8 can’t-miss sports events to watch this weekend

Welcome to the first weekend without any NBA or NHL. Don’t be sad. Sports haven’t left us. In fact, you should look at this as an opportunity. It’s a chance to catch up on the sports you’ve been neglecting while watching the playoffs. See how your baseball team is doing (don’t look, New York Mets fans), check out some golf, and branch out into things you might not normally watch.

That’s what makes this weekend great. The world is your oyster. Seize it.

All times Eastern.

The U.S. Open is known as the “toughest test in golf” and in recent years, it has become an entertaining mess as the host USGA managed to screw things up fantastically at Chambers Bay and Oakmont. It’s the second major of the season and this year’s national championship is at a new venue, Erin Hills in Wisconsin. We don’t know what to expect or how it will play, but we know there will be controversy. Coverage begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday on FOX, finishing up at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros is on Sunday Night Baseball. The Sox are leading the wild card, while the Astros are crushing the AL West with an astonishing 45-22 record. This is going to be a good one. Sunday night, ESPN starting at 8 p.m.

If there’s one must-watch game in the Confederations Cup this weekend, it’s Portugal vs. Mexico. Sunday, 11 a.m., FS1 and Telemundo. El Tri has one of their strongest squads ever and sees this as an opportunity to win a title. Portugal, meanwhile, has Cristiano Ronaldo. Make time for this game.

It’s one of the smaller races on the NASCAR calendar, but Sunday sees the FireKeepers Casino 400 come to the Michigan International Speedway. Broadcast begins at 2 p.m. on FS1.

In the same week Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor was announced, two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world will square off in Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev II. Twelve rounds wasn’t enough to settle things, so we’ll get twelve more via HBO Pay-Per-View, 9 p.m. on Saturday.

WNBA and Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi is poised to make history Friday night, sitting only 29 points away from becoming the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer. Taurasi and the Mercury will face the Chicago Sky Friday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN3/NBA TV and streaming live on the ESPN app. Former Houston Comets and Los Angeles Sparks legend, Tina Thompson, is the current all-time points record holder with 7,488 points scored.

Taurasi, a three-time NCAA Champion, four-time Olympic gold medalist, and three-time WNBA Champion, is averaging 18.6 points per game this season, with a season-high 37 points against Chicago earlier this season on June 1.

If Taurasi does not break the record against the Sky, ESPN3 will carry the Mercury’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, June 18, at 5 p.m. It will also stream live on the ESPN app.

One of WWE’s most fun events is on Sunday night, with Money in the Bank starting at 8 p.m. on the WWE Network. The titular match features Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Baron Corbin facing off in a six-man Money in the Bank ladder match. Watch this for Shinsuke alone.

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