The Detroit Tigers are on a roll after a perfect 6-0 homestand that erased a five-game losing streak and put them over the .500 mark for the first time since late March. Next up on the agenda are the Boston Red Sox, who will host the Motor City Kitties for a four-game series at Fenway Park starting on Friday night.
The BoSox got off to a slow start to the 2026 campaign, dropping five straight after their season-opening win at the Cincinnati Reds, but have since earned series wins over the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals. Boston enters the weekend coming off a series loss at the Minnesota Twins, but it did prevent a sweep with a win on Wednesday’s finale.
Opening things up on the mound for the Olde English D is right-hander Casey Mize, whose trademark splitter appears to be finally reaching its long-awaited potential. Opposite him is lefty Ranger Suarez, who has had modest success so far this season.
Make note that Friday night’s tilt will be broadcast on AppleTV, while Monday’s matchup starts at an eye-rubbingly early 11:10 a.m. ET.
Detroit Tigers (10-9) vs. Boston Red Sox (7-11)
Time (ET): 7:15 p.m. Place: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts SB Nation Site:Over the Monster Media: AppleTV,Tigers Radio Network
Game 20: RHP Casey Mize (1-1, 3.94 ERA) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (1-1, 5.02 ERA)
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 18: Assistant General Manager, Head of Analytics Sunny Mehta for the Florida Panthers poses for his official headshot for the 2024-2025 NHL season on September 18, 2024 at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Mehta will be the hockey operations decision maker for the Devils. No immediate decisions on head coach Sheldon Keefe or any other staff. He will take time to evaluate. Media conference for introduction on Tuesday.
“The biggest takeaway from the New Jersey Devils‘ exit interviews is the one that didn’t happen. Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton ‘politely declined’ to interview with the media, remaining in hiding after his agent went public this winter with displeasure over a healthy scratch.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that this is the most crucial offseason the organization has had in years. They have to get the front office structure right, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There are quite a few big decisions ahead for the next GM, and that should lead to an offseason of intrigue in the Garden State.” [Devils on the Rush]
“…We have spent the past few weeks canvassing many of the top player agents in hockey for their thoughts on key big-picture questions from around the league. In all, The Athletic polled more than 20 agents, who combine to represent hundreds of NHL player contracts worth billions of dollars, on nine key questions facing the league and its future.” [The Athletic ($)]
“Auston Matthews avoided playing fortune teller when addressing his career moving forward long-term with the Maple Leafs. Toronto’s captain met with the media Thursday following the Leafs’ final regular-season game the night before, a loss to Ottawa that signaled the end of a lost season for Toronto. Matthews wasn’t in the lineup — he has been sidelined by a torn MCL since mid-March — but with the Leafs heading into a transitional phase after missing their first postseason since 2016-17, Matthews was noncommittal on what lies ahead for him in Toronto.” [ESPN]
“Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said he’s ‘pretty sure’ that Tuesday’s season finale at Columbus won’t be his last game, as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer contemplates retirement.” [ESPN]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
Apr 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) cheers his teammates from the bench during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
This season, the Spurs played the Portland Trail Blazers three times landing with a 2-1 edge over Rip City. In each of those three games, Victor Wembanyama sat out with an injury or injury management.
On November 26th, the Spurs played in Portland. Wemby was sitting out the fifth of twelve games while nursing a left calf strain.
On January 3rd, Wembanyama was sitting out his second game as a result of hyperextended left knee obtained during the New Year’s Eve matchup against the New York Knicks.
And then as the season was winding down, Victor once again sat out on April 8th with a left rib contusion after colliding with Paul George two days prior.
Portland, coming off a game-ending upset in Phoenix, secured the 7th seed and now face the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
While the Spurs didn’t have much trouble with the Trail Blazers in those three games, there are some logistical considerations.
For one, Portland’s head coach is Tiago Splitter. Splitter won the 2014 NBA title with the Silver & Black, the run of which included a gentleman’s sweep of the Trail Blazers. He knows the Spurs playbook and was an adept big man, so counter strategizing will be something to watch.
With Donovan Clingan as their starting center and Robert Williams III as back up, Wemby will have his hands full on the boards as well as physically in the paint.
Portland also features Sidy Cissoko and Blake Wesley. While neither is expected to be an X-factor, never put it past a competitve player to motivate against their former team.
Over the years, the Spurs and Trail Blazers have met four times in the posteseason. The Trail Blazers got the best of the Spurs in 1990, but the Spurs have been victorious in the latter three, two of which (1999 and 2014) led to successful title runs.
History says this matchup means something.
3 out of 4 times the Spurs met the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs…
Tiago Splitter was asked if he thought Manu and Boris Diaw were rooting for the Spurs or for him as he leads the Trail Blazers.
He stated that he was confident Manu was all in on the Spurs, but that he’d be better off asking Boris Diaw after a couple of glasses of wine.
Series kicks off Sunday night.
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Mar 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) is restrained by center Mitchell Robinson (23) in the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
This is the third of a series of roundtable questions I’m asking the staff here at Peachtree Hoops about the Hawks as we approach the postseason. Today’s question: what’s the most difficult matchup that the Knicks pose for the Hawks?
Wes: Mitchell Robinson stands out to me, especially in the wake of the news that Jock Landale will be re-evaluated in two weeks from his ankle injury (effectively eliminating him from this series). He’s still arguably the best rebounder in the league (21 rebounds — eight offensive — in 38 minutes played against the Hawks this season), and his overall physicality and disruption (four blocks and four steals in those 38 minutes) has been tough for the Hawks and their thin front line to handle.
Jackson: Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT has feasted on the Hawks’ defense throughout his tenure with the Knicks, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he, not Jalen Brunson, was New York’s leading scorer in this series. Onyeka Okongwu brings nice defensive switchability for Atlanta, but his lack of size to contend with Towns and backup Mitchell Robinson around the basket could be a major Achilles heel for Atlanta in this matchup.
Malik: Mitchell Robinson without a doubt. The last time these two played, Robinson controlled the glass on both ends of the floor and the Hawks didn’t have an answer. It will be interesting to see if Jock Landale can return at some point during the series, or will Quin Snyder try to play Tony Bradley a few minutes to try to offset Robinson.
Graham: Karl-Anthony Towns is the easy answer. He averaged 28.5 points on 63% shooting from the field to go with 13 rebounds; he just dominated this matchup and the Hawks have absolutely no good answer to contain him. And if they did manage to limit him, I have no doubt that you’d see Mitchell Robinson pick up the slack with the attention on KAT; and there’s no good answer for the Hawks for Robinson’s rebounding either – it’s just a fundamental flaw of the roster the Hawks have to find some way to limit (because I don’t think offensive rebounding/second chance scoring can be stopped in this series). Elsewhere, whoever Jalen Johnson’s matchup is, he has to win it convincingly in order for the Hawks to win this series.
Hassan: Jalen Brunson is New York’s best player, Karl-Anthony Towns has given Atlanta problems in each of their four matchups this season, but I’m going to go with OG Anunoby, New York’s best defender and their third-banana on offensive end. Anunoby has averaged 18.3 points per game on 52.5% shooting from the field and 43.8% from deep in New York’s wins this season compared to just 13.4 points per game on 39.1% shooting from the field and 28.6% from three in their losses. Keeping him in check is going to be crucial for Atlanta to win this series.
Jalen Johnson drew the Anunoby assignment during the regular season series against the Knicks – with Dyson Daniels guarding Jalen Brunson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker on Mikal Bridges – and held Anunoby to just 5-for-15 shooting when the two were matched up. Will this defense hold up in the postseason?
All in all, I’m going into this series with the assumption that Brunson and KAT are going to get theirs every night, so the swing factor for Atlanta (in addition to winning the rebounding battle, as noted by my fellow writers) is going to be limiting the ‘other guys’ – and Anunoby is at the top of that list.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics is introduced before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 25, 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
Jaylen Brown just put together the best season of his career and it wasn’t particularly close. Averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, Brown showed that not only can he be the number one option on a playoff team, but he can be the number one on a really good playoff team.
Now, Brown is ready to prove he can be the number one option on an NBA Finals team, maybe even a championship team.
The way he has scored the ball in bunches has been among one of the most fun things to watch on the Celtics this season. He had 35 games with 30+ points and seven 40+ point games this season, not to mention the 50 he scored against the Clippers in January.
From Day 1 of training camp, JB set the bar for this team and led them to 56 wins. Now, he has the opportunity to do it in the playoffs.
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 1: Neemias Queta #88 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics celebrate during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 1, 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
One of the things we forget about last year’s playoffs is Brown played through a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, which clearly has not bothered him this year.
He has become one of the top-10 players in the NBA this season and the moment has arrived to prove it in the playoffs.
The return of Jayson Tatum makes the Celtics good enough to win the Eastern Conference and Brown is ready to guide them to that goal. He is the offensive engine with his mid-range shots being a big boost to the team. He will take the toughest assignment on defense from time to time and set the tempo for the game that way.
All season the Celtics have gone as Jaylen Brown has gone and it has been going pretty well for Boston since the start of December. The road won’t be easy, the Celtics should win in the first round but beyond that waits the Knicks and then likely the Pistons or Cavaliers.
“Losing to the Knicks feels like death,” he said after losing to New York in the second round. “But I was taught that there’s life after death. So, we’ll get ready for whatever’s next.”
Jaylen Brown on being eliminated by the New York Knicks
“Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I was taught that there’s life after death. So we’ll get ready for whatever’s next.” pic.twitter.com/JzwUkSB0qk
Whatever’s next has arrived. The NBA Playoffs are here and the Celtics have a real chance to make a run at the title. A lot of that depends on Jaylen Brown continuing his high play from the regular season which I have every expectation that he will do.
