THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SUNDAY JUNE 23, 2024 (2024)

“THE SCOREBOARD”

NHL PLAYOFFS

2024 STANLEY CUP FINAL

FLORIDA PANTHERS (1A) VS. EDMONTON OILERS (2P)

GAME 1: FLORIDA 3 EDMONTON 0

GAME 2: FLORIDA 1 EDMONTON 1

GAME 3: FLORIDA 4 EDMONTON 3

GAME 4: EDMONTON 8 FLORIDA 1

+GAME 5: EDMONTON 5 FLORIDA 3

+GAME 6: EDMONTON 5 FLORIDA 1

+GAME 7: OILERS AT PANTHERS — JUNE 24, 8 P.M. (ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS)

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

CHICAGO WHITE SOX 5 DETROIT 1

ST. LOUIS 9 SAN FRANCISCO 4

CHICAGO CUBS 8 NY METS 1

PITTSBURGH 4 TAMPA BAY 3

TEXAS 6 KANSAS CITY 0

PHILADELPHIA 12 ARIZONA 1

MINNESOTA 10 OAKLAND 2

SEATTLE 9 MIAMI 0

CLEVELAND 6 TORONTO 3

HOUSTON 5 BALTIMORE 1

BOSTON 4 CINCINNATI 3

NY YANKEES 8 PLANET 3

SAN DIEGO 6 MILWAUKEE 4

COLORADO 8 WASHINGTON 7

LA DODGERS 7 LA ANGELS 2

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES

IOWA 3 INDIANAPOLIS 2

WISCONSIN 7 FT. WAYNE 4

LAKE COUNTY 5 SOUTH BEND 2

COLLEGE BASEBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT WORLD SERIES

TEXAS A&M 9 TENNESSEE 5

WNBA SCORES

WASHINGTON 97 DALLAS 69

NEW YORK 98 LOS ANGELES 88

MINNESOTA 73 PHOENIX 60

MLS

NEW YORK RED BULLS 3 TORONTO 0

NEW ENGLAND 2 CINCINNATI 1

CHARLOTTE 2 PHILADELPHIA 0

ORLANDO 4 CHICAGO 2

HOUSTON 4 DC 1

COLUMBUS 4 KANSAS CITY 0

NASHVILLE 1 NEW YORK CITY 0

ST. LOUIS 1 ATLANTA 1

AUSTIN 1 MINNESOTA 0

LA GALAXY 1 SALT LAKE 0

COLORADO 4 MONTRÉAL 1

SEATTLE 3 DALLAS 2

PORTLAND 2 VANCOUVER 0

LOS ANGELES 6 SAN JOSE 2

TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES

NHL NEWS

PANTHERS FACING THE TASK OF REGROUPING FOR A GAME 7, WITH HISTORY AND THE STANLEY CUP ON THE LINE

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It’s the greatest offer a team could get at the start of every season: Reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and as an added bonus, play host to it in your rink.

One game. For everything.

“Yeah, 32 teams are all-in on that idea,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said.

This is the reality for the Maurice and the Panthers. On one hand, the Panthers have blown a 3-0 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers in this Stanley Cup Final. On the other, there’s still Game 7 on Monday night in Sunrise, Florida. And before his team took off on the 5 1/2-hour flight back home from Alberta on Saturday, Maurice insisted his team will focus on the opportunity that awaits, not the opportunities that were wasted while losing Games 4, 5 and 6 by 8-1, 5-3 and 5-1 scores.

“I’m not concerned about the past at all,” Maurice said. “Our plan is set. It started last night after the game. Met this morning, did video, do the same tomorrow, get ready to play. I know it’s 3-3. The concern of the previous three games certainly didn’t affect Edmonton and it won’t affect us.”

There are lots of numbers swirling around right now and really, none of them are good for the Panthers. The Oilers became just the third team in Stanley Cup Final history to go down 3-0 in a series and force Game 7; the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs did it and beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7, while the Wings erased a 3-0 deficit against the Leafs in 1945 but then lost the finale.

And these Oilers are now the sixth team to have three consecutive games with at least five goals in the title series. The other five — Pittsburgh in 1991, Edmonton in 1984, the New York Islanders in 1981, Toronto in 1932 and Montreal in 1919 — all won the Cup.

“It’s nice to be around this team because I think they’re having the time of their lives right now,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Not just because we’re going to Game 7, but I think we were having a great time when we were down three games.”

The Panthers are not having a great time. That could change Monday. Or else.

The stigma of being the first team since 1942 to waste a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final is the sort of thing that could haunt a franchise for a long, long time. It will inevitably bring questions about the futures for many people in the organization. It could bring a sudden end to all the momentum Florida has built in the last four years, after spending much of the previous two decades being largely irrelevant.

Or they could just win Monday and solve all those problems.

“Embracing that is the key to it,” Maurice said. “Feeling positive about and feeling excited about it, and that’s coming. Both teams get that opportunity to feel fired up. Game 7, Stanley Cup Final, it is set for every young man’s dreams. Nobody ever dreamt about a Game 4 overtime winner. It’s always Game 7.”

STANLEY CUP FINAL NOTEBOOK: OILERS’ ZACH HYMAN IS PROVING TO BE ONE OF THE BEST FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

Zach Hyman is proving the Edmonton Oilers right for committing to him long term.

Hyman has scored a playoff-best 16 goals on their run to the Stanley Cup Final, the latest of which helped send the series to a deciding Game 7 against the Florida Panthers on Monday night. His contributions are a big reason they have even gotten to this point, and Hyman is now making a case to be considered among the best free agent signings since the NHL salary cap era began in 2005.

The Oilers signed Hyman in the summer of 2021 to a seven-year contract worth $38.5 million, a $5.5 million annual salary cap hit that is a bargain based on his production since joining Edmonton. He set a career high in scoring his first season, followed it up with 83 points the next and 54 goals this year.

Hyman at the time was 29 and was coming off seasons with moderate production as a secondary piece of the Toronto Maple Leafs led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. But Edmonton general manager Ken Holland’s son Brad worked for the Leafs, so he got a front row seat to what Hyman could do.

The Oilers did not necessarily expect him to be a 50-goal scorer, maybe 25, but they knew they needed a player like Hyman to complement Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the core.

“We liked the way Zach played: He went to the blue paint, he forechecked, he cycled,” Holland said. “Cycle, go to the blue paint, hang on to pucks, bring character and leadership.”

Hyman with his Game 6 goal Friday night showed not only that character but hustle and speed, winning the race to the loose puck and scoring to set off a wild celebration in the crowd.

“I was just in the moment,” Hyman said. “It didn’t feel so long in the moment. Trying to race to the puck, and I didn’t have much time when I got it. I was at the hash marks. I obviously settled it and made a move and beat him.”

The all-time record for goals in a single post-season is held by Reggie Leach, who scored 19 goals in 16 games during the 1976 playoffs with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was the playoff MVP that season despite losing in the final.

Only eight players — Mike Bossy did it three times — have scored more goals in a single postseason than Hyman, who has one more opportunity to add to that total and arguably cement himself as the best player to sign as an unrestricted free agent over the past two decades.

Chicago’s Marian Hossa and Boston’s Zdeno Chara have two of the best cases right now. Hossa and the Blackhawks won the Cup three times from 2010-15, and Chara hoisted it as captain of the Bruins in ’11.

No matter how this final ends, Hyman has made the Oilers’ investment well worth it.

“What he’s doing this year, no one could have predicted it,” teammate Mattias Janmark said. “He just never stops. He’s a unit out there. He does so much for us.”

Panthers changes?

Florida coach Paul Maurice has been fiddling with his fourth-line wingers throughout the playoffs, mixing and matching Ryan Lomberg, Nick Cousins, Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo. He has those options after GM Bill Zito acquired Okposo and 2019 Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko at the trade deadline.

All four have played in the final with center Kevin Stenlund the one constant. Maurice inserted Cousins in Game 6 for some fresh legs and a different look.

“I think there’s a chemistry of Lomberg, Stenlund and Cousins because they’ve played together so much this year,” Maurice said.

After losing three in a row, Maurice’s adjustments from the fourth line and beyond could play a crucial role in the chances of the Panthers avoiding a historic collapse.

Scoring first

The Panthers scored the first goal in Game 1 when Sergei Bobrovsky got a shutout and again in Game 3 when they went up 3-0 in the series. They are 9-2 in the playoffs when scoring first.

The Oilers scored first in their Game 2 loss, then in Games 4, 5 and 6 to even the series. Obviously, every team wants to get the first goal of any game, but Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said playing with the lead “allows you to play your game.”

“Any time you score first, it calms a lot of jitters,” Knoblauch said Sunday on a video call with reporters. “It also forces the opposition to open things up a little bit more and maybe not play with as much defensive structure as they would like just because they’re trying to get back in the game and forcing to score that next goal, so, it kind of alleviates a little bit of pressure on your team.”

BASEBALL NEWS

MLB ROUNDUP: ROCKIES WIN ON 1ST WALK-OFF PITCH CLOCK VIOLATION

Ryan McMahon drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth-inning, resulting in the first walk-off pitch clock violation in major league history as the Colorado Rockies defeated the visiting Washington Nationals 8-7 on Saturday night.

With the Rockies trailing 7-6, Hunter Goodman and Jake Cave opened the ninth with singles against Washington closer Kyle Finnegan (2-4). After failing to sacrifice, Brenton Doyle grounded a single to left, scoring Goodman with the tying run. Ezequiel Tovar single to right, loading the bases with no outs. With a 3-2 count on McMahon, Finnegan was called for a pitch-clock violation, resulting in ball four.

McMahon had three hits including a homer, and Goodman and Brendan Rodgers also went deep for Colorado.

Jalen Beeks (4-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Luis Garcia Jr. homered and CJ Abrams finished a triple short of the cycle, drove in two runs and scored twice for Washington.

Yankees 8, Braves 3

Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer to raise his major-league-leading total to 28 as host New York stopped a three-game losing streak by beating Atlanta.

Judge also boosted his league-leading RBI total to 70, while Trent Grisham homered, while Gleyber Torres and Oswaldo Cabrera contributed RBI hits for the Yankees, who lost Giancarlo Stanton to left hamstring tightness. He will undergo imaging on Sunday.

Marcell Ozuna homered three batters into the game for the Braves, who saw their four-game winning streak stopped after opening the series with an 8-1 rout on Friday. Travis d’Arnaud added a two-run homer in the seventh.

Dodgers 7, Angels 2

Shohei Ohtani smacked a long homer against his former team for the second straight night to help propel the Dodgers to a victory over the visiting Angels.

Ohtani mashed a 459-foot homer to right center one night after sending a ball 455 feet over the center field fence. He has six homers in the past seven games and leads the National League with 23. Tyler Glasnow (8-5) struck out 10 in seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and two hits with no walks.

Zach Plesac (1-1) made his second start for the Angels and was charged with six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Logan O’Hoppe went the opposite way with a homer to right center with one out in the seventh for his 10th blast of the season.

Phillies 12, Diamondbacks 1

Nick Castellanos homered and drove in a season-high five runs, Zack Wheeler pitched seven strong innings and Philadelphia pummeled visiting Arizona to even the three-game series.

Bryce Harper went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, while Kyle Schwarber doubled twice and scored three runs as Philadelphia bounced back from a 5-4 loss in the series opener Friday and notched its National League-leading 50th win.

Wheeler (9-4) limited the Diamondbacks to one run on two hits and struck out eight without walking a batter. He retired Arizona’s first 12 batters before he hit Christian Walker with a pitch to lead off the fifth. Arizona starter Tommy Henry surrendered six runs on six over 3 2/3 innings.

Cardinals 9, Giants 4

Alec Burleson hit two homers and drove in five runs to propel St. Louis past visiting San Francisco.

Paul Goldschmidt hit his 350th career homer, a two-run shot, and Brendan Donovan hit a solo homer as the Cardinals won for the seventh time in 10 games.

Michael Conforto drove in three runs and Matt Chapman scored twice for the Giants, who lost their fourth straight game.

Rangers 6, Royals 0

Wyatt Langford hit a grand slam and Jon Gray allowed two hits over six innings to lead Texas over Kansas City in Arlington, Texas.

Josh Smith also homered and had two hits for the Rangers, who won their third straight game.

Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (4-6), making his first start since May 31 after suffering a left foot fracture on a Luis Arraez comebacker in an 11-8 loss to San Diego, took the loss. Wacha allowed one run on three hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Cubs 8, Mets 1

Chicago used a five-run first inning and a season-high 10 strikeouts from Jameson Taillon (4-3) to even its three-game series against visiting New York.

Pete Crow-Armstrong capped the Cubs’ explosive first inning with an RBI triple. Christopher Morel mashed his 14th home run of the year, a third-inning solo shot that made it 6-0 as the Cubs rebounded from their 11-1 loss in Friday’s series opener.

Francisco Alvarez homered for the Mets, who have lost two of three following a seven-game winning streak.

Pirates 4, Rays 3

Bryan Reynolds extended his MLB-leading hit streak to 19 games and Oneil Cruz homered to propel Pittsburgh past visiting Tampa Bay.

Pirates starter Jared Jones (5-6) recovered after a shaky first inning to toss seven solid frames, allowing two runs and three hits as Pittsburgh evened the three-game series.

Richie Palacios went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Rays after replacing Amed Rosario, who was hit in the head by a pitch in the first inning. Rosario sustained facial lacerations but appears to have avoided fractures, per Bally Sports Sun. Tampa Bay had its three-game winning streak snapped.

Twins 10, Athletics 2

Bailey Ober pitched the first complete game of his career, Manuel Margot contributed a three-run home run to a seven-run second inning and Minnesota thumped host Oakland.

Jose Miranda and Carlos Correa chipped in with a combined six hits, four RBIs and two runs for the Twins, who snapped a three-game losing streak that included a 6-5 defeat in the opener of the three-game series on Friday.

JJ Bleday and Tyler Soderstrom homered for the Athletics, who have lost 11 of their past 14 games.

Red Sox 4, Reds 3

Jarren Duran scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning and robbed a potential game-tying home run in the ninth as Boston rallied past host Cincinnati.

After the Red Sox plated two runs to pull ahead in the eighth, Duran leapt at the center field wall to snag Stuart Fairchild’s deep drive for the second out and keep Boston ahead. Dominic Smith homered for the Red Sox, who have won nine of their last 12 games.

Spencer Steer and Elly De La Cruz each homered for the Reds in their fifth loss in seven games.

Guardians 6, Blue Jays 3

Bo Naylor and Jose Ramirez each hit two-run homers as Cleveland went deep four times to beat visiting Toronto.

Steven Kwan and rookie Daniel Schneemann also clubbed homers for the American League Central-leading Guardians, who own a 27-7 run advantage during their four-game winning streak that followed three consecutive losses.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered twice for the Blue Jays batting out of the leadoff spot for the first time this season. Davis Schneider also went deep as Toronto lost its fifth straight game.

Astros 5, Orioles 1

Ronel Blanco posted his third consecutive quality start while Yordan Alvarez and Chas McCormick provided support with titanic home runs as Houston beat visiting Baltimore.

Blanco (8-2) stifled a Baltimore lineup that amassed 28 runs over its previous two games. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts over seven innings. He has surrendered just two earned runs and seven hits over his past three starts and 20 innings combined.

Cedric Mullins went 2-for-3 with a triple and Jordan Westburg homered for the Orioles, who have lost two in a row.

Padres 6, Brewers 4

Jackson Merrill, Ha-Seong Kim and Kyle Higashioka each homered and San Diego overcame injuries to one-third of its starting lineup to beat visiting Milwaukee.

Playing without right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (quad/elbow), left fielder Jurickson Profar (knee) and catcher Luis Campusano (thumb), San Diego upped its winning streak to four games and earned its fifth win in six games this year against Milwaukee.

Randy Vasquez (2-4) pitched the first five innings for the win, scattering five hits and walking three while striking out three. After the Brewers’ Brice Turang drilled a grand slam in the ninth off Jhony Brito, Robert Suarez got the final out to notch his 19th save in 20 chances.

Mariners 9, Marlins 0

Logan Gilbert pitched eight scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.71 as Seattle defeated host Miami.

Gilbert (5-4), a Florida native, allowed four hits and one walk, striking out six batters. The Mariners, who halted their three-game skid, were led on offense by Dominic Canzone, who went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs. He hit a solo homer and an RBI single.

Veteran Shaun Anderson (0-2), making just his second Marlins appearance, allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.

White Sox 5, Tigers 1

Drew Thorpe pitched six scoreless innings and notched his first career win as Chicago topped host Detroit.

Korey Lee hit a solo home run as the White Sox snapped a three-game losing streak. Nicky Lopez had three hits and an RBI. Andrew Vaughn, Paul DeJong and Lenyn Sosa also drove in one run apiece.

Mark Canha drove in the lone Detroit run. The Tigers have scored just six runs in their past six games, going 1-5 during that stretch.

MAX SCHERZER SET TO MAKE SEASON DEBUT SUNDAY FOR RANGERS AGAINST ROYALS

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is scheduled to make his season debut Sunday for the Texas Rangers in a start against the Kansas City Royals.

Scherzer hasn’t pitched for the Rangers since Game 3 of the World Series last fall. He had offseason surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, then experienced right thumb soreness during his rehab this season that team doctors later identified as a nerve issue extending to his right triceps.

“I’ve been looking to get out here for the past six weeks,” Scherzer said before Saturday’s game. “I can’t wait. Just chomping at the bit to get out there.”

His return for the Rangers comes in their first series after earlier this week hosting the New York Mets, the team that traded Scherzer to Texas last year.

Scherzer, who turns 40 on July 27, struck out 17 and had a 4.91 ERA in three rehab starts for Triple-A Round Rock. The first was on April 24, but he was then sidelined by the nerve issue until the other two on June 9 and 15.

Scherzer said his debut was pushed back one day being “ultra careful” because of a loss of pitching grip in recent days.

“I wanted to let that completely get out of the system, get my thumb and hand back in position,” he said. “Because we know when you lose grip strength that’s kind of a precursor before bad things happen.

“I know I can get out there and pitch and compete. I just want to stay healthy.”

In his last rehab start, Scherzer struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings while allowing four hits and three runs. He threw 55 of his 79 pitches for strikes.

Manager Bruce Bochy said there will be no specific pitch count on him.

“We’ll watch the game and see how he feels every inning,” Bochy said. “He’s been stretched out. We’re not going to put a limit on him.”

After the trade last summer, Scherzer was 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts for Texas, the last in the regular season on Sept. 12 before being sidelined by a muscle strain in his shoulder. He returned to make two starts in the American League Championship Series, then Game 3 of the World Series before exiting after three innings because of his back.

His 3,367 strikeouts, 214 wins and 448 games started are all second among active pitchers, trailing only Justin Verlander in each of those categories.

Scherzer said he “aced” rehab from the December back surgery but was concerned for his pitching future because of the nerve problem.

“This nerve stuff can be long-term damage and what it does to your arm,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with this thumb stuff, and I’ve been doing it for a year and would like to see some resolutions about it, but it is what it is.”

WHITE SOX MINOR LEAGUER CHRISTIAN EDWARDS SUSPENDED 80 GAMES

Christian Edwards, a minor league pitcher in the Chicago White Sox system, was suspended 80 games without pay by Major League Baseball following a positive test for Boldenone.

Boldenone is classified as a performance-enhancing substance, and its use violates Major League Baseball’s Joint Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, per MLB.

Edwards, 25, was selected by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Jacksonville State. This season, he was assigned to Single-A Kannapolis of the Carolina League and was 2-1 with a 4.02 ERA in 17 relief appearances. In 15 2/3 innings, he gave up 11 hits, walked 18 and struck out 17.

REPORT: PHILLIES, CRISTOPHER SANCHEZ FINALIZING 4-YEAR EXTENSION

The Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander Cristopher Sanchez are finalizing a four-year contract extension, MLB Network reported Saturday morning.

Financial terms were not disclosed for Sanchez, who is playing this season on a one-year, $753,500 contract.

Per the report, the Phillies will buy out Sanchez’s arbitration years. Currently, he is eligible for arbitration in 2026.

Sanchez, 27, is 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 14 starts this season. He has surrendered just one home run and struck out 66 batters in 77 1/3 innings.

Sanchez has a 10-10 record with a 3.73 ERA in 55 career games (36 starts) with the Phillies.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

TEXAS A&M OUTSLUGS TENNESSEE, ONE WIN FROM FIRST MCWS TITLE

Kaeden Kent went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs to lead No. 3 Texas A&M to a 9-5 victory over top-seeded Tennessee in Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series on Saturday night at Omaha, Neb.

Gavin Grahovic also homered and Caden Sorrell had two RBIs for the Aggies (53-13), who can win their first national title by prevailing in Sunday’s Game 2 of the best-of-three series.

Evan Aschenbeck struck out seven in 2 2/3 innings and worked around two singles in the ninth to protect the lead as Texas A&M improved to 9-0 in the postseason.

Dylan Dreiling went 4-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs and Hunter Ensley was 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs for the Volunteers (58-13), who will need to win twice to become the first No. 1 seed since Miami in 1999 to win the MCWS.

If a third game is necessary, it will be played Monday night.

Texas A&M struck for five runs in the third inning to open up a 7-1 advantage.

Hayden Schott and Sorrell had RBI singles to give the Aggies a three-run lead. Tennessee third baseman Billy Amick made a throwing error on Ali Camarillo’s bouncer as Texas A&M added another run to make it 5-1.

Kent, the son of 2000 National League MVP Jeff Kent, capped the outburst with a two-run single that scored Sorrell and Camarillo.

Tennessee got a run back in the bottom of the third on Ensley’s RBI single.

The score didn’t change again until the seventh. Camarillo led off with a walk against Tennessee’s Andrew Behnke and Kent followed by drilling a 2-2 pitch over the wall in right to make it 9-2. It was Kent’s fourth homer of the season.

The Volunteers cut into their deficit in the bottom of the frame as Amick drew a one-out walk against Josh Stewart (2-2) and Dreiling followed with a two-run blast to right, his 21st of the season. Brad Rudis then entered in relief and served up a solo homer to left to Ensley, his 12th.

Texas A&M started fast as Grahovic smacked the third pitch of the game over the fence in right for his 23rd homer of the season.

After four batters and with runners at the corners, Tennessee starter Chris Stamos (3-1) was replaced by AJ Causey. After Ted Burton struck out for the second out, Sorrell delivered a run-scoring single to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead.

Dean Curley stroked an RBI single in the second to get the Volunteers on the board.

Texas A&M starter Ryan Prager allowed two runs and eight hits over four-plus innings. He struck out six and walked none. Stewart gave up two runs in 2 1/3 innings and struck out four and walked three.

Stamos was charged with two runs (one earned) and retired one hitter.

BASKETBALL NEWS

FRENCH TEENAGER RISACHER, G LEAGUE’S BUZELIS HEADLINE LIST OF TOP FORWARD PROSPECTS IN THE NBA DRAFT

The upcoming NBA draft is filled with talented forwards who either played internationally or bypassed college basketball.

French teenager Zaccharie Risacher could very well be the No. 1 overall pick and checked in at No. 2 in the latest AP NBA Mock Draft, while Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland II went through the G League Ignite developmental program for top prospects. All are positioned to be lottery prospects, along with Colorado one-and-done freshman Cody Williams as an athletic wing.

A look at the top forward prospects:

Zaccharie Risacher, France

STRENGTHS: There is intriguing potential surrounding the 6-foot-9, 195-pound forward as a developing player who could impact both ends of the court. He has guard skills and the ability to thrive as a catch-and-shoot wing after making about 39% of his 3-pointers for JL Bourg between league and Eurocup play last season. He’s active away from the ball as a cutter and can thrive in transition or off a closeout, while his roughly 6-10 wingspan can create problems for smaller ballhandlers.

CONCERNS: The 19-year-old needs to get stronger to prepare for the physical play in the NBA. He also averaged 0.9 assists and 1.6 turnovers in league and Eurocup play, highlighting a need to improve as a playmaker.

Matas Buzelis, G League Ignite

STRENGTHS: The 6-9, 197-pound Buzelis was a top-flight recruit and McDonald’s All-American who bypassed college to play for Ignite. Buzelis, who turns 20 in October, can exploit matchups by scoring over smaller defenders and being quick enough to get past bigger ones. He has shown signs of an all-around offensive game from attacking off the dribble or scoring on step-back shots, averaging 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds for Ignite while also using his length (6-10 wingspan) to average 2.1 blocks and rank fourth in the G League.

CONCERNS: He’s a willing outside shooter but he made just 27.3% on 3-pointers with Ignite. He also shot just 67.9% at the foul line. He is also still developing as a playmaker (1.9 assists compared to 2.1 turnovers) and could help himself by adding strength.

Cody Williams, Colorado

STRENGTHS: He’s a versatile wing who measured roughly 6-7 without shoes at the combine and has a 7-1 wingspan. The 19-year-old shot 55.2% from the field and showed the ability to play in transition, attack the rim and finish. He also made 41.5% of his 3-pointers to stretch defenses, while his length projects well for the defensive end.

CONCERNS: He’s has a light 178-pound frame that will need strength, which could also help him improve as a rebounder after he averaged just 3.0 boards — including a total of three rebounds in 64 minutes during three NCAA Tournament games.

Ron Holland II, G League Ignite

STRENGTHS: He has athleticism and versatility in a 6-7, 197-pound frame. Holland has shown the ability to run the floor, get downhill and attack the rim. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.6 rebounds while also making 75.7% of his foul shots for Ignite, but played just 14 games before needing thumb surgery. Throw in his length (6-11 wingspan), and there’s also a defensive upside that showed with 2.5 steals per game.

CONCERNS: He struggled with his outside shot (24% on 3s) and will have to improve his range. He also could use improvement in decision-making considering he had nearly as many turnovers (42) as assists (45).

Others of note:

—TIDJANE SALAUN: The 6-9, 217-pounder is a fluid athlete with a nearly 7-2 wingspan, which could land him late in the lottery. If he can refine his 3-point shot — he shot around 32% with French club Cholet last season — he has the long-term potential to stretch defenses and harass smaller players outside the paint.

—TRISTAN DA SILVA: The 6-8, 217-pounder is a veteran scorer with a developed game. The 23-year-old made 98 career starts over the past three seasons in his four-year run at Colorado, and he averaged 15.9 points while shooting 39.5% from behind the arc in a leading role the past two years. That offensive punch could make him a solid pick in the last third of the first round.

—JAYLON TYSON: The 6-6, 218-pound wing took a big leap offensively after going from Texas to Texas Tech and finally California last season. The first-round prospect averaged 19.6 points (up from 10.7) last season and has a track record as a reliable outside shooter (making 37.8% over the past two seasons).

—TYLER SMITH: The 6-9, 224-pound Smith bypassed college basketball, first with Overtime Elite and last year with G League Ignite. The first-round prospect offers a power forward frame (with a 7-1 wingspan) who can be a lob threat and 3-point range (36.4%) to pull defenders from the paint.

—PACOME DADIET: The 18-year-old Frenchman has played in Germany and is still developing his 6-8, 217-pound frame. He has shown potential as a rim finisher with 3-point range, which could land him in the first round.

—BOBI KLINTMAN: The 6-9, 212-pound wing flashed potential at Wake Forest before spending last season in Australia’s National Basketball League. He could go late in the first round with length (6-11 wingspan) and ability as a catch-and-fire 3-point shooter.

—HARRISON INGRAM: He’s a down-the-board pick with upside after elevating his 3-point shot in one season at North Carolina (38.5%, up from 31.9% at Stanford). He is a strong rebounder, including 19 against rival North Carolina State. Measuring roughly 6-5 at the combine, Ingram has a strong frame (234 pounds) and 7-foot wingspan.

—BLAKE HINSON: Another flier who could offer outside-shooting punch. The 24-year-old is sturdy (6-8, 230) and averaged 18.5 points while shooting 42.1% on 3s at Pittsburgh.

REPORT: WARRIORS HAVEN’T OFFERED KLAY CONTRACT

The Golden State Warriors have yet to make a formal contract offer to Klay Thompson during their exclusive negotiating window with the impending free agent, sources told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.

Golden State is reportedly content holding off negotiations until after free agency starts June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, when Thompson will be permitted to open discussions with other teams. The Warriors’ front office intends to prioritize acquiring potential upgrades elsewhere and could bring Thompson back on a cheaper deal and in a different role, according to Slater.

Thompson may opt for a change of scenery even if the Warriors circle back with a competitive deal. However, that likely won’t include the Orlando Magic; despite reports of mutual interest in a deal, there’s been no traction, sources told Slater.

Thompson is coming off a five-year, $189.9-million maximum contract with the Warriors. His game regressed since returning from consecutive ACL and Achilles tears that sidelined him for nearly three full calendar years.

He came off the bench for a brief period this past season for the first time since his rookie year. He shot just 38.7% from distance on nine attempts per game. That nearly matched the career-worst 38.5% he registered in 32 games in 2021-22 after returning from his prolonged injury absence. He was also just one of three Warriors players with at least 1,000 minutes in 2023-24 to finish with a negative net rating (minus-0.3), joining Andrew Wiggins (minus-1.3) and Dario Saric (minus-1.6).

His shooting struggles were arguably most apparent during April’s play-in tournament when he went 0-for-10 from the floor (0-of-6 from deep) and finished without a point as the Warriors were blown out and eliminated by the Sacramento Kings.

The five-time All-Star could find success in a smaller role, however. Thompson scored 17.9 points per game last season on 43.2/38.7/92.7 shooting splits, with his 92.7% free-throw rate topping the league. However, when his shot did fall, it tended to translate to team success; the Warriors were 12-4 when Thompson scored 25 points or more, a sample size in which he attempted no fewer than seven threes per game but never shot worse than 41%.

WNBA NEWS

LYNX TOP MERCURY, PUSH WINNING STREAK TO 6 GAMES

Napheesa Collier scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx held on for a 73-60 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Alanna Smith contributed 14 points for Minnesota (13-3), which won its sixth game in a row. Courtney Williams finished with 12 points and nine boards.

Natasha Cloud scored 14 points to lead Phoenix (8-8). Rebecca Allen scored 11, and Brittney Griner had 10 to go along with seven rebounds.

Minnesota shot 41.9 percent (26 of 62) from the field and 36.4 percent (8 of 22) from beyond the arc. Phoenix shot 31.1 percent (23 of 74) overall and 20.6 percent (7 of 34) from 3-point range.

The Mercury outscored the Lynx 19-13 in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late.

Williams put the Lynx on top by 20 points with 5:51 to go when she made a pull-up jump shot.

Minnesota led 60-41 at the end of the third quarter.

A driving layup by Cloud brought the Mercury within 46-39 with 3:52 remaining in the third quarter. Allen got the assist on the basket.

Collier made a 3-pointer only 13 seconds later for Minnesota. That started a 14-2 run to finish the quarter for the Lynx, who tallied five points in the final 40 seconds on a 3-pointer by Dorka Juhasz and a pull-up jumper by Williams.

The Lynx led 38-25 at the half. Collier (13 points) and Smith (11) accounted for nearly the same number of points as Phoenix’s entire team before the break.

Minnesota outscored Phoenix 21-10 in the second quarter to seize a double-digit advantage.

Cloud made a layup to cut the Mercury’s deficit to 23-19 with 6:01 to go in the first half.

The Lynx responded by closing the second quarter on a 15-6 run.

Kayla McBride punctuated the run by draining a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining off an assist by Williams. McBride got the ball on the left wing and released a quick shot that swished through the net.

Minnesota improved to 2-1 against Phoenix this season.

MYSTICS ROLL, HAND WINGS 10TH CONSECUTIVE LOSS

Emily Engstler scored a career-high 23 points off the bench and Stefanie Dolson produced a double-double as the Washington Mystics rolled over the visiting Dallas Wings 97-69 on Saturday.

Engstler shot 7-of-11 from the floor and was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line while Dolson finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Karlie Samuelson hit three triples and poured in 17 for the Mystics (3-13), who won for only the second time at home this season.

Ariel Atkins scored seven points and moved into fourth all time on the franchise scoring list (2,556).

The Wings (3-12) dropped their 10th consecutive game despite 19 points from Natasha Howard and 16 from Jacy Sheldon. Kalani Brown chipped in 13. Dallas turned the ball over 22 times.

Depth was a difference as Washington held a 51-17 advantage in bench points, an effort fueled largely by Engstler, who was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and also pulled down nine rebounds.

Engstler set the tone early in the first of back-to-back games against the Wings and Mystics.

The No. 4 pick of the 2022 WNBA Draft scored 10 first-quarter points, including a three-pointer that stretched the Mystics’ advantage to 16-10 with 3:26 left in the opening quarter.

Two free throws by Shatori Walker-Kimbrough with 0.5 seconds remaining gave the Mystics a 20-13 lead at the end of the first.

Kimbrough gave Washington its first double-digit lead at 24-13 after knocking down a shot just inside the 3-point arc with 9:15 to go in the half.

That shot was part of a dominant second quarter for the Mystics, who led by 18 after Karlie Samuelson drilled an open 3-pointer with 1:40 to play for a 49-31 cushion. She then hit a jumper to extend the advantage to 51-31 with 1:11 left.

Sheldon knocked down a 3-pointer with 58.9 seconds left to momentarily slow Washington’s momentum, but Dallas went into the half trailing 51-34.

The Mystics led 73-51 going into the fourth.

BREANNA STEWART SHINES AS LIBERTY CRUISE PAST SPARKS FOR SECOND TIME IN THREE DAYS

Breanna Stewart tied a season-high with 33 points as the host New York Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks Saturday 98-88 at the Barclays Center.

Sabrina Ionescu had 24 and Kayla Thornton had 20, including a career-high six threes for the Liberty (14-3) who never trailed in the second half and led by as many as 23 points.

In the first half, Stewart became the first player in WNBA history with at least 20 points, five blocks and five assists in a single half when she notched 24, five and five. She had 19 of her points in the second quarter, the most for any Liberty player in one quarter this season. She also tied her career high with six blocks for the game.

It was the second win for the Liberty over the Sparks in the last three days. New York won 93-80 on Thursday. Los Angeles (4-13) has now lost six in a row and is 2-9 in its last 11 games. The Liberty have won 10 of their last 11. They have beaten the Sparks seven straight times.

New York started the game on a 17-8 run capped by a three by Ionescu, giving her 42 straight regular season games with a made three, the longest active streak in the WNBA.

The Sparks charged back and led 28-21 early in the second after a three by Stephanie Talbot.

After five points in the first quarter, Stewart checked in with 8:26 left in the half and scored nine straight points for the Liberty, including back-to-back threes to give her team a 34-33 lead. New York led 54-44 at halftime and added to the lead in the third quarter.

Dearica Hamby led the Sparks with 20. Zia Cooke had a season-high 14 off the bench for LA. The Sparks pulled to 93-83 with 3:06 remaining but missed threes on their next two possessions.

In the game, the Liberty made 16 threes while the Sparks made eight. New York entered the game leading the WNBA with an average of 10.2 made threes a game.

Queen Egbo made her debut for the Sparks after signing a contract earlier in the day. She wore the No. 44 for the Sparks with white duct tape on her jersey blocking out the nameplate. Egbo is in her third year in the WNBA. She was waived by the Connecticut Sun June 5. She had two points.

FOOTBALL NEWS

BARRY SANDERS SAYS HE EXPERIENCED ‘HEALTH SCARE’ RELATED TO HIS HEART

DETROIT (AP) — Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders says he “experienced a health scare related to my heart” last weekend.

“It was unexpected and served as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant about our physical well-being, even when we are feeling fine,” the former Detroit Lions great said in a statement posted Friday on social media.

The Lions issued their own social media post saying, “Get well soon Barry.”

“I am grateful for the amazing doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals for providing me with needed care,” Sanders said. “My family and I are thankful for your prayers and support during this time. Per my doctors’ recommendation, I am taking this opportunity to prioritize my health and well-being. I appreciate your understanding and continued support.”

Sanders, who turns 56 next month, was a six-time All-Pro while starring for the Lions from 1989-98 before his sudden retirement. He rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns in his career, including 2,053 yards in his MVP season of 1997.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sanders spent his entire career with the Lions, who selected him with the third overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft after his Heisman Trophy-winning season with Oklahoma State.

FLORIDA STATE LANDS 4-STAR QB SMIGIEL IN 2026 CLASS

Four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel has committed to play for Florida State in a major recruiting win for the Seminoles.

“God is good. I’m home,” Smigiel posted Saturday on X with an image showing his commitment to Florida State.

A rising junior out of Newbury Park in southern California, Smigiel is widely considered the number five quarterback prospect in the 2026 class.

He chose Florida State after a last-minute, several-day trip to Florida, reportedly meeting with many players along with coach Mike Norvell. He had also been considering Washington, Ohio State and Oregon, while holding offers from Michigan, Georgia, Notre Dame and others.

In his high school career so far, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Smigiel has amassed 7,701 passing yards and 98 touchdowns to 25 interceptions. He has a completion rate of 61.8 percent.

JIM HARBAUGH TO BE INDUCTED IN MICHIGAN SPORTS HALL OF FAME

The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame announced its 2024 induction class, with recent national champion coach Jim Harbaugh among the honorees.

Harbaugh is being inducted after guiding the Michigan Wolverines to their 10th claimed national championship in January, despite him subsequently leaving the program to coach the Los Angeles Chargers.

Harbaugh, 60, guided Michigan to three Big Ten championships after returning to the school as its head coach after previously playing for the Wolverines as their quarterback.

The high-profile coach is not the only big name in the 2024 class, as the group also includes MLB All-Stars Cecil Fielder and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, hockey contributors Tony Esposito and Ken Holland, footballers Larry Foote, Braylon Edwards and Jake Long, basketball standouts Deanna Nolan and Shawn Respert, and broadcaster Don Shane.

“We have a fitting class for the 70th Anniversary of the Hall of Fame,” Scott Lesher, Michigan Sports Hall of Fame chairman, said. “It’s filled with stars and leaders who made memories that will last for generations. Congratulations to the Class of 2024.”

The class is voted on by a task force comprised of journalists, sports executives and other professionals as well as a general vote from the public.

The induction ceremony takes place Oct. 17 in Detroit.

OLYMPIC TRACK TRIALS

SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON HEADED TO FIRST OLYMPICS THANKS TO 100M VICTORY

Sha’Carri Richardson punched her ticket to the Paris Games by winning the women’s 100-meter on Saturday night at the U.S. Olympic track & field trials in Eugene, Ore.

Richardson’s 10.71-second sprint will be sending her to the Olympics for the first time. She qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Games — which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — but a one-month suspension stemming from a positive THC test prevented her from participating.

“I feel honored,” Richardson said Saturday. “I feel every chapter I’ve been through in my life prepared me for this moment.”

Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry are also headed to Paris, finishing second and third, respectively. Jefferson finished in 10.80, while Terry took 10.89.

In other action Saturday, Ryan Crouser prevailed in the men’s shot put with a throw of 22.84 meters. Other qualifiers included Joe Kovacs (22.43 meters) and Payton Otterdahl (22.26).

A 14.26-meter leap gave Jasmine Moore the victory in the women’s triple jump, with Keturah Orji coming in second at 14.22 and Tori Franklin landing in third at 13.72.

OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS

KATIE LEDECKY LOCKS UP FOURTH TITLE AT U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS

Katie Ledecky made history on Saturday, becoming the first woman to win four titles at a single U.S. Olympic Team Trials thanks to her women’s 800-meter freestyle victory in Indianapolis.

Ledecky finished in 8:14.12, easily topping Paige Madden’s second-place mark of 8:20.71. She will now be competing in the 400m freestyle, the 800m freestyle and the 1500m freestyle in addition to the 4x200m freestyle relay when she gets to the Paris Games, which start on July 26.

With her work at the trials now done, Ledecky is fully focused on the Olympics.

“It’s time to get back to work,” Ledecky said. “Got to get ready for Paris.”

Ledecky has won the gold medal in the 800m freestyle at each of the past three Olympics. Should she prevail once again this year, she would join Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to win four straight gold medals in the same Olympic event.

In other action Saturday, Kate Douglass took the women’s 200m individual medley with a time of 2:06.79. She will also be participating in the 200m breaststroke and the 100m freestyle in Paris.

“I feel the goal coming into this meet was to try to win all three events, but I didn’t really think I’d be able to achieve that,” Douglass said. “So I’m really happy I did.”

Alex Walsh came in just behind Douglass at 2:07.86, with Isabel Ivey rounding out the top three at 2:10.09.

A five-time gold medalist at the Tokyo Games, Caeleb Dressel won the men’s 100m butterfly on Saturday. His 50.19 bested Thomas Heilman (50.80) and Dare Rose (50.84).

AUTO RACING

CHRISTOPHER BELL STAYS UNDEFEATED IN NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT NEW HAMPSHIRE WITH 4TH STRAIGHT WIN

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Christopher Bell used a three-wide, last-lap pass on Saturday to drive away and win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race for the fourth straight time at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The 29-year-old Bell needed three extra laps on the 1.058-mile track but remained undefeated at New Hampshire in the Xfinity Series and scored another win for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 20 Toyota.

Bell led 43 of 203 laps and added this checkered flag to his collection of Xfinity wins at New Hampshire in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Sheldon Creed was second and Cole Custer third, both drivers caught up in Bell’s thrilling pass and both drivers fell just shy of keeping Bell out of victory lane.

“I feel so bad for Sheldon,” Bell said. “He’s been really really close to winning these things.”

Creed has two runner-up finishes this season and 10 overall in the Xfinity Series without a win in 86 career races. He’s tied with Dale Jarrett and Daniel Hemric for most second-place finishes before a victory.

“I’m running out of ways to lose these things,” Creed said.

Bell and Custer kept the headlines confined to the track.

Bell blurted out that Chase Briscoe was set to leave Stewart-Haas Racing, which shuts down at the end of the season, and make the move to Joe Gibs Racing in 2025. Briscoe is slated to drive the No. 19 Toyota for JGR.

Custer lost his Cup ride at SHR after the 2022 season and spent the last two years driving for its Xfinity program. He won the series championship last season and leads the points standings this season by 15 points over Zane Smith.

“I felt like we had that one,” Custer said. “We had the best car all day and to have it ripped away with one lap to go is just heartbreaking.”

Custer, who led 114 laps at New Hampshire, could get a return to the Cup next season.

SHR co-owner Gene Haas announced this week he will remain in the Cup Series and field one car in 2025. Haas will keep one of the four charters that belong to Stewart-Haas Racing and will operate next season as the Haas Factory Team.

“I think what Gene Haas has done in this sport, it would be a dream come true to get to run that Cup car,” Custer said.

Stewart-Haas Racing is primarily run by Joe Custer, the chief operating officer and longtime Haas confidant. Custer will remain president of Haas Factory Team — and his son could get the Cup seat.

“Whenever I went back to the Xfinity Series, my goal was always to go back to Cup,” Cole Custer said. “I’ve been trying to work on what I can do to get myself better over the past year and a half. At the end of the day, you try and do as best you can and you hope it all sorts itself out. But I really don’t have much to say or anything right now that’s solidified or anything.”

Justin Bonsignore finished 23rd in his Xfinity Series debut hours after he won a race at the track in NASCAR’s Modified Tour. He’s a three-time NWMT champion. Driving the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Bonsignore was collected in a late wreck.

The Xfinity race was run on wet-weather tires, a first for the series on the oval.

WHOOPS! CHRISTOPHER BELL SPILLS THE TEA AND SPOILS THE SURPRISE THAT CHASE BRISCOE IS HEADED TO JGR

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Christopher Bell knew the instant he spilled the tea — without even the courtesy of a spoiler alert — that he would catch grief for prematurely disclosing Chase Briscoe was headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025.

Bell’s goof was the talk of NASCAR — well, for everyone but Briscoe.

The rumor mill turned a bit more concrete when Bell was asked an innocuous question this week about a potential leadership shift at JGR in the wake of Martin Truex Jr.’s retirement at the end of the season.

“Whenever Chase comes into the car … ”

Uh oh.

Bell stopped instantly and smiled, a realization swept over him there was no going back on this blunder. Briscoe, in his final year with Stewart-Haas Racing, would in fact inherit the No. 19 Toyota next season at JGR.

So as the jokes flew on social media — Kyle Larson wished NASCAR’s most popular driver Chase Elliott the best in his new job — the news ground to a halt at the dirt track where Briscoe moonlights.

“Christopher texted me and was like, man I messed up so bad,” Briscoe said Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I was like, what happened? What do you mean? He says, go look at Twitter. I ran the sprint car race last night and had zero signal. Couldn’t get a single text to go in, out. Couldn’t receive any texts. So I couldn’t get anything to load. Literally the last text I got was just Christopher saying, I messed up, go look at Twitter.”
The cliffhanger lingered for hours while the 29-year-old Briscoe raced and finished second. Only when he left the track was Briscoe able to watch the video of Bell’s racing reveal.

Briscoe, who has one career Cup win and has spent all four seasons with SHR, hoped for an official announcement on his new job in the next week or two.

“Nothing’s official until it’s official,” Briscoe said.

Stewart-Haas Racing, a two-time NASCAR championship team with 69 Cup Series victories since its 2009 formation, announced last month it would close its organization at the end of this season. SHR this year fields Cup cars for Briscoe, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece, leading to a suddenly uncertain future for the drivers. Briscoe is 17th in the points standings in the No. 14 Ford.

JGR also fields cars for Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs.

Briscoe said, no hard feelings, honest.

“I felt like everyone kind of knows what’s going on,” he said. “I wasn’t really mad. It was kind of funny, I thought.”

Well, not everyone found the humor in the slip of the tongue.

“Nobody let me live it down,” Bell said. “Everyone I see tells me how stupid I am. I tried to get away, get offline.”

Bell, who won the Xfinity Series race Saturday at New Hampshire, was embarrassed by his gaffe and said he tried to “hibernate” and stay off social media most of Friday and Saturday. Bell said he reached out to Joe Gibbs and other race team officials to apologize for ruining the announcement.

“The driver announcement is a really big deal and I completely fudged it up,” Bell said. “I’ve never in my life screwed up that bad and it was a huge, huge mistake. I’m very glad they took it easy on me.”

Rainout

Chase Elliott starts on the pole after rain washed out Saturday’s qualifying session.

Ryan Blaney, last week’s winner in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, starts second. William Byron, Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman complete the top five.

Elliott, Byron and Bowman give Hendrick Motorsports three spots in the first three rows. Elliott, who has one win this season, has one runner-up finish but has never won at New Hampshire.

“We’d rather have an actual pole, for sure,” Elliott said. “But you know, circ*mstances being what they are, fortunately our team has been performing at a really solid level over the past couple of months. The reality of it is that it put us in a position to have a good starting spot for a rainout situation.”

With more rain in the forecast Sunday — a year after weather pushed the race to Monday — NASCAR moved up green flag time for the Cup race to 2:06 p.m.

Truex’s Future

Truex already had job offers days after he announced he would retire from full-time racing at the end of the season. The 2017 NASCAR champion, Truex said he’s discussed a potential Daytona 500 ride and maybe other one-offs with Denny Hamlin, his teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin, along with Michael Jordan, own 23XI Racing and could field a car for Truex in 2025.

“I stand firm in offering him that opportunity,” Hamlin said. “I certainly think it could be fun for both parties.”

Truex said the chance to drive for Hamlin would “be awesome.”

Bubba in the White House

Could President Bubba be in the cards?

Bubba Wallace tried his best to look presidential as he stood and smiled behind the lectern this week at the White House. He was invited by one of his sponsors to speak on its initiative to make space a place for everyone.

As for the real deal, Wallace said, forget it. Politics isn’t in his future.

“Hell no,” Wallace said. “I’m already in enough headlines.”

Wallace said he ate “the best French toast I ever had” and was thrilled he met singer John Legend and his oldest son at the event.

“He was really nice. I walked up to him with his kid and (Legend) said I was the best race car driver in the world,” Wallace said. “I was like, have you seen ‘Cars 3?’

Gets late early

With darkness falling at New Hampshire, Aric Almirola won a race in 2021 that was called eight laps shy of its scheduled conclusion. NASCAR made a change this season that it would set a predetermined time a race would end if it couldn’t be concluded at its scheduled distance, a rule that could come into play Sunday if weather disrupts a significant part of the race.

“If you know, hey, this race is going to end at 8:30, whatever it is, OK, we know that and we can plan the strategy off of that,” Team Penske driver Joey Logano said. “I think having a ballpark idea, if there’s weather in the area and it seems like we’re going to be pushed late, what that’s going to look like, I think is a great idea.”

He said it

“I’ve always wanted to hold the lobster ever since I was a kid. So hopefully we can keep adding to our entrees. We had corn last week and lobster this week. Trying to add a full plate of dinner.” — Blaney, on trying to follow his Iowa win with one at New Hampshire, where the winner is awarded a lobster.

ALEX PALOU CONTINUES MASTERY OF LAGUNA SECA WITH POLE-WINNING RUN AT CALIFORNIA ROAD COURSE

MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — Two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou continued his mastery of Laguna Seca Raceway by winning the pole Saturday in a qualifying session dominated by Honda drivers.

It was the second pole of the season for the Chip Ganassi Racing driver who has finished on the podium in all three of his previous starts on the permanent road course in Monterey, California. He won the race in the 2022 season finale in what many believe was a catalyst in his decision not to leave Ganassi to join Arrow McLaren Racing.

“It was really tight all of qualifying. I am really happy, the car was on rails,” Palou said. “I think always starting up front is the best spot. Hopefully we can have a clean start, clean first couple of laps and hopefully there is not a lot of cautions that can screw our strategy.”

Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global qualified second in his best qualifying effort of the season. Five of the top six drivers in qualifying were powered by Honda.

Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing qualified third and was followed by Colton Herta of Andretti.

Alexander Rossi of Arrow McLaren was the highest qualifying Chevrolet driver in fifth. Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan rounded out the top six in another Honda.

IndyCar points leader Will Power, who holds the series record with 70 top starting spots, did not advance out of first qualifying group. Power earned his first win in over two years when he won two weeks ago at Road America in Wisconisn.

“I probably waited in the pit too long,” he said of his qualifying strategy. “You can’t screw around. Had the pace, just didn’t put it together.”

It was a trend for Team Penske, which had won two of the last three IndyCar races, as Scott McLaughlin was the only driver to advance into the second qualifying round. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was also eliminated in the first round.

“I think it’s just me today, I think our car was really good. I was just really struggling to put it together,” Newgarden said. “Our car was really good. I don’t think that’s the issue.”

McLaughlin was then eliminated in the second round — meaning a Team Penske driver failed to advance to the Fast Six pole-shootout.

“I had a little slide through one of the corners and when you lose that momentum going up the hill, it really hurts you,” McLaughlin said. “You just can’t make a mistake.”

David Malukas in his season debut, advanced out of first qualifying group with new team Meyer Shank Racing. Malukas was supposed to drive for Arrow McLaren this season but broke his wrist a month before the season-opener, and when he missed four races it triggered a clause in his McLaren contract that allowed the team to fire him.

He was hired to replace Tom Blomqvist, who appears headed back to full-time sports car racing after crashing on the opening lap of the Indianapolis 500 in a failed switch to IndyCar. Malukas said he felt total relief just to be back in the car and to start 12th on Sunday.

“So many different question marks going into it,” Malukas said. “Just got a little bit fatigued being out of the car so long.”

Nolan Siegel, the 19-year-old surprisingly hired earlier this week by Arrow McLaren, also did not advance out of the first qualifying group in his debut with his new team. Siegel, who was part of the winning LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last week, is the youngest driver on the IndyCar grid. Siegel is in the car Malukas had been hired to drive before his injury.

“We’re thrown into a really difficult situation here, we’ve had very little time to prepare,” Siegel said. “I didn’t know I was driving here until a few days ago, so it’s tough. None of us know each other. We’re getting better every session. We’re getting to know each other better, I’m getting to know the car better. It’s just a lot of new things and it’s tough. IndyCar is super competitive.”

UNFAZED BY FIRE IN MCLAREN’S FACILITY, NORRIS EDGES VERSTAPPEN FOR POLE AT SPANISH GP

MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) — McLaren’s Formula One team went from escaping from a fire in their hospitality suite to celebrating a rare pole position by Lando Norris at the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday.

Norris edged points leader Max Verstappen after the British driver pulled off a blistering final run during qualifying.

Norris’ great run was made more impressive given the circ*mstances. Just hours before, McLaren had to evacuate its hospitality suite because of a fire shortly before the last practice. McLaren said one team member was taken to a local hospital “for precaution.” Two firefighters employed by the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya were also treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation before being released, track officials said.

“The best thing is that everyone is safe, everyone is doing well,” Norris said. “A bit of a scare for the whole team, just a bit of a more stressful day than I would have liked. I lost my shoes, that was as bad as it got for me.”

McLaren’s hospitality facility, a multi-story temporary structure that provides meals for staff and guests, started billowing smoke shortly before the third practice on Saturday morning. Firefighters responded, and said the blaze started in the kitchen. Track officials said the cause was under investigation, but it was not caused by an electrical problem.

Norris said the team would be unable to use the facility on race day. In addition to those ruined shoes, Lando said the belongings he did retrieve reeked of smoke. While insisting he wasn’t complaining, he said the incident has deprived him of the rest room he used to “chill out” and focus.

“Maybe tomorrow it will impact me a bit more if I can’t jut get that quiet time that I love, but it is not the end of the world,” he said.

It sure didn’t shake him during qualifying.

Just when Verstappen was seconds away from claiming another pole, Norris whipped around the 4.6-kilometer (2.8-mile) track to edge Verstappen by 0.02 seconds.

Norris earned his first career victory in May when he won in Miami. His only other pole was from Sochi, Russia, in 2021.

“It was pretty much a perfect lap, so I am super, super happy,” Norris said. “We have been close the past two months, ever since Miami. We probably missed out on pole because we didn’t do that perfect lap. We made some changes on the final lap and found the room to improve.”

Pole-sitters have won 24 of the 33 F1 races just north of Barcelona.

Lewis Hamilton will start third — his best grid position of the season — just ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell. Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be next.

Verstappen, winner of the last two Spanish GPs, holds a 56-point lead over Leclerc in the drivers’ standings after winning six of the nine races this season.

“(The weekend) has been okay, but clearly not good enough,” Verstappen said. “On this kind of track I was hoping to be ahead. But the other teams are catching up and we need to do more.

“I always want to start first, it is easier to defend from there. It all depends on how good our start is going to be.”

Norris will have the slight edge as he and Verstappen try to reach Turn 1 first on Sunday. If Norris can’t beat Verstappen to that first turn, then his pole will have mattered very little.

“It is a long run down to Turn 1, but it is an opportunity for us to win a race,” Norris said.

Fernando Alonso, sporting royalty in Spain, was cut from the second qualifying session that leaves only the top 10 drivers in play after he posted the 11th best time.

It was also bad for RB and Williams after their cars failed to move past the first session of qualifying, which eliminates the five slowest cars.

Yuki Tsunoda and RB partner Daniel Ricciardo were 17th and 18th, while Williams pair Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant finished bottom of the time charts.

GOLF NEWS

EYEING FIRST MAJOR, AMY YANG GRABS 2-SHOT LEAD AT WOMEN’S PGA

Amy Yang of South Korea shot a one-under-par 71 to grab a two-shot lead Saturday after the third round of the Women’s PGA Championship.

Yang, 34, who has yet to win a major, followed both of her bogeys with birdies on the next hole at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.

“My mindset for tomorrow is just like today,” said Yang, who has finished in the top 10 at majors 21 times. “I did really well. Just follow my decision and be really disciplined about it.

“I’m just going to embrace the moment and not going to expect the result. Just see what’s going to happen.”

Miyu Yamash*ta of Japan (70) and Lauren Hartlage (69) are tied for second, one shot ahead of Sarah Schmelzel (74), who was tied with Yang atop the leaderboard after the second round.

“Yeah, I’m super excited,” Hartlage said. “Never been in this position before and this is something that I dreamed about growing up as a kid, so it’s really awesome to be in this position and just kind of see how it goes and learn from every day, every round.”

Yang is a two-time U.S. Open runner-up who hasn’t won since the 2023 Tour Championship, her fifth overall win on the LPGA Tour.

Americans Caroline Inglis, Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu, South Korea’s Jin Young Ko and Japan’s Hinako Shibuno are tied for fifth, four shots off the lead.

Yang, who is ranked No. 25 in the world, moved one shot ahead of Schmelzel at the turn with a birdie putt at No. 9.

Yang hit another birdie at 11 and her lead grew to three shots when Schmelzel missed a nine-foot par putt at 12.

“Really didn’t putt as well as I wanted to,” Schmelzel said, “but happy that I hit it well enough on Saturday in a major, and hopefully just clean up some speed stuff on the greens before tomorrow and take it into tomorrow.”

On No. 16, Yang’s lead was cut to one when she missed a downhill seven-foot par putt but birdied the next hole to restore her two-shot lead. Yang had to settle for par on the final hole after missing a short birdie putt.

Yang had completed 30 straight bogey-free holes until No. 8 but maintained the lead.

“I mentioned that I’m hitting balls really well out there the last three rounds,” Yang said. “Yeah, but most important thing was how committed I was on each shot.

“Whenever or whatever I decide to hit, I try to not think about what’s going to happen because it’s very tight and playing tough out there.”

Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand sank the first hole-in-one at the event since 2018, acing the 153-yard par-3 13th hole. She previously aced a hole at another major, the 2020 Chevron Championship.

TYRRELL HATTON CLIMBS TO TOP OF LEADERBOARD AT LIV GOLF NASHVILLE

England’s Tyrrell Hatton carded a 7-under 64 on Saturday to grab the lead heading into the third and final round at LIV Golf Nashville in College Grove, Tenn.

Hatton did nearly all of his damage on the back nine, recording six of his seven second-round birdies over the final seven holes. He rattled off three birdies in a row at Nos. 12-14 and Nos. 16-18, with a par at No. 15 being the only “blemish” during that stretch.

Thanks to the strong finish, Hatton now sits at 13-under 129 for the tournament, three shots ahead of John Catlin (66 on Saturday).

“Got off to a little bit of a slow start in terms of scoring through the first 11 holes,” Hatton said. “It was a little bit scruffy from tee to green in places, and it was nice to hole that putt on 12, and obviously chipping in on 13 was a bonus. … And holing a long putt on 14.

“I definitely had momentum on my side and carried that through to the finish. Very happy with how the back nine played out.”

Catlin went for six birdies and one bogey to go 5 under for the second straight day at The Grove. He is playing in just his second LIV Golf event as he continues to fill in for Charles Howell III on Crushers GC. Howell is out with a left tibia injury.

“Everybody has been very, very welcoming. It’s felt like a pretty easy transition,” Catlin said. “I knew most of the guys coming in. I’ve been a pro for 11 years. I’ve played on pretty much every tour in the world. I’ve had a chance to meet all these guys before, and coming back, it just kind of felt like, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while.’”

Bryson DeChambeau, the captain of Crushers GC who is fresh off his U.S. Open win, is tied for third with Spain’s Jon Rahm after firing a 5-under 66 on Saturday. Rahm came away with low-round honors with a 63.

“Just being able to compartmentalize, focus on the golf at hand and execute to the best of my ability,” DeChambeau said. “When things don’t go my way, try to feed off the crowd a little bit to get me pumped up again, and if I hit a great shot, then interact with the fans as much as possible.

“It’s what I like to do. I just feed off of it no matter if it’s good or bad. They are certainly a raucous crowd, which I love. I think it’s awesome. Hopefully more of that (Sunday).”

Rahm racked up nine birdies, including three straight at Nos. 9-11. He had to withdraw ahead of the U.S. Open because of a foot infection, an injury that is starting to affect him less and less.

“I played nearly 18 holes pain-free. I mean, that’s probably why I hit it so much better,” Rahm said Saturday. “Yesterday it bugged me a little bit, and it’s just in the back of your head for a second, at least it was yesterday, but not today. Never really questioned not being able to swing it, and I think that’s what made the difference.”

Cameron Smith of Australia (65) and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz (66) are tied for fifth, five strokes behind Hatton. Harold Varner III (64) and Englishmen Lee Westwood (66) and Sam Horsfield (68) are tied for seventh at 7-under 135.

Mexican Abraham Ancer, the first-round leader Friday, struggled to a 4-over 75 on Saturday to fall into a tie for 27th.

Rahm and Hatton have Legion XIII leading the team competition at 28 under. Crushers GC is in second at 23 under, followed by Majesticks GC at 19 under.

TOM KIM HOLDS ONE-SHOT LEAD ENTERING FINAL ROUND AT TRAVELERS

South Korea’s Tom Kim shot 5-under par 65 to maintain the lead in a tight Travelers Championship despite Cameron Young’s 59 in the third round Saturday at Cromwell, Conn.

Kim — who had six birdies and one bogey — is at 18-under 192 going into the final round Sunday. He holds a one-shot advantage on world No. 1 Scott Scheffler, who finished the third round with four straight birdies, and Akshay Bhatia, who matched Scheffler’s 64. Bhatia had birdies on the last two holes.

Xander Schauffele, who strung together three consecutive birdies on the backside in a round that was without a bogey until the final hole, shot 64 to join South Korea’s Sungjae Im (63) at 16 under in a tie for fourth.

Collin Morikawa, who played in the final pairing with Kim, shot a 66 and is alone in sixth place at 15 under.

Young, who finished in the early afternoon, well before a long weather delay, recorded the 13th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history with an 11-under-par 59.

“I can’t say I was expecting it,” Young said.

There was an array of golfers firing at TPC River Highlands greens with a chance to contend, some coming off a strong showing a week earlier in the U.S. Open.

Play was suspended because of weather for 2 hours, 49 minutes in the afternoon. That left numerous golfers with more than 10 holes to play once golfers went back to the course.

Tony Finau, who tied for third place last week, posted 64 to join Justin Thomas (65) and Ireland’s Shane Lowry (65) in a tie for seventh place at 14 under.

With the first round of 59 on the tour since 2020, Young vaulted from tied for 24th into a share of the lead at 13 under, though the second-round leaders had barely begun their third rounds by the time Young finished.

By the end of the day, Young was sharing 10th place, but he certainly had a memorable experience.

“Did exactly what I do every day, come to the golf course, get a coffee, ate,” Young said. “… Went out there and warmed up, didn’t feel particularly awesome. I chunked a few less on the range than I did (Friday) and then came out and was very comfortable.”

He needed 24 putts, hitting 15 of 18 greens in regulation. He had two eagles and seven birdies without a bogey.

Young, who played collegiately for Wake Forest, began the round with birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie on his way to a 7-under 28 on the front nine. The eagle came when he holed his second shot from 142 yards out on the par-4 third hole.

Young also had an eagle on the par-4 15th, where he used a 3-iron off the tee to drive the green to set up a 4-foot eagle putt. After a birdie on No. 17, his tee shot was in the rough and he ultimately needed a 10-foot putt for par on the final hole.

“All of a sudden, I had a putt for 59 on 18, which was a blast,” he said.

Young ended one shot away from Jim Furyk’s course-record 58 set in the 2016 tournament.

Also at 13 under is Patrick Cantlay (64 on Saturday), who tied for third place last week.

France’s Matthieu Pavon and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who were among U.S. Open contenders, both shot 62s on Saturday to move to 12 under. Aberg had a bogey-free round, while Pavon had two bogeys but registered eagles on Nos. 13 and 15 as part of a backside 29.

Canada’s Adam Svensson, who strung together four consecutive birdies, was 7 under for the day through 13 holes and ended up on that mark with 63 to sit at 12 under entering the final round. He’s joined by Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre (66), who won the Canadian Open earlier this month, and Tom Hoge (66).

TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

MALCOM NUÑEZ GOES YARD AS INDIANS STUMBLE AGAINST I-CUBS

INDIANAPOLIS – Malcom Nuñez smacked a two-run shot in the fourth inning, but the Indianapolis Indians dropped a 3-2 decision to the Iowa Cubs on Saturday night at Victory Field.

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth after Chase Strumpf singled home the game’s first run, Indianapolis (32-40) capitalized on a two-out fielding error by scoring a pair of runs. With Liover Peguero on first base, Malcom Nuñez blasted a two-run homer for his seventh long ball of the season to give Indy the lead.

Iowa (33-41) responded in the top of the fifth with back-to-back doubles by Darius Hill and Bryce Windham to knot the score at 2-2. One inning later, the I-Cubs recaptured the lead thanks to an Alexander Canario sacrifice fly to cap Iowa’s scoring.

In his first rehab start with Indianapolis, Martín Pérez logged 5.0 two-run innings with four strikeouts. Michael Plassmeyer (L, 1-7), Ben Heller and Brent Honeywell combined for six strikeouts in relief, with the latter two pitchers holding Iowa scoreless through the last two frames.

Right-hander Riley Thompson (W, 3-1) tossed 5.0 innings with three punchouts. Entering the game in the bottom half of the ninth, Hunter Bigge (S, 3) shut down the Indians offense while striking out the side to close the contest.

The Indians and I-Cubs conclude the series at Victory Field on Sunday at 1:35 PM ET. RHP Domingo Germán (1-4, 6.16) is Indy’s probable starting pitcher while Iowa has yet to name its starter.

INDY ELEVEN

RECAP – IND 0:1 OC

USL Championship Regular Season
Indy Eleven0:1 Orange County SC
Saturday, June 22, 2024–7:00 p.m. ET 
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis

2024 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 9-5-2 (+5), 29 pts
Orange County SC: 6-6-3 (-2), 21 pts

Orange County SCline-up:Colin Shutler, Ryan Flood, Ashish Chattha, Jordan Chavez, Owen Lambe, Cameron Dunbar(Ashton Miles 80’), Kyle Scotti, Seth Casiple(Christian Sorto 34’), Bryce Jamison, Brian Iloski(Benjamin Norris 72’), Ethan Zubak

Orange Countysubs:Duran Ferree,Ryan Ayoub, Benjamin Barjolo, Marcus Lee

INDIANA DIVING

NCAA PLATFORM CHAMPION TYLER QUALIFIES FOR PARIS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana swimming and diving senior Carson Tyler has qualified for his first Olympics, winning the 10-meter event Saturday (June 22) at the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials inside the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The two-time defending champion in the platform diving event, Tyler won the tower event with a score of 965.45, combining his scores from Thursday’s semifinal and Saturday’s final. Tyler earned at least 70 points on all six dives Saturday. His highest-scoring dive came in the fifth round from a back 3 ½ somersault tuck for a total of 90.75 as three judges each gave Tyler a 9.5.

Tyler qualifies for Paris following one of the most successful individual diving seasons in NCAA history. As a junior, Tyler won NCAA and Big Ten Championships on both the 3-meter springboard and platform, while also earning medals on the 1-meter board at each level. His 56 points at the NCAA Championships outscored every other diving team.

Tyler becomes the seventh Indiana University athlete qualified for the 2024 Olympics, as well as the second diver and first American male (from any sport) representing IU. Jessica Parratto clinched her third Olympics on Tuesday in the women’s synchronized 10-meter event. With Parratto and Tyler qualified for Paris, Indiana swimming and diving program has produced an Olympic diver in every Summer Games since 1964.

Tyler will dive again Sunday in the men’s 3-meter final. Through the semifinal, Tyler currently sits second in the event with a score of 485.60 – 55.5 points higher than third place. Should he place within the top two, Tyler will become the third U.S. diver since at least 1976 to qualify for the Olympics in both individual events – joining Greg Louganis, who did it in 1976, 1984 and 1988, and Mark Ruiz in 2000.

MATHENY, PEPLOWSKI CONFIRMED FOR PARIS OLYMPICS

INDIANAPOLIS – The wait is over for Josh Matheny and Anna Peplowski.

The Indiana swimming and diving seniors were announced as members of the U.S. Olympic Team by USA Swimming Saturday (June 22) night at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Both athletes posted qualifying performances earlier in the week – Matheny was the No. 2 finisher in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke on Wednesday, and Peplowski finished fifth in the 200-meter freestyle on Monday. However, neither met the criteria for immediate selection (event win or top-four finish in 100m or 200m free) and had to await selection as USA Swimming fills out its 26-man rosters.

Matheny and Peplowski have made the USA Swimming National Team for a second year in a row after participating at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in f*ckuoka last summer. Both medaled as members of relay teams.

Matheny is a seven-time All-American, two-time NCAA medalist and three-time Big Ten Champion as a collegiate swimmer at IU. The Hoosier men have won the Big Ten Championship and finished top five nationally in each of his three seasons on the team.

Peplowski makes the Olympic roster after a record-breaking collegiate season. As a junior, Peplowski medaled twice at the NCAA Championships, finishing second in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 500-yard freestyle. Over the season, she broke program records 100-yard free, 200-yard free, 500-yard free, 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay and 200-meter freestyle. In February, she helped lead the IU women to their first Big Ten title since 2019.

BALL STATE TRACK

JENELLE ROGERS COMPETING FOR A SPOT ON THE U.S. OLYMPIC TRACK AND FIELD TEAM

Ball State track and field senior Jenelle Rogers will head to Eugene, Oregon for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials June 21-30.

Rogers will compete in the heptathlon, a two-day event scheduled for Sunday, June 23 through Monday, June 24. She is one of only three collegiate athletes with the automatic qualifying standard, coming in with a score of 6,018.

The qualifying process for the Olympic Trials differs from that of the Olympic team. In the heptathlon, the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard is a minimum of 5,500 points with an automatic bid going to those with a score of 6,000 or higher.

The Olympic qualifying standard is more difficult, at 6,480 points. Following the trials, the top three athletes within that standard will qualify for Paris.

Rogers will be Ball State’s third athlete to compete at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials and the first since 2000 when LaTasha Jenkins represented in the 200-meter dash.

Most recently, Roger secured a fourth-place finish in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She finished the event with a season best score of 5,991.

INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES

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

EARLHAM ATHLETICS:https://goearlham.com/

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

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS:https://franklingrizzlies.com/

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

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

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

BETHEL ATHLETICS:https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS:https://depauwtigers.com/

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

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS:https://muspartans.com/

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

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

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

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

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

IU SOUTH BENDATHLETICS:https://iusbtitans.com/

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

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

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

ST. MARY OFTHE WOODS ATHLETICS:https://smwcathletics.com/

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

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

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

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

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

4 – 34

June 23, 1915 – The New York Yankees were gifted an MLB record. The Philadelhia Athletic’s pitching staff surrendered an MLB record 16 walks to go along with 3 wild pitches in just one game against their rivals from the Bronx. Oh and did I mention the 3 errors by the Athletics in the field that day? The Yanks defeated the A’s 15-7 that day as Pitcher Bruno Haas, was on the mound for Philadelphia for the duration.

June 23, 1917 – It was at the near beginning of a game and Boston Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth was ejected for throwing punch at an umpire! According to a story on ProSportsOutlook.com, the Great Bambino was a bit awry on this day. Babe if you remember early in his MLB career was quite a fine pitcher for the Boston franchise. On a day when the Red Sox were hosting the Washington Senators his temper got the best of him. batting lead off for the Senators was second-basem*n Ray Morgan. He took four pitches from the Babe, each called ball by umpire Clarence “Brick” Owens. The young arm on the mound getting more and more riled up with each non-strike called, and after a slew of insults, Owens threatened to boot the Babe from the game! This really infuriated Ruth, who soon yelled back, “Throw me out and I’ll punch ya right in the jaw!” Both men kept their word. Owens tossed Ruth, and Ruth apparently charged at Owens and fed him a knuckle-sandwich. After the ejection, Boston sent Ernie Shore in to continue pitching the game. Covering well for Ruth and probably giving the legend much satisfaction, Shore retired all 26 batters he faced to provide the Sox with a 4-0 victory over Washington Senators. The pitching performance of the Ruth/Shore combo was tabbed as a combined no-hitter in the record books.

June 23, 1927 – New York Yankees future Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig, who would soon wear Number 4 for the Pinstripes, hit three Home Runs in a Yankees’ 11-4 victory over the rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park

June 23, 1963 – New York Mets hitter Jim Piersall, wearing Number 34 hits his 100th Home Run of his career. In celebration he ran the bases backwards, third through home.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

Gridiron Giant Owns the Mound

June 23, 1888 – Yale faced Harvard for a share of the league baseball championship with future legendary gridiron coach Amos Alonzo Stagg on the mound according to an excerpt in Jennifer Taylor Hall’s; Amos Alonzo Stagg: College Football’s Man in Motion. The athletic Stagg was quite the coveted pitcher in college even attracting attention from multiple professional organizations of the era. The Yale squad won the game 8-0 behind the arm of Football’s Grand Old Man!

Bronko Nagurski former Grid Star wins from Thesz

The article underneath it tells of the June 23, 1939 bout where future Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrine, Bronko Nagurski defeated Lou Thesz in Houston, Texas to become The National Wrestling Association’s World Heavy Weight Champion. The piece tells how Nagurski scored the first fall via an airplane spin and subsequent drop kick in the wrestling ring, a move he took from his football training. Later Bronko is reported to have used a reverse slam and a series of “flying mares” to overcome Thesz and pin him to take the title. Nagurski was later during World War II coerced to come out of retirement and rejoin the Chicago Bears when there was player shortages on the pro gridiron. He even helped lead the Bears to an NFL title in a triumphant return. Bronko Nagurski is not only in the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames but is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame as well.

WLAF World Bowl 4

June 23, 1996 – The World League of American Football’s World Bowl 4 was played at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland. The outcome of the game found the Scottish Claymores garnering the title by defeating the Frankfurt Galaxy, 32-27 in a thriller. According to the WorldLeagueofAmericanFootball.com, the Scottish team was a worst to first champion going 7-3 in their championship season after have a dismal 2-8 record at the end of the 1995 season. In the 1996 World Bowl, the Claymores wide receiver Yo Murphy was voted MVP for his 163 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. 38,982 fans were in attendance that day, the highest in Claymores history and the largest crowd ever assembled for an American football game in Scotland.

Hall of Fame Birthdays for June 23

June 23, 1883 – Louisa County, Virginia – Virginia Tech and North Carolina halfback that played college football from 1900 to 1905, Hunter Carpenter was born. The FootballFoundation.org says that Hunter played for a different coach in each of his six seasons, as he played for Virginia Tech from 1900 through 1903, started at North Carolina in 1904, and came back to Tech in 1905. In that final year he played, Carpenter was named team captain. VT had one of their top seasons ever as they knocked off Army, North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina, and lost only to Navy 12-6. That 1905 season Tech outscored its opponents 305-24, and Carpenter scored 82 points. In five seasons at Virginia Tech he scored 233 points. The National Football Foundation selected for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957.

June 23, 1950 – Lafayette, Alabama – Dave Butz who was a Purdue Boilermaker defensive tackle from 1970 to 1972 arrived into the world. According to the NFF Butz won acclaim as a Consensus First-Team All-American as a senior in 1972, he took home the Zipp Award as college football’s most outstanding player, and Dave was also named a finalist for the Lombardi Award. The senior team captain participated in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, where he was named Defensive MVP. Dave Butz received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014. After school ended he was drafted fifth overall in the 1973 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, Butz played 14 of his 16 seasons with the Washington Redskins, leading them to victories in Super Bowls XVII and XXII. The NFL’s “ironman,” he missed only four games his entire career. He retired in 1989 having played in more games than any other Redskin in team history.

June 23, 1979 – Rosebud, Texas – LaDainian Tomlinson the premier Texas Christian University running back from 1997 through the 2000 season was born. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of LaDainian Tomlinson into their legendary museum in 2014. This five-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro selection, was also named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2006.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

June 23

1917 — In baseball’s greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox came in for Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first. The base runner was cut down stealing and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced to gain a 4-0 victory over Washington. Ruth walked Eddie Foster to open the game and was ejected after arguing with umpire Brick Owens.

1932 — Lou Gehrig plays his 1,103rd successive game in a New York uniform, equaling Joe Sewell’s record with one team (Cleveland).

1950 — Hoot Evers’ winning home run in the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 10-9 victory over the New York Yankees as the teams combined for 11 home runs, a major league record. The Yankees hit six and the Tigers five.

1963 — Jimmie Piersall, playing for the Mets in New York, hit his 100th career home run and celebrated by running around the bases backward.

1971 — Rick Wise of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds and hit two homers. Wise became the first pitcher to hit two homers while throwing a no-hitter.

1973 — Pitcher Ken Brett of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a home run in the fourth consecutive game that he pitched in June. He beat Montreal 7-2.

1984 — Chicago’s Ryne Sandberg hit two late-inning home runs off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bruce Sutter to tie the game twice as the Cubs went on to win 12-11 in 11 innings. Sandberg led off the ninth inning with a solo home run to tie the game 9-9 then hit a two-run, two-out homer in the 10th to tie the game 11-11. Willie McGee hit for the cycle and drove in six runs for St. Louis.

1993 — Seattle OF Jay Buhner hits for the cycle in the Mariners’ 8 – 7, 14-inning win over the Athletics. He is the first Mariner player to ever hit for the cycle..

2003 — Stealing second base at Pacific Bell Park in the 11th inning, Barry Bonds becomes the first player to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases in his career. The Giants’ left fielder may not only be the charter member of the 500-500 club, many believe, including him, he will most likely be its only member, as no one else may ever reach this plateau.

2008 — Felix Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years, then departed with a sprained ankle before he could qualify for a win in Seattle’s 5-2 victory over the New York Mets. The shot to right-center off Johan Santana was the first home run by a pitcher in Mariners history, and the first slam by an AL hurler since Cleveland’s Steve Dunning went deep against Oakland’s Diego Segui on May 11, 1971.

2013 — David Wright homered, tripled and matched a Mets record with four extra-base hits to back Matt Harvey’s splendid start in a lopsided 8-0 victory over Philadelphia. Wright went 4 for 5 with two of New York’s season-high seven doubles.

2020 — After the Players Association ratified proposed COVID-19 safety protocols, an abbreviated 60-game season will begin July 23rd or 24th.

_____

June 24

1936 — Rookie Joe DiMaggio hit two homers in the fifth inning and added two doubles in the New York Yankees’ 18-4 victory over the St. Louis Browns.

1950 — Wes Westrum of the New York Giants hit three home runs and a triple in a 12-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

1955 — Harmon Killebrew hit his first major league homer, off Billy Hoeft at Griffith Stadium, but the Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators 18-7.

1962 — Jack Reed, a substitute outfielder, hit a homer off Phil Regan in the 22nd inning to give the New York Yankees a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers in a game that lasted 7 hours, 22 minutes. It was the only homer Reed hit in the majors.

1968 — Jim Northrup tied a major league record by hitting two grand slams in one game as the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians 14-3.

1983 — Don Sutton of the Milwaukee Brewers became the eighth pitcher in major league history to strike out 3,000 batters. Sutton’s 3,000th victim was Cleveland’s Alan Bannister in a 3-2 win over the Indians.

1984 — Oakland’s Joe Morgan hit his 265th home run as a second baseman, breaking Roger Hornsby’s career home run record for that position. Morgan’s homer off Frank Tanana was the 267th of his career and led the A’s to a 4-2 win over Texas.

1993 — Carlton Fisk of the White Sox, plays his 2,226th and final major league game, surpassing Bob Boone’s record of 2,225 for most games caught.

1993 — The Marlins obtain OF Gary Sheffield and P Rich Rodriguez from the Padres for P Trevor Hoffman, Andres Berumen and Jose Martinez. The Fish will give Sheffield a four-year contract extension in September.

1994 — Jeff Bagwell hit three homers, two in one inning to tie a major league record, as the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 16-4.

1997 — Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners struck out 19 batters — one short of Roger Clemens’ major league record for a nine-inning game. He became the first AL left-hander to fan 19, but the Oakland Athletics won 4-1.

2002 — Both starters in the first game of the Anaheim-Texas doubleheader — Joaquin Benoit and Aaron Sele — threw 96 pitches, 53 strikes and 43 balls. Benoit and the Rangers won 8-5.

2003 — Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs, in Montreal’s 6-4 win over Pittsburgh. It was the first cycle in the majors this season and was performed in sequence — single, double, triple and homer.

2014 — Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton tied the major league record for brothers homering in the same game as teammates, accomplishing the feat for the fourth time, in Atlanta’s 3-2 win over Houston. Other brothers who had homered in the same game four times were Jeremy and Jason Giambi for the Oakland A’s and Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero for the Montreal Expos.

2015 — Pavin Smith homered and drove in three runs and Brandon Waddell turned in another strong College World Series pitching performance, leading Virginia over Vanderbilt 4-2 for the school’s first baseball national championship.

2017 — Three different Oakland A’s players, Matt Olson, Jaycob Brugmand and Franklin Baretto, hit their first career home run in a 10-2 win over the White Sox.

2019 — The Yankees tie a record belonging to the 2002 Rangers by homering in their 27th straight game on their way to defeating the Blue Jays.

2018 — The Dodgers set a National League record with seven solo home runs in an 8-7 win over the Mets.

2021 — The Chicago Cubs throw the first combined no-hitter in franchise history beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter of the season.

June 25

1934 — Pitcher John Broaca tied a major league record by striking out five consecutive times but pitched the Yankees to an 11-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Lou Gehrig had better luck at the plate, hitting for the cycle.

1937 — Augie Galan of Chicago became the first National League switch-hitter to homer from both sides of the plate in the Cubs’ 11-2 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1950 — Chicago’s Hank Sauer hit two home runs and two doubles to send the Cubs past the Philadelphia Phillies 11-8.

1961 — Baltimore and California used a major league record 16 pitchers, eight by each side, as the Orioles edged the Angels 9-8 on Ron Hansen’s 14th-inning homer.

1968 — Bobby Bonds, in his first major league game, hit a grand slam off John Purdin to help San Francisco to a 9-0 win over Los Angeles.

1988 — Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1,000th consecutive game.

1998 — Sammy Sosa broke the major league record for homers in a month, hitting his 19th of June leading off the seventh inning of the Cubs’ 6-4 loss to Detroit. Sosa passed the mark set by Detroit’s Rudy York in August 1937.

1999 — Jose Jimenez, a rookie right-hander having one of the worst seasons than any other NL pitcher, threw St. Louis’ first no-hitter in 16 seasons, outdueling Randy Johnson in a 1-0 victory over Arizona.

2002 — Luis Pujols of the Detroit Tigers and Tony Pena of the Kansas City Royals became the first Dominican-born managers to oppose each other in a major league game.

2007 — A fan charged at Bob Howry during the Cubs’ 10-9 win over Colorado after the reliever helped blow an 8-3 lead in the ninth inning. Howry gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe and a three-run homer to Troy Tulowitzki. The fan then jumped onto the field from the roof of the Rockies’ dugout and made it a few feet from the mound before security guards tackled him. Howry earned the victory when Alfonso Soriano hit a game-ending two-run single in the bottom of the inning.

2010 — Arizona’s Edwin Jackson pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.

2010 — The Cubs suspend pitcher Carlos Zambrano indefinitely after he throws a tantrum in the dugout after giving up 4 runs in the 1st inning of a 6 – 0 loss to the White Sox. “Big Z” blames first baseman Derrek Lee for letting a Juan Pierreground ball past him for a double that starts the rally, although the hard-hit ball was hardly catchable. Tom Gorzelanny replaces Zambrano who is removed from the game by manager Lou Piniella.

2011 — Cleveland’s Tony Sipp balked home the only run with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of a 1-0 loss to San Francisco. Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win. There also were two errors in the inning by second baseman Cord Phelps that spoiled a strong start by Justin Masterson.

2013 — Eric Filia drove in a career-high five runs, Nick Vander Tuig limited Mississippi State to five hits in eight innings, and UCLA won 8-0 for its first national baseball championship.

2014 — Tim Lincecum pitched his second no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in less than a year, allowing only one runner and leading the San Francisco Giants to a 4-0 win.

2015 — The San Francisco Giants hit four triples in a game for the first time in 55 years, including a pair by Brandon Belt in a 13-8 win over the San Diego Padres. Brandon Crawford and Matt Duffy also tripled for San Francisco, which had not tripled four times in a game since Sept. 15, 1960, when Willie Mays hit three and Eddie Bressoud one at Philadelphia.

2018 — The St. Louis Cardinals record the 10,000th win in team history with a 4-0 defeat of the Cleveland Indians.. They are the sixth major league team to do so.

2019 — The New York Yankees set a new major league record by homering in their 28th consecutive game.

2021 — Philadelphia Philles pitcher Aaron Nola ties Tom Seaver’s 51-Year old MLB record of ten consecutive strike outs in a 2-1 loss to the Mew York Mets.

2022 — Three Astros pitchers combine to no-hit the Yankees, 3 – 0.

2023 — George Springer leads off the bottom of the 1st for the Blue Jays against the Athletics with a homer off Luis Medina. The 55th leadoff home run of his career gives him sole possession of second place on the all-time list, behind only Rickey Henderson. The Blue Jays win handily, 12 – 1.

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June 26

1916 — The Cleveland Indians wore numbers on their sleeves in a game against the Chicago White Sox. It marked the first time players were identified by numbers corresponding to the scorecard.

1924 — New York right-hander Virgil Barnes faced his older sibling, Jesse, marking the first time brothers started against one another in major league history. Jesse got the loss when the Giants beat the Boston Braves 11-7.

1938 — Lonny Frey of the Cincinnati Reds had eight hits in a doubleheader split with the Philadelphia Phillies. Frey had three hits in a 10-3 opening-game loss and collected five in the nightcap, which the Reds won 8-5.

1944 — In an effort to raise funds for war bonds, the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees played each other in a six-inning game at the Polo Grounds. More than 50,000 fans turned out. Each team played successive innings against the other two teams then would sit out an inning. The final score was Dodgers 5, Yankees 1, Giants 0.

1962 — Earl Wilson of the Boston Red Sox pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. Wilson, the Red Sox’s first black pitcher, also homered in the game.

1968 — St. Louis’ Bob Gibson pitched his fifth consecutive shutout as he blanked Pittsburgh, 3-0, in the first game of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium.

1970 — Frank Robinson hit two grand slams to power the Baltimore Orioles to a 12-2 victory over the Washington Senators.

1976 — Shortstop Toby Harrah played an entire doubleheader for the Texas Rangers without handling a batted ball by the Chicago White Sox.

1983 — New York’s Rusty Staub tied a season record with his eighth consecutive pinch hit. Staub equaled the 1958 mark established by Dave Philley of the Phillies when he singled in the ninth inning off reliever Ron Reed in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to Philadelphia at Shea Stadium.

2000 — Minor league sensation Alex Cabrera hit a two-run homer in his first major league at-bat for Arizona as the Diamondbacks beat the Houston Astros 6-1.

2003 — Edgar Martinez, who already holds the Mariners’ all-time records for games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, walks and runs scored, passes Ken Griffey Jr.’s mark for team career RBIs. His two-run homer in the Mariners’ 10 – 6 victory over the Angels gives the All-Star designated hitter 1,153 RBIs – one more than Junior.

2006 — Oregon State beats North Carolina 3-2 for its first College World Series title.

2015 — Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg resigns in his third season with his team in last place.

2019 — Vanderbilt University defeats Michigan 8-2 to win the College World Series.

2021— The Arizona Diamondbacks end their record streak of consecutive road losses by defeating the San Diego Padres 10-1.

2023 — Louisiana State University wins the 2023 College World Series with an 18 – 4 win over the University of Florida in the final game, one day after losing 24 – 4 to the Gators. Paul Skenes is named the recipient of the College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. It is the Tigers’ seventh title overall, and first since 2009.

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June 27

1917 — Catcher Hank Gowdy of the Braves became the first major league player to enter military service in World War I.

1939 — The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves played a 23-inning, 2-2 tie. Whit Wyatt pitched the first 16 innings for the Dodgers. Both clubs played a 26-inning tie in 1920 at the same Braves Field.

1958 — Billy Pierce of the Chicago White Sox retired 26 straight Washington batters before pinch-hitter Ed Fitzgerald hit a double just inside the right-field line for the only hit. Pierce then struck out Albie Pearson on three pitches and beat the Senators 3-0.

1973 — David Clyde, a $125,000, 18-year-old bonus baby with the Rangers, pitched five innings, struck out eight and allowed one hit in his first major league start. Texas beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 before 35,698 fans — the Rangers’ first home sellout at Arlington Stadium.

1980 — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jerry Reuss pitched a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants in an 8-0 victory at Candlestick Park. The only player to reach base was Jack Clark in the first inning on a throwing error by shortstop Bill Russell.

1986 — San Francisco rookie Robby Thompson set a major league record when he was caught stealing four times in the Giants’ 7-6, 12-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Catcher Bo Diaz threw out Thompson in the fourth, sixth, ninth and 11th innings.

1993 — Anthony Young of the New York Mets set a major league record by losing his 24th straight decision, 5-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals.

1999 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 27th homer and robbed Juan Gonzalez of a three-run shot with a spectacular over-the-fence catch as the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the final game at the Kingdome.

2003 — Boston set a major league record by scoring 10 runs before the first out. The 50-minute, 91-pitch first inning came during a 25-8 victory over Florida. The Red Sox also tied an AL record with 14 runs in the first inning. Johnny Damon matched a major league mark with three hits in an inning.

2007 — Ryan Howard hits his 100th career home run in a 9 – 6 loss to the Reds. The shot against Aaron Harang makes him the fastest player in major league history to hit 100 homers, doing so in his 325th game.

2008 — Carlos Delgado of the New York Mets homered twice, including a grand slam, and set a franchise record with nine RBIs in a 15-6 rout of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the opener of the teams’ two-ballpark doubleheader. The Yankees beat the Mets 9-0 at Shea Stadium in the night game.

2009 — Tim Wakefield makes his 382nd start for the Boston Red Sox, tying Roger Clemens for most in franchise history. The 42-year-old knuckleballer earns his tenth win of the year with six scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves. Boston prevails, 1 – 0, with Mark Kotsay driving in the game’s only run.

2010 — Jamie Moyer surrendered his record-breaking 506th home run but was sharp otherwise, and the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of Toronto’s troubles to beat the Blue Jays 11-2. Moyer only mistake was a two-run homer by Vernon Wells in the third inning. Moyer passed former Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts for the most homers allowed in a career.

2016 — Kris Bryant became the first major leaguer to hit three homers and two doubles in a game, and Jake Arrieta added a solo shot, leading the Chicago Cubs to an 11-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

2016 — The Texas Rangers wrapped up a weird win at 2:44 a.m., rallying after a rain delay of more than 3 1/2 hours in the ninth inning to beat the New York Yankees 9-6 with maybe 100 fans left in the stands. Umpire crew chief Paul Nauert signaled for the tarp at 10:40 p.m. The game resumed at 2:15 a.m. Texas trailed 6-5 when Kirby Yates replaced closer Aroldis Chapman after the delay with a runner on first and no outs. Yates (2-1) hit three batters, and Beltre and Elvis Andrus each hit a two-run singles.

2017 — The University of Florida wins the first College World Series Title in school history by defeating Louisiana State University 6-1.

2019 — The starters for the 2019 All-Star Game are named, at the conclusion of the fans’ vote. For the first time, this voting is two-tiered, with today’s winners the victors of a second round of strictly on-line voting among the three top finishers at each position, after the more traditional ballots have been counted. The results are well-balanced, with only one team managing as many as three players elected – the Astros with 3B Alex Bregman and OFs George Springer and Michael Brantley – and are generally representative of who have been the best players so far this year.

2021 — A little over a week after MLB has begun to systematically examine pitchers for foreign substances to improve grip, a first victim is caught: Hector Santiago of the Mariners is ejected after umpires discover an unknown sticky substances on his glove. The glove is impounded and sent for further analysis, while Santiago protests his innocence, claiming that he was only using rosin to prevent perspiration from dripping unto his hands. He will be issued a ten-game suspension.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

June 23

1917 — In baseball’s greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox retires 26 batters for a 4-0 victory over Washington. Shore relieves Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first, who was cut down stealing.

1917 — Molla Bjurstedt win the women’s U.S. Lawn Tennis Association title for the third straight year with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Marion Vanderhoef.

1922 — Walter Hagen becomes the first native-born American to win the British Open. Hagen shoots a 300 to beat Jim Barness and George Duncan by one stroke at Royal St. George’s Golf Club.

1939 — Former football great Bronko Nagurski beats Lou Thesz to win the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title in at the Coliseum in Houston. Thesz was largely considered the greatest wrestler of all time. Houston Mayor Holcombe reportedly presents Bronko with a $10,000 diamond studded belt.

1961 — Cubs Ernie Banks ends his 717 consecutive-games-played streak.

1963 — Julius Boros wins a three-way playoff to take the U.S. Open. Boros beats Jacky Cupit by three strokes and Arnold Palmer by six.

1969 — Joe Frazier TKOs Jerry Quarry in 8 for heavyweight boxing title.

1972 — President Nixon signs the Higher Education Act of 1972. Title IX of this congressional act bars sex bias in athletics and other activities at colleges receiving federal assistance.

1974 — Sandra Haynie wins the LPGA championship by two strokes over JoAnne Carner.

1980 — West German wins European soccer title (2-1 against Belgium).

1985 — Laffit Pincay Jr. rides Greinton to a 1 3/4-length victory over Precisionist in the Hollywood Gold Cup, to join Willie Shoemaker as the only jockeys in history to surpass $100 million in purse earnings.

1988 — Charlotte Hornets & Miami Heat begin their NBA expansion draft.

1991 — A Mazda becomes the first Japanese car to win the Le Mans 24 hours race, overtaking a Mercedes in the last three hours. Bertrand Gachot of Belgium, Johnny Herbert of Britain and Volker Weidler of Germany are the winning drivers of the rotary-powered Mazda.

1996 — Michael Johnson breaks the world record in the 200 meters, running 19.66 seconds at the U.S. track and field trials in Atlanta. The previous mark of 19.72 was set by Italy’s Pietro Mennea in 1979 in Mexico City.

1999 — The Hockey Hall of Fame waives the usual three-year waiting period and announces that Wayne Gretzky will be part of the Class of 1999.

2001 — Ilya Kovalchuk is the first player born in Russia to be taken with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft when he’s selected by the Atlanta Thrashers.

2003 — Barry Bonds steals second base against the LA Dodgers, becoming the first player in MLB history to have 500 career homers and 500 steals.

2005 — Tim Duncan comes up huge in the second half and is chosen finals MVP and Manu Ginobili has another breakthrough performance to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Detroit Pistons 81-74 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

2008 — Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners hits a grand slam home run against New York Mets, 1st pitcher since Steve Dunning in 1971.

2011 — NBA Draft: Duke point guard Kyrie Irving first pick Cleveland Cavaliers.

2013 — Courtney Force claims a Funny Car victory against her father at the Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals. In their first final round matchup, Courtney Force earns her second victory of the year and third in her career. She improves to 4-2 against her father, John Force, a 15-time Funny Car world champion.

2015 — The NHL’s Board of Governors approve the proposed 3-on-3 overtime change.

2016 — LSU point guard Benn Simmons is the first pick in the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

2017 — NHL Draft: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) center Nico Hischier first pick by New Jersey Devils.

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June 24

1910 — James Braid wins his fifth British Open with a four-stroke victory over Sandy Herd.

1911 — John McDermott becomes the first American-born winner of the U.S. Open when he beats Michael Brady and George Simpson in a playoff. McDermott finishes two strokes better than Brady and five strokes better than Simpson.

1913 — John Henry Taylor wins his fifth and final British Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, England.

1922 — American Professional Football Association renamed the National Football League.

1922 — Charter NFL club Chicago Staleys renamed Chicago Bears by team founder, owner and head coach George Halas.

1928 — John Farrell beats Bobby Jones by one stroke in a 36-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open.

1947 — Jim Ferrier wins the PGA championship by defeating Chick Harbert 2 and 1 in the final round.

1958 — Brazil, led by 17-year-old Pele, beats France 5-2 in a semifinal of the World Cup. With Brazil up 2-1 in the second half, Pele scores three consecutive goals.

1968 — Joe Frazier stops Mexican challenger Manuel Ramos in 2nd round TKO at NYC’s Madison Square Garden in his first heavyweight boxing title defense.

1968 — Canada’s Sandra Post beats Kathy Whitworth by seven strokes in a playoff to become the first non-U.S. player and rookie to win the LPGA championship.

1979 — Rickey Henderson debuts for Oakland & steals his 1st base.

1980 — The Atlanta Flames relocate to Calgary, Alberta. The NHL team keeps the name “Flames.”

1990 — Criminal Type becomes the first horse to win consecutive $1 million races after capturing the Hollywood Gold Cup. He had previously won the $1 million Pimlico Special on May 12.

1991 — The NHL’s Board of Governors adopts instant replay.

1992 — NBA Draft: LSU center Shaquille O’Neal first pick by Orlando Magic.

1995 — Stanley Cup Final, Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ: New Jersey Devils beat Detroit Red Wings, 5-2 for a 4-0 series sweep; Devils’ first Stanley Cup finals appearance.

1998 — NBA Draft: Pacific center Michael Olowokandi first pick by Los Angeles Clippers.

2000 — Rick DiPietro is the first goalie drafted No. 1 when the New York Islanders select the 18-year-old star from Boston University at the NHL Draft.

2001 — Karrie Webb, 26, captures the LPGA Championship by two strokes to become the youngest woman to complete the Grand Slam.

2004 — NBA Draft: Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy power forward Dwight Howard first pick by Orlando Magic.

2010 — John Isner outlasts Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in tennis history. Isner hits a backhand winner to win the last of the match’s 980 points, and takes the fifth set against Mahut 70-68. The first-round match took 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days, lasting so long it was suspended because of darkness — two nights in a row. Play resumed at 59-all and continued for more than an hour before Isner won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68.

2010 — John Wall is selected as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, and a record number of Kentucky teammates follow him. Four more Wildcats are among the top 30 selections, making them the first school ever to put five players in the first round.

2011 — NHL Draft: Red Deer Rebels (WHL) center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first pick by Edmonton Oilers.

2013 — Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland score 17 seconds apart in the final 1:16 of the third period and the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup with a stunning 3-2 comeback victory in Game 6 over the Boston Bruins.

2016 — NHL Draft: ZSC Lions (NLA) center Auston Matthews first pick by Toronto Maple Leafs.

2018 — Harry Kane scores a hat trick to propel England to its most emphatic World Cup victory and into the knockout stage. With John Stones heading in twice and Jesse Lingard curling in a shot, England beats Panama 6-1 and scores its most goals ever in a World Cup game.

2021 — The Chicago Cubs throw the first combined no-hitter in franchise history beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter of the season.

2022 — American Katie Ledecky wins the 800m gold medal in 8:08.04 at the World Swimming Championships in Budapest; completes 400/800/1500m treble for unprecedented 4th time at a single worlds.

June 25

1921 — Jock Hutchinson is the first American to win the British Open, a nine-stroke victory over Roger Wethered in a playoff.

1926 — Bobby Jones becomes the first amateur in 29 years to win the British Open. Jones finishes with a 291 total for a two-stroke over Al Watrous at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England.

1932 — Gene Sarazen wins the U.S. Open by shooting a 286, the lowest in 20 years.

1935 — Future world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis moves to 20-0 with 6th round KO of former champion Primo Carnera of Italy at Yankee Stadium, NYC.

1948 — Joe Louis knocks out Jersey Joe Walcott in the 11th round in New York to defend his world heavyweight title. Louis announces his retirement after the fight.

1952 — Jim Turnesa wins the PGA Championship with a 1-up victory over Chick Harbert in the final round.

1966 — Buckpasser sets a world record in the 1-mile Arlington Classic in 1:32 3-5 and becomes the first 3-year-old to win more than $1 million.

1969 — Pancho Gonzalez, 41, wins the longest tennis match in Wimbledon history by beating Charles Pasarell in a 112-game match, 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9. The match is played over two days and lasts 5 hours, 12 minutes.

1978 — In Buenos Aires, Argentina wins the World Cup beating Netherlands 3-1 after extra time.

1981 — Sugar Ray Leonard wins the WBA junior middleweight title with a ninth-round knockout of Ayub Kalule in Houston.

1988 — MLB player Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1,000th consecutive game.

1988 — UEFA European Championship Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Ruud Gullet & Marco van Basten score as the Netherlands beats Soviet Union, 2-0.

1991 — Nine-time champion Martina Navratilova survives a first-round scare from Elna Reinach to win her record 100th singles match at Wimbledon.

1994 — FIFA World Cup: 1,500th goal in Cup’d history scored by Caceres of Argentina.

1997 — NBA Draft: Wake Forest power forward Tim Duncan first pick by San Antonio Spurs.

1997 — NHL approves franchises in Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minnesota-St Paul.

1999 — San Antonio wins its first NBA championship, defeating the New York Knicks 78-77 in Game 5 of the Finals. The Spurs, keyed by finals MVP Tim Duncan’s 31 points, becomes the first former ABA team to win the championship.

2006 — Asafa Powell matches Wallace Spearmon’s world best in the 200 meters, winning the Jamaican national championships in 19.90 seconds.

2006 — Bernard Lagat becomes the first runner in the history of the U.S. track and field championships to sweep the 1,500 and 5,000 meters, after winning the shorter race.

2008 — NBA Draft: Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin first pick by Los Angeles Clippers.

2013 — UCLA wins its first national championship in baseball with an 8-0 win over Mississippi State.

2014 — John Norwood’s home run in the top of the eighth inning gives Vanderbilt the lead, and the Commodores beat Virginia 3-2 for their first national championship.

2015 — NBA Draft: Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns first pick by Minnesota Timberwolves.

2017 — Jordan Spieth needs an extra hole and an amazing final shot to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Travelers Championship. The two-time major champion holes out from 60 feet for birdie from a greenside bunker on the first hole of a playoff with Daniel Berger at TPC River Highlands. The 23-year-old Texan joins Tiger Woods as the only PGA Tour players with 10 victories in the era since World War II.

2019 — NHL Draft: Barrie Colts (OHL) defenseman Aaron Ekblad first pick by Florida Panthers.

2020 — Liverpool FC clinches first EPL soccer title in 30 years with 7 games to spare as Chelsea beats second-placed Manchester City, 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

2021 — Philadelphia Philles pitcher Aaron Nola ties Tom Seaver’s 51-Year old MLB record of ten consecutive strike outs in a 2-1 loss to the Mew York Mets.

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June 26

1910 — For the second consecutive year, Hazel Hotchkiss wins the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships. Hotchkiss beats Louise Hammond 6-4, 6-2 for the singles title.

1925 — Jim Barnes wins the British Open with a one-stroke win over Ted Ray and Archie Compston at Prestwick Golf Club in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

1959 — Ingemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson in the third round at Yankee Stadium to win the world heavyweight title.

1976 — Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki fights American boxer Muhammad Ali, at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

1990 — Jennifer Capriati, 14, defeats Helen Kelesi 6-3, 6-1 in the first round to become the youngest winner of a match in Wimbledon history.

1991 — NBA Draft: UNLV power forward Larry Johnson first pick by Charlotte Hornets.

1992 — UEFA European Championship Final, Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden: In a huge upset Denmark beats Germany, 2-0.

1993 — NHL Draft: Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) center Alexandre Daigle first pick by Ottawa Senators.

1995 — The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a random drug-testing program in Vernonia, Ore. The 6-to-3 decision allows public high school officials to require student-athletes to submit to random urinalysis as a condition of being allowed to play interscholastic sports.

1996 — NBA Draft: Georgetown guard Allen Iverson first pick by Philadelphia 76ers.

1999 — NHL Draft: Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL) center Patrik Stefan first pick by Atlanta Thrashers.

1998 — Jamaica becomes the first Caribbean nation to win a World Cup soccer match since Cuba beat Romania in 1938. Theodore Whitmore scores in the 40th and 54th minutes as the Jamaicans beat Japan 2-1.

2002 — In one of the most extraordinary days at the All England Club, seven-time champion Pete Sampras, 1992 winner Andre Agassi and No. 2-seeded Marat Safin all lose — throwing the Wimbledon tournament wide open. For the first time in the Open era, five of the top-eight seeded men’s players are eliminated before the third round.

2002 — NBA Draft: Shanghai Sharks (China) center Yao Ming first pick by Houston Rockets.

2003 — NBA Draft: St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (Akron, Ohio) small forward LeBron James first pick by Cleveland Cavaliers.

2005 — Justin Gatlin cements his status as America’s fastest human by winning the 200 meters, becoming the first man in 20 years to sweep the sprints at the U.S. track and field championships. A day after winning the 100, Gatlin wins the 200 in 20.04 seconds. The last man to win both races at the U.S. meet was Kirk Baptiste in 1985.

2008 — Two stunning second-round upsets happen at Wimbledon as former champion Maria Sharapova and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick are ousted.

2008 — NBA Draft: Memphis point guard Derrick Rose first pick by Chicago Bulls.

2011 — Top-ranked Yani Tseng wins the LPGA Championship by 10 strokes and, at 22, becomes the youngest player to win four LPGA Tour majors.

2012 — Major college football finally gets a playoff. A committee of university presidents approve the BCS commissioners’ plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season.

2013 — Seven-time champion Roger Federer is stunned by 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round of Wimbledon, his earliest loss in a Grand Slam tournament in 10 years.

2014 — The United States reaches the knockout stage of consecutive World Cups for the first time. Germany beat the U.S. 1-0 to win Group G, but the Americans held onto second place when Portugal defeats Ghana 2-1 in a game played simultaneously.

2014 — NBA Draft: Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins first pick by Cleveland Cavaliers.

2015 — NHL Draft: Erie Otters (OHL) center Connor McDavid #1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers.

2017 — Helmsman Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand wins the America’s Cup with a resounding romp against software tycoon Larry Ellison’s two-time defending champion Oracle Team USA. They win Race 9 to clinch the 35th America’s Cup match at 7-1. Burling, at 26, is the youngest helmsman to win sailing’s greatest prize in a competition that dates to 1851.

2021 — Tour de France: The largest pile up in Tour history is caused by a spectator with a sign during Stage 1. The spectator is apprehended and arrested.

2012 — Stanley Cup Final, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL: Colorado Avalanche beats two-time defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1 for a 4-2 series win; Avs 3rd championship in franchise history.

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June 27

1890 — Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes first black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin “Nunc” Wallace in 18 rounds in London, England.

1903 — Willie Anderson captures the U.S. Open with a two-stroke victory over David Brown in a playoff.

1914 — Jack Johnson wins a 20-round referee’s decision over Frank Moran at the Velodrome d’Hiver in Paris.

1924 — Walter Hagen wins his second British Open. Hagen finishes with a 301 to edge Ernest Whitcombe by one stroke at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, England. Hagen, who won in 1922, was the Open’s first winner born in the United States.

1936 — Alf Padgham beats Jimmy Adams by one stroke to win the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

1950 — Chandler Harper wins the PGA championship by beating Henry Williams Jr., 4 and 3 in the final round.

1959 — Mickey Wright beats Louise Suggs by two strokes for her second straight U.S. Women’s Open title.

1971 — JoAnne Carner wins the U.S. Women’s Open with a seven-stroke victory over Kathy Whitworth.

1979 — Heavyweight Muhammad Ali confirms that his 3rd retirement is final (it isn’t).

1984 — UEFA European Championship Final, Parc des Princes, Paris, France: Michel Platini & Bruno Bellone score as France beats Spain, 2-0.

1988 — Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City.

1990 — NBA Draft: Syracuse power forward Derrick Coleman first pick by New Jersey Nets.

1992 — Top-seeded Jim Courier, the Australian and French Open champion, loses 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to qualifier Andrei Olhovskiy of Russia at Wimbledon. It’s the first time in Wimbledon history that a qualifier beat the top seed.

1998 — NHL Draft: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) center Vincent Lecavalier first pick by Tampa Bay Lightning.

1999 — Juli Inkster shoots a 6-under 65 to win the LPGA Championship, becoming the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam. Pat Bradley won her Grand Slam 13 years earlier.

2001 — NBA Draft: Glynn Academy center Kwame Brown first pick by Washington Wizards.

2006 — Roger Federer wins his record 42nd straight grass-court match, beating Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to open his bid for a fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship. Federer breaks the record he shared with Bjorn Borg, the five-time Wimbledon champion who won 41 straight matches on grass from 1976-1981.

2008 — Zheng Jie completes the biggest victory of her career at Wimbledon, beating new No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4 in the third round. The 133rd-ranked Zheng’s victory, her first against a top-10 player, is the earliest exit by a top-ranked woman at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis lost in the first round in 2001.

2010 — Cristie Kerr cruises to a 12-stroke victory in the LPGA Championship in one of the most lopsided wins at a major. Kerr leads wire-to-wire, closing with a 6-under 66 for a 19-under 269 total. Kerr breaks the tournament record for victory margin of 11 set by Betsy King in 1992 and matches the second-biggest victory in a major.

2013 — NBA Draft: UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett first pick Cleveland Cavaliers.

2017 — Florida scores four runs in the eighth inning to pull away from LSU, and the Gators beat their Southeastern Conference rival 6-1 to complete a two-game sweep in the College World Series finals for their first national title in baseball. LSU loses for the first time in seven appearances in a championship game.

2021 — Nelly Korda beats Lizette Salas by 3 strokes to win the Women’s PGA Championship. The win is Korda’s first major title.

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