Dodgers are NL West champs again

Manila Times - Sep 18, 2026

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their fifth consecutive NL West title and 13th in the past 14 seasons with an 8-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday (Friday in Manila). “It’s a big deal,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that a lot of people think that it’s just a rite of passage (but) it’s not easy. So it’s something that we’re all really proud of, but really understand that’s not the end goal.” The Dodgers (93-60) are in the postseason for the 14th consecutive season, tying the Atlanta Braves’ record from 1991-2005. “It’s step one,” Mookie Betts said, rubbing the bubbly from his eyes. “We’ve got a long way to go.” The on-field celebration was muted following the final out on Thursday, but players let loose in the clubhouse where sparkling wine and beer was sprayed from the floor to the ceiling. “I think it’s one of those things where in baseball you play every day, and guys focus on performing,” Roberts said. “So there’s not a lot of moments to celebrate. So it’s nice to see the guys let loose a little bit.” Despite all of their success, the players believe they still have something to prove. The...

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NAGOYA, Japan — The Asian Games in Japan were on Friday facing more accusations of poor organization with a world champion gymnast “totally exhausted,” the public drafted in to rescue stranded athletes and South Korea lodging a complaint about a Japanese warlord. The continent’s premier sporting spectacle opens in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture on Saturday, but the build-up has been soured by several issues. That includes a shortage of rooms for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials — a bigger number than the Olympics. Some teams have also criticized the quality of the accommodation, including beds that are too short. To save money there is no athletes’ village, organizers instead putting competitors in hotels, temporary cabins and on a cruise ship. Organizers say the accommodation is safe, cost-effective and comfortable. Chinese gymnast Zhang Boheng, who won two silver medals at the Paris Olympics and has two world championship titles to his name, said he and some of his teammates were left waiting for six hours after landing on Wednesday. “I’m totally exhausted,” he said in a video published Thursday and shared widely on Chinese social media. “I didn’t expect that after breakfast at 7:00 a.m. the next time I could eat would be close to 7:00 pm,” the 26-year-old said. He said the wait was caused by registration and paperwork, before heading to the cruise ship where 4,000 Games participants will be housed in Nagoya’s port area. But when they arrived at the ship, he said heavy rain prevented them from boarding. “A whole day was basically wasted like this,” added Zhang. “In the end we really couldn’t take it any more so we decided to book rooms at a hotel to rest.” The video has since been taken down but Chinese state media said that other Chinese athletes also faced travel delays upon arrival. Beijing’s consulate in Nagoya contacted Chinese citizens in the area to give the badminton team lifts after issues with a shuttle bus and a shortage of public transport tickets, Xinhua reported. Chinese social media users applauded athletes, including table tennis star Sun Yingsha, for stretching and exercising at the airport. The hashtag “Asian Games absurd” has since been viewed more than 94 million times on Weibo. India’s team had similar delays at the airport. “There was an issue in getting accreditation for athletes at the airport during immigration. There were long queues with a lot of other nations there,” India’s chef de mission and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) treasurer Sahdev Yadav told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “But these things happen and we have got everything sorted. He added: “These are all teething problems and our focus is now on performance.” Warlord controversy South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that some of the country’s athletes waited at the airport for more than five hours on Thursday. “We are aware of the situation including reports that athletes have had to wait for hours and we are doing our best to handle it,” a Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) official told AFP. Also on Friday, the KSOC said it had filed a complaint with Games organizers for featuring a Japanese warlord at a welcoming ceremony. The event on Tuesday included a person dressed as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who led Japan’s invasions of Korea in 1592-1598, and the ceremony prompted a backlash in South Korea. Historical issues are sensitive between South Korea and Japan, with Hideyoshi’s invasion a significant episode in Korean history and Korea under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. There was no immediate response from the Olympic Council of Asia or the local organizing committee.

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Clarkson wants to play for PH anew

FILIPINO-AMERICAN guard Jordan Clarkson of the New York Knicks has expressed a strong desire to represent the Philippines again as Gilas Pilipinas fights for a spot in the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Doha, Qatar. The 34-year-old Clarkson shared his thoughts during the Sept. 5, 2026 issue of GQ Philippines. “Another World Cup is coming up, and I want to be there,” Clarkson said, when sought to share his thoughts about playing for the Philippine team. “There haven’t been so many Filipino Americans in the [NBA] league, and Filipinos, period. So knowing that I get to represent that and kind of change the narrative in any way that I can, that’s what I’m trying to do,” he added. Clarkson last played for Gilas Pilipinas during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which the Philippines co-hosted with Japan and Indonesia. Clarkson went on to average 26 points (second best in the tournament), 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists, helping the Philippines finish at 24th place out of 32 countries in 2023. His finest moment came against China in the classification round as the 6-foot-5 guard erupted for 34 points, including 24 in a third quarter. Playing in front of a packed Smart Araneta Coliseum, Clarkson finished with five threes against the Chinese as Gilas Pilipinas closed the tournament with an emphatic 96-75 win. Clarkson hopes he could do that again for the Philippines, which, just three weeks back, galvanized its FIBA World Cup bid following back-to-back wins over Jordan and Iran in the 2027 Asian Qualifiers in Manila during the fourth window. With two more windows left, the Philippines will try its best to sweep its last four games in the November 2026 and February 2027 windows. The Philippines will enter the November window with an even 4-4 record, just a game behind Iran and Jordan, which share similar 5-3 slates, in Group E standings. Australia carries an immaculate 8-0 record and New Zealand is second with a 6-2 card. The top three teams will earn outright FIBA World Cup slots, while the best fourth-placed squad between Groups E and F will also secure a spot in the Doha tournament.

