The men's Final Four is set -- and it's all No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2008.

The Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers will open the semifinal action at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday, followed by the Houston Cougars and Duke Blue Devils at 8:49 p.m. ET (both on CBS).

With all chalk on the San Antonio River Walk, who do our college basketball experts see facing off in the national championship on April 7?

They break down how each team reached the NCAA tournament national semifinals and its keys to advancing to the title game and also predict the winners. (Hint: They agree on one matchup, but not the other.)

Jump to: Auburn vs. Florida | Duke vs. Houston

Final Four preview

(1) Florida vs.
(1) Auburn

What to know about Florida

The No. 1 factor that helped Florida reach the Final Four: No team in America has been able to turn games in their favor with devastating runs the way the Gators have.

Down nine points with 3:14 to play against Texas Tech, they ended the game on an 18-4 run akin to ones we have seen from them multiple times this season. Just in this tournament, they outscored Maryland 47-33 in the second half of their Sweet 16 win and had 53 points in less than 17 minutes against Norfolk State in the opening round.

They have launched those same knockout punches against other elite teams, too. In the SEC tournament championship, Florida was tied with Tennessee at 16 with 11:30 to play in the first half. Eight minutes later, the Gators had a 12-point lead.

Florida is college basketball's equivalent of a home run hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning. It's never over with the Gators because of the way they can seize control of games, even when they seem out of reach.

Florida's key against Auburn: Walter Clayton Jr.'s brilliance.

The Final Four is all about stars. The teams that have players who shine under the brightest lights are the teams that ultimately cut down the nets and win national championships. There is a reason we mention Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Kemba Walker, Mateen Cleaves and Jay Williams when we discuss the greatest NCAA tournament runs. Star power reigns. And next to Cooper Flagg, Florida might have the biggest star of them all in Clayton Jr. His sheer will and talent could be the deciding factors in whether the Gators win the title. -- Myron Medcalf

What to know about Auburn

The No. 1 factor that helped Auburn reach the Final Four: Tightening up defensively.

When Auburn had its struggles down the stretch of the season, losing three of four games, the Tigers basically fell apart defensively. They allowed at least 1.13 points per possession in all three of the defeats, committing too many fouls and struggling to defend the rim. Since the NCAA tournament tipped, though, they have looked much more like the team that started the season 27-2. Bruce Pearl's team has done a much better job limiting easy opportunities, allowing only Creighton to reach one point per possession.

Denver Jones is one of the elite perimeter defenders in the country, the Tigers defend the 3-point arc incredibly well and Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell protect the paint. Limiting fouls will be key, though.

Auburn's key against Florida: Johni Broome.

Broome took an awkward fall midway through the second half of Sunday's Elite Eight win over Michigan State and immediately went to the locker room, offering words of encouragement to Chaney Johnson and giving his parents an update on the way. It looked like his night -- and perhaps more -- was over. But Broome came out of the locker room after only five minutes of game action and checked back in then quickly buried a 3-pointer to give Auburn a boost.

He seemed healthy enough to perform at a high level this Saturday, but he will need to be at 100 percent to compete with Florida's deep and talented frontcourt. -- Jeff Borzello

Florida vs. Auburn prediction

Jeff Borzello: Florida wins, 82-79
Joe Lunardi: Florida wins, 85-80
Myron Medcalf: Florida wins, 88-84

Florida led the first meeting between these teams by as many as 21 points before winning 90-81 on the road. The Gators made 13 3s against the Tigers' SEC-best 3-point defense, and Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. cemented his case as the best guard in the country. Florida hasn't slowed down since then, and neither has Clayton, who has put on one of the all-time late-game shot-making performances in this NCAA tournament. Can Denver Jones limit Clayton's clean looks?

The Gators have the size and depth inside to make life difficult for Johni Broome and can win in more ways than the Tigers can. -- Jeff Borzello

(1) Houston vs.
(1) Duke

What to know about Houston

The No. 1 factor that helped Houston reach the Final Four: 3-point shooting.

The easy answer would be D -- and we will get to the Cougars' elite defensive unit. But the biggest difference between this year's team and previous iterations of Kelvin Sampson's program is the Cougars' ability to consistently make shots from the perimeter. They lead the country in 3-point shooting, making nearly 40% of their shots from behind the arc, with three starters shooting 42% or better.

Houston has averaged nine made 3s per game in the NCAA tournament, and it was able to take all the life out of Tennessee in the Elite Eight with dagger 3 after dagger 3 late in the game. The Cougars hit five treys in the final 5:30 on Sunday, ruining any chance of a Volunteers comeback.

Houston's key against Duke: Defense > offense.

Saturday's Final Four showdown against Duke will feature the most efficient offense in the KenPom era (since 1996-97) against the nation's best defense. Can the Cougars slow down the Blue Devils? Duke has been torching teams all season, capable of beating opponents in a variety of ways, whether it's via Cooper Flagg, 3-point shooting or using its superior size to finish around the rim.

Houston will need to muck up the game, make sure it stays mostly in a half-court setting and then try to lean on its experience and physicality to get Duke's young stars out of their rhythm. Will the best defense be better than the best offense? Houston has to hope that's the case. -- Jeff Borzello

What to know about Duke

The No. 1 factor that helped Duke reach the Final Four: Duke is simply more talented than any other team.

Cooper Flagg and fellow NBA prospects Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel deserve most of the credit, but the fleet of talent down the roster has enhanced everything that coach Jon Scheyer has done with it.

It has made practices more competitive. It has allowed the team to overcome adversity (see: winning the ACC tournament title with Flagg injured). And it means that in the final stage of the season, the players coming off the bench would be starters for many other teams -- Caleb Foster was a top-30 recruit in high school, Isaiah Evans could be selected early in the second round of this summer's NBA draft, Mason Gillis helped Purdue reach the national title game a year ago and Patrick Ngongba II was 26th in ESPN's ranking of the 2024 recruiting class. How many teams are bringing players of that pedigree off the bench?

Top to bottom, there just isn't a team in the field that can assemble a comparable collection of elite players.

Duke's key against Houston: The Blue Devils' ability to protect the rim and defend the paint.

This Duke team has one of the top defensive units in recent program history. Against an Alabama squad that made 25 3-pointers in the Sweet 16, the Blue Devils forced the Crimson Tide into awkward, off-balance shots. Alabama plays at the fastest pace in America, but Duke turned that tempo into chaos, limiting Alabama's options around the rim.

The Blue Devils are assertive with their interior defense, whether it's Khaman Maluach altering and blocking shots, Cooper Flagg guarding players for 90 feet or others challenging opponents on the perimeter then feeding them to the Blue Devils' big men. Alabama was outscored in the paint by double digits Saturday, in part because Duke does not give opposing teams space to get comfortable in the post. -- Myron Medcalf

Houston vs. Duke predictions

Jeff Borzello: Duke wins, 70-68
Myron Medcalf: Duke wins, 74-70

This is going to be an incredible contrast of elite offense versus elite defense, featuring one of the youngest teams in the country versus one of the oldest teams. The problem for the Cougars is that the Blue Devils also have an elite defense to go with their historically good offense.

Duke can switch everything and is able to run good shooters off the 3-point line with Khaman Maluach in the paint to protect the rim. Houston will try to disrupt Duke, but the Blue Devils' offense has been unfazed by pretty much anything all season. That will continue in San Antonio. -- Jeff Borzello

Joe Lunardi: Houston wins, 75-70

Duke freshmen Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach and Patrick Ngongba II make up as good a frontcourt as any college coach could want. They are also 18, 19, 18 and 19 years old, respectively. Houston will counter with J'Wan Roberts (age 23, 170 career games), Ja'Vier Francis (22, 128 games), Terrance Arceneaux (22, 83 games) and Joseph Tugler (20, 66 games). It is a massive difference in experience and basketball maturity.

Generally, I would still pick talent over experience, but it's not like the Houston guys are unaccomplished. The Cougars have won 159 games in the J'Wan Roberts-Kelvin Sampson era. This is their second Final Four together. The Cougars, at 17 victories in a row, can also claim the nation's longest current winning streak. They have lost just once since November and have lost only once in regulation all season.

