Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
UNDATED (AP) — All the playoff matchups in Major League Baseball have been set. The expanded 16-team field was filled out on the final day of this pandemic-altered season. The Milwaukee Brewers got a playoff spot despite a losing record, and so did Houston. The St. Louis Cardinals also advanced with a win. The best-of-three wild-card round begins Tuesday with four American League games. In a marquee matchup, Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians faces Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees. The National League games start Wednesday, when the Brewers play at Dodger Stadium. There will be no fans permitted in ballparks for the opening round.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader tripled and homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season with a 5-2 win over Milwaukee, and the Brewers also earned a playoff spot Sunday via help on the West Coast moments later. St. Louis will be the fifth seed in the NL and will open a three-game wild-card series at San Diego on Wednesday. By winning, the Cardinals avoided having to travel to Detroit for two makeup games Monday. The Brewers will be the eighth seed after the San Diego Padres beat San Francisco 5-4.
UNDATED (AP) — The 2020 baseball season began with Juan Soto testing positive for COVID-19. Now he's a 21-year-old batting champion. Perhaps it was fitting. Soto finished atop the National League with a .351 average Sunday, becoming the youngest person to win the batting title in the NL. The Washington outfielder outlasted Atlanta's Freddie Freeman, who hit .341. Freeman went through his own ordeal with the coronavirus before the season. The fact that he and Soto accomplished this much was emblematic of a regular season that felt chaotic and uncertain at times — but ultimately reached the finish line.
UNDATED (AP) — Trestan Ebner turned in a once-in-a-quarter-century performance for Baylor over the weekend. He became the first player in the 25-year history of the Big 12 to score three different types of touchdowns in a game, and the first FBS player since 1996 to score a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown and multiple return touchdowns in a game. Ebner finished with 272 all-purpose yards in the Bears' 47-14 win over Kansas. Florida's Kyle Pitts had one of the best receiving days by a tight end. Oklahoma's 21-point lead against Kansas State was the biggest the Sooners had ever blown in a loss.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brady Singer finished his rookie season with a stellar performance, Alex Gordon wrapped up his long Royals career with a fond farewell and Kansas City ended its season with a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Adalberto Mondesi and Ryan McBroom homered for the Royals, who finished just above the last-place Tigers in the AL Central in their first season under manager Mike Matheny.
UNDATED (AP) — The relationship between Andy Reid and John Harbaugh grew roots in Philadelphia, and the two successful NFL coaches have remained friends despite competing against each other for supremacy in the AFC. Harbaugh used much of the knowledge he absorbed during his 10-year run as an Eagles assistant under Reid to become a successful head coach with the Baltimore Ravens. Although Reid and Harbaugh stay in close contact, communication was put on hold in the days leading up to the Monday night showdown between Reid's defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Ravens, who have won 14 straight regular-season games.
Update on the latest sports
NBA PLAYOFFS-HEAT/CELTICS
Heat dispose of Celtics to reach NBA Finals
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Heat are going to the NBA Finals.
Bam Adebayo (ad-eh-BY'-oh) scored a season-high 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as the Heat closed out the Eastern Conference Finals in six games, rallying for a 125-113 win over the Celtics. Boston took its largest lead of the night at 96-90 before Adebayo and Tyler Herro (HEE'-roh) sparked a 26-6 run that put the Heat in control.
Jimmy Butler scored 22 points in earning his first trip to the Finals. Herro finished with 19 points, more than half of it coming down the stretch.
Jaylen Brown had a team-high 26 points for the Celtics, who have been eliminated in the East finals three times in the last four seasons. Jayson Tatum had 24 and a career-high 11 assists in the loss, while Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker each scored 20.
The Heat square off against the Lakers on Wednesday.
NBA-TIMBERWOLVES-BEASLEY
Timberwolves' guard Beasley jailed
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley has been jailed on charges of drug possession and receiving and concealing stolen property.
The Athletic first reported Beasley's arrest Saturday night at his suburban Minneapolis home. ESPN reported that police obtained a search warrant for the residence after a complaint that Beasley brandished a weapon at a person. Officers found marijuana and guns in the home.
NFL-SCHEDULE
Bills win thriller over Rams
UNDATED (AP) — The Buffalo Bills improved to 3-0 this season despite blowing a 28-3 lead in the second half.
Josh Allen hit Tyler Kroft for a three-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to give the Bills a 35-32 win over the Rams. Allen's fourth touchdown pass of the day came after Los Angeles scored 29 consecutive points to go ahead by four.
The Rams were poised to match the third-largest comeback in NFL regular season history after Jared Goff led the team to touchdowns on four straight drives, capped by Darrell Henderson's 1-yard run with 4:30 remaining.
Los Angeles almost got the ball back on downs in the closing seconds, but a pass interference call gave Buffalo new life.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
— Nick Foles replaced Mitchell Trubisky in the third quarter and tossed three touchdown passes over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the Bears' wild 30-26 comeback win over the Falcons. The Bears improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2013 after becoming the latest team to rally from a huge second-half deficit versus Atlanta.
— DK Metcalf made up for a huge first-half blunder by catching a 29-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson with 1:47 remaining in the Seahawks' 38-31 victory against the Cowboys. Wilson is the first NFL QB to throw 14 scoring passes in the first three games of a season after tossing five more versus Dallas.
— James Conner ran for 109 yards and the go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter as the Steelers rallied past Houston, 28-21. The Steelers improved to 3-0 for the first time in a decade by holding the 0-3 Texans under 60 total yards in the second half.
— The Packers are 3-0 after Aaron Rodgers passed for 283 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-30 win at New Orleans. Green Bay receiver Allen Lazard caught six passes for 146 yards and a TD, including gains of 48 and 72 yards on long throws that set up touchdowns.
— Nick Mullens threw for 343 yards and a touchdown to lead the 49ers to their second win at MetLife, 36-9 over the error-prone and winless Giants. Jerick McKinnon, Brandon Aiyuk and Jeff Wilson provided rushing TDs on a near flawless day for the Niners.
— The Lions ended an 11-game losing streak by stunning the previously-unbeaten Cardinals, 26-23 on Matt Prater's 39-yard field goal as time expired. Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and the Detroit defense picked off Kyler Murray three times.
— Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for two more and the Browns moved over .500 for the first time since 2014 with a 34-20 win over Washington. With their second straight win under first-year coach Kevin Stefanski, the Browns are 2-1 for the first time since 2011.
— The Buccaneers were 28-10 winners over the Broncos behind Tom Brady's three scoring strikes. Former Bronco Shaq Barrett celebrated his return to Denver with a pair of sacks, one for a safety.
— Rex Burkhead scored three touchdowns and Bill Belichick became the third coach in NFL history to reach 275 regular-season victories in the Patriots' 36-20 win over the Raiders. Sony Michel racked up 117 yards on just nine carries and Cam Newton was 17 of 28 passing for 162 yards, a touchdown and an interception for New England.
— Stephen Gostkowski made his career-high sixth field goal of game, a 55-yarder with 1:48 left that lifted undefeated Tennessee to a 31-30 victory over the Vikings. Derrick Henry rushed for 119 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns while Ryan Tannehill passed for 321 yards for another comeback after trailing most of the game.
— Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie each returned an interception for a touchdown and Philip Rivers added his 400th career TD pass as the Colts clobbered the Jets, 36-7. Rivers moved into fifth on the all-time list for completions, he became the sixth player to amass 60,000 yards passing and also became the sixth QB with 400 TD throws.
— Joe Burrow tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Tee Higgins in regulation and Carl Wentz dove into the end zone for the tying score in the final minute as the Bengals and Eagles played to a 23-23 tie on Sunday. Philadelphia's Jake Elliott lined up for a 59-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in overtime, but a false start on Matt Pryor forced the Eagles to punt it away and play for the tie.
— Carolina's defense forced three Chargers' turnovers and Joey Slye kicked five field goals in the Panthers 21-16 victory near Los Angeles. Teddy Bridgewater was 22 of 28 for 235 yards and a touchdown in helping the Panthers end a 10-game losing streak.
NFL-NEWS
Joe Montana, wife block attempted kidnapping of grandchild
UNDATED (AP) — Authorities say Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and his wife confronted a home intruder who attempted to kidnap their 9-month-old grandchild over the weekend in California.
After a tussle, law enforcement officials say Jennifer Montana pried the baby out of the woman's arms.
In other NFL news:
— The Raiders are being investigated by the NFL for allowing an unauthorized person in the locker room following the team's home opener. A person familiar with the investigation tells The Associated Press that the employee entered the Raiders locker room without a credential following Monday night's 34-24 win over New Orleans.
— The Patriots have placed starting center David Andrews and rookie linebacker Josh Uche on injured reserve. Andrews sat out practice all week with a hand injury and Uche was hampered by a foot injury.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Twins take division with White Sox's loss
UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago White Sox could have won the American League Central title on Sunday. Instead, the Sox dropped all the way down to the seventh seed in the AL playoffs.
Kris Bryant, Billy Hamilton and David Bote (BOH'-tee) homered for the Cubs in a 10-8 win over the White Sox.
The South Siders scored five in the eighth inning, and Yasmani Grandal's (yahs-MAH'-nee grahn-DAHLZ') two-run homer trimmed the Cubs' lead to 10-8 in the ninth. Andrew Chafin struck out Nomar Mazara looking with two on and two out for his first save of the season.
Chicago's loss allowed the Twins to win the AL Central despite Minnesota's 5-3 loss to the Reds. Tucker Barnhart and Eugenio Suárez had RBI singles a three-run 10th as Cincinnati secured the National League's seventh seed.
The Twins enter the AL postseason as the third seed.
Elsewhere around the majors:
— Carlos Santana had four RBIs, including a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh, as the Indians rallied for an 8-6 win over the Pirates. The outcome gives Cleveland the fourth seed in the AL playoffs and home-field advantage in the wild card series.
— Rookie Josh Fleming ends the season 5-0 after allowing four hits over six innings of the Rays' 5-0 shutout of the Phillies. Philadelphia would have ended a nine-year playoff drought with a victory.
— Mark Canha (KAN'-ah) drove in four runs as the Athletics came back to beat the Mariners, 6-2 and take the second seed in the AL.
— Rougned Odor (ROOG'-nehd oh-DOHR') smacked a three-run homer and a solo shot as the Rangers doubled up the Astros, 8-4. Houston enters the AL playoffs with the sixth of eight seeds despite posting the worst record among postseason qualifiers.
— Toronto has to settle for the eighth seed in the AL after Cedric Mullins hit two triples for the Orioles in a 7-5 win over the Blue Jays.
— Harrison Bader tripled and homered to help the Cardinals beat the Brewers, 5-2 and wrap up the fifth seed in the NL. Milwaukee managed to pick up the eighth and final seed despite the setback, thanks to losses by the Phillies and Giants.
— The Giants were 5-4 losers to the Padres as Wil Myers homered and Mitch Moreland doubled home the go-ahead run. San Diego already has clinched the fourth seed in the NL playoffs.
— The Dodgers finish the regular season with a major league-leading 118 home runs after AJ Pollock belted two more in a 5-0 shutout of the Angels.
— The Marlins ended a streak of 10 straight losing seasons as Jazz Chisolm homered and collected three RBIs in their 5-0 win over the Yankees. Miami has the sixth seed in the NL, while New York is No. 5 in the AL.
— The Red Sox ripped the Braves, 9-1 as Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and made a leaping catch. Atlanta enters the NL playoffs as the second seed.
— The Diamondbacks battered the Rockies, 11-3 as Madison Bumgarner pitched five scoreless innings to win his first game for Arizona in his ninth and final start this season.
— Rookie Brady Singer allowed an RBI double but just two other hits over seven innings of the Royals' 3-1 victory against the Tigers.
— Juan Soto became the National League's youngest batting champion, while Trea Turner hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs in the Nationals' 15-5 laugher over the Mets.
MLB-NEWS
Roenicke fired by Red Sox
UNDATED (AP) — Ron Roenicke (REHN'-ih-kee) has been told he will not return as manager of the Red Sox, ending a one-year, shotgun stopgap on the final day of a pandemic-shortened season that resulted in a last-place finish in the AL East.
Roenicke was hired on the eve of spring training after Alex Cora was implicated in Houston's sign stealing scandal.
In other MLB news:
— The Angels have fired general manager Billy Eppler after the long-struggling franchise finished its fifth consecutive losing season under his watch. The losing skid occurred despite many positive moves made by the former Yankees executive, all while dealing with the spending whims of owner Arte Moreno.
— Ronald Acuña (ah-KOON'-yah) Jr. was removed from the Atlanta Braves' lineup in their regular season finale due to irritation in his left wrist He was on the 10-day injured list due to soreness in the same wrist from Aug. 12-25.
— Miami outfielder Starling Marte (MAHR'-tay) and right-hander José Ureña (yoo-RAY'-nuh) left Sundays' regular-season finale against the Yankees after getting hurt in the early innings. Marte was hit on the front of his helmet by a pitch and Ureña took a liner off his pitching hand.
NASCAR-VAS VEGAS
Kurt Busch finally wins on home track
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kurt Busch ended an 0-for-21 losing streak at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with good timing and then three tremendous restarts.
Busch entered the race 12th in the standings and in danger of elimination from title contention, but the victory earned him an automatic berth into the next round.
Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer (BOY'-ur), Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon are all below the cutline with two races remaining in the second round.
T25-COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
AP Top 25: Big Ten and Pac-12 return to most unusual poll
UNDATED (AP) — There are a host of changes in The Associated Press football poll after several conferences changed course and elected to play a season.
Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon returned to The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, weeks before they start playing.
Clemson remained No. 1 with 55 first-place votes, followed by Alabama at No. 2 with three first-place votes. Third-ranked Florida is just ahead of Georgia and Notre Dame, while Ohio State, Auburn, Miami, Texas and Penn State round out the top 10. Oregon is 14th.
Defending champion LSU and Oklahoma both took tumbles in the poll. LSU fell from 6th to 17th, and the Sooners dropped from third to 16th.
TENNIS-FRENCH OPEN
Ex-champ Halep in 2nd round, Venus Williams out, Gauff wins
PARIS (AP) — Coco Gauff has won her French Open debut by beating No. 9 seed Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-3. The 16-year-old Gauff already owns four victories over opponents ranked in the Top 20.
A half-dozen seeded players lost, while winners included No. 1 Simona Halep and No. 6 Alexander Zverev.
Venus Williams lost in the first round at Roland Garros for the third straight year, falling to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4, 6-4.
F1-RUSSIAN GP
Bottas wins in Russia as Hamilton misses F1 win record
SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Valtteri Bottas has won the Russian Grand Prix after his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton's race was ruined by penalties. Hamilton had been looking to match Michael Schumacher's record of 91 wins in Formula One but had to settle for third behind Bottas and Max Verstappen.