Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Monday, April 14.

MLB

Ready for some baseball?

• Paul Skenes and Henry Davis made history last night, as the Pirates duo became the first starting battery (pitcher and catcher) of first overall draft picks. The talented duo led Pittsburgh to a 10-3 victory over Washington.

• Three other teams won after scoring double-digits: the Giants beat the Phillies 10-4, the Padres took down the Cubs 10-4, and the Rays walloped the Red Sox 16-1. Rookie Kameron Misner hit two homers for Tampa Bay.

• Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado was almost traded to Houston this winter, with a deal at one point described as being “on the one-yard line” before Arenado used his no-trade clause to hit the pause button, and the Astros pivoted to other moves. In their first meeting of the season last night, the future Hall of Famer had three hits and blasted a home run, leading St. Louis to an 8-3 victory.

NHL

The Montreal Canadiens got one point last night but dropped a potential playoff-sealing victory against Chicago, falling to the Blackhawks 4-3 in a shootout. Montreal holds a four-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot in the East. However, 19-year-old rookie Ivan Demidov scored a goal and had an assist for the Canadiens in his NHL debut.

WNBA DRAFT

As expected, Paige Bueckers was the first overall pick in last night’s WNBA draft. Bueckers will join the Dallas Wings, who also selected NC State’s Aziaha James at the end of round one. A few other notable selections–

• With picks 3, 4, and 6, the Washington Mystics built an exciting young trio for the future– they selected Sonia Citron (Notre Dame), Kiki Iriafen (USC), and Georgia A’Moore (Kentucky).

• The Golden State Valkyries made Lithuanian guard Juste Jocyte the first draft choice in franchise history. It may be a rough first season for Golden State, but they are in a great position to capitalize on next year’s extremely deep draft class.

• Hailey Van Lith will be reunited with former LSU teammate Angel Reese, as the Chicago Sky selected the talented guard with the eleventh pick.

• Finally, learn the name Dominique Malonga. The 6’6” center from France, selected second overall by the Seattle Sounders, has been compared to none other than Victor Wembanyama.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

The NBA regular season is over and the eliminated teams have begun making moves. Phoenix fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after one year, while the Pelicans fired executive vice president David Griffin after six years leading New Orleans.

Team USA baseball announced Aaron Judge as captain of the team for next season’s World Baseball Classic. Judge is the only player on the roster so far, although the coaching staff is a pretty talented group of former ballplayers.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NBA PLAY-IN GAMES:

• Hawks @ Magic, 7:30 PM on TNT/Max

  • the winner advances to round one against the Celtics, while the loser will host the winner of Heat/Bulls on Friday

• Grizzlies @ Warriors, 10 PM on TNT/Max

  • the winner advances to round one against the Rockets, while the loser will host the winner of Mavericks/Kings on Friday

NHL:

• Blue Jackets @ Flyers, 7 PM on ESPN+

• Utah Hockey Club @ Blues, 8 PM on ESPN+

• Golden Knights @ Flames, 9 PM on ESPN+

MLB: Guardians @ Orioles, 7:05 PM on TBS/Max

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS:

• PSG @ Aston Villa, 3 PM on Paramount+

  • PSG leads 3-1

• FC Barcelona @ Borussia Dortmund, 3 PM on Paramount+

  • Barcelona leads 4-0

Have a terrific Tuesday! Thanks for reading!