June Mar Fajardo starts 9th MVP bid with monster game in San Miguel escape 

MANILA, Philippines – After picking his eighth Most Valuable Player nod last weekend, June Mar Fajardo positioned himself this early as the favorite to win the award once again.

Fajardo delivered monster numbers of 37 points and 24 rebounds to lift the San Miguel Beermen over the gutsy Phoenix Fuel Masters, 111-107, in their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup opener on Wednesday, August 21, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The 6-foot-10 Fajardo towered over whoever the Fuel Masters threw at him, dominating the game as he went 14-of-18 from the field.

With a stacked résumé, the reigning MVP’s performance came as no surprise to San Miguel head coach Jorge Gallent, even though it was only their first game of the season.

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“June Mar always plays hard. He goes to the basketball game [playing] 100 percent. All of his achievements come from that,” said Gallent.

While Fajardo flexed his might in the paint, others turned to the four-point shot down the stretch to salvage the win.

With San Miguel ahead by only one with under a minute left, 106-105, CJ Perez drilled a stepback four-pointer to stretch the lead to five, 110-105.

After two free throws from Phoenix’s Jason Perkins and an empty possession by the Beermen, 110-107, the Fuel Master turned to a streaking Ricci Rivero, who then clanked his four-point attempt, which could have put Phoenix in the driver’s seat.

Fajardo split his free throws in the ensuing possession before Phoenix guard Tyler Tio botched his four-pointer to hand San Miguel the victory in Group B.

For Fajardo, the game marks the start of their redemption tour after absorbing a bitter loss in last season’s Philippine Cup finals against the Meralco Bolts.

“We need to bounce back this conference, because we lost in the last one. We took it to heart. We felt like we were right there, but we lost,” said Fajardo.

“For now, we will take this one game at a time,” he added.