The Chicago Sky-Indiana Fever rematch was a highly anticipated game Sunday afternoon with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese pitted against each other in another chapter of their WNBA journey. 

And things got a bit testy when Reese whacked Clark in the head on a block attempt in the third quarter of the Fever’s 91-83 victory, resulting in a flagrant foul.

Reese was asked about the flagrant foul by a reporter after the game, and she cut him off quickly.

“A basketball play. It was a basketball play,” Reese said. “I can’t control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot tonight.”

Reese was adamant officials were not calling the same game on both ends of the floor. The Sky were called for 21 personal fouls as a team, while the Fever were whistled for 17. Reese and fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso each had five fouls. 

VIEW THE REESE BLOCK ATTEMPT ON X

“I think we went up really strong a lot of times, and we didn’t get a lot of calls,” Reese explained when asked about her and Cardoso’s performances. “Going back and looking at the film, I’ve seen a lot of calls that weren’t made. I guess some people got a special whistle. But just being able to play hard as best as we can.”

CAITLIN CLARK UNBOTHERED BY PEOPLE USING HER NAME IN CULTURE WARS: ‘BASKETBALL’S MY JOB’

It’s unclear who Reese was referring to when talking about the “special whistle.”

As for Clark’s thoughts on the flagrant foul, she didn’t have anything bad to say about Reese. She agreed the physicality wasn’t anything malicious. 

Caitlin Clark, left, of the Indiana Fever drives to the basket against Marina Mabrey, right, of the Chicago Sky during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse June 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

“What’s going through my mind is, ‘I need to make these two free throws,’” Clark said when a reporter asked her thoughts immediately after the foul. “That’s all I’m thinking about. Just a part of basketball. It is what it is. Just trying to make a play on the ball and get the block. It happens.”

Clark continued by lauding Reese’s competitive spirit and using her platform to promote the game.

“I think it’s just the emotion and passion we play with,” Clark said. “I think people love to see that, and I think that’s maybe not something that was always appreciated in women’s sports. And it should be. That’s what makes it fun. We’re competitors. That’s the way the game should be. It’s going to get feisty, it’s going to get physical. But, at the end of the day, both of us are trying to win.

“I think what she’s done with her platform has been absolutely incredible, and she has an entire fan base that’s supported her for what she did at Maryland and LSU. Obviously, I played her a very long time, and she’s been a tremendous player. So, it’s getting to compete against [her], and I think it’s been really good for the game. And people love to see great matchups. 

“But, also, at the same time, people tune in for these matchups, but then they get to see how amazing these teams are, and they find new players to support. And continue to come back for them, too. So, I think that’s another benefit of it, honestly.”

Angel Reese defended her block attempt on Caitlin Clark, which resulted in a flagrant foul. (Getty Images)

Fever head coach Christie Sides also believed the “right call was made” by officials on the Reese flagrant. She also alluded to flagrant fouls not being called, which we’ve seen recently with the Chennedy Carter shove on Clark. It was later upgraded to a flagrant foul. But during their previous matchup, it was a common foul. 

“I was really proud of how they all kept their composure,” Sides said. “The right call was made in that moment — flagrant-1, two free throws and the ball. Just make the right call in those moments, and we can move forward. When we don’t make the right call in those moments, that’s when there’s a problem. 

“They made the right call tonight.”

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto was put on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of triceps tightness, an injury that forced the Dodgers right-hander out of Saturday night’s 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals after two scoreless innings.

Yamamoto was undergoing further medical testing Sunday, the results of which were not immediately available. The hope among the Dodgers is that the injury isn’t serious, but Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander experienced similar triceps tightness before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020.

“Right now, as I sit here, no, I don’t think so,” manager Dave Roberts, speaking before Sunday’s series finale against the Kansas City Royals, said when asked if the injury could be a precursor to something more serious.

“And I think that he was smart enough to notify us when there was some tightness in his triceps. We’ll know more with the testing and him talking to the doctors, but I don’t think so. I really don’t.”

Yamamoto gave up only one hit Saturday night, but there was a noticeable dip in the velocity of the 28 pitches he threw. His four-seam fastball ranged from 92.9 mph and 95.9 mph with an average of 94.2 mph, down 1.3 mph from his season average of 95.5 mph entering the game.

Yamamoto threw 29 pitches that were clocked at 97 mph or higher in his previous start in which he blanked the New York Yankees on two hits over seven innings on June 7. The velocity of his secondary pitches were also down Saturday, his curve by 2.4 mph and his split-fingered fastball by 2.9 mph.

“The most important time of the season is yet to come, and his health is paramount,” Roberts said. “So for us to be proactive and put him on the IL, kind of reset him, seems like the smartest thing to do.”

Yamamoto, whose durability and dominance during his seven years in Japan were two of the reasons the Dodgers signed the 25-year-old to a 12-year, $325-million deal in December, said through his interpreter that he began feeling tightness in his triceps last week, as he was recovering from his Yankee Stadium gem.

“That was the reason” his scheduled Thursday night start against the Texas Rangers was pushed back to Saturday night against the Royals, Yamamoto said.

Yamamoto completed his between-starts workout in the bullpen Thursday and said he was not experiencing any triceps tightness on Saturday. The discomfort flared up during pregame warmups, but Yamamoto said “it was not that serious at that point. … Then, as I was pitching [in the game], it started [to get worse].”

There was some confusion after the game, with Yamamoto telling reporters that he informed pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness that he felt some discomfort while warming up and Roberts saying that he “didn’t know until the second inning that [Yamamoto] couldn’t go back out there for the third inning.”

Roberts said he gained some clarity on the situation later Saturday night.

“I did talk to Mark, and the conversation [with Yamamoto] was, ‘How do you feel?’” Roberts said. “And [Yamamoto said], ‘I don’t feel 100%. I don’t feel frisky, but I feel fine.’

“There are many conversations that happen every day in the big leagues with the pitching coach, where you’re not going to expect to feel frisky every start and you get through it. So again, that’s the communication that was relayed to me. … I still stand by the fact that I wouldn’t put a guy out there in harm’s way. I’ve never done it.”

Though the Dodgers will be losing one of their best pitchers for at least two weeks, one who is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 14 starts and has struck out 84 batters and walked only 17 in 74 innings, Yamamoto’s injury won’t leave a gaping hole in the rotation.

That’s because Bobby Miller is scheduled to return from a two-month absence because of shoulder inflammation to start Wednesday night’s game at Colorado, eliminating the need for the Dodgers to employ a six-man rotation. The Dodgers also expect erstwhile ace Clayton Kershaw to return from shoulder surgery in mid-July.

“Part of constructing the roster is getting an abundance of starting pitching,” Roberts said. “Everywhere in baseball, guys go down at different times, and you’ve got to be able to backfill. To know we’re getting Bobby back and Clayton is starting a rehab assignment [this week] is certainly helpful.”

Yamamoto wasn’t the only Dodgers right-hander to be sidelined. Reliever Michael Grove was put on the 15-day IL because of a right intercostal muscle strain, an injury that is not expected to sideline the right-hander for more than a few weeks.

To replace Yamamoto and Grove on the roster, the Dodgers recalled relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Michael Peterson, both 31-year-old right-handers, from triple-A Oklahoma City.

Peterson, whose fastball touches 98 mph, had a 1.31 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 22 ⅓ innings of 23 triple-A games. Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round in 2015, Peterson has yet to pitch in the big leagues.

Royals rally for win

Saturday night’s game turned on an epic 12-pitch battle in the top of the sixth inning between Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen and Royals left fielder MJ Melendez, who fouled off six two-strike pitches and took a ball to work the count full.

Melendez then drove the 12th pitch of the at-bat over the wall in right field for a grand slam that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 Kansas City lead.

The Dodgers had taken a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning when Gavin Lux grounded a bases-loaded, two-out, two-run single to center field.

Dodgers right-hander Yohan Ramirez retired the side in order in the fifth, and Treinen, who returned from a shoulder injury to open his season with 14 scoreless appearances in which he struck out 19 and walked only two in 13 innings, took over in the sixth.

The veteran right-hander got Bobby Witt Jr. to fly out to the warning track in left for the first out but uncharacteristically walked the next three batters, prompting a visit from Roberts.

Treinen struck out pinch-hitter Adam Frazier with a wicked 83-mph slider, but he could not retire the stubborn Melendez, who boosted Treinen’s ERA from 0.00 to 2.63 with his game-turning slam.

Treinen didn’t have usual command of his slider, so nine of the pitches he threw to Melendez were cut-fastballs.

“The cutter was probably the pitch I had the most feel for tonight, but it also handcuffed me because I can’t keep throwing the same pitch over and over again to anybody in this league,” Treinen said.

“The biggest thing was just the walks. When I walk people, they make you pay. You can live with solo shots, you can live with a couple knocks, but when you give up three bases, it’s a frustrating one from that perspective.”

As a two-time Olympian and six-time medalist, American swimmer Missy Franklin has built a large community over the years. That community has stood faithfully by her side throughout her storied career. 

Perhaps it’s even more meaningful that the same community that cheered her on along the path to victory also played a crucial role in helping Franklin during a time of crisis. 

“My dad [Dick Franklin] was diagnosed with ADPKD (autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease). It runs on my father’s side of the family. It is a hereditary disease, meaning it is passed down,” Franklin told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. 

“Out of the four siblings that my dad is a part of, three of them have ADPKD. And his father had it as well. It is the most common form of PKD, which is a genetic condition that causes cysts to form on the kidneys, and it leads to a decline in kidney function, which will eventually require the need for dialysis or a transplant.” 

Franklin, who retired from swimming in 2018, explained that her father’s condition was known for some time, but in 2022, the family learned the difficult news that the disease was “rapidly progressing.” 

“To realize that it was progressing to the point where it was severely impacting his quality of life, and we knew that we needed to do something moving forward, that pushed us to reach out to our close community about finding a living organ donor.” 

In May of that year, Franklin and her family received a life-changing phone call. Her father had a donor match, and several months later, in August 2022, the transplant was performed. 

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“Through our entire story and journey, we have just really realized the importance of having family health history conversations with genetic diseases that run in the family. And our story has a happy ending, and I am so grateful for that. And I don’t take advantage of that for one day.” 

But it was that community that Franklin was already so proud to be a part of that answered her family’s call. 

Crissy Ahmann-Leighton of the U.S. swims in the qualifying heats of the women’s 100-meter butterfly race during the 1992 Summer Olympics July 12, 1992, at the Bernat Picornell Pools in Montjuic, Spain. Ahmann-Leighton was the eventual silver medalist.  (David Madison/Getty Images)

It was two-time Olympic gold medalist Crissy Perham who answered the call to be a living donor, and the two were miraculously a match. 

“The fact that we got to match at all, the fact that my dad got a living donor at all, is such a miracle and such a gift. … And then the fact that she was an Olympic gold medalist in swimming, it’s just like – it’s so unreal,” Franklin said.

Franklin says she still remains in contact with Perham regularly and considers her a part of her family. 

“There’s not a minute that I spend with my dad that I don’t think of Crissy because I literally would not have had that time and those moments with him if it were not for her and what she did for us.” 

Franklin is using her platform and teaming up with Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. to drive the conversation about kidney health and the importance of early detection and genetic testing. 

Laureus Academy ember Missy Franklin poses at the Mercedes-Benz Building prior to the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards Feb. 16, 2020, in Berlin, Germany.  (Simon Hofmann/Getty Images for Laureus)

“I think one thing that Otsuka and I are really trying to do is, first of all, validate that these conversations are very hard to have,” Franklin said. 

“It’s really hard to talk about diseases that do impact the family, that are genetic, that are passed down. But we know the importance of early detection. We know the importance of working with your health care team professionals to put together a plan in place that’s going to give you the best outcome it possibly can. And that’s why these conversations are so, so important.” 

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