SAN FRANCISCO — The last time the Giants won a 10th consecutive game, Damon Minor was their first baseman. Minor is now a Triple-A hitting coach who has been in that role long enough to impact many of this current team’s contributors, including Luis Matos, who was just two years old during the last double-digit streak.

It’s been a long, long time since the Giants have had 10 games like this, but right now there appears to be no stopping the train, no matter how many players go down.

A 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres gave them their first 10-game winning streak since 2004, with the last six coming against the two teams favored to finish atop the division.

The Giants reached double-digits with more good pitching and opportunistic hitting, but also with a pretty big break. With a one-run lead and two on in the fifth, Joc Pederson hit a single to right but Blake Sabol was thrown out on a 99 mph rocket from Fernando Tatis Jr. As players from both sides left the field, the Giants challenged. A lengthy review ended with the announcement that catcher Gary Sanchez had blocked the plate.

Yu Darvish had to come back out to continue the inning — after his manager got ejected — and Mike Yastrzemski greeted him with an RBI single. J.D. Davis’ single made it a four-run inning, with three of them coming after the call was overturned.

Those proved vital, as the Padres scored a couple of runs late in the game before Camilo Doval came on for his 20th save.

Smooth Hjelle

With two in scoring position and two down in the top of the fifth, Sean Hjelle threw a good curveball down and away and got an inning-ending strikeout of Tatis. He pumped his fist and screamed as he came off the field, having joined two other young right-handers who have had a huge hand in the recent success.

Hjelle struck out five in four scoreless innings after taking over for rookie opener Ryan Walker. Three of the strikeouts came in the fifth. The performance pretty much matched what Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck gave the Giants earlier in the series.

The staff came into the season thinking all three would contribute at some point, and it happened quickly. Over the last four games, Hjelle, Beck and Winn have combined to allow just one run in 16 innings. Very quickly, the Giants have apparently turned into the Tampa Bay Rays.

Another One Down …

The Giants have managed to plug plenty of holes during this streak, but Yastrzemski is one of their most indispensable players and he might again be headed to the IL. After his RBI single, Yastrzemski hurt his left hamstring while going first to third on Davis’ single. He immediately went back to the clubhouse, and an MRI seems likely.

Yastrzemski hurt the same hamstring in Mexico City the last time the Giants played the Padres. That one looked more severe in the moment and he ended up missing a little over two weeks.

The Ruling

Bob Melvin’s ejection came a night after Bruce Bochy was ejected for arguing the very same rule. Bochy’s Texas Rangers gave up the go-ahead run against the Chicago White Sox when catcher Jonah Heim was ruled to have blocked the plate, and Bochy said after the loss that it was “absolutely one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen.”

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Melvin appears to have had good reason to argue. MLB’s rule says a catcher can block the path in a “legitimate attempt to receive a throw,” and the Padres likely felt that Gary Sanchez was taken up the line by the throw from right. That appeared to be what Melvin was telling umpires.

A 2014 memorandum added that “the runner may still be called out if he was clearly beaten by the throw.” It was close on that point, but officials in New York ruled in the Giants’ favor.

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Here’s a look at the players with local ties who will be aiming to help the U.S. win its third World Cup title in a row when the competition kicks off next month.

Alana Cook

Defender Alana Cook played her college soccer at Stanford University between 2015 and 2018. The All-American and two-time team captain was the Pac-12 Defender of the Year in 2018 and helped lead the Cardinal to a national championship in 2017.

Naomi Girma

Defender Naomi Girma hails from San Jose. After attending Pioneer High School in her hometown, she stayed in the Bay Area for college, suiting up for the Stanford Cardinal. The three-time team captain and two-time Pac-12 Defender of the Year helped the Cardinal win a national championship in 2019. She was selected first overall in the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft by San Diego Wave FC.

Sofia Huerta

Defender Sofia Huerta was a four-year player at Santa Clara University between 2011 and 2014. The All-American racked up 47 goals and 19 assists in 81 games as a Bronco and was the co-West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year as a senior.

Kelley O’Hara

Defender Kelley O’Hara, a two-time World Cup winner, also attended Stanford, playing for the Cardinal between 2006 and 2009. As a senior, she won the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top college soccer player.

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Julie Ertz

Midfielder Julie Ertz, also a two-time World Cup champion, played her college soccer at Santa Clara between 2010 and 2013. The two-time All-American was the WCC Player of the Year as a senior and was a Hermann Trophy semifinalist twice.

Andi Sullivan

Midfielder Andi Sullivan captained the Stanford Cardinal during the final three years of her four-year stint (2014-2017) on The Farm. The three-time All-American won the Hermann Trophy during her senior season while simultaneously guiding the Cardinal to a national title. She was then picked first overall in the 2018 NWSL Draft by the Washington Spirit.

Alex Morgan

Forward Alex Morgan, twice a World Cup winner, played for the California Golden Bears between 2007 and 2010. During her time at Cal, the All-American tallied 45 goals and 17 assists in 67 games.

Sophia Smith

Forward Sophia Smith played two seasons at Stanford in 2018 and 2019, leading the Cardinal to a national championship in her second season. She was chosen No. 1 overall in the 2020 NWSL Draft by the Portland Thorns.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, kicks off on July 20.

Before embarking, the Americans will play a send-off match at PayPal Park in San Jose on July 9.

That’s what can happen when a team crushes the NBA draft. It rarely happens, but the Warriors pulled it off in 2012.

Drafting in the years since has varied wildly, from Jordan Poole (2019) showing flashes of brilliance to Jacob Evans III (2018) being an abject miss. Only Kevon Looney (2015), whose pre-draft physical made him a draft-day gamble, has made himself invaluable. So far.

Which brings us to the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday. The Warriors hold the 19th overall pick. They are, according to multiple league sources, listening to offers not only regarding the draft but also potential trades that might or might not involve the draft.

They have four basic options: 1) Make a trade to move up; 2) Select at 19 and keep the player; 3) Select at 19 and trade the player; 4) Select at 19 and trade the player, along with someone on the current roster.

Option 1

With Golden State’s front office phones open to discussing transactions, this is a possibility. Several reports indicate the team is willing to put Jonathan Kuminga on the market to move into the top half of the lottery. The Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, are expected to go among the top seven picks. Such a deal likely would include the No. 19 pick also going out.

“First and foremost, you got to distinguish between acquiring talent and building a team,” general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said this week. “For us, the team thing is huge. How do these players work, interact together?

“Beyond that, as far as individual skill sets, place a premium on being able to play both ways, defend your position, and on the offensive end to be able to bring something to the table. (There’s a) high premium on shooting in this day and age with the way the league is going.”

The sense is that this option is unlikely but can’t be ruled out.

Option 2

If the Warriors keep the pick and draft for themselves, the logical choice would be to identify and select someone with a relatively extended background beyond high school. Moses Moody turned 21 three weeks ago, trimming the roster’s under-21 squad to three: Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins and Kuminga.

Among those in the draft with at least two years of college experience is guard Jordan Hawkins of UConn and forward Kris Murray of Iowa, the twin brother of Sacramento’s Keegan Murray. Hawkins, 21, spent two seasons with the Huskies and was the top player on the national championship team. Murray, 22, spent three seasons with the Hawkeyes. As a four-year collegian, UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez, known for his high hoops IQ, also fits the profile.

“Our main focus is on drafting a really good basketball player,” Dunleavy said. “. . . it’s pretty hard not to draft a young guy, the difference between 19 and 23 years of age, sure. You can debate that. Our focus is to be drafting players that are actually good at basketball.”

This option is less than ideal for a team in win-now mode. But it can if the Warriors nail the pick, as the Kings did with Keegan Murray and the Nuggets with Christian Braun.

Option 3

The Warriors can’t trade the pick outright because of a move made four years ago, packaging their 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected) with Andre Iguodala in a trade with Memphis. The NBA’s “Stepien Rule,” named for former Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien, forbids teams from being without a first-round pick in consecutive drafts.

What the Warriors can do is use the No. 19 pick to draft a player another team likes and then trade that player. Losing director of player development Jama Mahlalela last week – he returned to the Raptors after two seasons with Golden State – could make this option more appealing.

This specific option is unlikely because, as is, it would require some serious sorcery to obtain a veteran of significant value.

Option 4

The drafted player can be packaged with someone currently on the roster. Golden State’s ears are open regarding most players not named Stephen Curry. Jordan Poole and Kuminga are most frequently mentioned in potential trade packages.

And, yes, the Warriors are exploring all possibilities to improve their chances of winning – even if it means sacrificing someone who might evolve into an outstanding player.

“We love our roster,” Dunleavy said. “As far as untouchables and who we’d like to trade, all that, don’t care to get too much into specifics other than to say frankly we get a lot of calls. People value guys on our roster. I think we’re in good shape in that respect.”

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If the Warriors have their way, this is the option they’ll pursue strongest. It makes the most sense, given the franchise’s commitment to the core trio of Klay Thompson, Curry and Green.

One of the lessons learned last season is that there is, and should be, an extremely high value placed on versatile vets that come ready to make an impact. Such players are not found in the draft but can be acquired though the draft.

The draft is hit and miss – and more miss than hit. The Warriors are better off using it as an indirect tool to get better.

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With the lowest payroll, worst attendance and worst record in baseball, the A’s were finally on a six-game winning streak as they got ready to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, the team with the best record in baseball. But that’s not why the parking lot was so crowded.

“Get your shirt and put it on!” shouted Tyrone Moore-Perez, a volunteer with the Oakland 68s sports fan booster club.

“One per person, so we have enough for everybody!” shouted fellow volunteer April Kenton, as she balled up Kelly green T-shirts and threw them to fans entering the sprawling tailgate party. “Make sure you guys put these on! Put the shirts on, guys!”

“I’m a third-generation A’s fan, and I’m here to do my part to keep my team in Oakland,” Kenton explained.

“I love my team, I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, I don’t want to lose them,” Moore-Perez said.

As he spoke, Moore-Perez held up his own Kelly green shirt, with one word on it: “SELL.”

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Volunteers gave away 7,000 of the T-shirts, made at cost by local clothing retailer Oaklandish, as part of a protest they’d been planning since April when the A’s ownership announced plans to leave Oakland and move the team to Las Vegas. Already angry at owner John Fisher for trading away the team’s best players while raising ticket prices as the Coliseum continues to slowly decay, many fans had stopped coming to the ballpark altogether, leaving the A’s with an average Tuesday attendance of just 3,913 before the June 13 game.

But a tweet from A’s fan Stu Clary changed all of that for just one night. Clary suggested a “reverse boycott” — packing the Coliseum full of A’s fans for one randomly chosen weeknight game — to let Fisher, Major League Baseball, and the rest of the world know that Oakland has plenty of baseball fans who love their team, even if they hate its owner.

“I’ll be honest and say I didn’t think the organizers could pull this off,” said Nick Danoff, co-founder of a group that’s been working to secure the A’s a new ballpark location on Oakland’s waterfront. “Getting this many people here for a Tuesday night game against a team with no local fan base? … It’s incredible what they’ve done, and it shows there is that community here in Oakland that supports the team, and we just need to be given the chance.”

The official recorded attendance for the game was 27,759 — the Coliseum’s biggest crowd of the season. The Kelly green “SELL” shirts were visible from numerous camera angles in the game broadcast, and chants of “Sell the team!” could be heard loudly behind the announcers’ commentary.

“We’re getting national exposure,” Kenton said. “And we’re helping people understand that a team is more than just the ball players on the field or the owner. It’s also about the community around us.”

Inside the hulking concrete stadium where the A’s have played ball since 1968, the energy was electric and the noise was deafening.

“This literally feels like a normal A’s game,” said lifelong fan and Oakland 68s member Anson Canasnares.

In the section behind home plate, Hal the Hot Dog Guy, a beloved former A’s food vendor, stood up on his seat, leading the crowd in chants of “Stay in Oakland! Stay in Oakland!”

And in the right field bleachers, the Oakland 68s brought back their notoriously loud drums — a daily fixture at A’s games for more than 20 years until the team announced its Vegas land deal in April.

“We took the drums away — it was a really hard decision,” Casanares said.

“It’s been very effective to have the drums be gone,” said one of the drummers, a woman who told us she’s been coming to A’s games since the drumming began in 2000. “Silence is a weapon, and we’ve been using that.”

“We’re not gonna bring it to Vegas,” Casanares said of the drumming tradition, which has always been an unofficial, fan-led activity.

But as if to show Fisher and the world what they’d be giving up if the team moves to Las Vegas, the drummers came back for one night, as loud as can be.

“John Fisher’s trying to take this away from us,” said another one of the drummers. “You really want to leave all of this —all of this fun — for some tourists in Clark County, Nevada?”

The A’s pulled ahead of the Rays in the 8th inning, and the crowd got louder. Some commented on Twitter that it felt like playoff energy inside the Coliseum that night.

“This is more than a championship game,” said one excited fan. “This is our lives. We need this team to stay!”

The game stopped briefly as a fan in a green “SELL” T-shirt and black running shorts sprinted across the field, chased by security guards, as the crowd laughed and cheered him on. Then, it was back to baseball, and ultimately to a 7th straight win for the A’s. Fans immediately chanted “Sell the team! Sell the team!” at the game’s conclusion.

As fans from the right field bleachers spilled out into the walkways and the concourse of the Coliseum’s main level, still cheering and beating on their drums, a metaphorical dark cloud loomed over the Coliseum in the chilly night air: Sometime earlier that evening, while the A’s were warming up for their 2-1 victory over the Rays, the Nevada state senate passed SB1, a bill that would go on to be signed by Governor Joe Lombardo, approving $380 million in public funding for a 30,000-seat ballpark on the 9-acre Vegas Strip site where the Tropicana hotel now sits. It moves the A’s even closer to an exit from Oakland, even as fans rejoiced over their team’s unlikely victory and the success of their grassroots protest.

“This at least feels like a celebration,” Danoff said. “Maybe a last hurrah here? It’s worth doing — but this might be it.”

“It’s so wonderful,” said another fan outside the Coliseum. “And all I can tell people that say, ‘Oh, it’s done,’ — it’s not over ’til it’s over.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Without his three best relievers on Monday night, Padres manager Bob Melvin watched other choices walk the Padres to a crushing loss. A night later, Melvin watched his All-Star closer do it.

The Giants won their ninth straight and completed yet another comeback when Josh Hader walked Joc Pederson with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth. The 4-3 win got the Giants to nine games above .500 and allowed them to pick up a full game on the first-place Diamondbacks.

The latest winning rally started with a Luis Matos walk with one out in the ninth. After Patrick Bailey lined a single the other way, Melvin called for Hader. The Giants countered with Casey Schmitt, who had one walk all season entering this series but drew his second ninth-inning walk in two days. After a strikeout, Pederson also took a free pass, giving the Giants another win on a night when they trailed nearly the entire game.

Fernando Tatis Jr. reached in his first three at-bats and hit a homer in the fifth that gave the Padres a 3-1 lead, but the Giants once again crept back in the late innings. They lead the Majors in runs from the seventh inning on, and they nearly broke the game open once it hit the seventh.

A walk and two singles loaded the bases with no outs, but Manny Machado made an athletic play to turn two on a Patrick Bailey grounder to third. Machado stepped on the base and then made a perfect throw home for a second out. The Giants did manage a run, as Brandon Crawford bounced a single up the middle, and they would soon tie it.

Pederson had just one thing in mind as he strolled up in the bottom of the eighth, and when Nick Martinez grooved a cutter, Pederson hit a moonshot to right. The blast was his eighth of the season.

Platoon Superstar

In the ninth inning Monday, the Giants sent Austin Slater up to pinch-hit, knowing it would get Tim Hill out of the game. When Hill got the seventh on Tuesday, Slater did get a chance to face him after replacing Michael Conforto.

Slater drew a leadoff walk, continuing an incredible run against left-handed pitchers. He’s now faced 33 of them and reached base 17 times, with 15 hits and two walks. He’s also faring well against righties, and through 22 games, he has a .423 average and .464 on-base percentage. Right now, he’s one of the best specialists in the National League.

The Rookies

If Matos’ career goes the way everyone hopes, Seth Lugo might one day be a trivia question. Matos had no strikeouts through his first 21 plate appearances in the big leagues, but Lugo got him swinging in the second with a nasty curveball that broke down and away from the rookie outfielder. Matos bounced back quickly, getting a single in his third at-bat and then drawing that big walk in the ninth. He ended up being the game-winning run.

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The best rookie on this night was Tristan Beck, who just about duplicated Keaton Winn’s huge performance from a night earlier.

Beck threw three shutout innings to keep the Giants in the game, ending his night by blowing 95 mph past Trent Grisham with a runner on.

Lots Of Action

The hits column — eight in five innings — would indicate Anthony DeSclafani had a rough night. The walks (one) and strikeouts (six) would point to a good night. In the end, he met in the middle.

DeSclafani struck out four of the first seven Padres but then had plenty of traffic behind him in his final three innings. He ended up getting charged with three earned runs.

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Luis Matos was on third and scored the winning run. Patrick Bailey was on second after a single and Casey Schmitt was on first after a second straight night of drawing a walk in the ninth. But the most impactful rookie on this night was back in the clubhouse.

Like Keaton Winn a night earlier, Tristan Beck shut the powerful San Diego Padres down long enough for his own lineup to catch up. Beck took over with the Giants trailing 3-1 in the sixth. By the end of the night, it was 4-3, and the winning streak was extended to nine.

“We’ve talked a lot about Casey, Casey has gotten a lot of shine. So has Pat, for really good reason. Luis is now here and especially shiny. He’s fun to talk about and does some cool things on the baseball field,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Tristan has been every bit as good as those guys and hasn’t gotten nearly the amount of attention. That’s normal, right? He’s coming in in relief and maybe pitching (when we’re down one or two) but he’s giving us a lot of length. If you look up on the scoreboard, he’s got tons of innings, he’s got a high strikeout rate, he’s got a low walk rate. That’s the makings of a good major league pitcher and he deserves a lot of credit for where we are right now.”

Beck allowed one hit over three innings, lowering his ERA to 3.05 in 15 relief appearances. In those 15 games, he has thrown 38 1/3 innings. Winn can provide a similar workload and has been even more effective in his two outings. Combined, the rookies have saved a staff that’s missing Alex Cobb and Ross Stripling, has been without Alex Wood at times, and has Sean Manaea pitching in an unfamiliar role.

“They’ve been awesome,” pitching coach Andrew Bailey said. “We’ve been able to hold leads and also keep deficits where they are.”

That latter part has been key lately. Beck made sure the hole didn’t get deeper, and the Giants got a run back on Brandon Crawford’s single and then tied the game on Pederson’s eighth-inning homer.

In the ninth, Kapler made what he said was “a particularly uncomfortable” decision. He sent Schmitt up for Crawford, who has come up big repeatedly in recent weeks, and the rookie rewarded the faith with a walk against Hader. After drawing just one walk in his first 133 plate appearances, Schmitt has come up huge the last two nights.

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A night after the Padres walked their way to a loss without their closer, Hader did the same thing. He wasn’t particularly close against Pederson, missing far outside on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth.

The win was the fifth in the last nine games in which the Giants trailed in the seventh inning or later.

“It feels like we’ve got 26 guys pulling on the same string,” Pederson said. “It’s somebody new every night.”

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San Francisco’s longtime broadcaster stopped by the latest episode of the “Giants Talk” podcast, where he told hosts Alex Pavlovic and Cole Kuiper how rookies like Luis Matos, Patrick Bailey and Casey Schmitt have breathed new life into the franchise.

“You keep bringing up guys that deliver energy when you need it, and that’s exactly what Bailey, Schmitt and Matos have done,” Kuiper said. “I don’t know how many more guys that you can grab from down there to fill in the spots, but boy, have they helped. And the energy has been really fantastic.”

The Giants’ minor league depth has come in clutch during the 2023 MLB season. Schmitt was called up to play infield in early May after Brandon Crawford went on the injured list. And Bailey got his opportunity just over a week later when Joey Bart landed on the IL.

Then, last week, Matos was elevated to the big leagues when Mitch Haniger sustained a fractured ulna in St. Louis that will keep him out 10 weeks. Like Schmitt and Bailey, Matos is making the most of his shot so far and even contributing to MLB history along the way.

After a disappointing 2022 season in the minors thanks in part to injury, Matos’ red-hot numbers in Double- and Triple-A this year earned him the promotion. With the Giants, the 21-year-old outfielder has posted a .429 on-base percentage through five games so far and became the first MLB player ever to walk at least five times and score at least six runs through his first three games.

For Kuiper, Matos’ transformation from spring training to now is clear.

“We saw Matos in spring training, and we saw a guy that looked like a young minor league guy,” Kuiper said. “And then he shows up here, and he looks like a young major league guy, just by the way he walks around. He’s so fluid in center field. It’s really fun to watch him catch a routine fly ball.

“He’s got a little bit of flair, right? And he’s 21.”

The Giants failed to sign superstars such as Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa this offseason, but their veterans, free-agent signings and a brand new crop of talent have won 21 of their last 30 games and will look to extend their current winning streak to nine Tuesday against the San Diego Padres.

Kuiper believes after an offseason of disappointment, Giants fans are beginning to “buy in” to what’s happening on the field.

“Just keep plugging along, and these guys that are plugging in for the injured guys, they keep competing and doing well … It’s contributions like that that they’re getting to help them win these games,” Kuiper said.

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Andrés Giménez’s soft single in the 10th inning brought home José Ramírez from third base, lifting Cleveland to a 3-2 win Tuesday night over the bottom-feeding Oakland Athletics, who lost their sixth straight.

With the bases loaded and none out, Giménez dropped his single off Trevor May (2-4) just inside the right-field line for Cleveland’s fourth walk-off win this season.

“Our guys did a really good job,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “We didn’t knock the ball over the ballpark, for sure, but we were competitive and we hung around, and we found a way to win.”

Following his clutch single, Giménez was mobbed by his teammates, who were blanked for six innings before rallying to tie it in the seventh on Amed Rosario’s RBI single and Ramírez’s run-scoring double.

With the game on the line, Giménez said it’s imperative for a hitter to change his approach.

“I feel like in those situations your focus narrows it down to be a little more selective with what you can do,” Gimenez said through a translator. “Obviously, you want to win the game, so I wanted to make sure I was able to get a good pitch to win the game.”

Enyel De Los Santos (3-1) kept the A’s from taking the lead in the 10th and got the win.

Oakland dropped to 19-56, the club’s worst record since the 1920 Philadelphia A’s started with the same mark.

The A’s have lost three straight one-run games — two in extra innings — and are 11-15 in one-run games this season.

“Another tough loss,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “These one-run games, you try to dissect the game and look at what we could have done better, but some of it is pure luck.”

Ramírez began the 10th as the runner on second and the A’s chose to intentionally walk the red-hot Josh Naylor to face Tyler Freeman, who dropped a bunt in front of the plate. Ramírez was safe on a close play at third before Giménez ended it.

Tony Kemp connected for his second homer — and first since April 21 — in the seventh inning off Cleveland’s Aaron Civale to give the A’s a 2-0 lead.

The Guardians did nearly nothing on offense for six innings — and Civale was in line for a tough loss — before Cleveland tied it in the seventh on the hits by Rosario and Ramírez.

Myles Straw doubled leading off and Kotsay pulled Luis Medina, who came on in the second and held the Guardians to four hits over 4 1/3 innings. Sam Moll got two quick outs before Rosario’s single cut Oakland’s lead to 2-1.

Ramírez fell behind 1-2 before ripping a ball toward left fielder Seth Brown, who tried to snare the sinking liner with a dive. But the ball got by him and rolled to the wall, allowing the speedy Rosario to score from first.

“He thought he had a chance to catch the ball,” Kotsay said. “Again, a different outcome if we make that play.”

CRAZY CATCH

Kemp also made the game’s best defensive play, racing into to short right-center and snaring Will Brennan’s blooper in the eighth with his back to the plate and while falling down.

TOP GUN

The Guardians brought up top pitching prospect Gavin Williams, who has dominated hitters in the minors the past two seasons. The right-hander will make his major league debut on Wednesday against the A’s.

On the strength of a 100 mph fastball, Williams has blasted through Cleveland’s system since being drafted in the first round in 2021.

“It’s exciting,” Francona said, “We told him, ‘Hey, just go pitch and if we have to start making adjustments, we will. But let’s see. You pitch first.’”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: RHP Drew Rucinski (knee sprain) was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to make room for RHP Yacksel Rios, who was acquired from Atlanta on Sunday for cash.

Guardians: RHP Cal Quantrill (shoulder sprain), who has recently been in Arizona during his recovery, is scheduled to make a 60-pitch rehab start in Columbus on Friday before the team decides whether to activate him.

UP NEXT

Williams is expecting more than 50 relatives and guests to be at his debut. “You’re going to definitely hear them,” said Williams, who will face Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn (0-0, 3.48 ERA).

___

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ESPN analyst and former NBA pro Kendrick Perkins, like many, believes Golden State should make it a priority to re-sign veteran forward Draymond Green, who opted out of his contract Monday. But when it comes to the extension-eligible Klay Thompson, Perkins believes it could be time for the Warriors to move on because he no longer sees the four-time champion as a vital piece of the team’s core.

That spot alongside Green and Steph Curry has been claimed by Andrew Wiggins, Perkins claimed Tuesday on ESPN’s “Get Up.”

“Me evaluating the Golden State Warriors now, the core group is actually Steph, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green,” Perkins said. “I believe that the Warriors need to do everything in their power to make sure that they come to an agreement to keep Draymond Green, and honestly, I’m not pushing the line to keep Klay Thompson.

“As long as I have Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, I could fill in the blanks from there.”

Perkins went on to say Thompson hasn’t been the same player since returning from two back-to-back leg injuries in January 2022, despite the 33-year-old shooting guard leading the league in 3-pointers during the 2022-23 NBA season. Thompson also was behind only Curry for the NBA lead in 3-pointers made per game and finished the regular-season campaign averaging 21.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 69 games.

But, as Perkins noted, Thompson didn’t perform to his usual standards in the 2023 NBA playoffs, and during the Warriors’ run to their fourth championship in eight seasons last year, Wiggins was the second-best player on the court behind Curry. When Wiggins returned to the floor after a prolonged absence during Golden State’s most recent postseason appearance, his presence was felt immediately.

Wiggins, who was acquired via a February 2020 trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, wasn’t there for the three championships Thompson, Curry and Green helped bring to the Bay. But there’s no denying his impact especially over the last two seasons, made even more clear when considering how greatly his absence was felt when he took time away from the team in mid-February.

The Warriors signed Wiggins to a massive multiyear contract extension worth $109 million after their 2022 NBA Finals win, and the 28-year-old took a significant pay cut of nearly $10 million so that they could make it happen. Some have both suggested and reported Thompson would need to do the same — though Perkins previously has said the Warriors star should play out the final year of his five-year, $190 million contract in 2023-24 and see if he can get a max deal in free agency.

“Why should Klay Thompson take a pay cut? Let’s be honest here, why should Klay take one? He doesn’t have to,” Perkins said on ESPN in May. “There’s teams around the league that would actually give him a bag that he deserves, and rightfully so.

“I don’t care about what he did this postseason. We already know what Klay Thompson is capable of doing.”

Dub Nation knows, too. And in their eyes, Thompson forever will be a part of the Warriors’ core that restored basketball in the Bay.

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Per NBA University, Curry leads all NBA players with the most clutch-time buckets against the Rockets (11) over the past five seasons.

Curry, of course, is no stranger to clutch shots, but it took him 13 years to nail his first legitimate buzzer-beater. It’s no coincidence that it happened against the Rockets.

On Jan. 21, 2022, Curry’s 22-foot step-back jumper swished through as time expired in the Warriors’ 105-103 victory at Chase Center.

“It’s about time I made one,” Curry jokingly said to the “Warriors Postgame Live” crew on NBC Sports Bay Area that night before belting out a celebratory scream.

That victory launched a nine-game winning streak for the Warriors that lasted until early February, propelling them to nearly 30 games above .500, and later that summer, the dynasty’s fourth championship.

In 39 career games against Houston, Curry is averaging 24.5 points, 7.0 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 35.0 minutes. He played three of Golden State’s four matchups against Houston in the 2022-23 NBA season and scored 33, 30 and 30 points.

The Warriors swept their season series against the Rockets this year, winning every game by double digits besides a seven-point victory at Toyota Center on Nov. 20. That contest was a three-point game entering the fourth quarter until Curry closed it out with nine fourth-quarter points.

Houston, you have a problem. And his name is Steph Curry.

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For the past few years, however, there has been a possible replacement in waiting who is well versed in the good times, and more so the bad times, of the Warriors. Team owner Joe Lacob was so sure of who should open Golden State’s next chapter in a time of change that he didn’t feel the need to interview anybody else. And it wasn’t his son, Kirk, who will remain the Warriors’ executive vice president of basketball operations. 

After five years in the front office, Mike Dunleavy Jr. has been anointed Myers’ replacement, and Lacob’s job Monday at Dunleavy’s introductory press conference was to instill confidence in the decision. 

“I always knew that we had this guy sitting here in the wings,” Lacob said. “Had to have a conversation with him. We did have conversations, obviously, to make sure that everything I thought was correct – everything he thought about the job – so we were on the same wavelength. 

“Did I interview other people? No, not really. We didn’t go outside, if that’s what your question is. We believe in continuity. We believe we have a really well-oiled machine, well-running organization.”

The word of the day was continuity, as it has been with the Warriors for many years now. Lacob believes in it. Steve Kerr believes in it. Myers believed in it. Dunleavy at least says he believes in it. 

The Warriors’ continuity is taking a bit of a hit right now following their early exit in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. Myers will be gone come June 30, when his contract expires. So will Shaun Livingston. 

The four-time NBA champion, three as a player with the Warriors and one in their front office, is leaving his role as director of players affairs and engagement after three seasons to focus on family as he permanently moves to Las Vegas, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday. 

Jama Mahlalela, who was the face of the Warriors’ revamped player development system the past two seasons and held a seat at the front of the bench, recently left the Warriors for an assistant role on the Toronto Raptors’ staff. Draymond Green is expected to remain a Warrior, but has declined his player option worth over $27 million. Trade rumors are rampant before the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday, and many moves could be on the table. 

All of this comes ahead of Kerr’s final season on his contract as the Warriors’ head coach.

Lacob’s main objective Monday as he sat next to Dunleavy was showing trust in his new GM and the direction of the franchise. Before Dunleavy uttered a word, Lacob pointed out how he believes Dunleavy fits the Warriors’ culture four times in his opening statement. 

“He is a person who is a family guy,” Lacob said. “Has four kids. He fits culturally and has fit culturally very much in line with the way this organization runs and operates.” 

Later in Lacob’s address to media members, he said, “It really is a ‘we’ effort. Mike fits right into that. The cultural fit was spectacular. The cultural fit was spectacular with Mike. We’re very, very excited to have him here today, to be able to announce him and his appointment to the job.”

Culture. It’s what was hit hardest, literally, in the Warriors’ ecosystem last season. Imagining one championship prior to Myers’ arrival was a laughing matter. Creating a culture other organizations dreamed of was an even further stretch. That’s what Dunleavy’s biggest challenge will be. 

The new man in charge knows this to be true, too, and isn’t going to be getting rid of Myers’ number any time soon. 

“He’s somebody I’ve leaned on and will continue to lean on, as well as other people in our organization,” Dunleavy said. “Thank you, Bob, for all you’ve done with this team. You will be missed, but we know you’ll be around.” 

Myers’ personal touch and relationship building can’t be replicated. His communication is that of a warm handshake, making everyone feel important no matter what their status is. A lot of that is innate and can’t be taught. Part of his interpersonal skill also was learned over time from his days as an agent to his years leading the Warriors. 

The two aren’t new to each other, and their history goes well beyond Myers grooming Dunleavy the last five years in the Warriors’ front office. Myers was Dunleavy’s agent, the two are great friends and Myers displayed his trust in Dunleavy’s next venture by personally bringing him in as a pro scout in the 2019 offseason. 

“As far as similarities, we’re really close, so there’s got to be a lot of things that align,” Dunleavy said. “I probably will start with humility. We’re pretty humble guys, family first. I think we’re good listeners. Both like to hear people out, hear groups out. As leaders, try to make the right decision. 

“Differences? I think I’m a slightly better basketball player than him. But after that, Bob is out-of-this-world talented in what he’s able to do with people. His record speaks for itself. If I can be anywhere near the realm of success as he’s been here, it would be great.”

The Warriors’ new GM is the son of a former player and coach, played 15 NBA seasons himself and has climbed the ranks of the front-office ladder. The previous man in charge had a playing background, but his greatest gift was making players beg to be Warriors for more reasons than sharing a court with Steph Curry. 

Between basketball knowledge and personal engagement, balance is required to restore the force of the Warriors’ culture. And Dunleavy isn’t shying away from still using perhaps the most important voice in building what has been made here in the Bay Area.

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When coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over before the 2017 NFL season, Juszczyk was one of the first free agents signed by the new regime. In describing the Pro Bowl fullback, Shanahan and Lynch referred to Juszczyk as an “OW” or an “offensive weapon,” highlighting his ability to contribute in the run game, pass game and on the offensive line.

Juszczyk spoke at the 49ers 2023 State of the Franchise event last Thursday, where he was asked by radio broadcaster Greg Papa if he or superstar running back Christian McCaffrey will line up at the most positions this upcoming season.

“I think Christian is going to beat me in that category this year, he’s you know, the new, shiny toy,” Juszczyk joked. “This is Year 7 for me and Kyle [Shanahan]. So I’ll get my time, I’ll do what I do, but I think he’s going to have more fun with Christian.”

McCaffrey is one of the best, if not the best, dual-threat running backs in the NFL. In 17 games with both the Carolina Panthers and 49ers last season, McCaffrey recorded 244 carries for 1,139 rushing yards and 85 receptions for 741 receiving yards. The two-time Pro Bowler even completed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams, and lined up under center in the NFC Championship Game after the 49ers lost both starting quarterback Brock Purdy and backup Josh Johnson to injury.

Juszczyk always knew McCaffrey was one of the best at his position, but never realized just how hard the Stanford product works day in and day out on the field.

“I knew he was very good, but you don’t get a true appreciation for it until you see it in person, and one of the cooler things in this offseason, being the first offseason I’ve spent with him, is just seeing how hard he practices in this phase right now,” Juszczyk added. “There’s a reason he’s as good as he is and he’s so refined in his craft is because he puts in the time, he puts in the work.

“He doesn’t take any day for granted, he really is the hardest critic of himself and that was one of the first things I noticed about Christian when he got into the building is that nobody wants to succeed more than himself and nobody’s harder on him than himself. I think he’s even got more to gain and I think this is going to be a big year for him.”

RELATED: Why 49ers’ RB room can reach sky-high potential in 2023

McCaffrey, along with Juszczyk and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, provide the 49ers with plenty of flexibility on offense.

However, in 2023, the veteran fullback is more than happy to surrender his longstanding “OW” title to his new teammate.

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Here are the full details of the trade, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach:

• Celtics acquire: Kristaps Porzingis, 2023 first-round pick from Memphis (No. 25 overall), 2024 first-round pick (from Memphis via Golden State)
• Grizzlies acquire: Marcus Smart
• Wizards acquire: Mike Muscala, Danilo Gallinari, Tyus Jones, 2023 second-round pick from Boston (No. 35 overall)

Here’s the list of protections on the 2024 first-round going to the Celtics:

The deal was struck shortly after a different three-team trade centered around Porzingis involving the Celtics, Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers reportedly fell apart. That trade had Malcolm Brogdon departing Boston for Los Angeles, among other moving pieces.

Smart was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and spent nine years with the Celtics. He made the playoffs in each of those seasons and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2021-22. Smart gives Memphis much-needed backcourt depth while superstar point guard Ja Morant serves his 25-game suspension to begin the 2023-24 season.

Porzingis provides the Celtics with frontcourt scoring, good outside shooting and strong interior defense. He averaged a career-high 23.2 points per game and shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range for the Wizards last season. He also played in 65 games — his highest total since 2016-17.

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Following a series of tournaments across the pond, Wimbledon will begin and feature the best athletes at the All England Club.

Last year the tennis world saw 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic defeat Nick Kyrgios in a thriller. On the women’s side Elena Rybakina beat Ons Jabeur to claim her first Grand Slam title.

Whether in the stands of Centre Court or from the comfort of your home, you’ll want to catch the intense action as it unfolds over the course of the two weeks.

So, here’s everything you need to know about 2023 Wimbledon, including how to watch and some of the odds:

When is the 2023 Wimbledon Championships?

The 2023 Wimbledon Championships will begin on Monday, July 3, and end Sunday, July 16.

Where is the 2023 Wimbledon Championships?

The 2023 Wimbledon Championships will be held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England.

How can I watch the 2023 Wimbledon Championships?

The 2023 Wimbledon Championships can be watched on ESPN and Tennis Channel.

The full match schedule is as follows:

What are the 2023 Wimbledon Championships draws?

The Wimbledon draws have not been released yet.

Can Russians and Belarusians play 2023 Wimbledon?

Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year after they were banned from the event in 2022.

Wimbledon released a statement on March 31 saying, “Our current intention is to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players subject to them competing as ‘neutral’ athletes and complying with appropriate conditions.”

The tournament added, “…expressions of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in various forms and prohibit entry by players receiving funding from the Russian and/or Belarusian states (including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states) in relation to their participation in The Championships.”

The Gals are headed to Australia and New Zealand having won two World Cups in a row in 2015 and 2019, and they’re well-equipped to continue to taste success this summer.

However, other countries from around the world have also bolstered their respective squads during the current cycle and could be in for a strong showing should destiny align in their favor.

So, which teams should be considered elite contenders? Let’s take a look at five, along with their FIFA World Ranking:

USWNT

To no surprise, the defending repeat champions lead the list. The Gals should have plenty of depth and star power to go far in 2023, with a balanced infusion of veterans and youngsters converging. Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn and Megan Rapinoe are back in Vlatko Andonovski’s squad, while Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Naomi Girma, among others, will provide fresh legs to the group. Not having Mallory Swanson is a significant blow, but the USWNT should have more than enough to make do in Oceania.

FIFA World Ranking: 1

England

The Lionesses have been one of the rising nations in women’s soccer the last few years, most notably winning the Euro 2022 tournament and the Finalissima. The major concern for manager Sarina Weigman is injuries: Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby are just some of the key figures expected to miss the tournament due to ACL injuries. But they’ll still have Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Rachel Daly and more that will make them a tough team to beat.

FIFA World Ranking: 4

France

Les Bleus endured a rough spell lately, but a managerial change that saw Herve Renard – who last managed Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – enter the fold. The vibes have boosted since, and they’ll definitely be a well-drilled squad that won’t be easy to crack. Eugenie Le Sommer, Wendie Renard and Grace Geyoro are just some of the players that will look to take France far.

FIFA World Ranking: 5

Germany

The DFB-Frauen have seen some slip ups lately, so manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will need to make sure her team bounces back quickly – which is highly probable. Injury to captain Alexandra Popp is going to be a worry considering her vital leadership and scoring prowess, but 25-year-old Lea Schuller (30 goals in 46 games) and Laura Freigang (12 goals in 19 games) have illustrated they can step up to the task. Dzsenifer Marozsan and Sara Dabritz will also be imperative in midfield.

FIFA World Ranking: 2

Australia

There could be a robust homecoming in store for one of the co-hosts this summer. Although New Zealand may not cause too much damage to its foes, Australia can surely do so with the backing of the home atmosphere. The Matildas, led by manager Tony Gustavsson, have quality veterans across the pitch, most notably Sam Kerr, who is one of the best in the world. Lydia Williams, Clare Polkinghorne and Tameka Yallop will also need to be reliable to take the team as far as possible. 

FIFA World Ranking: 10

Williams is a five-time Wimbledon singles champion and was a finalist at the grass-court major in 2017, two decades after her debut at the All England Club.

Ranked 697th, Williams beat 48th-ranked Camila Giorgi 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6) on Monday at the Birmingham Classic. It was her first victory over a player in the top 50 in nearly four years.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion next plays Jelena Ostapenko at the Wimbledon warm-up event.

Williams’ younger sister Serena is a seven-time Wimbledon champion. Serena Williams lost in the first round at last year’s tournament and soon after announced her decision to step away from tennis.

Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina and British players Heather Watson and Katie Boulter were also given wild cards for the women’s draw. David Goffin, a Belgian who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2019 and 2022, was among of the men given wild cards.

Wimbledon begins on July 3.

Asked about his stance on the Michael Jordan-LeBron James debate, Miller gave his take on the NBA’s GOAT, and it’s one you’ll probably need to hear to believe.

“I actually don’t think LeBron is the GOAT of basketball,” Miller said. “My GOAT of basketball is Paul George.”

Yes, he really said that.

George has put together a strong NBA resume, which includes eight All-Star selections, six All-NBA selections and four All-Defensive Team selections. Jordan and James, however, are in a completely different stratosphere, combining for 10 NBA titles, nine MVP awards and 33 All-Star nods.

Miller has been able to watch James through his 20-year career – he was 11 months old when James made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Jordan’s championship heyday was well over by the time Miller was born, but the Chicago Bulls legend has gotten to see the Alabama forward grow as a player.

Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets own the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft, and the team reportedly is leaning towards Miller for its selection. Miller got to meet Jordan during a workout, and he was still eager to meet the six-time NBA champion.

“It’s definitely exciting,” he said. “He’s Michael Jordan.”

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Still, Miller wasn’t impressed by everything he saw during his time with Jordan.

“I’ve seen him airball a free throw,” he said.

Even if he is selected by the Hornets on Thursday, Jordan would not be Miller’s employer for long. The Hornets announced on Friday that Jordan is selling his majority stake in the franchise, though he will still be in charge when the Hornets make their No. 2 selection.

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Major League Baseball has big plans for Europe, starting with an English reintroduction to the sport this weekend when the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs play a two-game series in London.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox featured in London four years ago, smashing six home runs in a European debut for MLB that was higher scoring — the Yankees won 17-13 — than the NFL’s first one in London in 2007 when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10.

Though the coronavirus pandemic threw a curveball — the Cards-Cubs series was slated for 2020 — the success of the World Baseball Classic has provided a boost. Britain won a game at the tournament for the first time and found a star in Seattle Mariners prospect Harry Ford, who was born in Atlanta but has parents from the U.K.

“The U.K. has really been identified for us, London in particular, as the jumping off point for us to get into Europe,” Chris Marinak, MLB’s chief operations and strategy officer, told The Associated Press. “We feel like we proved that out in 2019. By coming back and having a really strong showing … we’re going to have the opportunity to really make some headway for growth both in the U.K. and throughout Europe.”

Britain is MLB’s biggest market in Europe in terms of broadcast revenue, merchandise sales and subscribers to digital products, though it trails the likes of Mexico, Japan, South Korea, China and Australia.

Audience research company GWI’s data showed that interest in baseball among British sports fans increased from 4% in 2019 to 5.9% last year, the league said. It added that MLB Europe’s social media channels since the 2019 series have more than tripled their followers to 452,000.

The New York-Boston series, a two-game set that drew nearly 119,000 fans to London Stadium, was a driver in the BBC signing a deal last fall to begin broadcasting a handful of games, including the London series, each season. MLB’s lead broadcaster in the U.K., the pay-TV service BT Sport, last year renewed its agreement to broadcast 15 games per season.

“We feel like the U.K. offers us a good model for growth in the Europe market,” Marinak said.

MLB’s first regular-season game outside of the United States — including Puerto Rico — and Canada was in 1996 when the New York Mets and San Diego Padres played a three-game series in Monterrey, Mexico. The league has also staged games in Tokyo and Australia. Earlier this season, Mexico City hosted a two-game series between the Padres and San Francisco Giants.

The Yankees are lobbying to play in Paris in 2025. The league hasn’t announced the City of Light just yet, but Marinak noted: “We see a lot of engagement in France.” The players’ association signed off on MLB holding a game in Paris in 2025 as part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement.

London is locked in for a series next year and another in 2026.

The Netherlands — bolstered by baseball’s popularity in Aruba and Curacao — and Italy boast the best national teams in Europe, though the Czech Republic is improving. Germany — which has become the NFL’s leading market in Europe — has a big U.S. military presence and has produced several big leaguers, including Minnesota’s Max Kepler.

“We’ve really focused on looking into Europe as once a year, maybe max twice a year … just because it’s such an effort to get over there, and it doesn’t really fit into the normal cadence of the major league schedule, but we really do think it’s important to bring live game content to the market,” Marinak said.

“We want to hit our priority markets but we may rotate around to Germany in the long run or if there’s a facility in the Netherlands that we could potentially look at, France we’ve talked about, the UK,” he continued. ”But for the medium term, we’re really focused on the UK as our primary vehicle.”

A suitable venue is the tricky part. Olympic-style, multi-use stadiums are possibilities, like Stade de France. Baseball was a demonstration sport at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Renovating the Sydney Cricket Ground for the Australia series in 2014 “was sort of a complicated endeavor,” Marinak said.

The NFL, NBA and NHL have been staging games in Europe for years, leaving MLB playing catch up. Thirty years ago, MLB scheduled exhibitions between Mets and Red Sox minor leaguers at the Oval, but rain at the London cricket venue washed out the first two days. Technically, baseball’s connection with Britain goes way back, starting with exhibitions between the Boston Red Stockings and Philadelphia Athletics in 1874.

In a more modern development, MLB is giving individual teams certain marketing rights abroad, as the NFL does.

“They have the opportunity to pick a few markets and do sponsorships,” Marinak said. “We think that’s an opportunity to grow, where teams can activate in local markets and really pick places where they can bring their brand to bear and then also bring those relationships with some of those international partners back to the United States.”

Having a star player from abroad is vital, said sports economist Victor Matheson, a professor at the College of the Holy Cross. Pro leagues “tend to generate a reasonable amount of revenue in those players’ home countries.” Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is the shining example.

“That being said, with so few MLB players hailing from the UK or the rest of the EU, it’s my impression that MLB has made almost no inroads into Europe,” Matheson said.

MLB hopes Britain’s relative success in the WBC planted a seed. The 20-year-old Ford, whose parents are British, was Seattle’s top pick in the 2021 draft and hit a home run in Britain’s 7-5 win over Colombia — which qualified the team for the next WBC.

“You need that type of star to create the engagement and the interest in the local market,” Marinak said.

For now, the focus is on the weekend games at London Stadium.

“We’re optimistic that this is the next step in a long journey of linking Major League Baseball to the U.K. and the rest of Europe.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The United States women’s national team announced their 23-player roster on Wednesday ahead of the World Cup slated to begin on July 20.

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski selected a mix of newcomers and veterans to represent the star-studded squad who will be making the trip to Australia and New Zealand. The team features six forwards, seven midfielders, seven defenders and three goalkeepers.

Here we take a look at five must-know facts about the USWNT’s roster ahead of the competition:

Three players will be competing in fourth Women’s World Cup

Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Kelley O’Hara will be competing in their fourth Women’s World Cup, becoming the 10th, 11th and 12th American players to hit the milestone.

“Honestly, it felt like I was getting called for the first time to go to a World Cup,” O’Hara said “TODAY.” “I’m so excited. This is my fourth one, but when I got the news I honestly broke out in tears I was so excited.”

Morgan and Rapinoe were the tournament’s co-leading scorers when the U.S. defended its title in France four years ago.

Fourteen players are making their Women’s World Cup debut

Welcome to the ‘ship!

Fourteen players will be making their Women’s World Cup debuts: GK Casey Murphy, GK Aubrey Kingsbury, D Alana Cook, D Emily Fox, D Naomi Girma, D Sofia Huerta, M Savannah DeMelo, M Kristie Mewis, M Ashley Sanchez, M Andi Sullivan, F Trinity Rodman, F Sophia Smith, F Alyssa Thompson and F Lynn Williams.

Between injuries and wanting the develop young players, Andonovski says this year is about growth.

“We are expecting the level of play at this World Cup to be the best it’s ever been, and all the teams must keep up with that growth,” the head coach said.

Savannah DeMelo becomes first uncapped player to make Women’s World Cup roster since 2003

Shocker alert.

DeMelo was on the 23-woman squad and marked the first time an uncapped player made a USWNT roster for the Women’s World Cup since Shannon Boxx in 2003.

DeMelo has been to training camps with the USWNT but has never appeared in a game. The 25-year-old out of Racing Louisville FC has six goals since May 1 in NWSL regular season and Challenge Cup games for 8 total goals this year and two assists.

“Every player has a different journey to get to this point,” Andonovski said about the selection.

The youngest player on the roster is 18, while the oldest is 37

The USWNT has a nice distribution of age across its roster.

The average age is 28.5 with forward Alyssa Thompson the youngest at 18 and Rapinoe the oldest at 37.

The collection of players is about the same as the 2015 and 2019 winning rosters.

“We have a really good mix of veterans and younger players,” Andonovski said. “I know as a group they are extremely motivated to make our country proud at the World Cup.”

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The USWNT is seeking its third straight Women’s World Cup title

This would be a record-breaking feat.

The U.S. is looking to become the first country, male or female, to win three consecutive World Cup titles.

The four-time champions won their last two titles in 2019 and 2015 — in France and Canada, respectively.

The U.S.’s first two titles came in 1991 after defeating Norway in the final and in 1999, when The Gals hosted the World Cup and edged China in the final.

Germany falls second in nations with the most titles with two.

The U.S. begins its title defense on July 21, when it meets Women’s World Cup newcomer Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand (9 p.m. ET).

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The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will face off in the 2023 MLB London Series this weekend.

Stars will be out as these NL Central rivals visit the United Kingdom. Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright is set to pitch on Saturday, while Cubs ace Marcus Stroman will start on Sunday.

Here’s all the details on how to watch the international event:

When is the 2023 MLB London Series?

The MLB London Series is set to take place this weekend, with games on June 24 and 25.

Who is playing in the MLB London Series in 2023?

As aforementioned, the Cubs and Cardinals will face off in London.

Where is the MLB London Series played?

Both games will be played at London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, located in the Stratford district of London. The facility was built for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

How to watch Cubs vs. Cardinals in the MLB London Series

FOX and ESPN will broadcast the MLB London Series in 2023. Here’s the schedule:

• Saturday, June 24: 1:10 p.m. ET, FOX
• Sunday, June 25: 10 a.m. ET, ESPN

Has MLB played in London before?

Yes.

This year will be MLB’s second trip to London after the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees faced off there in 2019. The Cubs and Cardinals were originally supposed to play there in 2020, but that was rescheduled due to the pandemic.

The squad features six forwards, seven midfielders, seven defenders and three goalkeepers. Here is a full look at the roster:

Goalkeepers

• Aubrey Kingsbury
• Casey Murphy
• Alyssa Naeher

Defenders

• Alana Cook
• Crystal Dunn
• Emily Fox
• Naomi Girma
• Sofia Huerta
• Kelley O’Hara
• Emily Sonnett

Midfielders

• Savannah DeMelo
• Julie Ertz
• Lindsey Horan
• Rose Lavelle
• Kristie Mewis
• Ashley Sanchez
• Andi Sullivan

Forwards

• Alex Morgan
• Megan Rapinoe
• Trinity Rodman
• Sophia Smith
• Alyssa Thompson
• Lynn Williams

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Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Kelley O’Hara will be competing in their fourth Women’s World Cup, becoming the 10th, 11th and 12th American players to accomplish the feat.

Alyssa Naeher and Julie Ertz are back for their third Women’s World Cup appearance, while Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle are set to make their second straight appearance. The remaining 14 players will be heading to the Women’s World Cup for the first time.

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski named the players to the team. The roster will not be made official until it is submitted to FIFA by the July 9 deadline.

“The task of selecting a World Cup Team is never easy, but I’m proud of the players for their work ethic and focus during the process and of our coaching staff for doing the work to put together the best team possible,” Andonovski said. “It’s the players that make the biggest impact on our environment, they push each other to be better and I know as a group they are extremely motivated to make our country proud at the World Cup. Every player has a different journey to get to this point so our roster has some amazing stories and we have a really good mix of veterans and younger players.”

The USWNT has won back-to-back Women’s World Cups and will begin its quest for a three-peat on July 21 against Vietnam in a group stage match. The Americans will also face the Netherlands, who they beat in the 2019 Women’s World Cup Final, and Portugal in Group E.

Before embarking to New Zealand, the team will play a Women’s World Cup Send-Off Match on July 9 in San Jose, Calif.

Victor Wembanyama has long been viewed as the clear consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s class. The only real question was which team was going to be lucky enough to be able to draft the French sensation, and that turned out to be the San Antonio Spurs.

But while the draft will get off to an unsurprising start, the drama will quickly kick into high gear.

The Charlotte Hornets face the draft’s first major decision at No. 2: Pair LaMelo Ball with Scoot Henderson in the backcourt or go wing with Brandon Miller. The Portland Trail Blazers, with Damian Lillard wanting to compete for championships, then face a possible franchise-altering decision at No. 3. There’s also trade potential with both picks, as teams like the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly eye Henderson, and as the Blazers reportedly search for win-now talent to surround Lillard with.

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Those two picks will be just the start of what could be a wild night in the NBA. Here’s how to watch it all unfold:

When is the 2023 NBA Draft?

This year’s draft takes place on Thursday, June 22.

Where is the 2023 NBA Draft location?

Barclays Center, home of the Nets, is the site of the 2023 NBA Draft. The Brooklyn, N.Y., venue has hosted every in-person NBA draft since 2013.

What time does the 2023 NBA Draft start?

The Spurs will officially go on the clock at around 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Where can I watch the NBA draft in 2023?

The draft will be televised on ESPN and ABC.

Is the 2023 NBA Draft available on streaming?

Fans can also stream the event online at ABC.com and ESPN.com, or on the ABC and ESPN apps.

What is the 2023 NBA Draft order?

Here are the first 14 selections in the draft:

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Charlotte Hornets

3. Portland Trail Blazers

4. Houston Rockets

5. Detroit Pistons

6. Orlando Magic 

7. Indiana Pacers

8. Washington Wizards

9. Utah Jazz

10. Dallas Mavericks

11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago)

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

13. Toronto Raptors

14. New Orleans Pelicans

You can check out the full draft order here.

The Canadian women’s soccer star has often been described as guarded, private and quiet. Sinclair herself admits that she is “awkwardly shy.”

But the 40-year-old has opened up in recent years, recently appearing on NBC’s “My New Favorite Futbolista” podcast to discuss her mother’s longtime battle with multiple sclerosis.

“My mom lived with MS for 40 years and, as a kid, I saw her battle,” Sinclair said on the podcast. “I saw her struggle. I saw her never give up. I saw her face the world bravely. She taught me a lot of perspective in life…Those days when I thought I was having a bad day. In the grand scheme of things, I have nothing to complain about.”  

Around the time that Sinclair became a teenager, she noticed her mother Sandra began to show up at her soccer games using a cane. Sandra soon told her that she had multiple sclerosis, a diagnosis and discomfort she hid from her children for 12 years. 

Sinclair at the time was not familiar with the disease and in the pre-smartphone era didn’t have instant access to information.

“All I could see was her physical capabilities being taken away from her, like she was walking with a cane,” Sinclair said. “At that moment in time, I didn’t know what that meant for the rest of her life.” 

Sinclair has always preferred to let her play do the talking. And oh the stories it could tell. 

Sinclair is soccer’s all-time leader for international goals scored with 190, she has won an Olympic gold medal and she is one of only three players in history to score in five different World Cup tournaments. And she’s one of Canada’s biggest stars.

She has long been in the spotlight on the field but has never sought it after the game ended. 

That changed when she was inspired by her mother to write her memoir “Playing the Long Game” after helping lead Canada to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The book was released just months after Sandra died in February of 2022.

“I think MS is a disease a lot of the time that people suffer through in silence and suffer with in silence,” Sinclair said. “People have heard of MS, but they don’t really know what it is. So for me, I just want people to know that they’re not alone.”

The first line of the book reads, “Talking about myself has never been something I’ve liked to do. For anyone who has followed my career, that won’t come as a surprise.”

She also described in the book the challenges she faced in connecting with new teammates. 

“It’s not my natural behavior to be outgoing until I really get to know you,” Sinclair wrote. “It’s not that I want to be standoffish, but I know I can seem that way.”

That, too, has recently changed. 

Sinclair’s longtime teammate Diana Matheson has noticed Sinclair making more of an effort to connect with her younger and often star-struck teammates.

“She’s Christine Sinclair, like, they’re in awe of her,” Matheson said on “My New Favorite Futbolista.” “And I think as she got older and embraced that leadership role, she’s aware of that and really intentionally put effort and energy into making sure she connected with those new players.”

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The conference and the thousands expected to attend it is an indication of the creep, or perhaps leap, of cultural acceptance for psychedelic substances that proponents say may offer benefits for things like post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. Still, medical experts caution that more research is needed on the drugs’ efficacy and the extent of the risks.

NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’ll soon debut with the New York Jets after years with the Green Bay Packers, has been open about his use of ayahuasca in the past and is slated to speak Wednesday. Rapper Jaden Smith, the son of Will Smith who has publicly shared the “ego dissolution” he felt when using psychedelics, will be speaking in Denver, too, as will former Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who is an advocate for researching psychedelics’ potential benefits for veterans experiencing PTSD.

The hosting organization, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, is the largest U.S. advocacy group. It has strategized to reach the full political spectrum, said Nicolas Langlitz, a historian of science who’s researched the boom and bust of psychedelic movements.

“Overall, this strategy has been tremendously successful,” he said. “At the time when any topic gets politically polarized, ironically these super polarizing substances now get bipartisan support.”

Still, Langlitz said, this conference is “purely designed to promote the hype,” which can exaggerate the potential benefits but can also drive further funding.

“Any kind of overselling is not good for science because science should be accurate rather than pushing things,” he said. “It’s a tradeoff. (The conference) generates interest, it generates ultimately more research, even though the research might be skewed toward positive results.”

Psychedelics are illegal at the federal level, though acceptance and interest in studying their potential benefits has grown. For example, some researchers believe psilocybin, the compound in psychedelic mushrooms, changes the way the brain organizes itself and can help users overcome things like depression and alcoholism.

The drugs themselves — and the interest in them — are not new. Mid-last century, authors Aldous Huxley and Ken Kesey helped spur the use of psychedelics during the counterculture movement, and optimism brimmed among some psychologists over the drugs’ potential to augment the human psyche.

But the Nixon administration criminalized psychedelics, pushing them underground.

“In both cases you have this upwelling of exuberance that may or may not be irrational,” said author Michael Pollan, who wrote a book on psychedelics and will be speaking at the conference. “But I think a big difference (now) is that the enthusiasm for the potential of psychedelics cuts across a much more representative slice of the population — it’s not about a counterculture.”

Republican strongholds, including Utah and Missouri, have or are considering commissioning studies into the drugs, partly inspired by veterans’ poignant stories. That’s why, though he stops short of promoting recreational use, Perry has become an unlikely flagbearer and helped get a bill passed in the Texas legislature in 2021 to fund a study of psilocybin for treating PTSD.

In Congress, successful proposals to fund psychedelic research for PTSD in veterans brought progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York and far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz from Florida into an unlikely alignment.

Public interest also appears to be growing. Just six years ago in Oakland, California, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies held a conference with roughly 3,000 attendees and a smattering of lesser-known speakers and die-hard proponents.

This time, organizers estimate at least 10,000 attendees. Other famous speakers will include former NHL player Daniel Carcillo, who owns a company specializing in psychedelic therapies; Olympic silver-medal figure skater Sasha Cohen; comedians Reggie Watts and Eric Andre, top-10 podcaster Andrew Huberman; and Carl Hart, the chair of Columbia University’s psychology department.

The American Psychiatric Association has not endorsed the use of psychedelics in treatment, noting the Federal Drug Administration has yet to offer a final determination. The FDA did designate psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” in 2018, a label that’s designed to speed the development and review of drugs to treat a serious condition. MDMA, often called ecstasy, also has that designation for PTSD treatment.

Both Pollan and Langlitz believe further research is key — especially as the nation faces an unprecedented mental health crisis and people struggle to find adequate treatment. But, Langlitz said, it’s important to let research shape the narrative.

“I would just try to keep my mind open to the possibility that in retrospect we will tell a very different story from the one that the protagonists of psychedelic therapies are currently predicting,” he said.

A similar scene played out a week later steps from the Florida Panthers’ arena before Stanley Cup Final games, with young fans playing inside an inflatable rink underneath palm trees.

The final between Vegas and Florida showcased the benefits of ball and roller hockey in many U.S. markets, with or without professional teams, where ice is hard to come by. The NHL earlier this year launched a street hockey program aimed at knocking down barriers to the sport, with the goal of creating interest in the game, even at more casual levels.

“The influence of our teams going to the South, and you see the players getting drafted out of California, Texas and Florida, and you’re seeing that influence already,” said former player Andrew Ference, who is spearheading the NHL Street program as part of his job with the league. “It’s a great success story that we have some NHLers coming from those areas, but imagine how many kids are left out. … There’s so many kids and families that aren’t going to have the ability to overcome some of those barriers that it takes in those cities.”

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Barriers range from cost and time commitments to the competitive nature of youth sports and even many families thinking they don’t belong in hockey. Stakeholders in the sport are trying many avenues to bring down those barriers, and street hockey is one of the latest attempts.

Ference, who played more than 1,000 NHL games as a defenseman from 1999-2015 and won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, was lucky to have outdoor ice available to him half the year while growing up in Edmonton. Still, he thinks many future pros logged more time playing street hockey in driveways and cul-de-sacs during their formative years.

“All I did when I was a kid was play ball hockey: literally get home from school, go outside, play with my friends,” said retired goaltender Andrew Raycroft, who joined Ference at an NHL Street event in Boston this past weekend. “It’s the easiest way to get into the game. Certainly the cost of skates, sticks, ice time living in the city, it’s really tough. But you can still love the game and play the game.”

As Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “The more kids are playing hockey in any form, the better it is for the growth of the game.” His oldest grandson, Matthew, is a New Jersey high school state champion with a net in his family’s driveway, and his 5-year-old grandson is taking skating lessons.

Getting on the ice to skate is harder in some places.

According to Arena Guide, a site that tracks indoor and outdoor rinks in North America, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arizona and Oklahoma have only 41 combined — many of them larger arenas not suited for youth hockey. USA Hockey’s last annual report counted just over 6,000 players in those six states combined, which is less than in North Carolina alone thanks to growth spurred by the Hurricanes playing there since 1997.

More ice rinks being are being built in other NHL markets like Dallas, Las Vegas and Tampa, which portends positive signs for the future, according to Bettman, who also pointed out how popular ball hockey has been for quite some time across North America.

Because of that, Ference said he and his colleagues aren’t trying to reinvent what street hockey is — just adding more structure to the old tradition of knocking on doors to see if enough neighborhood kids are around for a pickup game. But for a sport built on a team-first attitude, with attention to detail and discipline engrained from a young age, this isn’t about copying that.

“We don’t have to try to just kind of take ice hockey and put it on the street — basically take the skates off and take the exact same culture and put it on the street,” said Ference, now director of social impact, grown and fan development for the NHL. “Instead, let the kids that are doing the program kind of figure out how they want it to look and feel: What kind of moves do they want to do on a breakaway? What kind of music do they want on the playlist?”

Basically, make hockey fun.

Ference said the league drew inspiration from AND1 basketball, snowboarding and video games to try to see what elements of youth interest, culture and creativity could be derived from them. Basketball and winter sports have evolved as a result, and video games are a case of kids being able to try something without practice, to interact with friends and make mistakes more so than on the ice in organized hockey.

The idea is to create an enjoyable environment similar to flag football where the pressure is off but still open a new gateway to hockey.

“Hopefully getting a lot of the crossover athletes that look at it and see something cool and want to try something new,” Ference said. “They’re not committing their life to it, but you can create a lot of casual fans that way and people that have a good interaction with hockey. They might not be the complete diehard, all of them, but a lot of them will now be introduced to a sport that they wouldn’t have in the past.”

Who says you need to be loud to be a leader?

That’s not completely the case with Becky Sauerbrunn, the star captain of the United States women’s national team.

Sauerbrunn, 38, has been in the game a long time – even before her collegiate days at Virginia beginning in 2003. 

Two decades later, the St. Louis native continues to defy Father Time by playing at an elite level for both club (NWSL’s Portland Thorns) and country. If it wasn’t for a foot injury that forced her to miss out of the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, Sauerbrunn would’ve made her fourth appearance in the quadrennial tournament, a testament to her longevity.

