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RAIDERS STREAMING
ALLIANCE – The University of Mount Union’s home game against Baldwin Wallace scheduled on Saturday, Nov. 7, will be the first Division III football game ever streamed on Amazon Prime.
Kickoff has been moved to 4 p.m.
The game will be streamed on the FloSports Channel on Amazon Prime (also live on FloCollege).
GUARDIANS CLINCH BERTH
BOSTON (AP) -- Angel Martínez homered and Joey Cantillo threw five one-hit innings in a bulk relief role as the Cleveland Guardians clinched a playoff spot for the third straight year with a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.
Cleveland is guaranteed at least an American League wild card and retains a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. The division winner is likely to earn the No. 2 seed and a bye into the Division Series.
Chicago has the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Cleveland starter Daniel Espino threw one inning before giving way to Cantillo (11-9), who allowed one hit with four strikeouts. He’s now thrown 15 straight scoreless innings since being removed from the rotation.
Martínez hit his 18th homer of the season in the second inning. All-Star closer Cade Smith struck out the side in the ninth for his major league-leading 41st save.
While the Red Sox clinched a playoff spot for the second consecutive season earlier this week, they are still looking to firm up their seed. Boston leads Chicago by three games for the AL’s second wild card, which would be the No. 5 seed and travel to face No. 4 New York in the best-of-three series.
Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez (8-5) gave up one run over five innings with five strikeouts. Boston had two hits and was shut out for the eighth time this season.
Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela returned to the lineup one night after leaving Wednesday’s game with right hamstring tightness.
Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.63 ERA) is listed as the probable starter as Cleveland opens a three-game series in Kansas City tonight.
ON LEAVE
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has taken a leave of absence from the club following the death of his father in Russia.
The team confirmed Alexander Kuzmenko’s death on Thursday. Russia-based media outlet Ren.TV reported that the 62-year-old Kuzmenko died after being attacked by a bear in Tuva, a region in Siberia, while on a fishing trip.
“Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander,” Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said in a statement. “We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time.”
Kuzmenko, 30, who signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent over the summer, left the team on Thursday to be with his family in Moscow.
PIRATES SECURE NON-LOSING YEAR
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ronny Simon raced home on Spencer Horwitz’s eighth inning sacrifice fly and the Pittsburgh Pirates assured themselves of the club’s first non-losing season in eight years with a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
Simon reached on a walk by Ryne Stanek (2-3), advanced to second on a wild pitch and scooted to third when the throw from catcher Ivan Herrera skipped into center field for an error. Horwitz’s flyball to center was plenty deep enough for Simon to score.
Luke Weaver (4-1) got the final out of the eighth for Pittsburgh. Mason Montgomery struck out the side in the ninth for his 17th save in 19 chances as Pittsburgh improved to 81-78 with three games to go. The club’s previous non-losing season came in 2018 when it won 82 games.
Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes ended an uneven year by his standards with 6 1/3 excellent innings in his 32nd and final start.
The 24-year-old, whose performance this year has been met with mild criticism locally, allowed one run, three hits and two walks and six strikeouts. He received a loud ovation when he was removed by manager Don Kelly after recording his 200th strikeout of the season when Cardinals designated hitter Leo Bernal was caught looking leading off the seventh.
JUNOR HIGH VOLLEYBALL
WEST BRANCH AT COLUMBIANA
7th Grade: Columbiana won 25-18, 27-25 Thursday. Columbiana (14-1). Avery Eisenbraun 6 aces, 2 kills, 1 dig, Stella Snyder 5 aces, 1 kill, 4 assists, 1 dig, Layla Rust 3 aces, 2 kills, 4 digs, Sydney Cunningham 1 ace, 1 kill.
8th Grade: Columbiana won 25-12, 25-16. Columbiana (12-3). Maria Lehnerd 13 aces, 1 kill, 9 assists, 5 digs, Sophia Gomoll 4 aces, 4 kills, 8 assists, 3 digs, Annabella Young 3 aces, 2 kills, 7 digs, Leighton Lalama 5 kills, 1 dig.
PRESIDENTS CUP
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) -- Results from Thursday matches at the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club with the United States taking a 3-2 lead:
FOURBALLS
Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, United States, def. Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im, International, 1 up.
Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune, International, def. Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele, United States, 3 and 1.
Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun, United States, def. Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria, International, 4 and 3.
Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa, United States, def. Ryan Fox and Adam Scott, International, 3 and 2.
Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, International, def. Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay, United States, 3 and 2.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase confirmed Thursday the league fined him and teammate Tee Higgins for their new “people’s elbow” celebration.
Chase insisted the “people’s elbow” celebration, which involves grabbing his right elbow with his left hand and flopping the right arm forward, isn’t the sort of off-color humor others have made it out to be on social media, and they are simply creating a new way to signal a first down.
The NFL disagreed and fined both receivers. The first offense for an unsportsmanlike conduct fine is $14,926 while taunting offenses are $11,941.
The league also fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk for what he claimed was a misinterpreted celebration. The league said the fine was for imitating chugging a beer, but Juszczyk, whose nickname is “Juice,” said he’s been doing the celebration for years and he’s just drinking his juice.
“I think this is where the superstars have to get in with the NFLPA and fight for our money because if he’s getting fined for doing a drinking gesture, a juice gesture and I’m getting fined for an elbow and doing the first down thing, I don’t know,” Chase said.
WALTRIP SIDELINED
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) -- Darrell Waltrip, who parlayed a Hall of Fame driving career in NASCAR into a long-time broadcasting stint at Fox Sports, has stepped away from public life due to a progressive brain disease.
Waltrip and his family shared a statement on Wednesday that noted the former driver, “has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) complicated by possible Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) - likely from injuries incurred during his racing career.”
The 79-year-old Waltrip was one of NASCAR’s storied characters, one of the first to build a brand around his supersized personality, and he served for decades as one of the sport’s strongest ambassadors.
Waltrip won 84 races and Cup Series championships in 1981, 1982 and 1985 before moving straight into the broadcast booth. He was inducted into the third class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2012.