Jun 11, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) scores against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) and defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the third period in game five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Nathan Ray Seebeck/Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Sebastian Aho added a second-period goal in a breakout game for Carolina’s top-line performers, helping the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Thursday night to move within a victory of winning the Stanley Cup.
Captain Jordan Staal added his fifth goal in the series on a night when Carolina overcame multiple hiccups from these playoffs, from a shaky power play to being outplayed in the second period of this series.
And there had been the waiting game for Aho and Svechnikov — two roster mainstays in an eight-year postseason run — to find a better offensive groove.
It all came together in Game 5, with Svechnikov’s short putaway at the post on the power play giving Carolina a 4-1 lead midway through the third period. And unlike most multi-goal leads in what has been a wild and thrilling series, this one held up, with Brandon Bussi finishing with 22 saves in his second career postseason start.
That gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas, with the Hurricanes playing for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since coach Rod Brind’Amour captained them to the title in 2006.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice for Vegas, finding the net for the first time since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado. Carter Hart entered this one as the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to give up at least four goals in each of the first four games, then did it again to continue a difficult series while finishing with 20 saves.
Vegas had twice before been in a 2-2 series in these playoffs, in the first round against Utah and the second round against Anahaim. Both times, the Golden Knights won Game 5 and then closed out the series in Game 6.
This time, they’ll have to win on home ice to force the series back to Carolina for a Game 7 on Wednesday night. And they’ll have to take two in a row against a Hurricanes team that hasn’t suffered consecutive losses since mid-January.
Vegas played much of the night without center William Karlsson, who was being checked out on the bench for an apparent upper-body injury. Karlsson skated to the tunnel midway through the second period and didn’t return.
The sport’s misguided morals mean England’s Test captain has been humbled for a meaningless infraction and kept off the stage for which he was made
There are times when it’s possible to keep sport in a sensible perspective, and then there are weeks it challenges your very sanity. This has felt like one of those.
MESA, AZ - MARCH 21: Josiah Hartshorn #22 of the Chicago Cubs bats during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Starter Connor Noland got the loss after allowing four runs on six hits over four innings. Noland neither walked nor struck anyone out.
Casey Opitz gave up three runs and allowed three inherited runners to score as part of an 11-run bottom of the eighth. But cut the I-Cubs third-string catcher a break—he was pitching on back-to-back nights.
Shortstop Scott Kingery hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning. He was 2 for 4.
Center fielder Kevin Alcántara went 2 for 5 with an RBI double in the fourth inning.
First baseman BJ Murray went 2 for 3 with two walks and scored on Alcántara’s double.
Rigth fielder Justin Dean was 2 for 5 with a double.
Starter Dawson Netz gave up four runs in the third inning on two home runs, a solo home run and then a three-run shot. Netz finished the night giving up four runs on four hits over 3.1 innings. He walked four and struck out three.
Tyler Ras went the next 3.2 innings, did not allow a run and went home with the win. Ras allowed three hits. He struck out four and walked one. Ras, whom the Cubs signed this past winter after the Rockies released him, has a 1.72 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 31.1 innings with Knoxville.
Right fielder Alex Ramírez hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. It was his fifth on the campaign. Ramírez finished 1 for 5.
Shortstop Jefferson Rojas was 3 for 5 with three RBI and one run scored. He was also hit by a pitch. Rojas is hitting .350 in the month of June.
DH Owen Ayers isn’t slowing down. Tonight he was 3 for 4 with a walk and a hit by pitch. He scored once and drove in one.
Center fielder Karson Simas went 2 for 4 with two walks and a steal. Simas scored three runs.
Second baseman Hayden Cantrelle was 2 for 3 with two walks. Cantrelle had three RBI and two runs scored.
Left fielder Carter Trice went 2 for 6 with a double and a two-run single.
Cole Reynolds got rocked for eight runs on five hits over the first 3+ innings. Reynolds walked three, hit one batter and struck out one.
DH Drew Bowser hit his fourth home run of the year in the second inning with two men on. Bowser was 2 for 3 with a double and the home run.
First baseman Josiah Hartshorn continues to impress. Tonight he hit an RBI single in the third inning and a two-run home run in the fifth. It was Hartshorn’s sixth home run in just 15 games in South Bend and 11th overall. Hartshorn went 2 for 3 and scored twice.
Catcher Miguel Useche was 2 for 3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Wisconsin’s doubleheader was rained out, so South Bend’s magic number remains at three to clinch a first-half title.
Starter Noah Edders allowed four runs over four innings, but only one of the four runs was earned. Edders surrendered four hits (one of which was a solo home run) and one walk. He struck out a career-high eight.
Henry Cone relieved Edders, pitched the next three innings and got the win. Cone gave up one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out three.
First baseman Michael Carico clubbed a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his fifth on the year. Carico sent 3 for 4 with a double and the home run. He had four total runs batted in and scored twice.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez then went back-to-back with Carico with his fourth home run of 2026. Valdez was 2 for 4 with a double and the home run.
Center fielder Darlyn De Leon was 2 for 4 with four stolen bases. He scored twice. De Leon had five steals all season before tonight.
Catcher Logan Poteet drove in three runs with a two-run double and a bases-loaded walk. He finished the night 1 for 4 with the walk and the run scored.
Left fielder Edward Vargas went 2 for 4 and scored once.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 11: Luke Raley #20 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Last week, I sent two condolence cards and a “congratulations on your new baby” card. This afternoon, while distracted by a flock of teenage goslings, half-grown and ugly as all get out, I tripped over the corpse of what used to be some sort of creature. Life doesn’t need to dabble in subtleties, it beats you over the head repeatedly, hollering “What is the point?” in alternatingly thoughtful and abrasive tones.
As I was once again turning over the well-worn Meaning of Life stone, Cole Young opened the game with a leadoff home run and for two innings that one run mattered significantly as Bryan Woo sat down the first six Orioles he faced. Shortly after Aaron Goldsmith mooed in the bottom of the third, that one run mattered even more, as it kept the Mariners tied with the O’s after Colton Cowser’s solo shot. Soon though, Young’s swooping scoop of a home run felt inconsequential at best as Baltimore showcased one of the Big Innings that has been their trademark this season, piling on six runs just about every way you can – singles, a wild pitch, a double, another home run.
Before all that, though, there was a 3-2 pitch to Gunnar Henderson. Coby Mayo had flown out after Cowser, and while Jackson Holliday and Taylor Ward had hit back-to-back singles, Henderson has had a miserable season at the plate. Hope beat its bedraggled little wings and Woo pumped a 98.7 MPH four-seamer right on the inside edge of the plate. It matched a 3-2 pitch he threw to Cody Bellinger on July 10, 2025 as the fastest pitch he’s ever thrown. Bellinger rolled over on the offering, grounding into a double play; Henderson fouled it off. Ball four was an easy take, and within seconds that career-high velocity didn’t matter at all.
In the top of the fourth, Randy Arozarena walked, which was nice but anticlimactic amidst a five-run deficit. But then Luke Raley homered, and Dom Canzone homered, and this time when Colt Emerson walked it was invigorating. Young, en route to a three-hit night, singled, Julio Rodríguez singled, and the Mariners were suddenly only trailing by one.
When it comes to meaning, baseball is a chorus of perpetual dissonance. For those of us outside, the wins and the losses do not technically matter; our careers, our finances, our relationships don’t change in response to victory or defeat. But I don’t think any of us would be here, reading these ramblings, if baseball was meaningless to us. In fact, my career, my finances, my relationships are all fundamentally altered because of this game. Not by the Mariners’ record, fortunately, but in the way that I have chosen to care about it, to jam its stake into the ground and let my life grow up and intertwine with it. In our massive, yawning abyss of a world, there is such beauty and freedom and silliness in choosing to structure some of life’s meaning around this game.
At some point around the sixth inning, lightning split the sky and rain started to soak the field. Maybe, after all this, none of it would actually matter, at least for today? But the rain abated, the Mariners could not score anymore, and they leave Baltimore with a series split. Just one of many games that matters because it happened, and also not at all.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 11: Nikolaj Ehlers #27 of the Carolina Hurricanes is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period in Game Five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 11, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night, 4-2, to take a 3-2 series lead and come within one game of lifting the Stanley Cup.
After struggling for the majority of the postseason, both the power play and two of Carolina’s top three regular season scorers — Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho — carried the Canes to a big win on Thursday night. Svechnikov scored two power play goals while Aho found the back of the net for the first time in the Stanley Cup.
Nikolaj Ehlers gave the Knights a power play a little less than seven minutes into the first period on a delay of game penalty.
