DENVER (AP) — San Francisco’s playoff chances were damaged Saturday when the Colorado Rockies swept the Giants 9-5 and 5-2 in a day-night doubleheader, taking advantage of seven walks in the opener and two errors and a pair of wild pitches in the nightcap.

Ezequiel Tovar finished with five hits and five RBIs on the day, including a career-high four RBIs in the opener for the Rockies.

The Giants (75-74) fell 2 1/2 games behind Cincinnati Arizona, who are tied for the last NL wild card, also trailing Miami. San Francisco, which wasted a 3-0 lead in the opener, had won 16 of 17 against Colorado dating to Aug. 21 last year but dropped the first three of a four-game series. The Giants have lost nine straight road games for the first time since 1996.

“Timing is not good to not be playing good baseball,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. “We’re tough bunch and the thing that we need to consider right now is how many times are we able to get back off the mat after getting knocked down.”

Victor Vodnik (1-0) won in his first big league decision in the second game, allowing one run and two hits over two innings in of relief of Kyle Freeland, who left after three innings due to a mild right oblique strain.

“An injury like this is very touchy,” Freeland said. “If I would have kept pitching more than likely it would have gotten worse.”

Colorado has won five straight for the first time since July 12-16, 2022, and captured its first series from an NL West opponent this season. The Rockies swept a doubleheader for the first time since Aug. 17, 2014, against Cincinnati.

Thairo Estrada tied a career high with four hits in the first game and added a single and a run in the nightcap.

San Francisco loaded the bases in the ninth inning of the second game before pinch-hitter Blake Sabol popped out off Tyler Kinley, who got his fourth save in six chances.

“We’ve been streaky all year, played really good baseball at times, really bad baseball at times but we’re still in the hunt, still have a chance to make the playoffs and that’s what we’ve got to focus on,” catcher Patrick Bailey said.

Giants starter Scott Alexander (7-3) allowed a pair of unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning, After a two-out fielding error by shortstop Paul DeJong on Tovar’s grounder, Kris Bryant hit an RBI double and scored on Elehuris Montero’s single.

Mike Yastrzemski’s RBI single cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second, but Charlie Blackmon tripled in the third and scored on single by Tovar, who advanced on a Jakob Junis wild pitch and took third on catcher Patrick Bailey’s throwing error, then scored on another wild pitch.

Michael Conforto hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Bryant singled in a run in the seventh.

In the opener Keaton Winn, Ryan Walker (4-3) and Ross Stripling combined for the seven walks, and Rockies pitchers also walked seven. LaMonte Wade Jr. homered for San Francisco.

“You can’t walk anybody in this ballpark,” Kapler said. “It’s almost always going to come back to bite you.”

Tovar had three hits for the Rockies, starting the comeback from a 3-0 deficit with a bases-loaded triple in the third.

Bryant hit an RBI single in the fifth for a 4-3 lead, Walker forced in a run with a walk to Hunter Goodman, his third of the inning. and Stripling walked Castro for a 6-3 advantage. Tovar added an RBI single in the seventh that included Austin Wynns’ two-run single.

Stripling made his first appearance for the Giants since missing 25 games with a mid-back strain. He walked his first batter, ending a streak of 169 batters without a walk.

“A little bit of rust and cobwebs definitely needed to be shaken off,” Stripling said.

Karl Kauffman (2-4) allowed an unearned run and two hits in four innings and Gavin Hollowell got an eight-out save, his first save for Colorado.

San Francisco took a 2-0 lead on Sabol’s two-run double in the second inning and added another run in the third when Estrada singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on two passed balls by Austin Wynns.

WALK, MAN

Wade didn’t have a hit in first five plate appearances of the series but his on-base percentage is rising. Wade walked three times in Friday’s loss and drew another in his first at-bat Saturday. Wade leads the Giants with 72 walks this season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: RHP Peter Lambert (right biceps tendinitis) was placed on the 15-day injured list, effectively ending his season. Kauffmann was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to take Lambert’s roster spot. Kauffmann was optioned to Albuquerque after the first game.

UP NEXT

LHP Sean Manaea (5-6, 4.80) starts Sunday for the Giants and RHP Chris Flexen (1-7, 7.22) for the Rockies.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

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MICHAEL WAGAMAN, Associated Press

1 day ago

Keaton Winn (67) of the San Francisco Giants throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Francisco, Saturday, June 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Luis Matos took a few slow steps towards first base followed by two quick jumps. The Giants rookie didn’t admire his first home run of his career so much as he tried to keep it fair.

“I knew it had the distance to go out,” Matos said through an interpreter. “I just wanted to make sure it was fair.”

Matos’ successful two-run drive in the sixth inning gave the Giants their greatest moment as they defeated the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6 on Saturday and recorded their 12th win in 13 games.

Joc Pederson and Blake Sabol each added two goals as San Francisco won their second straight win over Arizona to move 1 1/2 games ahead in the NL West.

Like some others who played well for the Giants after getting promoted from the Minors. Matos was the No. 4 on the team when he was called up on June 14. Since then he has scored at least one goal in seven of the ten games he has played in, playing mostly in midfield. Matos finished ninth on Saturday.

“Really good contact hitter. That’s one of the things we notice,” said Giants manager Gabe Kapler. “He has really good racquet-to-ball skills and a really good understanding of where the sweet spot is on the racquet. Nice to have a batsman at the end of the lineup who can do that much damage.”

Christian Walker extended his hitting streak to nine games with three hits and three RBIs for the Diamondbacks. Ketel Marte added his 13th home run and two RBIs. Arizona is the only major team to avoid a shutout this season.

Taylor Rogers (4-2), the Giants’ fifth of seven pitchers, eliminated three batters in game six to take the win. Camilo Doval allowed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. an RBI single in the ninth run, but beat Pavin Smith with his second- and third-place runners for his 22nd save.

The Giants trailed 3-1, 5-3 before leveling the game with two runs in the fifth and then finally taking the lead from Matos at the crucial moment.

After Brandon Crawford’s leadoff single, Matos hit a 2-0 fastball from Arizona starter Merrill Kelly (9-4) over the fence in left field. The 21-year-old San Francisco outfielder, who played at center for the second straight season after Mike Yastrzemski was put on the injured list, had one hit in his last 10 at-bats and was picked up from first base.

“(Kelly) started me with two balls and no strokes, so at that moment I knew he had to attack the zone,” Matos said. “I knew he was going to come in and give me a good pitch to hit and I got that.”

Kelly, tied at the top of the NL in wins, suffered his first loss in eight away starts this season. He allowed 10 hits and seven runs (five earned) in five innings.

Arizona got off to an early start with Marte’s 13th home run-off opener Ryan Walker in the first, but San Francisco hit two unearned runs late in the inning to take a 2-1 lead.

Diamondbacks midfielder Corbin Carroll dropped Thairo Estrada’s flyball to an error, a batter after LaMonte Wade Jr. put a leadoff double down right center. It was Carroll’s first mistake of the season and the second in 31 career games at the center.

Immediately after the slip, Pederson’s groundout drove Wade in. Michael Confortos brace scored Estrada.

The Diamondbacks regained the lead with four runs in fourth off-reliever Keaton Winn. Jake McCarthy got an infield single and then stole second place. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a liner that Giants second baseman Estrada parried with a jump stop but lost control. Marte then hit an RBI single over Estrada right.

The game was then paused for several moments during a video briefing after Marte came second to Carroll’s fielder’s choice grounder against reliever Sean Manaea. Crawford threw the ball behind base and appeared to hit Marte to the sack, but the runner was ruled safe. San Francisco protested, but the demand was granted.

Walker, who served as San Francisco’s opener for the third time in six games, allowed two hits in an inning, including Marte’s home run.

TRAINING ROOM

Diamondbacks: Carroll played midfield for the first time in a week because manager Torey Lovullo gave Alek Thomas the day off.

Giants: Reliever Luke Jackson left for unknown reasons after coming up against a batter in game six. … SS Dalton Guthrie selected as an option for Triple-A Sacramento after taking the infielder from the Phillies earlier in the week.

NEXT

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (3-4, 5.31) meets the Giants for the second time in his career in Sunday’s series finale. Anthony DeSclafani (4-6, 4.38) pitches for San Francisco and is seeking his first win since May 29.

__

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

The post Matos hits first profession HR to raise Giants previous Diamondbacks 7-6 for twelfth win in 13 video games – KXAN Austin appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

LONDON – Ian Happ erzielte zwei Solo-Homeruns, Justin Steele schlug acht und die Chicago Cubs besiegten die St. Louis Cardinals am Samstagabend bei der pandemiebedingt verzögerten Rückkehr der Major League Baseball in die britische Hauptstadt mit 9:1.

Happ führte im zweiten Inning mit einem Drive direkt in die Mitte und warf im dritten Inning einen weiteren Pitch von Adam Wainwright (3:2) über den rechten Feldzaun, womit die Cubs ihr viertes Spiel in Folge gewannen.

Wainwright wurde nach zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Doppeln im vierten Durchgang vom Platz gestellt. Im kürzesten seiner neun Starts in dieser Saison erlaubte er 11 Hits und sieben Runs, ein Saisonhöchstwert.

Die Cubs, die neun von zehn Spielen gewonnen haben, hatten mehr Treffer (14) als Schwünge und Fehlschüsse (10). St. Louis, mit 31-45 Letzter in der NL Central, verlor nach einer Siegesserie von vier Spielen zum zweiten Mal in Folge.

Eine Zuschauermenge von 54.662 Zuschauern, die größte in der MLB in dieser Saison, füllte das Londoner Stadion.

BRAVES 6, REDS 6

CINCINNATI (AP) – Cincinnatis längste Siegesserie seit 66 Jahren wurde nach 12 Spielen gestoppt, als Raisel Iglesias Jonathan India im Finale besiegte und Atlanta in einem Schlagabtausch mit acht Homern siegte.

Jedes Team erzielte vier Mal einen Homerun.

Matt Olson erzielte den 200. Treffer seiner Karriere in der großen Liga, und Travis d’Arnaud und Ozzie Albies schlugen ebenfalls tief gegen Graham Ashcraft (3-6), der zum ersten Mal in 33 Starts in der großen Liga drei lange Bälle zuließ. Marcell Ozuna erzielte einen Homerun gegen Alex Young, als die Braves zum neunten Mal in zehn Spielen gewannen.

Cincinnatis Matt McLain und Spencer Steer erzielten zwei Homeruns.

Michael Tonkin (2:0) warf 2 1/3 Innings ohne Treffer für die Braves, die acht Siege in Folge erzielten, bevor sie den Auftakt der Serie am Freitag verloren.

ENGEL 25, ROCKIES 1

DENVER (AP) – Mike Trout, Brandon Drury und Matt Thaiss erzielten Homeruns in aufeinanderfolgenden Pitches und eröffneten ein drittes Inning mit 13 Runs, und Mickey Moniak krönte den Sieg mit einem Homerun in zwei Runs in Los Angeles‘ rekordverdächtigem Sieg über Colorado, der mit einem endete Drei-Spiele-Skid.

Die Angels stellten Franchise-Marken für Runs und Hits (28) in einem Spiel auf und stellten mit ihrem riesigen dritten Inning Teamrekorde für Runs und Homer auf.

David Fletcher schlug einen Homerun mit drei Runs und krönte damit einen vierten Run mit acht Runs, während die Angels im dritten und vierten Inning zusammen 21 Runs mit 17 Hits erzielten und 27 Batter auf die Platte schickten. Fletcher erzielte in seinem ersten Spiel seit seinem Rückruf aus Salt Lake City drei Treffer und fünf RBIs.

Hunter Renfroe und Mickey Moniak hatten jeweils fünf Hits und vier RBIs für die Angels. Drury hatte drei Hits und vier RBIs und Trout hatte drei Hits und einen RBI. Beide wurden im fünften ersetzt.

Griffin Canning (6-2) ließ in sechs torlosen Innings vier Treffer zu, während er sieben Treffer mit einem Walk erzielte.

Chase Anderson (0-2) ließ die Homeruns bei der Niederlage in drei aufeinanderfolgenden Pitches auf sich warten.

DODGERS 8, ASTROS 7

LOS ANGELES (AP) – James Outman erzielte in einem unordentlichen achten Inning den Startschuss nach einem Block von Ryan Stanek, dem Houston-Relfspieler, und Los Angeles erkämpfte sich den vierten Sieg in Folge.

Die Dodgers glichen im achten Durchgang mit 7 aus. Reliever Bryan Abreu (2:2) begleitete Freddie Freeman, Will Smith und JD Martinez, um die Bases zu füllen. Kyle Tucker machte einen Sliding Catch im rechten Feld nach Jason Heywards Opferflug, der Freeman traf. Smith erzielte bei Outmans Grundregel-Double ein Tor, nachdem der Ball in der rechten Feldwand stecken geblieben war.

Junior Valentine, der Schiedsrichter der zweiten Base, blockierte Stanek, dessen rechtes Bein offenbar nachgab, nachdem er nach innen zum Spielfeld geschaut hatte.

Phil Bickford (2:2) sicherte sich den Sieg zur Erleichterung und Evan Phillips warf den neunten Wurf für seine zehnte Parade.

Alex Bregman erzielte im fünften Spiel für die Astros einen Grand Slam mit Buhrufen.

TIGER 3, ZWILLINGE 2

DETROIT (AP) – Zach McKinstry erzielte in einem zweiten Inning mit drei Runs einen Single mit zwei Runs und Detroit konnte Minnesota besiegen.

Reese Olson (1-2) holte sich seinen ersten Major-League-Sieg und erlaubte einen Run und vier Hits mit neun Strikeouts und einem Walk in 5 1/3 Innings, den besten seiner Karriere. Alex Lange erzielte die letzten vier Outs für seinen zwölften Save in 14 Versuchen.

Twins-Starter Pablo López (3-5) erlaubte drei Runs und sieben Hits in sechs Innings. Er ging eins und schlug 10 aus. Carlos Correa und Joey Gallo erzielten Solo-Homeruns für Minnesota.

Die Tigers erzielten ihre einzigen Runs im zweiten Durchgang, als Nick Maton einen Single erzielte, Miguel Cabrera einen One-Out-Walk erzielte und Eric Haase mit einem RBI-Single folgte, um das 1:0 zu erzielen. Jake Marisnicks Single lud die Bases und McKinstrys Flare ins flache Zentrum erzielte Cabrera und Haase.

RIESEN 7, DIAMANTEN 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Luis Matos erzielte seinen ersten Homerun in seiner Karriere, einen Startschuss für zwei Runs im sechsten Inning, und San Francisco besiegte den in NL West führenden Arizona und holte sich seinen zwölften Sieg in 13 Spielen.

Joc Pederson und Blake Sabol fügten jeweils zwei Treffer hinzu, als San Francisco seinen zweiten Sieg in Folge gegen Arizona gewann und damit 1½ Spiele in der Division zurückblieb.

Taylor Rogers (4:2) sicherte sich den Sieg. Camilo Doval erzielte seine 22. Parade.

Christian Walker verlängerte seine Hitting Streak auf neun Spiele mit drei Hits und drei RBIs für die Diamondbacks. Ketel Marte fügte seinen 13. Homerun und zwei RBIs hinzu.

Der Starter aus Arizona, Merrill Kelly (9-4), erlitt seine erste Niederlage seit acht Auswärtsstarts in dieser Saison. Er erlaubte 10 Hits und sieben Runs (fünf davon verdient) in fünf Innings.

METS 4, PHILLIES 2

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Max Scherzer erzielte in sechs Innings acht Treffer und Starling Marte erzielte einen Homerun, um New York zu einer Drei-Spiele-Niederlageserie zu verhelfen.

Scherzer (7:2), der seit dem 8. Mai keinen Start verloren hat, war gegen eine Aufstellung, zu der auch die ehemaligen Nationals-Teamkollegen Trea Turner und Bryce Harper gehörten, solide. Turner berührte ihn für einen RBI-Single im fünften Durchgang, der zum 2:0-Ausgleich führte. David Robertson erzielte seinen 11. Save.

Brandon Nimmos RBI-Single gegen Phillies-Starter Cristopher Sánchez (0:1) sorgte im zweiten Durchgang für das 2:0. Die Mets gingen durch Pete Alonsos RBI-Forceout und Tommy Phams RBI-Single im sechsten Durchgang endgültig in Führung, was zum 4:2 führte.

Nick Castellanos erzielte mit einem Walk 3 zu 3 einen Homerun für die Phillies.

ORIOLES 6, MARINERS 4, 10 INNINGS

BALTIMORE (AP) – Ryan McKenna erzielte am Ende des 10. Innings einen Two-Run-Homerun, als Baltimore Seattle besiegte.

McKenna kam im neunten Durchgang als defensiver Ersatz ins Spiel, als die Orioles versuchten, einen One-Run-Vorsprung zu verteidigen. Aber Baltimore musste weiterspielen, nachdem Mike Ford einen Solo-Homerun gegen den Schlussmann Félix Bautista geschossen hatte, der Seattle bis zum letzten Durchgang trennte.

Im 10. Durchgang wehrte Mike Baumann (5:0) JP Crawford mit einem Grounder zum Pitcher ab und schlug dann Julio Rodríguez und Ty France aus. In der unteren Hälfte erzielte McKenna einen Drive in die rechte Mitte von Justin Topa (1-3) für seinen zweiten Homerun des Jahres.

Ford erzielte zwei Treffer für Seattle, und auch Crawford und Rodríguez erzielten Solowürfe.

Anthony Santander erzielte unter seinen vier Treffern für die Orioles einen Solo-Homerun. Auch Aaron Hicks ging für Baltimore in die Tiefe.

YANKEES 1, RANGERS 0

NEW YORK (AP) – Ron Marinaccio schied im neunten Inning aufgrund eines Game-Ending-Popups gegen Marcus Semien aus, Clay Holmes ließ im achten Inning zwei Läufer liegen und New York besiegte Texas, nachdem Aaron Judge sagte, dass er nicht kurz davor sei, von einem Run zurückzukehren verletzter rechter Zeh.

Billy McKinney erzielte seinen vierten Homerun, seit er vor zwei Wochen als Ersatz für Judge nominiert wurde, der vor dem Spiel sagte, er habe einen Bänderriss im Zeh, der Schmerzen beim Gehen verursacht.

McKinney erzielte seinen Drive im vierten Inning gegen Jon Gray (6:3), sodass New York mit nur vier Treffern gewann.

Luis Severino (1-2) erlaubte fünf Treffer in sechs Innings und vier Reliever beendeten den fünften Shutout der Yankees. Marinaccio parierte zum zweiten Mal.

BLUE JAYS 7, LEICHTATHLETIK 3

TORONTO (AP) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. und Danny Jansen erzielten Homeruns in zwei Runs, José Berríos warf sechs Innings und gewann zum dritten Mal in vier Starts und Toronto besiegte Oakland zum neunten Mal in elf Spielen im Rogers Centre.

Guerrero erzielte den zweiten Tag in Folge zu Hause einen Treffer, nachdem er 32 Spiele lang nicht über den Zaun kam. Er erreichte die Basis viermal und fuhr drei Läufe.

Berríos (8-5) erlaubte drei Runs und sechs Hits. Er lief zwei und schlug acht, eins weniger als sein Saisonhoch. Jordan Romano schlug Ryan Noda aus und ließ die Läufer auf den Plätzen zwei und drei liegen, was ihm seine 23. Parade bei 26 Chancen verschaffte.

WEISSE SOX 5, ROTE SOX 4

CHICAGO (AP) – Elvis Andrus erzielte im neunten Inning einen spielentscheidenden RBI-Single und verhalf Chicago White damit zum Sieg über Boston.

Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Vaughn, Yasmani Grandal und Jake Burger trafen für Chicago, das vier von fünf Spielen verloren hatte. Lance Lynn erzielte bei seinem ersten Start sieben Treffer in 5 2/3 Innings, seit er bei einer 1:5-Niederlage in Seattle am vergangenen Wochenende mit 16 km einen Franchise-Rekord aufstellte.

Der Pinch-Hitter Gavin Sheets löste den Siegtreffer aus, als er nach einem Two-Out-Fehler von First Baseman Triston Casas den Ball erreichte. Pinch-Runner Zach Remillard holte sich den zweiten Platz und Andrus schoss einen Single nach rechts gegen Kenley Jansen (2-4).

Kendall Graveman (3:3) musste die Niederlage für Boston hinnehmen.

ROYALS 9, RAYS 4

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) – Jordan Lyles beendete eine Siegesserie von 15 Spielen und Kansas City besiegte Tampa Bay zum zweiten Sieg in drei Tagen gegen das Team mit der besten Bilanz bei den Majors.

Lyles (1-11) ließ über sechs Innings vier Runs und acht Hits zu. Es war sein erster Sieg seit seinem letzten Start im letzten Jahr am 30. September, als er für die Baltimore Orioles spielte.

Drew Waters, Freddy Fermín und Edward Olivares trafen für die Royals, die mit 22-55 die zweitschlechteste Bilanz bei den Majors haben.

Tampa Bay (53-27) hat in den letzten 12 Spielen eine Bilanz von 5-7, darunter zwei Niederlagen gegen Oakland, das die schlechteste Bilanz in der MLB hat.

Der Shortstop der Rays, Wander Franco, kehrte zurück, nachdem er zwei Spiele lang auf der Bank saß, weil er in dieser Saison mit frustrierenden Situationen umgegangen war und während eines ersten Two-Runs einen 417-Fuß-Solo-Homerun geschossen hatte. Er fügte einen RBI-Single in einer Sekunde mit zwei Läufen hinzu.

MARLINS 4, PIRATEN 3, 11 INNINGS

MIAMI (AP) – Jon Berti gewann den Lauf mit einem Single im 11. Inning und führte Miami an Pittsburgh vorbei.

Der automatische Läufer Joey Wendle rückte durch Nick Fortes’ Opferbunt auf den dritten Platz vor, bevor Berti einen Line Drive nach rechts gegen Angel Perdomo (1:1) erzielte.

Yuli Gurriels Opfer flog gegen den Pirates-Näher David Bednar am Ende des 10. Durchgangs und glich den Ausgleich zum 3:0 aus, nachdem Ke’Bryan Hayes die Pirates mit einem RBI-Single in der oberen Hälfte in Führung brachte.

Luis Arraez erzielte einen Homerun und einen Walk zweimal, Jacob Stallings hatte drei Treffer und Andrew Nardi (5:1) erzielte einen perfekten 11. Treffer für die Marlins. Arraez ging 1 zu 3 und sein Spitzendurchschnitt in der Major League sank um einen Punkt auf 0,401.

Andrew McCutchen erzielte zwei Doubles und drei Walks für die Pirates. McCutchens erster Double im sechsten Spiel war der 400. seiner Karriere.

WÄCHTER 4, BRAUER 2

CLEVELAND (AP) – Josh Naylor und David Fry hatten RBI-Einzel in einem sechsten Inning mit zwei Durchgängen und Rookie Tanner Bibee schlug sieben, als Cleveland Milwaukee besiegte.

Cleveland lag nach fünf Innings mit 2:1 zurück und glich das Spiel aus, als Naylor einen Single gegen Hoby Milner schlug, der Amed Rosario traf. Fry sorgte mit einem Two-Out-Treffer gegen Elvis Peguero für den Startschuss, der José Ramírez traf.

Bibee (4-2) absolvierte sechs Innings und ermöglichte zwei Runs, einen verdienten und drei Hits in seinem elften Start seit seinem Rückruf von Triple-A Columbus Ende April. Emmanuel Clase sicherte sich mit seiner 23. Parade die Führung bei den Majors.

Brewers-Starter Freddy Peralta (5-7) erlaubte drei Runs in fünf Innings und verlor damit seine vierte Entscheidung in Folge. Christian Yelich erzielte beide Runs und stahl Milwaukee eine Base.

NATIONALE 2, PADRES 0

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Jeimer Candelario und Lane Thomas erzielten einen Homerun, Josiah Gray pitchte im sechsten Inning und Washington besiegte San Diego.

Im ersten Inning schlug Candelario einen Homerun in die rechte Mitte. Thomas, der drei Treffer hatte, traf im dritten. Washington hatte neun seiner letzten elf Spiele verloren.

Gray (5-6) erzielte sechs Strikeouts und Hunter Harvey schaffte seine fünfte Parade.

Die Padres beförderten den Knuckleballer Matt Waldron (0:1) zu einem Startplatz bei seinem Debüt in der Major League. Er hielt 4-2/3 Innings durch und ließ zwei Runs und vier Hits zu.

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MICHAEL WAGAMAN, Associated Press

1 hour ago

Keaton Winn (67) of the San Francisco Giants throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Francisco, Saturday, June 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Luis Matos took a few slow steps towards first base followed by two quick jumps. The Giants rookie didn’t admire his first home run of his career so much as he tried to keep it fair.

“I knew it had the distance to go out,” Matos said through an interpreter. “I just wanted to make sure it was fair.”

Matos’ successful two-run drive in the sixth inning gave the Giants their greatest moment as they defeated the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6 on Saturday and recorded their 12th win in 13 games.

Joc Pederson and Blake Sabol each added two goals as San Francisco won their second straight win over Arizona to move 1 1/2 games ahead in the NL West.

Like some others who played well for the Giants after getting promoted from the Minors. Matos was the No. 4 on the team when he was called up on June 14. Since then he has scored at least one goal in seven of the ten games he has played in, playing mostly in midfield. Matos finished ninth on Saturday.

“Really good contact hitter. That’s one of the things we notice,” said Giants manager Gabe Kapler. “He has really good racquet-to-ball skills and a really good understanding of where the sweet spot is on the racquet. Nice to have a batsman at the end of the lineup who can do that much damage.”

Christian Walker extended his hitting streak to nine games with three hits and three RBIs for the Diamondbacks. Ketel Marte added his 13th home run and two RBIs. Arizona is the only major team to avoid a shutout this season.

Taylor Rogers (4-2), the Giants’ fifth of seven pitchers, eliminated three batters in game six to take the win. Camilo Doval allowed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. an RBI single in the ninth run, but beat Pavin Smith with his second- and third-place runners for his 22nd save.

The Giants trailed 3-1, 5-3 before leveling the game with two runs in the fifth and then finally taking the lead from Matos at the crucial moment.

After Brandon Crawford’s leadoff single, Matos hit a 2-0 fastball from Arizona starter Merrill Kelly (9-4) over the fence in left field. The 21-year-old San Francisco outfielder, who played at center for the second straight season after Mike Yastrzemski was put on the injured list, had one hit in his last 10 at-bats and was picked up from first base.

“(Kelly) started me with two balls and no strokes, so at that moment I knew he had to attack the zone,” Matos said. “I knew he was going to come in and give me a good pitch to hit and I got that.”

Kelly, tied at the top of the NL in wins, suffered his first loss in eight away starts this season. He allowed 10 hits and seven runs (five earned) in five innings.

Arizona got off to an early start with Marte’s 13th home run-off opener Ryan Walker in the first, but San Francisco hit two unearned runs late in the inning to take a 2-1 lead.

Diamondbacks midfielder Corbin Carroll dropped Thairo Estrada’s flyball to an error, a batter after LaMonte Wade Jr. put a leadoff double down right center. It was Carroll’s first mistake of the season and the second in 31 career games at the center.

Immediately after the slip, Pederson’s groundout drove Wade in. Michael Confortos brace scored Estrada.

The Diamondbacks regained the lead with four runs in fourth off-reliever Keaton Winn. Jake McCarthy got an infield single and then stole second place. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a liner that Giants second baseman Estrada parried with a jump stop but lost control. Marte then hit an RBI single over Estrada right.

The game was then paused for several moments during a video briefing after Marte came second to Carroll’s fielder’s choice grounder against reliever Sean Manaea. Crawford threw the ball behind base and appeared to hit Marte to the sack, but the runner was ruled safe. San Francisco protested, but the demand was granted.

Walker, who served as San Francisco’s opener for the third time in six games, allowed two hits in an inning, including Marte’s home run.

TRAINING ROOM

Diamondbacks: Carroll played midfield for the first time in a week because manager Torey Lovullo gave Alek Thomas the day off.

Giants: Reliever Luke Jackson left for unknown reasons after coming up against a batter in game six. … SS Dalton Guthrie selected as an option for Triple-A Sacramento after taking the infielder from the Phillies earlier in the week.

NEXT

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (3-4, 5.31) meets the Giants for the second time in his career in Sunday’s series finale. Anthony DeSclafani (4-6, 4.38) pitches for San Francisco and is seeking his first win since May 29.

__

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

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MINNEAPOLIS — Carlos Correa, while hoping to return this weekend, is unsure when he will next play after sitting out Tuesday night’s loss with a left heel bruise.

An MRI performed prior to the Twins’ 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants at Target Field revealed inflammation in the shortstop’s left heel. Correa said he made an odd move after rounding first base with a double in Monday’s loss.

After Tuesday’s treatment, Correa, who leads the Twins in innings played this season, all but ruled out the possibility of participating in Wednesday’s series finals as the Twins look to avoid a series win. The team has Thursday off and resumes their home game streak with a three-game streak against the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Friday.

“We’ll see how it wakes up (Wednesday),” Correa said. “It’s still too early to tell. But of course I remain optimistic. It’s a shame not being able to play. I want to be out there every day. But at the same time, I need to keep an eye on the long-term effects and make sure I feel a lot better than I do today. Because it wasn’t good enough to play today.”

On Tuesday, it was just the fifth game Correa missed from the team’s 49 games this season. He started Tuesday with 376 1/3 innings on the field, 59 more than the next closest twin, Michael A. Taylor.

But Correa knew he wasn’t going to play after waking up Monday night with more pain than he originally felt while beating San Francisco starter Sean Manaea in the fifth inning. With the Twins understaffed, Correa ended the final four innings in a loss to the Giants.

“It got worse and worse as the game went on,” said Correa. “And when I woke up today, it really hurt. Did an MRI, it shows inflammation and plantar fasciitis. Just go day by day. We have a day off ahead of us. …Hopefully I can be back out there with treatment and rest by the weekend.”

The injury comes at a time when the Twins are already shorthanded.

Earlier in the day, the Twins put outfielder Trevor Larnach on the injured list with pneumonia and recalled Matt Wallner, who had a hit and a run in St. Paul’s Triple-A loss earlier in the day. Larnach joins Jorge Polanco (left hamstring strain), Nick Gordon (fractured tibia) and Max Kepler (left hamstring strain) as the latest additions to the IL.

“It’s tough when you’re on the sidelines and the team is losing,” said Correa. “It’s not what I want. It’s not fun to be there. But I hope I can be out there. I hope we can get a win (Wednesday) and then I can be out there again at the weekend.”

Goes critical while the Giants get past the Twins

Sonny Gray went with two batters and hit a double in his last inning, the sixth. Jovani Moran and Brock Stewart then executed bases-loaded walks that helped San Francisco come back from a three-run deficit in a 4-3 win over the Twins.

Though the Twins escaped their frenzy with the lead in the sixth inning, it didn’t last long as Jorge López gifted a double and a two-run home run against Michael Conforto in the crucial seventh inning.

“It really sucks because we have a really good team,” said López, who was comforted by Taylor and Byron Buxton at his locker after the game. “We really don’t have to go through these (losses). But you know, you stay positive and hope that tomorrow we come back and get a win.”

The Twins’ loss was the team’s sixth in eight games, including their third one-run loss.

Part of the problem is a stagnant offense that continues to produce inconsistent results. Buxton hit a two-run home run on Alex Cobb and Taylor extended the lead with a solo shot against the Giants starter in the fifth inning. But that was all the twins could produce. The team only had one shot with a runner in goal position.

What makes the current phase all the more difficult is that the Twins could well be 6-2 in the same period. They lost two winnable games in Los Angeles and again in Anaheim and also led through the middle inning on Tuesday.

“It gets a little more painful when you’re in every game, you’re in control of almost every game when you go out and play the baseball that you’ve seen your team play before,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I’ve seen that we play really well in those exact situations and win a bunch of games in a row in exactly the same way. If you lose these games en masse, it bothers you. …These are games and they are all very winnable games. We owe it to ourselves to find a way.”

Maeda and Thielbar throw bullpens

Kenta Maeda’s fastball speed hit 88 mph during a bullpen session Tuesday, a number the right-hander was more than happy with. Maeda threw 35 shots and is scheduled for another bullpen action on Friday, which he hopes to head off to for rehab.

Since being placed on the injured list, Maeda’s main focus has been working on the mechanics, which he was struggling with prior to his injury. Maeda, who suffers from a right tricep strain, believes the improvement translates to a speed gain. Given that a regular bullpen session lacks any intensity, Maeda expects his speed to pick up once he gets back into the action. He hopes to be able to consistently throw 90mph on his return, a problem that surfaced before Maeda went to the IL on April 29th.

“Throwing 88-89 (mph) fastballs here and there is fine, but I’d like to keep the number consistently above 90,” Maeda said through an interpreter. “But it’s more about how my pitches feel, about feeling comfortable on the mound. Before I went to IL, I felt kind of uncomfortable. I think once that is corrected everything should be fine. … The most important factor is the actual delivery mechanics. Before I moved to IL and started pitching in the big leagues, I felt like something was wrong with my mechanics and it was taking up a lot of my mind instead of focusing on the actual batsmen. I would like to take the time to clean this up and once I do things should be fine and good results should be achieved.”

Maeda was not alone in the bullpen on Tuesday. Reliever Caleb Thielbar also threw and was also satisfied with his performance. Thielbar threw a speed in the 84–88 mph range while slowly recovering from an oblique strain.

The left-hander threw 25 shots and liked the intensity of his workout. Thielbar is also set to throw another bullpen on Saturday, after which the Twins will decide on his next move, most likely a rehab trip.

Baldelli also provided an update on Kepler being eligible to leave the IL but still building.

“I’m not sure about the rehab part of his plan, whether or not he’s going to do it,” Baldelli said. “But it’s been a little longer than we thought. … We weren’t expecting a hiatus that long, but he’s not ready at this point to be in full swing. He was still in constant pain.”

(Photo by Rocco Baldelli and Sonny Gray: Jesse Johnson / USA Today)

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EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Thursday nights in the NFL have long been the most defining feature of its dedicated-to-television programming, a prime-time slot that raised concerns about player safety and spawned numerous competitions before moving to a streaming-only platform.

Now the league will have the power, albeit limited, to change the encounters.

NFL owners Monday approved a flexible scheduling policy for Thursday night games on Amazon Prime Video, just for weeks 13-17 and with at least 28 days’ notice for affected teams. The league could move a Thursday night game in that area to Sunday afternoon if there is a more desirable game, a mechanism that currently applies to Sunday night and Monday night games.

No team would need to play more than twice on Thursday night in a season. The rule only applies to 2023 for now. Any week 13-17 game could be selected for rescheduling to Thursday night, but the league said the bar for such a reshuffle is high.

“We’re incredibly prudent and incredibly sensitive when it comes to changing a game and the dynamics around it,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL Media’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We’re also trying to balance how we give our fans the best games in the best windows.”

In addition to the flexible games prime time allotments, the NFL is also now making the entire week 18 schedule available through the week to show two playoff-related games on Saturday.

New York Giants owner John Mara criticized the proposal for its negative impact on fans and said after the vote he was disappointed but not surprised.

Also on Monday at the NFL’s spring meetings, a rule was passed that allows teams to use an emergency quarterback from the inactive list if the first two are injured during a game. This decision stems from San Francisco’s Depth Chart Challenge in the NFC Championship game.

The bylaws were originally proposed by the Detroit Lions. The third quarterback designation does not count against the active player limit (either 47 or 48) set 90 minutes before kickoff.

Emergency Activation can only occur following an injury or disqualification, not as a result of a performance decision or other conduct. If one of the first two quarterbacks is cleared to return to the game by the team’s medical staff, the third must be removed from the game and may return as a quarterback only if an injury scenario recurs.

If a team puts three quarterbacks on the active list for a game, they cannot use the contingency option. An increase in the training squad on the day of the match is also not permitted.

49ers running back Christian McCaffery had his arm warmed up at the NFC Championship game in Philadelphia after Brock Purdy injured his elbow and Josh Johnson suffered a concussion. Purdy was pushed back into the game but couldn’t throw the ball more than 10 yards because the 49ers abandoned their game plan for a run-heavy attack in the 31-7 loss to the Eagles on Jan. 29.

The 49ers had already lost their two best quarterbacks — Trey Lance in Week 2 and Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 — to season-ending injuries.

This week’s agenda included diversity initiatives in coaching and sports medicine, as well as awarding two major events for the 2025 season. The Green Bay Packers received the NFL Draft and the San Francisco 49ers received Super Bowl 60.

The owners were also informed of the upcoming sale of the Washington Commanders by Dan Snyder’s family to Josh Harris’ group, an important if not urgent issue. There will be no vote on the record $6.05 billion transaction this week.

Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts and a member of the league’s finance committee, expressed cautious optimism about the closing of the deal.

“There are certain criteria that have to be met, and that’s the way it is. It’s not there yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get there. It’s complicated. Say it like this. I could explain it to you, but it wouldn’t tell you anything,” Irsay said.

Neither Snyder nor his wife, Tanya, came to Minnesota for the meeting. The league wants to approve the deal before the start of the regular season, Irsay said. Irsay stated that the amount of money at stake and the number of investors involved in Harris’ group – which includes Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson – have extended the approval process.

“We work hard. Everyone wants to make it and needs to make sure it’s within league guidelines. It’s a complicated deal so we’re trying to just work through it and we’re confident we can pull it off. It will likely be several more weeks of discussion before we see if we can reach the finish line,” Irsay said.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he is not concerned about the viability of the bid from Harris, who owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils with partner David Blitzer, as long as it is properly structured.

“What it will be,” Jones said. “It’s too important for them to have the right structure because they will benefit from the way it’s been structured for everyone else in the past.”

There is no timetable for voting.

“These are superbly qualified owners,” Jones said. “That always decides the clarification with the NFL.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed, or redistributed without permission.

For related stories: football

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Photo by LouAnn Solis Greene for TalkNats

Credit to the Washington Nationals after losing a heartthrob on Saturday, the Nats were immediately repaid on Sunday and returned to the winning column last night for a lucky flight to San Francisco. The Nats and Giants face off in a three-game series that will end in an afternoon game on Wednesday. Four at-bats went hot in Arizona, with Lane Thomas, Luis Garcia, Keibert Ruiz and Joey Meneses hoping to add momentum to this series. A rest day on Saturday proved good for CJ Abrams, who finished well in Arizona to join the charts.

Sure, it’s all about consistency, and with Victor Robles transferred to 10-day IL with a back problem, the team loses their most consistent bat. Yes Robles. He has the highest batting average and OPS of any regular. Perhaps that’s more of a reflection on how the power hitters in this roster lack power. For the last two years it’s thrown trainer Jim Hickey in the hot seat, and now it’s up to trainer Darnell Coles to feel the heat in that loss of power. Sure, Arizona got a lot better for two days, but two days doesn’t make a season. There is still a lot to be improved.

Taking Robles’ place in the squad is Jake Alu, as announced by manager Dave Martinez last night. Will he play Alu? That is the question for now. We’ve seen injured substitutes like Jeter Downs and Donovan Casey sit on the bench over the past year. But the hope is that tonight or tomorrow we see Alu there against one of the right-wingers. The matchups could get tricky as the Nats take on the Giants’ top two tonight and tomorrow in Anthony DeSclafani and Logan Webb.

Tonight’s pitching matchup will be difficult as rookie Jake Irvin will make his second MLB start, and on the other side against DeSclafani, who started his season with good numbers. Irvin had his first MLB side session in the bullpen, as well as charting pitches and wiping the veterans on the team. They’re hoping he makes some positive adjustments and builds on his first positive start against the Cubs.

— Manager Dave Martinez

The combined ERAs of the Nats starters are 4.64, and the thinner air in Arizona has bloated the ERAs a bit. For the first time in over a week, the order changed as Trevor Williams dropped to third place in ERA.

How to rank them:

#6 Starter: Jake Irvin 2.08 ERA
No. 5 starter: Chad Kuhl 9.41
#4 Starter: Patrick Corbin 5.17
No. 3 starter: Trevor Williams 4.25
#2 Starter: MacKenzie Gore 3.65
No. 1 starter: Josiah Gray 3.03

The pitching is still looking good, and in the thinner Arizona air, the offense tried to carry the team Saturday and Sunday after enduring some really tough pitchings against the Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Here’s your baseball savant Statcast link For the game.

Washington National vs. San Francisco Giants

Stadion: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
1st place: 9:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2
Radio: 106.7 The Fan Radio and via the MLB App

Subject to change (without prior notice):

Related

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On Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II came out against the idea of having neutral site AFC and NFC Championship games.

“I hate the idea,” Rooney said. “I don’t like that at all. My sense is that if you put that up for a vote it wouldn’t pass today, but who knows.”

Good. Let’s hope that’s the case. And let’s hope Rooney II keeps up that stance and vehemently argues against the idea if it does come up for a vote.

This whole conversation began when Atlanta was designated to host this year’s AFC Championship game if the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs had ended up being the two combatants.

That’s because the league canceled the Week 17 “Monday Night Football” game (due to the collapse of Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin) between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, thus leaving the two franchises with incomplete seasons and win totals that were askew from the rest of the conference.

That plan was averted because the Bengals won in Buffalo during last week’s divisional round. So they’ll simply travel to Kansas City as would normally be the case for a No. 3 seed versus a No. 1.

But because the NFL was pumping out information that advanced ticket sales were brisk for the game in case it happened (although that was largely based on the secondary market), many in the national media opined that those were signals to the country from the league to warm up to the idea of permanent neutral-site title games.

Perhaps as early as next year.

Sadly, I think those predictions are going to come true. Maybe not next year. But very soon. The financial windfall may be too much for Rooney’s peers to ignore.

So, in case Sunday’s games in K.C. and Philadelphia are the last two to ever be staged in home stadiums, I thought it’d be worthwhile to spend some time reliving all the moments of the 11 AFC Championship games hosted in Pittsburgh since 1972.

Steelers.com contributor and team historian Bob Labriola joined me for Friday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. We discussed all the memories of the Steelers’ six AFC Championship game home wins and their five painful home title-game losses.

Labriola ranked the six victories in order of what he thinks were the best games. I ranked the five defeats in terms of what I deemed to be the most painful.

Ranking the Steelers’ 6 AFC Championship home wins

6. Steelers 27 Oilers 13 (Jan. 6, 1980 — Three Rivers Stadium): This Steelers win would propel the franchise to its fourth and final Super Bowl of the Chuck Noll era. Pittsburgh wouldn’t enjoy another home playoff victory until 1994.

The game is best remembered as the “Renfro Game” to those in Houston. Late in the third quarter, down 17-10, quarterback Dan Pastorini appeared to hit receiver Mike Renfro for a touchdown. But the play was ruled incomplete. The angst over the apparent blown call is widely perceived as an early argument for the advent of instant replay, which eventually was implemented in 1986. Replay was ditched after the 1991 season and brought back in 1999.

The Steelers scored the final 10 points of the game in the fourth quarter. Franco Harris had 136 yards from scrimmage. The Steel Curtain defense held Oilers star running back Earl Campbell to just 15 yards on 17 carries.

Labriola: “It was an AFC Championship game. A lot of Hall of Fame players. But with the exception of the one officiating controversy, there wasn’t anything all that compelling about it. Somebody had to be sixth. So 1979-80 is sixth.”

5. Steelers 24 New York Jets 19 (Jan. 23, 2011 — Heinz Field): The Steelers built a 24-3 lead before halftime. They gave up the next 16 points.

On third down and six with less than two minutes left, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for a crucial third-down conversion, and the Steelers ran out the clock.

Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers went on to face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. That game didn’t end as well.

Labriola: “The one thing about that game that, to me, was somewhat eye opening, was that it showcased what we were going to see over the next five or six years — the pairing of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.”

4. Steelers 20 Indianapolis Colts 16 (Jan.14, 1996 — Three Rivers Stadium): After having lost to the San Diego Chargers at home as a big favorite in the AFC title game the year before, the Steelers found themselves losing to a big underdog again in this game.

The Jim Harbaugh-led Colts built a 16-13 fourth quarter advantage. But Neil O’Donnell led a 67-yard touchdown drive that featured a dropped interception, a fourth-down conversion to Andre Hastings, a 37-yard connection to Ernie Mills and a Bam Morris touchdown.

