Sports
MLB roundup: Mookie Betts' HR lifts Dodgers over Tigers in 10
Mar 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) hits a 3 run home run during the tenth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Mookie Betts hit two home runs, including a game-ending, three-run blast in the 10th inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for an 8-5 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers on Friday.
Freddie Freeman also homered for Los Angeles, while Michael Conforto and Will Smith had run-scoring hits in a five-run 10th to win it for the Dodgers. Los Angeles right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a career-best 10 strikeouts over five innings while allowing two runs.
Dodgers right-hander Luis Garcia (1-0) gave up two runs (one earned) in the top of the 10th but still earned the win. The Dodgers opened the season 4-0 for the first time since 1981 — a year in which they won a World Series title.
Dillon Dingler had a homer and a two-run triple for Detroit, and Gleyber Torres also homered as the Tigers dropped their second straight despite holding leads in each game. Beau Brieske (0-1) gave up five runs (four earned) while recording just one out in the 10th.
Rays 3, Rockies 2
Kameron Misner slugged a walk-off homer on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning, and Tampa Bay won its first outing in its new Tampa home on Opening Day by edging Colorado.
Playing at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field instead of St. Petersburg’s hurricane-ravaged Tropicana Field dome, the lefty-swinging Misner lined a 97 mph fastball from Victor Vodnik (0-1) out to right for his first big-league homer. Pete Fairbanks (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth.
The Rockies wasted a brilliant start by Kyle Freeland, who faced just 20 batters over six scoreless frames and 67 pitches. He allowed two hits, struck out seven and did not have a single three-ball count. Colorado’s Ryan McMahon was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. Ezequiel Tovar went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Blue Jays 8, Orioles 2
Kevin Gausman allowed two runs in six innings and was supported by 14 hits as Toronto defeated visiting Baltimore.
Gausman (1-0) yielded three hits and one walk while striking out four to help give Toronto a split of the first two contests of a four-game series. Down 2-0 early, the Blue Jays scored five runs in the fourth inning to pull away for good. Ernie Clement added a two-run double in the seventh.
Jackson Holliday hit a solo home run and Tyler O’Neill had a sacrifice fly for Baltimore. Orioles starter Charlie Morton (0-1) was charged with four runs on seven hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings.
Mets 3, Astros 1
Juan Soto blasted a solo home run and Tylor Megill pitched effectively into the sixth inning as New York topped Houston to knot the three-game interleague series.
Soto walloped a 1-2 cutter from Astros right-hander Hunter Brown with two outs in the top of the third inning off the facing of the second deck in right field. The blast provided Megill (1-0) some extra cushion, although he didn’t need it. Megill allowed one run on three hits and one walk with six strikeouts over five-plus innings.
Megill retired the first nine batters he faced and didn’t allow a baserunner until Jose Altuve led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to center. Altuve later scored on a sacrifice fly by Yordan Alvarez. Brown (0-1) allowed three runs (two earned) and fanned seven over six innings.
Rangers 4, Red Sox 1
Jonah Heim slugged two homers and right-hander Jack Leiter picked up his first major league victory as host Texas recorded a victory over Boston in Arlington.
Jake Burger and Josh Jung also had run-scoring hits as the Rangers evened the four-game series at one game apiece. Leiter (1-0) gave up one run and five hits over five innings, with one walk and four strikeouts. Five relievers protected the lead, with Luke Jackson working a perfect ninth for his first save.
Boston’s Tanner Houck (0-1) gave up four runs and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. Wilyer Abreu drove in the lone Red Sox run and has five RBIs in two games. Abreu, Jarren Duran and Kristian Campbell had two hits apiece.
Pirates 4, Marlins 3
Oneil Cruz slugged a two-run home run, stole a base and scored twice, leading Pittsburgh past host Miami.
Pirates closer David Bednar, who took the walk-off loss on Opening Day, gave up a two-run shot to Otto Lopez in the ninth inning Friday but retired the next three batters to earn the save.
Pirates starter Mitch Keller (1-0) gave up one run in six innings. In his first career start, Marlins right-hander Connor Gillispie (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) in five innings.
Diamondbacks 8, Cubs 1
Eugenio Suarez hit a pair of two-run homers, Pavin Smith and Alek Thomas had three hits apiece and Arizona beat Chicago in Phoenix for its first victory of the season.
Suarez hit a 436-foot blast in the second inning and a 418-foot shot in the fourth, each to left-center field and each after Smith opened the inning with a hit. Suarez homered in three of his first six plate appearances this season. Merrill Kelly (1-0) gave up one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (0-1) gave up nine hits and six runs, including both Suarez homers, in 4 1/3 innings. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit an RBI double, one of only three Chicago hits.
Padres 4, Braves 3
Jake Cronenworth belted a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning as San Diego edged visiting Atlanta.
