The Sportsletter - Clinching Cards

BY JEFF YODER

SEPT. 29, 2021  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

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Good Morning 👋

With six games left in the MLB season, there’s one red-hot team fast approaching the record books. The St. Louis Cardinals just clinched, and they haven’t lost in 19 days. It’s magic number week in the big leagues, so buckle up.

Letter Rip!

MLB

Clinching Cards Win 17th Straight

Photo: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images

St. Louis Clinches NL’s 2nd Wild Card & Extends Win Streak to 17 Games

Another night, another win for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards beat the Brewers on Tuesday (6-2) behind a gem from pitcher Adam Wainwright and a pair of homers from Nolan Arenado and Jose Rondon. The team’s 17th straight win secured the National League’s second Wild Card spot. The MLB record for the longest win streak is 26 games (Giants, 1916). St. Louis is guaranteed five more regular season games and one playoff game, but they’ll need to sweep the NLDS to break the record. For now, it’s safe to say the ‘Birds on the Bat’ are the hottest team in baseball.

Watch: Cardinals Beat Brewers for 17th Straight, Clinch NL Wild Card

MLB Quick-Hitters

Yankees Streak Hits 7: The second longest win streak in the majors belongs to the Yankees after a 7-2 win over the Blue Jays. Giancarlo Stanton hit his 35th HR of the year. He now has 13 RBIs in the last four games while batting .529 during that span. New York now holds a two-game lead in the AL Wild Card race.

Astros Top Rays With Walk-Off: Houston took down Tampa Bay (4-3) with a dramatic finish Tuesday night thanks to back-to-back walks with the bases loaded in the 9th. The Astros flipped a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 win to pull with one win of clinching the AL West.

Perez Takes HR Lead: The Royals may be out of the postseason, but Salvador Perez crushed his 47th home run of the season to take the lead in the HR race. He’s just one away from tying Kansas City’s single-season record. The Royals beat the Indians, 6-4.

Morton Spins 7 Scoreless: The Atlanta Braves brought their magic number to 3 thanks to a crucial 2-1 win over the Phillies in the NL East race. Pitcher Charlie Morton tossed seven scoreless innings in the victory. Atlanta has now won four straight, and they hold a three-game lead over Philly with six games to play.

SOCCER

Meet the Next Champions League Darlings

Photo: Quality Sport Images / Getty Images

Sheriff Shocks Real Madrid (2-1) for Historic Champions League Upset

The next Champions League darlings have emerged! On a day where Lionel Messi scored his first goal in a PSG uniform, he was upstaged by the biggest upset in more than three years of Champions League play. The team known as Sheriff (FC Sheriff Tiraspol) became the first Moldovan side to ever reach the UCL group stage, and they just did the unthinkable. The 27-1 underdogs stunned Real Madrid (2-1) thanks to Sebastien Thill’s 89th-minute wonder strike from outside the 18. Real Madrid outshot Sheriff 31-4 and out-possessed them 76-24, but the final scoreline is all that matters. Sheriff is now 2-0 in their first Champions League appearance, and they sit atop the standings in Group D.

Watch: Sheriff def. Real Madrid (2-1)

Matchday 2 Scores & Highlights

Shakhtar Donetsk draw Inter Milan (0-0)

Ajax def. Besiktas (2-0)

Atletico Madrid def. Milan (2-1)

Dortmund def. Sporting (1-0)

PSG def. Manchester City (2-0)

Liverpool def. Porto (5-1)

Club Brugge def. RB Leipzig (2-1)

Today’s Schedule

Atalanta vs. Young Boys (12:45 pm ET)

Zenit vs. Malmo (12:45 pm ET)

Wolfsburg vs. Sevilla (3:00 pm ET)

Bayern vs. Dynamo Kyiv (3:00 pm ET)

RB Salzburg vs. Lille (3:00 pm ET)

Juventus vs. Chelsea (3:00 pm ET)

Benfica vs. Barcelona (3:00 pm ET)

Man. United vs. Villareal (3:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: ‘Biggest Shock Ever’: Fans in Disbelief Over Real Madrid Shocker

B/R: Lionel Messi Scores 1st PSG Goal in 2-0 Champions League Win Over Man. City

WNBA

Game 1: WNBA Semifinal Recaps

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Sun's Jonquel Jones Wins MVP, But Courtney Vandersloot’s Historic Triple-Double Leads Sky Upset

Game 1 of 5 in the WNBA semifinals took center court on Tuesday night as the Sky and Aces came away victorious. The ‘W’ also announced Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones won the league MVP award. We’re deep into the playoffs, but the semifinals are only just beginning. Here’s how Game 1s were won on Tuesday.

#6 Sky def. #1 Sun (101-95, 2OT)

Chicago snatched the upset against the top-seeded Sun last night in a double-overtime thriller. Courtney Vandersloot packaged the second-ever triple-double in WNBA postseason history (12 points, 18 assists, 10 rebounds). Candace Parker (22 points) and Allie Quigley (19 points) added 41 as the lowest remaining seed takes a 1-0 series lead. (CHI Leads 1-0)

#2 Aces def. #5 Mercury (96-90)

The Aces flipped the script on the Mercury in the nightcap, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the first half to escape with a Game 1 win. All five Mercury starters hit double figures, but Las Vegas’s Riquna Williams dropped 26 points with four trifectas. Kelsey Plum also tallied 25 off the bench. (LV Leads 1-0)

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Connecticut Sun Forward Jonquel Jones Named WNBA MVP

The Athletic: Sky’s Courtney Vandersloot Records Second Triple-Double in WNBA Playoff History

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THE STORYLINES

🏈  1 Thing We Learned About Each NFL Team

Week 3 of the 2021 NFL season is officially in the books. Sixteen teams logged wins. Sixteen others fell short. But what did we learn about each of the 32 after another week of action? (CBS Sports)

🏎️  The NASCAR Playoff Pulse

There are two races remaining in the Round of 12 before the field is whittled to eight, with four drivers eliminated from the postseason after the Oct. 10 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Here’s how the field looks after Las Vegas. (NASCAR)

📰 THE HEADLINES

College Football Officials Hope to Agree on ‘Framework’ for Expanded Playoff by Today

(SI)

Ex-UFC Champ Ronda Rousey Announces Birth of First Daughter

(USA Today)

76ers Ben Simmons Reportedly Wants Out of Philly Due to Not Wanting to Play With Joel Embiid

(Bleacher Report)

Eli Manning Apologizes for Flipping Off America on ESPN Monday Night Football Broadcast

(Yahoo! Sports)

Manny Pacquiao Officially Retires From Boxing At 42 Years Old

(CBS Sports)

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