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Guardians Ruin Red Sox Holiday

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Cleveland pinch hitter Will Brennan pulled an 87 mph slider straight down the right field line at Fenway Park and it travelled 387 feet for a two out, two run homer. It was Brennan’s first of the season and gave the Guardians a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning of today’s 11:13am Patriots’ Day matinee. It was all they’d need as Cleveland went on to win 6-0 shut-out victory.

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The annual early game, drawing 33,008 fans, coincides each year with the running of the Boston Marathon and comes on a holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Cleveland scored two insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning when Jose Ramirez hit a riccochet grounder, deflected by Sox 1B Tristan Casas and dribbling past 2B Emmanuel Valdez. The grounder made its way to right field, scoring Guardians’ SS Brayan Rocchio from third.

Sox RF Wilyer Abreu misfielded and forced a misguided throw which scored LF Steven Kwan. The play was judged an error and Rocchio’s run was earned but Kwan’s run scored was deemed unearned.

The Guardians continued to score runs in pairs, tallying two more insurance runs in the visiting ninth. The key hits were a double by Cleveland  No. 8 hitter in 3B Gabriel Arias to score Brennan and an RBI single by No. 9 hitter Rocchio to score Arias who had previously stolen third base.

The first five innings of the game produced quite a pitcher’s duel as Cleveland’s SP Xzavion Curry threw a two hitter with one walk and a strike-out while Boston starter Kutter Crawford tossed 5.2 innings of shut-out ball, allowing only two hits and no walks. He struck out six Guardians while throwing 92 pitches and 63 strikes.

Boston was held to three hits on the day while Cleveland knocked the Sox bullpen around and recorded nine hits.

Cleveland reliever Tim Herrin earned the win (1-0) while Boston’s Brennan Bernadino (0-1) was charged with the loss.

 

 

Lemma Wins 128th Boston Marathon

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Ethiopian Sisay Lemma sprinted to the front of the pack and never looked back in winning the 128th Boston Marathon on Monday morning. Lemma, a first-time Boston winner, crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 17 seconds.

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Not long after, Hellen Obiri became the first women’s back-to-back champion in Boston since 2005 with a 2:22:37 finish. Catherine Ndereba repeated in the women’s Boston Marathon in 2004 and 2005.

Obiri, of Kenya, was 8 seconds ahead of Sharon Lokedi at the finish line on Monday.

The tandem separated from the pack in a dead sprint on the extreme downhill 24th mile with what Boston Marathon digital timing recorded as a 4:41 split unofficially, which would be the fastest mile ever recorded in a women’s marathon.

Edna Kiplagat, a 44-year-old from Kenya, finished third in the women’s group in 2:23:21.

Lemma, 33, was on pace to break the course record and challenge the world-record marathon time of the late Kelvin Kiptum, pushing his lead from the pack to more than two minutes at one point in the race.

The 2023 Valencia Marathon winner, already the fourth-fastest male marathoner in history, slowed over the final 10 miles but was never threatened. He finished 30th in the 2023 Boston Marathon and won the London Marathon in 2021. His finish on Monday is the 10th-fastest in Boston Marathon history.

Kenya’s Evans Chebet finished third in the men’s division in 2:07:22, behind second-place Mohamed Esa (2:06:58) of Ethiopia. Chebet, 35, was chasing a third consecutive win in Boston.

Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper, 22, won the women’s wheelchair event in 1:35:11 for her first ever major marathon victory, while 38-year-old Marcel Hug of Switzerland became a seven-time Boston men’s winner.

Hug recovered quickly from a crash into a barricade to win the men’s wheelchair race and break his own course record set in 2023 with a 1:15:33 finish.

–Field Level Media

From the DSD Vault: 261 is Fearless

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

(This is a reprint of a favorite column from seven years ago. It also appeared in the Huffington Post).

BOSTON – (April 17, 2017) – The elevator door swung open on the fifth floor of the Sheraton Boston hotel and Kathrine Switzer, age 70, strode down the hallway with a purpose. With an adidas rolling bag behind her, she walked quickly as there were people to be seen and interviews to do. Her schedule resembled that of the the busiest executive on State St. or maybe, even, a Head of State like the Queen of England. On this week, leading into the 121st running of the Boston Marathon, Switzer was celebrating and being celebrated for her historic efforts 50 years ago. For the past week, Kathrine Switzer was the popular Queen of Boston.

Enjoy

As it’s been chronicled so thoroughly this week, Switzer signed up for the 1967 Boston Marathon as K.V. Switzer at a time female participants were not welcome to run. When race director Jock Semple caught wind of the fact he’d overlooked the entry from the first woman to ever “successfully” register for the grueling road race. When old Jock saw the woman in full stride, he hopped off a press bus and accosted her, attempting to rip off her race bib No. 261. A few of the male runners alongside Switzer, including her big, burly then-boyfriend, former Syracuse All-American football and track man “Big Tom” Miller body-blocked the angry race official as he was shouting at Switzer.

The rest is history, as they say, but it’s a history that Switzer prefers to project to the present and the short and longterm future.

She settled into a conference room at the hotel and calmly opened her bag, itself a rolling office and work station, all week, for her 261 Fearless organization. She casually opened an old plastic shopping bag and out came original copies of the newspapers of Thursday, April 20th, 1967, the day after the race and carefully laid-out the Boston Globe and Record-American, among a few others, the edges frayed and yellowing. Dressed in her 261 Fearless running gear which was more Harvard Crimson than Syracuse Orange, she sat down with ARD-TV of Germany to begin a full day of interviews and appearances in Boston.

Only two weeks ago, Switzer was conducting interviews and conference calls from her New Zealand residence where she spends half the year before moving the operation to New Paltz, New York. Very capably and professionally, Switzer’s 261 Feaarless CEO, Edith Zuschmann, was orchestrating plans from Austria. Switzer’s small, buttoned-up organization, just recently launched, was prepping to hit a springboard at and around the events in Boston this month. It would vault her organization to truly global standing and stature, all in a purpose to create a different kind of not-for-profit in the running industry. The 261 Fearless mantra is all about encouragement and inclusion. It’s not about time and performance rates. Rather, Switzer is sending some mojo and a message to (mostly) women, but also to few good men to symbolize the assist Miller gave to her back in the spring of ’67, and the message is one of hope and determination, along with instructions to simply RUN.

She wants people to run for their lives. Not in a fight or fright kind of way, but rather in a mind-clearing, healthy, change your life for the better kind of way.

Too often, the running industry stresses the improvement of time or the increase of distance, rather than the life-changing Rx of a simple run. Too often, runners are told to buy the most advanced shoe or hook-up a wearable to gauge time, distance and heart rate. Maybe, the serenity of a run might be more beneficial if you could blend in some camaraderie and sheer fun? It sounds too simple, but in an age of constant competition and a human culture to always ask ‘What’s next,” a run with some friends and feeling the right way simply being part of a welcoming group of fellow 261ers, might just be the right remedy for what is ailing so many of us in this ever increasing stressful world in which we live.

Switzer sat down with dozens, if not hundreds of journalists and television crews to recall memories of 50 years ago, all amazingly vivid to her. She answer questions about ‘The Incident,” and generally celebrate women’s running and the extension to women’s sports. The enthusiasm began to shine through, speaking first to ARD’s Ole Zeisler who had flown in from Hamburg to conduct the nearly hour long sit-down. Afterward, leaving her prized newspaper stash with a producer she had just met, Switzer and Zeisler headed out from the hotel to Boylston Street, to take in the final stretch of the marathon route and film some candids and cut-aways. They ended up on the finish line, chatting it up like old friends.

Soon, she was off to an official press function conducted by the Boston Athletic Association. At that event, the BAA announced that they were “officially retiring” Race Bib No. 261. Later, phone calls were made to Runner’s World for a podcast, to Running Magazine in Germany, to the Daily Telegraph in England, to WBUR-Radio the public station which seerves Boston and to its parent, NPR in DC and a lengthy list of others fell into place, like clockwork. In-depth interviews were done with CBS This Morning and CNN. She found time for Syracuse University, her alma later and for an old friend, Cristina Mitre who flew in from Spain to conduct a more “fashion than sports” photography shoot, calling on Ms. Mitre’s experience at Elle. That was done at the AT&T Store on Boylston where Switzer signed copies of her book, “Marathon Woman,” before grabbing a 10-minute rest on a comfy couch, exhausted but not deterred.

Some members of the 261 Fearless team passed along some nutritious concoction of nuts and who knows what to fuel her still-sleek-after-all-these-years body. Zuschmann sat down quietly next to her colleague and they ran through the agenda for a special event on the second floor loft of the AT&T Store, hosted by sponsors adidas and Bose after her healthy hand-off from Boston Magazine’s marketing team. Switzer’s husband, Roger Robinson, emcee’d an hour-long, story-telling reenactment of the famed incident, with first-hand anecdotes from Frank Litsky, the New York Times reporter on the press truck that day, John Leonard, the last surviving member of the Syracuse track team of ’67 and Dave McKenzie of New Zealand, the race champion that April day.

The hectic pace continued all weekend, with Switzer joining her old friend Amby Burfoot, the 1968 Boston champion who will follow Switzer’s experience and celebrate the 50th anniversary of his win a year from now. Burfoot, the longtime editor-at-large at Runner’s World magazine, is running today as a member of the 261 Fearless team, in support of his friend.

Switzer lined up for the Marathon, conducted a slew of other interviews for the BAA at the Hopkinton starting line, then performed an honor reserved for the best of the best by sending the “elite” women’s runners off on their quest to win today’s race.

To that end, Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya won the men’s division and Edna Kiplagat, also from Kenya, took the women’s honors. Switzer and 13,696 other women, just under half of the marathon’s 30,074 participants, followed the elites. At age 70, and in prime, mid-life like condition, Switzer was not looking at her stopwatch as she raced through the tough Boston course and the legendary Heartbreak Hill path through Newton and into Boston. When she crossed the line, it was graciousness and sheer appreciation to her team of runners who raised money for the launch of the global organization to live-on for the next 50 years or more, in her name.

“I’d like to thanks all teh people on the streets of Boston. I am so grateful for being able to run the Boston Marathon 50 years after my first one,” said Switzer after the race today. “I’d like to thank the BAA and everyone involved for their amazing support this entire weekend. I’d also like to send special thanks to the members of our 261 Fearless Boston Marathon team who have helped empower women globally through running.”

Switzer crossed the finish line to thunderous applause and into the arms of race officials and her husband, all while a huge contingent of media jockeyed for position to capture the moment. She ran the race in an official time of 4:44:31. It was her ninth Boston Marathon, the last to ever see the bib No. 261 participate.

The glorious day and her healthy and impressive finish put an end to a whirlwind weekend in Boston, from throwing out the first pitch at Fenway to a private party for her team tonight, Switzer seemed beyond elite, beyond inspirational, but rather, she seemed somewhat invincible. So invincible, we might need another 50 years or more to prove her membership in the human condition, known as mortality. As 261 Fearless grows, the guess here is that the legacy of one Kathrine Switzer is still yet to be realized.

Let’s see what the next 50 years brings?

Red Sox Take Series vs LA Angels

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BOSTON – (Staff Report) – Boston DH Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run home run, his first of the season, to give the Red Sox a 5-2 lead in the sixth inning as starting pitcher Brayan Bello threw a strong 5.1 innings of two-run ball to lead Boston to a x-x win over the Los Angeles Angels. It was Boston’s third series win (3-1-1) of the season.

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Bello limited the Angels to two runs and only six hits while striking out eight against two walks. Bello threw 107 pitches with 72 strikes in his 5.1 innings. RHP Justin Slater came on in relief of Bello in the sixth inning and threw 2.2 innings of one-run baseball.

The Red Sox started the scoring in the home half of the first as Tyler O’Neill and Triston Casas went back-to-back with solo homers. It was the third time Boston hit back-to-backs this season. It was O’Neill’s seventh homer of the season and it gave him both the AL and MLB lead in HRs.

LA first baseman Brandon Drury hit a solo homer in the second inning and the Angles scored another run in the third after a lead-off walk to No. 9 hitter Zach Neto, a base hit by Anthony Rendon and a grounder into a run-scoring fielder’s choice by second baseman Luis Rengifo.

All-Star centerfielder Mike Trout opened the eighth inning with a bullet, stand-up triple to center field and scored on a ground ball by Angeles’ left fielder Taylor Ward to make the score 5-3. It was Trout’s 54th career triple, second only to Jim Fregosi in Angels’ career triples.

Closer Kenley Jansen pitched the top of the ninth inning for Boston and allowed the Angeles to come within a run after loading the bases by hitting lead-off hitter Logan O’Hoppe with an 89 mph cutter, allowing a bloop hit by pinch hitter Mickey Moniak and walking Neto.

Rendon hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring O’Hoppe and advancing Moniak and Neto to second and third base.

Jansen struck-out Rengifo and then had to face the Angeles (and one of MLB’s) best hitter in Trout. Jansen turned up the heat on Trout and threw six pitches in the mid-90s, including a 96 mph sinker to get Trout to swing and miss to end the game.

Bello earned the win and is (2-1) while Jansen earned his fourth save of the season and his 424th save of his career.

 

 

 

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | April 14

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | Best Day in Boston | Patriots’ Day

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The Red Sox went 7-3 over their first 10 games of the season and then bottomed out to lose four in a row before Saturday’s 7-2 win over the LA Angels. The Sox opened 1-4 at Fenway, but it’s far too early to be scoreboard-watching in Baseball.

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The Bruins are fighting through the last few regular season games with the goal to finish at the top of their Atlantic Division, their Eastern Conference and possibly the entire National Hockey League.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are cruising to the finale of the regular season today (Sunday, April 14) and will await their #8 seed opponent via the NBA’s nifty “Play-In Tournament” which takes place April 16-19 and eliminates two teams in each Conference. The “Play-In” can be a little dangerous, as Miami proved last season advancing from the No. 8 spot after winning their play-in and advancing all the way through to the 2023 NBA Finals before running into Denver’s amazing Nikola Jokić who became the first player in NBA history to lead the NBA Playoffs in points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (190) in a single postseason. He won NBA Finals MVP honors as the Nuggets took their first NBA crown.

It seems to happen every spring. The sports collide with the winter activities at TD Garden in the North End hitting playoff heights while the Red Sox break out the bats on freshly sodded grass at Fenway Park, the most beloved ballpark in the land.

There’s no stopping, as one of the gems in collegiate sports was held in St. Paul, Minnesota this weekend and Boston was very well represented. Both Boston University and Boston College advanced to the Frozen Four of men’s college ice hockey. Each team was ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation all winter long, but it was the University of Denver and their goalkeeper, Matt Davis, who beat the Bostons (2-1, OT over BU) and (2-0 over BC in the championship game) to claim Most Outstanding Player in the Frozen Four.

BC advanced to the final by blanking a highly rated Michigan team, 4-0, on Thursday night.

NUGGETS AND TIDBITS: How about a few other tidbits?

BU’s 17-year old goal-scoring machine, Macklin Celebrini, took home the Hobey Baker Award as hockey’s best player while Hockey Canada announced that Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney was named General Manager of Team Canada for the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and he’ll stay on as Assistant General Manager for Canada’s 2026 Men’s Ice Hockey Team at the Olympics.

Up in Maine this Monday, the Oklahoma City Blue will face the Maine Celtics in the third and final game of the 2024 G-League Finals to be held at 9:00pm (ET) at the Portland (Maine) Expo (Game televised by ESPNU).

Then, there’s one other big sporting event in Boston at Springtime. It’s staged on the Patriots’ Day holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – a State holiday only celebrated in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and North Dakota on April 15, and in Florida and Wisconsin on April 19.

The 128th running of the Boston Marathon takes place this Monday, April 15, starting way out in Hopkinton, Mass and winding its way to the finish line in Boston, right where Back Bay meets Copley.

This all happens as the New England Patriots are ready to reload at the quarterback position on Thursday, April 25 when they exercise their third overall pick in the annual NFL Draft of collegiate talent. All mock drafts have the Patriots grabbing the third consecutive quarterback to come off the draft board with Chicago picking USC’s Caleb Williams, the Washington Commanders choosing Jayden Daniels of LSU with the second overall pick, leaving North Carolina’s Drake Maye to fall to the Patriots (unless they finagle a trade or two – moving down is more likely than moving up).

Magnolia Lane

While all those Boston-centric events create quite a buzz in New England every spring, there’s another event this weekend which might be on EVERYONE’s Bucket List and it’s only New England connection is the fact native son, Keegan Bradley, is good enough to play. The annual playing of the first Major golf tournament of the season when the very best PGA Tour and LIV Golf players head to Augusta National to play in The Masters.

The 330 yard ride past 61 Magnolia trees on each side of Magnolia Lane is reserved for a very select group of pro golfers and a few amateurs each year. The course is perfect, but sometimes the weather and the wind – not so much.

One very specific aspect of the annual Masters Tournament stands out. It is “a tradition unlike any other,” according to CBS’ voice of the Masters Jim Nantz, but the tradition starts with – perhaps – the greatest promotion of all-time.

At its lowest, it is merely a photo op.

At its highest, it is the single most wonderful, historic, symbolic and meaningful opening curtain in all the world of sport.

It is better than any ceremonial first pitch in baseball, an honorary tip-off in basketball or the ceremonial drop of a puck in ice hockey. It beats fire works or bands playing.

At The Masters, play does not begin until Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson (it was Arnold Palmer instead of Watson before Arnie’s death). The last “real” Big 3 was in 2015 when Palmer participated in his final ceremonial tee-off as the “starters” to the Masters Tournament and 2016 when he participated but did not drive the golf ball (see below).

There is no better tribute and Palmer’s memory comes to mind every April as the tournament begins. Sometime soon, Tiger Woods will join the ceremony, hopefully making it a foursome before one of the legends pass away.

REMINDER: Tonight, CBS will put you in the front row to see Billy Joel perform his record-breaking 100th consecutive residency performance at Madison Square Garden, which took place last month on March 28th. Experience the very best of Long Island’s Piano Man as he plays his career-spanning hits at The World’s Most Famous Arena. Tune in to watch the legacy-defining concert tonight – April 14th – at 9:00pm ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+

THE VAULT: The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has a brand new exhibit coming to the museum this summer titled The Vault: Boston Celtics Unlocked. This innovative and immersive experience will be unlike anything the Basketball Hall of Fame has previously produced. The Hall of Fame has collaborated with the NBA’s most storied franchise to present this inaugural installation of The Vault.

Set in an immersive Bank Vault, Celtics legends from the past and present will take visitors on an epic journey to discover the true meaning of Celtic Pride. The Vault will feature authentic game-worn jerseys, championship rings, and the original ’81 NBA NBA championship trophy – before it was called “the Larry.” Also, the Hall and NBA Entertainment will post long-lost footage of the Celtics.

BRADY BACK? – Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady teased his audience in a podcast this week, opening the door for a possible return to the NFL if the situation is right.

Brady said he wouldn’t rule out un-retiring (again), to play for either the Patriots or Raiders. What are the chances?

SportsBetting.ag has set odds on Brady’s potential return, and they are not all that great. The odds imply just a 25% probability the GOAT will be on a roster in Week 1. Additionally, there are odds for which team Brady will play for, but it’s a two-way market between the two clubs he mentioned yesterday.

Will Tom Brady be on NFL roster in Week 1?

Yes +300

No -500

Which team will Tom Brady be on in Week 1?

Patriots -140

Raiders +100

MIKE GORMAN DAY: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu proclaimed that today, April 14, will be Mike Gorman Day in the City of Boston, according to a news release issued by the Mayor’s office of Boston. The beloved Boston Celtics broadcaster has been the team play-by-play man since joining former Celtics player and coach, the late TommyHeinsohn, in the broadcast booth in 1981.

Retiring from the role at the end of the team’s 2024 playoffs, Gorman is being feted by Boston fans, media, and the team itself. “Mike Gorman has made an impact across generations of Celtics fans, families, and visitors throughout his 40 plus years as the voice of the Boston Celtics,” said Wu.

“His passion, intellect, and ability to make every fan feel special and locked in for the whole game is unmatched,” added the Mayor. “Congratulations Mike! I look forward to celebrating and honoring your contributions to our city this Sunday.”

With the national TV obligations for the NBA, local broadcasts will be limited and Gorman’s last game is likely to be Game 2 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs (approx. April 23rd).

NO SPORTS GAMBLIN’ IN GA and the ATL: Georgia remained one of 12 states not to have some form of sports wagering when the state’s Rules Committee declined to consider two bills this week. The state’s House Higher Education Committee moved forward two amended sports betting bills on Thursday, one a state constitutional amendment and the other that would have enabled legislation, according to iGamingBusiness. But those bills never made it to the House. … This week’s action becomes the fourth time Georgia lawmakers considered legalizing sports wagering since 2021 without ultimately getting two-third approval in both the state House and Senate. … Georgia’s proposed constitutional amendment, named SR 579, was recently been amended to include up to $22.5 million to promote responsible gambling through tax revenue. … While Georgia appeared the closest to becoming the next state to legalize sports wagering, efforts continue in Minnesota, where multiple bills have been introduced. Missouri is moving toward placing a sports wagering on the November ballot.

Just think of what kind of money would’ve been generated if Georgia opened its sports gambling just in time for The Masters.

By the way, when the professional golfers play practice rounds at Augusta National or East Lake CC for $200-$2,000 a hole, does that count? Let’s ask Full Swing to run the tape?

Frozen Four: BC vs Denver for Title

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SAINT PAUL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A pair of storied programs, Boston College and Denver, face off for the NCAA men’s hockey championship Saturday evening in Minnesota. Boston College (34-5-1) is the top overall seed and is seeking its first title since 2012. Denver (31-9-3) is going for its second title in three years and its record 10th title overall.

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The stakes could not be higher, and players on both sides could not be more determined.

“Anytime someone commits to Boston College, it’s to win championships,” Eagles forward Cutter Gauthier said. “And we have an opportunity for that on Saturday.”

The same is true for Denver, which has won three straight games by a single goal.

“We’re just extremely confident,” Pioneers goaltender Matt Davis said, “and feel battle-tested.”

Boston College is coming off a dominant 4-0 win over Michigan in the NCAA Frozen Four on Thursday night. Will Smith scored two goals, Gauthier added another goal and Gabe Perreault finished the scoring to send the Eagles to the title game.

Gauthier leads the nation with 38 goals, which also is tied for the most in a single season in Boston College history. David Emma (1989-90) and Scott Harlow (1985-86) also enjoyed 38-goal seasons for the Eagles, and Gauthier has a chance to break the record Saturday.

Smith has 25 goals after his two-goal performance Thursday. The Massachusetts native watched the Eagles’ 2012 title run as a child and now has a chance to bring another championship trophy to Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“(If you had) told me as a kid, this would be kind of crazy,” Smith said. “I remember the days I was watching Johnny Gaudreau in the same Frozen Four. So it’s a dream come true. It would be unbelievable to get that trophy just like he did.”

Denver is coming off three consecutive 2-1 victories, two of which required overtime. The Pioneers outlasted Boston University for a 2-1 overtime win on Thursday in the first Frozen Four matchup.

Davis turned aside 33 of 34 shots for Denver, and Tristan Broz provided the winning goal with 8:51 remaining in the extra session.

Broz said he and his teammates never lost their cool in high-pressure situations.

“Just like Coach (David) Carle said, these 2-1 games can go either way,” Broz said. “There’s bounces that happen throughout the game, and you just have to stick with it and keep playing because those bounces happen. But you’re still in a tight hockey game.”

Both teams enter the final matchup on a hot streak.

Boston College is riding a 15-game winning streak. Its last loss took place Feb. 5 against Boston University in the city’s famous “Beanpot” tournament.

Meanwhile, Denver is 13-1-1 in its past 15 games.

The teams met Oct. 21, when Denver notched a 4-3 road win over Boston College. Carter King scored a power-play goal in the third period to lift the Pioneers.

“That was a long time ago,” Boston College coach Greg Brown said. “We’ve improved a lot. But that was a really fun hockey game.

“It was back and forth. It was two good teams both making a lot of plays.”

–Field Level Media

E-Sox Drop Another

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Angels outfielder Taylor Ward highlighted his three-RBI night with a home run while Reid Detmers threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the visiting Los Angeles  to a 7-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

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Ward became the last Los Angeles batter to record one of the team’s 12 hits when he socked a two-run shot in the sixth inning.

Anthony Rendon, Nolan Schanuel and Aaron Hicks were all repeat hitters for the Angels, supporting Detmers (3-0) who struck out seven while allowing just three hits — none after the third inning — and two walks in his start.

Boston’s defensive miscues behind starting pitcher Tanner Houck (2-1) helped the visitors to take immediate control, never looking back after turning in a three-run first inning.

After Anthony Rendon sent a single into right and Nolan Schanuel was hit by a pitch to begin the Angels’ at-bats, Mike Trout reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases as Red Sox shortstop David Hamilton bobbled a potential double play turn.

Another double play that wasn’t finished allowed Ward to reach and Rendon to score the first Angels run before Hicks’ line single to center in the next at-bat doubled the lead. After a wild pitch, Brandon Drury’s grounder made it 3-0.

Schanuel led off the Los Angeles half of the third with a ground ball single to second and scored the fourth Angels run on Boston center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela’s relay throwing error following the second of consecutive hits by Hicks and Drury.

The Red Sox had chances to break through against Detmers, recording hits in each of the first three innings including a Jarren Duran double in the third. Double play balls extinguished two of those opportunities.

A run of three straight one-out hits in the fourth ended with Schanuel roping a fly ball double to deep center, scoring Zach Neto to extend the Angels’ lead to 5-0.

In the sixth, Ward’s two-out, two-run homer over the Green Monster and everything in left-center field followed a Mike Trout single. Houck’s day ended there after 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (four earned) on 12 hits while striking out just two.

Relievers Luis Garcia, Jose Cisnero and Hunter Strickland preserved the shutout over the final 2 2/3 perfect frames.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Face Penguins in Key Game

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Pittsburgh Penguins are on some kind of roll yet are guaranteed nothing as they get ready to host one of the top teams in the NHL today, the Boston Bruins.

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Seemingly out of the hunt for a playoff spot late last month, the Penguins (37-30-12) have stacked together a 10-game points streak (7-0-3). Thursday, they beat Detroit 6-5 in overtime to move into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

That means if they win their final three games, they are guaranteed a spot in the postseason.

Not that that will be easy for Pittsburgh, just as this stretch hasn’t been easy. Many of the bugaboos that have plagued them all season — blowing leads is at the top of the list — are still there. The Penguins have just been able to overcome them lately.

“For some reason, we like to challenge ourselves a little bit more than maybe we should,” said Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who has stolen the net from prescribed No. 1 Tristan Jarry and has started every game during the 10-game point streak.

In the critical game against the Red Wings — the teams were tied in points going into the game — the Penguins blew a two-goal, third-period lead before Erik Karlsson’s overtime winner.

Assisting on Karlsson’s goal was team captain Sidney Crosby, who has been the catalyst for Pittsburgh’s surge.

He has eight goals, 20 points in the 10 games. Thursday, his goal and two assists lifted him into 10th place all-time in the NHL with 1,591 points and gave him 1,000 career assists.

“He’s a special player; he’s an even more special person,” Crosby’s linemate, Bryan Rust, said. “He’s just leading this team right now. We’re just all getting in line behind him and doing everything we can.”

Boston (46-18-15) long ago established itself as a top team and Stanley Cup contender this season, but there is still work to be done over the final three games.

The Bruins have not locked up the Atlantic Division title, and still have a shot at the Eastern Conference championship and even the Presidents’ Trophy.

That’s a lot of home-ice advantage on the line in addition to bragging rights.

Boston also wants to fine-tune its game heading into the playoffs. The team has been off since Tuesday when its four-game winning streak was snapped in a 4-1 loss to Carolina.

“I feel good” about the team, defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “(Tuesday) was just one game.

“I think we’ve displayed how we can play. … I think we’ve been working toward our game.”

The Bruins also could settle on a go-to goalie, Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman, for the playoffs, or could continue with a rotation of the two.

“Why are we talking about two weeks from now?” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery asked coyly.

In the game in Pittsburgh, there seems to be a good chance that veteran forward Pat Maroon will make his Bruins debut. He was acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline but has been recovering from back surgery.

Montgomery put the odds of Maroon playing at 75 percent.

Maroon could replace James van Riemsdyk, who has just one point in the past 19 games.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Sit Six, But Rout Hornets

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston guard Payton Pritchard scored a career-high 31 points and had 11 assists to help the Celtics end a two-game losing streak with a 131-98 rout of the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

Neither team was near full strength.

Boston (63-18) was without the top six players in its rotation, as Jaylen Brown (hand), Jayson Tatum (knee), Jrue Holiday (knee), Al Horford (toe), Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) and Derrick White (ankle) were downgraded from questionable to out.

Nick Richards (foot) and Grant Williams (ankle) didn’t play for the Hornets, who received 19 points and eight assists from Tre Mann plus 15 points from Nick Smith Jr.

Pritchard made 14 of his 22 field-goal attempts. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter.

Luke Kornet added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who are locked into the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Boston will wrap up the regular season Sunday with a home game against the Washington Wizards.

Charlotte (20-61) will end its season on Sunday at Cleveland.

Sam Hauser (16), Neemias Queta (career-high 16) and Jaden Springer (season-high 11) were the other Celtics who scored in double figures.

Charlotte committed 20 turnovers and was out-rebounded 53-33. Boston had a 32-2 advantage in points off turnovers.

The Celtics led 30-24 after the first quarter and pulled away in the second. Boston led by three early in the quarter, but went on a 31-6 run and had a 69-41 lead after a Hauser 3-pointer with 34.1 seconds remaining in the half.

Charlotte committed a total of 12 turnovers in the first two quarters and trailed 69-43 at the break.

Pritchard had 23 points and nine assists in the opening half.

The Hornets outscored the Celtics 33-25 in the third, but Boston had a comfortable 94-76 lead entering the fourth. Charlotte never drew closer than 18 points in the final quarter.

–Field Level Media

Knicks Put Celtics in Place

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BOSTON – (Wire Service and Staff Report) – Jalen Brunson tossed in a game-high 39 points to help the visiting New York Knicks extend their winning streak to three games by beating the Boston Celtics 118-109 Thursday.

Brunson scored six points in the first quarter, 12 in the second and had 21 in the third. He made 15 of his 23 field goal attempts, including 6-of-11 3-point shots from behind the 3-point arc.

New York (48-32) remained in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks (49-31). The Celtics (62-18), who have lost two straight, had previously secured the No. 1 seed in the East.

Donte DiVincenzo added 17 for the Knicks, who got 16 points and 16 rebounds from Josh Hart. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 18 points and seven assists. Boston received 15 points from Jaylen Brown and 14 points and eight rebounds from Kristaps Porzingis.

It was the fifth and final regular-season meeting this season. Boston won the first four.

The Knicks led 32-29 after one quarter and outscored the Celtics 37-19 in the second to take a 69-48 halftime lead. Boston trailed 47-45, but New York took control with a 17-0 run and was up 64-45 following a Brunson 3-pointer with 2:18 remaining in the half. The Knicks scored 25 of the final 30 points in the first half.

New York had a 32-17 rebounding advantage through the first two quarters, including a 12-3 edge at the offensive end. Brunson, who has scored at least 30 points in each of his last six games, led all scorers with 18 points in the half.

The Knicks were up 90-71 after the third quarter and had a 31-point lead in the fourth. Boston rested its starters in the final quarter.

New York held a 52-36 edge in rebounds.

–Field Level Media