Batman returns for Eagles | Sports Daily Newsletter

With all the hoopla over the new additions for the Eagles and the enticing question of how much more quarterback Jalen Hurts could improve, in some ways, the person who has likely been the most outstanding player for the squad last season, DeVonta Smith, was a bit overlooked.

Not anymore.

In a game in which most of the Eagles showed well, Smith soared above them all, setting a career high for catches in a 24-8 rout of the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

His laser-focused concentration and mantra for every contested ball — “My ball or nobody’s” — was evident numerous times when he battled the Commanders’ secondary and still landed cradling the ball. Smith earned the team’s Batman cape at the end of the first half. Long may he wear it.

— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓ There were a number of impressive Eagles moments against the Commanders. What was your favorite play of the game? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Eagles made life miserable for their old pal Carson Wentz, sacking him nine times, recovering one of his fumbles, and holding him without a touchdown pass. Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns. If this was a revenge match, it ended in a knockout, Marcus Hayes writes.

The defense hit Wentz 17 times, Jeff McLane writes, and had the quarterback seeing ghosts in the secondary.

While the defense clamped down on Wentz and the Commanders, Smith set career highs with eight catches and 169 receiving yards in the convincing victory.

The Eagles are 3-0, beating their last two opponents by 17 and 16 points, respectively, and leaving everyone feeling like they could have won by more.

Next: The Eagles host Doug Pederson’s Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CBS3).

The Phillies take a pause today before sprinting to the finish of the regular season with 10 games in nine days. They closed out the final homestand of the regular season on Sunday, splitting a four-game series with the Braves after falling, 8-7, in 11 innings. Their magic number is eight, and they hold a 1½-game lead on the Brewers for the third wild-card spot.

Reliever Brad Hand became the latest Phillie to land on the injured list. The team says Hand has tendinitis in his left elbow.

Next: After a day off today, the Phillies open a three-game series against the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. (NBCSP).

Matisse Thybulle likely knew Philadelphia fans weren’t happy with him at the end of last season. Why would they be, after all, when his refusal to get the final COVID-19 vaccination shot (he got an initial one) to comply with travel requirements to Canada affected his playing rhythm at the end of the season?

Thybulle seemed out of sorts and uncomfortable for the rest of the playoffs. Granted, injuries to Joel Embiid probably had the greatest effect on the Sixers, but simply put, if Thybulle was present to help the Sixers against the Raptors, perhaps Embiid would not have even been on the floor to suffer that damage.

Now Thybulle, who was the center of numerous trade rumors that never materialized, is on the road to redemption.

Fresh off their first preseason game, a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins, the Flyers hit the ice Sunday for another scrimmage, more drills and, of course, more sprints. New coach John Tortorella promised a tough training camp, and he has delivered so far.

Defenseman Cam York’s thoughts as he went through the grueling sprints: “Please be done.”

Next: The Flyers visit the Buffalo Sabres for an exhibition game on Tuesday.

There’s probably at least one Union fan who is scared about what lies ahead if the squad continues its torrid season and ultimately lifts the MLS Cup. They imagine losing, perhaps, all the players who harbor dreams of careers abroad, such as Kai Wagner, Jack McGlynn, José Martínez, perhaps more.

But the reason teams would come for those players in the first place is because of how well the Union’s development system works in feeding the first team. There’s a pipeline of talent waiting for a chance. Fans got a glimpse of that in action in the Saturday exhibition win against Pachuca, a solid Liga MX squad.

It even offered an opportunity for U.S. men’s national team fans to get a glimpse of future talent possibilities on both squads.

In 1976, with a win against the Montreal Expos, the Phillies clinched the first National League East title in franchise history. The photo above shows then-Phillies-manager Danny Ozark tipping his cap as the Veteran Stadium scoreboard tests a message in advance of a playoff series against the Cincinnati Reds in October 1976. He was the Phils skipper from 1972 to 1979, leading the 1976 and 1977 teams to more wins than any others in franchise history. He died at age 85 on May 7, 2009.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, Alex Coffey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Mike Sielski, Marcus Hayes, Joey Piatt, Keith Pompey, and Giana Han.