By Tiffany Williams –
Friday night wasn’t just busy in sports — it was chaos across the board.
Start in Boston, where Red Sox fans woke up Saturday with a reason to dig out those old “Believe” signs. For the first time since 2021, the Sox are back in October baseball. They clinched it the only way they know how, walking off the Tigers 4-3 at Fenway. Ceddanne Rafaela ripped a ninth-inning triple to bring home the winner — his third walk-off RBI this season and the first walk-off triple for the Sox since 2014. Masataka Yoshida stayed scorching, Jarren Duran tied it late, and the bullpen kept it tight after Kyle Harrison’s rough fourth. It was Boston’s MLB-leading 12th walk-off of the year. Detroit, meanwhile, is collapsing. The Tigers have dropped 12 of 14, watching their once firm grip on the AL Central vanish. The Sox are in. And with this flair for the dramatic, nobody’s eager to see them in October.
Out west, the WNBA semifinals turned into a heavyweight fight. In Minneapolis, Satou Sabally went off in the fourth, scoring 15 of her 23 points as the Mercury stunned the top-seeded Lynx 84-76 to grab a 2-1 series lead. Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper each dropped 21, and Phoenix closed the game on a 21-9 run while Minnesota’s frustration boiled over. Coach Cheryl Reeve got tossed, Napheesa Collier rolled her ankle, and the Mercury can punch a Finals ticket at home on Sunday.
In Indiana, Jackie Young put on a show in her home state. She poured in 25 points, NaLyssa Smith added 16, and the defending champion Aces beat the Fever 84-72 to take their own 2-1 lead. It wasn’t pretty — A’ja Wilson bricked 11 straight shots — but the Aces clamped down late while Indiana went nearly nine minutes without a bucket. The Fever, already gutted by season-ending injuries, finally ran out of gas. The Aces can close it out Sunday and head to their third Finals in four years.
And the college football slate? Bonkers. Virginia knocked off No. 8 Florida State 46-38 in double OT at Scott Stadium — their first home win over a Top 10 team since they beat the Noles back in 2005. Chandler Morris scored three rushing TDs, including the dagger in the second OT, and the Cavs’ defense sealed it with a pick after a controversial overturned FSU touchdown. The Seminoles racked up 514 yards but coughed up turnovers and fell to 0-1 in the ACC.
Elsewhere, Arizona State pulled off its biggest comeback ever against a ranked opponent, stunning No. 24 TCU 27-24 after trailing 17-0 and 24-17. Sam Leavitt threw for 278 yards and two scores, and the Sun Devil defense forced three turnovers to seal it. In Corvallis, Houston rallied from down 14 in the fourth to beat Oregon State 27-24 in overtime. Conner Weigman’s arm and Ethan Sanchez’s short kick finished off the Beavers, who are now a brutal 0-5. Houston’s 4-0 start is its best since 2016.
Baseball, basketball, football — everywhere you looked Friday night, somebody was flipping the script.