Elias Says...
Special to ESPN.com
NBA
JAMES EXTENDS RECORD FOR LEADING TEAM IN POINTS, REBOUNDS & ASSISTS
From Elias: LeBron James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- all team highs -- in the Heat's series-clinching win over the Knicks on Wednesday night. It was the 20th time in his pro career that James led his team outright in points, rebounds and assists in a playoff game. That's by far the highest such total for any player in NBA history. In fact the only other players who did that in at least 10 games are Larry Bird (13) and Tim Duncan (11).
GRIZZLIES WIN WITHOUT THREE-POINTER
From Elias: The Grizzlies defeated the Clippers, 92-80, despite missing all six of their three-point field-goal attempts. They were the first NBA team in 15 years to win a playoff game by at least 10 points while not making a field goal from beyond the arc. That had last been done by the Lakers, in a 104-84 victory over the Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals.
Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers
NHL
OVECHKIN: 30 GOALS IN 50 PLAYOFF GAMES
From Elias: The Capitals evened their series against the Rangers at three wins apiece with a 2-1 victory in Game Six on Wednesday night in Washington. Alex Ovechkin gave the Caps a lead they would never relinquish with a power play goal only 1:28 after the opening faceoff. It was the 30th playoff goal of Ovechkin's NHL career, coming in his 50th postseason game. He's the first NHL player to score at least 30 goals in his first 50 Stanley Cup playoff games since Joe Sakic reached the 50-game mark with 33 goals in May 1997.
Washington Capitals, New York Rangers
RANGERS PLAY ANOTHER LOW-SCORING GAME
From Elias: The Rangers weren't able to eliminate the Capitals, but they did set one NHL playoff record and tie another with their 2-1 loss in Washington. The Rangers' current streak of 12 consecutive games in which neither they nor their opponent scored more than three goals is a new single-year NHL playoff record, breaking the old mark of 11 set by Carolina in 2002. The Rangers have also tied the record of 12 consecutive games in one playoff year in which a team and its opponent combined to score five or fewer goals set by Boston in 1939.
New York Rangers, Washington Capitals
MLB
THE CAPTAIN SUPPLANTS THE MAN
From Elias: Derek Jeter's first-inning single on Wednesday night gave him 50 hits in 2012 and made him the first player in Yankees history to collect 50 hits over the team's first 30 games of a season. Jeter, who turns 38 next month, also became the oldest major-league player since 1900 to record 50 hits through his team's first 30 games of a season. He broke the record held by Stan Musial, who was 37 when he had 50 hits at the 30-game mark for the Cardinals in 1958, but Musial at the time was a "younger 37" than was Jeter on Wednesday night.
New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays
JOYCE TAKES ROBERTSON DEEP
From Elias: Matt Joyce's game-winning three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning off David Robertson provided the Rays a 4-1 win over Yankees in the Bronx. It was the first home run that Robertson allowed at home since May 5, 2010. His just-broken streak of 231 at-bats without allowing a home run is the longest in the history of the new Yankee Stadium.
Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees
BAKER JOINS EXCLUSIVE GROUP
From Elias: The Reds defeated the Brewers on Wednesday, giving Dusty Baker his 1,500th win as a big-league manager. Baker, who had 1,981 hits in the majors, becomes the fourth man in major-league history to collect 1,500 wins as a manager and 1,500 hits as a player. He joins Fred Clarke, Lou Piniella and Joe Torre. (Clarke played for Louisville and Pittsburgh in the National League, from 1894 to 1915, and was a player-manager for most of those seasons.)
Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers
MORROW ROCKETING TO STARDOM
From Elias: Brandon Morrow defeated the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing one run in six innings, while striking out 10 batters. Morrow is 4-0 over his last four starts, with two total runs allowed and 30 strikeouts. The only other pitcher in Blue Jays history who won four consecutive starts, while permitting two-or-fewer runs and recording 30-or-more strikeouts over that span was Roger Clemens. Clemens did that twice for Toronto, in 1997 and 1998, and he won the Cy Young award in each of those seasons.
Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics
1-0 GAME AT WRIGLEY
From Elias: The Cubs defeated the Braves in Chicago on Wednesday, 1-0, with Paul Maholm earning the win after throwing seven innings. It was only the second 1-0 game played between those two teams in the last 19 years. The other was at Wrigley Field on Memorial Day in 2000, when Greg Maddux threw a complete-game six-hitter for Atlanta, with Andres Galarraga's solo homer providing the run support.
METS RALLY TO SWEEP PHILLIES
From Elias: The Mets rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the seventh inning to beat the Phillies on Wednesday night, climaxing a three-game set in Philadelphia that was almost unprecedented in Mets history. It was only the second time that the Mets swept a series of at least three games and scored the game-winning run in the seventh inning or later in each game of that series. They previously did that in May 1988, winning four consecutive games of that type against the Padres at Shea Stadium.
New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies
RAMIREZ EXITS THE INTERSTATE
From Elias: Alexei Ramirez was 3-for-4 in the White Sox' win at Cleveland, lifting his batting average this season to .209. Ramirez entered Wednesday as one of three American League players (along with Jose Bautista and Eric Hosmer) who had started every one of this team's games this year and was hitting below .200.
Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians
ROYALS SCORE THREE RUNS OFF LESTER IN FIRST INNING
From Elias: The Royals scored three runs in the first inning against Jon Lester and went on to beat the Red Sox, 4-3. Kansas City entered the game having scored three or more runs in an inning only seven times this season, which was the lowest such total in the American League. Lester had not allowed a single run in the first inning in any of his previous eight starts, dating back to last September.
Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox
McCUTCHEN RAKES NATIONALS
From Elias: Andrew McCutchen was 4-for-4 with a home run in the Pirates' win against the Nationals on Wednesday night. McCutchen is now 33-for-75 (.440) versus Washington in his four-year major-league career. That's the highest batting average over that span for any player against any National League team (minimum: 75 at-bats).
Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals
INFANTE IS 12TH-INNING HERO AGAIN
From Elias: Omar Infante's two-run single in the top of the 12th inning provided the margin of victory in the Marlins' 5-3 triumph over the Astros. Infante had a game-winning RBI-double against the Padres last Friday. The only other major-league player who has driven in a game-winning run in the 12th inning or later of more than one game this season is the Athletics' Jonny Gomes.
ROCKIES ROOKIE ENDS TEAM LOSING STREAK
From Elias: Rockies starting pitcher Christian Friedrich made his major-league debut on Wednesday and he earned the win against the Padres, while also stopping Colorado's five-game losing streak. Over the last 10 seasons, only two other pitchers making their big-league debuts started and got the win after their team had lost at least the five previous games: Baltimore's Brad Bergesen in 2009 and Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm in 2005.
Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres
TOP OF ORDER SPARKS ANGELS
From Elias: Mike Trout and Alberto Callaspo each scored two runs in the Angels' 6-2 victory over the Twins, giving the Angels 14 runs scored from the top two spots in the order in nine games this month. The Angels' 1-2 hitters scored only 15 runs in 23 games in April, tied with the Pirates for the lowest total in the major leagues.
Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins