The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: The Pitcher's Duel That Wasn't: Cole Channels Seaver as Yankees Shell Bieber

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/09/30/cole-beats-bieber-yankees-indians">
The Yankees-Indians Game 1 matchup between Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber was supposed to be a pitcher's duel. It never materialized.
In the first postseason start of his career, Cleveland Indians righthander Shane Bieber decided to do something he had not done all season: start the game with four straight fastballs. Bad idea. In just that eyeblink, the New York Yankees led Game 1 of the Wild Card Series 2-0, Bieber was guiding the baseball without velocity or conviction, and the shine from his
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/09/21/shane-bieber-should-win-american-league-mvp">Triple Crown season</a> lost luster. From there it degraded further.
The duel between Gerrit Cole, the <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/12/11/gerrit-cole-yankees">richest pitcher in baseball</a>, and Bieber, the presumptive Cy Young Award winner, never materialized for even one inning. Cole in his own way pitched an homage to the <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/10/23/tom-seaver-1969-mets-world-series">late Tom Seaver</a>. On the first day of postseason baseball since the great Seaver passed away, Cole joined him as the only pitchers with at least 13 strikeouts without a walk in a postseason game.
Cole was as brilliant as you would expect him to be against a weak-hitting Indians lineup and with Yankees manager Aaron Boone smartly letting Kyle Higashioka catch Cole instead of the erratic Gary Sánchez. (Actually, that one was an easy decision to make.)
Cleveland’s only <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/09/29/baseball-playoff-preview-yankees-dodgers-question">path to victory</a> was to have Bieber outpitch Cole, which seemed possible given Bieber was 8-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 12 starts. This might be a good time to mention that Bieber went 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA in six starts against losing teams.
At his best, Bieber keeps the ball out of the middle of the plate, gets more swings than anybody on strike-to-ball breaking pitches (they track in the zone but dart out late) and averages 94.1 mph on well-placed fastballs. None of that happened Tuesday night in what became an overwhelming <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/yankees/news/gerrit-cole-bests-shane-bieber-as-yankees-rout-indians-wild-card-series-opener">12-3 Yankees win</a>.
Bieber kept leaving fastballs over the fat of the plate. It started with DJ LeMahieu ripping pitch No. 3 for a single and <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/yankees/news/aaron-judge-starts-postseason-with-home-run-off-shane-bieber">Aaron Judge blasting No. 4 for a home run</a>. Bieber had no extra gear on his heater. Four of the Yankees’ five run-scoring hits off Bieber resulted from below-average velocity fastballs. Bieber threw a first-pitch fastball to Luke Voit in the fifth inning that registered just 91.8 mph, his slowest fastball of the season. His lack of command and velocity was the story of the game.
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“It seemed to me, he’s a young kid,” acting manager Sandy Alomar Jr. said. “He seemed too excited. His first postseason game. Fastballs kept coming back into the zone. His breaking ball was ball-to-ball.”
You are not beating the Yankees without good fastball command. Bieber was historically bad. He allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in less than five innings. Only five other American League pitchers ever did that in a postseason game: Phil Hughes (2010 ALCS), Josh Beckett (2008 ALCS), Chien-Ming Wang (2007 ALDS), David Wells (2002 ALDS) and Jack Morris (1992 World Series).
None did so in the year they won the Cy Young Award. But that’s the trompe l’oeil of this <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/09/28/baseball-stats-rule-changes-world-series">pandemic-shortened season</a>. Nobody, including Bieber, had an historic year in 2020. Great seasons? Sure. But Bieber throwing 77 1/3 innings isn’t close to the 233 2/3 innings Johan Santana threw in 2006 to win the last pitching Triple Crown.
“I felt extremely prepared coming into the start,” Bieber said. “I fell behind the first hitter. That first inning didn’t go as planned. I just wasn’t as aggressive as I wish I could have been with my off-speed pitches in the zone and fastballs in.
“I was getting myself in some bad counts. When I made mistakes they took advantage of it.”
Meanwhile, Cole bullied the Indians with his fastball and looked every bit like the <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/12/11/gerrit-cole-new-york-yankees">postseason white whale</a> Yankees GM Brian Cashman has been hunting for years. The turning point to Cole’s season began on a hot afternoon in <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/braves/">Atlanta</a> on Aug. 26. Cole could not get on the same page with Sánchez. The more he shook signs the more aggravated he looked. Four times Cole threw pitches in the strike zone that were called balls, thanks to Sánchez’s poor framing skills. Cole threw only 60% strikes, well below his season average of 66%. Cole gave up five runs in five innings. Sweat and frustration poured from within him. He looked exasperated.
In his next start, again with Sánchez behind the plate, Cole gave up four runs in five innings.
Cole is a technician on the mound. He studies hitters voraciously and talks about pitch sequences the way great composers do symphonic scores. He is demanding of his catchers, requiring them to keep up with his encyclopedic mind. It simply wasn’t working with Sánchez. Finally, on Sept. 5, Boone put Higashioka behind the plate for Cole. Everything changed. Cole now gets the strikes he is supposed to get, and maybe a few he should not. He doesn’t spend the night shaking multiple signs. Boone has been smart enough to leave the pitcher-catcher combo intact ever since. In five starts since the change, Cole is 4-1 with a 1.32 ERA with 47 strikeouts and five walks. Sánchez might not catch him again; certainly not this postseason.
In his 1973 playoff gem, Seaver lost to the Reds, 2-1, in the bottom of the ninth in NLCS Game 1. On his best days, like Game 1, Cole recalls the brilliance of Seaver with that rare combination of power and command at elite levels. Bieber, a premier strike thrower, had his own share of exquisite nights this pandemic season. But none of his best craftsmanship was on display Tuesday night. The setting was different. This was postseason baseball, when the stakes get higher, the margin of error gets smaller, and a 60-game regular season suddenly means nothing.

New on Sports Illustrated: The Pitcher's Duel That Wasn't: Cole Channels Seaver as Yankees Shell Bieber

The Yankees-Indians Game 1 matchup between Gerrit Cole and Shane Bieber was supposed to be a pitcher's duel. It never materialized. In...

New on Sports Illustrated: Heat look to subdue Lakers in Game 1 of NBA Finals

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/game/2270919">
For Miami to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday near Orlando, the Heat need to be at the top of their game.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler said even that might not be enough.
"We're going to have to play damn near perfect because they're such a good team and they do so many things well," Butler said after the Heat's series-clinching 125-113 win Sunday over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
"Obviously, you know the star power that they have. We're not going to back down, though. ... We're going to lock into this film and we're going to be ready to go. I think it will be some must-see TV."
Bam Adebayo sparked Miami's victory over Boston with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Butler scored 22 points and Tyler Herro added 19 for the Heat, who will be seeking their fourth NBA title.
The Heat won their last one in 2013, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh led them to the second of back-to-back titles by beating the San Antonio Spurs. Miami also captured the 2006 NBA crown over the Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel said this year's version of the Heat will be a handful. Like the Lakers, they are 12-3 in the playoffs.
"They have three All-Star-level players in Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic," Vogel said, according to the Miami Herald. "When healthy, Dragic is an All-Star-level player. They (acquired) a Hall of Famer in Andre Iguodala.
"They have shooting, they have toughness. No surprise they've had such a successful postseason run. Very impressed with what they've been able to do beating three teams convincingly that if we played 82 games were on pace to win 50 games," Vogel added.
James led the way with 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for his 27th triple-double of the postseason in Los Angeles' 117-107 win over Denver in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
His performance helped put the Lakers in their first NBA Finals since 2010, when Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol lifted them past the Celtics in seven games for their 16th title. Boston has a league-best 17.
James, who missed the playoffs last season in his first year with the Lakers, scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.
"(James) just took over," said Anthony Davis, who contributed 27 points.
"He told us it was his time, told me it was his time and everybody just kind of got out of the way, just let him be him and he brought it home for us. He's always capable of doing that. He makes the right plays, he makes the right reads."
Davis said the goal this season was to get James back to the Finals and his fourth ring. James, Davis said, wants to get him his first.
"We don't want to let each other down," Davis said. "We know why I came here. We want to win a championship. We're four wins away. A step closer to our goal."
--Field Level Media
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New on Sports Illustrated: Heat look to subdue Lakers in Game 1 of NBA Finals

For Miami to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday near Orlando, the Heat need to be at the top of thei...

New on Sports Illustrated: Aces Rally in Second Half vs. Sun to Advance to WNBA Finals

<a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2020/09/30/aces-game-5-win-sun-advance-wnba-finals">
Despite trailing by six points at halftime, the Las Vegas Aces rallied past the Connecticut Sun to advance to the 2020 WNBA Finals.
Despite trailing by six points at halftime, the Las Vegas Aces rallied past the Connecticut Sun to advance to the 2020 WNBA Finals. 
Las Vegas limited the Sun to just 18 second half points and held the Sun scoreless in the final 2:39 of the contest.
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2020/09/17/wnba-awards-aja-wilson-mvp-crystal-dangerfield-rookie-of-year">2020 league MVP</a> A'ja Wilson scored a game-high 23 points and hauled in 11 rebounds in the victory, doing so while playing the entire 40-minute contest.
Veteran Aces guard Angel McCoughtry added 20 points in the victory, helping to make up the production that Las Vegas lost mid-series when two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby was ruled out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Alyssa Thomas led the Sun with 22 points and 10 rebounds while DeWanna Bonner finished Game 5 with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bonner missed a last-gasp 20-foot jumper on Connecticut's final possession of the game.
With their victory on Tuesday, Las Vegas will advance to face No. 2 Seattle in the upcoming Finals. Seattle swept the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA semifinals. 
The Aces and Storm open their series on Friday night.

New on Sports Illustrated: Aces Rally in Second Half vs. Sun to Advance to WNBA Finals

Despite trailing by six points at halftime, the Las Vegas Aces rallied past the Connecticut Sun to advance to the 2020 WNBA Finals. Despit...

New on Sports Illustrated: Arsenal-Liverpool Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2257751">
Jurgen Klopp has lauded Arsenal's Mikel Arteta as an "exceptional" manager as Liverpool look to make it 61 Premier League games unbeaten at Anfield.
Liverpool have won their opening two matches of the Premier League campaign, overcoming Leeds United and Chelsea.
Arsenal, too, have started well, with the FA Cup holders – who defeated Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield in August and in the league in July – having beat Fulham and West Ham.
The Reds are unbeaten at Anfield since April 2017, but Klopp insists he is not focused on that run as he highlighted Arteta's skill as a manager.
"Mikel showed in a pretty short period of time that he is an exceptional football manager," Klopp told a news conference. The structure of the team is absolutely exceptional. "You can see a lot of things – good organisation, freedom for the players. He's done a pretty impressive job, changed the whole mood in the club. I don't think a lot of people thought he would have won any competition, but he did that. That's pretty impressive. Tough, tough opponent.
"The only moment when I think about that number [60 home games unbeaten] is when somebody asks me about it. I'm absolutely not interested. It's our home. But it's no secret recipe. We never expect to lose, but we don't expect to win. We know we have to work."
Thiago Alcantara came on for his debut in Liverpool's win over Chelsea, completing 75 passes in the second half, and Klopp suggested the playmaker may start on Monday.
The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder is a player Arteta is full of admiration for.
"Really like him from my time in Barcelona. A great signing for Liverpool," Arteta told a news conference. "They are getting better and better, have less weaknesses. They are a fantastic side."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Liverpool – Sadio Mane
After Mohamed Salah starred against Leeds, it was Mane's turn to take the impetus against Chelsea. He got off the mark with a double at Stamford Bridge, and his pace and tenacity is sure to cause Arsenal's defence issues.
Arsenal – Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette has scored four goals in his last six Premier League games, netting in both of his appearances so far this season. He last scored in three consecutive league games back in February 2019.
KEY OPTA FACTS
• Liverpool have won their last four home league games against Arsenal – they have not won more consecutively against the Gunners at Anfield since a run of seven between 1981-1988.
• Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Liverpool back in July was their first win over the Reds in 10 Premier League games. The Gunners are looking to win back-to-back league games against them for the first time since September 2012.
• Since a 1-0 victory over Leicester in April 2017, Arsenal are winless in their last six Premier League games against the reigning champions (0-2-4). However, Arsenal have won each of their last three against Liverpool with the Reds as reigning champions (2-0 in May 1989, 3-0 in December 1990 and 1-0 in March 1991).
• Arsenal are looking to win their opening three games to a Premier League season for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign, when they won their first five.
• In 24 Premier League appearances against Arsenal combined for Liverpool, Roberto Firmino (eight), Mohamed Salah (five) and Mane (five) have netted 67 per cent of the Reds' goals versus the Gunners since August 2015.
• Arteta is looking to become the first Arsenal manager to win on his first away trip to Liverpool in all competitions since Tom Whittaker in December 1947. Nine Gunners managers since then have failed to win their first such visit, with eight of those losing.
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Arsenal-Liverpool Preview

Jurgen Klopp has lauded Arsenal's Mikel Arteta as an "exceptional" manager as Liverpool look to make it 61 Premier League gam...

New on Sports Illustrated: Chris Mack Is Bringing Fire Back to Kentucky-Louisville Rivalry With Jab at John Calipari

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/09/30/kentucky-louisville-rivalry-john-calipari-chris-mack">
Lately, the Wildcats vs. the Cardinals had lost a bit of its edge. But now Chris Mack is fully prepared to take on John Calipari.
You like Duke–North Carolina? We all do. Great games, great teams, great entertainment.
But if you want piss and vinegar with your college basketball rivalry instead of wine and cheese, you must salute the hate of Kentucky-Louisville. You must respect the petty. You must embrace the enmity of two fan bases that really, really—no, really—despise each other.
Remember,
</a><a href="http://www.thecardinalconnect.com/video-kentucky-and-louisville-fans-fight-at-dialysis-center/#.X3PHlC2ZPs0">two senior citizens fought at a dialysis clinic over the rivalry in 2012</a>, before their teams met in the Final Four. Until they do that on Tobacco Road, those fancy pants programs can stand down.
Lately, the Wildcats vs. the Cardinals had lost a bit of its switchblade, streetfight edge. For one thing, Kentucky has played hammer to Louisville’s nail—the Cats have won three straight and six of the last seven. For another, the coaches had stopped doing their chippy part: Rick Pitino got tired of John Calipari’s goading and tried simply ignoring him; David Padgett was an interim coach who barely had his feet on the ground before absorbing a pummeling from Cal; and for the past two years, Chris Mack was just warming up to the task of combating Cal.
Now? Consider Mack fully lathered.
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Mark Dec. 26th on your calendar—sources told Sports Illustrated that likely is when the 2020 game will be played, though it hasn’t been announced. Boxing Day might literally be boxing day when Mack and Calipari get together in the Yum Center.
Tuesday evening, <a href="https://www.si.com/college/louisville/basketball/mack-takes-shot-at-calipari">Mack released a two-minute Twitter video savaging Calipari</a> and Kentucky for alleged scheduling shenanigans surrounding this year’s game. It was a bravura performance.
“Cards fans, your fearless leader Coach Mack,” he said, launching his oratory. “I keep getting asked, ‘Coach, are we playing THE game? Are you scared? Are you a chicken? You won’t play Kentucky?’”
Dramatic pause.
“As for the UK series, here’s the thing: I want to do what’s most convenient for John and his program. You do believe that, right? That I want to do what’s best for John?”
Provocative! Go on.
“Never mind the fact that we had a mutually agreed upon date of Dec. 12 to play the game, and never mind the fact that they backed out of the 12th, because they were returning from London on Dec. 6 after playing Michigan. Thought it was too close to the 12th. Never mind the fact that that Dec. 6 game got canceled—no trip to London. Can we play that game on the 12th? Never mind the fact that they scheduled Notre Dame in lieu of playing us on the mutually agreed upon date of Dec. 12. Never mind the fact that they called ESPN and tried to change one of our ACC games without our knowledge or permission.”
Indiana fans and former coach Tom Crean, having gone through the scheduling wringer with Calipari and Kentucky a few years ago, nod knowingly. Now, is that flurry of jabs 100% accurate? We’ll see what Kentucky says when Cal responds—bet the house, he will respond. But know this: Cal has never been shy about calling the suits in Bristol to apply some pressure and get things in his favor. That part is 100% believable.
Now back to Mack:
“Never mind the fact that Coach Stoops and his football program at the University of Kentucky honored that request in football, to move Louisville’s home game from 2020 to 2021. If you could do it in football, seems like you could do it in basketball. Never mind the fact that the University of Cincinnati asked us to do the same exact thing that we’re asking Kentucky to do, and we honored that request.”
Some explanatory backstory here: With the pandemic wreaking havoc on scheduling, Mack ruminated on a podcast last week <a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2020/09/23/chris-mack-doesnt-know-louisville-and-kentucky-play-in-2020/3512032001/">about playing this year’s Kentucky-Louisville game at a neutral site</a>, then pushing back the contract so Louisville would benefit (monetarily and competitively) from a full house in ’21 as opposed to playing Kentucky in an empty or nearly-empty 22,000-seat arena. (That’s the reason why Cincinnati asked to move its game against Louisville back a season.)
Apparently, Mack’s podcast comments prompted this from Calipari Tuesday, according to The Courier-Journal: “If they choose not to play, then we’ll plug in another team. We already have that team set." And that, in turn, appears to be what set Mack off later in the day.
And now, the dramatic conclusion of Chris Mack Goes Off.
“Listen, I don’t want to stand in the way of college basketball’s best rivalry. Whatever is most convenient for Coach Cal …”
Slams fist on table.
“… We’ll do it. See you in the Yum Center. Go Cards.”
And with that, the dying embers of the rivalry roared back to blast furnace force. The edge is back. The heat is on.
Do you see Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams bickering in public? You do not. It helps that the Atlantic Coast Conference schedules their games against each other, so they don’t have to. It also helps that each coach is secure in his station, with eight national championships between them and many years on the job.
Here in the commonwealth of Kentucky? The default position is not playing nice. When the two sides do play nice, it feels fake. It often is fake. In a state without pro sports, the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry is all-consuming. In a state with some distinct demographic differences between the fan bases, the culture war is real.
These are reasons why Calipari was the perfect addition. He thrives on conflict and is most comfortable in a fight, which is why he perceives so many enemies. He needs them.
This time, Cal didn’t even have to go looking for a fight.
And let it be said that Mack isn’t one to back down from a scrap. When he coached at Xavier, the deeply contentious rivalry with Cincinnati was at or near peak viciousness. (It included one major in-game brawl, resulting in long player suspensions, while Mack was coaching the Musketeers and Mick Cronin was coaching the Bearcats.)
That Chris Mack hasn’t been the one we’ve seen going up against John Calipari the previous two Decembers. But he made a theatrical appearance Tuesday. And now, as Cal likes to say, the most heated and hateful rivalry in college basketball is on like Donkey Kong.

New on Sports Illustrated: Chris Mack Is Bringing Fire Back to Kentucky-Louisville Rivalry With Jab at John Calipari

Lately, the Wildcats vs. the Cardinals had lost a bit of its edge. But now Chris Mack is fully prepared to take on John Calipari. You like...

New on Sports Illustrated: Messi Says Push to Leave Barca Was 'With Club's Best Interests in Mind'

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/09/30/lionel-messi-barcelona-best-interest-comments">
Barcelona star Lionel Messi said that he acted with his team's best interests in mind this summer as he tried to leave the Spanish club.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi said that he acted with his team's best interests in mind this summer as he tried to leave the Spanish club. 
Speaking in his first interview since he announced he was remaining with the club, Messi took responsibility for any mistakes he might have made this summer. 
"I take responsibility for my errors and if they existed, it was only to make FC Barcelona better and stronger," he
</a><a href="https://www.sport.es/en/news/barca/exclusive-leo-messi-interview-everything-i-did-was-for-the-good-of-barcelona-8133776">told Diario Sport.</a>
"After so many disagreements, I would like to bring an end to everything. We all have to be united and assume that the best is yet to come."
In early September, <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/09/04/lionel-messi-staying-barcelona-contract">Messi announced his decision to stay with the club</a> despite expressing his desire to leave Barcelona by way of <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/08/25/lionel-messi-wants-to-leave-barcelona-transfer">a now infamous burofax</a>.
Messi's contract with Barcelona included a €700 million (approximately $835 million) release clause that proved prohibitive.
Messi's frustrations with the club boiled over following <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/08/14/bayern-munich-barcelona-champions-league-rout-setien-coutinho">an 8–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals</a>. Manchester City was rumored to be a potential landing spot, with a reunion with manager Pep Guardiola a likely draw. 
Messi <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/09/07/lionel-messi-return-barcelona-training">returned to training with Barcelona in early September,</a> saying he wasn't happy with the club, but would rather stay than get into a legal battle with the “club of his life.”
He will remain with the club at least until the end of his contract in June 2021. 
 "I wanted to send a message to all the socios and fans that follow us. If at any moment, any of them were annoyed by something that I said or did, let there be no doubts that anything I did was always with the club's best interests in mind," Messi <a href="https://www.sport.es/en/news/barca/exclusive-leo-messi-interview-everything-i-did-was-for-the-good-of-barcelona-8133776">told Diario Sport.</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Messi Says Push to Leave Barca Was 'With Club's Best Interests in Mind'

Barcelona star Lionel Messi said that he acted with his team's best interests in mind this summer as he tried to leave the Spanish club...

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New on Sports Illustrated: Bubble hockey champions: Tampa Bay Lightning win Stanley Cup

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2267205">
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) The joyful yells from the bench could be heard in the empty arena in the final seconds and the roar from players when Commissioner Gary Bettman called for Steven Stamkos to accept the Stanley Cup echoed even louder.
The triumph of winning the NHL championship in a bubble was certainly no less sweet for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Brayden Point scored his playoff-best 14th goal and the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 2-0 in Game 6 on Monday night to finish off the most unusual NHL postseason in history, staged nearly entirely in quarantine because of the pandemic.
The clock hitting zeros with no fans in attendance set off a celebration for a team that endured years of playoff heartbreak and two months in isolation - and their fans outside Amalie Arena in Tampa celebrated right along with them.
''It takes a lot to be in a bubble for 80 days or whatever long it was,'' said defenseman Victor Hedman, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. ''But it's all worth it now. We're coming home with the Cup.''
Before giving that trophy to Hedman, Bettman gave all the players credit for enduring a quarantine largely on their own for so long.
''To be in this place at this time under these circumstances is remarkable and frankly overwhelming,'' Bettman said. ''Frankly, all of the players who participated should feel like MVPs.''
Goals from Point and Blake Coleman and a 22-save shutout by Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 6 were enough to power the Lightning to their second championship after winning it in 2004. That one came just ahead of a lockout that wiped out an entire season and similar uncertainty hangs in the air now because of the coronavirus.
Questions about the future were put off for a celebration by the Lightning and by the NHL, the first of the four major North American professional sports leagues to crown a champion since the start of the pandemic.
Tampa Bay's core group closed out the final with an almost poetic display of what got the Lightning to this point over the past several years and months. Point's goal came with assists from longtime standouts Nikita Kucherov and Hedman, key addition Coleman scored on an odd-man rush in the second and Vasilevskiy did his job on a relatively slow night in net.
Veteran defenseman Braydon Coburn was the first to get the Cup after Stamkos and Hedman, even though he played just three games in the postseason. He played 964 regular-season and 137 playoff games to get to this point, losing in the final twice before.
''The beauty of our team is everyone was chipping in,'' Point said. ''We got contributions from anyone and everyone at different times, and that's what makes this win so special.''
It was more of a coronation than a challenge as the dominant Lightning outshot the Stars 29-22 and looked like the powerhouse they've been for much of the past decade.
Tampa Bay's power play turned the series around after Dallas won the opener. Point's goal made it 7 for 16 over the past five games to decimate the Stars, who were undone by their lack of discipline and couldn't get enough ''Dobby'' magic from goaltender Anton Khudobin.
''There is no feelings right now,'' Khudobin said. ''Just empty, you know. We battled hard, especially with this situation, it's not easy to stay without families for two months and stuff like that.''
The Stars simply ran out of gas after injuries piled up.
''I couldn't ask more from our players,'' said coach Rick Bowness, an assistant for Tampa Bay for five years who was part of their 2015 run that fell short in the final. ''So it wasn't enough to beat that team, so it wasn't enough. But it's better than sitting here saying how we could done this or could have done. We don't second-guess anything we've done.''
The Lightning did to the Stars what Chicago did to them in the '15 final, when injuries built up. Tampa Bay had Point and No. 2 center Anthony Cirelli playing hurt this time, didn't have Stamkos for almost all of the playoffs - and still survived.
''These last six weeks have been really emotional for my family and I, not only on the ice but off the ice,'' said Stamkos, who played just 2:37 in the playoffs yet scored a goal in Game 3. ''I just want to say to my family: I love you guys so much. To all the friends and everyone who supported us along the way: We love you, we can't wait to celebrate with you.''
The painful playoff losses look like mile markers now - losing four consecutive games to Chicago after going up 2-1, blowing 3-2 series leads in the Eastern Conference final in 2016 and 2018, and last season's jaw-dropping, first-round sweep by Columbus after the Lightning had tied the NHL single-season wins record and won the Presidents' Trophy.
Coach Jon Cooper thought the attitude needed to change from wanting to beat every opponent 9-0 because that's not realistic in playoff hockey. His team went 12-3 in one-goal games this postseason, and he said the Lightning won because they were strengthened by years of ''heartbreak.''
Bettman was on hand exactly 201 days after his dismal if hopeful announcement that the season was being put on pause with 189 games left unplayed.
The league and players' union worked for nearly four months to iron out where, how and when to play so 2020 wouldn't join 1919 and 2004 as a year in which the Cup wasn't awarded. The plan they came up with was unusual. Like the NBA, it called for walling off teams from the public for months on end. Unlike the NBA, it called for doing it in two spots - Toronto and Edmonton, while the U.S. grappled with spiking coronavirus cases in too many places for NHL leadership to feel comfortable.
And it worked. After more than 31,000 tests, there were zero positive coronavirus cases reported among players, coaches and staff inside the bubbles and just a handful among hotel, arena or restaurant employees. There was nothing close to a breakout.
Bizarre as it was with no fans and manufactured crowd noise and light shows, the hockey was often top notch. The expanded, 24-team playoffs meant there was hockey nearly every day, sometimes from midday until past midnight, including a five-overtime marathon that was the second longest in modern hockey history. And in this unprecedented postseason, there were even two elimination games on the same day in the same arena.
By the conference finals, Rogers Place, a nearby JW Marriott and the rest of a heavily fenced bubble in downtown Edmonton became the center of hockey for fans thousands of miles away with Dallas and Tampa Bay, two of the southernmost teams in the league, settling the Cup in the NHL's northernmost arena.
In all, the NHL played 130 games in a bubble, 25 of them going into overtime, before the final horn set off a celebration by Tampa Bay that simply had to do with no fans in the stands, and few loved ones allowed on the ice to share the moment. Unable to hug them, players embraced each other and took out their phones to call and video chat with those who couldn't be there.
''We were in the bubble for this many days away from our friends and family, our support systems,'' Stamkos said. ''We love each and every person that has helped us and allowed us to come here and accomplish our dream.''
NOTES: Tampa Bay is the first team to win the Cup without a captain dressed for the clinching game since the 1977 Montreal Canadiens Yvan Cournoyer missed the playoffs because of back surgery. ... Kucherov's 27 assists are the third most in a single postseason behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. ... Alexander Volkov made his NHL playoff debut for Tampa Bay, which also saw Patrick Maroon become just the eighth player to win the Cup in back-to-back seasons with different teams (St. Louis).
UP NEXT
The NHL has targeted a tentative Dec. 1 start date for next season, but even Bettman acknowledged a later December or January start is possible. And even that is no guarantee given the uncertainty.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Bubble hockey champions: Tampa Bay Lightning win Stanley Cup

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) The joyful yells from the bench could be heard in the empty arena in the final seconds and the roar from players whe...

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New on Sports Illustrated: Chiefs-Ravens Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/game/2239434">
It's the defending Super Bowl champions against a team that's won 14 straight regular-season games.
Or, maybe it's a preview of the AFC title game - a matchup many expected to see last January. Most of all, the intrigue surrounding Monday night's game between the Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) and Baltimore Ravens (2-0) is directed at the quarterbacks: 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson.
''When those two quarterbacks are on the field, it's magic on both sides,'' Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. ''I see every week what Lamar can do, and I always see some highlight or something of what Mahomes can do. So, when you have two superstar quarterbacks like that, it's going to be a fun game.''
Mahomes last season led the Chiefs to their first NFL championship since 1970 and was the Super Bowl MVP. Jackson guided the Ravens to a 14-2 regular-season record, set the league mark for yards rushing by a quarterback and directed the most prolific running attack in NFL history. Baltimore closed the regular season with 12 straight wins to earn the top seed in the AFC, but bowed out with an upset loss at home to Tennessee.
That helped Mahomes and the Chiefs to go the distance, and they'll be bringing an 11-game winning streak into Monday night's showdown.
Jackson is 21-3 as a starter during the regular season, with two of those losses coming against Kansas City and Mahomes in 2018 (27-24 in overtime) and 2019 (33-28). But, even though this is the first game in NFL history featuring two MVPs under the age of 26, Jackson waved off the notion that this is solely about him versus Mahomes.
''I don't have to focus on Mahomes. I've got to focus on their defense, I've got to focus on scoring, I've got to focus on my job,'' Jackson insisted. ''My defense has to worry about him.''
Oh, there's plenty of reason for the Baltimore defense to be concerned, even though the unit has been exceptional thus far in lopsided wins over Cleveland and Houston. Mahomes threw for 377 yards and two TDs in that 2018 game, and last year pierced the Ravens for 374 yards and three scores.
''He has all these tools, and he has so much talent around him,'' Humphrey said. ''With Mahomes, as good as he is in the pocket, he's just as good - probably better - outside the pocket, which is the craziest thing about his game. So, preparing for him, it's really tough.''
GETTING THEIR KICKS
Not only does this game feature two of the league's best quarterbacks, but two of the finest kickers will be ready to roll if a late field-goal try is required for the win.
Kansas City's Harrison Butker banged home two field goals of 58 yards last week in an overtime win over the Chargers. He's been perfect so far this season, led the league in scoring last year and has amassed 445 points in his career, most ever by a kicker after 47 games.
Justin Tucker, meanwhile, is the most accurate kicker in NFL history (90.9% on field goals). He's never missed from inside 29 yards, is 226 for 237 from inside 49 yards and has clicked on 71% of his tries from at least 50 yards.
NO HOME CROWD
The Ravens have been waiting since 2017 to have a Monday night game at home, and now that they got one, they'll be forced to play without the backing of their fans. Attendance will be zero because of the pandemic.
So, the Ravens won't enjoy the advantage the Chiefs had while playing at home against Baltimore in each of the past two seasons. This will be the third straight game for the Ravens without fans in the stadium.
''Sometimes you say, `We'll play them anywhere. We'll play them in a parking lot. We'll play them anywhere. No fans, we don't care,''' coach John Harbaugh said. ''Well, here we are. We're playing basically in a parking lot right now - with no fans.''
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, ''It's weird. I've been doing this a couple weeks now and you get out there and it seems like you can hear every penny drop.''
LOOK AND SEE
One of the problems the Kansas City offense has faced through the first two games of the season has been defenses that have showed completely different looks from the past. Teams that have run man coverage have gone to zones, and the blitz looks that Houston and Los Angeles have used in the past have been replaced - all in an effort to confuse Mahomes.
Expect the Ravens to do the same thing given how much they've played each other the past few years.
''It's going to be all about execution,'' Mahomes said. ''When you play a defense like this that's very mobile, multiple, you have to be ready to go and have answers for everything. Whenever they give us an un-scouted look, try to have a positive game, go to the sideline and try to figure it out.''
FUNDAMENTALS
Without much offseason or preseason games, and limited hitting to practice it, tackling has been a problem for the Chiefs this season. They know how important it will be against the mobile Jackson and the Ravens' productive ground game.
''Coach Reid did an unbelievable job in camp trying to make things normal,'' defensive tackle Chris Jones said, ''but we just have to stay on that. We missed a lot of tackles last week and that's a big focus this week, wrap up and finish plays.''
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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City contributed to this story.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Chiefs-Ravens Preview

It's the defending Super Bowl champions against a team that's won 14 straight regular-season games. Or, maybe it's a preview o...

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New on Sports Illustrated: Schalke Fires Manager David Wagner as Struggles Continue

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/09/29/schalke-fires-david-wagner-manager">
The German-American coach is out with Schalke's woes from last season carrying over into the new one.
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Schalke fired former United States international David Wagner as coach on Sunday after starting the Bundesliga season with two defeats and failing to stop a run of 18 games without a win.
“We had all hoped that we could improve on the pitch together with David Wagner. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the right performances and results from the first two games of the season for this to happen,” Schalke sports director Jochen Schneider said.
Schalke’s league campaign started with an 8-0 rout at Bayern Munich followed by a 3-1 loss to fellow struggler Werder Bremen at home on Saturday.
“We have therefore decided to make a fresh start. Despite the disappointing results, this wasn’t an easy decision for us to make,” said Schneider, who said assistant coaches Christoph Bühler and Frank Fröhling are also leaving.
Schalke said it will announce a successor “in the coming days.”
The team has been struggling badly throughout 2020 since a 2-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in January. It has since claimed six points from 18 games, conceding 49 goals and scoring eight.
Schalke was already struggling when Wagner, a former United States international, took over in July 2019. The side had just completed its worst season since it was relegated from the Bundesliga in 1982-83.
As a player, Wagner won the UEFA Cup with Schalke in 1997. He previously played for Mainz.
Wagner’s coaching career began when he took charge of Schalke rival Borussia Dortmund’s second team in 2011, helped by friend and former Mainz teammate Jürgen Klopp.
Wagner was appointed coach of English side Huddersfield Town in November 2015 and led the side to promotion in 2017. He upset the odds by keeping Huddersfield in the Premier League the following season, but departed by mutual consent in January 2019 with the team last and eight points from safety with 16 games remaining.
Wagner, who played as a forward, made eight appearances for the United States.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Schalke Fires Manager David Wagner as Struggles Continue

The German-American coach is out with Schalke's woes from last season carrying over into the new one. GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Sc...

New on Sports Illustrated: Man City to Sign Benfica Center Back Ruben Dias in Hopes of Solidifying Defense

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/09/29/ruben-dias-manchester-city-transfer-benfica-otamendi">
Nicolas Otamendi will go the other way as part of the transfer, which represents Man City's latest big expenditure on a defender.
Sixteen months later, Manchester City has finally found a replacement for long-time captain Vincent Kompany.
Portugal international Rúben Dias was on the verge of joining City from Benfica on Monday, with the Portuguese team saying the center back was moving for a fee of 68 million euros ($78 million).
In return, Benfica said, Nicolás Otamendi would be joining the club from City for 15 million euros ($17.2 million).
City hasn’t confirmed the transfers.
Kompany ended his 11-year stint at City in May 2019 but was not replaced last season, when City relinquished its English Premier League title in meek fashion to Liverpool.
Despite signing Nathan Ake for 40 million pounds ($46 million) during the offseason as a backup to left-sided center back Aymeric Laporte, City remained in the hunt for a right-sided center half to effectively replace Kompany.
John Stones and Eric Garcia played in that position in City’s two league games so far this season, but both players’ futures are uncertain. Garcia has been linked with a return to Barcelona, while Stones was largely frozen out of the team last season.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
The 23-year-old Dias, a tall and strong defender comfortable with the ball at his feet, has played 19 times for Portugal. He has established himself as a regular with the national team after being a squad member at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Dias has come through the Benfica academy, joining its senior squad in 2015. He was captain for what could prove to be his final game for the team, against Moreirense on Saturday, and embraced his teammates and sporting director Rui Costa after the final whistle in a signal that he was about to leave.
Benfica said the transfers of Dias and Otamendi were yet to be completed, with contracts still to be signed and medical examinations to be taken.
City has spent heavily on center backs since 2014, bringing in Eliaquim Mangala from FC Porto that year for a reported 42 million pounds, Otamendi from Valencia for 32 million pounds in 2015, and Stones for an initial 47.5 million pounds in 2016.
Laporte joined from Athletic Bilbao for a then-club-record fee of 65 million euros ($80 million) in January 2018.
Now Ake and Dias will have moved for a combined $124 million.

New on Sports Illustrated: Man City to Sign Benfica Center Back Ruben Dias in Hopes of Solidifying Defense

Nicolas Otamendi will go the other way as part of the transfer, which represents Man City's latest big expenditure on a defender. Sixt...

New on Sports Illustrated: Marlins beat Yanks 5-0 for winning season, face Cubs

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246207">
NEW YORK (AP) Miami heads to its first postseason appearance since the Marlins' 2003 World Series title with its first winning record in more than a decade.
Rookie Jazz Chisholm had a home run and three RBIs on Sunday in a 5-0 win over the New York Yankees.
Miami (31-29) finished third in the NL East and earned the NL's sixth seed and a matchup at the Chicago Cubs in the first round.
''We'll be rested,'' Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ''We'll be ready. I think they're going to expect to play well. I think our guys will be loose, I think we'll be fine.''
Miami lost an NL-worst 105 games last year and had 18 players sidelined with COVID-19 early on, forcing the Marlins to use 61 players and make 174 transactions. The Marlins had not finished with a winning record since going 87-75 in 2009.''
''This group has been a solid group, a great group actually, trustworthy from the standpoint they'll be ready to play,'' Mattingly said. ''Anything that's come their way, they've dealt with, so really proud of these games and happy to have a winning record.
Chisholm hit a two-run double in Miami's three-run second off rookie Clarke Schmidt (0-1), who made his first big league start, and homered off Nick Nelson in the eighth. Brian Anderson homered against Jonathan Holder, and Corey Dickerson hit an RBI single for Miami.
''As a kid you always want to play in Yankee Stadium,'' said Chisholm, who had two extra-base hits in his first 19 games before Sunday. ''It was really cool to be able to perform like this today.''
Daniel Castano (1-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings for his first career win. Schmidt allowed three runs and four hits in four innings.
The Marlins lost outfielder Starling Marte and right-hander Jose Urena to injuries in the first three innings. Marte left with a bruised left ear after being hit by Schmidt's 94 mph fastball in the second. Urena, a candidate for Miami's bullpen in the postseason, was hit on the right arm by DJ LeMahieu's liner in the third.
X-rays revealed Urena has a broken forearm, according to reports.
''Kind of your biggest fear on a day like today,'' Mattingly said. ''You hate to be playing your guys, almost.''
Streaky New York (33-27) finished seven games back of Tampa Bay and hung on for the AL's fifth seed when third-place Toronto (32-28) lost to Baltimore. The Yankees will play at Cleveland in the first round after a season in which they started 16-6, lost 15 of 20, won 10 in a row and lost six of their last eight.
''We haven't in my opinion played up to our ability recently, but I think that for the most part we got the majority of our guys healthy and on the field and got some guys back in the lineup at the right time and hopefully starting Tuesday going on a roll,'' Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner said.
LeMahieu had two hits to finish with a .364 batting average and became the first player to win undisputed batting titles in both the American and National Leagues. LeMahieu won the NL batting title with a .348 average for Colorado in 2016. His average was the highest for an AL batting champion since Minnesota's Joe Mauer hit .365 in 2009.
''It's pretty cool. I don't think it's really sank in yet, but it's really cool,'' said LeMahieu, who missed summer camp recovering from COVID-19 and 10 games with a sprained left thumb last month. ''I wish it were over 162 games. I wish there were fans in the stands, but it is what it is. I'm definitely proud of it.''
Ed Delahanty hit .410 for the Philadelphia Phillies to win the NL championship in 1899. He is credited by some researchers with the 1902 AL championship at .376, while others accept Nap Lajoie as winning that title at .378 despite lacking the plate appearances required in more modern times.
LeMahieu became the first Yankee to win the batting crown since Bernie Williams in 1998. He became just the fourth Yankees player to lead the majors in batting average after Lou Gehrig in 1934, Joe DiMaggio in 1939 and Mickey Mantle and 1956.
Luke Voit finished with 22 homers, joining Babe Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez as Yankees to lead the majors in home runs.
''Not only did he hit a bunch of homers but he hit some huge homers for us and really carried us this year,'' LeMahieu said.
LeMahieu and Voit became the first set of teammates to lead the majors in batting average and homers since Hank Aaron (.365) and Eddie Matthews (46 homers) for the 1959 Milwaukee Braves.
''They've been the pillars in our lineup, the rocks in our lineup and Luke just put together an amazing season,'' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ''I think both guys are worthy of MVP consideration.''
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: LHP James Paxton (left forearm) threw on flat ground.
UP NEXT
Marlins: Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and rookie Sixto Sanchez likely will be the three first-round starters.
Yankees: Gerrit Cole will start Game 1 followed by Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ or rookie Deivi Garcia.
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Marlins beat Yanks 5-0 for winning season, face Cubs

NEW YORK (AP) Miami heads to its first postseason appearance since the Marlins' 2003 World Series title with its first winning record i...

New on Sports Illustrated: Slow start sends White Sox to costly 10-8 loss vs Cubs

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246367">
CHICAGO (AP) Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria had a succinct message for his team after a disappointing finish to a successful regular season.
Forget about it, he said. It's time to move on.
''We have to respond,'' Renteria said. ''We don't respond, we're out.''
Reynaldo Lopez struggled and the White Sox tumbled out of position for a home playoff series, losing 10-8 to Kris Bryant and the crosstown Cubs on Sunday.
The White Sox (35-25) finished the season with seven losses in eight games to go from first in the AL Central to the seventh seed and a trip to Oakland for their first playoff appearance since 2008. They were in second place in the division heading into the final day, but Cleveland rallied for an 8-6 victory over Pittsburgh and hopped over Chicago via tiebreaker based on its 8-2 record in the season series.
Game 1 against the AL West champion Athletics is Tuesday.
''Just keep moving forward and get ready for the postseason,'' rookie outfielder Luis Robert said through a translator. ''We're going to keep doing what we've been doing the whole season; just play hard and try to win games. That's going to be our mindset for the postseason.''
The South Siders scored five in the eighth inning, and Yasmani Grandal's two-run homer trimmed the Cubs' lead to 10-8 in the ninth. Andrew Chafin came in with two outs and a runner on and struck out Nomar Mazara looking for his first save of the season.
Bryant, Billy Hamilton and David Bote homered for the Cubs (34-26), who rested Anthony Rizzo, Jason Heyward, Willson Contreras and Ian Happ a day after clinching the NL Central title. Adbert Alzolay (1-1) struck out a career-high eight in five effective innings.
The Cubs are the NL's third seed for their fifth playoff appearance in the last six years. They will be at Wrigley Field for the wild-card round beginning on Wednesday against No. 6 seed Miami.
''Coming out on the other side of a season like this really feels rewarding,'' manager David Ross said. ''This was a unique season, a challenging season, for a lot of reasons.''
The North Siders had lost five of six before taking two of three in the weekend set at Guaranteed Rate Field. The series concluded with homers on back-to-back days for Bryant, an encouraging sign after the 2016 NL MVP was sidelined by oblique tightness.
''He looks like he feels really good,'' Ross said. ''The at-bats are great ... and it's nice to see that. It looks like he's in a really good place.''
Bryant, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency for much of the pandemic-shortened season, opened the second with a massive drive to left for his fourth homer. Bote added a two-run shot, Cameron Maybin singled in two runs and Hamilton swiped home as part of a double steal, helping the Cubs build a 6-0 lead.
Lopez (1-3) was pulled with one out in the inning. He was charged with all six runs and four hits. The right-hander had gone 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in his previous three starts.
Hamilton also hit a drive to left-center in the fourth, making it 7-0 with his first homer since Aug. 29, 2018, for Cincinnati against Milwaukee. He became the first player to go deep and steal home in the same game for the Cubs since Glenn Beckert on April 11, 1967, according to Elias Sports.
MAKING MOVES
The Cubs brought up left-hander Brailyn Marquez from their alternate training site in South Bend, Indiana. Infielder Patrick Wisdom was designated for assignment.
The 21-year-old Marquez, one of the team's top prospects, got two outs in the eighth in his big league debut. He walked three and was charged with five runs.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: RHP Tyler Chatwood (elbow) threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday. ''Looked really good,'' Ross said. ''I still think he's a good bit away.''
White Sox: OF Eloy Jimenez (sprained right foot) is ''improving exponentially,'' Renteria said. Jimenez missed the series against the Cubs after he got hurt on a slide during Thursday's 5-4 loss at Cleveland. ''Tomorrow will be a good day for us to kind of truly assess where he's at,'' Renteria said. ... LHP Gio Gonzalez left in the seventh with a sore shoulder. Renteria said Gonzalez will be re-evaluated on Monday.
UP NEXT
Cubs: RHPs Kyle Hendricks (6-5, 2.88 ERA) and Yu Darvish (8-3, 2.01 ERA) likely will start the first two playoff games, but Ross declined to announce his postseason rotation.
White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (4-3, 3.48 ERA) and LHP Dallas Keuchel (6-2, 1.99 ERA) will start the first two games in the wild-card round.
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Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Slow start sends White Sox to costly 10-8 loss vs Cubs

CHICAGO (AP) Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria had a succinct message for his team after a disappointing finish to a successful regul...

New on Sports Illustrated: A's beat Mariners 6-2, earn 2 seed and will face White Sox

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246720">
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Mark Canha drove in four runs and the Oakland Athletics came back to beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday in their final tune-up before the postseason.
Oakland's victory, coupled with Minnesota's loss to Cincinnati, gave the AL West champion A's the No. 2 seed in the American League playoffs. They'll be home at the Coliseum for a best-of-three series against the seventh-seeded Chicago White Sox beginning Tuesday.
Frankie Montas had a career-high 13 strikeouts in six innings for Oakland. Jake Lamb homered and Tommy La Stella added a pair of hits.
The A's owned the best record in the AL for much of the season before slumping down the stretch. They had lost five of seven before Sunday and were swept by the Mariners in a doubleheader Saturday.
''It's a clean slate going into the postseason,'' manager Bob Melvin said. ''More than anything, it's been a difficult season on some guys. It's a new, clean slate. You can really make up a lot of ground by having a good postseason.''
Oakland bounced back to win behind Montas' best start of the season and a steady day from the offense.
Montas, who will be in the bullpen for the first round of the playoffs, didn't get the win but was dominant in his final start. He gave up a pair of unearned runs, had at least one strikeout in every inning and struck out the side in the fourth and sixth. He allowed four hits and walked two.
''I went out there and just pitched,'' Montas said. ''I didn't care about what happened.''
Yusmeiro Petit (2-1) retired all three batters he faced to get the win.
Lamb's tiebreaking home run off Yoshihisa Hirano (0-1) leading off the seventh put the A's up 3-2. After Oakland loaded the bases later in the same inning, Canha hit a deep drive that deflected off the glove of Seattle center fielder Kyle Lewis as Sean Murphy and Tony Kemp scored.
Canha also had an RBI groundout off starter Marco Gonzales in the first and a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.
The A's will hold a workout at the Coliseum on Monday.
''The mood is always better after a win,'' Melvin said. ''If you win six games in a row and you lost your last game, it's still a loss and there's still a different mood to it. I'm not going to say it isn't a better feeling going into the workout tomorrow.''
Gonzales, who has not lost since Aug. 11, allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. He missed out on becoming the sixth pitcher in Mariners history to win six consecutive starts.
Even with the loss, Seattle made big strides in this shortened season. The Mariners, who were 68-94 and 39 games out of first place in 2019, finished 27-33, 10 games behind the A's.
After Sunday's loss, the Mariners held a team meeting.
''A number of players stood up and spoke, which is great. That's exactly where I hoped we would be as a team on the field, and it's exactly where I hoped we'd be as a team as far as a close-knit group in the clubhouse,'' manager Scott Servais said. ''A lot of positives and we'll talk about it all offseason, but it's always disappointing when you go home and don't make the playoffs.''
CLOSE THE DOOR
The start of the game was delayed briefly when an outfield door in center field swung open just before the first pitch. A's center fielder Ramon Laureano walked through the opening, closed the door and locked it, then climbed back over the fence and grabbed his glove.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mariners: C Luis Torrens was placed on the injured list with back spasms. Joe Hudson was recalled from the alternate training site.
Athletics: Chad Pinder had an RBI single in his return from the injured list and a strained right hamstring. Melvin watched him run the bases and was encouraged. ''Having Pinder is huge for us,'' Melvin said. ''We missed him.'' . RHP James Kaprielian was optioned to the alternate site.
UP NEXT
Mariners: Servais and his club will take some time off and evaluate the roster before heading back to Arizona for spring training. Seattle plays its first game in Peoria against the San Diego Padres on Feb. 27.
Athletics: Melvin plans to announce his playoff rotation Monday, although RHP Chris Bassitt and LHP Sean Manaea are expected to be included.
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New on Sports Illustrated: A's beat Mariners 6-2, earn 2 seed and will face White Sox

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Mark Canha drove in four runs and the Oakland Athletics came back to beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday in their ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Reds beat Twins 5-3 in 10; Minnesota wins AL Central

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246461">
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Tucker Barnhart and Eugenio Suarez had RBI singles during a three-run 10th inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 Sunday in a regular-season finale that determined postseason matchups.
Cincinnati (31-29) became the National League's seventh seed and will play No. 2 seed Atlanta in the first round starting Wednesday.
''Everyone contributed. It was a fun game,'' Reds manager David Bell said. ''Maybe it wouldn't have changed anything where we're headed to Atlanta, but it sure was nice to see everybody play well, finish the regular season really feeling good about themselves and feeling good about our team.''
Despite the defeat, Minnesota (36-24) clinched its second straight AL Central title when the Chicago White Sox lost to the Cubs. The third-seeded Twins host No. 6 seed Houston in the first round starting Tuesday.
''We were not focused on who we might be playing,'' Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. ''There was a lot going on in that game today. It's impossible to deny. ... Normally you just worry about winning the game. Normally you just go out and say, `We're going to focus on winning. That's the only thing that matters.' And that's the way it is probably 99% of the time you take the field.''
Raisel Iglesias (4-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing Marwin Gonzalez's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th.
Caleb Thielbar (2-1) started the 10th and got one out, then was replaced by Sergio Romo, who allowed the run-scoring hits and a bases-loaded walk to Joey Votto while failing to get any outs.
Cincinnati had high expectations after adding Nicholas Castellanos, Mike Moustakas and Shogo Akiyama in the offseason and having Trevor Bauer from the start.
The Reds were 15-21 after losing 16-2 to St. Louis on Sept. 1. They went 16-8 to finish the regular season and earn a playoff spot for the first time since 2013.
''We started this thing probably two weeks ago where it was, hey, these games matter,'' Cincinnati starter Sonny Gray said. ''These games have mattered for us for a long time and that's the good part about it - we took the challenge face on, we took it head on. We've been playing meaningful baseball for a while now.''
Cincinnati finished 75-87 last season, fourth in the NL Central and 16 games behind division-winning St. Louis.
HOME COOKING
Hosting Houston could be important for the Twins, a major league-best 24-7 at home this season. Minnesota went 101-61 last year and won the AL Central by eight games, then was swept by the New York Yankees in the Division Series.
As of the 10th inning, Minnesota still could have finished second, third or fourth in the seeding.
''With all the new rules, we can't really watch the game any more on the TVs out there, so pretty much all we had to do was watch the scoreboard,'' reliever Tyler Duffey said. ''We knew who we needed to win and who needed to do what. . Obviously, we would have loved to have won and taken it in our own hands, but a win's a win ultimately. You've got a day to get ready for our next series.''
FOR STARTERS
Gray, in his final tune-up before a potential postseason start, allowed two runs, two hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. Minnesota lefty Rich Hill gave up one run, two hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Gray balked home the first run in the fifth, rushing a throw home when Jake Cave took off from third.
Cincinnati tied the score in the sixth when Suarez had an RBI double, but Eddie Rosario's sacrifice fly gave the Twins a 2-1 lead in the bottom half. Freddy Galvis' run-scoring single retied the score in the seventh.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: 3B Josh Donaldson (right calf cramp) and CF Byron Buxton (hit on the helmet by a pitch Friday) each missed his second straight game. Baldelli said Buxton has mild concussion symptoms and is improving. Baldelli is hopeful Buxton will be ready for the first game of the playoffs. Donaldson has a history of calf ailments and missed 30 games earlier this season with a strain of the same calf.
UP NEXT
Reds: Bauer (5-4, 1.73 ERA) starts Wednesday. He has allowed five earned runs in his last five starts and 35 innings. Luis Castillo (4-6, 3.21) will start the second game and Gray a potential Game 3.
Twins: Kenta Maeda (6-1, 2.70) starts Tuesday and is to be followed by Jose Berrios (5-4, 4.00) and Michael Pineda (2-0, 3.38).
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Reds beat Twins 5-3 in 10; Minnesota wins AL Central

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Tucker Barnhart and Eugenio Suarez had RBI singles during a three-run 10th inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Minnes...

New on Sports Illustrated: Bumgarner gets 1st win in final start for D-backs, 11-3

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246878">
PHOENIX (AP) Madison Bumgarner pitched five scoreless innings to win his first game for Arizona in his ninth and final start this season, and the Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 11-3 on Sunday to close disappointing years for both teams.
Bumgarner (1-4), a former World Series MVP for San Francisco, left the Giants as a free agent for an $85 million, five-year contract to pitch in the desert. The 31-year-old left-hander never got untracked, plagued by inconsistency and a monthlong stint on the injured list with a mid-back strain.
Bumgarner allowed two hits with four strikeouts for first win since Sept. 4, 2019. He finished with a 6.48 ERA.
''I enjoyed played behind him this year and these last two outings have been fantastic,'' Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker said. ''In a normal season, he's hitting his stride and getting hot right when we need him. Everything was magnified and sped up, but even then very happy to see a lot of confidence in Madison.''
Bumgarner did not speak with reporters after the game.
Arizona had aspirations of its first playoff berth since 2017 after finishing 85-77 last season but faded from contention with a stretch of 13 losses in 14 games last month and finished last in the NL West at 25-35.
''I was proud of them today, what they gave me and gave this organization the past several games when the easiest thing to do would be to shut down,'' Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. ''They stayed the course, stayed in the lane I wanted them to the entire year.''
Colorado finished 71-90 a year ago and wasn't expected to be much of a factor in the NL West this season with Ian Desmond sitting out due to the coronavirus. The Rockies opened 11-3 but finished fourth at 26-34, 17 games back of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
''They came to the park every day with preparation and intensity,'' Rockies manager Bud Black said. ''Proud of the guys for that. It just didn't work out basically the second half of the season.''
Arizona scored two runs in the first inning off Kyle Freeland (2-1) and four more in the third to close with five wins in its final six games.
Kole Calhoun hit a two-run homer in the third inning for the 16th of his first season with Arizona. Calhoun and Ketel Marte had three RBIs each.
Freeland allowed six runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings. He had no wins in his final 11 starts and had a 4.33 ERA.
''This one kind of stung a little bit,'' Freeland said. ''You always want to end the season on a high note, whether you're a pitcher or a position player. I wasn't able to do that, but I'll use this as fuel but at the same time forget about it as quickly as I possibly can.''
GOUDEAU'S FINALE
Colorado rookie reliever Ashton Goudreau had an up-and-down stint during a three-game callup last month, giving up six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. Given another chance against Arizona in the season finale, the 28-year-old former draft pick of the Royals was solid, giving up a run on four hits and 3 2/3 innings after replacing Freeland.
''That's the best we've seen him in a big league game,'' Black said. ''I think that's more indicative what he can possibly do in the big leagues. Today was a step right direction for him confidence wise and something he can take with him into the offseason feeling good about.''
UP NEXT
The Rockies and Diamondbacks open their spring training schedules against each other on Feb. 27 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Bumgarner gets 1st win in final start for D-backs, 11-3

PHOENIX (AP) Madison Bumgarner pitched five scoreless innings to win his first game for Arizona in his ninth and final start this season, a...

New on Sports Illustrated: Braves face Reds in playoffs; Red Sox win Roenicke finale

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246854">
ATLANTA (AP) Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and made a leaping catch as the last-place Boston Red Sox won their final game under manager Ron Roenicke, beating the playoff-bound Atlanta Braves 9-1 Sunday.
The NL East champion Braves wound up as the No. 2 seed and will face Cincinnati in a best-of-three playoff series starting Wednesday. All games will be played in Atlanta.
Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was scratched with left wrist irritation and right-handed reliever Chris Martin exited with right groin discomfort.
Renewed soreness in Acuna's wrist is cause for concern. He was on the 10-day injured list due to soreness in the same wrist from Aug. 12-25.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said he is confident Acuna will play Wednesday.
''That wrist thing was biting a little bit,'' Snitker said. ''Not bad. He wanted to play. He said it was a little sore so there was no reason for him to play. He can get treatment today, tomorrow and the next day and be ready to go.''
Snitker said Martin's status is day to day.
Bradley had three hits, including a go-ahead home run, and made another superb play in center field.
The Red Sox announced before the final regular-season game that Roenicke will not return as manager next season. Boston won two of three from the Braves and finished 24-36.
Bradley, heading toward free agency, gave Boston a 2-1 lead with his fourth-inning homer to left-center off Will Smith (2-1).
J.D. Martinez had a two-run homer, the biggest hit in Boston's five-run seventh off Luke Jackson. Xander Bogaerts and Jonathan Arauz also homered. Arauz had three hits and drove in three runs.
Bogaerts said he decided before the game he wanted to hit a homer for Roenicke and then give the manager a ''big hug before I go to all the other guys.''
''Everything just happened so quick and I kind of just forgot,'' Bogaerts said. ''But I told myself I was going to try to hit one for him and win this game for him.''
Roenicke said managing his last game with the Red Sox ''was fine. It's still concentrate on what I had to do.''
He said the postgame ''was a little tough in the clubhouse. Some guys spoke. So that was a little tough, a little emotional.''
Nick Pivetta (2-0) allowed one run on four hits and two walks in five innings.
Marcell Ozuna hit a 468-foot homer, his NL-leading 18th, off Pivetta in the first. Ozuna also led the NL with 56 RBIs and hit .338.
Freddie Freeman (.341) and Ozuna finished second and third, respectively, behind NL batting champion Juan Soto (.351) of Washington.
Bryse Wilson gave up one run on five hits in three innings for Atlanta. He could work out of the bullpen in the wild-card series, when only three starters will be used. The right-hander could be considered as a No. 4 starter if the Braves advance past the wild-card round.
Bradley's leaping catch came near the 400-foot mark in center field of a long drive hit by Ozzie Albies in the third. Bradley's glove was near the yellow line atop the wall as he made the grab before hitting the wall and falling to the warning track.
The Red Sox were 84-78 and third in the AL East last year.
The Braves (35-25) won their third straight division title under Snitker.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Braves: LHP Max Fried (sore ankle) threw on the mound before the game and is expected to be ready for Wednesday's Game 1 of the wild-card series. Fried also tested his ankle by fielding grounders and throwing to first. ... 3B Austin Riley (sore quadriceps) took some swings from Fried as he sat out for the second straight day.
AUDITION FOR SANDOVAL
Pablo Sandoval started at third base and had two walks after his contract was selected from the Braves' alternate training site. Atlanta signed Sandoval, 34, to a minor league deal on Sept. 14. He was released by the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 10.
Sunday's start was an audition for a bench spot in the postseason. It does not appear that decision has been made.
Snitker said Sandoval ''was moving around good. He's aggressive, I know that. It was good to put him in the clubhouse with everybody. ... If we decide to put him on the roster, it was good to see him right there.''
Referring to Sandoval's postseason history, Snitker said Sandoval would add ''a wealth of experience in what we're getting ready to do.''
To make room for Sandoval, LHP Tucker Davidson was optioned to the alternate training site and LHP Cole Hamels (left shoulder fatigue) was moved to the 45-day IL.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Boston will open its 2021 spring training game schedule on Feb. 26 against Northeastern University in Fort Myers, Florida.
Braves: Fried is expected to start when the Braves open their wild-card playoff series on Wednesday.
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Braves face Reds in playoffs; Red Sox win Roenicke finale

ATLANTA (AP) Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and made a leaping catch as the last-place Boston Red Sox won their final game under manager Ron Ro...

New on Sports Illustrated: Cardinals beat Brewers, both clinch postseason berths

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246890">
ST. LOUIS (AP) Harrison Bader tripled and homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season with a 5-2 win over Milwaukee, and the Brewers also earned a playoff spot Sunday via help on the West Coast moments later.
St. Louis (30-28) will be the fifth seed in the NL and open a three-game wild-card series at San Diego on Wednesday. By winning, the Cardinals avoided having to travel to Detroit for two makeup games Monday. St. Louis finished the regular season with 23 games in 18 days as it made up a slew of postponements caused by a coronavirus outbreak in the clubhouse.
''You had to throw some of the expectations out the window not knowing what to expect after taking those couple weeks off and all those doubleheaders and so many new guys,'' Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said. ''It was very different, very fulfilling to make the playoffs.''
The Brewers (29-31) locked up the eighth seed and a third consecutive postseason berth after the Padres beat San Francisco 5-4 in a game that ended about 15 minutes after St. Louis' victory. The Giants finished with an identical record as the Brewers but lost out on a tiebreaker due to an inferior intradivision record.
''It's fitting for 2020 and everything we went through,'' Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich said. ''It felt just as good as past years. This year's a unique one. There's so many challenges we had to go through on a daily basis behind the scenes, things you don't deal with in a normal year.''
Milwaukee will face the top-seeded Dodgers in Los Angeles in a three-game series that also starts Wednesday.
The Brewers haven't had a winning record at any point this season. Milwaukee and Houston will be the first teams ever to qualify for the playoffs with a losing mark.
''It's a celebration,'' Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. ''We're in the playoffs. That's how you see it. There's no reason to apologize for getting into the playoffs.''
Cardinals starter Austin Gomber allowed one run, one hit and two walks and struck out three over four innings.
Giovanny Gallegos (2-0), Genesis Cabrera and Alex Reyes combined to pitch the final five innings. Reyes got his first save.
''We'd have been happy getting in as the eight seed,'' Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. ''We'd have been happy being the one seed, but people can say we got in if there was no expanded playoffs so that's even another feather in this group's cap.''
Brett Anderson (4-4) surrendered a triple to Bader and a walk to Tyler O'Neill to start the third inning before departing with a blister on his left index finger. Anderson opened the season on the injured list with a blister on the same finger and did not make his debut until Aug. 3.
Freddy Peralta replaced him a day after being activated from the paternity list, and O'Neill promptly stole second. Kolten Wong then hit a line drive off Peralta's leg that Peralta threw into right field to score Bader and O'Neill.
Paul Goldschmidt and Paul DeJong each added RBI singles to push the St. Louis lead to 4-0.
After Milwaukee scored in the top of the fifth, Bader hit his fifth home run of the season.
''That was a big counterpunch,'' Shildt said of Bader. ''Got them on their heels again.''
THREE TIMES THE FUN
Yadier Molina grounded into a triple play in the eighth inning when he hit a one hop grounder to Jace Peterson at third base in the eighth inning. It was Milwaukee's first triple play since Sept. 23, 2016, when Cincinnati's Joey Votto lined out to first base. Molina was also the last Cardinals player to hit into a triple play when he grounded out to third base at Boston on Aug. 15, 2017.
TRAINING ROOM
Brewers: Counsell said it was too early to prognosticate Anderson's status after departing with the blister.
Cardinals: St. Louis president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced that RHP Dakota Hudson will have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Monday. Hudson went 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA in eight starts before leaving his start on Sept. 17 at Pittsburgh with right elbow discomfort after two innings.
UP NEXT
Brewers: The Brewers head to Los Angeles and will likely be without two of their top starters in Anderson and Corbin Burnes, who sustained a left oblique injury on Thursday.
Cardinals: This will be the fourth postseason series between St. Louis and San Diego, who faced each other in 1996, 2005, and 2006 in the Division Series.
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Cardinals beat Brewers, both clinch postseason berths

ST. LOUIS (AP) Harrison Bader tripled and homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular...

New on Sports Illustrated: Singer, Royals beat Tigers 3-1 in Gordon's finale

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246594">
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Brady Singer finished his rookie season with a stellar performance, Alex Gordon wrapped up his long Royals career with a fond farewell and Kansas City ended its season Sunday with a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Adalberto Mondesi and Ryan McBroom homered for the Royals, who finished just above the Tigers in the AL Central in their first season under manager Mike Matheny.
''My regrets are that we have we don't have 100 more games, because with what we are starting to put in place, the building blocks of a winning team, you are starting to see those come together,'' Matheny said.
The Royals finished the season going 12-6 in an 18-game stretch to end the year, which was one of the best in the AL in that span.
Kansas City (26-34 ) has been fourth in the division in back-to-back seasons. The Royals haven't reached postseason play since winning the World Series in 2015.
Detroit (23-35) finished last for the fourth time in six years. Lloyd McClendon wound up the season as the Tigers' manager after Ron Gardenhire retired on Sept. 19.
''They gave us everything they had every day,'' McClendon said.
''Some days were better than others, and that happens with young players, but they're learning what preparation is all about and what it takes to get to the next level,'' he said.
Gordon played the final game of his career and got a touching send-off.
''I grew up as a little kid just wanting to play this game,'' the 36-year-old Gordon said. ''I'm pretty fortunate to do it as long as I have.''
After striking out in the first, he took his spot in left field to begin the second. Gordon was then pulled and trotted off, hugging teammates and a Tigers opponent, and waving to his family watching in a private box at Kauffman Stadium.
Gordon retires as one of three players in Royals history to play 14 or more seasons with the franchise. Only Frank White and George Brett had longer tenures in Kansas City. Gordon won seven Gold Gloves.
Singer (4-5) allowed one run, on Brandon Dixon's double, on three hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked none.
''In the first inning, I started to struggle there and went in an made a little mechanical adjustment and took off from there,'' Singer said.
The right-hander turned it around to finish his rookie campaign with a win.
''Brady showed up and did his part today,'' Matheny said. ''It was one of my favorite starts of his because when he showed up after a rough one the last time out, he showed up today and didn't necessarily have his location and he had to figure out a way to get it going.''
The Royals bullpen held the Tigers hitless in three innings. Jesse Hahn recorded his third save of the season.
Mondesi hit his sixth home run in the fourth, connecting off Tarik Skubel (1-4) to make it 1-all. McBroom hit a solo homer the next inning.
Mondesi doubled home a run in the eighth, his eighth RBI of the season's final homestand.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Open spring training play against Southeastern on Feb. 26 and start big league schedule the next day at the Yankees in Tampa, Florida.
Royals: Start exhibition play against Texas on Feb. 27 at the camp they share in Surprise, Arizona.
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Singer, Royals beat Tigers 3-1 in Gordon's finale

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Brady Singer finished his rookie season with a stellar performance, Alex Gordon wrapped up his long Royals career wit...

New on Sports Illustrated: Phillies eliminated from race by AL East champion Rays, 5-0

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246385">
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated from the playoff race Sunday with a 5-0 loss to rookie pitcher Josh Fleming the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays.
Philadelphia needed a win over the Rays and losses by San Francisco and Milwaukee to earn its first playoff berth in nine years. The Brewers and Giants both lost, but the Phillies were unable to give themselves a chance.
''It's tough sitting here and not thinking (about the playoffs),'' Harper said. ''We had opportunities to win games and we just didn't get it done.''
Sunk all season by a miserable bullpen, the Phillies were swept by Tampa Bay in the three-game series and lost seven of eight overall to finish the year. They went 28-32 under first-year manager Joe Girardi after going 81-81 in 2019 with Gabe Kapler at the helm.
''We had a shot,'' Girardi said. ''We didn't take advantage of it. It's extremely disappointing, coming up one game short. There were a lot of chances to win that one game and we weren't able to do it.''
Fleming (5-0) allowed four hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked one for the top-seeded Rays, who will face No. 8 seed Toronto in a best-of-three series that starts Tuesday at Tropicana Field.
''We talk about wanting to create momentum,'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. ''I feel confident we've done that with whatever lineup we've put out, whatever pitcher's out there, we just continue to find ways to win.''
Oliver Drake, Aaron Loup and Ryan Sherriff completed a six-hitter.
Tampa Bay (40-20) has the AL's top record after reaching the postseason last season as a wild card.
''It's short and long all at the same time,'' Rays infielder Joey Wendle said of the 60-game season. ''It's been a strange run. We're the 1 seed in the American League and in terms of regular season that was as good as we could have hoped for.''
Pinch-hitter Kevan Smith had a run-scoring single in the second before Wendle and Hunter Renfroe both had third-inning RBI hits off Aaron Nola (5-5) that put the Rays up 3-0.
Nola gave up three runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Mike Brosseau hit an RBI triple that bounced over right fielder Phil Gosselin's head and scored on Hector Neris' wild pitch when Michael Perez struck out to make it 5-0 in the sixth.
Philadelphia loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth but Fleming got a grounder from Gosselin.
Phillies rookie Alec Bohm doubled in the eighth and had a hit in 18 of his last 20 games.
MAJOR CONFIDENCE
It was not known before the game if the Rays would play the New York Yankees or Toronto in the first-round series.
But Tampa Bay hitting coach Chad Mottola said pregame that he felt both teams would prefer not taking on the Rays.
''I know no one wants to play us,'' Mottola said. ''I would think they're going to play today, both teams, knowing that they want to avoid us.''
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: Smith hit for CF Brett Phillips, who left with right hamstring tightness. ... Cash said OF Austin Meadows (left oblique strain) is ''not close'' to returning. ... LHP Jose Alvarado (left shoulder inflammation), 1B Ji-Man Choi (left hamstring strain) and INF Yandy Diaz (right hamstring strain) will take part in a simulated game Monday. ... OF Manuel Margot (sore foot) was scratched from the lineup.
UP NEXT
Phillies: Will host Toronto in Clearwater, Florida, to begin 2021 spring training on Feb. 27.
Rays: The first-round rotation will be LHP Blake Snell (4-2), RHP Tyler Glasnow (5-1) and RHP Charlie Morton (2-2).
---
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New on Sports Illustrated: Phillies eliminated from race by AL East champion Rays, 5-0

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated from the playoff race Sunday with a 5-0 loss to rookie...

New on Sports Illustrated: Giants lose to Padres, miss playoffs on season's final day

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246692">
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The Giants will look back at several missed chances over the final week that cost them a playoff berth that was right there for the taking.
San Francisco had its postseason hopes dashed on the final day of the regular season, losing 5-4 to the playoff-bound San Diego Padres on Sunday.
''We kind of controlled our own destiny this past week. We just needed to win another game or two the last couple series to get in,'' shortstop Brandon Crawford said. ''We played great I think the last six or eight weeks. To not take the opportunity to win a couple of these last games and get into the playoffs, it definitely hurts.''
San Francisco finished 29-31 under first-year manager Gabe Kapler, beginning the day tied with Milwaukee for the final NL playoff spot. The Brewers hold the tiebreaker, which meant the Giants needed to win and have Milwaukee lose at St. Louis - the Brewers did their part but the Giants couldn't.
''We just didn't play good enough baseball,'' Kapler said. ''... It stings, right?''
Now, the Giants' drought reaches four years since they lost a four-game division series in 2016 to the eventual World Series champion Cubs. The Giants - World Series winners in 2010, `12 and '14 - will look back to costly losses in the final stretch, most notably Thursday's 5-4, 11-inning defeat at home to the Rockies then 6-5 to the Padres in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader.
Wil Myers homered in the second for San Diego (37-23), the NL's No. 4 seed, as the Padres prepare for their first postseason in 14 years. They will host a best-of-three series against St. Louis beginning Wednesday.
Mitch Moreland hit a go-ahead double in the fourth. Jorge Mateo's double in a three-run seventh followed by Greg Garcia's sacrifice fly provided insurance.
Brandon Crawford hit a two-run homer for the Giants in the seventh then Wilmer Flores connected in the eighth. That just wasn't quite enough.
Trevor Rosenthal closed it out for his 11th save, retiring Austin Slater on a called third strike to end it. Slater put his hands on his head, and Giants players cursed from the dugout at plate umpire Rob Drake.
''It was disappointing,'' Kapler said. ''I haven't had a chance to go back and watch the game but I know there were some calls that went against our guys.''
There was no out-of-town scoreboard to be seen inside Oracle Park to follow the Brewers-Cardinals game. Dozens of boats and kayaks stayed hopeful waiting on the other side of right field in McCovey Cove on a picture-perfect late-September day when first-pitch temperature was 84 degrees.
In fact, even former Giants fan favorite outfielder Hunter Pence watched from a vessel called BRAVO a day after announcing his retirement.
Mauricio Dubon homered in the bottom of the second for San Francisco, which also missed giving Drew Smyly (0-1) his first victory in five starts and seven appearances.
''It's a tough pill to swallow today,'' said Smyly, who would like to stay with the Giants if it works out. ''Our guys grinded all day, we gave it our all, we gave it our all all season. I think we outperformed most expectations. It's a good group of dudes and we're very disappointed today but I think we'll all look back and have a lot of really good memories about the season.''
Smyly struck out 10 over five innings for his 11th career double-digit strikeout game and first since Sept. 25, 2019, at Washington with Philadelphia.
San Diego starter Adrian Morejon was winless in his final four appearances since getting the decision in relief against the Giants on Sept. 10.
Dan Altavilla (2-3) relieved and pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win.
San Francisco went 77-85 in retired manager Bruce Bochy's final year of 2019.
TATIS IN 2020
Fernando Tatis Jr. worked a short day to get off his legs with the playoffs ahead, and so did Manny Machado.
Tatis homered Friday and Saturday, and the 21-year-old Padres slugger finished the shortened season with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs, batting .277.
TRAINER'S ROOM
San Diego C Jason Castro took a foul ball off the face mask in the bottom of the sixth and had his jaw looked at for several minutes before he exited. Austin Nola replaced him.
''He's diagnosed basically with a sprained jaw. The good news is coming out of the concussion protocol, we're good there, but his jaw is pretty tender,'' manager Jayce Tingler said. ''The trainers think it's going to be even more sore tomorrow. We think that everything is going to be fine since it is a sprain and he should be good to go on Wednesday.''
UP NEXT
If he's healthy as the Padres expect, RHP Dinelson Lamet is the projected Game 1 starter for San Diego on Wednesday. Lamet gave his team a scare when he came out of Friday's game with biceps tightness.
Lamet is slated for a bullpen Monday that will better determine his status.
''Tomorrow is going to be a big day,'' Tingler said.
San Francisco's first spring training game in Cactus League play is set for Feb. 27 against the Angels.
--
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New on Sports Illustrated: Giants lose to Padres, miss playoffs on season's final day

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The Giants will look back at several missed chances over the final week that cost them a playoff berth that was right th...

New on Sports Illustrated: Jays lose finale to Orioles 7-5, will face Rays in playoffs

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246867">
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Toronto Blue Jays are set to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the postseason after losing to the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 on Sunday in their regular season finale.
The Orioles denied Toronto (32-28) a chance to finish second in the AL East and instead relegated the Blue Jays to the eighth and final seed in the AL playoffs. Toronto will open a three-game series in Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
All in all, it's a vast improvement on 2019, when the Blue Jays finished a distant fourth at 67-95. They were 4-6 against Tampa Bay this season.
The final day loss snapped Toronto's four-game winning streak. The Blue Jays won six of eight to finish the regular season. Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who had four hits Sunday, said the Blue Jays are feeling good about themselves as they head for Florida.
''Our confidence right now is great,'' Gurriel said through a translator. ''We have pretty much everybody healthy. From one through nine, the lineup is good. Everybody is feeling great right now, which is what you want going into the playoffs.''
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo spent over two decades in the Rays organization as a minor league manager and major league coach. He joined the Blue Jays in October, 2018.
''Our team knows, for us to start winning championships, we've got to go through Tampa Bay,'' Montoyo said.
Renato Nunez reached base three times in his return to the lineup and Cedric Mullins hit two triples for the Orioles.
Baltimore (25-35) also improved on a last-place finish in 2019, when they went 54-108. By winning their finale, the Orioles ensured they finished one game ahead of Boston for fourth.
''We've all gone through a lot this year, and it's been a grind in a lot of ways,'' Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. ''I really like our club.''
Nunez started at DH after missing the previous three games because of a sore knee. He walked in the first, hit an RBI double in the third, and singled and scored in the fifth. He lined out in the seventh and struck out in the ninth.
Mullins was denied a home run when Blue Jays outfielder Jonathan Davis made a sensational leaping catch for the final out of the second. Davis sprinted into the corner and stretched above the wall to rob Mullins, managing to hold on to the ball as he fell onto the warning track.
Gurriel had a two-run home run among his four hits and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a solo shot for the Blue Jays, who needed a victory and a Miami win over the Yankees to move up in the standings. Miami won 5-0 but the Blue Jays couldn't make an early 4-1 lead hold up.
Mullins hit a two-run triple in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Austin Hays.
Rio Ruiz and Pat Valaika had RBI base hits in the fifth and a third run scored on Hanser Alberto's ground out.
Gurriel doubled in the second, homered in the third, singled in the sixth, and doubled again in the eighth.
Baltimore's Travis Lakins Sr. (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings for the win. Cesar Valdez worked the ninth for his third save in three chances.
Toronto's Shun Yamaguchi (2-4) took the loss, allowing three runs and four hits in two innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Blue Jays: RHP Jordan Romano (strained middle finger) threw batting practice to INF Rowdy Tellez (right knee) before the game. ... RHP Ross Stripling is sore but fine after taking a comebacker off the right shin Saturday, Montoyo said. ... Gurriel Jr. started in left field after leaving Saturday's game four innings after he fouled a pitch off his left foot.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: The wild-card round begins at Tampa on Tuesday, with LHP Blake Snell on the mound for the Rays. The Blue Jays have not named a starter, but Montoyo has hinted it may not be LHP Hyun Jin Ryu. Toronto went 3-4 at Tropicana Field this season. Four of the games were decided by one run, including three that went to extra innings.
Orioles: The first full-squad workout at spring training is scheduled for Feb. 21. The first exhibition game is Feb. 27 against Atlanta at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Jays lose finale to Orioles 7-5, will face Rays in playoffs

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Toronto Blue Jays are set to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the postseason after losing to the Baltim...

New on Sports Illustrated: Indians rally past Pirates, will host Yankees in playoffs

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246179">
CLEVELAND (AP) The Cleveland Indians are staying home for the first round of the postseason - and the New York Yankees are coming to town.
Carlos Santana had four RBIs and delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning as the Indians rallied for an 8-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday to gain home-field advantage for their AL wild-card series.
Cleveland (35-25) finished second in the Central and grabbed the No. 4 seed in the American League playoffs when the Chicago White Sox lost to the crosstown Cubs.
''We feel proud of our city and we wanted to play here,'' Indians designated hitter Franmil Reyes said. ''We want to give the city of Cleveland what they deserve, which is to keep winning and a championship.''
The Indians, who won seven of their last eight games, host the Yankees in a best-of-three series beginning Tuesday. The opener features a prime pitching matchup, with Cy Young Award favorite Shane Bieber set to face New York ace Gerrit Cole.
''We knew we had a chance to be at home, so that was our No. 1 goal,'' Cleveland closer Brad Hand said. ''It wasn't entirely in our control, but we knew we had to win our game today first.''
The Pirates held a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth, when Reyes belted a three-run homer that chased starter JT Brubaker.
Nik Turley (0-3) entered for the seventh, hitting Cesar Hernandez with a pitch and giving up a double to Jose Ramirez before Santana scored them both to put Cleveland ahead 7-6.
A sacrifice fly by Reyes drove in Santana, who hit a two-run homer in the third after promising acting manager Sandy Alomar Jr. that he would make up for his error in the second.
''I told Sandy, `No worries, I'll get it back for us,''' said Santana, who went 3 for 3 with two doubles and three runs. ''I live day to day, I play day to day and right now I'm focused on the baseball playoffs.''
James Karinchak (1-2) struck out all three batters he faced in the seventh for his first win in the majors. Hand got four outs for his AL-high 16th save in 16 opportunities.
Ramirez, a leading AL MVP contender, doubled twice and scored two runs. He batted .442 with six homers and 18 RBIs over the final 12 games.
''Jose, that's my MVP there,'' Reyes said. ''The way he carried us at the end was big. Really big, big for the team.''
Pirates rookie Ke'Bryan Hayes singled in the first and homered in the third, becoming the first Pittsburgh player with eight straight hits since Andy Van Slyke in 1994.
The 23-year-old also reached base in 10 consecutive plate appearances and finished with a .376 batting average (32 for 85) after making his major league debut on Sept. 1.
Jose Osuna went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs, belting a solo homer in the fifth, and Adam Frazier had a two-run double for Pittsburgh.
The Indians returned to the playoffs for the fourth time in five years after failing to qualify in 2019, when they were 93-69 and placed second in the division.
The Pirates (19-41) finished with the worst record in the majors under first-year manager Derek Shelton. They went 69-93 last season and were last in the NL Central.
''We jumped out early and just didn't complete the game,'' Shelton said. ''We've talked all year about finishing games, and it still shows up on the last day of the season.''
STATUS QUO
President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti announced that Alomar will pilot the Indians throughout the playoffs. Manager Terry Francona, who is recovering from gastrointestinal surgery, is staying in the team hotel and will serve as an adviser.
''I'm just like the mariner steering the boat while the captain is sleeping in the back,'' joked Alomar, who went 27-19 filling in for Francona. ''Tito just told us to keep doing our thing.''
LEADER OF THE PACK
Bieber topped the majors with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts. His ERA was the lowest in the AL since Luis Tiant posted a 1.60 mark for Cleveland in 1968.
Bieber also shared the big league lead with eight wins, tying Yu Darvish of the Cubs. The 2019 All-Star Game MVP became the first Indians pitcher to win the AL pitching Triple Crown since Bob Feller in 1940.
NICE GESTURE
Pittsburgh activated C Andrew Susac from the taxi squad after he spent all season at the team's alternate training site in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The 30-year-old last played in the majors with Baltimore in 2018.
Susac received extended cheers and a standing ovation from the Pirates' relievers when he first came up to bat.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: C Jacob Stallings (concussion) was placed on the seven-day injured list and RHP Keone Kela (forearm) was transferred to the 45-day IL. Stallings was struck by a backswing Saturday, but played the entire game.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Spring training opener on Feb. 27 against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, Florida.
Indians: AL wild-card series beginning Tuesday. Bieber (8-1, 1.63 ERA), RHP Carlos Carrasco (3-4, 2.91 ERA) and RHP Zach Plesac (4-2, 2.28 ERA) will be their starters.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Indians rally past Pirates, will host Yankees in playoffs

CLEVELAND (AP) The Cleveland Indians are staying home for the first round of the postseason - and the New York Yankees are coming to town. ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Nationals' Soto youngest ever to win NL batting crown

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246524">
WASHINGTON (AP) Juan Soto became the National League's youngest batting champion, Trea Turner hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs, and the Washington Nationals closed out the season with a 15-5 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday.
Soto walked and singled before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the third inning, elevating his average to .351 and sealing the NL lead in the category during this pandemic-shortened 60-game season.
The 21-year-old Soto surpassed Brooklyn's Pete Reiser for the youngest ever to take a batting crown. Reiser was 22 when he ended the 1941 season hitting a league-leading .343.
''For me, it doesn't matter the age,'' Soto said with a smile when informed of the feat's historical significance. ''If you deserve it, you deserve it.''
Soto held off Atlanta teammates Freddie Freeman (.341) and Marcell Ozuna (.338) and also finished 2020 with the major league-lead in on-base percentage (.490) and slugging percentage (.695).
Yan Gomes homered for Washington, which won seven of its last nine and closed the season on a three-game winning streak and caught the Mets in the NL East standings.
''These guys don't quit,'' Washington manager Dave Martinez said. ''They play hard every day and you saw what they did the last nine games. I'm proud of them hanging in there.''
The Nationals finished 26-34 a year after winning their first World Series. The Nationals' .433 winning percentage in the truncated season was the lowest for a defending champion since the 1998 Florida Marlins went 54-108 (.333).
New York slipped from 86-76 last season and third place in the NL East to 26-34 and tied for fourth in manager Luis Rojas' first season. The Mets still held slim playoff hopes entering Saturday before dropping three in a row, and they would have secured a wild card had they won those games because of three-game slides by Philadelphia and San Francisco to end the season.
''We didn't get it done,'' Rojas said. ''We needed to do it, and we didn't do it. It was definitely all on us. It makes it a little bit more frustrating just seeing that part happened the way we wanted, but we didn't execute what we needed to do.''
Pete Alonso homered twice for New York and finished with 16 after clubbing a rookie-record 53 last season. Guillermo Heredia added a solo shot for the Mets.
Washington right-hander Austin Voth (2-5) needed 36 pitches to escape the first but made it through five innings to close his season with back-to-back victories. Voth allowed four runs while striking out four.
The Nationals chased Mets starter Seth Lugo after 1 1/3 innings. Lugo (3-4) allowed six runs on five hits and two walks.
With Washington already leading 7-3, Turner busted the game open with a third-inning grand slam off reliever Steven Matz. It was Washington's first grand slam of the season.
KENDRICK'S FUTURE
Washington and INF Howie Kendrick have a mutual option for 2021, and he has at least one prominent figure hopeful for his return.
''I'm holding onto his leg,'' Martinez said. ''He's got a lot of discussions to have with his family and I told him we'll stay in touch as we always do and we'll see where he's at.''
The 37-year-old Kendrick hit .275 with two homers and 14 RBIs in 25 games, and ended the season on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
NATS AWARDS
Soto was named Washington's player of the year and RHP Max Scherzer (5-4, 3.74 ERA) earned the team's pitcher of the year award in voting by local media. LHP Sean Doolittle won his third consecutive Good Guy Award.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: New York placed RHP Erasmo Ramirez (right groin tightness) on the injured list. Ramirez was 0-0 with an 0.63 ERA in six games. The Mets recalled RHP Corey Oswalt.
Nationals: OF Victor Robles was hit by a pitch in the second inning and was lifted for a defensive replacement in the third.
UP NEXT
Mets: New York opens its 2021 spring training schedule on Feb. 27 against Miami in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Nationals: Washington takes on Houston on Feb. 27 in West Palm Beach, Florida, in its scheduled 2021 spring training debut.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Nationals' Soto youngest ever to win NL batting crown

WASHINGTON (AP) Juan Soto became the National League's youngest batting champion, Trea Turner hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs,...