Browsing: surprise

With the likes of Rory McIlroy, eventual winner Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry teeing it up at the 2025 DP World India Championship, another PGA Tour star in the field flew under the radar: Brian Harman.

But the 2023 Open champion is receiving plenty of attention after the tournament. That’s because Harman uncharacteristically lost his cool and violently smashed a club in disgust during the final round… only to watch his ball end up right near the hole.

Harman contends at India Championship before Sunday swoon

Despite receiving second billing this week, Harman looked like he might win for much of it. At the halfway point, Harman had strung together a 68 and 65 to get to 11 under. That put him in a tie for second with Lowry, one shot behind Fleetwood with 36 holes to go.

But Harman, who won the 2025 Valero Texas Open in April for his first victory since the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, took a step back in Saturday’s third round.

Two bogeys and only four birdies left him with a 70, putting him four shots behind 54-hole leader Keita Nakajima.

The biggest change on Harman’s scorecard from the first two rounds came at the par-5 1st hole. Harman birdied the narrow, tree-lined hole on Thursday and Friday. But on Saturday, Harman was forced to hit three tee shots at the 1st. He hit his first tee shot into the trees. When his provisional tee shot also found the trees, a mad search ensued.

Eventually, Harman found both balls. So he took an unplayable on the first ball, then zipped back to the tee on a golf cart to hit a third tee shot. Somehow, he came away with a bogey-6.

On Sunday, it would get worse.

Brian Harman sticks tee shot, smashes club in disgust

Four shots back to start the final round, Harman still had a chance to pull off a come-from-behind victory. But only if he went low early and often.

Unfortunately, those chances blew up at the 1st hole, where Harman hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker, then his second shot into the bushes to incur another penalty. A double-bogey 7 was the result.

Tour Confidential: Is Tommy Fleetwood primed for a huge 2026?

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Harman is known for his calm demeanor, rarely letting positive of negative emotions overtake him on the course. But the frustration from the 1st hole eventually boiled over on the par-3 5th.

The 161-yard 5th requires another careful tee shot through a gauntlet of trees beyond the tee. Making matters nervier on Sunday was a difficult pin cut close to the front of a tilting green. A bad tee ball could easily lead to a big number.

One over on the day and well off the lead, Harman chose his iron, stepped up and took a swipe at his ball.

In a video of the shot, Harman momentarily holds his finish, but then turns and violently tomahawks his iron into the ground, sending the club bouncing across the tee box.

A TV analyst can be heard saying, “I’ve never seen him do that before.”

Harman was apparently convinced that he’d hit another squirrelly tee shot. But he was wrong. Very wrong. Just after Harman smashed his iron, the camera cut to his ball, catching the end of its flight as it crashed down on the green, coming to rest 6’10” from the pin.

Check it out below.

In fact, it was Harman’s best shot on the hole all week. He hit it to 36 feet at in the 5th in Round 1, 18 feet in Round 2 and 23 feet in Round 3.

But Harman couldn’t sink his short birdie chance, settling for a par. He would trade three birdies for four bogeys the rest of the way, eventually signing for a two-over 74. His Sunday struggles dropped him into a T26-finish, 11 shots behind Fleetwood.

Ilja Dragunov

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

Smackdown delivered Friday night in nearly every way possible. A new champion, a new no. 1 Contender, and storybeats that will pay off for months to come. There were rumors of new writers behind the scenes, and the quality of this episode suggests that things werenâ€t business as usual, and that is a great thing for viewers!

Some caution remains regarding WWEâ€s ability to creatively stick the landings of their decisions tonight, but the fact remains that we were shaken up tonight – and shaken up in a good way.

As always, Iâ€m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think Iâ€ve missed.

CODYâ€S OPENING PROMO: HIT

What makes Cody Rhodes so successful on the microphone is his ability to overcome a speech impediment while using an expansive and effusive vocabulary. Some might criticize him for word choices that may seem archaic or out of touch, but I see his vocabulary as an invitation to engage with the substance of his promos. That’s what makes a successful public speaker: You may not necessarily understand everything they say, but you’re drawn in and want to hear more nevertheless. An expert. A master. For my money, on the mic, heâ€s the real best in the world!

ALEXA BLISS & CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS. ZARIA & SOL RUCA: HIT

The worst match of the night, but that isnâ€t nearly as bad as it sounds. On a night with very few creative hiccups and fumbles, something has to be the “worst.” And here it is, but itâ€s not a death knell.

Zaria and Sol Ruca just donâ€t seem ready yet for the main roster. The evidence? The match felt like it never got into fifth gear, and the blame cannot be laid at the feet of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, the reigning and defending WWE Tag Team Champions. It was a fun showing with highspots of daring energy, but it was also a rather one-sided victory.

Charlotte Flair did most of the work, and I can’t help but wonder if Alexa Bliss got knocked around enough that she needed to hang outside the ring out of a sense of safety. When the time is right, Zaria and Sol Ruca will find their footing on the main roster and should not get lost among those at the top. They have distinct looks, setting them apart from anyone else. They both need to work on their finishers, especially Sol Ruca. For her career to have longevity, she will need a move that does not require such precise placement and visible staging.

I was not surprised by the results, but I had a great time getting there. All in all, a hit.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller†on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

HAYES BLINDSIDES THE MIZ: HIT

The dissolution of Melo Don’t Miz has been a gift, for it means we will see an unshackled Carmelo Hayes, free from the dungeon of tag team mid-card stardom. However, there’s no guarantee he won’t just be relegated to another mid-card dungeon, which would be a pitiful shame.

I’m not sure why Hayes hasn’t been given more opportunities to shine, but I am glad they’re giving him something more to sink his teeth into. It was also deeply satisfying to watch him punch The Miz in the back of the head with the full force of a hurricane.

ILJA DRAGUNOV VS. SAMI ZAYN: HIT

The Dragon has awoken! With a roar, Ilja Dragunov answered the call. Dragunov: pure power. Dragunov: pure viciousness. He burst through the entrance to the stage with a hunger in his face. Ilja Dragunov answering the call for the U.S. Title is, for me, like Christmas morning. A gift that fills me with bliss! It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for since his injury, as he is one of my favorites.

There’s something about his performance that is pure and absolute, even compared to Gunther or Bron Breakker. Pure wrestling- thatâ€s Dragunov. The match was a back-and-forth, just like Sami Zaynâ€s Open Challenges have been.

Lest it go unsaid, which would be criminal, Samiâ€s Open Challenge has radically elevated the title. It had languished during the strangely booked title reigns of L.A. Knight and Shinsuke Nakamura. Its shine was dulled when it hung around the waist of Logan Paul. But when Sami got it, he made it feel like an actual prize again. It feels like something people would fight for, would sweat and bleed for. It feels like this because Sami has already made that true. He poured himself into these last two months, and his performance art has taken something just fine and made it something spectacular!

