KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. had four hits, including two home runs, and five RBIs and the Kansas City Royals used a nine-run first inning to defeat the Houston Astros 13-3 to complete a three-game sweep and extend their winning streak to seven games. The Royals completed a perfect seven-game homestand against the White Sox and Astros. It’s just the third time in franchise history they’ve played at least seven games on a homestand without a loss. The other two: seven games in 1988 and eight games in 1985, the year they won their first World Series. The Royals sent 15 men to the plate in the first inning, tying a club record with 11 hits in the inning.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau was the mad scientist. Then he was the incredible bulk. This next iteration might be really daunting. DeChambeau says this is his golf phase, and it was impressive in the wind-blown opening round of the Masters. He opened with a 65 for his best start in a major and leads by one shot over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The round couldn't be completed because of a two-and-a-half hour weather delay. The greens were soft, but the wind was raging. Gusts were close to 40 mph. Tiger Woods was holding steady at 1 under through 13 holes.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods is off to a rousing start in his pursuit of more Masters history. And maybe an improbable run at a sixth green jacket. Woods wasn't able to complete the rain-delayed opening round at Augusta National, getting in 13 holes before sundown. But he was 1-under and looking fitter than he has in years, drawing huge cheers from a massive gallery that hung on his every swing. It was an extremely encouraging start for the five-time champion, who is currently tied with Gary Player and Fred Couples with 23 consecutive times making the cut. Of course, Woods has his sights on an even bigger goal — pulling even with Jack Nicklaus for the most Masters titles.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy caught a break when his tee shot hit a tree on the ninth hole at Augusta National and kicked out into the middle of fairway, giving him a workable second shot. McIlroy saved par and used that momentum to shoot 71, his first sub-par opening round at the Masters since 2018. That leaves the No. 2 player in the world six shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau in his quest to win his first green jacket. McIlroy is hoping to join Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only players to complete the modern Grand Slam by winning all four majors.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — BYU basketball coach Mark Pope is negotiating with Kentucky to succeed John Calipari, according to multiple reports. Pope was a member of Kentucky's 1996 NCAA championship team. CBS and ESPN both reported Thursday night that a deal between Pope and Kentucky was imminent. Earlier Thursday, Baylor’s Scott Drew announced on social media that he was staying with the school, eliminating one potential candidate for the Wildcats job. Calipari stepped down on Tuesday after 15 years. The Hall of Famer was hired the next day as Arkansas' coach.
GLENN HEIGHTS, Texas (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has surrendered to police on charges including aggravated assault after he and another driver of a speeding sports car allegedly caused a crash on a Dallas highway last month. A spokeswoman for Rice’s attorney confirmed to The Associated Press in the evening that Rice turned himself in at the Glenn Heights Police Department. Rice is being represented by Texas state Sen. Royce West. Rice was booked into the Regional Jail in DeSoto and released on bond. Police said Wednesday that arrest warrants had been issued for the 23-year-old Rice for one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury.
DALLAS (AP) — SMU football player Teddy Knox has been suspended after being identified as the second driver along with Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice in a high-speed, chain-reaction crash in Dallas. The school says it was made aware of an arrest warrant for Knox issued by Dallas police. The school is declining to offer further details on the suspension, citing student privacy laws. The 21-year-old Knox and Rice are facing multiple counts in connection with the crash April 6.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities have charged the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani with federal bank fraud. Prosecutors allege that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole more than $16 million from the Japanese sensation to cover gambling bets and debts. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday at a press conference in Los Angeles. Mizuhara was abruptly fired by the team after the scandal surfaced last month and Major League Baseball opened a separate investigation. Prosecutors say Ohtani was the victim in the case. Mizuhara's attorney declined to comment Thursday.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson has died. The decorated football star who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but wound up in prison years later in an unrelated case died Wednesday. He was 76. His family made an announcement Thursday in a statement on Simpson's X account. Simpson said last year that he was battling prostate cancer. Simpson’s gridiron legacy was forever overshadowed by the 1994 knife slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. A criminal court jury found him not guilty of murder, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable. Simpson's nine-year prison stint in Nevada was for the armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers.
THURSDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota at Detroit 5:40 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Kansas City 13 Houston 3
Final Oakland 1 Texas 0
Final Baltimore 9 Boston 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee at Cincinnati 12:40 p.m. (Postponed)
Final N.Y. Mets 16 Atlanta 4
Final Philadelphia 5 Pittsburgh 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Chicago 127 Detroit 105
Final New York 118 Boston 109
Final Utah 124 Houston 121
Final Golden State 100 Portland 92
Final New Orleans 135 Sacramento 123
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Florida 4 Columbus 0
Final Buffalo 4 Washington 2
Final Philadelphia 4 N-Y Rangers 1
Final New Jersey 6 Toronto 5
Final OT Pittsburgh 6 Detroit 5
Final SO Ottawa 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final OT N-Y Islanders 3 Montreal 2
Final Winnipeg 3 Dallas 0
Final San Jose 3 Seattle 1