DETROIT - JUNE 12: The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 2-1 to win Game Seven and the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena on June 12, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Seventeen years ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins stunned the Detroit Red Wings to win the team’s third Stanley Cup title.
The Penguins were heavy underdogs in the Stanley Cup Final series against the Red Wings, who were the defending champions from the prior year.
Pittsburgh seemed extremely outmatched during stretches of the series, losing all three road games in Detroit, but winning Games 3, 4, and 6 to force a deciding Game 7 back at Joe Louis Arena.
Maxime Talbot opened the scoring early in the second period of the game, beating goaltender Chris Osgood to make it a 1-0 game.
Sidney Crosby left the game with a knee injury, but the Penguins kept pressing on.
Maxime Talbot was the star of the game, scoring a second goal near the midway point of the second period, picking a corner against Osgood to make it 2-0 Pittsburgh.
From there, it seemed like the Penguins were hanging on for dear life.
Jonathan Ericsson got the Red Wings on the board and Niklas Kronwall nearly tied the game, hitting the crossbar with a shot with just over 2 minutes remaining in the contest.
With the Penguins hanging on, Marc-Andre Fleury made a diving save on Nicklas Lidstrom as time was expiring and as time expired, the Penguins were Stanley Cup champions.
What a month this has been for the NHL and NBA finals, each with tremendously entertaining series and, in the Knicks’ case, the chance to make a city explode and unite around a title not seen in half a century.
A cup win for Raleigh or Vegas would be…less impactful, but it will still be the conclusion to a riveting series.
As for us, check back later for an outstanding Weird Islanders episode with former Isles beatwriter Arthur Staple discussing the weird Nino Niederreiter year (and a bonus run-in with Jack Capuano).
Islanders News
Anders Lee update-non-update: Isles would still like to keep him (but at what cost?) and he’d like to stay (but at what cost?), so the betting is he’ll reach free agency. [LeBrun rumbling at Athletic]
The Isles have signed Daylan [sic] Kuefler to another two-way deal, this one for two years. [Isles]
Matthew Schaefer was there for the Knicks’ amazing comeback in Game 4. [THN]
Elsewhere
The Hurricanes are one win away after a somewhat comfortable (by this series’ standards) Game 5 win at home. [NHL]
Jordan Staal is the first guy to score in five consecutive Stanley Cup final games in 50 years. [Sportsnet]
The NHL will further investigate Mike Babcock’s douchebaggery in Columbus, what with Edmonton seeking permission to hire him to kill their team off. [Athletic]
Speaking of the Oilers, Darnell Nurse says yeah fer sure, you can trade me. [Sportsnet]
Nikita Kucherov was awarded the Hart Trophy for some reason. [NHL]
Former Canucks GM Patrik Allvin joins the Kraken as one of several assistant GMs. [Sportsnet]
Ask a dumb question, spend a thousand words on a dumb non-answer. [Athletic]
Pitching was sharp on both sides in this one as Sawyer Gipson-Long posted his best start of the season while the Hens were held to four hits.
The right-hander fired five scoreless innings of one-hit ball of his own in this one. Gipson-Long allowed two walks, but he struck out five on the evening. As usual, his slider-changeup combo was very good, but his fastball metrics remain well below average. Ricky Vanasco succeeded him with a scoreless inning of work, and Troy Watson took it the rest of the way. He too pitched a solid three innings, but allowed a solo shot in the top of the ninth for the only run in this one.
Max Clark went 0-for-5 but didn’t strike out, and he was the only Hen who could say that. Corey Julks had two hits to lead the offense, such as it was as Saints veteran Austin Voth struck out eight in his start.
Julks: 2-4, 2B, 2 K
Gipson-Long: 5.0 IP, 0 R, H, 2 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Friday in Toledo.
John Peck came through with a walkoff double after the RubberDucks tied this one up late.
Starter Sean Hunley struggled for Erie in this one, but the offense seized control pretty early after Hunley gave up four runs in four innings.
Brett Callahan is really pressing his case for a move to Toledo now. The left-handed outfielder crushed a solo shot in the bottom of the first for his 12th home run of the season, and his fifth in the last six games. Callahan is holding his own against left-handed pitching and destroying right-handers. The Tigers do things at a glacial pace but Callahan should be moving up after the All-Star break if he can avoid a slump in the meantime.
