Yankees face hard questions after being ousted by Blue Jays; Indiana-Oregon shaping up to be a battle

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🏀 Five things to know Thursday

1. A’ja Wilson’s last-second shot puts Aces a win away from third WNBA title. With just 0.3 seconds left in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, Wilson knocked down the game-winning shot to push the Mercury to the brink. Las Vegas held a 17-point lead in the final frame, but Phoenix mounted a furious charge to tie the game before Wilson’s final bucket. Now, the Aces are one win away from their third WNBA title in the last four years.
2. Three MLB teams extend their seasons in do-or-die games. The Tigers, Cubs and Phillies all played like desperate teams yesterday and fought to see another day. Detroit’s offense came alive just in the nick of time. Chicago exploded for four runs in the first inning and held on from there. Kyle Schwarber set the tone for Philadelphia in a rout of the Dodgers. Stay tuned right here for all the results and schedules as the division series continue.
3. Joe Flacco has officially been named the Bengals’ starting QB. Just one day after Flacco arrived in Cincinnati, coach Zac Taylor named him the starter. Flacco replaces Jake Browning, and the good news is it can’t get much worse for the Bengals offense. On the other end of the trade, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was caught off guard by the deal.
4. Eagles LB Nakobe Dean is on track to make his season debut on Thursday night. As Week 6 of the NFL season begins, the Eagles defense will get a big boost with Dean coming back into the fold. More good injury news for Philly — and bad news for the Giants — Saquon Barkley downplayed the foot injury he’s been dealing with this week.
5. College athletes are one step closer to being allowed to gamble on pro sports. At the moment, sports betting of all kinds is forbidden for NCAA athletes. That could change following a vote by the NCAA DI Administrative Committee. The current system is a headache to police, so limiting the ban to college athletics may be the best path forward for both sides.

🏀 Do not miss this: A’ja Wilson’s last-second bucket lifts Aces

When the Aces took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, it looked like they were going to walk to a 3-0 series lead. Then the Mercury started to rise as they got hot and tied the game at 88 with under a minute remaining. That’s when A’ja Wilson came up with the clincher in a 90-88 win.

As our own Jack Maloney notes, even before last night, Wilson had a terrific case as the WNBA’s G.O.A.T. The one thing she lacked was a signature moment. Not anymore. Cross “signature moment” off the legacy to-do list.

• Maloney: “A’ja Wilson is the only four-time MVP in WNBA history, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a seven-time All-Star. She’s won two titles and a Finals MVP, and at 29 years old already has a case as the G.O.A.T. But until late on Wednesday night, she was lacking a true signature moment. That changed with a spin and a fade and a shot that rattled around the rim before it nestled in the net to give the Aces a 3-0 lead in the Finals and move them within a win of their third title in the last four years.”

After an incredible 34-point performance from Wilson, a new WNBA Finals career high, she is one win away from adding another ring to her résumé. 

On the other side, the Mercury have made it clear they won’t go down without a fight, but they might be stepping into the ring with one hand tied behind their back in Game 4. Satou Sabally left Game 3 with a head injury, and she is still being evaluated for a concussion.

Blue Jays send Yankees packing in ALDS

For the first time in almost 10 years, the Blue Jays are in the ALCS after defeating the Yankees 5-2 in Game 4. It was a team effort for Toronto as eight different pitchers combined to hold New York to two runs on six hits.

As for the Blue Jays’ bats, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just kept tormenting the Yankees as he drove in the game’s first run with a single in the first inning. That was Guerrero’s ninth RBI of the series, and if there’s any consolation for the Yankees, it’s that they held him to just one RBI this time.

The Blue Jays will now move on to play the winner of the series between the Mariners and Tigers, which will moves back to Seattle for Game 5 Friday after Detroit’s 9-3 win Thursday night.

As for the Yankees, where do they turn now after a step backward? New York has become a model of stability with Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone leading the way for the last nine years. Given the Yankees’ consistent postseason struggles against equal competition, Mike Axisa wonders if the team should bring back some of that Steinbrenner-esque rashness.

• Axisa: “Stability is a good thing and something teams crave. It works for the Yankees because they’re in the race just about every season. It also hasn’t worked because their season keeps ending the same way. The Yankees will never be judged by their regular season and early October success. After this many years, it’s fair to ask whether this leadership group can get them over the hump.”

Now, with the Yankees in the midst of the second-longest World Series drought in team history, what can be done this offseason to get them over the hump in 2026?

🏈 Tale of the tape: Heavyweight fight in Eugene

The biggest game of an exciting Week 7 college football slate will be played in Eugene this weekend as No. 3 Oregon hosts No. 7 Indiana.

While this may not be your father’s traditional Big Ten showdown, make no mistake about it: the Ducks and Hoosiers are absolutely two of the College Football Playoff frontrunners, and they both have special talent.

Our own Cooper Petagna broke down which team has the edge at each position, and all eyes are on the quarterbacks in this one. Dante Moore (Oregon) and Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) are both in the Heisman Trophy mix — and in the top 10 of Mike Renner’s updated 2026 NFL Draft big board.

But which one will give his team an advantage in Autzen Stadium on Saturday? Petagna leans toward Mendoza.

• Petagna: “Although the former five-star in Eugene probably possesses more long-term physical upside, Mendoza’s blistering start to the season is hard to ignore. Ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the transfer portal according to 247Sports, the California transfer has been a near-perfect fit in Curt Cignetti’s offense, ranking top-five nationally in completion percentage, passing efficiency, and touchdowns through six weeks.”

Indiana already asserted itself as an up-and-coming college football threat last season, but as our own John Talty points out, nothing would say more than rolling into Oregon and taking down a top-five team.

If you’re wondering where to see this battle of the college football titans, I have good news for you. Just turn your television dials to CBS at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching Thursday

⚾ NLDS Game 4: Phillies at Dodgers, 6 p.m. on TBS/truTV
🏈 Louisiana Tech at Kennesaw State, 7 p.m. on ESPNU
🏒 Devils at Hurricanes, 7 p.m. on Hulu
🏈 East Carolina at Tulane, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Jacksonville State at Sam Houston, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 Southern Miss at Georgia Southern, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Eagles at Giants, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ NLDS Game 4: Brewers at Cubs, 9 p.m. on TBS/truTV
🏒 Golden Knights at Sharks, 10 p.m. on Hulu

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