Warriors star Steph Curry isn't slowed by impaired vision as best shooter ever

Warriors star Steph Curry isn't slowed by impaired vision as best shooter ever originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

OAKLAND – Nearly a decade after Stephen Curry established himself as the best deep shooter in basketball history, he disclosed that such acclaim came despite eyesight that was profoundly imperfect.

That he had no idea his vision was impaired until former Warriors general manager Bob Myers reached out during the 2018-19 NBA season after catching a glimpse of Curry’s frequent squinting when TV cameras scanned the team’s bench.

“I knew I had blurry vision,” Curry said Wednesday during a philanthropic visit to Madison Park Academy in deep East Oakland. “Like it’s called ‘ghosting,’ where you kind of see shadows with light sensitivity headaches all that type of stuff. But you chalk that up to a lot of different things.”

Curry was unaware he was squinting, much less that he was trying to see clearly. There was no evidence of poor vision on the court, where he shot 91.6 percent from the line – slightly above his 91.2-percent career mark – and 43.7 percent from beyond the arc. His 354 3-pointers that season were, at the time, second only to his NBA-record 402 in the 2015-16 season.

It is obvious, in retrospect, that Curry was relying largely on the muscle memory that comes with having taken thousands upon thousands of shots since his teen years.

“It was just kind of adapting and adjusting and figuring out a way around it the whole time,” Curry said. “That could only last so long until you need to get it looked at.”

At Myers’ urging, Curry was examined by an optometrist, who diagnosed he was playing through keratoconus. That’s when the cornea, normally shaped like a dome, thins and begins to bulge more like a cone. Curry’s vision was both blurry and distorted. Keratoconus can have a negative effect on such routine activities as reading and driving.

But not splashing baskets – if you’re Curry.

Contact lenses were recommended, and Curry has worn them ever since.

“I know everybody who’s worn glasses or contacts or had prescriptions done, (there’s an) ‘Aha’ moment,” Curry said. “Like, oh this is what the world really looks like. That type of moment. It’s not unique to me at all, but that was a big part of it.”

In seven seasons after being diagnosed and treated, Curry is shooting 92.3 percent from the line and 40.3 percent from distance. His effective field-goal percentage of 58.2 is the same as his career average.

Curry, 38, is entering his 18th NBA season. He’s the second-oldest member of the Warriors, behind only 40-year-old Al Horford. Curry last season was diagnosed with “runner’s knee,” which sidelined him for nine weeks. Six days before Golden State’s first training-camp practice, he says the right knee feels “fantastic” and that he’s ready to go.

The keratoconus diagnosis, however, was significance to give him pause.

“Anything that’s sensitive to your vision, you’re kind of on a little bit of an alert, especially as an athlete,” Curry said. “That’s my way to play the game, and to see the court. Other than having biannual checkups to make sure I was keeping track of it, the treatment plan that worked for me. Healthcare providers can kind of guide you in the right direction for what’s right for you. Thankfully, it’s worked, so it kind of eased the anxiety after a while.

“But it is a new normal of stuff that you have to do to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

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Will weather force MLB into dramatic Red Sox vs Cubs schedule change?

Major League Baseball, fearing that a storm could postpone at least one or two games of the three-game series between the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, are discussing the possibility of having the two teams play a doubleheader Friday at Fenway Park and a single game on Saturday – concluding the regular season a day early – an MLB official told USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because no decision has been finalized.

The two teams have each told MLB that they would prefer playing a doubleheader Friday instead of a potential makeup game on Monday, just one day ahead of the postseason, with the Red Sox already clinching a berth and the Cubs’ magic number at one entering Wednesday.

The series is much more important to the Cubs and the NL wild-card race than the Red Sox, who have all but mathematically clinched the No. 5 seed in the AL with a wild-card matchup against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The Cubs, however, are in a three-way tie with the Padres and Phillies for the National League three wild-card spots with 87-70 records. The team that finishes with the best record among the three would be the No. 4 seed, and host the best-of-three wild-card series beginning Tuesday. The No. 5 seed would face the No. 4 seed on the road while the No. 6 seed would play Atlanta at Truist Park.

The Cubs have the tiebreaker advantage against the Phillies and Padres if they finish in a tie.

In 2024, weather forced MLB into scheduling a doubleheader between the New York Mets and Atlanta a day after the regular season ended, with both teams ultimately clinching playoff spots in the twinbill.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will weather force MLB into dramatic Red Sox vs Cubs schedule change?

