Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

The Yankees put up a five-spot in the sixth inning to take the lead, but their bullpen couldn't make it stick in an 11-7 loss to the Athletics on Saturday.

Here are the takeaways...

-Coming off four straight quality starts, including 6.2 scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres his last time out, Carlos Rodón was hoping to keep the good times rolling. Things got off to a rocky start for the lefty after he allowed a leadoff double to Jacob Wilson in the first inning, but Rodón did well to strand the runner and keep the game scoreless.

He wasn't so lucky in the second, allowing Luis Urias to hit a solo shot on a four-seamer after getting ahead 1-2 and needing just one more strike to record a clean inning. Nevertheless, Rodón's stuff was dealing as he struck out three in the inning and had four strikeouts in two innings. Things got away from him in the third, though.

Following back-to-back singles to start the frame, Brent Rooker, who struck out in his first at-bat, sent a 1-0 slider over the left-field wall for a three-run jack to give the Athletics a 4-0 lead. The long ball was Rooker's 10th home run of the season and his first career hit off Rodón after starting 0-for-10 against the lefty.

The inning could've gone worse after a hit and an error by Anthony Volpe put runners on first and second with one out, but Rodón was able to escape trouble while picking up another strikeout in the process.

-Up until that point, the Yankees offense couldn't get anything going against JP Sears. That is, until Aaron Judge blasted a solo shot leading off the fourth to get New York on the board. Aside from that, Sears finished strong and went five innings, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out four.

It wasn't until the sixth inning, with Sears out of the game, that the Yanks' bats came alive. For Judge, it was déjà vu as he unloaded on his second solo homer of the day, this time leading off against Justin Sterner. That home run opened the floodgates as New York would score four more times in the inning to put up a five-spot and take a 6-4 lead.

The big hit came via Oswald Peraza who smoked a two-run shot down the left-field line that banged off the foul pole. It was Peraza's only hit of a 1-for-3 game.

-Two runs to the good all of a sudden, Rodón went back out for the sixth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to end his outing and be in place to get a win. He struck out his final batter of the day to give him a season-high 10 strikeouts. Rodón allowed four earned runs on eight hits and threw 98 pitches (67 strikes) as his string of quality starts came to an end.

-Rodón took a no-decision, though, after the bullpen immediately coughed up the lead. Fernando Cruz, who pitched the seventh inning and entered the game with a 1.37 ERA, allowed three earned runs on a Shea Langeliers three-run blast to straightaway center that gave the A's a 7-6 lead.

-Ian Hamilton had a rough outing as well, as he couldn't find his control. In 0.2 innings, he allowed a hit, walked two and threw a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, Hamilton struck out Rooker before getting pulled, but the baserunners all belonged to him. Tyler Matzek couldn't strand the inherited runners when he came in and allowed a two-run single to Tyler Soderstrom and a two-run double to Langeliers that blew the game open.

-Aside from Judge, Cody Bellinger was the only other Yankee to have a multi-hit game and finished 2-for-4 with a walk as he continues to climb out of an early season hole.

Game MVP: Shea Langeliers

The designated hitter had himself a fine afternoon, finishing 4-for-5 to go along with five RBI and a run scored.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees play the rubber-game of their three-game set with the A's on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

New York has yet to announce a starter, but it will be facing old friend RHP Luis Severino (1-3, 3.62 ERA).

ALL RISE!

AARON JUDGE'S 13TH HOME RUN!

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/KJDSENszie

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

AARON JUDGE'S SECOND HOME RUN OF THE DAY! pic.twitter.com/6VyAIgyiE9

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

Oswald Peraza for the lead! 💪

(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/pHEoaaJkAi

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

Astros' Lance McCullers Jr. receives death threats aimed at children after tough start originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said he received online death threats directed at his children after his tough start Saturday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

McCullers, who was making just his second start since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, allowed seven runs while getting just one out in Houston’s 13-9 loss.

Afterward, McCullers said he had received the threats on social media.

“I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with,” he said. “So just as a father I think there have been many, many threats over the years aimed at me mostly, and I think actually one or two people from other issues around baseball actually had to go to jail for things like that. But I think bringing kids into the equation, threatening to find them or next time they see us in public, they’re gonna stab my kids to death, things like that, it’s tough to hear as a dad.”

The Astros said that the Houston Police Department and MLB security had been alerted to the threats.

McCullers and his wife Kara have two young daughters.

A visibly upset manager Joe Espada addressed the threats at his postgame news conference and added that they were also threatening the pitcher’s life.

“There are people who are threatening his life and the life of his kids because of his performance,” Espada said. “It is very unfortunate that we have to deal with this. After all he’s done for this city, for his team, the fact that we have to talk about that in my office — I got kids too and it really drives me nuts that we have to deal with this. Very sad, very, very sad.”

McCullers, who has had numerous injuries that have kept him off the field in the last couple of seasons, said it’s difficult to have to deal with threats on top of trying to return to form on the mound.

“If you fail you fail on a very large stage (with) a lot of eyes and there’s nowhere to hide,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just want to do my job. I just want to be a good pitcher for the Astros and I believe I’ll get there, but like I said I just think that having to worry about that, worry about leaving town and leaving them and things like that or dropping her off at school, I just think … there should be some type of decency.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to reporters before Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs and gave some updates on the team...

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Jose Siri getting closer to return

Mets outfielder Jose Siri, who's on the IL due to a fractured tibia, is making good progress and could be getting closer to starting a rehab.

"Definitely progressing a lot quicker than I was or we were anticipating," Mendoza said. "I didn't think he was going to be able to do some running and already hitting in the cages, tee, toss, playing catch, doing some light sprints there.

"As far as when do we anticipate [him returning], it's hard for me [to say]. But he's moving, he's progressing a lot quicker."

Siri suffered the injury on April 13 against the Athletics after fouling a ball off of his shin. Since he's been out, the Mets have gone with a combination of Tyrone Taylor (26 starts, 31 games total), José Azócar (three games), and more recently, Jeff McNeil (three games) in center field.

Siri played in just 10 games and struggled offensively with just one hit before getting hurt. He did walk four times and stole two bases.

Brett Baty continuing to make positive strides

Baty returned to the bigs this week with Jesse Winker heading to the IL and has been making the most of his playing time.

The 25-year-old went 0-for-4 in his first game on Wednesday, but flipped a switch Friday night with a two-hit performance, including his second home run of the season. Mendoza was asked if he'd like to have Baty play a handful of games consecutively and said he's trying to balance that with getting everybody else involved.

"I definitely wanna continue to get him going, but also my job as a manager is to put guys in a position where we feel they're going to have success," Mendoza said. "If I feel like we're better off playing some of the other guys and giving him a day, it's not so much about Brett Baty, it's putting other guys in a position where we're like, 'Hey, we like that matchup.' Yes, having the understanding that we might benefit from giving this guy a little bit of leeway and letting him play.

"It's a balance and you're trying to keep everyone sharp. I feel like we now have a really good rotation going with the position players, all thirteen of them. And Brett Baty's a huge part of that. It will continue to be a day-to-day thing."

Defensively, Mendoza has all the confidence in the former top prospect who's shown his versatility playing 2B in addition to his natural 3B.

"I thought last year he was really good," Mendoza said. "He's very athletic for a guy his size. I'm very comfortable playing him at second base. And then you watch him take balls at short, just BP right, and he's very athletic. That goes to show you that not only the footwork, he's got good hands, he's got the ability to throw on the run from different angles. But he's got the ability to adjust, too. Defensively, he's pretty good."

He added on how to help Baty continue his development: "Don't let him get comfortable. We want him comfortable with the environment, but not comfortable playing a big league game. There's always challenges. You got to bring your A-game. I think that's part of our job, not only as manager but as coaches, it's not as easy as you're making it look right now.

"It's just finding the consistency, don't get too high, don't get too low. I think that's the next step when you're talking about development. Not only just the result, but how you're going to go about your business day in and day out. That's what we're trying to do here."

Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio made his season debut with Double-A Binghamton on Saturday afternoon, playing third base in the first game of the Rumble Ponies' doubleheader, and he made an impact with his bat.

Mauricio went 1-for-3 but had an RBI double in the fifth inning to cut Reading's lead to 5-2. The extra-base hit came on a 2-2 count with Charles King throwing a pitch middle-middle into right field to score D'Andre Smith.

Binghamton would come back to tie the game in the sixth inning, but Reading would pull out the 7-5 victory with two runs in the top of the seventh.

Jett Williams went hitless (0-4) while striking out twice in the first game of the doubleheader. Ryan Clifford went 1-for-3 and came in to score.

Saturday was a big step for Mauricio, who is looking to make his way back to the majors after sustaining a knee injury that would require surgery during the 2023-24 offseason. As a refresher, Mauricio was impressive in his first taste with the Mets at the end of the 2023 season, hitting .248 with two home runs, four doubles and driving in nine runs. He also stole seven bases in 26 games.

In five games with Single-A this year, Mauricio was 2-for-15 with two stolen bases in five games.

Mauricio was not in the starting lineup for Game 2 of Binghamton's doubleheader on Saturday.

Jonah Tong impresses

Tong, the No. 7 prospect according to Joe DeMayo, dominated in Game 2 on Saturday afternoon with 13 strikeouts over 6.2 innings. He took a perfect game into the seventh and final inning -- minor league doubleheader rule -- but after throwing 99 pitches (61 strikes), he was pulled for TJ Shook, who struck out the final batter to complete the first perfect game in Binghamton franchise history.

The right-hander earned his first win of the season (1-2) over six starts and lowered his ERA to 2.57 on the season.

On the offensive side, Game 2 saw Williams hit a two-run double in the fifth -- his only hit in three at-bats -- and Clifford drive in two with a single in the six-run fifth inning. Clifford finished 1-for-2 with a walk.

Jonah Tong has struck out 13 and faced 18 batters through the first six innings 👀

This is the second game of a 7-inning doubleheader pic.twitter.com/m96Oiv6z2P

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 10, 2025

A COMBINED 7-INNING PERFECT GAME FOR DOUBLE-A BINGHAMTON!

THE FIRST IN BINGHAMTON FRANCHISE HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/IN7LvApDsh

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 10, 2025

Phillies bounce back with huge nights from Harper and Suarez originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

A gem from Ranger Suarez, a resurgent night from Bryce Harper and two-out thunder in the eighth inning led the Phillies to a 7-1 win Saturday in Cleveland, evening their series with the Guardians.

The Phils jumped all over left-handed reliever Joey Cantillo in the top of the eighth with seven straight hitters reaching base as a one-run lead turned into a laugher. The first blow of the inning came from Harper, who clobbered an 89 mph, middle-in fastball to right-center for a two-run home run, his seventh of the season.

Harper’s insurance homer wouldn’t have occurred without a two-out single by Trea Turner, a multi-hit machine the last three weeks. Turner is 33-for-82 over the last 19 games, hitting .402 with 15 runs scored.

That duo also set the table for the Phillies’ first run. Turner singled in the top of the fourth, Harper doubled and Kyle Schwarber blooped a single into left field to give the Phillies a lead that remained 1-0 until the eighth.

It was the best Harper (3-for-5) has looked since mid-April. He had hit .175 over a 16-game stretch entering Saturday night but killed the ball three times, 111 mph, 107 and 103 off the bat. He and Turner accounted for six of the seven hardest-hit balls of the game.

“I’ll tell you what, man, I’m so happy we’re winning. Obviously, it’s been a grind,” Harper said on the Phillies broadcast postgame. “Day in and day out, I’m working, trying everything I can to have a better approach, see pitches in the zone and not chase the ones out of the zone. But all in all, I’m excited we’re winning, my team has my back. It’s been a grind. But it’s a long season, you play a season for a reason.”

Suarez dealt in his second start since returning from a back injury with seven rapid-fire scoreless innings. He needed only 82 pitches. Cleveland had three singles and a walk.

J.T. Realmuto neutralized one of the baserunners by throwing out Jose Ramirez on a stolen base attempt to end the first inning — and maybe again in the seventh but there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn after a lengthy review. Realmuto has once again been a force in the running game, nabbing 11 of 35 runners (31.4%), well over the league average of 22.8%.

Suarez was much sharper this time out. He cruised through the first two innings of last Sunday’s season debut but couldn’t command the ball once he was forced to pitch from the stretch. Suarez didn’t spend much time in the stretch Saturday either but looked more like the efficient, confident, quick-working pitcher he’s been for the Phillies since 2019.

The Phils (23-16) were shut out Friday night at Progressive Field, then responded by scoring seven or more runs for the ninth time in 13 games. The offensive surge has catapulted them to ninth in MLB in runs per game (4.82), neck and neck with the Mets.

The Phillies will be in the national spotlight of Sunday Night Baseball as they vie for a fifth straight series win. Who better to turn to than Zack Wheeler?

Langeliers embodies Athletics' grit in statement win over Yankees  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There has been no quit in the Athletics early on in the 2025 MLB season, regardless of who the opponent is or how frantic the game’s storyline could be. 

And there’s plenty of proof of that, including the A’s thrilling 11-7 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday at Sutter Health Park.

Through five innings, the Green and Gold held a three-run lead before pitcher Justin Sterner allowed a five-run sixth by the Yankees. 

ROOKER LAUNCHES A THREE-RUN BLAST 🚀 pic.twitter.com/iA1UKii1cc

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 10, 2025

The Athletics, having suffered a series-opening loss to the Yankees on Friday, had to dig deep and look for a comeback.  

“Last night after the game, I sensed there was more emotion and anger in the group that I’ve seen all year,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters after the win. “Obviously, it kind of filtered over to today. 

“They showed what they’re made of and the grit that they have. The belief that they have in themselves. That’s just a great team win today.” 

Mark Kotsay breaks down the Athletics' "fun" win over the Yankees today 🔽 pic.twitter.com/Sam9kReIkG

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 10, 2025

Thankfully for the Athletics, Kotsay and Co. had Friday’s loss to New York to leverage as fuel for a remarkable slugfest powered, in large part, by catcher Shea Langeliers.

Langeliers hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh before following up in the eighth with a two-run double. The 27-year-old matched a career-high five RBIs on a four-hit afternoon.

BANGELIERS. ATHLETICS LEAD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GaIU2zz8Gz

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 10, 2025

With the win, the A’s (21-19) remain in second place in the American League West, and can rest assured that there’s plenty of grit in West Sacramento this season.

The Mets (25-14) look to keep it going after Friday's win over the Chicago Cubs (22-17) on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. on FOX.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

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Mets Notes

• Tylor Megill makes his eighth start of the season, looking to get his first win since April 21 after back-to-back no-decisions
• Juan Soto has hit three homers over the past two games as he's slashing .333/.441/.741 across his last seven games
• Francisco Lindor hit his fourth leadoff homer of the season on Friday, tying him with Pirates star Oneil Cruz for the most in the majors
• The Mets pitching staff own MLB's second-best ERA at 2.82, trailing only the Kansas City Royals (2.81 ERA)

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Here's what happened in Mets Land on Friday, in case you missed it...

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• Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Brett Baty, and Jeff McNeil all homered as the Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-2
• Clay Holmes lowered ERA to 2.74 with third quality start this season in gem vs. high-powered Cubs
• Lindor "all about vibes" with new walk-up song after Mets produce 13 total hits against Cubs
• Mets prospect Nolan McLeanpitches seven scoreless innings in Triple-A debut
• Mets Injury Notes: Sean Manaea throwing at 120 feet, Frankie Montas scheduled for bullpen on Friday
• LHP A.J. Minterout 10-12 months due to "super frustrating" lat muscle surgery
• SEE IT: Lindor debuts alternative walk-up song against Cubs
• WATCH: Steve Gelbs reveals his favorite Mets moment at Citi Field on The Mets Pod
• WATCH: Mets Top 10 Prospects for 2025 from Joe DeMayo
• WATCH: Is right now the last and best chance for Baty and the Mets?

For a Dodgers fan like me, the story of the 2017 World Series is a wound that will never heal. In his article, Bill Shaikin suggests that A.J. Hinch deserves the asterisk removed from his name for the taint of the cheating scandal because he was a minor player and has owned his part in what happened.

Maybe I can be big enough to forgive Hinch, but as far as removing the asterisk I don’t think so. He witnessed the cheating in his dugout and did nothing to stop it. But I can never forgive Rob Manfred for the fact that in his finite wisdom he decided that the 2017 World Series trophy should remain in Houston. There is plenty of evidence that the cheating changed the results of that Series. And what about the $4,000 I spent on World Series tickets in ’17 hoping to fulfill my son’s lifelong dream of seeing his beloved Dodgers win the championship on the field at Chavez Ravine?

The commissioner spit on the integrity of the sport my son and I love. That will never be forgiven.

Larry Weiner
Culver City

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I read "Coach sheds an asterisk from '17 scandal" by Bill Shaikin. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch should never shed that asterisk. I would love to see the Dodgers face the Tigers in the 2025 World Series and sweep them. Just because "Hinch said he was wrong" in not doing anything to stop the 2017 Astros from cheating does not exonerate him.

Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood

Where was the foresight?

So, let me get this straight. Professional athletes who depend upon their vision for success don't actually go routinely for a complete vision exam? After 10 years, Kiké Hernández "discovered" he had an astigmatism. Now Max Muncy "discovers" he has one too? Shouldn't comprehensive eye exams be required of every batter and fielder? What is the Dodgers' medical team doing here?

Mike Schaller
Temple City

Making moves

Attention Dylan Hernández! Cannot agree. No time to panic, just yet. Leave Shohei Ohtani alone in his DH status. Dodgers are correct in letting him ease into his pitching until after the All-Star break. We still have plenty of decent arms to carry the load until then.

Aside from the first three quarters of an NBA game, the most meaningless stats in sports are baseball standings from April to July!

Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates

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The Dodgers continue to find ways to successfully fill holes in pitching, hitting and fielding. The latest arrival, Hyeseong Kim, has demonstrated potential with the bat and in the field. Perhaps, Dave Roberts may want to think about moving him to third base.

Mark Mallinger
Malibu

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Entering Friday’s game against Arizona, the two players who primarily bat at or near the bottom of the Dodgers' lineup (and ahead of Shohei Ohtani starting from his second at bat) were hitting .188 and .135. Although not even a quarter of the season has been played, strong consideration should be given by the Dodgers to making changes at the bottom of the lineup, and/or to moving Ohtani to second or third in the order, so that his batting talents can be maximized.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

Split decision

When do you suppose our major universities will wise up to the notion of serving as a free farm club for the NFL and NBA? Nothing about today’s college sports serves the mission of an education institution, so they should decide not to participate in the transfer portal or provide a conduit for NIL money. Schools should return to the days when students could have a part-time job to support them, commitments to sports programs should be for the season only, and nothing more than scholarships provided, if that. Then we would have student-athletes instead of shopping vagabonds.

It sickens me to see where drafted students have been to three or four colleges for their “education.” Major college programs should be divorced from universities and serve just as club teams unrelated to education.

Larry Nelson
Pacific Palisades

Back to the drawing board

It is no surprise that the Lakers and the Clippers have been eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs since both followed the same game plan for building a team. Modern championship-caliber teams are built from the ground up starting with drafting players and by trading for young players who are still on affordable contracts. The Lakers and Clippers started with buying expensive free-agent stars and trading for stars that left them with insufficient money to fill out their rosters and insufficient draft picks to grow from within. Will they never learn?

Richard Raffalow
Valley Glen

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Lakers first round — gone.

Kings first round — gone.

Clippers first round — gone.

It's time for Dodger baseball.

Dave Snyder
Grand Terrace

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Now that the Lakers/Clippers seasons are over, it’s time for some real basketball — the WNBA.

David Marshall
Santa Monica

Time is not running out

Things you can do during the last two minutes of an NBA playoff game:

—your taxes

—write a book

—learn a new language

—watch every round of the NFL draft

Andy Bernstein
Santa Monica

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The Cubs came into this weekend series with the Mets as one of the hottest offensive teams in the National League.

Chicago is in the top three of almost every offensive category, including batting average (third), home runs (second), hits (first), runs batted in (first) and stolen bases (first), so it was going to be a challenge for Clay Holmes, Friday's starter, to keep them in check. But that's exactly what the veteran right-hander did, helping the Mets defeat the high-powered Cubs, 7-2.

“He was really good," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Holmes' performance. “On a day that the sinker had a lot of movement. It was windy and the ball was moving a lot."

As the Mets skipper pointed out, the cold and windy conditions at Citi Field were not conducive to Holmes' signature sinker. So much so that catcher Francisco Alvarez told him in the dugout after the first inning that the pitch was moving more than normal. Mendoza jokingly told Alvarez that he better find a way to keep it around the plate, and Holmes credited his backstop for being "on top of it" throughout the game.

"The sinker felt good today. There was some really good movement on it," Holmes said. "Those days, it’s a matter of trusting it... Try not to force it and trust that the movement is going to be there, and that’s what we did today. Used the slider effectively, used the sweeper effectively. Got some big outs behind the count and when we were ahead, was able to make some pitches."

Holmes' sinker, along with his array of other pitches, allowed him to go six innings, allowing just one run on three hits, three walks and striking out five batters.

"He went to the changeup when he needed to, went to the breaking ball when he needed to," Mendoza said. "Made it look easy on a night when it wasn’t the best conditions for his pitch repertoire. And he found a way."

Holmes came into Friday's start not having allowed a home run this season. That would change on Kyle Tucker's fourth-inning solo shot, the only blemish on Holmes' ledger on this night. But the Cubs just couldn't get rallies going against the former closer and Holmes was asked after the game how he was able to keep Chicago down.

"Trusting my strengths. When my sinker is right, there’s a lot of outs with it," he said. "They’re one of the best teams in the NL. Times like that, it’s about not trying to do too much, trusting your stuff, and see where you’re out.

"Was able to put some pressure early with the sinker. Movement was good, and was able to pitch off that. That’s been the backbone of my career. Was able to show up today."

Friday was Holmes' second consecutive quality start and his third in four games. In that span, he's 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA.

Holmes says the key to going deeper in games this season has been to "trust in the contact" while trusting his defense behind him.

"I can get into spurts where I nibble too much and overthink some things," he said. "Just throw my pitches in the zone and trust the defense. I’ve been able to settle into that. It’s allowed me to get into better counts, earlier contact, and go deep into games."

When the Mets signed Holmes this offseason to be a starter after years of being an All-Star closer, it was a risk but one that is so far paying off for both parties. Friday is another example of that, with Holmes throwing a career-high 93 pitches and giving the Mets some length heading into the meat of this weekend series.

Holmes credits the program that he is on, which has allowed his body to adapt and build off of each outing. And he'll need that program as it's likely Holmes' next start will come on regular rest. It will be the first time he'll be pitching on four days rest this season, but Holmes says while his the amount of pitches he throws in his bullpen sessions, which won't change, may differ, he feels he'll be ready.

"I’m in a good spot for it, and I’m ready to roll," he said.

The roof was open. The air was hot. And in a stadium already known as a hitter’s paradise, the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks teed off on each other in a Chase Field classic.

There were lead changes and sudden momentum shifts. Line-drive rockets and towering no-doubt blasts. The ejection of Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior, and a last-gasp ninth-inning comeback from their offense.

Most of all, there was Shohei Ohtani.

With two on and one out with the score tied in the ninth, Ohtani turned a riveting early May night into one of the most memorable games of his Dodger career, launching a go-ahead three-run home run that lifted the Dodgers to a 14-11 win.

As far as storybook moments in the regular season go, Friday’s ending had everything.

Read more:Dodgers continue ‘to bet on’ Michael Conforto, but can he break unthinkable early slump?

By the ninth inning, the reigning National League MVP already hit two doubles as part of the Dodgers’ early onslaught, one that helped them build a five-run lead in the third inning they would later squander by surrendering eight unanswered scores.

But in the ninth, a leadoff infield single from Freddie Freeman was followed by consecutive run-scoring doubles from Andy Pages and Kiké Hernández, trimming what was an 11-8 deficit to 11-10. Max Muncy got the score knotted, knocking a single to right. Then, when Michael Conforto got hit with a pitch with one out, the Diamondbacks faced a decision.

Arizona could have intentionally walked Ohtani, a move that would have loaded the bases but also set up a force out at every bag. Instead, they replaced closer Kevin Ginkel with sidearm right-hander Ryan Thompson, hoping his funky delivery could keep Ohtani off balance.

He couldn’t, throwing a 1-and-2 splitter that stayed up over the middle. The sound alone off Ohtani’s bat left no doubt about where it would land.

Even before first pitch, Friday had the makings of a high-scoring affair.

Eduardo Rodríguez, the veteran left-hander who two years ago blocked an agreed-upon deadline day trade from Detroit to the Dodgers, entered the night with a 5.92 ERA and was facing a right-handed-heavy Dodgers lineup, with slumping lefty sluggers Muncy and Conforto dropped to the bench.

Roki Sasaki, meanwhile, was pitching on five days of rest (as opposed to six) for the first time in his career. He was throwing in a dry Arizona climate that can often influence the execution of breaking pitches. And, as a result, there was added importance on a fastball that has disappointed so far this season, averaging well below the triple-digit readings he was hoping to rediscover this season while generating few whiffs or much soft contact.

Right from the jump, the Diamondbacks took advantage.

While Rodríguez gave up one run in the first inning after a leadoff double from Ohtani, Sasaki was ambushed for three. In a 2-and-1 count, Ketel Marte got a middle-middle heater that he sent curling around the right-field foul pole for a solo home run. Then, after Josh Naylor doubled on a four-seamer that clocked in at just 92.8 mph, Eugenio Suárez launched an outer-edge fastball the other way for a two-run blast.

The homers were the fifth and sixth that Sasaki has given up in his last five outings. All of them have come against his fastball, a pitch that has yielded a lot of hard contact while getting very little swing-and-miss — including no whiffs Friday.

The Dodgers (26-13) had an answer of their own in the second, tying the game on Hernández’s sixth home run of the year and Ohtani’s second double in as many innings.

Then, in the third, they seemingly took control of the game, exploding for five runs on four hits and three walks while sending 11 batters to the plate — in an inning where the three outs were recorded by Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman no less.

Before ending the inning with a strikeout in his second at-bat of the third, Freeman helped get it started by roping a double down the line to put two runners in scoring position. Pages followed that up with a two-run single to left. Hernández and Miguel Rojas came up next and loaded the bases with a single and a walk. Still with no one out, James Outman hit the ground ball Arizona (20-19) was looking for, but an errant throw to the plate instead allowed two more runs to score. Betts later tacked on a sacrifice fly.

That should’ve been enough for the Dodgers, carrying the ensuing 8-3 lead into the fourth.

But on this night, no lead was ever truly safe.

Sasaki was pulled after issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth, the lead having been trimmed to 8-4 at that point. His replacement, Anthony Banda, failed to stem a turning tide.

Within three batters, the Diamondbacks had the bases loaded. With two outs in the inning, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. swung big at a down-and-in sinker. Banda turned to watch it fly for a tying grand slam, evening the score at 8-8.

The Diamondbacks' go-ahead run scored amid more contentious circumstances, as right-hander Luis García tried to escape another bases-loaded, two-out jam he inherited from Banda in the sixth.

In a full count with Suarez, he threw a high sweeper that appeared to catch the top of the strike zone. Home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak, however, ruled it a ball that walked in a run. After the inning, Prior was ejected for arguing from the dugout.

In the eighth, it was the Diamondbacks turn to seemingly put the game out of reach, hitting back to back home runs off Alex Vesia for an 11-8 lead.

But, once again, no lead on this night proved to be safe.

Especially not once the Dodgers got Ohtani back up to the plate.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Jasson Dominguez smashed three of the Yankees' four home runs and Will Warren had the best start of his career, as New York beat the Athletics, 10-2, on Friday night in West Sacramento.

Here are the takeaways..

-The Yankees offense could not capitalize on a fast start. Aaron Judge -- after having his 38-game on-base streak snapped on Wednesday -- started a new streak with a first-pitch double off the left-field wall that put Trent Grisham (who reached on a walk) to third with no outs. But Ben Rice (popout), Paul Goldschmidt (groundout to the pitcher) and Jasson Dominguez (strikeout) could not get the runners home.

They couldn't get it done in the second inning either. With runners on second and third with two outs, Grisham popped out to end the threat.

New York figured out the solution to their clutch-hitting problems: hit home runs. Goldschmidt (417 feet) and Dominguez (398 feet) would go back-to-back with two outs in the third to put the Yanks up 2-0. But that wouldn't be the end of the homers.

-Dominguez would have himself a day at the plate. In addition to his solo homer, he would go yard a second time in the seventh, this time from the right side. The Martian took a Hogan Harris curveball 431 feet over the center field wall. The young outfielder finished 3-for-4 with seven RBI and had his first multi-homer game as a big leaguer, and his seventh-inning longball was his first from the right side.

His at-bat in the eighth with the bases loaded saw him launch his first career grand slam. He also became the youngest player in Yankees history to have a three-homer game.

-Warren was dealing early. He struck out four in his first three innings. The young right-hander wouldn't allow his first base runner (walk) until one out in the fourth inning. After a single, Warren would pitch out of the jam by striking out Shea Langeliers and JJ Bleday in succession. After that, Warren was in cruise control, pitching into the sixth inning when he allowed a leadoff double. Warren settled down, getting the next three batters out and pitching through six innings for the first time in his big league career.

Warren would pitch into the eighth inning, but it was noticeable he was out of gas. He was pulled after allowing back-to-back singles with one out. One of his runners would come around to score after Mark Leiter Jr. came in, but the book was closed on Warren's night pretty quickly.

The young hurler pitched 7.1 innings (87 pitches/59 strikes), allowing one run on four hits, one walk and striking out seven batters.

-There was an odd series of events in the fifth that could have cost the Yankees a run. With men on first and second, and one out, Goldschmidt lofted a ball into shallow left-center field. Bleday clearly trapped the ball and Grisham ran home, but Rice was called out at second on the force because the third base umpire ruled Bleday had caught it, and he went back to first. After a lengthy discussion, the umps ruled it a trap, but sent Grisham back to third and Rice to second.

Dominguez would get Grisham home anyway with a sac fly.

-Every Yankee in the starting lineup -- aside from Grisham -- had at least one hit with Rice (2-5), Dominguez (4-3), Goldschmidt (2-4), J.C. Escarra (2-4) and Jorbit Vivas (2-5) picking up multi-hit games. Judge finished 1-for-4 with a walk as his batting average dipped to .396, the first time he was batting under .400 since April 22.

Game MVP: Jasson Dominguez

Hitting three homers and driving in seven runs will get you this honor 99.9 percent of the time. (Kudos to Warren, though)

Highlights

Paul Goldschmidt opens the scoring! 💣 pic.twitter.com/aVWWZ4Uptw

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

JASSON DOMINGUEZ AND PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT GO BACK TO BACK! pic.twitter.com/76udK3WaMA

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

Umpires initially ruled that JJ Bleday made a diving catch on this play and that Trent Grisham was doubled off at second.

After discussion, the umpires gave a base hit and moved each runner up one base. pic.twitter.com/u2MfWZruKb

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

JASSON DOMINGUEZ HAS HOMERED FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE PLATE 👽 pic.twitter.com/SMM1q7cvWd

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

JASSON DOMÍNGUEZ GRAND SLAM!!!!!!!

HIS THIRD HOME RUN OF THE NIGHT!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/0Cr1xl0r00

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 10, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Athletics play the middle of their three-game set on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m.

Carlos Rodon (4-3, 2.96 ERA) will take on JP Sears (4-2, 2.93 ERA).