And now, with the belt being passed to Dragunov, it has been re-legitimized as a true wrestling championship. Not just a piece of jewelry, but evidence that one can go toe-to-toe with the best and come out on top. Also, we canâ€t forget to acknowledge that Dragunov leveled up his physique. He has come to kill, to destroy. And he has conquered, receiving the gilded title he deserves. Let the reign of the Mad Dragon be long and just!

THE WYATT SICKS FACE OFF WITH THE MFTS: MISS

There is absolutely nothing that excites me about a feud between the MFTs and the Wyatt 6. We can talk about all of the fumbles of the Triple H era, but one of the most disappointing has been the decline of the Wyatt 6. They have been creatively mishandled, neglected, and forgotten. While they were emerging on Raw, they had substance, life, character, and meaning. They had personality and pain. Now, they just come off as caricatures. They seem to be mere spectral heavies brought out for quick, nostalgic pops. Both the MFTs and the Wyatt 6 are not spectacular wrestling powerhouses, so a tag team match between them will be lackluster and uninspiring. I’ll call this a miss.

MCMG VS. LOS GARZA: HIT

It’s the one-year anniversary of the Motor City Machine Guns’ debut in WWE. And here they are in a sit-down interview, a retrospective on their time. But even this feels strangely false because they’ve been absent for the past several weeks. This episode seems to be reinvigorating the tag division and bringing it back to life after it had been put on hold. I appreciate the attention being paid to all the teams, with the appearances of Fraxiom and the showdown between the MFTs and the Wyatt Sicks.

Returning to the contest at hand, the match was better than fine, but not exceptional, which is a tragedy because we know they could give us so much more. They could move in and out of the ring with a fluidity that would be levels above other tag teams on the roster. Even Fraxiom, with their fluidity, still doesn’t have the synchronicity of the Guns or Los Garza. They could make the ringâ€s canvas a tapesty upon which to pain beautiful violence with aplomb!

Even still, both teams gave it their all tonight, and we saw another rousing performance as the Guns shot their silver bullets into the heart of Los Garza. They slayed the beast. Now let them go hunting like this every week!

CODY RHODES VS. DREW MCINTYRE: HIT

This main event bristled with a chaotic energy that I both love and fear. First, let’s talk about why I loved it.

It felt unpredictable, with Cody coming out and offering a match to Drew McIntyre right then and there, offering him a title match while he was wearing a three-piece suit! Offering him a title match while he was wearing Italian leather loafers. Cody will fight anytime and anywhere. But why was he fighting? He was fighting because he believed that Drew was responsible for Jacob Fatu’s unfortunate dental injury. The teeth on the ground and the pool of blood were a nice touch, a detail that showed this was much more serious than just a piece of metal scaffolding that got tipped over onto someone.

Jacob is gone, and Cody came full of fire to get revenge on Drew. The match was gripping to watch. I was engaged at every twist, every hit, every punch. For a moment, I thought we were going to see Cody lose his championship before he even took off his loafers. But no. Cody went for the belt, itself smashing Drew in the face, losing by disqualification. Did John Cena’s heel run affect Cody like a virus? Or was Cody just caught up in the moment, full of piss and vinegar that made him do something stupid?

All I know is, as fun as the match was, there are two things I’m worried about. First, what happens to Cody Rhodes? His booking has been strange. It’s as if the company wants to support him as the quarterback but also not let him make the winning pass. I don’t want a heel turn driven by reckless creativity because they haven’t clearly focused on how he can succeed as a fighting champion in the vein of the territory champions he loves so much.

I’m also concerned about Drew . Whatever his next match with Cody is, he needs to win it. Otherwise, he will perpetually be the challenger who can never succeed. The issue with that is, once you’ve exhausted that option too many times, Drew will no longer be seen as a threat. So if you face him, you know you’re going to win. More importantly, and more consequentially, we know he will lose. By repeatedly placing him in this position, it takes away our ability to feel suspense, to be captivated by the tension, to worry about the possibility that our beloved Cody might lose his championship in a moment of anger. They need to make bold, creative decisions at the right times; otherwise, the story will become stale and predictable.

We are approaching a crossroads, it feels like, with all of the injuries affecting major storylines. My hope is that Codyâ€s reign is not overlooked in the attempt to manage the deviations elsewhere, but Iâ€m not convinced my hope will be satisfied.

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This news is not a surprise. In fact, Trae Young was resigned to this outcome months ago.

Young and the Atlanta Hawks will not reach terms on a contract extension before the start of the season, something confirmed by Joe Varden and Fred Katz at The Athletic. Young will make $46 million this season and has a player option for $48.9 million next season — he could, in theory, leave the team for nothing as a free agent next summer.

Youngâ€s extension can be agreed to and signed at any point during this season, and Young has hinted on social media that he wants to sign one. However, Hawks management has built the best team around Young he has ever had, and new GM Onsi Saleh wants to see how all of this looks before extending anyone. On paper, the Hawks appear to be a top-four team in the East, with the potential to be a playoff threat to the Cavaliers and Knicks at the top of the conference. But what will they look like on the court?

Atlanta was aggressive in building out this roster. The Hawks traded for Kristaps Porzingis, who brings much-needed shot blocking on defense as well as a pick-and-pop partner for Young. Atlanta sign-and-traded for Nickeil Alexander-Walker to add shooting and defense on the wing. Speaking of shooting, the Hawks went out and got Luke Kennard.

Then there are the players in house expected to take a step forward. Jalen Johnson is healthy again after what looked to be a breakout season a year ago. Zaccharie Risacher seems poised to make a leap in his second season. Dyson Daniels was the leagueâ€s Most Improved Player a season ago, while this is a big year for big man Onyeka Okongwu.

Thatâ€s a lot of talent, but it puts pressure on Young to show he can be the leader of this team, not just a scorer or offensive force but a floor general when the team needs it. If Young can put all the puzzle pieces together, he will get his extension (his max would be four years, $229 million, but the number likely comes in a little below that).

Itâ€s just not happening before the season.

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Blake Monroe made her surprise SmackDown debut this week.

This week’s episode of the Blue Branded show, coming live from SAP Center in San Jose, California, featured the Women’s tag team champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair in action.

The champs defended their title against NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca and her partner Zaria. The former AEW Women’s Champion was shown sitting in the crowd for this bout.

The ending of the bout saw Zaria countering a hurricanrana attempt from Alexa Bliss outside the ring and then throwing the Goddess into the barricade.

