📰🏟️ MLB Super Wednesday
Plus: Jon Rahm is leaving LIV…
Good afternoon. Today’s edition brings you the top news from around the sports world. Let’s get right to it.
—Kyle
1) Padres stay alive, Dodgers now 1 win from NLCS
San Diego edged out the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in Game 3, staving off elimination and cutting the Padres’ NLDS deficit to 2-1. Milwaukee has now lost 12 straight road playoff games, tying the MLB record.
- Meanwhile, Los Angeles beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto outdueled Chris Sale and Kiké Hernández delivered a 2-run HR.
- All four playoff series are in action today, with the White Sox (2-0 v. Guardians) and Rays (2-0 v. Yankees) also looking to clinch series wins alongside the Dodgers and Brewers.
Live updates/analysis on Super Wednesday
📣 FULL-COURT PRESS
Headlines across the sports world
- 🏌️ Jon Rahm announces plans to leave LIV Golf after the upstart golf league filed for bankruptcy last month; Rahm is reportedly owed $100M+ as LIV’s largest creditor.
- 🏀 EuroLeague members reportedly reject a formal offer from the NBA this week to merge and create a single NBA Europe operation
- 🏈 WR Odell Beckham Jr. signs with Minnesota Vikings to their practice squad one week after OBJ was released by the NY Giants.
- ⚽ Lionel Messi marks his 208th and final game for Argentina with his 126th career goal and 2 assists in a 3-0 win over Benin.
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2) Lane Johnson retires 4 games into Eagles' season
Eagles tackle Lane Johnson retired suddenly yesterday afternoon, ending a legendary 14-year career in Philadelphia.
- Johnson cited his desire to focus on his mental health and family, with both parents dealing with health issues.
- The 36-y.o. made 6 Pro Bowls, earned 2 1st-team All-Pro nods, and won 2 Super Bowls across his Hall of Fame-caliber career.
- Since drafting Johnson with the 4th overall pick in 2013, Philly went 122-63-1 when its star RT started, versus 18-30 when Johnson wasn’t in the lineup.
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3) Fever help WNBA playoffs set 1st-round audience mark
The WNBA’s first playoff round averaged 1.3M viewers across 10 games, marking a 37% increase from last year to become the most-watched Round 1 in league history.
- The numbers have been buoyed by Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, who averaged 1.9M viewers across their 3-game series loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
- That includes 2.25M average viewers in Game 3, the 3rd-largest WNBA playoff audience in history outside of the Finals.
- WNBA semifinal action continues tonight with the Atlanta Dream (1-0) v. NY Liberty (1-0) and Golden State Valkyries (1-0) v. Aces (0-1).