All the World Series memories and emotions came flooding back for the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans on March 27 at Dodger Stadium.
The remaining members of the 2025 team were individually called from the dugout and onto the stage to receive their rings before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Shortstop Mookie Betts received his fourth career World Series ring, the most of any active player.
“It's super special and this day never gets old,” Betts told Spectrum SportsNet in the moments after receiving his ring. “It shows the accomplishments we made and hope we can do it again.”
Pitcher Clayton Kershaw retired after the World Series, but was also in attendance at the stadium for a second straight night to follow up his broadcasting debut on NBC.
Kershaw was not initially announced among his former teammates, but received a thunderous ovation nonetheless.
Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser was headed to the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before manager Dave Roberts got on the microphone to announce a pitching change, calling on Kershaw from the dugout.
Kershaw stood on the familiar hill to throw the ball to Freddie Freeman before the pitcher was handed his ring and embraced by his teammates, who made their way back out of the dugout.
What do the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series rings look like?
Each ring includes the words "World Champions" on top of the ring with a blue "LA" featured in the middle.
The top of the ring could be removed to reevaluate a sample of dirt enclosed in the ring and a pair of trophies inscribed with "2024" and "2025" on the respective trophies.
The side panels of the ring included the respective player's last name and number on one panel and the words "Dodgers 2025 BACK 2 BACK" inscribed on the other.
“There are a lot of diamonds, but you can open it up and there's some dirt in there,” Betts said. “A lot is going on.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Aaron Judge hasn’t needed any help at the plate, having won three of the past four AL MVP awards with some of the most productive seasons in history.
But for years, he’s been the victim of more than his fair share of called strikes that have appeared to be below the zone.
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So the automated ball-strike system figured to be especially valuable for him.
On Friday, Judge used it for the first time and — not surprisingly — it resulted in a home run.
The key hit in a 3-0 win over the Giants at Oracle Park, the homer was set up after Judge got ahead of lefty Robbie Ray 1-0 in his third at-bat, and Ray followed with a slider that was called a strike by home plate umpire Chad Fairchild.
With Paul Goldschmidt on second in a scoreless game in the top of the sixth, Judge challenged the call and it proved to be a fraction of an inch low.
He eventually worked the count full before slamming a 405-foot homer to left to give the Yankees the lead.
Aaron Judge hits a home run during the Yankees-Giants game on March 27, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I thought the call was gonna stand,” Judge said. “It was a close one.”
But he believed the challenge was worth it, with a runner in scoring position in a tie game and Ray — along with Cam Schlittler — rolling.
“I’m not gonna sit here and challenge every one I think is close, but in a big spot, if I’ve got a chance to flip the count, I’m gonna do it,’’ Judge said. “I’ve still got to go up there and do the job as a hitter. All it takes is one pitch — like we saw in that at-bat.”
Aaron Judge celebrates during the Yankees-Giants game on March 27, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Cody Bellinger knows better than most how often pitches below Judge’s knees have been called strikes, at least since last season.
“He’s so tall, sometimes he gets rung up on that,” Bellinger said. “I see it since I hit behind him all the time. [ABS] is gonna be good for him. He knows the [strike] zone really well.”
As Judge noted, though, simply winning the challenge was no guarantee of success in the at-bat.
But it didn’t hurt.
Still getting accustomed to the ABS system, Judge called it “weird” to use it for the first time in a regular-season game.
“It’s a part of the game and you’ve got to get used to it,’’ said Judge, who went hitless and struck out four times in the opener and was 0-for-2 with another strikeout in his first two at-bats Friday. “I’m a hitter. I’ve got to focus on hitting.”
It worked well Friday, as Judge got the fourth hit of his career against Ray, all of which have been home runs.
And it was Judge’s fourth homer in five career games in San Francisco — against the team he grew up rooting for in nearby Linden, Calif.
This one, of course, was different and showed how much more dangerous he may become.
“We can use it as a weapon, but you’ve still got to play the game,’’ Judge said. “To have a challenge in your back pocket is nice in certain situations, [like] high-leverage. We’ll see how it goes.”
Mar 27, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) is removed from the game by manager Warren Schaeffer (4) during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Colorado Rockies opened the 2026 season in Miami with a lineup that looked nothing like the one that started 2025 — between debuts and new additions, this felt less like a continuation and more like a reset.
Kyle Karros made his first Opening Day start, following in the footsteps of his father Eric, who made nine in his career.
TJ Rumfield made his MLB debut, becoming the first rookie to start Opening Day for Colorado since Trevor Story in 2016.
Jake McCarthy and Edouard Julien also made their first Opening Day starts for the Rockies, underscoring just how much this roster has turned over.
Even Warren Schaeffer was managing in his first Opening Day game.
The result? A competitive game that ultimately slipped away, 2–1, with just a hint of familiar frustration on offense.
Freeland battles, bullpen delivers
Kyle Freeland took the loss, falling to 1–3 with a 7.01 ERA in five Opening Day starts — a number skewed to an extent by one rough outing.
This wasn’t ace-level dominance, but it was veteran pitching.
Freeland bent, but didn’t break. He worked through traffic, issued a couple of walks, and gutted his way through 4.1 innings, allowing two earned runs while keeping the game within reach.
Jimmy Herget, Brennan Bernardino (making his Rockies debut), and Juan Mejia combined for 3.2 scoreless innings—no walks, two strikeouts, and a key escape in the eighth. Mejia stranded a runner at third with a full-count strikeout on a back-up slider that froze Caissie.
His fastball touched the upper 90’s, his secondaries had sharp depth, and he worked efficiently — seven innings, four hits, one unearned run, five strikeouts. For long stretches, the Rockies looked eager against him, pressing early before settling in late.
Colorado’s lone run came in the fourth — and it came the hard way.
The inning started with Jake McCarthy dropping a drag bunt and using his speed to create some chaos and reach first base. McCarthy then stole second base, but his aggressiveness backfired as he was cut down at home after a Hunter Goodman single.
Willi Castro beat out a double-play ball. Tovar followed with a topped ball that forced a tough play. Rumfield showed discipline with a four-pitch walk in his second MLB plate appearance. Beck added an infield hit driving in Castro.
It was a textbook manufactured run. It was also the only one.
The inning that got away
The Rockies had their best chance in the eighth, and couldn’t cash in.
Hunter Goodman, who led the team with two hits, put together a strong at-bat against Anthony Bender, fighting off multiple sweepers before lining a two-out single to left. Karros moved to third, and suddenly Colorado had runners on the corners.
Willi Castro stepped in.
An ABS challenge flipped a ball to a strike. Castro worked the count full as Bender struggled to land his off-speed.
Miami immediately applied pressure in the bottom half.
Connor Norby led off with a double, and after a groundout moved him to third, the infield came in. Mejia induced a pop-up in foul territory for the second out, then delivered the biggest pitch of the night:
Full count. Two outs. Runner on third.
A back-up slider that froze Owen Caissie.
Inning over.
Last chance, same result
The Rockies had one more shot in the ninth.
Facing Peter Fairbanks, they couldn’t break through. Tovar struck out chasing, Beck popped out, and after TJ Rumfield collected his first MLB hit — a broken-bat blooper into shallow right-center — Brenton Doyle lined out to shortstop to end it.
There were some familiar frustrations — the inability to sustain innings and cash in with runners in scoring position had a bit of a 2025 feel.
But it’s too early to spiral there. The hitters were overly aggresive in swing decisions early, but settled in a bit as the excitement of Opening Day dissipated. Colorado struck out nine times — an improvement from Opening Day 2025, when they struck out 12 in another one-run loss in Florida.
This team looked more athletic. More versatile. More aggressive. The bullpen was excellent. Freeland kept them in it.
They were competitive. Gutty. A game within reach all night.
Sandy Alcantara was simply better — and the Rockies couldn’t quite capitalize.
Up next
The Rockies will look to even the series tomorrow at 2:10 p.m. MDT.
Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) poses with players during the World Series ring ceremony before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers got their 2025 championship rings on Friday night before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Anthony Anderson emceed the event, introducing players as they got their rings. Before the festivities, Anderson said, “Mookie Betts is now on the verge of having an infinity gauntlet,” referencing Betts’ four career championship rings, more than any other active player in Major League Baseball.
Players and coaches were tight-lipped about the rings before the ceremony.
“I heard rumblings, it’s sort of layered. I guess I could kind of tease it with that,” said manager Dave Roberts, who admitted he keeps his rings in a safe and doesn’t wear them. “It’s substantial, I’ve heard that.”
“I’ve seen a picture of it, but pictures don’t really do anything justice until you actually see it in person, and you get that kind of wow factor to it,” third baseman Max Muncy told Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA in the dugout earlier Friday.
In person, here are the rings, with photos by The Champions Collective.
Here’s the description of the rings, from a press release:
The ring top is a statement of victory. Embellished around the face in 14K yellow gold, the title WORLD CHAMPIONS is written in a spectacular array of stones: 32 diamonds for WORLD and 54 for CHAMPIONS. At the heart of the design, a singular, immaculate diamond symbolizes the Dodgers’ spot as the No. 1 team in baseball. The iconic LA logo hosts 17 custom-cut blue sapphires, representing the 17 hard-fought games of their postseason journey. Behind the logo is a backdrop of 79 diamonds with 48 round sapphires surrounding the display. The Dodgers’ nine championship dates and 15 sparkling round sapphires encircle the ring top, while an additional 50 diamonds decorate the top and bottom of the bezel. Completing the ring top, a total of 70 round diamonds frame the centerpiece.
The story of the Dodgers’ season continues with a brilliant reveal located beneath the ring top: a glass window, etched with the Dodgers’ logo, protecting genuine dirt gathered from home plate during Game 7 of the World Series. Below this feature, a bespoke band wraps around two World Series trophies — each set with a gleaming diamond — and a championship banner commemorating the franchise’s back-to-back achievements. The band itself boasts a stunning array of sapphires and a prominent princess-cut diamond, finished with an interior engraving of the dual Commissioner’s Trophies and the player’s unique signature.
The left side of the ring honors the individual with the city he represents. LOS ANGELES is proudly displayed above the player’s last name, with a striking row of 15 round sapphires underneath. Each player’s jersey number is meticulously set in diamonds. The classic MLB logo completes the left side of the ring.
The right side celebrates the franchise’s historic year. DODGERS is declared above the year 2025, which is adorned with 33 round diamonds. The BACK 2 BACK title is boldly displayed between two Commissioner’s Trophies and the Dodgers’ script logo in blue.
A stunning array of diamonds cascades from the ring top down the edges, creating a continued brilliance that wraps around the entire piece.
The interior of the ring also features the player’s signature and is etched with the playoff series scores, opponents and the date of Game 7 — the date the Dodgers clinched their World Series title. Finally, the exterior band features the number 4,012,470 as a permanent tribute to the millions of fans who filled Dodger Stadium throughout the season and fueled the team’s second consecutive journey to the top.
The ceremony itself had a few highlights, including thunderous roars for the various superstars, plus Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández. Will Klein got a very nice ovation for his Game 3 heroics, and Alex Vesia received a wonderful and emotional response from the crowd when he got his ring.
The ceremony ended without Clayton Kershaw getting introduced. But he wasn’tbusy off doing his special assistant duties. Rather the Dodgers executed a ruse by announcing Orel Hershiser would throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Joe Davis from the announcing booth called down to Hershiser, saying he needed to get back to the press box to call the game for SportsNet LA. Roberts then “called to the bullpen” for Kershaw, who got his own loud ovation before throwing the first pitch. Then, his teammates all came onto the field to give him his ring.
“I’m just really excited,” the now-retired Kershaw said about the ring ceremony earlier Friday. “I know they gotta move on to this season, but I don’t have to. So I’m just gonna keep relishing it.”
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves embraces Manager Walt Weiss during player introductions prior the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Friday, March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
One game won’t exorcise all the demons of yesteryear, but the Atlanta Braves made a huge first step in turning things around on Opening Day, dominating the Kansas City Royals to the tune of a 6-0, wire-to-wire victory. Chris Sale was uncharacteristically shaky in the early going, but the bats (three dingers!) and gloves (lots of flash!) showed up in full force — sprinkle in a little luck, and you have a recipe for a feel-good Friday night.
Things even looked auspicious early. After a Maikel Garcia single started the game, Sale pumped in a get-me-over fastball to Bobby Witt Jr., and was “rewarded” with a hard-hit but routine double play ball to Mauricio Dubon at shortstop. Though Royals ace Cole Ragans and his defense got two outs on two grounders in three pitches, Ozzie Albies jumped all over a 2-1 floating changeup and yoinked it into the left-field corner for the Braves’ first homer, and run, of the season. It was a cheapie, coming off the bat at less than 97 mph and traveling less than 370 feet, but we’re exorcising demons here. Ragans probably didn’t intend to float a 2-1 changeup, and he looked shaky afterwards. Matt Olson yanked a pitch way below the zone for a hard single, and then Ragans walked Austin Riley on four pitches. Unfortunately, Eli White had a weak bounceout to end the rally.
Sale’s second inning was a mess, but it cleaned itself up. A hard single, a hit-by-pitch, a strikeout, and a four-pitch walk loaded the bases and brought up Isaac Collins. Sale got ahead with a slider, and then threw a fastball that ended up considerably lower than where it was likely called for… but Collins didn’t do anything with the pitch and instead bounced it right to Dubon for another bacon-saving double play.
Ragans bounced back, striking out the side (but also walking Jonah Heim) in the bottom of the inning. Sale continued to wobble in the third — two walks and two strikeouts, but was bailed out by White’s diving catch of a liner to left that would’ve tied the game.
And then the Braves more or less took over the proceedings. Drake Baldwin swung at and barely tipped what would’ve been fall four from Ragans to start the bottom of the third, but then got a misplaced fastball that he sweetly hoisted over the brick wall in right. Ragans is actually a bizarre reverse splits guy (are they real? If so, Ragans would be a paragon of the cause), but had been taken deep by lefties all of three times in his entire career, and none since September 2024… at least until Drake Baldwin had his say in the matter. Albies followed by lacing another floating changeup for a single up the middle. The Braves kind of took the wind out of their own sails a bit by having Albies try to steal with Olson at the plate — not only did Olson take a strike when Albies was thrown out, but then he struck out on the next pitch. Riley followed with a bloop single, and White struck out.
By the fourth, we were done with Shaky Sale and had progressed back to the expected, Smooth Sale(ing). He threw a 1-2-3 frame, with two groundouts and a strikeout. After Heim drew another walk off Ragans, it was Michael Harris II’s turn to go off, as he took a hanging first-pitch slider and bashed it for a two-run homer. So, just to be clear: Cole Ragans pre-facing the Braves tonight — three career homers yielded to lefties; Cole Ragans tonight — two homers yielded to lefties. Go figure. At this point, while it wasn’t inconceivable that the Royals could rally, the game started to feel like a fait accompli. Sale ended up with just one more baserunner (a Witt leadoff single) as he completed six frames. The defense continued to help him out — Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Riley all made nice defensive plays to keep the outs tally growing.
Ragans departed after four in favor of Bailey Falter, who was fine for two innings before the Braves got him in his third frame of work. At one point, there was a near-surreal sequence where Acuña struck out looking and challenged the call, with it being confirmed by the slimmest of margins, only for Baldwin to follow and get thrown out trying to beat out a slow roller by a similarly-microscopic sliver. But, in the seventh, a combination of what were essentially bloops by Olson, Riley, and Dubon scored two more runs. The first two bloops were donut holes, but Dubon’s was basically a routine fly ball that just so happened to split the defense in right center, capping the scoring at 6-0.
The Braves’ bullpen had no adventures. Dylan Lee had a nine-pitch inning with three outs in the air. Robert Suarez had a couple of bloop hits go against him in his Braves debut, but collected a strikeout and got a groundout to escape. Tyler Kinley wrapped the game up while looking somewhat unrecognizable, peppering the zone with breaking pitches in a way that baffled the Royals and exhausted their remaining outs.
Overall, it was hard to ask for an easier, more relaxing win — after Sale settled down, anyway. Good enough pitching, some flashed leather, and, oh yeah, homers. We don’t yet know if that’s how the Braves will do it in 2026, but it’s what they did tonight, and it was great.
Walt Weiss got his first win as Atlanta’s skipper. Sale’s line was only okay in the end (6/3 K/BB ratio, and a hit by pitch), but he improved as the game went on and no one’s gonna complain given the game itself. The Atlanta side of the box score generally looked pretty sweet, with Albies and Olson each collecting two hits, and Riley having a perfect 3-for-3 night with a walk, though two of his three hits were bloops and the third was an infield hit not cleanly handled by the defense. The only guy that didn’t have a good time, on paper, was Acuña, who struck out three times, and had a couple of weak balls in play otherwise. Ah, well, he can have the spotlight another day.
Ragans had his worst start by FIP ever and his worst start by xFIP since August 2024, as he managed just a 5/4 K/BB ratio and gave up three bombs. Falter saved the Kansas City relief corps with three innings and a 4/0 K/BB ratio, though he did suffer bloop damage in the seventh.
The series continues tomorrow with a Reynaldo Lopez-Michael Wacha matchup, as the Braves will try to add some old priest/young priest action on top of tonight’s soul-cleansing win.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 27: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 27, 2026 at TD Garden 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Jayson Tatum set his season high in the Celtics 109-102 win over the Hawks on Friday night with 26 points. After a rough first half, Tatum really settled in during the 2nd half with 21 points and 5 rebounds on 6/13 from the field. However, it was Payton Pritchard who led team in scoring with 36 points.
Jaylen Brown joined Nikola Vucevic on the Celtics injury report. Baylor Scheierman replaced Brown in the starting 5 with Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta. Just Jock Landale missed the game for Atlanta. The Hawks started CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, a group that has led them on a big winning streak as of late.
It was a slow start for the Celtics and a fast one for the Hawks. The Hawks starting 5 has been among the best in the league and that was the case at the start of this one. They got off to a 16-7 lead over Boston.
Jordan Walsh took Jaylen’s spot in the rotation; it was his first action since March 12 against the Thunder.
Jordan Walsh will return to the rotation with Jaylen out. He last played in OKC on 3/12.
It was a 25-9 start for the Hawks, but the Celtics outscored the Hawks 17-4 to end the quarter. The Hawks led 29-26 at the end of 1. Payton Pritchard led the team with 7 points. Jayson Tatum had 5 of his own.
The Hawks got off to a quick start in the second quarter, taking a 37-28 lead but 9 straight Celtics points, 5 of which came from Payton Pritchard who got off of to a scorching hot start, evened the score.
The Celtics took the lead at 46-43 but a 13-4 Hawks run put Atlanta up, 56-50. The Hawks defense did a big part of the run, doing a good job of holding the Celtics offense down.
Basketball is a game of runs and the first half was the half of runs. The Hawks led, 60-55 at the end of the 2nd quarter. Pritchard led the C’s with 19 points while Sam Hauser had 7.
It was a tough half from the field for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White.
Payton Pritchard was a huge reason as to why the Celtics stayed in the game. He gave them a 69-68 lead in the middle of the third quarter after back-to-back deep threes.
Payton Pritchard is unreal
Comes off the bench after the timeout and hits 2 straight threes to hit 25 points early in the third quarter
The Celtics led at the end of three quarters, 87-82 as Pritchard was the leading scorer with 30 points. Jayson Tatum had 13 points with 8 on 3/5 shooting coming in the third quarter.
I thought the 2nd half was an awesome Tatum half, he was very good in 3rd quarter and it carried over to the 4th. He was getting to the cup, finishing strong, making the right passes and rebounding the ball.
Celtics got a bunch of offensive rebounds late in the game, 4 fourth quarter offensive rebounds gave the Celtics extra opportunities. Including a big one from Payton Pritchard who kicked the ball out to Tatum and was fouled on a three point shot.
