Hutch Post
Sep 20, 2024

πŸ“’πŸ“°πŸŽ§ Sports Headlines for Friday

Posted Sep 20, 2024 10:46 AM
Sports Headlines and News for Friday, September 20th, 2024
Sports Headlines and News for Friday, September 20th, 2024

AP Sports Summary for September 20th, 2024:

Shohei Ohtani surpasses 50-50 milestone in spectacular fashion with a 3-homer, 2-steal game

MIAMI (AP) β€” Shohei Ohtani has become the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He did it by going deep three times and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Ohtani hit is 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first player in big league history to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game. The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-center on two of his three homers at LoanDepot Park.

Rodgers sparkles in his first home start since his injury to lead Jets to 24-3 win over Patriots

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) β€” Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in a superb homecoming performance, New York's defense was dominant and the Jets rolled to a 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots. Rodgers started his first game at MetLife Stadium since leaving just over a year ago with a torn Achilles tendon in New York's opener. He finished 27 of 35 for 281 yards with TD tosses to Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard as the Jets ended an eight-game home losing streak against the Patriots. Breece Hall ran for a score for New York. Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in April, made his NFL debut late in the game.

Why does Shohei Ohtani's 50-50 feat resonate so much in baseball?

Among the roughly 23,000 men who played played Major League Baseball over the past century-and-a-half, none had a season with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases β€” until now. Shohei Ohtani became the first 50-50 player on Thursday when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his 50th and 51st home runs and stole his 50th and 51st bases.

Young stars Yamal and Wirtz shine in Champions League but with mixed results

Two of the world's most exciting young players shone on club soccer's biggest stage but with mixed fortunes. Teenager Lamine Yamal's goal couldn't prevent 10-man Barcelona from falling to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco in the Champions League and bringing an end to its perfect start to the season. It took Florian Wirtz less than five minutes to score on his Champions League debut. Wirtz also netted another as Bayer Leverkusen romped to a 4-0 win at Feyenoord. Europa League winner Atalanta had a penalty saved in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal. AtlΓ©tico Madrid beat Leipzig 2-1 and Benfica topped Red Star Belgrade 2-1. Brest's first-ever appearance in European competition ended in a 2-1 win over Sturm Graz.

Guardians pushing unexpected season into postseason, will have chance to end Series title drought

CLEVELAND (AP) β€” The Guardians are taking an unexpected season into the postseason. Cleveland clinched one of the AL's six playoff spots Thursday with a 3-2 win in 10 innings over the Minnesota Twins. It was the team's MLB-leading 42nd comeback victory and second straight in extra innings. Under first-year manager Stephen Vogt, Cleveland has been atop the AL Central since April and become one of the season's biggest surprises. Vogt had never even filled out a lineup card before spring training. But he's brought a young team closer together and the Guardians will head into October looking to end the longest active World Series title drought dating to 1948.

Dodgers clinch 12th straight playoff berth on Shohei Ohtani's historic night

MIAMI (AP) β€” In what has become a fall custom, the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading to the playoffs. The Dodgers clinched their 12th consecutive postseason berth Thursday with a 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on the same night that star slugger Shohei Ohtani homered three times and stole two bases to become the first player in major league history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. The magic number for the NL West-leading Dodgers to clinch the NL West dropped to six. They hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in their pursuit of the NL's No. 2 seed.

Diana Taurasi closes out what could be final home game of her 20-year career

PHOENIX (AP) β€” Diana Taurasi tired to address the Phoenix Mercury crowd, but was interrupted. They wanted her to play one more year. Taurasi hasn't announced whether she will or not, marking Thursday night's game against Seattle as the potential final at home of her 20-year career. The Storm spoiled Taurasi's night with an 89-70 win, but did little to diminish what she accomplished during an unparalleled career. If this is the end, Taurasi leaves as a six-time Olympic medalist, three-time WNBA champion and the league's all-time leading scorer. The Mercury's season will continue with a best-of-three playoff series against Minnesota, but there's no guarantee she will return for another home game.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese change the WNBA's landscape, and its future

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) β€” The impact of this year's transformational WNBA season can be found anywhere one looks. Sold out arenas became the norm. Television ratings helped expand the fan base. The continual record-breaking quests of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, A'ja Wilson and others emerged as part of routine conversations. Social media posts spurred sometimes heated debates about everything from basketball to culture. Yes, Year 1 of the Clark & Reese Show has been unlike anything the league has ever seen and with the playoffs looming, the final chapter is still unscripted. It's just what the league needed.

Arch Manning to get first start for No. 1 Texas as Ewers continues recovery from abdomen strain

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) β€” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says freshman quarterback Arch Manning will get his first career start Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. Regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen. Manning relieved Ewers in last week's win over UTSA and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another. Texas is playing its first game as No. 1 since 2008. The Longhorns start their first SEC schedule Sept. 28 against Mississippi State.

Japan celebrates as Ohtani becomes the first major leaguer to reach 50-50 milestone

TOKYO (AP) β€” Shohei Ohtani's feat of becoming the first major leaguer with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season was met with extra editions of newspapers for fans to read on their way to work. Ohtani raced past the 50-50 milestone as he hit three homes and stole two bases in a game during the 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Thursday, securing a playoff berth for the Dodgers. The news topped morning headlines, and "Ohtani-san" was the No. 1 trending topic of social media platform X.

AP-Scorecard

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

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INTERLEAGUE

Final Baltimore 5 San Francisco 3

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Final Cleveland 3 Minnesota 2

Final Toronto 4 Texas 0

Final Seattle 3 N.Y. Yankees 2

Final Tampa Bay 2 Boston 0

Final Houston 3 L.A. Angels 1

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NATIONAL LEAGUE

Final Atlanta 15 Cincinnati 3

Final L.A. Dodgers 20 Miami 4

Final Pittsburgh 3 St. Louis 2

Final N.Y. Mets 10 Philadelphia 6

Final Arizona 5 Milwaukee 1

Final Chicago Cubs 7 Washington 6

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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Final N-Y Jets 24 New England 3

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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

Final Washington 92 Indiana 91

Final Connecticut 87 Chicago 54

Final Atlanta 78 New York 67

Final Los Angeles 68 Minnesota 51

Final Las Vegas 98 Dallas 84

Final Seattle 89 Phoenix 70

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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE

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INTERLEAGUE

San Francisco at Kansas City 8:10 p.m.

Cleveland at St. Louis 8:15 p.m.

Chi White Sox at San Diego 9:40 p.m.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Toronto at Tampa Bay 6:50 p.m.

Detroit at Baltimore 7:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Boston 7:10 p.m.

Seattle at Texas 8:05 p.m.

L-A Angels at Houston 8:10 p.m.

N-Y Yankees at Oakland 9:40 p.m.

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NATIONAL LEAGUE

Washington at Chi Cubs 2:20 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 6:40 p.m.

Atlanta at Miami 7:10 p.m.

Philadelphia at N-Y Mets 7:10 p.m.

Arizona at Milwaukee 8:10 p.m.

Colorado at L-A Dodgers 10:10 p.m.

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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

(24)Illinois at (22)Nebraska 8 p.m.

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