| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| THREE STARS | |
|---|---|
 |
A. Stolarz TOR G26 SAVES , 0.963 SV% |
 |
E. Cowan TOR RW1 GOAL, 1 AST |
 |
C. Sissons TOR C1 GOAL |
| THREE STARS | |
|---|---|
 |
F. Hallander PIT C1 GOAL, 2 AST |
 |
A. Silovs PIT G19 SAVES , 1.000 SV% |
 |
V. Koivunen PIT RW1 GOAL |
| THREE STARS | |
|---|---|
 |
N. MacKinnon COL C2 GOALS |
 |
B. Nelson COL C1 GOAL, 2 AST |
 |
A. Lehkonen COL LW2 GOALS |
DENVER (AP) Nathan MacKinnon scored twice in a four-goal second period and capped his night with a rare fight, and the Colorado Avalanche opened the season with an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Hours before the game, Colorado coach Jared Bednar was given a four-year contract extension. Bednar, who led Colorado to the 2022 Stanley Cup title, was in the final year of his current contract. The extension ended speculation on his future after being swept by Vegas in the Western Conference finals last spring.
“I didn’t want him to go through the whole year and have those distractions of being asked that same question, especially as the year goes on,” Avs president and general manager Joe Sakic said before Wednesday night’s game.
Artturi Lehkonen had two goals, Brock Nelson had a goal and two assist and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves for Colorado, which scored four times on the power play and allowed two short-handed goals.
MacKinnon, who had a career-high 53 goals last season, scored on a 5-on-3 just 23 seconds into the second period and gave the Avs a 4-2 lead with his second at 8:33.
The 2024 MVP, whose last fight was four years ago, dropped the gloves with Kings defenseman Brandt Clark with Colorado leading 6-4 late in the third. Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog scored less than a minute later and Lehkonen iced it with his second 1:03 later.
Trevor Moore, Joel Armia and Brian Dumoulin scored for Los Angeles, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots.
Nelson and Kelly scored in the first period to give the Avs a 2-1 lead, and Moore and Armia had goals in the second period for the Kings.
Artemi Panarin scored on a delayed penalty midway through the third.
Kings: At San Jose on Saturday night.
Avalanche: Host St. Louis on Saturday night
—
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The Diamondbacks outrighted Sanchez to Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.
He will remain in the Diamondbacks’ organization for the time being after passing through waivers, but Sanchez should eventually become a free agent. The outfielder went just 2-for-15 at the plate during his brief time in Arizona and slashed .254/.311/.401 with eight homers across 105 contests beteen the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks in 2026.
SAN DIEGO (AP) Pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets blasted a two-run homer, five San Diego Padres pitchers combined on a five-hitter, and San Diego swept the Chicago Cubs out of the NL Wild Card Series with a 4-1 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Xander Bogaerts drove in the first run for the surging Padres, who followed up their 8-0 victory in Tuesday’s opener with another dominant mound performance. The Cubs led the majors in runs and the NL in homers this year, but they managed just eight hits – seven singles – over 18 innings against San Diego’s inspired staff.
Ethan Salas drove in a run while becoming the youngest player to catch a postseason game in major league history for the Padres, whose 20-3 surge since Sept. 5 has them looking like a threat in the NL. With their fifth playoff series victory in the past seven years, the Padres advanced to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in an NL division series this weekend.
“It’s our entire group coming together, finding ways to win ballgames over and over,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said between puffs on a cigar in the Padres’ beer-soaked clubhouse. “This feels great, but we’ve already been to this part before, and we’re all so hungry to go farther.”
One year after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in three tough Wild Card games at Wrigley Field, the Padres reversed the result in two romps before frenzied sellout crowds at Petco Park.
“It’s nice to finish in two,” manager Craig Stammen said. “Saves our bullpen a little bit, and we can decide who’s going to start Game 1. We haven’t decided that yet, but it definitely sets us up better with two days off. Get those guys fresh and ready to go.”
