Theo Epstein, the executive who brought the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs World Series championships in the 2000s, reportedly is not interested in becoming the next Commissioner of Baseball.

That report came from Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Sunday:

Morgan Sword, MLB’s vice president, business operations, is among the leading candidates to become baseball’s next commissioner when Rob Manfred retires in January, 2029, several MLB owners privately say.

Sword, 39, who works primarily in baseball’s on-field matters, is highly respected by owners and executives throughout the game.

The other top candidates expected to be under serious consideration among owners are deputy commissioners Dan Halem and Noah Garden, and Chris Marinek, chief operations and strategy officer.

Theo Epstein, the future Hall of Fame executive who helped end the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs’ World Series droughts, has no interest in the job and still hopes to become an owner.

After doing some work with Major League Baseball over the last few years, Epstein has come back to take a role in within the Fenway Sports Group. That gives him access to the Red Sox in an advisory capacity, but he reportedly isn’t making decisions for the team baseball-wise.

Epstein was named the Red Sox general manager in 2002 and held the position until after the 2011 season, winning two World Series titles. He then went to the Cubs, winning a title in 2016 and then worked for Major League Baseball, helping implement some of the new rules we saw in 2023.

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On Saturday, the Boston Celtics took a 114-111 win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point deficit and didn’t regain the lead until the last 39 seconds of regulation. 

Per Inside The Celtics, head coach Joe Mazzulla gave his perspective on Boston’s rally. 

“I never thought we couldn’t cut into the lead because of our offense. I thought we couldn’t cut into the lead because of our defense. And so, I liked our execution throughout the game. Our shot quality at half-time was like 1.22. Their shot quality was like 1.12. But we just couldn’t get a stop in the way that we needed to. It took us a little while to figure out what they were- It took us a little while to figure out how we were going to match up with them, in order to slow them down and put us in the best position. Without Haliburton, they went to some of the different stuff, and they had a lot of speed. So, I never thought it was our offense. I felt like it was our defense. And I thought we took it to another level in the second half.”

Mazzulla identified Boston’s fourth-quarter strengths. 

“Down the stretch, I thought we executed defensively and offensively. I mean, we made the right play at the rim, extra pass, good screening. I thought it was a high level of execution on both ends of the floor, especially in the fourth quarter. But the thing I liked the most was just, we talk about it all the time, it takes what it takes. Every game is going to be different, and I felt like, in the first half, it kind of caught us by surprise that we were down by that much. But I was like, I kind of told them, like, ‘Fellas, it’s going to happen. It might not be the last time we’re down by double digits.’ So, I liked the way we handled that, and it was just a test of mindset and toughness, and I thought the guys came through big-time.”

Mazzulla further praised his players’ winning mindsets. 

“Once we embraced the fact that we were down double digits on the road in a Game 3 against Indiana, I thought it was pretty fun. And so, I loved just the approach that we took. I loved the mindset that we had. I thought we executed well on both ends of the floor. And we made the plays that were necessary to win. That’s how games are going to go. You have to be able to win in different ways, you have to be able to get through certain stuff, and I thought our guys did a good job of getting through it.”

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday, May 27 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m. EST.

BOSTON (AP) — Joey Ortiz hit a two-run double to cap a five-run third inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Boston Red Sox 6-3 on Saturday.

Brice Turang added a solo homer for the Brewers, who beat the Red Sox for the second straight day in their three-game series.

Wearing their City Connect uniforms of bright yellow jerseys with powder blue lettering and hats, the Red Sox went hitless through six innings. Ceddanne Rafaela drove in two runs for Boston.

Colin Rea (4-2) gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings of relief after Jared Koenig got the first four outs.

Rea allowed Rafael Devers’ leadoff double off the center-field wall in the seventh that ended the no-hit bid.

“I was watching it from the training room and didn’t want to move,” Koenig said. “I was hoping Colin was going to keep it going, but that’s a tough thing to do.”

The last no-hitter by the Brewers was on September 11, 2021, when pitchers Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader combined to beat the Cleveland Indians 3–0.

Trevor Megill struck out David Hamilton with two runners on for his eighth save.

All five of the Milwaukee’s runs in the third came with two outs on four straight hits off Boston starter Nick Pivetta (2-3). Jake Bauers, Gary Sánchez and Sal Frelick — who grew up in nearby Lexington, Massachusetts and played at Boston College — each had an RBI single before Ortiz’s hit into the left-center gap.

“Two outs nobody on, six straight hitters came to the plate — impressive,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “Kind of relentless. Every pitch is important, two outs nobody on. … Just keep pecking away like that, like a woodpecker, never stop.”

Turang homered over Boston’s bullpen in the eighth.

Pivetta was tagged for five runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings, but he did record his 1,000th career strikeout when he got William Contreras swinging on a curveball in the third.

“I got behind guys and walked guys,” Pivetta said. “I wasn’t able to get the job done.”

Koenig started for the second consecutive game. The last Brewers’ pitcher to do that was Zack Greinke, who did it three straight in 2012. He started on July 7, was ejected in the first inning, started the next day and then the first game after the All-Star break.

A replay review showed that a fan down the left-field line reached out and interfered with a ball puts in play by Willy Adames in the second inning. Murphy challenged that it was touched and Adames went to second base.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: RHP Garrett Whitlock said his season is over and he’s expected to have his right ulnar collateral ligament repaired with an internal brace. The 27-year-old had Tommy John surgery when he was in the Yankees farm system in 2019. “The rehab from this is a ton easier than Tommy John. It’s one of those things where you keep moving forward,” he said before the game. … 1B Triston Casas (injured list since April 21, rib strain) started taking grounders recently. Manager Alex Cora said he doesn’t know when he can start swinging a bat again. “We want to make sure he goes through the right steps and sticks to the process,” Cora said. “Obviously, the swinging part of it, you go through the right steps.” … Boston LF Tyler O’Neill, who made a leaping grab of Blake Perkins’ drive before banging into the Green Monster in the second, left the game with right knee soreness. “He didn’t feel great throughout, so we deceided to take him out,” Cora said.

BREWERS’ TRADE

The Brewers got RHP Garrett Stallings from Baltimore for RHPs Thyago Vieira and Aneuris Rodriguez.

Stallings, 26, was a fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2019 amateur draft. He went 0-1 with a 5.67 ERA in 11 games, four starts, for Triple-A Norfolk this season.

UP NEXT

Brewers RHP Tobias Myers (1-2, 5.00 ERA) is scheduled to face Red Sox RHP Tanner Houck (4-5, 1.94) in the series finale Sunday.

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