Yankees torpedo bats boom to start season
The New York Yankees set a new franchise record on Saturday afternoon when they hit a combined nine home runs in their 20-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Bronx Bombers spoiled the return of fan-favorite Nestor Cortes Jr, who surrendered consecutive home runs to Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge on his first three pitches of the game. It was the first time in Yankees history that batters hit back-to-back-to-back homers to lead off a contest.
Austin Wells hit another bomb in the first, joining Anthony Volpe with his second homer in as many days. Jazz Chisholm launched his first of the season, and even Oswald Peraza got in on the fun with a seventh-inning shot. But ultimately, it was Aaron Judge who reigned supreme, clobbering three homers with a grand slam and eight RBI.
Read more on the Yankees
St. John’s loses star as RJ Luis declares for NBA Draft, enters transfer portal
RJ Luis Jr., the star wing for the St. John’s Red Storm has declared for the NBA Draft, as well as entering the transfer portal.
This was an outcome that head coach Rick Pitino and his staff knew was possible – it was a “mutual decision,” per Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
At this point in time, it’s unlikely that Luis will be drafted in the first round of the draft selection in June. The 6-foot-7 junior averaged 17.5 points per game, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, while being a force defensively, forcing 1.9 turnovers per game.
St. John’s managed to retain Zuby Ejiofor, who was an integral part of this team’s success. Along with Luis, Kadary Richmond has run out of years of eligibility, so two of the team’s top-three scorers will not be on next season’s roster.
Read more on St. John’s
Rangers return to playoff spot
The New York Rangers are back in a playoff spot.
The Rangers beat the San Jose Sharks 6–1 on the road Saturday night, following a regulation loss to the Los Angeles Kings and an overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Saturday’s win slotted the Rangers back into the second Wild Card spot — the club is up to 77 points in 74 games played.
Their spot is hardly secure for the time being. The Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets, who are tied for third in the Wild Card, each have 75 points and two games in hand on the Rangers.
The Rangers return home to face the Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
NYCFC loses again, blows 3-1 lead to Atlanta
It went from bad to worse for NYCFC on Saturday night as they faced Atlanta United, losing 4-3 after initially taking a 3-1 lead.
After a draw last weekend against the Columbus Crew, manager Pascal Jansen and his squad hoped they could continue that momentum in Georgia. However, defensive lapses in concentration and a late winner saw the Pigeons drop what would have been another three points on the road.
Despite the result, goals from Hannes Wolf and Alonso Martinez showed that, offensively, the Boys in Blue are slowly finding their groove in attack.
NYCFC will look to bounce back from this result on April 6 when they take on Minnesota United at Yankee Stadium.
