Apr 18, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics catcher Austin Wynns (29) prepares to throw the ball during a run down during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves announced several moves on Thursday morning, most notably adding a new catcher to the mix. The club acquired catcher Austin Wynns from the Los Angeles Angels and selected him to the major league roster.
In addition, fellow catcher Chadwick Tromp was designated for assignment, outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, and backstop Sean Murphy was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
It’s been a whirlwind of a month for Wynns, who began the 2026 campaign with the A’s. After struggling offensively with the club, he was released on May 12, and four days later, the Angels picked him up and signed him to a minor league deal. He appeared in eight minor league games before his stint with the Halos came to a close. In that time, he hit .333 in 30 at-bats and logged five games behind the plate, committing two errors.
It’s not a huge grab for Atlanta, but Wynns aims to get the job done while the Braves continue on without Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin.
More Braves News:
Tallying just four hits, the Braves were unable to complete the sweep on Thursday and suffered a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mauricio Dubón spoke with the media, sharing how he capitalizes on the opportunity to hit in big moments.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan says the Braves should go after Tarik Skubal at the Trade Deadline.
Brett Sears recorded eight strikeouts for the Columbus Clingstones on Wednesday. More in the minor league recap.
In an exclusive interview, John Smoltz discussed Atlanta’s early season success, the race for the National League, and more.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 04: Luke Keaschall #15 of the Minnesota Twins catches a pop up during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Thursday, June 4, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Prince Night at Target Field included some back-and-forth scoring, some back-and-forth circus baseball, and a rain delay. If the production crew didn’t play Purple Rain during the delay, then they should be fired. Seth Lugo faced off for the Kansas City Royals against the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen to start off this contest.
Everything kicked off right away in the first inning. After striking out the first batter, opener Andrew Morris allowed a single to phenom Bobby Witt Jr, who promptly stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and touched home on a Salvador Perez sac fly to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Byron Buxton welcomed Lugo back to Minneapolis with a Buck Truck shot to the Minnesota bullpen in left-center field and evened up the score.
Morris was sent back out for the second frame and was greeted with three straight singles to load the bags before an out was recorded. With one out, Witt Jr hit a grounder to Kody Clemens at first base and threw home to cut down the runner for the second out. Great, right? Nope! Another wild pitch by Morris allowed Nick Loftin to score and give K. C. a 2-1 lead. Morris escaped without any more damage and Minnesota countered again in the bottom of the second with a Victor Caratini double, bringing Luke Keaschall in to knot the game again at two runs apiece.
Mike Paredes was called into duty for the Twins and sent down the Royals batters in order in the top of the third. The Twins then took the lead for the first time in the game courtesy of a Clemens home run – a shot to right-center above the out-of-town scoreboard. The 3-2 lead was short-lived as Paredes served up a first-pitch four-seam meatball to Michael Massey, who served it back and deposited it into The Dock in right field to tie the baby up once again in the top of the fourth.
The circus baseball commenced in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs and Trevor Larnach on first, Ryan Kreidler hit a triple to the gap in left-center. Left fielder Isaac Collins slid feet-first to try and stop the ball, but ended up kicking it further towards center field. Kyle Isbel chased the ball to the wall while Larnach motored around third base and scored to give the Twins a 4-3 lead. After a mostly-quiet top of the fifth, Minnesota added on courtesy of a Clemens home run – a shot to right field, this time just feet on the good side of the foul pole – his second of the game.
The 5-3 Twins lead was short-lived once again as Paredes issues a walk to lead off the sixth. Two outs and a single later, skipper Derek Shelton brought in Anthony Banda, who has been doing quite fine as of late. He reverted back to his old ways, allowing his first batter to slap a double to left field, driving in two runs to tie the game. The circus baseball vibes flowed again as Witt Jr popped one up behind second base. Kreidler backpedaled… backpedaled… and backpedaled… right into Keaschall and the ball dropped, allowing the third run of the inning to score and give the Royals the lead … again.
Merriam-Webster defines “rain” as: water falling in drops condensed from vapor in the atmosphere. This happened at Target Field, resulting in an hour and seven minute delay of the game.
Those 67 minutes just delayed the game from being tied once again. With two outs, Victor Caratini took a John Schreiber fastball beyond the wall in right field, tying the baby up once again, this time at six runs each after the sixth. The bullpens traded goose eggs the next two innings.
The top of the ninth is when the game went back to the Royals’ favor. Single, single, sac bunt against Taylor Rogers, who was pulled in favor of Justin Lawrence. Walk, single, walk, strikeout, strikeout give K. C. a two-run lead. Although Minnesota didn’t go down without a fight – a Caratini single, Orlando Arcia legging out a single on a force-out, and Buxton walk – Alex Lange sent the Twins home.
W: Matt Strahm (2-1) L: Taylor Rogers (1-3) S: Alex Lange (2)
The Twins and Royals continue this four-game series tomorrow night with a 715p Central first pitch, “presented by Apple TV.” Kansas City will send Michael Wacha to the mound while Minnesota counters with Zebby Matthews. Thank you to those who were able to join the game thread tonight, and thanks for reading!
Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb had to leave Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final in a scary scene on Thursday.
Midway through the first period of Vegas’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes, McNabb was hit right in the face with an 87 mph slap shot from Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers.
Play immediately stopped once McNabb was struck, with players from both teams putting their hands up to alert the injury to the referees.
Brayden McNabb takes a puck to the face during the first period of the Golden Knight’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 4, 2026 in Raleigh, N.C. AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker
McNabb, 35, then rushed to the locker room with his hand over his mouth and nose and was later taken to the hospital, ESPN reported.
Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon shifted up to take McNabb’s spot alongside Shea Theodore on Las Vegas’ top pairing.
“It’s a scary play,’ forward Brett Howden said after the loss. ”You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right. We haven’t seen him yet but hope he’s doing OK.”
McNabb did not return, and Vegas went the rest of the way with just five defensemen.
“You lose a guy like Nabber who logs heavy minutes, such a good teammate, plays the game so hard, it’s tough,” captain Mark Stone said. “They battled as hard as they could.”
Coach John Tortorella said “they played well” and had no update when asked about McNabb’s condition after the Hurricanes’ overtime victory that tied the series.
He has 33 blocked shots in the playoffs after leading the Golden Knights with 142 blocks in 63 games during the regular season.
Brayden McNabb puts his hand over his face after taking a shot to the face during the first period of the Golden Knight’s Game 2 loss to the Hurricanes. NHLI via Getty Images
The veteran defenseman also ranks first in Golden Knights history in blocked shots (1,417) and hits (1,469).
With Las Vegas now just three wins away from a Stanley Cup, head coach John Tortorella said his team’s willingness to stick together was its greatest strength during the playoff run.
“I think that’s the biggest attribute I’ve seen with this team in the short time I’ve been with them is they stay together,” Tortorella said. “They don’t break apart and I think that gets you through some situations. We’re playing against a very good team.
“We’re going to have things happen to us tomorrow. But we’re going to have to stick together to try and find a way.”
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 10: Head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs talks to Victor Wembanyama #1 during the second half while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on January 10, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. San Antonio Spurs won the game 130-108. 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 (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the morning hours of July 21, 1861, the carriages began to arrive in Centreville, Virginia.
Once a bustling center of trade (before newer roads and railroads diverted the traffic it depended on), it was then home to little more than 100 people.
Whether there was anyone left in the village who owned a carriage is a question for a better historian than I, but you can be almost certain that no one owned any form of transportation as ornately decorated and carved as the beautifully hewn landaus and barouches that were filtering into the town, one by one.
Nattily attired men and women emerged in due time from the interiors of their luxurious conveyances, suits and mustaches neatly brushed, summer dresses pressed and long hair ringleted, with an air of curiosity one might rightly confuse with that of those attending a sporting event.
Washington, D.C.’s wealthy and elite were arriving in force, but to what end?
I imagine word migrated rather quickly around the village. Even in its heyday as a regional thoroughfare, this would have been more than a minor sensation. Senators, and blue-bloods, and servants were milling about the street making inquiries and running errands, and the inquiries were of the strangest sort.
Where might one best view the battle from this location?
The battle? Why would anyone want to watch a battle? A picnic?!
Yes, a picnic. As servants (and those who did not have/bring servants) began to unpack the still-accumulating coaches and buggies, the intent became crystal clear. It was no jest.
Baskets, and bags, and a variety of caddies, canteens, and casks were lowered down or lifted out of traveling storage to be toted off to a predetermined place of best possible spectation.
You see, Centreville had been built on a plateau. And while it had largely been chosen by both Native Americans and English settlers for the various creeks and water sources that flow into Bull Run, and eventually, the Occoquan River — the vista is also outstanding, looking out over what are now multiple national parks, with the Bull Run Mountains in clear view, and the Blue Ridge Mountains just beyond them.
And, most importantly in this instance, an outstanding panoramic view of the rolling plains of Manassas, located just outside of a railroad junction.
That Manassas Junction was located just 100 miles north of the new Confederate capital of Richmond (near another rail connection to the Shenandoah Valley) and a mere 30 miles south of Washington, D.C was a matter of much conversation.
The strategic importance of said junction had been more or less agreed upon by generals of both the Union Army and the Confederacy. Both armies hoped to use the depot to transport their troops for the invasion of the opposition’s capital city and in defense of their own.
And so it was that after just months of training, the two armies found themselves camped on the opposite sides of the river, with nothing but gentle slopes, scattered woods, and grassland between them, preparing for the first real stretch of open battle of the American Civil War.
Which is why the arrival of affluent civilians had been so shocking to the people of Centreville, who with the exit of Union soldiers in the middle of the night had expected nothing beyond further military reserves, much less smartly-dressed spectators toting meals, and blankets, and opera glasses to the edge of the plateau (and even into some of the closer surrounding hills) to conduct a jolly luncheon within sight of the battlefield.
Cannons had already fired, just before dawn. The socialites and congressmen had surely been told that.
And yet there they sat, sandwiches in hand, crusts probably cut off, certain of glorious victory and a dammed good show.
And for most of the week, that’s all I could think about. In almost every online avenue predictions of (relatively) easy victory rang out. Spurs in five! No, in four! No, Knicks in four! Five at worst!
It was a strange sensation to be confronted with. Uneasiness. Apprehension. A vague sense of dread. Whatever you want to call it, it was there, in the pit of my stomach.
It’s the Finals! I should be elated! No one thought this would happen so soon!
But neither group of fans seemed to understand how good the other team was. How hard this was going to be. How so far from assured it was.
Titles are always hard to win, but the postseason pedigree of Spurs fans and the desperation of Knicks fans was combining in a way that felt catastrophic. And it was easy to see the reasoning.
The Knicks had managed to avoid the heavyweights of their conference. And none of those teams had a defensive character resembling that of the Blazers, Timberwolves, or Thunder.
And they are, after all, the Knicks, a team most recently renowned for their (and their owner’s) talent for snatching defeat from the Jaws of victory.
They’re not the Yankees, they’re the Mets, a team that astounds everyone when they’re good (including their own fans) and always seems to become so by near happenstance.
And the Spurs? Well, have you heard of Wemby? You know, the human telephone pole who suppresses shot attempts just by existing?
Yeah, they have that guy. The Knicks haven’t’ faced that guy. Or anyone tough, really. Not like the Spurs have.
Never mind that they’re the youngest Finalists since the ‘77 Trail Blazers. That they have precious little postseason experience. That they’ve been playing beyond their years to such an extent that they can’t possible comprehend what they’ve done, much less be expected to maintain it.
Look, I get it. I’m a Spurs writer, and a Spurs fan. And I desperately wanted to believe that this would be a cakewalk after the seven game hall of horrors that the last series walked us through. But with every breezy prediction, that pit in my stomach seemed to grow.
I was almost angry about it.
What are these people thinking?! Don’t they know the basketball gods are fickle? Have they never read a single Greek myth? Have they never heard of what happens to the mortals who dare to display their hubris so nakedly.
At least I keep all of my hubris inside. Which makes me better than all of them. And also the gods.
And I have to admit, the Knicks are one of the two NBA teams I truly have a soft spot for.
Years ago, in preparation for an article about a Spurs and Knicks regular season contest, I read Harvey Araton’s seminal 1970’s Knicks chronicle When The Garden Was Eden followed by Charley Rosen’s equally enthralling The Pivotal Season (he himself being a lifelong Knicks fans and onetime assistant coach to former Knicks legend Phil Jackson) and I was enthralled by the tales of those New York teams to such an extent that I consider them a spiritual predecessor to the Popovich Spurs, among others.
(Former NBA + Spurs coach and Pop mentor Larry Brown grew up in New York as a massive fan of 70’s Knicks coach Red Holtzman)
Those Knicks teams were great at sharing the ball, and knowing their role, and excelling in the clutch, and were coordinated by a coach so similar in attitude, strategic genius, and career/life arc to San Antonio’s longtime skipper that you’d almost think they were carbon copies.
And all postseason I’ve seen flashes of those teams in these Knicks, and to be perfectly honest, it scares the absolute daylights out of me.
“Spurs in 7”, I predicted shakily before Game 1.
I found myself snorting at my trepidation in the first quarter. Maybe I’d had the wrong end of it after all. Maybe all this writing had made me lose touch with the gut feelings that a fan has.
Maybe I’ve just gotten so in my head that I’m not as connected to the sense of inevitability that I used to get in the regular season and the postseason, when I could feel in my bones that the Spurs were coming home with O’Brien.
And then it stopped being easy. And New York kept slapping away leads like a Victorian orphan. And every Spur seemed to have a case of the butterfingers, while balls that shouldn’t have gone in for the Knicks unerringly found the bottom of the net.
The walls were closing in, and I was right, but boy did being right feel bad. Rarely have I more wanted to be wrong in the moment than last night.
It must have resembled some minute version of how General Winfield Scott felt when Abraham Lincoln insisted that the newly expanded and barely trained Union Army march directly on Richmond.
Or when he received news of retreat after they were handed their first defeat in a war that he must have known would rage on for years, as opposed to the mere months the President had hoped for, and that the populace had expected.
And what a retreat it was. Having failed to take the junction, any progress the Union forces had made was thwarted by the Confederates’ ability to continue bringing in reinforcements by train.
By the late afternoon, they were outnumbered almost 2-1, and their lines broke and withdrew in a mass so chaotic and without leadership that it was dubbed ‘The Great Skedaddle’ by southern journalists of the time.
Leaving behind their arms and equipment, and wagons and artillery, and all manner of supplies, the terrified blue-clad soldiers quite literally headed for the hills, unknowingly aimed directly at the cavalcade of voyeuristic picnickers still seated there.
Slow to realize what was happening, some of the onlookers were still seated when the first of the troops who were on horseback came galloping through. Others, being somewhat more aware, had already scrambled for their carriages and, in their panic, were now clogging the road that the army was trying to use to retreat.
Had the almost equally inexperienced Confederate soldiers been a bit more seasoned, or their commanders a bit more zealous, the war might have ended soon after, with the complete destruction of the retreating forces and a subsequent advance on the U.S. capital.
Thankfully, an overabundance of caution (due to Scott’s prescient insistence that a second force of 18,000 men be stationed near Harper’s Ferry in the event of a rogue Confederate incursion) kept the defeat from resulting in total disaster.
But Winfield Scott was blamed (in addition to commanding General Irvin McDowell) for the catastrophe and resigned shortly after, as Lincoln began to omit him from critical meetings, still determined to advance directly on Richmond rather than adopting Scott’s shrewder (though admittedly, slower) ‘Anaconda Plan’ to surround and divide the Confederate states, and cut off all supply and transportation routes.
The victory was not quite what it seemed, though, for the Confederacy.
It was not just citizens of the Union who had been convinced that the war would be quickly ended. Once news reached the southern populace, they became even more convinced of their military superiority, and so, unfortunately (or rather, fortunately) did many of their political leaders and commanders.
Many historians have since agreed that the one-sided nature of the battle “proved the greatest misfortune that would have befallen the Confederacy” having imbued the South with a false sense of invincibility.
Much more fatally, it removed almost all sense of urgency.
Content with easy victories at the start of the war, due to (among other things) an edge in the quality of their officers, the Confederacy failed to fully exploit their advantage, or recognize its temporary nature.
Yes, the Union Army was green, but for much of the latter two-thirds of the war, it would have the superior numbers, due to population density.
And it would also be better supplied, since the greatly inferior Confederate Navy could neither blockade the North, nor break free of the blockade imposed upon them, even without taking into account that the majority of industry and advantageous transportation (railways) existed north of the Mason-Dixon line.
The South hoped to wage a war of attrition against a deeper, better-supported army, for some reason unable to discern that their disadvantage would only grow as time wore on.
And after last night, there’s a chance that the Knicks (and certainly their fans) may overestimate the nature of their victory and what it signifies.
For Knicks fans, last night was a display of veteran superiority. Of superior execution, outstanding defense, and timely shooting.
For Spurs fans, it was the result of an off-night for the team with the greater Superstar, superior depth, and overall higher ceiling, likely brought on by a youthful reaction to the significance of the moment, and lingering exhaustion from a brutal previous series.
The rest advantage will be less now that the Knicks are back on the court (and getting a little banged-up themselves). The youthful trepidation is unlikely to last.
The longer the series goes on, the more it plays into the favor of the more youthful team (who also have home-court advantage in the event of another Game 7 ), and the more their depth will sustain them.
The Knicks must win as quickly as possible. Their window is small. And that is its own kind of pressure. The Spurs’ window will almost certainly be open for some time.
New York City is a pressure cooker of desperation and a ‘what have you done for me lately’ attitude.
San Antonio offers a comfortable respite for their players.
The greater burden is squarely on the Knicks — to capitalize on their victory.
It’s possible that they haven’t realized that yet, but even if they do/have the series is far from over.
Both civilian populations were convinced that the Civil War could be ended in a single battle. It dragged on for four long years, ending as the once-great General Winfield Scott had anticipated and strategized.
And though it took an intelligent and otherwise unassuming General Ulysses S. Grant to execute it (who, unlike many of Lincoln’s previous selections recognized Scott’s genius, and adapted his own plans to include it), Scott lived to see himself vindicated.
He died a year after the war ended, at the (then) very ripe old age of 79, his legacy secure.
He had sent a copy of his recently completed memoirs to Grant (whom he had advised Lincoln to appoint Commander-in-Chief of the Army in 1862), inscribed with a single sentence of gratitude and humility: “From the oldest General, to the greatest General.”
Spurs in 7. Go, Spurs, Go.
Takeways
There were several moments in crunch time when no one seemed to be able to hold onto the ball or make the right decision. Everyone except for Devin Vassell, that is. While all of the Spurs have been prone to bouts of inconsistency in the playoffs, even on a meh shooting night, Vassell never stopped giving his best effort and using his head. Particularly critical was a late position, where, noticing that he was boxed in the paint, Vassell recognized that an alley-oop to Victor (who had position and reach) would almost certainly draw a foul due to the way that Wemby was being guarded. Everything started slipping away after that canny bit of improvisation and the ensuing free throws, but it wasn’t Vassell’s fault, who stuck to Jalen Brunson like a rodent trap and was just on the bad side of some shooting luck from Brunson (who he otherwise helped hassle into a 12-31 shooting performance). I know he’s still got some time on his contract, but I wouldn’t hate it if the Spurs tried to early extend him at a (relative) discount. He’s been a coffin-nail for the better part of this incredible run from the Spurs.
The Spurs wasted another solid shooting performance from Julian Champagnie on a night where their dreaded three-point variance reared its ugly head. We know that the Spurs have really only have two modes when it comes to downtown conversion: unrelenting drought or annihilating flood, but it’s easier to embrace that in the regular season. That they actually shot more threes than the three-happy Knicks almost made it feel like that nightmare of a Game 7 that the Rockets had against the Warriors back in 2018, and it actually wasn’t far off. They took one less bomb than those Rockets, and only made four more shots. So, while the Spurs should definitely drop the attempts a bit, it’s good to know that it took approaching historical misfortune for them to lose the way they did. I wouldn’t bet on that holding up.
Much has been made of Dylan Harper’s absence in crunch time, but Carter Bryant’s utilization should also be a point of interest, as he got only four minutes of court time and was assigned the far-too-slippery Brunson as an assignment. It might be a better idea to try him on Towns, Anunoby, or even give him some minutes against the bench shooters, who were a thorn in San Antonio’s side every time they tried to pull away. I understand that he’s a rookie, but almost everything has to be on the table at this stage of the postseason, and the Knicks are absolutely going to make adjustments of their own. Hopefully, Mitch Johnson is just keeping Bryant in his back pocket for now.
In a 2-2 game with five minutes left, Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen made a diving save across the crease to stop a would-be goal from Vegas' Ivan Barbashev. A scuffle ensued in front of the net, with the puck eventually being poked out from under Andersen and into the Carolina net, seemingly giving the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead.
The goal was immediately waved off, with goalie interference (of the non-penalty variety) as the call. Furthermore, officials indicated they had already blown the play dead when the puck was under Andersen, bolstering Carolina's case as it being a non-goal.
Even with that two-tier cake, Tortorella wasn't satisfied. He elected to challenge the goalie interference, arguing it should have been a Golden Knights goal. But the no-goal call stood after review, giving the Hurricanes a power play, where Carolina had struggled through nearly two games.
The fates, of course, are cruel. Just 25 seconds into the penalty, Jordan Staal tipped in a shot from Shayne Gostisbehere, giving the 'Canes a 3-2 lead with 4:35 left in the game.
Vegas would come back with the tying goal to tie it up at three and send the game to overtime, but the questions around the decision to challenge lingered.
Was John Tortorella correct to challenge no-goal?
While results-based reflection is an exercise in futility, Tortorella's challenge late in Game 2 certainly seemed like a miscalculation.
To start, the initial call was goaltender interference against Vegas, a famously difficult call to litigate. Furthermore, the NHL gives the whistle a lot of leeway. The goalie interference was removed from the play, but there was still an intent to blow the whistle from the official after line of sight to the puck was lost, something that wouldn't be overturned.
In short, the onus is on the official to stop play. And if the official says the play was dead, regardless of when the whistle is blown, then that is when the play is dead.
Explanation from the NHL on the no-goal call:
“The ruling on the play was goaltender interference. He waived it (off) immediately. He believed that it was under the goalie and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck…
Two of the Spurs’ most visible fans will not be in their seats for Game 2 of the NBA Finals after an incident at a previous playoff contest left them so shaken that it “has greatly shifted” their experience going to games.
OnlyFans models Blue and Julie J. Swan were involved in an incident in which they allege they were verbally accosted by several fans during Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. One fan allegedly grabbed Blue during an exchange captured on video and posted on social media.
While the two women were at Game 1 of the NBA Finals, their comfort level has changed, and they will not attend Game 2 from their courtside seats behind the Spurs bench.
Two viral Spurs fans will not be attending NBA Finals Game 2. X/bluebeari3
“I had a lot of anxiety, and I still do thinking about going to a game,” Swan told The Post in a phone interview Thursday. “Because what if they do that again? Or what if there’s other people that will do that? It put that fear and anxiety in my mind; it’s like a stadium full of people. You don’t know who’s there. We had no idea that this was even possible at a game at this level of importance.”
Swan said that the incident had “lingered in the back of my mind” since she’s been back at Frost Bank Center.
In the video, the man can be heard telling Blue that it was “disgraceful that you sit like that” while pointing his finger toward her. He allegedly put his hand on Blue, which prompted her to tell the individual not to touch her.
It way worse than that. This is the same family that harassed my friend and I the previous Spurs home game till we had to get security pic.twitter.com/t2vRZKmmrP
Swan alleged that another man and a woman, who were both with the first man, also started with them while they were taking pictures near the court, with the woman making bunny ears behind one girl. When the OnlyFans models were about to leave, the other male allegedly accosted them.
Swan alleges that the man called them “chopped,” which is a slang term for calling someone ugly, repeatedly, as they were leaving.
“It was too much. I was pretty upset leaving, just sitting in my car afterward,” Swan said. “Trying to let the adrenaline die down, and I did end up crying because I felt very unsafe at the stadium. I don’t know, it was a lot.”
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game One of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 3, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
James B., who identified himself to The Post as the manager for Swan and Blue, said arena security was notified, but there wasn’t much of an initial response at first.
The group was initially talked to and allowed to remain in their seats.
Following the latter incident during the conference finals, security became more involved, but James said the alleged agitators left quickly before security could do anything.
Security escorted both women to their seats at the NBA Finals and assured that nothing would happen again.
The Spurs did not return requests for comment over the alleged incidents from The Post.
Swan and Blue have gained internet fame during the Spurs’ playoff run as eagle-eyed basketball fans took notice of the women behind the team bench. The two even shared photos of themselves with NBA legend Charles Barkley, who has previously made unfavorable comments about women from San Antonio.
While the whole incident has put a cloud over the fun Swan would have had at the games she attended, she said she’ll still be turning into Game 2 on Friday.
“I still love the Spurs so very much,” she said. “I wish that it could be different, and I wish that this had never happened, so that I could still have that fairytale moment going to these, to these games. It just makes me really sad.”
Trump confirmed with reporters at the White House on Thursday that he would make the trip to New York to see the Knicks play in their first NBA Finals home game at MSG since 1999.
The NBA commish said Trump would be “welcome” at the game and backed his credentials as a Knicks fan.
President Trump is attending NBA Finals Game 3 at Madison Garden. REUTERS
Donald Trump, before he ever ran for office, he was a big Knicks fan,” Silver said, according to the Guardian. “I was there at many Knicks games with him in the old days. He attended many of our drafts when they used to take place at Madison Square Garden.”
Silver viewed the visit from the president as a chance to “emphasize what we have in common, not what pulls us apart.”
“We’re seeing that in New York, and I think President Trump is very much a New Yorker, and I’m thrilled that yet another New Yorker wants to participate in the enthusiasm and the joy around this Knick team,” Silver said.
The Post was the first to report that Trump would take in the game, and it would mark the fifth major sporting event in the New York area that he has attended since he took office for his second term in 2025.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver Getty Images
It will be the first time a sitting U.S. president has attended the NBA Finals during Silver’s tenure as commissioner.
