The Sportsletter - Cleveland Rocks in ALCS Classic 🤯

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 18, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

You’ve done it again, team. It’s finally the weekend. If you missed the Guardians-Yankees thriller last night, you’ll be hearing about it today on every network and news feed. This thing was bonkers. Four home runs in the 8th, 9th and 10th innings made for an ALCS instant classic in Cleveland. I couldn’t look away.

Plus, Sean Payton returned to New Orleans with a game plan. The Liberty can lock up their first WNBA crown tonight. And one of college basketball’s best coaches retires in a stunning move three weeks before the season.

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MLB

Cleveland Rocks in ALCS Classic 🤯

Photo: Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty Images

ALCS: Guardians Top Yankees in HR-Filled Extra-Inning Shocker (7-5, 10 Innings) — NLCS: Dodgers Pound Mets to the Brink of Elimination (10-2)

It’s been a wild stretch of playoff baseball, but last night may have seen the best game of the 2024 postseason. Both the NLCS and ALCS were on life support as the Dodgers and Yankees looked to put the Mets and Guardians in the danger zones. The Dodgers did just that, but Cleveland pulled out an 11th-hour miracle that blew our minds. Let’s recap:

ALCS G3: Guardians def. Yankees (7-5, 10i)

4 HRs, Fry's Walk-Off Cap Classic in Cleveland

We would need the entire newsletter to accurately deliver the play-by-play (in all its glory) from last night's psychotic ALCS Game 3 finish. Instead, we’ll give you the late-game bullets and let the highlights do the talking. Following back-to-back jacks from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the 8th inning that put New York on top (4-3) — both against Emmanuel Clase, too — it looked like the Yankees had the Guardians in a chokehold. The series might've been a wrap. But in the bottom of the 9th, down to their final out, Jhonkensy Noel — Big Christmas! — rocked a game-tying, pinch-hit two-run homer to send Progressive Field into a riot. That forced extras (5-5) before David Fry lifted a two-run moonshot for the walk-off blast. Complete chaos! The Guards avoided falling behind 3-0 in the series, and there’s new life rocking in Cleveland. NYY Lead Series (2-1)

NLCS G4: Dodgers def. Mets (10-2)

Betts & Ohtani Smash HRs to Punish Mets

It’s the Dodgers’ series now. A 1st-inning leadoff home run by Shohei Ohtani set the tone for another big night of L.A. bats. Mookie Betts hit a two-run shot in the 6th on his way to a ridiculous four-hit night (4-for-6, 1 HR, 4 RBIs). On the mound, L.A.’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto fanned eight Mets batters in a stellar start before bullpen held the Mets scoreless. Mets’ ace Jose Quintana gave up five runs in the first four frames before getting yanked. You could almost feel the air leave Citi Field somewhere around the sixth inning, and it might not come back. The Dodgers need just one of the remaining three games to return to the World Series for the first time since 2020. LAD Leads Series (3-1)

CBS Sports: 4 Clutch Homers Off 3 Great Relievers & An Instant Classic ALCS

NFL

Payton Silences the Superdome

Photo: Aaron Ontiveroz / Getty Images

Broncos Roll Saints (33-10) in Sean Payton’s Impressive Return to New Orleans

The stage was set for an interesting homecoming on Thursday Night Football. Sean Payton was the coach of the New Orleans Saints for 15 seasons (2006-2021). He helped deliver a Super Bowl to the Crescent City in 2009 with the help of QB Drew Brees after Hurricane Katrina, but Thursday marked his first return trip to NOLA as an opposing head coach. Brees was in attendance to join the Saints' Hall of Fame, but Payton crashed the party as his surging Broncos silenced the Superdome.

Broncos-Saints: Two touchdowns from RB Javonte Williams on the ground, four field goals from kicker Will Lutz, and a 52-yard fumble recovery to the house from LB Cody Barton notched 33 points from the road horses while the Saints had no answers. New Orleans started rookie QB Spencer Rattler in place of injured Derek Carr, and the Saints were… well, rattled. Denver sacked Rattler six times. The Broncos (4-3) have now won three of their last four games, and that’s five straight losses for a Saints team (2-5) that started the season 2-0.

