Archives for June 12, 2025

Sox Buehler Tosses a Quality Win

June 12, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s starter Walker Buehler worked a seven-inning quality start and got the support of four solo home runs as the Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in the rubber game of a three-game series on Wednesday.

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Marcelo Mayer homered in each of the first two at-bats, with the 22-year-old rookie becoming the youngest Red Sox player to produce a multi-homer game since Rafael Devers in 2018.

Jarren Duran hit a leadoff home run in the first inning and Abraham Toro socked the eventual game-winning shot in the fifth after Tampa Bay erased a 3-1 deficit.

Toro and Ceddanne Rafaela joined Mayer with multi-hit games for Boston, which has won back-to-back series.

Buehler (5-4) struck out seven while yielding three runs on six hits and one walk. Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save.

Yandy Diaz (two-run homer), Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum all had two hits for Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay right-hander Zack Littell (6-6) allowed all four Boston homers in his six-inning outing. He permitted eight hits, fanned six and didn’t issue a walk.

After Buehler stranded two baserunners to post a first-inning zero, Duran bashed Littell’s first pitch of the game into the right-center-field bullpen give the hosts a quick 1-0 lead.

The Rays quickly responded as back-to-back singles by Mangum and Matt Thaiss set the table for a game-tying run in the second. Lowe knocked in Mangum on a fielder’s-choice grounder to shortstop.

Mayer singlehandedly put the Red Sox back in front and provided insurance with his solo shots. His first homer led off the second inning, landing deep in the right field corner.

Mayer went deep again with one out in the fourth, sending another homer to a similar location in right.

Two-out offense drew Tampa Bay even in the fifth. After Lowe chopped an infield single on an open left side, Diaz deposited a two-run homer into the first rows of the right field seats.

After Littell recorded three straight outs by strikeout in the fourth and fifth, Toro cranked a homer out to straightaway center for a 4-3 edge.

Buehler retired seven straight to finish his outing before Justin Wilson and Greg Weissert combined to get out of an eighth-inning jam, preserving the one-run Boston lead. A walk to Junior Caminero and a Mangum single off Weissert loaded the bases, but Thaiss fanned to end the threat.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: It’s U.S. Open Time

June 12, 2025 by PGA Tour Brunch

OAKMONT, (Pennsylvania) – The United States Open is the 27th of 36 events on the PGA Tour schedule. It is the third of four majors in pro golf with only The Open in Britain remaining.

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Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau will attempt to be the first back-to-back U.S. Open champion since Brooks Koepka (2017, ‘18) and dating back before then to Curtis Strange in 1988 and ‘89. Both Koepka and DeChambeau are on the LIV Golf Tour.

The 2025 field includes:

The winners of the last 10 U.S. Open tournaments are in the field (2024/2020/Bryson DeChambeau; 2023/Wyndham Clark; 2022/Matt Fitzpatrick; 2021/Jon Rahm; 2019/Gary Woodland;2018/2017/Brooks Koepka; 2016/Dustin Johnson; 2015/Jordan Spieth).
A full house of 49 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (Only No. 26 Billy Horschel is missing as he is recovering from hip surgery).
32 players in the field competed in the 2016 U.S. Open when it was last played at Oakmont Country Club, including three who finished inside the top 10: (Dustin Johnson/1st, Shane Lowry/T2, Jason Day/T8).

World No. 32 Ryan Fox won last week’s RBC Canadian Open on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff over Sam Burns. That win moved Fox inside the Top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking to qualify for the U.S. Open. It marked Fox’s second title of the PGA TOUR season (ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic),

A record number of 10,202 entries for qualifying were accepted for the 2025 U.S. Open; qualifying is open to any professional or amateur whose Handicap Index® does not exceed 0.4.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Tiger Woods’ major championship-record 15-stroke victory at the U.S. Open (Pebble Beach Golf Links).

Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, Pennsylvania) will host the U.S. Open for the record-extending 10th time (1927/Tommy Armour; 1935/Sam Parks Jr.; 1953/Ben Hogan; 1962/Jack Nicklaus; 1973/Johnny Miller; 1983/Larry Nelson; 1994/Ernie Els; 2007/Angel Cabrera; 2016/Dustin Johnson).

Oakmont opened in 1903 when it was designed by Henry Fownes. The course underwent a bunker restoration by Gil Hanse in 2023.

Adam Scott is making his 96th consecutive major championship appearance, dating to the 2001 Open Championship. Only Jack Nicklaus (146) has played in more than 100 straight majors

Johnny Miller’s final-round 63 at Oakmont Country Club en route to victory at the 1973 U.S. Open remains the lowest 18-hole score in a U.S. Open played at Oakmont and Miller is tied for the lowest final-round score in U.S. Open history (Tommy Fleetwood/2018, 2023).

U.S. Open | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Oakmont Country Club (Pennsylvania)

YARDS/PAR: 7,372 yards/Par 70

ARCHITECT/DESIGN: Henry Fownes

PRIZE Money – Purse/Winner’s Share: Apron. $21m/$4 million

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Bryson DeChambeau

PAST RESULTS: (link)

OVERVIEW: (PGATourCom)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup #USOpengolf

U.S. Open | The Basics

The Tee Times at Oakmont start at 6:45am (ET) and go to 2:42pm (ET).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast in PA calls for cloudy skies but temperatures reaching a daytime high of 83-degrees. Winds 2-5 mph with gusts to 12 mph. Some showers expected Friday.

NBA Finals: Thunder Benched

June 12, 2025 by Terry Lyons

INDIANAPOLIS – Backup guards Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell helped Indiana’s bench break out with 49 points as the Pacers topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 on Wednesday to claim a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Thanks to 27 points from Mathurin and the kind of pyrotechnics the Pacers have grown to adore from reserve point guard McConnell, Indiana has the advantage in the best-of-seven series.

Tyrese Haliburton provided heroics with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds while Pascal Siakam added 21 points for the Pacers, who haven’t lost back-to-back games since December.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 26 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points. Chet Holmgren compiled 20 points and 10 rebounds but shot 0-for-6 from 3-point range.

Game 4 is scheduled for Friday in Indianapolis.

The Thunder trailed 110-102 with three minutes to go, but Alex Caruso tried to keep the Pacers from a premature celebration with a steal and breakaway into the open court. Two steps into the paint, Aaron Nesmith closed and forcefully brought both arms down on Caruso to prevent the shot attempt and take him to the floor. Following a review, no flagrant foul was called.

Caruso made both free throws and Indiana’s Myles Turner subsequently lost the ball out of bounds. However, Turner, who missed eight of his first 10 shots, came up with two blocks of Holmgren on the same possession to keep the lead at six.

Indiana got another stop, and Siakam lit up the stadium for good with an easy basket that gave the Pacers a 112-104 lead with 69 seconds left.

McConnell was seemingly everywhere, and he came up with massive defensive plays all game.

He ripped off Caruso’s bullet inbounds pass with two hands at point-blank range under the basket and pumped in a layup to tie the game at 95 early in the fourth quarter.

Mathurin cashed a trey off a McConnell assist, putting the Pacers up 98-96.

Haliburton re-entered the game in the fourth quarter, took a handoff at the top of the key, stopped, squared and splashed his fourth 3-pointer of the game for a 101-98 lead with 6:42 remaining.

Indiana’s Aaron Nembhard made a 12-foot jumper from the left elbow and the Pacers got it back after a missed 3-point attempt, taking a touchdown lead (107-100) on Obi Toppin’s two-hand dunk off of a miss with 4:23 to go.

Nesmith caught a skip pass on the right wing and drained a trey on Indiana’s next possession for an eight-point lead.

McConnell hit a running right-handed layup between two clutch buckets by Mathurin as the Pacers stayed close, down 93-91, with 10 minutes to play.

Oklahoma City had surged ahead for its biggest lead of the second half — 89-84 — to end of the third. Williams hit a long 3-pointer came after an and-1 baseline dunk by Holmgren, who moved through the swiping hands of McConnell to finish.

Williams played a large portion of the game with the ball in his hands as the Pacers worked to keep Gilgeous-Alexander in check.

McConnell leads NBA reserves in assists per game in playoffs (4.1).

– Field Level Media

Panthers Prep for Oilers’ Best

June 12, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

SUNRISE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Edmonton Oilers showed their disdain for losing with some late-game antics in Monday’s Game 3 loss to the Florida Panthers.

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Now, the Oilers must find a way to turn their angst into a victory or risk falling into a dangerously deep hole when they resume the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday in South Florida.

With the Panthers leading 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the next clash could either send the series back to Edmonton all-square — and with the Oilers regaining the home-ice advantage — or put the Panthers on the cusp of a second consecutive title against the Oilers.

“We’ve always been a good team at coming back out with a strong effort,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said of turning the page from Monday’s 6-1 loss. “Obviously it was not our best showing, not our best game, but we have a great chance … to show what our team is all about.”

Edmonton must do more than just talk about a better performance. The Oilers reached this point thanks to an improved defense to go with their high-octane attack, but they have been undisciplined in the finals and have struggled keeping pucks out of their net.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner is under the microscope having surrendered 13 goals in the series, and boasting an .866 save percentage. But the Oilers as a whole must find another gear to send the series back to their home on even ground.

“It’s one game. We’re looking for the whole series,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “We know we’re down 2-1 and we gotta be better next game … but we’re one win away from having the best-out-of-three (series) with two home games.”