The Sports Report: Freddie Freeman gets his 2,000th hit

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Jack Harris: Freddie Freeman waited four days and 11 at-bats for career hit No. 1,999.

He wasted no time collecting career hit No. 2,000.

In the Dodgers 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday, Freeman’s milestone moment couldn’t prevent a series-finale defeat that snapped the team’s four-game winning streak. But it sure came close.

With the Dodgers trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and increasingly apparent future Hall of Famer got his 2,000th hit on an RBI double to right-center field.

Moments later, with a crowd of 47,273 still buzzing from the achievement, catcher Will Smith blasted a two-run homer to center field to tie the score, setting off another wild celebration around Chavez Ravine that was punctuated with a curtain call for Freeman, who stood in the dugout and waved to a fanbase that was on its feet, clapping its hands and chanting his name.

“Everyone views success differently in their careers and how they go about it, but hits and average, that is what I care about,” said Freeman, who became the 295th player in major league history with 2,000 hits, and the seventh to get there wearing a Dodgers uniform.

“If I have a lot of hits and I have a good average, that means I’m getting on base a lot for our team and we’re able to score a lot of runs,” Freeman added. “That’s how I view it. I like hits. Hopefully we get a lot more.”

Freeman’s two hits Sunday didn’t add up to a Dodgers win, not on a day starter Tony Gonsolin gave up four runs in five innings, the Astros scored their automatic runner in both the 10th and 11th innings, and the Dodgers offense finally ran out of gas against Houston’s balky bullpen, failing to score more than five runs for the 11th time in the last 12 games.

Still, a week removed from being swept at home by the San Francisco Giants and mired in one of the worst 30-game stretches in recent franchise memory, the Dodgers series win over the Astros and 4-1 mark overall this past week represented an important step forward -- even if it ended with Freeman being toasted in the clubhouse Sunday after a loss.

“I seem to get these milestones in losses,” Freeman joked, after hitting his 300th home run earlier this season in another Dodgers defeat. “That’s what Doc said in the little speech after, it’s a little curse. But just seeing how happy my dad, my stepmom, my wife, my kids were for me, just makes it special.”

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ANGELS

Ezequiel Tovar had two hits and two RBIs, Austin Gomber became Colorado’s first starter to earn a win in more than a month, and the Rockies edged the Angels 4-3 on Sunday, less than 24 hours after being routed 25-1.

The Rockies entered the series mired in a season-worst eight-game losing streak, but took two of three from the Angels, who had a 32-12 scoring advantage. It’s the second-worst run differential for a winning team in a series in MLB history, behind only the 1897 Louisville Colonels at negative-23.

SPARKS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Finally, the home crowd at Crpyto.com Arena had something to cheer about.

After dropping the first three games of their longest homestand of the season, the Sparks finished with back-to-back victories over the Dallas Wings, including Sunday’s 93-83 win that clinched the season series and a potential tiebreaker for playoff positioning against the Western Conference foe.

While fourth-quarter woes plagued the team in previous games, the Sparks (7-7) outscored the Wings 33-12 in the final 11 minutes and 43 seconds Sunday, led by 27 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots from Nneka Ogwumike, who was also named an All-Star Game starter Sunday.

“It’s just huge momentum for us,” coach Curt Miller said.

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Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike selected WNBA All-Star starter for second consecutive season

ANGEL CITY

For the second week in a row, the Houston Dash had to play down a player for a long stretch, and for the second week in a row, the team held on for a scoreless draw — this time against Angel City.

Katie Lind was shown a red card in the 58th minute for denying a goal-scoring opportunity when Sydney Leroux had a breakaway.

After the red card, Angel City (3-6-4) hit the post twice as both teams looked dangerous but couldn’t score.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1959 — Ingemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson in the third round at Yankee Stadium to win the world heavyweight title.

1976 — Japanese pro wrestler Antonio Inoki fights American boxer Muhammad Ali, at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

1990 — Jennifer Capriati, 14, defeats Helen Kelesi 6-3, 6-1 in the first round to become the youngest winner of a match in Wimbledon history.

1991 — NBA Draft: UNLV power forward Larry Johnson first pick by Charlotte Hornets.

1993 — NHL Draft: Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) center Alexandre Daigle first pick by Ottawa Senators.

1996 — NBA Draft: Georgetown guard Allen Iverson first pick by Philadelphia 76ers.

1999 — NHL Draft: Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL) center Patrik Stefan first pick by Atlanta Thrashers.

2002 — In one of the most extraordinary days at the All England Club, seven-time champion Pete Sampras, 1992 winner Andre Agassi and No. 2-seeded Marat Safin all lose — throwing the Wimbledon tournament wide open. For the first time in the Open era, five of the top-eight seeded men’s players are eliminated before the third round.

2002 — NBA Draft: Shanghai Sharks (China) center Yao Ming first pick by Houston Rockets.

2003 — NBA Draft: St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (Akron, Ohio) small forward LeBron James first pick by Cleveland Cavaliers.

2005 — Justin Gatlin cements his status as America’s fastest human by winning the 200 meters, becoming the first man in 20 years to sweep the sprints at the U.S. track and field championships. A day after winning the 100, Gatlin wins the 200 in 20.04 seconds. The last man to win both races at the U.S. meet was Kirk Baptiste in 1985.

2008 — Two stunning second-round upsets happen at Wimbledon as former champion Maria Sharapova and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick are ousted.

2008 — NBA Draft: Memphis point guard Derrick Rose first pick by Chicago Bulls.

2011 — Top-ranked Yani Tseng wins the LPGA Championship by 10 strokes and, at 22, becomes the youngest player to win four LPGA Tour majors.

2012 — Major college football finally gets a playoff. A committee of university presidents approve the BCS commissioners’ plan for a four-team playoff to start in the 2014 season.

2013 — Seven-time champion Roger Federer is stunned by 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round of Wimbledon, his earliest loss in a Grand Slam tournament in 10 years.

2014 — The United States reaches the knockout stage of consecutive World Cups for the first time. Germany beat the U.S. 1-0 to win Group G, but the Americans held onto second place when Portugal defeats Ghana 2-1 in a game played simultaneously.

2014 — NBA Draft: Kansas small forward Andrew Wiggins first pick by Cleveland Cavaliers.

2015 — NHL Draft: Erie Otters (OHL) center Connor McDavid #1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers.

2012 — Stanley Cup Final, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL: Colorado Avalanche beats two-time defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1 for a 4-2 series win; Avs 3rd championship in franchise history.

—Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally...

LeBron James is chosen first in the 2003 NBA draft. Watch and listen here.