We’re now heading into November, and with the Melbourne Cup tomorrow, it’s pretty crazy to think how fast this year is flying by. While we don’t have time to look back at the entire year just yet, if you’ve been following our work here on The Playbook, you’ll know that each week we take a peek at the top sporting moments from the past week.
We’re here once again to do the same today, as there are so many different leagues and competitions underway that it’s hard to narrow the list down to just three. While it may have been difficult, we’ve done exactly that, starting off with the Dodgers going back to back in the World Series.
The Dodgers Win Back To Back World Series
The MLB season came to a head over the last week or so with the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This matchup meant this year’s World Series featured two of the league’s top five payrolls. This left many who are diehard or even casual fans of the MLB rolling their eyes, as it has certainly become a pay to win league.
While that doesn’t seem to fit the spirit of competition, it’s hard to argue against teams that are building their rosters by the rulebook and simply using the resources made available to them.
With that rant over, I personally was excited for this one, as many of the MLB’s superstars were going to be on display. Names like Vladimir Guerrero, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking to the diamond.
We got everything we could have hoped for and more, with the series going the full seven-game distance and being tightly contested throughout. The Dodgers flew out to a 2–1 lead through three games, and many people started writing off the Jays. In response, the Jays won the next two games and took a stronghold on the series. As we now know, the Dodgers weren’t going to lay down. Led by their superstar ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw the next two games, pitching 8.2 innings for one earned run on six hits. On his back, they went on to win the final two games of the series, stealing the World Series from the jaws of defeat and keeping the Commissioner’s Trophy in La-La Land for another 12 months.
The Black Caps Make History With Series Sweep
After what was a fairly damning start to the spring/summer of cricket for the Black Caps, they bounced back in a huge way against a high octane England side that is deep in preparations for the upcoming Ashes. This meant the unit that came over from the Kingdom to take on the home Blackcaps side was about as strong as it gets for Brendon McCullum’s team. Couple this with the fact they leaned on inside knowledge of the New Zealand setup by hiring their former test captain Tim Southee as the English bowling coach for the series, the Black Caps had an uphill task.
Starting on Sunday, the bowling attack completely dismantled the destructive England batting order, taking 30 wickets for only 620 runs. While the batters didn’t necessarily fire, with only Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, and Mitchell Santner worth talking about, they did enough not only to win an ODI series against England for the first time since 2013 but also to sweep them for the first time in over 40 years.
It was great to see from the Black Caps, who were able to use a wider squad to pull this one off, showcasing the depth of New Zealand cricket. They now have to use this momentum as a launching pad for the home summer and ensure they continue to win plenty more games over the next few months, starting when the West Indies come to town in two days time.
The Bears vs Bengals Jaw Dropping Ending
Two of the NFL’s worst defences duked it out on Monday morning, and it certainly provided one of the most exciting games I’ve seen in recent years. The climax of the game came down to the final 1 minute and 43 seconds. The Bengals and Joe Flacco were driving the ball while down by 15 points, just looking to give themselves hope not only for that game but, dare I say it, to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Flacco found his tight end Noah Fant over the middle on what became a 23-yard touchdown to cut into that 15-point deficit. Knowing they had to convert a two-point attempt at some stage, they dialled up the play, and it was now or never for Cincinnati. Flacco leaned on one of his elite wide receivers as Tee Higgins found himself open in the end zone, with the ball hitting him in the numbers as he made the play.
The game should still have been over, as they needed to secure an onside kick. They pulled it off, giving Joe Flacco the ball and a chance to take the lead. With “Joe Cool” under centre, the 40 year-old marched his offence down the field once again, leaning on Tee Higgins. When they reached the Bears 9-yard line, Flacco threw a perfect pass to his fourth option, Andrei Iosivas, to take a one-point lead.
With 54 seconds left on the clock, sophomore signal-caller Caleb Williams started moving the ball down the field. He got to a position where he needed about 20 yards with 17 seconds remaining and no timeouts left. Williams then fired a frozen rope over the middle to rookie Colston Loveland, who broke a tackle and took the ball 60 yards for a walk-off touchdown. This would ultimately close the curtain on a two-minute stretch that stunned not only fans of both teams but every neutral tuning in.