Nico Hoerner had half of the Cubs’ hits in the series, and he drove in Chicago’s only run in the fourth inning. He also got their only extra-base hit of the series with a ninth-inning double off Mason Miller, but the Padres’ vaunted closer calmly finished the save and set off another massive celebration on the field.
“It didn’t go well here,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We just didn’t play well enough. They’re playing really well. We just couldn’t get anything going offensively, obviously. Look, when you’re in this position, you’re going to be disappointed. You’re going to feel unfulfilled, and that’s just dominating everything you feel right now. Maybe as you reflect, I think I can get to some better places. Right now, that’s all I feel.”
Probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong and veteran slugger Alex Bregman struggled mightily atop the Cubs’ lineup in San Diego, going a combined 0 for 15 with a walk and eight strikeouts over these two games. Bregman played just over a week after he was hit in the face with a foul ball.
“Those were the two guys we marked as we don’t want those guys to beat us in this series,” Stammen said. “We tried our best to set up our pitching to handle them. In the first game, we were just lucky we got out to a bigger lead. It’s a lot easier to pitch to those guys with a bigger lead.”
After hitting two homers in the first inning of Game 1, the Padres waited until the second inning of Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead. Ty France led off with a double off Kevin Gausman and scored on Bogaerts’ single before Salas hit a line-drive flyout to center, scoring Jackson Merrill.
Salas, the prized 20-year-old prospect recalled Sept. 1, also became the youngest player to appear in a postseason game for the Padres.
Chicago finally scored when Seiya Suzuki singled and eventually came home on Hoerner’s ground ball to center off Nick Pivetta. Stammen immediately yanked his starter in favor of his intimidating bullpen, and Bradgley Rodríguez escaped a bases-loaded jam.
Rodríguez also pitched the fifth to earn the victory in his postseason debut.
“Those guys, they’re so good at what they do,” Pivetta said. “It was a pleasure to watch.”
After Bogaerts’ double chased Gausman in the fourth, Sheets crushed a 100.8 mph fastball from Daniel Palencia into the right-field bleachers. Sheets, the fan-favorite outfielder who is playing with a nagging plantar injury in his left foot, delivered his second career postseason homer and his first since 2021 as a White Sox rookie.
“That was one of the cooler home runs I’ve ever seen,” Merrill said.
The shot was the Padres’ first pinch-hit postseason homer since 2005, and their long-suffering fans’ cheers rattled the park.
Game 1 of the division series is Saturday in Milwaukee. The Padres took four of six from the Brewers this season, even sweeping a three-game series at Petco Park in August.
—
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| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Crow-Armstrong CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| A. Bregman DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| M. Busch 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| a- T. Taylor PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .278 |
| P. Ramirez 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| S. Suzuki RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .286 |
| I. Happ LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| N. Hoerner 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .500 |
| M. Shaw 3B-1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .237 |
| b- M. Conforto PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| C. Kelly C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .167 |
| D. Swanson SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F. Tatis Jr. RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 |
| D. Harris LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| J. Bowen LF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| M. Machado 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .429 |
| T. France 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| J. Merrill CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .571 |
| X. Bogaerts SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .500 |
| E. Salas C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
| b- M. Andujar PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .258 |
| F. Fermin C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .197 |
| A. Hays DH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| a- G. Sheets PH-DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .213 |
| c- S. Taylor PH-DH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| J. Cronenworth 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Gausman(L, 9-13) | 3.1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4.57 |
| D. Palencia | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3.73 |
| D. Peterson | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.74 |
| R. Zeferjahn | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3.80 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. Pivetta | 3.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2.84 |
| B. Rodriguez(W, 5-3) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.14 |
| J. Adam(H, 19) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.55 |
| A. Morejon(H, 29) | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.76 |
| M. Miller(S, 39) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.65 |
NEW YORK (AP) One year after rallying past the Boston Red Sox to win an AL Wild Card Series, the New York Yankees battered Boston.
