BOSTON MARATHON
World record-holder Eliud Kipchoge has the speed to outclass the rest of the field when he makes his Boston Marathon debut today. To win, he may have to slow things down. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and 12-time major marathon champion knows that the 26.2-mile route from Hopkinton to Boston’s Back Bay isn’t like those flat and friendly courses where he established himself as perhaps the greatest distance runner of all time. No matter, he says. Breaking the tape is what’s important. Regardless of how long it takes. Kipchoge set the world record of 2 hours, 1 minute, 9 seconds in Berlin in 2019. Boston has always rewarded smart tactics more than pure speed. The Marathon begins at 9:37 this morning.
MLB
Garrett Whitlock threw seven innings of one-run ball, Justin Turner hit a two-run homer and the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 in a game that lasted less than two hours. The Red Sox honored the 2013 World Series champs before the game, including new Hall of Famer David Ortiz. Los Angeles’ star two-way player Shohei Ohtani saw his 36-game on-base streak end. It was the longest in the majors.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani will take the mound for the Angels when they face the Red Sox this morning at 11:10 in the annual Patriots Day game at Fenway Park.
Gerrit Cole pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts for his fourth career shutout and the second complete game in the majors this season, leading the New York Yankees to a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. DJ LeMahieu homered and hit an RBI single for the Yankees, who earned a split of the four-game series. Cole improved to 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA in four starts, finishing off the Twins on 109 pitches in only 2 hours, 7 minutes. He got the final nine outs on just 25 pitches and retired former Astros teammate Carlos Correa on a fly ball to end it. It was Cole’s seventh career complete game and his first shutout since July 10, 2021, at Houston.
Pete Alonso tied the score in the ninth inning with his major league-leading eighth home run, and the New York Mets beat the struggling Oakland Athletics 4-3 in 10 innings to complete a three-game sweep. Eduardo Escobar scored the go-ahead in the 10th on a wild pitch by Sam Moll. Francisco Lindor and Tommy Pham also homered for the Mets, who won their fourth straight. Brandon Nimmo made two diving catches in center field, including one that saved the game in the ninth. David Robertson pitched out of trouble in the 10th for his fourth save. Lindor’s third homer of the series came two days after he set a franchise record for shortstops with seven RBIs.
Wil Myers went 4 for 5 with two home runs, and the Cincinnati Reds rode a stout pitching performance by Graham Ashcraft to a 13-0 win Saturday over the Philadelphia Phillies. Ashcraft allowed just four hits in six scoreless innings to stay perfect on the young season. The Reds have now played six of its first 14 games against the Phillies. Myers tagged Philadelphia starter Matt Strahm with a home run in the second inning to put Cincinnati on the board first. Strahm was pulled in the third after throwing just 67 pitches.
Tommy Edman hit an RBI single in the 10th inning, sending the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. With runners on first and second and one out, Nolan Gorman drove in Paul Goldschmidt with a tying double. Lars Nootbaar was walked intentionally by Wil Crowe and rookie Jordan Walker struck out before Edman singled back up the middle. It was Edman’s third career game-ending hit. He went 2 for 5 on the day as St. Louis salvaged a split of the four-game series.
NBA PLAYOFFS
Final L.A. Lakers 128 Memphis 112
Final Miami 130 Milwaukee 117
Final L.A. Clippers 115 Phoenix 110
And Final Denver 109 Minnesota 80
Jamal Murray scored 24 points and the top-seeded Denver Nuggets routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-80 in the opener of their playoff series Sunday night. This marked Murray's first playoff game since the 2020 NBA bubble. He missed the last two postseasons after tearing his left ACL in 2021. Nikola Jokic added 13 points and 14 rebounds and Michael Porter scored 18 for Denver. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 18 points.
Jimmy Butler scored 35 points and the Miami Heat capitalized on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s early exit to beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 130-117 in an Eastern Conference playoff opener featuring two notable injuries. The top-seeded Bucks lost Antetokounmpo to a lower back bruise early in the second quarter. Miami’s Tyler Herro broke his right hand later in the period. No. 8 seed Miami had built a 68-55 halftime advantage before Herro’s departure and stayed ahead by shooting 59.5% from the floor. The Heat were 15 of 25 and the Bucks 11 of 45 from 3-point range.
Rui Hachimura had a career-best playoff scoring performance with 29 points, including 21 in the second half, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-112 in the opening game of their Western Conference playoff series. LeBron James had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Anthony Davis had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 31 points, while Desmond Bane scored 22. Ja Morant had 18 points before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injured right hand. Los Angeles wrested home-court advantage from the Grizzlies, who had the NBA’s best home record at 35-6. Game 2 is Wednesday.
The Sacramento Kings are investigating allegations from a Bay Area hip-hop star that “racial bias” led to him being kicked out of his seat during a playoff game against the Golden State Warriors. The rapper E-40 said in a statement that he was heckled throughout the game and that he addressed one heckler “in an assertive but polite manner” before security guards came and ordered him to leave the arena. E-40, whose real name is Earl Stevens, is Black. He says his heckler was white. The Kings say they are investigating the circumstances behind his ejection.
Kawhi Leonard scored 38 points, including a pair of late 3-pointers, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 115-110 in the opener of their Western Conference playoff series. Eric Gordon added 19 points and hit a late 3 that kept the Clippers ahead. Russell Westbrook shot just 3 of 19 from the floor for Los Angeles but made a pair of free throws with 17.7 seconds left for a three-point lead, then blocked Devin Booker’s layup attempt at the other end. Kevin Durant scored 27 points for the Suns, who lost for the first time with him on the floor.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro broke his right hand late in the second quarter of his team’s Eastern Conference playoff opener with the Milwaukee Bucks. Herro appeared to hurt the hand while diving for a loose ball. He was leaning forward and in obvious discomfort while standing in front of the Heat’s bench in the final minute of the second quarter. Herro later was ruled out for the rest of the game with a broken hand.
After four NBA titles and two more trips to the Finals in the past eight seasons, the Golden State Warriors aren’t about to get flustered by one loss in a best-of-seven series. The Sacramento Kings struck first in the first playoff meeting between the Northern California neighbors and have the lead in the series headed into Game 2 on Monday night. The Warriors haven't fallen behind 2-0 in a playoff series since 2007 and feel confident they can rebound in Game 2 as long as they do a better job keeping the Kings off the offensive glass.
Meanwhile, tonight
Brooklyn at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
Golden State at Sacramento 10 p.m.
NHL
On the ice, the NHL Playoffs kick off tonight with
N-Y Islanders at Carolina 7 p.m.
Florida at Boston 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas 9:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Edmonton 10 p.m.
WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hilary Knight scored three times, including the go-ahead goal with 3:10 left in regulation, and the Americans won their 10th women’s world hockey championships gold medal and first in four years with a 6-3 win over cross-border rival Canada. Caroline Harvey had a goal and assist, and Abbey Murphy and Cayla Barnes, with an empty-net goal, also scored. The Americans scored four unanswered goals in the third period. The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits before Knight scored twice in the span of 27 seconds to capitalize on a two-player advantage with the game tied at 3. Brianne Jenner scored twice and added an assist, and Marie-Philip Poulin had a goal and assist for the Canada, which was seeking its 13th tournament title.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Los Angeles FC 3 LA Galaxy 2
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