One week ago, Joseph Contreras was facing high school batters as a member of Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Georgia.

On Friday, the 17-year-old was facing Aaron Judge as a member of the Brazilian national team. And Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr., Kyle Schwarber and Cal Raleigh.

That’s the kind of stuff you get in the World Baseball Classic.

One of the breakout stars of Team USA’s opening 15-5 win over Brazil was the second pitcher out of the bullpen for the underdogs. Contreras is the son of longtime MLB pitcher José Contreras and was pitching on the same Daikin Park field where his father once celebrated a win in the 2005 World Series. He’s the youngest player on any of the 20 WBC rosters, having been born on May 6, 2008.

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With his father in attendance, Contreras got called in for the second inning against an American lineup that posted two runs on a Judge homer off starting pitcher Bo Takahashi. He got into trouble early, allowing a double to Brice Turang, then walking both Witt and Harper.

That set up a situation in which an actual minor was being asked to face Judge, the reigning American League MVP, with the bases loaded and one out. Throwing a fastball averaging 96.6 mph, Contreras induced a broken-bat grounder from Judge, leading to an inning-ending double play.

The encounter left Judge impressed, as he told reporters after the game:

“I know I wasn’t doing that at 17 years old, that’s for sure. Just great stuff. I felt like he had some poise on the mound, he’s throwing up to 100 mph, he’s facing Team USA, a lot of guys he’s probably seen on TV. It was just impressive. Impressive to see him control himself out there, get out of a big jam.”

Contreras was asked to go back out for the third inning, which didn’t go as well. He allowed a single to Schwarber, allowed a run to score on a wild pitch, then walked Raleigh. That was the end of his night, with Brazil manager Yuichi Matsumoto pulling him for Tiago De Silva.

Control ultimately wasn’t on Contreras’ side, as he threw only 13 strikes on 33 total pitches. Fortunately, he has plenty of career ahead of him to iron things out.

Contreras, whose mother is Brazilian, is committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt and is ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 47 prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft. Speaking with local media in one interview before the tournament, he mentioned one hope:

“Maybe face Aaron Judge. That would be nice.”

Nice, indeed.

Amazingly, Contreras wasn’t the only son of a major leaguer who had an impressive showing for Brazil. Lucas Ramirez — you might remember his father, Manny — hit two home runs in the game, more than the entirety of Team USA.

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum faced a lengthy recovery after he went down with a torn Achilles last May. While there was some doubt about whether he would be able to play this season, Tatum always kept hope alive, saying he wasn’t ruling himself out back in September. 

That prediction turned out to be true, as Tatum will return to action Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, the Celtics announced. The team initially listed Tatum as questionable on its injury report before upgrading him to available.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters Tatum will start.

His comeback follows an up-and-down rehab. At times, Tatum showed off incredible progress, offering hope he could get back before the year was over. But in January, a report emerged suggesting the 27-year-old star could shut it down and prepare for next season. 

Shortly after that report, Tatum’s return started to look more realistic. In February, it was reported that Tatum was taking part in controlled scrimmages. He was assigned to the team’s G League affiliate to start taking part in practices. Eventually, Tatum found himself listed on the Celtics’ injury report, a sign he was getting close to a return. 

That culminated in Friday’s news ahead of Tatum’s long-awaited but inspiring return from a devastating injury.

Despite being without Tatum — and trading away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — the Celtics have performed much better than expected. The team sits near the top of the Eastern Conference, with forward Jaylen Brown in the midst of an MVP-caliber season.

While it’s impossible to know whether Tatum will fully return to form upon his comeback, the forward should make an impact, even if he’s not at full strength. Tatum has made the All-Star team in each of the past six seasons in which he was healthy, and while he hasn’t won an MVP award just yet, he’s been in contention for that honor multiple times over that period. 

Last season, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Those numbers earned him his fourth straight appearance on the first team All-NBA team. 

The move comes at the perfect time. With the Celtics rapidly approaching the playoffs, Tatum should have enough time to work himself into form before the end of the regular season. If the team can get him back to full strength in time for the playoffs, the Celtics could be bound for a miraculous championship run during a year most wrote the team off. 

Coming off a second consecutive World Series victory — this time a seven-game thriller over the Toronto Blue Jays — the Los Angeles Dodgers are once again the betting favorites at sportsbooks to win the World Series, which would mean completing the sport’s first three-peat since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.