Max Fried dominated the Red Sox in the playoffs for the second straight year, Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr. homered, and the Yankees rolled to a 9-2 win Wednesday night that completed a two-game sweep.
“We enjoyed tonight. We got a lot more work to do,” Bellinger said.
New York will face AL East champion Tampa Bay in an AL Division Series starting Saturday.
“The fans were electric from the first pitch and the boys were hungry. We got a young, hungry team here,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said as teammates sprayed him with bubbly during the clubhouse celebration. “This makes me feel young every single time.”
Judge missed this series because of a calf injury and isn’t sure whether he will play against the Rays, who beat New York 7-6 in the season series.
“Saturday’s a long ways away,” he said.
Clinging to a 2-1 lead after Willson Contreras homered to end Boston’s 26-inning postseason scoreless streak, the Yankees broke open the game with a six-run sixth after Spencer Jones reached on a wild pitch while striking out leading off – with the help of a video review.
García, acquired at the trade deadline, had three hits in his first postseason start, and Bellinger had four RBIs that included a three-run homer capping the sixth-inning burst that put New York ahead 8-1.
“Step one,” said Bellinger, who caught the ceremonial first pitch from his dad, Clay, a 2000 Yankees World Series champion. “Now we got to go into Tampa and play against a tough team.”
Boston, which reached the playoffs after rebounding from a 32-46 start, lost last year’s wild-card matchup after defeating the Yankees in the opener.
“Regardless of all the special things that happened this summer, and there was quite a few, the goal is to win the World Series and that ended for us tonight, so it’s frustrating,” Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said. “There’s a lot of things you can say, but in the moment right now, I think the guys only care that we lost. And it’s going to take some time to get over that.”
Boston, which also got a seventh-inning homer from Nick Sogard off Will Warren, was missing leadoff hitter Roman Anthony because of a hand injury. The Red Sox were held to a .117 average in the series (7 for 60) with 18 strikeouts and outscored 18-2.
New York hit .382 in the series. Boston’s bullpen had a 20.25 ERA.
“We played great baseball in a lot of ways here, obviously anchored by our two great starters,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Yankees batters hit .450 (9 for 20) with runners in scoring position after finishing 19th among the 30 teams with a .246 RISP during the regular season.
“I feel like it’s a whole new level from regular season to these last two days,” Austin Wells said.
A day after Cam Schlittler led New York to a 9-0 win, Fried pitched three-hit ball over six innings to win a postseason game for the first time since the 2021 World Series clincher with Atlanta.
New York started eight left-handed hitters against Sonny Gray, back on the mound where his career derailed during a dismal Yankees stretch in 2017 and ’18.
García’s fourth-inning homer put the Yankees ahead and Bellinger, one of the top lefty-on-lefty hitters in the major leagues, added a fifth-inning RBI single against left-handed Erik Miller, who had just relieved.
Gray was disappointed he wasn’t allowed to face Bellinger.
“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order a third time. I think that’s a fact,” Gray said. “I would’ve liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that’s the competitor I am. And, yeah, I think you can probably ask the guys and they felt the same way. So I felt strong. I felt confident. I felt convicted.”
Jones struck out both to start and end the bottom of the sixth, a weird half-inning that included a wild pitch, throwing error, stolen base, bunt single and intentional walk to Ben Rice that preceded Bellinger’s homer.
“I can’t believe they were willing to face a guy like Belli with men on base there,” Rice said.
Garrett Crochet, who beat the Yankees in last year’s Wild Card Series opener, hadn’t pitched since April 25 because of left shoulder inflammation when he bounced a sweeper off Adley Rutschman’s chest. The catcher picked up the ball and threw to first, where umpire John Libka signaled that Jones was out. The Yankees appealed and the call was reversed by the video umpire at the commissioner’s office.
“I couldn’t believe he was there,” Boone said. “I saw the ball squirt away a little bit. I didn’t think that much of it, and looked up and I was, like, ‘Oh, he’s safe.”’
