MLB
Cody Bellinger lofted a high fly to deep right field, where Juan Soto positioned himself in front of an unfriendly Yankee Stadium crowd and came up short. That summed up the entire Subway Series, really. Soto was booed all weekend during a disappointing return to the Bronx, while Bellinger delivered several big hits that helped the New York Yankees get the best of their crosstown rivals. Bellinger hit a game-breaking grand slam last night that soared just beyond Soto’s reach at the wall, and the Yankees beat the New York Mets 8-2 to take two of three at home in a matchup of first-place teams.
Marcell Ozuna homered for the second straight day, former Boston outfielder Alex Verdugo had three hits and the Atlanta Braves beat the Red Sox 10-4 to win the three-game series. Austin Riley also had three hits for the Braves, who at 24-23 moved a game above .500 for the second time after opening 0-7. Every starter except leadoff hitter Verdugo had at least one RBI. Rafael Devers hit his sixth career grand slam for Boston, which has lost 11 of 17.
Mick Abel stayed under control in his major league debut. Abel outdueled Paul Skenes, striking out nine over six innings to lead Philadelphia over the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 for a three-game sweep and the Phillies’ 15th win in 20 games. A 23-year-old, 6-foot-5 right-hander selected 15th overall by the Phillies in the 2020 draft, Abel allowed five hits and walked none. The nine strikeouts tied a Phillies high for a debut, set by Curt Simmons against the New York Giants on Sept. 28, 1947.
Philadelphia Phillies closer José Alvarado has been suspended for 80 games following a positive test for external testosterone under Major League Baseball’s drug-testing program. Alvarado became the second player suspended this year under the big-league testing program after Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the positive test was caused by a weight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason. Barring rainouts that push games into later this season, Alvarado would be eligible to return on Aug. 19 against Seattle. Because of the suspension, he would be ineligible for the postseason.
Otto Lopez hit a three-run homer in his first game off the injured list and Liam Hicks added a two-run shot to back a strong start by Cal Quantrill, powering the Miami Marlins to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Quantrill allowed one run and two hits in five innings with six strikeouts for Miami. The Marlins improved to 12-13 at home with its first series victory since winning two of three against Cincinnati from April 21-23. Lopez, who was on the 10-day IL with a sprained ankle since May 3, homered off Rays starter Shane Baz. Hicks’ two-run shot off Baz came in the sixth.
CJ Abrams went deep on the first two pitches he saw from Zach Eflin, and the Washington Nationals hit five homers in a 10-4 victory over the free-falling Baltimore Orioles for a three-game sweep. Luis Garcia Jr. and Dylan Crews also connected against Eflin during a six-run second inning that helped Washington complete its first sweep of the season. Josh Bell’s solo shot off Brian Baker completed Washington’s first five-homer game since Sept. 29, 2023. Baltimore has lost six straight and 12 of 14, the final two of those following the firing of manager Brandon Hyde.
Will Benson had his first two-homer game, going deep for the fourth straight day to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 victory and their first three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians since 2012. Benson followed Tyler Stephenson’s fourth-inning single with a 399-foot drive to right off L.L. Ortiz then added a sixth-inning shot off Hunter Gaddis for his fifth home run this season. The Reds won their fourth straight and got back to .500 at 24-24. Cleveland (25-21) has lost four in a row and the first three of a 10-game trip.
Jackson Chourio robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers ended the Minnesota Twins’ 13-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory. Isaac Collins and Sal Frelick each drove in two runs to help the Brewers end the second-longest win streak in Twins history. The Twins won 15 straight in 1991, a season that ended with a World Series title. Lewis homered for the Twins in the fourth inning but on his long drive in the eighth, Chourio timed his jump perfectly and reached his gloved hand over the wall to make the catch.
Drew Waters led off the seventh inning with a pinch-hit triple, Maikel Garcia drove him in with a single and the Kansas City Royals snapped a four-game skid and avoided a series sweep with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. With the game tied at 1, Waters batted in place of Dairon Blanco and tripled to right field on the first pitch from reliever Chris Roycroft. Garcia hit Roycroft’s second pitch to right to score Waters with the go-ahead run. Lucas Erceg got five outs for the win and Carlos Estévez pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 15 opportunities. Alec Burleson homered for the Cardinals.
Pete Crow-Armstrong tripled, doubled and scored two runs, and the Chicago Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the crosstown White Sox at Wrigley Field with a 6-2 victory. Nico Hoerner doubled twice and had an RBI as the Cubs extended their franchise-record winning streak against the South Siders to eight games. Seiya Suzuki drove in two runs, and Michael Busch and Vidal Brujan each had two hits and an RBI. The NL Central-leading Cubs improved to 75-74 in the series and handed the White Sox a fourth straight defeat. Miguel Vargas hit his third homer of the series for the White Sox.
Heliot Ramos hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and had a go-ahead single in the eighth, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Athletics that completed a series sweep. The three-game set was the teams’ first meeting in the Northern California rivalry since the Athletics relocated from Oakland to Sacramento. With the Giants trailing 2-1 in the eighth, LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a leadoff triple and Patrick Bailey drove him in with a single. Ramos’ one-out RBI single capped the rally against A’s reliever Tyler Ferguson. Randy Rodriguez got the win and Ryan Walker earned his eighth save.
Randy Arozarena homered off Michael King in the three-run fourth inning and the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 to sweep the opening series of the inaugural Vedder Cup. The Mariners homered six times and outscored the Padres 15-3 in the three-game series. If needed, run differential will be the first tiebreaker in the Vedder Cup, named after Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who has ties to both cities. The two teams, who share a spring training complex, formalized the competition in March. The winner gets a trophy featuring a guitar provided by Vedder, who actually is a Chicago Cubs fan.
Travis d’Arnaud broke an eighth-inning tie with his first home run of the season, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Dodgers 6-4 for their first three-game Freeway Series sweep since 2010. With the score 4-4, d’Arnaud homered off left-hander Anthony Banda for his second RBI of the game. The Angels added a run in the ninth on singles by Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel followed by Yoán Moncada’s double-play grounder. Shaun Anderson got his first Angels win, giving up a tying three-run homer in the seventh to Will Smith and then retiring the side in order in the eighth and ninth.
Isaac Paredes hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off reliever Robert Garcia in the eighth inning after Texas rookie Jack Leiter lost a no-hit bid in the seventh, and the Houston Astros rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Rangers on Sunday.
Spencer Torkelson drove in the tiebreaking run with a two-out single in the seventh inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2, improving their MLB-best record to 31-16. Jackson Jobe (4-0) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, becoming the first pitcher in Tigers history to have the team win the first eight starts of his career. Torkelson had two hits and three RBIs as Detroit won for the 13th time in 17 games. Will Vest finished for his fifth save in seven chances.
Merrill Kelly struck out a season-high 11 while giving up one hit over seven innings, Ketel Marte homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks edged the Colorado Rockies 1-0. The D-backs took two of three games over the weekend, denying the Rockies their first series win of the season. Colorado fell to 8-38 for the year, which is the worst start for a big league team through 46 games since 1901. The Rockies loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but closer Shelby Miller retired the next two batters to secure the win.
NBA PLAYOFFS
The NBA's final 4 is now set after the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7 last night. The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. Meanwhile, The New York Knicks haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973. They face the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night at 8 in New York.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7. The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016. Oklahoma City won a league-best 68 games in the regular season. The Thunder lost to Dallas in the conference semifinals last year as the No. 1 seed in the West. This time, the Thunder had to get past three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and a Denver squad that won the NBA title in 2023.
There will be a new NBA champion. A lot of them, actually, considering almost all of the players left in these playoffs have not even played in the NBA Finals. The New York Knicks haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973. The Indiana Pacers won their most recent title that year — in the ABA. The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise has one title in its history, that coming in 1979 when the team called Seattle home. And the Minnesota Timberwolves have never even been to the NBA Finals.
WNBA
Brittney Sykes scored 27 points and Kiki Iriafen recorded a double-double and the Washington Mystics spoiled the Connecticut Sun’s season debut with a 90-85 win. The Mystics used a 30-point fourth quarter to overcome a 65-60 deficit at the end of three quarters and Stefanie Dolson gave Washington its first lead of the game with a 25-foot, 3-pointer to make it 75-74 with 5:38 left. Iriafen scored 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds. Tina Charles scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Connecticut.
Napheesa Collier scored 23 points, Alanna Smith added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 89-75. Courtney Williams finished with 13 points and 10 assists and Jessica Shepard scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lynx. Azura Stevens led the Sparks with 21 points. Dearica Hamby added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Kelsey Plum finished with 18 points and five assists. The Lynx shot 48% from the field and hit 10 3-pointers.
The WNBA is investigating racial comments directed toward Angel Reese by fans during the Chicago Sky’s loss to the Fever at Indiana on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly identified who the taunts were directed toward or who made the allegations. The league says “the WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society." The league also says it is “looking into the matter."
NHL
Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves, Florida scored three times in a 6:24 span in the second period and the Panthers routed the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 on Sunday night to advance to the Eastern Conference final. The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final, opening on the road Tuesday night. Seth Jones, Anton Lundell and Jonah Gadjovich scored in the second-period burst and Eetu Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand — into an empty net — added goals in the third. Marchand, Luostarinen and Aleksander Barkov each had two assists. Max Domi scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll stopped 28 shots.
The NHL’s playoff final four has a very familiar feel after the Florida Panthers routed the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 7 last night night to advance to the Eastern Conference final. The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final, opening on the road Tuesday night. The Western Conference final is a rematch of the same round last year with the Dallas Stars facing the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are in the East final for a third consecutive spring after beating Toronto in Game 7 of their series. They will face the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time in three years. Panthers-Hurricanes starts on Tuesday and Oilers-Stars on Wednesday.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Luis Muriel scored a goal just before halftime, Marco Pašalić added a goal early in the second half and Orlando City beat Inter Miami 3-0 in the Florida Derby to extend its unbeaten streak to 11 consecutive games. Pedro Gallese finished with three saves for his sixth shutout of the season for Orlando (6-2-6) and had the second assist of his five-plus year career in MLS. Luis Muriel opened the scoring in the 43rd minute and Pašalić scored on a first-touch shot from near the penalty spot to give Orlando a 2-0 lead in the 53rd. Oscar Ustari had five saves for Miami (6-5-2). Luis Suárez returned from a two-game absence (personal reasons). Dagur Thorhallsson capped the scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Marco Reus scored two goals for the LA Galaxy in a 2-2 tie with Los Angeles FC in the 20th playing of El Tráfico in the MLS regular season. The Galaxy (0-10-4), the defending MLS Cup champions, have a minus-21 goal differential, worst in MLS, and are off to the worst start in MLS history. Reus opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Hugo Lloris made a diving stop of a shot by Gabriel Pec on a breakaway but Reus tapped the rebound into a wide-open net from point-blank range. The 35-year-old slipped a free kick from the edge of the penalty arc inside the right post to make it 2-2 in the 87th. Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz each scored a goal for LAFC.
GOLF
Scottie Scheffler has won the PGA Championship for his third major title. He won by five shots but this one was a nail-biter until the final hour. Jon Rahm made a furious charge and tied Scheffler for the lead on the back nine. But then golf’s No. 1 player was mistake-free and left the blunders to everyone else. Scheffler shot a 71 and picked up the Wanamaker Trophy. That puts him halfway home to the career Grand Slam and leaves no doubt about his status in the game. Bryson DeChambeau was among three players who tied for second.
NASCAR
Qualifying day for the Indianapolis 500 turned into a Team Penske disaster when all three of its cars were denied a chance to run for the pole. It comes a year after the same three drivers swept the front row at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The day got off to a horrible start when Scott McLaughlin crashed in morning practice and the team decided to just accept the 12th starting spot in the field. Then, moments before the shootout began, the cars for two-time defending race winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power returned to the garage. IndyCar announced the cars had failed inspection and would not be allowed to qualify.
Christopher Bell passed Joey Logano with nine laps remaining and cruised to victory in an action-packed NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday night. In a slam-bang affair that set a record for lead changes, Bell won by 0.829 seconds over Logano to earn his first All-Star Race victory. Ross Chastain finished third, followed by Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott. The field was bunched for the final time on Lap 217 with the “Promoter’s Caution," thrown by two-time Daytona 500 winner and Fox Sports personality Michael Waltrip, who dropped the yellow flag on the track. The gimmick to guarantee a late restart was a sidebar to an eventful race.
TENNIS
Carlos Alcaraz is clearly the favorite for the French Open. Top-ranked Jannik Sinner is back from his doping ban though and building himself back up to full strength day by day. Those were the verdicts after Alcaraz beat Sinner to win the Italian Open a week before Roland Garros starts on Sunday. Alcaraz’s title in Rome boosted his record on clay this season to 15-1. Sinner tells Alcaraz that “on clay right now you’re the best player.” But Alcaraz says the level Sinner showed in Rome “is insane after three months without playing” and that ”he’s going to be a really dangerous player in Paris.”
HORSE RACING
Journalism has won the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes. The heavy favorite made good on lofty expectations two weeks after finishing second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty did not take part in the Preakness after his owners and trainer decided against the short turnaround. They will entering him in the Belmont Stakes on June 7. Journalism gives trainer Michael McCarthy a second Preakness victory after Rombauer won it as an 11-1 long shot in 2021. Gosger was second and Sandman third. Journalism became the first horse since War of Will in 2019 to win the Preakness after running in the Derby.
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