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New York Mets starter Steven Matz allowed eight runs without recording an out in the first inning of Tuesday night's 14-3 loss to the host Phillies, something done only five other times since 1893.
In the space of 20 minutes, Matz's ERA shot up from 1.96 to 4.96.
The left-hander threw 31 pitches, faced eight batters and allowed six earned runs on four hits, including two home runs.
And he hit Bryce Harper on the wrist with a pitch, earning the inning's biggest boos from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park.
"Frustrated to not get out of the first," Matz said after the game.
Only the Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics have had a starting pitcher allow eight runs without recording an out since the mound was placed at its current distance in 1893. They've now each had it happen twice.
Mets right-hander Bobby Jones did it on Sept. 17, 1997, against the Atlanta Braves.
The last starting pitcher to give up eight runs without recording an out was Cincinnati's Paul Wilson on May 6, 2005, versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wilson did it in 2003, as well.
Oakland starter Blake Stein did it in 1998, and so did the A's Bill Krueger, in 1984.
"We didn't make a few plays, first and foremost," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "Rough night when that happens."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Red Sox ace Sale now 0-4: 'I just flat-out stink'
NEW YORK -- Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale says he's "as frustrated as I've ever been on a baseball field," calling his performance this season "flat-out embarrassing" following an 8-0 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.
While Sale flashed the high-powered fastball and biting slider that defined him as he established himself as one of the game's best pitchers, Yankees hitters still tuned him up for four runs in five innings. Sale's season ERA dropped to 8.50, and he suffered his fourth loss of the year, matching his total for the entire 2018 season.
"I just flat-out stink right now," the winless Sale said. "I don't know what it is. When you're going good, it's good. When you're going bad, it's pretty bad."
Pitching at Yankee Stadium on six days' rest, Sale cruised through the first two innings, with his fastball topping out at 97 mph after languishing in the low 90s in his first three starts. A pair of two-out, run-scoring singles in the third from DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit plated the Yankees' first two runs. An inning later, outfielder Clint Frazier whacked a hanging Sale changeup out to right field -- the fifth home run that Sale has allowed in 18 innings this season -- and rookie Mike Tauchman doubled home another run to stake James Paxton a healthy lead.
Paxton didn't need much. He won the battle of hard-throwing left-handers, striking out 12 and allowing two hits over eight shutout innings.
As Boston's record dropped to 6-12, the Red Sox tried to keep perspective on their perplexing start following a World Series title. Manager Alex Cora took solace in the return of Sale's raw stuff, expecting that it would lead to more come his fifth start this season.
"I don't want to say it's a work in progress, because we're not here to build up," Cora said. "I'm not going to be surprised if, in his next outing, he's right where we need him to be. ... He's very close to the 'real' Chris Sale."
Sale did not take the same solace. Even as his looping slider held the Yankees at bay, New York teed off on his fastball, going 5-for-8 in at-bats that ended with the pitch.
"Doesn't matter how hard you throw or how fancy it looks," Sale said. "You need to throw up zeros."
Sale is far from the only Red Sox pitcher who has struggled to do so. Boston's team ERA this season is 6.09. The Red Sox have allowed a major league-leading 114 runs. The Red Sox's minus-40 run differential is the worst in the American League and only three runs ahead of the Miami Marlins'. Boston's offensive struggles have only compounded the pitching travails.
In better times, Sale was the salve for such troubles. On the eve of the season, the Red Sox signed him to a five-year, $145 million contract extension that begins in the 2020 season. However concerned the organization might have been about Sale's shoulder troubles last season or low velocity in spring training, it did not intend to let the left-hander reach free agency this winter.
Now, Sale is in the midst of what he called the worst stretch of his 10-year career, which has included six consecutive top-5 finishes in AL Cy Young balloting and, coming into the season, a 2.89 ERA, 103-65 record and 1,789 strikeouts in 1,482⅓ innings.
"I've got to find a way to pitch better," Sale said. "This is flat-out embarrassing. For my family, for my team, for our fans. This is about as bad as it gets. I have to pitch better. I keep saying the same things, but at the end of the day, you go out there and give up four runs here, five runs here, seven runs here ... if I get into the sixth or seventh inning like I should -- that's who I am.
"I'm supposed to pitch into the sixth, seventh, eighth inning, finish games and stuff like that, save our bullpen, cut it off when we're losing and keep winning streaks going. That's not who I've been."
Asked if, as Cora said, the "real" version of him is coming, Sale said: "You'd better f---ing hope so."
NEW YORK -- Since he was in the minor leagues, James Paxton, whether he wins, loses or draws a no-decision, has done the exact same thing in the days after he makes a start.
He picks up the phone.
The left-handed pitcher's post-outing routine regularly includes long conversations with the dedicated sports psychologist he connected with years ago after signing with mega-agent Scott Boras.
On the heels of a disappointing five-run, four-inning shelling at Houston last week, and with his first foray into the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry looming this week, the southpaw felt compelled in recent days to chat not just once with the psychologist -- but twice.
"It was big," Paxton said. "Those conversations definitely helped."
A 12-strikeout two-hitter across eight masterful innings was evidence of just how much they did.
Making his rivalry debut, Paxton gave the battered, bruised and banged-up Yankees precisely what they needed in an 8-0 win Tuesday night over the similarly scuffling Red Sox.
Neither team may be leading the American League East right now, but the Yankees are hopeful a performance like the one their entire team had in such a meaningful early-season game might spark a run of some kind.
"This is a big game for us," Paxton said. "The rivalry really got the juices flowing, got the boys going, and everyone played well: defense, we hit the ball really well, we were taking good at-bats, pitched well. Everything kind of came together, and hopefully we can build off of this and get on a roll."
If the 7-9 Yankees do begin rattling off wins, many of them might credit Paxton's stellar outing for getting it all started.
"Paxton was unreal tonight," left fielder Clint Frazier said. "He was confident. From the get-go, he was out there throwing 100 [mph]. And when you're doing that, it's going to be hard to hit a guy whenever his stuff's going like that.
"There's a reason he's here, and it's for moments like that. That's really impressive to go out and watch."
Officially, Paxton's four-seam fastball peaked at 99.2 mph. It was the 99.1 mph heater he threw to close out an 11-pitch 1-2-3 first inning that helped convince the southpaw he was about to have a special night.
Part of Paxton's conversations with his psychologist revolved around establishing himself as the aggressor as early in Tuesday's start as possible. That meant not only relying on his gas, but leaning heavily upon it. After two innings, 20 of the 26 pitches Paxton had thrown were four-seamers.
"Everything comes off my fastball," Paxton said. "Because I was throwing hard, they had to cheat to it, and that allowed me to throw the breaking ball later in the game and get some chases on that because they were cheating to the fastball. When I'm throwing that fastball like that, everything plays off of it."
Catcher Austin Romine noticed the life in Paxton's fastball very early in the game. He decided to call it often.
"Anytime you get someone throwing upper 90s -- 98, 99 -- that's a weapon that you've got to use," Romine said.
As good as Paxton's fastball was early, it was just as strong late. While facing four batters in a full eighth inning, he was still living in the upper registers of the 90s. In a seven-pitch at-bat against Mookie Betts to close out the eighth, Paxton's six four-seamers registered the following on the radar gun: 97.3 mph, 97.1, 97.2, 98.5, 97.7 and 97.4.
The 98.5 mph fastball came on Paxton's 108th pitch of the game.
"I feel like he's settled in," manager Aaron Boone said. "I know he wanted to be a little more aggressive and pitch with more intent and confidence, and he went out there and did it himself, and completely set the tone for the night just with his stuff and his pounding of the zone."
Of the 110 pitches Paxton threw, 78 were 95.0 mph or faster.
Virtually unhittable, this was the 12th time in Paxton's seven-year career that he had 10 or more strikeouts in a game. His 12 strikeouts also were the second-most in his career in a single game, outpaced only by the 16 he had against Oakland last May.
"That's what he's capable of when he has his really good stuff," Boone said.
Paxton also became the first Yankees pitcher to record an eight-inning, 12-strikeout game against the Red Sox since Sept. 2, 2001, when Hall of Famer Mike Mussina was perfect for 8 2/3 innings before Carl Everett reached with a base hit.
Paxton also became the first pitcher in Yankees history to have 12 or more strikeouts and allow two or fewer hits versus the Red Sox at either iteration of Yankee Stadium. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he's also the first Yankees pitcher to have 10 or more strikeouts in a start against Boston, and allow no runs.
"It's a big deal because it's against Boston -- especially being here -- we want to beat Boston every time," said Paxton, who also had a 10-strikeout game against the Red Sox while pitching for Seattle two seasons ago. "It was a big start for me, just to get my feet under me and show myself that I can be here and do this."
As Paxton prepared for this start, he watched video of his past outings against the Red Sox that came while he pitched for the Mariners.
Something that stood out in particular Sunday while he was at home watching his July 2017 and June 2018 starts against Boston was the aggressiveness with which he pitched with. He was really driving his body toward home plate, generating momentum that he wished to replicate.
Paxton had already had one conversation with his psychologist about his mindset entering this start, but after seeing his old successful self, he wanted to reinforce what he saw. So Tuesday, hours before he took the mound, he had one final talk to be ready for the raucous environment that comes with Sox-Yankees in the Bronx.
The psychologist's charge?
"Just to embrace it," Paxton relayed. "Go after it and be aggressive and enjoy the intensity of it."
Apparently Paxton listened.
Emmanuel Yann Kouadjo, a showcase to display his skills
Furthermore, just as for the recent continental tournament, the 20 year old from the Ivory Coast is well prepared, he has recently spent eight months practising in Nantes.
“I am very excited to participate in the World Championships for the second time, having featured in the 2017 edition in Germany, I have been preparing in the last eight months at my training centre in Nantes with my coach Loïc Bobillier. Also the under 21 event in Ghana was another opportunity for me to prepare myself for the Budapest challenge.” Emmanuel Yann Kouadjo
Determined, Emmanuel Yann Kouadjo caught the eye in Accra but of course competing in Budapest, the stage is much bigger.
“In Budapest, my main goal is really to get noticed and power through this competition to get sponsorship contracts and if possible scholarships, while giving the best of myself in each match,” Emmanuel Yann Kouadjo
It is for Emmanuel Yann Kouadjo a major opportunity to test his skills and showcase his talents.
“The World Championships is unique for me as a player because it’s an opportunity to get noticed around the world, even if you do not win. So this competition will help me mature as a player, as the level of play is so high. It is a chance to rub shoulders with the best players in the world,” Emmanuel Yann Kouadjo
In Budapest, in the Ivory Coast’s men’s selection, Emmanuel Yann Kouadjo lines up alongside Kizito Oba and Kanate Ali.
Currently the 30 year old is listed at no.23 on the men’s world rankings and is thus one of the seeded players, he has arrived in the Hungarian capital city where he is practising in preparation for the ensuing tournament.
“I am getting myself prepared for the Championships in Budapest but I must fight my way back from the injury I had at the Portugal Open. Of course I will give 100 per cent effort to be well prepared and see how it goes; by God’s grace I will stay in Budapest for my final preparation for the few days before the beginning of the tournament.” Quadri Aruna
Now one of the more experienced players on the international stage, Quadri Aruna is looking forward to the challenge but is somewhat cautious.
“Just like I said, I am still fighting with an injury and I hope to be back fully fit in a few days. I will be 100 per cent ready as a professional and I hope to have great days in Budapest. I always set the same objectives; like all other participants I pray to have a better draw than in my previous world events. I hope and pray to go far better than my previous outings in world events.” Quadri Aruna
Goals not necessarily defined but for Quadri Aruna, competing at such tournaments as the Liebherr 2019 World Championships carries a wide ranging significance.
“My targets are to be a great ambassador for my country and represent it in a great way. Also to be a great ambassador for my partners and sponsors and give my 100 per cent best in all my events. I will be very happy if I can do better than my previous outings but I must acknowledge that it is going to be very difficult as always for all participants. I hope to have to have a better draw.” Quadri Aruna
Africa names Egypt and Nigeria for World Junior Championships
In the final of the boys’ team event in Accra, the Nigerian trio formed by Emmanuel Augustine, Jamiu Ayanwale and Azeez Solanke recorded a 3-0 win in opposition to Egypt’s Marwan Abdelwahab, Abdelrahman Dendan and Ahmed El-Borhamy.
Conversely in the title deciding girls’ team contest it was exactly the reverse scenario when the two countries met; the Egyptian selection formed by Sarah Abousetta, Sara El-Hakem and Alaa Yehia overcame the combination of Sukurat Aiyelbegan, Iyanu Oluwa Falana and Vivian Oku.
In addition the team that will represent Africa at the 2019 World Cadet Challenge to be staged in Cetniewo, Poland from Wednesday 23rd to Thursday 31st October is announced.
Nigeria’s Taiwo Mati heads the boys’ line-up, being supported by Tunisia’s Habib Ameur, Egypt’s Mohamed Sameh and Algeria’s Abderrahmane Azzala; Egypt’s Hana Goda leads the girls’ team alongside Nigeria’s Sukurat Aiyelabegan, Tunisia’s Maram Zoghlami and Algeria’s Melissa Belache.
Recently in Accra, Taiwo Mati and Hana Goda won the respective cadet boys’ singles and cadet girls’ singles titles; prior to play commencing at the World Cadet Challenge, a continental training camp is planned in Poland.
Hana Goda, the newly crowned African cadet girls’ singles champion (Photo: Hana Adarkwa)
CONCORD, N.C. — Early this year, we were fortunate to visit a pair of race tracks we’d never been to.
The two tracks are drastically different. One is a massive facility, so big you’d never be able to cover it on foot in a single day. The other is a small, more personal track that carries with it a certain charm larger venues lack.
In early February, we traveled down the East Coast to Daytona Beach, Fla., to visit Daytona Int’l Speedway. Despite having been a member of the motorsports press for roughly 10 years, our schedule had never allowed for a trip to Daytona until this year.
Our first view of the track came from the airplane as it landed in Daytona Beach. We knew the track was huge — it is a 2.5-mile superspeedway after all — but seeing it in person put it in a different perspective.
Once we finally got inside, the scope of the facility was immediately clear. There was not a single position from the infield where we could see the entire track. In fact, in most instances we could only see a small portion of the track.
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At one point, we decided to take a walk to nowhere in particular. We wanted to make our way around the interior of the track and see as much as we could. We ended up walking to Lake Lloyd, the lake inside Daytona Int’l Speedway, where we watched as Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars practiced for the Advance Auto Parts Clash.
Where else can you stand on a pier at a lake and watch as the world’s best stock car drivers prepare to compete at one of the world’s most legendary race tracks? We’d certainly recommend taking in at least a portion of practice or a race from the pier at Lake Lloyd, it’s a breathtaking experience.
A few weeks later, an opportunity presented itself to travel to Tennessee for the 15th annual Tuckasee Toilet Bowl Classic at Clarksville Speedway, a quarter-mile dirt track.
The event — featuring more than half a dozen divisions and headlined by the super late model class — has grown in stature through the years based mostly on the name of the event. Let’s be honest, a race called the Toilet Bowl is bound to attract some attention.
The track is vastly different from Daytona Int’l Speedway, but that’s not a surprise. It’s situated near a community in the town of Clarksville, Tenn., and also features an eighth-mile drag strip.
There’s no lake at Clarksville Speedway, but there is plenty of Tennessee red clay. From the outside, the facility may seem out of date and lackluster, but track owner William Scogin has put in a lot of effort to upgrade the grounds.
The most recent addition is a new concession and suite building that is adjacent to the track. On the lower floor, there is one of the nicest concession stands we’ve seen at a dirt track, as well as some of the cleanest restrooms at any local short track.
Upstairs in the same building are suites, where fans or sponsors can enjoy the racing in air conditioned rooms away from the dirt, grime and dusty conditions typically found a dirt track.
The grandstands are well built and there are plenty of places to watch the racing action from, even if you aren’t lucky enough to have a suite seat.
Most importantly, the racing was fantastic. The Friday night super late model feature was a torrid affair among eventual race winner Brian Shirley, Allen Weisser and Robby Moses that saw all three take turns leading the 30-lap feature.
Saturday’s 40-lap super late model finale wasn’t nearly as exciting, but it was still intriguing as David Seibers fended off Shirley to earn the $5,000 top prize and the trophy toilet that goes to the winner of the Toilet Bowl.
