Trey Bonham scored 23 points and Honor Huff hit a big 3-pointer late to lead Chattanooga to an 80-73 victory over Loyola Chicago in an NIT semifinal at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. The Mocs (28-9) will play UC Irvine in the championship game on Thursday. The Anteaters (32-6) set a school record for wins in a season after beating North Texas 69-67 in an earlier semifinal.
From the Pocket: Andrew Krakouer blazed his own trail beyond family history and football feats
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WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains the name and images of a deceased person
Some of the best Australian sportswriting of the 1980s came from a young journalist from Tasmania, Martin Flanagan. He was particularly fond of Fitzroy and North Melbourne – two clubs with scarcely a dollar to their name, but rich in character and talent. Flanagan would write about anything – politicians, war heroes, graffiti artists, homeless people, police and paramedics attending catastrophic car accidents.
This is an extract from Guardian Australia’s free weekly AFL email, From the Pocket. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions
Continue reading...Jokes abound as Dodgers' Freddie Freeman misses 2nd game while recovering from shower slip and fall
LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman is hearing it after he slipped and fell in the shower, injuring his surgically repaired right ankle and missing his second straight game for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Freak accident, you can’t really make it up, crazy,” Freeman said Tuesday.
The incident happened at home Sunday morning, an off day for the World Series champions.
“Halfway through my morning coffee I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just shower to get ready for the day' and next thing I know I’m down in the bathtub," he said. “It’s a great mental picture if you guys want to think about it. Big guy falling all over the place.”
Freeman's wife, Chelsea, relayed the news to the first baseman's father.
“He was like, ‘Are you serious?’” Freeman said. “Chelsea actually made the joke, ‘I thought I was going to deal with this when you’re 70, not when you’re 35.’”
Even his 4-year-old son, Brandon, piled on, saying, “Daddy, you got another boo-boo.”
Freeman sprained his right ankle on a play at first base in late September and struggled in the first two rounds of the postseason, but it was hardly evident during the World Series. He homered in the first four games and had 12 RBIs as the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games.
He had debridement surgery in December to remove loose bodies in the ankle.
His wife had to drive him to Dodger Stadium on Sunday for a three-hour treatment session. By the time it was over, he was able to drive himself home. An X-ray showed no serious damage.
“That was a big relief,” he said. "I just kind of irritated everything again. I was a little sore.”
Freeman felt fortunate, given that the combination shower-tub has a glass door.
“It could have been much worse,” he said. “I could have hit my head.”
The World Series MVP is 3 for 12 with two home runs and four RBIs to start the season. He was scratched from the Dodgers’ season-opening game in Tokyo because of left rib discomfort.
Freeman, a hitting purist, said when he returns he won't be jumping on the torpedo bat trend.
“I’ve swung the same bat for 16 years, I will not be changing,” he said. “I do not look down on anybody. If it’s legal you can do whatever you want. If it works for the guys, then go for it. I know some of our guys are getting them.”
Freeman is hopeful he can return for Wednesday's series finale against his old team, the Atlanta Braves.
Back at home, a plumber arrived Tuesday to repair a leaking handle in that shower.
“I’m not going to use that one again,” Freeman said. “I’m 0 for 1 on that shower.”
Mets pitcher Sean Manaea shut down from throwing after setback in recovery from oblique injury
MIAMI — New York Mets left-hander Sean Manaea had a setback in his recovery from a right oblique strain and won’t throw for two weeks.
“He experienced some discomfort a couple of days ago when he was starting to ramp up,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday before a game against the Miami Marlins.
Manaea underwent imaging that showed inflammation and received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Monday.
“He’s going to go two weeks with no throwing, so we’re going to start building him back up,” Mendoza said.
Manaea didn’t pitch during spring training. He was shut down in late February and then placed on the 15-day injured list March 27. The original timeline for his return was late April, but Mendoza indicated that date no longer seems feasible.
The 33-year-old Manaea was New York's top starter in 2024, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 outings during his first season with the team. He helped the Mets reach the National League Championship Series before they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Manaea became a free agent again in November and re-signed with the Mets in January for $75 million over three years.
Mets Notes: Francisco Lindor shoulders blame; Max Kranick a weapon out of bullpen
Francisco Lindor committed just 12 errors in 151 games, covering 564 chances. The Mets' shortstop committed two errors on his first two chances, the second of which proved costly, in Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins.
“I felt like we played a clean game except two pitches on my two ground balls,” Lindor, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI single, said after the game. “I take a lot of pride in it, it doesn’t feel good.”
“Very rare to see him with two errors in a game,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It happens; he’s human.”
The first play was a tougher chance, and a more generous official scorer may have bailed him out when the speedy Dane Myers’ slow roller bounced off the heel of his glove as he came charging in toward the infield grass.
The second was a play Lindor makes in his sleep: He was in perfect position in no time to field Otto Lopez's 103.8 mph grounder to start the fourth inning but misplayed the hop off the heel of his glove.
“Usually, errors happen when you take your eyes off the baseball,” Lindor said. “And I saw both of them hit my glove. So my head, everything was on the baseball. Just missed it.”
He added: “It’s our job to finish the plays, and today was on me.”
And while the first error went unpunished, the second allowed the Marlins to plate two runs on Graham Pauley’s two-out double to break a 2-2 tie. And the two unearned runs ended up being the difference and spoiled five solid innings from Kodai Senga.
Lindor said that he spoke to the starter after the game, who told him not to worry about it, but “it still kinda hurts” because Senga is a “great professional” and “great teammate.”
“I wish had still done better for Senga,” the shortstop said. “Senga had a great game. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t finish the play for him; he executed today all night long. Definitely should be better.”
But the starter didn’t let Lindor take all the blame, either.
“Since the day I signed with this team, Lindor’s always been there,” Senga said through an interpreter. “He’s always supported me, always given me words of encouragement, he’s always been there for not just me but everybody on the team. So, when he makes a mistake, I need to be there to pick him up.
“Not only him but everybody else on the team. He’s always there for everybody, and it was my fault to make his error be highlighted because of my poor performance.”
The only thing left to do is “go out there tomorrow, work at them and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Lindor added.
Torpedoes jammed
After an explosion for 10 runs on Monday night, the Mets could muster just a pair in the early innings off Miami ace Sandy Alcántara through five innings.
The right-hander surrendered just three hits – a Brandon Nimmo home run, a Luisangel Acuña double, and Lindor single – while getting four strikeouts and needed just 70 pitches.
“The way he mixes pitches, not only the sinker against righties but the changeup, the slider against lefties,” Mendoza said. “He used all of his pitches, kept the ball down, got ground balls, and we didn’t do much off him.”
The four Marlins who came out of the bullpen were equally tough, with only Jesse Winker managing an infield hit before the ninth inning saw Juna Soto walk and Nimmo grab a single. In all, the home side’s bullpen needed just 55 pitches to get the final 12 outs.
“We didn’t have many good at-bats there,” the manager said. “We couldn’t create opportunities until that last inning. Didn’t get much going and didn’t hit many balls hard against their bullpen.”
No Kranick at the disco
Mendoza said Max Kranick could be a “really good” weapon for the Mets after his three perfect innings of relief.
“For him to come in like that and basically save the bullpen and kept the game and gave us a chance,” the manager said. “That was pretty impressive.”
After escaping a bases loaded and one-out jam in his first outing of the year Saturday against Houston, the right-hander needed just 22 pitches to retire nine straight Marlins after Senga’s five innings of work.
“Attacked, threw stikes, used all of his pitches, was pitch efficient, and that’s gonna be huge for us moving forward having a guy like that that you know you can trust in helping you keeping games close or keeping a lead, giving you distance out of the bullpen,” Mendoza added. “That’s a pretty valuable piece.”
Kranick did allow some hard contact, but the results – much like Huascar Brazobán on Monday – were hard to argue against.
Buffalo 5 Ottawa 2: Senators Had Zero Answers For The Sabres This Season
The Ottawa Senators remain in good shape to finally solve the puzzle of making the NHL playoffs. But they certainly had no solution for the Buffalo Sabres this season.
The Sabres defeated the Senators 5-2 on Tuesday night to sweep the season series, outscoring the Sens 17-5, and taking all eight points in the process.
Speaking of dominance, veteran Buffalo goalie James Reimer stopped 33 shots and improved to 19-6-4 against the Senators. No goalie in NHL history has a better record against Ottawa.
Linus Ullmark gave up four goals on 21 shots. Claude Giroux and Jake Sanderson scored for the Senators, who, despite a six minute flurry of chances in the third, were never really in this one.
Buffalo jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first, with goals from Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin. They extended their lead in the second, capitalizing on some atrocious Ottawa defending. They had great view of Tage Thompson making it 3-0 after a perfect give-and-go with JJ Peterka.
However, just over a minute later, Claude Giroux got Ottawa on the board after a nice solo rush and a pass from Tyler Kleven.
In the third, Senators newcomer Dylan Cozens inadvertently provided a lovely parting gift to his old team, putting an errant pass right onto the stick of Peyton Krebs. Krebs capitalized on the mistake, scoring on the ensuing breakaway to restore Buffalo's three-goal lead.
Jake Sanderson responded shortly after, cutting the deficit to 4-2. After that, the Senators put together a strong push for five or six minutes, but Reimer wasn’t having any of it.
With the Sens on a 6-on-4 late in the game, Ryan McLeod sealed Buffalo's win with an empty-netter.
The Senators played this one without Brady Tkachuk, who’s out with an upper-body injury suffered Sunday in Pittsburgh. It was a particularly rough night for Drake Batherson who was a minus 5 on the evening.
The loss was costly, as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday, cutting the Sens’ lead to five points with eight games to play. The Columbus Blue Jackets are now the best of the non-playoff teams in the East. They won 8-4 over the Nashville Predators and stand seven points behind Ottawa.
Things don't get any easier for the Sens. Their next game is Thursday night at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then it's a visit from Florida Saturday, followed by a home and home with Columbus starting Sunday in Ottawa.
Islanders drop sixth straight game after 4-1 loss to Lightning
NEW YORK (AP) — Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight win to inch closer to clinching a playoff spot.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 20th of the season, Victor Hedman also scored and Nick Paul added an empty-netter for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each added two assists.
Bo Horvat scored a short-handed goal for New York and Ilya Sorokin made 19 saves as the Islanders lost their sixth straight (0-4-2), further diminishing their slim playoff hopes.
Guentzel scored the tiebreaking goal at 8:09 of the second period. Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech inexplicably left Guentzel alone and Kucherov delivered a beautiful pass to set up the go-ahead goal.
Hedman made it 3-1 about 2 1/2 minutes later, and Paul capped the scoring into an empty net with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third.
Takeaways
Lightning: Vasilevskiy recorded his 36th win of the regular season, trailing only Connor Hellebuyck of the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets.
Islanders: Sorokin started four of the Islanders' previous six losses, allowing 14 goals during that stretch.
Key Moment
Horvat missed a one-timer during an Islanders two-man advantage roughly five minutes into the second period while the game was even at 1-1. Tampa Bay then scored twice in the period to take a 3-1 lead.
Key stat
Kucherov’s two assists raised his season total to 111 points and reclaimed the NHL scoring lead. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is in second place with 110.
Up next
Lightning visit Ottawa on Thursday, and Islanders host Minnesota on Friday.
Kodai Senga ‘lacked a bit of calmness’ in first outing for Mets of 2025 season
Kodai Senga’s first start of his 2025 season got off to a horrible start – allowing two runs on two hits in just four pitches – but the Mets' right-hander settled into deliver a commendable effort in a 4-2 loss at the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
“I think I lacked a little bit of calmness, just kind of giving them easy pitches to hit,” Senga said of the two extra-base hits to start the game. “I was just a little relieved to be back out there in a big-league game after the year that he had last year and that lead to bad results.”
The first inning has been the bugaboo his entire career, as he has a 4.65 ERA in that frame, the highest for any inning. But after that, the right-hander really went to work and toyed with the Marlins lineup.
Senga got the first two batters of the second inning swinging through forkballs before the forkball got all three batters swinging in the third inning.
Carlos Mendoza called the first two batters a “wake-up call” for the right-hander. “Other than the first two batters of the game,” he said. “He was really good.”
The starter concurred with the manager: “After that, I was able to sort out through my head what I need to do, all the data on how to approach the hitters, and that turned out to be effective.”
Overall, he threw 77 pitches through five innings, with 22 forkballs and 22 four-seam fastballs toping out his mix. But the forkball was most effective, getting nine whiffs on 15 swings.
But Senga is a harsher grader than most: “It was not bad, not great, but not bad,” he said of the forkball.
“First time throwing to [Luis] Torrens in a big league game, so I think there are some adjustments that are going to be continued to be made and I think he did a great job using it and that’s why I was able to perform decently," he said. “I think it’s gonna be better throughout the rest of the season.”