This is a fabulous matchup in every way, but I'm taking the experienced veterans over the most talented freshmen in the tournament. -- Joe Lunardi

NEW YORK -- Knicks star Jalen Brunson said Sunday that his goal is to return before the end of the regular season but that his top priority is to be fully healthy before the Knicks begin what he and the team hope will be a long playoff run.

"Realistically, I'm hoping to play before the playoffs," Brunson said in a pregame media session at his locker before New York hosted the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden. "It's good for me to get some game reps before we go into that type of stretch run, but the most important thing is trying to be 100 percent healthy."

The All-NBA guard has been out since March 6, when he suffered an ankle sprain on an awkward landing late in a loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles. Brunson had 39 points and 10 assists in that game, his latest performance in a brilliant season that again has him in contention for MVP votes and another All-NBA selection.

With 61 games played, however, Brunson is short of the 65 required to be eligible for those awards. And though he said he'd like to get to that benchmark, Brunson reiterated that his priority is to be ready for the postseason.

"Individually, yeah," Brunson said, when asked if contending for awards matters to him, "but I just want to make sure I'm fully healthy before I go out there."

Though there is no definitive return date for the star guard over the final eight games of the regular season following Sunday's matchup, Brunson shed positive light on his recovery process.

He said he has been cleared for "basketball activities," though he declined to say whether that includes contact. He added that he has been sprinting, as well as cutting and stopping and starting on his injured ankle, and that he continues to feel better as he clears each benchmark.

Brunson has shown an ability to play through injuries during his tenure with the Knicks, but he said that in this situation it's a combination of managing pain, getting mentally ready to return to the court and working with the medical staff to decide when the best time to come back will be.

"Yeah, well, like I said, we're going to communicate," Brunson said of his discussions with the medical team. "I never want to say, I never want to put them in a position where I'm making the decisions because it's honestly a team thing, but when I know it's something minor and I know I can play through it, I can play through it. There's something like this and I just want to make sure we're on the same page, and now we've been on the same page for the past couple of weeks and so we're going to continue to progress that way."

New York had gone 6-5 since Brunson got hurt entering Sunday's game. That stretch also featured his backup, Deuce McBride, missing a chunk of time with a groin strain, which kept him out of Sunday's game, too.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said McBride, who has now missed five straight games, is also doing some on-court work. Addressing how the team has responded to Brunson's absence, Thibodeau said it has provided an opportunity for other players to step up and shoulder a bigger load.

"We've said this all along from the standpoint of, you're not going to replace Jalen individually," Thibodeau said. "You have to do it collectively, and I think we've done that. And it's been good for our group from the standpoint of any time someone goes out, it's an opportunity for someone else to go in. But I think our defense and our rebounding, we know that everyone is capable of doing that. And if we lock into that and keep our turnovers down, we know we'll be in position to win.

"That's what we're striving for. Continue to improve. And when Jalen comes back, obviously that adds a lot to our team."

Brunson said he appreciates how his teammates have responded to his absence.

"There have been nights where obviously we didn't perform well as a team, but then the next day they respond, so that's all we can focus on," Brunson said. "There's going to be times and days and games where things don't go our way, but it's how do we respond from those moments and how do we get better? I feel like they've progressed that way and they've done a good job."

That hasn't, however, diminished his frustration as he is forced to watch his teammates play without him.

"It sucks," he said. "It's not fun. I really wish I was out there."

PHOENIX -- Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks was ejected from Sunday night's 148-109 win against the Phoenix Suns after a brief shoving match with Kevin Durant.

Brooks was whistled for a foul on Durant with 4:48 left in the second quarter and Houston leading 55-38. After the shoving match, Brooks continued to argue and was ejected. The play was reviewed and two technical fouls were assessed on Brooks, plus one each on Durant and the Suns' Nick Richards. No free throws were awarded.

Brooks scored eight points in 11 minutes. It was his first ejection this season and the seventh of his eight-year career. Entering Sunday, Brooks led the NBA in fouls this season with 235.

Brooks has 15 technical fouls this season, one shy of triggering an automatic one-game suspension.

In a previous meeting of the teams this season, Phoenix's Mason Plumlee and Houston's Steven Adams were ejected for a scuffle.

After Brooks' ejection, Houston outscored Phoenix 23-11 the rest of the half for a 78-49 lead.

Durant was later ruled out because of a left ankle sprain. He was helped to the locker room with 6:57 left in the third quarter after falling to the floor in a collision with Houston's Jabari Smith Jr.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- Reaching 60 wins is far from the ultimate goal for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, that doesn't mean they aren't going to savor reaching the milestone.

Cleveland's 127-122 victory over the LA Clippers on Sunday afternoon gave the Cavaliers at least 60 wins for only the third time in franchise history.

"Celebrate the small victories, and we will," said Donovan Mitchell, who had 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. "It's been a great year. All of our sacrifices and hard work is paying off. It is big for the organization and the city."

First-year coach Kenny Atkinson said he didn't expect 60 wins at the start of the season, which is why he wanted his group to savor this.

"My internal goal was how we could improve from last year, even if it was for one or two wins. For this team to take it to another level and shatter that says a lot," said Atkinson, who became the 13th coach in NBA history with 60 wins in his first season with a new team. "We still can add to that. We have to celebrate this. It's not the end goal but take a deep breath and celebrate."

The last time Cleveland reached 60 wins was 2009-10, when it went 61-21. The franchise-high mark is 66-16 from 2008-09. Those were the final two seasons in LeBron James' first stint with the Cavaliers.

Without being asked, center Jarrett Allen recognized how meaningful it was to do something again for the first time without James. The Akron native remains an icon in Northeast Ohio after he led the Cavaliers to the region's first professional sports title in 52 years in 2016.

"Whether we like it or not, LeBron is the face of this city and has done so much. It is tough to break away from that notion or the records, the first to do it with LeBron here," he said. "We're trying to do something special and hopefully we can."

The Cavaliers have faced their share of adversity since they had a 16-game winning streak snapped by Orlando on March 16. The loss to the Magic started a season-high, four-game slide, but Cleveland has won four of its past five.

Atkinson said before the game that the focus was on his own team, instead of figuring out ways to contain LA's James Harden, Norman Powell or Ivica Zubac.

Atkinson was not pleased with his team's play in a 133-122 loss to Detroit on Friday night. He also wanted to see a better response level after the Clippers won the first meeting by 13 points on March 18.

"We were struggling a little," he said. "Thinking about the Detroit game we had some not great performances. Thinking about our Clippers game in L.A., they took it to us. We needed to for psychological reasons to get it in a good manner."

The Cavaliers began separating themselves from James' shadow last season when they beat the Magic in seven games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. It marked the first time since 1993 they won a series without James.

"Everything since I have been here has been a stepping stone. Something has improved every year," said Allen, who had his team-leading 39th double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Cleveland is 4 1/2 games ahead of Boston for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining. With a couple days to rest up before hosting the New York Knicks on Wednesday, Atkinson is stressing other things supersede getting that top spot.

"If I had priorities I would rather be playing well and having everyone healthy. Hopefully the first seed will come with that and I think it will," he said. "We have to keep the philosophy and mentality that we're growing."

PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant was helped to the locker room with 6:57 left in the third quarter of his team's loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night after suffering a left ankle sprain while falling to the floor in a collision with Jabari Smith Jr.

Smith was called for a foul under the Phoenix basket as Durant fell to the floor after losing control of the basketball. The 6-foot-10 forward eventually got to his feet, but could not put weight on his left leg. He appeared to step on Smith's foot when he fell, wincing in pain.

After the game, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters that Durant would undergo an MRI on Monday, and initially would not travel with the club to begin a three-game road trip, starting with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

Earlier in the game, Rockets forward Dillon Brooks was ejected after a brief shoving match with Durant. Brooks was whistled for a foul on Durant with 4:48 left in the second quarter and Houston leading 55-38. After the shoving match, Brooks continued to argue and was ejected. The play was reviewed and two technical fouls were assessed on Brooks, plus one each on Durant and the Suns' Nick Richards. No free throws were awarded.

The Rockets took advantage of a deflated Suns team in the second half. Jalen Green had 33 points and Amen Thompson had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, as Houston outscored the hosts 34-24 in the third quarter en route to the 148-109 victory.

"You have to find a way to make things happen on the defensive end. You have to go and make plays offensively and desperation and all those things," Budenholzer said. "They're important, but you've got to go play. And we've got to play better."

Durant played 23 minutes, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Earlier this season, he moved into eighth place on the NBA career scoring list.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Five players and two coaches were ejected after a fight broke out in the second quarter in the Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.

Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo also were tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.

"Obviously things went too far," Bickerstaff said. "But what you see is guys looking out for one another, guys trying to protect one another, guys trying to have each other's backs. ... Those are non-negotiables in our locker room."

The skirmish began with 8:36 left in the half with the Pistons up 39-30. Stewart had received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid's hands near the baseline.

The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland's jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were part of the scrum.

As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.

The whole scene played out just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who walked over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a young fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.

The game featured 12 technical fouls, the most in an NBA game since March 23, 2005, per OptaSTATS.

"I thought leading up to that the game was way too physical," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "It's unfortunate, but we knew they were a super physical team. They hit you, they hold you, all the stuff that you want your physical teams to do. But I just thought it got to a point where players were going to take matters into their own hands. You don't ever want that."

The Timberwolves rallied from an early 16-point deficit to beat the Pistons 123-104.

TORONTO -- Baltimore Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano left his major league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday after four innings because of cramping, the team said.

Sugano took the mound to warm up for the bottom of the fifth before manager Brandon Hyde, Orioles trainers and an interpreter gathered around him for a conference. Sugano was seen flexing his right hand before walking off.

"He feels much better now after getting fluids and some food," Hyde said after the Orioles lost 3-1. "He should be in line to make his next start."

Sugano did not speak to reporters following the game.

Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser was unable to bat in the ninth after he bent his left thumb sliding into first base on a close play in the seventh. Cowser played left field in the seventh and eighth but couldn't hit, Hyde said.

Gary Sanchez hit for Cowser and struck out to end the game.

Cowser had a metal brace on his thumb in the clubhouse.

Making his first start in North America after 276 appearances with Japan's Yomiuri Giants, Sugano allowed two runs and four hits against the Blue Jays.

Toronto's George Springer drove in both runs with a two-out single in the first.

"I thought Tomo threw the ball really well, just made a little bit of a mistake with Springer," Hyde said.

Sugano walked two and struck out one. He threw 73 pitches, 45 for strikes, and retired five of the final six batters he faced.

Sugano signed a $13-million, one-year contract with Baltimore in December.

At 35 years and 170 days, Sugano is the oldest Japanese player to make his MLB debut since Ken Takahashi (40 years, 16 days) with the Mets in 2009.

Right-hander Matt Bowman replaced Sugano.

MIAMI -- The Conine family had a very special Sunday.

Jeff Conine became the first member of the Marlins' Hall of Fame when he was inducted before the team's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 58-year-old Conine, nicknamed "Mr. Marlin," helped the franchise win the World Series in 1997 and 2003.

Conine's son, Griffin, then hit a tying solo homer with two outs in the seventh inning of Miami's 3-2 win. Derek Hill scored the winning run on David Bednar's wild pitch in the ninth as the Marlins took three of four in the season-opening series.

"From the ceremony itself and then getting to come up in a big spot and do it, and then us finishing with a win -- our third walk-off win in four days -- it's awesome," Griffin Conine said. "We're in a great spot to start the year."

Conine, 27, connected for his first homer of the season a day after he robbed Jack Suwinski of an eighth-inning homer with a leaping catch in left.

Conine, a second-round pick in the 2018 amateur draft, was acquired by Miami in a 2020 trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his major league debut in August, joining David and Ryan Weathers as the only father-son duos to play for the Marlins in franchise history.

Conine hit .268 with 3 homers and 12 RBIs in 30 games with Miami in 2024.

With a group of family members, friends and former teammates looking on, Jeff Conine was presented with a teal jacket as part of the induction ceremony.

He played for the Marlins from 1993 to 1997 and again from Sept. 1, 2003, through the 2005 season. The two-time All-Star batted .290 with 120 homers and 553 RBIs in 1,014 regular-season games with the organization.

Conine was selected in the 1992 expansion draft from the Kansas City Royals. He went 4-for-4 and scored two runs in the Marlins' first game, a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 5, 1993.

"It's hard to believe that 33 years ago, Charlie Hough threw that floating knuckleball to Benito Santiago to start this franchise," Conine said during the pregame ceremony. "And I feel so blessed and fortunate to be on that first team, to be in left field to witness that first pitch, and to watch this franchise grow over the years."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia hit solo home runs in the sixth inning, capping a day that started with the return of ace Jacob deGrom, and the Texas Rangers outlasted the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Sunday.

The homers came after Boston scored twice in the top of the inning off Texas' bullpen to spoil deGrom's first start of the season. DeGrom allowed two hits in five shutout innings and was lifted after nearing his pitch count at 73.

"Really good slider and fastball, used the changeup well today," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said of deGrom. "A good start by Jacob. He got us to where we were hoping. Really terrific job today."

DeGrom, 36, the National League Cy Young Award winner of 2018 and 2019 with the New York Mets, is returning from his second Tommy John surgery in May 2023. His second time through the lineup, he recorded five of his six strikeouts.

"It was nice obviously to be back out there and to go five," deGrom said. "Build from there. Still got work to do."

DeGrom, a free agent signee who secured a five-year, $185 million deal heading into the 2023 season, made just his 11th career start with Texas. But as expectations have risen for a club that disappointed last year after winning the World Series in 2023, deGrom was his normal self against a potent Red Sox lineup.

"I wanted to go deeper knowing that the bullpen was taxed last night," deGrom said in referring to Saturday's win over the Red Sox.

But his manager, at this point in the season, isn't focused on length just yet.

"Next game, he could go six innings, maybe seven," Bochy said. "He's excited about how he feels. That's nice to see. He's an important part of this staff. It's good to see that guy out there every fifth day."

The offense made sure deGrom's exit wasn't damaging. Langford's opposite-field homer off rookie Richard Fitts (0-1) barely cleared the wall in the right-field corner. Two batters later, Garcia blasted an 0-2 sweeper into the second deck in left field. Fitts gave up three runs on six hits with no walks over six innings.

The Red Sox scored twice in the sixth inning off Shawn Armstrong (1-0) to take the lead. Wilyer Abreu hit a two-out, 0-2 opposite-field double into the left-field corner to score Kristian Campbell and came around when Rangers third baseman Ezequiel Duran threw low to first base.

Texas took a 1-0 lead in the second, loading the bases on singles on four pitches, followed by Duran's sacrifice fly -- on a sliding grab by Jarren Duran -- to score Jake Burger.

Luke Jackson pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second save in two opportunities.

The Rangers won three straight after dropping the series opener, and in doing so, they extended the frustration of Red Sox star Rafael Devers. The designated hitter went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a walk Sunday, and completed the series 0-for-16 with 12 strikeouts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers became the first major leaguer to strike out 12 times in a season's first four games.

Devers went 0-for-4 with two more strikeouts Sunday in Boston's 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

Devers' latest mark for futility came a day after he became the first big leaguer to be fanned 10 times in the first three games of a season.

He's 0-for-16, though he did draw a two-out walk in the ninth Sunday to keep the inning alive and put the potential tying run in scoring position.

The 12 strikeouts broke the previous record of 11 in the first four games, which had been done four times previously since 1901, according to SportRadar.

Brent Rooker of the Athletics struck out 11 times to open last season. The others were Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2020, Minnesota's Byron Buxton in 2017 and Houston's Brett Wallace in 2013.

Devers is now solely the Red Sox DH after their offseason acquisition of third baseman Alex Bregman.