Your Must-See Sports Headlines for Today, June 12

Welcome to Tuesday’s roundup of must-see sports headlines, highlighted by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s historic rout to open their 2019 Women’s World Cup campaign which led to questions of whether they went too hard on their opponent.

We also look back on Kevin Durant’s mother defending him against his critics on Twitter and Pedro Martinez breaking down on MLB Network while talking about his close friend David Ortiz.

All this and more as we get you up to speed with the sports world on this Wednesday!

TOP MOMENT: U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Kicks Off 2019 World Cup Campaign With Record-Setting Rout of Thailand

The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team opened its defense of the FIFA World Cup title with a statement-setting game right out of the gate, decimating Thailand 13-0. Yes, you read that right. Thirteen goals. The thirteen tallies set a record for goals scored in a single women’s or men’s World Cup game.

The United States had a 3-0 lead at the half but then absolutely poured it on in the second half, scoring a total of ten goals, four of which came in a seven-minute span. Alex Morgan led the way for the Stars and Stripes with five goals. She is just the second player in Women’s World Cup history to net five in one game. Michelle Akers was the first to accomplish the feat in 1991.

ALEX MORGAN FOR THE RECORD! ??@alexmorgan13's 5th ties Michelle Akers' single-game #FIFAWWC record … and makes it 12-0 USA! pic.twitter.com/52Z0ePG6vI

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019

The two biggest questions coming out of the first U.S. game will be did they run up the score against Thailand and should they have tempered their goal celebrations late in the second half. Like Fox’s Rob Stone, you could make the argument that the U.S. could have pulled back after going up 7, 8, 9 goals.

Fox's Rob Stone following the USWNT's 13-0 win. "This got humiliating at some point. It just became an exercise in target practice…You know what I wanted to do? Pull it back, knock it around."

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) June 11, 2019

But you also have to understand that the rules call for scoring as many goals as teams possibly can in group play, with goal differential being used as a tiebreaker for teams to advance to the knockout stage.

The real gripe seems to center around how the U.S. women were celebrating the goals late in the second half when the game had long been decided. The FOX Soccer crew sided with Team USA, suggesting to “celebrate, live in the moment, that’s what it’s all about.”

Should the U.S. Women's National Team have tempered their celebrations in today's rout?

Our FOX Soccer tonight crew sides with the players. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6bPOuQsLc6

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 12, 2019

The stat of the day was brought to you by ESPN: The U.S. Men’s National Team has scored 12 World Cup goals in the past 6,202 days. That should put this historic performance into perspective.

What will the U.S. do for an encore? Tune-in Sunday when they take on Chile in their second game of group play at noon ET on FOX.

Read full recap here.

DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Sports Headlines

Sources: Kevin Durant travels to New York for MRI; Warriors reportedly fear superstar has torn Achilles.
David Ortiz takes first steps after second surgery in Boston.
Oakland Raiders selected for this season’s Hard Knocks on HBO.

MUST-WATCH PLAY OF THE DAY: Texas Rangers Hunter Pence Delivers ‘Easiest’ Inside the Park Home Run

.@hunterpence with just your casual inside-the-park homer. pic.twitter.com/USoRmDQI5i

— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2019

How often do you see an ‘easy’ inside the park home run? That’s what happened on Tuesday night when Texas Rangers outfielder Hunter Pence hit one into the right field corner near Pesky’s Pole at Fenway Park. Red Sox right fielder Brock Holt gave a tremendous effort to make the catch, jumping up onto the outfield wall but missed the ball, which then bounced off the wall and rolled towards center field.

Holt thought the ball had landed in the stands for a homer so was in no rush to get off the wall, and by the time center fielder Mookie Betts retrieved the ball, Pence had raced around the bases for by far his most bizarre homer of the 14 he has hit this season.

SOCIAL RUNDOWN: Kevin Durant’s Mother Comes to his Defense on Twitter

Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant returned to action on Tuesday night for Game 5 of the NBA Finals after missing over a month with a calf injury. Durant played well in the first quarter, scoring 11 points, but suffered an Achilles injury early in the second quarter that knocked him out of the game and has put his immediate basketball future up in the air.

Durant drew criticism on social media while he was nursing his calf injury, as keyboard warriors questioned the severity of his injury and his desire.

I think we can put all of that to bed after Durant showed that he was willing to put everything on the line for his team.

Durant’s mother, Wanda Durant, took to Twitter on Tuesday to silence the critics:

For ALL of you who question my son as a Man, question his Heart, question his Integrity and question his LOVE for the game of basketball, you DON’T know him. He has a heart of a true Warrior! This too shall pass. God Bless you ALL. pic.twitter.com/y0qcQ5Boga

— Wanda Durant (@MamaDurant) June 11, 2019

Per reports, Durant has flown to New York for an MRI which will tell the severity of his injury, which we should know shortly.

MOMENT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT: Pedro Martinez Breaks Down on MLB Network Talking About Close Friend and Former Teammate David Ortiz

"I don't have enough words to describe who @davidortiz is, what David means to baseball…"

An emotional message from @45PedroMartinez regarding his friend and former @RedSox teammate, David Ortiz. pic.twitter.com/ZqrY08Zs3i

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 11, 2019

MLB Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez couldn’t hold in his emotions back on Tuesday when talking about his close friend and former Boston Red Sox teammate, David Ortiz, who underwent a second surgery after he was shot on Sunday in the Dominican Republic.

When you watch the clip, it’s hard not to get choked up yourself, as you sense the pain that Martinez is in for his friend. “But I’m so disappointed to know that someone like David, who saved so many lives, can have someone after his life,” said Martinez. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But it hurts me. It hurts me.”

WHAT’S ON TAP FOR THIS WEEK

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty ImagesIt’s all on the line Wednesday night, as the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues face off in the winner take all Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 7: Bruins vs. Blues
The 2018-2019 NHL season all comes down to this – a game which will decide the Stanley Cup.
Date: Tonight, 6/12
Time: 8pm ET
TV: NBC
Series: 3-3

U.S. OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and a host of the world’s top golfers will look to dethrone the two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka as the U.S. Open gets underway on Thursday from iconic Pebble Beach.
Date: Thursday, 6/13 (First Round)
Time: 12:30pm ET (FS1), 7:30pm (FOX)

NBA FINALS GAME 6: Warriors vs. Raptors
The Golden State Warriors’ improbable comeback late in Game 5 gave their fans one final game at Oracle Arena on Thursday night. They’ll now look to extend the series to a Game 7, while the Raptors will get another shot at winning their first championship.
Date: Thursday, 6/13
Time: 9pm ET
TV: ABC
Series: Raptors lead 3-2

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