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  Jorge CastilloOct 6, 2025, 04:12 PM ET

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  ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees rolled out the same lineup in Games 1 and 2 of the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Now down 0-2 with the series shifting to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 on Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone on Monday said he’s considering making one or two changes to his starting lineup.

The Blue Jays are scheduled to start right-hander Shane Bieber after starting right-handers Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage over the weekend in Toronto. As Boone noted, the veteran Bieber has drastic splits this season — meaning right-handed hitters have fared better against him than left-handed hitters — and neutral splits throughout his career.

“Then you also have some consideration to what they have in the bullpen, how you space things out a little bit,” Boone said. “It starts with the opposing starter.”

The obvious alteration is having Paul Goldschmidt start at first base over Ben Rice. Goldschmidt is a right-handed hitter. Rice bats left-handed. Right-handed batters have slashed .297/.342/.595 with six home runs in 79 plate appearances against Bieber across his seven starts this season after returning from Tommy John surgery. Lefties, meanwhile, posted a .156/.247/.247 slash line with two home runs in 80 plate appearances.

Rice, a second-year player, has never faced Bieber. Goldschmidt is 3-for-6 in his career against the 2020 Cy Young Award winner.

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Whatever his role, Game 3 could be the 38-year-old Goldschmidt’s final game in a Yankee uniform — and possibly the final game of his potential Hall of Fame career — with free agency looming.

“I’m focused on this year,” said Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million contract in December after spending his first 14 seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals. “So there will be a time to think about the future. Hopefully not soon. But, yeah, for me, just trying to put everything into this year and try to help us win.”

A seven-time All-Star and former NL MVP, Goldschmidt has started just one of the Yankees’ five playoff games thus far after batting .274 with 10 home runs and a .731 OPS in 145 games during the regular season. Boone gave Rice, one of the Yankees’ best hitters down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs, the next four starts at first base regardless of the opposing starter’s handedness.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 in his start in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox. He has since entered late in games three times, going 2-for-3 at the plate.

“I’ve just tried to adjust my routine on the days I’m not playing,” Goldschmidt said. “I came up with a good routine to be prepared to come off the bench. It definitely gives you the opportunity to do stuff, like, you see the game a little bit differently when you’re not in the lineup. So I’ve seen some things, maybe from a little bit more of a coach’s eye, which has been a cool opportunity that I’ve never had in my career.”

With his 10-year-old son Jake nearby, Goldschmidt took part in the Yankees’ optional workout on Monday. He went through defensive drills at first base while offering tips to Rice, who had never played the position regularly until reaching the majors last season.

“This year, having a guy like Ben, who hasn’t played first primarily, being able to help him over there or help any of our other guys, I try to do that,” Goldschmidt said. “In St. Louis, too, especially the last few years. Just passing along the knowledge that was given to me. I had great veterans when I was young. The way they treated me, I’m so thankful for that. They helped my career tremendously and hopefully I have and can have the same effect on more people.”

He could find himself back in the starting lineup on Tuesday as the Yankees look to better optimize early success in this series. The Blue Jays’ first two starters in this series were dominant at Rogers Centre. Gausman held New York to one run on four hits over 5 â…” innings in a 10-1 win on Saturday. Yesavage was even better, exiting Game 2 on Sunday after 5 â…“ no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts in a 13-7 victory.

Boone could also opt to have Amed Rosario or Jose Caballero, two right-handed batters, start over the left-handed hitting Ryan McMahon at third base. McMahon, however, is a plus defender and has consistently squared the ball up in his three starts this postseason despite going just 3-for-14 with two walks.

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It’s one of the biggest fixtures in world sport, and yet it’s becoming something of a familiar one.

Sides representing India and Pakistan have met on each of the past three weekends, with the former’s men’s side racking up three consecutive wins against their rivals on their way to the Asia Cup title.

This Sunday it’s the turn of the nations’ women’s teams, who face off in Colombo in the group stage of the Women’s World Cup.

India go into the match having comfortably beaten Sri Lanka in their opening fixture, while Pakistan endured a chastening defeat by Bangladesh.

The matches between the men’s sides were ill-tempered affairs, with the teams not shaking hands and captains not engaging with one another at the toss, against a backdrop of political tensions between the two countries.

Despite India being the World Cup hosts, all of Pakistan’s fixtures are being held in the Sri Lankan capital with neither nation willing to compete on each other’s soil.

The two women’s sides had previously enjoyed good relations, with players from both teams posing for a photo with the baby of Pakistan captain Bismah Mahroof at the 2022 World Cup.

But both camps refused to be drawn on relations between the sides for Sunday’s game, with Indian representatives refusing questions on the subject.

“Obviously, our main goal is to play, our focus is only on the game,” said Pakistan captain Fatima Sana.

“We try to keep healthy relationships with every team. Whatever comes in the spirit of the game, we try to maintain that.

“What happened before, like with Bismah’s daughter when everyone mingled and enjoyed together – as players, we all like such moments. But the main thing is to stay focused on what we have come here for.”

Sana will be hoping her side can bounce back from their seven-wicket defeat by Bangladesh, but face a stern test from an India side that is among the tournament favourites.

“You can’t judge your team based on one match. We can’t think that one bad game defines us, said Sana.

“We know that when it’s India vs Pakistan, the whole world is watching. So yes, there is pressure, but the main thing is how we handle it.”

Whether the world will get to watch anything is another question – Saturday’s game between Sri Lanka and Australia in Colombo was rained off without a ball bowled, and the forecast remains poor.

But should the match go ahead, relations outside the dressing rooms may again draw focus from the action on the field.

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With Steve Smith at number four and Travis Head at five, Australia look to have a solid and stable engine room.

However, they are yet to find an established number three who can soak up pressure or build on a dominant foundation.

After a run-laden start to his career, Labuschagne, 31, appears to have dropped out of favour, though a good start to the domestic season could change his fortunes.

McSweeney, who made his Test debut as an opener against India last winter before being replaced by Konstas, appears the man the selectors fancy given he batted there in the recent India A series.

The 26-year-old right-hander impressed in the second of the two-match series, which India won 1-0, with scores of 74 and 85 not out.

He could, of course, be considered as an opener too. That would open the door for the likes of Marcus Harris, who scored more than 1,000 runs for Lancashire in the second division of the County Championship this summer at an average of 60.

Perhaps the most likely candidate to step up is all-rounder Cameron Green, which would allow Australia to also play Beau Webster at six – boosting their seam-bowling options and taking some of the pressure off the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who may all be playing their final Ashes series.

Green, 26, averaged more than 50 in 2024 and is approaching his best years with 32 caps to his name.

“I think Cameron Green is an amazing cricketer,” said Campbell. “Once he starts bowling again, he adds another dimension for Australia.”

Green batted at first drop in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s, and then in three Tests against West Indies this summer.

On difficult pitches, he impressed in the Caribbean, passing 40 in three of his five innings.

If we look at individual batting records in the Sheffield Shield last summer on Test grounds in Australia (Adelaide Oval, Gabba, MCG and SCG), 32-year-old Kurtis Patterson (383 runs at 63.8) stands out for runs scored, with the highest average belonging to Queensland’s uncapped left-hander Jack Clayton (285 runs at 71.3).

It all adds up to an intriguing few weeks in Australian domestic cricket, and when Australia’s white-ball team face New Zealand and India. Follow the action via BBC Sport’s scorecard service here.

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It will be little comfort for Ruben Amorim after taking 34 points from his first 33 Premier League games as Manchester United boss, but at least he can say he saw it coming.

The Portuguese coach has made it no secret that his preference was to take the United job in the summer after being identified as Erik ten Hag’s replacement. He didn’t want to be parachuted in mid-season, believing that his appointment in November would create more problems than it would solve. Yet co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the board had other ideas and told Amorim it was now or never.

It was a move badged as an attempt to get a head-start on United’s route back to the top. Nearly a year on, it’s beginning to look like cutting corners, and it will be the manager — as it always is in these situations — who will eventually pay the price.

– Ogden: The numbers don’t lie when it comes to Amorim
– Every time Amorim has talked about his job
– O’Hanlon: Revisiting, regarding big summer transfers

The pressure ahead of Sunderland’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday — Amorim’s 50th game in all competitions — is now off the scale. Many United fans have already decided that even a positive result will only delay the inevitable and in many ways, it’s a lose-lose situation for Amorim.

Win, and he’s unlikely to get much credit because United should be winning at home to promoted teams like Sunderland — who are fifth on their return to the top flight, with three wins and two draws in their first six games. Lose or draw, and it will be more fuel for the supporters who have already decided he needs to go.

