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TORONTO — We knew the path to the promised land was always going to include a heavy dose of sky-high anxiety, right?

This is the Mariners, after all, the only organization to have never played in the World Series. If you were hoping for peaceful closure to this American League Championship Series on Sunday, youâ€re going to have to hang in for another night.

And after a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the ALCS, Seattle faces elimination for just the second time in these playoffs — with a winner-take-all Game 7 slated for Monday night, right back here at Rogers Centre.

Win, and they advance to play the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, beginning on Friday in Los Angeles. Lose, and this storybook season comes to a stunning end, compounded by what would be one of the franchiseâ€s more stinging finishes, given that they had series leads of 2-0 and 3-2.

“This game is very psychological over physical,†said first baseman Josh Naylor, who put the Mariners on the board with a solo homer in the sixth when they were down 5-0. “I think if you could beat someone down mentally, you’ll beat them physically right away.

“It’s sort of like boxing. I love watching boxing. Me and my dad watch boxing together all the time, and the great boxers beat someone down mentally, and then physically, it becomes one punch and you’re done.â€

What made Sundayâ€s loss more frustrating for Mariners fans who made the 2,500-mile trek to Toronto and the hundreds of thousands who watched back home in Seattle was that it featured one spoiled opportunity after another.

The Mariners on Sunday became the first team with three or more errors while grounding into three or more double plays in a playoff game since the Yankees in Game 2 of the 2009 ALCS.

Seattle twice had the bases loaded in the early going and twice hit into an inning-ending double play — in both the third and fourth innings — with precisely the players it would want up in those spots.

Cal Raleigh, whoâ€s tormented Toronto for his entire career, chopped a first-pitch splitter from Trey Yesavage that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fielded to go 3-6-1. Then an inning later, J.P. Crawford — who has a 1.104 OPS in his Mariners career with the bases loaded — was on the hook for a 4-6-3, when rolling over an 0-2 splitter off the plate. Julio Rodríguez made it a hat trick in the fifth with another double play, though the Mariners only had one runner on then.

Per Elias, the Mariners are the third team over the last 10 years to ground into a double play in three straight innings during a postseason game, joining the Dodgers in Game 2 of the 2018 NLCS and the Yankees in Game 5 of the 2024 ALCS. Those Yankees and the 1987 Giants (Game 7 of NLCS) are the only two teams since 1940 to do this during a potential series-clinching game.

“I thought I hit my ball hard,†Raleigh said. “Obviously, I’ve got to get it in the air, so no excuses there. J.P. is battling with two strikes. It’s just one of those things that it’s baseball. We were fighting up there, giving everything we could, and hit it right at guys.â€

Overall, the Mariners have been able to create traffic, but theyâ€ve struggled mightily to cash in since this series shifted to Seattle. Even including Eugenio Suárezâ€s incredible, game-winning grand slam in Game 5, the Mariners are just 6-for-40 (.150) with runners on base since Game 3.

“I think we did a good job of putting some pressure on at times, and sometimes you’re not going to come through,†Naylor said. “And that is what it is. It’s baseball. You can prepare as well as you can. You can feel the best you can. But sometimes, it’s just not going to go your way. And that is what it is. But I feel like we did have a lot of chances, and tomorrow we’ll come through with them.â€

Then there were the three errors, all of which directly led to Blue Jays runs.

Rodríguez bobbled a one-hopper in front of him in the left-center gap that turned a single into two bases for Daulton Varsho, who went on to score from second base easily on an RBI single into right field from Addison Barger in the second inning.

In that same inning, Suárez had trouble corralling a scorching grounder from speedster Ernie Clement, who reached to put two on with nobody out. Clement then scored from third base when Suárez attempted to barehand a slow roller but came up empty on the grab.

Then in the seventh, a wild pitch from Matt Brash with Guerrero on second base forced a rushed throw from Raleigh that sailed into left field and allowed Torontoâ€s all-world slugger to score easily. Guerrero also had a booming solo homer to lead off the fifth inning and end Logan Gilbertâ€s night.

“We could have played a maybe cleaner game,†Rodríguez said. “We definitely set the table a few times, but we couldn’t capitalize. And that’s part of the game, too. But they definitely played a good game. They put up some good swings.â€

Gilbert was tagged for five runs (four earned) and paid mightily for the mistake pitches he left over the plate, saying that the loss was “on me.†But that doesnâ€t quite paint the entire picture, because had a few at-bats gone the other way or multiple mistakes not been made, the Mariners mightâ€ve found themselves right back in it.

But they instead face a Game 7, where they still control their own destiny but also face the reality that anything can happen.

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India suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of England in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Indore (Images via AP) Indore: What transpired here has to be one of the most heart-breaking defeats ever suffered by the Indian Womenâ€s cricket team, and it puts their qualification to the semifinals of the 2025 Womenâ€s ODI World Cup in real danger.Riding on fine half-centuries by senior batters Smriti Mandhana (88 from 84 deliveries), captain Harmanpreet Kaur (70 runs from as many balls) and Deepti Sharma, who produced a brilliant all-round performance (50 from 57 deliveries and 4-51 in 10 overs), India looked set to chase down 289, which wouldâ€ve been their highest-ever run chase in WODIs, but fell just four runs short on a smoggy night at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday.Pulling off a thrilling win by keeping their nerves, England became the third team after Australia and South Africa to qualify for the semifinals, while India, who suffered their third loss in a row, must now defeat New Zealand at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on October 23 to sneak in as the fourth semifinalists. This was also the first time that the Indian women’s team played a WODI at the Holkar Stadium.The star of Englandâ€s victory was their former captain Heather Knight, who was removed as the skipper last year after England exited the semifinals of the Womenâ€s T20 World Cup and lost the Ashes to Australia 16-0. Playing in her landmark 300th international match, Knight indeed proved to be England’s ‘Knight in shining armour’ as she smashed a splendid century (109 off 91 balls, featuring 15 boundaries and a six) which helped her team post a competitive 288 for eight against the hosts. India needed 14 off the last over with allrounders Amanjot Kaur and Sneh Rana in the middle, but left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who conceded just 1-40 in 10 overs in a high-scoring game, gave away just nine. Chasing 289 under lights, India suffered two early blows when opener Pratika Rawal (6) was caught behind off Lauren Bell in the third over, who returned to action after missing the last match due to illness and number 3 batter Harleen Deol (24 off 31 balls) caught plumb in front while trying to play across to off-spinner Charlie Dean. The duo of Harmanpreet and Mandhana put on 125 in 122 balls for the third wicket to raise visions of an easy win, but India kept losing wickets at the wrong time. Trying to cut the ball repeatedly towards third man, Harmanpreet was caught at short third off England captain Nat-Sciver Brunt in the 31st over. Tiring due to cramps, Mandhana holed out to long off off Smith in the 42nd over. Sciver-Brunt then had Richa Ghosh (eight off 10 balls) caught at cover in the 46th over, and suddenly, India, falling behind the required run rate, had no one to force the pace. Once Deepti slog-swept Sophie Ecclestone to deep mid-wicket in the 47th over, the game was in Englandâ€s hands. Earlier, displaying her amazing prowess at sweeping the spinners, the 34-year-old Knight powered to her third ODI ton and highest-ever score in WODIs. Rotating the strike brilliantly while unleashing boundaries too, she stitched a 113-run stand off 106 deliveries with skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt.Earlier in the competition, against Bangladesh in Guwahati, England had slipped to a precarious 103 for 6, before their former captain took them home with an unbeaten 79.However, it wasn’t just Knight alone who stamped her authority on the game. At a time when India were searching for answers after ‘keeper-bat Amy Jones (56 off 68) and Tammy Beaumont (22 off 43) provided England with a steady 73-run start in 97 balls, Deepti brought India back in the game by scalping both the wickets. Deepti finished with her best-ever figures in ODI World Cups and with 13 sticks in five matches, stands apart as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament.After Knight was finally gone – run out due to a brilliant work at deep square leg by Amanjot Kaur, who recovered quickly after a misfield and fired in a pin-point accurate throw in the 45th over – India bounced back in sensational fashion, taking five wickets for 39 runs. In fact, all that England, with their middle-order frailties exposed once again, managed to score, was 42 runs in their last six overs, losing five wickets, with two of them being run outs. Things wouldâ€ve been worse for England had they not managed to take 11 off the final over of the innings, bowled by Shree Charani.

