Author: Sports Radio Service

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Memories of the Coliseum; Players are not happy about playing on artificial turf in Sacramento

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Artificial turf attached to rubber mat. Artificial turf can add 40-50 degrees on hot surfaces. Sacramento had over ten days in a row of 100 degree days which could bring 150 degree games on the field at Sutter Health Field which the players, MLBPA, and agents are concerned with. (photo by iStock.com)

On That’s Amuary News and Commentary:

#1 Amaury, over the many years you’ve worked with literally 100s if not 1000s of different people here at the Oakland Coliseum from reporters like Ray Epstein, Winn Courier, Andy Cox, Ray Bergman, Ken Gimblin, Renee Del La Rosa, Omar Moreno, Mark Ibanez, Rich Lieberman, Sam Skinner and A’s photographer Michael Zagaris just to name a few.

#2 Amaury, when you look back at those great championship teams of the past that the A’s had from 1972-74. It’s hard to believe that those teams won three in a row and could have very well been as good as some of those New York Yankee teams of the 1950s.

#3 This particular A’s team this season after the All Star break had a break out season in July they were one of baseball’s winningest teams. They launched the great talents of slugger Lawrence Butler and closer Mason Miller. It was a breakout year for Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, and JJ Bleday who provided a lot of offensive punch for Oakland.

#4 You got to see those great A’s teams from 1988-90 that former owner Walter J Haas Sr assembled and went onto win three consecutive American League Championships.

#5 Amaury, While MLB says it’s a certainty that the A’s are headed to Sacramento for the 2025 season it still remains to be seen when the Major League Players Association will sign off on approving to play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento.

#6 Behind the scenes the players are not in favor of the move and Scott Boras said the A’s should play at the Oakland Coliseum in the interim while the Las Vegas park is being built. From what we understand the players union and agents are not in favor of playing on turf and the facilities in a minor league park are not up to MLB standards.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Panthers Dalton did a job on Raiders Sunday

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce adjusts his headphones as the Raiders were pounded by the Carolina Panthers for the first three quarters at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton was all the difference that the Panthers needed to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday at Allegiant Stadium and it wasn’t even close at least in the early minutes of the fourth quarter with a 33-7 lead.

#2 The Panthers came in 0-2 and Dalton was the shot in the arm that Carolina was looking for throwing for 319 yards, three touchdowns, and completing all his passing except for one.

#3 Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew was 18-28 for 214 yards. The Raiders entered Sunday’s game last in the running game with the Raiders averaging just 49 yards and a total of 55 yards.

#4 The Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was getting booed because the Raiders struggled in the first three quarters of the game. What might make Getsy look bad is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields as the Steelers are 3-0. Getsy was Fields offensive coordinator when they were on the Chicago Bears.

#5 The Raiders will kick off against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. The Browns just got by the New York Giants for a win last Sunday. What are some of the things that you would expect from Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson?

Tony Renteria does the Raiders podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah edges LA 3-2 in exhibition game for new NHL franchise

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Utah Hockey Team celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Kings in NHL exhibition at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Sep 23, 2024 (@utahhockeyclub photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Five months ago the National Hockey League announced that the personnel of the Arizona Coyotes had been purchased by the Smith Entertainment Group and would operate as a new NHL franchise in Salt Lake City beginning with the 2024-2025 season. The Coyotes brand was retained by owner Alex Meruelo in the event Arizona is awarded a future expansion team.

For those who wondered whether or not Utah could support an NHL team in addition to the NBA Utah Jazz and MLS Real Salt Lake, both also owned by SEG, all doubt was immediately cast aside as more than 34,000 season ticket deposits were received in a matter of days.

Since that time, anticipation has continued to build as team colors were announced and fans began online voting to name the team for its eventual sophomore season. Though all manner of shirts, hats, and hoodies have made their way onto store shelves throughout the state, even at Costco, fans are looking forward to the arrival of inaugural season jerseys which are being expedited to potentially arrive in November.

On Monday, a packed Delta Center welcomed their new hometown team for its first-ever pre-season game with a loud standing ovation as they took to the ice to square off against the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Prior to dropping the puck, an emotional tribute video honored the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau who were tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver on August 29. Following a 13-second moment of silence, fans were invited to remain standing for the national anthem, immediately followed by the moment everyone had been waiting for.

At 15:04 of the first period, Lawson Crouse gave Utah HC the lead on a power play goal, assisted by Sean Durzi and Matias Maccelli. At the ensuing faceoff, Utah’s Liam O’Brien and the Kings’ Jeff Malott immediately dropped their gloves, much to the delight of a roaring crowd. Moments later, Alex Kerfoot put Utah up 2-0 on another power play goal, assisted again by Durzi and Maccelli, which was the score heading into the locker room at the end of the first period.

The Kings came back in the 2nd period with goals from Jeff Malott and Alex Turcotte to even things up heading into what became a scoreless 3rd.

With the crowd standing and cheering the beginning of overtime, it took only 19 seconds for Clayton Keller to put the puck in the back of the Kings net for the unassisted game winner.

After the game, head coach Andre Tourigny noted that there’s still a lot of rust from the offseason to shake off, and that video from Monday’s game will immediately be used to determine the focus of the next practice.

Utah will now hit the road for their next four pre-season games against Las Vegas, Colorado, San Jose, and Anaheim. They will kick off the regular season with their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 8.

Giants stay hot without the pressure and beat Diamondbacks 6-3 for sixth win in last seven games

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San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (right) slides safely into home plate as the ball eludes Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herera (left) in the top of the third inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Mon Sep 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, Sept. 23, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 6 (78-79)

Arizona Diamondbacks 3 (87-70)

Win: Hayden Birdsong (5-5)

Loss: Eduardo Rodriguez (3-4)

Save: Ryan Walker (10)

Time: 2:41

Attendance: 23,359

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants stayed hot and played spoiler again, as they went into Chase Field to beat the Diamondbacks in the opener of this three-game series 6-3 on Monday night.

Now that they have been eliminated, Giants have been playing some of their best ball of the season with the pressure off and. They have gone 5-1 on this final road trip, taking two of three from the struggling Orioles, and sweeping the struggling Royals.

After playing spoiler in the American League Wild Card race, the Giants now had a chance to play spoiler in the National League Wild Card race. As the Giants came into Arizona for their final road series of the year, they would face a Diamondbacks’ team coming off a savage loss yesterday in Milwaukee.

The Diamondbacks looked to bounce back after blowing an 8-0 lead to the Brewers yesterday and falling back into a tie with the Mets for the second wild card spot. Since the Diamondbacks went 3-4 against the Mets this season, that meant they had fallen back into third wild card spot.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez made the start for Arizona, and he started the night with a one, two, three inning in the top of the first Hayden Birdsong took the ball for the Giants following a pair of outings in which he had much better command.

However, the Diamondbacks pounced on the young right-hander in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Geraldo Perdomo and Joc Pederson gave Arizona a 1-0 lead.

After the Giants wasted a two-out rally in the top of the second, they would get on the board in the top of the third. Heliot Ramos lined a base-hit to center field with one out, and Jerar Encarnacion lined a double the other way to right to knock in Ramos and tie the game.

Michael Conforto lined out, and then up came Matt Chapman. Chapman hit a fly ball deep to left-center, and as Diamondbacks’ center-fielder leapt up against the wall to try and make the catch, he jammed his right shoulder and lost his cap. The ball rolled into center, and after Encarnacion scored, Third Base Coach Matt Williams waved Chapman in, who came all the way home with the inside-the-park home run.

It was Chapman’s 27th home run of the season, and the first inside-the-park home run by a Giant since Denard Span hit one against the Philadelphia Phillies at then-AT&T Park on Aug. 19, 2017. The Giants also have established a recent history of inside-the-park home runs after getting eliminated late in the season.

Conor Gillaspie hit an inside-the-park home run against the Rockies on Sept. 27, 2011, and Kelby Tomlinson did the same against those exact same Rockies On Oct. 3, 2015. Chapman’s inside-the-parker tonight adds to that list.

The Diamondbacks would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the third. With runners at first and second with two outs, Christian Walker hit a double to left that knocked in Corbin Carroll to make it 3-2.

With one out in the top of the fourth, the Giants got that run right back when Casey Schmutt pulled a home run down the left field line to make it 4-2. Schmitt has been swinging the bat well since he was called back up last week, going 6-for-14 in his last five games with that home run and four RBIs.

Michael Conforto hit an absolute bomb to the concourse above the pool out in right-center to make it 5-2 in the top of the fifth. As Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow said on the Giants’ telecast on NBC Sports Bay Area, Conforto hit it where Barry Bonds used to hit them.

Birdsong settled down with a one, two, three bottom of the fourth, and then he worked through a pair of walks to pitch a scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth. That would end the night for Birdsong, who gave up four runs in five innings, while walking two and striking out six.

One of the biggest reasons Birdsong struggled in August was his command. In his last three outings, his command has been much better, as he has only walked five in his last 15 and two third innings.

Birdsong is slated to start the final game of the season for the Giants on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The question is whether he will make the start, or if the Giants will shut him down, which if they do, he will have ended his rookie season on quite a good note.

Hayden Birdsong pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth, and the Giants tacked on a run against Scott McGough in the top of the seventh when Matt Chapman hit a triple to center. Just as he jammed his shoulder against the wall and lost his cap when going for Chapman’s inside-the-parker back in the third, the same exact thing happened in the top of the seventh.

Only this time, it was his left shoulder that he jammed into the wall. McCarthy will certainly feel it Tuesday, that’s for sure.

The Diamondbacks got a run off Erik Miller in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-3, and Camilo Doval pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Ryan Walker then took the ball for the ninth, and he threw a one, two, three inning to get his tenth save.

Hayden Birdsong got the win; Eduardo Rodriguez got the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up the save.

The Giants have now won six of their last seven to improve to just one game under .500 at 78-79. If they can go 4-1 in their final five games, which is very much doable, they will have their first winning season in three years.

As for the Diamondbacks, they fall to 87-70, and are now a half-game behind the Mets. They are a game and a half ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the third wild card in the National League.

The two teams will be back at it Tuesday night, and Logan Webb (12-10, 3.58 ERA) will make his second-straight start following a Giants’ win. Right-hander Brandon Pfaat (10-9, 4.66 ERA) will take the ball for Arizona. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 90-66 +3.5
  2. Mets 87-69 +0.5
  3. Diamondbacks 87-70 —

Braves 85-71 1.5

Giants News and Notes:

Jordan Hicks’ season is over, as he has been placed on the 15-Day Injured List on Friday.

Farhan Zaidi brought in Hicks and converted him into a starter. It was initially a success, but after a rough go of things, Hicks was moved back to the bullpen.

Major League Baseball News and Notes:

Longtime Charlie Blackmon announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Blackmon, a career-.292 hitter, will be hanging it up after 14 seasons, all with the Rockies.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: No stopping Judge in Yankees final visit to Coliseum; Letter from Fisher a lot of lip service

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New York Yankees Aaron Judge is thrilled after a solo home run his 54th of the season on Sat Sep 21, 2024 against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum. Judge would hit his 55th home run Sun Sep 22, 2024 against the A’s (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The New York Yankees Aaron Judge belted a league leading 55th home run against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum in what was the Yankees last visit to Oakland defeating the A’s 7-4 on Sunday afternoon.

#2 The win for New York gave them a three game sweep over the A’s. The A’s just could never get tracked and surpass the Yankees scoring only two runs in the first and another two in the sixth inning.

#3 The Yankees who are assured a playoff birth can clinch the AL East division with a win during their next three game series which starts Tuesday against the second place Baltimore Orioles.

#4 Judge was an unstoppable force hitting home runs on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. He’s been looking like a Hall of Famer with the way he’s been getting around the baseball.

#5 Oakland A’s owner John Fisher released a statement saying while he’s sorry that the A’s have to move to Sacramento he’s asking A’s fans to always remember the last 56 years of Oakland baseball. Critics of the statement have called the letter a lot of lip service.

#6 The A’s play their very last home series ever in their Oakland history starting Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers. Starting pitcher for Texas Nathan Eovaldi (11-8, 3.96) he’ll be opposed by the A’s starter Mitch Spence (8-9, 4.30) first pitch 6:40pm PT at the Oakland Coliseum.

Barbara Mason podcasted the Oakland A’s Mondays and will doing Golden State Warriors podcasting in October at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Loses Preseason Opener 4-2 while the Rookies Start Shining for the Teal

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San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini (71) and the Las Vegas Knights forward Gage Quinney (72) face off in NHL exhibition action at SAP Center in San Jose on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (Getty photo)

By Fernando Abarca

Hockey is Back and the wait is over San Jose Sharks kicks off the preseason against Vegas Golden Knights but not as expected.

SAN JOSE – Six months felt like forever as a new chapter for this hockey organization began, all eyes will be put on the teal team as we go closer to real-time. The San Jose Sharks hosted the 2023 Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, this Sunday evening.

After all the noise back in June with the NHL draft, the teams are getting situated and planning for a chance to hoist Lord Stanley. The Sharks are still catching up after getting the number one pick in the draft, Macklin Celebrinni the team teal expects a turnaround from last season.

The final score was 4-2 in favor of the visitors showing their dominance, especially in the offense where physicality and aggressiveness outplay a young and inexperienced but over time can provide support for bigger things, as they demonstrated by winning the rookie showcase a couple of days ago.

The figure of the night for the San Jose team was the number one prospect in the league, Macklin Celebrini, who scored a goal on the power play with his teammate Tyler Toffoli who last played in Winnipeg last season, it demonstrated chemistry and what can we see as the regular season unfolds.

FIRST PERIOD

During the first period,  the Golden Nights started strong and aggressive as I mentioned before trying to take all possible advantages. It was already known that the Vegas team was not coming with so many novelties.

One point to pay attention to in this game was the offense that cost dearly in the first period when only 7 minutes into the first period. Las Vegas forward C. Burke marked the first warning sign of the night for the locals assisted by Christopher Sedoff and Brendan Brisson where the unfortunate case was the deflection that gave the advantage to Vegas. 

The San Jose team tried to stay firm and try to look for an opportunity. In the 10th minute, spirits were raised with a shot at goal but it fell into the net for which the referee pointed out that it was not a goal. The first period continued without much news in which the home team began to be affected by penalties.

SECOND PERIOD

In the second period, the visitors had a clear mind and were to maintain the advantage on the scoreboard and this is how it happened. 

During the second period, the visitors scored two goals to leave the lead 3 – 0 over the locals who were looking to find answers to Las Vegas’ goaltending which was doing its job very well.

In the same way, as it happened in the first period, after 7 minutes of the period, Vegas forward 

Brendan Howden without complications and with all the time and space in the world scored the second goal of the night 

With a 2 – 0 lead The Sharks were beginning to look desperate and rethinking what their next move would be.

7 minutes later the third goal for the Knights came with a beautiful play executed by Mason Morelli and Jakub Brabenec allowing Thomas Uronen to seal his goal of the night.

THIRD PERIOD.

The moment that everyone was waiting for and for which expectations remained alive, was the moment to shine for the future promise of the Sharks, Macklin Celebrini scoring his first-ever goal for the Sharks which he was assisted by L. Cagnoni and by M Granlund.

Celebrini’s goal raised the spirits of the people at the SAP Center hoping that they could turn it around. The momentum did not stop there, the second goal for the Sharks came just seconds after Sharks Forward, Tyler Toffoli scored the second goal of the night for the Sharks, leaving the score at one point.

The most significant of those minutes was how the team performed in the powerplay, demonstrating the danger of this team, and the potential that San Jose can create, with team and preparation the PowerPlay can be seriously dangerous.

At the end of the night, an empty goal by T. Pearson buried any hopes of taking it to overtime for San Jose. The late reaction and errors cost the game for San Jose, but the defeat also shows the points to improve and refine the good things that can be salvaged from this game.

After the game, Tyler Toffoli and Macklin Celebrini addressed media to provide their take aways.

“I think there is a lot a good feeling, getting my first game, and go out there and play, like I said I have so many good things on the third and had a chance to tie

A’Ja Wilson Comes Alive In Second Half As Aces Take Game One Against Seattle 78-67

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Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) drives on the Seattle Storm’s center Mercedes Russell (21) during WNBA Playoff game 2 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (Las Vegas Aces photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (0-1) had a stagnant start in the opening game of their series with the Seattle Storm (1-0). The Storm had at one time led by 11 points but the Aces surged in the second quarter and blew the game wide open in the fourth quarter going on 14-2 run.

