Sports
Blue Jays take Game 4 over Yankees to secure first ALCS trip since 2016
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The Toronto Blue Jays are heading to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) after defeating the New York Yankees, 5-2, in Game 4 of the ALDS, Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
It marks the first time the Blue Jays have reached the ALCS since 2016, and they will face the winner of Game 5 between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers in their ALDS series.
After a come-from-behind victory for the Yankees in Game 3 to stay alive in the series, momentum was certainly on the side of the home team in the Bronx entering Game 4. That was especially the case with Cam Schlittler, the darling rookie of the Wild Card round who shut down the Boston Red Sox to help his squad move on in the postseason.
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Yariel Rodríguez of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts during Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, in New York. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
But much like they have all series, the Blue Jays scratched and clawed their way to runs, and it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting the job done once more in the first inning. With George Springer hitting a leadoff double to open the game, Guerrero served a single to right field to get Toronto on the board first.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider was working a bullpen game, meaning he would pick and choose the right matchups with his relievers. He went with Louis Varland, who gave up the game-tying three-run homer to Aaron Judge on Tuesday night, as well as the eventual game-winning solo shot to Jazz Chisholm Jr., to start the game.
Varland did his job, but Mason Fluharty allowed the Yankees to tie the game when Ryan McMahon, the No. 9 hitter, turned on an offspeed pitch and sent it over the short porch in right field to make it 1-1.
In the top of the fifth inning, Toronto saw its eight and nine hitters, Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez, giving their team an opportunity after they both hit singles to set up runners at the corners with nobody out. Springer hit a sacrifice fly to retake the lead, though the Blue Jays couldn’t get more there.
It was still too close for comfort for the Blue Jays, as the Yankees were knocking at the door in the bottom of the sixth inning with runners on first and second – the first time they had runners in scoring position all night. But Chisholm grounded out to second base to end the threat of tying, or even better for the home team, taking the lead.
Then, the most pivotal moment came in the top of the seventh inning when Clement once again singled to get on base. Gimenez hit a sharp liner in the next at-bat, but it appeared to be an inning-ending double-play ball as it was going right to Chisholm. But Chisholm couldn’t handle it and there were runners now on second and third with one out.
Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes hits a two-run RBI single during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Devin Williams came into the game, relieving Schlitter after he went 6.1 innings for his squad. He got Springer to strike out, a massive swing-and-miss, as the Yankees were close to getting away from a potentially fatal mistake.
But Nathan Lukes, the 31-year-old high-contact guy, slapped a single to center field, scoring Clement and Gimenez to make it a 4-1 game. Though only three runs, it felt like more considering the Yankees weren’t able to get runners on base consistently like they were in Game 3.
The Blue Jays would add one more in the top of the eighth inning thanks to Myles Straw connecting on a single to right field to score Alejandro Kirk, but it was always going to be the rest of Toronto’s bullpen that would really shut this game down.
The Yankees threatened with runners in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings, but the Blue Jays were able to head back into the dugout unscathed. The biggest pitch was Jeff Hoffman, Toronto’s closer, working out of a bases-loaded jam after Austin Wells flew out to left field.
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reacts after hitting a two-run homer during Game 3 on Tuesday. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
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Hoffman got the final three outs needed to start the celebration, as the Yankees and their fan base were left stunned with their season complete.
The Blue Jays finished the game with 12 total hits to the Yankees’ five, and they used eight different pitchers to get the job done.
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Michigan’s Fred Richard won his second straight all-around individual crown Saturday night, and Cooper Kim and Jun Iwai each won individual titles to lead Stanford to its sixth NCAA men’s gymnastics championship since 2019.
Richard took home silver in the floor and parallel bars as he ran away with his third all-around individual national championship with a score of 83.598. Nebraska’s Max Odden (78.698) was second, 0.432 ahead of third-place Kristian Grahovski of Ohio State.
Stanford had 329.825 points, second-place Oklahoma finished with 328.495 and Michigan — the defending national champion — was third with 324.857. Asher Hong (14.300) took silver and Nick Kuebler (14.166) bronze on the rings in the final rotation to seal it for the Cardinal. Asher Cohen finished with a 14.500 to become the first Nebraska gymnast to win the rings since Jim Hartung in 1982.
Stanford claimed the program’s 11th national gymnastics championship; the Cardinal have won at least one NCAA team title for 50 straight seasons, since the men’s water polo team beat UCLA 13-12 for the national championship on Nov. 28, 1976. The next longest active streak is North Carolina’s seven straight years with at least one team title.
Iwai had a 14.433 on the vault, tied with Nebraska’s Tyler Flores for first. Landen Blixt of Michigan was third (14.366).
Flores, Nathan Roman (14.800 on the parallel bars) and Kelton Christiansen (14.400, high bar) each won individual titles for the second-place Sooners.
Kim scored a 14.466 to win gold on the floor to beat Richard (14.400). Kuebler and Tate Costa of Illinois finished third with 14.166.
Brandon Dang (Illinois) won the pommel horse with a score of 14.700, Michigan’s Aaronson Mansberger was second (14.566) and Colby Aranda of Oklahoma finished third with 14.133 points.
CHICAGO — The New York Mets will have to defy the odds if they plan on making the postseason this year after dropping their 10th consecutive game on Saturday, a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Only three teams in the divisional era (since 1969) have made the postseason after a double-digit losing streak — including last year’s Cleveland Guardians.
“No one is going to feel sorry for us,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the latest defeat. “We have to keep going. We haven’t been playing good baseball. We have 5½ months ahead. We have the opportunity to write our own story.”
The Mets say they can’t point to any single thing which has led them to their longest April losing streak in franchise history. They certainly aren’t hitting enough, scoring just 18 runs during the streak, the fewest for them over 10 games since June 3-5, 2018.
They’re also making bad pitches, like the one reliever Brooks Raley made to pinch hitter Carson Kelly in the sixth inning Saturday. Kelly deposited Raley’s first pitch cutter into the left-field bleachers for a three-run home run, breaking a 1-1 tie. The Cubs cruised to victory from there.
“We haven’t been able to put together a complete game,” Mendoza said. “It’s either the offense or starting pitching, like not making [that] pitch, not making a play, not getting a big hit. Just having a hard time playing a complete game right now.”
Mendoza’s job is seemingly safe after president of baseball operations David Stearns said Friday he thought his third-year manager was doing a good job and is putting players in a position to succeed. Of course, things can change if the losses continue to pile up for the Mets, who missed the postseason last year after a disastrous second half.
The team is trying not to focus on the negative this early in the season.
“It’s a big boy league,” infielder Marcus Semien said. “There is no time to dwell on tonight. Tomorrow is a new day … It’s as simple as showing up tomorrow with a good attitude. Hopefully other guys see a smile on my face when I show up.”
Semien and Mendoza offered up few solutions to the team’s plight, though getting All-Star Juan Soto back from a calf injury should help. But that won’t happen for a few more days. With DH Jorge Polanco (wrist) on the shelf as well, the Mets will need others to step up.
A late winter overhaul by Stearns led to a positive feeling about the team entering this season. But those additions, like Saturday’s starter Freddy Peralta, haven’t produced enough. Third baseman Mark Vientos did hit a long home run in the loss but New York’s offense was mostly quiet the rest of the day.
Mendoza was asked how he thought Mets fans were feeling right now.
“They have the right to be pissed and frustrated,” he said. “They care. Just like we do. … I understand how they’re feeling. I’d be pissed too, if I was a fan. I’m pissed. They’re pissed.”
The 10-game losing streak is the longest in April since the 2023 White Sox. The loss has the Mets 6½ games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, an unusually large deficit for this time of year.
“It’s frustrating to lose baseball games and when you lose this many in a row, it compounds,” Semien said. “The game does not own you any wins. You have to go out and get it.”
The Mets rank in the bottom half of the league in most offensive and pitching categories, including home runs. They’ve hit just 15 this season, only ahead of the San Francisco Giants for fewest in the National League. Their starting pitching isn’t much better, ranking 21st in ERA.
The team is hoping Sunday will bring them different results.
“We have to do something to get in the W column,” Semien said. “No one is showing up thinking about how it’s going to happen again. We’re thinking about how we’re going to win.”
Mendoza added: “Were putting ourselves in a hole right now. There is only one way to [get out of] it. Come back tomorrow, ready to go.”
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
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Seth Rollins was supposed to be going up against Gunther at WrestleMania 42 on Saturday night but he wasn’t expecting a freight train to run through him.
Rollins appeared to be in the driver’s seat toward the end of the match. He hit Gunther with a pedigree on the announce table and followed up with a storm. All he had to do was get Gunther back in the ring and finish the job. As the referee tended to Gunther, a wild Bron Breakker appeared.
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Bron Breakker performs during WrestleMania 42 Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (WWE)
Breakker ran down the side of the entrance ramp at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas at full speed and tore through Rollins with a gnarly spear. He rolled Rollins back in the ring, spat on him and waited for Gunther to finish the job.
Gunther put Rollins in a sleeper hold, forcing “The Revolutionary” to tap out.
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Gunther has his arm raised by the referee after defeating Seth Rollins during their match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Gunther walked to the back as the winner. Breakker was hung around to pick apart the scraps.
Breakker sprinted back down the ramp and hit Rollins with another crushing spear, stunning the crowd.
Breakker has been out of action for a few weeks with an injury, likely costing him a match of some kind at WrestleMania 42. Nevertheless, he still had bad blood with Rollins as their rivalry turned up a notch.
Seth Rollins enters the arena before his match against Gunther on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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This will not be the last of Breakker and Rollins. On the flip side, Paul Heyman will now owe Gunther a favor. It’ll will be interesting to see how the favor gets cashed in.
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