Good morning! The Dodgers clinched a first round bye and the Padres are going to the playoffs, and they found out on the same night in the same ballpark. The Dodgers got their bye in the afternoon, the Padres got their berth after nine innings, and the only drama left in the regular season for either club is seeding and health. Last night also brought a goodbye: Nneka Ogwumike finished her WNBA career with 17 points and 15 rebounds, and the Sparks gave away a 10-point lead in the final two minutes. Tonight the Padres host Arizona, the Dodgers are in San Francisco, the Angels try to stay out of 100-loss territory in Seattle, and the Wave play at Louisville. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾ Both in. Glasnow struck out 11, the Padres won 4-2 and clinched a playoff berth; the Dodgers had already locked up a bye — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.
🏀 “I’m always going to be your L.A. Spark.” Ogwumike’s final game ended in a 76-75 loss to the Valkyries — Rey Moralde at Crypto.com Arena.
🏀 Fever rematch. Wilson scored 34 as the Aces beat Phoenix 100-82 to set up Sunday’s playoff opener — Derek Hegna.
⚾ Not yet. Christian Moore’s two-run double beat Seattle and kept the Angels from 99 losses — Jack Janes.
🏒 Eichel in OT. The Golden Knights’ regulars beat Utah 5-4 — Steve Carp at T-Mobile Arena.
🏈 Two picks in his debut. Fifth-round rookie Hezekiah Masses and the Raiders’ takeaway defense — Derek Hegna at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — THURSDAY
⚾ MLB: Padres 4, Dodgers 2 · Angels 6, Mariners 4
🏀 WNBA: Aces 100, Mercury 82 · Valkyries 76, Sparks 75
🏒 NHL (preseason): Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 4 (OT) · Sharks 10, Ducks 0
⚾ CLINCHED AND CLINCHED
The Dodgers knew before they took the field Thursday that they would have a week off in October. The Padres knew by the end of it that they would be playing in October too.
San Diego won 4-2 to take the series and clinch a postseason berth, and will open in the Wild Card Series. The Dodgers, now 97-62, secured a first-round bye earlier in the day. That left one thing for Dave Roberts to watch: his starting pitcher.
Tyler Glasnow gave him plenty to like. He took a no-hitter into the sixth and finished with 11 strikeouts over 6⅓ innings on 91 pitches. Ethan Salas broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single in the sixth, came around to score on a sacrifice fly, and two more singles put the Padres ahead. That was the whole difference.
“I feel like I’m in a pretty good rhythm right now, so it’s perfect time to bring it into the postseason,” Glasnow said.
There were other good signs for October. Mookie Betts reached base all four times. Shohei Ohtani had two hits, one of them an RBI double in the ninth, a night after going hitless in his return from the injured list. Edwin Díaz needed 11 pitches for a scoreless ninth.
“Once you get to the postseason, it’s a different game,” Roberts said.
The Padres won two of three at Chavez Ravine, and that’s the part to remember. If these teams meet again this fall, San Diego has already shown it can win in this building.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Glasnow delivers strong final tune-up despite Dodgers loss (The Sporting Tribune)
› Fredo Cervantes: Shohei Ohtani returns to the lineup as Dodgers fall to Padres (The Sporting Tribune)
› Brady Charette: Machado’s two-run blast powers Padres into top wild card spot (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 YOUR L.A. SPARK
Nneka Ogwumike did what she has done for her whole career in her last game. She had a double-double: 17 points and 15 rebounds.
It wasn’t enough. The Sparks led the Valkyries 72-62 with just over two minutes left, then gave up 14 straight points. Ogwumike missed a free throw that would have cut the deficit to three, and Rae Burrell’s three at the buzzer made the final 76-75. Lynne Roberts thought the Sparks were fouled on their last possession. “That was the game,” she said. “It felt a little wrong.”
Ogwumike took her share of the blame. “I should have made that free throw,” she said. “And I should have made the putback a couple possessions before that.”
Then came the part people will remember. Sparks president Stacy Johns announced the team facility will have the Nneka Ogwumike Players’ Sanctuary, and Ogwumike took the microphone and asked the crowd to keep supporting women’s basketball.
