Twins' best long-ball moments in their homer-happy season

Published in Baseball

Saturday, 31 August 2019 22:16

There it is! Or, rather, there it goes! The Minnesota Twins blasted their way into the record books Saturday night, hitting their 263rd, 264th, 265th, 266th, 267th and 268th home runs of the season, breaking the single-season record of 267 set by the New York Yankees way back in ... 2018.

In a game that perhaps perfectly sums up the entire barrage of home runs in 2019, the Twins lost 10-7 to the Tigers, however. It was the first time in franchise history the Twins hit five home runs in a game and lost -- they had been 49-0. (They're not alone in this category this season. Ten other teams have hit at least five home runs and lost, and two of those hit six.)

While it's not a surprise the Yankees' record failed to last, no one would have predicted in March that the Twins would be the first team to beat it. They hit 166 home runs in 2018, ranking just 12th in the American League. Eddie Rosario led the team with 24. This year, they already have six players with at least 24 home runs: Max Kepler (36), Nelson Cruz (34), Rosario (27), Miguel Sano (26), Mitch Garver (26) and C.J. Cron (24). With 27 games to play, the Twins are on pace for 321 home runs -- nearly doubling their total from last season.

In honor of the record-breaking night, let's look at back at the Twins' top 10 home run highlights on the season ... so far:

April 9: Mitch Garver homers twice off Jacob deGrom

Believe it or not, the Twins hit only one home run in their first five games. They then hit six in three games against the Phillies, and broke out against an unlikely pitcher when they hit six home runs in a 14-8 win over the Mets -- three of those coming off deGrom (who entered the game with a 26-inning scoreless streak, which Garver broke with a second-inning home run).

Garver has been a remarkable story. He had a solid season as the primary starter as a 27-year-old rookie in 2018, hitting seven home runs in 302 at-bats. With Jason Castro back from a knee injury and the promise of Willians Astudillo, it looked like a three-way timeshare behind the plate this year.

That's how it started, but Garver started hitting and then kept on hitting and kept on getting more time. He's hitting .273/.353/.619 and has even hit leadoff 20 times, which he did Saturday.

Overall, Twins catchers have hit 39 home runs, so they should be break the MLB record of 43 shared by the 1953 Dodgers (41 by Roy Campanella), 1997 Dodgers (40 by Mike Piazza), 1999 Mets (40 by Piazza) and 2003 Braves (all by Javy Lopez).

April 20: Twins blast eight home runs in a 16-7 win at Baltimore

In the second game of a doubleheader, Garver, Cruz and Jonathan Schoop each hit two home runs. Those are three of the Twins' 29 individual multihomer games of 2019 -- yes, that's another record. Cruz leads the way with six such games and Schoop has five.

May 23: Twins blast eight home runs in a 16-7 win in Anaheim

The Twins had another eight-homer game with an identical winning score. This came during a stretch in which the Twins won 11 of 12 games and belted 31 home runs. And none of those games were against the Orioles. Minnesota became only the second team with two eight-homer games in one season, joining the 2005 Rangers. To show how impressive the Twins have been, at this point they had hit 98 home runs in 49 games, a season pace of 324 -- so they've basically maintained a consistent 320-homer pace all season. "We've had some games this season where we have hit a lot of homers," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It's not as if our guys go up there swinging for the fences." Hmm.

June 6: Max Kepler crushes three home runs

This was the Max Kepler Game as the Twins beat the Indians 5-4 with Kepler hitting all three home runs off Trevor Bauer as he went 4-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs. Kepler had entered the game hitless in his previous 21 at-bats. He had a chance for a fourth home run in the ninth inning against Cleveland reliever Josh Smith, but he could manage only an infield single. "Some days you don't see the ball great. Other days you see it like a beach ball," Kepler said.

June 18: Kepler ties score in bottom of 13th

Or maybe this was the Max Kepler Game. Facing the Red Sox, Kepler didn't even enter until the sixth inning, but then he did this: tied the score with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, led off the bottom of the 13th with a tying home run, won it with an RBI single in the 17th for a 4-3 victory. His home run in this game is the Twins' only extra-inning long ball so far.

July 25: Nelson Cruz hits three home runs

The old man can still bring it. This was part of a seven-homer week for Cruz as he homered in five straight games, including three times -- all off Lucas Giolito -- in a 10-3 win over the White Sox. Cruz had two shots at a fourth home run but struck out and flew out.

Aug. 3: Nelson Cruz hits three home runs ... again

In an 11-3 win over the Royals, Cruz hit another three.

Aug. 5: Miguel Sano hits walk-off home run

In a 5-3 win over the Braves, Sano entered as a pinch hitter with two outs and a runner on in the bottom of the ninth, and delivered the Twins' only walk-off home run of 2019.

Aug. 13: Marwin Gonzalez homers off Josh Hader

Down 5-4 in the top of the eighth, the Twins got two on with two outs and the Brewers brought in the All-Star left-hander to flip the switch-hitting Gonzalez over to his right side. He jumped all over a first-pitch fastball.

Aug. 31: Mitch Garver hits the record-breaker

OK, maybe it was a bit anticlimactic in the 10-7 loss for the #BombaSquad, but here it is:

2️⃣6️⃣8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/mNC58pnaNO
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 1, 2019

Twins home runs by month:
March/April: 50
May: 56
June: 51
July: 52
August: 59

The single-season leaders:
2019 Twins: 268
2018 Yankees: 267
1997 Mariners: 264
2005 Rangers: 260

Oh, by the way, the Twins better not slow down in September. The Yankees are within striking distance with 254 home runs.

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Aly Dixon wins world 50km title on ultra running debut

Published in Athletics

Sunday, 01 September 2019 02:25

Olympic marathoner clocks 3:07:20 to break the world record and lead a GB 1-2 in Romania

Britain’s Aly Dixon has won gold at the IAU 50km World Championships in Brasov, Romania, also breaking the world record for the distance in her very first ultra marathon.

The Olympic marathoner clocked 3:07:20 to take the title on Sunday, leading a GB one-two ahead of Helen Davies, who ran 3:09:16. Spain’s Alicia Perez claimed bronze in 3:15:09.

Top 3 Women (provisional results)
1. Alyson Dixon (GBR) 3.07.20
2. Helen Davies (GBR) 3.09.16
3. Alicia Perez (ESP) 3.15.09 pic.twitter.com/zHXJeXeref

— IAU (@iaunews) September 1, 2019

Another individual medal for the GB team was claimed by Dan Nash as he finished third in 2:49:01 in a men’s race won by Spain’s Iraitz Arrospide in 2:47:42. South Africa’s Lungile Gongqa was second in 2:48:26.

Nash’s time improves the GB record of 2:53:41 set by former Olympic marathoner Jeff Norman in 1985.

A total of 17 athletes finished inside three hours in the men’s event, including Nash’s team-mates Paul Martelletti (2:55:39) and Alex Milne (2:56:20), who placed 14th and 15th respectively.

Kevin Rojas clocked 3:01:22 in 20th.

Behind Dixon and Davies, Julie Briscoe completed the team scoring for GB, clocking 3:22:57 in ninth, while Hannah Oldroyd ran 3:26:00 for 12th and Dani Nimmock clocked 3:30:22 for 20th.

Dixon, who has a best of 2:29:06 for 26.2 miles, or 42.195km, led from the start and went through 23km in 85 minutes before clocking 2:32:58 through the 41km checkpoint.

Crossing the finish line with 3:07:20 on the clock, the 40-year-old takes more than a minute off the previous world record of 3:08:39 set by South Africa’s Frith van der Merwe in 1989.

Dixon will be returning to the roads next weekend with another world record in mind as she attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest superhero to run a half-marathon. Back on home soil, she’ll race the Simplyhealth Great North Run dressed as Wonder Woman.

More to follow…

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'What a moment' - Osaka warms hearts with emotional gesture

Published in Tennis

Saturday, 31 August 2019 18:45

Naomi Osaka has won hearts all over again.

The defending champion consoled 15-year-old American Coco Gauff after beating her 6-3 6-0 in the third round of the US Open.

"For me a definition of an athlete is someone who treats you as their worst enemy on the court but after they treat you like you're their best friend. That's what she did," Gauff said.

It was not the first time Osaka has shown compassion in victory and after a heart-warming embrace at the net, she invited a tearful Gauff to speak to the crowd in a post-match interview.

"She [Osaka] told me that I did amazing and 'good luck' and asked if I could do the on-court interview with her. I said 'no' because I knew I would cry the whole time, but she encouraged me to do it," said Gauff, competing in only her second Grand Slam singles main draw.

"It was amazing, she did amazing and I am going to learn a lot from this match. She has been so sweet to me, so thank you for this."

Osaka, 21, was holding back tears herself when she then spoke directly to Gauff's box, before apologising for playing so well.

"You guys raised an amazing player," said the Japanese world number one. "I used to see you guys training in the same place as us. The both of us made it and are working as hard as we can. I think this is the most focused I have been since Australia.

Turning back to Gauff, she added: "I am sorry for playing you in this mentality. It was super fun!"

Tearful - but a contrast to last year

Japanese top seed Osaka announced herself to the tennis world when she won the US Open last year after an angry Serena Williams accused the umpire of being a "thief" in some of the most dramatic scenes at a Grand Slam final.

Williams was given a game penalty for her outburst, which followed racquet smashing and another code violation as Osaka won 6-2 6-4.

"I'm sorry it had to end like this," a crying Osaka said during the trophy presentation.

Fast-forward 12 months and Osaka was once again up against the home favourite on Arthur Ashe. But this time the tears were different.

Osaka, though still only 21, was the senior - showing grace and maturity as she offered advice and comfort to Gauff - but could not hide her emotions when speaking to the teenager's family.

And remaining humble, Osaka laughed when it was suggested she was a "mentor" before hugging Gauff as the American left the court.

It was a moment which American 11th seed Sloane Stephens said is "what tennis should be about".

'Proud to have Osaka as number one'

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Osaka consoles Gauff after overwhelming win

Published in Tennis

Saturday, 31 August 2019 17:30

Defending champion Naomi Osaka overwhelmed 15-year-old Coco Gauff to reach the US Open last 16 in front of a captivated Arthur Ashe Stadium.

World number one Osaka, 21, won 6-3 6-0 against the home favourite - and later consoled the emotional American in heart-warming scenes.

Gauff matched Osaka for much of the first set, but her game - particularly serve - unravelled in the second.

She produced double faults at crucial times as Osaka broke serve six times.

Osaka, who added the Australian Open title to her maiden major win here last year, will face Swiss 13th seed Belinda Bencic in the fourth round.

Bencic, 22, progressed after her third-round opponent Anett Kontaveit of Estonia withdrew through illness.

'Focused' Osaka too good for Gauff

Even Serena Williams said she could not wait for the battle between Osaka and Gauff after, like many, describing the two players as the future of women's tennis.

Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, admitted the prime-time night match would turn her into a "fan girl" and would not have been disappointed by a competitive start.

Neither was a packed Ashe, which was unusually quiet while an engrossed near-24,000 crowd watched a compelling battle unfold.

Yet the atmosphere soon became flat as Osaka outpowered Gauff - who was aiming to become the youngest player to reach the last 16 since Russian Anna Kournikova in 1996 - to run away with the second set and win in one hour and five minutes.

Gauff, who was playing on the world's biggest court for the first time, began to look a little overwhelmed with the occasion and, shortly after losing the match with a long forehand, fought back the tears.

Osaka tried to console her and also became emotional as she paid tribute to the Florida teenager and thanked her family for raising an "amazing" player.

"I used to see you guys training in the same place as us. The both of us made it and are working as hard as we can," Osaka said.

"I think this is the most focused I've been since Australia, so sorry for playing in this mentality.

"I've watched her play a couple of times and thought she was an incredible mover and had to get going off the bat."

Both players received another vociferous ovation as they walked off court shortly after each other, presumably not for the last time as they look set to contest the sport's biggest titles over the coming years.

Double faults prove costly for Gauff

Gauff has showed remarkable maturity for a player of her age - on and off the court - since becoming a global star with her run to the last 16 at Wimbledon in July.

Powerful strokes and impressive court coverage have been the foundations of her early success, but she largely came undone against Osaka because of her poor serving.

Gauff's service game at Flushing Meadows had been patchy coming into the third-round match, particularly having produced 18 double faults across her opening two victories.

That proved to be her downfall again as she notched another seven and was punished by Osaka.

Handing over a break point in her first service game of the match with a double fault proved an ominous sign, with another changing the momentum of a pivotal eighth game.

Gauff had twice fought back from breaks down in the opener, only for another double fault at 15-0 to allow Osaka to seize control for a 5-3 lead which she converted into a one-set advantage.

The American started the second set with another double fault for 0-30, then threatened to crack her racquet on the court after immediately hitting another first serve into the net.

The teenager suddenly started to look overwhelmed and another double fault handed over the first game, leaving Ashe in virtual silence.

Three more of the same errors came in what proved to be her final two service games as Osaka won the second set in just 29 minutes.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Naomi Osaka produced probably her finest performance since the Australian Open.

She hit the ball ferociously hard, and used some mind-bending angles to eventually overwhelm the 15-year-old.

But Coco Gauff's first-set performance was fabulous. Resilient in defence, and full of poise, she twice came from a break of serve down. And all this, at 15, in front of well over 20,000 people in the largest stadium in tennis.

Gauff is currently projected to rise to 105 in the world rankings, but will not be able to play many more tournaments before her 16th birthday.

Age eligibility rules mean she may only be able to play three more events between now and March. The last two months of the WTA season are played in Asia and Europe, so practice and school work may take precedence for the rest of the year.

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A Track Record Run For Brittany Force In Indy

Published in Racing

Saturday, 31 August 2019 17:13

INDIANAPOLIS – Brittany Force’s weekend at the 65th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals keeps getting better, as she broke the Top Fuel track record on Saturday at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis to stay in the provisional No. 1 spot.

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the final regular-season race of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Force put down an impressive blast of 3.645 seconds at 332.26 mph to set the track record in her Advance Auto Parts dragster and remain in the top spot in what is already the quickest qualifying field in Top Fuel history. The 2017 world champion is chasing her first Indy win and stays in line to claim her sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 16th overall.

The Torrence family is close behind, as Billy Torrence moved to second after his pass of 3.655 seconds at a track speed record of 333.33 mph, while his son, Steve, the defending world champ and points leader, is third.

“They’ve all felt fast this weekend and consistency is really what we’ve been looking for,” said Force, who has one win in 2019. “That’s the main thing we’ve been struggling with and to put a number like that on the board, that was pretty awesome. I was pumped when they told me what we ran. I knew we were going to push again, but I didn’t know conditions were going to be better. We stepped it up and got around everybody. It’s the biggest race of the season and it’s Indy, and everything is kind of falling together at the right time.”

Funny Car’s Beckman stayed in the No. 1 position, improving on his performance from Friday with a run of 3.861 seconds at 330.07 mph in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Beckman, who is after his first win of the year, is closing in on first No. 1 qualifier this year and 25th in his career. Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan made a huge leap in the final qualifying session, jumping from 13th to second. John Force is currently qualified third.

Bo Butner on his way to the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock at Lucas Oil Raceway. (Kent Steele Photo)

In Pro Stock, points leader Butner moved into the top spot in his Jim Butner Auto Group Camaro after going 6.559 seconds at 210.28 mph. He is trying for his third No. 1 qualifier this year and 11th in his career. Butner is also after his first Pro Stock win at Indy, looking to become the sixth straight first-time winner in the class at the prestigious race. Butner’s KB Racing teammate, Jason Line, improved on his top time from Friday but now sits in second. Erica Enders is a spot back in third.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Sampey jumped into the No. 1 position with a 6.816-second pass at 195.53 mph on her Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson FXDR. If it holds, it would be Sampey’s first No. 1 qualifier since 2016 and 50th in her career. The run also helped Sampey’s playoff chances, as the three-time world champion and two-time Indy winner came into the weekend ninth in points. Defending world champion Matt Smith also made a big move on Saturday into second. Points leader Andrew Hines follows in third.

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Serra & Vilander Score For Ferrari At The Glen

Published in Racing

Saturday, 31 August 2019 18:11

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Ferrari drivers Daniel Serra and Toni Vilander scored the overall Blancpain GT World Challenge America victory Saturday at Watkins Glen Int’l.

The 51-lap, 90-minute race presented by CrowdStrike also featured wins in the Pro/Am category by Acura drivers Mike Hedlund and Dane Cameron, and in the Am category with Ferrari drivers Mark Issa and Martin Fuentes.

Polesitter Alvaro Parente, in the K-PAX Racing No. 9 Bentley Continental GT3 assumed the lead through turn one ahead of Serra, behind the wheel of the No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3. Brazilian Rodrigo Baptista, who started third, slotted in behind Serra. American Patrick Long went from sixth to fourth on the opening lap.

Hedlund, who started eighth overall and second in Pro/Am, moved into the Pro/Am lead around Wright Motorsports driver American Anthony Imperato in the No. 91 Porsche 911 GT3 R, while American Christopher Gagnazzi slotted into 10th overall and first in the Am category.

Through lap 10 the leaders continued to hold their positions with Parente building a four car length lead over Serra. On lap 11, Am leader Cagnazzi spun through turn nine and before he could gather up his No. 19 machine and return to the track Issa, in the No. 7 Squadra Corse Ferrari 488 GT3, moved into the lead in class.

Through laps 15 to 18, Parente gradually increased his lead over Serra to 3.1 seconds before the pit window opened with just over 48 minutes remaining in the contest. Drama ensued as the leaders entered pit road for the driver changeover. Parente was slowed coming into the pits by another competitor allowing Serra to remove the gap gained on the track. The R. Ferri team was then able to execute a seamless pit stop and Vilander, who took over from Serra, exited the pits ahead of Andy Soucek who assumed the reins from Parente.

With the pit window closed and driver changes completed, Vilander held his lead over Soucek, with Soulet, who took over for Baptista, in third and Scott Hargrove, who took over for Long, in fourth. In Pro/Am, Cameron, who took over for Hedlund, slotted into seventh overall and first in the Pro/Am class, while Fuentes assumed the reins from Issa in 10th overall and first in Am.

The leaders all held their positions to the checkered – Vilander won by 2.8 seconds over Soucek. In Pro/Am, Cameron won over Olsen, who had taken over for Imperato, while Fuentes won over Japan’s Takuya Shirasaka.

“It’s my first time here (at Watkins Glen) so my race went amazing,” said Issa. “I always say to win you have to be present so at the end of the day while I lost a little (time through) the bus stop (section of the track) I just thought about keeping consistent laps and remaining focused.”

“Starting in second wasn’t optimal, but it was a solid qualifying and I know we had a solid race pace after running the car yesterday,” said Hedlund. “My main goal was to start clean and I didn’t want to get us in trouble early, so I took the outside and was able to get around (Imperato) to take the lead. The RealTime guys did a perfect job on the pit stop and we had a clean driver change plus the lead.”

“This is my first time in this championship and it’s probably the only race this year (for me) as Miguel (Molina) is coming back to race with Toni so I’m happy that I could help him win this race and extend the championship lead,” said Serra. “The team did an amazing job on the pit stop, we were able to overtake Parente, we were a bit lucky with some traffic. The team did an amazing job and I feel good to come here and help.”

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Herta Steals The Show In Portland Qualifying

Published in Racing

Saturday, 31 August 2019 18:20

PORTLAND, Ore. – Even Colton Herta has to admit, it’s all adding up to a perfect weekend for the 19-year-old NTT IndyCar Series rookie at Portland Int’l Raceway.

He was the fastest driver in every practice session and he carried that momentum into qualifying, winning the second pole of his young career Saturday afternoon.

The son of retired IndyCar Series driver Bryan Herta was the fastest driver in Saturday’s Fast Six with a best lap of 57.8111 seconds for a speed of 122.302 mph in the No. 88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda.

“I think so, so far,” Herta said when asked if it’s a perfect weekend. “I don’t want to call it that yet, though.”

It was a very competitive Fast Six, with the separation from first to third .0244-of-a-second.

Team Penske’s Will Power was second at 57.8303 seconds (122.261 mph) in the No. 12 Chevrolet. Five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon was third at 57.8355 (122.250 mph) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda.

“Yeah, that was crazy,” Herta said. “Yeah, it was crazy how close the field is here. It always seems to be that way. I didn’t really expect to have the lap, one lap on used Reds, but the grip was kind of in right away, so it was all good.

“I knew it was close. I knew I was third before I hit the timing line. We went with an off-the-wall strategy with the new Blacks instead of the used Reds, and it ended up being pretty close in the end to what was right and what was wrong.”

Herta scored his first victory at Circuit of the Americas in the March 24 IndyCar Classic. He’s hoping for a repeat performance this weekend in Portland.

“COTA was weird, though, because I don’t think we were as dominant as this weekend,” Herta recalled. “I think we were close to the top. I led the first practice session at COTA. That’s the only practice session I led, and I qualified fourth.

“I think it’s something about these permanent road courses that just kind of gels with my driving style, and yeah, I don’t know why, but it’s just when I’m at my best.”

It was Herta’s second NTT IndyCar Series pole. His first pole came at Road America in June.

