June 28, 2022 3:49 am
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Los Angeles Angels interim manager Phil Nevin was suspended 10 games and Seattle Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker received a seven-game ban from Major League Baseball for their roles in a benches-clearing brawl during the second inning of Sunday’s game. Nevin and Winker were two of 12 players or coaches suspended between the teams, according to an MLB release. Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford received five games, Angels pitchers Ryan Tepera and Andrew Wantz were suspended for three, and Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez, Angels reliever Raisel Iglesias and major league interpreter Manny Del Campo received two games.
June 28, 2022 3:51 am
Deshaun Watson’s legal team takes on the NFL on Tuesday in front of a retired judge to determine his immediate future with the Cleveland Browns. Former U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson, who was jointly appointed by the league and the NFL Players’ Association, will hold a hearing to determine whether Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy and whether to impose discipline. áThe three-time Pro Bowl quarterback agreed to settle 20 of 24 civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct but he’s still facing a significant penalty. A person familiar with the NFL’s position told the AP last week the league is seeking a lengthy suspension for Watson.
June 27, 2022 3:51 am
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Shane McClanahan struck out 10 over seven innings, Tampa Bay had a three-run seventh keyed by an overturend call and the Rays completed a three-game sweep by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2. McClanahan allowed one run and four hits, and had 10 strikoeouts, lowering his major league-leading ERA to 1.77 ERA and grabbing the big league lead in strikeouts with 123. The Rays took a 4-1 lead in the seventh on Ji-Man Choi’s run-scoring double and RBI singles by Josh Lowe and Isaac Paredes off Anthony Banda, who replaced Tyler Beede (0-1) with one on and two outs.
June 27, 2022 3:55 am
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – A lengthy bench-clearing brawl resulted in the ejections of six players and both managers in the second inning of the Los Angeles Angels’ 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Three of the first four hitters in the Mariners’ lineup were ejected, while three Angels pitchers were tossed after two days of tension over inside pitches boiled over with punches thrown by people from both teams. The melee began when Seattle’s Jesse Winker charged the Angels’ emptying dugout after Winker was hit by Andrew Wantz. Luis Rengifo homered and David MacKinnon drove in the tiebreaking run with a single in the seventh for LA.
June 27, 2022 3:49 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup after dethroning the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The Avalanche beat the Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final behind a goal and an assist from Nathan MacKinnon. Tampa Bay fell two victories short of becoming the NHL’s first three-peat champion since the early 1980s. Colorado’s core led by MacKinnon, captain Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Mark got the job done after years of playoff disappointments. It’s the franchise’s third championship and first since 2001.
June 26, 2022 7:55 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Isaac Paredes hit a solo homer in the eighth inning and a two-run single with two outs in the ninth, sending the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. Ji-Man Choi and Vidal Bruján reached on two-out walks before Jonathan Aranda’s pinch-hit single loaded the bases against David Bednar (3-2). Paredes then hit an opposite-field liner to right for his game-ending single. Paredes’ teammate celebrated by dumping two containers of sports drink and then a bucket of ice on him in front of the Rays dugout after his hit on an 0-2 pitch. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Bednar “just didn’t execute pitches.” Paredes got the Rays within one in the eighth with his team-leading 10th homer — all over his last 25 games. He has gone deep five times in his last three games. Ralph Garza Jr. (1-2) worked two scoreless innings for the win in Tampa Bay’s fourth straight one-run game. It also was a Rays-record 11th consecutive game decided by two or fewer runs. Jack Suwinski hit a three-run homer for the Pirates. JT Brubaker allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings.
June 26, 2022 7:56 am
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson’s short-term future with the Browns could be coming into focus. Cleveland’s quarterback will have a hearing next week with NFL disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, three people familiar with the scheduled meeting told The Associated Press on Saturday. Watson, who is facing a potential suspension from the league stemming from accusations of sexual misconduct by two dozen massage therapists in Texas, will meet with Robinson on Tuesday, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the hearing have not been disclosed publicly. It’s not yet known how long Watson is scheduled to meet with Robinson. The hearing is a significant development in Watson’s case as Robinson will decide if the 26-year-old violated the league’s personal conduct policy. The league is expected to recommend significant discipline for Watson, who will be defended by the NFL Players Association in the high-profile case.
June 25, 2022 4:13 am
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Harold Ramirez scored Vidal Brujan with a game-ending pinch-single in the 10th inning, lifting the Tampa Bay Rays over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. Brujan took second as Tampa Bay’s automatic runner and stole third against Yerry De Los Santos before Ramirez’s hit. Jason Adam got the win. Luke Raley and Jonathan Aranda, playing in their first games for the Rays, drove in runs with singles to put the Rays up 2-0 in the second, and a balk by Pirates starter Mitch Keller made it 3-0. The Pirates tied it with three solo homers off starter Jeffrey Springs. The series continues this afternoon, and you can hear that game on WJPA 1450 AM with coverage starting at 12:35 p.m.
June 25, 2022 4:15 am
DENVER (AP) – The Colorado Avalanche were stymied in their quest to close out the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Avalanche never led in their 3-2 loss that sent the series back to Tampa with Colorado holding a three games-to-two edge in the best-of-seven series. The odds are still against the Lightning winning a third consecutive crowd as no team since the 1942 Maple Leafs have won the Stanley Cup after losing three of the first four games in the final. Game 6 is Sunday night. (Photo: AP)
June 25, 2022 4:18 am
(AP) – The NHL is reporting an increase in viewers in the first year of its television contracts with ESPN and TNT. Part of that is unparalleled growth in female and younger fans. According to NHL research, 37% of hockey fans are female and that includes 26% growth since 2016. Most of those new fans are likely within the coveted 18-49 age demographic. During the regular season, Wednesday regular-season games on TNT saw a 44% jump in viewers compared to previous years, when the games were aired on NBCSN.
