Evander Kane has officially skated in his 1000th NHL game. The Vancouver Canucks forward has hit this milestone in his 16th NHL season and first as a member of the Canucks. Kane is the seventh player to hit this career milestone while playing with Vancouver.
Through his 1000-game career, Kane has played for the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers (2021–24), San Jose Sharks (2017–21), Buffalo Sabres (2015–18), and the Winnipeg Jets — formerly the Atlanta Thrashers (2009–15). While he was still with Edmonton during most of their playoff run in 2024–25, he missed the entire regular-season due to injury.
Originally from Vancouver, Kane made his way to the Canucks via trade during the 2025 off-season, with the Oilers exchanging him for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Since joining the Canucks, Kane has played in 70 games and scored 12 goals and 18 assists. In his first 999 NHL games, he has put together 338 goals and 309 assists, with his highest season total coming in 2011–12 (30G, 27A).
Vancouver will play in two more games during their current road trip before heading back to Rogers Arena. On April 1, they’ll take on the Colorado Avalanche, and will face the Minnesota Wild the day after.
Mar 12, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks left wing Evander Kane (91) during warm up at Rogers Arena against the Nashville Predators. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
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The good vibes were not sustained. | NHLI via Getty Images
The New York Islanders continue to surprise us. “Lose a critical home game to the Penguins” was definitely in our probability set, but “have the tables flipped in an 8-goal second period of an 8-3 blowout” was not.
That 8-3 final looks like a 5-3 game with three Patrick Roy empty netters, but it wasn’t that. After a scoreless and pretty even first period, the second period got weird. Islanders took a 2-0 lead only to fall apart. They gave up five in the middle frame — one game after they pulled off that same trick against the Florida Panthers — to enter the third period trailing 5-3 somehow.
Reversing the recent D-pair changes didn’t help. The Penguins, who leap the Islanders for sole possession of second place in the Metro with the regulation win, tacked on three more in the third to remove all doubt.
It wasn’t a great game for talisman Ilya Sorokin, of course (and co-talisman Matthew Schaefer went pointless and minus-2), but the defense was atrocious in front of him.
Still, one of the harbinger deflation points was on their power play, which was responsible for the opening goal by Anders Lee but then gave that back on its second opportunity. Just after the Islanders restored their two-goal lead on another Brayden Schenn goal with smooth neutral zone transition from Cal Ritchie, the power play gave up a shorthanded goal by Rickard Rakell to cut the deficit to one again.
It was lethargic work overall defending the counterattack, but Emil Heineman was stargazing as his man drove the net and Adam Boqvist defended the passer.
Two minutes later, it was tied, and a minute after that, Pittsburgh pulled ahead for good. Mo Anthony Mantha joined Rakell in scoring a pair.
It’s a parity league, so these things happen. But it’s just bizarre how the Islanders can fall asleep against the Blackhawks, hang tough and get a regulation win against the Stars, erase an early deficit to storm the Panthers, and then do this with the Penguins all in a little over a week.
Up Next
Tomorrow night in Buffalo is no longer a “bonus if we get something” game. They’ve got to get a point or two. There will be lots of other Eastern games that matter that night, and though the Isles will still finish the night in a playoff spot no matter what, their primary chasers from the outside each have two games in hand.
Mar 30, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) rebounds in the first half against the Chicago Bulls at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
In a first half characterized by alternating runs — somtimes back-to-back — from Chicago (29-46) and San Antonio (57-18), it was the Spurs that pulled away behind a 35-19 second quarter — specifically the dominance of superstar Victor Wembanyama and stellar guards — Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. The Spurs held a 31-18 rebound edge through the first 24 minutes of action, and managed to build on that disparity well into the second half (41-23 after three and 55-35 total).
San Antonio was led by Wembanyama (41 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Castle (19 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds). Julian Champagnie (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) worked through a sluggish start, and Keldon Johnson (15 points) and Harper (13 points and 6 rebounds) were crucial during that second quarter push.
Former Spur Tre Jones (23 points and 3 assists) performed well enough for Chicago in the loss. Leonard Miller (21 points and 7 rebounds) had an outsized impact offenisvely for the Bulls, while Collin Sexton (20 points) played like he was competing with Rob Dillingham for playing time.
Wembanyama figured in on nearly every consequential play for the first 6+ minutes of action — putting up 10 points, 5 rebounds, and a block for measure. Starting with Jones’ steal and reverse, Chicago spread its production out among the starters, and shot better from distance to stake itself to leads throughout the stanza. Jones took advantage of his familiarity with the rims to lead the Bulls in scoring, but San Antonio still went to the second period up 29-28.
Despite a brief halting of the offensive momentum to start the second, both teams — particularly Castle for San Antonio and Miller for Chicago — resumed the scoring pace. San Antonio was able to build its lead by cutting down the amount of open shots conceded and walling off driving lanes. After seeing two triples go down, Castle leveraged the threat of his outside shot to find San Antonio’s bigs deep in the paint, and the Spurs benefitted from entering the foul bonus to pad their advantage. Though an old Spur (Jones) scored last for Chicago, it was the brightest Spur (Wembanyama) that hit a three to send the Spurs to halftime up 64-47.
Though they looked like one YouTube video repeating the same dunk, Wembanyama strung together an impressive solo reel of dunks at the start of the third period, and San Antonio ran their lead up to 25. Meanwhile, Jones seemed like the only starter able to counter the Spurs meaningfully. Jones kickstarted a 10-0 run late in the frame, and yet Chicago could only draw within 19. San Antonio went to the fourth up 20.
Observations
George ‘The Iceman’ Gervin.
The Bulls and Hornets were the only NBA teams that could pull off the pinstripe look.
Wow – a nightcap of Thunder and Pistons!
The gentleman next to me on my flight Saturday (wearing a University of Arizona cap) gushed about Carter Bryant for the better part of the four hour trip. Apparently he was very happy as an alum to see the line of Wildcat players coming to San Antonio continue.
Devin’s Deeds: Well into garbage time, Vassell clanked a fadeaway jumper, and in folllowing him back downcourt, he never gave up on the play and managed to swat away Buzelis’ floater (that was called for goaltending).
Harrison Barnes WITH headband – 0 for 2 from three. #pobrecito
Sequence of the Game #1: Some dogged defense later in the first half led to a Barnes steal, and Wembanyama spotted a streaking Castle down the right side for a slam off of two feet that Dominique Wilkins would have been proud of.
Sequence of the Game #2: Though we’ve long been accustomed to Wembanyama’s greatness around the rim, the NBC broadcast team did a great job of affirming the unselifhness involved in San Antonio’s wings setting him up. (That rookie season of futile attempts to find Wembanyama seems like a distant memory).
Game Rundown
After the Bulls’ second basket at the rim in 72 seconds, Coach Johnson called a Pop-like timeout. San Antonio started the first couple of possessions with Wembanyama on the right block, but the forward succeeded four times from three different spots straightaway in the painted area. Chicago had a moderately easy time getting buckets on drives and held a slight advantage on several occasions. Successive triples from Isaac Okoro and Sexton put the Bulls up three, but those were immediately matched by a lightning fast seven point burst from Harper. Despite a very poor outside shooting start, San Antonio — starting with Harper’s scoring and ending with a Keldon Johnson three — left it up one.
Aside from Barnes’ first three points and an awkward Giddey floater, there was a scoring drought spanning the first three minutes of the second period. Then the floodgates shot open, as Miller got to double digits scoring with some sneaky hot shooting, while Giddey found his groove, as well. Champagnie saw a floater and a corner three go down, while Castle saw his first three go down, too. Castle’s catch-and-shoot three seconds later gave the Spurs their biggest lead (eight) to that point. San Antonio played its best two-way minutes to end the half, as the Bulls found themselves forcing things more noticeably. Aside from a Johnson score, Wembanyama and Castle carried the rest of San Antonio’s production to lead by 17 at the break.
Wembanyama’s personal 12-point burst in the third put the Bulls on the ropes, while Vassell encouragingly hit his first three during that barrage, too. Seconds after his re-entry, Miler hit yet another three for Chicago. Harper put up two quick scores on his own, and the comfortable 20+ point cushion allowed for the Spurs to try out different line-ups.
For the Bulls fan’s perspective, please visit Blog A Bull.
San Antonio takes on Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night at 9:00 PM CDT on ESPN.
May 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8) hits a single during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
It’s Monday here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and join us. There’s always room for one more. The dress code is casual. We have a few tables still available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week, I asked you for your pick on how many wins the Cubs will have in 2026. Fifty-four percent of you think the Cubs will win between 90 and 94 games, or the same that they did last year. Another 23 percent said between 95 and 99 games. I like that “100 or more” got eight votes and “under 80” only got 1.
Here’s the part with the music and the movie stuff. You’re always free to skip that.
Tonight we have the Robert Glasper Trio playing “59 South” live in 2010.
Alibi Ike (1935) always gets mentioned among the best early baseball movies, but I had never seen it before last week. It’s a slight but amusing comedy starring Joe E. Brown, William Frawley and in her film debut, Olivia De Havilland.
Based on a story by Ring Lardner, Brown plays Francis Farrell, a terrific pitcher with a tendency to make up excuses for everything. That earns him the nickname “Alibi Ike” from his teammates on the Cubs. (Yes! This is a movie about the Cubs. More on that in a bit.) De Havilland plays Dolly, the sister-in-law of the Cubs’ manager (Frawley) who immediately falls in love with Francis from the stands.
Francis can’t stand the kidding from his teammates, so he’ll make up some lie to deny that he and Dolly are an item. Of course, that eventually will get him in trouble with Dolly. He frustrates his manager because he’ll do dumb stuff and then make up a ridiculous excuse for it. He also falls in with some gangsters who want him to throw games and it’s pretty much his own fault because he won’t be honest with anyone. But Francis is as honest as the day is long, so obviously he’s going to get into trouble with the gamblers as well.
One thing that I found amusing about this film is that while “Ike” pitches for the Chicago Cubs in 1935, they play the World Series at Wrigley Field at night. I don’t have to tell you that lights at Wrigley are over 50 years away. Not only that, but lights at any major league park are still three years in the future. But Wrigley Field Los Angeles, home of the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels, had lights as early as 1930. That’s where they shot the baseball scenes, naturally. It just strikes me how much Hollywood of the thirties just didn’t care about verisimilitude.
This film is clearly a vehicle for Brown, who was one the top comedians of the era. He was also a huge baseball fan and made several baseball-themed pictures, of which Alibi Ike is generally considered the best. You probably at least know Brown as Osgood Fielding III in Some Like it Hot, if you don’t know him from anything else. So if you find Brown’s stammering, mugging and slapstick funny, you’ll find the film funny. I thought he was funny enough to make watching the film worth my while.
If we ever do a baseball movie tournament in the off-season, Alibi Ike should be included. It’s certainly an old-fashioned comedy and the baseball is pretty incidental to the plot of a man who can’t ever be honest with anyone and it gets him into trouble. But Brown was a pretty talented comedian. Nothing in here will get as big a laugh as Brown got at the end of Some Like it Hot (perhaps the greatest laugh line of all-time in “Nobody’s perfect.”), he gets enough chuckles and laughs to make watching it worth while. That the Cubs win the World Series makes it all that much better.
Here’s the trailer for Alibi Ike
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
Tonight’s a simple question. Who is your choice to lead the Cubs in home runs this year.
Happ already has a lead with three home runs and he should have had a fourth if the wind wasn’t howling in on Opening Day. Bregman showed on Sunday that he can take advantage of the short power alleys at Wrigley. And we know that Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch can hit 30 a year.
Also, Seiya Suzuki can hit thirty in a season as well. EXCEPT I FORGOT TO PUT SUZUKI IN THE POLL AND IT’S TOO LATE TO CHANGE IT NOW. So if you think Seiya is going to get back healthy quickly enough to hit enough hoe runs to lead the Cubs, vote for “other.” I’m going to assume that most of the votes for “other” are for Suzuki.
Again, vote “other” if you want to vote for Seiya Suzuki. I’m sorry I messed that up.
Thanks for stopping by tonight. I hope you’ve had a good time. Don’t be a stranger. Tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.
ATLANTA (AP) — The Braves scored three runs in the first inning off a double from Matt Olson and a single from Mauricio Dubón in a 4-0 win over the Athletics on Monday night.
Mike Yastrzemski came in to relieve left fielder Eli White and hit a line drive triple to right field in the eighth inning. Dubón followed with a single to send him home.
Dubón, a two-time (2023, '25) Gold Glove-winning shortstop, came to the Braves in the offseason from a trade with the Astros.
Bryce Elder (1-0) pitched six innings and gave up five hits with five strikeouts and a walk.
Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers both went 0 for 4 for the Athletics. Brent Rooker went 2 for 4, but grounded to Dubón to start a double play that ended the eighth inning.
In the ninth, Jacob Wilson was thrown out at second on a ground ball by Lawrence Butler, who was originally ruled safe at first. The call was challenged and then overturned, resulting in a double play. Max Muncy hit an infield fly that Olson caught to end the game.
Jacob Lopez (0-1) pitched four innings for the A's. He gave up five hits, had five walks, three earned runs and no strikeouts.
Up next
Atlanta's Jose Suarez takes the mound against Aaron Civale as the series continues Tuesday.
In front of his hometown fans, Miguel Vargas drove in six (including a grand slam) to power the White Sox to their first win of the season. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
The White Sox scored early and often against the Marlins, getting their first win of 2026 and second grand slam of the season so far. And for the record, there have only been four grand slams in all the major leagues thus far.
Before the bigger fireworks, Everson Pereira doubled to kick off the third inning. With two outs, Miguel Vargas knocked Pereira in with a single to left field, putting the Good Guys on the board first.
Munetaka Murakami kept the inning alive, slapping a single, which set the table for Austin Hays to hit his first homer of the season to break the inning wide open, 4-0.
Tristan Peters singled to start the fourth, and Pereira continued with another single. After an Edgar Quero sac bunt to advance runners, Luisangel Acuña was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That set the table for Chicago’s second grand slam of the young season, as Vargas crushed a ball that left the bat at 105.5 mph. The first baseman got to show off in his hometown of Miami, and the White Sox led, 8-0.
Chicago starter Davis Martin lost his focus a bit too much with the big cushion, giving up another walk and looking rushed at the mound in the Marlins half of the fourth. With the second Marlins hit of the ball game, Liam Hicks hit a two-run blast to actually put the Fish on the board.
The Marlins started to give Martin more trouble in the fifth when Griffin Conine doubled, and Jakob Marsee singled to send him home, making it 8-3.
Acuña picked up a walk in the top half of the sixth, and promptly stole second and third. Vargas knocked him in with a sac fly to put the Sox up 9-3. It was Vargas’ sixth RBI on the night.
With Martin in position for the win having gotten through five innings, Sean Newcomb trying to support him for three frames — and almost did. However, Miami rallied with a triple and two singles sandwiching two Ks for the southpaw. After Newcomb walked Owen Cassie to load the bases with two outs in the eighth, Will Venable made a frightening call to the pen: Jordan Hicks.
But on the second pitch of Connor Norby’s at-bat, Hicks jammed him up and in with a sinker and got the inning-ender on a flare to second base. Hicks stayed on for the ninth, earning his first White Sox save as well as the club’s first save of the season. The undefeated Marlins fell, and the White Sox got in the left-hand column for the first time all season.
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 30: Jalen Green #4 of the Phoenix Suns dunks the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 30, 2026 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns started slow, but turned it up a notch in the 4th quarter to pull away and secure a road win in Memphis. It didn’t come without a fight from Memphis in the opening 36 minutes of play.
Devin Booker and Jalen Green paced the Suns early, and Collin Gillespie broke out of a shooting slump for a big fourth quarter. Booker poured in 36 points on 16-24 shooting. Green added 21 points on 9-18 shooting, and both star guards were able to stay under 25 minutes played. The rookies both looked great.
The Suns outscored the Grizzlies by 24 points in the final quarter on 60% shooting along with 6 threes to pull away for good.
Phoenix now holds a 3.0 game lead over the Clippers for the 7th seed in the West with seven games left to play. Tonight was win number 42 on the season.
Game Flow
First Half
Memphis jumped out ahead 13-9 early in the opening quarter. Phoenix took a 19-18 lead after a Jalen Green three, which took us to the first timeout of the evening. The ball was moving well early on.
Devin Booker poured in 12 points in the first 7 minutes of the period. The ball movement was sharp after the break and led to a 28-19 Phoenix lead.
We got some early Khaman Maluach minutes again, and he made his impact on the glass and drew multiple trips to the line.
After the opening 12 minutes of play, the Suns led 34-31. The Suns allowed 16 points in the paint in the quarter. Devin Booker led all scorers with 12. Jalen Green chipped in with 8.
Things got sloppy. The Grizzlies jumped out to a 12-7 advantage in the second quarter to take a two-point lead, which prompted a Jordan Ott timeout to talk things over.
The Grizzlies showed they were not going to back down without a fight, as you’d expect from (most) professional sports teams. Phoenix wasn’t able to pull away despite strong offensive outputs from both Booker and Green.
At halftime, Phoenix led 65-61. The Suns won the second quarter by just one point, 31-30. Booker and Green combined for 42 points on 24 shots. Memphis got some serious bench production, with 24 of its 61 points coming from the second unit.
Suns rookie big man Khaman Maluach had a career-high 10 rebounds at the half.
Second Half
The second half started with a continuation of the back-and-forth affair we saw in the opening two quarters.
Every time it looked like the Suns were going to pull away, this scrappy, young Memphis squad found a way to answer back. Memphis was matching the Suns’ physicality all night long, as they stormed in front to take an 86-83 lead.
Devin Booker continued to pour it in, hitting a 30-ball well before the 4th quarter even began.
A Jordan Goodwin triple evened things up at 86 apiece. Rasheer Fleming followed that up with a vicious transition dunk, but as they did all night long, Memphis responded with a three-pointer the very next possession to retake the lead.
Phoenix took a two-point lead (91-89) into the 4th quarter after this ATO was executed to perfection.
The Suns started to pour it on in the 4th, as the intensity went up a notch and it helped that the shots were falling. A 19-6 run gave Phoenix some breathing room, leading 110-95 in a flash.
Rasheer Fleming had 7 quick points along with Collin Gillespie’s five points to open the quarter, including a three-pointer that busted him out of his shooting slump. Look at the rook fly!
Phoenix won the final quarter 40 to 16. Everything was clicking for them on both ends of the floor, and they were able to give the starters some much-needed rest ahead of the second of their back-to-back set in Orlando tomorrow night.
Up Next
The Suns are back on the road tomorrow night in Orlando against the Magic.
The Mets recorded 10 hits and the bullpen tossed 4.1 scoreless innings to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on Monday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Francisco Lindor tripled for the second straight day to leadoff the game against Kyle Leahy, coming up just short of his first home run of the season with a blast off of the right-center field wall. Following some drama Sunday, Lindor opted to not run home on Juan Soto's hard grounder to short, but scored on Bo Bichette's ground ball to second to go up 1-0 as JJ Wetherholt couldn't get the ball out in time and had to turn to first base.
Lindor tied Jose Reyes in Mets franchise history with two triples through four games. It's also the first time he's tripled in back-to-back games as he's already doubled his 2025 total (zero).
-- Bichette stepped up again and gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, ripping a two-out single to right field that scored Carson Benge from third.
Bichette also looked more comfortable at third base on Monday night. He made a nice backhand stop and a perfect throw in the first-inning to get Iván Herrera out at first base. The former SS nearly did it again in the second inning, but Jordan Walker reached first safely.
-- Clay Holmes was solid in his first outing of the 2026 campaign, allowing two runs on four hits over 5.2 IP (90 pitches) with five strikeouts and three walks. The righty forced eight groundouts, including a double play, and two flyouts.
He issued a leadoff walk to Wetherholt in the first inning, as the rookie advanced to second on a ground out and reached third on a balk. The right-hander then let up an RBI-single to Alec Burleson that tied the game up at 1-1.
Holmes got back-to-back strikeouts to end the first inning and after getting his pitch count up, settled in after the third inning for the rest of the game. He retired seven straight Cardinals into the sixth inning before allowing a two-out home run to Brendan Gorman, ending his night with the Mets up 4-2.
-- Starting for the first time, Jared Young made it a 3-1 game in the sixth inning with an RBI double to the right-center gap, scoring Brett Baty (single) from first base. Defensively, Young had no issues at first base, including a clean flip on a slow-roller to Holmes covering first to end the third inning. He finished the day 1-for-4 with the RBI and a run scored.
After Lindor got hit in the foot by Matt Svanson to load the bases in the sixth inning, Juan Soto picked up an RBI on a walk, extending New York's lead to 4-1.
-- Benge got his first start in CF and went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Carlos Mendoza decided to put Luis Robert Jr. in as a pinch-runner for Young in the seventh inning, moving Benge to right for Robert in the bottom half with Baty sliding to first base. DH-ing Monday night, Jorge Polanco went 2-for-5 with a ground-rule double.
-- Tobias Myers replaced Holmes and got a flyout to end the sixth inning. He then struck out the side in the seventh on 12 pitches. Brooks Raley pitched a scoreless eighth inning, topping out at 91.4 mph and allowing just a single. Devin Williams shut things down with a 1-2-3 ninth, earning his first save as a Met.
Game MVP: Bo Bichette
Bichette bounced back from a tough opening series, finishing the game 1-for-5 with two RBI.
Mar 30, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays Brendon Little (54) reacts after giving up a hit during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
The big story tonight was Cody Ponce’s injury. He had to leave on the cart, and while we can hope it isn’t serious he had the look of a guy who’s resigning himself to something terrible as he rode off. It was a devastating turn for a guy who’s more than paid his dues to make it back to the major leagues.
Otherwise, it was all bad. Bad pitching, no offence, and some uncharacteristic errors. Just a grim evening all around.
Ponce’s MLB return started well before quickly turning into a disaster. He at the Rockies down in order in the first with the help of a nice running grab by Addison Barger in the right field alley. He gave up a double in the second when TJ Rumfield went down and got a fastball on the outside corner and lined it to left, but got out of it without conceding a score. He walked the lead-off hitter in the third, then bounced back with a strikeout of Edouard Julien. He fell delivering a pitch to Jake McCarthy. It looked like his cleat slipped coming down the mound. That was a balk, advancing the runner to third. McCarthy hit a dribbler up the first base line that Ponce tried to field but bobbled, allowing McCarthy to reach and the runner to score. A couple steps after missing the ball, Ponce landed awkwardly and appeared to twist his right knee before going down in a heap. He was clearly in a lot of pain, and ultimately had to be carted off. Louis Varland took over, striking out the next two batters.
The offence couldn’t figue Tomoyuki Sugano out. Jesus Sanchez lined a single in the bottom of the first, but that was all the Jays could manage. They went down in order in the second, including a swinging K by Sugano’s long time teammate Kazuma Okamoto. Finally, with two out in the third, George Springer got into one, firing a laser to left-centre to tie the game at one.
Varland came back for the fourth. He gave up a line single to Ezequiel Tovar, who stole second. Varland got the next two, but then Ernie Clement booted a very routine grounder. It was the kind of error he usually just doesn’t make, but it allowed Tovar to score and extended the inning. Kyle Karros followed with an infield single, pushing Varland to 30 pitches and forcing John Schneider to make a change earlier than he would have hoped. Spencer Miles punched out the next batter to end the inning, limiting the damage at least.
Sugano continued to roll in the fourth, striking out Vladimir Guerrero jr. and Addison Barger. Alejandro Kirk walked on a pitch clock violation, but they couldn’t capitalize.
Mile came back for the fifth. He got a pair of fly outs and had a soft line single erased when Kirk gunned down Hunter Goodman stealing second. Okamoto worked a leadoff walk in the bottom half. Sugano go the next two batters, but was then pulled for Jaden Hill rather than seeing the top of the order a third time. Hill got Springer to ground out to end the inning.
The wheels came completely off for the Jays in the sixth. Miles returned and struck out Tovar, but then he gave up a line single to Rumfield, then a homer to Troy Johnston that extended Colorado’s lead to 4-1. The next batter walked, and that was it for Miles. Brendon Little got his first batter swinging, but then a pair of singles, a walk, and a pop up down the first base line that Addison Barger misplayed into a double resulted in two more runs. Tovar followed with a real double to clear the runners and make it 9-1.
At that point it was pretty much over. Tyler Rogers handled the seventh, while Tyler Heineman was called on to mop up. He gave up four in the eighth and one more in the ninth. His 22.5 ERA is less than half Brendon Little’s.
The Jays at least gave the crowd a bit of a show in the eighth. Andres Gimenez hit a solo homer and, following a Jesus Sanchez single, pinch hitter Davis Scheider went yard as well. Okamoto chipped in a solo shot of his own in the ninth.
