Connect with us

Published

2 years ago

on

3:40 PM ET

The 2022 MLB playoffs could be down to just two teams after today.

The Philadelphia Phillies punched their ticket to the World Series — their first appearance since 2009 — in front a home crowd. Can the Houston Astros do the same in the Bronx with a sweep of the New York Yankees?

A potential double-elimination Sunday began with the Phillies beating the San Diego Padres 4-3 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, while the Yankees look to avert a sweep as they battle Houston in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.

Follow the action below all day long with start times, pitching matchups and starting lineups as they’re announced, followed by in-game updates and takeaways after each game is concluded.

More: Who has the NLCS edge? Preview, predictions for Padres-Phillies | Who will rule the ALCS? Preview, predictions for Yankees-Astros | Bracket, results and more

Houston Astros at New York Yankees

Astros lead series 3-0

Rizzo with a second RBI

Anthony Rizzo hits a single to bring the Yankees even with the Astros at 4. He has driven in two of New York’s four runs on the day.

Houston tacks on another

Astros erase Yankees’ lead

Rookie Jeremy Pena ties the game with a three-run home run.

New York adds on

Rizzo drives in an RBI with a double down the third-base line.

Yankees strike first

New York scores two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead — the team’s first lead in the ALCS since the second inning of Game 1.

Our picks

Astros 4, Yankees 2: The Yankees’ season ends on a disappointing and uncompetitive note as the Astros continue their postseason undefeated streak off a solid all-around performance from the offense and a strong start from McCullers. — Joon Lee

Astros 7, Yankees 2: It’s a not-very-analytical take, but the Yankees’ body language was very zombie-like on Saturday. They look done. — Bradford Doolittle

Astros 2, Yankees 1: Not even Cortes on full rest can stop the juggernaut that is Houston, with McCullers Jr. the latest to silence New York’s bats. — Jeff Passan

Phillies win series 4-1

Harper named NLCS MVP

Bryce Harper has a message to the city of Philly:

Harper and actor Miles Teller, a Phillies superfan, celebrate after the game.

Phillies celebrate winning NL pennant

Game 5 takeaways

Wow. Wow. Wow. Bryce Harper is going to the World Series, and he did it with a home run to remember. You can debate whether Robert Suarez or Josh Hader should have been pitching to Harper with the Padres leading 3-2 and no outs in the bottom of the eighth. Maybe asking Hader to get six outs was asking too much considering the Padres would have needed to win two more games. I’m not sure it would have mattered. This is Harper’s team, Harper’s ballpark and most definitely Harper’s postseason. After fouling off two two-strike pitches from Suarez, Harper connected with a 98 mph fastball and drilled it on a line into the left-center-field stands for one of the most dramatic home runs in Phillies history.

The Phillies signed Harper back in 2019 with the hopes of a day like this. It took a few years — and it took the expanded playoffs for the Phillies to even get to October — but they’re here and Harper has been the man, the face of the franchise, the face of October. He’s hitting .419 with five home runs, slugging .907, and sending Citizens Bank Park into a ridiculous crescendo of noise. And remember — after coming back from a broken thumb in August, he had struggled with his power stroke, with just three home runs in 35 games. He’s hot now, however, and it’s awesome.

(And no, we’re not going to talk about that inexcusable one-out sacrifice bunt in the top of the ninth.) — David Schoenfield

King of Philly with a two-run blast

Harper gives the Phillies a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth that sends Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy.

The Padres’ go-ahead steal

Jose Azocar steals home on a Seranthony Dominguez wild pitch to put the Padres ahead 3-2.

We have a tie game!

Josh Bell evens it up at 2 with a double.

Wheeler’s dealing

Zack Wheeler strikes out Manny Machado for his eighth of the game.

Soto gets Padres on the board

Hoskins crushes his fourth homer of NLCS

Schwarber’s there for his teammate

Our picks

Phillies 3, Padres 2: Darvish will pitch his heart out but Philadelphia has that destiny look — at least to win the NL pennant. It will survive a tight, low-scoring affair — the exact opposite of Game 4 — and win the series with a tight win on Sunday. — Jesse Rogers

Phillies 5, Padres 2: The Phillies are 4-0 at home in the postseason and they look like they’re ready to pop some champagne. Wheeler has been outstanding over his three playoff starts and top relievers Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez didn’t have to pitch in Game 4 after a little extra workload in Game 3 (a combined 61 pitches), so everything is lining up for a boisterous celebration at Citizens Bank Park. — Schoenfield

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Sports

NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

Published

20 mins ago

on

March 4, 2025

By

NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

  • Ryan S. Clark

    Close

    Ryan S. Clark

    ESPN NHL reporter

      Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

  • Greg Wyshynski

    Close

    Greg Wyshynski

    Senior NHL writer

      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

Mar 4, 2025, 02:55 PM ET

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.

For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.

Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.

Continue Reading

Sports

Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

Published

45 mins ago

on

March 4, 2025

By

Reports: Brewers add depth with lefty Quintana

  • Associated Press

Mar 4, 2025, 08:32 AM ET

Veteran left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana is joining the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year, $4.25 million deal with $1 million in potential bonuses, according to multiple reports.

Quintana, 36, is coming off a 2024 season in which he went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in 31 starts for the New York Mets. He struck out 135 and walked 63 in 170⅓ innings. Over his past six regular-season starts, Quintana gave up four runs — three earned — in 36 1/3 innings.

He started the deciding game of New York’s NL Wild Card Series matchup with the Brewers and pitched six shutout innings in the Mets’ 4-2 victory, though he received no decision. Quintana had a total of three postseason starts, allowing six runs — five earned — over 14 1/3 innings.

Quintana now will compete for a spot in a Brewers rotation that returns right-handers Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers and Aaron Civale. The two-time defending NL Central champions also added left-hander Nestor Cortes in a trade that sent two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams to the New York Yankees.

The Brewers could use some rotation depth as two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff and Robert Gasser come back from injuries. Woodruff missed all of 2024 while recovering from shoulder surgery, and he won’t be ready for the start of the season. Gasser, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, isn’t expected to be available until late in the season.

Milwaukee got more bad news Monday night when left-hander Aaron Ashby, a candidate for a rotation spot, left his start against the Cincinnati Reds with an injury. Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Ashby appeared to have an oblique issue and would undergo an MRI.

When he makes his Brewers debut, Quintana will have pitched for every team in the NL Central. He was with the Chicago Cubs from 2017-20 and split the 2022 season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

Quintana owns a 102-103 record and 3.74 ERA in 359 career appearances, including 333 starts. He’s also had stints with the Chicago White Sox (2012-17), Los Angeles Angels (2021), San Francisco Giants (2021) and Mets (2023-24). He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2016.

Continue Reading

Sports

Bad Bunny agency announces deal with Tatis

Published

45 mins ago

on

March 4, 2025

By

Bad Bunny agency announces deal with Tatis

  • ESPN News Services

Mar 4, 2025, 11:31 AM ET

MIAMI — Rimas Sports, the agency co-owned by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny whose leaders have been suspended by the baseball players’ union, announced a management deal Tuesday with San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr.

Rimas said it will oversee marketing, brand relations and other services, working to “expand his portfolio as an athlete, businessman and philanthropist.”

Tatis and the Padres agreed in 2021 to a $340 million, 14-year contract negotiated by MVP Sports, an agency headed by Dan Lozano.

Rimas Sports says it is a partnership among Bad Bunny and executives Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda. The company says it represents the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., the Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar and the New York Mets’ Francisco Alvarez.

Although Rimas Sports is prohibited from negotiating contracts with teams, the agency is allowed to strike marketing deals with players.

The Major League Baseball Players Association revoked the agent certification of Rimas’ William Arroyo last April and denied certification to Assad and Miranda, citing a $200,000 interest-free loan and a $19,500 gift. The union issued a $400,000 fine for misconduct.

Arbitrator Ruth M. Moscovitch last October upheld the union’s five-year suspensions of Assad and Miranda and cut Arroyo’s suspension to three years.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden in Manhattan set a Feb. 18 deadline for Assad, Miranda and Arroyo to file a response to the union’s motion to confirm the decision, but no response has been filed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Trending