In the second, singles from Chris Meyers and Izaac Pacheco led to their second run. In the third, they really poured on the offense. Peyton Graham singled with one out and John Peck drew a walk. A two-out single from Andrew Jenkins plated Graham, and then Meyers walked to load the bases. Pacheco ripped a two-run single to right field and then stole second base. E.J. Exposito came through with a two-run single of his own, and it was 7-3 Erie through three innings.
The Detroit area’s own Alex Mooney hit a solo shot off of Hunley in the fourth to make it a 7-4 game, and the RubberDucks chipped away at the lead with a two-run sixth against Johan Simon.
Moises Rodriguez took over in the ninth with a 7-6 lead looking for the save. He got a quick pair of ground outs and his sinker is popping triple digits now that the weather has heated up. That didn’t stop Jaison Chourio, who got a hanging slider and launched it to right for just the second homer against Rodriguez this year.
Tie ballgame.
The reversal came quickly in the bottom half. Graham walked, and Peck smoked a double off the right field wall. Graham raced first to home ahead of the relay, and the SeaWolves had a walkoff winner.
🚨SeaWolves Walk-Off Win🚨
John Peck hits a hard line-drive double off the wall in right and Peyton Graham comes all the way home from 1st to give Erie an 8-7 win. Unfortunately, it looks like Alfonsin Rosario was hurt on the play. @ZachSurdenik calls it. pic.twitter.com/cAxBVYJpEu
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves will morph into the Flagship City Kitties on Friday, as they hunt for their fifth straight victory at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Lake County Captains 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 5 (box)
The Whitecaps beat up on Captains starter Melkis Hernandez, only to watch their bullpen blow the lead late on Thursday.
Right out of the gate, a one-out single from Andrew Sojka and a double from a still hot Ricardo Hurtado got the Whitecaps in scoring position, and Sojka scored on a ground out for a 1-0 lead.
Starter Lucas Elissalt leaked two runs in the bottom half on a single-double-single combination, but in the second, Samuel Gil and Junior Tilien led off with singles. Caleb Shpur’s automatic double scored Gil, and a Sojka single scored Tilien. Shpur was thrown out at the plate, but it was 3-2 ‘Caps.
The third opened with back-to-back doubles from Clayton Campbell and Luke Shliger for a 4-2 lead. Unfortunately Gil lined into a double play to snuff that threat from developing further.
Elissalt allowed a Dean Curley solo shot off a high fastball in the bottom of the third that got the Captains back within one. The right-hander has struggled early on this year, but we keep seeing hints of more velocity, and he was really just bit by sequencing. Other than the solo shot he wasn’t hit hard at all and was in pretty good command of his stuff.
Again the Whitecaps pushed across a run in the bottom half on a Campbell sac fly that scored Sojka.
Unfortunately, that 5-3 lead wouldn’t hold up as Preston Howey surrendered three runs in the sixth, and the offense went quiet.
Sojka: 3-5, 2 R, RBI, 2 K
Hurtado: 2-5, 2B, K
Gil: 2-4, R
Elissalt: 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:00 p.m. ET start on Friday with the Captains up 2-1 in the series.
Malachi Witherspoon’s control was pretty shaky again in this one, and the bullpen kept leaking runs while the offense was pretty quiet.
Witherspoon did settle in eventually, but he coughed up two runs in a pretty laborious first inning. He shut the Threshers down from there and found his command to a degree, but was still pretty efficient. He departed in the fourth and Yendry Gomez cleaned up that inning and spun a scoreless fifth as well.
In the fifth, the Flying Tigers finally capitalized on an opportunity when a passed ball got Nick Dumesnil to second base, and a Beau Ankeney single scored him. In the sixth, Anibal Salas singled with two outs, and Hunter Dobbins doubled him in.
At that point it was a 2-2 game and things were looking up.
In the bottom of the sixth, Luke Hoskins came on for Lakeland and an error on Jude Warwick allowed the leadoff hitter to reach and then steal second base. A double that Javier Osorio couldnt’ snare at third gave the Threshers the lead. Hoskins leaked another run before getting out of the inning, and gave up one more in the seventh as the Flying Tigers’ offense went silent.
