The U.S. women’s national team downed China, 3-0, largely dominating a Saturday friendly that came with some signs that newer U.S. players are forging strong connections.

The USWNT controlled the match from start to finish at Allianz Field, with Catarina Macario and Sam Coffey scoring first-half goals amid long spells of possession. Lindsey Heaps would head home a third early in the second half on an assist from Michelle Cooper, who was lively throughout.

Lo’eau LaBonta, Cooper’s teammate in the NWSL with the Kansas City Current, became the oldest player to gain their first senior USWNT cap, while goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce ultimately had little to do in her second cap. China was initially to be the USWNT’s opponent in both matches in this window, but opted instead to play just this one match. The USWNT will instead play Jamaica on Tuesday, June 3.

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Paris Saint-Germain claimed the UEFA Champions League title for the first time in club history, destroying Inter Milan 5-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich – the largest-ever margin of victory in the European final.

PSG got started early with Achraf Hakimi scoring in the 12th minute, doubling their lead less than 10 minutes later with a goal from teenager Désiré Doué, who had assisted on the opener. Doué added PSG’s third goal in the 63rd minute to put the game out of reach, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia netted the fourth for the French champions. Substitute Senny Mayulu, also 19 years old, pushed PSG’s advantage to 5-0 with a score in the 86th minute.

PSG’s European crown comes as something of a surprise after falling short with some of the greatest players in the world since Qatar Sports Investments took control of the club in 2011. This season was PSG’s first without Kylian Mbappe, the French superstar who led his country to a World Cup in 2018 and joined Real Madrid last summer.

‘It’s a mix of joy, of all the emotions we’ve spent together. I’ve suffered but I’ve grown up with this team,’ said Marquinhos, the only player who also started PSG’s loss in the 2020 final. ‘I think of all the players who have come through and not succeeded. My idol Thiago (Silva), Zlatan (Ibrahimovic), (Edinson) Cavani, (Angel) Di Maria. So many players who have come through here who deserved this and didn’t succeed. Now we’re here and we’re bringing it home.’

‘I’m thinking of all the supporters who have been with us, those at the Parc and those around the world. I love you, enjoy it and we’re going to enjoy it here. This is the best day of my life.’

The Parisians join Marseille (1993) as the only French teams to win Europe’s top club competition, five years after losing the final to Bayern Munich in an empty stadium during COVID.

Here’s how Saturday’s action unfolded:

Paris erupts in Champions League celebrations

Wild celebrations erupted across Paris on Saturday, with thousands of soccer fans descending on the boutique-lined Champs Elysees boulevard. Inside the club’s Parc des Prince stadium, transformed into a giant fan zone for the night, with giant screens in the centre of the pitch, 48,000 people let out a roar of ecstasy at the final whistle.

‘Total euphoria, crazy atmosphere,’ said Gilles Gaillot who had been watching the game in the Paris stadium. ‘It made up for the wait and the years of disappointment. Finally Paris and its supporters have been rewarded,’ Gaillot added.

Supporters in the French capital set off fireworks and hung out of moving cars waving PSG scarves, delighting in their side’s first victory in European soccer’s top tournament. Nearby, the Eiffel Tour lit up in PSG’s blue and red colors. On the Rue de Rivoli, which runs past the Louvre museum, joyful crowds thronged the street.

Some 5,400 police were deployed across the city for the post-match celebrations.

Police on the Champs Elysees used tear gas and pepper spray to maintain order. A police spokesman said a car was set alight near the Parc des Princes and that several dozen had arrests had been made by the time the match ended.

– Reuters

Doué goal! PSG leads 3-0

Désiré Doué may have clinched the Champions League title for PSG, with the 19-year-old scoring his team’s third goal in the 63rd minute. It’s an unbelievable performance from the French teenager, scoring two goals in this final after assisting on his team’s opener.

60th minute: PSG 2, Inter Milan 0

Not much action through 15 minutes in the second half as Inter Milan tries to get back into this final with time ticking away. Yann Bisseck, Carlos Augusto and Nicola Zalweski have come on for Inter, replacing Benjamin Pavard, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Federico Dimarco.

HALFTIME: PSG leads Inter Milan 2-0

PSG seized control of the Champions League final with two goals in the first 20 minutes, leaving Inter Milan shell-shocked at the Allianz Arena in Munich. PSG is now 45 minutes away from its first Champions League title.

While the Italian side grew into the game and applied some pressure in the final 20 minutes of the half, PSG has 12 shots to Inter’s two.

Desire Doue goal! PSG up 2-0 through 20 minutes

PSG doubled its lead with a goal from Desire Doue, the 19-year-old’s shot taking a deflection past Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer at the end of a sweeping counter-attack.

The 2-0 advantage looks insurmountable right now with Inter Milan struggling to get the ball out of its own half in the early stages of this game.

Achraf Hakimi goal! PSG leads Inter 1-0

PSG took the lead just 12 minutes into the final at the Allianz Arena, with wing back Achraf Hakimi pushing forward to score from close range on an assist from Desire Doue.

Hakimi also scored against Aston Villa in the quarterfinals and Arsenal in the tournament semifinals.

Champions League final lineups: PSG, Inter Milan team news

PSG: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos (captain), Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele.

Inter Milan: Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez (captain), Marcus Thuram.

What time is the Champions League final today?

Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET.

Where is the Champions League final?

The Allianz Arena in Munich is hosting the 2025 Champions League final. Home of German club Bayern Munich, the stadium previously hosted the the 2012 final with Chelsea defeating Bayern in penalty kicks.

Linkin Park performs before Champions League final

Prior to kickoff, Linkin Park performed on the field at the Allianz Arena. The group won Grammy Awards in 2002 and 2006, the latter for a collaboration with Jay-Z.

Paris prepares for Champions League final

The French capital was getting ready on Saturday morning for the evening’s Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan, with shops and police tightening security while fans shared excitement.

Although the match will be held in Munich, a PSG victory would be expected to spark celebrations in the club’s home city which could escalate into disturbances, and 5,400 police officers are deployed ahead of the game.

Thousands of PSG fans are expected to gather in the city to watch the match on screens at various locations including the Parc des Princes. France’s famed Le Fouquet’s brasserie on the Champs Elysees avenue barricaded its windows, so did some banks and other shops. Police were preventing cars from parking on the avenue.

– Reuters

Champions League odds: PSG vs. Inter Milan

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook as of 5/31, 11:30 a.m. ET

Moneyline (regular time)

PSG: +115
Draw: +240
Inter Milan : +250

To lift the trophy: PSG: -160 // Inter Milan: +130

Inter Milan wearing alternate kit in Champions League final

Inter Milan will dress for the occasion by wearing their third, golden yellow kit in Saturday’s Champions League final when they face PSG in Munich.

Since the Parisians are designated as the home team in the final, they will wear their first-choice kit – navy blue shorts and shirts with a white and red stripe in the centre – so Inter cannot play in their classic black and blue striped jerseys.

The Italians, however, did not opt for their second strip – white shirts with blue details – choosing to wear the third kit instead, a golden yellow shirt with black details and black shorts.

– Reuters

Ousmane Dembélé scoring at will for PSG

Once the poster boy for unfulfilled potential, Ousmane Dembele has emerged as the unexpected protagonist in PSG’s Champions League run.

Dembele’s scoring renaissance has led to a compelling new chapter in a career previously defined by tantalising glimpses of genius interrupted by frustrating inconsistency. The statistics tell a story of almost alchemical transformation: 32 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions, including 21 in Ligue 1, more than in his previous five seasons combined.

– Reuters

PSG could win title without Kylian Mbappe

Luis Enrique’s Ligue 1 champions, backed by owners Qatar Sports Investments, have been impressive in Europe with a cohesive brand of football that marks a clear departure from the star-driven, sometimes disjointed squads of PSG’s recent past.

‘They (PSG) buy into their coach’s game plan, you can see it, and it shows in everyone’s activity,’ former PSG coach Luis Fernandez, who led the club to their only European title in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996, told Reuters. ‘No-one’s playing the star, even though they’re all stars, and I admire that.’

Since Qatar Sports Investments took control of the club in 2011, big-spending PSG have dominated domestic football but have fallen short in Europe, with their only previous Champions League final ending in defeat by Bayern Munich in 2020.

 – Reuters

Inter Milan tries to salvage season with UCL final

A season which once promised so much for Inter Milan now hangs on Simone Inzaghi’s experienced side beating PSG, giving Saturday’s decider in Munich the feel of a last-chance saloon for the Italian club.

Inter, hurting from a failed league title defense, also seek redemption for the lost final two years ago against Manchester City in Istanbul and, for many of the club’s elder statesmen, this will be seen as their ultimate opportunity. Inzaghi now has the difficult task of getting his team back on their feet after the players were on their knees only last Friday when the Serie A Scudetto went to Napoli on the final day of the season.

‘The championship just concluded left us with something to remember,’ Inzaghi told reporters on Monday. ‘There is a lot of suffering in myself and in the players, it’s pointless denying it.’

– Reuters

Marquinhos ‘not going to go down without a fight’

PSG captain Marquinhos knows what it is like to lose a Champions League final and is not going to let a second chance slip without a fight when they face Inter Milan in Munich, the Brazilian defender said on Friday.

Marquinhos was a member of the PSG side which lost the 2020 final to Bayern Munich, but has the opportunity for redemption as the club look to secure their first Champions League trophy on Saturday.

‘We’ve been through highs, we’ve been through lows,’ Marquinhos told reporters. ‘Tomorrow we’ve got a beautiful opportunity. We could go down in history. This would be great for the club, for the players.

‘This is my second chance to win a Champions League final and I’m not going to go down without a fight.’

– Reuters

He has gone coast-to-coast since 2021, which was his final season with the Seattle Seahawks. Since then, he’s made stops with the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers before inking a deal with the New York Giants for the 2025 season.

While the Steelers have made their intentions clear with their interest in Aaron Rodgers, Wilson is letting everyone know why he decided to play for ‘Big Blue’ in the shadows of the Big Apple.

During an appearance on the ‘7PM in Brooklyn’ podcast with Carmelo Anthony, the quarterback was asked about his offseason move to the Giants. He went on to list a number of reasons, but none appeared to be bigger than Malik Nabers.

‘I was just excited because, for me, New York and this opportunity here to play here, the world’s biggest market, the toughest, one of the toughest divisions in football, a lot of odds against you, team that I played against last year when I was in Pittsburgh,’ Wilson said. ‘I just turned on the film and watching this guy Malik Nabers, man, this dude’s a superstar.’

Wilson spoke glowingly of Nabers, who finished his rookie season with 109 catches, 1,204 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

‘I saw him, I was watching the film and just before I tried to make decisions, try to get a clear understanding of who the players are, this and that, and obviously you see the highlights and everything else, but when you watch every single catch and every single rep and every play, you get to see the kind of player he is, man, he’s dynamic. He touches that football, he gone,’ Wilson said.

The quarterback also had praise for his new head coach.

‘I really liked [Brian] Daboll too,’ Wilson said. ‘Obviously watching Dabes over the years, the guy who was a coach of the year, I don’t know, two, three years ago, brilliant mind spending time with him. I actually came out here last year before I signed with Pittsburgh last time too, and I just had a great appreciation of his mind for the game and how he saw the game.’

The veteran figures to be the starter heading into the 2025 season in what has quickly become a crowded quarterback room. New York signed Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency before drafting Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. There is also the presence of Tommy DeVito, who reached folk hero status over the last two years.

Wilson pointed out that he doesn’t shy away from challenges or the bright lights. Ultimately, he feels comfortable with the Giants, adding that they have the pieces for success going forward.

Considering the Giants have made the playoffs in just two of the 13 seasons since winning the Super Bowl in 2011, the quarterback certainly has his work cut out for him.

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It has been a year of change for both UCLA softball and NiJaree Canady, the former of which is wrapping up its first season in the Big Ten and the latter of whom is nearing the end of her first season at Texas Tech.

On Saturday, though, both will get a dose of familiarity.

After matching up against the Bruins for two seasons while a star pitcher for Stanford, Canady will face off against them again when her No. 12 Texas Tech team faces off against No. 9 UCLA on May 31 in a winners’ bracket game at the 2025 Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

The Red Raiders and Bruins advanced to this stage of the eight-team event with victories May 29 against Ole Miss and No. 16 Oregon, respectively. Canady struck out 10 batters and allowed just two hits in a complete game shutout against Ole Miss while Jessica Clements’ walk-off, two-run home run lifted UCLA past Oregon.

In three games against the Bruins last season, Canady allowed just three earned runs and struck out 28 batters across 23 innings (1.17 ERA). That run included a 3-1 victory in the WCWS in which Canady gave up one earned run in seven innings while striking out eight.

The winner of Saturday’s game will play again June 2 against the winner of a matchup between Oregon and either Oklahoma or Texas. The loser, meanwhile, will play Tennessee in an elimination game Sunday.

Follow along here for the live score, updates, highlights, information on how to watch and more from Texas Tech and UCLA’s matchup in the 2025 WCWS:

Texas Tech vs UCLA softball live score

This section will be updated throughout the game

Texas Tech vs UCLA softball live updates

Texas Tech pads lead to 3-1

As NiJaree Canady looks to finish off UCLA, she’ll have a little more wiggle room.

With a runner on second base and with two outs, sophomore Raegan Jennings hits a bloop single into center field to bring home a run and double Texas Tech’s lead to 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.

