June 4, 2026 4:29 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Cam Smith hit a tiebreaking two-run triple to cap Houston’s six-run eighth inning, Isaac Paredes homered and the Astros overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-9 on Wednesday night. Yordan Alvarez had four hits and two RBIs for the Astros. Smith and Paredes had two hits and three RBIs apiece. AJ Blubaugh (3-2) pitched the eighth inning to get the victory. Josh Hader made his season debut and worked a scoreless ninth for the save, ending the Pirates’ winning streak at four. Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti, who went 4-1 in five starts with a 0.93 ERA in May, allowed four runs in four innings. Henry Davis hit his first career grand slam in the fourth inning for Pittsburgh.
June 4, 2026 4:34 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred worries the owners’ salary cap proposal could lead to a work stoppage like the one that canceled the 1994 World Series. Owners last week made their first cap proposal since then, citing the failure of the luxury tax system. Manfred says the current system isn’t working and emphasized the need for a framework to address competitive balance. Players have vowed to fight the cap. The current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, and management is expected to impose a lockout. MLB would limit spending in 2027 and establish a payroll floor to force some teams to spend more.
June 4, 2026 4:32 am
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The New York Knicks’ winning streak lives on, and they struck first in the NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the finals on Wednesday night. OG Anunoby had 17 points for New York — which has won 12 consecutive playoff games, the sventh team to have such a streak in NBA history. Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but he shot 6 for 21 from the field in his finals debut.
June 4, 2026 4:30 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Ten-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson has confirmed in a video posted to social media that that he’s retiring from the NFL to take a job with CBS Sports. Wilson’s announcement came two days after news broke that he was finalizing a deal to become an analyst on CBS’ Sunday NFL pregame show. In the video, Wilson called working on “The NFL Today” his “next chapter.” Wilson played 14 seasons after being taken by Seattle in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. He spent his first 10 seasons with the Seahawks before playing for Denver, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants.
June 3, 2026 4:26 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Oneil Cruz and Brandon Lowe both hit three-run homers and Endy Rodríguez added a two-run shot to power the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-6 win over the Houston Astros. Jake Mangum tied a career-high with four hits to help the Pirates to their fourth straight victory. Houston’s Yordan Alvarez had three RBIs and hit his 21st home run, which ranks second in the majors behind Kyle Schwarber’s 22. But his big game wasn’t enough to keep the Astros from their third loss in four games. Pittsburgh starter Bubba Chandler allowed five hits and four runs _ three earned _ in five innings.
June 3, 2026 4:27 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Linebacker Nick Herbig says he wants to be a Pittsburgh Steeler for life. He might be on his way after agreeing to a contract extension with the club. A person with knowledge of the agreement told the Associated Press the deal is for four years and could be worth up to $100 million. Herbig, a fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2023, is coming off a career-best 7 1/2 sacks last season. He skipped some portions of practice during the beginning of mandatory minicamp while his agent and the Steelers ironed out the details. Herbig isn’t the only young Pittsburgh defender seeking a new deal. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. says he wants to be among the highest-paid players at his position in the league.
June 3, 2026 4:29 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tomas Hertl took a backhand pass from Colton Sissons and beat Frederik Andersen from the slot with 3:24 left, lifting the Vegas Golden Knights past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Tuesday night’s opener of the Stanley Cup Final. It marked Vegas’ seventh straight win of the playoffs. Game 2 of the series is Thursday in Raleigh. Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas. Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice for Carolina, while Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere also scored for the Hurricanes.
June 3, 2026 4:30 am
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — For a few hours on Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks held practices on a floor that had the NBA Finals logo painted at midcourt. They did interviews with the logo as a backdrop. They saw finals mentions basically everywhere they looked. It might have seemed normal. It wasn’t. This stage — the NBA Finals — is new to just about everyone on the Spurs and Knicks rosters, meaning very few players on either side can have any real idea of how the moment will seem on Wednesday night when the 80th title series in league history gets underway in San Antonio.
June 2, 2026 2:25 am
Washington County baseball and softball teams swept their PIAA first-round playoff games Monday, while the two Greene County softball squads hit the end of the road. Fort Cherry baseball, Chartiers-Houston & Bentworth softball all posted shutout wins. The Rangers scored the game’s only run three batters in as Colton Temple singled home Landon Trnavsky, then made it stand up to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years, winning at Everett, the District 5 champion. Everett loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but could not push the tying run across the plate. Chartiers-Houston softball followed with their 20th all-time first round state playoff victory. Sydney English bunted home one run in the fourth, Aubree Randolph singled home the other run in the fifth, and Taryne Drilak crafted a complete-game three-hit shutout as the Bucs knocked off the District 6 champion Bellwood-Antis. Bentworth’s win over Wilmington was much less dramatic as the Bearcats rode a Sydney Gonglik perfect game to a six-inning run-rule win over the District 10 runner-up. Sites and times for Thursday’s quarterfinals will be released Tuesday morning. We’re planning to carry all three games on the WJPA Sports Network. Watch/Listen Here
Monday, June 1
PIAA Baseball First Round Baseball Brackets
2A Fort Cherry > Everett, 1-0, Watch/Listen Here
PIAA Softball First Round Softball Brackets
2A Chartiers-Houston > Bellwood-Antis, 2-0, Watch/Listen Here
2A Bentworth > Wilmington, 10-0 (6), Watch/Listen Here
1A Cambridge Springs > Jeff-Morgan, 8-1
1A Berlin Brothersvalley > Carmichaels, 2-0
June 2, 2026 4:21 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have acquired right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash. The 31-year-old Lawrence was 0-2 with a 5.32 ERA in 23 appearances for the Pirates this season. He was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on Friday, and Minnesota acquired him on Monday night. Lawrence debuted with Colorado in 2021 and spent four seasons with the Rockies before Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers in March 2025. He has a 5.05 ERA over 222 major league appearances, all in relief.