Dobbins: 2-4, RBI, 2B, K
Warwick: 2-5, 2 K, SB
Witherspoon: 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers lead the series 2-1 heading into a 6:30 p.m. ET matchup on Friday.
20-year-old Jack Bushell, another of the Tigers’ Australian pitching contingent alongside Ali Tanner, went through the Phillies like an angry weedeater in this one, striking out 10 and allowing just a solo shot in five innings of work.
Angel de los Santos, a fast-rising 19-year-old shortstop prospect, mashed a three-run shot in the fifth that was the decisive blow in this one.
Just as nice to see was the return of SS/2B Franyerber Montilla. The 21-year-old slick fielding switch hitter blew out his ACL last July, and this was the first we heard about his status. He went 0-1 with two walks and scored a run. He’ll need some time to build up, but my guess would be West Michigan is his final destination, playing second base alongside Bryce Rainer.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 09: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run for his first Major League home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on June 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees are going to have to pass the “Playing without Aaron Judge Test” repeatedly over the next several weeks, but they’ve passed the initial run. They’ve won five of six since the Captain’s injury was officially announced, with the offense particularly stepping up in a series sweep in Cleveland. The road trip continues with the team’s first visit to Canada this year, where they’ll look to repay the Blue Jays for Toronto’s domination of New York last year.
On the site today, we turn our sights to the Jays, with Matt previewing the three-game set. Later, Sam recaps Thursday’s American League action, and Nick praises the great Hideki Matsui on the occasion of his 52nd birthday. Also, Peter’s sequence of the week highlights Fernando Cruz, and Jeff discusses how Trent Grisham’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 3:07 p.m. EST
TV: YES, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Questions/Prompts:
1. On the occasion of the Yankees visiting Toronto, do you think the Jays are still a major threat to come back in the division? Or do you think they’ve fallen far back enough?
2. Can you think of a baseball analogue to what happened in Game 4 of the NBA Finals?
Jason Lane’s four home runs and 31 total bases in 1998. Greg Swindell’s 29 strikeouts for Texas in 1985. Mark Kotsay’s both-ways dominance for Cal Fullerton in 1995. Arizona State first baseman Bob Horner’s 11 RBIs in 1977.
The College World Series has been the stage for some of the top individual performances in NCAA history. Last year, LSU righthander Kade Anderson was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player after striking out 10 batters in the opening game of the finals against Coastal Carolina.
This year’s series features a record five teams from the SEC along with North Carolina, West Virginia and Troy.
One player will end up taking the wheel and leading his team to the national championship. Before play begins on Friday, here are the pitchers and hitters to watch heading into the CWS:
No. 3 Georgia: RHP Caden Aoki and C Daniel Jackson
Aoki spent most of the year in the bullpen, earning a finalist nomination for Stopper of the Year honors as the nation’s top reliever, but has delivered 11.2 innings and 20 strikeouts in two starts in this tournament. The first catcher in Division I history to post 25 home runs and 25 steals in the same season, Jackson (.396 BA) won the triple crown in the SEC and is up to 31 homers after hitting a pair in the super regionals against Mississippi State.
No. 5 North Carolina: RHP Jason DeCaro and CF Owen Hull
DeCaro (11-2, 2.28 ERA) is a veteran of this stage after giving up one run and striking out six across four innings of work in the Tar Heels’ win against Virginia in the 2024 CWS. He’ll likely draw the nod for the opener against Mississippi. A transfer from George Mason, Hull (.390, 81 RBIs) had four doubles and the walk-off winning hit against Southern California in the super regionals.
No. 6 Texas: LHP Dylan Volantis and RF Aidan Robbins
A projected top pick in this year’s MLB draft, Volantis (2.03 ERA) is nearly untouchable when on his game and pretty unstoppable even when things aren’t working well; he had a season-high four wild pitches but still struck out 10 in an easy 11-3 win against Oregon in the super regionals. Robbins has continued to mash since joining the Longhorns from Seton Hall, posting a .342 average and 24 home runs with a 1.115 OPS.
No. 7 Alabama: RHP Myles Upchurch and SS Justin Lebron
Just a freshman, Upchurch has battled through some early command issues (40 walks in 70.2 innings) to go 8-3 with 77 strikeouts and a 3.57 ERA while holding batters to a .198 average. It’s been a frustrating year at times for Lebron, who is hitting just .277, down from a .316 mark in his breakout sophomore season. But he’s one of the best base-stealers in the nation (41 steals in 42 attempts) and can make a huge impact even if his bat is missing.
No. 16 West Virginia: LHP Maxx Yehl and UTL Gavin Kelly
Yehl (2.10 ERA) has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery to become one of the top southpaws in the country. He’s given up just two runs on seven hits in his past two tournament starts. Kelly has posted at least one hit in all seven tournament games, pushing his average to .384, and the sophomore brings even more value thanks to his ability to man both catcher and second base at a high level. A strong CWS could vault him to the top of the list among 2027 draft prospects.
Mississippi: RHP Cade Townsend and 3B Judd Utermark
Ole Miss needs more from Townsend in Omaha. While still one of the top college arms in this year’s draft, he’s struggled of late, giving up 14 runs over 12 innings in his past three starts. That’s kicked his ERA to 3.94, up from 2.42 in early May. Utermark (22 home runs) went 3 for 7 with 4 RBIs to pace the Rebels’ two-game sweep of Auburn in the super regionals.
Oklahoma: LHP Cord Rager and C Deiten Lachance
The decision to move Rager from Sunday starter to the top of the rotation for the tournament has paid off for the Sooners. The freshman struck out eight in six innings in the regional opener against The Citadel and then delivered brilliant performance in the Lawrence super regional, holding host Kansas to just one hit in six innings. A junior college transfer this past offseason, Lachance has split time between catcher and first base. His bat travels: Lachance is hitting .332 while leading OU in hits (73), home runs (15) and RBIs (62).
Troy: LHP Hayden Smith and INF Aaron Piasecki
Smith joins Benjamin Stubbs (6-3, 4.93 ERA) and Tommy Egan (6-5, 5.38 ERA) in Troy’s rotation. He pitched four innings of one-run ball to eliminate Florida in the regionals. Piasecki’s elite hit tool has sparked the Trojans’ offense since he joined the program from Central Michigan. The middle infielder is hitting .346 with far more walks (39) than strikeouts (24). Beyond Piasecki, Troy has been boosted by a power surge from designated hitter Jabe Boroff, who is hitting .462 with six homers in the tournament.
Less than a decade ago, the British GP was on the brink of disappearing but this July it will break the record for the biggest ever with 570,000 through the gates
The scale of change at the British Grand Prix in recent years will be writ large come July when the meeting is poised to become the biggest in Formula One history.
This year’s race is expected to sell out its new capacity of 570,000 over four days, which will be a record-breaking 50,000 increase on the previous highest attendance of 520,000 at the Australian GP in 1995. Only Wimbledon, across two weeks, will boast more numbers in the UK summer with Silverstone the largest event on F1’s calendar.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 05: Aroldis Chapman #44 of the Boston Red Sox leaves the field during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, June 5, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
ESPN | Enrique Rojas: The Red Sox sit in last place in the division, and even though the last Wild Card slot is currently held by the .500 Texas Rangers, there isn’t much faith in Fenway making a push to contend this year. Plenty of people expect Boston to be sellers, and they have a few short-term rentals that could entice some good returns including their closer, Aroldis Chapman, who is miraculously in the best form of his career despite now being 38 years old.
Chapman knows he’s on the trading block, and could expect to be in a different uniform by the deadline, but there’s one particular jersey he wouldn’t want to put on again unless his conditions were met. He said he would want an apology from the team, more specifically Brian Cashman, for how his Yankees tenure ended before he could feel comfortable playing for them again. This may come as a surprise to anyone who was following the team when he last played here, because that 2022 season burned every ounce of remaining goodwill the closer had with the fanbase — after years of underperformance in the playoffs and routine stretches of blowing games by not coming close to finding the strike zone, Chapman went and got a tattoo midseason that got infected forcing the team to sit him on the IL and all but handed the closer gig over to Clay Holmes. Then at the end of the year, Chapman got left off the postseason roster when he missed a mandatory practice before the ALDS.
