The Way-Too-Early 2023 NL West Power Rankings: The Giants need to retool

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By Morris Phillips

At 27-40 with all nine remaining games to be played, the Giants’ answer to the question, “How the West was lost?” lies squarely with divisional play.

The first-place Dodgers lit up the Giants, winning 15 of 19, the first time LA has beaten the Giants as many as 15 times in a season. The second-place Padres have won 11 of 16, with a couple of the losses delivered in excruciating fashion. And Arizona leads the season series between the clubs 9-7 with three games remaining.

Only the Rockies have felt the Giants impose their will, dropping 11 of 16 to San Francisco with three games left to play. The .402 winning percentage in divisional play, if it stands, will be one of its worst since divisional play commenced in 1969.

So what does this mean for next season, one in which divisional play will be reduced by 24 games, and interleague play expanded?

Who knows? But we’ll pretend to know anyways with our Way-To-Early 2023 NL West power rankings.

1) Los Angeles Dodgers: Count on it, the Dodgers unprecedented divisional dominance will extend into a second decade as they again finish first in the NL West in 2023. Start with the imposing top of the lineup trio of Trea Turner, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and go from there. The Dodgers undoubtedly will open the bank account for Turner, the 29-year old free agent to be, who will be their foremost, off-season priority. Max Muncy will also likely return on the team’s option to retain him. That leaves Justin Turner as the guy who status is up in the air.

Add in the youthful crew of Gavin Lux, Trayce Thompson, James Outman along with pitchers Walker Buehler, Julio Urias and Dustin May and just know the Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches.

2) San Diego Padres: San Diego’s biggest nightmare–the PED suspension of Fernando Tatis Jr.–will negatively impact next season as well, with the ban stretching across the first 30 games of 2023.

Along with that, the Padres have played losing baseball since June 23 (34-39) dating well before the trade deadline acquisition of Juan Soto and Tatis’ suspension. The Dodgers have had their way with their Southern California rivals, beating them 12 times, nine of those by five runs or more.

The Padres look set for the 2022 playoffs barring a collapse, but they could face the Braves in the opening round without the benefit of a home game to energize their fans, who have filled Petco Park this season in record numbers.

So what’s next?

The Padres don’t seem likely to unleash another round of spending heading into next season, but they will face tough decisions in regards to how to improve a rotation that has seen Mike Clevinger and Blake Snell regress. Also their bullpen with Josh Hader’s arrival hasn’t been as good as they were in 2021. Still, the Padres should be a second place, playoff contender in 2023.

3) San Francisco Giants: The Giants will undoubtedly make the most personnel decisions among NL West teams in the off-season. Will they also make the biggest decisions?

The Giants are one of the teams that will be involved in the Aaron Judge sweepstakes, a big money game if there ever was one. Can they win it? The odds have to be as little as 20 percent that they can, but if so, they’ll lean heavily on Judge’s ties to Northern California and his opportunity to play in low scoring, competitive games where home runs are essential.

Regardless of Judge’s decision the Giants must first decide on Carlos Rodon’s future and the wisdom of handing the strikeout king a four-year extension that would bring the total of his deal near $100 million. If so, the Giants would be set in their rotation with a 1-2 punch of Rodon and Logan Webb.

Beyond that the team has intriguing decisions regarding Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt (UFA), Mike Yastrzemski and Lamonte Wade Jr. But the biggest choices will be to improve the bullpen that fell dramatically from the top of the 2021 NL rankings.

Whatever transpires, the goal is getting the Giants back into the postseason mix.

4) Arizona Diamondbacks: The D’Backs keep spending money, the D’Backs keep adding pieces, and they have stability in manager Torey Luvullo.

When will it add up?

Arizona’s last playoff appearance was in 2017. The last time they won a playoff game was in 2011. Since winning the World Series in 2001, they’ve won two playoff games while cycling through five, different managers. What they have done in the last 20 years is make a number of splashy free agent signings (Shelby Miller, Madison Bumgarner, Justin Upton) and not seen much in terms of results.

Ok, what’s next?

