Will this be the moment? Can one swing, one 413-foot home run launched at 113 mph and 40 degrees into the night sky in Philadelphia turn around a season? Maybe turn around the trajectory of the next 13 years?
That, no doubt, is an overly dramatic reading of the events that unfolded Thursday night in the bottom of the ninth in the Phillies' 7-5 win over the Cubs, but Bryce Harper's walk-off grand slam to cap a six-run rally was one of the signature moments of the season. Harper admired his towering fly ball that landed in the second deck, then sprinted around the bases in 19.27 seconds, smiling and laughing and screaming as if running for a gold medal, Phillies announcer John Kruk exclaiming "OH MY GOD," the fans going bonkers, Harper's teammates mobbing him at home plate.
Is this a great game or what? The highs and the lows, the joy and the despair, or as Chicago radio host Julie DiCaro tweeted, "#cubs group therapy tonight":
When Jean Segura flied out to begin the bottom of the ninth with the Phillies trailing 5-1, their win expectancy fell to 0.6%. Then, insanity. Cubs shortstop David Bote booted a ground ball. Scott Kingery singled. Brad Miller singled on an 0-2 pitch. Joe Maddon brought in Pedro Strop. Roman Quinn singled to make it 5-3. Strop hit Rhys Hoskins with a 1-2 fastball. Maddon brought in lefty Derek Holland to face Harper with the bases juiced and the crowd on its feet.
First pitch: 94 mph sinker, chopped foul
Second pitch: 95 mph sinker, fouled off
Third pitch: Changeup just outside
Fourth pitch: Changeup in the dirt
Fifth pitch: 95 mph sinker, chopped foul
Sixth pitch: 95 mph sinker, crushed to right field
After the game, Harper explained his home run to MLB Network: "Knowing his sinker was his best pitch, kind of cheated the best I could on the inside part of the plate and was able to keep it fair."
Indeed, this was Harper at his best. Hanging in there on a couple of tough pitches, laying off the offspeed stuff out of the strike zone, and then anticipating a particular pitch and guessing right. Beautiful.
The win probability graph from tonight's Cubs at Phillies game is a pretty fun look...
Is this the start of something for Harper? He went 3-for-3 with two home runs Wednesday, the middle game of the Phillies' three-game sweep of the Cubs. He's hitting .259/.385/.648 in August with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in 14 games. Even though his overall numbers can be viewed as a disappointment, Harper actually has been pretty clutch all season, entering the evening ranked fifth among hitters in win probability added, behind Christian Yelich, Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger and Freddie Freeman.
We know Harper is capable of going on a tear for weeks at a time, even if he has struggled to maintain consistent power while also hitting for average over the past two seasons. It would certainly be good for the sport to have Harper doing exciting things down the stretch. A Harper walk-off grand slam is going to get a lot more attention than your typical walk-off grand slam, and given the state of Philadelphia's bullpen and with Jake Arrieta likely to have season-ending elbow surgery, the Phillies need Harper to step up the final month and a half.
I hope it happens.
As for the Cubs, it was an absolutely crushing defeat as they fell to 23-38 on the road. Anthony Rizzo said it was their toughest loss of the season:
Cubs have had some tough losses, Rizzo said this one stings most. "It's no. 1, for sure. With the road struggles & being able to win a game here would have been nice going to Pittsburgh. But we didn't & it's definitely tougher this part of the season as opposed to April or May."
On the bright side: The Cubs are still tied for first place in the NL Central. It just doesn't feel like it after a night like Thursday.
Alonso ties rookie record: The Mets turned a blowout win over the Braves into a nail-biter, holding on for a 10-8 victory after the Braves scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate. The Mets pounded 23 hits, hit two home runs, had two players (Pete Alonso and Amed Rosario) get five hits in the same game for the first time in franchise history ... and still nearly blew the game. Does anybody have a good bullpen right now?
Alonso went 5-for-5 with six RBIs, including his 39th home run, tying Bellinger's National League rookie record set in 2017. Alonso is only two away from tying the Mets' club record, shared by Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran. He remains one behind Bellinger, who hit his 40th home run, for the league lead, so he has a chance of becoming only the fourth rookie to lead his league in home runs (Aaron Judge in 2017, Mark McGwire in 1987 and Ralph Kiner in 1947).
