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Digital Sports Desk

Sox Drop 2-of-3 to Orioles

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Baltimore’s starting pitcher Tyler Wells spotted the Orioles with a strong pitching performance in a 6-2 victory against the visiting Boston Red Sox in the rubber game of a three-game series Wednesday afternoon.

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Ramon Urias went 4-for-4, scored three runs and had one RBI and Anthony Santander had a pair of sacrifice flies as the Orioles won for the eighth time in their last nine games and 10th in their past 12 outings. They completed a 5-1 homestand.

Wells (1-1) worked 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida homered for the Red Sox. Starting pitcher Tanner Houck (3-1) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) and seven hits in five innings.

NHL Says “Games On” for Sweden

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The National Hockey League announced its NHL Global Series will feature four teams playing four games in Stockholm, Sweden, from Nov. 16-19, 2023 The Toronto Maple Leafs will play regular season games outside of North America for the first time.

It will be the second trip overseas for both the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild and the third for the Ottawa Senators.

There have been 38 NHL regular season games played outside of North America to date, including 13 in Sweden.

The full schedule with all games played at Avicii Arena, and the local starting times:
–Nov. 16: Red Wings vs. Senators, 8pm
–Nov. 17: Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings, 8pm
–Nov. 18: Wild vs. Senators, 5pm
–Nov. 19: Maple Leafs vs. Wild, 2pm

–Field Level Media

Former C’s Coach Udoka to Houston

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HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets and Ime Udoka have agreed to a contract to make Udoka the franchise’s next head coach, according to multiple reports . Udoka, 45, guided the Boston Celtics to an Eastern Conference title and NBA Finals appearance in 2021-22, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.

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The Celtics announced before training camp last summer that Udoka violated team policies after disclosure of an inappropriate and intimate relationship with a female staff member. Though it was initially viewed as a consensual relationship, the woman accused Udoka of making unwanted comments toward her.

The Celtics suspended the head coach for a year and promoted Joe Mazzulla to interim head coach, later making him Udoka’s permanent replacement.

Udoka’s name had been floated as a candidate for the Brooklyn Nets’ head-coaching position that became vacant during the 2022-23 season. ESPN also reported last week that Udoka was expected to be a candidate for the Toronto Raptors’ vacancy.

The Celtics went 51-31 in Udoka’s lone season as an NBA head coach. The Portland, Ore., native worked as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs (2012-19), Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Nets (2020-21) before that.

The Rockets fired coach Stephen Silas after a 22-60 campaign. They have a 14 percent probability of receiving the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft lottery, tied with the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs.

 

Can Hawks, Trea Even Series?

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Atlanta Hawks will be looking for another big game from guard Trae Young when they attempt to pull even in their Eastern Conference playoff series with the visiting Boston Celtics by winning Game 4.

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After losing the first two games of the series in Boston, the Hawks received a game-high 32 points from Young in a 130-122 victory Friday night. Young made 12 of his 22 shots from the floor and finished the game with nine assists and six rebounds.

It was Young’s best game of the series, by far, as he shot 14-for-40 from the field during Games 1 and 2 in Boston.

“I know I can play like this,” Young said. “Like I said last game, I wasn’t worried. I knew I could play the way I need to. It’s all about reading and making the right adjustments.”

Friday’s victory was the first time the Hawks have beaten the Celtics this season. In addition to winning the first two games in the series, Boston won all three regular-season matchups.

Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray scored 25 points in Game 3, and, like Young, was at his best in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics were threatening to take a 3-0 series lead. Young (15) and Murray (seven) scored 22 of Atlanta’s 30 points in the final 12 minutes.

MLB: Tellez Tags Red Sox

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MILWAUKEE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Milwaukee slugger Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer, and the Brewers’ bullpen preserved Milwaukee’s victory over visiting Boston.

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Rafael Devers pulled Boston to within 5-4 in the sixth with his eighth homer of the season, a 416-foot, two-run shot to right off Joel Payamps. Peter Strzelecki and Hoby Milner kept the Red Sox off the board until the ninth, when Devin Williams worked around a one-out single to pick of his third save of the year.

Brewers starter Wade Miley (3-1) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings, striking out three and walking one. Boston starter Garrett Whitlock (1-2) was tagged for all five runs on eight hits in four innings and took the loss.

Young Leads Hawks Over Celtics

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta’s Trae Young had game highs of 32 points and nine assists to lead the Hawks to a 130-122 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Friday night.

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Young, who added six rebounds and two blocked shots, was 12-of-22 from the field and scored nine consecutive points as the Hawks finished up the win.

Dejounte Murray added 25 points for Atlanta, which lost the first two games of the series in Boston. Game 4 will be played Sunday night in Atlanta.

Boston trailed 124-121 and had the ball, but Jayson Tatum missed a 3-point attempt and Young made a jumper on the ensuing possession to put the Hawks up 126-121 with 45.5 seconds to play. The Celtics didn’t threaten after that.

Moments earlier, Young’s 3-pointer with 2:22 to play put the Hawks ahead 121-116 after Tatum’s three-point play pulled Boston within 118-116 with 3:02 to play.

Clint Capela had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who out-rebounded the Celtics 48-29.

Tatum led the Celtics with 29 points and 10 rebounds and added five assists. Marcus Smart finished with 24 points, eight assists and three steals, and Malcolm Brogdon scored 17 points.

The Celtics led 37-33 after one quarter, but the Hawks scored 41 points in the second quarter and were ahead 74-67 at halftime. Boston had a 53-50 lead with 6:32 remaining in the second quarter, but the Hawks used a 20-3 run to go ahead 70-56 with 3:15 left in the first half.

Atlanta was 30 of 46 (65.2 percent) from the field in the first half, including 8 of 16 on 3-point attempts. Atlanta also had a 34-10 edge in points in the paint in the half.

Boston tied the game at 79-79 on a 3-pointer by Jaylen Brown with 8:13 to play in the third quarter, but the Hawks responded with an 8-0 run. Atlanta had a 100-93 lead at the end of three quarters.

Brown had 15 points and three steals for the Celtics.

–Field Level Media

Brogdan Continues Celtics’ Tradition; Wins 2023 NBA Sixth Man Award

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was named the 2023 KIA NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Brogdon becomes the third Celtics’ star to win the league’s annual honor, joining Kevin McHale (1984, 1985) and Bill Walton (1986).

“From day one, Malcolm has eagerly embraced his role as a game changer off the bench,” said Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “His emphasis on winning has been reflected daily in his work, his play, and his selflessness. Malcolm winning the award named after John Havlicek, an all-time Celtic, could not be more appropriate.”

In the 41 years since the award’s creation in 1982, only eight other players have won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in their first season with their team.

Brogdon was the only player in the NBA ranking in the top three in scoring, rebounding, and assists among players who didn’t start in a regular-season game as he finished with 14.9 points (1st), 4.2 rebounds (3rd), and 3.7 assists (2nd).

Brogdon finished the year ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage with a career single-season high 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. He tied Ray Allen (2010-11) for the third-best single-season three-point percentage by a Celtic since 1979 behind Allen’s 2011-12 season (45.3%) and Al Horford this season (44.6%).

As an NBA reserve, Brogdon ranked first in minutes played (1743.8), second in made field goals (354), third in total points (1,000) and clutch points (42), and fourth in assists (248). Brogdon became the fourth player in Celtics history to score at least 1,000 points in a season off the bench, behind Ricky Davis in 2004-05 (1,121 points) and Kevin McHale twice, in 1989-90 (1,109) and 1990-91 (1,031).

The Georgia native earns his third NBA honor including winning the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year award and the 2019-20 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

The Sixth Man of the Year trophy honors Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek, who excelled off the bench like no player before him. Havlicek came off the bench for the first seven seasons of his career and was an All-Star in four of those seasons. His career highlights include eight NBA championships, 13 NBA All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, an NBA Finals MVP, eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections, and inclusion on the league’s 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams.

Sox vs. Twins: Strange Game – Indeed

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston outfielder Alex Verdugo’s RBI single off the base of the right field wall, near the famed Pesky Pole, came with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning and capped a three-run rally and gave the Boston Red Sox a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins Tuesday night.

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The Red Sox trailed 4-2 until Reese McGuire hit a two-run single with no outs in the 10th. After Jarren Duran singled to load the bases, the Twins turned a double play before Verdugo’s third hit of the game scored McGuire with the winning run.

The Twins took a 3-2 lead when Byron Buxton’s sacrifice fly scored Nick Gordon in the top of the 10th. Minnesota made it 4-2 when Donovan Solano scored from third on Jose Miranda’s groundout later in the inning.

Chris Sale started for the Red Sox and struck out 11 in six innings. He allowed a run on three hits and walked two.

It was a 1-1 game when Sale exited the mound, and Max Kepler homered on the second pitch from reliever Josh Winckowski to give the Twins a 2-1 lead in the seventh. It was Kepler’s second home run of the season.

Boston tied the game in the eighth, when Enrique Hernandez scored from third on a fielder’s-choice grounder from Duran. Hernandez had gone from first to third when Minnesota’s Christian Vazquez was called for catcher’s interference.

Rafael Devers, Justin Turner and Duran each collected two hits for the Red Sox, who outhit the Twins 12-4. Minnesota also committed two errors.

