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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two years after losing 102 games, the resilient Texas Rangers are savoring a journey that’s transformed them into a playoff team.

“It’s all about bouncing back, dealing with the tough times. You know you’re going to have them,” manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday after the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 to finish a two-game AL Wild Card Series sweep.

“What’s important is how you handle it, and those guys have handled it so well,” Bochy added. “I think we were counted out earlier in the season or late August … but what a job they did to bounce back and to be in this position.”

The Rangers rode a roller coaster of emotions while losing three of four games at Seattle and letting the AL West division title slip away on the final day of the regular season. Instead of returning home with a first-round playoff bye, Texas was rewarded with a cross-country flight to Florida.

“We had to fly right over Dallas, so that could have been really a downer for the club,” said Bochy, a first-year manager with Texas after winning three titles with San Francisco. “They reset, refocused and just put together two of the best games back to back that we probably have had all year when you look at the pitching, the offense, the defense — everything we knew we had to do to beat a club like Tampa.”

The next stop is Baltimore, where the Rangers begin a division series against the AL East champion Orioles on Saturday.

Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter, a 20-year-old rookie who became the second-youngest postseason player in franchise history, homered off Zach Eflin, a 16-game winner unable to save Tampa Bay’s season.

Nathan Eovaldi gave Texas an outstanding pitching performance. The Rays’ scoreless streak reached 33 innings, one shy of the postseason record held by the 1966 to 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers, before Curtis Mead‘s RBI single in the seventh.

Texas won a postseason series for the first time since 2011, when the Rangers reached the World Series before losing to St. Louis.

Eovaldi, beating the Rays for the third time this year, allowed six hits while striking out eight and walking none over 6⅔ innings.

Garcia’s leadoff homer began a four-run fourth inning against Eflin. Josh Jung had an RBI triple and Carter hit a two-run homer to right for the Rangers, 7-0 in postseason games at Tropicana Field.

Carter batted .306 with five homers and 12 RBIs over 23 games after making his major league debut on Sept. 8. He reached base in his first six postseason at-bats, doubling twice and drawing three walks.

“Carter, gosh, this young kid has come up — I don’t even know if he knows that he’s in the big leagues,” Bochy said. “This guy has such a calmness about him.”

The Rangers also beat the Rays in the 2010 and 2011 ALDS, clinching both series at Tropicana Field. Texas went on to appear in the World Series in each of those years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Army to allow alcohol sales at football games

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Army to allow alcohol sales at football games

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army will begin selling alcoholic beverages at football games at Michie Stadium beginning with its game Friday against Tarleton State, athletic director Tom Theodorakis announced Wednesday.

Army was the last service academy to not sell alcohol at football games. Air Force began sales in 2017 and Navy in 2021.

“The opportunity to purchase alcohol has become common practice at college athletic venues across the country, and we’re pleased to introduce it here at West Point as part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing the gameday experience,” Theodorakis said, adding that Army is committed to ensuring a safe and family-friendly environment for fans.

Fans will be able to purchase beer and ready-to-drink cocktails with a limit of two drinks per transaction. A portion of the revenue from alcohol sales will help support Army’s other 29 sports.

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Harvard-Yale rivalry to return to Fenway in 2026

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Harvard-Yale rivalry to return to Fenway in 2026

BOSTON — Harvard and Yale will play The Game at Fenway Park next season, the second time the rivalry has moved to the historic home of the Boston Red Sox.

The Nov. 21, 2026, game will be the 142nd meeting between the Ivy League schools — the third most-played rivalry in college football. Yale leads the series 71-61-8, including the last three years.

Harvard won the 2018 game 45-27 at Fenway, the first time The Game was played off campus since an 1894 meeting that was so violent the Harvard faculty voted to disband the football program.

Fenway has hosted football since its opening year in 1912, and it served as the home of the AFL’s Boston Patriots from 1963-68. More recently, the ballpark has hosted some Boston College and high school football games and the Fenway Bowl.

Fenway also has hosted concerts, Shakespeare in the Park, big air skiing, Irish hurling and pickleball.

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Sources: Tide DL Keenan (ankle) out for opener

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Sources: Tide DL Keenan (ankle) out for opener

Alabama will be without team captain and starting defensive tackle Tim Keenan III for Saturday’s opener against Florida State after he suffered a high ankle sprain Tuesday in practice, sources told ESPN.

Keenan was scheduled to undergo a tightrope surgical procedure Wednesday and is expected to miss multiple games, but sources said Alabama expects him back at some point this season. The Crimson Tide face UL Monroe in Week 2, Wisconsin in Week 3 and then have a bye week before traveling to Georgia for the SEC opener on Sept. 27.

Coach Kalen DeBoer said earlier Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference that Keenan was still being evaluated after suffering a lower-body injury and would “probably not” be full go for the game.

Keenan, a fifth-year senior, is one of the anchors of an Alabama defensive line that should be one of the strengths of the team. He’s a two-year starter and one of the strongest leaders on the team. Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Beaman and true freshman London Simmons are next in line to step in for Keenan, who was second on the team a year ago with 7.5 tackles for loss.

Offensive lineman Jaeden Roberts‘ status for Saturday’s opener remains uncertain, according to DeBoer. The fifth-year senior, who has started 21 games over the past two seasons, has been “very limited” in recent practices as he works his way through the NCAA concussion protocol.

The Crimson Tide were already going to be without starting running back Jam Miller, who dislocated his collarbone in a scrimmage and will miss multiple games. DeBoer told ESPN last week he expected Miller to be back for the Georgia game.

On3.com was the first to report the news of Keenan’s surgery and the expectation he would miss multiple games.

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