Guardians, White Sox on verge of making postseason

Manila Times - Sep 24, 2026

MAJOR League Baseball’s postseason is rapidly approaching, with the Los Angeles Dodgers seeking a third straight World Series title. It remains to be seen how much some of the game’s biggest stars will be able to participate in the playoffs, though. The Dodgers are once again among the best teams in the big leagues, and they’ll have several challengers in October, including the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. All three teams could finish the regular season with 100 wins or more. Los Angeles is rolling into the postseason and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) after a stint on the injured list. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves have also clinched spots in the postseason. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, a three-time AL MVP, is dealing with a right calf strain that will likely keep him out through at least the Wild Card Series. While the 12-team playoff field appears mostly set, there are a few long-shot contenders for the postseason, and specific matchups are in flux. Here’s some of what to watch as the season comes to a close. Who can clinch a playoff spot In the American League, the Cleveland Guardians can qualify...

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Park Hyun-su wins bronze in men's rowing
Sep 24, 2026

Park Hyun-su wins bronze in men's rowing

NAGOYA, Japan — Park Hyun-su grabbed bronze in the lightweight men's single sculls rowing event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday for South Korea's first rowing medal here. Park finished third in the 2,000-meter race with a time of 6:53.35 at Nagaragawa International Regatta Course in Aisai, some 20 kilometers west of the main host city Nagoya. Chiu Hin Chun of Hong Kong won the gold in 6:50.32. Amirhossein Mahmoodpour Shahrestani of Iran beat Park over the final stretch for silver in 6:52.59. In the lightweight men's rowing events, athletes must not weigh heavier than 72.5 kilograms. Park was in third place at the halfway mark but moved into second place at the 1,500m mark at 5:10.52, about one second ahead of Mahmoodpour Shahrestani. But the Iranian had the fastest split among the six finalists over the last 500m to snatch silver from Park. Park, 30, won the 2018 Asiad gold in this event. The lightweight event was removed from the program for the 2023 Asiad but made its way back for this year.

S. Korea wins silver in mixed team skeet shooting
Sep 24, 2026

S. Korea wins silver in mixed team skeet shooting

NAGOYA, Japan — Lee Jong-jun and Jang Kook-hee combined for silver in the mixed team skeet shooting event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, South Korea's first shotgun medal of the ongoing competition. The South Korean duo finished with 51 points for silver, just one point behind the world record score set by Lyu Jianlin and Jiang Yiting of China at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, some 25 kilometers east of the main host city Nagoya. India got the bronze with 44 points. This is the fifth day of shooting at the Asian Games. South Korea had previously won five medals in Toyota — two from pistol and three from rifle events. In skeet shooting, athletes take shots at unglazed clay discs launched from two separate structures, high house on the left and low house on the right. In the mixed team competition, each shooter of the team fires at four targets for a total of eight shots per series, with every successful shot worth a point. In the four-team final, Qatar was eliminated first after the third series of shots with 18 points. China was in the lead at that

From Olympic medal to Asian Games gold: Seong Seung-min's golden rise
Sep 24, 2026

From Olympic medal to Asian Games gold: Seong Seung-min's golden rise

Seong Seung-min has completed a rare sweep of modern pentathlon milestones: a world championship gold, an Olympic medal and, now, an Asian Games title. The 23-year-old Korean became the first Korean woman to win an individual Asian Games gold medal in modern pentathlon on Saturday, scoring 1,492 points in the final at Anjo Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture. Her victory also delivered Korea’s first gold medal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. Three years ago, however, Seong’s Asian Games story began with a failure she could hardly have scripted. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, her horse suddenly stopped during the riding event, resulting in her disqualification from the women’s individual competition. She went on to win a bronze medal in the team event, but the individual disappointment stayed with her. What followed was not a retreat, but a transformation. Seong focused intensely on riding, once considered one of her weaker disciplines, while also sharpening her fencing and shooting. By 2024, she had emerged as one of the leading figures in Korean modern pentathlon. She first made her

Korea beat Ecuador 3-0 in Moreno's coaching debut
Sep 24, 2026

Korea beat Ecuador 3-0 in Moreno's coaching debut

Korea blanked Ecuador 3-0 in their men's football friendly match at home Thursday, giving interim head coach Robert Moreno his first win in his debut with the Taegeuk Warriors. Oh Hyeon-gyu, Son Heung-min and Lee Dong-gyeong scored a goal apiece in the second half at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, just south of Seoul, in Korea's first match since the end of the FIFA World Cup in June. Korea suffered a group-stage exit from the tournament then, costing head coach Hong Myung-bo his job. The Korea Football Association brought in Moreno on a temporary basis for six friendly matches scheduled during the September-November period, instead of rushing to hire a full-time boss. But Moreno will have a chance to stay on for the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in January, depending on Korea's performance in his first six matches. The Spanish tactician got off on the right foot, with captain Son netting his 57th career goal to move within one goal of the country's all-time leader, Cha Bum-kun. Korea will next face Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. Monday.

