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Archives for June 17, 2023

U.S. Open Headed for Grand Finale

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LOS ANGELES – At 10-under (200), Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowlershare the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy sits one back.

Fowler holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the 10th time on Tour and the first time in a major. He is only 2-for-9 to date in converting into victory.

Clark holds the lead/co-lead for the third time in individual stroke-play events on Tour and the first time in a major. Overall, he is 1-for-2 to date in converting into victory.

Four-time major champion and World No. 3 McIlroy opened his 15th U.S. Open with three rounds in the 60s for the fifth time. He went on to win three of the previous four times he accomplished that feat.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler holed out from 196 yards for eagle on the par-4 17th then followed with a birdie on No. 18 for a 2-under (68). He trails the leaders by three strokes after 54 holes.

This week marks just the third time in the last 20 years that two of the top three players in the world rankings will be in the Top 4 on the leaderboard entering the final round of the U.S. Open. The others: 2006 – Phil Mickelson/Vijay Singh and then 2022 – Scheffler/Jon Rahm).

History Lesson: The eventual champion has been within four shots of the lead heading into the final round of the last 24 U.S. Open tournaments.

The largest come-from-behind victory in the final round of the U.S. Open is seven strokes, an accomplishment by the great Arnold Palmer in 1960.

No. 15 played at 80 yards in the third round, making it the shortest par-3 in U.S. Open history.

123rd U.S. Open Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Wyndham Clark 64-67-69—200 (-10)

Rickie Fowler 62-68-70—200 (-10)

Rory McIlroy 65-67-69—201 (-9)

Scottie Scheffler 67-68-68—203 (-7)

Harris English 67-66-71—204 (-6)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Let’s Play Two on Father’s Day

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BOSTON – The Red Sox-Yankees game scheduled for Saturday, June 17, at Fenway Park was postponed due to the heavy rainfall in the Fenway area throughout last evening.

The Saturday night game has been rescheduled as the first game of a split doubleheader today, June 18, beginning at 1:35 p.m. Tickets for Saturday’s game will be good for admission to the rescheduled contest. Tonight’s regularly scheduled game remains at 7:10 p.m.

The rescheduled game on June 18 will be televised on NESN and broadcast in English on WEEI 93.7 FM and in Spanish on WAMG 890 AM/WCCM 1490 AM.

Red Sox Have Upper Hand v NYY

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Meeting for the second time this season in Boston, the Red Sox and New York Yankees will conclude their three-game series with a day-night doubleheader on Sunday. The Sox have had the upper hand in the rivalry so far this season, taking two of three games in the Bronx last weekend before rolling to Friday’s 15-5 win at Fenway.

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Led by Justin Turner’s 3-for-5 performance that included two home runs and six RBIs, Boston set season-high marks for runs and hits on Friday. The Red Sox have scored 27 runs over their last three games.

“It seems like every game we have played has been in the 50s, and (Friday), it felt like summer,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You know how it plays here in the summer and the ball will carry. And the guys did an outstanding job putting pressure on (Yankees starter Domingo) German. We did some great things. We put pressure on their defense.”

After a rainy Saturday, Boston looks to continue its success behind a shuffled pitching rotation.

Brayan Bello (3-4, 3.78 ERA) will start Game 2 after being initially slated to work on Saturday. The Red Sox have yet to name a starter for the first game of the twin bill.

Bello has a 2.80 ERA over his last eight starts, which included seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball last Sunday in New York. Three of the 24-year-old’s last four starts have spanned at least six frames.

“He came back up (from Triple-A Worcester) with a great attitude,” Red Sox utility man Enrique Hernandez said of Bello. “Same story as last year (when) he takes the mound. He seems like he gets better. I think he is mature beyond his years.”

The Yankees will trot out the hurlers who were originally lined up to pitch the final two games of the series.

Game 1 starter Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.70) boasts a 2.33 ERA over his last five starts. The right-hander took a no-decision despite allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings opposite Bello last Sunday.

Entering the opener of Sunday’s doubleheader, New York is 11-13 against American League East teams and 28-18 against squads from all other divisions.

“Through this stretch where it’s been tough for us over the last 10 days, we’ve played really well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We just haven’t put a lot of points on the board. (Friday) we were at least able to get some runs on the board, but overall, we just did not play a very clean game.”

In the nightcap, Luis Severino (0-1, 6.48) will look for his first win of 2023. He allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a Subway Series game against the Mets, which the Yankees eventually won 7-6.

Severino has only surpassed the five-inning mark once this season (May 27 against San Diego) and has given up five or more earned runs in two of his last three outings.

Combining those games, Severino has covered just 13 2/3 innings and has allowed 16 earned runs on 22 hits. He has also surrendered seven homers during that span.

“I didn’t get better,” Severino said. “I need to be a better pitcher. I feel like every time they give me the ball, I’m not helping the team right now. I just need to figure out what’s going on. Hopefully, I can do that soon.”

–Field Level Media