Sports Express | October 4, 2026 — Rasmussen's Near No-Hitter Lifts Rays Past Yankees 1-0

1. Rasmussen's Near No-Hitter Lifts Rays Past Yankees 1-0

Source: sportsnet.ca

Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 1-0 on Saturday night at Tropicana Field, taking Game 1 of their AL Division Series. It was Tampa Bay's first postseason win since 2021.

Rasmussen threw eight innings, striking out 10 and walking two, with 69 of his 101 pitches for strikes, retiring 15 consecutive batters. Austin Wells doubled with two outs in the eighth to break up the no-hitter. Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth for the save, and Jonathan Aranda homered off Gerrit Cole for the game's only run.

Cole, in his first postseason start since Tommy John surgery in March 2025, allowed one run on five hits over five innings with five strikeouts. Game 2 is Monday night.

2. Skubal Dominates as Dodgers Beat Braves 5-3 in NLDS Opener

Source: sportsnet.ca

Tarik Skubal tossed six dominant innings in 100-degree heat (38 C), Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy homered, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Skubal, a two-time Cy Young winner traded to the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers before the deadline, allowed one run on two hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks, making his first career home postseason start. The 100-degree game-time temperature fell just short of the 103-degree Dodger Stadium record set in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series.

The Braves managed just four hits. Sean Murphy's 421-foot homer in the sixth cut the deficit to 2-1, and Ozzie Albies added a 432-foot two-run shot in the ninth to make it 5-3 before Evan Phillips closed it out. Game 2 is Sunday evening.

3. Silva Outpoints Wang Cong to Claim UFC Flyweight Title

Source: MMA Fighting

Natalia Silva claimed the undisputed flyweight title with a back-and-forth win over Wang Cong in the UFC 332 main event on Saturday.

Silva used her speed and accuracy to frustrate Wang across all five rounds. The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for Silva, who takes the 125-pound belt. Wang swung wildly late looking for a finish but could not keep up with Silva's pace.

"I am so happy," Silva said. "This belt here is because god gave me the opportunity. I knew she was a tough fighter. This fight proved why she was challenging me. This is the beginning of Natalia Silva. I'm the new queen." She now awaits Valentina Shevchenko's return from injury for a potential unification bout.

4. USMNT Rout Mexico 3-0 as 17-Year-Old Sullivan Makes History

Source: The Guardian

The young United States men's team made a statement on Saturday, beating rival Mexico 3-0 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in front of a sizable pro-Mexico crowd.

Cavan Sullivan, just a few days after turning 17, became the youngest goal scorer in USMNT history with an audacious long-range chip. Julian Hall, 18, scored his third goal in as many games, and Malik Tillman capped the scoring in the 85th minute as Mexico finished with ten men.

It was Tyler Adams' first match as captain. The US have not played an away game since 2024, and this was likely as close as they have come given the heavily pro-Mexico crowd.

5. Chabot Shines in Captain's Debut as Senators Edge Maple Leafs 3-2

Source: NHL.com

Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist in his first game as captain of the Ottawa Senators, who won their season opener by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. The Senators were the final NHL team to play their opener.

Stephen Halliday and Michael Amadio also scored, Claude Giroux had two assists, and Linus Ullmark made 27 saves. Halliday broke a 2-2 tie at 9:46 of the third period.

Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have had each of their first three games decided by one goal and sit at 1-2-0.

6. Shaffelburg Scores Twice as Canada Beats Peru 2-0

Source: sportsnet.ca

Jacob Shaffelburg scored twice in the first half as Canada beat Peru 2-0 in its second friendly of the international break on Saturday, in front of a sellout crowd of 19,619 at Montreal's Stade Saputo.

The 26-year-old Los Angeles FC winger scored in the 19th and 35th minutes, with Brampton, Ont., winger Liam Millar involved in both goals — one cross and one setup. Daniel Jebbison added an assist. It was Shaffelburg's ninth goal for the national team.

Canada held 61 per cent possession and outshot Peru 17-4, including 3-0 on target. The 30th-ranked Canadians opened a new four-year World Cup cycle last week with a 1-0 win over No. 49 Chile in Toronto. Head coach Jesse Marsch was pleased with the performance.

7. Former Canadiens Defenceman Lyle Odelein Dies at 58

Source: Montreal Gazette

Former Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lyle Odelein, part of the club's last Stanley Cup team in 1993, died Friday at age 58. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported he died of a heart attack.

A native of Quill Lake, Sask., Odelein was selected by the Canadiens in the seventh round (141st overall) of the 1986 NHL Draft and played seven seasons in Montreal. He was traded to the New Jersey Devils on Aug. 22, 1996, in exchange for Stéphane Richer.

Odelein played 16 NHL seasons, also suiting up for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars, retiring after 27 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005-06. He was the first captain in Blue Jackets history when the club entered the NHL in 2000-01.

8. Whyte Kicks Club-Record Eight Field Goals as Lions Beat Argonauts 24-17

Source: TSN

Sean Whyte kicked a club-record eight field goals and a stout defence made a late goal-line stand as the B.C. Lions beat the Toronto Argonauts 24-17 on Saturday afternoon for their first win at BMO Field since 2019.

Twice the Lions' defence stopped Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle at the B.C. one-yard line, the last on third down with 11 seconds remaining. Earlier, T.J. Lee intercepted Arbuckle at the visitors' 11-yard line with 2:38 to play. The 40-year-old Whyte has made 40 of 43 attempts (93 per cent) this season.

The Lions (9-6) earned a third straight win and their seventh in eight games; the Argonauts (9-7) had their four-game win streak snapped. Montreal (12-4) clinched first place in the East Division.

9. Tom Kim Earns Military Exemption After Asian Games Gold

Source: Bleacher Report

PGA Tour golfer Tom Kim has been exempted from mandatory military service in South Korea after winning gold at the Asian Games, according to the AP's Stephen Wade. Kim shot a 6-under 64 on Saturday to finish the tournament at 18 under.

Kim had headed into the final round with a one-shot lead. South Korean able-bodied men can earn an exemption for accomplishments while representing their country, including any Olympic medal or an Asian Games gold. Kim had a shot at an exemption at the 2024 Paris Olympics but finished four shots outside of medal contention.

He flew to Japan to compete at the Asian Games while the 2026 Presidents Cup was still wrapping up, having won three of his four matches. Fellow PGA Tour golfer S.H. Kim also competed for South Korea's three-man team.

10. Raptors Fall 129-105 to Heat in First NBA Game in Quebec City

Source: Global News

The Toronto Raptors had their six-game winning streak in Quebec snapped with a 129-105 pre-season loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday in the first-ever NBA game in Quebec City, at Centre Vidéotron. The sellout crowd of 18,474 was part of the NBA Canada Series.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic did not dress star forward Kawhi Leonard and will not in Vancouver either, as he nurses an injury. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra started new addition Giannis Antetokounmpo, acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks, who scored nine points. Both teams started a Canadian: R.J. Barrett for Toronto and Andrew Wiggins for Miami.

Barrett and Tyreke Key led the Raptors with 15 points each, while Tim Hardaway Jr. paced the Heat with 14. Rajakovic said a lack of experience showed, but noted his team forced 25 Heat turnovers. A second game is set for Oct. 10 in Vancouver against the Los Angeles Clippers.