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Spring training roundup: Braves' Michael Harris II homers twice in same inning

MLB: Spring Training-Minnesota Twins at Atlanta BravesMar 4, 2025; North Port, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II (23) greets shortstop Orlando Arcia (11) before the start of the game against the Minnesota Twins during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Michael Harris II led off the fifth with a home run and added a three-run shot later in the frame to highlight a nine-run inning as the Atlanta Braves battered the host Baltimore Orioles 13-5 Wednesday in Sarasota, Fla.

Sandy Leon popped a three-run homer in the fifth while Nick Allen and Chandler Seagle cracked homers in other innings as the Braves built an 11-0 lead.

Atlanta starter Ian Anderson (2-1) gave up four walks, two hits and two runs in his four-inning stint to pick up the win.

Ryan Mountcastle and Dylan Carlson stroked homers for the Orioles. Jackson Holliday started at shortstop for the second time in three days and went 0-for-2. Dean Kremer (0-2) surrendered seven hits (including Harris’ first homer), three walks and four runs in four-plus innings.

Nationals 9, Astros 3

MacKenzie Gore fired 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball and Washington piled up 12 hits to claim the win over visiting Houston in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Gore (2-0) fanned six while allowing two hits and three walks. Backup shortstop Nasim Nunez posted two hits after entering the game for CJ Abrams, who legged out a triple in the first and then left with quadriceps cramps.

Nehomar Ochoa, a 19-year-old outfielder, went 2-for-2 with two RBI to pace the Astros. Starter Brandon Walter (0-1) struck out three in three innings but gave up four hits and two runs.

Mets 2, Cardinals 0

New York starter Paul Blackburn twirled four perfect innings, then A.J. Minter, Danny Young, Tyler Zuber and TJ Shook handled the rest as host St. Louis was blanked on two hits in Jupiter, Fla.

Blackburn (1-1) struck out two, and Francisco Lindor went 1-for-3 and stole his first base of the spring in the leadoff spot for the Mets. William Lugo poked a solo homer in the ninth to provide insurance.

Pedro Pages broke up the Mets’ no-no with a sixth-inning double. Victor Scott II added a single and his fifth steal in the ninth. Miles Mikolas (0-1) went five innings for the Cardinals and gave up just one run while fanning three, walking one and scattering five hits.

Tigers 5, Rays 1

Spencer Torkelson opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the fourth and finished with four RBIs as Detroit took care of visiting Tampa Bay in Lakeland, Fla.

Tigers starter Casey Mize struck out four, walked three and allowed one single and no runs in his 3 1/3-inning stint. Brenan Hanifee (1-0) followed Mize and earned the win while fanning four in 1 2/3 shutout innings. Gleyber Torres went 1-for-1 with two walks at the top of Detroit’s order.

Tanner Murray provided the Rays’ only run with an eighth-inning homer off Will Vest. Ryan Pepiot (0-2) struck out four in four innings but gave up three hits, two walks and two runs.

Rangers 4, Reds 3

Joc Pederson hit a three-run homer in the first inning to lead Texas to a win over visiting Cincinnati in Surprise, Ariz.

The Rangers split their innings among nine pitchers, and Jacob Webb (1-0) claimed the win for tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball while whiffing two. Adolis Garcia doubled and scored a run.

Nick Martinez (0-1) worked four innings for the Reds and allowed four hits and four runs (three earned). Jeimer Candelario poked a three-run double off Hoby Milner in the third to account for all of Cincinnati’s scoring. TJ Friedl added two hits from the leadoff slot.

Giants 11, Guardians 2

Tyler Fitzgerald went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs and an RBI as San Francisco rolled over host Cleveland in Goodyear, Ariz.

David Villar knocked two hits and scored two runs while Sam Huff added a solo homer for the Giants. Starter Tristan Beck (1-0) struck out three and allowed just one run and one hit in his 2 2/3-inning stint.

Bo Naylor cracked his third round-tripper of the spring for the Guardians, and Jose Ramirez added an RBI double. Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo (1-2) racked up nine strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings, but he surrendered four runs and six hits.

Diamondbacks 5, Athletics 2

Juan Corniel’s RBI single in the eighth snapped a 2-2 tie and guided visiting Arizona to the win over the Athletics in Mesa, Ariz.

Pavin Smith popped a solo homer for the Diamondbacks. Starter Ryne Nelson allowed just one baserunner during his 3 2/3 innings — a solo homer by CJ Alexander in the third.

A’s starter Osvaldo Bido went five innings and allowed four hits and two runs while fanning four. The Athletics’ top four hitters — Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers — combined to go 0-for-11.

Royals 7, Mariners 6

Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez smashed a second-inning grand slam, but it wasn’t enough as Tyler Tolbert drilled a two-run homer to spark a four-run ninth that rallied Kansas City past the host Mariners in Peoria, Ariz.

Vinnie Pasquantino rapped two doubles for the Royals. Starter Ross Stripling surrendered five runs (four earned) on five hits in his two innings. Austin Cox (3-0) claimed the win with a perfect eighth.

Rodriguez finished 2-for-3 with his third homer of the spring. Victor Robles went 2-for-4 with two runs and a solo homer from the leadoff spot. Seth Martinez (0-1) took the loss as he was responsible for Kansas City’s four-run ninth.

Rockies 13, Padres 2

Nolan Jones went 4-for-4 with a double, two runs and three RBIs to spark host Colorado over San Diego in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Sean Bouchard added a two-run homer as part of his three-hit, three-RBI day and Zac Veen contributed a bases-loaded triple as the Rockies racked up 17 hits. Bradley Blalock (2-0) picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief.

Jose Iglesias led off the game with a double and went 2-for-3 for the Padres. Robert Suarez (0-1) took the loss as he allowed four runs, five hits and one walk while retiring just one batter in the fourth.

Angels 1, White Sox 1

Chicago outhit Los Angeles 11-3, but the host White Sox went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position to end matters with a tie in Phoenix.

Miguel Vargas and Josh Rojas notched two hits apiece for the White Sox while starter Justin Dunn threw three hitless innings.

Jose Soriano handled the first three innings for the Angels and amassed five strikeouts while yielding three walks, five hits and one run. Former White Sox catcher Chuckie Robinson forged the tie with an RBI single in the eighth.

Red Sox 6, Twins 5

RBI singles by Marcelo Mayer and Mark Kolozsvary in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Boston to a win over visiting Minnesota in Fort Myers, Fla.

Triston Casas hit a three-run homer for the Red Sox in the first inning. Boston starter Tanner Houck was tagged for five runs on eight hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.

Ryan Jeffers knocked in two runs while Matt Wallner and Carlos Correa each collected two hits for the Twins. Joe Ryan permitted four runs on two hits (including Casas’ slam) in 2 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

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A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24

WNBA: Playoffs-Las Vegas Aces at New York LibertyOct 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

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Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series

MLB: Seattle Mariners at AthleticsMay 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

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Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement

Boxing: Pacquiao vs UgasAug 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

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