NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s pitch clock was no match for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins.
New York’s 9-7 win Saturday night lasted 3 hours, 49 minutes, the longest nine-inning game since the pitch clock was instituted for the 2023 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
MLB had not had a nine-inning game that long since Boston’s 13-9 with over Baltimore went 3:57 on Sept. 27, 2022, according to Elias.
The previous high for a nine-inning game since the pitch clock started in 2023 was 3:45 for the Oakland Athletics’ 7-6 win at the New York Mets on Aug. 15, 2024.
New York and Miami combined for 379 pitches by 13 pitchers, and Marlins pitchers walked 10, increasing their total to 21 in the first two games of the series. There were 21 runners left on base, including 12 by Miami.
MLB’s average time of a nine-inning game dropped from 3:04 in 2022 to 2:40 the following year when the clock was instituted and decreased to 2:36 in 2024, its lowest since 1984’s 2:35. It rose to 2:38 last year.
The average game time passed 3 hours for the first time in 2016. It reached a record 3:10 in 2021 before the introduction of the PitchCom electronic pitch-calling device helped bring it down to 3:04 in 2022.
DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 22: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on prior to the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on January 22, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors will reach the midway point of their five-game homestand with Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the Houston Rockets. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and will be nationally televised on NBC, with streaming available on Peacock.
The Warriors had a chance to snap their two-game losing streak against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, but their late push came up short in a 118–111 loss. After playing severely shorthanded the night prior, Golden State welcomed back several key contributors, including Gui Santos and Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 25 and 16 points, respectively. In addition to that, Brandin Podziemski tied Santos for the team-high with 25 points of his own.
Their combined scoring helped keep the game competitive, but Cleveland’s star power ultimately proved too much. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 44 points, while Max Strus caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down six of his 10 three-point attempts to seal the Warriors’ 41st loss of the season.
The biggest storyline entering Sunday night’s matchup against the Rockets is the expected return of Steph Curry. The Warriors’ superstar has missed 27 games with a knee injury suffered in January, but after fully participating in practice earlier this week, he appears on track to return.
On Saturday, Curry spoke about the injury during his press conference.
Steph Curry details the knee injury that held him out 27 games
“I thought I was going to be out a week. Ten days max.”
“There is nothing structurally wrong with my knee. So it’s not like I’m compromised out there. It is a new normal, though.” pic.twitter.com/5ZIL6xyyJN
If Curry does suit up, one key element to watch will be his on-court fit with Porzingis. The Warriors’ starting big man has already shown he can thrive in team’s system, but his ability to complement Curry could elevate the offense to another level. With Porzingis providing both floor spacing and a vertical lob threat, and Curry’s gravity consistently drawing multiple defenders, the pairing has the potential to be highly effective.
“I don’t know how people are going to guard our pick and roll.”
Steph Curry is excited to play with Kristaps Porzingis. Warriors face the Rockets tmrw. pic.twitter.com/OWjChjKWbG
Of course, with just five games remaining, the Warriors are virtually locked into the 10th seed in the Western Conference, making the results of these final games largely insignificant from a standings perspective. Still, Curry understands the importance of building momentum heading into the Play-In Tournament and will look to make the most of his time on the floor as Golden State prepares for the challenge ahead.
Steph Curry on what can still be ahead for the Warriors this season
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 05: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics drives with the ball against Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the Toronto Raptors during the first half at TD Garden on April 05, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jaylen Brown’s 26 points led the Boston Celtics to a 115-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Easter Sunday at TD Garden, completing the team’s 4-0 season sweep over its division rival.
That “rivalry” has been pretty lopsided in recent years. Boston has gone 15-1 against Toronto over the past four regular seasons and has not lost a season series against the Raptors since 2016-17.
While the teams have not faced off in the playoffs since the 2020 NBA Bubble, that could change this year.
With today’s win, the Celtics are 53-25 and hold a commanding three-game lead over the New York Knicks for second seed in the Eastern Conference, with only four games left to go. Unless Boston bottoms out over that final run, it will face the seventh seed as determined by the Play-In Tournament.
With today’s loss, the Raptors are 43-35 and tied record-wise with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Toronto loses that tiebreaker since its 4-11 division record is worse than Philly’s 9-7. That leaves the Raptors as the East’s current seventh seed and lined up for a potential appearance in the play-ins.
Today’s game was the first time all season that the Celtics’ injury report was clear, as Nikola Vučević returned almost a month after undergoing surgery to stabilize a fractured right ring finger.
Boston started Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta.
The Raptors were without Immanuel Quickley, who missed his eighth straight game to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, and Chucky Hepburn, who tore the meniscus in his right knee in January and has yet to return.
Toronto started Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl.
Boston got off to a hot start, taking a 10-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. A lot of that can be credited to Neemias Queta, who got three easy buckets off of assists from Brown and White as Toronto’s defense crowded the perimeter and left the paint open for Queta to dominate.
With the help of some sloppy play and three Celtics turnovers, the Raptors went on a mini-run and tied the game at 12-12, but a Tatum three-pointer, Queta putback and four straight points from Brown put Boston back up 19-15.
With five minutes to go in the first quarter, Coach Joe Mazzulla subbed in Baylor Scheierman — who immediately hit a three-pointer — Vučević, Jordan Walsh and Payton Pritchard for everyone but Brown.
Vooch looked rusty in his first minutes back on the court, turning the ball over on a bad pass and missing his first three-point attempt. During that time, Toronto took its first lead of the game 24-22, with about two minutes to go in the quarter.
During the last play of the quarter, Tatum drove to the rim and made an impressive pass to Vučević on the perimeter, but Vooch missed his second three-point attempt. The quarter ended with the teams tied 26-26.
Early in the second quarter, Tatum strong-armed a block on RJ Barrett, leading to an open Hauser three-point make and a technical foul on Barrett, who was upset with the no-call.
Tatum hit the technical free throw to put the Celtics up 31-30, but the Raptors hit the next two shots and took a 34-30 lead with 10 minutes to go in the half. Ja’Kobe Walter led Toronto’s early efforts with a 13-point start on 5-6 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from three-point range.
A 10-0 run increased the Raptors’ lead to 38-30, but the Celtics got a few offensive rebounds on the next play to snap their scoreless run with a strong Queta layup. His early dominance continued into the second quarter, as he got another putback bucket, as well as an easy cutting dunk off of a Tatum assist.
While the Celtics continued to struggle on offense, the Raptors shared in the lull, allowing Boston to tie the game at 42 with about three minutes to go in the half.
Derrick White hit a three-pointer to take the lead back, 45-42, and after some back-and-forth scoring, Tatum hit a three from the top of the key to go up 52-46.
Brown hit the team’s final shot of the quarter to extend the lead to 54-46 at the half. He finished the half with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-10 shooting from the field.
Tatum had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals on 50% shooting from the field and 2-3 shooting from three-point range, but also had 5 turnovers — more than half of the team’s 9 total turnovers — and 3 personal fouls at the half.
Queta was the Celtics’ undisputed MVP of the first half, leading the team with 16 points on 8-9 shooting from the field, 5 rebounds and an assist. He was at the heart of the Celtics’ 24-8 run to end the second quarter, which began when he subbed back into the game with less than nine minutes to go in the half.
To begin the third quarter, Tatum slithered past a solid Queta screen and through the Raptors’ defense for a dunk. He also secured his sixth double-double in seven games with his 10th rebound with 22 minutes left to go in the game.
Queta’s strong play continued with a pair of soaring blocks over the first few minutes of the second half, but he was subbed out in favor of Vučević with about 7:30 to go in the third quarter as the team was up 62-57.
Vooch got his first bucket of the night off of an offensive rebound, but did little else during his second stint on the court.
Boston’s struggles with turnovers did not let up in the third quarter, as the Celtics racked up 5 more turnovers over the first six minutes of the second half. The Raptors kept up the pressure and tied the game at 69-69 with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter.
Queta was subbed back in for Vučević with about four minutes left to go in the third quarter and he got his third block of the night shortly after.
Toronto again tied the game at 75-75, but a wild corner three from Brown once again put the Celtics on top, 78-75.
The teams went back-and-forth over the last two minutes of the third, which finished with Boston leading 80-77.
The fourth quarter began with an absurd behind-the-back pass from Tatum to an open Payton Pritchard for a three-pointer, then a Vučević bucket to put the C’s up 85-77.
With the help of another Pritchard bucket and a Toronto turnover, then a foul on a Tatum three-pointer, the Celtics secured their first double-digit lead of the night at 89-79 with 10 minutes to go in the final frame.
When it looked like the Raptors may bring the lead back to single digits, Sam Hauser got an and-1 to extend the lead to 96-83.
Toronto cut the lead to 98-91 with a couple Brandon Ingram jumpers over Pritchard, but Queta got a massive putback dunk and White hit his second three-pointer of the night to extend the lead back up to 103-91 with about four minutes remaining.
The Celtics all but ended the night with a sudden scoring explosion sparked by Brown in the final minutes. Brown used some slick moves to make Barrett buckle over and touch the court before he blew by for an easy driving layup. He then got his own rebound off of a free throw miss and put it back in for another bucket to put Boston up by 14.
After a Tatum layup and White fadeaway, Brown got a steal and dunked it to bring the Celtics’ lead to 18 points with less than three minutes to go.
Brown finished the game with 26 points on 55% shooting from the field, with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Tatum had 23 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 5 turnovers.
Queta racked up 18 points, 7 rebounds — five of them on the offensive end — 4 assists and three blocks.
In Vooch’s first chance to play alongside Jayson Tatum, he finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes of play.
Overall, Boston shot an abysmal 8-28 (28.6%) from three-point range, but finished the game with 76 points in the paint and 9 more rebounds than Toronto (44-31). While turnovers were an issue for the Celtics, both teams ended with 15 turnovers, and there was only a 2-point difference in points off of turnovers for the game.
The Celtics’ next game will be another potential first-round preview, as Boston will take on the rolling Charlotte Hornets at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 7, at the TD Garden.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 5: Mickey Moniak #22 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field on April 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies successfully avoided the sweep in their first home series of the season, putting away the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Very strong pitching—a key theme through most of the nascent season thus far—helped the Rockies keep the Phillies at bay while three home runs from Rockies bats powered them to victory.
Some Sugar in your Easter basket
We can see why they call him “Tommy Sugar,” because Tomoyuki Sugano’s (菅野 智之) start this afternoon sure was sweet. The veteran Japanese righty was excellent in his Coors Field debut. He gave up just one earned run—a solo home run off the bat of slugger Adolis García in the second inning—through six innings of work. He became the first Rockies starter of the season to go six innings and the first to notch a Quality Start. Sugano struck out five Phillies hitters while giving up just four hits and one walk. He was also efficient and commanded the zone well. Sugano threw 78 pitches, 51 of which were strikes. Sugano also did a good job keeping the ball out of the air, recording eight outs via the groundout.
All four of the Rockies’ runs scored in their win against the Phillies came via some much needed power swings. Mickey Moniak opened things up with a solo home run in his first at-bat during the first inning. When Hunter Goodman reached via single, rookie TJ Rumfield showed off some thump of his own by sending the ball over the right field wall.
However, Moniak wasn’t one to be shown up. Perhaps to make up for losing the ball in the sun twice on defense during this series—once during the Home Opener and once today—Moniak sent his second home run of the game out of the park in the bottom of the fifth inning.
It may be early in the season, but this Rockies bullpen is earning their stripes through their first three series with a combined 3.12 ERA for one of the better marks in the league. The bullpen was dialed in after taking over for Tomoyuki Sugano. Jaden Hill pitched a hitless and scoreless frame, though he also received a little help from the former Gold Glove winner Brenton Doyle. After a runner reached on an error from Edouard Julien, Doyle made an outstanding leaping catch into the wall to keep the Phillies off the board.
Brennan Bernardino worked an excellent 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts while Victor Vodnik entered the game for his second save opportunity of the season after blwoing a save in Toronto. Vodnik gave up a leadoff single to Alec Bohm before striking out Bryson Stott. There was a little sweat on a warm and sunny day when Adolis García reached via a single that got past first baseman Troy Johnston, but Vodnik struck out the next two batters to end the game and earn the save.
Starting tomorrow evening the Rockies will host the Houston Astros for a three-game series. The right-handed Ryan Feltner is scheduled to make the start for the Rockies, while the Astros have yet to announce their starter after their ace Hunter Brown was placed on the injured list today. First pitch will be at 6:40 PM MDT.
Tim David belted eight sixes in a blistering 70 not out to fire Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second win of the IPL season, hammering Chennai Super Kings by 43 runs on Sunday.
Apr 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Mickey Moniak (22) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Phillies were going for a sweep over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday. But two home runs by Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak and a second straight day of quiet offense from the Phillies allowed the Rockies to avert the sweep as they beat the Phillies 4-1.
Taijuan Walker was looking to rebound after a poor start his last time out, and after quickly retiring the first two batters of the game, it looked like he might. But then Mickey Moniak sent a ball into the right field stands, and after a Hunter Goodman single, T.J. Rumfield hit a home run of his own to put the Phillies in a 3-0 hole.
Walker settled down after that and kept the Rockies off the board until the fifth. That’s when the player the Phillies took with the first overall pick of the 2016 draft hit another ball out of the park.
I’d say this was Moniak’s revenge game, but I’m not sure what he’s getting revenge for; Being a massive disappointment, prompting them to trade him for Noah Syndergaard? I guess good for him for establishing himself as a major league player, but this was annoying.
In Coors Field, a three-run deficit shouldn’t be insurmountable, especially since the Phillies’ bullpen chipped in three scoreless innings behind Walker. But since the early explosion on Friday afternoon, the Phillies’ bats have been quiet. The last two days have featured far too many meek at bats, and it seems like the few hard-hit balls have been hit to the wrong part of the park.
That Kyle Schwarber fly out came off the bat at 107.8 mph and traveled 421 feet.
It had an expected batting average of .970 and would have left 28/30 parks. That would have put the Phillies ahead.
The top five of the Phillies’ order went 2-19 against Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano and three relievers, and that’s not good enough, especially in a hitter’s park.
It would have been nice to come away with another win, especially since the Phillies will travel to San Francisco for a three-game series. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2017, and if the bats don’t show more than they did this weekend, that streak is likely to continue for another year.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 16, 2026: Kevin Alcántara #13 of the Chicago Cubs hits an RBI double during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark on March 16, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Right-hander Ryan Jensen joins the I-Cubs to take Riley Martin’s spot.
Starter Vince Velazquez got the win with five strong innings. He allowed just one run on two hits. He struck out seven and walked just one.
Tyler Santana bounced back from a terrible first outing of the year to throw three shutout innings of relief. He also allowed just one hit and issued one walk. Santana struck out three.
Third baseman James Triantos led off the game with a single. He then stole second, went to third on a bad throw and scored on a single by first baseman Jonathon Long.
Velazquez gave up a solo home run to Michael Chavis in the bottom of the third, but Iowa struck back with three runs in the top of the fourth. Catcher Christian Bethancourt had an RBI single and then Triantos struck again with a two-run double.
Keep 'em comin. James Triantos brings home two more to give the I-Cubs a 5-1 lead in the fourth! pic.twitter.com/CQBUYY526Q
Iowa’s sixth and final run came on a solo home run by right fielder Chas McCormick. It’s McCormick’s third game in a row he’s homered and his third home run in just four games this year.
We tried telling y'all to move the fences back 🤷♂️ Three straight games with a HR for Chas McCormick! pic.twitter.com/5wBzasbb7q
It was a rough start for Yenrri Rojas, who got hammered for ten runs, nine earned, on eight hits. Rojas walked four and struck out three.
The Smokies got 3.1 scoreless innings of relief out of Grant Kipp, although he did let three runners inherited from Rojas to score. Kipp gave up three hits, issued one walk and hit one batter. He struck out three.
Grant Kipp worked out of the bullpen in AA this afternoon. He tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and generating 7 whiffs.
The sequencing looked sharp, working high-RPM breaking stuff off a mid-90s fastball. pic.twitter.com/XrbRMxd1tG
Tyler Ras threw two scoreless innings of relief in his Cubs organizational debut. He allowed one hit. He didn’t walk anyone but he did hit one batter. Ras struck out two.
Second baseman Karson Simas hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
MONTREAL, CANADA - FEBRUARY 08: Dawson Mercer #91 of the New Jersey Devils and Juraj Slafkovsky #20 of the Montreal Canadiens skate against each other during the third period at the Bell Centre on February 8, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) versus the Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10)
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PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his first period goal with Evgeni Malkin #71 against the Florida Panthers at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins use the same lineup from yesterday — including in net with Arturs Silovs playing. Taylor Gauthier got the quick call up from Wheeling last minute to serve as backup, Stuart Skinner was unavailable with an upper body injury.
Pittsburgh strikes first, Tarasov clears the puck to the wall but unfortunately for him it serves as a pass almost straight to Elmer Soderblom. Soderblom accepts the gift and quickly fires it back into the unguarded cage.
Pittsburgh is able to answer right back 35 seconds later. Sidney Crosby shows off the jets streaking down the left side and scores from distance. 2-1, Pens back in front.
Parker Wotherspoon and Matthew Tkachuk drop the gloves in a fight, Tkachuk picks up an extra minor penalty and the Pens score a back-breaking goal before the end of period to extend their lead to 3-1. Rickard Rakell takes a feed from Crosby and whips it into the net.
WELCOME TO RAK CITY.
Rickard Rakell is riding an eight-game point streak (9G-3A) with goals in five straight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mn803paAd9
Most of this period looked like a continuation from yesterday, a very good thing for the Penguins to keep taking care of business.
Second period
The teams go up and back the ice, in a way going through the motions while still bringing some level of chippiness. Rakell stays red hot and scores another goal late in the period, taking a pass from Evgeni Malkin and adding to the lead to 4-1.
The Pens tack on another, why not. Crosby makes a spinning backhand pass that isn’t particularly good but Bryan Rust has plenty of time and space to spin around and receive it. Rust then gets to the net and scores. 5-1.
Connor Clifton takes his second penalty of the period and the Panthers make them pay. Carter Verhaeghe makes his stats for the end of the season look a little better with the late goal. 5-2.
The offensive production right now is just electric with 30 goals in the last five games, the first stretch for the franchise since the ‘Score Lords’ days of 1996 with Lemieux, Francis and Jagr. The wild thing about the current run is it’s not star-driven, it’s been incredibly balanced with every line pitching in and consistent contributions from all over the place.
That being said, the big boys are starting to get it going. Malkin followed up his hat trick yesterday with two assists today. Crosby looked the best he has in a long while since dealing with his dual leg injuries of the last few months. Three-point night, which is great, seeing the captain showcase the skating ability and finishing touch to score from distance was an even better sign.
Rakell, too, has been unbelievable lately. Go play center? No problem. Rakell has scored 10 goals in the last 10 games, and he has at least one goal in eight of the last 10 games.
The goalie situation might have just gotten interesting. Skinner was able to serve as backup yesterday but apparently something happened recently that wasn’t allowing him to dress today. The team reportedly didn’t have enough time to physically get Sergei Murashov from Wilkes-Barre to Pittsburgh in time for the 3pm start, so they went somewhat local to bring Taylor Gauthier up from Wheeling to serve as something of a professional EBUG for the day. According to Josh Yohe at The Athletic, Murashov would be coming to Pittsburgh if Skinner is going to miss more time. That’s an area worth watching in the coming days, though since the next game isn’t until Thursday, there is some time to figure things out and see where it goes.
Interestingly though, Silovs was decent enough today, certainly his best performance in a long while. It’s been well-documented that goalies see a drop off in stats when they’re asked to play two days in a row. But it’s goalies, right? So of course someone like Silovs who has struggled lately actually ends up playing his best game in a while on his second day in a row.
Great weekend for the Pens to take care of business and win two relatively drama-free games against an eliminated opponent. Pittsburgh’s playoff magic number is down to just 2, and there’s a pretty good chance that the next time they take the ice on Thursday in New Jersey that they will have already officially clinched a playoff berth due to the outside results over the next few days.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 5: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field on April 5, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Chase Burns got the start for the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in Arlington as the good guys looked to complete the three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers.
Brock Burke got the save for the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in Arlington as the good guys did, in fact, complete the three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers.
Burns completed 6.0 IP of scoreless ball before finally yielding a run in the Top of the 7th, but Cincinnati’s offense managed to small-ball their way to runs on two separate occasions to make it a nervy, yet brilliant 2-1 win. The brilliance – timely singles by the middle of Cincinnati’s lineup aside – was in the deliveries of some of their electric young arms, who backed Burns on a day when some of their most proven relievers were unavailable.
Pierce Johnson and Sam Moll managed to get around an inherited runner left by Burns in the 7th, at which point things were turned over to Connor Phillips for the Bottom of the 8th inning with the heart of the Rangers lineup coming to the plate. Given that Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan were gassed from holding things together in the previous two wins of the series, it was going to be up to Phillips – and eventually Burke – to get to the finish line in this nailbiter of a game.
Those two did so with aplomb, even though Phillips struggled a bit to get his third out after looking completely filthy getting the first two.
Both Phillips and Burke flirted with 100 mph on their heaters, and Phillips’ slider in particular looked to be moving as well as it ever has. And if you polled the poor Rangers hitters who were tasked with facing those two after 6 dominant innings from Burns, well, I’m not sure exactly who they’d say was the toughest to pinpoint as all three looked simply absurd.
Burns, who finished with an ER, 5 H, BB, and 9 K on 87 pitches, continued his ascent to the top of Cincinnati’s rotation with his second gem of the early going. He’s today’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game, and it won’t be the last of those honors he takes home this season.
Other Notes
Elly De La Cruz went 2 for 5 with a run scored, a ribbie, and his first stolen base of the season.
The Reds, who entered play today with just a lone steal on the season as a team, actually swiped four bags on the day as each of TJ Friedl, Elly, Sal Stewart, and Matt McLain got in on the action.
The Reds actually struck out 15 Rangers on the day. That’ll do!
Will Benson did not start today, and instead came on mid-game for Noelvi Marte when a right-handed reliever was on the bump. Benson doubled and singled in his pair of plate appearances.
The 2026 Reds are now 6-3 despite having scored the second fewest runs of any National League team, to date.
The Cincinnati Reds will head to Miami later this evening and on Monday they’ll begin a series against the Marlins. Brandon Williamson will get the start looking to improve significantly on his pretty dismal first outing since the 2024 season, and first pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET.
The Florida Panthers wrapped up their weekend back-to-back in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
Unfortunately for the Cats, the back-end of the weekend doubleheader didn’t go any better than the opener, as Florida fell again on Sunday by a final score of 5-2.
The Penguins picked up the game’s opening goal, and it came after a turnover off the stick of Florida’s goaltender.
Daniil Tarasov came up toward the slot to try and clear a loose puck, but a stick-check by Connor Dewar caused Tarasov to partially whiff on his clear. The puck then went straight toward Elmer Soderblom, who smartly one-timed the puck back toward the vacated net, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead exactly 11 minutes into the game.
Florida would get the equalizer at the 16:15 mark after a Gus Forsling keep at the Penguins blue line and a spinning pass by Vinnie Hinostroza led to a slot shot by Cole Schwindt for his fourth goal of the season.
The game didn’t stay tied for long, though.
Sidney Crosby netted his 29th of the year to put the Pens up 2-1, and then Rickard Rakell scored for the second day in a row to send Pittsburgh into the first intermission with a two-goal advantage.
That’s how the score would remain until late in the middle frame, with Rakell picked up his second of the night when a friendly bounce off the back boards gave him a high-danger look from the low slot, beating Tarasov over the glove.
Bryan Rust got in on the fun early in the third period, taking a pass from Crosby and going in along on Tarasov before firing a backhand that was stepped up Tarasov but still found a way to bounce into the net, making it 5-1 Penguins.
It wasn’t until late in the game, but Florida finally found a way to stop the bleeding thanks to a power play goal by Carter Verhaeghe with 5:45 to go.
Florida wouldn’t get any closer than that.
They depart Pittsburgh having been outscored 14-6 while visiting the Pens.
Photo caption: Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. (Mark Alberti-Imagn Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 05: Starting pitcher Kyle Harrison #52 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on April 05, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kansas City made today’s game interesting a couple of times, but Milwaukee held on for the win. Kyle Harrison turned in another impressive performance and got plenty of run support, propelling the Brewers to their third straight series victory to begin the season.
Royals starter Kris Bubic retired Brice Turang and Luis Rengifo to start the game, but William Contreras walked to keep the inning alive. Up next was Christian Yelich, who worked a full count before flaring a line drive down the left field line. Kansas City outfielder Nick Loftin, sprinting down the left field line, laid out to catch the liner and just missed it. The ball landed in fair territory and kicked off the wall, allowing William Contreras to score easily as Yelich raced into third with a triple.
Gary Sánchez also took Bubic to a full count before squaring up a fastball up in the zone for a 109-mph two-run home run, already his third of the season.
Luis Matos struck out for the third out, but the damage was done — Milwaukee led 3-0 before Harrison even threw a pitch.
Harrison was dealing to start the game, allowing only one batter to reach (on a walk) through the first two innings. He finally gave up his first hit in the third; unfortunately, that hit was a Maikel Garcia two-run home run on a middle-in fastball that probably shouldn’t be thrown to Maikel Garcia. That brought the Royals within one run, but they weren’t done yet. Harrison didn’t want to give Bobby Witt Jr. anything good to hit, walking him on five pitches to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. After a mound visit, Witt stole second. Vinny Pasquantino lined a single into right field, but Matos — making his first start as a Brewer — nailed Witt at the plate with an absolute frozen rope. Just a beautiful throw:
Pasquantino took second base on a wild pitch, but Salvador Perez flew out to end the inning with the Brewers still ahead by a run.
It didn’t take long for Milwaukee to answer. Sánchez and Matos both struck out to start the fourth, but Brandon Lockridge walked to keep the inning alive. Blake Perkins then hit a fly ball over the head of Loftin that one-hopped off the left field wall, scoring the speedy Lockridge to give the Brewers an insurance run. Perkins promptly stole third, but Joey Ortiz was unable to capitalize, striking out on a foul tip to keep the Royals within two runs.
Harrison retired the side in the fourth and allowed only a single to Loftin in the fifth. Sánchez walked, and Matos singled off of old friend Nick Mears to start the top of the sixth, both advancing thanks to a Lockridge sacrifice bunt. Perkins grounded into a fielder’s choice at home, giving the Brewers runners on the corners with two outs. Up next was Ortiz, who hit a groundout to Witt for the third out.
Harrison was pulled after retiring Pasquantino with one out in the sixth. His final line: 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Other than the home run to Garcia, he was dealing today. It’s only his second start this season, but it’s hard not to think the Brewers may have found something in Harrison.
Grant Anderson came in to face Perez and immediately gave up a double, although he retired the next two batters to keep the Royals off the board. He came back out for the seventh and ceded a single to Starling Marte, then walked Jonathan India to put two runners on. Brewers manager Pat Murphy quickly made the call to the bullpen, bringing in relief ace Abner Uribe to face Isaac Collins. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to escape the jam in his usual fashion. Collins came through against his old teammate, singling to load the bases. Garcia followed with another single, as the runners went from station to station to score a run and keep the bases loaded.
Things looked like they could quickly get out of hand with Witt coming to the plate, but Uribe got him to stare at a fastball on the outside corner for the first out of the inning. With Pasquantino, a lefty, coming to the plate, Murphy pulled Uribe in favor of Ángel Zerpa. The move didn’t pay off, as Pasquantino singled to bring the Royals back within a run. With two on and still only one out, Perez squared up a Zerpa slider for a line drive that settled into the glove of Garrett Mitchell, who had come in as a defensive replacement for Matos. Zerpa then got Lane Thomas to ground out to end the inning and preserve the lead.
Kansas City didn’t score again, while Milwaukee got a couple of insurance runs in the top of the ninth thanks to doubles by Yelich and Jake Bauers (who also entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh) and a bloop single by Brandon Lockridge.
Those two runs would bring the game to its eventual final score: Milwaukee 8, Kansas City 5. Trevor Megill worked around a Witt single in the ninth to earn his third save this season.
Although this was the final game of this weekend’s series against the Royals, the Brewers won’t get to go home yet. They’ll be in Boston tomorrow for the first of three games at Fenway Park. Brandon Woodruff will go for the visiting team, with Brayan Bello scheduled to start for the Red Sox. First pitch is slated for 5:45 p.m.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 5: A general view of the game between the Texas Rangers and the Cincinnati Reds during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on April 5, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored one run but the Cincinnati Reds scored two runs.
It was a battle between two heralded former No. 2 overall picks today with Texas’ 2021 first-rounder Jack Leiter dueling Cincy’s 2024 first round pick Chase Burns. The two memorable college stars both had electric stuff and nearly identical lines with Leiter pitching an inning fewer and allowing one fewer hit but both right-handers struck out nine and walked just one batter while each allowed one run.
The difference nearly was that Leiter made the regretful mistake of allowing a leadoff single to Elly De La Cruz in the top of the 4th and De La Cruz leveraged his speed to reach second base on a flyout to right field and then scored on a Eugenio Suarez RBI ground ball single.
The Rangers, meanwhile, had Brandon Nimmo reach on a leadoff single in the bottom of the 5th and the only speed he leveraged was getting forced out at second base on a bloop flyball that found grass behind first base. So instead of two on with nobody out, the Rangers were back to square one and eventually did not score.
They did an inning later, however, when Joc Pederson quieted the boo birds at The Shed with a solo home run off Burns to tie the game. The Rangers hadn’t scored in 17 consecutive innings this weekend before the dong, and Pederson hadn’t had a hit in 16 at-bats to begin the year. It didn’t seem likely that it would be Pederson to get the Rangers on the board but that’s why baseball is what it is.
One batter later, Evan Carter reached on an infield single and Burns exited. The Rangers eventually had two runners in scoring position with just one out but Andrew McCutchen K’d pinch hitting for Ezequiel Duran and Nimmo worked a full count before striking out to end the threat.
It then took the Reds exactly two batters to retake the lead in the top of the 8th as Skip Schumaker called on Robert Garcia who promptly walked leadoff hitter Matt McLain before McLain stole one of five bases that Cincy pilfered in this one and then scored on a De La Cruz single.
As far as chances for the Rangers the rest of the way, Carter sent one about 405 feet to the 407 center field following a two-out Jake Burger double and Pederson walk in the 8th, but former whipping boy Brock Burke effortlessly striking out the side in the 9th meant Texas lost back-to-back games in which the Reds were held to two runs.
With the sweep and four losses in a row overall, the Rangers are below .500 at 4-5 on the year after starting the season 4-1. They scored four total runs in their first home series of the year. Call it the curse of Captain Jay Banks.
Player of the Game: While it was nice to see Pederson finally do something at the plate, Leiter was Texas’ best performer today as the former Vandy standout tossed five innings of one-run ball with the aforementioned nine strikeouts.
Perhaps the next step for Leiter will be figuring out a way to be a little more efficient so that he stays in games longer but it’s clear that the Rangers have themselves a rare home grown established starting pitcher.
Up Next: The Rangers welcome in the hated Seattle Mariners for a three-game set with RHP Jacob deGrom expected to make the start for Texas in the opener opposite RHP Logan Gilbert for the M’s.
The Monday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and will be carried on the Rangers Sports Network.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 7: Houston Astros GM Dana Brown speaks during a press conference announcing they agreed to a five-year contract extension for Jose Altuve at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Houston. The extension will cover seasons 2025-29. Altuve entered this season (2024) in the final year of a seven-year contract extension that he signed on March 19, 2018. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Astros GM Dana Brown joined Todd Kalas and Julia Morales in the SCHN broadcast booth in the top of the 4th inning during today’s game.
Kalas asked the GM about SP Hunter Brown going on the IL.
“We’re gonna remain optimistic,” Dana Brown said. “Hunter felt…pretty good. Ultimately, (Hunter) didn’t feel as bas as some of the …more devastating injuries feel. He felt pretty confident that he was gonna be ok. When a player shows confidence like that, I feel a lot better. Now, we won’t know, of course, until he gets back to Houston…on Monday and we get him looked at.”
Morales then asked Dana Brown about what he may be thinking as far as options for the Astros rotation with Hunter Brown out.
“It’s one of the reasons why we signed a lot of pitching last offseason. You gotta have depth. Last year, you know, we ran into a lot of injuries. This year, we loaded up with some arms…If we can get through this, you know, we gotta use some of our guys…maybe some of the guys in our pen right now, we can get them stretched back out.”
Kalas then asked if the injury to Hunter Brown changes the equation for the team, as they previously intended to go to a six man rotation when they begin a stretch of 13 straight games on April 10.
“Yeah, something that we’re gonna talk about, but…we can use (Kai-Wei) Teng in the…six man. We got (Spencer) Arrighetti in Triple-A, you know, we got (Ryan) Weiss who we could also put in the rotation…So we have some guys and some depth…We can…take (A.J.) Blubaugh out of the pen and put him in the rotation, so we still have depth. We have guys, you know, in Triple-A, (Jason) Alexander, we have (Colton) Gordon, so we do still have enough to go into a six man. It’s just something that we’re gonna discuss over the next few days…that’s the reason why we got all the depth this year.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: The field is seen before the home opener between the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 03, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! When we last met, the Yankees had gotten off to a strong start, sweeping the San Francisco Giants while allowing just one run in three games. Since then, the vibes have continued to be great, for while the Bombers have suffered defeat, a strong pitching performance and some timely offense have gotten them off to a hot start. How have those good vibes transferred to the social media landscape? Let’s find out!
Welcome Home
The New York Yankees had themselves a very Good Friday (gotta get that Easter humor in there), as they celebrated their home opener with a dominant 8-2 victory on Friday over the Miami Marlins. Although it does not generate quite as much social media buzz as when it is the first game of the season, the home opener nonetheless was the biggest topic this week — particularly with Olympic gold medalists Jack Hughes and Aerin Frankel on hand to celebrate the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams with the ceremonial first pitch.
The Yankees’ YouTube account has begun a new series this year, Behind the NY. This past week, the second episode released, titled “The Standard.”
Sightseeing in Seattle
While the Yankees took two out of three on the diamond in Seattle, the broadcasters had some fun sightseeing and hanging out with some old friends. Remember, Dave Sims spent 14 years calling games for the Mariners, and he was thrilled to be around to see soon-to-retire M’s radio voice Rick Rizzs.
Back in spring training, we got a glimpse of the Yankees engaging in some art behind home plate during drills, but never got to see the results. Well, with the off day on Wednesday, the social media team finally decided to grace us with the video, and, uh…yea, these guys aren’t exactly artists.
The Yankees haven’t quite been as good as the Knicks are at posting their Game Belt exchanges on social media, but we still got to learn that Aaron Judge received the belt for his two-run homer in the first inning during the home opener.
Somerset Media Day
The Somerset Patriots shared pictures and videos from their own media day, which took place after the Yankees and their minor league system broke camp in Tampa.