Jays of the Day: Nobody
Less so: Miles (-0.11) and Little (-0.12) qualify, and Little especially deserves it, but this one was a team effort.
We’ll be back tomorrow at 7:07pm ET. Ryan Feltner goes for the Rockies, while Max Scherzer makes his 2026 debut for the Jays. And hey, it almost has to go better!
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Mantha had two goals and an assist, Rickard Rakell scored twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied to defeat the New York Islanders 8-3 on Monday night in a crucial game in the competitive Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Penguins trailed 3-1 midway through the second period before scoring four times in less than 6 1/2 minutes to take over. Their seventh goal on their 28th shot eight minutes into the third chased Ilya Sorokin, who was done in by porous defense in front of him and relieved by backup David Rittich.
Pittsburgh with the regulation victory leapfrogged New York into second place in the Metropolitan Division, 90 points to 89. The Penguins have eight games left in the regular season compared to seven for the Islanders, who could find themselves outside a spot as early as Tuesday night depending on results of their next game and others in contention in the East.
Returning from a one-game injury absence, Sidney Crosby was one of 15 skaters on his team to register a point in a significant bounce back from losing at home to Dallas without him on Saturday. Longtime running mate Evgeni Malkin missed a fourth consecutive game and is considered day to day.
The Islanders are relatively healthy, but their details were sorely lacking in blowing a multigoal lead and doing so in stunning fashion. They had allowed seven goals in their previous four games combined, with Hall of Fame goaltender coach Patrick Roy preaching a 0-0 mindset and relying on Sorokin to make up for any mistakes.
Even Sorokin could not compensate against the Penguins, who got solid goaltending from Arturs Silovs.
Up next
Penguins: Stuart Skinner is expected to start Tuesday night at home against the Detroit Red Wings.
Islanders: Visit the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, with Sorokin potentially in line to get the nod again.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Jack Leiter struck out eight in six strong innings and Jake Burger drove in two runs to lead the Texas Rangers to a 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
Leiter (1-0) had a stretch of five straight strikeouts and appeared to have a sixth for the second out in the fifth, but Colton Cowser won an ABS challenge on a called third strike and turned it into a base hit. Blaze Alexander singled and Gunnar Henderson had a two-out single to cut it to 4-2 before Leiter struck out Pete Alonso to end the inning with runners at the corners.
Leiter allowed five hits and a walk in leading Texas to its third straight win. Jakob Junis and Jalen Beeks each pitched a scoreless inning before Tyler Alexander struck out two in the ninth for his second save.
Brandon Nimmo singled leading off the game against Chris Bassitt (0-1) — making his first start for the Orioles — before scoring on a fielder's choice by Burger for a 1-0 lead.
Henderson hit his first home run of the season to tie it in the first.
Kyle Higashioka walked following a leadoff double by Evan Carter in the second, and Nimmo singled for a 2-1 lead. Burger had an RBI single and Joc Pederson added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
Burger doubled and scored on a one-out single by Josh Smith in the ninth off Tyler Wells.
The 37-year-old Bassitt needed 60 pitches to get through the first two innings. He was done after 4 1/3 innings and 100 pitches, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks.
Up next
Orioles RHP Zach Eflin will make his first start of the season Tuesday. The Rangers hadn't announced a scheduled starter.
Cody Ponce’s debut with the Blue Jays and first MLB start in five years ended in nightmare fashion.
The 31-year-old, who last pitched for the Pirates in 2021 and last started a game in May of that season.
Ponce suffered a leg injury running to field a bouncer between the mound and first base during the third inning of the Blue Jays’ game against the Rockies at Rogers Centre on Monday.
Cody Ponce had to be carted off in his Blue Jays debut after collapsing trying to field a ground ball pic.twitter.com/FO0YUfYlZz
He stayed down on the ground, wincing in pain before being attended to by the team’s training staff after his right leg appeared to buckle as it landed stiffly. He briefly grabbed for the back of his knee.
Ponce was able to stand and walk toward a cart before being driven off the field. The former Brewers second-round pick in 2015 was noticeably emotional, blowing kisses and lifting his cap to the Canadian crowd.
Cody Ponce #66 of the Toronto Blue Jays is carted off the field with an injury in a break in play against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on March 30, 2026. Getty Images
He was part of a retooling of the defending American League champion’s pitching staff that included signing Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract and top reliever Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million deal.