“I’m super excited, super honored,” Herta said. “I think I’m happy right now, but I know that the real task kind of starts tomorrow.

“It’s 105 laps, going to be difficult, and we’ve got the best starting spot and the best view going into turn one.”

Part-time driver Jack Harvey was fourth at 58.1008 seconds (121.692 mph) in a Honda, followed by rookie driver Felix Rosenqvist’s Honda at 58.1620 seconds (121.564 mph).

Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, rounded out the Fast Six at 58.1823 seconds (121.521 mph).

Alexander Rossi, who is third in NTT IndyCar Series points, 46 behind Josef Newgarden, qualified seventh at 57.8864 seconds (122.143 mph).

Points leader Newgarden and his closest pursuer, Simon Pagenaud, both failed to advance out of the first round of qualifying. Newgarden starts 13th after running a best lap at 57.9585 seconds (121.991 mph) and Pagenaud starts 18th after a lap at 57.9479 seconds (122.013 mph).

Both drivers said they just didn’t put together the right lap at the right time.

That honor sent to the pole winner.

“I knew it was definitely possible,” Herta said. “I knew we had a good chance at it, as long as we did what we were supposed to do. And everyone stayed focused and we had a good race car. We didn’t make that big of changes from practice 3 to qualifying, and the changes that we did make helped the car.

“It was very strange how the grip level came and went. I think group 1 and group 2 were pretty close on grip level, and then in the second round for some reason I think the grip level went away and everybody kind of went a little slower except for Will Power.

“They came on the radio and I heard everybody was super loud, so I just thought at that point we had to have had pole. I would have been disappointed if I pulled in and they told me third after hearing everybody cheering.”

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Bonsignore Triumphs At The Steel Palace

Published in Racing

Saturday, 31 August 2019 18:49

OSWEGO, N.Y. — Justin Bonsignore knew it was going to take a few checkered flags if he wanted to climb his way back into the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship battle.

With five races to go, Bonsignore proved on Saturday that he isn’t out of it yet. He scored his fourth victory of the season in the Toyota Mod Classic 150 presented by McDonald’s at Oswego Speedway, earning the victory as part of the track’s annual Classic Weekend.

It was the 24th career win in Whelen Modified Tour competition for Bonsignore and his first at the Steel Palace of Oswego.

“It’s unbelievable. There is a lot of history at this track,” he said. “I’ve wanted to win here every time we have come here.”

Bonsignore might not have posted the fastest lap times all day, but, when it mattered, his car shined. For the first 64 laps, he chased the back bumper of Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole winner Rob Summers in the race for the lead. He passed Summers at lap 65, and led through until a caution at lap 99, when Tyler Rypkema spun.

Then, his Phoenix Communications crew went to work. They got him out at the front of the cars that pitted and took fresh tires, but, he had to restart third, behind Patrick Emerling and Tommy Catalano.

It didn’t take him long to get back to the top spot. Before the field exited turn two, he was the leader once again.

Bonsignore had to hold off defending race winner Matt Hirschman on a final dash to the finish, but was able to accomplish the task. While the No. 51 Phoenix Communications Chevrolet struggled to turn through the center of the corners, Bonsignore was able to make it work.

He beat Hirschman to the line by .146 seconds. Following Hirschman, former Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk was third, with Craig Lutz and Bobby Santos III completing the top five.

The finish:

Justin Bonsignore, Matt Hirschman, Ron Silk, Craig Lutz, Bobby Santos III, Doug Coby, Eric Goodale, Timmy Solomito, Chase Dowling, Tommy Catalano, Rob Summers, Chris Pasteryak, Chuck Hossfeld, Patrick Emerling, Sam Rameau, Gary Putnam, Amy Catalano, Kyle Ebersole, Blake Barney, Tyler Rypkema, J.B. Fortin, Walter Sutcliffe Jr., Wade Cole, Calvin Carroll, Matt Swanson, Melissa Fifield, Timmy Catalano.

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Power Outage Postpones Battle At The Border

Published in Racing

Saturday, 31 August 2019 19:01

HARTFORD, Ohio – An area-wide power outage in the Hartford, Ohio, area has forced World of Outlaws and Sharon Speedway officials to postpone night two of the Battle at the Border until Sunday evening.

A fallen tree close to the track disabled local power lines during Drydene Heat No. 3, putting a halt to Saturday night’s racing action.