Daytona Int’l Speedway and Clarksville Speedway are very different, but each has its own unique charm. From Lake Lloyd inside Daytona Int’l Speedway to the red clay at Clarksville Speedway, both have characteristics that make them stand out..
Whether you’re a dirt-track die-hard or a lifelong NASCAR fan, we feel pretty confident you’ll find something to enjoy at one — or perhaps both — tracks.
The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms with Todd McLellan on a multiyear contract to be the team's new coach, it was announced Tuesday.
He replaces Willie Desjardins, who served as the interim coach last season and was not retained.
McLellan will receive a five-year contract worth around $5 million annually, the Athletic reported.
McLellan was fired as coach of the Edmonton Oilers in November. He had been behind the bench in Edmonton since the 2015-16 season after spending seven seasons as the San Jose Sharks' coach.
He has a career record of 434-282-90 in 806 regular-season games and has reached the playoffs in seven of his 10 full seasons as an NHL head coach.
Desjardins, 62, was named the Kings' interim coach in November after John Stevens was fired following the team's 4-8-1 start. The Kings went 27-34-8 the rest of the season with Desjardins as coach and finished last in the Western Conference.
Schauffele recalls watching Woods' iconic finish at '08 U.S. Open
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Xander Schauffele was only 14-years-old but can tell you exactly where he was in 2008 when Tiger Woods rolled in his birdie putt on the 72nd hole at the U.S. Open to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate.
“I remember watching Tiger make the putt in '08. I was standing by a tree that’s no longer there, it got taken down by the storm. I watched that putt live,” he recalled on Tuesday at the RBC Heritage. “I just remember being a kid. Everything seems bigger than real life with the stands and the crowds and people going nuts.”
Schauffele will also remember Sunday at the Masters where he finished a stroke behind Woods after a final-round 68. Although it’s only been 48 hours since he completed his round at Augusta National he said he’s had plenty of time to recall what happened.
“It was like a dream,” he said. “It's only my second Masters and I definitely jumped into that scene a little faster than I thought I would, to be completely honest.”
Schauffele was encouraged by his runner-up finish at the Masters but conceded he still has plenty to learn about Augusta National.
“On 16 I hit the wrong club. I laughed with my caddie because I had no idea what the putt was doing,” he said. “I just went off memory with Tiger's chip coming all the way around, obviously hit the putt way too hard. Made a good 6-footer [for par] on 16.”
Lionel Messi scored twice and David De Gea was left with egg on his face as Barcelona cruised past Manchester United with a 3-0 win at Camp Nou.
It meant a 4-0 aggregate win for the La Liga side, who barely needed to break sweat to reach the Champions League semifinals.
United started the game in excellent fashion as Marcus Rashford clipped the top of the bar after little more than 30 seconds. The England international was played in by Paul Pogba and while his toe-poked effort beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen it was lifted just too high.
All United's hard work looked set to be undone in the 11th minute when referee Felix Brych awarded Barca a penalty following a foul by Fred on Ivan Rakitic -- only for the official to reverse his decision after advice from the video assistant referee.
But Barca did find the opening goal five minutes later when poor defending by first Ashley Young and then Fred gave Messi far too much space outside the area, and the Argentine superbly curled an effort past De Gea from the edge of the box.
Moments later, Barca doubled their advantage and it was down to yet more errors. Fred again was caught in possession and the ball fell to Messi, who could only produce a weak effort -- but it was enough to squirm under the body of an embarrassed De Gea.
That ended the game as a contest and allowed Barca to play in second gear.
Messi then saw a snap shot fly over the bar, before Rakitic was left unmarked on a free kick but this time De Gea held onto his header.
Luis Suarez almost got hisgot first Champions League goal of the season on the stroke of half-time, but somehow smashed his shot into the face of De Gea from close range after Rakitic had picked the striker out with a ball across the six-yard box.
Just after the hour, former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho got in on the act, beautifully beating De Gea from distance after being set up by Jordi Alba.
Shortly afterwards Messi almost completed his hat trick with an audacious overhead kick.
Jesse Lingard produced a rare attacking moment for the visitors as he fired well over with 11 minutes left on the clock, and in stoppage time Ter Stegen made a superb stop from substitute Alexis Sanchez, but there was to be no consolation for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
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