Poll

How do you feel about India’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals after this loss?

Introduced into the attack in the 16th over, Deepti dislodged Beaumont’s leg stump after the batter missed a sweep, thus recording her 150th WODI scalp in her 117th WODI.Making a comeback at the expense of batter Jemimah Rodrigues, seamer Renuka Singh Thakur justified Indiaâ€s decision to play six bowlers by conceding 0-37 in eight overs, though she failed to make an early strike.

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  David SchoenfieldOct 17, 2025, 08:43 PM ET

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  • Covers MLB for ESPN.com
  • Former deputy editor of Page 2
  • Been with ESPN.com since 1995

SEATTLE — Toronto’s George Springer, one of the most prolific hitters in postseason history, left Friday’s Game 5 of the American League Championship Series after getting hit by a pitch on his right kneecap in the top of the seventh inning.

Springer, the designated hitter for the Blue Jays, sprawled on the dirt for a couple of minutes after Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo hit him with a 1-1 sinker that kept riding in and hit Springer.

Springer, who has been heartily booed all series by Mariners fans, was booed again as he limped to first base, where Joey Loperfido replaced him as the pinch runner.

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Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that Springer wanted to stay in the game but was in too much pain and discomfort, and the team elected to play it safe.

According to Rosenthal, Springer needed help getting down the dugout steps and the steps into the visitors’ clubhouse.

Earlier in the game, Springer hit a score-tying RBI double off Matt Brash, his 42nd career extra-base hit in the postseason, breaking a tie with David Ortiz for fifth most all time.

It was his sixth consecutive game with an extra-base hit in the playoffs, one away from tying the record shared by Bryce Harper (2022), Carlos Beltran (2004) and Devon White (1993).

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SEATTLE (AP) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer woke up Torontoâ€s offense as the Blue Jays hit five home runs to rebound from an early deficit, routing the Seattle Mariners 13-4 Wednesday night and closing to 2-1 in the AL Championship Series.

Julio Rodríguezâ€s two-run, first-inning homer off Shane Bieber put Seattle ahead and stirred thoughts of a possible sweep in the best-of-seven matchup by a team seeking its first World Series appearance/

Andrés Giménez then sparked the comeback with a tying, two-run homer in a five-run third against George Kirby.

Springer, Guerrero, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger also went deep as the Blue Jays totaled 2,004 feet of homers among 18 hits.

Guerrero had four hits, falling a triple short of the cycle, after going 0 for 7 as the Blue Jays lost the first two games at home.

“No one expected us to win the division, no one expected it us to be here, and I think the guys take that to heart.†Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I said it when we left Toronto: I hope we find some slug in the air out here. Maybe we did.â€

In the 2-3-2 format, teams that lost the first two games at home and won Game 3 on the road have captured the series three of 11 times.

A crowd of 46,471 at T-Mobile Park for Seattleâ€s first home ALCS game since 2001 saw the teams combine to match the postseason record of eight combined home runs, set by the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis in Game 3 of the 2015 NL Division Series and matched by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series.

Giménez hadnâ€t homered since Aug. 27 before his drive off a fastball from Kirby

“Really big swing to get us going,†Schneider said.

Kirby allowed eight runs, eight hits and two walks, taking the loss. All eight hits were during the first three pitches of the at-bat.

“The first couple innings I thought he was dynamite,†Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “This is a team thatâ€s going to hurt you if you make mistakes on the plate. It looked like there were a couple that they were able to get to.â€

Kirbyâ€s run-scoring wild pitch put Toronto ahead 3-2 and Daulton Varsho followed with a two-run double.

Springer homered in the fourth, tying Bernie Williams was fourth on the career list with his 22nd postseason homer. Guerrero hit his fourth of the postseason for a 7-2 lead on the first pitch of the fifth.

