Hurricane Idalia makes landfall near Keaton Beach, bringing ‘catastrophic surge’ to Florida coast  —  rwebb@sunsentinel.com, ANGIE DIMICHELE |  adimichele@sunsentinel.com and VICTORIA BALLARD |  Hurricane Idalia is leaving a wake of destruction from the Gulf inland, including two storm-related deaths, as it makes its way into Georgia.

Gerrit Cole's strong start against Tigers leads Yankees to first series win since July  —  For the first time in over a month, the Yankees won a series.  —  Gerrit Cole continued his Cy Young Award-caliber campaign in Wednesday night's 6-2 road win against the Detroit Tigers …

How the Angels' late-season salary dump could have MLB-wide implications  —  The Los Angeles Angels have led the big leagues in a lot of logic-defying choices over the past 15 years, from the Josh Hamilton signing before the 2013 season to their decision to cling to Shohei Ohtani last summer …

Cleveland Guardians claim Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Matt Moore off waivers  —  The Cleveland Guardians brought in a slew of pitching reinforcements Thursday by claiming starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and relievers Reynaldo López and Matt Moore off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels.

Chris Getz is promoted to Chicago White Sox general manager after 7 seasons heading minor-league operations  —  The Chicago White Sox promoted Chris Getz to senior vice president and general manager Thursday.  —  Getz was in his seventh season overseeing the team's minor-league operations …

Sources: Yankees calling up Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells  —  With the New York Yankees now focused on seasons beyond the disaster of 2023, they have informed top outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez that he will be activated on Friday, sources confirmed, in time for the team's series …

Sources: D.R. investigating second complaint against Wander Franco  —  A special prosecutor in the Dominican Republic is investigating a second formal complaint that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco engaged in a relationship with a minor, the latest of three accusations against the 22-year-old, sources told ESPN's Juan Recio.

MLB Playoffs format, schedule: What to know about 2023 baseball postseason  —  The 2023 Major League Baseball regular season is scheduled to end on Sunday, Oct. 1 and the 2023 MLB Playoffs are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Oct. 3.  —  How many teams will make the postseason?  How are they seeded?

UCLA confident in its quarterbacks but questions remain  —  Kelly says Garbers will start and Moore and Schlee will play in Saturday's opener - how much is to be determined  —  The word that shows up most frequently on the UCLA football team's depth chart ahead of its season opener against Coastal Carolina is “or.”

Press-Telegram Boys Athlete of the Week: Tyree McCowen, Lakewood  —  McCowen is averaging 16.5 tackles per game this season.  —  PRESS-TELEGRAM BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK  —  Name: Tyree McCowen  —  School: Lakewood  —  Sport: Football  —  Year: Senior

Velocity at what cost?  MLB's hardest throwers keep succumbing to Tommy John surgery  —  From Little League to MLB, baseball's never-ending quest for velocity runs parallel to the ‘astronomical’ frequency of Tommy John surgery.  —  The road to a 100 mph fastball is littered with ruptured ulnar collateral ligaments.

White House says Putin and Kim Jong Un traded letters as Russia looks for munitions from North Korea  —  WASHINGTON — The White House on Wednesday said that it has new intelligence that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia looks …

David Ortiz says he's a ‘victim of extortion’ after apparent phone hacking  —  Charismatic Red Sox Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who has been targeted at times by various criminal elements, said Wednesday he is being extorted by people who hacked one of his old phones, accessing his bank accounts and details of his personal life.