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Your Must-See Sports Headlines for Today, October 8

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The Cardinals forced a Game 5, the 49ers blew out the Browns and the Yankees swept the Twins.

Collection of photos via Getty Images The Cardinals forced a Game 5, the 49ers blew out the Browns and the Yankees swept the Twins.

Welcome to the roundup of must-see sports news from Monday, highlighted by the St. Louis Cardinals coming back from the brink of elimination to win an extra-inning thriller, the New York Yankees finishing off the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS and the San Francisco 49ers’ dominant performance on MNF to improve to 4-0.

You’ll also want to check-out the must-watch dunk from Zion Williamson in his first preseason game.

We’ve got you covered as we get you up to speed with the sports world on this Tuesday!

NLDS ROUNDUP: With Backs to Wall, Yadier Molina, Cardinals Rally for Extra-Inning Walk-Off Thriller

The St. Louis Cardinals were just four outs from being eliminated by the Atlanta Braves on Monday but lived to see another day after their thrilling come-from-behind 5-4 win in 10 innings.

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th with two outs and a runner on second, long-time Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina hit a clutch single just over the leaping Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman to tie the game at 4.

Molina, who has spent his entire 16-year Major League career with the Cardinals, took the team on his back and won the game in the 10th inning with a walk-off sacrifice fly.

The 37-year-old veteran may have also won the award for the greatest bat-flip/throw of all-time.

The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead on Monday when Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna electrified the Busch Stadium crowd with back to back home runs in the first inning. Ozuna, who is 8-for-14 in the series, hammered his second homer of the game in the fourth inning to extend the St. Louis lead to 3-1.

Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies hit a two-run home run in the 5th that gave Atlanta the lead which held up until the bottom of the 8th when the Cardinals staged their season-saving rally.

St. Louis ended up using 8 pitchers on Monday, with Game 1 starter Miles Mikolas getting the win after pitching a scoreless 10th.

The Cardinals’ late heroics have now set up a deciding Game 5 which will be held on Wednesday in Atlanta at 5:02 p.m. ET.

The Braves-Cardinals Game 5 won’t be the only do-or-die game on Wednesday. The Washington Nationals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 on Monday in Game 4 of their NLDS to send the series back to LA for a win-or-go-home Game 5 on Wednesday at 8:37 p.m. ET.

MORE FROM MONDAY: Scherzer’s Gem, Zimmerman’s Homer Force Game 5

ALDS ROUNDUP: Yankees Win 13th Straight Postseason Game Against Twins, Sweep ALDS 3-0


The New York Yankees finished off a sweep of the 100-win Minnesota Twins on Monday, beating them 5-1 to close out the ALDS three-games-to-zero.

The Yankees were led by their 22-year-old budding superstar Gleyber Torres who hit his first postseason home run and added two doubles and a set of stellar defensive gems in the clincher.

The Twins, who had led the league in home runs during the regular season with a Major League-record 307 long balls, were held to only 7 runs during the three-game series.

The Yankees have now beaten the Twins a staggering 13 consecutive times in the postseason, which is a part of Minnesota’s MLB-record 16 straight postseason losses dating back to 2004.

The AL East-champion Yankees advance to the ALCS where they will either face the Houston Astros or Tampa Bay Rays, who will play Game 4 of their series on Tuesday.

MORE FROM MONDAY: Rays Power Way to 10-3 Win, Extend Series With Astros

READY FOR PRIME TIME: 49ers Make Statement in National Spotlight, Blast Browns 31-3 on Monday Night Football


The San Francisco 49ers are 4-0 for the first time since 1990 when they went to the NFC Championship Game. Yes, you read that right – the 49ers are 4-0.

The question of whether San Francisco’s undefeated start to the season was legit was muted on Monday night when the 49ers dominated the Browns in every facet of the game, blowing them out 31-3 under the bright lights of a nationally televised prime-time broadcast.

The 49ers jumped on the Browns early when running back Matt Breida took his first carry to the house for an 83-yard touchdown. Breida’s insane break-out speed that left the Browns in the dust topped 22.3 mph, which according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, is the fastest reached by a ball carrier since the start of the 2018 season.

Breida would also catch a 5-yard pass for another score later in the first quarter which extended the 49ers lead to 14-0.

As much as Monday night was a defining moment for the 49ers, it was equally humbling for Baker Mayfield and the Browns who were overwhelmed by San Francisco’s defense.

The 49ers’ defensive pressure locked down the Browns’ offense, as Mayfield was only able to complete 8-of-22 passes for 100 yards and was intercepted twice.

Leading the 49ers’ defensive prowess on Monday was rookie defensive end Nick Bosa, who tormented Mayfield throughout the night.

Bosa finished with four tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, five QB hits and revenge for Ohio State fans as he mimicked planting a flag after taking Mayfield to the ground. Mayfield had infamously planted the Oklahoma flag at midfield of the Ohio State field two years ago when Oklahoma beat Bosa and the Buckeyes.

The 49ers are the lone remaining undefeated team in the NFC, and together they and the Patriots are the only undefeated teams in the NFL.

Next up for San Francisco will be a tough test at their division rival and the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

HEAVY.COM: 49ers Defensive Lineman Proposes to Girlfriend on Sideline

DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Headlines

WHAT’S ON TAP IN THE SPORTS WORLD ON TUESDAY

AL DIVISION SERIES GAME 4: Houston Astros at Tampa Bay Rays
The top seed in the AL, the Astros, will look to close out their series with the Rays and advance to the ALCS with a win in Game 4 tonight. Tampa Bay’s bats came to life on Monday, hitting four home runs in their 10-3 win that extended the series. The Astros will send Justin Verlander to the mound on short rest today to face 25-year-old Diego Castillo.
WHEN: Tonight, 7:07 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
SERIES: Astros lead 2-1

WNBA FINALS GAME 4: Washington Mystics at Connecticut Sun
The Mystics and league MVP Elena Delle Donne are just one win away from their first WNBA title. The Sun, who are also chasing their first championship, will need to win tonight to force a championship-deciding Game 5.
WHEN: Tonight, 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN 2
SERIES: Mystics lead 2-1

Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here for it.

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