Kirk added a three-run homer in the sixth and is hitting .413 (19 for 46) with eight RBIs in 14 games at T-Mobile Park.

Bieber, who got the win, pitched shutout ball after the first and wound up allowing four hits in six innings – the longest outing by a Blue Jays starter in seven postseason games.

“Obviously didnâ€t the start the way he would have wanted to, but thatâ€s pretty much who he is,†Springer said. “He can battle back from anything.â€

After the Blue Jays opened a 12-2 lead, Randy Arozarena connected in the eighth against Yariel Rodríguez for his first home run since Sept. 9 and Cal Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 home runs during the regular season, followed three pitches later with his third of the postseason.

Seattle RHP Luis Castillo, who pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief against Detroit in Game 5 of the Division Series, starts Thursday against RHP Max Scherzer. The 41-year-old, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, is 0-3 over eight postseason starts since the 2019 World Series opener, and hasnâ€t started a game since Sept. 24.

—

AP MLB:

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When your ball settles deep in the rough, it’s easy to feel like there’s no good way to make solid contact. You swing harder, but the club still seems to grab and twist in the grass.

According to GOLFTEC’s Josh Troyer, that’s because the problem isn’t a lack of swing speed — it has to do with your angle of attack.

“Players with steeper angles of attack tend to handle the rough better,” Troyer says. “It allows the club to come down on the ball more directly, instead of skimming through the grass too early.”

That concept closely ties to something Troyer (and all GOLFTEC teachers) harp on daily: hip sway. This is the manner in which your hips move toward the target during the downswing. Most skilled players shift their hips about six and a half inches toward the target from the top of the backswing to the finish, which helps control two key things:

1. Low point — where the club meets the ground.
2. Swing direction — the path the club travels through impact.

“Good players move their hips enough toward the target so they can hit the ground in the right spot and on the correct path,” Troyer explains. “Bad golfers either don’t move forward enough, or they stay too far back. That’s when the club path gets out of whack — too far in-to-out or too steep and down.”

Here’s where it gets interesting: golfers who move their hips too far toward the target often produce an in-to-out path that’s too extreme, leading to a shallow angle of attack. That’s the kind of swing that sweeps across the turf rather than driving through it — and it’s a killer in thick grass.

“When you start hitting out of thicker rough, it becomes really hard to get clean contact with a shallow attack angle,” Troyer says. “You see a lot of players who hit big draws really struggle from the rough because their club gets too close to the ground too early — the grass grabs it, and they can’t get through to the ball.”

That’s why Tour players often talk about trying to hit fades or cuts when they’re in gnarly lies. Those shot shapes naturally promote a steeper angle of attack — exactly what you want when you need to chop the ball out cleanly.

“They might not even know why it works,” Troyer says. “But when you hit a fade, your club’s coming down a little steeper. It’s easier to get through the grass and make solid contact.”

So next time your ball buries in the rough, don’t just swing harder. Adjust your setup and your thought process: aim slightly left, feel like you’re hitting a soft cut and let the club descend a bit more steeply. You’ll catch the ball cleaner — and give yourself a much better chance at hitting a pure iron onto the green.

If you want to get some expert insights into your swing, book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC below.

Next Match:

at Stanislaus State

10/11/2025 | 2 p.m.

Oct. 11 (Sat) / 2 p.m.

at Stanislaus State

History

MERCED — Cal State LA’s women’s volleyball team was on fire Friday night in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match at conference newcomer UC Merced.

The Golden Eagles hit at a sizzling .500 percentage and swept the Bobcats, 25-22, 25-19, 25-17 on the Greg and Cathie Hostetier Court. Cal State LA (11-3, 7-0 CCAA) won its seventh straight match and remained tied atop the CCAA standings with Cal Poly Pomona. Cal State LA had 51 kills and just eight errors in 86 total attacks in an impressive offensive showing.

Samarah DaCoud, the reigning AVCA national Player of the Week, had 19 kills in the three sets and hit at a .567 percentage. Zuhal Cetin, meanwhile, had 14 kills and hit at an astounding .737 percentage. She took 19 swings and did not commit an error.

