UNDATED (AP) — A curse-filled clubhouse victory speech by St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt that went viral after a player posted it on social media showed a different side to the usually mild-mannered skipper _ and while he was sorry that his colorful language got leaked, he did not feel bad about the gist of his message. The NL Central champion Cardinals are getting set to host the wild-card Washington Nationals for Game 1 of the best-of-seven NL Championship Series.
UNDATED (AP) — With the top teams out of the mix, it’s on to a most unlikely matchup in the NL Championship Series. The St. Louis Cardinals are back in the NLCS for the first time since 2014 after a stunner of an inning in Atlanta. They’ll face the Washington Nationals, who dispatched their playoff demons with an upset of the 106-win Dodgers.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The relationship between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Texans counterpart Deshaun Watson goes back well beyond the 2017 draft, when along with Mitch Trubisky they were considered among the best prospects at their position. Now, two of the bright young QBs in the league will square off when Houston visits Kansas City on Sunday.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 11 Texas meet in the Red River rivalry game at the State Fair of Texas. This is the second year in a row both have been ranked for the October matchup. Oklahoma was the only Top 25 team in the previous five meetings. They played twice last year. Texas won in October and the Sooners won the rematch in the Big 12 championship game on way to its third College Football Playoff appearances.
UNDATED (AP) — No. 22 Baylor is playing its first game as a ranked team under third-year coach Matt Rhule. The Bears play Texas Tech after the Red Raiders knocked off then-No. 21 Oklahoma State.
National Headlines
HOUSTON (AP) _ Gerrit Cole tossed two-hit ball over eight innings as the Houston Astros beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-1 to advance to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. The Astros took control with a four-run first as Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel sandwiched RBI singles around Alex Bregman’s two-run double. Michael Brantley and Altuve added back-to-back homers in the bottom of the eighth to cap the scoring.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) _ Tom Brady finished 31 of 41 for 334 yards as the New England Patriots dumped the New York Giants, 35-14. The 42-year-old quarterback moved ahead of Peyton Manning for second place on the NFL’s all-time list for passing yards and also ran for two scores. The reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and forced four turnovers, including a fumble return for a score.
HUMBLE, Texas (AP) _ Austin Cook and Talor Gooch are co-leaders through one round of the PGA’s Houston Open. Cook had four birdies and an eagle during a five-hole stretch on the front nine before completing an 8-under 64. Sepp Straka is one stroke back and one ahead of Russell Henley, Lanto Griffin and Tyler McCumber.
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) _ Simone Biles has won her fifth all-around title at the gymnastics world championships, underlining her status as the clear favorite for next year’s Olympic gold medal. The U.S. gymnast scored 58.999 points to finish 2.1 points ahead of China’s Tang Xijing, who was entered as a late replacement for a teammate. No other woman has won more than three all-around titles.
Thursday Scores
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Houston 6 Tampa Bay 1
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final New England 35 N-Y Giants 14
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Final Houston 118 Toronto 111
Final Brooklyn 114 L.A. Lakers 111
Final Oklahoma City 110 New Zealand 84
Final Portland 104 Maccabi 68
Final Sacramento 105 Phoenix 88
Final Golden State 143 Minnesota 123
Final Denver 111 L.A. Clippers 91