Giro d’Italia triumph completes grand slam of Grand Tours although the Dane may still require a dip in from from his great rival to prevail in July
Jonas Vingegaard’s achievement in completing a grand slam of Grand Tours lifts him into a select club of champions that have recorded victories in the tours of Italy, France and Spain. The 29-year-old Dane joins Belgium’s Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil of France, Spain’s Alberto Contador, Italians Felice Gimondi and Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome, of Great Britain, as winners of all three Grand Tours.
It’s an accomplishment that has, to date, proven beyond his great rival, Tadej Pogacar, who, despite his multiple successes in other races, has yet to add the Vuelta a España to his wins in the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. “It is a special day for me,” Vingegaard said, showing rare emotion as he paid tribute to the support of his family. “It’s way more than I could ever dream of when I was a kid.”
Fewer than 60,000 saw Wigan beat Hull KR in the Challenge Cup final and the sport needs to address its attendance problem
There was more Challenge Cup history under the Wembley arch on Saturday afternoon as Wigan Warriors secured a record-extending victory in rugby league’s most prestigious competition. But there was a slice of more sobering history too.
The Warriors’ demolition of Hull KR was watched by just 56,383 spectators; excluding the two Covid-affected finals of 2020 and 2021, that is the lowest figure for a Wembley Challenge Cup final since 1946. Granted, few sports obsess over attendance figures quite like rugby league but the reality is a statistic that stark is enough to merit a debate about where the sport goes next.
The Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes by the numbers:
87%
Of the 76 playoff games so far were decided by one goal or by two with the second being an empty-netter. That's the second-highest rate in a playoffs in NHL history.
68
Different unique matchups in the final now with Vegas against Carolina, after Florida and Edmonton faced each other back to back in 2024 and '25.
22
Years since John Tortorella coached the Tampa Bay Lightning to their first Stanley Cup title. There was no champion the following season because it was wiped out by a lockout.
20
Years since now-Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour captained the team to the Stanley Cup. That was Carolina's last trip to the final.
16
Previous sets of brothers have won the Stanley Cup with the same franchise. Carolina's Jordan Staal is looking to join Eric from 2006 to make it 17.
13
Players in the series who participated in the Milan Cortina Olympics, the first involving NHL participation since 2014.
12
Players on the rosters who have won the Stanley Cup before. Eleven were on Vegas during its 2023 title run, including Carolina's William Carrier. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal won it in 2009 with Pittsburgh.
11
Days the Hurricanes had off between the second round and the Eastern Conference Final, the longest gap between rounds since at least 1920. They lost Game 1 to Montreal 6-2 before winning four in a row to advance.
10
Goals apiece for Vegas' Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev, who are tied for the most in the playoffs. Carolina's Logan Stankoven is next with nine.
9
Seasons of existence for the Golden Knights. They are in the final for a third time and are going for their second championship.
5
Combined losses between the teams in the playoffs, the fewest by the finalists since the NHL went to four rounds of best-of-seven series in 1987.
4
Players who have the chance to get retribution after losing in the Olympic gold-medal game. Vegas’ Mark Stone, Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore and Carolina’s Seth Jarvis played for Canada, which outshot the U.S. 42-28.
3
Players who have the chance to pull off the Olympic gold medal-Stanley Cup double. Vegas' Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin and Carolina's Jaccob Slavin were all part of the U.S. team that beat Canada in overtime in the final in Milan.
1.62
Goals-against average for Carolina, the best in the playoffs. It's the lowest since the 2012 Los Angeles Kings, who won the Cup.
1
Loss by Carolina through the first three rounds, following sweeps of Ottawa and Philadelphia and a five-game series victory against Montreal in the Eastern Conference Final. The Hurricanes are the first team to do that since the change to four rounds of best of seven in '87.
0
Coaches before Tortorella who swept the Presidents’ Trophy winner in two different playoff series. Tortorella’s Golden Knights did so to NHL-best Colorado in the West final, seven years after his Columbus Blue Jackets swept Tampa Bay in the first round in 2019.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Cameron Boozer warms up during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 12, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. 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 Melissa Tamez/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If you were drafting a player solely on winning, Cam Boozer might be that player. In every competitive league that Boozer has been a part of, he’s been a winner. And not just a winner, but dominant. Don’t believe me, here’s a list of his accomplishments:
High School (Christopher Columbus High School, FL): Won four consecutive Florida state championships and a national title.
International (USA Basketball): Went an undefeated 13-0, securing gold medals at the 2023 FIBA U16 AmeriCup and 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. He was named MVP for both tournaments.
Nike EYBL: Won three Nike Peach Jam titles during his AAU circuit career.
College (Duke): Captured the ACC regular-season title, the ACC Tournament MVP, and led the Duke Blue Devils to the Elite Eight. He led the country in double-doubles (22) while averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. All that while shooting 55.6% from the field and 39.1% from three.
If there’s one thing that Cam Boozer has done, it’s win basketball games, and if you are drafting Boozer, that’s exactly what you can expect him to do.
The only reason Boozer isn’t the clear-cut #1 pick in this draft is that it’s one of the top-heavy drafts in a long time. Boozer is going up against two of the most impressive on-ball prospects we’ve seen in some time in AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. That said, there’s no reason that Boozer shouldn’t get considered by the Washington Wizards or the Utah Jazz at the #1 or #2 pick.
If you wanted a description of Cam Boozer’s game, it would be that he’s quite literally good at everything a big will be asked to do. Boozer can score from everywhere on the floor as a true three-level scorer. He’s an elite three-point shooter whether it’s off the bounce or the catch. That elite shooting forces defenders to run out to contest his shot, which leads to him driving and scoring. If the big is there on the drive, he can drop a floater with fantastic touch. His bread and butter typically comes in isolation with his back to the basket. He has an array of moves, whether it’s pure brute force backing down a mismatch, he’ll face up and knock down a pull-up jumper, or he’ll go with a wide array of spin moves leading to a variety of baby hooks.
He’s also a deft passer, whether passing within the offense, kicking out to shooters in the short roll, or passing to an open shooter out of the post. The thing his passing shows is an elite-level IQ, and it’s that IQ that gives you confidence that his game can translate to the NBA.
The only question marks about Boozer concern his defense and potential position. Boozer was not a good rim protector in college, and that weakness will only get worse in the league. That means that Boozer will be playing exclusively at the power forward. That’s not a big issue, but it does make roster construction around him vital to maximize everything he does. For example, Boozer’s back-to-the-basket game gets neutralized a bit if he’s on the floor with a non-stretch center. In college, where Boozer got blocked a surprising amount on post-ups, that will only get worse in the NBA, where he’ll face bigger, more athletic opposition. Now, that doesn’t mean he can’t figure things out, it’s just something to consider, and it means a good chunk of his game might be taken away. That said, Boozer can still do a lot with the ball, and a smart coach will find a lot of ways to use him. If he’s not backing people down in the post, he can just replace those post plays by getting the ball at the top of the key. He can hit cutters, pull up from three, or make his patented punishing drives to the basket.
As I mentioned before, the other element that raises some questions is his defense. Boozer can’t protect the rim, and he might also struggle on the perimeter in the NBA. Very rarely do you see multiple bigs on the floor that can’t handle and shoot. There will also be coaches that will challenge Boozer by forcing him to defend more agile 3s and 4s. It will be fascinating to see how Boozer handles those matchups. If he does well, then he’s the type of player that can contribute to championship-level basketball, maybe even be the leader of a championship team. If he can’t, then he becomes a liability come playoff time. A team deciding to make Boozer their franchise player is betting that Boozer can figure that element of his game out. And if there’s one thing we know about Boozer, he figures out how to win wherever he plays, there’s no reason to think he can’t do that in the NBA.
At FanDuel, Boozer is +1500 to go #1, but you never know if a GM makes a surprise decision and changes the entire layout of the draft. Could Utah make an unexpected move for Cam Boozer at #2? We’ll find out on June 23rd.
Brusdar Graterol’s year-and-a-half-long injury saga took another disappointing turn Sunday.
The Dodgers reliever underwent surgery for a recent back injury he suffered while on a minor-league rehab assignment earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed to The California Post after Graterol posted about the operation on Instagram.
Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol’s status for the rest of the season is uncertain after he recently underwent back surgery. AP
It leaves Graterol facing another long-term recovery process, putting his chances of returning this season in jeopardy, sources said.
“I fell again, but I won’t stay down here,” Graterol wrote on Instagram. “I will rise. My goal isn’t over — it’s just beginning.”
Looks like Brusdar Graterol ended up getting surgery. He posted this to his IG pic.twitter.com/jXHBQbBPQ8
At the start of May, Graterol went out on a rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City, trying to return from a shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of last year and the start of this one.
After his fourth outing on May 12, however, he was pulled off the assignment as his back “flared up” on him, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced at the time.
Graterol was transferred to the 60-day injured list a week later.
General manager Brandon Gomes said then that surgery was an option for the 27-year-old right-hander, but that the club wanted “to exhaust all options” first.
“He’s worked really hard [to try and come back],” Gomes said.
Now, he’ll have to start all over again.
While Graterol’s exact timeline wasn’t immediately clear, sources indicated it’s likely he will require a months-long recovery process.
Graterol has a 2.78 career ERA over six MLB seasons and last pitched in the majors during the 2024 postseason. Getty Images
Roberts had hinted at a prolonged absence for the flamethrower earlier this month, saying that “it’s gonna be a slow program for a while for him, unfortunately.”
Graterol, who has a 2.78 career ERA over six MLB seasons, last pitched in the majors during the 2024 postseason, as part of a bullpen that carried the Dodgers to the first of their current back-to-back World Series championships.
After that, he underwent surgery on his labrum in November, initially ruling him out for the first half of the 2025 season. When his shoulder didn’t recover as quickly as hoped, he ended up missing all of the Dodgers’ title-defense campaign on the injured list.
Graterol was slow-played again this spring, after struggling to regain his upper-90s mph velocity in a throwing program during camp. He opened the season back on the IL but said at the end of spring training that he was confident in making his return this year.
He seemed on track for that up until his May 12 outing, when his fastball velocity dipped back under 95 mph amid his back issue.
Now, suddenly he’s essentially back to square one all over again. Facing another surgical recovery. Another elongated rehab. And, quite possibly, another season spent entirely on the shelf.
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 12: President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to the media during a press conference at UCLA Health Training Center on May 12, 2026 in El Segundo, California. 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 Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Now, when the system is as absurd as the one implemented by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, there’s going to be lots and lots of those types of ripple effects.
Last week, the league adopted a new draft lottery system that flattened odds overall and will punish teams for both being really bad and for being bad for a consecutive number of years. In doing that, it also brings play-in teams into the equation, increasing their odds of earning a top pick in the draft now.
For example, last year, the Hornets lost the second play-in game, landing in the 14th spot in the lottery. Subsequently, they had a 2.4% chance of moving into the top four and a 0.5% chance at the No. 1 pick. Under the new rules, which go into effect next season, the team in the 14th spot in the lottery now has a 2.7% chance at the first pick.
However, importantly, all 16 picks will be drawn now instead of just the top four with the remainder of the lottery sorted by record. So, a team could make the play-in, lose, and end up with a top pick in the draft all in the span of a couple of months.
By nature, those unintended consequences won’t be known until teams start operating under the new rules and find the loopholes. We’ve already started to see them as teams read the rules, most notably in that teams can not have top-five picks even if they own another team’s pick.
To provide another example, the Nets own the Nuggets’ 2032 first round pick. If Brooklyn picked in the top five in the 2030 and 2031 drafts but has things figured out while Denver stinks and would provide them another top-five pick, the Nets will not be allowed to pick in the top five even though it’s not their own pick.
Great work, Adam Silver.
More of these types of details will be found out moving forward, but an unintended result of all this could be the freedom with which picks are traded. If a team can so easily move into a top pick despite being a middling team, the calculation for making a deal changes.
No longer is a team that is going to be battling for the play-in trading a straightforward late-lottery pick. The odds and format will change things. Unless you’re a team with a clear direction, then second-guessing is going to come into play now.
And that could help the Lakers.
LA is not second-guessing about their future. They have a north star in Luka Dončić and a clear path to contention every year. They also have draft picks to trade and a roster that needs reshaping. There should be no hesitation on their end to go and find upgrades.
Teams might see the new lottery odds, realize how injuries could derail a season and decide to take the risk on a future Lakers pick. At the same time, if the other teams aren’t as willing to make those deals, then the picks could
If they enter the offseason with aggression and other teams enter with doubts of risking a potential top pick in the draft, could LA actually take advantage of those unintended consequences of the new lottery rules?
The inverse could also be true. Will Oklahoma City see the same value in having a host of draft picks if they can’t routinely make them top-five picks? The same goes for San Antonio.
And if the trade market is barren for draft picks, will those teams feel more eager to pull the trigger?
The Lakers find themselves at an interesting crossroads. The league just changed how the draft works, ahead of an offseason in which the Lakers have made it clear for years that they’ll have multiple draft picks to trade.
Is it a change that improves their ability to build a contender this summer? Or could there be other unintended consequences that shake things up?
Will Warren, a New York Yankees pitcher, throws a baseball.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Having 43 minutes to sit in the dugout between pitches is not ideal, but Will Warren surely did not mind, given the reason for the long wait.
The fact that it came at Sutter Health Park, where there is no access to the clubhouse or any facilities underneath from the dugouts, made it all the more unique.
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But the Yankees right-hander just had to get creative as he watched his offense explode for a 13-run top of the third inning Sunday afternoon, then got back to business on the way to a 13-8 win.
Warren, who made his way out to the bullpen during the offensive onslaught to throw some pitches and stay loose after the A’s second pitching change, put up an important zero in the bottom of the third to keep a 13-3 lead intact.
He then went on to toss six strong innings in which he only gave up three runs, all of them unearned and all of them coming in the bottom of the first.
“We had the big lead, and I don’t know if I was exactly myself,” Warren said of a bottom of the third in which he gave up a pair of singles but stranded both runners. “I think I could have stepped on their throat when we wanted to. Coming back in the dugout [after the bottom of the third], [manager Aaron Boone] and I had that talk. I went back out there and finished the game strong, so that was nice to see.”
Yankees pitcher Will Warren throws to an Athletics batter during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 31, 2026. AP Photo/Scott Marshall
Warren had been throwing weighted balls in the small dugout early on during the Yankees’ wild inning, in which they sent 18 batters to the plate.
But as each passing teammate got on base, Warren began to realize he may need to do more to keep moving.
“I heard him kind of asking and maybe freaking out about how he was going to stay warm,” Anthony Volpe said with a smile.
So during the A’s second pitching change, Warren jogged out to the bullpen and threw about seven pitches, then ran to the mound from there to start the bottom of the third in a bizarre scene.
Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren (29) looks skyward as he walks off the field May 31. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
“Will did a good job of settling in, dealing with that long third inning,” Boone said. “When do you see a starting pitcher go down to the bullpen? I mean, it got that long. Good job by him of locking in and giving us six strong innings there.”
The only runs that Warren gave up came after Trent Grisham dropped a fly ball to shallow center field that initially got lost in the sun with two outs.
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But he ultimately did not let that, or the long third inning, affect him as he lowered his ERA to 3.22 through 12 starts.
“A lot of time sitting there, and I just wanted to make sure I was sharp to go back out there after the boys put up 13,” Warren said. “Holding them to three with this offense is always going to be a good day.”
Max Schuemann doubles for the Yankees during their May 31 win against the A's.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With a lefty on the mound and his former team across the way, Max Schuemann got a rare start Sunday afternoon and made the most of it again.
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The former A’s utilityman started at second base for Jazz Chisholm Jr. and went 1-for-3 with a walk, two-run double and two runs in the Yankees’ 13-8 win.
“He provided a good spark,” Boone said. “I knew he’d give us good at-bats, and he did. So good to get him in there and have him play a meaningful role.”
Schuemann has drawn seven walks in 24 plate appearances this season, batting .294 with a .971 OPS in limited action since being called up last month.
Taking advantage of Amed Rosario being on the paternity list, Schuemann was right in the thick of the Yankees’ 13-run third inning, drawing a seven-pitch walk against lefty Jacob Lopez after Anthony Volpe led off with a single.
Max Schuemann doubles for the Yankees during their May 31 win against the A’s. AP Photo/Scott Marshall
In his second at-bat of the inning — still with no outs, this time against righty Michael Kelly — Schuemann drilled a two-strike double over the third baseman’s head to put the Yankees up 10-3.
“[Schuemann] has done a good job, he really has,” Boone said. “His versatility, obviously it’s been a lot of defensive replacements or pinch-running situations. The at-bats he’s given has been excellent. … That’s something we noticed in spring. We feel like he can put together a good at-bat.”
Jen Pawol, the New Jersey native, former Hofstra softball player and first female umpire in Major League Baseball, was behind the plate calling balls and strikes Sunday.
“I think she did great, especially when we win,” Aaron Judge said with a grin. “I think she did great. I had her in spring training, I think once or twice, I don’t know if it was last year or this year. She’s on top of it. She’s locked in back there. A couple times, I asked her about a couple pitches, if they were down or if that’s the bottom, and she was right there locked in.”
The Yankees thought they should have been out of the first inning Sunday when Tyler Soderstrom grounded a potential double play ball to second base with one out.
But the 6-foot-5 Nick Kurtz, running to second, trailed off toward the third base side and got in Anthony Volpe’s way of throwing to first to finish it off.
Boone argued on the field that Kurtz should have been called for interference, but the umpires disagreed.
“The rule is that it has to be intentional,” Volpe said. “I didn’t really understand it. They understood it was just a weird play, but I think by the letter of the law, they couldn’t really do anything.”
Ryan Weathers and the Yankees were gifted a free strike in the fourth inning Saturday on a pitch that was out of the zone.
Soderstrom challenged it, but there was a glitch in the automated ball-strike system, as it froze on the scoreboard and never showed whether the pitch was a ball or a strike.
Home plate umpire Adam Beck eventually announced that his initial call of a strike was upheld despite the zone on MLB.com appearing to show it as a ball.
“My understanding was that we got one,” Boone said Sunday morning with a chuckle.
During the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins saw a changing of the guard at the goaltending position after Tristan Jarry had held that starting post for the better part of six-plus seasons.
In shipping Jarry off to the Edmonton Oilers in mid-December, they received veteran Stuart Skinner in return. They also had rookie goaltender Artūrs Šilovs via a trade from the Vancouver Canucks during the summer of 2025, staying afloat and playing well enough to keep making appearances throughout the season.
And, for the rest of the regular season, Skinner and Šilovs experienced some peaks and valleys, both posting .888 save percentages. Of course, Šilovs lived up to his big-game reputation in three games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, giving the Penguins a chance to come back from down 3-0 against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round with a .939 save percentage and 1.52 goals-against average.
As promising as Šilovs's playoff performance was, there is even more promise in the Penguins' system, so much so that it's becoming more apparent that they may have multiple options at the NHL level.
Well, at least, that's the hope — and, really, the Penguins' hopes kind of depend on it.
Of course, it starts with 22-year-old Sergei Murashov, the most NHL-ready goaltending prospect in their system and, by a wide margin, their most promising up to this point. And Murashov is certainly proving himself in the Calder Cup Playoffs with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), putting up a .938 save percentage with a 1.84 goals-against average in 11 postseason games.
There is a ton of pressure on Murashov to live up to lofty expectations, especially as he's already been annointed as the next "great" Penguins' goaltender by many fans despite playing in just five NHL games so far. And, not only that, he has an internal target on his back, too.
Joel Blomqvist, 24, fell into a bit of a backup role behind Murashov by the time playoff time came around, but he still posted a respectable .913 save percentage and 2.40 goals-against average in 26 regular season games this season. Taylor Gauthier put together another outstanding season in the ECHL for the Wheeling Nailers with a .929 save percentage in 36 regular season games and a .922 save percentage in 17 Kelly Cup Playoff games, also breaking the franchise's regular season shutout record.
Then, there is Gabriel D'Aigle — unrefined yet as quick and athletic as Murashov in addition to being 6-foot-5 in the goal crease. The 19-year-old got peppered on a nightly basis with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL and still had a .908 save percentage in 39 appearances, and he joined Wheeling at the end of his junior season and appeared in three games, facing 106 shots on goal and recording a .925 save percentage in the process. He turns 20 this year, so there's a good chance he will play in Wheeling next season.
With all this goaltending depth in their system, it seems like the Penguins are pretty set. If things don't work out with Šilovs or Murashov, they have Blomqvist, Gauthier, and D'Aigle behind them. Right now, they have depth at the position to spare.
And that's a good thing because the future success of the franchise depends on at least one of these guys panning out.
Yes, goaltending isn't the end-all, be-all, but it's typically the x-factor in what separates a mere playoff contender from a true Stanley Cup contender. The Penguins don't win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 without the lights-out play of rookie Matt Murray. The Tampa Bay Lightning don't back-to-back in 2020 and 2021 without Andrei Vasilevskiy in his prime as the best goaltender in the league. The Vegas Golden Knights don't win in 2023 without Adin Hill and his .932 save percentage.
The teams with the best goaltending are the teams that are not only able to perenially contend, but also get over the hump and hoist the Stanley Cup. That places an immense amount of expectation and pressure upon the young Penguins' goaltenders, fair or not.
At the end of the day, the biggest factor in whether or not the Penguins and Kyle Dubas will rebuild successfully and contend sustainably lies between the pipes. And teams with a solid tandem have an even better chance at success.
No matter what it entails, the Penguins need to be fully invested in the proper development of their netminders. There is a whole lot of potential, but potential is all it is at this point — and it is up to the organization to give these guys the best chance to succeed and march Pittsburgh back to sustained contention.
Alvarez has resumed baseball activities and Carlos Mendoza said following Sunday’s 10-1 win over Miami at Citi Field that the catcher is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.
The Mets have survived without Alvarez thanks to the presence of Luis Torrens, who had another solid game Sunday — helping get Nolan McLean through five solid innings despite a career-high five walks, and David Peterson through four scoreless frames — as well as providing a key two-run single.
But Torrens also had an injury scare, as the catcher was hit by a pitch on his left hand during a sixth-inning at-bat.
Francisco Alvarez is pictured during the Mets’ May 25. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
Torrens stayed in the game — and scored later in the inning on Juan Soto’s grand slam.
Still, the Mets are clearly better off with Alvarez as an option in the lineup — whether behind the plate or at DH.
Torrens, though, has again proven his value as more than just a capable backup.
Jorge Polanco could have his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday as the infielder recovers from the wrist contusion and Achilles bursitis that have sidelined him since April 15.
But even when the veteran infielder returns to the Mets — potentially on the upcoming road trip in San Diego — he won’t see much time at first base, according to Mendoza.
The manager said he didn’t expect Polanco to need his glove initially when he gets back.
“I’m not anticipating a guy who’s gonna play a lot in the field,” Mendoza said.
He also used words like “manage” and “monitor” when it came to Polanco’s usage, which will include off days, time at DH and off the bench.
“Let’s get to that point,” Mendoza noted.
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Polanco has played just 14 games for the Mets since signing a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason.
Peterson has pitched better out of the bullpen than as a starter all season and that trend continued Sunday, as the lefty didn’t allow a run in his four innings in relief of McLean.
As a reliever this year, Peterson has allowed just five earned runs in 24 innings (1.88 ERA) compared to a 7.56 ERA over 33 ¹/₃ innings in his seven starts.
“I was given the ball and I try to do my role and help the team win,’’ said Peterson, who was yanked from the rotation again and replaced by fellow lefty Sean Manaea, who has pitched better recently and seen an uptick in velocity.
Marcus Semien reached base four times for a second time this year.
The 2026 NHL Draft is quickly approaching, and that means it's time for another Pittsburgh Penguins' prospect profile.
It's also great timing, since the NHL Combine is set to be held in Buffalo starting this Monday and running through Saturday. It will be a great chance for teams to meet with some of the top prospects in the draft and get to know them. Teams will also be able to review players' medical reports.
It's also a chance for teams to kickstart trade conversations since the full offseason is set to get underway in a couple of weeks, but the main order of business is getting to meet with the top prospects.
I kicked things off with defenseman Ryan Lin last week, who would be a really solid pick if he were to fall to No. 22 overall, and we're now shifting to forward Nikita Klepov.
Klepov spent the 2025-26 season with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit and had a tremendous campaign, finishing with 37 goals and 97 points in 67 games. It was his first season with the Spirit after spending the 2024-25 season with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers.
Klepov plays on the right wing and the first thing that stands out is his skating. It's extremely powerful and he absolutely flies up the ice once he gets going. He'll also showcase some dangles that players won't see coming and his shiftiness is one of my favorite attributes of his game.
His playmaking skills are through the roof, and he has excellent vision, especially on the power play. His office on the man-advantage is the right circle and made some outstanding passes that led to goals from there this season.
Don't sleep on his one-timer, either. He can really rifle the puck and scored some sick goals from the right circle this season as well, including one against the Flint Firebirds. The Spirit were trailing 3-0 at the time when Klepov passed the puck to the left point before drifting over to his office. He got the puck back a few seconds later and uncorked a one-timer to make it 3-1. The Firebirds' goaltender had no chance on it.
Another example of his nasty one-timer came from the Spirit's game against the Brampton Steelheads. It was a 1-1 game in the second period when Klepov changed that with an unbelievable shot from his office on the power play. The puck went in and out of the net in what felt like a millisecond.
Klepov also isn't afraid to drive to the net and get to the dirty areas. Yes, he does a lot of his best work a bit further out, but he's more than willing to get his hands messy and score/set up some greasy goals.
Outside of his play on the power play and at 5v5, Klepov also showed the ability to play on the penalty kill at times, making some nice shorthanded plays that showcased his speed and deception.
Klepov does a lot right offensively, but I wasn't overly impressed by his two-way game on tape. It definitely needs some improvement, and he'll have the chance to work on that when he plays for Michigan State during the 2026-27 season.
MSU is one of the top college hockey programs in the country, and for good reason. It knows how to churn out some really good NHL players.
Heck, Flyers forward Porter Martone played for MSU during the 2025-26 season, and look how that turned out for them. Martone was fantastic for the Spartans before making his NHL debut at the end of the year, and he helped the Flyers make the playoffs, compiling 10 points in nine games.
Overall, I'd be thrilled if the Penguins had the chance to select Klepov in the first round. He's a hard-working, electric winger with a ton of offensive upside and is still developing. He wouldn't be ready right away like Ben Kindel was this year, but he'd have the chance to crack the NHL roster in a couple of years if everything went right.
Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott entered the game against the Phillies in the eighth inning Saturday with a 3-1 lead. As he stood on the mound at Dodger Stadium, that lead slipped until Edmundo Sosa belted a two-run homer to give his team the lead.
Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott’s wife, Maddie, revealed some death threats that were made after LA lost to the Phillies on Saturday night. Getty Images for Netflix
Tanner’s wife, Maddie Scott, took to Instagram to expose the ghouls who are flooding her inbox and comment section with death threats toward their family, including the couple’s newborn.
“When did it stop being a game?” Maddie wrote on her Instagram Story in response to a message from a user who said “gun shot your family tonight.”
“I don’t speak out often. Ever actually,” she said. “I promise you, you don’t know what it’s like unless you’re living it.”
Maddie posted another Instagram Story captioned, “The unfortunate reality Incase you were curious,” with a screenshot of six comments posted in a three-minute span from the same user, hawk.3112090.
The user’s hateful comments were directed toward Tanner and his newborn child.
“Hope this mutt d i e s soon,” one of the user’s comments read on a photo of the Scotts’ child. Another said “I hope you get home to your family lying in puddles of their own blood.”
“Hope it’s a still b i r t h,” the user wrote under one of the couple’s photos.
The faceless accounts behind the horrid messages and comments have become more common in the rise of internet trolling — deepening safety concerns for professional athletes and their families.
Maddie gave fans a glimpse of what it is like to be the wife of a high-profile athlete, but the battles behind closed doors of a new mother dealing with threats toward their child are impossible to measure on a social media post.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown has a special connection to San Antonio.
Another NBA Finals opens in San Antonio.
Mike Brown was on the bench — in what is now known as the Frost Bank Center — with Gregg Popovich during the 2003 NBA Finals, serving as a young assistant in the title series against the Nets, which ended with a parade along the San Antonio River.
Four years later, Brown was a second-year head coach with a 22-year-old superstar (LeBron James), attempting to lead the Cavaliers to an upset of Tim Duncan’s Spurs.
Now, Brown, 56, is heading back to a city where his family still resides, needing to defeat the friends and the franchise that helped catapult his career to claim his first championship as a head coach.
“They definitely want to beat me and I want to kick their ass,” Brown said following Sunday’s practice. “You love ’em and you can always love ’em before and after … I got ties to San Antonio and you appreciate the people, you appreciate the journey and all that other stuff. But at the end of the day, just like they want to beat you, you definitely want to beat them.”
Mike Brown reacts on the sideline during the Knicks’ May 23 game. Charles Wenzelberg
Brown was a hard-working but relatively inexperienced 30-year-old when he arrived in San Antonio, where he’d spend three years (2000-03) as an assistant who designed thorough scouting reports and color-coded practice itineraries.
Popovich (the five-time title-winning head coach who serves as the Spurs’ president of basketball operations) became a trusted mentor and close friend.
After Brown was fired as a head coach for the third time in 2014, Popovich helped convince him to unofficially end his coaching sabbatical by offering him a role as a volunteer consultant for the Spurs, giving Brown an open invitation to attend every game, practice and meeting he desired.
Gregg Popovich, Mike Brown and Tim Duncan are pictured after winning the NBA Finals in 2003. NBAE via Getty Images
Brown, who had recently gone through a divorce, took up part-time residence in San Antonio — sleeping in a double bed, beneath a Spiderman poster, in the former bedroom of Danny Ferry’s son — and spent more than half a season with the Spurs, helping the coach he could never properly repay.
“The job that he’s done, not only on the court with that team and the organization, but off the court too, is gonna be imprinted as long as the game of basketball exists,” Brown said. “He still has a huge presence. He’ll always have a presence. His presence is very much felt all the time.”I’ve got a lot of respect for the organization for a lot of different reasons. I worked there, having an opportunity to work there and being part of a championship there and my family being down there too reminds me of good times.”
"As of right now, the plan is for him to play Tuesday in Syracuse," Mendoza said, referencing New York's Triple-A affiliate.
Syracuse is set to host the Yankees' Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.
The Mets placed Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with a right meniscus tear May 13. He last played May 12 in New York's 10-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Alvarez has been catching bullpens, blocking, running and throwing.
"Just two weeks removed from surgery, it's pretty amazing to see," Mendoza said before Friday's game.
Alvarez underwent surgery May 14.
"Alvarez, I mean, this guy is unbelievable," Mendoza said last Monday. "He's already hitting, he's already doing catching. We were talking about eight weeks. I'm not sure about that now. This guy is built different. ... There's a lot of positive from him, too."
Through 37 games this season, Alvarez is slashing .241/.317/.393 with four home runs and 10 RBI.
OG Anunoby could be the Knicks' solution to stopping Victor Wembanyama.
Through the Knicks’ first eight postseason games, there was no player who was more valuable than OG Anunoby.
In the NBA Finals, he may be Mike Brown’s most important player again.
While Anunoby will be counted on to continue his career-best postseason run — ranking second on the team with 19.7 points while shooting 57.7 percent from the field (48.3 percent on 3-pointers) — it may be the 28-year-old’s defense that determines whether the Knicks will end their 53-year title drought.
Anunoby is expected to spend significant time matched up with San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, and the 6-7 wing’s previous encounters with the French superstar offer hope that the Knicks can limit the damage done by the former No. 1 overall pick.
Among players who have served as the primary defender on at least 100 possessions against Wembanyama, Anunoby has allowed the fewest points per possession, bothering the Spurs big man with his 7-2 wingspan, physicality and athleticism.
OG Anunoby knocks the ball away from Paul George during the Knicks’ May 6 game against the 76ers. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
“OG is an extremely versatile guard, and you know, the luxury of having a guy like that is he’s long enough, athletic enough, strong enough to guard quick, smaller guys, he’s obviously got the size and athleticism to guard big wings, and then he’s got the strength and the length and the intelligence to guard bigger guys,” Brown said Sunday. “So having a guy like that gives us a ton of versatility to be able to move him around, knowing that he can adapt, slash, adjust, or whatever you want to call it, on the fly.”
Victor Wembanyama goes to dunk the ball during the Spurs’ March 1 game against the Knicks. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
Wembanyama — the first unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year — will create countless issues for the Knicks as a rim protector, but the 22-year-old’s offensive impact has seen him ping-pong between being the best player in the world and a passive observer.
In San Antonio’s postseason wins, Wembanyama has averaged 27.9 points and 12.1 rebounds while shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 46.3 percent on 3-pointers.
In the Spurs’ losses, he has posted 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds, shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 18.5 percent on 3-pointers.
It is the biggest test of Anunoby’s career, the greatest opportunity to prove he deserved better than a selection to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.
“[The voters] were wrong,” Brown said. “He should have been First Team All-Defense because of his versatility. And it’s shown throughout the course of the most important time during the year, which is the playoffs, and it will continue to show going into the Finals.”