Her absence will be a significant loss to the U.S. side given her consistency and experience as a center back, though her leadership off the pitch is just as vital.

And she does so in quite a unique way. 

Gender inequality unfortunately remains a common theme in many aspects of life, and sports are not immune. 

For Sauerbrunn, her journey in speaking out against gender inequality and creating meaningful change started firsthand when she was a student-athlete in high school.

“I realized that in high school,” Sauerbrunn said on NBC’s “My New Favorite Futbolista” podcast. “I didn’t really know the words to use it, but going to the men’s soccer game as opposed to the women’s soccer game and [thinking] why were there more people at the men’s game and not the women’s game? 

“And then you go to a football match and our team was terrible and yet there were so many people there and we had these women’s teams, like our basketball team was super good, but people weren’t showing up for our games. And I was like, why? Why is this? I don’t understand this. I didn’t know how to phrase it or put any meaning behind it, but it was noticeable.”

Sauerbrunn gradually realized that gender equality isn’t normal. She might not have known the words for it, but she could tell something wasn’t right about the disparity. 

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She then made her USWNT senior debut in 2008 after rising through the ranks of the youth teams. In 2016, she was named captain of the team alongside Carli Lloyd during the Rio Summer Olympics.

Her time playing for the national team helped open her eyes, Sauerbrunn said. She began attempting to reconstruct the situation to make more sense of it, which helped her start thinking about the reasons behind why such gaps were prominent. 

“I started the process of unlearning it by being surrounded by women who had already gone through that kind of revelation, that this isn’t right,” Sauerbrunn said. “Why do I believe these things? 

“Because I remember going into the national team and we were getting like eight or 10,000 people at our games, whereas the men, you know, they were selling out, you know, 25, 26,000 people at their stadiums and not understanding why that was, not understanding anything about investing early on to see a return on the investment later on, and thinking like, well, no wonder the men make more money than us, like they get more people at these games.”

Sauerbrunn then started to speak out about the inequality, but she said that didn’t happen until she had been playing with the national team for a while. She began speaking to more women who had worked with the older generation of players, such as Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers and more, to spark conversations around earning a liveable wage by doing what they love.

Through conversations with the U.S. Soccer Federation, Sauerbrunn and Co. realized they would need to utilize their platform more often to apply pressure and give the women more leverage in their fight, as talks usually became stagnant and nonchalant.

When the historic equal pay agreement was struck in September of 2022 – a deal that gave women identical pay structures to men for appearances and tournament victories, revenue sharing and equitable distribution of World Cup prize money – Sauerbrunn felt pure elation on what she and the women had accomplished, along with plenty of gratitude for those who helped get it over the line.

“It felt really, really good. Really good,” she said. “And it was awesome that it was in D.C. and a packed house. We had just won the game. We had all these labor union leaders, you know, Major League Baseball, football, NWSL, obviously our own Players Association senators, you know, people there who were invested in the fight a lot longer than maybe we had been. And to sign it on that night in front of everybody and to be able to, like, thank the people that really helped us along the way, including that original group of women, it felt so good. So good.”

But while most fans and supporters only saw the final result, they don’t see or experience the specific details and preparation that go into fighting for something as important as gender inequality. 

So, while people know the players struggled in their fight for change, they don’t know exactly how certain players struggled. Sauerbrunn, for example, is a major introvert. 

That may sound like it doesn’t add up given her years of experience as a captain, but it can be extremely difficult to lead a social charge when you’re not exactly a social person. Sauerbrunn has embraced the concept, but still scuffles with it.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over it.” she said. “I think I’ve embraced the uncomfortableness of putting myself out there. I think what really changed for me is knowing how important these issues are and how important it is to lend your voice to it and whether that’s you’re in the forefront or you’re amplifying someone else’s message.

“But I’ve been so fortunate to be given a platform where for some reason people listen to me sometimes when I talk and I think what comes of that is a responsibility to use it wisely. And for me, it would be a disservice to myself and to a lot of disenfranchized or marginalized people to not use my voice when I have the ability to.” 

Sauerbrunn also believes her introverted nature is a secret superpower, especially considering how she’s surrounded by more extroverts. She credits a book she read a few years ago called “Quiet” that delves into introversion, which provided her a fresh perspective on her traits and helped her find balance with her team.

“[‘Quiet’] really helped explain to me why in the way that I am, but also any fears that I harbored about being leader or using my platform explained it away for me, like, got those fears to be less dominating in my mind because with so many extroverts, you need somebody who’s kind of sitting back and listening and kind of trying to get all these threads to come together into a cohesive rope,” she said. “And that’s kind of my … I think that’s my superpower.”

You don’t need to be loud to be a leader or to create change. Being an introvert shouldn’t limit anyone when fighting for something you believe in, and Sauerbrunn laid out the perfect blueprint.

Listen to the full conversation with USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn on NBC’s “My New Favorite Futbolista” podcast here.

The 48th edition of the tournament — usually held in South America — will begin on June 20 and will run through the final on July 14, Concacaf announced in a statement.

The full schedule, along with host cities and venues, have not been revealed yet, however.

Defending champions Argentina — along with being the reigning World Cup winners — will be among the 10 Conmebol nations competing, with six additional teams coming from Concacaf.

The teams from Concacaf will be determined via the 2023-24 Nations League. The four semifinalists will automatically clinch a spot, while two additional teams will need to go through a qualifying play-off round to secure a berth.

The “strategic collaboration agreement” in place between Concacaf and Conmebol to host the South American-based tournament in the U.S. will also see four Conmebol guest nations competing in the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup in February and March 2024.

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Those four teams were determined based on the results of the 2022 Women’s Copa America: Brazil (champion) Colombia (runner-up), Argentina (third place) and Paraguay (fourth place).

The United States last hosted the men’s Copa America tournament in 2016, which also included a total of 16 teams. Chile won the tournament for the second time, with the U.S. placing fourth.

Ecuador was next in line in Conmebol’s rotation of the host nation for the tournament. However, the country in 2022 declined the opportunity, citing internal security issues.

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Police spokesperson Angel Rodriguez confirmed in an email that the incident happened Sunday but did not provide further details.

The Sun-Sentinel reported that the alleged incident happened at Haulover Park.

“We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with Tyreek, his representatives and the NFL. We will reserve further comment at this time,” a Dolphins spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs traded Hill to Miami last year, and the Dolphins gave the three-time All-Pro a $120 million, four-year contract extension that made Hill the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. The 29-year-old caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.

The 7-foot-5 star French center threw the ceremonial first pitch at the New York Yankees-Seattle Mariners game on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, but it didn’t quite go as planned.

Wembanyama — sporting a pinstriped Yankees jersey with Joe DiMaggio’s No. 5 on the back — stepped up to the plate while applauding fans and went through his wind up motion, but the right-handed toss went wide left of the catcher and into the dirt.

Here’s another angle of the pitch:

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Wembanyama is in New York with the upcoming draft being held at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.

Perhaps even more amusing was seeing Wembanyama riding the subway for the first time en route to Yankee Stadium. He had to crouch slightly just to fit.

And in case you were curious, here’s what the size of a baseball looks like in Wembanyama’s grasp, as he shared on his Instagram:

The 2023 draft is slated for Thursday, June 22. This time, though, he’ll have a classic basketball in his hands.

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The 2023 NBA Draft is just a few days away, and with it, we’ll soon know where the top prospects in this year’s class will be headed to potentially change a franchise’s trajectory.

Though there’s no real intrigue for the top overall selection, what happens after will be a domino effect worth paying attention to.

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Here are four things to know about the 2023 NBA Draft:

When and where is the 2023 NBA Draft?

Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, is the venue for the event on Thursday, June 22

Who has the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and how many are there?

The San Antonio Spurs have the first pick in the draft and there are a total of 58 selections (The Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls forfeited a second-rounder due to violating free agency rules).

Which NBA team has the most selections in the 2023 draft?

The Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers each have five picks going into Thursday.

Who are the top three players in the 2023 NBA Draft?

French star center Victor Wembanyama is the consensus No. 1 overall pick, while guard Scoot Henderson (G League) and forward Brandon Miller (Alabama) are the next two best prospects. 

The international star reportedly will appear in his first game for Inter Miami on July 21, when the team faces Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas revealed the news to Axios on Monday.

That game will be played at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Inter Miami’s home arena. The team will increase capacity at the stadium by 3,000 to 3,200 before Messi’s debut, increasing the total capacity to around 22,000.

Messi’s deal is for two and a half years with an option for 2026, according to Mas. The contract, which gives Messi an ownership stake in the club, will pay him between $50 and $60 million per year.

Ticket prices for Messi’s expected debut were already spiking from the moment he signed with the club. Now that the date is confirmed, fans will surely be flocking to their ticketing apps in search of seats.

The deal announced Tuesday said Joe Gibbs Racing has “received a significant investment” from Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment for the minority stake in the team. The private equity platform Arctos Partners will also be making a minority investment in JGR.

Gibbs, meanwhile, will become a limited partner in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, pending approval by the NBA and NHL. HBSE owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Josh Harris, the founder, is head of the ownership group for the Commanders.

“Josh Harris, David Blitzer and their entire team have a vision that has delivered winning franchises in basketball, hockey, soccer and youth sports,” Joe Gibbs said in a statement. “Their teams are among the most successful in their leagues in growing audience and sponsorship and their commitment to the communities they work in are unparalleled. I am excited to join the HBSE family and to have their support in growing Joe Gibbs Racing.”

Gibbs won three Super Bowls coaching Washington’s NFL team and had two stints as its head coach. He is both an NFL and NASCAR Hall of Famer.

“In recent years I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Coach Gibbs and am proud to count him as a trusted friend and adviser. Joe is a winner. First in football and then with Joe Gibbs Racing, he has led organizations that build winning cultures based on strong values and a deep commitment to family and faith,” Harris said. “This investment and partnership aims to support his vision and allow Joe Gibbs Racing to continue its track record of excellence long into the future.”

HBSE and Arctos will work to enhance and support the marketing, sales and business side of the operation. Gibbs advised Harris during his pursuit of the Commanders and issued a statement of support when the tentative agreement between Harris and Dan Snyder was announced in May.

Joe Gibbs Racing was founded in 1992 and won its first race in 1993 — the Daytona 500 with Dale Jarrett. JGR has 204 Cup wins and 197 Xfinity wins, and five Cup titles with Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch.

JGR this year fields cars for Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. HBSE will have no role in the day-to-day operations of JGR, which is headed by Gibbs and company president Dave Alpern.

The former No. 1 overall pick has battled through injuries since entering the NBA in 2019. Williamson has played in just 114 games over his first four seasons while missing 194 due to various ailments.

Now, he’s wrapped up in multiple storylines as the 2023 NBA Draft inches closer. Williamson is involved in a complicated love triangle with a former adult film star and a woman who is apparently pregnant with his child.

On top of that, he’s been mentioned in trade rumors as the New Orleans Pelicans assess their future plans. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, citing a source, said Williamson might not be on the team by Thursday’s draft.

Here are five teams that could potentially trade for the former All-Star forward, plus a look at what those teams have to offer (note: these are not hypothetical trade offers, just a compilation of these teams’ possible tradeable assets):

Portland Trail Blazers

Tradeable assets: Nos. 3 and 23 overall picks, Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Keon Johnson

If the Blazers hope to keep Damian Lillard happy, they have to significantly improve the team. Adding Williamson could be a good first step, especially since they own two first-round picks. The Pelicans reportedly covet Scoot Henderson, who could be there for the taking at No. 3. There’s another connection too, as Williamson rehabbed his foot injury in Portland last year.

Charlotte Hornets

Tradeable assets: Nos. 2 and 27 overall picks, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Mark Williams, Nick Richards

The Hornets were one spot away from being able to draft Victor Wembanyama, but Williamson could be a nice consolation prize. With LaMelo Ball likely off the table, they don’t have a ton of intriguing young players to deal. But the No. 2 pick, plus a veteran in Rozier or Hayward, could be enough to entice the Pelicans – who are looking to win now. Charlotte reportedly prefers another Pelicans forward, Brandon Ingram, over Williamson in a trade for the second pick.

New York Knicks

Tradeable assets: Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin, protected 2024 first-round picks from Dallas, Detroit and Washington

Unlike the first two teams, the Knicks don’t have a high draft pick – or any 2023 draft pick – to offer. Instead, New York has a collection of solid young pieces. Williamson could have ended up in New York if the 2019 lottery played out differently, and he certainly has an affinity for the Big Apple. Williamson and Barrett were college teammates at Duke, which could make for a good story if the Knicks were able to pull off the trade without including the latter.

Houston Rockets

Tradeable assets: Nos. 4 and 20 overall picks, Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Alperen Sengun, two future first-round picks from Brooklyn, two future first-round pick swaps with Brooklyn

The Rockets’ rebuild is expected to be accelerated this offseason. They hired Ime Udoka as head coach and have just under $50 million in projected cap space. Houston has stockpiled young players since trading away James Harden, though none of them look like sure-fire stars just yet. With plenty of future picks, two first-rounders in 2023 and the desire to start winning again, the Rockets could make sense as a Williamson suitor.

Atlanta Hawks

Tradeable assets: No. 15 overall pick, Dejounte Murray, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson, AJ Griffin, protected 2024 first-round pick from Sacramento

OK, this one seems unlikely. But it’s fun to imagine pairing Williamson with Trae Young. Atlanta has several different types of players to trade depending on what New Orleans wants. They have a bevy of solid role players, including Collins and Hunter. Then there are the young, promising players like Okongwu, Johnson and Griffin. If the Pelicans want a big-name player, Murray fills their need at point guard.

What will the Sharks’ defense look like next season if they trade Erik Karlsson? It probably is going to be very ugly, at least offensively.

Karlsson, of course, put up an NHL-leading 101 points, becoming the first defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to eclipse the century mark.

What was striking was how much of the Sharks’ blueline offense Karlsson dominated. Underscoring that, the Sharks were one of just two teams, along with the Montreal Canadiens, that didn’t have at least two 25-point or more blueliners on their roster at any point during the season.

Matt Benning was the Sharks’ second-most prolific defenseman with 24 points. San Jose is going to miss Karlsson offensively – and maybe even a little defensively.

Let’s review Karlsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Matt Benning, Mario Ferraro, Radim Simek, Jacob MacDonald, Henry Thrun, and Nikolai Knyzhov’s seasons, through the vantage point of SPORTLOGiQ’s micro-stats.

Erik Karlsson

There are the Karlsson numbers that everybody knows: 101 points and 74 at even strength. Both of which are 25 more than the runner-up defensemen.

And there are the dominating Karlsson numbers that you might not know.

According to SPORTLOGiQ, per 20 minutes at 5-on-5, Karlsson was fifth among all NHL defensemen in Offensive Zone Possession Time, sixth in Total Possession Time, third in Slot Pass Completions, seventh in OZ Dekes, third in Zone Exits, fourth in Offense-Generating Plays, and second in Possession-Driving Plays.

Underscoring his importance to San Jose, the next Sharks defenseman after Karlsson in these respective micro-stats was 243rd among all NHL defensemen in Offensive Zone Possession Time, 169th in Total Possession Time, 59th in Slot Pass Completions, 56th in OZ Dekes, 148th in Zone Exits, 233rd in Offense-Generating Plays, and 113th in Possession-Driving Plays.

Per SPORTLOGiQ, offense-generating plays “Are made up of all plays that lead to scoring chances. In other words, they’re plays that move the puck into high-danger areas or situations, recovering pucks for your team, and putting high-quality shot attempts on net.” Possession-driving plays are defined as “transitioning the puck up the ice under control, meaning not tossing it up the boards and hoping to win it back.”

Essentially, without Karlsson, the Sharks do not appear to have a reliable defenseman on the roster to exit the zone, hold onto the puck in the OZ, create offense, or drive possession.

Karlsson also had some value defensively: Besides being among the league’s best at Zone Exits – isn’t that a huge part of defense, to get the puck out of the zone to go on offense? – he also led all Sharks defensemen in Blocked Passes.

Mario Ferraro

Ferraro is the only Sharks defenseman besides Karlsson to average over 20 minutes a game in each of the past three seasons.

The results haven’t been there though: Offensively, he put up just four goals and seven assists in 72 games and ultimately was supplanted on the power play by Benning. Defensively, Ferraro’s minus-30 at 5-on-5 was fourth-worst among all NHL defensemen. 