Stay the course. Christian Walker’s elevated his game, becoming one of the NL’s premiere sluggers in 2022 with 36 homers thus far, Daulton Varsho’s come up with 50 extra-base hits this season, and Ketel Marte (56 extra-base hits) was good, and could easily regain the form of his previous, two seasons. Stone Garrett, a promising prospect that got stuck in the minors, could be ready to become an every day outfielder. They have a core offensively.

Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen–a pair of starting pitchers that the Giants know all too well–are frontline starters and the centerpieces of a plus, starting rotation. Both Kelly and Gallen are signed through the next, couple of seasons.

The Diamondbacks have to get younger, and better in their bullpen and make a tough decision regarding the future of 32-year old Nick Ahmed.

Do they go out and spend a pricey addition again? Maybe not, and if not, that’s the good news.

5) Colorado Rockies: Will the Rox say adieu to manager Bud Black? Will they realize the production they sought by signing free agent slugger Kris Bryant? Can heralded starter German Marquez regain his form, and get his ERA under five?

That’s a lot of questions, and there are more in Denver. Until some or all are answered, the Rockies will carry up the rear in a very, demanding division.

A’s Look Ahead To Meetings With Angels and Mariners

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James Kaprielian delivers against the Seattle Mariners Wed Sep 21, 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum for the Oakland Athletics. Kaprielian gets the start on Tue Sep 27, 2022 in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels to open a three game series. (AP News photo)

A’s Look Ahead To Meetings With Angels and Mariners

By Barbara Mason

After an up and down series with the New York Mets this past weekend, the Oakland A’s look ahead to meetings with the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners.

They will kickoff a three game series in Anaheim against the Angels starting this Tuesday, head up to Seattle for three Friday and finish off the season at the Coliseum with three against the Angels next Monday evening.

Neither the A’s (56-97) nor the Angels (67-86) have much going this season however the Mariners (83-69) are right in the thick of the playoff hunt.

On Tuesday night the A’s will be down at Angel Stadium for a three game series with first pitch at 6:38PM PT. James Kaprielian will take the mound for the A’s with a 4.43 ERA and a 4-9 win/loss record.

He did win his last outing in Seattle against the Mariners on September 21st. For the Angels, they will send Patrick Sandoval with a 3.01 ERA who also won his last outing against the Rangers.

Kaprielian will have to handle some heavy hitters in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Los Angeles’ leader for RBI’s is Taylor Ward with a .272 batting average another tough customer. Oakland has some offensive fire power of their own in Seth Brown and Sean Murphy.

The A’s got some great offensive work Saturday night beating the NL East leaders, the New York Mets 10-4 coming away with 14 hits in that game. Oakland got some nice work from most of their starting lineup. They really took the Mets to task.

Ramon Laureano remains out with a hamstring issue and will miss the remainder of the season. Oakland will really miss him in the outfield. He recently received a PRP injection in his right hip and will hopefully benefit from it.

There will be some huge crowds for this series with the Angels offering some unheard of ticket deals starting at an unbelievable $1.00 per ticket. Anaheim wants to sell the place out and with prices this low they probably will. Crowds like this will really pick up both teams and will be great fun to watch on NBC Sports California or whatever channel brings you your Oakland A’s.

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s prepare to pay a visit to Anaheim to face Ohtani and the Angels

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Instead of getting the big fly the Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani flies out against the Minnesota Twins on Sep 24, 2022 at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Oakland A’s open a three game series at the Big A in Anaheim Tue Sep 27, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s have nine games left to play in 2022. Oakland has won 56 and lost 97. The team is hoping not to lose 100 games, but they would have to win seven of the last nine to avoid that fate. Their record would indicate that they would win three and lose six.

They will play the Los Angeles Angels six times, three at Anaheim and the last three at home. The A’s will travel to Seattle for three with the Mariners. Those games will occur after the A’s finish with the Angels on Thursday.

The Angels had high hopes for the 2022 season. The team played well early in the year. Their season derailed when they had a fourteen-game losing streak. The Angels fired their manager, Joe Maddon, in midseason. Maddon had great success managing the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.

Maddon was the skipper of the Cubs when Chicago won its first World Series Crown in 2016. The Cubs ended 108 years of futility. The Angels, like many other teams, lost key players to injury. The Angels’ starting rotation did not live up to expectations.

