Category: MLB

What we learned as Willy Adames homers twice in Giants' walk-off win over Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — After Wednesday night’s win, Matt Chapman was asked a couple of times about 2026. Chapman said repeatedly that the focus is simply “on tomorrow.”

Right now, “tomorrow” is bringing a lot of wins for the Giants, who know what the math says but want to try and make things interesting anyway. Their 4-3 walk-off win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday clinched a sweep and marked their fifth straight victory, bringing their record to 66-68.

JHL CALLS GAME WITH HIS FIRST WALK-OFF 👏 pic.twitter.com/KHtNWndySW

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

The latest positive day at Oracle Park ended when Jung Hoo Lee lined a single to right with two on in the bottom of the ninth. It was the 10th walk-off win this season but the first of the second half. 

The game was somewhat of a pitcher’s duel between Logan Webb and Shota Imanaga, although the ball can fly on warm day games at Oracle Park, and the two combined to give up four homers. Both pitched through the seventh and left with the game tied 3-all. 

The Cubs thought they would take the lead in the top of the eighth, but Casey Schmitt made a leaping grab of a liner and doubled off the runner on second, who was easily going to score the go-ahead run. With a runner on first and one out in the top of the ninth, Lee made a sliding grab to rob Pete Crow-Armstrong of a rally-extending single.

Here are the takeaways from a thrilling Giants’ win:

Can It Actually Happen?

It has been 21 years since the last 30-homer season by a Giant, and early on, it seemed impossible for Adames to even think about it. His Giants career got off to a brutal start, but with his latest two-homer game, he put himself in position to make an actual run at ending the drought. 

Adames took Imanaga deep twice, with the first one giving the Giants a lead in the first inning and the second one tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. He now has 24 homers with 28 games left.

Big Willy Style 😎 pic.twitter.com/wpB4evaitE

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

ADAMES AGAIN. TIED GAME. pic.twitter.com/A035fpP0So

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

If over the final month he simply matches his August — eight homers — or July — seven homers — he’ll get it done. Thursday’s game was his fourth this season and second in the last six days with multiple homers. He became the first Giants shortstop since Travis Jackson in 1929 to have four multi-homer games in one season. 

Mr. 200

Webb is eager to reach 200 strikeouts for the first time, but he also is well on his way to another 200-inning season, and unless he’s shut down at some point, he should pretty easily win the NL innings crown for a third straight season. 

Webb allowed three runs in seven innings Thursday, getting to 173 2/3 on the season. The only other players in the NL with 160-plus innings are Cy Young frontrunners Christopher Sanchez (162 1/3) and Paul Skenes (161). Webb is also four outs ahead of Garrett Crochet for the MLB lead overall. 

They’re Going Streaking

Adames’ first homer gave the Giants a blast in 11 consecutive games, their longest streak since September of a magical 2021 season. They’ve hit 22 homers over the 11 games and have gotten back-to-back multi-homer games from cornerstone players (Rafael Devers did it Wednesday).

Devers had a different kind of run going early in the game, reaching on a walk and a single to start his day. Over two games, he reached base in seven consecutive plate appearances.

With a single in the fifth, Lee reached base for the 22nd time in 24 games this month. Add it all up and the Giants have a lot of reasons to be more optimistic about the lineup’s long-term future than they were a few weeks ago.

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Why Casey Schmitt's ascension as Giants second baseman encourages Buster Posey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While the Giants have struggled down the stretch this season, there has been one glaring bright spot.

Infielder Casey Schmitt has played hard-nosed baseball, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey joined KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday to discuss Schmitt’s recent play.

“For me, watching Casey over the past few years … he looks like he’s starting to believe he belongs,” Posey explained.

Confidence is key in the batter’s box, and the 26-year-old has come into his own. Schmitt has hit four home runs with 13 RBI this month.

“He’s a very naturally gifted baseball player,” Posey explained. “You’re certainly seeing it at the plate. Laying off some of those pitches that are down and away from him … big two-out RBI last night … we’re definitely excited about the progress he’s making.”

His play at second base also has been stellar.

“A guy who’s naturally a third baseman,” Posey continued, “he’s probably more comfortable on the left side of the infield. He looks more and more comfortable each day. We saw last night the double play he and Adames turned. That really got me excited.”

Double play of the year?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CW2xkibfLd

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

The 1-6-4-3 double play on Wednesday got a well-deserved standing ovation from Giants fans. The idea of Schmitt being the everyday second baseman is turning into a reality.

“It looks like it came more natural to him,” Posey said. He showed off his arm strength; I think he’s gonna continue to get better and better.”

The San Diego State alum will have plenty of opportunities to earn his keep looking into the future.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

The Mets open a four-game series against the Marlins at Citi Field on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

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

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Mets Notes

• Mark Vientosis slashing .395/.442/.974 with six homers, four doubles, and 17 RBI in 43 plate appearances over his last 10 games
• Starling Marte is hitting .359/.409/.590 with four homers and six doubles in 78 plate appearances over his last 23 games
• Cedric Mullinshas picked things up in a big way after struggling at the plate during his first week as a Met. In 14 games since Aug. 9, Mullins is slashing .306/.375/.490 with a homer, triple, and four doubles

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How Buster Posey believes Jung Hoo Lee will benefit from first full MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jung Hoo Lee’s 2024 MLB season ended with an emphatic crash into the outfield wall and, as a result, shoulder surgery. Luckily for the Giants, his 2025 season has gone a bit differently and – while it’s had its ups and downs – Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey believes that is going to benefit Lee next season.

“I think this is going to be such a big year for Jung Hoo, just because you don’t really know what a major league season takes until you go through one,” Posey told KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday. “Between the amount of games played in a row, the travel across the country, the physical toll, the mental toll.”

Lee’s April started as hot as it possibly could, with the 27-year-old slashing .324/.369/.539. However, his next couple months were polar opposites, with Lee putting up just a .143/.277/.274 slash line in June.

Posey believes the struggles – paired with his recent bounce back in July and August – is a positive sign for Lee and for San Francisco.

“Having to deal with the failure that comes from some or a lot of these variables and then to bounce back like he has,” Posey said. “To start off well and kind of slump a little bit and now, to me, he looks like he’s back to a spot at the plate where he’s hitting some balls on a line the other way, he’s spitting on balls when he needs to. I think, ultimately, we think that’s the type of player he’s going to be. A guy that has really good bat control, puts the ball in play, can be a pest at the plate.”

Lee’s 34.4 percent squared up rate, which is 95th percentile in the league, according to Baseball Savant, has proven that Lee has the ability to place balls where he wants.

Now, Posey says it’s on Lee to make the appropriate adjustments that he’s learned and come back better next season.

“Really, his first full year is something that I think he’s going to be able to learn from,” Posey added. “Take the information into the offseason and know how to prepare himself even better coming into next year.”

If Lee is able to improve on this season, he potentially could play a major role in the Giants making a push for the postseason in 2026.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Marlins play a four-game series at Citi Field starting on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

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5 things to watch

King Tong

Jonah Tonglaid waste to minor league hitters in the 22 starts he made this season between Double-A Binghamton (20 starts) and Triple-A Syracuse (two starts).

In 113.2 innings, he posted a 1.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while allowing just 58 hits and striking out an absurd 179 batters.

Tong's dominance combined with the Mets' need in the big league rotation led to his call-up, and he'll make his much-anticipated debut on Friday night.

Featuring an electric fastball and Vulcan changeup, Tong will also mix in a slider (his newest offering) and 12-to-6 curve.

Tong's over the top delivery is reminiscent of Tim Lincecum -- something that isn't lost on the rookie.

"The one that everyone always sees is Tim Lincecum," Tong told SNY earlier this season. "Loved how he threw. They called him The Freak for a reason. I would say mechanics-wise, that’s probably the one I’m most similar to, although it’s not even intentional. ... but Tim Lincecum is probably the most obvious one to me."

Mets are feeling RISPy

As the Mets ebbed and flowed over the first four months of the season, one thing was a near constant -- their struggles with runners in scoring position.

It was baffling, considering the amount of dangerous, seasoned hitters who were up and down the lineup. And the longer it went on, the more ridiculous it seemed. 

Well, things have turned.

The Mets are hitting a sizzling .388 with runners in scoring position since Aug. 12, closely aligning with the 8-3 run they're on.

A few huge turns of events during that span? Francisco Lindor broke out of his slump and has been tearing the cover off the ball for the last few weeks, and Mark Vientos has become the 2024 version of himself that helped make New York's lineup go.

Since July 28, Vientos is hitting .316/.341/.671 with seven homers, six doubles, and 22 RBI in 82 plate appearances over 20 games, bringing a new dynamic to the middle of the lineup.

Can Kodai Senga right the ship?

It's been a struggle for Senga over the last month-plus.

In 31.0 innings over seven starts, he has a 6.10 ERA (6.32 FIP) and has allowed seven home runs.

Senga also hasn't been providing much length, failing to complete 5.0 innings on four occasions during that span and never going more than 5.2 frames.

Along the way, Senga has cited his mechanics as one of the reasons for his scuffling. Meanwhile, after Senga's last start, manager Carlos Mendoza noted how many "noncompetitive" pitches Senga threw.

Senga will look to get things back on track when he starts on Sunday.

The playoff chase

By sweeping the Phillies in a three-game series at Citi Field, the Mets did three things.

1. They pulled to within 4.0 games of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East, with four games against the Phillies coming up in Philadelphia next month
2. They gained 3.0 games on the Reds for the third Wild Card spot in the National League, and now lead them by 4.5 games (5.0 in the loss column)
3. They crept to within 2.5 games of the Padres (2.0 in the loss column) for the second Wild Card spot and 4.0 games of the Cubs for the first Wild Card spot

Eury Perez and Edward Cabrera are legit

Despite trudging toward another poor finish, the Marlins are dangerous to face simply because two of their starting pitchers have been really tough to hit this season.

And the Mets will face both of them during this series.

The 22-year-old Eury Perez, who starts on Friday, has a 3.44 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in what is his first season back after Tommy John surgery. 

Edward Cabrera, who gets the ball on Saturday, has a 3.32 ERA and 1.18 WHIP and is coming off a masterpiece against the Braves. Cabrera fired 7.0 innings of one-hit, shutout ball against Atlanta on Monday while walking two and striking out 10.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Mark Vientos

Vientos looks as comfortable as he has all year.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

David Peterson

Peterson has been stellar in his last two starts, allowing just two runs in 13.2 innings while striking out 18

Which Marlins player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Jakob Marsee

The rookie has been on a tear over his first 90 big league at-bats, slashing .356/.422/.667

The commissioner who called off the World Series as striking players fought off a salary cap still sees merit to a salary cap in Major League Baseball.

“Three of the other major sports all have salary caps, and they’re working,” former commissioner Bud Selig said on the MVP Podcast. “And they’re working well.”

Former Angels first baseman Mo Vaughn, the 1995 American League most valuable player for the Boston Red Sox, is the host of the MVP Podcast.

Selig’s tenure as commissioner ran from 1992 to 2015. The players went on strike in 1994 when owners insisted on a salary cap. Selig had to call off the World Series, and the players returned in 1995 without a salary cap.

Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season, and several owners already have called for a salary cap, claiming competitive balance cannot truly be possible when teams like the Dodgers and New York Mets spend five times on payroll as teams such as the Athletics and Miami Marlins.

Read more:They said baseball was dying. How Rob Manfred and MLB officials revived it

The players’ union adamantly opposes a cap, arguing owners are more concerned about restricting spending and about how the sale prices of teams are not appreciating as greatly as those in other sports.