Jaylen Brown has emerged this season in a way that no one expected him to and has become one of the best players in the NBA. It is time for him to prove that he is just that and lead the Celtics on another deep playoff run.
Scott O’Neil rejects claims LIV is close to collapse
‘Structural changes’ afoot, chief executive says
The LIV Golf chief executive, Scott O’Neil, has admitted the nascent golf league’s finances are “managed very tightly” and said structural changes are on the way that would probably mean they needed to raise money, but he remained adamant the league would not fold.
He was interviewed by LIV employees during the TV broadcast of the first round of the rebel tour’s Mexico City leg, a day after reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was to cut its funding for the league it helped launch in 2022.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić will be in the thick of the action in the coming weeks. Composite: Guardian Pictures; Imagn Images
Who would you rather have in a Game 7: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama?
Wemby will no doubt be the answer to this question at some point in the (perhaps not-too-distant) future. But for now, I defer to those with at least some playoff experience. For my money, Jokić still reigns supreme as the best player alive, and for that reason, he’s my pick. CDL
Jokić. Not since peak Shaq has there been an offensive force this inevitable. He’s in the top 10 ever, already. 6ft 11in, 284lb, unguardable. Guard’s mind, center’s mass, wing’s skill. Makes everyone around him better, putting a battery in their back. Srećno. That’s Serbian for good luck. LE
There’s not a finer player on the planet right now than Jokić, who at 31 is on a course to be in my all-time top five by the time he calls it a career. You’d truly never hear the end of it if he played in New York or LA. But at the moment, in a one-off and even as a playoff debutant, I’d fancy a punt on the vertiginous upside of Wembanyama. Game 7s have a way of tilting on chaos and no one creates more of it by erasing shots, stretching defenses and warping opponents’ decision-making. If he hits his ceiling for one night, whatever that may be, it’s a fait accompli. BAG
You know what? Gimme Victor. I don’t think we’ve fully reckoned with the Jordanesque scale of his competition problem. The Frenchman spent the previous offseason training with Shaolin monks, a fact that can never be overstated. He marked the Spurs’ regular-season series triumph over the Thunder, who were threatening the 2016 Warriors’ single-season wins record, by absorbing their supporter chants and squad culture like Thanos. He remained a viable MVP candidate even while playing under a wholly legitimate minutes’ restriction. Put all that in a 7ft 4in alloy of Steph off the dribble and Shaq in the paint and, sure, I’ll take my chances. AL
Team that will be most missed in these playoffs
Call me nostalgic, but I’m still pining for last season’s Indiana Pacers. It seems cruel and unusual that we had that team ripped from us in such dramatic and devastating fashion, and a playoffs without the scintillating Tyrese Haliburton and his never-say-die supporting cast is an objective downgrade. CDL
Missed – as in absent? The Lakers are technically in the playoffs, but not really: Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves are gone, and so is any illusion of the team being at full strength. LeBron James, once again, will drag what’s left of the roster for as long as it lasts, maybe for the final time in LA. LE
It’s Miami for me. Only three teams seeded fifth or worse have managed to scratch their way into the NBA finals since 2000. Six teams ever. Two of them were Erik Spoelstra joints: the 2020 and 2023 Heat. Even in down years, there’s an institutional culture in South Beach seemingly lab-made for postseason mayhem: adaptive, opportunistic, built for disorder. The East side of the bracket just feels less dangerous without Coach Spo scheming another batch of role players into playoff giant-killers. BAG
It still smarts to be denied the chance to see this newly emboldened version of Miami’s Bam Adebayo who can apparently go for 83 points on any given night. It further feels especially cruel that the Hornets got to play on after LaMelo Ball’s dirty defense on Adebayo in their play-in matchup on Tuesday – though Ball was fined, which, I suspect, comes as little consolation to Spoelstra’s crew. AL
High seed at risk of going out early
Conventional wisdom would say this is the Lakers, and that’s probably the correct pick. But it feels a little too obvious to choose the team who lost their top two scorers, Dončić and Reaves. So keep an eye on the second-seeded Spurs. They’re set to face the winner of Nuggets-Timberwolves in round two, and if that’s Denver, I’d pick the more experienced team to survive and advance. CDL
The top-seeded Pistons, although this hinges on Charlotte making it through as the No 8 seed in Friday night’s play-in. Matchups are fate. Detroit can’t trade twos for threes with a Hornets team carrying the greatest shooting rookie ever and a pack of dawgs. That series could turn into carnage, fast. LE
I’m afraid it’s the Knicks. The first-round series with Atlanta is dicier than a 3-6 matchup suggests. The Hawks’ length, shooting and post-All-Star surge make them dangerous floaters who have already shown they can push New York to the brink in three tightly wound regular-season contests, including last week’s barn-burner played at playoff intensity. If Jalen Brunson gets crowded by Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the Knicks’ deeper supporting cast stalls, it could get late early in Gotham. BAG
How about the Knicks drawing the short straw against Atlanta, one of the league’s most improved teams after the All-Star break? More impressively, the Hawks did so after turning over the core of their roster, making this a far trickier matchup for New York, who were lucky to make it out of Atlanta last week with a three-point win and keep themselves in the driver’s seat for the No 3 seed. The back-and-forth between Brunson and CJ McCollum has the potential to be box-office stuff. AL
Long shot to win
Take a walk with me, if you will, down Pigs-flying-with-dodo-birds Lane. An NBA folk tale for the ages: LeBron James, one last time, puts a woefully ill-equipped team on his back, for one round ... just long enough to facilitate the return of Dončić and Reaves from injury. The Lakers then go on a memorable playoff run, lift the trophy and send James into retirement as a five-time champion. Is it likely? No. Would it be fun? The most. CDL
The Spurs. I called it pre-season. They’re ahead of schedule now, but Wemby sniffing a title in year three tells you what he is already. Around him: a swarm of fearless two-way wings and guards, a swarm of killer instinct. LE
The Pistons. Can a No 1 seed that paced the Eastern Conference for the final 157 days of the regular season really be considered a long shot? When the oddsmakers are pricing them as the seventh favorite to win the title, the answer is yes. Nobody seems to believe in Detroit’s youth movement, even after the third 60-win season in the team’s 85-year history. Their edge is a workmanlike consistency: a deep, unselfish system that’s held through injuries and doesn’t beat itself. BAG
The Hawks have length, bounce and brilliant tactician in Quin Snyder – who may well have the best NBA roster he’s ever coached. What’s more, they’ve caused headaches for higher seeds in the past, pushing eventual champion Milwaukee to six games in the 2021 conference finals and spooking Boston in similar fashion in the 2023 first round. AL
Most important player this postseason
Jokić will, once again, face a gargantuan task. To get to the finals, he will probably have to overcome the thorn in his side that is the Timberwolves, take down Wemby and a red-hot Spurs team, and, ultimately, dethrone the reigning champions. But I believe if anyone is capable of such a task, it’s the Serbian superstar. CDL
Gilgeous-Alexander. If his MVP trajectory falters – or worse, he’s injured – it derails OKC’s ascendent dynasty and throws the field into chaos, where anyone can bag the crown. LE
Wembanyama. The 22-year-old from the Paris suburbs was breathlessly hyped as the NBA’s best prospect since LeBron when he was still a gangly teenager, but he’s somehow managed to exceed those expectations while growing mentally, physically (he’s 7ft 5in now?!) and even spiritually. The Spurs have emerged as a trendy pick to win it all after besting the Thunder in four of their five regular-season meetings and their cheat code at center remains the biggest potential spanner in the defending champs’ repeat bid. BAG
Narratively, it’s Anthony Edwards. The Minnesota star already shown he can drag a team deep into the playoffs, albeit with a roster that hadn’t yet peaked. But if he can manage the trick again – with a thinner supporting cast, in a return to the sixth seed – it sure would make a helluva statement. AL
Eastern Conference finals
Knicks over Pistons. CDL
Knicks over Pistons. LE
Pistons over Celtics. BAG
Celtics over Pistons. AL
Western Conference finals
Thunder over Nuggets. CDL
Spurs over Thunder. LE
Thunder over Spurs. BAG
Thunder over Spurs. AL
Your NBA champion will be ...
At the risk of dampening intrigue, I really do think the Thunder are likely to be repeat champions. They got healthy at the right time, their chemistry appears to be at an all-time high, SGA is favorite to win MVP and for some unknowable reason, Daryl Morey gift-wrapped them yet another perfectly suited bench player in Jared McCain. The Nuggets will give them a run for their money in the conference finals, but ultimately, I just can’t pick against this Thunder machine. CDL
The Knicks. They already bloodied Boston and Detroit in last year’s playoffs. There’s the revenge for 1999 angle; even the Spurs don’t scare them. OKC, young and brilliant, wilt under MSG’s big city lights. Brunson, born to play basketball, takes the Knicks to the promised land, achieving sainthood. For a fanbase title-starved for more than five decades, this is more than a championship run. We’re talking generational spiritual repair, the kind people chase in deserts, dreams and God. LE
The Thunder. Let the dynasty chatter begin. Oklahoma City are the most complete team with the deepest rotation in the most adaptable system. There are no weak points to attack. SGA is the MVP-caliber talent who anchors everything, but it’s the collective that makes them overwhelming. They can win fast or slow, big or small, ugly or pretty. The question now is whether anyone can consistently disrupt them. The Spurs managed it in the regular season, but knocking OKC out of the playoffs will require near-perfect basketball for four quarters, four times. I wouldn’t bet on it. BAG
The Celtics. Less than a year after Jayson Tatum went down with a ruptured achilles and threw Boston’s future in doubt, he roars back and leads the Celtics to their 19th championship, rekindling dynasty talk and putting the rumors of unrest between him and Jaylen Brown to rest for good. Joe Mazzulla, now undeniably a mad genius, celebrates by getting a pet wolf – but his wife says he can’t keep it in the house. So the Celtics build a habitat outside the Garden, and fans make a tradition out of hurling the jerseys of their vanquished rivals, putting a basketball spin on the idea of being “thrown to the wolves”. AL
As West Country club join rugby’s modern-day gold rush, their chair looks forward to some US razzmatazz and a possible Prem expansion into Wales
Tony Rowe has not yet had time to ensure Exeter’s proposed new American owners feel fully at home in the west. On a damp morning at Sandy Park no one is wearing a Stetson hat and there is not even a horse tied up outside reception. Maybe that will be part of the handover package assuming the Chiefs’ 700-odd members vote in favour next month of proceeding with the sale of their 155-year-old club.
