The Sports Report: UCLA has an advantage at the Men's College World Series

Los Angeles Times

13-06-2025

From Brady Oltmans: An NCAA communications official apologized to UCLA baseball coach John Savage before he could join two of his players on the stage for Thursday's news conference. They hadn't printed all the nameplates for the coaches yet.
The coach then sat next to star shortstop Roch Cholowsky and outfielder Dean West at the microphone, finished typing into his phone and leaned forward for his opening statement.
'Well, I think you can see by the nameplate, you can tell that they weren't expecting us,' Savage deadpanned.
He admitted he was teasing before acknowledging the Bruins' circumstances heading into their Men's College World Series opener against Murray State on Saturday at 11 a.m. PDT (ESPN).
No team in this year's CWS field played in last year's tournament — the first time that's happened since 1957. But the Bruins set themselves apart from the field because they have played at Charles Schwab Field this year.
Omaha hosted last month's Big Ten tournament. The Bruins won their first three games in the tournament before falling 5-0 to Nebraska in the conference title game.
Savage believes that week-long tournament helped the Bruins get a feel for the ballpark. They know the downtown streets, the hotels and the practice schedule. But he doesn't want the team to get too comfortable. He wants them to keep the edge they've developed since being shut out.
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Men's College World Series schedule
All Times Pacific
NBA FINALS
Oklahoma City vs. Indiana
Indiana 111, at Oklahoma City 110 (box score, story)at Oklahoma City 123, Indiana 107 (box score, story)at Indiana 116, Oklahoma City 107 (boxscore, story)Friday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABCMonday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ABCThursday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABC*Sunday, June 22 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ABC*
*if necessary
From Bill Shaikin: The Dodger Stadium Express is scheduled to operate normally this weekend, even as the bus departs from and arrives at an area subject to curfew restrictions.
The service, which provides fans a free ride between Union Station and Dodger Stadium, 'will be running per usual,' Metro senior director of communications Missy Colman said Thursday.
On Tuesday, Mayor Karen Bass imposed an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in the downtown area most impacted by protests against federal immigration enforcement, and by the violence, looting and vandalism that sometimes accompanied them. She said she expected the curfew to last several days.
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From Gary Klein: The Rams did not draft an offensive lineman, but they have added a veteran just before the end of offseason workouts.
The Rams on Thursday agreed to terms with veteran free-agent offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
The person requested anonymity because the contract has not been signed.
Humphries, a 2015 first-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, joins a line that includes starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, right tackle Rob Havenstein and swing tackle Warren McClendon Jr.
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From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Facing unrestricted free agency for the first time in his illustrious career, Khalil Mack could have chosen any team to chase his championship ambitions. Why did the star edge rusher choose to stick with a franchise that has never won the Super Bowl?
'Why not here?' the Chargers edge rusher wondered back.
Praising the leadership under coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz, the players on the roster and his familiarity with the franchise, Mack's decision to return to the Chargers wasn't that complicated at all.
'It was a no-brainer,' he said this week during Chargers minicamp in his first comments with local reporters since January.
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J.J. Spaun is still new enough to the U.S. Open, and a newcomer to the brute that is Oakmont, that he was prepared for anything Thursday. He wound up with a clean card and a one-shot lead on an opening day that delivered just about everything.
Scottie Scheffler had more bogeys in one round than he had the entire tournament when he won the Memorial. He shot a 73, his highest start ever in a U.S. Open, four shots worse than when he made his Open debut at Oakmont as a 19-year-old at Texas.
Patrick Reed made the first albatross in 11 years at the U.S. Open when he holed out a 3-wood from 286 yards on the par-five fourth. However, he finished his round with a triple bogey.
Bryson DeChambeau was 39 yards from the hole at the par-five 12th and took four shots from the rough to get to the green.
Si Woo Kim shot a 68 and had no idea how.
'Honestly, I don't even know what I'm doing on the course,' Kim said. 'Kind of hitting good but feel like this course is too hard for me.'
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U.S. Open leaderboard
Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck has won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender, becoming the first at the position to do so since Carey Price a decade ago.
Hellebuyck was unveiled as the top MVP vote-getter on an awards show Thursday night prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, hosted by actor and former Arizona State wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa.
Kings captain Anze Kopitar won the Lady Byng for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct for a third time.
Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl finished second in the Hart voting and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov third, a single point ahead of Colorado's reigning MVP Nathan MacKinnon, as chosen by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Hellebuyck was a landslide winner of the Vezina as picked by general managers, receiving 31 of 32 first-place votes.
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All times Pacific
STANLEY CUP FINAL
Edmonton vs. Floridaat Edmonton 4, Florida 3 (OT) (summary, story)Florida 5, at Edmonton 4 (2 OT) (summary, story)at Florida 6, Edmonton 1 (summary, story)Edmonton 5, at Florida 4 (summary, story)Saturday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNTTuesday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNTFriday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT*
* If necessary
1908 — Canadian champion Tommy Burns KOs Bill Squires of Australia in 8th round at Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris to retain world heavyweight boxing title.
1913 — James Rowe, who had won back-to-back Belmont Stake races in 1872-73 as a jockey, sets the record for the most number of Belmont Stakes wins by a trainer, eight, when he sends Prince Eugene to victory.
1935 — Jim Braddock scores a 15-round unanimous decision over Max Baer in New York to win the world heavyweight title.
1953 — Ben Hogan wins the U.S. Open for the fourth time, with a six-stroke victory over Sam Snead.
1956 — 1st European Cup Final, Paris: Héctor Rial scores twice as Real Madrid beats Stade de Reims, 4-3 to claim inaugural title.
1959 — Billy Casper wins the U.S. Open golf tournament over Bob Rosburg.
1971 — Kathy Whitworth wins the LPGA championship by four strokes over Kathy Ahern.
1982 — Jan Stephenson wins the LPGA championship with a two-stroke triumph over Joanne Carner.
1989 — 43rd NBA Championship: Detroit Pistons sweep Lakers in 4 games.
1991 — The National, the nation's first all-sports daily newspaper, ceases publication.
1992 — Sergei Bubka of Ukraine breaks his own world outdoor record in the pole vault by soaring 20 feet, one-half inch. The jump is the 30th time that Bubka has set the record indoors or outdoors, surpassing the 29 world records by distance runner Paavo Nurmi of Finland in the 1920s.
1993 — Patty Sheehan wins the LPGA Championship for a third time, with a 2-under 69 for a one-stroke victory over Lauri Merten.
1997 — Chicago wins its fifth NBA championship in the last seven years, as Steve Kerr's last-second shot gives the Bulls a 90-86 Game 6 victory over the Utah Jazz.
2002 — Stanley Cup Final, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings beat Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1 for a 4-1 series win; Red Wings' 10th title; coach Scotty Bowman retires with record 9th title.
2010 — Zenyatta wins her 17th consecutive race, giving her the longest winning streak by a modern-day thoroughbred in unrestricted races. The 6-year-old mare, ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, wins the $200,000 Vanity Handicap by a half-length over St Trinians at Hollywood Park. With the victory, Zenyatta surpasses the 16-race winning streaks of Cigar, 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, and Mister Frisky.
2011 — Boston scores four times in a 4:14 span of the first period and beats the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden, evening the best-of-7 series. Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, Andrew Ference and Michael Ryder give Boston a 4-0 lead before the midway point of the first period.
2014 — The Netherlands thrashes Spain 5-1 in the World Cup's first shocker, toying with an aging team that dominated global football for the past six years and avenging a loss in the 2010 final.
2014 — The Kings wins the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years with a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5.
2016 — LeBron James has 41 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, Kyrie Irving also scores 41 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers capitalize on the Warriors playing without suspended star Draymond Green, staving off NBA Finals elimination with a 112-97 victory in Game 5. James and Irving are the first teammates to score 40 points in an NBA Finals game as the Cavaliers pulled within 3-2 and sent their best-of-seven series back to Ohio.
2017 — The Golden State Warriors win their second NBA tile in three years with a win over the Cavaliers 129-120.
2019 — The Toronto Raptors beat defending champion Golden State Warriors, 114-110 to win the franchise's first Championship.
2021 — French Open Men's Tennis: Novak Đoković wins his 19th Grand Slam singles title; beats Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
2023 — Stanley Cup Final, T-Mobile Arena, LV: Vegas Golden Knights rout Florida Panthers 9-3 to clinch 4-1 series win; franchise's first title in only 6th year in the NHL; MVP: Jonathan Marchessault (VGK forward).
1905 — Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched his second no-hit game, beating the Chicago Cubs and Mordecai Brown 1-0. Mathewson and Brown matched no-hitters for eight innings. The Giants got two hits in the ninth for the win.
1912 — Christy Mathewson recorded his 300th career victory with a 3-2 triumph over the Chicago Cubs.
1921 — Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees pitched the first five innings and hit two home runs in an 11-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
1937 — New York's Joe DiMaggio hit three consecutive home runs to give the Yankees an 8-8, 11-inning tie against the St. Louis Browns in the second game of a doubleheader.
1947 — In the first night game played at Fenway Park, the Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3.
1948 — Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium drew 49,641 fans who saw Ruth's No. 3 retired and the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3.
1957 — Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hit three home runs and drove in five runs in a 9-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians as Williams became the first AL player to have two three-homer games in a season.
1973 — The Dodgers' infield of Steve Garvey (first base), Davey Lopes (second base), Ron Cey (third base) and Bill Russell (shortstop) played together for the first time in a 16-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The quartet would set a major league record for longevity by playing 8 1/2 years in the same infield.
1980 — Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies goes 4 for 5 to move past Honus Wagner into fifth place on the all-time hit list with 3,431.
1998 — For the fourth time in major league history, teammates hit back-to-back homers in consecutive innings. Atlanta's Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones each homered in the second and third inning of the Braves' 9-7 win over Montreal at Turner Field.
2003 — Roger Clemens reached 300 wins and became the third pitcher with 4,000 strikeouts, leading the New York Yankees over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2. Clemens, the 21st pitcher to make it to 300, gave up two runs in 6 2-3 innings and struck out 10, raising his total to 4,006. Clemens joined Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) in the 4,000-strikeout club.
2008 — Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell hit consecutive home runs in the first inning of Philadelphia's 20-2 rout of St. Louis.
2012 — Matt Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for San Francisco, striking out a career-high 14 batters and getting help from two running catches to beat the Houston Astros 10-0. Cain's 125-pitch masterpiece featured a pair of great plays by his corner outfielders. Left fielder Melky Cabrera chased down Chris Snyder's one-out flyball in the sixth, scurrying back to make a leaping catch on the warning track. Right fielder Gregor Blanco ran into right-center to make a diving catch on the warning track and rob Jordan Schafer for the first out of the seventh.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez collects his 2,000th career RBI with a two-run home run in the New York Yankee's 9-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Rodriguez is the fourth player to reach the milestone joining Cap Anson, Babe Ruth and leader Hank Aaron.
2019 — Shohei Ohtani becomes the first Japanese player to hit for the cycle in Major League Baseball.
2021 — The Blue Jays set a record for a visiting team at Fenway Park by blasting 8 homers in an 18-4 win over the Red Sox. Seven players go deep, with Teoscar Hernandez doing so twice, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits his major league-leading 21st.
2024 — It took him 14 seasons and 320 other long balls, but J.D. Martinez finally hits a walk-off homer, doing so off Tanner Scott of the Marlins with Francisco Lindor on base in the 9th inning to give the Mets a 3-2 win. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the third most homers by anyone before a first walk-off shot, trailing only Mark Teixeira (408) and Jose Bautista (336).
Compiled by the Associated Press
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