Avalanche Place Two Defensemen on Waivers as Roster Takes Shape

The Colorado Avalanche are trimming their blue line as training camp winds down.

Colorado placed defensemen Christian Wolanin and Domenick Fensore on waivers Wednesday afternoon, putting both players in position to be claimed by any of the NHL’s other 31 teams over the next 24 hours. Assuming they clear, both are expected to be assigned to the Colorado Eagles.

For the Avalanche, the move is part of the final roster shuffle before the regular season. Both defensemen signed one-year, two-way contracts with Colorado this summer and were brought in to provide organizational depth.

The 31-year-old Wolanin has spent most of his career bouncing between the NHL and AHL. The 2015 fourth-round pick has appeared in 79 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues, recording six goals and 23 points. He hasn't played in an NHL game since appearing in 16 games for Vancouver during the 2022-23 season.

The bulk of Wolanin's production has come in the AHL. He put up 55 points in just 49 games with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2022-23 and followed that with another productive season before recording 31 points in 53 games with the Providence Bruins last year.

Fensore, meanwhile, is still trying to establish himself as an NHL regular. The 25-year-old defenseman was selected 90th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019 NHL Draft and has appeared in just three NHL games. He spent last season with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, where he led the team's defensemen with 35 points in 60 games.

Both players now have to wait and see whether another NHL team makes a claim. If they go unclaimed, they'll continue their seasons with the Eagles, remaining available as potential call-up options for Colorado when injuries or roster needs arise.

The Avalanche are set to play in their third of four preseason matchups on Saturday when they face the Winnipeg Jets at Ball Arena. Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. 

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How to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Minnesota Twins

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 18: Cesar Perdomo #83 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on September 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The San Francisco Giants wrap up their penultimate series of the year against the Minnesota Twins this afternoon.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander César Perdomo, who enters today’s game with a 3.72 ERA, 4.96 FIP, with 12 strikeouts to seven walks in 19.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 8-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, in which he allowed two runs on six hits with a strikeout and three walks in four and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Twins left-hander Connor Prielipp, who enters today’s game with a 4.94 ERA, 3.76 FIP, with 125 strikeouts to 42 walks in 120.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Twins’ 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, in which he allowed just two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings.

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Game #159

Who: San Francisco Giants (65-93) vs. Minnesota Twins (74-84)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 12:45 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Devin Booker falls to No. 20 in ESPN’s NBA player rankings

Dec 7, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) controls the ball against Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Yesterday, we learned that Dillon Brooks had made quite the jump in ESPN’s preseason player rankings, going from unranked a season ago to No. 76 overall. Today, ESPN released players 11 through 50, which means we finally learned where Devin Booker landed.

Booker is the only other member of the Phoenix Suns to crack ESPN’s top 100, and after entering last season ranked 16th overall, he has fallen four spots. His final ranking? 20th. I was so close, guessing he would land at 18th in the comment section yesterday.

What are ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill’s observations of Booker?

Booker is one of the most malleable stars as the Suns have assembled various teams around him in recent years and yet, he continues to thrive. From teaming with Chris Paul to playing alongside Kevin Durant to now, having Dillon Brooks as a running mate. Pencil him in for 26 points and 6 assists, the ability to play both guard positions and playing through nicks and bruises. His 11 years in the league have been in the Valley, and he’s signed through 2029-30 — a rare one-team star. — Goodwill

Signature stat: Booker was one of five players with at least 1,000 drives last season and was one of eight players to score 1,000 points when he drove (min. 500 drives), per Genius IQ tracking.

Fantasy projection: 26.5 PTS, 6.7 AST, 4.2 REB

There shouldn’t be anything overly surprising about the drop for anybody who watched Suns basketball last season. Booker is a player who has had plenty placed upon his shoulders throughout his career, and last season was another year in which much of that weight fell directly on him. He no longer had Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, or Chris Paul alongside him to shoulder some of the scoring or playmaking responsibilities. No, much of it fell upon Booker, and there were struggles along the way.

He shot 33% from beyond the arc, his worst three point shooting season since 2018–19. His 45.6% shooting from the field was his worst since 2017–18. And while he did make the All Star team, he struggled in late game and clutch situations down the stretch.

