The Pittsburgh Penguins just wrapped up their 57th season, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season. Despite their recent lack of success, the franchise has appeared in the playoffs 37 times and won five championships.
Our newest series will reflect on how the Penguins performed on specific days leading up to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Today, May 11, Pittsburgh has compiled a 6-3 record in nine games on this date.
1991 - Game 6 Win vs. Boston Bruins (5-3)
1992 - Game 5 Win vs. New York Rangers (3-2)
1996 - Game 5 Win vs. New York Rangers (7-3)
1999 - Game 3 Win vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (4-3)
2008 - Game 2 Win vs. Philadelphia Flyers (4-2)
2009 - Game 6 Loss vs. Washington Capitals (5-4 OT)
2013 - Game 6 Win vs. New York Islanders (4-3 OT)
2014 - Game 6 Loss vs. New York Rangers (3-1)
2022 - Game 5 Loss vs. New York Rangers (5-3)
Notable Penguins Performances On This Day
May 11, 1991 - The Penguins advance to their first Stanley Cup Final with a Game 6 win over the Bruins, thanks in part to Larry Murphy's four points (goal, three assists) along with three point nights from Mario Lemieux (goal, two assists) and Mark Recchi (goal, two assists).
At the time, it was Murphy's first four-point playoff game, and Lemieux's sixth career three-point playoff game.
May 11, 1996 - Lemieux records his third and final career playoff hat trick. Meanwhile, Jaromir Jagr records his only postseason in the same game, the only time these two legends combined for six goals in one contest with the Penguins.
May 11, 1999 - Ten seasons after his first career three-point playoff game, Rob Brown picks up three assists in a 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs. Moreover, Jagr has a goal and two helpers for three points.
May 11, 2008 - Sergei Gonchar compiled his first three-point playoff game with the Penguins, registering three assists in a 4-2 win against the Flyers.
May 11, 2009 - Evgeni Malkin records three assists in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Capitals. At the time, it was his seventh three-point playoff game. As of 2025, he's up to 16.
May 11, 2013 - Brooks Oprik is the overtime hero, eliminating the Islanders in Game 6 with his first career overtime goal.
The Mets hope that the injury bug has stopped biting Blackburn as the right-hander pitched for the second time with the Syracuse Mets as he continues to work his way back from knee inflammation that flared up at the end of spring training and kept him off the Opening Day roster.
The 31-year-old got the start Sunday against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and had issues with his command while allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts in three innings. Blackburn threw 60 pitches (31 strikes).
He used his sinker on half of his offerings and got five whiffs (12 swings) and six called strikes. The curveball and slider accounted for nine balls on 10 pitches.
Blackburn's average velocity was up for his sinker (0.8 mph to 92) from his previous start at Jacksonville on Tuesday. He had better success on that occasion, allowing one run on three hits and a walk in 3.2 innings with five strikeouts, throwing 35 of 54 pitches for strikes.
His rehab assignment began with two outings at High-A Brooklyn, where he allowed three runs on six hits and two walks over 5.0 innings with seven strikeouts and two home runs.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday that the goal is for Blackburn to reach 70-75 pitches (which would be after one to two more starts after Sunday), before the Mets make a decision.
Leading off the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday, Clifford got a 2-1 breaking pitch that hung around the middle of the plate and did not miss it, launching it deep over the right-center wall for a 400+ foot dinger.
It was his third home run of the series against the Reading Fightin Phils and sixth in his first 30 games with Double-A Binghamton. And after an RBI single earlier in the game, he now has 19 batted in on the year. He is heating up, going 9-for-19 with nine RBI and five runs scored in his last five games.
It has been 19 months since Mauricio last played a big league game, after suffering a torn ACL while playing winter ball in December 2023. Speaking to Matt Levine of the Binghampton Rumble Ponies, the infielder said his knee feels "really good" as he continues to build back toward rejoining the Mets.
"He's working so hard, being in that situation that he's in right now, that the knee feels really well," Mariano Duncan, Binghamton's bench coach, said, who was serving as Mauricio's interpreter for the interview.
The 24-year-old has played just seven games in his rehab stint so far, but is "very excited" to have moved up the ranks to Double-A and continue progressing.
"The process has been a lot of ups and downs," Mauricio said, via Duncan. "There's a lot of setbacks since the injury. In the beginning, after the first surgery, the knee felt swollen, and they had to go to the second surgery."
