MLB roundup: Yanks hit 9 HRs, bash Brewers 20-9
Mar 29, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two run home in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Aaron Judge hit the third of three straight homers for the Yankees to open the game before adding a grand slam in the third inning and a two-run shot in the fourth as New York hit a team-record nine homers in an 20-9 rout over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon.
The Yankees started a game with three consecutive homers for the first time in team history as Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Judge hit first-pitch homers off former Yankee Nestor Cortes (0-1) for a 3-0 lead three pitches into the contest. Judge hit his ninth career grand slam with nobody out in the third on a drive to left center against Connor Thomas and then Judge produced his third career three-homer game when he homered to center in the fourth.
Judge drove in a career-high eight runs by adding an RBI double in the sixth. The Yankees became the third team in major league history with nine or more homers. The Toronto Blue Jays hit 10 against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 14, 1987, and the Cincinnati Reds slugged nine at the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 4, 1999.
Rhys Hoskins, Vinny Capra, and Christian Yelich each hit RBI singles for Milwaukee. Brice Turang added a two-run homer as the Brewers finished with 13 hits.
Padres 1, Braves 0
Yuli Gurriel’s pinch-hit RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning snapped a scoreless tie and lifted San Diego to a win over visiting Atlanta.
Jake Cronenworth started the winning rally with a ground-rule double that caromed off the foot of Aaron Bummer (0-1) and rolled into the third base dugout. After an intentional walk to Xander Bogaerts and a pitching change, Gurriel then pulled a slider past diving shortstop Orlando Arcia into left field to score Cronenworth.
Wandy Peralta (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win, and Adrian Morejon pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth for his first save, slipping a called third strike past Drake Baldwin with the tying run at third to end it.
Angels 1, White Sox 0
Jose Soriano delivered seven shutout innings and Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo had two hits apiece to help Los Angeles blank host Chicago.
Soriano scattered two hits, two walks and five strikeouts while breezing through Chicago hitters in a tidy 73 pitches. Relievers Ben Joyce and Kenley Jansen completed a combined two-hit shutout.
Los Angeles relied on small ball in the eighth inning to score the game’s lone run. Jorge Soler walked with two outs and advanced to third on a Mike Clevinger wild pitch. Yoan Moncada’s infield hit scored Soler, as Clevinger deflected the ball but was unable to gather it to make a play.
Cardinals 5, Twins 1
Erick Fedde and three relievers combined for a three-hitter as St. Louis defeated Minnesota.
Fedde held the Twins to their one run on two hits in six innings while recording two strikeouts. Lars Nootbaar went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs as the Cardinals opened their season with two straight victories. Nolan Arenado and Ivan Herrera each went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Twins starter Joe Ryan allowed one run on five hits in five innings, striking out five. Reliever Jorge Alcala took the loss after allowing three runs without retiring a batter.
Athletics 4, Mariners 2
Shea Langeliers hit a two-run homer and Osvaldo Bido gave up one earned run over five-plus innings as the Athletics defeated host Seattle.
It was the Athletics’ second straight victory after dropping the season opener. Bido (1-0), a right-hander, gave up two runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Mason Miller worked the ninth for his first save of the season.
Mariners starter Bryce Miller (0-1) allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Orioles 9, Blue Jays 5
Jordan Westburg hit two home runs while going 4-for-5 and visiting Baltimore defeated Toronto to take a 2-1 lead in the four-game series.
Colton Cowser added a solo shot, and Ramon Urias had a go-ahead three-run double among his three hits for the Orioles. Cowser hit Toronto starter Max Scherzer’s second pitch of the game, a fastball. for a homer to center and Westburg added a mammoth homer to center on a hanging slider later in the first.
Andres Gimenez hit a two-run homer and Bo Bichette was 4-for-4 with a walk for Toronto. Scherzer retired seven straight batters before leaving after three innings with what the team said was a right lat issue.
Dodgers 7, Tigers 3
Freddie Freeman homered, doubled and drove in two runs and Will Smith and Tommy Edman also homered as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of visiting Detroit.
Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run, go-ahead double in the fifth inning and Michael Conforto had an RBI double in the second for Los Angeles (5-0), which is off to the team’s best start since opening the 1981 season at 6-0. Jake Rogers tripled, Zach McKinstry went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Manuel Margot also had two hits and an RBI for Detroit.
Anthony Banda (1-0), the fourth of seven Dodger pitchers, picked up the win, striking out two during a hitless fifth inning. Starter Roki Sasaki, struggled in his Dodger Stadium debut, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks over 1 2/3 innings. Reese Olson (0-1) suffered the loss allowing four runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Cubs 4, Diamondbacks 3
Kyle Tucker had three hits, including his first homer of the season, rookie Matt Shaw hit his first major league homer and Chicago held off Arizona in Phoenix.
Tucker’s two-run homer off Brandon Pfaadt (0-1) with one out in the fifth inning gave the Cubs a 3-1 lead. Shaw homered as a pinch hitter to open the seventh to make it 4-1. Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga (1-0) gave up one run on three hits in seven innings, with four strikeouts and two walks in his second start of the season.
Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez followed Josh Naylor’s single with a two-run homer to open the last of the ninth inning off Ryan Pressly before Gabriel Moreno singled. Ketel Marte walked with two outs and Corbin Carroll squibbed a grounder toward shortstop Dansby Swanson, who bluffed a throw to first base and chased down pinch runner Garrett Hampson after he rounded third base for the final out on the fielder’s choice.
Reds 3, Giants 2
Matt McLain homered, doubled and scored twice and Christian Encarnacion-Strand blasted a solo home run to break a sixth-inning tie as host Cincinnati rallied past San Francisco in manager Terry Francona’s first win in a Reds uniform.
Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft and Emilio Pagan each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Nick Lodolo (1-0), with Pagan earning the save.
Making his Giants debut, 42-year-old right-hander Justin Verlander was staked to a two-run lead but allowed two runs and six hits over five innings, striking out five and walking one while throwing 83 pitches in a no-decision.
Phillies 11, Nationals 6
Kyle Schwarber homered for the second consecutive game and Jesus Luzardo struck out 11 in five solid innings in his team debut as Philadelphia beat host Washington.
Brandon Marsh had three hits, including a three-run homer, and Bryson Stott had a homer and a double for the Phillies. Acquired last December in a trade with the Miami Marlins, the 27-year-old Luzardo allowed two runs on five hits and walked three.
Keibert Ruiz hit his second home run in as many games for the Nationals, and Ahmed Rosario and Nathaniel Lowe also went deep. Washington starter Jake Irvin gave up two runs on seven hits in five innings.
Rangers 4, Red Sox 3
Adolis Garcia homered, doubled twice and drove in three runs to lead Texas past Boston in Arlington, Texas.
Garcia broke a 2-2 tie by hitting a leadoff home run in the fourth off Boston starter Walker Buehler (0-1). He also collected a two-run double in the first and hit a leadoff double in the sixth. Corey Seager added two hits and a run for Texas, which has won two of the first three games in the four-game series.
Boston received two hits from both Kristian Campbell and Alex Bregman. Campbell hit the first home run of his major league career. Buehler, who was making his Red Sox debut, allowed four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three.
Marlins 5, Pirates 4 (12 innings)
Dane Myers hit a walk-off single with one out in the 12th inning as Miami outlasted the visiting Pittsburgh.
Myers also made a key defensive play in the top half of the 12th. He threw out Tommy Pham at the plate on a single by Bryan Reynolds, and George Soriano (1-0) stranded two to set it up for the dramatic finish. Myers, Kyle Stowers and Otto Lopez each had three hits and an RBI for Miami.
For Pittsburgh, Joey Bart notched three hits and an RBI, while Jack Suwinski and Adam Frazier each drove in a run. Frazier also scored a run on a throwing error.
Royals 4, Guardians 3
Bobby Witt Jr. smacked the tie-breaking double in the bottom of the seventh inning to help host Kansas City edge Cleveland, which saw star third baseman Jose Ramirez leave after 5 1/2 innings due to sprained right wrist.
