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Red Sox Avoid Sweep by Brewers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jarren Duran delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the Red Sox avoid a three-game sweep by beating the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Sunday.

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After Ceddanne Rafaela led off the inning with a double, Duran singled against reliever Elvis Peguero (4-2) on the next pitch.

Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his ninth save of the season. Justin Slaten (3-2) got the win by striking out the side in the eighth.

The victory came after Milwaukee prevailed 7-2 on Friday and 6-3 Saturday. It improved Boston’s record to 9-0 on Sundays.

After the top of the seventh, Red Sox reliever Chris Martin and Brewers first base coach Quintin Berry got into a heated discussion, causing the benches and bullpen to spill out onto the field near first base. No punches were thrown and no ejections occurred.

Wilyer Abreu collected three of Boston’s nine hits and scored a run. Rafaela went 2-for-3.

Gary Sanchez had a single and a double and was the only Milwaukee player with more than one hit. The Brewers struck out nine times.

Boston received a strong start from Tanner Houck, who limited the Brewers to one run on seven hits in six innings. Houck recorded seven strikeouts and walked one.

Milwaukee starting pitcher Tobias Myers allowed a run on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the fourth. Abreu led off with a triple and scored when Rafael Devers hit a sacrifice fly to right field.

Milwaukee tied the game at 1 in the fifth when Oliver Dunn singled, stole second and scored on a William Contreras single to center.

Boston outfielder Tyler O’Neill, who left Saturday’s game with a sore knee, did not play Sunday.

It was the finale of a nine-game road trip for Milwaukee, which went 4-5.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Murray Died by Suicide

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FT. WORTH – (Wire Service Report) – PGA Tour member Grayson Murray died by suicide, his parents confirmed in a statement Sunday morning.

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The death of Murray was announced by commissioner Jay Monahan on Saturday, one day after the 30-year-old golfer cited illness following his withdrawal from the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth, Texas.

On Sunday morning, his parents, Eric and Terry, provided the following statement:

“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone. It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare.

“We have so many questions that have no answers. But one. Was Grayson loved? The answer is yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and — it seems — by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 26

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While We’re Young (Ideas) – Memorial Day Weekend

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: While glaciers melt, war is devastating Ukraine, Sudan, the Middle East and gang wars have made Haiti one of the most dangerous places on earth, the troubles of a few hundred people at a sports network can barely be noted.

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The gobs of money for sports programming continues to soar, as sports and (real) breaking news are the only specks of programming not controlled by the DVRs or TV on Demand. The NBA numbers will flourish further when the league inks these new TV deals and some 51%+ flows to player salaries.

Years back, the NBA Players Assn. refused a system of easing-in the new TV deal money into the grand pot of gold to be divided up. Let nature take it course was the presiding viewpoint, that same view that once made Atlanta’s lug of a center – Jon Koncak – forever to be known as Jon Kontract.

NUGGETS & TIDBITS: On the LAX front, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) closed its 37th season right where it ended its 36th – with the Buffalo Bandits claiming championship honors. The Bandits’ championship was the sixth for the franchise, tying the Toronto Rock and Philadelphia Wings for most in NLL history. Buffalo’s Josh Byrne became the fifth player in NLL history to win both the regular season and Finals MVP awards. … On the collegiate side, the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four was held Saturday in Philadelphia. Top-seeded Notre Dame (15-1) advanced to Monday’s 1:00pm final at Lincoln Financial Field and will meet the University of Maryland who defeated No. 6 Virginia, 12-6, in an NCAA semifinal Saturday before an announced crowd of 32,269. ND and Maryland will play for the title Monday.

NBA FINALS DATES: The 2024 NBA Finals Presented by YouTube TV will begin June 6, with ABC as the exclusive broadcaster:

Game 1: Thursday, June 6

Game 2: Sunday, June 9

Game 3: Wednesday, June 12

Game 4: Friday, June 14

*Game 5: Monday, June 17

*Game 6: Thursday, June 20

*Game 7: Sunday, June 23

* if necessary

THE SPORTS EMMYS: It’s always fun to review and re-live some of the greatest sports moments of the year, captured by the talented people who produce, photograph and announce the games. Here are the prominent Sports Emmy winners for 2024:

OUTSTANDING LIVE SPECIAL

Super Bowl LVIII, Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers (CBS)

OUTSTANDING LIVE SERIES

Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli (ESPN2/Omaha Productions)

OUTSTANDING PLAYOFF COVERAGE

American League Championship Series, Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers (FOX/FS1)

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM EVENT

Super Bowl LVIII — CBS

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL TEAM STUDIO

NFL Draft — ESPN/ABC

THE GEORGE WENSEL TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Toy Story Funday Football, DragonFly Tech (DISNEY+/ESPN+/NFL/Next Gen Stats/Beyond Sports/Hawk-Eye)

OUTSTANDING AUDIO/SOUND – LIVE EVENT

FOX NASCAR (FOX/FS1)

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW – WEEKLY

College GameDay (ESPN)

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW – DAILY

MLB Tonight (MLB Network)

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW – LIMITED RUN

Inside the NBA Playoffs on TNT — TNT

OUTSTANDING STUDIO SHOW IN SPANISH

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (Telemundo)

OUTSTANDING EDITED EVENT COVERAGE

NFL Game Day All Access, Super Bowl LVIII (YouTube/NFL Films) OUTSTANDING EDITED SPECIAL

You Are Looking Live! (CBS/NFL Films)

OUTSTANDING HOSTED EDITED SERIES

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO/Max)

OUTSTANDING ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE

League of Legends Worlds 2023 Final, T1 vs. Weibo Gaming (LoLEsports.com/Twitch/YouTube/Riot Games)

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN – EVENT/SHOW

Toy Story Funday Football (DISNEY+/ESPN+/BIG Studios/Beyond Sports/Silver Spoon Animation/PIXAR)

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN – SPECIALTY

Super League: The War for Football (Apple TV+/Words + Pictures/All Rise Films)

OUTSTANDING STUDIO OR PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION

Toy Story Funday Football (DISNEY+/ESPN+/BIG Studios/Beyond Sports/Silver Spoon Animation/PIXAR)

OUTSTANDING INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE – EVENT COVERAGE

Thursday Night Football: Event Coverage Optionality/Customization (Prime Video/Amazon MGM Studios)

OUTSTANDING DIGITAL INNOVATION

Dreamcaster (MSG Network/MSG+/Weber Shandwick/Helo)

OUTSTANDING SHORT DOCUMENTARY

Extraordinary Stories, One-Armed Wonder: The Extraordinary Story of Jimmy Hasty (UEFA.tv/Noah Media Group)

OUTSTANDING LONG DOCUMENTARY

The Deepest Breath (Netflix/A24/Motive Films/Ventureland)

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Super League: The War for Football (Apple TV+/Words + Pictures/All Rise Films)

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY SERIES – SERIALIZED

Football Must Go On (Paramount+)

OUTSTANDING JOURNALISM

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: Call of Duty: How War is Destroying Ukrainian Sport (HBO/Max)

OUTSTANDING SHORT FEATURE

NFL 360, Heroes (NFL Network)

OUTSTANDING LONG FEATURE

Unredeemable (Golf Channel)

OUTSTANDING OPEN/TEASE

Super Bowl LVIII, My Way (CBS)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/STUDIO HOST

Ernie Johnson (TNT/tbs)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/PLAY-BY-PLAY

Mike Breen (ESPN/ABC)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/STUDIO ANALYST

Charles Barkley (TNT)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/ EVENT ANALYST

Greg Olsen (FOX)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/SIDELINE REPORTER

Tracy Wolfson (CBS/TNT)

OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY/EMERGING ON-AIR TALENT

Noah Eagle (NBC/Peacock)

