The Washington Post - 26.08.2019

leaked and the sports world

flipped end over end and he could

not stick with his original plan to

save the stunning announcement

for Sunday. But as he spoke, you

sensed little spontaneity in his

explanation.

He had known for more than a

week. Even though he has been

unable to play most of the

preseason because of a strange

injury to his left calf and ankle, he

had mustered the pain tolerance

SEE BREWER ON D5

For all of Andrew
Luck’s emotion
and tears, for all
the shock over his
bombshell
retirement, he
exited football in a
rational and
calculated
manner. This was no impulsive
act born of fleeting frustration.
He knew it was time.
The superstar Indianapolis
Colts quarterback had to say
goodbye during an impromptu
interview session with reporters
late Saturday because the news

KLMNO

SPORTS

MONDAY, AUGUST 26 , 2019. WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SPORTS SU D

BY JESSE DOUGHERTY

chicago — What separated the Washington

Nationals from the Chicago Cubs on Sunday,

one last time, was a fastball that skipped past

the plate and to the brick backstop at Wrigley

Field.

It was a tight game all afternoon, full of

timely hits, towering homers and enough dra-

ma to both ignite and thin a sellout crowd —

and it was decided, fittingly, by a mistake.

Baseball rewards the team that slips up less

often than the other. And Howie Kendrick did

the honors for the Nationals, sprinting home

on Tyler Chatwood’s wild pitch in the 11th

inning to score the winning run in

Washington’s 7-5 victory.

Anthony Rendon stretched the lead with a

single later in that at-bat. Daniel Hudson soon

finished it off, after the bullpen had blown a

three-run lead earlier, by completing his sec-

ond perfect inning. It was the first time this

season that the Cubs were swept off their own

field.

“Resilient,” Manager Dave Martinez said of

his team, his eyes a bit watery, his voice

catching with emotion at points of his post-

game news conference. “They’re very resil-

ient.”

This was Washington’s fifth straight win, its

seventh in its past eight games and its 12th in 14

SEE NATIONALS ON D3

A sweeping statement

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Juan Soto greets Howie Kendrick at the on-deck circle after he came home with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the 11th inning Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

NATIONALS 7,

CUBS 5 (11)

Nats work extra to stump

contending Cubs again

Orioles at Nationals

Tomorrow, 7 p.m., MASN, MASN 2

TENNIS

As the U.S. Open begins,

Serena Williams remains

the top attraction. D3

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Lackluster season opener

shows Florida schools still

aren’t what they were. D3

GOLF

Rory McIlroy surges late,

wins Tour Championship

and $15 million prize. D5

Luck’s decision to retire

was rational, not rash

Jerry
Brewer

BY KAREEM COPELAND

Case Keenum stood at the lec-

tern Sunday wearing a Spikeball

shirt and bragged about his ping-

pong prowess. Even though he

was just officially named the

Washington Redskins’ starting

quarterback, this was just an-

other day for the eight-year NFL

veteran. Keenum has been here,

done that.

There’s very little that’s new for

Keenum when it comes to the

NFL. He has been a starter and a

backup, has played on teams both

good and bad. He has been cut,

picked up and traded. This is his

sixth team in eight seasons.

All of that experience — posi-

tive and negative — was valuable

for Keenum as he competed for

the No. 1 job with banged-up Colt

McCoy and first-round pick

Dwayne Haskins. Coach Jay

Gruden ended the competition

Sunday, announcing Keenum as

the Week 1 starter against the

Philadelphia Eagles.

“I’m excited, I really am,”

SEE REDSKINS ON D5

Redskins pick Keenum

as starting quarterback

JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST

Case Keenum will start the opener against the Eagles, getting the

job over still-injured Colt McCoy and rookie Dwayne Haskins.

BY AVA WALLACE

From the time Elena Delle

Donne debuted in the second

game of this WNBA season, the

Washington Mystics have run

teams off the court both at home

and away with their potent of-

fense and fierce defense. But they

entered Sunday’s game against

the New York Liberty needing to

rediscover their edge after they

looked complacent in a loss Fri-

day against the Chicago Sky that

followed a long layoff.

“You know, you take a couple

days off, you might get this slide,”

Mystics Coach and General Man-

ager Mike Thibault said before

Friday’s loss. “I don’t want a

slide.”

Washington regained its focus

Sunday and kept one bad slip

from turning into a free fall with a

101-72 win over the Liberty at

Entertainment and Sports Arena.

There is a large gap between

Chicago (18-11), which clinched a

playoff spot for the first time

since 2016 last week, and the

struggling Liberty (9-20), which

occupies second-to-last place in

the league’s standings, but Sun-

day’s win was critical for a couple

of reasons nonetheless.

First, the Mystics simply could

not afford a losing streak with five

games left in the regular season.

Washington (21-8) entered Sun-

day tied for first place with Con-

necticut and moved a game ahead

when the Sun (20-9) lost to the

SEE MYSTICS ON D2

Mystics get

their mojo

back, rout

New York

MYSTICS 101,

LIBERTY 72

Victory puts Washington

all alone in first place

Sparks at Mystics

Tomorrow, 7 p.m., ESPN 2

Preseason: Ravens at Redskins

Thurs., 7:30 p.m., WRC-4, NBCSW

Inside: Luck’s sudden retirement

is unlike other stars’ early exits. D6

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