CLEVELAND – It was an opening day like never before, coming on July 24. There were many that didn’t think we would even see baseball in 2020. But not only did the Indians play Friday night, one of their own worked his way into the record books.
Pitcher Shane Bieber matched a mark from former Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson with 14 strikeouts in just six innings, as the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 2-0.
Bieber needed 97 pitches and 62 strikes to get the 14 K’s, and he struck out the side three times in the win.
“I thought he was outstanding. First inning they made him work, then in the fifth he had to work again, but to get through six on opening night was really good. I don’t know how many strikeouts he had, but it was a bunch,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.
The Tribe didn’t give Bieber much offense. They did manage to push a pair of runs across in the fifth, which was enough to get the job done.
The big hits in that fifth inning came from Oscar Mercado (RBI single) and Cesar Hernandez (RBI double), which gave the Indians the lead for good.
“We didn’t smack the ball all over the ballpark but we hit the ball up the middle and the other way and we got rewarded for it,” Francona said.
From there it was all pitching, as Bieber threw the sixth before being pulled, and three relief pitchers threw an inning each, none of which allowed a run, as the team closed out the win.
Here are a few observations on win number one for Bieber and the Indians on opening night at Progressive Field.
Breaking Records
Just to put into perspective how dominant Bieber was Friday night, consider that he struck out the side not once, but three times, reaching the mark in the 2nd, 4th and 5th innings.
“It’s impressive, it’s fun to watch, I”ve never seen anything like it,” Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado said.
“He is a remarkable talent, I’m glad he’s on my team, it’s fun to watch him pitch.”
He did allow a two-out single in the fourth and worked out of a jam in the fifth, as the Royals had first and third with two outs when he struck out Adalberto Mondesi.
He started the game by striking out Alex Gordon, then struck out the side in the second (4), two more Royals in the third (6), the side again in the fourth and the fifth (12), and two more to wrap up his outing in the sixth (14).
“I was pumped, you could probably tell I was a little jittery, a little excited in that first inning, but I came back out in the second and got a little better and a little more comfortable,” Bieber said.
“There were a lot of new things for everybody really, no fans in the stands. At least I thought I was prepared for it, but it’s different when there’s another team and other players stepping into the box, and there’s no fans in the stands and they are pumping in crowd noise, but I eventually got used to it, and fell into a nice little rhythm.”
The 14 strikeouts is a new Tribe record for Opening Day, as Bieber passed Gary Bell, who struck out 12 Detroit Tigers in 10.1 innings back in 1960.
Bell actually was an All-Star in 1960, with a mark of 9-10 with a 4.12 ERA. The Indians finished fourth that season in the AL East, going 76-78.
The 14 K’s for Bieber tied him with Hall of Fame hurler Randy Johnson, who on opening day in 1996 struck out 14 Chicago White Sox for the Mariners over seven innings.
For Bieber, striking out 14 did come at a cost, as the pitcher threw more pitches than he wanted to through six innings and was pulled after the frame as a result. But it was more than worth tying Johnson’s record.
“I think when I get into a rhythm like that until I get to two strikes, and then I try to miss barrels,” Bieber said.
“I feel like I had a lot of three-pitch strikeouts today and that was just me trying to be aggressive and trying to get into the game as deep as possible.”
In the Clutch
The Indians offense wasn’t giving Bieber much help until they finally broke though against Royals starter Danny Duffy in the fifth inning, driving him from the game.
Jordan Luplow started the frame getting hit by a pitch, and after Domingo Santana fouled out, Roberto Perez hit a 2-2 pitch for a single to put runners on the corners.
Oscar Mercado hit a 3-1 pitch into center field for the first run of the game, sending Perez to third.
Cesar Hernandez then doubled down the line in left to score Perez to extend the lead to 2-0.
Jose Ramirez was hit by a pitch, bringing up Francisco Lindor with the bases loaded, but he struck out on a 2-2 curveball.
Carlos Santana then grounded out on a 2-1 pitch to end the inning, but the necessary damage was done.
The Plan Comes Together
Terry Francona had to be liking what he saw from his team’s bullpen, considered by many as a question mark, as they shut down the Royals over the last three innings to seal the win.
Up first in place of Bieber was Adam Cimber, who pitched the seventh and got two quick outs at the bottom of the Royals order on a pop out and ground out.
Cimber then walked Nicky Lopez, but got Franchy Cordero to ground out to Hernandez at second to end the inning.
The reliever needed 19 pitches (10 strikes) to escape out of the frame.
Next up was Nick Wittgren, who pitched the eighth inning for the Tribe. Like Cimber, he got two quick outs of the top of the Royals order, a flyout and a strikeout, but then hit Jorge Soler to put a runner on base.
Wittgren got Royals catcher Salvador Perez to chase an 83 mph slider for the third strike to end the frame.
The ninth inning saw closer Brad Hand come into the game for the Indians, and he hit Alex Gordon to start the frame, but quickly recovered to get a flyout and two punchouts to end the game.
He struck out Miakel Franco on a four-seam fastball for the second out, and then retired Erick Mejia on a 90 mph four-seam fastball for the final out.
All in all the pen threw three innings, no runs or hits, one walk, four K’s and one hit batter.
“You don’t want to overreact either way, you try to draw it up the best you can and go let them play, I know there’s a segment of people that want to overreact when something happens, but you just have to go out and let them play,” Francona said.
Sending a Message
The Indians decided as a team to wear their navy blue jerseys with the word “Cleveland” on the front instead of “Indians,” and that was done on purpose to raise awareness about wanting to end social injustice.
“We just kind of want to send a message, we want fairness for everyone, we’re trying to show what Cleveland Indians baseball is all about,” Mercado said.
“At the end of the day it’s everyone being up to date and educated and it’s all about accepting everything and knowing what’s ahead of you in the world. It’s a tough time right now but at the end of the day it’s positivity and love that’s going to get us through it.”
Francona said prior to the opener that the team likely won’t be able to wear the “Cleveland” jersey at home after opening night, as it’s not something that was approved by Major League Baseball.
On Saturday, expect to see the team back to their “script Indians” gear that is the normal apparel for home games.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
