(The Storm is all about what’s storming in sports today.)
***Browns beat Steelers 27-24 on TNF — Deshaun Watson went 24-of-33 for 268 yards, a TD, and an interception, and Andre Szmyt hit a career-long 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds left. Cleveland improved to 3-1 and took the AFC North lead; Pittsburgh fell to 1-3.
***Aces eliminate Fever; Clark’s season ends — A’ja Wilson scored 36 points as Las Vegas won 94-83 in Game 3 to advance. Indiana and Caitlin Clark are out of the playoffs.
***New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin becomes the 18th goalie in NHL history to score a goal, and the first in Rangers history, as he sent one through an empty net in Thursday night’s 5-1 win over Tampa.
***ABS challenge system overturns 54% of calls — In its first MLB season, the automated ball-strike challenge system flipped more than half of appealed calls.
***On this date in 1951, Bobby Thomson hit the game-winning three-run home run off the Dodgers’ Ralph Branca to win the National League pennant for the Giants. The home run became known as the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” and touched off Giants play-by-play announcer Russ Hodges’ famous, “The Giants win the pennant!” call.
***Braves eliminate Phillies in Wild Card Game 3 — Michael Harris II hit a three-run homer in the first, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies also went yard, and Chris Sale closed out a 6-2 win. Atlanta advances to the NLDS against the Dodgers.
***The Detroit Pistons and center Jalen Duren have agreed to a 5-year/$200 million contract that is fully guaranteed.
***The Portland Trail Blazers hired and then fired their new TV play-by-play announcer, Braiden Bell (29), on the same day (Thursday, October 1). Hours after the announcement, a KGW reporter in Portland found racist and sexist posts on Bell’s X/Twitter account from 2012–2013, when he was 15.
***Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is not expected to play on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams due to a hamstring injury.
***The 2026–27 NBA regular season starts Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Opening night is a tripleheader on NBC and Peacock:
Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
