By The Associated Press A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ IN FULL SWING Jose Altuve is off to a smashing start in the playoffs, hitting three home runs in Houston's 8-2 romp over Boston in the AL Division Series opener. The 5-foot-6 star tries to boost the Astros in ...

By FRED GOODALL, AP Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady tied the NFL record for regular season wins with some timely help from a porous New England defense showing signs of improvement. Brady threw for 303 yards and one touchdown, and the Patriots held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ...

By PETE IACOBELLI, AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Frank Martin isn't surprised by allegations of corruption in college basketball, though he was stunned one of his friends and former assistants was among the 10 arrested in the national federal investigation of ...

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Trevor Bauer made Aaron Judge look silly, and made his manager look like a genius. One year after nearly costing the Indians a trip to the World Series, Bauer helped them take the first step back. Named a surprise starter for Game 1, Bauer ...

PHOENIX (AP) — The Colorado Rockies had been resilient all season, scraping their way into the postseason after the best start in franchise history fizzled. The Rockies were able to summon some of that resolve again the NL wild card, but never could fully dig their way out of an early hole ...

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Pietrangelo beat Matt Murray 1:15 into overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams. The Blues recovered after letting a two-goal, third-period lead slip away when Pietrangelo's ...

By The Associated Press The 101st NHL season opens Wednesday night and there are endless story lines to follow. The Associated Press asked a handful of its writers to suggest some of the top things to watch as play gets underway: ___ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS. Adding Patrick Marleau gives a ...

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer Carmelo Anthony sizzled in his first game with the Thunder, though Chris Paul and the Rockets look like they will be just fine without him. Houston overcame Anthony's 19 points in just 20 minutes and Paul George's 15, spoiling their Oklahoma City debuts ...

By JAKE SEINER, AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Dozier rounded third and yelled "Let's go!" at his teammates, and it seemed these Twins might finally be the ones to foil the New York Yankees in the playoffs. Then the Yankees got their turn at bat. Minnesota starter Ervin Santana ...

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin understands Antonio Brown's competitiveness is what helps make Brown one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers coach just wishes his star would do a better job of channeling it properly when things don't go Brown's way. Tomlin mildly ...

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber has been relieved already. The Indians will open the playoffs with their ace on hold. Instead of starting their Cy Young Award favorite in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, the defending league champions will pitch Trevor Bauer ...

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal lawsuit linking a talent management company to alleged improper use of ex-Ohio State athletes' photos should be tossed out because there's no evidence the company did anything wrong, according to a court filing. IMG ...

By JORDAN WOLF, Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith has earned plenty of detractors over the course of his career, getting labeled as a "game manager" and a quarterback who is unable to lead his team when the pressure is on. He quieted all those doubters once again Monday ...

By GENARO C. ARMAS, AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Construction vehicles and dusty streets surround the Milwaukee Bucks' new downtown arena that is less than a year away from completion. The state-of-the-art facility will be the Bucks' home starting in 2018. But in many respects the ...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Robert Yates has died after a battle with liver cancer. He was 74. Doug Yates announced his father's death Monday night on Twitter . "He was a leader and inspired everyone around him to do their best and to take it to a new level," Doug ...

By MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The jury is out on AL MVP. And when a verdict comes in later this fall, giant slugger Aaron Judge has a great chance to join a very small club. Fred Lynn (1975) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001) are the only major leaguers to win Most Valuable ...

By The Associated Press A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ LET'S START The 2017 postseason begins at Yankee Stadium when the Minnesota Twins take on New York in the AL wild-card game. Luis Severino pitches for the Yanks — he's 23, he averaged 97.6 mph on his fastball, ...

By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Columnist The knuckleball has always been a bit of oddball — the butt of jokes, the object of endless curiosity, a talismanic pitch understood by only a few. It could soon be extinct in the big leagues. What a shame that would be. As the regular season ends and ...

By BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football Writer The two most recent Super Bowl teams were at home against big underdogs. So the Patriots and Falcons lost. Dallas held the Rams to two touchdowns in Jerry's Palace. That seems like a sure bet. Nope, should have taken Los Angeles, which got a ...

By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Pro Football Writer No matter how many yards and points Tom Brady manages to generate, his New England Patriots are not going to go very far this season if they can't get their defense straightened out. Coach Bill Belichick's reigning Super Bowl champions looked ...