Sports Today: MLB Drama, NFL Preseason Returns and WNBA Playoff Race Heats Up
Thursday, August 20, 2026
The sports calendar is packed today.
Major League Baseball rolls into another full day after several dramatic finishes Wednesday, NFL preseason football returns tonight, the WNBA playoff race continues, and college football is moving closer to opening weekend with Ohio State sitting atop the preseason rankings.
Here’s your sports update for Thursday.
Pirates Walk It Off in Wild Ninth Inning
One of Wednesday’s best finishes came in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates trailed Detroit before Rafael Flores Jr. and Brandon Lowe launched ninth-inning home runs, turning the game into a dramatic 4-3 Pittsburgh victory.
Flores tied the game before Lowe ended it two batters later.
It was part of a busy MLB night that also saw the Dodgers complete a sweep of Colorado, Philadelphia extend its winning streak, and Washington shut out Texas.
Wednesday's MLB Final Scores
Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Detroit Tigers 3
New York Mets 4, San Diego Padres 2
Seattle Mariners 7, Milwaukee Brewers 5
Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Colorado Rockies 4 — 10 innings
Minnesota Twins 6, Atlanta Braves 4
Chicago White Sox 3, Chicago Cubs 0
Arizona Diamondbacks 8, Boston Red Sox 7 — 10 innings
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Miami Marlins 1
New York Yankees 5, Baltimore Orioles 3
Cincinnati Reds 5, St. Louis Cardinals 4
Tampa Bay Rays 7, Toronto Blue Jays 6
San Francisco Giants 1, Cleveland Guardians 0
Kansas City Royals 9, Athletics 7
Washington Nationals 6, Texas Rangers 0
Houston Astros 3, Los Angeles Angels 2
Among the highlights, Aaron Nola delivered seven strong innings as Philadelphia won its sixth straight, while Cade Cavalli struck out 11 over six innings as Washington blanked Texas. The Astros also snapped a three-game losing streak with their 3-2 victory over the Angels.
WNBA: Minnesota Takes Down Golden State
The Minnesota Lynx strengthened their position among the WNBA elite Wednesday with a 77-66 victory over the Golden State Valkyries.
Golden State fell behind by as many as 22 before making a second-half push, but Minnesota shut the door. Olivia Miles, Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride combined for 58 points.
The victory also continued Minnesota's remarkable dominance of Golden State. The Lynx have now won nine consecutive meetings between the teams dating to 2025.
Washington also picked up a victory Wednesday, defeating Toronto 93-82 behind Kiki Iriafen's 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Wednesday's WNBA Final Scores
Washington Mystics 93, Toronto Tempo 82
Minnesota Lynx 77, Golden State Valkyries 66
Nneka Ogwumike Announces Retirement
One of women's basketball's most respected players is preparing to close an extraordinary chapter.
Nneka Ogwumike announced that she will retire from the WNBA following the 2026 season.
The 36-year-old is an 11-time All-Star, the 2016 league MVP and a WNBA champion. She has also played an enormous role away from the court as president of the WNBA Players Association.
Ogwumike entered Thursday ranked fourth in WNBA history in scoring and third in rebounds, cementing a legacy that reaches well beyond statistics.
NFL Preseason Football Returns Tonight
Football fans get another preview of the upcoming NFL season beginning Thursday night.
Week 2 of the preseason opens with two games:
Las Vegas Raiders at Houston Texans — 8:00 p.m. ET
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Chargers — 10:00 p.m. ET
The Raiders-Texans matchup will be televised nationally on ESPN, while San Francisco-Los Angeles is scheduled for NFL Network.
Houston is expected to use the game largely to evaluate its roster depth rather than its established starters.
WNBA Games to Watch Tonight
The WNBA has three games Thursday:
Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings — 8:00 p.m. ET
Atlanta Dream at Los Angeles Sparks — 10:00 p.m. ET
Connecticut Sun at Las Vegas Aces — 10:00 p.m. ET
The Indiana-Dallas matchup should attract plenty of attention with Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers on opposite sides.
Dallas is trying to stabilize its season following a difficult stretch, while Indiana continues to feature one of the WNBA's most explosive offenses.
MLB Games Today
Thursday's MLB schedule is smaller than Wednesday's slate, but several series finales carry postseason implications.
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds — 12:40 p.m. ET
San Francisco Giants at Cleveland Guardians — 1:10 p.m. ET
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays — 1:10 p.m. ET
Athletics at Kansas City Royals — 2:10 p.m. ET
Atlanta Braves at Chicago White Sox — 2:10 p.m. ET
Seattle Mariners at Milwaukee Brewers — 2:10 p.m. ET
New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles — 6:35 p.m. ET
Washington Nationals at Texas Rangers — 8:05 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros — 8:10 p.m. ET
Seattle-Milwaukee is particularly intriguing. The Mariners were embarrassed 22-0 on Tuesday, then responded Wednesday with a 7-5 victory. Thursday gives Seattle an opportunity to complete quite a turnaround and take the series.
College Football's Championship Chase Is Taking Shape
The first major rankings of the new college football season are also here.
Ohio State is No. 1 in the AP preseason Top 25, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas.
The top 10:
- Ohio State
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Texas
- Indiana
- Miami
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
Ohio State received 40 first-place votes, while Oregon received 14.
The SEC placed nine teams in the preseason Top 25, while the Big Ten placed eight. Defending national champion Indiana begins the season ranked sixth following its historic 16-0 championship campaign.
The Changing Economics of College Sports
Another major story developing around college athletics involves money.
Some states are directing public funds toward university athletic departments as schools deal with rapidly increasing costs associated with athlete compensation, facilities and competition for talent.
The Associated Press reports that North Carolina, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Louisiana and Florida are among states using various forms of public funding or tax-related support for college athletics.
The trend shows just how dramatically the business model of college sports is changing.
What to Watch Today
Thursday gives fans a little bit of everything.
Baseball dominates the afternoon before the NFL takes center stage tonight with the second week of preseason football. The WNBA postseason race continues with three games, while college football's preseason rankings are already giving fans plenty to debate.
And if Wednesday's baseball slate taught us anything, don't assume a game is finished just because the ninth inning has arrived.
Sports has a funny way of saving the best part for last.
Sources & direct links
Reuters — MLB roundup: Pirates take down Tigers with two homers in ninth
https://www.reuters.com/sports/mlb-roundup-pirates-take-down-tigers-with-two-homers-ninth--flm-2026-08-20/
Reuters — Nneka Ogwumike to retire at end of 2026 WNBA season
https://www.reuters.com/sports/former-mvp-nneka-ogwumike-retire-end-season-2026-08-19/
Associated Press — 2026 college football preseason AP Top 25
https://apnews.com/article/bd5dd1c058fab6047510f09e18b035f1
Associated Press — States funding college sports amid rising costs
https://apnews.com/article/73aba2a54785f23a3e1b7f268648ba7b
NFL — Official 2026 preseason schedule
NFL 2026 preseason schedule PDF
WNBA — Official game and video hub
WNBA games and highlights
ESPN — Washington Mystics 93, Toronto Tempo 82
ESPN game recap
Associated Press daily sports schedule via SeattlePI — August 20
Thursday sports schedule
Reuters — Brewers' historic 22-0 win over Seattle
https://www.reuters.com/sports/mlb-roundup-brewers-match-club-record-with-22-runs-blank-mariners--flm-2026-08-19/
Basketball Reference — 2026 WNBA schedule and results
2026 WNBA schedule and scores
I can also keep this sports desk rhythm going each morning with headlines + yesterday’s finals + today’s games.