BOSTON — We’ve reached the final day of the 2025 world figure skating championships in Boston − and the day that Ilia Malinin will hope to defend his title and cement his place as the man to beat at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Malinin, 20, will be the last person to take the ice at TD Garden tonight for his free skate and entered the day with a lead of roughly three points over Yuma Kagiyama of Japan. The only skater in history to land a quadruple axel in competition, Malinin has not lost a competition in nearly 18 months and will be going for his second consecutive world title.

If Malinin does hang on, it will be the first time the U.S. has won world titles in three figure skating disciplines at the same world championships.

That’s in part because of what happened earlier Saturday. Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their third consecutive world title in ice dance with a magnificent free skate, finishing well ahead of their Canadian rivals, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.

Here’s everything else you need to know from the last day of the world figure skating championships:

Madison Chock, Evan Bates stake claim as 2026 Olympic favorites

If it wasn’t clear already, it’s certainly clear now: Madison Chock and Evan Bates will be the team to beat in ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

After years of going back-and-forth with Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada, Chock and Bates pulled ahead at last year’s world championships and did the same again this year, wowing the home crowd with their jazz-themed free skate. They won both the rhythm dance and free dance en route to their third consecutive title.

Dune-themed ice dance captivates crowd

As we enter the home stretch of the free dance competition, arguably no program has drawn more of a reaction from the TD Garden crowd than the Dune-themed skate by Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck.

The fiercely energetic performance, which featured costumes remniscient of the recent Dune movies, put the Spanish team atop the leaderboard with a score of 123.71 and left Dieck overcome with emotion on the ice. Smart and Dieck’s program is one of six at these world championships that features music from Dune.

Meanwhile, the American team of Caroline Green and Michael Parsons closed their season with an emotional and elegant performance that brought a score of 114.96. They are on track to finish ninth. Compatriots Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko followed with an even stronger score, of 123.37, and likely will be fifth.

What do the world championships mean for Olympic qualifying?

To put it briefly: They’re significant. Without going into all of the nuances of the International Skating Union’s quota allocation system, skaters’ performances here are earning Olympic spots for their countries. And those countries will then decide who gets to fill those spots at the end of this year or early in 2026. A total of 83 quota spots are at stake across the four disciplines at worlds.

While nobody is technically punching their own Olympic ticket in Boston, there are many cases where that is more or less the case.

Watch Ilia Malinin’s short program, which put him on cusp of repeat

Ilia Malinin, the 20-year-old defending world champion from Vienna, Virginia, has a three-point lead going into tonight’s free skate after a near flawless performance in the short program Thursday.

Skating to the song ‘Running” by American rapper NF, Malinin breezed through his three jumping passes − including a quad lutz-triple toe loop combination. The crowd at TD Garden started cheering about 15 seconds before his program even ended.

His free skate is scheduled for 9:44 p.m. ET tonight and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

World championship figure skating TV schedule

Here is the TV and streaming schedule for the 2025 world figure skating championships Saturday. The entirety of all sessions will be available on Peacock.

1:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. ET: Free dance (USA Network coverage begins at 3 p.m.)

6 p.m. to 9:52 p.m. ET: Men’s free skate (NBC coverage begins at 8 p.m.)

Who are the NBC commentators for figure skating?

The portions of the world figure skating championships that are televised on NBC or USA Network will have many of the usual broadcasting voices. Terry Gannon will once again handle play-by-play duties, with Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir offering color commentary. The telecasts will also feature Gabriella Papadakis, a 2022 Olympic gold medalist, as an ice dance analyst, with Andrea Joyce and Adam Rippon as reporters.

When do U.S. figure skaters compete tonight?

Here’s a rundown of when the American skaters will be on the ice tonight.

8:10 p.m. ET: Jason Brown, men’s free skate
8:40 p.m. ET: Andrew Torgashev, men’s free skate
9:44 p.m. ET: Ilia Malinin, men’s free skate

World figure skating championships 2025 results

Here are the standings in each discipline, as of Saturday afternoon.

Ice dance (final)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates, USA: 222.06
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Canada: 216.54
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, Great Britain: 207.11
Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri, Italy: 206.46
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko: 204.88

Men’s singles (after short program)

Ilia Malinin, USA: 110.41
Yuma Kagiyama, Japan: 107.09
Mikhail Shaidorov, Kazakhstan: 94.77
Kevin Aymoz, France: 93.63
Shun Sato, Japan: 91.26

Women’s singles (final)

Alysa Liu, USA: 222.97
Kaori Sakamoto, Japan: 217.98
Mone Chiba, Japan: 215.24
Isabeau Levito, USA: 209.84
Amber Glenn, USA: 205.65

Pairs (final)

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, Japan: 219.79
Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, Germany: 219.08
Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii, Italy: 210.47
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luke Berulava, Georgia: 202.21
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, Canada: 199.76

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi could make his return from injury for Inter Miami on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Union.

Messi has been nursing an adductor strain in his left thigh. He felt discomfort during Inter Miami’s last match at Atlanta United March 16, and he did not join Argentina for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay March 21 and Brazil on Tuesday. 

Inter Miami coach Mascherano said “Messi is doing well” and “if nothing happens” during Friday’s training session, Messi “should be available” Saturday. 

It will be Inter Miami’s first match in 13 days so Messi and his Barcelona running mates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba should be fresh. But how much will Messi play?

“He knows his body very well, and the reality is that he has been training progressively more and more, and has joined in to do some training sessions with the group. And today he will do the entire training session,” Mascherano said before Friday’s practice. 

Stay tuned here for live updates on Messi’s status and the Inter Miami-Philadelphia Union match from USA TODAY Sports.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia Union live stream?

The Inter Miami-Philadelphia Union match begins at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Chase Stadium, and will be available to live stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. 

Is Messi in Inter Miami lineup tonight vs. Philadelphia? 

Messi is expected to be on Inter Miami’s matchday roster for the Philadelphia game. His participation will be confirmed when the club announces its starting lineup an hour before the match. 

Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia preview, prediction

Inter Miami 2, Philadelphia 1: Messi has both assists, one to Luis Suárez and another to an Inter Miami youngster in another victory for the Herons. 

Philadelphia may sit atop the MLS Eastern Conference with 12 points from a 4-1-0 (win-loss-draw) record while Inter Miami trails with 10 points in the standings, but Inter Miami has been unbeaten in eight matches across all competitions with seven wins and a draw. 

Messi has four goals and two assists in five appearances, while Suárez has four goals and four assists in eight appearances. Midfielder Telasco Segovia has three goals and an assist in four MLS appearances, and Fafa Picault has scored a goal in three appearances for Inter Miami. They will be without Tadeo Allende (injured), who has four goals in eight matches.

Union forward Tai Baribo leads with six goals, while defender Kai Wagner leads with four assists. 

Lionel Messi meets Novak Djokovic at Miami Open

How does Messi’s return impact Inter Miami’s upcoming schedule? 

Saturday begins a five-match stretch for Inter Miami over 16 days, so expect Messi’s potential playing time to be limited as he makes his return.

Inter Miami will play LAFC in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The club will host Toronto FC April 6, then host LAFC in the second leg of their matchup April 9. Inter Miami will play on the road at the Chicago Fire April 13, ending the five-match stretch.

What is Lionel Messi’s injury? 

Inter Miami said Messi had an MRI, which revealed he has a ‘low-grade injury in the adductor muscle” on March 17, a day after he scored a goal to help Inter Miami win 2-1 at Atlanta. 

Before the Atlanta match, Messi scored a goal March 13 during his return from a three-game layoff to help Inter Miami advance past Jamaican side Cavalier FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament. 

Messi did not play in the club’s 4-1 win against the Houston Dynamo March 2, the first leg against Cavalier March 6, or against Charlotte FC March 9. 

Messi predominately played in three matches during a six-day stretch from Feb. 19-25, and eight matches in a 40-day span from Jan. 18 to Feb. 14, which included five preseason matches to start the year.

Will Lionel Messi play in the 2026 World Cup? 

Messi has not yet declared whether he will play again for Argentina in World Cup 2026, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. He’s slated to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer with Inter Miami during a break in the 2025 MLS season.

ATLANTA — Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl, whose Tigers face Michigan State in the Elite Eight, is hoping to get some hardware for famous alum Charles Barkley to flex.

