By virtue of the Blue Jays’ loss on Monday, the New York Yankees are once again playoff-bound, as they’ve clinched a berth in the MLB postseason for the third straight season and the ninth time in the last 10 years. Earlier this season, the Yankees won their 82nd game, securing a winning record for the 34th straight time. Their worst season since 1992 was 2014, when they finished 84-78. It’s been a remarkable run.

Of course, since it’s the Yankees — a franchise with an MLB-record 27 World Series titles — we have to also point out that the regular-season success has only translated to one American League pennant and zero World Series championships since 2009. That drought since the last World Series title is one of the longest for this franchise. They went from 1979 until 1996 waiting for one, along with 1963 through 1976.

Now, the Yankees still have a shot at the AL East title, as they entered Monday trailing the Rays by four games. There’s a four-game head-to-head series remaining, with the Rays visiting the Yankees Sept. 22-24, which includes a doubleheader in there. 

As is often the case, the Yankees are one of the most prolific home run teams in baseball despite the likes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton missing so much time due to injury. They are pretty reliant on the long ball, sitting in the middle of the pack in runs and OPS, while toward the top in dingers. 

As for run prevention, the Yankees lead the majors in team ERA, even with lengthy absences from several starting pitchers.

With that said, here are three reasons New York is a real threat to win this year’s World Series.

1. Judge is back

Aaron Judge entered the season having won three of the last four AL MVP awards; injury held him to only 106 games in 2023, when Shohei Ohtani took home the honors. He missed between May 31 and Sept. 8 with injury this season, and he’s being eased back into the Yankees’ lineup, but there is no one else — perhaps other than Ohtani — who alters the complexion of a lineup in Major League Baseball like Judge does. His mere presence seems to make everyone else in the lineup better.

We didn’t necessarily need numbers to back up how much Judge changes things, but they bear it all out. The Yankees are 41-24 when Judge starts and 46-39 when he doesn’t.

The best part about Judge — who homered Monday night for the first time since his injury — returning with more than two weeks left in the regular season is that he has the chance to fully get back up to speed in time for the playoffs. With the big man at full strength in October, the Yankees’ lineup with Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Ben Rice and Luis García Jr., among others, around him is awfully powerful.

2. Trio of aces?

We already discussed the Yankees having the best team ERA in all of baseball. In the playoffs, a rotation of three or four pitchers instead of five is all a team needs. The Yankees might well have a trio of aces heading into October. 

Cam Schlittler is headed toward winning the AL Cy Young at age 25 and in just his second season in the majors. He leads the majors with a 1.95 ERA (216 ERA+) and he already showed last October how good he can be in the postseason with a 12-strikeout performance in an elimination game.

The Yankees’ previous Cy Young winner was Gerrit Cole in 2023. He returned this season from Tommy John surgery and isn’t posting gaudy numbers. He’s been more good than mediocre, though, and has a 3.48 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 77 ⅔ innings in his last 13 starts. He has had trouble with the longball in his last two games, so that’s something to clean up before the postseason.

And, of course, there’s veteran lefty Max Fried. He’s dealt with two injured list stints this season, but has a 2.73 ERA in 18 starts. He was a workhorse for the 2021 World Series champion Braves and has more than 75 innings of playoff experience. 

The Yankees have an outstanding pitching staff overall, but it needs to be strong at the top to win the World Series. With this group, it could just be strong enough.

3. The AL field is weak

The AL West champion and final AL wild-card team look like they’ll barely be above .500, and even the AL Central champion could well fall well short of 90 wins. The playoff format means the four and five seeds are the top two wild cards and play one another in the first round before the winner advances to face the top seed in the ALDS. This means that, as things stand right now, the best three AL teams by record are going to eat one another before the ALCS. 

The flip side of this is that the Yankees, for example, could take out the Red Sox in two games and Rays in five or fewer before facing an obviously inferior foe in the ALCS. As such, it can be viewed as an opportunity in the clearly weaker of the two leagues. 

Could that set the Yankees up nicely for a 28th World Series title? It could, sure. It could also mean they lose in the Wild Card Series to the Red Sox in such a small series, which lends itself to fluky outcomes — plus, the Red Sox are a formidable opponent. 

