Rays on verge of World Series as Rasmussen stifles Guardians in Game 5 - Sportsnet.ca

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 1-0 in Game 1 of the ALDS behind a dominant Drew Rasmussen, who struck out 10 over eight innings. Jonathan Aranda's 417-foot home run provided the only offense as Tampa Bay took a crucial 1-0 series lead.

CLEVELAND — Drew Rasmussen allowed one run over seven innings for his second postseason win, Tampa Bay’s offense kept on constant pressure and the Rays beat the Guardians, 3-1, Sunday night to take a 3-2 lead in the AL Championship Series. The Rays will try to capture their third AL pennant and first since 2020 on Monday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Since the ALCS expanded to seven games in 1985, road teams winning Game 5 for a 3-2 lead have won the series four of five times. Game 7 if needed would be Tuesday, and the World Series starts Friday at NL champion Milwaukee. Cleveland has not won an ALCS when trailing 3-2. Tampa Bay scored single runs in each of the first three innings, the first two off Parker Messick and the third against Tim Herrin. Rasmussen shut down the Guardians’ offense after allowing two runs over six innings in the opener. After Chase DeLauter’s two-out single in the first, the 31-year-old righthander retired nine straight batters and allowed only one other base runner through the sixth. Get 108 StitchesReceive the Globe's best reporting and commentary on the Red Sox every weekday.

Bill Rasmussen, the founder of the world’s first 24-hour all-sports cable network ESPN, has died. He was 93. The sports media company announced his death in a news release on Tuesday and said the cause was from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. The entrepreneur was first diagnosed with the movement disorder in 2014. “Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro in a statement. “Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s.”Rasmussen’s creation — which began in the small industrial town of Bristol, Conn., — became an integral part of the new television landscape that emerged from cable and satellite technologies in the 1970s. Before the launch of ESPN, consumers had a limited number of sports viewing options through the handful of local TV stations in their markets. ESPN launched seven months before Ted Turner unveiled his 24-hour news channel CNN.

Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons has sustained a torn Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery, the team announced Sunday. This is likely a season-ending injury for Simmons, 30, who authored an impressive training camp on short notice for Sacramento. The injury occurred during a live drill at Sunday's practice, the team said. A three-time All-Star, Simmons agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings on Sept. 4. Healthy at the time of the deal, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound guard impressed Kings general manager Scott Perry when he worked out for Perry in Miami and had an hourlong meeting in late August. "I've faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically and emotionally, and I've found a way through every single one of them," Simmons wrote in a statement posted on social media. "This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story. "Simmons also traveled to Sacramento last month to visit the Kings and impressed coach Doug Christie and other members of the basketball staff at the team's practice facility, where Simmons underwent an in-depth medical exam and conducted an on-court workout.

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson is getting blasted by college football fans ... with some calling for his suspension after he swatted away a female medical staffer's arm as she rushed to help his injured teammate. The ugly moment unfolded during the third quarter of Duke's 24-20 loss to North Carolina on Saturday, when DaShawn Stone went down with an injury.