With a nearly seven-month wait since the Super Bowl for meaningful NFL games, it’s only natural for Week 1 to fuel some overreactions.

What happened last season was the latest example of why that might not be wise.

The Seattle Seahawks won the title against the New England Patriots in February in the only Super Bowl matchup ever played between two teams that started the season with a loss. Seattle lost to division rival San Francisco but got revenge in a blowout win in the playoffs. The Patriots shockingly lost at home to the Las Vegas Raiders, who won just two more games the entire season and wound up with the No. 1 overall draft pick.

That should be good news for the Los Angeles Rams, who came into the season as heavy Super Bowl favorites only to lose their opener 27-7 to San Francisco in Australia last week in their lowest-scoring game with MVP Matthew Stafford at quarterback.

In all, five teams made the playoffs last season after losing in Week 1, with Chicago, Houston and Carolina joining Seattle and New England in the postseason. Nearly half of last year’s Week 1 winners — seven of 16 — missed the playoffs, with Arizona, Cincinnati and Washington all winning six games or fewer for the entire season.

Since the playoffs expanded to seven teams per conference in 2020, an average of 4.3 teams per season have lost in Week 1 but made the playoffs; and 6.2 teams per season have won in Week 1 and missed the postseason.

But the Rams won’t be satisfied with just a playoff bid. After adding Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie to a team that fell just short last season, they entered this one with plus-500 odds to win it all.

Just 12 of the 60 Super Bowl champions lost their season opener but the Seahawks were the third to do it in the past six seasons, joining Tampa Bay in 2020 and Kansas City in 2023.

But doing it after such a lopsided Week 1 loss would be unusual. Only one eventual champion, New England, lost the opener by at least 20 points. The Patriots lost 31-0 in Week 1 to Buffalo in 2003 before winning 34 of 37 games the rest of 2003 and ’04 to win back-to-back titles.

The New York City area has been at the bottom of the NFL over the past decade, with the New York Jets having the league’s worst record since 2016 and the Giants ranking second-worst.

That’s what made the start of this season so surprising. The Jets beat Tennessee 23-10 on Sunday afternoon and the Giants upset Dallas 28-20 on Sunday night. That marked the first time both those teams won in Week 1 since 2009. Both had lost the opener in five of the last seven years.

With both teams taking a 1-0 record into Week 2, this is just the second season since the start of 2016 that both the Jets and Giants had winning records at the same time. It also happened for a 10-week stretch in 2022, ending after the Jets lost in Week 15 to fall to 7-7 on the way to a 7-10 finish.

There have only been five times that both teams made the playoffs in the same season. It happened in 2006, 2002, 1986, 1985 and 1981.

Coach John Harbaugh won his debut with the Giants as part of a winning weekend overall for the record-tying 10 new head coaches.

Six of the 10 opened with victories, including two in head-to-head matchups, with Mike McCarthy’s Pittsburgh Steelers beating Kevin Stefanski’s Atlanta Falcons, and Klint Kubiak’s Las Vegas Raiders beating Jeff Hafley’s Miami Dolphins.

The other winners were Arizona’s Mike LaFleur against the Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore’s Jesse Minter against Indianapolis, and Buffalo’s Joe Brady beating Houston.

The other two losing coaches were Tennessee’s Robert Saleh against the Jets and Cleveland’s Todd Monken against Jacksonville.

One season after Carolina won the division and became the fifth team to make the playoffs with a losing record in a non-strike season, the NFC South got off to a rough start in 2026.

The Panthers lost 59-37 to Chicago and their three division rivals also lost. Tampa Bay fell 33-27 to Cincinnati, New Orleans lost 31-30 to Detroit in overtime and Atlanta fell 20-13 to Pittsburgh.

This marked just the eighth time since the merger that every team in one division lost in Week 1. That last happened with the NFC North in 2021.

The offenses weren’t the issue. Three of the teams topped 30 points and had 107 combined points, the most in any week for a division without a single win, topping the 100 for the NFC North teams in Week 2 of the 2023 season.

Here are a few other statistical standouts from Week 1:

— The Philadelphia Eagles won their sixth straight opener as Nick Sirianni became the only coach in NFL history to appear in at least six openers and win them all. That’s the longest active winning streak in Week 1. The last team to have a longer streak was Kansas City with eight straight from 2015-22.

— Carson Wentz replaced an injured Kyler Murray to throw three TD passes and no interceptions in a 39-22 win for Minnesota over Green Bay. The only other QB to come off the bench in an opener and throw at least three TDs and no INTs since starts were first tracked in 1950 was Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who did it in the first game in Vikings history in 1961 against Chicago.

— Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt had two sacks and a pick-6 in a win over Atlanta. Watt now has 117 sacks and 10 interceptions in his career, joining Hall of Famer Julius Peppers as the only players with at least 100 sacks and 10 INTs.

— Bijan Robinson was nearly the entire offense for the Falcons with 83 yards rushing, 90 yards receiving and the team’s only TD in the loss to the Steelers. Robinson had 65.8% of the offense for the Falcons and 10 of the team’s 19 targets in the passing game. The last running back who had at least half of his team’s targets was LaDainian Tomlinson with 15 of 28 for the Chargers in Week 17 of the 2003 season against the Raiders.

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Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Texas QB Arch Manning apologizes to ESPN reporter Holly Rowe for laughing about fake video of slap

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas quarterback Arch Manning has apologized for publicly joking about an AI-altered video that depicted Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe in the moments after Texas’ big win over Ohio State. Manning was asked Monday at a news conference if he’d seen any social media posts about the postgame celebration. He mentioned the fake video clip, called it “hilarious” and laughed about it. The comments drew widespread criticism on social media. Manning publicly apologized to Rowe on Tuesday in a statement on Instagram. Rowe posted a note accepting his apology.

A sweeping college sports overhaul bill clears early hurdle in Senate vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to broadly regulate college sports has cleared a first major hurdle in the Senate. The Senate voted Tuesday to consider the bill, a significant step forward as senators from both parties have made the legislation a priority. The bill aims to put guardrails around escalating spending in college sports as the industry struggles to adapt to a new model in which schools can pay players. Major conferences, Senate leadership and President Donald Trump have backed the bipartisan bill. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz of Texas said the bill aims to quell “the chaos we have in college sports.”

The Milwaukee Brewers and their brand of selfless baseball are NL Central champions again

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have clinched their fourth straight NL Central title. Ace Jacob Misiorowski admits he’s still trying to figure out how they keep winning. The Brewers have relied on a mix of good pitching, timely hitting and smart baserunning. They have the 19th-highest payroll in baseball and the best record in the majors as the season winds down. The next goal for the Brewers is to finish as the top seed in the National League and earn home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Formula 1 schedules 2027 season-opening race in Bahrain in March despite Middle East uncertainty

Formula 1 plans to open the 2027 season in Bahrain even as uncertainty remains over this year’s races in the Middle East. F1 released a schedule for 2027 on Wednesday starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 14 and more events in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. All have long-term contracts to host F1. Races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off this year due to the Iran war. An extra race in Malaysia next month will have Bahrain Grand Prix branding.

Silver says NBA looked at precedent before doling out Clippers’ penalties for cap circumvention

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league looked at precedent before taking away five first-round draft picks from the Los Angeles Clippers for circumventing salary cap rules. He spoke Tuesday at the end of a two-day Board of Governors meeting. Silver pointed to a precedent with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were once docked five picks for similar violations. He acknowledged the decision was difficult because of its impact on fans. The Clippers were found to have circumvented rules on Kawhi Leonard’s behalf. The NBA also has suspended owner Steve Ballmer for one year and fined the team $30 million.

Pete Alonso hits 300th homer to tie game in 9th against Mets and gets rare curtain call on road

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso hit plenty of memorable home runs for the New York Mets. This one came at their expense. Alonso launched his 300th career homer Tuesday night, a tying shot in the ninth inning against his former team, and Coby Mayo’s inside-the-park homer in the 11th sent the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-5 victory at Citi Field. With the Orioles clinging to playoff hopes, Alonso connected off Kodai Senga to tie the score 3-all. The pumped-up slugger fired his bat toward the Baltimore dugout and shouted in excitement. He rounded the bases as the Queens crowd of 28,097 roared and then called him out for a rare curtain call on the road. Alonso hit a club-record 264 homers for the Mets before signing with the Orioles last December.

Capitals say Alex Ovechkin was asked to film United Russia ad while home this summer

WASHINGTON (AP) — After Alex Ovechkin appeared in an ad for Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, the Washington Capitals said their long-time captain was asked to participate while back in his home country this summer. Team spokesperson Sergey Kocharov says in a statement to The Associated Press that Ovechkin is a Russian citizen who lives in Moscow during the offseason and plans to return there after retiring from his NHL career. Kocharov says Ovechkin is a pillar of the community in Washington and that his and the team’s focus is on the coming season and the impact he makes on and off the ice.

TNT says 1.2 million viewers watched the US beat France in the women’s FIBA World Cup final

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. delivered record ratings for the women’s FIBA World Cup on TNT, with an average of 1.2 million people watching the Americans beat France in the gold medal game. It was the third most-watched women’s World Cup game and it peaked at 1.5 million viewers. The top two also came from this year’s tournament, which ended Sunday. The title game went up against the opening weekend of the NFL season and the U.S. Open men’s final. The WNBA has drawn huge ratings this season, thanks in no small part to Caitlin Clark’s star power.

Sophie Cunningham expresses thoughts on next WNBA commissioner, has discussed them with Adam Silver

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham told reporters that she has discussed the soon-to-be vacant WNBA commissioner’s position with Adam Silver after the NBA commissioner reached out to her. Cunningham spoke at practice Monday as the league remains on its FIBA World Cup break. Current WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert recently announced she will retire at the end of the year. And while the outspoken Cunningham has plenty of thoughts about what traits are needed in the league’s next leader, she didn’t offer any names for the position. It’s not unusual for Silver to speak with players in either the NBA or the WNBA about issues pertaining to either league. The league declined to comment on the specifics of what Silver and Cunningham discussed.

Paul George understands sentiments after trade, says he’s ready to prove himself with Celtics

BOSTON (AP) — Paul George is embracing his new role with the Boston Celtics after being traded from Philadelphia. George says he understands fans’ disappointment over losing Jaylen Brown but said he’s focused on the opportunity ahead of him. George said he’s in a great place after past injuries and remains motivated as he prepares to join his fifth NBA team.

By Field Level Media

Sep 16 (Field Level Media) – Jacob Misiorowski tossed five scoreless innings, Joey Ortiz collected three hits and two RBIs, the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the host Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Tuesday for the start of what proved to be a celebratory night.

The Brewers won for the sixth time in seven games and later clinched their fourth consecutive National League Central title when the Chicago Cubs lost 6-3 to the Atlanta Braves.

Misiorowski (15-5) lowered his ERA to 1.89 and continued to bolster his case for this year’s NL Cy Young Award by striking out seven and walking one batter while allowing five hits. The Brewers broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning.

Rafael Flores Jr. went 4-for-4 for Pittsburgh, which lost for the third time in four games. Lake Bachar (1-4) yielded one run in two innings.

Dodgers 4, Reds 0

Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just one hit over seven scoreless innings while Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Freeland homered to lead visiting Los Angeles past Cincinnati.

Brock Stewart pitched a scoreless eighth and Tanner Scott finished Los Angeles’ 12th shutout of the season in the ninth. Freddie Freeman added three hits for the Dodgers, who trimmed their magic number to two for clinching the National League West title.

The Reds were blanked for a major-league-leading 17th time and fell a season- low 11 games under .500 with their seventh loss in eight games. Cincinnati has dropped all five games this season against the Dodgers.

Guardians 7, White Sox 6

Brayan Rocchio ripped a two-run double with two outs in the ninth inning as host Cleveland moved within a half-game of first-place Chicago in the American League Central.

Jo Adell belted a two-run homer and Travis Bazzana delivered two solo shots for the Guardians. The late uprising made a winner out of Cade Smith (6-1), who threw 1 2/3 perfect innings.

Miguel Vargas ripped a two-run single to highlight a four-run sixth inning for the White Sox. Grant Taylor (7-3) took the loss.

Nationals 6, Phillies 3

Pinch hitter Daylen Lile socked a three-run homer in the seventh inning, lifting host Washington to a win against Philadelphia.

Andres Chaparro had a solo homer and a double for the Nationals, who have won four straight after losing seven in a row. Richard Lovelady (3-4) pitched one inning for the win, and Erik Tolman worked the ninth for his third save.

Kyle Schwarber homered and Luis Arraez had two doubles and a walk for the Phillies, who have lost four of five and remained a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs for the first NL wild card.

Braves 6, Cubs 3

Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin each hit a two-run homer as Atlanta won at Chicago.

Martin Perez (9-9) allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits across six innings for the 100th victory of his major league career. Raisel Iglesias worked a perfect ninth to log his 33rd save of the season.

