NBA owners loved it — this is what they and Adam Silver want to see, players willingly taking a little less money. It frustrated the NBA players' union, starting with the fact it's a decision that had to be made at all.
Victor Wembanyama took a discount on his contract extension with the Spurs that could save the team a little more than $50 million over five years by agreeing to only take 25% of the salary cap — still five years, $252 million — rather than the 30% he would be eligible for if he is again Defensive Player of the Year or makes an All-NBA team (thinks that feel like a lock if he plays the required 65 games next season).
For the first time, Wemby discussed his decision, speaking to Jason Jones of The Athletic about the French center being named the NBA 2K27 cover athlete (along with Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose).
"We have a good team, we had a very good playoff run, and we had a very good regular season. But what's even better and greater is our potential. The reality of today's NBA is that often, the potential of teams is not fulfilled because of money. I just want to make sure it's never our case."
We are not alone
Victor Wembanyama has landed as your NBA 2K27 Standard Edition Cover Athlete
Welcome to the world of the second apron of the luxury tax, which teams are treating as a hard cap. Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren took the same discount Wemby did a year ago, and yet this summer his team had to let go of Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to stay below that line. Boston traded Jaylen Brown because management said it couldn't build a contending team in the future with him and Jayson Tatum taking up a combined 70% of the salary cap. Wemby sees the extensions coming for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper — plus De'Aaron Fox being on a huge contract — and did what he sees as his part.
If anyone deserved all the money he can get, it's Wembanyama, who at age 22 is arguably the best player walking the face of the earth — and in a couple years that will not be an argument. Last season he averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, lifted the Spurs to the NBA Finals, was voted the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, came in third in MVP voting and was voted First Team All-NBA. He is becoming a massive global brand and star.
Which is why he's on the cover of NBA 2K27, taking the spot that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander held a year ago for the top-selling sports video game in the United States. Wemby gets that this is big.
"I know it means a lot culturally, too. It's hard to realize for me that I'm taking more and more space, more real estate in the world of basketball, in what basketball means, in professional basketball."
And his eyes, if the money he gave up helps him and the Spurs stay there, then it's worth it.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung exited early from a 10-0 win over the Chicago White Sox because of left calf tightness.
Jung, the team’s leading hitter with a .294 average, was replaced in the field in the top of the fourth inning. Jung had a two-out single in the third, then appeared slow going from first to third base on a single by Brandon Nimmo. Jung did finish that inning, scoring on a double by Jake Burger.
After the game, Jung said he was a little sore but not concerned about the tightness he first felt when running to first base on his hit in the third inning. He said he wanted to play through it, but Rangers manager Skip Schumaker took him out of the game.
The Rangers before the game placed catcher Kyle Higashioka on the 10-day injured list with right flexor strain, and put right-handed pitcher Jose Corniell on the 15-day list with the same injury.
Texas brought up left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales and catcher Austin Wynns from Triple-A Round Rock.
Gonzales, a 34-year-old left-hander, pitched the final three innings for his first big league save — in his 171st career game since his debut in 2014, and his first relief appearance in the majors since 2017.
It was his first big league game since a start for Pittsburgh on Aug. 7, 2024. He missed all of last season recovering from elbow surgery, and started this season in the San Diego Padres organization.
Left-hander Jalen Beeks, who will miss the rest of the season because of surgery for a flexor tendon strain, was transferred to the 60-day IL.
CHICAGO — Cubs reliever Trent Thornton is day to day with a bruised left heel after he was struck by a comebacker.
Thornton had a CT scan that showed no fractures. He played catch before the Cubs’ 11-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, and the right-hander was optimistic about avoiding a stint on the injured list.
“I got very lucky,” he said. “Definitely a lot of positive signs today.”
Thornton came in to pitch the 10th inning in the Cubs’ series opener against the Tigers. But he was helped off the field after he was hit by Riley Greene’s 108.9 mph liner.
The 32-year-old Thornton credited his Mizuno cleats with helping him avoid serious injury. He was wearing a model with a hard shell right at the heel, while his other cleats have a soft outer shell for that area of the foot.
The Cubs used seven relievers during an 8-6 loss.
Thornton got hurt on the same day that fellow reliever Phil Maton went on the 15-day IL for the third time this season with right knee tendinitis.
Manager Craig Counsell said Maton received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He is expected to have no significant activity for the next three weeks.
Utilityman Matt Shaw is traveling to the team’s complex in Arizona and may start swinging a bat soon. Shaw was placed on the IL on June 29 with a sprained left hand.
“The good news was the additional imaging showed improved healing,” Counsell said. “That makes Matt feel good, obviously, so we just got to get through the last little bit.”
CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers placed right-hander Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list with right flexor inflammation.
Flaherty pitched four innings in an 8-6 victory at the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three runs and four hits.
