MLB –Tarik Skubal, Chris Sale, both triple crown winners, take Cy Young Awards
Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Atlanta’s Chris Sale have each won their first Cy Young Award. The left-handers were honored Wednesday night after sharing the MLB lead with 18 wins while leading their respective leagues in strikeouts and ERA. Skubal, who turned 28 on Wednesday, was 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and a big league-best 228 strikeouts in 31 starts. The left-hander got all 30 first-place votes in AL balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America that was completed before the playoffs. Sale went 18-3 and topped the National League with 225 strikeouts, while his 2.38 ERA in 29 starts was the best among all major league qualifiers in his first season with the Braves. The 35-year-old was an All-Star for the eighth time and won his first Gold Glove as well. Detroit now has six Cy Young Awards. Denny McLain won back-to-back in 1968 and 1969, and reliever Willie Hernández was the 1984 winner. Justin Verlander’s Cy Young Award with the Tigers came two years before Max Scherzer won in 2013.
NCAAFB – College Football – Week 13
Last Night
Buffalo 37, Eastern Michigan 20
Buffalo 37, EMU 20 – Buffalo leads from start to finish as Ogbonna paces Bulls’ 37-20 win over Eastern Michigan
C.J. Ogbonna threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns, JJ Jenkins had a 90-yard touchdown reception and Buffalo beat Eastern Michigan 37-20. The Eagles drew within 23-20 with 8:54 remaining when Cole Snyder threw a 78-yard touchdown to Markus Allen as part of a two-play, 90-yard drive that lasted 33 seconds. After the ensuing kickoff for a touchback, on the first play of the drive, Ogbonna threw a 75-yard touchdown to Al-Jay Henderson to extend the lead to 30-20. Cole Snyder threw for 351 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Eagles.
NCAAFB – Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain to retire at the end of this season
Central Michigan football coach Jim McElwain will retire following this season, his sixth year with the Mid-American Conference program. The former Florida and Colorado State coach made the announcement Wednesday with a 33-35 record with the Chippewas. He was a coach of the year in three conferences and has a career record of 77-63. After leading Central Michigan in its season finale Nov. 30 at Northern Illinois, McElwain will become a special assistant to the athletic director.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Last Night
Central Michigan 86, Central State (OH) 52
South Dakota 80, Western Michigan 76
CMU 86, CSO 52 – Pritchard scores 18, Central Michigan knocks off Central State (OH) 86-52
Anthony Pritchard had 18 points in Central Michigan’s 86-52 win over Central State of Ohio on Wednesday night. Pritchard had five rebounds for the Chippewas (3-2). Jakobi Heady scored 15 points while going 4 of 8 and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds.
SD 86, WMU 80 – Bullock scores 20 as South Dakota knocks off Western Michigan 80-76
Quandre Bullock scored 20 points off of the bench to help lead the South Dakota Coyotes over the Western Michigan Broncos 80-76. The Coyotes are now 5-1 on the season, while the Broncos dropped to 2-4. Markhi Strickland scored 20 points for Western Michigan.
Tonight
Eastern Michigan at Oakland, 7:00 p.m.
Tarleton State at Michigan, 8:30 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 8:00
NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball
Last Night
Michigan 98, Long Island University 31
Michigan State 101, Detroit Mercy 44
Tonight
Purdue-Fort Wayne at Eastern Michigan, 6:30 p.m.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
New York Islanders at Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Milwaukee Bucks 122, Chicago Bulls 106
Houston Rockets 130, Indiana Pacers 113
Bucks 122, Bulls 106 – Antetokounmpo scores 41 points as Bucks beat Bulls 122-106 for 4th win in 5 games
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 122-106. Brook Lopez scored 21 points, Damian Lillard had 20 points and 10 assists, and AJ Green added 18 points to help the Bucks win for the fourth time in five games following a 2-8 start. Zach Lavine scored 27 points to lead Chicago. Torrey Craig added 15, while Nikola Vucevic and Coby White had 14 each.
Rockets 130, Pacers 113 – Sengun scores season-high 31 as Rockets cruise to 130-113 win over Pacers
Alperen Sengun had a season-high 31 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 130-113 win over the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night. The Rockets used a big run in the third quarter to push the lead to 21 entering the fourth and cruised to their sixth victory in seven games. Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 points for the Rockets for his second 20-point game in the last four, and Fred VanVleet had 18 points and six assists. Quenton Jackson had a career-high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting for the Pacers.
Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Charlotte Hornets, 7:00 p.m.
NFL – National Football League – Week 12
Tonight
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 8:15 p.m.
NFL – QB Caleb Williams, Bears look to build on positives after tough loss
Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears will try to build on the positives from a tough loss to Green Bay. It would no doubt be easier to see without the blocked field goal to end a 20-19 defeat. But Williams found them. He says it started with the way new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown devised a game plan and called plays. Brown replaced fired coordinator Shane Waldron and the Bears gained 113 yards more than their season average of 278 yards. It helped getting 179 yards in the running game, and that could be in jeopardy this week because coach Matt Eberflus revealed Wednesday that running back D’Andre Swift has a groin injury and missed practice.
NFL – After Super Bowl loss, Jim Harbaugh has another chance to face older brother John
Jim Harbaugh thought there would be many more chances to face his older brother after John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47. It ended up taking nearly 12 years for it to happen. As much as Jim Harbaugh would have loved to talk about the matchup between the defenses or quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson Wednesday, more than half of the 26-minute news conference on the relationship between the brothers, especially after the Ravens 34-31 victory in 2013. Jim Harbaugh admitted the loss was tough but also said John is not only his brother, but his best friend, and was happy for his success.
ECHL – ECHL Hockey League
Last Night
Florida Everblades 4, Kalamazoo Wings 2
MCCAA – Michigan Community College Athletic Association
Last Night
Women’s Basketball
Oakton Community College 86, Lake Michigan College 45
Men’s Basketball
Lake Michigan College 92, Oakton Community College 86
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Today
Girls Volleyball (Semifinals) – Kellogg Arena, Battle Creek
Division 4
Clarkston Everett Collegiate vs. Hancock, 12:00 p.m.
Our Lady of the Lake vs. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, 2:00 p.m.
Division 1
Bloomfield Hills Marian vs. Northville, 4:30 p.m.
Rockford vs. Fenton, 6:30 p.m.