The bullpen was a problem, too. Their three-time MVP Mike Trout spent time on the IL with a back injury. Their other MVP, Shohei Ohtani, continued to wow the baseball world with his exploits. As a pitcher, Ohtani is 14-8 and has an ERA of 2.47.

Ohtani probably is in the race for the AL Cy Young Award. As the Angels’ DH, Ohtani is hitting .271 with 34 home runs, 93 RBIs, 87 runs scored, and an OPS of .887. The AL 2022 MVP will be Ohtani or the New York Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge. Judge may win baseball’s Triple Crown. He currently leads the league in hitting, home runs, and RBIs.

The Angels have other players that love to beat the A’s. Their second baseman Luis Rengifo had had key hits against the A’s. First baseman Jared Walsh and outfielder Taylor Ward can give the A’s headaches.

The A’s dismal season is coming to an end. The team has used 63 players. The A’s have made so many transactions in the last month. It’s a case of here today and gone tomorrow. The team will look at many new players to see if they fit into the A’s future next year.

The A’s will send James Kaprielian to the hill Tuesday night. Kap is 4-9, and his ERA is 4.43. Kaprielian had his best outing of the year last week when he went seven innings and allowed two hits. Kaprielian had made 34 prior starts without going past the sixth inning. The big righty would love to finish the season pitching well. Lefty Patrick Sandoval will go for the Angels. Sandoval is 6-9 with an era of 3.01.

Adrian Martinez pitches for Oakland on Wednesday. Martinez came to Oakland from the San Diego Padres in the trade for Seam Manaea. The 25-year-old righty from Mexicali, Mexico, is 4-5 with a high ERA of 6.10. The Angels will have Michael Lorenzen on the mound. Lorenzen is 7-6 and has an ERA of 4.78.

Thursday night’s game features lefty Cole Irvin for the A’s going against Shohei Ohtani of the Angels. Irvin has struggled a bit in the second half of the year. The A’s didn’t give Irvin a lot of run support earlier in the season. Irvin is 9-12, and his ERA is now 4.11. Ohtani is an incredible athlete. Ohtani has a fastball that can exceed 100 miles per hour. His hitting prowess was noted earlier in the preview.

Neither team will be going to the playoffs. Both teams will evaluate players who want to be on their roster for the 2023 season. Some of the A’s players to watch are Shea Langoliers, Nick Allen, Jonah Bride, Dermis Garcia, Jordan Diaz, and Conner Capel. Even though the teams won’t be in the playoffs, the fans should watch the games. Ohtani and Trout are not to be missed.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: Alonso five RBIs sets team record; Scherzer goes six against A’s in 13-4 laugher at the Coliseum

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New York Mets designated hitter Pete Alonso makes his way around the bases after hitting a fourth inning home run at the Oakland Coliseum against the Oakland A’s on Sun Sep 24, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Pete Alonso set a team RBI mark which speaks to the success of New York Mets. Alonso homered, doubled and drove five runs to set a team record.

#2 Met’s pitcher Max Scherzer pitched six innings to hold down the Oakland A’s for the lopsided win at the Oakland Coliseum 13-4 as the Mets take two out of three from the A’s.

#3 With the win the Mets now are 1.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the NL East title.

#4 The Met’s are hot winning eight of their last ten games and in Sunday’s game it just seemed as soon as the Mets starting swinging the bats the A’s were in the rearview mirror.

#5 A’s open up a three game series with the Los Angeles Angels starting Tuesday night at the Big A in Anaheim. Starting for the A’s James Kaprielian (4-9, 4.43) he’ll be opposed by the Angels Patrick Sandoval (6-9, 3.01) first pitch at 6:38 pm PDT

Join Barbara for the A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Homecooking puts Golden Bears back in win column; Cal’s Ott runs past Wildcats in Berkeley

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Cal Bears Jaydn Ott rushes for a 73 yard carry against the Arizona Wildcats on Sat Sep 24, 2022 at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris after a tough loss at Notre Dame last week the Cal Bears redeemed themselves with a rather convincing win over the Arizona at Cal Berkeley last Saturday 49-31.

#2 Basically the mantra was give the ball to Jaydn Ott and when Cal quarterback Jack Plummer did Ott was off to the races carrying for 274 yards and three touchdowns.

#3 On a second play of the first quarter from scrimmage Ott was so reliable he took the ball and ran for 73 yards. Ott also who appeared to have been stopped on another play turned around and took the ball for an 18 yard carry.

#4 Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said of Ott that he’d seen flashes for a long time and has a lot of ability to take it to the house. Morris do you view this game as a break out game for Ott?

#5 On Sat Oct 1st the Bears head to Pullman to take on the Washington State Cougars. The Cougars got edged by the Oregon Ducks 44-41 before that loss the Cougars had won three straight games. This no doubt will be another big test for coach Wilcox and the Bears.

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Home Run record is 61, not 73

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New York Yankees star Aaron Judge needs just one more home run to tie the American League home run mark in one season held by the late and former Yankee Roger Maris. Here Judge walks to first base after getting a base on balls from Boston Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello on Sun Sep 25, 2022 at Yankee Stadium in New York (AP News photo)

The Home Run record is 61, not 73

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

New York Yankee Aaron Judge is just one home run away from tying the American League record of 61 by Yankee Roger Maris in 1961.

Considering all that has happened in baseball since 1961, including the steroids era, it is understandable to believe the real home run record for a regular season (as of today) is that of Roger Maris, 61.

Barry Bonds (2001) who hit 73 home runs holds the major league record. In 1998 Mark McGwire ended with 70 home runs and that same year, Sammy Sosa finished with 66 home runs. We all know these three sluggers did not establish those one season-records without the use of PED’s.

The three have enough lifetime home runs and hitting stats to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, five years after their last year of play, but we also know why they have not been elected. It remains to be seen if and when they will be elected. More on this at the end.

With nine (9) games left for the Yankees, beginning this Monday. 26 of September, Aaron Judge might soon be the all time home run hitter for a regular season in the history of Major League Baseball.

The New York Yankees, who have won 27 World Series, would be proud to have the three sluggers that made original history. Babe Ruth 60 in 1927, Roger Maris 61 in 1961 and Aaron Judge in 2022.

As far as baseball historians are concerned, Ruth, Maris and Judge have done it without scandals. Induction into the Hall of Fame is based on performance during a whole career.

Babe Ruth is in Cooperstown, Roger Maris, was never elected and Aaron Judge, is way too early to tell, although he is not a rookie, but 30 years old, have been a Yankee since 2016 and to date has hit a total of 218 home runs. However, I am talking about a “the one season home run record”.

Starting this Monday the 26 of September the Yankees visit Toronto for 3 games, return to Yankee Stadium in New York for 3 games against the Baltimore Orioles and then they close the season at Texas against the Rangers for a 3-game series that will end their regular season on October 5.

Aaron Judge will have the last nine (9) games of the season to tie Roger Maris 61 home run record in 1961, and at least one more, 62, to establish the new record. If he achieves it, Aaron Judge will own the new record in the American League.

However, in my humble opinion his record should be the legitimate overall MLB home run record. MLB still recognizes Barry Bonds 73 home runs in 2001 as the current record for home runs in one season. Bonds and others mentioned here and not mentioned here, keep falling short of Hall of Fame election.

The Era Committees, formerly known as the Veterans Committee, consider retired Major League Baseball players no longer eligible for election by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), along with managers, umpires and executives, whose greatest contributions to the game were realized in one of four eras.

Committees meet at the MLB Winter Meetings. The home run record for one season is independent of these committees, but baseball can still correct themselves, if they wish to do so, although I believe they will not.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and I respect it. I hope you respect mine.

The regular 2022 season ends on October 5, and a couple of days later the postseason will get under way. The latest 2022 World Series odds have the LA Dodgers (+350) and Houston Astros (+425) at the top of the board with the Mets (+550), Yankees (+550) and Braves (+850) circling behind.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play Spanish announcer for the Oakland A’s on flagship station LeGrande 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Broncos force two turnovers to end the game in 11-10 win over the 49ers

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Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson dives for a first down to extend a drive at Empower Field at Mile High against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Sep 25, 2022. (Niners Wire)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was an ugly ending to an ugly looking football game.

The Denver Broncos defense needed two turnovers at the end of the game to defeat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday 11-10 in a sloppy game on Sunday evening at Empower Field at Mile High.

Denver quarterback Russell Wilson, stymied by San Francisco’s defense for the most of the game, came alive early in the fourth quarter using both his arm and his legs to engineer a 12 play 80-yard touchdown drive that consumed 6:04 of the clock.

Wilson was able to get himself out of tight jams during the drive, either by running for first downs when the pocket collapsed or finding receivers at the last second, including a clutch pass to Kendal Hinton for 27 yards on a third down and 10. Running back Melvin Gordon III capped off the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown to give Denver its only lead of the game with 4:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion attempt failed.

“Really in the fourth quarter, I had to kind of use my legs and kind of take over,” Wilson said. “Just try to move around and find some first downs. Kendall Hinton making that big play. I went left—I guess I can still go left.”

San Francisco (1-2) drove into Broncos territory with under three minutes remaining. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was pressured by Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell, who was a thorn in the side of the Niners offense all night, and forced a errant throw into double coverage trying to connect with wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The ball was tipped up in the air and intercepted by Jonas Griffith at the Denver 41-yard line

The 49ers defense gave the offense one more chance for a winning drive when it forced a three and out and regained the ball with 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The drive lasted just two plays when running back Jeff Wilson Jr. had the ball punched out of his hands after a reception by P.J. Locke. Kareem Jackson recovered the ball at the 49ers 24-yard line to seal the fate for San Francisco.

San Francisco drew first blood on their second offensive possession. Garoppolo led a six play 75-yard scoring drive that took just over the three minutes. Garoppolo hooked up with Brandon Aiyuk on a quick slant route for a three yard touchdown reception. The drive was aided with a 37-yard run from running back Wilson Jr.

That would be as good as it got for the 49ers as their second half woes on offense was a combination of poorly called plays, penalties and turnovers that prevented them for extending their lead and repeating the success they had moving the ball in the first half.

“In the second half, never got into a rhythm. When we did, we had that fumbled snap. Got backed up (in our own end), went into the safety. Had another turnover. Didn’t get the run game quite going. When you don’t convert a third down till I think that last drive, it’s usually not a good recipe (for success),” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Denver (2-1) had nothing to write home about on offense in the first half as Wilson, who was very familiar going up against that defense when he played in Seattle, could not establish a rhythm with the first three series ending in three straight three and outs. The Broncos managed to get a 55-yard field goal from Brandon McManus early in the second quarter.

The momentum of the game changed at the 9:51 mark of the third quarter. Backed up at their own two-yard line, Garoppolo dropped back to throw a pass out to the flat, but stepped out of bounds before he threw ball resulting in a safety (which would’ve been a pick-6 by Bradley Chubb had he not stepped out) cutting the lead down to 7-5.

“That was a tough situation I put him (Garoppolo) in. We made too many mistakes. I don’t think anyone played well on offense, including myself (in the second half),” Shanahan said.

San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams was injured on the play when his legs were taken out from behind him by Dre’Mont Jones that resulted in a high ankle sprain. He did not return to the game.

Despite tight end George Kittle’s debut where he caught four balls for 28 yards, the 49ers offense was stagnant and was dominated by Denver’s defense.

“That’s just bad offense,” said Kittle when recounting all the offense’s mistakes. “Especially when the defense is playing the way they are, giving us opportunities. I think our goal is much higher than that, but at the lowest we can’t do that.”

Wilson finished with a subpar game going 20 of 33 for 184 yards with no touchdowns but didn’t throw a interception. He was sacked four times for 24 yards. Courland Sutton led Denver in receiving with eight catches for 97 yards. Running back Javonte Williams chipped in with 58 yards on 15 carries.

“In the end, it’s just about one more point than the other team. I give so much credit to the 49ers, they’re a phenomenal team. Their defense, their offense, they are a very good team. So that was a heck of a battle,” Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett said.

Garoppolo went 18 of 29 for 211 yards with one touchdown and that one critical interception. He was also sacked four times for 32 yards. Samuel had five catches for 73 yards to lead San Francisco in receiving. Wilson Jr. contributed 75 yards on the ground on 12 carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished a dismal 1-for-10 on third down conversions. Denver went 6-for-19.