The 30-year-old Flaherty is 3-8 with a 4.59 ERA in 19 starts this season. He finalized a two-year, $35 million contract with Detroit in February 2025.
“It wasn’t a clear-cut IL when we woke up this morning, and then as the day went on and the more (opinions) we got, the more we realized he wasn’t going to pitch in five or six days,” manager A.J. Hinch said.
Ty Madden was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, putting a fresh arm in Detroit’s weary bullpen. The right-hander replaced Framber Valdez with two outs in the first and pitched 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in an 11-2 loss at Wrigley Field.
The Tigers used four relievers to cover 4 2/3 innings in a 3-2 loss at the Los Angeles Angels. Then they used five relievers for six innings in their series opener against the Cubs.
Infielder Zach McKinstry and catcher Jake Rogers each pitched one inning.
“The two position players helped us get to the finish line,” Hinch said. “Today was like live to play another day.”
The 26-year-old Madden has no record and a 3.09 ERA in eight appearances for Detroit this year. He is 2-0 with a 4.71 ERA in 11 starts and one relief appearance with Toledo.
“There’s a little different edge and sort of a different attention to detail, I think, when he gets to the big leagues and he’s performed really well here,” Hinch said. “He challenges the strike zone. He’s got a tough, tough combo with his slider and split. Somebody I do trust a lot to pitch in a variety of roles.”
Hinch said Justin Verlander was the first player from the team to arrive at the ballpark. The 43-year-old right-hander, who plans to retire after this season, is coming back from hip and hamstring injuries.
“His arm’s still moving,” Hinch said. “We haven’t gotten to the mound yet. Once that happens, then we can start to lay out a little bit of a longer plan.”
Hello! I’m Jon. When Alex and I were piecing together the script for “The History of the Seattle Mariners” way back in 2019, our short Lenny Randle segment went through a couple of revisions. Although he only spent a small fraction of his career in Seattle, Lenny established himself as a Mariners legend, and we had to rein ourselves in from writing an extensive tangent covering his entire story.
It took us long enough, but six-plus years later, Lenny finally gets his own Secret Base video. Time and again, he found himself standing center stage during baseball’s oddest, most chaotic scenes. Sometimes he just happened to be there and passively observed the ruckus. Other times, he conjured it himself. Since “The History of Charging the Mound” is, above all else, a story about baseball chaos, it was inevitable that he’d find himself here.
Hope you enjoy his story as much as I did. As always, if you want more from this series, or more special projects like this, and get them as soon as they’re ready – check out Secret Base on Patreon. If you’re a member over there, then you would’ve gotten to see an uncensored butt in this video. Best sales pitch we’ve got.
Jun 13, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves do a lot of things that typically play up well in October. Home run ball? They’re 5th in the league in homers even after a dormant month of June. Dominant bullpen? The Braves have arguably the best group in the game, especially if Robert Suarez returns soon. Ace at the top of the rotation to lean on? Chris Sale’s been incredible.
But at the same time, despite owning one of the best records in the league, the Braves have a few glaring needs heading into the trade deadline, which is quickly approaching on August 3.
Let’s fix those needs. Here are three players (or maybe four) the Braves need to acquire before the trade deadline.
Kevin Gausman
As of this writing, it remains to be seen if the Toronto Blue Jays — who were inches away from the World Series last fall — will sell as they continue to fall behind in the American League East. But if they do, the Braves should reunite with old friend Kevin Gausman.
There will be other starting pitching options for Alex Anthopoulos. But given the presumed cost, familiarity, reliability, durability, and potential to form one of the top 1-2 punches in the game alongside Chris Sale, this would be my starting pitching addition.
Gausman’s tenure with Atlanta in 2018-2019 did not meet expectations, but he’s been as good as virtually anyone in the league since leaving town. Dating back to the 2022 season, Gausman ranks 4th in pitcher WAR with a strong 3.60 ERA and even better 3.21 FIP. He’s been a beacon of durability and reliability, making 145 starts in that time span. He also has a wealth of postseason experience, and while milage can vary on how much that actually means, he was superb with Toronto last postseason. The idea of pairing him with Sale atop the rotation is tantalizing.
Gausman will be a free agent at the end of 2026. I’ll believe Alex Anthopoulos unloads the top of the farm system when he actually does it — he’s been hyper cautious moving prospects during his nine year tenure in Atlanta — and the price for Gausman would likely not be astronomical as someone with a few months of control. The veteran righty is owed approximately $8M the rest of the season, a significant amount of coin the Braves can eat.
Gausman hasn’t been quite as good on the surface as he’s been in recent years — a 4.51 ERA won’t make anyone fall out of their chair — but he’s been better than that if you look under the hood (3.67 FIP, 3.79 xFIP, 3.87 xERA as of July 21). His velocity on his fastball and famous splitter are down a tick this season, although his fastball grades out extremely well at Baseball Savant. There’s a lot to like here, even if he hasn’t been quite as good as in previous years. Make it happen, Alex.
Spencer Steer and JJ Bleday
OK, so I’m cheating here. The headline says “three players the Braves should acquire” and I’m listing four. Take me to jail.
The Cincinnati Reds are almost certainly going to sell. They have reportedly already received calls on Spencer Steer, and I’m guessing they will be asked about JJ Bledway, too.
Here’s Steer, the 28-year-old righty who can bounce around the field.
The idea behind Steer is largely for what he can do against left-handed pitching. He is absolutely mashing southpaws this year, hitting .342 with an absurd 184 wRC+. His career numbers are obviously not quite that good — .270 average, 126 wRC+ — but he would represent a massive upgrade in the middle of the lineup against left-handed pitching and can hold his own against righties. The Braves are guaranteed to see good left-handed pitching down the stretch, and they rank 23rd in the league against them with a collective 93 wRC+.
At present, the Braves’ right-handed bench options are Eli White and Joey Bart. Sean Murphy could factor into that equation at some point, although I don’t think you can count on Murphy for anything besides superb defense. Steer would become an outstanding platoon partner with Mike Yastrzemski in left field, provide insurance in the event of another injury to Ronald Acuña Jr. (or another outfielder), becomes an impact bat off the bench when called upon late in games, and makes the Braves infinitely better against left-handed pitching.
As for JJ Bleday, he’s having an even better season in Cincinnati. You may recall he tormented the Braves earlier this year, and he’s kept up the good work outside of a downturn for a few weeks in June. Here are Bleday’s numbers:
The Dominic Smith story was a great one early in the year, but it’s time to move on. Smith has a sub-600 OPS since late April, a real cause for concern as the every day DH on the team against right-handed pitching.
Bleday would provide a significant upgrade over Smith at DH, and he could play a corner outfield spot, too. Adding an outfielder (or two) also nearly guarantees Mauricio Dubon can move to shortstop on a full-time basis. This lineup becomes so much better and deeper with the addition of a lefty and righty bat. Steer and Bleday feel like great fits, and again, neither should cost a fortune.
Robbie Ray
I won’t rehash all the issues with the rotation, but let’s hypothetically say Anthopoulos acquires Gausman. Here’s your rotation:
Chris Sale, Kevin Gausman … Reynaldo Lopez? Grant Holmes? Bryce Elder? Martin Perez? AJ Smith-Shawver? JR Ritchie? Owen Murphy? We just saw Hurston Waldrep go down with another elbow injury, and the reports on Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider aren’t exactly rosy at this point.
That’s not good enough.
Enter Robbie Ray, a pending free agent on a San Francisco Giants team guaranteed to sell. He’s owed approximately $8 million the rest of the way whenever he’s moved.
Ray owns a strong 3.33 ERA but hasn’t been nearly that good with a 4.59 FIP and 4.84 xFIP. He’s been better overall since a disastrous start in Arizona on May 18; since then, Ray owns a 2.41 ERA, 3.87 FIP and 5.05 xFIP. I would imagine teams interested in Ray won’t value him at the low-threes ERA and instead see him as a reliable innings eater to round out a rotation for two months.
Not only would a second starter help stabilize the rotation, but it would also make it easy to move Grant Holmes to the bullpen, where he should thrive only facing hitters one time. It just makes too much sense, and if my assessment of his trade value is close, it shouldn’t take a ton to acquire the veteran lefty. Noticing a theme here?
So there you have it. An impact starter, an innings eater, and at least one bat for the outfield and DH spots, ideally two.
PHOENIX , AZ - MARCH 20: Charlie Beilenson of the Seattle Mariners pitches during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Phoenix , Arizona. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
While it’s far from the only problem with the team, the “B” side of the Mariners bullpen has been an issue this season, as the team has cycled through various names trying to find some surehanded help to prop up an injury-ravaged ‘pen. With the latest injury update forecasting that Carlos Vargas, Matt Brash, and Cooper Criswell won’t be back until mid-to-late August (Vargas and Brash) to late August or September (Criswell), picking up bullpen help at the deadline is obviously on the Mariners’ shopping list, but with the market shaping up to be an extreme seller’s market, the Mariners would find themselves paying top-shelf prices to acquire bullpen pieces while the offense continues to flounder.
Instead of looking for outside help, the Mariners might be better served by keeping their prospects and looking internally. Obviously, the first two names to jump to mind – especially after their sterling outings at the Futures Game last weekend – are Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, the two-headed pitching monster currently destroying the Texas League. However, Jerry Dipoto said in conversation on Friday that the team is going to be very mindful of Anderson’s innings, in particular: there’s a number of innings they want him to get to, and the math has to work out considering what his role would be at the big-league level. The situation is similar with Sloan, who is even younger than Anderson although with more pro ball experience; the Mariners are laser-focused on ensuring that they won’t be robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to speak, and artificially accelerating the timeline or development of either of the two pitchers in order to paper over cracks at the big-league level.
But there are are pair of relievers, recently promoted to Tacoma, who have been pitching well enough to deserve a shot, both mentioned in conversation by Dipoto. The first is a familiar name for those of you who were heavily plugged in during Spring Training: righty Charlie Beilenson, a fifth-round senior sign in 2024 out of Duke – one of the senior signs the Mariners used to save money for Ryan Sloan, funnily enough, but Beilenson is a legitimate prospect. The club had designs on fast-tracking him in 2025, but an injury suffered in spring training kept him out for most of the year. Beilenson got back on track this spring, pitching both with the big-league club in spring training and for Team Israel in the WBC, experience that Dipoto said was invaluable for the young reliever, given an opportunity to share the field with some of the game’s best and feel like he belonged. At Arkansas this season, Beilenson is striking out over a third of batters faced and holding hitters to a .187 average, despite not having the loudest stuff – his fastball hangs out in the lower 90s, mid-90s when it’s going well, and he couples that with a slider-changeup combo that accounts for most of his whiffs. The big selling point with Beilenson is his plus command, although he walks a few more guys than you’d expect out of that profile. He has eight saves for Arkansas, leading all pitchers in the system – familiar territory for Beilenson, who was a Stopper of the Year finalist at Duke and tied the school record for saves in a single season.
Here’s one of my favorite Charlie outings, from July 7 against the Amarillo Sod Poodles: technically this is low-leverage because it was an extra-inning game tied at 2 before the Travs scored eight runs in the top of the 10th, but Beilenson still struck out the side to put an exclamation point on a thrilling Travs win. Vimeo wasn’t cooperating with me so please excuse the Bluesky embed (and click through to see all three strikeouts, two swinging and one called to end the game).
The other arm Dipoto mentioned was Reid VanScoter, also recently promoted to Triple-A. A longtime resident in Seattle’s system, VanScoter could be an option for the Mariners should they want to add another lefty to the pen. In his second tour of the Texas League, VanScoter is striking out a career-high 31% of hitters thanks to what Dipoto described as a mechanical change; however, that spike in strikeouts has come at the cost of some of his command, as he’s also walking a career-high number of hitters. He’ll need to calm that down in order to earn a look at the big leagues and unseat Josh Simpson as the other lefty option in the ‘pen.
One name that didn’t come up but is definitely on most prospect-heads’ radar is Teddy McGraw, a promising pitcher whose journey to the bigs has been delayed by multiple arm injuries but who possesses one of the best curveballs in the system. The Mariners have been ramping up McGraw’s usage at Double-A late in June, going from having him pitch every four days to every other day. McGraw’s arc is a little longer than the other two, as he continues to gain experience in the upper minors and just adjust physically to the rigors of professional baseball, even while healthy, but he’s a name to monitor.
Another longer-path name to know is Brock Moore, who was promoted to Double-A in early June after mowing down hitters at High-A. The 6’6” former Oregon Duck is still searching for his command in Arkansas, but he’s the “stuffiest” guy listed here, with a fastball that can kiss triple digits and a two-plane slider that combine for massive whiff rates but also massive walk rates.
Brock Moore strikes out 4 over 2 innings of 1-hit ball. He’s been throwing the ball very well in his last 4 outings.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 05: Martín Pérez #33 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning during the game against the New York Mets at Truist Park on July 5, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TBD no more: between this weekend’s rumblings and JR Ritchie’s 3.2 innings of relief in last night’s loss to San Diego, today’s moves aren’t suprising.
Martín Pérez has been activated and is set to start tonight’s game. He has been sidelined since July 6 after suffering a 92 mph liner to the left forearm in his outing versus the Mets, and don’t ask about what happened after he exited. Pérez (6-6, 3.54 ERA) had struggled a few consecutive starts following a different comebacker in late June, but will be aiming to bounce back and do his part to stabilize the rotation.
In a corresponding move, JR Ritchie will board the Gwinnett shuttle and head back to Triple-A.
The #Braves today reinstated LHP Martín Pérez from the injured list and optioned RHP JR Ritchie to Triple-A Gwinnett.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 06: Nate Pearson #55 of the Houston Astros bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today, the Houston Astros announced they have traded reliever Nate Pearson to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for righthanded pitching prospect Max Martin.
Martin, 22, has posted a 6-2 record with a 2.01 ERA in 26 relief appearances across two levels of Class A ball in the Royals system this season. Martin was a 10th round pick by Kansas City in the 2025 draft.
Pearson, 29, has made 16 appearances for the Astros this season. He is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Pearson was one of the hardest throwers in the Astros pen, able to hit 98 MPH with his fastball. Command has been an issue for Pearson, who has walked 12 batters in 20 innings this season to go with 16 strikeouts.
