12-31-2019, 08:01 AM
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After the Los Angeles Angels stranded 16 runners through 18 innings -- including nine in scoring position -- Albert Pujols provided the biggest blow with no one on. Pujols homered leading off the 19th inning, and the Angels outlasted the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Saturday night in the longest game in the major leagues this season. Pujols 514th career homer and 22nd of the season came on a 3-2 pitch from Brandon Workman (1-6). The towering drive disappeared into the seats above the 18-foot wall in right-centre. "I had the opportunity twice to give the team the lead and I didnt come through, but you just need to stay positive all the time and look for a pitch to hit," Pujols said following a 6-hour, 31-minute marathon in which both teams used nine pitchers, and 558 pitches were thrown. "I did, and I put my best swing of the second half on it." Boston manager John Farrell made a replay challenge, claiming there was fan interference, but the home run stood. The Angels had run out of relievers, so Matt Shoemaker (10-4) came in and retired all nine batters he faced to get the victory. The Angels tied the game in both the eighth and 14th innings. After David Ortiz gave Boston a 4-3 lead in the 14th with a sacrifice fly, the Angels loaded the bases with none out against Junichi Tazawa. Mike Trout drove in the tying run with a fielders choice grounder that scored pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta, who opened the inning with a double. "That tells you something about this ballclub," Pujols said. "We could have easily just say, Forget it after David Ortizs sacrifice fly and just come back tomorrow. But Chris came back a hit a huge double and we ended up tying the game. "A game like this can hopefully turn things around for us. And if thats the case, its worth it to play 19 innings." Clay Buchholz, who gave up seven runs in each of his previous starts and threw a season-high 114 pitches last Sunday against the Yankees, took a 3-2 lead into the eighth. But Trout drove the right-handers 115th pitch into the seats in right-centre with one out for his 26th home run, and just his second in 17 games. "As hard-fought as we played this game -- as did they -- sometimes extended games can feel like two losses when you come out on the short end," Farrell said. "But I couldnt have been more proud of the way our guys battled through 19 innings." Five days after beating the Dodgers 5-0 for his first major league shutout, Angels starter Garrett Richards took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Dustin Pedroia broke it up with a leadoff single. It was the first of three straight hits, followed by two infield errors that helped Boston pull ahead 3-2. Until then, Richards hadnt allowed an unearned run all season. The 26-year-old right-hander from nearby Riverside was charged with three runs -- one earned -- and three hits in 6 2-3 innings in his first career start against Boston. TRAINERS ROOM Red Sox: Catcher David Ross, who hasnt played since Aug. 1 because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, appears on course to be activated on Aug. 17 when he is eligible to come off the disabled list. Angels: reliever Joe Thatcher, who has missed seven games with a sprained left ankle, isnt expected back from the DL until the Angels host Oakland in a pivotal four-game series from Aug. 28-31. ON DECK Red Sox right-hander Rubby De La Rosa (3-4, 3.43 ERA) opposes Angels lefty Hector Santiago (3-7, 3.84 ERA) in the series finale Sunday. Santiago lost both of his starts against Boston last year while pitching for the Chicago White Sox. Jordan Oesterle Jersey .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Antti Raanta Jersey . Theres little time for rest, too. The Flyers and Rangers play again Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Simmonds scored in the first period and twice more in the second for his first career post-season hat trick. Mason survived a busy first period and stopping 31 straight shots until Carl Hagelin scored late in the third. https://www.cheapcoyotes.com/868z-wayne-...yotes.html. The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke. Arizona Coyotes Gear . The Detroit Tigers star had microfracture surgery Friday to repair the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee. "I dont want to say it was a surprise," team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said. Robbie Russo Jersey . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Michael Sam waited and waited. Hours passed, rounds came and went, and eventually, there were only eight more picks left on the third and final day of the NFL draft. For just a moment, it looked as if his chance of being picked by a pro team and becoming the leagues first openly gay player might take a detour. Or at least be delayed. The call finally came Saturday from the St. Louis Rams, the team right down the road from where Sam played his college ball at the University of Missouri. Sam was selected in the seventh and final round and admitted it was a frustrating wait. He said teams that passed on him chickened out and he should have been drafted sooner. "From last season alone, I shouldve been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American," Sam said. He stopped short of directly saying his stock dropped in the draft because he came out. "You know what, who knows? Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know," he said. "They saw Michael Sam, day after day they scratched it off the board. That was their loss. But St. Louis kept me on that board. And you know what I feel like Im a (Jadeveon) Clowney, a first draft pick. Im proud of where I am now." Sam came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the best year of his career: He was the co-defensive player of the year in the NCAAs best football conference and had 11.5 sacks. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day, No. 4 overall, came and went, no Sam. Then the fifth and sixth, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select ... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and "Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake — and another kiss. "Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after he was picked, with a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The six-foot-two, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick, far from a sure thing to be drafted.dddddddddddd He played defensive end in college, but hes short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and Canadas McGill University — Redmen tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went in the sixth round, 200th overall to Kansas City — were taken ahead of Sam. "In the world of diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The NFL had no comment on Sam being drafted. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance. "Michael Sam wouldnt have been drafted five years ago," said former Viking punter Chris Kluwe, who has accused Minnesota of cutting him in part because of his vocal support for gay rights. In the last year, NBA veteran Jason Collins has come out publicly as gay, and is now playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Collins said before the Nets playoff game against the Heat that he was watching the draft and texted Sam after he was picked. "Its a great day for Michael and his family and for the NFL," Collins said. Publicly, most people in and related to the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL — coming off a season in which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the biggest stories in sports — was looking at a possible public relations hit if Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. But all the reaction to Sams news wasnt positive from the league. Miami safety Don Jones posted a one-word tweet, "Horrible" shortly after Sam was drafted. It was later taken down. The teams general manager said he was aware, and was disappointed. Wade Davis, a gay former NFL player who is now the executive director of the gay rights advocacy group "You Can Play," said Sam only needs to do his job to have an impact beyond the field. "Michael Sam doesnt have to be a vocal advocate (for gay rights)," Davis said. "His visibility is his advocacy." ' ' '