OUTSTANDING CAMERA WORK – SHORT FORM

The NFL Today: Super Bowl LVIII, Just Win Baby! (CBS)

OUTSTANDING CAMERA WORK – LONG FORM

Freeride Skiing, Descendance (YouTube/Legs of Steel)

OUTSTANDING EDITING – SHORT FORM

NHL on TNT, Show and Tell (TNT)

OUTSTANDING EDITING – LONG FORM

Unredeemable (Golf Channel)

THE DICK SCHAAP OUTSTANDING WRITING AWARD – SHORT FORM

NFL 360, Still Here (NFL Network)

OUTSTANDING WRITING – LONG FORM

The World According to Football (Showtime/SHOWTIME Sports Documentary Films/Religion of Sports/Day Zero Productions/Mainstay Entertainment)

OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION

NBA on TNT, 50 Years of Hip Hop (TNT)

OUTSTANDING AUDIO/SOUND – POST-PRODUCED

Vamos Vegas (YouTube/TORQ)

OUTSTANDING PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Top Rank Boxing on ESPN, Battle of the Baddest – Rumble (ESPN/ESPN+/Park Pictures)

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE CONTENT

Notre Dame Football, What Would You Fight For? (NBC)

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN SPANISH

Mundo NFL Originals, El Sueño de Cieneguitas (Mundo NFL/Sway/Mundo NFL)

OUTSTANDING ON-AIR PERSONALITY IN SPANISH

Andrés Cantor (Telemundo)

Editorial Note: Due to the increasing number of paid subscribers via Substack, only a limited edition of the Sunday Notes will be posted to Digital Sports Desk.

 

Boston Takes Control Over Pacers

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jrue Holiday converted a go-ahead three-point play and added a key steal in the final seconds of regulation to help the Celtics post a 114-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals at Indianapolis.

Jayson Tatum recorded 36 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as Boston took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Jaylen Brown scored 24 points and Al Horford drained a career-high seven 3-pointers while scoring 23 points for the top-seeded Celtics.

Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith had a 3-pointer bounce off the rim as time expired.

Andrew Nembhard scored a career-best 32 points and added nine assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers. T.J. McConnell had 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Myles Turner added 22 points and 10 rebounds and Pascal Siakam also scored 22 points for Indiana, which lost at home for the first time in seven playoff games.

The Pacers played without All-NBA Third Team selection Tyrese Haliburton, who injured his left hamstring in Game 2.

Holiday wasn’t cleared to play until approximately 45 minutes before tipoff due to an illness. He finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

Game 4 is Monday in Indianapolis.

Boston trailed by five before Horford drilled a trey with 1:12 left, and Holiday added his pivotal three-point play to give the Celtics a 112-111 edge with 38.9 seconds to go.

The Pacers were later looking for a go-ahead shot and eschewed a timeout. Nembhard was handling the ball and Holiday forced it away with 3.3 seconds remaining. Holiday was then fouled and made two free throws with 1.7 seconds to play.

Brewers’ Five Run 3rd Inning Downs Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Milwaukee Brewers benefitted from a solo home run from second baseman Brice Turang and scored five runs in the third inning en route to a 6-3 road victory Saturday in Boston over the Red Sox.

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Turang’s homer, his third of the season, came against Zack Kelly and increased Milwaukee’s lead to 6-2 in the eighth.

The five-run third featured two doubles, three singles and a walk.

After Christian Yelich doubled and Willy Adames drew a walk, the Brewers received RBI singles from Jake Bauers, Gary Sanchez and Sal Frelick to build a 3-0 lead. Joey Ortiz followed with a two-run double that drove in Bauers and Frelick to increase the lead to 5-0.

Six consecutive batters reached base with two outs.

All five runs were scored against Boston starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (2-3), who exited the mound with one out in the fourth. He gave up seven hits, struck out three and walked three.

The Brewers used Jared Koenig as an opener for the second straight game. He threw 15 pitches Saturday after throwing 12 pitches during Milwaukee’s 7-2 victory on Friday night.

Colin Rea (4-2) replaced Koenig on the mound with one out in the second. Rea limited Boston to two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. Trevor Megill struck out David Hamilton with two runners on base to end the game and earn his eighth save.

Bauers, Frelick and Ortiz each collected two hits for the Brewers, who outhit Boston 11-5.

The Red Sox didn’t get a hit until Rafael Devers led off the seventh with a double against Rea. Devers scored on Wilyer Abreu’s one-out double to trim Milwaukee’s lead to 5-1, and then Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-out single drove in Abreu to make it 5-2.

After Turang’s homer pushed Milwaukee’s lead to 6-2, Rafaela drove in Devers with a two-out single in the ninth to complete the scoring.

Devers had two of Boston’s five hits. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran entered Saturday’s contest with a nine-game hitting streak, but that ended after he went 0 for 4.

Boston’s Tyler O’Neill left Saturday’s game with right knee soreness.

-Field Level Media

Haliburton Hurt

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Indiana Pacers lost All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton to a sore left hamstring in Game 2 against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

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Haliburton, 24, left with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter of Indiana’s 126-110 road loss and did not return. The Pacers’ second-leading scorer in the playoffs (19.3 points per game) finished with 10 points and eight assists in 28 minutes.

“Losing Ty for the game obviously is a big blow,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ll know more (Friday) and even more Saturday. … I know you want details. I don’t have much.”

The Pacers trail the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals 2-0, with Game 3 set for Saturday night in Indianapolis. Indiana is 6-0 at home in this postseason.

Haliburton, who had 25 points and 10 assists in Game 1, missed 10 games with a left hamstring strain suffered Jan. 8 against the Celtics. On that occasion, he had to be helped off the floor after a slip and fall.

–Field Level Media

Brown Leads Celtics’ Statement Game

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 40 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 126-110 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Thursday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

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Brown was 14 of 27 from the floor and made 8 of 11 free throws. Boston had a 13-point lead after three quarters and the Pacers were never closer than 11 points in the fourth.

The victory gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which will shift to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Saturday. The Pacers have a 6-0 home record in the playoffs this season.

Indiana point guard Tyrese Haliburton left the game in the third quarter with left leg soreness. He collected 10 points and eight assists in 28 minutes.

Pascal Siakam made 13 of 17 field-goal attempts and led the Pacers with 28 points. Andrew Nembhard added 16 points for Indiana.

Jayson Tatum and Derrick White each scored 23 points for the Celtics. Al Horford had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Brown led all first-half scorers with 24 points. Boston trailed 27-25 after one quarter but held a 57-51 halftime lead.

Boston surged in front thanks to a 20-0 run. The Celtics scored the final three points in the first quarter and the first 17 points in the second quarter to take a 42-27 lead. Indiana didn’t score in the second quarter until Aaron Nesmith made two free throws with 6:45 remaining in the quarter.

Indiana was within two points, 68-66, after Siakam’s 3-pointer with 7:55 remaining in the third, but Boston had a 93-80 advantage entering the final 12 minutes.

The Celtics’ Luke Kornet left the game in the first quarter with a sprained left wrist and did not return to the court.

Boston center Kristaps Porzingis missed his eighth straight game with a calf strain.

–Field Level Media

Can Pacers Clean Up Play?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Indiana Pacers know where improvement is needed on Thursday when they visit the Boston Celtics for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Pacers committed 22 turnovers in their 133-128 overtime loss in Game 1 on Tuesday, and those miscues led to 32 Boston points. The costliest turnover came with 8.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter while sixth-seeded Indiana was leading 117-114. Pascal Siakam couldn’t handle Andrew Nembhard’s inbounds pass, and he then allowed Jaylen Brown to make a game-tying 3-pointer that forced overtime.

“We had a lot of turnovers that would be hard to explain, but this is the conference finals in the NBA playoffs and these things happen,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “As many turnovers as we had, our guys continued to play, continued to fight and found a way to get a three-point cushion and the ball. So at that point we just gotta finish it off.”

Aaron Nesmith (five) and Myles Turner (four) accounted for nine of the 22 giveaways, but Tyrese Haliburton also turned the ball over three times — including twice in key moments. He dribbled the ball off his foot when Indiana led by three with 27.7 seconds left in regulation, then lost the ball out of bounds with 1:02 remaining in overtime.

“I think it’s more on us,” Haliburton said. “They’re a great defensive team. They got great, great defenders — individual and team defenders — but they’re not a team who forces a ton of turnovers. They’re a solid, solid team. I just felt like more of (the turnovers) were probably on us than them forcing them. We got to clean that up, and outside of (Game 1) and one game last series, we’ve really taken care of the ball. So, we’ll fix it in Game 2.”

Top-seeded Boston has won Game 1 in each of its three playoff series this year, but it failed to win Game 2 at home against Miami in the opening round and against Cleveland in the conference semifinals.

After Thursday’s game, the best-of-seven series will shift to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4.

Red Sox Sweep Tampa Bay

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ST. PETERSBURG – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Wilyer Abreu and Connor Wong each drove in a pair of runs as the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the host Tampa Bay Rays with an 8-5 win on Wednesday.

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Rob Refsnyder’s leadoff single was the lone Boston hit through four innings against Tampa Bay starter Ryan Pepiot, but a five-run, five-hit fifth inning against three pitchers flipped the script of the game for good.

Abreu hit a two-run home run in the big inning. Refsnyder matched him with a 2-for-4 performance. Ceddanne Rafaela crossed the plate twice.

Brayan Bello (5-2) struck out six across six innings of four-hit, three-run ball to earn the win for the Red Sox, who secured their first road sweep of the Rays since April 2019.

Tampa Bay’s Jose Caballero and Richie Palacios each had two hits and scored a run.

Caballero and Yandy Diaz each drove in two.

A walk and a hit batter set the table for Rafaela’s ground-ball single to left to put the Red Sox on the board in the fifth and end the day of Pepiot, who was charged with three runs on two hits and four walks over the first four-plus innings.

Pepiot’s ledger grew with Richard Lovelady (0-2) on in relief after Wilyer Abreu singled and Connor Wong knocked a two-run base hit to left that tied the game.

Celtics Survive OT with Win vs Pacers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 36 points and added 12 rebounds as the Celtics earned a 133-128 overtime victory against the visiting Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tatum scored 10 points in overtime, including six straight that gave the top-seeded Celtics a 127-123 lead with 42.9 seconds to play.

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Jrue Holiday added 28 points and Jaylen Brown finished with 26 points in the win. After Brown drained a corner 3-pointer that made it 117-117 with 6.1 to play in regulation, Tyrese Haliburton missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the game went to overtime.

Haliburton had 25 points and 10 assists, and Pascal Siakam finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Pacers. Myles Turner added 23 points in the loss.

Indiana made 9 of 10 free throws in the game. Boston was 24 for 30 from the free-throw line.

The Pacers committed 22 turnovers.

The Celtics scored the game’s first 12 points and led 34-31 after one quarter. Boston had a 47-37 lead after Holiday’s jump shot with 8:01 remaining in the second quarter. Indiana tied the score, 61-61, on Haliburton’s 3-pointer with 1:19 left in the half. It was 64-64 at halftime.

Turner led all scorers with 18 points in the first half.

Indiana had its first lead of the game after Haliburton’s layup broke a 64-64 tie with 11:25 remaining in the third quarter. The Pacers stretched their lead to five, but Boston regained control and led 87-75 after Tatum’s three-point play with 4:50 left in the third capped a 13-0 run.

The Pacers used a 9-0 spurt to pull within four points, 92-88, late in the third. Indiana trailed 94-93 entering the fourth after Haliburton banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third.

–Field Level Media