The Sportsletter - 'W' Champs, World Series & Touchdowns

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 21, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

Another action-packed October sports weekend is in the books. We’ve got a winner-take-all WNBA overtime finale, a scintillating World Series matchup, and a new No. 1 in college football in today’s edition. Seasons are changing. The WNBA season may be over, but the NBA season tips tomorrow (preview in progress).

🌔 The Sports Equinox is 1 Week Away

Next Monday (Oct. 28) marks a special occasion on the sports calendar. All four major American professional sports will be in action on the same day — NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB. We’ll be celebrating with some flair. You won’t want to miss it.

Letter Rip!

WNBA FINALS

Liberty Lift the 'W' Trophy 🗽

Photo: Elsa / Getty Images

Liberty Beat Lynx (67-62, OT) in Wild Winner-Take-All Game 5 to Capture Franchise’s 1st WNBA Championship

Sunday night’s epic sports sched’ featured the final game of an incredible 2024 WNBA season, one way or another. It was a winner-take-all Game 5 — the equivalent of an NBA Game 7 — where the New York Liberty miraculously outlasted the Minnesota Lynx in an overtime thriller (67-62, OT). The Liberty rallied from a 12-point deficit and overcame a horrific shooting night to lift their first WNBA trophy in franchise history, courtesy of an unlikely hero.

Game 5 Stars: The Liberty shot just 8.7 percent (2-for-23) from 3 and just 30 percent from the field in Game 5. Sabrina Ionescu (1-for-19) and Breanna Stewart (4-for-15) struggled mightily, but Nyara Sabally had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench in a clutch performance. Jonquel Jones won Finals MVP with a team-high 17 points.

Late-Game Drama: After New York climbed all the way back to take a four-point lead in the final minutes, the Lynx went on a 6-0 run to steal it back (60-58). Breanna Stewart earned a controversial foul with 5 seconds left and hit both free throws to send the game to overtime. But in the extra period, Minnesota went 0-for-5 with six turnovers in the OT.

The WNBA 28 Years Later: After 28 seasons, one of the WNBA’s flagship franchises finally has its first title. New York was actually the first team to win a WNBA game in the league’s inaugural season-opener (June 21, 1997). The WNBA saw record growth in attendance and ratings across the board during 2024, and Sunday night was a fitting end. An overtime, winner-take-all season finale?! Let's just say: The ‘W’ had a year. Congrats to the New York Liberty!

Watch: Liberty Win Game 5 Thriller (67-62, OT) for 1st WNBA Title

Sporting News: Jonquel Jones, Nyara Sabally Shine as NY Liberty Win 1st WNBA Title

CBS Sports: Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeves Blasts Officiating, Says Title Was ‘Stolen’

MLB PLAYOFFS

Dodgers vs. Yankees — An Epic Fall Classic Awaits

Photo: Wally Skalij / Getty Images

Dodgers-Yankees is a World Series Match Made in Heaven — Aaron Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani — What More Could You Ask For?

After three weeks of October bliss, the World Series stage is finally set for a Yankees-Dodgers clash that’ll be downright delightful. The Yankees closed out the Guardians in five on Saturday before the Dodgers finished the Mets in six last night. It’s two of the most iconic franchises in baseball going head-to-head in the Fall Classic for the first time in 43 years, and it all starts Friday. Aaron Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani with a title on the line? The baseball gods were too generous. Let’s see how we got here:

ALCS G5: Yankees def. Guardians (5-2, 10i)

Soto’s HR in 10th Sends NYY to World Series

Juan Soto became the latest Yankees superstar with a moment of magic Saturday night. Deadlocked at 2-2 in the 10th inning, Soto (3-for-5, 3 RBIs) smacked a three-run home run with two outs to deliver the decisive blow for New York. His three hits in the ALCS-clinching game were more than the entire Cleveland lineup. Giancarlo Stanton also hit another blast earlier in the contest to help wrap up his ALCS MVP award, and the Yanks are heading back to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2009. NYY Wins ALCS (4-1)

NLCS G6: Dodgers def. Mets (10-5)

LAD Rocks Manaea to Reach World Series

In a do-or-die Game 6 where the Mets tapped Sean Manaea to try and survive, they did anything but on Sunday night. Los Angeles torched Manaea for six runs in the first three frames as Tommy Edman and Will Smith lifted bombs in the third inning. New York had no answer as L.A. posted double digits for the second time in three games, and Edman took the NLCS MVP award. The Dodgers outscored the Mets 46-26 during the series for an average of 7.6 runs per game. And in the first year with Shohei Ohtani, who's not even pitching, the Dodgers are heading back to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2020. LAD Wins NLCS (4-2)

