Ethan Bamber knows a bit about drama (he is the son of Olivier Award-winning actor David Bamber), so it was no surprise that he finished a thrilling chase with a theatrical six. His 30 not out for Warwickshire against Durham was hardly a bit part, but it was a match in which there were 22 starring roles, county cricket delivering its unique storylines across not three acts, but four days.
April 15 will forever be a special day for baseball.
On this day 78 years ago, Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the sport’s color barrier. Twenty-eight years ago, commissioner Bud Selig announced that Robinson’s No. 42 would be retired across the league.
On Tuesday, however, Robinson’s number will once again be on the back of every player.
Jackie Robinson Day was first held on April 15, 2004. Five years later, a new tradition was born when every player, manager and coach began wearing No. 42 for the celebration.
That custom will continue on Tuesday, with all organizations are sporting No. 42 in Dodger blue regardless of their regular uniform colors. Players, managers, coaches and umpires will also wear a “42” patch on the side of their hats.
All 30 MLB teams will be in action on Tuesday, with Robinson’s Dodgers hosting the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles.
MLB is also planning a league-wide pregame tribute video produced by MLB Network and featuring former pro softball player AJ Andrews.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson, will be at the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York to welcome participants from local Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities programs.
Down in Florida, MLB’s Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach will host a minor league game between the Clearwater Threshers and the Palm Beach Cardinals at historic Holman Stadium, where Robinson once played. The game will raise money to support vital programs and services in Indian River County.
Luka Doncic spent almost seven seasons with the Mavericks before his surprise move [Getty Images]
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has become the first non-American player to top the list of the NBA's most popular jerseys.
The 26-year-old Slovenian, who joined the Lakers in February from the Dallas Mavericks in a huge three-way trade deal, is the first player other than Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry or LeBron James of the Lakers to top the list since the 2012-13 regular season.
The five-time All Star was described as a "one-of-a-kind, young global superstar" by the Lakers when he made his move.
Curry is second on the list, and James third, with Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks rounding out the top five.
The Lakers lead the most popular team merchandise list ahead of the Celtics, Warriors, Knicks and Chicago Bulls with results for both categories based on sales from the NBA store's official site during the regular season.
Since the sport's trade deadline on 6 February, jersey sales via the site are up 21% compared to the same period last year, primarily driven by Doncic's trade.
The Calgary Flames (39-27-14) will host the Pacific Division
champions Vegas Golden Knights (49-22-9).
After securing two points comfortably against San Jose, the
Flames’ next mission is to topple the four-time Pacific Division champs. While
the Calgary faithful will also be hoping for favorable outcomes in St. Louis’ and
Minnesota’s final regular season games, the onus is on the Flames to beat the Knights
in regulation.
HEADS 2 HEAD
That might be an uphill battle to climb considering Vegas
has beaten Calgary in all three games so far, including shutouts in the first
two.
Vegas is second in the power play, and are armed with the
returning Tomas Hertl (who did not play in the Knights’ last game with the
Flames) who has the sixth-highest power play goals in the league this season. It
does bode in the Calgary’s favor that since March 26, they are first in the
penalty kill, going 17-for-18.
The Knights also average 36.3 shots on goal per game to the
Flames, which is the second-highest towards any team. At the same time, Calgary’s
save percentage at even strength situations against Vegas is the eighth-worst in
the league.
Dustin Wolf is in a fight of his life.
Meanwhile, the Knights’ save percentage is the second-highest
against the Flames, who aren’t helping their case by averaging 23.3 shots of
goal per game against Vegas, which is the second-lowest. Calgary’s power play
has been the usual disappointing story, and when put in numbers, they are 3-for-20 in April.
In that same time period, the Knights' PK ranked 10th.
TALE OF THE TAPE (SKATERS)
TALE OF THE TAPE (GOALIES)
We're not going to sugarcoat this, but it's going to take a heck of a Herculean effort to pull out a win at the Saddledome over the Vegas Golden Knights. But for a team that has gotten victories over conference leaders Washington and Winnipeg this season, it is very much in the realm of possibility for Calgary to squeeze out another W.