Jones swiped second and kept going to third when Rutschman’s throw skipped into center. Rookie George Lombard Jr. singled for his first postseason RBI, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Trent Grisham loaded the bases with a bunt single.
Wells’ sacrifice fly against Garrett Whitlock increased the lead to 4-1, Ryan McMahon hit an RBI groundout and Rice, who had four hits and six RBIs in the opener, was intentionally walked. Bellinger reached down and pulled a changeup into the right-center field seats.
Fried struck out six and walked one. He has allowed one run over 12 1/3 innings in the two Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.
“Definitely wasn’t sharp from the get-go but just wanted to challenge them, not try to give any free passes, especially in the first inning,” Fried said.
After a night of celebration and a day off, the Yankees will head to Florida on Friday.
“There’s just so much more to do,” Bellinger said after the big night with his father on hand. “So obviously enjoy the moment, understand how cool it is, but keep on going.”
New York RHP Gerrit Cole (10-9, 3.61), who would have started a third game against Boston, is likely to start Game 1 against the Rays.
—
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| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Jones DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .204 |
| A. Rutschman C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
| W. Contreras 1B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .333 |
| W. Abreu RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
| C. Rafaela CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| C. Durbin 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| N. Sogard 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .167 |
| T. Story SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| N. Eaton LF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .160 |
| a- J. Duran PH-LF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Rice DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .556 |
| C. Bellinger LF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
| L. Garcia 1B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .500 |
| S. Jones RF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .250 |
| G. Lombard Jr. SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| J. Chisholm Jr. 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .234 |
| T. Grisham CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| A. Wells C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .500 |
| R. McMahon 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| a- P. Goldschmidt PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| J. Caballero 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Gray(L, 18-6) | 4.2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2.75 |
| E. Miller | 0.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 |
| G. Crochet | 0.0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7.50 |
| G. Whitlock | 1.1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2.18 |
| A. Gamboa | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.00 |
| A. Chapman | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.88 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Fried(W, 6-5) | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2.73 |
| W. Warren | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.94 |
| B. Headrick | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.17 |
| D. Bednar | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2.43 |
The Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros 7-3 in game 2 on Wednesday completing a two-game sweep of the AL Wild Card series at Daikin Park this marks the White Sox first postseason series victory since they swept the Astros in the 2005 World Series
The Early Onslaught The White Sox pounced on the Houston Ace Hunter Brown in the top of the first inning, scoring four runs on 5 hits and capitalizing a two Astros defensive errors. Brown was chased from the mound after recording just two out.
The Astros Claw Back Houston slowly fought The way back into the game feel the long ball. Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith, and Jose Altuve each hit solo home runs to trim the Chicago lead to 4-3 by the fourth inning .
The Critical Turning Point: In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Astros load the bases with two outs. Jose Altuve lies out to right field, letting the White Sox escape the jam and preserve their lead
The Decisive Blow: In the top of the sixth inning White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth crushed a towering three run homer off of Houston reliever Brian Abreu extending the lead to 7-3.
Shutout Relief the Chicago bullpen slammed the door combined it for five shutout innings of relief to secure the victory.
HOUSTON (AP) From 100 losses to their first playoff series win in two decades, these scrappy Chicago White Sox just keep outdoing themselves.
The White Sox used a big first inning and a three-run homer from Chase Meidroth to propel them to a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday to sweep their AL Wild Card Series.
“I’m proud of the guys and certainly happy for them as they’re probably the only ones in this country that believed that they could be in this spot,” manager Will Venable said. “And they maintained that belief in the beginning of the season and went throughout the season maintaining that, and they made it happen. So it’s awesome to get to this point.”
It’s the first time Chicago has won a playoff series since beating Houston in the World Series in 2005. Under the direction of Venable, the second-year skipper, and with a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, the White Sox advanced to face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland.
“It means everything for our fans,” Meidroth said. “They have been incredible all year. So the main thing was getting back to Chicago for some postseason baseball, and so we’re really blessed that we get to do that.”
The White Sox, who lost 100 games in each of the last three seasons, are the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth.