“Somehow, I’ve got to find a way to win so that Charles Barkley can give Magic Johnson some crap and represent,” Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. “Magic’s always floating those rings at Charles, right? He’s always floating those rings, and Charles ain’t got any rings. I’ve got to try to get some rings for Charles, so he can float them back at Magic.”

Magic won the national championship at Michigan State and five NBA titles with the Lakers. Barkley, notoriously, never won an NBA title.

Pearl sees top-seeded Auburn as the little guy in Sunday’s matchup. When asked who was the underdog, he was succinct.

“Auburn,” Pearl said. “This is the third time in our history we’ve gone to the Elite Eight. This is uncharted water for us. We’re talking about Michigan State. We’re talking about Tom Izzo.”

He touched on the background of his team and how he believes they perform against a storied program like Michigan State.

“Most of our guys are guys who were mid-majors or junior college or Division II,” Pearl said. “I’m not going to let Michigan State play the underdog card even though we’re the No. 1 seed and they’re the No. 2 seed. No, they’re Michigan State.”

Pearl recognizes the challenges of playing an Izzo-coached team.

“We know our place,” he said. “We know what we’re trying to go up against, and we know the uphill battle that it is when you play against a hall of fame coach, and obviously, a legendary program.”

Auburn vs. Michigan State time, TV channel

Time: 5:05 p.m. ET Sunday
TV: CBS
Streaming: Fubo (free trial)

Andy Mathis is a student in the University of Georgia’sSports Media Certificate program.

During a top-seed March Madness cinematic event Friday evening, LSU forward Aneesah Morrow ran down the court, nearly in parallel with teammate Flau’jae Johnson, preparing to set up the Tigers’ halfcourt offense.

NC State guard Aziaha James was waiting, picked up Johnson near the sideline and ran with her as she pushed the ball further into the court. Morrow broke free from her stride, set an unsuspecting ghost screen on James, and slipped out of it at the last second. James continued to follow Johnson and eventually, with help from Madison Hayes, surrounded the LSU guard.

Johnson immediately looked for help and found a wide-open Morrow waiting at the elbow. She pivoted and quickly flicked the ball in Morrow’s direction, forcing Hayes to react. Hayes ran toward Morrow, hoping to stop what she inevitably knew was coming, but it was too late. Morrow drained a gorgeous, high-arching 3-point basket as a defeated Hayes zipped past her.

NC State senior Saniya Rivers, who was underneath the basket as the ball went through the net, could only hold up her arms in frustration as Morrow made her second three of the night.

It was a small moment ― a barely-there wrinkle ― in the grand scheme of Morrow’s phenomenal March Madness standout performance. However, it was a pivotal moment for the WNBA draft hopeful.Morrow, typically known for her paint prowess, had possibly shown league general managers something they hadn’t noticed before: a confident perimeter shooter. The LSU forward has only taken 36 shots from beyond the arc this season, making 10. However, her pair of 3-pointers against the Wolfpack during the Sweet 16 felt immensely different. Morrow shot them like she couldn’t miss; it felt that way Friday night.

‘Morrow, she’s killing us,’ an exasperated Wes Moore said during a mid-game interview. ‘She’s willing them by herself.’

‘Willing them’ was putting it lightly. Morrow was flat-out dominant.

She’d unlocked the essence of her fitting on-court nickname: ‘Nees the Beast.’ By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the 6-foot-1 forward already had 24 points and 12 rebounds, including 11 points and five boards in the third alone. Her incredible performance caught the eye of former teammate and current Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese.

‘Me [and] Nees gon’ be killing each other for rebounds in the [WNBA],’ Reese tweeted.

The thought of Reese and Morrow jockeying for position to grab rebounds against some of the league’s elite post players could be a tangible reality when the season starts May 16. Morrow’s final stat line of 30 points, 19 rebounds, three steals and two blocks against the 2-seed Wolfpack was impossible to ignore. Many WNBA mock drafts have Morrow teetering the line of the fifth pick, and some have her lower.

However, after a standout performance like that, it feels right to ask if Aneesah Morrow firmly catapulted and planted herself into the top five selections. League front offices could be faced with an agonizing decision: Would they take Aneesah Morrow over French center Dominique Malonga or USC Trojans star Kiki Iriafen? At the very least, Morrow’s efforts have made the choice a legitimate conversation.

‘She just works,’ LSU coach Kim Mulkey said of Morrow postgame.

