AP Sports

AP-Newswatch
October 12, 2023
AP Scorecard
October 12, 2023
AP Sports

Update on the latest sports

 
AP-Summary Brief-Sports
October 12, 2023
 

D-backs slug 4 homers in record-setting barrage, sweep Dodgers with 4-2 win in Game 3 of NLDS

PHOENIX (AP) — The hard-hitting Arizona Diamondbacks rode a record-setting barrage of solo homers in the third inning to a 4-2 win in Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Wednesday night, sweeping the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs. The D-backs return to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2007, where they’ll face either the Phillies or Braves. Arizona has won all five of its games during the postseason, sweeping aside both the Brewers in a best-of-three series and the Dodgers in a best-of-five. Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno all hit solo homers in the third, setting a postseason record for homers in an inning.

José Abreu homers again to power the Astros past the Twins 3-2 and into their 7th straight ALCS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — José Abreu homered for the third time in two games for the Houston Astros in a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Astros reached their seventh straight AL Championship Series and eliminated the Twins in Game 4 of their AL Division Series. Abreu hit a two-run rocket in the fourth inning off reliever Caleb Thielbar. Michael Brantley also went deep as the Astros hit 10 homers in the series. Abreu had eight RBIs. Houston will host Texas in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday. Justin Verlander is scheduled to take the mound for his 36th career postseason start.

Bryce Harper slugs 2 more homers as Phillies pound Braves 10-2 in Game 3 of NL Division Series

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer and a solo shot to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The Phillies took a 2-1 lead and can advance to the NL Championship Series for the second straight season with a win at home Thursday. Harper’s homers answered ridicule from Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia. Arcia had poked fun at Harper after his baserunning blunder played a role in the Phillies’ loss in Game 2. Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh also homered for the Phillies.

Another 100-win season leads to another October flop for Dodgers

PHOENIX (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ third straight 100-win season led to a third consecutive postseason flop. A three-game Division Series sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks that ended with a 4-2 defeat highlighted how much expanded playoffs have devalued the regular season. Los Angeles has reached the playoffs in 11 straight years, the third-longest streak in major league history. The Dodgers won the NL West in 10 of those seasons, yet their only World Series in that span was following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Kansas escapes postseason ban, major penalties as panel downgrades basketball violations

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An independent panel has downgraded five Level I violations lodged by the NCAA against Kansas and basketball coach Bill Self. That effectively ends a long saga that began with a 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball corruption. Kansas will be required to remove its 2018 Final Four banner and vacate wins from the 2017-18 season in which Silvio De Sousa, a player central to the case, participated. The case against the Jayhawks hinged on whether representatives of the apparel company Adidas were considered boosters when two of them arranged payments to prospective recruits. Self served a school-imposed four-game suspension last season.

Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton remains in intensive care as donations pour in

The family of Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton says she is “continuing to fight.” Retton is in intensive care at a Texas hospital with a rare form of pneumonia. Retton’s oldest daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer says the family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the 1984 Olympic gold medalist. The family has received more than $275,000 in donations to a fund intended to help Retton pay her medical bills. Schrepfer did not get into specifics of Retton’s condition, saying it’s a “day to day process.”

Aces rout Liberty 104-76, take 2-0 series lead in WNBA Finals

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces defeated the New York Liberty 104-76 on Wednesday to take a 2-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals. Wilson finished 10 of 16 from the field on her way to recording her 26th double-double this season – including her fourth of the playoffs. Chelsea Gray also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists. Jackie Young finished with 24 points and Kelsey Plum had 23. Jonquel Jones (22), Breanna Stewart (14), Betnijah Laney (12), and Sabrina Ionescu (10) accounted for 76.3% of New York’s points, as the Liberty got just 18 points from six others who played.

UEFA postpones Israel’s game in Kosovo in European qualifying because players cannot travel abroad

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has postponed Israel’s European Championship qualifying game against host Kosovo on Sunday. The decision by European soccer’s governing body following Hamas’ surprise attack adds to a fixture backlog. UEFA said in a statement Thursday that the game in Pristina cannot be played “because the Israeli authorities currently do not allow their national team to travel abroad.” Israel is now two games behind schedule in a tight qualifying group where it is competing with Switzerland and Romania for the top-two spots. Two teams advance to the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.

Sculpture commemorating historic 1967 Cleveland summit with Ali, Jim Brown, other athletes unveiled

CLEVELAND (AP) — A sculpture commemorating the famous 1967 meeting of Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and other athletes — now known as the Ali Summit — has been unveiled on the site of the original gathering. The carbon steel art piece is a representation of the press conference table where the Black athletes sat — a moment captured by an iconic photo. John Wooten was one of the attendees that day 56 years ago and he made his first visit back to the site for the unveiling. Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul Jabbar were also part of that initial meeting that was viewed as a turning point in the civil rights movement.

Modern pentathlon soon finds out if swapping horses for obstacles enough for invite to 2028 LA Games

Modern pentathlon is waiting to hear about its Olympic future after adding obstacles and ditching horses. Although the century-old Olympic sport is on the docket for the Paris Games next summer, with horses, it’s not currently part of the 2028 LA Games program. That could change this weekend as the International Olympic Committee’s executive board meets to decide whether modern pentathlon, boxing and weightlifting will gain inclusion. The three were tasked with demonstrating they’ve made changes to the governance or organizational culture. That meant a makeover for modern pentathlon after the issues that arose during the show-jumping portion at the Tokyo Games in 2021.