Sports
Trump administration sues Minnesota over prediction market ban
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minnesota, testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during a hearing on state immigration enforcement policy in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025. The federal government is fighting Minnesota’s decision to outlaw prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued the state to block its new bill, signed into law Monday by Gov. Tim Walz, that among other things makes it illegal to host prediction markets or offer or advertise “event contracts” for a wide range of events.
The Minnesota law covers athletic events, esports events and games of skill as well as trading on the outcomes of emergencies, assassinations, short-term weather events, popular culture events or even “whether a person will make a particular statement.” Violators could be charged with felonies.
Minnesota was the first state to enact any outright ban on prediction markets. Critics of Kalshi, Polymarket and similar companies say the idea of trading “event contracts” amounts to gambling on real-world outcomes while skirting gambling regulations. Experts also believe insider trading can run rampant in these contracts as some outcomes can be either manipulated or known in advance by certain individuals.
The law was to go into effect Aug. 1, but CFTC chairman Michael Selig said in a statement that it “turns lawful operators and participants in prediction markets into felons overnight.”
The Trump administration’s CFTC has sued five other states — Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, New York and Wisconsin — for their attempts to limit prediction-market companies from offering sports contracts in their states.
Sports betting is regulated by the states, and prediction markets’ entry into sports may threaten the business of others operating legally in that space.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trent Grisham (knee) exits Yankees-Blue Jays game
May 12, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) looks on during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham exited Wednesday’s game against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays because of left knee discomfort.
The Yankees said he was checked out by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad and will undergo further testing.
In the second inning, Grisham hit a pop up off Trey Yesavage that fell between left fielder Yohendrick Pinargo and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto.
Grisham jogged slowly to first base as he thought the ball was going to get caught. He accelerated to second when it was not fielded and appeared to be running awkwardly.
Grisham exited after the Yankees batted in the fourth and was replaced by rookie Spencer Jones, who played most of his minor league games in center field.
Grisham is hitting .174 with six homers and 27 RBIs in 49 games this season. He hit .235 with 34 homers and 74 RBIs last season and accepted the one-year $22.5 million qualifying offer to return to the Yankees in the offseason.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Carmen Mlodzinski gets plenty of support as Pirates shut out Cardinals
May 20, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski (50) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates got a home run from Spencer Horwitz as they emphatically snapped their four-game losing streak with a 7-0 win over the host St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Carmen Mlodzinski (3-3) threw five scoreless innings for Pittsburgh, which outhit the Cardinals 15-5. Four relievers completed the shutout. Rookie Konnor Griffin led the way for the Pirates offensively with a 4-for-5 night and three runs scored.
There was also a milestone moment for Pirates center fielder Jhostynxon Garcia, who recorded his first career RBI in the win. Garcia was making only his second start for Pittsburgh after being called up on Tuesday.
JJ Wetherholt went 2-for-4 at the top of the St. Louis order and Victor Scott II hit a double.
Mlodzinski worked around a single and a walk to strand two on base in the first inning. The Pirates struck first in the top of the second with Horwitz’s fourth home run of the season.
Pittsburgh mounted a two-out rally in the fourth to extend its lead. After Griffin reached on his first of two infield singles and Endy Rodriguez walked, Garcia’s RBI single doubled the Pirates’ advantage.
Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy (3-3) was chased after loading the bases without recording an out on three consecutive singles in the sixth. Justin Bruihl came on in relief and got out of the jam, but not without allowing Pittsburgh to add on with Nick Gonzales’ sacrifice fly.
McGreevy finished with three runs allowed in five-plus innings. The right-hander struggled to miss bats, allowing 10 hits and striking out only one hitter.
St. Louis also loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but Yohan Ramirez struck out Masyn Winn, and Jake Mangum made a sliding grab at the wall in right to rob Cesar Prieto of extra bases and keep the shutout intact.
The result was put beyond doubt when Pittsburgh put up four runs off Matt Svanson in the eighth. Mangum and Gonzales hit RBI singles before Bryan Reynolds blew open the inning with a two-run double.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Second-period surge leads Knights past Avalanche in West finals opener
May 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) scores past Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) during the second period in game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images DENVER — Dylan Coghlan and Pavel Dorofeyev scored 2:33 apart in the second period, Carter Hart made 36 saves, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday.
Brett Howton also had a goal and Nic Dowd scored into an empty net for Vegas, which grabbed home-ice advantage from the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night in Denver.
Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog scored while Scott Wedgewood turned away 24 shots for Colorado, which trails in a series for the first time in this postseason.
Vegas captain Mark Stone (lower-body injury) and Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) were scratched.
Both teams had chances in a scoreless first period. Keegan Kolesar nearly gave the Golden Knights the lead on a partial breakaway early on. Logan O’Connor hit the post for the Avalanche, and Hart made a save on Nazem Kadri in the waning seconds of the period.
Vegas finally broke through at 12:29 of the second period. Brandon Saad sent a pass to Coghlan in the slot, and Coghlan’s wrister beat Wedgewood through the pads for his first goal of the postseason.
Colorado’s Ross Colton took a roughing penalty less than two minutes later, and the Golden Knights took advantage. Mitch Marner stretched out with the puck and whipped a pass to Dorofeyev coming down the right side. Dorofeyev sent a one-timer to the short side past at 15:02, his 10th goal of the playoffs.
Vegas made it 3-0 early in the third after killing off a Colorado power play. Howden knocked down the rebound of Ben Hutton’s shot with his glove and tapped the puck by Wedgewood at 1:34.
The Avalanche answered at 5:53 when Nichushkin redirected Colton’s pass beyond Hart.
Wedgewood came off when Colorado went on the power play at 16:52, and Landeskog cut the deficit to one at 17:39.
The Avalanche pulled Wedgwood again, but Dowd sealed it into an empty net at 19:15.
–Field Level Media
Trent Grisham (knee) exits Yankees-Blue Jays game
Carmen Mlodzinski gets plenty of support as Pirates shut out Cardinals
