Falling short of Play-Off success will not take the shine off a remarkable season of joy for Belfast Giants
This was not the way it was supposed to end, the Belfast Giants finishing the season dogging it out with the Sheffield Steelers in the 'Hangover Game' (also known as the Elite League Play-Offs' completely pointless bronze medal match).
After winning the League title, adding it to the Challenge Cup they won in March, the stage was set for the Giants to create more history under Adam Keefe. A second Grand Slam in three years beckoned; the Cardiff Devils and then, in the Final, either the Sheffield Steelers or the Nottingham Panthers standing in the way of perfection.
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Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
MLB roundup: Cal Raleigh's 2 homers power M's past Cubs
June 21 - Cal Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 28th and 29th home runs of the season to help the visiting Seattle Mariners to a 9-4 win against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Raleigh, who passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, also singled, walked and scored four times. Mitch Garver homered twice and drove in five runs, and Donovan Solano had three hits and an RBI for the Mariners, who have won five of seven. Seattle starter George Kirby allowed four runs and seven hits over five innings. Reliever Eduard Bazardo (2-0) threw one scoreless inning. Caleb Thielbar (2-2) gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning for the Cubs, who have lost two straight for just the second time since early May. Reese McGuire and Ian Happ homered for Chicago, and Michael Busch had three hits. Red Sox 7, Giants 5 Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton combined for five hits, three runs and four RBIs out of the bottom two spots in the batting order and Boston spoiled Rafael Devers' reunion with a road victory over San Francisco. Meeting just five days after completing a blockbuster trade with Devers at the heart, the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win for the eighth time in their last nine games. While Boston improved to 3-1 since the deal, the Giants lost for the third time in four games, with Devers going 0-for-5 in the opener of a three-game series. Diamondbacks 14, Rockies 8 Eugenio Suarez hit two of Arizona's four home runs to reach 300 for his career, and the Diamondbacks beat Colorado in Denver. Suarez tied his season high with four hits. Ketel Marte homered, doubled twice and drove in five runs and Ildemaro Vargas finished a triple shy of the cycle to pace the Diamondbacks' season-high 21-hit attack. Mickey Moniak homered among his two hits and Ryan McMahon also went deep for the Rockies. Arizona's Zac Gallen (5-8) allowed seven runs on 10 hits in five innings to beat Austin Gomber (0-1), who permitted nine runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Brewers 17, Twins 6 Christian Yelich went 4-for-6 with two doubles and a career-high eight RBIs, Jacob Misiorowski carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, and Milwaukee trounced Minnesota in Minneapolis. Yelich twice hit bases-clearing doubles for Milwaukee, which matched a season high in runs. Jackson Chourio went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs, and Joey Ortiz finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Misiorowski (2-0) continued his dominant start to his big-league career. After pitching five hitless innings before cramps cut his major league debut short on June 12, the 23-year-old was perfect through six innings in his second start before the Twins finally dinged him for two runs in the seventh. He left with two runs allowed on one hit in six innings, and he walked one and struck out six. Rangers 6, Pirates 2 Adolis Garcia had three hits, including a home run, drove in two runs and made two great diving catches in right field to help Texas beat host Pittsburgh. Garcia backed up a strong outing by starter Jacob deGrom (7-2), who pitched six innings, allowing two runs as the Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak. Joey Bart had three hits for the Pirates, who took their fifth loss in six games. Mike Burrows was tagged for four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. White Sox 7, Blue Jays 1 Luis Robert Jr. hit a two-run home run, Tyler Alexander pitched four scoreless relief innings and visiting Chicago defeated Toronto. Andrew Benintendi added a solo shot and had two RBIs while Josh Rojas contributed two RBIs for the White Sox, who ended an eight-game losing streak by taking the opener of a three-game series. Bo Bichette had three hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have lost two straight. Marlins 6, Braves 2 Rookie Agustin Ramirez homered and matched a season high with four RBIs to help lift host Miami past Atlanta, spoiling the major league debut of Didier Fuentes. Janson Junk (2-0) allowed one run on five hits in five innings while making his first major league start since 2023. He struck out five without walking a batter as Miami ended a two-game losing streak. Fuentes, who turned 20 on Tuesday, yielded four runs on six hits in five innings before departing after 87 pitches. He fanned three and walked one. He became the major leagues' youngest starting pitcher since 2016. Orioles 5, Yankees 3 Ramon Urias started the eighth inning by hitting a tiebreaking homer and visiting Baltimore continued its recent surge by beating New York. Urias allowed the Orioles to regain the lead when he hit a full-count fastball off Luke Weaver (1-2). Pinch hitter Gunnar Henderson added an RBI single off Tim Hill later in the eighth. The Yankees lost for the seventh time in eight games and wasted a big night from Aaron Judge, who hit a solo homer for a 3-2 lead, collected three hits and ended the night with a .371 average. Phillies 10, Mets 2 Trea Turner's RBI double snapped a tie and sparked a six-run seventh inning for Philadelphia, which completed its surge into first place in the National League East by beating reeling New York. The Phillies have won eight of nine while the Mets have lost seven straight by a combined 51-16. The losing streak is the longest for New York since a seven-game skid from June 2-9, 2023. Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil hit back-to-back homers off former teammate Taijuan Walker to tie the game in the sixth before the Phillies mounted their rally against Reed Garrett (2-3) and Justin Garza. Rays 14, Tigers 8 Yandy Diaz homered twice and Matt Thaiss scored twice and drove in four runs to help host Tampa Bay hammer Detroit, moving the Rays to a league-best 21-8 since May 20. Curtis Mead scored three times and drove in a run for Tampa Bay, which has won six of its past eight games. Rays starter Shane Baz (7-3) allowed five runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Riley Greene led the Tigers with two home runs and four RBIs. Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (5-8) lasted only 2 1/3 innings and allowed eight runs on six hits. Astros 3, Angels 2 (10 innings) Mauricio Dubon scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning as Houston defeated Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif. Jeremy Pena went 3-for-4 with a home run as the Astros earned their eighth win in 10 tries. Pena and Isaac Paredes homered as Houston's first two batters of the game. Josh Hader (5-1) threw a perfect ninth inning, and Bennett Sousa worked the 10th for his second save. Hunter Strickland (1-1) took the loss after Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings. Jo Adell and Christian Moore homered for Los Angeles, which was without manager Ron Washington (health concerns). Royals 6, Padres 5 Salvador Perez's RBI single snapped a tie in the eighth inning as visiting Kansas City stopped San Diego. Lucas Erceg (2-2) got the win despite allowing a game-tying two-run single by Gavin Sheets in the seventh that capped the Padres' rally from a 4-0 deficit. Bobby Witt Jr. and Jonathan India homered for the Royals, while India and Maikel Garcia had three hits apiece. Carlos Estevez worked the ninth for his 22nd save despite giving up a homer to Manny Machado. Xander Bogaerts tied the Padres' franchise record by collecting hits in his first three at-bats, giving him eight straight hits. The streak ended when he popped out in the ninth. Cardinals 6, Reds 1 St. Louis scored five runs in the seventh inning to beat visiting Cincinnati for its fourth consecutive win. Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (5-3) was effective through six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits for the Cardinals, who have won four in a row and five of six. Masyn Winn and Lars Nootbaar each had two hits and an RBI. Brady Singer (7-5) gave up one run on four hits in six innings for the Reds, who have lost two straight. Cincinnati's lone run scored on an eighth-inning error. Dodgers 6, Nationals 5 Miguel Rojas hit a two-run homer and Clayton Kershaw inched closer to 3,000 career strikeouts as Los Angeles earned a victory over visiting Washington. Kershaw (3-0) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in five innings. He fanned four to move within eight of becoming the 20th pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts and the fourth left-hander. Amed Rosario, Riley Adams and CJ Abrams homered for the Nationals, who had ended an 11-game losing streak on Thursday. A's 5, Guardians 1 Nick Kurtz homered for the fifth time in six games and Jeffrey Springs pitched 7 1/3 strong innings to lead the Athletics to a victory over Cleveland in West Sacramento, Calif. Lawrence Butler had three hits and an RBI and Jacob Wilson and Luis Urias added run-scoring singles for the Athletics, who won for the sixth time in eight games. Springs (6-5) yielded a run on three hits. Angel Martinez homered for the Guardians, who lost for the 10th time in 14 games. Tanner Bibee (4-7) gave up five runs (four earned) and 11 hits in his first career complete game, albeit an eight-inning outing. --Field Level Media
South Wales Argus
3 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Aneurin Owen: I want to add X-factor to push on at Dragons
The Rodney Parade club had a nightmare season in which they won just two games and finished bottom of the United Rugby Championship. However, Owen battled until the very end and his wholehearted exploits, especially when senior teammates were dropping like flies, led to the centre being named as player of the season by the coaches. The 24-year-old from Newport played in 21 of 22 games, only sitting out the Challenge Cup defeat against Pau. He has grown into a leader for the Dragons and is one of the first names on the teamsheet, with his qualities meaning he has racked up 71 outings since his debut in 2020. Owen, who was called up by Wales four years ago, is developing nicely but wants to hit the next level in 2025/26. 'To play all those games was great and it helped me to work on my game,' said Owen. 'I worked really hard with Dan Lydiate on my defence, plus contact work on both sides of the ball. 'Probably the next bit of my game is to have more big moments – I feel I've got to a level of consistency but want to produce those key moments, maybe with a bit of X-factor.' TALENTED: Centre Aneurin Owen is a key figure for the Dragons (Image: Ben Brain/Huw Evans Agency) Owen's chances of pushing for a Wales cap have been hit by the Dragons' struggles, with a crippling injury list playing a part in their paltry win ratio. 'Results and where we finished in the table meant it was tough but I genuinely love it every time that I put the jersey on,' said the centre. 'I just hope that what we went through helps us next season because there were an unprecedented amount of injuries and we just had to get on with it. 'Those were the cards that we were dealt and the boys that were fit just had to dig deep. It was great to see how the young players went because they really stepped up in some difficult places against quality teams. 'We definitely need to have a focus on getting our best 23s on the pitch throughout the season because if we do that then I don't doubt we will be in more games, get more wins and finish higher up the league.' It was a tough season but it did provide Owen with the chance to play alongside a pair of Wales legends – blindside Dan Lydiate, who is staying on as a coach, and centre Scott Williams. 'To play with Scott and Lyds after what they have achieved in their careers was incredible,' he said. 'To train with them, be around them and watch them was invaluable. 'I was then buzzing to actually play with Scott and be 12 and 13. He is someone that I grew up watching and he was class. 'Scott is an unbelievable player but even more than that, he is a great guy and added loads to the group.' Owen will be a midfield option next season along with Joe Westwood, Harri Ackerman and Fetuli Paea, with wingers Jared Rosser and Fine Inisi able to slot in at 13 if needed.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Red Sox rally to take reunion with Giants' Rafael Devers
June 21 - Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton combined for five hits, three runs and four RBIs out of the bottom two spots in the batting order and the Boston Red Sox spoiled Rafael Devers' reunion with a 7-5 road victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Meeting just five days after completing a blockbuster trade with Devers at the heart, the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win for the eighth time in their last nine games. While Boston improved to 3-1 since the deal, the Giants lost for the third time in four games, with Devers going 0-for-5 in the opener of a three-game series. Hamilton had a two-run homer in the third inning to cut into the 3-0 deficit. Rafaela delivered a game-tying single in the fourth and a solo shot in the sixth that gave the visitors the lead for good at 6-5. Boston scored in every inning from the third through the seventh. The homers were Rafaela's seventh and Hamilton's third. Rafaela, batting eighth, finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Hamilton, slotted ninth, went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs. Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu each had two hits for the Red Sox, who out-hit the Giants 11-7. Boston's Brennan Bernardino (3-2), who took over for starter Hunter Dobbins with no outs in the fifth and completed the inning, was credited with the win. Bernardino joined with Zack Kelly, Justin Wilson, Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman for five scoreless innings of relief. Chapman struck out two of three men he faced in the ninth -- including Devers -- for his 14th save. Dobbins was charged with all five Giants runs, four earned, in his four-plus innings. He walked five and struck out one. Boston pitchers walked eight batters. The Giants left eight stranded. Sean Hjelle (1-1), who served up Rafaela's homer, took the loss in relief of Hayden Birdsong, who allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Birdsong walked one and struck out four. Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt had two hits apiece, Patrick Bailey walked three times and Willy Adames reached base three times and scored twice for the Giants. San Francisco twice scored runs on bases-loaded, no-out, double-play grounders. --Field Level Media
