April 13, 2026 4:27 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has joined more elite company at the Masters. He pulled away with a pair of birdies around Amen Corner and, as usual, saved a little drama for the end before taking his place in Augusta National history as only the fourth back-to-back champion. McIlroy seized control for good with a bold shot over Rae’s Creek to 7 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th. Then he blistered a 350-yard drive on the par-5 13th that set up another birdie. There were a few dicey moments, but he shot a 1-under 71 to for a one-shot victory to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as repeat winners.
April 12, 2026 7:12 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Yohan Ramírez escaped bases-loaded jams in the 10th and 11th innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates took advantage of a throwing error by Caleb Thielbar to score the go-ahead run in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs that clinched the three-game series. Alex Bregman’s RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning on an 0-2 pitch off Dennis Santana tied the score 3-3 but the NL Central-leading Pirates rebounded and won for the eighth time in 10 games, improving to 2-0 this season in series against division rivals. Oneil Cruz was 4 for 5 with three steals.
April 12, 2026 7:11 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ilya Protas scored his first NHL goal and added two assists as the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Saturday. Ovechkin scored a late empty-net goal to pass Ron Francis for the fifth-most road points in NHL history. Ryan Leonard scored twice for Washington, Aliaksei Protas scored and Tom Wilson continued a six-game point streak with a goal and an assist. Logan Thompson stopped nine shots for the Capitals. Anthony Mantha scored his team-best 32nd goal, while Noel Acciari and Kevin Hayes also scored for Pittsburgh. Arturs Silovs made 25 saves for the Penguins.
April 12, 2026 7:09 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The 100th career matchup between generational stars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin never materialized during the Washington Capitals 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. But that didn’t stop the crowd from showing its appreciation for Ovechkin in what could be his final game in Pittsburgh. The Penguins opted to sit Crosby and several other regulars after securing a playoff berth for the first time since the 2021-22 season and home ice advantage throughout the first round. During a television timeout in the second period, the Penguins showed a video tribute honoring Ovechkin and his longstanding rivalry with Crosby.
April 12, 2026 7:15 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy started the third round of the Masters with a record six-shot lead through 36 holes. By the time he walked off the 11th green, it was gone. The Masters turned into a wide-open race for the green jacket on Saturday. Cameron Young, who won The Players Championship in his last start, posted a 7-under 65 and walked off Augusta National with a one-shot lead. McIlroy finally got going with a pair of birdies and shot 73 to tie him for the lead. But now nine other players are within five shots of the lead.
April 11, 2026 4:40 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run homer and Carmen Mlodzinski pitched six-hit ball into the sixth inning, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0. Pittsburgh was shut down by Shota Imanaga before breaking through against Caleb Thielbar in the seventh. Ryan O’Hearn hit a leadoff single for the Pirates’ first hit of the chilly afternoon, and Reynolds drove Thielbar’s next pitch deep to left for his third homer. Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in nine games since its 1-3 start. Chicago went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
April 11, 2026 4:33 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy is turning the Masters into a victory lap. The defending champion birdied six of the last seven holes for a tournament-best 65. He also set a Masters record for the largest 36-hole lead by putting six shots between him and his closest challengers. Sam Burns and Patrick Reed are tied for second. But this is looking like a one-man show. McIlroy chipped in from 30 yards on the 17th hole for the clearest sign everything was going his way. He now has 36 holes to become the fourth player to win back-to-back at the Masters.
April 11, 2026 4:36 am
SEATTLE (AP) — A statue has been unveiled of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki at the Seattle Mariners’ T-Mobile Park. There was just one problem at the ceremony Friday — a broken bat. As the club pulled the curtain off the statue, the bat in bronze snapped and flopped down as confetti sprouted up. Suzuki joked through an interpreter that Mariano Rivera got the best of him again. It did not take long for the Mariners to fix the statue. Suzuki’s bat was soon turned upright and reconnected at the handle. Suzuki last year became the third Mariners player to have his number retired by the franchise.
April 10, 2026 5:42 pm
CHICAGO (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run homer and Carmen Mlodzinski pitched six-hit ball into the sixth inning, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0. Pittsburgh was shut down by Shota Imanaga before breaking through against Caleb Thielbar in the seventh. Ryan O’Hearn hit a leadoff single for the Pirates’ first hit of the chilly afternoon, and Reynolds drove Thielbar’s next pitch deep to left for his third homer. Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in nine games since its 1-3 start. Chicago went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
April 10, 2026 4:29 am
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Evgeni Malkin scored as part of his two-point game, Sidney Crosby set up two goals and Kris Letang had an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched a playoff spot by defeating the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Thursday night. The Penguins are playoff-bound for the first time since 2022, ending a three-year drought that followed a streak of qualifying 16 seasons in a row. Crosby, Malkin and Letang have been around for all of it, including Stanley Cup runs in 2009, ‘16 and ’17.