The Hawks just did not have enough to keep up with Boston, even without Jaylen Brown. Boston beat Atlanta, 109-102.
Payton Pritchard led the team with 36 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Jayson Tatum had a season high 26 points. Luka Garza, Derrick White and Sam Hauser also scored in double figures.
The Celtics shot 47% from the field and 40% from three while Atlanta shot 39% from the field and 36% from three. The Celtics next game is Sunday in Charlotte against the Hornets at 6 EST.
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. A’s Opening Day baseball is under way for 2026. Granted, it’s not opening day at “our” our ballpark, we’ll have to wait another week for that celebration, but it is the start of the most promising season in recent memory. Let’s hope that watching the Blue Jays hoist the American League Pennant will serve as even more motivation for this young and uber-talented team to take their play to the next level.
Luis Severino got the start for the A’s today. The 32-year-old righty hopes to improve upon a rough first season in the kelly-green and gold where he went 8-11 with a 4.45 ERA in 162 innings. He matched up against Kevin Gausman, who finished the year with a 10-11 record over thirty-two starts for the Jays, logging a 3.99 ERA with 189 strikeouts.
Both pitchers were rock solid through the first three innings. Severino, only allowing one baserunner, a walk to Vlad Jr. Gausman was perfect through three innings with six strikeouts. But the A’s broke through against Gausman when Shea Langeliers launched the first homer of the season over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead.
Severino worked his way into a bit of a jam in the bottom of the fourth walking Nathan Lukes and giving up a single to Guerrero. But two ground balls; one a double play and the other a 6-3 ground out got him quickly out of the inning. His luck ran out in the bottom of the fifth when a bad miscommunication between Clarke and Soderstrom allowed a gapper to score two runs and bring Gimenez to third with just one out. Seve worked his way out of the jam but hit the bench trailing 2-1 for the first time this game. That was all for Severino, who finished his day with 5.0 innings, three hits, two earned runs, three walks and three strikeouts. Scott Barlow made his A’s debut in the bottom of the sixth with a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Gausman was finished after six, replaced by Louis Varland. Langeliers greeted him with a base hit and Soderstrom walked with no outs. But Varland buckled down and escaped without allowing a run. Barlow got the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh then gave way to Hogan Harris. He walked one but escaped unharmed. Harris came out again for the eighth and tossed another quick inning for the A’s.
The Blue Jays closer, Jeff Hoffman entered to shut down the A’s in the ninth. He got Kurtz on an ABS challenged strike three. But Shea Langeliers ripped his second homer of the game to straight away centerfield to tie the game.
With one out Soderstrom swung at strike three, but the ball got away from Alejandro Kirk and Soderstrom beat the throw to first. Unfortunately, Hoffman struck out the side, and we went to the bottom of the ninth tied at 2-2.
Justin Sterner entered the game to pitch the ninth. Sterner got two easy outs, but then Kazuma Okamoto singled and Ernie Clement doubled to move Okamoto to third with two down. Andrés Giménez singled to drive in the winning run. The A’s dropped the opener in Toronto 3-2 to the Blue Jays.
Drew Fortescue made his NHL debut in a youth-infused 6-1 win over the Blackhawks on Friday night, bringing the rookie count in the Rangers lineup to six amid the club’s youth movement as part of a larger evaluation period for the entire organization.
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There was a lot of young blood on the ice between the Rangers and Blackhawks, the second- and third-worst teams in the NHL that are only competing for better draft lottery odds at this point in the season.
The Rangers’ youth undoubtedly shined the brightest.
“I think we’re all hungry,” rookie goalie Dylan Garand said after capturing his first NHL win in his second career start. “This is, for some of us, our opportunity. Guys like me and [Adam Sýkora], we’ve been playing in Hartford for a long time and we finally get to play games. We’re hungry and we’re excited to try and help this team win in any way we can.”
Fortescue notched his first point — a secondary assist — in his debut.
Sykora scored his first NHL goal in his first game at Madison Square Garden.
Garand has stopped 63 of the first 66 shots he’s faced through his first two NHL starts.
Matthew Robertson notched the fifth goal of his career while skating in his 29th straight game.
Adam Sykora scores during the Rangers-Blackhawks game on March 26, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
And Jaroslav Chmelar was relentless on his way to earning his first NHL assist on Jonny Brodzinski’s second-period score.
The win snapped a season-high six-game losing streak for the Rangers, who are drinking in the youngsters’ energy to try to end this lost season on an encouraging note.
“You can see the enthusiasm that the young kids bring to the lineup,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after the Rangers’ largest win at home this season. “I think it’s infectious with our veteran guys. Obviously, excited for them. There were some milestones…It’s just fun. I’m happy for the players. To see the positive energy around the group was great to see.”
Drew Fortescue skates with the puck during the Rangers-Blackhawks game on March 26, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After the game, Garand spoke like a player who knows he’s ready for the NHL.
The 23-year-old netminder exuded palpable confidence after impressing in his first two NHL starts.
Garand saved all three shots on goal from 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard in the first period Friday. While his first win came against an easier opponent, he looked composed even in the shootout loss to the Jets last weekend.
