SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns to rally Kansas City back from another double-digit deficit in the Chiefs’ 44-23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Mahomes got off to a rough start in this Super Bowl rematch with his early interception putting Kansas City in a 10-0 hole but that once again proved to be no problem as he led the Chiefs to touchdowns on six of the next seven drives. The comeback improved Kansas City to 13-9 with Mahomes when falling behind by at least 10 points with the most memorable coming in a Super Bowl win over the 49ers following the 2019 season.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU coach Sonny Dykes likes what he's not hearing from his players. Even with the Horned Frogs 7-0 and now seventh in the AP poll, Dykes says players aren't talking about conference standings, bowl games or rankings. The Big 12-leading Frogs have beaten ranked opponents in four consecutive games for the first time in school history. They overcame a double-digit halftime deficit Saturday night to beat No. 22 Kansas State, like they also had a week before that against No. 9 Oklahoma State. TCU goes to West Virginia next Saturday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman delivered big hits and the Houston Astros advanced to the World Series again, finishing a four-game sweep of New York in the AL Championship Series with a 6-5 victory aided by another defensive gaffe from the Yankees. Taking advantage of a costly error by second baseman Gleyber Torres to produce the go-ahead rally in the seventh inning, the Astros won their second consecutive pennant and fourth in six years. Rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña hit a three-run homer off ailing Yankees starter Nestor Cortes to help the AL West champions overcome an early 3-0 deficit. Peña was named MVP of the ALCS. Houston will open the World Series at home Friday night against Bryce Harper and the wild-card Philadelphia Phillies.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper slugged his fifth homer of the postseason, a two-run blast in the eighth inning that turned Citizens Bank Park into a madhouse, and the $330 million slugger powered the Philadelphia Phillies past the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Sunday and into the World Series for the first the time since 2009. Rhys Hoskins also hit a two-run homer to spark Philadelphia’s improbable run to the National League pennant and a shot at its first World Series championship since 2008. The wild-card Phillies were the last club into the 12-team playoff field this year after finishing third in the NL East.
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge’s future is uncertain. It remains to be seen whether Aaron Boone’s is, too. Judge’s career in pinstripes might have ended when he made the final out in a 6-5 loss to the Houston Astros, who completed a four-game AL Championship Series sweep as the Yankees unraveled with yet another defensive meltdown. In the hours before opening day, Judge turned down a seven-year contract that would have paid $213.5 million from 2023-29, choosing instead to remain eligible for free agency after the World Series.
NEW YORK (AP) — The United States team's top player has started only two matches this season. Two goalkeepers took demotions to England’s second division and the third hasn’t gotten a single Premier League minute. The Americans return to the World Cup following their failure to reach the 2018 tournament with what likely will be the youngest team among the 32 nations. It's a squad called the nation’s most talented generation yet inconsistent and unproven. They earned the region’s final berth only on goal difference after a final-day loss. The United States will play Wales, England and Iran in Group B.
SUNDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Houston 6 N.Y. Yankees 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Philadelphia 4 San Diego 3
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 23 Cleveland 20
Final Carolina 21 Tampa Bay 3
Final Cincinnati 35 Atlanta 17
Final Dallas 24 Detroit 6
Final N-Y Giants 23 Jacksonville 17
Final Tennessee 19 Indianapolis 10
Final Washington 23 Green Bay 21
Final Las Vegas 38 Houston 20
Final N-Y Jets 16 Denver 9
Final Kansas City 44 San Francisco 23
Final Seattle 37 L.A. Chargers 23
Final Miami 16 Pittsburgh 10
Mon. Chicago at New England 8:15 p.m.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Portland 106 L.A. Lakers 104
Final Charlotte 126 Atlanta 109
Final OT Utah 122 New Orleans 121
Final OT Cleveland 117 Washington 107
Final Minnesota 116 Oklahoma City 106
Final Golden State 130 Sacramento 125
Final Phoenix 112 L.A. Clippers 95
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Chicago 5 Seattle 4
Final Columbus 5 N-Y Rangers 1
Final Florida 3 N-Y Islanders 2
Final Detroit 5 Anaheim 1
Final San Jose 3 Philadelphia 0