Maikel Garcia hit a tying homer off Paul Sewald (0-1) to start the seventh as the Royals evened the series at one game apiece. Salvador Perez drove in two runs for Kansas City. Daniel Lynch IV (1-0) pitched two perfect innings of relief.
Steven Kwan homered and scored twice for Cleveland. Ramirez, a six-time All-Star, was injured sliding into second base a failed steal attempt in the third inning. He initially stayed in the game before exiting.
Astros 2, Mets 1
Jeremy Pena homered, Yordan Alvarez hit an RBI double and Houston rode a strong start from right-hander Spencer Arrighetti to edge visiting New York in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series.
After Pena recorded the Astros’ first extra-base of the season when he homered off Mets right-hander Griffin Canning (0-1) to lead off the fifth inning, Jose Siri used his blistering speed to manufacture the Mets’ lone run off Arrighetti. Siri led off the sixth with a walk, stole second base, took third on a flyout and scored when Juan Soto grounded to the mound.
Arrighetti (1-0) pitched six innings, allowing one run and one hit with two walks and five strikeouts. He threw 87 pitches, 51 for strikes, and faced the minimum in four of his six innings. Astros closer Josh Hader recorded his second save of the series by working around a leadoff walk to Soto in the ninth.
Rockies 2, Rays 1
Brenton Doyle had an RBI single in the third inning and Kyle Farmer added another in the seventh, lifting visiting Colorado over Tampa Bay.
Five pitchers combined to allow three hits over 4 2/3 innings in relief of starter Antonio Senzatela, who worked around nine hits and two walks over 4 1/3 scoreless frames. Seth Halvorsen retired all four batters he faced to secure his first save of the season
Taylor Walls ripped a two-out RBI single to right field off Angel Chivilli in the eighth inning to cut Tampa Bay’s deficit to 2-1. Junior Caminero had three singles, Jonathan Aranda ripped two doubles and Christopher Morel reached base four times (two singles, two walks) for the Rays.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Wolves, Nuggets each bring an edge into finale of season series
Jan 31, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images The Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up a three-game road trip at the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon with a chance to improve their seeding in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Minnesota has won the first two games of its trip and now faces a tough task against its Northwest Division rival.
Denver already secured the tiebreaker in the season series by winning the first three matchups. With both teams holding identical 37-23 records, the winner of Sunday’s game will have sole possession of fourth in the Western Conference standings.
The Nuggets have lost three of their first five games out of the All-Star break, including a 127-121 overtime setback at Oklahoma City on Friday night. Sunday’s game gives them a chance to get back some momentum.
The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic appears to already have a postseason mindset after mixing it up with the Thunder during the loss.
Jokic was knocked down when Luguentz Dort hit him with his hip in the fourth quarter and then confronted the Oklahoma City forward. There was pushing and shoving before Dort was assessed a flagrant-2 foul and ejected.
Jokic, who leads Denver in points (28.7), rebounds (12.6) and assists (10.5), has a casual and deliberate demeanor on the court that belies his competitive nature.
“I think he was reacting to what was being done to him,” Denver head coach David Adelman said. “And his reaction’s not going to be to cower away. He’s competitive.”
Playing Minnesota again should keep that fiery spirit alive for Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets. The teams have forged a rivalry over the last four seasons, including two playoff series.
There is no question about the fiery nature and competitive spirit of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
Edwards missed the first game against the Nuggets this season but is averaging 35.0 points in the two games between the teams. That includes a 44-point performance on Christmas night before he was ejected in overtime for arguing foul calls.
Edwards, who leads the Timberwolves in scoring at 29.6 points a game, doesn’t confine his arguments to opponents and officials. He got into a verbal exchange with head coach Chris Finch after hitting a 3-pointer to seal a 94-88 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
It is a feature of their relationship, according to teammates.
“They go at it. Honestly, they do,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “They go at it… They have days where they’re getting ready to fight, and then after the game they hug each other.”
Finch confirmed that in an interview on Fox Sports Radio.
“We’re both fiery competitors. It’s been part of our relationship since Day 1. … We say these things to each other and we move on,” Finch said. “We don’t take it personally.”
The task of stopping Jokic will fall mainly on Rudy Gobert, who leads Minnesota in rebounds (11.4) and blocks (1.7). Nobody could stop Jokic when the teams met on Christmas, with the three-time MVP recording a 56-point triple-double, including 18 points in overtime.
Jokic has averaged 36.0 points 15.7 rebounds and 12.0 assists in the three games against the Timberwolves.
–Field Level Media
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Cincinnati cruises past Oklahoma State with 3-point barrage
Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) makes a basket from the two point line in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Oklahoma State Cowboys, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. Day Day Thomas heated up from long range, draining seven 3-pointers en route to a 26-point performance, Moustapha Thiam added 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and host Cincinnati rolled to a 91-68 home victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.
The Bearcats (16-13, 8-8 Big 12), which entered No. 54 in the NET rankings, have won five of their last six. Jizzle James and Baba Miller each finished with 11 points for Cincinnati.
Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11), playing its first game since losing big man Parsa Fallah to a torn ACL, was overwhelmed throughout. Vyctorius Miller led the team with 15 points, while Jaylen Curry and Kanye Clary both added 11 points. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven games.
The Bearcats seized control early, going on an 11-2 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Thomas and Thiam to lead 12-4 less than four minutes into the game.
Those early minutes foreshadowed the rest of the game.
Cincinnati dominated from the start, leading 51-33 at halftime. The Bearcats shot 53.1% from the floor, made seven three-pointers and won the rebounding battle 20-15 in the first half. They finished with a two-handed dunk by Thiam. Miller was credited with an assist on the play as he found Thiam open underneath.
In the second half, the Bearcats pulled away. They went on an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Thomas to lead 65-37 with just under 15 minutes remaining. Cincinnati continued to extend the lead, reaching as many as 32 points, with an 81-49 advantage after another 3 from Thomas at the 8:22 mark.
Cincinnati finished with 14 made 3s, dished out 24 assists, and had a 24-7 edge in second-chance points. The Bearcats also led for 39:24 of the 40 minutes and improved to 14-3 at home.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Cincinnati hosts No. 19 BYU, while Oklahoma State travels to UCF.
–Field Level Media
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Bobby Durkin has career night as Minnesota tops UCLA
Feb 24, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Bobby Durkin (3) dribbles against Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the second half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Bobby Durkin scored a season-high 23 points with seven made 3-pointers and Langston Reynolds added 21 points with six assists as Minnesota claimed another victim at home with a 78-73 victory over UCLA at Minneapolis.
Cade Tyson also scored 21 points for the Golden Gophers (14-15, 7-11 Big Ten), who shot 62.3% from the floor and 52.2% from 3-point range. Durkin, who reached 1,000 points for his college career in the first half, went 7 of 11 from long range.
Minnesota improved to 12-4 at home this season with victories in its own building over a trio of ranked teams in Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State.
Tyler Bilodeau scored 32 points with eight rebounds and Eric Dailey Jr. added 18 points for the Bruins (19-10, 11-7), who failed to build off huge victories over No. 10 Illinois and rival Southern California over the past week.
Skyy Clark scored 17 points, while Donovan Dent had 15 assists but just three points, as UCLA now prepares for a key home game upcoming against No. 12 Nebraska.
With the game tied 61-61 with 7:59 remaining, Cade scored four points in a 6-0 run for Minnesota to give the Gophers a 67-61 lead with 6:15 left. The Bruins got within 76-73 on a three-point play from Bilodeau with 1:50 remaining.
The Bruins then missed four consecutive 3-pointers over the final 1:08, including two by Bilodeau, as the Gophers held on for the victory.
In a first half of swings, Minnesota led by as many as nine points early before UCLA went on a 17-3 run to lead by as many as seven points before taking a 41-40 lead into the break. Bilodeau had 16 points in the first half, while Dent had nine assists for UCLA.
Durkin scored 15 points in the first half for Minnesota and reached 1,000 points on one of his five 3-pointers before halftime. UCLA’s Clark reached 1,000 career points on a basket in the second half.
–Field Level Media