March 2026

There were 1,682 posts published in March 2026 (this is page 15 of 169).

Braves DH Dominic Smith hits walk-off grand slam weeks after the death of his mother: ‘I miss her dearly’

Dominic Smith started off with a bang in his debut with the Atlanta Braves. In the bottom of the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, Smith hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Braves the 6-2 win and send Atlanta’s Truist Park into a frenzy.

But the grand slam also came with an added weight: Postgame, Smith revealed that the magical moment came just weeks after the death of his mother, Yvette LaFleur, who died on March 15 after a battle with cancer. The designated hitter said that he felt his mother’s presence in the walk-off win.

“I got choked up a bunch of times and I’m trying to hold back tears right now. It’s just so special,” Smith said, via MLB.com. “I feel her every day. I miss her dearly. There’s not a moment where I don’t think about her.”

Atlanta is Smith’s sixth team in four seasons, with the veteran signing a one-year split contract with the team earlier this month. After Saturday’s win, Smith praised the team for their support over the past several weeks, as he had to leave preseason training camp for a little over a week to tend to his mother.

“This team is just so awesome. I’m so blessed because of the love they showed me. Every day I’d come in they’re asking about her, asking about her well-being, my well-being. That’s all they really cared about. They didn’t care about baseball,” Smith said, via Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Just them showing me that love — I know she’d want me to be here. That’s why I stuck it out.”

(Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves via Getty Images

Smith was showered with love — or, more specifically, with water, bubblegum and hugs — from his teammates after crossing home plate.

Smith, who signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in February, came into the designated hitter role in an unusual way. In early March, Braves DH Jurickson Profar was hit with a season-long suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs for the second time in the past year — leaving a hole in Atlanta’s lineup.

Just over two weeks later — six days after the death of his mother — Smith signed the split contract with the Braves, and eventually won a spot in Atlanta’s lineup. Saturday was his first game with the team, with Drake Baldwin starting as DH in Kansas City’s opening day roster.

“They preach a family environment here,” Smith said, via MLB.com. “That’s what I feel from the group and the coaching staff. I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to suit up for the Braves.”

Where to watch Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Sunday, March 29

The Denver Nuggets, ranked fourth in the Western Conference, will host the Golden State Warriors, who are 10th in the Western Conference. Denver, favored by 12.5 points with a moneyline of -650, has a 47-28 record, while Golden State stands at 36-38. The over/under for the game is set at 238.5 points.

  • Golden State Warriors: 36-38 (#10 in Western Conference)

  • Denver Nuggets: 47-28 (#4 in Western Conference)

  • Spread: Denver Nuggets -12.5

  • Moneyline: Denver Nuggets -650 / Golden State Warriors +475

  • Over/Under: 238.5

Where to watch New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Live stream, start time, TV channel for Sunday, March 29

The Oklahoma City Thunder, ranked #1 in the Western Conference, host the New York Knicks, ranked #3 in the Eastern Conference. Oklahoma City is favored with a spread of -8.5 and a moneyline of -350, indicating a 74.7% implied probability of winning, while New York’s moneyline is 280.

  • New York Knicks: 48-26 (#3 in Eastern Conference)

  • Oklahoma City Thunder: 58-16 (#1 in Western Conference)

  • Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -8.5

  • Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder -350 / New York Knicks +280

  • Over/Under: 224.5

Where to watch Cleveland Guardians vs. Seattle Mariners: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Sunday, March 29

The Cleveland Guardians, ranked #1 in the AL Central, face the Seattle Mariners, ranked #4 in the AL West. The Mariners are favored with a moneyline of -170 and a spread of -1.5. Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi (ERA: 4.30) will start against Seattle’s Emerson Hancock (ERA: 4.90).

  • Cleveland Guardians: 2-1 (#1 in AL Central)

  • Seattle Mariners: 1-2 (#4 in AL West)

  • Spread: Seattle Mariners -1.5

  • Moneyline: Seattle Mariners -150 / Cleveland Guardians +125

  • Over/Under: 7.5

  • Cleveland Guardians: Slade Cecconi (2025 stats: 7-7, ERA: 4.30, K: 109, WHIP: 1.19, BB: 32)

  • Seattle Mariners: Emerson Hancock (2025 stats: 4-5, ERA: 4.90, K: 64, WHIP: 1.38, BB: 31)

Weather: 44°F at first pitch

Where to watch Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Sunday, March 29

The New York Mets (2-0), ranked #3 in the NL East, are favorites with a -180 moneyline to win against the Pittsburgh Pirates (0-2), ranked #5 in the NL Central. Nolan McLean will start for the Mets, facing Carmen Mlodzinski of the Pirates.

  • Date: Sunday, March 29

  • Time: 1:40 PM ET / 10:40 AM PT

  • Where: Citi Field, Flushing, Queens, NY

  • TV Channel: SNY, SportsNet Pittsburgh

  • Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

  • Pittsburgh Pirates: 0-2 (#5 in NL Central)

  • New York Mets: 2-0 (#3 in NL East)

  • Spread: New York Mets -1.5

  • Moneyline: New York Mets -180 / Pittsburgh Pirates +150

  • Over/Under: 8

  • Pittsburgh Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski (2025 stats: 5-8, ERA: 3.55, K: 89, WHIP: 1.30, BB: 27)

  • New York Mets: Nolan McLean (2025 stats: 5-1, ERA: 2.06, K: 57, WHIP: 1.04, BB: 16)

Weather: 49°F at first pitch

Freddie Freeman gets hugged out by Ketel Marte in Dodgers’ 3-2 win over Diamondbacks

Typically, a hug in a baseball game draws attention around the MLB trade deadline when a player being embraced by teammates means that he’s been dealt to another club.

In Saturday’s game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, a hug on the basepaths had no such implications. The only consequence was the final out of the second inning when Arizona’s Ketel Marte fielded a ground ball at second base as the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman was running toward him.

Rather than simply tag Freeman for the out, Marte held out his arms toward Freeman as the Dodgers’ first baseman had nowhere to go. Acknowledging the friendliness of the gesture, Freeman walked toward Marte and the two hugged to end the inning.

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“I didn’t think I’d ever be a part of a hug-out on baseball field,” Freeman said after batting 3-for-4 in the Dodgers’ 3-2 win, via the Associated Press.

Freeman, who said he’s “very much a hugger,” then explained what he was thinking as Marte stood in front of him with his arms open.

“I stopped and I was like, is there any way around this?” Freeman continued. “If I go out of the baseline, I’m out. If I run back, he’ll just run to second.”

“He gave me a little ‘Come here,’” he added. “And I was like, ‘All right, let’s just do it.’”

Six innings later, Will Smith gave the Dodgers another reason for hugs in their dugout.

With two outs, D-Backs reliever Juan Morillo walked Mookie Betts on four pitches. Smith then fought through six pitches, fouling off two of them to stay alive with a 2-2 count. Morillo then threw a high fastball down the middle of the plate and Smith launched it to straight-away center field for a two-run home run.

In the top of the ninth, Edwin Díaz took over to retire the D-Backs in order and the Dodgers celebrated their third win of the season. And Smith presumably celebrated his 31st birthday after a big home run.

The Dodgers got the win despite Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker and Betts batting a combined 0-for-9 at the top of the order. But the depth of the Dodgers’ lineup is what makes them so formidable, demonstrated by Smith and Freeman being productive in the middle of the lineup.

Smith told reporters afterward that manager Dave Roberts originally planned to give him the day off. But the Dodgers catcher insisted on playing on a night when the team was giving away a bobblehead commemorating his World Series Game 7 home run.

“I just kind of dropped the bobblehead card and he let me in there,” Smith told the Los Angeles Times’ Maddie Lee.

Aaron Judge dents an ambulance with second HR of season

Aaron Judge’s home run impacted more than just the score in the New York Yankees’ 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.

The reigning AL MVP clubbed his second homer of the season in the fifth inning off Giants reliever Ryan Borucki, propelling the ball 383 feet down the left field line at Oracle Park. Rather than a lucky fan, the ball landed on a sitting ambulance in the tunnel.

The ball, which left Judge’s bat at 102.1 mph at a high launch angle, left a clear dent in the roof of the Giants-branded ambulance.

The homer gave the Yankees an insurance run they ended up not needing. After starting pitcher Will Warren exited the game in the fifth inning, relievers Brent Headrick, Jake Bird, Tim Hill and David Bednar combined to shut out the Giants over the final 4 2/3 innings.

Judge began the season on a negative note, picking up his first golden sombrero since 2024 on Opening Night, but recovered with a homer on Friday (while making some history with Giancarlo Stanton).

He is now 2-of-13 on the season with 2 homers and 7 strikeouts. It’s an extreme collection of outcomes, which figures to even out in the coming weeks.

The Yankees won all three games to open the season, their third straight year doing so, and completed a sweep of the Giants. After an off day Sunday, they’ll begin a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners in a potential ALCS preview.