Just in comparison, Karlsson was a minus-26 in All Situations but was second-best among Sharks defenders with an even goal differential at 5-on-5. That disparity is explained by Karlsson’s league-worst 21 empty net goals against.

But back to Ferraro, he continues to play big minutes and still is well-regarded league-wide: A lot of people believe that he just is in a bad situation with the Sharks. On a better team, we would see a better Ferraro.

One area where we can see Ferraro’s vaunted competitiveness is puck battles: He was third among Sharks defensemen in his Puck Battle Wins rate at 5-on-5.

Matt Benning

For just $1.25 million in Average Annual Value (AAV), Benning acted as duct tape for the many Sharks blueline shortcomings this season.

Missing a puck-mover from the backend after Karlsson? Benning had a career-high 23 assists, and notably, was one of just 15 defensemen last season to play over 1,000 5-on-5 minutes and average one assist or better per 60 minutes. Ahead of him was a who’s who in puck-moving defensemen like Karlsson, Adam Fox, Josh Morrissey, and Cale Makar.

Missing a reliable second power play option after Karlsson? Benning got a regular PP shift for the first time since 2018-19 with the Edmonton Oilers.

Missing a go-to shutdown defenseman? For the first time in his career, Benning was a first-choice penalty killer on a nightly basis.

Missing a top-four defenseman? Benning was third on the Sharks, after Karlsson and Mario Ferraro, with 19:47 played per game.

Yes, he might have been playing over his head a little, but that’s not his fault. By virtually any measure, Benning was a top-four rearguard for San Jose this past season.

Underscoring Benning’s underrated offensive contributions, he was second among Sharks defensemen in Slot Pass Completions at 5-on-5, after Karlsson.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic

After averaging a career-low 15:13 per game last season, Vlasic got back on track this season with about two more minutes per game (17:28) and a regular role on the penalty kill.

As a sign of his increased effectiveness and defensive engagement, Vlasic went from sixth among Sharks defensemen in Stick Checks last season to the head of the class.

While the 36-year-old is not likely to find the form that shut down a young Connor McDavid in the 2017 playoffs, it’s good to see Vlasic play credible hockey once again.  

Jacob MacDonald

It’s hard to evaluate Macdonald’s work with the Sharks because he played both forward and defense for them.

But he might be first in line for greater offensive responsibilities if the Sharks trade Karlsson: The 30-year-old led AHL defensemen in goals in 2017-18 and 2019-20.

There’s some untapped offense there that hasn’t manifested itself at the NHL level. Despite playing up front and getting his share of power play time, MacDonald had just one goal and five assists in 25 games in teal.

In much the same way, MacDonald’s micro-stats are a mix of forward and defense, so they’re not very accurate. But it’s interesting to note that among Sharks defensemen, he was second to Karlsson in Offense-Generating Plays at 5-on-5. Even from the backend, MacDonald did show good instincts attacking from the slot, though he couldn’t cash in most of the time.

There’s some offense there, but MacDonald is running out of time to show it in the NHL.

Radim Simek

Simek is a five-year NHL veteran, but he’s never topped 50 games. That mostly can be attributed to the hard-hitting stay-at-home defenseman’s inability to stay healthy.

When he is in the lineup though, Simek’s micro-stats track well. Granted, as a bottom-pairing defenseman, he gets easier competition, but it also makes you wonder if he could put together a pretty good season (or career) if he were to stay healthy.

Per SPORTLOGiQ, Simek was 15th among all NHL defensemen in Blocked Shots rate at 5-on-5, third in Loose Puck Recoveries, and 21st in Puck Battle Wins.

He’s a hard-to-play-against defenseman, but it’s hard to keep him in the line-up.

Henry Thrun

Recent Harvard graduate Thrun played just eight games for the Sharks but made an impression. Keep in mind, the ‘small sample size’ yada yada.

RELATED: What went wrong for Sharks goalies, what they want to improve

But he looks comfortable with the puck, finishing second on the Sharks’ defense, behind Karlsson, in Offensive Zone Possession Time. Defensively, he led Sharks defensemen in Defensive Zone Denial Rate.

He has a lot to work on – for example, he was last among Sharks rearguards in Puck Battle Wins rate – but that’s something that will come along as he gets stronger and savvier.

Nikolai Knyzhov

Knyzhov got just 12 games in his first action back since his impressive 2020-21 rookie campaign. So like Thrun, ‘small sample size’ alert.

But here are a couple of intriguing micro-stat nuggets: He was second among Sharks blueliners, behind Karlsson, in Dump-Out Rate, meaning Knyzhov was able to regularly get the puck out of the zone with possession (i.e. not dumping it out). He also led the defense in Stick Checks rate, so he was active defensively.

Those are both good signs as Knyzhov tries to put his career back on track after back-to-back injury-filled campaigns.

His decision did not surprise the Warriors. They expected Green to do so in search of a long-term contract. Even though his future in the Bay is being tested for first time since he was selected No. 35 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, it’s still the expectation that Green and the Warriors continue their marriage into a 12th season and beyond.

“These are two sides who very much want to get a deal done,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told “SportsCenter” host Scott Van Pelt on Monday night. “Draymond and [Klutch Sports agent] Rich Paul, they’re not really posturing here, threatening that they’re going to go somewhere else.”

Green was a restricted free agent in 2015 before signing a five-year deal worth $82 million with Golden State. He then inked a four-year extension worth $100 million in 2019.

Eleven years into his career, it’s only fair Green gets to test his value on the open market.

“There are great options out there for them, teams with cap space like Detroit in his home state of Michigan,” Wojnarowski said, “and a bunch of other contenders who would need help from the Warriors in sign-and-trade scenarios.”

Many contending teams could use a player like Green. There has been plenty of chatter on social media about Green pairing up with his longtime friend LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. But Green has long been adamant he wants to be a Warrior for life.

“I think Draymond agrees with the idea of continuing with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Steve Kerr,” Wojnarowski said. “I think it means the world to him. It’s just a matter of negotiation — is it a four-year deal? Is it a three-year deal?  

“These sides are destined to reunite.”

Draymond reportedly wants to return to the Warriors. Curry, Kerr, Thompson and many others inside Chase Center have echoed a similar hope.

“I think Steve has said it, and I’ll reiterate: We really want Draymond back,” new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said Monday. “What he means to this organization, this team, in terms of trying to win at the highest level, we feel like we have to have him.

“That’s very important.”

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NEW ZEALAND

AUCKLAND

Indigenous name: Tamaki Makaurau

Venue: Eden Park will stage the first match in New Zealand between co-host New Zealand and Norway. It will be the first of five group matches. The stadium will also host one match in the round of 16, one in the quarterfinals and one in the semifinals. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 to 60,000, depending on configuration. It was the main stadium for the 1990 Commonwealth Games and hosted the finals of the 1987 and 2011 Rugby World Cups, and a semifinal game at the 2015 Cricket World Cup. It stands in suburban Mount Eden near the dormant volcano of that name, known to indigenous Maori as Maungawhau.

Weather: Auckland is sub-tropical with warm summers and wet winters. Temperatures average 8-23 degrees Celsius year round (46-73 degrees Fahrenheit). Temperatures in July and August typically range from 11-15 Celsius (52-59 Fahrenheit).

About: Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with an urban population of about 1.6 million. About 41% of Auckland’s population was born overseas, giving it the eighth-largest proportion of foreign-born residents of any city in the world. It has the largest ethnic Polynesian population in the world. Maori have lived in the area since the 14th century. Europeans settled Auckland in 1840 and made it New Zealand’s capital until Wellington replaced it in 1865. Auckland is built on an isthmus between the Waitemata Harbor on the Pacific Ocean and Manukau Harbor on the Tasman Sea. One of its landmarks is the 328-meter (1,076 foot) Skytower, the second tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Auckland is surrounded by the Auckland Volcanic Field, which comprises about 50 dormant or extinct volcanoes. Auckland is known as the City of Sails for its large sailing community. It is the home to the America’s Cup syndicate Team New Zealand and has hosted the America’s Cup regatta three times. Many workers commute to downtown Auckland by ferries which serve points on the Waitemata Harbor and Hauraki Gulf. Waiheke Island is the largest in the Gulf with a population of about 10,000 and is famous for its vineyards.

Hometown Football Ferns: Erin Nayler (IFK Norrkoping), Ashleigh Ward (Southampton), Jaqui Hand (Colorado College).

HAMILTON

Indigenous name: Kirikiriroa

Venue: Waikato Regional Stadium has a capacity of 25,800 and is primarily a rugby venue. Formerly known as Rugby Park, it was due to host a match on the contentious 1981 tour of New Zealand by South Africa’s Springboks. But anti-apartheid protesters broke down fences and occupied the ground, preventing the rugby international from taking place. The stadium will host five matches in the group stage.

Weather: temperatures in July and August range from 6-14 degrees Celsius (43-57 degrees Fahrenheit).

About: Hamilton, with a population of 180,000, is an inland city on the banks of the Waikato River in Waikato province. Waikato is a leading farming center known for crop and dairy farms and home to some of New Zealand’s top thoroughbred stud farms. Colloquially known as “the Tron” by New Zealanders, it has the relaxed vibe of a large rural town. It also is a center of indigenous Maori culture. The largest iwi (tribe) in the region is Waikato-Tainui, which has substantial land and property holdings, including two major Hamilton hotels.

The city of Rotorua, popular among tourists for its boiling mud pools and geysers, is 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. Hobbiton, a location in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie series, is 43 kilometers (26 miles) away near the township of Matamata.

Hometown Football Ferns: Michaela Foster (Wellington Phoenix), the daughter of Ian Foster, head coach of the All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team.

WELLINGTON

Indigenous name: Te Whanganui-a-Tara

Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium, otherwise know as Sky Stadium or as the “Cake Tin” for it’s circular shape, seats 35,400 and is situated on the waterfront close to the central railway station. The stadium will host seven group matches, including the United States vs. Netherlands on July 27, one match in the round of 16 and one in the quarterfinals.

Its proximity to downtown means fans can walk to the ground from the central city or from trains arriving from Wellington’s suburbs. Ferries that cross the Cook Strait to link the North and South Islands leave nearby.

Weather: Wellington isn’t known as “Windy Wellington” for nothing. It is one of the windiest cities in the world by average windspeed. Temperatures in July and August on average are between 7-12 degrees Celsius (45-54 degrees Fahrenheit). Rain is common in those months.

About: New Zealand’s capital has an urban population of 212,000 and is known as a civil service city but with a bohemian vibe. Parliament buildings and the adjacent “Beehive” executive offices are not far from the stadium. Much of the central business district stands on land reclaimed since 1840 and the city also sits on one of New Zealand’s most active fault lines.

Wellington mostly nestles between steep hills to the west and it’s natural harbor. Houses perch above the city and harbor among native bush on steep hillsides. The city is home to film director Peter Jackson, who made the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, including at locations nearby, and Weta Workshops, which creates special effects and props for film and television, recently for the Avatar series of movies.

Wellington is popular for its compact city center, making it is easy to walk to most places. The city has one of the best restaurant and cafe scenes in New Zealand.

Hometown Football Ferns: C.J. Bott (Leicester), Emma Rolston (Wellington Phoenix), Kate Taylor (Wellington Phoenix).

DUNEDIN

Indigenous name: Otepoti

Venue: Dunedin Stadium, otherwise known as the Forysyth Barr Stadium, is the only indoor venue for matches in New Zealand. It has a capacity of 31,000. It is situated in northern Dunedin, close to the University Oval cricket venue and near the wide Otago University Campus, an easy walk from the central city.

Weather: Average temperatures in July and August range from 1-13 degrees Celsius (34-55 degrees Fahrenheit).

About: Dunedin is a college town and has a deep Scottish heritage. The name Dunedin, or Dùn Èideann, is the Scottish Gaelic form of Edinburgh. Scots first settled the city in 1848 and many thousands more arrived later.

The city’s many stone buildings remember the Scottish towns from which the settlers came and Dunedin has a tradition of pipe bands which often play at major sporting events. Dunedin also has a long history of Asian settlement. Many settlers from mainland China were attracted to Dunedin by the goldrush in Otago province in the 1860s.

The college campus and ornate railway station are landmarks near the central city. Lanark Castle on the Otago Peninsula was built by politician and entrepreneur William Lanark in 1872 in the style of an English stately home. It is reputedly haunted. Lanark committed suicide by shooting himself in the Parliament in Wellington in 1898 after the collapse of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand, of which he was a director and shareholder.

The Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head is the only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross in the world. It is open daily to visitors who can see adult birds which have a wing span of more than three meters (10 feet) and their chicks which are hatched and remain at the colony until they are able to fly.

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AUSTRALIA

SYDNEY

Indigenous name for Sydney Cove: Warrane

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is the only city with two venues for the tournament.

The 82,500-seat Stadium Australia, the centerpiece of the 2000 Olympics, is in the western suburbs on the way to Parramatta. It will host the opening game in Australia featuring the Matildas against Ireland in Group B, as well one round of 16 match, one quarterfinal match, one semifinal match and the final.

Sydney Football Stadium, a 42,000-seat venue on the southeastern edge of downtown on the route to Bondi Beach, will host five group games and one in the round of 16.

Weather: Average temperatures range from 8-18 degrees Celsius (46-64 degrees Fahrenheit) in late July and August, with moderate humidity and relatively low chance of rain.

About: Australia’s biggest and most vibrant city is renowned for its vast natural harbor, a spectacular backdrop to the Sydney Opera House — the iconic building with the white, wave-like roof on Bennelong Point — and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

It was the site of the first European settlement in Australia in 1788. Remnants of the colonial period are evident in the Rocks, where some of the buildings are made of convict-chiseled sandstone blocks. The precinct is on the western side of Sydney Cove and close to Circular Quay, where there’s a terminal for ferries that travel across the harbor to such places as Manly on the northern beaches.

Hometown Matildas: Alanna Kennedy (Manchester City). Caitlin Foord (Arsenal) and Emily van Egmond (San Diego Wave) grew up nearby.

In a country featuring some unique native fauna, the animal emblems of New South Wales are the platypus and kookaburra.

MELBOURNE

Indigenous name: Naarm

Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, also known as AAMI Park, will host four group games and two in the round of 16. It is a 30,000-seat soccer and rugby venue in the Victoria state capital’s expansive sports precinct across the road from Melbourne Park, home to the Australian Open tennis tournament. It’s within walking distance of the city along the Yarra River and from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, venue for the 1956 Olympics and spiritual home of Australian Rules football.

Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 6-15 degrees Celsius (43-59 degrees Fahrenheit), with moderate humidity and a regular prospect of light rain.

About: Melburnians call the city of 4.6 million the sporting capital of Australia. It’s the only Southern Hemisphere venue for one of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments, as well as a regular early-season stop on the Formula One calendar. The Melbourne Cup — the most prestigious horse race in the Southern Hemisphere — is held each November and is dubbed “The race that stops a nation.” The Australian Football League’s Grand Final in late September is cause for a government-mandated holiday in Victoria. Melbourne has a thriving restaurant scene and a love for laneway cafes and coffee culture. Trams have been a popular mode of public transport since the 1880s, in the wake of the gold rush that made Australia’s second city one of the most prosperous in the world.

Hometown Matildas: Steph Catley (Arsenal).

The state’s animal emblem is the Leadbeater’s possum.

BRISBANE

Indigenous name: Meeanjin

Venue: Brisbane Stadium, also known as Lang Park or Suncorp Stadium, is a 52,000-seat venue on the northwestern edge of the downtown area, usually Queensland’s home of rugby league. It will host five group games, one in the round of 16, one in the quarterfinals and the playoff for third place.

About: A lush, laidback sub-tropical bayside city, Brisbane is the fastest growing state capital in the country. The city, dissected by the Brisbane River, is a hub for a regional population of 4 million, including the Gold Coast to the south and the Sunshine Coast to the north, which are popular for their long, sandy surf beaches. The southeast corner of the so-called Sunshine state is well into planning for the 2032 Olympics, with Brisbane set to be the third Australian host city. The city staged the World Expo in 1988 on a strip of riverfront land now called Southbank, which is across the Go Between bridge from the stadium.

Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 10-22 degrees Celsius (50-72 degrees Fahrenheit), with low humidity and relatively low chance of rain.

Hometown Matildas: Clare Polkinghorne (Vittsjo GIK) and Katrina Gorry (Brisbane Roar on loan from Vittsjo GIK).

Koalas are the animal emblems of Queensland.

ADELAIDE

Indigenous name: Tarntanya

Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, also known as Coopers Stadium, will host four group games and one in the round of 16. It’s an 18,000-seat soccer stadium on the northeastern edge of the downtown area.

Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 8-17 degrees Celsius (46-63 degrees Fahrenheit), with moderate humidity and prospect of rain.

About: A stepping-off point for Kangaroo Island, the Great Australian Bight and the Nullarbor Plain, Adelaide is within easy driving distance of South Australia’s most prestigious vineyards in the Barossa and McLaren Vale. The city has abundant parkland, wide open streets in a grid pattern and has been called Australia’s City of Churches, reflecting its many stone religious buildings dating back to the 1840s. Adelaide was the first Australian city established by free settlers rather than as a penal colony. It was home to the Australian Grand Prix from 1985-96 and hosts the annual Tour Down Under, the opening race of the international cycling union’s world tour. The Adelaide Oval is rated among the most picturesque cricket venues in the world.

Adelaide is in the central Australian time zone, which is 30 minutes behind the east coast cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during the winter months.

Hometown Matildas: Alex Chidiac (Melbourne Victory on loan from Racing Louisville).

The southern hairy-nosed wombat is the animal emblem of South Australia.

PERTH

Indigenous name: Boorloo

Venue: The 22,000-seat Perth Rectangular Stadium, also known as HBF Park or Perth Oval, is east of the city’s downtown area and will host five group games.

Weather: Average temperatures in late July and August range from 8-19 degrees Celsius (46-66 degrees Fahrenheit), with moderate humidity and high chance of rain.

About: In terms of distance, it’s closer to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta than it is to Sydney, which is an almost 4,000-kilometer (2,450-mile) drive to the east. Situated on the Swan River, which is a sacred place for the Noongar First Nations people, Perth is the capital of the biggest state in Australia and is one of the most isolated cities of 1 million-plus in the world. Yet after riding the gold rush in the 1890s and the more recent mining and resources boom, Perth has become prosperous and is often rated among the world’s most livable cities. Locals often refer to the two-thirds of Australia beyond the state border as “over east.” It’s close to some of Australia’s famous surf spots, including Main Break at Margaret River, and has more bright sunny days than any other city in Australia.

Perth is in the Australian western time zone, which is two hours behind Australian eastern standard time and 90 minutes behind Adelaide in the winter months.

Hometown Matildas: Sam Kerr (Chelsea).

The Numbat and Black Swan are the animal emblems of Western Australia.

The crew of Sensation missed out on more than $3 million in prize money at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament after the 619.4-pound fish they caught was disqualified due to “mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal,” according to a statement from the tournament.

It took over six hours for the crew to reel in the marlin and bring it back to shore Saturday night, according to the tournament’s website. Once the crew hoisted the marlin up, it was clear that it had bite marks on its body.

The tournament made the disqualification official the following morning after consulting with biologists.

“The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament follows IGFA rules regarding mutilated fish as outlined in Rule #23 in the Big Rock Official Rules,” the tournament wrote in its statement. “IGFA rules state that the following situation will disqualify a fish: ‘Mutilation to the fish, prior to landing or boating the catch, caused by sharks, other fish, mammals, or propellers that remove or penetrate the flesh.’”

With Sensation’s catch disqualified, Sushi was named the winner with its 484.5-pound fish, beating out second-place Chasin (479.8 pounds) and C-Student (470.2 pounds). 

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament dished out $5,835,075 in overall prize money. The Sensation crew would have been awarded $3.5 million for its catch, including over $700,000 for catching a marlin over 500 pounds. Instead, Sushi came away with $2,769,438 in earnings.

“It’s very disheartening,” Sensation owner Ashley Bleau said, via NBC affiliate WITN.

Bleau officially protested the results of the tournament, saying Big Rock is not an IGFA Tournament and that the mutilation rule is not applied uniformly. Prize money is put on hold until the protest is resolved.

Those hands, two belonging to CEO Joe Lacob and two belonging to new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., planted their flag of hope on Monday, mere hours after Green’s decision was revealed by his agent, Rich Paul.

“I will say, (coach) Steve (Kerr) has said it and I will reiterate it: We really want Draymond back,” Dunleavy said. “What he means in terms of this organization and this team, winning at the highest level, we feel like we have to have him.”

Lacob was emphatically appreciative while assessing Draymond’s past contributions but less so regarding the future.

“Look, he’s been a spectacular player for us,” Lacob said. “We would not have these championships without his involvement, no question. I think everyone understands that in this room. He’s meant a lot to this franchise.

“He’s a bit of a controversial player perhaps in some corners around the league, certain things that have happened over the years. He knows that. We know that. But the good overwhelms the bad. He probably needs to improve, just like we all do, get better at certain things. We probably need, as Mike said, to improve as an organization in some ways, for sure. He’s meant a lot. If he does come back, he will be very important to our success certainly going forward in the next few years.”

There’s a lot between the lines of Lacob’s statement, including an early negotiating tactic and awareness of the team’s stratospheric payroll. He sets the spending limit and wisely is preparing for the possibility of a stalemate that could toss the matter back into the hands of Draymond and Paul.

There is at least one other factor in the recesses of Lacob’s mind – and perhaps that of Dunleavy, too. The Warriors this summer could reach a point where they might have to choose between Jordan Poole and Draymond Green.

There was the oft-publicized instance in which Draymond walked up to JP and slugged him in the face during a preseason practice last October. There is the possibility that breach of brotherhood might never be closed. There is the fact that JP’s contract, which could be worth as much as $140 million (with two layers of incentives) over four years — larger than any contract Green ever signed — is a massive investment in the future of the Warriors.

Poole is on Golden State’s books and will stay there unless he is traded. And, yes, that is very much in the realm of possibility.
Green will go off the books at the start of free agency in two weeks, with the hope of a new deal that puts him back on the books for at least three years.

Poole represents a valuable asset today with the potential to grow into much more tomorrow.

Green represents an essential component of Golden State’s past glory that, at age 33, almost certainly will provide diminishing returns as Poole enters his prime.

Golden State’s “right now” list includes JP and, hopefully, Draymond. The “down the road” list includes only JP.

Dunleavy, for now, leans hard toward having both on the roster next season — which likely doesn’t happen unless Draymond gets a multiyear contract.

“First and foremost, like it’s been said, to be able to get Draymond back would be huge,” he said. “From there, we would love to make improvements to the point of can we add some more shooting? Versatility? Can we add some connectivity, whether that’s through ball handling, passing, veteran experience?

“We’ve heard, talked to the coaching staff, talked to our players, we have a good sense of kind of what we need to do.”

If this summer follows the signal of last winter, it’s conceivable the Warriors commit to Draymond and find a way to move JP. The trade of James Wiseman in February, essentially to reacquire Gary Payton II, was a signal that the franchise was betting on the immediate.

RELATED: Source: Livingston leaving Dubs front office, focusing on family

The front office, the coaching staff and the influential veterans on the roster last season felt enough urgency to make a risky move to maximize the remaining seasons of the accomplished veteran core trio, with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson alongside Green.

The Warriors are, according to several league sources, open to trades. Poole’s age (24) and talent and contract make him someone who can yield an immediate contributor in return.

Might both Green and Poole be on the roster when training camp opens? Yes. But if only one shows up, it’s because the Warriors stayed with the timeline adjusted only four months ago. They will have found a way to meet Draymond’s price.

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The 2023 edition of the quadrennial tournament will pit the Gals against three solid nations, with one placed inside the top 10 of FIFA’s international rankings of the women’s teams.

It won’t exactly be a walk in the park for the USWNT as injuries are beginning to surface. Youngster Mallory Swanson tore her patella tendon in April and isn’t likely to be fit in time for the games in July, and veteran defender Becky Sauerbrunn announced in June she will miss out with a foot injury.

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So, who will the USWNT face and what can you expect from the competition? Let’s take a look:

Who will the USWNT play in the 2023 World Cup group stage?

The USWNT will play these three opponents, in order of appearance: Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal.

What is the USWNT’s schedule at the 2023 World Cup?

For the opening three group stage games, here is how the USWNT’s schedule lines up:

• Vs. Vietnam on Friday, July 21 at 9 p.m. ET
• Vs. the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 26 at 9 p.m. ET
• Vs. Portugal on Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. ET

What are Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal’s FIFA women’s rankings?

Based on FIFA’s latest international ranking of the women’s teams on June 9, here are the placements for the USWNT’s opponents:

• Vietnam: 31
• Netherlands: 9
• Portugal: 21

The USWNT, for comparison’s sake, is No. 1.

What is the USWNT’s head-to-head record vs. Vietnam?

Believe it or not, this will mark the two nation’s first time meeting each other in any setting, so the head-to-head record currently is blank.

What is the USWNT’s head-to-head record vs. the Netherlands?

The Netherlands may be inside the top 10 ranking-wise, but the USWNT’s record is extremely favorable. The Gals are 8-1-1 (win-draw-loss) in 10 games against the Dutch, with the last matchup stemming from July of 2021. The U.S. scored 31 times in those games while conceding just eight goals, a difference of plus-23.

What is the USWNT’s head-to-head record vs. Portugal?

If 8-1-1 sounded advantageous, here’s the USWNT’s all-time record vs. Portugal in 10 games: 10-0-0. Their last meetup came in June of 2021, with the U.S. scoring 39 times and allowing zero across the ten matches.

The 105-meter long, 68-meter wide (114 yards by 74 yards) was built by hand on the tussocky plains of the McKenzie Country in front of the 3,724-meter (12,217-foot) mountain on which Sir Edmond Hillary trained for his successful assault on the summit of Mount Everest.

Two teams of local girls, named Pukaki and Tekapo after pristine alpine lakes nearby, were invited to play the first friendly match on the pitch on Tuesday, refereed by New Zealand Football National Referee Development Manager Lindsey Robinson.

“I came here today to referee the game in the most beautiful place on earth,” Robinson said. “Aside from the stunning landscape it was a great game of football.

“I’m incredibly excited about so many visitors coming to New Zealand to enjoy the game and enjoy this beautiful part of the world.”

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Tourism New Zealand worked with local indigenous Maori and the Department of Conservation to ensure the project was executed in a way that respected mana whenua (the rights of New Zealand’s Indigenous people) and had no lasting impact on the land.

The pitch was created over six weeks, adhering to strict environmental and sustainability principles with a philosophy of “tread lightly” ensuring the land could be returned to its natural state.

The match between Pukaki and Tekapo ended in a 1-1 draw.

Eight-year-old Immy Ivey was amazed she was able to play beneath Aoraki Mount Cook.

“It’s cool playing football in the mountains because when you score a goal, instead of just having plain grass, you can see the big mountains instead which is nice for a change,” Ivey said.

New Zealand and Australia are co-hosting the Women’s World Cup, which kicks off July 20 and features 32 teams. The final is set to be staged in Sydney on Aug. 20.

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Including the USWNT, 32 nations will be battling in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup beginning in late July, which will be co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia for the first time ever.

The USWNT took home the ultimate prize in each of the last two tournaments in 2015 and 2019, but as women’s football grows, so will the quality of the competition.

From the teams competing to their schedules and more, here’s everything to know about the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup calendar:

When does the 2023 Women’s World Cup start?

The first game of the tournament is on Thursday, July 20. Co-host New Zealand will kick things off against Norway for the sole game of the day.

When is the 2023 Women’s World Cup Final?

The final won’t transpire until exactly a month later. The last two teams will duke it out on Sunday, Aug. 20, in Sydney, Australia.

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What is the schedule for the 2023 Women’s World Cup?

There are 32 teams divided across eight groups. The four teams in each group will play each other once, round-robin style. The USWNT will compete in Group E against Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal. Here’s a look at the Group E schedule, with all kick-off times in ET:

• Friday, July 21: USA vs. Vietnam – 9 p.m.
• Sunday, July 23: Netherlands vs. Portugal – 3:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, July 26: USA vs. Netherlands – 9 p.m.
• Thursday, July 27: Portugal vs. Vietnam – 3:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 1: Portugal vs. USA – 3 a.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 1: Vietnam vs. Netherlands – 3 a.m.

You can view the full schedule for all groups and knockout stage games here.

What are the groups for the 2023 Women’s World Cup?

Here is a look at the eight groups for the tournament:

Group A

• New Zealand
• Norway
• Philippines
• Switzerland

Group B

• Australia
• Canada
• Republic of Ireland
• Nigeria

Group C

• Costa Rica
• Japan
• Spain
• Zambia

Group D

• China
• Denmark
• England
• Haiti

Group E

• Netherlands
• Portugal
• USA
• Vietnam

Group F

• Brazil
• France
• Jamaica
• Panama

Group G

• Argentina
• Italy
• South Africa
• Sweden

Group H

• Colombia
• Germany
• Morocco
• South Korea

How to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup

English-language viewers can tune into the World Cup on Fox, which will broadcast 29 matches on its main network. The rest will air on FS1. All matches will be available to stream on the Fox mobile app.

The games will be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo and Univision. All 64 matches will be streamed on Peacock.

The tennis Hall of Famer announced the news Monday on Twitter after what she said was a full day of tests at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, proton and radiation magicians etc- what a relief,” she wrote.

Navratilova, 66, revealed she had been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer in January and that she would begin treatment that month. She had been diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer in 2010 and had a lumpectomy.

The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion had noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck in November and a biopsy revealed the early stage throat cancer. But Navratilova felt well enough to return to her TV work with the Tennis Channel by the Miami Open in March.

___

“Instead of saying that, I told him to have fun,” he said late Monday night. “This is a cool moment, you know?”

Sabol stepped up and drew a walk. Yastrzemski followed with a single, and with that, the Giants were once again off and running.

Three batters later, they had tied the game. An inning after that, Yastrzemski blasted a three-run homer through the dark night and into the cove, giving the Giants a 7-4 victory over the San Diego Padres that was their eighth straight.

The comebacks have become the norm this month, as the Giants have surged back into the NL West race, but Monday’s was a bit more important. Giants officials were curious what kind of crowd would show up on Monday, and they were cautiously optimistic.

You can’t possibly ask for much more momentum than the players built on the last trip when they won all six games and swept the rival Dodgers. In the middle of it, Luis Matos gave the roster another fun rookie to build around. And as the Giants finally returned home, they did so on a federal holiday, one that had most of the Bay Area free to attend a baseball game.

The crowd of 35,376 was the biggest on a weeknight this season and the sixth-largest of the year, period. It was the largest Monday night crowd at Oracle Park since before the pandemic.

Yastrzemski is one of the few Giants who were around back then. He didn’t play here when 81 sellouts were a yearly guarantee, but he saw some raucous crowds in his rookie season of 2019, and he smiled Monday as he recalled Buster Posey telling him a story two years later. After Posey hit a homer in the 2021 NLDS that had Oracle Park shaking, he told Yastrzemski it was the loudest he had ever heard the ballpark.

The Giants are a long way from consistently getting back to that point, in large part because the city itself isn’t what it once was, but they certainly are doing all they can to draw the fan base back to Third and King. When you have 35,000 standing in the ninth inning, you want to give them a reason to come back.

Nothing does that more than a walk-off. But will this build momentum?

“I hope so because they make it a lot more fun,” Yastrzemski said. “I understand that it’s tough to show up when things aren’t going well, but those are the times that we need fans the most to make the games feel important, to have a little bit of extra meaning for us. And then when they do that they can say that they were there through every bump and every nook and every cranny. They can show the true fandom and then when the great things happen they can celebrate them even harder.

“It was a really fun crowd tonight and I appreciate every single one of the fans that did come out, and hope to see more of them.”

Yastrzemski became a fan favorite in 2019, but he added to his legacy in orange and black in the late innings Monday. A solo homer got the Giants within a couple of runs, and his dash home — and electric slide — tied it in the ninth. In the 10th, he hit his fourth career walk-off. It was hit so hard that he was able to literally walk out of the batter’s box.

“That was probably the first time that I’ve enjoyed (a walk-off). I always worry about the ball getting caught,” he said. “It was nice to be able to get to enjoy that for a bit.”

His teammates felt the same way, particularly the young ones. Keaton Winn, who saved the Giants with five strong relief innings, said he had been looking forward to the nightclub vibe the Giants have in the home clubhouse after wins. Winn joined just about everyone else at Club Dub in having a hand in the win.

“It’s the little things, over a long period of time, that win baseball games,” manager Gabe Kapler said as the party raged a few yards down the hall.

RELATED: Why Kapler loved Giants rookie Matos’ bat flips after walks

The Giants got a huge walk and a key bunt from Sabol. Patrick Bailey’s throw in the first saved a run, which proved crucial. Casey Schmitt even got involved in an unpredictable way, drawing his second walk of the year in the bottom of the ninth. The coaching staff had a huge hand, too, with some deft maneuvers in the eighth and ninth ultimately forcing Bob Melvin to go away from an effective left-hander on a night when the Padres were without their top three relievers because of heavy recent workloads.

Yastrzemksi stunned Josh Hader with a walk-off last year. This time around, it was Ray Kerr who paid, allowing Yastrzemski to follow his own advice.

“It felt like I was saying it to myself, too,” he said. “Just have fun.”

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SAN FRANCISCO — Come-from-behind wins on the road are nice, and certainly help you get to the postseason. But there’s nothing like doing it at home, as Mike Yastrzemski reminded everyone on Monday night.

Yastrzemski was all over three late rallies for the Giants and won it with a three-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning.

His fourth career walk-off landed in McCovey Cove and gave the Giants a 7-4 win over the San Diego Padres, their eighth straight.

The Giants trailed all night, but they emptied the bench in the late innings and it finally paid off in the ninth. With Josh Hader unavailable, the Padres turned to right-hander Luis Garcia, who proved to have no idea how to hit the strike zone. Garcia walked pinch-hitter Blake Sabol and then gave up a single to Yastrzemski. A very wild pitch brought one run home, and Yastrzemski took third on Luis Matos’ fly ball to center. After a walk of J.D. Davis, Garcia was yanked, but Drew Carlton wasn’t much better.

Patrick Bailey’s line drive to left was deep enough to score Yastrzemski, and Carlton followed with walks of David Villar and Casey Schmitt, who had just one in his prior 134 plate appearances. Padres manager Bob Melvin made his third pitching change of the inning, and this time he was rewarded. Ray Kerr struck out Joc Pederson to leave the bases loaded.

The Padres had jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind Michael Wacha, with Juan Soto hitting a pair of loud homers to left. The Giants crawled back on a couple of homers of their own.

With Davis and Schmitt banged up, Villar took advantage of a start at third and hit a solo shot to left in the fifth. The homer was his first since April 29, when he went deep against the Padres in Mexico City.

An inning later, Yastrzemski gave Wacha a flashback he probably didn’t want. Yastrzemski’s ninth homer of the season landed in the arcade and made it a two-run game. That set the stage for the late drama.

Ain’t Havin’ It

Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game with a double to left and immediately tried to steal third on Patrick Bailey. Tatis was initially ruled safe, but the Giants challenged and it was a quick review.

Bailey now has caught eight of 20 runners who have tried to steal on him. In the last four games, he has thrown out Tatis and Mookie Betts, two of the better baserunners in the National League. Monday’s throw prevented a run, as Soto followed with a homer.

The Rookie Relievers

Ryan Walker has a good sense of humor, apparently. When “opener” John Brebbia went down, he said he hoped that his replacement would use his “I’m just the opener” warm-up song and Walker did in his first start in the big leagues. He gave up a solo homer to Soto, but that was the only run in his 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Soto had the same greeting for rookie Keaton Winn.

The superstar left fielder crushed Winn’s first pitch to just about the same exact spot as his first homer, but Winn settled in quickly.

He threw five shutout innings after the blast, allowing three hits and striking out four. Winn ended his first night at Oracle Park with a strikeout of Tatis with two outs in the top of the ninth.

Winn has allowed just one run over nine innings in two relief appearances. The Giants will have this rotation spot come up again over the weekend, and it’s possible that either Winn or Tristan Beck fills it.

Getting Healthy

The Giants had enough concern about their infield after Sunday’s game that they flew Triple-A second baseman Isan Diaz from Texas to San Francisco, but Diaz didn’t end up getting activated. When Scott Alexander (hamstring strain) went on the IL, Sean Hjelle got that spot.

RELATED: Why Kapler loved Giants rookie Matos’ bat flips after walks

In the late innings, it became clear why the Giants went that way. Davis pinch-hit for Brandon Crawford and stayed in the game at third. After making his first defensive appearance since spraining his ankle a week ago, Davis should be able to return to a starting role on Tuesday.

A day after Schmitt took a fastball off the forearm, he pinch-hit and stayed in the game at shortstop. The welt on Schmitt’s arm was just about gone when he arrived at Oracle Park on Monday and he felt fine after going through a pregame workout.

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After having a different rushing leader for six consecutive seasons, veteran back Christian McCaffrey is set to be the first back-to-back leading rushing for the first time since Carlos Hyde held that title from 2015-2017.

San Francisco’s leading rushers since 2017:

2022: Christian McCaffrey
2021: Elijah Mitchell
2020: Jeff Wilson Jr.
2019: Raheem Mostert
2018: Matt Breida
2017: Carlos Hyde

McCaffrey already was in mid-season form during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp earlier this spring, running with confidence and power. Having a full offseason with Shanahan’s playbook will set the All-Pro up for success come Week 1.

Shanahan is known for his run-first offense, but that could even be more prevalent with a new right tackle after Mike McGlinchey signed with the Denver Broncos this offseason.

Colton McKivitz likely is the replacement for McGlinchey. To reduce the pressure on the West Virginia product in pass protection, the 49ers could become more run-based than they have in the past and McCaffrey will be a key element.

The First Team All-Pro also could become the first 1,000-yard rusher for the 49ers since Frank Gore did so in four consecutive seasons from 2011-2014. McCaffrey did register 1,139 yards in 2022, but only 746 of those were with the 49ers.

McCaffrey will not need to do it all on his own, as he will be joined by a healthy Elijah Mitchell who is set to head into training camp at full speed. In his rookie season, Mitchell registered 963 yards in only 11 appearances, but his sophomore showing was hampered by nagging knee issues.

In 2022, Mitchell only was on the field for five games — one as a starter, registering 45 carries for 279 yards and two touchdowns.

RELATED: Three reasons 49ers’ offense will be more aggressive in 2023

Second-year back Jordan Mason also will have a shot to make more of an impact in the run game. The special teams standout recorded 43 attempts for 258 yards and one touchdown as a rookie. Mason will be looking to increase his usage from 82 offensive snaps in 2022 and 246 special team plays.

Ty Davis-Price, also a second-year back, rounds out the group. Similar to Mason, Davis-Price is looking to make more of an impact in his sophomore season. The third-round draft pick (No. 93 overall) appeared in six games in his rookie campaign, carrying the ball 34 times for 99 yards.

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Melvin, who managed the A’s for 11 seasons before accepting the Padres managerial job prior to the 2022 season, spoke to reporters prior to San Diego’s game against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night about Oakland’s potential relocation to Las Vegas.

“It’s sad. Anybody who grew up here does not look forward to that happening,” Melvin said. “I don’t know that anything is 100 percent sure yet, but obviously for a lot of people here they’ve followed the A’s and it’s a storied franchise with a rich history. A lot of winning, some of the great players in all of baseball played there.

“It would be sad. So we’ll see where it goes from here, it looks like it’s getting some traction in Vegas, but you never know until the last minute. I think a lot of people are holding out hope that maybe it doesn’t happen.”

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo recently signed Senate Bill 1 into law which provides $380 million in public funding for the A’s $1.5 billion ballpark project, a big step toward relocation. The A’s now will apply for relocation, which will be voted on by the league’s 30 owners before any move is made official.

RELATED: A’s acquire right-handed pitcher Ríos in trade with Braves

In addition to Melvin, another former A’s manager, Art Howe, recently discussed the team’s potential move.

“I really feel for the fans cause they deserve a team,” Howe told KNBR last Thursday. “They’re just wonderful fans.”

The A’s and the city of Oakland always will hold a special place in the hearts of Melvin and so many others.

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Mike Dunleavy Jr. started that attempt on Monday by speaking to the media for the first time as the team’s GM during a briefing held at Chase Center in San Francisco.

This isn’t the first time Warriors fans have met Dunleavy. He’s been known in the Bay Area since 2002, when the Warriors selected the Duke product with the third overall pick in that year’s draft.

Dunleavy didn’t do much to distinguish himself in Oakland over his five years with the squad. His greatest contribution as a player may have been being sent off to the Indiana Pacers as part of the deal that brought back Steven Jackson and Al Harrington – two vital components of Golden State’s magical “We Believe” playoff team.

But Dunleavy carved out a niche for himself in the NBA as a player who provided sharp shooting and consistency in limited roles. And when his career ended in 2017, it was his very first team that jumped at the chance to bring him back as a pro scout.

Fast forward to Monday. Dunleavy, as the Warriors’ Vice President of Basketball Operations, was quickly tapped as a possible successor to GM Bob Myers after Myers announced his resignation. When the promotion was announced, though, Dunleavy expressed some hesitation about taking over for the two-time executive of the year.

“I gotta be honest,” Dunleavy said, relaying a conversation he had with Myers, “I’m a little uncomfortable taking your job.”

“Come on, Dunleavy,” Myers reportedly replied. “It’s not like you’re taking an organ.”

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While that may be true, many considered Myers the brains behind the Warriors dynasty that capture four championships in eight seasons. Replacing him comes with a daunting series of headaches.

First on the agenda is the NBA Draft. That takes place this Thursday, and the Warriors own the 19th overall pick.

But the more pressing issue is the future of Draymond Green. The mercurial forward announced through his agent Monday that he’s declining the player option in his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Dunleavy reiterated Monday what’s been the sentiment of the organization all offseason: they want Green back in the Bay next year.

“We really want Draymond back,” said Dunleavy. “What he means to this organization, this team, in terms of trying to win at the highest level, we feel like we have to have him, so that’s very important.”

The draft and a free agent with the magnitude and stature of Green would be a lot for seasoned GMs to tackle. Add in a new collective bargaining agreement and a hefty luxury tax bill to navigate, plus the uncertain futures of youngsters like Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga, and you have a veritable minefield of challenges through which this rookie will be seeking to tiptoe.

How does Dunleavy see it all going?

“We certainly have some work cut out for us,” he said. “But I think the future is bright.”

Shaun Livingston will not be a part of the Warriors’ front office next season, a source has told NBC Sports Bay Area. The decision was from Livingston, not the team, to focus on family.

Livingston, 37, is moving to Las Vegas permanently and no longer will live in the Bay Area. He and his wife, Joanna, already have a house in Vegas. The two also have two children, ages 4 and 6.

The former No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft spent the final five years of his 14-year playing career with the Warriors, where he reached five straight NBA Finals and was a three-time champion. Livingston decided to join Golden State’s front office after his playing career instead of trying his hand at coaching. Bob Myers, who is stepping down after 11 years as the Warriors’ general manager, played a vital role in Livingston’s second basketball career.

One year after retiring from playing following the 2018-19 season, Livingston joined the Warriors’ front office in September of 2020 as director of players affairs and engagement, holding a strong voice for players young and old.

While the Warriors began lighting the NBA up from a long distance, Livingston used his length as a 6-foot-7 point guard to be the perfect complement off the bench for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and was a lethal part of Steve Kerr’s offensive system from the mid-range. Livingston in his final five seasons as a Warrior averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 52.6 percent on 2-pointers.

The moment free agency opened in 2014, Livingston and the Warriors agreed to a three-year contract. History repeated itself three years later. Livingston again agreed to a three-year contract to remain a Warrior in the summer of 2017, and the final year, which he never played, was partially guaranteed.

RELATED: Draymond will become free agent after declining 2023-24 player option

He recently credited Myers, Kerr and Jerry West as his three main reasons for originally signing with the Warriors. Myers’ contract ends June 30, Kerr is entering the final season of his current contract as the Warriors’ head coach and West hasn’t been part of the franchise since the 2016-17 season.

Zaza Pachulia became a part of the Warriors’ front office in 2019, Livingston came aboard in 2020 and Leandro Barbosa also was hired to Kerr’s coaching staff in 2020, giving the Warriors three former players who won titles for Golden State. Barbosa last season followed Mike Brown to Sacramento as a member of the Kings’ coaching staff, and Pachulia remains a Warriors basketball operations consultant.

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The 2023 NBA Draft is nearing, so after months of draft discourse and debate, fans will finally know who will be the newest members of their team.

For the San Antonio Spurs, that seems a given. The Spurs won the No. 1 overall pick in May’s draft lottery, giving them the golden opportunity to select star French center Victor Wembanyama.

After Wembanyama comes Scoot Henderson (G League), Brandon Miller (Alabama) and more several highly touted rookies who could make a difference for whichever team they end up on.

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But when will all of this transpire? Here’s a breakdown:

When is the 2023 NBA Draft?

The 2023 draft will take place on Thursday, June 22.

What time is the 2023 NBA Draft?

The event will start at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. San Antonio will be on the clock shortly after.

What is the 2023 NBA Draft order?

Here are the first 14 selections in the draft:

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Charlotte Hornets

3. Portland Trail Blazers

4. Houston Rockets

5. Detroit Pistons

6. Orlando Magic 

7. Indiana Pacers

8. Washington Wizards

9. Utah Jazz

10. Dallas Mavericks

11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago)

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

13. Toronto Raptors

14. New Orleans Pelicans

You can check out the full draft order here.

When was the first ever NBA draft?

The first ever NBA draft occurred in 1950, which came after the organization rebranded itself from the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Chuck Share, a center from Bowling Green, went No. 1 overall to the Boston Celtics.

Is the NBA draft always in June?

Yes, the NBA draft is typically held around the end of June following the conclusion of the postseason and is one of the key starting points of the offseason.

San Francisco relied heavily on its defense in recent years, but the 2023 NFL season could be the time the offense takes a significant step forward to become the strength of the team.

Why?

— The 49ers will have versatile star running back Christian McCaffrey from the beginning of the season to team up with tight end George Kittle and receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

— Coach Kyle Shanahan demonstrated a lot of faith in quarterback Brock Purdy after he stepped into the lineup as a rookie. The 49ers believe Purdy is the present and future of the club.

— And the 49ers will no longer be able to assume any time they get around the 30-yard line they have an automatic three points now that reliable veteran kicker Robbie Gould is no longer on the team.

Those three factors could prompt Shanahan to be more aggressive than he has been since taking over as the 49ers’ head coach in 2017.

The 49ers regularly passed up fourth-and-short chances in order to take the points with Gould, who made 90.2 percent of his field-goal attempts inside 50 yards during his six seasons with the club. In nine postseason games, Gould was a perfect 21 for 21.

Only three teams in the NFL converted fewer fourth-down opportunities than the 49ers last season. They made just seven of their 17 fourth-down attempts. In comparison, the Philadelphia Eagles were 22 of 32 (68.6 percent) on fourth downs.

With the unknowns surrounding rookie kicker Jake Moody, the 49ers might put more on the plate of the offense to keep drives going with fourth-down attempts.

It makes sense for the 49ers to be more aggressive with the multi-dimensional threat of McCaffrey, along with the accuracy and playmaking of Purdy behind center.

McCaffrey took part in his first offseason program with the 49ers after he was acquired in an October trade with the Carolina Panthers.

In 14 games, including the postseason, McCaffrey carried 199 times for 984 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 64 passes for 525 yards and five touchdowns.

McCaffrey causes matchup issues on fourth-down plays, and could provide easy pitch-and-catch opportunities for others, too.

Purdy’s decision-making and accuracy are good fits for a team that might be more inclined to go for it on fourth downs. In Week 13, Purdy took over as the team’s quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the season with a fractured foot.

After averaging 22.6 points per game in the first 11 games of the season, the 49ers’ offense took off after Purdy entered the lineup.

In the final six regular-season games, San Francisco averaged 33.5 points per game. Then, they scored 41 and 19 points in victories over Seattle and Dallas to advance to the NFC Championship game.

Kansas City led the NFL at 29.2 points per game for the entire season.

Purdy appears to be making good progress from surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 49ers have signaled that if Purdy is healthy, the starting job belongs to him.

It is clear he earned Shanahan’s confidence, and that should carry over from the beginning of the upcoming season.

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