Sports
Blue Jays post 8-run inning, rally over Twins
May 1, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) connects with a pitch from Minnesota Twins pitcher Luis Garcia (40) in the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Brandon Valenzuela’s three-run homer capped an eight-run eighth inning Saturday afternoon, and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Minnesota Twins 11-4.
The first eight batters scored in the eighth as Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the four-game series.
Lenyn Sosa, Myles Straw and Kazuma Okamoto hit solo homers to account for Toronto’s scoring before the eighth.
Byron Buxton homered to right on a fastball to lead off the Minnesota first against Dylan Cease (2-1). It was Buxton’s 10th homer of the season — all in the past 17 games — and the first Cease has allowed.
Toronto homered twice in the second against Connor Prielipp, making his third major league start. Sosa homered to left center on a one-out, 0-1 changeup, and Straw drilled a two-out fastball to the second deck in left.
Minnesota scored twice in the home second. Kody Clemens singled, and Luke Keaschall walked. They advanced on a groundout. Both scored on Brooks Lee’s bouncer to first with the second run scoring on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s errant flip to Cease at the bag.
Toronto designated hitter George Springer left the game in the third inning after he was hit on the left foot by a slider and fell in pain. He returned this week from the injured list after suffering a fractured left big toe on a foul ball on April 11.
Minnesota added a run in the fifth. Tristan Gray singled, took second on a groundout and scored on Trevor Larnach’s single.
Prielipp completed five innings, allowing two runs, three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Okamoto hit a 453-foot blast to left center on Justin Topa’s 1-1 sinker with one out in the sixth. It was Okamoto’s third homer in two games.
Cease completed seven innings, allowing four runs (three earned), seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.
Ernie Clement singled, and Guerrero walked to start the eighth against Luis Garcia (0-1). Okamoto grounded an RBI single. Sosa’s infield hit scored the go-ahead run. Anthony Banda replaced Garcia and could not field Daulton Varsho’s grounder for an error. Straw walked to force in a run, Davis Schneider snapped a 0-for-27 drought with a two-run double and Valenzuela homered.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Marta Kostyuk bests Mirra Andreeva in Madrid for back-to-back titles
Aug 2, 2025; Montreal, QC, Canada; Marta Kostyuk (UKR) reacts after winning a point against Mccartney Kessler (USA) in fourth round play at IGA Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Marta Kostyuk won her second consecutive clay court tournament and her first WTA 1000 event with a 6-3, 7-5 upset over ninth-seeded Mirra Andreeva at the Madrid Open on Saturday afternoon.
No. 26 Kostyuk, who hails from Ukraine, won the Rouen Open in France on April 19 and will rise to a career-high No. 15 in the WTA rankings.
Andreeva could not capture her third title of the season, with prior wins in Adelaide and Linz. The Russian, who just turned 19, became the youngest player to reach three WTA finals since the format’s inception in 2009.
Kostyuk broke her opponent in the sixth game of the first set and served at 5-3. After falling behind, 15-40, she used a magnificent backhand-slice volley to earn a set point and won the set on her next attempt.
The second set was topsy-turvy, with five service breaks. Andreeva bolted out to 3-1 lead via two breaks, but Kostyuk won eight consecutive points to get back on serve. Leading 5-4, the teenager earned two set points, but Kostyuk blasted home back-to-back aces to erase the second one and then leveled the set.
The often-emotional Kostyuk then broke for the 34th time in the tournament and won the title in 81 minutes on her third match point.
“I want to thank all my opponents that I played this week,” said Kostyuk on court after the match. “Girls pushed me to the limit. One of the most unbelievable matches for me these weeks… very special two weeks here.
“If you look at the stats up until last year, I think I was like 2-7 in Madrid. I never thought I’d be able to lift the title here. It was not my favorite tournament for sure but thank you to the crowd. It was unbelievable this week. You were supporting me so much every day. It wouldn’t be possible without you.”
Kostyuk has won 11 consecutive matches on clay this season and became the second Ukrainian woman to win a WTA 1000 title. Elina Svitolina has captured four, but her last championship occurred in 2018.
Kostyuk is now 2-0 against Andreeva all-time, with a previous 2026 victory on the hard courts in the quarterfinals at Brisbane. She saved all four break points against her in the Madrid finals, using a dominant inside-out forehand for several of her winners.
“It feels unbelievable to stand here right now,” said Kostyuk. “It took me many years to reach this point. One word I think about right now is consistency. It’s showing up every day, no matter how hard it is.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Orioles set to call up RHP Trey Gibson for MLB debut
May 5, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The Baltimore Orioles logo on the sleeve of designated hitter Gunnar Henderson (2) as he prepares on deck during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Baltimore Orioles will have right-hander Trey Gibson make his major league debut Sunday in a start against the New York Yankees, manager Craig Albernaz confirmed Saturday.
The Orioles have a rotation vacancy after left-hander Trevor Rogers went on the injured list this week with an illness. Baltimore also has righty Dean Kremer (quad) on the IL, while fellow right-hander Zach Eflin (Tommy John surgery for his right elbow) is out for the season.
Gibson’s first opportunity to pitch in the major leagues comes after the 23-year-old spent four seasons in the minors. He is 2-2 with a 5.84 ERA in six starts for Triple-A Norfolk this season.
Gibson went undrafted after two seasons at Liberty and signed with the Orioles in 2023. He is the club’s No. 3 overall top prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Rays to activate LHP Garrett Cleavinger from IL
Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger (60) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Tampa Rays activated left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger from the injured list Saturday, while right-hander Yoendrys Gomez was designated for assignment, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Cleavinger, 32, has not pitched since March 30 because of right calf tightness. He was 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA in three relief outings this season and pitched a scoreless inning for Team USA in this spring’s World Baseball Classic.
Over seven major league seasons, including the last five with the Rays, Cleavinger is 14-17 with a 3.25 ERA in 193 appearances (one start).
Gomez, 26, had a 6.23 ERA in nine relief appearances for Tampa Bay this season. He is 3-3 with a 5.11 ERA in four major league seasons with four different clubs, including parts of his first three seasons (2023-25) with the New York Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Marta Kostyuk bests Mirra Andreeva in Madrid for back-to-back titles
Orioles set to call up RHP Trey Gibson for MLB debut