‘We only hit three 3s tonight. So, for you WNBA scouts, I think she lit it up from out there. I think they forget she can shoot the 3-ball because that’s all she did when she was at DePaul, but for us, it’s not needed. So when she hit those two threes, I thought, ‘OK, Nees has got it going on tonight’ … She’s just one you want on your team.’

LSU has an impending Elite Eight date with the UCLA Bruins on Sunday, the same team they sent home during the Sweet 16 in 2024. Aneesah Morrow and Lauren Betts will rightfully garner attention, and more questions will start. Who wants it more? Who will crash the glass?

Which post player wins the paint party and elevates their team to the Final Four in Tampa?

For LSU, it has to be Morrow, and when teams like the Bruins inevitably throw everything but the kitchen sink at her as NC State did, she’ll be ready. ‘It’s what I do every night,’ Morrow said. ‘And I know my teammates are gonna depend on me, and I gotta have [their] back … I know that they might throw three ― four ― people at me, but I gotta be able to compete and gotta be able to be dominant.’

WNBA general managers, the 2025 draft clock is ticking, and the choice is now yours. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

There are likely few people who envy you.

LOS ANGELES ― It was just four days ago that Mookie Betts couldn’t eat, hadn’t played a game in two weeks, and was crying himself to sleep wondering what was wrong.

He was sent home from Tokyo, hoping his nasty stomach virus would pass, but still couldn’t keep any food down, watching his weight plummet by nearly 20 pounds, and wondering how long it would take for him to ever get healthy.

Well, Friday evening, a couple of hours after he received the most beautiful piece of jewelry in his life during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series ring ceremony, he finally got his answer.

He is officially back.

Now, it’s the rest of baseball that’s getting sick.

Betts hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning – after hitting a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning – to lift the Dodgers to a wild 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers and leaving everyone to wonder if the Dodgers will ever lose.

‘It’s a great thing to be a Dodger,’ catcher Austin Barnes said.

The Dodgers are 4-0 for the first time since 1981, showing the kind of resiliency that led them to last year’s World Series championship, coming back three times to knock off the Tigers and their former teammate, starter Jack Flaherty.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says has enjoyed some fine first weeks of the season during his playing, coaching and managerial career, but nothing can compare to this, winning two games in Japan, returning home, unveiling the World Series banner, getting rings almost as big as the Stanley Cup trophy, and continuing to win in every conceivable way.

‘This is by far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced,’ Roberts said. ‘I think that if you’re a Dodger fan, I think that you feel the same way I do. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.

‘Obviously, we’re 4-0, finding ways to win, and we’re not even playing our best baseball and are still finding ways to win.’

It was a night where the Dodgers had plenty of heroes, from starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s career-high 10 strikeouts in five innings, Freddie Freeman’s game-tying 2-run homer off Flaherty, second baseman Tommy Edman’s defensive brilliance, Barnes’ game-saving tag at the plate, but no one came up bigger than Betts.

While his teammates were playing in Tokyo, he returned home and continued to constantly throw up, unable to keep down any solid food. He saw trainers. He visited doctors. He took medical tests. It scared him to death.

It wasn’t until 72 hours earlier when he felt healthy enough to even play a game.

He didn’t hit the ball out of the infield in the Dodgers’ home-opener on Thursday, and finally was able to hit a single to center in the sixth inning Friday. Then, it happened. With the game tied at 2-apiece in the 8th inning, he drove a 87-mph fastball from Will Vest that just cleared the left-center-field wall, which required an umpire review to make sure there was no fan interference.

In the 10th, with the Dodgers having already scored two runs to tie the game, Betts stepped to the plate with two runners on and hit a full-count, 90-mph changeup from Beau Brieske over the left-field fence, sending the crowd of 52,029 into hysterics.

Betts threw his right arm up in the air, danced around the bases, jumped on home plate, and the celebration began.

‘That was super special,’ Betts said. ‘I know it sounds super selfish, but just more for me, man. I was really proud of myself coming in, and playing underweight. Not that it’s a big deal playing underweight, but just the fight. I’ve kind of been through ups and downs, the night where I’m just crying because I’m sick. My wife, they’re kind of holding me, you know, so that’s where that emotion comes from.

‘And then, obviously winning for the boys.’

Considering that Betts is still 10 pounds lighter than his usual playing weight of 175, was he stunned he was able to produce a two-homer game?

‘No, like I’m still good at baseball,’ he said. ‘It’s still possible.’

Said Barnes: ‘He’s a freak, man. He’s one of the best baseball players on the planet. But he was down and out. So, for him to come out here, and put two homers on the board, and win us the game, pretty impressive.’

Betts quickly dressed, packed his bag, headed home, and was looking forward to stuffing his face with home-cooking from his wife and family chef.

‘Another seven or eight pounds will help me a lot, but 10 would be ideal,’ Betts said. ‘Got to keep eating. I got both of them cooking. I’m eating during the game. So, we’re doing what it takes.’

Roberts laughed afterwards, still trying to completely comprehend what happened.

Here they are, getting no-hit by Flaherty for four innings. They’re being shut out entering the sixth inning. They are still down two runs in the sixth. They are tied in the eighth until Betts’ homer. They blow the lead in the ninth. They’re down two runs in the 10th.

And they still manage to win.

‘It’s kind of the hallmark of our ballclub,’ Roberts said. ‘We just don’t quit. We keep going, and as bleak as it might look at times, we keep competing and putting it back together.’

And, on this night, no one exemplified their resilience more than Betts with those two majestic swings of the bat.

‘That was not on my bingo card,’ Roberts said. ‘He just does some special things. He’s obviously a tremendous ballplayer. … But given what he’s been under the last couple of weeks, and to still go out there and be ready, and not be 100%, and still give us everything he has, coming up huge, I can’t say enough about Mookie.’

Now, the biggest challenge, Betts says, is just getting enough strength to be able to wear their new World Series ring.

‘This is my favorite one so far,’ Betts said, ‘but a little heavy.’

When you’re wearing a ring that’s made of 14 karat gold with more than 300 diamonds and 120 sapphires, Betts can put on 100 pounds and it’s still going to feel like a sculpture on his hand.

‘It sure is beautiful,’ Betts says.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

The Final Four of the NCAA men’s tournament is just one win away for the eight teams that have advanced to the region finals. The last step on the journey to San Antonio, Texas, just might be the hardest, with a lineup full of contenders.

Saturday’s schedule sees two No. 1 seeds – and perhaps the two biggest favorites to win the entire tournament – in action. Florida will highlight the proceedings from the West Region in San Francisco. The Gators have won nine in a row, a run that includes capturing the SEC tournament. They’ll be challenged by Texas Tech, the Big 12 runner-up in the regular season that staged a furious comeback against Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

In the nightcap, Duke will try to make another trip to the Final Four but will have to deal with the up-tempo and hot-shooting Alabama. The Crimson Tide broke a tournament record with 25 three-pointers against Brigham Young. But can they carry that momentum against the Blue Devils?

It shapes up to be two tense contests. Here’s a breakdown:

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 3 Texas Tech

Time/TV: 6:09 p.m., ET, TBS/truTV

How much do the Red Raiders have in the tank after their comeback victory against Arkansas? It’s a short turnaround, and they’re not a particularly deep team, but there is plenty of grit and fight. Inside forces JT Toppin and Darrion Williams are Tech’s top two scoring options.

Florida will counter with a heavy rotation of size to slow them down. It may then fall on Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins to provide the outside game to keep the Gators honest. The Red Raiders will try to slow down Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., something few teams have been able to do. Clayton will have lots of support – notably from backcourt mates Alijah Martin and Will Richard – as the Gators rank third in the nation in scoring (85.5 ppg).

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 Alabama

Time/TV: 8:39 p.m., ET, TBS/truTV

While it might be great for the neutral viewers, don’t expect the kind of pace and free-flowing shooting that allowed Alabama to have its record-setting night Friday. Duke will want to slow things down to take advantage of its size in the halfcourt and protect its big men from foul trouble. It’s simple math: Fewer possessions mean fewer opportunities for Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba II to be on the bench. Their ability to defend the rim is critical for the Blue Devils.

While it might seem crazy to force the Crimson Tide to stay on the perimeter, that’s what Duke will want. The likelihood of another historic performance by Alabama will be a challenge. Mark Sears will be tasked with breaking down the Duke defense, something that Arizona was effective with in the Sweet 16. That could set up Grant Nelson and the other plethora of Crimson Tide scorers. There’s one name still not mentioned, and he might be the biggest factor. Cooper Flagg playing on the level he did Friday makes the Blue Devils almost un-guardable. They’ll still need to hit their shots, but there should be plenty of open ones.

