Former New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, who won five World Series rings as a member of the team's "Core Four" during his playing career, says he no longer feels welcome by the organization.
On a new episode of "The Show" podcast, Posada told New York Post writers Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman that the current version of the team needs a coaching staff that will "push" them to be more accountable to themselves and each other.
But he said he doesn't think he'll be involved in any official capacity.
“I could, but I don’t think they want me there, to tell you the truth,” Posada said on the episode, which premiered on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
“I don’t feel welcome when I go there, you know? Even in spring training, I don’t feel like – I’m just like, I don’t know, like, I don’t feel welcome. I don’t feel like they want me there, so I don’t go.”
The five-time All-Star was part of the Yankees' "Core Four," along with shortstop Derek Jeter, starting pitcher Andy Pettitte and closer Mariano Rivera, that won four World Series titles from 1996-2000. He later won a fifth ring in 2009.
Posada, who spent his entire 17-year major-league career in Yankee pinstripes, didn't go into any specific details about his rift with the organization.
“I don’t know what happened. I’d rather just move forward,” he said. “My last season of my career was a really tough one when it comes to handling everything in my part and also the Yankees toward Jorge Posada. So, it’s tough to go back and feel that again.”
The five-time All-Star had his number 20 retired by the Yankees in 2015 and has been a participant in the team's Old Timers' Day ceremonies.
However, his final season in 2011 was tainted by public disagreements with the team about playing time and his shift from playing catcher to serving as designated hitter.
Posada, a fan favorite for his emotional style of play, said on the podcast that the current Yankees squad seemed to lack some of his trademark fire, and that the players need leaders in the clubhouse to uphold the team's high standards.
"[Mental mistakes are] magnified during the playoffs," he said. "So during the season, if it happens and you don't address it, that's when it becomes a problem. So it needs to happen more during the season and make these guys more accountable."
The Yankees were eliminated from this year's playoffs when they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League division series.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 27: Ben Williamson #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with Jorge Mateo #9 and Ryan Vilade #26 after hitting a walk-off single during Game Four of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
Danny Abriano at SNY imagined how the Mets might rebuild their bullpen ahead of next season.
Voting is open for the 2026 Heart and Hustle Award, and Carson Benge is the Mets nominee.
Like many Mets fans, Daryl Strawberry is “heartbroken” over the Mets 40 year championship drought, but he isn’t losing faith in the team.
Ron Darling clarified his recent comments on his future in the SNY booth.
Around Major League Baseball
Jim Bowden at The Athletic ranked the top 40 free agents this offseason and speculated on where they could end up.
Cam Schlittler seems like a lock for the Cy Young Award, but he’s not the only Yankee with a chance at some hardware.
Jackson Chourio is growing into his superstar potential this October, raising the standards for young stars in the postseason.
William Contreras—or “Wild Bill” as he’s becoming known—has been showing off his many talents this postseason, including his mastery of ABS challenges.
Aaron Ashby now holds the record for the longest scoreless streak by a reliever in postseason history.
Ben Williamson’s walk-off single gave the Rays life for at least one more game.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
Micah Noe reviewed Ronny Mauricio’s disappointing season abbreviated by injury.
This Date in Mets History
65 years ago, ground was broken on an ash heap in Flushing Meadows, soon to be the home of the New York Mets.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 07: Hurston Waldrep #64 of the Atlanta Braves in action against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 7, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Fall Classic has been extended to Game 5 after the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday. With a 3-1 series lead, the Brewers have the chance to win their first World Series tonight at 8:00 ET.
Braves News:
Our 2026 player review series continues with right-hander Hurston Waldrep.
MLB News:
Minnesota Twins right-hander Jeff Hoffman underwent surgery on his right elbow. He is expected to be ready for the start of the 2027 season.
The Philadelphia Phillies have officially announced Peter Fatse as their next hitting coach.
From the Feed:
Will the Rays win again tonight? Drop your predictions here.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 27: Ben Williamson #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with Jorge Mateo #9 and Ryan Vilade #26 after hitting a walk-off single during Game Four of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We awoke this morning to discover that the 2026 baseball season was still with us. Standing on the brink of elimination, Brewer brooms sweeping towards them, the Rays found a way to survive, walking off Milwaukee on a Ben Williamson single to right.
