Sports Express | October 20, 2026 — Rays Rout Guardians 7-3 to Reach World Series

1. Rays Rout Guardians 7-3, Reach World Series in Six Games

Source: Sportsnet

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Monday night to take the American League Championship Series in six games and reach the World Series for the third time in franchise history. The clincher came in front of a crowd of 40,230, and the Rays will open the World Series on Friday at American Family Field against the Milwaukee Brewers. Both clubs are analytically driven and financially restrained, and either one will become a first-time champion.

The longer the series went, the more Tampa Bay's deeper roster told. Its rotation featured four playoff-calibre starters: Freddy Peralta threw six shutout innings in Game 2, made a timely relief appearance in Game 4 and covered 5.1 innings in Game 6, and Rays starters accounted for 63 per cent of the team's post-season innings compared with 37 per cent for Cleveland. Richie Palacios opened the scoring with a two-run double in the second, Jonathan Caminero lined a two-run shot off all-star Cade Smith in the seventh, and Yandy Diaz added a solo homer in the eighth.

The Guardians used eight pitchers. Manager Stephen Vogt said before the game that the club had "talked through all the different scenarios, all the different strategies," and that starting Shawn Armstrong was "a no-brainer." Tampa Bay won the AL East at 98-64, swept the New York Yankees in the division series and handled Cleveland in six — one year after finishing last in the division. "They continued to be really close throughout the entire season," manager Kevin Cash said.

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2. Hurts Has Blood Clots in Lungs, Expected to Miss Rest of Season

Source: theScore

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season after doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, a joint statement from Hurts' agent Nicole Lynn and the Eagles said Hurts was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis, and that further testing and monitoring produced a current diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli. The statement said he is "clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations," that treatment should only involve anticoagulation — blood thinners — and that he will not be allowed to take part in any contact activities, including football, during that time.

The Eagles placed Hurts on injured reserve Saturday following consultations with doctors and experts. The statement said his prognosis is "very good" and that a full recovery is expected, with a return to contact football anticipated once he is off the blood thinners. According to The Ringer's Tom Pelissero, after the calf clot was found in London, doctors advised Hurts not to sleep before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars as a precaution; he was awake until early Sunday morning being evaluated at a hospital before getting some sleep after rejoining the team. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown in that game.

Backup Tanner McKee started Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Hurts is expected to remain around the team and work on his conditioning while he undergoes treatment.

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3. Colts Fire GM Ballard After Loss to Previously Winless Titans

Source: TSN

The Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on Monday morning, one day after chants of "Fire Ballard" echoed through Lucas Oil Stadium during a loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans in which the team wasted a 13-point halftime lead. Ballard was in his 10th season leading the Colts and in the final year of his contract. Assistant general manager Ed Dodds will oversee the personnel department for the remainder of the season, while coach Shane Steichen and his staff will report to ownership.

In a statement Monday, owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said Ballard had "poured everything into this organization," but added that "our standard is to compete for championships, and I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard." She called making the change during the season "a deliberate decision" and said waiting "would only delay the important work that needs to begin now." She also stressed that the decision does not change the team's goals for the season.

Ballard ends his tenure in Indianapolis with a 72-82-1 record. The Colts made just two playoff appearances under him (2018 and 2020) and won a single playoff game. They never won the AFC South during his stint and have not won the division since 2014, and their current five-year playoff drought is the franchise's longest since a seven-year drought from 1988-94. Indianapolis had 14 different starting quarterbacks under Ballard. The Colts are now 2-4.

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4. Ronaldo Suspended 30 Days and Fined for Walking Out on Portugal Camp

Source: TSN

LISBON, Portugal — Walking out on the Portugal camp earned Cristiano Ronaldo a 30-day suspension and a 255-euro ($285) fine from the national federation. The Portuguese Football Federation had provisionally suspended Ronaldo and on Monday called the punishment "adequate and sufficient."

The federation said Ronaldo fully admitted the facts underlying the charges through a formal statement submitted on Friday, and that his confession and clean disciplinary record helped reduce the punishment. The fine was the maximum allowable by the federation after mitigating circumstances were taken into account. Ronaldo can appeal, but he had already apologized and said he expected to be punished, and he had not immediately reacted publicly to news of the suspension.

The episode occurred during recent Nations League fixtures: Ronaldo played in the opening win over Wales and was an unused substitute in a win in Norway on Sept. 27, then accused coach Jorge Jesus of breaking an agreement to play him and walked out. Without him, Portugal also beat Denmark and Norway again to qualify for the quarterfinals. The suspension began on Oct. 1, the day of the Denmark game, meaning he has served 19 days and is expected to be available for Portugal's next Nations League match on Nov. 14 against Denmark.

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5. McKenna's Winner Helps Maple Leafs Snap Skid With 3-1 Comeback

Source: Sportsnet

TORONTO — With the game deadlocked and less than 16 minutes to go, the youngest player in the building took a backhand pass from Auston Matthews with his back to the net, made one swift inside pivot, three rapid stickhandles and a quick low-glove flick. Gavin McKenna scored the game-winner as the Maple Leafs beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Monday to snap their skid.

McKenna has just three career goals but has already popularized his own celebration: a straight biceps, a hinged elbow and a bobbing fist. "That started during training camp, and it's caught on pretty well," he said. Coach Jim Hiller said McKenna is "just not afraid of the moment. He enjoys the moment... you have to want to be that big-time player, and that's what he has in spades." Teammate Troy Stecher said: "You look at him: 150 pounds soaking wet. So, he's gonna fill out. You see how good he is at this age, with the stature he has, it's pretty impressive."

San Jose tilted the ice at even strength and jumped ahead when a Matthews defensive-zone turnover ended up on Mason Marchment's stick in the slot behind Sergei Bobrovsky. "It's on me," Matthews said, before tying the game, setting up McKenna's winner and assisting on Nick Paul's empty-netter to reach 16 points, tied with Nathan MacKinnon for third in league scoring. Toronto's special teams were the difference: the power play clicked and the penalty kill went 4-for-4 and has now snuffed 21 straight. The Leafs visit Columbus on Tuesday.

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6. Tkachuk, McDavid, Kaprizov Named NHL's Three Stars of the Week

Source: Sportsnet

Florida Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk was named the NHL's first star of the week. The league announced Monday that he became the third player in league history and the first in 40 years to record back-to-back natural hat tricks, finishing the week with six goals and four assists for 10 points in four games.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid was named the second star. He leads the league with 23 points through eight games and totalled 10 points over the past week with three goals and seven assists in three games, finishing with a five-point performance in the Oilers' 6-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday.

Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov was named the third star. He became the first player in the NHL to hit 10 goals this season when he scored in Sunday's win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, and had four goals and three assists for seven points over the last week.

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7. CFL Week 21 Decides Playoff Fates; Blue Bombers Must Win

Source: 3DownNation

The Canadian Football League has confirmed its playoff scenarios for Week 21, with the fates of three West Division rivals intertwined. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers must beat the B.C. Lions in Week 21 to make the playoffs, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders have already clinched a post-season spot but could still finish third or fourth in the West.

Here is how it breaks down: if Winnipeg beats B.C. and Saskatchewan beats the Edmonton Elks, Saskatchewan visits B.C. in the West Semi-Final while Winnipeg crosses over to visit the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final. If Winnipeg wins and Saskatchewan loses, Winnipeg visits B.C. and Saskatchewan crosses over to Toronto. If the Blue Bombers lose this week, the Calgary Stampeders make the playoffs in their place; the Stampeders are on bye this week after finishing their regular season at 9-9. If Winnipeg loses and Saskatchewan wins, the Roughriders visit B.C. and the Stampeders cross over to Toronto. If both Winnipeg and Saskatchewan lose, Calgary visits B.C. in the West Semi-Final and Saskatchewan crosses over to Toronto.

The top two seeds in both divisions are already set: Edmonton will host the West Final after finishing first, the Lions host the West Semi-Final after placing second, the Montreal Alouettes host the East Final after clinching first, and the Argonauts host the East Semi-Final after finishing second. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks were both eliminated in recent weeks.

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8. Curling Slam Finish Draws Boos as Two Teams Play for a Tie

Source: CBC

VICTORIA — The Grand Slam of Curling's competition committee will meet this week to discuss an unusual finish at the Co-op Invitational that sent two Canadian teams into the playoffs and left an American rink outside the cutline. Teams skipped by Matt Dunstone and Brendan Bottcher both deliberately threw stones through the house early in the eighth end of their round-robin finale, before Bottcher scored one for a tie that forced a shootout — giving both sides enough points to advance and eliminating Danny Casper's rink.

"They're on ESPN in the U.S. and [Sportsnet] in Canada, thousands of people are watching it, I'm sure, and it looks horrible," Team Casper second Ben Richardson said from Victoria over the weekend. "It definitely leaves a bitter taste in my mouth... it's definitely not a good look for our sport." When it became obvious both teams were comfortable with a tie, spectators voiced their displeasure, with some shouting "Borrrrr-ing!" and others "Shame! Shame!"

"Don't be upset with the players, be upset with the format," said Dunstone, who earned two points for the 6-5 shootout victory. Bottcher picked up one point for the shootout loss, giving him seven points overall and the final berth, while Casper missed the cut with six. Both skips said there was no agreement in place to play for the draw. Nic Sulsky, CEO of GSOC owner The Curling Group, said: "It was a little too obvious, it was a little too raw... I'm not a supporter of [that] in a situation like [Friday] night." The seven-member competition committee was expected to meet Thursday or Friday.

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9. Seven Players Set for World Championship Debut on Canadian Women's Hockey Roster

Source: CBC

Canada named its roster Monday for the women's world hockey championship in Denmark, with seven players set to make their world championship debut. The tournament runs Nov. 6-16, and the Canadians are looking to reclaim gold after losing to the United States in overtime in the Olympic final in February. The roster was announced after a training camp in Quebec City.

"There is a great sense of energy, hunger and determination within this group," head coach Kori Cheverie said in a statement. The roster includes several players who made their mark at the Under-18 level: 18-year-old Rosalie Tremblay (University of Wisconsin), 18-year-old Hayley McDonald (Ohio State) and 19-year-old Sara Manness (Clarkson). Nineteen-year-old defender Chloe Primerano is one of six college players on the team; she, 20-year-old Caitlin Kraemer and 23-year-old Eve Gascon are back for their second world championship. Gascon has allowed just two goals in five NCAA games this season, with four shutouts.

New general manager Daniele Sauvageau told reporters the young players "earned their place to be able to show what they could do at the international level." Only 13 members of the Olympic team were named, with captain Marie-Philip Poulin (major knee surgery in July), Sarah Nurse (back issues) and Blayre Turnbull (pregnant) absent. Renata Fast is the only player on the roster who wore a letter last season. Canada and the U.S. will play two exhibition games before the tournament, on Oct. 28 in Windsor, Ont., and Oct. 30 in Plymouth, Mich.

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10. Davies Runs 2:08:48 in Toronto for Fastest Marathon Debut by a Canadian

Source: CBC

Andrew Davies of Sarnia, Ont., ran 2:08:48 at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday to finish ninth in the men's race, delivering the fastest-ever marathon debut by a Canadian and ranking fourth all-time among Canadian men. The race doubles as the national marathon championships. "I have looked up to Cam and Rory," Davies told reporters. "Seeing what they could accomplish in the marathon, it made me think I could do that one day. I definitely thought there [was] no reason I couldn't run 2:08 one day. We had great weather today and an incredible pacer."

Davies and John Gay of Kelowna, B.C., went through halfway in 64:46, putting them on pace to match Cam Levins' 2:09:25, but Gay dropped off shortly thereafter while Davies held strong to take $8,000 as top Canadian. Levins, 37, ran 2:09:25 in his first marathon at the 2018 Toronto event, set the 2:05:36 Canadian record in March 2023 in Tokyo and clocked 2:06:49 in Tokyo this past March 1. Davies ranks behind Levins, Rory Linkletter and Vancouver's Thomas Nobbs, who ran 2:08:35 on Oct. 11 in Chicago, and is just the seventh Canadian to break 2:10.

Kenya's Leonard Langat defended his title in 2:06:51 to claim the $25,000 top prize. Leah Jeruto of Kenya won the women's race in 2:21:19. Dayna Pidhoresky of Tecumseh, Ont., was eighth in a personal-best 2:26:08, becoming the third-fastest Canadian woman in history behind Natasha Wodak (2:23:12) and Malindi Elmore (2:23:30).

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