This year, though, Los Angeles is an even bigger favorite than the past two seasons.

The Dodgers (+225 at BetMGM; higher at some other sportsbooks) have their shortest preseason World Series odds as a franchise since at least 1985, per Sports Odds History. Los Angeles had +350 odds in the preseason in 2024 and +240 odds last year. The Dodgers also have the shortest World Series odds of any MLB team in more than 20 years. 

The last time a team had shorter odds to win it all was the 2003 Yankees (+200) — a team that made the World Series but lost to the Florida Marlins. Recent history hasn’t been kind for preseason World Series favorites — the team with the best preseason World Series odds has won it all only four times since 2001, and that includes the Dodgers the past two seasons — but for Los Angeles, that might not matter.

“There’s a significant gap in talent as well,” Halvor Egeland, BetMGM trading strategy manager, told Yahoo Sports. “The Dodgers are in a tier of their own.”

To wit, no other MLB team has World Series odds in the single digits. The New York Yankees (10-1), Seattle Mariners (13-1), Toronto Blue Jays (13-1) and New York Mets (14-1) have the next-best odds. The Dodgers also have a win total of 103.5; the next highest win total is the New York Mets and Yankees at 90.5.

Los Angeles has the most wagers and most dollars wagered to win the World Series at multiple sportsbooks.

“The Dodgers are by far taking the most action in terms of bets and handle,” Egeland noted. “They are our biggest liability among competitive teams. The Mariners and Blue Jays round out the top three in both categories [handle and wagers], but it’s a relatively sizable gap.”

The short odds aren’t stopping the betting public from backing Los Angeles to get its three-peat, though, including putting the Dodgers in the currently en vogue futures parlay.

“The Dodgers are definitely the most bet team with the most handle and one of the teams we do most poorly on, even though they have the shortest odds,” said Eric Biggio, MLB trader at Caesars Sportsbook. “People are also putting Los Angeles to win the World Series in futures parlays with Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters, Oklahoma City to win the NBA title, etc.”

It’s not a surprise that the public loves the Dodgers, as the team has won the NL West crown in a shocking 12 of the past 13 seasons and made the postseason every year. Los Angeles is a prohibitive favorite at -650 to win the NL West again this season; that’s an implied probability of 86.7%. 

The Colorado Rockies have the longest odds to win the World Series, at 1,000-1 odds.

The Texas Rangers have signed veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to a minor-league contract and invited him to Spring Training, the team announced on Friday.

McCutchen, 39, played with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2023 to 2025, his second stint with the franchise with which his career began. In 135 games last season, the 2013 NL MVP batted .239, hit 13 home runs and drove in 57 runs. It was the 17th straight season in which he finished with double-digit homers and the fourth season out of the past five that saw him record at least 50 RBI.

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While McCutchen can play in the outfield, he has primarily been used as a designated hitter since 2022. According to Baseball Reference, the five-time All-Star has played only 20 games in the outfield since the 2024 season.

As the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant points out, what might make the right-handed McCutchen an attractive option at DH for the Rangers is his .799 OPS against left-handed starters in 2025. Veteran righty Mark Canha has been in camp this spring and has four hits in 14 at-bats while serving as DH. Joc Pederson, a lefty, is also on the roster and coming off a season in which he batted .181 in 96 games, with only 9 home runs, 26 RBI and a .614 OPS.

Brett Davis via Getty Images

Should he make the team, the Rangers would be McCutchen’s sixth MLB franchise. After beginning his career with the Pirates in 2009, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 2018 and dealt again later that season to the New York Yankees. He then signed a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Milwaukee Brewers were his next stop in 2022 before he returned to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 season.

McCutchen has played 2,262 career MLB games and has 332 home runs and 1,152 RBI.

The four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, 2012 Gold Glove winner and recipient of the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award said at the end of last season that he wanted to continue playing, even if it wasn’t in Pittsburgh — though he noted he wanted to retire as a Pirate.

“That’s the goal,” McCutchen said in September. “I’m not necessarily just here to be here. It would be good to have that opportunity, but we’ll pass that bridge when we get there.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Women’s boxing will get a home on ESPN and a spot at Madison Square Garden under a deal announced Friday by Most Valuable Promotions.

The company launched MVPW, a platform to showcase women’s boxing. The multiyear agreement makes ESPN the U.S. home of MVPW events through 2028, with the majority airing on the network’s linear channels.