The Vancouver Canucks’ young stars were out in full force tonight in the team’s 2–1 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks. Linus Karlsson and Jake DeBrusk scored for the Canucks, with the latter reaching a new career-high for goals in one season. Karlsson is one of the seven players in Vancouver’s lineup tonight who have played at least one game with the Abbotsford Canucks this season. Three of the seven made their NHL debuts within the past two games. One of these players is Nikita Tolopilo, who started his first NHL game tonight and made 15 saves on 16 shots against.
Tolopilo has had a stupendous 2024–25 season with Abbotsford, starting 34 of the team’s 69 games so far this season. He has won 18 of his starts, four of which have been shutouts. In his past 10 games, he has stopped 256 of 280 shots against, putting up a .914 SV% and a shutout. In his NHL debut tonight, he had a .938 SV%.
“I think it’s kind of a long journey to get my first initial start, but I’m really proud of myself and really thankful to all coaches, all teammates, to my agent, to my family, who support me all the way,” Tolopilo said about his first NHL start.
Another Canucks prospect who made his debut tonight is Kirill Kudryavstev, a seventh-round gem in the 2022 NHL Draft. This season was his first with Abbotsford, as he’d previously spent the past three years with the Soo Greyhounds. In 63 games played with Abbotsford, he has scored five goals and added 21 assists. Tonight, he put up one shot and blocked three in 13:33 minutes played. He played relatively calmly in his own zone while adding pressure on the Sharks’ puck carriers to help Vancouver gain possession.
"I haven't seen him since camp. I think there's something there. I think there's a good shot for him down the road, because some good feet, good brain, good stick. I thought he was really good," Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet said of Kudryavstev's performance tonight.
Ty Mueller, who made his NHL debut the game before, suited up for his second game with Vancouver tonight. He had two good setups for linemate Jake DeBrusk early in the first and second periods that ultimately did not convert. While he didn’t get as many minutes tonight (9:39), he blocked two shots and made one hit.
“I love to see them up here. They deserve it. They have both had a really good year down in Abbotsford. So no, I’m really happy for them, and they work hard. So it’s always fun to see guys taking that step and get a chance up here, because I think the guys in Abbotsford deserves that,” Karlsson said of his Abbotsford teammates making their way up to Vancouver.
Around halfway through the first period, the Canucks were given a four-minute power play after Elias Pettersson (D) ended up on the receiving end of a high-stick. Despite not capitalizing on the opportunity, the team launched eight shots at Alexander Georgiev including a great chance by Pius Suter. Before tonight, Vancouver’s power play had scored five goals in the past 12 opportunities, taking place over the span of five games. Even with five power play opportunities, Vancouver was still not able to score on the man-advantage.
One player who had a bit of a rough night was Victor Mancini, who took three penalties throughout the entire game. The second penalty that he took, for interfering with Tyler Toffoli while trying to clear him from Vancouver’s area, led to the game’s opening goal for the Sharks. With that being said, he also had a fast dash near the end of the second period to help set up a chance for Aatu Räty and Kiefer Sherwood.
While the young players made an impact tonight, at the end of the game, the spotlight was all on Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes. He dominated the bulk of the extra frame and ultimately potted an assist on DeBrusk’s game-winning goal to tie Alex Edler’s franchise record in career points by a defenseman (409). With this, Hughes will look to break the record in the team’s final game of the season against the Vegas Golden Knights.
"I was lucky enough to watch Edler break it. I think it was my first career game when he did. Very honoured. It’s been a blessing to play here," Hughes said postgame of tying the franchise record.
"He's a pleasure to coach. He loves the game. He wants to win. He wants to keep getting better his game," Tocchet added of Hughes' season as a whole. "He's emerging every day as a leader. He's probably hurting more than anybody about not making the playoffs."
All in all, tonight’s debuts were pretty solid for Kudryavstev and Tolopilo, while Mueller built on his first game by putting himself out there more offensively. Tonight’s game was not entirely about collecting points, but more-so about seeing what the Canucks’ future holds in the players who have succeeded in Abbotsford this season.
