Sports
Mets stop Phillies from clinching division for second straight game
Sep 22, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor (15) hits a single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Brandon Nimmo homered leading off the sixth inning, and the surging New York Mets once again prevented the visiting Philadelphia Phillies from clinching the National League East title with a 2-1 win Sunday night in the finale of a four-game series.
The Mets (87-69) took three of four from the Phillies (92-64), who would have clinched the division with a win either Saturday or Sunday.
New York, which is 18-5 in its last 23 games, moved into a tie for the second NL wild-card spot with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 10-9. The two teams are two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves, whom the Mets visit for a three-game series beginning Tuesday.
Alec Bohm had an RBI single in the first for the Phillies, who left the bases loaded against Tylor Megill. The Mets built their tying rally with two outs in the second against Zack Wheeler (16-7) when Mark Vientos doubled and scored on Tyrone Taylor’s single.
The teams combined to get just one runner into scoring position over the next three innings before Nimmo hit Wheeler’s first pitch of the sixth just beyond the right field wall.
Mets relievers Phil Maton (3-3), Jose Butto and Edwin Diaz combined for five innings of one-hit ball. Diaz, who got a four-out save in Saturday’s 6-3 win, recorded the final six outs Sunday to notch his 20th save.
The right-hander surrendered a one-out single in the eighth to Trea Turner, who stole second and third but was stranded when Diaz retired Bohm on a grounder to short. Diaz walked Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh in the ninth before striking out Kody Clemens to end the game.
It was Diaz’s first six-out save since Aug. 4, 2022.
Jose Iglesias went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. Taylor also finished with two hits.
Turner and Nick Castellanos each had two hits for the Phillies.
Megill allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over four innings.
Wheeler took the hard-luck loss after giving up the two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Orioles 2B Jackson Holliday (hand) suffers setback
Sep 20, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) looks on during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will have an MRI following another setback in his recovery from a right hand injury.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick was removed from Triple-A Norfolk’s game against Memphis on Tuesday after he experienced discomfort during a swing.
Holliday, 22, has been working his way back to the majors since fracturing a hamate bone in batting practice in February. This is the second time in a week that he has experienced soreness in his hand and wrist.
“We’re getting him up to Baltimore for an MRI,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said following the team’s 6-5 loss at Kansas City on Tuesday.
Holliday played 11 rehab games at Norfolk from March 27 to April 12 and two games at High-A Fredericksburg on April 18-19 before returning to Norfolk on Tuesday. He is batting a combined .176 (9-for-51) with no homers and four RBIs in 14 games.
Holliday, the top pick in 2022 and the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, batted .242 with 17 home runs, 55 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 149 games with the Orioles in 2025.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Steelers owner has Ravens' fan seating moved at Pittsburgh draft
Apr 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; A general overall aerial view of Acrisure Stadium, the site of the 2026 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Brotherly love is not in the air in Pittsburgh, where Steelers owner Art Rooney II ceases to give the franchise rivalry with the Baltimore Ravens a day off.
Rooney surveyed the stage and draft layout ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in his home city and was surprised to find the chart called for Ravens fans to be seated in front of the hometown Steelers fans positioned outside of Acrisure Stadium.
He asked the NFL to do something about it.
“On the normal seating chart, I noticed that the Ravens fans were sitting in front of the Steeler fans in one section of the draft theater,” Rooney said in a radio interview with WDVE 102.5 FM. “So I asked (the NFL) to make that change — and they agreed to make that.”
The Steelers and Ravens both changed head coaches in the offseason but the rivalry remains intense.
Baltimore lost a virtual division championship game in the stadium where the draft is held starting Thursday and will pick 14th overall. The Ravens attempted to trade that pick and more to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby, but general manager Eric DeCosta backed out of the deal for what he claimed were concerns with Crosby’s physical.
Pittsburgh has pick No. 21 in the first round Thursday but will be readily apparent Friday during a stretch in the second and third rounds in which the Steelers hold four picks between selections Nos. 53 and 99.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Led by CJ McCollum, Hawks look to seize series lead vs. Knicks
Apr 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) and New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) are separated by referee Zach Zarba (15) during the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images CJ McCollum is filling the exact role the Atlanta Hawks had in mind when they acquired him in January. The veteran is not only scoring plenty of points, but he’s also providing an experienced presence for a young team.
McCollum scored 32 points on Tuesday to spark Atlanta’s fourth-quarter comeback and 107-106 road win against the New York Knicks. The best-of-seven first-round series is tied 1-1 and shifts to Atlanta on Thursday for Game 3.
“I really liked CJ’s leadership as much as the shot making,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “CJ’s leadership was really good with the ball in his hands.”
The Knicks had been 40-1 in the postseason since the advent of the shot clock in 1954-55 when leading by 12 or more points after three quarters. The only loss was when Reggie Miller scored 25 points in the fourth for Indiana in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about over the course of the last couple of months,” Snyder said. “It’s a different type of leadership in my mind than he’s had at other times, because he’s got to find a balance of communicating and talking to the guys but still not losing his aggressiveness scoring the basketball.”
The mild-mannered McCollum also stepped into an unfamiliar role as villain. The crowd at Madison Square Garden, turned their vitriol — formerly directed at ex-Hawk Trae Young — toward McCollum. He just shrugged it off.
“I ain’t no villain, I’m a nice guy with two kids and a wife,” McCollum said. “I think it’s admiration. Great passionate fans in a really hostile environment. It’s fun, it’s basketball, it’s the playoffs.”
The Knicks lost the game despite 29 points from Jalen Brunson. He scored 10 of the team’s 15 fourth-quarter points when New York shot just 5-for-22 from the floor.
“We got the ball in the right people’s hands down the stretch and we didn’t convert,” New York coach Mike Brown said.
Brunson has been outstanding in both games. He scored 28 in the series opener. But Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 25 in the first game, scored only 18 — and none in the fourth quarter in Game 2. Brown blamed 14 turnovers, which led to 18 Atlanta points, and shooting 63 percent (17-for-27) at the line.
“At the end of the day we’ve got to lock in at the free-throw line, and we’ve got to take care of the ball,” Brown said. “And in that fourth quarter you could tell they were playing with a level of desperation. They got three of four 50-50 balls in the fourth quarter, which is what we use to measure the level of aggression in a game. In that fourth quarter their aggression stepped up.”
The competition between the teams has been close all season. New York won the first playoff game 113-102, the most lopsided score this year. The Knicks won two of the three regular-season games by three points, while Atlanta had a two-point win.
“Atlanta did what they wanted to do. They came in here and took one from us at home,” Brown said. “In my opinion, you’ve got to be able to win on the road if you expect to get where you want to do. So, for us, we’ve got to go win on the road.”
–Field Level Media
