Shohei Ohtani is feeling excitement, not nerves, on eve of his postseason debut with the Dodgers
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shohei Ohtani is about to realize his childhood dream of playing in important games. There's nothing bigger than the Major League Baseball playoffs. And the Japanese superstar says he isn't nervous. Ohtani says the excitement of playing October baseball for the first time is greater than anything else he could be feeling. He spent the last six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never made the postseason during his tenure. Fans on both sides of the Pacific are clamoring to see what the record-setting Ohtani can do in October after he became the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
Mets name Kodai Senga their Game 1 starter against the Phillies in the NLDS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Kodai Senga is the surprise Game 1 starter for the New York Mets when they open the NL Division Series on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Senga has thrown just 5 1/3 major league innings all year. He joined the Mets ahead of the 2023 season on a $75 million, five-year contract and became an All-Star in his first season. He went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. The 31-year-old Japanese pitcher made just one start this season as he dealt with injuries that included tightness in his right triceps. The team's projected No. 1 starter this year, Senga also was sidelined by a strained left calf.
Bronny James begins his Lakers career with a preseason debut. LeBron won't join until the next game
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) -- Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game when the Lakers host Minnesota in the first of Los Angeles' two games in the Coachella Valley. LeBron James didn't play with his oldest son against the Timberwolves, but the 39-year-old superstar is likely to play against Phoenix on Sunday, which just happens to be Bronny's 20th birthday. Bronny James finished with two points in the Lakers' 124-107 loss to the Timberwolves, missing his first five shots before making a layup with 56.9 seconds to play.
Jets' Rodgers insists there's no rift with Saleh and responds to rumors of potential Adams reunion
WARE, England (AP) -- Aaron Rodgers talked some football but mostly relationships -- those with coach Robert Saleh and former teammate Davante Adams, in particular -- after the New York Jets landed in London on Friday. Rodgers denied he and Saleh have any sort of rift, saying "there's some driving force" outside the Jets' facility trying to "put a wedge between Robert and I." Adams could be available via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders, and Rodgers clearly indicated his preference when it comes to a potential reunion with his former Green Bay teammate.
Dillon Gabriel, Jordan James lead No. 6 Oregon to 31-10 victory over Michigan State
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Dillon Gabriel threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another to help No. 6 Oregon remain undefeated with a 31-10 victory over Michigan State on Friday night. Gabriel completed 20 of 32 passes to finish with 257 yards and Jordan James ran for a career-high 166 yards and another score for the Ducks, who improved to 5-0 and 2-0 in Big Ten play with a showdown against No. 3 Ohio State coming next week. It was the third straight loss for Michigan State, spoiling coach Jonathan Smith's return to the state of Oregon after leaving Oregon State for the Spartans last November.
Syracuse rallies to force overtime and beat No. 25 UNLV 44-41, spoiling Rebels' poll debut
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- LeQuint Allen powered into the end zone from a yard out in overtime to give Syracuse a 44-41 victory over No. 25 UNLV on Friday night, four days after the Rebels broke into the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history. After Caden Chittenden made a 41-yard field goal to give UNLV (4-1) a 41-38 lead in overtime, the Orange (4-1) walked it off with Allen's fourth touchdown of the game. Kyle McCord was 40 of 63 for 355 yards and three touchdowns for Syracuse. Allen rushed 19 times for 71 yards and two scores, and had nine catches for 58 yards and two more scores. The Orange tied it with 23 seconds left in regulation on Jackson Meeks' 6-yard TD catch.
Greg Landry, former Detroit Lions quarterback and assistant coach, dead at 77
DETROIT (AP) -- Greg Landry, the former Detroit Lions quarterback and assistant coach, has died. He was 77. The Lions announced Landry's death on social media Friday. No cause of death was given. Landry played in the NFL from 1968 to 1981, the first 11 years with the Lions, and also played for the then-Baltimore Colts. After two seasons in the USFL, he returned to the NFL and played one game with the Chicago Bears. He threw for 16,052 yards in his NFL career with 98 touchdowns and 103 interceptions. He was also one of the best running quarterbacks in NFL history, gaining more than 2,600 yards with 21 TDs.
Collier scores 26 to help Lynx top Sun 90-81 in Game 3 of semifinal series and take 2-1 lead
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) -- Napheesa Collier scored 26 points and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 90-81 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five semifinals series. Game 4 is Sunday in Connecticut with the Lynx looking to advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017. That season ended in the fourth of Minnesota's championships. Collier, who averaged 14 points in the first two games of the series, had 16 in the first half in Game 3. Minnesota led by seven after one quarter and 48-36 at the half thanks to Collier, who made seven of her 10 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Brionna Jones led Connecticut with 21.
Celtics beat the Nuggets 107-103 in the NBA's preseason opener at Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf on Friday for the third consecutive year. The preseason schedule for the 2023-24 season opened with the Boston Celtics beating the Denver Nuggets 107-103 in a matchup of the two most recent championship clubs. The Celtics and Nuggets will finish their two-game set in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Payton Pritchard had a game-high 21 points for Boston. Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 14 for Denver and Russell Westbrook had 12 in his debut with the Nuggets.
Under MLB's new playoff format, a little rest isn't always the best
Shohei Ohtani has mashed 100 mph fastballs for homers, stolen bases against some of the game's best catchers and recently wrapped up one of the best regular seasons in Major League Baseball history. Now the Japanese superstar and his Los Angeles Dodgers have to face something that's arguably even more daunting. A five-day break. Since MLB's most recent playoff format took effect in 2022, five of the eight top seeds have lost in the Division Series, unable to capitalize on the supposed reward of earning a bye through the Wild Card Series. This year, the Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees and Guardians are dealing with the five-day break, trying to use it to their advantage.