Sports
MLB roundup: Shohei Ohtani makes history as Dodgers clinch playoffs
Sep 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts to a standing ovation from the fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to reach 50 home runs and 50 steals in the same season as his Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a playoff berth with a 20-4 beatdown of the host Miami Marlins on Thursday afternoon.
Ohtani went 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs, three homers, two doubles, two steals and four runs. He got to 50-50 with an opposite-field homer in the seventh inning, earning a standing ovation from the crowd in Miami. He finished the night with 51 homers — a new Dodgers season record, breaking Shawn Green’s mark of 49 in 2001 — and 51 steals.
The Dodgers, who have made the playoffs 12 straight years, got solid pitching from Jack Flaherty (13-7). He went six innings, allowing five hits, two walks and three runs. He is 3-0 in three career starts in Miami, and his 13 wins this season are a career best.
Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (4-8) took the loss after wildness limited him to just 2 1/3 innings. He walked five, hit a batter and gave up four hits in surrendering seven runs.
Astros 3, Angels 1
Jon Singleton slapped a two-run, two-out double into center field in the bottom of the eighth inning and host Houston beat Los Angeles, remaining unbeaten in nine games started by Yusei Kikuchi.
Singleton capped a rally against Angels reliever Ryan Miller (0-1) by lining a 1-2 sweeper to center field. Yordan Alvarez — who had worked a leadoff walk — and Yainer Diaz scored to snap a 1-1 deadlock.
Kikuchi pitched six innings, giving up five hits and one walk and striking out nine. Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu (3-3) and Josh Hader — who notched his 32nd save — worked a scoreless inning each as the Astros reduced their magic number to clinch the American League West to five games.
Diamondbacks 5, Brewers 1
Brandon Pfaadt took a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning as visiting Arizona kept pace in the National League wild-card chase by beating Milwaukee.
Pfaadt (10-9) allowed only a single in the fourth inning before Garrett Mitchell’s two-out solo homer in the seventh cut Arizona’s lead to 3-1. Pfaadt struck out a career-high 12, including seven in a row to tie a franchise record, and walked none in a 104-pitch outing. A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez each followed with a perfect inning to complete the two-hitter as Arizona moved within two games of idle San Diego for the top NL wild-card spot.
The Diamondbacks snapped a scoreless tie with three runs on one hit in the fifth. Gabriel Moreno and Geraldo Perdomo opened with consecutive walks. Corbin Carroll then reached on an error by third baseman Andruw Monasterio, with Moreno scoring.
Mets 10, Phillies 6
Brandon Nimmo hit the tie-breaking homer in the third inning and finished with three RBIs for red-hot New York, which beat visiting Philadelphia in the opener of a four-game series between the National League East rivals.
Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso hit back-to-back homers in the first inning and Francisco Alvarez hit a three-run shot in the fourth for the Mets, who scored at least 10 runs for a third straight game for the first time in franchise history.
Trea Turner briefly tied the game by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the third while Bryce Harper had a two-run double for the NL East-leading Phillies, who missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth.
Pirates 3, Cardinals 2
Nick Gonzales went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run and the decisive RBI as visiting Pittsburgh edged St. Louis.
Yasmani Grandal hit a home run for the Pirates, who avoided a four-game sweep. Luis Ortiz allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (4-5) recorded the victory and Aroldis Chapman earned his 10th save.
Brendan Donovan went 4-for-4 with two RBIs for the Cardinals. Erick Fedde allowed one run on four hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one. Reliever JoJo Romero (7-3) took the loss.
Guardians 3, Twins 2 (10 innings)
Andres Gimenez had three hits, including a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning, as Cleveland clinched a playoff spot by rallying to defeat visiting Minnesota.
With Minnesota’s Caleb Thielbar (2-4) on the mound and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez as the automatic runner at second base in the 10th, Josh Naylor struck out before Lane Thomas was intentionally walked. Gimenez then laced a hit to right field to end it.
Kyle Manzardo had a home run among three hits for Cleveland, which won for the fifth time in six games to earn at least a wild-card spot in the upcoming playoffs.
Orioles 5, Giants 3
Anthony Santander hit a game-ending, two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel Baltimore past San Francisco.
Santander fouled off four consecutive two-strike pitches from Ryan Walker before connecting for his 42nd homer of the year. Jackson Holliday hit a two-run single and Zach Eflin pitched six strong innings to help the Orioles snap a three-game losing streak.
Trying to protect a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth, Baltimore closer Seranthony Dominguez walked Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos to lead off the inning. Casey Schmitt hit a drive to right-center, with Baltimore outfielders Cedric Mullins and Austin Slater colliding on the play. Brett Wisely, who pinch-ran for Bailey, scored the tying run. Michael Conforto also homered for the second day in a row for the Giants.
Braves 15, Reds 3
Matt Olson and Michael Harris II each clubbed a pair of home runs as Atlanta crushed host Cincinnati in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Harris finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs scored. Ramon Laureano and Jorge Soler also smacked three-run homers for the Braves. Starter Chris Sale (18-3) set a career high by picking up his 18th win. He gave up two runs on five hits in five innings, walking two and striking out six.
Rookie Blake Dunn hit his first major league home run as part of a 2-for-3 day for the Reds, who have dropped five of their last eight. Dunn scored three times. Elly De La Cruz had three of Cincinnati’s 10 hits.
Mariners 3, Yankees 2
Logan Gilbert snapped a six-start winless streak as Seattle salvaged the finale of a three-game series with visiting New York.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered for the Yankees, who had clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 victory in 10 innings on Wednesday night and lead the AL East by four games over Baltimore.
Gilbert (8-11), who hadn’t won since Aug. 10, allowed two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out nine for the Mariners.
Blue Jays 4, Rangers 0
Kevin Gausman threw five hitless innings and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a pair of solo homers to back up a pair of early runs as Toronto won in Arlington, Texas.
Guerrero went 3-for-4 with three runs and a walk. Gausman (13-11) was perfect through 4 1/3 innings before surrendering a walk to Nathaniel Lowe. Gausman had six strikeouts on 58 pitches without allowing a hit before being removed because of “lower back tightness,” according to the team.
Texas, which had just two hits, lost for the sixth time in its last nine games. In his second major league start and home debut, Rangers rookie right-hander Kumar Rocker (0-1) surrendered two runs (one earned), two hits and four walks, striking out five in three innings.
Rays 2, Red Sox 0
Zack Littell allowed just one hit over seven innings as Tampa Bay blanked Boston in a combined one-hit shutout in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In an economical 75-pitch outing, Littell (8-9) fanned seven without a walk in his 28th start. He retired 21 of 22 batters he faced, allowing just a single to center by Nick Sogard in the third — the only Red Sox baserunner on the night. The Rays’ Brandon Lowe had an RBI, and Jose Caballero singled and produced his American League-leading 44th stolen base.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello yielded one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, recording seven strikeouts and two walks.
Cubs 7, Nationals 6
Dansby Swanson collected three hits and four runs and Cody Bellinger had three RBIs to lift host Chicago past Washington.
Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki launched a two-run homer and Ian Happ had three hits and scored twice. Isaac Paredes drove in a pair of runs for the Cubs, who banged out 12 hits to snap a modest two-game skid.
Washington’s Joey Gallo belted a three-run homer and James Wood, Andres Chaparro and Jose Tena each drove in a run. CJ Abrams recorded four hits and scored twice for the Nationals, who have yielded 29 runs during their four-game losing skid.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alexandra Eala fights for victory during rain-soaked day in Rome
Mar 21, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) celebrates after match point against Magda Linette (POL) (not pictured) on day five of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Alexandra Eala saved six of nine break points on Wednesday and rallied in the final set to register a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Magdalena Frech of Poland to win an Internazionali BNL d’Italia first-round match on a soggy day in Rome.
After rolling through the opening set, the Philippines native encountered trouble throughout the next two sets before dispatching Frech. Eala overcame a 3-1 deficit in the third set to land the victory.
“It was very tough, but I am very proud of myself because there were many moments, especially in the third set, where she could have pulled away, and perhaps the match would have slipped away,” Eala said. “But I am happy with how I resisted and fought.”
Eala faces Xinyu Wang of China in the second round. The No. 31 seed had a first-round bye.
Wednesday’s play included heavy rain that interrupted play. Two matches were suspended and will be completed Thursday.
The tournament also was jarred by withdrawals from Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk and Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu (illness).
Kostyuk won consecutive clay-court titles over the last three weeks at Rouen and Madrid — the latter marking her first 1000-level crown — but pulled out in Rome due to hip and ankle injuries.
“After the best stretch of my career, I was looking forward to Rome,” said Kostyuk, ranked a career-high No. 15. “But sometimes your body has other plans, and over the past few days I’ve been dealing with a hip issue. With my ankle still not fully at 100%, it’s just not smart to keep pushing right now, so I won’t be competing (in Rome) this year.”
Americans Caty McNally, Peyton Stearns and Taylor Townsend won their first-round matches.
McNally was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Daria Kasatkina of Australia, Stearns defeated Indonesia’s Janice Tjen 6-4, 6-4 and Townsend knocked off Italy’s Nuria Brancaccio 6-3, 6-2.
In other first-round play, Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko sailed to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Lucrezia Stefanini of Italy. Ostapenko converted all six of her break points to advance to a second-round match against sixth-seeded Amanda Anisimova.
Tatjana Maria cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 win over Poland’s Magda Linette and fellow German Laura Siegemund defeated Sara Bejlek of Czechia 6-4, 6-4. Katerina Siniakova, another Czech, sailed to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Lois Boisson of France.
Other first-round winners included Argentina’s Solana Sierra, Austria’s Anastasia Potapova, Czechs Karolina Pliskova and Tereza Valentova, France’s Leolia Jeanjean, Germany’s Eva Lys, Greece’s Maria Sakkari, Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, Italy’s Tyra Caterina Grant and Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic and Rebeka Masarova.
In the suspended matches, Switzerland’s Simona Waltert leads Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-5, 4-6, 4-1 and Italy’s Noemi Basiletti holds a 5-3 lead over Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the first set.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flyers hope home-ice advantage slows unbeaten Canes in Game 3
May 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) and Philadelphia Flyers left wing Noah Cates (27) battle over the puck in the first overtime in game two of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images Six games into the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes have yet to taste defeat.
The Hurricanes’ unbeaten tour makes a new stop Thursday when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for Game 3 of their second-round series.
After sweeping the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs, Carolina posted a 3-0 victory in Game 1 against Philadelphia. The Hurricanes appeared more vulnerable in Game 2 as they trailed 2-0 early in the first period and were outplayed for most of overtime. However, they prevailed 18:54 into the extra session when Taylor Hall poked home a loose puck
“It’s probably a good sign for us that we have another level and we all know it,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said after the 3-2 triumph. “We find ways, obviously, to get it done.”
Meanwhile, the Flyers are desperate for a victory as they return to home ice — where they went 2-1 during their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to come out with this one,” Philadelphia defenseman Jamie Drysdale said after Game 2, in which he opened the scoring. “There’s definitely things we can take and learn. We’ve got a few days here to regroup and come back hard at home.”
Adding another level of difficulty to his team’s comeback hopes, Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet announced Wednesday that the Flyers will play the rest of the series without center Noah Cates due to a lower-body injury suffered in Game 2.
Cates produced 18 goals, 29 assists and a team-best plus-26 plus-minus rating during the regular season before providing one goal and three assists in eight postseason games.
“He’s a huge part (of our team). He’s Mr. Consistency. He does a lot of things for us, but it’s no different than other teams — next man up,” said Tocchet, who noted that Trevor Zegras and Denver Barkey will see more time at center. “We’re good there. We’ll be OK.”
Philadelphia also could be without Owen Tippett (undisclosed injury) for the third straight game. He’ll be a game-time decision.
On the other hand, Carolina likely will welcome back a key piece to its lineup. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who suffered a concussion in Game 4 of the Hurricanes’ first-round series, is eligible to return Thursday.
“He’s been cleared and had a good practice, so he’s definitely an option for tomorrow,” Brind’Amour said Wednesday.
Carolina’s improving defensive depth, combined with Philadelphia’s precarious injury situation, puts even more pressure on Flyers rookies Porter Martone, Alex Bump and Barkey and the team’s other players experiencing their first playoff runs.
“I think from the first game to the second game, you saw improvement,” Tocchet said. “… I think going into Game 3, I think you’ll see more improvement. Our team improved from the first game to the second game. And I think the young guys were in that boat. So, yeah, really excited for those guys to play in this kind of atmosphere.”
The Hurricanes’ veteran-laden team has won 13 of its last 15 games dating back to March 31. Perhaps more relevant, they have won nine of their last 10 contests decided by one goal.
Their poise shined through in Game 2 when they had to overcome the early deficit, withstand the Flyers’ push in overtime and deal with seven power plays for the night.
“As this series goes on, you’re always expecting the best from the other team,” said Carolina center Sebastian Aho, who has yet to register a point in this series. “We’ve got to be ready for the next one.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Estevao rehabbing in Brazil with World Cup status in doubt
[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; SE Palmeiras forward Estevao (41) looks dejected after a quarterfinal match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images Estevao is rehabilitating in Brazil using the facilities of his former squad, according to a report Wednesday from The Athletic.
The Chelsea star suffered a hamstring injury during a loss to Manchester United earlier this month. Yet, instead of working on his rehab in London, he’s nursing the injury at Palmeiras, where he scored 18 goals in 62 appearances over three years.
A source revealed to The Athletic that the current arrangement is a short-term situation, with the 19-year-old expected back in London before the Premier League season ends May 24.
The injury nevertheless puts into question Estevao’s availability for a World Cup appearance this summer for his native Brazil. Several outlets have referred to the hamstring injury as “grad four,” which typically has a longer recovery time. As a five-time goal-scorer for his national team, his absence would be noteworthy during the tournament that begins June 11 and concludes July 19.
Estevao has two goals over 22 appearances this season for Chelsea (13-13-9, 48 points), which has three Premier Leagues games left.
–Field Level Media
