NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso homered and Luis Severino earned his first win for the New York Mets, who snapped Kansas City’s seven-game winning streak with a 6-1 victory over the Royals. Brett Baty hit a two-run double and the Mets scored all five of their runs off starter Michael Wacha with two outs. New York reached double digits in hits for the fourth consecutive game and has won six of eight following an 0-5 start. Coming off a 7-0 homestand that marked the longest winning streak in the majors this season, the surprising Royals were looking for their first eight-game winning streak since a nine-game run in July 2017. Salvador Perez homered for Kansas City.
PHOENIX (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer, Paul Goldschmidt had the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh and the St. Louis Cardinals rebounded from blowing a six-run lead to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-6. Lars Nootbaar added a two-run homer for the Cardinals in his return from the injured list. The Diamondbacks rallied from a 6-0 deficit, tying it with six runs in the fifth. Eugenio Suárez had the big blow with a tying, three-run homer off Giovanny Gallegos that just cleared the fence. The Cardinals shook off the collapse and jumped ahead 7-6 on Goldschmidt's single.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his 175th home run in the majors, tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese-born player. He reached the mark with a solo shot during the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 8-7 loss in 11 innings against the San Diego Padres. Ohtani drove an elevated outside fastball by Michael King 403 feet into the center-field stands with one out. It was his fourth homer in eight games. Earlier, a federal judge ordered Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former longtime interpreter, to undergo gambling addiction treatment in a sports betting case stemming from allegations he stole $16 million from Ohtani.
NEW YORK (AP) — The major league batting average dropped seven percentage points to .242 in the first two weeks of the season, while the average time of a nine-inning game rose two minutes to 2:39 in the second season of the pitch clock. Major League Baseball implemented restrictions on defensive shifts last year, when the batting average rose to .249 in the first 14 days from .230 the comparable period in 2022 and .235 in 2021. Last year’s final average of .248 was up from .243 in 2022 and .244 in 2021. The average rises during the course of the season as weather warms.
MIAMI (AP) — The Atlanta Braves say ace Spencer Strider will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, performed the procedure on Friday. Strider complained about discomfort in his elbow after pitching four innings in Atlanta’s 6-5 win over Arizona on April 5. An MRI the next day revealed damage to his UCL. Strider was 20-5 in 2023 and led MLB in wins and strikeouts. He had a 7.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts in two starts this year.
NEW YORK (AP) — A baseball agent at Bad Bunny’s Rimas Sports firm has lost his certification with the Major League Baseball Players Association. ESPN first reported the revocation, citing anonymous sources who said other agents had alleged improper benefits provided to players. The union declined to comment Friday on the reason for its decision to strip William Arroyo of his right to represent MLB players. Arroyo declined comment for now but said he would have something to say soon. The decision is subject to an appeal before a member of the American Arbitration Association, according to the union’s agent regulations.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to undergo court-ordered gambling addiction treatment after federal prosecutors accused him of stealing $16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts. Ippei Mizuhara’s initial appearance in federal court on Friday marked the first time the interpreter has been seen in public since the scandal exploded last month. Mizuhara’s attorney says he is seeking an agreement with the government to resolve the case. Ohtani says he is very grateful for the investigation and wants to focus on baseball going forward.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Perhaps the top perk for the 60 players who survived the wind at the Masters was getting a more pleasant weekend at Augusta National. Flags are flapping Saturday morning instead of crackling. There should be enough wind to create doubt. But the third round is shaping up to be more about scoring than surviving. Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa are tied at the top. The weekend also includes Tiger Woods. It always does at the Masters when he has been healthy enough to play. Woods set the Masters record with his 24th cut in a row. He's seven shots back.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods has claimed more history at Augusta National, making the cut for a record 24th consecutive time. Of course, his sights are fixated on a far greater goal — a sixth green jacket. Woods broke the cut record he shared with three-time champion Gary Player and 1992 winner Fred Couples. Woods finished the second round at 1-over 145 for the tournament, safely above the projected cut line of 4 over. It was a grueling day for the five-time Masters champion, even more so considering the 48-year-old has endured numerous injuries, countless surgeries and a devastating car wreck that nearly cost him his right leg. He had to play the final five holes of the rain-delayed first round, then played another 18 holes after a short break.
WACO, Texas (AP) — Scott Drew will remain as Baylor’s men’s basketball coach, stating his desire to “bring more championships” to the program on social media after being linked to the Kentucky coaching vacancy following John Calipari’s departure to Arkansas. Drew mentioned his Christian faith in a post on X and expressed gratitude for support from athletic director Mack Rhoades and Baylor President Linda Livingstone. Alabama coach Nate Oats and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan have also expressed commitment to their current coaching jobs.
FRIDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 2 San Francisco 1
Final N.Y. Mets 6 Kansas City 1
Final Milwaukee 11 Baltimore 1
Final Colorado 12 Toronto 4
Final Cincinnati 11 Chicago White Sox 1
Final Seattle 4 Chicago Cubs 2
Final Oakland 2 Washington 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Cleveland 12:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Detroit 8 Minnesota 2
Final L.A. Angels 7 Boston 0
Final Texas 12 Houston 8
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Pittsburgh 5 Philadelphia 2
Final Atlanta 8 Miami 1
Final St. Louis 9 Arizona 6
Final San Diego 8 L.A. Dodgers 7
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Chicago 129 Washington 127
Final Philadelphia 125 Orlando 113
Final Boston 131 Charlotte 98
Final Cleveland 129 Indiana 120
Final New York 111 Brooklyn 107
Final Miami 125 Toronto 103
Final San Antonio 121 Denver 120
Final L.A. Lakers 123 Memphis 120
Final Minnesota 109 Atlanta 106
Final Detroit 107 Dallas 89
Final Houston 116 Portland 107
Final New Orleans 114 Golden State 109
Final Utah 110 L.A. Clippers 109
Final Phoenix 108 Sacramento 107
Final Oklahoma City 125 Milwaukee 107
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Carolina 5 St. Louis 2
Final Nashville 5 Chicago 1
Final OT Arizona 3 Edmonton 2
Final Vegas 7 Minnesota 2
Final Calgary 6 Anaheim 3