Former NFL player LeShon Johnson was charged with allegedly operating a large dogfighting venture after 190 ‘pit bull-type dogs’ were seized from him in October 2024 – believed to be the most even taken from one person in a federal dogfighting investigation, the Department of Justice said.

According to court documents, Johnson operated ‘Mal Kant Kennels’ in Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma. In addition to the possession of the 190 dogs, Johnson is charged with selling, transporting, and delivering a dog for use in an animal fighting venture. Johnson allegedly bred dogs that won fights, selling the stud rights and offspring to other dogfighters across the country.

‘Dog fighting is a cruel, blood-thirsty venture, not a legitimate business or sporting activity,’ said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Raised in Oklahoma, Johnson was an All-American running back at Northern Illinois, leading the nation with 1,976 rushing yards in 1993 to finish sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. Johnson was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1994 draft and played his last game in 1999, totaling five rushing touchdowns in his NFL career with the Packers, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.

In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges in Oklahoma and was given a five-year deferred sentence.

‘Dog fighting is illegal, and courts have upheld its prosecution time and again,’ said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). ‘This strategic prosecution of an alleged repeat offender led to the seizure of 190 dogs destined for a cruel end. It disrupts a major source of dogs used in other dog fighting ventures.”

The New York Yankees didn’t welcome Nestor Cortes back to the Bronx very kindly.

Making his Milwaukee Brewers debut at Yankee Stadium after an offseason trade, the former All-Star gave up back-to-back-to-back home runs to Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge – on three pitches – to start the first inning on Saturday.

After finally getting two outs in the frame, Cortes surrendered his fourth home run of the inning to catcher Austin Wells. Cortes walked two more batters after Wells’ home run, but he struck out Trent Grisham to mercifully bring the disastrous inning to an end.

The Yankees sent Cortes to Milwaukee in the deal that brought closer Devin Williams to New York. The lefty finished eighth in Cy Young voting in 2022 with a 12-4 record and 2.44 ERA in 28 starts. Injuries limited Cortes to 12 outings in 2023 and while he was the Yankees’ Opening Day starter in 2024, injuries sidelined the lefty to begin the Yankees’ run to the World Series last season.

Cortes made two appearances in the Fall Classic against the Los Angeles Dodgers, famously surrendering Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1, the first in World Series history.

Goldschmidt and Bellinger’s home runs were their first for the Yankees, both former MVPs acquired over the winter after the Yankees missed out on bringing back Juan Soto. Goldschmidt was batting leadoff for the first time in his MLB career on Saturday.

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Flagg, tabbed as a generational prospect, was ranked the No. 1 player nationally in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He hasn’t disappointed in college, either, as he’s averaging 19 points with 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this season while playing dominant defense.

Flagg is expected to make immediate contributions in the NBA next season, although the ceiling of top prospects is never a sure thing from year-to-year. Dan Patrick, host of ‘The Dan Patrick Show,’ recently said Flagg’s career would turn out to be a disappointment if he became a player of the same caliber as Kevin Love, a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection at his peak.

Patrick was complimenting Flagg’s ceiling as a prospect and not necessarily taking a shot at Love. The comments lured Love to offer his own two cents on the situation, however.

‘For those who will take this as a shot at me…I don’t take it as such,’ Love wrote on X in response to Patrick’s quote. ‘I was pure skill & will. Cooper is far more talented than I ever was and if he stays healthy will have a far better career. He could very well have a statue by the time he’s finished. I’m a HUGE fan.’

Love’s comments were expectedly classy, and the current Miami Heat forward is already a fan of the prospect.

The 36-year-old forward is in his 17th NBA season and has played with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Heat after being the No. 5 overall pick out of UCLA in the 2008 NBA Draft. Love was perhaps best known for winning the NBA Finals alongside LeBron James in 2016.

Flagg’s status as a prospect has risen above where being compared to Love is somehow seen as a diss by many. The all-around forward is focused on capping his freshman season with a national championship, though, starting with an Elite Eight matchup with 2-seed Alabama on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament.

(This story was updated to change a photo.)

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