April 12, 2021 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – JT Brubaker pitched into the sixth inning and had the first three RBIs of his career to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Chicago Cubs 7-1. Brubaker allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and one walk. His two-run single down the right-field line capped a three-run second inning and gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead. Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds had the third four-hit game of his career. Trevor Williams áwas hit hard in his return to Pittsburgh, where he spent the first five seasons of his career before being released in November.
April 12, 2021 4:01 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – Hideki Matsuyama has become the first Japanese male to win a major championship. Matsuyama has captured the Masters by closing with a 1-over 73, good enough for a one-stroke win over Will Zalatoris. A five-time winner on the PGA Tour, Matsuyama took control of the tournament with a brilliant 65 on Saturday, doing his best work after a rain delay softened the greens. The new champion struggled to close it out. He carried a four-shot lead into the final round and was five ahead at the turn. Xander Schauffele got within two shots with three holes remaining following four straight birdies. But Schauffele’s chances of catching up ended with the first triple-bogey of his major championship career, a 6 on the par-3 16.
April 11, 2021 7:28 am
PITTSBURGH — Mitch Keller’s stuff has never been in question. It’s a lack of command that sometimes handcuff the pitcher the Pittsburgh Pirates view as one of the cornerstones of what they’re trying to build around. The 25-year-old has been searching for it all spring, with little progress to show for all the work he was putting in on the side. The search came to an end on Saturday night against Chicago. Working effectively up in the strike zone, Keller threw five efficient innings as the Pirates used an early burst to chase Zach Davies in an 8-2 win over the Cubs. Keller (1-1) bounced back from a rocky 2021 debut by allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and just one walk. Keller’s fastball can touch the high 90s. Locating it effectively, however, is another matter. He walked batters in 11 1/3 innings in spring training and issued four free passes in three innings in a loss to the Cubs last weekend. Things went far better in his second go-round with Chicago. At one point he retired nine of 10 batters and threw 57 of his 80 pitches for strikes, a significant step in the right direction after he threw just 42 of 77 pitches for strikes while laboring through three innings against Chicago last Sunday. Colin Moran, Bryan Reynolds and Jacob Stallings all drove in two runs during Pittsburgh’s seven-run outburst in the second against Davies (1-1). Phil Evans, with his brother Michael in the stands for the first time since Evans broke into the majors in 2017, added his team-high third home run.
April 11, 2021 7:31 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The storms that stopped play for a little more than hour Saturday at the Masters were expected. The masterpiece delivered by Hideki Matsuyama after the break was not. Matsuyama played the final eight holes in 6-under par, turning a two-shot deficit into a four-shot lead. With four flawless swings and three putts late on the back nine at Augusta National, he went from part of a logjam on the leaderboard to the cusp of becoming the first Japanese player to win a major. The final touch was a superb par save from 25 yards behind the 18th green for a 7-under 65, the only bogey-free round this week at the Masters. It all started in his car, where the 29-year-old waited out the storm delay. Part of the time was playing on his phone. He also thought about his last shot, a drive into trees right of the 11th fairway. Matsuyama was at 11-under 205, four shots clear of Xander Schauffele (68), Justin Rose (72), Marc Leishman (70) and Masters rookie Will Zalatoris (71).
April 10, 2021 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – An usher who spent more than 80 years guiding Pittsburgh Pirates fans to their seats through varying stages of success and failure by the team has died. Phil Coyne was 102. The team said Coyne died Friday. Coyne began working for the Pirates in 1936. For the next eight decades he served as a fixture in the stands as the franchise moved from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park. Pirates chairman Bob Nutting called Coyne a true legend.
April 10, 2021 3:50 am
(AP)- Bryan Rust scored twice and Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists in leading the streaking Penguins to a 6-4 victory over the Devils. Jared McCann, Brian Dumoulin and Colton Sceviour also scored as the banged-up Pens won their second game in as many nights to get within two points of the East Division lead. Casey DeSmith made 25 saves in snapping a personal two-game losing streak.
April 10, 2021 3:47 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -Justin Rose continues to lead the Masters, but his advantage has shrunk from four to one shot over Brian Harman and Will Zalatoris. Rose is 7 under following his even-par 72 that included three birdies on the back nine. Zalatoris climbed the leaderboard with a 4-under 68, while Harman signed off on a 69. Jordan Spieth (speeth) and Marc Leishman are two strokes back and one ahead of six others, including Justin Thomas. Defending champ Justin Thomas missed the cut, as did Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka.
April 10, 2021 3:53 am
(AP) – Athletes, coaches and advocates are calling on the NCAA to act in response to state laws banning transgender athletes from competing in organized sports. The NCAA has had a transgender inclusion policy since 2011 and requires states that host championships to provide an environment that is “safe, healthy and free of discrimination.” The organization has said it is monitoring the wave of proposed bills and laws enacted that impact transgender student-athletes. Conservative lawmakers in at least 28 states have introduced legislation to ban or limit transgender athletes from competing on teams or sports that align with their gender identity.
April 9, 2021 3:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Kris Letang and Evan Rodrigues scored in the second period and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 5-2. Radim Zohorna and Jason Zucker each added a goal and an assist, Mark Jankowski also scored and Letang and Rodrigues also each had an assist. Tristan Jarry stopped 22 shots to help Pittsburgh snap a two-game skid. The Penguins beat the Rangers for the sixth time in eight games this season. Colin Blackwell and Kevin Rooney scored for the Rangers, who were 3-0-1 in their last four games. Igor Shesterkin finished with 27 saves.
April 9, 2021 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jayy Baez hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning and the Chicago Cubs’ struggling offense came to life in a 4-2 over Pittsburgh. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo also homered for Chicago as the Cubs pounded out a season-high 11 hits against Tyler Anderson (0-2) and four Pittsburgh relievers. Baez, Rizzo, Bryant and Jake Marisnick had two hits each as Chicago raised its major-league worst team batting average from .143 to .157. Adam Frazier and Gregory Polanco had two hits each for the Pirates but couldn’t stop Pittsburgh from dropping its sixth straight.
