Sports
Caitlin Clark helps Fever slide past Storm
May 17, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Seattle Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson (4) shoots against Indiana Fever forward Monique Billings (25) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Caitlin Clark scored 21 points and came three rebounds shy of a triple-double as the Indiana Fever won a home game for the first time in three outings this season by beating the Seattle Storm 89-78 on Sunday night at Indianapolis.
Clark compiled 10 assists by early in the fourth quarter in a game that the Fever controlled from the early minutes.
Kelsey Mitchell and reserve Sophie Cunningham both finished with 17 points for the Fever (2-2), who overcame 20 turnovers.
Clark made all nine of her free-throw attempts as part of the Fever’s 22-for-22 shooting at the foul line. Clark also led Indiana with two blocked shots.
Indiana’s Aliyah Boston (lower leg) missed the first game of her four-year career.
Natisha Hiedeman poured in 19 points, Flau’jae Johnson posted 14 points, Zia Cooke had 13 points off the bench and Jade Melbourne added 12 points for the Storm (1-3), who shot 6-for-23 on 3-point attempts.
Seattle, which trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half, made a mini-surge in the final minutes, closing to within 89-77 on Hiedeman’s 3-pointer with about 2½ minutes to play. There wasn’t another made field goal in the game.
Indiana took a double-digit lead about five minutes into the game, scored 32 first-quarter points and went on to lead 55-44 at halftime. Clark had 17 points, boosted by a pair of 3s, by the break.
The Storm were held to six points across the first five minutes of the third quarter. They also had trouble cranking out points in the fourth quarter and they trailed 83-65 with less than six minutes to play.
The Fever put a big emphasis on defense after shortcomings at that end of the court in their first three games. They held the Storm to less than 20 points in the first and third quarters.
Seattle had allowed 77 points through three quarters and that was more than the Storm scored in their most-recent game in an 86-73 loss Wednesday at Toronto.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros 2B Jose Altuve placed on IL with Grade 2 left oblique strain
May 12, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) reacts after batting during the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will go on the injured list after exiting Saturday’s game with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, Houston manager Joe Espada told reporters Sunday.
Altuve underwent an MRI exam Sunday morning after he was removed ahead of the ninth inning. During his eighth-inning at-bat, he grimaced after connecting on a grounder to third and did not run out the play, instead walking back to the dugout in pain.
Espada did not share an idea of a timeline for how long Altuve could be sidelined.
“Obviously just not what we wanted to hear,” Espada said. “But we find ourselves having to fight through this one here. So these young players are going to continue to get opportunities.”
The Astros are already without third baseman Carlos Correa, who had season-ending ankle surgery, and Jeremy Pena, who has been sidelined since April 11 with a hamstring strain but could return as soon as Monday in Minnesota.
Altuve, 36, is hitting .245 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 42 games this season. The nine-time All-Star has played his entire 16-year career with Houston, posting a career .302 average with 259 homers and 901 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Aaron Rai emerges to win first major; 1st Englishman to win PGA since 1919
May 17, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Aaron Rai reacts on the first green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai drained a series of increasingly long putts to write himself into the history books and win his first major title Sunday at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
Rai made a 40-foot eagle putt at the par-5 ninth hole to cap an uneven first nine, then pulled away with four birdies on the back and converted a remarkable 68 1/2-foot birdie at the par-3 17th to remove any doubt.
Rai, 31, is the first Englishman to win the PGA Championship since Jim Barnes in 1919. Americans had claimed this major each of the last 10 years.
Rai’s 5-under-par 65 put him 9-under 271 and three strokes ahead of Jon Rahm of Spain (68) and Alex Smalley. He had started the day in a five-way tie for second behind Smalley.
The first English major winner since Matt Fitzpatrick took the 2022 U.S. Open title, Rai was one of several less familiar names on the 54-hole leaderboard. But he was ranked No. 44 in the world entering the week, with one win on the PGA Tour and three more on the DP World Tour for his career.
He previously had not finished better than T19 at a major.
Rai’s putter was far from the only club working for him. He gave himself 4-foot birdies with tight approaches at Nos. 1 and 11, though he overshot the greens at Nos. 3 and 6 to lead to two of his three front-nine bogeys.
Everything turned when Rai lined up his eagle putt at No. 9. He left in the pin for the downhill, left-to-right putt and it tracked perfectly into the hole.
The birdie at No. 11 drew Rai even with Germany’s Matti Schmid, and he became the first player to touch 7 under all week at the short par-4 13th. Rai’s tee shot went in the front-right bunker, but he got his 39-yard sand shot to stop inside 7 feet to set up birdie.
Justin Thomas went into the clubhouse at 5-under 275 at about 3:05 p.m. local time, and that held up for most of the afternoon as players battled Aronimink’s more demanding back nine.
Smalley, Rahm, Rai and Schmid each held at least a share of the lead at 6 under at some point. Smalley — seeking his first professional win of any kind — irreparably harmed his chances with a messy double bogey at the par-4 sixth and a bogey at No. 8.
Schmid, playing in the final pairing with Smalley and also winless on the PGA Tour, took the lead from him at No. 6 when he got a 19 1/2-foot birdie to fall. But his bogey on No. 10 opened the door for Rai.
Rai was one of the only players who managed to tame the back nine. Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy could not muster a late rally, posting 69 and landing at 4 under.
Reigning champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a ho-hum 69 and finished seven behind Rai at 2 under.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
Sports
Giants use 8-run 8th to blow open rubber match vs. Athletics
May 17, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez (center) is greeted by his teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images Harrison Bader hit a grand slam and Luis Arraez homered for the second time in three games to help the San Francisco Giants notch a 10-1 victory over the Athletics on Sunday afternoon at West Sacramento, Calif.
Bader’s second career slam came during an eight-run eighth-inning as the Giants blew open a close game.
Arraez had three hits and went 8-for-12 with five runs in the series, which San Francisco rallied to win after dropping the opener.
Casey Schmitt and Matt Chapman each had two hits in the finale. Schmitt went 6-for-10 in the final two games of the series and homered twice in Saturday’s victory.
San Francisco’s Adrian Houser (2-4) pitched six solid innings and three relievers finished up. Houser allowed one run and four hits. He walked five and struck out three.
Carlos Cortes had two hits and an RBI for the Athletics, who committed three errors and have lost five of their past seven games.
Arraez hit his first homer of the season on Friday before getting help from the wind in the third inning on Sunday. Cortes was stationed in traditional right field and backed up but couldn’t find the ball as the wind took it near the foul pole and over the wall for a solo shot.
Cortes was on the other side of the wind in the fifth inning as his apparent inning-ending pop-up landed for a run-scoring double. Giants shortstop Willy Adames lost the ball in the sun and Darell Hernaiz scored from second to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Athletics’ Jeffrey Springs (3-4) gave up two runs (one earned) and five hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Nick Kurtz went 0-for-1 but walked three times to stretch his streak of reaching base to 40 straight games, the longest single-season streak by an A’s player since Mark McGwire (48 in 1996).
Chapman’s RBI double in the fourth gave the Giants a 2-0 lead. After the A’s got their gift run an inning later, San Francisco broke the game open in the eighth.
Bader started the frame by reaching on an error by Athletics third baseman Zack Gelof. Arraez walked and Schmitt singled off Luis Medina to load the bases before Rafael Devers singled to center. One run scored and a second followed when Lawrence Butler fumbled the ball.
Daniel Susac’s grounder and Jung Hoo Lee’s infield single plated runs later in the inning before Bader came up with the bases loaded. He went the opposite way with a 2-1 fastball from Jose Suarez and landed it over the wall in right.
–Field Level Media
