MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 25: Jacob Degrom #48 and Danny Jansen #9 of the Texas Rangers look on against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field on September 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch: 3:10 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
Last night, you got Joe Ryan and Jacob deGrom. This afternoon, you get Bailey Ober and Nathan Eovaldi. After another full season of Saturday previews, all I can tell you is that after last night’s veteran matchup resulted in whatever competitive remnants of the Twins lineup whomping a multi-time Cy Young Award winner, I throw up my hands in telling you what to expect out of today’s game.
In his final start of 2026 (unless a half-dozen American League teams are erased from our timeline before the postseason starts), Bailey Ober will attempt to keep his ERA+ at 100 or better in order to statistically cement a cobbled-together, league-average season of 25 starts. This year, Ober crossed double-digit career bWAR in his sixth season with the Twins, and proved that maybe there’s a little X-factor involved in being a proven mid-rotation starter.
There is also reason to believe that this winter’s roster crunch could see the physically-declining Ober non-tendered if the Twins deem his short-term outlook not optimistic enough to warrant the price tag on a final year of arbitration. If true, it calls to mind the feeling of last September, when the Twins’ organizational direction was an enormous question mark, and every game felt like it could be the last time you saw [insert Twin here.]
For now, though, we get to enjoy the Bearded Nightmare as he takes the bump on a gloomy final Saturday of the 2026 season.
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 01: General view of the Barclay Center during the Miami Heat vs Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center on November 1, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Another summer has come and gone with another Nets season about to begin under the harvest moon. Media Day is on Monday and Training Camp begins on Tuesday. The Nets ought to hope the seeds planted in the dark over this long rebuild are finally ready to bear fruit in the light.
We’re calling it a new era in Nets basketball after an offseason filled with noise — both good and bad. We’ve said that plenty of times before, but this one is different and here’s why…
The Knicks won the NBA Finals and in less than a month will raise a banner or two (they won the Emirates Cup as well.). It broke a cycle for Nets fans that might’ve been necessary in order for the organization to move on. Maybe not. I’ll get to that shortly.
Brooklyn’s offseason began inauspiously with the NBA lottery. You may not want to remember it, but afterwards, Joe Tsai’s son was seen hugging his dad, consoling him. But then they used the sixth pick to take Mikel Brown Jr. already a fan favorite after the Summer League. Days earlier, they traded Nicolas Claxton and the No. 33 pick for three-time All-Star Julius Randle and the No. 28 pick which became Joshua Jefferson.
Brooklyn added other system fits with marginal moves by signing Moritz Wagner and Keon Ellis, choosing a trio of young players, including the No. 43 pick, Tyler Bilodeau, for two-way slots. They enter training camp in a (so-far) peaceful stalemate with Michael Porter Jr. Then again, Egor Demin looked great at Summer League adding both muscle and confidence.
Off the court, the team is embracing its history more than ever. In 2020, we asked for these things and they’re doing them and more. We still don’t know what the next iteration of the Brooklyn Brigade will look like, however.
So where do we stand less than a month before Opening Night at Barclays Center and two days before Media Day? I’ve been getting questions regarding how I feel about the Knicks winning a Championship, among other things. It isn’t an easy question to answer because the timing was tinged by the personal as well as feelings far beyond the baselines.
My first Nets game was when I was five. My father bought season tickets in 2001 when Jason Kidd was traded to the team from the Suns. I watched the team my entire life, and the good people with the Nets gave me a credential to cover the team after one season with NetsDaily — I was 18. (We’ve had three younger fans cover the team since.)
I’m no seer, but I see the way the community talks to one another and engages and can get a sense of things. Experience does that to you. Some fans are more vocal than others, more opinionated, and sometimes more nasty. There’s purity taken out of being a Nets fan when you’re being told how you should be a fan, especially when it encourages losing. It’s annoying.
Then, it always feels like there’s a disconnect, an up-and-down wave moving fans from highs to lows, more shock than awe. The Nets ended the 2018-19 season as a surprise sixth seed, which led to the Clean Sweep, then the so-called Big 3 and then … oh never mind. We’re still dealing with that pain.
Now, after the tank, it’s a new era, but uncertain nonetheless. You have to hope this next chapter leaves Nets fans more optimistic and encouraging when there’s discourse. Still…
Rock Bottom, Real Life, and Reevaluating the Rivalry
There’s a reason I say this. For those of you who have followed me, agreed, disagreed, liked or disliked — I am opening up about this past year as a basketball fan rooted in fandom from New Jersey. But firstly I’m opening up as a human being here for the same reason as the rest of you all.
Personally, this past season was tough. I was working at a major social media company and NetsDaily when I started feeling pain that was debilitating and worse: it went undiagnosed for 3+ months. On January 9, 2026, I ended up in the hospital for four days with a projected three-month recovery period. When I returned, the job had disappeared. I watched the Nets, but they were well out of it at that point, so there was no relief there. They weren’t fun to watch and they weren’t good. And neither was I.
Truthfully, after the Winter Olympics wrapped up and my recovery dragged on, I just wanted to watch something good on TV.
The Nets weren’t that. The Flatbush 5 didn’t look great outside Egor Demin, and Michael Porter Jr. wasn’t much of a sell either. There was the issue of his baggage, which I felt compelled to write about. Of course, I watched! Just like 12-70 and every other Nets season. But this past year was just so blah. There was little about the present, all about the future. Again, toxic fan discourse mixed with losing and slow rebuilding just felt so unbecoming.
So did a Knicks playoffs run… at first.
I watched the Knicks prance through the playoffs, and at first it felt like salt in the wound! But no, it was not just salty. That’s a different feeling. It was downright grueling. I wasn’t alive for the ABA days, so there wasn’t much of a reference point but my pride as a Nets fan with all that up-and-down emotion was assaulted by what was happening at MSG.
The Nets and its fans have gotten totally hosed by the Knicks since the beginning. The reason the Nets lost Dr. J was because the Knicks gave them an expensive ultimatum once the NBA-ABA merger took place. Pay the Knicks a fee beyond what the other ABA teams had to pay or no NBA Since that very day, the teams have been competing for a championship even if the rivalry was absolutely dead in the water for decades! The Knicks won it because they built it the right way. No need to be jealous, just envious.
They did it the exact way the Nets would love to do it.
Something happened around playoff time. I was in a bar in North Carolina when I realized that nobody else in the bar was rooting for the Knicks. Mostly the opposite. So, for that night, I was a proud New York fan. I stopped allowing the division of the Nets-Knicks, Giants-Jets, Rangers-Islanders, and Mets-Yankees geographic rivalries. I dropped the nickname and colors of the teams. I just wanted New York sports fans to feel good about something.
When they won and I saw the video below, I knew the city I grew up in had finally gotten the trophy it deserved. I wouldn’t — couldn’t — claim it as my own. In fact, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to see it — but I’m a proud New Yorker who grew up there playing ball in those streets, worked my first job there, etc. I’ve seen so many people online debate “What makes a New Yorker a New Yorker?” The answer is someone who doesn’t need to f—ing tell you they’re from New York. It’s obvious!
Even with that being said, it wasn’t about the city or state pride. I was just happy that humanity had something positive that we were all focusing on. A rare flash of collective monoculture we’d seemingly lost sight of in recent years.
Private Equity, Surveillance, and the Cost of Modern Fandom
There was a harsh reality in America that I couldn’t ignore either watching the Knicks parade and later this offseason. Like so many others, I was fighting for health insurance particularly after the Big Beautiful Bill kicked in. I was fighting unemployment and paying hospital bills. Basketball rivalries became quite secondary.
While I watched the Knicks win the championship, I couldn’t stop thinking about how hard it had become to afford basic necessities. My personal issues seemed in sync with those of New York Knick fans! I couldn’t believe diehard Knicks fans couldn’t afford playoff tickets — not just “low income” folks, but those middle-class diehards who have carried that franchise through FIVE inglorious decades of losing.
The media focused on Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Swift in the celebrity row seats, but those star-studded courtsides weren’t the cause of the price hikes, they were the billboard for MSG’s executive strategy. Dynamic pricing models, corporate seating allocations, and secondary broker markups transformed iconic arenas into luxury networking lounges, pricing out the very working-class culture that gave New York basketball its soul and its history. My father got a ticket for both Game 6 of the 1986 Mets World Series and Game 7 of the 1994 Rangers by chance. Back then, you could do that. These days, you’d get jumped for a free ticket.
Maybe those stories made me cynical. Times are different. Apples and oranges, you could argue, but it’s still insulting and it should be!
Seeing viral clips of celebrity fans like Chalamet lightheartedly joking that Nets fans belong on a “government watch list“ just highlighted how surreal and alienating the discourse had become. If the Knicks are so superior, why stoop so low to say such a thing? Chalamet of course wasn’t alone. And while he might have engaged in good-natured ribbing, there was a lot of others who were just plain mean.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced showing MSG using facial recognition surveillance to target and turn away attorneys for those in litigation with Dolan, critics, and unwanted spectators. This summer, more telling news of the franchise’s arrogance: the Knicks initially planned to charge $2,000 for the worst seats in the house on the night the team will finally raise its long-sought banner. Later they claimed it was a glitch. No one believed that.
And in the afterglow of Jalen Brunson and O.G. Anunoby’s great games, there was Dolan on TV saying he would not go over the second apron, not pay the money needed to key players while MSG Sports revenue jumped 37% and Dolan announced plans to spin off the Knicks and in all likelihood sell a big piece based on a valuation of a little less than $12 billion.
There are certain types of people who are hurting the game right now — and it’s happening across the entire league.
Look at Los Angeles. Mark Walter bought controlling interest in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation, stripped away sentimentality, let LeBron walk, and then, under criminal investigation for fraud, flipped the franchise to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner for $12.5 billion. The Buss family is in court, fighting over who gets what for their remaining stake.
Down the road, Steve Ballmer’s Clippers got hit with a $30 million fine, lost five first-round picks, and Ballmer was suspended for a year over an off-the-books salary cap circumvention scandal with Kawhi Leonard (who because of a strong union and star power escaped virtually unscathed and wound up with a two-year, $115 million contract in Toronto.)
It’s hardly about basketball or civic pride anymore. It’s private equity, flip-and-profit portfolio management, and billionaires treating league rules like optional suggestions while everyday fans pay the bill financially and maybe more importantly, psychically.
Sure there have been controversies about Tsai, but as one insider said, they’re boring compared to what’s happening elsewhere, particularly in L.A. And you won’t find facial recognition equipment at Barclays Center.
Embracing Brooklyn’s Blank Slate
As noted, on a personal level, this macro shift hits against the backdrop of a brutal, humbling year. After facing sudden health scares, hospitalizations, and job loss while battling the harsh realities of the “system” , the escape of basketball took on a different meaning. While Nets fans have endured a long, cynical and cyclical rebuild — complete with toxic online discourse — watching the Knicks win a championship and see two million New Yorkers flood the streets triggered a moment of clarity.
Even as corporate interests, surveillance, and record-high ticket prices squeeze the working-class fan out of the arena, the core reason people love basketball remains human, and rooted in local pride.
That brings me back to the Nets. The Big 3 is over, the race to a championship and fighting with Knicks fans over it — it’s all done. Over. Finished. There is no race, nor does it seem there ever was one.
The Knicks winning the championship didn’t make Nets fans more bitter. It just made the rivalry feel less important.
But maybe the hostility amongst Nets fans can finally end. Maybe fans can come into Barclays Center, the new “ecosystem” for the Nets and Liberty, as basketball fans with an open mind. When the Nets are good and/or have a star who has a base, you can guarantee they’ll be back and they’ll be loud. For now, new fans and young fans are the target of the marketing guys.
It’s no diss to the Knicks or by any means, expensive tickets aren’t just inevitable, they’re permanent. Live events are luxury events. Jokes from TV commentators, social media, WFAN radio — wherever — can call them irrelevant and they are absolutely correct, at the moment. But there’s an uncomfortable fact for all of them: The Nets don’t really care. Sure, Joe Tsai famously and frankly said the Knicks win was “embarrassing” but in the same conversation with NetsDaily, he also said this:
“It doesn’t make us feel very good. It irritates our fan base and it is embarrassing but in business or in competition, in sports, or in anything, you shouldn’t let the embarrassment factor affect how you perform…[We] had a plan and we’re rebuilding and I think right now we are on a positive trajectory. So it doesn’t change my thinking at all.”
Those people who say the Nets should relocate — “go back to Jersey” — are also undermining the value of their own market, the New York market. Yes, even when their team is oversaturating the media ahead of ring night and 34 national television games — that’s exactly when a team like the Nets will sell. They are no longer running from it, they are embracing it. Whenever the Nets get there, it’ll be special. And hopefully it won’t be hijacked by billionaires or politicians.
The Knicks run gave me an appreciation for what matters most about the game — not the cap, corporate posturing, or arguing online over what constitutes a “real” fan, but the pure, simple ability to watch a young team grow from scratch. The past doesn’t matter because rock bottom already happened back in 2022 and 2023. They did that and they deserved their W. Maybe Brooklyn is next in a day that’s not so far away.
Nothing to Lose: Looking Ahead to the Games
This hasn’t been a perfect offseason. How could it be after the team next door just won the ultimate prize? The reality is harsh and the Nets are projected to win 24.5 games by the books in Las Vegas and 18 by ESPN. Rebuilding is never easy nor is it guaranteed to work.
At this point, it’s nice to see the Nets doing the things that matter to fans. They’re dedicating six nights to history, including a Swamp Dragons Night. I went to a Liberty game this summer (my first!) and I noticed the banners are almost all red, white, blue. The organization is embracing the ABA days with an alternative logo and a night dedicated to it. They’re also reportedly bringing back a fan-favorite: the coogi-trim uniforms.
There is some humility in the summer and in the offseason. There were lessons learned as a Nets fan, whether you cared about the Knicks winning or not. Whether you were pro-tank or anti-tank. We all want to feel that joy. As New Yorkers, as basketball fans, and more specifically fans within the Nets community. It won’t be an easy season but a positive perspective can change so much.