QB Comparison

B. Nix (DEN): 16/26, 239 total yards

S. Rattler (NO): 25/35, 206 total yards (2 fumbles)

Top Performers

RB J. Williams (DEN): 17 touches, 111 yards, 2 TDs

WR C. Wilson Jr. (NO): 6 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD

Watch: Broncos Blow Out Saints in Sean Payton’s Return to New Orleans (33-10)

B/R: Broncos’ Sean Payton Praised by Fans for ‘Revenge Game’ Win Against Saints

NCAA

A Rather 'Cavalier' Exit

Photo: G Flume / Getty Images

Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett Mysteriously Retires 3 Weeks Before Season

In breaking news that no one saw coming, Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett retired yesterday. Bennett, only 55, abruptly stepped down one day before the Cavaliers’ first official in-season practice. No reason was given, at least not yet. Bennett is scheduled to hold a press conference this morning (11:00 am ET). The announcement came in an online post, and it was nothing short of shocking.

Tony’s Timeline & Troubles: Just a week ago, Bennett appeared at the ACC preseason media events, and he also signed a contract extension with Virginia over the summer that would keep him in Charlottesville through 2030. While the timing and circumstances are unusual, we should learn more soon. We’ll opt not to speculate too much, but reports suggest his decision is not health related. Multiple sources close to UVA believe Bennett is frustrated with the direction of college sports and the NIL-related disruptions. Virginia was not ranked (or even receiving votes) in this week's preseason AP Poll.

Bennett was 364-136 over 15 seasons at UVA, including six ACC regular-season conference championships, two ACC Tournament championships, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and that incredible 2019 National Championship just one year removed from a 16-seed upset. He was voted the AP National Coach of the Year twice.

If you’re following along, that’s four legendary coaches from the ACC who have retired in less than four years — Roy Williams (UNC), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) and Bennett (UVA).

CBS Sports: Tony Bennett Retires: How He Guided Virginia From 16-Seed Upset to National Title

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏒 NHL

Rangers def. Red Wings (5-2)

Artemi Panarin Scores Hat Trick (3G, 1A)

Lightning def. Golden Knights (4-3)

Tampa Storms Back in 3rd Period Rally

Capitals def. Stars (3-2)

Dallas Suffers 1st Loss of the Season

Full NHL Scoreboard

🏈 College Football

Virginia Tech Romps Boston College (42-21)

RB Bhayshul Tuten Rushes for 266 Yards & 3 TDs

🏀 NBA Preseason

Nuggets def. Timberwolves (132-126)

Nuggets’ Rookie Julian Strawther Erupts (33 Pts)

Lakers def. Suns (128-122, OT)

Lakers’ Rookie Dalton Knecht Hits Eight 3s (35 pts)

Full NBA Preseason Scoreboard

STORYLINES

🏈 CFB Week 8 Preview: SEC on the Line

Week 8 is here as we look toward multiple exciting conference matchups on Saturday's slate of games. The top of the ticket features #1 Texas hosting #5 Georgia and #7 Alabama traveling to #11 Tennessee. It’s safe to say the SEC is on the line. (ESPN)

⚾️ MLB Contract Options

Contract options have to be exercised or declined within five days of the end of the World Series. So, while the baseball world is currently focused on who will win the Fall Classic, it won't be long until the hot stove starts cooking. (Bleacher Report)

🏁 NASCAR Playoff Power Rankings

The Round of 8 opens this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Fresh off Kyle Larson’s win at Charlotte, drivers will begin jockeying for Championship 4 status. So which driver/team has the edge with only four races to go? (NBC Sports)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Titans Release 3-Time Pro Bowl Safety Jamal Adams After Request (ESPN)

🏒 Dallas Stars & Goalie Jake Oettinger Agree to 6-Year, $66 Million Contract (B/R)

🏀 76ers Rookie Jared McCain Out of Hospital After Scary Fall (CBS Sports)

⛳️ Ryder Cup Director Defends Controversial Ticket Prices for 2025 at Bethpage Page (SI)

🏈 Saints WR Rashid Shaheed Out for Season Following Knee Surgery (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 Sky’s Angel Reese Goes Viral After Instagram Reel: “The WNBA Don’t Pay My Bills” (ESPN)

🏂 Former Olympic Snowboarder Wanted by FBI for Murder, Drug Trafficking (SI)