“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
ST. LOUIS 11 NY YANKEES 4
NY YANKEES 6 ST. LOUIS 2
KANSAS CITY 6 LA DODGERS 4
CLEVELAND 6 CHICAGO CUBS 0
DETROIT 4 COLORADO 2 (10)
ARIZONA 3 LA ANGELS 1
BOSTON 7 TORONTO 6
MINNESOTA 1 BALTIMORE 0
TEXAS 5 HOUSTON 2
OAKLAND 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6 (10)
SEATTLE 8 TAMPA BAY 3
SAN DIEGO 12 CINCINNATI 5
PHILADELPHIA 19 WASHINGTON 4
MILWAUKEE 11 PITTSBURGH 8
ATLANTA 7 MIAMI 0
NY METS 4 SAN FRANCISCO 1
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS 14 LOUISVILLE 8
LAKE COUNTY 5 FORT WAYNE 3
BELOIT 6 SOUTH BEND 5
WNBA
ACES 102 SUN 84
LYNX 86 MERCURY 76
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
CINCINNATI 2 NEW ENGLAND 2
COLUMBUS 2 NEW YORK 1
MIAMI 1 AUSTIN 1
ORLANDO 3 CHICAGO 1
SALT LAKE 1 TORONTO 0
DALLAS 2 LAFC 0
KANSAS CITY 3 VANCOUVER 0
MINNESOTA 4 PORTLAND 1
NASHVILLE 2 DC 0
ST. LOUIS 2 COLORADO 0
NEW YORK CITY 1 MONTRÉAL 0
SAN JOSE 2 LA 2
SEATTLE 1 HOUSTON 0
USFL CHAMPIONSHIP
BIRMINGHAM 28 PITTSBURGH 12
2023 INDIANA FOOTBALL “HOOSIER CROSSROADS” SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, AUG. 18
BROWNSBURG AT BISHOP DWENGER, 7 PM
CARROLL AT HAMILTON SE, 7 PM
FRANKLIN CENTRAL AT PERRY MERIDIAN, 7 PM
LAWRENCE NORTH AT AVON, 7 PM
NEW PALESTINE AT WESTFIELD, 7 PM
NOBLESVILLE AT MOUNT VERNON, 7 PM
NORTH CENTRAL AT FISHERS, 7 PM
PIKE AT ZIONSVILLE, 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, AUG. 25
AVON AT BEN DAVIS, 7 PM
FISHERS AT PIKE, 7 PM
HAMILTON SE AT NORTH CENTRAL, 7 PM
HOMESTEAD AT NOBLESVILLE, 7 PM
CATHEDRAL AT BROWNSBURG, 7 PM
RONCALLI AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL, 7 PM
WESTFIELD AT LAWRENCE CENTRAL, 7 PM
ZIONSVILLE AT LEBANON, 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 1
AVON AT HAMILTON SE ©, 7 PM
FISHERS AT NOBLESVILLE ©, 7 PM
FRANKLIN CENTRAL AT BROWNSBURG ©, 7 PM
WESTFIELD AT ZIONSVILLE ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 8
BROWNSBURG AT AVON ©, 7 PM
HAMILTON SE AT FISHERS ©, 7 PM
NOBLESVILLE AT WESTFIELD ©, 7 PM
ZIONSVILLE AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 15
FISHERS AT BROWNSBURG ©, 7 PM
FRANKLIN CENTRAL AT AVON ©, 7 PM
WESTFIELD AT HAMILTON SE ©, 7 PM
ZIONSVILLE AT NOBLESVILLE ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 22
AVON AT FISHERS ©, 7 PM
BROWNSBURG AT WESTFIELD ©, 7 PM
HAMILTON SE AT ZIONSVILLE ©, 7 PM
NOBLESVILLE AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 29
FRANKLIN CENTRAL AT FISHERS ©, 7 PM
NOBLESVILLE AT HAMILTON SE ©, 7 PM
WESTFIELD AT AVON ©, 7 PM
ZIONSVILLE AT BROWNSBURG ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, OCT. 6
AVON AT ZIONSVILLE ©, 7 PM
BROWNSBURG AT NOBLESVILLE ©, 7 PM
FISHERS AT WESTFIELD ©, 7 PM
FRANKLIN CENTRAL AT HAMILTON SE ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, OCT. 13
HAMILTON SE AT BROWNSBURG ©, 7 PM
NOBLESVILLE AT AVON ©, 7 PM
WESTFIELD AT FRANKLIN CENTRAL ©, 7 PM
ZIONSVILLE AT FISHERS ©, 7 PM
©CONFERENCE GAME
2023 INDIANA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
SATURDAY SEP. 2 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES, (MEMORIAL STADIUM, BLOOMINGTON, IN) 3:30PM ET CBS/PARAMOUNT+
FRIDAY SEP. 8 INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES, (MEMORIAL STADIUM, BLOOMINGTON, IN) 7:00PM ET BTN
SATURDAY SEP. 16 VS LOUISVILLE CARDINALS, (LUCAS OIL STADIUM, INDIANAPOLIS, IN) 12:00PM ET BTN
SATURDAY SEP. 23 AKRON ZIPS (MEMORIAL STADIUM, BLOOMINGTON, IN) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
SATURDAY SEP. 30 AT MARYLAND TERRAPINS (SECU STADIUM, COLLEGE PARK, MD) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
SATURDAY OCT. 7 OFF
SATURDAY OCT. 14 AT MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (MICHIGAN STADIUM, ANN ARBOR, MI) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
SATURDAY OCT. 21 RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (HC) (MEMORIAL STADIUM, BLOOMINGTON, IN) 12:00PM ET TV TBA
SATURDAY OCT. 28 PENN STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE AT PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (BEAVER STADIUM, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
SATURDAY NOV. 4 WISCONSIN BADGERS (MEMORIAL STADIUM, BLOOMINGTON, IN) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
SATURDAY NOV. 11 AT ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (MEMORIAL STADIUM, CHAMPAIGN, IL) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
SATURDAY NOV. 18 MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (MEMORIAL STADIUM, BLOOMINGTON, IN) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
SATURDAY NOV. 25 AT PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (ROSS-ADE STADIUM, WEST LAFAYETTE, IN) TIME TBA ET TV TBA
COLTS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26 – 10-11 A.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 8 – 9-10:30 A.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 10 – 9-10 A.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 15 – 9-10 A.M.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16 – 6-8 P.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 17 – 6-8 P.M.
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
DAMIAN LILLARD ASKS THE TRAIL BLAZERS FOR A TRADE, TEAM CONFIRMS
(AP) — Damian Lillard has said repeatedly that he wants to contend for a championship. After 11 years in Portland, he has decided he needs to move elsewhere to make that happen.
Lillard asked the Trail Blazers for a trade, a move that will end the seven-time All-Star’s tenure with that team, two people familiar with the matter said Saturday. The team later confirmed that Lillard had made the request.
Lillard is generating interest from the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets, among others, according to the people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details were announced publicly. One of the people told the AP that Lillard’s preference is Miami – the reigning Eastern Conference champion – though that hardly guarantees the Trail Blazers will work to facilitate that specific move.
“We have been clear that we want Dame here, but he notified us today he wants out and he’d prefer to play someplace else,” Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement distributed by the team. “What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.”
Lillard is coming off a season in which he averaged 32.2 points for the Trail Blazers. He is a seven-time All-NBA selection and was selected to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team – but he has never been close to a title in his 11 seasons in the league.
He has met with Portland multiple times in recent weeks, asking for the roster to be upgraded to the point where he can compete for a championship. But those efforts, evidently, have not gone to Lillard’s liking and led to him asking to be moved.
His decision was revealed on the second day of NBA free agency, after Portland made a huge splash on the first night by retaining Jerami Grant with a $160 million, five-year deal.
For as great as his resume is, Lillard hasn’t enjoyed much in the way of postseason success. The Blazers have won only four playoff series in his 11 seasons, making the Western Conference finals once during that span. The team went 33-49 this past season, the second consecutive year of finishing well outside the playoff picture.
But Lillard is, by any measure, a dynamic player. He has averaged at least 24 points per game in each of the last eight seasons, and his career average of 25.2 points ranks fourth among active players (with at least 375 games) behind Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and LeBron James. If that list was expanded to all players with no game minimums, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson and Trae Young would also be ahead of Lillard.
He had a 71-point game this past season against Houston, has 17 games of at least 50 points in his career – two of them in the playoffs – and is a past rookie of the year, teammate of the year and winner of the NBA’s citizenship award. He’s even an Olympic gold medalist, winning one alongside Miami’s Bam Adebayo at the Tokyo Games and raving about how much he enjoyed playing with the Heat center.
The only glaring omission on Lillard’s resume is a championship. And now he’ll seek a move to change that.
“I would say I want to be remembered for who I was, not as a player, but the principle that I stood on regardless of how successful I was, how major the failure was, the criticism, what people thought I should have did, what people think of me … no matter what was happening, I want to be remembered for who I was,” Lillard said in an interview with former teammate Evan Turner for the “Point Forward” podcast earlier this year. “I stood tall. I’ve stood tall in every situation and I want to be remembered for that.”
It will take some team – whether it’s Miami, Brooklyn or anyone else – a massive haul of probably both players and draft picks to persuade Portland to trade Lillard. He will make almost $46 million this coming season and could make as much as $216 million over the next four years if he exercises his option for the 2026-27 season.
While Lillard was beloved in Portland, there was speculation about his future with the team when the Blazers took point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the recent draft rather than package the pick for a proven star.
At the time, Cronin said he intended to play both Lillard and Henderson.
“I would love to see Dame retire a Trail Blazer. I have zero desire to trade him. I really hopes this works out here,” Cronin said on draft night. “And I think you can tell how excited I am about Scoot Henderson. He has a chance to be a special player in this league.”
The Blazers signed Henderson to a rookie contract on Saturday. The 6-foot-2 teenager who has been compared to Russell Westbrook spent the past two seasons with the G League Ignite.
Last season with Ignite, Henderson averaged 17.6 points and a team-high 6.5 assists. He graduated early from high school in Marietta, Georgia, to become the youngest player ever in the G League.
DONTE DIVINCENZO JOINING KNICKS, FORMER VILLANOVA TEAMMATES, ON 4-YEAR DEAL, AP SOURCE SAYS
NEW YORK (AP) Donte DiVincenzo has agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal to join former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart with the New York Knicks, a person with knowledge of the details said Saturday.
DiVincenzo spent last season with the Golden State Warriors before deciding to move across the country, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be official yet.
ESPN first reported the deal with the swingman.
The Knicks won a playoff series for the first time in a decade last season after signing Brunson in the summer and acquiring Hart from Portland during the season. Brunson and DiVincenzo were part of two NCAA championship teams with the Wildcats, with Hart joining them on the first one.
DiVincenzo also won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, though he played in just their first three playoff games before tearing a ligament in his left ankle.
The first-round pick of the Bucks in 2018 was then dealt to Sacramento as part of a four-team deal at the trade deadline in 2022 before signing with the Warriors last July. DiVincenzo went on to play in a career-high 72 games for Golden State last season, starting 36, and averaging 9.4 points.
THE LAKERS ARE KEEPING REAVES AND RUSSELL. THE BUCKS AGREED TO KEEP LOPEZ IN FREE AGENCY
(AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers kept two of their best guards. And the Milwaukee Bucks retained their big man, as the early trend in free agency of most players staying put continued Saturday.
Austin Reaves agreed to a four-year deal that could be worth $56 million, and D’Angelo Russell returned to the Lakers as well on a $37 million, two-year deal, people with knowledge of those transactions told The Associated Press. The Athletic first reported the agreement with Reaves, and ESPN first reported the agreement with Russell.
Reaves and Russell were both starters in the postseason for the Lakers, who made the Western Conference finals before falling to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Also Saturday, Milwaukee – which had already retained Khris Middleton – found a way to keep Brook Lopez on a two-year deal, a person familiar with the agreement told the AP. The Athletic and ESPN reported the deal was worth $48 million for the 35-year-old Lopez, who averaged 15.9 points in 78 games this past season for the Bucks.
While Reaves, Russell and Lopez stayed put, Max Strus found a new home.
Strus – who helped Miami get to the NBA Finals – is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, agreeing to a $63 million, four-year deal that was finalized Saturday by making the transaction part of a three-team trade, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
Strus goes to the Cavaliers, who will send Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens to San Antonio while Miami gets future second-round draft compensation, said the people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade terms have not been approved by the NBA.
ESPN first reported the trade agreement.
Strus was a starter for Miami in its playoff runs over the last two years, including this past season’s trip to the finals against Denver. He averaged a career-best 11.5 points per game this past season and has shot 37% from 3-point range in his career.
Cleveland clearly prioritized shooting. The Cavs struck deals with Caris LeVert ($32 million, two years) and Georges Niang ($26 million, three years) on Friday; Niang is a career 40% shooter on 3s, and LeVert shot a career-best 39% from beyond the arc this past season.
Also Saturday, Orlando retained Moritz Wagner ($16 million, two years) and the Heat added Thomas Bryant ($5.4 million, two years, second at his option) to give them some extra size. Bryant was with the Nuggets for their title run.
Most deals cannot be finalized until July 6, and Strus became one of the biggest names to leave for a new team in the early stages of free agency. Fred VanVleet ($130 million, three years) left Toronto for Houston, and Bruce Brown Jr. ($45 million, two years) left Denver for Indiana.
Many players stayed put: Jerami Grant ($160 million, five years) remained in Portland, Kyrie Irving ($126 million, three years) remained in Dallas, Cam Johnson ($108 million, four years) stays in Brooklyn, Middleton ($102 million, three years) stayed in Milwaukee, Kyle Kuzma ($102 million, four years) remained in Washington and Draymond Green ($100 million, four years) remained with Golden State.
And some players eligible for rookie-scale extensions also cashed in Saturday on deals that will take effect in 2024-25.
Desmond Bane in Memphis and Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana struck agreements in the wee hours of Saturday on contracts that will be worth an estimated $207 million apiece over five years, with Haliburton potentially able to reach $260 million if he makes an All-NBA team.
REPORTS: HORNETS TO EXTEND G LAMELO BALL ON $260M DEAL
The Charlotte Hornets made a commitment to star guard LaMelo Ball, finalizing a five-year designed rookie max extension worth as much as $260 million with the guard, ESPN and The Athletic reported Saturday.
Ball, 21, struggled with injuries last season, not playing after Feb. 27 because of a fractured right ankle. He scored 23.3 points with 6.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 36 games (all starts) last season.
In three seasons since he was the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2020, the Los Angeles-area native has averaged 19.4 points with 6.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 162 games (142 starts) for Charlotte.
Ball was named an All-Star in 2021-22, when he averaged 20.1 points and played a career-best 75 games. He earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2020-21 when he averaged 15.7 points with 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 51 games (31 starts), missing time because of a wrist fracture.
WNBA NEWS
ALYSSA THOMAS, DEWANNA BONNER AND ELENA DELLE DONNE HEADLINE WNBA ALL-STAR RESERVES
(AP) — WNBA career triple-double leader Alyssa Thomas of Connecticut was selected an All-Star reserve by the league’s coaches on Saturday.
Thomas, who will be making her fourth all-star appearance, is the first WNBA player with three triple-doubles in a season. She accomplished it in the span of seven days, including two in back-to-back games. She’s joined by Sun teammate DeWanna Bonner, who is making her fifth All-Star appearance.
Atlanta teammates Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker will be making their first appearances in the game. So will Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell and Seattle’s Ezi Magbegor.
Other reserves chosen were Washington’s Elena Delle Donne, Las Vegas’ Kelsey Plum, New York’s Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot, Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier and Chicago’s Kahleah Copper.
They’ll have to wait a week to find out which team they’ll be playing on for the All-Star Game in Las Vegas on July 15. Team captains A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart will draft them next Saturday.
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon will guide Wilson’s team and Connecticut coach Stephanie White will help Stewart’s squad.
Delle Donne was a two-time captain and expects to make her seventh All-Star appearance, but the first since 2019 after dealing with injuries and illnesses the past few seasons. She was happy for the chance to potentially play with former USA Basketball teammate Brittney Griner, who was chosen a starter last week.
“An All-Star Game without BG wouldn’t be right,” Delle Donne said. “I love being around her. When we played Phoenix a few weeks ago, just to see her and to see her smile was great. Hopefully, I end up on her team.”
Plum became the fourth member of the Las Vegas Aces to make the All-Star team, joining Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Plum scored 30 points in last year’s game and earned MVP honors.
New York’s starting backcourt of Ionescu and Vandersloot give the Liberty three players in the game, joining Stewart. It’s Ionescu’s second appearance, while Vandersloot will make her fifth.
Collier is having a career year for the Lynx, scoring 22.4 points a game – more than six points above her previous career best. Copper, who earned 2021 WNBA Finals MVP honors, will play in her third All-Star Game.
Other All-Star starters announced last week were Los Angeles’ Nneka Ogwumike, Dallas teammates Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally, Indiana’s Aliyah Boston and Seattle’s Jewell Loyd.
All 12 teams in the league will have at least one representative in the game for the first time since 2015.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: 10TH-INNING BLAST LIFTS TIGERS OVER ROCKIES
Zach McKinstry homered among his two hits, Jonathan Schoop also had two hits and the Detroit Tigers beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 in 10 innings in Denver on Saturday night.
Schoop started the 10th inning on second base against reliever Pierce Johnson (1-4). Eric Haase led off with a single to put runners on the corners, and McKinstry followed with a home run, his sixth of the season.
The Rockies got a run in the bottom of the inning on Kris Bryant’s RBI single, but Alex Lange fanned Ryan McMahon with two on to end the game. Lange (5-2) pitched the final two innings to get the win for Detroit.
C.J. Cron had two hits and Ezequiel Tovar extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single for Colorado.
Phillies 19, Nationals 4
Alec Bohm drove in six runs and Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam as host Philadelphia trounced Washington.
Phillies starter Zack Wheeler (7-4) allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.
The Nationals tried to answer with three runs in the fifth, but the Phillies came back with eight runs in the bottom half of the inning, capped by Schwarber’s grand slam to make it 19-4. Dominic Smith went deep for Washington.
Athletics 7, White Sox 6 (10 innings)
Automatic runner Tyler Wade scored from second on Elvis Andrus’ fielding error with two outs in the last of the 10th inning, giving Oakland a victory over visiting Chicago.
After the teams combined for five runs in the eighth inning, the White Sox’s Kendall Graveman (3-4) retired the first two batters he faced in the 10th before JJ Bleday hit a hard grounder to Andrus. When Andrus bobbled the ball, Bleday was able to make it safely to first with a head-first dive. Wade never hesitated rounding third, beating the throw to the plate with a dive of his own.
Shintaro Fujinami (4-7), who pitched a scoreless top of the 10th, was credited with the win. Eloy Jimenez had two hits, including a homer, for Chicago.
Padres 12, Reds 5
Juan Soto belted a tiebreaking three-run home run and Manny Machado drilled a pair of homers as visiting San Diego snapped a season-long, six-game skid with a rout of Cincinnati.
Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha (8-2) returned from a one-start absence, allowing just one run on five hits over five innings on his 32nd birthday. Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-4 and drove in three for the Padres.
The Reds were hurt by their defense. Elly De La Cruz committed an error that led to a run that was charged to starter and loser Brandon Williamson (1-2) in a decisive four-run sixth. Williamson allowed just two runs on three hits over five-plus innings.
Cardinals 11, Yankees 4 (Game 1)
After bad weather caused a delay of more than two hours, Paul Goldschmidt drove in four runs to power St. Louis to a victory over visiting New York in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer and a sacrifice fly for the Cardinals, who won for the seventh time in 11 games. Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (5-5) blanked the Yankees on four hits and two walks over six innings.
New York starting pitcher Luis Severino (1-3) allowed nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits and three walks in four innings. The Yankees cut their deficit to 11-4 in the ninth inning on DJ LeMahieu’s run-scoring, double-play groundout and Jake Bauers’ two-run homer.
Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 6
Rafael Devers hit a two-run home run and had three RBIs in a three-hit game as visiting Boston defeated Toronto.
Justin Turner added a solo homer and an RBI double for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game series. Boston is 6-0 against Toronto this season. Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford (3-4) allowed two runs, three hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Matt Chapman had a two-run homer for the Blue Jays. George Springer and Bo Bichette added solo home runs. Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (7-3) allowed five runs, seven hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Twins 1, Orioles 0
Bailey Ober allowed two hits over seven shutout innings, Joey Gallo homered and visiting Minnesota held on to defeat Baltimore.
Ober (5-4) allowed just a pair of singles while striking out eight batters without a walk. It was the second time this season that Ober went seven innings without giving up a run. Griffin Jax worked a scoreless eighth and Jhoan Duran pitched an eventful ninth for his 12th save.
Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish (4-4) nearly matched Ober, giving up one run on seven hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
Rangers 5, Astros 2
Seven scoreless innings from Nathan Eovaldi held Houston at bay as Texas cruised to a win in Arlington, Texas.
Eovaldi (10-3) walked four batters, but Houston tallied just two hits and put only one runner in scoring position in the seven innings that he was on the mound. Will Smith recorded his 15th save of the season, throwing three pitches as he induced a groundout that sealed the victory.
Astros starter Hunter Brown allowed 10 hits and three runs in four innings. Brown (6-5) took the loss despite not walking a batter and striking out six.
Brewers 11, Pirates 8
Christian Yelich and Raimel Tapia homered and starter Corbin Burnes was perfect into the sixth as Milwaukee held off host Pittsburgh.
Jesse Winker added a three-run double, while Victor Caratini supplied an RBI single for the Brewers, who have won five of their last seven games. Burnes (6-5) gave up two runs and one hit in seven innings, with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Jack Suwinski homered and hit a two-run single, Tucupita Marcano had a two-run triple, Jared Triolo smacked an RBI double and Josh Palacios an RBI single for the Pirates, who had won four straight and clawed to get close after a 10-0 deficit.
Braves 7, Marlins 0
Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies led off the game with home runs to spark a six-run first inning and help Atlanta beat visiting Miami for its seventh consecutive win.
The Braves jumped on rookie phenom Eury Perez, who entered the game with 21 consecutive scoreless innings. Perez was knocked out after seven of the eight batters he faced reached base, five of them on extra-base hits, resulting in six Atlanta runs.
The winning pitcher was Charlie Morton (8-6). He pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Morton won his third straight start and improved to 13-5 in his career against Miami.
Mets 4, Giants 1
Justin Verlander tossed seven strong innings for host New York, which rode a third-inning power display to a win over San Francisco in the middle contest of a three-game series.
Verlander (3-4) allowed an unearned run on five hits and one walk while striking out six. Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor all hit solo homers within a four-batter span in the third for the Mets, who opened July with a win after enduring a 7-19 June.
Thairo Estrada hit into a run-scoring double play in the seventh for the Giants. J.D. Davis had two singles and scored San Francisco’s lone run.
Royals 6, Dodgers 4
A big first inning boosted Kansas City past visiting Los Angeles, spoiling the return of Julio Urias, who missed six weeks with a left hamstring strain.
With a series of soft hits, the Royals sent nine batters to the plate in the first, forcing Urias (5-5) to throw 35 pitches in the frame. Salvador Perez snapped an 0-for-20 skid with a bloop hit to score Maikel Garcia, who doubled to start the inning, in which the Royals scored five runs.
The Dodgers responded quickly, plating three in the second, highlighted by Yonny Hernandez’s RBI double, with Mookie Betts adding a sacrifice fly and Freddie Freeman an RBI single.
Mariners 8, Rays 3
George Kirby took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and J.P. Crawford went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and two RBIs as Seattle defeated visiting Tampa Bay to snap a three-game losing streak.
Luke Raley went deep for the Rays, whose three-game winning streak came to an end. Kirby (7-7) allowed two runs on two hits in seven innings. The right-hander issued a season-high two walks and struck out seven. Paul Sewald earned his 15th save.
Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow (2-2) allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked one and struck out 11.
Guardians 6, Cubs 0
Rookie Tanner Bibee allowed three hits and struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings to win his third straight start as Cleveland beat host Chicago.
Bibee (5-2) outpitched Chicago star Marcus Stroman (9-6) to continue a solid first season in the majors while helping the Guardians rebound from Friday’s 10-1 series-opening loss. Bibee also issued two walks, but he was never in real trouble while matching a career high for strikeouts and lowering his ERA to 3.46.
Meanwhile, Jose Ramirez recorded two hits and Amed Rosario had two RBIs as Cleveland avoided a third straight defeat. Stroman gave up five runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Yankees 6, Cardinals 2 (Game 2)
Anthony Volpe laced an RBI triple and scored the decisive run as visiting New York defeated St. Louis in the second game of a doubleheader.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs and Gleyber Torres hit a two-run single for the Yankees. New York went with a bullpen game, and Michael King (2-4) earned the win with 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (1-3) allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Lars Nootbaar hit a solo home run for St. Louis.
Diamondbacks 3, Angels 1
Ryne Nelson pitched 7 1/3 solid innings and Gabriel Moreno reached base four times to lead Arizona to a victory over Los Angeles at Anaheim, Calif.
Nelson (5-4) allowed one run, three hits and one walk while silencing the Angels. He struck out six. Moreno had three hits and was hit by a pitch, and Emmanuel Rivera reached three times on two hits and a walk for the Diamondbacks.
Anthony Rendon homered for the Angels, who had just three hits and have lost four straight games for the first time this season. Mike Trout was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk, and Shohei Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts.
JUNE’S GREATEST SHO: A LOOK BACK AT OHTANI’S BEST MONTH IN THE MAJORS
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s walkup music most of last season was the theme to “The Greatest Showman.”
After the Los Angeles Angels star’s June, he should consider returning to it.
The Japanese two-way phenom has amazed fans, teammates and opponents since coming to the majors in 2018. June, though was “The Greatest Sho” at the plate.
“I’m in a good spot right now,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara when asked if he was pitching and hitting at his best. “Hitting-wise, I feel like it is up there for sure.”
Ohtani hit 15 home runs, the most in a month in Angels history. He became the first player in 10 years to reach 30 homers before July 1.
Ohtani reached that milestone and tied the AL record for most homers in June with a majestic 493-foot drive in Friday night’s loss to Arizona. Mike Trout, who was on the on-deck circle, did a double take when he heard it coming off the bat.
The power numbers, though, are only part of the story of a dominant month. Ohtani’s .394 average, 41 hits, and 29 RBIs are his best in any month.
There was only one time in 27 games where Ohtani did not reach base, and he had hits in all but two.
His .952 slugging percentage in June was the third-highest in MLB history, surpassed only by Babe Ruth in 1920 and ’21. His 1.444 OPS is the highest since Lou Gehrig had a 1.470 in 1936.
Besides vaulting into the major league lead in homers, Ohtani is tied in RBIs with 67. He raised his average 41 points to .310.
Ohtani goes into July with an eight-game hitting streak that includes a two-homer performance on June 27 against the Chicago White Sox. He become the first AL starting pitcher in nearly 60 years to go deep twice and strike out at least 10 in the same game.
“Maybe for three or four days, you might think there’s a hole, but he’s figured out how to get that ball and drive it,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.
Ohtani has a .235 average on pitches outside the strike zone, including six home runs. He had eight homers and a .170 out-of-zone average in his first five seasons.
“He’s the most focused and routine-oriented person I have seen, but he’s always searching to get better. He was having trouble (on outside pitches), but he is understanding and studying what pitchers are doing to him,” manager Phil Nevin said. “He’s had some pretty good pitches on the outer part of the plate and has gone with it the other way.
“He wows you every day. He’s such a talent and fun to watch.”
Colorado’s Kyle Freeland knows firsthand about Ohtani’s improvements out of the zone. During the fifth inning on June 23, Ohtani hit a changeup from the left-hander at least three baseballs off the plate and to the inside for a solo shot to right-center.
“There’s only one human being on this planet that has any business swinging at that pitch. And that’s him,” Freeland said after the game.
Arizona’s Tommy Henry, who fell behind 1-0 when Ohtani hammered a hanging slider in the sixth inning Friday, said Ohtani is the one player above all that a pitcher does not want to fall behind against.
“You know how aggressive he is, so it’s easier to pitch to a person of that caliber at 0-1 vs. 1-0 for sure,” Henry said. “Heading into those types of at-bats though, I’ve just got to bring my best stuff and put together a good sequence. I’m a competitor here too. I’m not going to try and balloon this up in my head leading up to the at-bat.”
After struggling for six weeks on the mound, Ohtani appears to have rediscovered his early form of a 3-0 record and 0.64 ERA in his first five starts. The right-hander has gone 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA with only one home run allowed. He had given up 11 during an eight-start stretch that saw him post a 5.88 ERA.
“He’s some things mechanically along with pitch mixing and game planning. Everything he’s doing right now is in sync,” Nevin said.
Through 16 starts, Ohtani is 7-3 with a 3.02 ERA. He leads the majors in opposing batting average (.180) and third in strikeouts (127).
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Ohtani’s odds are -1450, which means someone betting $145 would win only $10. Texas’ Corey Seager is the closest to Ohtani at +350 — a $3500 payoff for someone betting $100. Or there are 7-1 odds if someone elected to bet the field against Ohtani.
Ohtani and the Angels hope he can continue his dominance and make the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Angels go into July with a three-game losing streak and have seven of their last 10. However, they are 44-40 and only two games out of a wild card spot.
“You can see there’s an extra little bit extra right now. He wants to win,” Nevin said. “Everything is right in front of us, and I think he realizes that, and it’s bleeding into the room. You can tell how happy he is to be here and how things are going. It’s becoming infectious with the room.”
RAYS’ MCCLANAHAN GOES ON INJURED LIST BECAUSE OF BACK TIGHTNESS
SEATTLE (AP) — Shane McClanahan was put on the 15-day injured list by the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, a day after the 26-year-old left-hander came out of his second straight start due to mid-back tightness.
McClanahan, 11-1 with a 2.53 ERA, left a June 22 outing against Kansas City after 3 2/3 innings and Friday’s start against Seattle after three innings. His IL stint will run through the All-Star break.
“If I were to go on the IL, I think this is probably the best time for it.” McClanahan said. “I’d only have to miss one start, and do what I want to do, and that’s come back and be me. Not be a shell of myself. I miss that guy out there, and I want to get back and do the things I know I can do, and not worry about a back or whatever.”
McClanahan leads the major leagues in wins is second in the AL in ERA and has a 1.17 WHIP and 101 strikeouts over 17 starts.
“Pretty easy decision given where we’re at in the season,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “This is the second time in his last two starts that he’s felt it, so we figured we can take the time to calm it down. We do have the benefit of the break, and would expect for him to be right in the mix when we get back out of the All-Star break.”
BREWERS DESIGNATE STRUGGLING RELIEVER BUSH FOR ASSIGNMENT DAY AFTER BLOWN SAVE AGAINST PIRATES
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers designated veteran reliever Matt Bush for assignment on Saturday, less than 24 hours after he blew a save against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Bush entered Friday night’s game trying to preserve a two-run lead only to give up a game-winning three-run homer to Pittsburgh’s Carlos Santana in what became an 8-7 loss.
Bush, acquired in a trade with Texas last August, struggled during his brief time in Milwaukee. The 37-year-old went 0-4 with a 5.94 ERA and three saves in 37 appearances for the Brewers, including an 0-2 mark with a 9.58 ERA in 12 games this season.
Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell noted a decrease in Bush’s velocity this season as one of the reasons for his ineffectiveness.
The Brewers also designated left-handed reliever Thomas Pannone for assignment. Pannone pitched 2 2/3 innings on Friday, his first game in the majors since 2019. Milwaukee made the move to bring up a pair of arms to help out the bullpen.
The Brewers called up left-handed reliever Clayton Andrews and right-handed reliever J.B. Bukauskas from Triple-A Nashville to fill the roster spots created by the departure of Bush and Pannone.
NHL NEWS
HURRICANES AND RANGERS TURN THEIR DIVISIONAL RIVALRY INTO FREE-AGENCY SIGNING FRENZY
(AP) — The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes aren’t limiting their Metropolitan Division rivalry to just the ice.
On Saturday, the teams were locked in a contract signing frenzy to see who could land the most players in free agency.
The Hurricanes not only retained their starting goalie tandem of Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen and re-signed speedy forward Jesper Fast, they also made one of the bigger early splashes by signing free agent defenseman Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $15.5 million contract.
Not to be outdone, Rangers GM Chris Drury countered with a flurry of moves, highlighted by signing forwards Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick, and two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Jonathan Quick, who’s coming off backing up when Vegas won it all. The additions come with the team standing to lose Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko to free agency.
In the meantime, Barry Trotz opened his tenure as Predators general manager with a major move by signing one of the game’s top two-way forwards, Ryan O’Reilly, to a four-year, $18 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The Predators also signed winger Gustav Nyquist to a $6.37 million, two-year contract, according to a second person with knowledge of that deal.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the contracts.
O’Reilly, who closed last season with Toronto and was the playoff MVP for the Stanley Cup-wining Blues in 2019, arrives in Music City after the Predators began purging high-priced veterans. They bought out the remainder of Matt Duchene’s contract and traded Ryan Johansen to Colorado.
Nashville also signed veteran defenseman Luke Schenn to a three-year, $8.25 million contract.
For a free-agent class considered thin entering the day, many NHL GMs were quick out of the gate to fill their biggest needs.
The Buffalo Sabres upgraded their blue line by signing former Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton to a three-year, $9.99 million contact and former Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson to a one-year, $3.25 million deal. The Sabres are also bringing back forward Tyson Jost – whom they claimed off of waivers last season – by signing him to a one-year, $2 million contract.
Duchene didn’t last long in free agency. The 32-year-old center signed a deal for next season worth $3 million, according to a person with knowledge of the signing. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
At a time most teams have little room under the salary cap, which nudged up by $1 million to $83.5 million, the Senators made the richest deal of the day so far. Ottawa shored up its goaltending by signing Joonas Korpisalo to a five-year, $20 million contract.
The Washington Capitals, looking to get back into the playoffs after their eight-year run ended, went bargain shopping by signing winger Max Pacioretty to a $2 million contract for next season that has $2 million in possible incentives. Pacioretty is coming off tearing his right Achilles tendon twice in the past year.
Leave it to the Hurricanes and Rangers – two teams that have finished no worse than third in the Metropolitan standings the past two years, and each made an Eastern Conference final appearance over the same span – to grab most of the early headlines.
In Carolina, Orlov joins the ’Canes after spending his first 10 seasons in Washington. He’s a reliable, two-way defenseman who can play a physical game with offensive potential.
The Hurricanes goalie tandem, which shared the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2022 for allowing the fewest goals, returns for at least one more year. Raanta signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract before free agency began, and Andersen followed with a two-year, $6.8 million deal.
The 31-year-old Fast, a reliable and speedy forward, returns for a fourth season in Carolina after signing a a two-year contract worth $4.8 million.
“Jesper is an extremely hard worker on both ends of the ice, and his consistency has played a key role in our success over the past three seasons,” general manager Don Waddell said. “He is the kind of person and player that every team is looking for, and we are thrilled to have him back.”
In the Big Apple, the Rangers signed Wheeler to a one-year deal worth $800,000 plus another $300,000 in incentives a day after the former Jets captain was placed on unconditional waivers by Winnipeg for the purpose to have the remainder of his contract bought out. Wheeler is a 13-year NHL veteran, who has topped 20 goals seven times.
Quick signed a one-year, $825,000 deal that includes $100,000 in incentives with New York, where the 16-year NHL veteran is expected to serve as a backup to Igor Shesterkin.
Elsewhere:
– The Boston Bruins brought back 2011 Cup winner Milan Lucic.
– The Toronto Maple Leafs added muscle by signing forward Ryan Reaves to a three-year, $4.05 million contract, according to another person with knowledge of the deal.
– The New Jersey Devils did some internal business bringing back Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian after deciding not to tender either forward a qualifying offer. McLeod got $1.4 million for next season and Bastian $2.7 million over two years.
PENGUINS BRING BACK GOALIE JARRY ON A FIVE-YEAR DEAL, LURE DEFENSEMAN GRAVES AWAY FROM NEW JERSEY
New Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operation Kyle Dubas made it a point to travel to Edmonton recently to meet with two-time All-Star goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Dubas walked into the sit-down with an open mind. He walked out of it convinced Jarry remains Pittsburgh’s best option in net in the present and — seemingly — the future, too.
Jarry agreed to a five-year contract to stay with the Penguins on Saturday rather than head elsewhere in free agency. The deal carries an average annual value of $5.375 million and the term signals a significant investment by Dubas in a player who can mix stretches of brilliance with bouts of inconsistency.
The 28-year-old Jarry made the All-Star team in 2020 and 2022, but has yet to help the Penguins get beyond the first round of the playoffs. He was the main reason Pittsburgh failed to beat the New York Islanders in 2021 and sat out most of a loss to the New York Rangers in 2022 with an injury. The Penguins didn’t even make the playoffs this spring, thanks in part to ineffective play by Jarry down the stretch. He went just 8-8-2 with a .890 save percentage over his final 20 appearances as the Penguins missed the postseason for the first time since 2006.
Dubas pointed to a somewhat underwhelming marketplace for goaltenders and the coaching staff’s belief in Jarry as two contributing factors in making such a long-term commitment to a player still unproven in the crucible of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“He would be the first to tell you he wants to be better and his sample shows he’s capable of being better,” Dubas said. “The view of the people in the facility and in the room and myself getting to know Tristan, that is what made me comfortable (going) down that path.”
The Penguins lured defenseman Ryan Graves away from Metropolitan Division rival New Jersey to help a blue line that was largely ineffectual last season. Graves agreed to a six-year deal that carries an average value of $4.5 million. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Graves gives the Penguins a needed physical presence in front of their own net.
“I think Ryan obviously brings a lot of size to the group, but more importantly he’s been very effective in playing against very tough competition,” Dubas said.
Dubas added the club remains committed to veteran defenseman Jeff Petry, who had a somewhat disappointing season with the Penguins after arriving in a trade with Montreal last summer. Dubas said the club believes Petry, who had five goals and 21 assists in 61 games last year, still has “a good amount of fuel left in the tank.”
Pittsburgh bolstered its depth in its bottom six by signing veteran forward Lars Eller to a two-year deal. The 34-year-old Eller won a Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018 and remains an effective two-way player. Dubas called signing Eller “key” for a team overly reliant on getting offensive production out of the top two lines anchored by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
The Penguins also signed forwards Noel Acciari (three years) and Matt Nieto (two years) and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (one year), part of an active stretch for Dubas in his new role. Dubas acquired forward Reilly Smith from Vegas for a 2024 third-round pick earlier in the week.
Dubas will continue to explore options to add depth but believes the big moves are out of the way. Tasked with trying to maximize the Stanley Cup window for Crosby and Malkin while also planning for the long-term future, Dubas has brought on a slew of experienced players — Graves is the only impactful newcomer in his 20s — while betting Jarry will eventually get shine in the playoffs.
CAPITALS ACQUIRE EDMUNDSON AND STARS TRADE MILLER TO THE DEVILS ON 1ST DAY OF NHL FREE AGENCY
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) A couple of trades happened around the NHL in the early hours of free agency, featuring veteran defensemen changing places.
The Washington Capitals acquired Joel Edmundson from the Montreal Canadiens for third- and seventh-round picks in the 2024 draft. Montreal is retaining half of Edmundson’s salary in the final year of his contract, which means Washington gets him at a bargain salary cap hit of $1.75 million.
The other move was the Dallas Stars trading Colin Miller to the New Jersey Devils for a fifth-round pick in 2025. Miller had an assist in 10 playoff games with Dallas.
Edmundson helped St. Louis win the Stanley Cup in 2019 and has been traded three times since. An injury limited him to 61 games last season with Montreal.
The 30-year-old gives the Capitals much-needed depth on their blue line after trading away Dmitry Orlov before the deadline this past season. Washington also signed winger Max Pacioretty, who’s coming off tearing his right Achilles tendon twice during the past year.
Dallas re-signed defenseman Joel Hanley to a $1.58 million, two-year contract and added forward Craig Smith for $1 million for next season.
New Jersey re-signed a pair of young forwards: Michael McLeod for $1.4 million next season and Nathan Bastian for $2.7 million over two years.
MIKE BABCOCK RETURNS TO THE NHL AS THE COACH OF THE COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
(AP) — Mike Babcock is back in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets, confident he has evolved as a coach in his nearly four years out of a pro job.
The 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach with Detroit finally took over Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, introduced as the person the organization’s brass believes is the right fit for a team looking to win again. Now 3 1/2 years removed from being fired by Toronto and word emerging about some of his polarizing old-school tactics, Babcock sounded like someone who has learned from his time in the college ranks and is ready to adjust to modern players.
“Change in all of us takes time,” Babcock said at a news conference streamed on Zoom. “I think what this has done is given me a chance to get outside my body and have a look and see what I’m doing and understand you needed to change, you needed to grow.”
Babcock returns to the NHL following the end of his lengthy contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired him early in his fifth season with them in 2019.
Columbus decided early last month to hire Babcock but had to wait until July to make it official because of the significant money still owed to him on the $50 million, eight-year deal he signed with Toronto in 2015. This is just a two-year contract, Babcock and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen confirmed.
President of hockey operations John Davidson said he spoke to recently elected Hall of Fame coach Ken Hitchcock about the Blue Jackets’ vacancy.
“He said, ‘There’s only one guy to hire,’” Davidson recalled and Hitchcock confirmed by text Saturday. “I said, ‘Who are you thinking?’ He says, ‘Mike Babcock.’”
Babcock, who also made trips to the Cup Final with Anaheim in 2003 and Detroit in 2009 and guided Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, gives the Blue Jackets an accomplished veteran behind the bench to oversee their attempt to become a contender again in the Eastern Conference.
“We’re convinced that we got the best coach for the job,” Kekalainen said. “His coaching achievements talk for themselves. Everybody knows that. But I’m also convinced that he’s the right person, the right man for the job.”
Columbus missed the playoffs the past three seasons after making it four years in a row under now-Philadelphia coach John Tortorella. The Blue Jackets finished tied for the second-fewest points in the league this past season, selected Adam Fantilli with the third pick in the draft and signed him Saturday to his entry-level contract.
They fired coach Brad Larsen in April after two seasons in that role, the second of which was derailed by injuries all over the roster after Columbus had signed top free agent Johnny Gaudreau last summer and looked poised to take a step forward. That’s now up to Babcock.
“We’re going to be better,” Davidson said. “This the most excited that I’ve been in a very long time with the Blue Jackets.
Once considered the best hockey coach in the world – and paid accordingly by the Leafs – Babcock saw his reputation take a hit a few years ago when stories emerged about some of his techniques.
Longtime Detroit forward Johan Franzen in 2019 called Babcock the “worst person” he has ever met, and former teammate Chris Chelios said Babcock berated Franzen in 2012 to the point of a nervous breakdown. Maple Leafs All-Star center Mitch Marner said during his rookie year that Babcock made him rank his teammates from hardest- to least-hardest working and shared that with a couple of the teammates near the bottom.
Babcock said his daughter told him, “It’s not what you say, it’s your tone,” and he has tried to transfer that lesson over to coaching hockey.
“The message sent and the message received often isn’t the same,” Babcock said, referencing past dealings with players he thought were good before realizing they didn’t feel the same way. “The ability to communicate and send the right message that you want to send and do it in a way that’s totally respectful to me is what the last 3 1/2 years has been about.”
Babcock credits that to a “growth opportunity” spending time as senior adviser for the University of Vermont’s men’s hockey team before returning home to his native Western Canadian province to coach the University of Saskatchewan in 2021-22. The opportunity allowed him to get accustomed to coaching younger players.
“We are going to have a relationship with all 23 players, one that is a give and take,” he said. “Communication is so important. I have to find out what they think works best for them in communication, and they have to know if I’ve crossed a line with them they are allowed to say, ‘Babs you are out of line.’ It’s two ways.”
Now 60, Babcock will be in his fourth NHL job after stints in Anaheim, Detroit and Toronto.
PENGUINS KEEP JARRY AND SENATORS SIGN KORPISALO AS GOALIES SHUFFLE AROUND IN NHL FREE AGENCY
(AP) — Even with not a lot of money to go around and after Vegas won the Stanley Cup with a surprise starting goaltender, NHL contenders showed on the first day of free agency that they’re willing to spend to keep or find reliable help in net.
The Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday re-signed two-time All-Star Tristan Jarry to a five-year contract worth just under $27 million, the Ottawa Senators added Joonas Korpisalo for $20 million over five years, and the New York Islanders extended franchise goalie Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year, $66 million deal through 2032.
Jarry will average $5.375 million a year on this contract, which new Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas was comfortable signing after meeting with the 28-year-old in Edmonton recently and talking through expectations.
“And at his age, as well, within looking at the marketplace, we just felt it was the best bet to make for our club at this time,” Dubas said.
The Carolina Hurricanes made smaller bets in retaining their veteran tandem of Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta that helped them reach the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Andersen got $6.8 million over two years and Raanta $1.5 million for 2023-24, and the team still has young Pyotr Kochetkov waiting in the wings as the goalie of the future.
“We don’t have a ton of money (invested in goal),” general manager Don Waddell said. “There’s a lot of goalies and league starters that make more than all three of those guys, so if we were going to bring them back, I felt that we needed the insurance to have all three of them back.”
Andersen, Raanta and Kochetkov combine to count, at most, $5.9 million against the salary cap next season. Seven different goalies have a higher number by themselves.
Sorokin will at $8.25 million when his new contract kicks in for the 2024-25 season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms were not announced. That’s the going rate for a Vezina Trophy finalist who will be just 29 years old when the deal starts.
The Islanders also brought back Semyon Varlamov on an $11 million, four-year deal to keep Sorokin’s longtime partner around.
Other teams went more of a bargain route in goal, including the New York Rangers signing two-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick to a one-year contract worth $825,000, with another $100,000 in potential incentives. Quick, the playoff MVP when Los Angeles won in 2012, is coming off backing up Adin Hill when Vegas hoisted the Cup for the first time this past season.
Quick, a Connecticut native, now takes over as 2022 Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin’s backup. Rangers GM Chris Drury expects Quick’s transition to be seamless.
“He obviously knows all about (Shesterkin) and his accomplishments and I think he’s ready to take on a role of mentor – similar to what he did in Vegas,” Drury said. “And I’m excited to have him.”
Pittsburgh also signed Alex Nedjelkovic for depth in goal at $1.5 million. That’s the same Detroit signed James Reimer for, while also signing ex-Florida goalie Alex Lyon for $1.8 million over two years.
Out West, Los Angeles signed Cam Talbot to a one-year contract worth $1 million, with $1 million more in potential incentives, and rival San Jose gave Mackenzie Blackwood $4.7 million over the next two seasons after acquiring his rights from New Jersey.
The goalie shuffle Saturday came after Hill re-signed for two years and $9.8 million with Vegas. Laurent Brossoit, who started the playoffs for the Golden Knights before being injured and replaced by Hill during the second round, returned to Winnipeg for $1.75 million.
The Jets hold the keys to the next big goalie development, with 2020 Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck expected to be traded at some point before he’s a free agent next summer.
MEN’S GOLF NEWS
FOWLER LEADS THE ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC AT 20 UNDER IN A BID TO END DROUGHT
DETROIT (AP) Rickie Fowler has put himself in a position to win a PGA Tour title again.
He’s hoping to take advantage for a change.
Fowler birdied six of his last eight holes Saturday to surge into the Rocket Mortgage Classic lead at 20 under, giving him another chance to end a four-year PGA Tour victory drought.
“I’m not scared to fail,” said Fowler, who had an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Adam Hdwin at Detroit Golf Club. “I’ve dealt with plenty of that.”
Indeed.
Two weeks ago in Los Angeles in the U.S. Open, Fowler squandered a chance with a closing 75 in a fifth-place tie. And last week at the Travelers Championship, he shot a career-best 60 in the third round to contend and closed with a 69 to drop into a tie for 13th.
“Felt really good Sunday last week and just didn’t get anything going, didn’t get anything out of it,” Fowler said. “Sunday at the U.S. Open, timing got a little off.”
The 34-year-old Fowler has led or shared the 54-hole lead 10 times on the PGA Tour, and has has converted the advantage into a championship just twice.
Fowler, who has never won a major, won the 2019 Phoenix Open for his only victory in six years. He’s making his 96th start since his last title, shooting to end the longest drought of his career and win for the sixth time on the PGA Tour.
“Whether it happens (Sunday) or not, it’s going to happen here soon,” said Fowler, who has seven top-10 finishes this season and is No. 17 in the FedEx Cup standings. “I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf and been putting myself in good positions.
“This definitely won’t be the last.”
Hadwin had a season-low 63 to tie the tournament record.
“One of the hardest things in golf is to get out of your own way when things are going well,” he said. “I’ve been victim of that.”
Hadwin was the victim of mistaken identity a few weeks ago when he was tackled by a security guard at the Canadian Open after fellow Canadian Nick Taylor’s victory.
Hadwin rushed the 18th green at Oakdale in Toronto while spraying celebratory bubbly from a bottle after Taylor beat Tommy Fleetwood. A guard trying to protect Taylor took Hadwin to the ground and videos of the scene went viral on social media.
“Everybody knows who I am because I’m the guy who got tackled,” he said.
Taylor Pendrith, who is also Canadian, was third at 18 under after a 67. The big hitter bogeyed two of his last four holes at Detroit Golf Club.
Hadwin is hoping to become the fifth player from Canada to win on the PGA Tour this season.
“I certainly don’t want to be left behind,” he said. “It’s a pretty fun leaderboard right now with Taylor and I at the top on Canada Day.”
If Hadwin or Pendrith win, it will mark the first time that five-plus players from a country outside the U.S. won on the PGA Tour in a season since six Australians won during the 2013-14 season.
Monday qualifier Peter Kuest (65) and Aaron Rai (68) were 17 under. Taylor Moore (69) was another stroke back with four other players, including Collin Morikawa, who shot a 67 for the second straight day.
Play was suspended for 1 hour, 42 minutes because of lightning in the area and the schedule for the final round was adjusted in the hopes of completing the final round with inclement weather in the forecast.
The leaders will tee off Sunday morning just before 9 a.m. – about 5 hours before the original schedule – and threesomes will start on both the front and back nine.
WOMEN’S GOLF
ROSE ZHANG MISSING SOLHEIM CUP POINTS UNDER ARCHAIC LPGA POLICY
Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis made her professional debut in 2008 in the U.S. Women’s Open at Interlachen, had a one-shot lead going into the final round and wound up in a tie for third behind Inbee Park.
Her earnings of $162,487 did not count toward trying to earn an LPGA Tour card because the LGPA did not co-sponsor the U.S. Women’s Open. Lewis ended up winning Q-school and before long was on her way to 12 victories, including two majors. The policy since has been changed.
That’s notable now because she might have to use a captain’s pick on Rose Zhang, who has shown her worth in two big tournaments. Zhang won the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National in her pro debut. Three weeks later, she was within one shot of the lead until a bogey on the 16th hole at Baltusrol in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She tied for eighth.
Because of archaic LPGA policy, Zhang does not get credit for her victory because she became a member after she won. That cost her 60 points toward the Solheim Cup. As it stands, she is 25th on the points list with at least five tournaments – two of them majors – before qualifying ends for the leading seven players.
The LPGA typically doesn’t change policy in the middle of a season no matter how silly it is. Along with losing out on Solheim Cup points, Zhang’s victory did not count toward player of the year or rookie of the year – only the Race to CME Globe.
Then again, at this rate, it might be a moot point toward the end of the year.
Rory McIlroy pushed back on the idea that he hasn’t won a tournament with a score in single digits under par. He was quick to point out during the U.S. Open he won two of his four majors by such a large margin that single digits would have been enough.
When he finished the Travelers Championship at 18-under par – five shots behind Keegan Bradley – McIlroy said he doesn’t “particularly like when a tournament is like this.”
“Unfortunately, technology has passed this course by, right?” he said.
McIlroy, to be sure, is good enough to win on any course with any score. But his record does indicate he wins the majority of tournaments with low scores to par.
He has won five PGA Tour events at 20 under or lower, the lowest being the 2021 CJ Cup at The Summit in Las Vegas at 25 under. He has three more wins on the European tour at 20 under or better, all three in Dubai, the lowest at 23 under in the 2012 DP World Tour Championship.
Of his 32 victories worldwide, the highest winning score to par for McIlroy was 10-under 274 at Quail Hollow in the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship.
The prize money from the $20 million elevated events can be particularly jarring depending on the play.
Zac Blair might be the best example.
He was playing on a major medical exemption from a torn labrum in his right shoulder that kept him out for the previous two years, and before that he failed to keep his card. And then it all came together in the Travelers Championship, particularly on Sunday when Blair closed with a 62. Thanks to Patrick Cantlay making two bogeys on the last three holes, Blair shared second place with Brian Harman.
That paid $1.78 million, more than his previous 78 starts on the PGA Tour dating to May 2017.
Blair still has to accrue 25 points over his next seven starts to fulfill his major medical. He’s also up to No. 90 in the FedEx Cup with six weeks left in the regular season.
Scottie Scheffler has been so consistently good this year that it becomes easy to overlook his level of play. The latest run is remarkable.
Scheffler has played six of the last seven weeks – that includes two majors and two $20 million elevated events – and has yet to finish out of the top five.
Scheffler has 14 finishes in the top 10 this season (two victories) and only once has finished worse than a tie for 12th. He tied for 45th at the CJ Cup in South Carolina last October. That was his first individual tournament in two months.
Meanwhile, he already has topped $18 million in earnings.
Nick Dunlap’s summer is off go a good start. He won a 4-for-3 playoff to qualify for the U.S. Open. He missed the cut in Los Angeles, flew to Rhode Island and closed with rounds of 63-66 to win the 61st edition of the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett.
The Northeast Amateur is the second of seven events that make up the Elite Amateur Series, with the North & South Amateur at Pinehurst next. So it’s a long way to go to see if that translates into a Walker Cup selection for Dunlap, a sophomore at Alabama and a former U.S. Junior Amateur champion.
The USGA already has selected three players for the 10-man squad for the Sept. 2-3 matches at St. Andrews, all coming from the top of the world amateur ranking – Gordon Sargent, Michael Thorbjornsen and David Ford.
The rest of the team will be announced in two segments, before and after the U.S. Amateur. Two spots are set aside for the U.S. Amateur champion and the winner of the Mark McCormack Medal for being No. 1 the most weeks, assuming they’re not already on the team.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele setting a new standard in the U.S. Open by shooting a 62 brought to mind the evolution of scoring in golf’s biggest championship, and what stands out as a fluke round.
Horace Rawlins had an 82 on his way to winning the first U.S. Open in 1895, a record that James Foulis reduced to 74 a year later. The record dropped to 73 in 1902 (Gilbert Nicholls) and then 72 in 1904 (Willie Anderson).
And then David Hunter had the round of his life at Englewood in the opening round of 1909 with a 68, a four-shot improvement.
If the name doesn’t stand out, there’s a reason. Hunter followed his 68 with an 84 in the second round, and then another 84 in the third round. He closed with a 77 and tied for 30th, 23 shots behind the winner.
Fowler tied for fifth at Los Angeles Country Club. Schauffele tied for 10th. By comparison, it wasn’t all bad.
Wyndham Clark (No. 11) and Jason Day (No. 25) are the only players in the top 25 in the world ranking who started the year outside the top 100. … Patrick Cantlay became the 10th player to top the $7 million mark in PGA Tour earnings this season. … Justin Thomas is playing the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He is coming off his first top 10 since March, moving him back inside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup at No. 66. The top 70 are eligible for the postseason. … Of the 18 players who have made the cut in all three majors this year, four of them are with LIV Golf – Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed. … Keegan Bradley is the sixth multiple winner on the PGA Tour this season.
Players from six countries have won the last six majors on the LPGA Tour – China (Ruoning Yin), United States (Lilia Vu), South Africa (Ashleigh Buhai), Canada (Brooke Henderson), South Korea (In Gee Chun) and Australia (Minjee Lee).
“The sad part is I probably don’t even have a question they can answer.” – Xander Schauffele on the lack of details on the PGA Tour deal with the Saudi national wealth fund.
USFL CHAMPIONSHIP
STALLIONS DOWN MAULERS TO KEEP USFL CROWN
Alex McGough tossed three of his four touchdown passes to Deon Cain as the Birmingham Stallions won back-to-back USFL championships with a 28-12 victory over the Pittsburgh Maulers on Saturday night in Canton, Ohio.
The Stallions (10-2) trailed 3-0 early then took control of the game, outscoring the Maulers 28-9 over the final three quarters in defeating Pittsburgh (5-7) for the second time this season.
Kicker Chris Blewitt accounted for all of the Maulers’ points by making four of five field-goal attempts, nailing kicks of 37, 36, 55 and 51 yards.
McGough was 18-of-25 passing for 243 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He added nine rushing attempts for a team-high 64 yards as Birmingham outgained Pittsburgh 150-98 on the ground.
Cain scored touchdowns on three of his four receptions for a game total of 70 yards. The scores were for 3, 20 and 40 yards.
Teammate Jace Sternberger caught three passes for 65 yards, and Davion Davis caught three — including a 42-yard TD pass — for 55 total yards.
The Birmingham defense was led by safety JoJo Tillery with 10 tackles (six solo), one of the team’s six sacks, and a forced fumble.
Pittsburgh quarterback Troy Williams completed 24 of 37 passes for 143 yards and no scores or interceptions. Williams added a team-high 38 yards on four carries, but he lost one of his two fumbles.
The Stallions totaled more yards, 357-202, and averaged 7.1 yards per play to 3.3 for the Maulers.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2023
WHO ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS FOR 2023/24?
Here is a list of some of the critical players to watch throughout the 2023/24 college football season as fans get ready for another action-packed season. We feel it is important to keep a close eye on these players since we anticipate that they will have a significant effect both on the playing field, on college football odds, and in the rankings.
Spencer Rattler – Quarterback, South Carolina
After transferring from Oklahoma to USC, former Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler is now anticipated to be the driving force behind the success of the Gamecocks in the upcoming season. The combination of Rattler’s powerful arm, pinpoint accuracy, and quick feet make him a dangerous opponent on the field. Many people feel that he has what it takes to win the Heisman Trophy this year.
Kedon Slovis – Quarterback, BYU
Kedon Slovis is another talented quarterback for BYU. The junior has excellent accuracy and mobility, making him a dual threat on the field. He threw for 1,921 yards and 17 touchdowns last season and is expected to have another strong season since transferring to the Cougars.
Caleb Williams, USC Trojans – A Heisman favorite & potential top draft pick for 2024
Caleb Williams has already achieved a lot in his young college football career. As a sophomore, he won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the third quarterback under head coach Lincoln Riley to do so. Williams has a unique ability to excel outside of the original play design, leading the nation in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and big-time throws in 2022. He is the early favorite to be the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and has a chance to join the exclusive club of two-time Heisman winners.
Drake Maye, North Carolina Tar Heels – A challenger for QB1
Drake Maye is a redshirt freshman who has quickly emerged as a serious challenger to Caleb Williams for the top quarterback spot in college football. In 2022, he was the most valuable player according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Maye also had 45 big-time throws, which was 10 more than the next closest FBS quarterback. He proved to be a versatile threat, tying for second among all quarterbacks with 56 combined rushing first downs and touchdowns.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington Huskies – A top Heisman contender
Michael Penix Jr. is a talented quarterback who led the Power Five in passing yards in 2022. He has a low turnover-worthy play rate, which ranked fifth lowest in the country. Penix transferred from Indiana to Washington and led the Huskies to their best season since their College Football Playoff appearance in 2016. He is expected to be a top Heisman contender in 2023.
Jayden Daniels, LSU Tigers – A revitalized career in a new environment
Jayden Daniels is another quarterback who thrived in a new environment. After transferring from Arizona State to LSU, he led all quarterbacks in the country with a low turnover-worthy play rate. Daniels was the only quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards and was among the most valuable Power Five quarterbacks in 2022, trailing only Maye and Williams.
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame Fighting Irish – A valuable transfer from Wake Forest
Sam Hartman was one of the most coveted transfers in the offseason and eventually chose Notre Dame. He has been the most valuable Power Five player over the past two seasons, according to PFF’s wins above-average metric. Hartman has a high passing grade and will likely be the best quarterback Notre Dame has had in the PFF College era. His success at Wake Forest can be attributed to the slow-mesh system, but he has shown that he can succeed in a different environment.
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas Razorbacks – An underrated quarterback
KJ Jefferson is a redshirt junior who has been one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country. He has a high grade and has rushed for over 1,000 yards after contact in the past two seasons, which is the second-highest among all quarterbacks. Jefferson has also shown significant improvement as a passer, finishing 2022 with an impressive passing grade that was seven points higher than his previous mark.
DJ Uiagalelei – Quarterback, Oregon State
DJ Uiagalelei, previously at Clemson and now transferred to the Oregon State Beavers, is a dual-threat player on the field because of his outstanding arm strength as well as his exceptional agility. In his limited playing time during the previous season, he threw for 914 yards and 5 touchdowns, displaying glimpses of brilliance in the process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these players are the ones to watch in the upcoming college football season. They are all poised to make an impact on the field and in the rankings and are sure to keep fans on the edge of their seats. Whether it’s the breakout stars or the well-established players, these names are the ones to keep an eye on this season.
RACING NEWS
GRAHAM RAHAL ON INDYCAR FRONT ROW AT MID-OHIO WITH POLE SITTER COLTON HERTA
Graham Rahal is back on the front row for an IndyCar race for the first time in four years.
The son of 1986 Indy 500 winner and team owner Bobby Rahal nearly landed the pole at Mid-Ohio on Saturday, getting edged in the final seconds by Colton Herta, the last car remaining in the final six-minute round of qualifying. Herta posted a lap of 1 minute, 6.3096 seconds while Rahal stopped the clock in 1:06.3528 to cap a dominant performance by the Honda teams.
Each of the six teams that made the final round of qualifying had Honda engines.
“It’s a great time to get the Fifth Third Bank car up front and running well,” said Rahal, whose struggles this season — including a failure to land his Rahal Letterman Lanigan car in the Indianapolis 500 — have left his future with the team in question.
“We’ve got a lot of laps tomorrow to keep it there,” Rahal said. “I’m so proud of everybody at RLL, the 15 car of course. Everybody has done an amazing job, keeping their heads down amidst a tough season.”
It was a banner day for the Rahal team, which also landed Christian Lundgaard in the final round. He will start fifth on Sunday.
Even faster than the Rahal cars were those from Andretti Autosport, which got a second consecutive pole from Herta after his quick lap at Road America and will have Kyle Kirkwood starting right behind him on the grid.
“He just drove super well and definitely put in a really good lap there,” Kirkwood said of his teammate, who is searching for his first win since the road course at Indianapolis last year. “You couldn’t ask for better starting positions, to be honest. A front row lockout is great, but one and three is great here, being on the inside for Turn 1.”
Herta won from the pole at Mid-Ohio when it hosted a doubleheader in 2020.
Alex Palou qualified fourth for Chip Ganassi Racing as the series points leader seeks his fourth win in the last five races.
Some big names failed to make it out of the first qualifying round, including Pato O’Ward, who had been near the top of the speed charts in practice but spun into the grass on his run. Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi also failed to advance.
Newgarden’s teammates with Team Penske, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin, were the fastest among those that failed to make the six-car final round. They had a chance to bump Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon but came up short.
“I had some of my best laps of the weekend. We just missed,” McLaughlin said. “It’s IndyCar. It’s so tight. We’ll work. We can win from eighth. Me and Will are the first couple of Chevys and we’ll go from there.”
DENNY HAMLIN WINS POLE FOR NASCAR CUP SERIES’ FIRST STREET RACE IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
CHICAGO (AP) — Denny Hamlin won the pole Saturday for the NASCAR Cup Series’ first street race, edging Tyler Reddick on the tricky course in downtown Chicago.
Hamlin led the way for the race Sunday with a lap of 88.435 seconds at an average speed of 89.557 mph on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile course. It’s his third pole of the season and No. 39 for his career.
Reddick was second at 88.479 seconds, followed by Shane van Gisbergen in his first NASCAR event and Christopher Bell. Daniel Suárez rounded out the top five in 89.322 seconds.
With Hamlin, Reddick and Bell, Toyota had three of the top four cars. Hamlin and Bell are teammates on Joe Gibbs Racing, and van Gisbergen and Suárez drive for Trackhouse Racing.
The 34-year-old van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercars champion, is the latest international driver to try NASCAR’s top series as part of Trackhouse’s Project 91. The goal for the team is expanding its global reach.
NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVERS PRAISE SETUP FOR 1ST STREET RACE IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
CHICAGO (AP) — Before NASCAR raced in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2022, Kevin Harvick thought it was going to be a disaster. It didn’t take very long for the event to win him over.
Heading into the Cup Series’ first street race, Harvick is keeping an open mind.
“Going through all these new types of events kind of changes your mindset to how you approach it,” he said, “because you see the enthusiasm, right, like you can feel it, you can see it.”
After months of hype and curiosity, the NASCAR Cup Series hits the streets of downtown Chicago on Sunday at the end of a big weekend for the sport that includes concerts and other entertainment.
The 12-turn, 2.2-mile course includes seven 90-degree turns. There are lots of ways to get into trouble, including manhole covers, and transitions from concrete to asphalt and back. Getting in and out of pit road in front of Buckingham Fountain could become an issue, and restarts also could be an adventure.
“It’s obviously narrow in sections. I think that’s going to be a hot topic of things to talk about,” said Chase Elliott, who is still looking for his first win of the season. “I do think it’s going to be difficult to pass once everybody gets up to pace come race time. But I hope that we’re able to mix it up and do different things.”
As the drivers tested out the course Saturday in practice and qualifying, and the Xfinity Series raced in The Loop 121, the noise from the stock-car engines rumbled past the skyscrapers around Grant Park. Smiling passersby on Michigan Avenue stopped and used their phones to record some of the action through a fence.
The spectacle of racing in downtown Chicago was exactly what NASCAR was hoping to create when it announced the event a year ago.
“I think they told us that over 80% of the fans here this weekend will be people who have never watched a NASCAR race,” Harvick said. “If you’re gonna grow the sport, you’re gonna have to do stuff like this.”
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
PACERS BASKETBALL
KNICKS ARE TRADING FORMER LOTTERY PICK AND FAN FAVORITE OBI TOPPIN TO PACERS, AP SOURCE SAYS
NEW YORK (AP) The New York Knicks are trading Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, dealing away a former lottery pick who was loved by fans but never as much by coach Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks will get back two second-round picks, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade is not yet official.
It was first reported by ESPN.
Toppin was the No. 8 pick in the 2020 draft after winning national player of the year honors at Dayton. But when that season ended early and his first professional one was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toppin lost out on vital time to expand his skills and earn Thibodeau’s confidence.
He was also stuck playing behind All-Star Julius Randle, so playing time was hard to come by. Toppin made only 15 starts in his three seasons in New York.
Fans desperately wanted more, often chanting his name at Madison Square Garden in hopes of seeing the acrobatic forward who won the 2022 NBA All-Star slam dunk contest. But Toppin never averaged more than about 17 minutes per game. He scored a career-high 9.0 points per game in the 2021-22 season.
He would have been eligible for an extension on his rookie contract, but trading him allows the Knicks to avoid having to make that decision.
Toppin had his best game of the season against the Pacers in the regular-season finale, after starting the final five games following Randle’s sprained ankle. Toppin scored a season-high 34 points and tied his season best with seven rebounds in that loss.
INDIANS BASEBALL
INDIANS SCORE 12 UNANSWERED OVER FINAL THREE INNINGS IN LOUISVILLE FOR TRIUMPHANT 14-8 WIN
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trailing 8-2 with seven outs at their disposal, the Indianapolis Indians scored 12 unanswered runs to record their largest comeback win since 2014 with a 14-8 victory over the Louisville Bats on Saturday night at Louisville Slugger Field. Cal Mitchell provided the heroics off the bench with a pinch-hit, two-run double in the seventh and a tiebreaking two-run home run in the ninth.
After playing its first 76 games without a last at-bat or walk-off win, Indianapolis (36-42, 3-1) notched its second last at-bat victory in as many nights in thrilling fashion. Facing former Indian Shea Spitzbarth with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, Canaan Smith-Njigba rocked a bases-clearing double to right to make it 8-5, and Mitchell brought Indy within one run two batters later with a pinch-hit two-bagger off the base of the wall in left.
John O’Reilly stranded two runners in the bottom of the seventh before a 41-minute rain delay, and on the other side of the brief shower, Indy kept raking. Chris Owings reached first base with one away in the eighth on a fielding error by Bats pitcher Randy Wynne (L, 2-2), and a dropped popup by first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand with two outs extended the frame to Miguel Andújar, who laced a game-tying single into right-center.
In the bottom of the eighth, Louisville (41-36, 1-3) put two runners on against Daniel Zamora, but Hunter Stratton (W, 1-4) was summoned and struck out Encarnacion-Strand and induced a fielder’s choice off the bat of Henry Ramos to get out of the jam. Ramos nearly snuck a go-ahead knock down the left field line, but it was ruled foul, leading to the ejections of Bats manager Pat Kelly and third base coach Mike Jacobs.
The Indians’ momentum carried into the ninth. Indy sent 11 batters to the plate during a six-run burst that started with a towering drive by Mitchell and continued with RBI doubles by Owings and Vinny Capra, another run-scoring single by Andújar, and a Ryan Vilade RBI two-bagger.
The game was all Louisville early. Ramos doubled home Encarnacion-Strand in the first inning, and Nick Martini – who clubbed a pair of three-run home runs – launched his first blast in the second inning over the wall in right-center. Indy cut its deficit to 4-2 in the fourth on an Alika Williams RBI double and sacrifice fly by Josh Bissonette, but the Bats plated four runs in the sixth, the first coming on a Michael Siani RBI single and the final three on Martini’s second homer.
Williams finished 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Vilade went 1-for-2 with two runs, a double, RBI and career-high four walks, the most by an Indian in a game this season.
Quinn Priester yielded four earned runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 5.0 innings in a no-decision.
The six-run deficit turned into a six-run lead and victory is tied for the third-largest comeback win since 2005. Indy last won a game when trailing by six-plus runs on May 23, 2014, at Charlotte, when it won 15-6 after falling behind 6-0 through two innings.
The Indians and Bats continue their series on Sunday with a 1:05 PM ET start. RHP Jared Jones (0-1, 5.06) is slated to start for Indy against RHP Michael Mariot (3-0, 1.42).
INDY ELEVEN
RECAP – IND 2:2 SD
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 1, 2023) – For the second time this season, Aodhan Quinn scored a pair of penalty kicks and helped earn Indy Eleven a come from behind 2-2 draw against San Diego Loyal SC at home on Saturday night. With the point, Indy improves to 5-6-5 on the season, while San Diego sits at 6-5-6.
Quinn’s penalties came in the 66th and 82nd minutes to salvage the tie. Quinn matched the PK total in Indy’s 4-0 win at Charleston on June 2, which was the first time the Eleven had converted on a pair since May 29, 2021 at Louisville City.
San Diego struck first in the 32nd-minute after the Eleven were whistled for a foul in the Indy box. San Diego captain Charlie Adams stepped up to the spot and converted on the penalty. Despite the Eleven holding the narrow 51.9%-48.1% advantage in possession in the first frame, the visiting team won the shots battle 5-3 including 3-0 in shots on target.
San Diego doubled its lead in the 58th-minute when Tumi Moshbane found Evan Conway on a through ball into the 18 that Conway slotted into the lower right corner.
Indy was forced to play a man down starting in the 58th-minute when Gustavo Rissi was issued a red car for denial of a goal scoring opportunity.
The Boys in Blue remain at home next Saturday and host FC Tulsa for a 7 p.m. ET kick. Single-game tickets for all home games at IUPUI Carroll Stadium and specially-priced group tickets and an increased portfolio of hospitality options are available for purchase now via indyeleven.com/tickets or by calling 317-685-1100 during regular business hours (Mon.-Fri., 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).
USL Championship Regular Season
Indy Eleven 2:2 San Diego Loyal SC
Saturday, July 1 2023
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
Indy Eleven: 5W-6L-5D, 20 pts
San Diego Loyal SC: 6W-5L-6D, 24 pts
Scoring Summary
SD – Charlie Adams (penalty) 32’
SD – Evan Conway (Tumi Moshbane) 54’
IND – Aodhan Quinn (penalty) 66’
IND – Aodhan Quinn (penalty) 82’
Discipline Summary
IND – Robby Dambrot (caution) 7’
IND – Macauley King (caution) 14’
SD – Adrien Perez (caution) 40’
IND – Adrian Diz Pe (caution) 57’
IND – Gustavo Rissi (ejection) 58’
SD – Ronaldo Damus (caution) 74’
SD – Collin Martin (caution) 89’
IND – Cam Lindley (caution) 100+12’
Indy Eleven line-up (5-4-1): Yannik Oettl, Gustavo Rissi, Adrian Diz Pe, Macauley King (Solomon Asante 57’), Robby Dambrot (Jesus Vazquez 66’), Aodhan Quinn, Cam Lindley, Younes Boudadi, Roberto Molina (Harrison Robledo 74’), Sebastian Guenzatti (captain), Douglas Martinez
Indy Subs: Tim Trilk, Mechack Jerome, Diego Sanchez, Sebastian Velasquez
San Diego Loyal SC line-up (3-5-2): Koke Vegas, Elijah Martin, Kyle Adams, Camden Riley, Adrien Perez (Blake Bodily 62’), Charlie Adams (captain) (Elliot Collier 45’), Collin Martin, Joe Carona, Nick Moon (Morgan Hackworth 90+5’), Tumi Moshbane (Grant Stoneman 71’), Even Conway (Ronaldo Damus 62’)
San Diego Subs: Duran Ferree, Jackson Kasanzu
INDIANA FEVER GAME PREVIEW
FEVER RETURN TO GAINBRIDGE FIELDHOUSE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON TO TAKE ON CHICAGO SKY
Indiana Fever vs Chicago Sky
Sunday, July 2, 2023
Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 4 p.m. ET
Broadcast Information
Fever Facebook/ESPN 3
Pat Boylan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)
The Indiana Fever return to Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon to take on the Chicago Sky after a four-game west-coast road trip.
The previous two matchups between the Fever and Sky this season were tightly contested matchups in Chicago. After the Sky took the first game of the series in an overtime affair, 108-103, on June 6, Indiana prevailed against the Sky on June 15, 92-90.
In the second matchup, WNBA All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell lifted Indiana to the win as her completed midrange jumper left 1.1 seconds on the clock, which proved to be too little time for the Sky to convert in their last possession. Mitchell scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half and dished out a team-high five assists in the win. All-Star starter Aliyah Boston led the Fever in scoring in the win with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the court. NaLyssa Smith, who had 15 points on the night, matched Boston in rebounding as they both pulled down eight rebounds a piece. In the second matchup, the Mitchell-Smith-Boston combination shot a perfect 17-of-17 from the free throw line, which was only the fifth time in WNBA history and first time in franchise history that a trio of teammates have individually had at least 15 points and at least five made free throws on perfect shooting from the charity stripe.
Sunday’s matchup will be the first time Boston and Mitchell take the floor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse floor after being named WNBA All-Stars. Boston leads the league in field goal percentage shooting 62.6 percent from the floor on average. In addition, she has consistently led all 2023 rookies in scoring average (15.3 ppg), rebounds (8.5 rpg), blocks (1.5) and minutes played (29.5 ppg). In her sixth season with Indiana, Mitchell is leading the team in scoring averaging 17.0 points per contest and ranks near the top ten in the league in scoring average. She is third in the WNBA in most made 3-point field goals this season at 38.
Smith averages a double-double this season at 14.4 points per game and is tied for second in rebounding in the league at 10.1 rebounds per game. Erica Wheeler, Lexie Hull and Kristy Wallace have offered additional support to the offense as they are averaging 8.9, 4.9 and 8.1 points respectively. Wheeler has dished out 76 total assists so far this season and leads the team in assists averaging 5.1 per game.
For Chicago, Marina Mabrey’s career-high 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting from the court and 6-of-11 from behind the three-point arc was the most points scored by a Sky player against Indiana in a regular season game back on June 15. She was followed by Evans in the scoring column, who recorded 21 points off the bench, while Courtney Williams dished out a season-high 10 assists. Mabrey closely follows team leading scorer and WNBA All-Star Kahleah Copper, who averages 16.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season, in the scoring column averaging 15.9 points per contest.
Indiana enters the game Sunday after concluding their four-game road trip with an 85-63 loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
Indiana’s win in Chicago on June 15 took place in the middle of what became a six-game losing streak for the Sky, which ended June 28 against Los Angeles. Chicago enters the matchup following two wins over the Sparks in back-to-back games.
Sunday will be the first game for the Sky after GM/Head Coach James Wade was hired by the Toronto Raptors. Effective immediately, Emre Vatansever was named Interim General Manager and Head Coach, joined by current Assistant Coaches Ann Wauters and Tonya Edwards.
Probable Starters
Indiana Fever (5-10)
Guard – Kelsey Mitchell (17.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.5 apg)
Guard – Erica Wheeler (8.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.1 apg)
Guard – Lexie Hull (4.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.87 spg)
Forward – NaLyssa Smith (14.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Center – Aliyah Boston (15.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Chicago Sky (7-9)
Guard – Kahleah Copper (16.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Guard – Courtney Williams (8.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.9 apg)
Guard – Marina Mabrey (15.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.5 apg)
Forward – Alanna Smith (10.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Center – Elizabeth Williams (8.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.50 bpg)
Game Status Report
Indiana: No injuries
Chicago: TBA
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
THREE HOOSIERS TO COMPETE IN LAS VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Three former Hoosier All-Big Ten selections will compete in the NBA 2k24 Summer League 2023 held in Las Vegas to begin the month of July.
Jalen Hood-Schifino, the 17th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, will make his Summer League debut as part of the California Classic against the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
Los Angeles Lakers Schedule
July 3 vs. Miami at 6 p.m. on ESPN2*
July 5 vs. San Antonio at 8 p.m. on ESPN*
July 7 vs. Golden State at 11 p.m. on ESPN
July 9 vs. Charlotte at 4 p.m. on ESPN2
July 12 vs. Boston at 10 p.m. on ESPN2
July 14 vs. Memphis at 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV
*California League game played at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento
Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was selected 57th overall by the Washington Wizards and then traded to the Golden State Warriors, opens his NBA preseason with a California Classic matchup with the Sacramento Kings.
Golden State Warriors Schedule
July 3 vs. Sacramento at 10 p.m. on ESPN*
July 5 vs. Charlotte at 6 p.m. on ESPN2*
July 7 vs. Los Angeles at 11 p.m. on ESPN
July 9 vs. New Orleans at 10 p.m. on ESPN2
July 12 vs. Dallas at 5:30 p.m. on NBA TV
July 13 vs. Houston at 7 p.m. on ESPN
*California League game played at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento
Race Thompson signed a deal to participate with the New York Knicks in the Summer League. Thompson will debut against the Philadelphia 76ers.
New York Knicks Schedule
July 8 vs. Philadelphia at 5 p.m. on NBA TV
July 9 vs. Brooklyn at 5:30 p.m. on NBA TV
July 12 vs. Orlando at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
July 14 vs. Boston at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
All times are listed in Eastern Standard and subject to change.
The NBA Summer League tournament on July 15 with a champion crowned on July 17.
PURDUE VOLLEYBALL
MICHAEL BOURIL ELEVATED TO VOLLEYBALL ASSISTANT COACH
By: Rachel Coe
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Dave Shondell announced Michael Bouril, previously Purdue volleyball’s technical coordinator & performance analyst, will be elevated to assistant coach effective July 1.
In his new position, Bouril will be taking an active role in coaching and recruiting, in addition to applying his statistics and analytical background on a day-to-day basis.
Bouril joined the Boilermaker program June 29, 2020, first joining the staff as graduate assistant before taking on the role of technical coordinator & performance analyst a year ago.
“In the past three years, Michael has proved his worth as a talented and passionate member of our staff,” said Shondell. “I am excited to elevate his role to assistant coach with our Boilermaker team. Michael will continue to provide support with scouting, technology, and analytics, but will now be permitted to coach our athletes on the court during practices and games.”
Over Bouril’s three seasons with the program, he has been instrumental in the development of Purdue’s student-athletes, which includes two NCAA Regional final and a Second Round appearance. Overall, the Boilermakers have gone on to a 63-25 record since joining the staff.
Prior to Purdue, Bouril spent the 2018 and 2019 campaign serving as a traveling manager for the Penn State women’s volleyball team while earning his undergraduate degree in Mathematics with a minor in computer sciences. He received a master’s degree from Purdue in Recreation and Sports Management in 2022.
“SPORTS EXTRA”
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 57 | 29 | .663 | – | 34 – 10 | 23 – 19 | 17 – 10 | 14 – 3 | 9 – 6 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Baltimore | 48 | 33 | .593 | 6.5 | 25 – 18 | 23 – 15 | 14 – 9 | 14 – 7 | 10 – 7 | 4 – 6 | L 4 |
| NY Yankees | 46 | 37 | .554 | 9.5 | 25 – 19 | 21 – 18 | 11 – 15 | 8 – 8 | 14 – 8 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Toronto | 45 | 39 | .536 | 11 | 23 – 17 | 22 – 22 | 7 – 19 | 11 – 5 | 11 – 8 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| Boston | 42 | 42 | .500 | 14 | 21 – 21 | 21 – 21 | 15 – 11 | 11 – 8 | 5 – 5 | 3 – 7 | W 2 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 42 | 42 | .500 | – | 23 – 19 | 19 – 23 | 12 – 13 | 15 – 12 | 5 – 4 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| Cleveland | 40 | 42 | .488 | 1 | 20 – 19 | 20 – 23 | 7 – 8 | 10 – 12 | 13 – 6 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Detroit | 36 | 46 | .439 | 5 | 18 – 21 | 18 – 25 | 2 – 14 | 15 – 11 | 6 – 7 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Chi White Sox | 36 | 49 | .424 | 6.5 | 20 – 20 | 16 – 29 | 6 – 13 | 15 – 11 | 8 – 14 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| Kansas City | 24 | 59 | .289 | 17.5 | 12 – 31 | 12 – 28 | 4 – 10 | 7 – 16 | 4 – 11 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 50 | 33 | .602 | – | 27 – 16 | 23 – 17 | 10 – 9 | 11 – 5 | 16 – 9 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Houston | 45 | 38 | .542 | 5 | 22 – 19 | 23 – 19 | 5 – 5 | 8 – 11 | 14 – 7 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| LA Angels | 44 | 41 | .518 | 7 | 22 – 20 | 22 – 21 | 8 – 9 | 11 – 8 | 15 – 12 | 3 – 7 | L 4 |
| Seattle | 39 | 42 | .481 | 10 | 23 – 20 | 16 – 22 | 6 – 11 | 7 – 6 | 12 – 10 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| Oakland | 23 | 62 | .271 | 28 | 12 – 31 | 11 – 31 | 5 – 15 | 5 – 6 | 4 – 23 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 55 | 27 | .671 | – | 29 – 15 | 26 – 12 | 21 – 6 | 8 – 1 | 10 – 7 | 9 – 1 | W 7 |
| Miami | 48 | 36 | .571 | 8 | 25 – 16 | 23 – 20 | 11 – 14 | 8 – 5 | 9 – 10 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| Philadelphia | 44 | 38 | .537 | 11 | 22 – 15 | 22 – 23 | 8 – 12 | 9 – 4 | 11 – 12 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| NY Mets | 37 | 46 | .446 | 18.5 | 19 – 19 | 18 – 27 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 14 | 9 – 9 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| Washington | 33 | 49 | .402 | 22 | 13 – 27 | 20 – 22 | 8 – 16 | 5 – 5 | 9 – 13 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Cincinnati | 44 | 39 | .530 | – | 22 – 21 | 22 – 18 | 8 – 11 | 11 – 12 | 8 – 6 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Milwaukee | 44 | 39 | .530 | – | 22 – 18 | 22 – 21 | 6 – 1 | 12 – 6 | 8 – 15 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 39 | 43 | .476 | 4.5 | 22 – 20 | 17 – 23 | 5 – 5 | 11 – 14 | 12 – 6 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Chi Cubs | 38 | 43 | .469 | 5 | 21 – 21 | 17 – 22 | 6 – 13 | 10 – 9 | 9 – 8 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| St. Louis | 34 | 48 | .415 | 9.5 | 16 – 25 | 18 – 23 | 4 – 5 | 11 – 14 | 7 – 13 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Arizona | 50 | 34 | .595 | – | 24 – 20 | 26 – 14 | 11 – 11 | 8 – 4 | 17 – 11 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| LA Dodgers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 3 | 24 – 15 | 22 – 21 | 9 – 6 | 12 – 11 | 14 – 11 | 7 – 3 | L 1 |
| San Francisco | 46 | 37 | .554 | 3.5 | 23 – 19 | 23 – 18 | 10 – 8 | 13 – 7 | 13 – 9 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| San Diego | 38 | 45 | .458 | 11.5 | 20 – 22 | 18 – 23 | 10 – 9 | 7 – 12 | 12 – 13 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| Colorado | 33 | 52 | .388 | 17.5 | 20 – 23 | 13 – 29 | 11 – 14 | 8 – 10 | 5 – 17 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1869 In front of 2,000 spectators at Case Commons, the Forest Citys, a team including unpaid amateur players who do not want compensation to remain ‘pure,’ play the first professional baseball game in Cleveland, losing to the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 25-6. The club will continue to play next season, becoming a charter member of the National Association of Professional Baseball Players in 1871.
1903 Ed Delahanty, who once hit four homers in one game, goes over a Niagara Falls railroad bridge and drowns. The circumstances of the Senator outfielder’s death will remain a mystery, but rumors persist he was kicked off a train by a conductor for being drunk and disorderly.
1930 Carl Reynolds becomes only the second player in big-league history to homer in three consecutive innings when he goes deep in the first three frames of the 15-4 White Sox victory over the hometown Yankees. The Chicago outfielder’s power surge includes two inside-the-park round-trippers.
1934 At Wrigley Field, with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning, veteran ump Bill Klem’s delayed call of the infield fly rule leads to the Cardinals, trailing by four runs, successfully protesting their game against the Cubs with the Redbirds. The contest resumes from the point-of-the-protest, on July 31, with St. Louis losing 7-1.
1941 On a sweltering day in front of 52,832 fans at Yankee Stadium, Joe DiMaggio hits a three-run homer off Red Sox hurler Dick Newsome to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 45 games. The ‘Yankee Clipper’ surpasses Wee Willie Keeler’s 1897 major league mark of 44 straight games with a hit accomplished when the diminutive outfielder played with the Orioles.
1962 Johnny Podres ties a major league mark record, striking out eight consecutive batters in LA’s 5-1 victory over Philadelphia. The 29-year-old southpaw’s streak begins with the third out in the top of the fourth frame and ends after the first out in the seventh inning of the Dodger Stadium contest.
1963 In one of baseball’s most memorable pitching duels, Giants’ right-hander Juan Marichal and Braves’ lefty Warren Spahn hurl 15 scoreless innings before Willie Mays ends the marathon, homering off Spahnie in the bottom of the 16th to give Francisco a 1-0 win.
1967 After the Cubs’ 4-1 victory over the Reds, many of the 40,464 patrons stay at Wrigley Field, awaiting the outcome of the Cards/Mets game, hoping for a New York victory, putting the Cubs in first place by half of a game. The enthusiastic fans refuse to leave the ‘Friendly Confines’ until the flags above the scoreboard reflect the home team’s current position at the top of the standings, a task usually done the next day.
1969 Reds’ pitcher Gerry Arrigo ties a major league mark when he hits his third Braves’ batter in the second inning of a 9-4 victory. The Braves also match the big league mark by plunking five batters in one game.
1970 Joe Niekro keeps the Yankees hitless until Horace Clarke legs out an infield single with one out in the ninth inning of the team’s 5-0 victory at Tiger Stadium. The hit marks the third time the Bronx Bomber second baseman has broken up a no-hitter in the past four weeks, having spoiled no-no bids by Royals left-hander Jim Rooker (June 4th) and Red Sox righty Sonny Siebert (June 19th).
1970 Tony Horton hits for the cycle against Baltimore in the Indians’ 10-9 victory at Memorial Stadium. The Cleveland first baseman completes the feat with a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth inning off Pete Richert.
1972 At Montreal’s Jarry Park, the Expos walk away with a 4-3 victory when Mets right-hander Bob Rauch issues his fourth free pass of the inning, forcing Carl Morton in with the winning run. The frustrating loss will be the 23-year-old rookie’s only decision during a brief 19-game major league career.
1975 Don Baylor goes deep in his first three plate appearances in the Orioles’ 13-5 victory over Detroit at Tiger Stadium. Today’s trio of home runs gives the Baltimore left fielder four consecutive round-trippers, hitting one off Reggie Cleveland in his last at-bat yesterday in the team’s 10-6 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
1976 The Astros tie a franchise record, banging out 25 hits in a 10-8 victory over Cincinnati at Riverfront Stadium. Two months earlier, Houston established the mark in a 16-5 rout of the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
1977 For the second time this season, White Sox’s first baseman Jim Spencer ties the club record set by Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1920, when he collects eight RBIs, duplicating a feat he first accomplished in May against the Indians. The 29-year-old infielder’s two home runs help beat the Twins at Comiskey Park, 13-8.
1977 The Cubs commit five errors in one inning, a feat that will not occur again until 2017 when the Mariners accomplish the dubious deed. Chicago’s first-frame woes, which include two misplays each by second baseman Manny Trillo and pitcher Bill Bonham, and one by left fielder Gene Clines, lead to four Cardinals runs en route to a 10–3 loss to the Cardinals before a packed house at Busch Stadium.
1978 Ron Guidry improves his record to 13-0 with a 3-2 Yankee victory over the Tigers at the Bronx ballpark. The 27-year-old southpaw, known as Louisiana Lightning, establishes the best start in franchise history en route to finishing the season with a 25-3 record.
1979 The White Sox fire player-manager Don Kessinger (46-60), replacing him with rookie skipper Tony La Russa, who had been managing the club’s Triple-A Iowa Oaks in the American Association. During his eight-year tenure with Chicago, La Russa compiles a 522-510 record, with his team winning the AL West title in 1983.
1985 Astros’ hurler Joe Niekro notches his 200th career victory. The Niekro brothers (Joe & Phil) will join the Perrys (Jim & Gaylord) as the only brothers to win at least 200 games per pitcher.
1986 The Blue Jays score three runs in the eighth inning to beat the Red Sox and Roger Clemens, 4-2. The loss prevents the ‘Rocket’ from getting a record-tying 15th consecutive winning decision.
1993 In a pregame ceremony at the ballpark, Kansas City officially renames Royals Stadium to Kauffman Stadium to honor Ewing M. Kauffman, the team’s owner since its inception in 1968. The 77-year-old philanthropist, who humbly discouraged the name change, will die within a month.
1993 The latest game in major league history ends at 4:40 am when relief pitcher Mitch Williams, in his first at-bat of the season, singles home the winning run in the tenth inning, giving the Phillies a 6-5 victory over the Padres. The Veterans Stadium contest, which started at 1:26 am due to the three rain delays in Game 1 of the twin bill, eclipses the 3:35 am mark established in Atlanta on July 4, 1985, in a game that ended with fireworks after the Mets beat the Braves in 19 innings, 16-13.
1995 During a pregame ceremony at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals retire five-time All-Star second baseman Frank White’s uniform number 20. The Royals’ Hall of Fame inductee will also be honored in 2004 with a bronze statue dedicated outside the Kansas City ballpark, joining club owners Ewing & Muriel Kauffman and Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett.
1995 Dodger right-hander Hideo Nomo, leading the National League in strikeouts, becomes the first player from Japan to be selected for the major league All-Star game. As the starter for the Senior Circuit, the 26-year-old rookie tosses two scoreless innings in National League’s 3-2 victory over their American League rivals at The Ballpark in Arlington.
1999 National League President Len Coleman suspends Tom Hallion for three games without pay for bumping Colorado catcher Jeff Reed and pitching coach Milt May during an argument. The incident marks the first time an umpire receives a suspension for an on-field dispute.
2000 After hitting two home runs in a 2-1 victory over the Expos, Marlins outfielder Mark Smith becomes a hero for the second time when he pulls a man from a smoke-filled car minutes before the car explodes.
2000 At Shea Stadium, Gregory Sweeney is arrested and charged with reckless endangerment after throwing a ball onto the field after Braves reliever John Rocker had tossed it into the stands. A few days later, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown exonerates the 26-year-old Brooklyn man, concluding the Mets fan had no criminal intent and was doing nothing more than following a baseball tradition of returning an unsolicited and unwanted souvenir.
2002 At Coors Field, every Giants starter gets at least one hit, with the #8 hitter Tsuyoshi Shinjo going 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs, including a first-inning grand slam. The former Japanese big leaguer will finish the season hitting just two more homers and driving in nine more runs.
2002 Fifty-three major league players hit 62 home runs, five more than the record 57 established on April 7, 2000. The barrage includes a record-tying dozen hits at Chicago’s Comiskey Park by the White Sox and the Tigers, the same two teams which set the major league record for homers in a game with 12 at Tiger Stadium in 1995.
2004 Suffering through their worst season since their inception in 1998, the Diamondbacks replace manager Bob Brenly with third-base coach Al Pedrique. The former skipper of Arizona’s Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders becomes the second Venezuelan to manage in the big leagues.
2005 In one of the most severe penalties ever imposed by the commissioner’s office for on-field behavior, Kenny Rogers is suspended for 20 games and fined $50,000 for actions that send a camera operator to the hospital, launching a police investigation. The veteran southpaw, who will appeal the MLB decision, is selected by his peers to be a member of the American League All-Star squad scheduled to play next week in Detroit.
2007 With skipper Joe Torre watching from the Yankee dugout, Roger Clemens, throwing eight innings of a two-hit ball of a 5-1 win over the Twins, becomes the eighth pitcher to record 350 career victories. The New York manager was the catcher for Warren Spahn’s 350th win, making him a participant on the only two occasions a pitcher has reached the milestone since 1928.
2013 At Great American Ball Park, Homer Bailey becomes the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan to throw two no-hitters before another hurler accomplishes the feat, giving up just a walk in the Reds’ 3-0 victory against the Giants. Last September, the 27-year-old Cincinnati right-hander, the youngest pitcher to have pitched two no-hitters in his career, hurled the first no-hitter in PNC Park history, a dramatic 1-0 victory over the hometown Pirates.
2019 The Dodgers overcome a 4-3 deficit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning when the Diamondbacks’ bullpen walk five consecutive batters, including Cody Bellinger’s base-on-balls forcing in the winning run. The last time the Chavez Ravine club got a walk-off win with a walk was when Bellinger drew the fourth consecutive free pass issued by the Royals relievers, plating the winning run in a 5-4 extra-inning victory in 2017.
2021 Pablo Lopez becomes the first starting pitcher to throw one pitch and take the loss. The umpires eject the right-hander for intentionally plunking Braves’ leadoff batter Ronald Acuña Jr., who scores the game’s only run in the Marlins’ 1-0 loss to Atlanta at Truist Park.
2022 Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez, and Dylan Carlson all go deep in four consecutive at-bats in the first inning off Phillies’ right-hander Kyle Gibson. The Cardinals become the 11th team to accomplish the feat in their eventual 7-6 victory over Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
July 2, 1980 – The comedy classic movie “Airplane” debuts. According to film experts the casting of Kareem Abdul-Jabaar was paying homage to the casting of football’s Elroy “Crazy-Legs” Hirsch in a role of an airplane pilot in the 1957 film “Zero Hour!” As a matter of fact the movie Airplane with Leslie Neilsen was a parady of Zero Hour, even using parts of the screen play verbatim. The funny part was that Zero Hour was a drama not laugh out loud comedy like Airplane!
If you remember Crazy Legs Hirsch was a former University of Wisconsin and Michigan standout who later joined the LA Rams as one of the most potent offenses of his era. His unique running style caught the eye of a reporter who gave him the unique nickname that stuck with him.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR JULY 2
July 2, 1900 – Toledo, Ohio – Michigan four year letterman playing the position of center from 1918 to 1921, Ernie Vick claimed his date of birth. The National Football Foundation says that Ernie was an outstanding blocker and tackler. His coach, Fielding Yost, is quoted as saying, “He is the most accurate passer from center that has ever put a ball into play. Under pressure he was dependable at all times.” That says a lot when a big time successful coach like Yost talks up one of his players. And talk about big time names in early football that had good things to say about Vick, well how about the guys that had much to do about sending the game down the course it is on today, Walter Camp. Camp placed Vick on his 1921 All-America team at center. The Father of Football said, “He is the only man who has throughout the season added great power and aggressiveness to steadiness and consistency.” Ernie Vick received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983. After his time playing for the Wolverines, Ernie played 57 games of Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals organization and then became a college football official. He even worked in that capacity in a couple of Rose Bowl Games.
July 2, 1971 – Barnwell, South Carolina – Troy Brown, the Marshall wide receiver from 1991 to 1992 was born. The FootballFoundation.org states that Brown was one of the most lauded dual threats on the playing field in college. Troy’s skills as a receiver and kick returner led the Thundering Herd to back-to-back trips to the Division I- AA National Championship game, winning the NCAA title in 1992. He caught 139 receptions for 2,746 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career en route to earning First Team All-America honors his senior year. Additionally, he boasted 1,825 return yards and four touchdowns on special teams. Troy Brown’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 2010. After school Brown played in the NFL for the New England Patriots for 14 years, where he became the franchise’s all-time leading receiver and won three Super Bowls with the team.
SPORTS NUMBERS
2 – 11 – 5 – 28
July 2, 1903 – You knew it was bound to happen, as the first son of a major leaguer to play in the MLB made his debut. Pitcher Jack Doscher, took the mound for the Chicago Cubs, and his pops was Herm Doscher that played from 1872-82 for a variety of teams including the Cleveland Blues and the Chicago White Stockings.
July 2, 1906 -Yankees (well actually the New York Highlanders) won by forfeit for the first time in franchise history. According to the Retro Sheets.com website, “In the 19th Century, forfeited games were fairly frequent, and they were quite a few in the first two decades of the 20th Century. Even in the 1970s there were four of them, and the most recent one was in 1995. Three of the last four resulted from promotions that backfired.”
July 2, 1911 – Detroit Tigers legendary player, Ty Cobb hit in his 40th straight game in 14-6 rout of Cleveland. Unfortunately for Cobb the streak ended in the very next game when the Tigers hosted the Chicago White Sox for two games. Chicago’s Ed Walsh pitched aa real dandy not only stymie Cobb, to end the streak but also to topple the Tigers, 7-3 in game one of the double header.
July 2, 1930 – This is pretty spectacular! Chicago White Sox outfielder Carl Reynolds, who wore Number 2 in 1931, became only the 2nd player in MLB history to hit home runs in 3 consecutive innings in 15-4 White Sox victory at Yankee Stadium
July 2, 1933 – New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell must have had a workhorse of an arm! Wearing Number 11, the future Hall of Fame hurler threw 18 innings of shutout ball without a walk to beat St Louis Cardinals, 1-0.
July 2, 1941 – Big time players hit milestones in big moments it seems. Joe DiMaggio, Number 5 for the New York Yankees dramatically right on cue hit a 3-run homer off Boston’s Dick Newsome, in Jersey 28 to pass Willie Keeler’s MLB record 44 game hitting streak. Keeler established his mark way back in 1897 with a 44-game hitting streak to start the season, breaking the previous single season record of 42 set by Bill Dahlen. Keeler actually had a hit in his final game of the 1896 season, giving him a National League-record 45-game hitting streak if you really think about it, but it spanned over two seasons.July 2, 1950 – Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Bob Feller, donning his famous Number 19 uniform won his 200th MLB game, 5-3 versus Detroit Tigers