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Good morning! Multitask this weekend in honor of Shohei Ohtani.
News to Know
The greatest individual performance ever?
A narrative had seemingly developed that Shohei Ohtani’s work on the mound had induced some struggles at the plate. The verdict? Not even remotely true, it turns out:
Ohtani started last night’s Game 4 with a chance to finish off a Dodgers sweep of the Brewers. He struck out the side in the first inning before launching a leadoff home run in the bottom of the frame. Normal Shohei things.
He proceeded to hit another home run in the fourth — a 469-foot moonshot — and walked off the mound a couple innings later with this final line: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 10 K.
It was already one of the greatest postseason performances ever when Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box in the seventh … and then he left the yard again.
Needless to say, Ohtani is the first player to ever hit three home runs and throw 10 strikeouts in a game. There’s an argument to be made it was the best individual performance the sport has ever seen.
The Dodgers say hello to the World Series again and the world says goodbye to this baseball:
Meanwhile, in Seattle, the Mariners are one win away from joining the Dodgers in the Fall Classic. The Blue Jays had all the momentum in this series until Cal Raleigh did what Big Dumper does in the eighth inning last night. Eugenio Suárez followed with a go-ahead grand slam and that was all she wrote.
Seattle can win its first ever pennant tomorrow night. Onward:
Apple acquires F1 rights
The U.S. television rights to Formula One officially belong to Apple after a five-year deal was announced yesterday. It’s a natural fit following the global success of the F1 movie produced by Apple Studios, but it also raises questions about F1’s ability to capitalize on the sport’s rising popularity in America. Moving from traditional broadcasting to streaming could cause a significant dip in viewership, as Luke Smith writes.
More news:
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs will not play this week and is in the concussion protocol after “an accident in his home.”
Former Warriors GM Bob Myers is leaving his role as an NBA analyst to become president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. More here.
The price tag for the NHL’s next expansion team: at least $2 billion, more than the league’s last two expansion teams combined.
The first week of the wrongful death civil trial brought by the family of Tyler Skaggs against the Angels concluded yesterday. Sam Blum has the full report, with Mike Trout set to testify this week.
Upset: Miami’s return to glory hits a speed bump
It’s Week 8, the time of the year that college football fans usually start talking about how there are “maybe one or two good teams, max” in the entire sport. Last night, No. 2 Miami cut the ribbon on this annual tradition with a 24-21 home loss to Louisville. The Hurricanes, 10.5-point favorites, fell behind 14-0 and lost their comeback bid on a last-minute interception.
First, on the Louisville of it all:
The 5-1 Cards will be ranked this week, and in a vacuum, there’s no big shame in losing to them. Louisville receiver Chris Bell (nine catches, 136 yards, two touchdowns) is a stud. So is running back Isaac Brown, a South Florida native who got away with a fumble that allowed Miami back into the game. The Cards are serious. Some of us have liked them since the summer as a potential ACC Championship participant.
Jeff Brohm did it again. On Oct. 20, 2018, Brohm led Purdue into a game against undefeated No. 2 Ohio State. The Boilermakers trounced the Buckeyes that night, 49-20. This wasn’t quite a trouncing: a win by a field goal, requiring each one of the four interceptions thrown by Miami’s Carson Beck. A great win all the same for Louisville’s coach.
What of Miami, though? The Hurricanes entered this game 5-0 with the best resume in the country. That included wins over Notre Dame, Florida, USF and Florida State. Coming into this one, I was fully bought in on The U being back after years of close calls. But now?
I still think Miami’s good, honestly. One turnover-driven loss to a quality opponent does not preclude that possibility. This is a year of parity. The SP+ projection system believes there’s about a touchdown’s difference on a neutral field between the No. 1 and No. 20 teams in the sport. A decade ago, it was about twice that much. Very good teams are going to lose games to other good teams.
The quarterback is not trustworthy, though. That is not disqualifying for a team to win the national championship in 2025. Almost every good team has a QB who could be described as “fine” or “pretty good,” and that’s where Beck lands. But you saw last night how Beck could crush his own team.
Before the game, The Athletic’s Miami beat writer, Manny Navarro, told me that Mario Cristobal had what looked like “the most complete roster any Hurricanes coach has put together in the last 25 years.” He cautioned, though, that Miami had been heavily penalized all year and that turnovers could break against them. With Beck’s four picks and the team’s nine penalties for 68 yards, everything there, good and bad, still holds true to me.
The ACC standings could be chaos, though, About half the league will end this weekend within a game of a championship game spot. Speaking of this weekend’s college football slate:
Watch Guide
Big college football day. Full schedule here, highlights below.
📺 CFB: No. 12 Georgia Tech at Duke | 12 p.m. ET on ESPN
The winner will be in great position to represent one half of the ACC Championship. Fun QB matchup: Tech’s Haynes King against Duke’s Darian Mensah.
📺 CFB: No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama | 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Tide QB Ty Simpson would take a big step toward the Heisman if he came out and dominated against the Vols’ defense, which has yet to face a QB anywhere near his level.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
There’s no leader in college football quite like BYU coach Kalani Sitake. One story explains why, as Christopher Kamrani writes.
If you want to get upset this weekend, check out Wikipedia’s list of highest-grossing sports films of all-time, featuring “Alita: Battle Angel” in the top 20. — Patrick Iversen
In London this week, the Grand Sumo Tournament is being held outside of Japan for just the second time in history. Rob Tanner breaks down the logistics around hosting the giants of an ancient sport.
I got Insta algo’d into these soft Shindefender shin guards, and the mini soccer junkies here love them. Not a rip-off and washable? 🫡 — Chris Sprow
Austin Meek talked with some Ann Arbor and Berkeley residents about what it’s like to live next to a college football stadium. Not for the faint of heart.
Improving your rice game can unlock your weekday cooking. This sushi rice drastically improved our go-to protein/veggie bowls. — Torrey Hart
I’ve become obsessed with cooking with gochujang paste. A simple glaze for chicken to go with that sushi rice Torrey mentioned is equal parts honey, rice vinegar and ketchup, but then double the amount of gochujang paste. Add a little brown sugar, soy sauce and water into the paste as it cooks together and coat the chicken in it. I can’t get enough. — Zach Harper
“Battlefield 6” is out and helping me escape the horrors of the world by envisioning an alternate timeline where there are still horrors, just not mine. Sign me up. — Chris Branch
🎧 A few of our favorite podcasts from this week for your weekend listening pleasure:
Pablo Torre sat down with Mark Cuban again … this time in studio. Fiery. Watch on YouTube.
Ever wondered what it takes to be a soccer agent? “The Athletic FC” spoke to a prominent figure in the industry to uncover what agents actually do. Listen.
With the NBA season days away from tipping off, “The Athletic NBA Daily” dropped its full preview episodes on the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Chargers’ new all-gold alternate uniforms.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Ken Rosenthal on an iconic mound visit.
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(Top photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)