THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” SUNDAY JULY 5, 2026

“THE SCOREBOARD”

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

ASTROS 10, RAYS 8

MARINERS 11, BLUE JAYS 0

PIRATES 7, NATIONALS 1

TWINS 11, YANKEES 4

TIGERS 3, RANGERS 0

WHITE SOX 3, GUARDIANS 1

ORIOLES 8, REDS 5

PHILLIES 6, ROYALS 1

BRAVES 14, METS 3

RED SOX 8, ANGELS 1

CARDINALS 3, CUBS 0

DIAMONDBACKS 4, BREWERS 3

MARLINS 7, ATHLETICS 2

GIANTS 6, ROCKIES 4

DODGERS 3, PADRES 0

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MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

INDIANAPOLIS 6 OMAHA 0

INDIANAPOLIS 17 OMAHA 4

SOUTH BEND 7 BELOIT 3

FT. WAYNE 13 GREAT LAKES 12

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WNBA SCOREBOARD

VALKYRIES 88 DREAM 83

FIRE 77 STORM 72

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WORLD CUP SOCCER SCOREBOARD

MOROCCO 3 CANADA 0

FRANCE 1 PARAGUAY 0

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INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE SCHEDULES

https://scoreboard.homestead.com/football/teams.htm#load

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NFL TRAINING CAMP DATES

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2026 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE

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2026 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

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NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES

WORLD CUP SOCCER NEWS

MOROCCO BEATS WORLD CUP CO-HOST CANADA 3-0 AND ADVANCES TO THE QUARTERFINALS

HOUSTON (AP) — Morocco is heading back to the quarterfinals and coach Mohamed Ouahbi believes his team has established itself among soccer’s elite.

Azzedine Ounahi scored twice to lead Morocco to a 3-0 win over Canada in the World Cup round of 16 Saturday to make the country the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once.

“We are no longer a surprise,” Ouahbi said through a translator. “Now when people talk about Morocco we’re a major contender and it’s a great source of pride. I think it’s only the beginning and I hope we continue to have runs like this.”

And despite already making history in this World Cup, Morocco has much higher goals.

“We want to keep going,” Ouahbi said. “We don’t want to stop.”

It’s Morocco’s second straight appearance in the round of eight after becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022.

“We are so proud to represent Africa because it’s a continent with a lot of talent and Africa deserves to be in the best level in football,” Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said.

Neither team was able to break through until Ounahi took a free kick from Achraf Hakimi and made a right-footed shot through traffic from outside the box to the bottom right corner to put Morocco on top 1-0 in the 50th minute.

Ounahi made it 2-0 on a right-footed shot from the middle of the box off a pass from Brahim Díaz in the 82nd minute.

Soufiane Rahimi added a goal in the final minute of stoppage time.

Morocco advances to face the winner of Saturday’s Paraguay-France match on Thursday at Boston Stadium.

The loss ends a historic run for World Cup co-host Canada, which won its first-ever knockout round with a 1-0 victory over South Africa to reach Saturday’s match. The country was playing in the World Cup for just the third time and the run enchanted a nation that is normally far more interested in hockey than the pitch.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch shared his postgame message to the team.

“I told them that I was proud of them and I challenged them to understand that we can play like this all the time against the best teams in the world,” he said. “We can be better on the day. And then the challenge is, can we hold that standard for 90 minutes?”

Morocco, which is ranked sixth in the FIFA rankings, dispatched the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to reach the round of 16 and send the country to its earliest World Cup exit.

Though Marsch mistakenly said Morocco is ranked one spot lower than it is, he lauded how his team performed against a squad of its caliber and of how Canada controlled the match for much of the day.

“The way we pushed, the way we were in the match, the quality we showed, the overall impact in the match, we were better,” he said. “We were better than the No. 7 team in the world today.”

Ouahbi had a strong response when told of those comments.

“In terms of intensity they were good,” he said. “They were good for 98 minutes. Were they better? It’s hard to say. It takes some nerve to say that when you lose 3-nil.”

Canada had a couple of chances to score late. Jonathan David had a free kick from outside the box in the 78th minute, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

Just after that Tajon Buchanan’s shot from about 30 yards was stopped with a diving save from Bounou. Bounou, who was born in Canada to Moroccan parents, had three saves to help Morocco to the win.

Canada reached the round of 16 despite missing star Alphonso Davies for the majority of the tournament because of a hamstring injury. The Bayern Munich player logged only 15 minutes as a substitute in the victory over South Africa but wasn’t available Saturday.

“His hamstring didn’t feel right,” Marsch said. “We were hoping that by the time he woke up this morning that he would feel better, but he didn’t.”

This game was a rematch from the last World Cup when Morocco beat Canada 2-1 in the group stage in a tournament in which Morocco finished fourth.

It was an extremely physical match with eight yellow cards being issued. Both teams received four.

Hakimi and Canada’s Richie Laryea received yellow cards in the 40th minute. Hakimi shoved Laryea to the ground and then Laryea pushed him and a minor scuffle ensued.

Morocco midfielder Ismael Saibari left with an injury in the 22nd minute.

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KYLIAN MBAPPÉ SCORES AGAIN AND FRANCE REACHES WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS WITH 1-0 WIN OVER PARAGUAY

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kylian Mbappé laughed and smiled — and scored, of course — when Paraguay tried to bait him and his French teammates into fouls and provoke fights, as hot heads became a recurring theme during one of the steamiest World Cup games on record.

After the final whistle, Mbappé kept on walking and left Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill hanging as Gill extended his right hand in a show of sportsmanship.

In response, Gill thew the ball right at the No. 10 on Mbappé’s jersey.

Mbappé got the last laugh as he scored his 19th career World Cup goal, and France survived stifling heat to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday, sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time.

“We knew what kind of match it was going to be,” Mbappé said in French. “We can also get our hands dirty, we know how to do it. We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were thinking we were going to show up in tuxedos, but we were ready.”

France advanced to play Morocco on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. France beat Morocco 2-0 in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

With an extreme heat warning in effect throughout the match as temperatures hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), Mbappé finally broke through against a physical, defensive-minded Paraguay side when he converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute.

That was enough for Les Bleus, whose red, white and blue-clad fans looked plenty patriotic on July Fourth in the city where the United States was founded exactly 250 years earlier.

Mbappé was awarded the penalty when Diego Gomez was called for tripping after a video review. Then he stutter-stepped on his way to his 19th goal in 19 World Cup appearances, one behind career record holder Lionel Messi of Argentina. Mbappé and Messi each have seven goals in this tournament to top the Golden Boot race.

Mbappé won that award four years ago, but Messi and Argentina beat France in the final.

Mbappé — who frequently trash-talked the Paraguayans in Spanish — is now the only player to score at least three goals in the knockout stage of three World Cups.

Mbappé botched a breakaway attempt in the second half, and Manu Koné had his top-corner shot knocked away by Gill after he was wiped out in the netting by Ousmane Dembélé only moments earlier.

Gill also stopped two strong attempts by Mbappé in second-half stoppage time.

The 26-year-old Gill had bested German great Manuel Neuer in a penalty shootout in the previous round. He then lost his cool after the loss to France when he chucked the ball at Mbappé.

“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper,” Gill said. “But anyway, that was all I did; I calmed down afterward.”

For the criticism that hydration breaks have watered down the pace of play at the World Cup, they were never more needed for the players than in the midst of a miserable heat wave. Sprinklers showered the Kentucky bluegrass field during the breaks and at halftime.

“Given our style of play, it was harder to give high intensity,” France coach Didier Deschamps said.

More than in any of the five other World Cup games played before 68,000-plus fans at Lincoln Financial Field, spectators fled for the concourse at halftime, seeking shade and refuge from the sun.

Maybe they were looking for some action of any kind.

Les Bleus scored 13 goals in the first five games of the tournament but were stymied in the first half by a Paraguay team trying to turn the match into a rock fight. Tempers flared when Andrés Cubas took down Mbappé and the teams briefly pushed and shoved each other. Matías Galarza also threw his right elbow into Mbappé and sent him crashing to the grass.

Paraguay advanced by beating Germany in a penalty shootout on Monday, the biggest upset of this World Cup. But after a gritty effort by La Albirroja, it’s France that’s moving on.

After defeating Croatia for the 2018 title, France lost to Argentina on penalty kicks in the 2022 final. Les Bleus are 5-0 in this year’s tournament, outscoring opponents 14-2.

“As I said to the players, we’ve had easy games so far, so it is good to have a tough one,” Deschamps said.

The city soaked in the moment as the 250th anniversary of American independence was celebrated. More fans honored America — draped in flags or wearing Uncle Sam hats as they tailgated in the parking lot — than at any of the other games in Philadelphia, and Idina Menzel, The Roots and DJ Jazzy Jeff all performed.

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MLB NEWS

MLB ROUNDUP: ASTROS RALLY TO SNAP RAYS’ 9-GAME WINNING STREAK

Yordan Alvarez capped a three-hit, six-RBI night with a walkoff two-run home run as the Houston Astros rallied from a five-run deficit to outslug the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 10-8 on Saturday.

Alvarez plated Jose Altuve with his 29th home run of the season and second of the game with no outs in the ninth inning. He smacked a 1-2 fastball from Rays reliever Casey Legumina (2-2) 424 feet to straightaway center field to snap the Rays’ nine-game winning streak.

The Astros pulled even at 8-8 with a three-run seventh inning that featured an Alvarez sacrifice fly, an Isaac Paredes RBI single and a pinch-hit RBI single from Zach Dezenzo. The Rays jumped out to their early lead in part thanks to another Junior Caminero homer, his 11th in the last 11 games, which opened the scoring in the first inning.

Neither Houston’s Hunter Brown nor Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen pitched effectively for their respective teams. Brown allowed seven runs on six hits over four innings, while Rasmussen allowed a season-high-tying five runs on six hits over five innings. Baseball

Mariners 11, Blue Jays 0

Logan Gilbert pitched 7 1/3 innings of one-hit ball and Randy Arozarena belted a grand slam as Seattle routed visiting Toronto.

Cal Raleigh hit a three-run homer and Dominic Canzone added a two-run shot as the Mariners won for the fourth time in their past five games and moved past Texas and into first place in the American League West.

Gilbert (7-5) retired the first 14 Blue Jays before Yohendrick Pinango blooped a single into shallow left field with two outs in the fifth. He retired his final eight batters before exiting after 91 pitches, notching seven strikeouts with no walks. Toronto starter Shane Bieber (0-1) gave up seven runs on six hits in four-plus innings.

Pirates 7, Nationals 1

Brandon Lowe and Henry Davis each drove in two runs and Braxton Ashcraft struck out seven in a solid start as Pittsburgh earned a road win over Washington.

Ashcraft (9-3) allowed one run on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. Bryan Reynolds, Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Gonzales each had two hits for the Pirates, who evened the three-game series ahead of Sunday’s series finale.

James Wood hit his 23rd home run of the season and Daylen Lile had two hits for the Nationals. Starter Carson Palmquist (0-1) allowed four runs on four hits in one-plus inning.

Twins 11, Yankees 4

Kody Clemens lifted a two-run homer in the first inning for Minnesota, which raced out to a six-run lead and hit six homers in a victory over host New York. On a 95-degree day, the Twins hit three of their homers off New York rookie spot starter Brendan Beck (0-1).

Clemens homered for the fifth time in eight games when he followed a walk by Trevor Larnach and an RBI double by Byron Buxton with a drive to right-center off Beck’s full-count slider. Luke Keaschall and Alex Jackson hit back-to-back homers in the second. Larnach hit a 2-1 sinker into the right-field seats off Tim Hill in the fourth. Josh Bell homered in consecutive at-bats to left off Ryan Yarbrough and Camilo Doval in the seventh and eighth, respectively.

Minnesota won for the eighth time in its past 11 road games and hit six homers for the first time since Sept 4, 2023. The Yankees lost for the eighth time in nine games and allowed six homers for the first time since Aug. 15, 2019 against Cleveland.

Tigers 3, Rangers 0

Riley Greene blasted a two-run homer to support a strong outing by Jack Flaherty as Detroit blanked Texas in Arlington, Texas.

All three of the Tigers’ runs were scored in the first two innings on Greene’s 12th homer of the season and an RBI groundout by Ben Malgeri. Flaherty (2-8) scattered three hits in 5 2/3 innings and has pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings since coming off the injured list. Keider Montero threw the final three innings to notch his first career save.

Texas starter Cal Quantrill (3-1) gave up three runs (two earned) and three hits in five innings. Ben Peoples tossed two scoreless innings in his major league debut for the Rangers, who had won seven of their last eight.

White Sox 3, Guardians 1

Colson Montgomery hit a tiebreaking home run and had two of Chicago’s RBIs as the White Sox snapped a three-game skid with a win against host Cleveland.

White Sox starter Sean Burke notched a career-high 11 strikeouts while holding Cleveland to one run on seven hits in six innings. Brandon Eisert (2-1) tossed a perfect seventh and eighth and Grant Taylor came on in the ninth to earn the save.

Parker Messick gave up one run on five hits in five innings for the Guardians, who had won three in a row and plated their only run on Austin Hedges’ fifth-inning solo homer. Tim Herrin (1-4) gave up Montgomery’s go-ahead homer in the eighth inning.

Orioles 8, Reds 5

Rookie Samuel Basallo smacked a three-run home run in the first inning and Adley Rutschman drilled a two-run double during a five-run fourth to help Baltimore defeat host Cincinnati.

Pete Alonso provided three hits and an RBI as the Orioles, who won their third in a row, bounced back after falling behind during Cincinnati’s three-run second. Baltimore starter Brandon Young worked through five-plus innings, surrendering four runs on eight hits.

Jose Trevino had three hits and an RBI and Elly De La Cruz added two hits and an RBI for Cincinnati, which lost for the sixth time in its last seven. The Reds outhit Baltimore 11-10 but left nine runners on base.

Phillies 6, Royals 1

J.T. Realmuto, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Alec Bohm homered in support of Jesus Luzardo as visiting Philadelphia topped Kansas City.

Luzardo (7-4) allowed one run and four hits in six innings, as the left-hander struck out nine without issuing a walk. Kyle Schwarber, one of five Phillies named to the All-Star team earlier Saturday, notched three hits in a supporting effort.

Kansas City starter Michael Wacha (5-6) allowed four runs in six innings, issuing eight hits and a walk while striking out seven. Nick Loftin drove in the only run for the Royals, who have lost eight of their last nine games.

Braves 14, Mets 3

Eli White homered and drove in four runs to spark Atlanta to a win over visiting New York.

White was 2-for-2, hit one of the Braves’ five home runs and matched his career high with four RBIs. Also going deep were Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Riley, who ended a 36-game homerless streak, and Michael Harris II, who homered off position player Luis Torrens. Chris Sale (9-6) pitched five-plus innings and gave up three runs on seven hits.

The Mets have lost 12 of their last 14 and fell 17 games behind Atlanta in the National League East. Starter Sean Manaea (1-4) allowed six runs on six hits over five innings. Tyrone Taylor and Mark Vientos homered for New York.

Red Sox 8, Angels 1

Sonny Gray allowed a run and four hits in six innings and Willson Contreras and Romy Gonzalez hit home runs as Boston routed Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Wilyer Abreu added two RBIs and scored two runs for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series. Boston took control of the game with a four-run fifth inning, with all those runs coming against Samy Natera Jr.

Josh Lowe homered for the Angels, who lost their fifth in a row. Starter Sam Aldegheri (3-4) gave up three runs and one hit in four innings.

Cardinals 3, Cubs 0

JJ Wetherholt hit a home run and reached base four times as St. Louis shut out Chicago, which has scored just once in two games against the Cardinals after scoring 35 runs in a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres.

The rookie homered in the first, walked in the third, doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh as St. Louis picked up its fifth win in six games. Starter Kyle Leahy (7-4) gave up three hits in five innings. Riley O’Brien picked up his 22nd save with a hitless ninth.

Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (5-7) gave up four hits and two runs in four 2/3 innings. The southpaw walked three and had eight strikeouts over 86 pitches.

Diamondbacks 4, Brewers 3

Adrian Del Castillo blasted a three-run homer in the first inning and Arizona maintained that lead throughout their win against Milwaukee in Phoenix to level the series.

Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly (6-8) ended a five-start losing streak by limiting Milwaukee to two runs and scattering eight hits over five innings. Ildemaro Vargas provided a crucial RBI double in the eighth before Paul Sewald gave up a home run to Jackson Chourio in the ninth but still closed out his 20th save.

Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff (2-2), who was making his third start after an injured list stint of nearly two months, walked off the mound with a trainer with two outs in the fourth after a sudden drop in velocity. Christian Yelich also homered for Milwaukee, which got three hits from Brice Turang for the second straight night.

Marlins 7, Athletics 2

Otto Lopez celebrated being named to his first career All-Star Game by going 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs to help Miami beat the host Athletics at West Sacramento, Calif.

Kyle Stowers added a two-run shot and Joe Mack had a solo blast for the Marlins, who have scored 19 runs while winning the first two games of the series. Liam Hicks had three hits and scored twice, while Sandy Alcantara (10-4) allowed one run and six hits over eight innings to record his seventh consecutive win.

Carlos Cortes, Henry Bolte and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer each had two hits for the Athletics, who lost for the 10th time in the past 13 games. Aaron Civale (5-6) gave up four runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings in losing his fifth straight start.

Giants 6, Rockies 4

Robbie Ray won his fifth consecutive decision, Bryce Eldridge homered and San Francisco evened its three-game series against Colorado in Denver.

Luis Arraez had three hits, while Sam Hentges, Dylan Smith and Caleb Kilian combined for three innings of one-run relief, allowing the Giants to keep their hopes alive of a .500 road trip with a second win in five tries. Ray (8-6) served up a three-run homer to Cole Carrigg in the first, but no other runs over six innings.

Rockies rookie left-hander Sean Sullivan (0-3), a late replacement for scheduled starter Tomoyuki Sagano, worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing all six Giants runs on 12 hits.

Dodgers 3, Padres 0

Freddie Freeman hit a home run and Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered seven scoreless innings as Los Angeles continued its winning ways with a 3-0 victory over visiting San Diego.

Yamamoto (9-5) matched his season high with 10 strikeouts, while allowing three hits and two walks. Andy Pages opened the scoring with an RBI single and Freeman added an eighth-inning RBI single to close it, improving Los Angeles’ record to 10-2 since June 22 and 7-2 against the Padres this season.

Padres right-hander Griffin Canning (1-6) gave up one run on two hits over four innings. Fernando Tatis Jr. had two of San Diego’s four hits, but couldn’t halt the Padres’ losing streak which reached eight games, the franchise’s longest since a 10-game skid in 2013.

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BASKETBALL NEWS

REPORT: PATRICK EWING, STEVE CLIFFORD JOINING WIZARDS STAFF

Patrick Ewing is returning to the coaching ranks, joining the Washington Wizards as an assistant to head coach Brian Keefe, ESPN reported on Saturday.

Ewing, 63, had been serving as an ambassador for the New York Knicks, with whom he starred from 1985-2000. His first coaching position came as an assistant with the Wizards in 2002-03 before holding the same role with the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets.Sports Coaching & Training

Ewing will likely be called upon to share his expertise with veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis while helping 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa adjust to NBA life. Ewing was also a No. 1 overall pick, in 1985 by the Knicks.

Per the report, former NBA head coach Steve Clifford is also joining the Wizards as a coaching advisor, a role he had held with the Phoenix Suns since August 2025.

For Ewing and Clifford, 64, it’s a reunion as the former Knicks legend was on head coach Clifford’s staff with the Bobcats/Hornets from 2013-17.TV Networks & Stations

Along with the Bobcats/Hornets (2013-18, 2022-24), Clifford coached the Orlando Magic (2018-21). He was an assistant with the Knicks, Magic, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers before being hired by the Bobcats.

An NCAA champion in 1984 at Georgetown, Ewing returned to his alma mater as its head coach in 2017 and guided the Hoyas to the Big East tournament title at Madison Square Garden in 2021. He was relieved of his duties in 2023.

Ewing, who had his No. 33 jersey retired by the Knicks in 2003, leads the franchise in points, rebounds, blocks, steals and games played, and helped lead New York to the postseason in his final 13 seasons.

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REPORT: FBI ARRESTS FORMER WEST VIRGINIA, KENTUCKY PLAYER KERR KRIISA

Former Kentucky  basketball player Kerr Kriisa has been arrested by the FBI in connection with a fraud scheme, Kentucky Sports Radio reported on Saturday.

Kriisa, who also played guard for West Virginia, Arizona and Cincinnati during his collegiate basketball career, is connected with a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme dating back to his time with the Mountaineers, according to the report. The 25-year-old is being extradited to West Virginia, per the report, which did not provide additional details on the allegations.

An Estonia native, Kriisa caught on with Arizona following a strong international run that included stints in Lithuania and Germany. The guard spent three seasons with the Wildcats, increasing his scoring average each season (2020-23).

He was with West Virginia in 2023-24, averaging a career-high 11 points per game, though he also served a nine-game suspension that season for receiving impermissible benefits at Arizona. He followed that with a season at Kentucky (2024-25) and another season at Cincinnati (2025-26). Kriisa averaged 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 28.1 minutes in 127 games (106 starts) in his college career.Basketball

Kriisa had recently been an announced participant for Kentucky’s The  Basketball Tournament-affiliated team, “La Familia.”

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NHL NEWS

FLYERS SIGN DUCKS CENTER CARLSSON TO 5-YEAR, $90 MILLION OFFER SHEET; ANAHEIM HAS 7 DAYS TO MATCH

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers are prepared to pay Anaheim center Leo Carlsson the highest annual salary at $18 million since the salary cap era began in 2005, now giving the Ducks seven days to match the offer.

The Flyers tendered the five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Carlsson on Friday, which would require four of the Flyers first-round draft picks in each of the next four seasons as compensation.

The Anaheim Ducks have seven days to exercise their right of first refusal on the player, per the NHL collective bargaining agreement.

The Ducks announced they would not make an immediate decision. General manager Pat Verbeek will not comment until the process is complete.

The offer sheet comes 14 years after the Flyers, under previous management, offer-sheeting Nashville defenseman Shea Weber for $110 million over 14 years, which the Predators matched.

The 21-year-old Carlsson had 29 goals, 38 assists for 67 points in 70 games last season with the Ducks. He added 11 points in 12 playoff games to help lead Anaheim to the second round.

A native of Karlstad, Sweden, Carlsson has 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 regular-season games with the Ducks. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound center was selected by Anaheim second overall in the 2023 draft.

The Minnesota Wild in September signed Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million extension, giving him the richest contract in NHL history.

Kaprizov will count $17 million against the salary cap beginning next season, through 2034. That’s the highest annual average salary of any player since the league’s cap era began in 2005, surpassing Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl at $112 million over eight years, a $14 million annual average. Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124 million contract signed with Washington in 2008 was previously the highest total value.

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GOLF NEWS

LEE HODGES, LUCAS GLOVER SHARE NARROW LEAD AT JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

There’s not much separation in the John Deere Classic through three rounds at Silvis, Ill.

Lee Hodges shot 4-under-par 67 and moved into a tie with Lucas Glover on Saturday.

“Everybody is going to have to be aggressive, so I’ve got to hit it a little better tomorrow to achieve the ultimate goal,” Glover said.

Glover, the second-round leader, posted 69. The duo is at 16-under 197 with a one-stroke advantage going into Sunday’s final round at TPC Deere Run.

Ben Kohles (66 on Saturday), Jackson Suber (66) and Zac Blair (67) are one shot back. No member of that trio has won on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve been watching my friends win for years,” Kohles said. “I’ve obviously had a good run on the Korn Ferry Tour and won a few times there. I know what it takes. I just got to (suck it) up and do it tomorrow.”

Other than a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 17, Glover had only pars on the backside. The 2021 John Deere Classic winner and the 2009 U.S. Open champion, Glover sank a 57-footer for eagle from a bunker on the par-5 No. 2 and made his lone bogey with a tap-in at No.9.

Hodges played the back nine in a bogey-free 4 under.

“It definitely could have got away from me today, the tournament, but I played myself right back in there,” Hodges said. “So I’m really proud of that.”

Kohles, appearing in a PGA Tour tournament for the eighth time this year, recorded birdies on three of the final five holes.

“Nothing is really going to change,” Kohles said of the pursuit of birdies among the lead groups. “Looking to do the same thing, doing the same routine, and going at it again tomorrow.”

Most golfers had completed their rounds before a lightning delay with 10 golfers still needing to finish the round. Play resumed about 45 minutes later.

Blair, playing his ninth PGA Tour event of the season, posted an eagle on the second hole, though he gave that back with a double-bogey 6 on No. 11 marking the only glitch in his round until a bogey on No. 18.

Doug Ghim (65) is in sixth at 14 under and Zach Johnson (66) seventh at 13 under.

Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune (69) is tied for eighth place at 12 under with amateur Preston Stout (66), Chandler Phillips (65) and Max Homa (68).

“I’m just going to go out there and try to hit as many good shots as I can and see if I can get the putter hot and hopefully can end up at the top,” Stout said.

Other than Hisatsune, the leaderboard’s top 18 golfers is comprised of U.S. golfers, perhaps fitting for Independence Day.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to represent red, white and blue and get to play a golf tournament at the same time,” said 19-year-old Blades Brown (67), who’s among a seven-golfer cluster at 11 under.

The best round of the day was turned in by Rickie Fowler with 63, a mark that reflected just one bogey. He notched an eagle on the par-4 14th, with a putt from about 40 feet and is among those tied for 12th place at 11 under.

“I don’t think the golf course is as easy as some of the guys out here make it look, but I think it’s a good golf course,” Fowler said. “You have to kind of hit your spots.”

The start of the round was delayed because of weather-related concerns, then golfers were sent off on Nos. 1 and 10 in threesomes, so the round was on track to be completed sooner than initially projected until the suspension late in the round.

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STEWART CINK, PADRAIG HARRINGTON PREPARED FOR ANOTHER U.S. SENIOR OPEN SHOWDOWN

Stewart Cink authored a 6-under-par 64 on Saturday to rocket to the top of the U.S. Senior Open leaderboard with one round to go at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.

Cink sits at 9 under 201 through 54 holes as he attempts to go 3-for-3 on PGA Tour Champions majors this year. He’ll begin the final round one shot ahead of defending champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland, two in front of second-round leader George McNeill and three ahead of Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez.

“I hit a lot more high-quality shots today for sure,” Cink said. “I think a lot of it has to do with a conversation I had with (caddie) Chris (P. Jones) earlier before the round about just my commitment level before the shots was a little off and just not quite there, not where it needed to be.

“Today was a day about making the choice to be committed and be willing to accept anything. That just has a tendency to free me up. When I play freed up, it’s just the results are usually a lot better, and executing is a lot better.”

Cink, 53, kicked his round into high gear with an eagle at the par-5 No. 6. That moved him to 3 under for the round. He added birdies on the ninth, 12th and 17th to seize the lead.

While Cink played bogey-free golf, Harrington shrugged a bogey at No. 4 and reeled off five birdies in a six-hole stretch to position himself for another U.S. Senior Open showdown with Cink.

Harrington and Cink shared the lead with Mark Hensby after three rounds last year at Broadmoor Country Club in Colorado Springs, Colo., but Harrington emerged with the victory by one shot over Cink and two over Angel Jimenez.

“To play Harrington, he’s such a great player, and I’ve admired his game for so long, I think we both kind of bring good out of each other,” Cink said. “I know I’ve heard him say that (to) the press. I know he probably thinks I don’t read his press, but I’ve read it before. He said that. I agree; I like playing with him. And he’s the ultimate competitor. He’s never going to take a shot off, and I don’t expect him to tomorrow, either.”

“It’s a little bit like riding a roller coaster,” Harrington said. “The further you get away from being on it, the more you think you enjoy it. Yeah, look, I’ll be out there tomorrow. I know I want to be there. I know this is why we do it, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“But I’ll be questioning my decisions at times during it. It’s one of those things; you put yourself out there, you put yourself under pressure. You don’t want to mess up. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. But it’s still a tough place to be.”

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke matched Cink’s 64 – the best scores of the tournament – to climb 36 spots in the standings. Clarke and Paul Stankowski (68) share fifth place at 3 under with four more golfers, including England’s Ian Poulter (69), sitting at 2 under.

Final-round tee times are being moved up several hours to avoid storms expected to hit Columbus in the afternoon.

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AUTO RACING

DENNY HAMLIN EDGES KYLE LARSON FOR POLE AT CHICAGOLAND

JOLIET, Ill. — When it comes to oval tracks, Denny Hamlin has established himself firmly on the throne as king of qualifying.

In Saturday’s time trials at Chicagoland Speedway, Hamlin edged Kyle Larson by 0.001 seconds to claim the pole position for Sunday’s eero 400 (6 p.m. ET on TNT, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Hamlin sped around the 1.5-mile intermediate track in 30.296 seconds (178.241 mph). Larson, who ran later in the qualifying order, fell just short at 178.235 mph.

The Busch Light Pole Award was Hamlin’s fourth of the season, his first at Chicagoland (which hasn’t hosted a NASCAR national series race since 2019) and the 52nd of his career, breaking a tie with Ryan Newman for ninth all-time.

Hamlin, the 2015 Chicagoland winner, won poles at the previous two oval tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway. He is the only driver to win poles at both Chicagoland Speedway and the Chicago Street Course (2023).

“I’m the Chicago master — what can I say?” Hamlin quipped.

In fact, Hamlin considered himself lucky to win his third straight oval-track pole, having gotten the benefit of favorable cloud conditions.

“I don’t want to continue to underplay it, but we got very fortunate,” said Hamlin, who leads the series standings by one point over Tyler Reddick. “The last 12 cars had full sun — 100 percent sun. The last few had 90 percent, but I think that was the deciding factor.”

“We saw that, right after I went, the track definitely got hotter, and it seemed like the corner speeds of those guys started to slow down. I think if there was one more car behind Ty Gibbs (the final qualifier), they definitely would have beaten us, because it went full shade.

“We got fortunate there, but they (Hamlin’s No. 11 team) did a real good job overnight with my car (whose balance wasn’t ideal during Friday’s practice).”

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford drivers Chris Buescher (178.153 mph) and Brad Keselowski (178.089 mph) qualified third and fourth, respectively. With two victories at Chicagoland, Keselowski is the only driver in the field for Sunday’s race with multiple wins at the track.

Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe claimed the respective fifth through seventh starting positions. Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and William Byron completed the top 10, which consisted of four JGR Toyotas, three Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets, two RFK Fords and one 23XI Racing Toyota (Wallace).

The No. 2 and top remaining seed in the NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge, Hamlin faces Erik Jones in Sunday’s second round. Jones qualified 22nd.

In battles between teammates, Larson faces Byron, while Gibbs takes on Briscoe.

Hamlin, however, will have his eye on Larson.

“In my personal opinion,” Hamlin said, “Kyle Larson is the best driver at this race track, so he’s going to be someone I have to contend with, and I’m sure all the Hendrick cars are.”

Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet failed inspection three times and must start from the rear of the field under penalty. McDowell will have to serve a pass-through on the opening lap.

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INDYCAR

LUNDGAARD’S STATEMENT LEADS ARROW MCLAREN SWEEP AT MID-OHIO

Christian Lundgaard made another statement about his worthiness as a top driver in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Two weeks ago, the driver, expected to soon be a free agent, won at Road America despite being in last place after the first lap. Now, he is the No. 1 qualifier for Sunday’s race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, leading an Arrow McLaren sweep of the front row.

Lundgaard edged teammate Pato O’Ward for the fourth NTT P1 Award of his career, the most recent coming in 2025 when he was the fastest qualifier at Portland International Raceway. However, he had to serve a six-grid starting penalty for his team’s unapproved engine change. The last time Lundgaard started in the No. 1 position was in 2023 in Toronto, a street race he won.

SEE: Qualifying Results

The combination of the above has the still-young Dane, who turns 25 on July 23, brimming with optimism as his future remains unsettled.

“I think everybody knows the abilities,” he told FOX after posting the pace-setting lap of 1 minute, 4.8396 seconds in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “I don’t need to say anymore than that.”

Lundgaard will be aiming for his third road course victory of the season in Sunday’s The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). He also won the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May and finished second in the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AMR at Barber Motorsports Park in March.

Lundgaard is one of three drivers still with a reasonable chance of catching four-time series champion Alex Palou in the standings. Palou leads Team Penske’s David Malukas by 60 points, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood by 61 points and Lundgaard by 77. No other driver is within 100 points of the Chip Ganassi Racing driver.

Lundgaard said the goal now is to capitalize on the opportunity.

“We’ve got two wins now and we’re going to carry that momentum,” he said. “It’s just awesome to have a 1-2 (for the team in qualifying). We’ve got to go finish the job tomorrow and that’s the most important.”

O’Ward’s lap of 1:04.8649 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet earned him a front-row start for the second time this season. He also held that position for the Detroit street race.

The performances of Lundgaard and O’Ward weren’t the only noteworthy developments in a qualifying session delayed nearly three hours by thunderstorms. Palou’s streak of five consecutive NTT P1 Awards ended when he qualified eighth in the No. 10 Open AI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Palou’s best lap of 1:04.865 was the fourth-fastest of the qualifying session, but it came in the opening round. He was unable to improve in the second round, leaving him eighth on the starting grid. His streak of five consecutive poles is tied for the fourth longest in series history with Mario Andretti (1984) and Danny Sullivan (1988).

Still, Palou can build on his hefty series points lead in the season’s 11th race. He has finished in the top two each of the past four years – a win in 2023 and three second-place finishes.

Joining the Arrow McLaren drivers as Firestone Fast Six qualifiers were Andretti Global’s Will Power (No. 26 TWG AI Honda), Malukas (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), ECR’s Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet) and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet). Rasmussen reached the final round of knockout qualifying for the first time this season. VeeKay earned JHR its fourth career top-six starting position.

Chevrolet placed five drivers in the top six. Power was the lone Honda driver in that group.

Scott Dixon has won a record seven INDYCAR SERIES races at this track, one of them in 2014 when he drove from the 22nd and last starting position. If he is to win Sunday in his final Mid-Ohio race with Chip Ganassi Racing, he must do it after starting 23rd. The driver of the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was penalized for interference on Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean (No. 18 BMax Honda) approaching Turn 5 in the first round of qualifying.

Warmup will be held Sunday at 9 a.m. ET on FS1.

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INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES

INDIANA FEVER

(FEVER RELEASE)

By Wheat Hotchkiss | FeverBasketball.com

Indiana Fever at Las Vegas Aces

Sunday, July 5, 2026

T-Mobile Arena | 7:00 p.m. ET

BROADCAST INFO

TV: ESPN/Disney+

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – John Nolan (play-by-play), Bria Goss (analyst)

PROBABLE STARTERS

Indiana Fever (11-8)

Guard – Ty Harris

Guard – Kelsey Mitchell

Forward – Lexie Hull

Forward – Monique Billings

Center – Aliyah Boston

Las Vegas Aces (15-5)

Guard – Chelsea Gray

Guard – Jewell Loyd

Forward – Jackie Young

Forward – Stephanie Talbot

Center – NaLyssa Smith

GAME PREVIEW

The Fever will tip off a four-game West Coast road trip on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas. The trip is bookended by a pair of games in Vegas against the defending champion Aces. Indiana will visit Los Angeles on Wednesday and Phoenix on Thursday before returning to Vegas to face the Aces once more on Sunday, July 12.

Sunday’s game will be the first game between the Fever and Aces this season. Las Vegas visits Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Aug. 6. The Fever and Aces met last year in the WNBA Semifinals, with injury-riddled Indiana pushing the Aces to the limit before falling in overtime in Game 5.

Both teams could be without star players on Sunday afternoon. Fever All-Star point guard Caitlin Clark will miss her second straight game with a back injury, while four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson is questionable with an ankle injury.

Clark ranks fourth in the WNBA in scoring (21.2 points per game) and second in assists (8.2 per contest), but injured her back in the second half of a June 24 game against Phoenix. She missed the subsequent game against Los Angeles on June 27. Clark told reporters on Friday that she would not play in Las Vegas, but is improving and hopeful she can return for part of the back-to-back against the Sparks and Mercury next week.

Even without Clark, the Fever have plenty of firepower. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell is the league’s second-leading scorer at 21.2 points per game, while center Aliyah Boston is an All-Star starter as well, averaging 17.0 points and 8.6 rebounds. Playing without Clark last weekend, the Fever still crushed the Sparks, 111-87.

Wilson is the WNBA’s leading scorer, averaging 25.7 points per game to go along with 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. She missed the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game against New York this week and then also sat out Friday’s contest against Chicago.

The Aces still beat the Sky in her absence, with former Fever forward NaLyssa Smith leading the way with 29 points and eight rebounds. Jewell Loyd (19 points), Chelsea Gray (18 points and six assists), and Jackie Young (16 points, six rebounds, and five assists) are all former All-Stars capable of making significant contributions as well.

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INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

The Indianapolis Indians won the resumed game and captured the nightcap for a pair of big wins over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Saturday night at Werner Park. José Urquidy and Antwone Kelly teamed up to fire a five-hit shutout in the 6-0 Game 1 win. The Indians utilized two grand slams in Game 2 for a 17-4 thrashing.

Before the rain came on Friday night, Dominic Fletcher ripped his eighth home run of the season over the right-field wall to stake Indianapolis to a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, in what was his final at-bat with the team. The game was suspended in the top of the fourth inning as Urquidy allowed just one bunt single through three shutout innings.

The game resumed on Saturday, as Antwone Kelly (W, 4-5) blanked the Storm Chasers (4-7, 37-48). Kelly finished the last 6.0 innings for the Indians (7-4, 38-48) upon resumption. Mason Black (L, 0-2) allowed the home run to Fletcher.

Enmanuel Valdez homered twice in Game 2 including a grand slam that capped an eight-run fourth inning. Valdez also homered in Game 1 for three on the day. Jack Brannigan hit the second salami of the contest in the sixth inning, capping a seven-run stanza.

Nick Dombkowski allowed one run across 3.0 innings and Thomas Harrington (W, 1-5) covered another 3.0 behind him. Bailey Falter (L, 2-1) allowed two runs across just 0.2 innings and Ryan Ramsey allowed the next seven in his 3.0 frames.

The six-game series between the Indians and Storm Chasers concludes on Sunday afternoon at 3:05 PM ET. RHP Khristian Curtis (2-0, 6.39), the Pirates No. 21 prospect, takes the mound for the second time in the series for Indy. Omaha will send RHP Henry Williams (0-1, 7.75) to the hill for a rematch of Game 1.

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INDIANA FOOTBALL

PRESEASON CENTRAL: FOOTBALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Head coach Curt Cignetti has made it clear that the 2025 season is in the past. Now, the 2026 edition is preparing to write the third chapter of the Cignetti era with a good mix of returning production and newcomers – both prep and transfer portal additions.

The 60 returners on the IU roster includes 11 players with multiple starts in 2025 (5 offense, 6 defense), while Ryland Gandy and Kaiden Turner also made a spot start during the season. The group of 44 newcomers includes 18 transfers – nine on defense, six on offense and three specialists.

This Preseason Central page will keep you up-to-date from start of fall camp up to the 2026 season opener against North Texas on Saturday, Sept. 5, inside Memorial Stadium. From updated awards, press conference video, content from IUHoosiers.com insider Pete DiPrimio, and everything in between, this will be your one-stop shop for Indiana football content.

READ MORE: https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2026/7/1/preseason-central-football-2026

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INDIANA STATE TRACK

EUGENE, Ore. – Former Indiana State all-conference sprinter Noah Malone earned his second career Prefontaine Classic title Saturday afternoon, claiming top spot in the Para 100m at Hayward Field.

Malone matched his wind-legal season best of 10.54 to win by over one-tenth of a second. Saturday’s win marked Malone’s third straight top-two finish in as many Prefontaine Classic appearances, with first-place results in 2023 and 2026 and a second-place finish in 2025. The result also continued a strong 2026 season for Malone, who also claimed gold in the Para 100m at the LA Grand Prix in June and will be a contender for multiple medals at the USATF Para National Championships in three weeks.

Malone was a six-time All-MVC honoree at Indiana State from 2020-23, making three NCAA East First Round appearances in that span. He still holds program top-10 marks in the indoor 60m (6.75) and 200m (21.60), along with the outdoor 100m (10.34). Malone also ran the anchor leg on five of Indiana State’s top 10 4x100m relay teams in program history. He has six Paralympic medals to his name between Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and is a three-time Para World Championships medalist.

Former Sycamore thrower Erin Reese also made her Prefontaine Classic debut Saturday afternoon, placing eighth in the hammer throw with a mark of 71.65m (235-1). Reese had half of her attempts sail past the 70-meter mark, with additional throws of 71.50m (234-7) and 70.33m (230-9) to go alongside her top mark of 71.65m. Her Prefotaine Classic debut came on the heels of three straight appearances at USATF events, where she placed eighth in the hammer at the LA Grand Prix (73.29m/240-5) and Lone Star Grad Prix (72.58m/238-1) while finishing sixth at the USATF Throws Festival (74.18m/243-4).

Reese was a three-time All-American and five-time MVC Champion at Indiana State from 2017-19, finishing as the national runner-up in the hammer throw in 2019 and fourth in the nation in the weight throw that same season.  She owns Indiana State’s facility record in both the weight throw (25.26m/82-10.5) and hammer throw (76.76m/251-10), with her hammer throw mark coming this season. Reese remains Indiana State’s school record holder in the hammer throw at 71.06m (233-2), and has performed well this outdoor season by clearing the 74-meter mark at three different meets, including a pair of throws over the 75-meter mark at the Sycamore Open (76.76m/251-10, 75.09m/246-4). Reese qualified for the US Olympic Team for the first time in her career in 2024, where she finished 14th in the hammer throw in Paris.

Malone and Reese’s accomplishments add to a decorated summer for former and current Sycamore athletes, as four Sycamore freshmen have competed in international competition over the course of the last three weeks. Aaron Massiah claimed a pair of medals in the triple jump (gold) and long jump (silver) at the Barbados National Championships, Kieran Barnewall claimed the Canada U20 title in the 110m hurdles to secure a spot at the World Athletics U20 Championships in August, and throwers Ben Brown (shot put) and Theo Thurmond (discus) both carded top-10 finishes at the USATF U20 Championships.

Up Next

Malone and Reese have both hit the qualifying standards for the USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships, which take place July 23-26 in New York City. The duo will be joined at the US Championships by current Sycamore and two-time All-American Rachel Mehringer, who hit the qualifying mark in the 100m hurdles.

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INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES

UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/

MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/

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/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1898 – Lizzie Arlington, née Stroud, becomes the first woman to play in organized baseball as she pitches for Reading in the Eastern League. Some claim she also pitched in Atlantic League exhibition games after being hired by Ed Barrow, the league’s president.

1900 – At Cincinnati, Jerry Nops of the Superbas pitches a one-hitter, beating the Reds, 2 – 0. Tomorrow, his teammate Frank Kitson will also pitch a one-hitter, winning 10 – 0, the first instance of back-to-back one-hitters in the 20th century. The last time it happened before that was June 17-18, 1884.

1902 – At St. Louis, the Cards win their third straight from the Giants, beating New York, 1 – 0. The lone Cardinal run comes in on a wild pitch by Christy Mathewson.

1904 – At Philadelphia’s Huntington Park, the Giants’ 18-game winning streak ends when the Phillies prevail, 6 – 5 in ten innings. Rookie Bob Hall’s bloop single off reliever Luther Taylor scores Red Dooin. The Giants’ record is now 53-18, effectively ending the National League race. By September 1st, they will lead the Cubs by 15 games.

1906:

In Boston, the Americans make nine errors to help the Highlanders win, 8 – 3.

At the Polo Grounds, Boston’s Big Jeff Pfeffer and Christy Mathewson match zeros for eight innings before the Giants finally score in the 9th on a single by Sammy Strang. Matty allows six hits in the 1 – 0 win.

Jack Coombs, the A’s rookie righthander from Colby College, makes his major league debut, blanking Washington, 3 – 0.

1909 – The Giants sweep the Phillies, winning 3 – 0 and 3 – 2 in 15 innings. The nitecap is the longest game in the National League this year. Bugs Raymond wins the marathon, relieving Christy Mathewson with the score 2 – 2 in the 9th.

1911 – The Phils pound Christy Mathewson for the second time in three days, beating the Giants’ ace, 6 – 4. Dode Paskert is 4 for 4 to lead the Quakers’ 14-hit attack.

1912 – Christy Mathewson, hammered yesterday, is in control today, whipping Brooklyn, 5 – 1. Cy Barger takes the loss.

1913 – With manager John McGraw in the grandstand, the Giants win their 11th straight, beating Brooklyn, 3 – 2. Christy Mathewson is the winner over Pat Ragan, scattering 12 hits but walking none. His walkless streak is at 47 innings.

1914 – Big Ed Walsh makes his first start since straining his right arm in spring training in 1913. He lasts seven innings in a White Sox win over Cleveland, 6 – 3.

1915:

At the Polo Grounds, Phils ace Grover Cleveland Alexander fires a one-hitter to win, 2 – 0. The only baserunner for the Giants is Fred Merkle, who doubles off Pete in the 2nd inning.

The Senators are shut out twice today against the Red Sox. Rube Foster wins the opener, 5 – 0, then Babe Ruth follows with a 6 – 0 win. Ruth scores two runs and hits his first triple. The Sox will sweep two more doubleheaders in the next two days with the Nationals to edge ahead of the White Sox for first place.

The Reds sweep two from the Cubs, winning 8 – 5 and 12 – 7. Red Ames wins the nitecap with the help of Heinie Groh, who hits for the cycle off Jimmy Lavender. Pete Schneider tops Zip Zabel in the opener.

1917 – In the first of two games in New York, Home Run Baker hits a 13th-inning inside-the-park homer off Walter Johnson to give the Yankees a 5 – 4 win. It is Baker’s fifth home run off Walter.

1921 – The Red Sox establish an American League record losing four consecutive doubleheaders with no other contests between the eight losses. The dubious streak began on June 29th.

1922:

The first game ever played in Hungary takes place in Budapest.

The Cards’ Rogers Hornsby hits his 20th home run, tying Ken Williams of the American League for the major league home run leadership; the Cards whip the Reds, 12 – 4.

1929:

At the Polo Grounds, the New York Giants become the first team to use a public address system.

Cards 1B Jim Bottomley hits the first of seven home runs he will knock in a five-game stretch.

1930:

The Phillies lose a doubleheader to the Braves to drop into the cellar for the rest of the season, despite a team batting average of .315. Two disclaimers should be noted – 1930 is the peak season for offense in the 20th Century, and the Phillies play in the high-octane Baker Bowl.

Marking the first time two Negro League teams play at Yankee Stadium, 20,000 watch the New York Lincoln Giants and the Baltimore Black Sox split a pair. Baltimore’s Rap Dixon has three home runs and the Giants’ Chino Smith has two homers and a triple.

Frankie Frisch, Cardinals 2B, ties the league record with 16 chances in a game in which St. Louis defeats Cincinnati, 6 – 4.

1934 – Lou Gehrig hits an inside-the-park grand slam, as the Yankees beat the Senators, 8 – 3. It is his fourth slam of the season and 17th overall, passing Babe Ruth’s career total. Gehrig will eventually set a career record of 23 grand slams. Gehrig now has 321 career home runs to Ruth’s 698.

1935 – Tony Cuccinello, with Brooklyn, and brother Al, with New York, both homer in a game at the Polo Grounds. The next time brothers homer in a game against each other will be on June 30, 1950, when Joe and Dom DiMaggio do it. Tony’s Dodgers beat Al’s Giants, 14 – 4.

1936 – In the first of two games with the A’s, Boston explodes for 11 runs in the 2nd inning to ease home, 16 – 2. The Sox ease up on the nitecap to win, 8 – 2. The Mackmen have now lost 12 straight.

1937:

In the first game of a doubleheader, Frank Demaree goes 6 for 7 (three doubles and three singles), helping the Cubs edge the Cardinals, 13 – 12, in 14 innings. The Californian adds two more singles in the second game – a 9 – 7 Chicago victory.

Hal Trosky hits three home runs helping the Indians beat the Browns, 14 – 4.

1939 – Yankees rookie P Atley Donald wins his tenth game without a loss.

1940 – The Brooklyn Dodgers beat Boston, 6 – 2, in 20 innings lasting 5 hours and 19 minutes. The two teams’ epic marathon ties record-setters of 1920 and 1939.

1942 – Peanuts “Nyassas” Davis pitches and bats the Cincinnati Clowns to a 7 – 4 victory over the Baltimore Grays in the new Negro Major Baseball League. Davis’s receiver, Pepper Bassett, catches the last inning in a rocking chair.

1947 – Striking out as a pinch hitter in an Indians 6 – 5 loss to the White Sox, 22-year-old Larry Doby becomes the first African-American to appear in the American League. The former Newark Eagles standout will play in the major leagues for 13 years, amassing 1,515 hits, just three less than Jackie Robinson. Tomorrow, he will go 1 for 5 in his first full game at 1B.

1948:

Ralph Kiner hits three home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the visiting Reds, while teammate Stan Rojek hits the first of his two major league homers, connecting off rookie Herm Wehmeier. Kiner teams up with Johnny Hopp and Wally Westlake in the outfield for a record 19 putouts in the 10 – 3 first game win. The Reds score three in the 9th to take the nitecap, 6 – 4.

The Cards’ Gerry Staley picks up a pair of wins in relief over the Cubs, winning 6 – 3 and 5 – 2 over Ralph Hamner and Johnny Schmitz. Staley pitches two innings in the opener and 2 2/3 innings in the nitecap. It is the second time in three weeks that the Cubs have lost a doubleheader to a single reliever.

Despite a hitless day by Ted Williams, the Red Sox sweep the Yankees, winning 6 – 5 and 8 – 7. Denny Galehouse wins the opener, then saves the win in the second game. But his 9th inning sacrifice bunt results in his tripping over 1B and he will be out of action for three weeks.

1950 – In a sloppy game that features 18 walks, Cliff Mapes drives in five runs with a homer and single to pace the Yankees to a 12 – 8 win over the Athletics. Tommy Byrne (9-3) is the winner despite giving up six hits and six walks in five innings (he walks two in the 6th). He also hits four batters to tie the major league record. Alex Kellner pitches four innings, giving up six runs in the loss. The A’s lose Eddie Joost who tears ligaments in his left knee in a collision with Mapes at second base in the 7th.

1951:

At Ebbets Field, Gil Hodges hits his 27th homer of the year to lead the Dodgers to a 8 – 4 win over the Giants. Andy Pafko also homers, off Larry Jansen. Don Newcombe notches his 12th win, giving up seven hits. After sweeping the Giants in the three-game series, Dodger manager Chuck Dressen declares, “We knocked ’em out. They won’t bother us anymore.” The Dodgers now lead the Giants by 7 1/2 games but will be surpassed by season’s end.

Rich “Goose” Gossage is born in Colorado Springs, CO. Making his debut with the Chicago White Sox in 1972, the flame-throwing reliever will save 310 games over his career, make the All-Star team nine times and win a World Series title with the New York Yankees in 1978. He will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 2008.

1952 – The Tigers fire their manager, Red Rolfe, replacing him with the popular pitcher Freddie Hutchinson.

1953 – Blanking the Pirates at Forbes Field, 2 – 0, Robin Roberts hurls his 28th consecutive complete game. The Phillies right-hander has finished every game he started since beating the Cardinals on August 28, 1952.

1954:

RF Stan Musial outpolls all other National League players in the All-Star balloting.

Indians reserve 1B Billy Glynn hits three home runs in a row and drives in eight runs in a 13 – 6 win over Detroit.

1961:

Cardinals first baseman Bill White hits three home runs and a double in a 9 – 1 rout over the Dodgers.

At Yankee Stadium, Roger Maris cracks a 7th-inning solo home run against the Indians, and also is credited – erroneously, as it turns out – with a 3rd-inning RBI on a single. The two RBIs are officially recorded, though just one appears in the game’s box score, and the error will not be noted until 1995. With the correction, Maris and Jim Gentile will be recognized as co-leaders in RBIs for the season.

1963 – With two outs and two strikes, Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente lines a tie-breaking two-run homer into the right field upper deck at the Polo Grounds, putting Pittsburgh ahead to stay, 3 – 1, against the New York Mets. While the shot is not a tape-measure one, it is remarkable that the pitch almost hit Clemente in the head. Maury Allen reports it thus: “‘I was trying to waste a pitch’, Tracy Stallard said. ‘I figured if maybe I could get him to swing again at a pitch around his head.’ So Stallard threw a real pitch to Clemente, the kind any human being hitter would duck away from and scream for the umpire. Naturally, Clemente hit it upstairs.”

1964 – Dennis Bennett beats Juan Marichal, 2 – 1, to give the Phillies a three-game sweep of the Giants at Candlestick Park. The Phils hold a 1 1/2 game lead at the All-Star break.

1965:

Minnesota takes an American League lead it will not give up, as Dave Boswell and Jim Perry pitch the Twins to a 6 – 2 and 2 – 0 sweep of the Red Sox. The Sox will win just one of 18 games with the Twins this year.

Jim Maloney pitches the Reds to a 7 – 5 win against the Dodgers, as Cincinnati takes the National League lead.

At Shea Stadium, Ron Swoboda breaks the franchise record for home runs hit by a rookie when he goes deep off Dick Ellsworth in the 7th inning with a three-run homer, a poke that will provide all of the runs the Mets will score in their 3 – 2 victory over Chicago in the first game of a doubleheader. Jim Hickman had established the mark with 13 round-trippers in 1962, the club’s inaugural season. The Mets also win the nightcap, 3 – 0, the shutout being Tom Parsons’ first win this season, for a rare sweep by the last-place team.

1966 – The Cubs give up on Ernie Broglio releasing him outright to Tacoma (Pacific Coast League).

1967 – Red Sox P Jose Santiago loses to California, 4 – 3, and will not lose again this year. He will win his next eight straight.

1969:

AL East leader Baltimore breaks a three-game losing streak as Dave McNally (12-0) wins his 14th straight game, 9 – 3 at Detroit. Detroit OF Mickey Stanley plays his 220th straight errorless game and C Bill Freehan picks Paul Blair off third base unassisted. Blair, on third with a triple, strolls too slowly back to the bag after the bat flies out of the hands of Frank Robinson.

Minnesota regains the American League West lead behind the pitching of Jim Perry and a 13 – 1 rout of Oakland at Metropolitan Stadium.

1970:

Reds rookie Wayne Simpson (13-1) win his tenth straight, beating the visiting Astros, 3 – 1.

At Fenway Park, Boston’s John Kennedy makes his first at bat for the BoSox a memorable one when he pinch hits an inside-the-park homer. Kennedy bats for P Mike Nagy in the 5th inning of the 8 – 4 Boston win over the Indians.

1971 – The Yankees and Red Sox each collect 16 hits, but for the second day in a row the Red Sox hit four homers to win, 12 – 7. The Sox score six in the 6th when Rico Petrocelli hits a bases-loaded triple and George Scott and Joe Lahoud follow with homers.

1972 – Nolan Ryan (10-5) strikes out eight in topping the Brewers, 2 – 1. Winston Llenas, batting for Ryan in the 9th, singles off starter Earl Stephenson for the winning run.

1973 – Dave Concepcion collects a triple, double and three singles to lead the Reds to a 4 – 3 win over the Giants. His third single drives in the winning run in the 9th.

1979 – University of Hawaii lefty Derek Tatsuno, selected in the 2nd round of the June draft by the Padres, signs with a subsidiary of the Seibu Lions for $750,000. Tatsuno, of Japanese-American descent, set an NCAA record of 20 wins (in 22 starts). He will finally sign with the Milwaukee Brewers, who select him in January of 1982 but he will be ineffective in the minors.

1980 – Reds pitcher Bruce Berenyi makes his major league debut and the Astros welcome him with a six-run 1st inning. Mario Soto relieves and pitches 8 2/3 inning of shutout ball, allowing just three hits. The Reds rally to win, 8 – 6.

1982 – Pittsburgh’s first two hitters, Omar Moreno and Johnny Ray, hit homers off Houston’s Joe Niekro. Niekro settles down and wins, 6 – 4.

1984 – Down 4 – 1 with two outs in the 9th, the visiting Tigers score six runs to beat the Rangers, 7 – 4. Lou Whitaker’s bases-loaded single scores two, Alan Trammell’s single scores another, and Kirk Gibson seals it with a three-run shot down the right field line. Charlie Hough is the loser, while reliever Aurelio Lopez’s record goes up to 7-0.

1985 – At Wrigley Field, the first three hitters in the Cubs’ announced batting order are Billy Hatcher, Davey Lopes and Ryne Sandberg. After Hatcher walks, Lopes takes a strike before someone in the Cubs’ dugout sees that the lineup card submitted to the umpire has Sandberg listed second and Lopes third. Sandberg then finishes the at-bat (during which Hatcher is picked off) and singles. Lopes, hitting in his proper turn, doubles Sandberg home. All for naught as the Giants beat them, 12 – 6.

1987:

The knuck is not knuckling and Chicago hands Cleveland’s Phil Niekro a 17 – 0 pasting. Scott Nielsen is the winner.

A’s first baseman Mark McGwire becomes the first rookie to hit 30 homers before the All-Star Game as Oakland defeats the Red Sox, 6 – 2.

In a seven-player swap, the Padres trade pitchers Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts and OF Kevin Mitchell to the Giants for 3B Chris Brown and pitchers Keith Comstock, Mark Davis and Mark Grant. The trade will help the Giants win a division title this year and in 1989, Mitchell will win the MVP Award for the Giants, and Davis will win the Cy Young Award for the Padres.

1989:

Barry Bonds homers in Pittsburgh’s 6 – 4 loss to the Giants, giving Barry and father Bobby Bonds the major league father-and-son home run record with 408. The Bells (Gus Bell and Buddy Bell) and the Berras (Yogi Berra and Dale Berra) had shared the record of 407.

Mark McGwire hits his 100th career home run off Royals hurler Charlie Leibrandt.

1991 – In a unanimous vote, final approval is given by baseball owners for the Rockies and the Marlins to join the National League in 1993.

1992 – Umpire Bill Hohn ejects an Atlanta Braves fan from the Braves-Cubs game for making obscene gestures. The gestures might have been meant for the Braves, who are shut out, 8 – 0. Greg Maddux goes seven innings for the win over John Smoltz, giving up three runs. The other five come off Juan Berenguer, who lasts a third of an inning. Chicago gets homers from Kal Daniels, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace.

1993 – Oakland OF Rickey Henderson leads off both games of the A’s doubleheader against the Indians with home runs. It is the first time this has happened since 1913, when Harry Hooper performed the feat for the Boston Red Sox. The Athletics win the first game, 6 – 5, but the Indians come back to take the nightcap, 6 – 2.

1994:

California C Chris Turner leads the Angels to a 10 – 3 win over Boston. Entering the game batting only .138, Turner strokes five hits, including a pair of doubles, and gets two RBIs. He also becomes the first Angel C ever to steal home with a 2nd-inning theft.

Toronto 3B Darnell Coles leads the Blue Jays to a 14 – 3 win over Minnesota by stroking three homers and driving home four runs.

1995 – Mariners 1B Tino Martinez strokes five hits, but Seattle still loses to Detroit by a score of 8 – 6. Martinez’s hits include a double and a pair of home runs, as he notches five ribbies.

1996:

After the California Angels score three runs in the top of the 1st inning, the Oakland Athletics respond with 13 of their own in the bottom half to mark the highest-scoring 1st inning by two teams in major league history. The 13 runs is one short of the record. DH Matt Stairs ties a major league mark with six RBIs in the frame. The Athletics go on to post a 16 – 8 victory.

Behind Wilson Alvarez, the White Sox hand the Indians their first shutout of the year, beating them, 7 – 0. The Sox now trail the Tribe by just two games.

1997 – The Expos retire Andre Dawson’s uniform number 10, already retired by the team in honor of Rusty Staub, prior to the game with Atlanta. Once the festivities are over, the Braves defeat Montreal, 5 – 3, with Chipper Jones’ 3rd-inning grand slam the big blow.

1998:

The White Sox plate 14 runs – including eight in the 6th inning – on 12 hits against Red Sox pitching, but it’s not enough for a win. Boston strokes 20 hits and pushes 15 runners across for a 15 – 14 victory.

In a game that is halted for 3 1/2 hours by rain and takes 6 hours, 9 minutes to complete, the Rangers beat the Mariners, 9 – 2.

Toronto defeats Tampa Bay, 2 – 1, with the help of 7 1/3 strong innings by Roger Clemens. In the game, Clemens fans Devil Ray LF Randy Winn for his 3,000th career strikeout. Only ten other pitchers have reached that mark in major league annals.

Hot-hitting Manny Ramirez hits two more homers, one a grand slam, in the Indians’ 12 – 3 win over Kansas City. Manny had two homers on July 3rd.

Defeating the Orioles, 1 – 0, the Yankees improve their record to 61-20, equaling the best 81-game start in major league history. The mark matches the record of the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1907 Chicago Cubs.

Juan Gonzalez becomes the second player in major league history to go over the 100 RBI mark before the All-Star Game. His major league-leading total 101 RBIs is second only to Tiger slugger Hank Greenberg who had 103 in 1935 and finished the season with 170.

1999 – The Cardinals defeat the Diamondbacks, 1 – 0, as Jose Jimenez hurls a two-hitter to defeat Randy Johnson. Jimenez no-hit the Diamondbacks in his last appearance against them. Johnson loses his third game in a row, during which Arizona has not scored a run and only made three hits. He strikes out 12 Cardinals to tie Dwight Gooden’s National League mark of 43 strikeouts over three starts. He also reaches 200 strikeouts for the year and ends St. Louis rookie Joe McEwing’s 25-game hitting streak, the fifth longest ever for a rookie.

2000 – The Diamondbacks trip the Astros, 12 – 9. Arizona OF Luis Gonzalez becomes the first Diamondback to hit for the cycle. It is the first time the feat is accomplished in new Enron Field. Gonzalez is just the ninth player to both hit for the cycle and have a 30+ game hitting streak during his career.

2001:

Atlanta’s Greg Maddux notches the 250th win of his career with a 9 – 5 decision over Philadelphia.

The Rangers score nine runs in the 4th inning and go on to defeat the Mariners, 14 – 2.

The Expos beat the Marlins, 9 – 6. Montreal 3B Geoff Blum homers from both sides of the plate in the contest.

Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon is fined $1,000 for walking off the field with the first base bag in the June 26th game against the Brewers. It’s the first time a manager has been fined for “stealing” a base.

2002:

Baseball legend Ted Williams, considered by many the greatest hitter in the history of the game, dies of cardiac arrest at the age of 83. The first-ballot Hall of Famer, who was a lifetime .344 hitter, won the Most Valuable Player Award and the Triple Crown twice, led the American League in batting six times, and hit .406 in 1941 during his 19-year career with the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees obtain P Jeff Weaver from the Tigers in a three-team deal. New York sends P Ted Lilly to the Oakland A’s while the Athletics send 1B Carlos Pena to Detroit. The Tigers also acquire P Franklyn German and a player to be named later from Oakland, while the A’s get OF John-Ford Griffin and P Jason Arnold from New York.

The Twins score eight runs in the 7th inning to down the Mariners, 8 – 4.

The Cubs fire manager Don Baylor and hire Bruce Kimm in his place.

2004:

At Dodger Stadium, Diamondbacks third baseman Chad Tracy’s 9th-inning run-scoring single on an 0-2 change-up ends Eric Gagné’s record streak of 84 consecutive saves. The new mark established by the Los Angeles closer is 30 more than the prior record set by Tom Gordon in 1999.

In an effort to honor local military personnel, the Twins give away a G.I. Joe action figure to the first 5,000 children attending a game against the Royals. The team, in an effort to appease protesting peace groups, who see the promotion as glorifying war, asks Hasbro, the toy’s maker, to remove the customary gun from G.I. Joe’s side, but the hand grenades remain visible.

2005 – Passing Eddie Murray, Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez hits his 20th career grand slam, now the second-most in major league history. The Dominican Republic native trails only Yankee legend Lou Gehrig, who holds the major league record with 23.

2009

Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals is the top vote-getter as the squads for the 80th All-Star Game, to be held July 14th in St. Louis, are announced. Among American League players is knuckleballer Tim Wakefield of Boston, who will be making his first All-Star appearance at age 42.

Vladimir Guerrero plays his first game of the year in the outfield and belts his second homer in two days as the Angels defeat the Orioles, 9 – 6. Vlad has been in a power drought to start the year, but now has four homers. Los Angeles stays tied atop the AL West as its main rival, Texas, completes a sweep of Tampa Bay with a 5 – 2 win at home. The Rangers now expect their own injured slugger, Josh Hamilton, to return to the line-up tomorrow. Starting 1B Chris Davis, who is hitting for power but has already piled up 114 strikeouts, is sent down AAA to make room for Hamilton.

2010:

The outgoing Texas Rangers ownership group decides to put the team up for auction, as it appears that they will be unable to satisfy creditors under the current plan to sell the team to a group headed by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan. The lenders, who stand to receive $75 million under the plan, have expressed their preference for a competitive bidding process as part of bankruptcy procedures for current owner Tom Hicks’s sports properties company, in the hope of receiving a larger settlement. The auction could take place as early as next week.

Joey Votto, in competition for the last spot on the National League All-Star team, hits two solo home runs in the Reds’ 8 – 6 win over the Mets. The game features the ejection of Mets manager Jerry Manuel, who complains over a ruling that Scott Rolen is hit by a Mike Pelfrey pitch with the bases loaded in the 5th, scoring the go-ahead run. Manuel argues that the ball tipped Rolen’s bat, but is tossed when he tries to press his case. Drew Stubbs and Corky Miller follow with two-run hits each, then pitcher Travis Wood hits a triple to make it 7 – 1. The Mets counter with five runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, but never manage to catch up.

2011:

It took a while, but Jason Bay is finally giving the Mets the production they have been waiting for since they signed him to a large contract before the 2010 season. Today, he hits two homers and drives in four runs as New York shuts out the Dodgers, 6 – 0, giving him a .347 average and 17 RBI in his last 18 games. Mike Pelfrey is the winner over Ted Lilly, with the help of three relievers.

Justin Verlander may be headed to the All-Star Game, but it is Dan Haren who pitches a two-hitter, outduelling the Tigers’ ace in a 1 – 0 Angels victory. Verlander and manager Jim Leyland are both ejected by umpire Joe West after Verlander exits the game in the 8th inning.

2013 – Juan Uribe doubles, triples and homers to drive in seven runs in leading the Dodgers to a 10 – 2 win over the Giants. The Dodgers have won 11 of their last 13, but lose OF Matt Kemp who re-injures his left shoulder in the 2nd inning. The Giants are heading the opposite direction however, with their tenth loss in 11 games.

2015 – Starters for the 2015 All-Star Game, which will be played in Cincinnati, OH, are announced. Early fears of a complete sweep of American League starting berths as a result of ballot stuffing by Royals fans are allayed, but they still manage to get four players elected. The leading vote-getter is Toronto 3B Josh Donaldson, who gathers over 14 million votes, thanks to a late patriotic surge coming from north of the border. In the National League, Nationals OF Bryce Harper leads all players with 13,8 million votes, almost double the highest total ever recorded by a member of the senior circuit.

2016 – The rosters for the 2016 All-Star Game are announced. The Cubs provide the entire starting infield for the National League and have seven players selected, while the Boston Red Sox have six, including four starters. Royals catcher Salvador Perez is the leading vote-getter.

2018 – Trailing 9 – 0 to the Marlins in the 4th, the Nationals stage a great comeback, eventually winning, 14 – 12, to get back to .500. Trea Turner hits a pair of homers, including his first career grand slam, and drives in eight runs while Matt Adams adds four hits in his first game since coming off the disabled list.

2019 – In defeating the Rangers, 15 – 6, the Twins set a record with 165 homers before the All-Star Game, hitting four in the game, to surpass the previous mark of 161 set only a year ago by the Yankees. In fact, the Twins are only one short of the total number of long balls they hit the entire 2018 season. They also tie club records with nine doubles and 13 extra-base hits in the game, and six extra-base hits in one inning, the 2nd.

2022 – The 2022 Bolivarian Games come to an end. The Dominican national team had already locked up Gold, having finished play yesterday with a 5-1 record. Today, Venezuela beats Colombia; the teams tie for second but Colombia wins the tie-breaker (run differential) for the Silver Medal while Venezuela matches its worst finish in a Bolivarian Games baseball tournament (they also had Bronze in 2017 as their decades-long run of dominance has slipped).

2024:

Will Smith has a three-homer game, the first of his career, to lead the Dodgers to an 8 – 5 win over the Brewers. He is just the fourth catcher in team history with such a game.

The Padres appear to be cruising to an easy victory over the Diamondbacks, with a 7 – 2 lead entering the 9th, but that inning proves to be absolutely wild. Reliever Enyel De Los Santos loads the bases, forcing manager Mike Shildt to bring in his closer, Robert Suarez, for the third straight game. He gives up a grand slam to Alek Thomas, then follows that with a two-run homer by Randal Grichuk that gives Arizona the lead, 8 – 7. However, the D-Backs’ own closer, Paul Sewald also gets battered, as Jurickson Profar leads off the bottom of the inning with a game-tying homer. Sewald then walks Jake Cronenworth before coughing up another gopher ball, this one to Manny Machado, who sends fans home happy with the eighth walk-off homer of his career for a 10 – 8 win.

Births[edit]

1857 – Jack Farrell, infielder, manager (d. 1914)

1863 – Charlie Krehmeyer, outfielder (d. 1926)

1865 – Pat Wright, infielder (d. 1943)

1866 – Lee Viau, pitcher (d. 1947)

1875 – Frank Freund, catcher (d. 1933)

1876 – Robert Brown, minor league executive (d. 1962)

1876 – Charles Stoneham, owner (d. 1936)

1877 – Harvey Cushman, pitcher (d. 1920)

1881 – Harry Aubrey, infielder (d. 1953)

1883 – Josh Swindell, pitcher (d. 1969)

1884 – Jimmy Dygert, pitcher (d. 1936)

1884 – Ward Miller, outfielder (d. 1958)

1886 – Beals Becker, outfielder (d. 1943)

1890 – Joe Cambria, scout (d. 1962)

1893 – Buck Freeman, pitcher (d. 1953)

1894 – Hod Eller, pitcher (d. 1961)

1896 – Hank Thormahlen, pitcher (d. 1955)

1897 – Tom Miller, pinch hitter (d. 1980)

1902 – Frank Naleway, infielder (d. 1949)

1904 – Bump Hadley, pitcher (d. 1963)

1909 – Willie Duke, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 1993)

1916 – Bill Shewey, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 2014)

1917 – Tommy Warren, pitcher (d. 1968)

1917 – Carp Wood, college coach (d. 2005)

1919 – Frank Fleming, pitcher (d. 1989)

1919 – Don Wollett, arbitrator (d. 2014)

1920 – Ramón Fernández, minor league pitcher-outfielder (d. 1979)

1921 – Al Kozar, infielder (d. 2007)

1921 – Guillermo Vento, minor league catcher (d. 2006)

1922 – Oscar Givens, infielder (d. 1967)

1926 – Roy Hawes, infielder (d. 2017)

1926 – Mario Picone, pitcher (d. 2013)

1927 – Eugene Gartland, minor league pitcher (d. 2009)

1928 – Jim Baxes, infielder (d. 1996)

1928 – Ed Moeller, minor league pitcher (d. 2017)

1929 – Joe McDonald, general manager

1931 – Arnie Portocarrero, pitcher (d. 1986)

1932 – Ryo Akamatsu, NPB pitcher

1932 – Chitomi Takahashi, NPB pitcher (d. 2022)

1934 – Gordy Coleman, infielder (d. 1994)

1935 – Mitsugu Masuda, NPB catcher

1936 – Jack Krol, manager (d. 1994)

1937 – Soo-chan Bae, KBO coach (d. 1986)

1938 – Yukio Tsuta, NPB pitcher (d. 2007)

1942 – Tsunemi Koizumi, NPB outfielder (d. 1990)

1943 – Curt Blefary, outfielder (d. 2001)

1944 – Joe Russo, college coach (d. 2019)

1944 – Masaharu Sato, NPB outfielder

1947 – Luis Mercado, Puerto Rican national team outfielder

1948 – Dave Lemonds, pitcher

1949 – Kozo Kawato, NPB outfielder

1949 – Satoshi Nagano, NPB pitcher

1950 – Gary Matthews, outfielder; All-Star

1950 – Virgilio Veras, Dominican national team catcher (d. 2024)

1951 – Rich Gossage, pitcher; All-Star

1952 – Don Demola, pitcher

1955 – Robbie Henderson, minor league infielder-pitcher

1955 – Jeong-hwan Seo, KBO infielder and manager

1956 – Rick Lancellotti, infielder

1956 – Paul Elliott, minor league manager

1962 – Jeff Innis, pitcher (d. 2022)

1963 – Kenji Harada, NPB pitcher

1963 – Tomoki Yoshioka, NPB pitcher

1965 – Yuji Yamaguchi, NPB outfielder

1966 – Dave Eiland, pitcher

1966 – Koichi Emoto, NPB pitcher

1967 – Tim Worrell, pitcher

1967 – Tatsuhiro Yuminaga, NPB pitcher

1969 – Stanton Cameron, minor league outfielder

1969 – Darrel Deak, minor league infielder

1970 – Doug Bochtler, pitcher

1970 – Kevin Pincavitch, minor league pitcher

1971 – Gardner O’Flynn, minor league pitcher

1971 – Dong-il Son, KBO outfielder

1972 – Shigeki Abe, NPB pinch-hitter

1972 – Won-hyung Kim, KBO pitcher

1972 – Bo Porter, outfielder; manager

1975 – Alberto Castillo, pitcher

1976 – Shawn Sonnier, NPB pitcher

1976 – Jay Spurgeon, pitcher

1977 – Brian Harrell, South African national team pitcher

1978 – Jose Amancio, minor league pitcher

1979 – Ming-Chin Lee, CPBL pitcher

1980 – Ronny Frid, Elitserien player

1981 – Kendy Batista, minor league pitcher

1981 – Jesse Crain, pitcher; All-Star

1981 – Jakub Jonák, Extraliga pitcher

1982 – Yasuhiro Ichiba, NPB pitcher

1983 – Marco Estrada, pitcher; All-Star

1983 – Carlos Guzman, minor league infielder/outfielder

1983 – Kyu-hyun Moon, KBO infielder

1984 – R.J. Rodriguez, minor league pitcher

1986 – Brian McCullough, college coach

1987 – Rachel Balkovec, minor league manager

1987 – Masaya Emura, NPB pitcher

1987 – Johannes Schäffler, Bundesliga outfielder

1988 – Yusuke Uemura, NPB pitcher

1988 – Travis Whitmore, minor league infielder

1989 – Tony Cingrani, pitcher

1989 – Yuki Karakawa, NPB pitcher

1989 – Daniel Renken, minor league pitcher

1990 – Nick Anderson, pitcher

1990 – Hitoshi Kondo, Japanese national team pitcher

1990 – Jordan Smith, minor league outfielder and manager

1991 – Kwok-Wui Lee, Hong Kong national team outfielder

1991 – Felipe Vazquez, pitcher; All-Star

1991 – Josh Sale, minor league outfielder

1992 – Roman Mayfat, Ukrainian national team pitcher

1992 – Peter Tago, minor league pitcher

1993 – Jorge Polanco, infielder; All-Star

1994 – Shohei Otani, pitcher/outfielder; All-Star

1995 – Austin Hays, outfielder; All-Star

1996 – Joel Condreay, minor league pitcher

1996 – Motoki Mukoyama, Japanese national team outfielder

1996 – Renner Rivero, Cuban league pitcher

1996 – Chris Singleton, minor league outfielder

1996 – Najma Zafar, Pakistani women’s national team designated hitter

1998 – Trei Cruz, outfielder

1998 – Kelsie Whitmore, minor league outfielder

1998 – Andy Yerzy, minor league catcher

1999 – Niklas Rimmel, minor league pitcher

1999 – Yu Takeda, NPB pitcher

2000 – Randy Florentino, minor league catcher

2000 – Jake Pérez, minor league infielder

2001 – Omar Martínez, catcher

2002 – Jin-uk Kim, KBO pitcher

2002 – Yu-Hsiang Yang, CPBL pitcher

2003 – Junior Caminero, infielder; All-Star

2003 – Thayron Liranzo, minor league catcher

2003 – Yodsaphan Sae Wa, Thai national team infielder

2005 – Kashon Conliffe, minor league outfielder

2005 – Fengning Lei, Chinese national team infielder

Deaths[edit]

1883 – Charlie Guth, pitcher (b. 1856)

1909 – Frank Selee, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1859)

1919 – Tom McGovern, infielder (b. 1852)

1929 – Ted Sullivan, outfielder, manager (b. 1851)

1930 – Frederick Fass, pitcher (b. 1859)

1940 – George Yeager, catcher (b. 1874)

1944 – Claude Rothgeb, outfielder (b. 1880)

1948 – Ed Smith, pitcher (b. 1863)

1950 – Joe Sargent, infielder (b. 1893)

1953 – Frank McCue, infielder (b. 1898)

1963 – Ben Demott, pitcher (b. 1889)

1964 – Dick Attreau, infielder (b. 1897)

1966 – Pete Fox, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1909)

1969 – Ed Hemingway, infielder (b. 1893)

1974 – Duster Mails, pitcher (b. 1894)

1975 – Joe Kiefer, pitcher (b. 1899)

1979 – Jiro Hayama, NPB pitcher (b. 1941)

1980 – Ben Tincup, pitcher (b. 1890)

1981 – Horace Allen, outfielder (b. 1899)

1988 – Joe Rose, Hawai’ian national team infielder (b. ~1912)

1992 – Red Dugan, college coach (b. 1913)

1993 – Charlie Bishop, pitcher (b. 1924)

1993 – Deedum Krynzel, minor league player {b. 1915)

1994 – Bernie DeViveiros, infielder (b. 1901)

1994 – Ron Law, pitcher (b. 1945)

2000 – Tibor Brown, minor league pitcher (b. 1969)

2000 – Ray Gamache, minor league pitcher (b. 1923)

2002 – Ted Williams, outfielder, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1918)

2006 – Chet Hajduk, pinch hitter (b. 1918)

2008 – Luz Portobanco, minor league pitcher (b. 1979)

2012 – Mike Amrhein, minor league catcher/infielder (b. 1975)

2012 – Dick Greco, minor league outfielder and manager (b. 1925)

2012 – Dave Parham, minor league player (b. 1939)

2013 – Motoji Sasaki, NPB catcher (b. 1931)

2015 – Murray Janoff, writer (b. 1915)

2016 – George Luffey, college coach (b. 1929)

2017 – Tommy Smith, minor league infielder (b. 1942)

=====================================================

TV SPORTS TODAY

Sunday, July 5

AUTO RACING

9 a.m.

FS1 — NTT IndyCar Series: Warmup, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio

10 a.m.

APPLE TV — Formula 1: Pirelli British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, United Kingdom

FS1 — Indy NXT Series: Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio – Race 2, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio

12:30 p.m.

FOX — NTT IndyCar Series: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio

6 p.m.

TNT — NASCAR Cup Series: eero 400, In-Season Challenge – Round 2, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill.

BIG3 BASKETBALL

1 p.m.

CBS — Week 3: LA Riot vs. Boston Ball Hogs, Miami 305 vs. Chicago Triplets, DMV Trilogy vs. Houston Rig Hands, Dallas Power vs. Detroit Amps, Miami

GOLF

7 a.m.

GOLF — DP World Tour: BMW International Open, Final Round, Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich

1 p.m.

GOLF — PGA Tour: John Deere Classic, Final Round, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.

3 p.m.

CBS — PGA Tour: John Deere Classic, Final Round, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.

NBC — PGA Tour Champions: U.S. Senior Open Championship, Final Round, Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Noon

ESPNU — NHSI: TBD, Semifinal, Cary, N.C.

8:30 p.m.

ESPNU — NHSI: TBD, Championship, Cary, N.C.

LACROSSE (MEN’S)

2 p.m.

ESPN — PLL All-Star Game: West vs. East, Anapolis, Md.

LACROSSE (WOMEN’S)

5:30 p.m.

ESPN2 — WLL All-Star Game: West vs. East, Anapolis, Md.

MLB BASEBALL

Noon

NBC — N.Y. Mets at Atlanta (12:30 p.m.)

PEACOCK — N.Y. Mets at Atlanta (12:30 p.m.)

1:30 p.m.

NBCSN — Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees (1:35 p.m.)

PEACOCK — Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees (1:35 p.m.)

5 p.m.

NBCSN — Toronto at Seattle

PEACOCK — Toronto at Seattle

7 p.m.

NBC — San Diego at L.A. Dodgers (7:20 p.m.)

PEACOCK — San Diego at L.A. Dodgers (7:20 p.m.)

9:30 p.m.

NBCSN — Boston at L.A. Angels

PEACOCK — Boston at L.A. Angels

NBA BASKETBALL

9 p.m.

ESPN — Summer League: TBA

SOCCER (MEN’S)

4 p.m.

FOX — FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage: TBD, Round of 16, East Rutherford, N.J.

8 p.m.

FOX — FIFA World Cup Knockout Stage: TBD, Round of 16, Mexico City

SOCCER (WOMEN’S)

Noon

ESPN — NWSL: Bay FC at Boston

SOFTBALL

1 p.m.

ESPN2 — Athletes Unlimited: Cascade at Spark

8 p.m.

MLBN — Athletes Unlimited: Volts at Bandits

TENNIS

6 a.m.

ESPN — ATP/WTA: Wimbledon, Round of 16, London

Noon

ABC — ATP/WTA: Wimbledon, Round of 16, London

TRACK AND FIELD

Noon

NBCSN — USATF: Prefontaine Classic (Diamond League), Eugene, Ore.

WNBA BASKETBALL

7 p.m.

ESPN — Indiana at Las Vegas

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