The play of the game, however, was Ronald Acuna Jr. robbing J.D. Davis of a home run ... and then pretending he didn't make the catch:
play
0:23
Acuna makes incredible leaping HR robbery
Ronald Acuna Jr. shows off his hops while jumping to rob J.D. Davis of a home run.
Crooked numbers everywhere: It was one of those nights. In fact, there were 48 home runs in 10 games. That 4.8 HR per game average is the most all time in a day with at least 10 games played, according to Elias Sports research. Some of the highlights:
-- Indians 19, Yankees 5. The Indians scored seven in the top of the first, knocking out opener Chad Green after one out and five runs. They pounded seven home runs -- tying the record for most against the Yankees in a game. (The only other time the Yankees gave up seven homers was July 4, 2003, against the Red Sox.) Maybe nobody sums up baseball in 2019 better than Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez. He hit .168 with two home runs last year and entered the season with 21 career home runs in 818 at-bats. He hit his 20th of the season, in 296 at-bats.
-- Twins 13, Rangers 6. The Twins hit three more home runs to remain a half-game ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central.
-- Marlins 13, Dodgers 7. You wouldn't expect the Marlins to score 13 runs in a game started by Walker Buehler, but they scored five runs off him in four innings and tacked on a bunch more against the bullpen. Amazingly, they didn't hit a home run -- and the Dodgers hit four.
Researchers believe U.S. Montmorency tart cherries may provide a number of cardiovascular benefits due to the intensity of anthocyanins inside these ruby-red fruits
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the largest causes of death in both men and women in the world. Changes in diet and exercise can go a long way in helping to keep your heart healthy.
A good place to start is eating more fruits and vegetables, especially deeply hued produce that’s packed with heart-healthy compounds. Typically, the darker the colour, the better.
A great source of this fruit is U.S. Montmorency tart cherries. Researchers believe U.S. Montmorency tart cherries may provide a number of cardiovascular benefits due to the intensity of anthocyanins inside these ruby-red fruits and studies indicate that U.S. Montmorency tart cherries may help lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, reduce inflammation and improve belly fat – all factors that are specifically linked to heart disease risk.
Lowers blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol. A University of Delaware study found that American-grown U.S. Montmorency tart cherry juice lowered systolic blood pressure and LDL or “bad” cholesterol in older adults by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.
We highlight some of the stacked fields set to compete at the Diamond League meeting
One week before the British Championships, many of the leading domestic athletes face some of the world’s best as the Diamond League hits the UK for the second time this summer.
Highlights of Sunday’s Müller Grand Prix Birmingham at the Alexander Stadium include a sparkling women’s 200m where Dina Asher-Smith is facing several of the world’s best, a high-quality men’s javelin, intriguing women’s pole vault and sizzling women’s sprint hurdles.
Britain’s Sophie Hahn, Kadeena Cox, Olivia Breen and Maria Lyle are ready to take to their marks.
13:02 Women’s 100m hurdles heats (final at 15:22)
World record-holder Keni Harrison is joined by Olympic champion and fellow American Brianna McNeal plus Nia Ali and Queen Claye. Danielle Williams, the Jamaican who impressed at the London Diamond League, is among the opposition, together with Dutch athlete Nadine Visser, while British challengers include Cindy Ofili and Alicia Barrett.
13:07 Women’s pole vault
Holly Bradshaw takes on a world-class field led by Olympic and world champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece, Yarisley Silva of Cuba, 2012 Olympic champion Jenn Suhr and Katie Nageotte of the United States, Angelica Bengtsson of Sweden and Alysha Newman of Canada.
13:46 Men’s 100m heats (final at 15:32)
Can anyone beat world indoor champion Christian Coleman? British athletes Adam Gemili, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Oliver Bromby are in the line-up plus Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse from Canada, former world champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica, Su Bingtian of China, Commonwealth champion Akani Simbini of South Africa and Mike Rodgers of the United States.
14:10 Women’s long jump
Olympic and world heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam of Belgium goes up against fellow combined eventer Katarina Johnson- Thompson in a taste of what might be to come in Doha. It is far from a two-horse contest, though, as specialist long jumpers Ivana Spanovic of Serbia and Brits Lorraine Ugen and Abigail Irozuru will be aiming to get in the mix.
14:38 Men’s javelin
Some of the big guns of German javelin throwing are going head to head with Olympic gold medallist Thomas Rohler and in-form Andreas Hofmann in the field. World No.1 in 2019, Magnus Kirt of Estonia, adds to a quality line-up.
15:52 Women’s 200m
The tastiest event of the day is last on the programme. Dina Asher-Smith, the multiple European champion and UK record-holder, represents British hopes but is up against a fearsome field that includes Shaunae Miller-Uibo of Bahamas, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria and Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands. Britain’s world under-18 record-holder Amy Hunt also has a lane and will hope to make a mark.
The full timetable and entry lists can be found here.
Times above correct at time of publication.
TV guide
Fans in the UK can watch live coverage on BBC Two from 13:30-16:30, repeated 19:00-22:00 on the BBC Red Button.
There will also be updates on our social media channels and website plus in-depth coverage in next week’s magazine.
The one outfit to experience problems was the combination formed by Ecuador’s Cristhian Moran Ladines and Kai Zarehbin, the no.3 seeds in the junior boys’ team event; they needed the full five matches to overcome Sweden’s Marcos Ericsson and Jens Holmqvist.
Mainstay of the victory was Kai Zarehbin, hero of the hour was Cristhian Moran Ladines. Kai Zarehbin beat both Marcos Ericsson (11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11, 11-4) and Jens Holmqvist (11-8, 11-9, 14-12); in the very last match of the fixture, Cristhian Moran Ladines overcame Marcos Ericsson (11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6) to seal the victory.
Otherwise in the junior boys’ team event, without due alarm, it was top spot for the leading outfits; Canada being very much to the fore. Edison Huang and Terence Yeung topped their group, as did Alexander Bu and David Xu; likewise in the one remaining group it was first place for the Dominican Republic’s Pedro Cabrera and Hiram Morillo.
Similarly, in the junior girls’ team competition, where there were two groups in the initial phase of proceedings, top seeds, Guatemala’s Lucia Cordero and Hidalynn Zapata topped their group as did the next in line, El Salvador’s Monica Mendoza and Karen Constanza.
Meanwhile, in the cadet boys’ team event, a competition with seven groups in the initial phase; the leading outfits duly reserved first positions and thus advanced directly to the quarter-finals.
Sweden’s Ludwig Erenius and Alve Sjoeveld, the top seeds, secured first place as did the next in line, the combination of Mexico’s Rogelio Castro and Guatemala’s Diego de la Cruz. Similarly, it was first place for the no.3 seeds, the Ecuador selection formed by Jeremy Cedeño, Diego Piguave and Paul Ponce Cedeño; a situation that applied also to the United States combination of Ved Sheth and Aziz Zarehbin.
No major upsets but in the cadet girls’ team competition there were surprises. The top seeded pairing of Ecuador’s Maybelline Menendez and Chile’s Sofia Perez duly secured first place but in the two remaining group surprise partnerships reserved first positions. Chile represented by Romina Barrentos and Fernanda Araneda claimed top spot contrary to predictions, as did the pairing of Brazil’s Beatrix Flore and Linda Shu of the United States.
Alas for the no.2 seeds, Peru’s Alessia Colfer and Alejandra Prieto, it was fourth place in the group, for the no.3 seeds, El Salvador’s Samirah Muñoz and Angie Orellana, it was runners up spot.
Play in the team events concludes on Thursday 15th August.
The trio fail to even make the bench for Saturday's return at Eden Park.
"They're not playing, you can say they are dropped," coach Steve Hansen said.
Franks, Smith and Ioane have a combined total of 213 Test caps. Their replacements Nepo Laulala, George Bridge and Sevu Reece have just 22 between them.
"Obviously, we'd like to see Ben, Owen and Rieko playing better but we've made the decision because we've got to find out more about these other people in pressure-cooker situations and you don't get much bigger than this," Hansen added.
New Zealand came close to losing their near decade-long reign at the top of the world rankings after last weekend's loss, with Wales failing to get the draw or win against England that was necessary to move them ahead of the All Blacks.
Another 15-point plus victory for the Wallabies on Saturday could send New Zealand down to sixth in the world rankings, an all-time low for the three-time world champions with just over a month to go before the World Cup starts.
In addition to his three tactical switches, Hansen was forced into another two changes to his starting XV.
Sonny Bill Williams returns in midfield after an injury to Jack Goodhue, while Patrick Tuipulotu is included in place of suspended second row Scott Barrett, whose red card just before half-time in Perth last weekend precipitated the visitors' heavy defeat.
A Wallabies victory would earn them their first Bledisloe Cup since 2002. However, Michael Cheika's side will have to end a losing streak in New Zealand that stretches back 22 Tests and 17 years.
Cheika has been forced into one change to his line-up with Adam Coleman coming in for the injured Rory Arnold in the second row.
"We wouldn't be doing it if we didn't think that the guys we put in aren't good enough to do the job on Saturday if we play well. I don't think it's a risk and there's lots of reward in it."
New Zealand: B Barrett, Reece, Lienert-Brown, Williams, Bridge; Mo'unga, Smith, Moody, Coles, Laulala, Tuipulotu, Whitelock, A Savea, Cane, Read.
Elsewhere, Maro Itoje comes into the second row, while Courtney Lawes is at blindside flanker.
Anthony Watson, Charlie Ewels and the injured Tom Curry are left out.
Fly-half Owen Farrell is named on a strong bench, as George Ford captains from the start. Front-row options Jamie George, Joe Marler and Kyle Sinckler are also among the replacements.
"Our selection strategy for our second game is similar to the first, so a bit of a mix-and-match approach. We are looking at different combinations and have a particular strategy for this game," England coach Eddie Jones said.
"The squad has been progressing well this week and I think there is a realisation among the squad now that the hard work really starts, nothing has been achieved."
From sixth tier to two World Cups in two years
McConnochie won Olympic silver in sevens at Rio 2016, was part of the England side who came second in last year's Rugby World Cup Sevens, and was named as his country's men's sevens player before making his return to the 15-a-side last summer.
The 27-year-old, who played for Kent side Cranbrook in the sixth tier of English club rugby as a teenager, has adapted fast and caught Jones' eye in his Bath side's 29-10 defeat by Exeter in March.
"I just wanted to go into each week and live it as a bonus, because it's incredible."
Four-way rankings fight in the offing
After Wales missed the chance to leapfrog the All Blacks in the world rankings and end New Zealand's decade-long hold of top spot, they, along with Ireland and England, may get another chance this weekend.
Should Australia beat New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday morning, a Welsh victory would take Warren Gatland's side to number one, while England would require a 16-point winning margin. Ireland, who do not play this weekend, would be the beneficiaries of a draw.
THOMPSON, Conn. — One of the most historic streaks in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history was broken by one of the drivers who will go down as one of the best ever.
Doug Coby earned his fourth victory of the season in the Bud King of Beers 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, breaking Justin Bonsignore’s streak of six consecutive wins at the Connecticut oval.
It was Coby’s 28th career Whelen Modified Tour victory, his sixth at Thompson — and it increased the points lead with five races remaining in the championship points schedule.
“We just go race to race,” Coby said. “We ran three different cars at New Hampshire, Stafford and Thompson, and I’m really proud of that for my team. He (Justin) would probably have anyone but me snap that streak. It’s really impressive what his team did. They had a great run.”
Coby dominated the early laps after earning his seventh Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award of the season in qualifying. When the caution flag waved on lap 84, Coby was leading the charge over Bonsignore, and both of them led the field down pit road. Coby elected to take his fresh tires on the pit stop, and exited the pits second, behind Bonsignore.
Coby restarted third, after Jon McKennedy used some strategy to earn the lead. He wouldn’t get back to the top spot until the final laps. After former series champion Bobby Santos III took the lead on lap 129, a caution with just 11 laps to go left Santos, Craig Lutz, Bonsignore and Coby at the front. All four of them had led laps, but only three of them would finish.
At the green, Santos stumbled with a transmission issue, Lutz spun his tires, and Coby hung a hard left to clear all of them, into the lead. He never looked back.
“When someone messes up in front of you, you hope you have enough room, you crank it to the left, and hope no one is going to spin you,” Coby said of the restart dash.
Bonsignore would come up one spot short of his seventh straight Thompson win, while Lutz settled for third. McKennedy and Timmy Solomito completed the top five.
“The restart got a little bit wild, and Doug was just in a better spot,” Bonsignore said. “You’re not going to win every game (race). We were prepared for this to happen. We lost to the best car this year.”
Coby leads by 47 in the point standings over Bonsignore and Silk, who are tied for second. The three former series champions have won all but one race this season.
The finish:
Doug Coby, Justin Bonsignore, Craig Lutz, Jon McKennedy, Timmy Solomito, Jimmy Blewett, Andrew Krause, Patrick Emerling, Matt Swanson, Woody Pitkat, Kyle Bonsignore, Chris Pasteryak, Eric Goodale, Blake Barney, Rob Summers, Calvin Carroll, Timmy Catalano, Andrew Molleur, Ron Silk, Sam Rameau, Ken Heagy, Wade Cole, Bobby Santos III, Mike Rutkoski, J.B. Fortin, Tommy Catalano, Joey Mucciacciaro, Kevin Shea, Walter Sutcliffe Jr., Melissa Fifield, Kyle Ellwood.
TOLEDO, Ohio – Few drivers come into the ARCA Menards Series making their their start and are considered one of the favorites to win.
That’s exactly the case for Logan Seavey as he returns to the Illinois State Fairgrounds in the Allen Crowe 100 presented by Lucas Oil on Aug. 18.
Seavey is the defending USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series champion, the 2017 Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget League champion and last year’s ARCA winner on dirt at DuQuoin.
In his series debut at Springfield last year, Seavey qualified fourth and had a steady day, crossing the line third behind winner – and Venturini Motorsports teammate – Christian Eckes and eventual series champion Sheldon Creed. The tables were turned at DuQuoin, where he again qualified fourth, but grabbed the lead with 35 laps to go and drove to a three-second victory over Will Kimmel. That margin belies the fact that the race finished with a short dash to the checkered flag.
With all of that success already on his resume, Seavey is ready to write a new chapter at Springfield.
“Coming off our success last year at these races, I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to run the dirt races again this year,” Seavey said. “Venturini brings the best cars in the field and with my experience from last year’s races, I’m confident we will have good runs at both tracks.”
Despite not having a lot of stock car experience, Seavey’s extensive dirt track background should give him a distinct advantage over most of the ARCA regulars who come from a pavement racing background. Seavey will be able to anticipate track conditions throughout the race, something that anyone hoping to win will have to do well throughout the day. That includes practice and qualifying, not just the 100-mile main event.
“Dirt tracks change drastically throughout an event so having so much experience will definitely help me as the track changes from practice to qualifying, and throughout the 100-lap race,” he said. “Knowing what to look for on the racing surface and what is coming gives me an edge over most of the field.”
While he is not in the hunt for the series overall championship, his team is chasing the owner’s title. Team owner Billy Venturini currently has a 170-point lead over second-place Chad Bryant’s No. 22 team headed into Springfield.
Venturini’s other two drivers, Michael Self and Eckes, are currently battling for the driver’s championship but based on five wins throughout the season with Harrison Burton and Chandler Smith, Seavey’s No. 20 team is on top of the owner’s standings. Not only is it his job to come out and race for the win it’s his job to collect as many points as possible to maintain that owner’s points lead with just five races remaining.
“Even though there is a points battle going on, my goal is always the same, to win,” he said. “The best way to stay in the points lead is to win. That’s what the 20 team has been doing all season and my goal is to keep that momentum going.”
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The NASCAR Hall of Fame will serve as the entitlement sponsor for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race on Oct. 26 at Martinsville Speedway.
“So many of the historic moments we celebrate at the NASCAR Hall of Fame took place at Martinsville Speedway,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “It is an honor for us to be the entitlement sponsor for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race taking place at NASCAR’s oldest active track on the Cup Series schedule. Sponsoring the truck series is also a perfect reminder that the NASCAR Hall of Fame celebrates the history and heritage of all NASCAR series.”
The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 will be the second race in the NASCAR Playoffs’ round of six for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, with six drivers still in championship contention coming into the historic half-mile oval.
Following the Martinsville weekend, the Truck Series will race at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. Post-Phoenix, the list of contenders will be reduced to an elite four, going into the season finale on Nov. 15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“Having the NASCAR Hall of Fame as entitlement sponsor for the Gander Trucks is a perfect fit,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “The hall honors our sport’s history; Martinsville Speedway embodies that history.”
The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 will preface the Oct. 27 First Data 500 at Martinsville, the first of three round of eight playoff races for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“This is about as good as a short-track doubleheader weekend gets,” Campbell said. “The Gander Trucks have been coming to our race track since 1995. Through the years at Martinsville, that series has provided some of the very best racing you will see, anywhere. The NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 is certain to continue that tradition.”
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