Category: Sports News

Worldwide Sports News

Posted on

NHL 26 Be A Pro Trailer Releases Aug. 19

Pricey pond hockey is officially a thing of the past. 

EA SPORTS NHL announced that the reveal trailer for the fully revamped Be A Pro mode in NHL 26 will be unveiled at 11am EST Aug. 19 on the EA SPORTS NHL YouTube channel. 

From the initial gameplay trailer and deep dive trailer we have some idea of a few of the changes that will be coming to Be A Pro including new cutscenes, character, and ability to play in the AHL and World Juniors.

With the new X-Factor system it will give players the opportunity to define their playstyle and continue to progress through the three tiers as you move further along in your career. 

Be A Pro is an extremely popular mode within the NHL franchise and has been several years since there has been a major change.

Check back in with us on Tuesday for a full breakdown of the Be A Pro reveal trailer. 

New Heroes and Icons will be in NHL 26.

NHL 26 is set to release Sept. 12, those who pre-order the deluxe edition get access Sept. 5. 

For more NHL Gaming news make sure you bookmark The Hockey News Gaming Site or follow our Google News Feed.  

Posted on

Luka Doncic diagnosed with left knee contusion, will continue to play for Slovenia at EuroBasket

This looked like it could have been much worse in the moment, with Luka Doncic's Slovenian teammate Gregor Hrovat falling and crashing into his knee during an exhibition game against Latvia.

While Doncic limped back to the locker room after this, he was diagnosed with just a knee contusion, reports Marc Stein. Doncic will return to practice with the Slovenian team on Monday as they gear up for the start of EuroBasket at the end of the month, adds Dan Woike of The Athletic.

With Doncic, Slovenia has a chance to medal at the European championships (they are sixth in betting odds to win the entire thing, according to Bet MGM). He is the heart and soul of their team, as evidenced by his 26 points, five rebounds and five assists against Latvia in the first half. With Doncic out, Latvia went on an 18-0 run and went on to win the exhibition, behind 20 points from Kristaps Porzingis and 16 from Davis Bertans.

Posted on

Reds designate outfielder Jake Fraley for assignment

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley was designated for assignment on Sunday, with catcher Tyler Stephenson’s thumb injury and a short bench contributing to the decision.

The Reds also recalled right-hander Connor Phillips and outfielder Will Benson from Triple-A Louisville and optioned left-hander Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A.

“We came to the idea of kind of giving Jake a chance to play where maybe he thinks he deserves to play, which I understand, is maybe better than him sitting the bench here,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “Stephenson is banged up. We were a little concerned about playing short, maybe a two-man bench.”

Fraley, 30, is in his fifth major-league season, his fourth with Cincinnati. He is batting .232 with six home runs and 23 RBIs in 67 games.

He hyperextended his knee after making an error in left field to allow a run to score in the 10th inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss to the first-place Brewers on Saturday. Francona said neither the miscue nor the injury factored into the DFA move.

Stephenson reaggravated an injury to his left thumb during the Pittsburgh series and is day to day. Jose Trevino, who was behind the plate Saturday night, got the start for Sunday’s day game.

Francona said the decision on Fraley, a popular player among fans and in the clubhouse, wasn’t easy.

“Not that I needed an excuse to lose sleep last night, but you do, because you’re thinking about it,” Francona said. “You’re making decisions that alter their life. The day when I stop thinking about it, I will re-retire.”

Cincinnati, the only team this season that hasn’t been swept in a series, has dropped the first two games of the three-game set against the Brewers, who have won 14 straight games.

Posted on

Marc Márquez reigns supreme in Austria with sprint-race MotoGP double

  • Marc Márquez takes 142-point lead over brother Alex

  • Wins sixth GP in a row for first time since 2014

Six-times MotoGP champion Marc Márquez marked the 1,000th premier class race in history by winning the Austrian Grand Prix for the first time in his career to take a mammoth 142-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship.

Having won Saturday’s sprint from the second row, Marc Márque claimed the sprint-race double for the sixth Grand Prix in a row, with the Spaniard unbeaten since the British Grand Prix in May. Not since 2014 had Marc Márquez claimed six Grand Prix wins on the bounce as he inches closer to a seventh MotoGP crown with nine rounds left.

