Jack BaerStaff writerFri, April 24, 2026 at 2:55 AM UTC·3 min readThursday was a big night for New York sports.
The New York Knicks had a playoff game. The New York Mets were trying to put together a winning streak. The New York Jets and Giants both had selections to make in the 2026 NFL Draft. And the New York Yankees were facing their rival Boston Red Sox.
The latter event well enough, with Cam Schlittler outdueling rookie Payton Tolle in a 4-2 win. The Giants also did well enough, landing Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese and Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa in the top 10.
The rest, well, let’s just say the city had a very bad 10 minutes. Here is a tweet from The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey summing up the stakes at 9:42 p.m. ET:
Insane moment with a Knicks game in the final minute of a one-point game, the Jets with a pick in at the NFL Draft, and the Mets with a four-run lead facing a bases loaded late game situation. My head hurts.
YOU CAN'T BELIEVE HOW BADLY THIS WENT. https://t.co/TWlvVFkAct
Let’s go first to the Knicks, who entered Thursday in dire need of a win in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. They had a one-point lead with 16.4 seconds to go, and then C.J. McCollum happened:
CJ MCCOLLUM. CLUTCH SHOT.ATL UP 1. 12.5 SECONDS LEFT. KNICKS BALL ON PRIME. pic.twitter.com/79Pua3E6t8
And then this happened, sealing a 2-1 series deficit for New York against its recent antagonist:
THE HAWKS HOLD ON.ATLANTA TAKES A 2-1 SERIES LEAD OVER NEW YORK! pic.twitter.com/6PFw4Tgcol
Then there were the Mets, who recently snapped a 12-game losing streak, their worst since 2002. In the following game, they were up 7-3 against the Minnesota Twins with Huascar Brazobán on the mound in the eighth inning. With the bases loaded.
Ryan Jeffers GRAND SLAM!The @Twins tie it in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/Ddc4SeSzn6
That grand slam tied the game and continued the Mets’ significant bullpen issues to begin the season, but all was not lost. The Mets responded by loading the bases in the bottom of the eighth, setting up a three-run double from Bo Bichette to re-take the lead in what ended up being a 10-8 win.
And then there were the Jets, who had the No. 16 pick in draft and plenty of holes to fill after selecting edge rusher David Bailey with the second pick.
They wound up taking Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, the top player at a position the Jets did not have a need, as they selected Mason Taylor out of Stanford in the second round last year and got a solid rookie year out of him.
Here’s how Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald graded the pick:
Sadiq is talented, but he’s not a player the Jets seemed to need right now, especially with Mason Taylor having a quality rookie year in a tough situation. This feels like a luxury pick for a team that needs MANY upgrades. The pure talent of Sadiq makes this more palatable, but they have a bizarre logjam at tight end now.
Obviously, the Mets won, the Knicks could still win the series and Sadiq could very well end up becoming a star tight end, but let’s just say the tabloids won’t be hurting for material for Friday’s issues.