Despite the harsh self-critique, there were positives to take from his first outing of the season. Senga said he was able to “get his rhythm” and settled in very nicely to put the first four pitches behind him.
"I only threw about five innings in a big league game last year, and that's why a lot of the rythm part... was gone," he said. "How much to push and step on it earlier on in the game. And I think you could see my velo was a little bit higher toward the end of the game.
"I was able to grasp a little bit of that and able to get a lot out of this outing."
Senga closed on a high note, blowing a 97 mph fastball past Kyle Stowers for his eighth strikeout, making his final pitch the fastest he threw of the night by 1.2 mph.
Tuesday marked his first regular season start since July 26 last season and a pair of ill-fated outings at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ALCS that October. Against that backdrop, Mendoza's assessment rings closer to reality: “The slider, sweeper, the split was really good. And then the way he was using the fastball."
But mistakes loomed large for the right-hander.
The second pitch of his debut was a 94.4 mph four-seam fastball that was right over the heart of the plate and smacked to right-center for a double off Xavier Edwards' bat. Two pitches later, he threw a 93.4 mph four-seam fastball that was middle-middle, and Stowers launched it 421 feet to center for a two-run home run.
“It all comes down to not winning,” Senga said. “I wasn’t able to put my team in the best position to win, gave up two runs quick against their ace. Our team got those two runs back, and then I let up the lead again.”
In the fourth, with two outs and a runner on first base after a Francisco Lindor error in a tied game. And here is perhaps where Senga's critique is harshest: Back-to-back forkballs failed to induce a swing from Jonah Bride, with the 3-2 offering not even close or tempting at all, came back to haunt the righty.
“They weren’t executed very well,” he said of the two forkballs. “They weren’t perfect pitches, mistake on my end, they could have been better.”
Senga then left another pitch right in the middle of the plate (this time a 90.4 mph cutter), and Graham Pauley cranked a two-RBI double to the opposite field in left-center to break the tie and proved to be the difference.
“We gave ‘em some extra outs, some extra bases, and they made him pay,” Mendoza said. “The two-out walk and then left pitch up. Just didn’t make a play there.”
Ovechkin scores, needs 4 more to pass Gretzky for NHL record, and Capitals beat Bruins 4-3
Apr 1, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; With Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) out of the goal, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) scores during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
BOSTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his 891st career goal, moving him four away from passing Wayne Gretzky's NHL record, and Dylan Strome broke a third-period tie on Tuesday night to lead the Washington Capitals to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins.
Nic Dowd and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington. Charlie Lindgren made 21 saves to help the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals snap a a three-game losing streak.
David Pastrnak had two goals, Vinni Lettieri scored one and Jeremy Swayman stopped 27 shots for Boston, which lost its ninth in a row.
Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead with about four minutes left in the first period, pushing a cross-crease pass from Strome into an open net. He has 12 goals in his last 18 games and eight games remaining this season to catch Gretzky.
The 39-year-old Russian also shot wide on an empty net in the final minutes.
The Bruins came back in the second, getting a goal from Lettieri six minutes into the second and then the tying score by Pastrnak with three minutes left in the period. But Strome gave Washington the lead midway through the third, grabbing a rebound off the back wall and slipping it past Swayman.
Capitals: Ovechkin is averaging a little less than two goals every three games. At that pace, he would pass Gretzky in the penultimate game of the season, at the New York Islanders on April 15.
Bruins: The fans got what they wanted from their draft lottery-bound team: A goal from Ovechkin and a competitive game.
With five minutes left in the second period, Boston's Jeffrey Viel and Washington's Dylan McIlrath squared off for a fight that seemed like it might be the highlight of the night for those fans actually rooting for the Bruins.
Two minutes later, Pastrnak redirected a slap pass from Morgan Geekie into the net to tie it 2-all.
Capitals forward and Massachusetts native Ryan Leonard played his first NHL game. The Hobey Baker Award finalist had back-to-back 30-goal seasons at Boston College, which was eliminated from the NCAA hockey tournament on Sunday night.
The Capitals are in Carolina to play the Hurricanes on Wednesday night and the Bruins visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
With The Season On The Brink, Islanders Fall To Lightning 4-1
The New York Islanders knew that Tuesday night's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning would be pivotal in their uphill climb towards the postseason.
But with their backs up against the wall the Islanders were unable to muster what it takes to defeat the Atlantic Divisional power, losing 4-1.
The Isles began the first period creating a number of opportunities, however Tampa goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy stood tall including stopping Bo Horvat on a breakaway.
Soon after, the Islanders got caught in their own zone after a few failed exits, and Oliver Bjorkstrand deflected a shot from the point to give Tampa a 1-0 lead with 11:14 to play in the first.
Oliver Bjorkstrand tips in his 20th as Tampa Bay strikes first! ⚡️
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 1, 2025
📺: Lightning vs. Islanders on SN360 or stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/RKSEGCO6VF
Casey Cizikas then took a slashing penalty, with 10:53 to go in the first.
Incredibly, Horvat cashed in shorthanded, tying the score at 1-1 with 9:03 to go in the first.
Horvat’s shorty ties it up. #Islespic.twitter.com/C36oLdx7Ej
— The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) April 2, 2025
The teams went to the dressing room locked up 1-1 after one, with both sides getting Grade-A opportunities.
In the second, the Lightning showed their skill.
Jake Guentzel scored his 38th goal of the season 8:09 into the 2nd, finishing a neat pass from Nikita Kucherov out of the corner.
Nikita Kucherov gets his 110th point of the season with a sweet feed to Jake Guentzel 🍎 pic.twitter.com/T5NnSeW1of
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 2, 2025
Minutes later Victor Hedman put the Bolts ahead by two, as Kucherov set up the big defenseman for his 14th goal of the season.
Kuch put it on a tee for Hedman 🚀 pic.twitter.com/iHUNEimW5H
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 2, 2025
At the second period's buzzer, Anthony Cirelli was called for tripping, and so the Islanders ended the third frame on a power play. In the second period, the Isles held Tampa to only six shots, however two went in and the Lightning entered the third with a 3-1 lead.
Only :24 seconds into the third period, Anders Lee was called for slashing setting up 1:37 seconds of four-on-four action, negating the Islanders power play. In an effort to get back into the game, the Isles were unable to utilize the open ice to their advantage, and the teams returned to five aside.
3:59 into the second, Pierre Engvall was called for tripping, giving the Lightning their fourth power play of the night - - however, the Isles successfully killed the penalty.
Then with 6:39 remaining in the game, Yanni Gourde and Cizikas dropped the gloves -- possibly an attempt by Cozies too get the Islanders emotionally back into the game.
However, with under four minutes remaining, coach Patrick Roy pulled Sorokin, and with 3:31 remaining, the Bolts sealed the deal, as Nick Paul scored the empty net goal making the score 4-1.
The Islanders will be back in action on Friday when they host the Minnesota Wild at 7:30.
Mercedes-Benz wants car back from Deion Sanders’ son Shilo after alleged default
Deion Sanders' son Shilo bought a $135,000 Mercedes in 2023, but now it's become an issue in his bankruptcy proceedings
Auburn’s Broome, Florida’s Clayton and Flagg of Duke among John R. Wooden Award men’s finalists
Johni Broome of Auburn is one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the outstanding men's college basketball player. The other finalists are Walter Clayton Jr. of Florida, Duke's Cooper Flagg, Mark Sears of Alabama and Braden Smith of Purdue. Broome, Clayton and Flagg will lead their teams at the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend.
Yankees' bullpen implodes, drop first game of season in 7-5 loss to Diamondbacks
The Yankees were on the verge of victory, but the bullpen's eighth-inning implosion led to New York's 7-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
With the Yanks nursing a 4-3 lead in the eighth, reigning NL Player of the Week Eugenio Suarez launched his MLB-leading fifth home run -- a grand slam -- off of Mark Leiter Jr. to give the D-backs a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Prior to that inning, Yankees pitching allowed just two runs on one hit.
Here are the takeaways...
-The fated eighth inning was the stuff of nightmares for the Yankees. With Devin Williams out on paternity leave, Luke Weaver was not available for the inning, so manager Aaron Boone went with Tim Hill to start. The southpaw allowed a double and single to start as Arizona cut the Yankees lead to 4-3. After Corbin Caroll ground out, Boone went with Leiter Jr. The right-hander walked Ketel Marte and Pavin Smith before striking out Josh Naylor. He was one pitch away from getting out of the inning before his splitter stayed out over the plate and Suarez launched his grand slam 376 feet over the left field wall.
Before that, the Yankees' bullpen was great. Fernando Cruz struck out four in two perfect innings and newly acquired RHP Adam Ottavino allowed just one walk over his 0.2 innings.
-Will Warren, making his season debut, started off strong, getting through the first two innings in order with three strikeouts. He wouldn't allow a baserunner until two outs in the third inning (a walk). Warren threw five straight balls before he grooved an 87 mph changeup over the plate to Carroll, who deposited it over the right field wall to put the D-backs ahead, 2-0.
Those location issues continued in the fourth as Warren walked his first two batters. A mound visit from pitching coach Matt Blake seemingly settled Warren down, who induced a 4-6-3 double play from Suarez and a ground out from Gabriel Moreno.
The young right-hander had to work to get the requisite five innings to qualify for the win. After giving up a lead-off walk, Warren got the next three batters out, including striking out Carroll swinging on a curveball in the dirt.
The 25-year-old had a 10.32 ERA across six games (five starts) a season ago and showed that his impressive spring was not a fluke. Warren threw five innings (85 pitches/46 strikes) while allowing two runs on one hit and four walks while striking out four.
-Cobrin Burnes entered Tuesday's start with a 0-2 record against the Yankees but a minuscule 1.42 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees. In his first game as a Diamondback, the former CY Young winner was cruising until the third inning when he allowed a leadoff homer to Jasson Dominguez that went 377 feet over the right-center field wall. Ben Rice followed with a double, and then Oswaldo Cabrera walked, but Burnes got Paul Goldschmidt to pop out, before striking out Cody Bellinger and getting Aaron Judge to ground out to end the threat.
The Yankees were close to squandering a golden opportunity in the fourth. With men on second and third and one out, Rice struck out before Cabrera hit a weak grounder to Naylor. The former Guardians first baseman -- who has plenty of history with the Yankees -- airmailed a toss that went over Burnes' glove, who was covering first. That allowed the two go-ahead runs to score.
-Dominguez was one of only a few Yankees to not go deep this season, but he got off the schneid with his blast. The young left fielder finished 2-for-3.
Anthony Volpe's fourth-inning blast went 418 feet and broke the MLB record for most home runs through a team's first four games, which was set by the 2006 Tigers. It would be the shortstop's only hit (1-4), but he struck out twice.
Rice would tack on his second home run of the season in the ninth to extend the Yankees' new record to 18.
-Judge, Goldschmidt, Bellinger and Jazz Chssiholm Jr. went a combined 0-for-15 with a walk and nine strikeouts. Chisholm struck out four times. The Yankees as a team struck out 14 times.
Highlights
Two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 first inning for Will Warren 💪 pic.twitter.com/Vuuc2zMSeS
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 1, 2025
THE MARTIAN. 👽
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 1, 2025
Jasson Dominguez goes deep!
(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/GV6HhEmaRs
Anthony Volpe TORPEDOES one to left and this game is tied! 💣
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 2, 2025
(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/HLna8q3pPW
Josh Naylor flips the ball away and two runs score! pic.twitter.com/YEtFYJckX7
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 2, 2025
🗣 WILL WARREN IS FIRED UP
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 2, 2025
(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/0Nk3ll7R8j
Fernando Cruz 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7Bs5Bzulur
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 2, 2025
What's next
The Yankees and Diamondbacks continue their three-game set on Wednesday night in The Bronx.
RHP Zac Gallen (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will take the mound for Arizona, while the Yankees will see LHP Carlos Rodon (1-0, 1.69 ERA) on the bump for the second time this season.
OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson lead shorthanded Knicks past 76ers, 105-91
The Knicks won for the fifth time in their last six games, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, 105-91, on Tuesday night at The Garden.
Here are the key takeaways...
-The Knicks came into the game shorthanded in the backcourt, with Jalen Brunson, Cameron Payne, and Miles McBride all out, but they ended up being without a key piece up front as well, as Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out just before tip-off due to left knee soreness. Mitchell Robinson got the start at center, just his second of the season.
-Early on, it was aggressive play from Robinson and OG Anunoby that set the pace. Robinson caused his typical havoc on the glass, pulling in five rebounds and adding six points in his first seven minutes before getting a breather. Anunoby led the way offensively, attacking the rim early and often and stepping outside for a pair of threes as he scored 13 points in the quarter.
In the second, Robinson picked up a loose ball around midcourt, galloped down the court and threw it down, sending the Garden crowd into a frenzy. Robinson scored 14 points and added eight rebounds and a block in the first half.
Anunoby, who had a monster and-one slam early in the fourth quarter, would go on to lead the Knicks in scoring, finishing with 27 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Robinson, meanwhile, finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks in 21 minutes.
-Tom Thibodeau said before the game that he knew the Sixers -- in the midst of a lost season and playing without stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey,and Paul George – would look to shoot a lot of threes, but it was the Knicks who gave them a taste of their own medicine in this one. As a team, the Knicks hit seven of their first 16 three-point attempts.
The Knicks led by 17 points at the half, but the Sixers clawed their way back in the third, as Quentin Grimes threw down a dunk to bring the Sixers within five. Mikal Bridges quickly answered with a three-pointer, which helped New York get back into rhythm, and Landry Shamet hit another from long range to push the lead back to double digits. By the midpoint of the fourth quarter, the Knicks' lead had ballooned to 21 points, thanks in part to their prowess from beyond the arc.
Overall, the Knicks shot 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from three-point range, with Shamet going 6-of-9 from three, finishing with for 20 points.
-The Knicks were down to only Delon Wright and Tyler Kolek at the point guard spot, and Wright had a strong game, pushing the pace, driving the lane, and finding open teammates.
Wright finished with 12 points, four assists, and four rebounds.
Who was the game MVP?
The trio of Anunoby, Robinson, and Shamet combined to score 61 points, but we'll give MVP honors to Anunoby.
Highlights
OG in Q1 📈 13 quick points and a steal to sweeten the deal pic.twitter.com/ftE0IZPZ8p
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2025
HAPPY ‼️ BIRTHDAY ‼️ MITCHELL ‼️ ROBINSON ‼️ pic.twitter.com/qniuobRFGl
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2025
OG GOT THE GARDEN ON ITS FEET 🔥 pic.twitter.com/r5UWHuvvCX
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2025
What's next
The Knicks take on the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers in Cleveland for the second game of a back-to-back. Tip-off on Wednesday night is set for 7 PM.
Panthers blow another late lead, fall 3-2 in overtime to Montreal
It certainly felt like a playoff game on Tuesday night in Montreal.
The back end of a home-and-home between the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens had a little bit of everything, but it was the hometown Habs who came out on top.
A late goal and an overtime goal gave Montreal a resounding 3-2 victory and Florida more questions to answer.
For the second game in a row, it was Montreal striking first.
Josh Anderson got positioning in front of the net on Uvis Balinskis and deflected a shot by Kaiden Guhle past a screened Vitek Vanecek to put the Habs up 1-0 just 4:43 into the game.
About five minutes later, a faceoff in Montreal’s end led to the Panthers’ first goal of the game.
Anton Lundell won the draw back to Niko Mikkola, and his shot tipped off the end of Habs defenseman Jake Evans’ stick and over the goal line.
Florida briefly through they’d taken the lead but the goal was quickly waived off.
Uvis Balinskis fired a shot that went off the post and directly into A.J. Greer's skates.
Greer dragged a skate that pushed the puck into the net, and officials initially said no goal, then changed their call after chatting with each other and went to video review, which ultimately led to a no goal call.
It took a little while longer but the Panthers did eventually their first lead of the game, and of the season, over Montreal, and it came on Florida’s first power play of the night.
Rookie Mackie Samoskevich sent a wrist shot right along the ice that hit off Guhle on its way underneath Sam Montembeault with just 1:13 left in the middle frame.
Florida was able to hold on to the lead until quite literally the game’s final seconds.
A failed clear attempt at the Panthers blue line led to the puck being sent toward Florida’s net by Lane Hutson. The bouncing shot went through Sam Reinhart, who went down to his knees in an attempt to block it and instead ended up on the tape of Nick Suzuki with nothing to stop him from scoring with just 8.4 seconds left.
It was the first shot on goal for Montreal in over eight minutes.
Their next shot would end the game.
Never relinquishing possession after the overtime faceoff, it was Suzuki scoring again, this time on a wraparound goal.
This one is going to sting.
On to Toronto.
QUICK THOUGHTS
Lundell’s primary assist on Mikkola’s goal was his first helper since Feb. 27 against Edmonton.
Seth Jones has points in four of his past six games after assisting on Samoskevich’s power play goal.
It was the first tally for Mackie in seven games, his longest stretch without a goal since the end of January.
The goal was also the fifth game-winner for Samoskevich this season.
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