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Yankees complete sweep of Brewers thanks to historic power output

The Yankees completed a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, winning on Sunday afternoon by a score of 12-3.

Here are the key takeaways…

-Marcus Stroman had a bumpy first inning on the mound, and more damage could have been done if not for a tremendous catch on the run by Cody Bellinger in center field, who raced down a Jackson Chourio fly ball just in front of the wall. But Stroman allowed a walk and pair of hits in the inning, including a Sal Frelick RBI single, as Milwaukee took an early lead.

Stroman ended up allowing a two-run homer to former Yankee Jake Bauers later in the game, and he finished his season debut going 4.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

-After homering three times in the first four innings on Saturday, what would Aaron Judge have in mind for an encore? Well, his day on Sunday started much the same as the slugger demolished a two-run home run off of Aaron Civale in the first inning, putting the Yankees up. With that blast, Judge became the first Yankee ever to hit at least four home runs in the team’s first three games of the season.

-Following their nine-home run outing on Saturday, the Bombers lived up to their nickname again on Sunday, homering four times. Following Judge’s early blast, Ben Rice got in on the action with a solo home run into the second deck in right field in the bottom of the second. In the same frame, the Brewers elected to walk Judge this time around, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. made them pay with a two-run blast.

For good measure, Chisholm ripped another home run, this one a three-run shot to blow the game wide open at 12-3 in the seventh inning.

-Chisholm is one of a handful of Yankees using the newly designed torpedo bats, and it's clearly paying off for him and other users like Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Anthony Volpe. Who's to say what the Yankees' home run numbers would look like without these bats, but as a team the Yankees hit 15 home runs in this series, tying the 2006 Detroit Tigers for the most ever through a team's first three games.

-Following Stroman's up-and-down start, the Yankees bullpen did not allow a run. Tim Hill (who struck out three batters among the four outs he recorded), Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz, and Ryan Yarbrough combined to go 4.1 scoreless innings.

Who was the game MVP?

Chisholm, who had two homers, three hits, five RBI, and three runs scored.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The Yankees have a day off on Monday before hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game set, starting on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

Will Warren will face Corbin Burnes.

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Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov skates in 800th NHL game

Mar 30, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) moves the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Florida Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov hit a major milestone on Sunday.

When Barkov took the ice for Florida’s home game against the Montreal Canadiens, it was his 800th game in the National Hockey League.

Barkov has spent his entire NHL career with the Panthers after Florida selected him second overall at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

He played his first game in a Panthers sweater as a fresh-faced 18-year-old a few months later, scoring his first NHL goal against the Dallas Stars on Opening Night.

Now, 800 games later, Barkov has been through just about everything with the Panthers.

He’s been an All-Star, represented the team in his native Finland, become the leader on countless franchise records – Barkov is the franchise leader in games played, goals, assists, points, shots and power play goals – and, oh yeah, led the team to their first ever Stanley Cup Championship.

He’s also the first Panthers player to ever reach the 800-game mark with the team.

The 29-year-old is far from done rewriting Florida’s record books, though.

Barkov is in the fifth season of an eight-year deal that pays him $10 million annually, but knowing both Barkov and Panthers General Manager Bill Zito, it’s highly likely that the Cats’ captain ends up finishing his career in South Florida.

With Barkov as captain and Zito as GM, Florida has qualified for the postseason a franchise record five straight seasons.

They’ve reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past two years and, as was previously mentioned, Barkov hoisted the historic trophy last June.

Eventually, Barkov’s number will be hanging in the rafters at Amerant Bank Arena and, quite possibly, the Finnish star will find his face among those in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Congrats to Barky on reaching 800 games played!

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Kuminga offers hopeful ankle injury update after Warriors' win

Kuminga offers hopeful ankle injury update after Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It appears Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is in good spirits despite his early exit from Golden State’s 148-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center.

Kuminga was ruled out with right ankle soreness at halftime after a hard fall, aggravating the same ankle he injured earlier in the 2024-25 NBA season that caused him to miss 31 games.

The 22-year-old told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sam Gordon he’s “straight” after the win and is hopeful he won’t miss time after hurting the ankle again Sunday.

The injury came as Kuminga drove to the rim in the second quarter. As he jumped up with both feet, the two Spurs defenders on either side of him knocked him to the ground where he bounced off the hardwood. Kuminga initially mouthed he was “OK,” but ultimately hobbled to the Warriors’ locker room — and no foul was called on the play.

After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Kuminga will be evaluated Monday.

“Such a bummer,” Kerr told reporters. “[He was] just coming back, finding his rhythm, playing well. So, hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”

Kuminga on Sunday was playing in his ninth contest back after his 31-game absence. The 22-year-old is averaging 16.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists during the 2024-25 NBA season, and 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in eight games since his March 13 return against the Sacramento Kings.

Before his early exit Sunday, Kuminga was a plus-9 in seven minutes with four points and one rebound.

As the Warriors cling to a one-game lead for the Western Conference’s No. 6 playoff seed, they’ll need all the on-court firepower they can get. And considering the athletic edge Kuminga brings every time he’s on the floor, Golden State certainly hopes his injury isn’t serious.

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Florida fails to foil desperate Canadiens squad, fall 4-2 to Montreal

Mar 30, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) moves the puck in front of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (35) during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Florida Panthers ran into a very hungry Montreal Canadiens squad on Sunday afternoon in Sunrise.

Desperate to maintain their spot as the final Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference, Montreal played a tough, desperate game and took down the Panthers 4-2 at Amerant Bank Arena.

The win put an end to Florida’s home winning streak at seven games.

Patrik Laine put the Habs on the scoreboard first, cashing in on a power play goal with Tobias Bjornfot in the penalty box for high-sticking.

Laine was down near the goal line and one-timed a pass from rookie Lane Hutson past Sergei Bobrovsky at the 12:03 mark of the opening period.

Just 73 seconds later, Sasha Barkov picked up a loose puck behind Montreal net and quickly fed Sam Reinhart in front.

Reino’s backhand shot eluded the glove of Sam Montembeault and quickly tied the game at one.

Another Montreal power play goal, this one by Juraj Slafkovsky, put the Habs back in front just past the game’s midway point.

Seth Jones tied the game with 3:35 left in the second period when he one-timed a quick feed from Barkov through Montembeault’s pads.

A goal just 2:02 into the third period by Nick Suzuki would prove to be the game-winner as Montreal did a great job limiting Florida’s opportunities the rest of the day.

Brandon Gallagher added an empty-net goal for good measure, his 18th tally the season.

These same two teams will face off again on Tuesday from Montreal.

QUICK THOUGHTS

Jones now has two goals and an assist over his past give games.

Barkov is now riding a modest three-game point streak, with four assists during the run.

He’s also got two goals and seven points over his past six games.

Carter Verhaeghe picked up an assist on Reinhart’s goal, his first point in six games and only his third during 13 games in March.

Reinhart has now scored four goals over his past six games.

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Buffalo Sabres Announce Exciting Rasmus Dahlin News

Rasmus Dahlin (© Nick Wosika-Imagn Images)

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will return to the lineup for their March 30 contest against the Washington Capitals. This will also be the 500th game of Dahlin's NHL career.

Dahlin, 24, was forced to miss the Sabres' March 29 contest against the Philadelphia Flyers due to an illness. However, the star defenseman is now feeling good enough to return, which is excellent news for the Sabres. 

Dahlin has had a strong season with the Sabres, posting 13 goals, 44 assists, 57 points, 86 hits, and a plus-3 rating. He has also stayed hot down the stretch, recording five points in his last four appearances.

It will now be interesting to see how the Sabres respond to getting their top defenseman back against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals from here. 

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Game Day: Ottawa Senators Call Up Angus Crookshank Ahead of Sunday's Game In Pittsburgh

The Ottawa Senators begin the final 10 games of the regular season on Sunday afternoon, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena (5 pm TSN5, RDS). Now eight points above the playoff cut line, the Senators are now in outstanding shape to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years. 

Ottawa Senators winger Angus Crookshank (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

The last time they played a postseason game was in that very arena on May 25, 2017 – a double-overtime loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. 

A lot has changed and neither team has had much success since that season. While Ottawa's playoff drought is well-documented, the Penguins have only won one playoff series since (2018 vs PHI), and are tracking to miss the playoffs for a third straight year.

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The Senators currently hold the Conference’s top wild card spot. They’re now eight points above the playoff cut line after a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. This cushion gives the Sens some breathing room and the option of resting certain players who are dealing with nagging injuries. 

To that end, the Senators called up winger Angus Crookshank from Belleville on Sunday morning. This move suggests that team captain Brady Tkachuk or another banged-up forward will sit out rather than try to play two games in less than 24 hours.

As you'd expect, the club didn't skate on Sunday morning, so Travis Green's lineup changes, if any, will be announced closer to game time.

Ottawa’s final 10 games will be all about maintenance. The Sens aren’t likely to catch anyone in the top three of the Atlantic Division, nor are they likely to be reeled in by anyone in their rearview mirror. Their goal now is to maintain that wild card and, ideally, give certain players the maintenance days they need to be as healthy as possible for the playoffs.

Meanwhile, with just one point separating the top three teams in the Atlantic, the eventual winner of the divisional race – probably Ottawa’s first-round opponent – will likely be the team that floors it right to the end.

Anton Forsberg will likely start after Ullmark had a busy night on Saturday in a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Opponent:

The Penguins are eight points behind the Rangers for the final wild card spot in the East, but with six teams to climb over, the task is nearly impossible. Pittsburgh's season is all but officially over, and their best players aren’t getting any younger.

So the Pens will begin to take a look at some of the kids in the AHL. They’ve called up two forwards from the AHL who will go right on to the club’s top two lines against Ottawa on Sunday.

Former Winnipeg Jets’ first-rounder Rutger McGroarty has played just three NHL games so far, and for his 21st birthday on Sunday, he’ll play on Sidney Crosby’s left side. McGroarty has 39 points in 60 games for the Baby Pens after being traded by the Jets in a contract dispute last summer. The dispute wasn’t complicated. The former University of Michigan star didn’t want to sign with Winnipeg.

Pittsburgh has also called up Ville Koivunen who’s sixth in AHL scoring with 55 points in 62 games. He’ll play alongside Rickard Rakell.

As for their superstar vets, Crosby, now 37, is still rolling with 80 points and counting. Incredibly, this is now his 20th point-per-game season, surpassing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. That said, it’s weird to see him among the worst 20 players in the league in plus/minus (-22), even if you don’t put much stock in the stat. 

38-year-old Evgeni Malkin has just 15 goals and 46 points in 62 games, well off his career pace of 1.1 points per game. Malkin has missed the past week with an upper body injury and is listed as day to day. 

Tristan Jarry gets the start for Pittsburgh (fixes earlier version that indicated Nedeljkovic would start).

Senators projected lines

Claude Giroux -- Tim Stutzle -- Fabian Zetterlund
David Perron -- Dylan Cozens -- Drake Batherson
Brady Tkachuk -- Shane Pinto -- Ridly Greig
Matthew Highmore -- Adam Gaudette -- Michael Amadio

Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven -- Nikolas Matinpalo

Anton Forsberg
Linus Ullmark

Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic
Injured: Nick Cousins (knee)

Penguins projected lineup

Rutger McGroarty -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Ville Koivunen -- Rickard Rakell -- Connor Dewar
Philip Tomasino -- Kevin Hayes -- Noel Acciari
Danton Heinen -- Blake Lizotte -- Emil Bemstrom

Matt Grzelcyk -- Kris Letang
Conor Timmins -- Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves -- Vladislav Kolyachonok

Alex Nedeljkovic
Tristan Jarry

After Sunday’s game, the Senators will play eight of their final nine games at home.

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What we learned as Podz, Moody torch Spurs in Warriors' blowout win

What we learned as Podz, Moody torch Spurs in Warriors' blowout win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

Can a statement win come against a team that’s the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference? It can when a gauntlet is on deck and dominance is displayed for all four quarters. 

The Warriors on Sunday dismantled the San Antonio Spurs, 148-106, at Frost Bank Center, putting together the kind of team-wide performance they’ve been searching for recently. The Warriors had two 40-point quarters, and their 148 points were a new season high.

Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all enjoyed the show from the bench during the fourth quarter. All three had strong performances, but it was those around them who really stood out.

Brandin Podziemski fell two points shy of his career high, scoring 27 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. That gave Podziemski his first 20-point game since Feb. 21. 

Moses Moody gave Golden State two 20-point scorers, tallying 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, plus he also had three rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot.

The Warriors as a team shot 57.7 percent overall, had 44 rebounds and 42 assists, as well as 17 steals and 64 points in the paint.

Their win also had implications in the standings. The Warriors now have a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers and a half-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 6 seed in the West. They’re one game back of the No. 5 seed, and two games behind the No. 4 seed.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ second consecutive win.

Strong Start

Starting games slow has been a frustrating staple for the Warriors all season long. They came into Sunday ranked 28th in the NBA in first-quarter points (26.7), and trailed through the first 12 minutes in each of their first three games of their current six-game road trip. Not in San Antonio, though. 

A new level of focus from the jump was on display. The Warriors played intense defense, hit outside shots and attacked the rim in the first quarter. The results were seen through the scoreboard. Their 44 points were the most the Warriors scored in the first quarter this season. 

And they did so with Curry taking one shot and scoring two points. 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr used nine players in the first quarter, and all nine scored. Butler scored 10 points, followed by nine from Green, five from Podziemski and Quinten Post, four from Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, three from Buddy Hield and two from Curry and Gui Santos. 

This wasn’t because of a 3-point barrage, too. The Warriors overall shot 70.8 percent from the field (17 of 24) in the first quarter, going 4 of 9 on threes (44.4 percent) and 13 of 15 on twos (86.7 percent). They scored 22 points in the paint, assisted on 12 of their 17 made shots and defensively swiped seven steals.

Down Goes Kuminga

The good vibes of the first quarter took a tough break with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter when Kuminga bounced off the hardwood.

Driving to the basket with two defenders guarding him, Kuminga jumped off two feet but crashed to the floor on his way down. Luckily for him, his heels hit the ground first, somewhat bracing Kuminga on the way down. But he still bounced and immediately appeared to be in pain. 

Kuminga seemed to mouth “I’m OK,” though he still walked gingerly down the tunnel and back to the locker room with Warriors director of medical services Drew Yoder. During halftime, Kuminga was ruled out for the rest of the game because of right ankle soreness. 

That has to be concerning for the Warriors with only two weeks remaining in the regular season. Kuminga from Jan. 5 through March 10 missed 31 games with a badly sprained right ankle. He had played in eight games since returning from injury, averaging 14.3 points per game. Kuminga was a plus-9 in seven minutes Sunday before his fall, scoring four points and grabbing one rebound.

3-Point Party

Golden State’s success always will come down to the new Big Three of Curry, Butler and Green. How those around them play can be what lifts the Warriors or brings them down. Role players like Podziemski, Kuminga, Moody and more are huge to the Warriors’ overall success. In a game where Kuminga went down to injury, two other youngsters stepped up.

Moody in the Warriors’ first 12 games out of the NBA All-Star break was a sharpshooter opposing defenses had to fear, shooting 45.8 percent from deep. But as his defensive responsibilities have ramped up, Moody had gone a lowly 6 of 32 (18.8 percent) on threes in the Warriors’ past six games. On Sunday night, Moody found his shot behind the 3-point line, going 3 of 6 while still being a menace defensively. 

Podziemski didn’t just have a strong game beyond the arc, but the best of his career. The second-year pro made a career-high seven threes after combining to go 3 of 13 in the Warriors’ previous two games. His seven threes set a new career-high. 

Every single starter made at least one 3-pointer. The Warriors shot 23.6 percent from three Friday night in New Orleans, only to then have a 15-point advantage from three two nights later, going 21 of 44 for a 47.7-percent clip. The cherry on top was Kevon Looney making a corner three in the fourth quarter, his first triple since March 19, 2021.

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Brewers’ Trevor Megill irked by Yankees’ torpedo bats: ‘It’s something used in slow-pitch softball’

It didn’t take long for someone to call out the Yankees’ newly designed bats.

A handful of Yankees have been using what’s been dubbed “torpedo" bats to start the season, bats in which more wood is added to the sweet spot, creating an elongated barrel while taking mass away from the tip of the bat.

And while the bats have been deemed legal by Major League Baseball, that doesn’t mean everyone is going to be okay with them.

“I think it’s terrible,’’ Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Megill told Dan Martin of the New York Post. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slow-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”

“It took a minute for the shock to go away, since from the bullpen, they looked like bowling pins,’’ Megill added. “We weren’t able to process it. But that’s the game. It’s a big data race, with science and technology playing a huge role in baseball now. You can’t hate them for trying something new.”

The Yankees exploded for 20 runs and nine home runs on Saturday, and while Aaron Judge powered his three homers with a traditional bat, players like Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Anthony Volpe also went yard with the help of their new bats.

And while these new bats were designed by Aaron Leanhardt, a former member of the Yankees analytics department who now works for the Miami Marlins, it’s a safe bet that more players around the league will begin to use them, especially if the Yankees continue to hang 20 runs on the board.

“I’ve already talked to some bat companies since the game to see if I could get my model made like that, just to see what it’s like,’’ Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins told The Post. “We’ll see. Just because it worked for somebody doesn’t mean it’ll work for everybody. Hitting is such a feel thing. But I’d try it.”

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Blue Jays put 3-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer on IL because of right thumb inflammation

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays put right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of inflammation in his right thumb.

The move comes one day after the three-time Cy Young Award winner left his debut start with Toronto after three innings because of right lat soreness.

Manager John Schneider said Scherzer will visit a hand specialist in the U.S. on Monday.

“Hopefully this kind of resets him and knocks it out,” Schneider said of the persistent thumb issue. “We obviously need him. Elite pitcher, and we want him to feel his best.”

Toronto recalled left-hander Easton Lucas and selected lefty Mason Fluharty, both from Triple-A Buffalo. Left-hander Richard Lovelady, who allowed four runs in relief of Scherzer and took the loss against Baltimore on Saturday, was designated for assignment.

Following Saturday’s 9-5 defeat, the 40-year-old Scherzer said his lat soreness was directly related to lingering thumb pain that forced him to push back a spring training start earlier this month.

Calling himself “frustrated,” Scherzer said solving the thumb issue is his top priority.

“This thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health,” he said after Saturday's game. “I’ve got to get this 100% before I pitch again.”

Scherzer signed a $15.5 million, one-year contract in February. He went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for Texas last season, starting the year on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery. He also had a stint on the IL with shoulder fatigue and didn’t pitch after Sept. 14 because of a left hamstring strain.

Scherzer allowed two runs and three hits Saturday, including two solo home runs. He threw 45 pitches, 28 for strikes. He struck out one and walked none.