April 19, 2025 4:12 am
At one point Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates were down by as much as eight runs and they kept fighting back. Derek Shelton’s team brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough and the Pirates lost 10-7 to the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park. There was another bright spot as Oneil Cruz once again led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a home run. That was the second game in a row for the center fielder. Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3) takes the loss. The Pirates and Guardians are at it again today on the North Shore in Pittsburgh.
April 19, 2025 4:16 am
The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of questions as they prepare for the NFL draft. The Steelers, who have the 21st overall pick, don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback. Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers is weighing whether to sign with Pittsburgh as a free agent. The team also has Mason Rudolph, who helped lead them to the playoffs in 2023. Pittsburgh brought in QB prospects Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart for pre-draft visits but also has other issues it needs to address, most notably along a defensive line that was pushed around during a late-season swoon.
April 19, 2025 4:18 am
There was Toronto in 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023 and Boston in 2024. Six different seasons, six different champions. A run of parity like none other in NBA history. And now the Celtics get their turn at bucking that trend. Boston will try to win back-to-back NBA titles, something no franchise has managed since Golden State did it in 2017 and 2018. The NBA playoffs start Saturday with four Game 1s, continue Sunday with four more Game 1s and just like that a 16-team, two-month journey will be off and running.
April 18, 2025 4:32 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin put on a show in the regular-season finale, showcasing their greatness in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals. Ovechkin finished his record-breaking season by netting his 897th career goal in the second period. Crosby, meanwhile, finished his 20th season in the NHL with a goal and an assist to push him past the 90-point barrier for the ninth time. The Capitals begin the quest for the franchise’s second Stanley Cup on Monday against the Montreal Canadiens. Bryan Rust scored twice for Pittsburgh to finish the season with a career-best 31 goals and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 18 shots for the Penguins.
April 18, 2025 4:30 am
Aaron Rodgers is in no rush to make a decision about his future. The free-agent quarterback said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday that he is “not holding anybody hostage” as he weighs whether to return for a 21st season. Rodgers was released by the New York Jets in March. The 41-year-old four-time NFL MVP has visited the Pittsburgh Steelers and talked with the Minnesota Vikings in recent weeks. Rodgers said he will keep the lines of communication open, but added that there are certain things going on in his personal life that are currently taking precedence over anything related to football.
April 18, 2025 4:34 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz hit a leadoff home run, Andrew Heaney pitched 7 1/3 innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 1-0. Cruz hit a grand slam in Wednesday’s 6-1 win and has four home runs this season. Pittsburgh won 1-0 on a leadoff homer for only the second time since 1900 after Carlos García’s drive off the Marlins’ Chris Hammond on Sept. 14, 1993, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Heaney gave up all five National hits, walked two and struck out four. Ryan Borucki and Dennis Santana preserved the Pirates’ first shutout this season, with Santana earning his second save.
April 18, 2025 4:29 am
Major League Baseball says Washington Nationals pitcher Jorge López has been suspended three games and fined for throwing at Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen. López was ejected from Wednesday night’s game against the Pirates after a high pitch near McCutchen’s head led to the benches briefly clearing in the seventh inning. The right-hander has filed an appeal of the suspension, which was set to begin Thursday but will not take effect until that process is done. Nationals manager Dave Martinez received a fine and one-game suspension because of the incident.
April 17, 2025 4:21 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz hit a leadoff home run, Andrew Heaney pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 1-0. Cruz’s homer was his fourth of the season and second in consecutive games. He hit a grand slam in Wednesday night’s 6-1 win over Washington. Heaney gave up all five Nationals hits, walked two and struck out four. Ryan Borucki and Dennis Santana preserved the Pirates’ first shutout of the season with Santana earning his second save. Washington starter Trevor Williams pitched five innings and gave up three hits and the one run. Nathaniel Lowe had two hits for the Nationals.
April 16, 2025 4:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz hit his first career grand slam to help Bailey Falter and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 6-1. Henry Davis also connected for Pittsburgh, which had dropped four of five. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two hits and scored run. Falter allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings. Washington wasted a sharp performance by Mitchell Parker, who tossed six innings of one-run ball. The Nationals scored their only run on Alex Call’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.
April 16, 2025 4:32 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Washington Nationals pitcher Jorge López was ejected from the team’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after a pitch near Andrew McCutchen’s head led to the benches briefly clearing. In the seventh inning Wednesday, López hit the previous batter Bryan Reynolds with a pitch before facing McCutchen, who had to fall to the ground to avoid getting hit by a 92 mph ball near his head. As the umpires gathered to discuss the incident, McCutchen and López started arguing, which caused both benches to empty. Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham was also seen yelling while being held back by teammate Oneil Cruz.