“I thought he looked really solid in there, and that’s the second game in a row I felt that way so,” Sullivan said. “It’s two really good starts for him and I’m happy for him because I know how hard he’s worked to get to this point. It’s great for our team, it’s great for our organization… The feeling I’ve gotten behind the bench in the two starts that he’s had is that he’s completely in control and he has good composure in there.”
The Rangers have been able to work Garand in amid Jonathan Quick’s upper-body injury, but the backup netminder is supposedly nearing a return.
Asked if Garand had earned himself some more starts over the final nine games of the season, Sullivan said that would be “a fair statement just based on his performance to this point.”
Dylan Garand makes a save during the Rangers-Blackhawks game on March 26, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“As this moves forward, when eventually we get a healthy Quickie back, I think [Chris Drury] and I will sit and probably have a conversation around it,” he said.
Of all the milestone moments that unfolded Friday night, the Rangers seemed especially overjoyed for Sykora.
Sullivan noted that the reaction from the Rangers bench, when Sykora buried Will Cuylle’s feed past Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom, was indicative of the way he’s viewed as a person in the locker room.
Sykora’s energy is simply infectious, Sullivan said.
“This is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Garand said. “So glad to do it with a guy like Syky. I know him really well and I can speak on behalf of the guys from Hartford, we’re all so proud of him and so happy for him. He deserves it. He’s such a great guy, like, we all love him. It’s awesome to share this moment with him.”
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Alex DeBrincat’s power-play goal scored 4:02 in sparked Detroit’s three-goal first period, and the Red Wings rolled to a 5-2 win over the Atlantic Division-leading Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Marco Kasper, Lucas Raymond, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Patrick Kane, with an empty-netter, also scored. Detroit, coming off a 3-2 loss to Ottawa on Tuesday, snapped a two-game skid and moved into a tie in points with the Senators for ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings — and a point back of the New York Islanders.
John Gibson stopped 28 shots.
Tage Thompson — registering his 400th career point — and Rasmus Dahlin scored and Buffalo dropped to 0-1-2 -- its longest skid since losing three straight in regulation in early December. Alex Lyon made 15 saves and dropped to 6-1-1 since returning from the NHL’s Olympic break.
The Sabres came out flat and undisciplined and wound up trailing 3-0 with 3:54 left in the opening period when Marco Kasper converted his own rebound in front.
Detroit’s first two goals came on the power play.
DeBrincat opened the scoring by converting a rebound in front five seconds after Josh Norris was penalized for high sticking. Raymond scored with Logan Stanley in the box for interference, and was set up by Moritz Seider leaping at the blue line to bat down Ryan McLeod’s clearing attempt.
Detroit entered the day scoring an NHL-low 40 goals in the first period.
RANGERS 6, BLACKHAWKS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Jonny Brodzinski scored twice, Adam Sykora scored his first goal and Dylan Garand made 27 saves for his first NHL win as New York downed Chicago.
J.T. Miller, Matthew Robertson and Alexis Lafreniere also scored as the Rangers snapped a six-game losing streak.
The 23-year-old Garand, who made his debut Sunday at home against Winnipeg, a 3-2 shootout loss, allowed only a goal by Chicago’s Nick Lardis late in the first period.
Chicago has lost four of its last five.
Lardis finished off a passing play with Tyler Bertuzzi and Alex Vlasic late in the first. But Miller tied it less than a minute later with his 15th goal of the season.
Sykora, who debuted in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Toronto, beat Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom cleanly at 8:20 of the second. The 21-year-old Sykora was a second-round pick in 2022.
Brodzinski scored 16:07 into the second period, then added his second of the game with 4 minutes left.
The victory was just New York’s fifth home win in regulation. New York is 10-18-7 at the Garden.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jonny Brodzinski scored twice, Adam Sykora scored his first goal and Dylan Garand made 27 saves for his first NHL win as the New York Rangers downed the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 on Friday night.
J.T. Miller, Matthew Robertson and Alexis Lafreniere also scored as the Rangers snapped a six-game losing streak.
The 23-year-old Garand, who made his debut Sunday at home against Winnipeg, a 3-2 shootout loss, allowed only a goal by Chicago’s Nick Lardis late in the first period.
Chicago has lost four of its last five.
Lardis finished off a passing play with Tyler Bertuzzi and Alex Vlasic late in the first. But Miller tied it less than a minute later with his 15th goal of the season.
Sykora, who debuted in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Toronto, beat Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom cleanly at 8:20 of the second. The 21-year-old Sykora was a second-round pick in 2022.
Brodzinski scored 16:07 into the second period, then added his second of the game with 4 minutes left.
The victory was just New York’s fifth home win in regulation. New York is 10-18-7 at the Garden.
Defenseman Drew Fortescue also made his Rangers debut. The 20-year-old defensemen — a third-round pick in 2023 —- assisted on Brodzinski’s second goal.
Soderblom made 33 saves.
Up next
Blackhawks: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
TORONTO (AP) — Aerin Frankel made 18 saves for her third straight shutout and seventh of the season as the Boston Fleet topped the Toronto Sceptres 4-0 on Friday night.
Liz Schepers, with two goals, Jessie Eldridge and Sophie Shirley scored for Boston, which extended its lead atop the standings to five points ahead of second-place Montreal.
Elaine Chuli stopped 19 shots for Toronto, which had its six-game point streak snapped. Three of the Sceptres’ four wins during the streak came against Vancouver and Seattle, the PWHL’s last-place teams.
The Sceptres last played on March 17, a 2-0 win at Boston. It was the second of back-to-back shutout wins for Toronto, including a 2-0 home win over Seattle on March 15.
Schepers opened the scoring 11:38 into the first period when she put home a rebound after Shirley’s point shot was initially tipped by Hadley Hartmetz.
Schepers added her second of the game at 10:54 of the second period after she tipped in a wrist shot from Haley Winn.
Eldridge scored with 5:28 remaining in the middle frame.
Shirley put home a rebound with 5:46 left in the third period after Chuli stopped consecutive shots from Jamie Lee Rattray and Mia Biotti.
The Fleet now hold the best goal-differential in the PWHL at plus-23, and have scored first in a PWHL-leading 18 games this season.
Up next
Fleet: Visit the Minnesota Frost on Sunday.
Sceptres: Host the Vancouver Goldeneyes on Sunday.
Following two consecutive losses against divisional opponents on home ice that dropped them below the playoff cut line, the Detroit Red Wings badly needed to rebound to keep their postseason hopes alive.
On Friday night against yet another divisional opponent, they did just that.
First period goals from Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, and Marco Kasper paced the Red Wings en route to an eventual 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
While the Red Wings remain on the outside looking in at the playoffs, one point behind the New York Islanders, they are tied with the Ottawa Senators, who defeated them on Tuesday, in total points (86).
The Red Wings struck first at the 4:02 mark of the first period thanks to the 36th tally of the season from DeBrincat in the opening seconds of their first power-play chance of the evening.
Detroit then doubled its lead thanks to a second power-play goal, this time from Lucas Raymond, who beat former Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon with a quick wrist shot for his 23rd goal.
Marco Kasper then scored his eighth of the season, increasing the lead to 3-0.
However, the Sabres began to press in the second period, limiting Detroit to just three shots on goal while getting a goal from Tage Thompson, who has historically performed well against the Red Wings.
Despite their multiple chances, Detroit's John Gibson kept the Sabres at bay with several key stops.
Just one day after signing his two-year contract extension, former Sabres defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker scored his first goal of the season and first with the Red Wings at 15:46 of the third period.
While the Sabres got one back less than a minute later after team captain Rasmus Dahlin found the back of the net, Detroit sealed the victory thanks to an empty-net goal from future Hall of Famer and Buffalo native Patrick Kane.
Picking up the win was Gibson, who made 28 saves; Lyon countered with 15 saves.
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Maybe if Q hadn’t been shaking hands before the game, the Royals would have played better. | Getty Images
The bad news? The Royals had a really rough game at the plate and on the mound. The good news? There are 161 more of these, and the Royals will look better in most of them.
Cole Ragans led the way to the Royals’ third straight Opening Day loss with him on the mound. He ended up giving up four runs on six hits in four innings. He walked four and gave up three home runs; he did strike out five. Walks continue to be an issue for him in starts where they show up, not just adding baserunners but really skyrocketing the pitch count. There was a scare in the first inning where Ragans came down on his lead foot weird. His command seemed to suffer after that, but he had only faced two hitters before that, so it might have been a pure coincidence.
Bailey Falter came on in relief and pitched three innings, the first two looked pretty good but he definitely seemed to wear down in the third inning. Ultimately, he gave up two runs in three innings with four strikeouts and no walks. It does seem like he might have something to build on there. Alex Lange got the eighth and pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. So the bullpen is showing some promise to get things started.
Chris Sale really struggled with his command in the early going, but managed to get things under control without giving up any runs, thanks in part to some excellent defensive plays behind him. Their bullpen sent two to the mound, giving up no runs. The Royals managed only five hits and three walks all night. The top of the order did their jobs with Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., and Lane Thomas each reaching twice. Salvador Perez contributed a single from the four hole as well. But the bottom five reached only once, a Jonathan India walk.
The offense will need to be better, but Chris Sale is a tough matchup for anyone. They’ll face righties for each of the next two games, so hopefully they’ll be able to put out the stronger iteration of their lineup and get some work done. It’s far too early to panic.
Tomorrow’s matchup will feature Michael Wacha (10-13, 3.86 ERA last year) facing off against Reynaldo López (0-0, 5.40 ERA in one start last year – he was injured for most of it.) It will be a nationally televised game on FOX, so if you’re a cord-cutter, you will already require a second service to watch the game. Hopefully, the Royals put up a slightly better showing. It starts at the same time as tonight’s game, 6:15 Royals time.
Mar 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) stands on the field during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
18 zeros. 18 goose eggs. 18 uh-ohs. 18 black holes. 18 innings of big ol’ nothin’s from the San Francisco Giants offense.
Two days removed from being carved up by New York starter Max Fried (with an off-day in-between to recoup), the Giants hitters got right back in the saddle, and promptly tumbled off the other side against young right-hander, Cam Schlittler, in an eventual 3-nil loss.
It’s not an ideal start…but it could be a symbolic one, because what if I told you that a similar offensive cold snap started the 2002 season? Because what if I told you a similar stumble led to one of the most successful seasons in club history? And what if I told you all of that is a lie? Because of course it is. The Barry Bond-Jeff Kent Giants scored a bajillion runs in the first 18 innings and never lost a game all season.
These 18 offensive donuts — that’s called history folks. The first time the New York Yankees have ever thrown back-to-back shutouts to start a season. The first time the New York/San Francisco Giants have ever been shutout in back-to-back games to start a season.
Add Heliot Ramos’s 2nd inning double — the only knock of the day — to the tally, and we’re still on our left hand. San Francisco’s four hits in these two losses are actually the fewest hit total to start a season in the team’s 144 year history. According to Duane Kuiper on the postgame wrap, that low mark actually tied the 1909 Chicago White Sox’s for fewest in all of Major League history.
But it’s not like the Giants bats have tripped over their own shoelaces while taking a walk in the park. They’ve had their hands full with these Yankee starters. Fried fried their bats on Wednesday. And Schlittler…well, you can figure out the descriptive name-pun for yourself.
The 25 year old’s understated and quiet wind-up belies the loud and volatile pitches he unleashes. Schlittler almost looks shy as he starts his delivery. Any movement pre-leg kick is hard to discern. To start, he closes his shoulders off to the plate with the slightest reset of his front foot. He peers down at his shoes, taps his toe on the ground as if to reassure himself it’s there before the knee hoists up and ffoooooommmmpppp… 99 MPH four-seamer, or sinker, or 95 MPH cutter.
Everything out of Schlittler’s hand is hard, and based on aggressive early swings from Giants bats, hard to lay off. The three variations on heat produced a cruel mix of beguiling movements that avoided barrels like the plague. The confrontations were one-sided and quick. He fanned 8 over 5.1 innings pitched, and I don’t think he broke a sweat doing it, needing just 68 pitches to bag 16 outs before being yanked by Yankee skipper Aaron Boone. But the New York relief was no relief for the Giants offense. Just the same ol’ same ol’ with a stand-out performance from old bud Camilo Doval, who looked as sharp as he ever had in the orange-and-black. He worked quick, established his pitches sinker early, kept his slider tight, and attacked the zone to bag three punch-outs in a 1-2-3 8th.
One could make a decent argument that the only good thing about the game was the weather, but I don’t think that’s completely fair to Robbie Ray. Though hung with the loss, the veteran lefty ultimately held a potent offense to just two runs, and the only slight against him was leaking a tired four-seamer out over the plate to the best hitter of the decade.
Back-to-back golden sombreros just wasn’t an option for Aaron Judge, and in a friendly count late in an outing against a pitcher he’s already taken deep three times before, he got a pitch to demolish, and Judge dropped the gavel.
Other than that offering, Ray has got to be pleased with the way he kicked off his season. The slider he tweaked this spring fetched 8 whiffs on 19 swings (42%) including three of his four strikeouts. And what felt nearly as certain as a Judge bomb was a Ray base-on-balls — but the walk never came (though maybe he should’ve given in to Judge in the 6th). Ray stayed aggressive to the plate and did a solid job keeping the count in his favor. He threw 13 first-pitch strikes, and was 10/14 when starting off an at-bat with his fastball. The lefty didn’t fall into a 1-0 count until the seventh batter he faced — which is a minor miracle and major victory for Ray, who spends the majority of the season battling himself through tough counts and stressful frames brought on by his high walk rate.
Tony Vitello got his steps in today, making three mid-inning changes, giving us a glimpse of how aggressive he’s going to be with the bullpen. The swaps worked for the most part, though things certainly got dice-y at times. Jose Buttó promptly gave up a monster solo shot to Giancarlo Stanton in the 6th. Erik Miller replaced a runner on from Buttó in the 7th and induced three consecutive ground-outs. Ryan Borucki inherited a one-out, first-and-third situation from Ryan Walker and made it immediately worse by walking Ryan McMahon on four pitches to load bases, before getting out of trouble by coaxing two ground balls from Yankee hitters.
All in all, it’s nothing. 18 innings. Two games. What’s tough is it’s the first two games. Fans have had a long winter of no baseball, and now we have two days of a different kind of no baseball that has somehow already wrung our souls out like a towel. We know, from an intellectual standpoint, that this line-up is better than the at-bats we’ve witnessed so far in 2026 — we just haven’t seen it yet. We have nothing tangible to grasp and hold tight to. There’s no proof, only mutterings and faint memories that Rafael Devers can, in fact, drive a fastball pumped over the middle of the plate. Little comfort in that hearsay when all we have to go on are the hellacious hacks and fierce uppercuts that have come up empty so far.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 06, 2026: Gavin Williams #32 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the second inning of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Goodyear Ballpark on March 06, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Guardians have released their lineup for tonight:
