Latest news with #JasonSzenes
New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Baeza looking to right a Kentucky Derby wrong by besting favorites at Belmont Stakes
SARATOGA SPRINGS — While many horse racing fans are expecting Saturday's Belmont Stakes to be a rematch, it just might turn into a threematch. Baeza made a late rush from the back of the pack in the May 3 Kentucky Derby, coming up less than two lengths short of winner Sovereignty, with Journalism in between. Journalism then won the Preakness two weeks later, while Sovereignty rested. Now, in the second Belmont Stakes to be conducted at Saratoga during Belmont's renovation, Baeza is the third-favorite at 4-1 to get his slice of the Triple Crown pie. 4 Baeza is pictured June 4 ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes for the NY Post 'I had a hard time finding him [in the Derby] because it was so muddy that day, but once he got out and made his move, he was obviously finishing faster than any horse in the race,' trainer John Shirreffs told The Post. 'After the race, [jockey] Flavien [Prat] said he didn't get all the run he could have out of Baeza had he had an opportunity to get out a little sooner.' Shirreffs is best known for training 2005 Kentucky Derby champion Giacomo and 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Zenyatta. Prat has two Triple Crown wins — the 2019 Kentucky Derby aboard Country House and the 2021 Preakness with Rombauer. Baeza himself is in position to claim a place in history. 4 Trainer John Shirreffs is pictured June 4 ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes for the NY Post With a victory on Saturday, his broodmare, Puca, would become the first to have produced three Triple Crown race champions, and she would have done it in consecutive years. Mage won the Kentucky Derby in 2023 and Dornoch captured the Belmont Stakes last year. Both were by Puca and Good Magic. 4 Trainer John Shirreffs is pictured with his horse, Baeza, on June 4. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Baeza was sired by McKinzie. Like Mage and Dornoch, Baeza spent his first year and a half of life at Runnymede Farm in Paris, Ky. '[Baeza is] a dream to train. I mean, there's nothing I would want to change about that horse,' Shirreffs said. 'He's the perfect weight. He's the perfect size. He's got a beautiful stride. He's got this great appetite. He's the total package.' 4 Baeza is pictured June 4 ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Baeza is named after Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza, who in 1963 became the first Latin American rider to win the Kentucky Derby aboard Chateaugay. Owner Mike Repole, the billionaire benefactor of St. John's basketball, has a Belmont Stakes championship with Mo Donegal in 2022 and a second place with Mindframe last year. On Saturday, he sends 30-1 Uncaged to the post with trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Luis Saez. Saez won last year's Belmont Stakes aboard Dornoch. Repole's Fierceness will be hunting for an automatic bid to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile when he runs in the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap, Saturday's eighth race. Fierceness won the Travers Stakes in 2024, the signature event of Saratoga's summer meet. Giants board director Chris Mara made it to the winner's circle on Friday. He's part of the ownership group of Bellacose, who won the first race for jockey John Velazquez and trainer Wesley Ward.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Knicks choke away lead in final minutes as Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton stunningly steal Game 1
The Charles Smith Memorial. Reggie Miller's eight points in 8.9 seconds. This goes right up there at the top of the list of Knicks playoff collapses, made worse by the fact they had an extra five minutes and couldn't get it done. Advertisement A 17-point fourth-quarter lead was wasted. A promising start in the Eastern Conference finals became a disastrous one. Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers makes a choking gesture after he hits a jump shot. Jason Szenes / New York Post The Pacers stole Game 1 from the Knicks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post The back page for May 22, 2025. The Pacers stole Game 1 by reeling off 23 points in the final 3:14 of regulation and outlasting the Knicks 138-135 in overtime in front of a stunned Garden crowd. Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a game-tying basket against the New York Knicks as time expires in the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Getty Images Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) is mobbed by teammates as he makes a choking motion after hitting a shot against the New York Knicks at the end of regulation to tie Game 1 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. AP Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) steps on the 3-point line as he shoots a 2-point shot against the New York Knicks. AP After rallying from 20-point deficits in the first two games of their upset of the Celtics in the previous round, the Knicks were on the wrong end of an epic collapse themselves Wednesday night. 'We gotta be ready for Game 2,' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'That's all you can look at. So you take disappointment, turn that into more determination.' Josh Hart of the New York Knicks puts up a shot in Game 1. Jason Szenes / New York Post The Knicks blew a 14-point edge with 2:39 to go, becoming the first team in the play-by-play era (since 1997) to lead a playoff game by 14 points with 2:45 left and lose. Advertisement The record of teams in that position had been 994-0. The Knicks are also the first team to blow a nine-point lead in the final minute of a playoff game since 1998, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The first 1,414 teams had prevailed. Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks loses the ball, turning it over to the Indiana Pacers with 0.2 second left during overtime. Jason Szenes / New York Post 'Obviously it's a tough one, we're all disappointed in it, but the series is not over after one game,' Josh Hart said. Aaron Nesmith went wild down the stretch, hitting six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby missed killer free throws in the final 14.3 seconds, as the Knicks failed to close out the win. It looked like the Pacers had won it at the buzzer on a Tyrese Haliburton 3-pointer that bounced off the back rim, bounced straight up above the backboard and dropped in. Advertisement Indiana celebrated like it was a game-winner, but Haliburton's toe was on the line, rendering the shot a 2-pointer to send the game to overtime. 'You gotta be able to count on your defense,' Thibodeau said. Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns shake hands. Jason Szenes / New York Post Towns and Jalen Brunson missed potential game-tying 3-pointers in the final seconds of overtime, and the Knicks now trail in a postseason series for the first time this spring. They scored the first four points of the extra session, but were outscored 13-6 the rest of the way, managing just six points over the final 3:11. 'We didn't run through that finish line,' Hart said. 'I feel like defensively we let off the gas, intensity and physically weren't there, offensively we were playing slower, a little stagnant, and it looked like we were playing not to lose.' Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton blocks New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges as Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard defends during the third quarter. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Brunson had a chance to push the lead to six in overtime, but his layup was blocked by Myles Turner, leading to an Andrew Nembhard 3-pointer. Advertisement In the final five minutes, the Knicks committed four turnovers, two by Brunson, who had seven altogether. 'Turning it over doesn't help us,' he said. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is greeted by New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns after he puts up a shot during the second quarter in Game 1 on May 21, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Brunson scored 43 points and Towns added 35 along with 12 rebounds. Mikal Bridges and Anunoby added 16 points apiece. Haliburton had 31 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, and Nesmith tallied 22 of his 30 in the fourth quarter. This game was lost before overtime. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. It ruined what had the makings of a feel-good victory. Advertisement The Knicks took command — or so they thought — with a 14-0 run early in the fourth quarter that coincided with Brunson going to the bench after picking up his fifth foul. The game seemed in hand when he checked back in. The Knicks were ahead by 13, and there was five minutes left on the clock. It was a 14-point difference when Brunson sank a 3-pointer, leaving 2:51 to go. Then the Pacers caught fire, and the Garden was silenced after witnessing one of the worst moments in the franchise's postseason history. Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers reacts after Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks is knocked down during overtime. Jason Szenes / New York Post 'In the playoffs, when you win it's the best thing ever. When you lose, it's the worst thing ever,' Brunson said. 'So the best way to deal with all that is just stay levelheaded, make sure we have each other's backs.'
New York Post
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Mets ride Pete Alonso's power, stellar defense to series win over Dodgers
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free A consistent problem in the early going — one acknowledged by their president of baseball operations, David Stearns — has been the Mets' lackluster defense. More recently, the club has encountered issues with Juan Soto's hustling and Pete Alonso's disappearing power. Advertisement Yet viewers who checked in on a national broadcast Sunday night saw the Mets beat the Dodgers largely because of their gloves, Soto's legs and Alonso's might. An all-around bounce-back effort added up to a well-played, 3-1 victory over the most exciting team in baseball, sealing the series in front of 41,917 Mets and Shohei Ohtani fans at Citi Field. 6 Pete Alonso homers during the Mets' win against the Dodgers on May 25. Robert Sabo for the NY Post Advertisement The Mets (32-21) snapped a two-series skid and are still breathing on the other side of a Yankees-Red Sox-Dodgers gauntlet, having won four of nine. The schedule more hollows than softens from here, the next six games in Queens against the White Sox and Rockies. The Mets survived Sunday largely because of their defense, which helped Kodai Senga (5 ¹/₃ innings of one-run ball) consistently escape danger after serving up a no-doubter to Ohtani with his second pitch. 6 Pete Alonso celebrates after homering during the Mets' win against the Dodgers on May 25. Jason Szenes for the NY Post Advertisement 6 Kodai Senga throws a pitch during the Mets' win against the Dodgers on May 25. Jason Szenes for the NY Post They survived because the three relievers who followed Senga were untouched, Ryne Stanek to two innings of Max Kranick to Reed Garrett (first save of the season with Edwin Díaz unavailable) ensuring the team's little bits of offense stood up. All three runs the Mets scored arose from inadvertent assists from the Dodgers, who were charged with four errors. 6 Shohei Ohtani homers during the Dodgers' loss to the Mets on May 25. Robert Sabo for the NY Post Advertisement CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS In the first, Soto sent a two-out hard ground ball to the left side. Max Muncy fielded around the traditional shortstop position and booted the ball, which trickled a couple feet away. Muncy picked up and threw strong to first, but Soto — who had come under scrutiny after not running hard on a grounder in The Bronx and a would-be double in Boston — sprinted the full 90 feet to reach. 6 Juan Soto drives in a run during the Mets' win against the Dodgers on May 25. Jason Szenes for the NY Post 6 Mookie Betts (l.) celebrates a home run with Shohei Ohtani during the first inning of the Dodgers' loss to the Mets on May 25. Jason Szenes for the NY Post With the inning extended, Alonso made the Dodgers pay. He demolished the next pitch from Landon Knack into the left-field seats, snapping a career-long drought of 65 at-bats (in 16 games) in which Alonso had not homered. Advertisement The Mets added insurance in the third, when shortstop Mookie Betts airmailed a flip to second base on what might have been a double-play ball from Mark Vientos that allowed Francisco Lindor to go from first to third. A batter later, Soto did well to make contact with a 1-2 pitch and hit into a fielder's choice that scored Lindor. Those three runs were enough because Senga was sharp, the bullpen excellent and the defense too stout for the Dodgers. Advertisement The tone was set immediately, Tyrone Taylor making a charging catch in the first inning and hurling the ball — and himself, winding up on the grass — as hard as he could, gunning down a tagging-up Betts at the plate. Luis Torrens applied the snap tag just in time. The Dodgers went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven on base in part because of defensive plays such as: A bases-loaded, fifth-inning ground ball to Vientos, who fielded and slipped but rose to throw out Will Smith. A smooth double play to escape potential trouble in the sixth, which ended with Andy Pages hitting a hard grounder to Brett Baty at second. In one quick motion, Baty fielded and tossed to Lindor, who caught it on the run and threw to first to get out of the inning. Soto getting a good jump on a Michael Conforto drive in the seventh, sprinting back, leaping on the warning track and coming down with the ball.
New York Post
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Mets, Juan Soto deliver in big spots for much-needed win over Dodgers
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free Juan Soto just missed a grand slam in Saturday night's fourth inning. Unlike other near misses this season, this one didn't land in somebody's glove. The ball hit high off the fence in right-center. Soto raced to second base with a go-ahead, two-run double, and the cheers he heard from much of the crowd moments earlier upon entering the batter's box multiplied. Soto needed it. The Mets needed it. On this night, the star right fielder delivered the decisive hit in a 5-2 Mets victory over the Dodgers before 41,332 at Citi Field. Soto entered the day only 5-for-42 (.119) with runners in scoring position. The Mets as a team were 27th in MLB in that category at .213. Soto finished 2-for-5 on a night the Mets amassed 11 hits and won for the second time in three games. 5 Juan Soto belts a two-run double in the fourth inning of the Mets' 5-2 win over the Dodgers on May 24, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post The rubber game of the series is Sunday night in this rematch from last year's NLCS. The Mets will also visit Dodger Stadium for four games on their next road trip. David Peterson gave the Mets a strong outing and worked deep — with the bullpen on fumes a night after eight relievers were used in a 13-inning loss. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS The left-hander went 7 ²/₃ innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. The outing was the longest by a Mets starting pitcher this season. 5 David Peterson pumps his fist in celebration after getting out of the seventh inning with a double play in the Mets' win over the Dodgers. Jason Szenes / New York Post Edwin Díaz recorded the final four outs scoreless for the save. It was Díaz's second outing this season that lasted beyond one inning. Peterson dented in the second, after plunking Tommy Edman to put runners on first and second with one out. Enrique Hernández's ensuing single brought in the game's first run before Dalton Rushing's groundout placed the Mets in a 2-0 hole. 5 Brett Baty rips an RBI single in the second inning of the Mets' win over the Dodgers. He also had an RBI double later in the game. Jason Szenes / New York Post The Mets received their own hit-by-pitch to spark a rally in the bottom of the inning: Jared Young, in his first plate appearance in a Mets uniform — he was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse before the game — got drilled by Tony Gonsolin with two outs. Tyrone Taylor singled before scorching Brett Baty delivered an RBI single that pulled the Mets within 2-1. Soto's two-run double highlighted a big fourth inning, in which the Mets scored three times for a 4-2 lead. 5 Edwin Diaz picked up his 11th save of the season in the Mets' win over the Dodgers. Robert Sabo / New York Post Luis Torrens singled leading off and Baty kept the inning alive by drawing a two-out walk. Francisco Lindor walked to load the bases and Starling Marte's check-swing grounder brought in a run. Soto followed with a shot off the fence in right-center that scored two runs, before Marte was thrown out at the plate. 5 Pete Alonso hits a third inning single, one of his two hits, in the Mets' win over the Dodgers. Robert Sabo / New York Post The Mets turned three double plays to help Peterson avoid trouble. In the fourth, Hernández hit into an inning-ending double play after Edman had walked with two outs. In the sixth, Teoscar Hernández followed Mookie Betts' leadoff single with a grounder that became a 6-4-3 double play. In the seventh, Enrique Hernández hit into his second inning-ending double play of the night, this one started by Baty. In the eighth, Baty crushed an RBI double off the left field fence to bring in the Mets' final run. Baty finished 3-for-3 and with two RBIs.
New York Post
11-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Passive OG Anunoby strays from Knicks' recipe for success in ugly loss
OG Anunoby didn't follow the Knicks' winning formula. He was extremely passive for the second straight game, finishing with just two points on 1-for-6 shooting in the 115-93 Game 3 loss to the Celtics on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Including last year's postseason, the Knicks are a perfect 8-0 in playoff games in which Anunoby attempts 14 or more field goals. But after Saturday's loss, they are now 5-9 when he attempts fewer than 14 field goals. 'He's a great player, so you're not gonna be able to do that all the time,' Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. 'To me, he gets a lot of stuff in the half-court on your help reads, and he's one of the best defenders in getting in passing lanes, getting out in transition. The best way to defend these guys is to attack them with proper spacing, proper reads so that we don't have live-ball turnovers and allow them to get out in transition. You just have to take care of those margins.' Anunoby's lone points came on a dunk midway through the third quarter. He also was a team-worst minus-25. 3 OG Anunoby and the Knicks struggled in their Game 3 loss on May 10, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post He did not speak to the media after the game. The Knicks survived a quiet Anunoby showing in Game 2, when he had just five points on 2-for-9 shooting. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. But the way the Celtics shot Saturday, the Knicks needed help from all their secondary scorers. Instead, Anunoby was nearly invisible. 3 OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks drives down court in Game 3. Jason Szenes / New York Post The last two games came after Anunoby erupted for 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field and 6-for-11 shooting from 3-point range in Game 1. It was the kind of all-around performance that represented Anunoby's status as the franchise's highest-paid player ever. But seven total points across the past two games is not going to cut it. CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS The Knicks need him to be way more aggressive. Both Mazzulla and Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to the lack of Celtics turnovers preventing easy transition points for Anunoby. 3 OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks goes up for a shot as Al Horford defends. Jason Szenes / New York Post The Celtics committed just eight turnovers, and the Knicks had just eight fast break points. 'We didn't get stops. We didn't get into the open floor like we would've liked,' Thibodeau said of Anunoby. 'When we do that, that tends to get everyone easy buckets, and we can play off that better.'