Minnesota starting pitcher Sonny Gray limited the Red Sox to one run on seven hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the first, when Verdugo led off with a double and came home on a Devers single. The Twins tied the game in the fifth on a Carlos Correa bases-loaded sacrifice fly that scored Michael Taylor.

John Schreiber (1-0) got the win despite allowing two runs, one earned, in the top of the 10th. The Red Sox earned their fourth victory in five games.

Jovani Moran (0-1) took the loss, Minnesota’s third in a row.

–Field Level Media

Atlantic League to Test More MLB Rules

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Major League Baseball will use its partnership with the Atlantic League to test a trio of rules, including two new ones, in order to assess their viability.

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The Atlantic League will be the first to use new rules target toward pinch runners, pitchers and designated hitters when the collection of 10 independent teams starts their regular seasons on April 28.

A “designated pinch runner” rule will allow one player who is not in the starting lineup to pinch run multiple times in a game. That runner and the player leaving the field for the pinch runner can return to the game.

A “single disengagement per at-bat” rule will permit the pitcher to disengage from the pitching rubber just once per at-bat instead of the new MLB rule that allows two disengagements per AB.

The Atlantic League also will continue to experiment with a “double hook DH” rule that allows teams to use the DH for an entire game as long as the starting pitcher completes five innings. Otherwise, the team will lose its DH for the remainder of the game.

The league, which has teams in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky, has been experimenting with rules changes, per MLB’s request, since 2019.

Among the rules tested in the past were infield shift restrictions and larger bases, both of which were put into use at the MLB level this season.

Other rules tested in the league during recent seasons and not implemented at the MLB level included an automated tracking system to call balls and strikes, moving the pitching rubber back one foot from home plate, and an option to “steal” first base if the catcher failed to handle a pitched ball at any point in the count.

–Field Level Media

Twins to Challenge Sox in Three-Game Series

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire service report by Field Level Media) – The Boston Red Sox open the second leg of their seven-game home stand with a visit from the American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins tonight for the opener of a three-game series.

Boston strives for a better start in the new series than the finish of the prior stint after allowing four first-inning runs in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. The Red Sox are tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for most runs allowed in the opening frame this season with 23.

Despite that fact, 13 of Boston’s first 17 games have still been decided by three or fewer runs.

“We’ve got to be better on that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of the shaky starts. “As far as the team and what we’re trying to accomplish, we’re going to play 27 outs and we’ve been showing that.”

With Brayan Bello activated from the injured list to start on Monday, Chris Sale had his turn pushed to Tuesday as the Red Sox will work with a six-man rotation until their next off day on April 27.

Sale (1-1, 11.25 ERA) has recorded at least six strikeouts in each of his three starts this season, but he allowed six runs (five earned) over four innings on Wednesday in a loss at Tampa Bay.

“He hasn’t pitched in four years, honestly. … In (2019), he wasn’t healthy,” Cora said. “We’ll wait until Cinco de Mayo to see where we’re at.”

Sale is 11-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 29 career appearances (21 starts) against Minnesota, having gone 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA in his past five starts vs. the Twins dating back to 2017.

The Boston bullpen has more than made up for the starters’ early-season struggles, allowing just two runs over 18 1/3 innings in the past four games. Kutter Crawford worked 6 1/3 scoreless, one-hit frames after Bello’s rain-drenched Monday exit.

Minnesota comes to Boston following back-to-back losses to finish a four-game road set against the New York Yankees.

“This is not the same Twins team that people have seen in the last two years,” Twins designated hitter Byron Buxton said, according to MLB.com. “We are making our own identity.”

The Twins scored nine runs in the first inning on Thursday in an 11-2 win over the Yankees but were then held to just seven runs during the remainder of the series. They were shut out for the second time this season in the 2-0 series finale on Sunday.

“We played two good games and grabbed two wins at Yankee Stadium, and we walk out splitting. It’s not going to feel good,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I would call it a competitive series. Overall, the pitching was at a pretty high level.”

Sonny Gray (2-0, 0.53 ERA) looks to continue his outstanding start to the season and pick up his first career win at Fenway Park, where he is 0-4 with an 8.02 ERA in six appearances (five starts). He pitched five scoreless innings en route to a 3-1 win on Wednesday in the Twins’ rubber match against the Chicago White Sox. Gray is 1-7 with a 6.80 ERA in 10 career outings (nine starts) against the Red Sox.

Minnesota’s Donovan Solano, who is playing first base every day with Joey Gallo out due to a right intercostal strain, is batting .366 during an 11-game hitting streak.

“If you have a bunch of guys that hit the ball on the barrel often, as often as he does, I think you’re going to have a productive offense,” Baldelli said.

–Field Level Media