Yankees eliminated while Phillies, Tigers and Cubs survive

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⚾️ Yankees eliminated, others survive

Four teams had a chance to clinch a spot in the League Championship Series on Wednesday. Only the Blue Jays could get the job done, eliminating the Yankees to reach the ALCS for the first time since 2016.

Blue Jays 5, Yankees 2: The teams were locked in a tight battle through six innings, but a costly seventh-inning error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. opened the door for Toronto, which scored two insurance runs and never looked back.

• Eight Blue Jays got at least one hit, including an RBI single from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who became the first player in history with nine hits and nine RBIs in the first four games of a postseason.

• The Yankees threatened multiple times, but went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Their season ends without a championship for the 16th straight year, the third-longest drought in franchise history.

Go deeper: Aaron Judge did his part, but the Yankees, once again, failed to win the World Series (Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports)

Elsewhere: The Phillies, Tigers and Cubs all won to keep their seasons alive.

• Phillies 8, Dodgers 2: Kyle Schwarber snapped an 0-for-22 slump in emphatic fashion with two homers, including one that still may not have landed.

• Tigers 9, Mariners 3: After going down 3-0, Detroit exploded for nine unanswered runs to win their first game at home in over a month.

• Cubs 4, Brewers 3: Chicago plated four in the first inning, which proved to be just enough to hold off Milwaukee and earn another game at Wrigley Field.

What's next: The NLDS continues tonight with Game 4 in Los Angeles and Chicago, while the Tigers and Mariners will play a decisive Game 5 on Friday in Seattle.

🏀 Wilson calls game

A'ja Wilson hit a tough contested bucket with under a second left to lift the Aces past the Mercury, 90-88, in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. They're now just one win away from their third championship in four seasons.

What they're saying: "Give the ball to A'ja and get out of the way," Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said after the game. "It's all the play was."

By the numbers: Wilson filled up the box score with 34 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. She's the first player in Finals history to post consecutive games of 25+ points and 10+ rebounds, and she now has the most points ever in a single postseason.

From Yahoo Sports' Cassandra Negley:

The Aces are out here completing side quests. The Mercury can barely keep the main thing the main thing. That's the difference in a WNBA Finals played between a squad attempting to cement a dynasty and one built from scratch.

The Aces are, in Becky Hammon's own metaphorical words, playing with their food. Everything is a game, a chance to accrue mini victories en route to a WNBA championship. The Mercury are battling to figure out what's on the plate, and even that is an oversized challenge.

Keep reading.

🏈 NFL grades at the quarter-mark

One-quarter of the way through the season, Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab has handed out each team a grade based on their performance. Let's see who got top marks and who's got room for improvement.

AFC East: No real surprises here, with the Bills leading the way and the Jets in the cellar as the league's only winless team. Could the Pats ride a strong start and the easiest remaining schedule to their first playoff appearance since 2021?

• Bills (4-1): A

• Patriots (3-2): B

• Dolphins (1-4): D

• Jets (0-5): F

AFC North: Mike Tomlin may be headed towards his 19th straight season without a losing record, and the Steelers may be headed towards their first division title since 2020 given the sorry state of their opponents.

• Steelers (3-1): B

• Browns (1-4): C-

• Bengals (2-3): D-

• Ravens (1-4): F

AFC South: Here we have the only division in football with multiple four-win teams, and they're the Colts and Jags. Just as everyone expected!

• Colts (4-1): A

• Jaguars (4-1): A-

• Texans (2-3): C-

• Titans (1-4): F+

AFC West: The Chiefs weren't going to run away with this division forever. But also beware of counting them out too soon considering their losses have come against the Eagles, Chargers and Jaguars, who are 11-4 combined.

• Broncos (3-2): B

• Chargers (3-2): B-

• Chiefs (2-3): C

• Raiders (1-4): D-

NFC East: The defending champs don't look as dominant as they did last season, but 4-1 is 4-1 and the roster remains as good as any in the league. Their best is likely yet to come.

• Eagles (4-1): B-

• Commanders (3-2): B-

• Cowboys (2-2-1): C+

• Giants (1-4): D

NFC North: Some feared the loss of OC Ben Johnson would lead to regression in Detroit. Instead, the Lions again have the league's best offense, scoring nearly 35 points per game.

• Lions (4-1): A

• Packers (2-1-1): B-

• Bears (2-2): C

• Vikings (3-2): C

NFC South: The cardiac Bucs are 4-1 with a +3 scoring differential, becoming the first team in NFL history to win four of their first five games by three points or fewer.

• Buccaneers (4-1): A-

• Falcons (2-2): C

• Panthers (2-3): C-

• Saints (1-4): D+

NFC West: The injury bug has yet again bitten the Niners. But unlike last year, when it completely derailed their season, they keep chugging along and finding ways to win. Kyle Shanahan has put on a masterclass so far in the Bay Area.

• 49ers (4-1): A

• Seahawks (3-2): B

• Rams (3-2): B-

• Cardinals (2-3): D

Dive in.

🏀 Why the Bucks should trade Giannis

Of all the storylines lingering over the upcoming NBA season, perhaps none carries more intrigue than what lies in front of the Bucks: Do they trade Giannis Antetokounmpo or not?

From Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh:

By almost all accounts, Antetokounmpo represents one of the three best players in the NBA. He ranks third-best in the Estimated Plus-Minus prediction metric, behind only reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.

SGA plays for the defending champion and title favorite Thunder. Jokić's Nuggets are close behind them. Antetokounmpo's team, on the other hand, is … closer to the bottom.

His supporting cast is among the worst in the sport. According to BetMGM, the Bucks' win total sits at 42.5 for the 2025-26 season, a pitiful mark for an Eastern Conference team with an MVP candidate in his prime.

The Bucks are understandably reluctant to part with the all-time great whom they drafted in 2013. According to ESPN reports on Tuesday, the Knicks weren't able to get traction in Giannis talks this summer.

But it's time for Milwaukee to pull the plug and seek a trade package in which a team throws the kitchen sink at it: multiple first-round picks and players who can step in right away.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, kitchen-sink deals work out more often for the seller than the buyer. The past three NBA champions (OKC, Boston and Denver) were built in large part due to unloading superstars at the right time.

In order to get back to title contention, it's time for the Bucks to trade Giannis to the highest bidder.

Keep reading.

📺 Watchlist: Thursday, Oct. 9

⚾️ NLDS, Game 4 | TBS

The Phillies and Cubs both staved off elimination on Wednesday. Can they do it again tonight? First up is Phillies at Dodgers (6pm ET), followed by Brewers at Cubs in the nightcap (9pm).

🏈 Eagles at Giants | 8:15pm, Prime

The Birds take on the G-Men tonight at the Meadowlands, where Saquon Barkley will return for just the second time since swapping sides in this division rivalry. Could this homecoming be the jolt he needs to get out of his early-season rut?

Then vs. now: Through five games last year, Barkley had 482 rushing yards (5.3 yards per carry) en route to a historic 2,000-yard campaign. Through five games this year, he has just 267 yards (3.2 yards per carry).

More to watch:

• 🏒 NHL: Blackhawks at Bruins (7pm, ESPN+); Stars at Jets (8pm, ESPN+) … Two of 14 games in the first full slate of the season.

• ⛳️ Golf: Korn Ferry Tour Championship (3pm, Golf) … The top 20 on the season-long points list at the end of the week will earn their PGA Tour cards.

Today's full slate.

🏈 NFL trivia

With the Eagles visiting the Giants tonight, it's worth looking back at the "Miracles at the Meadowlands" — two of the most exciting plays in their storied rivalry, each featuring an Eagles player scoring a miraculous game-winning touchdown.

Question: Which players scored those TDs?

Hint: 1978 (defensive) and 2010 (special teams).

Answer at the bottom.

📸 Photo finish

It's gonna take some time to get used to seeing KD in red.

Trivia answer: Herm Edwards (fumble recovery) and DeSean Jackson (punt return)

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