San Francisco linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair suffered a knee injury in the second half which Shanahan believed it could be an MCL injury.

The 49ers defense forced 10 punts, marking the most punts recorded by an opponent against the Niners since 2016 (10 punts vs Los Angeles Rams 9/12/16).

Wilson is now 17-4 in his career against San Francisco.

UP NEXT: San Francisco returns home to host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football 10/3 at 5:15pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Oakland A’s game wrap: A’s can’t contain Alsonso hits for 5 RBIs; Scherzer shuts A’s down in 13-4 win

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Oakland A’s pitcher Norge Ruiz rubs up the new baseball after delivering a home run ball to the New York Mets Pete Alonso who is in the background rounding the bases in the top of the fourth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Sep 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso took advantage of Oakland A’s pitching hitting for a home run, a double and five RBIs for a new Mets record. Mets pitcher Max Scherzer threw for six innings giving up just four hits and one run and struck out seven.

The Mets are now just a 1.5 in front of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. The Mets are rolling they have won eight of the last ten games. The Braves will host the Mets next week for a three game series and the battle for first place could boil down to those three games.

Alonso’s five RBIs pushed him to first past former Mets catcher Mike Piazza (1999) and David Wright (2008) who each had 124 RBIs. The home run by Alonso was his 39th of the 2022 season and Alonso even hit a home run on Saturday even though the Mets got walloped in that game 10-4. Sunday’s home run was Alonso’s second home in two straight games.

Alsonso said after the game that it was an honor to surpass Piazza and Wright for the team RBI record. Alonso got a two homer in the top of the fourth and got three RBIs in the top of the eighth and he shared credit saying he couldn’t do it without his teammates.

The A’s head to Anaheim in hopes to win a series at the Big A on Tuesday as they will start James Kaprielian (4-9, 4.43) and for the Angels Patrick Sandoval (6-3, 3.01) first pitch 6:38 pm PDT.

Penalty filled game ends with Sharks on top over Kings 3-2

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Photo Credit to the San Jose Sharks. Kevin Labanc warming up before the game against rival Kings at the SAP Center in San Jose on Sun Sep 25, 2022 (@SJSharks photo)

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE–On a warm Sunday in San Jose both the fans and the players would help to raise the temperature inside of SAP center as the San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in overtime in the first preseason game for each team.

It wouldn’t take too long before the Sharks would find the back of the net as Luke Kunin would score 6:56 into the first period from Thomas Hertl and Timo Meier.

Jasper Weatherby would start off the penalty fest that would be this game with a roughing penalty at the 17:48 mark. By the end of the game the Sharks would finish at 0/7 on the power play while the Kings would finish at 0/8.

Tying the game up would be Kings forward Carl Grunstrom at the 59 second mark of the third period assisted by Brandt Clarke and Brenden Lemeiux

It felt like the Kings had fead off of the second period momentum they had generated as the Sharks only mustered two shots early in the third period.

Giving the Sharks the lead back Meier would score on a nice deflection off a shot from Matt Benning also assisted by Hertl at the 9:50 mark of the third period.

Continuing their solid play Blake Lizotte would score at the 17:25 mark of the third to tie it assisted by Grundstrom on a two on one play were Kahkonen would have no chance.

Playing the hero Logan Couture would find twine at the 1:27 mark of overtime assisted by Erik Karlsson and Kevin Lebanc sending the crowd into a frenzy.

As the penalties suggest it would be a physical game with the Sharks totaling 31 hits and the Kings ending up with Kaapo Kahkonen would finish with a solid 43 saves on the night while on the other side of things Jonathan Quick would make 17 saves and Matt Vilata made 11 saves.

Kahkonen would comment after the game on all the penalties taken, “Obviously there was a lot of penalties in this game so the rhythm was a little off for both teams I guess but we found a way to win so that’s always nice.”

The Sharks next game is against the Anaheim Ducks on Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Sap Center in San Jose.

PURE INSURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP: Late birdie gives Flesch a comeback win

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Steve Flesch gets the pictured Pure Insurance Championship Trophy Award at Pebble Beach on Sun Sep 25, 2022 (@PUREFirstTee photo)

By Jeremy Harness

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Steve Flesch lost his lead on the back nine and appeared to be sunk momentarily but nonetheless hung in there long enough to give himself a chance at the end. And when that chance presented itself, he took full advantage.

He found himself tied for the lead at the par-five 18th as others fell back late, and he nailed an eight-foot birdie putt to claim the Pure Insurance Championship, his second win on the PGA Champions Tour this season.

“It’s exciting; I’ve always played well here,” said Flesch, who also won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic earlier this year in Hawaii. “It really felt good to get that win. I’m just glad I capitalized on 18.”

Flesch started the final round in a tie for second and didn’t waste any time moving his way up. He birdied each of his first four holes to spring into the lead by two shots. He then added a birdie at the iconic par-3 seventh to add to his advantage.

However, Steven Alker, playing alongside Flesch on Sunday, rolled one in for birdie at the seventh to cut Flesch’s lead back to two. Paul Stankowski, who began the day tied for the lead at eight-under, could not get any traction early on but finally got going when he got back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh to join Alker in a tie for second.

Moments later, Ken Duke, who was tied with Stankowski at the top when the day began, made birdie at the par-four eighth to join both men at 10-under before Brett Quigley himself got to that number with a birdie at the par-four 10th.

He got himself into a tie for the lead at the 14th after knocking his approach shot stiff and then holing a short birdie putt but fell right back on the next hole with a crippling double-bogey.

Flesch began coming down to earth on the back nine and momentarily lost the lead. He suffered back-to-back bogeys at the 12th and 13th holes, the latter being the result of a three-putt. However, he steadied himself following that while others, such as Duke, stumbled.

The low round of the day belonged to Ernie Els, who fired an eight-under round of 64 and capped things off by getting up and down for birdie at the par-five 18th and ended up in a tie for second. He was actually in position for a playoff had Flesch missed the eventual winning putt.

The final round did not begin until 11:15am PST, as roughly half of the field could not finish their second round on Saturday due to a three-hour fog delay and had to wait until early Sunday morning to do so.

PURE INSURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP: Late birdie gives Flesch a comeback win

By Jeremy Harness

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Steve Flesch lost his lead on the back nine and appeared to be sunk momentarily but nonetheless hung in there long enough to give himself a chance at the end. And when that chance presented itself, he took full advantage.

He found himself tied for the lead at the par-five 18th as others fell back late, and he nailed an eight-foot birdie putt to claim the Pure Insurance Championship, his second win on the PGA Champions Tour this season.

“It’s exciting; I’ve always played well here,” said Flesch, who also won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic earlier this year in Hawaii. “It really felt good to get that win. I’m just glad I capitalized on 18.”

Flesch started the final round in a tie for second and didn’t waste any time moving his way up. He birdied each of his first four holes to spring into the lead by two shots. He then added a birdie at the iconic par-3 seventh to add to his advantage.

However, Steven Alker, playing alongside Flesch on Sunday, rolled one in for birdie at the seventh to cut Flesch’s lead back to two. Paul Stankowski, who began the day tied for the lead at eight-under, could not get any traction early on but finally got going when he got back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh to join Alker in a tie for second.

Moments later, Ken Duke, who was tied with Stankowski at the top when the day began, made birdie at the par-four eighth to join both men at 10-under before Brett Quigley himself got to that number with a birdie at the par-four 10th.

He got himself into a tie for the lead at the 14th after knocking his approach shot stiff and then holing a short birdie putt but fell right back on the next hole with a crippling double-bogey.

Flesch began coming down to earth on the back nine and momentarily lost the lead. He suffered back-to-back bogeys at the 12th and 13th holes, the latter being the result of a three-putt. However, he steadied himself following that while others, such as Duke, stumbled.

The low round of the day belonged to Ernie Els, who fired an eight-under round of 64 and capped things off by getting up and down for birdie at the par-five 18th and ended up in a tie for second. He was actually in position for a playoff had Flesch missed the eventual winning putt.

The final round did not begin until 11:15am PST, as roughly half of the field could not finish their second round on Saturday due to a three-hour fog delay and had to wait until early Sunday morning to do so.