Contributor: Baseball is mostly mistakes. How else can we learn grace?

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates his no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies after a baseball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Kershaw struck out a career-high 15 batters. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates his no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies on June 18, 2014. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)

If only! On June 18, 2014, the airwaves and the internet lit up in collective awe at one of the greatest athletic feats in modern history. Clayton Kershaw recorded 15 strikeouts in a 107-pitch no-hitter that many consider the best single-game pitching performance of all time. The asterisk of this epic Dodgers game was the one error in the seventh inning that prevented its official recognition as a “perfect game”: When the Rockies’ Corey Dickerson tapped the ball toward the mound, Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez botched a throw to first base, and Dickerson made it to second.

If only Ramirez had made the play at first! If only coach Don Mattingly hadn’t substituted the ailing Ramirez one inning prior! Los Angeles was one bruised right finger away from celebrating perfection.

Baseball has a celebrated history of quantifying value. No professional sport embraces numbers and statistics in the way baseball does. Statisticians are as much a part of the game as the dirt, chalk and grass. Although baseball has been collecting data since the late 1800s, the empiric statistical analysis that is part of our game today dates back to 1977 with the introduction of sabermetrics.

It’s critical to the game: How else are we to determine success when the majority of what we see is failure? The best hitters in baseball are those who only fail less than 70% of the time; in other words, have a batting average over .300. These perennial all-stars will experience the dissatisfaction and humility of an out in 7 out of every 10 plate appearances. In what other profession can you fail 70% of the time and be considered one of the greats? Consider the mental strength required to accept failure as part of the game and the focus to view each at-bat as an opportunity to fail a little bit less.

We need a similar kind of thinking in life to quantify value in our failure rates.

A “perfect game” is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a team pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. It’s so rare because failure — by pitchers as well as batters — is expected as a matter of course. Francis Thomas Vincent Jr., the eighth commissioner of MLB, is quoted as saying: “Baseball teaches us, or has taught most of us, how to deal with failure. We learn at a very young age that failure is the norm in baseball and, precisely because we have failed, we hold in high regard those who fail less often — those who hit safely in one out of three chances and become star players. I also find it fascinating that baseball, alone in sport, considers errors to be part of the game, part of its rigorous truth.”

On June 19, 2014, the fans and commentators of baseball praised in dramatic fashion Kershaw’s dominant no-hitter, but with a subtle tone of confusion and denial of the ugly blemish recorded across the team’s box score: 0-0-1. Zero runs. Zero hits. One error. One base runner. An imperfect game. If only!

The collective hope for perfection is understandable. Most people are afraid to fail.

Parades aren’t held for the runner-up. Grades aren’t given just for trying. Job promotions aren’t offered for making mistakes. Placing perfection on a pedestal relieves the collective anxiety — but prohibits the opportunity — of accepting failure as an integral part of life. For an individual, failure is an opportunity to grow and become a better person. For a business, failure is an opportunity to pivot and redefine success. The opposite of perfection is not failure. It is accepting the opportunity to learn from transgressions. Winston Churchill once quipped, “The maxim, ‘Nothing prevails but perfection,’ may be spelled P-A-R-A-L-Y-S-I-S.”

Almost to the day, 75 years before Kershaw’s no-hitter, the world of sports witnessed the catastrophic reality of paralysis. In June 1939, after a week of extensive testing at the Mayo Clinic, Lou Gehrig announced to the world that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This announcement happened to fall on his 36th birthday. This represented the end of Gehrig’s illustrious baseball career. But 75 years later, what is remembered about this man is not his career batting average of .340, seven-time All-Star appearances, six-time World Series championships, winning of the Triple Crown or two-time league MVP. Sabermetrics could not possibly explain Gehrig’s value to the sport. What endures is what no statistic can capture: his grace. His humility. His courage in the face of loss. What is remembered and honored is his response to the ultimate “failure”: a failure of upper and lower motor neurons to make necessary connections that ultimately leads to rapidly progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. In defiance to an illness that is uniformly fatal, Gehrig paid homage to his teammates, professional members of the MLB and its fans by proclaiming himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Similarly, sabermetrics misses the true greatness of Kershaw’s no-hitter. What could never be displayed in statistics or numbers was Kershaw’s response to the error. After Ramirez’s throwing error, his hat lay at the base of Kershaw’s pitching mound. As I watched from the stands, I could not hear what Kershaw said to Ramirez as he picked it up, dusted off and handed the hat back to his humiliated teammate. But his body language appeared unbelievably humble, accepting and supportive, as if to recognize the lesson of baseball, which is that errors are a celebrated part of the game. To dwell on errors and think “if only” leads to disappointment and blame, but to accept and embrace imperfections with a positive and optimistic attitude defines the ultimate success.

