Sports
Sam Burns torches par 5s to grab early Masters lead
Apr 9, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Sam Burns plays his shot from the fifth tee during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Sam Burns took advantage of Augusta National’s longest holes in posting a 5-under-par round of 67 to take the early first-round in the 90th edition of the Masters Tournament on Thursday.
Burns got his round rolling by sinking an 11-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second hole. After dropping a shot on the seventh, he immediately gained it back with a birdie on the par-5 eighth. Burns also birdied both par-5s on the back nine and added another with a birdie on the par-3 12th.
It added up to the best round of Burns’ Masters career, besting the 68 he posted in the first round in 2023. In 12 previous rounds through four previous appearances at Augusta National, that had been the lone time Burns had broken 70 until Thursday.
Patrick Reed also reached 5 under by eagling both par-5s on the front nine to make his turn in 31, but the 2018 Masters champion gave a shot back at No. 10 before putting a ball in the water on the par-5 15th for another bogey.
Kurt Kitayama finished an eventful day at 3-under 69. He reached 4 under through 10 holes before a bogey on No. 11 and a double bogey on the short par-3 12th. He was able to card birdies on two of his final holes to get to the clubhouse among the early leaders.
Bryson DeChambeau, who is seeking to build on his best Masters finish of fifth place last year, was at even par beginning hole Nos. 11-13 known as “Amen Corner.” DeChambeau put his approach shot on No. 11 into the bunker behind the green. He then failed to get out of the bunker on his first two attempts and ended up carding a triple bogey on the hole.
NOTES: The 91-player field includes 22 first-time players — six amateurs and 16 professionals. Each amateur is paired with a Masters champion for the first two rounds of the tournament.
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
Sports
A's recall RHP Joey Estes from minors, option RHP Kade Morris
Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes (68) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images The Athletics made a change of right-handers on their pitching staff, recalling Joey Estes from their Las Vegas affiliate and optioning Kade Morris to the Triple-A club.
Estes, 24, went 2-6 with a 5.95 ERA in 12 starts for Las Vegas this season. He struck out 39 and walked 38 in 59 innings.
Last year, Estes made two early-season starts and one midseason relief appearance for the Athletics, going 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA.
Across parts of three major league seasons, all with the A’s, Estes owns a 7-12 record and a 5.51 ERA. He has fanned 105 and walked 35 in 148 2/3 innings.
Morris, a 23-year-old rookie, was rocked by the Astros on Saturday in his major league debut. In four-plus innings, he allowed nine runs on nine hits, three of them homers. Morris struck out four and walked three, taking the loss as the Athletics fell 13-3 in Houston. He hasn’t pitched since.
The moves involving the Las Vegas affiliate come as the A’s are in the midst of playing a series in the minor league park in Sin City against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Athletics are building a stadium in Las Vegas and plan to move there from their temporary home of West Sacramento, Calif., in 2028
–Field Level Media
Sports
Otto Lopez contributes early and often as Marlins defeat D-backs
Jun 9, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (6) hits an RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Otto Lopez, whose .341 batting average leads the majors, went 3-for-5 with four runs and the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning as the host Miami Marlins defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 on Tuesday night.
Joe Mack, Miami’s rookie catcher, went 4-for-4 with three runs as the Marlins improved to 6-1 over their past seven games.
The Diamondbacks, just 3-8 in their past 11 games, were led by Ketel Marte, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Arizona was also helped by solo home runs from Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno.
Brandyn Garcia (0-1), who entered the game with a 0.69 ERA, took the loss due to Miami’s four-run eighth-inning rally. Mack singled, advanced on a hit-by-pitch and scored on Lopez’s 105-mph single. The Marlins added Javier Sanoja’s two-run single and Esteury Ruiz’s RBI double.
All four runs were charged to Garcia, whose ERA ballooned to 3.29. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) struck out two in the ninth for Miami.
Arizona needed just six pitches to take the lead as Carroll hammered a one-out solo homer. Carroll got a high fastball and drilled it 400 feet to the upper deck in right for his 11th homer of the season.
Miami tied the score in the bottom of the first as Lopez doubled and scored on Xavier Edwards’ single over second baseman Marte’s glove.
The Marlins went up 2-1 in the second as Mack singled and scored from first on Connor Norby’s 392-foot double to left-center.
Lopez scored again in the third as he doubled, stole third and trotted home on Edwards’ deep sacrifice fly.
Arizona cut its deficit to 3-2 in the fourth on Moreno’s 417-foot blast to left-center.
Miami chased Arizona starter Zac Gallen in the sixth before taking a 6-2 lead on Liam Hicks’ RBI double and Kyle Stowers’ two-run double.
Arizona kept battling in the seventh as Tommy Troy walked, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Marte’s 103-mph double to left-center, making it 6-3.
The Diamondbacks tied the score 6-6 in the eighth. After Arizona loaded the bases with one out against reliever Tyler Zuber, Miami went to Calvin Faucher, who allowed all three inherited runners to score on Marte’s two-run single and Carroll’s RBI groundout.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Randy Arozarena goes deep in 10th to lift Mariners past O's
Jun 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18) applies the tag for an out at home plate to Baltimore Orioles right fielder Tyler O’Neill (9) during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images Randy Arozarena hit the second pitch of the 10th inning for a two-run home run and the Seattle Mariners held on to defeat the host Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Tuesday night.
It was Arozarena’s third hit of the game and seventh homer of the season. Seattle’s Mitch Garver hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and Logan Gilbert pitched six strong innings.
The Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game.
The Mariners won for the second night in a row to assure no worse than a split in the four-game series. The Orioles have lost four straight.
Seattle’s Victor Robles, who had two singles, joined Arozarena as the game’s only players with more than one hit. Arozarena also drove in a run in the seventh with a two-out single.
Gilbert recorded outs on 14 consecutive Baltimore batters to cap his outing, which concluded after 105 pitches. He gave up one run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Mariners reliever Jose Ferrer threw 42 pitches in the ninth as he blew the save, but he wriggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation with the winning run on third. Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso did not deliver, so the game went into extras and Ferrer (1-1) ended up with the win. Rookie Nick Davila notched his first career save.
Baltimore’s Coby Mayo homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth on a Ferrer full-count pitch. Jeremiah Jackson followed with a pinch-hit single and Tyler O’Neill laced a double after fouling off three two-strike pitches. Samuel Basallo hit into a fielder’s choice to tie the score, then Taylor Ward walked to load the bases.
Baltimore pulled within 6-5 in the 10th on Leody Taveras’ RBI single, but the Orioles didn’t score again despite having runners at the corners with no outs.
Orioles starter Trevor Rogers went 5 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Rico Garcia (3-1) was charged with the loss.
Garver had only seven RBIs this season coming into the game. His third home run of the season, coming with two outs in the fourth, boosted that total into double figures. Arozarena and Rob Refsnyder reached on singles to set up Garver.
Baltimore began the scoring in the first inning when Ward led off with a single and scored on Taveras’ sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
The Orioles threatened in the second with O’Neill’s one-out walk followed by Sam Huff’s ground-rule double. But O’Neill was out at the plate on Ward’s grounder before Henderson struck out.
The Orioles didn’t have another base runner until Mayo reached on an error to begin the bottom of the seventh. That was followed by Jackson Holliday’s infield single and O’Neill’s double-play grounder. Mayo scored on Alex Hoppe’s two-out wild pitch to make it 4-2.
–Field Level Media