Kevin Gausman threw 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball for the Cubs. Jacob Webb (6-5) served up Albies’ go-ahead homer in the seventh.

Rays 2, Athletics 1

Junior Caminero bashed a walk-off homer for the second time in four games as Tampa Bay beat the Athletics in St. Petersburg, Fla., and improved to 4-0 on its homestand.

The third baseman, who launched a walk-off blast Friday against the Houston Astros to send the Rays to the playoffs, repeated the feat on a 100 mph 0-2 fastball from Elvis Alvarado (5-4). It was his American League-high 41st homer.

Chandler Simpson went 3-for-3 with a double and a run for the Rays. Bryan Baker (3-2) got three flyouts in a perfect ninth for the win. The A’s managed only four hits while falling to 8-4 in their past 12 games.

Yankees 8, Twins 1

Spencer Jones belted a three-run home run, Cody Bellinger hammered a two-run shot, and New York cruised past Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Bellinger collected three hits while Heliot Ramos, George Lombard Jr. and Anthony Volpe had two apiece for New York, which earned its third win in a row. Yankees left-hander Max Fried (5-4) allowed one run on six hits in seven innings.

Luke Keaschall went 3-for-4 and Emmanuel Rodriguez finished 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Twins, who took their seventh loss in nine games. Bailey Ober (7-6) gave up three runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Orioles 7, Mets 5 (11 innings)

Coby Mayo hit a tiebreaking three-run inside-the-park home run in the 11th inning for visiting Baltimore, which stormed back to beat New York.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jeremiah Jackson homered in the second, and ex-Mets slugger Pete Alonso tied the game in the ninth with his 300th career homer for the Orioles, who are three games back of the Cleveland for the final American League postseason spot. Alonso’s milestone homer earned him a curtain call from the Citi Field crowd.

Carson Benge hit a solo homer in the third for the Mets. Juan Soto went 2-for-5 with an RBI while Bo Bichette had three hits.

Rockies 9, Padres 3

Cole Carrigg homered twice, including a three-run shot to cap a five-run sixth inning, and Colorado beat San Diego in Denver to snap an eight-game skid.

Carrigg finished with four hits and five RBIs, both career highs for the rookie. Troy Johnston had three hits for the Rockies, who got five innings of shutout relief from Ryan Feltner (6-10).

Fernando Tatis Jr., Austin Hays and Luis Campusano homered for the Padres, whose eight-game winning streak ended. Reliever Wandy Peralta (3-3) permitted four runs and got just two outs.

Astros 4, Royals 2

Jeremy Pena recorded his fifth career multi-homer game and Yordan Alvarez homered for just the second time this month as Houston downed visiting Kansas City.

Hunter Brown (6-3) fanned a season-high-tying 10 while allowing one run in five innings for the Astros, who maintained a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the American League West. Josh Hader handled the ninth inning for his 26th save.

Vinnie Pasquantino went deep for the Royals, who have lost three in a row. Michael Wacha (9-9) permitted four runs in six innings.

Rangers 4, Red Sox 2

Jacob deGrom struck out eight in five innings and Texas scored four runs in the second inning to defeat Boston in Arlington, Texas.

deGrom (11-9) gave up two runs on three hits. Jacob Latz pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to register his 30th save. Elias Diaz and Corey Seager each had a two-run hit for the Rangers.

Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval (1-6) allowed four runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. The Boston offense struck out 15 times and stranded nine baserunners.

Tigers 10, Blue Jays 1

Spencer Torkelson hit a three-run homer, Drew Anderson pitched five scoreless innings and visiting Detroit defeated Toronto.

Torkelson also doubled, walked and stole a base as the Tigers won their sixth straight. Hao-Yu Lee added a solo shot in the win. Anderson (5-6) allowed two hits.

Toronto fell to two games behind the Guardians for the third American League wild-card berth. Blue Jays reliever Brendan Cellucci struck out three in 1 2/3 perfect innings in his major league debut before Michael Lorenzen (3-13) surrendered five runs in two innings.

Giants 10, Cardinals 3

Bryce Eldridge hit a long home run and drove in three runs, rookie Blade Tidwell pitched effectively into the seventh inning, and visiting San Francisco beat St. Louis to stop a four-game losing streak.

Turner Hill hit his first major league homer for the Giants. He finished with three RBIs and also made three nice running catches in left field. Christian Koss had three hits and drove in two runs for San Francisco. Tidwell (1-2) allowed two runs and three hits in a career-high 6 2/3 innings.

Alec Burleson lined a solo homer, his 23rd, for the Cardinals, who had won three of four.

Angels 2, Mariners 1

Josh Lowe hit a go-ahead solo homer in the sixth inning and Ryan Johnson allowed one run on six hits over six frames, leading Los Angeles past Seattle in Anaheim, Calif.

Wade Meckler had two hits and a run while Vaughn Grissom hit an RBI double for the Angels, who clinched their first home series win since Aug. 10-13 against the Rangers. Johnson (5-8) struck out seven.

The result guaranteed the Mariners their first losing season since the COVID- shortened 2020 campaign, when they went 27-33. Logan Gilbert (12-10) gave up two runs on six hits in six innings.

Marlins 4, Diamondbacks 2 (11 innings)

Esteury Ruiz hit a tiebreaking three-run double with two outs in the 11th inning and Miami outlasted Arizona in Phoenix to prevent the Diamondbacks from gaining ground in the NL wild-card race.

Griffin Conine homered for the Marlins, who did not have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position until automatic runner Javier Sanoja was placed there to open the 10th in a 1-1 game. Josh Ekness (2-3), the eighth Miami pitcher, struck out two in two innings.

Gabriel Moreno homered, singled, walked twice, stole a base and threw out two baserunners for the D-backs. Arizona remained 2 1/2 games behind San Diego in the race for the third NL wild card.

(–Field Level Media)

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso hit plenty of memorable home runs for the New York Mets.

This one came at their expense — and still earned him a curtain call in Queens.

Alonso launched his 300th career homer Tuesday night, a tying shot in the ninth inning against his former team, and Coby Mayo’s inside-the-park homer in the 11th sent the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-5 victory at Citi Field.

“There’s a lot of history here with me,” Alonso said after receiving a beer shower from his Baltimore teammates. “It doesn’t matter where and when, I just want to help the team win. I’m just really, really happy for us to come back the way we did.”

The Orioles were two outs from a defeat that would have dropped them four games behind Cleveland for the last American League playoff spot when Alonso hit a 414-foot solo drive off Kodai Senga to tie the score 3-all.

A pumped-up Alonso, who hit a club-record 264 homers for the Mets before signing with the Orioles last December, fired his bat toward the Baltimore dugout and shouted in excitement. He rounded the bases as the Citi Field crowd of 28,097 — down from 35,800 for the slugger’s return Monday night — roared.

Fans chanted his name until Alonso emerged from the dugout for a curtain call. Then chants of “Fire Stearns” began, aimed at Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.

“Everyone in the dugout was saying go out there,” Alonso said. “And they were right.”

Said Orioles manager Craig Albernaz: “The dugout was fired up for Pete for a lot of different reasons. It was cool to get an acknowledgment from the crowd.”

The rare curtain call on the road continued an outpouring of support from Mets fans for Alonso over the past two nights — and apparently annoyed at least one of his former teammates.

“As the 2026 Mets, I know we have definitely underperformed. But we are — the guys in here work their (tails) off every single day and to have that kind of reaction to an opposing player — could be anybody — is crazy to me,” said New York pitcher Sean Manaea, who started Tuesday night. “Again, I’ve got nothing but respect for Pete. But yeah, just never seen anything like that before.

“Pete’s not here,” the veteran left-hander added. “He’s just not here. So, I know everybody loves him. He’s the man. But, yeah, he’s not here. So, to see the reaction from the fans like that, I don’t know, it’s just different.”

Alonso became the third player to hit his 300th home run against a team for whom he played in 1,000 or more games. Willie Horton hit No. 300 with Seattle against the Detroit Tigers in 1979, and Torii Hunter did so for the Tigers against the Minnesota Twins in 2013.

Alonso received a two-minute tribute video before the Orioles’ 2-1 win Monday night at Citi Field. He was showered with a thunderous ovation before his first at-bat minutes later, when he was accompanied to the plate by “Layla,” one of his walk-up songs, as “Welcome Back, Pete!” flashed next to his picture on the scoreboard.

He got standing ovations before each of his final three plate appearances as well on Monday, when rookie pitcher Jonah Tong was booed after walking Alonso in the third, and warm receptions prior to his first three at-bats Tuesday.

