New Jersey Devils star Jesper Bratt had an excellent 2024-25 season for the Metropolitan Division club. In 81 games on the year, the 27-year-old winger scored 21 goals and set career bests with 67 assists and 88 points. This was also the third year in a row that he set a new career high in points, so he just keeps better.
Now, Bratt has been rewarded for his big season, as he has made another top NHL players list.
Sportsnet ranked Bratt as the No. 47 spot in their top 50 NHL players list heading into the 2025-26 season. With this, Bratt ranked ahead of other notable stars like Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens), Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Thomas Harley (Dallas Stars).
Given the year that Bratt just had for the Devils, it is entirely understandable that he has been ranked among the NHL's best 50 players by Sportsnet. It is well deserved, as Bratt was one of the top wingers in the league this past season and is expected to be the same in 2025-26 for New Jersey. This is especially so when noting that he has been over a point per game player in each of his last two seasons with the Devils.
It’s widely believed that the Red Sox lack the high-end talent to go on a World Series run. Rightly so.
What’s often missing from that discussion, though, is the advantage the Red Sox have in the dugout. Because while there may not be easily accessible, tangible evidence to prove it, the reality is that Alex Cora is a master of his craft — one whose comfort in big moments gives the Red Sox an edge over just about any team in baseball.
Most significantly, Cora outmaneuvered counterpart Aaron Boone with the management of his ace pitcher.
Boone pulled Max Fried after 6.1 scoreless innings and the Red Sox immediately made the Yankees pay, scoring two runs off New York’s shaky bullpen in the seventh to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in the blink of an eye.
Cora, meanwhile, sent Garrett Crochet out for the seventh inning at 94 pitches. Crochet needed just six pitches to end that frame, buzzing through the 3-4-5 spots in New York’s order, so Cora sent him back out for the eighth.
Even after Anthony Volpe — whose solo home run in the second inning accounted for Crochet’s lone run allowed all night — hit a one-out single, Cora did not go to the bullpen, where he stashes the best one-two late-inning combo in Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman.
Crochet rewarded his manager by striking out Austin Wells, who stood by and watched as a 100.2 mph pitch hit the bottom of the strike zone.
From there, Cora went to Chapman — not Whitlock — for the final out of the eighth. In doing so, he kept Boone’s best pinch-hitting option — lefty Ben Rice — on the bench. While Chapman made things hairy by loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth, he ultimately delivered the save by retiring Giancarlo Stanton (strikeout), Jazz Chisholm (flyout) and Trent Grisham (strikeout) to end the game.
Cora’s decision-making was under scrutiny before the game even began, as his starting lineup for Game 1 of the postseason was …. interesting. He utilized his lineup for facing lefties, with Rob Refsnyder in the leadoff spot and Romy Gonzalez as the cleanup hitter, and he had Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton in the starting lineup.
And though lefty killers Refsnyder and Gonzalez didn’t deliver, Eaton (1-for-3 with a double) and Sogard (2-for-4 with a double, go-ahead run scored in seventh) did.
And when given the opportunity to insert Masataka Yoshida as a pinch hitter for Refsnyder, Cora did it immediately. Yoshida came through with the hit of the night.
(Cora also called on Nathaniel Lowe as a pinch hitter for Gonzalez in the seventh, and Lowe delivered a line drive. Aaron Judge, however, was able to make the inning-ending catch.)
Cora’s reach extends beyond the box score, too. Sogard’s double — which followed an 11-pitch walk by Ceddanne Rafaela in the seventh — came thanks to heads-up base running when Sogard recognized that Judge would be fielding the ball in the right-center field gap. Sogard didn’t hesitate, bursting for second and beating Judge’s throw.
Judge missed time this season due to a flexor strain in his throwing arm, and he’s clearly been bothered by it since returning to the field earlier this month. Sogard taking second was no accident.
“That’s preparation,” Cora said of Sogard taking the extra base. “We talk about their outfielders and what we can do and what we cannot do, and he saw it right away and took advantage of it.”
A masterclass? Perhaps an overstatement. Yet just like he did several times in the Red Sox’ run to a championship in 2018, Cora pushed every right button in this victory in New York, one where there was little to no room for error.
For this Red Sox roster to win playoff games, they’re going to have to be a grind like this one. They’re not good enough to win going away from any teams at this time of year. Stacking victories and winning series won’t be easy.
Yet for as long as Cora is helming the ship, they’ll have a chance to win every night. He’s just that good.
Here’s some more of what we learned in this tremendously dramatic victory to begin Boston’s 2025 postseason run.
Max Fried deserved better
On multiple fronts, Yankees ace Max Fried got hosed. The aforementioned decision by Boone to pull him from the game after 102 pitches in the seventh was a case of overmanaging. Nobody was on base, and Fried was cruising. Factor in New York’s shaky bullpen (every time the camera cut to Yankees fans after Fried exited the game, they looked flat-out terrified to see what would happen next), and Fried deserved to be treated like an ace in this moment.
Yet outside of that, Fried got squeezed twice by home plate umpire Junior Valentine, both times coming on what should have been called strike threes against Carlos Narvaez. The first time came in the top of the fourth, when a 3-2 pitch clipped the top corner of the strike zone but was called a ball. It didn’t result in any runs, but it led to Fried throwing 11 extra pitches — high-stress pitches, after an Eaton double — that inning.
The second came in the sixth, when a 2-2 pitch at the top of the zone was called ball three. Narvaez eventually walked on the ninth pitch of his plate appearance. That one hurt less, as Fried induced an inning-ending double play from the next batter, but the added stress contributed to some of the wear on Fried, leading to his early (relatively speaking) exit from the game.
Seeing Fried watch helplessly from the dugout as the bullpen immediately blew the game must have been a nightmare scenario for Yankees fans to endure. Red Sox fans didn’t mind, though.
(Lest there be any confusion, Valentine missed calls on the Red Sox, too. Crochet should have struck out Austin Wells on the sixth pitch of his final at-bat, but overcame the missed call to strike out the catcher two pitches later. And Chapman should have had a 1-2 count on Grisham with two outs in the ninth, but a missed call made it a 2-1 count in Grisham’s favor.)
Garrett Crochet was every bit of the ace you’d want him to be
The numbers are obvious enough: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. But Crochet was even better than the stat line would indicate.
Outside of leaving one pitch over the heart of the plate to Anthony Volpe in the second, resulting in an opposite-field home run to right field, Crochet was in complete command. And when the bullpen sat empty in the top of the eighth when he was at 100 pitches, it was clear that Cora and everyone else in that dugout was not afraid of the lefty surpassing his season-high of 112 pitches.
Crochet retired 17 straight Yankees before Volpe singled with one out in the eighth. Crochet responded, finishing the outing with triple-digit gas — leaving Austin Wells flabbergasted in the box. It was an appropriate exclamation point on an outstanding postseason debut with the Red Sox.
Cora said after the game that Crochet told him on Monday that the manager would only need to make one phone call to the bullpen in Game 1. Crochet was asked what gave him the confidence to make that proclamation.
“Just being arrogant, to be honest,” Crochet said. “I didn’t actually expect that to be the case. But when he sent me back out there, I was determined to leave it that way.”
Alex Bregman’s RBI double in the top of the ninth provided a critical insurance run — imagine how much higher the stress levels would have been in the ninth inning if Chapman was only protecting a one-run lead — for the Red Sox. But it was made possible by a veteran decision and slide from Trevor Story.
The shortstop ripped a two-out single into left field, and after David Bednar threw over to first base twice, Story knew he could get an extra step on his jump and try to swipe a bag. He accomplished that task, stealing second and sliding in just ahead of Jazz Chisholm’s tag.
Trevor Story slides in safely for a stolen base in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Yankees in New York. Photo: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The Yankees challenged, but there was no doubt. Story was safe.
Bregman took a borderline strike two call, fouled off a good splitter on the next pitch, and then squared up the next one to drive that run home.
Bregman and Story, the veterans of this squad, went a combined 4-for-9 with a walk while also handling every ball hit their way. They were steady, and they delivered at a critical moment in the ninth.
The Wilyer Abreu catch was insane
A lot happened in this game, especially at the end. But don’t forget the play that ended the eighth inning.
It was nuts.
When Chapman entered the game in the eighth, he inherited Anthony Volpe on first base. Volpe was literally dancing off first base, knowing that Chapman doesn’t exactly have an elite pickoff move. Chapman did throw over, eventually throwing to first base a third time, which granted Volpe second base on MLB’s three-disengagement rule.
Perhaps Chapman’s head was spinning, or perhaps he did it on purpose so that he wouldn’t have the distraction anymore. Either way, he did his job and induced a lazy fly ball off the bat of Jose Caballeros.
Ceddanne Rafaela, arguably the best center fielder in baseball, drifted to his left and settled under the ball, putting himself in position to make an easy catch by his standards. What Rafaela didn’t know was that Wilyer Abreu was streaking across the field at full speed, heading directly toward him.
Somehow, Abreu not only made the catch but completely avoided making contact with Rafaela, ending the inning and avoiding the disaster that would have followed with the game-tying run crossing the plate. Abreu is the reining Gold Glove winner in right field, so he knows what he’s doing. But that was close.
We’ll find out what the Yankees are made of
The Red Sox showed in Game 1 that they have grit. The world will learn what the Yankees are made of in Game 2.
With only three years of evidence, the loser of Game 1 in the Wild Card Series has always gone to be eliminated. Whether or not that trend continues in this series depends on how New York responds to a gut-punch of a loss in front of their home fans.
Brayan Bello, who went 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this year, will be opposed by Carlos Rodon, who went 1-2 with a 5.74 ERA. Five members of New York’s bullpen were used in Game 1, while only Chapman was used out of Boston’s bullpen.
The odds are in Boston’s favor, and it will take an inspiring recovery from the Yankees — something not typically associated with the Aaron Boone era — for the series to live on until Thursday.
Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid eased to a 5-0 away win against the Champions League debutants Kairat Almaty on Tuesday.
Xabi Alonso’s side bounced back in style from their humbling 5-2 La Liga defeat by Atlético Madrid on Saturday, with Mbappé taking his Champions League tally to five goals in two European games this season.
Lawrence Moten, a basketball star at Syracuse in the early 1990s who still holds the program scoring record, has died. Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, who recruited and coached Moten, called it a tragic day for the Syracuse basketball family. Syracuse made the NCAA Tournament three times with Moten, who had his No. 21 jersey retired in a pregame ceremony March 3, 2018, at the Carrier Dome.
Jose Siri, Richard Lovelady, and Kevin Herget elected free agency after being sent outright to Syracuse.
The trio was DFA’d by the Mets in the closing days of the season to open roster spots.
After going through waivers unclaimed, New York attempted to send them down to Syracuse, but instead, they all opted to hit the open market.
Siri was acquired in exchange for relief prospect Eric Orze in an offseason deal with the Rays.
He was expected to split time with Tyrone Taylor in center, but ended up missing the majority of the season due to a fractured tibia suffered when he fouled a ball off his leg against the Athletics.
The speedster struggled mightily in his return and he was ultimately let go when Taylor made his late-season return from the IL, finishing with just two hits in 32 at-bats as a Met.
Lovelady and Herget were signed to minor league deals, and they were part of the revolving door of bullpen arms.
The lefty Lovelady pitched to a 6.30 ERA across eight outings.
Herget enjoyed a bit more success, posting a 3.00 ERA over just six appearances.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a few forwards fighting for that final spot on the opening night roster when they team plays the Florida Panthers in Sunrise.
