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Report: Tyrese Haliburton injured Achilles in NBA Finals Game 7

Sport 3 Mins Read
  • Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, according to his father.
  • Haliburton’s dad, John Haliburton, told ESPN that the injury will sideline him for the remainder of Game 7 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Clarity is coming after Tyrese Haliburton suffered what appeared to be an excruciating injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

John Haliburton, the father of the Indiana Pacers star, told ESPN his son suffered an Achilles injury in the first quarter of the winner-take-all game against the Thunder on Sunday, June 22, in Oklahoma City.

‘What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped,’ Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. ‘He will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time, and I believe he’ll make a full recovery.’

Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles injury update

Haliburton showed signs of visible pain and frustration while he was down on the court with 5:02 left in the quarter. He went down after catching a pass from Obi Toppin and attempting to make a move with the ball past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

‘Mr. Haliburton confirmed that it is an Achilles injury,’ sideline reporter Lisa Salters said on the ESPN broadcast. ‘He said Tyrese was doing as well as he can be under the circumstances. He says the entire family was back (in the locker room) with him, his mom, his dad, his brother.

Haliburton suffered a right calf injury in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series and was questionable for Game 6 but managed to play in the game. Haliburton was deemed healthy enough to play in Game 7.

After suffering the injury, Haliburton was seen being embraced by teammates on the court before he was helped back to the locker room with a towel over his head. He did not return to the game.

The Pacers rallied in the first half and led the Thunder 48-47 at the break. Haliburton had nine points in seven minutes of play in the first quarter.

‘He says that he seems to be in good spirits,’ Salters said on the broadcast. ‘He’s watching the game, and he’s trying to root on his team from back in the locker room.’

The Pacers couldn’t overcome the loss of Haliburton and struggled to take advantage of their halftime lead in the second half, eventually losing Game 7 to the Thunder 103-91.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Sport

Watch Tyrese Haliburton greet teammates after Pacers’ Game 7 loss

Sport 1 Min Read

Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers fell short of their quest for an NBA championship after losing Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Haliburton did not return to the bench after the injury but did watch the rest of the game in the locker room. The Pacers’ star was seen on crutches after the conclusion of the game, greeting his teammates as they made their way back to the locker room.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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SGA doubles up, wins NBA Finals MVP after capturing regular-season award

Sport 4 Mins Read

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder star, is commonly referred to by initials, SGA. You can also call him MVP – not only of the 2024-25 regular season but now of the 2025 NBA Finals, too.

A fluid, 6-foot-6 guard, Gilgeous-Alexander became the first Canadian to win the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award after leading the Thunder past the Indiana Pacers for the franchise’s first NBA title since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and added a playoff career-high 12 assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 103-91 win in Game 7 on Sunday, June 22.

Wearing Classic 6 Stitch Braids and a look of utter confidence, Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, was unmistakable and almost unstoppable during the series.

‘So much weight off my shoulders. So much stress relieved,’ Gilgeous-Alexander said. ‘No matter what, you go into every night wanting to win. Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. … So proud of this group. Wouldn’t want to do it with any other group in the world. Feels good to be a champion.’

WINNER: Celebrate Thunder’s NBA title with gear, books, exclusive keepsakes

GAME 7 RECAP: Highlights from Thunder’s win over Pacers

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals and shot 44.3% from the field in the Finals. That made him the clear pick for Finals MVP honors, and he put his name in elite company.

Gilgeous-Alexander became just the third player in NBA history and the first since 2000 to win league MVP, Finals MVP and the scoring title in the same season, joining legends Michael Jordan, who accomplished the feat four times (1990-91, ’91-92, ’95-96, ’97-98), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970-71) and Shaquille O’Neal (1999-2000).

He became the 11th player in NBA history to win the league MVP and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Willis Reed (1969-70), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970-71), Moses Malone (1982-83), Larry Bird (1983-84, 1985-86), Magic Johnson (1986-87), Michael Jordan (1990-91, 1991-92, 1995-96, 1997-98), Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94), Shaquille O’Neal (1999-00), Tim Duncan (2002-03) and LeBron James (2011-12, 2012-13).

Celebrate With Championship Prints

‘it’s hard to believe that I’m part of that group. It’s hard to even fathom that I’m that type of basketball player sometimes,’ Gilgeous-Alexander said. ‘As a kid, you dream. Every kid dreams. But you don’t ever really know if it’s going to come true. I’m just glad and happy that my dreams have been able to come true. That’s a ‘thank you’ to everyone that’s been in my corner that helped me get there. Wouldn’t have been able to get here without them. They know who they are. It’s a win for the family.’

MOST VALUABLE: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins first NBA MVP award

The road to MVP status began in 2018. Gilgeous-Alexander was drafted 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and traded that same night to the Los Angeles Clippers. After making the All-Rookie Second Team, he traded to Oklahoma City, and that’s where he blossomed.

This season, his seventh in the league, Gilgeous-Alexander has gone from very good to great. He led the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game and total points (2,484), made his third All-Star Game and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third time.

He scored at least 30 points in 15 of 23 playoff games, including 40 against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals and four games with 30 or more in the Finals.

‘All the achievements and accolades and things, they don’t even come close to the satisfaction of winning with your brothers and people that you are so close to and want to succeed just as much as you want yourself to succeed,’ Gilgeous-Alexander said. ‘That’s been the most impressive and fun part of it, just to know that I have 15 brothers that I just experienced a once-in-a-lifetime experience with. I’ll never forget them, they’ll never forget me.’

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.  Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

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Investing

Editor’s Picks: Silver Price Hits 13 Year High, Gold Takes a Breather

Investing 6 Mins Read

Gold was on the decline this week, closing just below US$3,370 per ounce, after tensions in the Middle East pushed it past the US$3,430 level toward the end of last week.

All eyes were on the US Federal Reserve, which in a widely expected move left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday (June 18) following its two day meeting. The central bank cut rates in December 2024, but has kept them steady for its last four gatherings.

US President Donald Trump wasn’t pleased, calling Powell ‘too late’ in a Thursday (June 19) post on Truth Social. While speculation that Trump will fire Powell has died down, the president did recently say he intends to announce his next pick for the Fed leader position ‘very soon.’

Of course, Fed meetings are never just about rate decisions — experts often look to Powell’s post-meeting commentary to read between the lines of what’s said (and not said).

Tariffs were definitely in focus this time around, with Powell emphasizing that it’s still soon to tell how much of an impact they will have and how the Fed should react.

‘We have to learn more about tariffs. I don’t know what the right way for us to react will be. I think it’s hard to know with any confidence how we should react until we see the size of the effects’ — Jerome Powell, US Federal Reserve

Chris Temple of the National Investor, who offered another perspective on Powell’s comments.

He noted that while Powell didn’t say the Fed is going to abandon its 2 percent inflation target, it may be leaning in that direction. This is what he said:

The consensus still — although it was extremely close — is barely still for two 25 basis point rate cuts in the balance of 2025. Whether we get them or not, who knows, (but) that’s the current snapshot, which may well change. But that’s against a backdrop of admitting for the second SEP, summary of economic projections … in a row that inflation is going to continue to move back higher — that we’ve seen the best numbers for inflation — at the same time that GDP slows a bit.

So okay, you just told us that your favored inflation number, which is a lot of smoke and mirrors to begin with, is going to go back up to north of 3 percent, which is what they said yesterday. And yet you still — the consensus is you’re going to lower interest rates twice in 2025? So he did everything but come right out and admit that the 2 percent inflation target isn’t going to be reached.

Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for the full interview with Temple.

Bullet briefing — Silver hits 13 year high, SPUT raising US$200 million

Is silver’s price rise real?

Gold has stolen the precious metals spotlight in 2025, but this month silver is shining.

The white metal has been on the rise since the beginning of June, and this week it broke the US$37 per ounce mark for the first time in 13 years.

While silver is known to lag behind gold before playing catch up, it’s also known for its volatility. Its move has created excitement, but market participants are also wary of a correction.

When asked what factors are driving silver, Peter Krauth of Silver Stock Investor he said he sees a ‘perfect storm’ emerging. Here’s how he explained it:

You’ve got the macroeconomic picture that is I think certainly bullish for silver, like it is for gold and a lot of the other commodities. But I think at the same time you’ve got the market kind of coming to terms with the fact that silver is in a deficit, (and) it’s unlikely to be able to rectify that deficit for several years — in fact, the Silver Institute thinks we’re going to see record deficits at some point over the next five years.

And silver supply is unable to grow. We saw a peak 10 years ago in mined silver, and overall silver supply is essentially flat.

So flat supply, growing demand — demand that’s nearly 20 percent above supply — and our ability to meet those deficits is shrinking because we’re tapping into these aboveground stockpiles that have shrunk by about 800 million ounces in the last four years, which is the equivalent of an entire year’s mine supply. So it’s the perfect storm, it’s really all coming together. And I think that the market’s realizing that.

But does that necessarily mean silver is ready for a big breakout? Krauth has a target of US$40 by the end of 2025, but said silver could potentially go 10 percent above that.

For his part, Jeffrey Christian of CPM Group attributes the silver price boost to increased demand from investors, especially when it comes to exchange-traded funds and wholesale products.

He’s projecting a bumpier path forward for the metal:

You also have — the last time I looked it was like 490 million ounces of open interest in the July Comex futures contract. And that’s two weeks from first delivery. So most of the people (who) have those shorts – those are hedges of their physical inventories. They keep those hedges in place, but they roll them forward. So they’ll be buying back their Julys and selling September futures to keep that hedge in place with the next active futures contract. That buying back of the Julys could push silver prices higher.

So if you really want to talk granular prices, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the price of silver fall to US$33, US$34 an ounce, and go up to US$40 an ounce and then back to US$33 an ounce over the next four weeks.

Click the links above to watch the interviews with Krauth and Christian.

SPUT raising US$200 million

The uranium spot price made moves this week after the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (TSX:U.U,OTCQX:SRUUF) announced a US$100 million bought-deal financing on Monday (June 16).

It was bumped up to US$200 million the same day due to strong demand.

Spot uranium has been in a consolidation phase since hitting triple-digit levels in early 2024, creating frustration among those who are waiting for the industry’s strong long-term fundamentals to be better expressed. This week’s move past US$75 per pound has helped reinvigorate investors.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Investing

Tech 5: OpenAI/Microsoft Talks Get Tense, SoftBank Floats Arizona Robotics Hub

Investing 5 Mins Read

This week, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and OpenAI’s once tight alliance showed signs of strain, while Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) continued to source artificial intelligence (AI) talent from rival companies.

Meanwhile, SoftBank’s (TSE:9434) CEO is considering a new chip and robotics venture in Arizona, and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is looking to bring AI solutions to American cities.

Read on to dive deeper into this week’s top tech stories.

1. OpenAI and Microsoft partnership faces tension

Microsoft and OpenAI’s once-close partnership is reportedly entering a tense period of renegotiation as OpenAI restructures into a public-benefit company and seeks more autonomy.

According to sources for The Information, recent negotiations have centered on reducing Microsoft’s long-term revenue share in exchange for a 33 percent stake in the newly formed entity. Additionally, OpenAI would like to limit Microsoft’s access to future models such as Windsurf, which OpenAI acquired in May.

The company has competitive concerns with Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, according to the people.

Tensions have risen enough that some OpenAI executives are even weighing antitrust action against Microsoft, according to sources for the Wall Street Journal. In a joint statement, both companies maintained they want to continue working together; however, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (June 18) that if they can’t reach an agreement, Microsoft is prepared to walk away and rely on its existing contract with the startup, which extends until 2030.

2. SoftBank floats trillion-dollar robotics hub in Arizona

SoftBank is reportedly interested in a trillion-dollar infrastructure project and has reached out to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) as a potential collaborative partner.

Sources for Bloomberg revealed on Friday (June 20) that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has approached the Taiwanese chipmaker to play a “prominent role” in a manufacturing park in Arizona codenamed “Project Crystal Land,” which may serve as a major production facility for AI-powered industrial robots.

The sources said SoftBank has also approached Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) and other companies with the idea. SoftBank officials have reportedly engaged in discussions with federal and state government officials, including US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, to explore potential tax incentives for companies onshoring high-tech manufacturing.

In other semiconductor news, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) said on Wednesday that it will spend more than US$60 billion building seven new semiconductor facilities across the US. Meanwhile, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced over the weekend that it will invest AU$20 billion to expand data center infrastructure in Australia by 2029.

3. Intel reportedly planning sizeable layoffs

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is reportedly set to implement substantial layoffs, impacting 15 to 20 percent of its factory workforce, according to an internal memo distributed on Saturday (June 14) and obtained by the Oregonian.

This move comes amidst continuing efforts to overhaul a company lagging behind its peers.

For some time, Intel’s offerings have struggled to compete effectively against those of key rivals in the highly competitive market of AI products and chip divisions. In a concerted effort to address this gap and reinvigorate its innovation pipeline, Intel has also been actively recruiting top-tier engineering talent.

On Wednesday, Intel expanded its sales and engineering leadership team to include experienced professionals from Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ:CDNS), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google.

These strategic hires are intended to inject fresh perspectives and expertise into crucial engineering departments, directly contributing to the company’s ambitious plans to develop more competitive and advanced AI solutions.

4. Google partners with Conference of Mayors for city AI strategies

On Friday, Google announced that it has partnered with the US Conference of Mayors to help speed the adoption of city-wide AI strategies. With the announcement, the company released a playbook titled A Roadmap for America’s Mayor that provides a framework for city leaders to develop and host an “AI Adoption Workshop,’ which would be structured to help cities identify and explore how AI can support specific needs, drawing on experiences from other communities.

The roadmap suggests cities conduct a general survey to tailor workshop content by gathering information on current AI usage, as well as concerns and ideas for AI applications. Various approaches are suggested for drafting the strategy document, including a dedicated working group, an appointed lead drafter, a hybrid model or engaging external expertise, with a recommended deadline of four to six weeks post-workshop for the first draft.

5. Meta hires top AI talent

Sources for the Information indicated on Wednesday that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is bringing Daniel Gross, CEO of Ilya Sutskever’s startup Safe Superintelligence, and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman onboard.

According to the report, Gross and Friedman will both join Meta, with Gross leaving his startup to focus on AI products at Meta and Friedman taking on a broader role. Both are expected to work directly with Zuckerberg and Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, who signed a US$14.3 billion deal to join Meta last week.

In exchange, Meta will get a stake in NFDG, the venture capital firm co-owned by Gross and Friedman that has backed companies such as Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN), Figma, CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV), Perplexity and Character.ai.

On the most recent episode of his brother’s “Uncapped” podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Meta has also offered signing bonuses as high as US$100 million and large compensation packages to OpenAI employees.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Stock

The NASDAQ 100, On The Brink Of A Breakout, Needs Help From This Group

Stock 4 Mins Read

U.S. stocks are on the cusp of a very impressive breakout to all-time highs, but are still missing one key ingredient. They need help in the form of a semiconductors ($DJUSSC) breakout of its own. When the DJUSSC reached its all-time high on June 20, 2024, one year ago, a nasty bearish engulfing candle printed on extremely heavy volume, I wrote an article, “The Semiconductors Have Topped; Look Elsewhere for Opportunities”. Simply put, it was buyers’ exhaustion”. I looked for a 20% drop in the index, providing this chart at the time:

There’s now been a lengthy period of sideways consolidation on the semiconductors as you can see from this updated chart as that 20% drop immediately occurred:

Semiconductor leadership has been held firmly in check by the overhead price resistance just below 22000. Until that resistance is cleared, the QQQ has a lid on it.

Let’s keep in mind that the QQQ, an ETF that tracks the NASDAQ 100 index, can be broken down into its top 2 industry groups, as follows:

  • Semiconductors ($DJUSSC): 21.65%
  • Software ($DJUSSW): 19.11%

More than 40% of the QQQ is comprised of semiconductors and software. Here’s what the longer-term, 5-year software chart looks like:

Software’s relative strength is powerful and we’ve recently seen an absolute price breakout – an awesome combo. On a 5-year weekly chart of semis, it’s quite apparent that when the semiconductors break out, they carry the NASDAQ 100 on their shoulders higher and we’re close to a breakout now:

We just saw a relative strength breakout on the DJUSSC, there’s only one thing missing – that absolute breakout and it’s coming fairly soon, in my opinion.

Market Outlook

A big part of what happens over the next 6-12 months will be highly dependent on the two industry groups above. There are over 100 industry groups and this may be oversimplifying stocks a bit, but make no mistake about it. Higher growth prospects and lower interest rates can result in flying PE ratios and these two groups are home to companies that can expand their businesses very rapidly.

Market Manipulation

I’ve discussed the role of market makers and their manipulation of the stock market many times over the past several years and there’s no doubt in my mind we were just exposed to another massive dose of it in the first half of 2025. At EarningsBeats.com, however, we’ve become experts at spotting it and pointing it out. I discussed the importance of being in cash back in late January and in February before the massive Wall Street ripoff started and I also wrote about the importance of getting back in early. Remember my article in the second week of April, “The Bottom is Here or Rapidly Approaching”? These are real-time articles, folks. You need to see the tops and bottoms before they occur. It does little good to talk about it now. We don’t get a “do over.”

Or do we?

What do I mean by that? Well, we’ll have plenty more chances to spot tops and bottoms in the future, but you need to learn from this year’s mistakes RIGHT NOW. Don’t let these big-money, Wall Street crooks do it to you again. We have one MASSIVE advantage on our side vs. these big Wall Street firms. We can enter and exit stocks in seconds. It takes them days and weeks.

If you want to be better-positioned to see this nonsense AHEAD OF TIME the next time it comes around, I’d suggest that you join me on Saturday, June 28th at 10:00am ET for a 100% free event, “Trading The Truth: How Market Manipulation Creates Opportunity”. CLICK HERE to register and learn more about the event! This is a MUST-ATTEND event and seating is limited. Be sure to save your seat and learn how to protect your hard-earned money for the rest of your financial future!

Happy trading!

Tom

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Sport

Key information for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Pocono

Sport 4 Mins Read

NASCAR’s first international race in decades proved to be a dominant afternoon for Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen.

The Cup Series rookie led 60 of the 100 laps, including the final 32 on the road course in Mexico City, to take his first win of the 2025 season. That victory, in the Cup Series’ first ever race in Mexico, ensures the New Zealander will be in the playoffs this year. It also marked his second career Cup Series win. His first came in a similarly historic setting in 2023 when he won the series’ first street race in the streets of Chicago.

The first points-paying international Cup Series race since 1958 was a commercial success. With 2.1 million viewers on Amazon Prime Video, the Viva Mexico 250 had the youngest audience for any Cup Series race since 2017.

This week the grid returns to U.S. soil for a race at an iconic track on the calendar: Pocono Raceway. It’s the only track on the Cup Series schedule with just three turns, and it’s been a staple on the schedule since 1971.

This week’s race is the final one to set seeding for NASCAR’s inaugural in-season challenge. Denny Hamlin secured a top seed in the tournament thanks to his win in Michigan two weeks ago. Van Gisbergen did not qualify for the tournament – which features the top 32 drivers in the points standings prior to Michigan – so his win did not earn him a top seed.

NASCAR IN-SEASON CHALLENGE: What you need to know about the new tournament

There’s still one more chance for the 32-driver field to solidify their seeding in the tournament. Here’s everything you need to get ready for the Cup Series race in Pocono on June 22:

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono start?

The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono on?

The Great American Getaway 400 is the final race of the year to be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video. That means there is no national TV broadcast for the race. Pre-race coverage will start at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?

Yes, the Great American Getaway 400 will be streamed on Prime Video.

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?

The Great American Getaway 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 30 laps; Stage 2: 65 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono last year?

What is the lineup for the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono?

(Car number in parentheses)

  1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
  2. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
  3. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
  4. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
  5. (41) Cole Custer, Ford
  6. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
  7. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
  8. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
  9. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
  10. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
  11. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
  12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
  13. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
  14. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
  15. (38) Zane Smith, Ford
  16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
  17. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
  18. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
  19. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
  20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
  21. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
  22. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
  23. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
  24. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
  25. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
  26. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
  27. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
  28. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
  29. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
  30. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
  31. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
  32. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
  33. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
  34. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
  35. (21) Josh Berry, Ford
  36. (51) Cody Ware, Ford
  37. (44) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet

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Sport

Wife accuses Giants reliever of abuse; team in contact with MLB

Sport 2 Mins Read

A day after San Francisco Giants’ reliever Sean Hjelle’s wife, Caroline, accused him of infidelity, family abandonment, and abuse in a viral TikTok, posted Friday, June 20, the team released a statement on the matter.

‘We are aware of these serious allegations,’ the statement read. ‘We have been in contact with MLB. These type of allegations fall under their jurisdiction and we won’t be commenting further.’

The TikTok, which has garnered more than 3.5 million views and over 230,000 likes in less than 24 hours since it was posted, includes a caption that says, ‘When my MLB husband abandons us on Mothers Day a week after this (video was taken) once I finally found about his affairs and stopped putting up with his abuse, so I’ve been raising two boys alone.’

Before the game, Giants manager Bob Melvin said Hjelle was available to pitch on Saturday. Melvin acknowledged he was aware of the accusations.

‘He told me about it last night,’ Melvin told reporters. ‘We’ve talked to MLB and at this point, it’s in their jurisdiction so we can’t comment on it any further.’

What else has Caroline Hjelle said on the matter?

The San Jose Mercury News cited a Giants spokesperson, who said the couple is divorced.

It is unclear when the couple officially ended their marriage, but Caroline has several posts on her TikTok alluding to her struggles as a solo parent, dating back to October 2024, when she posted this video for the ’17 Diapers’ trend, meant to detail the struggles of early parenthood.

On April 8 of this year, Hjelle posted another TikTok with the hashtag ‘divorce’, claiming she was ‘devastated’ after ‘finding out all the lies.’

Has Hjelle been important to the Giants’ success?

The Giants have been one of the surprise teams of 2025 with a 42-34 record while sitting in second-place in the NL West. A large reason for that success has been their bullpen, which has posted an MLB-best 2.60 ERA.

Hjelle played a sizable role in the Giants’ bullpen in 2024, when he recorded a 3.90 ERA across 80⅔ innings. However, he’s taken a large step back in 2025, with his ERA ballooning to 4.66, while his BB/9 has increased massively from 1.6 in 2024 to 6.5 this year. Hjelle has pitched only 9⅔ innings this season.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Sport

Mariners slugger launches 30th homer to break another MLB record

Sport 2 Mins Read

The Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh did it again.

On Saturday, Raleigh hit his 30th home run of the season, giving him the most homers by a switch hitter before MLB’s All-Star break.

Raleigh’s blast came off Chicago Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia to start the ninth inning. This came after he hit two homers Friday against the Cubs to break the previous record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, which was set by Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970.

Raleigh’s journey to greatness is not over yet. He now stands alongside Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as the second Mariners player to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. With his fantastic season, the potential for Raleigh to surpass Mickey Mantle’s record of 54 home runs by a switch hitter, set in 1961, is definitely within reach.

Cal Raleigh stats

  • Batting average: .272
  • On-base percentage: .377
  • Slugging percentage: .649
  • Home runs: 30
  • RBI: 64
  • OPS: 1.026

MLB home run leaders

  1. Cal Raleigh, Mariners – 30
  2. Aaron Judge, Yankees – 27
  3. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers – 25
  4. Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks – 24
  5. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies – 23
  6. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs – 21

When do Mariners play next?

The Mariners will face the Cubs again at Wrigley Field on Sunday, June 22 at 2:20 p.m. ET.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Sport

Kade Anderson stats vs Coastal Carolina: LSU baseball ace tosses shutout

Sport 2 Mins Read

The left-handed pitcher, expected to be a top five pick in the upcoming MLB draft, was completely dominant against Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the national championship series, tossing a complete-game shutout to end the Chanticleers’ 26-game win streak in the 1-0 win. The complete-game shutout was the first in the College World Series national championship series since 2018.

The draft-eligible sophomore is almost assuredly done for the season, as he threw 130 pitches on Saturday night. LSU can clinch the national title with a win on June 22, with Coastal Carolina hoping to force an if-necessary Game 3 on June 23.

Anderson extended his nation-leading strikeout total to 180 on the season. He entered the game with an 11-1 record and a 3.44 ERA in 110 innings.

Anderson walked five batters and hit two others, but his performance was still more-than good enough to take Game 1.

Here’s a look at Kade Anderson’s highlights and final line from his powerful final collegiate start against Coastal Carolina in the national championship series:

Kade Anderson stats vs Coastal Carolina

  • Kade Anderson stats vs. Coastal Carolina: No runs on three hits, five walks and two hit by pitches with 10 strikeouts across nine innings.

Kade Anderson highlights vs Coastal Carolina

Here’s a look at Anderson’s top highlights against the Chanticleers on Saturday:

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