DENVER -- Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving him the cycle and lifting the Colorado Rockies to a 7-5 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
Arenado connected against Giants closer Mark Melancon (1-2) for the eighth cycle in franchise history and first since Michael Cuddyer in 2014. It was the Rockies' first walk-off homer of the season and second walk-off win, and it enabled the Rockies to sweep a four-game series from the Giants for the first time.
The Giants had scored three runs in the top of the ninth, two on Hunter Pence's first career pinch-hit homer, to take a 5-3 lead.
Indians 5, Twins 2
MINNEAPOLIS -- Edwin Encarnacion had three hits, including two home runs, and drove in each of Cleveland's five runs as the Indians left Minnesota with a win, a four-game series sweep and control of the American League Central.
Jose Ramirez had three hits for his sixth straight multi-hit game for Cleveland, and Trevor Bauer dazzled through his first six innings before the Twins pressured late.
The Indians began the series trailing Minnesota by two games in the Central but left with a two-game lead after equaling their season high with a five-game winning streak. Bauer (6-5) was lifted after a leadoff walk in the eighth. He gave up two runs on four hits and struck out eight batters.
Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 4 (10 innings)
PHILADELPHIA -- Rey Fuentes belted a tiebreaking homer to center in the top of the 10th inning to help lift Arizona to a win over Philadelphia.
The Diamondbacks, completing a sweep of the Phillies (22-46), won their seventh straight. Trailing 4-3 entering the ninth, Arizona took advantage of Hector Neris, who had trouble locating his pitches. He walked Nick Ahmed to start the inning before giving up a single to David Peralta that allowed Ahmed to advance to third. Gregor Blanco followed Peralta with a single to score Ahmed and knot it at 4.
The Phillies took the lead in the sixth when pinch hitter Ty Kelly smashed a go-ahead double to break a 3-3 tie and give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.
Mets 5, Nationals 1
NEW YORK -- Jacob deGrom tossed eight strong innings and hit his first major league homer as New York avoided being swept by Washington at Citi Field.
DeGrom, who allowed one run in a complete-game win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday, allowed an unearned run -- which scored in the first inning -- three hits and two walks while striking out six. He retired 16 of the final 18 batters he faced.
DeGrom (6-3) also helped his cause by producing the Mets' first run with an opposite-field homer leading off the third inning against Joe Ross (3-3). The Mets took the lead in the fourth when Lucas Duda singled, went to second on T.J. Rivera's single and scored when Matt Wieters dropped the throw home on Travis d'Arnaud's single. Michael Conforto followed with an RBI single.
Cubs 7, Pirates 1
PITTSBURGH -- Anthony Rizzo stayed hot at the plate and John Lackey won for the first time in more than a month as Chicago downed Pittsburgh at PNC Park.
Rizzo went 3-for-5, including his 16th homer, and had two RBIs and three runs scored. He has equaled his career high with a 12-game hitting streak. Chicago took two of three against the Pirates -- their first road series win in more than six weeks.
Lackey (5-7) allowed one run, a solo homer by Jordy Mercer, in six innings of two-hit ball, striking out four and walking three.
Dodgers 8, Reds 7
CINCINNATI -- Justin Turner hit a three-run homer, Logan Forsythe added a two-run shot and Enrique Hernandez made a game-saving catch in the eighth inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers hold on against Cincinnati.
The Dodgers swept the Reds at Great American Ball Park for the first time since August 2015 and have beaten them eight straight times dating to last season.
The Dodgers led 8-1 in the sixth, but the Reds rallied back against their bullpen. Adam Duvall hit a solo shot in the sixth, Scooter Gennett added a three-run homer in the seventh, and Eugenio Suarez went deep off Pedro Baez in the eighth to cut the deficit to 8-6. Billy Hamilton's two-out, RBI double also in the eighth made it a one-run game.
Orioles 8, Cardinals 5
BALTIMORE -- Ubaldo Jimenez threw seven solid innings in his return to the starting rotation and Baltimore clubbed four home runs in a win over St. Louis.
Making his first start since May 22 after being demoted to the bullpen, Jimenez (2-2) allowed two earned runs and four hits for his first victory since April 19.
The right-hander benefited from another power surge by the Orioles' offense, as Seth Smith, Trey Mancini, Mark Trumbo and Welington Castillo all blasted home runs off Lance Lynn.
Braves 5, Marlins 4
ATLANTA -- Brandon Phillips poked a single through a five-man infield in the ninth inning to produce a walk-off hit for the second straight game and lift Atlanta over Miami.
It was the eighth career walk-off hit for Phillips and the 11th time Atlanta has won a game in its last at-bat this season.
Atlanta scored four times in the seventh to take a 4-2 lead. Rio Ruiz had a sacrifice fly and Nick Markakis added a two-run single.
Rays 9, Tigers 1
DETROIT -- Steven Souza Jr.'s first career grand slam highlighted a parade of five home runs to lead Tampa Bay to victory over Detroit. Jake Faria (3-0) became just the fifth pitcher since at least 1913 to win his first three starts in the majors with one or less runs in at least six innings.
Logan Morrison had two of the Rays' home runs to reach 21 for the season, a two-run blast to right in the first and a solo shot in the seventh.
Blue Jays 7, White Sox 3
TORONTO -- Russell Martin and Kendrys Morales hit two-run homers, J.A. Happ pitched into the seventh inning and Toronto defeated Chicago.
Ryan Goins hit the go-ahead triple in the sixth inning as the Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep by the White Sox. Happ (2-4) allowed eight hits, no walks and three runs 6 2/3 innings.
Mariners 7, Rangers 3
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Seattle jumped on Yu Darvish for four runs in the first inning on their way to a victory over Texas that snapped a three-game losing streak.
Seattle did all of its first-inning damage with two outs. Kyle Seager's RBI double got the Mariners on the board and started a big day for him. A passed ball scored Mitch Haniger from third, and Danny Valencia followed with a two-run homer into the Seattle bullpen to up the lead to 4-0.
Texas got two of the runs back in the second on a two-run homer from Carlos Gomez off Christian Bergman (4-4).
Royals 7, Angels 3
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Moustakas had a three-run double and Salvador Perez a three-run homer as Kansas City finished a 7-2 road trip with a rout of Los Angeles.
Perez was 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Eric Hosmer's sacrifice fly was the 500th RBI in his career.
Brewers 2, Padres 1
MILWAUKEE -- Jimmy Nelson struck out 10 and finished a complete game for the first time in his career to lead Milwaukee over San Diego at Miller Park.
Hernan Perez and Manny Pina provided the offense with solo home runs in the sixth inning and Milwaukee's defense chipped in with a pair of double plays.
Luis Perdomo (1-4) retired Travis Shaw on a grounder to second and Manny Pina followed with a solo home run of his own to put Milwaukee in front 2-1.
Athletics 4, Yankees 3
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland completed an unlikely four-game sweep of American League East-leading New York at a sweltering Oakland Coliseum.
New York dropped its sixth consecutive game and completed a disappointing 1-6 West Coast trip. The last-place Athletics, riding winning pitcher Jharel Cotton's 6 1/3 strong innings for the victory, earned their first series sweep at home since May 30-June 1, 2016.
The Yankees were swept for the first time this season.
Red Sox 6, Astros 5
HOUSTON -- Xander Bogaerts hit two homers for his first career multi-homer game and totaled four RBIs as Boston won the rubber match of the three-game set with Houston.
Bogaerts finished 3-for-4 while doubling his season home run total to four, hitting both homers off Astros right-hander Joe Musgrove (4-6).
Houston clubbed three home runs, with Carlos Correa (13th homer), Jake Marisnick (eighth) and George Springer (19th) all going deep.
Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel recorded his 20th save and the game ended when Derek Fisher was thrown out by catcher Christian Vazquez trying to steal second.
Monday, June 19, 2017
Larson outlasts Elliott at Michigan again
By NOAH TRISTER
Associated Press
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Three times, Kyle Larson needed to outrace the rest of the contenders on late restarts.
That’s a task he’s proven he can handle at Michigan International Speedway.
Larson took control on a restart with five laps remaining and held off Chase Elliott on Sunday for his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season. The finish was similar to the race at Michigan last August, when Larson took the lead on a restart with nine laps left en route to his first Cup win.
Larson won this year at Fontana and has five second-place finishes. He also was second in the All-Star race, which doesn’t count in the standings.
“We’ve been so close to so many other wins,” the 24-year-old Larson said. “This is our second Cup win of the year, but we’ve had six second-place finishes. All in all, it’s a good season so far and we’ll continue to keep building on what we’ve got.”
It was the third Cup win of Larson’s career and 14th by Chip Ganassi Racing. Elliott was second in both Michigan races last year, and again this time. He’s winless in 56 career Cup races, but he’s fifth in points in 2017.
“We had a couple of opportunities to get the lead, and unfortunately, it just didn’t work out, but we’ll move on. Congratulations to Kyle,” the 21-year-old Elliott said. “He had a fast car today and we’ll try to go get ’em next week.”
Joey Logano finished third. He beat Elliott in last June’s race at MIS. Then Elliott was leading the August race comfortably before a yellow flag gave Larson a boost .
This time, there were three cautions toward the end. The first was for debris, and Larson beat Kyle Busch on the inside for the lead on the restart with 15 laps to go.
Then Clint Bowyer went into the wall, bringing out another caution flag. Larson was first off that restart too, only to be slowed by another caution after a multicar incident on the backstretch that included Danica Patrick being knocked off the track and into the wall.
Finally, with five laps remaining, the race restarted, and Larson took the lead on the outside. He won by 0.993 seconds in his No. 42 Chevrolet.
Martin Truex Jr. won the first two stages of the race but finished sixth, ceding the points lead to Larson. Truex has 10 stage victories this year. Nobody else has more than four.
Truex and Larson were 1-2 in the points standings coming into the race, and Truex was second to Larson in qualifying Friday . Their dominance carried over to the race Sunday, at least at the start. They were the only drivers to lead during the first half of the 200-lap, 400-mile race.
Denny Hamlin, who won Saturday’s Xfinity event, finished fourth Sunday, followed by Jamie McMurray and Truex. Busch ended up seventh, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson, who started at the back after going to his backup car, finished 10th.
Some other things to note from Sunday’s race:
HIS TYPE OF TRACK
Larson’s three Cup victories have all come at 2-mile tracks, although there are some differences between racing at MIS and Fontana.
“Michigan and Fontana are very, very similar in shape and size, but the racing surface is way different,” Larson said. “Fontana’s rough and bumpy, and it’s wore-out surface — you have to really, really take care of your tires and move around, find different lanes that work. Here at Michigan, your tires don’t wear out quite as bad, not nearly as bad, and your line doesn’t move around a ton, but it’s really fast, got a lot of grip.
“They’re both a lot of fun.”
FROM THE FRONT
This was the fifth time in the past eight races at Michigan that the pole winner also won the race. It has happened three times in the Cup Series this year — Larson also did it at Fontana, and Stenhouse pulled it off at Talladega last month.
Still, Larson didn’t feel he had the dominant car Sunday.
“The 78 (Truex) was by far the class of the field, I thought,” Larson said. “I thought the 18 (Busch) was next best, the 20 (Matt Kenseth) was better than I was on the long run. I thought we were probably a third- or fourth-place car, and then to come out a winner, it makes it that much more exciting, I guess.”
BACK IN THE PACK
Brad Keselowski finished 16th and is still winless in Cup races at his home state’s track. This was his worst finish since June of 2011 and snapped a streak of six straight top-10 finishes at MIS.
There’s been some chatter about Keselowski’s future lately, but he said recently he’d have no reason to want to leave Team Penske. A team spokesman confirmed this weekend that Paul Wolfe, Keselowski’s crew chief, has signed an extension with Penske.
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More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org .
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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - FireKeepers Casino 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Sunday, June 18, 2017
1. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.
2. (10) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.
3. (7) Joey Logano, Ford, 200.
4. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.
5. (8) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200.
6. (2) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 200.
7. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200.
8. (21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 200.
9. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 200.
10. (13) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 200.
11. (9) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200.
12. (15) Kurt Busch, Ford, 200.
13. (14) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 200.
14. (11) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 200.
15. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 200.
16. (12) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200.
17. (27) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 200.
18. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200.
19. (26) Darrell Wallace Jr.(i), Ford, 200.
20. (37) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 200.
21. (16) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200.
22. (30) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200.
23. (22) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 200.
24. (20) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200.
25. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200.
26. (3) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 200.
27. (18) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 199.
28. (28) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 199.
29. (29) David Ragan, Ford, 198.
30. (32) * Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 197.
31. (33) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 197.
32. (36) Landon Cassill, Ford, 196.
33. (31) Ryan Sieg(i), Toyota, 196.
34. (34) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 195.
35. (35) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 195.
36. (24) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 194.
37. (23) Danica Patrick, Ford, Accident, 190.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 143.369 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 47 Mins, 24 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.993 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 34 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Larson 1-34; M. Truex Jr. 35-62; K. Larson 63-108; Kyle Busch 109-112; B. Keselowski 113-114; K. Larson 115; M. Truex Jr. 116-126; Kyle Busch 127; M. Truex Jr. 128-150; Kyle Busch 151-185; K. Larson 186-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Larson 4 times for 96 laps; M. Truex Jr. 3 times for 62 laps; Kyle Busch 3 times for 40 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 2 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 78,42,18,11,20,14,21,24,22,48
Stage #2 Top Ten: 78,18,42,20,14,4,11,41,24,2
Associated Press
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Three times, Kyle Larson needed to outrace the rest of the contenders on late restarts.That’s a task he’s proven he can handle at Michigan International Speedway.
Larson took control on a restart with five laps remaining and held off Chase Elliott on Sunday for his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season. The finish was similar to the race at Michigan last August, when Larson took the lead on a restart with nine laps left en route to his first Cup win.
Larson won this year at Fontana and has five second-place finishes. He also was second in the All-Star race, which doesn’t count in the standings.
“We’ve been so close to so many other wins,” the 24-year-old Larson said. “This is our second Cup win of the year, but we’ve had six second-place finishes. All in all, it’s a good season so far and we’ll continue to keep building on what we’ve got.”
It was the third Cup win of Larson’s career and 14th by Chip Ganassi Racing. Elliott was second in both Michigan races last year, and again this time. He’s winless in 56 career Cup races, but he’s fifth in points in 2017.
“We had a couple of opportunities to get the lead, and unfortunately, it just didn’t work out, but we’ll move on. Congratulations to Kyle,” the 21-year-old Elliott said. “He had a fast car today and we’ll try to go get ’em next week.”
Joey Logano finished third. He beat Elliott in last June’s race at MIS. Then Elliott was leading the August race comfortably before a yellow flag gave Larson a boost .
This time, there were three cautions toward the end. The first was for debris, and Larson beat Kyle Busch on the inside for the lead on the restart with 15 laps to go.
Then Clint Bowyer went into the wall, bringing out another caution flag. Larson was first off that restart too, only to be slowed by another caution after a multicar incident on the backstretch that included Danica Patrick being knocked off the track and into the wall.
Finally, with five laps remaining, the race restarted, and Larson took the lead on the outside. He won by 0.993 seconds in his No. 42 Chevrolet.
Martin Truex Jr. won the first two stages of the race but finished sixth, ceding the points lead to Larson. Truex has 10 stage victories this year. Nobody else has more than four.
Truex and Larson were 1-2 in the points standings coming into the race, and Truex was second to Larson in qualifying Friday . Their dominance carried over to the race Sunday, at least at the start. They were the only drivers to lead during the first half of the 200-lap, 400-mile race.
Denny Hamlin, who won Saturday’s Xfinity event, finished fourth Sunday, followed by Jamie McMurray and Truex. Busch ended up seventh, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson, who started at the back after going to his backup car, finished 10th.
Some other things to note from Sunday’s race:
HIS TYPE OF TRACK
Larson’s three Cup victories have all come at 2-mile tracks, although there are some differences between racing at MIS and Fontana.
“Michigan and Fontana are very, very similar in shape and size, but the racing surface is way different,” Larson said. “Fontana’s rough and bumpy, and it’s wore-out surface — you have to really, really take care of your tires and move around, find different lanes that work. Here at Michigan, your tires don’t wear out quite as bad, not nearly as bad, and your line doesn’t move around a ton, but it’s really fast, got a lot of grip.
“They’re both a lot of fun.”
FROM THE FRONT
This was the fifth time in the past eight races at Michigan that the pole winner also won the race. It has happened three times in the Cup Series this year — Larson also did it at Fontana, and Stenhouse pulled it off at Talladega last month.
Still, Larson didn’t feel he had the dominant car Sunday.
“The 78 (Truex) was by far the class of the field, I thought,” Larson said. “I thought the 18 (Busch) was next best, the 20 (Matt Kenseth) was better than I was on the long run. I thought we were probably a third- or fourth-place car, and then to come out a winner, it makes it that much more exciting, I guess.”
BACK IN THE PACK
Brad Keselowski finished 16th and is still winless in Cup races at his home state’s track. This was his worst finish since June of 2011 and snapped a streak of six straight top-10 finishes at MIS.
There’s been some chatter about Keselowski’s future lately, but he said recently he’d have no reason to want to leave Team Penske. A team spokesman confirmed this weekend that Paul Wolfe, Keselowski’s crew chief, has signed an extension with Penske.
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More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org .
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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - FireKeepers Casino 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Sunday, June 18, 2017
1. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.
2. (10) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.
3. (7) Joey Logano, Ford, 200.
4. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.
5. (8) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200.
6. (2) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 200.
7. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200.
8. (21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 200.
9. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 200.
10. (13) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 200.
11. (9) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200.
12. (15) Kurt Busch, Ford, 200.
13. (14) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 200.
14. (11) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 200.
15. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 200.
16. (12) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200.
17. (27) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 200.
18. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200.
19. (26) Darrell Wallace Jr.(i), Ford, 200.
20. (37) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 200.
21. (16) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200.
22. (30) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200.
23. (22) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 200.
24. (20) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200.
25. (6) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200.
26. (3) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 200.
27. (18) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 199.
28. (28) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 199.
29. (29) David Ragan, Ford, 198.
30. (32) * Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 197.
31. (33) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 197.
32. (36) Landon Cassill, Ford, 196.
33. (31) Ryan Sieg(i), Toyota, 196.
34. (34) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 195.
35. (35) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 195.
36. (24) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 194.
37. (23) Danica Patrick, Ford, Accident, 190.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 143.369 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 47 Mins, 24 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.993 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 34 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Larson 1-34; M. Truex Jr. 35-62; K. Larson 63-108; Kyle Busch 109-112; B. Keselowski 113-114; K. Larson 115; M. Truex Jr. 116-126; Kyle Busch 127; M. Truex Jr. 128-150; Kyle Busch 151-185; K. Larson 186-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Larson 4 times for 96 laps; M. Truex Jr. 3 times for 62 laps; Kyle Busch 3 times for 40 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 2 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 78,42,18,11,20,14,21,24,22,48
Stage #2 Top Ten: 78,18,42,20,14,4,11,41,24,2
Friday, June 16, 2017
Johnson agrees to 3-year extension with Hendrick Motorsports
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson has agreed to a three-year contract extension that keeps the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion with Hendrick Motorsports through 2020.
Hendrick announced the deal Friday. The team also says Lowe's has signed an agreement to continue its primary sponsorship of Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet through next year.
Johnson won his seventh Cup Series title last season, matching the record held by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. Johnson leads all drivers with three victories in 2017, heading into this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway.
Lowe's has been Johnson's primary sponsor for each of his 557 career Cup starts.
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More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org.
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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister
AP Sports Writer
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson has agreed to a three-year contract extension that keeps the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion with Hendrick Motorsports through 2020.
Hendrick announced the deal Friday. The team also says Lowe's has signed an agreement to continue its primary sponsorship of Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet through next year.
Johnson won his seventh Cup Series title last season, matching the record held by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. Johnson leads all drivers with three victories in 2017, heading into this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway.
Lowe's has been Johnson's primary sponsor for each of his 557 career Cup starts.
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More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org.
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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister
Rickie Fowler leads US Open on day of highs and lows
Associated Press
ERIN, Wis. (AP) – Erin Hills played like a pushover for a U.S. Open.
Check out the score of Rickie Fowler, who matched the U.S. Open scoring record to par for the opening round with a 7-under 65. Right behind him were 43 other players who broke par, breaking a championship record that had stood for 27 years. Adam Hadwin tied a U.S. Open record with six straight birdies.
Erin Hills also played like a beast.
Look no further than Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 player in the world, who didn't hit a fairway after the 10th hole, shot 42 on the back nine and posted a 78, his worst score in 27 rounds at the U.S. Open. Jason Day made two triple bogeys and closed with a birdie to avoid the indignity of shooting 80. He still had his worst score in a U.S. Open.
There were as many amateurs who broke par as players in the top 10 in the world - two each.
On a wild day of highs and lows - and even a commercial blimp that crashed and caught fire outside the golf course during the round - Fowler emerged with a one-shot lead over Paul Casey and U.S. Open rookie Xander Schauffele in a most peculiar debut for the 11-year-old golf course.
"Definitely not U.S. Open-like," Marc Leishman said.
Defending champion Dustin Johnson made only one birdie in his round of 75. Taking the long walk to sign his card, he looked back at the rain-softened course and mild breeze and said wistfully, "You won't get a better day for scoring."
No one took advantage like Fowler.
Fowler, who shared the 36-hole lead at the Masters in April, never came seriously close to bogey because he was never in trouble. He kept it in the short grass, the secret to Erin Hills that wouldn't appear to be that difficult with some of the widest fairways for this major.
"You don't get many rounds at the U.S. Open that are stress-free," Fowler said.
Fowler's seven birdies were from no more than 12 feet, including three in a row around the turn. His 7-under par tied the record to par for the first round of a U.S. Open held by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf, who each shot 7-under 63 at Baltusrol in 1980. He also joined McIlroy (2011 at Congressional) and Tiger Woods (2000 at Pebble Beach) as the only players to shoot 66 or better in the opening round without a bogey.
"It is always cool to be part of some sort of history in golf," Fowler said. "But I'd rather be remembered for something that's done on Sunday."
The 44 sub-par rounds broke the first-round mark of 39 at Medinah in 1990.
Day fell back when it took him three chips from behind the green at No. 4 to get it on the putting surface, leading to the first of his two triple bogeys.
"I just played bad golf, man," Day said.
McIlroy joked earlier in the week that anyone who couldn't hit such wide fairways "might as well pack your bags and go home." He spent all day in the knee-high fescue.
"You cannot play this golf course if you're not in position off the tee, and I wasn't in position," McIlroy said. "Obviously, I paid the price for it today."
Casey started eagle-birdie and finished with two birdies over the final four holes for his 66.
"I was just trying to have half as good a round as Rickie had," said Casey, who played in the afternoon. "The scoring was so good this morning. I was happy it stayed benign for us, and I capitalized on it."
Schauffele had a chance to tie Fowler for the lead until his 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 ninth slid by on the right.
The opening round was without Phil Mickelson for the first time since 1993. He was in California for his daughter's high school graduation, hopeful for enough of a weather delay to jet across the country to Wisconsin. But as the sun rose over Erin Hills, and the forecast was for no rain, Mickelson withdrew.
More startling than the low scores was smoke rising from about a half-mile away when a commercial blimp, not affiliated with the tournament, crashed into a field and burst into flames. The pilot, the only one aboard the blimp operated by Florida-based AirSign, was being treated for injuries.
"I was teeing off and I looked up and saw it on fire, and I felt sick to my stomach," Jamie Lovemark said.
On the golf course, there was only a barrage of birdies.
Hadwin made his six straight birdies from No. 18 through No. 5. The Canadian was 100 feet away for birdie on No. 6 and burned the edge of the cup on that one, except that it ran by some 7 feet and he three-putted for bogey.
"You don't often see that in a U.S. Open," Hadwin said.
The course was set up at 7,845 yards, the longest of any major. Length wasn't the issue. It was sporadic storms earlier in the week that has softened the greens. One example of that was Fowler hitting 3-wood into the green on the 632-yard 18th hole, with a breeze at his back. His ball landed on the green and only rolled out about 10 feet. On typical U.S. Open greens, that would have run all the way off the back of the green.
Still to be determined is what kind of test Erin Hills can present the rest of the week, especially with more rain on the way Friday and Saturday afternoon.
U.S. OPEN
At Erin Hills
Erin, Wis.
Purse: $12 million
Yardage: 7,741;Par 72 (36-36)
First Round
a-denotes amateur
Rickie Fowler................................33-32—65
Paul Casey ...................................32-34—66
Xander Schauffele........................32-34—66
Brian Harman...............................35-32—67
Tommy Fleetwood........................34-33—67
Brooks Koepka .............................34-33—67
Patrick Reed.................................36-32—68
Kevin Na.......................................35-33—68
Marc Leishman.............................33-35—68
Adam Hadwin...............................31-37—68
Jamie Lovemark...........................34-35—69
J.B. Holmes..................................32-37—69
Lee Westwood..............................36-33—69
Andrew Johnston.........................34-35—69
Si Woo Kim ..................................36-33—69
a-Scottie Scheffler.......................36-33—69
Bernd Wiesberger ........................35-34—69
Charley Hoffman..........................36-34—70
Brandt Snedeker..........................35-35—70
Ernie Els.......................................32-38—70
Jack Maguire................................37-33—70
Brandon Stone.............................32-38—70
William McGirt.............................37-33—70
Sergio Garcia................................35-35—70
Jim Furyk.....................................34-36—70
Matt Fitzpatrick...........................35-35—70
a-Cameron Champ........................37-33—70
Derek Barron................................36-34—70
Kevin Dougherty ..........................38-33—71
Davis Love IV...............................36-35—71
Thomas Aiken ..............................37-34—71
Zach Johnson...............................35-36—71
Angel Cabrera..............................36-35—71
Tyson Alexander...........................35-36—71
Stephan Jaeger............................35-36—71
Brendan Steele.............................34-37—71
Russell Henley..............................34-37—71
Harris English...............................36-35—71
Charl Schwartzel..........................37-34—71
Shane Lowry ................................37-34—71
Byeong Hun An............................35-36—71
Ryan Brehm.................................35-36—71
Jonathan Randolph......................37-34—71
Trey Mullinax ...............................38-33—71
Yusaku Miyazato ..........................35-37—72
Hideto Tanihara ...........................36-36—72
Rafa Cabrera Bello .......................37-35—72
Gary Woodland.............................37-35—72
Martin Laird.................................35-37—72
Branden Grace .............................33-39—72
Martin Kaymer.............................37-35—72
Eddie Pepperell............................34-38—72
Yuta Ikeda...................................41-31—72
George Coetzee............................38-34—72
Keegan Bradley............................36-36—72
Adam Scott..................................39-33—72
Bill Haas.......................................36-36—72
Scott Piercy .................................37-35—72
Justin Rose ..................................36-36—72
Roberto Diaz................................37-35—72
Jordan Niebrugge.........................37-36—73
Whee Kim ....................................38-35—73
Aaron Rai.....................................37-36—73
David Lingmerth ..........................36-37—73
Michael Putnam...........................38-35—73
Alex Noren...................................37-36—73
Bud Cauley...................................35-38—73
Russell Knox.................................35-38—73
Jordan Spieth...............................38-35—73
Daniel Miernicki ...........................38-35—73
Tyler Light....................................39-34—73
Chris Wood ..................................37-36—73
Satoshi Kodaira............................34-39—73
Daniel Summerhays......................36-37—73
Richie Ramsay..............................38-35—73
C.T. Pan .......................................37-36—73
Justin Thomas..............................38-35—73
Steve Stricker...............................37-36—73
a-Maverick McNealy......................38-35—73
a-Mason Andersen........................35-38—73
a-Alex Smalley..............................38-35—73
Talor Gooch..................................34-40—74
Ted Potter Jr................................35-39—74
Andres Romero ............................37-37—74
Haotong Li...................................38-36—74
Bradley Dredge ............................38-36—74
Hideki Matsuyama........................38-36—74
Kevin Kisner.................................37-37—74
Matt Kuchar.................................36-38—74
Francesco Molinari.......................37-37—74
Webb Simpson.............................36-38—74
Lucas Glover.................................38-36—74
a-Joaquin Niemann.......................36-38—74
Chan Kim.....................................35-39—74
Troy Merritt .................................35-39—74
Bryson DeChambeau....................37-37—74
Henrik Stenson.............................40-34—74
Louis Oosthuizen..........................38-36—74
Peter Uihlein................................36-38—74
Stewart Cink................................35-39—74
Kevin Chappell .............................37-37—74
Brice Garnett ...............................40-35—75
Paul Dunne..................................36-39—75
Chez Reavie..................................38-37—75
Jason Kokrak................................37-38—75
Ross Fisher...................................36-39—75
a-Scott Gregory............................41-34—75
Dustin Johnson ............................36-39—75
a-Christopher Crawford................39-36—75
Wade Ormsby...............................39-36—75
Oliver Bekker ...............................37-38—75
Nick Flanagan ..............................39-36—75
Bubba Watson..............................37-38—75
Shugo Imahira.............................39-37—76
Matt Wallace................................39-37—76
Jason Dufner................................38-38—76
Jeunghun Wang...........................36-40—76
Tyrrell Hatton...............................39-37—76
Thomas Pieters............................37-39—76
Jon Rahm.....................................36-40—76
Graeme McDowell........................38-38—76
Max Greyserman..........................37-39—76
Corey Conners..............................39-37—76
Kyle Thompson.............................40-36—76
Sean O’Hair..................................38-38—76
Pat Perez.....................................37-39—76
Wesley Bryan ...............................38-38—76
Roberto Castro.............................40-36—76
Emiliano Grillo..............................40-36—76
Sam Ryder....................................40-36—76
Daniel Chopra ..............................39-38—77
a-Stewart Hagestad .....................39-38—77
Gene Sauers.................................36-41—77
Joel Stalter...................................39-38—77
Matt Campbell.............................37-40—77
a-Sahith Theegala ........................41-36—77
Ben Kohles...................................38-39—77
Gregory Bourdy............................39-38—77
Jhonattan Vegas ..........................39-38—77
Alexander Levy.............................38-39—77
Jimmy Walker ..............................39-38—77
Andy Pope....................................39-38—77
Ryan Palmer.................................40-38—78
J.T. Poston...................................42-36—78
a-Scott Harvey.............................39-39—78
a-Brad Dalke ................................40-38—78
Daniel Berger...............................37-41—78
Rory McIlroy................................36-42—78
a-John Oda...................................39-39—78
Roman Robledo............................39-39—78
Billy Horschel...............................42-37—79
Jason Day.....................................39-40—79
Danny Willett...............................40-41—81
a-Walker Lee................................40-41—81
Brian Stuard.................................41-40—81
Garrett Osborn.............................41-42—83
TEE TIMES
June 15-18
At Erin Hills, Wisc.
All Times EDT
(a-amateur)
Friday
First Hole-10th Hole
7:45 a.m. — Jack Maguire, United
States-;Corey Conners, Canada;Ben Kohles, United
States.
7:56 a.m. — Eddie Pepperell, England;Chan
Kim, United States;Gregory Bourdy, France.
8:07 a.m. — Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela;
Yuta Ikeda, Japan;Sean O’Hair, United States.
8:18 a.m. — Andrew Johnston,
England;Brian Stuard, United States;George
Coetzee, South Africa.
8:29 a.m. — Marc Leishman, Australia;Pat
Perez, United States;Si Woo Kim, South
Korea.
8:40 a.m. — Russell Henley, United States;
a-Scottie Scheffler, United States;Harris
English, United States.
8:51 a.m. — Bubba Watson, United
States;Adam Scott, Australia;Sergio Garcia,
Spain.
9:02 a.m. — Henrik Stenson, Sweden;Charl
Schwartzel, South Africa;Louis Oosthuizen,
South Africa.
9:13 a.m. — Jimmy Walker, United
States-;Justin Thomas, United States;Paul Casey,
England.
9:24 a.m. — Jason Day, Australia;Justin
Rose, England;Rory McIlroy, Northern
Ireland.
9:35 a.m. — Steve Stricker, United
States-;Stewart Cink, United States;Phil Mickelson,
United States.
9:46 a.m. — Ryan Brehm, United States;
a-John Oda, United States;Jonathan Randolph,
United States.
9:57 a.m. — a-Mason Andersen, United
States;Derek Barron, United States;Roman
Robledo, United States.
1:30 p.m. — Jordan Niebrugge, United
States;Talor Gooch, United States;Kevin
Dougherty, United States.
1:41 p.m. — Andres Romero,
Argentina;Brice Garnett, United States;Davis Love
IV, United States. 1:52 p.m. — Yusaku Miyazato, Japan;J.T.
2 Poston :03 p. , m United . — David States Lingmerth ;Aaron Rai , Sweden , England ;Paul .
Dunne, Ireland;Li Haotong, China.
2:14 p.m. — a-Stewart Hagestad, United
States;Chez Reavie, United States;Gene
Sauers, United States.
2:25 p.m. — Brandt Snedeker, United
States;Alex Noren, Sweden;Tyrrell Hatton,
England.
2:36 p.m. — Rafa Cabrera Bello, Spain;
Thomas Pieters, Belgium;Brooks Koepka, United
States.
2:47 p.m. — Gary Woodland, United
States;J.B. Holmes, United States;Jason
Kokrak, United States.
2:58 p.m. — Russell Knox, Scotland;a-Scott
Gregory, England;Martin Laird, Scotland.
3:09 p.m. — Kevin Kisner, United
States-;Billy Horschel, United States;Branden
Grace, South Africa.
3:20 p.m. — Webb Simpson, United
States;Ernie Els, South Africa;Lucas Glover,
United States.
3:31 p.m. — Tyson Alexander, United
States;a-Chris Crawford, United States;Max
Greyserman, United States.
3:42 p.m. — Matthew Campbell, United
States;Garrett Osborn, United States,
a-Walker Lee, United States.
10th Hole-First Hole
7:45 a.m. — Wade Ormsby, Australia;Oliver
Bekker, South Africa;Kyle Thompson, United
States.
7:56 a.m. — Brandon Stone, South
Africa;Troy Merritt, United States;Chris Wood,
England.
8:07 a.m. — Satoshi Kodaira, Japan;Daniel
Summerhays, United States;Alexander Levy,
France.
8:18 a.m. — William McGirt, United
States;Keegan Bradley, United States;Kevin
Na, United States.
8:29 a.m. — a-Brad Dalke, United
States-;Wesley Bryan, United States;Brendan
Steele, United States.
8:40 a.m. — Nick Flanagan, Australia;Richie
Ramsay, Scotland;Bryson DeChambeau,
United States.
8:51 a.m. — Daniel Berger, United
States-;Roberto Castro, United States;Bill Haas,
United States.
9:02a.m. — Adam Hadwin, Canada;Emiliano
Grillo, Argentina;C.T. Pan, Taiwan.
9:13 a.m. — Scott Piercy, United
States-;Shane Lowry, Ireland;Jim Furyk, United
States.
9:24 a.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, England;Peter
Uihlein, United States;Byeong Hun An,
South Korea.
9:35 a.m. — Kevin Chappell, United
States;a-Maverick McNealy, United
States-;Bernd Wiesberger, Austria.
9:46 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, United
States;Trey Mullinax, United States;
a-Cameron Champ, United States.
9:57 a.m. — Sam Ryder, United States;
a-Alex Smalley, United States;Andy Pope,
United States.
1:30 p.m. — Whee Kim, South Korea;Ted
Potter Jr., United States;Daniel Chopra,
Sweden.
1:41 p.m. — Shugo Imahira, Japan;Ryan
Palmer, United States;Matthew Wallace,
England.
1:52 p.m. — Charley Hoffman, United
States;Jason Dufner, United States;Hideto
Tanihara, Japan.
2:03 p.m. — Jeunghun Wang, South
Korea;Thomas Aiken, South Africa;Bradley
Dredge, Wales.
2:14 p.m. — a-Scott Harvey, United
States;Jamie Lovemark, United
States-;Michael Putnam, United States.
