BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 10: Luinder Avila #58 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 10, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals play their fourth and final game in Detroit this afternoon, it’s also the seventh and final game they play up there this season. The first six games have all been one-run games, unfortunately the Royals have came out on the wrong side of it 5 times. However, yesterday they did not.
Nick Loftin played hero in the 9th with his go-ahead solo homer, two innings after Salvador Perez became the home run king of the Royals franchise, with his game-tying solo blast. Alex Lange shut it down in the 9th, getting the save against his former team.
Today, Luinder Avila gets the start for the Royals. The big right-hander had the best start of his career last time out. Avila went 6.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, walking 1 and striking out 7 against the Giants. It was his longest MLB start to date as well.
Here are the Royals starters behind Avila this afternoon.
The Detroit Tigers had an awful first two months of baseball, but since June 1st have been one of the best teams in the league, they currently sit at 50-55, 5 games behind the White Sox in the division and 3.5 games behind the final Wild Card spot.
Lefty Framber Valdez starts for Detroit today, he has had an interesting first year in the Motor City, and one can argue, disappointing as well. He has a 4.57 ERA in 108.1 innings pitched. His last outing at Wrigley was awful. He went 0.2 innings allowing 5 hits, 6 runs, walking 2 and hitting a batter. Valdez has had a couple of starts similar to that one this season.
Here are the Tigers starters behind him this afternoon.
Tigers 7/26
C. Keith 3B K. McGonigle SS G. Torres DH R. Greene LF D. Dingler C K. Carpenter RF S. Torkelson 1B J. Outman CF H. Lee 2B
The Royals are 3-6 against the Tigers this season, losing 5 of those games by one run, can they continue to turn their luck around? First pitch is set for 12:40 p.m. CT today. The game can be watched on Royals.TV.
Jul 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 12: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 12, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Through two games against the NL East-leading Braves, we’ve gotten two thrillers that have felt an awful lot like playoff games. This afternoon, the Orioles will try to take the rubber match and move a step closer to a playoff spot.
Both Games 1 and 2 vs. Atlanta were one-run games that the Orioles had every chance to win. On Friday, Taylor Ward failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded, two-outs-in-the-9th opportunity, and defensive miscues ultimately cost the O’s in extras. Last night, Dylan Beavers did what Ward couldn’t, delivering a walk-off single to right to tie the series at one game apiece.
Baltimore badly wants to be playing baseball in October, but their lackluster first three months mean every game from here on out is a meaningful game. The O’s currently sit three games under .500 but only 2.5 games back from the final AL Wild Card spot. And while 2.5 games seems like a surmountable distance to overcome, Baltimore is one of five teams that are five games or less from that Wild Card spot.
The congested American League means simply playing good baseball isn’t enough; the Orioles are 12-6 in July but only two games closer to a playoff spot than they were at the beginning of the month. And so, while every game can’t be seen as a must-win, every series certainly is from here until October.
Looking to secure that series win for the O’s is right-hander Shane Baz. The 27-year-old hasn’t been quite as dominant lately as the likes of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish and Brandon Young, but still consistently gives the Orioles a chance to win every time he toes the rubber. Over his last nine starts, Baz owns a 3.54 ERA, a .260 batting average against and is averaging just under six innings per start.
Starting pitching has been the Orioles’ calling card through the first two games against Atlanta, with Rogers and Young combining for 13.1 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 2 BB and 12 Ks across Games 1 and 2. Baz will look to continue that trend of dominance as he makes his first-ever start vs. Atlanta. Of the Braves’ normal starters, the right-hander has only faced Mauricio Dubón and Joey Bart, with the pair going 2-for-12 with no homers.
Taking the ball for Atlanta is former All-Star Reynaldo López. The 32-year-0ld right-hander struggled in his last outing, giving up nine hits and five runs over 4.1 innings in a loss to the Padres. He did, however, dominate the Orioles the last time he pitched at Camden Yards. Back in 2024, López tossed six scoreless innings in Baltimore, while striking out eight, in a 6-3 Braves’ victory.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 25: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals snags a ground ball in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park on July 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a huge win yesterday, the Nats are looking for a series win against a Wild Card competitor in the D-Backs. They will have to do it without a huge piece of their lineup, with Curtis Mead in Boston now. However, they do get an infusion of power with Brady House back in the fold.
With Mead gone, Brady House will be the third baseman in this one and he will hit 5th. Andres Chaparro is in the 2 spot at DH and Dylan Crews is hitting third, playing left field. Luis Garcia Jr. is back in the lineup, but in the 8 spot with a lefty on the mound. Harry Ford will get the nod behind the plate to close out this series. Miles Mikolas will get the start with no opener in front of him.
The D-Backs haven’t made any trades but they have made some changes to the lineup. Adrian Del Castillo, Max Kepler and Tyler Locklear are in the starting lineup in this contest. Gabriel Moreno will be back behind the plate as well. Another soft tossing rookie in Kohl Drake will be on the mound.
This will be a different looking Nats team with Mead gone, but the show must go on. Brady House will slide in, and the best offense in baseball will look to keep rolling. We cannot forget how important this game still is. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Oswaldo Cabrera, left, and Kenedy Corona, right, of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and Krista Lutzick, community relations manager, stand with some of the items they purchased for the team's donation drive to support those affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela last month. Cabrera and Corona are both from Venezuela. (SUBMITTED PHOTO BY SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS) | Courtesy of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to Scott Walsh
One month has passed since a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24th. More than 5,500 are dead and 16,700 injured. The billions of dollars of damage have left thousands homeless.
Five players on the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are from Venezuela. Infielder Oswaldo Cabrera hails us from Guarenas. Pitcher Kervin Castro is from Maracay. Catcher Edinson Duran is from San Juan de los Marros. Outfielder Kenedy Corona is from Maracaibo. Catcher Abraham Gutierrez is from the capital, Caracas.
Thankfully, all of the players’ families are safe. Still, they know friends of friends who were affected and feel the pain of the devastation to hit their homeland.
“Obviously sad for everything that happened and the situation they are living in Venezuela,” Cabrera said. “I’m glad that all my close family are here in the USA and the family I have there — my aunt, uncle, cousins — they are all safe. But obviously, they are my people in Venezuela. My heart still breaks for all the things that happened there. It’s still my family because all Venezuelans, we are family.”
On the day the quakes hit, Cabrera was in the major leagues with the Yankees. When he learned the news, he immediately contacted his RailRiders teammates to make sure their families were OK.
“Everybody texted and communicated with each other,” he said. “We knew that everyone was safe, our close family. Of all the bad things, that’s a good thing, that all our families here are safe.”
Seeing pictures and videos of the aftermath has been difficult, Cabrera said. There is a helpless feeling of being here and not being able to help directly.
Baseball, though, allows him to take his mind off things for a few hours.
“It’s really hard because there isn’t anything you can do physically. That’s the tough part of this situation,” Cabrera said. “You want to be involved and help people there. You want to support them in the right way. Anything we can do – a foundation, charity, money, whatever. But everything that happened, you feel like you want to be there with them.
“The second day after everything happened, I deleted all my social media because everything I saw, in my mind I wanted to be there. It’s tough.”
When Krista Lutzick, community relations manager for the RailRiders, saw what happened, she knew she wanted to do something to help. Corona reached out to her about doing a donation drive. So she got together with the players and they put together a list of essential items they thought could help get those impacted back on the road to recovery.
“We’re doing our small part to help those who have been impacted,” Lutzick said. “Just seeing the pictures and videos of the devastation, it’s gut-wrenching. I feel so horrible and I can’t even imagine how our Venezuelan players feel. Especially since they have friends and family who have seen this in person. It’s a shame and I’m really thankful I get the opportunity to help and try to get the community involved.”
🇻🇪 Donation Drive: In support of those affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, our RailRiders players are teaming up with our community to collect essential relief supplies for families in need.
Fans and community partners have responded. Throughout the RailRiders’ current homestand, the team has received donations such as cases and pallets of water; cleaning supplies like sanitary wipes; nonperishable food items and snacks such as crackers; diapers; baby formula; flashlights; batteries; first aid kits; and new or gently used clean clothing.
“I’ve seen video and pictures now and I didn’t think about it in the beginning, but the animals there have been impacted, too,” Lutzick said. “So we’ll gladly take cat food and dog food as well.
“Anything and everything helps those impacted in Venezuela. We’re thousands and thousands of miles away, but we can make an impact here in NEPA with our players and our community.”
Even though the drive ends Sunday, Lutzick said donations will still be accepted until Friday. She is in the process of finalizing details to have the items shipped to an organization in Miami that will forward it to Venezuela. Rather than donate cash, she has been telling people who are out of the area to go on Amazon, purchase something, and have it shipped to PNC Field.
Cabrera has been overwhelmed by the response.
“It’s been beautiful to see the support and everybody trying to do their part and do something good for the situation,” he said. “It’s beautiful to see how everybody cares and that means a lot for us.”
It won’t stop with the donation drive. Both Cabrera and Lutzick said plans are in the works for other things such as a memorabilia auction that will help raise money for Venezuela and the relief effort.
After the current home series against the Syracuse Mets wraps up Sunday, the RailRiders hit the road next week for a six-game series against the Iowa Cubs beginning Tuesday. It marks just the third time in franchise history — and first time since 1990 — that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will play in Iowa. They were the Red Barons and a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate the last time they did, with a team featuring names like Mickey Morandini, Jason Grimsley, and retired-number honoree Greg Legg.
May 26, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
Happy Sunday, folks. For the first time in quite some time, a Red Sox series comes down to the final game after they split the first two with the Toronto Blue Jays. Ranger Suarez returns from a brief stint on the injured list and will take on Kevin Gausman. Toronto ranks 29th in wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, giving Suarez a potentially soft landing spot in his first start since July 5th. The Red Sox are familiar with Gausman, though they missed him in the first two series against the Blue Jays.
Curtis Mead is not active for the game after being acquired last night in exchange for Connelly Early. The Nationals are at home this weekend, so he’ll likely join the team for the plane ride to Sacramento after the game. It’s a 1:35 pm start time on NESN and WEEI.
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 24: A detail shot of the hat and glove of Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Friday, July 24, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Alright, folks! We got a good ol’ fashioned Sunday afternoon rubber match on our hands, as our Atlanta Braves will try to snatch a series win on the road agianst the Baltimore Orioles. Will Reynaldo López bounce back after a couple of poor outings? Can the Braves make something happen against SHane Baz? It’s time to find out!
Jul 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Luis Lara (18) celebrate a win over the Colorado Rockies at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies will meet one more time for the rubber match of this weekend series and bring an end to the longest homestand of the season.
Prior to today’s game, the Brewers made a transaction, recalling reliever Garrett Stallings from Triple-A Nashville. To make room, Lance McCullers Jr was designated for assignment. McCullers struggled to put away the Rockies with a six a run lead in the 9th inning of last night’s game and his pitch metrics did not look strong. Barely more than a week after acquiring McCullers, his Brewers tenure is over after two outings.
Kyle Harrison is also continuing to progress in his recovery from forearm tightness. He’s slated to head out on a rehab assignment this next week and should be back shortly after that.
On the mound today, it is a matchup of polar opposites: Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Freeland. Misiorowski is in his first full season in the majors, has a 1.57 ERA and a 10-4 record. Freeland is a veteran, who is struggling to a 7.28 ERA and a 2-9 record.
Freeland is also a left-hander, which means the Brewers are stacking their lineup with as many righties as possible. Christian Yelich and Garrett Mitchell have the day off. Brice Turang and Jake Bauers are the only left-handed hitting regulars in the lineup. Jackson Chourio, Turang, and Andrew Vaughn make up the top of the order. William Contreras, Bauers, and Gary Sanchez form the middle of the order with Bauers again out in right field. Contreras will be the DH today while Sanchez is behind the plate for Misiorowski. Luis Lara is in center, Cooper Pratt is at short, and Joey Ortiz is at third base to round out the bottom of the lineup.
The Rockies, meanwhile, are stacking as many lefties as they can against the flamethrowing Misiorowski. Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak, and Hunter Goodman form the top of the order for Colorado. TJ Rumfield, Kyle Karros, and Cole Carrigg make up the middle of the lineup. Then Willi Castro, Troy Johnston, and Edouard Julien round out the bottom of the order in support of Freeland.
It’s Jacob Misiorowski bump day in Milwaukee, and that has generally meant good things for the Brewers. They are 10-3 in Misiorowski’s last 13 starts. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 20: Freddy Peralta #51 of the New York Mets throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on July 20, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets lineup
A.J. Ewing – CF Francisco Lindor – SS Bo Bichette – 3B Carson Benge – RF Jorge Polanco – DH Jared Young – 1B Tyrone Taylor – LF Brett Baty – 2B Luis Torrens – C
SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP
Dodgers lineup
Shohei Ohtani – DH Andy Pages – CF Freddie Freeman – 1B Max Muncy – 3B Mookie Betts – SS Tommy Edman – 2B Kyle Tucker – RF Teoscar Hernandez – LF Eliezer Alfonzo – C
SP: Emmet Sheehan – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 1:40 PM EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 17: Pitcher Braxton Ashcraft #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates fields the ball and throws to first base to get the out of Henry Bolte #33 of the Athletics in the bottom of the third inning at Sutter Health Park on June 17, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are finishing off a three-game series against the NL Central rival Chicago Cubs at PNC Park.
The Pirates are tossing the ball to All-Star Braxton Ashcraft, who is making his second start of the second half of the season. Ashcraft struggled in his last start against the New York Yankees pitching. Only three innings, giving up nine hits and seven runs in an 8-5 loss at Yankee Stadium. Ashcraft hopes to bounce back now that he’s pitching at home, where he is better.
Ashcraft’s ERA is 3.68 at PNC Park and 4.21 away from home, so perhaps a chance to play in front of the home fans for the first time since July 11 will do him some good.
The Cubs are giving the start to former Pirates top prospect Jameson Taillon, who pitched in Pittsburgh from 2016-19. Taillon was injured for just over a month but returned after the All-Star Break for the Cubs. He pitched 4.1 innings giving up five hits and four runs in an 8-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
This is Tyone’s third start against the Pirates so far this season. He pitched six innings on April 12 at Wrigley Field and also pitched five innings at PNC Park against the Pirates on May 26.
Jul 20, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Athletics pitcher Jeffrey Springs (59) throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
The A’s may have dropped yesterday’s contest but thanks to their win on Friday night they have a chance to secure their first series win since almost two months. Will they be able to finish off the Twins and escape Minnesota with a pair of wins?
Before we get to the game, we got some bad news to deliver. It looks like the A’s may be without their All-Star catcher for the rest of the year as Shea Langeliers landed on the IL this morning with a torn meniscus in his right knee:
The A’s have placed C Shea Langeliers on the 10-day injured list with a torn meniscus in his right knee (retroactive to July 25) and recalled C Brian Serven from Triple-A Las Vegas.
It’s yet another blow in the health department for an A’s squad that has been ravaged by injuries the past couple of months. After being relatively healthy for the first couple weeks of the year the A’s have had to weather a massive storm of injuries that have helped sink their postseason chances this year, and now our best player is the latest to land on the shelf.
If Langeliers really is done for the year then that likely takes him off the trade market, with an offseason move more likely. For the A’s the rest of the year though they’ll have to try to stay respectable without their best player for the last two months of the year. It’s expected that Jonah Heim will take up regular catching duties the rest of the way, with the just-recalled veteran Brian Serven serving as his backup. A potential audition for a starting role next year, perhaps? Heim’s in there behind home plate today.
Anyway, we got a game this morning. The Athletics will send left-hander Jeffrey Springs to the bump looking to secure the series win. The 33-year-old has had a rough season to date but he managed to put up a solid performance in his first start after the All-Star Break. This could be one of his final starts for the Green & Gold before the trade deadline so a big outing today could boost the prospect cost to acquire his services the rest of the way.
As expected it’s Jonah Heim behind the plate catching Springs this morning. He’s hitting in the heart of the lineup, batting third behind Jacob Wilson (today’s DH) and first baseman Nick Kurtz, who is only in his second game since returning from the IL. Tyler Soderstrom is behind him in the batting order hitting cleanup.
And then it’s mostly rookies in the rest of the lineup outside veteran infielder Jeff McNeil, today’s second baseman. Now is the time of the year for these young guys to make a claim to a spot on next year’s roster. Will someone like Tommy White or Colby Thomas make an impression over the final couple months?
That lineup will be facing their own left-hander in Twins rookie lefty Connor Prielipp. The 25-year-old isn’t considered a big-time prospect for the Twins but he’s held his own in his first taste of the big leagues, outside of a few meltdown performances that has skewed his ERA, which stands at an even 5.00 through his first 13 starts. He was actually just activated off the injured list this morning from a blister on his pitching hand. Which version of Prielipp will show up against the A’s today?
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Veteran pitcher Lance McCullers has been designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers less than two weeks after they acquired the right-hander from the Houston Astros.
The Brewers announced the move before their game Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. They recalled right-handed pitcher Garrett Stallings from Triple-A Nashville.
The moves come a day after McCullers walked four batters in 1 2/3 innings of relief in an 8-5 victory over the Rockies. McCullers entered with Milwaukee ahead 8-2 in the eighth inning and returned for the ninth, but he allowed a hit and two walks in that inning before Trevor Megill came in to get the final out.
McCullers went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two relief appearances with Milwaukee. He struck out five, walked five and allowed five runs (three earned) over 4 2/3 innings.
The bullpen role was new for McCullers, who had started in 148 of his 154 career outings with Houston.
McCullers, 32, had spent his entire major league career with the Astros until they sent him and left-hander Colton Gordon to the Brewers for minor league outfielder Jadyn Fielder on July 15. Houston had agreed to pay Milwaukee $4,227,273 to offset most of McCullers’ remaining salary, leaving his cost to the Brewers at $2.5 million.
McCullers was on the injured list with shoulder inflammation at the time of the trade and last pitched for the Astros on May 13. He went 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA in eight starts for Houston this season.
He began his MLB career in 2015 and owns a 53-40 record with a 3.85 ERA. McCullers was part of Houston’s 2017 and 2022 World Series champions, but injuries kept him from pitching in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
Stallings pitched three scoreless innings in two appearances during an earlier stint with Milwaukee this season. He has gone 3-3 with a 4.11 ERA for Nashville in 18 appearances, including 13 starts.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 20: Andrew Abbott #41 of the Cincinnati Reds throws to first base in the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 20, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Kevin Ng/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hunter Greene couldn’t keep the St. Louis Cardinals offense in check on Saturday and the Cincinnati Reds offense was completely befuddled by righty Andre Pallante in the Reds 7-0 loss. That means the Sunday rubber match will determine who gets to claim victory in this particular NL Central series.
The Reds have won each of their series so far on this 9-game, 3-city road trip to begin their season’s second half, and a win today would send them back to Cincinnati with a 6-3 overall run on it. Where that leaves them in terms of positioning remains to be seen with the August 3rd trade deadline looming, but as of right now they sit just 48-55 and 6 full games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.
Andrew Abbott will toe the rubber for the Reds in the Sunday matinee opposite Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy, with first pitch slated for 2:15 PM ET.
Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin things:
A couple of days after LeBron James' blockbuster announcement that he is headed to Philadelphia for his 24th NBA season, the NBA world is still buzzing. Here is the latest fallout from LeBron's decision to head to the City of Brotherly Love.
Stephen Curry’s reaction
Stephen Curry found out about LeBron's decision from a fan while on a golf course, which somehow feels appropriate.
A fan broke the LeBron news to Steph Curry while he was golfing
But what did Curry really think? Curry was asked that Saturday while attending a youth basketball camp run by fellow Warrior Moses Moody, reports Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
"That's why you don't envision anything until it happens. There's a lot of moving parts."
Golden State was where a lot of people — including people inside the Lakers' locker room — expected LeBron to land. It would have been a nostalgic run with him, Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr drinking good wine and having fun playing basketball, and eventually next season Jimmy Butler would join and this team could be pretty good. But not a contender — and the winning is what mattered most to LeBron.
The Warriors looked to make major offseason upgrades. They called about Jaylen Brown but didn't have the trade return the Celtics wanted (it likely would have been the injured Butler headed East). The Warriors also called Washington about Anthony Davis, but Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints called the Wizards' asking price "unreasonable." If LeBron's agent Rich Paul could have assured the Warriors that acquiring Davis meant LeBron was guaranteed to choose them, then maybe Golden State would have paid the price, but that kind of assurance was never on the table. LeBron really was thinking through what he prioritized, and that informed his decision.
Why the Warriors were hesitant to go all-in on Davis is also tied to a bigger picture, according to long-time Bay Area sports writer and podcaster Tim Kawakami on The TK Show (hat tip Real GM).
"What (team governor Joe) Lacob wants to do, and this might get Warriors fans mad. He wants to build the next team after Steph Curry. I don't know how possible that is, but Lacob has a very keen interest in... this organization's going to show what it can do with Steph Curry and then after Steph Curry."
After Curry comes an inevitable rebuild — something that is now harder to do, likely will drag out longer, and involves a lot more luck because of the NBA's new lottery system.
What drove LeBron’s decision?
In choosing Philadelphia, LeBron went against the narrative, the ones that would have been familiar and comfortable storylines for the documentary he is making about his last season (or seasons) in the league. Golden State with Curry is close to home and nostalgia. Cleveland was going home and he could compete at a high level. Miami would put the ball in his hands on the court, and he'd get to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo in a setting where he is comfortable.
Sources close to James told The Athletic on Friday, on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, that the reason he picked Philadelphia wasn't a part of some complicated decision matrix. It was, simply, the place James thought he could go and have the best chance to win a championship. Looking back at James' time in Los Angeles, the winning always made things better.
"Ultimately, Philadelphia makes a move and then boom! Now you got Jaylen Brown. Now hold on, wait a minute now. This looks a lot different."
Paul also gets into why LeBron is a fit on the court in Philly.
"I think he helps everybody on that team. When you talk about a secondary playmaker, if he's your secondary playmaker, you have the best secondary playmaker in the league. He helps Tyrese [Maxey] in terms of pick-and-roll action...
"When you add a LeBron, everything changes. That is why it is not easy for someone who is to be a star player on a team, when he comes, he kind of shows you how big or little of a star you actually are. It takes a special kind of person to mentally embrace that. The familiarity with him and Tyrese, you don't have to worry about that with Tyrese. They know each other, they embrace each other, they have been working out together for the last five years. So you won't have any pushback."
How Brown and Embiid adjust is another question, but if the 76ers are winning, things will smooth over quickly. When the bumps in the road inevitably come, it's going to be interesting to see how Nick Nurse handles things.
UNITED STATES - JULY 02: Baseball: Aerial rear view of Atlanta Braves Andruw Jones (25) in action, at bat vs Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia, PA 7/2/2005 (Photo by Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X73831 TK2)
Today, Sunday, July 26, 2026, former Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones will officially be inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Jones gained election on his ninth and penultimate year on the ballot by baseball’s writers and will be joined in the 2026 class by fellow center fielder Carlos Beltran and second baseman Jeff Kent.
Jones is arguably the greatest defensive center fielder in baseball history who is, at worse, in the discussion as the best with all-time great Willie Mays and a handful of others such as long-time big leaguer Jim Edmonds. Only Mays and Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente earned more Gold Gloves than Jones as outfielders.
Jones gained election with 78.4-percent of the vote and is the latest – and likely the last – player from the Braves’ legendary run of greatness from 1991 through 2005 to gain enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. That Braves dynasty included 14 division championships, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series championship.
Jones, who was signed by the Braves as a teenager out of Curaçao, debuted with Atlanta in 1996 at age 19 and made history when be was the youngest player to homer in the World Series that same season. He spent 12 seasons in Atlanta winning ten consecutive Gold Gloves beginning in 1998 and ending in 2007, his final year with the Braves.
Jones was also a five-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger and the TSN Player of the Year in 2005 when he led the National League with a career-best 51 home runs and 128 RBI.
After leaving Atlanta, Jones’ career went into a tailspin, playing for four different organizations in five seasons – the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. Despite playing in no fewer than 153 games from 1997 through 2007 with the Braves, Jones only eclipsed 100 games played once in his final five campaigns. His MLB career would conclude in 2012, despite only being 35 years old. He played two more seasons in Japan before officially retiring in February 2016 after two unsuccessful attempts to make a MLB comeback.
Those final five season of his career is what likely prevented Jones from gaining election earlier in his eligibility cycle. Despite those struggles, ultimately, the Hall of Fame did call Jones for election.
In 17 big league seasons, Jones played in 2,196 and slugged 434 home runs. He also stole 152 bases, drove in 1,289 runs and scored 1,204 times while collecting 1,933 hits. Fangraphs credits him with 67.0 fWAR, including six seasons of 6.0 fWAR or higher and three seasons exceeding 7.0.
Defensively, Jones was in a class almost to himself. The video embedded above from MLB’s Vault showcases a number of his highlights – so if you weren’t able to watch Jones glide through the outfield, dive in every directions to make catches or climb on or crash into outfield walls, it is worth watching.
With incredible range and an innate ability to play shallow in center field and go back on the ball, rarely did it seem that a fly ball hit between the left fielder and right fielder was not within his catch radius. As a center fielder only, he had 4,457 putouts – with less than 200 of those coming with teams other than the Braves.
Although advanced defensive metric were not available for most of his career – especially during his peak – Baseball Reference does rank him as the 22nd best defensive player of all-time and the top-ranked center fielder.
Two decades after his peak, Jones was a player whose black-and-white stats don’t paint the full picture of who he was defensively. His instincts in the outfield were elite. Based on the pitcher throwing, the catcher set-up per pitch, etc., Jones was often in motion as a pitch was being thrown.
On the field, for more than a decade, Jones was the best in the game defensively with an above average offensive profile that concluded with a career .486 slugging percentage (and a .497 slugging percentage with the Braves). Only once between 1998 and 2006 did he post a wRC+ below 112.
Injuries and off-the-field issues contributed to a decline in performance after his age 29 season. He did rebound slightly as a platoon corner outfielder and designated hitter in the final seasons of his MLB career. He also had success in Japan, hitting 50 home runs across two seasons with Rakuten.
He is a member of the Braves Hall of Fame and his number 25 was retired in 2023.
Coverage the Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be seen on July 26, 2026 starting at 1:30PM Eastern on MLB Network.
