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Chris Sale became the fastest pitcher to reach 2,500 strikeouts, pitched six scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 on Thursday night to split a doubleheader. The Phillies won the afternoon game 5-4. Sale (3-3) struck out Edmundo Sosa in the sixth inning for his eighth strikeout, to reach the milestone. He did it in 2,026 innings, surpassing the record of 2,107 2/3 set by Randy Johnson. Sale became the 40th pitcher in major league history to reach 2.500 strikeouts and joined Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer as the only active pitchers to have reached that plateau. Sosa was the last hitter Sale faced. He allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. Austin Riley had a double, a homer, and four RBIs, Ozzie Albies homered and drove in three, and Luke Williams had a pair of RBIs for the Braves, who snapped a three-game losing skid. Zack Wheeler (6-2) allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Phillies, who lost for just the second time in their last 13 games. BLUE JAYS 12, ATHLETICS 0 TORONTO (AP) — Ernie Clement homered and had five RBIs, Bo Bichette homered and drove in three runs, and Toronto used an eight-run second inning to rout the struggling Athletics. José Berríos (2-2) and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Blue Jays recorded their second straight shutout and fourth of the season. All four have come since May 20. The Athletics have lost three straight and 14 of 15, getting outscored 117-44 in that span. The A's have been outscored by 101 total runs this season. They've lost by 10 or more runs an MLB-worst seven times. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run homer and George Springer added a solo shot for Toronto. Alejandro Kirk reached base four times, scored twice and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The A's have allowed at least one home run in 11 consecutive games, giving up 25 total homers in that span. Athletics opponents have hit 84 home runs this season. Berríos struck out nine in six innings to win for the first time since April 7 at Boston. Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez (0-3) allowed seven runs and six hits in 1 2/3 innings, his third straight losing start. RAYS 13, ASTROS 3 HOUSTON (AP) — Junior Caminero homered and drove in a career-high six RBIs to lead Tampa Bay to a win over Houston. The game was tied 3-all with no outs and two on in the seventh when Yandy Díaz's RBI single put the Rays on top. Tampa Bay made it 5-3 when Jonathan Aranda reached and Díaz scored on a fielding error by first baseman Victor Caratini. Caminero then connected off Bryan King (3-1) on his 11th homer this season to push the lead to 8-3. The 21-year-old Caminero, who finished a triple shy of the cycle, drove in two more runs on a double in Tampa Bay's five-run eighth that made it 13-3. Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz hit solo homers for the Astros, whose four-game winning streak was halted. NATIONALS 9, MARINERS 3, 10 INNINGS SEATTLE (AP) — Josh Bell hit a three-run homer in a seven-run 10th inning in Washington's victory over Seattle. The Nationals set a franchise record for runs in an extra inning. Rookie Daylen Lile got the outburst started against Collin Snider (1-1) with a sacrifice fly to deep right that came just a few feet shy of a home run. Luis Garcia Jr. doubled home a pair of runs before Bell hit eighth home run of the season and second in two days. For a good while, it appeared Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore would require little offensive support, considering MLB's strikeout leader racked up eight strikeouts across six shutout innings to up his season total to 101. Gore was buoyed, too, byJames Wood's two-RBI double to left field in the sixth inning,and was in line for the victory that instead went to Nationals reliever Jose A. Ferrer (2-2). But in the seventh, the Mariners drew back even. Leody Taveras and Ben Williamson had back-to-back RBI singles to tied it at 2.

