Sports
Spring training roundup: Aaron Judge's 2 homers lead Yankees past Tigers 20-3
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates a 2-run home run against Detroit Tigers with third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) during the fourth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. Aaron Judge homered twice, drove in four runs and scored two Saturday afternoon to power the host New York Yankees to a 20-3 rout of the Detroit Tigers in a spring training game in Tampa, Fla.
Judge, who won the American League MVP Award last season after getting 53 homers and 114 RBIs — hit a two-run homer in the third inning and a two-run shot in the fourth Saturday for the Yankees, who banged out 18 hits and scored three runs in the fourth and nine in the eighth.
Roderick Arias hit a grand slam for the Yankees in the eighth and went 2-for-3, while Paul Goldschmidt finished with two hits and two RBIs and Jackson Castillo added a three-run homer in the eighth.
Corey Julks hit a solo home run for Detroit in the third inning.
Blue Jays 3, Phillies 0
Daulton Varsho went 2-for-2, including a solo homer, to lead defending AL champion Toronto past visiting Philadelphia in Dunedin, Fla.
Sean Keys hit a two-run homer for the Blue Jays, who finished with nine hits.
Justin Crawford went 2-for-3 for the Phillies.
Pirates 8, Orioles 2
Ryan O’Hearn’s three-run homer highlighted a six-run fifth inning that carried visiting Pittsburgh to the easy victory over Baltimore in Sarasota, Fla.
Endy Rodriguez also homered for the Pirates, a two-run shot in the fifth.
For Baltimore, which gave up only five hits but committed two errors, Blaze Alexander and Leody Taveras each went 1-for-2 with a run scored.
Red Sox 7, Twins 2
Mikey Romero had two hits and two RBIs to pace Boston to the win over host Minnesota in Fort Myers, Fla.
Andruw Monasterio hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, and Allan Castro contributed two RBIs.
The Twins, who committed four errors, were led by Royce Lewis’ two hits and two RBIs, including a solo homer.
Braves 5, Rays 1
Ben Gamel homered, doubled, walked, scored twice and drove in three runs as Atlanta beat host Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Fla.
The Braves scored all of their runs in the first three innings, highlighted by a three-run third.
For the Rays, who outhit Atlanta 9-7, Logan Davidson had a solo home run.
Marlins 2, Mets 1
Jakob Marsee scored twice to lead visiting Miami past New York in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Each team had only two hits. Marsee scored the winning run in the sixth inning, on a sacrifice fly by Christopher Morel.
The Mets’ only hits were singles by Kevin Villavicencio and Austin Barnes.
Nationals (ss) 2, Astros 1
Jorgelys Mota’s solo homer in the sixth inning lifted a Washington split squad over visiting Houston in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Nationals starting pitcher Jake Eder gave up one run and two hits in two innings, and seven relievers shut out the Astros the rest of the way.
Nick Allen knocked in Houston’s only run, on a single in the second inning.
Nationals (ss) 6, Cardinals 2
Maxwell Romero Jr.’s three-run homer led a four-run fifth inning that carried Washington’s split squad past host St. Louis in Jupiter, Fla.
Trey Lipscomb had two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
For the Cardinals, Nathan Church hit a solo home run.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Busch drives in 4 as Cubs win, sweep D-backs
May 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Moises Ballesteros (25) celebrates his two-run home run with second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Michael Busch drove in four runs to lead the host Chicago Cubs to an 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday.
Busch doubled and scored a run in the second and broke the game open for good with a three-run triple in the fifth as Chicago finished the three-game sweep with its 11th straight win at home.
Matthew Boyd (2-1) picked the win. The southpaw gave up four hits and two earned runs over six innings, walking one and fanning five in 94 pitches. The quality start was the Cubs’ seventh in their last 10 home games.
Chicago tied a season high with six extra-base hits. Busch, Nico Hoerner, Moises Ballesteros, Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly all contributed a pair of hits.
The Cubs extended a 3-2 lead with a three-run fifth.
Ballesteros led off with a walk and Alex Bregman reached on a fielder’s choice when Nolan Arenado’s throw was too late to get Ballesteros at second.
Ian Happ loaded the bases with a walk and Busch tripled into the right-field corner to clear the bases and give Chicago a 6-2 lead.
The triple chased Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly (1-3). The veteran right-hander went 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and six earned runs. He struck out five and walked three in 92 pitches.
The Diamondbacks opened the scoring in the second when Arenado doubled with one out and Gabe Moreno hit his first home run of the season deep to left field for a 2-0 lead.
The Cubs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when Kelly singled in Busch with two outs.
Chicago took the lead for good in the third when Hoerner singled to deep short and Ballesteros smashed an opposite-field home run to left-center for a 3-2 advantage.
The Cubs scored a pair of insurance runs in the seventh when Happ led off with a walk and Suzuki doubled into the left-field corner.
Busch drove in his fourth run of the game with a deep sacrifice fly to right to make it 7-2 Cubs and Kelly singled in Suzuki to give Chicago an 8-2 lead.
D-backs pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to finalize the scoring. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-3 with a run for the visitors.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padres' Walker Buehler looks for better results vs. Giants
Apr 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler (10) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images A pair of two-time All-Stars accustomed to big-time winning will look to wipe out losing records when Walker Buehler and the San Diego Padres continue a brief three-game road trip against Logan Webb and the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.
The Giants snapped a six-game losing streak in Monday’s series opener, riding Trevor McDonald’s pitching to a 3-2 victory. It was San Francisco’s third win in four meetings with San Diego this season.
Buehler (1-2, 5.40 ERA) will take the mound in San Francisco for the 10th time in his career. The right-hander has gone 6-2 with a 3.65 ERA at Oracle Park and 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA overall in 15 appearances (13 starts) against the Giants in his career.
In his first season with the Padres, Buehler has struggled in his past two starts, lasting a total of 7 1/3 innings in a pair of 8-3 losses to the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs.
“Just not good enough,” Buehler told reporters after his most recent outing a week ago against the Cubs. “Got to get deeper and get more efficient. We’ve kind of established that the stuff has improved, and I’m in a lot better spot. But I haven’t quite had that one that it all kind of clicks together in terms of the execution.”
Buehler will be facing a Giants team that has totaled just 12 runs in its last seven games.
San Francisco went homerless while going winless on a six-game trip to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay last week, a drought Casey Schmitt ended in the first inning of Monday’s win.
The Giants have won their past three home games. The long flight home from Florida and a change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered, Schmitt said.
“The big thing was to flush that road trip. Obviously it didn’t go any way we wanted it to go,” Schmitt said. “It’s a new series, a new day.”
No doubt, Webb (2-3, 4.30) also would be perfectly happy to turn the page after having nothing to show for a pair of hard-luck efforts in his past two outings. The right-hander allowed just four runs over 14 innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies in those starts, games the Giants lost 3-0 and 3-2.
Webb would like nothing better than to get the level of support he received when he pitched in a 9-3 win at San Diego in the first week of the season. It improved his career record against the Padres to 5-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 18 games, including 17 starts.
Schmitt got the loudest of San Francisco’s six hits in the series opener on Monday and Luis Arraez chipped in with a pair of doubles and scored twice. The biggest news of the night offensively, however, was the two-RBI performance of Rafael Devers, who hadn’t had a multiple-RBI game since April 8.
Playing first base, Devers responded on a day when the Giants promoted one of their top prospects, Bryce Eldridge, who is seen as the future of the first base position in San Francisco.
Eldridge was used as the DH in his big-league season debut Monday, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
The 21-year-old, who got 37 plate appearances last season, has never faced Buehler.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles retires after 14 seasons
Aug 21, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles (31) reacts after his basket against the Washington Mystics in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images Eight-time All-Star and former WNBA Most Valuable Player Tina Charles announced her retirement Tuesday after 14 seasons with six teams.
Charles, 37, is the league’s all-time leader in made field goals (3,364) and rebounds (4,262) and ranks second with 8,396 points behind only Diana Taurasi (10,646).
The 6-foot-4 center posted Tuesday on X that she had “experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, and I’m thankful for all of it.”
“At some point, you have to edit your life,” Charles wrote. “Not everything and not everyone is meant for the whole journey. Growth requires honesty, and for me, that meant recognizing when my impact was being called in a new direction.”
Charles never won a WNBA championship but won two national championships at UConn and three Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
The No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun, Charles won 2010 Rookie of the Year and 2012 Most Valuable Player honors. She led the league in scoring twice and rebounding four times while making nine All-WNBA teams and four All-Defensive teams. She twice won the Dawn Staley Award for community leadership.
Charles averaged 17.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 473 games (464 starts) with the Sun (2010-13, 2025), New York Liberty (2014-19), Washington Mystics (2021), Phoenix Mercury (2022), Seattle Storm (2022) and Atlanta Dream (2024).
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday.
“Tina Charles has defined excellence and consistency throughout one of the most remarkable careers in WNBA history. From earning unanimous Rookie of the Year honors to being named league MVP, to becoming the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and second all-time leading scorer, Tina’s impact on the game will be felt for generations to come.
“Beyond her extraordinary accomplishments, Tina has represented the very best of the WNBA throughout her career. Through her leadership and dedication to giving back — including her work with her Hopey’s Heart Foundation — she has made a meaningful impact far beyond the game, earning the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award twice. On behalf of the WNBA, I want to thank Tina for her lasting contributions to the league and the sport of basketball. Her legacy will be defined not only by her excellence on the court, but by the standard she set as a leader, a teammate, and a champion for the communities she touched.”
–Field Level Media
