Sports
Mets, Blue Jays share trail of disappointment
Jun 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette (19) acknowledges fans applause after watching a video tribute before playing his former club the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays have a chance for a series victory against the visiting New York Mets on Tuesday night in what could be one of the few highlights of a disappointing homestand.
The Blue Jays snapped a six-game losing streak Monday night with a 2-1 victory in the opener of the three-game series, moving to 2-6 on their 10-game homestand.
The Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when George Springer circled the bases on what should have been a single to left. Juan Soto let the ball skip past him, and center fielder A.J. Ewing fumbled it while backing up the play. Springer was awarded a triple, with Ewing’s error allowing him to score.
“When you have an outfield like that (artificial turf) that bounces a lot, you have to be aware because you can give up extra bases really easily,” Soto said. “So I would say you’ve just got to be aggressive. That was my mindset — just be aggressive, come through the ball instead of trying to play it back, and maybe bounce over my head. But I actually just stopped.”
Toronto starter Trey Yesavage, who allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings, had worked around Soto’s double in the top of the first. The Blue Jays had been scored upon in the first inning in the previous seven games.
As for the Mets, they have lost nine of their past 10 games, including the opener of a seven-game road trip that next will take them to Atlanta for a four-game series with National League East-leading Braves.
Kevin Gausman (4-6, 4.36 ERA) is Toronto’s scheduled starter on Tuesday. The right-hander is 1-4 with a 5.14 ERA in six career games (five starts) against the Mets.
Right-hander Nolan McLean (4-5, 4.03) is New York’s expected starter. The rookie has not faced the Blue Jays.
Former Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette returned to face his former team for the first time and received a rousing ovation in Toronto.
Bichette signed a three-year, $126 million contract with the Mets as a free agent in the offseason. His final game with Toronto was Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, won by the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
“I think I gave it everything I had,” an emotional Bichette said in a pregame media session. “I just hope that’s appreciated.”
Bichette and Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had been teammates since the minor leagues and are close friends.
“We went through it all together,” Bichette said. “The one goal we had together, we didn’t accomplish it.”
Bichette was 0-for-4 on Monday. In his previous 23 games, he batted .362 with five homers and 17 RBIs after a slow start with his new team.
“I think there was an element of not finding a lot of luck early, not finding his timing,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “He’s squaring stuff up, he’s got the normal aggression that he’s had his entire career, and he’s spraying hits all over the yard.”
Bichette was teary-eyed when he took the field.
“Appreciated what (Bichette) said in terms of he hopes that everyone understands he left it all out there, which he did,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “And I thought it was cool that our fans recognized him, and rightfully so. I thought the reaction was really, really well-deserved.”
The Mets recalled right-hander Joey Gerber from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned right-hander Tobias Myers on Monday. Gerber entered the game in the eighth with two runners on and no outs and retired the next three batters — two on strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
First-half goals send Mexico to comfortable 2-0 victory over Ecuador
June 30, 2026; Mexico City, Mexico; Mexico’s Raul Jimenez celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates. Mandatory Credit: Eloisa Sanchez-Reuters via Imagn Images Julian Quinones delivered a goal and an assist in the first half for Mexico, who maintained complete control in front of their vocal home fans to earn a 2-0 World Cup victory over Ecuador in a round of 32 match on Tuesday at Mexico City.
Raul Jimenez added a goal as Mexico won a knockout-round match for the first time since 1986 — also on home soil.
Goalkeeper Raul Rangel made one save in Mexico’s fourth consecutive clean sheet.
Mexico advance to a round of 16 matchup against either England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday, also in Mexico City.
Ecuador, who rallied to defeat Germany in group play last week and earn a spot in the round of 32, were unable to counter Mexico’s early momentum. Hernan Galindez made one save as Ecuador fell to 0-2-0 all time in knockout-round matches.
Adding to the disappointment was a red card for Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time for covering his mouth in a confrontation with Mexico’s Santiago Gimenez.
Just as he did twice in group play, Quinones found the back of the net to give Mexico a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute. Roberto Alvarado sent a long pass forward from beyond midfield, and Quinones proceeded unmarked before scoring into the upper left corner from just inside the box.
Jimenez started a scoring sequence less than 10 minutes later when he forced a turnover on Ecuador’s side of the field, sent a pass to Quinones, then received the ball back to score from the top of the box in the 31st minute.
Even as Mexico controlled the run of play from the outset, Ecuador had the best early chance when John Yeboah hit the outside of the left post with a shot in the 18th minute. Mexico took over from there and were never threatened again.
Mexico won with 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora in the starting lineup. Mora became the second youngest starter in a knockout-round match after Brazil’s Pele in 1958.
The match was delayed one hour at the start because of lightning.
After they were one of three teams with a perfect 3-0-0 record in group play, Mexico became the second team to win for a fourth time in the tournament, joining France. Argentina will have a chance to join them when they oppose Cape Verde on Friday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers demolish A's as Dave Roberts reaches 1,000 career wins
Jun 30, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) celebrates with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images Tommy Edman had four hits, including a homer, and had four RBIs and manager Dave Roberts recorded his 1,000th career regular-season victory as the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Athletics 9-3 on Tuesday at West Sacramento, Calif.
Miguel Rojas also went deep and drove in two runs and Mookie Betts had three hits as the Dodgers won for the seventh time in the past eight games. Los Angeles had 14 hits for a total of 31 over two nights while dominating the A’s both times.
Roberts, who is in his 11th season, became the fourth manager in Dodgers history to reach the 1,000-victory mark. Walter Alston (1954-76) won a franchise-best 2,040 games while managing both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. The list also includes Tommy Lasorda (1,599 from 1976-96) and Wilbert Robinson (1,375 from 1914-31).
Roberts (1,000-606) has a career winning percentage of .623, counting one game as interim manager for the San Diego Padres in 2015.
Justin Wrobleski (10-2) struck out a career-high 11 in seven innings for Los Angeles. He allowed three runs and seven hits and didn’t walk anyone while winning his fourth consecutive decision.
Colby Thomas had two hits, including a two-run homer, for the Athletics, who have dropped four straight games and eight of their past 10.
Jeffrey Springs (3-8) was roughed up for six runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings while losing his eighth straight decision and seeing his winless stretch reach 14 starts. He walked four, struck out two and served up two homers to raise his season output to 24 blasts, tied for the most allowed in the majors.
Freddie Freeman doubled to lead off the Los Angeles third inning and Kyle Tucker walked with two outs. Edman then unloaded on a first-pitch slider for a three-run shot to center off Springs, giving the Dodgers a 5-1 lead.
Rojas led off the sixth by sending a 1-1 slider over the wall in left-center to make it a five-run margin.
Los Angeles tacked on three more runs in the seventh. Edman singled in the first run, Rojas hit a sacrifice fly to plate the second, and Dalton Rushing singled in the last to make it 9-1.
Joey Meneses singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh for the A’s, and Thomas followed with a two-run blast to left-center.
The Dodgers scored twice in the first, on Betts’ RBI single and Teoscar Hernandez’s sacrifice fly.
The Athletics struck in the bottom of the first when Jonah Heim drilled a long single over the head of Tucker and it one-hopped into the right field wall. Shea Langeliers scored from first on the two-out hit.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Diamondbacks pound Giants, remain unbeaten vs. San Francisco
Jun 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Arizona Diamondbacks ran their season-long winning streak against the San Francisco Giants to eight games Tuesday night, riding home runs from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Ketel Marte to an 8-2 victory in Phoenix.
Recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A and making his first big-league start since April 11, Brandon Pfaadt (1-1) combined with four relievers on a four-hitter, propelling the Diamondbacks to a second consecutive victory in the three-game set.
Gurriel delivered the big blow of the game, a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the first after Giants starter Landen Roupp (5-8) had put Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno aboard with walks.
Hurting his own cause with six walks, Roupp was unable to finish the third inning, an inning in which he forced in a run by issuing a free pass to Jorge Barrosa with two outs. Marte followed with a two-run single, making it 6-0 and sending the Giants’ young right-hander to the showers.
The six-run cushion made a return to a starter’s role more comfortable for Pfaadt, who carried a shutout one out into the sixth before serving up Luis Arraez’s fourth home run of the season.
The right-hander limited the Giants to just two other hits in his 5 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out two.
San Francisco’s only other run came on Rafael Devers’ 15th homer in the seventh.
In between the Giants’ big blows, Marte capped a two-hit, three-RBI game with his 17th homer of the season.
The Diamondbacks added the game’s final run in the eighth on an RBI single by Moreno.
Gurriel, Marte, Moreno and Max Kepler had two hits apiece for Arizona, which out-hit San Francisco 10-4 en route to a fifth straight home win over the Giants this season. Moreno scored twice.
After singling in the first and tripling in the third before his home run in the sixth, Arraez took a crack at a cycle in the eighth but flied out to left field. He finished with three of San Francisco’s four hits.
In extending his winless streak to 11 games after a 5-1 start to the season, Roupp was charged with six runs on five hits in his 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four.
–Field Level Media
First-half goals send Mexico to comfortable 2-0 victory over Ecuador
Dodgers demolish A's as Dave Roberts reaches 1,000 career wins