But doom still stares them in the face: a 3-1 deficit is a forbidding thing. The odds of a comeback are against them. But we are not asking about odds. We are asking about a stranger, less predictable thing: the vibes, the hopes, the general sense of it.
The Rays have faced World Series deficits twice before, in 2020 and in a year that you surely recall. They had no miracles in them then. Do they have one in them for 2026?
This week, I set out on a quest to find a bullpen as bad or worse than the 2026 Cardinals bullpen. We all found it aggravating at times, with only a few bright spots if we were paying attention. The closer was an enigma with a lot of saves, and a lot of memorable blown saves. It certainly felt like. 8 was enough!
George Soriano also had 8 blown saves. etc
Let’s get in a time machine back to 2018. John Brebbia, Jordan Hicks, and Carlos Martinez were our only trustworthy bullpen arms… and Carlos Martinez only pitched 18 innings in relief, so he almost doesn’t count.
Guys with names like Mike Mayers, Tyson Ross, and Dominic Leone were at least a hair above replacement level. They were there, not doing too much harm, but also allowing damage.
Bud Norris, Dakota Hudson, Tyler Webb, and John Gant were also out there, not bad, not good, but there.
Sam Tuivailala showed some promise, but was not much of a factor, either. Greg Holland and his 7.92 ERA was also a member of this bullpen! Sigh. But Brett Cecil was the worst part of this horrible bullpen, with negative fWAR in over 30 IP.
The 2018 Cardinals bullpen ranked #25/30 teams. This team was a good team with a bad bullpen, going 88-74, which was not good enough for the playoffs that year, finishing 2.5 games out of wild card berth.
Oddly enough, the 2017 and 2019 bullpens were assets compared to the 2018 Cardinals’ bullpen. In 2019, Brebbia, Martinez, and Gant stepped it up a notch while Giovanny Gallegos emerged as the bullpen leader. Showing anything can happen, I suppose!
Fastforward to 2021 when the bullpen was an asset again thanks to peak Gallegos and Genesis Cabrera. This bullpen was good enough to make the playoffs, but fell victim to the one game playoff system in place at the time. This would end up Mike Shildt’s last chance in a Cardinal uniform. Ryan Helsley pitched 47 innings with a 4.56 ERA. Kodi Whitley was better than Helsley in only 25 IP.
The 2022 bullpen was lead by the talents of Ryan Helsley who emerged as a 1.25 ERA / 2.34 FIP dominant pitcher! Gallegos was also incredibly good that season, albeit not quite that astonishing at 2.88 FIP. That’s a nice duo to build a bullpen around…
The issue was that Jordan Hicks would have been a triple threat, but he had a rather unlucky 4.37 ERA, while his other rate stats were 2.39 xERA, 3.06 FIP, and 3.20 xFIP. That’s enough evidence for bad luck. Maybe he was tipping his pitches.
While 2022 relievers had some high end talent, the bullpen also included guys like Packy Naughton, Jake Woodford, Chris Stratton, and Zach Thompson. So even with the one-two of peak Helsley and a still really good Gallegos, this bullpen ended up in the middle of the pack.
The Cardinals bullpen remained mid in 2023 and 2024, but in 2025 the bullpen was actually an asset.
But… in 2026 it was an afterthought. sad, really.
So many lessons not learned by the organization. The bullpen is back to 2018 levels where it crippled the team for some reason, reasons unknown other than they though they thought they could get away with the bullpen as an afterthought. It is a fantasy that you do not need a reliable bullpen. I agree with all sabermetric finds outside of this one.
8 years later, the Cardinals have designed a bullpen almost to fail spectacularly with Gordon Graceffo the most valuable member by fWAR. That was not supposed to happen! O’Brien and Bruihl were both above replacement level. Yet, the Cardinals bullpen were #25/30 in WAR. They barely cracked the top 20 in ERA. Not real good, especially with a lackluster bullpen.