Frankly, the Sox would never trade Chapman over to their archrivals in the first place so this is a moot point, but I also wouldn’t want him to ever come back even if he is pitching lights out nowadays and I certainly don’t think Cashman owes Chapman any sort of apology. I hardly think I’d be alone in that belief.
NY Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees are heading north of the border to Toronto for the first time this season, and thus also returning for the first time since their brutal ALDS games last year. The team may be without Aaron Judge in the lineup for the foreseeable future, but their rotation looks to be significantly better than when they traveled up and got shelled for 23 runs in two games. They’re also facing a Blue Jays team that is much further out of the race than the last time they made their initial trip up, as last year’s first meeting was the turning point that gave Toronto a division lead that wouldn’t get relinquished following a four-game sweep.
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips: There was some friendly tomfoolery at the ballpark on Wednesday, as Cody Bellinger was subjected to a professional heckler. The content creator Trevor Gilmore has a dedicated page to heckling the road team’s left fielder with some ultimately harmless jokes alongside playfully calling them a bum, and he gets invited by several MLB teams to come and run his schtick for them with Cleveland happening to be his latest appearance. Bellinger said that he heard the chants loud and clear, but had fun with it and noted that he had some good lines.
MLB.com | Henry Palattella: Paul Goldschmidt entered this season expecting a part-time role for the first time in his lengthy career, and he openly embraced the role of the veteran backup. He kept himself productive enough in the first month and change of the season, but once injuries began to mount in the lineup and his name started appearing regularly in the lineup again he showed that there was no rust on the seven-time All-Star’s bat. He’s had a hot May and carried it over into June, hitting for a .924 OPS with seven homers and 23 RBI in 31 games played, and even though some of the regulars are set to return soon having a productive Goldy who can stay ready whether he’s sitting for days on end or has to play a week straight will be vital to this team staying in a rhythm offensively.
Erling Haaland swapped the football pitch for the ice rink as he and his Norway team-mates took in a Stanley Cup match.
The Norway contingent provided lively support for the Carolina Hurricanes in game five of the NHL play-off series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
The Manchester City forward, who will make his long-awaited World Cup debut against Iraq on 16 June (23:00 BST), cut a relaxed figure at the Lenovo Centre in Raleigh, waving to the crowd when the Norway team appeared on the scoreboard screen and swinging a Hurricanes rally towel around his head.
Arriving at the game in a grey polo shirt, he was later filmed beaming in a white and red Hurricanes jersey emblazoned with the number nine – the same number he wears for both club and country.
The Hurricanes, targeting their first Stanley Cup crown for 20 years, lead the Golden Knights 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, completing a 4-2 regulation win in game five.
Norway are playing at their first World Cup since 1998 – and their first major tournament since Euro 2000 – and have already made a mark despite not starting their campaign until next Tuesday.
The squad donned authentic Viking dress for an epic send-off photograph by acclaimed British photographer David Yarrow, titled The Vikings Are Coming, and have also paid tribute to their players' roots with a team photo featuring the shirts of their first clubs.
Norway are based in Greensboro, North Carolina – about 80 miles from the Hurricanes' Raleigh home – for the duration of the tournament, with the opportunity to watch the blue riband event of the NHL season coming less than a fortnight after the men's national ice hockey team shocked Canada in overtime to clinch the bronze medal at the World Championships.
After facing Iraq in their World Cup opener in Boston, Norway travel to New Jersey to play Senegal (23 June, 01:00 BST) before returning to Boston for a meeting with France (26 June, 20:00 BST).
Jun 1973; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis in action during the 1973 season. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images
Introduction
Fifty Six years ago on this day Dock Ellis, a 25 year old right handed starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, tossed a no hitter against the San Diego Padres. This wouldn’t normally warrant a full article, especially a no hitter where said pitcher walked eight batters and hit one, but you’ve already read the title, so I’ll just let Dock tell the story in his own words first, since he was a far better story teller than I ever will be.
The Doubters
Apparently there are people out there who don’t think this story happened, among them Pirates beat reporter Les Biederman who was AT the game. Biederman pokes holes in Dock’s story, noting that Ellis arrived on time, and didn’t look like he was under the influence. None of his teammates in that game have corroborated the story either, most notably Willie Stargill, the offensive hero of the game. To put it politely, Dock Ellis was quite the storyteller and some have suggested it is just that, a story. I however am not swayed by most of the arguments that have been made suggesting that this outright didn’t happen.