So, down 20-16, the Colts advanced to the Steelers’ 29 with five seconds left. On the game’s final play, Harbaugh attempted a Hail Mary pass which came down into a crowd of players in the end zone. It momentarily looked like Colts receiver Aaron Bailey was going to be able to haul the ball in for a soul-crushing score. But it fell to the turf and the Steelers won.

The Steelers advanced to Super Bowl XXX before losing to the favored Dallas Cowboys.

Labriola: “I was seriously thinking that if the Steelers lose this game again, come this far to a championship game at home, and lose to a team that was a heavy underdog — two times in a row, back-to-back seasons — you’d probably have to blow the whole thing up and start over. Because I don’t know if you could’ve continued with that roster that had gone through that and then expect them to not have PTSD and go in the tank for a while.”

3. Steelers 16 Oakland Raiders 10 (Jan. 4, 1976 — Three Rivers Stadium): After having beaten the Raiders in Oakland for the AFC crown the previous season, the Steelers made it two in a row by winning a frigid, low-scoring game at Three Rivers.

This would come to be known as the “Frozen Sidelines” game. Oakland owner Al Davis and head coach John Madden accused the Steelers and Three Rivers Stadium grounds crew of allowing the artificial turf to ice over, in an effort to slow Oakland’s vertical passing attack — particularly down the sidelines.

Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler wound up 18 of 46 for 246 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked twice, and Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert recovered three fumbles.

Raiders defensive back George Atkinson concussed Lynn Swann during the game. But the second-year wide receiver would respond two weeks later to win Super Bowl X MVP.

Labriola: “The bitterness of the Steelers-Raiders rivalry — I won’t say it peaked (with that game) — but it was at its zenith in that era.”

2. Steelers 34 Oilers 5 (Jan. 7, 1979 — Three Rivers Stadium): A game played in 27-degree frozen rain, it proved to be an all-out coronation of the fabled 1978 Steelers, who went 14-2 during the regular season.

The defense allowed only 142 yards in total offense while forcing nine Houston turnovers and collecting three sacks while allowing just one field goal.

Meanwhile, Swann and quarterback Terry Bradshaw connected four times for 98 yards. Five different ball carriers combined for 179 rushing yards. Then the team went on to beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII.

Labriola: “The Steelers had dominated so many of their regular-season opponents. They paid back the Broncos in the divisional round (33-10). The Broncos had eliminated the Steelers from the playoffs in ‘77. That was the rubber match against the Oilers, who, at that time, maybe (were) the second-best team in the NFL and just dominated them.”

1. Steelers 23 Ravens 14 (Jan. 18, 2009 — Heinz Field): After the Immaculate Reception playoff game versus Oakland in 1972, this is considered by many Pittsburghers to be the most memorable, hardest-hitting NFL game ever played in this city.

Limas Sweed’s block on Corey Ivy. Roethlisberger’s touchdown to Santonio Holmes. Ryan Clark knocking out Willis McGahee. And Tyrone Carter’s game-sealing interception.

Which wasn’t even close to the biggest interception of the day.

It’s #NationalHairDay, so it’s only right we drop a Troy Polamalu highlight.

Jan. 18, 2009: The @steelers safety sealed a Super Bowl berth with a pick-six in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game. @tpolamalu pic.twitter.com/UqieIVvmz4

— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) October 1, 2018

That pick-6 from Troy Polamalu; every NFL fan base deserves to have that kind of moment happen in their city at least once. That moment right there, as anyone who was at Heinz Field that day will tell you, is why any conference title game is better when it is in a home stadium.

Whether it’s Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Buffalo or Cincinnati, that kind of moment will never be as good in somebody else’s dome or on a warm-weather neutral field.

Labriola: “The Steelers had settled into some offensive doldrums at the time. They were leading 16-14. The Ravens had started to move the ball again. And I really had a bad feeling that it was going to be a field goal and a 17-16 loss. But Polamalu really made one of the great plays in his career and iced that game.”

So that’s how Labriola ranked the Steelers six home AFC Championship game wins. My rankings were a little different, but not at the top.

1. Steelers beat Ravens in ‘09

2. Steelers beat Colts in ‘96

3. Steelers beat Oilers 34-5 in ‘79

4. Steelers beat Oilers 27-13 in the Renfro Game in ‘80

5. Steelers beat Raiders in ‘76

6. Steelers beat the Jets in ‘11

The losses

As far as ranking the five home AFC Championship game defeats in terms of pure disappointment, here’s how I stacked them. For me, it was harder to sort through the negative emotions than it was to itemize the joy of the wins.

5. Miami Dolphins 21 Steelers 17 (Dec. 31, 1972 — Three Rivers Stadium): First of all, I was still two years from being born. So I can’t speak to the anguish of this one.

But the euphoria of the Immaculate Reception and the franchise’s first-ever playoff win still had to be hanging in the air at kickoff. The Steelers probably shouldn’t have hosted that game against the unbeaten Dolphins anyway, but annually rotating the AFC title games through the division winners was the rule at the time. Plus, the Steelers got goofed by Larry Seiple’s fake punt.

Hey, (stuff) happens. The next seven years went pretty well, though. Didn’t they?

4. Broncos 24 Steelers 21 (Jan. 11, 1998 — Three Rivers Stadium): Some may have this game higher because the Steelers strategically mangled a game that they were winning.

Agreed.

Jerome Bettis had 105 yards on 23 carries. Yet the Steelers shifted to the passing attack with Kordell Stewart making his first title-game start. He wound up throwing three interceptions — two in the end zone — and had a fumble. The Steelers ended up blowing an early lead as a result and losing what would turn out to be their last-ever playoff game at Three Rivers.

The truth is, though, the Broncos had a better record than the Steelers, they went on to win the Super Bowl twice in a row, and (at the time) the sense was Stewart was going to be really good for a while. So, the loss was a little easier to digest.

Hold that thought.

3. New England Patriots 24 Steelers 17 (Jan. 27, 2002 — Heinz Field): After three years of erratic play, Stewart and the Steelers had a great year in 2001, the first year at brand-new Heinz Field. They beat the hated Ravens in the divisional round despite missing an ailing Bettis.

The upstart Patriots came to town with some second-year punk quarterback named Tom Brady riding a magic carpet into the postseason.

The Steelers’ Lethon Flowers knocked him out in the second quarter. Drew Bledsoe came in to lead a touchdown drive anyway. The Patriots scored two touchdowns on special teams. Stewart threw three more picks, and Bettis walked away with eight yards on nine carries.

Because the Super Bowl was to be played the next week that year, I was told to have a bag packed and to be ready to leave early the next morning. I came home and a full suitcase was sitting there mocking me. I was convinced I’d never see the Steelers in a Super Bowl again. If, after a 13-3 season, they could lose to a bunch of no-names from New England who were obviously going to lose the Super Bowl the next week and be a total flash in the pan (right?), they were just never going to win an AFC Championship again.

2. Patriots 41 Steelers 27 (Jan. 23, 2005 — Heinz Field): Given that Roethlisberger had yet to lose a start during his fabulous rookie season, why would the AFC Championship game be any different?

And if the Steelers could beat the Patriots at home by two touchdowns as they did in October, why couldn’t they do it again in January with the Super Bowl on the line?

But Roethlisberger threw three interceptions, and Brady hit Deion Branch four times for 116 yards and a touchdown.

New England was one step ahead all game. It’s almost like they knew what plays were coming, or something.

1. Chargers 17 Steelers 13 (Jan. 15, 1995 — Three Rivers Stadium): This is the only game ever to make me physically ill. I felt great going into the stadium. I went to bed with a migraine and a chest cold.