NiJaree Canady perfect inning shuts down UCLA

Texas Tech is now three outs away from another win in the Women’s College World Series.

NiJaree Canady faces three All-Americans in the UCLA lineup and gets all three of them out, retiring Savannah Pola, Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant in order in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Red Raiders take a 2-1 lead into the top of the seventh inning, with a chance to add on to their lead.

Hailey Toney homer allows Texas Tech to reclaim lead

Just as quickly as Texas Tech lost its lead, it gets it back.

Another freshman, this time Hailey Toney from the Red Raiders, hits a solo home run, with Toney’s shot to center field off UCLA’s Taylor Tinsley giving Texas Tech a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning.

It’s Toney’s seventh home run this season — three of which have come in the NCAA tournament.

Kaniya Bragg homer ties it up for UCLA

Against most teams, a one-run lead for Texas Tech would be insurmountable with NiJaree Canady in the circle. UCLA isn’t one of those teams.

Staring at a one-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning, freshman Kaniya Bragg ties it up with a single swing, belting a solo home run to right field to even the game at 1-1.

It’s Bragg’s 10th homer of the season and only the 10th home run Canady has allowed in 64 games this season.

Texas Tech steals home, takes lead

In a low-scoring game in which offense has been at a premium, Texas Tech has stolen a run — literally.

With runners on first and third with two outs, a setup made possible by a double earlier in the inning from NiJaree Canady, Red Raiders coach Gerry Glasco, who also serves as the team’s third-base coach, sent home pinch-runner Makayla Garcia after a pitch to Victoria Valdez. UCLA catcher Alexis Ramirez didn’t appear to notice Garcia running, instead throwing the ball back to pitcher Taylor Tinsley and allowing Garcia to score.

UCLA challenged the play, believing Garcia might have left third base before Tinsley’s pitch was thrown, but the call was upheld upon review.

It’s a 1-0 Red Raiders lead, which, given the way Canady has pitched so far, may be enough.

Three up, three down for UCLA

UCLA’s batters go down in order in the bottom of the fourth inning, with a strikeout and a pair of flyouts. There hasn’t been a runner on base from either team in three of the four innings so far. A fun duel between Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady and UCLA’s Taylor Tinsley

Texas Tech goes three up, three down

Is it an offensive struggle or a pitching masterclass? Regardless of how you may want to describe it, it’s still 0-0 between Texas Tech and UCLA heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Taylor Tinsley is still working on a no-hitter for the Bruins.

Texas Tech gets UCLA out in order

Three up and three down for UCLA against NiJaree Canady as the Bruins and Texas Tech remain locked in a scoreless tie.

UCLA with another perfect inning

UCLA pitcher Taylor Tinsley continues to largely have her way against the Texas Tech lineup, with a second three-up-and-three-down inning. While she has accidentally hit a batter with a pitch, Tinsley still hasn’t allowed a hit.

NiJaree Canady gets out of bases-loaded jam

This game is, improbably, still scoreless.

UCLA loaded the bases with one out against NiJaree Canady after a pair of walks and a bunt single. Just as there appeared to be trouble, with Texas Tech even getting a pitcher warm in the bullpen, the Red Raiders’ ace got out of it, striking out Taylor Stephens on a nasty changeup and getting a force out at home after a Kaitlyn Terry ground ball to third.

That could stand as a major missed opportunity for the Bruins against one of the sport’s best pitchers.

Base-running error costs Texas Tech

The Red Raiders get the game’s first base-runner after Lauren Allred was hit by a pitch, but Texas Tech doesn’t mount any kind of threat beyond that. NiJaree Canady popped out to second base and Allred, who was perhaps a little too aggressive on the basepaths, was thrown out at first base, unable to get back in time after beginning her sprint to second.

The double play ended the top of the second inning.

UCLA held scoreless

Through one inning, neither UCLA nor Texas Tech has produced a base-runner. NiJaree Canady gets a lead-off strikeout and forces the next two batters, including Bruins star Jordan Woolery, to ground out.

Texas Tech retired in order

Three up and three down for Texas Tech vs. UCLA starter Taylor Tinsley in its first time to the plate Saturday. Now, NiJaree Canady will aim to be similarly effective against UCLA.

Texas Tech softball lineup

Here’s the lineup the Red Raiders will trot out against UCLA Saturday in the Women’s College World Series:

UCLA softball lineup

Here’s the lineup the Bruins will roll out against Texas Tech in the Women’s College World Series Saturday:

Texas Tech softball uniforms vs UCLA

The Red Raiders will be wearing their white jerseys and pants in their biggest game of the season to date, with the team’s official social media account revealing it Saturday.