Context is Important and Addicts Are Unreliable Narrators
First off, I think it’s important to point out the context of when this happened, and when this story became public, which was long after the fact. Dock Ellis was a 25 year old in active addiction when this happened. He told this story decades later after sobering up, and later admitted that his biggest regret in life was not being able to remember his greatest personal achievement in pro sports. Having had my own struggled well over a decade ago, I know the struggles of addiction and the pain in Ellis’ voice when discussing it is very real and relatable, and it’s enough for me to believe that some version of his story happened. As far as Ellis not being late for the game, I am sure in his mind Ellis though he was super late, you have to remember that this is someone under the effects of multiple drugs. LSD messes with your perception of time, it can make you very paranoid, but most importantly it makes you a very, very unreliable narrator.
“But Wesley! That still sounds like lying to me!”
The only lying going so far are the lies by omission, that only someone who is familiar enough with the substances mentioned could catch.
Ellis, D wasn’t on just LSD
This is a bit of a side point, but as someone with ADHD, I would be shocked if Dock Ellis wasn’t self medicating for ADHD, considering all the stimulants he used, and the fact that he struggled to pitch without them. getting back to the main point though, Ellis wasn’t just on LSD, he was on a bunch of stimulants as well as a barbituate. Dexamyl was a combination of the active ingredient in the ADHD medication Dexidrine, and a barbituate tranquilizer, which later was taken off the market due to abuse, and being phased out by more effective Benzodiazapines. The other stimulant medication mentioned is literally just amphetamine, which is also a component of the ADHD medication Adderall. Having friends in both the EDM and the Jam Band/wook scene, I have been told that mixing ADHD meds won’t affect the intensity of a trip or its duration, but what will affect the intensity and effect of an LSD trip is repeatedly dosing yourself for multiple days in a row, which usually just results in a higher tolerance and bum vibes on the last day of EDC. Ellis described using LSD throughout his days off. So Doc’s trip is not off to a great start just from those f.actors. Having taken his dosage at noon, he’d be feeling the affects by one, and by first pitch he would be on the back end of the peak effects, considering LSD lasts roughly 10-12 hours. Even if we account for this being 1970 LSD, which by all consensus was way way too strong, Doc wouldn’t have been tripping his balls off by the end of the game. Regardless of how strong any visual effects were, his performance would still likely have been affected due to one common physiological side affect of LSD though, excessive sweating from the palms. There’s no reason to believe that it would actually interfere enough with his in game performance to actually be all that noticeable, or for it to prevent him from playing, especially a starting pitcher.
Ellis wasn’t himself in that game
Dock Ellis threw multiple complete games in his 1970 season, and in none of those games did he struggle with his control like he did in his no hitter. This is a guy who had BB/9 of 3,9 that season and that includes his eight walks in that game. Take the walks from that game out of his stats and I’d imagine his BB/9 drops down to close to 3 walks per nine innings. So here’s a starting pitcher with otherwise decent control, suddenly walking batters at twice his normal rate. Dock would hit batters on occasion, but usually it was on purpose. Ellis was also usually a fairly good hitter; that season he had 10 hits, including a double, a walk, and a stolen base. Keyword usually, as Ellis was hitless, striking out twice. Having worse control as a pitcher, a bad day at the plate, yet somehow still throwing a no hitter is actually exactly how I’d expect LSD to affect an athlete.
Final points
As far as the lack of corroboration from teammates goes, specifically Willie Stargill, I understand completely why he would remain silent. Willie Stargill was involved in the cocaine scandals of the 1980s, I doubt he would want to comment on it for that reason alone. The beat reporter not noticing ‘Ellis being on something’ means very little when this was an addict in active addiction, and when said beat reporter likely had very little familiarity with the substance in question. Unless you know what you’re looking for, you’re not going to notice. (for a great example, look at the creators of South Park when they went to the Oscars on LSD. None of the media noticed or said anything, but in hindsight it is also VERY obvious) Sadly, we don’t have the full game footage, only the final inning, so we can’t examine the game itself for further evidence.
Conclusion
Dock Ellis was a great pitcher, and he deserves to be remembered for more than just his famous feat. He was one of the first athlete activists. He was a great motivational speaker after he got sober, and he used his stories both to help people in recovery, and to hopefully help others avoid making the same mistakes he made. I highly recommend finding ‘No No: A Dockumentary’ which is a fantastic full length documentary exploring more than just Ellis’ no hitter, but his entire life. I think most importantly, it goes over the things Dock was famous for prior to this story taking a life of its own, like in the scene I’ve included below.
So just to conclude things, maybe in reality, this didn’t happen exactly as Dock Ellis described it, but in my heart, I’ll always believe it did.
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 11: Keider Montero #54 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Izzy Rincon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good
🚨 BREAKING: FIFA has decided that release clauses will now be MANDATORY in ALL CONTRACTS.
Both players and clubs will be required to include a figure in their contracts.
New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (62-20, second in the Western Conference)
San Antonio; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Spurs -5.5; over/under is 216.5
NBA FINALS: Knicks lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks look to clinch the series over the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the NBA Finals. The Knicks defeated the Spurs 107-106 in the last matchup on Thursday. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 36 points, and Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 24.
The Spurs have gone 32-8 in home games. San Antonio ranks ninth in the league with 28.1 assists per game. Stephon Castle leads the Spurs averaging 7.4.
The Knicks are 23-19 on the road. New York is eighth in the Eastern Conference with 27.4 assists per game led by Brunson averaging 6.8.
The Spurs make 48.3% of their shots from the field this season, which is 2.3 percentage points higher than the Knicks have allowed to their opponents (46.0%). The Knicks average 5.0 more points per game (116.5) than the Spurs give up (111.5).
TOP PERFORMERS: Wembanyama is shooting 51.2% and averaging 25.0 points for the Spurs. Devin Vassell is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Brunson is scoring 26.0 points per game with 3.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the Knicks. OG Anunoby is averaging 16.0 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 53.3% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 4-6, averaging 108.7 points, 44.2 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 8.2 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.6 points per game.
Knicks: 9-1, averaging 115.5 points, 45.8 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 102.6 points.
INJURIES: Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle).
Knicks: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
RALEIGH, N.C.– The Vegas Golden Knights entered the third period of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in a familiar position: trailing their opponent by multiple goals. But on Thursday, for the first time in a long time, they weren’t able to come back from that multi-goal deficit.
The Golden Knights spent most of the regular season playing from behind. They finished the regular season with 1,965 minutes spent trailing their opponents– second only to the 32nd-place Vancouver Canucks– and still won the Pacific Division.
This is a veteran team that doesn’t panic and never says die. This is a team that has been able to erase multi-goal deficits at will and emerge triumphant on the other side. But they’ve been playing with fire all year, and they finally got burned.
Now, their season is on the line.
“We’re just gonna get ready for our next game,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 loss.
Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. PST on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.
1. Lost in the Wilderness
The Golden Knights losing Game 5 to fall behind 3-2 in the series isn’t great for their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup. However, it’s possible that the final score wasn’t the worst loss the Golden Knights suffered in Game 5.
At 8:19 in the second period, William Karlsson took a hit from Sean Walker along the boards. It was a seemingly harmless play, a typical, run-of-the-mill check. But Karlsson went to the bench cradling his left arm, spent a few moments talking with the trainers, and headed down the tunnel. He did not return to the game, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that Karlsson left the arena to seek further medical attention.
Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella indirectly provided an update on Karlsson postgame– and it doesn’t sound good.
“He’s an important piece to us,” said Tortorella following the 4-2 loss. “Up the middle of the ice, penalty killer, power play guy. He’s a winner. But having said that– it’s all good stuff– he’s not gonna be with us, probably. We gotta find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy, but as a team.”
2. Shame, Shame, Shame!
Game 5 was a strange game. The Golden Knights fought until the final horn and threatened until the last second. But in many ways, they lost the game nine minutes into the second period.
At 8:56 in the second, Jeremy Lauzon took a dumb penalty. As Logan Stankoven sped towards the corners to try and win a footrace to a loose puck, Lauzon caught him in the stomach with a cross-check and flipped the smaller winger like a sack of baby potatoes.
