Sports
MLB roundup: Kyle Stowers' walk-off slam lifts Marlins
May 3, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Kyle Stowers (28) hits a walk-off grand slam against the Oakland Athletics in the ninth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Kyle Stowers turned around a 102-mph fastball for a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning as the Miami Marlins rallied to defeat the Athletics 9-6 on Saturday afternoon.
Stowers’ blast off A’s All-Star closer Mason Miller (0-1) was a 396-foot, opposite-field shot to left center that snapped Miami’s six-game losing streak. Stowers finished with two homers and six RBIs, belting a 422-foot, two-run drive in the third off A’s starter Osvaldo Bido.
Boosting his average to .324 and slugging percentage to .552, Stowers continued his hot week. He swatted two home runs and drove in four runs Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
JJ Bleday, Luis Urias and Brent Rooker all went deep for the Athletics, who got two hits and an RBI from Gio Urshela. Bleday, Miami’s first-round pick in 2019, is 4-for-8 with five runs, two homers, one double, two RBIs and one walk in the series.
Guardians 5, Blue Jays 3
Daniel Schneemann drove in all of Cleveland’s runs with two homers, highlighted by a go-ahead, ninth-inning grand slam, as the visiting Guardians stunned the Toronto Blue Jays.
Trailing 3-0, Schneemann — who doubled his season home run total Saturday — clubbed a solo shot well into the right field seats in the eighth off Chad Green. After Yimi Garcia (0-1) gave up Steven Kwan’s single and two walks in the ninth, Schneemann stepped up with two outs and crushed a 1-1 fastball to give Cleveland the lead.
The loss snapped Toronto’s three-game winning streak and spoiled a stellar start from Kevin Gausman, who yielded only Kwan’s third-inning bloop single, struck out nine, and walked only one batter over six sharp innings.
Twins 4, Red Sox 3
Kody Clemens hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, with his father, former Red Sox star Roger Clemens, in attendance, and visiting Minnesota held on for a win over Boston.
Minnesota was outhit 12-10, with Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader each recording two.
Boston left 10 on base — including two in both the sixth and ninth innings — and went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Leadoff hitter Jarren Duran went 2-for-5 with a double, triple, RBI and two runs, while Rafael Devers (two RBIs) and Romy Gonzalez each had three hits.
Giants 6, Rockies 3
Matt Chapman capped a five-run sixth inning with a grand slam and the bullpen threw four innings of shutout relief as San Francisco overcame visiting Colorado.
Giants relievers Camilo Doval, Erik Miller and Ryan Walker retained the three-run margin to the end with an inning apiece of hitless ball. Randy Rodriguez (2-0), the pitcher of record at the time of the five-run uprising, was credited with the win while Walker notched his sixth save. Luis Matos also homered for San Francisco.
Kyle Farmer collected two hits and an RBI for the Rockies, who have lost 10 of their last 12. Jake Bird (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Hunter Goodman and Ryan McMahon also had RBI hits.
Rays 3, Yankees 2
Zack Littell tossed seven strong innings and earned the win as visiting Tampa Bay scored twice in the eighth inning and edged New York.
Curtis Mead and Jose Caballero had the RBIs in the eighth for the Rays, who snapped a four-game losing streak in which they were outscored 17-3.
New York’s Ryan Yarbrough, who made the emergency start after Clarke Schmidt was scratched due to side soreness, allowed one run on one hit and three walks while striking out two over four innings.
Astros 8, White Sox 3
Jake Meyers tied a franchise record with 13 total bases to lead visiting Houston to a win against Chicago.
Meyers homered twice, tripled, doubled, and drove in a career-high seven runs while hitting in the No. 9 spot. Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (5-1) overcame a rough start to go six innings, allowing three runs and four hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.
Andrew Vaughn had two hits and two RBIs for Chicago, which was aiming to win a season-high three in a row.
Padres 2, Pirates 1
Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled to lead off the ninth, swiped third and scored on a wild pitch to lift San Diego to the comeback win over host Pittsburgh.
Manny Machado started the rally with a solo homer in the seventh as the Padres earned their fourth straight win and eighth in a row over Pittsburgh. Randy Vasquez gave up one run on six hits over five innings, then the bullpen shut the door, with Robert Suarez earning his MLB-leading 13th save.
Oneil Cruz walked four times and drove in Pittsburgh’s only run with a second-inning single. Pirates starter Bailey Falter allowed one run on two hits and two walks over seven innings while striking out six.
Cubs 6, Brewers 2
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a three-run homer and Jameson Taillon threw six quality innings, propelling visiting Chicago to a victory over Milwaukee.
Taillon (2-1) allowed two earned runs on three hits as the Cubs clinched the weekend series. They also won their fourth game in their last five tries.
Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker also homered for Chicago.
Jose Quintana (4-1) surrendered six runs on seven hits across five innings, absorbing his first loss as a member of the Brewers.
Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 2
J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer and Aaron Nola earned his first win of the season as host Philadelphia topped Arizona.
Max Kepler added a two-run home run for the Phillies, who improved to 6-1 in their last seven games. Nola (1-5) allowed four hits and one walk over six scoreless innings, matching his season high with eight strikeouts. Tanner Banks worked a flawless eighth before Joe Ross took care of things in the ninth.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of their last 10 games. Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt (5-2), who had won his previous five starts, was charged with seven runs (six earned) and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Nationals 11, Reds 6
Amed Rosario had three hits, including a tie-breaking three-run homer in the sixth, to help Washington claim an 11-6 win over host Cincinnati.
James Wood had four hits and scored twice, Nathaniel Lowe delivered three hits, two RBIs and a run and CJ Abrams had two hits and scored three times for the Nationals, who had lost four of five. Right-hander Trevor Williams (2-3) allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Santiago Espinal had three hits, Spencer Steer had two hits and two RBIs and Jake Fraley homered and scored twice for Cincinnati, which had won two in a row. Reds lefty Nick Lodolo (3-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Royals 4, Orioles 0
Kris Bubic threw five shutout innings and three relievers completed the six-hitter in Kansas City’s victory against host Baltimore.
Cavan Biggio, Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino all hit solo home runs as the Royals won for the 10th time in 12 games. Maikel Garcia went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Daniel Lynch IV, Lucas Erceg and John Schreiber worked in relief of Bubic (3-2), who gave up four singles, one walk and struck out three.
Gunnar Henderson had half of Baltimore’s hits. The Orioles, who dropped to 8-8 in home games, were without an extra-base hit. Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano (3-2) took the loss, charged with two runs in six innings.
Mariners 2, Rangers 1
Rowdy Tellez’s pinch-hit run-scoring single in the ninth inning lifted Seattle over slumping Texas in the second of a three-game American League West series in Arlington, Texas.
The Mariners have won six straight and nine of their last 10 and clinched their eighth straight series win and second against Texas this season. Tellez’s one-out RBI came off Chris Martin (0-4). The last-at-bat uprising made a winner out of Seattle’s Gabe Speier (1-0), who allowed a walk but nothing else in the eighth inning.
Andres Munoz, the AL relief pitcher of the month for March/April, allowed a one-out walk in the ninth before striking out Adolis Garcia with two outs and a runner on second to earn his 12th save. Texas has lost four straight, seven of its past eight and dropped its fifth consecutive series.
Angels 5, Tigers 2
Kyle Hendricks allowed only one run and four hits in 7 2/3 innings and host Los Angeles beat Detroit to snap a seven-game skid.
Nolan Schanuel was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Travis d’Arnaud 2-for 3 with two runs scored and a walk for the Angels. Hendricks (1-3), who didn’t walk a batter and struck out three, retired 16 of the first 17 hitters, facing the regulation number of 15 batters through five innings.
Spencer Torkelson homered for the Tigers, who had won three in a row. Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (1-4) yielded five runs (four earned) on eight hits, walking one and striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
