The Sportsletter - Wild-N-Out ⚾️

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 10, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

Did you like that, baseball fans? Wild Card Weekend featured a 15th-inning walk-off homer, a one-hitter in a winner-take-all game, and two franchises who hadn’t been to the postseason in over a decade advancing to the Divisional Series. Eight teams are left. We have football, too. Weekend rewind on the way…

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MLB

Wild-N-Out 

Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images

MLB Wild Card Weekend: Guardians, Mariners, Phillies & Padres Advance to Divisional Series

The MLB’s best-of-three Wild Card weekend saw three series sweeps and just one Game 3 on Sunday, but it was an action-packed playoff-opening weekend across the board. And now, only eight teams remain. The Guardians and Mariners (AL) won close games to sweep the Rays and Blue Jays, respectively. Cleveland needed a 15-inning thriller to oust the Rays in Game 2. In the National League, the Phillies sent the Cardinals packing in two gritty games before the Padres and Mets went to Game 3 where Joe Musgrove delivered the knockout punch. Despite 101 wins and a spectacular 2022 campaign, the New York Mets are already out.

Here’s how each series played out over the weekend:

MLB Wild Card Weekend

AL: Guardians def. Rays (2-0)

Cleveland and Tampa Bay had the lowest-scoring battle in Wild Card weekend. A combined four runs in two games didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but the Guardians found a way. In Game 1, it was a decisive solo blast from Jose Ramirez that supported a gem from Shane Beiber (2-1). In Game 2, both defenses clamped up to produce a scoreless tie through 15 innings until Oscar Gonzales crushed a walk-off homer (1-0). Cleveland returns to the ALDS for the first time since 2018. They’ll face the Yankees on Tuesday.

Watch: Game 1 Highlights | Game 2 Highlights

AL: Mariners def. Blue Jays (2-0)

The longest playoff drought in American professional sports came to an end when the Mariners secured their spot in the postseason, and now they’re moving on. Seattle blanked Toronto in Game 1 on Friday (4-0). In Game 2, the Mariners came back from a seven-run deficit to tie the game in the 8th inning (9-9) before winning it in the 9th on an Adam Frazier RBI double (10-9). It was the second largest comeback in MLB Playoff history, and it sets the stage for Mariners-Astros in the ALDS.

Watch: Game 1 Highlights | Game 2 Highlights

NL: Phillies def. Cardinals (2-0)

The Phillies returned to the postseason for the first time since 2011, and they made the most of it. St. Louis held a 2-0 lead in Game 1 before Philadelphia tallied a six-run 9th inning to take control of the series (6-3). In Game 2, Aaron Nola tossed 6.2 innings of shutout ball while a Bryce Harper home run sent Philly back to the NLDS (2-0). They’ll face the Braves in an NL East showdown.

Watch: Game 1 Highlights | Game 2 Highlights

NL: Padres def. Mets (2-1)

The story of the Padres in 2022 has been a rollercoaster after signing Juan Soto but losing Fernando Tatis Jr. for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Nevertheless, San Diego reached the playoffs to face the Mets. The Padres rocked Max Scherzer in Game 1 (7-1) before New York turned to Jacob deGrom for a Game 2 equalizer (7-3). In a decisive Game 3, Padres’ ace Joe Musgrove was absolutely masterful. He gave up one hit and zero runs in seven innings while the Friars added six runs of support (6-0) to send the Mets packing early after a memorable 101-win season. It’s Padres-Dodgers in the NLDS.

Watch: Game 1 Highlights | Game 2 Highlights | Game 3 Highlights

Upcoming MLB Playoff Schedule

NLDS Gm 1: Phillies at Braves (Tues. 1:07 pm ET)

ALDS Gm 1: Mariners at Astros (Tues. 3:37 pm ET)

ALDS Gm 1: Guardians at Yankees (Tues. 7:37 pm ET)

NLDS Gm 1: Padres at Dodgers (Tues. 9:37 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

MLB: Musgrove’s 1-Hitter Sends Padres Past Mets & Onto NLDS

Yahoo! Sports: Guardians’ Oscar Gonzalez Hits Walk-Off HR in 15th

CBS Sports: How Last 8 Teams Remaining in 2022 Playoffs Stack Up Ahead of LDS

NFL

Week 5 Rewind

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Recaps, Highlights & Top Performers From Week 5

Week 5 in the NFL reiterated a few things we already knew. The NFC East is next-level good and the AFC is cannibalizing itself. Here are a few notes from Sunday as well as the top performers and scores in Week 5.

The NFC Beasts: The Eagles (5-0), Cowboys (4-1) and Giants (4-1) were all winners again on Sunday. The Giants used a late comeback to beat the Packers in London before the Eagles and Cowboys knocked off NFC West opponents. After years of mediocrity, the NFC East is hands-down the best division through five weeks.

The AFC War of Attrition: Week 5 featured a lot of intra-divisional matchups, and while the NFC’s top teams separated themselves, the AFC just got muddy. The Texans got their first win of the season. The Jets flew past the Dolphins. Two AFC teams are on their third-string QBs. And every game in the AFC North is a toss-up.

Week 5 Top Performers

QB J. Allen (BUF): 20/31, 424 Yards, 4 TDs

QB T. Hill (NO): 10 Touches, 134 Yards, 4 TDs

RB L. Fournette (TB): 24 Touches, 139 Yards, 2 TDs

RB A. Ekeler (LAC): 20 Touches, 199 Yards, 2 TDs

RB N. Chubb (CLE): 17 Carries, 134 Yards, 2 TDs

RB D. Henry (TEN): 30 Touches, 132 Yards, 2 TDs

RB B. Hall (NYJ): 20 Touches, 197 Yards, 1 TD

WR T. Lockett (SEA): 5 Receptions, 104 Yards, 2 TDs

WR C. Kupp (LAR): 7 Receptions, 125 Yards, 1 TD

Play of the Week

Bills WR Gabe Davis Makes 1-Handed TD Catch

All Week 5 Scores & Highlights

Colts def. Broncos (12-9) | Giants def. Packers (27-22) | Bills def. Steelers (38-3) | Chargers def. Browns (30-28) | Vikings def. Bears (29-22) | Patriots def. Lions (29-0) | Saints def. Seahawks (39-32) | Jets def. Dolphins (40-17) | Buccaneers def. Falcons (21-15) | Titans def. Commanders (21-17) | Texans def. Jaguars (13-6) | 49ers def. Panthers (37-15) | Cowboys def. Rams (22-10) | Eagles def. Cardinals (20-17) | Ravens def. Bengals (19-17)

Monday Night Football

Raiders at Chiefs (8:15 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

B/R: NFL Week 5 Takeaways

NFL: Falcons Trade Pro Bowl LB Deion Jones to Browns for 2 Picks

CBS Sports: Week 5 Recap: Cowboys’ Parsons Wrecks Rams, Taysom Hill Explodes for 4 TDs

Yahoo! Sports: Rookie 7th-Round Pick Skylar Thompson Steps In After Dolphins Lose QB Teddy Bridgewater to Concussion

CFB

AP Poll: A Twist at the Top

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

All Top-10 Teams Win, But 1-2-3 Get Shuffled After Another Alabama Escape

We’re nearing the halfway point of the college football season and the playoff picture is still anyone’s guess. Every top-10 team won again on Saturday, which should mean the rankings look the same, right? Guess again. Teams 1-8 got a shakeup despite all being winners. Namely, the top-3 teams shuffled to bring another surprise. Alabama’s narrow win over Texas A&M caused them to drop two spots while Georgia retook the top spot once again. Ohio State — now No. 2 — dominated their fifth straight game by 25-or-more points. Clemson and Michigan swapped spots at #4 and #5, and a handful of teams in the teens got upset to create chaos at the back of the top-25. As for the playoff picture, 13 teams still look like legitimate playoff contenders. This could be the toughest CFB Playoff yet.

Top-10 Highlights

#1 Alabama def. Texas A&M (24-20)

#2 Georgia def. Auburn (42-10)

#3 Ohio State def. Michigan State (49-20)

#4 Michigan def. Indiana (31-10)

#5 Clemson def. Boston College (31-3)

#6 USC def. Washington State (30-14)

#7 Oklahoma State def. Texas Tech (41-31)

#8 Tennessee def. #25 LSU (40-13)

#9 Ole Miss def. Vanderbilt (52-28)

Other Top-25 Notable Highlights

#18 UCLA def. #11 Utah (42-32)

#12 Oregon def. Arizona (49-22)

South Carolina def. #13 Kentucky (24-14)

Notre Dame def. #16 BYU (28-20)

#17 TCU def. #19 Kansas (38-31)

Arizona State def. #21 Washington (45-38)

AP Top-10

1. Georgia (6-0) | ↑1

2. Ohio State (6-0) | ↑1

3. Alabama (6-0) | ↓2

4. Clemson (6-0) | ↑1

5. Michigan (6-0) | ↓1

6. Tennessee (5-0) | ↑2

7. USC (6-0) | ↓1

8. Oklahoma State (5-0) | ↓1

9. Ole Miss (6-0) | —

10. Penn State (5-0) | —

Full AP Top-25

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Georgia Returns to Top of AP Poll; Alabama Slides to 3rd

CBS Sports: College Football Bowl Projections: USC Jumps Into New Year’s Six

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚽️ SOCCER: Ronaldo Scores Goal 700

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th career club goal on Sunday in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Everton. Ronaldo’s goal broke a 1-1 tie before halftime. He’s scored 700 goals for four different clubs, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Sporting Lisbon.

🏁 NASCAR: Bell Captures Roval Win

Christopher Bell stole the checkered flag at the Charlotte Roval course on Sunday and punched his ticket to the Round of 8 after winning an overtime restart full of chaos. Bell (4th) sits behind Chase Elliot (1st), Joey Logano (2nd) and Ross Chastain (3rd) in the Round of 8 standings. (Round of 8 Standings)

🏎️ F1: Verstappen Crowned F1 Champion in Japan

Max Verstappen captured his second Formula 1 title on Sunday in the Japanese Grand Prix with a runaway win. The Dutch driver secured the championship crown with his 12th win in 18 races this season. He holds a 113-point lead in the standings with four races left, but the title is already locked.

👟 RUNNING: Women’s Records Fall in Chicago Marathon

30-year-old Emily Sisson finished second in Sunday’s Chicago Marathon, but she set the American women’s record by 43 seconds (2:18:29). Kenyan runner Ruth Chepngetich won the race, but she was just 14 seconds shy of the world record (2:14:18).

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Yankees Pitcher Aroldis Chapman Ruled Out for ALDS After Skipping Workout (Yahoo! Sports)
• Free-Agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. Sets Timeline to Sign With Team After ACL Recovery (SI)
• Lions Safety Saivion Smith Taken Off Field in Ambulance After Neck Injury in New England (ESPN)
• Alabama State Head Coach Refuses Deion Sanders’ Postgame Hug (USA Today)
• NFL & NFLPA Agree to Updated Concussion Protocol (NBC Sports)

• Falcons Trade Pro Bowl Linebacker Deion Jones to Browns in Exchange for 2 Picks (NFL)

Support The Sportsletter Team

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