As expected, there will be an additional layer of security at Madison Square Garden with the president in attendance, and it’s unclear how it will impact the usual jovial atmosphere outside the arena following a win.
Trump praised the Knicks while speaking at the White House and was impressed with the way they contained Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
“I say, how do you guard this guy? He’s 7-foot-5 and he’s got a great shot, right? But they find a way to do it. They’re really great,” Trump said.
Fellow politico, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will also be attending Game 3, but told reporters on Thursday that he “will be in a very different section of the stadium.”
PHOENIX –– Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas both ran full speed to first base in the fifth inning of Thursday’s game between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
In a brutal moment that forced both players to exit early –– and left Muncy with shortness of breath and a cut on his nose –– neither got out of the way in time to avoid a frightening head-on collision.
“It was pretty violent,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
The good news: Neither Muncy nor Vargas seemed to have sustained serious injuries on the play. Muncy passed concussion protocol, saying afterward that he was “gonna be all right” despite getting “a little banged up.” Vargas also told reporters that all the exams and tests he had done afterward were negative, despite feeling like he “ran into a truck.”
“I definitely did not mean to run into him,” Muncy said. “It just happened, and hopefully he’s doing all right.”
With two outs in the fifth, Muncy had hit a ground ball up the line that Vargas, playing first for Arizona, fielded directly behind the bag.
Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas both ran full speed to first base in the fifth inning of Thursday’s game between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks Getty ImagesIn a brutal moment that knocked both players out of the game, neither got out of the way in time to avoid a head-on collision. Getty Images
Vargas tried to make the play himself by racing back to first. But Muncy was charging in a dead sprint right at him up the baseline.
The two arrived at the base almost simultaneously, with Muncy getting there a half-second sooner to reach safely for a single.
However, it left no time for either to avoid the bone-crushing hit, with both taking a step toward the inside part of the bag before crashing into each other and sprawling to the ground.
“As I’m running down the line, I saw him in foul territory, so I got to the inside of the bag, and I thought he was going to stay on that [other] side,” said Muncy, who had his glasses and helmet fly off his head. “It felt like neither of us knew which direction we were going to go, and then we both went the wrong direction. And yeah, bang.”
A violent collision between Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas leads to both players leaving the game pic.twitter.com/1NomUpR8qW
Both Muncy and Vargas stayed down on the ground for several minutes, writhing in pain while getting checked by their teams’ respective trainers.
Muncy knew initially that his “head got banged up a little bit,” from both the impact of the collision and a cut that came from glasses. Then he felt shortness of breath while lying on his back.
“When I looked at the replay, it looked like we both kind of did the same thing, where we both jumped to almost, you know, de-weight ourselves and avoid it,” Muncy said. “Unfortunately, we did not.”
Eventually, both players got back to their feet and hobbled off the field. Vargas sustained bruises to his rib cage and left thigh, but was otherwise alright.
“Just a bad situation that looks like neither of us knew which direction to go,” said Muncy, who had a gift sent over to Vargas in the Dbacks clubhouse after the game.
“I expressed my thank you to him [for that],” Vargas noted through an interpreter. “It’s a hard play. It’s thing you don’t want to see happen.”
Thursday’s collision marked the second time in recent weeks Muncy has been removed from a game early.
It left no time for either to avoid the bone-crushing hit, one that was so violent that Muncy’s helmet and glasses both went flying. Getty Images
On May 22, Muncy was hit by a pitch in his right wrist that forced him to make an early exit in Milwaukee. He missed the team’s next three games after that, but avoided a stint on the injured list.
The Dodgers are hopeful that will be the case again this time.
Roberts said Muncy will be down on Friday (the team was planning to give him an off day anyway) but that he should be available for the rest of the club’s weekend series against the Angels.
“They went through the concussion protocol, and then kind of just treated him up,” Roberts said. “But Max seems pretty with it right now.”
PHOENIX — It was a violent collision at first base Thursday night that left the crowd gasping and two players down − with the players eventually forced to leave the game at Chase Field.
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas ran into one another in a head-on collision at first base in the fifth inning, leaving both players on the ground for several minutes before they both exited.
The Dodgers’ training staff said that Muncy was removed from the game because of shortness of breath and to be evaluated for a possible concussion.
There was no immediate announcement on Vargas’ injury.
Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas collided HARD into each other and are both leaving the game pic.twitter.com/Yzl28PS2L5
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 5, 2026
The injuries occurred when Muncy hit a ground ball up the line past the first-base bag that was snared by Vargas. Muncy hustled to first base, and with D-backs starter Ryne Nelson not covering first base, Vargas tried to beat Muncy to the bag. Muncy, running full-speed, reached the base first and ran into Vargas, who has little experience at first base.
The two immediately fell to the ground with Muncy’s helmet and glasses flying off his head.
Muncy was on the ground holding his head, with blood running down the bridge of his nose, and Vargas was clutching his left knee.
They remained on the ground for nearly five minutes, assisted by trainers, when Vargas got up first, gingerly hobbling off the field. He was replaced by Pavin Smith. Muncy got up next, and headed to the dugout. He was replaced by Santiago Espinal.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 04: Isaac Paredes #15 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Daikin Park on June 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The hope going in was that momentum would continue, propelling the Astros to a series win and consecutive victories. Unfortunately, no one told Ryan O’Hearn and the rest of the Pittsburgh Pirates. O’Hearn would be a constant thorn in the side of this rubber match. Pirates 5 Astros 1.
The scoring opened with O’Hearn’s RBI single in the first off starter Kai-Wei Teng. Teng would settle down after a 25-pitch opening frame, but things would begin to unravel in the 6th inning as once again O’Hearn would do the damage, this time blasting a 2-run shot to break things open. The Pirates have now registered home runs in 11 straight contests. Oneil Cruz would do his part, reaching safely in all four of his plate appearances with a pair of hits and walks on the night.
The Astros lone run would come off the bat of Isaac Paredes and a solo shot in the 6th. For Paredes, it would be a small milestone, notching career HR 100. Teng (3-4) took the loss, allowing 7 hits over 5 innings, 4 of the runs earned.
Fortunately, better news is on the immediate horizon with the heightened anticipation of Jose Altuve’s return. Prior to Thursday Night’s contest, Astros Announcer Todd Kalas told me “Altuve brings an immediate presence to the lineup and a jolt to the clubhouse. His ability to get on a heater, could take the pressure off Yordan, Walker and Pena who have been carrying the team recently. He also strengthens the lineup, so you get a recent All-Star in Parades or a potential All-Star in Christian Walker hitting 5th with Altuve in there.”
When #27 returns, (skipping a rehab assignment) he’ll face a “softer schedule” these next two weeks, as the Astros will not face an opponent over .500 until the Guardians come here on June 19th. A’s, Angels, Royals & Tigers have combined to lose just shy of 150 games thus far. Expect to see him potentially as early as this weekend.
Odds & Ends.
The Astros have completed their journey through the N.L. West, compiling a mark of 6 and 9. Three of those six wins came at the expense of the Cubs during a Memorial Day Weekend sweep at Wrigley.
Collin Price made his Astros debut. His first at bat reaching safely on a walk.
Jeremy Pena has now hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games.
With Thursday’s result, the Astros now have 11% odds of reaching the postseason according to MLB’s playoff odds.
Up Next, the Astros host the A’s and pitcher Jack Perkins who enters with a lofty 5.46 ERA. Friday Night’s contest will celebrate Orbit’s birthday.
New York Mets pitcher Christian Scott (45) throws a pitch in the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Queens, NY.
The Mets rotation, a mess for much of the season with Clay Holmes out with a fractured leg, Kodai Senga pitching in the minors, Nolan McLean not pitching to expectations and Sean Manaea and David Peterson trading spots in the bullpen, could use a boost.
As Christian Scott makes his eighth start of the season Friday night in San Diego, the right-hander will be looking to build on his two best outings of the season.
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He followed up five shutout innings in Miami with five more solid innings against the Marlins at Citi Field in his most recent outing, when Scott allowed just one run and picked up the first win of his major league career.
“I liked what I saw,’’ a National League scout said of Scott’s last two starts. “It’s what you want from a guy coming back from Tommy John surgery: sharper and better stuff as he knocks the rust off and gets back to who he was.”
Of course, the Mets are still learning just who that is, since Scott — who turns 27 this month — showed flashes of significant promise when he was first called up to the majors in 2024, but also struggled badly at times.
And even if this isn’t the way they would have liked the season to develop, the never-ending issues in the rotation have given Scott plenty of opportunities to grow on the mound.
His four-seam fastball velocity is up and more effective than it was in 2024 — as are most of Scott’s pitches, including the cutter he used frequently in his previous start.
Christian Scott throws a pitch in the fifth inning of the Mets’ win over the Marlins at Citi Field on May 30, 2026 at Citi Field. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
But more than just the stuff, the scout was impressed by how Scott bounced back from his first start of the season, when he walked five batters, hit another and was knocked out of the game in the second inning.
“When you’re coming off that surgery, you don’t know how you’re gonna feel at this level and when your command isn’t there, it’s fair to wonder when it’s gonna come back,’’ the scout said. “So for him to shake that off and come back and do what he’s done is as much of a good sign as anything else.”
Christian Scott throws a pitch during the second inning of the Mets’ win over the Marlins on May 30. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Scott has walked 11 in 29 innings in six starts since that first start — which was followed by Scott being optioned back to Triple-A.
But before he could make another outing at Syracuse, Scott was back in Queens to replace the injured Senga.
He’s pitched better since then and allowed more than two earned runs just once in his last six starts.
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Since his second start in the majors on May 1, only eight starters have struck out batters at a higher rate than Scott’s 11.48 per nine innings.
And with Holmes out, no Mets starter has been better than Scott, who has seen the Mets win five of his seven starts.
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 30: TJ Rumfield #7 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates his seventh inning RBI single against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on May 30, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 26-year-old Rumfield—obtained this offseason from the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Angel Chivilli—led National League rookies in virtually every offensive category for the month. In May he hit .310/.400/.483 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and a strong 139 wRC+ while also playing a defensively sound first base.
Rumfield is just the eighth Rockies rookie to win the award, which has surprisingly been elusive since it was created in 2001.
Here are the other seven:
RHP Jason Jennings, August 2002
The first and only Rockies player to win Rookie of the year, 1999 first round pick Jason Jennings went 5-1 over six starts and 38 innings in August with a 3.55 ERA and 25 strikeouts!
Clint Barmes only played 81 games in 2005 and still finished in eighth place for National League Rookie of the Year voting. He started the year strong by hitting .410/.467/.639 with four home runs and 14 RBIs across 21 games in April!