If they can build something fun this year behind a group of young players, specifically Brown Jr. and Demin, then fans will feel good again. The line, “Been down so long, it looks up to me” is literally the Nets fan getting up and watching the team this year.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 11: Dillon Brooks attends Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.
Dillon Brooks
Guard-Forward, 6’7”, 225lb, 30 years old, 9-year veteran
The Phoenix Suns struck gold last season when they acquired Dillon Brooks in the Kevin Durant trade. He was and still is the tone setter and culture driver for the entire organization. Not only was he the culture driver, but he was unquestionably the Suns’ second-best player and had a career year.
Brooks earned a contract extension this offseason because of his value on and off the floor, and many people took notice of what he did last year. He was recognized as the 76th best player in the NBA according to ESPN’s Top 100 Player Rankings ahead of this upcoming season.
But that was last season, and while Brooks played his best basketball then, his game still has flaws. He is a shoot-first, shoot-second, and probably shoot-third player, with a very low assist rate. With the addition of Miles Bridges this offseason, and Jalen Green’s strong scoring finish last season, the roles behind Devin Booker are up for grabs. How well will Brooks mesh with the other starters, and can he keep pace with the close-to-All-Star version of himself he was last season?
Last Season
GP
MIN
PPG
RPG
APG
STL
FG%
3PT%
FT%
OFFRTG
DEFRTG
+/- (TOTAL)
56
30.4
20.2
3.6
1.8
1.0
43.5%
34.4%
84.2%
113.7
114.8
-49
In the 2025-26 season, Brooks took a major step forward in production and usage from his time in Houston. His 20.2 points on 17.1 field goal attempts per game were both career highs. His best season before was in the 2021-22 season with the Memphis Grizzlies when he averaged 18.4 points on 16.4 field goal attempts, but that was in just 32 games played. Last season, Brooks shot 34.4% from three but a career-high 49.2% from inside the arc.
While Brooks was not the most efficient scorer last season, part of it was that he was asked to do more than ever before in his career. He was relied on to be an isolation scorer and was often the one taking the desperation shots at the end of the shot clock. One area the Suns used Brooks was posting up; according to NBA tracking data, Brooks shot 53.2% in post-up situations. Despite his high-usage season, Brooks averaged only 1.8 assists, and his tunnel vision contributed to the Suns’ second-half drop-off at the end of the regular season.
The other reason for the Suns’ struggles in the second half of the season was simply the absence of Brooks from the lineup. He missed 26 games last season, with the majority of those games missed coming after the All-Star break with a broken hand. It was his first time playing below 70 games since his 2021-22 campaign with the Grizzlies.
As valuable as Brooks scoring contributions were to the Suns last season, his most important contribution to the team was changing the culture. Jordan Ott, Jordan Goodwin, Devin Booker, and others deserve credit for that as well, but it was Brooks’ competitive fire and unabashed confidence that caused his teammates and Suns fans to quickly fall in love with him.
The ‘Villain” certainly left his mark in just one season with the Suns so far. His beefs with LeBron James and other star players create an extra layer of intrigue for many matchups. And while we might want to see Brooks avoid getting suspended this year for getting too many technical fouls, it is a trade-off worth making to get all the positive intangibles Brooks provides to the locker room and the organization.
Contract and Roster Context
Over the offseason, Brooks signed a three-year extension worth $73 million, a little over $24 million a year annually. He will be a Phoenix Sun until the summer of 2030 unless something goes horribly wrong, or the Suns go big game hunting. The good news for Phoenix is that they got Brooks, who is still in his prime at a bargain for someone who averaged 20.2 points on a team that made the playoffs. Even in the final years of his contract, he should still be a valuable player on a team-friendly contract.
Even though Brooks is on the wrong side of 30, his game should age gracefully because he is not reliant on his speed and quickness, and more on his strength and power.
What He Brings
Dillon Brooks brings a lot to the table, but what makes him special is his physicality. His scoring, defense, and leadership are all positive attributes; it is his physicality that makes him a high-level player. Brooks is a savvy veteran who can play physical defense on other teams’ best players without getting into foul trouble consistently. Offensively, he is a bulldozer, and when he gets his shoulders into an opposing player, he can create separation for his jump shot, draw fouls, or get to the rim.
His toughness and grit defensively led the Suns to being one of the top defenses in the league last year after it was one of the worst the previous season. It is no coincidence that Brooks has been a part of top-10 defenses no matter where he’s played: Memphis, Houston, and Phoenix have had top-10 defenses in the NBA, with Brooks being a main reason why. One of the main concerns coming into this season is that the Suns lost two of their most prolific shooters in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, but the defense should be even better, and Brooks will still be the head of the snake for an even better defense this season.
Offensively, Brooks provides a scoring punch, especially in isolation. Brooks carried the Suns offensively last season when they needed him, especially in games where Devin Booker did not play. He is not a consistent enough scorer to be on the very best players in the NBA, but as we saw last season, there are some nights that Brooks has an unbelievable heater and cannot miss no matter how insane a heat check he takes. As mentioned above, his efficiency in post-ups was where Brooks can excel and should be featured as a scorer, especially when Booker is off the floor.
What Needs to Improve
I could make an argument here that Brooks needs to do less complaining to the officials, but I believe it is his edge that makes him and this Suns team good. So if that means he flirts with suspensions for technical fouls this year, it is just part of the experience worth the benefits of all the other things his edge provides.
What Brooks has to get better at this season is being deferential. Is Brooks going to go out and average 4-to-5 assists this season? Definitely not. But Brooks can dial back the aggressiveness on offense to help the flow by getting off the ball more and making extra passes on offense. He has proven he is capable of that during his other NBA stops, and he will be asked to do that again this season. Dialing back that aggressiveness will also help with his shot selection as well. Brooks shot over 36% on catch-and-shoot threes last season, and the season prior he shot over 39% from three for the Houston Rockets.
If Brooks takes better shots, he is going to have an efficient season and will make the offense more functional than it looks on paper going into this season.
Prediction
My prediction for the Villain this year is that he continues to be an annoying pest to opposing teams and makes the Suns a competitive team every night. As for his role on the team, I think he will take a step back as the Suns’ second-leading scorer and drop below Jalen Green and/or Miles Bridges. However, his value will remain the same because of all his winning intangibles. He will have a more efficient season than last year and be the veteran leader this team needs, especially in nurturing the Suns’ young and talented wings.
It is going to take some time for the starting lineup to gel together, if it ever happens at all. Brooks is going to have to sacrifice more this year than anyone on the team not named Collin Gillespie. I believe Brooks is smart enough to understand his place on the roster, especially now that he signed a long-term extension with the Suns. He will do whatever it takes to win, even if that means his stats take a hit.
For Brooks to have a successful season, it will be how he fits next to Jalen Green and Miles Bridges more than anything else. If those three players can figure out how to be a functional offensive group around Devin Booker, it raises the low ceiling that this team has. If Brooks hits the same numbers as he had last season, it might not be as impactful because it likely means Green or Bridges are not impacting games at a high level. If his counting stats decline but he is taking better shots and moving the ball quicker, it could be the best season of his career.
If Brooks can acclimate to this new group and help this Suns team get to the next level and win a playoff series or two, then he will be on the trajectory to be an All-time fan favorite in Phoenix because of his antics and bringing a winning culture back to a team that lacked it before he became a Valley native.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Mauricio Dubon #14, Ozzie Albies #1 and Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate a three-run home run during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on September 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Joe Buvid/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Join us and discuss today’s game in the comments below!
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, September 26, 4:10 p.m. ET
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners looks on from the dugout between innings against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on September 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Julio Rodríguez has a new favorite phrase in English, one he said a couple of times at a pregame media availability on Friday: the devil’s in the details. Interestingly, it’s a newer phrase, not appearing in Bartlett’s until the latter half of the 20th century, likely as a permutation on a saying most notably linked to the fussy, fastidious German architect Mies van der Rohe that “God is in the details.”
Today, “the devil’s in the details” is a cautionary phrase, warning against how seemingly insignificant details can mushroom in importance and ruin an enterprise. It’s not an inapt way to look at the 2026 Seattle Mariners season.
While there were disappointments up and down the roster – Julio’s loss of roughly half the wins he accrued last year wasn’t even the biggest delta change on the roster, a dubious distinction belonging to Cal Raleigh – it was still a huge step back for Seattle’s 25-year-old centerfielder, who posted his worst season by wRC+ and lowest power numbers since 2024, when he lost over two weeks to an ankle sprain.
This year it was a concussion that zapped Julio’s value, holding him back from his typical late-season push. Julio has finished the second half strong his entire career:
Obviously, the pre- and post- concussion numbers are essentially baked into that data, since the injury occurred on July 3, but just to break them out specifically:
Julio pre-concussion: .259 average, .424 slugging, 21% K, 117 wRC+ Julio post-concussion: .239 average, .383 slugging, 24% K, 93 wRC+
Julio declined to divulge all the details of how the concussion affected him, but said it was a “new and different” experience that he had to adjust to on the fly.
“It’s something that —when you play a game where you have to react, be sharp, and that has to do a lot with balance and your eyes and all that, it’s definitely different.”
“Being through that process has shown me how much I actually use my brain to hit, and how much my body actually goes through while I’m playing baseball. It made me appreciate the things I do a little bit more, grateful for the talent and all the things I get to do on the baseball field. Because what we do is not normal, and it’s not normal for the human body to be doing it at this level. And I’m just grateful that I got back on the field, and that I got to play again.”
What professional athletes do is not normal, but Julio is adamant this won’t be his new normal. While he’s pleased with his preparation and ability to stay healthy overall – the concussion notwithstanding, and certainly not his fault – he’s not happy with the results, saying his big takeaway from this season is learning to pay attention to details.
“There’s a lot of little things I could have done better, personally…Results-wise, I feel like I could have done more. I could have done more, I could have impacted the team a little bit more.”
“I know we cannot control results. This is a game of process and all that, but I believe in my talent. I believe in the the way that I play the game, and I just think I have more in the tank. I feel I have more, and that’s something that I’m gonna try to bring more of next year.”
One thing that has been a constant for Rodríguez even when his bat is slower to heat up is his defense. Once tagged as a big-bodied corner outfielder/DH type, Julio dedicated himself to improving his speed and defense. While his stolen base numbers did decline slightly this season – also a career-worst but still over 20, giving him his fifth consecutive 20-20 season and making him the first player in MLB history to start his career with five consecutive 20-20 seasons – his defense, for the first time, looked porous. In each of his four previous seasons, Rodríguez ranked in the top 10% or better for center field defense by Statcast’s Fielding Run Value; this year, he’s fallen below the 40th percentile. The eye test has agreed with his poor defensive numbers: there have been multiple instances this season where Rodríguez’s play in center hasn’t looked anything like his past self. He’s been tentative on certain fly balls, overly aggressive on others, and other times has just flat out lost the ball while trying to track it, plays he would have made easily in other years.
Reading over his comments about the concussion, specifically the ones about reaction time and using your eyes, points toward the fact that even when returned from the concussion IL, his ability to process and track balls and MLB speeds was negatively impacted. But Rodríguez also says he got away from his defensive approach – maybe leading to him being caught in-between on some of those fly balls – and needs to refocus this off-season on what he knows works for him.
“Just getting back to the basics,” he said when asked about how he – and the team as a whole – can improve defensively. “I feel like that’s what it is for me. I tried some things, didn’t work out, and then I got back to my basics, the things I do really well on defense, and feel like that helped me to even it out a little bit.”
“Team-wise, we need to continue to bring the focus in, continue to take care of the little things. We all know that we’re better than this. We all know it, and it didn’t show. Now, it’s about how we respond. Progress isn’t linear, and I do believe you have to struggle in order to realize who you are, and then what do you do about that?”
Those devilish details again. In addition to the defense, Rodríguez also noted what went wrong for him offensively, and how he tried to turn his season around.
“I wish I had the answer right right then and there. But I feel like with time, you know, it kind of showed me. I started being a little bit more late. I started chasing a little bit around the zone. Little things here and there. I feel like that’s what got me away [from my approach].”
“But like I said, we had a lot of lessons [as a team], and I’m looking forward to putting things in motion. The things I learned this year to try to be better for next year.”
Like his teammates, Julio looks forward to starting fresh next year and putting this miserable season behind them. One of the biggest lessons he and his teammates learned? Past success doesn’t guarantee future results. Maybe the pre-season noise about how winnable the AL West was caused the team as a whole to look too far in advance, take things for granted.
“At the end of the day, you can be as good as you were like last year, but each year is a new year. I have learned this,” said Rodríguez. “This this is my fifth season. I have learned that it doesn’t matter what you did the year before, the game is gonna touch you differently. It doesn’t matter how you prepare; the game is always gonna have a new a new question for you.”
“You know, when you focus so far ahead, you can miss some little details. There’s a saying that the devil’s in the details, and I think that’s true. It’s something that I had to learn personally for myself too, and we all should continue to focus on and get better.“
Even with the disappointing season, Rodríguez says he believes in the team and their talent level. The job now is to pick themselves up and understand why this happened and how to stop it from happening again.
“When you get hit in the mouth, you either cover up or you do something about it. That’s what happened to us. We got hit in the mouth. So how do we respond to that? And I do believe we have the pieces. I do believe we’re gonna be doing the right things to to ascend from this. But it’s all about that response.”
“Nobody can avoid getting hit, in life or in baseball. It doesn’t matter where it’s at. But it’s how you take that hit and continue to move forward. That’s what sets people apart.”
As for how this can this team move forward and fix its lackluster execution, Julio has his new mantra in mind.
“The devil’s in the details,” he repeated, taking care to emphasize each word.
“Take care of the details, and I feel like everything is going to be fixed. Stop waiting for things to happen. Actually do the things I live for that creates those those opportunities. Take care of the little details, and you’re gonna be fine.”
The devil’s in the details. Maybe, as Van der Rohe was fond of saying, God is, too.
The Knicks spent a summer soaking in the adulation, appearing at more events and national TV shows than any team in NBA history. At least that’s the way it felt the past three months. They don’t have a Basketball Reference page to track these things.
Josh Hart and Jose Alvarado attend the 2026 US Open Tennis Championships in New York, Sunday, September 13, 2026. ZUMAPRESS.com
Back to basketball.
“Is it cliché if I say it’s 0-0 again?” Towns said. “That’s kind of the same thing we said every playoff game, and when we won and kept winning it was great. But this season is about us going out there and starting again at 0-0. Bringing that same hungry team, that team that’s hungry to prove everyone wrong. The underdogs.”
Towns was speaking Thursday on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” perhaps his last national TV appearance before training camp starts this week. Perhaps not? Brunson also had “Saturday Night Live” to host ahead of Monday’s Media Day at the training facility.
None of these appearances are detrimental to basketball. It’s better than partying and drinking for a summer. This collection of Knicks players, as multiple people around the organization have explained, are more mature and responsible than any previous roster incarnation. There was one shaky incident involving Clarkson in July, when he was escorted out of a club by police, and that was it.
New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson greets fans during the Roommates Show Block Party live podcast at Randalls Island in New York, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
But the amount of widespread attention and adulation does beg some questions: Can the Knicks avoid complacency? Can they maintain the edge that pushed them through a historic playoff run?
Brunson, whose profile is higher than any current New York athlete, understands the assignment.
“We’ve done something that everyone has wanted us to do for 53 years now. And now people are going around saying, You guys are the champs, you guys are the best thing ever. It’s been said to us all summer. God knows how long it’s going to continue,” the point guard told The Post last month. “When people say that, can we let that go through one ear and out the other? Can we just focus on what we can do this year? Because last year was last year.
Karl-Anthony Towns talked about life as an NBA champion with NBC late night host Seth Meyers in June. Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Image
“It’s OK for people to talk to us about it, and say, ‘Oh that was great.’ But we’re moving on. So it cannot be in our mindset. It cannot be our focal point if we want to get better. So I think that’s the question we need to ask. And if we can do that, we’re going to be in good shape to be able to be in a better mindset. If not, then we’re going to be behind the eight ball.”
It’s an overarching theme in training camp, when the progress is supposed to start but it’s hard to find motivation — especially for accomplished vets — because real games are still weeks away.
One of the self-motivating tactics clearly being implemented by the Knicks is focusing on the doubters. For instance, they are not the betting favorites to win the title (they are tied for third and below the Thunder and Spurs, according to FanDuel). They have zero players in ESPN’s recently released top-five ranking (Brunson is sixth). They are hearing a lot about the new threats of Philadelphia, Miami, Toronto.
There’s more to prove, in other words.
“I don’t think we have a big target because I don’t think anyone is picking us to win again,” Hart said on ESPN’s U.S. Open broadcast. “We’re using it as fuel, we’re still the hunters, we’re not satisfied with one.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: A general view of the Nike sneakers worn by Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park on July 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game 161. Are there any other sports that play 162 games in a season? Can you imagine if MLB played just 17 games a season? It would be a whole different spot.
So, I had a night last night. Men’s Night Out, a charity thing for my wife’s church. I’m the least religious person you’ll ever meet, but this is for a very worthy charity. And there are drinks. I’ve gone with friends for the last few years. They put on a very good meal, and silent auction, door prizes and raffles.
All was good, until I had a cigar, along with my scotch. I have one cigar a year, and it has never bothered me before. But, last night, i had to sit for awhile. It is possible I’m getting old. I always thought that only happened to other people.
It has been that sort of year. Hurt my back playing squash, I’ve never hurt my back before. Tore ligaments in my foot playing tennis, never done that. Thought it was all healed, then played squash last week and found out otherwise.
Anyway, enough complaining.
Today’s lineups:
Today’s Lineups
REDS
BLUE JAYS
Carlos Jorge – CF
Brett Bateman – CF
Elly De La Cruz – SS
Nathan Lukes – RF
Sal Stewart – 1B
Vladimir Guerrero – DH
Eugenio Suarez – DH
Alejandro Kirk – C
JJ Bleday – LF
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Tyler Stephenson – C
Sean Keys – 1B
Hector Rodriguez – RF
Josh Smith – LF
Juan Brito – 3B
Andres Gimenez – SS
Matt McLain – 2B
Ernie Clement – 2B
Rhett Lowder – RHP
Trey Yesavage – RHP
Go Jays Go.
"There's just nothing better than that. That’s baseball at its pinnacle… That's just a lifelong memory. That's a baseball memory."
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 05: Alex Lyon #34 of the Buffalo Sabres makes the save against Rutger McGroarty #2 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period of an NHL game on February 05, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Talk about the last preseason game with Pens fans here!
The game will be broadcast locally on Sportsnet Pittsburgh+ and MSG-B in the respective local areas for Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Nationally, it will be carried on NHL Network. It will be available via audio on the internet/radio from 105.9 The X.
The Tour de France Femmes champion, Demi Vollering, won the longest-ever edition of the women’s UCI world road race championship in a brutal and compelling sprint finale in Montreal.
The 29-year-old’s success climaxed a remarkable season in which she has also won a second Tour de France title, the Giro women, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Flanders.
After struggling offensively and patching together a pitching staff, the San Diego Padres hit their stride shortly after the All-Star break. Playing under .500 baseball up to July 23 (50-53), the Friars have a 39-17 record since then. The MLB trade deadline brought in two starting pitchers who have not dominated since their arrival but have helped stabilize the rotation. Nick Pivetta’s return gave the organization a third starter, joining Michael King and Walker Buehler as bulldogs at the start of the rotation.
With that, the offense figured it out, and the stars are playing like stars, with the role players making big contributions. Sweeping the Miami Marlins to start the week, the Padres took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers in Chavez Ravine to clinch a Wild Card spot for the third straight season and for the fifth time in the past seven seasons.
They now return home to play the Arizona Diamondbacks, but not for a playoff spot. Their results against the D-backs will be part of a series of games to determine ranking in the Wild Card race and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Chicago Cubs played a day-night doubleheader against the Red Sox in Boston, with the threat of a nor’easter complicating their games. The Cubs were swept by the Red Sox in those two games. Heading into the weekend the Padres had to match the Cubs in wins to hold onto their top Wild Card spot and host the Wild Card round for the NL.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing for their playoff lives, still one game back of the Philadelphia Phillies with two games left to play. The Padres could have clinched home-field for the Wild Card Series had they beat the Diamondbacks in the first game of their series.
Primetime Ethan Salas
The Padres did what many in baseball thought was a bad idea. They promoted 20-year-old top prospect Ethan Salas to the major leagues on Sept. 1. Bringing a rookie into a playoff race is a gamble at best. Bringing a 20-year-old catcher into a playoff race could be viewed as foolhardy.
Salas went 0-for-15 to begin his big league career. He struck out, flew out, and grounded out through those at-bats while making adjustments to MLB pitchers. Since that inauspicious start, Salas is 8-for-20 with a triple, two home runs, and five RBI. He has also guided the pitchers through some sticky at-bats while being more effective than he has any right to be with his ABS challenges.
Salas played 17 games with Triple-A El Paso before being summoned to San Diego. That was his only exposure to the ABS system before starting for the Padres. In his 14 challenges, he has won nine while saving his pitchers from multiple tight spots. He flipped base-on balls three times and got a strike call on a previously called ball in a very important spot.
Challenging a David Morgan called ball that would have walked Shohei Ohtani in a bases-loaded situation, Salas correctly identified a strike, and Morgan ultimately struck Ohtani out. That was a turning point in the win on Wednesday.
Far from being in a situation too big for him, Salas is now prompting many to think he should be the starting catcher for the first round of the playoffs.
The youngest player in the major leagues, Salas was not legally allowed to drink the alcohol poured on him during the Padres postgame celebration in the Dodgers’ visiting clubhouse after clinching their spot. Sparkling Martinelli’s clutched in hand, Salas was doused in beer and champagne as his teammates celebrated with him.
His first hit on Wednesday night broke the no-hitter that Tyler Glasnow had going in the sixth inning, scoring on a Dustin Harris sac fly. He followed that up by driving in the winning run in the seventh inning with a single, Xander Bogaerts scoring. He was a key contributor in the series win with his bat and his defense. His teammates celebrated his first playoff experience during their postgame party.
Big-time Tatis
Fernando Tatis Jr. has had a remarkable season for the Padres. After infamously going until May 30 without a home run, Tatis caught fire. Hitting 25 homers since then, Tatis sits third on the team behind Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. His 82 RBI is also third, behind the same two players. Since the All-Star break, Tatis is hitting .308/.386/.615 with a 1.001 OPS.
Pushing the envelope, Tatis has upped his stolen base total to 38, the most on the team. Like many of his teammates, Tatis has scorched the baseball in September. His batting average of .341 is his best for any month this season, with a 1.088 OPS while hitting two doubles, a triple, eight homers, and amassing 15 RBI.
Second-half offense
Tatis and Jackson Merrill have led the team offensively in the ceremonial second half. They have been supported by multiple standouts around them. As a result, the Padres offense has gone from being the worst in MLB for a large portion of the first half to being a top two team since the break while hitting .267 with a .777 OPS.
The pitching has three strong starters, more than enough for a short series. The bullpen, with the return of Jason Adam to supplement the already lethal arms, could be considered the most accomplished in the playoffs.
The Padres rank third in the majors since the break with 5.12 runs scored per game. The offense’s remarkable turnaround highlights the organization’s philosophy of playing better as the season goes on. Although hard on the Friar Faithful, the first-half Padres have consistently struggled while the second-half Padres inevitably turn it on.
The last hurdle to leap is sustaining that offense through the playoffs. All Padres fans remember the remarkable lack of offensive production that has occurred at some point in the playoffs over the past two seasons.
Home field advantage
The Padres are 49-30 at home. Their road record is 40-41; that is a significant improvement over their eight games under .500 from just a month ago. Only the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, and Dodgers have better home records, all of them division winners. There is no better home environment in baseball than Petco Park. The team thrives on the energy sent to them from the stands filled with the Friar Faithful.
Mason Miller, speaking with reporters after the win against the Dodgers on Wednesday, acknowledged their desire to play their Wild Card series at Petco Park.
“Just trying to get a home playoff series at Petco. We know how special that place is.”
There is also a big financial advantage to the team with a home series. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune detailed the expense of a traveling party for a Wild Card series away from home versus the benefits reaped from playing at home.
Sending the team and the party that accompanies them is about a $1 million expense. Playing at home, with the accompanying revenue created, equals an approximate $3 million profit for the team. It’s not too difficult to figure out which the Padres prefer.
Pitching preferences
Michael King told the hitters he didn’t want to pitch this weekend. Quoted by Kevin Acee in his Thursday Padres newsletter, King made his preference clear.
“I told them I’d be really mad on Sunday if I had to pitch. So it’s very fun to not have to gameplan for the Diamondbacks and plan for whoever we got.”
Casey Mize and Walker Buehler were slated to start the first two games versus the D-backs. The game on Sunday will likely be a bullpen game that should include Rándy Vásquez. Mize has been less than dominant for the Padres with a 6.64 ERA and that continued with the series-opening loss on Friday.
King will start the first game of the Wild Card Series, with Nick Pivetta and Walker Buehler lining up nicely to follow, as needed.
Roster moves and injury updates
Jason Adam returned to the team for the Dodgers’ games and pitched on Thursday for three outs. Manager Craig Stammen stated a desire to find a soft landing spot for Adam but that wasn’t possible with the Dodgers’ series. Coming in to get the last out in the fifth inning with one pitch, Adam got two more outs in the sixth before leaving the game after throwing five pitches.
Griffin Canning was sent to the Arizona complex while Alek Jacob was DFA’d to make room on the 40-man roster for Adam.
Gavin Sheets and Miguel Andujar were both with the team in LA for the clinching of a playoff spot. Both are ready to be activated, and the Padres have signaled that Sheets will be the first to see action. No roster moves have occurred yet.
Luis Rengifo, who had surgery on his torn ACL, was in the clubhouse celebrating with his teammates on Thursday night. Sporting a crutch while he danced and partied, Rengifo had plastic wrap on his surgically repaired leg.
Joe Musgrove reportedly is throwing on a regular basis but has not been able to ramp up to bullpens. There is no stated plan for what is ahead for Musgrove.
Rámon Laureano has been in Arizona working on his rehab but will not be ready for any playing time this season.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Dalton Rushing #68 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during the game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on September 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers on Friday activated Dalton Rushing from the injured list on Friday as expected, in a last-ditch effort to get him some potential pinch-hitting opportunities to prepare for what would be his role if he’s active at all in October.
Rushing ideally would have been the Dodgers’ backup catcher in October, coming off a fine first full major league season. He filled in as the main catcher for two months while Will Smith was sidelined with a neck injury. Rushing is hitting .249/.332/.466 with 12 home runs. Among the 51 major league catchers with at least 200 plate appearances this season, Rushing’s 120 wRC+ ranks seventh.
In the Dodgers’ last 49 games, Rushing has played in five of them, batting a total of eight times, without a hit.
“The circumstances of his situation, it’s just tough. To be hurt, be back, then to be hurt again, and then to take three pinch-hit at-bats potentially and then to say, ‘Hey, you’re in the roster,’” manager Dave Roberts said of Rushing on Thursday. “But what he’s done for us this year certainly deserves some consideration. That’s kind of giving him the respect and thoughtfulness for what he’s done for us.”
Switch-hitter Alex Freeland was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Rushing. Freeland was called up on September 1 and played in 17 of the 22 games for which he was active, including 10 starts, hitting .250/.413/.389. On the season, Freeland led the Dodgers with 67 starts and 579 defensive innings at second base, and hit .234/.327/.325 with an 86 wRC+, including .253/.351/.354 with a 101 wRC+ as a left-handed hitter.
The timing of Freeland’s option means his 10 days won’t be up in time to make the Division Series roster. But one would imagine he’d be in consideration for October option should the need for an infielder arise.
The Cubs played the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome in March 2025 | | Al Yellon
Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. CT, the Cubs and Boston Red Sox will play Game 162 of the 2026 regular season at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., a neutral site. The Cubs played there earlier this year, taking two of three from the Rays back in April, and the Red Sox, who as an A.L. East team travel there twice a year, lost five of the six games they played in the Trop this year — and just wrapped up the second of the two series less than a week ago, last Sunday.
With that, I thought I’d post this history of Cubs neutral site games.
The Cubs have played 34 neutral site games in the Modern Era, 31 regular-season games and three World Series games. Here’s a brief review of all of the Cubs’ neutral site games since 1900.
May 9, 10, 11 and 12, 1911: vs. New York Giants at Hilltop Park, New York
These were made necessary by a fire at the Polo Grounds in April 1911; the Giants played at Hilltop Park, home of the then-New York Highlanders until late June. The Highlanders wouldn’t be named “Yankees” until 1913. The Cubs split the four games.
Sept. 26 (doubleheader), 28 and 29, 1914: vs. Boston Braves at Fenway Park
The Braves’ home at the time, South End Grounds, had a smaller capacity than Fenway, which was only two years old at the time. Imagine this happening today:
On August 3, 1914, Red Sox President Joseph Lannin sent a telegram to Braves President James Gaffney offering the use of Fenway Park (free of charge) in place of the smaller South End Grounds where the Braves played their home games. A month later, on September 3, Gaffney wired Lannin that the Braves would play their remaining home games at the American League park.
Though the Braves had used Fenway Park before, they officially called the ballpark home for the rest of the 1914 regular season.
The Cubs lost all four games; those were the “Miracle Braves” on their way to a World Series title.
May 20, 21, 22 and 24 and July 22, 23, 24 and 26, 1915: vs. Braves at Fenway Park
The Braves continued to use Fenway Park as their home field until Braves Field opened on Aug. 18, 1915. More sweeps: The Cubs won all four games in May and lost all four games of the July series.
While you might say these weren’t “neutral site” games as the Braves used Fenway as their home for 87 total home games from late 1913 through mid-1915, the Retrosheet link lists them as neutral site and says “fire at Huntington Street Grounds” and “delay in opening of Braves Field” are the reasons for the switch. I’m going to go with Retrosheet and consider the 12 games the Cubs played against the Braves at Fenway in 1914 and 1915 as “neutral site.”
Sept. 5, 6 and 7, 1918: World Series Games 1, 2 and 3 vs. Red Sox at Comiskey Park
Major League Baseball and the Cubs decided that the team’s home World Series games would be played at Comiskey Park, which was known at that time as “The Baseball Palace of the World.” Erected in 1910, Comiskey Park held twice as many people and had an upper deck, so MLB and the two teams could split more cash from gate receipts by using the White Sox’s ballpark.
June 25, 1956 and June 5, 1957: vs. Dodgers at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey
The Dodgers wanted a new stadium to replace aging Ebbets Field. The minor-league team in Jersey City had departed after 1950 and officials there thought having some Dodgers games in Jersey City might help them attract another team. The Dodgers played seven games there both in 1956 and 1957. There was an option to renew the deal for another three years, but the Dodgers left for Los Angeles after the 1957 season.
March 29 and 30, 2000: vs. Mets at the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
These were the first MLB games played outside North America. The Cubs and Mets were chosen for these games because of the popularity of Sammy Sosa and Mike Piazza in Japan at the time. The Cubs won the first game 5-3 behind a strong outing from Jon Lieber and lost the second one 5-1 on an 11th-inning grand slam by Benny Agbayani. I attended these games in Tokyo. The second one ran nearly four hours until 11 p.m. local time and had it run another 30 minutes it would have caused a transit mess, as back in that day Tokyo subways stopped running at 11:30 p.m.
Here are articles I wrote on the 20th anniversary of those games on March 29 and March 30, 2020.
Sept. 9, 10 and 11, 2003: vs. Expos at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Expos played 22 games in San Juan in both 2003 and 2004, and the Cubs were part of that in 2003. These games were important for the Cubs in their race toward the NL Central title that year. The Cubs lost two of the three and ended the set one game out of first place. I went to these games as well; one thing I remember is the large number of fans who had taken the short flight from the Dominican Republic to see Sosa play. The games drew 15,632, 18,002 and 12,559 in a stadium with a capacity of about 20,000.
The Cubs won the first game of the series 4-3, lost the second 8-4 and lost the third 3-2.
Sept. 14 and 15, 2008: vs. Astros at Miller Park, Milwaukee
These two games were moved to Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike bearing down on the Houston area. The first one was historic:
Carlos Zambrano threw the Cubs’ first no-hitter in 36 years in the first of the two games. Incidentally, part of that video is from the Houston TV feed and you can hear Jim Deshaies, then an Astros broadcaster, calling some of it. It was officially a “neutral” site, but due to the proximity to Chicago, nearly all of the 23,441 in attendance were Cubs fans. I went to this one, too, the first Cubs no-hitter I had seen in person. It took another 16 years for the Cubs to throw one at Wrigley Field, by Shōta Imanaga, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge against the Pirates Sept. 4, 2024.
Big Z’s no-hitter was the first at a neutral site. Walker Buehler and three Dodgers relievers threw the second one May 4, 2018 at Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, the first no-hitter thrown outside the U.S. or Canada.
What’s been nearly forgotten from those two 2008 games in Milwaukee is that the Cubs almost no-hit the Astros the next day as well. Ted Lilly took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Mark Loretta singled with one out to break it up. It was the only hit the Astros had in a 6-1 Cubs win, and that was more MLB history:
The Cubs became the first team in major league history to throw a no-hitter and one-hitter in back-to-back games.
Eighteen years later, the Cubs are still the only team to do that.
Aug. 18, 2019, vs. Pirates in the Little League Classic at Williamsport, Pennsylvania
The Cubs embraced the spirit of Little League ball, having fun with kids before and during the game, especially Anthony Rizzo:
The Cubs are scheduled to meet the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2027 Little League Classic on Aug. 19, 2027.
Aug. 11, 2022, vs. Reds in the Field of Dreams Game at Dyersville, Iowa
The Cubs scored three runs in the first inning and got five shutout innings from Drew Smyly and defeated the Reds 4-2. Here’s my recap of the game, and this is an scene that will be remembered forever, Cubs and Reds players walking onto the field together, out of the cornfield:
June 24-25, 2023, vs. Cardinals at London Stadium, London, England
The Cubs pounded Adam Wainwright for seven runs in the first four innings of the Saturday game in London and cruised to a 9-1 win. Ian Happ smashed two home runs for the Cubs.
On Sunday, behind Marcus Stroman, the Cubs raced out to a 4-0 first-inning lead, then a key error by Trey Mancini led to three unearned Cardinals runs. The bullpen couldn’t hold the lead and a ninth-inning Cubs rally fell short. The Cubs lost 7-5.
Here are highlights from the Cubs’ 9-1 win on June 24, 2023:
And here are highlights from the 7-5 loss to the Cardinals in London June 25, 2023:
March 18-19, 2025, vs. Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
The Cubs traveled 7,000 miles to Asia only to lose both games.
In the first game, Shōta Imanaga no-hit the Dodgers for four innings (though he walked five), then Ben Brown got hit hard in the fifth and the Dodgers defeated the Cubs 4-1.
In the second contest, the Dodgers scored five runs in four innings off Justin Steele and cruised to a 6-3 win. That included a home run by Shohei Ohtani that was pretty clearly fan interference, but that was never going to be called in Ohtani’s home country.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 15: Rhett Lowder #25 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park on September 15, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Elly De La Cruz reached his 30-30 milestone during Friday night’s loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, meaning the Cincinnati Reds now have a pair of games left in their 2026 season with roughly nothing left to play for.
That’s true for most of the roster, in all honesty. For Rhett Lowder, though, there’s at least the chance to finish the season on something of a positive note after he’s been mostly bashed around all season. He gets the start today opposite fellow rookie Trey Yesavage, who has had a much more positive 2026 campaign.
Carlos Jorge is back in the leadoff spot, while Juan Brito is mercifully playing 3B so that we don’t have to watch Ke’Bryan Hayes out there.
First pitch is set for 3:07 PM ET. Here’s how both teams will line up to begin things:
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues kept their depth forwards in tact on Saturday.
The team assigned Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker and Jack Finley to Springfield of the American Hockey League after none of the three were claimed on waivers.
Each was exposed on Friday after not being on the ice, while Zach Dean and Dillon Dube were, indicating that those two won out the battle for the 13th and 14th forward slots, something that should become a formality when NHL rosters are due to be reported to the league by 4 p.m. (CT) on Monday.
The training camp is now down to 25 and the Blues have to make two more transactions, and those are expected to be goalie Georgii Romanov, who will back up Joel Hofer against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, will go on waivers Sunday for the purpose of getting him to the Thunderbirds, and with Calle Rosen still with the big club, it is expected that Tyler Tucker is likely headed to injured reserve with a tweaked right knee.
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SAN FRANCISCO ― When it's all said and done, no one is looking at the San Francisco Giants' 2026 season as a success but instead a learning curve. If anyone is willing to learn, it's first-year baseball manager Tony Vitello.
A weekend matchup against the Giants' longtime rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, will conclude the rookie season for Vitello. The Giants were handed their 95th loss of the season after losing to the Dodgers in a 2-0 shutout in front of a sold-out crowd of 40,770 at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday, Sept. 25. The series continues through Sunday.
Two games remain in the season, and it's to the drawing board for Vitello and the Giants. The first-year skipper understands that improvements need to be made in order for this team to be winners.
"A lot of takeaways are little, but they pile up over 162 games, which we're close to. They pile up for sure. I think one of the conversations or many of the conversations that I've gone over in the last week are there needs to be improvement in all areas," Vitello told USA TODAY Sports. "And I'm not exempt from that. I don't think anyone is exempt from that. I think improvement is needed. There's a lot of information. Information is power. You got to take it and you got to make it useful."
Vitello on first MLB season: "Strikes and gutters"
No one could have predicted the kind of season the Giants would have, especially with a first-year MLB manager. Vitello was a gamble coming in from a successful college coaching stint of seven seasons at Tennessee, leading the Vols to its first college World Series in 2024.
There was optimism that the fresh face could bring a new energy, changing the momentum in the Bay Area. Then reality struck.
A number of player injuries prevented the team from fielding its best lineup. Several players were also dealt at the trade deadline, like Heliot Ramos and Robbie Ray. They suffered critical losses early in the season. On top of that, superstars and individuals paid like stars were a shell of themselves, statistically. It was an overall rocky start to the year and they never recovered.
Were there good moments throughout the 162 games, sure. Milestones were achieved, walk-offs and comeback wins were celebrated.
With growth comes growing pains. There were plenty of those during the 2026 season between dugout-clearing fights, bad losses, ejections, and a number of head-shaking moments.
Vitello quoted The Big Lebowski's "strikes and gutters" when describing the learning curve as a manager.
"Ups and downs. Big Lebowski said 'strikes and gutters.' You gotta manage both, which I think has always been a challenge, but it's just at this level it's more relentless. It's every day. Fortunately, (I) got really good people to lean on to make it an enjoyable year, despite the record," Vitello told USA TODAY. "But I don't think anybody that will ever step foot in this park is satisfied with the results and the outcome.
You can only control so much of those but you can control a lot on how you approach getting to those outcomes and results. Those have to be attacked relentlessly, attacked with a passion."
Giants lock in on young prospects going into offseason
Towards the end of the season, San Francisco has been forced to take a look at younger prospects on the team due to injuries to projected starters and stars such as Harrison Bader, Casey Schmitt, Matt Chapman, Daniel Susac and a number of pitchers in their bullpen.
Some of the younger cats getting playing time have been taking full advantage of their opportunities. Third-base coach Gary Pettis has taken notice of those making noise and a name for themselves such as Jonah Cox, Turner Hill, Víctor Bericoto and Christian Koss.
"Cox would be one of the guys that comes to mind right away. Exciting player, can do a lot of things. Then you have Turner out in left field, Victor Bericoto. I mean, Christian Koss has done a good job for us at shortstop. You know, Kavanaugh behind the plate," Pettis told USA TODAY Sports. "We've got a lot of guys that have been given an opportunity to play, and so far they're handling it well. But I also think that they're learning the difference between playing minor league baseball and major league baseball, mentally."
Giants pitcher Dylan Smith is another one of those players making the most of their opportunities to play, especially as he looks to plug a bruised bullpen. Smith was traded from the Detroit Tigers to San Francisco at the start of the 2026 season. He's been determined to put in the necessary work to find a place on a team in need of pitching.
"The biggest part I'll say is just the hard work and determination. Like, you have to go out there each and every day, and you have to go prove yourself," Smith told USA TODAY Sports. "You got to go out there and dominate and attack the hitters. And (you) got to do it every day, you know can't have no days off, especially being in the bullpen. Each time, it matters."
Although not a starter, Smith appeared in 48 games. He has four saves in 2026 as a reliever. Overall, he's posted a 1-6 win-loss record with a 3.31 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. He's delivered 48 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched.
Against the Dodgers on Friday, Sept. 25, Smith pitched one inning and struck out three batters. No hits, runs or batters walked were allowed. He is looking to find a home in San Francisco, an organization scraping for pitchers to improve its bullpen after multiple injuries all year long.
"I feel like you gotta build on each and every opportunity that you get, you know," Smith said. "I feel like as long as we have each other's back and we go out there and compete and do what we do, then I feel like the bullpen's gonna be fine."
San Francisco's young players still have building blocks to develop in order to be a more competitive team in the future. The potential is there in the Giants' organization; Vitello said it's about making valuable use of their time during the offseason.
"(I think) rounding things out with some of these guys and making sure they attack the offseason the right way. This offseason will be more important than arguably any offseason in the big leagues. It's always a time to separate yourself from people," Vitello told USA TODAY. "Whether it's you as an individual trying to grab a job, or reach some individual goals and ultimately a team is made up of individuals so if the team is going to be better, that's gotta be a key.
"So I think that's gotta be done before anything," he added. "Obviously you got to refresh a little bit too. But a big thing is again, the information piece, reflect back on some things. You do have the benefit of slowing things down or watching a replay and saying what if, or this and changing some things. I don't think that can wait until it's start time. It's gotta be put in place ahead of time and then maybe that message is relayed ahead of time to the players as well."
