Category: Sports News

The pool play for the WBC begins in earnest today, which means as I write this, Shohei Ohtani hits a grand slam to open the scoring for Samurai Japan.

Because of course he did.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Aaron Nola has had much better stuff, much higher velocity this spring so far. Maybe we can thank the WBC for that ($).
• Kyle Backhus continues to have a solid spring in his audition for the Phillies. The manager certainly likes him.

MLB news:

• MLB Pipeline has a new #1 team in their organizational system rankings. For once, the Dodgers aren’t the best at something!
• Andrew McCutchen will try for one more season in the sun. This time, the sun will be much hotter as it will be in Texas.
• Well, maybe those Orioles were after more starting pitching after all as it’s now being reported that they made a nine-figure offer to Ranger Suarez.

The Hawk* signs a blank check, Kirby Puckett departs this vale,and other stories.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.

“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.

Today in baseball history:

• 1906 – Rookie owner Charles W. Murphy puts the last pieces of a Chicago Cubs dynasty in place, trading rookie infielder Hans Lobert and pitcher Jake Weimer to the Cincinnati Reds for third baseman Harry Steinfeldt. Not a heavy hitter, Steinfeldt completes the Frank Chance–Johnny Evers–Joe Tinker infield with more than adequate defense. (1,2)
• 1907 – Philadelphia Phillies owners A.J. Reach and John Rogers are acquitted of damages resulting from the 1903 National League Park disaster. A balcony collapsed at the Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue ballpark, killing 12 and leaving 232 fans injured. (2)
• 1945 – Former Philadelphia Athletics catcher Harry O’Neill is killed in combat during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The 27-year-old O’Neill becomes the second former major leaguer to lose his life in the war. Elmer Gedeon, a one-time outfielder with the Washington Senators, was killed in 1944. (2)
• 1973 – Larry Hisle of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first designated hitter in major league history during an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hisle makes the new American League rule look good by collecting two home runs and seven runs batted in. (1,2)
• 1987 – Free agent Andre Dawson* signs a one-year contract with the Cubs for the bargain-basement price of $650,000. Dawson had offered to sign a contract with the dollar amount left blank just so he could play on the natural grass at Wrigley Field and save his fragile knees. He will hit 49 home runs, lead the majors in RBIs, and win the 1987 N.L. MVP Award. (1,2)
• 2005 – Suzyn Waldman becomes the first woman to be a full-time color commentator in major league history, making her debut with John Sterling on WCBS-AM 880, the radio flagship of the New York Yankees. The former radio-talk host on WFAN, the first all-sports radio station in United States, was also the first female to broadcast on a national baseball telecast, as well as the first to provide local TV (Yankees) major league play-by-play. (2)
• 2006 – Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett dies in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 45, a day after suffering a massive stroke. Puckett, who led the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, hit .318 with 207 home runs and 1085 RBI over 12 seasons. A 10-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner, Puckett ended his career abruptly due to irreversible retina damage in his right eye. (2)
• 2016 – The Commissioner’s office overturns the two-game suspension handed to Dodgers IF Chase Utley for a dangerous slide that injured the Mets’ Ruben Tejada in last year’s NLDS. The decision is because the rules regarding sliding at the time were too vague; they have since been strengthened. (2)

Cubs Birthdays:Hal Mauck, Bill Sweeney, Ted Abernathy, Terry Adams, Jake Arrieta, Leonys Martín. Also notable: Lefty Grove HOF, Willie Stargell HOF.

Today in history:

• 1521 – Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan discovers Guam.
• 1788 – The British First Fleet arrives at Australian territory of Norfolk Island to found a convict settlement.
• 1831 – Edgar Allan Poe court-martialed and dismissed from West Point military academy for gross neglect of duty and disobedience of orders.
• 1836 – Battle of the Alamo: After 13 days of fighting, 1,500-3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelm the Texan defenders, killing 182-257 Texans including William Travis, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett.
• 1857 – Dred Scott Decision: US Supreme Court rules Africans cannot be US citizens.
• 1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table of the elements to the Russian Chemical Society.
• 1918 – US naval boat “Cyclops” disappears in Bermuda Triangle. The ship was traveling from Barbados to Baltimore — it has never been found.
• 1964 – Boxing legend Cassius Clay joins the Nation of Islam and changes his name to “Muhammad Ali”, calling his former title a “slave name.”