One of those forwards for all of camp has appeared to be Lukas Reichel. However, a new report suggests that he may not even make it to next week in the organization.
He made sure to mention that the Blackhawks would like to have this deal done before the season begins. They aren't likely to get a big return for the former first-round pick, but they are looking to move him nonetheless.
Reichel is a supremely talented forward who can create offense because of his natural tools, but he hasn't been able to put it together in the NHL on a consistent basis. While he still has value, the Blackhawks want to move him before he has none.
With the talent that Reichel has, a different situation could work out well for him. If he went to a team with playoff aspirations, you might see him take a step in his development. A change of scenery has worked for players in the past.
What will the Blackhawks do if he is moved out in terms of replacing the void? Well, guys like Landon Slaggert, Colton Dach, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene are all competing for long-term positions on the team as well. There is no shortage of players looking for an opportunity at this time.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Tarik Skubal tied Detroit’s postseason record with 14 strikeouts and the Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Tuesday in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series.
Will Vest got the final four outs for Detroit, surviving a tense ninth inning after Cleveland star Jose Ramírez got hung up between third base and home for the second out.
The Tigers can advance to the AL Division Series for the second straight year with a win Wednesday.
“Anyone new to the Tigers/Guardians, this is what they look like. Like every game,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “Tarik’s been incredible for us all season, but what a performance at the biggest moments in the biggest stage to get us in a great position to win the game.”
Detroit scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when Zach McKinstry’s safety squeeze scored Riley Greene from third.
Ramírez led off the ninth with an infield single and advanced to third when shortstop Javier Báez threw wide of first base. Vest struck out pinch-hitter George Valera, then Kyle Manzardo hit a grounder to Vest. Ramírez broke for home but was cut off by Vest, who chased him down and tagged him out.
“That ball’s two feet either way, he scores,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “It just happened to go right back to Vest. So we play aggressive. We always do. We run the bases aggressive. I wouldn’t play that any other way.”
C.J. Kayfus then hit a flyout to Báez in shallow left to end it.
Skubal, who is favored to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award, set a career high for strikeouts. He was dominant and unfazed as he pitched on the same mound where one week ago, he threw a 99 mph fastball that struck Cleveland designated hitter David Fry in the nose and face during the sixth inning.
The right-hander went 7 2/3 innings and threw 107 pitches, one off his career high, including 73 strikes. He allowed one run on only three hits, with two being infield singles, and walked three. His fastball averaged 99.1 mph, 1.6 mph above his season average.
“I was just kind of worried about executing each pitch and trying to do my best to live pitch by pitch and just do what makes me a good pitcher, and that’s getting ahead and getting guys into leverage,” Skubal said.
Skubal outdueled Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, who was just as effective but hurt by a pair of Guardians errors. Williams allowed two unearned runs in six-plus innings on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.
He is the first pitcher to go six-plus innings and not allow an earned run in a postseason loss since Washington’s Stephen Strasburg in Game 1 of the 2017 NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs.
“Gavin was outstanding. Filled up the strike zone, landing breaking stuff, getting swing and miss. That was a well-pitched game by both sides,” Vogt said.
Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kerry Carpenter scored on Spencer Torkelson’s two-out bloop single to left field. Carpenter got aboard on a base hit to right but advanced to second on a fielding error by Johnathan Rodríguez.
The Guardians finally got to Skubal in the fourth by not having a ball leave the infield.
Angel Martínez hit a slow grounder between Skubal and second baseman Gleyber Torres to lead off the inning. He advanced to second on Ramírez’s walk.
With two outs and runners on first and second, Gabriel Arias hit a high chopper over Skubal. The ball landed on the infield grass between the mound and second base. Skubal fielded the ball as Martinez rounded third. Martinez’s left hand touched the plate before Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler applied the tag.
Martinez was originally ruled out on the head-first slide, but it was overturned by instant replay to tie the game at 1-1.
