Sports
Louis Munteanu's brace lifts D.C. United past sliding NYCFC
May 3, 2026; New York, New York, USA; D.C. United celebrate the goal by D.C. United forward Louis Munteanu (11) during the first half against New York City FC at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Louis Munteanu scored his second and third career MLS goals and short-handed D.C. United earned a 2-0 victory at New York City FC on Sunday afternoon.
Munteanu’s brace completed a third consecutive multi-goal performance after the Black and Red (4-4-3, 15 points) had failed to score in four consecutive league matches.
It came on an afternoon Tai Baribo, D.C.’s leading scorer with six goals, was unavailable because of a thigh injury, while attacker Gabriel Pirani was left out of the team in a coach’s decision.
Sean Johnson made four saves to keep his fourth clean sheet of the season, coming against his former club. That was enough to ensure D.C.’s first consecutive league victories of the season.
New York City (3-5-3, 12 points) held 65% of the possession, but failed to translate that advantage into chances as their league winless run extended to seven matches.
D.C. led 19-8 in overall shots and 7-4 in efforts on target.
Munteanu joined D.C. this offseason from CFR Cluj in his native Romania for a reported $7 million transfer fee, but had mostly been used off the substitute’s bench while the 23-year-old acclimated to a new league and culture.
But Baribo’s absence opened the path for a starting role in last weekend’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Orlando City, in which he scored an 84th-minute equalizer, and he got the nod again from manager Rene Weiler on Sunday.
His first goal came in the 29th minute on an instinctive finish from Jared Stroud’s long throw-in from the right.
The throw dropped in the area of teammate Kye Rowles and then appeared to take a deflection off an NYCFC defender. Munteanu reacted quickly to reach it inside the 6-yard box and poked a first-touch finish past goalkeeper Matt Freese (five saves).
Munteanu’s second came from the penalty spot in the 75th minute.
Referee Ismail Elfath whistled Keaton Parks for a foul on Lucas Bartlett, appearing to signal that Parks had grabbed Bartlett’s neck area.
NYCFC players protested, but replays showed no decisive angles that would’ve led to an overturn. Munteanu stepped up and finished coolly past Freese into the bottom right corner.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pirates All-Star, World Series champion Bob Skinner dies at 94
Jun 4, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A cap shoes and glove belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates third base Ke’Bryan Hayes on the field before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Former Pittsburgh Pirates player and coach Bob Skinner, who also had managerial stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres, has died. He was 94.
Known by the nickname “Sleepy” during his time with the Pirates, the San Diego-area native played nearly nine of his 12 major league seasons in Pittsburgh, earning three All-Star Game nods and winning a World Series with the club in 1960.
“We are saddened to relay the news of the passing of former Pirates outfielder and coach Bob Skinner,” the Pirates said in a statement. “Skinner was a member of the 1960 World Series Championship Pirates and a coach on the 1979 World Series Championship team. He made his Major League debut with the Bucs in 1954 and played nine of his 12 seasons in Pittsburgh.”
Skinner served as a Pittsburgh coach for 10 seasons over two stints (1974-76, 1979-85).
Skinner also won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 after a midseason trade from the Cincinnati Reds.
After he retired as a player following the 1966 season, Skinner became manager of the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in San Diego in 1967 then took over as manager in Philadelphia when Gene Mauch was fired 54 games into the 1968 season.
Skinner resigned as Phillies manager in 1969 with the team off to a 44-64 start as he was going through a reported feud with star player Dick Allen.
Skinner returned for a second stint as Pirates batting coach in 1979 as the team won the World Series. He also had coaching stints with the Padres (1970-73, 1977), California Angels (1978) and Atlanta Braves (1986-88).
Skinner also had a one-game stint as an interim manager of the Padres in 1977, and finished 93-123 as a major league skipper.
In 1,381 career games as a player, Skinner batted .277 with 103 home runs and 531 RBIs for the Pirates (1954, 1956-63), Reds (1963-64) and Cardinals (1964-66).
Skinner is the father of former major league catcher Joel Skinner, who played nine seasons with the Chicago White Sox, the then-Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. Joel Skinner was a longtime minor league manager who also was interim manager of Cleveland for 76 games in the 2002 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Knicks riding streak of big wins entering Game 2 vs. 76ers
May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the first quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images It does not take much for championship-starved Big Apple basketball fans to daydream about what an NBA title run by the New York Knicks might look like.
The Knicks have given their fans even more reason to dream over the last 11 days.
The third-seeded Knicks will look to continue their dominant run and take a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday night, when they host the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series.
Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half Monday, when the Knicks rolled to a 137-98 victory.
The win was the fourth straight for the Knicks, who closed out the Atlanta Hawks with three consecutive lopsided victories in their six-game first-round series.
New York, which fell behind Atlanta with consecutive one-point losses in Games 2 and 3, beat the Hawks 114-98 in Game 4 on April 25 before routing them 126-97 in Game 5 on April 28 and 140-89 last Thursday night.
“You hope that at this time, you’re the best version of yourselves,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.
The best version of the Knicks has been historic. New York is the first NBA team to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points apiece.
The Knicks are also the second team to end one series and begin another with consecutive victories by at least 30 points. The 1986 Boston Celtics beat the Hawks 132-99 to end an Eastern Conference semifinal series before routing the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96 in the Game 1 of the conference finals.
The Celtics went on to win the NBA title. These Knicks are 11 wins away from that destination — and unlike their fans, not quite ready to entertain such notions under Brunson, their famously tunnel-visioned captain.
“Honestly, you’ve got to take this game with a grain of salt and just kind of move forward,” Brunson said. “I don’t think we’re going to see that team that we saw in Game 1 in Game 2. They’re going to be ready to go.”
The loss wiped away any momentum the 76ers had after they advanced to the conference semifinals by overcoming a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Celtics in the first round — the first such comeback in franchise history.
But the 76ers’ success against the Celtics serves as a reminder a series doesn’t have to be defined by one — or two — blowouts. Philadelphia’s Game 1 and Game 4 losses to Boston were each by 32 points.
The 76ers are hopeful they’ll benefit from a more routine prep for Game 2. The series opener Monday night tipped off fewer than 48 hours after Philadelphia’s 109-100 Game 7 win over the Celtics.
“Emotional rollercoaster — you go from a Game 7 and one day off and you are right back into another matchup,” 76ers forward Paul George said. “I think there was some carryover trying to get up and get prepared for this next matchup. But we should have done a better job.”
The 76ers had no shortage of areas that needed work during Tuesday’s off day. Philadelphia scored fewer than 100 points for just the seventh time in the last 37 games dating back to Feb. 19 while allowing the Knicks to shoot 63.1% from the field, a New York franchise record for a playoff game.
“Yeah, we had breakdowns tonight, but they also shot the (heck) out of the ball,” George said. “It’s a game of adjustments. We’ll make adjustments, see what we need to get better at.
“But again, same as last series. They don’t get any points (in Game 2) for going up big tonight.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves activate closer Raisel Iglesias from injured list
Apr 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) pitches against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves activated right-hander Raisel Iglesias from the injured list Tuesday and designated right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
Iglesias, 36, last pitched on April 19 and has been out with right shoulder inflammation.
In eight relief outings this season, Iglesias has five saves and has not allowed a run over 8 2/3 innings. In 12 career seasons, he is 42-55 with a 2.86 ERA and 258 saves over 608 appearances (21 starts) for the Cincinnati Reds (2015-20), Los Angeles Angels (2021-22) and Braves.
Carrasco, 39, was designated for assignment for the second time by the Braves this season and the third time since August. In two outings (2 1/3 innings) this season he has not allowed a run.
A veteran of 17 major league seasons, Carrasco is 112-105 with a 4.22 ERA in 337 appearances (286 starts) for the Cleveland Indians/Guardians (2009-20, 2024), New York Mets (2021-23), New York Yankees (2025) and Braves.
The Braves also sent left-hander Dylan Dodd (back) on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett, while shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (finger) had his rehab assignment transferred from Double-A Columbus to Triple-A Gwinnett.
–Field Level Media
Pirates All-Star, World Series champion Bob Skinner dies at 94
ElevenLabs lists BlackRock, Jamie Foxx, and Eva Longoria as new investors