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Allen opens Bills’ new stadium with a 5-TD outing

ORCHARD PARK, New York — Josh Allen quickly put his stamp on the Buffalo Bills' new stadium that’s been aptly dubbed “The House that Allen built.” Allen threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores, and the Bills beat the Detroit Lions, 41-31, on Thursday (Friday in Manila) in the first regular-season game at Highmark Stadium. It was Allen's fourth career five-TD outing, and followed a four-touchdown outing (two passing, two rushing) in Buffalo’s 36-31 season-opening win at Houston. The $2.1 billion stadium that officially opened last month was built across the street from the Bills former home. Allen followed the pregame fireworks celebration with more fireworks of his own by overseeing touchdown drives on each of Buffalo’s first four possessions. He scored the first regular-season TD in the stadium on a 1-yard run 5:51 into the opening quarter. He followed that with a 43-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Josh Palmer. Tight ends Dalton Kincaid, with a 16-yard catch, and Dawson Knox, with a 1-yarder, also scored for Buffalo in the first half. Allen finished 20 of 31 for 248 yards, and added 72 yards rushing. James Cook had 134 yards rushing and put the game away with a 1-yard TD run with 2:50 left. Allen’s two rushing TDs upped his career total to 83, moving him into a tie for 18th on the NFL list with Jim Taylor. He also picked up his 90th regular-season victory, in becoming one of just four quarterbacks to reach that milestone through their first nine seasons. The Lions were undone by an injury depleted defense, and a banged-up offensive line that had difficulty opening holes for Jahmyr Gibbs and protecting Jared Goff. After rallying from a 21-0 deficit to cut Buffalo’s lead to 34-24, the Lions offense stalled midway through the fourth quarter. Backed up at their own 10, the Lions went three-and-out and forced to punt after Goff had two passes tipped by Deone Walker, and Gibbs was stopped for no gain. Goff finished 26 of 38 for 327 yards and four touchdowns, with Amon-Ra St. Brown having nine catches for 142 yards and two scores. Gibbs also scored on an 11-yard catch but was limited to 52 yards rushing. Sam LaPorta also scored on a 1-yard catch. St. Brown and Gibbs have now scored in the same game 22 times to move into a tie for fourth place in matching the Cleveland receiver/running back combo of Paul Warfield and Leroy Kelly The Lions' defense got off to a dreadful start in allowing Bills to score 27 points and gain 299 yards in the first half alone. The struggles carried over from a season-opening 31-30 overtime win over New Orleans, in which the Saints rallied from a 21-0 first-half deficit and lost only after their 2-point conversion failed in overtime. The Lions troubles began on Buffalo’s second drive when two defenders converged on DJ Moore in the flats and allowing Allen to find Palmer wide open deep for a 43-yard touchdowns. On Buffalo’s next drive, a holding penalty against Rock Ya-Sin, negated Skyler Gill-Howard’s interception of a tipped pass. The Lions' offense had its own sputters, with Goff sacked twice and also having a snap go over his head on Detroit’s first two series. Detroit played minus two offensive line starters: Blake Miller (knee) and Christian Mahogany (hip).

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Rai, Lagergren share Wentworth lead

VIRGINIA WATER, England — PGA champion Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren of Sweden each posted a 6-under 66 on Thursday (Friday in Manila) in the BMW Championship with the kind of finish Rory McIlroy could have used at Wentworth. McIlroy, who caused a stir with a 60 in the celebrity pro-am on the eve of the European flagship event, didn't lose a step in the opening round when he opened with five birdies on the back nine to shoot up the leaderboard. But he went into the trees, into a bunker and into the water on the front nine, all of those shots leading to bogeys, that dropped him to a 69 and into a tie for 19th. “Good way to put it — a stumble home,” said McIlroy, coming off a pedestrian week in the Irish Open. “I wish I was standing here a couple of shots better. That’s what I feel I should be, but overall, I saw some good signs in my game and saw some putts go in which was encouraging compared to last week.” Adam Scott was practically flawless off the tee except for one drive that sailed well left into the trees and out-of-bounds on the par-5 17th. He had to hit another tee shot and did well to escape with bogey. Then he hit his second shot into 5 feet on the par-5 18th. The Australian missed the eagle putt, but still salvaged a 67 and was one back, along with Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, American Ryan Gerard and Nacho Elvira of Spain. Aberg also made only one big mistake, a double bogey on the the 15th with a wild drive followed by three putts from 50 feet. The struggle belonged to Jon Rahm, who made only one birdie in his round of 78, his highest score in a non-major since a 78 in the first round of the Andalucia Masters in 2021. Rai, who has yet to register a top 10 since his major victory at Aronimink in May, dropped only one shot when he missed the fairway on the 16th, came up just short of the green and missed a 7-foot par putt. He answered with his seventh birdie of the round on the par-5 17th. Lagergren is at No. 69 in the Race to Dubai, needing to hold his position with six events left before the two-tournament postseason in the Middle East. He overcame his lone bogey at No. 9 by making an eagle putt just outside 20 feet on the par-5 12th. The Swede played the par 5s in 4 under. They both warmed up in the rain, which turned into a pleasant day but with wind that swirls through the treetops and causes so much uncertainty. “I felt like I got into the round fast and got a couple birdies early on and continued to just play well throughout the round and keep the momentum going when I was out of position,” Rai said. “So yeah, really good start.” McIlroy had 10 birdies and an eagle in his pro-am round. “I wish it was on a Thursday and not on a Wednesday,” he said, but still took confidence his game was turning around. “I brought that feeling for the most part into today and a bit disappointed with the way I finished,” he said. “But still a good score to build on and some very good signs in the game.”

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