Trainer Bjorn Baker experienced a flashback to his former Coolmore Stud Stakes champion Ozzmosis as Paradoxium demonstrated its prowess down the Flemington straight.

Paradoxium triumphed in the Group 3 Poseidon Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on Saturday, setting itself up as a likely contender for the Coolmore Stud Stakes, following in the footsteps of Ozzmosis.

Saturday marked Paradoxium’s first appearance in Melbourne, and Baker highlighted it as the ideal prelude to a return to Flemington at the end of October for the prestigious Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m).

Ridden by Jason Collett, Paradoxium ($3.50) led from start to finish, securing a length victory over the $2.80 favourite Mbube, with Big Sky ($8.50) finishing a half-neck behind in third place.

Ozzmosis captured the 2023 Coolmore Stud Stakes during his Melbourne debut, and Baker is planning for a similar successful campaign.

Paradoxium is scheduled to compete in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) in Sydney next month, serving as its final preparation race for the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

“That’s exciting seeing a beautiful colt like that,” Baker remarked.

“He’s got a great attitude and a great action. Speaking pre-race, I did everything but declare him.

“Hopefully we can get back here for the Coolmore. He reminded me a bit of Ozzmosis half-way through that run.

“You dream, and you dream big.”

When asked about drawing comparisons between Ozzmosis and Saturday’s victor, Baker indicated that Paradoxium still has its professional career ahead.

“Ozzmosis is retired and has beautiful yearlings,” Baker stated.

“This guy still has his whole career in front of him, and I think he’s got a good future.

“I love coming down here and I thought he was a good chance.

“He was very good and he had to carry a little bit more weight than the others as well.”

Collett noted the noticeable improvement in Paradoxium since its two-year-old campaign.

He mentioned that the colt’s recent training efforts leading into Saturday had been strong, and he had felt the progression each time.

“We were pretty happy coming into today and this was a good result, being able to do it down the straight,” Collett said.

“It fell apart late last campaign. He had a pretty big setback and we did well to get him to win the Todman, but it all probably just happened a bit soon.

“Development wise, he’s not huge but he’s thickening up and performing down the straight, so we’re very happy.”

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The Kansas City Chiefs began their NFL season with a 31-10 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Patrick Mahomes, playing his first game since suffering a knee injury in December, ran in the opening touchdown and threw for two more as the Chiefs recorded a statement win at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

New signing Kenneth Walker, the Most Valuable Player for the Seattle Seahawks in last season’s Super Bowl, made the biggest impact by rushing for a career-high 173 yards and scoring twice on his Chiefs debut.

“I’ve been saying it all off-season that K9 is going to make a difference,” said Mahomes.

“That offensive line and K9, they took over the game. It went really well.”

The Broncos levelled the scores in the first quarter, but quarterback Bo Nix was sacked four times and intercepted once as the Chiefs pulled away.

Three-time Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce moved second on the NFL’s all-time list for most receiving yards by a tight end with a 59-yard play for the Chiefs.

Only former Chiefs star Tony Gonzalez (15,127) has more receiving yards in the position than Kelce (13,073).

Singer Taylor Swift, Kelce’s wife, and actor Tom Cruise watched the game together from the stands.

The Broncos won the AFC West title last season, ending the Chiefs’ run of nine successive divisional crowns.

In Serie A, Inter continues its dominance and its fantastic comebacks. In tennis, the new ATP and WTA rankings hold their share of surprises. In the NBA, the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard have accepted their penalties.

World number one Luke Littler says he has earned the right to pick and choose which tournaments he plays.

The 19-year-old has taken a step back this year, limiting the number of lower-key events he has entered as he manages his schedule.

Littler has only played two Players Championship floor events, entered just three European Tour tournaments and skipped the recent World Series competitions in New Zealand and Australia.

Darts supremo Barry Hearn recently fired a warning to the sport’s top stars about regularly missing tournaments, but Littler says he can be his own master given his position at the top of the rankings.

He also knows that darts needs him more than he needs darts, with his profile helping drive the sport.

“I think obviously it’s just what’s best for me and my family, just having those crucial days off,” he told the Press Association.

“I think we’re going to see more days off just to rest.

“That’s all I’m doing. I’m obviously world number one, and there’s a massive gap between myself and world number two.

“I can sort of take that step back and not go chasing every single tournament.

“It allows me to have, obviously, days off and weeks off, and yeah, just about balancing the schedule.”

Littler is only taking part in the Players Championships this year in a bid to win a clean sweep of major titles.

However, having won the first six major titles of the year, he is aiming for all 10 and that requires him to qualify for the Players Championship Finals in November.

He is playing catch-up after skipping the first 26 floor events of the year, before beginning his bid in Leicester a fortnight ago.

Whether he continues his pursuit will depend on how he fares in the World Series of Darts Finals this week.

If he does not win the tournament in Amsterdam and can no longer secure every major title this year, he is unlikely to try and qualify for the Players Championship in Minehead.

Littler knows he can only take it one tournament at a time.

“That’s all you can do,” he added, speaking through his role with KP Nuts. “I can’t be looking forward any more than what’s next, which is the World Series in Amsterdam.

“If I hopefully do win the World Series, then Tuesday and Wednesday I’ll be in Den Bosch for the Pro Tours, try and qualify for Minehead.

“We’ve just got to see what happens in Amsterdam this weekend.”

:: Luke Littler and KP Nuts have launched ‘Hit the Bullseye’, giving fans the chance to win £20,000, dartboards and daily prizes by scanning the QR code on promotional packs available in pubs and shops now. Visit https://kpnutsfordarts.com/ for more info.

Mumbai: Former Australia captain and India head coach Greg Chappell has stepped up his efforts to secure fair medical treatment and welfare for former Pakistan Prime Minister and 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan.As part of Chappell’s latest initiative, seven former Australia captains have approached Foreign Minister Penny Wong over humanitarian concerns surrounding Imran’s detention in Pakistan. They have urged the Australian Government to raise the matter directly with the relevant Pakistani authorities.The letter, a copy of which is with TOI, was signed by Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh. They stressed that they were writing “not as diplomats or political actors, but as former Australian captains who felt we should speak up.”The group said it was taking no position on the legal or political case against Imran, which it described as a matter for Pakistan. Their concern, they said, was the treatment of anyone in detention, calling it “a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics.”The former captains highlighted concerns raised publicly by Imran’s sons and sisters over his health and treatment, including limited medical care, restricted family contact and minimal access to legal counsel.The letter also referred to Chappell’s last meeting with Imran in Islamabad in 2022, when he was Pakistan’s prime minister and, according to Chappell, “hale, hearty and fit.”“Greg Chappell last saw Imran Khan in Islamabad in 2022, when Khan was Prime Minister — hale, hearty and fit, by his account. It is hard to reconcile that image with the reports now coming out of his detention, and that is why we write to you today, not as diplomats or political actors, but as former Australian captains who felt we should speak up. Khan led Pakistan to its only World Cup title. He also led his country as Prime Minister. Australians hold him in great regard — as a cricketer whose skill and leadership left a lasting mark on the game we share, and as someone who has helped improve the lives of Pakistanis by building cancer hospitals.”“Beyond credible reports, his own sons and sisters have been pleading publicly for months over his health and treatment in detention — limited medical care, restricted family contact, and minimal access to legal counsel among their concerns.”The letter concluded: “This is not the first time international captains have raised this concern. It has been brought to public attention on two separate occasions in the past six months, and the reports since then — now echoed by his own family — suggest the situation has not improved. We would be grateful if the Australian Government could raise this directly with the relevant Pakistani authorities. Mr Chappell has also requested a meeting with you on this matter over recent weeks, and would welcome the chance to discuss it with you directly on our behalf. Thank you for taking the time to consider this.”The appeal comes weeks after 21 former international captains from nine cricketing nations, including India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Aug 23 over Imran’s medical treatment and welfare.That letter, a follow-up to one signed by 14 former captains in February, followed developments that the group said fell short of a Supreme Court directive on Imran’s treatment. The court had ordered that Khan be transferred to hospital for examination by a medical board including his own physicians and his sister, Dr Uzma Khan, alongside reinstated weekly family visits.The 73-year-old Imran has been in jail for more than three years following his tenure as Pakistan’s prime minister and is currently facing severe health issues.Since the first letter, Imran’s former Pakistan teammates, including a tearful Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Moin Khan, have spoken out, as has current Australia captain Pat Cummins.Chappell had also requested a meeting with Wong last month to discuss the matter on behalf of the group but has yet to receive a response.

