On August 28, Red Sox legend David Ortiz and Celtics guard Jrue Holiday made an appearance at the grand opening of Raising Cane’s in downtown Boston. The new location sported an all-gold interior to commemorate the restaurant chain’s 28th anniversary.

As a three-time World Series champion, Ortiz was a fitting guest for Raising Cane’s Golden Birthday celebration. While the former Red Sox designated hitter is best known for his baseball career, Ortiz has become a prominent figure in Boston sports and has maintained a close friendship with Celtics center Al Horford since 2016. 

When asked about his prediction for next season’s NBA championship, Ortiz told Boston Celtics On SI that the Celtics will repeat as champions. 

“For next season, of course the Celtics are going to repeat without a doubt.”

Regarding next season’s Most Valuable Player award, Ortiz lightheartedly endorsed Holiday.

“And (for MVP) I gotta go with my boy right here,” Ortiz said with a smile, nudging the two-time gold medalist. 

Ortiz also affirmed that he actively supports the Celtics and fellow Dominican Republic native Horford.  He was excited to watch both win a title in June.

“I gotta tell you, man, I’m a Celtic. I cheer. I scream. I cry. That’s my thing, man. When I see the Celtics win, when I see my hometown homie (Al Horford) getting it done, I feel like I got it done…. Very happy for the Celtics. Very happy for my boy.”

PITTSBURGH – The wheels are starting to fall off the wagon for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wednesday afternoon, they fell once again to the Chicago Cubs 14-10, dropping their record to 62-71 on the year.

Paul Skenes allowed three runs (two earned) in the first two innings and then went into cruise control for the better part of the next three frames, finishing the day with two earned runs in five innings of work.

The Pirates got that first run of the game back pretty quickly via the long ball off the bat of Bryan Reynolds in the bottom of the first, his 21st of the season. After giving the lead right back, Pittsburgh put up a five-spot in the second. They posted six hits in the frame, including two doubles from Jared Triolo and Oneil Cruz. They strung together some quality at-bats, really making Kendricks work, leaving several pitches out over the heart of the plate.

Connor Joe homered to leadoff the fourth and then a few batters later, Alika Williams dropped down a bunt toward the first base side plating another run. Joe picked up another RBI with a single back up the middle in the fifth and thanks to a fielding error by Ian Happ, the Pirates scored another run to extend their lead to 10-3.

Game over, right? Not so fast.

Christian Bethancourt exploded for six RBI in his final three at-bats on the day which featured a homer and a double. The Pirates entered the ninth with a 10-8 lead, but closer David Bednar struggled to shut things down once again allowing a season-high five runs.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

1. SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa 0-5, RBI, BB
2. DH Bryan Reynolds 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, BB
3. CF Oneil Cruz 2-5, 2B, BB
4. 1B Rowdy Tellez 3-5, 2 RBI
5. RF Connor Joe 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
6. LF Billy McKinney 1-4, 2B, BB
7. C Yasmani Grandal 1-2, 2 BB
8. 3B Jared Triolo 2-5, 2B
9. 2B Alika Williams 1-4, RBI

CHICAGO CUBS

1. LF Ian Happ 3-4, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 BB
2. 1B Michael Busch 0-4
3. DH Seiya Suzuki 2-5, RBI, BB
4. RF Cody Bellinger 1-6, RBI
5. 3B Isaac Paredes 1-4, BB
6. 2B Nico Hoerner 1-4, BB
7. SS Dansby Swanson 0-4, BB
8. CF Pete Crow-Armstrong 4-4, RBI, BB
9. C Christian Bethancourt 3-5, 2B, 7 RBI

Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates

House-hunting in Danbury, Connecticut, turned into a terrifying ordeal for a couple in their 50s on Sunday, police say. WABC reports that when the husband and wife arrived at a home in a gated community to meet a real estate agent, their Lamborghini was rear-ended by a van and surrounded by three other vehicles. The six suspects beat the couple with a baseball bat before they bound them with duct tape and pushed them into the van, police say. “The male victim was pretty bruised, pretty swollen and they indicated they were struck with a bat several times,” says Danbury Police Sgt. Steven Castrovinci.

Some suspects stole the Lamborghini while others drove off in the van, police say. A witness who saw the attack called police and followed the van as it sped away from the scene. After it crashed while making a turn, the suspects took off on foot and the kidnapped couple were found inside. They were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Four suspects were arrested at the scene and two others were found at a home in the nearby community of Roxbury. All six suspects face charges including first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, and reckless endangerment, Fox 61 reports

Police say the suspects don’t appear to have any previous connection to the victims. “We did a lot of background work on them, but at this time it doesn’t seem as they have any connections to the Northeast. They’re all Miami, Florida, guys,” Castrovinci says. WABC reports that the suspects were identified as Angel Borrero, 23; Reynaldo Diaz, 22; Anthony Pena, 23; Josue Romero, 26; Ricardo Estrada, 21; and Michael Rivas, 18. (More Connecticut stories.)