S. Korea takes bronze in women's swimming relay
Sep 24, 2026

S. Korea takes bronze in women's swimming relay

TOKYO — South Korea picked up bronze in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle swimming event at the Asian Games on Thursday, capping a busy day in the pool for the country in Tokyo. Jo Hyun-ju, Hur Yeon-kyung, Han Da-kyung and Lee Song-eun posted a time of 8:01.87 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, with China cruising to gold in 7:49.37 and Japan finishing second in 7:59.53. Jo had South Korea in second place after her leadoff leg, but the team fell to third after the next leg by Hur. Han kept the team in third place, comfortably ahead of Hong Kong but also well behind Japan. Lee maintained that spot for South Korea as the country won its second straight Asiad bronze in this event. This bronze was South Korea's fifth medal in Tokyo on Thursday — following bronze by Cho Sung-jae in the men's 200m breaststroke, silver by Park Si-eun in the women's 200m breaststroke, silver by Kim Jun-woo in the men's 800m freestyle and silver by the men's 4x100m freestyle relay team.

S. Korea takes silver in men's relay swimming
Sep 24, 2026

S. Korea takes silver in men's relay swimming

TOKYO — South Korea claimed silver in the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay swimming at the Asian Games on Thursday, its second straight runner-up finish. Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Ji-hun, Yang Jae-hoon and Kim Young-beom posted a time of 3:11.69 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, ending up 1.09 seconds behind China, which set an Asian record of 3:10.60. Japan finished third in 3:11.96. Hwang led off with his personal-best 100m time of 47.50 seconds, putting South Korea in the lead. By the time Kim Ji-hun finished his second leg, South Korea fell to third behind China and Japan. Yang kept South Korea in the bronze medal position, and Kim Young-beom pushed the team to second place with a blistering anchoring leg of 46.84. He had the fastest final 50m split with 24.60 seconds. In the morning's heats, Kim Woo-min, Ji Yu-chan, Lee Ho-joon and Kim Min-seop swam for South Korea. These four will also receive their silver medals. Kim Woo-min competed through a shoulder injury. He helped South Korea win bronze in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay Monday but then finished last in the 1,500m freestyle Tuesday, afte

Kim Jun-woo shares silver medal in men's 800m freestyle swimming
Sep 24, 2026

Kim Jun-woo shares silver medal in men's 800m freestyle swimming

TOKYO — Kim Jun-woo earned a joint silver medal in the men's 800-meter freestyle swimming at the Asian Games on Thursday for his first career individual medal. Kim and Kaito Tabuchi of Japan finished with the identical time of 7:43.86 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. In swimming, ties are recorded and awarded to the one-hundredth of a second. Zhang Zhanshuo of China won the gold with an Asian Games record time of 7:42.49. Kim had earlier helped South Korea win bronze in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. The 19-year-old said he was happy to see his hard work pay off in his Asian Games debut. Kim is also the second straight South Korean medalist in this race, after Kim Woo-min's gold in 2023. Kim Woo-min won his gold in 7:46.03, and Kim Jun-woo was 2.17 seconds faster on Thursday. "Since this was my first major international competition, I came in with a focus on my time, rather than my placement," Kim Jun-woo said. "It would have been nice to finish higher but I am pleased with my time here." Kim Woo-min did not have a chance to defend his gold medal here due to shoulder injury. After finishing la

Cho Sung-jae races to bronze in men's breaststroke swimming
Sep 24, 2026

Cho Sung-jae races to bronze in men's breaststroke swimming

TOKYO — Cho Sung-jae earned bronze in the men's 200-meter breaststroke swimming at the Asian Games on Thursday, becoming only the second South Korean to reach the podium in this event. Cho clocked 2:08.76 for third place, as Shin Ohashi of Japan set a world record with a time of 2:04.83 and Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan won silver in 2:08.67 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Cho touched the 50m pad in sixth place and moved to fifth place at the halfway mark. He was in fourth with 50m to go, trailing Ippei Watanabe of Japan by 0.67 second. But Cho found another gear and covered the last 50m in 33.30 seconds, the third-fastest split in the 10-man final. Cho held off Adam Mak Sai-ting of Hong Kong by 0.01 second. Cho joins Choi Kyu-woong, a joint silver medalist in 2010, as the only South Koreans to win an Asiad medal in the men's 200m breaststroke. Cho, 25, earned his first individual medal in his third Asian Games appearance. "It has been almost six years since I last got into the 2:08 range," Cho said. "I was so desperate for a medal here and I think it showed." He said he was pleased with how he

Park Si-eun claims silver in women's breaststroke swimming
Sep 24, 2026

Park Si-eun claims silver in women's breaststroke swimming

TOKYO — Park Si-eun grabbed a surprising silver medal in the women's 200-meter breaststroke swimming at the Asian Games on Thursday. Park finished with a new national record time of 2:22.69 at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, just 0.12 second back of the champion from Japan, Kotomi Kato. Swimming in Lane 5, Park led Kato by 0.72 second at the 150m mark, but Park came home in 37.41 seconds, compared to 36.57 seconds by the Japanese. Zhu Leiju of China got the bronze in 2:25.51. Park, 19, said she was inspired to take up swimming after watching highlights of former swimmer Jeong Da-rae, who won the 2010 Asiad gold in the women's 200m breaststroke. Jeong remains the only South Korean with an Asian Games title in this event. "I have trained so hard, not taking any day off even when my friends were enjoying their time away from the pool," Park said, choking back on tears. "I really wanted to do well here and all that time spent in the pool was worth it." Park said she is now motivated to reach even greater heights. "I came here trying to win a gold medal and I fell just short," Park said. "This has give

[Asian Games] Artistic gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong wins gold in women's vault at Asian Games
Sep 24, 2026

[Asian Games] Artistic gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong wins gold in women's vault at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korean artistic gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong won gold in the women's vault at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, giving the country its first title in the sport. Yeo scored an average of 14.483 points after two attempts, beating defending Asiad champion North Korea's An Chang-ok, who scored 13.666 points, in the women's vault final of artistic gymnastics at Nagoya General Gymnasium in Nagoya, central Japan. The bronze medal went to Du Siyu of China, who scored 13.450 Thursday's gold was Yeo's second career Asian Games title in the women's vault, following her victory at the 2018 Asian Games. She skipped the 2022 edition to focus on the world championships. Yeo now stands alongside her father, Yeo Hong-chul, who won gold medals in the men's vault at the 1994 and 1998 Asian Games. The father-daughter duo have also won Olympic silver and bronze medals, respectively. Yeo was unrivaled in the final, as she was the only gymnast among the eight finalists to score above 14 points on both attempts, thanks to her outstanding takeoffs, twists and landings. In her first attempt,

S. Korea wins gold in men's kayak four-person 500m racing at Asian Games
Sep 24, 2026

S. Korea wins gold in men's kayak four-person 500m racing at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea won the gold medal in the men's kayak four 500-meter race at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, bringing home the country's first gold in canoe sprint at the competition. The team of Cho Gwang-hee, Kim Hyo-bin, Jang Sang-won and Choi Min-kyu finished the race in 1:22.587 in the final of the men's kayak four 500m event at Miyoshi Lake Canoe Course in Miyoshi, just east of the main host city of Nagoya. It was South Korea's first gold medal in canoe sprint and ninth overall at the competition. South Korea edged out China by 0.255 seconds, with Japan finishing 3.322 seconds behind the champions. The South Korean quartet crossed the 250-meter mark in 40.44 seconds to take the lead. They battled neck and neck with China through the rest of the race but held onto the lead through the finish. In Heat 2, held the previous day, South Korea finished first in 1:25.383 to advance to the final. Canoe sport comprises two disciplines — canoe sprint and canoe slalom — with kayak events contested in both.

Eala stunned by Prozorova at Singapore Open
Sep 24, 2026

Eala stunned by Prozorova at Singapore Open

MANILA, Philippines — World No. 180 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia pulled the rug from under Alex Eala of the Philippines, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the round of 16 of the 2026 Singapore Open on Thursday night at the Kallang Stadium in Singapore. Eala is ranked 18th in the world, received a first-round bye and seeded No. 3 in the tournament. Prozorova, on the other hand, is making her first appearance as a direct entry in a WTA 500 event. In an arena filled with dominant Filipino spectators, Prozorova understood that she was facing the darling of the crowd and a tough competitor. The Russian challenged the Filipina in the first frame after sending the match to seven deuces but Eala recovered and won 2/6 of the break points for a 6-4 decision. It took 67 minutes for Eala to fend off Prozorova in the opening set. The Russian, however, showed patience in the second frame. After being down, 4-2, Prozorova turned things around and added more variety in her swings to regain the lead, 5-4. Eala tried to claw back, but Prozorova showed more accuracy in her shots to even the count at 1-all. The 22-year-old Russian showed impeccable forehand swings and countered Eala’s attacks that allowed her to enjoy a 2-0 advantage in the third set. The 21-year-old Eala refused to back down in the fight and won three games in a row for a 3-2 lead. But Prozorova refused to give up and outhustled Eala the rest of the way. Prozorova was emotional after the win and was seen crying as she shook Eala's hand. She has not beaten any player in the WTA Top 40 before. With her early exit in Singapore, Eala will now shift her focus on her games in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan starting next week.

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