But he's "so happy" to have worked hard and made it back to the field. And during the time out rehabbing, Mauricio "dedicated more time to his body," and he learned a lot about how to take care of it.
"Really tough, but so glad that everything is over," he said.
As far as some of the other young Mets – Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez – Maurico said he's "very happy to see them perform at the Major League level" and that is making him "push a little bit harder to try and go back an stay healthy" and join them in the big leauges.
In two games at Double-A so far, Mauricio has one hit (a double) in six at-bats with an RBI and a strikeout.
A playoff game between the Montreal Victoire and Ottawa Charge set a record for the longest game in Professional Women’s Hockey League history on Sunday night, spanning over 135 minutes and four overtime periods.
The puck dropped at 2:08 p.m. ET, and the game went on for more than five hours, finally coming to an end at 7:42 with Montreal winning 3-2.
Catherine Dubois scored the game-winning goal with just under five minutes remaining in the fourth overtime period to give Montreal its first playoff win in franchise history.
“I’m just happy we got a win and it’s over now,” Dubois said.
Québec native setting records in her home Province 🥺
It was the second consecutive year – on the exact same day – that Montreal’s second game of the postseason turned into a hockey marathon. Last season, Boston beat Montreal 2-1 in triple overtime with Taylor Wenczkowski’s game-winner at 111:44.
Sunday night’s game was more than 20 minutes longer than last year’s record (135:33) and longer than two regulation hockey games combined.
At one point during the game, Ottawa had packets of mustard and pickle juice on the bench, according to rinkside reporter Kelly Greig.
The @PWHL_Ottawa trainers have started taping packs of mustard to the bench. Apparently eating mustard can prevent cramping after playing for this long. pic.twitter.com/Wk8PKjwvaS
“At some point, you just laugh,” said Ottawa forward Emily Clark. “The mustard was coming out, the pickle juice … It honestly went down easier than I thought it was going to.”
For most of regulation it looked like Montreal might cruise to victory, holding a 2-0 lead in the third period. But Ottawa charged back with two goals in the final five minutes, including Brianne Jenner’s game-tying goal with only 42 seconds left to force overtime.
“There’s so much to be proud of,” said Ottawa defender Jocelyne Larocque, who led the team with 56 minutes of ice time. “We never gave up. We tied it up late in the game. We gave an amazing effort.”
Both teams had quality chances to end the game in the first overtime period, including five-on-three power plays on both sides, but failed to capitalize. Montreal forward Alexandra Labelle also appeared to win the game just minutes into the fourth overtime period, but the puck rang off the post behind Ottawa netminder Gwyneth Philips.
Finally, Dubois ended it on the 121st shot of the game. It was her first career playoff goal and builds off a strong regular season for Dubois, who finished tied for third in goals on the Victoire behind only captain Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey.
Montreal goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens set a record with 63 saves on 65 shots. Philips made 53 saves for the Charge, good for a franchise record.
Montreal defender Erin Ambrose logged a game-high 58:09 in ice time, less than her all-time high 61:33 in last year’s Game 2 thriller. Stacey led all forwards with 46:47; her 12 shots on goal is a PWHL single-game record.
It was the second-longest game in Montreal’s rich professional hockey history, just shy of Game 1 of the 1936 semifinals between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons (176:30). It was also the second consecutive year that Montreal’s second game of the postseason turned into a hockey marathon. Last season, Boston beat Montreal 2-1 in triple overtime en route to a 3-0 series win.
With the win Sunday, the Victoire have tied the best-of-five semifinal series and took a key step toward avenging last year’s opening-round sweep against Boston.
“I think that the group showed the grit that was needed to win a playoff game,” said Montreal coach Kori Cheverie. “I’d like to think that the momentum is in our corner, but we’ll have to wait and see and be able to put another game together for 60-plus minutes.”
In the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Minnesota Frost beat the Toronto Sceptres 7-5 in the highest-scoring game in league history. Minnesota, the reigning champion, now has a 2-1 series lead.
Who gets the Cup first? NHL insiders pick likely Stanley Cup handoff heroes for each contender.
The moment every kid dreams of is the one where they hoist the Stanley Cup. Some of the most memorable moments from Stanley Cup wins is when the team captain makes the first handoff to a player who worked long and hard to finally lift up the greatest trophy in sports.
Who could forget when Ray Bourque finally won his first Stanley Cup in year 22 of his legendary career? Or when Scott Niedermayer passed the Cup to his brother Rob in 2007?
These iconic moments endure through time, creating unforgettable memories as fans witness the players who’ve represented them for generations finally achieve the ultimate glory in the sport.
With that in mind we look at all the eight current Stanley Cup Contenders and spoke with team insiders as to which player would most likely get the first handoff.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
We spoke to both of The Hockey News' Winnipeg Jets insiders in Carter Brooks and Julian Gaudio with the two coming to the consensus that captain Adam Lowry’s first handoff would go to Mark Scheifele, the first-ever draft pick of this era of the Jets franchise.
The 32-year-old Kitchener native has been with the team for 14 seasons and has totaled 804 points through 879 career games. Scheifele is the longest active tenured Jet and makes the most sense for the honor of getting the Cup first.
Dallas Stars - Tyler Seguin (+800)
Mikko Rantanen is putting together a solid resume for the Conn Smythe trophy if the Stars were to win the cup but would that mean he gets the Cup first? Team insider Taylor Newby believes it would be longtime Star Tyler Seguin being the first handoff.
After spending the first three years of his career in Boston, Seguin has solidified himself as a Dallas Stars legend with 688 points through 786 games over 12 seasons with the team.
He and captain Jamie Benn have been known to have a very close relationship and they are the team's two longest tenured players and would make the most sense for them to celebrate the moment together.
Edmonton Oilers - Adam Henrique (+10000)
The Devils run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012 was headlined by several big goals by a young Henrique, who put his name on the map. Unfortunately the Devils fell just short but the now 35-year-old centre is still on the hunt for his first cup and could get a chance with the red hot Oilers.
People expect McDavid to pass it to his star teammate in Draisaitl but history shows the veterans get it first. When Sidney Crosby won all three of his Stanley Cups, none of his first handoffs were to superstar teammate Evgeni Malkin.
The 31-year-old forward came close to lifting lord Stanley when reaching the Finals in 2016 with the San Jose Sharks. Gaudio also covers the Golden Knights and spoke to Hertl's character of being a positive guy and that the team would be more than happy to give him to Cup first.
Toronto Maple Leafs - John Tavares (+750)
The hometown hero has been a difference maker to Toronto’s success this season, racking up 74 points—including 38 goals, matching the second-highest total of his career. After being the Leafs captain over the last five seasons, Tavares stepped down to allow superstar Auston Matthews to take over as the leader and face of the franchise they drafted him to be.
Johnny Toronto getting the Cup first makes as he is the third-oldest player on the team but an honorable mention is veteran Max Pacioretty, who is the oldest on the team at 36 years old.
Florida Panthers - Nate Schmidt (+1500)
The runaway favourite for the defending Stanley Cup Champions is newcomer Nate Schmidt, who has come close before when reaching the Finals in 2018 with the Vegas Golden Knights.
At age 33, Schmidt has played nearly 750 games and has accrued a dominant +106 rating, which is 48th-best in the NHL since joining the league back in the 2013-14 season.
Carolina Hurricanes - Brent Burns (+490)
Hurricanes insider Ryan Henkel agrees with sportsbooks that have Burns as the overall favourite to be the first handoff for the cup.
The sure-fire Hall-of-Fame defenceman has never won before despite ranking ninth all-time in goals and 12th in points. He currently holds the fourth longest iron man streak in the NHL and is three games short of 1,500 games played.
Washington Capitals - Nic Dowd (+10000)
Washington's pick is easy as the 34-year-old winger joined the Caps shortly after they won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and has become such an integral part of the team that many may not know, he hasn't won yet.
Team captain Alex Ovechkin will surely spot that their second-oldest player on the roster after himself hasn't won yet and deserves the respect of getting the first handoff.
After a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 2, the Carolina Hurricanes bounced back in a big way in Game 3. The Hurricanes put together a strong effort in Game 3, defeating the Capitals by a 4-0 final score.
Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen was undoubtedly a significant reason for the victory, as he recorded a 21-save shutout. Hurricanes forward Jack Roslovic also stepped up for the Metropolitan Division club, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Jackson Blake, Eric Robinson, and Andrei Svechnikov all scored for the Hurricanes as well.
With their strong team effort, the Hurricanes now sport a 2-1 series lead over the Capitals. With this, they now have a major opportunity in front of them heading into Game 4. If the Hurricanes can win at home again, they will take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Capitals. This would be massive for the Hurricanes, as it is always incredibly challenging for teams to overcome 3-1 deficits.
A loss to the Capitals, on the other hand, would certainly be a tough blow for the Hurricanes. If the Hurricanes are defeated in Game 4, the series will be tied back up at 2-2, and the Capitals would regain their home-ice advantage. Thus, this matchup carries great weight for both teams.
Nevertheless, it will be very interesting to see if the Hurricanes can stay hot and pick up a win in Game 4 from here.
There’s no longer a chance — however Slim (pun intended) it ever was — of Isaiah Evans remaining in the NBA draft process. Evans has withdrawn from the NBA draft process and will not participate in the NBA Draft Combine, which begins in Chicago this week. The 6-6, 175-pounder remaining in the NBA draft always seemed to be a longshot.
The Winnipeg Jets continue their road woes, dropping Game 3 to the Dallas Stars 5-2.
The Stars broke the ice in Game 3 and went into the first intermission with a one-goal lead. Roope Hintz recorded his fifth goal of the playoffs on the power play. Mikko Rantanen was once again involved in the scoring, picking up an assist on the goal. Kyle Connor added his fifth of the playoffs to tie the game, but Thomas Harley, who continues to evolve, scored his third of the postseason to regain the lead.
Harley's goal was the first Stars goal that Rantanen had not picked a point on since Apr. 28. Rantanen had picked up points on 14 consecutive Stars goals.
The Jets were able to tie the game in the second period after Josh Morrissey danced around the blue line before setting up Nino Niederreiter for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
In the third period, a lengthy review determined that Alexander Petrovic did not kick the puck, but also that Connor Hellebuyck knocked it into his net, giving the Stars the 3-2 advantage. Rantanen added to the lead less than a minute later, scoring his ninth goal of the playoffs and fourth of the series. Wyatt Johnston gave the Stars a three-goal lead with his fourth of the playoffs.
Lulls in focus have hampered the Jets at home, giving up consecutive goals in periods for the fourth straight game. Hellebuyck has now allowed five or more goals in all four road games, and Mark Scheifele has not recorded a point on the road.
The Jets will attempt to tie the series at two games apiece on Tuesday when the teams play Game 4.
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DENVER — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder finally outplayed Denver in crunch time, beating the Nuggets 92-87 on Sunday to knot their second-round series at two games apiece.
The Thunder trailed 69-63 after three quarters and fell behind by eight when Peyton Watson started the fourth quarter by swishing a hook shot. But Oklahoma City used an 11-0 run fueled by reserves Cason Wallace, who had a pair of 3-pointers, and Aaron Wiggins, who added another, to take control.
Wallace's second 3-pointer put Oklahoma City ahead for good at 75-73.
The Nuggets had outlasted the youngest team in the NBA with wins in Games 1 and 3, crediting their playoff experience and championship pedigree. And they looked poised to put the top-seeded team in the West on the cusp of elimination when Aaron Gordon's turnaround jumper made it 73-66.
This time, however, it was the Thunder who came up big down the stretch and the Nuggets who fumbled away the chance to put OKC in a 3-1 hole.
Game 5 is Tuesday night back in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder had a 43-point blowout of the Nuggets in Game 2.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Christian Braun and Jamal Murray each had 17 points and Gordon scored 15. Michael Porter Jr. scored just three points after scoring 15 Friday night.
Wiggins and Wallace each added 11 points and Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams each scored 10. Williams was 2 for 13 from the floor after scoring 32 in Game 3.
The teams played a physical, overtime game Friday night, not leaving Ball Arena until the early morning hours on Saturday. And the early Mother's Day start - 1:30 p.m. local time - led to some tired legs and a ton of errant shots.
Both teams went 3 for 22 from deep in the first half and they slumbered through a combined 25-point first quarter, which tied an NBA playoff record for fewest points in the opening quarter.
Tony Gonsolin throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning Sunday. (Darryl Webb / Associated Press)
At the end of a grueling 10-game trek around the country, and in search of their first winning trip this season, the Dodgers got exactly what they needed Sunday afternoon.
A strong start from right-hander Tony Gonsolin. A huge performance from the top of their lineup. And a thorough 8-1 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks, splitting a four-game series at Chase Field this weekend to return home from this week-and-a-half-long trip with a 6-4 record that keeps them in first place in the National League West.
“Really good team win,” manager Dave Roberts said.
In a battle of two former All-Stars on Sunday, Gonsolin outdueled Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen, tossing five scoreless innings to earn his second win in three starts since returning from Tommy John surgery — and a back injury that forced him to miss the first month of the season — this year.
“His delivery looks really good,” Roberts said of Gonsolin, who has a 2.80 ERA in his first three starts this season while looking much closer to the 2022 All-Star version of himself than he did while pitching through his elbow injury in 2023.
“I think that what he's doing right now is signs of 2022,” Roberts added. “You have the experience of a guy that is seasoned [and] really knows what he's capable of.”
Gonsolin faced little stress Sunday, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out four. Only twice did the Diamondbacks (21-20) get a runner in scoring position against him, stranding two runners aboard in the first and third. After that, Gonsolin finished his 84-pitch outing — one shortened given his recent return from injury, and because he was the first Dodgers pitcher this year to make a start on four days’ rest — by retiring six of his final seven batters.
“I'm feeling pretty good,” Gonsolin said, noting that “the shapes and the velos and everything around my stuff have really come around” after spending much of the last two years rehabbing from his Tommy John procedure.
Gallen, on the other hand, had trouble with the Dodgers (27-14) and the three superstars at the top of the their lineup.
In the first inning, Mookie Betts singled and scored all the way from first on a Freddie Freeman double in the gap. In the fifth, Shohei Ohtani and Betts led with consecutive singles, setting up Freeman for a sacrifice fly and Will Smith for an RBI single through a drawn-in infield.
The next time the top of the order came up, with a runner on third and two out in the sixth, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo went to his bullpen, summoning left-hander Joe Mantiply to face Ohtani. It didn’t work, with Ohtani roping an RBI single to right to make it 4-0. When Mantiply returned to the mound in the seventh, it was Freeman’s turn to tee off, hitting his ninth home run of the year into the Chase Field pool for a 5-0 lead.
In a three-run ninth, Betts tacked on another home run before Freeman completed a four-for-four day with a single, later scoring on Smith’s RBI double.
“It was a long road trip. A lot of late flights, late ‘get-ins.’ And to have a winning road trip, that was good,” Freeman said. “Especially after getting shut out yesterday, to come out and score some runs.”
In all, the Dodgers' Big 3 went nine for 14 with six runs scored and five runs driven in. Freeman’s four hits raised his batting average to .376 and his OPS to 1.171 — both second in the majors, among hitters with 100 at-bats, behind only Aaron Judge.
“Just seeing strikes and hitting them,” Freeman said of his hot start, which has come even with the right ankle he had surgery on this offseason still not 100%. “I wish there was more I could give you. I do the same routine every day, try to hit strikes. And they’re just falling right now.”
Check-ins for Snell, Glasnow
When Blake Snell accompanied the Dodgers on this 10-game trip, the expectation was that he would begin a throwing progression after missing the last month with shoulder inflammation.
But after having the start of his catch play pushed back once last week because he was feeling under the weather, Snell did not play catch as expected Sunday, either, because of continued discomfort in his left throwing shoulder.
“We felt that it was best to let him see our team doc before we make any other moves,” Roberts said.
That check-in with head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache will come Monday, in what had been a pre-scheduled evaluation. Tyler Glasnow, who is also on the injured list with shoulder inflammation but did begin playing catch again this week back in Los Angeles, will have a check-in Monday as well.
Since first getting hurt, Snell attempted to restart his throwing program once last month, but stopped because of continued shoulder pain. He had one pain-relieving injection after that, but has evidently not improved enough to begin working his way back to action yet.
Asked if his concern with Snell’s injury has risen amid the pitcher’s continued shoulder pain, Roberts was coy.
"I guess I'll know more [after tomorrow],” Roberts said. “I can answer that question more once he sees our team docs."
Sometimes, an NHL player more or less owns a particular opponent. Whether it’s happenstance or deliberate dominance, there are unquestionably powerful performances made by certain NHLers against certain teams. And there’s probably no better example of a player laying the boots to one franchise than Florida Panthers left winger Brad Marchand’s amazing play against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That’s the third-highest career total of any opponent in Maple Leafs history – only Detroit Red Wings legends Gordie Howe (53 points) and Alex Delvecchio (35) have more post-season points against Toronto. And those players put up those points at a time when there were far fewer teams in the league, making it all the more remarkable that Marchand has been so devastating to the Leafs’ aspirations in a 30-plus-team NHL.
But the 37-year-old Marchand has been a not-so-silent assassin since he began his NHL days in 2009. Marchand’s Game 3-winner against Toronto was his 14th career game-winning goal in the post-season – the most among active NHL players. And Marchand’s game-winner against the Maple Leafs was his fifth career post-season game-winner against Toronto. That ties him with Montreal Canadiens icon Jean Beliveau for the most game-winning playoff goals against the Buds.
In some respects, you could’ve forgiven Leafs GM Brad Treliving if he went out at this year’s trade deadline and acquired Marchand. Of course, the best way you can contain Marchand is to have him on your team. But Marchand wanted to be dealt to the Panthers, and that’s the best stroke of good fortune Florida could’ve asked for.
The Panthers didn’t trade for Marchand strictly because they envisioned a playoff showdown against the Leafs, but you’d be fooling yourself if you believed that Marchand’s success against Toronto didn’t cross the mind of Florida GM Bill Zito when he decided to acquire Marchand.
There’s still lots of the Leafs/Panthers series to be played, and let’s not forget, Toronto did win the first two games of the series with Marchand being on the losing end of things. But the Maple Leafs have been haunted by Marchand for a very long time now, and the prospect of Marchand continuing to thrive against Toronto has to be driving Leafs fans crazy.
The Leafs were within one goal of going up three games to none in the series against Florida, but Marchand stopped that from happening with his latest timely goal. Time will tell if Toronto can shake off the Marchand-related demons of the past and get to the Eastern Conference final this spring, but one thing is for certain – Marchand will go down in history as one of the Maple Leafs’ toughest opponents.
The Yankees’ batters continued to stay hot with Aaron Judge adding four hits and Ben Rice smacking a grand slam, and Ryan Yarbrough delivered five strong innings in New York’s 12-2 shellacking of the Athletics Sunday in West Sacramento.
In the three games, the Yanks pounded out 29 runs and took two of three to improve to 23-17 on the year. The A's fell to 21-20 (8-13 in their minor-league accommodations). The Yankees hit 16 balls with exit velocities over 99.8 mph, with 11 going for hits (five for extra bases).
Here are the takeaways...
- In the second, Paul Goldschmidt got the Yanks going with a leadoff double off ex-Yank Luis Severino. A wild pitch moved Goldschmidt to third as Jasson Dominguez worked a walk and Anthony Volpe’s single through the left side of the inning plated the first run of the game. Austin Wells stayed on a low and away 0-2 changeup for a single to load the bases and Oswaldo Cabrera tallied an RBI walk, leading to a mound visit. After Jorbit Vivas traded an out for a run on a grounder to short, Severino hit Rice on the back foot, missing on a 1-2 sweeper.
Judge, who struck out his first time up, ripped a two-RBI single to right on a sinker that leaked right over the plate. Cody Bellinger’s soft liner to second and Goldschmidt’s liner to right ended the frame with the visitors up 5-0.
- After Severino’s 37-pitch second, Dominguez smashed a single off the glove of a diving second baseman for a first-pitch base hit in the third. Severino got Volpe to line out and Wells swinging, but on Cabrera's double to the left-center gap, Dominguez ran through a late stop sign at third and got in with a head-first dive, beating the tag to score from first.
- The Yanks chased Severino in the fifth with Dominguez singling to right and Volpe to left that put runners on the corners with nobody out. Mitch Spence would hit Wells to load the bases. Cabrera grounded out, Vivas went down swinging, but Rice took a 3-1 cutter down and in and clobbered it 398-feet (111.2 mph off the bat) down the right field line for a grand slam, the first of his career.
After Judge and Bellinger singled, Goldschmidt lined a double off the left field wall for an RBI double before Dominguez couldn’t check his swing to end the inning with two in scoring position. But the damage was done; it was 11-1 Yanks.
- Ryan Yarbrough needed eight pitches for a 1-2-3 first. The lefty surrendered a bloop single, but cleaned up his mess with a room service 6-4-3 double play and a comebacker meant another quick inning on 10 pitches. He walked ex-Yank Gio Urshela with two down, but got Jacob Wilson, who entered the game batting .358, swinging on a half swing.
A seeing-eye single past Cabrera and Volpe and a first-pitch single to left put two runners on off Yarbrough in the fourth. A flyout to right saw the runner tag and take third as the ball carried a bit on Bellinger. Miguel Andujar lobbed an RBI bloop single to center, but Vivas made a diving stop on a grounder to second and a pop fly to right ended the threat with two in scoring position.
With the lead at 10, Yarbrough got the fifth to look for a chance to earn a win, as his pitch count was 59. JJ Bleday launched a first-pitch homer to right and Urshela singled to left, but the lefty got around that without any further damage.
It looked like this would be the second start as an opener on the year, but thanks to some efficient work, Yarbrough did the business. His final line: 5 innings, two runs, six hits, one walk, two strikeouts, on 67 pitches (43 strikes).
- New York tacked on another run in the seventh, after Rice got plunked for the second time, Judge cracked a single and with one out, Goldschmidt plated a run with a ground-rule double to right.
Judge, who added a hustle double in the alley in left-center in the fourth, finished the day 4-for-5 with two RBI and saw his slashline balloon to .409/.494/.779 for a 1.273 OPS.
Goldschmidt finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and is now batting .349 with a .898 OPS. Dominguez (2-for-4) with a walk and three strikeouts and Volpe (2-for-5) with an RBI and a strikeout also had multi-hit days.
- Out of the bullpen, Yerry De Los Santos pitched three scoreless frames with two walks and a strikeout on 34 pitches (22 strikes). Lefty Tyler Matzek, with Rice working behind the dish, allowed a hit and added a strikeout in the ninth, needing 21 pitches (14 strikes).
Game MVP: Aaron Judge
Last year's AL MVP continues to be a menace in the batter's box through 40 games this year.
New York continues the road trip heading up to Seattle for a three-game series with the Mariners. The Yanks have yet to name starters for the series.
Right-hander Emerson Hancock (5.70 ERA, 1.563 WHIP in 23.2 innings) gets the ball for the M's in the series opener on Monday, 9:40 p.m. EDT first pitch.
The three who died as a result of the crash were all in a Kia Soul, which collided with a Dodge Durango being driven by Hayes on Saturday afternoon, police said. No tickets or criminal charges have been filed, though the investigation is continuing.
DETROIT — Josh Jung delivered a special Mother’s Day gift to his mom, Mary.
The Texas Rangers third baseman hit a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth inning of his team’s 6-1 win at Detroit on Sunday. Jung’s brother, Jace, was in the Tigers’ lineup at the same position.
Before the game, Mary Jung delivered the game ball to the mound and her sons joined her on the field.
“My heart is just exploding. I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better Mother’s Day gift,” Mary Jung said in an interview on the Rangers’ telecast. “We’re all in the same place, to begin with. But then to watch them live their dream, do what they love to do, I couldn’t be more proud.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time since the first national Mother’s Day in 1914 that a major league player homered against his brother.
“It’s a pretty cool feat, pretty rare,” Josh Jung said.
The Jungs’ parents, Mary and Jeff, were in attendance throughout the three-game series. The brothers also started on Saturday when Texas won 10-3.
“To everybody involved — parents, my brother and I, his girlfriend — all encompassing, I think everyone had a great time, a great moment,” Josh Jung said. “Any time we all get to be in the same city, which is kind of rare now, it’s special. To be able to play against each other, I know my parents are super proud. All the emotions come out because of all the sacrifices they’ve made for us. There’s no way to say thank you, but hopefully they were super proud watching us both going out there and playing the same position for these last two days.”
The Jung brothers gave their parents jerseys prior to the game — half with Texas blue, the other side with Detroit white. Their mom had already purchased a similar jersey.
The Jung brothers escorted Mary to the mound and she placed the ball there before Tigers starter Reese Olson’s first pitch.
“Super cool moments, pinch-me moments,” Josh Jung said. “It will probably never happen again.”
DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have fired Bud Black, the winningest manager in franchise history, after a 7-33 start that’s one of the worst in Major League Baseball history.
Colorado promoted third base coach Warren Schaeffer to be the interim manager, the team announced Sunday after a 9-3 win over San Diego. That victory wasn’t enough to save Black’s job after the Rockies lost 21-0 to the Padres on Saturday. They also fired bench coach Mike Redmond. Hitting coach Clint Hurdle takes over as interim bench coach.
The Rockies have the worst 40-game start since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who were 6-34.
Former Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury Named To NHL Quarter-Century TeamTwo days after Pittsburgh Penguins' forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were named to the NHL Quarter-Century Team, another longtime former teammate will be joining them.
