BALTIMORE — Journalism won the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coming from behind down the stretch to make good on the lofty expectations of being the odds-on favorite in the middle leg of the Triple Crown two weeks after finishing second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby.

Finishing first in a field of nine horses that did not include Sovereignty but featured some of the best competition in the country, Journalism gave trainer Michael McCarthy his second Preakness victory. It is Umberto Rispoli’s first in a Triple Crown race, and he is the first jockey from Italy to win one of them.

Gosger was second by a half-length after getting passed by Journalism just before the wire. Sandman was third and Goal Oriented fourth. Journalism went 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.37.

Journalism thrived on a warm day that dried out the track after torrential rain fell at Pimlico Race Course for much of the past week. Those conditions suited him better than the slop at Churchill Downs in the Derby.

Sovereignty did not take part after his owners and trainer Bill Mott decided to skip the Preakness, citing the two-week turnaround, and aimed for the Belmont on June 7. That made this a fifth time in seven years that the Preakness, for various reasons, was contested without a Triple Crown bid at stake.

But Journalism staked his claim for 3-year-old horse of the year by winning the $2 million American classic race run at the old Pimlico Race Course for the last time before it’s torn down and rebuilt. The Preakness is set to be held at nearby Laurel Park, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., next year before a planned return to the new Pimlico in 2027.

Journalism is the first horse to win the Preakness after running in the Kentucky Derby since Mark Casse-trained War of Will in 2019. Only two others from the 19 in the Derby participated in the Preakness: Casse’s Sandman and fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas’ American Promise.

Lukas, the 89-year-old who has saddled the most horses in Preakness history, referred to McCarthy once this week as “the new guy.” This was just McCarthy’s second, and he’s 2 for 2 after Rombauer sprung the upset as an 11-1 long shot in 2021.

SAN FRANCISCO — Wilmer Flores homered three times — including a grand slam — and drove in eight runs to back a strong start by Logan Webb, leading the San Francisco Giants past the Athletics 9-1 on Friday night.

Flores, who set single-game career highs for homers and RBIs, hit his seventh slam in the third inning off A’s starter JP Sears. He had a three-run shot against Michel Otanez in the sixth, then added a solo shot off Anthony Maldonado in the eighth.

According to ESPN Research, Flores is the first right-handed batter with a three-homer game at Oracle Park since the Dodgers’ Kevin Elster did it on April 11, 2000. Joc Pederson, a left-handed batter, achieved the only other three-homer game at Oracle in 2022.

Flores also lifted his RBI total to 41, tying him with New York Yankees star Aaron Judge for the MLB lead.

Flores’ big night was more than enough support for Webb (5-3), who carried a shutout into the eighth inning. The 2024 All-Star allowed one run and five hits in eight innings with four strikeouts and two walks. The Giants’ ace has allowed two runs over his past four home starts covering 28⅓ innings for a 0.64 ERA.

Camilo Doval struck out the side in the ninth to wrap up the win in the Giants’ first game against the A’s this season in the former Bay Bridge Series.

Sears (4-3), who gave up one run in 14⅔ innings covering his previous two starts, allowed four runs and six hits in four innings.

It was the A’s first visit to the Bay Area since leaving Oakland for Sacramento while a new stadium in Las Vegas is built.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK — Juan Soto‘s return to Yankee Stadium in a Mets uniform Friday night went just about as he expected: with loud, relentless boos and chants from scorned Yankees fans still offended by his decision to choose the crosstown rival over their team during the offseason.

“I was ready for it,” Soto said after the Yankees beat the Mets 6-2 to open the Subway Series. “They’re really passionate fans and they’re a little hurt, and they’re going to do the best for their team, and they just feel that way.”

All game, whether he was in the action or not, Soto heard a chorus of boos and chants directed at him. Most chants were vulgar. All the boos were loud. After partnering with Aaron Judge to create one of the most productive duos in baseball history and lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years in his only season in the Bronx, he was the center of attention from beginning to end Friday.

And Soto — whose 15-year, $765 million contract is the richest in North American sports history — was prepared for it.

Soto, 26, stepped to the plate for his first at-bat in the first inning with a plan for the vitriol. Instead of ignoring the inevitable rancor, he was, after some prodding from teammates, going to playfully acknowledge it.

So while thousands of people stood to jeer him, he smiled, took off his helmet, tipped it to the crowd, touched it against his chest and mouthed, “Thank you.”

“We were just joking in the dugout that I should do it, and I just did it,” Soto said. “Guys loved it.”

Minutes later, the Bleacher Creatures, the celebrated group of staunch fans in the right-field bleachers who serenaded Soto with “Re-Sign Soto!” chants last season, turned their backs to him when he took his spot in right field in the bottom of the first inning. Soto said he didn’t notice them.

“I was just listening to the boos,” Soto said. “I tried to not have any eye contact. I just listened to the boos.”

Between the lines, Soto’s return was rather quiet. He walked in his first three plate appearances, scoring the Mets’ first run on Brandon Nimmo‘s single in the fourth inning. Soto grounded out in the seventh inning and flied out to center field with two runners on base to end the game. He emerged with a .252 batting average and .845 OPS through his first 44 games as a Met.

“Every time he’s at the plate, we feel good,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Didn’t come through today, but that’s the guy you want there in that spot. He’ll be fine.”

Defensively, Soto failed to throw out a runner at home on Anthony Volpe‘s 243-foot sacrifice fly in the third inning. In the eighth, he caught a fly ball for the third out and tossed the ball over his head into the seats behind him. A fan threw it back onto the field, igniting passionate cheers.

There were more cheers when Soto made the final out, ending an eventful night the 47,700 people in attendance anticipated.

“It’s just another game,” Soto said. “It’s real [unfortunate] that we couldn’t get the win. I don’t focus at all on fans. We got to focus on the game and be a professional, try to win a game. Yeah, it sucks that we lost the game, but we have two more to win the series.”