“It’s not surprising, right? I mean, we’ve seen it. That’s just who they are,” Skubal said. “They put a ton of pressure on you and that’s how they scratched one across there.”
Up Next
RHP Casey Mize (14-6, 3.87 ERA during the regular season) takes the mound for Detroit while Cleveland will go with RHP Tanner Bibee (12-11, 4.24 ERA).
Among them is a record-setting group of seven players under contract with the Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Rivières Lions: Cedric Desruisseaux, Logan Nijhoff, Jacob Paquette, Wyatt McLeod, Emmett Serensits, Jacob Dion, and Vincent Duplessis.
Back in North America, Desruisseaux will be attending his third American Hockey League camp. He previously participated in the Rocket’s camp in 2021, in addition to receiving an invitation to the Montreal Canadiens’ camp that same year. The following season, he joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ camp.
The forward from Warwick also suited up for the Lions in 39 games during the 2021-22 season.
Nijhoff will be taking part in his second camp with the Rocket. This will mark his fifth consecutive AHL camp, after previous stops with San Diego in 2021 and 2022, Rockford in 2023, and Laval in 2024.
Nijhoff signed a new contract with the Lions at the end of the summer. He finished last season tied for first in team goals with 25, alongside Jakov Novak and Anthony Beauregard.
This will also be Paquette’s second camp with Laval. Over the course of his career, the defenseman from Ottawa has also attended Nashville Predators’ camps in 2017 and 2018, as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ rookie camp in 2019.
Paquette is set to begin his second full season with the Lions after finishing sixth in the ECHL last year in plus/minus with an impressive +32 rating.
For McLeod, this marks his second AHL camp. In 2024, he was invited by the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, before joining the Lions at the start of their training camp.
The 6-foot-3 blueliner signed a new deal with Trois-Rivières at the beginning of September.
Serensits, Dion and Duplessis will all be attending their first AHL camps. Emmett signed with the Lions at the end of last season and suited up for 10 regular-season games under head coach Ron Choules, while Dion is preparing to make his professional debut with the Lions.
Chris Wilder sent off for kicking a ball into the crowd
Middlesbrough stay top after goalless draw with Stoke
Ross Stewart’s second-half double sealed for Southampton a 2-1 comeback win at Bramall Lane and consigned Sheffield United to a seventh league defeat of the season.
Stewart cancelled out Tyrese Campbell’s first-half opener for the Blades early in the second period and arrowed a stunning winner into the top corner seven minutes later as the Saints clinched their first league win on the road this campaign.
The Ottawa Senators wrap up their back-to-back neutral-site preseason games in Quebec City on Tuesday night, taking on the Montreal Canadiens. The Sens are coming off a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday and will hit the ice again at 7 p.m., with English TV coverage available (hopefully) on TSN2, RDS, and TSN5.
The Sens line combinations won't be quite like they were at the game day skate this morning. As mentioned earlier in this space, game-day skates in the preseason aren't always a predictor of how things will align for the game. According to Coming in Hot's Brent Wallace, who's in Quebec City, we'll see this instead:
In one way, you could look at this as a battle for the backup goalie job. In another way – a much more accurate way – Merilainen will be Linus Ullmark's understudy this season.
The Sens' bottom six forwards are all duking it out for one or two forward jobs – always a weird vibe to be competing both with and against your linemates. Carter Yakemchuk and Donovan Sebrango are also hoping to land a spot on the NHL roster and will both be paired with experienced players.
The Sens are 2-1 in the preseason so far and still have 31 players in camp. They dressed a lot of their opening night regulars in their game on Sunday afternoon against the Devils, and in their exhibition opener versus Toronto the Sunday before.
The Habs are 3-1 with 29 guys still in camp. They held a morning skate at the CN Sports Complex before leaving for Quebec City on Tuesday. The Sens will get their first main camp look at 19-year-old Ivan Demidov, who will likely give them trouble in the Atlantic for the foreseeable future. They also get a double dip of Xhekajs, who don't mind causing trouble of a different kind.