Flair then attacked Zaria, only to be taken out by Ruca herself. Instead of focusing on the match after this, however, the Women’s North American Champion got into Monroe’s face.

Charlotte did not miss this opportunity and she targeted Ruca’s leg. The Queen then got her opponent back in the ring and locked in the Figure Four, which ended up being the deciding move of the bout.

Blake Monroe had explained recently why she chose to start her WWE career in NXT, and tonight’s appearance doesn’t seem to indicate a main roster call-up for the former champion.

The company did confirm after this match that Monroe will get a shot at Ruca’s NA title at the upcoming Halloween Havoc event. You can check out the other matches announced for the NXT special here.

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Manchester United are too big to fail forever, and their Premier League clash with champions Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday will only serve as a reminder of what could happen if, or when, one of the world’s most powerful sporting brands finally gets it right.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool’s transformative American owners, celebrated 15 years in charge at Anfield this week, a period that’s seen the club win two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League while also building a formidable scouting and analytics network. That success, first under manager Jurgen Klopp and now Arne Slot, has put the club back at the summit of English football, but it only came after a 30-year period of prolonged failure, managerial upheaval and ownership battles, ironically endured during a long spell of United dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The two clubs have now traded places and it is United who are suffering, but just like Liverpool, United will bounce back and reclaim their place alongside global heavyweights Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Their in-built advantages make it an inevitability and simply a matter of time — a case of sporting gravity once again working in United’s favour.

“If football success could be compared to a game of dice, Manchester United only need to roll threes and fours to be successful because of their history, commercial strength and worldwide fanbase,” a former United executive told ESPN. “The problem is that they have been continually rolling ones and twos, while Liverpool and Manchester City have been on a run of fives and sixes.

“That is ultimately down to judgement, luck, stability and, in Liverpool’s case, having a genius like [FSG president] Mike Gordon making key decisions, but eventually, United will start rolling some threes and fours and then fives and sixes.

“They simply need to get the big decisions right. Once that happens, their commercial might well propel United back to the top.”

Despite results, they have the revenue

Challenging Liverpool for the biggest prizes, the Premier League and Champions League, seems a distant speck on the horizon right now for United, whose title drought stretches back to 2013, with their last Champions League crown being won in 2008. But it took Liverpool three years under FSG stewardship to challenge for the title, when Brendan Rodgers’ team finished second to Manchester City in 2013-14, and five years before they made they hired Klopp as coach in Oct 2015 — a decision that proved the catalyst for the success to follow.

United are still in a state of flux when it comes to managers and ownership. The club appears stuck in a doom-loop of failure: in addition to five fired managers since 2014, a succession of expensive flops in the transfer market, and their rivals Liverpool and Manchester City stacking up silverware at home and abroad, they’ve had turmoil off the field with unpopular co-owners, the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, overseeing deep cost-cutting measures and job cuts. But the publication of the club’s annual accounts last month shed light on just why they are a sleeping giant that will, eventually, wake from its slumber.

– O’Hanlon: Four ways to fix Man United
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– Connelly: The best teams in Europe right now, ranked

United posted a loss of £33 million ($44.3m), largely due to over-paying for transfer fees and wages, but an annual revenue figure of £666.5m ($890m) was highest ever recorded by the club. Despite a disastrous 2024-25 season that saw United, who were absent from the Champions League, fire manager Erik ten Hag on the way to recording the team’s worst-ever Premier League finish — 15th place — under his successor Ruben Amorim, the club was still able to post a record revenue figure only previously eclipsed by Real Madrid (£910.8m / $1.216 billion), City (£730m / $974.4m) and Paris Saint-Germain (£702.1m / $937.3m).

All of the above teams are expected to significantly increased revenues in their next accounts due to the financial boost of participating in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, while Liverpool’s Premier League title win and Champions League campaign is likely to take their income for 2024-25 past the £700m ($934m) mark.

Liverpool received £174.9m ($233.5m) in Premier League prize money last season, £38.7m ($51.7m) more than United’s £136.2m ($181.9m) for finishing fifteenth. And the £82.73m ($110.5m) Slot’s team banked from their Champions League run the Round of 16 dwarfed the £30.7m ($41m) earned from reaching the Europa League final — the financial gains from being a better football team are obvious.

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0:43

Will Salah get back to his best for Liverpool vs. Man United?

Rob Dawson and Mark Ogden discuss Mohamed Salah’s form for Liverpool ahead of their clash vs. Man United.

But even after the club’s worst season since relegation from the old First Division in 1974, United continue to generate huge sums off the pitch, a testament to their latent ability to navigate a route back to the top.

“Can United bridge the gap and be successful again? Absolutely,” Casper Stylsvig, a former commercial executive at United, Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea told ESPN. “They have the strength of the brand and it is similar to Dallas Cowboys. They haven’t won the Super Bowl for many, many years [last win: 1995], but they’re still going from strength-to-strength as brand and I think United will get it right eventually.

“There has been a big turnaround at United and it was probably needed to some extent, but they have the brand and the following, all the fan engagement is high and some of the biggest in the world, so yes, they certainly will come back.”

United’s shirt sponsorship deal with tech company Snapdragon is worth £60m ($80.1m) a year until 2029 — the same figure earned by Real Madrid (Emirates), Barcelona (Spotify) and PSG (Qatar Airways), but their kit partnership deal with Adidas, £90m ($120m) a year until 2033, is less lucrative than those of Barcelona (Nike £127m / $170m), City (Puma, £100m / $133.5m) and Real Madrid (Adidas £95m / $128m). Despite their title success and recent success, Liverpool only secured a £60m-a-year ($80.1m) deal with Adidas earlier this year.

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“United is still a massive club,” Stylsvig said. “The fact that probably one of the very biggest buyers in the world of sport, Adidas, is renewing for £90m just shows the power of United. Adidas wouldn’t spend £90m a year for United if they didn’t see there was potential.”

United’s fall from grace as a club capable of winning the Premier League and Champions League has impacted on their earnings, however, as highlighted by Liverpool’s on-field success generating £257.63m ($344m) last season compared to United’s £166.9m ($222.9m).

If United get it right on the pitch, they could expect to boost their earnings by approximately £100m ($133.6m) a year, with success then likely to make them more attractive to star players and potential sponsors. Edward Freedman, a sports branding expert credited with transforming United’s commercial earnings in the 1990s before launching the sports memorabilia company Icons, says that the players on the pitch are as important as the commercial team off it.

“The commercial situation is very tied up with the performance on the field,” Freedman told ESPN. “And United haven’t had a very good run on the field at all, so that will negatively impact their commercial income.

“United have long-term contracts with their major sponsors, but once those contracts run out, no one’s going to go back in and pay the same prices that they paid before because they’re not top of the league. They’ve let Marcus Rashford and some of their best players go and brought in players that haven’t got the same charisma and are not particularly commercially valuable, so that’s a problem that United must address.”

Former United commercial director Richard Arnold once said that the club didn’t buy players to boost brand recognition because the team had “25 George Clooneys – they are all massive stars.” United are clearly no longer that, of course, but despite concerns about the lack of success and their allure to star players, Freedman admits that United can still tap into an increasingly lucrative commercial market.

“Lots of clubs have caught up with United commercially,” Freedman said. “But it’s not a shrinking pool because there is now a lot more people throwing money at the game.

“It’s still a massive market. If you think about China and the United States, football is growing and growing and the bubble shouldn’t burst, but if United are to capitalise, they need to hire somebody who really knows the commercial market and also sign a star player, because what happens on the pitch goes hand in hand with what happens off it.”

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1:34

Does Joshua Zirkzee have a future at Man United?

Gab Marcotti and Don Hutchison debate if Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has a future at the club after reported loan interest from Roma.

‘United will eventually get it right’

United have challenges ahead, notably the plans to build a new stadium that could cost as much as £2 billion ($2.67bn), but sources have said that they could command a naming rights deals of least £25m ($33.4m) to sponsor the new ground, which would also significantly increase United’s current matchday income of £5m ($6.7m) a game.

Sources have said that the prospect of lucrative direct-to-consumer broadcasting packages within 5-7 years would also be a huge financial earner for United and Liverpool due to their vast global fanbases, but while Liverpool have a slick machine on and off the pitch at Anfield — “Liverpool have had a rising tide of perfection,” the former United executive said — United still need to get both arms of the operation working together at Old Trafford.

“United maybe didn’t renew themselves and innovate properly in recent years, with too much reluctance to change,” Stylsvig, who was this week appointed as executive director of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said. “But the sheer scale of the numbers that they can produce and the way they run things is just phenomenal. It is a very, very big club, truly one of the big ones.

“The last time United won a Premier League was in 2013, but they just kept increasing revenues, even though they weren’t successful on the pitch. They could attract the best talent and you can always argue did they have the right team and right manager and so on, but the reality is United they went from strength to strength from a commercial point of view, even though the results on the pitch were not there.

“Having results off the pitch buys you the opportunity to get better players and invest more in the team, so United will eventually get it right.”

United’s next throw of the dice is against Liverpool this Sunday, and it would be the perfect time to roll a six.

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The 2025-26 NBA season is here! We’re rolling out our previews — examining the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and win projections for all 30 franchises — from the still-rebuilding teams to the true title contenders.

2024-25 finish

• Record: 41-41 (sixth in the East, lost to the Celtics in the first round)

Offseason moves

• Additions: Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, Jase Richardson, Noah Penda, Orlando Robinson, Jamal Cain

• Subtractions: Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cory Joseph, Gary Harris, Caleb Houstan

Paolo Banchero played only 46 games last season. (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

The Big Question: Can the Magic construct a championship-caliber offense?

Iâ€ve written about this a few times over the years, and chances are youâ€ve heard it on an NBA podcast or broadcast or two: Orlando has not finished in the top half of the league in offensive efficiency since Dwight Howard left the Magic to join the Lakers.

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That happened in 2012.

Kevin Durant has won four Olympic gold medals since the last time the Magic finished better than 15th in points scored per possession. If Iâ€m counting right, 50 Marvel movies have come and gone from theaters since the last time an Orlando team was mediocre at putting the ball in the basket. There are Central Floridian teenagers who have never seen an average NBA offense up close and personal … unless the visiting team brings one to town.

[High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. Create or join a league]

If youâ€re thinking, “Seems like itâ€d be pretty hard to win very much if youâ€ve had a bad offense for almost 15 years,†well, thatâ€s because it is: The Magic have made the playoffs just four times in the last 13 seasons, and none of those four playoff runs advanced beyond the opening round.

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After consecutive postseason appearances in which they produced points at a rate that wouldâ€ve finished dead last in the NBA during the regular season — and last year fielding what was, according to the great John Schuhmann, “the worst offensive team … to make the playoffs in the 29 seasons for which we have play-by-play data†— president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and Co. decided that the time had come to throw caution to the wind. The goal was lofty: Find the perfect complementary piece to build an offense capable of complementing the elite defense that head coach Jamahl Mosley has built in Orlando. The price was even loftier: four unprotected first-round picks.

In comes Desmond Bane, a career 41% 3-point shooter whoâ€s 22nd in the NBA in total made triples over the last four seasons, to provide a desperately needed decongestant for an attack that finished dead last in 3-pointers per game and team 3-point accuracy, and 27th in half-court scoring efficiency. Bane has grown significantly over the years as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, complementary playmaker and north-south driver, too, making him a seemingly perfect fit next to max-salaried cornerstones Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Baneâ€s shooting should help widen the driving lanes for the bruising big wings†forays to the basket. His off-ball movement should help inject some dynamism into a Magic attack that ranked in the middle of the pack in average distance traveled per game on offense last season, and 25th in average speed traveled, according to Second Spectrum. His ability to make something happen with the ball in his hands should reduce their overall shot-creation burden, and the possibilities of him partnering with them in screening actions — including as a screen-setter himself in inverted actions — should open up more opportunities for Orlando to put defenses in a bind.

Add in fellow former Grizzly Tyus Jones, whoâ€s shot 39.8% from 3-point range over the last four seasons — and who perpetually ranks at or near the top of the assist-to-turnover ratio leaderboard, which ought to help Orlandoâ€s bottom-third-of-the-league turnover rate — and first-round pick Jase Richardson, who shot 41.2% from the college 3-point line in his lone year at Michigan State (and whoâ€s shown some exciting flashes in preseason), and Orlando might actually have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with expected beasts of the East like the Cavaliers and Knicks. Provided, of course, the Magic can keep their big guns on the court.

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Only three playoff teams (Oklahoma City, Memphis and the Lakers) lost more games due to injury last season than the Magic, according to Spotrac. Banchero and Wagner were both sidelined by torn oblique muscles, while All-Defensive teamer/attitudinal talisman Jalen Suggs was limited to just 35 games by a left knee injury that required season-ending surgery; all told, Orlandoâ€s top three players shared the court for just 97 minutes across just six games last season. The hope is that better health for the three franchise pillars — and continued availability for Bane, who played 69 games last season after missing significant time in each of the previous two seasons in Memphis — will allow the Magic to have the same kind of year-over-year surge that Cleveland enjoyed last season.

[Get more Magic news: Orlando team feed]

The fear is that, with Suggs still not back to full-contact 5-on-5 work more than seven months after surgery, and potentially still “weeks†away from getting back in the fold, we might not get to see the full-strength squad that Orlandoâ€s brass had drawn up for a while. (Key reserve Moe Wagner still being a ways off from returning after tearing the ACL in his left knee last December doesnâ€t help, either.) That, in turn, could prevent the Magic from developing the sort of chemistry and cohesion critical in creating a potent offense, and impede their expected progress up the Eastern standings.

If Banchero, Franz and Bane can quickly find some synergy, though, and if Suggs and Moe are able to return and provide both instant production and their customary pugilistic play, the Magic could have the right sort of recipe to become a team thatâ€s more than the sum of its parts.

“I think we should be a deep playoff team,†Banchero recently told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “Hopefully, that means Finals. But if itâ€s anything shorter than that, then Eastern Conference finals. I want to play deep into the playoffs.â€

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Sprinkle in increased growth from connective-tissue youngsters like Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva, and efficient interior contributions from big men Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze, and Orlando really might have a chance to damage defenses at a league-average level. Combine that with the kind of defense thatâ€s been Orlandoâ€s calling card under Mosley, and the Magic could be the kind of contender that fans have been waiting a very, very long time to see.

Best-case scenario

All of the aforementioned health questions break Orlandoâ€s way, giving Mosley the time, reps and raw materials with which to build a two-way monster; the Magic finish top five in defensive efficiency and top 10 on the other end, exorcising all the demons of terrible offenses past. Banchero, Wagner and Bane all make the All-Star team; Paolo (who takes a leap in his scoring efficiency and inside-out passing) and Franz (who finally irons out the kink in that jumper) make All-NBA; Mosley wins Coach of the Year. Orlando blows past 55 wins, takes the No. 1 seed in the East, and rides a miracle season to the NBA Finals, as Kevin Peltonâ€s Simulation No. 620 becomes blissful reality.

If everything falls apart

Suggs†knee is never right and, as a result, neither are the Magic. Banchero, Bane and Wagner all put up good numbers, but without Suggs†combination of elite point-of-attack defense, secondary playmaking and knockdown spot-up shooting, Mosley canâ€t quite find the right combinations to be able to field consistently potent two-way lineups without exploitable shortcomings on one end or the other. The offense improves a little, but the defense slips more, and Orlando again finds itself futzing around .500, unable to break through in a conference that once seemed ripe for the taking — and wondering if itâ€s gone all-in with a hand that ultimately might not be good enough to drag the pot.

2025-26 schedule

• Season opener: Oct. 22 vs. Miami

Orlando has won 52 or more games just four times in franchise history, all led by a transformational Hall of Fame center. Thereâ€s no Shaq or Dwight here … but if the injury bug doesnâ€t bite, thereâ€s enough talent here to be able to approach a mid-50s win total.

More season previews

East: Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards

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West: Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • LA Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz

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WWE may have a massive surprise set for tonight, along with a big change that looks to have gimmick match implications. Officials are finalizing plans for this week’s loaded SmackDown with the latest build to Crown Jewel, and new plans are being revealed along with potential spoilers.

Crown Jewel VII on October 11 is scheduled to feature WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton of SmackDown vs. Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer of RAW. The first-time-ever match will be for the WWE Women’s Crown Jewel Championship, won last year by inaugural champion Liv Morgan.

The Blonde Bombshell was previously announced for tonight’s SmackDown from Cincinnati, to address Crown Jewel and last week’s successful-but-controversial title defense over Nia Jax and Jade Cargill. Rumors on a potential confrontation picked up this afternoon when Vaquer was spotted in The ‘Nati.

The Dark Angel is now official for tonight’s SmackDown. WWE has announced that Vaquer and Stratton will participate in a contract signing on tonight’s show to make their Crown Jewel showdown official.

“@tiffstrattonwwe and @Steph_Vaquer make their #WWECrownJewel Championship Match official TONIGHT on #SmackDown! [television emoji] 8ET/7CT on @USANetwork, wrote WWE on X with the graphic below.

.@tiffstrattonwwe and @Steph_Vaquer make their #WWECrownJewel Championship Match official TONIGHT on #SmackDown!

📺 8ET/7CT on @USANetworkpic.twitter.com/QRbyypjvC4

— WWE (@WWE) October 3, 2025

WWE previously announced Damian Priest for tonight’s SmackDown. No opponent was named, but the official blue brand preview had Priest wrestling a match in Cincinnati tonight, and that segment was still being advertised as of mid-afternoon.

The Archer of Infamy has since been pulled from the official WWE website preview for tonight. However, Priest spoke with TMZ Sports and revealed plans to issue a challenge to Aleister Black. This comes amid rumors on Priest vs. Black in a Last Man Standing match at Crown Jewel.

Potential MFT Spoiler For WWE SmackDown

Solo Sikoa recently began re-introducing his MFT stablemates. After a vignette on Tonga Loa aired, last week’s SmackDown included a promo with Sikoa and JC Mateo. Talla Tonga is now rumored for a vignette as PWInsider reports that he has been spotted in Cincinnati ahead of tonight’s SmackDown.

The former Hikuleo signed with WWE in July 2024, but did not debut until this past June. He joined The Bloodline, and was re-packaged as Talla Tonga in MFT with Sikoa, Mateo, Loa, and Tama Tonga, who is also expected to return soon.

Talla last wrestled on TV in early August as he and Mateo defeated The Motor City Machine Guns on SmackDown. Talla, Tonga, and Solo then were defeated by The Usos and Jacob Fatu on August 27 at a non-televised event in England, but the 4-time NJPW champion has not wrestled since then.

WWE has also announced the following for tonight’s SmackDown from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati: United States Champion Sami Zayn will defend in an Open Challenge, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, The New Day will be in attendance.

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Max Aarons’ career path took something of a left turn back in January, when the right-back swapped the Bournemouth bench for La Liga side Valencia.

After impressing in his first season at Bournemouth following his £7million move from Norwich City in August 2023, injury issues began to derail his progress that had previously seen him rated as one of the Championship’s best defenders and earned him 27 England Under-21 caps.

Aarons’ performances in the English second tier had clearly left an impression on former Huddersfield Town and West Brom boss Carlos Corberan, who came calling shortly after he landed the Valencia job in December 2024.

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Aarons recalls how he left Jude Bellingham alone after beating the Real Madrid star

Max Aarons during his time at Norwich (Image credit: PA)

Aarons was signed on a six-month loan deal in the January transfer window and although his time at the Mestella was mainly restricted to the bench, he turned out four times in La Liga and once in the Copa del Rey.

However, these performances included a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, plus two heavy defeats to Barcelona in both the league and cup.

Carlos Corberan brought Aarons to Spain (Image credit: David Rogers/Getty Images)

“I loved living out there,” Aarons tells FourFourTwo. “I loved the club, and the people were amazing.

“La Liga really suited me and when I played, it felt really comfortable. It was frustrating because I went to get more minutes and didn’t play as much as I’d have liked, but looking back, I’d do it all again.

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“That win over Real Madrid and the experiences against Barcelona, it has made me very strong mentally and technically. To learn from games like that, against those sort of players, it was a great experience.

Aarons’ stint in Spain also meant he was given the chance to reunited with a former England Under-21 team-mate of his at the Bernabeu in the shape of Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham is in his third season at Madrid (Image credit: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

“I spoke to Jude before the game and we said we’d exchange shirts at the end, but obviously it was a surprise when we won,” Aarons adds.

“I know that feeling when you’ve lost and, especially at Real Madrid, they don’t get that too often, so I left him alone, but we messaged after. It was a pleasure to play against him – what a player he is.

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Japanese wrestling star Sareee made her Ring of Honor debut on Wednesday at the promotion’s TV tapings, which took place just before AEW Dynamite’s 6th Anniversary show went live.

The 29-year-old veteran brings significant international experience to ROH’s women’s division. Sareee began her career at age 15 in Japan, working primarily with World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana from 2011 to 2020, where she became a two-time Diana World Champion.

In 2020, WWE signed Sareee, and she performed on the NXT brand under the ring name Sarray from 2021 to 2023. Her WWE tenure ended due to creative differences, and she departed in March 2023.

Since returning to Japan, Sareee has worked across multiple promotions including Seadlinnng, Stardom, and Dream Star Fighting Marigold, where she became the inaugural Marigold World Champion. She currently holds both the IWGP Women’s Championship and the Sukeban World Championship (as Sareee Bomb), making her one of the most decorated active wrestlers on the independent scene.

Her ROH appearance marks a potential expansion into AEW-affiliated programming and could signal additional U.S. bookings for the multi-time champion.

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Now the fun really begins.

After six months of regular-season action and a whole bunch of stunning plot twists over the final couple of weeks, weâ€ve arrived at the 2025 postseason. We can say goodbye to the 18 teams that fell short and shift our focus to the dozen teams still vying for a World Series title.

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The regular season provided plenty of data to help us evaluate these clubs†chances of winning a championship, but the beginning of the postseason is also a reset of sorts. How exactly these teams got to this point doesnâ€t matter as much as who can step up and perform when the stakes are raised. And if recent history tells us anything, predicting which teams are about to embark on memorable runs and which will flame out in a hurry is a nearly impossible task.

With all that in mind, hereâ€s how the 12 playoff teams stack up at the outset of October — with a case for each to be the last team standing.

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

Jump to a team by clicking on the links below:

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12. Cincinnati Reds (83-79)

Cincinnati seized the opportunity afforded by the Mets†epic, second-half collapse to earn its first postseason berth since 2020. Its reward for qualifying is a trip to Los Angeles to face the defending champions in the wild-card round, with Shohei Ohtani lined up for Game 1 on Tuesday.

As daunting as that opening assignment appears, the good news for the Reds is that they might just have the pitching necessary to pull off the ultimate upset — and perhaps catch fire and play deep into October. That starts with ace Hunter Greene, who will get the ball in Game 1 for Cincinnati. Although injuries limited him to just 19 starts this season, Greene was the best version of himself when healthy and looked especially sharp in September.

Heâ€s the unquestioned headliner here, but Cincinnati also boasts two stellar southpaws in All-Star Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo, a duo who helped the Reds†rotation rank second in MLB in fWAR, behind only Philadelphia. Steady closer Emilio Pagan and workhorse Tony Santillan (80 appearances!) lead an underrated bullpen that also features fireballing rookie righty Chase Burns.

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Itâ€s a much more modest position-player group, but Elly De La Cruz has the kind of star power that could shine especially bright on the postseason stage. Add a manager in Terry Francona who is intimately familiar with success in October, and the Reds might have what it takes to go on a surprise run. But for a franchise that hasnâ€t won a playoff series since 1995 — the longest drought in MLB — itâ€s one step at a time.

11. Detroit Tigers (87-75)

Blown division lead be damned, Detroit is in, and as manager AJ Hinch said during the teamâ€s clinch celebration Saturday, everybody is 0-0 starting on Tuesday. If the Tigers can successfully embrace that symbolic reset and rediscover what helped them build an enormous division lead in the first place, they could become dangerous in a hurry.

It will take more than just Tarik Skubal pitching like the best pitcher on the planet, though thatâ€s an awfully good place to start and not an advantage that should be overlooked. The “pitching chaos†beyond Skubal has been a far less reliable strategy recently, but there are some fresh faces who werenâ€t part of last yearâ€s staff but could play pivotal roles this time around, such as Jack Flaherty and rookie Troy Melton.

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Most importantly, the position-player core of Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, plus veteran Gleyber Torres, will need to deliver a far more cohesive offense than what weâ€ve seen recently. As evidenced by what this club demonstrated collectively in the first half, the Tigers have the talent to do so, but itâ€s time to flip the switch. The wild-card series in Cleveland offers an incredible mulligan for the Tigers to erase a miserable and embarrassing chapter in the franchiseâ€s history and recapture the momentum to push further into October than they went last year.

10. Cleveland Guardians (88-74)

A 10-game losing streak to fall 15.5 games behind the Tigers on July 6. Losing two key pitchers to a gambling investigation. Dealing away Shane Bieber at the trade deadline. Losing nine of 10 in late August. The lowest team batting average and second-lowest OPS in all of baseball. A minus-6 run differential. Add it all up, and you get … the AL Central champions.

For all the absurdities surrounding Clevelandâ€s improbable run to a division title, the recipe for success has actually been somewhat simple. With a breakout frontline arm in Gavin Williams, a worthy No. 2 in Tanner Bibee, enough moxie from the rest of the rotation to fuel a historic stretch of run prevention, plus a fantastic bullpen and a terrific defense, it is difficult to score against the Guardians. That foundational strength helps compensate for their objectively meager offense, as do the presences of All-Star Steven Kwan and future Hall of Famer José Ramirez atop the lineup. Ramirezâ€s all-around ability, relentless hustle and unwavering confidence have helped elevate the performance of the less-proven position players surrounding him in the lineup.

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If his splendid debut season as skipper wasnâ€t compelling enough, Stephen Vogtâ€s knack for steady leadership and motivation have been on full display during this tumultuous campaign. Defeating Detroit againto put an exclamation point on their advantage in the rivalry would be incredible enough, but the Guardians will have a lot to prove should they advance further and take on the other American League contenders. Letâ€s see if they can keep proving everyone wrong.

How the 12 playoff teams got to this point doesnâ€t matter nearly as much as who can step up and perform when the stakes are highest. (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)

9. San Diego Padres (90-72)

A year ago, many pegged the Padres as the most dangerous team entering October, leading to high expectations before San Diegoâ€s disappointing elimination in the NLDS against the rival Dodgers. This yearâ€s club arrives in the postseason with notably less hype — and maybe thatâ€s a good thing. While the 2025 Padres donâ€t possess quite as many statistical markers of a bona fide contender, there are plenty of impressive ingredients that could spark a run to the franchiseâ€s first World Series championship.

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The aggressive trade-deadline acquisition of Mason Miller supercharged an already-loaded bullpen that ranks at or near the top of the league in every major measure and still has an argument as the best relief corps in October, even after the season-ending injury to All-Star Jason Adam. That elite group of arms for manager Mike Shildt to turn to at the end of games lessens the pressure on a talented but volatile rotation; Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish and Dylan Cease each seem as likely to deliver six shutout innings as they are to get bombarded in the early frames. The Padres†upside on the mound across the board is undeniable, but consistency will be key.

On offense, the Padres feature a wealth of recognizable stars sans the commensurate statistics to match. San Diego lags significantly far behind in the slugging department, ranking 28th in MLB in homers with just 152 — far and away the fewest of any playoff team — and its .390 slugging percentage ranks ahead of only Cleveland. Thatâ€s a full-season sample of less-than-stellar production, but there are several hitters in this lineup worth taking seriously, from Manny Machado to Fernando Tatis Jr. to an ascendant star in Jackson Merrill who is finally healthy after an injury-marred summer and has looked outstanding in September. The bones of a truly great team are still intact for San Diego; now itâ€s time to perform when it counts.

8. Boston Red Sox (89-73)

After a drama-filled first half featuring the shocking decision to trade Rafael Devers to San Francisco, Boston gradually found enough stability down the stretch to avoid missing the postseason for a fourth consecutive year, which wouldâ€ve been the longest stretch without playoff baseball in Boston since the early 1990s. Now manager Alex Cora is back in October with a roster that looks nothing like the crew that made it to the 2021 ALCS; reliever Garrett Whitlock is the only participant from that series who remains on the active roster. Well, from the Red Sox anyway: New Boston third baseman and former Astros nemesis Alex Bregman has now made it to the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons, while his old buddies in Houston were left on the outside looking in for the first time since 2016.

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Bregman is a crucial cog for a Red Sox lineup that feels one impact bat short, a glaring reality since the Devers trade but also one that has been felt more acutely with star rookie Roman Anthony on the injured list due to an oblique strain. Perhaps the Red Sox play deep enough into October for Anthony to return at some point, but regardless, Bostonâ€s path to postseason success is rooted in its strengths on the mound, with utterly dominant presences headlining both the rotation (Garrett Crochet) and bullpen (Aroldis Chapman). If the second-level starters (Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello) and relievers (Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert) step up behind the two monsters leading their respective units, the Red Sox could absolutely make some noise. The rival Yankees await in the Bronx for an ultra-juicy wild-card series.

7. Chicago Cubs (92-70)

The Cubs havenâ€t won a playoff game since 2017. That might not sound like an especially long time for a franchise that went 108 years between championships, but itâ€s a fairly substantial drought considering Chicagoâ€s status as one of baseballâ€s marquee clubs. The path to restoring the Cubs†status as relevant postseason characters involves a combination of steady starting pitching and a return to form for an offense that was arguably baseballâ€s best in the first half.

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The latter involves the likes of Michael Busch and Ian Happ continuing to rake like they have recently, with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki rediscovering what made them such dynamic players earlier in the year. Then thereâ€s Kyle Tucker, the wildly talented and fascinating free-agent-to-be whose overall impact coming off a calf injury that cost him most of September is a critical factor to consider and a difficult one to project. But if Tucker and this lineup start to find their groove, watch out.

Itâ€s a bit more complicated on the mound, with the brutal news of rookie Cade Hortonâ€s rib fracture putting substantial pressure on left-handers Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga to deliver quality outings from the get-go. This is not a pitching staff that is going to match up with those of some other contenders in the National League from a stuff standpoint, but you can generally rely on the Cubs†arms to throw strikes and not beat themselves, a mindset empowered by having arguably the gameâ€s best defense playing behind them. San Diego is a staunch first opponent, but donâ€t rule this Cubs team out too quickly.

6. New York Yankees (94-68)

With the best hitter since Barry Bonds in Aaron Judge, two elite left-handers in Max Fried and Carlos Rodón and a deep lineup with an overwhelming amount of over-the-fence power, New York certainly looks the part of a viable contender. The challenge for the Yankees will be overcoming the reputation earned over the past year — in last yearâ€s World Series and throughout a particularly uninspiring run in June and July — that they will falter against top-tier competition when the stakes are high and that their shortcomings in the nuances of the game will resurface at the worst possible time. At the same time, the talent on this roster suggests the Yankees have as good a chance at glory as any, particularly in this yearâ€s wide-open American League field.

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Judgeâ€s outsized presence as a historically great slugger speaks for itself — though itâ€s no secret that Yankees fans will be hoping for a lot more than the .184/.344/.408 slash line he mustered last October — but this position-player group can beat you in myriad ways. Itâ€s Cody Bellingerâ€s rock-solid presence on both sides of the ball, Jazz Chisholm Jr.â€s power-speed dynamism, big swings from Trent Grisham and Ben Riceâ€s bountiful breakout. And donâ€t forget Giancarlo Stanton; he has hit a handful of homers in October, if I recall correctly.

Thereâ€s tremendous talent on the mound as well, albeit far more unpredictable in nature, with rookies Will Warren and Cam Schlittler in the rotation and several volatile pieces in the bullpen (Devin Williams, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz). But if those arms lock in and pitch to their potential — and if sketchy defense and baserunning donâ€t become this teamâ€s untimely undoing — the Yankees could find themselves back in the Fall Classic with a shot at redemption and a 28th World Series title.

5. Toronto Blue Jays (94-68)

Toronto fended off a late charge from the Yankees to secure its first AL East crown since 2015, a monumental achievement for a franchise that entered the season with a host of existential questions looming large. Signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a long-term extension in April quieted some of the noise, but expectations for the season remained modest until the Blue Jays really started to click midsummer and began to look like legitimate contenders.