At the end of last year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, Faizan Zaki grimaced, nodded his head and offered a gracious handshake as runner-up to winner Bruhat Soma after a dramatic spell-off. One year later, Zaki stood alone, with a trophy in hand. The 13-year-old Allen, Texas, native beat out eight other finalists to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday in National Harbor, Maryland. His winning word: "éclaircissement." You can see the moment he won in the video above. His prizes: $50,000 cash from Scripps, a medal and the Scripps Cup trophy $2,500 cash from Merriam-Webster, plus a reference library from the dictionary company. $400 worth of books from Encyclopædia Britannica $1,000 in Scholastic Dollars donated to the school of his choice A five-year subscription to a News-O-Matic platform for his school First runner-up Sarvadnya Kadam will receive $25,000, while second runner-up Sarv Dharavane will get $15,000. Zaki had previously competed three times in the spelling bee, finishing 370th in 2019, 21st in 2023 and as the runner-up in 2024. It was nearly another heartbreaker for Zaki earlier in the finals, though. He was poised to win the event after Kadam and Dharavane both misspelled their words in the 18th round. After being asked to spell "commelina," Zaki jumped the gun and started spelling before bothering to ask for the definition or origin. Three letters in — "K, A, M" — Zaki realized his mistake. Kadam and Dharavane reentered the competition, with Dharavane quipping, "This is surprising." Fortunately for Zaki, Dharavane misspelled his next word too, while Kadam fell in the next round, setting him up to take the title. On the final word, longtime spelling bee pronouncer, and former champion, Jacques Bailly playfully asked for "all of us to take a deep breath," to which Zaki deadpanned, "That did not help at all." Zaki again didn't ask for the definition or origin of "éclaircissement," but he clearly had the letters in his head as soon as he heard it. And as soon as the judges confirmed he got it right, he fell to the ground, followed a moment later by the confetti. You can see every word Zaki spelled on his way to victory here.

It's been 15 years since an Italian club last lifted theChampions Leaguetrophy – a long and barren stretch for thecalcio-mad country. To see a team from Italy win the most coveted prize in European clubsoccerfeels overdue, particularly given the nation's history and pedigree in the sport. That could all change this weekend whenInter Milanfaces Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in Munich on Saturday – a second Champions League final in three years for theNerazzurri. A fourth European title for Inter might be a flickering reminder of the golden era of Italian club soccer in the 1990s, back when Serie A was home to the greatest players of the time. Today's teams hardly boast the same number of global superstars, but Champions League success for Inter – following the lesser European titles of the Europa League and Conference League for Atalanta and AS Roma, respectively – would perhaps offer a glimpse of an Italian Renaissance. "Italian football was really feeling a bit down on itself up until recent years, about its record in European competition," Adam Summerton, a TNT Sports commentator who closely follows Italy's Serie A, toldCNN Sports. "I think it had almost become an embarrassment, really, for a league the size of Italy and the standing of Italy. … Some of that pride now has been restored with the performances of teams in recent years, but in order to truly restore that – and I guess for Italian football to gain that bit of pride back – I think to win the Champions League, to win the ultimate prize, to have a club that has to be called the best team in Europe, that's massive." Inter has been on the cusp of silverware on three, arguably four, occasions this season. Just last weekend, it came achingly close to winning the Serie A title, only to finish a single point behind champion Napoli on the final matchday. That prompted manager Simone Inzaghi to acknowledge that there had been "a lot of suffering in me and in the players" at the start of this week, though Saturday's final offers a chance to ease that pain. And one positive for Inter is that Inzaghi and many of his players have been in this position before, the current squad not radically different to the one whichnarrowly lost to Manchester City in the 2023 final. This Inter team is full of experienced campaigners – the likes of defenders Francesco Acerbi and Matteo Darmian, plus midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. It has the highest average age of any squad in Italy this past season – 29.1, according toTransfermarkt– and will be hungry for silverware after a series of near-misses. As well as failing to clinch the league title, Inter lost to bitter rival AC Milan in January's Italian Super Cup and again to Milan in April's Italian Cup semifinals. But the bigger picture for theNerazzurriis one of success under Inzaghi. The 49-year-old, who arrived at the club in 2021, has already won a Scudetto, two Italian Cups and three Italian Super Cups during his time in charge. Just to reach two Champions League finals is also an impressive feat, especially given the financial firepower of some of Europe's top clubs – the likes ofReal Madrid, Manchester City, and, indeed, PSG. "This isn't just a coach who's a flash in the pan or somebody who's up and coming," says Summerton. "People might disagree, but in my view, he's an established, elite-level coach now, and I think that to win the Champions League would give that validation, recognition, and underline that this is a guy whose work really needs to be taken seriously." Inzaghi, a former striker who spent most of his playing career with Lazio, is under contract with Inter until 2026. He hasreportedlybeen offered more than $23 million per season (€20 million) to take charge of Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, but was reluctant to talk about his future when asked this week. "It's the same thing every year, when I was at Lazio and at Inter,"saidInzaghi. "Luckily, there are requests from Italy, from abroad and from Saudi Arabia. "But I think it would be crazy right now to think about that. As the (club) president said, with whom I have a great relationship, the day after the game we'll sit down and talk, as we've always done over the years, with only one objective, which is the good of Inter." Understandably, a Champions League trophy would provide a huge boost to Inzaghi's managerial resumé – because of the funds at his disposal and the teams he would have beaten along the way. Having conceded just one goal in this season's group stages, Inter then saw off Feyenoord, Bayern Munich, and –in sensational fashion– Barcelona in the knockout stages. The breathless, mad-cap win in the semifinals against Barça – finally ending 7-6 on aggregate after Acerbi's stoppage-time equalizer and Davide Frattesi's extra-time winner – will be remembered as one of the great nights in the club's history. Crucially, it showed that Inter under Inzaghi has the tools and tactics to compete with – and beat – the best teams in Europe. "They have this incredible ability to adapt, to be flexible," says Summerton. "They play within a formation that Inzaghi is pretty wedded to – the 3-5-2 – but there is so much flexibility within that formation, in the way that they play. "I think that Inter are a really tricky side for PSG to play in the final because of that versatility that they have, the rotations that they play with. They're a very, very difficult team to play against." Ahead of the final, Inter has been boosted by the return of captain Lautaro Martínez, whose nine goals in 13 games represents one of the best returns in the Champions League this season – only four players have scored more. Martínez is looking to add a Champions League medal to an already impressive haul of trophies in his career: the World Cup and two Copa América titles with Argentina, as well as two league titles with Inter. "To experience another final of this scale, in this competition, is going to be incredible," hetoldUEFA this week, adding: "I really want to enjoy the moment, this final, this game. Then if it comes to fruition, it will be a dream come true." It will be a dream, too, for those Inter fans who have waited 15 years to taste Champions League glory once again. Now, only one team stands in the way of the trophy's long-awaited return to Italy. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

"Knicks in 7" chants echoed around "The World's Most Famous Arena" on Thursday night as the duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns led the New York Knicks to an Eastern Conference Finals-extending 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers. Despite being pushed to the brink of elimination, the Knicks came out the gates fast and stomped the Pacers to force a Game 6. Brunson finished with 32 points, while Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds. The 29-year-old Towns came into Game 5 listed as a game-time decision with a knee contusion, but showed little signs of discomfort in the dominant win. "I looked at the game and it said Game 5 do-or-die. That was pretty much all I needed to see," Towns told reporters after the game. "Shout out to our medical staff. They gave me a chance to go out there and compete tonight." The Knicks suffered two brutal losses to open the series at Madison Square Garden but were able to shake them off, securing their first home win of the ECF so far. With a who's who of celebrities sitting courtside – including actors Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller, Kylie Jenner, and director Spike Lee – it was the captain Brunson that set the tone for the Knickerbockers. The 28-year-old Brunson scored 14 first quarter points and set a franchise record with his 21st career postseason game of at least 30 points with New York. That was not the only record broken: Brunson and Towns became the first teammates to both score 20+ points in each of the first five games of a conference finals since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did so for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002. "He was cooking. That's what I saw. I saw him cooking," Towns said of Brunson. "Especially when you're getting points at that kind of rate, you got to get some stops. You want to be able to get some stops while cap is on that kind of burner." Besides the offensive feats for the Knicks, it was their defense especially keying in on stopping Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton. In Indiana's Game 4 win,the two-time All Star finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, four steals and zero turnovers. It was the first time in league playoff history that a player had registered at least 30 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds without a turnover. However, Game 5 yielded a much different result for Haliburton, who finished with eight points and six assists. "We're up 3-1, their season is on the line today," Haliburton said. "Understand they are going to come out and play hard. … Now, it is on us to respond in Game 6. When you get here, at this point, there is no such thing as surprises. You got to be prepared for whatever is to come. "Kudos to them, they played better than us today. We've got to be prepared for Game 6." Brunson downplayed if he felt pressure to outplay Haliburton after his previous games' heroics. "He played phenomenal in Game 4. Our backs are against the wall," Brunson said. "I wasn't thinking, 'I need to play better than him.' I was just thinking, 'I need to help my team win.' And that's my mindset every time I am on the court." The Pacers, looking to clinch their second-ever NBA Finals appearance, will have another go on Saturday night in front of their home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

Karl-Anthony Towns knew where the Eastern Conference finals stood as he evaluated the pain in his left knee prior to the Thursday game. The New York Knicks were staring at elimination, and the consequences supplied Towns with a clear course of action. "I looked at the game and it was 'Game 5, do or die,'" Towns said. "That was pretty much all I needed to see." Towns and Jalen Brunson were both on top of their games and New York staved off elimination with a convincing 111-94 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers in Game 5. The Knicks, who cut their deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, will have the opportunity to tie when the teams meet Saturday night in Indianapolis. Brunson scored 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting and Towns played through his injury to record 24 points and 13 rebounds as the third-seeded Knicks led wire to wire. "I just feel like we played better," Brunson said. "We played to our standards." Towns believes the Knicks have to play with the same conviction in Game 6. "We have no room for error," Towns said. "Our backs are against the wall and every game is do or die. If we don't bring that energy or execution, our season will be over." Bennedict Mathurin registered 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the fourth-seeded Pacers. Pascal Siakam had 15 points, and reserve Obi Toppin added 11. Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton was largely silent, finishing with eight points, on 2-of-7 shooting, and six assists. Two nights earlier, he had 30 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds and zero turnovers in a stellar Game 4 effort. "Rough night for me. I've got to be better setting the tone and getting downhill," Haliburton said. "I feel I didn't do a great job of that. ... They picked up the pressure a little bit more and applied more as the game went on. Put it on me. I got to be better in Game 6." The Knicks shot 49.4 percent from the field in Game 5, including 8 of 29 (27.6 percent) from 3-point range. Josh Hart had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Mikal Bridges also scored 12 points, and OG Anunoby had 11 points. Indiana connected on 40.5 percent of its shots and was 10 of 30 from behind the arc while committing 19 turnovers. The Pacers trailed by as many as 22 points. "It was a bad start. We never had the lead," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "There were a multitude of things going wrong. There were stretches in the game where we got a little bit of traction but never enough." The Knicks led by 11 at halftime but pushed the edge to 72-52 on two free throws by Anunoby with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter. Indiana displayed life with a 12-2 run to move within 74-64 on two foul shots by Mathurin with 4:09 left in the period. Brunson had six points, including a four-point play, as New York answered with 12 straight points. Miles "Deuce" McBride hit a jumper to cap it and make it 86-64 with 2:12 remaining. The Pacers responded with a 9-2 burst before Bridges sank a 12-footer with 1.8 seconds left to give the Knicks a 90-73 advantage entering the final stanza. New York led by 20 in the fourth before Indiana scored nine of the next 10 points to creep within 96-84 with 8:15 remaining. However, Hart answered with consecutive baskets and Bridges hit a jumper to make it an 18-point margin with 5:41 remaining. Towns' driving basket made it 106-90 with 2:44 left, and Carlisle waved the white flag by removing Haliburton, Mathurin and Siakam from the contest. "We've been a resilient team all year," Siakam said. "We've shown all year we can fight and we can bounce back. Our strength is sticking together as a team ... "It's always been us against the world, and that's not going to change. Nobody wanted us here, but every barrier that was there, we broke that. We're up 3-2 in the series and we're going to go back home." Towns had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half as New York led 56-45 at the break. Siakam had nine points in the half for the Pacers. Indiana trailed by two early in the second quarter before New York rattled off 14 of the next 16 points to take a 48-34 lead with 5:07 left in the half. The 14-point edge was the Knicks' largest before intermission. --Field Level Media

NEW DELHI (AP) — The world's richest franchise cricket league is ongoing in India, a cricket- crazy country of 1.4 billion. The Indian Premier League features top players from around the world and attracts hundreds of millions of TV viewers. While the format leads to high-tempo action on the field, Twenty20 cricket has also sparked an evolution in off-field entertainment in cricket. Cheerleaders dancing on podiums, DJs sitting behind decks spinning tunes, and fancy dress themes are all part of the T20 game for crowds, bringing a colorful new twist for those at the stadium and broadcast viewers. This year, 65 international cricketers from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, England and Afghanistan have joined India's high-profile players in the tournament. The tournament started March 23 and the final is set for June 3 at Ahmedabad. The championship decider will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's largest cricket venue with a seating capacity of 132,000. _______ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

The Edmonton Oilers get their shot at revenge in the Stanley Cup Final after claiming a 6-3 road victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday to close out the Western Conference finals. Connor McDavid collected one goal and one assist as the Oilers dispatched the Stars in five games in the best-of-seven series. Next up is a rematch of last year's finals against the Panthers, won by Florida in seven games. "They're a really good team and we're a really good team as well," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said of the Panthers. "It's nice to get a shot at getting some revenge, but we're a long ways from that. We'll enjoy this and get ready." Game 1 will be Wednesday at Edmonton. Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for the Oilers, who have won 12 of their past 14 playoff games and eliminated the Stars in the conference finals for the second consecutive year. Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner made 14 saves. In last year's Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton lost the first three games but pushed it to the limit before dropping the deciding game 2-1. Now the Oilers have their opportunity to not only win the Stanley Cup but claim the crown against the club that broke their hearts. "I think we're better for going through last year," McDavid said. "It's a great learning experience and really driven us all year. This run has felt very different than last year. It's felt very normal. ... "Games can be emotionally draining, but we're not drained. We've got as good a chance as they do." Jason Robertson scored twice and Roope Hintz tallied once for Dallas, which has lost out in the Stanley Cup chase in the third round three straight years. Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley each recorded two assists. Starting Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled after surrendering goals on the first two shots he faced. Casey DeSmith made 17 saves in relief. "We felt we had a solid group from top to bottom, and that's why this stings pretty bad," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "It (hurts). Three years in a row now you get that close and come up short. It's not a good feeling." Sensing their chance to close out the series, the Oilers staked an early 3-0 lead thanks to goals by Perry at 2:31, Janmark at 7:09 and then Skinner -- playing his first game since the playoff opener -- 58 seconds later for his first career playoff goal. On Perry's goal, McDavid collected his 100th career playoff assist in his 90th game, the second-fastest player to hit the century mark for postseason helpers, behind only Wayne Gretzky (70 games). Robertson scored for the third consecutive game at 11:40 of the opening frame and Hintz made it a one-goal game with a power-play tally at 12:27 of the second period to draw Dallas close. However, McDavid restored Edmonton's two-goal lead two minutes later with a breakaway tally. Robertson's second of the game 38 seconds into the third period again brought the Stars within one, but Kane responded at 3:21 of the final period. Kapanen's empty-net goal in the last minute rounded out the scoring. Dallas failed to record a shot on goal in the final 16:17 of the game, but a big story going forward will be the goalie change. "I didn't blame it all on Jake, but the reality is if you go back to last year's playoffs, he's lost six of seven games to Edmonton (before Thursday)," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. "And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game. It was partly to spark our team and ... status quo had not been working." --Field Level Media