Continue reading...
Posted on

SEE IT: Mets arrive in Williamsport for 2025 MLB Little League Classic

The Mets touched down in Williamsport, Penn. on Sunday morning ahead of their matchup with the Seattle Mariners in the 2025 MLB Little League Classic.

The Mets took some time to meet with the players in this year's Little League World Series, taking pictures, signing autographs, and more.

Here's a look at some of the fun...

Posted on

Miami re-signs guard Dru Smith, who is coming off a torn Achilles

Dru Smith's perseverance has won him a lot of fans in the Miami Heat front office. The Heat liked him enough that right as the 2023-24 season was starting, they converted his two-way contract to a regular one, but then he ended up missing most of that season with a right knee injury (and was waived at the trade deadline). Smith bounced back and signed another two-way contract with the Heat for last season and in 14 games with the big club averaged 6.2 points a game off the bench as a sniper from 3 and strong on-ball defender, then in December he tore his Achilles and missed the remainder of last season.

Miami is bringing Smith back for this season and hoping he stays healthy.

This was announced as a three-year contract by ESPN's Shams Charania, but only the first year is fully guaranteed. All three years are at the league minimum.

Smith's recovery is reportedly going so well that there is optimism he will be ready for the start of the NBA season. Smith is going to have to earn rotation minutes on a team that is expected to start Tyler Herro and Norman Powell at the guard spots, with Terry Rozier and just-drafted Kasparas Jakucionis in the rotation behind them.

Smith is Miami's 14th contract. It's interesting that after the reports of reserve big men working out for the team recently — Kai Jones and Trey Lyles — and now will enter the season with just Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware as centers on the roster.

Posted on

Alexander Burmistrov & Adam Clendening Latest To Sign With Chinese KHL Team

Ever since a major rebranding a week ago, the Shanghai Dragons have hired a high-profile head coach and signed 14 new players, including several ex-NHLers. On Saturday, five new signings were announced, including Russian center Alexander Burmistrov and the re-signing of American defenseman Adam Clendening.

Other players announced on Saturday include Croatian winger Borna Rendulić, 32, who played 15 NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks, Russian winger Vladimir Kuznetsov and Russian goaltender Andrei Tikhomirov.

“Burmistrov is a talented, fast center who excels in the faceoff circle and brings important contributions on the penalty kill,” said Dragons CEO Igor Varitsky.

Originally from Kazan, Tatarstan, Burmistrov, now 27, came up through the local Ak Bars club, playing one KHL game with the team in 2007-08, and then spent one season with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. He was chosen eighth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Between 2010 and 2013, he spent three seasons with the Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets franchise, then returned to Russia in 2013. Burmistrov then returned to North America in 2015 and played for the Jets, Arizona Coyotes and Canucks before returning again in 2018.

Burmistrov had 101 points and 139 penalty minutes in 348 NHL games. He also has 170 points in 492 KHL regular-season and playoff games with Ak Bars, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Moscow. After not playing the first half of last season, he only played eight games last season for Dynamo, going pointless.

Internationally, Burmistrov played for Russia in two IIHF World Championships, winning a gold medal in 2014 in Minsk and a bronze at home in Moscow in 2016.

Alexander Burmistrov Signs With Dynamo MoscowAlexander Burmistrov Signs With Dynamo Moscow Russian center Alexander Burmistrov, 33, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season with Dynamo Moscow, the KHL club announced recently.

“Clendening brings valuable NHL experience and plays an important role both defensively and on the power play,” said Varitsky. “We consider him one of our leaders, and last season he showed he has the ability to guide his teammates on and off the ice.”

Clendening, 32, was born in Niagara Falls, N.Y. and became a pro via the U.S. National Team Development Program and Boston University. He was selected in the second round, 36th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Between 2014 and 2019, Clendening played 90 NHL regular-season games for the Blackhawks, Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets, recording 24 points and 42 penalty minutes. The last NHL games he ever played were seven playoff games for Columbus in 2019, picking up one assist and one minor penalty.

Clendening spent the 2023-24 season in Finland with Ilves Tampere and last season in the KHL with Kunlun, recording 22 points and 65 penalty minutes in 61 games.

Internationally, Clendening won two gold medals for the USA at the U-18 World Championships and a bronze at the 2021 Worlds in Riga.

Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai DragonsGerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

A busy week just keeps getting busier for the Chinese-based KHL club, which was previously known as Kunlun Red Star.

On Monday, defenseman Jake Chelios announced his retirement. On Wednesday, the club announced the signing of new head coach Gerard Gallant, and on Friday and Saturday, the club announced the signings of nine new players, including Slovak Olympic bronze-medal-winning goaltender Patrik Rybar and Canadian forwards Ryan Spooner and Nick Merkley.

The Kunlun-Shanghai franchise has played its home games in suburban Moscow since early 2020 and will play in St. Petersburg this season, but plans to return to China in either 2026 or 2027.

The team has not made the playoffs since its inaugural KHL season in 2016-17.

Ex-NHLers Spooner & Merkley Sign With ShanghaiEx-NHLers Spooner & Merkley Sign With Shanghai Canadian former NHL forwards Ryan Spooner and Nick Merkley have signed one-year contracts to play for the Shanghai Dragons, the Chinese-based KHL club announced on Saturday.
Posted on

What we learned as Giants' offense wakes up behind Logan Webb to snap skid

What we learned as Giants' offense wakes up behind Logan Webb to snap skid originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Of course it was Logan Webb who helped usher the good times back in at Oracle Park. A huge hit from Dominic Smith also was pivotal as the Giants ended their longest losing streak of the season and earned a rare victory at home.

Webb was magnificent the entire afternoon, spinning magic while leading the Giants to a 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday and helping San Francisco avoid a three-game sweep.

The unquestioned ace on a staff that has four Cy Young Awards among them, Webb (11-9) allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings. The right-hander had seven strikeouts, didn’t walk anyone and allowed only one runner past first base.

It’s the ninth time this season that Webb has won one day after the Giants lost.

Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn handled mop-up duties, combining to set the final six Rays batters and complete the five-hitter.

The Giants’ offense shone as bright as the afternoon sun hanging over the San Francisco Bay.

Smith provided a big spark when he singled with the bases loaded to break the game open in the sixth.

Smith broke his bat on the swing and carried the handle with him to first base as Heliot Ramos and Rafael Devers scored. When the throw back to the infield went toward second base, Willy Adames scampered home for another run.

According to the team, Smith is the first Giants player to have a three-run single since Kirt Manwaring in 1988.

Christian Koss’ RBI double later in the inning made it 4-0.

Drew Gilbert and Tyler Fitzgerald kept the good vibes going with back-to-back home runs in the seventh.

It all added up to a much-needed win that had the crowd of 38,000 singing Backstreet Boys songs late in the game.

Here are the takeaways from Sunday:

No. 1 And It Feels So Good

As good as the day was for the Giants, Gilbert provided the feel-good moment of the afternoon with his first career home run. 

Already a fan favorite at Oracle Park, Gilbert earned a raucous ovation when he crushed a 1-1 fastball from Mason Englert and sent it flying out of the ballpark at more than 102 mph.

The good times extended to the next batter when Fitzgerald went deep, the first time this season that the Giants have had back-to-back jacks.

Gilbert tacked on with an RBI single in the ninth as the Giants had their highest-scoring game since Aug. 5.

Let’s Get It Started

Giants manager Bob Melvin said before the game that part of the reason behind moving Jung Hoo Lee into the leadoff spot was to shake things up for San Francisco’s offense.

It worked initially when Lee opened the game with leadoff double, but that was as good as it got. Lee struck out swinging and had two fly outs in his final three at-bats.

Lee did make a slick sliding catch on the warning track to rob Yandy Diaz of a hit in the fourth inning. Lee initially caught the ball but after it popped out of his glove, the center fielder trapped the ball between his legs and prevented it from hitting the ground as he rolled over.

Want To Get Away?

The Giants surely do, and at this point it doesn’t really matter where they go.

Oracle Park generally has been a place of comfort for the Orange and Black, but the waterfront ballpark has been home to way too many nightmares this season before Sunday.

Their 2-7 homestand was one loss shy of matching the Giants’ worst during the San Francisco era set in 1993.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Posted on

C.J. Stroud's Mariners hat creates a stir for Texans/Astros fans

Once upon a time, my morning routine consisted of: (1) pouring a large bowl of Frosted Flakes; (2) adding milk; (3) opening to the sports page of the Wheeling Intelligencer; and (4) studying the current MLB standings and box scores while wolfing down the cereal before the flakes became un-frosted and saturated with milk.

Back then, the Houston Astros resided in the National League West. The Seattle Mariners didn't exist. Nowadays, the two franchises share membership in the American League West. And they're currently battling for the division title, with (as of Saturday) the Astros leading the Mariners by 0.5 games.

Also on Saturday, the Houston Texans hosted the Carolina Panthers in a preseason game. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud arrived for the contest with a Mariners hat on his head.

It naturally created a stir for Houstonians who support both the local football and the local baseball team.

Sam Warren of the Houston Chroniclehas the details. Here’s the video of Stroud walking in. The Mariners took notice. Texans/Astros fans did, too.

Stroud, who swapped out the baseball hat for a Texans toque when he took the field, also wore the Mariners cap to his post-game press conference. He laughed off a question about his headgear.

“I mean, I love hats," Stroud said. "Like, I wear hats all the time. I probably have every team. But I support the Astros and the Dodgers because I'm from L.A. It's kind of contradicting but I still love the Astros. But it's all good. I understand. It’s all about the swag, baby. I’m just kidding.”

The Astros/Dodgers thing is definitely "contradicting," given the sign-stealing scandal that put an asterisk on the Astros' 2017 World Series win over the Dodgers, when Stroud was a 16-year-old student at Rancho Cucamonga High School.

While he can wear whatever hat he wants to wear, there's a basic "when in Rome" quality that comes from being the starting quarterback for an NFL team. Local fans of the football team are also fans of the other local sports teams. Right or wrong, they expect the players to act accordingly.

Hat flaps are not unprecedented. Twelve years ago, for example, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick created a stir by wearing a Miami Dolphins hat.

While Stroud didn't show up wearing a Colts hat or a Titans hat or a Jaguars hat, Houstonians will be naturally sensitive to the sight of a Seattle Mariners hat on the head of the Texans' starting quarterback. After all, fan is short for fanatic.

And players would be wise to at least factor that broader sense of fanaticism into deciding which hat from the collection should be donned to the stadium for a game. Is it worth inviting avoidable venom from fans who are fanatical about both the local baseball team and the local football team?

Our guess is that, moving forward, Stroud's Mariners hat will remain on the shelf, unless and until he's the starting quarterback of the Seahawks.

Posted on

Canadiens Top Proteau's Summer Splash Rankings

THN's Adam Proteau has been writing a series of article about how the NHL teams did in the offseason and the Montreal Canadiens top his ranking:  https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-summer-splash-rankings-no-1-montreal-canadiens.

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Posted on

NHL Summer Splash Rankings: No. 1, Montreal Canadiens

The Hockey News’ summer splash rankings – which rank the off-seasons of every NHL team – have been posted for the past 31 days. And today, we’ve arrived at the team that was No. 1 in our list – the Montreal Canadiens.

These rankings, which are based on each team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings where applicable, put teams into three distinct areas: teams that stayed the same, teams that got worse and teams that significantly improved. We’ve been moving in reverse order, from the team that finished 32nd overall (the Buffalo Sabres) to the Canadiens, whom we’ve deemed to have the best off-season of any team.

The Habs – who unexpectedly made the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, only to be thumped in Round 1 by the Washington Capitals – are still relatively early in their blueprint back to relevancy. But under coach Martin St. Louis, the Canadiens have been plucky and resilient, and even in a tough division like the Atlantic, Montreal has put everyone on notice – the days of the Habs being a pushover are long gone, and better days for this franchise are coming soon.

Additions

Noah Dobson (D), Zack Bolduc (LW), Kaapo Kahkonen (G), Joe Veleno (C), Sammy Blais (LW) 

The Breakdown: It’s not every day you go out and acquire a No. 1 defenseman on the trade market, but that’s just what Canadiens GM Kent Hughes did this summer, trading with the New York Islanders to land star blueliner Noah Dobson. Instantly, Dobson makes a Habs defense corps – that was already fairly impressive – into a stacked group of D-men. With Dobson’s arrival, superstar-in-the-making Lane Hutson doesn’t have the pressure to carry the team on his back. And even with the retirement of veteran David Savard, Montreal’s defense can now hurt an opponent at both ends of the ice.

That Dobson trade was the primary reason Montreal finished first in our summer splash rankings – but it wasn’t the only reason they finished first. Indeed, adding former St. Louis Blues winger Zack Bolduc is a huge boost for the Canadiens’ second line, and the price they had to pay – young defenseman Logan Mailloux – was one Montreal could afford now that Dobson is on board.

Hughes’ other moves were low-risk, decent-reward choices: in Kaapo Kahkonen, they got a backup for starting goalie Samuel Montembeault in Joe Veleno, they got an experienced fourth-liner, and in Sammy Blais, they got some roster depth they may need to lean on as the season progresses.

All in all, Montreal has gone from a team looking to make the next competitive step to a team that has no excuse to not be a playoff team next year. Hughes has slowly, painstakingly cobbled key pieces together, and after what may feel like an eternity of letdowns for Canadiens fans, the Habs are set to do serious damage next season.

Departures

Christian Dvorak (C), Joel Armia (RW), Emil Heineman (LW), David Savard (D), Logan Mailloux (D), Michael Pezzetta (LW), Cayden Primeau (G)

The Breakdown: The Canadiens did have players of note who have departed from the team this summer: veteran center Dvorak signed with Philadelphia, winger Joel Armia signed with the Los Angeles Kings, young winger Heineman was sent to the Islanders in the Dobson trade, heart-and-soul D-man Savard retired, rugged winger Michael Pezzetta signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and backup goalie Cayden Primeau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Some of those departures will hurt. Armia was a fan favorite, while Dvorak was a solid third-line center. And Mailloux may yet develop into a top-four blueliner. But when you measure the trade-offs in Montreal this summer – including Dobson-for-Savard, and Bolduc for Armia, you can’t help but come to the conclusion that the Canadiens are significantly better.

Hughes spent his salary cap space wisely, giving Dobson an eight-year contract with an average annual salary cap hit of $9.5-million. And Bolduc is still going to be an RFA at the end of next season – so acquiring him to put up 20-25 goals next season will turn out to be a tremendous bargain. While it may have been hard to say goodbye to a few Habs veterans, the team has obviously improved from where they were last season. 

The Bottom Line

These summer splash rankings have always been about one thing – namely, did a team do good work this off-season? And although other teams improved in different ways (some teams got better with one or two big moves, while other teams improved by simply bringing back the same group next season), in Montreal’s case, the blockbuster deal for Dobson really raised the competitive bar in a way that no other team’s off-season did for them.

At 25 years old, Dobson is still approaching his prime – and though he had a down year last season, Dobson is only two years removed from a 60-assist, 70-point season with the Isles. He and Hutson are two of the best young D-men in the league, and now, Montreal has them as fixtures for the foreseeable future.

Juraj Slafkovsky celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the second period in Game 4 of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

Adding Bolduc is another terrific move from Hughes, and filling out the roster with blue-collar workers like Blais and Veleno gives Montreal the kind of depth they’re going to need to compete in the punishing Atlantic. But few teams in the Atlantic or any other division have a defense corps like the Canadiens’ group.

And to think, we still haven’t mentioned any of the Habs’ young star forwards – Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov. The list of difference-makers for Montreal has grown considerably, and you have to give Hughes and the rest of the Canadiens’ management team credit for acquiring key components without surrendering any members of their core.

For those reasons, we have Montreal at the top of this summer splash ranking. No team did more this off-season than the Canadiens. And while we’re still in the dog days of summer, Habs fans have every right to be stoked for next season to arrive. Montreal is going to be a team to watch all season long in 2025-26, and the Canadiens’ off-season moves have made them into a team most opponents will have great difficulty beating.

Summer Splash Rankings

1. Montreal Canadiens

2. Florida Panthers

3. Vegas Golden Knights

4. Carolina Hurricanes

5. Anaheim Ducks

6. Philadelphia Flyers

7. Vancouver Canucks

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Posted on

Former Devils Defenseman Signs With New Team

A former New Jersey Devils third-round pick has taken his game overseas. 
Defenseman Reilly Walsh has signed overseas, per his agent Matt Keator. 

The 26-year-old has signed a contract with the  Barys Astana of the KHL after five seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL). He most recently played for the Ontario Reign, where he collected 32 points in 70 games. 

Drafted in 2017, the 6-0, 192-pound blueliner spent three seasons with the Devils. On June 26, 2023, New Jersey traded Walsh to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Shane Bowers. As a free agent, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Los Angeles Kings, where he was assigned to the Reign. 

With the Binghamton Devils and Utica Comets (AHL), Walsh earned 99 points, including 23 goals. He made his NHL debut with New Jersey on April 26, 2022, against the Ottawa Senators and earned his first NHL assist. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

The Mental Side of the Game: Devils Players & Mental Skills Coach Andy Swärd Take You Behind the Scenes

Hischier's Manager Patrick Fischer: 'He's Driven to Succeed, but Not Easily

Posted on

Watch Jung Hoo Lee make wild ‘catch of the decade' during Giants vs. Rays game

Watch Jung Hoo Lee make wild ‘catch of the decade' during Giants vs. Rays game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Star Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee might have made the catch of the 2025 MLB season — and decade — during San Francisco’s 7-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday at Oracle Park.

In the top of the fourth inning, Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz sent an 83-mph sweeper from Giants ace Logan Webb into Triples Alley, and Lee wildly caught the deep fly between his legs.

Yes, you read that right.

The catch kept the fans in San Francisco entertained during the 0-0 tie at the time, and it certainly will be remembered for the rest of the year and for generations to come. 

Lee explained postgame just how he pulled off the grab.

“The wind was pretty heavy and the ball was reaching out a lot, so I went for the slide,” Lee said. “I did catch it, but it felt like it was dropping down, going under my body starting from the chest. It was a funny catch for sure.

“As soon as I felt the ball dropping down my body, I felt like I had to squeeze, and in the end, I squeezed it with my calves.”

All Giants right fielder Drew Gilbert, who was next to Lee as he held up proof of the grab, could do was smile. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Duane Kuiper said it best during the game’s broadcast.

“I don’t care what anybody says,” Kuiper said. “That’s the catch of the decade. Not of the year, not of the day, not of the week, not of the homestand. The decade.”

Kuiper has been around the majors since his rookie 1974 season with Cleveland. He would know what “the catch of the decade” looks like.

As reflected by their 60-64 record, the Giants have historically struggled in recent weeks and entered Sunday’s game with one home win in their last 15 tries. 

But perhaps Lee’s play provided the spark San Francisco needed to beat the Rays, and maybe it can help the Giants eventually survive the dog days of summer and claw back into the MLB playoff race.

Regardless, San Francisco will take the win and the ridiculous highlight. And Bob Melvin, doing his job as a manager, was just glad his center fielder wasn’t hurt.

“I was worried that he may have hurt something, like his ankle,” Melvin said postgame. “I wasn’t really sure because he was down for a while. When the replay took a while, our people were talking about it and realized he caught it between his knees.

“Haven’t seen that one before.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Posted on

Crows handle the hype to break Collingwood hoodoo in strange thriller that had the lot

Adelaide prove they’re worthy flag favourites in a game that made no sense on the stat sheet – and demands a finals rematch

“The lid is obviously not on, is it?” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said late on Saturday night. He was talking about the town, not the team. It was the third-biggest crowd at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval, topped only by the opening day of an Ashes Test match and an Adele concert. It was the most important game Adelaide has played since the 2017 grand final. It was a game that mirrored the respective seasons of the two teams – Collingwood flew the gates, and the Crows overhauled them. It was a strange game that went into neutral for about an hour, and then into overdrive in the final 10 minutes.

It was a game that made no sense on the stat sheet; a game that demanded a rematch – most likely again in Adelaide, hopefully in better conditions, and maybe even at the MCG on the final Saturday in September.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Bohm homers in return, Nola struggles, Phillies salvage split vs. Nationals

Bohm homers in return, Nola struggles, Phillies salvage split vs. Nationals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — The Phillies had mixed results from their returnees Sunday. Alec Bohm homered and Aaron Nola couldn’t last three innings.

Ultimately, Nola’s struggles didn’t stop the Phillies from earning an offense-heavy win at Nationals Park. They secured a four-game series split in D.C. with an 11-9 victory. 

The Phils completed a 6-4 road trip and improved to 71-53. 

Nola started his first MLB game since mid-May. He’d first been sidelined by an ankle injury, then a right rib stress fracture.

Over 2 and 1/3 innings, Nola allowed seven hits and six runs, raising his season ERA to 6.92 in 10 starts. He struck out four and walked one.

Bohm was back after nearly a month out with his own rib injury. The Phils’ third baseman had a 2-for-4 outing highlighted by a second-inning long ball.

Nats lefty Mitchell Parker started the day by throwing six consecutive balls and the Phillies put runners on the corners for Bohm. It looked like he’d bounced into a first-pitch double-play, but third baseman Brady House botched his grounder, Kyle Schwarber scored and Bryce Harper advanced to third base.

The Phils kept the pressure on Parker, who issued an eight-pitch walk to Bryson Stott in the second inning. Schwarber poked a two-out RBI hit to right field and Harper served a two-strike slider into center, extending the Phils’ lead to 3-0.

One Bohm swing doubled that advantage. He cracked a 3-1 heater into the Phillies’ bullpen for his ninth home run of the season. Parker departed. 

“Especially not being here for a while, it feels really good to contribute and help the team win a game,” Bohm said. “Just happy to be back, happy to be healthy.”

Nola obviously did not mind the immediate lead.

He navigated nicely around Luis Garcia Jr’s leadoff single in the first. The 32-year-old righty struck out Paul DeJong with a good curveball and got Daylen Lile to pop up with a well-located up-and-in cutter. 

Nola’s third inning was a rapid downward spiral. Robert Hassell III, Garcia and CJ Abrams all had one-out singles. DeJong walked and Lile lined a two-RBI hit. 

The Nationals took aggressive cuts at just about anything Nola threw over the plate. They also found plenty of gaps. Dylan Crews hit a grounder down the third-base line, Bohm couldn’t make a diving backhand pick, and two more Nats sprinted home. After Jose Tena’s double to right-center tied the game at 6-all, Nola’s day was done.

“Body felt good,” Nola said. “Rib and ankle felt good, arm felt really good. Just had trouble stopping it today, getting a swing and miss or getting them to hit a ball to one of our guys. And they capitalized on some pitches, a couple of them that I yanked and a few of them I didn’t get to the spot I wanted.” 

The game became a battle of the bullpens. For the Phillies, Tanner Banks successfully finished off the third. 

The runs continued to flow in the fourth inning. Bohm flared a single to center and Nick Castellanos drove a ground-rule double to left, his first extra-base hit in over two weeks. Weston Wilson then delivered a go-ahead, two-RBI knock. 

Castellanos added an emphatic insurance run in the sixth inning, smoking an 0-2 Shinnosuke Ogasawara fastball 428 feet. The Phils tacked on two more against a wild Konnor Pilkington in the seventh.

The Phils’ ‘pen was largely excellent after Nola’s early exit. Banks, Joe Ross and Matt Strahm carried the Phillies through the seventh inning.

Max Lazar pitched a clean eighth inning, but he found trouble in the ninth. DeJong bashed a three-run homer and Jhoan Duran warmed up. Lile doubled to left-center and Phillies manager Rob Thomson brought in his closer.

Duran won a nine-pitch encounter vs. Crews, inducing a groundout to shortstop. He slammed the door shut by striking out pinch-hitter James Wood on a 101.6 mph fastball.

“Banks and Joe Ross did a great job,” Thomson said. “Strahm did a great job holding the game down. … That was huge for us, it really was. I’m really proud of this group.

“On this 10-day road trip we go 6-4, but there were a lot of things that could’ve gone sideways on us with travel, with rain delays and things like that. They held up and they answered, so it was good to see.”

Homestand awaits 

The Phillies will open a six-game homestand Monday night. They’ll host the Mariners for three games and then see the Nats again next weekend.

Jose Alvarado is eligible to return Tuesday from his 80-game suspension. He’s thrown five scoreless innings in his ramp-up work with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.