Month: June 2023

Throughout these playoffs, there have been two things that the Nuggets have done better than any other team: score, and win on their home court. Both those trends continued Thursday.

José Abreu’s RBI single sealed the Houston Astros’ 5-2 victory against the Los Angeles Angles.

Nikola Jokić added another accolade to his ever-growing résumé on Monday after turning in a first half in Game 1 against the Heat that placed him in rare company in the annals of NBA Finals history. 

Appearing in his first-ever NBA Finals game, the Nuggets star recorded 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting and 10 assists to go with three rebounds and zero turnovers. Jokić’s well-rounded stat line placed him next to LeBron James as the only two players in the last 25 years to record 10 points and 10 assists in any half of an NBA Finals game. 

Interestingly, Jokić achieved the feat in his Finals debut, while James, who wrapped up Year 20 in a conference finals lost to Denver, logged his 10-and-10 in his 42nd Finals game back in 2017. The then-Cavaliers forward recorded 18 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and finished with a 29/14/11 triple-double in a Game 2 loss to the Warriors. 

Nikola Jokic joins LeBron James as the only players in the last 25 years with 10 points & 10 assists in any half of an NBA Finals game.

James did it in his 42nd Finals game.

Jokic did it in his 1st. pic.twitter.com/VZKy7uFQps

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 2, 2023

Jokić and the Nuggets went into halftime up big against the Heat, with a 59–42 lead, on a night where the franchise hosted its first-ever NBA finals game.

Considering the postseason Jokić has had, the Serbian big man’s strong start could be a sign that more triple-doubles may be on the horizon.

Willi Castro’s walk-off sac fly sealed a 7-6 victory for the Minnesota Twins against the Cleveland Guardians.

Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale was taken out of Thursday’s game vs. the Reds in the fourth inning due to shoulder soreness.

After noticing something wrong with Sale’s pitches at the top of the fourth inning, Boston manager Alex Cora and the team’s medical trainer walked to the mound to speak with Sale to make sure everything was O.K. Sale was not taken out of the game at that point. 

However, Cora and the medical staff returned to the mound just two pitches later, which is when Sale was taken out of the game.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora and their medical trainer checked on Chris Sale, left him in the game and then a couple pitches later, removed him from the game with just 59 pitches. pic.twitter.com/3NpVDPvtwS

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 2, 2023

Sale left Thursday’s game having allowed six strikeouts, five hits and one run through 3.2 innings pitched.

Despite Sale leaving early, the Red Sox relief pitchers held the Reds to just a couple runs as Boston won 8–2 to finish the series.

In his 13th season, Sale currently has the highest ERA of his career with, posting a mark of 3.90 through 10 starts. The ace has continued to express his frustration with his play throughout this season, including after his first start back in early April when he admitted to being “embarrassed” by his start.

Minnesota Twins’ Royce Lewis clutched a game-tying two-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians

Connor Wong’s two-run homer in the eighth inning helped the Boston Red Sex seal an 8-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Brazil’s dominant run at the 2015 World Cup ended with No. 49 on our countdown of the most memorable moments of the Women’s World Cup.

Boston Red Sox’s Kiké Hernandez drilled a solo home run to take the lead against the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh inning.

As the stars descended upon Denver for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, a touching exchange between two of the greatest athletes of all-time gave both NBA and NFL fans a pre-game moment to be hyped about.

One of the many ESPN cameras courtside for Monday’s matchup between the Heat and Nuggets captured Peyton Manning and Shaquille O’Neal greeting each other prior to tipoff. Shortly after the Hall of Famers shook hands, Manning introduced O’Neal to his 12-year-old son Marshall, who was wearing a Nuggets-era Allen Iverson jersey. 

The young Marshall then shook Shaq’s hand before getting pulled in by the NBA legend for a big bear hug. O’Neal then shared a few more words and a laugh with Peyton, which appeared to start after the former Broncos quarterback made a comment about Charles Barkley.

Shaq 🤝 Peyton pic.twitter.com/PhTNeMoH9L

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 2, 2023

On a night where many eyes around the sports world are fixed on Ball Arena, Shaq’s moment with the Mannings, naturally, made for a viral moment worthy of such a big night.

Not to mention, the sight of Manning and O’Neal—owners of a combined six league MVP awards and six championship rings in their respective leagues—also served as a great shot of nostalgia for old school sports fans and those of a new generation.