The Golden Knights killed it off. But as Lauzon stepped out of the box, Brayden McNabb boarded Jackson Blake and took another penalty. The Hurricanes took the lead a minute into the ensuing power play.
The Hurricanes, who were so sound when playing with the lead before this series, took off and never looked back. They tacked on another before the period ended and extended their lead on the power play halfway through the third.
“We had a really good start,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the loss. “We lost momentum when we took back-to-back penalties.”
3. GUA-RAN-TEE!
For the first time in 48 days, the Vegas Golden Knights look vulnerable. For the first time in 48 days, they lost two games in a row. For the first time in 48 days, they are trailing in a series.
John Tortorella isn’t worried.
Following the 4-2 loss, Tortorella sat at the podium and said that his team would be back at the Lenovo Center for Game 7. In fact, he guaranteed it.
“We’ll be back here,” he said. “We’re just gonna do it in a different order.”
Less than a minute later, he doubled down on his promise.
“I’m gonna leave my clothes here,” Tortorella swore. “That’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”
The Golden Knights have a steep hill to climb, and without William Karlsson in the lineup, that hill becomes even steeper.
But there was a time when they looked like a one-and-done team. It’s been a while, but the Golden Knights have been down in a series before– and they were without Karlsson’s services then, too. And they certainly weren’t supposed to get past Colorado.
Yes, it’s a steep hill to climb. But they’ve spent two months proving everyone wrong. What’s one more time?
But coach John Tortorella was in form afterward, essentially guaranteeing the Stanley Cup Final would return to Raleigh, North Carolina, for Game 7 and ripping a reporter's question about the goaltending.
"We're going to find a way," he said. "I'm going to leave my clothes here, that's for sure. They'll be in the hotel."
The Carolina Hurricanes won 4-2 as Jordan Staal scored for the fifth game in a row and first-line players Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho broke through with three goals. Brandon Bussi made 23 saves in his second consecutive start since replacing Frederik Andersen at the start of the third period of Game 3.
Tortorella took exception when a reporter asked if he considered replacing Carter Hart with Adin Hill for the start of the third period on Thursday. Hart has given up four goals in every game of the series.
"Oh for Christ - that could be the stupidest question I've heard," he said.
The Golden Knights had some positives with Pavel Dorofeyev scoring twice to end a drought. Jack Eichel had two assists.
But Hart will need to outplay Bussi in Game 6 and the Golden Knights will need to solve the Hurricanes' power play without penalty killer Karlsson for Tortorella's vow to come true.
Jordan Staal ties NHL record with Game 5 goal
Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal's five-game streak in the Stanley Cup Final tied an NHL record and put him in elite company.
He joined Hall of Famers Yvan Cournoyer (1973), Jean Beliveau (1956), Maurice Richard (1951) and Fred "Cyclone" Taylor (1918) with the streak. Staal would pass them if he scores in Game 6 on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Hurricanes coach glad for two-day break
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said he's grateful that there are two days off before Game 6 in order to tamp down the excitement about winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup title since 2006.
"I don't think it will be too hard to focus this group," he said.
The Golden Knights are on the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup Final after losing Game 5 to the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2, on Thursday.
The teams return to Vegas for Game 6 on Sunday, as the Golden Knights look to stave off elimination and force a Game 7, which would be in Raleigh, North Carolina on Wednesday.
Though Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring 6:52 into the game with a power-play goal to give Vegas a 1-0 lead, the Hurricanes answered shortly thereafter to thwart the Knights' energy, as Jordan Staal scored his sixth goal of the series.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 12, 2026
After being outscored 9-1 in the second period through the first four games, the Hurricanes outscored the Knights 2-0 on Thursday to secure a 3-1 lead after two periods, getting goals from Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho.
Svechnikov added a power-play goal in the third, to push Carolina's lead to 4-1 before Dorofeyev scored his second goal a little more than two minutes later to cut the lead in half.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 12, 2026
Carolina goalie Brandon Bussi was in lockdown mode, however, as he stopped 23 shots on the night.
Vegas netminder Carter Hart, who made 20 saves, allowed four goals for the fifth straight game.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) scores against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) and defenseman K'andre Miller (19) during the third period in game five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.
