THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” WEDNESDAY JUNE 21, 2023

“THE SCOREBOARD”

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

TORONTO 2 MIAMI 0

HOUSTON 4 NY METS 2

LA DODGERS 2 LA ANGELS 0

KANSAS CITY 1 DETROIT 0

BALTIMORE 8 TAMPA BAY 6

NY YANKEES 3 SEATTLE 1

CLEVELAND 3 OAKLAND 2 (10)

BOSTON 10 MINNESOTA 4

CHICAGO WHITE SOX 7 TEXAS 6

ATLANTA 4 PHILADELPHIA 2

ST. LOUIS 9 WASHINGTON 3

CHICAGO CUBS 4 PITTSBURGH 0

CINCINNATI 8 COLORADO 6

MILWAUKEE 7 ARIZONA 5

SAN FRANCISCO 4 SAN DIEGO 3

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

COLUMBUS 3 INDIANAPOLIS 1

FORT WAYNE 8 SOUTH BEND 4

COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

TCU 6 ORAL ROBERTS 1

LSU 5 TENNESSEE 0

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

FLORIDA VS. TCU, 2 P.M. ET, ESPN

WAKE FOREST VS. LSU, 7 P.M. ET, ESPN

WNBA SCORES

WINGS 85 DREAM 73

LYNX 67 SPARKS 61

SUN 85 STORM 79

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

NBA NEWS

WEMBANYAMA’S LONG FRAME, VERSATILE GAME HAS HIM TOPPING LIST OF ‘BIGS’ IN NBA DRAFT

Victor Wembanyama has long been earmarked to be the No. 1 overall selection in the NBA draft, a player so unusual that he defies traditional categorization.

He headlines The Associated Press’ list of big men in the draft with a 7-foot-3 frame that eventually could help him dominate inside to go with his perimeter skills.

The AP previously noted the top guard prospects in the draft, along with forwards and international players to watch. Here’s a look at the top big-men likely to hear their names called Thursday night:

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, France

STRENGTHS: An incomparable combination of skills and size have made the French star a generational prospect with can’t-miss expectations unseen since LeBron James. He can roam the perimeter, handle the ball and shoot off the dribble like a guard, but his length helps him score over defenders inside along with racking up blocks and deflections. And with San Antonio holding the top pick, he’ll soon be under the tutelage of a five-time NBA champion in Gregg Popovich.

Among his countless highlights, one play from April stands out: the sight of Wembanyama missing an off-the-dribble stepback 3-pointer — only to fly in and tip dunk his own miss.

CONCERNS: Essentially none. The 19-year-old could probably stand to add strength to handle physical defenders.

DERECK LIVELY II, Duke

STRENGTHS: The lean 7-foot-1 freshman arrived at Duke as 247sports’ No. 2-ranked national recruit and came on in the season’s second half as a strong rim protector nimble enough to defend in open space. He ranked ninth nationally in blocked shots (2.41). The highlight came in a February win against rival North Carolina, when the first-round prospect dominated while scoring just four points thanks to 14 rebounds and eight blocks.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Tuesday that Lively’s role “directly translates” as a modern big capable of handling defensive switches and being a lob threat.

“I think that’s the hardest adjustment for a lot of college players: They’re used to always having the ball in their hands and always scoring,” Scheyer said. “… For him, it can be seamless. I know obviously you can talk about potential with him, but I think about readiness with him because of what he’s done this past year and who he is as a player.”

CONCERNS: The 19-year-old wasn’t a dominant rebounder despite his length (5.4 average, six double-digit outings in 34 games). His offensive game was limited beyond putbacks and alley-oops, including a scoreless game with no shot attempts in 36 minutes against a physical Tennessee team as Duke fell in the NCAA Tournament’s second round. Adding bulk to a 230-pound frame could help both areas.

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS, Indiana

STRENGTHS: The Indiana senior was an Associated Press All-America first-team pick, mixing reliability, versatility and athleticism. He ranked sixth in Division I in rebounding (10.8) and eighth in double-doubles (18) while also ranking in the top 20 in scoring (20.9) with multiple post moves. And he stepped up his production heading into the March spotlight, averaging 24.7 points on 61.5% shooting in his final six games.

Defensively, he ranked fourth nationally in blocked shots (2.88) with a 7-1 wingspan, making him a well-rounded interior presence who could hear his name called in the back half of the first round.

CONCERNS: He’s a bit undersized (6-8, 240) for an interior-focused player who has shown little outside of 15 feet. He’s a career 67.6% shooter at the foul line who never hit 70% in a season, and his 3-point history consists entirely of going 0 for 3 as a junior. He also is one of the oldest prospects at 23 years old.

OTHERS TO NOTE

— NOAH CLOWNEY. The 6-10, 210-pound freshman became an every-game starter for an Alabama team that was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAAs. Clowney, who turns 19 next month, averaged 9.9 points and offers potential as a rebounder (8.0) with the ability to step outside (eight games with multiple made 3s). That could help him land in the late first round.

— JAMES NNAJI: The center from Nigeria turns 19 in August and has been playing in Spain, where his team lists him as 6-11 and 249 pounds. He offers intrigue as a raw developmental prospect with a 7-5 wingspan and defensive potential. Some mock drafts have him sneaking into the first round.

— ADAMA SANOGO. The junior powered Connecticut to a fifth NCAA championship as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. He’s a bit undersized for a big (roughly 6-7 without shoes at the NBA combine) and is a second-round prospect, but he has a strong frame (roughly 255 pounds) and added a step-outside element to his game last year by making 19 of 52 3-pointers (36.5%). His nearly 7-3 wingspan measured fifth-best at the combine.

— OSCAR TSHIEBWE. The senior from Kentucky rode a relentless-rebounding mindset into being named as AP men’s national player of the year in 2022 and a second-team All-American in 2023. It’s unclear whether the 23-year-old — measuring roughly 6-7 and 255 pounds with a better than 7-3 wingspan at the NBA combine — will be drafted. But he averaged national bests of 15.1 rebounds in 2022 and 13.7 in 2023 while racking up 48 double-doubles, so his motor might intrigue a team to take a flier.

TWINS AMEN AND AUSAR THOMPSON SET TO BE TAKEN IN TOP-10 OF NBA DRAFT

For all the things the Thompson Twins share — middle name, appetite for burgers, dynamic basketball skill sets — matching suits on draft night won’t be one of them.

Amen and Ausar Thompson are dressing for success in their own unique style as they prepare to go in their own separate directions for really the first time. The 6-foot-7 guards out of Overtime Elite are projected in the AP mock draft to be selected in the top 10 Thursday night in New York.

That means, barring a daring move by a team, they will wind up in different cities.

It’s a situation that’s still hard to fully fathom for the 20-year-olds from California. It’s also a situation that reveals another shared trait: Their sense of humor.

“We’ll just constantly text each other,” explained Amen, who’s the older twin by a minute.

“But you don’t check your phone,” Ausar quickly countered.

“He’s lying,” Amen responded.

Kidding aside, their aim is to live up to their shared middle name of “XLNC” (pronounced excellence), which was bestowed on them to convey a sense of power.

“Just so with every time you’re saying their name, there’s that power behind it,” their dad, Troy, said. “Excellence, greatness — we always use all these power words and so do they, in their own expressions, so they’re always thinking on that high note.”

The Thompsons moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Florida when the twins were in eighth grade to enhance their basketball careers. The playmakers shined at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, leading the team to a state title. They received offers from several traditional Power Five basketball programs.

Instead, they pivoted.

The twins took the road less traveled to the NBA draft by signing with Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league based in Atlanta that’s opening another door to the pros for talented young players.

It was a chance to focus on basketball full-time and build up their strength. They did, too, adding 25 pounds of muscle over their two-year tenure with the league. An opportunity at a paycheck, too — Overtime Elite, which launched in 2021, compensates players with annual salaries of at least $100,000.

Their first year, the twins played on different Overtime Elite teams.

This past season, they combined — and dominated.

Amen (rhymes with “a pen”) averaged 17.2 points, 9.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds in the playoffs to lead the City Reapers to the championship.

Not to be outdone, Ausar (rhymes with “a car”), had a postseason in which he averaged 21 points, 4.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

When it came time to vote for the league’s regular season MVP award, it was no surprise who voted for whom.

Ausar for Amen.

Amen for Ausar.

Ausar earned MVP (along with the postseason version, too).

“It would have been funny” if Ausar won by one vote, Amen joked. “I would’ve taken mine back.”

They enjoy teasing one another — and pushing each other. They’re always in the gym, hoisting up shots or working on their footwork. They’re competitive, too, whether it be in friendly games on the court or in the video game NBA 2K, where they’re in agreement — Ausar reigns supreme on the video-game controller in hoops.

Their go-to meal comes from In-N-Out Burger. Ausar prefers a double cheeseburger with lettuce and special sauce, maybe grilled onions. Amen likes the same, just hold the cheese.

Amen’s scouting report reads like this: Explosive athleticism, with exceptional court vision. Can break down defenders with his ball-handling skills and elite first step.

Ausar’s report: Essentially the same as his brother.

Ausar projects as more of a combo guard and Amen as a ball handler in the NBA. Amen is predicted to go fourth overall to Houston and Ausar sixth to Orlando.

Their dad saw a path to the twins being elite when they were around 8 and going against players three, sometimes four, years older.

“You knew that their forward trajectory was going to be fast, because they were already improving at such a high rate,” Troy said. “From here on, I just want to enjoy watching them continue to grow into this dream and just achieve the greatness they always talked about.”

They describe their bond as “twin telepathy,” which Ausar said comes in handy not only on the basketball floor but in life.

Don’t ask for specifics, though, because that’s top secret.

“It would be bad for the world if everybody knew how to do it. I just know where he’s going to be at all times,” Ausar said.

Leading into the draft, they’ve been traveling to work out for interested teams. In Portland, they met Damian Lillard. A year ago, they were introduced to Golden State Warriors great Stephen Curry at his camp.

“It’s super cool meeting them,” Ausar said.

Amen and Ausar said they’ve competed against many of the big names in the draft class with the exception of Victor Wembanyama, the French star who is expected to go No. 1 to the San Antonio Spurs.

The twins are bracing for the likely separation and distance between them. They’re even planning for the big moment when both meet on the same NBA court at a soon-to-be-determined spot.

“That,” Amen said, “is going to make for one cool picture.”

KYLE KUZMA OPTS OUT OF HIS CONTRACT WITH THE WIZARDS, AP SOURCE SAYS

(AP) — Kyle Kuzma will be a free agent when the league’s annual offseason shopping period starts next week.

Kuzma has declined his $13 million player option with the Washington Wizards for next season, a person with knowledge of his decision said Tuesday, meaning he will be a free agent. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side disclosed the move.

ESPN first reported Kuzma had declined the option. The move was not a surprise: Kuzma had said to The Washington Post and The Athletic in December that he was not planning to exercise the option, and given what he will command on the market, his decision makes sense.

Kuzma is coming off the highest-scoring season of his six-year career. He averaged 21.2 points for the Wizards, who are finalizing a trade that will send three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns. It’s possible that Kuzma could return to Washington on a far more lucrative deal; $13 million for someone averaging more than 20 points a game would be an absolute steal.

Free agency opens June 30.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday that guard Gary Trent Jr. has exercised his $18.5 million option for next season, meaning he will bypass the chance to be a free agent.

Trent averaged 17.4 points this past season for Toronto, his third consecutive season averaging at least 15 points.

Over his five-year career with the Raptors and Portland, Trent – the son of former NBA guard Gary Trent – has averaged 14.4 points.

WNBA NEWS

ALYSSA THOMAS’ TRIPLE-DOUBLE LEADS SUN OVER STORM

DeWanna Bonner scored 20 points and Alyssa Thomas notched her first triple-double of the season to help the Connecticut Sun produce an 85-79 victory over the host Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.

Thomas had 13 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals for the Sun (10-3). She is the WNBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with five, counting postseason play.

Natisha Hiedeman scored 17 points, Brionna Jones added 13 points and Tiffany Hayes had 12 for Connecticut.

WNBA scoring leader Jewell Loyd scored 33 points and made six 3-pointers for Seattle (3-8), which dropped to 1-6 at home. Ezi Magbegor recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds and Jordan Horston had 11 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

Jones departed with a lower right leg injury with 1:05 left. It came on a non-contact play and she immediately grabbed for the Achilles/ankle area.

Connecticut shot 46.4 percent but was just 5 of 18 from 3-point range.

Seattle made 37.5 percent and was 8 of 25 from behind the arc.

The Storm trailed by 18 with 5:45 remaining before erupting on a 16-3 run. Two free throws by Loyd brought Seattle within 82-77 with 44.3 seconds left.

But Bonner drained a 3-pointer to make it an eight-point margin with 25.7 seconds remaining as the Sun held on. That basket elevated Bonner into 10th-place all time on the WNBA scoring list with 6,417 points. She passed Sylvia Fowles (6,415).

The Sun trailed by three at halftime before outscoring Seattle 22-8 in the third quarter. Loyd had just one point in the stanza.

Connecticut used a 13-2 run to open up a 65-53 lead on Thomas’ basket with 1:26 left in the period. The Sun led 67-56 entering the final quarter.

Hiedeman buried a trey to make it 79-61 before Seattle’s late charge.

In the first half, Loyd made five 3-pointers and had 22 points as Seattle led 48-45 at the break. Bonner had 14 in the half for Connecticut.

NAPHEESA COLLIER POWERS LYNX PAST SPARKS

Napheesa Collier posted game highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds, and her clutch play down the stretch powered the visiting Minnesota Lynx to a 67-61 defeat of the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.

Collier hit a pair of jumpers in the final 3:28 — one of which banked in from the top of the key near the free-throw line — that pushed a one-point Minnesota leads to three. She also snared a key defensive rebound with 41.1 seconds remaining after Chiney Ogwumike’s miss that allowed the Lynx to drain clock on the ensuing possession.

Collier also helped set the tone for a critical fourth quarter — that Minnesota won 18-12 — with her game-tying buzzer-beater at the end of the third.

The Lynx (4-8) limited the Sparks (5-7) to a season low in points, holding Los Angeles to 23-of-62 (37.1 percent) shooting from the floor. Minnesota also forced 18 turnovers, including Tiffany Mitchell’s interception of an Ogwumike pass attempt with 15.1 seconds left that effectively sealed the Lynx’s win.

Mitchell came away with five steals for the game, Collier swiped three and Kayla McBride made two. Bridget Carleton joined Collier as the only other Minnesota scorer in double figures with 14 points, with all four of her made field-goal attempts coming from beyond the arc.

Nikolina Milic scored nine points off the bench for the Lynx, and Lindsay Allen dished eight assists in reserve duty.

The win was Minnesota’s third in 10 days over Los Angeles. It was also its fourth overall victory in the team’s last six games. For Los Angeles, Tuesday’s loss marked its third straight and fourth in the last five contests.

Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 20 points and nine rebounds. Jordin Canada added 10 points and a team-high five assists.

Dearica Hamby chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds, Karlie Samuelson scored all nine of her points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and Rae Burrell went 3-for-4 from the field off the bench for seven points.

Los Angeles took a 33-32 lead into the break thanks to 13 points from Nneka Ogwumike. Neither team led by more than eight throughout the game.

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

TCU ELIMINATES ORAL ROBERTS; WINS 6-1

OMAHA – TCU used a four run fifth inning to build a comfortable lead and rode it to a 6-1 victory over Oral Roberts on Tuesday afternoon at the College World Series. TCU’s win eliminates the Golden Eagles. The bullpen duo of Hunter Hodges and Cohen Feser combined to toss 4 1/3 scoreless innings to lock up the victory.

The Rundown

The pitching quartet of Cam Brown, Luke Savage (6-4), Hunter Hodges and Cohen Feser held one of the nation’s top offensive teams to one run on seven hits.

The offense did its part, picking up six runs on 11 hits. The Horned Frogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second on an Austin Davis two out bases loaded walk.

Oral Roberts threatened to tie the game after a pair of walks to open the third. With two in scoring position and one out, Brown got a shallow fly ball and a strikeout looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

TCU was gifted another run in the fourth on a balk call. Kurtis Byrne singled with one out and moved to third on a two out double from Logan Maxwell. A balk call allowed Byrne to cross the plate for a 2-0 lead.

The Frogs broke the game open in the fifth with four runs on four hits and a walk. Elijah Nunez led off the inning with a base hit. He was on third with one out after a ground out and a stolen base. Cole Fontenelle dumped a single into center for a 3-0 lead. With the bases loaded, Kurtis Byrne hit a sacrifice fly. Following a Richardson stolen base, Anthony Silva delivered a two-out, two run single for a 6-0 lead.

ORU’s lone run came in the fifth inning as it took advantage of a lead-off single. A two out single from Jonah Cox made it a 6-1 ballgame. With two outs, Hunter Hodges took over on the mound and got a strikeout to strand two runners.

Hodges tossed 2 1/3 scoreless. He allowed one hit, walked a batter and struck out two. Cohen Feser closed the game with two scoreless innings. His second strikeout of the game end the game with the bases loaded.

Stat of the Game

4 – TCU scored four times in the fourth inning to break open a close game.

Notes:

• TCU is now 65-43 all-time in NCAA postseason play.

• TCU improved to 13-11 all-time at the College World Series.

• TCU has now won multiple games in the College World Series in five of its six appearances.

• TCU outhit its opponent for the 45th time this season.

• TCU tallied double-digit hits for the 34th time this season.

• TCU scored first for the 36th time this season.

• TCU played errorless baseball for the 33rd time this season.

• Elijah Nunez collected his 19th multi-hit game of the year and the 43rd of his career.

• Brayden Taylor has reached safely in 33 straight contests.

• Cole Fontenelle has reached safely in 24 straight games.

• Fontenelle extended his hitting streak to nine straight games.

• Fontenelle posted his 26th multi-RBI game and the 28th of his career.

• Kurtis Byrne collected his 12th multi-hit game of the season and the 30th of his career.

• Anthony Silva tallied his 14th career multi-RBI game.

Next Up:        

With the win, TCU improves to 44-23 overall. The Horned Frogs have advance the bracket championship against the No. 2 National Seed Florida. TCU will need to defeat the Gators twice to advance to the National Championship series. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.

LEFTIES COMBINE FOR CWS SHUTOUT WIN OVER TENNESSEE, 5-0

OMAHA, Neb. – Left-handers Nate Ackenhausen and Riley Cooper combined to toss a nine-inning shutout with eight strikeouts Tuesday night, and LSU struck enough offensively to give the Tigers a 5-0 victory over Tennessee in a Men’s College World Series elimination game at Charles Schwab Field.

With the win, LSU improved to 50-16, and the Volunteers dropped to 44-22 as their season came to an end.

The Tigers return to action Wednesday night to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for the second time at the CWS. The contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch on ESPN, and it can be heard on LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates.

“Great game, great night for our program,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “It starts and ends on the mound, winning baseball. And the two big left-handers here executed at a really, really high level.”

Ackenhausen (3-0) fired a season-high 6.0 innings in his best outing of the season and finished with another season-high seven strikeouts. Cooper came in for his second stint of relief at the CWS and was able to hold the Tennessee offense down and complete the shutout.

“Very proud of Nate,” Johnson said. “Maybe a surprise, from a name, from a starter but not a surprise performance. Every game he’s pitched in this year I think we’ve only lost one time when he’s pitched this entire year. I look for those things. He did a great job executing.

And Riley at this point is probably one of the most experienced pitchers in pitching in this ballpark and having success. He did his deal.”

The outing marked just the second time LSU has recorded a shutout in the CWS. The last time the Tigers tossed one was in the 1993 championship game against Wichita State when Brett Laxton set a title game record with 16 strikeouts.

Cooper earned his second save of the season, both in this College World Series. He fired 3.0 innings while allowing no runs on two hits with two strikeouts.

LSU got the scoring started in the top of the first on an RBI single from designated hitter Cade Beloso. The Tigers moved into scoring position with centerfielder Dylan Crews drawing a walk, and first baseman Tre’ Morgan reaching on a single he punched through the left side.

The Tigers weren’t able to add to their total until the top of the sixth, when Morgan scored on a throwing error. He began the inning with a double down the left-field line and scored when UT third baseman Zane Denton made on errant thrown after fielding second baseman Gavin Dugas’ bunt single.

LSU added to its lead in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch from Tennessee reliever Camden Sewell. Morgan and Dugas began the inning with back-to-back hit-by-pitches. Morgan got to third base on a fielder’s choice and later scored on the wild pitch.

Leftfielder Josh Pearson began the ninth inning with a walk and Crews launched his 18th dinger of the season to give LSU a 5-0 advantage.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

MLB ROUNDUP: GIANTS WALK IT OFF VS. PADRES AGAIN

Josh Hader walked Joc Pederson on a full count with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning as the San Francisco Giants earned a walk-off victory for the second night in a row, beating the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Tuesday.

Hader came on with two on and one out in the ninth after Nick Martinez (3-3) walked Luis Matos and gave up a single to Patrick Bailey.

Pinch hitter Casey Schmitt worked the San Diego closer for a walk to load the bases. After Hader struck out David Villar, Pederson fouled off a 3-2 offering, then took the seventh pitch of the at-bat far outside, giving the Giants a ninth straight win.

Tyler Rogers (2-4), who stranded a pair of runners in a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth, was credited with the win. The Padres, who got a home run from Fernando Tatis Jr., lost for the fourth time in six games.

Reds 8, Rockies 6

Elly De La Cruz homered and finished a triple shy of the cycle and Cincinnati held off a late rally from visiting Colorado for a 10th straight win.

TJ Friedl belted a go-ahead, three-run homer and finished with his first career four-hit game for the Reds, who matched their longest winning streak since July 2012. The Reds joined the Tampa Bay Rays (13) as the only major league teams with double-digit win streaks this season.

Nolan Jones homered, doubled twice and finished 4-for-4 for the Rockies, who dropped their seventh straight and 17th in 22 games while falling to 2-7 on their 10-game road trip.

Red Sox 10, Twins 4

Christian Arroyo homered among his career-high five hits and had four RBIs as Boston stretched its winning streak to six games with a blowout victory in Minneapolis.

Adam Duvall hit a solo homer and Masataka Yoshida went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, three runs and three RBIs for Boston, which broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning. The Red Sox have outscored their opponents 50-18 during their winning streak.

Kutter Crawford (2-3) tossed five scoreless innings for his first victory since April 9. Corey Kluber pitched the final three innings for his first career save. Bailey Ober (4-4) took the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits over six innings.

Dodgers 2, Angels 0

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored two runs in the eighth inning to back seven shutout innings by Clayton Kershaw as they beat the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Kershaw and Angels starter Reid Detmers exited a scoreless game after seven innings, leaving the outcome to be decided by the bullpens. Michael Busch’s bad-hop RBI single off Angels reliever Chris Devenski (3-2) in the eighth scored the first run. Will Smith added an RBI single later in the inning.

Kershaw (9-4) struck out five and allowed five hits and two walks. Evan Phillips pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save. Detmers yielded two hits and a walk while fanning eight.

Cubs 4, Pirates 0

Tucker Barnhart and Mike Tauchman homered and Marcus Stroman pitched seven scoreless innings as visiting Chicago blanked Pittsburgh.

Stroman (9-4) gave up five hits, struck out five and walked one. Mark Leiter Jr. pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and Adbert Alzolay did the same in the ninth. Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo (3-7) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.

The Cubs are 9-2 in their past 11 games and have won five in a row against Pittsburgh, including a three-game sweep last week in Chicago. The Pirates have lost a season-worst eight in a row overall.

Astros 4, Mets 2

Framber Valdez carried a shutout into the eighth inning while Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve drove in two runs apiece as host Houston snapped a five-game losing skid by defeating New York.

Valdez (7-5) gave up two runs and completed eight innings. He allowed four hits and one walk and recorded nine strikeouts. Ryan Pressly earned his 13th save with a scoreless ninth.

Former Astros star Justin Verlander (2-4) took the loss in his return to Houston. He gave up four runs on eight hits in seven innings.

Braves 4, Phillies 2

Austin Riley and Matt Olson each hit a solo home run as Atlanta beat host Philadelphia.

Eddie Rosario added two hits and Ronald Acuna Jr. had two hits and an RBI for the Braves, who won their seventh game in a row. Spencer Strider (8-2) tossed six innings and gave up eight hits and one run with nine strikeouts and no walks. Raisel Iglesias allowed one run in the ninth inning yet still earned his 10th save.

Brandon Marsh had three hits while Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto each contributed two for the Phillies, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. Ranger Suarez allowed four hits and one run in six innings.

Blue Jays 2, Marlins 0

Ernie Clement broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning by lofting a soft RBI single to center, helping Toronto beat host Miami.

George Springer also had a run-scoring single for the Blue Jays, who snapped a three-game skid. The Marlins had their five-game winning streak snapped. Former Marlins reliever Yimi Garcia (2-3) earned the win, and Jordan Romano picked up his 21st save of the season. Tanner Scott (4-2) took the loss,.

Miami’s Luis Arraez, who started the day leading the majors with a .400 batting average, went 1-for-4. He is now batting .398.

Royals 1, Tigers 0

Daniel Lynch gave up only one hit in seven innings while recording his first victory of the season as Kansas City blanked host Detroit.

Lynch (1-3) walked two and struck out a pair while notching his first win since Aug. 1 of last season. Scott Barlow recorded his eighth save for the Royals, who won for just the third time in 18 games. Matt Beaty drove in the game’s lone run with a double.

Detroit starter Michael Lorenzen (2-5) gave up one run and six hits in six innings. The Tigers threatened with a man on second and one out in the ninth, but pinch hitter Kerry Carpenter grounded to move the runner to third and pinch hitter Zach McKinstry struck out on a 3-2 slider.

Orioles 8, Rays 6

Aaron Hicks clubbed a three-run homer in the first inning as Baltimore scored four times, and the ORioles staved off a Tampa Bay rally to pick up a victory in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Hicks finished 2-for-4 and with four RBIs for Baltimore, which built a 7-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings. Anthony Santander went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. In five innings, Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish (3-3) yielded two runs on four hits.

The Rays’ Isaac Paredes produced two singles, two runs and an RBI while reaching base four times, but Tampa Bay lost a third straight game for the first time this season.

Cardinals 9, Nationals 3

Dylan Carlson hit two home runs and Jordan Montgomery pitched seven strong innings as St. Louis ran its winning streak to four with a victory at Washington.

The Cardinals won for just the second time in the last 13 games started by Montgomery (4-7), who limited the Nationals to one run on four hits and one walk. He struck out six while matching his longest outing of the season.

Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore (3-6) worked six innings, giving up five runs on nine hits. Washington has lost nine of its last 10 games when Gore has pitched. The Nationals are on a five-game losing streak.

Yankees 3, Mariners 1

Gerrit Cole pitched 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball, Anthony Rizzo collected three hits and host New York beat Seattle to stop a four-game losing streak.

Cole (8-1) allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked one. Billy McKinney hit a two-run homer for the Yankees, who finished with eight hits.

Jarred Kelenic hit an RBI double for the Mariners. With several friends and family in the stands, Seattle starter George Kirby (6-6) allowed three runs on eight hits in seven innings. Kirby is a native of Rye, N.Y.

Guardians 3, A’s 2 (10 innings)

Andres Gimenez lined a game-winning single with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning as Cleveland handed visiting Oakland its sixth straight loss.

Amed Rosario had three hits and Jose Ramirez had two for the Guardians, who won their second straight game. Enyel De Los Santos (3-1) pitched a perfect top of the 10th for the win.

Tony Kemp homered and scored two runs for the A’s. Trevor May (2-4) took the loss.

Brewers 7, Diamondbacks 5

William Contreras’ two-run double keyed a seventh-inning rally that gave Milwaukee a win over visiting Arizona.

The Brewers, who trailed 4-0 early, erased a 5-3 deficit with four runs in the seventh. Bryse Wilson (2-0) retired the only batter he faced in the seventh for the victory. Joel Payamps struck out three in the eighth, and Devin Williams finished for his 13th save in 14 opportunities.

Ketel Marte staked the Diamondbacks to a 4-0 lead in the second with a three-run homer off Colin Rea. Reliever Austin Adams (0-1) took the loss.

White Sox 7, Rangers 6

Zach Remillard singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a play overturned by replay review and Elvis Andrus had three RBIs to lift Chicago to a win against visiting Texas.

Eloy Jimenez and Andrus homered as Chicago avoided a fifth loss in six games and stopped the Rangers’ winning streak at three. Corey Seager went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and Adolis Garcia belted a solo home run among his two hits to spark the Rangers.

The Texas bullpen couldn’t uphold a 6-4 advantage, as Andrus contributed a game-tying, two-run single off Grant Anderson in the bottom half of the eighth to set the stage for Remillard.

NFL NEWS

PATRIOTS DEFENSIVE BACK JACK JONES PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 9 GUN CHARGES

New England Patriots defensive back Jack Jones pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to nine counts of weapons violations in connection with his arrest at a Logan Airport security checkpoint with two loaded guns in his carry-on bag.

Jones was charged with two counts each of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of a large-capacity magazine and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card. He was also charged with an airport security violation. Jones was released on a $30,000 cash bail pending an Aug. 18 probable cause hearing, his attorney, Rosemary Scapicchio, said.

Scapicchio said Jones has been cooperative and respectful throughout the process, bristling at media reports that portray him as a “thug” and compare him to “other people.”

Asked if she was referring to Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots player who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2013 — and acquitted in a separate double-homicide — Scapicchio declined to elaborate.

“All Mr. Jones wants to do is play football and support his family,” she said. “How he’s been portrayed in some of the media is not even remotely borne out. He’s not a thug, he’s not a wannabe gang member. The comparisons to other people are unwarranted and unfair.”

The Patriots did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on Tuesday. The team released a statement on Friday confirming the arrest but declining further comment.

Massachusetts State Police were called to the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at the Boston airport on Friday after two firearms were found in a traveler’s carry-on luggage. Police said they identified the person as Jones and arrested him.

Jones’ troubles predate his arrival in New England.

While in college, he was kicked off the Southern California football team in 2018 after two seasons because of academic issues. Later that year he served 45 days of house arrest after police said he burglarized a Panda Express. After transferring to Arizona State, Jones was suspended for most of the 2020 season because of a violation of team rules.

The Patriots drafted Jones in the fourth round in 2022 and he played in 13 games, starting two, with 30 tackles and two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He was suspended for two games at the end of the season for reasons that coach Bill Belichick did not disclose.

Hernandez’s 2013 arrest led to a reckoning within the Patriots organization, with the usually reticent Belichick promising to improve how the team evaluates players “to build a winning football team, to be a strong pillar in the community and be a team that our fans can be proud of.”

DOLPHINS STAR TYREEK HILL IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR ASSAULT AND BATTERY

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is under investigation by Miami-Dade police for assault and battery after he allegedly hit a man on Sunday.

The incident was first reported by WPLG-TV in Miami after the station received a tip Sunday night. Miami-Dade police spokesman Angel Rodriguez confirmed Tuesday via email that police are investigating an “assault/battery” involving Hill from Sunday.

The station reported that Hill got into an argument with an employee of a charter company at Haulover Marina in Miami, which apparently ended with Hill hitting the man.

“We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with Tyreek, his representatives and the NFL,” a Dolphins spokesperson said Tuesday via email. “We will reserve further comment at this time.”

The Kansas City Chiefs traded Hill to Miami last year, and the Dolphins gave the three-time All-Pro a $120 million, four-year contract extension that made Hill the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. He caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.

OLYMPIC NEWS

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS HQ SEARCHED IN THIRD CONSECUTIVE SUMMER GAMES SCANDAL

PARIS (AP) — French police searched the Paris Olympic organizers’ headquarters on Tuesday as part of corruption investigations into contracts linked to the Games, according to prosecutors, the third straight time graft allegations have dogged a Summer Olympics.

The Paris organizing committee said in a statement that a search was carried out at its headquarters in the suburb of Saint-Denis and it was cooperating with investigators. It defended what it called “stringent procedures” around several hundred contracts it has awarded for the Games.

Tuesday’s search and other related raids were linked to two preliminary investigations of the Paris Olympics, according to an official with the financial prosecutor’s office, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to office policy. One probe was opened in 2017 — the year Paris was picked by the International Olympic Committee as the 2024 host — and the other began last year.

Neither investigation had been made public until Tuesday.

Paris 2024 Olympics HQ searched in third consecutive Summer Games scandal

By ANGELA CHARLTON and GRAHAM DUNBAR

an hour ago

FILE – The Olympic rings are set up in Paris, France, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 at Trocadero plaza that overlooks the Eiffel Tower, a day after the official announcement that the 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be in the French capital. An IOC inspection team has given a resounding thumbs-up to Paris’ preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games. The IOC said Wednesday that Paris organizers are where they should be in their planning with 415 days to go before the opening ceremony. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

1 of 5

FILE – The Olympic rings are set up in Paris, France, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 at Trocadero plaza that overlooks the Eiffel Tower, a day after the official announcement that the 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be in the French capital. An IOC inspection team has given a resounding thumbs-up to Paris’ preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games. The IOC said Wednesday that Paris organizers are where they should be in their planning with 415 days to go before the opening ceremony. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

PARIS (AP) — French police searched the Paris Olympic organizers’ headquarters on Tuesday as part of corruption investigations into contracts linked to the Games, according to prosecutors, the third straight time graft allegations have dogged a Summer Olympics.

The Paris organizing committee said in a statement that a search was carried out at its headquarters in the suburb of Saint-Denis and it was cooperating with investigators. It defended what it called “stringent procedures” around several hundred contracts it has awarded for the Games.

Tuesday’s search and other related raids were linked to two preliminary investigations of the Paris Olympics, according to an official with the financial prosecutor’s office, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to office policy. One probe was opened in 2017 — the year Paris was picked by the International Olympic Committee as the 2024 host — and the other began last year.

Neither investigation had been made public until Tuesday.

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Corruption allegations have hung over the world’s biggest sporting event many times — from accusations surrounding how the Games were awarded to how contracts for construction, sponsorship and team services were handed out.

Accusations of vote buying linked to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the Tokyo Games in 2021 led to the removal of several members of the IOC. Scandals around the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games led to reforms that limited IOC members’ contact with candidate countries, though did not entirely remove the scope for corruption.

But Paris 2024 had gone to lengths to prove it would be different. The biggest event France is hosting in decades, the Games are being billed as a celebration of openness after two Olympics closed off by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as an example of democratic celebration after two World Cups tainted by human rights concerns in Qatar and Russia.

The organizers and Paris city hall have stressed a spirit of transparency and social justice — including planning an opening ceremony outdoors along the Seine River that will be free for up to half a million people. The Games are scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024.

Saccage 2024, an anti-Olympics group that argues that the Games cause widespread ecological and social damage, said it was “very pleased” the raids took place.

“For us, an event of Olympic proportions cannot be held without corruption,” the group said in a statement. “It’s the size of the event that makes it necessary, whatever the country.”

The probe opened in 2017 is looking into suspected embezzlement of public funds and favoritism, and concerns about an unspecified contract reached by Paris organizers, the prosecutor’s office said.

The 2022 investigation followed an audit by the French Anti-corruption Agency. The prosecutor’s office said that case targets suspected conflict of interest and favoritism involving several contracts reached by the organizing committee and Solideo, the public body in charge of Olympic infrastructure.

That body’s offices were also searched, prosecutors said. According to Le Monde newspaper, raids also took place at the headquarters of several companies and consultants linked to the organization of the Games.

Solideo oversees construction and renovation of more than 60 projects for the multibillion-dollar Olympics — including the athletes’ village in the Saint-Denis neighborhood that is set to provide about 2,000 housing units after the games.

Paris 2024 organizers would not comment on the contracts mentioned by prosecutors or the alleged wrongdoing. In a statement, Paris 2024 described itself “as one of the most audited organizations in France,” with regular monitoring of its governance and tough procedures aimed at “transparency and propriety” around contracts.

The IOC said in a statement that it was informed by the organizers that they are cooperating with authorities. It did not comment further.

The raids unfolded as the IOC executive board began a two-day meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

IOC president Thomas Bach told reporters early Monday the meeting “of course will be about Paris, where we have some good news after the visit of the coordination mission and after my visit to France, to President Macron, and also the organizing committee.”

Paris was awarded its Olympics six years ago — and at the same time the IOC also rewarded its only remaining bid rival, Los Angeles, with the 2028 Summer Games.

Avoiding a contested vote removed the scope for vote-trading and bribery in a process that has since changed again to effectively shut down public campaigning. Brisbane was picked two years ago as the 2032 Summer Games host after being pre-selected by the IOC to get exclusive negotiating rights.

With the IOC hugely sensitive about cost overruns and potential white-elephant venues, Paris bid leaders insisted during their campaign for hosting rights that their project was in line with IOC recommendations encouraging the use of existing facilities and infrastructure to save money.

More than 70% of the proposed venues in the Paris bid were existing facilities, with a further 25% being temporary structures. But the overall budget, including the cost of building and renovating venues, is about 8 billion euros ($8.2 billion) and has already gone up from its original estimate, in part because of high inflation.

The runup to the 2024 Games has seen turmoil in French sports.

Just last month, the president of the French Olympic Committee resigned following a period of intense infighting.

Also, Noël Le Graët resigned as president of the French soccer federation in February after a government audit found he no longer had the legitimacy to lead because of his behavior toward women and his management style. Bernard Laporte resigned as president of the French Rugby Federation in January after he was convicted of corruption and illegally acquiring assets and handed a suspended prison sentence.

Last October, Claude Atcher was fired as chief executive of the Rugby World Cup. That event opens in France in September, and also will serve as a test of France’s security preparations for the Olympics. Atcher’s removal followed an investigation by French labor inspectors into his workplace conduct.

MEN’S GOLF

COLUMN: RORY MCILROY IS GOING ON 9 YEARS WITHOUT A MAJOR AND THE QUESTIONS WON’T STOP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The only thing worse for players than getting asked about winning their first major are endless questions about when they will win another one.

That’s what Rory McIlroy is facing.

The scrutiny no longer is limited to the spring, with Augusta National on the horizon and the reminder that a Masters green jacket is all that keeps McIlroy from the career Grand Slam. Any major will suffice at this point.

And about the only answer is what Wyndham Clark offered not long after the tears, the hugs and the hoisting of the U.S. Open trophy.

“I just feel like it was my time,” Clark said. Sometimes there’s no better explanation.

Clark never had to face the “when” question because he earned his first PGA Tour victory only six weeks ago, and because the U.S. Open was only the seventh major he had ever played.

He showed big game at Los Angeles Country Club, from the par saves around the turn to his deft touch with a wedge and putter over the last two holes to preserve his one-shot win over McIlroy. Perhaps five years from now it won’t seem like such a surprise, at least for Clark.

Tiger Woods never faced those questions, either. Much of those 11 years between his 14th and 15th major was more about when he would play than when he would win.

Woods had reconstructive knee surgery and four back operations. McIlroy missed one major after hurting his knee playing soccer.

McIlroy is a massive talent, and so it’s reasonable to at least consider whether a four-time major champion has underachieved. Worth noting is winning majors has become tougher than ever as golf gets deeper and younger. Of the 33 majors McIlroy has played since his last win, 21 of those winners were younger than him.

More alarming is not that McIlroy failed to win Sunday, rather that he has given himself so few chances over the last nine years.

Since his last major title in near darkness at Valhalla in 2014 at the PGA Championship, he has played in the final group only twice — he was three behind Patrick Reed in the 2018 Masters and tied with Viktor Hovland last year at St. Andrews in the British Open.

Los Angeles allowed for natural comparisons with St. Andrews. It’s not so much what McIlroy did wrong as what he failed to do — make putts. He hit all 18 greens and took 36 putts in the British Open. He didn’t make a putt longer than 7 feet over the final 33 holes of the U.S. Open.

The final day at LACC wasn’t quite that bad, but it wasn’t great. McIlroy had 16 pars, one bogey and one birdie. That’s a round that often wins a U.S. Open. It’s just that this Open featured two 62s and a 63 before the week was over. McIlroy didn’t make a birdie over the last 17 holes.

There wasn’t much left for him when he finished but to hope for Clark to three-putt — yes, he was hoping for such an outcome because it was all he had — and when that 60-foot putt settled a foot next to the hole, McIlroy didn’t bother to stick around in the scoring trailer to watch him finish.

“As soon as he cozied it up there, I was like, ‘OK, get through this, and then go home and regroup,’” he said.

By “get through this,” that would be mean a brief inquisition. He knew what was coming. What happened? How come? What’s next?

When?

The next chance — the last chance this year — was 32 days away from when McIlroy signed for an even-par 70. The British Open is at Royal Liverpool, where McIlroy won the claret jug in 2014 when he took a six-shot lead into the final day and was never seriously challenged.

That was his time.

Sunday at LACC was not, just like so many others, some of them recent. He was tied for the lead at the Memorial and shot 75 to finish four back. He was two behind going into the final round at the Canadian Open and shot 70 to finish five shots behind.

This time he was in the penultimate group, one shot behind and playing in the group in front of two players — Clark and Rickie Fowler — who had never won a major.

His regret was not making putts — that’s true with everyone — and not waiting for a gust to settle when he had a wedge in his hand going into the par-5 14th. Stranger still was why he chose to lay up from a reasonable lie in the left rough. But that’s hindsight. Reality is coming up short and taking bogey to lose ground when he could least afford it.

“I’m getting closer,” McIlroy said. “The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it’s going to happen for me. Just got to regroup and get focused for Hoylake.”

That’s what Fowler used to say when he was finishing in the top five at all the majors in 2014, and what he can say again with the turnaround in his game.

All anyone can say is it starts with opportunity. The questions don’t stop — for Fowler getting his first one, for McIlroy getting his next one — until it leads to a trophy.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES

INDIANS BASEBALL

JONES IMPRESSES IN INDIANS TUESDAY NIGHT LOSS

INDIANAPOLIS – Jared Jones fanned five batters over 5.2 innings in his Triple-A debut as Indianapolis Indians pitching allowed just three hits, but the offense couldn’t string together base knocks in a 3-1 series-opening loss to the Columbus Clippers at Victory Field on Tuesday night.

Jones (L, 0-1) dazzled in his Triple-A debut, throwing five shutout frames with no walks and five strikeouts before Columbus (31-37) took the lead in the sixth. Between Jones and Daniel Zamora, who entered in relief with two outs and the bases loaded, five consecutive walks scored the only three Clippers runs.

The Indians (29-39) took one run back in the bottom of the seventh when Nick Gonzales shot a double inside the third-base bag to score Alika Williams from first base. Chris Owings sparked a rally with a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth, but the Indians then went down in order.

Nic Enright (W, 2-1) entered in relief of Thomas Ponticelli and walked two in 1.1 innings. Jhon Romero (S, 1) recorded the final eight outs.

Owings and Williams – the final two batters in Indy’s lineup – both led the team with a pair of hits. Miguel Andújar’s career-high 20-game hitting streak was snapped in an 0-for-3 showing.

The Indians and Clippers are set to face off again tomorrow in a 1:05 PM ET doubleheader. In the first game, RHP Hunter Gaddis (1-4, 6.31) will take the mound for the Clippers against LHP Kent Emanuel (4-3, 6.80). Neither team has named a starter for the nightcap.

INDY ELEVEN W

PREVIEW W LEAGUE #LEXVIND

#LEXvIND

Indy Eleven at Lexington SC

Thursday, June 22, 2023 | 7:00 p.m. ET

Toyota Field – Lexington, KY

Follow Live

Live Stream

In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed

Live stats: #LEXvIND MatchCenter at USLWLeague.com

2023 W League USL Records

Indy Eleven: 6W-1L-1D (+18GD), 19pts

Lexington SC: 2W-4L-1D (-4GD), 7pts

Setting the Scene

Coming off a 4-0 win against Kings Hammer FC, the Girls in Blue head to Kentucky to face Lexington SC for the second time in the 2023 season. Indy still holds the top spot in the USL W League’s Valley Division with 19 points while Lexington sits third in the division with seven points.

Series vs. Lexington SC

Thursday night’s match marks only the second meeting between Indy and Lexington with the Girls in Blue catching the win over Lexington earlier in the 2023 season.

Recent Meetings:

May 21, 2023 | W, 3-0

Last Time Out

Maddy Williams scored her first two goals of the season to lead Indy Eleven to a 4-0 win over Kings Hammer FC Sunday at the Grand Park Sports Complex.

The USL W League Valley Division leader Eleven improve to 6-1-1 on the season, while Kings Hammer falls to 1-5-1. Indy also sweeps the season series, having defeated Kings Hammer, 1-0, on May 24.

Williams’ first tally came just nine minutes into the match off a cross from Addie Chester on the left side. Williams caught the keeper moving across the net and connected with a header into the top left corner. She followed it up just 10 minutes later, as she took advantage of the Kings Hammer keeper caught off her line and played a volley in from the top of the 18 courtesy of a Lizzie Sexton assist.

Indy outshot Kings Hammer 11-1 in the opening frame, including five shots from Williams.

The series of firsts continued for the Eleven in the second half as Sam Slimak and Grace Bahr scored their first goals of the season. Slimak took a one-time touch to the near post off Sexton’s second helper of the game, while Bahr hit a perfectly placed free kick into the upper 90 to extend the lead to 4-0.

Indy outshot the visitors 17-1, led by Williams. Chester, Slimak and Sam Dewey each added two shots apiece. Nona Reason wasn’t forced to make a save on the day and earned her third clean sheet of the year.

The four goals scored are the most since Indy scored eight in its 2023 season opener. In its two seasons, the Eleven have reached the four-goal threshold three times and scored three-plus goals on 10 occasions. Overall, Indy has outscored its opponents 21-3 this season.

The Girls in Blue are back in action Thursday when they travel south to face Lexington FC in their last regular season road match of 2023. Indy is 2-0 this season against Lexington, outscoring them 5-0. Kick is slated for 7 p.m. ET and will stream on Eleven Sports.

USL W League

Indy Eleven 4:0 Kings Hammer FC

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Grand Park Sports Campus | Westfield, Ind.

2023 USL W League Records

Indy Eleven: 6W-1L-1D (+18GD), 19pts

Kings Hammer FC: 1W-5L-1D (-17FD), 4 pts

Scoring Summary

IND – Maddy Williams (Addie Chester) 9’

IND – Maddy Williams (Lizzie Sexton) 19’

IND – Sam Slimak (Lizzie Sexton) 65’

IND – Grace Bahr 74’

Discipline Summary

None

Indy Eleven lineup: Nona Reason, Jenna Chatterton (Rafferty Kugler 71’), Grace Bahr, Trinity Watson, Lizzie Sexton, Sam Dewey (Kanna Matsuhisa 46’) (Sam Slimak 57’), Greta Kraszula (Nicole Kevdzija 71’), Ella Rogers, Addie Chester, Maddy Williams (Katie Soderstrom 46’), Maisie Whitsett (Merel Houweling 71’)

IND substitutes: Emily Edwards

INDIANA FEVER

ALIYAH BOSTON NAMED WNBA EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston was named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the league announced today. This follows being named WNBA Rookie of the Month in May and is the first Fever player to win Player of the Week since Kelsey Mitchell won on May 31 during the 2022 season.

During the week of June 12-18, Boston averaged 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting 69.2 percent (27-of-39) from the floor and 13-of-14 from the free throw line. In Tuesday’s win against the Mystics, Boston finished with a game-high 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting, to go along with career-high totals of 14 rebounds and six assists. Boston became the first player in WNBA history to record at least 20 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal in a game while shooting better than 75 percent from the floor.

In Thursday’s road win at Chicago, Boston led the Fever with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the court and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Sunday’s game against Atlanta was the fourth game this season Boston finished with at least 20 points, ending the night with with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, tying her career-high scoring output. In addition, Boston added a career-best four blocked shots.

Boston leads the WNBA in field goal percentage shooting 66.4 percent on 71-of-107 from the floor this season. She leads all rookies in points per game (16.0 ppg), rebounds (7.7 rpg), blocks (1.6 bpg) and minutes played (29.1 mpg).

Boston and the Fever return to the court on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET from Climate Pledge Arena against the Seattle Storm. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on the official Indiana Fever Facebook page and Amazon Prime.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL IN THE NBA DRAFT

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The 2023 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 22, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 58-pick event will begin at 8 p.m. on ABC and ESPN.

Both freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis were invited to and competed in the 2023 NBA Draft Combine.

Hood-Schifino measured in at 6’4.25″ without shoes, the second tallest among those invited to the combine at the point guard position. His wingspan of 6’10.25″ was fourth among all guards, highest at PG. He accepted his invitation to the NBA Draft green room.

Jackson-Davis ranked first among all center prospects at the combine in standing vertical jump (33.0), max vertical jump (36.5), shuttle run (3.16), and three-quarter sprint (3.20). He measured in at 6’8.25″ without shoes with a wingspan of 7’1.00″.

The Indiana men’s basketball program ranks seventh among all Division I programs with 26 players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since its inception in 1947.

The Hoosiers rank second among Big Ten teams in first-round picks and are one of five conference schools with at least 20 first-round selections.

Indiana has produced two No. 1 overall picks, tied for third in the NCAA. In total, IU has had 77 players selected in the NBA Draft.

Hoosiers Selected in the First Round of the NBA Draft

First Overall

Walt Bellamy, Chicago, 1961

Kent Benson, Milwaukee, 1977

Second Overall

Archie Dees, Cincinnati, 1958

Scott May, Chicago, 1976

Isiah Thomas, Detroit, 1981

Victor Oladipo, Orlando, 2013

Fourth Overall

Cody Zeller, Charlotte, 2013

Sixth Overall

Calbert Cheaney, Washington, 1993

Seventh Overall

Quinn Buckner, Milwaukee, 1976

Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers, 2008

Eighth Overall

Ward Williams, Fort Wayne, 1948

Ninth Overall

Noah Vonleh, Charlotte, 2014

11th Overall

Bob Wilkerson, Seattle, 1976

Jared Jeffries, Washington, 2002

12th Overall

Mike Woodson, New York, 1980

14th Overall

Romeo Langford, Boston, 2019

16th Overall

Alan Henderson, Atlanta, 1995

Kirk Haston, Charlotte, 2001

17th Overall

Steve Downing, Boston, 1973

Uwe Blab, Dallas, 1985

Greg Graham, Charlotte, 1993

18th Overall

Ray Tolbert, New Jersey, 1981

22nd Overall

Randy Wittman, Washington, 1983

23rd Overall

OG Anunoby, Toronto, 2017

27th Overall

Brian Evans, Orlando, 1995

29th Overall

D.J. White, Detroit, 2008

INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER

MEN’S SOCCER ADDS THREE FRESHMEN

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana men’s soccer coach Todd Yeagley announced three additional freshmen for the 2023 season on Tuesday (June 20).

All three players join IU after training at Major League Soccer academies: Joel Demian from Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Alex Kara and Luke Reidell out of Sporting Kansas City.

“We are very excited to have Joel, Alex and Luke join our 2023 class,” Yeagley said. “All three possess important positional needs to ensure we have the quality and depth to compete for titles. We feel great about this class, and we are confident they will represent IU men’s soccer with distinction.”

IU’s newcomer list increases to 13; 12 freshmen and one transfer. The program previously announced its initial newcomer class in February.

The upcoming 2023 season schedule includes seven teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament, eight teams that finished top 40 in RPI last fall as well as 10 games at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Season tickets are on sale now, and fans can see every home match for a one-time payment of $40.

Joel Demian | Defender | 5-10 | 165 | Langley, British Columbia, Canada | University Hill Secondary School

Since 2019, Canadian Joel Demian has been part of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS) Academy, where last season he was named the U17 player of the year. This winter, he joined the club’s second team, Whitecaps FC 2, during its preseason training before the MLS NEXT Pro campaign. Demian has also trained with the Canada Soccer Men’s National Team as recently as 2022. His brother, Nathan Demian, currently plays at Ohio State.

Alex Kara | Goalkeeper | 6-4 | 185 | Louisville, Ky. | Louisville Collegiate School

Goalkeeper Alex Kara joins Indiana from Sporting KC Academy, with whom he has trained since 2021. Kara is from Louisville, Kentucky, where he played for Javanon FC until joining Sporting KC. With Javanon, Kara helped his club to two Kentucky state titles in 2018 and 2021 as well as a midwest regional final appearance in his final season. Kara is also a two-time state champion with Louisville Collegiate School.

Luke Reidell | Defender | 5-7 | 130 | Rochester, N.Y. | Olathe Northwest

Defender Luke Reidell joins Kara in coming to Bloomington from Sporting KC Academy, which he helped reach playoffs every season. During his club career, Reidell participated United States Youth National Team Identification Camps with some of the top prospects in the country.

IUPUI MEN’S SOCCER

MEN’S SOCCER FINALIZES 2023 RECRUITING CLASS WITH TWO FINAL ADDITIONS

INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI men’s soccer program and head coach Sid van Druenen announced two final additions to the program’s 2023 signing class ahead of the upcoming fall season. The most recent two additions bring IUPUI’s class of newcomers to 16 for the fall campaign.

Declan Finnegan (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Academy) and Gijs Velings (Bergharen, Netherlands/Kandisky College) will join the program this fall and each have four seasons of eligibility remaining. Finnegan, a 6-foot-4 goalkeeper, is the younger brother of current IUPUI standout Logan Finnegan and was originally intending to join the program in January 2024. However, he recently reclassified into the Fall 2023 class and will immediately join the program. Velings, a 5-foot-11 midfielder, was a late commitment to the program this summer.

Finnegan is a three-time All-Sectional, three-time All-Conference and three-time Conference Goalkeeper of the Year while at Wheaton Academy. He helped Wheaton to an IHSA Class 1A State semifinals appearance this past season and 15-6-3 record. He was named All-State by Chicagoland Soccer.

“Declan is our captain’s, Logan Finnegan, younger brother and a goalkeeper with tremendous potential,” van Druenen said. “He has great presence in goal and his distribution is some of the best I have seen in a goalkeeper of his age. We are very excited to get to work with him and see how he progresses.”

Velings plays for FC Eindhoven’s U21 team after having played for Willem II. The right-footed 19-year old finished high school in 2022 and played for FC Eindhoven’s professional youth academy this past year and also has experience with SC Woezik.

“Gijs joins us from FC Eindhoven, a professional academy in the Netherlands, and is a late addition to an already very strong and capable midfield group,” van Druenen said. “His mobility, ability on the ball and high tactical IQ will fit well in our system and we need players like that to continue to be successful.”

The Jaguars are coming off a 7-7-6 campaign and finished as runner-up at the Horizon League Tournament in van Druenen’s first season in 2022. IUPUI scored 31 goals, tops in the program’s D1 era, and is expected to return 29 of those tallies and eight starters next season.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

MAGILL, URDANETA, SEARS HONORED AMONG ABCA/RAWLINGS GOLD GLOVE FINALISTS

ABCA/Rawlings – Indiana State baseball’s Grant Magill, Josue Urdaneta, and Mike Sears were all honored among the finalists for the 2023 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove team as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods on Tuesday afternoon.

Magill (catcher), Urdaneta (second base), and Sears (third base) are all first-time representatives on the Gold Glove Finalist list. It marks the first time in program history at least three Sycamores were listed among the finalists in the same season and first since Jake Means was honored as a finalist back in 2019.

Magill became the third Sycamore to claim the MVC’s Defensive Player of the Year award joining Tyler Wampler (2014) and Jake Means (2019). The redshirt junior catcher single-handedly shut down the opponent running game in the 2023 season and coined the phrase “You do not run on Grant Magill” on the ISU social media platforms.

The term was uttered 19 times in the 2023 season as Magill led the MVC with 19 runners caught stealing while adding five pickoffs. MVC teams only attempted 11 stolen bases against the Sycamores in the 2023 regular season with Magill nabbing six of them. Overall, Magill allowed just 21 stolen bases over 40 attempts on the year.

Urdaneta earned All-MVC Defensive honors for the first time in 2023. The second baseman finished the year with a 0.993 fielding percentage over 269 chances. He led ISU finishing as a part of 40 double plays and finished second on the team with 173 total assists.

The Maracaibo, Venezuela native showcased his range throughout the season and was key to a Sycamore defense that is currently third in the NCAA team statistical rankings at 0.983. Urdaneta made just one error over his final 42 games on the field and was perfect over his 45 chances in the postseason.

Sears earned All-MVC Defensive honors for the first time in 2023. The third baseman finished the year with a 0.969 fielding percentage over 160 chances. He helped the Sycamores turn 13 double plays on the year while his 96 assists were third-most on the ISU team.

The Cincinnati, Ohio native provided stability to the Indiana State infield in 2023 after bouncing back from a season-ending injury in 2022. Sears posted a streak of 35 consecutive error-free games at the hot corner during the regular season.

Indiana State has one Gold Glove recipient in the program history. Former outfielder and alum Ryan Stausborger received the honor from the ABCA back in the 2010 season.

The finalists are voted on and selected by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America committee, which is chaired by Tommy Raffo of Arkansas State University. Four of the finalists reached the 2023 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

In all divisions, the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 21 via Twitter by Rawlings (@RawlingsSports).

The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were first recognized in 2007 and are presented annually to the top defensive players from each division of collegiate and high school baseball.

Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 40 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE FORT WAYNE WBB SIGNS KONSTANTINA MANTZIORI TO NLI

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Konstantina Mantziori has joined the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball program, head coach Maria Marchesano announced on Tuesday (June 20).

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Mantziori is a 5-foot-5 point guard that played high school basketball at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She led the Chiefs to a 22-6 record and a No. 22 ranking in the state of Florida.

“We are very excited to be able to add Konstantina to our group and add depth to our roster,” Marchesano said. “She is a very strong kid for a true freshman and plays with a flair that people will enjoy watching. Her skill set matches the way we play and I’m excited to watch her develop and grow within our systems.”

The lead guard dished out a team-best 7.9 assists per game while scoring 10.9 points per contest. She was a First Team All-County selection in 2022-23 and honorable mention the year before. Cardinal Gibbons won two district titles (2021-22, 2022-23) and a regional championship in 2022-23 under Mantziori’s leadership. She also led her squad to the state final four in her senior season. She also played club ball for G Nation Silver Team last summer.

Mantziori will join fellow incoming freshmen Erin Woodson and Renna Schwieterman for the 2023-24 season. The ‘Dons will open the season in November.

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

USI ADDS 11 MORE FOR 2024

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball announced the addition of 11 new players for the 2024 campaign next spring. right-handed pitchers and a pair of outfielders for the 2024 season. The Screaming Eagles and USI Head Coach Tracy Archuleta have added five right-handed pitchers; one left-handed hurler; two outfielders; and a pair of utility players (pitcher/infielders). 

The new Eagles join catchers Logan Mock (Livermore, California) and Conner Anglin (Lynnville, Indiana); pitchers Braden Watts (Scottsburg, Indiana) and Abdriel Figueroa (Yauco, Puerto Rico); and infielder Yahir Fonseca (Arroyo, Puerto Rico) who signed last fall.

The spring additions for 2024 are:

Carson Seeman (Auburn, California), RHP:

Seeman is transferring to USI from Butte College (Oroville, California) where he split time as a right-handed pitcher and a catcher…had a 9-2 record in 2023 with a 2.85 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 13 games and 82.0 innings of work…also had a .276 batting average with two home runs and 21 RBIs…played one season with the University of California Davis.  He appeared in nine games and made four starts on the mound, posting a 0-4 record, while making 19 appearances at catcher.

Gavin Wilson (Lee’s Summit, Missouri), RHP:

Wilson comes to Eagles team after spending a pair of seasons with St. Charles Community College (Cottleville, Missouri), posting a 4-4 record in 22 total appearances…was 2-4 during 2023, making 14 appearances and one start…the right-handed Lee’s Summit High School alumni also struck out 38 batters in 32.2 innings of work.

Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky), RHP:

Parson joins the Eagles after graduating from Owensboro Catholic High School…was 4-3 in 2023 with a 1.14 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 49.0 innings of work…was one batter shy of a perfect game versus St. Mary’s High School during the post-season…also batted .333 (32-96) with 17 runs scored and 19 RBIs…was 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA on the mound, while batting .258 in 2022.

Cameron Boyd (Villa Hills, Kentucky), OF:

Boyd comes to USI after finishing his prep career at Beechwood High School (Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky) where he lettered in baseball and basketball…was first-team All-State, Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player, and 9th Region Player of the Year after batting .546 with 49 RBIs and 11 home runs as a senior…also helped Beechwood to four-straight region championships.

Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa), OF:

Thompson-Allen transfers to USI from Iowa Western Community College following two seasons with the Reivers…had a two-year .288 batting average with 24 RBIs, two home runs, and 32 RBIs…batted .265 in 2023 with 14 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, and nine RBIs this spring after starting his career with a .333 batting average with 15 RBIs, 18 runs scored, and five stolen bases as a freshman in 2022…lettered in baseball and football at Sioux City East High School.

Mitchell Renfro (Evansville, Indiana), RHP:

Renfro lettered in baseball, football, and soccer at Evansville North High School…helped lead North to the 2023 sectional title game with a 6-2 record and a 2.65 ERA…was 3-1 with a 1.90 ERA with the Huskies in 2022. 

Jesus Rivas (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico), OF:

Rivas comes to USI after graduating from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, joining teammates Figueroa, who signed with USI last fall.

Gage Smith (Garrett, Indiana), RHP:

Smith transfers to USI from IVY Tech Community College (Ft. Wayne). He was 4-3 in 2023 with 69 strikeouts and a 4.37 ERA in 59 innings pitched…had an 8-4 overall mark with a 4.64 ERA during his two years at IVY Tech…also was a .300 hitter for the Tritans, knocking in 19 RBI.

Bryson Reif (Yuba City, California), LHP:

Reif crosses the country to USI after playing two seasons for Butte Junior College (Oroville, California)…had a two-year record of 13-1 and a 4.03 ERA, while striking out 69 batters in 58.0 innings of work…was 6-0 with 54 strikeouts and a 2.98 ERA in 2023…played baseball at Yuba City High School prior to playing at Butte.

Clayton Weisheit (Ferdinand, Indiana), RHP:

Weisheit is a Forest Park High School (Ferdinand, Indiana) product and has been dominating the last two seasons on the mound…was 7-4 last spring with a 2.05 ERA, striking out 68 batters in 61 innings of work…named first-team All-PAC hurler and IHSBCA District Player of the Year…had a no-hitter versus Hauser High School this spring.

Jack Hendrix (Ft. Thomas, Kentucky), RHP:

Hendrix was dominating hitter at Highlands High School, posting a .432 average the last two seasons (82-190) and knocking in 47 RBIs…also was 7-2 on the mound with a 1.65 ERA in 19 games as a junior and senior…also struck out 94 batters in 60.1 innings of work, including a 12-strikeout performance versus Conner High School this spring.

SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER

USI WOMEN’S SOCCER UNVEILS 2023 SCHEDULE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer has released its schedule for the 2023 championship season, which officially kicks off Saturday, August 17 when the Screaming Eagles open at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

“We are extremely excited to announce our 2023 schedule,” USI Women’s Soccer Head Coach Eric Schoenstein said. “We will be playing an all-Division I slate, featuring a balanced schedule with 10 home games and 10 away games.”

Prior to the season opener, USI will compete in a pair of exhibitions in early August, traveling to Middle Tennessee State University on August 8 before hosting an exhibition against Murray State University on August 12 from Strassweg Field.

Following the season opener at IUPUI, USI will open its home slate against the University of North Alabama on August 20. The Screaming Eagles will also host Purdue University Fort Wayne on August 27 and have a three-match homestand against the University of North Dakota (September 3), Austin Peay State University (September 7), and Northern Illinois University (September 10) during the non-conference season.

The remaining non-conference road schedule includes stops at Wright State University on August 24, Miami University (Ohio) on August 31, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City on September 14 as USI’s final tune-up match before the start of the conference season.

Southern Indiana will kick off the Ohio Valley Conference season with a pair of road matches, traveling to the University of Arkansas Little Rock on September 21 and visiting the 2022 OVC regular-season champion Tennessee Tech University on September 24. USI will then return to Strassweg Field to take on Morehead State University (October 1) before traveling a few days later for a road matchup against the newest OVC member in Western Illinois University on October 5. The Screaming Eagles will host a pair of home OVC matches against Lindenwood University (October 8) and reigning OVC tournament champion Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (October 12). The matchup against Lindenwood on October 8 will be Senior Day and Alumni Day.

The final week of the 2023 regular season will include a road match at the University of Tennessee at Martin (October 15), a home match against Southeast Missouri State University (October 19), and a road match at Eastern Illinois University (October 22).

The OVC Championship Tournament will take place from October 27 through November 5.

“Our OVC schedule will be very challenging with several key matches on the road and the addition of Western Illinois to the OVC,” Schoenstein added. “We are looking forward to an exciting second season at Division I.”

USI Women’s Soccer heads into its second season as an NCAA Division I program in 2023, coming off an inaugural D-I campaign that saw Southern Indiana go 5-8-4 and earn a postseason in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament.

The full schedule with match times and gameday promotions can be found on the USI Women’s Soccer schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.

SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER

EAGLES ANNOUNCE 2023 MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer announced their 2023 schedule today, including its first Ohio Valley Conference slate of games. The Screaming Eagles open their season at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on August 24 in Indianapolis, Indiana, while beginning the home calendar August 27 by hosting Mercer University at Strassweg Field. 

This fall marks the inaugural season of men’s soccer in the OVC. The OVC announced in March that men’s soccer would become the conference’s 19th-sponsored sport with four full-time members and four affiliated members.

The 2023 USI home schedule is a nine-game schedule that includes a four-match homestand in September. The homestand includes cross-town rival University of Evansville (September 9), Belmont University (September 12), former GLVC-rival Northern Kentucky University (September 19), and the OVC-opener versus Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (September 28). 

Prior to the four-match homestand, USI is on the road to play at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (September 1) and Akron University (September 4). The Eagles, following the four-match homestand, travel to play OVC contests at Lindenwood University (October 1), Houston Christian University (October 5), and University of Incarnate Word (October 8). 

USI returns to the friendly surroundings of Strassweg Field for three-straight during the middle of October. The Eagles host OVC matches against Chicago State University (October 12), Liberty University (October 15), and Eastern Illinois University (October 19) during the final homestand of the year. 

The road schedule concludes with SIUE (October 22) and EIU (October 26) before the Eagles conclude the 2023 regular season with Lindenwood University (October 29).

The OVC Men’s Soccer Championship will take place November 5, 8 and 11 in Edwardsville, Illinois, at SIUE’s Ralph Korte Stadium. 

The Eagles finished 2022 with a 2-12-3 record and a 2-5-1 record in the Summit League. USI, which was 1-3-1 against OVC teams last year, would have earned a trip to the Summit post-season tournament had it be eligible in its return to NCAA Division I play last falls. 

The Eagles are under the direction of Head Coach Mat Santoro, who enters his 15th season with the program and boasts a career record of 111-108-27. 

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

SPORTS EXTRA

MLB STANDINGS

American League
East
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Tampa Bay	51	25	.671	–	31 – 8	20 – 17	16 – 10	12 – 1	8 – 5	4 – 6	L 3
Baltimore	45	27	.625	4	22 – 13	23 – 14	14 – 8	14 – 5	8 – 6	7 – 3	W 2
NY Yankees	40	33	.548	9.5	22 – 17	18 – 16	11 – 15	8 – 8	9 – 5	4 – 6	W 1
Toronto	40	35	.533	10.5	19 – 13	21 – 22	7 – 17	11 – 5	9 – 7	4 – 6	W 1
Boston	39	35	.527	11	21 – 18	18 – 17	13 – 11	10 – 4	5 – 5	7 – 3	W 6
Central
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Minnesota	36	38	.486	–	21 – 19	15 – 19	8 – 13	13 – 11	5 – 4	4 – 6	L 3
Cleveland	34	38	.472	1	17 – 17	17 – 21	7 – 8	8 – 11	11 – 6	5 – 5	W 2
Detroit	31	41	.431	4	16 – 19	15 – 22	2 – 14	13 – 9	4 – 5	5 – 5	L 1
Chi White Sox	32	43	.427	4.5	18 – 18	14 – 25	4 – 12	15 – 11	6 – 9	3 – 7	W 1
Kansas City	20	53	.274	15.5	10 – 28	10 – 25	2 – 8	6 – 13	4 – 11	2 – 8	W 1
West
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Texas	45	28	.616	–	24 – 13	21 – 15	9 – 7	8 – 3	15 – 8	4 – 6	L 1
LA Angels	41	34	.547	5	20 – 15	21 – 19	8 – 9	9 – 6	15 – 12	6 – 4	L 1
Houston	40	34	.541	5.5	21 – 19	19 – 15	5 – 5	8 – 11	13 – 6	4 – 6	W 1
Seattle	35	36	.493	9	21 – 17	14 – 19	3 – 7	7 – 6	12 – 10	5 – 5	L 1
Oakland	19	56	.253	27	9 – 29	10 – 27	3 – 11	3 – 4	4 – 23	4 – 6	L 6

National League
East
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Atlanta	47	26	.644	–	24 – 15	23 – 11	18 – 6	6 – 0	10 – 7	8 – 2	W 7
Miami	42	32	.568	5.5	22 – 14	20 – 18	11 – 12	5 – 4	9 – 10	7 – 3	L 1
Philadelphia	38	35	.521	9	19 – 12	19 – 23	5 – 9	6 – 4	11 – 12	7 – 3	L 1
NY Mets	34	39	.466	13	17 – 15	17 – 24	12 – 11	4 – 11	8 – 8	4 – 6	L 1
Washington	27	45	.375	19.5	12 – 26	15 – 19	7 – 15	4 – 5	7 – 11	2 – 8	L 5
Central
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Cincinnati	39	35	.527	–	19 – 18	20 – 17	7 – 9	11 – 12	6 – 5	10 – 0	W 10
Milwaukee	38	35	.521	0.5	22 – 17	16 – 18	3 – 0	11 – 5	8 – 14	4 – 6	W 1
Chi Cubs	35	38	.479	3.5	20 – 17	15 – 21	6 – 10	8 – 8	9 – 8	8 – 2	W 2
Pittsburgh	34	38	.472	4	18 – 18	16 – 20	4 – 2	10 – 12	9 – 6	1 – 9	L 8
St. Louis	31	43	.419	8	13 – 21	18 – 22	4 – 4	10 – 13	7 – 13	4 – 6	W 4
West
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Arizona	44	30	.595	–	23 – 18	21 – 12	10 – 11	7 – 4	16 – 9	5 – 5	L 1
San Francisco	41	32	.562	2.5	20 – 17	21 – 15	9 – 7	13 – 7	10 – 7	9 – 1	W 9
LA Dodgers	40	33	.548	3.5	22 – 14	18 – 19	9 – 6	12 – 11	12 – 10	4 – 6	W 1
San Diego	35	38	.479	8.5	19 – 20	16 – 18	9 – 7	6 – 8	11 – 12	5 – 5	L 2
Colorado	29	47	.382	16	16 – 19	13 – 28	11 – 14	8 – 9	4 – 15	3 – 7	L 7

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1900      Citing the Superbas’ poor attendance at Brooklyn’s Washington Park, National League president Ned Young discusses the possibility of transferring the franchise to the District of Columbia. En route to their second consecutive title, the reigning NL champions are averaging only a thousand fans on non-holiday dates.

1916      Red Sox right-hander Rube Foster, throwing a perfect game until issuing a walk in the seventh inning, tosses a 2-0 no-hitter against the Highlanders. The no-no is the first-ever thrown in Fenway Park, the team’s home since 1912.

1921      At the Polo Grounds, Dave Bancroft hits for the cycle when he singles in the first, triples in the third, homers in the fifth, and doubles in the sixth in the Giants’ 8-3 victory over the Phillies. According to a news report of the contest, the 30-year-old New York shortstop faints returning to the bench after running around the bases for his inside-the-park home run but returned to the field to complete the rare event in the next frame.

1941      In New York’s 7-2 loss to the Tigers at Yankee Stadium, Phil Rizzuto’s seventh-inning round-tripper extends the team’s consecutive-game home run streak to 17. The historic homer, which ties the major league record established by Detroit, is only the light-hitting shortstop’s second career home run.

1941      Lefty Grove’s Fenway consecutive win streak, which started on May 3, 1938, ends at 20 games with a 13-9 loss to the St. Louis Browns. The future Hall of Fame southpaw, facing just 13 batters, allows six runs, yielding five hits and walking 3 in 1.2 innings of work.

1947      Jack Chesbro’s induction into the Hall of Fame makes him the only player enshrined in Cooperstown who played professional baseball for a team in the upstate New York village on the shores of Otsego Lake. The right-hander, who established the modern-era record (post-1901) for most victories in a season with 41 while pitching for the 1904 Highlanders, played for the Cooperstown Athletics after the Roanoke Magicians of the Virginia State League disbanded during the 1896 season.

(Ed. Note: Before Jack Chesbro’s achievement, over 20 major league pitchers won 41 games or more in a season, including Hoss Radbourn, who won 60 (59?) games in 1884 and 48 in 1883. Our thanks to frequent contributor J. Feehan for adding to this entry -LP)

1951      Donald L. Barnes, at the request of Browns’ owners William and Charles Dewitt, announces the sale of the controlling interest of the club to Bill Veeck, former owner of the Indians. The transaction arrangement ensures the new owner will keep the team in St. Louis, debunking the rumors of the franchise’s shift to Milwaukee.

1952      National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues president George Trautman bans the signing of women, preventing 24-year-old softball shortstop standout Eleanor Engle from playing with the Harrisburg Senators. Commissioner Ford Frick will go one step further by formally prohibiting females from professional baseball, using the ruling to prevent teams from using women players as a publicity stunt.

1956      Orioles hurlers Connie Johnson and George Zuverink combine to one-hit the White Sox at Comiskey Park. Unfortunately, the one hit is a run-scoring double in the first frame of the team’s 1-0 loss to Chicago’s southpaw Jack Harshman, who also tosses a one-hitter gem in the two-hour and 12-minute contest.

1957      In his first major league start, bonus baby Von McDaniel, a recent graduate of Oklahoma’s Hollis High School, two-hits the Dodgers at Busch Stadium, 2-0. The 18-year-old keeps Brooklyn hitless until Jim Gilliam’s soft line drive spins out second baseman Don Blasingame’s glove, followed by Hal Smith’s failure handling sacrifice, giving the visitors two tainted infield safeties in the sixth inning.

(Ed. Note: Our thanks to frequent contributor John F., who attended this game as a youngster with his dad, for sharing his memories of the game. -LP)

1957      Going the distance in the Senators’ 6-3 victory over Cleveland, Chuck Stobbs wins his first game since throwing a shutout against Baltimore last September. The 27-year-old right-hander snaps a 16-game losing streak, including dropping his first 11 decisions this year.

1959      Stan Musial, in the Cardinals’ 5-1 victory over the Bucs at Busch Stadium, collects a pair of two-baggers, the first which breaks Honus Wagner’s National League record of 651 career doubles. The southpaw-swinging Stan the Man moves to third on the all-time major league list for two-base hits, trailing only American Leaguers Tris Speaker (793) and Ty Cobb (724).

(Ed. Note: Speaker’s (one less) and Wagner’s (eight less) totals were historically adjusted since Musial accomplished the feat. -LP)

1960      Richie Ashburn plays his first game in Philadelphia since being traded to the Cubs in the offseason. ‘Whitey,’ a fan favorite during his dozen years with the Phillies, strikes out looking to start his 1-for-6 day in an extra-inning loss at Shibe Park.

1964      Despite the four errors made by the Phillies, Rick Wise wins the first of his 188 major league victories when Philadelphia beats the Mets at Shea Stadium in the nightcap of a twin bill, 8-2. However, the 18-year-old rookie right-hander’s accomplishment receives little fanfare when his effort follows Jim Bunning’s perfect game in the opener.

1964      On an unseasonably warm Father’s Day, Phillies’ hurler Jim Bunning becomes the first modern pitcher to toss a no-hitter in both leagues when he throws a perfect game to beat the Mets, 6-0. Gus Triandos also becomes the first catcher to handle a no-hitter in each circuit.

1967      In retaliation for Joe Foy getting struck in the helmet in the top of the frame, Red Sox starter Jim Lonborg promptly plunks opposing pitcher Thad Tillotson in the back, igniting a bench-clearing brawl in the second inning of the Yankees’ 8-1 loss to Boston at the Stadium. The five-minute melee results in no ejections but doesn’t quite settle the matter, with Reggie Smith getting brushed back in the third, and Dick Howser leaves the game in the fifth after being hit in the head with a pitch.

1970      At Cleveland Stadium, Cesar Gutierrez goes 7-for-7, including six singles and a double, in Detroit’s 9-8 victory over the Indians in 12 innings. The 27-year-old Venezuelan shortstop will finish his brief four-year major league career with a .235 lifetime batting average.

1976      Ranger right-hander Bert Blyleven one-hits the A’s, giving up only a fifth-inning single to Ken McMullen in his 1-0 gem at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The 25-year-old starter, obtained from the Twins on June 1, will toss another one-hit 1-0 victory for Texas in five days when he beats the White Sox in ten innings.

1978      On the first pitch in his first at-bat, Dave Machemer hits his only major league home run. The rookie second baseman, batting leadoff for the visiting Angels, starts the Halos’ eventual 5-2 victory over Minnesota with a long fly over the left-field wall at Metropolitan Stadium.

1986      Bo Jackson, the collegiate football standout who will eventually spend four seasons with the Oakland Raiders, signs a three-year contract worth just over $1 million with the World Champion Royals, who drafted him in the fourth round, 105th overall. The Auburn running back had been selected first overall in the 1986 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Heisman Trophy recipient turned down the Buccaneers’ more lucrative offer when the team refused his choice to play two sports.

1987      On Father’s Day, for the second consecutive game, a bench-clearing brawl occurs between the Reds and Braves in Atlanta after a pitch hits a batter. Tracy Jones, struck by a ball thrown by Jim Acker, ignites the fight when he belatedly charges the mound when the reliever comes within 25 feet of home plate.

1988      At Tiger Stadium, Detroit scores six times in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat a stunned Yankees team, 7-6. Allen Trammell ends the game dramatically, hitting a two-out walk-off grand slam off Cecilio Guante.

1989      At Yankee Stadium, Carlton Fisk surpasses Yogi Berra as the American League leader for career home runs by a catcher when he goes deep down the left-field line off Andy Hawkins, leading off the second inning. The 41-year-old White Sox future Hall of Fame backstop’s 307th homer helps beat the Yankees, 7-3.

1998      On Father’s Day, the New York Times publishes Michael Bouton’s open letter to the Yankees, asking the franchise to reconsider its long-time snub of his dad, Jim, the team’s former 21-game winner and controversial author of Ball Four. Thanks to his son’s efforts, Jim Bouton’s banishment from Yankee Stadium will end next month when the team invites the right-hander to return to the Bronx ballpark for the first time in nearly thirty years to participate in the team’s Old-Timers’ Day.

1998      The Dodgers, 12.5 games behind the division-leading Padres, release Bill Russell, replacing the 36-38 skipper with Glenn Hoffmann, manager of the organization’s Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes. In the front office, Tommy Lasorda assumes the general manager duties of the third-place club from Fred Claire.

1999      Blue Jay Tony Fernandez becomes the Dominican-born career hits leader with his 2,178th hit to move ahead of Julio Franco. The shortstop’s hit plated the winning run with two outs in the ninth in Toronto’s 2-1 victory over Kansas City.

2000      Eric Chavez becomes the 13th A’s player in the 100-year history of the franchise to hit for the cycle when he doubles (2nd), singles (4th), and triples (5th) off Mike Mussina and completes the rare event with a home run (7th) off Jose Mercedes in the team’s 10-3 win over Baltimore. Oakland’s 22-year-old third baseman is the seventh-youngest major leaguer to accomplish the feat.

2001      Returning to the major leagues after a stint with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, Jose Canseco starts as the designated hitter for the White Sox. The former All-Star, who has hit 446 career home runs (23rd all-time), didn’t get any offers after being released by the Angels in the spring.

2002      During the New York-Penn League game between the New Jersey Cardinals and the Staten Island Yankees, a fan hops a fence and goes onto the field to argue an umpire’s call at first base. The 38-year-old woman, who will face disorderly person charges, is at the game with her eight-year-old daughter’s Brownie troop.

2002      Luis Castillo hits safely in his 35th consecutive game, tying Fred Clarke (1895), Ty Cobb (1917), and George Sisler (1924-25) for the tenth-longest streak in major league history. The Marlins’ infielder’s third-inning infield hit off knuckleballer Steve Sparks’ glove also surpasses Benito Santiago’s 1987 streak, the longest established by a Latin player.

2003      Tied 2-2 after nine innings at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, the Red Sox and Phillies exchange runs in the twelfth, and then when Boston tallies twice in the thirteenth, the hometown team scores three times in the bottom of the frame to win the interleague contest, 6-5. Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra goes 6-for-6 for the day, all singles.

2005      General manager Dan O’Brien meets face to face with Reds skipper Dave Miley (125-164) to inform the third-year manager of his decision to fire him. As a result, former Ranger manager Jerry Narron becomes the 58th manager in Reds’ history.

2005      After building a 10-2 lead at Yankee Stadium, the Devil Rays lose to the Bronx Bombers 20-11, making it the second time in franchise history the team is ahead by eight or more runs and loses by nine or more tallies. With no other club in baseball history achieving this dubious distinction, the D-Rays now have accomplished the feat twice with their 1999 defeat to the Indians.

2005      Giving up 13 runs in the bottom of the second inning, the Devil Rays become the first team in history to yield that many tallies in one inning twice during the same season. Both times, New York was the benefactor as the visiting Tampa Bay hurlers also had a 13-run meltdown in April at Yankee Stadium.

2006      Jose Reyes becomes the ninth player in Mets history to hit for the cycle. The 23-year-old shortstop hits a leadoff homer in the first, followed by a double in the third, then a triple in the fifth, and completes the feat with an eighth-inning single in the team’s 5-4 loss to the Reds at Shea Stadium.

2009      Tony La Russa gets his 2,500th victory as a manager when the Cardinals defeat Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium, 12-5. Joining Connie Mack and John McGraw, the Redbird skipper, who also piloted the White Sox and A’s, becomes only the third major league manager to reach the milestone.

2011      At the Ballpark in Arlington, many of the 33,533 fans in attendance at the Rangers’ game against the Astros, including former President George W. Bush, wear red or blue sunglasses provided by Reliant Energy, shattering the previous Guinness World Record of 424 patrons wearing shades after dark. Mitch Moreland helps Texas see the light when he goes deep leading off the 11th inning to give the team a 5-4 walk-off victory.

2015      Melissa Mayeux becomes the first female to be placed on Major League Baseball’s international registration list, making her eligible to be signed by pro teams on July 2. The 16-year-old shortstop of the French U-18 junior national team campaigned successfully to abolish the country’s “no-girls-allowed” rule, so she could keep competing with the boys.

2016      🇮🇱 Dean Kremer becomes the first-ever Israeli to sign a contract with a Major League baseball team when he comes to terms with the Dodgers after being selected in the annual amateur draft earlier this month. The 20-year-old right-hander won Europe’s Most Valuable Pitcher award in 2014 and 2015 and has hurled for Israel’s national baseball team for the past three seasons.

2016      Astro backstop Erik Kratz, who tossed an ineffective inning in an 11-1 rout by the Angels in April, becomes the first modern player to catch and pitch for two teams in the same season, throwing a scoreless ninth inning in relief in the Pirates’ 15-4 loss to the Giants at PNC Park. The 36-year-old journeyman backstop, obtained earlier in the month from the Halos, allows two hits, striking out Brandon Belt for the first out of the frame.

2019      On his first trip back to Busch Stadium, Albert Pujols receives a warm welcome from the Cardinals fans, getting standing ovations during warm-ups, a scoreboard tribute, his first three at-bats, and a curtain call upon leaving the game. During his 11-year tenure with the Redbirds before becoming a free agent seven seasons ago, the Angels’ first baseman won three MVPs, a Rookie of the Year award, six Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, two World Series rings, and the 2004 NLCS MVP.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

Bucs strike out on Jackson

This refers to the June 21, 1986 announcement by Bo Jackson who had recently won the 1985 Heismann Trophy, had rejected a Buccaneers offer of $7 million to sign a 3 year baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals. If you remember back on our April 29 edition of the Football History Headlines covering the 1986 NFL Draft, we posted that according to a story in the Orlando Sentinel the Bucs took a big chance with their pick of Jackson because Bo warned team officials he would not play for owner Hugh Culverhouse. Apparently Culverhouse, the Bucs owner, sent his private jet to pick up the reigning Heisman Trophy winner for a physical and a visit. Jackson was soon ruled ineligible to play baseball for Auburn because Tampa Bay had failed to check on NCAA and SEC rules, despite assuring Jackson otherwise. Jackson held true to his word and turned down approximately $7 million with Tampa to play with the MLB’s Kansas City Royals for $1.6 million. After waiting a year the Buccaneers lost all rights to Jackson and he became eligible for the 1987 NFL Draft and the Raiders took a flyer on him in the 7th round of the 87 draft and Bo ended up playing for the Black and Silver.”Bo knows” both sports very well as he is the only athlete in history to be an All-star in two different professional sports.

HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR JUNE 21

June 21, 1929 – Akron, Ohio – Bob Gain was an Offensive Tackle/Guard that played for the University of Kentucky and was selected to enter the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980. After graduation Mr. Gain played professionally for the Cleveland Browns and in the CFL with the Ottawa Rough Riders. The Professional Football Researchers Association in 2010 selected him to their Hall of the Very Good.

June 21, 1930- Mike McCormack Pro Football Hall of Fame Offensive Tackle and Defensive lineman that played for the New York Yanks for a season and then the balance of his career with the Cleveland Browns. The stalwart from Kansas University was selected to the Pro Bowl 6 times in his pro career.

June 21, 1965 – St. Paul, Minnesota – Jeff Bentrim the North Dakota State quarterback from 1983 to 1986 was born. According to the FootballFoundation.org, Jeff set records that no other quarterback has touched. He was the starting quarterback in four championship games in NCAA Division II. He was the national scoring champ in Division II in 1984, 1985, and 1986. He scored 386 points in his career.  North Dakota State was 47-5-1 in Bentrim’s four years and was 11-1 in playoff games, all of which he started. In the regular season Bentrim rushed for 64 touchdowns and passed for 24. Those 64 rushing TDs are a record for regular season NCAA games, breaking the record of 63 held by Walter Payton of Jackson State. In postseason action he rushed for  another 17 touchdowns and passed for five. In 1986 he was named All-America and won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the best player in Division II. Jeff Bentrim’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1998.

June 21, 1977 – Jackson, Tennessee – Al Wilson the great linebacker from the University of Tennessee was born. Al Wilson capped his career as one of the Vols’ greatest linebackers by leading them to the 1998 national championship per the NFF. A consensus First Team All-America in 1998, Wilson was the only All-America selection from the perfect 13-0 Vols squad that won the inaugural BCS National Championship at the Fiesta Bowl against Florida State. He also guided Tennessee to three other bowl games, including consecutive wins at the Citrus Bowl in 1996 and 1997. The National Football Foundation inducted Al Wilson into their College Football Hall  of Fame in 2021. Al was a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 1999 NFL Draft. Wilson was a five-time Pro Bowl selection while playing for the team for the seasons of 1999 all the way through 2006.

FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

BILL ALEXANDER

Position: Coach
Years: 1920-1944
Place of Birth: Mud River, KY
Date of Birth: Jun 06, 1889
Place of Death: Atlanta, GA
Date of Death: Apr 23, 1950

A tough, shrewd taskmaster with teams to match his character, Bill Alexander spent his entire head coaching career at Georgia Tech. Under his command, the Yellow Jackets became the first school to appear in all four of the major bowls: the Rose in 1929, Orange in 1940, Cotton in 1943, and Sugar in 1944. Alexander rarely enjoyed top-flight talent on his teams, yet he drove his players to surpass their limited abilities. Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne once said, “Bill gets more out of nothing than any coach in America.” And indeed, he did. After serving as an assistant to John Heisman at Tech, Alexander became the head coach of the Yellow Jackets in 1920, and began a 25-year career during which he compiled an overall record of 134-95-15. Few athletes dared defy him, and although they hated him on the field, they idolized him off the field. He had a habit of bullying his players and was inhospitable to strangers. Bobby Dodd, who succeeded Alexander as head coach at Tech, said of him, “He growled, snapped and carried on all over the place, but underneath it all, he was in your corner in any emergency.” He was the clearing house of personal matters for every player, coach or employee of the Tech athletic department. Alexander died in his sleep on April 23, 1950.

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

4 – 5 – 14

June 21, 1879 – Infielder William White played as a substitute in one game for the Providence Grays and became the first African-American to play in the MLB. White’s light complexion gave onlookers the belief that he was Caucasian but in fact he was a man of color. According to an article on Slate.com, William Edward White was born in 1860 to parents who were a Georgia businessman and one of his slaves, who herself was of mixed race.

June 21, 1904 – The Boston Herald reported a story of a Red Sox trade, “Dougherty as a Yankee,” which in fact became the 1st known reference to New York baseball club as the Yankees. This franchise formally became known as the Yankees eleven years later in 1913.

June 21, 1916 – Boston Red Sox pitcher Rube Foster tossed a no-hit masterpiece against the New York Yankees for 2-0  victory at Fenway Park.

June 21, 1938 – Baseball’s Pinky Higgins third baseman of the Boston Red Sox, who wore Number 5 knocked out his 12th straight hit. The Red Sox were visiting the Detroit Tigers in a twin-bill in which they split. Frank Pinky Higgins 8 hits in the first game led to an 8-3 victory for Boston. He went four for four in the second game keeping a perfect slate for the day.

June 21, 1939 – The New York Yankees announced that Number 4, Lou Gehrig would be retiring from baseball after doctors revealed he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Gehrig died on June 2, 1941 just days before his 38th birthday.

June 21, 1950 – New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio hit a milestone, almost literally as he reached his 2,000th hit in the MLB as the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-2 in Cleveland.

June 21, 1964 – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning, Number 14 threw a perfect game from the mound as Philadelphia beats the New York Mets, 6-0 on Fathers Day at Shea Stadium

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

ED WALSH

Pitcher

“Big Ed Walsh. Great big, strong, good-looking fellow,” Hall of Famer Sam Crawford said. “He threw a spitball. I think that ball disintegrated on the way to the plate, and the catcher put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate, it was just the spit went by.”

Two achievements in particular speak to right-hander Ed Walsh’s dominance of opposing batters at the turn of the 20th century: His lifetime ERA of 1.82, the lowest of all time, and his 40-win season for the 1908 Chicago White Sox.

Walsh won 195 times in a 14-year career. Among modern era pitchers, 1901 to present, only contemporary Addie Joss at 1.89 registered a career ERA below the 2.00 mark. And Walsh is the most recent pitcher to reach 40 wins in a season, with only Christy Mathewson (37 wins in 1908) and Walter Johnson (36 in 1913) within five wins of the 40-win mark.

Walsh stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 193 pounds and by his own estimate threw his outstanding spitball, taught to him by teammate Elmer Stricklett, about 90 percent of the time. At the peak of his powers, Walsh exhibited strong control of the slippery pitch, topping out at 2.2 walks per nine innings in 1912, the final year of his career that he worked at least 100 innings.

He broke in with the White Sox as a 22-year-old rookie in 1904 and worked as a spot starter (21 starts) and reliever (19 relief appearances) for two seasons before ascending to ace of the White Sox in 1906. Chicago’s “Hitless Wonders” club of ’06 rode Walsh all the way to a World Series championship against the crosstown Cubs. Walsh won both of his Series starts, allowing seven hits and six runs (only one earned) in 15 innings. He struck out 17 Cubs batters.

For seven seasons, from 1906 through ’12, no pitcher in the game was more durable than Walsh, and few were as effective. He paced all of baseball with 268 starts (an average of more than 38 per year), 2,526.1 innings (nearly 361 per year) and 1,540 strikeouts during those seven seasons – and he also totaled 89 relief outings and 33 saves. Only Mathewson, with 184 victories in that window, logged more than the 168 wins by Walsh, who posted a 1.71 ERA and .600 winning percentage during that stretch.

Beginning in 1913, Walsh struggled with arm injuries, later recalling: “My arm would keep me awake till morning with a pain I had never known before.” He appeared in just 33 games and pitched 190.2 innings in the five seasons from 1913 through ’17, drawing his release from the White Sox in December ’16 and retiring after one partial season with the Boston Braves.

Walsh was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946. He passed away on May 26, 1959.

TV WEDNESDAY

COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES	TIME ET	TV
TBA	2:07pm	ESPN
TBA	7:07pm	ESPN
MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES	TIME ET	TV
Baltimore at Tampa Bay	12:10pm	MLBN MASN/2 Bally Sports
Toronto at Miami	12:10pm	Sportsnet Bally Sports
Chi. Cubs at Pittsburgh	12:35pm	MLBN MARQ ATTSN-PIT
Colorado at Cincinnati	12:35pm	ATTSN-RM Bally Sports
Kansas City at Detroit	1:10pm	Bally Sports
Arizona at Milwaukee	2:10pm	Bally Sports
NY Mets at Houston	2:10pm	ATTSN-SW SNY
St. Louis at Washington	4:05pm	Bally Sports MASN/2
Atlanta at Philadelphia	6:40pm	Bally Sports NBCS-PHI
Seattle at NY Yankees	7:05pm	Root Sports YES
Oakland at Cleveland	7:10pm	NBCS-CA Bally Sports
Boston at Minnesota	7:40pm	NESN Bally Sports
Texas at Chi. White Sox	8:10pm	Bally Sports NBCS-CHI
LA Dodgers at LA angels	9:38pm	Bally Sports Spectrum
San Diego at San Francisco	9:45pm	Bally Sports NBCS-BAY
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
Argentina Primera División: Estudiantes vs San Lorenzo	6:00pm	Paramount+
Brasileirão: Cruzeiro vs Fortaleza	6:00pm	Paramount+
Brasileirão: São Paulo vs Athletico-PR	6:00pm	Paramount+
Brasileirão: Santos vs Corinthians	7:00pm	Paramount+
MLS: Atlanta United vs New York City	7:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: Cincinnati vs Toronto FC	7:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: CF Montréal vs Nashville SC	7:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: New York RB vs Charlotte	7:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: Orlando City SC vs Philadelphia Union	7:30pm	Apple TV
Brasileirão: Bahia vs Palmeiras	8:30pm	Paramount+
Brasileirão: Fluminense vs Atlético Mineiro	8:30pm	Paramount+
Argentina Primera División: Central Córdoba SdE vs Gimnasia La Plata	8:30pm	Paramount+
Argentina Primera División: Tigre vs Vélez Sarsfield	8:30pm	Paramount+
MLS: Austin vs Dallas	8:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: Houston Dynamo vs SJ Earthquakes	8:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: St. Louis City vs Real Salt Lake	8:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: Colorado Rapids vs Vancouver Whitecaps	9:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: LA Galaxy vs Sporting KC	10:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: Portland Timbers vs Chicago Fire	10:30pm	Apple TV
MLS: Los Angeles FC vs Seattle Sounders FC	10:30pm	Apple TV
WNBA	TIME ET	TV
Las Vegas vs Phoenix	3:30pm	NBATV