There wasn’t much of a release valve around him, and at times, Booker fell into those old patterns of struggling through double teams. Some of that was scheme. Some of it was execution. All of it serves as a reminder that, by all accounts, last season was an adjustment year for Booker.

That doesn’t mean it has to become a trend line. Last season was the adjustment. This season will be the adjustment to the adjustment. Hopefully, better health from Jalen Green and the addition of Miles Bridges will alleviate some of the pressure on Booker purely through the gravity they create.

Still, falling four spots in ESPN’s rankings is indicative of a season that was underwhelming in totality. There’s also some understandable movement around him. Tyrese Haliburton jumped ahead after not being ranked last year because of injury. LeBron James remains ahead of him. Scottie Barnes is where I scratch my head a little bit. Perhaps youth played a role in Barnes climbing this high after ranking 30th a season ago. Either way, Booker now finds himself sitting at No. 20.

Maybe that gives him a little extra fuel for the fire. Not that he’s likely paying much attention to ESPN rankings in September.


Yamamoto and Ohtani are in to potentially lead a bye-clinching win

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Imagine losing by seven to your division rival only to see them bring in, the following game, their best hitter and pitcher of the past two seasons, both of them championship-winning campaigns. Well, that’s exactly the situation the Padres find themselves in, facing a Dodgers team that’s one win away from securing a top-2 seed and a bye straight into the NLDS—a Dodgers team with Shohei Ohtani on his way back from the injured list and Yoshinobu Yamamoto putting the finishing touch on yet another splendiferous campaign.

Rewind one year in the calendar and try to imagine a scenario in which it’d be reasonable to claim Yoshinobu Yamamoto might have a hard time as the following act to a bullpen game. Because that’s where we’re at as Yamamoto readies to face a Padres lineup that was shut out by the Dodgers’ bullpen—perhaps one final dominant performance from this unit in the regular season that has flourished despite some major setbacks.

Shutting out any offense isn’t an easy task; doing it against one that had scored seven or more runs in each of their past five games—regardless of the quality of pitching they faced during that period—is all the more impressive from this team’s bullpen. The bar has been set very high, but Yamamoto would not have it any other way, coming off three straight outings completing seven innings and also with a brilliant track record against the Padres this season—a team that, after tonight’s game, he’ll have faced more than any other (4 starts) in the 2026 campaign, so far holding them to just three runs in 20 innings.

As far as Ohtani’s return, instead of focusing on how the lineup will look with the reigning back-to-back NL MVP and who bats where, now is the time to enjoy Mookie Betts’ glorious September form—particularly how it helps relieve some pressure from Ohtani and other star hitters on the team. Speaking of great form, Betts has two homers in just 12 career at-bats against tonight’s Padres starter, Robbie Ray.

Wednesday game info

  • Teams: Dodgers vs. Padres
  • Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
  • Start time: 7:10 p.m.
  • TV: SportsNet LA
  • Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

San Francisco Giants post video of naked player in social media mishap

The San Francisco Giants' social media team accidentally posted a video with a nude player in the background of the clubhouse, which was deleted shortly thereafter.

The video was highlighting the postgame return to the clubhouse for Bo Davidson, who made his MLB debut on Monday night, becoming the first Giants player to record a hit, steal a base and score a run in their first game.

But when the door to the locker room opened for Davidson to enter, an unknowing teammate was briefly caught unclothed on video. The player dashed to cover up and get out of the shot, but the Giants deleted the video about 15 minutes after it was posted, according to multiple reports.

Under rookie manager Tony Vitello, San Francisco is missing the playoffs for the fifth season in a row and has failed to put together a winning record since 2021.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Francisco Giants post video of naked player in social media mishap

Why The Maple Leafs Placed A Pair Of Defensemen On NHL Waivers

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed a couple of defensemen on waivers on Wednesday. The minor-league blueliners include Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis, who were placed on the wire, according to PuckPedia.

This can be viewed as the first batch of roster cuts, in terms of personnel to make the NHL lineup. McWard and Mermis have been waived because Toronto is trimming the roster as the 2026-27 campaign approaches.

There are also two players who don't feature in either split-squad roster for Wednesday's pre-season contest against the Ottawa Senators.

Since joining the NHL in 2022-23 as an undrafted player, McWard has only played a total of nine NHL games. Last year, he made just one appearance with the New York Islanders and 63 games with the Bridgeport Islanders in the AHL.