Selig did not directly advocate for a salary cap as much as he did for dialogue between owners and players. Rob Manfred, the current commissioner, has called an offseason lockout a negotiating tool that does not harm the sport so long as regular-season games are not lost.

“The last 22 years of my commissionership, we had no lockout, no strike, no nothing,” Selig said. “And that really helped us.

“I think, when you look back, some of the labor problems that we had really hurt us. So we have to be careful.”

Vaughn’s current business ventures include serving as an advisor at Perfect Game, which distributes the podcast. As he talked over old times with Selig, the former commissioner realized everything old is new again.

“We had a strike that cost the World Series,” Selig said, “and it was over things that they’re still fighting about.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Buster Posey remains committed to Giants' core despite down 2025 MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants, perhaps for the first time in a while, have a formidable core of star players.

Unfortunately for San Francisco, it has not resulted in as many wins as it initially hoped when it added slugger Rafael Devers to a nucleus of Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee and starting pitchers Logan Webb and Robbie Ray earlier this season.

However, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey remains committed to the team’s core moving forward.

“I believe in the nucleus,” Posey told KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday. “What makes me feel good is the character of these players. Each year can be different. And again, we’ve got 30ish games left, and you never know what can happen, so we’re focused on this year, for sure. But yeah, we have total belief in this nucleus and understand this is the first year of them playing together, with Rafi not even having a full year.

“Excited about their leadership and the players around them on both sides of the ball that we’re going to get to watch going forward and continue to work and get better.”

The Giants (65-68) still have 29 games remaining this season, but likely are too far out of playoff contention, as they sit seven games back of the New York Mets (72-61) for the third and final National League wild card spot.

Despite the 2025 season likely ending without a playoff appearance for the fourth consecutive year, Posey does not foresee the Giants “blowing it up” this offseason and trading pieces of their core.

“As a front office we’ll look and see how we see best to put the best team on the field in [2026], but as far as ‘majorly blowing it up,’ whatever that means … I don’t see that happening,” Posey added.

It’s safe to say fans can expect to see, more or less, the same core players in 2026.

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In the waning days of the 1960s, when Don Sutton was starting his Hall of Fame career and Don Drysdale was finishing his, kids all over the Southland could turn on Channel 9 and catch a block of cartoons. Speed Racer came on first, followed by Ultraman.

In the lore: “A 130-foot tall red and silver giant of light, Ultraman came to Earth from another galaxy to protect humanity from invading aliens and giant monsters.”

Fortunately, the meet-and-greet version of Ultraman that showed up at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday was about 6 feet tall. I dropped by to say hello, although I had been warned he did not converse with humans.

“He’ll look at you quizzically, but also with endearment, knowing you are a little carbon-based unit that would like to become his friend,” said David Kornblum, president of Tsuburaya Fields Media and Pictures Entertainment.

Read more:Shaikin: The National League has one .300 hitter. What's up with that?

Ultraman turns 60 next year. Kornblum is based in Los Angeles, and his job is to take what his Tokyo-based company calls “Japan’s most beloved superhero” and revive his popularity in the United States. This fall, you’ll be able to stream new and classic episodes of Ultraman.

It’s not just that Shohei Ohtani is more popular than Ultraman in Japan these days. If you’re a Japanese company wanting to get the word out in America about your product, you’re in good company at Dodger Stadium.

“With the Dodgers, you’ve got a 50,000-seat stadium basically sold out for 80 games a year,” Kornblum said. “It’s a natural in terms of having exposure for this character in this market, the second-largest market in the country.

“You have the opportunity to showcase your character with the most popular team.”

The “Shohei economy,” as one team official dubbed it last year, has taken on a new dimension.

Japanese fans flock to Dodger Stadium, of course, taking stadium tours conducted in Japanese, enjoying a variety of national delicacies at concession stands and clutching shopping bags packed with hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of dollars' worth of Ohtani merchandise.

And, of the 24 corporations with advertising space between the foul poles at Dodger Stadium as of Tuesday, eight are based in Asia.

What’s new: With Ohtani as a global attraction, Japanese entertainment companies have used Dodger Stadium as a platform to popularize their star attractions.

“There is not a business sector that hasn’t weighed in with us,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said, noting the Dodgers’ league-leading attendance and global viewership. “We are an entertainment venue. We’re a place to go to get attention.

“If you’re a brand looking for attention, where else would you go?”

With each deal, Ohtani’s contract becomes even more magical for the Dodgers. Never mind, for the moment, the sponsorships with Asian airlines, retailers, beverage companies, and so on.

With four Japanese character appearances at Dodger Stadium this season, the Dodgers have made more than the $2 million they pay Ohtani in salary this year. (The other $68 million is deferred.)

And, as the entertainment companies reach customers in the United States, the Dodgers reach fans in Japan, where they have leveraged Ohtani to become the dominant major league team.

The Dodgers launched a fan club there this year. Kasten said they hope to expand their marketing presence there as Major League Baseball considers relaxing rules under which the league itself — rather than individual teams — typically controls international business ventures.

“FC Barcelona told me they have 300 million fans around the world,” Kasten said. “That’s a good role model.”

When Tokyo’s Cover Corp. opened a Los Angeles office last year, they brought their star animated character — Gawr Gura — to Dodger Stadium.

Read more:Clayton Kershaw is masterful again in Dodgers' win over Reds

“The fact that we could say we had a collaboration with the Dodgers, that is helpful to show we are that level of a brand,” said Motoaki Tanigo, the chief executive of Cover. “That was helpful to us, to introduce ourselves.”

The Dodgers sold 8,000 tickets as part of the Cover promotion, the company said and the team confirmed, with 80% of those fans visiting Dodger Stadium for the first time, and with many showing up super early to snap up commemorative merchandise. Cover staged a larger ballpark promotion this year.

Ultraman brought no merchandise with him, but he did bring an evil nemesis, who tried to steal the show during the ceremonial first pitch. If the point was to identify the evil nemesis called a kaiju for an unfamiliar audience, I suggested the company dress him in a Padres uniform.

“Or in a Giants uniform,” Kornblum said. “I would love if they would allow us to have a full smackdown, with a kaiju in a Giants jersey vs. Ultraman in a Dodgers jersey.

“A beatdown at home plate would be fun. But the corporate guys won’t let me do that.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

How Bryce Eldridge has handled sky-high expectations as Giants' top prospect originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey knows a thing or two about sky-high expectations. 

The Giants’ president of baseball operations was the fifth overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft and made his debut a year later. When he was called up for good in 2010, the Giants traded their starting catcher to clear the decks. All Posey did that year was lead them to their first championship in San Francisco.

Posey never, however, dealt with the kind of online noise that has followed Bryce Eldridge during his own journey as a top prospect. 

Twitter was in its infancy when Posey was coming through the minors, and he never had to worry about seeing his face on Instagram graphics or in TikTok videos speculating about his short-term and long-term future. That has been Eldridge’s reality since being taken in the first round two years ago, and the drumbeat seemingly gets louder every day.

Eldridge, who doesn’t turn 21 until October, has grown up with all of this, but still, at times it can be a lot. Far lesser Giants prospects have seen their Triple-A seasons derailed by rumors that a call-up is imminent.

On Thursday’s “Giants Talk” podcast, Eldridge said he’s doing the best to ignore the hype, even if those around him might get caught up at times. 

“Being a 20-year-old kid who uses social media, things kind of pop up on your feed,” he said. “It’s not like I’m missing all of it, but I’m not going into the comments reading stuff. I’m kind of just getting a little look at it, scrolling by or whatever, but yeah, people are sending me stuff. My loved ones are excited about what’s to come and that’s understandable. 

“I think I just tell them every time, ‘I’m in Triple-A right now. We’re going to focus in on this. Whenever [the call-up] happens, I better see all those people out there [at the ballpark].”

Eldridge has been a top 100 prospect throughout his time in the minors, and he currently is MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked minor league first baseman. He is 13th overall on Pipeline’s top 100 list and No. 20 on Baseball America’s version.

Eldridge needs only to look behind him in the Triple-A lineup to get a reminder that prospect lists guarantee nothing. Marco Luciano was a top 20 prospect for multiple seasons earlier in his career, but he now finds himself at a crossroads, and seemingly out of the Giants’ long-term plans.

The cautionary tales are one reason the Giants have been so patient with Eldridge, even with their second-half struggles at the big league level. The first baseman has a .837 OPS this season and 22 homers, but the Giants want to see him continue to play every day and work on his command of the strike zone and defense. 

Team officials have no doubts he’ll be the centerpiece of the lineup at Oracle Park one day, but they’re in no rush. At the moment, Eldridge is not expected to be called up in September. 

Posey will get asked about Eldridge every time he meets with the media for the rest of the year and next spring, but thus far he has resisted the temptation to stoke the flames. On the other end, Eldridge said he has leaned on his faith in an effort to manage expectations. He said that belief has given him peace of mind.

“Focusing on controlling what I can control is important,” Eldridge said.  

If the Giants do delay the debut until 2026, it will do nothing to calm the hype. Eldridge will push for an Opening Day job next spring, and if that ends up being the case, he would debut against the New York Yankees in the first game of the MLB season. 

It would be a lot, but it’s also what Eldridge wants.

Eldridge was nine when he homered for the first time, hitting one out to center at his Little League field in Vienna, Va., and he has seemed destined for this point ever since. A lot will be placed on his shoulders whenever he arrives, but it might be nothing compared to the bar Eldridge has set for himself. He said he thinks every day about how he wants to “be the man” in San Francisco and leave the kind of mark on the organization that Posey, Barry Bonds and Willie Mays did. 

“That’s just something that means a lot to me, and staying with the team who drafted me is something that means a lot, too,” he said on “Giants Talk.” “I hope I’m in their plans for the foreseeable future and I think just putting my name up in the talks with those guys as the greats of San Francisco would be a dream come true. That’s just something that is in my head and something that I want to do.”

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There's a youth movement currently going on in the Mets' rotation. 

After Nolan McLean, who burst onto the scene two weeks ago and continued his dominance of MLB hitters with eight shutout innings against the Phillies on Wednesday, the Mets are calling up and starting Jonah Tong on Friday against the Marlins.

Tong, who is Joe DeMayo's No. 2 prospect in the Mets system, has quickly risen through the ranks of the minors, dominating Double-A and Triple-A, forcing the team's hand. 

In 22 minor league starts, Tong has pitched to a 1.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, allowing just 20 runs (18 earned) on 58 hits and 47 walks over 113.2 innings while striking out 179 batters. He was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse less than a month ago and in two starts with Syracuse struck out 17 batters in 11.2 shutout innings.

So, what can we expect from Tong on Friday? McLean was asked his thoughts on Tong after his win over the Phillies.

"That kid’s special," he said. "I remember when I first got drafted, I stood in one of those bullpens just to watch. Haven’t seen a fastball like that before. And I know he’s developed three more pitches since then and they are all plus. It’s going to be fun to watch him Friday. Can’t wait to see him."

McLean and Tong were teammates at various levels of the Mets' minor league system and will be again once Tong arrives in Flushing -- so McLean has come to know the 22-year-old flamethrower and what he can do.

When asked to elaborate about Tong's fastball, McLean, who was a two-way player in college for Oklahoma State, gave his perspective as a hitter and why major league batters may have a hard time figuring the youngster out.

"It just gets on you and it was only in the bullpen," McLean explained. "Can’t imagine being a hitter having to face him with the unique delivery he has as well as mid-upper 90s [fastball]."

Major League Baseball will get its first look at Tong's unique delivery and fastball very soon.

"That kid's special."

Nolan McLean talks about Jonah Tong's upcoming MLB debut and how good Tong's fastball is from a hitter's point of view: pic.twitter.com/YjCZmRW8eQ

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 28, 2025