Good morning! Clinch your series today.
Pulse Power Rankings: Multiple WNBA dramas highlight frenzied day
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There are not many days in which we start this newsletter by saying, “I have to just tell you everything that happened yesterday.” Yesterday, however, was so good that we’re going to do exactly that.
Consider this a power ranking of Monday’s incredible playoff action, starting with the WNBA stealing the spotlight:
1. The Aces are back in the WNBA Finals, barely
For the third time in four seasons, the Las Vegas Aces will play in the finals. It’s an expected outcome after a most unexpected, bonkers game last night.
The Aces and Fever played to overtime in a Game 5 classic, with Vegas only separating after Indiana lost Kelsey Mitchell to injury and Aliyah Boston to foul trouble. The Aces were clearly the better team, but anyone watching last night’s game came away equally impressed with a Fever team that’s been through a lot this year. To come five minutes from reaching the finals after all that is almost unbelievable.
The W also soaked up an entire news cycle’s worth of headlines yesterday outside of the exquisite game:
Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier said the league has the “worst leadership in the world” in a prepared statement during a news conference. Collier was largely referencing some pain points with game officials, who became a focal point after Collier suffered an ankle injury in Game 3 of Minnesota’s semifinal loss to Phoenix. Collier and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve were furious with the lack of a foul call. Read Collier’s full statement here.
Collier also referenced ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, which seem like a mess at this point. Kelsey Plum said yesterday the league is stalling. Plum and others agreed with Collier that the league needs new leadership, too. Tough day for commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Oh, and the finals begin Friday. I asked Ben Pickman for his early read on the matchup:
“This series has a fascinating frontcourt matchup as the Mercury have reached the WNBA Finals in large part because of their star bigs, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally, while the Aces are led by four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson. How the two coaches try to defend each team’s frontcourt will go a long way in determining who takes home the title. Bonus interesting question: Can the Aces re-ignite any dynasty talk by winning a third title in four years?”
2. Shohei Ohtani went nuclear
In baseball’s nightcap, the Dodgers took a 1-0 series lead over the Reds with a 10-5 win, fueled by Shohei Ohtani’s two home runs. L.A. hit five dingers in the game, and this one felt over quickly. Look how quickly his leadoff homer got out:
Dude might be pretty good. Let’s take a quick news break before returning to the rankings:
News to Know
Wild sign Kaprizov after all
The Minnesota Wild agreed to a record eight-year, $136 million extension with superstar Kirill Kaprizov, the richest in NHL history by both total salary and average annual value ($17 million). It comes three weeks after the 28-year-old Kaprizov declined to sign an eight-year deal worth $128 million, which many thought could lead to Kaprizov hitting free agency next summer. Instead, Minnesota secured its future.
More news
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni insists A.J. Brown wants to be in Philadelphia despite some cryptic social posts yesterday.
In other WNBA news: The league agreed to an 11-year media rights deal to air games on USA Network. Read more here.
The Jonathan Kuminga saga is over in Golden State. The 22-year-old agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million contract yesterday. Full details here.
Golf legend Tom Watson was “ashamed” of the American Ryder Cup crowds. See his comments.
The Angels will also be searching for a new manager after announcing yesterday that Ron Washington will not return.
Chris Koras, head of baseball for the Klutch Sports agency, abruptly resigned last week.
A warning given to Daniil Medvedev at the China Open about his effort level was an error, according to the ATP. Strange story.
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Pulse Power Rankings, Cont.: Shout-out to pitchers
Back to the power rankings:
3. Boston’s steely swipe
The Yankees entered these playoffs as arguably the hottest team in the bracket. A loaded roster and a great September made them a trendy World Series pick.
The division-rival Red Sox instead went to Yankee Stadium last night and exited with a thrilling 3-1 win. Garrett Crochet was spectacular over 7 2/3 innings, giving up just the one run. And Aroldis Chapman, who has reinvented himself in Boston, got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth to win the game.
Sox can clinch tonight. Wild.
4. Tarik Skubal course-corrected
For now, the story of Detroit’s season is its historic collapse down the stretch. The thing the Tigers needed most, after letting the AL Central slip to the Guardians, was a Game 1 win, on the road in Cleveland, in the AL Wild Card Series.
Staff ace Skubal delivered just that in 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball, as Detroit eked out a 2-1 road win. The margins are so small in this round. This was a massive, massive win.
5. The Cubs found a buzz
Chicago finished the season 92-70, which in a normal year would’ve been plenty good to win a division title. But this is a wild-card team, and the emotions are more tenuous in this fan base.
The Cubbies used back-to-back home runs yesterday to beat the Padres, 3-1, the franchise’s first postseason win since 2017. There was pent-up energy at Wrigley Field, as Patrick Mooney wrote, and a Game 1 win was cathartic.
What a day all around. Let’s do it again in a few hours.
What to Watch
📺 MLB: Tigers at Guardians
1 p.m. ET on ESPN
We have the same run of schedule today as we did yesterday. The Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox and Dodgers can all advance. See all the games here.
📺 Soccer: PSG at FC Barcelona
3 p.m. ET on Paramount+
The Champions League also continues today with a full slate. This is probably the juiciest matchup, but decide for yourself.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
The college QB class has been … surprising this year. It’s still “special,” as Bruce Feldman reports, but it’s different than we expected. Here’s what scouts have gotten right and wrong about the top signal callers.
Want a preview of the future of college sports? Read Ralph Russo’s breakdown of the SCORE Act and the SAFE Act.
Jurgen Klopp is one of the best managers in the modern era of European soccer. In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, he said he never wants to coach again.
I really enjoyed Dan Woike’s story from earlier in the week on Austin Reaves, who’s at an inflection point with the ever-interesting Lakers. Reaves wants to stay in L.A. — but just made a huge bet on himself.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: NFL Power Rankings, of course.
Most-read on the website yesterday: ☝️
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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