Denzel Clarke didn’t just rob a home run on Monday. He nearly scaled the outfield wall at Angel Stadium to do so.

Clarke, in the first inning of the Athletics’ 7-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, started tracking what should’ve been an easy solo home run from Nolan Schanuel deep in center field. But as Clarke reached the wall, he climbed up it and nearly launched himself all the way over it while somehow robbing Schanuel’s homer.

Schanuel, and just about everyone else on the field, was left completely stunned.

The play came just days after Clarke made another ridiculous grab in the outfield. On Friday in Sacramento, Clark launched his body into the outfield wall while making a catch at Sutter Health Park.

That one, though, looked much more painful. Thankfully, Clarke was fine after he collected himself.

Monday’s game was just the 16th of Clarke’s career with the Athletics, who called him up from their Triple-A affiliate earlier this season. The 25-year-old entered the contest with a .224 batting average with one home run and three RBI. The As chose him in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Cal State Northridge.

Despite his early heroics, the Angels cruised to the win. They put up three runs in the third inning with a trio of RBI singles, and then Jo Adell hit a solo homer in the fourth to add to their lead. The Athletics finally got on the board in the eighth when JJ Bleday hit a two-run shot, but it came too late. The Angels added three more runs in the eighth and held on after a two-run homer from Max Muncy in the ninth to seal the three-run win. The loss dropped the A’s to 26-42 on the season.

While he’s just a handful of games into his MLB career, Clarke already has two bids for Catch of the Year under his belt. That’s one incredible way to kick things off.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 after dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. They will face the Indiana Pacers, who knocked off the New York Knicks in six games on Saturday night, and the Thunder are overwhelming favorites in the series. In fact, Oklahoma City is the biggest Finals favorite in franchise history.

The Thunder opened as -800 favorites in the NBA Finals at BetMGM, with the Pacers as +550 underdogs.

Oklahoma City was a -175 favorite back in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, but ended up losing the series in five games. The Seattle SuperSonics were -140 favorites in the 1978 NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets, per Sports Odds History.

The biggest favorites in NBA Finals history were the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, who were -2000 against the Philadelphia 76ers and won the series in five games. The 2018 champion Golden State Warriors were the second biggest of all time as -1075 favorites over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Who were the biggest favorites to lose in the Finals? Well, that again would be the Lakers, who fell as -700 favorites to the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

Oklahoma City has arguably been the best team in the league all season, going 68-14 in the tough Western Conference to earn the No. 1 seed, which included a historic 55-23-4 record against the spread in the regular season — the best ATS mark in 35 seasons.

While the Thunder have struggled against the spread in the postseason entering the finals (7-9 ATS), they have been impressive and won games when it has mattered most — winning Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals and hitting clutch shot after clutch shot in Game 4 against the Timberwolves in the last round.

The Pacers are in the NBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history (in 2000 they lost to the -800 favorite Los Angeles Lakers in six games) and have been impressive in the postseason, winning seven games outright as underdogs. Indiana was a -190 favorite at sportsbooks in its Round 1 series against a banged-up Milwaukee Bucks team, before being underdogs (+425 series price) against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Knicks (+135) in the last two rounds.

We’ll be tracking the changing finals odds throughout the series:

Indiana Pacers (+400) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (-525)

Series tied 1-1

Game 3: Thunder (-5.5, 228.5) at Pacers

Game 2: Thunder 123, Pacers 107

Spread result: Thunder -11.5

Total: Over 228.5

Series price heading into Game 2: Pacers (+275) vs. Thunder (-350)

Game 1: Pacers 111, Thunder 110

Spread result: Pacers +10

Total: Under 230

Series price heading into Game 1: Pacers (+500) vs. Thunder (-700)

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL on Monday, the team confirmed. The procedure was performed by renowned surgeon Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas. 

MLB.com’s Mark Bowman originally reported the diagnosis hours after the Braves placed the Rookie of the Year candidate on the 60-day IL. He will miss the remainder of the 2025 MLB season in recovery from the injury.

The injury occurred during a Smith-Shawver’s start against the Philadelphia Phillies in late May. He encountered his first misfortune when a 96.6 mph line drive from Bryson Stott hit him in the ankle, but he remained in the game.

During his next few pitches to Trea Turner, Smith-Shawver started to wince and shake his arm. The Braves coaching staff appeared to notice the issue only after another pitcher, Spencer Strider, saw what was happening and pointed it out to them. Strider has his own experience with elbow issues, having missed most of 2024 with a torn UCL.

Turner flied out on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, and it was only after that when Smith-Shawver reportedly told Snitker he felt a “pop” in his elbow.

Smith-Shawver’s velocity was dropping significantly while all that was happening. His last pitch to Stott was a 95.8 mph four-seamer, a tick below every other four-seamer he had thrown that day. The velocity kept dropping against Turner, with his four-seamer going from 95.9 mph to 94.7 mph to 94.2 mph on the final pitch.

Whether Braves coaches should have been more proactive — or aware — of Smith-Shawver’s troubles, the 22-year-old is a notable loss for a team trying to recover from a slow start.

Smith-Shawver was ranked as the No. 83 overall prospect by Baseball America entering this season and was off to a strong enough start that he was third in BetMGM’s NL Rookie of the Year odds when the injury occurred. Now, the Braves will have to wait until next year, at least, to see him on the mound again.

Visibly upset after Game 1, you just knew Chet Holmgren was going to bounce back. The 23-year-old might have the occasional stinker, but never two in a row. He only needed the first quarter to prove that, as he exceeded his Game 1 point total.

The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the NBA Finals at 1-1 with a 123-107 Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers. After barely using the Holmgren-Hartenstein lineup in Game 1, the Thunder went back to it in spurts and had at least one big on the floor.

Holmgren finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, six rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had a block. Off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein had three points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Receiving the inbound pass, Holmgren faked the corner attempt and drove past Turner for a scoop layup in the final seconds of the first frame. That was a perfect move to finish a hot start and flexing his confidence hasn’t gone anywhere.

The Thunder stuck with their Game 1 starters and reaped the benefits. They didn’t overreact to an anomaly. Instead, they relied on what the lineup data has suggested all year. The Holmgren-Hartenstein lineup was back on the table after barely being played in Game 1. It worked out tremendously in their limited reps. Hartenstein even connected with Holmgren on an alley-oop.

“They were both really good in both situations. I thought both of them gave us huge lifts on both ends of the floor. That was one area where we improved tonight, was our pick-and-roll coverage against their bigs. They’re a different look because of the rolling, the popping, just the way they play,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on Holmgren-Hartenstein. “I thought one area that we really improved was on the defensive end in that area of the game. They both were great. I thought Chet, in particular, had a rough offensive night in Game 1. As always, he rose back up and was really, really good.”

This is probably the best usage of Holmgren. He’s at his peak at center. The Pacers always had to second-guess themselves when they drove to the basket. When he gets it going as a scorer, that makes the Thunder even more dangerous.

And then Hartenstein has been fantastic off the bench. He’s been a rebound machine. He helped the Thunder stay within it on the boards. They also utilized his classic big-man screening to create space for their drivers and created some second-unit action.

“I think we did a good job of being aggressive and then playing more on two feet, making some decisions in that mid-paint area where in last game we were kind of just putting up those shots,” Holmgren said. “I think we did a better job of finding some better looks, whether it was dunker’s baseline or kick-outs, whatever it may be, I feel like we did a good job of slowing down in that space.”

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Holmgren-Hartenstein help Thunder in NBA Finals Game 2 win over Pacers

Two defensive starters are expected to hit the free agent market in the NFL, but the San Francisco 49ers aren’t likely to get involved in trying to sign either one.

News broke Monday that the Green Bay Packers released cornerback Jaire Alexander. The Cincinnati Bengals are also parting ways with linebacker Germaine Pratt.

It’s easy to see why the 49ers would pass on Pratt. He looked like an ascending superstar after a stellar 2022 campaign. He failed to back that up in 2023 and 2024. San Francisco has a handful of young players on the roster who will compete for the starting Will LB job alongside Fred Warner, including rookie third-round pick Nick Martin. If the 49ers are going to sign a veteran LB, it would likely be sometime during training camp if they think none of the younger players in-house can adequately play the position.

Alexander is a different story. Knee and shoulder injuries limited him to only 14 games across the last two seasons, but he was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2022. For the 49ers the Alexander addition could be a low-risk move to help bolster a secondary that has a slew of question marks in its starting group. Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green figure to snag two starting spots. The third CB job is up in the air, and adding Alexander to the mix would make a ton of sense.

The problem for the 49ers is Alexander wouldn’t sign to compete for a starting spot. He’s a two-time All-Pro who would immediately slide in as a starting CB. He may or may not be that caliber of player anymore after his injury issues. Getting him in the building would be helpful for the 49ers’ depth and he brings more high-end upside than any player on the roster. His floor is very low, though and chasing an oft-injured veteran isn’t something that fits the 49ers’ current roster-building ethos.

Depth could be an issue for the 49ers again this season, but it’s clear they’re happy giving opportunities to young players to fill a majority of those depth issues.

More 49ers: 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan not willing to give his team the same grace he did in 2024

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers unlikely to sign Jaire Alexander, Germaine Pratt after releases

Phillies Make Brandon Marsh Announcement Before Cubs Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

If the Philadelphia Phillies believe outfielder Brandon Marsh can break out of a season-long hitting slump, they certainly don’t think it will happen on Monday night.

The Phillies, unsurprisingly, did not start Marsh against Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd. Instead, utilityman Weston Wilson is starting in left, with Johan Rojas continuing to man center field.

The move isn’t especially surprising, given that Marsh typically gets most of his plate appearances against right-handers. Marsh entered Monday with only four hits, one being a home run, in 22 at-bats against lefties.

However, Rob Thomson’s decision to keep Marsh on the bench is nonetheless noteworthy. Managers often resort to unconventional lineup moves to get a player going, though it’s clear that starting Marsh in a lefty-on-lefty matchup wasn’t one the Phillies wanted to test.

The same applies to snapping losing streaks, such as the Phillies’ current seven-game skid. Thomson may have more faith in Wilson, who is 5-for-33 in 18 games, to help the Phillies get back on track.

Marsh entered Monday hitting .216 with two homers, 12 RBI, and a disappointing .638 OPS in 131 plate appearances. It’s unclear what his future holds, though Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb suggested the team consider demoting Marsh to Triple-A and allow him to “reset.”

As of publication, Marsh remained on the Phillies’ 26-man roster.

Philadelphia has lost 10 of its last 13 games and sits 4 1/2 games back of the New York Mets in the NL East.

Related: Phillies Suggested to Make ‘Extreme’ Brandon Marsh Move Amid Losing Streak

Related: Trade Idea Swaps Phillies’ Andrew Painter for $3.85 Million Outfielder

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

Texas A&M is currently a finalist for several high-profile 2026 prospects, including one of the more underrated athletes in the cycle. Legend Bey, a 2026 three-star athlete and North Forney’s (TX) standout dual-threat quarterback, is choosing between Tennessee, West Virginia, Duke, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. On Monday, the standout athlete revealed his upcoming commitment date.

Taking to social media (X), Bey revealed that he will announce his commitment on Saturday, June 28, and while all five finalists have a shot at landing him, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko and his staff were one of the first Power 4 programs to recognize his talent and elite versatility, slightly similiar to sophomore wide receiver Terrry Bussey, who also played quarterback during his prolific high school career.

On paper, running back or wide receiver is his likely position at the next level, and for those unaware of his skillset, all you need to do is turn on the tape. During his 2024 junior season, Bey rushed for 1,912 yards and 41 touchdowns, while throwing for over 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns to boot.

Bey’s official visit to Texas A&M will take place on June 20, just eight days before his commitment, so it’s safe to say that the Aggies are on the fast track to landing his pledge.

2026 North Forney (TX) three-star athlete Legend Bey has set a commitment date with five finalists.

Aggies have held the momentum at times in this recruitment. pic.twitter.com/gvynUFSkhc

— Jaxson Callaway (AT) (@AggiesToday) June 9, 2025

According to 247Sports, Legend Bey is positioned as the 21st-ranked Athlete and 49th-ranked prospect in Texas.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 2026 3-star ATH Legend Bey will announce his commitment on June 28

Coveted Playmaker Sends Clear Message on Future With Historic College Football Program originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

One Georgia Bulldogs commit in the 2026 class is taking and scheduling visits to the Michigan Wolverines and SEC rivals. That’s enough to make a college football program grow a little concerned.

But four-star receiver Brady Marchese reaffirmed his admiration for the Bulldogs while speaking to On3’s Chad Simmons after his past weekend’s visit to Athens, Georgia.

“My visit just solidified how great the winning culture is at Georgia and how they develop players,” Marchese told Simmons. “I have been to Athens six or seven times, and each visit gets better. 

“My commitment to Georgia is strong.”

Marchese visited Ann Arbor, Michigan a week ago. Simmons reported the Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks “are working to get him” to visit their campuses in June.

But Marchese has really given no indication that he’s wavering in his commitment to the Bulldogs.

“The coaches and staff at Georgia are great and always make me feel like a priority,” Marchese said. “I spent the most time with Coach Smart, coach Coley and coach Bobo. I also got to talk with coach Benedict, which was cool because I feel like special teams is where I should have a chance to make an impact early.

“The message has been that they like my speed, competitive style of play and toughness.”

2026 4⭐️ WR Brady Marchese @BradyMarchese1 from Cartersville HS (GA) on his June 6th-8th OV to Georgia: pic.twitter.com/qQQusaUH09

— Bulldawg Recruiting (@bulldawgrecruit) June 8, 2025

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Marchese is rated the No. 41 wide receiver and 28th-best Georgia recruit in the 2026 class. He’s also the No. 250 overall prospect based on the same rankings.

A Cartersville, Georgia native, Marchese committed to the Bulldogs in March.

Related: New Photo of Coveted Star Emerges Sparking Georgia Rumors

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.