MVP, the promotional company co-founded by Jake Paul, has made women’s boxing a focus after signing seven-division champion Amanda Serrano. It staged the first all-women’s boxing card at Madison Square Garden last July when Katie Taylor beat Serrano in their final fight of their trilogy.

Madison Square Garden, which also hosted their first fight in 2022, and MVP plan to stage at least one MVPW event per year over the next three years.

Its first will be MVPW-02 on April 17, headlined by Alycia Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KOs) defending her 130-pound titles against Bo Mi Re Shin (19-3-3, 10 KOs), a match that will be contested over three-minute rounds, same as men’s boxing. Super middleweight champion Shadasia Green (16-1, 11 KOs) will defend her super middleweight titles against Lani Daniels (11-4-2, 1 KO) in the co-main event.

The MVPW series debuts April 5 in London, featuring Caroline Dubois against Terri Harper, and Ellie Scotney facing Mayelli Flores. It will stream in the U.S. on the ESPN app.

___

AP boxing: https://www.apnews.com/boxing

Michigan State football will reportedly host a linebacker prospect from Connecticut for an unofficial visit in a few weeks.

Corey Robinson of 247Sports reported earlier this week that Christian King of Oakdale, Conn. will visit Michigan State for an unofficial visit this month. He will reportedly visit Michigan State on March 16, according to Robinson.

King is an unranked linebacker prospect in the 2028 class. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, and plays for St. Thomas More.

While Robinson is not ranked at this time, he has already picked up some traction on the recruiting trail. According to 247Sports, he holds offers from Boston College, Duke, Syracuse, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Temple, Bowling Green and Liberty.

Michigan State has not yet offered King, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets that offer during his visit.

Update: According to @C_Robinson247 of @247Sports 2028 Unranked Linebacker 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 (@Christian21King) has scheduled an Unofficial Visit to MSU!

He will be in East Lansing March 16th. #GoGreen#GoWhitepic.twitter.com/BbWb4Cy7nW

— Bleed Green MSU (@BleedGreen_MSU) March 5, 2026

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU football to reportedly host LB Christian King of Oakdale, Conn.

Where to watch Mansfield Town vs. Arsenal live stream, TV channel, start time for FA Cup match originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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In what could be a bit of a lopsided matchup, Mansfield Town will welcome Arsenal to One Call Stadium on Saturday for an FA Cup showdown.

Based on history, the odds are against Mansfield Town in this fixture. The Stags are riding the momentum of a stunning win over Premier League club Burnley in the fourth round, 2-1. That defeat ended a 51-year drought from the fifth round of the FA Cup for Mansfield Town.

Meanwhile, Arsenal is known for their record-setting performances in the Cup, but they enter the fifth round for the first time since 2020. Portsmouth and Wigan were simple tasks for the Gunners in rounds three and four, and while they’re favored in this matchup, Mikel Arteta’s men are likely more focused on Premier League and Champion’s League trophies. 

Who will take the win?

Here’s everything you need to know about Mansfield Town vs. Arsenal, including TV channel and streaming options for the FA Cup match.

Mansfield Town vs. Arsenallive stream, TV channel

Here’s how to watch this FA Cup match in the U.S.:

• TV channel: ESPN2
• Live stream: ESPN+, ESPN app, Fubo

The match will be shown live on ESPN2 and can be streamed on ESPN+ via the ESPN app, or on Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users. 

Catch all your favorite ESPN+ action with ESPN Select! Just download the new ESPN app, sign in with your ESPN account, tap Subscribe to ESPN Select, and you’re set to stream live sports, originals, and more—all in one place.

Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

What time does Mansfield Town vs. Arsenalkick off?

This clash takes place at One Call Stadium in Mansfield, UK. The fixture kicks off on Saturday, March 7 at 12:15 p.m. local time.

Here’s how that time translates across the U.S.:

	Date	Kickoff time
Eastern Time	Sat., March 7	7:15 a.m.
Central Time	Sat., March 7	6:15 a.m.
Mountain Time	Sat., March 7	5:15 a.m.
Pacific Time	Sat., March 7	4:15 a.m.