A’Ja Wilson only had four points in the first half and finished with 21 points. Kelsey Plum had an off night with only two points, but there is little doubt that she will turn that around. Tiffany Hayes was terrific off the bench with 20 points. The Aces took game one of the WNBA Playoffs defeating the Seattle Storm 78-67.

Game recap: The opening quarter did not go well for the Aces. The Storm limited them to 11% shooting. They could not buy a bucket. Seattle outscored them in the first quarter 18-9. At one time in the second quarter the Storm had an 11 point lead before the Aces began to turn the narrative.

At the half, the Storm had a 42-38 lead but Las Vegas had made this game manageable. The Storm kept A’ja Wilson completely contained. She only had four points in the first half. The Storm were also getting a lot of second chance shots with their offensive rebounding. The Aces had their work cut out for them in the second half of this game.

With 2:58 left in the third quarter Las Vegas took a 58-57 lead. This game had been tied a lot in the second half. As the clock wore down on the third quarter, the Aces had really settled into the game and would be looking for a productive fourth quarter. A’Ja Wilson had scored 15 points in the third quarter. Kelsey Plum was struggling from downtown, a shot she usually excels at going 0-6. She only had a shocking two points.

This game was going down to the wire with some excellent defensive effort from both teams. The Storms’ Jewell Loyd was having a quiet game with only six points very unlike her. With just under five minutes left in the game, the Aces showed signs of building some increased momentum, building a lead 70-65.

With no need to panic, the Aces now had a 14-2 run demonstrating a lot of patience. With 1:30 left, Las Vegas had established a 78-67 lead which would be the final. The Aces now take a 1-0 series lead into game two.

After a slow start in the first half of this game scoring only four points, A’Ja Wilson scored 15 points in the second half of the game and she had eight rebounds really coming alive in the third quarter. Tiffany Hayes was solid with 20 points and fpur rebounds off the bench.

Chelsea Gray spearheaded the comeback effort in the first half finishing with 16 points and a couple of rebounds. Jackie Young chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds. Kelsey Plum was strangely quiet with only two points scored in the game.

The Aces really put the stops on Jewell Loyd holding her to six points. The Storm’s Skylar Diggins-Smith had the high score for Seattle with 16 points and four rebounds. The Storm had it all going in the first quarter but just could not sustain their lead against the defending champions.

Game notes: It all began Sunday night for the Aces as they took on the Storm at Michelob ULTRA Arena as their quest for a three-peat got off to a good start in earnest. Three WNBA playoff games were played Sunday with the Liberty beating the Dream 83-69, the Sun really took it to the Fever 93-69 and the Lynx with a seven point win beat the Mercury 102-95.

The Aces are heavily favored but this is the playoffs and all bets are off, anything can happen. Las Vegas were challenged with the solid play of the Storm’s Jewell Loyd who scored six points in game one and Skylar Diggins-Smith led in scoring with 16 points. None of the Aces are listed on the injury list so they were at full strength and continue peaking the way they were as the regular season came to an end.

Tuesday night’s game two will again be played at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Now that the Aces have tested the waters in this year’s post-season there is little chance that they will come out in the next game the way they did Sunday night. Kelsey Plum will turn things around and A’Ja Wilson will overcome whatever the Storm throws at her. Tipoff for game two is scheduled for 6:30 PM.

A’s Swept by Damn Yankees in Final Matchup at the Coliseum 7-4; Judge gives Oakland a send off with 55th homer

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New York Yankees Aaron Judge makes contact in the top of the fifth inning at the Oakland Coliseum against the Oakland A’s in the Yankees last appearance in Oakland on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Last Marquee series between the Oakland Athletics (67-89) and the New York Yankees (92-64) at the 58-year old Alameda County based stadium, ended in dominating fashion (3-0) for the visitors, 7-4 in front of 24,663.

The Athletics tried to avoid the sweep by the team from the Empire State, by getting on the board first. They were shutout 10-0 in Saturday Night’s contest, and 4-2 victims in extra innings Friday Evening.

In the bottom of the first inning, A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom hit a two run double, knocking in teammates JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers, to put the home team up by two. After a full inning, the A’s led 2-0, and were in a better scenario that the previous night game,

However, that excitement was extremely short lived, as the Yankees came right back in the top of the second inning. New York left fielder Jason Dominguez belted a two run homer, plating himself and Jazz Chisholm Jr. The score was tied at two within a half inning.

The third inning had a local homeboy break the tie. Yankees Aaron Judge launched a deep center field solo home run (55) to put his Bronx Bombers up 3-2. His Honor also expressed his disappointment of this being his last game in Oakland, with all the history of the facility and his personal great memories.

The Linden, California native is the odds on favorite for AL MVP, while Shohei Ohtani is the equivalent player for the National League. Especially with his 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases record breaking accomplishment. Judge did not really pat himself on his own back, but did praise the Japanese sensation in Los Angeles.

Later in the top of the fifth inning, the Yankees extended their lead to three runs. Second baseman Gleyber Torres hit a solo shot, Chisholm Jr. knocked in Juan Soto, on a deep sacrifice fly. Through five, New York was up 5-2, and in the proverbial driver’s seat.

Oakland was not done with their comeback attempt; they scored another two runs in the bottom of the sixth frame. Ryan Noda came in as a pinch-hitter and promptly belted a two run double, which brought the swinging A’s back within one run. Soderstrom and Gelof crossed the plate respectively. At 5-4, the Oakland faithful had something to cheer about.

Shortly thereafter, New York struck again. Designated hitter Giancarlo hit an RBI double knocked in Judge, and put his squad back up by two, 6-4. The Yankees added one more and final run in the top of the ninth inning. Yankees’ second baseman Austin Wells slapped a two run double, scoring Juan Soto and placed the scoreboard at a 7-4 margin.

That score stood up after nine full innings, and the Yankees completed the sweep in their Oakland Grand Finale.

The Giants are next in action Tuesday September 24, in Oakland, hosting the Texas Rangers at 6:40 PM PDT. This will mark the last series ever in the Coliseum, unless a miracle happens before next season. The pitching matchup will be RHP Mitch Spence (8-9, 4.30) versus RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-8, 3.96).

The Yankees fly back to New York, with Monday off, then host the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday September 24 at 7:05 PM EST. Their matchups are: RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-4, 2.37) vs, RHP Dean Kremer (7-10, 4.19).

Does Judge reach 60 home runs? We will have to see, and he left an indelible impression in his hometown area, with a homer, double two walks, and two runs scored, A very nice homecoming, indeed.

Michael Roberson covers Major League Baseball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rams Shock San Francisco In Come From Behind Win 27-24

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Los Angeles Rams kicker Joshua Karty (16) celebrates with teammates after booting 37 yard field goal with two seconds left in the game to lift the Rams to a victory over the San Francisco 49ers at So Fi Stadium in Inglewood on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Los Angeles Rams (1-2) Sunday at So Fi Stadium in the Southland had an awful opening quarter but they continued to plug away through the next three quarters. The San Francisco 49ers (1-2) had a 14-0 lead going into the second quarter.

After the first quarter, the 49ers looked as if they were going to steamroll the Rams with a 14-0 lead. Los Angeles just wouldn’t go away and stole this game from San Francisco in the final minute of the game. Brock Purdy finished with 288 passing yards, 41 rushing and three touchdowns. Jauan Jennings was on fire with 175 receiving yards.

Sunday afternoon an age-old rival welcomed the 49ers to SoFi Stadium the Rams who have really struggled to start the 2024 season with a loss to the Lions in overtime and a crushing loss last week to the Cardinals 41-10.

San Francisco has had their own struggles right now not only losing to the Vikings last week but also the loss of key players Deebo Samuel and George Kittle in that game. Kittle and Samuel joined Christian McCaffrey on the sidelines for Sunday’s game against the Rams.

Despite losing these players, the 49ers had the personnel to win this game especially with all the early struggles Los Angeles has been having but in the end that wasn’t to be.

The 49ers flexed their muscle in the first quarter scoring a touchdown at 11:12 for a 7-0 lead. Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings for 13 yards and the touchdown, The Jake Moody PAT was good and the 49ers had a great start in this game.

They closed out the first quarter with their second touchdown of the day taking a 14-0 lead. Brock Purdy connected with Jennings for a second time in this game for four yards and the six points. Moody kicked his second PAT of the game. Penalties were really hurting the Rams in the opening quarter in a less than impressive start for Los Angeles.

