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Archives for July 8, 2024

Red Sox, Devers Take it to the Yankees

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BRONX (New York) – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rafael Devers hit a tiebreaking home run with one out in the seventh inning and went deep again in the ninth as the surging Boston Red Sox recorded a 3-0 victory over the host New York Yankees on Sunday night.

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Boston won for the sixth time in seven games and improved to 16-6 in its past 22 games. The Red Sox also beat the Yankees for the 12th time in the past 17 head-to-head meetings and sent New York to its 15th loss in 20 games overall.

Devers added to his resume against the Yankees when he belted a 2-2 fastball from New York starter Luis Gil (9-5) into the left-center-field seats to put Boston up 1-0 in the seventh. Devers was named to the American League All-Star team along with outfielder Jarren Duran and right-hander Tanner Houck earlier Sunday.

Devers connected again in the ninth, hammering an 0-1 fastball from Michael Tonkin into the New York bullpen.

Devers hit three homers in the series. He has 16 career home runs at Yankee Stadium and has smacked 28 overall against the Yankees.

It was the second multi-homer game of the season for Devers, and the 18th of his career.

Boston starter Kutter Crawford (5-7) allowed four hits in seven innings while throwing 54 of his 68 pitches for strikes. Crawford struck out four, walked none and frequently got ahead of New York hitters.

Gil, a rookie, allowed one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings and lost his fourth straight start. He struck out nine and did not issue a walk for the first time in his career.

New York was unable to win consecutive games for the first time since winning four straight from June 9-12. The Yankees also were blanked for the sixth time this season.

New York’s Ben Rice struck out twice and went 0-for-4 after becoming the first rookie in team history to hit three homers in a game during Saturday’s 14-4 victory.

Rookie Ceddanne Rafaela also went deep for the Red Sox, smacking a solo shot in the eighth.

Reliever Justin Slaten stranded a runner in the home half of the eighth when Devers made a bare-handed play on a slow grounder by DJ LeMahieu to end the inning. Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 18th save of the year.

–Field Level Media

Davis Thompson Sizzles at John Deere

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SILVIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Davis Thompson shot 7-under par 64 to run away with the John Deere Classic for his first PGA Tour victory Sunday in Illinois.

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Thompson finished with a tournament-record 28-under 256 for a four-shot victory on a trio of contenders, breaking away from a two-shot lead from the beginning of the day and leading by as many as six strokes.

Luke Clanton, a Florida State golfer, shot 63 and became the first amateur to record top 10 finishes in back-to-back weeks on the PGA Tour since 1958. He tied for second place with Michael Thorbjornsen (63) and Taiwan’s C.T. Pan (64).

Ben Griffin had the day’s best score with 62 to finish at 23 under and he was joined in fifth place by Carson Young 63).

Denny McCarthy (64), Andrew Novak (64), Eric Cole (69) and England’s Aaron Rai (69) ended at 21 under and tied with Hayden Springer, who opened the tournament with Thursday’s 59. Springer played the backside in 5 under Sunday for a late surge.

By midway through the round, it became clear that there would be a first-time winner on the PGA Tour. Griffin, Young, Thorbjornsen, Clanton, McCarthy, Novak and Springer were also seeking their first title on the circuit, but Thompson’s lead was too large.

Thompson, 25, is a former University of Georgia golfer who has been contending in recent weeks. He tied for second place last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and shared ninth place in last month’s U.S. Open.

Thompson recorded birdies on seven of the first 10 holes of the final round at TPC Deere Run to open a six-shot lead. He had his first bogey of the weekend on No. 12 before a birdie on No 14 stretched the margin back to four shots on Griffin.

Clanton played the back nine in 6 under Sunday. Thorbjornsen notched six consecutive birdies from Nos. 8-13, but still trailed by five shots.

Young, a 29-year-old former Clemson golfer, had his only bogey on the last hole and fell out of second place.

Griffin had an eagle on the par-5 second hole, but after reaching 10 under for the round dropped a stroke with a bogey 6 on No. 17.

Because of weather concerns, golfers were placed in threesomes and Nos. 1 and 10 were used as starting points with tee times moved up.

–Field Level Media