Hideki Matsuyama has become the first Japanese male to win a major championship. Matsuyama has captured the Masters by closing with a 1-over 73, good enough for a one-stroke win over Will Zalatoris. A five-time winner on the PGA Tour, Matsuyama took control of the tournament with a brilliant 65 on Saturday, doing his best work after a rain delay softened the greens. The new champion struggled to close it out. He carried a four-shot lead into the final round and was five ahead at the turn. Xander Schauffele got within two shots with three holes remaining following four straight birdies. But Schauffele's chances of catching up ended with the first triple-bogey of his major championship career, a 6 on the par-3 16. Zalatoris stamped himself as a future star with a 9-under 279. He closed with a 2-under 70 to end up two ahead of Schauffele and Jordan Spieth.
MLB
It turned out that J.D. Martinez only had a cold, which was great news for the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Martinez slammed three home runs and had four RBIs after coming off the COVID-19 list, highlighting the Red Sox's 14-9 thumping of the Orioles. Martinez went on the COVID-19 list after complaining of cold-like symptoms, but he was reactivated after testing negative twice before gametime. Rafael Devers homered twice and Alex Verdugo added a three-run shot in Boston's sixth consecutive win.
Also around the majors:
Rougned Odor singled home the tiebreaking run while sparking a four-run 10th that gave the Yankees an 8-4 win over the Rays. Odor went 0-for-4 before his go-ahead hit allowed him to celebrate his first start as a Yankee. Gio Urshela added a two-run homer and an RBI single as New York avoided a three-game sweep.
Didi Gregorius crushed a three-run homer and had the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the ninth to help the Phillies snap the Braves' four-game winning streak, 7-6. Alec Bohm doubled in the ninth and scored the tiebreaking run, although it appeared he didn't get his foot on the plate against catcher Travis d'Arnaud's tag attempt. Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins homered for the Phillies, who had lost three of four.
Clayton Kershaw pitched six innings of five-hit ball while outpitching Max Scherzer in the Dodgers' 3-0 shutout of the Nationals. Rookie Zach McKinstry homered and drove in all three runs for the defending World Series champion Dodgers, who are off to a major league-best start of 8-2 after sweeping Washington. Scherzer threw six innings of three-hit ball with five strikeouts and a walk, but he left trailing 1-0 following McKinstry's double in the second.
Kyle Seager's second homer of the game was a three-run drive in the ninth inning to complete the Mariners' rally in an 8-6 win over the Twins. Seager had four hits and Taylor Trammell also homered for Seattle, which trailed 6-0 going into the sixth. The Mariners won a road series for the first time since Sept. 11-13, 2019, at Arizona.
Michael A. Taylor scored when Garrett Crochet misplayed Andrew Benintendi's bunt in the 10th inning, sending the Royals to a 4-3 victory over the White Sox. Kansas City forced extra innings on Carlos Santana's home run leading off the ninth. Greg Holland worked two scoreless innings for the win, and Kyle Zimmer tossed a perfect 10th for his first career save.
Logan Allen loaded the bases in the first inning but allowed just one run and two hits over five frames to lead the Indians to a 5-2 victory and a three-game sweep of the Tigers. Allen needed 33 pitches to get through the first but escaped major damage after hitting Robbie Grossman, walking two and giving up a bloop RBI single to Jeimer Candelario. Detroit scored just six times in the series and played the finale without Miguel Cabrera, who was placed on the injured list with strained biceps.
The Padres completed a three-game sweep as Trent Grisham and Manny Machado homered in a 2-0 shutout of the Rangers. Craig Stammen led a parade of six effective San Diego relievers after starter Adrian Morejon left early with an injury. Stammen took over and pitched through the fourth inning, his longest appearance since May 2017.
There also was a three-game sweep in San Francisco as Anthony DeSclafani and three relievers combined to scatter eight hits in the Giants' 4-0 shutout of the Rockies. DeSclafani struck out eight and gave up six hits in six innings. Brandon Belt and Alex Dickerson homered for the Giants, and Evan Longoria had two hits and two RBIs.
Luke Weaver retired the first 17 batters he faced and Eduardo Escobar homered for the fourth straight game as the pair carried the Diamondbacks to a 7-0 win against the Reds. Weaver took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up a broken-bat single to Eugenio Suárez, whose ground ball found a hole up the middle. The right-hander hit Alex Blandino with a pitch with two out in the sixth, the first of three baserunners he allowed over seven innings of work.
The Brewers hammered the Cardinals, 9-3 as Avisaíl García homered for the second day. Travis Shaw belted a three-run homer and Manny Piña added a two-run shot in Milwaukee's fourth win in five games. Brett Anderson allowed a run and five hits over five innings, but Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado singled off him to run his hitting streak to nine games.
JT Brubaker pitched into the sixth inning and had the first three RBIs of his career to lead the Pirates over the Cubs 7-1. Brubaker allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings and supplied a two-run single to cap a three-run second that gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead. Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds had the third four-hit game of his career.
The Mets and Marlins were postponed by rain in New York, as were the Blue Jays and Angels in Dunedin, Florida. Mets starter Marcus Stroman was particularly upset that his game actually started in a steady rain before it was stopped after nine pitches, potentially preventing him from pitching again until the weekend. Stroman was worried about the safety of his teammates.
In MLB news, Angels outfielder Dexter Fowler has a torn ACL in his left knee that requires season-ending surgery. Fowler was hurt when he took an awkward step on second base in Friday's game against Toronto. The Angels initially thought Fowler had avoided a serious injury until an MRI exam on Saturday found the tear.
NBA
The Denver Nuggets appeared on their way to a ninth straight victory as they took a 79-65 lead on a 3-pointer by Facundo Campazzo late in the third quarter. But the Boston Celtics immediately went on a 31-3 run and allowed just five more points after that in a 105-87 win at Denver. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics' attack after both were questionable to play. Tatum finished with 28 points and Brown had 20 as Boston won for the fifth time in six games to stay one game behind Atlanta for fourth place in the NBA's Eastern Conference. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nuggets with 20 points despite missing 11 of 12 from beyond the arc. Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in Denver's first loss since acquiring Aaron Gordon just before the trade deadline.
Checking out the rest of Sunday's NBA schedule:
Julius Randle scored 26 points and the Knicks pulled out a 102-96 win over the Raptors after blowing an 18-point lead. RJ Barrett added 19 as the Knicks won their second straight to get back to .500 at 27-27. Nerlens Noel finished with nine points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots for New York.
Marcus Morris Sr. scored 33 points to lead seven Clippers in double figures in a 131-124 win over the Pistons. Paul George registered 32 points and nine assists, giving him three straight 30-point games despite dealing with a nagging toe injury. Los Angeles picked up its fifth straight win by climbing out of a 93-81 hole against the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
Khris Middleton scored 21 points and the Bucks ended a three-game losing streak by topping the Magic, 124-87. Middleton shot 8 of 13 from the field and added eight rebounds and five assists to help the Bucks lead wire to wire. Bobby Portis added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Bam Adebayo dropped in 22 points and Jimmy Butler added 20 to lead the Heat to a 107—98 victory over the Trail Blazers. Miami led by 20 early in the fourth quarter en route to its sixth win in seven games. CJ McCollum and Norman Powell each finished with 17 points for the Blazers, who were hurt by 17 turnovers.
DeMar DeRozan drained the tiebreaking jumper with 0.5 seconds left, giving him 27 of his 33 points in the second half and lifting the Spurs to a 119-117 victory over the Mavericks. Dejounte Murray scored 25 points as San Antonio stopped a season-worst five-game losing streak and avoided the first season sweep by their Texas rival. Luka Doncic scored 29 points, including a tying basket in the final minute of a game that had 10 deadlocks and 12 lead changes.
The Hawks battled back from a 10-point, fourth quarter deficit to beat the Hornets, 105-101. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 32 points on a career-high eight 3-pointers to help Atlanta win without Trae Young, who was out with a left calf injury. Clint Capela added 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Hawks' sixth win in seven games.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 12 rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell also contributed 27 points in the Timberwolves; 121-117 downing of the Bulls. Ricky Rubio connected on five of his six 3-point attempts and scored 17 points. Zach LaVine scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half as Chicago rallied before losing for the sixth time in nine games since the trade deadline.
Caris LeVert scored 34 points and two other Pacers just missed triple-doubles in a 132-125 victory over Memphis. Malcolm Brogdon had 29 points, matched his season-high with 11 assists and had nine rebounds. Domantas Sabonis finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, part of the Pacers grabbing a season-high 53 rebounds en route to their third straight victory.
Zion Williamson provided 38 points and Brandon Ingram had 27 with eight assists in rallying the Pelicans to a 116-109 victory over the injury-plagued Cavaliers. Williamson scored 25 points in the first half and finished 16 of 22 from the field. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds as New Orleans pulled within one game of the final play-in tournament spot in the West.
In NBA news, Kyrie Irving will miss Brooklyn's game in Minnesota on Monday night, leaving the Nets without two of their three All-Stars. The Nets said Irving was out for personal reasons/family matter. The point guard has missed eight games this season for personal reasons, including a three-game road trip last month.
NHL
The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders continue to share the NHL's East Division lead following victories by both teams. TJ Oshie, Conor Sheary and Lars Eller each scored twice as the Capitals crushed the Bruins, 8-1. Tom Wilson and Nic Dowd each had one of the season-high goals scored by the Capitals in their first victory in regulation against Boston this season. Rookie Vitek Vanecek stopped 34 shots, but lost a chance for his second shutout when Craig Smith scored a power-play goal 3 minutes into the third.
The Isles pulled out a 3-2 win over the Rangers on Ryan Pulock's goal 73 seconds into overtime. The Islanders blew a 2-0 lead before Pulock netted his first goal of the season. Kyle Palmieri and JG Pageau scored in the first period for the Islanders, who have won eight of 11 and are 18-2-2 at home.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
Colton Sceviour scored two quick goals just hours after coming off waivers, helping the Penguins post a 5-2 win over the Devils. Bryan Rust scored a controversial goal and Jake Guenzel added two late ones as the Penguins won their third straight and improved to 9-2-1 in their last 12. Tristan Jarry was outstanding, making 28 saves.
Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Asplund scored 25 seconds apart before Buffalo added an empty-netter to complete the Sabres' 5-3 comeback win at Philadelphia. Shayne Gostisbehere scored early in the third period, and the lead held up until Skinner beat Carter Hart with 3:03 remaining.
Nathan MacKinnon stretched his point streak to nine games with a goal and an assist in Colorado's 4-1 victory over the Ducks. MacKinnon has seven goals and eight assists during his streak, the longest for the Avalanche this season. Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and two assists as the Avs won for the seventh time in eight games.
The Golden Knights came away with a 1-0 win over the Coyotes as Tomas Nosek scored the game's lone goal and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 14 shots. Fleury snapped a season-high three-game losing streak and tied Ed Belfour for fourth in NHL history with 484 wins. Adin Hill stopped 28 shots and blanked Vegas until Nosek beat him midway through the third period.
Ryan Johansen was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Predators posted a 3-2 win over the Stars. Ryan Ellis and Yakov Trenin tallied in regulation for Nashville, which has won four of five. Roope Hintz and Jamie Oleksiak lit the lamp for Dallas in its first loss in three games.
In NHL news, the Toronto Maple Leafs have added Nick Foligno before Monday's NHL trade deadline. The Blue Jackets have shipped Foligno to the Leafs for a 2021 first- and 2022 fourth-round pick, part of a three-team swap with the Sharks. Toronto also acquired forward Stefan Noesen from San Jose, which got a fourth-round pick in this year's draft for retaining 25% of Foligno's salary. The 33-year-old Foligno has seven goals and 16 points in 42 games this season. He was in his sixth season as the Columbus captain.
NASCAR
Martin Truex Jr. battled teammate Denny Hamlin for the lead before winning Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Truex nudged Hamlin repeatedly in the turns and tried to get to his inside on the straightaways without success. Truex, finally made the pass with 15 laps to go, ducking underneath Hamlin coming out of the second turn. Truex sailed off to victory without another challenge as Hamlin and Chase Elliott battled the rest of the way for second. It's the third victory in the last four races on the 0.526-mile oval for Truex, who also became the first repeat winner this season after seven different drivers posted victories. Elliott was second, followed by Hamlin, William Byron and Kyle Larson.
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