22 of 30 MLB stadiums will increase to 100% capacity by the end of the month, and all but five stadiums will fill up by the end of the Fourth of July weekend.

By the numbers: On Opening Day (April 1), only the Astros (50%) and Rangers (100%) filled their stadiums at least halfway.

• Two months later, 11 teams are at full capacity, 10 more allow at least 50% and just one is still below 20% — and the Mariners are set to increase that next week.
• Eager fans are ready to come out to the park, too: A record 63% of fans feel comfortable attending an outdoor sporting event, per a Morning Consult poll.

The big picture: This has all been made possible by our nation's rapid rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine: 42% of the U.S. is fully vaccinated, up from just 17% on Opening Day.

• Teams are doing a great job, too, as 20 clubs have reached the requisite 85% vaccination threshold to trigger relaxed safety protocols, and two more are set to join them next week.

The state of play: All but six teams have played at least 60 games so far, which last year would have meant the end of the ultra-condensed — and fan-less — regular season.

• This year, we're fortunately treated to a full slate of 162 games, but just for fun, let's check in on what the playoffs would look like if the season ended today.
• AL playoff picture: Rays (39-24); White Sox (37-24); A's (37-26); Red Sox (37-25, WC1); Astros (35-26, WC2)
• NL playoff picture: Mets (30-24); Cubs (35-27); Giants (38-23); Dodgers (36-25, WC1); Padres (37-27, WC2)

The bottom line: With nearly five more months of baseball to go and stadiums planning full-capacity crowds nationwide, it's going to be a good summer for America's pastime.

P.S. ... Humans aren't the only ones returning to the ballpark: Tampa's Ray Tank returned to Tropicana Field's outfield Wednesday, writes Axios Tampa Bay's Selene San Felice.

For the second straight year, the Islanders have reached hockey's final four; and for the second straight year, the Lightning are the only thing standing between them and a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.

• Last year, of course, Tampa won the series en route to winning the championship.
• But this year, there's one key difference — fans will be in attendance.

The big picture: While the Lightning surely enjoy playing in front of a crowd during their quest for a repeat, the Isles and their fans have a much bigger reason to relish this playoff run: It's their last ride at "the barn."

• Nassau Coliseum has been the Islanders' home since their inaugural season in 1972 — save a brief Brooklyn sojourn — but next year they'll move into the still-being-constructed UBS Arena.
• For as long as they stay alive this spring, home games will feature a raucous crowd of 12,000 (86% capacity) in the NHL's smallest arena. This rematch is going to be electric.

📆 Tonight ... Avalanche at Golden Knights, 9pm (VGS leads 3-2)

🏀 Meanwhile, in the NBA playoffs ... The Suns demolished the Nuggets, 123-98, and will take their 2-0 series lead to Denver on Friday.

• Chris Paul was surgical, going for 17 points, 15 assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers.
• Wild stat: Since 1980, there have been just six playoff games with 15+ points, 15+ assists and zero turnovers ... and Paul has three of them.

📆 Tonight ... Nets at Bucks, 7:30pm (BKN leads 2-0); Clippers at Jazz, 10pm (UTA leads 1-0)

As cases continue dropping in Japan, officials are considering allowing domestic spectators into next month's Olympics.

Why it matters: Just over a month ago, Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said she was prepared to hold the Games in front of empty stadiums, reports the Asahi Shimbun.

By the numbers: This change of heart has coincided with the plummeting rate of new cases.

• After peaking on May 14 with a record high seven-day average of 6,460 cases, that number has dropped by nearly two thirds, to just 2,320.
• Vaccine rollout, meanwhile, has accelerated, as they've begun their under-65 inoculations and have a program in place to vaccinate people at workplaces and universities beginning June 21.

The state of play: Foreign spectators have long since been banned, and foreign media will be carefully monitored by GPS during their stay in Tokyo.

• Yes, but: Having some semblance of fans is important because "the athletes will not be able to give their best performances with zero spectators," said one high-ranking official in the prime minister's office.

What to watch: A decision regarding spectators is expected by June 20, when the country's state of emergency is scheduled to end, but there are some who fear a surge in new cases will follow once those nationwide protocols are relaxed.

Go deeper: Tokyo was picked as the "safe" choice for the Olympics. Here's how everything changed (CNN)

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma was two innings away from losing the World Series ... then Jocelyn Alo happened. The national Player of the Year hit a two-run shot to take a 3-2 lead in the sixth, and the Sooners' 6-2 win over Florida State means this series is going the distance. Winner-take-all, today at 3pm on ESPN. 🍿

PARIS — Rafael Nadal is yet again heading to the French Open semifinals after beating Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, and that "4-6" second set was the first he's dropped at Roland Garros since the 2019 final (which he won anyway). Next up: Novak Djokovic in Friday's semi. Let's go!

SANDY, UTAH — The U.S. Men's National Team easily dispatched Costa Rica in Wednesday's friendly, winning 4-0 with a lineup that shared little in common with the one that beat Mexico on Sunday night. Translation: Squad's looking strong and deep heading into next month's Gold Cup.

Source: Giphy

⚽️ Major fines: The six Premier League clubs involved in the Super League debacle have agreed to pay a combined $31 million fine for their role in the maligned breakaway league. The league says the money "will go towards ... investment in support for fans, grassroots football and community programs."

🎓 NIL hearing: A Senate panel met Wednesday to discuss ways that Congress could get involved to enact federal legislation regarding student-athletes' name, image and likeness rights before July 1, when five states' NIL laws take effect.

🥊 MMA Shields: Claressa Shields, the greatest female boxer of all time, begins her next chapter tonight as a two-sport athlete, making her mixed martial arts debut against Brittney Elkin in Atlantic City, New Jersey, (10pm, ESPN2).

🤕 Injuries up: The condensed NBA season had a deleterious effect on players' health. On average, teams combined for 5.1 players sidelined by injury each game — the most since ESPN's Kevin Pelton began tracking this data in 2009.

⚾️ Ball manipulation: Mets 1B Pete Alonso, while answering a question regarding MLB's crackdown on sticky stuff, put forth a theory — offered as fact — that the league manipulates the baseball each year depending on that season's free agent class. This could get ugly in a hurry.

"Lost in Sports" is a new narrative podcast from Religion of Sports, the same company that produced docuseries like 2018's "Tom vs. Time" and the upcoming "Simone vs. Herself," among others.

• The podcast, hosted by former SI writer Ben Baskin, dives into "various mysteries of the lost, the forgotten and the disappeared, taking on some of the biggest questions in sports history — and some you never thought to ask," Baskin tells Axios.

Episode 1, "Masters of the Gridiron," debuted last week and explores the origins of the titular, 1986 short film, which was written by and starred the Cleveland Browns.

• The 17-minute fantasy film features time travel and sorcery as the "Brown clan" battles other clans and an actual bear on a quest for the ring of the masters of the gridiron. And yes, you can — and absolutely should — watch it on YouTube.
• While the movie is as campy as possible, the episode is anything but, as Baskin weaves in the history of Cleveland and its long, tortured, but ultimately endearing relationship with its beloved Browns.

Episode 2, "The And1 Mixtapes," released today, diving into the question of how a small apparel company turned streetball into a worldwide phenomenon ... and then suddenly disappeared.

• Listen to the podcast.

P.S. ... If learning about unexplored sports stories is an itch you're trying to scratch, you should also check out "Legendary Bites," with every episode clocking in at 15 minutes or less.

Source: Giphy

"The Greatest Race," a documentary chronicling the iconic, 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics, premieres today for free on Peacock. Watch the trailer.

Why it matters: As the title indicates, this is considered the greatest race in Olympic history, if not all time.

The backdrop: After 19-year-old Michael Phelps won six gold and two bronze medals in 2004 — and entered eight more events in 2008 — there was legitimate buzz that he could challenge Mark Spitz's single-Olympics record of seven gold medals (1972).

What happened: France, anchored by 25-year-old Alain Bernard — who for most of 2008 held the individual 100-meter free world record — was favored to win, and when Bernard's leg began he held a full body-length lead over Team USA.

• But 32-year-old American Jason Lezak chased down Bernard over the final 25 meters and out-touched the Frenchman by 0.08 seconds — the smallest margin of victory in the event's history.
• Lezak's split (46.06 seconds) is still the fastest ever, and both teams broke the world record by nearly four seconds.

The aftermath: This was just Phelps' second of his eight races, but of course he went on to break Spitz's record, winning gold in all eight and setting seven world records in the process.

The bottom line: I still get chills watching this race. Can't wait for this doc.

🎥 Watch the race (YouTube)

77 years ago today, 15-year-old pitcher Joe Nuxhall made his debut for the Cincinnati Reds, becoming the youngest player in MLB history.

The backdrop: When FDR in 1942 wrote his famous "Green Light Letter" — advising MLB commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis to "keep baseball going" despite the country's entry into WWII — it didn't stop players from enlisting.

• As MLB regulars began heading overseas, teams were forced to find guys who would never make the big leagues under ordinary circumstances. Guys like Nuxhall.

His outing went about as poorly as you'd expect from a 15-year-old kid, despite 1993's "Rookie of the Year" suggesting otherwise.

• He entered in the ninth inning of a blowout, already down 13-0 to the Cardinals, and allowed five more runs in two-thirds of an inning before mercifully getting pulled.

The aftermath: Fortunately, this story has a happy ending.

• Nuxhall wouldn't pitch again professionally until 1952, but he ultimately put together an incredibly admirable career, mostly with the Reds, winning 135 games with a 3.90 ERA across 16 seasons, including two All-Star appearances.
• In fact, when the Reds commissioned an art installation to accompany their new ballpark in 2003, honoring the club's Crosley Field era (1912-70), fans voted on which four players to include, and Nuxhall made the cut.

Go deeper: The 20 youngest MLB players to debut since WWI (B/R)

Rudy Gobert on Wednesday won his third Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming just the fourth player in NBA history to win it at least three times.

• Question: Who are the other three?
• Hint: They all played this century, and one is still active.

Answer at the bottom.

Last summer, we shared your personal stories about "why you love sports." We're bringing it back, and over the next 10 days we'll share 10 of our favorites before starting up again with new submissions.

Nate P. (Indianapolis) writes:

I grew up in a Catholic family in rural northern Michigan, and from the time I was old enough to know what sports were, I was a Notre Dame fan.

Much of this love for Notre Dame came from my grandfather, who was the unquestioned patriarch of our family — patient, wise, selfless, revered and rock-steady in everything he did.

My grandfather had seen some of the best players in Notre Dame history, but none were held in higher regard than Johnny Lujack, a star QB who led the Irish to three national titles and won the 1947 Heisman Trophy.

So when I came across a photo of Lujack and the 1947 team at a memorabilia booth in 2017, I just knew I had to buy it for him for Christmas. Every year I look forward to unwrapping presents at my grandparents house, but that year I was FIRED UP as we pulled into their driveway.

After dinner, we gathered in the living room for the gift exchange. One of the last gifts remaining was the picture. As he unwrapped it, I sat there anxiously, hoping his reaction matched my anticipation. It did.

For just the second time in my life, I saw my grandfather cry. He turned to me and managed a 'thank you' as he fought back tears, then went back to the picture as he pointed out names of the players he remembered.

For the next several hours he sat with the picture on his lap, leaving the living room conversation every now and then to steal glimpses. He was a man of few words, but he didn't have to say anything. I could tell how much it meant to him, and I still don't have the words to describe the joy I felt.

That picture, which still hangs on the wall above my grandfather's beloved La-Z-Boy, would be one of the very last gifts I would ever give him. Shortly after Christmas, he was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer and passed away the following May.

In the days after his death, we milled about my grandparents' house consoling one another and reminiscing. At one point, I went and sat in the den where the picture hangs, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude rushed over me.

Certainly, a part of me was thankful to have had such an incredible man and role model in my life. But an even larger part was thankful that I had found some way to give back to him. And just in the nick of time.

✍️ Submit your story: Do you have a fondest sports memory? Or an example of sports having a positive impact on your life? If you'd like to share, simply reply to this email. We'll be telling your stories all summer.