The Rams began to turn this game around in the second quarter. Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford engineered a great drive downfield as the half began to wind down. He capped off the drive with a 15 yard pass to Kyren Williams who summersaulted his way into the end zone for the Rams first score of the game trailing 14-7. Los Angeles ran off a lot of clock with this 16 play possession.

With under a minute left in the half, San Francisco had an impressive drive underway. Purdy connected with Jennings for 11 yards followed by an 11 yard scramble by Purdy. San Francisco had their eye on a late half field goal when Purdy fumbled the ball, recovered by the Rams.

With 26 seconds left on the clock and three time outs, it was the Rams now looking for a field goal. There would be no field goal to end the first half for either team and the 49ers took a 14-7 lead into the locker room. San Francisco had come into the game guns blazing but the Rams had settled down in the second quarter evening the playing field.

San Francisco would start their first drive of the third quarter inside the Rams ten-yard-line. This was a lengthy drive culminating in a 31 yard Purdy to, who else, Jennings for their third touchdown of the game extending their lead to 21-7.

The Rams struck back scoring a touchdown at 3:53, a three yard Kyren WIliams rush, his second score of the game. The 49ers continued to hang onto the lead 21-14 going into the final quarter.

The 49ers had a 3rd and 1 to start the fourth quarter deep in Los Angeles territory on the Ram 18 yard line. When it looked like the Rams had forced a turnover, a review determined that San Francisco maintained possession of the ball and finished off this lengthy drive with a Jake Moody 26 yard field goal giving the 49ers a 24-14 lead with a lot of time left in the game.

The Rams went crazy offensively with Stafford completing pass after pass, four in total and with a first and goal on the San Francisco 15 Los Angeles was threatening. The 49ers had sacked Stafford pushing him from the eight yard line to the 15.

A touchdown was not in the cards for the Rams but a Joshua Karty 33 Yd Field Goal was successful and San Francisco would be looking to try to drain the clock as well as extending their 24-17 lead.

With three minutes left in the game, San Francisco’s kicker Karty was looking at a 57 yard attempt. The kick failed and Los Angeles had just under three minutes to tie up this game.

A 50 yard connection from Stafford to Tutu Atwell gave the Rams a first and goal at the San Francisco four yard line. It was Kyren Williams up the center for four yards, the extra point was good and we had a tie game at 24 in a crazy turnaround.

The 49ers had 1:51 to get within field goal range and win this game. San Francisco had a rough series unable to get even close to field goal range and had to give up the ball. Los Angeles had 42 seconds left on the clock after Xavier Smith returned the 49er punt to midfield.

The Rams drew a pass interference penalty and Los Angeles was in field goal range on the 49er 25 yard line in a shocking reverse of fortune. Joshua Karty made the 37 yard field Goal giving the Rams their first lead of the game. Los Angeles had not led for 59 minutes of this game but plugged away and came away with the 27-24 win.

San Francisco will be looking to re-group after this loss as they take on the New England Patriots in Santa Clara next Sunday. RIght now the projected date for Deebo Samuels’ return is next Sunday.

George Kittle’s return from a hamstring injury is still unknown. The loss of Samuel, Kittle and McCaffrey had a lot to do with this loss.

Kickoff for the next game Sunday Sep 29th is scheduled for 1:05 PM with the New England Patriots at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Snell throws six innings of shutout ball; SF defeats KC 2-0 at Kaufman

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San Francisco Giants Jerar Encarnacion slides home safely scoring on a Grant McCray triple in the top of the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufman Stadium on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Marko:

#1 San Francisco Giants starter Blake Snell struck out nine Kansas City Royals hitters in six innings of work and the Giants swept the Royals in a three game series with a 2-0 shutout Sunday.

#2 With the loss the Royals moved to second place in the AL Wild Card and holds the tie breaker as they won the season series over the Detroit Tigers 7-6.

#3 Snell was on he allowed two hits and no Royals runner was able to pass first base. Snell is 5-0 in his last 14 starts with a 1.23 ERA.

#4 Snell credited his change ups for retiring Royals hitters 1-13 when he threw a first strike.

#5 The Giants opened up a three game series in Arizona on Monday night. The Giants will start RHP Hayden Birdsong (4-5, ERA 4.74) starting for the Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-3, 5.09) at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Marko Ukalovic does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com