Here’s the Canadiens projected lineup for tonight’s matchup:
Bolduc-Dach-Gallagher Newhook-Kapanen-Demidov Veleno-Beck-Laine F. Xhekaj-Evans-Anderson
Matheson-Engstrom A. Xhekaj-Hutson Struble-Carrier
Dobes Kahkonen
With the infusion of travelling Montreal fans, we're likely to see a bigger crowd for this one, and as Travis Green says he expects, a game that feels more like the regular season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Lucas Giolito doesn’t appear to have structural damage to his right elbow but is unlikely to pitch for the Boston Red Sox during the postseason.
A 31-year-old right-hander, Giolito was left off Boston’s roster for the Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees because of elbow pain and was examined by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Dugas repaired the ulnar collateral ligament in Giolito’s right elbow with internal brace surgery on March 12 last year.
“From everything I am hearing there’s no structural damage, which is great, right? There’s a slim chance he can pitch,” manager Alex Cora said before Tuesday night’s series opener. “I think from a personal standpoint, those are good news for him, right? Kind of like hard to have surgery going into the offseason, all of that.”
An All-Star in 2019, Giolito was 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts this season. He also had Tommy John surgery with Dr. Lewis Yocum on Sept. 13, 2012.
Giolito is 71-66 with a 4.30 ERA in nine major league seasons.
They will host the Sabres on Wednesday before going to Buffalo on Friday for what will probably be the "dress rehearsal" game. The Penguins released their roster for Wednesday's game, and it's similar to the rosters they've used for other preseason games.
2025 first-round pick Benjamin Kindel is set to play in his fifth preseason game after he was the best player on the ice against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. He opened the scoring in the first period after starting the breakout in the defensive zone before showcasing his release when he cut to the middle of the offensive zone. He continues to look more comfortable in each game he plays in.
Ville Koivunen, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, Filip Hallander, Owen Pickering, and Harrison Brunicke are also on the roster and are battling for opening-night roster spots. Forward Noel Acciari, who has been injured during training camp and most of the preseason, is on the roster, too.
Here's the full roster:
Forwards
Filip Hallander
Robby Fabbri
Joona Koppanen
Sam Poulin
Tristan Broz
Ville Koivunen
Danton Heinen
Blake Lizotte
Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Philip Tomasino
Noel Acciari
Ben Kindel
Avery Hayes
Defensemen
Jack St. Ivany
Ryan Shea
Matt Dumba
Ryan Graves
Owen Pickering
Harrison Brunicke
Philip Kemp
Goaltenders
Arturs Silovs
Filip Larsson
The Penguins will have a morning skate in Cranberry on Wednesday before hosting the Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. Fans in the Pittsburgh area can watch the game on SportsNet Pittsburgh+ or listen to it on 105.9 'The X.'
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ron Washington will not return for a third season as the Los Angeles Angels manager, The Athletic reported.
The Angels hadn’t publicly announced their decision Tuesday on Washington, who missed roughly half of the current season after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery. Interim manager Ray Montgomery also won’t be the Angels’ next manager, according to the report.
The 73-year-old Washington was the oldest manager in the majors during his two seasons with the Angels, who hired him in November 2023. Los Angeles had the worst season in franchise history in 2024, going 63-99 after the free-agency departure of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Angels went 72-90 this season and finished last in the AL West for the second straight season under Washington and Montgomery, the bench coach who stepped up in late June after Washington was sidelined by his health issues. Washington was back around the Angels in uniform at the close of the season, but he didn’t resume managerial duties.
Washington repeatedly said he hoped to return as manager next season, but owner Arte Moreno has decided to make yet another change to a franchise that has endured 10 consecutive losing seasons and 11 straight non-playoff seasons — both the longest active streaks in the majors.