When it was 59 degrees on Jan. 15 in Pittsburgh, to welcome a team from San Diego for an AFC title game, that was the first sign of disaster.

The last sign of disaster was Dennis Gibson batting away O’Donnell’s last-ditch, fourth-down pass to Barry Foster in the end zone.

4th and goal from the 3.
Dennis Gibson knocks down the pass and the #Chargers are headed to their first Super Bowl, winning in Pittsburgh 17-13. pic.twitter.com/9clNfgi79V

— Old Time Football (@Ol_TimeFootball) January 16, 2023

In between, Foster fumbled, Tony Martin caught a long touchdown, and Alfred Pupunu did his coconut TD celebration.

The Steelers were the AFC’s best team that year. The Chargers victory over Dan Marino and the Dolphins the week before was supposed to make a 15-year return trip to the Super Bowl all the easier.

Beating San Diego was supposed to be academic. Then it was supposed to be on to the Super Bowl for a third go-round with the Cowboys or a battle with the San Francisco 49ers to see which organization was going to be the first to claim a fifth ring.

I remember my father describing downtown Monday morning as having tumbleweeds rolling through the streets because the whole city was just like me. Too sick to go to work.

But you know what? You need to witness hurt like that in person to become a good fan as well. It’s not all about the good times. And none of those games would hurt as much if they are in a dome in Atlanta.

For the wins. For the losses. Keep the title games at home venues. We need Troy Polamalu. We need Dennis Gibson. And the NFL doesn’t need another measly billion dollars.

Listen: Tim Benz and Bob Labriola rank the Steelers’ AFC Championship games

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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The Game Developers Conference returned to San Francisco this year, with attendance returning to pre-pandemic levels and hundreds of exhibits lining the underground halls of the Moscone Center.

As players lined up to try out the latest VR demos from major sponsors like Meta and PlayStation, one of them summed up a main theme of the show: “We make games that interact with our actual world.”

In the 1980s and 1990s, gamers could only enter the virtual worlds of video games via a handheld controller and a television in the living room.

“It was the golden age,” quipped one developer playing Super Mario World on a Super Nintendo at the conference. “We thought these graphics looked like real life.”

The Super Nintendo console was part of an exhibition of 8-bit and 16-bit video games set up by Oakland’s Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment.

“We hope to inspire the next generation by helping them look back in useful ways,” said Rob Curl, the museum’s historian. “People had to be creative in other ways when making games for these older systems.”

Video games of the 1980s didn’t have music recorded with acoustic instruments or lifelike 3D characters. But this year’s GDC featured an entire area of ​​Moscone South Convention Hall dedicated to audio gaming and an eye-catching display of skateboarders performing tricks on a ramp while high-speed infrared cameras recorded them from multiple angles.

“To measure their position in 3D in real-time so we can capture their precise movements,” explained Thierry Chevalier, OptiTrack sales manager. “We would then be able to get pro skaters to have their own signature tricks in play.”

3D motion capture also plays a role in the development of video games based on a hip hop dance show called “Fray,” which follows the lives and challenges of two video game developing brothers.

“It just started out like, ‘Hey, we should put a video game on the show – that would be some interesting creative storytelling,'” said Kate Duhamel, founder and creative director of Candy Bomber Productions. “And then it was like, ‘No, we’re supposed to do a real game.'”

They ended up making two games — including the mobile rhythm-based game “Fray Jam,” which is now available on Apple’s App Store, and a more complicated PC game that’s now in the final stages of production, Duhamel said. The games follow the storyline of the dance show and also share some of the choreography.

“You turn on music and ask it to freestyle,” Duhamel said of the motion capture process. “How to create a whole motion library… for the avatars in the game.”

Across the street from the conference, Epic Games showcased its latest technology for facial feature capture and photorealistic human avatars. It was Epic’s first keynote speech at GDC in four years, and the presentation focused on the latest in 3D rendering technology and ever-expanding metaverses, including the virtual world of Epic’s own hit game, Fortnite.

With all the focus on emerging technologies like VR and AR headsets and NFTs, Epic Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney reminded audiences that millions of people are already immersing themselves in wide-open metaverses using just their smartphones and desktop computers every day.

“[There are]over 600 million active users in these virtual worlds,” Sweeney said. “This revolution is happening right now.”

But the new technologies are developing fast. At GDC, the latest virtual reality hardware showcased eye and hand tracking, gloves and vests that throb and vibrate when a player is hit, and a new motorized swivel chair that allows players to move around virtual space without bumping into real walls and coffee tables.

“They are stationary but infinitely mobile,” explained PNI sales manager Won Cho when demonstrating the new chair. “When you press the pedal down, (your character) goes forward. If you push it backwards, it would go backwards.”

GDC’s alternative controller show, aptly named Alt.Ctrl, showcased new and experimental forms of game control.

“We created this whole installation just to play our game,” explained Sara Brugioli, pointing to a contraption that resembled a life-size shopping cart stuck in a door and made entirely of plywood.

The wooden shopping cart is part of a two-player video game called Grocery Trip that started as a student project. One player pushes and steers the cart while a second player sits in the cart, grabbing items from the shelves and hitting other customers who get in their way. Brugioli said it was inspired by real events.

“A guy at the mall actually stopped in front of me,” Brugioli explained mid-aisle to check his phone. “And I thought… this is so annoying. I wish I could hit you now.”

Brugioli said, then the proverbial lightbulb went on.

“And I was like, ‘Oh my god, that would actually be a good game,'” she said.

Some alternative control games could end up being made into arcade machines, while others serve to experiment with new ways of getting players to interact with each other.

“Haber Dasher” is a research project by Ph.D. Contestant Erin Truesdell, in which two players must control a single avatar together by putting their heads in a giant shared hat. Almost the size of a small car, the hat soared high above the other exhibits and dangled from the ceiling on heavy steel cables. Players shouted instructions to each other as they attempted to tilt the brim of the hat in different directions to navigate.

“It was really great to see people in line making friends when they find someone to play with,” Truesdell said. “It’s a hat that’s also a networking opportunity.”

Like most of the alternative control games on display, Haber Dasher is designed to engage and immerse players in the way they control it – not through photorealistic graphics or surround sound. Rob Curl was quick to point out that the games of the 1980s and 1990s didn’t have that kind of realism either – and yet today’s kids still enjoy playing them.

“These games are still fun,” he said. “They still provide that similar emotional response. No matter how old you are.”

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The San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals were both victorious in their division bouts when they each moved within a game of the Super Bowl (Godofredo A Vasquez/AP) (AP)

The San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals were both victorious in their divisional bouts and each moved within a game of the Super Bowl.

Seventh-round rookie quarterback Brock Purdy was the man to make it for the 49ers. The last pick of 2022 completed 19 of 29 passes for 214 yards as San Francisco went 19-12 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Purdy’s opponent Dak Prescott had similarly solid numbers in California, as he went for 180 yards on 20 of 31 passes and also scored a touchdown, though his poor decision-making continued.

Prescott posted an undesirable record and continued a streak of 13 picks in his last 9 games to end the season as he became the first Cowboys QB since Troy Aikman in the 1994 NFC Championship game to have two first-half interceptions in one playoff threw.

The win means the 49ers will travel east to Philadelphia, where they will be hosted by the Eagles for Sunday’s NFC Championship game.

The AFC Championship will be contested for the second straight season by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Bengals, who earlier Sunday beat the Buffalo Bills 27-10 in heavy snow in upstate New York.

The home side fell 0-14 in the first quarter and never recovered. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns as his team extended their winning streak to 10.

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