Sports
D-backs back Brandon Pfaadt's effort, cool off Braves
Apr 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (12) hits an RBI sacrifice fly out against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Geraldo Perdomo homered, Brandon Pfaadt won his National League-leading fifth game and the Arizona Diamondbacks avoided a three-game series sweep with a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Phoenix on Sunday.
Josh Naylor had two doubles among his three hits along with two RBIs and Corbin Carroll had the first two-triple game of his career for the D-backs, who had lost four in a row and six of eight.
Pfaadt (5-1) gave up three runs (two earned) and nine hits in six-plus innings, leaving with a 4-2 lead three batters into the seventh inning after a season-high 100 pitches. He struck out six and walked one.
Pfaadt is tied with the New York Yankees’ Max Fried (5-0) for the major league lead in victories.
Alex Verdugo had four hits and two RBIs and Marcell Ozuna had two hits and an RBI for Atlanta, which had won seven of eight.
After Atlanta closed to 4-3 in the top of the seventh, Naylor hit a two-out fly ball that fell between left fielder Verdugo and center fielder Michael Harris II for a two-run double and a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the inning.
Ozuna drove in a run with a two-out double in the ninth and Matt Olson walked before Justin Martinez got Ozzie Albies to fly out for his third save in as many chances.
Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach (1-2) gave up four runs (three earned) and seven hits in six innings, with six strikeouts and one walk. It was his fifth quality start in six appearances.
Carroll threw out Verdugo attempting to score from third base on a medium-deep fly down the right field line to complete the double play in the top of the first. Carroll tripled to lead off the bottom of the inning and scored on Perdomo’s groundout for a 1-0 lead.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s sacrifice drove in an unearned run for a 2-0 Arizona lead in the second after Schwellenbach’s throwing error put runners on second and third.
Alek Thomas’ RBI double made it 3-0 in the fourth. Verdugo doubled in Eli White for the Braves’ first run in the fifth before Perdomo’s two-out homer in the last of the inning gave Arizona a 4-1 lead.
Atlanta had consecutive RBI singles from Nick Allen and Verdugo to close within 4-3 after third baseman Eugenio Suarez’s fielding error opened the seventh, but Shelby Miller struck out two and got Albies to foul out with the bases loaded to end the inning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Big 12 keeps Brendan Sorsby lawsuit active amid draft questions
Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby goes through warmups before the spring football game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Big 12 is not ready to close the book on the Brendan Sorsby case, even after the Texas Tech quarterback moved to leave college football behind.
The conference’s presidents and chancellors have not withdrawn the federal lawsuit filed earlier this week, with lingering questions about Sorsby’s NFL future and whether Texas Tech could still face consequences from the legal fight, a Big 12 source told ESPN. The league’s board of directors is expected to meet early next week to discuss its options.
“We don’t know the answer to those questions,” the source said. “We haven’t done anything different at this point. We’re going to reconvene next week to run through all the options. Right now that case is still active.”
The Big 12 filed suit Monday in the Northern District of Texas, looking for a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief that would allow the conference to use its bylaws to potentially discipline Sorsby. Hours later, Sorsby moved toward the NFL supplemental draft and dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA, a step needed for him to be declared ineligible in college by Monday’s deadline.
Sorsby admitted to violating NCAA rules by placing thousands of bets, including 40 on Indiana football while he was on the Hoosiers’ roster. The NFL still has to approve his application for the supplemental draft, which has not produced a selected player since 2019.
The Big 12 could also revisit whether Texas Tech should be responsible for the costs associated with the dispute. One Big 12 athletic director said the issue is less about punishment and more about whether the entire league should absorb legal fees from a case that other schools did not start..
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brazil's Raphinha (leg) departs match vs. Haiti
June 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.; Brazil’s Raphinha in action with Haiti’s Martin Experience. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — Brazil attacker Raphinha departed in the 40th minute of Friday night’s World Cup Group C clash against Haiti in Philadelphia with an apparent leg injury.
The 29-year-old FC Barcelona winger was making his second start of the tournament for manager Carlo Ancelotti after going the full 90 in a 1-1 draw against Morocco last Saturday.
He was a critical part of Brazil’s most recent qualifying effort, scoring five of the Selecao’s 24 goals while appearing in 13 of their 18 matches.
It was unclear what caused him to drop to his haunches shortly before halftime and eventually exit in favor of Rayan. He departed with his side leading 2-0 through Matheus Cunha’s brace, before Vinicius Junior added a third in first-half stoppage time.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
Sports
UFC Freedom 250 Falls Short of Super Bowl Hype but Delivers Massive Win
UFC Freedom 250 was an unquestionable hit, but the biggest event in combat sports didn’t quite touch Super Bowl number.
Paramount+ said viewership for UFC Freedom 250 reached 17 million across the U.S. and Latin America, citing Nielsen in a press release on Thursday. The previous record was five million viewers for the first UFC card on Paramount+ in January.
How did UFC Freedom 250 compare to Super Bowl?
UFC boss Dana White was “expecting Super Bowl-type numbers” for the fight on the White House lawn. The 2026 Super Bowl was watched by an estimated 125 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
The UFC and Donald Trump promoted this event diligently. Even though they didn’t even come close to touching Super Bowl viewership numbers, this event was a massive success for the UFC.
Politics aside – the production quality of UFC Freedom 250 was awesome. Fighters walking out of the White House from all angles, surrounded by military heroes. The live band was great. The backdrops of Washington, D.C. completely trumped the visuals at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
But more importantly, the fights exceeded expectations. All seven bouts ended before decisions. Judges weren’t needed.
For the health of the sport, that’s a good thing. Casual fans love knockouts and finishes. For an event that hauled in well over 10 million more viewers than the average UFC fight, that feels like a massive win. The UFC has a few upcoming weekends of Fight Nights before UFC 329, where Conor McGregor is expected to make his long-awaited return against Max Holloway.
It’s probable that fight will pull in big ratings also, which should appease Paramount+ – as long as the streaming giant had more realistic expectations than Dana White’s Super Bowl prediction.
Over the last few years, many fans have griped that the UFC was running low on superstars. But Diego Lopes got a huge ovation from the American crowd after the first fight of the night. Bo Nickal got a much-needed victory to maintain relevance in the UFC.
More notably, Josh Hokit’s viral Michelle Obama comment got the heavyweight exactly what he wanted – attention. Even though the UFC publicly shamed these remarks, there’s no doubt that they understand his personality is polarizing and could cause fans to tune in. Similarly, Sean O’Malley earning big knockout finishes always feels good for those fans that tune in.
Sure, the point still stands that there aren’t a ton of intriguing names on the rise. But Hokit’s fights will be watched. Fans will always keep up with O’Malley. And there will be natural intrigue on what Justin Gaethje decides to do next after this win. Similarly, what will Ilia Topuria do following that first devastating defeat?
The White House card might’ve fallen hilariously short of Super Bowl expectations. Dana White loves to remind fight fans that he’s not competing with up and coming leagues like the PFL or Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Instead, he insists that he’s competing with the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Report: Big 12 keeps Brendan Sorsby lawsuit active amid draft questions
Brazil's Raphinha (leg) departs match vs. Haiti