If there is some sort of decade cycle, we should not be worried about the bullpen. We had an offyear in 2018, which was surrounded by good bullpen years. There’s a good chance that the 2025 bullpen is closer to the 2027 than the 2026 one was. I think the Cardinals are overall bullpen savvy, so there should be some improvement during the next season. They don’t usually cough up a bad bullpen.
1999 Heavy Metal for Halloween!
Today Is The Day – ‘In The Eyes of God’ two members of Mastodon before they went on to their more well-known band, and early alt metal noise rock stalwart Steve Austin, create a monster of a prog metal psychedelic art rock album of the highest order (live in St Louis 1999)
External Suffering – ‘Drowning in Tragedy’ a good example of everything that was happening in heavy music in 1999. new find, but I think an instant classic!
Melvins – ‘The Maggot’ one of the best Melvins albums of all! even has a cover song! Top tier.
Botch – ‘We Are The Romans’ Converge opened the doors a year before, but Botch took it to the next level for the times! post punk metalcore noise rock whatever you want to call it this is influential af for 1999
Neurosis – ‘Times of Grace’ heavy and haunting to this day, for me completes their first four cycle of album in grand fashion, haunting and hypnotic and heavy, but more noise rock maybe?
Type O Negative – ‘World Coming Down’ the heaviest Type O Negative album, a band that is just as much doom metal as it is goth rock and epic industrial metal.
Happy Early Halloweeen VEB! I found a cat mask that looked like my cat, so I was a cat dad for Halloween at work. What are you going to be? I spent many years not being anything, which is just as good!
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 14: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during Game Three of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
2026 was a tale of two seasons for right-hander Roki Sasaki.
To begin the season, Sasaki struggled to find his footing back in the rotation after becoming the team’s de facto closer during their 2025 title run. Sasaki entered the All-Star break with a 5.33 ERA and a 1.358 WHIP across 81 innings over his first 16 games. He followed up a poor first half with an incredible six start stretch to begin the second half until a blister on his right middle finger sidelined him for a month.
Just like the year before, there was no room for him in the starting rotation in October, and he was relegated to just 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in the postseason. The Dodgers don’t have to look far to add supplemental value to the rotation for 2027, and Sasaki’s goal for next season is to be become a reliable starter both in the regular season and when it matters most, notes Dylan Hernandez of the California Post.
“To start in the regular season and continue being a starter in the postseason, I think I have to give a performance worthy of that,” he said. “I know what I did this year wasn’t enough.
The Dodgers attempted to have Shohei Ohtani battle through both knee and biceps injuries in the second half, and it resulted in a nearly two-month long home run drought where he was a shell of himself offensively— let alone the fact that he hadn’t taken the mound since July 3.
It seems that there was a lack of full transparency between the two-way superstar and the coaching staff, as Katie Woo of The Athletic details.
“I think in his mind, he thought the best way to help the team was to go out and play, which I respect,” Friedman said in September. “But us staying really connected and sharing that information, I think, will be really important going forward. And again, the communication back and forth has been awesome. The fully sharing exactly how he’s feeling, maybe not as awesome.”
One of the more intriguing international talents entering this offseason is Japanese right-hander Shoki Oda. Oda intends to forego a career in the NPB, notes Michael Clair and Ayako Oikawa of MLB.com, and his fastball has put him on the same echelon of both Ohtani and Sasaki.
And while people familiar with his situation insist he hasn’t made a decision, the widespread expectation around the industry is that 18-year-old Shoki Oda of Japan will end up with the Dodgers.
The offseason has arrived, but there’s no rule against watching a few White Sox highlights to get us through it. Each week, I’ll pick a player and revisit five plays worth another look. No homework, no deep dive. Just a little baseball to fill the void.
First up: Chase Meidroth, who apparently took it personally whenever a baseball tried to sneak through the infield. With a Gold Glove potentially headed his way, it feels like a good time to revisit some of the leatherwork that put him in the conversation.
Grab your morning coffee and enjoy five reasons opposing hitters might prefer to send the ball somewhere else.
Here are five favorites listed in chronological order:
1. No hits for you April 17 vs. Athletics
Nick Kurtz sent one toward right field. Chase Meidroth had other plans. A diving stop and a throw to first later, Kurtz had himself a ground out, and we had ourselves a replay.
