MLB
Aaron Judge hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the seventh inning that ended a 10-game drought, and the New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 to complete a three-game sweep. With a runner at second base in the ninth, Cody Bellinger made a diving catch in right field on MJ Melendez’s sinking liner to preserve Fernando Cruz’s first career save. Judge went deep for the first time since April 4 in Pittsburgh when he lifted a sinker from John Schreiber into the New York bullpen beyond the right-center fence. Judge had three hits for the third time this season and raised his batting average to a major league-best .409. Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball in his season debut.
New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil is delaying the beginning of his throwing program because his strained right lat is healing slowly. Gil was slated to start his throwing program on Wednesday or Thursday, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said an MRI showed the right-hander needs more time before progressing in his rehab. Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, stopped a bullpen session on Feb. 28 because of tightness in his pitching shoulder. He went to New York for a second MRI that revealed a high-grade lat strain on March 3.
David Hamilton hit a third-inning home run, four pitchers combined to strike out 13 and the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0. Playing without Alex Bregman, on paternity leave after a career-high five hits with two homers in Tuesday’s win, the Boston bullpen limited the Rays to one hit over the final 4 1/3 innings. Relievers Greg Weissert (1-0), Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten combined to retire 13 of the final 14 Tampa Bay hitters with no walks and nine strikeouts. Slaten retired all three batters in the ninth for his second save. Zack Littell (0-4) took the loss.
Ty France singled in the 10th inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 4-3 victory after the New York Mets rallied with a three-run eighth. France smacked a 1-1 pitch from Reed Garrett with none out that bounced in center field with no chance for Tyrone Taylor to get his glove down. The speedy Byron Buxton was conveniently on second as the automatic runner. Buxton, Harrison Bader and Willi Castro had RBI singles for the Twins. First base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt had to leave in the sixth inning after being hit in the head by a foul ball by Taylor.
Veteran umpire Hunter Wendelstedt went to a hospital after he was struck in the face behind first base by a line drive foul ball. He was going through concussion protocol. Wendelstedt instantly hit the ground after a direct hit from the liner by New York's Tyrone Taylor in the seventh inning in Minnesota. Both Taylor and Twins pitcher Louis Varland winced immediately after seeing where the ball hit Wendelstedt. The 53-year-old ump was down for a couple of minutes. He was able to slowly walk off on his own with a towel pressed against the left side of his head.
Jung Hoo Lee singled, doubled and drove in two runs to help the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-4. San Francisco improved to 13-5 with its third win in four games. Mike Yastrzemski, Wilmer Flores and Patrick Bailey also drove in a pair of runs for the Giants. Bryce Harper homered for Philadelphia. San Francisco had 13 hits and nine walks, with much of the damage coming off struggling Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola. The right-hander gave up six earned runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Christian Yelich, Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelick all hit home runs and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-1. Milwaukee took two of three in the series. José Quintana (2-0), making his second start of the season after pitching seven shoutout innings in his Brewers debut on Friday, held the Tigers to one run and four hits over 5 2/3 innings. The 36-year-old left-hander surrendered a solo home run to Spencer Torkelson with one-out in the sixth. He struck out four and walked three.
Lars Nootbaar hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, and Steven Matz pitched five strong innings in his first start of the season to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 4-1. Matz retired the last 15 batters he faced, striking out five, after allowing a run on a pair of singles to lead off the game. Ryan Fernandez, Kyle Leahy and Phil Maton each pitched a scoreless inning of relief before Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of the season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his first home run of the season and drove in a pair, Chris Bassitt pitched five shutout innings and the Toronto Blue Jays spoiled Spencer Strider’s return from elbow surgery by beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1. Chris Bassitt struck out a season-high 10 and allowed three hits, all singles. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.77 through four starts. Jeff Hoffman gave up Drake Baldwin’s first career home run in in the ninth inning but finished for his fourth save in four opportunities. Strider allowed two runs and five hits in five innings.
Cal Raleigh hit two more homers and Bryce Miller pitched five sharp innings, helping the Seattle Mariners beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3. Raleigh hit a solo drive from each side of the plate. The catcher has five homers in his last five games, giving him 100 for his career. Dylan Moore had two hits and scored two runs for the Mariners in their fifth win in six games. Miller struck out eight and walked two. Andrés Muñoz handled the ninth for his seventh save. Cincinnati had won four in a row and six of seven overall.
Jackson Holliday hit a second-inning grand slam, Dean Kremer turned in his best start of the young season and the Baltimore Orioles routed the Cleveland Guardians 9-1. Holliday snapped an 0-for-17 drought with a drive that carried into the Baltimore bullpen in center field off Gavin Williams with one out in the second. Kremer entered the game with an ERA of 8.16 but allowed just one run — a homer by Gabriel Arias in the third — in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits. Ramón Laureano hit a solo homer for the Orioles in the seventh, and Ryan O’Hearn added one in the eighth.
Jackson Holliday apparently loves hitting in front of his dog. The Baltimore infielder hit a grand slam on Wednesday night in the Orioles' 9-1 win over Cleveland. His dog Coconut was in attendance and sitting outside the clubhouse afterward. This was the team's Bark at Oriole Park night. Holliday says Coconut has been to plenty of Bark in the Park events. And he says he's played pretty well on those promotional days. Holliday was mired in an 0-for-17 slump before hitting a drive to center with the bases loaded in the second inning.
Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman homered in the Dodgers’ seven-run first inning, and Los Angeles held on for an 8-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Andy Pages drove in three runs for the Dodgers, who blew most of an early six-run lead before their bullpen secured the series sweep. Michael Toglia hit a grand slam and Mickey Moniak also homered in the third inning for the Rockies, who have lost 33 of 43 to Los Angeles. Ohtani hit Germán Márquez’s fourth pitch to the back row of the right-field bleachers for his sixth homer this season.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each drove in two runs and Nick Pivetta pitched six strong innings for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 to take two of three in the series. The Padres improved to a major league-best 15-4. The NL West leaders have won 12 of 13 home games, with the lone loss coming on Tuesday night in 10 innings against Chicago. The Central-leading Cubs took two of three from the Padres at Wrigley Field earlier in the month.
Oneil Cruz hit his first career grand slam to help Bailey Falter and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 6-1. Henry Davis also connected for Pittsburgh, which had dropped four of five. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two hits and scored run. Falter allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings. Washington wasted a sharp performance by Mitchell Parker, who tossed six innings of one-run ball. The Nationals scored their only run on Alex Call’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer and the Arizona Diamondbacks went deep four times to beat the Miami Marlins 6-2 for their fourth straight victory. Josh Naylor, Pavin Smith and Tim Tawa added solo shots for the Diamondbacks, who have won six of seven following a three-game skid. They’ll go for a three-game sweep of the Marlins on Thursday afternoon. Brandon Pfaadt allowed one run and five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six. Corbin Carroll had a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth to stretch his on-base streak to a career-high 24 games dating to Sept. 23, 2024, tied for the longest active run in the majors.
Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman homered in the Dodgers’ seven-run first inning, and Los Angeles held on for an 8-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Andy Pages drove in three runs for the Dodgers, who blew most of an early six-run lead before their bullpen secured the series sweep. Michael Toglia hit a grand slam and Mickey Moniak also homered in the third inning for the Rockies, who have lost 33 of 43 to Los Angeles. Ohtani hit Germán Márquez’s fourth pitch to the back row of the right-field bleachers for his sixth homer this season.
NBA PLAYOFFS
Tyler Herro scored 38 points, and the Miami Heat dominated the Chicago Bulls 109-90 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament. Herro scored 23 points as Miami grabbed a 71-47 halftime lead, and the Heat knocked the Bulls out of the play-in for the third year in a row. They play at Atlanta on Friday for a chance to meet top-seeded Cleveland in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Hawks lost to Orlando on Tuesday. Herro made his first eight shots and was 13 of 19 in the game. The All-Star guard nailed three 3-pointers.
Klay Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points in Dallas’ dominant second quarter to get redemption for his dud in Sacramento a year ago, helping the Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament. One year to the day when Thompson missed all 10 shots in his final game for Golden State in a play-in loss in Sacramento, Thompson fueled the win with four 3-pointers in Dallas’ 44-point second quarter. That turned the game into a laugher and kept the Mavericks’ chaotic season alive for at least one more game. Dallas advanced to play at Memphis on Friday night for the chance to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West. The winner of that game will open the playoffs on Sunday at top-seeded Oklahoma City.
The Sacramento Kings and general manager Monte McNair have agreed to part ways, two years after McNair helped end the longest playoff drought in NBA history. A person familiar with the decision said the sides mutually agreed on a breakup shortly after the Kings’ season ended Wednesday night with a 120-106 loss to Dallas in the Play-In Tournament. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the move. The Athletic first reported that McNair was out as general manager.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo compares himself to a certain action movie star as he discusses his excitement about finally being healthy for the start of a postseason run. Antetokounmpo says “I'm like Tom Cruise” as he discusses his love for delivering in pressure situations. Antetokounmpo missed all of Milwaukee's postseason run last year and part of it two years ago. The Bucks exited in the first round both times. The two-time MVP is feeling good this year and playing at a peak level just as Milwaukee prepares to open the playoffs Saturday at Indiana.
NHL PLAYOFFS
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored and added an assist and Alex Lyon made 28 saves as the Detroit Red Wings downed the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Wednesday. Jonatan Berggren, J.T. Compher, Alex DeBrincat and Marco Kasper also scored for the Red Wings who won their third straight. Detroit will miss the playoffs for a ninth straight season. The Devils finished with 42 wins and 91 points for third place in the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.
Mark Scheifele scored at 1:11 of overtime to give the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night in their regular-season finale. The Jets finished at 56-22-4 to set a franchise record with 116 points. Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for Winnipeg in his 47th victory, the most in franchise history, and the Jets wrapped up the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against. Neal Pionk opened the scoring for Winnipeg with 6:11 left in the second period. Troy Terry tied it for Anaheim at 5:45 of the third. Ville Husso stopped 42 shots for Anaheim. The Ducks finished 35-37-9. Winnipeg will face St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs.
Kaiden Guhle scored twice and the Montreal Canadiens wrapped up the last Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night in their regular-season finale. The Canadiens needed at least a point to eliminate Columbus from playoff contention. They will face Washington in the first round. Nick Suzuki broke a tie late in the second period with his 30th goal and also had an assist, Jake Evans had an empty-net goal, and Sam Montembeault made 27 saves to help Montreal finish 40-31-11 and reach the playoffs for the first since 2021. Taylor Hall and Tyson Jost scored for Carolina, and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 17 shots. The Hurricanes will face New Jersey in the first round.
Ryan O’Reilly had a goal and two assists and the Nashville Predators closed their disappointing season with a 5-1 victory over the playoff-bound Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. Jordan Oesterle and Jonathan Marchessault each had a goal and an assist, and Jakub Vrana and Justin Barron also scored for Nashville. Juuse Saros made 29 saves, and Filip Forsberg had two assists. Mason Marchment scored and Jake Oettinger made 17 saves in the first two periods for the Stars, who concluded the regular season on an 0-5-2 slide after not losing more than two straight this season prior to the current stretch. The Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Pavel Dorofeyev broke a tie at 7:59 of the third period with his 35th goal and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams. Jack Eichel — back in the lineup after missing four games because of an upper-body injury — followed Dorofeyev’s goal with his 28th with 9:15 left. Victor Olofsson tied it at 1 with 1:27 left in the second, and also had an assist, Cole Schwindt scored an empty-netter for his first NHL goal, and Akira Schmid stopped 16 shots. Vegas won the Pacific Division and finished second in the Western Conference at 50-22-10. The Knights will face Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. Pius Suter scored for Vancouver.
Ty Emberson had a goal and an assist, Stuart Skinner stopped 18 shots, and the Edmonton Oilers completed a four-game season series sweep of the San Jose Sharks with a 3-0 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams. Max Jones and Corey Perry also scoredwhile Connor McDavid had an assist for his 100th point. McDavid hit the 100-point plateau for a fifth straight season and for the eighth time in his career, becoming the fourth player in NHL history to do so. The others are Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Marcel Dionne. Alexandar Georgiev had 25 saves for San Jose, which lost its 11th straight.
SOCCER
Arsenal has defeated defending champion Real Madrid 2-1 to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2009 in a match where VAR played a key role in two penalty decisions. Arsenal advanced 5-1 on aggregate after winning 3-0 in London last week, keeping alive its chances of winning Europe’s top club competition for the first time. It will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. Inter Milan advanced past Bayern Munich on Wednesday and will meet Barcelona in the semifinals.
Former Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard scored against his old club to help Inter Milan to a 2-2 draw against the German team and sending the Nerazzurri through to the Champions League semifinals 4-3 on aggregate. It was Pavard’s first goal for Inter. Harry Kane had levelled the quarterfinal early in the second half but Inter swiftly turned the game around with goals from Lautaro Martínez and Pavard. Eric Dier headed in in the 76th minute to set up a nervy finale. Inter will face Barcelona in the semifinals. It beat the same opponent in the final four in 2010 on its way to winning the Champions League and securing the treble. It is in contention to repeat that feat this season.
NFL
Bo Nix has already turned 25. Michael Penix Jr. will get there in May. Both quarterbacks were first-round picks last year. They were among 56 players age 24 or older drafted in 2024. That number was up from 54 in 2023, 44 in 2022, 16 in 2021 and 19 in 2020. There have been more older prospects drafted in recent years because the COVID-19 pandemic gave players an option to stay in school an extra year. Even though the window is ending, the transfer portal and NIL deals might continue to keep some players in school longer. Teams used to shy away from older prospects.
GOLF
Justin Rose has been down this road before. He is trying to process another playoff loss at the Masters. Rose rallied from seven shots behind to catch mistake-filled Rory McIlroy. And then McIlroy beat him with a great shot in the playoff to win the green jacket and complete the career Grand Slam of majors. Rose says he received plenty of nice text messages. He was hoping to see one offering congratulations instead of commiserations. But he says he's playing great golf. Rose says he's motivated to keep working by the special moments that happen along the way.
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