The 25-year-old defenseman was signed to a two-year contract by the Maple Leafs, earning $875,000 per season against the salary cap.

Maple Leafs Unveil Rosters For Final Pre-Season Split-Squad Game Against SenatorsMaple Leafs Unveil Rosters For Final Pre-Season Split-Squad Game Against SenatorsThe Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled their rosters for both the final pre-season games against the Ottawa Senators in a split-squad affair for Wednesday night.

As for Mermis, he has several more NHL games under his belt, featuring a total of 89 across parts of nine seasons in the league. In the past two years, he played 14 games for Toronto, scoring one goal last season in 11 contests.

Last year, Mermis played a key role in the Toronto Marlies taking home the AHL's Calder Cup. He featured in all 24 playoff games for the Marlies and recorded 10 assists.

Toronto signed Mermis back in July 2024. In the 2024-25 season, they lost him on waivers to the Utah Mammoth, but claimed him back later in the year.

Both Mermis and McWard have been paired together in Group 2 of the Maple Leafs' training camp so far. They are anticipated to be the third pairing with the Marlies, based on how they lined up in the lead-up days to the regular season.

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Spectrum SportsNet announces broadcast team for 2026-27 season

Mar 23, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers play-by-play announcer Bill Macdonald (left) and analyst Stu Lantz during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In some of the biggest news of the offseason for the Lakers, Stu Lantz will be returning to broadcasts for the 2026-27 Lakers’ season.

On Wednesdays, Spectrum SportsNet announced its team for games this season, including the return of Billy Macdonald and Stu Lantz. After missing the back end of last season, Lantz will return for his 41st season with the team to call home games.

Lantz has long become one of the mainstays of Lakers games and his absence was felt at the end of last season. The news of him returning this year should be met with pretty unanimous excitement across the fanbase.

Danny Green, who stepped in for multiple games last year, will call road games in Stu’s place. While clearly new to the role, Green was a good substitute last season and it’s nice to see him get the chance to call more games this season.

Mike Trudell will also return as the team’s sideline reporter and will share the duties with newcomer Roqui Theus.

In the studio, Sasha Vujacic will also be a new addition, joining the regulars of host Chris McGee and fellow analysts James Worthy, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher and Green. Mike Bresnahan and Allie Clifton will also contribute in-studio as well.

Backstage: Lakers will also return for its 15th season with the first episode premiering on Oct. 23 after the team’s second game of the season against the Clippers.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Which MLB teams are eliminated from the 2026 playoff race?

The countdown to October means different things across Major League Baseball.

Some teams are battling for division titles, playoff berths and postseason seeding. Others have already been eliminated from contention and turned their attention toward the offseason. With just days left in the regular season, there's still room on the bench for a few more clubs to join them.

Here's every MLB team that has been mathematically eliminated from the 2026 postseason race.

What MLB teams have been eliminated from playoff contention?

American League

National League

Which MLB teams are closest to elimination?

  • The Seattle Mariners have been eliminated from wild-card contention but are not yet mathematically eliminated from winning the AL West. The Mariners hold the tiebreaker over the Houston Astros but lose the tiebreaker to the Texas Rangers. Seattle is five games behind Texas and Houston with five to play, giving it an elimination number of 1.
  • The Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays have an elimination number of 1 in the AL wild card race. The two AL East rivals continue a three-game series at Camden Yards with a doubleheader on Wednesday.
  • The Arizona Diamondbacks' elimination number in the NL wild card race is 2.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which MLB teams are eliminated from the 2026 playoff race?

Flyers Make Further Cuts As Final Roster Takes Shape

After their second preseason game and reaching the halfway point of training camp, the Philadelphia Flyers have made a few more cuts as their final roster begins to take shape.

Several notable prospects, like Brek Liske and Maksim Sokolovskii, for example, were sent back to junior hockey as part of the first round of cuts.

Now, it is time for some veterans and newcomers to join them, as the Flyers have clearly established which players are battling for ice time and a roster spot.

On Wednesday, it was revealed by PuckPedia that the Flyers had placed six veterans on waivers: defenseman Cam Dineen, and forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Nolan Foote, Carl Grundstrom, Jack Studnicka, and Danila Klimovich.

Of the six, Grundstrom is the biggest surprise given that he has practiced in an NHL-facing role throughout training camp, but the Flyers could also be making this move now for the sake of roster flexibility going forward.

Should Grundstrom clear waivers now, he will not have to clear waivers again until he plays in 10 regular season games or spends 30 days on the NHL roster, whichever comes first.

This would give the Flyers insurance in case Denver Barkey (lower-body) is not back by the time the regular season starts, or in the event Nikita Grebenkin (upper-body) is not yet ready for game action.

Remember, Grebenkin has not played a competitive game since March, has yet to appear in a preseason game, and spent the early portion of training camp in a yellow non-contact jersey.

Now is the time for Grebenkin to begin ramping up, though runway is short with the regular season opener just one week away now.

As for the other players, it is clear they will just be depth options over the course of the season.

Studnicka had some moments, but that was about it from the rest of the group. Klimovich was at fault for one of the Boston Bruins' goals in Tuesday night's loss.

The remaining forwards competing for roster spots on the Flyers currently include Grundstrom, Jacob Gaucher, Jett Luchanko, Cole Knuble, Grebenkin, and Riley Thompson.

Sharks Waive Three, Reassign Nine Others in Training Camp Cuts

The San Jose Sharks are continuing to trim down their training camp roster as we've now passed the midway point of preseason. While the majority of cuts were unsurprising, there is one that stood out a bit more than the rest.

Ethan Cardwell was one of three players placed on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to the American Hockey League, along with Tye Felhaber and Libor Hajek. Cardwell has the highest chance of being claimed of the three, as he could potentially fill a fourth line role at the NHL level for a team with a shortage of quality depth. Given his usage in preseason, it seemed that he was in contention for an NHL job this time around, but it appears that management has seen enough.

The Sharks reassigned five forwards: Andre Gasseau, Samuel Huo, Donovan Houle, Anthony Vincent, and Carson Wetsch. Four defensemen were also sent to join the Barracuda: Roland McKeown, Mack Oliphant, Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, and Phillip Sinn. Last but not least, goaltender Matt Davis was also reassigned to the AHL.

With the Sharks' training camp roster currently sitting at 36 players, we're going to see quite a few more cuts in the coming days, with the next batch likely coming after tomorrow night's game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Sharks Fall to Golden Knights in Home Preseason Debut

On Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks were back on the SAP Center's ice for the first time since April as they hosted the Vegas Golden Knights for their first home preseason game of the 2026-27 season.

In the opening moments, Dmitri Orlov showed some signs of summer rust as he gave the Golden Knights a prime scoring chance with a turnover in the neutral zone. On the other end of spectrum, Ethan Cardwell continued to show why he is in the battle for an NHL job as he had a phenomenal first shift starting with maintaining possession in the defensive zone and ended with a shot on goal.

A broken stick gave the Sharks' fourth line a decent chance roughly five minutes into the game, as the Golden Knights' pass was off line and landed directly on the blade of Patrick Giles, although nothing came of it. 

Alex Wennberg caught a puck up high on his birthday, causing a whistle with 12:59 remaining in the first. Nolan Allan then went on to make his presence felt with a huge old-school body check on Alexander Holtz.

In the middle of the period, the combination of Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov seemed to be thriving, as they were generating some solid changes in transition. Patrick Giles on the other hand had a dangerous giveaway behind the Sharks' net, but he immediately made up for it with a massive hit just a second later. 

Luca Cagnoni almost connected with Misa for a deflection in front of the net at one stage but it bounced off the post, then moments later, the young defenseman hit the pipe on his own shot.

After 20 minutes of play, the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 but the Sharks had generated some quality scoring chances.

Collin Graf appeared to have an equipment issue right off the draw to start the second period, causing the Sharks' lines to be jumbled for a bit while he got his skate blades replaced on the bench. 

The Sharks somehow didn't score a goal with 11:36 remaining in the middle frame. A sprawled out Carter Hart was able to deny a backhand chance by Stenberg, that should've found the back of the net. A minute later, Yaroslav Askarov had a bit of showmanship himself, raising his glove up in the face of Jonas Rondbjerg after a glove save. 

The second period seemed to fly by with few specific notable moments. Luca Cagnoni and the aforementioned Askarov were definitely the standouts of the period, as Askarov appeared to have much more confidence. Cagnoni also had quite a bit of confidence and was timing his pinches from the blue line perfectly and helping generate offense from the blue line, even if the Sharks had yet to score in the "Power Bite Farewell Tour."