Leading off the inning, Cronenworth picked on a hanging slider from Dylan Lee (0-1) and ripped it an estimated 381 feet for his first homer, sending San Diego to its second straight win to open the season.
Jason Adam (1-0) worked around a two-out walk in the Atlanta half of the eighth to get the win, and Robert Suarez induced the final three outs for his second save in as many games. The Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Braves’ Jarred Kelenic hit solo homers.
Athletics 7, Mariners 0
Brent Rooker hit a two-run homer, Jeffrey Springs pitched six scoreless innings and JJ Bleday made a pair of sterling defensive plays as the Athletics defeated host Seattle.
Max Muncy homered in the eighth inning for his first major league hit, and former Mariners player Luis Urias went deep in a pinch-hitting appearance in the ninth as the A’s evened the season-opening, four-game series at one victory apiece.
Springs, making his A’s debut after being acquired in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay, gave up three hits, walked one and fanned nine. The Mariners’ Luis M. Castillo (0-1) permitted two runs on three hits over five innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LYON, Cloud9 in LCS Lock-In grand final
A backlit keyboard is part of the gear online video game streamer Jordan Woodruff uses in his Gilbert home.
Jordan Woodruff
LYON knocked out Sentinels to earn a meeting on Sunday with Cloud9 in the grand final of the League Championship Series 2026 Lock-In at Los Angeles.
LYON won 3-1 on Saturday in the lower-bracket final, taking the first map in 31 minutes as Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol of South Korea posted a 7-0-1 kill-death-assist ratio. LYON won again in 37 minutes as Niship “Dhokla” Doshi, an American/Indian player, had a 7-3-6 K-D-A and Berserker a 5-0-6.
Sentinels stayed alive with a victory in 34 minutes in the third game as Ham “HamBak” Yoo-jin of South Korea recorded a 5-0-8 K-D-A.
But LYON wrapped up the match by winning the fourth game in 39 minutes on red. Berserker contributed a 6-3-7 K-D-A.
Following the eight-team Swiss stage in the League of Legends event, six teams competed in the double-elimination playoffs, with all matches best-of-five. The overall winner qualifies for the First Stand Tournament, while the second- and third-place teams will head to the Americas Cup.
Both of the latter two events will be contested in Sao Paulo.
Cloud9, which finished atop the Swiss stage standings with a 3-0 record, has moved through the playoffs by beating FlyQuest 3-0 in the upper-bracket semifinal and Sentinels 3-0 in the upper-bracket final.
LYON, who finished fifth in the Swiss stage, eliminated FlyQuest with a 3-0 victory in the lower-bracket quarterfinals, then a 3-1 triumph over Team Liquid in the bracket’s semifinal before Saturday’s victory.
2026 League Championship Series Lock-In at Los Angeles prize pool
1. TBD, qualifies for First Stand Tournament
2. TBD, qualifies for America’s Cup
3. Sentinels, qualifies for America’s Cup
4. Team Liquid
5-6. FlyQuest, Disguised
7. Dignitas
8. Shopify Rebellion
–Field Level Media
Sports
OpTic Texas moves into first place in CDL Major 2 qualifying
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. OpTic Texas defeated Los Angeles Thieves in a battle of 4-0 teams to move to the top of the standings in qualifying for the Call of Duty League Stage 2 Major on Saturday.
In other second-day action of Week 3 competition, G2 Minnesota edged Riyadh Falcons, Toronto KOI beat Miami Heretics and Carolina Royal Ravens defeated Vancouver Surge.
The 12 Call of Duty League teams are playing a full qualifying round robin to determine seeding for the second major of the season, to be held March 27-29 in Marston Green, England, as part of the DreamHack Birmingham event.
The top six teams in qualifying head straight into the Stage 2 Major playoffs, while the teams in seventh through 10th place will compete in a play-in round.
The Stage 2 Major champion will receive $150,000 and 100 Call of Duty League points, while the runner-up will get $90,000 and 75 CDL points.
After Los Angeles Thieves claimed an opening 250-238 Den Hardpoint victory, OpTic Texas won the next three to claim a 3-1 victory. A 6-2 Exposure Search and Destroy triumph was followed by a 4-2 Den Overload win before the result was clinched with a 250-173 Colossus Hardpoint triumph.
In Saturday’s first match, G2 Minnesota won the final two games to come away with a 3-2 win. Riyadh opened with a 250-229 Scar Hardpoint victory and took a 2-1 lead with a 5-0 Scar Overload win. G2 leveled it at 1 with a 6-1 Raid Search and Destroy win, tied it at 2 with a convincing 250-134 Colossus Hardpoint victory and won the deciding Colossus Search and Destroy game 6-3.