The AL West-winning Astros went 81-81 to become the first team to reach the postseason without a winning record. Their recent playoff woes in Houston continued Wednesday as they dropped their ninth straight home playoff game in a ninth trip to the postseason in the last 10 years.
Chicago pounced on the Astros for four runs in the first inning a day after scoring three in the first two innings of a 6-3 win. Houston ace Hunter Brown was lifted after getting just two outs and wasn’t helped by a sloppy defense which committed two first-inning errors.
He was 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA in six career starts against the White Sox before Wednesday’s debacle.
The Astros clawed their way back into it with solo home runs from Jeremy Peña, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve to trail by 1 entering the sixth inning.
AJ Blubaugh, who opened Game 1, and Peter Lambert, pitching on two days’ rest, combined to retire the next 13 batters after Brown exited. Chicago’s next baserunner came when Lambert walked Andrew Benintendi to start the sixth and then walked Tristan Peters.
Bryan Abreu came in, and Meidroth smashed his fifth pitch off the wall in left field to push the lead to 7-3. He yelled on his entire trip around the bases to the delight of a patch of White Sox fans seated near the visitor’s dugout.
“I was looking for something middle up,” Meidroth said. “He’s had my number all year, really good fastball, so I got something middle up and I was able to cash in for the team. So, yeah, that was awesome.”
Houston faced boos for a second game in a row from an unusually thin crowd. It’s a second straight playoff trip where the Astros have been swept at home in the wild card after losing both games to Detroit in 2024.
Now they’ll face an uncertain future with manager Joe Espada’s contract set to expire at season’s end after general manager Dana Brown was fired last month.
“We fought back and we set our goal to win this division and we accomplished that,” Espada said. “We wanted to play deep in October. We came short on that. But just the way our guys stayed together and were able to get this far, extremely proud of our team.”
It was a disappointing series for Houston slugger and AL MVP-favorite Yordan Alvarez, who managed only a single with two strikeouts in eight at-bats in the series.
Altuve’s shot to the seats in left field in the fourth inning got the Astros within 4-3. It was the 28th postseason homer of his career, which is second in MLB history behind Manny Ramirez (29).
“We’re all sad,” Altuve said. “We wanted to go to the World Series and win it. But today is sorrow for the final day of the season.”
The Astros had a shot to take the lead before Meidroth’s homer. They loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but Anthony Kay retired Altuve on a fly out to end the inning.
—
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| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Antonacci LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .286 |
| B. Doyle CF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| K. Teel C | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .300 |
| M. Vargas 3B | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| M. Murakami 1B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
| A. Benintendi DH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .333 |
| L. Acuna PR-DH | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .226 |
| T. Peters CF-LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .286 |
| C. Meidroth 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .571 |
| B. Montgomery RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| C. Montgomery SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Pena SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .375 |
| Y. Alvarez LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
| I. Paredes DH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 |
| J. Altuve 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .250 |
| Y. Diaz C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| C. Walker 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| L. Spence CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
| C. Smith RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .286 |
| N. Allen 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .272 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Burke | 4.0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3.42 |
| H. Brazoban | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.94 |
| A. Kay(W, 10-9) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.51 |
| J. Hicks | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
| E. Fedde | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3.78 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H. Brown(L, 6-5) | 0.2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3.42 |
| A. Blubaugh | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| P. Lambert | 3.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3.91 |
| B. Abreu | 2.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2.45 |
| J. Hader | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves 4 to 3 in a dramatic tent in a comeback victory During game two of the National League Wild Card series
Facing elimination after dropping game one, the Phillies rallied link Behind still are pitching on power swings to keep their season alive
Late inning power trailer 31 in the 8th inning after early Outfield misplay by Bryce Harper Kyle Schwarber and Harper launched back to back solo homers off reliever Dylan Lee to not the game at 3:30
The deciding blow in the top of the 10th inning Alec Bohm smashed a clutch two out solo homer off of Didier Fuentes to secure a go ahead run That’s what a nice thing about
Clutch Bullpen debut rookie pitcher Andrew Painter made his postseason debut out of the bullpen and threw three scoreless Innings of relief to secure the victory
ATLANTA (AP) Bryce Harper’s misplay in right field put Philadelphia in a hole. His homer an inning later put the Philadelphia Phillies in position for a comeback win that extended their postseason.
Alec Bohm put Philadelphia ahead with a two-out homer in the 10th inning, and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Wednesday to force a decisive third game in their NL Wild Card Series.
The Phillies rallied with back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Harper in the eighth after trailing 3-1 in the seventh. Harper’s homer made up for a crucial fielding mistake an inning earlier.
“I wasn’t not trying to hit a homer, I can tell you that,” Harper said with a smile.
Andrew Painter (1-0), a starter in the regular season, saved the Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen with three scoreless innings to close things out. Painter stranded two runners in the 10th when he struck out Dominic Smith with a successful ABS challenge.
Playing under traditional extra-inning rules that don’t include automatic runners at second base like in the regular season, Bohm delivered his third career postseason home run, a 357-foot shot to right field off right-hander Didier Fuentes (0-1).
For Bohm, who has faced criticism during a rocky season in which he hit .249 and is facing free agency, the homer may have extended his time with the Phillies.
“I’ve been trying not to think about that,” Bohm said. “I really don’t want the season to end.”
The Phillies will try to continue their postseason dominance over the Braves in Thursday’s Game 3. Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS.
In the seventh, Drake Baldwin’s double glanced off Harper’s glove in right field, driving in Sean Murphy to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. Harper, who resumed playing the outfield late this season for the first time since 2022, got a poor jump and was leaping for the ball near the warning track. He was not charged with an error. Matt Olson added a sacrifice fly.
“I didn’t think he hit it very hard,” Harper said. “I thought it was going to be a pop fly just right at me and then it kind of kept traveling. Obviously a ball I should have caught. … And obviously I was hearing it pretty good from Braves and Phillies fans in the dugout, so got to show up in that situation.
“But how quickly can I turn the page and just get past that moment, knowing that I’m still coming up to the plate to hit and knowing that in the postseason, it doesn’t matter what you did the at-bat before, the inning before. It’s what you do in that moment.”
The Phillies pulled even with eighth-inning home runs by Schwarber and Harper off Dylan Lee, the winning pitcher in the Braves’ 5-3 opening win on Tuesday. Schwarber’s drive carried 447 feet and Harper followed with a 418-foot shot.
“Some big home runs late by some really good hitters,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s what got us.”
Tyler Mahle allowed one run on six hits in seven innings for Atlanta. Cristopher Sánchez allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings for Philadelphia while throwing a career-high 116 pitches.
Painter gave up a one-out single to Mauricio Dubón in the 10th, then struck out Austin Riley before giving up a bloop single to Michael Harris II. Painter’s 0-2 fastball to Smith was called inside by plate umpire Adam Beck, but Painter and catcher J.T. Realmuto immediately called for a robo-ump challenge. ABS confirmed the ball clipped the strike zone, the first time a postseason game has ended with a strike-zone appeal.
Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. walked, stole second and then stole third with Edmundo Sosa not covering the bag before scoring on Olson’s single in the first.
Sánchez didn’t allow another hit until Sean Murphy doubled to center field with one out in the fifth.
Mahle kept pace, though he didn’t have a perfect inning until the fifth, when he struck out Schwarber and Harper. Sánchez issued an intentional walk to Acuña with two outs before Baldwin’s grounder to second base ended the inning.
Weiss said the Braves had a major scare when Mahle felt an abdominal pull during his pregame warmup.
“We didn’t know if he could make the start,” Weiss said, adding the scare came “right at game time when he came out of the bullpen.
“He ended up working through it and got better as the game went on. We were scrambling.”
