By Gethin Coolbaugh, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Giancarlo Stanton has been plunked plenty of times. But by his own home run ball?

The New York Yankees star homered over the Green Monster during Saturday's 8-5 win, connecting in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox. Stanton then got quite a surprise from a strong-armed fan while rounding second base at Fenway Park.

A man wearing a black T-shirt heaved the souvenir from his first-row seat on top of the left-field wall, and the ball took a hop and bounced off Stanton.

By Gethin Coolbaugh, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Kyrie Irving is playing coy about the possibility of reuniting with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James next season in Boston.

The Celtics guard on Tuesday deferred when asked about the prospect of the team pursuing James this summer. The 33-year-old James has a player option to remain in Cleveland next season but could opt for free agency.

"In this business, I've kind of experienced it all and I've seen a lot, so we'll see what management decides," Irving said when asked if he would be open to playing alongside James again.

By Gethin Coolbaugh, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- The Chicago White Sox had a tough time scoring runs during their weekend in Boston. However, the pitching staff came through to deliver a big series victory over the Red Sox.

Reynaldo Lopez pitched into the seventh inning, Daniel Palka had a two-run double and the White Sox beat the Red Sox 5-2 Sunday to win two of three games against one of the majors' best teams.

Chicago took the set by a 8-6 margin, eking out a 1-0 win Friday against Red Sox ace Chris Sale before losing 4-2 on Saturday. White Sox pitchers held Boston to a combined .186 average (18 for 97) in the series.

By Gethin Coolbaugh, Associated Press

Danny Shelton didn't need very long to start toeing the New England Patriots' company line.

Less than a week after New England acquired Shelton in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the defensive lineman is spreading singing coach Bill Belichick's praises and taking notice of the team's culture of success.

"Part of the formula to winning is doing your job, and I see that everywhere at the facility with everyone just staying focused and having that same goal leading towards success, and that's what I want to be a part of," Shelton said on a conference call Monday.

By Gethin Coolbaugh, Associated Press

The New England Patriots bolstered their pass rush and backfield depth with the free agent signing of defensive end Adrian Clayborn and running back Jeremy Hill on Saturday.

The Patriots also announced the signing of veteran offensive tackle Matt Tobin.

Clayborn, 29, played the past three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and is coming off a career-high 9 1/2-sack season in 2017. The seven-year veteran has 30 sacks over 81 games with Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

By Gethin Coolbaugh, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Matt Farrell once dreamed of playing basketball for the Eagles.

The 6-foot-1 guard had committed to Boston College as a senior point guard at Point Pleasant Beach High in New Jersey, but his plans changed when the school fired Steve Donahue as its basketball coach in 2014. Farrell instead wound up at Notre Dame. 

On Saturday, he gave the Eagles a taste of what they've been missing, scoring 26 of his career-high 37 points in the opening half and making a school-record 10 3-pointers with seven assists to help Notre Dame beat Boston College 84-67.

By Gethin Coolbaugh, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Asia Durr and her teammates were left with a bad taste after No. 4 Louisville's loss at No. 1 Connecticut earlier this week. They were ready to turn the page Thursday night against Boston College.

Durr scored 16 points to lead the Cardinals to an 87-52 victory against the Eagles for their sixth win in seven games.

"We try to take it one game at a time," Durr said. "It was a great game, but we've got to start getting off on faster starts. We can't get off on slow starts."