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SPORTS Thursday 26 sepTember 2024
MLB playoffs approach with Judge vs. Ohtani as an enticing Fall

Classic possibility

By DAVID BRANDT ners with the best records in
AP Baseball Writer each league will get a bye
The Major League Baseball and don’t have to play in
playoffs are approaching the wild-card round. Those
and a Shohei Ohtani vs. four teams get a few days
Aaron Judge matchup in of rest. Right now, that
the World Series looms as would be the Yankees and
an enticing October pos- Guardians in the American
sibility. League and the Phillies and
While the rooting interests Dodgers in the National
of baseball fans vary wide- League.
ly, there’s little doubt MLB The wild-card round will
and television executives feature four series: The No.
are drooling over the po- 6 seed will play at the No. 3
tential matchup between seed in both the AL and NL.
two of the top sluggers of The No. 5 seed will play at
this generation. Ohtani re- the No. 4 seed.
cently became the first One big advantage for the
player to have 50 homers higher seed in those wild-
and 50 stolen bases in one card series is they get to
season while Judge is up to host all three games.
56 homers. What About Ties in the
On top of that, Ohtani (Los Standings?
Angeles Dodgers) and New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge grabs a bat from the dugout before a baseball game against the If there’s a tie for one of
Judge (New York Yankees) Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. the playoff spots after the
play in the nation’s top Associated Press 162-game regular season,
two media markets for two In the American League, Phillies, Milwaukee Brew- that was in place since mathematical tiebreakers
of the sport’s most storied the Yankees, Cleveland ers and San Diego Padres 2012 with the exception of will be used instead of an
franchises. Guardians, Houston Astros have claimed four of the six the COVID-19 pandemic- extra game. The first will be
Of course, there will be 10 and Baltimore Orioles have spots. The New York Mets, affected 2020 season. the head-to-head record
other teams trying to block all clinched four of the six Arizona Diamondbacks Six teams each from the between the two teams in-
those teams from the Fall playoff spots. The Kansas and Atlanta Braves are American League and Na- volved.
Classic. Last season, the City Royals and Detroit Ti- fighting for the last two wild tional League will qualify for If that can’t handle the
Texas Rangers beat the gers are in the best position cards. the postseason, including stalemate, the team with
Arizona Diamondbacks 4 to claim the final two AL How Does Baseball’s Wild- the three division winners the best intra-division re-
games to 1 for their first title wild cards, but the Seattle Card Round Work? in each league. The three cord will win the tiebreaker.
in franchise history. Mariners and Minnesota The best-of-three wild card wild-card teams in each If that doesn’t work, the
Here’s a look at what’s Twins are among the teams format is in its third season. league will be the teams process continues with
coming: in pursuit. The format was changed with the best record that more and more convolut-
Who’s In The Playoffs? In the National League, in 2022 from the sudden didn’t win their division. ed solutions until a resolu-
Who’s Still Fighting? the Dodgers, Philadelphia death one-game format The top two division win- tion is reached. q

First U.S. high school with an all-basketball curriculum names court

after Knicks’ Julius Randle

By BRIAN MAHONEY Its first class will graduate in day he thinks Randle is
AP Basketball Writer 2025. healthy as the team pre-
NEW YORK (AP) — The court Randle has been a support- pares to report to training
at the nation’s first high er of the school through camp on Monday.
school with a curriculum his “30 for 3” campaign, Thibodeau took part in
designed around a career where he donates $500 for the ceremony along with
in basketball will be named each 3-pointer he makes. Knicks Hall of Famers Mon-
for New York Knicks All-Star He made 76 last season for roe and Walt Frazier, NBA
Julius Randle. $38,000. Commissioner Adam Silver
The announcement was That contribution could and others.
made Wednesday at a have been much higher, After Randle spoke, he was
groundbreaking ceremony but Randle sustained a told that the school’s bas-
for the new, 69,000-square- season-ending dislocated ketball teams would play
foot building in the Bronx shoulder during a Jan. 27 on the Julius Randle All-Star
that will house the Earl victory over Miami, just Court.
Monroe New Renaissance days before he was select- Former New York Knicks basketball players Walt Frazier, second Randle’s contributions have
Basketball School. ed to the Eastern Confer- from left without a hard hat, Earl Monroe, center left, Knicks helped raise more than $1.3
Founded in 2021, the tu- ence All-Star team for the forward Julius Randle, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau and former million for the school, which
ition-free charter school of- third time in his five seasons Knicks player John Starks attend a groundbreaking ceremony was created by filmmaker
fers instruction in areas such in New York. for the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, where Dan Klores and had former
as sports media, law, medi- Randle had surgery in the basketball court will be named for Randle, Wednesday, NBA Commissioner David
Sept. 25, 2024, in New York.
cine and facilities manage- April. Knicks coach Tom Associated Press Stern, who died in 2020, as
ment. Thibodeau said Wednes- its first trustee.q