Ponce pitched two scoreless innings for the undefeated Blue Jays before a run scored on the play he was injured on.
Cody Ponce of the Toronto Blue Jays falls to the ground with an injury during the third inning in their MLB game against the Colorado Rockies at the Rogers Centre on March 30, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Getty Images
He has been fighting to get another shot in the majors after his disastrous 2021, which saw him go 0-6 with a 7.04 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen. Ponce spent three seasons in Japan before pitching in Korea in 2025.
It’s now unclear when he will be back on the mound for the Blue Jays.
The Knicks are officially the third Eastern Conference team to clinch a spot in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
While Monday was an off day for New York, they were able to lock up their spot with the 76ers’ loss to the Heat.
This marks the fourth consecutive year they are headed to the postseason.
Regardless of how the final few games of the regular season play out, the Knicks can now finish no worse than the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
They currently sit in third, 2.0 games behind the Celtics and 1.5 up on the No. 4 seed Cavaliers with seven games left.
Both Boston and the top-seeded Pistons have also already locked up their spots in the postseason.
New York has once again been led by captain Jalen Brunson in their first year under head coach Mike Brown.
Brunson performed well enough to land his third consecutive All-Star appearance, averaging 26.7 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 46.3 percent from the field on the season.
He'll look to get the Knicks over the hump after their Eastern Conference Finals exit at the hands of the Pacers.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 30: Washington Nationals second baseman Luis García Jr. #2 hits the ball during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on March 30th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It was a beatdown at Citizens Bank Park, but for the first time in a while, the Nats were the ones delivering the beating. They destroyed the Phillies in a 13-2 blowout. The good guys had 17 hits and had the Phillies by the neck from the jump. It has been a while since the Nats have delivered a beating like that.
With this 13 run performance, the Nats have their second double digit run game. That offense that we were worried about this spring just flipped the switch and has looked awesome in the regular season. The bats have been hunting in packs so far this season.
This year’s #Nationals team has now passed 2018 with their ninth-inning explosion.
Meanwhile, Washington now faces a position player on the mound while winning for just the third time since the 2021 trade deadline really opened the rebuild.@TheNatsReporthttps://t.co/hVg6JC7Yh0
This win has the Nats up to 3-1, making this the team’s best start in a long time. We know this balloon can pop at any time, but I am having so much fun watching the Nats to start the season. They are playing a fun and energetic style of baseball with a ton of hustling and great at bats. Some of the defensive miscues still need to be cleaned up, but this group’s effort cannot be questioned.
Once again, the Nats offense was led by cult hero Joey Wiemer. While Wiemer finally got out today, he still had a really nice day at the plate. His season averages may have dropped, but Wiemer still went 2/4 with a walk. He also tied Carlos Delgado for the most consecutive plate appearances to start a season without getting out. This was an all time heater from Wiemer and it was truly amazing to watch.
Joey Wiemer ties Carlos Delgado's record for most consecutive plate appearances to reach base safely to start a season at 10! pic.twitter.com/tiXwIPyoZZ
It was not just him though, there were contributions up and down the lineup. Every Nat got at least one hit and seven had multi-hit games. It is tough to pick out an offensive star because everyone was getting knocks. If I had to pick one, I would probably choose Jose Tena, who had the only three hit game for the Nats.
The Nats weren’t doing this with the long ball either. This was just a steady barrage of base hits that came from stringing together quality at bats. I have not seen anything like it from this group in a while. So many times in the past, the Nats would have a big first inning and then pull their punches. Today, they kept their foot on the gas and made it so bad the Phillies had to bring in a position player to lob in pitches at the end.
On the mound, Foster Griffin made his Nats debut and he was solid. He threw five innings of two run ball. The southpaw faded a bit in the fifth inning, but did a nice job limiting the damage and finishing the inning. He did enough to get his first Nats win. I like Griffin’s deep pitch mix and command. He could be a guy who has a lot of success.
Foster Griffin last pitched in a Major League game on September 22, 2022.
Overall, this was an exhilarating night for Nats fans. For so many years, the Nats were on the other end of these kinds of beat downs. It feels nice to be the ones delivering the punishment for once. This team may not end up being good, but they will be much more fun.
