CHICAGO (AP) — Luke Raley drove in a career-high seven runs with his first grand slam and a three-run homer to power the Seattle Mariners to a 12-8 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
Josh Naylor also hit a three-run shot and Julio Rodríguez put Seattle ahead for good with a leadoff drive in the fifth inning.
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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (26) warms up before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Seattle Mariners' Luke Raley celebrates after hitting a grand slam during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Seattle Mariners' Luke Raley hits a grand slam during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first. It was Murakami's 15th homer, tying Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for the major league lead.
Hall of Famer Eddie Murray homered in the opener of seven consecutive series for Baltimore in 1987.
Raley hit an 0-2 pitch from Sean Burke (2-3) for a grand slam in the third that gave the Mariners a 5-1 lead. They scored their first run when Cole Young was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second.
Raley also homered off Tyler Davis — his eighth this season — with two on in the seventh for a 9-5 advantage. He became the first Seattle player with a grand slam and a three-run homer in the same game since Nelson Cruz at Toronto on July 23, 2016.
Rodríguez hit his sixth homer in the fifth for a 6-5 lead. Burke allowed six runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Naylor homered for the fifth time this season, a three-run drive off Trevor Richards to make it 12-5 in the eighth. Naylor and Randy Arozarena both had three hits in Seattle's highest-scoring game this season.
Colson Montgomery had a three-run double to cap a four-run third for the White Sox that tied it 5-all. Jarred Kelenic hit an RBI single and Tristan Peters doubled home a run in the eighth off Alex Hoppe.
Pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk homered off Josh Simpson in the ninth.
Hancock gave up five runs in six innings.
Brendan Donovan came off the injured list and went 1 for 5 in his first game for Seattle since April 17. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was 0 for 5 and is hitless in 25 at-bats dating to April 27.
Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (0-3, 6.29 ERA) starts Saturday opposite White Sox LHP Anthony Kay (1-1, 5.70).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (26) warms up before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Seattle Mariners' Luke Raley celebrates after hitting a grand slam during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Seattle Mariners' Luke Raley hits a grand slam during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Spike Lee was in the house and, yes, that was actor Timothée Chalamet sitting courtside rooting on the New York Knicks.
Ben Stiller attracted a crowd at halftime, and Tracy Morgan cheered for another Knicks win, too.
No this wasn't Celebrity Row at Madison Square Garden.
The Hollywood A-listers — and yes, just your average Knicks fans — crashed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday night to watch New York beat the 76ers 108-94.
Oh, it wasn't all orange and blue and well-heeled celebrities in Philadelphia.
The Sixers still boasted the bulk of the fans — though there was a sizable contingent of Knicks supporters — and the spirited crowd included fans who received tickets donated by the franchise to community groups in the Sixers' latest attempt to keep more of their own fans in the building and avoid a New York takeover.
Lee gleefully reminisced about the time he saw the Knicks win their first NBA championship on May 8, 1970 — exactly 56 years earlier.
Most of the Knicks fans were just happy to get a chance to travel roughly 90 miles south of MSG to Xfinity Mobile Arena — no matter how hard the Sixers tried to shoo them away.
The Sixers had already tried to ward off Knicks fans in this playoff series through Ticketmaster by geographically restricting sales to fans in the greater Philadelphia area.
Knicks fan Lenny Rakhmanov of Brooklyn had a workaround to the geo-fencing barrier.
He phoned a friend.
“I bought my tickets off Ticketmaster,” he said. “I did have trouble. I have a friend in Philly and he got the tickets for me and sent them to me through Ticketmaster. They told me while I was trying to make the purchase from my office in New York, you had to be a Philly resident to purchase the tickets.”
Rakhmanov said he spent $800 per ticket for three seats in Section 123, and brought his 11- and 8-year-old sons.
“I can't even believe that they're trying to keep fans out,” he said. “It's part of sports. If their team was on the road, and they were up in the series, and they wanted their fans in the building, why would they want to stop that?”
The Sixers said 250 medical workers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine and 250 local educators selected by Learn Fresh, Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia school district and Camden, New Jersey, school district would attend Game 3 on Friday night.
The 76ers plan to host 500 mothers and children selected by Uplift Center for Grieving Children, Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia, La Liga del Barrio and Apologues for Sunday's Game 4.
The Knicks lead the series 3-0 and can advance to the conference finals by winning Game 4 on Sunday.
Mikal Bridges, a Philadelphia native who starred at Villanova, scored 23 points for the Knicks in front of a loud cheering section.
“I spent a lot of money,” Bridges said. “I think my friends and family are pretty grateful.”
When the teams met two years ago in the first round, Knicks fans swarmed Philadelphia, and Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid pleaded with fans ahead of this series not to let it happen again.
“Last time we played the Knicks it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East. So we’re going to need the support,” Embiid said. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys. The atmosphere we’ve had the last couple games in Philly, especially the last one pushing it to Game 7, I mean, we need all of it.”
Embiid was booed when he went to the free-throw line in the first half, and Knicks fans roared when he missed the shot.
Moments later, Jalen Brunson went to the free-throw line and “MVP!” chants were quickly muffled by Sixers fans who booed the former Villanova standout.
It was that kind of night.
On the resale market, SeatGeek said buyers from New York and Pennsylvania were nearly even, with 27% of tickets sold to New York billing addresses and 26% to Pennsylvania buyers. Another 21% were from New Jersey, suggesting that Knicks fans were slightly more motivated to get to the game.
For Sunday’s Game 4, the New York share ticks up a bit further: 33% for New York vs. 17% for Pennsylvania.
Former Sixers standout Marc Jackson visited Camden’s Pride Elementary School ahead of the game and surprised teachers with Game 3 tickets.
That seemed like a big win, no matter which team fans rooted for in Philly.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Tracy Morgan watches during the first half of Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks Friday, May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Timothée Chalamet watches during the first half of Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks Friday, May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Spike Lee watches before Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks Friday, May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A New York Knicks' fan walks through the seats during warm-ups before Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers Friday, May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A New York Knicks' fan watches warm-ups before Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers Friday, May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
New York Knicks' fans watch warm-ups before Game 3 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers Friday, May 8, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A Philadelphia 76ers' fan reacts during final minute of Game 3 against the Boston Celtics in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
