Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Archives for September 1, 2024

Tigers Homer Off Sox

by

DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Detroit’s Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene each hit two-run home runs and the surging Detroit Tigers defeated the visiting Boston Red Sox, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon.

Brant Hurter (3-1) picked up the victory in long relief. Hurter gave up one run and six hits in five innings while recording five strikeouts. Jason Foley got the last three outs to collect his 20th save.

The Tigers have won eight of their last 10 games, including two of three from the Red Sox in the weekend series.

Outfielder Jarren Duran drove in the lone run for Boston. Red Sox starter Cooper Criswell set down all 12 batters he faced, including five strikeouts.

Tigers starter Beau Brieske got four outs before manager A.J. Hinch went to his bullpen.

Triston Casas and Connor Wong drew one-out walks in the second. Brant Hurter replaced Brieske at that point. He induced a double play ball from Willy Abreu to end the inning.

Sox slugger Rafael Devers had a two-out single in the fourth but Casas popped out to end the rally.

Romy Gonzalez and Nick Sogard slapped two-out singles in the fifth after Hurter struck out the first two batters. Duran then smacked a 2-2 offering to left field for an RBI single, bringing in the first run of the contest.

Kerry Carpenter became the Tigers’ first baserunner when he walked against Rich Hill (0-1) in the fifth. One out later, Torkelson blasted a Hill curveball over the left field wall to give his team a 2-1 lead. Torkelson’s homer was his eighth of the year.

Parker Meadows led off the sixth against Zack Kelly with a single and Greene then blasted a cutter over the right field wall to make it 4-1. Greene’s long ball was his 20th this season.

Hurter came out after giving up a one-out infield single to Gonzalez in the seventh. Will Vest replaced Hurter and got the next two outs.

Foley struck out Casas on three pitches to open the ninth. Wong grounded out and Danny Jansen flied out to end the game.

–Field Level Media

 

Unthinkable

by

SADNESS @ COMMONWEALTH AND COLUMBUS, OHIO: It seems that every Labor Day there’s unthinkable news stemming from an automobile accident claiming the life of our youngsters. More often than not, the accident involves a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs. … This past Thursday, terrible news hit the Columbia Blue Jackets, the NHL and our local Boston College Eagles ice hockey program quite hard and fully unexpected as NHL standout Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, both New Jersey natives who grew up to play hockey at Boston College, died when they were struck by a vehicle driven by an alleged drunk driver while riding bicycles, according to New Jersey State Police. …

“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement Friday morning, a communique to break the news to most. “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path,” said the NHL statement. … According to police and media accounts, the two brothers were riding bicycles on County Route 551 — a two-lane highway in a rural area — in Oldmans Township (NJ) around 8:19 p.m. when they were fatally injured. A driver was traveling north when he shifted to the southbound lane so he could pass a car and SUV traveling ahead of him. When one driver tried to return to the northbound lane, the driver of the SUV had moved into the center of the highway to “safely pass the two pedal cyclists traveling north on the right side of the roadway,” police said. The vehicle driven by Sean Higgins, 43, then attempted to pass the SUV on the right and struck the two pedal cyclists [from behind]. As a result of the collision, the two pedal cyclists sustained fatal injuries,” said the authorities. … Higgins stayed at the scene, and after further investigation by troopers, was charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container, and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. He was jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility. … According to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press, Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving. He failed a field sobriety test, the complaint noted. … “The Gaudreaus will forever be a part of the Boston hockey community thanks to the incredible impact they made as student athletes on and off the ice at Boston College,” the Boston Bruins said in a statement posted on X. … Johnny and Matthew were both scheduled to be groomsmen at their sister Katie‘s wedding on Friday in Philadelphia, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Unthinkable. … “Thank you for the best years of my life,” Johnny’s wife Meredith Gaudreau wrote on IG. “Despite losing you, I am still the luckiest girl in the world to have been yours. I love you so so much. You were perfect. Some days it felt too good to be true. I love every single thing about you. You are my forever and I can’t wait to be with you again. I love you so much forever and ever.” … Meredith then shared a follow-up post about Johnny’s role as a father. … “The absolute best dad in the world,” she wrote. “So caring and loving. The best partner to go through parenthood with. John never missed a single appointment. Was the best at putting the baby to sleep and the apple of Noa’s eye. I love how much she looks like him. We are going to make you proud. We love you so so much daddy.”

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept. 1

by

The FM: New LPGA tournament on the block in Norton, Mass

 

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk

NORTON – The dateline might look familiar. It last appeared on Digital Sports Deskin September of 2020, freshly inked from the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Northern Trust (won by Dustin Johnson) in the good ole days before the Tour was as divided as the two major political parties of the USA.

The bean counters took a look at the Nielsen TV ratings and the PGA Tour execs cut their playoffs down to three rounds, to be sure they conclude before the start of the NFL season. Then, FedEx used its clout as year-long sponsor and the keeper of all things playoffs, the BMW Championship (formerly the Western Open) and Coca-Cola stepped-up with big-time money for record purses to keep the pseudo semi-finals and the TOUR Championship right where they are today, as the men finish their season at East Lake Country Club, near Atlanta.

Although the TOUR promised us a tournament every other season, thus was the end of men’s pro golf in Greater Boston/Providence as the Deutsch Bank Championship and its Labor Day finish was stopped cold in 2018 and, after a year at Liberty National in New Jersey, the Boston/Labor Day concept was briefly reinstated in 2020. But Northern Trust couldn’t be trusted and golf fans of New England were left with a free Labor Day Monday and an occasional major at The Country Club – not bad at all.

This weekend, professional golf returned to Eastern Massachusetts as a new LPGA tournament, the FM Championship, is being staged at famed TPC Boston.

While We’re Young (Ideas) and Digital Sports Desk are both on-site for the LPGA’s “FM” this weekend. Please visit DSD on Sunday for complete coverage of the tournament’s final day, coinciding with the PGA Tour’s 2024 conclusion at the TOUR Championship. (FM is a corporate real estate assessment firm to mitigate potential water/flood/other damage to land assets/HQs).

From the FM Media Center Saturday, we can note that nine players are separated by five strokes with S. Korea’s Jin Young Ko (67) – (-11) atop the leaderboard after her Saturday round. American Lauren Coughlin snuck into second place at (69) – (-9).

There’s a definite surge in the overall popularity of women’s sports, much to the credit of basketball phenom Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever who bolsters the WNBA this season. But, lifelong sports fans must always recognize the two mainstays of women’s sports – tennis and golf – as the cornerstones of activity. They’re both on display this weekend, as summer sports give way to the Fall of ‘24.

Chicago Sky PF Angela Reese might be pushing Clark in the WNBA, but there’s a long list of players in hot pursuit of LPGA leading money winner, Nelly Korda,($3,601,630 over 13 events) who is being chased by more than a dozen talented, world class golfers as the women’s tour zig-zags the USA and the globe. Korda took a pass at playing Boston this week after her near-miss “W” at the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course in Britain.

UPSETS: Aside from the LPGA/FM Championship and WTA/U.S. Open tennis tournament, let’s look at some upsets in sports at the start of the Fall schedule of college & pro football, MLB, WNBA, U.S. Open tennis, the TOUR Championship and the women’s golf home stretch:

  • Georgia Tech knocked off Florida State, 24-21, in their ACC opener held in Dublin, Ireland (Week 0).
  • French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) was handed his earliest exit at the US Open when he lost in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, to World No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands).
  • A night later, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic (Serbia) lost to No. 28 seed in Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, in the third round on the same court.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Next week, WWYI will delve into the 2024 NFL season, but this week, it’s important to note that the rookie QB (Drake) Maye to coach (Jerod) Mayo era will wait a while, as Mayo named veteran QB Jacoby Brissett the opening week starter. … The pundits of Las Vegas have the New England Patriots listed as O/U 4.5 in season wins, an NFL low. Yet, it’s very difficult to count five possible “Ws” on the Patriots’ difficult AFC East schedule. … In other words, take the (U)under. … Boston College football opens up on the road vs (0-1) Florida State. The Eagles are in trouble, as the Seminoles will play ‘pissed’ after their loss to ACC Sleeper Georgia Tech. … The SMU Mustangs might be considered another ACC sleeper, after their 29-24 victory over Nevada (Augst 24).

TID-BITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: The Boston Bruins are seeking some veteran experience and influence in the locker and on the ice with the signing of forward Tyler Johnson to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO). … Johnson, 34, appeared in 67 games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season, recording 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound forward has skated in 738 career NHL games with Chicago and Tampa Bay, totaling 193 goals and 238 assists for 431 points with a plus-20 rating. The two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021) has also played 116 career Stanley Cup playoff games, tallying 32 goals and 33 assists for 65 points. … Norway’s Erling Haaland scored his second consecutive futbol hat trick which led Manchester City to a 3-1 win at West Ham United on Saturday, maintaining Man City’s perfect start to the Premier League season. … Going into Saturday night’s game at Detroit, the Boston Red Sox are (16-23) in the 39 fun-filled games since the MLB All-Star break.