Stats and Facts:
Drew O’Connor becomes the first player in Canucks history to play more than 82 games in one season
Canucks sweep season series against the Sharks, going 4–0–0
Quinn Hughes plays more than 30 minutes in one game for the sixth time this season
Quinn Hughes ties Alex Edler’s record for most points by a defenseman in franchise history (409)
With his 28th of the season, Jake DeBrusk notches a new career-high in goals scored
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
No scoring.
2nd Period:
4:20 - SJS: Macklin Celebrini (25) from Tyler Toffoli and Luca Cagnoni (PPG)
3rd Period:
9:02 - VAN: Linus Karlsson (3) from Teddy Blueger and Drew O’Connor
Overtime:
4:42 - VAN: Jake DeBrusk (28) from Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser
Up Next:
The Canucks play in their last game of the season on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena for fan appreciation night. They’ll be taking on the Golden Knights, the current Pacific Division leaders. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
Mookie Betts, right, celebrates with Freddie Freeman after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning of a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers finally solved their recent offensive woes on Monday.
And the answer, it turned out, wasn’t much of a mystery.
Sure, manager Dave Roberts noted in his pregame media address, the Dodgers needed to be more selective at the plate, coming off a 3-6 skid over the last two weeks in which they’d hit .218 as a team and averaged barely three runs per game.
“When you’re swinging and trying to cover every pitch, all parts of the zone, that’s tough to do in the big leagues,” Roberts said. “I think having an idea of where you want to hunt is a good start for us.”
During afternoon batting practice, the Dodgers’ hitting coaches changed up the routine, too, having batters take swings off a high-velocity pitching machine — rather than soft tosses from members of the staff — in hopes of improving the offense’s mediocre production against fastballs.
“We always prioritize hitting velocity, and that’s something we haven’t done great,” hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said. “So, thought it was a good day to do it.”
But the biggest difference on Monday, in the Dodgers’ 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, was to the lineup itself.
Dodgers pitcher Dustin May celebrates after striking out Colorado's Michael Togliato end the fourth inning Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
And, for arguably the first time this season, the Dodgers’ Big 3 looked like their terrifying, thunderous selves — setting the tone, leading the way and quieting questions about the recently sluggish offense by keying a season-high 10-hit performance from the team.
“Those guys, they're perennial All-Stars for a reason,” Roberts said. “And having them do what they do is certainly helpful.”
On Monday, the Dodgers (12-6) were reminded of that from the very start.
Betts hit a two-run home run in the top of the first, after Ohtani led the game off with a single. Ohtani went yard himself in the third inning, collecting his fifth long ball of the season on a no-doubt blast to center. Freeman tacked on two hits in a return to form following time away on the injured list.
Combined, they were seven for 14 with three RBIs and all five runs scored — a stat line that would have been bigger if two long drives from Ohtani didn’t die at the warning track on a crisp Chavez Ravine night.
“We just gotta continue to have good at-bats,” Betts said.
Those weren’t the only contributions that aided the Dodgers in their series-opening win.
Dustin May continued his strong return to health with a six-inning, one-run, seven-strikeout gem against the Rockies (3-13) and a lineup that hadn’t scored in a whopping 32 innings until an RBI double from Kyle Farmer in the fifth.
“It wasn’t fun giving up the first run in five games for them,” May joked, “but it was a solid start, so can’t complain.”
Will Smith, who was batting fourth with Teoscar Hernández out because of a stomach bug, also had two hits and two RBIs, improving to eight for 11 when batting with runners in scoring position.
Still, it was the three MVPs atop the Dodgers' lineup that injected life back into their scuffling offense, grinding out the kind of productive and taxing at-bats that had been missing in recent weeks.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani beats a throw to Colorado first baseman Michael Toglia for a single Monday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Entering Monday, Ohtani was batting just .219 over his last eight games, cooling off from his blistering start. Same story with Betts, who hit .250 with just one extra base hit over his last 10 contests.
Then there was Freeman, the iron-man first baseman who reluctantly went on the injured list after re-aggravating his surgically repaired ankle earlier this month while slipping in the shower. After a one-for-seven showing in his return this past weekend against the Chicago Cubs, he opened with a single in the first and double in the third, before later reaching on an error in the sixth that led to a key insurance run.
Betts said the trio wasn’t feeling added pressure to snap the club out of its offensive funk. He noted that “everybody feels that responsibility, just because we all can do it.”
“We all know we’ve been struggling,” Betts said. “Everybody is trying to be the guy to get us out. But I think we have to kind of go the opposite way and stop trying so hard and just kind of let it happen ... when you just let things happen, just play the game like you always do, good things tend to happen.”
Nonetheless, the game is a lot easier for the Dodgers when their superstar trio is producing.
And on Monday, it trickled down to one of the club’s better all-around offensive showings. The Dodgers struck out just three times. They drew five walks. And they constantly “created stress,” as Roberts proudly pointed out, even though they squandered the opportunity to put more crooked numbers on the board by going just two for 10 with runners in scoring position.
“We took our walks, [created] a lot of traffic, really got to the starter,” Roberts said. “[We got] back to kind of who we are.”
Postgame, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza discusses what he saw in Monday's 5-1 win over the Twins...
Acuña making his mark
The Mets haven’t received much from the bottom of the order so far this season.
But on Monday night, Luisangel Acuña stepped up and put together one of his strongest showings of the year to this point -- reaching base three times and causing havoc with his electric speed.
The youngster got things started for New York in the top of the third as he led off the inning with a walk and then proceeded to steal second before coming around to score three batters later on a Pete Alonso single.
Two innings later, he lined a double down the right-field line, but was stranded there.
Acuña then led off the top of the seventh with a perfectly-placed bunt single down the third base line -- and he came around to score one two batters later on Juan Soto’s second homer of the season.
“Every time we get contributions from the bottom of the lineup it’s important,” Mendoza said. “Today Acuña had the walk, double, he got us going with a bunt single, stole a base. There’s a lot of different ways he can help us win games.”
Acuña is now riding a four-game hitting streak.
This recent hot stretch comes at a perfect time as Jeff McNeil continues to progress through his rehab assignment and will likely take over the bulk of the playing time at second base before you know it.
But Acuña could potentially continue finding his way into the lineup in center with Jose Siri now expected to miss significant time with a fractured tibia.
Is Vientos turning the corner?
He just might be.
After roping a go-ahead RBI double into the right-center field gap in the top of the sixth, Vientos now has knocks in three straight games and he’s driven in a run with a extra base-hit on back-to-back days.
He still has a ways to go to snap this early-season skid, but Mendoza is certainly happy with what he’s seen from the 25-year-old over the past few games.
“Overall he’s been giving us really good at-bats,” he said. “The results we haven’t got any -- but it’s a good sign, especially to hit it like that. I think it was a sinker and when he’s doing that those are some good signs for him.”
Vientos returning to form would be a huge boost for this struggling offense.
Mark Vientos drives a double and Pete Alonso scores all the way from first
Macklin Celebrini scored his 25th goal of the season but the San Jose Sharks lost the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 and now have a ten-game losing streak.
San Jose dealt with multiple injuries, which required three call-ups before the game. Luca Cagnoni, Jimmy Schuldt, and Danil Gushchin were all summoned from the San Jose Barracuda on short notice.
Dutchman struck on way to third consecutive victory
Alpecin-Deceuninck and UCI join with condemnation
The spectator who threw a bottle at Mathieu van der Poel during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix has surrendered to Flemish police. French justice officials launched an investigation after the Dutchman had a plastic bottle hurled at his face during his triumphant ride to a third consecutive Paris-Roubaix victory.
Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reported on Monday that the spectator who launched the projectile had since surrendered to Flemish police. And public prosecutor Filiep Jodts told the BBC: “We can confirm that the man presented himself to the police. An official report was drawn up, in which his statement was recorded. The Public Prosecution Service will decide in the coming days what action should be taken.”
Offensive lineman Kennedy Brown (Humble, TX/ Kingwood High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
Wide receiver Monshun Sales (Indianapolis, IN/ Lawrence North High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
When the Yankees pulled Carlos Carrasco in the fifth inning of last Tuesday's loss to the Detroit Tigers, the feel-good story he produced in spring training seemed like a distant memory. Of the four runs the veteran right-hander allowed at a frigid Comerica Park, three came via solo home runs, and he watched his ERA rise to a bloated 7.71.
But the 38-year-old demonstrated on Monday that his current spot in the starting rotation was still earned on merit, and not just given to him by neccessity. Carrasco twirled five innings of one-hit ball in the Yankees' 4-1 home win over the Kansas City Royals -- undoubtedly his most encouraging outing of the young season.
"Just moxie, man. His change was really good, had good bottom to it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Carrasco. "He was kind of working through his breaking balls as the night went on and he executed some good ones there. But his changeup was really good. He was in and around the strike zone enough, able to get a little chase with it too... A big five innings from him."
Carrasco found himself in an early jam by walking a pair in the first inning, but it didn't take long for him to work out of trouble and gain composure. His lone mistake was a slider thrown to Royals stud Bobby Witt Jr. that landed in the left field seats for a solo homer and ended a competitive 10-pitch battle.
The bounceback performance from Carrasco included four strikeouts across five frames, and brought his ERA down to 5.94 (four starts, 16.2 innings). He's lined up to make his next start on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend, in the ballpark that brought him good fortune during spring camp.
Dominguez finding his footing
If the Yankees felt that Jasson Dominguez needed a healthy amount of fly balls sent his way in left field on Monday, the Royals were more than willing to cooperate. The rookie registered a career-high six putouts behind Carrasco, and his most impressive catch came in the fourth inning when he took extra bases away from Salvador Perez with a leaping over-the-shoulder catch.
"It was tough, but got a good jump on it. Just kept my eyes on the ball," Dominguez said after the game. "For myself, after I make that play, it feels pretty good. Because I've been working every day with [coach Luis Rojas], putting in consistent work, and it's showing off."
The highlight-reel play was undoubtedly a confidence-booster for Dominguez, and once he returned to the dugout when the inning ended, his teammates were there to praise him. The transition from center field to left field has been far from seamless -- missplays in spring training raised some fair questions and concerns -- but he's clearly more comfortable with the route running.
Dominguez was once again taken out of the game late for defensive purposes -- Cody Bellinger replaced him in the ninth -- but he undoubtedly made strides on Monday that reaffirmed the Yankees' faith in him settling into the new positiion. Boone has also noticed the growth in Dominguez's tracking that simply comes from constant reps.
"What I like is the ease in the routes and the ease that he's getting to those balls," Boone said of Dominguez. "Since the start of the season, I feel like he's grown. The right footwork, the right move to the ball. And that's when you're going to start seeing the range with his speed show up... There's no greater teacher than experience."
"He keeps getting better, but those are two really good ones"
The Yankees entered Monday with just three homers in their previous seven games, and Royals starter Seth Lugo arrived in the Bronx with only two long balls allowed to them across 14 career meetings. So, naturally, New York's power stroke returned with a vengeance and defied some history.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the first of four homers off of Lugo in the fourth, and then in the fifth, Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Austin Wells took the veteran righty deep into the right field seats, pushing the Yankees' lead to 4-1. There wasn't a need for further offense -- the lefty long-ball quartet did the trick.
It was the first time that the Yankees scored four-plus runs all on solo homers since 2019, and their league-high mark in homers reached 32. Boone was pleased with the competitive at-bats against Lugo, and Chisholm mentioned the return of some warmer April weather as the remedy to some cold bats.
"[Lugo] throws a lot of strikes, so we just had to go out there and attack him the way he attacks us," Chisholm told the YES Network after the game. "It was exciting. We're just happy to be out here with some good weather, playing baseball and having fun again. It was hard the last couple days, playing in the cold. But we're here and ready for it to warm up so we can warm up."
Koppanen, a native of Tampere, Finland, registered a goal in 10 games with Pittsburgh. Since he hit the 10-game threshold, he required waivers in order to be eligible for reassignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).
In addition to the Koppanen move, it appears that defenseman Filip Kral is slated to be recalled from WBS and join the NHL club on an emergency basis for their final game of the regular season Thursday against the Washington Capitals.
Kral - originally a fifth-round draft pick (149th overall) in 2018 by Penguins' GM/POHO Kyle Dubas during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs - has registered seven goals and 29 points in 59 games with WBS this season.