“I’m always going to be your L.A. Spark,” she said. “So I love you guys. Thank you.”
The Sparks finished 16-28.
GO DEEPER
› Rey Moralde: Sparks fall short against Valkyries in Nneka Ogwumike’s final career WNBA game (The Sporting Tribune)
› Rey Moralde: Sparks take on Valkyries in Nneka Ogwumike’s final game of her WNBA career (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
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🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Dodgers pitchers struck out plenty — Glasnow alone had 11. Code GODODGERS26, through midnight.
🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Order online for pickup.
🏟️ FOUR GAMES, ONE FRIDAY
Padres host Arizona at 6:40 on Padres TV, their first home game as a playoff team. Seeding is what’s left to play for.
Dodgers at Giants at 7:15 on SNLA. The bye is locked up, so this series is about staying healthy and lining up the rotation.
Angels at Mariners at 6:40 on ABTV. At 61-98 with three games left, the Angels have to win two of them to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history.
Wave at Racing Louisville at 3:30 on NWSL.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
Fever, again. Derek Hegna writes that the Aces head into their playoff rematch with Indiana with plenty of momentum after a 100-82 win at Phoenix. A’ja Wilson had 34 and 10, Jewell Loyd scored 25 in 25 minutes, and Chelsea Gray had 10 assists and five steals. Game 1 is Sunday at Michelob ULTRA Arena. “It’s going to be a tall task for us,” Becky Hammon said.
Not 100. Yet. Jack Janes has Christian Moore driving in three, including a go-ahead two-run double off the top of the wall in the sixth, as the Angels beat Seattle 6-4. The night before, Muhammed Asif noted, a 7-3 loss to the Athletics left them one loss from matching the franchise record of 99 set in 2024.
Eichel ends it. Steve Carp was at T-Mobile Arena as Tomas Hertl tied it with 28 seconds left and Jack Eichel won it in overtime. “There’s a lot of veteran guys on this team, so we don’t need a lot of time to get ready,” Noah Hanifin said.
“You get what you emphasize.” Derek Hegna tells the story of Hezekiah Masses, a fifth-round rookie cornerback who made his first start against the Chargers, intercepted two passes and was named the AFC’s Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week. The 2-0 Raiders lead the NFL with eight sacks.
Better than he thought. Aaron Donald has watched his first game back several times. “I played better than what I thought,” he said. The Rams will adjust his snaps for Denver’s altitude on Sunday night. Puka Nacua’s status is still uncertain.
GO DEEPER
› Derek Hegna: Aces overwhelm Mercury for momentum heading into playoff rematch (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Janes: Moore’s two-run double lifts Angels over Mariners (The Sporting Tribune)
› Muhammed Asif: Los Angeles Angels edge closer to franchise rock bottom (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Knights’ regulars show little rust in 5-4 OT win over Utah (The Sporting Tribune)
› Derek Hegna: Hezekiah Masses and the genesis of Rob Leonard’s defense (The Sporting Tribune)
› Aaron Donald encouraged by return as Rams prepare for Denver test (The Sporting Tribune)
› L.A. takes the Mile High City: A fan’s guide to Rams at Broncos and Kings at Avalanche in Denver (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
⚽ NWSL: Wave at Racing Louisville — Lynn Family Stadium — 3:30 p.m. — NWSL
⚾ MLB: Diamondbacks at Padres — Petco Park — 6:40 p.m. — Padres TV
⚾ MLB: Angels at Mariners — T-Mobile Park — 6:40 p.m. — ABTV
⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Giants — Oracle Park — 7:15 p.m. — SNLA
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
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⚾ Diamondbacks at Padres — Petco Park — $41
🏀 Fever at Aces, Game 1 — Michelob ULTRA Arena (Sunday) — $34
🏈 Rams at Broncos — Empower Field at Mile High (Sunday) — $124
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Tyler Glasnow took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Thursday. Which Padre broke it up?
Answer at the bottom.
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Trivia answer: Ethan Salas, with a one-out single in the sixth.
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