After the embarrassing 9-0 slaughter of the New York Mets on Sunday, the Kings From Queens answered back with their bats earlier today in Game 2, belting in six runs by the third inning, knocking off L. A. in Dodgers Stadium 7-3. The NLCS series in now even 1-1.
The Dodgers’ 33 scoreless inning streak in the postseason was broken up today in the top of the first inning with a leadoff HR from Francisco Lindor off of Ryan Brasier and a second inning grand slam off Dodgers’ Landon Knack by third baseman Mark Vientos for his third homer in the postseason. Sean Manaea held it down on the mound for the Mets by striking out seven in the first five innings, earning the W.
Following Brasier’s departure from the mound after facing only one batter, Knack loaded up the bases, intentionally walking Lindor, to eventually giving Vientos a full count after eight pitches. He blasted the ninth pitch, a 95 mph fastball in the middle of the zone, over the right center field wall.
The grand slam opened up the Mets’ lead to 6-0, but the shutout was halted in the fifth with a leadoff home run from Max Muncy. Los Angeles added two more runs in the sixth courtesy of an error by second baseman Jose Iglesias, but managed to leave the bases loaded at the end of the inning, which were three of the ten baserunners they left stranded throughout the game.
The NLCS now goes back to Citi Field for Games 3, 4 and 5, with the Mets having gained home-field advantage from the top-seeded Dodgers. Game 3’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
After a roller coaster of comeback wins against the Milwaukee Brewers last week, the New York Mets took Game 1 against the Phillies 6-2, but the Phils squeaked by the Mets 7-6 in Game 2, which brings the series to Citi Field today(October 8) for the tie breaker and who will take the lead in the NLDS.
Game 1 was one of the most exciting games of the 2024 MLB postseason, with the Mets scoring five of their six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the opening of the series in Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. Even with Kyle Schwarber’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the first, leading the Phillies’ momentum, still didn’t keep the Amazins’ bats from cracking in the top of the eighth inning. The moment that Zack Wheeler left the mound, who kept New York to just one run throughout seven innings, the Mets took full advantage, driving in five runs on five hits. With Game 1 being the fourth comeback win for the Mets in the past week and a chance to bring the series back to Citi Field, it’s almost as if the Mets’ pennant position is destined.
The second of the two games put the NL East Division-leading Phillies in a comparable situation, knowing that they had to go back to New York for at minimum two more games against the Mets and their rivalrous crowd. Nick Castellanos could’ve possibly saved the postseason for Philly, hitting a walk-off single to left field to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Phils’ 7-6 win over the Mets in Game 2.
Castellanos ran to first base, dropped his helmet then ran back to home plate, where he met his son Liam.
“Lets Go!”, the father/son duo yelled to each other. “The best,” Castellanos said in his post-game interview with MLB.com. “Because when I’m old, and no one cares about me as a baseball player anymore, we’re going to be at home and be able to remember and look back at that.”
This NDLS Mets vs. Phillies series is so evenly matched, that down to today’s upcoming game, the Phillies and Mets record against each other in their past 100 outings, going back to August 2018, the record is split 50-50. Even in their past 1,000 games, dating back to July 1966 when the Mets franchise was just a few years old, the record is still in splitsville, 500-500. This rivalry leads up to the anticipation of Game 3, which will the give the winner the lead in this series and ultimately, bragging rights in their beef on the diamond.
Whelp, we didn’t have that on our football picks bingo card. But Kirk Cousins apparently did after he led the Atlanta Falcons to a stunning 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Cousins delivered a quick 70-yard touchdown drive in just 65 seconds.
Get this, the Falcons trailing by six points and only 1:39 remaining in the game, when Cousins orchestrated a masterful drive that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake London. This score put the Falcons ahead and secured their first win of the season at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eagles star QB, Jalen Hurts had a solid performance for the Eagles, completing 22 of 28 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also contributed significantly on the ground, rushing for 85 yards and another touchdown on 13 carries. Saquon Barkley added 95 yards on 22 carries, while DeVonta Smith put up 76 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. The Eagles had an opportunity to run out the clock on their final drive but had to settle for a field goal inside the two-minute warning. This gave them a six-point lead, leaving the door open for Cousins and the Falcons to rally.
This marks the first win for the Falcons after signing Cousins in the offseason. He went 20-of-29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Bijan Robinson provided a boost on the ground with 97 yards on 14 carries, and Darnell Mooney added 88 yards and a touchdown on three catches.
Hundreds of Dodgers fans were lined up at Dodgers Stadium as early as 11am this morning(August 28), but it wasn’t to get a good seat at today’s game.
The game against the Baltimore Orioles will definitely be one to see, with the O’s just one GB the Yanks in the AL East, but fans lined up in Dodgers Stadium’s Chavez Ravine for first grabs of Shohei Ohtani’s bobblehead. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PST, but baseball fans, ahem, Ohtani fans are making sure they don’t miss out on the future HOFer’s collectible.
The first 40K fans are promised one of the prized bobbles ,which features Ohtani and his dog Decoy. The bobbleheads come in the natural color and a gold plated version.
Back in May, the Dodgers released an Ohtani statuette and baseball memorabilia collectors were spending hundreds to buy the figurines on the secondary market. Some even spent thousands to purchase the limited edition versions.
The Empire State definitely represents in Major League Baseball, as both Players of the Week come from New York teams. The players who were voted as the best of the American and National Leagues should be no surprise to real baseball fans.
Aaron Judge and Francisco Lindor have been named as the American League and National League’s Players of the Week in the last full week of August, which leaves a little more than a month before the Pennant races begin in late September. Judge and the Yankees faced the Detroit Tigers, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Colorado Rockies last week, while the Amazins took on the Orioles and the San Diego Padres. The Mets broke even in their series against San Diego, edging the Padres by one run in both wins, while the Bronx Bombers beat the Rockies 2-1 in their 3-game series and the same results against the O’s.
Individually, both Lindor and Judge have put up phenomenal stats that would easily put them in the MVP conversation of either league. The 6X All-Star maintained a whopping .381 BA this week, with seven homers and 11 RBIs. Mets’ superstar shortstop boasted a .345 batting average last week, with four doubles, 3 HRs, and six RBIs.
This week, the Mets have to take on the NL West’s second-place Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox, who currently have the worst win-loss record in MLB. The Bombers have a three-game series against the Washington Nationals, with the Yanks already ahead after yesterday’s 5-2 victory. This weekend, the Yankees begin their series against the NL Central’s third-place Cards.
This past weekend, sports fans flocked to NYC’s Jacob Javits Convention Center by the thousands, present to experience the first immersive and interactive sports convention of its type and most of them brought little ones. Parents brought their kids, uncles and aunties brought their nieces and nephews because it was well promoted that there would be activities for the children. What wasn’t promoted was that Hip Hop stars spanning generations would be schmoozing among the sports legends at this monumental event.
The three-day festival started on Friday, with exhibitions for fans of all sports, including a full UFC ring situated near the entrance. Hundreds of booths for sports memorabilia sale and trade, such as a box of Wheaties signed by Michael Jordan worth $5,500 to a baseball signed by Hall Of Fame legends Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb worth $300K. If you were a young autograph seeker looking to score some iconic signatures, there were HOFers from all sports like Giants legend Lawrence Taylor, Mets ’86 World Series champions Dwight Gooden and Dwight Strawberry, NBA stars Jalen Rose, Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson, Walt Frazier, Julius “Dr. J” Irving, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and even controversial sportscaster Stephen A. Smith were all present.
There were literally millions of sports and collectible cards(Pokemon, Garbage Pail Kids, etc.) being bought, traded, sold and given away at Fanatics Fest. There were also panel discussions for those interested in the engaging conversations surrounding sports culture with titles “Courtside Conversations” and “The Ultimate Fantasy Draft” while several live podcasts were underway via radio and internet.
There were too many live sports activations to name, from MLB’s simulated Playball Park, where the kids got their chance to get hit a couple of homers, to the NBA hoops, which seemed to be full to capacity the entire weekend. Soccer and hockey goals, boxing/punching bag challenges, mini football fields wrestling rings and everything in between filled up the ground level of the Javits Center. Children were the main participants in these activations, but their parents and guardians seemed to have their focus on something more than just the sports fanatic’s fantasy.
On any given day, music could be heard throughout the convention center, but the front of the temporary club bearing the name “40/40 Club” could only be seen from a rear entrance that only permitted press and celebrities. Those who really wanted to see what all of the camera flashing was about waited on the side near the food court to catch a peep of the celebs headed for the red carpet. The kids saw some of their favorite personalities dip into The 40/40 Club, the exclusive sports bar/nightclub founded by Jay-Z in the early 2000s in midtown Manhattan. This activation in the Javits Center was created in conjunction with Fanatics Sportsbook, who kicked off the entire event. Quavo of The Migos, Lil Baby were spotted going into the invite only club, while Travis Scott was even seen signing a pair of his own Nike Travis Scott sneakers for a young fan before falling in the spot. That’s what Fanatics Fest is all about.
The OGs got to spot some of their favs including Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, comedian Michael Blackson and even more come in the spot. The most notable was, of course, Jay-Z himself making an appearance at the club created in his honor, causing such a ruckus that fans on the opposite side of the entrance were trying to sneak a pic of Hov, whose sighting continued to fuel rumors that he will be opening a new 40/40 Club complete with casinos.
With just as many Hip Hop stars making cameo appearances at this exclusive sports event, it’s a guarantee that next year many of the attendees will pull up looking for their favorite rapper rather than their favorite ball player. FanaticsFest was a successful example of how sports and music culture aren’t far removed from each other and when it comes to entertainment, all you can do is give the people who and what they want.
After the special guest appearance of McDonald’s character Grimace earning them the name “GriMets”, who would’ve thought that the Amazins’ could come up with another viral sensation on the baseball field? Well, the Mets have introduced another unconventional personality that is totally unrelated to baseball. Sort of.
Hailey Welch, the real life spitballer who went viral for her “Hawk Tuah” comment about oral sex, took the mound at Citi Field to throw out the first pitch for the Mets game against the Oakland A’s yesterday.
The 22-year-old Tennessee native rose to fame on social media when a street interview of her saying “hawk tuah” to describe oral sex went viral.
Mets fans and critics alike were confused as to why the Mets chose Welch to throw out the first pitch, but it must have been abad look for the Mets, who lost to the AL West last place A’s 7-6.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his 300th homer, reaching that milestone faster than any other player in the history of Major League Baseball when he connected against the White Sox during a 10-2 victory Wednesday night.
“It’s a great achievement,” he said. “Like I said a couple days ago, I was hoping it would come in a win. It came in a big win for us. We were down for a little bit, couldn’t get much going, so I was just excited it was there in a big moment.”
Judge hit the mark in his 955th game and 3,431st at-bat with a three-run drive in the eighth inning. The six-time All-Star and 2022 American League MVP drove a 3-0 up-and-in sinker from Chad Kuhl into the White Sox bullpen in left for his major league-leading 43rd homer.
The Yankees let loose as the ball cleared the wall, jumping up and raising their arms and banging the dugout railing. After the game, DJ LeMahieu and Austin Wells doused Judge with a tub of water.
“That means a lot,” Judge said. “These guys grind with me every single day. I know the hard work they put in. They see what I do. That was pretty special.”
Is it possible that the baseball world is underestimating this historic Juan Soto season, one playing out almost as a real-time background piece?
The thought crossed at least a few minds as Soto tracked his drive toward the right-field seats in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, flipping his bat before beginning his third trot of the night in the Yankees’ 4-1 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Aaron Judge casts a large shadow in the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award race, but even he can’t take his eyes off Soto.
Celebrating the first three-homer game of his illustrious young career, Soto responded by tossing a verbal bouquet toward the Yankees’ captain, saying that Judge’s 42 homers and 107 RBIs make him “the greatest hitter in the world.”
“Look at his numbers; he’s unbelievable,” Soto said. “He makes my job easier. When you’re hitting in front of a guy like that, you know you’re getting pitches. He’s the greatest one.”
Soto drove in all four of the Yankees’ runs, beginning with an opposite-field two-run shot in the third inning off right-hander Jonathan Cannon. Soto hit another homer off Cannon in the fifth, then crushed a solo blast in the seventh facing left-hander Fraser Ellard.
“It means a lot. It’s really fun, definitely,” Soto said. “It’s really cool to see it, and even better to get the win.”
Winning medals in the Olympics with COVID? Okay, we thought we’ve seen it all during the Paris games but add this to the list. Just two days after revealing that he had tested positive for COVID-19, American sprinter Noah Lyles took home the bronze medal in the 200-meter final at the Paris Olympics.
Here’s the nitty gritty … Lyles finished the epic race with a time of 19.70 seconds, securing third place behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who won gold with a time of 19.46 seconds, marking a historic moment as Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal. American Kenny Bednarek claimed the silver with a time of 19.62 seconds.
But wait, despite testing positive for COVID-19, Lyles remained determined to compete. He moved into a hotel to quarantine away from the Olympic Village and arrived at the track for Wednesday’s semifinal wearing a mask. He chose not to disclose his diagnosis publicly before the race, stating, “You never want to tell your competitors you’re sick. Why would you give them an edge over you?”
You may expect him to slow down in the lead up to the race but the 27 year-old Lyles appeared as energetic as ever when introduced before the final, displaying his signature enthusiasm by jumping and sprinting down the track as the sold-out crowd at Stade de France fell silent.
In a scary moment after crossing the finish line, Lyles collapsed and later asked for water while seated on the track. He was eventually placed in a wheelchair and taken away from the stadium—a stark contrast to his triumph just days earlier when he won his first Olympic gold in the 100 meters by five-thousandths of a second. After that victory, he had boldly predicted that he would win the 200 meters as well.
Thinking on his performance, Lyles admitted that testing positive for COVID-19 “definitely affected my performance,” but he remained proud of his resilience. “To be honest, I’m more proud of myself than anything, coming out and getting the bronze medal with COVID in three days. It’s been a wild Olympics,” he said.
USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic Committee released a statement on the matter:
“Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete. After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.”
Lyles was vying to become the first man to win both the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints at an Olympics since Usain Bolt in 2016 and the first American to do so since Carl Lewis 40 years ago. Nice company.
His run at more gold medals is far from done. In he upcoming 4×100-meter relay, Lyles said he would leave the decision to USA Track & Field on whether he should run in the final, for which the U.S. team had already qualified with the fastest time in the preliminaries. Wishing Lyles a speedy recovery.