Washington had success during his tenure as Texas Rangers manager from 2007-14, reaching two World Series while making three playoff appearances and posting five straight winning seasons. He moved on to coaching roles in Oakland and Atlanta, and he won a World Series ring with the Braves in 2021.
But he couldn’t save the long-struggling Angels despite remaining popular with his players and Orange County fans. The Halos will have their fifth full-time manager in eight seasons since the departure of Mike Scioscia, who managed the club for 19 years and won its only World Series title in 2002.
After years of free spending on veteran players by Moreno, the Angels have built the start of a young core with shortstop Zach Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe, outfielder Jo Adell and first baseman Nolan Schanuel. That rising talent hasn’t led to an improvement in the standings.
The Angels also paid $38.5 million this season to third baseman Anthony Rendon, who didn’t play in 2025 due to a lingering hip injury. Rendon, who hasn’t played more than 58 games in any of his six seasons with Los Angeles, still has one year left on one of the most disastrous free-agent contracts in major league history.
CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back homers, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Tuesday in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series.
Chicago also got a perfect performance from its bullpen in the franchise’s first playoff win since the 2017 National League Championship Series. The Cubs were swept by Miami in the wild-card round in 2020 during their last postseason appearance.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is back at Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Suzuki opened the fifth inning with a 424-foot drive to left-center off Nick Pivetta, tying it at 1 and sending a charge through a towel-waving crowd of 39,114 on a picturesque afternoon. Pivetta had retired 11 in a row before Suzuki extended his homer streak to five games going back to the regular season.
Kelly followed with a towering shot that drifted just over the wall in left-center. The catcher and Chicago native held his right arm in the air as he rounded first base.
It was the MLB postseason debut for both Suzuki and Kelly, who combined for the franchise’s first set of back-to-back homers in the playoffs since Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler went deep on Oct. 15, 2016, against the Dodgers.
Pivetta struck out nine in five solid innings, but San Diego’s lineup was shut down by Matthew Boyd and four relievers.
Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts produced an early lead for the Padres with back-to-back doubles in the second. Bogaerts advanced to third on center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s throwing error, but he was stranded there when Boyd retired Ryan O’Hearn (grounder to shortstop), Gavin Sheets (popup to third) and Jake Cronenworth (grounder to shortstop).
San Diego put runners on the corners with one out in the fourth, but Chicago shortstop Dansby Swanson made a nice running catch to help Boyd escape again.
Boyd exited after Freddy Fermin’s one-out single in the fifth. As shadows started to creep across home plate, Daniel Palencia retired each of his five batters for the win, including strikeouts of Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.
Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Kittredge each got three outs for Chicago before Brad Keller handled the ninth for the save.
Up next
Dylan Cease takes the mound for San Diego on Wednesday. Chicago was waiting until after the series opener to announce its Game 2 starter.
Cease went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts this season. The 29-year-old right-hander was drafted by the Cubs in 2014, but was traded to the White Sox in July 2017.
“I definitely have no hard feelings towards them, but yeah, it feels like a lifetime ago,” Cease said.
The NHL saw several players hit the waiver wire on Sep. 30. While none were current Chicago Blackhawks players, a few former ones have been placed on waivers. This is because Isaak Phillips, Matthew Highmore, and Josiah Slavin have all been placed on waivers by their current clubs.
Phillips was traded by the Blackhawks during this past season to the Winnipeg Jets. Following the trade, he posted three goals, eight points, and a minus-11 rating in 39 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose.
Phillips played in 56 games over four seasons with the Blackhawks, recording two goals, 12 points, and 31 penalty minutes.
Highmore was placed on waivers by the New York Islanders and signed with them this past off-season. He played in 73 games over three seasons with the Blackhawks in 2017-18, 2019-20, and 2020-21, where he recorded four goals, 10 points, 69 hits, and a minus-10 rating.
As for Slavin, he has been placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blackhawks' 2018 seventh-round pick played in 15 games for Chicago during the 2021-22 season, where he recorded one assist. He has solely played at the AHL level since.