2:25 p.m. — Brian Harman, United
States-;Tommy Fleetwood, England;Bud Cauley,
United States.
2:36 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Japan;
Rickie Fowler, United States;Jon Rahm, Spain.
2:47 p.m. — Lee Westwood, England;Ross
Fisher, England;Graeme McDowell, Northern
Ireland.
2:58 p.m. — Danny Willett, England;Zach
Johnson, United States;Angel Cabrera,
Argentina.
3:09 p.m. — Matt Kuchar, United
States-;Francesco Molinari, Italy;Patrick Reed,
United States.
3:20 p.m. — Martin Kaymer, Germany;
Jordan Spieth, United States;Dustin Johnson,
United States.
3:31 p.m. — a-Joaquin Niemann,
Chile;Stephan Jaeger, Germany;Joel Stalter,
France.
3:42 p.m. — Daniel Miernicki, United
States;a-Sahith Theegala, United
States-;Tyler Light, United States.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Racing Notebook: Tapwrit wins Belmont, Kez wins XFINITY race, Power wins IndyCar battle
By OVERTIME WITH OWENS STAFF
UNB! Network
– Tapwrit wins Belmont Stakes by 2 lengths for Pletcher
Tapwrit overtook favored Irish War Cry in the stretch to win by two lengths on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his third career victory in the Belmont. He won in 2007 with filly Rags to Riches and in 2013 with Palace Malice.
– Brad Keselowski ends drought for No. 22 Ford with last-lap pass
With a dramatic last-lap pass – the first of the season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series – Brad Keselowski won Saturday’s Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway, ending a 46-race drought for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
Keselowski swept the stages in the 100-lap event but couldn’t get past leader Kyle Larson until he reached the Long Pond straightaway on the final circuit. Keselowski powered off the first turn, down-shifted and blew past Larson before the cars reached the Tunnel Turn.
Justin Allgaier followed Keselowski past Larson and finished second, .615 seconds behind the race winner. Larson came home third, followed by Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suarez.
– Power wins wild IndyCar race at Texas under caution
Will Power, who led 180 of the 248 laps, won Saturday's Verizon IndyCar Series race at Texas under caution after Scott Dixon got wrecked by Takuma Sato, and finished ahead of Tony Kanaan, who other drivers and at least one owner blamed for a big crash earlier that led to a nearly 31-minute red flag.
“It was very intense,” Power said. “I could see Dixon was able to pass me at the start/finish line. So, I was starting to think about what I was going to do there at the end.”
UNB! Network
– Tapwrit wins Belmont Stakes by 2 lengths for Pletcher
Tapwrit overtook favored Irish War Cry in the stretch to win by two lengths on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his third career victory in the Belmont. He won in 2007 with filly Rags to Riches and in 2013 with Palace Malice.
– Brad Keselowski ends drought for No. 22 Ford with last-lap pass
With a dramatic last-lap pass – the first of the season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series – Brad Keselowski won Saturday’s Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway, ending a 46-race drought for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
Keselowski swept the stages in the 100-lap event but couldn’t get past leader Kyle Larson until he reached the Long Pond straightaway on the final circuit. Keselowski powered off the first turn, down-shifted and blew past Larson before the cars reached the Tunnel Turn.
Justin Allgaier followed Keselowski past Larson and finished second, .615 seconds behind the race winner. Larson came home third, followed by Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suarez.
– Power wins wild IndyCar race at Texas under caution
Will Power, who led 180 of the 248 laps, won Saturday's Verizon IndyCar Series race at Texas under caution after Scott Dixon got wrecked by Takuma Sato, and finished ahead of Tony Kanaan, who other drivers and at least one owner blamed for a big crash earlier that led to a nearly 31-minute red flag.
“It was very intense,” Power said. “I could see Dixon was able to pass me at the start/finish line. So, I was starting to think about what I was going to do there at the end.”
Tapwrit wins Belmont Stakes by 2 lengths for Pletcher
By BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – The road to the winner's circle in the Belmont Stakes ran through the Kentucky Derby, even if the Derby and Preakness winners skipped the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Tapwrit overtook favored Irish War Cry in the stretch to win by two lengths on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his third career victory in the Belmont. He won in 2007 with filly Rags to Riches and in 2013 with Palace Malice.
The first four finishers all followed a well-worn path: run in the Derby, skip the Preakness and come back fresh for the Belmont. Five of the last nine Belmont winners did just that.
Tapwrit finished sixth in the 20-horse Derby after encountering traffic in what Pletcher described as "a sneaky good" race.
"We felt like with the five weeks in between, and with the way this horse had trained, that he had a legitimate chance," said Pletcher, who is based at Belmont Park. "I think that's always an advantage."
Irish War Cry was 10th after pressing the early pace in the May 6 race.
Patch took third in the Belmont after being 14th in the Derby. Gormley, ninth in the Derby, finished fourth Saturday.
Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Tapwrit ran 1 1/2 miles in 2:30.02 on his home track. Ortiz's brother Irad Jr. won the race last year with Creator.
"The distance, I was sure he could handle it," Ortiz said.
Tapwrit paid $12.60, $6.50 and $5 at 5-1 odds.
Irish War Cry returned $4.70 and $3.90 as the 5-2 favorite in front of 57,729 on an 82-degree day. Patch, the one-eyed horse trained by Pletcher, was another 5 3/4 lengths back in third and paid $6.50 to show.
Pletcher took two of the year's three Triple Crown races, having saddled Always Dreaming to victory in the Derby.
"The Derby win was awesome," he said. "The last five weeks have been the ultimate roller coaster. We felt really good coming in that both horses were doing very well. We felt like both horses suited the mile and a half distance. They had the right running styles and the right dispositions and the right pedigrees. Fortunately, it all fell into place."
Tapwrit, a 3-year-old gray colt, was purchased for $1.2 million, making him the most expensive horse in the field.
He's co-owned by John and Leslie Malone, who race as Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta, who won the 2008 Belmont when 70-1 shot Da'Tara spoiled Big Brown's Triple Crown bid.
John Malone is chairman of Liberty Media Corp., whose holdings include Sirius XM radio and the Atlanta Braves.
The $1.5 million race took several hits before the starting gate opened.
It lacked Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing. Classic Empire, the expected favorite, dropped out Wednesday with a foot abscess.
Epicharis, the early 4-1 second choice, was scratched Saturday morning after failing a pre-race veterinary exam. The Japan-based colt had been treated for lameness in his right front hoof earlier in the week.
All that left it a wide-open race, and in the end it was Tapwrit that proved he was up to the grueling 1 1/2-mile challenge.
"Tapwrit was getting a beautiful trip," Pletcher said. "It was everything we talked about in the paddock before the race. We were hoping he had enough when it came to crunch time. It looked like Irish War Cry still had a little something left, but the last sixteenth, he dug down deep."
Irish War Cry, who finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby, went for the lead and was immediately pressured by 13-1 shot Meantime, ridden by Mike Smith, who won five stakes on the undercard.
"It actually wasn't our plan to be on the lead," said Graham Motion, who trains Irish War Cry. "We kind of hoped that somebody else would go for it, but he had to go to Plan B."
Tapwrit, meanwhile, settled in third, right behind the dueling leaders. They maintained that positioning onto the final turn when Ortiz first asked Tapwrit for his run.
It took a while for Tapwrit to find his best gear. Up front, Irish War Cry put away Meantime and appeared a likely winner at the top of Belmont's long stretch.
"At the eighth pole, I thought was might be home free," Motion said, "but it's the Belmont. It's a tough race."
That's when Tapwrit took up the chase in earnest. It was a two-horse race to the finish line, with Tapwrit gaining the lead in the final furlong.
Gormley finished fourth, followed by Senior Investment, Twisted Tom, Lookin At Lee, Meantime, J Boys Echo and Multiplier.
Hollywood Handsome was pulled up after clipping heels with the horse in front of him, causing jockey Florent Geroux to lose his stirrups in the first turn. He guided the colt to the outside until he could be stopped. The on-call vet said Hollywood Handsome sustained a cut behind his left knee, and it would be closed with staples.
"I got squeezed pretty hard coming into the first turn," Geroux said. "I almost went down."
AP Racing Writer
Tapwrit overtook favored Irish War Cry in the stretch to win by two lengths on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his third career victory in the Belmont. He won in 2007 with filly Rags to Riches and in 2013 with Palace Malice.
The first four finishers all followed a well-worn path: run in the Derby, skip the Preakness and come back fresh for the Belmont. Five of the last nine Belmont winners did just that.
Tapwrit finished sixth in the 20-horse Derby after encountering traffic in what Pletcher described as "a sneaky good" race.
"We felt like with the five weeks in between, and with the way this horse had trained, that he had a legitimate chance," said Pletcher, who is based at Belmont Park. "I think that's always an advantage."
Irish War Cry was 10th after pressing the early pace in the May 6 race.
Patch took third in the Belmont after being 14th in the Derby. Gormley, ninth in the Derby, finished fourth Saturday.
Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Tapwrit ran 1 1/2 miles in 2:30.02 on his home track. Ortiz's brother Irad Jr. won the race last year with Creator.
"The distance, I was sure he could handle it," Ortiz said.
Tapwrit paid $12.60, $6.50 and $5 at 5-1 odds.
Irish War Cry returned $4.70 and $3.90 as the 5-2 favorite in front of 57,729 on an 82-degree day. Patch, the one-eyed horse trained by Pletcher, was another 5 3/4 lengths back in third and paid $6.50 to show.
Pletcher took two of the year's three Triple Crown races, having saddled Always Dreaming to victory in the Derby.
"The Derby win was awesome," he said. "The last five weeks have been the ultimate roller coaster. We felt really good coming in that both horses were doing very well. We felt like both horses suited the mile and a half distance. They had the right running styles and the right dispositions and the right pedigrees. Fortunately, it all fell into place."
Tapwrit, a 3-year-old gray colt, was purchased for $1.2 million, making him the most expensive horse in the field.
He's co-owned by John and Leslie Malone, who race as Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta, who won the 2008 Belmont when 70-1 shot Da'Tara spoiled Big Brown's Triple Crown bid.
John Malone is chairman of Liberty Media Corp., whose holdings include Sirius XM radio and the Atlanta Braves.
The $1.5 million race took several hits before the starting gate opened.
It lacked Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing. Classic Empire, the expected favorite, dropped out Wednesday with a foot abscess.
Epicharis, the early 4-1 second choice, was scratched Saturday morning after failing a pre-race veterinary exam. The Japan-based colt had been treated for lameness in his right front hoof earlier in the week.
All that left it a wide-open race, and in the end it was Tapwrit that proved he was up to the grueling 1 1/2-mile challenge.
"Tapwrit was getting a beautiful trip," Pletcher said. "It was everything we talked about in the paddock before the race. We were hoping he had enough when it came to crunch time. It looked like Irish War Cry still had a little something left, but the last sixteenth, he dug down deep."
Irish War Cry, who finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby, went for the lead and was immediately pressured by 13-1 shot Meantime, ridden by Mike Smith, who won five stakes on the undercard.
"It actually wasn't our plan to be on the lead," said Graham Motion, who trains Irish War Cry. "We kind of hoped that somebody else would go for it, but he had to go to Plan B."
Tapwrit, meanwhile, settled in third, right behind the dueling leaders. They maintained that positioning onto the final turn when Ortiz first asked Tapwrit for his run.
It took a while for Tapwrit to find his best gear. Up front, Irish War Cry put away Meantime and appeared a likely winner at the top of Belmont's long stretch.
"At the eighth pole, I thought was might be home free," Motion said, "but it's the Belmont. It's a tough race."
That's when Tapwrit took up the chase in earnest. It was a two-horse race to the finish line, with Tapwrit gaining the lead in the final furlong.
Gormley finished fourth, followed by Senior Investment, Twisted Tom, Lookin At Lee, Meantime, J Boys Echo and Multiplier.
Hollywood Handsome was pulled up after clipping heels with the horse in front of him, causing jockey Florent Geroux to lose his stirrups in the first turn. He guided the colt to the outside until he could be stopped. The on-call vet said Hollywood Handsome sustained a cut behind his left knee, and it would be closed with staples.
"I got squeezed pretty hard coming into the first turn," Geroux said. "I almost went down."
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