Female athletes have spoken out against a controversial sports gambling advert starring actress Sydney Sweeney.

The advert has gone viral online and features American Sweeney naked but covering parts of her body with various pieces of sporting equipment.

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It has sparked a strong reaction, with many female athletes criticising its sexualisation of women in sport, and how they are being defined by their appearance rather than their achievements as sportswomen.

Amy Hunt, who became a four-time European champion earlier this summer, referenced the advert after she ran a season’s best 22.10 seconds to finish fourth in the 200m final at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday.

“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” Hunt said in her post-race interview with BBC Sport.

Referring to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s winning time of 21.47 seconds, the fourth fastest ever over the distance, she added: “21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.”

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American actress Sweeney, 29, starred in the television series Euphoria and her films include Anyone But You and The Housemaid.

The backlash has included many other athletes from a range of sports posting videos of themselves competing or training, and describing the frustrations and struggles they have faced throughout their careers.

The trend was started by American gymnast Gracie Kramer, who posted a montage of herself training with the caption, “I don’t know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what women in sport look like.”

Kramer told BBC World Service’s Newshour she “did not expect” the reaction to her post and “just wanted to uplift women and remind them that you may see these types of ads but remember that this is not the only thing that matters”.

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She said it was “so cool” to see “all the incredible athletes hopping on this trend, uplifting themselves, uplifting each other”, adding she was used to getting “very demeaning and objectifying” messages from men because of competing in a leotard as a gymnast.

Kramer added: “Unfortunately being objectified pretty much my entire career, it made me feel strong enough to post about this and to stand up for the women that don’t want to be objectified and don’t want to be looped into this unfortunate narrative that’s been pushed for a long time.”

Australia’s four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus said: “Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is.

“How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”

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British cyclist and Olympic champion Sophie Capewell MBE, rugby players Lisa Neumann and Ellie Boatman and Australian water polo Olympian Tilly Kearns also shared their stories.

“I think it’s quite powerful, the amount of women who’ve come out and said something,” Capewell told BBC Sport after her post gained attention.

“It’s giving a very specific picture of women around sport and I think that’s the challenging thing. Why is that the face of the campaign that is associated with sport?

“And that’s the way you want to portray a woman, instead of it having, I don’t know, an athlete or anything else that’s more sport-centric?

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“It’s not necessarily that people are upset with someone having autonomy, it’s the fact that that seems to be the only narrative that is directed around women in sports, or that’s what gets more popularity.”

England women’s rugby player Alex Matthews said adverts like Sweeney’s should not make young women believe there is a “one size fits all” body.

“You don’t get that idolised perfect body,” she told BBC Sport. “Especially in rugby – you wouldn’t have a team.

“Every body type has a strength.”

Matthews, who represented Great Britain in rugby sevens at Tokyo 2020, said one of the “most inspiring” things about being in the Olympic village was seeing “the older generations, the younger generations, the taller people, the you know slightly bigger people, but they were all the best at what they did”.

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Sweeney has not commented in response but she took to social media to post a range of photos of other athletes posing naked or in limited clothing, appearing to suggest hypocrisy.

The images were a series of ESPN covers featuring the likes of tennis star Serena Williams and MMA fighter and wrestler Ronda Rousey, alongside male athletes including NFL player Myles Garrett and basketball player Karl-Anthony Towns.

Sweeney was involved in another controversial advert last year, promoting jeans for American Eagle which featured the slogan “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.

This also received pushback from some on social media, with criticism surrounding the play on the words “jeans” and “genes” which sparked a debate over race and beauty standards.

A plan formulated over the past twelve months has now reached its successful conclusion, with Shockletz punching her ticket into the upcoming Melbourne Cup.

The mare, a daughter of the esteemed 2009 Melbourne Cup champion Shocking, secured a ‘Golden Ticket’ into the nation’s most anticipated race by claiming victory in the Group 3 Archer Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Donning blinkers for the first time, Shockletz, expertly guided by Harry Coffey, was the $2.90 favourite and recorded a decisive 2-¼ length win over Think Giant ($9). Jennivamoose ($6.50) finished a further length adrift in third position.

Trainer Ciaron Maher was quick to point out the significant impact of fitting blinkers for Saturday’s race.

“I thought she was having a bit of a lend,” Maher shared.

“I could see her prick her ears in the last 100 metres at Caulfield and Jennivamoose actually went past her.

“I was toying with whether I put winkers or blinkers on, but as (part-owner) Lawrence (Eales) said, Shocking won the Cup with blinkers on, so I thought we would go with them.

“The team has done a great job managing her. It has been a long-range plan to get her into the Cup and back at Flemington, blinkers on, she’ll run two miles, so they can dare to dream.”

Maher, who has a history of preparing successful staying horses through the winter and into the major Cups, drew parallels between Shockletz and High Emocean, who secured third place in the 2022 Melbourne Cup.

“She’s a lighter style mare that doesn’t take a lot of work, like High Emocean, is clean winded and you just have to have them happy and well,” Maher explained.

“The longer the prep, not a lot of work, suits her.

“Thankfully the little tinker, and a good ride by Harry, we were very confident watching the race.”

With Shockletz now possessing a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption, Maher indicated that her campaign could be meticulously charted backward from the November 3rd running of the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.

“She won’t be over-raced, she will be on the fresher side,” he concluded.

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A total of seven former Australian captains have written to their government, seeking support in a bid to urge authorities in Pakistan to provide jailed former cricket captain Imran Khan with better treatment. Following an earlier letter by 22 international captains urging the humane treatment of Imran, several Australian greats have now joined forces to seek a diplomatic resolution. On Tuesday, these former Australian captains wrote to the country’s Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, to intervene diplomatically as concerns grow over Imran’s well-being.

The signatories of the letter sent to the Australian government are Allan Border, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Kim Hughes, Mark Taylor, and Steve Waugh.

In a statement, the group of seven captains clarified that they take “no position on the legal or political case against Mr Khan”, describing it as a matter for Pakistan to resolve alone. However, they expressed deep concern over the treatment Imran is receiving in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, calling it “a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics”.

Greg Chappell, one of the most respected cricketing figures in Australia, has requested a meeting with Senator Wong to discuss Imran’s case, particularly after the former Pakistan captain’s sons alleged a serious threat to his life in a recent interview.

What Does the Letter Say?

The letter penned by the seven captains reads: “Greg Chappell last saw Imran Khan in Islamabad in 2022, when Khan was Prime Minister – hale, hearty, and fit, by his account. It is hard to reconcile that image with the reports now coming out of his detention, and that is why we write to you today, not as diplomats or political actors, but as former Australian captains who felt we should speak up.”

“Mr Khan led Pakistan to its only World Cup title. He also led his country as Prime Minister. Australians hold him in great regard – as a cricketer whose skill and leadership left a lasting mark on the game we share, and as someone who has helped improve the lives of Pakistanis by building cancer hospitals,” it added.

In a conversation with the Hindustan Times, Greg Chappell emphasised that the political case against Imran is not a concern for him or the other signatories, but insisted that he must be afforded humane treatment in detention.

“Beyond credible reports, his own sons and sisters have been pleading publicly for months over his health and treatment in detention – citing limited medical care, restricted family contact, and minimal access to legal counsel among their concerns. We take no position on the legal or political case against him. That is Pakistan’s business. But the treatment of any person in detention is a matter of basic humanity, whatever their politics,” the letter stated.

When asked about the necessity of writing the letter, Chappell said: “We are concerned that he will die in jail.”

“This is not the first time international captains have raised this concern. It has been brought to public attention on two separate occasions in the past six months, and the reports since then – now echoed by his own family – suggest the situation has not improved. We would be grateful if the Australian Government could raise this directly with the relevant Pakistani authorities. Mr Chappell has also requested a meeting with you on this matter over recent weeks, and would welcome the chance to discuss it with you directly on our behalf. Thank you for taking the time to consider this,” the letter concluded.

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