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Bo Bichetteâ€s ongoing absence due a sprained knee has dampened Torontoâ€s potential somewhat, but this is still a balanced offense capable of doing damage, with Guerrero and a resurgent George Springer leading a lineup that enters October with the highest batting average (.265) and fewest strikeouts of any club in the field. There is real talent on the mound as well, though Torontoâ€s pitching staff has been susceptible to some ugly showings and arrives in October with the highest team ERA (4.19) of any playoff club. That said, ace Kevin Gausman and trade-deadline addition Shane Bieber are capable of trading zeroes with any opposing starter, and closer Jeff Hoffman has looked much sharper in September.

Catch Toronto on the right day, and this team looks unstoppable. But without much recent October success to lean on — the Blue Jays have lost seven consecutive postseason games dating to the 2016 ALCS — they need to go out and prove they belong before planning any parades.

4. Seattle Mariners (90-72)

AL West champions for the first time since 2001, the Mariners earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the ALDS, which could prove to be a pivotal launching pad for a memorable postseason run. Seattleâ€s success over the past five seasons has largely been built on its stellar run prevention, and that manifests most obviously at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park in the Pacific Northwest. But what makes this yearâ€s Mariners club more formidable than recent iterations is its loaded lineup; no longer does this team need to scrape by, eking out close game after close game.

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Whether or not he wins AL MVP, catcher Cal Raleighâ€s historic campaign will be remembered in Seattle for generations, and now the switch-hitting superstar backstop has the opportunity to create even more memories with a standout October. And Raleigh is not alone in Seattleâ€s run-production efforts. Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena combined for 59 homers and 61 stolen bases in the regular season. Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, dual deadline additions from the D-backs, have bolstered the offense further, giving the Mariners more than enough firepower to support a pitching staff that also appears to be peaking at the right time.

Indeed, a rotation that was slowed by injuries early on has started to coalesce into a more familiar, reliable form. A bullpen initially led by known quantities Andres Muñoz and Matt Brash has been strengthened by breakouts from Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo. Skipper Dan Wilson is no stranger to the postseason, having reached the playoffs four times as a player with Seattle, but navigating the high-stakes scenarios of October baseball as a manager for the first time is no small task. How he handles the challenge remains to be seen, but the roster at his disposal has all the components of a legitimate championship contender.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-69)

The Dodgers enter this postseason much healthier and far more imposing on paper than they did a year ago — but also without a first-round bye. That means Los Angeles is about to be subject to the wild-card round and the ominous randomness that comes with it for just the second time during its dynastic run dating to 2013. No matter how much better this team appears to be than its opponent in Cincinnati, shorter series offer less time for such discrepancies in talent to manifest. That said, there are still a ton of reasons to believe the Dodgers have an excellent chance of retaining their crown.

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First and foremost, Shohei Ohtani has resumed his role as a mind-blowing, singular, two-way presence, reestablishing his brilliance on the mound while continuing to pile up power numbers as L.A.â€s leadoff hitter. While Ohtaniâ€s return to the rotation comes with questions from a roster management and deployment standpoint, he undoubtedly strengthens a unit that is, believe it or not, fully healthy, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto continuing to thrive and Blake Snell ready to make his mark in his first October as a Dodger. The rotation will be relied on to counterbalance the Dodgers†most obvious weakness, which has been a troublingly shoddy bullpen, despite a bevy of highly accomplished arms.

However manager Dave Roberts chooses to deploy his pitchers en route to 27 outs, having a high-powered offense should afford him some breathing room as he makes those difficult decisions. While L.A.â€s modest win total — by its sky-high standards, anyway — is reflective of a team that didnâ€t always play up to its potential over the course of the regular season, it would be foolish to underestimate the Dodgers now that the postseason has arrived.

2. Milwaukee Brewers (97-65)

With a victory over Cincinnati in Game 162, the Brewers finished the regular season with 97 victories and the best record in baseball for just the second time in franchise history. The last time that happened was 1982, which was also the last and only time Milwaukee appeared in the World Series. A defeat in seven games against St. Louis that year means this franchise is still seeking its first championship. So here the Brewers are, in October for the seventh time in the past eight years, with a golden opportunity to do what no Brewers team has done before.

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Having home-field advantage for the entirety of the playoffs is surely a boon, but Milwaukee has also demonstrated comfort away from American Family Field, with baseballâ€s best road record at 45-36. And while the Brewers arenâ€t likely to overpower opponents, they are basically good-to-great at every other facet of the game on both sides of the ball. Their plate discipline is exquisite, they are efficient and aggressive on the basepaths, they play awesome defense, and they have a deep and diverse assortment of arms capable of racking up outs against quality opponents.

This might not be the most star-studded group, but itâ€s no accident that Pat Murphyâ€s ballclub emerged as the best regular-season team over a 162-game sample. Their strengths might not be as stupendously impressive as some other clubsâ€, but these Brewers have very few obvious weaknesses. Now itâ€s time for them to use that sample of success as a springboard for something much more meaningful in October.

1. Philadelphia Phillies (96-66)

Although they couldnâ€t chase down the Brewers for the top overall seed, the Phillies finished the season on a strong note, with an MLB-best 35-19 record since the start of August. Fueled by their early postseason exits the past two years following a trip to the World Series in 2022, this is a motivated and talented group laser-focused on doing whatever it takes to play their best when the lights are brightest.

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Philadelphia was perhaps the only team equipped to take a season-ending injury to a pitcher like Zack Wheeler in stride, as this is a pitching staff that still looks capable of handling the rigors of October with aplomb. From a newfound ace in Cristopher Sánchez to a venerable game-ender in Jhoan Duran to a surprise recent addition with quite the postseason résumé in Walker Buehler, manager Rob Thomson should have no shortage of options to cover the high-stakes innings to come.

Of course, itâ€s the veteran lineup that will need to flush the no-shows of recent Octobers and deliver in the biggest moments. Kyle Schwarber leveling up from impact hitter to world-class force of nature certainly inspires confidence on that front, and Bryce Harperâ€s personal postseason history is immaculate. Getting shortstop Trea Turner — who is having arguably the best all-around season of his career — back from the injured list just before October is another hugely positive development. And perhaps the new guys in the outfield in Harrison Bader and Max Kepler can provide the boost to push this team to new heights.

Everything is in place for Philadelphia to achieve the ultimate goal that has eluded it during this otherwise highly successful era. But as we know, nothing is certain in baseball. The Phillies enter this tournament as the team to beat by my humble estimation, but weâ€ve got quite the month ahead of us to find out who really has what it takes.

Let the games begin.

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