2. Balance is overrated May 6 at Angels
Feet set? Optional. Out at first? Required. Chase gets the throw off from an awkward angle and sends Travis d’Arnaud back to the dugout.
3. Chase it down, call it a night June 10 vs. Braves
A one-run lead in the ninth is no time for a bloop to get any bright ideas. Chase’s running catch sealed a 2-1 win. Exhale, Sox fans.
4. Up by 21? Still diving June 26 vs. Royals
Apparently, a 22-1 lead wasn’t enough to convince Chase to take it easy. He punctuated the blowout with a diving play for the final out. The Royals couldn’t even leave town with a little ground-ball consolation prize.
5. A little early for a highlight reel?No, absolutely not August 7 vs. Guardians
Chase needed all of one inning to give us something worth replaying. A backhand throw retired Brayan Rocchio to end the first. Might as well get Cleveland acquainted with the glove right away.
Those are my five, but Chase gave us plenty to choose from. Which play was your favorite? Did I leave out a gem? Drop yours in the comments, and let me know which players should get the highlight treatment next.
DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 10: A general view of the stage prior to the Draft Lottery at the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings at Hilton Anatole on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The offseason is almost upon us, which means it’s time to pull out your calendars and see when certain offseason events occur. November is sure to be busy, but things get a little more uncertain once we turn to December and the expected lockout begins. During that time, some events will be postponed if not cancelled outright.
Today, be on the lookout for my Rockpile covering the 40-man roster.
Either way, here is the calendar of notable dates for the offseason.
Day after the World Series ends
Free Agents file – 7 am MT
November 1
Gold Glove Awards announced – 7 pm MT (ESPN)
November 2
HOF eight-person Contemporary Baseball Era ballot for managers, executives and umpires
Silver Slugger Award finalists announced – 12 pm MT
The Rockies are looking to continue shaping their pitching philosophy this offseason and as part of that, they have promoted Owen Cuffe to assistant director of pitching. Cuffe was hired last January to work as a pitching and rehab coach in the Arizona Complex League. The team seems to have liked him enough in that role to now expand his talents to all facets of the organization.
Jim Bowden end up listing Taylor Ward as a free agent option for the Rockies. Ward’s right-handed bat and potential for power could be a nice fit for the Rockies. Ward didn’t have a good season between the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, so a one-year prove-it deal on a cheaper deal could be a steal for the Rockies if he rebounded.
Ben Fisher highlights how bullpens have been a focal point of the World Series teams and the Rockies should take note of how important late-game relievers are for a winning team.
Kevin Henry catches up with prospect Stu Flesland III who could be at Coors Field sooner rather than later. He’s currently in the Arizona Fall League and continuing to look for more velocity.
On this episode of Mile High Territory, Ryan Spilborghs and Troy Renck talked about the Milwaukee Brewers being on the brink of a title and then talked about Jack O’Dowd as well as some stories with former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd.
The Milwaukee Brewers came three outs shy of securing their first World Series title as the Tampa Bay Rays managed to pull off a 4-3 walk-off victory in the 12th inning. Former Rockie Antonio Senzatela finished the 11th inning and started the 12th, but left after an error allowed the lead off runner to reach. Shane Drohan then entered, and the Rays tied the game and managed to load the bases before a chopped single to right field won the game. So, they’ll play at least one more tonight in Tampa Bay with the series now 3-1 in favor of the Brewers.
The AFL is at its midpoint, so Jim Callis breaks down some of the Statcast leaders to this point in the season. Jack O’Dowd comes in with the fourth-longest home run.
The Houston Astros are in search of a new general manager and former Washington Nationals leader Mike Rizzo interviewed for the position. Our Astros affiliate breaks down the fit of Rizzo.
The Phillies lineup is sure to look different next year and the team has hired a new hitting coach and assistant to hopefully provide a new path forward.
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, left, talks to vice president and assistant general manager Ryan Garko as they watch practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Tigers had some housekeeping to do before the real offseason begins, and they made progress on Tuesday by inking veteran catcher Carlos Perez and several of their better minor league relief prospects to new minor league deals.
Pérez took the place of Tomás Nido as their Triple-A depth catcher de jeur back in July, with Nido eventually signing on with the Boston Red Sox. Pérez was red hot with the bat in Toledo until an ankle injury in August ended his season. The 36-year-old backstop has some major league experience and is regarded as a good game caller with solid defensive skills.
The three relievers signed to new minor league contracts were some of their top relievers at the Double-A level last year. Sinkerballer Moises Rodriguez leads the way with a high 90’s sinker that touches triple digits and a solid breaking ball. He was our 28th ranked prospect, and really the only notable upper level relief prospect on our preseason prospect rankings. The 24-year-old rarely allows hard contact in the air and posted a 2.57 ERA in 2026, but inconsistent command and two good pitches that don’t really pair together that well by shape and appearance out of hand have kept him from breaking through. He signed a one-year deal to stay in the Tigers farm system, though he’s eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason.
Veteran right-hander Marco Jimenez also re-signed with the Tigers. The 26-year-old throws hard and has a quality breaking ball, but the fastball shape plays down a bit from the 97-98 mph typically seen from Jimenez. He has hit triple digits for various stretches in the past, though injuries have also slowed his progress. He only threw 16.2 innings in 2026, but his strikeout rate was decent and his walk rate was excellent. The home runs were a problem though that’s obviously a small sample and Jimenez hasn’t had much trouble with giving up home runs in the past.
Finally, 30-year-old right-hander Wandisson Charles also re-upped with the Tigers. After several years in the Baltimore Orioles system without breaking through to the major leagues, Wandisson didn’t pitch in 2025 and the Tigers brought him in on a minor league deal last winter. He was the key cog in the Erie SeaWolves bullpen this year, striking out 31.2 percent of hitters faced over 63.2 innings of work. Charles is another who throws hard and keeps the ball on the ground. The heater is good enough that he could probably hang in middle relief, but his breaking stuff needs to be more consistent.
The Tigers other minor league free agents not yet re-signed includes outfielder Roberto Campos, utilityman Trei Cruz, and right handed relievers Yoniel Curet, who is young enough and has power stuff worth keeping, and veteran reliever Jack Little. Campos is far and away the most notable name as he received a $2.85 million bonus as a teenager who flew Cuba to the Dominican Republic. Now 24, Campos’ progress has been slow, but it has remained steady as well and he handled the jump to Double-A reasonably well this year. At this point his upside is more of a fourth outfielder type, but the Tigers would probably like to hang onto him one more year to see if he improving selectivity helps him finally tap into more of his raw power.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 27: Ben Williamson #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single in the 12th inning during Game Four of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning. Especially since we’re getting a Game Five tonight. Apologies to Jack Buck in the Great Beyond for today’s title. And we’ll see you tonight from when you’re reading this.
The Rays beat the Brewers 4-3 in Game Four after falling behind 3-2 in the top of the 12th inning and then scoring twice in the bottom of the inning.
Game three will be remembered for the eight-run fifth inning that seems to have clinched the title for the Brewers (although the Rays aren’t dead yet). Julian McWilliams goes over that pivotal point in the Series that broke the Rays’ back.
None of this matters to commissioner Rob Manfred, who argued that two small market teams in the World Series means even more that baseball needs a salary cap. Mike Axisa reports.
Charlotte Barnes has a look at the “organized chaos” as the wives, fiancées and girlfriends of major leaguers in the World Series plan what they’re going to wear to support their significant others. (The Athletic sub. req.) There’s a lot of planning and custom orders.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 27: Ben Williamson #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single during Game Four of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
On one hand, I’m never truly ready for baseball season to end, but in the case of this World Series, I have a particular rooting interest who could’ve ended the season on Tuesday night. Having crushed the Rays in Game 3, the Brewers went into Game 4 a win away from a sweep and the franchise’s first ever World Series championship.
In the end, they came mightily close, but not close enough. Having taken a lead in the 12th inning, the Brewers couldn’t quite hold on. With five consecutive batters reaching base, the Rays came storming back in the bottom of the 12th, ensuring that we’ll have at least one more game this season.
Tampa Bay Rays 4, Milwaukee Brewers 3 — 12 innings (Brewers lead series 3-1)
The two teams traded runs back and forth throughout the first half of the game.