The winds of change, though, are kicking up the local dust. For the past 33 years Rowe has been integral to one of British team sport’s most romantic Cinderella stories. But romance doesn’t pay the bills in modern pro rugby and times are a-changing. At 77 years old, it is easy to understand why Rowe fancies handing over the reins to a smartly dressed stranger from out of town.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 16: Jose Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees reacts to the loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium on April 16, 2026 in The Bronx borough of New York City. The Los Angeles Angels defeated the New York Yankees 11-4. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees wrapped up a four-game set with a split series on Thursday, dropping a game that spiraled out of control late and ended up an ugly 11-4 loss. Truth be told, the series ended in a split was extremely fortunate compared to how well the Yankees played this week, as their two wins were both ninth inning comebacks while their losses leaned towards blowouts. If it weren’t for the sleeper cell known as Jordan Romano, they could very well have been staring at a four-game sweep and the continuation of a nine-game losing streak entering this weekend — whether that’s looking at the glass half full, or realizing that they’re in the midst of a truly poor stretch of play, is up to interpretation.
While we wait for the team to retake the field tonight, let’s run you through what we have in store. Matt starts us off with a preview of the pitching matchups for this series with the Royals, and Sam takes us through what the rest of the league was up to on Thursday in the Rivalry Roundup. Jonathan celebrates the birthday of a man who left a legacy across multiple sports in Zack Clayton, Jeff takes the bottom of the lineup to task in examining the lineups struggles, and later in the day I’ll be back to answer your latest mailbag questions.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals
Time: 7:05 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Royals.TV
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Questions/Prompts:
1. Are you more annoyed that the Yankees let the Angels outplay them or relieved they somehow pulled out a split considering their play right now?
2. Is the rotation experiencing regression to the mean, or just going through a rough patch?
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki walks back to the mound after a pitch during the third inning of Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
Fans chanted his name. Teammates toasted his name. His manager deified his name, claiming he had just unleashed one of the greatest bullpen performances in baseball history.
Remember his first October appearance last fall, finishing the clinching game of the wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds, one hitless inning, two strikeouts, everything disappearing at 100 mph out of this skinny kid’s right arm?
That was the beginning of the chants, arguably louder than for any other player in Dodger Stadium history, stronger than Moo-kie, deeper than Fred-die, chants thundering enough to seemingly be heard for a lifetime.
“Ro-ki, Ro-ki, Ro-ki!”
Remember what happened next? He finished off the first two wins of the division series against the Philadelphia Phillies amid a taunting mob in Citizens Bank Park, becoming the first pitcher in history to record his first two career saves in the playoffs.
Then, back home, he created what was, at the time, the highlight of the season.
With a depleted pitching staff needing him, with the Dodgers' teetering hopes balanced on him, Sasaki came through with three perfect innings to essentially win the clinching Game 4.
Remember this? He started his work in the eighth inning by blowing past Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm. He finished his work after the 10th by being hugged by jubilant manager Dave Roberts while still on the field.
The Dodgers won it in the 11th on that incredible throwing error by Phillies’ reliever Orion Kerkering and the rest is shiny blue history.
The Dodgers couldn’t have won the World Series without Sasaki and, judging from their reaction after that clincher against the Phillies, they thought they had found their closer of the future
“One of the great all-time appearances out of the pen,” said Roberts.
Fellow Dodger pitcher Tyler Glasnow went even farther, saying, “Since … coming in from the bullpen, he’s honestly one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen.”
The highest compliment, though, was paid by teammate Miguel Rojas, who raised a post-game clubhouse toast in his honor.
He can’t find the strike zone. He can’t find his fastball. He can’t find himself.
He gives up five hits and five walks in four innings. He requires the use of four relievers. He is eventually saddled with an 0-2 record with a 6.23 ERA after piling up a 4.46 ERA in eight starts last season.
The fans faintly begin chanting his name, then their voices disappear into a hush. Nobody is coming to hug him. Nobody is coming to call him the greatest pitcher ever.
He’s no longer the benefactor of a toast, because he is toast.
Remember Roki Sasaki?
Not like this, you don’t.
The former star reliever has become their most embattled starter and one who has made the season’s first big move seem inevitable.
They’ve got to put him back in the bullpen, no?
They’ve got to put him back to where he found his greatest success, where his lack of a variety of pitches will not hurt him, where he can throw 100 mph for 20 pitches and save the team with his strength.
As last October showed everyone, the bullpen is where he belongs. The rotation, featuring budding star Justin Wrobleski, will survive without him. The bullpen needs him more.
Don’t believe the Dodgers’ public shrugs about the recent dead-arm condition of Edwin Díaz. Something was wrong. Maybe nothing serious, nothing long-term, but something was wrong.
You don’t bring in the highest-paid closer in history and then not use him in consecutive save situations unless something was wrong. You don’t have him throw a bullpen for Dodgers officials unless something was wrong.
That “something” may have already been fixed, as Díaz was available to pitch Wednesday after being sidelined for four days, but still. He could need help, and that is exactly what Sasaki offers and exactly what should happen.
C’mon Dodgers, send him across the field and into the left-field corner where he belongs.
Bullpen him, now.
“My goal is, kind of, go deeper in the game a little more,” he told the media Sunday through his interpreter Kensuke Okubo.
No, no, no. He doesn’t possess enough pitches to go deeper in games. He possesses just enough pitches — a fastball and a splitter — to last two innings, tops.
Look at this startling statistic:
In his first two innings of work, in three starts, he’s allowed zero earned runs.
In his other seven innings of work, he’s allowed nine earned runs.
Enough said. He’s a two-pitch pitcher who needs to be moved from the rotation into relief, and don’t think it hasn’t been done here before.
Eric Gagné made 48 starts from 1999 until 2001. At that point, the Dodgers decided he didn’t have the arsenal or attitude to be a starter, so they moved him to the bullpen.
He made 354 relief appearances without ever starting again, using his strength and skill and, yes, perhaps steroids, to convert a record 84-straight save chances while winning a Cy Young and coining the phrase “Game Over.”
Gagné was like Sasaki long before Sasaki. Even his entrance song, “Welcome to the Jungle,” matches Sasaki’s “Bailalo Rocky” with its ominous tones.
This is all so obvious, it’s a miracle the Dodgers haven’t put him in the bullpen already. But this is just the Dodgers being the Dodgers, an organization that puts the players first.
“We were just honest with him, that as things stood, the only real pathway … was in the bullpen,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters at the time. “But we wanted his full buy-in.”
Sasaki, who had mostly started while growing up in Japan, told the Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun he was “very hesitant” to make the switch but only agreed when the Dodgers promised it would be temporary.
“Because they will let me try to start again next season, it was a relatively easy decision to make,” he said.
Now it is the Dodgers who have the relatively easy decision. Sasaki will be upset, but the bullpen is surely a better option than an extended stay in Oklahoma City, where there are triple-A hitters whom he has already dominated. He’s too good for the minors. The problem is, as a starter, he’s also not good enough for the big leagues.
Into this limbo, the bullpen fits perfectly and if he’s unhappy, well, he was given a $6.5-million signing bonus to accept the ramifications of the following numbers:
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 05: Egor Chinakhov #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in action during the game against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
In an alternate universe, Egor Chinakhov might be wearing blue and white and playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs reportedly tried to trade for Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets, including discussions around a swap involving Nick Robertson. They couldn’t finalize a deal before he was ultimately sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins. [PensBurgh]
Penguins forwards Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte appear to be in the final stages of recovery from their respective maladies. When asked recently whether they would be able to suit up for Game 1 on Saturday night, both players said they were ready to “go.” [Trib Live]
Many within the Penguins’ locker room are embracing their return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out in recent seasons, with players and coaches emphasizing that meaningful spring hockey is exactly what they worked for all year. [Trib Live]
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Plum native and ESPN host Pat McAfee made a friendly wager on the Penguins-Flyers first-round playoff series, with Shapiro backing Philadelphia and McAfee rooting for his hometown Penguins. If the Penguins win, Shapiro will wear a tank top to work; if the Flyers win, McAfee will wear a suit on his show. [Trib Live]
The Penguins are moving on from defenseman Matt Dumba after the team reportedly placed the veteran on waivers for contract termination. [TSN]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has made waves in Hockey Mecca, creating uncertainty about his long-term future with the Leafs by refusing to commit beyond his current contract, saying he “can’t predict the future” as the team searches for a new general manager. [Sportsnet]
The New Jersey Devils have hired Sunny Mehta as the team’s newest general manager. Mehta had been working in the Florida Panthers’ front office since 2020. [ESPN]
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Rick Bowness have agreed to a contract extension through the 2026-27 season, the team announced on Thursday. [Yahoo! Sports]
LeBron James will lead the Lakers into the first round of the playoffs Saturday against the young and athletic Rockets with the weight of the season on his shoulders. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
The turn this Lakers’ season took, it should go down as one of the franchise’s great what-ifs, coulda-woulda-beens, we’ll-never-knows …
Shared regret for a legion of Lakers fans who were, for the full 15-2 month of March, vibing with their team, screaming excitedly like 6-year-olds and riding hard on the MVP campaign trail for Luka Doncic.
But then things got twisted — Doncic’s grade 2 hamstring strain and Austin Reaves’ grade 2 oblique strain — and now it should be obvious: With two of their three best players sidelined indefinitely, we should expect the Lakers to shut the book on this season soon, unless …
Unless LeBron James can pull off the second-greatest feat of his 23-year career.
Unless he can carry the Lakers past the heavily favored Rockets in a best-of-seven series that starts Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
Unless the Lakers’ last standing superstar — in what could be his last stand on this team or in this league, no one really knows — can hold the door long enough for Doncic and Reaves to recover and reenter the fray for Round 2.
Yes, the Lakers are leaning on a 41-year-old who started the season sidelined because of sciatica.
Their season rests entirely on the broad shoulders of the team’s willing third wheel.
It’s all up to the guy who capped the regular season by earning his 70th conference player of the week nod, who has won four NBA titles and three gold medals, but who wouldn’t have been able to finish the first round last postseason if it had taken the Minnesota Timberwolves more than five games to beat the Lakers. Recall, James suffered a grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the deciding loss.
So you shouldn’t hold your breath. But you also shouldn’t count out LeBron; the kid from Akron has beaten the odds before.
He would tell you he’s been beating them the whole time, coming from where he started to where he is now, a billionaire basketball player-slash-businessman, he’s scored more points than anyone, ever. He makes history every time he steps on the court, including sometimes with his son Bronny.
If the famous meme is to be believed, even LeBron can’t believe this is his life.
LeBron James gets past Sacramento's DeMar DeRozan for a reverse dunk. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
He does, however, believe he’s the G.O.A.T.
Said so in a 2018 episode of ESPN’s “More Than An Athlete” as he reflected on leading the Cleveland Cavaliers back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the 73-win Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals two years earlier: “I was like, ‘That one right there made you the greatest player of all time.’”
No team had won more regular-season games than Stephen Curry’s squad in 2016. And no team had rebounded from a 3-1 deficit in the championship round until LeBron’s Cavaliers. That was largely thanks to his back-to-back 41-point efforts in Games 5 and 6, and his meeting the moment in Game 7, when he scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and had the iconic, series-saving chase-down block that set up Kyrie Irving’s game-winner.
A beat-up, fourth-seeded Lakers team beating the ascending, fifth-seeded Rockets in the first round won’t top that. Nothing will.
Nor will it make a difference in the great G.O.A.T. debate; if that 3-1 comeback didn’t do for you what it did for LeBron in your personal pantheon of top players, there’s no point having the conversation.
But winning this series against an athletic, physical, long Rockets team that has won nine of its last 10 games? Slot that in as the second-most impressive achievement in James’ decades-long career.
Creating a real problem for Houston and doing it without Doncic, who had 36 points and 40 points, respectively, in the Lakers’ most recent victories against the Rockets?
Rebounding from dreadfully depressing injury news to knock out the NBA’s best rebounding team?
Nothing but the 3-1 comeback would come close. This would be more astonishing an accomplishment than his other three championships, including the one with the Lakers in the challenging confines of the Orlando bubble.
It would rank higher than LeBron’s 45-point explosion to save the Miami Heat from elimination against the Boston Celtics in 2012, or the game in which he scored 29 of the Cavaliers’ last 30 points to topple the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. Or any other major victory on which your dart might land.
It would be that monumental of an upset. That unlikely an outcome. That epic.
And that’s why almost no one outside of the Lakers believes in them.
Lakers forward LeBron James starts a fast break against the Spurs. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
All six of CBS Sports’ experts picked Houston; NBA.com has the Rockets winning in five games, the Athletic has it happening in six games. Eleven of ESPN’s 12 prognosticators went with the Rockets, and the betting sites all have them as heavy favorites, with DraftKings favoring Houston by 4.5 points in Game 1 — in Los Angeles.
Let’s be real, rational thought portends the obvious: It’s a wrap.
Unless …
Unless James can juke Father Time and pull off another odds-defying dead lift for the ages.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 05: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Arena on April 05, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 117-108. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
INDEPENDENCE — Basketball isn’t an individual sport, but you might not know that if you just watched First Take or listened to sports-talk radio. Individuals are judged solely on whether or not their teams come through in the postseason. And while that’s an important part of the conversation, one player can only do so much.
“You know the American way is championship or nothing,” Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “In our movies, we call the little kid, ‘Hey Champ.’ That’s the thing. Sure, we’d all love to win the championship, but that doesn’t mean you’re not successful.”
Few players have experienced the ridicule and criticism that comes from being a great individual player but not winning a championship more than James Harden.
Harden’s individual accomplishments over his 17-year career are astounding. He’s an 11-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA player, three-time scoring champ, two-time assist champ, Sixth Man of the Year, MVP, is ninth all-time in scoring, and he’s still adding to that resume. That should put him in the conversation for being one of the very best guards in league history, but it doesn’t for one simple reason. He hasn’t gotten it done in the postseason.
There aren’t many in the league more competitive than Harden. That’s how he’s been able to be such a high-impact player for as long as he has. Atkinson has called Harden’s dedication to the game obsessive. Someone who’s that committed to their craft wants to do everything in their power to win. But at the same time, Harden isn’t defined by the hole in his resume. He admits that he’s had a fulfilling career regardless of what happens from here.
“I’ve done so many things 95% of the world can’t even imagine,” Harden said after practice Wednesday. “I’m very, very confident. I’m happy. Life is amazing. I’ve impacted a lot of different people in a positive way. I’ve impacted the game in a positive way.”
There’s valid criticism for Harden’s playoff shortcomings. He hasn’t stepped up in the biggest moments like you’d expect someone of his caliber to do. But to pin all of his team’s losses on him is reductive. That isn’t how basketball works.
However, if you did decide to put those losses squarely on Harden, he probably wouldn’t mind.
“Honestly, I don’t care,” Harden said matter-of-factly when asked whether the forgotten context of his postseason losses bothers him. “There’s more detail and depth that I could go into as far as running up against a dynasty, injuries, that’s part of the game. There’s no excuse.”
Winning is the number one goal in sports. It’s why they play the games in the first place. But much more goes into winning than simply being the best player or having the most talented team. The margins are thin in closely contested postseason games. The difference between wins and losses can come down to inches and sometimes pure luck.
The Cavs aren’t the favorites to win the championship this season. There’s plenty of reasons to be skeptical of their postseason chances, given how little continuity this core has together. That being said, sports are weird. Anything can happen. This team has the top-end talent to piece things together and go on a magical run. And if that were to take place, no individual player’s legacy would change more than Harden’s.
But if the Cavs flame out, leaving Harden once again on the wrong end of a difficult playoff loss, that wouldn’t change who he is or his approach to the game. He’s still going to show up for training camp in the fall and do everything in his power to be ready for another deep postseason. Maybe in the end, the resiliency to keep coming back to the fight — even after things haven’t broken your way for over a decade and a half — is the mark of a true winner.
“I don’t feel bad. I don’t dwell on it. I don’t think back on it,” Harden said. “It’s part of it. It’s life. I’m sure we all could look at ourselves and think about certain things that happened over the course of our lives that just didn’t go our way, and feel bad about it. I just don’t think like that. I just keep pushing.”
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 14: Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the first group of MLB Power Rankings has been released, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are somewhere we are not used to seeing them: near the top.
Sports Illustrated has released their first MLB Power Rankings since right before Opening Day, and your Buccos are sitting pretty in fourth place. Here’s what SI has to say about our squad:
How about those Pirates?! After an uncharacteristic Opening Day meltdown, ace Paul Skenes has righted the ship for the Buccos, Braxton Ashcraft is quietly pitching like an ace and Mitch Keller continues to be a quality start machine. But it’s been the Pirates’ rebuilt lineup, led by an apparent breakout year from Oneil Cruz and hot starts from newcomers Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe, that has Pittsburgh residents already dreaming of the club’s first postseason appearance since 2015.
So while SI isn’t as presitgious these days as the power rankings on MLB.com, it’s nice to see Pittsburgh being recognized for their 11-8 start. Right now, that puts the Bucs on a 92-win pace, which is better than any of us predicted here on the staff. I think most importantly, baseball has been fun, which hasn’t been the case here in Pittsburgh for a while. I legitimately enjoy watching each member of the starting five, and now that the team is hitting the ball a little bit, it’s been a pretty good watch on that side of the ball as well.
Since I am an elementary teacher, I don’t usually get to games in person until the summer, so it would be nice for the games I attend to matter for a change. It’s been a while since the Bucs were still playing for something in June, July and August when I can actually go. Let’s hope the power rankings hold. Go Bucs!
James Rew’s unbeaten 77 helped put Somerset in a strong position after bowling out Hampshire for 238, while Jamie Porter made inroads for Essex at Egbaston before the weather intervened
Bad news for Lancs at Bristol, where Ajeet Singh Dale seems to have done something nasty to his hamstring and has limped off. A real shame on his return to his old club. Glos 8-0.
A fascinating piece by Emma John, with a mention of Benny Howell of Hants, Glos and more.