Sunday’s program will resume with Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m. followed by the restart of Drydene Heat Race No. 3. Gates will open at 5 p.m, rain checks for ticket holders will be honored.

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Why the first Osaka-Gauff showdown did not disappoint

Published in Breaking News

Saturday, 31 August 2019 19:27

NEW YORK -- In the most buzzed-about matchup thus far at the US Open, defending champion and world No. 1 Naomi Osaka took on 15-year-old tennis prodigy Coco Gauff in a third-round clash Saturday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the first meeting between the two, and while it wasn't exactly the best match, it set the scene for what could be a tremendous rivalry and friendship for years to come.

With Rod Laver, Gayle King, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks among the notable fans in attendance, Osaka reminded the crowd why she's the top-ranked player and a two-time Grand Slam champion, winning 6-3, 6-0 in just over an hour. (Watch replay of the match here.)

Osaka will next face Belinda Bencic, who advanced via walkover, in the fourth round on Monday (full coverage on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN App). Before we start thinking about that match, let's look at the biggest takeaways from Saturday night's win.

The crowd

There are loud, enthusiastic crowds and then there's the one that showed up on Saturday night. It seemed like virtually every one of the 23,771 seats were filled, and to say they were into the action on the court would be an understatement.

As of Saturday morning, there wasn't a ticket on the secondary market for the night session for less than $199. It was an excited audience, and it seemed they were largely behind Gauff -- roars were heard every time she earned a point or closed out a game. When she won her first game of the night,the stadium erupted into "Let's go, Coco, let's go!"

While it was clear the collective loyalties lied with the young American, the fans were encouraging of Osaka as well and gave her a loud ovation at the end. It will be hard to imagine she won't be the crowd favorite for every match she plays at the tournament going forward.

After the match, Osaka remarked on the atmosphere: "The energy tonight was crazy," she said before laughing. "Even though it wasn't for me."

The fatigue

Gauff has had some tough (and impressive) matches this week. Unfortunately for her, it showed on Saturday. In addition to two hard-fought three-set singles matches, she is also is playing doubles with fellow American teen Caty McNally, and the two played their opener in the peak of the 88-degree afternoon heat on Friday.

Simply put, Gauff had logged a lot more minutes than Osaka entering Saturday's clash. The 15-year-old spent 351 minutes -- or just under six hours -- on court this week compared to just 219 for the 21-year-old Osaka in two matches.

Gauff is accustomed to playing daily matches on the junior level but not against this level of competition, and certainly not against the No. 1 player in the world. In the second set in particular, she seemed to have few answers against Osaka and couldn't keep up at times.

The nerves

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Osaka and Coco give emotional joint postmatch interview

Naomi Osaka encourages Coco Gauff to join her postmatch interview and both are emotional.

Gauff played on Centre Court at Wimbledon earlier this summer, but she had never played on Arthur Ashe before. There is likely nothing in the sport that can quite prepare you for the size, scope and noise of that ocurt. It is the biggest tennis stadium in the world, after all.

McNally, Gauff's friend and doubles partner, said Ashe was "the most insane atmosphere" she had ever played on after her second-round match against Serena Williams, and Gauff would likely agree.

The rising American star notched 18 double faults in her previous two singles matches -- the third-most among the women in the tournament -- she added another seven in the third round. For comparison, Osaka had just one in the match. Gauff was only able to win two of five break points, where Osaka took six of seven.

The two players entered the clash with similar numbers in regards to their strong serves -- Osaka had 10 aces in her first two matches, compared to Gauff's nine. Both have blistering fast serve speeds -- Gauff came in with the fifth-best mark on the tournament at 118 miles per hour, and Osaka not far behind with a 116. While Gauff had the fastest mark of the night at 119, it was Osaka that had five aces (versus just one for Gauff). Osaka had a 73 percent win percentage on her first serve, compared to an uncharacteristically low 43 percent for Gauff.

The sportsmanship (for the win!)

After all the hype, the match wasn't all that compelling. What everyone will remember for YEARS to come was the incredible display of sportsmanship after the match. Gauff walked to her chair immediately following the loss, clearly about to cry, when Osaka walked over and gave her a huge hug and told her how well she played and understood what she was feeling. She then asked her to do the on-court interview with her, and it was one of the more heartwarming things you'll ever see in sports as they traded compliments and shed more than a few tears.

In a decade when these two are battling for their latest Grand Slam title, we'll still be watching this clip in adoration.

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