Ruben Amorim is rightly the focus of criticism given the way he’s managed this Man United side, but there is plenty of blame to go around. Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images

Amorim was surprisingly calm and collected in his news conference after last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Brentford, but he’s smart enough to understand that the opportunity to add context to what’s happening under his watch has been and gone.

He could have pointed out that three missed penalties — two from Bruno Fernandes against Fulham and Brentford respectively, and one from Bryan Mbeumo in the Carabao Cup shootout defeat at Grimsby Town — have put a different slant on the start to the season. Or that individual mistakes — whether Luke Shaw against Manchester City, or Harry Maguire against Brentford — are consistently pulling the rug from under his game plan.

Only Amorim didn’t, largely because he’s realised the only debate that matters now is the referendum on his future. Stay or Go? Amorim in, or Amorim out? Nothing else seems to matter. It was noteworthy that as he spoke in the media theatre at the Gtech Community Stadium, he suggested he was not in a position to “protect himself” in interviews.

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Jose Mourinho, one of Amorim’s mentors, had a habit of going down fighting in these situations, taking aim at anyone unlucky enough to drift through his crosshairs. Amorim has chosen a different approach. If anything, he’s dragged the focus back onto himself instead of pointing fingers, and that’s good news for Ratcliffe, who has been at Old Trafford longer and made far more mistakes than his manager.

Amorim would be well within his rights to highlight that last season, after being dropped into the job at an inopportune time, he was forced to throw away Premier League games in an attempt to win the Europa League and get back into the Champions League. Why else would he have started Tyler Fredricson, Harry Amass and Chido Obi in the 4-3 defeat at Brentford on May 4?

Amass made seven first-team appearances last season and is now on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. Chido Obi played eight times, but he’s now back with the academy rather than being part of Amorim’s squad. The game at Brentford in May came days before the 4-1 win over Athletic Club in the Europa League semifinal, second leg. At that point, the only thing worth chasing was the Europa League title.

It’s context that’s missing when Amorim’s league record of 17 Premier League defeats and a win rate of 27.3% is thrown back at him. It’s poor, no doubt, but there are reasons behind it.

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Amorim: Man United played like Brentford wanted us to

Ruben Amorim says Manchester United got sucked into Brentford’s game as they fell to a 3-1 defeat.

Privately, Amorim may well have other gripes. His squad is one that’s still under maintenance after mistakes made when Ten Hag was in charge. United have been clear that they cannot fix every position in one summer, but it’s left Amorim without the energetic midfielder he needs for his 3-4-3 system. Nor does he have a first-choice goalkeeper, with Altay Bayindir, Senne Lammens and Tom Heaton all understudies.

United should be doing better than they are — even Amorim would accept that — but there are limitations within this group of players whoever is in charge.

Not that it matters. Regardless of who the players are or who the manager is, United have to win every week, whoever they play. And there lies the biggest problem Amorim is having to deal with.

The disconnect between the history of the club, the expectation that comes with it and the reality of the situation they find themselves in is huge. United are driven by the idea of where they think they ought to be — not where they should be.

For more than a decade since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, this disconnect has created additional pressure to be successful. The desperation to win, to catch Manchester City and Liverpool, has forced mistakes on and off the pitch, with bad decisions made and money spent poorly. There’s no time for projects and patience. Only chop, change, try again and hope for the best.

Front and centre for it all have been the managers. From David Moyes, to Louis van Gaal, to Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag, Amorim is the latest to be chewed up in the race to get United back to the top. Don’t beat Sunderland on Saturday and he risks being spat out just like the others.

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New AEW signee Andrade is set to compete in an indie dream match later this month.

Mucha Lucha Atlanta has announced that Andrade will face off against lucha legend LA Park at the promotion’s show in Norcross, Georgia on Sunday, October 26. It marks the first time the two have ever faced each other one-on-one.

“A fight never seen before, a true dream match, something that seemed impossible,” Mucha Lucha Atlanta wrote. “Andrade ‘El Idolo’ El ingobernable goes head to head against the living legend LA Park ‘La Autentica Parka’ The ring assassin, a one-on-one clash that will shake MLA!

“A clash of generations, styles, and egos. Two wrestling giants who will hold nothing back.’

Espacio Discotheque ATL will be the venue for the show.

On the sixth anniversary edition of AEW Dynamite last night, Andrade made his return to the company by joining the Don Callis Family and targeting Kenny Omega. Andrade then posted a tweet today teasing that Omega was only the first name on his AEW hit list.

Kenny ( first) pic.twitter.com/zbdPadP4d4

— “EL IDOLO†ANDRADE (@AndradeElIdolo) October 2, 2025

Andrade is back in AEW after his first run ended at the end of 2023. He returned to WWE at that time but was released from his WWE contract last month.

In addition to this show and his AEW return, Andrade has also booked appearances for The Crash and House of Glory.

LA Park — the original La Parka — is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. Along with his work in Mexico, he’s spent time in the United States with WCW and MLW during his career.

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Defending champion Coco Gauff beat Eva Lys in straight sets to reach her third consecutive China Open semi-final.

The world number three took one hour and 28 minutes to overcome her German opponent 6-3 6-4.

Gaff, a two-time Grand Slam winner, broke Lys three times in the opening set, converting three of her four break point opportunities.

“I’m happy with how I played – she’s a tough opponent and she hit some incredible shots on the run but I tried my best to play aggressive and good tennis,” said Gauff, who is seeded third for the tounament.

“I think staying confident in my game [was important]. Not being too passive when I had the lead, I played one passive point in the last game but after that I played good tennis.”

The 21-year-old, who has struggled with her serve at times this season, had an impressive 79% first serve percentage throughout the match.

Guaff, who was knocked out of the opening round of Wimbledon after winning the French Open earlier this year, is now the highest-ranked player left in the competition.

She will face American compatriot Amanda Anisimova in the last four.

Anisimova, seeded second, came from a set down to beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-4 and will play in her sixth semi-final appearance of the year.

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  Jesse RogersOct 1, 2025, 08:21 PM ET

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  Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.

CHICAGO — Cubs manager Craig Counsell defended his decision to leave lefty Shota Imanaga in the game to face righty Manny Machado in the fifth inning of the San Diego Padres’ victory in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday.

Machado hit a first pitch splitter for a two-run home run, extending the Padres’ lead to 3-0, the eventual final score.

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A deciding Game 3 will be at Wrigley Field on Thursday.

“The results suggest that we should have done something different,” Counsell said after the loss. “Really just confidence in Shota, plain and simple there. I thought he was pitching well. I thought he was throwing the ball really well and, unfortunately, he made a mistake.”

The decision came after Fernando Tatis Jr. walked and then took second on Luis Arraez’s sacrifice bunt. That created an open base. Counsell said he considered walking Machado but decided to pitch to him instead.

“Walking him wasn’t in my head,” Imanaga said through an interpreter. “That splitter was meant for down in the zone.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he considered walking Manny Machado with a base open but decided to let Shota Imanaga pitch to him instead. “I thought he was throwing the ball really well and, unfortunately, he made a mistake,” Counsell said. Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Counsell had righty Mike Soroka ready, but he decided against going to him. It was a curious move, considering the Cubs used an opener to start Game 2, purposely allowing Imanaga to avoid facing Tatis and Machado in the first inning.

That wasn’t the case in the fifth.

“I don’t put a manager’s cap on,” Machado said when asked if he was surprised that he got to face Imanaga in that situation. “I’m 0-for-6 at that point. So yeah, I’m not thinking about that. For myself, I was just thinking about trying to get to Imanaga.”

Said Padres manager Mike Shildt: “I’ve got my hands full with my own club. I can’t be thinking about anybody else’s strategy.”

The teams will play a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday. The Padres will start former Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish. Righty Jameson Taillon will take the hill for Chicago.

“I’m excited,” Taillon said. “As [Game 2] got going there, I started to get excited for tomorrow. You do a lot of work throughout the season for big moments. I’m looking forward to it.”

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Josh Allen and Drake Maye could be facing each other for years to come in the AFC East, and the Buffalo Bills quarterback likes what he sees from his counterpart ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

“It’s a tough team coming in to play, I think Drake Maye is playing really good football,” Allen said during a discussion with Fox’s Mark Sanchez about the New England Patriots (8:45 mark). “I’m such a big fan of his. He’s such a good guy. He’s playing pretty good.”

Allen has already established himself as one of the best players in the league as the reigning MVP. He is the current gold standard in the division, and Maye is working toward attempting to close that gap in his second season.

The signs of improvement are already there for the North Carolina product, who was solid but inconsistent last season as a rookie with 15 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions on the way to a 3-9 record as a starter.

Through four games this year, he has completed 74 percent of his passes for 988 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions while adding two scores on the ground.Â

New England is 2-2 but coming off a dominant 42-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Playing on the road against the 4-0 Bills will be a much more daunting challenge, but it is also something of a measuring-stick opportunity for a Patriots squad with playoff aspirations.

While they might not win, keeping it close against Allen and Co. could be a sign they are much closer to being a potential threat in the AFC than they were last season.

And it is clear Allen believes his opponent has the quarterback for the job.

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World number two Jannik Sinner moved into the semi-finals of the China Open in Beijing thanks to a 6-1 7-5 victory over Hungarian Fabian Marozsan on Monday.

Italian Sinner claimed a seventh semi-final spot from the eight tournaments he has played this year and only needed 26 minutes to clinch the opening set.

In the second he fell awkwardly in the eighth game and was a break down at 4-5 but hit back immediately to deny Marozsan the set.

Sinner held and pounced on his opponent’s serve again in the 12th game, sealing his 40th tour-level match win of a season in which he served a short doping ban.

“I feel like I started off very well in the first set. We both played well in the second set. I had some break chances at 4-3 – I couldn’t use them,” Sinner said.

“He’s someone whose peak is high, which I knew before the match. When he was serving for the set he made a couple of unforced errors which helped me to come back and win in two.”

Up next for the four-time major champion is Australian third seed Alex de Minaur, who reached the semi-finals when Czech 20-year-old Jakub Mensik retired from their match with a left-leg injury while trailing 1-4 in the opening set.

American teenager Learner Tien reached his first ATP Tour semi-final when fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired trailing 4-6 6-3 3-0. The Italian appeared to be hampered by a thigh or groin issue.

Eighth seed Daniil Medvedev cruised past German second seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-3. The Russian has beaten Zverev 14 times in 20 meetings, including eight of their past 10 matches.

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The legal pressure on Vince McMahon and several current and former WWE executives continues to mount as more subpoenas have been filed in the Delaware Chancery Court shareholder lawsuit.

According to recent filings, John Laurinaitis—who was once a top WWE executive but is not a defendant in the case—was scheduled to be deposed on September 26 via Zoom from his attorneyâ€s office in Florida. McMahonâ€s longtime personal assistants, brothers Paul and Michael “Mickey†Mangieri, have also been subpoenaed to produce documents related to the case.

The scope of the lawsuit has expanded beyond WWE leadership. Liberty Media, owners of Formula 1, and private equity powerhouse KKR are set to be questioned under oath, with Liberty Mediaâ€s designated representatives scheduled for depositions on September 30 and KKR partner Ted Oberwager on October 30. While not confirmed, both companies are believed to have been possible suitors for WWE before its eventual merger with Endeavorâ€s UFC.

The case alleges that McMahon had predetermined the outcome of the merger, steering the process toward Endeavor because it was the only deal that would guarantee him a continued role within the company. Plaintiffs argue that other potential buyers would not have allowed McMahon to remain after the fallout of his 2022 sexual misconduct scandal. Current WWE executives Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H†Levesque, along with former board members George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, are also named as defendants for allegedly failing to act in shareholders†best interests.

Several figures have already sat for depositions, including TKO CFO Andrew Schleimer and independent WWE board members at the time of the merger: Steve Koonin, Steve Pamon, Man Jit Singh, and Jeffrey Speed. More depositions are scheduled through November, with attorneys building their case around whether the merger process was conducted in good faith.

While deposition transcripts and subpoenaed documents remain confidential for now, portions may become public if filed as exhibits in motions or trial proceedings later on. McMahon is being represented by Kirkland & Ellis, while Khan, Levesque, and the other board member defendants are represented by Latham & Watkins.

This lawsuit has received less attention than McMahonâ€s other legal battles because itâ€s being fought in Delaware Chancery Court, a less accessible venue compared to the federal cases that have generated headlines. Still, with discovery well underway, it could emerge as one of the most damaging cases tied to WWEâ€s controversial merger process.

Do you think the shareholder lawsuit will ultimately expose more about Vince Mc Mahonâ€s handling of the WWE–Endeavor merger? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

September 29, 2025 11:29 am

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