Michael Misa finally broke the deadlock, and officially got the previously mentioned Farewell Tour underway, when he scored a power play goal 4:16 into the third period. The power play had generated quite a few chances, but one finally made its way past Hart. The Sharks' lead didn't last long though, as Alex Holtz tied it up for the Golden Knights four minutes later. 

Cagnoni got outmuscled heavily in front of his own net around the midway point of the period by Jakub Demek. Given Demek's seven-inch height advantage and 32 pounds on Cagnoni, it's not unexpected, but does show one of the Sharks' defenseman's biggest flaws. With his stature, he's going to be pushed around fairly regularly by bigger opposition and there's obviously nothing that can really be done about that. 

Tyler Toffoli and Igor Chernyshov had an opportunity to restore the Sharks' lead on a nice give-and-go passing play, but despite Hart being out of position, Toffoli got the shot off too late and put it in the side of the net rather than scoring. 

The game remained tied throughout the rest of the third period and went into overtime. Despite quite a few chances for both sides, neither team scored in the 3-on-3 period and the game went to a shootout. 

The Sharks ultimately went on to fall in the shootout, losing to the Golden Knights 2-1.

Warwickshire ‘in the groove’ as County Championship destiny calls

Going into the last round 11 points clear, the bowler Olly Hannon-Dalby is confident the favourites can clinch the title

Olly Hannon‑Dalby, 6ft 7in of medium‑fast heritage craft, has just come out of training at Edgbaston. The last round of County Championship cricket is about to start and slow‑burn Warwickshire are nailed-on favourites. Hannon‑Dalby tries to pinpoint what has made the team tick this summer.

“Our bowling has massive depth,” he says. “Ethan Bamber has had an outstanding year with 60 wickets, and then Chris Woakes has been around the majority of the season. To be able to throw an English legend the ball every now and then is unbelievable – and his demeanour when he plays, how he carries himself is amazing. In fact our depth in general is great, everyone has played and contributed.”

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Chris Sale takes the mound for the Atlanta Braves

In what will likely be his last regular season start for the Atlanta Braves this season, Chris Sale will be facing off against Andrew Abbott and the Cincinnati Reds.

Chris Sale is not the front runner for the Cy Young award, but will most certainly get some second and third place votes with his 2.18 ERA, 30.3 percent strikeout rate, and league leading strikeout to walk ratio of 6.13. Sale also leads the NL is best HR rate of 0.5 per nine innings, and best walk rate in the NL of 4.9 percent.

Side note, Chris Sale has the best career strikeout to walk ratio of all-time. Sale has also pitched 157.0 innings thus far this season, which is hurting his Cy Young chances to guys like Jacob Misiorowski. It could be argued that he has passed his fellow competitor Cristopher Sánchez, but Sánchez has a whopping 200.0 IP which is second in MLB behind Sandy Alcantara.

The Braves got a scare yesterday when Ronald Acuña fouled a ball off his shin, but luckily all the tests came back negative. The Braves have already clinched the division so a loss to the Reds yesterday was not a huge deal except the chances of a playoff bye are quickly fading. The offense looked bad again, so hopefully they can catch a spark again before the playoffs take off.

No Braves player has faced Abbott more than five at-bats. Ha-Seong Kim has a HR in his four at-bats and Ozzie Albies has a .600 average. Michael Harris has struggled to an OPS of .400 in his five at-bats, and Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski are hitless in their three at-bats. Austin Riley is also hitless in five at-bats.

It is hard to make any type of prediction on such a limited history, but we can look at Abbott’s numbers and see his 4.70 ERA is approximately eleven percent below average and his 1.472 WHIP is the worst of his four year career. This season he has struggled with walks giving up 4.2 per nine innings. The Braves need to be patient this even and take advantage of his weakness. It is no secret that the Braves struggle in the walk department. Their 7.7 percent is the third worst in MLB. To be fair, they strike out at a lower rate than the average team this season, but walks get runners on base to knock in.

The Reds are in the bottom six in RP ERA this season. The Braves have feasted on RPs all season long. The key to the game tonight seems to be be patient against Abbott because he gives up a lot of walks. Get to the bullpen, and strike. Chris Sale should keep the runs low to make this a pretty easy win on paper. The question is how many players will be resting today, especially with a high likelihood that Acuña will be letting his leg heal.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.

Game Info

Game Time: Wednesday, September 23rd, 7:15 pm EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan