Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Shohei Ohtanineeds to perform better if his club stands a chance of winning the World Series.
Ohtani is 4-for-27 during this year's playoffs, and went 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts during the four-game division series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
"We're not going to win the World Series with that sort of performance," Roberts said Saturday, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange-County Register.
First baseman Pete Alonso has already said he intends to opt out of his deal with the New York Mets, and it looks like he wants a big contract in free agency.
Alonso is expected to seek a seven-year deal after he opts out of the two-year, $54-million pact he signed with the Mets last February, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post.
The 30-year-old slugger had a bounce-back year in 2025, slashing .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs, 41 doubles, and 126 RBIs in 162 games played.
Lucas Raymond scored twice, including the 100th goal of his career, and the Detroit Red Wings pulled away to a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
Raymond's milestone goal broke a 3-all tie at 6:45 of the third period. He scored on a slap shot off a pass from Patrick Kane during a power play.
Kane had a goal and two assists. Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson and Andrew Copp also scored, while Emmitt Finnie notched his first career point with an assist on Raymond's first goal. Alex DeBrincat added three assists.
The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the NLCS with a 2-1 walk-off win after Philadelphia Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering threw the ball away trying to make a play at the plate in Thursday's Game 4 of the NLDS.
Kerkering got Andy Pages to hit a comebacker to the pitcher with the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th inning. However, the right-hander decided to throw home instead of throwing to first base, which looked like an easy final out to end the frame.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin isn't expected to be available for Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers due to a fibula injury, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Godwin has yet to participate in practice this week.
The 29-year-old has played in two games since returning from an ankle injury he suffered in October 2024. However, he hasn't made a strong impression. Godwin posted an identical line of three catches for 26 yards in both games. He also caught just six of his 14 targets.
The spotlight was on Jonathan Toews when the Winnipeg Jets stepped on the ice for their season opener against Dallas on Thursday night.
The Winnipeg-born Toews received a loud, long cheer from the sold-out crowd when he was introduced before the Jets' 5-4 loss.
Playing his 791st regular-season game, Draisaitl gave the Oilers a 3-0 lead at 8:32 of the second period. He tapped in David Tomasek's cross-crease feed, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also assisting.
Draisaitl also had an assist to push his points total to 958. The 29-year-old German star is the 111th player in NHL history to score 400 goals.
The Edmonton Oilers agreed to terms with free-agent forward Jack Roslovic on a one-year, $1.5-million contract, the team announced Wednesday.
Roslovic tied a career-high 22 goals last season as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes but went unsigned through the offseason. He reportedly had multiple offers on July 1 before firing his agent.
While talented offensively, inconsistent defensive play may have contributed to why Roslovic didn't secure a contract to his liking out of the gate.
The Toronto Blue Jays are off to the American League Championship Series for the first time in nine years.
Toronto eliminated the New York Yankees with a 5-2 victory Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to win its ALDS three games to one.
Eight Blue Jays relievers combined to strike out 10 batters while holding New York to only six hits. Closer Jeff Hoffman got the final four outs, and after allowing an Aaron Judge RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, he struck out Cody Bellinger to clinch the series.
Bo Bichette was set to run Wednesday for the first time since spraining his left knee last month, and the Toronto Blue Jays still hope their starting shortstop will be able to return to the lineup later this postseason.
A two-time All-Star, Bichette ended the regular season on the injured list and was left off the roster for the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees. But he took at-bats in a simulated game Tuesday in Toronto against teammates Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt, then joined the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.
Riley Greene and Javier Báez homered in a four-run sixth inning and the Detroit Tigers kept their season alive with a 9-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the American League Division Series.
The Tigers forced a Game 5 by winning at Comerica Park for the first time in more than a month. They went 0-8 after Tarik Skubal's 6-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 6, including Seattle's 8-4 win on Tuesday.
The series decider will be Friday in Seattle, with Skubal pitching for Detroit. The Mariners have yet to announce their starter.
The opening game of the WNBA Finals was the most watched Game 1 since the league's inaugural season.
An average of 1.9 million viewers watched Las Vegas edge Phoenix 89-86 on Friday night, according to ESPN. That was up 62% from last season's matchup of New York and Minnesota.
The game peaked with 2.5 million viewers.
The Winnipeg Jets signed star winger Kyle Connor to an eight-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $12 million, the team announced Wednesday.
Connor was scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer. His new deal is a significant raise from the $7.142 million he's earned annually since 2019. It's also the richest in franchise history.
Over the course of his current deal, Connor has racked up 454 points in 435 games, good for 13th in the NHL over that span. The 28-year-old registered a career-high 97 points last season, and earned a first-team All-Star nod.
The Edmonton Oilers signed defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a three-year contract extension worth $4 million per season, the team announced Wednesday.
Ekholm, 35, was set to reach unrestricted free agency following this season but is now under contract through the 2028-29 campaign.
It's the third extension the Oilers have doled out this week after deals for captain Connor McDavidand blue-liner Jake Walman. Edmonton is currently projected to have approximately $18.3 million in remaining cap space for next season, according to PuckPedia.
Aaron Judge hit a tying homer and drove in four runs during a clutch performance for the ages, and the New York Yankees staved off elimination by rallying from five runs down to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 on Tuesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning and the Yankees took advantage of two Toronto errors to avoid a three-game sweep. They scored eight unanswered runs and pulled to 2-1 in the best-of-five series, with Game 4 on Wednesday night in the Bronx.
The Seattle Mariners are one win away from reaching the ALCS for the first time since 2001 after defeating the Detroit Tigers 8-4 in Tuesday's Game 3 at Comerica Park.
The Tigers entered the ninth inning trailing 8-1 before plating three runs against Mariners left-hander Caleb Ferguson. Seattle manager Dan Wilson brought in closer Andrés Muñoz, who got the game's final three outs.
Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor made a game-ending double play to cap the contest.
The Arizona Cardinals are fining head coach Jonathan Gannon $100,000 for his sideline altercation with running back Emari Demercado during Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Gannon confronted Demercardo after the rusher dropped the ball before crossing the end zone on what would've been a 72-yard touchdown, instead giving the Titans possession on a touchback.
The Baltimore Ravens are trading edge rusher Odafe Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick, the team announced Tuesday.
Oweh, 26, had been with the Ravens since they selected him in the first round of the 2021 draft. His breakout season came in 2024, as he registered 10 sacks and 23 quarterback hits.
However, the Penn State product has failed to register a sack this season and only played 45% of Baltimore's defensive snaps. Oweh is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2025 campaign. The move saves the Ravens roughly $8 million against the cap, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Vegas Golden Knights are having ongoing extension talks with franchise center Jack Eichel, and the two sides are focused on an eight-year pact, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Eichel reportedly has no intention of leaving Vegas.
The NHL record eight-year, $136-million contract signed by Kirill Kaprizov and the two-year, $25-million extension recently signed by Connor McDavid aren't affecting negotiations between Eichel and the Golden Knights, LeBrun added.
Eichel is in the final season of an eight-year, $80-million contract he signed with the Buffalo Sabres in 2017. Vegas acquired him in a 2021 trade with Buffalo.
The 28-year-old recorded a career-high 94 points last season, finishing fifth in both Hart Trophy and Selke Trophy voting. He helped the Golden Knights capture the 2023 Stanley Cup with a league-best 26 points in 22 games that postseason.
Bryce Harper says the only thing the flat Phillies can do in Los Angeles is "flip the script."
Flip it? Philadelphia needs to tear it up and start typing from scratch because in Hollywood terms, Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and the bulk of the high-priced Phillies have been an absolute flop.
Throw in J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos, and those five players are 5 for 35 through two games of the NL Division Series with 13 strikeouts and no home runs.
The Cincinnati Bengals are trading for Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report.
The Browns will reportedly send Flacco and a sixth-round pick to the Bengals in exchange for a fifth-round selection. The sixth-round choice originally belonged to the Detroit Lions, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Flacco, 40, recently lost the starting job in Cleveland to rookie Dillon Gabriel after playing the season's first four games. The trade leaves first-year passer Shedeur Sanders as Gabriel's immediate backup.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones says his obscene gesture toward fans at MetLife Stadium late in a 37-22 victory over the New York Jetswas inadvertent and that he intended a "thumbs up" for celebrating Cowboys fans.
Jones was caught on a video that went viral smiling widely as he pointed toward fans before briefly flashing the gesture Sunday. He said on his radio show Tuesday he was interacting with Dallas fans, not Jets fans.
"That was unfortunate. That was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front — not Jets fans, Cowboys fans. The entire stadium was brimming with enthusiasm of Cowboys and certainly late in the game."
Kansas City won't have to dig deep to figure out where things were awry in Jacksonville on Monday night.
Patrick Mahomes had an interception returned 99 yards for a touchdown and the Chiefs were flagged 13 times for 109 yards in a 31-28 loss to the Jaguars. Four of those penalties came in the final 1:45.
The mounting mistakes proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth game, the fifth one of the NFL's Week 5 decided in the final 30 seconds.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from advancing to the National League Championship Series after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Monday.
Blake Snell earned the win for the Dodgers after tossing six innings of one-hit ball, which included nine strikeouts.
It's the fourth time Snell had nine or more strikeouts with less than two hits allowed in a postseason game, which is the most by any pitcher in playoff history, according to Opta Stats.
Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley rejected an eight-year extension offer worth an average annual value of $9.6 million, reports NHL insider Frank Seravalli.
The deal would've made Cooley the Mammoth's highest-paid player for next season and the 19th highest-paid player in the league. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev carries the highest AAV on Utah at $8.5 million.
Cooley is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign in which he tallied 65 points in 75 games. He finished fifth in Calder Trophy voting with 44 points in 82 contests during his rookie season in 2023-24.
After back-to-back beatdowns in Toronto, the New York Yankees don't have any margin for error as they head home for Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday night.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone put on a brave face after a 13-7 loss Sunday in Game 2 left his team facing elimination.
Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez is now facing a felony charge of battery involving serious bodily injury in addition to the misdemeanor charges stemming from a weekend incident in Indianapolis that led to his arrest.
Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears made the announcement about the new charge, which carries a potential sentence of one to six years in prison, during a news conference Monday with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey. Mears said the investigation is ongoing.
The Edmonton Oilers signed captain Connor McDavid to a two-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $12.5 million, the team announced Monday.
That's the same cap hit as the eight-year deal he's playing on now, which runs through 2025-26.
The Boston Bruins will retire former captain Zdeno Chara's No. 33 on Jan. 15 prior to their game against Seattle, the team announced Monday.
Chara is set to become the 13th player in franchise history to have his number raised to the rafters and the first since Willie O'Ree in 2022. Chara recently rejoined the organization as a hockey operations adviser and mentor.
Stefon Diggs caught 10 passes for 146 yards in his return to Orchard Park and Andy Borregales kicked a go-ahead 52-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to help the New England Patriots take down the Buffalo Bills 23-20 on Sunday.
The AFC East matchup marked Diggs' first game against the Bills in Buffalo since they traded him in 2024. The Bills entered Sunday Night Football as the NFL's last undefeated team this season.
If you didn't know Trey Yesavage before Sunday, you sure do now.
The Toronto Blue Jays rookie welcomed himself to October with a performance for the ages in Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees, striking out 11 over 5 1/3 innings of no-hit ball while being staked to a 12-0 lead.
The Philadelphia Flyers rid themselves of defenseman Ryan Ellis' contract in a trade with the San Jose Sharks, ending his tenure at just four games played in four seasons.
Ellis and a conditional sixth-round draft pick were traded to San Jose on Sunday for forward Carl Grundstrom and defenseman Artem Guryev. The condition on the sixth-round pick is that San Jose shall receive the earlier of two picks Philadelphia currently owns in the 2026 sixth round, its own and Columbus'.
The Flyers now have five picks in the 2026 draft. They own one pick in each of the first three rounds, one in the sixth and one in the seventh round.
Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos was benched on Saturday for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani.
The right-handed-hitting Castellanos said he had "communication" issues earlier this season when he was scratched from the lineup by manager Rob Thomson.
Castellanos played 147 games and hit just .250 with 72 RBIs this season a year after he played in all 162. Max Kepler got the start in right field against LA, batting seventh.
Castellanos played all 34 games for the Phillies over the last three postseasons. He became the first player in MLB history to hit multiple homers in consecutive playoff games when he did it against Atlanta in 2023.
The two-time All-Star has lost playing time in a crowded outfield that includes Kepler, Harrison Bader, Brandon Marsh and Weston Wilson. He said in September in Arizona that communication with Thomson over his four-year tenure with the club has been " questionable, at least in my experience."
Former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez was arrested Saturday after he was apparently stabbed in an overnight altercation in downtown Indianapolis.
Sanchez, who was in Indianapolis to call Sunday's Raiders-Colts game, was charged with battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication — all misdemeanors.
Indianapolis police said Sanchez was in a hospital and had not been booked into a detention center. He was in stable condition, according to Fox Sports.
The Toronto Blue Jays announced their American League Division Series roster that will face the New York Yankees with four notable omissions.
Shortstop Bo Bichette and pitchers Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, and José Berríos weren't included among the 26-man group.
Filip Gustavsson is close to signing a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
The goaltender is expected to earn $6.8 million annually over the five-year deal, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman adds.
News of Gustavsson reportedly nearing fresh terms at the Grand Casino Arena comes days after franchise player Kirill Kaprizovinked the biggest contract in NHL history in total money and AAV. Vladimir Tarasenko and Mats Zuccarello are still prominent unrestricted Wild free agents heading into the new season.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone fired back at Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez, who in September declared the Yankees are "not a good team."
"I feel like the last couple months (we) really started to play really well," Boone told reporters Friday in Toronto on the eve of the ALDS opener, courtesy of SNY. "Contrary to some thoughts up here, we're a really good team."
Martinez, a TV color analyst for the Blue Jays, aired his criticisms of the Yankees on a Sept. 9 broadcast, right after the Yankees had taken two of three from Toronto.
The Philadelphia Phillies want to fuel their fans on a postseason run with a bit of gluttony through a small-scale twist on the popular 9-9-9 challenge.
The Phillies are selling nine bite-sized hot dogs paired with nine tiny beers — each not much more than a shot glass' worth — in a one-stop box complete with a scorecard to keep track of the total.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw will pitch out of the bullpen in the NL Division Series against Philadelphia.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, the 37-year-old left-hander is set to retire at the end of the postseason. He was left off the 26-man roster when the Dodgers swept Cincinnati in the Wild Card Series.
"He'll be on the roster. He's going to be out of the pen and used as such," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday.
The Texas Rangers hired Skip Schumaker as their new manager, the team announced Friday.
Schumaker, 45, spent last season as the senior advisor to baseball operations with the Rangers. He'll replace Bruce Bochy, who parted ways with Texas following the conclusion of their 2025 season.
The Nashville Predators are signing forward Luke Evangelistato a two-year contract with a $3-million cap hit, reports TSN's Chris Johnston.
Evangelista tallied 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games last season.
The 23-year-old was the last unsigned restricted free agent who wasn't at his team's training camp. Vegas Golden Knights forward Alexander Holtz remains without a contract, but the RFA has been at camp and has played throughout the preseason.
Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff won't pitch in the NL Division Series as he recovers from a right lat strain, but the Brewers aren't closing the door on the possibility he could return later in the postseason.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy made the announcement Friday while emphasizing this is unrelated to the shoulder injury that prevented the two-time All-Star from pitching at all last season. The lat issue caused Woodruff to go on the injured list Sept. 21.
The NL Central champion Brewers face the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-5 NLDS that starts Saturday in Milwaukee.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans due to a hamstring injury, the team announced Friday.
The star signal-caller suffered the injury in last week's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He exited the contest in the third quarter and didn't return. Jackson hasn't practiced this week leading up to Sunday's game.
Cooper Rush, who replaced the injured Jackson in Week 4, is slated to get the start, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Rush has started 14 games during his eight-year NFL career. He signed a two-year deal with Baltimore this offseason after spending the last four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
The New York Mets won't bring back pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, the team announced Friday.
In addition, bench coach John Gibbons resigned, and catching instructor Glenn Sherlock retired.
First base coach Antoan Richardson, strategy coach Danny Barnes, and coaching assistant Rafael Fernandez were invited back for next year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks due to a sprained foot, the team announced Friday.
Irving is also in danger of missing Tampa Bay's Week 6 contest against the San Francisco 49ers, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
The 23-year-old is reportedly considered week-to-week. He hasn't practiced this week and was spotted using crutches and wearing a boot Wednesday.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Scott Laughton is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, the team announced Friday.
Laughton suffered the injury during Thursday's 3-1 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. The veteran notched two goals and two assists in three preseason games.
The Maple Leafs acquired Laughton at last season's trade deadline in a package that included a 2027 conditional first-round pick. He produced two goals and two assists in 20 regular-season games while adding two assists in 13 playoff contests.
The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a three-year extension with head coach Kris Knoblauch, keeping him behind the bench through the 2028-29 season, the team announced Friday.
Knoblauch was set to enter this season with one year left on his contract. He took over the position after Edmonton fired Jay Woodcroft 13 games into the 2023-2024 campaign.
Knoblauch has posted a 94-47-10 record in 151 games as the Oilers' head coach. The 47-year-old led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, losing both times to the Florida Panthers. Edmonton is 29-19 in the playoffs under Knoblauch, the first coach since Scotty Bowman to lead his team to the Stanley Cup Final in each of his first two seasons.
Everything seemed to indicate the San Francisco 49ers were in for a long night when they traveled south on a short week without Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa, George Kittle and their top three wide receivers to face the surging Los Angeles Rams.
The Niners had a long Thursday night, all right — but after nearly 67 minutes featuring innumerable twists and turns, they headed home with an improbable victory that reasserted their dominance in their biggest NFC West rivalry.
