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From Mike DiGiovanna: The good vibes derived from Tyler Glasnow’s dominant seven-inning start and Shohei Ohtani’s two-homer game were shattered in the seventh inning on Sunday when a 98-mph fastball struck the back of the left hand of Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who writhed on the ground for a few minutes before coming out of the game.
The Dodgers went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals 3-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 52,789 at Dodger Stadium, but they lost their dynamic leadoff man in the process — X-rays showed that Betts suffered a broken bone in his left hand, and though he won’t need surgery, he will be sidelined for several weeks.
“It’s a big blow, it is,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I feel really bad for Mookie. He was having an MVP season. It’s very unfortunate, but you’ve got to move on, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to be fine. We have really good players.”
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Betts, who is batting .304 with an .893 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 10 homers, 16 doubles, 40 RBIs and 50 runs, had a 1-and-2 count when he could not get out of the way of Royals reliever Dan Altavilla’s up-and-in heater. The ball hit Betts on the back of the left hand, which Betts clutched as he fell to the ground.
“I just went numb, and it hurt,” Betts said. “Unfortunately, it’s broken. There’s [nothing] we can really do now. … What’s next, I’m honestly not sure. Obviously, I’ll be watching the boys, cheering them on, but other than that, it’s just rest, maybe use it as a mental break, be ready to go whenever it heals up.”
Betts will be examined on Monday by Dr. Steven Shin, a hand specialist.
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Dodgers hope Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s rotator-cuff strain isn’t a precursor to major injury
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ANGELS
Jorge Soler hit a three-run homer in San Francisco’s nine-run fourth inning and the Giants beat the Angels 13-6 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
The Giants’ struggling bats woke up in big fashion in the fourth inning to turn a 2-0 deficit into a big lead in a bullpen game for both teams. That gave 29-year-old Spencer Bivens the victory in his long-awaited debut in the majors.
Jose Suarez (1-2) faced five batters in the fourth and didn’t retire any of them, getting replaced after allowing back-to-back two-run doubles to Thairo Estrada and Brett Wisely.
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LAKERS
From Broderick Turner: On Sept. 30, 2014, Steve Kerr presided over his first practice as the head coach of an NBA team. Kerr was now the man in charge of the Golden State Warriors, a job he took without the benefit of any previous coaching experience.
Kerr looked out before him and saw the faces of stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green staring back at him, waiting for the newbie to put his coaching plan in place on that initial day.
“I had these plans with the coaching staff beforehand, but it was like the first day of school, only I was a brand new teacher,” Kerr, laughing, recalled about his first day coaching the Warriors. “You have to get through the bumps in the road and iron things out. But I remember the first two days were a little chaotic. I was trying to do a lot of things. I quickly realized that you don’t have nearly as enough time as you thought you would to address every issue. And that’s a big part of it.”
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If JJ Redick gets the Lakers’ head coaching job that seems destined to become his, according to people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, having the right staff will be beneficial since he has no coaching experience.
The Times spoke to five former players who became head coaches without having been on the bench in that role and each was adamant the sage assistants are important to have for guidance.
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NBA FINALS
Schedule and results
All times Pacific
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks
at Boston 107, Dallas 89 (box score)
at Boston 105, Dallas 98 (box score)
Boston 106, at Dallas 99 (box score)
at Dallas 122, Boston 84 (box score)
Monday at Boston, 5:30 p.m., ABC
*Thursday at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., ABC
*Sunday at Boston, 5 p.m., ABC
*-if necessary
SPARKS
Allisha Gray scored 25 points, Tina Charles had a double-double and the Atlanta Dream pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the 87-74 on Sunday.
Gray made nine of 14 shots from the floor, including three of five from three-point range, for the Dream (6-6). She added three steals to help Atlanta snap a two-game skid. Charles finished with 20 points — also on nine-for-14 shooting — and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season.
Rickea Jackson and rookie Cameron Brink led the Sparks (4-10) with 16 points apiece. Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft out of Stanford, added seven rebounds. Dearica Hamby was held to 10 points and eight rebounds, well below her season averages. Reserve Aari McDonald finished with 14 points and five assists.
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RAMS
From Gary Klein: Optimism abounded, though it was tempered by uncertainty.
That is how the Rams entered their summer break.
Players emerged last week from voluntary offseason workouts without major injuries, star receiver Cooper Kupp appeared to regain his form, and coach Sean McVay and his staff were able to evaluate young players as they approached 2024 A.D. — the season after Aaron Donald retired.
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Quarterback Matthew Stafford, however, remained at odds with the team over his contract. So McVay and Rams executives will attempt to compartmentalize anxiety and relax before players report to Loyola Marymount for training camp on July 23.
Some questions the Rams will need answered:
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CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: Over the franchise’s last 19 games, the Chargers have won five times.
This is a team that has beaten one opponent that finished with a winning record since Dec. 5, 2021, a stretch covering 40 games.
The over/under win total for the 2024 version of Chargers has been set at 8.5, which, in the NFL, is the exact expression of .500 or, stated another way, mediocrity.
Still, the Chargers will enter training camp near the end of July flush with confidence cultivated during the offseason program by, most of all, new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
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“There’s no doubt in my mind we have the right guys and the right staff,” quarterback Justin Herbert said at the conclusion of minicamp. “We just have to go out there and execute. We have that faith we’re going to get things right.”
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U.S. OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open on Sunday for the second time with another memorable finish on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2, along with another heavy dose of heartache for Rory McIlroy.
In a wild final hour of more blunders than brilliance, DeChambeau capped off a week of high entertainment by getting up-and-down from 55 yards out of a bunker, making a four-foot par putt to close with a one-over 71.
“That’s Payne right there, baby!” DeChambeau screamed as he walked off the 18th green.
Payne Stewart famously made a 15-foot par putt on the final hole in 1999 at the first U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, beating Phil Mickelson by one shot. DeChambeau says he was inspired to go to SMU when he saw a mural of Stewart on campus.
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UKRAINE SOCCER
From Kevin Baxter: Valentyn Romaniuk enlisted in the Ukrainian army the day after the Russian invasion in February 2022. Sixteen months later he was fighting with the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade near the small town of Klishchiivka, in eastern Ukraine, when an explosion mangled his right leg just below the hip.
The leg had to be amputated to save his life. Romaniuk, was only 21, yet in a flash a life that was just beginning had changed forever.
Oleksandr Kovalchuk, who grew up swimming, competing in judo and playing soccer, had followed his father into the military and was deployed in the Kreminna Forest with the 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade. Last November he was charging a Russian position when he stepped on unexploded cluster munitions, which the locals call cassette bombs. It blew open his left leg below the knee.
It, too, had to be amputated. Kovalchuk, also 21, had seen his life permanently altered as well.
Valentyn Romaniuk lost his leg fighting for Ukraine against Russia. Now he’s playing on an amputee soccer team sponsored by Ukraine’s most successful soccer team. (Courtesy of FC Shakhtar)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine’s most successful soccer team, can do little to stop that carnage. But in February it took a big step toward helping those wounded warriors adjust to their new reality, becoming the first professional club in the soccer-mad country to sponsor an amputee team.
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STANLEY CUP FINAL
Schedule and results
All times Pacific
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
at Florida 3, Edmonton 0 (box score)
at Florida 4, Edmonton 1 (box score)
Florida 4, at Edmonton 3 (box score)
at Edmonton 8, Florida 1 (box score)
Tuesday at Florida, 5 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., ESPN
*Monday, June 24 at Florida, TB5 p.m.D, ESPN
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1954 — Rocky Marciano scores a 15-round unanimous decision over Ezzard Charles at New York to retain the world heavyweight title.
1960 — Ted Williams hit his 500th HR.
1961 — Gene Littler shoots a 68 in the final round to edge Doug Sanders and Bob Goalby in the U.S. Open.
1962 — Jack Nicklaus beats Arnold Palmer by three strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open.
1962 — Brazil beats Czechoslovakia 3-1 in Santiago, Chile to win its second straight FIFA World Cup title. Czechoslovakia scored first on a goal by Josef Masopust at 15 minutes. Two minutes later Amarildo tied the game. In the second half, Zito and Vavá scored goals to give Brazil the victory.
1973 — John Miller shoots a 63 in the final round to win the U.S. Open by one stroke over John Schlee at Oakmont, Pa. Miller’s 8-under 63 is the first ever carded in a major championship.
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1976 — The 18-team NBA absorbs four of the six remaining ABA teams: the New York Nets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets.
1979 — Hale Irwin wins the U.S. Open by two strokes over Gary Player and Jerry Pate.
1991 — Payne Stewart escapes with a two-stroke victory over Scott Simpson in the highest-scoring U.S. Open playoff in 64 years.
1992 — Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to Phoenix Suns.
2007 — Angel Cabrera holds off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk by a stroke to capture the U.S. Open. Cabrera shoots a 1-under-par 69 in the final round at brutal Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
2008 — The Boston Celtics win their 17th NBA title with a stunning 131-92 blowout over the Lakers in Game 6. Kevin Garnett scores 26 points with 14 rebounds, Ray Allen scores 26 and Paul Pierce, the finals MVP, adds 17.
2010 — The Lakers beat Boston for the first time in a Game 7 to repeat as NBA champions. The Lakers win their 16th NBA championship, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter 13-point deficit to beat the Celtics 83-79.
2012 — Webb Simpson wins the U.S. Open outlasting former U.S. Open champions Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell.
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2018 — Brooks Koepka wins a second consecutive U.S. Open, the first player to do so since Curtis Strange in 1989.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time...
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