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LOS ANGELES — The National League Cy Young race was tightening up, the regular season was down to its final three weeks, a critical start against the Los Angeles Dodgers was on tap, and Blake Snell, the ace of a San Diego Padres team far removed from contention, needed to make a statement.

With six scoreless innings against one of the most menacing offenses in the sport, Snell established himself as the clear favorite for the award.

“He seems to be on a little bit of a mission,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said after Wednesday’s 6-1, Snell-inspired victory at Dodger Stadium. “This late in the season, you’re throwing as hard as he does, and all four pitches are working like that, he’s a tough customer to deal with.”

Snell allowed two baserunners, on a single and a walk, and struck out eight batters, lowering his ERA to a major league-low 2.43 in 167 innings. Justin Steele of the Chicago Cubs, perhaps Snell’s closest competitor for the NL Cy Young Award, holds a 2.49 ERA in eight fewer innings. Logan Webb and Zac Gallen have each surpassed 190 innings, but their ERAs are 3.40 and 3.50, respectively. Spencer Strider easily leads the majors in strikeouts with 259 — 42 more than Snell, who’s tied for second — but his ERA is up to 3.73.

The award appears to be Snell’s to lose if he can continue his recent surge for the three starts that remain in what has been a thoroughly disappointing season for his star-laden Padres. Snell, a free agent at season’s end, held a 5.40 ERA when he took the ball in Washington, D.C., on May 25. Since then he has a 1.33 ERA in 21 starts, more than a full run better than any other qualified pitcher during that stretch. His past four starts have seen him give up two runs and strike out 33 batters in 25 innings.

“Cy Young dominant, right?” Melvin said. “It’s what he’s digging for. He’s done it before. He knows what that feels like.”

Snell, who won the American League Cy Young Award as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, could be the seventh pitcher to win a Cy Young in both leagues, joining a decorated list that includes Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clements, Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer. He also could be the first pitcher in 64 years — and just the third overall — to do so while leading his league in walks.

“If you’re in that talk, it means you’re doing something right,” said Snell, who also has allowed the majors’ lowest opposing batting average. “It’s definitely something you wanna be at, and it’s definitely something you wanna try to get. That’s the whole goal. That and the World Series. That’s the two things you want.”

The Padres, seven games out of a playoff spot and without key rotation cogs in Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, had been riding Snell hard throughout the summer. They recently presented him with the option of taking a couple of extra days of rest to start the Friday game against the lowly Oakland Athletics. He instead chose to remain on regular rest to face the Dodgers.

“I just enjoy the moment, enjoy the challenge,” Snell said. “It’s why you play — to play the best teams. And it’s the only way you can really tell how good you are.”

Mookie Betts led off Wednesday’s game with a single and then drew a walk in the third inning. Outside of that, Snell retired all 18 of the hitters he faced with relative ease, helping the Padres win their first regular-season series against the Dodgers in 13 attempts (San Diego also won last year’s NL Division Series). His fastball averaged 96 mph, half a tick higher than his season average, his curveball generated six swings and misses, and his slider and changeup were also working.

It was merely a continuation of Snell’s recent prowess, a run that seems to get more impressive with each passing start.

Asked whether he’s on a mission, Snell smiled.

“Some would say, yeah.”

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Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

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Knights score with 0.4 left to stun Oilers in Game 3

EDMONTON, Alberta — Reilly Smith scored with 0.4 seconds left on a shot that deflected in off Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl‘s stick to give the Vegas Golden Knights a stunning 4-3 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Smith’s goal is tied for the latest game winner in regulation in Stanley Cup playoffs history along with Nazem Kadri‘s goal for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020 and Jussi Jokinen’s goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009, according to ESPN Research.

“Honestly, I’ve seen [Vegas forward William Karlsson] use that play a few times where he forechecks and spins it out in front of the net, jumping off the bench,” Smith said when asked about the play. “I think there was around seven seconds. I just tried. And being first on it. … So I thought there was a chance. And once it popped out I saw a lot of guys sell out. So I just hope that I had enough time to kind of pump-fake and find a lane and, you know, worked out.”

The game-winning goal came after Oilers star Connor McDavid tied it with 3:02 to go with a centering pass that went in off defender Brayden McNabb‘s skate.

“We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot. After that, it’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate,” Draisaitl said of the game-winning goal. “It goes off my stick, and I’m just trying to keep it out of the net. It’s just a bad bounce.”

After Corey Perry gave Edmonton an early 2-0 lead, Nicolas Roy and Smith tied it with goals in a 54-second span late in the first period. Karlsson put the Golden Knights in front with 2:55 left in the second, beating goalie Stuart Skinner off a give-and-go play with Noah Hanifin. And Adin Hill made 17 saves for Vegas.

The Golden Knights’ win Saturday cut Edmonton’s lead to 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinal series. Game 4 is Monday night in Edmonton.

“Before the series starts, if you were to tell us that we were gonna be up 2-1 after three, we’d be happy,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’d be pleased with that, not only up 2-1, but Game 4 at home.”

Vegas rallied in the first period after Golden Knights forward Mark Stone left because of an upper-body injury.

“Big win for our team,” Smith said. “We need to use the momentum in front of us to push forward, but focus one game at a time. That’s kind of always been the mindset for this group. We have a lot of resiliency. So as long as you focus on that next game and get a little bit better every night.”

Roy, playing a day after being fined but not suspended for cross-checking Trent Frederic in the face in overtime in Game 2, cut it to 2-1 off a rebound with 4:43 left in the first. Smith then slipped a backhander through Skinner’s legs with 3:49 to go in the period.

Skinner stopped 20 shots, taking over in goal for the injured Calvin Pickard. Pickard appeared uncomfortable and was seen shaking out his left leg after Vegas forward Tomas Hertl landed on his left pad in Game 2.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Judge goes deep twice, pushes MLB HR lead to 14

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Judge goes deep twice, pushes MLB HR lead to 14

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Aaron Judge celebrated his return to the Sacramento area by hitting two home runs Saturday in a losing effort for the New York Yankees against the Athletics to extend his major league leading total to 14.

Judge is playing in the Sacramento area for the first time since college in New York’s first visit to the A’s temporary home near California’s capital.

Judge was born in Sacramento and grew up not far away in Linden and had many friends and family in the crowd of 12,113 at the minor league park that is hosting the A’s.

“It just felt like being home,” Judge said after the Yankees’ win Friday night. “Any time we play the A’s, that’s always something that’s familiar to me and close to home to me. It was special.”

After going 1-for-4 with a walk and two near homers in the series opener, Judge granted A’s owner John Fisher his wish Saturday in an 11-7 victory for the home team.

He led off the fourth inning with a homer off JP Sears and then connected again to lead off the sixth against Justin Sterner to the delight of the Yankees fans in attendance, many of whom chanted “MVP! MVP!”

“Not surprising,” Yankees starter Carlos Rodon said. “Once again putting on great swings like he always does. Really good player.”

The second homer gave Judge 14 on the season and gave him 41 career multihomer games — fourth most in Yankees history.

Judge leads the majors in batting average (.396), on-base percentage (.486), slugging percentage (.772) homers and RBIs (37).

When the A’s announced their plans last season to play in this minor league park, Fisher said he was excited to see what players like Judge could do in a stadium known for offense.

“We’re excited to be here for the next three years playing in this beautiful ballpark but also being able to watch some of the best players in baseball, whether they be Athletics players or Aaron Judge and others launch home runs out of this very intimate, the most intimate ballpark in all of Major League Baseball,” he said.

The ball carried well for everyone with the teams combining for six homers — including a go-ahead, three-run shot by Shea Langeliers for the A’s that pitcher Fernando Cruz was shocked carried over the wall.

Cruz said he went to back up home plate, assuming it would be a potential sacrifice fly only to see the ball carry out.

“It’s the same for all of us,” Cruz said. “It’s the same for the other team, the same for me, the same for my other teammates. Just have to come back tomorrow and do the same thing, pitch and locate a little better.”

Games at this stadium that had previously been solely used in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League have had a combined 2.75 home runs per game — up more than 40% from the rate of homers hit last season at the Oakland Coliseum.

“I’m sure as the summer builds up and the heat builds up, the PCL is known for that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said about the way the ball carries. “I’d be speaking out of turn if I said I knew how this place is going to play throughout. Today was a little different throughout.”

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Red Sox put 1B Gonzalez on IL; Devers stays DH

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Red Sox put 1B Gonzalez on IL; Devers stays DH

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Boston Red Sox put first baseman Romy Gonzalez on the 10-day injured list with a left-quad contusion, retroactive to May 8. In a corresponding move, the Red Sox recalled second baseman Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester with a plan to have him split time with Abraham Toro.

Sogard was in the starting lineup Saturday against Kansas City left-hander Cole Ragans. He went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Boston’s 10-1 win.

“I think it’s a short-term thing,” Boston manager Alex Cora said of Gonzalez before Saturday’s game. “He wasn’t bouncing back the way we expected early. So it makes sense just to take care of him and he’ll be alright.”

There was plenty of drama following Thursday’s win over the Texas Rangers, when designated hitter Rafael Devers said he wouldn’t play first base. That caused the Red Sox brass to travel to Kansas City for meetings with Devers. Cora was asked if this latest move might lead to Devers starting to take ground balls at first base.

“We’ll keep talking about stuff,” he said, deflecting the question. “We’ll keep looking for our alternatives. We’ll do what we need to do to keep getting better. We’ve got Romy, we’ve got Toro now, and we’ve got Sogi. That’s the route we’re going to have right now.”

Devers had a big night at the plate Saturday, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs.

Gonzalez was hitting .308 in 17 games after replacing Triston Casas, who is out for the year with a ruptured tendon in his left knee. He has an OPS of .785.

Sogard made his season debut Saturday, after hitting .188 in 28 games with Worcester. His OPS is .562. He hit .273 in 31 games with Boston in 2024.

“He’s a good defender,” Cora said. “He’s a good player. We’ll mix and match with him and Toro. Today (Kansas City has) a tough lefty on the mound, so I think it made sense for him to play. The two of them will be splitting first the next week or so.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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