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• (6) — Wikipedia.
• (7) — The British Museum
• (8) — For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.

I’m almost out of pitchers to write about, I swear. We’re moving on to the middle relievers. The guys who sometimes need to take it on the chin, who rarely get the credit they deserve, but oftentimes make or break close games.

The Red Sox’ starting rotation depth and quality should help keep this group fresher than they’ve been in the recent past. Right now, I think this group might be on the light side, but relievers spring up out of nowhere and are available at the drop of a hat, so a trade or the addition of a DFA’d arm from another team could add quality to the bullpen. Here’s a look at way too many pitchers who might get a chance for the Red Sox this year.

Justin Slaten

Justin Slaten’s 2025 was disappointing, in large part because he was unavailable for most of the middle part of the season. He posted a 4.24 ERA with an 18.2% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. Those numbers were a large step down from his rookie season, but the underlying stuff was just as good.

His fastball in particular was excellent. It has solid vertical movement and great velocity with big extension. In 2025, the swinging strike rate was among the best in the league at 15.6%, while the ideal contact rate was a great 31.3%. His cutter was a reliable strike-getter and also limited hard contact. Slaten struggled to put lefties away in 2025 due to leaving his curveball in the zone with two strikes too frequently, but better command should see the pitch return strikeouts. His sweeper was useful in putting away righties and should continue to be a weapon for him.

The issue for Slaten was getting out of trouble. His left-on-base rate of 55% was remarkably low and should rise to a normal rate over a full season. His 2024 rate was 71%, and there’s little reason to believe it shouldn’t normalize given his stuff. Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock are the top dogs in the Red Sox bullpen, but Slaten will be asked to handle high-leverage situations regularly.

Greg Weissert

Dear Alex Cora, I know navigating the middle innings can be difficult, particularly in a tight game. Hopefully, your rotation gives you six innings often enough that nobody in the pen needs to be overworked. I’m writing to you today to plead that you don’t give the ball to Greg Weissert every night. I know it’s tempting, but don’t do it.

Each of the last two seasons, Weissert has been near the top of the league in appearances through June, and then seen his performance tail off in the summer before reemerging at the end of the season. Weissert commands his fastball at the top of the zone, where it plays well due to its flat approach angle. Against righties, he uses a sinker and slider/sweeper to great effect. Lefties are a problem, with nothing else besides a fastball to get strikes with, though. He’s best used matching up with righties in a one-inning spot, and shouldn’t be asked to do much more.

Zack Kelly

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to quit Zack Kelly.

See?

The stuff is just too good not to work. His four-seam averages 96 mph with seven feet of extension. The pitch has a flat approach angle, though I wonder if it’s a little “dead zoney”, because righties have been able to handle it. It was primarily a two-strike pitch and returned whiffs due to solid command, but the contact against it was hard. Early in counts, he used a sinker and a cutter that each earned strikes and limited damage. His sweeper also punched out hitters, but like the four-seam fastball was hit hard. Lefties got four-seams and cutters for strikes, with changeups deeper in counts. The slow ball strike rate was an abysmal 49% to lefties, and needs to see improvements to become a viable weapon.

Kelly’s approach against righties is sound, while he needs an “out-pitch” against lefties. Despite this, his OPS allowed was .831 against right-handed hitters and just .604 against lefties. I’ll chalk this up to bad luck. He struck out 29.3% of righties compared to 15.7% of lefties. His batting average on balls in play was over 0.400 against righties and is sure to come down to a more normal rate. His left on base percentage is also sure to come up, unless there are some underlying issues with the stretch that I’m not seeing. If you’re out on Kelly, I don’t blame you. After looking into the numbers, I’ll go the other way and predict that Kelly will be a key member of the Red Sox bullpen by the end of the season.

Ryan Watson

Ryan Watson was a Rule 5 draft pick, which gives him a solid chance to break camp with the team. He won’t be used in high-leverage spots, which means his job is to throw strikes. If he can throw strikes and handle low-leverage work, he’ll potentially be used in more meaningful spots later in the season. In the minors, he used a fastball, sinker, slider, and curveball. His four-seam hasn’t missed bats in the minors, but his low-release and above-average extension should allow the pitch to play at the top of the zone. His slider and curveball have each shown the ability to create whiffs as well. In his first spring training outing, he featured a low-90s cutter as well that has potential. The stuff doesn’t jump off the page, but he has weapons to attack both sides of the plate and provide an inning or two of relief at a time.

Kyle Keller

Of the non-roster invitees, Keller has the best chance to make the roster given the financial commitment. He’s in line to make $1.8 million if he breaks camp with the team. I don’t know a ton about Keller; he’s spent the last several seasons in Japan, most recently with the Yomiuri Giants. He has a fastball, cutter, curveball mix, with the four-seam making up the bulk of his arsenal. It comes in at 151.7 kilometers per hour, which sounds pretty fast, but is actually about 94 mph. His secondary pitches were used in a small sample, as far as I can tell, with middling results. He also walked three men in his second spring training outing, which you can’t afford to do as one of the lower-leverage arms in the bullpen. The Red Sox are willing to pay him if he makes the roster, so there’s clearly something they like, though.

Tayron Guerrero

Tayron Guerrero wasn’t a name I knew until Christopher Smith wrote about his journey to Boston, but now I’m all in. He’s a 6-foot-8 righty with massive velocity and command issues. He started playing baseball in 2007 after watching the Red Sox win the World Series, and was in the major leagues less than 10 years later. He hasn’t been able to stick with a big league team, bouncing around from organization to organization and spending time overseas, but his velocity gives him a chance to be special if he can find the zone. He’s using a four-seam and a two-seam that each get up to 100 mph, a splitter, and is working on a gyro-slider as a way to be in the strike zone more often. He’s on a minor league deal and is unlikely to make the opening day roster, but if he proves the ability to throw strikes, he could climb the bullpen trust tree and end up in high-leverage spots. Of the names at the bottom of this list, Guerrero has the highest ceiling.

Seth Martinez

Did you like John Schreiber? If so, you’re gonna love Seth Martinez. Martinez spent last season with the Marlins, primarily in Triple-A. Before that, he made 111 appearances for the Astros from 2021 to 2024, registering a 3.93 ERA over that time. He’s a side-armer with big extension who tops out about 90 mph, using a sinker, cutter, four-seam, sweeper, and changeup. His fastball is super flat, and in theory, should play at the top of the zone, while his sinker can work to jam righties. His sweeper and changeup have each shown bat-missing ability in the past, but his lack of velocity caps his ceiling and makes command paramount. He’s another non-roster invitee with an outside shot to make the team.

Noah Song

He exists! He’s thrown a few single innings in relief so far this spring, and his slider looks sharp. His fastball has high vertical movement, and his changeup shape is super interesting. *Insert Rick Reilly-style joke comparing the length of Noah Song’s story to a Grateful Dead song.* It’s probably a long shot at this point, but I could be convinced.

Vinny Nittoli

Aye! I’m relievin’ here! Nittoli is a non-roster invitee with some major league experience. He uses primarily a cutter that doesn’t actually cut, from a low arm angle. It’s not something I’ve seen before, which could be a classic case of survivorship bias, but it could also provide a look that hitters haven’t seen before. He uses a sinker, changeup, and sweeper as well. He’s kind of like Cooper Criswell, but more Italian-sounding.

Devin Sweet

Having different looks out of the bullpen is important. The Red Sox have an affinity for low-slot pitchers, while Devin Sweet is the opposite. He’s got a very high arm angle that creates a ton of vertical movement on his fastball. He also has a cool changeup shape that has a huge velocity and movement separation from that fastball. Early Spring Training hasn’t gone well for him, and he’s had problems throwing strikes, but there’s some real swing and miss stuff if he can harness it.

One of the more exciting parts of spring training in recent years has been the annual Spring Breakout series of games in which top prospects across all levels of each of the thirty organizations square off. This year, Mets prospects will face Rays prospects on Thursday, March 19 at 7:10 PM EDT at Clover Field in Port St. Lucie. And here’s the Mets’ roster pool for the event. The list will be whittled down to twenty-something players by the day of that game.

Pitchers

• Juan Arnaud, RHP
• Channing Austin, RHP
• Hoss Brewer, RHP
• Nicolas Carreño, LHP
• Saúl García, RHP
• Brendan Girton, RHP
• Cristofer Gómez, RHP
• R.J. Gordon, RHP
• Nathan Hall RHP
• Noah Hall, RHP
• Peter Kussow, RHP
• Ryan Lambert, RHP
• Camden Lohman, RHP
• Douglas Orellana, RHP, NR
• Jonathan Pintaro, RHP
• Dylan Ross, RHP
• Jonathan Santucci, LHP
• Ben Simon, RHP
• Zach Thornton, LHP
• Cam Tilly, RHP
• Will Watson, RHP
• Jack Wenninger, RHP

Catchers

• Daiverson Gutierrez, C
• Chris Suero, C/OF
• Julio Zayas, C

Infielders

• Yunior Amparo, UTIL
• Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF
• Randy Guzman, 1B/OF
• Yonatan Henríquez, UTIL
• Antonio Jimenez, SS
• Elian Pena, SS
• Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B
• D’Andre Smith, 2B
• Trey Snyder, SS
• Marco Vargas, INF
• Mitch Voit, 2B

Outfielders

• A.J. Ewing, OF/2B
• Edward Lantigua, OF
• Nick Morabito, OF
• Eli Serrano III, OF

In 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers,Clayton Kershaw put together a rather impressive career that likely will make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, all while quickly becoming one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of his generation.

It's a lengthy list of accomplishments that includes three National League Cy Young Awards, three World Series rings and 11 All-Star Game selections. He is also just one of 20 pitchers in Major League Baseball history to reach the 3,000 career strikeout mark, a feat he accomplished in July of last year.

He now looks to add another accolade to his Hall of Fame plaque: World Baseball Classic champion with Team USA.

WBC POWER RANKINGS: Which teams have best odds to win?

"I'm so excited to be here and be with this group. ... I Amazon'd all my gear. I'm ready, dude," Kershaw jokingly said on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday, March 2. "I've been ready for a long time. I'm just so fired up to be on this team. And I told them, D-Ro (Mark DeRosa) and Andy Pettitte, our pitching guy, 'Whatever you guys want. I'll throw zero. I'll throw every game. It doesn't matter. I'm done after this. I'll do whatever you want.'"

But if Kershaw is retired from The Show, why is he playing in the WBC for Team USA?

Here's what to know about Kershaw:

Is Clayton Kershaw retired?

Yes, Kershaw is recently retired. The WBC is going to be the final competition that Kershaw will pitch in.

He announced his intention to retire after 18 seasons in Dodger Blue on Thursday, Sept. 18 at a news conference inside Dodger Stadium.

"I’m at peace with it and I think it’s the right time," Kershaw said. "It’s been a fun year and such a blast. I can’t think of a better season to go out, but we have a lot to accomplish."

Much like how Peyton Manning went off into the sunset after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, Kershaw had a Hollywood ending, as the Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series."It’s not a sad feeling. It really isn’t," Kershaw said following Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. "I will, forever, for the rest of my life, get to say, we won Game 7 of the World Series the last game I played. You can’t script it, you can’t write it up.

"Even if I was not throwing 88, I’d still be done. It’s just the perfect way to end it."

Is Clayton Kershaw playing in WBC?

Yes, the former Dodgers left-hander is competing in the WBC. It's the first time that Kershaw is playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which is in its sixth iteration.

He is expected to come out of the bullpen for Team USA.

Clayton Kershaw is back on the mound 👀 pic.twitter.com/h5Cz7fZHm1

— MLB (@MLB) March 2, 2026

Why is Clayton Kershaw playing for Team USA in WBC?

In his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on March 2, the three-time World Series champion called being in the WBC and wearing the Team USA jersey a "bucket list" thing for him as a ballplayer.

"I've tried to be on this team a few different times and it hadn't worked out for numerous reasons. But now that I finally get to do it and represent the USA and get to play baseball, it's an amazing thing," Kershaw said. "We were all watching the Winter Olympics and seeing the (men's and women's) hockey teams win and just to kind of see the nation support them and be behind them, it was amazing.

"To get to do that in a baseball uniform for Team USA is a bucket list thing for me. I'm so grateful to get to be on the team, and it's going to be a blast."

"It's so cool to represent my country and it's such an amazing thing..

I'm so grateful to be on this team and it's gonna be a blast" ~ @ClaytonKersh22#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/KVLB5iNnRb

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 2, 2026

Having the veteran southpaw on the roster was an important one for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa. His presence is perhaps even more important for Team USA heading into Pool C play in Houston, as back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is expected to make just one start before returning to the Grapefruit League with the Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean is dealing with an illness that stopped him from reporting to Team USA's camp in Arizona with everyone else.

"He was important to me," DeRosa said of Kershaw's roster spot, according to MLB.com. "The way the tournament is set up, if a starter was to falter and not be able to give you length … you needed kind of a break-glass-in-[case-of]-emergency kind of pitcher. There’s no one on an active roster that’s willing to come and sit here and maybe not get to pitch. When we put our heads together, he was one of the best to ever do it, the guys would want to be around him, learn from him, and in case of emergency, he’d be out there and kind of reset us.”

Clayton Kershaw stats 

• 223-96 career record in 2,855 ⅓ innings with a career 2.53 ERA
• 3,052 strikeouts
• 3-time World Series winner (2020, 2024, 2025)
• 2014 National League MVP
• 3-time NL Cy Young Winner (2011, 2013, 2014)
• 11-time NL All-Star

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Clayton Kershaw retired? Ex-Dodgers ace playing in WBC for Team USA

One of the darkhorses of the World Baseball Classic always turns out to be the Netherlands.

The Dutch placed fourth in the 2013 and 2017 WBC tournaments and return a strong team that can be a contender again this season. Of course, the Netherlands is managed by someone who comes from a winning background.

Former Atlanta Braves star centerfielder, class of 2026 Hall of Famer and Curaçao native Andrew Jones is the first-time manager for the squad, which also features his son, Druw Jones. The upstart group features a roster of current and former MLB players in Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius, Ceddanne Rafaela and Kenley Jansen.

One of the biggest feeders of the Netherlands' pitching staff and roster this season will be the home island of Jones, in Curaçao. Baseball is a major event in the Caribbean island, which is a constituent country of the Netherlands.

Curaçao places a total of eight players from the island nation on the roster for the Netherlands, a team that Jones played for in the 2006 and 2013 World Baseball Classics.

MORE: Ranking past World Baseball Classic champions

Here's what you need to know about Curaçao:

There’s no point, Nolan Arenado figured, in waiting for a phone call that wasn’t likely to come.

That’s one reason why Arenado, after twice playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, is representing Puerto Rico in this year’s edition.

His mother is the other driving force.

Arenado’s father is Cuban and his mother Puerto Rican, but the California native represented Team USA with distinction in two WBCs – as part of their 2017 championship squad, and then in 2023 contributing 10 hits and a 1.025 OPS for the squad that fell just short in the title game against Japan.

Arenado finished third in NL MVP voting in 2022, hitting 30 homers and driving in 103 runs for the St. Louis Cardinals; he was an easy pick as Team USA’s primary third baseman in 2023 and went on to an eighth All-Star Game selection that summer.

Yet his mid-30s plateau had arrived.

As his WAR dropped from 7.9 in 2022 to 1.3 as a 34-year-old in 2025, Arenado wondered if his old gig for Team USA had expired.

Sure enough, the Americans called on Alex Bregman and Gunnar Henderson to man the hot corner, leaving an opening for his former Cardinals teammate Yadier Molina, the manager of Puerto Rico’s WBC squad.

“I wanted to play for USA again, but I didn’t get the call," Arenado told USA TODAY Sports this spring. “Honestly, I didn’t deserve the call. And when Yadi called me about it, I felt a little hesitant about it because I played on USA, and I was recovering from a shoulder surgery.

“But my mom really wanted me to do it, and my family kept telling me to do it."

Who doesn't love free baseball?

Fans at the 2026 World Baseball Classic will surely have no issues if the game they attend goes extra innings, providing more bang for their bucks on the tickets purchased. That means more time to soak in the environment at the top level of international baseball.

However, the organizers of the WBC may not be fans of potentially elongated games. With most MLB players only in early Spring Training mode, pitch count limits and mercy rule regulations have been put in place to protect the players.

One rule to limit an extra-inning game from going too long is the ghost runner being placed on second base in the extra innings. Here's what you need to know about the ghost runner in extra innings in the WBC: