The Sportsletter - Run, Baby, Run

BY JEFF YODER

JUNE 26, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

A baseball-heavy weekend took over and home plates everywhere felt the pain. Two games — 1 college, 1 pro — featured 24 and 25 runs in a dazzling display of bats lined with history-book rewrites. Plenty of golf, soccer and WNBA also closed out the last weekend of June. We’ll have a fun week ahead before turning the page to July and the holiday break.

For now, let's RUN wild...

Letter Rip!

  CWS   

Gators Chomp Back With CWS Record

Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / Getty Images

#2 Florida Smashes #5 LSU With Record-Setting Outburst in Game 2 (24-4); Forces Winner-Take-All Game 3 in College World Series Final

One day after the Angels’ rung up 25 in the big leagues (see next story), the College World Series final got its own scoreboard explosion in Game 2. The 5-seed LSU beat 2-seed Florida in Game 1 (4-3) where Tigers’ pitcher Ty Floyd struck out 17 batters in 11 innings, but Game 2 was a different story. The Gators chomped back on Sunday afternoon as Florida tallied a CWS record 24 runs (24-4). Believe it or not, LSU actually led after the top of the third (3-1) before the Gator bats broke loose. Florida’s Ty Evans hit a grand slam to grab the lead, then it was chomp city. Florida hit six home runs in all as Evans and Jac Caglianone each homered twice. Wyatt Langford and BT Riopelle also went yard while the Tigers committed five errors leading to six unearned runs for Florida.

Florida’s 24-Run Record: The Gators’ 24 runs broke the previous Men’s College World Series record of 23 runs set by Notre Dame in 1957 (66 years).

Watch: Florida Sets MCWS Record With 24 Runs in Game 2 (24-4)

The Game 2 blowout sets up an exciting winner-take-all Game 3. One way or another, the College World Series crowns its champion tonight.

CWS Schedule (Game 3)

#2 Florida vs. #5 LSU (Tonight, 7:00 pm ET)

Read More

Sporting News: Florida Batters LSU on Record-Setting Day, Forces Game 3

AP News: Florida Sets College World Series Record With 24-4 Win Over LSU to Force Deciding Game 3

  MLB   

Halos Go Haywire

Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images

Angels Ring Up 25 Runs on the Rockies in Historic Rout (25-1), But Drop the Series

Scary hours in Los Angeles. The Angels turned heads on Saturday when they put up a quarter on the Rockies (25-1) in the biggest onslaught of the 2023 MLB season. They hit five homers while six Halos recorded three hits or more (see below), and they put up 13 runs in the third inning alone. The Angels actually lost the first (7-4) and third (4-3) games in the series against Colorado, but they outscored the Rockies by 20 runs overall (32-12). That plus-20 run differential is the second most in a lost series in MLB history. Believe it or not, Shohei Ohtani was just 1-for-7 in the record-setting 25-run game. Six other Angels batted a combined 23-for-30.

Angels Bats on Saturday

M. Trout: 3-for-3, 1 HR

B. Drury: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 4 RBIs

M. Thaiss: 3-for-6, 1 HR

H. Renfroe: 5-for-5, 4 RBIs

M. Moniak: 5-for-5, 1 HR, 4 RBIs

D. Fletcher: 4-for-6, 1 HR, 5 RBIs

Just hours after the blowout, the Angels acquired Mike Moustakas (from the Rockies) in a continued push the chips all-in for the Ohtani-Trout window. L.A. dropped back below the Astros for second in the AL West after the series loss.

Watch: Angels Light Up Scoreboard With 25 Runs on Saturday

MLB Quick-Hitters

Cards-Cubs Split in London: Baseball traveled over the pond for a two-game series between NL Central rivals this weekend. Chicago won the first game (9-1) while St. Louis took the second (7-5) at London Stadium. The Cubs — 37-39 overall and 8-2 in their last 10 — have closed the gap to just three games in the division. The Cardinals (32-45) are just 8.5 games back in a crowded race.

Freddie Joins 2,000-Hit Club: We have a new member of the 2,000-hit club! Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hit No. 2000 Sunday night in Los Angeles. The fan-favorite smacked a double off the right-field wall to earn a standing ovation in front of family and friends. He’s just the sixth active player to join the 2,000-hit club. The Dodgers fell to the Astros in 11 innings, 6-5.

Olson HRs, Braves Reach 50: The Atlanta Braves continued their hot June run with win No. 50 on Sunday over the streaking Reds (7-6). Atlanta won the series (2-1) in three high-scoring games all decided by one run. Matt Olson also jacked his 25th homer of the season to tie Ohtani for the MLB lead.

  GOLF   

LPGA & PGA Weekend Champs

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Ruoning Yin (LPGA Championship) & Keegan Bradley (Travelers Championship) Earn Golf’s Weekend Titles

A mid-summer weekend meant golf was in the forefront of sports once again. The LPGA Championship (New Jersey) and Travelers Championship (Connecticut) brought the two tournaments to the East Coast. Here’s the latest from the links to round out June.

LPGA: Ruoning Yin Birdies 18th for LPGA Championship

Another young star claimed her first major in the LPGA. The 20-year-old Ruoning Yin (-8) had a moment of magic on Sunday in the LPGA Championship at Baltusrol in New Jersey. A top-heavy leaderboard came down to the wire before Yuka Saso (-7) birdied the 18th to grab a share of the lead. A few moments later, Yin scrambled from the rough to set up a 10-foot birdie putt for the outright win. It was Yin’s first major title, and she’s just the second woman from China to win a major. Ten players finished within three strokes of the lead, including up-and-coming star Rose Zhang (-5).

PGA: Keegan Bradley (-23) Hangs On to Win Travelers

Keegan Bradley (-23) had his worst performance of the weekend on Sunday (-2), but it was enough to hold on to his lead atop the field at the Travelers Championship. A plethora of low scores put pressure on Bradley, but his main challenge — Chez Reavie (-19) — shot 1-over on Sunday. Patrick Cantlay (-19), Scottie Scheffler (-19) and Rory McIlroy (-18) were all in the hunt. It’s Bradley’s sixth-career PGA Tour win at 37 years old, but his second so far in 2023.

  WNBA   

WNBA All-Star Starters

Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

A’ja Wilson (Aces) & Breanna Stewart (Liberty) Named All-Star Captains as Starters Revealed for July 15 ASG

The WNBA is nearing the midway point of the season, and the starters were revealed on Sunday for the All-Star Game on July 15. A’ja Wilson (Aces) and Breanna Stewart (Liberty) will serve as the captains after receiving the most votes. Wilson’s Aces boast the best record in the league while Stewy ranks 2nd in scoring and 1st in rebounds. Indiana’s Aliyah Boston got the nod in her rookie season after averaging a double-double through the first 14 games. And three Aces players earned starting nods. Here’s a look at the 10 starters, plus an updated look at the WNBA standings after 1/3 of the season. It’s all Aces so far. 

WNBA All-Star Starters

A’ja Wilson (Aces) — Captain

Breanna Stewart (Liberty) — Captain

Brittney Griner (Mercury)

Jewell Loyd (Storm)

Nneka Ogwumike (Sparks)

Chelsea Gray (Aces)

Jackie Young (Aces)

Arike Ogunbowale (Wings)

Satou Sabally (Wings)

Aliyah Boston (Fever)

Reserve Players to be Announced Shortly

Updated WNBA Standings

1. Las Vegas Aces (12-1)

2. Connecticut Sun (12-3)

3. New York Liberty (9-3)

4. Washington Mystics (8-5)

5. Los Angeles Sparks (7-7)

6. Dallas Wings (6-8)

7. Atlanta Dream (5-7)

8. Indiana Fever (5-8)

9. Chicago Sky (5-9)

10. Minnesota Lynx (4-9)

11. Seattle Storm (4-9)

12. Phoenix Mercury (2-10)

Read More

DraftKings: Who Are the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game Starters?

ESPN: Sun’s Alyssa Thomas Sets WNBA Record With 4th Regular-Season Triple-Double

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚽️ SOCCER: USMNT Saves Gold Cup Draw

The U.S. Men’s National Team suffered a disappointing result on Saturday night against Jamaica in the Concacaf Gold Cup. Despite dominating possession and scoring opportunities, they needed a late goal from Brandon Vazquez (88’) just to salvage the draw (1-1).

⚾️ TENNIS: Alcaraz Returns to No. 1

Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first grass title on Sunday by defeating Alex De Minaur in the Queen’s Club Championships final (6-4, 6-4). He regained the title of World No. 1 ahead of next month’s major at Wimbledon.

  NEWS   📰 

• NHL Announces Teams Will No Longer Wear ‘Cause-Based’ Warmup Jerseys, Still Host Specialty Nights (ESPN)
• Yankees’ Aaron Judge Has Torn Ligament in Toe, Hopeful to Return in 2023 (CBS Sports)
• Phoenix Suns Don’t Plan to Trade Deandre Ayton Despite Rumors (B/R)
• American Sprinter Noah Lyles Matches Usaint Bolt’s Record in 200M (SI)
• WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury Fire Head Coach Vanessa Nygaard After 2-10 Start (Yahoo! Sports)
• Victor Wembanyama Posts Photo With Spurs Legends David Robinson & Tim Duncan (USA Today)
• West Virginia Names Josh Eilert Interim Head Coach After Bob Huggins’ Resignation (FOX Sports)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️ 

Tonight's Must-Watch List

College World Series

Gm 3: #2 Florida vs. #5 LSU (7:00 pm ET)

*Winner-Take-All

MLB

Reds at Orioles (7:05 pm ET)

Brewers at Mets (7:10 pm ET)
Twins at Braves (7:20 pm ET)

Concacaf Gold Cup

El Salvador vs. Martinique (6:30 pm ET)
Costa Rica vs. Panama (8:30 pm ET)

WNBA

Fever at Aces (10:00 pm ET)

Download The Sportsletter's Must-Watch Calendar

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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