Toronto finished a sweep of Miami with 250-182 Hardpoint, 6-4 Search and Destroy and 4-2 Overload victories, all on the Den map.
Carolina also swept Vancouver for its second victory in as many days after a 1-3 start. After opening with a 250-186 Blackheart Hardpoint win and following with a 6-2 Den Search and Destroy victory, the team closed out the win with an 8-2 Exposure Overload win.
The weekend schedule:
Sunday
–Toronto KOI vs. Paris Gentle Mates
–FaZe Vegas vs. Boston Breach
–Miami Heretics vs. Cloud9 New York
–Vancouver Surge vs. OpTic Texas
Call of Duty League Stage 2 Major qualifiers standings (match record, map differential)
1. OpTic Texas, 5-0, +11
2. Los Angeles Thieves, 4-1, +8
3. Paris Gentle Mates, 3-1, +5
4. G2 Minnesota, 3-2, +1
5. Riyadh Falcons, 3-3, +2
6. Carolina Royal Ravens, 3-3, -1
7. FaZe Vegas, 2-3, 0
8. Toronto KOI, 2-3, -2
9. Miami Heretics, 1-3, -4
10.. Vancouver Surge, 1-3, -6
11. Cloud9 New York, 1-3, -7
12. Boston Breach, 1-4, -7
–Field Level Media
Sports
Golden Knights wary of slow start vs. host Penguins
Feb 27, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) skates with the puck as Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome (17) chases during the second period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy has just one simple request for his team heading into Sunday afternoon’s game at Pittsburgh.
Start on time.
The three-week Olympic break did little to help the Golden Knights recharge and snap a season-long habit of poor starts. Vegas has been outscored 5-1 in the first two periods in its first two games of a five-game road trip coming out of the break.
The good news is that the Pacific Division leaders have earned a split of those two contests, scoring five goals in the third period to pull out a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, followed by a 3-2 setback to the Washington Capitals on Friday night.
Vegas trailed 3-0 heading into the final 20 minutes against the Capitals, managing just 13 total shots on goal during the first two periods. This despite the fact that five of its top players — center Jack Eichel, captain Mark Stone, forward Mitch Marner and defensemen Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin — had been given Wednesday’s game off to help recuperate after playing in the Olympics. Those five players combined for just one assist, by Marner.
“They had plenty of rest, to be honest,” Cassidy said after Friday’s game when asked if the five players may have been battling fatigue after the long trip back from Italy. “They’re going to need to be better Sunday. Those are our best players, our leaders, and we expect them to play like that.
“They weren’t on time,” the coach continued. “We tried to give them rest. Hopefully, it pays off on Sunday, and next week, and whatnot. Tonight, it didn’t.”
Eichel and Hanifin had spent Tuesday at the White House with the gold medal-winning U.S. team and then stayed in D.C. for a couple of days of rest while Stone, Theodore and Hanifin spent their free time in Las Vegas before flying east on Thursday to join the team.
Cassidy, who has taken some of the blame in the past for slow starts, didn’t this time.
“We weren’t ready to play,” he said. “Coach has to prepare your team to play, but this one the players weren’t ready to play. They’re professionals. They’ve got to be ready to go. And we weren’t nearly good enough.”
Vegas had several chances down the stretch to tie the game, but Washington goalie Logan Thompson stopped a Brayden McNabb short-handed breakaway and followed that up by making a grade-A stop on a close-in try by Marner.
“We’re always going to respond,” Cassidy said. “I’ve said that many times, and we did it again tonight. Good for us to play 20 minutes. That’s the thing, right? We play 20 minutes and almost win a hockey game. Imagine if we played 40 or 45?”
Pittsburgh will be playing the second game of a back-to-back that began with a 3-2 shootout loss to the host New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. The Penguins, who got goals from Anthony Mantha and Ryan Shea, blew a 2-0 second-period lead and fell to 1-8 in shootouts, the worst mark in the NHL among teams who have played in four or more shootouts this season.
Vincent Trocheck scored the lone shootout goal for the Rangers, with all three Pittsburgh players failing to convert.
“We’ve continued to work on it. We’ll continue to look at it,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said of his team’s shootout woes. “It just hasn’t been good. It’s on all of us. We’ve got to keep looking at ways we can get better at it. We’ve tried some different guys, we’ve tried some different things, but the results are what they are.”
The Penguins, who are 8-1-2 since Jan. 19, remained in a tie for second place with the New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division at 73 points.
“It’s a tough game, but we look (to) tomorrow, play back-to-back against Vegas, a good team, great challenge,” forward Evgeni Malkin said. “Back home. We play hard. I’m not saying anything bad tonight. We played hard.”
–Field Level Media
LYON, Cloud9 in LCS Lock-In grand final
OpTic Texas moves into first place in CDL Major 2 qualifying