“I appreciate all the support for all the years I’ve been here, all the life I’ve lived here,” Alonso said Tuesday night. “Obviously, they’re recognizing that and they appreciate that. It’s a two-way street. Really appreciate it.”

Alonso was given his home run ball by the trio of Long Islanders — Michael Shaw, Nick Maldarella and Chris Makarius — who teamed up to catch the milestone drive, which caromed off the second deck of stands in left field and fell into the first deck.

“On the way here, we were saying we’re going to catch his 300th home run,” Maldarella said. “And sure enough, man. It’s crazy.”

Maldarella and Makarius said they each got a hand on it before sharing it with Shaw.

“Never leave a man behind,” Shaw said.

Alonso signed a bat and a ball for each fan in return. He also signed the shirts they were wearing — an Alonso Mets jersey for Shaw and Makarius and a Carlos Delgado shirt for Maldarella — and offered them tickets and batting-practice access at Camden Yards in Baltimore next season.

“Thank you, guys,” Alonso said to the trio outside the visitors’ clubhouse. “You guys are so kind. Thank you so much.”

Alonso also posed for a group picture and for photos with each person individually.

“I mean, who doesn’t love Pete?” Shaw said.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

By Field Level Media

Sep 16 (Field Level Media) – Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin each hit a two-run homer as the visiting Atlanta Braves earned a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

Martin Perez (9-9) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits across six innings, walking four and striking out a pair to earn the 100th victory of his major league career. Raisel Iglesias worked a perfect ninth to close out his 33rd save of the season.

With the Philadelphia Phillies (83-68) losing 6-3 to the Washington Nationals, the Braves (89-63) lowered their magic number to clinch the National League East to five.

Kevin Gausman threw 5 2/3 innings of two-run, five-hit ball while striking out six and walking none for the Cubs (84-68), who had won three of their previous four. With Chicago’s loss, the Milwaukee Brewers (94-57) clinched the NL Central. The Cubs remained a half-game up on the Phillies for the top NL wild card.

Chicago struck first in the second. Michael Busch singled and Matt Shaw walked before Pedro Ramirez’s base hit gave the Cubs a 1-0 edge.

In the fourth, Busch walked and Shaw reached on an infield single. Ramirez then grounded to shortstop, where Mauricio Dubon’s throwing error allowed Chicago’s second run to score. Miguel Amaya followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to three.

Atlanta cut into its deficit in the top of the sixth. Baldwin laced a one-out single before scoring on Acuna’s 18th homer of the season. After allowing Matt Olson’s single and retiring Michael Harris II, Gausman was relieved by Daniel Palencia, who got Dubon to pop out and end the inning.

Jacob Webb (6-5) began the seventh for Chicago and allowed Austin Riley’s leadoff walk before Albies connected on his 22nd home run of the year to give the Braves their first lead.

Didier Fuentes struck out two in two perfect innings in relief for the Braves.

Against Edward Cabrera, Albies singled and stole second in the ninth. Two batters later, Baldwin launched a two-run shot into the right field basket, extending the lead to 6-3.

(–Field Level Media)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The best pitcher in baseball on the team with the best record in baseball isn’t sure how exactly the Milwaukee Brewers keep doing this.

Asked how a team that works on the fringe of baseball’s middle class has turned Champagne celebrations into a September ritual, Jacob Misiorowski shrugged.

“I couldn’t tell you,” the 24-year-old ace said. “You know, I’ve been trying to figure it out all year.”

The search will continue into October. The Brewers (94-57) won their fourth straight NL Central title on Tuesday night, when they rode their flame-throwing star and a couple of timely hits from role players Luis Lara and Joey Ortiz for a 5-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

When Atlanta rallied past the Chicago Cubs about 30 minutes later, there was a roar that seeped through the cinderblock walls outside the visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park. Bottles were popped. Cigars were lit. Beers — Miller Lites, of course — were chugged.

This part of the journey never gets old, not even for Christian Yelich, who has been a fixture during Milwaukee’s run of eight playoff appearances in nine years.

“We’re a good team,” the three-time All-Star and 2018 NL MVP said. “This is what we set out to do every season at the beginning of spring training. We just keep playing our game.”

Milwaukee doesn’t overwhelm opponents with power or gaudy stats — outside of Misiorowski’s stream of 100 mph-plus fastballs — and instead relies on singles, smart baseball and a selfless approach.

The Brewers gave Pittsburgh a glimpse in the second inning. Jake Bauers led off with a single to right field, advanced to second on a groundout and sprinted to third on a wild pitch. Luis Lara followed with a fly ball to center field deep enough to allow Bauers to dash home.

Just like that, Milwaukee was up 1-0 with the NL Cy Young favorite on the mound. While Misiorowski didn’t think he had his best stuff on a night he tossed five scoreless innings to drop his ERA to an MLB-best 1.89, it hardly mattered.

“It’s just the boys grinding, them doing their jobs and putting a run across the board,” Misiorowski said. “So that’s all I can ask for.”

A lot of times, it’s all he needs. The Brewers don’t just, as Ortiz put it, “single you to death.” They largely avoid the mental mistakes that can make all the difference during the 162-game regular season.

The proof came in the fourth when the Pirates put together their only significant rally. Pittsburgh had runners on first and second with one out when Rafael Flores hit a sharp grounder that glanced off Milwaukee third baseman David Hamilton’s glove and rolled into the outfield. Pittsburgh’s Nick Gonzales stayed at third rather than race home after a mix-up with third base coach Tony Beasley.

In the chaos, the Brewers caught Pirates designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn in a rundown between second and third for the second out. Misiorowski got Spencer Horwitz to fly out and end the threat.

It’s been like that all year. It’s been like that most of the last decade.

“I think we do a really good job of knowing how to win, creating a winning culture and everybody knows, like, every night it’s time to win,” Yelich said.

Yelich believes that culture starts with the ownership group headed by Mark Attanasio and trickles down to general manager Matt Arnold to manager Pat Murphy to a roster whose payroll of around $140 million is 19th highest in the majors.

The other National League teams that began Tuesday in playoff position — the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego and the Chicago Cubs — are all inside the top 10.

Given the Brewers’ success since their renaissance began in 2018, it’s hard to paint them as underdogs.

“I wouldn’t say they underestimate us anymore,” Misiorowski said. “I think we’ve gotten to a spot where they kind of see it.”

The Pirates, who are on the cusp of having their playoff drought hit 11 years, certainly have.

“Other teams are definitely looking at what (the Brewers are) doing … because they haven’t spent the money that the Dodgers have,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “Money doesn’t always buy wins or championships. It’s a game that we’re playing. You have to go out there and play good baseball, and the Brewers have done that consistently over the last few years.”

When Ortiz was a rookie in Baltimore in 2023, he remembers sitting around with teammates wondering “how was Milwaukee winning these games?”

Now he knows. And no, there is no secret sauce. Just good baseball.

“It’s just competing, focusing on the stuff we can control, worrying about today and nothing else,” he said. “I feel like we just have a bunch of competitors on the team who want to do what we can to win. I don’t really think we think too much.”

While the Brewers have locked up the division, they’re hardly finished. The next step is trying to hold off the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed in the National League and the home-field advantage that comes with it.

For all of Milwaukee’s success, one thing the club hasn’t done is translate it into an extended October stay. The Brewers are still searching for their first World Series appearance since 1982. Yet they keep giving themselves a chance. They’ll take it.

“I think we stick to our plan and stick to who we are,” Ortiz said, “and try and be the best at what we can do.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

By Field Level Media

Sep 16 (Field Level Media) – Sloane Stephens advanced to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open by eking out a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) win over fifth-seeded Janice Tjen of Indonesia on Tuesday in Mexico.

After a first set that featured no service breaks, Tjen had two set points while serving at 5-2 in the second set. Stephens recovered to take that game, then broke serve again to level the set 5-5 before prevailing in another tiebreaker.

Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, won despite failing to save either of the break points on her serve and despite hitting just two aces to Tjen’s 11.

Next up for Stephens will be an all-U.S. matchup against Peyton Stearns, who upset fourth-seeded Diane Parry of France 6-2, 7-5.

In the day’s other second-round results, third-seeded Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic eliminated Alycia Parks 6-4, 6-3, and sixth-seeded Cristina Bucsa of Spain downed Hungary’s Panna Udvardy 6-4, 6-4.

SP Open

Ninth-seeded Darja Semenistaja of Latvia, who had lost her past nine main-draw matches, earned a first-round win in Sao Paulo, defeating Japan’s Hayu Kinoshita 7-5, 6-4.

Semenistaja’s skid included opening-round defeats at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, each of which she reached as a lucky loser from qualifying.

Elsewhere at the rain-delayed tournament, Armenia’s Elina Avanesyan beat Argentina’s Julia Riera 6-2, 6-4; Serbia’s Teodora Kostovic downed Brazil’s Victoria Luiza Barros 6-2, 6-4; and Argentina’s

Nadia Podoroska got past Italy’s Lucrezia Stefanini 6-3, 6-4.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Sep 16 (Field Level Media) – Five days before their preseason opener, the Anaheim Ducks signed their leading goal-scorer and point-scorer from last season, forward Cutter Gauthier, to a six-year deal on Tuesday.

While the club didn’t announce the financial terms, the 22-year-old restricted free agent landed a deal that will average $13.5 million annually, according to ESPN and The Athletic. ESPN reported that he will have an $850,000 salary in the first year of the deal but that he also landed an $18.6 million signing bonus.

The average annual value of Gauthier’s pact ranks second on the team behind the $18 million of center Leo Carlsson, per The Athletic.

Gauthier had completed his three-year entry-level contract.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement, “We are pleased to get Cutter signed to a long-term deal and have him in camp on time. He’s a major part of our young core, a pure goal-scoring talent that will continue progressing into an elite NHL player.”

Gauthier added in a statement, “This is a very exciting day for my family and me. I’m so pleased to be able to sign long term with the Ducks and be part of what I believe is a great future.”

Last season, Gauthier scored 41 goals and handed out 28 assists, both career highs. In 12 postseason games, he added four goals and eight assists as the Ducks eliminated the Edmonton Oilers in six games before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.

After logging an assist in his lone NHL game in 2023-24, Gauthier appeared in all 82 games the following campaign, notching 20 goals and 24 assists.

Anaheim acquired Gauthier in a January 2024 trade that sent defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round draft pick to Philadelphia. The Flyers had selected Gauthier, a native of Sweden who grew up in Arizona, with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Sep 16 (Field Level Media) – Seeking to bolster a banged-up receiving corps, the Los Angeles Chargers signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling to their practice squad, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

The move comes in the wake of three Chargers wide receivers getting hurt on Sunday in the team’s 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. KeAndre Lambert- Smith landed on injured reserve due to a hamstring ailment. Ladd McConkey is day-to-day because of a rib injury, and Derius Davis also is banged up.

Valdes-Scantling was released by the Dallas Cowboys late last month following training camp. In eight NFL seasons, he has appeared for six teams, and he won Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Selected out of South Florida in the fifth round of the 2018 draft by the Packers, Valdes-Scantling played in Green Bay through 2021. He then played for the Chiefs (2022-23), the Buffalo Bills (2024), New Orleans Saints (2024), San Francisco 49ers (2025) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2025).

His best regular-season numbers came in 2020 for Green Bay, when he averaged a league-best 20.9 yards per reception while making 33 catches for career-high totals of 690 yards and six touchdowns.

Last season for San Francisco and Pittsburgh combined, he managed just 14 receptions for 120 yards and one TD.

(–Field Level Media)

By Field Level Media

Sep 16 (Field Level Media) – Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani took swings off a tee Tuesday as he works toward returning from the injured list before the playoffs.

“Shohei hit off the tee and felt good today,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles defeated the host Cincinnati Reds 4-0. “I don’t know what’s in store for him tomorrow, but I know that there’s going to be a consistent build-up. Don’t know when the time of return to play is, but today was positive, and hopefully we can just keep building towards that.”

Roberts said he expected Ohtani to return and play in some regular-season games before shifting to the playoffs.

“Whether it happens or not is to be determined, but I do expect him to be back to play in some regular-season games,” Roberts said. “I don’t know how many.”

Ohtani, 32, was placed on the injured list to rest his left knee and right biceps. Soreness in those areas, along with a neck issue, caused him to miss four straight games earlier this month, but the Dodgers initially hoped to avoid an IL stint.

Because Ohtani is a two-way player, he must be on the IL for a minimum of 15 days. Sept. 23 is the soonest he can be activated. The Dodgers will have five games to go in the regular season at that point — two against the San Diego Padres at home and a three-game road series at the San Francisco Giants.

Overall this year, the six-time All-Star is hitting .277 with a .380 on-base percentage, a .522 slugging percentage, 30 homers and 80 RBIs in 130 games.

(–Field Level Media)