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NEW YORK – Houston, here come the Yankees.

Riding off a strong start from lefty Nestor Cortes, the Yankees booked a ticket to the ALCS with a 5-1 victory over the Guardians. The Game 5 victory capped a back-and-forth series where the Yankees faced elimination in Game 4 in Cleveland and the rain delayed multiple contests.

New York now faces off against the Astros in a best-of-seven series that starts in Houston on Wednesday when Justin Verlander and Jameson Taillon go head-to-head in Game 1. During the regular season, the Astros and Yankees finished with the two best records in the American League, respectively, while Houston took five-of-seven games against New York during the regular season.

Giancarlo Stanton put the first runs on the scoreboard in the first inning, hitting a line drive home run on a 87.5 mph cutter from Cleveland starter Aaron Civale over the right field fence, scoring Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo and putting the Yankees on top, 3-0. Civale lasted just one more batter, throwing just 26 pitches and recording a single out before Guardians manager Terry Francona gave him the hook.

Aaron Judge tagged on another run in the second inning, hitting a 81.3 mph curveball from Sam Hentges over the right-center field wall to make the score 4-0. The home run marked Judge’s fourth home-run in a winner-take-all game — the most in major league history – and the 13th homer for the towering slugger in his postseason career, catapulting him past Reggie Jackson and Yogi Berra for the fifth-most home runs in Yankees postseason history.

The Yankees faced a scary moment in the third inning when shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera collided with outfielder Aaron Hicks on a bloop pop-up to left field off the bat of Cleveland outfielder Steven Kwan. Hicks left the game with a left knee injury and underwent an MRI at New York Presbyterian.

Cleveland struck back with their first run of the game later in the third when Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Harrison Bader, scoring Austin Hedges to make the score 4-1. The run proved to be the only offense the Guardians generated in their final game of the season, tallying eight hits while leaving six runners on base and going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

Rizzo tagged on another run for the Yankees in the fifth inning, when he knocked an RBI single to center field off of Guardians reliever James Karinchak to drive in Gleyber Torres, who stole second base to move into scoring position after drawing a walk.

Cortes left the game after the fifth inning after throwing 61 pitches, allowing just three hits, one run, one walk while striking out two batters working off of just four days of rest, last pitching on Friday in Game 2. Throughout the outing, Cortes used a mix of his fastball (54 percent), cutter (26 percent) and slider (16 percent).

The departure of Cortes handed the keys to the Yankees’ fate to the bullpen, which appeared to be the team’s biggest weak spot heading into the postseason. First, Boone called upon Jonathan Loaisiga, who allowed singles to Amed Rosario and Jose Ramirez before getting Oscar Gonzalez, Josh Naylor to ground out before striking out Gabriel Arias to end the sixth inning. Loaisiga returned for another inning finished off the seventh, ending the evening with two innings pitched, allowing three hits allowing no runs or walks while striking out two.

Clay Holmes added to the optimism around the Yankee bullpen, coming into the 8th inning and shutting down the top of the Guardians order in order, striking out Rosario and Gonzalez while inducing a ground out from Ramirez.

Holmes then handed the ball off to Wandy Peralta, who’s become one of Boone’s go-to relievers during the series, pitching in every game against Cleveland. Peralta got Josh Naylor to ground out before allowing a single to Gabriel Arias, striking out Andres Gimenez and allowing a single to Luke Maile. With two runners on, Peralta induced a ground ball to Myles Straw, who grounded in a fielder’s choice and punched New York’s ticket for a matchup against the Astros.

The Yankees and Astros face off in Houston in Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday starting at 7:37 p.m.

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Badgers QB Edwards exits with lower-body injury

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Badgers QB Edwards exits with lower-body injury

Wisconsin starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., a transfer from Maryland, was ruled out of Thursday’s 17-0 home win over Miami (Ohio) after leaving in the first half because of a lower-body injury.

Edwards was injured on a noncontact play in the second quarter after he handed off the ball and then started running. His left leg buckled and he fell to the turf. Edwards, 6-foot-3, 228 pounds, went into Wisconsin’s injury tent before walking to the locker room.

He was not in uniform on the Badgers’ sideline during the second half, and was replaced by Danny O’Neil, a transfer from San Diego State.

When asked about Edwards’ status after the game, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell told the Big Ten Network: “Don’t know anything as of now, but he’s out here with us. That’s a good sign.”

Wisconsin made a significant offseason push for Edwards, who started 11 games for Maryland last fall and finished second in the Big Ten in passing yards average (261.9 ypg) and fourth in completions (273). He earned 2023 Music City Bowl MVP honors in leading Maryland to a win over Auburn.

Edwards began his college career at Wake Forest before transferring to Maryland in 2022.

In 2024, the Badgers lost quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, a transfer from Miami, because of a torn ACL against Alabama in Week 3.

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LSU’s Haulcy to serve first-half ban for ’24 fight

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LSU's Haulcy to serve first-half ban for '24 fight

LSU starting safety A.J. Haulcy will be suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game at No. 4 Clemson, the NCAA told ESPN on Thursday.

Haulcy, who transferred to LSU in May and was considered one of the top defensive players available in the portal, was suspended for a fight in his final regular-season game last year while playing for Houston.

The news came as a surprise to No. 9 LSU, as team officials were not informed of the suspension until Wednesday, sources told ESPN. The suspension leaves LSU without a key member of its secondary in a road game against Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, one of the country’s top quarterbacks.

Haulcy was ejected for his role in a fracas late in Houston’s 30-18 loss to BYU in November.

A few factors might have led to some of the ambiguity and confusion around the suspension. Haulcy was initially ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, a penalty that wouldn’t generally yield a suspension. However, officials clarified after the game that Haulcy was ejected for fighting, which does result in a suspension.

Houston’s coaching staff was made aware of the classification of his ejection and the first-half suspension in December 2024 in a formal letter from the NCAA. According to sources, Haulcy says he was not informed.

Haulcy’s transfer to LSU in May also appears to have caused some communication issues on the suspension, though NCAA rules are clear that a suspension follows a player after a transfer and there is no appeal process.

Clemson finished No. 15 in the country in pass offense last season and returns Klubnik and a majority of its offensive weapons. LSU’s secondary was a weak spot last year, as the Tigers finished No. 76 nationally in pass defense.

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Source: 5-star Keys flips from LSU to Tennessee

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Source: 5-star Keys flips from LSU to Tennessee

Five-star pass catcher Tristen Keys, ESPN’s No. 2 wide receiver in the 2026 class, flipped his commitment from LSU to Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, a source told ESPN.

Keys, who is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, is the No. 10 prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300. He is the second-ranked member of the Vols’ 2026 class, trailing only five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, ESPN’s No. 8 recruit this cycle.

Keys, who is from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, had verbally committed to the Tigers since March 19. However, he maintained an open recruitment throughout the summer, speaking with multiple programs during official visits to Auburn, Miami, Tennessee and Texas A&M. With Keys’ flip, LSU has lost a five-star wide receiver pledge in consecutive cycles, after Dakorien Moore‘s decommitment in 2025.

Keys headlines a stacked pass-catching class that the Vols are building around Brandon, ESPN’s No. 3 pocket passer prospect. Keys joins Salesi Moa (No. 35 overall), Tyreek King (No. 52) and Joel Wyatt (No. 66) as the program’s fourth top-100 wide receiver pledge in 2026. Tennessee ranked 15th in ESPN’s class rankings for the cycle prior to Keys’ flip.

Keys caught 58 passes for 1,275 yards and 14 touchdowns in his junior season last fall, guiding Hattiesburg (Miss.) High School to Mississippi’s 6A state title game. He later participated in the Under Armour All-America Game and the Polynesian Bowl earlier this year.

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