Sera Riley had 10 kills for UC Merced (4-12, 3-4 CCAA).Â

Oluwatoyin Sunday had five kills in just six swings and Madison Clark had four kills and two blocks in five swings. Arielle Chandler had 22 set assists and two aces and McKinley Chase had 16 set assists and one ace.

Cal State LA had a 51-31 advantage in kills and outhit the Bobcats, .500-.282. Cal State LA had 10 aces and 10 errors from the serving line, while UC Merced had six aces and five errors. Cal State LA had a 2-1 edge in blocks.

The Golden Eagles took a narrow win in the opening set that featured 10 ties and five lead changes. The last tie was at 20-20 before back-to-back kills by DaCoud put the Golden Eagles ahead for good. Two attack errors got the Golden Eagles to set point at 24-21 and a kill by DaCoud ended the set.

Cal State LA led nearly from start to finish in the second set with the only tie coming at 2-2. Cal State LA stretched a 10-5 lead to 13-5 after two kills by DaCoud and another by Clark. UC Merced got as close as four points as late as 22-18, but kills by Sunday and Cetin got the Golden Eagles to set point at 24-18. A kill by Ayjah Landers gave the Golden Eagles the set.

Cal State LA held a 14-12 lead in the final set before a service error and kills by Cetin and Sunday gave the Golden Eagles a 17-12 lead and they never were threatened after that. Kills by Cetin, Landers and DaCoud got the Golden Eagles to match point at 24-16 and a kill by DaCoud ended the contest.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with an afternoon match at Stanislaus State.

Â

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Arsenal have been found to have breached FA Cup rules when they hosted Manchester United in the third round of the competition in January.

Mikel Arteta’s side went out at the first hurdle despite Manchester United being reduced to ten men midway through the second half, with Gabriel cancelling out Bruno Fernandes’ opener just two minutes after Diogo Dalot was shown a second yellow card – only for the Gunners to lose on penalties.

An FA statement explained that they had referred Arsenal to the Professional Game Board (PGB) after they were alleged to have breached FA Cup rule 192, which required all home sides to comply with rule 191.

Rule 191 reads as follows: For competition matches other than a semi-final or the Final, the away club shall have the right to claim either:

• (a) up to 15% of the tickets issued (up to a maximum of 9,000);
• or (b) if the Ground is not all ticketed, up to 15% the Ground’s maximum capacity, provided that:
  • 191.1. the tickets are for admission to a fully segregated area; and
  • 191.2. the request for the tickets is made within four days of the relevant draw.

Manchester United fans were left celebrating after they won the tie on penalties (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal were thus required to offer the full 9,000 tickets to Manchester United for the occasion.

However, Arsenal are reported to have only allocated 8,000 tickets to visiting fans, claiming the decision had been taken on safety grounds.

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The PGB found that Arsenal’s decision put them in breach of rule 192 and has hit them with a suspended £500,000 fine.

The penalty will remain suspended and won’t need to be paid as long as Arsenal confirm they are able to comply with the rules this season and follow through with any home games they face in the FA Cup this season.

Arsenal will now have to comply with the rules this season to avoid having to pay half a million quid (Image credit: Getty Images)

The FA Cup third round is set to get under way on the weekend of Saturday, January 10 2026.

Premier League and Championship clubs do not participate in the first or second rounds of the competition, which will be held on the first weekends of November and December, respectively.

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In recent times, England batsman Joe Root has taken giant strides towards the summit of Test cricket: Root has scored 13543 runs in Test cricket, sitting only 2378 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar.

Aged 34 and in the prime of his career for the last five years—since the start of 2020, Root has amassed 6184 runs at an average of 55—Root has a very plausible chance of eclipsing Tendulkar to go to the top of the runs chart in Test cricket and become the first batsman to reach 16000 Test runs.

Having made his Test debut in 2012, Joe Root has performed exceedingly against all oppositions: he averages over 40 and has at least two centuries against the teams heâ€s played a minimum of five Test matches.

At home, in England, Root averages 55, and his away average of 47 is also remarkable given batting in Test cricket has been challenging across the world since the ICC World Test Championship began in 2019.

In fact, Root has been outstanding in all countries away from home, except one: Australia. He averages between 45 and 66 in India, Pakistan, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, the UAE, South Africa, and New Zealand.

However, his record in the away Ashes in Australia is ordinary, belying his immense talent and reputation as Englandâ€s greatest Test batsman.

England are riding on the Bazball wave since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum joined hands in 2022, and they have infused a breath of fresh air into Rootâ€s career as well.

Therefore, the upcoming Ashes 2025-26 series, which will begin in Perth on November 21, is as significant for Joe Root as it is for Stokes†England team, who, for the first time since 2010/11, have a real chance at winning an Ashes series in Australia.

Has Joe Root Hit Century In Australia In Test Cricket?

No, despite playing 14 Tests (22 innings), Joe Root has not managed a single Test century in Australia. Rootâ€s highest score in Australia is 89, which he made in Brisbane in the 2021/22 Ashes.

Ashes 2025/26: Joe Rootâ€s stats in Australia in Test:

Root has an ordinary Ashes record in Australia. In 22 innings of 14 Tests down under, Root has scored 892 runs at an average of 35, far below his career average of 51. Heâ€s managed 9 fifties but failed to convert any of them into a hundred.

Root is 34, and will turn 35 on December 30, which is the scheduled day 5 of the fourth Ashes Test. By the time the next away Ashes rolls over, Root will be around the age of 38 and approaching his 39th birthday and is unlikely to be playing at the highest level.

It means that the Ashes 2025/26 is almost certain to be the last Ashes series in Australia for Root. And he would desperately want to improve his stats in Australia in Test cricket, especially one major blip on his career: zero Test centuries in Australia.

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MILWAUKEE – Leave it to the first postseason series between the rival Cubs and Brewers to make history in Milwaukeeâ€s 7-3 victory over Chicago in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

When the Cubs†Seiya Suzuki and the Brewers†Andrew Vaughn traded three-run homers in the opening frame on Monday night at American Family Field, it marked the first time in postseason history that each team hit a three-run home run (or grand slam) in the first inning.

Even wilder than that? Vaughn’s blast was the first three-run homer or grand slam in Brewers postseason history.

Additionally, the 13 combined first-inning runs scored so far in the NLDS are the most through the first two games of any series in postseason history in the first inning (1989 Cubs/Giants NL Championship Series, 2000 Cardinals/Braves NLDS at 11 each).

“I think that home run was the most important part of the game for us,†Brewers catcher William Contreras said via interpreter Daniel de Mondesert. “After they were able to go ahead, I think that home run there put everyone back in the mentality of no one thought this was going to be easy. But at the same time, maybe it’s not going to be so hard here. I think it just brought the energy back into the dugout, and that’s what Vaughn has been doing ever since he’s got here. He’s been able to put big swings on balls and [has] continued producing for us like he has. I think it was one of the big keys to us winning the game there.â€

Like Game 1 on Saturday, Chicago jumped out to a first-inning lead on a home run. This time, Suzuki crushed lefty Aaron Ashbyâ€s changeup above the zone over the left-center wall, sending it a projected 440 feet with an exit velocity of 111.7 mph, per Statcast.

It was the Cubs’ first postseason homer with multiple runners on base since Addison Russell’s grand slam in Game 6 of the 2016 World Series. All three of Chicagoâ€s home runs in Saturdayâ€s Game 1 loss were solo shots.

Suzuki, who became the first player in Major League history to end the regular season on a four-homer streak and then go deep in his first postseason game, according to Elias Sports Bureau, has seven taters in his last nine games.

“Awesome swing by Seiya,†Cubs left fielder Ian Happ said. “Good ABs, and then Seiya hits that ball. And they did a good job of coming back and answering. Itâ€s a tie ballgame going into the second. Both games, up and down emotions there in the first inning.â€

The Cubs†lead was short-lived, though, as the Brewers countered in the bottom half of the frame.

Vaughn, who hit nine home runs in his first 29 games with Milwaukee but zero over his final 35 regular-season games (and none in Game 1 of the NLDS, a span totaling 146 plate appearances), snapped the drought in dramatic fashion.

“Beginning of the year definitely wasn’t how I wanted it to be, definitely a really tough part of my career,†Vaughn said. “But getting traded [from the White Sox] almost was like an opportunity. Going to [Triple-A] Nashville, trying to work my butt off, eventually getting the call, and trying to take advantage of my opportunity. It’s a really hard game. Just trying to go out there, be the best version of myself, and be like a little kid out there and have fun.â€

Vaughn capped a seven-pitch at-bat by turning on lefty Shota Imanagaâ€s inside sweeper and depositing the offering over the left-field wall. Imanaga, who allowed 15 home runs over his final nine regular-season starts, has given up at least one in each of his postseason appearances now, as well.

“We made a couple mistakes with multiple runners on base, and after getting off to a great start, those mistakes with two, three-run homers, you’re not going to win playoff games giving up two, three-run homers,†Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “That was just too much to overcome.â€

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Hitting your long irons pure on a consistent basis is a challenge for most recreational golfers. Sure, they may catch one solid a couple of times per round, but sprinkled in there are chunks and thins that are unplayable. I know that’s been the case in my own game at certain points in my golf career.

If that sounds like you, just know you’re not alone. When you stick a long iron in the average player’s hand, they typically have very little shot of hitting one stiff. It can be a disheartening feeling, but with a few key swing tweaks, you can exhibit improvement.

In the text below, GOLFTEC‘s Director of Teaching Quality Josh Troyer shares five swing keys you can focus on to improve your strike with long irons. Put them to use, and you’ll quickly see improvement.

5 keys for pure long irons

Long irons — the 4, 5 and even 6 iron — can be some of the most satisfying clubs to strike cleanly, but for many amateur golfers, they’re also the most frustrating. While hybrids and higher-lofted woods are excellent alternatives for players who struggle with launch and consistency, and club fitting can absolutely make a difference, the real key to mastering long irons lies in your swing fundamentals.

1. Ball position forward

The first step to success with long irons is putting the ball in the right place. A ball too far back in your stance encourages a steep angle of attack and path too far to the right, while if it’s too far forward you’ll be too shallow and to the left.

According to Troyer, you should place the ball just inside the lead foot’s instep — slightly forward of center, but not as far forward as a driver. This position promotes a slightly downward strike, helping you compress the ball while still launching it high.

2. Widen your stance

You should also be mindful of the width of your stance when hitting a long iron. With longer clubs, you need a slightly wider stance to maintain balance and create the proper swing arc.

With a long iron, this means widening your stance by about an inch more than you would with a 7 or 8 iron. This stabilizes your lower body and accommodates the longer swing arc without sacrificing control.

3. Smooth tempo and balance

When golfers struggle to get the ball in the air with their long irons, they’ll tend to force the issue and try to swing even harder. And while this can be effective for generating clubhead speed, it often comes at the cost of a center strike.

Instead of swinging harder, try focusing on a smooth tempo that will allow you to find the center of the clubface. If you do that, you’ll find that it’s much easier to not only get the ball up in the air, but also send the ball in the direction you want it to go.

4. Maintain your posture

Another symptom that arises when golfers struggle to get the ball in the air is that they’ll lose their posture as they come through impact. They do this because they’re trying to get underneath the ball and “scoop” it in the air. This rarely works out.

Instead of dipping back to help the ball in the air, focus on maintaining your posture and keeping your weight moving forward. This encourages solid contact and ensures you’re delivering the club with the right angle and loft, which in turn will launch the ball in the air.

5. Trust your club

Modern club technology is a wonderful thing — but you’ve got to trust the club to do its job if you want to get the most out of it.

“You don’t have to create height by manipulating your body to get the trajectory that you want,” Troyer says.

Don’t lean back or flip the wrists at impact to add loft. Let the correct setup, solid contact and club technology do the work for you. If you trust all of these factors and make a solid pass at the ball, you’ll be amazed at how much better your ball striking becomes with your long irons.

If you want to get some expert insights into your swing — and learn how to properly sway your hips — book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC below.

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