What time does Texas Tech vs UCLA softball start?

Date: Saturday, May 31
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Devon Park (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

First pitch for Texas Tech and UCLA’s softball game in the 2025 Women’s College World Series is set for 7 p.m. ET from Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

Watch Texas Tech vs UCLA softball in the WCWS live with ESPN+

What TV channel is Texas Tech vs UCLA softball on today?

TV channel: ESPN
Live stream: ESPN app | ESPN+

Saturday’s WCWS winner’s bracket game between Texas Tech and UCLA will air on ESPN. Kevin Brown (play-by-play) and Amanda Scarborough (analyst) will be on the call while Taylor McGregor will serve as the sideline reporter.

Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access, and ESPN+ the latter of which serves as ESPN’s subscription streaming service.

Texas Tech vs UCLA softball predictions, picks, odds

Odds are courtesy of BetMGM

Moneyline: UCLA (-170) | Texas Tech (+130)

Prediction from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech 3, UCLA 2

Texas Tech beat writer Nathan Giese says of the matchup:

The key for the Red Raiders will be to generate runs and get some fly balls, something they weren’t able to do against Ole Miss pitcher Aliyah Binford. Even if the UCLA offense does strike against Canady, the damage will likely be minimal, and the offense has shaken off the jitters of Game 1 and should be ready for whatever the Bruins throw their way.

Texas Tech softball schedule 2025

Here are Texas Tech’s past five results. To see the Red Raiders’ full 2025 schedule, click here.

Saturday, May 17: Texas Tech 10, Mississippi State 1 (6 innings)
Sunday, May 18: Texas Tech 9, Mississippi State 6
Thursday, May 22: Texas Tech 3, No. 5 Florida State 0
Friday, May 23: Texas Tech 2, No. 5 Florida State 1
Thursday, May 29: Texas Tech 1, Ole Miss 0

UCLA softball schedule 2025

Here are UCLA’s past five results. To see the Bruins’ full 2025 schedule, click here.

Sunday, May 18: UCLA 12, UC Santa Barbara 1 (5 innings)
Friday, May 23: No. 8 South Carolina 9, UCLA 2
Saturday, May 24: UCLA 5, No. 8 South Carolina 4
Sunday, May 25: UCLA 5, No. 8 South Carolina 0
Thursday, May 29: UCLA 4, No. 16 Oregon 2

WCWS schedule

Women’s College World Series: May 29-June 5/6
WCWS finals: June 4-5/6

The Women’s College World Series began May 29 and will run through either June 5 or June 6. The WCWS three-game championship series will begin on June 4 and end on June 5 or 6, depending on whether the series concludes in two or three games.

Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger’s season ended unexpectedly when coach Peter DeBoer pulled him after he gave up two goals on the first two shots of an eventual 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5.

In his first comments since then, Oettinger said Saturday that the move was ‘surprising’ and that it was ’embarrassing’ that he ended up on camera so much afterward. But, he added, ‘The reality is if I make one or two of those saves, then I’m still playing in the game.’

Oettinger, who has signed an eight-year extension with the team, was pulled at 7:09 of the first period after Corey Perry and Mattias Janmark scored to give Edmonton a 2-0 lead. Backup Casey DeSmith played the rest of the game.

DeBoer was blunt after the game in explaining the move.

‘If you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton and we gave up two goals on two shots in an elimination game,’ he said. ‘It was partly to spark our team and wake them up and partly knowing that status quo had not been working. That’s a pretty big sample size.’

Asked about those comments, Oettinger said in his season-ending news conference that he was going to use the experience to become a better person and a better goalie.

‘My job is to stop the puck and I feel like I’m one of the best in the world when I’m playing well doing that,’ he said. “All the extra’s stuff is just extra stuff to me, so if I go out there next year and I’m the best goalie in the world, it doesn’t matter.”

While out of the game and sitting on the bench, Oettinger ended up on the national broadcast a lot whenever the ESPN cameras cut to analyst Ray Ferraro.

‘I was on the screen a lot more than I thought I should be,’ Oettinger said. ‘I don’t know why they kept showing me. I’m like, I haven’t moved in a half hour.

‘It’s embarrassing. Anytime you get pulled, doesn’t matter if it’s the playoffs or it’s the regular season, you just want to go right off the ice and crawl into your bed and not talk to anyone, especially in a moment like that.’

Oettinger and the Stars have been to the conference finals the last three seasons and lost all three.

His takeaway from being pulled in Game 5?

‘The way I’m looking at it is how can I get better from that, how can I make those saves that I made all playoffs, how do I make them in that game at the start of the game to give the guys a chance to get their feet under them,’ he said. ‘As a goalie, that’s your job. I’ve got to do better than that.”

He added later: ‘Bad stuff happens to people. Life is tough. It makes it when you finally get that win, it makes it all worth it. Hopefully, whether it’s next year, whether it’s five years from now and I’m looking at you guys (media), we just won the Stanley Cup and I say, ‘Remember all that BS. That was all for this.’ ‘

LOS ANGELES − The calendar says it’s May, but Friday night felt a whole lot like October at Dodger Stadium.

It was a heavyweight prize fight.

Power vs. power.

Aaron Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani.

The New York Yankees vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.

These two juggernauts went toe-to-toe for nine innings, and in the end, it was Ohtani and the Dodgers thrusting their arms into the air with a wild 8-5 victory in front of 53,276 screaming fans.

If this was a preview to this year’s World Series, an encore after their 2024 World Series, let’s flip the calendar to October now.

The game, with suites selling as high as $15,000, the clubhouses jammed with more than 100 reporters and Hollywood stars in attendance, was a May classic.

It began with a massive 446-foot Judge home run into the center-field pavilion in the top of the first inning.

Ohtani answered with a 417-foot home run in the bottom of the first.

“I thought he was copying me,’ Judge said. “He’s impressive. He’s one of the best players in the game for a reason.’’

It was the first time in baseball history, including the postseason, that two reigning MVP winners homered in the same inning of a game.

“If you’re a baseball fan it doesn’t get much better than that, right?’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “It was a great baseball atmosphere. It was good to be part of it.’’

There were five home runs hit in the first three innings, including four by the Yankees, but by the end of the night, it was Ohtani and the Dodgers beating Yankees ace Max Fried (season-high six earned runs) and their bullpen.

Fried, who entered the game with a 7-0 record and 1.29 ERA, was handed a 5-2 lead only for the Dodgers to score four runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh. It was reminiscent of the deciding Game 5 of the World Series last year when the Yankees coughed up a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning.

“Both teams started on a really good note,’’ Ohtani said, “and I really thought it was important to score in that situation knowing that momentum is really important in the game today.’’

Ohtani stole the show hitting his 21st and 22nd home runs of the season, giving him 15 homers in May, tying a franchise record last accomplished in 1985. He also set a team record by hitting 22 homers in the Dodgers’ first 57 games and is now on pace to hit 63 home runs and score 173 runs.

“Shohei would probably say it’s just like any other game,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “but when you see the other reigning MVP on the other side and going out there and performing, that brings out even more of a competitor in Shohei.’’

Judge was the best supporting actor in this drama by hitting his American League-leading 19th homer, 15th double, and is now hitting a major-league leading .392 with a 1.236 OPS.

“It’s fun, this is Yankee baseball,’’ Judge said, “and especially going against the Dodgers. They’re having a great start to the season. It was just a fun atmosphere out there.’’

It was just like the glory days when these two teams met 11 times in the World Series over a 40-year span, and again last season.

And, for a night in May with more than 100 regular-season games still to be played, it certainly lived up to its hype.

“You certainly marvel at some of the players on the field tonight,’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I mean, there’s a number of MVPs, All-Stars, and just great, great players. Judge had a great game with the homer and the double and an outstanding play in the game. So, some of the stars really showed up tonight.’’

Said Judge: “This is why I signed here, to play in big games, play in big moments, play for the best team.’’

Well, the best team on this night was the same team that was spraying champagne on each other in October. The Dodgers didn’t taunt the Yankees as they did over the winter, but the Dodgers public address announcer reminded everyone an hour before the game that the Dodgers are the defending World Series champions, and showed videotape highlights of Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1.

“We love superstars, and to start the game off with Judge hitting a homer and Shohei answering in the bottom half,’’ Roberts said, “was pretty exciting for everyone. But it was a huge game for us to win. I think the intensity of the game, you can see the way that Aaron managed with urgency. I managed with urgency. It was a game that we both wanted.’

And, at the end of the night, it was the Dodgers coming out on top once again.

Thanks to you-know-who.

“Every time he comes to the plate,’ Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin said of Ohtani, “we’re expecting something awesome to happen. And he doesn’t let us down a lot of times. So it’s really cool to have someone like that on our team.’

The second round of the three-round fight is Saturday, and while it may be the Yankees against the Dodgers, the baseball world will be focused on the latest bout between Judge and Ohtani, the two greatest players in the game.

“I try not to think about it,’’ Judge said. “I got a job to do on the field. I try not to get too hyped into that. That’s for you guys to do.’’

Stay tuned.

The sequel awaits.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

That doesn’t mean, though, that every ballplayer fits snugly into the Los Angeles Dodgers’ blueprint.

It is a ruthlessly impatient operation, where a championship is the only acceptable conclusion by year’s end as a high-priced mélange of free agents buttressed by elite prospects aims for the game’s apex.

He spent seven years in the Dodger organization, playing sporadically in 129 big league games over three seasons before the inevitable transition from prospect to asset, and hardball heaven to record-setting baseball hell: Traded last July in a three-way deal to the 121-loss Chicago White Sox, a swap that netted L.A. postseason heroes Tommy Edman and reliever Michael Kopech.

Vargas produced 0.0 WAR in his L.A. tenure but did not come away empty-handed; he should receive a World Series ring when the White Sox visit L.A. in a month and retains friendships with countless players and staff in the organization, most notably Mookie Betts and Andy Pages.

And while Vargas produced perhaps the two least productive months by a big-league regular after his trade to White Sox, he’s found so much more: A runway to succeed, a devastating swing and a tight group of young players with which to grow.

Vargas knows that was probably never possible in L.A., a fact he greets pragmatically.

“Every baseball player needs a little bit of time to show up in the major leagues,” Vargas tells USA TODAY Sports. “Some of them, it’s now, they go out there and show it right away. Other guys, they need some time, learning the game, knowing how it’s played.

“When you’re on a team that doesn’t have time for that type of stuff, it’s hard to grow and be better.”

And perhaps Vargas had to journey to the bottom in order to find himself.

‘Anything can happen’

It wasn’t just that Vargas dropped 44 games in the standings when on July 29 he was dealt from the 63-44 Dodgers to the 27-81 White Sox. Nor that the White Sox’s woes were only just beginning, as they lost 39 of 53 games once Vargas joined them to set a modern major league record with 121 losses.

No, it could be argued, for the final two months Vargas might have been the worst hitter on the worst team in history.

He had 14 hits in 135 at-bats, striking out 41 times to just 17 walks, with a .104/.217/.170 line and a 13 adjusted OPS. The bad times spilled into this season, when the White Sox – still on a subterranean floor of their rebuild – rolled Vargas out at third base and saw him produce 11 hits in 79 at-bats, a .139/.236/.203 line over his first 22 games.

If you’re into math, that’s a 25-for-214 sample stretching across two seasons.

At that point, it would be easy to posit that a 25-year-old slugger who once cracked the top 30 of baseball’s greatest prospects was simply suspect. A miss in an industry filled with them.

But back to that onramp.

White Sox coaches continued working with Vargas and, in a fateful meeting in Minnesota, convinced him to make a relatively minor mechanical fix: He held his hands higher in his set-up, aiming to leave himself less vulnerable to fastballs in the middle and upper thirds of the strike zone.

It sounds like granular mechanical minutiae, but it’s now been five weeks since that fateful summit meeting with hitting coaches in Minnesota, and Vargas remains unlocked: He’s on a 38-for-121 tear, with eight homers, a .371 OBP and .904 OPS in his last 32 games.

Sure, that’s not quite 20% of a season, and pitchers will undoubtedly adjust, forcing Vargas to maneuver like he does in one of his many clubhouse games of chess. Yet it also represents the most sustained stretch of production for a prospect who might just reattach the ‘vaunted’ tag in front of his name.

‘It worked right away, and I trusted it,’ says Vargas. ‘That’s all a hitter needs, is having that confidence. You can do some damage when you have that mindset.

‘Anything can happen.’

Including inserting yourself a bit more firmly into a team’s plans. The White Sox optioned longtime first baseman Andrew Vaughn – mired in a .189/.218/.314 funk – to Class AAA on May 23, and Vargas has split time between both corner infield positions.

‘He’s always been a confident guy. I think he understands he’s a good player and sees the game in an advanced way,’ says Will Venable, the White Sox’s first-year manager. ‘Now, after he made that adjustment, he’s impacting the baseball how he’s envisioned it.

‘He’s going into every game with all the tools and abilities he always believed he had and going out and playing great baseball.’

Vargas’s promising, non-guaranteed – but certainly sunnier – outlook mirrors the White Sox at large.

This must be the place

The clubhouse felt almost every one of last year’s 121 losses hard, a campaign that saw manager Pedro Grifol get fired and spare parts like Kopech and starter Erick Fedde spun to other teams.

That’s the environment Vargas found himself in when the White Sox penciled – more like etched – his name in the lineup. Great opportunity, but also a lot to take on for a guy who never got more than 94 at-bats in a single month during his stint with the Dodgers.

‘I think I put a lot of pressure on myself,’ says Vargas. ‘I have way more expectations than what I did here last year.

‘I was trying to navigate my way up. And I was a little bit frustrated.’

Even the greatest players – see Juan Soto – can take a minute adjusting to new environs. It’s even more a whirlwind when the only organization you’ve known casts you aside.

‘It’s hard when you get traded. Especially the first time,’ says White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield. ‘You’re used to an organization, you’re familiar with everybody, the surroundings, the coaches and players. There’s comfort in that.

‘When you’re the headliner in a trade, not only do you have to get used to a new league, a new environment, but you’re also trying to prove to everybody that you were worth the trade. Prove it to the fan base. It adds a lot of pressure.

‘At the time he came over he wasn’t getting to play a lot, and probably didn’t have the feel and confidence he has now. When a guy comes over, it’s hard to know what’s real and what just takes time.’

Or perhaps a bit of home cooking.

Vargas did not necessarily set significant physical or developmental benchmarks for the offseason after his initial two-month White Sox stint. He needed home, more than anything, and so he returned to his Miami base, where his mother and father, along with his brother, grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins awaited.

At one point, 12 people filled Casa de Vargas this winter, a balm for a ballplayer needing a mental reset. Vargas and his father, Cuban baseball legend and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lazaro Vargas, left Cuba in 2015.

Other family eventually followed, and now the unit is intact in South Florida.

‘I think they are the most important thing for me,’ says Vargas. ‘Having them on my side, spending time with them, getting figured out that this is just a small window, this year. When you have your loved ones by your side, spending time with them, it makes me feel better.

‘Coming into this year, I just wanted to enjoy the game and it’s been good times out there.’

Dine and mash

He’s not wrong. Even as the White Sox have posted an 18-39 record – a still-ghastly 51-111 pace – the club’s makeup augurs better times. The offseason deal shipping Garrett Crochet to Boston yielded their current leadoff hitter, shortstop Chase Meidroth, and elite catching prospect Kyle Teel, who probably isn’t far away from a promotion.

The future may ride even more heavily on left-handed pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, each ranked in the top 30 of all prospects. But for now, it’s the young position players hoping to take cues from veterans and set a tone.

On an off night in Baltimore, Meidroth and Vargas went out to dinner, ostensibly a night away from the game. Naturally, they talked hitting.

‘He loves talking about hitting and the game. He’s an awesome guy,’ says Meidroth. ‘It was just a matter of time before he cracked through. He’s an unbelievable hitter, unbelievable player, great teammate.’

And with each passing day, the player with the .889 career minor league OPS gains a little more knowledge on how to stick for good, be it through workshopping his swing or gleaning what he can from the Austin Slaters and Michael A. Taylors populating the clubhouse.

The onramp, finally, is long enough for Vargas’s ample skills.

‘It’s hard to create confidence if you don’t have the success,’ says Barfield. ‘Now you see him go to the plate and it’s like when he was in the minor leagues: He looks like he’s in control of the at-bats, he’s getting pitches and not missing them, where before he was.

‘It doesn’t matter who he’s facing now. He feels like he’s going to have success in every at-bat and you can see that in how he’s carrying himself.’

Perfection achieved for the LSU Shreveport baseball program.

The Pilots completed a perfect 59-0 season with a 13-7 win over Southeastern (Fla.) at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, in the NAIA national championship game on May 30. LSU Shreveport ended the season with a perfect 59-0 record to win the first national title in school history.

LSUS is the first NAIA baseball team to complete an unbeaten season. The Pilots’ 59-game win streak topped the previous college baseball record of 57 straight wins achieved by junior college Howard College of Texas, which ended up finishing its 2009 season with a 63-1 record and winning a national title.

Despite the perfect record, the path to baseball immortality and the championship was not always a smooth one. The Pilots faced 4-0 and 7-5 deficits in the championship game. However, back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning by Jackson Syring and Ian Montz helped them overcome a season-high deficit of four runs.

LSUS set the college baseball record for winning streak with its 58th straight win a day earlier with a 14-4 victory over Hope International (Calif.). LSU Shreveport achieved a 30-0 record in Red River Athletic Conference games and won 28 games by 10 runs or more.

Brad Neffendorf, who is in his sixth year as the coach, has posted a 270-49 record with the Pilots.

“It’s the most unbelievable thing we may ever see in college baseball,” Neffendorf told the SBC Advocate. “They deserve to be applauded like there is no tomorrow. They haven’t done anything but continue to put their foot on the gas pedal to keep getting better.”