The Knights, after being just 1-for-12 on the power play in the first four games, capitalized courtesy of Pavel Dorofeyev, who found the back of the net on a cross ice pass from Jack Eichel.
It didn’t take long for Carolina to respond, though. And who else but Jordan Staal. After getting the penalty, Ehlers redeemed himself with a great shot-pass to the front of the net that was tipped in by Staal for his sixth goal of the Stanley Cup so far.
After the first, the score was knotted at 1-1. Uncharacteristically, the Canes were outshot, 8-5, by the Knights.
There wasn’t much offensive action for either side in the first 10 minutes of the second period, but two straight Vegas penalties changed that.
The Golden Knights killed the first, but it was Svechnikov who went five-hole on the second power play, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead in the second period. In the first four games, Carolina was outscored 9-1 in the second, but it was a different story tonight.
That was all that was needed to get the top line for the Canes going it seemed. With a little over two minutes in the second, a great forecheck from Jordan Martinook led to a goal from Aho, who went high over Carter Hart. It marked Aho’s first goal of the series, giving the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead in the second.
For the first time in the Stanley Cup, Carolina outplayed Vegas in the second period, entering the third with a 3-1 advantage and just 20 minutes away from their first series lead.
Carolina picked up right where they left off in the third period. After Mark Stone was called for a double minor for high sticking Jalen Chatfield, Svechnikov scored his second power play goal of the night on a great pass from Ehlers.
Dorofeyev added his second of the game with a little over six minutes left in the game to cut Carolina’s lead to two goals.
The Canes were able to hold the Knights off and secure the big win, with Bussi saving 22 of 24 shots.
The Stanley Cup will be in the building as the Hurricanes have a chance to lift it for the first time since 2006 on the road Sunday at 8 PM.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — William Karlsson left the ice, and the Vegas Golden Knights' night went south. He may not be back to help them recover.
With Karlsson knocked out of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final because of injury, the Golden Knights took four penalties that turned into two power-play goals against. Carter Hart allowed four goals for a fifth consecutive game in the series, and now his team is on the brink of elimination after losing 4-2 to Carolina on Thursday night.
“When we lose Bill, it kind of screws things up," coach John Tortorella said. “We lost momentum when we went back to back in penalties. It was about the same time that we lost Bill. We’ve got to find a way.”
Karlsson appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder after getting knocked into the boards by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker a little over eight minutes into the second period. He got medical attention on the bench briefly, skated off and never returned and Tortorella foreshadowed that being the end of Karlsson's series.
“He’s not going to be with us, probably,” Tortorella said. "We’ve got to find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy but as a team.”
But the void left by Karlsson’s departure was all too clear, especially on the penalty kill. Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored the first of his two power-play goals less than four minutes after Karlsson left, then added another in the third.
“He’s an important piece to us: up the middle of the ice, a penalty killer, power play guy," Tortorella said. “He’s a winner."
Fourth-liner Nick Dowd called Karlsson one of the team's best players. Defenseman Brayden McNabb, who along with Karlsson and Shea Theodore are the only players who have been around for Vegas’ entire nine-year existence, said Karlsson was a big leader in the locker room.
Karlsson is also nearly impossible to replace.
“He means so much," fellow center Jack Eichel said. "He’s a world class player. He plays in all situations. He’s extremely reliable in our own zone, and he creates a lot of offense. ... It's tough. You lose someone like Karl who’s so valuable to our team and playing so well. But it just means everyone else has to step up.”
Tortorella expects that to happen, promising there will be a Game 7 in Raleigh on Tuesday night.
“We’ll be back here. We’re just going to do it in a different order," Tortorella said. "I’m going to leave my clothes here, that’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”
To do that, they'll have to win Game 6 back home in Las Vegas on Sunday. Hart is expected to be in net again despite a save percentage of .856 in the final.
Asked if he considered going to backup Adin Hill — who backstopped Vegas to the Cup in 2023 — in the third period, Tortorella scoffed and said, "That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”
Jun 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs on a hit and run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Charles LeClaire/Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani hit his 13th homer of the season before leaving the game due to left knee inflammation and Los Angeles beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6 on Thursday night.
The reigning NL MVP hit a solo homer in the third inning. He also had a single and walked twice, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.
It was not immediately clear when Ohtani began feeling discomfort in the knee.
Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski left the game in the fifth inning with a left hamstring contusion. The left-hander was hit by a line drive off the bat of Bryan Reynolds. The ball ricocheted off Wrobleski to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Wrobleski collided with Reynolds while taking Freeman’s toss at first base.
Andy Pages also had two hits for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who took two of three in the series. Kyle Tucker hit a two-run single, and Miguel Rojas drove in two more runs.
Pirates rookie Rafael Flores Jr. hit his first MLB home run, and Brandon Lowe also went deep. Flores, Nick Gonzales and Spencer Horwitz had two hits apiece.
Wrobleski allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Mitch Keller (5-4) was tagged for five runs in four innings.
Jack Dreyer (3-1) pitched a scoreless seventh inning and Tanner Scott got the last four outs for his seventh save.
Up next
Dodgers: RHP Roki Sasaki (4-3, 4.03 ERA) pitches against White Sox LHP Anthony Kay (5-1, 4.40) on Friday night in Chicago.
Pirates: Host Miami on Friday night with RHP Braxton Ashcraft (5-3, 3.28 ERA) facing Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (5-4, 4.33).
Jun 11, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Colton Cowser (17) celebrates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Kyle Bradish and Bryan Woo could have given tonight’s national audience a pitcher’s duel, but that thought went out the window with the very first batter. The Orioles scored six runs in the third, Seattle countered with four runs in the fourth, but the O’s did enough to outlast the M’s 7-5 in the series finale at Camden Yards.
Seattle took an early lead when Cole Young launched a leadoff homer. The Orioles did not reach base in either of the first two innings, but Colton Cowser sparked the offense in the third. Cowser took a 2-1 fastball the other way and sent it 416 feet from home plate. The Oppo Taco evened the score at one, but Baltimore had plenty of offense left in the tank. Coby Mayo lined out sharply, but Jackson Holliday and Taylor Ward both singled. Gunnar Henderson worked a one-out walk, and Adley Rutschman stepped in with the bases loaded.
Woo jumped ahead 0-2, but he spiked a slider in the dirt. The ball trickled to the backstop, and Holliday raced home to secure a 2-1 lead. Woo left his next pitch up, and Rutschman yanked in down the right-field line for a two-run double.
Baltimore kept its foot on the gas when Pete Alonso ambushed the first pitch of his second at bat. Woo hung a middle-middle sweeper, and Alonso hit a ball “to a place where baseballs simply do not go.” MASN’s Kevin Brown provided a familiar feel with the call for ESPN, and the Orioles held a 6-1 lead after three.
Bradish sat for an extended period before returning to the mound in search of a shutdown inning. He did not deliver. The righty walked the leadoff hitter before surrendering a two-run homer to Luke Raley. Dominic Canzone followed with a solo shot of his own, and the Mariners trimmed the lead to two before recording an out in the fourth. Bradish rebounded with a pair of ground outs, but a two-out walk led to more damage. Julio Rodríguez delivered a clutch single to make it a 6-5 ball game.
Both teams went scoreless in their next at bats, but Baltimore delivered a crucial insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Ward reached after being hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a grounder by Gunnar Henderson, and came around to score on a base hit by Rutschman. The run-scoring knock was enough to swing the momentum back into Baltimore’s direction. Rutschman finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs.
Tyler Wells replaced Bradish in the fifth and delivered three scoreless frames. Wells struck out four, walked one, and did not allow a hit. The bulk relief allowed Craig Albernaz to save Rico Garcia for the eighth. Garcia recorded a pair of outs but also surrendered two singles. Albernaz summoned Grant Wolfram to escape the frame without allowing a run.
The Orioles bats went quietly in innings six through eight, and Albernaz sent out Andrew Kittredge to earn the save. Kittredge was projected to play a high-leverage role along with injured closer Ryan Helsley, but things haven’t exactly gone as planned for the veteran reliever. The decision to send out Kittredge may have said more about the state of Baltimore’s bullpen than it did about Kittredge, but the Spokane native delivered.
Kittredge generated four ground balls to work around a fielding error by Blaze Alexander and secure the save. Baltimore salvaged a series split with a 7-5 victory over the Mariners on national television. The Orioles are 33-37. They play the Padres tomorrow at 7:05 pm.
Cowser got the rally started, Alonso launched a ball 439 feet, and Rutschman recorded the only multi-hit game for the Birds. Wells bailed out the bullpen, and Kittredge prevented any real drama in the ninth. Who is your pick for the Most Birdland Player of the Day? Let us know in the comments below!
Jun 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) greets designated hitter two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) crossing home plate on a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Despite a few scares in the late innings, the Dodgers were in control of this one for the vast majority, taking the lead in the third and holding it all the way into an 8-6 win in yet another high-scoring affair, routine for this series. However, the result takes a backseat to the concerns surrounding Shohei Ohtani and Justin Wrobleski, both having left this game early due to injuries—Ohtani in the seventh inning with what was described as left knee inflammation and Wrobleski with a right hamstring contusion after a collision trying to cover first. However, even in a game he couldn’t complete, Ohtani made sure to leave his mark by starting the scoring with a solo shot in the third, doing this a day after throwing over 100 pitches in a quality start.
The scoring in the third inning wasn’t done after Ohtani’s homer, though, as the two sides of batted ball luck appeared. Firstly, Mookie Betts narrowly missed out on a two-run shot with a fly ball that would’ve left the yard in 27 out of 30 MLB parks, only to be robbed of what would’ve been his seventh homer on the year. Then, a couple of hitters later, Kyle Tucker found the right spot to land his 62.1 MPH exit velocity lazy fly ball for a two-run, two-out single. Success with two outs became a regular thing for the Dodgers in this game, as in the fourth, Los Angeles added two more runs with five straight reaching after the Pirates retired the first two hitters to open the frame.
Unluckily for the Dodgers, the two-out action seemed to be a factor on both sides. Similarly to what happened in the previous two games, the team trailing pulled a rally out of the hat, and in one inning, the Pittsburgh cut what was a 5-0 deficit into a 5-4 game. The Pirates did so by scoring three of those runs with two outs with a pair of home runs from Rafael Flores Jr. and Brandon Lowe, the latter of whom is number one in baseball among second basemen for homers with 16. Making matters worse, Wrobleski, who before those two homers was sailing along smoothly, injured himself colliding with Bryan Reynolds trying to cover first. Pittsburgh’s rally continued with Will Klein on the mound, but the right-hander was just able to preserve the then-5-4 lead with a bases-loaded strikeout of Jake Mangum.
It didn’t take too long for the Dodgers to respond, and despite having Santiago Espinal pinch-hitting for Ohtani—who left the game with left knee inflammation—Los Angeles added a couple of runs in the seventh with a pair of RBI from Miguel Rojas and Espinal himself. Crucial runs as the Pirates’ comeback attempts weren’t over, cutting the lead to 8-6 in the eighth and bringing the tying run up in the form of Lowe. Showcasing the importance of this game, Dave Roberts went to Tanner Scott for a two-out save for only the second time this season, and the left-hander got the job done, punching out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
Game particulars
Home runs— Shohei Ohtani (13), Rafael Flores Jr. (1), Brandon Lowe (16)
The road trip against teams whose 2026 season campaign represents a big step forward from their recent failings continues, as the Dodgers leave Pittsburgh and head to the south side of Chicago to face the White Sox. Starter Roki Sasaki will be on the mound for Los Angeles, with Chicago yet to announce their starter officially. That matchup will start an hour later than the games in Pittsburgh, at 4;40 p.m. PT.
It's safe to say that Red Sox relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman still has beef with Yankees GM Brian Cashman.
In an interview conducted by ESPN Deportes, Chapman acknowledged that he's aware of his name circulating in trade rumors. After all, the Red Sox currently sit in dead last of the AL East standings with a paltry 27-39 record, six full games out of a playoff spot.
"Every day you see social media and also people in the press talking and commenting about it," said the hard-throwing southpaw.
Assuming the Red Sox can't right the ship ahead of the MLB's trade deadline on Aug. 3, it's hard to imagine Boston not taking the opportunity to cash in on the stellar form of their 38-year-old closer, who is currently on a $13 million contract set to expire at season's end.
The Yankees will likely be in the market for a high-leverage reliever to add to their ranks as the trade deadline approaches, so many have been wondering whether a reunion between Chapman and the Yanks could be in the works.
Trading with their archrivals would be a tough enough task for Cashman, but there's another hurdle he apparently would need to clear for this potential deal to become a reality: making amends with Chapman.
After two stints with the Yankees, Chapman's exit from the organization was an ugly one. After losing the closer role to Clay Holmes after developing an infection due to a tattoo, then missing a mandatory workout ahead of the 2022 ALDS, leading Cashman to leave Chapman off the team's postseason roster.
Chapman is clearly still bitter about that decision from his former GM, telling ESPN that he wants an apology.
"What happened, happened," Chapman said. "If something like this were to happen, I believe someone from this organization should apologize first."
A follow-up asked if that "someone" was Cashman, and Chapman confirmed.
In 19.2 innings pitched this season, Chapman has struck out 26 batters and is sporting an incredibly minuscule 0.46 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.
For what it's worth, Chapman didn't entirely rule out a trade back to the Bronx, admitting that he'd be willing to "sit down and talk and see what would happen."
Chapman arrived in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in December of 2015, forming the "No-Runs D.M.C" triumvirate in the Yankees bullpen alongside Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. In July of 2016, ahead of the 2016 MLB trade deadline, Chapman was dealt to the soon-to-be-champion Chicago Cubs for a package of prospects highlighted by Gleyber Torres. Funnily enough, just six months later, in December of 2016, Chapman rejoined the Yankees as a free agent on a five-year, $86 million contract.
That second go-around donning the pinstripes spanned six seasons and was tumultuous for Chapman. He was a three-time All-Star selection, but battled injuries throughout.
The Golden State Warriors have seemingly been in conversations to make a splash move this offseason. The question that remains is, what exactly will they do?
"Somebody that would know that's close to (James) suggested to me that he thought he was staying in Los Angeles," Spears said.
Spears said that the Warriors would need to get creative to bring another veteran to their organization. He threw out numerous names Golden State should target, players he believed could help improve the Warriors going into next season.
"You got to see if you could move up in the draft, just got to see what you can potentially do," Spears said. "Is Anthony Davis available? Would (the) Warriors want somebody like that, like Kyrie Irving? I've been watching these videos lately. He looks amazing. I'm not sure if Dallas wants to keep him or not, although Masai (Ujiri) sounds like he does. New Orleans is always looking to retool."
"I think the thing with (GM Mike) Dunleavy, just going to have to sit down with him and Larry Harris, the rest of their crew, and just be really creative," Spears said. "I do think they should try to bring Kristaps, obviously Draymond back, and all that, but I do think it's going to be on the Warriors front office to come up with something creative to help put them back in the mix."
Spears also believes the Warriors should go to California's capital and knock on the doors of the Sacramento Kings and see what they would want for DeMar DeRozan.
"I know a guy you could potentially get that I think it would again, you got to be creative, but like, why not look at a guy like DeMar DeRozan," Spears said. "Think he certainly could help bring some depth when Jimmy gets back, or takes the load off of him when Jimmy gets back. I think DeMar would be really happy to come, not saying there's anything there, but my whole point is, I just think that the Warriors need to be creative from a veteran standpoint to bring somebody else in that could give an extra boost to this team offensively."
Here are players the Warriors could look to target during the offseason.
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
A deal for Kawhi Leonard would be seen as a game changer for Golden State and keep it in contention for the playoffs, and keep that slim window for a championship cracked open. Former Warriors assistant Jerry Stackhouse believes Leonard would move the needle for Golden State.
"I’ve been hearing Kawhi (Leonard). You’ve been hearing Lebron (James). Maybe getting a piece like that can rejuvenate everybody and can fill in the gaps," Stackhouse said in an appearance on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back." "Steph’s going to be 39 this year and Father Time is undefeated. You have to find a way for him to be a compliment, not be the guy that you’re solely depending on."
Anthony Davis, Washington Wizards
Spears said it's worth taking a stab at the Wizards' recently acquired forward-center. Rumors swirled that Davis wanted out of Washington the moment he was traded to D.C. However, in an interview with The Athletic, Davis expressed intent to be the nation's capital ... but left open the desire to go elsewhere.
"Whether we figure something out in the summer, good or bad, whatever. … If it doesn’t get figured out, then come October, mid-October, late October, I will have a Washington Wizards uniform on, and I will go out there, and I will do everything I can to win a basketball game. That’s never going to change," Davis said. "In the summer, right now, I’m going to compete, train and have the mindset that I will be here next year. Not only because I’m under contract, but also, I like these young guys. I ain’t going to lie. I feel like they’re all my children."
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
This one feels highly unlikely. It's hard to imagine Irving and Curry, who were in heated battles for NBA championships a decade ago, now as teammates. But for basketball purposes, how exciting would it be to have a backcourt of these two going tit-for-tat? Irving missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season while recovering from reconstruction surgery on his left ACL. He was seen giving work to high schoolers at the NBPA Top 100 camp and it looked like Uncle Drew is back. As Spears said, Ujiri, the Mavericks new president, probably has no intention of moving on from Irving.
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
The Warriors need more wings and two-way players. That's where the league is at. Murphy fits the exact mold. The 25-year-old has three years remaining on his deal that will pay him $31 million in the 2028-29 season. The downside is that the Pelicans have been reluctant to deal him, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Dalton Johnson. Murphy seems to be untouchable, but stranger things have happened in the league to players that were believed to be untouchable.
Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
Porter would be ideal for the Warriors. He's a 6-foot-10, versatile forward who can score, catch-and-shoot and still defend multiple positions. He's a floor spacer, which would bode well for the Golden State offense. Should the Warriors make the move for Porter, it could be an underrated pickup for the Bay Area.
DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings
DeRozan is a consistent scorer and would be the perfect fill-in for Jimmy Butler as he recovers from his season-ending torn ACL. DeRozan deserves to be in a place where he can play meaningful basketball, although he has relished his veteran leadership role with the Sacramento Kings. He still has more left in the tank and should be on a team playing for an end of season goal, rather than just focusing on development and progression. He played in 77 games with Sacramento averaging 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 49.7% field goal shooting in 31.2 minutes per game.Like Spears said, there might not be anything there, but overall it's worth the shot for Golden State.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 11: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners warms up in the on-deck circle before batting against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Orioles 7, Mariners 5
Cloudless blue sky and sunshine: Julio Rodriguez (0.2 WPA)
Paul DePodesta, Josh Byrnes, and Ian Levin look on at Rockies spring training. | Kyle Cooper | Colorado Rockies
As a reminder, last weekend, Colorado Rockies president of baseball operations talked with media about where the Colorado Rockies are at this point in the season. On Monday, we ran DePodesta’s comments related to prospects. Tonight, here are his comments on a range of other subjects.
Some comments that have been lightly edited for clarity.
Pitching
DePodesta addressed Rockies pitching with a focus on Kyle Freeland and Michael Lorenzen.
Kyle Freeland and Michael Lorenzen
We have a lot of belief in those guys, and we’re sticking with them. There’s no doubt about it. They have long track records of success, and we don’t expect them to have super-low ERAs. They’re pitching in this environment. This is going to be challenging — there’s no doubt — but we know there’s more in there with both those guys.
I think stuff-wise, Michael Lorenzen, it’s all there. He’s throwing hard.
Kyle still is getting strikeouts and whatnot, so we know it’s still in there, and we’re sticking with him, and we believe in him. We know it’s going to better at some stretch. This is just their lull right now, and they’re fighting through it, and we’re going to be right there with them, fighting through it.
I think both those guys are fantastic competitors. It’s part of the reason they’re here. I think I think Free has always embraced this challenge and always wanted it. Michael absolutely did. He wanted to attack this challenge.
They’re intense competitors, so I think it’s tough for them to not be as successful as they expect to be, and they’re trying to figure it out. But the least we can do is be right there by their side and fighting along with them and believe in them, and we do.
Look, again, this is a tough challenge, I think, for anybody, and there are going to be some tough stretches, but that’s just part of it. Again, we’ve talked about some of these other guys already, they’ve had some ups and downs through the course of the season, and these guys may have had some down moments recently, but there are going to be ups here coming. We believe that.
Pitching depth
I think we certainly felt we were going to need it through the course of the season, and even as we get into the summer here at Coors, and I think the elements are even tougher on the on the pitching staff.
We didn’t expect to have this many injuries in the rotation, but it certainly has proved to be helpful in that circumstance. But even now, it gets to a point where it’s just hard to come up with that many guys that are that are prepared and ready to either take on the starting role or the or the bulk roll. We certainly feel like we have a couple more in Triple-A, but not as many as we’d like right now.
Baseball at elevation & improved hitting
In addition, DePodesta was asked if he had been surprised by anything when experiencing baseball at elevation up close and personal. He also answered a question about the best kind of hitter for Coors Field.
I don’t think [there were any unexpected surprises about playing baseball at elevation], but largely that’s because I’m pretty close with a lot of people who’ve been here for a long time, so I think they prepped me pretty well for what this was going to be like.
Undoubtedly, there are some real challenges, not only on the field but even off the field. I think that might be the one that doesn’t get talked about very much, is just the recovery aspect of this — not just for pitchers, but even for position players.
I’ve actually been really pleased with our position player club, especially recently, going on the road. I think they’ve outperformed what they’ve done in recent years, especially those first couple days on the road, which can be really taxing.
But, like I said before, there are unique challenges, but I don’t think they’re ones that are at this point unexpected.
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I’m not entirely sure [about the Rockies’ improved road numbers]. I wish I could pinpoint it exactly.
I do think our hitting coaches have done a terrific job with our guys trying to get them locked in. I do think plate discipline certainly does have something to do with it as well.
We saw it certainly on this last road trip, those first — really all six — games. I think we showed as good discipline as we had all year, and we scored a lot of runs as a result.
But I think our preparation, and I — this isn’t a comment on what it was ever like in the past because I have no idea what it was like or even the players we’ve had in the past — but I do think our hitting coaches have done an excellent job of getting our guys prepared, both mentally and physically, when we get on the road.
And they’ve tried a lot of different things, and I think we’re going to continue to try more, even in terms of drill packages and things like that, once we first get on the road, just to acclimatize as best we can.
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Ideally we’d have both — walks and homers. Let’s do it, right? I’m all for it.
You know, it’s interesting. You go back to the Blake Street Bombers — everyone talks about the power of those clubs. I think that’s absolutely right.
What sometimes doesn’t get talked about is those guys were great hitters. They were great hitters first, right?
They did have good plate discipline, they did put the ball in play, they also happened to hit the ball over the wall. So I think that would be the ideal scenario.
But I think foundationally, we as an organization needed to have more plate discipline. This past year, our chase rate was the highest in baseball — not just in the big leagues, but also in Triple-A, also in Double-A, also in High-A, also in Low-A. So we have a lot of room to make up just to be on par with some of our competitors in that space.
And, again in this field, we just need to take advantage of all the holes that are out there in the outfield. We need to be able to put more balls in play. In order to do that, we need to swing at better pitches to hit, and we’ve started to do that, which I think has been really encouraging.
The trade deadline
The nearing trade deadline was also a topic of conversation, but DePodesta wasn’t showing his cards.
This is probably around the time of year where those conversations are beginning. They’re still very preliminary, so we certainly haven’t canvassed the league or anything like that, but we’re starting to have some conversations out there to see if there’s a potential match.
I think we just need to be opportunistic, so whatever might be available to us — whether it’s helping the big-league team, whether it’s helping the upper levels, or whether it’s something dynamic at the at the lower levels — I think we have to be open to all of them.
There would be certain guys that would be really, really hard for us to move. I think that’s probably true for any team.
There are guys that we feel are, hopefully, foundational players for us going forward. At the same time, like I just said, I think we need to be opportunistic. We’re not where we want to be, right? So, if there are opportunities for us to get better, certainly both in the short term and long term, I think we need to look at that. I think it’s our responsibility to look at that. But there are a lot of guys that we’re not going to be active in shopping, that’s for sure.
Where the Rockies are now
DePodesta also attempted to assess the current state of the Rockies.
Probably right around now, 10 weeks in, or thereabouts, I think our biggest problem is we just have a lot of guys out. And that’s not an excuse. It’s just that’s our reality.
So, we haven’t really been able to see our team together as we viewed it, and we hope maybe what it will be before the end of the year, but we’ll see.
I think we have a decent feel for a handful of players. As you can see through the course of these first two-and-a-half months, there are players who’ve been up and down at different times, but I think they’ve shown certainly what they’re capable of. And I think what we’re anxious to see is when our pitching, our hitting, defense, it sort of all comes together because we’ve had stretches of each of those performing really well.
For the first month, I thought our pitching did an excellent job, really carried us to a large degree. I think, in the last, even the last week-and-a-half or so, I’ve really been pleased with what our offense looks like, but our pitching hasn’t been as good as it was early. And part of that student injury and whatnot.
But so I am anxious to see us put it all together because I think we flashed it on both sides of the ball.
Phil Mickelson has reportedly had his membership cancelled at a San Diego golf club following alleged “inappropriate contact” with a female employee.
Golf Digestfirst reported that Mickelson has had his membership terminated at The Farms following an alleged incident before he played there in the spring. The report, citing multiple sources, said the employee accused the 55-year-old of “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact” towards her before a game of golf. Mickelson is said to have been challenged on the incident mid-round and duly left the property.