The Astros clear a roster spot on both the 26-man and 40-man roster with the move.
SP Hayden Wesneski is scheduled to make one more rehab start before being activated, and now his pathway back to the roster is clearer.
Caitlin Clark is the first WNBA player to be featured on a global NBA 2K cover.
NBA 2K27 announced today that Clark, Victor Wembanyama abd Derrick Rose will be featured on covers of the editions, which will be will released Sept. 4. Clark will be on the deluxe cover.
She’s obsessed with the work
Caitlin Clark is your NBA 2K27 Deluxe Edition Cover Athlete
"Being on the cover of NBA 2K27 is special because this game reaches fans all over the world,” Clark said. “To be the first WNBA player on her own global cover means women's basketball gets to show up on that stage too, and I am proud to be part of that."
Clark joins a handful of WNBA legends who have made NBA 2K cover appearances, including Candance Parker (2022), Diana Taurasi (2023), Sue Bird (2023), Sabrina Ionescu (2024), A'ja Wilson (2025) and Angel Reese (2026).
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 29: Eric Lauer #33 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Athletics in the bottom of the first inning at Sutter Health Park on June 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After two games that couldn’t be more different than each other, the Dodgers look to take the second series of the second half in Philadelphia.
Monday’s game was a slugfest, and Tuesday’s game was a pitching duel that ended in a huge base running mistaken double play by the Phillies runners. Wednesday’s game could bring anything at the point.
The Dodgers will send Eric Lauer to the mound, who quietly has been giving the Dodgers consistently good outings since joining the team. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven straight games. But, he’s not a big strikeout guy, and he’s not a ground ball guy, so the Phillies offense could go back to doing what they did in game one of the series and let the long balls fly.
Trea Turner has a six-game hit streak going, and he’s 6-for-16 against Lauer with a 1.224 OPS. He has two homers against him, including a grand slam while he was a Dodger.
Aaron Nola will go for Philly, and the right hander has had a very up and down season so far. He’s 3-7 with a 5.68 ERA, but has had decent outings as of late, not allowing more than three earned runs in any of them, and striking out at least six in each of his last three.
Lauer threw 99 pitches in his last outing, which was two weeks ago. With Justin Wrobleski going deep yesterday, the bullpen should be fairly well rested, and the team has an off day tomorrow.
If the Dodgers offense could get things going against an arm like Nola, the Dodgers could easily continue their streak of not having lost a Lauer start.
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1979: Dave Stieb #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the New York Yankees during a Major League Baseball game circa 1979 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Stieb played for the Blue Jays from 1979-92 and in 1998. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today marks Dave Stieb’s 69th birthday.
We saw Stieb on the weekend. He looks like he could still play.
Stieb holds the franchise records for wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, games started, complete games, and many other pitching categories. His 103 complete games in 408 starts for the Blue Jays is a mark unlikely to be matched unless baseball fundamentally changes. It’s hard to imagine another pitcher ever completing a quarter of their starts again.
He and Roy Halladay are 1 and 1A atop the list of greatest Blue Jays pitchers. My opinion occasionally shifts, but I generally give the edge to Stieb—those complete games and innings pitched mean a lot. But then they played in different eras. In my view, Stieb was the best American League pitcher of the 1980s.
Stieb was also, to put it nicely, an intense competitor. He loved to win and didn’t always react well when teammates made mistakes behind him (can you imagine him playing for the Jays this week?). I remember seeing him glare at fielders from the mound; I doubt that all of his teammates were big fans of his demeanor.
A few years ago, I asked Pat Hentgen a few questions about Stieb:
From the outside, it always seemed like Stieb wasn’t the greatest person?
For some reason, he took a liking to me when I played there, so we got pretty close during my first year with him, and we stayed in touch through the 90s until he made his comeback in 98. We shared the same agent. There’s always been a connection there. He’s always helped me. He’s always been a guy I could call while playing. Call him and talk about the mental focus, things he did, and tools to get back on track. It was nice to have a guy who was 10 years ahead of me in age, experience, and life in general. It’s been a great relationship.
He was a hero of mine as a kid, I guess, because he was the best player on the team at the time.
He was very good. I mean it was way before satellite TV and all that crap. My agent used to tell me he’d go months without a ball hit hard off him. You try to make it through one game without a hard-hit ball. I remember Bob, my agent, telling me that Dave, in his prime, went months without a ball hit hard. Give up singles and balls that bloop in, but no one would hit a ball hard. He was big-time dominant. He was so dominant.
He didn’t always seem to enjoy his teammates.
No kidding. I am sure he has said to me that he regrets some of the things he did early in his career as far as some of that stuff on the field. A very fierce competitor; you go to his place to play darts, it is ‘look out, game on,’ you know. Whatever you play, that is just the way he is. I don’t know if it is because he had an older brother. He was trying to keep up with him or what, but he is one hell of a competitor.
