Other wing players such as free agent additions Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, second-year forward Adou Thiero or rookie wing Cameron Carr had gotten significantly more attention as discussion points.
JJ Redick on Dalton Knecht, who's entering his 3rd season with the Lakers, and his approach to training camp: "First of all, he's been a pro. He's been in the gym. Like he has since Day 1, he has worked his butt off all offseason. And he's had a good three days of practice. So I… pic.twitter.com/heNsCTg6px
Not a good sign for Knecht, whom multiple rival executives expect to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15.
“First of all, he’s been a pro,” Redick said of Knecht on Thursday. “He’s been in the gym. Like he has since Day 1, he has worked his butt off all offseason. And he’s had a good three days of practice. So I don’t think his approach changes. I know he’s hungry to play and hungry to earn a spot in the rotation.”
The Lakers still have time to sort out the roster crunch.
As Pelinka pointed out, they don’t have to make a decision until the regular season starts. Remaining practices will determine who’ll stay with the team. And it will give the team time to survey the NBA landscape for consolidation trades.
Even with the minimal things the Lakers have said about Knecht, it’s been what they haven’t said that’s stood out the most.
Jacob Misiorowski held hitters to a .157 batting average this season, the lowest by any pitcher with at least 100 innings since 1990. The San Diego Padres get their first crack at him at 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Milwaukee. It's the last game of the four on the Division Series' opening day, MLB announced Thursday.
On Wednesday morning, news broke that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who remains a restricted free agent without a contract, had returned to his native Sweden and is training with Frölunda of the SHL.
Perhaps the most startling element of this saga is not only that Edvinsson is now on the other side of the world with the start of the regular season on deck, but that the club wasn't able to hammer out a new contract with him despite his reporting to Training Camp.
Edvinsson skated with his teammates during camp, taking part in non-scrimmage drills, but he did not appear in any of the team's four preseason contests.
The Swedish defenseman, whom the Red Wings selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, gave every indication that he wants to be part of the club, making his feelings clear by reporting to camp without a contract.
But for reasons that remain officially unknown, what appeared to be a layup for Red Wings interim general manager Shawn Horcoff has now turned into an extremely precarious situation for a club already facing more questions than answers.
There have been unconfirmed reports that the Red Wings would like to sign Edvinsson to a bridge-style contract, which could prove to be a considerable miscalculation given that the salary cap is expected to rise in the near future, potentially making Edvinsson's next contract even more expensive.
For a club that needs to rebuild some goodwill after a turbulent offseason, this was an unfortunate missed opportunity to build positive momentum.
Dylan Larkin wouldn't confirm whether he still wants to be traded, and he won't play in either of Detroit's first two games of the season.
Meanwhile, the club still doesn't have a permanent general manager, having spent two months before naming Horcoff, its former AGM, as interim GM, following Steve Yzerman's departure from the role on July 15.
Additionally, there has been no update on a contract extension for goal-scoring forward Alex DeBrincat, who can become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season.
All of that is on top of the NHL's longest current postseason drought, 10 years and counting.
Short of boarding a defunct Concorde jet, Edvinsson won't be in Detroit on Friday evening when the Red Wings open the season against the visiting New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena.
For now, that means the Red Wings will have to make do without their second-best defenseman, who made it clear he wanted to be with the team by reporting to Training Camp despite being unsigned in a show of good faith.
Unfortunately, this only adds to the mounting uncertainty surrounding the Red Wings as they begin their 101st NHL season, with the expectation of legitimate Stanley Cup contention now feeling like a distant memory and the organization facing increasingly pressing questions about where it goes from here.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Derrin Horton has been hired as the Los Angeles Lakers' next public address announcer on Thursday, Oct. 1.
Horton will take over the role at the Lakers’ home games at Crypto.com Arena. He will be a familiar face to some, having worked as a sports broadcaster for more than 35 years.
Horton has served as an anchor, reporter, host and play-by-play announcer covering a variety of sports during his career.
He will announce his first Lakers’ game – a preseason contest against the Sacramento Kings – on Thursday, Oct. 8.
“There’s no way you can fill his shoes,” Horton told the media. “And so you just come here with a passion and a goal to be informative and entertaining and be a part of Showtime.”
Tanter spent more than 43 seasons with the Lakers. He suffered a stroke on March 17 and missed the last six regular-season home games and the postseason. He announced his retirement in June and was expected to transition to a game-day advisory role.
Fans came out in droves to see “The Rivalry” play out in the postseason.
Tuesday’s Yankees-Red Sox wild-card matchup averaged 7.3 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, the most-watched Game 1 among wild-card and division series games in 20 years, the network reported Thursday.
Access the Yankees beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
The 9-0 Yankees win was the most-viewed game of its category since Game 1 of the Tigers-Yankees ALDS series in 2006.
Tuesday’s game peaked at 8.5 million viewers from 9-9:15 p.m. ET, and posted an overall 12 percent increase from last year’s Yankees-Red Sox wild-card series Game 1.
New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) greets designated hitter Ben Rice (22) after the final out of the ninth inning of Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 29, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Both games saw the Yankees’ offense explode for late-inning rallies, with the Bombers scoring five runs in the eighth of Game 1 and six runs in the sixth of Game 2.
“I thought we did a lot of good things offensively,” Boone said following Game 2, “whether it was obviously a couple big long balls, Spencer legs out a strikeout to start the big inning, the stolen base comes into play, we put some balls in play, a couple of really well-computed bunt situations.”
New York Yankees first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. reacts as he rounds the base on his solo home run in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30, 2026. Robert Sabo for New York Post
In the National League, Tuesday’s Phillies-Braves matchup was the most-watched afternoon wild-card Game 1 of all time, averaging 3.9 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.
The 5-3 Braves win, which peaked at 5 million viewers from 4:30-4:45 p.m. ET, was a 15 percent increase from the Padres-Cubs Game 1 wild-card matchup in 2025.
The historic numbers come during NBC’s return to MLB playoff broadcasting for the first time in 25 years.
These increases also appear to be reflective league-wide this season, with Front Office Sports reporting in May that national MLB broadcasts were up 44 percent compared to last year.
In-game attendance also grew for the fourth straight season, with 71.5 million fans going to games in 2026, the most since 2017.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 17: Draymond Green #23 (R) of the Golden State Warriors stands with head coach Steve Kerr during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 17, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Warriors 111-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are a lot of questions facing the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season. Some of them are complex and nuanced, but some of them are as simple as can be. Such as: who starts?
Golden State kicked off training camp on Monday in Hawaii, and that question is one that likely won’t be answered for weeks. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Steve Kerr revealed that three-time All-Star Draymond Green will definitively be in the starting lineup. Add in the obvious starter — Steph Curry — and that leaves three spots up for grabs.
And according to Kerr, all three of those spots are there for the taking. After emphasizing that Green would be a starter, the team’s coach — who re-signed for two years this offseason — was asked if there’s an open competition for the other three positions. “Yeah. For sure. Yeah,” Kerr said while nodding his head. “Nothing has been decided at this point.” Because the prior question had been about Gui Santos, Kerr added, “Gui’s right in there, in the mix for being a starter.”
Steve Kerr made it clear yesterday that Draymond Green will remain in the starting lineup with Steph Curry
Today, I asked if the other three spots are an open competition: “Yeah, for sure. Nothing has been decided.” pic.twitter.com/6uDSwFHkcf
There are lots of good options for Kerr to choose from, including Santos, newcomer Brandon Williams, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, among many others. Choosing a starting lineup, however, is made more difficult due to the serious injuries that will sideline Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody for the first few months of the season, the constant injuries and ailments that Kristaps Porziņģis (who is currently out indefinitely) deals with, and the fact that Al Horford doesn’t play back-to-backs. As such, it seems likely that the Warriors will not have a set starting lineup this season, and will rotate through a few different options.
While it will likely be a while before we know who suits up when the season begins on October 21, Kerr did reveal the starting five for Sunday’s preseason opener: Curry, Green, Lendeborg, Horford, and Brandin Podziemski.
The NHL preseason was shorter this year, and I'm sure there weren't many fans complaining about that.
Everyone had four games to get through, make their cuts and start playing meaningful hockey. Sounds pretty good when you're sitting at home waiting for the regular season to start.
What about the players though?
The Edmonton Oilers lost 6-5 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, and Tristan Jarry brought up the shortened preseason afterward, albeit without making it an excuse.
“It's the first game of the season. It's always always tough,” Jarry said. “It was a short preseason, so I think just learning from every game, whether it's the ups, the downs, and just being better every single game.”
Well, it was definitely short.
The NHL cut the preseason to four games this year as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, extending the regular season going from 82 games to 84. The league's preseason schedule lasted eight days, beginning Sept. 19 and ending Sept. 26, before the regular season started three days later.
That left the Oilers with four games and a handful of practices to prepare for game No. 1.
Veteran players weren't necessarily playing all four of those games either. Under the new CBA, players with at least 100 games in the NHL are restricted to two exhibition games, meaning some players entered the regular season with two preseason games and a few weeks of practice together.
Jarry also spent the entire offseason working on his game with goalie coach Pete Aubry. Babcock talked prior to Tuesday night about Jarry improving his conditioning and stabilizing his game, but even he only got five periods of preseason before the games started counting.
That's not a lot of hockey before somebody asks you to start an NHL season. The same goes for everyone trying to learn Babcock's system. Edmonton has a new head coach, players moving around the lineup and several injuries that forced Babcock to spend camp trying different combinations. Then suddenly it's Sept. 29 and Vancouver is in town.
The old preseason certainly had its problems, though, don't get me wrong. Nobody needed weeks of random hockey, and fans weren't exactly sitting around in June counting down the days until preseason started.
So fans got what most of us wanted. Preseason ended quickly and the regular season started sooner.
Four exhibition games might sound like plenty when nobody cares about the score. That said, it might feel a little different for the guys expected to have everything figured out the second those games start counting.
However, it is up to the team itself to maximize it's preseason, and if the Oilers failed to properly prepare their players for this season, they can hardly blame the CBA.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source.Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 4: Scoot Henderson #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers, Player Development Coach Pooh Jeter of the Portland Trail Blazers, & Assistant Coach Scott Brooks of the Portland Trail Blazers look at film before the game on February 4, 2024 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On Thursday, Marc Spears of Andscape reported that the team had hired Pooh Jeter as the new Director of Pro Scouting, a move made by Amsler.
Pooh Jeter has been hired as the Lakers’ new Director of Pro Scouting, source told @andscape. The LA native previously worked with the Trail Blazers as Player Development Coach and Assistant GM of NBA G League Rip City Remix. Jeter was hired by new Lakers asst GM Eric Amsler. pic.twitter.com/Jkc11MiJtD
Jeter had a lengthy professional career overseas with stops in Ukraine, Spain and China, among other countries. He had a brief stint with the Sacramento Kings and spent some time with the shortly-lived G League Ignite.
After retiring, Jeter joined the Blazers as a player development coach and assistant GM of the team’s G League franchise, Rip City Remix. Shortly after being hired, he spoke with SLAM about his new role and his career in basketball up to that point in an informative interview for fans looking for more insight into him.
While Amsler’s hiring already dispelled the notion, this further pushes back against the idea that the team was in a hiring freeze during the transition from Mark Walter to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. And the quicker the team can build out its scouting department, the better it is for everyone involved.
Obviously, everyone is going to bring with them an inherent knowledge of the league, few more so than Amsler himself, but the quicker the staff can be built out, the quicker the franchise and this year’s Lakers can reap the benefits of having a fully fleshed-out scouting department.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Blink and you’d have missed it: three of four wild card series are already over in two games. The Yankees, Padres, and the White Sox all punched their tickets to the Division Series yesterday. There were good storylines in all three. Too bad, so sad, for the Red Sox and their truly MIA offense (but Adley went 0-for-4 and I am rather bummed). The White Sox ended a 21-year drought in which they hadn’t won a playoff series. And the Padres downed the Cubs, and now get to face the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner in Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski.
So that leaves just one game today: the Braves vs. the Phillies, for all the marbles. In Game 1, the Braves took a stunning come-from-behind win on a Philadelphia bullpen collapse, but Philadelphia staved off elimination in Game 2.
For Philly, it’ll be right hander Aaron Nola on the mound. Nola had a 4.50 ERA in three starts against Atlanta this season. MLB.com suggests we might see ace Zack Wheeler entering the game in relief, despite being on short rest. With everything on the line, certainly could be.
As for the Braves, it’ll be southpaw Ray Kerr appearing as an opener, presumably to handle lefty sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber at the top of the lineup. After that, righty Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44 ERA in the regular season) is expected to handle most of the innings.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 29: The Wild Card base logo is seen before Game One of the Wild Card Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on September 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
And then there was one. Three of the four wild-card games proved to be pretty dull, with the Red Sox, Cubs and Astros rolling over with the lightest of struggles. So that just leaves the Phillies and Braves. Game #1 saw Atlanta come back from behind to take victory, while the roles were reversed in Game #2. So that sets the stage for a “winner takes all” Game #3 tonight in Atlanta. Enjoy it, because it’s the only baseball you are going to get today or tomorrow, before the Division Series get under way on Saturday. That’ll be another four-game slate, and might be the last such of the post-season, if one or other NLDS is a sweep. Because we then go into staggered games, the ALDS getting a day-off on Sunday.
Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves (1-1): 5:00 pm, NBC/Peacock
Starter question: it’s likely to trivial to bother with a poll, but who do you want to win this one?
LOS ANGELES — The full schedule for the Division Series round was announced by Major League Baseball on Thursday, giving us the start times for potentially all five games of the Dodgers’ first postseason round.
When the series shifts to the Eastern time zone, Game 3 on Tuesday will be televised at 3 p.m. PT, with Wednesday’s Game 4 also starting at 3 p.m. PT, if necessary. Both Games 3 and 4 will be televised by FS1.
If there’s a Game 5 in the Dodgers’ NLDS, it will be back at Dodger Stadium on Friday, October 9, with a 5 p.m. PT start time on Fox.