FA Cup fixture schedule this week

Friday, March 6

• Wolves vs. Liverpool (3 p.m. ET)

Saturday, March 7

• Mansfield Town vs.  Arsenal (7:15 a.m. ET)
• Wrexham vs. Chelsea (12:45 p.m. ET)
• Newcastle vs. Manchester City (3 p.m. ET)

Sunday, March 8

• Fulham vs. Southampton (8 a.m. ET)
• Port Vale vs. Sunderland (9:30 a.m. ET)
• Leeds vs. Norwich City (12:30 p.m. ET)

Monday, March 9

• West Ham United vs. Brentford (3:30 p.m. ET)

Related Links

• Latest men’s soccer news and rumors
• Latest women’s soccer news and rumors
• How to bet on Soccer

The 3rd annual MLB Spring Breakout showcases the top prospects in baseball, including the San Diego Padres top players in their minor league system. Ninety-one of the top 100 prospects have been named to be included in the rosters for the 16 games that will be played between March 19-22.

This will be the last year that the present format will be in place. Beginning next season, and including 2028, the format will change to a single-elimination style tournament with two teams crowned champions. The Cactus League will have a champion from their 15 teams and the Grapefruit League will have a champion from their 15 teams. The new format doesn’t begin this year in order to not compete with the WBC.

The top 100 prospects in MLB include No. 4 Leo DeVries, traded by the Padres to the Athletics in exchange for Mason Miller and JP Sears. The A’s also received ranked prospects Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Nuñez, all of whom are currently on the A’s roster for the game.

MLB No. 1 prospect, SS Konnor Griffin, and No. 2 prospect, SS Kevin McGonigle, will play against each other when the Pittsburgh Pirates (Griffin) match up with the Detroit Tigers (McGonigle) on March 20 at 4:35 p.m. PT on MLB Network.

The No. 3 MLB prospect, SS/2B Jesus Made, will play for the Milwaukee Brewers against the No. 4 prospect, SS Leo DeVries for the A’s on March 22 at 1:05 p.m. PT on MLB Network. Eight of the 16 games will be broadcast live on MLBN while the other games are carried on their respective team networks or on MLB.TV.

San Diego Padres

The Friars play their breakout game on March 21 versus the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz. at 6:05 p.m. PT on Padres.TV and broadcast on 97.3 FM The Fan, their flagship radio station. MLB.com released its new top 30 prospects for the Padres this past week. Lefty starting pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft is now ranked as the top prospect in the system. Although he has only pitched 1.2 innings of professional baseball, Schoolcraft has huge upside and is being ranked solely on that assessment.

Catcher Ethan Salas, the No. 2 Padres prospect, is still admired for his defensive attributes but is no longer considered a balanced player with his offense not showing well in his limited time above low-A ball. After missing most of the past season, Salas will have to prove himself as a hitter to regain his position as a top prospect in MLB.

The rosters for the teams are including the full top 30 prospects for each team and additional players added per the organization’s desire to have the largest pool of players to choose from. On March 18, the rosters will be trimmed to 23-27 players per team and that will be the final roster for the games.

The Padres have all 30 of their top prospects as well as players recently brought over from the Dominican Summer League to begin their training on US soil and be assigned to a US team. International players to note include SS/2B Jhoan De La Cruz, who helped lead his DSL team to the championship last season. Taiwanese righty Lan-Hong Su and RHP Jeferson Villabona were added from the international ranks. SS Dylan Grego, who was drafted in 2025 and both of the newly drafted catchers, Ty Harvey and Truitt Madonna, are on the original list.

The Cubs top rated prospect, MLB No. 55 catcher Moises Ballesteros, headlines their roster and RHP Jaxon Wiggins, the No. 58 MLB prospect, will likely start the game for the Cubs. The Padres have multiple pitchers who could start but Schoolcraft is the only one ranked on MLB Pipeline and he sits at No. 88.

There will be an updated Padres roster and a game preview after the final rosters are announced.

2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics

Format

The MAAC Tournament returns to its historic early-Championship-Fortnight schedule for 2026 after five seasons of concluding on Selection Eve. It’s still a traditional bracket with split quarterfinal doubleheaders. Thursday’s winners will play the top two seeds in Friday’s set, with seeds 3 through 6 taking the court on Saturday. The semifinals are on Sunday, with a day off before Tuesday night’s final.

Site

The MAAC Tournament is set for Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. for the sixth consecutive year.

Participants

With only the top 10 qualifying, Niagara (8-22, 5-15, 11th), Canisius (10-21, 5-15, 12th), and Rider (4-25, 3-17, 13th) won’t be playing in Atlantic City.

Schedule

Downloadable PDF Bracket

TV/Streaming Info

ESPN+ ($) will stream all games before the championship.

First Round (Thurs. 3/5)

Gm. 1: (9) Sacred Heart 91, (8) Iona (18-14, 10-10) 80
Gm. 2: (10) Manhattan (12-20, 8-12) 60, (7) Fairfield 71

Quarterfinals (Fri. 3/6)

Gm. 3: (9) Sacred Heart (14-19, 9-11) 48, (1) Merrimack 70
Gm. 4: (7) Fairfield (20-12, 11-9) vs. (2) Saint Peter’s (17-11, 14-6), 8:30*
The Peacocks swept: 70-66 (away) on 12/29 and 83-74 (home) on 2/15.

Quarterfinals (Sat. 3/7)

Gm. 5: (5) Marist (18-11, 12-8) vs. (4), Quinnipiac (19-12, 12-8), 6
Home split: Bobcats 64-58 on 12/29 and Red Foxes 71-64 on 1/24.
Gm. 6: (6) Mount St. Mary’s (15-16, 11-9) vs. (3) Siena (20-11, 13-7), 8:30*
The Saints won 67-50 (away) on 1/11.

Semifinals (Sun. 3/8)

Gm. 7: Gm. 5 winner vs. (1) Merrimack (22-10, 17-3), 6
Gm. 8: Gm. 4 winner vs. Gm. 6 winner, 8:30

Championship (Tues. 3/10)

Gm. 9: Semifinal winners, 9 (ESPN2)

Mayhem Potential

Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitterin 2020 with my own additions for the seasons beyond.

Since 2011, one of the MAAC’s top two seeds has won the title six times, with the No. 2 having a far higher success rate than the No. 1. Note that Iona won as a 9 seed in 2021, despite the Gaels’ 6-3 mark in conference play, since the league ranked teams based on raw wins and not winning percentage during the COVID-impacted season.

• 2 seed (4): 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022
• 4 seed (3): 2011, 2013, 2018
• 1 seed (2): 2019, 2023
• 3 seed (2): 2015, 2017
• 5 seed (1): 2024
• 6 seed (1): 2025
• 9 seed (1): 2021

NCAA Seeding Record In The 68-Team Era

Years with an NCAA win are in bold.

• 13 seed (3); 2014, 2016, 2023
• 14 seed (3): 2011, 2012 (at-large),2017
• 15 seed (6): 2012 (automatic), 2013, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024
• 16 seed (3): 2015, 2019, 2025 (First Four)

2022’s MAAC rep, Saint Peter’s, recorded the conference’s first three tournament wins since the field expanded to 68, including Iona’s at-large in 2012. Mount St. Mary’s picked up another in 2025, but that was in Dayton.

Fifth-seeded Marist has the MAAC’s top NET ranking at the moment at 183, two spots ahead of No. 1 seed Merrimack. Third-seeded Siena is the only other team in the Top 200, checking in at 191. Everyone else is ranked 200th or worse, though only Manhattan (329th) is outside the Top 300. The MAAC champ has consistently found itself bouncing between a 16 and 15 in my projections this season. Expect any team other than Merrimack to end up on seed line 16—with a second straight trip to Dayton not out of the question.

Last NCAA Tournament Appearances

Mount St. Mary’s: 2025 (16 seed, 1st Round)
Saint Peter’s: 2024 (15 seed, 1st Round)
Iona: 2023 (13 seed, 1st Round)
Manhattan: 2015 (16 seed, First Four)
Siena: 2010 (13 seed, 1st Round)
Fairfield: 1997 (16 seed, 1st Round)
Marist: 1987 (14 seed, 1st Round, ECAC Metro (NEC) member)

The two members who joined from the NEC in 2024-25, Merrimack and Sacred Heart, have never qualified for the D1 NCAA Tournament, neither has Quinnipiac. Of course, the Warriors won 2023 NEC Tournament and didn’t get to go to the Big Dance because of the NCAA’s reclassification rules. (Remember what that Fairleigh Dickinson team did in their place.) Making matters worse, Merrimack ended up losing the 2024 NEC final at home to Wagner.

Canisius: 1996 (13 seed, 1st Round), Niagara: 2007 (16 seed, 1st Round), and Rider: 1994 (15 seed, 1st Round, NEC member) will need to wait until 2027 to end their respective NCAA droughts.