Sosa left the game after reaching on an infield single to open the ninth. He appeared to aggravate a leg injury and was replaced by pinch-runner Derek Hill. Phillies manager Don Mattingly said the injury did not appear to be serious.
Braves RHP Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44) is expected to either start or pitch in bulk relief in Game 3 on Thursday against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (7-12, 4.67).
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Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Turner SS | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .125 |
| K. Schwarber DH | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .250 |
| B. Harper RF-1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .222 |
| A. Bohm 1B-3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .375 |
| B. Stott 2B | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .222 |
| B. Marsh LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| a- B. De La Cruz PH-LF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 |
| E. Sosa 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 |
| D. Hill PR-RF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| J. Crawford CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 |
| J. Realmuto C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .286 |
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Acuna Jr. RF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| D. Baldwin DH | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .222 |
| O. Albies 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 |
| M. Olson 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .125 |
| M. Dubon LF-SS | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| A. Riley 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .286 |
| M. Harris II CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| S. Murphy C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .174 |
| b- D. Smith PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| H. Kim SS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| a- M. Yastrzemski PH-LF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Sanchez | 6.2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2.95 |
| A. McFarlane | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 |
| A. Painter(W, 4-10) | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5.28 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Mahle | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3.87 |
| D. Lee(BS, 1) | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10.80 |
| R. Iglesias | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| D. Fuentes(L, 0-1) | 1.1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4.50 |
Bourne hauled in two passes on three targets for 22 yards during the Cardinals‘ 36-30 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.
Bourne’s first target of the game came early in the first quarter, but he wasn’t looked at by Jacoby Brissett again until late in the fourth, when the duo connected on passes of 14 and eight yards on back-to-back plays on a drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Brissett. Bourne played 48 of 87 offensive snaps (55.2 percent), which was third-most among Cardinals wide receivers behind Michael Wilson (81) and Marvin Harrison (67). Bourne is up to a 12-108-0 receiving line (14 targets) through three regular-season games, and he’s seemingly ahead of Harrison and behind Wilson and Trey McBride on Brissett’s go-to list in the passing game. Up next is a Week 4 road tilt against the Giants this Sunday.
Allgeier rushed twice for a loss of one yard and caught all four of his targets for 10 yards in the Cardinals‘ 36-30 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.
Allgeier wasn’t asked to rush much. The No. 2 running back left most of the carries to rookie Jeremiyah Love. The 26-year-old racked up his points on screen passes and checkdowns, catching everything thrown his way for minimal gains.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
LAS VEGAS (AP) Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists to reach 701 career points, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 in their season opener Tuesday night.
Victor Olofsson notched Vegas’ first goal of the season, rookie Trevor Connelly scored in his NHL debut and Noah Hanifin and Mark Stone added goals as Ryan Craig earned his first victory as the Golden Knights’ head coach. Carter Hart made 24 saves.
Jordan Greenway and Patrick Kane scored for Chicago, and Spencer Knight stopped 32 shots.
Kane marked his return to the franchise he helped lead to three Stanley Cup championships with a third-period goal, but Chicago couldn’t complete the comeback.
Craig took over after six seasons as a Vegas assistant and three coaching its AHL affiliate in Henderson. He inherited a veteran team that reached last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
Vegas got scoring from five players after trading Pavel Dorofeyev, its leading goal scorer last season with 37, including 20 on the man advantage.
Olofsson opened the scoring midway through the first period when his power-play wrist shot found the top shelf from the far side.
Connelly doubled the lead when he flipped a rebound over Knight’s pads.
Greenway scored late in the second when his shot from the right circle flew past Hart, cutting Vegas’ lead to 2-1.
Kane trimmed the deficit to one early in the third with a slick backhand, but Hanifin answered shortly thereafter to restore the two-goal cushion.
Stone’s empty-netter provided the final margin.
Chicago opened without Connor Bedard, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and isn’t expected back until late October at the earliest.
Blackhawks: Visit Utah on Thursday night.
Golden Knights: Host Anaheim on Friday night.
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See AP’s full NHL coverage here
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