KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jose Trevino capped a six-run first inning with a three-run homer, Gleyber Torres added a three-run drive in the seventh and the New York Yankees romped over the Kansas City Royals 11-5 for their third straight win in the four-game series. Giancarlo Stanton hit a 449-foot, two-run homer into shrubbery next to a waterfall beyond left-center, a night after hitting a 446-foot home run. The major league-best Yankees are 49-21, have won 12 of their last 15 games and have outscored the Royals 25-8 in the series. New York is 17-1 against the AL Central.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hunter Renfroe’s left big toe is not fractured, the Kansas City Royals said two days after the team initially announced it was broken by a foul ball. Kansas City said Renfroe is expected to miss two-to-three weeks, down from six-to-eight weeks. Renfroe was hurt Monday when he fouled off a pair of pitches off left-hander Carlos Rodón in the third inning. The outfielder got off to a slow start this season but had raised his batting average to .200 with six homers and 26 RBIs.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado and Iván Herrera each had three hits, Sonny Gray pitched seven strong innings, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2. Arenado scored a run and drove in one while Herrera also scored a run. Brendan Donovan added two hits and an RBI. Gray (8-4) gave up one run and four hits while striking out nine and walking just one. Ryan Helsley gave up aa leadoff single in the ninth before finishing up for his major league-leading 22nd save. Bailey Falter (3-4) gave up three runs and eight hits in four innings to lose his second straight start.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The College World Series opens Friday at Charles Schwab Field and, for the first time since the event expanded to eight teams in 1950, only two conferences will be represented on the college game’s biggest stage. The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference have combined to send the most teams to the CWS over the last decade, including this year. Their exclusivity in the 2024 field hints at an even greater concentration of power in the sport as college athletics move into an era where players, already able to move around freely, can make more money than ever.
UNDATED (AP) — The College World Series begins its annual run in Omaha, Nebraska, this week. It opens Friday with an all-ACC matchup between North Carolina and Virginia in the afternoon and Tennessee of the SEC playing Florida State of the ACC at night. Saturday’s games match Kentucky of the SEC against Georgia or North Carolina State in the afternoon and Texas A&M against Florida in an all-SEC meeting at night. Bracket winners will play in the best-of-three championship series starting June 22.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The NCAA’s recent agreement with the major conferences that sets a path towards schools directly paying athletes could have major consequences for softball. At a time of significant growth and visibility in the sport, some coaches are concerned money could be steered away, threatening softball's stability once the rules fully take shape. Among the concerns are programs getting shut down because money is going to other sports and money being distributed so a limited number of athletes at the top. Much lies in the hands of decision makers to ensure the future of the sport.
DALLAS (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and the Boston Celtics held off a furious Dallas rally to reach the brink of a record 18th championship with a 106-99 victory over the Mavericks for a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals. No team has rallied from 3-0 down in an NBA playoff series. Jaylen Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Celtics extended their franchise record with a 10th consecutive playoff victory. The Mavs almost pulled off a crazy comeback to avoid the big hole. Boston led 91-70 at the end of a 20-5 run early in the fourth quarter before Dallas answered with a 22-2 spurt to get within a point.
UNDATED (AP) — Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, has died. The Los Angeles Clippers say West died Wednesday morning with his wife, Karen, by his side. He was 86. West was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, and he won both NBA and Olympic titles. He was an All-Star in all 14 of his NBA seasons and won the 1972 championship with the Lakers. West was later the general manger of eight Lakers championship teams.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Florida captain Aleksander Barkov practiced again after being knocked out of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final in the third period after Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl launched toward him and hit him in the head. Head coach Paul Maurice said the team will make a final decision about Barkov’s Game 3 status on Thursday, but the star “felt better” Wednesday. Barkov has two assists but hasn’t scored yet in the series. Neither has Matthew Tkachuk. That hasn’t been a problem for the Panthers, who control the series thanks to the scoring of other contributors like Evan Rodrigues and Niko Mikkola.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers’ absence is no big deal as far as Robert Saleh and the New York Jets are concerned. The quarterback not being present for the team’s two-day minicamp made headlines when Saleh announced Tuesday neither Rodgers nor edge rusher Haason Reddick would attend and both were unexcused absences that were subject to fines. Saleh said Rodgers was away for a previous commitment that “is very important to him” and something he told the team about ahead of time. Saleh said there's no issue with Rodgers and more is being made of the situation outside the facility.
PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Pinehurst No. 2 is the site of this year's U.S. Open that starts Thursday. Much was made about replacing rough with the original sandy areas dotted with clumps of wiregrass for the previous U.S. Open at Pinehurst. But it's all about the domed, Donald Ross greens. That much hasn't changed. They've been called turtlebacks and upside-down cereal bowls. But they are a problem. And that's probably why a total of four players have broken par for the U.S. Open the previous three times at Pinehurst. Viktor Hovland is among those who say Pinehurst will be a supreme test.
PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Colin Prater feels a little like Kevin Costner’s character in “Tin Cup” this week — a relative unknown who suddenly finds himself on one of golf’s biggest stages at the U.S. Open. So you can't blame him for being a little nervous. After all, his full-time job is a biology teacher and golf coach at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs. He punched his ticket to the U.S. Open by finishing second at a 36-hole qualifier in Bend, Oregon. He's had a chance to practice this week with former U.S. Open champions Wyndham Clark and Jordan Spieth, as well as Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala. And he's even gotten advice from Rory McIlroy. Now his goal is the make the cut.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Minnesota 17 Colorado 9
Final Milwaukee 5 Toronto 4
Final San Francisco 5 Houston 3
Final San Diego 5 Oakland 4
Final Baltimore 4 Atlanta 2
Final Washington 7 Detroit 5
Final Chicago Cubs 4 Tampa Bay 3
Final Cincinnati 4 Cleveland 2
Final Boston 8 Philadelphia 6
Final L.A. Angels 8 Arizona 3
Final Texas 3 L.A. Dodgers 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Yankees 11 Kansas City 5
Final Seattle 2 Chicago White Sox 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Mets 10 Miami 4
Final St. Louis 4 Pittsburgh 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS