SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The banged-up San Francisco 49ers got some key pieces back on the practice field before their Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs. All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, star edge rusher Nick Bosa and safety Jimmie Ward all returned to practice and could play Sunday against the Chiefs. Williams missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain, and Bosa sat out last week with an injured groin. Ward has played only one defensive snap all season after being sidelined by a hamstring injury and then breaking his hand in his return two weeks ago.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Perhaps no other team in the NFL sees a greater variety of defenses, and vast departures from an opponent’s norm, than the Kansas City Chiefs. And while part of it has to do with Patrick Mahomes running the plays, and part of it Andy Reid calling them from the sideline, the biggest factor may be the fact that they’ve been working so seamlessly for so long. So defenses have learned they have no choice but to do things out of their own comfort zone, in effect throwing Reid and the Chiefs a curveball in their game prep. And that leads to interesting in-game chess matches.
HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out 11 in six strong innings and Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña all homered to power the Houston Astros to a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees in their AL Championship Series opener. The Astros are in their sixth consecutive ALCS, looking to reach the World Series for the fourth time in that span, against a New York team in the LCS for the first time since being eliminated by Houston in 2019. The game was tied 1-all in the sixth when Gurriel connected off reliever Clarke Schmidt for a solo shot that put Houston on top. Two batters later, McCormick sent a sinker from Schmidt into right field to make it 3-1.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brandon Drury hit a go-ahead, two-run single during a five-run rally in the fifth inning and the San Diego Padres stunned Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies 8-5 to tie their all-wild card NL Championship Series at one game apiece. The outburst started with Padres catcher Austin Nola hitting an RBI single off his younger brother that brought the sellout, towel-twirling crowd of 44,607 at Petco Park to life. Three innings earlier, the Phillies took a 4-0 lead with a rally that included bloop hits, a sun-aided double on a gorgeous, 92-degree afternoon and some shoddy Padres defense.
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball views expanded playoffs as the more the merrier. Not for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. The National League’s four winningest teams failed to reach the League Championship Series, six months of accomplishment undone in just a few days. Philadelphia is vying to become the first third-place team to reach the World Series. Years of expansion have turned the Fall Classic into a monthlong tournament and the season into a prologue. Some players have complained about the expanded postseason format, saying it doesn't benefit the top teams.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Just about every game in the Big 12 this men’s basketball season will feel like a reunion. Mark Adams is entering his second season at Texas Tech after Chris Beard left for Texas. And now longtime Baylor assistant Jerome Tang is leading Kansas State. When it comes to players, more than a handful left one Big 12 school for another this past offseason. That movement came after the league lifted restrictions on transferring within the Big 12. Among those that moved were Kevin McCullar from Texas Tech to Kansas and Oklahoma State guard Rondel Walker to TCU.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Iowa State returns basically its entire lineup that won 28 games, finished a game behind Baylor in the league race and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament. That includes Ashley Joens, the school’s career scoring leader. She would have been one of the top picks in the WNBA draft but chose to use her COVID-19 waiver for a fifth college season. The expectations in Ames are soaring, and longtime Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly seems similarities to two decades ago, when he led them to a share of the conference regular-season championship.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Houston 4 N.Y. Yankees 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final San Diego 8 Philadelphia 5
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Detroit 113 Orlando 109
Final Washington 114 Indiana 107
Final Atlanta 117 Houston 107
Final New Orleans 130 Brooklyn 108
Final Toronto 108 Cleveland 105
Final Chicago 116 Miami 108
Final OT Memphis 115 New York 112
Final Charlotte 129 San Antonio 102
Final Minnesota 115 Oklahoma City 108
Final Utah 123 Denver 102
Final Portland 115 Sacramento 108
Final Phoenix 107 Dallas 105
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Florida 4 Philadelphia 3
Final OT Winnipeg 4 Colorado 3
Final OT St. Louis 4 Seattle 3