“THE SCOREBOARD”
NHL PLAYOFFS
2024 STANLEY CUP FINAL
FLORIDA PANTHERS (1A) VS. EDMONTON OILERS (2P)
GAME 1: FLORIDA 3 EDMONTON 0
GAME 2: FLORIDA 1 EDMONTON 1
GAME 3: FLORIDA 4 EDMONTON 3
GAME 4: EDMONTON 8 FLORIDA 1
+GAME 5: EDMONTON 5 FLORIDA 3
+GAME 6: PANTHERS AT OILERS — JUNE 21, 8 P.M. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
+GAME 7: OILERS AT PANTHERS — JUNE 24, 8 P.M. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
ARIZONA 5 WASHINGTON 2
TAMPA BAY 7 MINNESOTA 6
CLEVELAND 6 SEATTLE 3
HOUSTON 5 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3
LA DODGERS 5 COLORADO 3
KANSAS CITY 3 OAKLAND 2
BALTIMORE 17 NY YANKEES 5
ST. LOUIS 6 SAN FRANCISCO 5
SAN DIEGO 7 MILWAUKEE 6
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
IOWA 1 INDIANAPOLIS 4
LAKE COUNTY 3 SOUTH BEND 1
FT. WAYNE 5 WISCONSIN 1
COLLEGE BASEBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT WORLD SERIES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
WNBA SCORES
CHICAGO 83 DALLAS 72
NEW YORK 93 LOS ANGELES 80
MLS
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
THE LAKERS ARE HIRING JJ REDICK AS THEIR NEW HEAD COACH, AN AP SOURCE SAYS
Former NBA veteran and ESPN color commentator JJ Redick agreed to a four-year contract to become the Los Angeles Lakers’ next head coach, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Redick’s deal will pay him around $8 million per season, sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Sam Amick.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka offered Redick the job Thursday morning after becoming sold on the 39-year-old’s basketball IQ and ability to connect with players, Wojnarowski adds. The Lakers executive reportedly believes that surrounding Redick with an elite coaching staff will shorten the learning curve for the first-time head coach.
Redick has also already started working on building an experienced staff around him, per Wojnarowski. Candidates include former head coach Scott Brooks, Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, Dallas Mavericks assistant and former Lakers forward Jared Dudley, and the recently retired Rajon Rondo, who also played with the franchise, according to Charania.
The Lakers pivoted back to Redick after UConn’s Dan Hurley declined a reported six-year, $70-million contract to take over as coach and leave the back-to-back NCAA title-winning program. Before the offer to Hurley, Redick was seen as L.A.’s top choice.
His role on ESPN’s top broadcasting team ended after the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship on Monday.
Redick is the sixth coach in the league to be hired without any prior experience as an assistant or head coach in the NBA, college, or international since 2010, according to ESPN’s Matt Williams. He interviewed with the Toronto Raptors last year for their vacancy and vied for a coaching role with the Charlotte Hornets this season. He was also viewed as a candidate for the openings with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.
The highly-decorated Duke star averaged 12.8 points, two rebounds, and two assists over a 15-year playing career in the NBA, mostly spent with the Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic. Known for his efficiency beyond the arc, he also knocked down 42% of his shots from deep.
Since retiring, Redick has launched popular podcasts including “The Old Man and the Three” and “Mind the Game” with Lakers star LeBron James, who has a $51.4-million player option for the 2024-25 season.
The Lakers dismissed Darvin Ham in May after two seasons with the franchise. He went 90-74 during his tenure but failed to guide L.A. to the Finals.
REPORT: BULLS PROPOSED UP TO 15 LAVINE TRADES TO TEAMS
It appears the Chicago Bulls are struggling to trade Zach LaVine.
The Bulls have proposed as many as 15 trades centered around the two-time All-Star to various teams, including the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers, sources told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Trading LaVine could potentially give Chicago more cap flexibility, as the 29-year-old has three years and $138 million left on his contract. The 10-year veteran struggled last season, averaging fewer than 20 points for the first time since 2017-18 and missing 57 games due to a foot injury.
The Bulls finished 39-43 and were eliminated in the play-in tournament for the second straight season. They were given the No. 11 pick in next week’s draft.
Chicago will enter luxury-tax territory if it signs its potential first-round pick, veteran DeMar De Rozan, and forward Patrick Williams while keeping LaVine on the roster. Alex Caruso is eligible to sign a four-year, $78.8-million extension in July.
LaVine has averaged 24.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over seven seasons with the Bulls. He was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017 as part of the Jimmy Butler trade.
REPORT: BULLS TRADING CARUSO TO THUNDER FOR GIDDEY
The Chicago Bulls are trading two-time All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for 21-year-old guard Josh Giddey, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Bulls have been looking for another playmaker to replace the oft-injured Lonzo Ball and believe Giddey can fill that role, Wojnarowski added.
Giddey averaged 12.3 points and 4.8 assists in 80 games with OKC last season. He’ll now partner with breakout guard Coby White, who averaged a career-best 19.1 points and 5.1 assists in his fifth season with the Bulls.
According to Wojnarowski, Giddey’s 11 triple-doubles are the fourth most by a player 21 or younger all-time, behind Luka Doncic, Magic Johnson, and Ben Simmons.
Chicago management has to make several major decisions this offseason. Six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan is set to become an unrestricted free agent and could test the open market despite previously saying he wants to return to Chicago.
Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has also been trying to move two-time All-Star Zach LaVine. Chicago has reportedly proposed as many as 15 trades revolving around the 29-year-old, who missed 57 games last season due to a foot injury.
Meanwhile, the Thunder get another defensive stopper next to Luguentz Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC already had the second-best defensive rating in the league – trailing only the Orlando Magic – at 104.5.
Caruso, 30, averaged a career-high 10.1 points while shooting 40.8% from deep last season with Chicago. He was also nominated to his second straight All-Defensive team.
Caruso previously played for Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault as a member of the Oklahoma City Blue in the 2016-17 season.
The undrafted guard has $3 million guaranteed of his $9.9-million salary for next season, while Giddey has a cap hit of $8.3 million and is rookie-extension eligible until late October, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The Thunder made the deal hoping they could ink Caruso to a four-year deal worth approximately $80 million when he becomes extension-eligible in six months, according to Wojnarowski.
REPORTS: MALIK MONK STAYING WITH KINGS ON 4-YEAR DEAL
Malik Monk is set to sign a four-year, $78 million deal to stay with the Sacramento Kings, ESPN and The Athletic reported Thursday night.
The pending deal, which features a player option, would take Monk, 26, off the free agent market. The amount is the maximum Sacramento could offer him. Monk plans to sign the contract on July 6, according to ESPN, the first date new deals can be finalized.
The runner-up for NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, Monk scored the most points and dished out the most assists among all bench players. He averaged career highs in points (15.4) and assists (5.1) over 72 games before a knee injury sidelined him for the Kings’ final nine regular-season games and the team’s two games in the play-in tournament.
Monk has blossomed out west after four underwhelming seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, who drafted the guard 11th overall out of Kentucky in 2017.
He enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021-22 season, when made 37 starts after notching just one with Charlotte.
In his only season with Los Angeles, Monk shot 47.3 percent from the floor and averaged 28.1 minutes per game, both of which remain his career bests. He signed a two-year, $19 million contract with Sacramento in July 2022.
Monk has averaged 14.4 points and 4.5 assists in his first two seasons with the Kings, and he appeared in the playoffs for the first time in 2022-23.
WNBA NEWS
SABRINA IONESCU, JONQUEL JONES LIFT LIBERTY OVER SPARKS
Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones combined for 53 points while leading the New York Liberty to a 93-80 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.
Ionescu buried a season-best six 3-pointers to fuel her season-high total of 31 points for the Liberty (13-3). She also handed out a game-high assists.
Jones logged 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds before fouling out as New York won for the ninth time in the past 10 games.
Breanna Stewart added 17 points for the Liberty after starting the night 0-for-6 from the floor, and Ivana Dojkic scored a season-high 12.
The Sparks (4-12) dropped their fifth game in a row. Los Angeles’ Aari McDonald had 15 points, Zia Cooke scored 13 and Rae Burrell chipped in 11 for.
Ionescu sank a 3-pointer with 2:29 to play in the third quarter, stretching the Liberty’s lead to 66-54. Moments later, Jones knocked down a trey to put the hosts up by 15.
The visitors trailed 73-56 after three but got within 78-73 with 6:10 to play in the game on two free throws by Layshia Clarendon.
Stewart followed with a 3-pointer, and the lead never dipped below six points the rest of the way.
The Sparks were playing without star rookie Cameron Brink, who tore her left anterior cruciate ligament in a 79-70 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. Brink was averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game.
Still, Los Angeles came out ready to compete, especially Kia Nurse, who staked the Sparks to a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes on the strength of a jumper and a 3-pointer.
The Liberty soon got on track, tying the game at 14-14 on a 3-pointer from up top by Ionescu before taking their first lead at 16-14 on a jumper in the paint by Kayla Thornton.
New York led 19-17 at the end of the period, and the score remained close in the second quarter, which featured five ties and four lead changes.
The final lead change of the half belonged to the Liberty as Ionescu made a nice pass to Jones, who cut inside and sank a layup for a 35-33 lead with 2:42 remaining.
The Liberty were up 43-36 at the half.
ANGEL REESE, SKY TOO STRONG FOR REELING WINGS
Angel Reese recorded 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds and the host Chicago Sky handed the Dallas Wings their ninth consecutive loss, prevailing 83-72 on Thursday afternoon.
The Sky (5-9) used Reese’s seventh straight double-double and contributions from the starting backcourt to end a four-game slide of their own. Marina Mabrey had 19 points and Chennedy Carter, in her second game in the starting lineup, also scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting.
Arike Ogunbowale returned from a one-game injury absence to lead Dallas (3-11) with 31 points, 17 coming in the fourth quarter on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Despite Ogunbowale’s outburst, the Wings shot just 35.4 percent from the field and lost 16 turnovers. Natasha Howard scored 13 points off the bench.
Dallas trailed 59-39 to begin the fourth quarter but slowly started clawing back. Ogunbowale’s second-chance triple cut the Wings’ deficit to 15 with 7:16 to play. Then she drilled 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to pull Dallas within 69-59 with 4:09 to go.
But the Wings missed their next three shots, and Reese found Kamilla Cardoso for a layup with 2:30 remaining. The Sky had the game basically out of reach before Ogunbowale made her fifth 3-pointer of the quarter and Jacy Sheldon hit one to briefly cut Dallas’ deficit to single digits.
Dana Evans went 6-for-6 at the foul line over the final 1:32 to help the Sky ice the game. Evans finished with 12 points.
During a 13-2 second-quarter run for the Sky, Reese scored six straight points, then Mabrey made a 3-pointer and assisted Carter on back-to-back buckets. The latter was a fastbreak alley-oop, with Carter catching the pass in the air and laying it in in one swoop for a 38-23 lead.
Cardoso and Carter made layups in the final minute to put Chicago up 42-25 at halftime. Carter shot 7-for-7 for 15 points in the half.
Chicago earned its first 20-point margin of the game midway through the third quarter when another bucket by Reese made it 55-35.
Cardoso finished the day with nine points and 11 boards for the Sky.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
NCAA PRESENTS OPTIONS TO EXPAND MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENTS FROM CURRENT 68 TEAMS, AP SOURCE SAYS
The NCAA has presented a plan to Division I conference commissioners that would expand the lucrative men’s and women’s basketball tournaments by four or eight teams alongside an option to leave each field at 68 teams, according to a person familiar with the details.
The proposals were outlined to the commissioners this week by NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt and NCAA Vice President for Women’s Basketball Lynn Holzman, the person told The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because no official announcements have been made. The news was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
Under the proposal, expansion of the 68-team field included both four- and eight-team models. The NCAA would keep its 64-team bracket but would add play-in games involving the 10 through 12 seeds.
If the men’s tournament were to expand it is expected the women’s tourney would as well.
There are many in college basketball who have said they believe the 68-team fields and three weekends of play are ideal but pressure has grown to add teams and games to one of the most popular sports events on the U.S. calendar. Last year, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved recommendations that included allowing one quarter of teams in larger sports to compete in championship events; in that scenario, March Madness tourneys could expand to nearly 90 teams.
The NCAA is currently in the midst of an eight-year extension of its TV deal for the men’s tournament worth $8.8 billion that runs through 2032. That would not be expected to change if a handful of teams are added.
More games would provide a small boost through ticket sales and merchandise, but the pool of money the NCAA uses to pay out conferences and member schools would essentially stay the same. What could change, however, is how that money would be divided up if the tournament broadens.
Expansion would also mean the men’s tournament would have to find an additional site besides Dayton for its First Four games. The Ohio city already has games on Tuesday and Wednesday and wouldn’t be able to host additional play-in games ahead of the tourney’s traditional first-round opening on Thursday. Women’s play-in games are at the same campus sites as the first two rounds of the tournament.
Expansion is largely backed by larger conferences and smaller leagues do not want to lose the automatic bids that come with a conference tournament championship or face the prospect of always being slotted for the play-in games.
The earliest the NCAA Tournament could expand would be the 2025-26 season, the person told AP. The NCAA basketball oversight committee meets next week and the tournament selection committee has a meeting next month.
The men’s tournament last expanded in 2011 when it went from 64 to 68 teams. The women’s tournament matched that in 2022.
The women’s tournament is coming off its most successful year ever that included a record audience of 18.7 million for the title game win by South Carolina over Iowa, the highest for a basketball broadcast of any kind in five years. It outdrew the men’s championship game — UConn winning its second consecutive title with a win over Purdue — by nearly 3 million viewers. The women’s tournament also had record attendance.
BASEBALL NEWS
DODGERS PITCHER CLAYTON KERSHAW SAYS HIS ‘STUFF’S GOOD’ AFTER MAKING FIRST REHAB START
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw took another step in his comeback from left shoulder surgery, throwing three innings in his first rehab start.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner allowed one run and two hits, struck out five and walked one on a pitch-clock violation at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday night. He threw 37 pitches in front of a sellout crowd at LoanMart Field.
“I checked all the boxes,” Kershaw said. “It was fun to get back out there. As long as everything comes out fine, I think I’m on for the next one. Stuff’s OK. It’s getting better, so hopeful that over time you start working more on pitching and less about health and get ready to go.”
Kershaw’s pitches registered mostly 88-90 mph.
He is expected to make a few more rehab starts before rejoining the Dodgers.
The rotation has been rocked recently. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is out indefinitely after going on the injured list with a strained rotator cuff. Walker Buehler, who is coming off a second Tommy John surgery, joined him on Wednesday after taking a line drive to his right hip a day earlier at Colorado.
Kershaw underwent surgery in November, a month after his disastrous start in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he left having gotten just one out. The Dodgers were swept in the series.
MLB ROUNDUP: CARDS TOP GIANTS AMID WILLIE MAYS TRIBUTE
Brendan Donovan hit a two-run homer and an RBI single to propel the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala., as Major League Baseball paid tribute to the Negro Leagues.
The contest, played at historic Rickwood Field, wound up serving as a memorial for Giants legend Willie Mays. The Alabama native died Tuesday at age 93.
Donovan finished with three hits, Nolan Gorman drove in two runs and Alec Burleson had two hits and three runs for the Cardinals, who won for the sixth time in nine games.
Heliot Ramos hit a three-run homer for the Giants, who lost their third consecutive game.
Diamondbacks 5, Nationals 2
Christian Walker hit his 17th home run, Ryne Nelson pitched seven strong innings and Arizona beat host Washington.
Jake McCarthy had three hits, stole two bases and scored twice, and Randal Grichuk had a two-run double among his two hits as the Diamondbacks won the decisive game of the three-game series. Nelson (5-5) allowed two runs on three hits, and Paul Sewald pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker homered for the Nationals. Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (6-6) gave up four runs on 10 hits in five innings.
Guardians 6, Mariners 3
Andres Gimenez’s two-out, two-run go-ahead homer highlighted a three-run fifth inning, and Will Brennan went deep twice as Cleveland beat visiting Seattle.
Brennan clubbed solo homers in the second and eighth, and the Guardians’ Steven Kwan extended his hitting streak to 14 games and his on-base streak to 25 straight.
Logan Allen (8-3) yielded three runs in six innings for the Guardians, who took the final two of this three-game set after losing three in a row. Luis Castillo (6-8) allowed five runs in five innings for the Mariners, who had just five hits.
Rays 7, Twins 6 (10 innings)
Jonny DeLuca hit a go-ahead single in the top of the 10th inning and Tampa Bay held on for a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Yandy Diaz went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run home run for Tampa Bay, which won twice in the three-game series. Jose Siri went 2-for-5 with a solo homer.
Jose Miranda hit a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth for the Twins to tie the game. Royce Lewis and Carlos Santana each hit a solo homer.
Astros 5, White Sox 3
Yordan Alvarez went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, sparking visiting Houston to a win over Chicago.
Alex Bregman also tallied three hits for Houston, which took two of three from Chicago.
Houston reliever Tayler Scott (3-2) got the win. White Sox starter Chris Flexen threw six innings of one-run ball before Steven Wilson (1-4) took the loss.
Dodgers 5, Rockies 3
Will Smith and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Los Angeles beat host Colorado.
Teoscar Hernandez had three hits and Evan Phillips pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his 12th save for the Dodgers, who took three of four in the series. Ryan McMahon homered among his two hits and Jake Cave had two hits and drove in two for the Rockies.
Los Angeles’ Gavin Stone (8-2) gave up two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Colorado’s Ty Blach (3-5) allowed five runs on 10 hits over four innings.
Royals 3, Athletics 2
Freddy Fermin hit two home runs, Bobby Witt Jr. broke an eighth-inning tie with a long ball and Kansas City avoided a three-game sweep at Oakland.
Fermin had three of the Royals’ seven hits as Kansas City snapped a three-game skid. Seeking his 11th win, Seth Lugo took a 2-0 lead into the seventh before Zack Gelof homered for the third straight day, a two-out, two-run shot that drew the A’s even.
Lugo was charged with two runs in 6 2/3 innings, while A’s starter Mitch Spence allowed two runs in six innings. James McArthur (4-3) got the win over Vinny Nittoli (0-1), and Chris Stratton got the final two outs for his fourth save.
Orioles 17, Yankees 5
Cedric Mullins hit a two-run home run to spark a six-run second inning as Baltimore rolled past host New York.
Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn each drove in four runs while Anthony Santander and Austin Hays also went deep for the Orioles, who set season highs for runs and hits (19).
The Yankees got home runs from Aaron Judge, back after missing a day with a sore hand, and Gleyber Torres. Judge also had an RBI single. Torres was pulled after the fifth due to right groin tightness. Luis Gil (9-2) allowed seven runs in a career-low 1 1/3 innings.
NFL NEWS
REPORT: PATRIOTS SIGNING RB STEVENSON TO 4-YEAR, $36M EXTENSION
The New England Patriots are signing running back Rhamondre Stevenson to a four-year, $36-million extension that includes $17 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Stevenson will receive $8 million as a signing bonus, and his new contract includes $12 million in incentives for posting at least 1,400 yards and earning Pro Bowl or All-Pro nods, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Patriots had been negotiating a new deal with their top running back for weeks, and Stevenson said June 10 that the two sides were “pretty close” to an extension.
The 26-year-old topped 1,000 yards for the first time in 2022 but wasn’t able to replicate that success last year as injuries limited him to 12 games. He finished 2023 with 857 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns, respectively ranking second and third on the team.
A fourth-round pick in 2021, Stevenson has rushed for 2,265 yards (4.5 per carry) and 14 touchdowns in 41 NFL appearances. He’s also caught 121 passes for 782 yards and one score.
JAGUARS QB TREVOR LAWRENCE SIGNS $275M CONTRACT
Trevor Lawrence signed a five-year contract extension on Thursday to make official his deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars worth a reported $275 million with $200 million guaranteed.
“We signed our name on the thing — so it’s official,” Lawrence said after putting pen to paper on his contract along with his wife, Marissa. “Believe it or not, it’s a lot of pages to read through. It’s a lot of paperwork.”
Lawrence was entering the final year of his contract before the agreement with the potential of the franchise tag or free agency looming. Lawrence said he didn’t give any consideration to moving on from the Jaguars.
“The direction we’re heading on the football side, that makes it obviously a no-brainer for us,” Lawrence said Thursday. “We’re headed in the right direction. I want to be the quarterback here. I want to bring a championship to Jacksonville. That’s my goal. I really know that we can accomplish that.”
The deal pays Lawrence $55 million per season, tying Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals for the highest average annual value among NFL quarterbacks.
Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, would have played the 2024 season for $5.6 million on his rookie deal if no long-term deal had been reached.
The year Lawrence was drafted, only three NFL quarterbacks made at least $40 million per season — and Patrick Mahomes’ $43 million AAV with the Chiefs was tops in the league.
Lawrence, 24, made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and is 20-30 as a starter, passing for 11,770 yards with 58 touchdowns and 39 interceptions through three seasons. He has rushed for 964 yards and 11 scores.
He threw for 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 16 games in 2023, missing one game due to injury. The Jaguars missed the playoffs despite an 8-3 start to the season.
JAGUARS SIGN VETERAN WR DENZEL MIMS
The Jacksonville Jaguars signed veteran wide receiver Denzel Mims to a contract on Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not announced by the Jaguars for Mims, who was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday.
Mims was signed by the Steelers on Oct. 3 and placed on their practice squad. He remained there throughout the rest of the season and signed a reserve/futures deal on Jan. 17.
Mims, 26, totaled 42 catches for 676 yards and no touchdowns in 30 career games (15 starts) with the New York Jets from 2020-22. He was selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Baylor and traded to the Detroit Lions last July before being waived one month later.
In Jacksonville, Mims will have to fight for a roster spot in a receivers room that includes Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk, Devin Duvernay and rookie Brian Thomas Jr.
Also on Thursday, the Jaguars waived wide receiver Kyric McGowan.
McGowan, 24, signed with the Jaguars last Friday. He played in two games with the Washington Commanders in 2022.
REPORT: SAINTS SIGNING FREE AGENT S RODERIC TEAMER
The New Orleans Saints are signing free agent safety Roderic Teamer on Thursday, multiple media outlets reported.
It’s a homecoming for Teamer, a New Orleans native who also played college football there at Tulane.
Teamer, 27, spent the past three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders after breaking into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019.
Teamer has recorded 103 tackles with one sack and one interception in 40 games (11 starts).
BROWNS DE LONNIE PHELPS WAIVED AFTER CRASHING CAR INTO RESTAURANT
The Cleveland Browns waived defensive end Lonnie Phelps on Thursday, one day after police said he crashed his SUV into a Florida restaurant.
Phelps faces charges of drunken driving and damaging property following the incident at the Red Shoe Island Bistro in Key West.
Phelps, 23, was taken into custody after refusing to cooperate with officers, according to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office report obtained by Cleveland.com.
Photographs reportedly from the scene were posted online by TMZ Sports and showed a vehicle wedged into the side of the restaurant. Reports estimated the damages at $300,000.
Phelps signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent in May 2023 and he spent last season on their practice squad. Cleveland signed him to a reserve/future contract in January.
Phelps played college football at Miami (Ohio) from 2019-21 and at Kansas in 2022. He recorded 23 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss in 41 games.
NHL NEWS
KNIGHTS F ANTHONY MANTHA TO HIT FREE AGENT MARKET
Forward Anthony Mantha said the Vegas Golden Knights informed him he won’t be re-signed, according to TSN.
Instead, he will enter free agency after playing out the four-year, $22.8 million contract he signed in 2020.
The Golden Knights acquired Mantha from the Washington Capitals at the 2024 trade deadline.
He tallied 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 18 games with Vegas after posting 34 points (20 goals, 14 assists) in 56 games for Washington in 2023-24.
Mantha, who turns 30 in September, has notched 296 points (142 goals, 154 assists) in 494 games with the Detroit Red Wings, Capitals and Golden Knights. Detroit drafted the Quebec native in the first round (20th overall) in 2013.
BLACKHAWKS RE-SIGN F COLE GUTTMAN TO ONE-YEAR DEAL
The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed center Cole Guttman to a one-year, two-way contract for $775,000 on Thursday.
Guttman, 25, recorded four goals and four assists in 27 games for the Blackhawks in 2023-24. He added 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 39 games with Rockford of the American Hockey League.
Originally a sixth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017, Guttman made his NHL debut with Chicago in 2022-23 and collected four goals and two assists in 14 games.
PENGUINS RE-SIGN G ALEX NEDELJKOVIC TO TWO-YEAR CONTRACT
The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic through the 2025-26 season, the team announced Thursday.
The contract averages a value of $2.5 million for each of the two seasons.
Nedeljkovic, 28, was 18-7-7 in 38 games (33 starts) with a .902 save percentage, 2.97 goals-against average and one shutout in his first season with Pittsburgh. His career-best 10-game point streak made him the 11th goalie in Penguins history to accomplish that feat.
In parts of seven seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes (2016-17, 2018-21), Detroit Red Wings (2021-23) and Penguins, Nedeljkovic is 60-45-22 with a .906 save percentage, 2.96 GAA and eight shutouts in the regular season.
He played in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games, going 4-5-0 with a .920 save percentage and 2.17 GAA for Carolina in the 2020-21 season, when he was a first-team selection to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
GOLF NEWS
JON RAHM EAGER TO PLAY AGAIN AFTER FOOT INFECTION KEPT HIM OUT OF THE U.S. OPEN
COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Jon Rahm is ready to stop watching TV and get back to playing golf.
The Spaniard withdrew from LIV Golf’s last event six holes into the second round in Houston, then pulled out of the U.S. Open last week two days before his tee time because of an infection between toes on his left foot.
The infection has subsided enough to be manageable, so Rahm is back for LIV Golf’s inaugural event in Tennessee starting Friday. Now he resumes his pursuit of his first win since moving to Saudi-funded LIV Golf last December and first anywhere in the world since the 2023 Masters.
“I feel ready to walk and hit it,” Rahm said. “I haven’t been able to do much. It doesn’t take much for me to feel ready to compete. Looking forward to it. Just happy that I’m here.”
Rahm ranks second to Chile’s Joaquin Niemann in the LIV standings thanks to finishing in the top 10 in each of the tour’s first seven events. His team also is second with U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau’s team atop the standings with five events remaining before the team championship in Dallas.
LIV Golf’s next event will be on Rahm’s home turf at Andalucia, Spain, starting July 12. That begins a hectic stretch including the British Open, LIV Golf United Kingdom and the Olympics. Rahm is among six LIV Golf players set to compete in the Paris Games and is eager to win a medal for Spain.
First, the man with 20 career wins has to swing a club again. The three-day event is being played on a course designed by LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman, which opened in 2012 and will play as a par 71 over 7,267 yards.
“Since I haven’t done as much as I would have liked at home, I probably need to make a few extra swings on the range and maybe on the course just to try to get my body up to speed as soon as possible,” Rahm said.
Not letting go
DeChambeau will have to put the U.S. Open trophy down long enough to try and win his first individual LIV title this season. He won twice last year with his team winning the 2023 championship. This season, his best LIV Golf finish was fourth in March in Saudi Arabia.
He just won his second U.S. Open after finishing as runner-up at the PGA Championship in May. DeChambeau has been carrying the U.S. Open trophy around with him since winning at Pinehurst No. 2, including a Wednesday night party in Nashville’s honky tonk district.
“I’m here to go play the best golf I can and inspire others and give people some great entertainment,” DeChambeau said.
Close to home
Caleb Surratt is as close as he could get to home at this inaugural event. Born in North Carolina, he played at the University of Tennessee, where he won the 2023 Southeastern Conference title. He still has a home in Knoxville despite turning pro.
That’s why he has lots of friends asking for tickets in what feels like a home game.
Surratt also is LIV Golf’s youngest player at the age of 20, keeping him out of those famed honky tonks.
“I can’t get in anywhere, so it’s not really on my radar, no,” Surratt said.
TOM KIM, ON BRINK OF 22, SHOOTS 62 TO LEAD TRAVELERS
Tom Kim of South Korea birdied his final two holes to break away from the pack and secure the first-round lead at the Travelers Championship on Thursday in Cromwell, Conn.
One day shy of his 22nd birthday, Kim posted an 8-under 62 at TPC River Highlands to build a two-shot cushion over Rickie Fowler, Will Zalatoris, Akshay Bhatia and Kurt Kitayama.
Scottie Scheffler was part of a tie at 5-under 65. The World No. 1 credited a tweak in his swing mechanics for helping him get back on track; Thursday ended a six-round streak of failing to break 70.
As for Kim, five of his birdies came on the back nine, including a 16-foot putt at the par-4 10th hole and a 2 1/2-footer following a terrific approach at the par-4 12th. He punctuated his round by converting birdie putts from 14 and 7 feet, respectively.
Already a three-time winner on tour, Kim is looking for his first win at a signature event. The Travelers is the tour’s last signature event of the regular season, with $20 million in prize money on offer and no 36-hole cut coming Friday.
Defending champion Keegan Bradley opened with a 1-under 69.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER FIXES SWING, FIRES 65 AT TRAVELERS
Scottie Scheffler fired a 5-under 65 in the opening round of the Travelers Championship and was not far off the lead when he signed his scorecard on Thursday at TPC River Highlands.
For his 28th birthday on Friday, Scheffler hopes to build on matching his best first-round score this season by celebrating the 36-hole lead. But he’ll be pursuing another birthday boy Friday, 21-year-old Tom Kim, who wrapped up a 62 in the first round to assume the top spot on the leaderboard.
Scheffler, shooting for his sixth win this season, credited minor swing maintenance for getting him back on track after falling out of contention at the U.S. Open last week.
“I feel like I hit it nice,” Scheffler said Thursday after four birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the opening 18. “Found some stuff in my swing at the beginning of the week, and definitely feel like I’m swinging a lot better than I did last week.”
Nobody is swinging it better than Scheffler on the PGA Tour in 2024. The new dad and 11-time tour winner said he found a grip adjustment this week that helped him get back in the groove and post his first round in the 60s since the Memorial Tournament. The Thursday 65 ends a run of six rounds in the 70s in a row.
“It’s kind of hard to explain, to be honest with you,” Scheffler said. “But just really getting better feel coming at the top of my swing, making sure my grip’s kind of in the right position.”
Scheffler finished tied for fourth here in 2023 — in the midst of a run of seven consecutive top-5 finishes — with 63s in the first and third rounds and a cumulative score of 19 under.
His opening-round 65 on Thursday matches his best score in the first round this year (March 28, Houston Open).
He was in a tie at 2 under when he came to the par-5 13th, where he ripped a 3-wood from a fairway lie to within 8 feet and rolled in the eagle putt. He then followed that with his fourth birdie of the day on the par-4 14th.
“I hit two really great shots in there to give myself a look, and then I got a nice read off (playing partner Max Homa’s) putt and was able to knock that in,” Scheffler said.
LEXI THOMPSON TAKES LEAD AT WOMEN’S PGA
Lexi Thompson, 10 years removed from her lone major championship, jumped to the lead in the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Thursday in Sammamish, Wash.
Thompson shot a 4-under-par 68 at Sahalee Country Club to sit one stroke ahead of world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit.
Caroline Inglis, Allisen Corpuz, Japan’s Hinako Shibuno and Akie Iwai, Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom, South Korea’s Amy Yang, Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, England’s Charley Hull, Ireland’s Leona Maguire and France’s Celine Boutier all shot 70.
A number of other players were still on the course.
Thompson, 29, last won an LPGA tournament in 2019. Her only major title came at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
She began her Thursday round with three birdies in a row. The rest of the way, she had three more birdies and two bogeys.
Korda, 25, is looking for her seventh victory of the year and her second major title of the season. She claimed the Chevron Championship in April to win her fifth consecutive event, tying the all-time LPGA record.
Starting on the back nine, Korda had a birdie and a bogey before she ran off three consecutive birdies at Nos. 13-15, leaving her 3 under par at the turn. She followed a birdie at No. 3 with a double bogey on the par-4 fourth hole, then closed with a birdie at the par-3 ninth hole.
“Overall, played pretty well,” Korda said. “I think I just had one bogey and one double, which you kind of — if you try to be aggressive when you’ve hit it off line, it just bites you in the butt. So I did on that hole.”
Korda added, “This golf course is really hard enough, and you … even though you have a game plan and you’re on the tee box, you see, visualize your shot, sometimes you’re going to get a bad bounce or hit the shot the way you’re visualizing. You just got to adapt.”
Tavatanakit turned in a bogey-free round that featured birdies to start the front nine and back nine.
“Surprised myself to be able to do that,” Tavatanakit said of avoiding bogeys. “This course has its teeth for sure. I feel like you hit good drives, and a couple of drives I hit really good today and I ended up getting blocked by the trees. So yeah, just got to take it shot by shot and just play what’s in front of you.”
Defending champion Ruoning Yin of China is tied for 14th after a 71.
US SWIM TRIALS
DOUBLE SWIM-OFF STEALS SPOTLIGHT AT U.S. TRIALS
At an event where everyone aims for a top-two finish and a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, a pair of swimmers battling for eighth place stole the show at the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials in Indianapolis on Thursday.
In the men’s 50-meter freestyle semifinals, Adam Chaney and Jonny Kulow (each racing in a different semifinal) touched the wall in 21.89 seconds. That was good enough for a tie for the eighth — and final — spot in the final on Friday. Because nine swimmers cannot advance, Chaney and Kulow were forced to a swim-off, a match race for that final spot, held at the completion of the night’s scheduled events.
The only problem? When the swim-off was over, the scoreboard showed a time of 21.79 seconds for Chaney. And 21.79 for Kulow. So the two had to do a second swim-off. Chaney’s 21.81 was nearly two-tenths of a second better than Kulow’s 21.99, sending the University of Florida senior to the 50 final.
“Probably the most nervous I’ve ever been, I can feel it,” Chaney said after advancing. “… You’ve just got to experience it to understand. I don’t know if anybody else has ever done that. I’m glad (the fans stayed to) watch. It definitely helped.”
Chaney finished fifth in the 50 at the 2021 trials.
Earlier Thursday, Regan Smith — who broke the women’s 100 backstroke world record to earn a trip to Paris on Tuesday — won her second event at the trials with a 2:05.70 in the women’s 200 butterfly.
Her time was 0.99 seconds better than runner-up and fellow Paris qualifier Alex Shackell, a 17-year-old whose 19-year-old brother Aaron Shackell won the men’s 400 free on Saturday.
In the women’s 200 breaststroke, Kate Douglass held off Lilly King by 2.47 seconds to win in 2:19.46. It was Douglass’ second victory in as many nights as she took first in the 100 freestyle on Wednesday. The runner-up finish meant King is swimming multiple events in Paris, as well, as she won the 100 breaststroke on Monday.
Ryan Murphy won the men’s 200 backstroke in 1:54.33 to become the first swimmer in history to win both the men’s 100 and 200 backstroke final in three consecutive U.S. trials.
“There are a lot of guys who (came) before me. I have posters of them on my wall,” Murphy told NBC Sports after the event. “To be in a different conversation as them — I’m never gonna view myself as better than them. There’s definitely more work to do. I’ll take this one and be happy about it.”
Keaton Jones will join Murphy in Paris after finishing second in 1:54.61.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
INDY ELEVEN WOMEN
GIRLS IN BLUE FINISH SEASON SERIES AGAINST KINGS HAMMER FC
Indy Eleven vs. Kings Hammer FC
Friday, June 21, 2024 – 7 p.m. ET
Scudamore Stadium | Highland Heights, Ky.
FOLLOW LIVE
Live Stream
In-game Updates
2024 USL W LEAGUE RECORDS
Kings Hammer FC: 4-2-1, 13 pts (+4), 2nd in Valley Division
Indy Eleven: 7-0-1, 22 pts (+29), 1st in Valley Division
SETTING THE SCENE
Indy Eleven will battle Kings Hammer FC on Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m. The Girls in Blue claimed another road victory in their most recent match, defeating Lexington SC 2-0. Securing the goals for Indy Eleven were Sam Dewey and Ella Rogers. Last time out, Kings Hammer FC beat Racing Louisville FC 1-0.
SERIES VS. KINGS HAMMER FC
The Girls in Blue lead Kings Hammer FC with the all-time series record of 4-0-2. Indy Eleven has outscored Kings Hammer FC 13-5. The two previous matches this season resulted in a 1-0 victory for Indy Eleven and a 3-3 draw. This campaign, Natalie Mitchell has scored two goals against Kings Hammer FC with Addie Chester and Norah Jacomen each contributing their own goal.
RECENT MEETINGS
June 12, 2024 | W, 1-0
May 20, 2024 | D, 3-3
June 18, 2023 | W, 4-0
May 24, 2023 | W, 1-0
June 14, 2022 | D, 1-1
May 6, 2022 | W, 3-1
TEAM NOTES
- For most goals scored, Captain Ella Rogers leads the team with six goals this season.
- Rogers and Natalie Mitchell are tied for most points this season, earning 13 points each.
- This campaign, the Girls in Blue have earned five clean sheets.
- Indy Eleven has scored 35 goals over eight games, only allowing six goals against.
- Beginning on June 18, 2023, the Girls in Blue have a 15-game unbeaten streak.
Player | # of Goals |
Ella Rogers | 6 |
Natalie Mitchell | 5 |
Norah Jacomen | 4 |
Katie Soderstrom | 4 |
Amelia White | 4 |
2024 Season Goal Leaders
Player | # of Assists |
Natalie Mitchell | 3 |
Katie Soderstrom | 3 |
Emma Pelkowski | 2 |
Amelia White | 2 |
2024 Season Assist Leaders
Player | # of Minutes Played |
Ella Rogers | 528 |
Emma Pelkowski | 490 |
Addie Chester | 466 |
Lizzie Sexton | 408 |
Karsyn Cherry | 408 |
2024 Season Minutes Played
LAST TIME OUT
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Tuesday, June 18, 2024) – Indy Eleven went on the road and defeated Lexington SC, 2-0, in its first of three road matches to close the 2024 regular season.
Indy moves to 7-0-1 with the victory and sits atop the USL W League Valley Division with 22 points and a plus-29 goal differential with only two matches to play. Overall, Indy is riding a 15-match unbeaten streak dating back to June 18, 2023.The first half belonged to the visitors as Sam Dewey got Indy Eleven on the board just five minutes into the match. A Grace Bahr corner found its way off the inside of the far post and a deflected off a Lexington defender, which left the ball at the feet of Dewy for the early lead. The goal was Dewey’s second of the season in three matches played.The Girls in Blue have now scored first in seven of eight games this season.
Indy’s captain and leading scorer Ella Rogers doubled the lead for the Girls in Blue in the 51st minute off a shot from the top of the 18 by way of an Addie Chester assist. The tally was number six for Rogers, while the assist was the first for Chester.
The shutout is the third of the season in four matches for Nona Reason and fifth overall for Indy.
USL W League Regular Season
Lexington SC 0:2 Indy Eleven
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 – 6 p.m. ET
Scoring Summary
IND – Sam Dewey 5’
IND – Ella Rogers (Addie Chester) 51’
Discipline Summary
LEX – Leslie Kiesling (caution) 87’
Indy Eleven line-up: Nona Reason, Jenna Chatterton, Hadley Snyder (Lauren Adam 76′), Karsyn Cherry (Alia Martin 66’), Grace Bahr, Abby Unkraut, Emma Pelkowski (Ameile Darey 66’), Ella Rogers (captain) (Olivia Smith 76’), Sam Dewey (Bri Buels 71’), Norah Jacomen (Nyota Katembo 71’), Addie Chester
Indy subs: Kate Phillips
INDIANA FEVER
BOSTON FINDING HER GROOVE, KEYING FEVER’S SUCCESS
By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com
Aliyah Boston, the WNBA’s most recent Eastern Conference Player of the Week, has found her groove.
The reigning Rookie of the Year and 2023 WNBA All-Star starter had a tough start to the season after leading the league in field goal percentage as a rookie. Her numbers dropped from 57.8 percent of her shots finding the bottom of the net last season to 43 percent through the first 10 games of the 2024 season as the Fever played a historically difficult schedule.
But that didn’t stop Boston from supporting her team in different ways.
“I’m just focusing on showing up each and every day,” Boston said. “Just continue to do what the team needs and I think it’s going to fall…It’s been a rough start but [I’m] blessed that we have more games to go.”
The Fever are 4-2 in their last six games, and Boston’s field goal percentage in those contests is up to 55 percent – a 12 percent improvement from the first 10 contests of the season. Boston is putting up 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game for Indiana and she’s one of the WNBA’s top-13 rebounders and shot blockers per contest.
Boston’s commitment to her team and perseverance through the rocky start to her sophomore season led into a remarkable turnaround in her last few games. Over Indiana’s last four games, Boston is averaging 20.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Not only this, but Boston connected on 60.7 percent of her shots in those same four games.
Indiana’s latest outing – a win against Washington on Wednesday – saw Boston hit eight of her 11 shot attempts, good for a 72.7 percent shooting night. She continues to gel with rookie Caitlin Clark, and hopes to perfect the pick-and-roll game alongside her new point guard.
“Caitlin does a great job of finding me,” Boston said. “…I think that’s something that we just continue to build over games and practices and just continue to get a feel for each other. I’m super excited for where it’s at now.”
That connection between teammates has helped Boston seize confidence in Indiana’s recent matchups, and she shows no indication of slowing down.
“[I’m] just really happy with where she is and what she’s done our last few games,” coach Christie Sides said. “She’s been confident…and she’s taking ownership. And that’s what I need her to do.”
Though Boston’s 47.7 percent season success rate from the field is low by her own standards, she still finds herself 18th in the league by that mark.
Boston hopes to roll her recent on-court success into a return to the WNBA All-Star roster that will take on Team USA in July. If her latest numbers are any indication of the rest of the month of June, she deserves to take the court in Phoenix.
“When she (Boston) wasn’t playing well, she just was more concerned that she was letting the team down,” Sides said. “And so she just got in the gym…She went into business mode. And she’s just been business-like and doing what this team needs. She’s been a focal point. She’s knocking down shots, she’s shooting a high percentage.”
Boston is contributing on the defensive end too, as she leads the Fever in blocks per game with 1.2 nightly stuffs. Her ability to protect the rim lands Indiana at fifth in the WNBA in blocks per game – a mark the Fever hope to maintain as they ramp up defensive intensity.
Boston looks to extend her stretch of success on Friday as the Fever travel to Atlanta to take on the Dream. If she continues to produce with a business-like swagger, Boston should find herself suiting up against Team USA in July.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
HANNAH HABERSTROH SIGNS WITH INDIANA SOFTBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Softball head coach Shonda Stanton has announced the signing of incoming freshman Hannah Haberstroh.
Haberstroh, will represent her home state as a Hoosier. She is a Greenwood, Ind. native and is a recent graduate of Center Grove High School.
She will join seven other incoming freshmen including Jenae Berry, Josie Bird, Sydni Burko, Peyton Drummond, Alli Gavin, Jasmine Reyes and Madalyn Strader.
She is one of three in-state recruits in the 2024 cycle, along with Drummond and Gavin.
At Center Grove, she had a standout career. She was a .490 career hitter with 180 hits, 144 runs scored, 64 RBI, 22 doubles and three triples.
In her senior year, she hit .542 at the plate and drove in 25 runs while leading the team to a semi-state appearance in the IHSAA State Tournament.
As a junior, she set the single-season school record for stolen bases with 30 and had 94 for her career. In her senior year,
She primarily played in the outfield and was a three-time All-State selection and two-time county player of the year.
PURDUE TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK & FIELD HEAD COACH NORBERT ELLIOTT TO RETIRE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After a decorated 35-year coaching career, Purdue track & field and cross country head coach Norbert Elliott has announced his retirement.
Elliott’s coaching career began at his alma mater, UTEP, in 1989, and continued with stops at Georgia, Murray State, Tennessee and Campbell. He spent the last 12 years at Purdue and served as the program’s head coach since 2018. His Boilermaker tenure includes a Big Ten team title in 2017, the best NCAA cross country team finish in nearly 70 years in 2019 and numerous school records, All-America accolades and top-10 individual finishes nationally.
“First, I want to thank Mike Bobinski for giving me this opportunity,” Elliott said. “Thank you to our sport administrator, Calvin Williams, for his wisdom and guidance, and thank you to the numerous members of our support staff that have been so instrumental in helping our program.
“Of course, I want to thank and recognize the numerous student-athletes that I’ve had an impact in coaching and guiding. I’ve enjoyed my time working with them, and I want to wish them all good luck in their future endeavors. It has been a privilege and honor to be a part of the Purdue track & field and cross country program. I know a bright future is ahead, and I’ll certainly be a Boilermaker for life.”
A two-time Olympian himself, in 1988 and 1992, Elliott coached 12 Olympians throughout his career, including Boilermaker greats Devynne Charlton, Samson Colebrooke and Carmiesha Cox. Elliott has guided eight athletes to individual NCAA titles, and he has an extended list of First Team All-Americans and individual conference champions under his tutelage.
“Norbert Elliott has been a great colleague and positively impacted so many student-athletes during his years as both an assistant and head coach here at Purdue,” said Mike Bobinski, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “The Purdue Athletics family would like to thank Norbert for his unwavering commitment to integrity, student-athlete success, and for the leadership he provided to our track & field and cross country programs over his tenure as a Boilermaker. We all wish him the very best in this next chapter.”
Elliott’s influence also includes a number of his athletes that went on to become coaches. Among them are a pair of Olympic champions, 19-time All-American Debbie Ferguson McKenzie, an assistant at Kentucky, and 110-meter hurdle world record-holder Aries Merritt, an assistant at Brown.
Elliott arrived at Purdue in 2012 as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2015. Prior to being named head coach in 2018, Elliott primarily worked with the Boilermakers’ sprinters, hurdlers, horizontal jumpers and relay teams.
In Elliott’s 12 seasons, the Boilermaker women won a Big Ten title outdoors in 2017, just the third in program history. Since 2012-13, Elliott helped the men’s and women’s track & field teams to 11 top-four finishes indoors and outdoors and 19 top-six finishes. The men’s cross country team added five top-five finishes in six seasons with Elliott as head coach.
On the national stage, top team finishes were highlighted by an eighth-place finish outdoors by the women in 2018, the best in team history. The women also placed in the top-25 indoors in 2014 (T-19th), 2017 (T-14th) and 2018 (T-14th) and outdoors in 2015 (T-20th) and 2017 (T-21st). In 2016, the men were 13th and 15th indoors and outdoors, respectively, along with two more top-25 showings (T-15th, 2016 outdoors and T-18th, 2013 indoors).
Elliott helped guide the men’s cross country team to an 11th-place finish nationally in 2019, its best finish since 1950. The Boilermakers won their first NCAA Regional title as Elliott was named the Great Lakes Region Men’s Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA, the first Purdue coach to earn the accolade since at least 1998. A third consecutive NCAA berth for the cross country men followed in the 2020-21 season, a feat not achieved by Purdue since 1946-50.
Big Ten Athletes of the Year under Elliott’s coaching include Jaret Carpenter, Devynne Charlton and Raheem Mostert. Charlton, an eight-time All-American and now a world record-holder in the 60-meter hurdles, was named the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year three times (indoors in 2017, outdoors in 2017 and 2018) and the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships four times (indoors in 2016 and 2017, outdoors in 2017 and 2018). Mostert, a four-time Big Ten champion in 2014, was the Big Ten Athlete of the Championship both indoors and outdoors in 2014.
Carpenter was named the 2019 Cross Country Athlete of the Year after he placed 10th overall at the national meet, Purdue’s top individual finish since 1949.
In the Purdue record books, Elliott directly led athletes to as many as 40 school records in his time as an assistant and head coach. Several marks broke records that had stood for decades. Countless more top-10 marks in school history were achieved in Elliott’s tenure leading the Old Gold and Black.
Prior to Purdue, Elliott was the head track & field and cross country coach at Campbell in 2011-12, and he was an assistant coach at Tennessee for seven years before that and the head coach at Murray State for two years. His coaching career began in 1989 at UTEP, and after three years Elliott went to Georgia, where he was an assistant for nine seasons before taking over at Murray State.
Elliott won conference titles at Purdue, Georgia and Tennessee. He was named the 2007 Mideast Assistant Sprints Coach of the Year.
In 2001, Elliott was selected as the head men’s team coach of the Bahamas at the World Championships in Canada. His athletes won world championships in the men’s 400m and women’s 200m, silver in the men’s 4×400 and bronze in the women’s 200m.
NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL
IRISH ANNOUNCE 2024 SCHEDULE
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set for the upcoming 2024 season as their schedule features a 29 match slate in the regular season this fall.
The Irish are led by head coach Salima Rockwell, who is in her third season at the helm of the program. Notre Dame is set to play 13 home matches and 16 matches on the road this season. The schedule features 9 non-conference matches and 20 conference matches, with the additions of Cal, SMU, and Stanford to the schedule after joining the ACC this year.
The Irish will open up their season on the road in Santa Clara to compete in the Catholic Challenge. They will face Villanova at 1 PM (PT) and Santa Clara at 7 PM (PT) on Saturday, August 31.
Notre Dame will head to Starkville, MS to play Michigan and Mississippi State and then to Evanston, IL to play Northwestern before they finally open up in South Bend. The Irish host Colorado State on Friday, Sept. 13 and Northwestern on Sept. 14th. The Irish will have a home and home with Indiana University the weekend of Sept. 20-22 before beginning conference play.
In Stanford’s first ever ACC matchup, the Irish host the Stanford Cardinal in their conference opener on Friday, Sept. 27 inside of Purcell Pavilion. On Sunday, Sept. 29, Notre Dame will host ACC opponent Cal for the first time.
The Irish will close out the homestand with matchups against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Clemson Tigers before taking off to face Miami and Florida State (Co-ACC Champions) in their first ACC matches on the road.
After a pair of ACC home matches, the Irish hit the road over fall break to take on SMU for the first time since they joined the ACC and then to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers, who reached the NCAA Semifinals last season and were Co-ACC Champions.
The Irish follow with a home and home against the Louisville Cardinals, who fell to Pitt in the NCAA Quarterfinals last year.
Notre Dame’s last set of home weekend matches will fall on the weekend of Nov. 15-17 as the Irish host the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday and the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday.
The final regular season match inside of Purcell Pavilion is set for Wednesday, Nov. 27 as the Irish host the Virginia Tech Hokies. It’s followed by one last regular season road match at Cal on Saturday, Nov. 30.
For the full 2024 volleyball schedule, click here. The full television schedule will be released at a later date by the ACC and ESPN.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S TRACK
SYCAMORE GREAT ERIN REESE TO COMPETE AT US OLYMPIC TRIALS
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Former Indiana State All-American thrower Erin Reese will compete for a spot on Team USA when she takes part in the hammer throw at the 2024 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Reese will begin competition with the first round of the hammer throw Friday at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT), where she is the first flight. Each athlete will receive three throws, and the top 12 athletes will advance to the finals, which are Sunday at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). Each athlete in the finals will get three throws, with the top eight earning an additional three attempts.
Championship Qualifiers
The US Olympic Trials serves as the only method of qualification for Team USA for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The top three finishers in each event will qualify for the Olympic team.
Reese currently ranks seventh in the US in the hammer throw this season with a top mark of 71.46m (234-05), which was set at the Gibson Track and Field Complex in April.
How They Got Here
Erin Reese will be making her second US Olympic Trials appearance, having previously competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials where she finished seventh in the hammer throw. She has recorded marks over 70 meters in four of her six meets this season, with her top marks of 71.46m (234-05) and 71.42m (234-04) coming at her two most recent meets, the Sycamore Open and Billy Hayes Invitational.
Reese has had plenty of success on the national stage during the 2023-24 track and field season. She was the 2024 USATF Indoor Champion in the weight throw in February with a mark of 25.73m (84-04.75), which ranks second all-time in world history the event. She also broke Indiana State’s facility record in the event at the Blue-White Classic with a mark of 25.26m (82-10.50).
A three-time All-American at Indiana State, Reese was the runner-up in the hammer throw at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Her mark at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships ranked in the top 10 in collegiate history at the time. She was the MVC Most Outstanding Field Athlete for outdoor track and field in 2018 and 2019, earning NCAA East Preliminary Round berths in multiple events in both seasons. Reese was a two-time MVC hammer throw champion, winning in both 2018 and 2019, and also was the conference champion in the discus throw in 2019.
In addition to her outdoor accomplishments, Reese was a First Team All-American in the weight throw during the 2019 indoor season. She won back-to-back MVC weight throw titles in 2018 and 2019, and was the MVC Most Outstanding Field Athlete for indoor track and field in both 2018 and 2019. She still ranks second in program history in the weight throw with her 2019 NCAA Indoor National Championship mark of 22.34m (73-03.50).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PURDUE FORT WAYNE NAMES DON GLEASON AS MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne Director of Athletics Kelley Hartley Hutton has announced that former Daemen head coach Don Gleason has been selected as the third head coach of the Mastodon men’s volleyball program.
“We are very excited to welcome Don to the Mastodon family,” Hartley Hutton said. “His success after starting the Daemen men’s volleyball program combined with his leadership style, make him the right choice to be the next head coach of our storied Mastodon program. He is a well-respected coach in the men’s volleyball community and I expect him to make an immediate impact on Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics.”
Gleason has been coaching collegiate volleyball since 2011 and has spent time in both the men’s and women’s games. He spent 10 years as an assistant coach for the Medaille (NCAA Division III), Yale, Southern California, Buffalo, Stony Brook and Daemen (NCAA Division II) programs. He was named the first men’s volleyball coach in Daemen history and quickly became relevant in the National Collegiate men’s volleyball scene. Daemen was the first program competing in National Collegiate men’s volleyball in the state of New York.
“First, I’d like to thank Traci Murphy and the leadership at Daemen for the opportunity to build the Daemen men’s volleyball program over the last seven years,” Gleason said. “It was certainly difficult to step away, but I am excited for this new opportunity.
“With such a storied history, there is no doubt that PFW can quickly reemerge as a perennial conference contender,” Gleason said. “Kelley Hartley Hutton’s vision for the program is right in line with what I believe I can provide: a culture where student-athletes can find both joy and success. I look forward to building connections with the team and creating an environment in which they can thrive.”
With Gleason at the helm, the Wildcats of Daemen moved in the AVCA National Collegiate Coaches Poll for the first time in 2024, claiming the No. 20 spot in the poll. He led Daemen to a 20-6 mark last season, and the No. 2 seeded Wildcats won the Northeast Conference championship after knocking off No. 1 Saint Francis (Pa.) in the title match. Gleason had an 81-43 (.653) career record as the head coach of Daemen since starting the program in 2019.
Before moving into the head coach role on the men’s side at Daemen, Gleason was an assistant coach for the Wildcats’ women’s program. He was an assistant for three years prior to his men’s role and stayed on the staff for one more season after his first with the men. With the women, Gleason helped the Wildcats to 73-47 (.608) overall record and 38-14 (.731) and two Division II NCAA Tournament appearances.
Prior to his time in Amherst, New York, Gleason went to two Division I NCAA Tournaments as an assistant coach at Yale, helping the Bulldogs to a combined record of 38-11 and 27-1 in the Ivy League.
The first season of the Gleason era will officially kick off in January 2025.
MARIAN MEN’S SOCCER
MARIAN MEN’S SOCCER RELEASES 2024 SCHEDULE
INDIANAPOLIS – Coming off of one of the most successful seasons in recent history, head coach James Jenkins has finalized the Marian men’s soccer 2024 schedule. Marian went 12-5-2 overall in the 2023 campaign, and ended the year as a receiving votes team in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll.
Jenkins enters his second season as the Marian head coach, and brings in the largest roster in program history this year, with 75 total players being brought in to represent the first and reserve team rosters. The Marian roster in 2024 will feature over 20 nationalities, as the program will look to make it’s first appearance in the NAIA Tournament since 2005.
The upcoming season will feature an 18-game regular season schedule, with nine games against Crossroads League foes and nine matches outside of the league. Marian will open their season at Ohio State in a preseason friendly on August 16, before kicking off the regular season at home on August 21 against Judson. The Knights will play at home in the non-conference six times, while playing four of their nine Crossroads League matches at home.
Marian will play against four schools that reached the NAIA Championship First and Second Round, and three that reached the final site. All three teams that reached the final site of the 2023 NAIA Championship on the Knights’ schedule reside in the Crossroads League in the likes of Indiana Wesleyan, Bethel, and Grace. Of the three, the Indiana Wesleyan match will be the lone contest played at Ascension St. Vincent Field, as the two teams open up Crossroads League play on September 25. Olivet Nazarene is the fourth team on the schedule that reached the NAIA First Round a season ago, and will make the trip to Indianapolis on September 7.
The Crossroads League Tournament dates have been set for November
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
- August 16 | at Ohio State University | Exhibition
- August 21 | vs Judson | Regular Season Opener
- September 7 | vs Olivet Nazarene | 2023 NAIA First Round Appearance
- September 25 | vs Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads League Opener | 2023 NAIA Round of 16
- October 5 | at Grace | 2023 NAIA Round of 16
- October 16 | at Bethel | 2023 NAIA Quarterfinalist
- October 30 | vs Huntington | Senior Night
HOME MATCHES
- August 21 | vs Judson
- August 28 | vs Holy Cross
- August 31 | vs Lourdes
- September 7 | vs Olivet Nazarene
- September 11 | vs IUPUC
- September 18 | vs IU East
- September 25 | vs Indiana Wesleyan
- October 2 | vs Taylor University
- October 12 | vs Spring Arbor
- October 30 | vs Huntington
Tickets for the season will go on sale in July. The program’s developmental team schedule will be announced at a later date this summer on the team’s social media accounts.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB 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/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
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
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Bucs strike out on Jackson
This refers to the June 21, 1986 announcement by Bo Jackson who had recently won the 1985 Heisman 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.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
June 21
1916 — Rube Foster of the Red Sox pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the New York Yankees. Foster struck out three and walked three and pitched the first no-hitter at Fenway Park.
1938 — Pinky Higgins of the Boston Red Sox extended his consecutive hit string to 12, with eight hits in a doubleheader split with the Detroit Tigers. He went 4 for 4 in an 8-3 win in the opener and 4 for 4 in a 5-4 loss in the nightcap. The next day, Higgins struck out against Vern Kennedy in his first at-bat to end the streak.
1939 — The New York Yankees announced Lou Gehrig’s retirement, based on the report that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The 36-year-old star remained as the team as captain.
1941 — Lefty Grove’s 20-game consecutive win streak at Fenway Park ended with a 13-9 loss to the St. Louis Browns. The streak spanned from May 3, 1938, to May 12, 1941.
1950 — Joe DiMaggio gets his 2,000th hit, a 7th-inning single off the Indians’Marino Pieretti, as the Yanks win, 8 – 2. DiMaggio joins Luke Appling and Wally Moses as the only active players with 2,000 or more hits.
1956 — In a rare double one-hitter, Chicago’s Jack Harshman outdueled Connie Johnson and George Zuverink of Baltimore as the White Sox beat the Orioles 1-0.
1964 — Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a 6-0 perfect game against the New York Mets in the opener of a Father’s Day doubleheader. Bunning threw 89 pitches and struck out 10, including John Stephenson to end the game. The no-hitter gave Bunning one in each league and Gus Triandos became the first catcher to handle no-hitters in both leagues.
1970 — Detroit Tigers shortstop Cesar Gutierrez had seven hits in seven times at bat in a 9-8, 12-inning victory over the Cleveland Indians. Gutierrez had six singles and a double.
1989 — Carlton Fisk set an American League record for homers by a catcher and drove in three runs to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees. Fisk hit his 307th homer as a catcher to pass the Yankees’ Yogi Berra.
2000 — Eric Chavez hit for the cycle in Oakland’s 10-3 win over Baltimore. Chavez doubled in the second inning, singled in the fourth, tripled in the fifth and finished off the cycle with a homer in the seventh.
2005 — Jeff Larish matched a College World Series record with three homers, and J.J. Sferra drove in the game-winning run with a bloop single in the 11th inning as Arizona State rallied for an 8-7 victory and eliminated hometown favorite Nebraska. Larish’s record-tying third homer tied it in the bottom of the ninth, and Sferra’s single in the 11th punctuated the 4-hour, 7-minute game.
2006 — Jose Reyes hit for the cycle in the New York Mets’ 6-5 loss to Cincinnati.
2009 — St. Louis’ Tony La Russa joined Connie Mack (3,831) and John McGraw (2,763) as the only managers with 2,500 victories following a 12-5 win over Kansas City.
2011 — Minnesota tied a major league record by opening with eight consecutive hits against San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner, en route to a 9-2 win. Ben Revere had two hits and two RBIs to highlight an eight-run first inning.
2021 — Jacob deGrom pitches five scoreless innings to lead the Mets to a 4-2 win over the Braves. This extends his scoreless innings streak to 30 innings, lowering his ERA to 0.50. He becomes the first pitcher in history to go twelve straight starts of giving up to one or no earned runs topping the record set by Bob Gibson in 1968.
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June 22
1925 — The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 24-6 with Kiki Cuyler and Pie Traynor each hitting a grand slam and Max Carey getting two hits in the first and eighth innings.
1930 — Lou Gehrig hit three home runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 20-13 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics in the second game of a doubleheader. Babe Ruth, who hit three homers in the nightcap the previous day, hit two homers in the opener and one in the nightcap for the Yankees. Ruth tied major league records for five homers in two games and six homers in three games.
1944 — Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves threw a five-inning 7-0 no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.
1947 — Cincinnati’s Ewell Blackwell almost duplicated Johnny Vander Meer’s double no-hit record by following up his June 18 gem over Boston. Brooklyn’s Eddie Stanky singled with one out in the ninth to end Blackwell’s bid. Blackwell ended up with a 4-0 two-hitter.
1962 — Baltimore Orioles first baseman Boog Powell became the first batter to hit a home run over the center-field hedge at Memorial Stadium. The 469-foot clout came off Don Schwall of the Boston Red Sox.
1982 — Philadelphia’s Pete Rose doubled off St. Louis pitcher John Stuper in the third inning to move into second place on the career hit list. Rose moved ahead of Hank Aaron with hit No. 3,772.
1994 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 31st home run of the season in Seattle’s 12-3 victory at California, breaking Babe Ruth’s record for most homers before the end of June. Ruth needed 63 games to reach 30 homers in 1928 and 68 games in 1930. Griffey did it in the Mariners’ 70th game.
1997 — The Atlanta Braves, behind a four-homer, nine-run third, beat the Philadelphia Phillies 12-5. Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Michael Tucker and Jeff Blauser homered in the inning.
2002 — The Detroit Tigers ended Luis Castillo’s 35-game hitting streak. Castillo went 0-for-4 and was left on deck when the Florida Marlins finished off a four-run, ninth-inning rally to beat the Tigers 5-4.
2007 — Miguel Tejada goes on the disabled list with a wrist injury, ending a run of 1,152 consecutive games played, the fifth-longest run in major league history.
2010 — Jamie Moyer serves up the 505th home run of his major league career, to Russell Branyan, in a 2 – 1 win over the Indians. Moyer ties Robin Roberts for the most homers surrendered in the majors.
2013 — Francisco Rodriguez earned his 300th career save, finishing off Milwaukee’s second straight 2-0 victory over slumping Atlanta.
2015 — ESPN reveals it has obtained a copy of a notebook belonging to Pete Rose which contains evidence of regular betting on baseball games during the 1986 season. The notebook was seized during a police raid on one of Rose’s associates in 1989, after Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti, and had been under court-ordered seal since. Its content corroborate the contents of the Dowd Report, which led to Rose’s suspension, and make it even less likely that current Commissioner Rob Manfred will reverse it, as Rose has pleaded for him to do.
2020 — MLB owners agree unanimously on a plan for a 60-game season beginning around July 24th – if everyone signs off on health and safety protocols.
2021 — The Arizona Diamondbacks snap their franchise record 17-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
2022 — One day after setting a personal best as a hitter with 8 RBIs, Shohei Ohtani sets another one on the mound as he racks up 13 strikeouts in 8 scoreless innings in a 5 – 0 win over Kansas City.
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June 23
1917 — In baseball’s greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox came in for Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first. The base runner was cut down stealing and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced to gain a 4-0 victory over Washington. Ruth walked Eddie Foster to open the game and was ejected after arguing with umpire Brick Owens.
1932 — Lou Gehrig plays his 1,103rd successive game in a New York uniform, equaling Joe Sewell’s record with one team (Cleveland).
1950 — Hoot Evers’ winning home run in the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 10-9 victory over the New York Yankees as the teams combined for 11 home runs, a major league record. The Yankees hit six and the Tigers five.
1963 — Jimmie Piersall, playing for the Mets in New York, hit his 100th career home run and celebrated by running around the bases backward.
1971 — Rick Wise of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds and hit two homers. Wise became the first pitcher to hit two homers while throwing a no-hitter.
1973 — Pitcher Ken Brett of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a home run in the fourth consecutive game that he pitched in June. He beat Montreal 7-2.
1984 — Chicago’s Ryne Sandberg hit two late-inning home runs off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bruce Sutter to tie the game twice as the Cubs went on to win 12-11 in 11 innings. Sandberg led off the ninth inning with a solo home run to tie the game 9-9 then hit a two-run, two-out homer in the 10th to tie the game 11-11. Willie McGee hit for the cycle and drove in six runs for St. Louis.
1993 — Seattle OF Jay Buhner hits for the cycle in the Mariners’ 8 – 7, 14-inning win over the Athletics. He is the first Mariner player to ever hit for the cycle..
2003 — Stealing second base at Pacific Bell Park in the 11th inning, Barry Bonds becomes the first player to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases in his career. The Giants’ left fielder may not only be the charter member of the 500-500 club, many believe, including him, he will most likely be its only member, as no one else may ever reach this plateau.
2008 — Felix Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years, then departed with a sprained ankle before he could qualify for a win in Seattle’s 5-2 victory over the New York Mets. The shot to right-center off Johan Santana was the first home run by a pitcher in Mariners history, and the first slam by an AL hurler since Cleveland’s Steve Dunning went deep against Oakland’s Diego Segui on May 11, 1971.
2013 — David Wright homered, tripled and matched a Mets record with four extra-base hits to back Matt Harvey’s splendid start in a lopsided 8-0 victory over Philadelphia. Wright went 4 for 5 with two of New York’s season-high seven doubles.
2020 — After the Players Association ratified proposed COVID-19 safety protocols, an abbreviated 60-game season will begin July 23rd or 24th.
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June 24
1936 — Rookie Joe DiMaggio hit two homers in the fifth inning and added two doubles in the New York Yankees’ 18-4 victory over the St. Louis Browns.
1950 — Wes Westrum of the New York Giants hit three home runs and a triple in a 12-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
1955 — Harmon Killebrew hit his first major league homer, off Billy Hoeft at Griffith Stadium, but the Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators 18-7.
1962 — Jack Reed, a substitute outfielder, hit a homer off Phil Regan in the 22nd inning to give the New York Yankees a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers in a game that lasted 7 hours, 22 minutes. It was the only homer Reed hit in the majors.
1968 — Jim Northrup tied a major league record by hitting two grand slams in one game as the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians 14-3.
1983 — Don Sutton of the Milwaukee Brewers became the eighth pitcher in major league history to strike out 3,000 batters. Sutton’s 3,000th victim was Cleveland’s Alan Bannister in a 3-2 win over the Indians.
1984 — Oakland’s Joe Morgan hit his 265th home run as a second baseman, breaking Roger Hornsby’s career home run record for that position. Morgan’s homer off Frank Tanana was the 267th of his career and led the A’s to a 4-2 win over Texas.
1993 — Carlton Fisk of the White Sox, plays his 2,226th and final major league game, surpassing Bob Boone’s record of 2,225 for most games caught.
1993 — The Marlins obtain OF Gary Sheffield and P Rich Rodriguez from the Padres for P Trevor Hoffman, Andres Berumen and Jose Martinez. The Fish will give Sheffield a four-year contract extension in September.
1994 — Jeff Bagwell hit three homers, two in one inning to tie a major league record, as the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 16-4.
1997 — Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners struck out 19 batters — one short of Roger Clemens’ major league record for a nine-inning game. He became the first AL left-hander to fan 19, but the Oakland Athletics won 4-1.
2002 — Both starters in the first game of the Anaheim-Texas doubleheader — Joaquin Benoit and Aaron Sele — threw 96 pitches, 53 strikes and 43 balls. Benoit and the Rangers won 8-5.
2003 — Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs, in Montreal’s 6-4 win over Pittsburgh. It was the first cycle in the majors this season and was performed in sequence — single, double, triple and homer.
2014 — Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton tied the major league record for brothers homering in the same game as teammates, accomplishing the feat for the fourth time, in Atlanta’s 3-2 win over Houston. Other brothers who had homered in the same game four times were Jeremy and Jason Giambi for the Oakland A’s and Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero for the Montreal Expos.
2015 — Pavin Smith homered and drove in three runs and Brandon Waddell turned in another strong College World Series pitching performance, leading Virginia over Vanderbilt 4-2 for the school’s first baseball national championship.
2017 — Three different Oakland A’s players, Matt Olson, Jaycob Brugmand and Franklin Baretto, hit their first career home run in a 10-2 win over the White Sox.
2019 — The Yankees tie a record belonging to the 2002 Rangers by homering in their 27th straight game on their way to defeating the Blue Jays.
2018 — The Dodgers set a National League record with seven solo home runs in an 8-7 win over the Mets.
2021 — The Chicago Cubs throw the first combined no-hitter in franchise history beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter of the season.
June 25
1934 — Pitcher John Broaca tied a major league record by striking out five consecutive times but pitched the Yankees to an 11-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Lou Gehrig had better luck at the plate, hitting for the cycle.
1937 — Augie Galan of Chicago became the first National League switch-hitter to homer from both sides of the plate in the Cubs’ 11-2 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1950 — Chicago’s Hank Sauer hit two home runs and two doubles to send the Cubs past the Philadelphia Phillies 11-8.
1961 — Baltimore and California used a major league record 16 pitchers, eight by each side, as the Orioles edged the Angels 9-8 on Ron Hansen’s 14th-inning homer.
1968 — Bobby Bonds, in his first major league game, hit a grand slam off John Purdin to help San Francisco to a 9-0 win over Los Angeles.
1988 — Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1,000th consecutive game.
1998 — Sammy Sosa broke the major league record for homers in a month, hitting his 19th of June leading off the seventh inning of the Cubs’ 6-4 loss to Detroit. Sosa passed the mark set by Detroit’s Rudy York in August 1937.
1999 — Jose Jimenez, a rookie right-hander having one of the worst seasons than any other NL pitcher, threw St. Louis’ first no-hitter in 16 seasons, outdueling Randy Johnson in a 1-0 victory over Arizona.
2002 — Luis Pujols of the Detroit Tigers and Tony Pena of the Kansas City Royals became the first Dominican-born managers to oppose each other in a major league game.
2007 — A fan charged at Bob Howry during the Cubs’ 10-9 win over Colorado after the reliever helped blow an 8-3 lead in the ninth inning. Howry gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe and a three-run homer to Troy Tulowitzki. The fan then jumped onto the field from the roof of the Rockies’ dugout and made it a few feet from the mound before security guards tackled him. Howry earned the victory when Alfonso Soriano hit a game-ending two-run single in the bottom of the inning.
2010 — Arizona’s Edwin Jackson pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.
2010 — The Cubs suspend pitcher Carlos Zambrano indefinitely after he throws a tantrum in the dugout after giving up 4 runs in the 1st inning of a 6 – 0 loss to the White Sox. “Big Z” blames first baseman Derrek Lee for letting a Juan Pierreground ball past him for a double that starts the rally, although the hard-hit ball was hardly catchable. Tom Gorzelanny replaces Zambrano who is removed from the game by manager Lou Piniella.
2011 — Cleveland’s Tony Sipp balked home the only run with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of a 1-0 loss to San Francisco. Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win. There also were two errors in the inning by second baseman Cord Phelps that spoiled a strong start by Justin Masterson.
2013 — Eric Filia drove in a career-high five runs, Nick Vander Tuig limited Mississippi State to five hits in eight innings, and UCLA won 8-0 for its first national baseball championship.
2014 — Tim Lincecum pitched his second no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in less than a year, allowing only one runner and leading the San Francisco Giants to a 4-0 win.
2015 — The San Francisco Giants hit four triples in a game for the first time in 55 years, including a pair by Brandon Belt in a 13-8 win over the San Diego Padres. Brandon Crawford and Matt Duffy also tripled for San Francisco, which had not tripled four times in a game since Sept. 15, 1960, when Willie Mays hit three and Eddie Bressoud one at Philadelphia.
2018 — The St. Louis Cardinals record the 10,000th win in team history with a 4-0 defeat of the Cleveland Indians.. They are the sixth major league team to do so.
2019 — The New York Yankees set a new major league record by homering in their 28th consecutive game.
2021 — Philadelphia Philles pitcher Aaron Nola ties Tom Seaver’s 51-Year old MLB record of ten consecutive strike outs in a 2-1 loss to the Mew York Mets.
2022 — Three Astros pitchers combine to no-hit the Yankees, 3 – 0.
2023 — George Springer leads off the bottom of the 1st for the Blue Jays against the Athletics with a homer off Luis Medina. The 55th leadoff home run of his career gives him sole possession of second place on the all-time list, behind only Rickey Henderson. The Blue Jays win handily, 12 – 1.
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June 26
1916 — The Cleveland Indians wore numbers on their sleeves in a game against the Chicago White Sox. It marked the first time players were identified by numbers corresponding to the scorecard.
1924 — New York right-hander Virgil Barnes faced his older sibling, Jesse, marking the first time brothers started against one another in major league history. Jesse got the loss when the Giants beat the Boston Braves 11-7.
1938 — Lonny Frey of the Cincinnati Reds had eight hits in a doubleheader split with the Philadelphia Phillies. Frey had three hits in a 10-3 opening-game loss and collected five in the nightcap, which the Reds won 8-5.
1944 — In an effort to raise funds for war bonds, the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees played each other in a six-inning game at the Polo Grounds. More than 50,000 fans turned out. Each team played successive innings against the other two teams then would sit out an inning. The final score was Dodgers 5, Yankees 1, Giants 0.
1962 — Earl Wilson of the Boston Red Sox pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. Wilson, the Red Sox’s first black pitcher, also homered in the game.
1968 — St. Louis’ Bob Gibson pitched his fifth consecutive shutout as he blanked Pittsburgh, 3-0, in the first game of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium.
1970 — Frank Robinson hit two grand slams to power the Baltimore Orioles to a 12-2 victory over the Washington Senators.
1976 — Shortstop Toby Harrah played an entire doubleheader for the Texas Rangers without handling a batted ball by the Chicago White Sox.
1983 — New York’s Rusty Staub tied a season record with his eighth consecutive pinch hit. Staub equaled the 1958 mark established by Dave Philley of the Phillies when he singled in the ninth inning off reliever Ron Reed in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to Philadelphia at Shea Stadium.
2000 — Minor league sensation Alex Cabrera hit a two-run homer in his first major league at-bat for Arizona as the Diamondbacks beat the Houston Astros 6-1.
2003 — Edgar Martinez, who already holds the Mariners’ all-time records for games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, walks and runs scored, passes Ken Griffey Jr.’s mark for team career RBIs. His two-run homer in the Mariners’ 10 – 6 victory over the Angels gives the All-Star designated hitter 1,153 RBIs – one more than Junior.
2006 — Oregon State beats North Carolina 3-2 for its first College World Series title.
2015 — Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg resigns in his third season with his team in last place.
2019 — Vanderbilt University defeats Michigan 8-2 to win the College World Series.
2021— The Arizona Diamondbacks end their record streak of consecutive road losses by defeating the San Diego Padres 10-1.
2023 — Louisiana State University wins the 2023 College World Series with an 18 – 4 win over the University of Florida in the final game, one day after losing 24 – 4 to the Gators. Paul Skenes is named the recipient of the College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. It is the Tigers’ seventh title overall, and first since 2009.
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June 27
1917 — Catcher Hank Gowdy of the Braves became the first major league player to enter military service in World War I.
1939 — The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves played a 23-inning, 2-2 tie. Whit Wyatt pitched the first 16 innings for the Dodgers. Both clubs played a 26-inning tie in 1920 at the same Braves Field.
1958 — Billy Pierce of the Chicago White Sox retired 26 straight Washington batters before pinch-hitter Ed Fitzgerald hit a double just inside the right-field line for the only hit. Pierce then struck out Albie Pearson on three pitches and beat the Senators 3-0.
1973 — David Clyde, a $125,000, 18-year-old bonus baby with the Rangers, pitched five innings, struck out eight and allowed one hit in his first major league start. Texas beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 before 35,698 fans — the Rangers’ first home sellout at Arlington Stadium.
1980 — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jerry Reuss pitched a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants in an 8-0 victory at Candlestick Park. The only player to reach base was Jack Clark in the first inning on a throwing error by shortstop Bill Russell.
1986 — San Francisco rookie Robby Thompson set a major league record when he was caught stealing four times in the Giants’ 7-6, 12-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Catcher Bo Diaz threw out Thompson in the fourth, sixth, ninth and 11th innings.
1993 — Anthony Young of the New York Mets set a major league record by losing his 24th straight decision, 5-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals.
1999 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 27th homer and robbed Juan Gonzalez of a three-run shot with a spectacular over-the-fence catch as the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the final game at the Kingdome.
2003 — Boston set a major league record by scoring 10 runs before the first out. The 50-minute, 91-pitch first inning came during a 25-8 victory over Florida. The Red Sox also tied an AL record with 14 runs in the first inning. Johnny Damon matched a major league mark with three hits in an inning.
2007 — Ryan Howard hits his 100th career home run in a 9 – 6 loss to the Reds. The shot against Aaron Harang makes him the fastest player in major league history to hit 100 homers, doing so in his 325th game.
2008 — Carlos Delgado of the New York Mets homered twice, including a grand slam, and set a franchise record with nine RBIs in a 15-6 rout of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the opener of the teams’ two-ballpark doubleheader. The Yankees beat the Mets 9-0 at Shea Stadium in the night game.
2009 — Tim Wakefield makes his 382nd start for the Boston Red Sox, tying Roger Clemens for most in franchise history. The 42-year-old knuckleballer earns his tenth win of the year with six scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves. Boston prevails, 1 – 0, with Mark Kotsay driving in the game’s only run.
2010 — Jamie Moyer surrendered his record-breaking 506th home run but was sharp otherwise, and the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of Toronto’s troubles to beat the Blue Jays 11-2. Moyer only mistake was a two-run homer by Vernon Wells in the third inning. Moyer passed former Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts for the most homers allowed in a career.
2016 — Kris Bryant became the first major leaguer to hit three homers and two doubles in a game, and Jake Arrieta added a solo shot, leading the Chicago Cubs to an 11-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
2016 — The Texas Rangers wrapped up a weird win at 2:44 a.m., rallying after a rain delay of more than 3 1/2 hours in the ninth inning to beat the New York Yankees 9-6 with maybe 100 fans left in the stands. Umpire crew chief Paul Nauert signaled for the tarp at 10:40 p.m. The game resumed at 2:15 a.m. Texas trailed 6-5 when Kirby Yates replaced closer Aroldis Chapman after the delay with a runner on first and no outs. Yates (2-1) hit three batters, and Beltre and Elvis Andrus each hit a two-run singles.
2017 — The University of Florida wins the first College World Series Title in school history by defeating Louisiana State University 6-1.
2019 — The starters for the 2019 All-Star Game are named, at the conclusion of the fans’ vote. For the first time, this voting is two-tiered, with today’s winners the victors of a second round of strictly on-line voting among the three top finishers at each position, after the more traditional ballots have been counted. The results are well-balanced, with only one team managing as many as three players elected – the Astros with 3B Alex Bregman and OFs George Springer and Michael Brantley – and are generally representative of who have been the best players so far this year.
2021 — A little over a week after MLB has begun to systematically examine pitchers for foreign substances to improve grip, a first victim is caught: Hector Santiago of the Mariners is ejected after umpires discover an unknown sticky substances on his glove. The glove is impounded and sent for further analysis, while Santiago protests his innocence, claiming that he was only using rosin to prevent perspiration from dripping unto his hands. He will be issued a ten-game suspension.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
June 21
1919 — Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wins the women’s U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Marion Zinderstein.
1932 — Jack Sharkey scores a 15-round split decision over Max Schmeling to win the world heavyweight title in New York.
1960 — Armin Hary of West Germany becomes the first man to run 100 meters in 10.0 seconds at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland.
1964 — Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches a perfect game against the New York Mets. The no-hitter gives Bunning one in each league and the Phillies’ Gus Triandos becomes the first catcher to handle no-hitters in both leagues.
1964 — UEFA European Championship Final, Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain: Marcelino scores the winner as Spain beats Soviet Union, 2-1.
1965 — Gary Player becomes the third man to win golf’s top four pro titles when he captures the U.S. Open. Player beats Kel Nagle by three strokes in a playoff round. Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan had won the U.S. and British Opens, the Masters and the PGA.
1970 — Britain’s Tony Jacklin becomes the first English golfer in 50 years to win the U.S. Open, beating Dave Hill by five strokes.
1970 — FIFA World Cup Final, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City: Brazil and Pelé become first team and player to win World Cup 3 times, beating Italy, 4-1 in front of 107,412.
1971 — Lee Trevino beats Jack Nicklaus by two strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open.
1975 — S. Kaye Bell becomes the first woman to train the winner of a $100,000 stakes race when she sends Mr. Lucky Phoenix to win the Michigan Mile and One-Eighth Handicap at Detroit Racecourse.
1986 — 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson, signs 3-year contract to play baseball with the Kansas City Royals.
1988 — 42nd NBA Championship: LA Lakers beat Detroit Pistons, 4 games to 3.
1994 — Lori McNeil upsets five-time champion Steffi Graf 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) in the first round of Wimbledon. Graf becomes the first reigning women’s champion to lose in the first round.
1997 — The New York Liberty beat the Los Angeles Sparks 67-57 in the WNBA’s inaugural game. A crowd of 14,284 attends the game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
2003 — Lennox Lewis retains his heavyweight title when a cut stops Vitali Klitschko after six brawling rounds. All three ringside judges had Klitschko winning 58-56, but ring doctor Paul Wallace orders referee Lou Moret to stop the fight.
2005 — French Open winner Justine Henin-Hardenne loses in the first round at Wimbledon. The Belgian becomes the first Roland Garros women’s champion since 1962 to lose her opening match at Wimbledon when she’s beaten by Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 7-6 (8), 2-6, 7-5.
2012 — Miami’s LeBron James caps his title bid with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, Chris Bosh adds 23 points, Dwyane Wade scores 20 points and the Heat finish off the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, winning 121-106.
2015 — Jordan Spieth becomes the sixth player to win the Masters and the U.S. Open after Dustin Johnson three-putts from 12 feet on the final hole at Chambers Bay with a chance to win the championship himself. The 21-year-old Spieth becomes the youngest player to win two majors since Gene Sarazen in 1922 and was the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923.
2018 — Arizona center Deandre Ayton is the first pick of the NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.
2022 — MLB Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani has career high 8 RBI in 11-inning 12-11 loss to Kansas City Royals in Anaheim, California.
June 22
1918 — Molla Bjurstedt wins the women’s U.S. Lawn Tennis Association title for the fourth straight year, beating Eleanor Goss 6-4, 6-3.
1937 — Joe Louis knocks out Jim Braddock in the eighth round at Chicago’s Comiskey Park to win the world heavyweight title, which he would hold for 11 years.
1938 — In a rematch portrayed in both countries as good vs. evil, Joe Louis of the U.S. knocks out Germany’s Max Schmeling at 2:04 of the first round at Yankee Stadium to retain the world heavyweight title.
1949 — Ezzard Charles scores a 15-round unanimous decision over Jersey Joe Walcott at Comiskey Park in Chicago to win the vacant world heavyweight title.
1977 — John Ziegler is named the fourth president in NHL history, succeeding Clarence Campbell.
1979 — Larry Holmes stops Mike Weaver in the 12th round to retain the WBC heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York.
1980 — UEFA European Championship Final, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy: Horst Hrubesch scores a double as Germany beats Belgium, 2-1.
1981 — John McEnroe throws a tantrum in his 7-6 (5), 7-5, 6-3 first-round win over Tom Gullikson on the opening day at Wimbledon. McEnroe’s return of Gullickson’s serve is ruled out by chair umpire Edward James. McEnroe shouts his famous line, “You cannot be serious.” He then calls James the “the pits of the world” and an “incompetent fool.” Tournament referee Fred Hoyles is called to the court after James hits McEnroe with a point penalty. After McEnroe’s arguments with Hoyle go unsatisfied, Gullikson holds serve and McEnroe curses Hoyle on the changeover, prompting another point penalty. He is later fined $1,500.
1991 — NHL Draft: Oshawa Generals center Eric Lindros first pick by Quebec Nordiques.
1994 — The Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, win their first NBA title, beating New York 90-84 in Game 7 of the finals. Olajuwon gets 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
1994 — FIFA World Cup: USA beats Colombia 2-1 in round match at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, 1st WC win since 1950.
1996 — Michael Moorer beats Axel Shultz in 11 for IBF heavyweight boxing title.
1999 — In one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon’s 113-year history, top-ranked Martina Hingis loses 6-2, 6-0 in the opening round to Jelena Dokic, a 16-year-old qualifier ranked 129th.
2001 — Karrie Webb sets two scoring records in the LPGA Championship in shooting a 7-under 64 for a three-stroke lead. Webb, at 11-under 131, breaks the 36-hole scoring record by two strokes. Webb shoots a 29 on the front nine for the lowest nine-hole score in the 47-year history of the championship.
2006 — The U.S. soccer team is eliminated from World Cup play with a 2-1 loss to Ghana.
2007 — For the first time, Americans are taken with the top two picks in the NHL draft. Chicago selects Patrick Kane with the first pick. Philadelphia then selects left wing James vanRiemsdyk with the second pick.
2012 — Jerry Sandusky is convicted on 45 counts of sexually assaulting 10 boys over 15 years. The accusations had led to the firing of Joe Paterno, Penn State’s beloved coach who died of lung cancer Jan. 22. Penn State’s Board of Trustees ousted Paterno for what was called his “failure of leadership” surrounding allegations about Sandusky.
2012 — NHL Draft: Sarnia Sting (OHL) right wing Nail Yakupov first pick by Edmonton Oilers.
2014 — Michelle Wie wins the U.S. Women’s Open for her first major championship. She beats top-ranked Stacy Lewis by two shots.
2017 — Washington point guard Markelle Fultz is the first pick of the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
2018 — NHL Draft: Frolunda HC (SHL) defenceman Rasmus Dahlin first pick by Buffalo Sabres.
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June 23
1917 — In baseball’s greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox retires 26 batters for a 4-0 victory over Washington. Shore relieves Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first, who was cut down stealing.
1917 — Molla Bjurstedt win the women’s U.S. Lawn Tennis Association title for the third straight year with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Marion Vanderhoef.
1922 — Walter Hagen becomes the first native-born American to win the British Open. Hagen shoots a 300 to beat Jim Barness and George Duncan by one stroke at Royal St. George’s Golf Club.
1939 — Former football great Bronko Nagurski beats Lou Thesz to win the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title in at the Coliseum in Houston. Thesz was largely considered the greatest wrestler of all time. Houston Mayor Holcombe reportedly presents Bronko with a $10,000 diamond studded belt.
1961 — Cubs Ernie Banks ends his 717 consecutive-games-played streak.
1963 — Julius Boros wins a three-way playoff to take the U.S. Open. Boros beats Jacky Cupit by three strokes and Arnold Palmer by six.
1969 — Joe Frazier TKOs Jerry Quarry in 8 for heavyweight boxing title.
1972 — President Nixon signs the Higher Education Act of 1972. Title IX of this congressional act bars sex bias in athletics and other activities at colleges receiving federal assistance.
1974 — Sandra Haynie wins the LPGA championship by two strokes over JoAnne Carner.
1980 — West German wins European soccer title (2-1 against Belgium).
1985 — Laffit Pincay Jr. rides Greinton to a 1 3/4-length victory over Precisionist in the Hollywood Gold Cup, to join Willie Shoemaker as the only jockeys in history to surpass $100 million in purse earnings.
1988 — Charlotte Hornets & Miami Heat begin their NBA expansion draft.
1991 — A Mazda becomes the first Japanese car to win the Le Mans 24 hours race, overtaking a Mercedes in the last three hours. Bertrand Gachot of Belgium, Johnny Herbert of Britain and Volker Weidler of Germany are the winning drivers of the rotary-powered Mazda.
1996 — Michael Johnson breaks the world record in the 200 meters, running 19.66 seconds at the U.S. track and field trials in Atlanta. The previous mark of 19.72 was set by Italy’s Pietro Mennea in 1979 in Mexico City.
1999 — The Hockey Hall of Fame waives the usual three-year waiting period and announces that Wayne Gretzky will be part of the Class of 1999.
2001 — Ilya Kovalchuk is the first player born in Russia to be taken with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft when he’s selected by the Atlanta Thrashers.
2003 — Barry Bonds steals second base against the LA Dodgers, becoming the first player in MLB history to have 500 career homers and 500 steals.
2005 — Tim Duncan comes up huge in the second half and is chosen finals MVP and Manu Ginobili has another breakthrough performance to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Detroit Pistons 81-74 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
2008 — Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners hits a grand slam home run against New York Mets, 1st pitcher since Steve Dunning in 1971.
2011 — NBA Draft: Duke point guard Kyrie Irving first pick Cleveland Cavaliers.
2013 — Courtney Force claims a Funny Car victory against her father at the Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals. In their first final round matchup, Courtney Force earns her second victory of the year and third in her career. She improves to 4-2 against her father, John Force, a 15-time Funny Car world champion.
2015 — The NHL’s Board of Governors approve the proposed 3-on-3 overtime change.
2016 — LSU point guard Benn Simmons is the first pick in the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
2017 — NHL Draft: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) center Nico Hischier first pick by New Jersey Devils.
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June 24
1910 — James Braid wins his fifth British Open with a four-stroke victory over Sandy Herd.
1911 — John McDermott becomes the first American-born winner of the U.S. Open when he beats Michael Brady and George Simpson in a playoff. McDermott finishes two strokes better than Brady and five strokes better than Simpson.
1913 — John Henry Taylor wins his fifth and final British Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, England.
1922 — American Professional Football Association renamed the National Football League.
1922 — Charter NFL club Chicago Staleys renamed Chicago Bears by team founder, owner and head coach George Halas.
1928 — John Farrell beats Bobby Jones by one stroke in a 36-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open.
1947 — Jim Ferrier wins the PGA championship by defeating Chick Harbert 2 and 1 in the final round.
1958 — Brazil, led by 17-year-old Pele, beats France 5-2 in a semifinal of the World Cup. With Brazil up 2-1 in the second half, Pele scores three consecutive goals.
1968 — Joe Frazier stops Mexican challenger Manuel Ramos in 2nd round TKO at NYC’s Madison Square Garden in his first heavyweight boxing title defense.
1968 — Canada’s Sandra Post beats Kathy Whitworth by seven strokes in a playoff to become the first non-U.S. player and rookie to win the LPGA championship.
1979 — Rickey Henderson debuts for Oakland & steals his 1st base.
1980 — The Atlanta Flames relocate to Calgary, Alberta. The NHL team keeps the name “Flames.”
1990 — Criminal Type becomes the first horse to win consecutive $1 million races after capturing the Hollywood Gold Cup. He had previously won the $1 million Pimlico Special on May 12.
1991 — The NHL’s Board of Governors adopts instant replay.
1992 — NBA Draft: LSU center Shaquille O’Neal first pick by Orlando Magic.
1995 — Stanley Cup Final, Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ: New Jersey Devils beat Detroit Red Wings, 5-2 for a 4-0 series sweep; Devils’ first Stanley Cup finals appearance.
1998 — NBA Draft: Pacific center Michael Olowokandi first pick by Los Angeles Clippers.
2000 — Rick DiPietro is the first goalie drafted No. 1 when the New York Islanders select the 18-year-old star from Boston University at the NHL Draft.
2001 — Karrie Webb, 26, captures the LPGA Championship by two strokes to become the youngest woman to complete the Grand Slam.
2004 — NBA Draft: Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy power forward Dwight Howard first pick by Orlando Magic.
2010 — John Isner outlasts Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in tennis history. Isner hits a backhand winner to win the last of the match’s 980 points, and takes the fifth set against Mahut 70-68. The first-round match took 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days, lasting so long it was suspended because of darkness — two nights in a row. Play resumed at 59-all and continued for more than an hour before Isner won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68.
2010 — John Wall is selected as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, and a record number of Kentucky teammates follow him. Four more Wildcats are among the top 30 selections, making them the first school ever to put five players in the first round.
2011 — NHL Draft: Red Deer Rebels (WHL) center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first pick by Edmonton Oilers.
2013 — Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland score 17 seconds apart in the final 1:16 of the third period and the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup with a stunning 3-2 comeback victory in Game 6 over the Boston Bruins.
2016 — NHL Draft: ZSC Lions (NLA) center Auston Matthews first pick by Toronto Maple Leafs.
2018 — Harry Kane scores a hat trick to propel England to its most emphatic World Cup victory and into the knockout stage. With John Stones heading in twice and Jesse Lingard curling in a shot, England beats Panama 6-1 and scores its most goals ever in a World Cup game.
2021 — The Chicago Cubs throw the first combined no-hitter in franchise history beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter of the season.
2022 — American Katie Ledecky wins the 800m gold medal in 8:08.04 at the World Swimming Championships in Budapest; completes 400/800/1500m treble for unprecedented 4th time at a single worlds.
June 25
1921 — Jock Hutchinson is the first American to win the British Open, a nine-stroke victory over Roger Wethered in a playoff.
1926 — Bobby Jones becomes the first amateur in 29 years to win the British Open. Jones finishes with a 291 total for a two-stroke over Al Watrous at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England.
1932 — Gene Sarazen wins the U.S. Open by shooting a 286, the lowest in 20 years.
1935 — Future world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis moves to 20-0 with 6th round KO of former champion Primo Carnera of Italy at Yankee Stadium, NYC.
1948 — Joe Louis knocks out Jersey Joe Walcott in the 11th round in New York to defend his world heavyweight title. Louis announces his retirement after the fight.
1952 — Jim Turnesa wins the PGA Championship with a 1-up victory over Chick Harbert in the final round.
1966 — Buckpasser sets a world record in the 1-mile Arlington Classic in 1:32 3-5 and becomes the first 3-year-old to win more than $1 million.
1969 — Pancho Gonzalez, 41, wins the longest tennis match in Wimbledon history by beating Charles Pasarell in a 112-game match, 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9. The match is played over two days and lasts 5 hours, 12 minutes.
1978 — In Buenos Aires, Argentina wins the World Cup beating Netherlands 3-1 after extra time.
1981 — Sugar Ray Leonard wins the WBA junior middleweight title with a ninth-round knockout of Ayub Kalule in Houston.
1988 — MLB player Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1,000th consecutive game.
1988 — UEFA European Championship Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Ruud Gullet & Marco van Basten score as the Netherlands beats Soviet Union, 2-0.
1991 — Nine-time champion Martina Navratilova survives a first-round scare from Elna Reinach to win her record 100th singles match at Wimbledon.
1994 — FIFA World Cup: 1,500th goal in Cup’d history scored by Caceres of Argentina.
1997 — NBA Draft: Wake Forest power forward Tim Duncan first pick by San Antonio Spurs.
1997 — NHL approves franchises in Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minnesota-St Paul.
1999 — San Antonio wins its first NBA championship, defeating the New York Knicks 78-77 in Game 5 of the Finals. The Spurs, keyed by finals MVP Tim Duncan’s 31 points, becomes the first former ABA team to win the championship.
2006 — Asafa Powell matches Wallace Spearmon’s world best in the 200 meters, winning the Jamaican national championships in 19.90 seconds.
2006 — Bernard Lagat becomes the first runner in the history of the U.S. track and field championships to sweep the 1,500 and 5,000 meters, after winning the shorter race.
2008 — NBA Draft: Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin first pick by Los Angeles Clippers.
2013 — UCLA wins its first national championship in baseball with an 8-0 win over Mississippi State.
2014 — John Norwood’s home run in the top of the eighth inning gives Vanderbilt the lead, and the Commodores beat Virginia 3-2 for their first national championship.
2015 — NBA Draft: Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns first pick by Minnesota Timberwolves.
2017 — Jordan Spieth needs an extra hole and an amazing final shot to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Travelers Championship. The two-time major champion holes out from 60 feet for birdie from a greenside bunker on the first hole of a playoff with Daniel Berger at TPC River Highlands. The 23-year-old Texan joins Tiger Woods as the only PGA Tour players with 10 victories in the era since World War II.
2019 — NHL Draft: Barrie Colts (OHL) defenseman Aaron Ekblad first pick by Florida Panthers.
2020 — Liverpool FC clinches first EPL soccer title in 30 years with 7 games to spare as Chelsea beats second-placed Manchester City, 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
2021 — Philadelphia Philles pitcher Aaron Nola ties Tom Seaver’s 51-Year old MLB record of ten consecutive strike outs in a 2-1 loss to the Mew York Mets.
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June 26
1910 — For the second consecutive year, Hazel Hotchkiss wins the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships. Hotchkiss beats Louise Hammond 6-4, 6-2 for the singles title.
1925 — Jim Barnes wins the British Open with a one-stroke win over Ted Ray and Archie Compston at Prestwick Golf Club in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
1959 — Ingemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson in the third round at Yankee Stadium to win the world heavyweight title.
1976 — Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki fights American boxer Muhammad Ali, at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
1990 — Jennifer Capriati, 14, defeats Helen Kelesi 6-3, 6-1 in the first round to become the youngest winner of a match in Wimbledon history.
1991 — NBA Draft: UNLV power forward Larry Johnson first pick by Charlotte Hornets.
1992 — UEFA European Championship Final, Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden: In a huge upset Denmark beats Germany, 2-0.
1993 — NHL Draft: Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) center Alexandre Daigle first pick by Ottawa Senators.
1995 — The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a random drug-testing program in Vernonia, Ore. The 6-to-3 decision allows public high school officials to require student-athletes to submit to random urinalysis as a condition of being allowed to play interscholastic sports.
1996 — NBA Draft: Georgetown guard Allen Iverson first pick by Philadelphia 76ers.
1999 — NHL Draft: Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL) center Patrik Stefan first pick by Atlanta Thrashers.
1998 — Jamaica becomes the first Caribbean nation to win a World Cup soccer match since Cuba beat Romania in 1938. Theodore Whitmore scores in the 40th and 54th minutes as the Jamaicans beat Japan 2-1.
2002 — In one of the most extraordinary days at the All England Club, seven-time champion Pete Sampras, 1992 winner Andre Agassi and No. 2-seeded Marat Safin all lose — throwing the Wimbledon tournament wide open. For the first time in the Open era, five of the top-eight seeded men’s players are eliminated before the third round.
2002 — NBA Draft: Shanghai Sharks (China) center Yao Ming first pick by Houston Rockets.
2003 — NBA Draft: St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (Akron, Ohio) small forward LeBron James first pick by Cleveland Cavaliers.
2005 — Justin Gatlin cements his status as America’s fastest human by winning the 200 meters, becoming the first man in 20 years to sweep the sprints at the U.S. track and field championships. A day after winning the 100, Gatlin wins the 200 in 20.04 seconds. The last man to win both races at the U.S. meet was Kirk Baptiste in 1985.
2008 — Two stunning second-round upsets happen at Wimbledon as former champion Maria Sharapova and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick are ousted.
2008 — NBA Draft: Memphis point guard Derrick Rose first pick by Chicago Bulls.
2011 — Top-ranked Yani Tseng wins the LPGA Championship by 10 strokes and, at 22, becomes the youngest player to win four LPGA Tour majors.
2012 — Major college football finally gets a playoff. A committee of university presidents approve the BCS commissioners’ plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season.
2013 — Seven-time champion Roger Federer is stunned by 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round of Wimbledon, his earliest loss in a Grand Slam tournament in 10 years.
2014 — The United States reaches the knockout stage of consecutive World Cups for the first time. Germany beat the U.S. 1-0 to win Group G, but the Americans held onto second place when Portugal defeats Ghana 2-1 in a game played simultaneously.
2014 — NBA Draft: Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins first pick by Cleveland Cavaliers.
2015 — NHL Draft: Erie Otters (OHL) center Connor McDavid #1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers.
2017 — Helmsman Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand wins the America’s Cup with a resounding romp against software tycoon Larry Ellison’s two-time defending champion Oracle Team USA. They win Race 9 to clinch the 35th America’s Cup match at 7-1. Burling, at 26, is the youngest helmsman to win sailing’s greatest prize in a competition that dates to 1851.
2021 — Tour de France: The largest pile up in Tour history is caused by a spectator with a sign during Stage 1. The spectator is apprehended and arrested.
2012 — Stanley Cup Final, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL: Colorado Avalanche beats two-time defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1 for a 4-2 series win; Avs 3rd championship in franchise history.
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June 27
1890 — Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes first black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin “Nunc” Wallace in 18 rounds in London, England.
1903 — Willie Anderson captures the U.S. Open with a two-stroke victory over David Brown in a playoff.
1914 — Jack Johnson wins a 20-round referee’s decision over Frank Moran at the Velodrome d’Hiver in Paris.
1924 — Walter Hagen wins his second British Open. Hagen finishes with a 301 to edge Ernest Whitcombe by one stroke at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, England. Hagen, who won in 1922, was the Open’s first winner born in the United States.
1936 — Alf Padgham beats Jimmy Adams by one stroke to win the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.
1950 — Chandler Harper wins the PGA championship by beating Henry Williams Jr., 4 and 3 in the final round.
1959 — Mickey Wright beats Louise Suggs by two strokes for her second straight U.S. Women’s Open title.
1971 — JoAnne Carner wins the U.S. Women’s Open with a seven-stroke victory over Kathy Whitworth.
1979 — Heavyweight Muhammad Ali confirms that his 3rd retirement is final (it isn’t).
1984 — UEFA European Championship Final, Parc des Princes, Paris, France: Michel Platini & Bruno Bellone score as France beats Spain, 2-0.
1988 — Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City.
1990 — NBA Draft: Syracuse power forward Derrick Coleman first pick by New Jersey Nets.
1992 — Top-seeded Jim Courier, the Australian and French Open champion, loses 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to qualifier Andrei Olhovskiy of Russia at Wimbledon. It’s the first time in Wimbledon history that a qualifier beat the top seed.
1998 — NHL Draft: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) center Vincent Lecavalier first pick by Tampa Bay Lightning.
1999 — Juli Inkster shoots a 6-under 65 to win the LPGA Championship, becoming the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam. Pat Bradley won her Grand Slam 13 years earlier.
2001 — NBA Draft: Glynn Academy center Kwame Brown first pick by Washington Wizards.
2006 — Roger Federer wins his record 42nd straight grass-court match, beating Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to open his bid for a fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship. Federer breaks the record he shared with Bjorn Borg, the five-time Wimbledon champion who won 41 straight matches on grass from 1976-1981.
2008 — Zheng Jie completes the biggest victory of her career at Wimbledon, beating new No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4 in the third round. The 133rd-ranked Zheng’s victory, her first against a top-10 player, is the earliest exit by a top-ranked woman at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis lost in the first round in 2001.
2010 — Cristie Kerr cruises to a 12-stroke victory in the LPGA Championship in one of the most lopsided wins at a major. Kerr leads wire-to-wire, closing with a 6-under 66 for a 19-under 269 total. Kerr breaks the tournament record for victory margin of 11 set by Betsy King in 1992 and matches the second-biggest victory in a major.
2013 — NBA Draft: UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett first pick Cleveland Cavaliers.
2017 — Florida scores four runs in the eighth inning to pull away from LSU, and the Gators beat their Southeastern Conference rival 6-1 to complete a two-game sweep in the College World Series finals for their first national title in baseball. LSU loses for the first time in seven appearances in a championship game.2021 — Nelly Korda beats Lizette Salas by 3 strokes to win the Women’s PGA Championship. The win is Korda’s first major title.