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BOSTON (AP) — Wyatt Langford hit Connelly Early’s first pitch over the Green Monster completely out of Fenway Park, and Kyle Higashioka launched a three-run homer to help the Texas Rangers avert a three-game sweep with a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.

Justin Foscue had three hits and Brandon Nimmo added two doubles and two RBIs for the Rangers, who finished a 3-3 trip.

Willson Contreras hit a pair of solo homers and had three hits for the Red Sox, who were looking for their first series sweep at Fenway this season.

There was a lively atmosphere at the ballpark, with Scotland’s Tartan Army on hand for what the Red Sox billed as “Scottish Heritage Celebration Night.” Numerous times, soccer fans in town for the World Cup broke into chants of “No Scotland, no party!”

Coming in 0-3 in his last four starts, Texas right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (6-7) pitched seven strong innings, allowing three runs and six hits with six strikeouts.

Jacob Latz got four outs for his 11th save.

Early (5-5) had his worst start of the season, getting tagged for six runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Higashioka also sent his homer over the Green Monster in left field, making it 4-0 in the second.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said shortstop Corey Seager, who missed his third straight game, is dealing with a mild concussion from his collision at home plate with Kansas City catcher Carter Jansen on Thursday.
Up next

Rangers: LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-5, 4.18 ERA) starts Monday at home against Minnesota.

Red Sox: LHP Payton Tolle (3-3, 2.70) pitches Tuesday at Fenway Park in the opener of a three-game series against Toronto.

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — With every Denny Hamlin victory, speculation about his future grows and talks of retirement are questioned.

He signed a two-year extension with Joe Gibbs Racing that runs through 2027 and he insists it will be his last season. At 45, he’s the oldest full-time Cup Series driver in the field, but he can’t stop winning.

Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday for his third consecutive victory and passed the late Kyle Busch for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time wins list.

Hamlin last week won his 63rd race in NASCAR’s top series to tie his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on the all-time wins list. His eighth career victory at Pocono pushed him ahead of Busch for sole possession of ninth.

His recent success — it is his fourth win of the season, not including the non-points All-Star race — has renewed talk that Hamlin should reconsider retirement when his deal with Gibbs expires.

“I think for Denny, he wants to leave on top, right? He doesn’t want to leave where it was one year too long,” said JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs. “At this rate, what he’s producing out there, it’s not something you would not consider. We want the best drivers in our cars. Our teams work to put the best cars on track.

“If it works out and he’s still producing and he wants to, it’s a huge commitment for him, he’s got his own team that he kind of wants to run. It’s hard when you dangle checkered flags in front of him, too. He so far has put a stop to such talk despite performing at the highest level of his long career.”

Hamlin, who wasn’t even sure he wanted to return to honor this two-year extension after losing the championship in last November’s season finale and then the December death of his father in a house fire, understands he’s performing at a high level.

But as far as continuing past 2027? It’s not yet on his radar despite how strong he’s been on the track.

“I would certainly say it’s the best we’ve been,” Hamlin said. “We come to the racetrack every week knowing we got a great shot to win. The team’s doing an amazing job giving me exactly what I need in the car every single week. That’s why we’re winning.”

Sunday’s win comes nearly 20 years to the date after his first career victory, which was at Pocono on June 11, 2006. He swept the races at the Pennsylvania track that year.

Hamlin said Pocono has become “like a second home for me.”

“First win here, so special here. Pocono has mastered the fan experience from the crowd in the stands to the infield here,” Hamlin said. “Just so happy for this whole Joe Gibbs Racing team. The pit crew is flawless right now. We got it all going.”

Despite 64 career victories, this marks the first time in his career that Hamlin has won three consecutive races.

The feat tied Richard Petty, who did it in 1966 and 1967, Bobby Allison in 1971 and Darrell Waltrip in 1981. Petty, Allison and Waltrip are all in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

He also took a jab at NASCAR, noting that it was technically his ninth victory at Pocono, but he was stripped of the victory in 2022 when NASCAR said he and Busch’s car’s failed post-race inspection.

“They aren’t getting that checkered flag back,” Hamlin said.

Tyler Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing team owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan, finished second as Toyota took the top two spots. Hamlin is now 19 points behind Reddick in the Cup Series standings.

“Everyone is racing hard for track position. Some of it’s just bad luck, I guess, where you catch cars,” Reddick said. “It’s a bummer. I mean, if the 11 wasn’t the winner, you could consider this a good day. I know we finished second. Scoring the points we did just didn’t get the job done.”

When Hamlin tied Busch for all-time wins last week, Hamlin celebrated with a special tribute to Busch. On Sunday, he collected the checkered flag and skipped any tributes to Busch, who died unexpectedly of sepsis at age 41 last month.

Toyota drivers have won 10 of 16 races this season, and JGR has accounted for five of them.

William Byron finished third in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

“I think this is probably the first time in four months that I’ve been able to drive the car this way, just be able to make moves and have the balance stay with me,” Byron said.

Byron was followed by John Hunter Nemechek in fourth in a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. Nemechek led 42 laps Sunday — double what he’s led the last two years.

Kyle Larson was fifth for Hendrick and Erik Jones was sixth for Legacy as Toyota drivers took four of the top six spots.
Bell fights through pain

Christopher Bell, driving with a broken wrist after a horrific wreck last weekend at Michigan that registered as the hardest hit in the era of NASCAR’s new car, led 18 late laps based on strategy but faded to a 26th-place finish.

“Certainly we were mired back in the 20s and so I think it was an amazing gamble,” Bell said. “The situation is so hard because you don’t know if you’re racing for the win, if you’re racing to finish the race, and so I don’t stop shifting until about 10 to go. Certainly adverse conditions, like whenever people make quick moves on restarts and get put three-wide or the car gets loose, things like that are very difficult.”

Bell expected his injured arm will be a hindrance the next two weeks as NASCAR races the street course in San Diego and the road course in Sonoma, California — two tracks where shifting is heavily used.
No rain

NASCAR moved the start of the race up two hours to avoid expected rain in the Pocono Mountain region that could alter the completion of the 400-mile race. By doing so, all inclement weather was avoided and the race was run without interruption.
Up next

NASCAR makes its inaugural visit to San Diego with a first-of-its-kind street race at Naval Base Coronado. The NASCAR San Diego weekend marks the first NASCAR event ever contested on an active military base, with races Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

San Diego will host just the second street course in NASCAR’s modern era. The Chicago street course hosted two national series each of the past three seasons. The race weekend will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy.

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Rod Brind’Amour knows a thing or two about how Jordan Staal is feeling. Now the Carolina Hurricanes’ coach, Brind’Amour was their captain when they won the Stanley Cup two decades ago, and now Staal wears the “C.”

Before the final against Vegas started, Brind’Amour was clear about one thing.

“We’re not here today without Jordan Staal,” he said. “I can promise you that. We’re very lucky. And as a coach, you’re super fortunate to have a guy like that be your leader.”

Staal led the Hurricanes to the second championship in franchise history by being the two-way shutdown center and faceoff ace he has been his entire NHL career. By elevating his game and leading them in goals with six in the final against the Golden Knights in addition to all those things, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

At 37, Staal is the oldest player to win the honor.

“He’s always really good, but yeah, he’s stepped it up at such a pivotal time,” teammate Seth Jarvis said. “It’s incredible to watch, and it’s so much fun playing with him and being around him.”

Staal is the longest-tenured player in the organization. He joined in 2012 in a trade from Pittsburgh on his wedding day, and after winning the Cup with the Penguins in ’09, his first half-dozen years with the Hurricanes passed without a postseason appearance.

“I don’t want to say that the losing that he had to do for four, five years when he got here might have fueled him even more, but I think it did,” fellow veteran Jordan Martinook said. “The fact that he’s seen some pretty dark days here and then to be on the other side of it … he stuck through it the whole time.”

The past seven seasons, Staal and the Hurricanes made the playoffs but failed to reach the final. He became captain in the middle of that stretch in 2020, taking on a role once filled by Brind’Amour from 2005-10 and older brother Eric from 2010-16.

Staal took on the weight of those premature exits.

“Each scar, each moment just drives a hunger even deeper into you,” Staal said. “Being a part of this core and all the scars that we’ve gone through just brings that care factor for each other that we want it for each other that much more.”

Staal has never gotten the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward, but he has been a finalist and this run shows why. He won more than 56% of his faceoffs and is so valuable on draws that he begins power plays just to get the Hurricanes the puck.

Told of Brind’Amour’s comment that the team would not have gotten this far without him, Staal praised his coach and downplayed changing anything in his game. The two shared a long hug on the ice in the moments after the Game 6 win.

“I’m just being me,” Staal said. “I’m not really anyone different. But just my day-to-day presence is showing up and working. That’s all I’ve done since I got here in Carolina, and being consistent with that must have been enough.”

The offensive outburst against Vegas put Staal over the top for the Conn Smythe after it looked like Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall were Carolina’s front-runners. He never scored 30 goals in a season, but his six in the final put him in the record books with the likes of Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy.

“I’m not really surprised,” Brind’Amour said. “You take the goals away, it’d be the same impact. It’s just added that extra element.”

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years on Sunday night, using a suffocating defense in Game 6 to shut down the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 and winning three straight games of a thrilling final filled with momentum swings and spectacular offense.

Brandon Bussi, who entrance late into Game 3 helped turn around the series for Carolina, recorded his first career playoff shutout in stopping 22 shots. Jackson Blake had a goal and assist, and Taylor Hall scored just 3:47 into the game to set the tone. Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal.

The Golden Knights, who made an unlikely run just to reach the final, struggled badly to muster any kind of offense in Game 6 and went 18:37 between shots on goal in the second and third periods. Playing in their third Cup final, this is the first time they have been shut out.

This clinching game was what many observers expected the series to be like between the defensive-minded teams, but each side watched leads of two-plus goals disappear in the first three games.

Now, the Cup belongs to the Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind’Amour, who also captained Carolina to its 2006 title.

This was the first game of the series that Vegas goalie Carter Hart didn’t allow four goals in a game. He finished with 20 saves.

The Hurricanes began to assume control of the series after falling behind by the score of 4-0 in Game 3. They came back force overtime, and though the Canes lost, they outplayed the Golden Knights from there on out.

Reflecting the do-or-die situation for the Golden Knights, they made several lineup changes, with Brett Howden replacing the injured William Karlsson at second-line center. Mitch Marner could have moved there, but remained at right wing.

Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith made his Cup final debut at third-line right wing, and Braeden Bowman made his playoff debut at fourth-line right wing. Kaedan Korczak replaced Dyland Coghlan on the third defensive pairing.

This title is a testament to Carolina’s resilience as a franchise that kept coming close to winning the Eastern Conference, but couldn’t quite get through until now.

Brind’Amour made sure the Hurricanes kept getting back up after losing in the conference final twice in the past three years and three times in their current eight-year playoff run. The talent was clearly there, but there was always a stumbling block.

Not anymore.

After dispatching Montreal in five games to make the final, the Brind’Amour-led Hurricanes then faced perennial power Vegas and took care of business there, too. Now, he will get his name on the Cup for the second time.

So will 37-year-old Jordan Staal, who also won the title in 2009 with Pittsburgh. He planted himself in front of Hart and dared the Golden Knights to knock him out of the way. Staal scored in each of the first five Cup final games, the first time that has happened.

The Hurricanes got off to a fast start with a goal just 25 seconds into Game 1, only to lose 5-4 on a late goal from Tomas Hertl. And the Golden Knights were on the verge of taking complete control as minutes ticked down in Game 2 while holding a 2-0 lead and appearing as if they would take a two-game advantage back home.

Then, it all changed. Carolina showed a fight that not only brought the Hurricanes back into the series by rallying to win 4-3 in overtime on Seth Jarvis’ one-timer, but would serve as their signature throughout the series.

That was especially true the following game when the Golden Knights took a 4-0 lead into the third period and the Canes seemed to have no answers. Brind’Amour even appeared to wave the white flag by removing goalie Frederik Andersen and replacing him with Bussi.

But the Hurricanes weren’t simply trying to get to Game 4. They sent a message, going on a remarkable rally to force overtime. Though Carolina lost, it was inflection point, with Bussi backstopping a team that was only growing stronger. Carolina then went on to win the next two games and moved within a victory of the championship.

The Hurricanes got it done against the Golden Knights team that was on a heater after John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season. Vegas then went from third in the Pacific Division to first, knocked off Utah and Anaheim in six games apiece in the playoffs and shockingly swept Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado to win the West.

Now, the Golden Knights have some notable questions to ask, including at the top of the list whether to make Tortorella a full-time coach. He didn’t have any guarantees of coaching in Vegas beyond this season, but getting to the Cup final is a good argument to run it back.

Golden Knights management will make the final call on that, and they don’t always follow league norms.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers missed Saturday’s 84-83 loss to the Portland Fire because of a right ankle injury.

Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said Bueckers will be day-to-day.

“It’s a long season,” Fernandez said before the game. “Paige is who she is. Trust me, Paige wants to be on the floor tonight. But the best thing for her longevity, for her career, for the franchise is making sure we take care of her, and she takes care of her body.”

Bueckers suffered the injury midway through the second quarter of the Wings’ matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday. She briefly went to the tunnel during a timeout but was back on the court less than one minute later. She later said she went back to get her ankle taped up.

Bueckers went on to score a season-high 31 points on 14-of-20 shooting, six rebounds and five assists. The 2025 No. 1 pick, she is averaging 19.8 points this season on 32.4 minutes.

“Adrenaline is the best drug, so [I] didn’t really feel it during the game,” Bueckers said after the contest. “Just wanted to power through, help the team get a win.”

Hernandez said Bueckers got treatment on the team’s flight to Portland on Friday and then had more work done on her ankle Saturday morning. Initially, she was listed as questionable before being downgraded to out about three hours before tipoff.

The Wings (8-5) are 3-2 in Commissioner’s Cup play and will host the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Monday.

BOSTON — The Texas Rangers placed outfielder Evan Carter on the 10-day injured list because of an oblique strain.

The team announced the move before Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.

Carter left Friday’s game after making a diving catch in the fourth inning. The 23-year-old is batting .176 with six home runs and 21 RBIs over 66 games this season.

Taking Carter’s spot on the Rangers’ roster is infielder Cody Freeman, who was in Saturday’s starting lineup. Freeman appeared in one game for Texas earlier this month and was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock.

For the second straight day, the Rangers had a starting lineup that didn’t include All-Star shortstop Corey Seager.

Texas manager Skip Schumaker said Seager was “day to day” before Saturday’s game. Seager reportedly felt soreness after a home plate collision that occurred during the first inning of Thursday’s game against Kansas City.

“A lot better today, but not enough to play,” Schumaker said.

Also, the Rangers added right-hander Joe Ross and optioned right-hander Luis Curvelo. Texas signed the 33-year-old Ross to a minor league deal last month. He had a 2.92 ERA in seven games at Triple-A Round Rock.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Joey Volchko struck out a career-high 15 in his first complete game and Georgia capitalized on Texas ace Dylan Volantis’ horrific first inning to win 7-1 in a showdown of the Southeastern Conference’s top two teams at the College World Series on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs’ first appearance in Omaha since 2008 will continue Monday night when they play Oklahoma for control of all-SEC Bracket 2. The Longhorns meet Alabama in a Monday elimination game.

Volchko (11-2) fanned nine of the first 13 batters he faced, allowed just four singles and didn’t issue a walk until the ninth inning of his 114-pitch masterpiece.

“One of the most impressive complete game performances I’ve been a part of,” Georgia coach Wes Johnson said.

When Volchko struck out Temo Becerra to end the game, he spun around, spread his arms and let out a scream before embracing catcher Daniel Jackson.

“We knew who we were going to attack with what, how we were going to flip in between times through the order,” said Volchko, who mixed a curveball and sweeper with his fastball and hit his spots all night. “There was a lot of preparation. There was a lot of comfort in that. I felt like when I got out there, things slowed down a little bit, as opposed to speed up.”

Georgia (52-12) improved to 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament and has won 20 of its last 21 games since April 25. Texas (45-14) has lost four straight in the CWS over three appearances since 2021.

Volantis (10-2) had a frustrating night. He allowed only four hits and struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings, but had two wild pitches and hit four batters after having plunked a total of seven entering the game.

The sophomore left-hander threw 41 pitches in the first inning as almost anything that could go wrong for the Longhorns did.

Georgia’s scoring started with Rylan Lujo’s two-run homer off the left-field foul pole, only the third allowed by Volantis in 89 innings this season.

The bases were loaded with two outs after Volantis hit two batters around the first of catcher Carson Tinney’s two botched throws to first after dropped third strikes. It was 4-0 after Kolby Branch swung and missed on a wild pitch in the dirt. The ball bounced off Tinney, who picked it up and threw wide to first, allowing two runners to come home.

“I mean that stuff happens. He’s been phenomenal all year-round,” Volantis said of Tinney. “For me, that was the first time that’s happened. I mean that happens. I already told him no worries, man, but we’re going to get that cleaned up.”

Texas capitalized on Volchko’s bad pickoff attempt in the fifth to score its only run, but the Bulldogs broke open the game in the seventh with three runs on two hits, the Longhorns’ third error and a wild pitch.

“From a defensive standpoint, that’s the worst game we’ve played the whole season, which is super disappointing,” Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “On our end, that’s a very bad taste in our mouth. I don’t know if it would have mattered considering Volchko was so awesome but, yeah, that was not good on the part of the Longhorns.”