World Series HR Leaders (2024 Postseason)

Dodgers: Betts (4), Muncy (3), Ohtani (3)

Yankees: Stanton (5), Soto (3), Judge (2)

World Series Schedule

G1: Yankees at Dodgers (Friday, TBD)

SI: Juan Soto & Giancarlo Stanton Deliver Knockout Blows for Yankees in ALCS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

AP Poll: Duck, Duck, Goose 🦆

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

#5 Georgia Knocks Off #1 Texas in Austin (30-15) to Clear the Pond for Oregon in Latest CFB Poll Shakeup

Another twist in college football’s season-long odyssey gives us a new No. 1 for the fourth time this season. Georgia, Alabama and Texas each held No. 1 for the first eight weeks. Fittingly, all three have helped vanquish each other from the top spot in an ongoing SEC bloodbath. Alabama beat Georgia in Week 4. Alabama lost to Vanderbilt a week later. Now, Georgia beat Texas, and none of those three giants are on top. Welcome undefeated Oregon to the top of the standings after the latest round of "Duck, Duck, Goose" for No. 1 overall. A fun weekend across the country saw the Ducks rise, the Longhorns fall, and some Cinderella teams (like the Indiana Football Hoosiers with a 49-point beatdown!) turn heads in Week 8. Highlights, please...

College Football Highlights

#5 Georgia def. #1 Texas (30-15)

#2 Oregon def. Purdue (35-0)

#6 Miami def. Louisville (52-45)

#11 Tennessee def. #7 Alabama (24-17)

#8 LSU def. Arkansas (34-10)

#9 Iowa State def. UCF (38-35)

#10 Clemson def. Virginia (48-31)

#12 Notre Dame def. Georgia Tech (31-13)

#13 BYU def. Oklahoma State (38-35)

#14 Texas A&M def. Miss. State (34-24)

#16 Indiana def. Nebraska (56-7)

#22 Illinois def. #24 Michigan (21-7)

College Football AP Poll

1. Oregon (7-0) | ↑1

2. Georgia (6-1) | ↑3

3. Penn State (6-0) | —

4. Ohio State (5-1) | —

5. Texas (6-1) | ↓4

6. Miami (7-0) | —

7. Tennessee (6-1) | ↑4

8. LSU (6-1) | —

9. Clemson (6-1) | ↑1

10. Iowa State (7-0) | ↓1

Rest of Top-25: 11. BYU, 12. Notre Dame, 13. Indiana, 14. Texas A&M, 15. Alabama, 16. Kansas Sate (6-1), 17. Boise State, 18. Ole Miss, 19. Pittsburgh, 20. Illinois, 21. Missouri, 22. SMU, 23. Army, 24. Navy, 25. Vanderbilt

ESPN: College Football Week 8 Recap: Playoff Contenders Stock Watch

NFL

The NFL Week 7 Rewind

Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images

Russ Shines in Steelers Debut, Saquon Gets Revenge, Watson Goes Down & Chiefs Win Super BowI Rematch to Remain NFL’s Last Unbeaten

Short and sweet after Week 7. A full slate of games brought countless storylines as the standings shift once more. A Super Bowl rematch, a running back’s revenge, key injuries and more Jets turmoil highlight this week’s NFL rewind. Let's do it.

SBLVIII Rematch: The Chiefs beat the 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch on Sunday afternoon in Arrowhead (28-18). It was close for awhile, but the Chiefs are the NFL’s last unbeaten team despite QB Patrick Mahomes leading the NFL in interceptions (8).
Russ Rocks in Steelers Debut: QB Russell Wilson made his first start in Pittsburgh Sunday, and he started cooking after a slow start (264 yards, 2 TDs). The Steelers scored 31 unanswered points after trailing 15-6 to pummel the Jets.
Saquon’s Revenge: Eagles RB Saquon Barkley marched back into MetLife Stadium for a rematch against his old team, and Giants fans have to be sick. Barkley (186 yards, 1 TD) had more yards and touchdowns than the entire Giants offense in a 28-3 blowout.
Watson’s Big Injury: Browns QB Deshaun Watson was carted off with an Achilles injury in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. Cleveland (1-6) just got RB Nick Chubb back from injury, too.
NFC North Madness: The Lions handed the Vikings their first loss of the season in a wild thriller up north (31-29). The Packers also beat the Texans by the same margin (24-22), and the NFC North is a complete madhouse with an overall record of 19-6 (16-3 against non-divisional opponents).