Having been part of some defensive miscues that helped doom the Rays in Game 3, Chandler Simpson helped get Tampa Bay off to a better start in Game 4. His second inning double scored Jonny DeLuca to get Tampa Bay on the board and open the scoring.
Milwaukee got on the board themselves in the top of the fourth. Cooper Pratt hit a two-out double to score Sal Frelick and even things up. However, the Rays answered back in the bottom of the inning. With Junior Caminero on second, DeLuca hit a grounder to Brewers’ third baseman David Hamilton. Hamilton’s reaching attempt to tag out an advancing Caminero missed and his throw to first was then wide of the mark. The error allowed Caminero to score.
However, it didn’t take long for Hamilton to atone for that. He was due to lead off the top of the fifth and took Griffin Jax deep to tie the score once again.
After that, the game became a battle of the bullpens, and quite a battle it was. After tying it up in the fifth, the Brewers had just three runners reach base in regulation innings, and none of them advanced into scoring position. Meanwhile after taking the lead in the fourth, the Rays had just two runners reach base, and similarly they didn’t get close to scoring. Eventually the game headed into extra innings.
Both teams traded opportunities in extras, but it wasn’t until the 12th inning when things went haywire. With one out in the top half of the inning, Cooper Pratt went deep, giving the Brewers their first lead of the game and putting them on the cusp of a championship.
However, a fairly big issue arose after that in that the Brewers didn’t have an obvious option to try and close out the win, having used most of their big pieces to get the game to extras to begin with. That includes Aaron Ashby, who went 2.1 innings in this game, setting a record in the process. They tried sticking with Antonio Senzatela, who had finished off the 11th, until Camerino reached on an error to lead off the inning, leading to Pat Murphy going back to the bullpen.
Shane Drohan was the call, but things didn’t improve from there. Liam Hicks singled to put runners at the corners. DeLuca then punched through a single of his own, tying the game back up. Following a Simpson single to load the bases, Ben Williamson capped off the comeback with yet another single. His walk-off scored pinch runner Nick Fortes as the Rays had won the game to stay alive.
Milwaukee will now have to try again tomorrow night, when they’ll likely send Jacob Misiorowski to the mound. Meanwhile, the Rays used their Game 1 starter, Nick Martinez, for two innings out of the bullpen in this one, so it’s unclear exactly where they’ll go.
Fort Myers, FL - February 16: Boston Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse watches Reese McGuire take some swings in the cage. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
We’re going to hear so many different names connected to the Phillies during the offseason, but without knowing how much money they can spend, it’ll be tough to guess. Usually, we know that they didn’t want to extend beyond the final luxury tax threshold, but will those even be a thing in the post-CBA world? We’ll have to wait and see.
1981 – Behind the solid pitching of Burt Hooton, the Los Angeles Dodgers complete a World Series comeback, defeating the New York Yankees, 9-2, in Game 6. The Dodgers had trailed the Series two games to none before bouncing back to win four straight games. Pedro Guerrero drives in five runs for Los Angeles, who avenge two six-game World Series defeats to the Yankees in 1977 and 1978. It is the third time this postseason Los Angeles comes from behind to win a series: they were 0-2 behind Houston in the NLDS and 1-2 behind the Expos in the NLCS. Guerrero, Ron Cey and Steve Yeager share the Series MVP Award.
2001 – In the World Series, Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches a three-hit shutout to defeat the Yankees, 4-0, taking a 2-0 advantage in the Series. Matt Williams becomes the first player in World Series history to hit home runs with three different teams. He homered in the Fall Classic for the Indians in 1997 and the Giants in 1989, prior to doing so for Arizona today.
2007 – The Red Sox win their second Championship of the decade, with their sweep of the Rockies in the 2007 World Series. Colorado had won 21 of 22 games entering the Series before falling flat. They lose Game 4 by a 4-3 score, thanks to 5.2 scoreless innings from Jon Lester. Mike Lowell is named World Series MVP.
2010 – In Game 2 of the 2010 World Series, the Giants rout the Rangers, 9-0, but the score is only 1-0 in the seventh when Texas starter C.J. Wilson leaves with a blister on his finger. Matt Cain and two relievers combine on a four-hit shutout. Texas has allowed 20 runs in the first two World Series games in franchise history, setting a major league record.
2011 – The St. Louis Cardinals win the 11th title of their history by defeating the Texas Rangers, 6-2, in Game 7 of the World Series. Texas takes a two-run lead in the top of the 1st, but Series MVPDavid Freese ties the score with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning. Chris Carpenter then keeps the Rangers from adding to their score, while Allen Craig hits a third-inning homer off Matt Harrison. The Cards add two runs without getting a hit in the 5th and, typically, St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa uses four relievers to get the last nine outs. It is an unlikely title for a team that was 10.5 games out on August 25th and twice was down to its last strike in Game 6.
2013 – The Red Sox take a three-games-to-two lead in the World Series with a 3-1 win over the Cardinals. David Ortiz continues to be unstoppable at the plate, getting three more hits to increase his average for the Series to .733, while back-up C David Ross has the big blow, a tie-breaking ground rule double in the seventh. Jon Lester prevails over Adam Wainwright for the second time.
2023 – The Diamondbacks tie up the World Series with a 9-1 win over the Rangers in Game 2. Merrill Kelly pitches seven excellent innings but the game is close until Arizona scores seven runs over the final three innings. Gabriel Moreno opens the scoring with the game’s lone homer, while Tommy Pham has four of the D-Backs’ 16 hits. Ketel Marte sets a new record by extending his postseasonhitting streak to 18 games, breaking a four-way tie.
2024 – The Dodgers take a three-games-to-none lead in the World Series by beating the Yankees, 4-2, in Game 3 played at New Yankee Stadium. Freddie Freeman homers with one on in the first inning off Clarke Schmidt — a record-tying fifth consecutive World Series game in which he has gone deep, going back to 2021, and the Dodgers add a couple more runs before Alex Verdugo hits a two-run bomb of his own in the bottom of the 9th – but it is too little, too late.
1793 – Eli Whitney applies for a patent for his cotton gin machine, used to pull cotton fibers from the seed.
1831 – British scientist Michael Faraday demonstrates his dynamo invention, an electric generator.
1886 – The Statue of Liberty is dedicated by President Grover Cleveland and is celebrated with the first confetti (ticker tape) parade in New York City.
1900 – Summer (Modern) Olympic Games in Paris end after five months; no opening or closing ceremonies are held.
1904 – St. Louis police try a new investigative method, fingerprints.
1954 – Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to Ernest Hemingway.
1962 – NY Giants quarterback Y. A. Tittle passes for seven touchdowns vs. Washington in a 49-34 win.
1965 – The Gateway Arch, 630 ft (192 m) tall, is completed in St. Louis, Missouri.
1978 – Bobby Orr scores his last career NHL goal against Detroit Red Wings
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MARCH 28, 2026: President of baseball operations and general manager Mike Elias of the Baltimore Orioles looks on prior to a game against the Minnesota Twins at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 28, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Banner comes to the Orioles with 18 years of baseball operations experience. He has spent the last six seasons with the Cubs organization, including the last two being spent as their assistant general manager.
Elias will continue to be the boss. However, he made it clear in the press conference that Banner’s role is going to be significant:
“Our setup right now is that Jared will take over everything to do with our internal players, our internal coaches, player development, performance, healthcare, all of that is going to fall under his umbrella,” Elias said. “I will then work more directly on the scouting and acquisition side of the equation — pro, international, amateur, contracts, things like that. But we will be running the whole team together and working in concert with one another. But that’s sort of the general division of management duties.”
“I think that Jared is very tremendously experienced in those areas, very successful in those areas. I think he’s better than I am in those areas. And this will also allow, hopefully, the club to leverage me a little bit better and allow me to spend more of my time on the acquisition side of things.”
That’s a big job ahead of Banner. The responsibilities being handed to him are in many of the areas in which the Orioles have struggled under Elias. And he is taking it on with just about a month before the current CBA expires. Without a new deal, clubs and players on the 40-man roster cannot communicate. So, any sort of offseason training will need to be mapped out ahead of time. No matter how experienced the new GM may be, that is a lot to sort out in just a few weeks.
It is possible that additional shakeups will be coming in the organization’s player development structure, though nothing was revealed on that front. Obviously, Matt Blood, the team’s former vice president of player and staff development, left the organization last month. Banner seems to be coming in, absorbing Blood’s old responsibilities, and likely taking on a few more.
Elias said a few weeks ago that he expected to expand the front office this offseason. Adding Banner while losing Blood would not seem to represent an expansion itself, so something more could be coming. Whether that means allowing Banner to fill out a bigger developmental staff, or if Elias himself gets more deputies on the player acquisition side. It remains to be seen.
No conclusions can be made about Banner or the decision to hire him. Many in the fan base think the clube needs someone other than Elias to lead them. Clearly, ownership disagrees. At the very least, it is good that the Orioles identified weaknesses. They believe that Banner can help solve them. Whether that is true or not won’t be evident until the team starts playing baseball again. Right now, we don’t know when that will be.
Orioles Notes: Front Office, Rotation | MLB Trade Rumors Elias says, once again, that the rotation is a priority going into the offseason. It is true that every team wants more starting pitching. But it is a tad annoying that the Orioles are trying to find an ace or ace-adjacent arm every single winter. If you have to say you’re looking for that kind of player every year then you failed to find them the previous year.
Corban Joseph turns 38 today. The utility man played for five teams across parts of three big league seasons. That included a 14-game stay with the Orioles in 2018.
Nate McLouth is 45 years old. Signed in the middle of the 2012 season, McLouth stepped right into the Orioles left field role and help the organization back to the playoffs for the first time since 1997. He stuck around for 2013, where he was worth 1.9 bWAR.
Juan Guzmán is 60 today. The Orioles acquired him from the Blue Jays at the 1998 trade deadline. Over the next year he made 32 starts and was then traded to the Reds at the 1999 trade deadline. That swap with the Reds would land reliever B.J. Ryan in Baltimore, where he would develop into one of baseball’s better closers.
Bob Melvin is 65 years old. The former catcher had a three-seasons stint in Baltimore from 1989-91. He may be better known by modern fans as a manager, a role he held for several clubs between 2003 and 2025.
The late Sammy Stewart (b. 1954, d. 2018) was born on this day. He was an important member of the Orioles pitching staff from 1978 through ‘85. In that eight-year span he threw 866 innings, a mix between the rotation and the bullpen, and even led the league in ERA (2.32) in 1981.
This day in O’s history
Nothing of note has happened in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So, here are a few things that have occurred outside of Birdland:
1886 – The Statue of Liberty is dedicated by President Grover Cleveland.
1919 – U.S. Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. This paves the way for Prohibition to begin the following January.
1942 – The Alaska Highway first connects Alaska to the North American railway network at Dawson Creek in Canada.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 27: Ben Williamson #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with teammates after hitting an RBI Single during the twelfth inning to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field on October 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Milwaukee tried their best to secure the first World Series sweep since the 2012 San Fransisco Giants bested the Detroit Tigers, but it was to no avail. After 12 long innings the Rays came away with their first win in this Fall Classic, and their first World Series win in the Trop since 2008. Now they’ll have to reset and do it all over again or their season will end all the same, but either way this will be the last game Tropicana Field sees in 2026.
Matt will take you through all the twists and turns of Game 4 in the Roundup to start the day, and then he’ll return to give out a report card to John Schreiber and his fine work in the month and change the Yankees had him for. Jonathan takes us back to the days of Joe Page and the late 40s Yankees for our latest birthday, and then later in the day Peter takes a stab at responding to some offseason keys for the Yankees to follow.
Today’s Playoff Matchup:
World Series Game 5 (Brewers lead 3-1)
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Milwaukee Brewers (TBD vs. RHP Jacob Misiorowski)
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
TV: FOX/FOX One/Fox Deportes
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Questions/Prompts:
1. Was Tampa’s 12th inning victory in Game 4 a last gasp or can they push this series back to Milwaukee?
2. What does The Miz have in store for what will likely be his last impact on this postseason run? (Barring a Game 7 relief appearance or something crazy.)