The only time the Rockies ever had multiple Rookie of the Month winners in a single season, slugging third baseman Garrett Atkins hit .364/.381/.533 with three home runs and a whopping 26 RBIs over 27 June contests!
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, August 2007
Troy Tulowitzki should have won Rookie of the Year in 2007 but instead took second place behind Ryan Braun. The mold-breaking shortstop phenom hit .333/.394/.567 with six home runs and 25 RBIs over 29 games in the penultimate month of the 2007 season.
After a nearly ten-year gap between winners, Trevor Story started his rookie campaign with the most home runs by a rookie in franchise history and six of them through his first four big league games. Story finished the month hitting .261/.324/.696 with ten home runs and 20 RBIs over 22 games.
Before reinventing himself as a clutch, late-game reliever this season, Antonio Senzatela was once a promising young starting pitcher. His 2017 rookie campaign would end up being one of his best seasons over 36 appearances and 20 starts. In April of 2017 the 22-year-old Senzatela went 4-1 over five starts with 18 strikeouts and a 2.81 ERA over 32 innings of work.
The Rockies traded for Nolan Jones prior to the 2023 season and it looked like they might have found themselves a star. While things didn’t work out that way, Jones shone brightly with a 4.3 rWAR season. He became the first Rockies rookie accomplish a 20/20 campaign. He was the 16th rookie in MLB history to do so and the first to accomplish it in under 130 games and fewer than 425 plate appearances. He also played some excellent left field. Jones finished the season with an explosive September, hitting .350/.460/.631 with six home runs, 22 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases over 28 games. He finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting but arguably should have been a finalist.
While we congratulate TJ Rumfield on his success so far, what are your thoughts on the other Rockies Rookie of the Month winners? Are there any standout rookie months you feel got missed along the way? Who are some noticeable omissions?
The Mets roster is filled with that type of player this year and if it stays that way, the team will look considerably different by the trade deadline.
So with the clock ticking — and the Mets in last place in the NL East — Polanco’s return from Achilles bursitis and a right wrist contusion will have to be a step in the right direction.
If it’s not, the Mets will be that much closer to having to consider tearing down the roster.
Polanco could be back from the IL this weekend, as the Mets begin another must-win series Friday in San Diego, their season still teetering near irrelevance.
When they signed Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason with the idea of having him replace Pete Alonso at first base — and as one piece of a makeover that would make up for the loss of Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil at the plate — the hope was that the 32-year-old would at least come close to replicating the production he had in Seattle last year.
Instead, Polanco never got going offensively and had an OPS of just .532 through 14 games before he hit the IL.
And without Polanco, who didn’t do much in five minor league rehab games split between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, the Mets haven’t gotten much out of first base.
Jorge Polanco could be back from the IL this weekend. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
Mark Vientos has continued to struggle on both sides of the ball, and though the lefty-swinging Jared Young has hit well since returning from his own IL stint, the Mets aren’t looking for him to be their regular first baseman.
Polanco isn’t expected to take that role either when he gets back, as the Mets figure to be cautious with him, given his Achilles issue that is likely to linger all year.
As Carlos Mendoza noted a week ago, Polanco is “gonna feel” the injury throughout the season.
“We have to keep it to a point where [it’s] ‘I can tolerate this,’ ” the manager said in May. “Because if not, he’s gonna be shut down for a long period of time.”
The switch-hitting Polanco has generally hit well from both sides of the plate and, if he can return to the form he had with the Mariners a year ago, would deepen a lineup desperately in need of lengthening.
With Bo Bichette in the midst of a season-long slump — although perhaps his four-hit day Wednesday was a good sign — Marcus Semien also not hitting and Francisco Lindor still out with a strained calf, the Mets have had to rely too much on Juan Soto, as well as rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing.
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If the Mets are going to make an effort toward getting back in the wild-card race — they started Thursday six games back of the final spot with seven teams ahead of them — they’ll need to move quickly.
They followed up a four-game winning streak in Queens by dropping two of three in Seattle and will face a Padres team that lost its fifth consecutive game Thursday and has dropped nine of its past 10.
The Mets, despite the rough series against the Mariners, have still won five of seven but will have to do more than that to start inching up the standings.
A 2025 version of Polanco would at least provide some help in that regard, but the one they’ve seen so far this year has been an all-too-familiar disappointment.
May 29, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama pitcher Tyler Fay (8) starts the game in the Tuscaloosa NCAA Regional between Alabama and Alabama State in Sewell-Thomas Stadium. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 7th overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Alabama Crimson Tide will host St Johns, who was the 4 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, in Super Regional play this weekend. The 40-19 Tide will host the 36-24 Red Storm in game one at 8 p.m. CT on Saturday. Game two is set for 2 p.m. CT on Sunday and the if necessary game would be Monday at a time to be announced. Today we will look at Bama’s overall statistics and the individual leaders.
Alabama Team Offense:
Batting Average- .257, 493 hits, 94 doubles, 10 triples, 79 home runs, .440 slugging percentage, .376 on base percentage, 282 walks, 99 hit by pitch, 541 strikeouts, 26 sacrifice flys, 14 sac bunts 85-93 on stolen bases.
Leaders:
*Brady Neal .332 batting average, 64 hits, 15 doubles, 10 home runs, 49 RBI, .575 slugging percentage, 33 walks, 111 total bases, .444 on base percentage.
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