ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The major league-leading Tampa Bay Rays lost ace Shane McClanahan to mid-back tightness in a 6-5 loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals. McClanahan was looking to become the majors’ first 12-game winner of the year before leaving with two outs in the fourth. The left-hander, 11-1 this season, gave up two runs, four hits and two walks in a 66-pitch outing. Maikel Garcia drew a walk from Pete Fairbanks (0-2) to start the ninth, then stole second and third. After Fairbanks got a pair of strikeouts, Garcia scored on MJ Melendez’s infield single down the first-base line to put the Royals ahead 6-5. Aroldis Chapman (3-2) struck out the side in a perfect eighth, and Scott Barlow finished for his ninth save.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Tommy White hit Camden Minacci’s first pitch into the left-field seats for a two-run homer in the 11th inning, giving LSU a 2-0 walk-off victory over No. 1 national seed Wake Forest and clinching a spot in the College World Series finals. The win sends the Tigers to the best-of-three CWS championship series against Florida beginning Saturday night. It will be a rematch of the 2017 All-SEC College World Series final the Gators won for their first national title. LSU became the first team to hand Wake Forest consecutive losses this season. The game was a classic pitcher's duel between LSU's Paul Skenes and Wake Forest's Rhett Lowder.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas native Gradey Dick brought a bit of home with him to the NBA draft. The guard from Wichita, Kansas, who played his lone college season at his home state school, wore a sparkly and bedazzled red coat Thursday night. Dick said it was his nod to Dorothy from the classic movie “Wizard of Oz.” Dick showed off his jacket on the red carpet coming into the Barclays Center. The 6-foot-8 sharp-shooter set a freshman record with 83 3-pointers at Kansas, and the Toronto Raptors selected him at No. 13 overall.
NEW YORK (AP) — Keyontae Johnson fought for his chance. Oklahoma City is giving him one. Johnson was taken in the second round of Thursday’s NBA draft, going to the Thunder with the 50th overall pick. That was one of the last of the draft; the final one was Chris Livingston, going to Milwaukee. Johnson starred at Kansas State this past season, but that’s just a tiny part of his story. During a game for Florida — his former school — against Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020, he collapsed and was rushed to a hospital, where he spent three days in a medically induced coma. He sat out the rest of that season and all of the next.
NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Wembanyama is the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, headed to San Antonio with enormous expectations to become basketball’s newest sensation. The selection of the 19-year-old from France that had been a foregone conclusion for months was announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Wembanyama arrives with far more height and hype than most No. 1 picks. Listed at 7-foot-4, he dominated his French league in his final season there, leading all players in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. Brandon Miller of Alabama was the No. 2 pick by the Charlotte Hornets and Scoot Henderson went third to the Portland Trail Blazers.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman says the 25-game suspension the NBA slapped guard Ja Morant with “was appropriate." The GM also said Thursday night after the NBA draft that it's up to Morant to change the behavior that led to two suspensions in four months. Kleiman is the first team official to publicly discuss Morant's situation and the NBA’s latest punishment of the two-time All-Star for flashing a gun on social media after the season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the latest suspension June 16 and made clear Morant must stop his “alarming” habit of flashing guns on social media.
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Denny McCarthy came inches from shooting a 59, settling for a 10-under 60 for the lowest round of his PGA Tour career, and Rory McIlroy made his first ace on tour on a day of low numbers at the Travelers Championship. Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott also made runs at golf’s magic number but faltered late. Each shot 62 at the TPC River Highlands, where Jim Furyk set the PGA Tour record with a 58 in 2016. Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, finished with a 7-under 63. McCarthy started on the back nine. He had five birdies on his first six holes and five more coming in.
THURSDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Minnesota 6 Boston 0
Final Cleveland 6 Oakland 1
Final Kansas City 6 Tampa Bay 5
Final Seattle 10 N.Y. Yankees 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Arizona 5 Washington 3
Final Atlanta 5 Philadelphia 1
Final San Diego 10 San Francisco 0
Final Miami 6 Pittsburgh 4
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