Happy Birthday, Dave. I hope it is a good one.
Cliff Johnson turns 79 today.
Cliff Johnson was a designated hitter who played for the Jays from 1983 to 1986, with a half-season stint for the Texas Rangers in between. I always thought Cliff was our first truly effective DH. He joined the team as a veteran at age 35 in 1983, already with 11 seasons in the majors. He was part of the Jays’ transformation from a struggling expansion team to a perennial playoff contender. In 1985—the franchise’s first playoff year—Bobby Cox platooned him with Al Oliver.
As a Blue Jay, Johnson hit .273/.372/.466 with 54 home runs and 202 RBI over four seasons. Across his 15-year career, he posted a .258/.355/.459 line with 196 home runs and 568 RBI. He was always a solid hitter but never known for his defense. Although he played catcher, first base, and outfield, DH was the ideal role for him.
I remember commentators calling him Heathcliff, but he’s listed as Clifford on his Baseball-Reference page. I thought Heathcliff was a cool name back then.
Happy Birthday, Cliff; have a good one.
Tim Johnson turns 77 today.
Tim played for the Jays in 1978 and 1979, wrapping up a seven-season MLB career. He appeared in 111 games for Toronto, batting .212/.284/.248 with one home run.
And you will likely remember that he was our manager in 1998. The team went 88-74 that season. So since we were 76-86 the season before, we were pretty happy with him.
Tim tried to motivate his players with stories of his time in Vietnam. Unfortunately, it was later revealed that these stories were fabricated—he had never served in Vietnam and was actually a Marine reservist while playing in the Dodgers’ minor league system. Exaggerating a resume is one thing, but lying about military service is unacceptable. He also falsely claimed to have received a basketball scholarship to UCLA.
Gord Ash ended up firing him. Ash didn’t have much luck with picking managers.
Caitlin Clark is officially an NBA 2K27 cover athlete.
On Wednesday, NBA 2K announced the specially selected cover athletes for NBA 2K27. NBA star Victor Wembanyama will be on the cover of the Standard Edition, and Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose will be on the limited-time Ultra Edition. Clark, who is set to grace the cover of the Deluxe Edition, is the first WNBA player featured on her own global NBA 2K premium cover.
"Being on the cover of NBA 2K27 is special because this game reaches fans all over the world,” said Clark via release. “To be the first WNBA player on her own global cover means women's basketball gets to show up on that stage too, and I am proud to be part of that."
She’s obsessed with the work 💭🏀
Caitlin Clark is your NBA 2K27 Deluxe Edition Cover Athlete
Clark, who is currently in her third season, is averaging a career-high 20.7 points per game and 42.8% shooting from the field. She's also averaging 7.8 assists per matchup, which is second in the WNBA. The Indiana Fever star will appear in her third All-Star Game this weekend and earned the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
NBA 2K27 is expected to be available on September 4, 2026. Early access begins August 28 for anyone who purchases the Deluxe Edition or the Ultra Edition.
PORTLAND, ME - JULY 02: Brooks Brannon #11 of the Portland Sea Dogs looks on prior to the game between the Altoona Curve and the Portland Sea Dogs at Delta Dental Park on Thursday, July 2, 2026 in Portland, Maine. (Photo by Bryce Mosmen/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Worcester: PPD (Rain), Make-Up Today
That same storm that compromised the Red Sox game ended up raining ou Worcester, too. And, in the same manner, the WooSox play the Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins AAA) in a double-header today, with first pitch at 4:05.
The Sea Dogs had just five hits in Binghamton (Mets AA) in the series opener, but that’s all they needed due to the timing of these runs. Jack Winnay, who’s been scorching hot this month, hit a solo shot in the third. Ronald Rosario hit a two-run ball in the next inning, and, with the score all tied at 4, what do you know? Brooks Brannon came through in a big way in the ninth inning with what would become the game-winning home run. It’s worth noting before we start the “all he does is get on base narrative!” that Brannon struck out twice on the night before that home run, but he came through when it mattered, as he often has this season.
Realistically, does Brannon fit on this team in the long term? Who’s to say. The spot that belonged to Triston Casas has now never been more solidly Willson Contreras’, at least for the next couple of years. Brannon will be just 24 years of age when that contract expires. There’s also no one that immediately comes to mind near him save for Rosario who’s surely winning fans over with his propensity for the long ball. But how much can you get at the deadline for packaging a 22-year-old catcher/first base hybrid who put on a ton of muscle and hits nukes? Time may be able to tell us in just a few short days.
Twenty total runners stranded between the two teams in Greenville, but the Spartanburgers (Astros High-A) had a two-run home run in the eighth along with one other RBI (their only hit with runners in scoring position) and that made all the difference. Kyson Witherspoon had another okay start Tuesday. He failed to get out of the fifth, but he allowed four hits and two runs, so it could have been worse… unfortunately, on a night where the offense put up a single run, it wasn’t enough.
I want to go on record and say that I’d be fine with Witherspoon being dealt while he still has his prospect shine to see if some other team can get the most out of him. But if he survives the deadline and heads to Maine (not that he’s earned a promotion yet) Portland’s pitching coach Sean Isaac has already worked on so many prolific arms that maybe there’s some promising work to be done there.
After six innings of scoreless baseball from GreenJackets (Braves A) pitcher Davis Polo (such an awesome name) the RidgeYaks leveraged a Greensboro throwing error to load the bases, and speed demon (and other potential trade piece) Andrews Opata didn’t need any of that speed because he drilled a ball over the fence to make it a 7-4 ball game. Franklin Primera walked, and the tying run was on deck when Kleyvar Salazar came to the plate. But the only thing unraveling faster than the game for the GreenJackets was the weather above the RidgeYak’s stadium as the storm travelled south, and the umps called the contest with two outs, one on.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 11: NY Yankee great, Sparky Lyle, watching festivities during the game at the Annual Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium on July 11, 1992 in New York, United States. (Photo by Steve Crandall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees bullpen has always been a key part of World Series championships, and it’s seen a host of exciting names throughout the organization’s history. The first name that comes to mind is Mariano Rivera, but after that, an assortment of names could fly depending on who is asked. Goose Gossage, Dave Righetti, David Robertson, and others are all potential candidates, but so is Sparky Lyle — one of the most memorable faces in Yankees history, he arrived from the club’s biggest rival and helped the Bombers on their way to multiple World Series championships. A beloved figure in those clubhouses, we celebrate Sparky today.
Albert Walter “Sparky” Lyle Born: July 22, 1944 (Du Bois, PA) Yankees Tenure: 1972-78
Lyle was born in July 1944 outside Pittsburgh in Du Bois, PA, and grew up in Reynoldsville, about a 15-minute drive away. He attended Reynoldsville High School for four years, where he played varsity football and basketball before the spring of his junior year, when he began playing American Legion baseball for the DuBois team. At the time, his high school could not field a team, so he had to find other outlets to play the sport. After trying out for the Pittsburgh Pirates (and eventually being rejected), Lyle was scouted by the Baltimore Orioles, who signed him as an amateur free agent.
Lyle spent the 1964 season within the Orioles organization, playing six games in West Virginia for the Bluefield Orioles and then the Fox Cities Foxes in Appleton, Wisconsin. He was used as a reliever in Bluefield, starting only four of the seven games he played. He earned himself a promotion to Fox Cities, where he posted a 2.31 ERA in six games, all six of which he started.
On November 30th of the same year, the Boston Red Sox drafted Lyle from Baltimore. Lyle started his second year of pro ball in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with the Single-A Red Sox in 1965. He pitched in 37 games with only five games started, and it was not a pretty season. He finished with an adequate 5-5 record, but a 4.24 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 87 innings, along with 55 walks, was not where he wanted to be at the end of the year.
Following the season, though, he received a promotion to Double-A Pittsfield, but before that, he had a stop at spring training, where he had one of the most influential meetings of his pitching career.
Red Sox legend Ted Williams was a man above the rest when he was playing and even after. He was “The Kid” after all. And even though he had been done playing by the time Lyle got to spring training that year, it was Williams who taught him exactly what a slider was supposed to look like and do in the air. Williams told Lyle that it was the one pitch he had trouble with, and Sparky figured that if it was good enough to stymie the man styled as “the greatest hitter who ever lived,” then it was worth mastering. And from the time he was fully introduced to the pitch in 1965 spring training, it became a key part of his repertoire.
In 1966, Lyle saw a jump in his numbers with Pittsfield, going from a 4.24 ERA at Single-A to a 3.65 ERA in Double-A with 72 strikeouts in 74.0 innings pitched. He then made another jump to Triple-A to begin the 1967 season, while still working on his slider, and played 16 games (all as a reliever) with a 1.71 ERA, the best of his minor league career.
Lyle finally made his debut when he was called up to Boston after left-handed pitcher Dennis Bennett was sold to the New York Mets on June 24, 1967. It was on July 4, 1967, against the California Angels that Lyle pitched two scoreless innings to close out a 4-3 Red Sox loss, and he recorded his first career save 12 days later on July 16th in Boston’s 9-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. In 27 games during his rookie season, Lyle finished with a 1–2 record, five saves, and a 2.28 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched, though he did not throw for the “Impossible Dream” Red Sox in the World Series due to arm soreness.
From his debut in 1967 to 1971, Lyle pitched for the Red Sox in the major leagues, and he pitched considerably more. In 1968, he threw in 49 games, and that number ramped up to 71 in 1969, the second-highest of his career. In those two seasons he also kept his ERA under 3.00 with 2.74 and 2.54 marks, respectively. And despite a bump in the road in 1970 where he finished the season with a 3.88 ERA, mostly due to (at the time) a career-low K/9 and a career-high H/9, he bounced back in 1971 at the age of 26 finishing with a 2.75 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched.
Nonetheless, the Red Sox decided to trade Lyle to the Yankees in March before the start of the 1972 campaign in the second- or third-most infamous Boston/New York trade in their long history. He proved to be a brilliant reliever in the Bronx, while the main man they dealt—Danny Cater—was never much better than an adequate first baseman.
In his first season in 1972 as the Yankees’ closer, Lyle pitched in 59 games and saved 35 of them, which was an American League record and a major league record for left-handers. He also became the first lefty to collect 100 saves in the American League. With an ERA of 1.92 in 107.2 innings during his first year in pinstripes, not only did Lyle make a great impression on Yankees fans, but he made an impression on the BBWAA voters as well. He finished seventh in the Cy Young Award voting and third in MVP voting, the highest finish of his career in the latter award category.
In 1973, Lyle’s ERA jumped a bit—not a surprise considering how strong a 1.92 ERA is generally speaking—but it still stayed at a 2.51, and he was awarded his first career All-Star appearance. And in 1974, it was more of the same, as he saw even more appearances (66 to be exact) and was even stronger, finishing the season with a career-best ERA of 1.66, a 215 ERA+. If he hadn’t proven to baseball fans that he was one of, if not the best, closers in the league, he had by this point. The 1975 campaign was one of his two worst seasons in pinstripes, even though a 3.12 ERA was still a 119 ERA+ for the season, but he took a step back to take three big steps forward, with the next three seasons being the best of his career as the Yankees finally surged out of their CBS Era doldrums.
Lyle in 1976 led the league in saves and earned himself a second All-Star appearance for the pennant-winning club, and in 1977, he became the first AL reliever to win the Cy Young Award, along with his third and final All-Star Game appearance and a sixth-place finish in MVP voting. He appeared in 72 games that season and registered 26 saves with only 68 strikeouts, but his 2.17 ERA did all the talking he needed it to do. In 1976, he broke Hoyt Wilhelm’s American League record of 154 career saves.
Not only did Lyle win the Cy Young Award in 1977, but he helped lead the Yankees to their first World Series championship in 15 years. Billy Martin deployed him in 14 innings across six games, and Lyle had a record of 3-0 by the time everything was all said and done Most importantly, he only allowed two earned runs: one against the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of the ALCS, and the other on a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series. His highlights included saving the pitching staff by hurling 5.1 scoreless innings in ALCS Game 4 against the Royals, which was a must-win game. Had Lyle faltered, Reggie Jackson’s “Mr. October” moment might never have happened.
But despite Lyle’s 1977 Cy Young, the Yankees decided to upgrade the closer position following the season, and it was with one of the players we talked about earlier in the introduction: Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Rich “Goose” Gossage.
According to reports, Lyle was not opposed to the Yankees’ move at the time, but he later admitted that the Yankees front office should have gotten rid of him after they signed Gossage. He didn’t want the reduced role in the bullpen, and even though the Yankees won back-to-back World Series championships (a postseason where 33-year-old Lyle would only pitch one game and give up two earned runs in 1.1 innings pitched) with him on the roster in 1978, Sparky’s days in The Bronx were numbered. In pal Graig Nettles’ words, would go “from Cy Young to Sayonara.”
Lyle and George Steinbrenner could not reach an agreement on a contract, and as a result, Sparky was traded down south to a destination he had been clamoring to go to: the Texas Rangers (coincidentally with a future relief ace acquired in return). However, he was not the same pitcher at the end of his career. After a season and a half with the Rangers, Lyle was moved to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he spent three separate seasons before once again being moved, this time to the Chicago White Sox, who purchased his contract before eventually being released and hanging up his spikes.
Following his MLB career, Lyle published the famous book The Bronx Zoo detailing his time with the Yankees. Through both his amusing anecdotes within (and his many accolades in a Yankees uniform), he is remembered as both one of the best storytellers and relievers to don the pinstripes.
In 1998, 16 years after he retired from professional baseball, Lyle became the inaugural manager of the Somerset Patriots, now the Double-A affiliate of the Yankees, and he got to work. At the helm, he managed the team to three League Championship titles, seven Half Championships, and six South Division Championships. He was the Patriots’ manager until stepping down in 2012. Sparky remains a beloved figure in the organization, as his No. 28 is the only non-Jackie Robinson rumber to be retired by Somerset, and their mascot is named for him as well.
Happy 82nd birthday, Sparky! Hope you can sit on a birthday cake again today, for old times’ sake.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
