MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Seattle Mariners 9, Detroit Tigers 6 – F/11
Toronto Blue Jays 6, Chicago White Sox 2
Chicago Cubs 3, San Diego Padres 1
Mariners 9, Tigers 6 – F/11 – Fraley’s catch, single in 11th leads M’s over Tigers 9-6
Jake Fraley made a game-saving catch in the ninth inning, then drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th to lead the Seattle Mariners over the Detroit Tigers 9-6. Fraley robbed Isaac Paredes of a game-ending homer with one out in the ninth, reaching well over the left-field fence to make the catch, then threw to first for an inning-ending double play. After both teams scored one run in the 10th, Fraley gave the Mariners a 5-4 lead with a one-out RBI single in the 11th.
Blue Jays 6, White Sox 2 – Grichuk homers, Blue Jays beat sloppy White Sox 6-2
Randal Grichuk hit a long home run and the Toronto Blue Jays took advantage of a season-high four errors by Chicago as well as a bases-loaded walk to beat the AL Central-leading White Sox 6-2. Grichuk hit a 451-foot drive leading off the second inning. Toronto rookie Alek Manoah threw five solid innings in his third major league start and the Blue Jays won despite another strong outing by Chicago’s Lance Lynn. The White Sox were sailing along with a 2-1 lead after Lynn struck out nine over seven innings. But a shaky bullpen and poor defense spoiled things for Chicago. Toronto scored three runs in the eighth and tacked on two more in the ninth.
Cubs 3, Padres 1 – Pederson, Arrieta lead Cubs to 3-1 win over Darvish, Padres
Joc Pederson and Sergio Alcantara homered, and Jake Arrieta threw five strong innings for the Chicago Cubs, who beat former teammate Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres 3-1 to take two of three. The Cubs beat the Padres five times in six games in a 10-day stretch, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field last week. Darvish retired the first nine Cubs batters before Pederson hit a towering home run to right-center field leading off the fourth to tie the game at 1. Pederson mimicked Fernando Tatis Jr.’s stutter step as he approached third base on his trot. It was Pederson’s seventh.
Today
Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers, 1:10 p.m. 94.9 WSJM/103.7 Cosy-FM 12:50
Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox, 8:00 p.m.
Cubs are off
MLB – Mets’ Alonso claims MLB manipulating baseballs to harm FAs
New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso accused Major League Baseball of manipulating the baseballs to harm the earning potential for star free agents and players eligible for arbitration. Alonso’s comments came before New York’s game at Baltimore. He was responding to a question about the crackdown on sticky substances used by pitchers. Alonso’s implied that the balls are friendlier to hitters in a year when a number of top pitchers are about to hit free agency, and vice versa.
MLB – White Sox return to 100% at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 25
The Chicago White Sox will return to 100% capacity at Guaranteed Rate Field starting with a June 25 game against Seattle. The announcement comes five days after the Chicago Cubs said they will move to 100% at Wrigley Field for their June 11 game against St. Louis. The White Sox say the June 25 game will be followed by postgame fireworks. Season ticket holders will return to their regular locations, and seating pods will be eliminated. More than half the 30 teams have announced returns to full capacity.
MLB – Baseball Hall delays induction to Sept 8. to allow crowd
Baseball’s Hall of Fame is moving this year’s induction ceremony for Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller from July 25 to Sept. 8 so a crowd may attend as coronavirus restrictions ease. The ceremony will take place outdoors on the Hall’s lawn as a ticketed event with a limit on crowd size. The inductions were to have taken place in July 2020 but were postponed due to the pandemic. No candidates were elected in 2021. The Hall’s award presentations will remain on July 24 as an indoor, television-only event.
NHL – 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 2 – Best of 7
Last Night
New York Islanders 6, Boston Bruins 2 (NYI wins 4-2)
Tonight
Colorado Avalanche at Vegas Golden Knights, 9:00 p.m. (VGK leads 3-2)
NHL – Blackhawks, F Lukas Reichel agree to 3-year contract
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to an entry-level contract with Lukas Reichel after selecting the forward in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft. Reichel’s three-year deal runs through the 2023-24 season with a $925,000 salary-cap hit. General manager Stan Bowman said Reichel made “tremendous strides” during his second year with Eisbären Berlin in Germany’s top professional league. Reichel, 19, was selected by Chicago with the No. 17 pick in last year’s draft.
NBA – National Basketball Association Playoffs – Round 2 – Best of 7
Last Night
Phoenix Suns 123, Denver Nuggets 98 (PHX leads 2-0)
Tonight
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m. (BKN leads 2-0)
Los Angeles Clippers at Utah Jazz, 10:00 p.m. (UTA leads 1-0)
NBA – Pacers fire Bjorkgren as coach after just 1 season
The Indiana Pacers have fired Nate Bjorkgren after missing the playoffs in his only season as coach. The Pacers went 34-38 and their season ended with a 142-115 loss to Washington in the play-in tournament that ended their run of five straight playoff appearances. Team president Kevin Pritchard chose afterward to take some time to evaluate the coaching position and has made his decision. He says the Pacers will move quickly to identify candidates but had no timetable for a hire. When Bjorkgren’s hiring was announced in October, Pritchard acknowledged he was betting big on a young coach. The 45-year-old Bjorkgren previously was an assistant in Toronto and Phoenix.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Chicago Sky 92, Indiana Fever 76
Sky 92, Fever 76 – Candace Parker makes home debut, helps Sky end losing streak
Candace Parker made her hometown debut for Chicago and Courtney Vandersloot led the way offensively with 17 points and nine assists as the Sky beat the Indiana Fever 92-76 to snap a seven-game losing streak. Parker returned home to Chicago in the offseason after a 13-year stint with the Los Angeles Sparks, but she entered having played just one game due to an ankle injury. Parker struggled from the field, shooting 1 of 9 in 18 minutes, but she grabbed five rebounds and had a key steal in the fourth quarter.
NCAA – Lawmakers agree NCAA needs NIL help, but how much and when?
A federal law governing how college athletes can earn money off their fame seems like a certainty. There is no real debate among lawmakers on Capitol Hill about whether college athletes should be permitted to monetize their name, image and likeness. But less than a month before NIL laws go into effect in several states, NCAA President Mark Emmert was back in Washington renewing his plea for help from Congress. That help is unlikely to come as soon as the NCAA would like.
NFL – NFL wants to hold games in Germany, seeks partner city
The NFL wants to expand its international series by holding regular-season games in Germany and has launched a process to identify a partner city. Germany boasts a strong NFL fan base and is one of the world’s largest economies. That makes the country an attractive partner. The NFL has staged 28 regular-season games in London since 2007 and will play two more in October at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The NFL’s head of UK and Europe says "identifying a preferred host city is a key step in bringing regular-season NFL games to our millions of German fans.”
Olympics – No Cheers: Tokyo Olympic Village considering ban on alcohol
The Olympic Village has traditionally been a fun place to be with thousands of athletes and staff. But not at the Tokyo Olympics. It’s not clear if alcohol will be allowed in the village and organizers say they have yet to decide on a policy. Organizers say athletes and almost everyone else coming in will have to consent to be monitored by GPS through their smartphones. Chief executive officer Toshiro Muto says this includes media, broadcasters and even athletes. This is to limit the movement of everyone when the delayed Olympics open on July 23.
MILB – Minor leaguer released from hospital after struck in head
Minor league pitcher Tyler Zombro was released from the hospital and will transition to outpatient occupational and speech therapy in Durham, North Carolina, after being struck in the head by a line drive last week. Zombro, a right-hander in the Tampa Bay Rays organization pitching with Triple-A Durham, was hit by a sharp liner from Norfolk’s Brett Cumberland in the eighth inning on June 3. Zombro crumbled to the ground, lay motionless for a moment face down, then began to convulse uncontrollably as teammates and a trainer rushed toward the mound.
MILB – Minor League Baseball – High-A Central
Yesterday
Lansing Lugnuts 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 1
South Bend Cubs 13, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 12 – F/12
Dayton Dragons 6, Great Lakes Loons 5
Tonight
Lansing Lugnuts at West Michigan Whitecaps, 7:05 p.m.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Baseball – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at Gull Lake
Portage Central 10, Battle Creek Lakeview 1
Division 2 at Lakeshore
Lakeshore 5, Otsego 3
Division 2 at Harper Creek
Marshall 2, Vicksburg 0
Division 3 at Bridgman
Buchanan 11, Lawton 1
Division 3 at Centreville
Schoolcraft 9, Bronson 0
Division 4 at River Valley
River Valley 11, Decatur 0
Division 4 at Kalamazoo Christian
Kalamazoo Hackett 10, Zion Christian 3
Tonight
Girls Soccer – Regional Final
Division 3 at Grand Rapids South Christian
Hudsonville Unity Christian vs. Three Rivers, 6:00 p.m.