If only we could all be that perfect.

Josh Diamond is a physician in private practice in Los Angeles and a lifelong Dodgers fan. Some of his earliest memories are of attending games with his father; he now shares his love of the Dodgers with his son.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Report: Suns to trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, picks

Report: Suns to trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, picks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Kevin Durant is on the move. Again.

The Phoenix Suns are trading the superstar forward to the Rockets in a blockbuster deal that sends Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks to Houston, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday, citing sources.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks pointed out on X, that because of the NBA’s “poison pill provision,” the trade cannot be made official until July 6 after the Rockets signed Green to a three-year, $106 million rookie extension in October.

Durant, who was in attendance at Fanatics Fest on Sunday, reacted to the trade live on stage.

The Rockets will be Durant’s sixth NBA team, and the 36-year-old will join a Houston core built around Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün, Fred VanVleet, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and Steven Adams, who finished the 2024-25 NBA season as the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed before losing to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

Durant won two championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 before leaving Golden State to join the Brooklyn Nets in June 2019, where he missed the entire 2019-20 NBA season after suffering a ruptured right Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals with the Warriors.

The former NBA MVP then was traded from Brooklyn to Phoenix in Feb. 2023, and in two-plus seasons with the Suns, did not advance past the Western Conference semifinal round in 2023 and 2024 respectively before missing the playoffs altogether in 2025.

In 62 games with Phoenix last season, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 52.7-percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range.

Durant will remain in the Western Conference, where he will continue competing with both the Warriors and Kings for playoff positioning during the 2025-26 season.

David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, former England cricketer, dies aged 61

  • Lawrence took 18 wickets in five Tests for England

  • He had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease

The former England bowler David “Syd” Lawrence has died aged 61, a year after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and only a week after he was awarded an MBE in the king’s birthday honours for his services to cricket.

Lawrence played five Tests between 1988 and 1992, taking 18 wickets and becoming the first British-born black player to be picked for England. His career in effect ended in February 1992 when, in an apparently innocuous incident while playing for England against New Zealand, he fractured his left kneecap. He managed only four more first-class matches before being forced into retirement, with his last appearance coming in 1997.

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One year away from being a 37-year-old free agent, Sergei Bobrovsky playing best hockey of his career

The word dynasty is starting to be thrown around when discussing the Florida Panthers.

That’s what will happen when you reach three straight Stanley Cup Finals and win the most recent two.

While there are several key reasons you can point to when discussing how and why the Panthers have become the juggernaut they currently are, a very big reason that would be toward the tippy-top of that list would be goaltending.

No matter what kind of style your hockey team plays, good goaltending is going to be required to achieve any kind of greatness.

It’s just science.

Speaking of science, there is also the fact that professional hockey players generally see their skills peak around age 30, with gradual diminishment of said skills as they inch closer to 40.

Those numbers are usually exacerbated when it comes to goalies.

There is, however, the occasional anomaly. The guy who shows up and defies all logic, pushing back against the general way of things.

That man is Sergei Bobrovsky.

Over the past three seasons, while entering what should be the twilight of a very strong career, Bobrovsky has seen his game, and his legacy, reach previously unmatched heights.

The 36-year-old has enjoyed three of his most successful and consistent seasons over the past three years, taking his game to another level during the playoffs and leading the Panthers to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances.

His play during Florida’s two Stanley Cup-winning campaigns had Bobrovsky among those receiving votes for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

It’s truly remarkable what Bobrovsky has been able to accomplish, seemingly getting strong with each passing year.

“It's not me, it's God,” Bobrovsky said Saturday. “That age category, it's not many people who can play at that level. It's just been a journey for me. I feel like I’m playing my best hockey right now, the last three years or so, and I feel good.”

Over those three years, the Panthers have done we’ll to limit Bobrovsky’s ice time during the regular season.

He’s played in 50, 58 and 54 games in each of the past three seasons, respectively, before acting as Florida’s primary netminder during their Stanley Cup Final runs.

Combined with his legendary work ethic, the efforts to keep Bobrovsky fresh have paid off quite well for Bob and the Panthers.

It’s also given all parties concerned reason to feel confident that the veteran goaltender can maintain his elite level of play for the foreseeable future.

“I'm excited about next season,” Bobrovsky said. “I feel great physically. I feel great mentally. We have a great, great group of guys, and as I said, I'm excited for what's coming next. I'm excited for new challenges. I'm excited to go through them with my teammates, and again, I'm excited to be with the guys again.”

Looking ahead, Bobrovsky has one year remaining on the seven-year, $70 million deal he signed with Florida back in the summer of 2019.

Considering the advanced state of his career combined with Bob’s ability to defy logic and age like a fine wine, it will be interesting to see how he and the Panthers approach his contract situation.

Like many of his teammates, Bobrovsky has seen his life change in many ways after relocating to South Florida.

In addition to becoming a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Bobrovsky has also become a two-time father over the past several years.

He and his family have established roots, another element that will likely come into consideration at this time next year.

For now, Bobrovsky is trying to stay in the present.

“It's tough to predict for five years right now, and I don't want that,” he said. “I feel like, when you think too much ahead of yourself, you lose the focus on that moment, and I don't want to lose that. I’ve got so many great things right now, and I value them so much. I live in Florida, in an unbelievable city, unbelievable environment. I have my great family (at home), my second great family is here (at the rink). Everything is great here, and I want to take full advantage of this moment and value that moment.”

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Photo caption: Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Dodgers can't keep pace with Nationals after giving up five home runs in loss

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 21, 2025: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May.
Washington's James Woods runs the bases after hitting a solo home run off Dodgers pitcher Dustin May in the fourth inning of the Dodgers' 7-3 loss Saturday at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Dodger Stadium is the proud owner of the most home runs in baseball this season. The long-ball trend might not be an anomaly.

On Saturday night, the Dodgers and Washington Nationals combined for eight home runs, the most in a Dodgers game this season, but only three came off L.A. bats.

Dodgers right-hander Dustin May gave up three of those home runs, all solo shots, in a 7-3 loss to the Nationals. Andy Pages, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández hit home runs in the fifth, sixth and ninth innings, respectively.

Read more:Dodgers commit $1 million for assistance for families of immigrants affected by ICE raids

In the fourth inning, Nationals slugger James Wood used all of his 6-foot-7, 234-pound frame to launch a sinker from May to break a scoreless game. Pages only took one step from his position in center field as he tracked the ball off Wood's bat — he knew where it was headed.

The 451-foot solo blast gave the Nationals (32-45) a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Three-hole hitter Luis Garcia Jr. followed Wood with a home run.

“The solo homers, they suck, but they’re solo homers,” May said. “Going back-to-back — that’s not what you want to see.”

For being a middle of the pack offense — ranked 18th overall in runs scored — the Nationals flexed their muscle with their young stars. CJ Abrams socked a two-run home run in the seventh off Dodgers reliever Jack Dreyer, his second in as many games.

Washington's Nathaniel Lowe celebrates in the dugout after hitting his second home run of the game.
Washington's Nathaniel Lowe celebrates in the dugout after hitting his second home run of the game in the eighth inning Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Wood and Abrams were acquired by the Nationals in the Juan Soto trade with San Diego in 2022. The former prospects now represent the heart of the Nationals lineup.

May gave up a home run in the sixth to Nathaniel Lowe — who also hit a homer in the eighth inning for his first multi-home run game. May gave up five hits, struck out five and walked two, tossing six innings for the third time in his last five starts.

Outside of Pages, Smith and Hernández's home runs, the Dodgers (47-31) threatened to score when Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman reached via singles in the fifth. Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin, however, struck out Freddie Freeman to end the threat. Irvin struck out seven and walked none in 5 ⅓ innings.

“I haven't been very good for a while,” said Freeman, who is batting .182 over his last 15 games. “Just trying to figure it out, did the net drill many, many times [the] last few days, but still not clicking.”

Read more:Shaikin: Why is Dodger Stadium SO LOUD?

He continued: “The swing’s still in Arizona, I think.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't disagree with his star first baseman’s assessment. He said through conversations with Freeman, it’s clear that he’s still trying to find a fix.

Freeman is still batting .322 on the season — good for seventh-best in Major League Baseball.

“He's certainly his toughest critic, but I've talked to him numerous times, and he just hasn't found something that clicks, where he feels like himself, since spring training, which certainly is a long time,” Roberts said. “But Freddie's going to be as honest as can be, and it's not going to stop him from working."

Eight home runs at Dodger Stadium is unusual, but low humidity in L.A. could be a factor in helping hard hits soar. Climate change researchers have even pondered the effect that warmer climates could have on home runs, with a 2023 study in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society stating that more than 500 home runs since 2010 could be credited to global warming.

“I just thought those were really good, well-executed pitches,” Roberts said of the Wood and Garcia home runs. “But the air, as it starts to get a little bit warmer, the ball does fly here."

Across the last six seasons, Chavez Ravine has ranked top five in home runs on five occasions. In the 43 games the Dodgers have played at home in 2025, there have been an average of 3.39 home runs per game (146 home runs overall and 23 more than second-place George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.).

Shohei Ohtani, who will make his second pitching start of the season Sunday afternoon, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. Roberts said he would "leave it open-ended" for how long Ohtani would pitch.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the third inning Saturday.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the third inning Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Glasnow update

Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder) is scheduled to pitch two innings for triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. Relief pitcher Luis Garcia (right adductor) is set to appear for single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday as well.

Both rehabilitation outings are their first since joining the injured list.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan opens up on mental health struggles and hitting ‘rock bottom’

  • AFL star speaks about struggles for the first time since taking a leave of absence

  • He says there were times he ‘didn’t want to leave the house’ but he wants to play football again


The Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has opened up about his mental health struggles for the first time since taking a leave of absence, saying there were times he “didn’t want to leave the house”.

The former No 1 draft pick is hoping to make his AFL comeback after recently visiting a health retreat in northern New South Wales.

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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Mets' top pitching prospects Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong deliver big performances

It was another great day for Mets pitching prospects Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong as both were on the mound for their respective clubs on Saturday night.

In Triple-A, McLean pitched five innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits (two home runs) and two walks while striking out six. He threw 90 pitches (55 strikes) and saw his ERA for Syracuse rise slightly to 2.68.

Over McLean's last six outings, the right-hander has allowed two earned runs or fewer each time and continues to impress since his promotion from Double-A earlier this season.

Speaking of Double-A, another young right-hander had himself another stellar showing as Tong struck out 11 and allowed just two hits over 7.2 scoreless innings for Binghamton.

The 22-year-old is up to 107 strikeouts this season in just 67 innings as Saturday was the fourth time Tong has reached double-digit strikeouts for the Rumble Ponies. Tong also lowered his ERA to 1.75 and is 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA across four starts this month.

After giving up three earned runs in his first two starts this year, Tong hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in his last 11 starts as his ascension up the Mets' prospect list continues.

After snapping skid, Mets 'gotta come back tomorrow' to get season 'back on track'

After losing seven straight games and looking bad in the process, the Mets needed a game like Saturday night against the Philadelphia Phillies -- one that they won, 11-4, on the strength of their lineup which blasted seven homers and totaled 15 hits.

At the center of the convincing win were Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto who each hit two home runs and went a combined 6-for-9. In fact, the top four hitters in New York's lineup all had multi-hit games, totaling 10 hits and driving in nine runs.

"You know that at some point those guys are gonna come through and today we saw it, especially from the top of our lineup," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It was a pretty impressive showing there from a lot of our guys. Hit some bombs. Quality at-bats, especially early on with two strikes. Those guys kept battling and finally got a pitch and were able to drive the ball out of the ballpark. So, overall, a good game for us offensively."

All told, the Mets' seven home runs (all solo shots) tied a MLB-record for the most solo homers hit in a single game.

The offensive onslaught also came on the heels of New York struggling mightily at the plate, scoring just 16 runs during its seven-game slide. And although it was a great night for the Mets, the goal is to keep it going starting on Sunday night as they look to win the series against the Phillies.

"We haven’t finished anything so we gotta get back on track tomorrow, try to do the same thing and move forward," Soto said. "Whatever happens in the past is in the past... We’re gonna face a really good team tomorrow and we just gotta come back tomorrow and try to beat them again."

For his part, even when the Mets were losing, Soto has begun to come around offensively after a rough first two months to begin his tenure in Queens. In June, the right fielder has slashed .338/.500/.708 with seven home runs and 14 RBI.

It was only a matter of time for the All-Star to pick it up, especially considering his hard-hit rate and other underlying numbers. Now, the Mets are seeing the fruits of his labor come to fruition.

"I’ve been feeling good since Day 1, things just haven’t been going my way but finally I’m getting some luck and we’re just going from there," Soto said.

As for the team as whole, it's easy to forget but before losing seven in a row New York was playing like one of the best teams in baseball and is once again tied for first place in the division.

"It happens man. You’re gonna go through it, but we know we’re good," Mendoza said. "We know we got good players and it’s part of the grind of 162 and we’ve been in situations like this before. I think every team has. You just have to be consistent. Me as the manager, as the leader, keep coaching these guys, keep pushing them… It was good to get that one and we got a long way to go."

Nimmo echoed his skipper's thoughts.

"You can’t let what was going on for seven games derail what you were doing for two and a half months," he said. "There are definitely things to work on during that time to be better at, but that’s even the case when you’re winning – you can find little things to be better at."

Reds’ Elly De La Cruz, Mariners reliever Trent Thornton fall ill while playing in extreme heat

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton got sick Saturday while playing in the extreme heat that covered much of the United States.

De La Cruz vomited on the field with two outs in the fourth inning of Cincinnati’s extra-inning loss at the St. Louis Cardinals. He was checked on by a trainer, and two workers from the grounds crew cleaned up the area.

“I actually watched him. He drank a bunch of water. I mean a bunch,” Reds manager Terry Francona said, “and then he went right out and got rid of it.”

The 23-year-old De La Cruz, who is from the Dominican Republic, stayed in the game and hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

Thornton pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Seattle before departing in the eighth in a 10-7 loss at the Chicago Cubs. The 31-year-old right-hander had to be helped from the field.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Thornton had “a little bit of a heat-related illness.”

“It was a scary moment, for sure,” Wilson said. “He battled hard. But just really glad that he’s feeling a little bit better now and should be OK.”

The temperature for Reds at Cardinals was 92 degrees, and it was 94 for the first pitch of the Mariners’ loss to the Cubs. Milwaukee’s game at Minnesota was played under an excessive heat warning.

Seattle and Chicago finished their game with three umpires after Chad Whitson got sick. Dexter Kelley moved from second base to home plate.

Whitson was treated in the Mariners’ dugout.

“He came in, same kind of thing. Just was not feeling well,” Wilson said. “Threw up a few times in the dugout and then they came and took care of him from there. The heat was a real thing today, for sure.”

Whitson was dealing with some dehydration, but a Major League Baseball spokesman said he was doing better Saturday night and had been cleared to work third base for the series finale.

A Wrigley Field staffer had a heat-related medical issue right after Saturday’s game, according to a spokesman for the Cubs. He was tended to by medical personnel and walked off the field on his own.

The Cubs set up cooling and misting stations throughout Wrigley to help fans with the heat on Saturday, along with additional emergency personnel. The team had similar plans in place for Sunday, along with bringing in a city bus to use as a cooling station on the street.

Mets tee off against Phillies with home run barrage to snap seven-game losing streak

The Mets took out some recent frustration at the plate on Saturday night, pummeling the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 11-4.

Here are the takeaways...

-Mired in a team-wide slump during its seven-game losing streak, New York's offense busted out in a huge way on Saturday by drilling seven home runs, including three straight by Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto in the third inning. It was the first time the Mets hit back-to-back-to-back home runs since Oct. 4, 2022 against the Washington Nationals.

-Nimmo and Soto each had two homers with Nimmo's first coming in the first inning that gave New York a 1-0 lead. Soto's second blast of the night happened in the fifth which extended the Mets' advantage to 5-3.

-Including Pete Alonso, New York's top four in the lineup combined to go 10-for-18 with every hitter finishing with a multi-hit game. Soto had the biggest night of all with a 4-for-5 performance with four RBI and two runs scored.

-With his home run to lead off the third and start the three-peat, Lindor snapped an 0-for-19 skid. It was also the shortstop's first long ball in 16 games which spanned 64 at-bats. The Mets have now won the last 28 games in which Lindor has hit a home run. He also added a two-run double high off the right-field wall in the sixth inning to give him three RBI on the night.

-Jared Young smacked a solo shot of his own in the eighth for his only hit and Francisco Alvarez added another bomb in the ninth as part of a 2-for-5 game.

-On the mound for New York was Griffin Canning who stumbled out of the gates, allowing the Phillies to score two runs in the first inning after the Mets gave him a quick lead. The right-hander gave up another run in the second to put his team down 3-1 and it appeared as if New York was in for another disappointing game.

However, Canning steadied the ship after the Mets' offense bailed him out and ended up going 5.0+ innings. In total, he gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out four and doing enough to earn his seventh win of the season.

-Huascar Brazoban (2 IP), Ryne Stanek (1 IP) and Chris Devenski (1 IP) pitched in relief of Canning and finished out the game without allowing a run. The same can not be said about Philadelphia's bullpen who needed five guys to come in after starter Mick Abel left before the start of the fourth inning. This sets New York up well for Sunday's rubber game.

Game MVP: Mets offense

For the first time in a while, the Mets had a laugher and totaled 11 runs on 15 hits, including seven home runs.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets cap off their six-game road trip with a Sunday night tilt against the Phillies. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

LHP David Peterson (5-2, 2.60 ERA) will face off against LHP Jesus Luzardo (6-3, 4.41 ERA).

Pacers vs. Thunder Game 7: Four things to watch in one game to decide a champion

OKLAHOMA CITY — Nobody should be talking about market size or ratings now. We have witnessed one of the most entertaining, well-played NBA Finals in recent memory — it needed to go seven games. It's had a little bit of everything.

While this series has been a chess match that will thrill fans of the Xs and Os of the game (Indiana moving the pick-up point back in Game 6 was one big one that threw Oklahoma City off for a night), Game 7s are more about execution than strategic changes. At this point in the series, there are no secrets.

"It's a contest of wills. I think the reason it swung between the two teams is because these are two teams that have leaned on that heavily to get to this point," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "It's two teams where the whole is better than the sum of the parts. It's two teams that are highly competitive. Two teams that play together. Two teams that kind of rely on the same stuff for their success that are squaring off against each other."

Game 7 will be about execution under the brightest lights in basketball. Which team, which players will step up?

We've got four things to watch for in Game 7. Four things will determine who will be on the podium next to Adam Silver after the game.

Thunder’s home court advantage

This is not about how home teams are 15-4 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals (the most recent one, in 2016, went to the road team, Cleveland, over Golden State).

The Thunder's home court advantage is much more potent than that — OKC is 10-2 at home in these playoffs. That easily could have been 12-0 save for some last-second heroics (Aaron Gordon's 3-pointer with 3 seconds left for Denver; Tyrese Haliburton's pull-up with 0.3 left in Game 1 of this series).

It's much more than the record: The Thunder have a +20.7 net rating at home, compared to a -6.2 net rating on the road (where they are 5-5). Thunder players openly discuss how they feed off their raucous crowd, and this becomes most noticeable on defense — the Thunder's defensive rating is 12.7 points per 100 possessions better at home this postseason.

"You're ultimately in your complete comfort zone," Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of their home court advantage. "The flow to the day doesn't change. You're in your own bed. You have shootaround at your building. You eat your pregame meal from your chef or your whoever. It's very comfortable, the whole flow to the day, and then the crowd is behind you. They give you energy, whether you're up or down or whatever is going on in the night. It's an advantage."

The energy the Thunder players get from their deafening crowd is real.

"The crowd. You know, they work in our favor," Cason Wallace said. "They're rowdy and they're into the game, and that gives us a boost and an edge."

The Pacers have been a strong road team this postseason, with a 7-4 record away from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and have generally played teams evenly (a minus-0.6 point differential). They have won one game on the road this series, they know what is coming and how to withstand it.

"Crowds give you a little bit more energy, a little bit more burst. We are going to be practically alone tomorrow," T.J. McConnell said. "This crowd here in Oklahoma City is amazing. It's going to be very loud. We have to be ready."

Haliburton’s health

Tyrese Haliburton's strained left calf wasn't much of an issue in Game 6. That doesn't mean it should be ignored in Game 7.

There were a couple of moments early in Game 6 when he clearly hesitated to push off on his left leg, but it ultimately didn't matter because his shot was falling and the Thunder's defensive pressure was not cranked up to its usual intensity. Haliburton finished with 14 points, five assists, and played less than 23 minutes in the blowout.

Also of note: The Thunder rarely dragged Haliburton into a pick-and-roll and made him move laterally quickly on defense. Expect more of that in Game 7.

Haliburton says he is ready.

"I'm pretty much in the same standpoint I was before Game 6. A little stiff, a little sore, rather," Haliburton said. "Good thing I only had to play like 23 minutes. I've been able to get even more treatment and do more things. Just trying to take care of it the best I can. But I'll be ready to go for Game 7."

Watch how he is moving early and how much the Thunder test him.

Turnovers, offensive rebounds

Both of these teams are built on winning the possession game: forcing turnovers, not turning the ball over themselves, securing some offensive rebounds, scoring easy buckets in transition, and simply creating more scoring opportunities than their opponent.

Which team has executed that has swung from game to game, but in Game 6 it was clearly Indiana.

"I think last game, we didn't play our brand of basketball and we didn't play our brand of defense and we just let them be comfortable," Isaiah Hartenstein said of the Thunder. "So I think it's a mix of things. They do a great job of never changing the way they play. So they get out, they run. And it's our job to just get back to playing our style of defense and going from there."

Turnovers and bench points will be bellwethers in Game 7, as they have been throughout the series.

Lessons from Game 6, former Game 7s

Game 7s don't happen in a vacuum, and both teams talked about learning from past experiences.

For the Thunder, it was Game 7 against the Nuggets in these playoffs. This Finals series has eerily followed the form of the second-round showdown between Denver and Oklahoma City, from the heartbreaking loss in Game 1 to the blowout loss in Game 6. Against the Nuggets, the Thunder played their best game of the series in Game 7, winning comfortably at home.

"What Game 7 taught me from Denver is the swings — three feels like you're down 10, you know what I mean? One feels like you're down five," Jalen Williams said. "That's just like the swing of a game, and what is going on feels much larger. It's about honing in your emotion and understanding the state of the game is big for Game 7."

The Pacers have a few things to draw on.

"Honestly, for us the last three games have all been Game 7s," Myles Turner said.

One of those was Game 6 from just a couple of days ago. With their backs against the wall, Indiana played with a genuine desperation that Oklahoma City did not come close to matching.

"Last game, we didn't want them celebrating on our court, so we understood the assignment, we understood we had to come in here and be dogs, and get that job done," Obi Toppin said. "And now it's on to game seven. We got, we got to do the same thing we did in game six and get the job done."

Asked about his favorite Game 7 memory, Aaron Nesmith didn't hesitate to bring up the Pacers' biggest win of a season ago — one that can apply to this year.

"Ours, against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden," Nesmith said, referencing a Game 7 win on the road the team had last season. "That was an incredible atmosphere and a moment that I loved playing in."

This Pacers core has won a Game 7 on the road in an incredibly hostile environment. It has won in this building in the NBA Finals. Don't sleep on their chances to do it again — but this is a much bigger stage and much brighter lights.

What has been a brilliant series hopefully ends with a Game 7 to match.

Penguins Are Getting Excellent Coach In Todd Nelson

Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson is soaked by his players as he holds the Calder Memorial trophy after winning Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday, June 21, 2023.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced who would be filling out their coaching staff - in addition to new head coach Dan Muse - for the 2025-26 season.

And they may have struck gold with one of their hires.

Todd Nelson - who was head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears for the past three seasons - was named as one of the assistants on Muse's new staff on Friday. Nelson coached the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024, and he has a boatload of coaching experience at both the AHL and NHL levels. 

Given the phase of their rebuild that the Penguins find themselves in - and their focus on development - Nelson may just be the perfect hire.

Even some former players under Nelson agree. Goaltender Zachary Fucale - who was part of the 2023 Bears' championship team and now plays in the KHL for Chelyabinsk Traktor - gave Nelson a glowing endorsement on socials:

"The best of the best!" Fucale wrote. "Thank you Nelly for everything. Unforgettable moments being part of your team. Absolutely 0 doubts you will have success with @penguins. All the best to you."

Although Nelson was wildly successful as head coach of the Bears, the AHL accolades don't stop there. He also won a Calder Cup as an assistant coach for the Chicago Wolves in 2008 and as head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2017, which makes him one of only six coaches in AHL history to win three times as a head coach. He is also only one of three people in AHL history to win the Calder Cup as an assistant coach, a head coach, and a player.

Nelson also has a bit of experience at the NHL level, too. He was an assistant with now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers before they moved to Winnipeg, he was the interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers after Dallas Eakins was fired in 2014-15, and he had another assistant gig with the Dallas Stars from 2018-22.

And his playing career? Ironically, he was selected by none other than the Penguins as a defenseman in the fourth round (79th overall) of the 1989 NHL Draft. He only appeared in one NHL game with Pittsburgh on Nov. 23, 1991 in a 2-2 tie against the New York Islanders. He also later appeared in a few games for the Washington Capitals later on.

Penguins Name Full Coaching Staff For 2025-26 SeasonPenguins Name Full Coaching Staff For 2025-26 SeasonBack on Jun. 4, the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Dan Muse as the 23rd coach in franchise history.

The history with the Penguins' organization is there. But, more importantly, the developmental angle is there. Nelson has personal experience in the arena of fighting tooth and nail for NHL playing time, and he has spent a great deal of time working with developing young players and maximizing their potential.

And this - in addition to that track record of success - is something that drew him to Muse when he was filling out his staff.

“With over two decades of coaching experience, Todd brings a championship pedigree and a winning history that speaks for itself,” Muse said. “He has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to get the most out of his players, most recently in Hershey, and his leadership qualities and wealth of experience will be a tremendous asset to our team as we continue to build a culture of excellence.”

Over the next several seasons, the Penguins hope to build back up that culture of excellence that they became so renowned for. And - given his track record - Nelson could be a big part of helping them get there. 

Former Penguin Set To Join Coaching Staff For 2025-26 SeasonFormer Penguin Set To Join Coaching Staff For 2025-26 SeasonA few weeks after it was announced that Dan Muse would become the 23rd head coach in Pittsburgh Penguins franchise history, it appears that a former Penguin will be joining his coaching staff as well.

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Feature image credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK