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Red Sox Keep On Rollin’

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela had three hits, including the go-ahead, two-out single in the eighth inning, and the visiting Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday.

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Tyler O’Neill’s home run to center leading off the eighth tied the game for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game series and four straight overall.

Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt allowed two runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out six in six innings.

Boston right-hander Tanner Houck gave up three runs (two earned), six hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He fanned five.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the second inning. O’Neill led off with a double to left and scored on Dominic Smith’s two-out bloop single to center.

Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. Justin Turner and Addison Barger began the frame with singles, and both scored on Ernie Clement’s two-out double.

Boston tied the game in the sixth. Rafael Devers doubled to left-center with one out and scored on a two-out single to center by Masataka Yoshida.

Toronto regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Daulton Varsho reached first on an error and stole second. Turner walked. Alejandro Kirk’s one-out grounder to third forced Varsho before Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a soft RBI single past first base. Zack Kelly (1-0) replaced Houck, escaped the jam and pitched 1 1/3 innings.

Nate Pearson took over from Bassitt and allowed a double and a single in the seventh before being replaced with two outs by Brendon Little (0-1), who struck out Devers to end the threat.

O’Neill tied the game when he opened the eighth against Little with his 15th homer of the season and his third of the series. Smith singled with two outs, prompting Toronto to replace Little with Chad Green. Pinch runner David Hamilton then stole second and scored on Rafaela’s single to left.

Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 13th save of the season and fourth in seven days.

Toronto put shortstop Bo Bichette (right calf strain) on the injured list Tuesday and recalled infielder Orelvis Martinez from Triple-A Buffalo. Boston reinstated right-hander Chris Martin (anxiety) from the IL and optioned right-hander Cooper Criswell to Triple-A Worcester.

–Field Level Media

Championship Window is Wide Open

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With a Game 5 win on Monday night the Celtics sealed the NBA title, but Boston had actually been waiting for this moment for over a decade. Just over five years after the Celtics claimed their 17th championship, Boston went into a complete rebuild on June 28, 2013, trading franchise centerpieces Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a package that included role players and draft picks.

What followed was a stretch of nearly 11 years that featured ups and downs, plenty of change and a constant belief that Banner 18 was always just one season away.

Two of the draft picks in the Brooklyn deal ended up turning into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, drafted third overall in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The Celtics decided to build around the duo, and it ended up being the right choice.

But before the arrival of Brown and Tatum, Boston went through the 25-57 2013-14 campaign that featured Jeff Green as the frontman. Then a 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas came to town and started to establish himself as “The Little Guy,” in the words of the late Tommy Heinsohn.

Those teams may not have realized it at the time, but they were laying the foundation for something special.

Once Brown’s rookie season rolled around, the Celtics were really starting to look like contenders. Thomas averaged 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 season, leading Boston to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2012.

The Celtics came up short but proceeded to load up the following offseason, trading for Kyrie Irving and signing Gordon Hayward. Even though Hayward fractured his left tibia just minutes into his Boston debut, the Celtics ended up returning to the East finals, where they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.

From there, Boston overcame a fallout with Irving and an underwhelming two seasons with Kemba Walker running the point to punch its ticket to the Finals in 2022. Heartbreak was again in the cards, though, as the Golden State Warriors raised the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy after beating the Celtics in six games.

After getting bounced in the Eastern Conference finals once more a year ago, Boston went all in.

The Celtics parted ways with fan favorite Marcus Smart, considered by many to be the heart and soul of the team, to acquire Kristaps Porzingis via trade, and they also made a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers to bring in point guard Jrue Holiday.

Those moves paid off, and now a league-record 18th banner will be raised this fall.

While this year’s team was the one that broke a 16-year title drought, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is forever thankful for Green, Thomas, Smart and every other player that checked in for Boston over the past 11 seasons.

“I think the most important thing, something that’s really been going through my mind throughout this process, is you can’t lose sight of the people that came before us,” Mazzulla said. “And I want to make sure every person that’s worked for the Celtics, that’s played for the Celtics that didn’t win, knows that their work and what they have done has not gone unnoticed

“It can be so easy when you work for this organization and you don’t win that the work that people put in just gets brushed over or gets ignored. … So I think that’s one of the first things that came to mind, was just because we won this doesn’t mean what the people have done before us isn’t just as important.”

Through everything over the past seven years, Brown and Tatum have been the one constant.

“We’ve been through a lot, the losses, the expectations,” Brown said. “The media have said all different types of things: We can’t play together, we are never going to win.

“We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together.”

Brown was named Finals MVP. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series, and Tatum quickly shot down any notions of him being jealous of his co-star.

“Extremely happy for him. This is a hell of an accomplishment,” Tatum said. “The main goal for us was to win a championship. We weren’t — we didn’t care who got Finals MVP.”

The Celtics traveled to Miami on Tuesday to celebrate for a bit before returning to Boston for their championship parade on Friday morning. And if all goes to plan, Celtics fans should get used to lining the streets and watching the city’s duck boats roll by.

“I think we definitely have a window,” Brown said. “We take it one day at a time. We definitely have to make sure we stay healthy. But, you know, we’ll enjoy the summer, enjoy the moment, and then we get right back to it next year.”

– Field Level Media

Brown, Tatum Lead Celtics to Banner 18

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BOSTON – (Staff and wire Service Report) – Forward Jayson Tatum dominated with 31 points and 11 assists as the Boston Celtics locked up their league-record 18th championship with a 106-88 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

Tatum also had eight rebounds while teammate Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which celebrated the 16th anniversary of its previous title by completing a 16-3 playoff run. The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 Finals, and those two teams shared the league record with 17 championships apiece before Monday.

Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Derrick White chipped in 14 points as Boston wrapped up the best-of-seven series on its home court.

Luka Doncic paced the Mavericks with 28 points and 12 boards, but he committed seven turnovers. Kyrie Irving finished with 15 points and nine assists for Dallas, and Josh Green netted 14 points.

After Dallas called a timeout with 3:11 left in the second quarter, trailing by 11 points, Boston completely broke the game open.

The Celtics scored 17 of the next 24 points, six of which came from Brown. Boston reserve guard Payton Pritchard capped the outburst in jaw-dropping fashion, canning a 49-foot heave from beyond half-court at the buzzer to send Boston into the break with a 67-46 lead.

Holiday’s layup pushed the Celtics’ lead to 78-52 with 9:10 to go in the third quarter. Green then converted a putback and knocked down a 3-pointer as part of a 10-2 run that got the Mavericks within 80-62.

Dallas later got the deficit down to 17, but Boston took an 86-67 lead into the fourth.

The Celtics were on top by at least 18 the rest of the way.

A three-point play from Tatum put the Celtics up 46-31 with 7:08 remaining in the first half, but Dallas then took over down low. The Mavericks scored all of their points in the paint during an 8-2 spurt to get within nine before Al Horford stemmed the tide with a hard-nosed layup.

Horford’s bucket came just before the Mavericks’ timeout that preceded Boston’s game-changing run.

Boston came to life in the final 1:39 of the first quarter, ripping off nine unanswered points to take a 28-18 lead into the second.

The Celtics wound up shooting 42.7 percent from the floor. Dallas shot 44.9 percent overall but was outscored by 10 points at the foul line and committed 13 turnovers to Boston’ nine.

– Field Level Media

CELTICS TAKE 18th NBA CHAMPIONSHIP

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Celtics’ Defense Closes Out Dallas, 106-88, to Earn Title

BOSTON – (Staff Report) – As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver performed his most important job function of the year 2024, he was able to say something to the Boston Celtics’ team, its management and fans that has never been stated to any team in the history of the League.

Said Silver as he presented the iconic gold Larry O’Brien Trophy, “this is for the Celtics’ NBA record 18th championship.”

No other NBA franchise can say that!

Banner 18.

The Celtics closed-out the 2024 NBA Finals with a 106-88 defensive masterpiece to take the Finals in five games. Surprisingly, the game and the title were decided in the very first quarter as Boston held Dallas’ five-time All-NBA forward Luka Doncic to five points while shutting down Mavericks All-Star point guard, Kyrie Irving,  to zero points and one assist as Boston established a 28-18 lead. A lead they’d never relinquish.

Boston countered with a balanced first quarter score sheet with guard Jrue Holiday and forward Jaylen Brown leading the Celtics with six points, each, while guard Derrick White added five points, NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum had four points, three rebounds and four assists and veteran center Al Horford added three points with his patented and reliable long distance shooting.

The balanced scoring set the tone, and Boston’s team defense held Doncic to single figures (nine points) in the first half. He finished with 28 points on 12-for-25 shooting, including a low 2-for-9 from long distance. Irving finished with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting with 3-of-9 from three-point land.

Boston increased its lead to 26 points (61-35) at the half and coasted to victory as Dallas shots fell short and both teams’ energy level dropped from utter exhaustion.  Throughout the game, there were no lead changes and no ties.

Brown finished Game 5 with a solid 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but struggled from the field, shooting 7-of-23.

Oft-injured center Kristaps Porzingis was able to give his team effort of 16 minutes of playing time, contributing five points and rebound, much to the delight of the 19,158 sold out TD Garden crowd.

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Can Celtics Close Out Mavericks?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – If any player knows how badly the Boston Celtics want to close out the Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night, it’s Dallas guard Kyrie Irving.

Irving spent two seasons with Boston (2017-19), but he’s been a villain in the eyes of Celtics fans since leaving to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2019. Chants ragging on Irving frequently echoed throughout TD Garden in Games 1 and 2 — a pair of Mavericks losses — before Boston hit the road and came out of Dallas with a 3-1 lead in the series.

And with the Celtics now knocking on the door of the 18th title in franchise history, Irving has seemingly found peace with his place in Boston history as he prepares to return to a hostile environment.

“Now being older with hindsight looking back, I definitely would have taken time to know the people in the community and talked to some of the champions that have come before me,” Irving told reporters on Sunday. “They have championship pedigree here. … They expect you to seamlessly buy into the Celtics’ pride, buy into everything Celtics.

“And if you don’t, then you’ll be outed. I’m one of the people that’s on the outs. I’m perfectly fine with that, you know what I mean. I did it to myself.”

But the Celtics greats of years past are the last thing on Boston coach Joe Mazzulla’s mind.

Mazzulla was asked how special it would be to join coaches such as Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and K.C. Jones as those to lead a Celtics team to a championship. Without hesitation, he immediately shifted the focus to Game 5.

“That will never happen if you don’t run back on defense, rebound, execute and get to your spacing,” Mazzulla said. “That’s the most important thing.”

Boston lacked those fundamentals on Friday, failing to put the Mavericks away while ending up on the wrong end of a 122-84 blowout in Game 4.

Jayson Tatum finished with a team-high 15 points for the Celtics, and he’s hoping that Boston rediscovers the brand of basketball that has led it to 79 wins in 100 games between the regular season and playoffs here in 2023-24.

“I think we maybe put too much pressure on ourselves at that moment to be perfect or think it was going to go how we wanted it to go,” Tatum said of why the Celtics came up short on Friday. “Joe did a great job (Sunday) of reminding us that it’s OK to smile during wars. It’s OK to have fun during high-pressure moments. That’s what makes our team unique and special.”

Luka Doncic went for 29 points and Irving supplied 21 on Friday to keep Dallas’ season alive. The Mavericks are trying to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

Teams are 0-156 when losing the first three games of a series.

“I think the most important thing is to show that we believe,” Doncic said. “I think we showed in Game 4. If not, if we wouldn’t believe, we probably wouldn’t have won that game. So I think obviously the talk is easy to talk about it, but then showing it is another thing.”

The stars could be aligning for Boston, though, as Monday marks the 16-year anniversary of the Celtics’ 2008 title. Boston hasn’t gone all the way since.

– Field Level Media

Sox Visit Power-Broker Blue Jays

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Blue Jays will be looking to carry a rare power surge into the opener of a three-game series with the visiting Boston Red Sox tonight. Toronto used a grand slam by Daulton Varsho and a two-run blast by Ernie Clement to beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-6 on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The Blue Jays will complete a six-game homestand with their series against the Red Sox, who set a franchise record with nine stolen bases on Sunday night in a 9-3 drubbing of the Yankees. Boston took two of three games from New York and has won seven of its past 11 overall.

David Hamilton had four of the nine steals for the Red Sox, and he also had two hits, three runs and an RBI.

“(Hamilton) kind of carried the load there,” said Boston left fielder Jarren Duran, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. “It just kind of shows that when we can run the bases like we can, it does a lot for the team and puts us really in a good spot.”

Ceddanne Rafaela went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and one steal and is 11-for-19 (.579) during a five-game hitting streak.

“Like I always say, we’re gonna battle, we’re gonna make mistakes and we’re gonna win games,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “But that was good baseball (Sunday). Expect that from us. We’re gonna push the envelope. We have a bunch of athletes, and it just happens that the three of them are getting on base.”

Perhaps Toronto could take a page out of Boston’s book, as the Blue Jays have not been able to rely on the long ball to generate offense. They have 58 homers this year, tied with the Washington Nationals for third fewest in the majors.

Toronto manager John Schneider is hoping that Sunday’s grand slam gets Varsho and the entire offense going.

“I think I’ve hit him everywhere in the lineup, which isn’t ideal,” Schneider said of Varsho. “We joke about that almost every day, me and him. That’s a huge swing, obviously. Varsho is getting a better and better understanding of where he can handle the ball.”

Still, Toronto knows it has to get creative if it wants to challenge opposing pitching staffs.

“We can obviously hit the long ball, but we’ve also got to play some small ball at times,” Varsho said. “That’s what helps us win a lot of ballgames. Isiah Kiner-Falefa does it really well — I think better than anybody else on our team — being able to play small ball and move runners.”

Right-hander Nick Pivetta (3-4, 3.88 ERA) will try to contain the Blue Jays’ lineup on Monday.

Pivetta faced the Philadelphia Phillies in his last start, getting roughed up for four runs and six hits in four innings on Wednesday. He did not factor into the decision.

In 15 career appearances (13 starts) against Toronto, Pivetta is 2-4 with a 5.35 ERA.

Kikuchi came away with a win against the Milwaukee Brewers last Tuesday, giving up three hits across five scoreless innings. He is 0-2 with a 6.11 ERA in seven career appearances (five starts) vs. Boston.

–Field Level Media

Can Mavericks Make NBA History?

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DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Luka Doncic wasn’t going to let the Dallas Mavericks go down quietly. With Dallas facing a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, Doncic rose to the occasion and led the Mavericks to a 122-84 shellacking of the Boston Celtics on Friday night in Game 4 on his home court.

Doncic went for 29 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals, a performance that virtually erased a fourth-quarter collapse in Game 3 that subjected the Dallas star to scrutiny from media across the country.

In that game, the Mavericks trailed by 21 following a Derrick White 3-pointer with 11:07 left in the game before mounting a feverish rally that got them within 93-90 with 6:11 to go. But with 4:12 remaining, Doncic stepped in front of Jaylen Brown to try and draw a charge and was called for a blocking foul — his sixth personal.

Dallas challenged the call, which stood, sending Doncic to the bench for the remainder of the contest. Doncic committed four of his fouls in the final quarter.

Red Sox Double-Up Yankees

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tyler O’Neill and Jarren Duran each collected two hits and scored twice as the Boston Red Sox beat the visiting New York Yankees 8-4 on Saturday night.

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O’Neill scored in each of the first two innings, as Boston built a 5-2 lead. He had an RBI double in the first and singled in the second. Duran doubled in the first, hit an RBI single in the eighth and scored in each inning.

Juan Soto hit a solo home run for the Yankees — his 18th of the season – off reliever Justin Slaten (4-2). Giancarlo Stanton had two of New York’s six hits.

Boston’s Kenley Jansen recorded the final four outs to earn his 11th save.

New York starter Carlos Rodon (9-3) exited after throwing 109 pitches in five innings. The left-hander gave up five runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out seven.

Ceddanne Rafaela had three of Boston’s 12 hits.

The Red Sox hit three doubles in the bottom of the first, when they took a 3-0 lead. In addition to O’Neill’s RBI double, Boston received an RBI single from Connor Wong and an RBI double from Jamie Westbrook.

The Yankees cut Boston’s lead to 3-2 when DJ LeMahieu’s two-run single drove in Stanton and Anthony Rizzo in the top of the second, but Boston regained a three-run lead when Rafael Devers hit a two-run double in the bottom half of the second.

Boston starter Cooper Criswell gave up two runs on three hits in four innings, notching six strikeouts and issuing two walks.

The Yankees trailed 5-3 after Soto’s home run in the seventh.

Boston added to its lead in its half of the seventh. Masataka Yoshida hit a two-out, ground-rule double and scored when pinch hitter Enmanuel Valdez singled to center.

Rizzo scored on a fielder’s choice to make it a 6-4 game in the eighth, but the Yankees stranded runners on first and third when Jansen retired Anthony Volpe for the final out in the inning.

Duran’s RBI single drove in Rafaela to put the Red Sox in front 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth, before Duran made it 8-4 when he scored from third on catcher Jose Trevino’s errant pickoff throw.

–Field Level Media

MLB: Yanks Visit Sox at Fenway Tonight

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BOSTON – After a series victory over the National League-leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Boston Red Sox will look to continue the momentum against the American League-leading New York Yankees as a three-game set begins Friday night. The AL East archrivals will be meeting for the first time this season. The series opener in Boston will be the 70th game for the Red Sox and the 72nd for the Yankees.

The Red Sox have won three of their past four games after winning the final two games of the three-game series against the Phillies. Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run home run while Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez hit two doubles apiece to power Boston to a 9-3 win on Thursday.

“We’ve got a good team,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’re gonna lose some games and we’re gonna win some games. I know everybody thought the must-win was Sunday in Chicago (against the White Sox) because they have the worst record in baseball. We don’t see it that way. We show up every day and work hard.”

The Red Sox had 14 hits in the finale against Philadelphia, including five straight during a four-run second inning against Phillies ace Aaron Nola. Duran, whose two-run double capped the frame, produced his seventh game with multiple extra-base hits this season.

“We were finding barrels and hitting the ball hard,” O’Neill said. “It was awesome to see.”

Brayan Bello (6-3, 4.78 ERA) is scheduled to start for Boston on Friday. He took a loss Saturday against the White Sox after allowing five runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Bello is 2-2 with a 1.45 ERA in five career starts against New York.

The Yankees’ four-game winning streak was snapped with a 4-3, walk-off loss to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. New York also saw its eight-game road win streak come to an end.

Kansas City was up 2-0 until Anthony Rizzo homered, Anthony Volpe drove in a run with a groundout and Juan Soto hit an RBI single to put New York in front in a three-run eighth.

“All losses hurt, especially when you’re up and you’re leading, but then again, (the Royals) are also professionals,” New York left-hander Nestor Cortes said after his Thursday start.

The Red Sox will face Yankees right-hander Luis Gil (8-1, 2.04 ERA), who had won seven straight starts before taking a no-decision Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He allowed three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk in 5 2/3 innings during his latest outing.

“In the small time I’ve seen him, he lives for those moments,” Yankees star Aaron Judge said. “I look forward to more.”

The Yankees are 11-2 in Gil’s starts this season. He had thrown at least six innings and given up no more than one run in each of his previous seven outings, a feat that no Yankees pitcher had accomplished.

With Gil returning from Tommy John surgery, his innings — currently at 75 — are being monitored.

“We’re not putting any kind of a limit on him, but there may be a natural one that happens,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “But I don’t necessarily think that’s our expectation.”

 

Celtics on the Brink of Banner 18

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DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum poured in 31 points and Jaylen Brown supplied 30 as the Celtics held off a late rally by the Dallas Mavericks for a 106-99 victory on Wednesday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

By taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, Boston pulled within one victory of its 18th title in franchise history. The Celtics will have a chance to complete the sweep on Friday when they face the Mavericks in Dallas for Game 4.

Tatum bounced back on Wednesday after combining for just 34 points in Games 1 and 2. Brown added eight rebounds and eight assists for Boston, which also got 16 points from Derrick White. Big man Kristaps Porzingis (lower leg) didn’t play after getting injured in the third quarter of Game 2.

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Like Tatum, Kyrie Irving made up for a lackluster showing in each of the first two games of the series, and he paced the Mavericks with a game-high 35 points. Luka Doncic went for 27 points, six boards and six assists, but he dealt a critical blow to Dallas’ comeback hopes by fouling out with 4:12 left in the game.

The Mavericks challenged the foul on Doncic, but the call stood, forcing him from the game.

It looked like the game was over when White drilled a 3-pointer with 11:07 left in the fourth quarter to put the Celtics up 91-70.

But Dallas then took over, rattling off 28 of the next 37 points to get within 100-98 following a Dereck Lively II dunk with 1:20 to go.

Brown made sure Boston never let the Mavericks draw even, though, and his mid-range jumper at the top of the key made it a four-point game with 1:01 remaining. P.J. Washington and Irving both missed 3-point attempts down the stretch before two free throws from White and two more from Tatum put the finishing touches on the victory.

Doncic’s layup had the Mavericks within six, 71-65, with 5:11 left in the third quarter. The Celtics answered with a 7-0 spurt and later took an 85-70 lead into the fourth.

After Dallas led by as many as 13 in the opening 12 minutes, neither team led by more than four in the second quarter. The first half ended with the Mavericks clinging to a 51-50 edge behind 20 points from Irving.

Boston outshot Dallas 46.3 percent to 44.2 percent for the game.

– Field Level Media