The rising cost of attending Major League Baseball games will always be a topic of conversation, with the prices of concessions and parking making a day at the ballpark cost a small fortune for many families.
Teams have begun presenting family-friendly ticket packages that include food and beverages, but things really add up beyond the staples including in such deals. It's hard to believe that parking cost less than $10 even in markets like New York less than 30 years ago.
Here's a look at the most expensive ballparks to visit for a family of four, according to Bookies.com's fan cost study, which includes four tickets, a parking pass, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs.
Syracuse won their opening game against the Woosox, powered by good hitting and good pitching. On the hitting side, Ronny Mauricio was perfect at the plate and drove in three, and on the pitching side, Xzavion Curry and Tobias Myers combined to allow a single run on two combined hits.
Jefferson Rojas put the Rumble Ponies on the board in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer, but Gary Gill Hill gave both of those runs back in the top of the second. The right-hander settled down after that, not allowing another run and tossing six innings in total. In the seventh, the newly reactivated Felipe De La Cruz allowed a run and it looked like that was going to be that, but in the bottom of the ninth, Binghamton rallied. Rojas was in the middle of things once again, driving in a run on a double and then Chris Suero ended things with a game winning sac fly.
The top of the Brooklyn order struggled, with Sammy Stafura going 0-6 and Elian Pena going 0-4, but the bottom half of the line-up had their back, going a collective 8-22 with 7 runs driven in. The Cyclones offense really broke this one open in the later innings, scoring four runs in the seventh, two in the eighth, and one more for good measure in the ninth.
Toeing the rubber for the first time since Spring Training, when he was placed on the 60-Day Injured List due to a fractured rib, Justin Hagenman threw 2.1 innings and allowed a run on three hits and a walk, striking out three. The right-hander threw 43 pitches, 25 for strikes, and got 9 swings and misses. Things quickly went downhill for St. Lucie as the bullpen was extremely leaky, with Owen Woodward, Jose Lopez, and Tyler McLoughlin combining to allow nine runs.
The Detroit Tigers were unable to seal the deal on Tuesday night, falling to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, to even the weekday series at PNC Park. Brett Callahan hit his first major league home run, but that was all the offense the good guy got while Keider Montero was extremely mid on the mound for the Olde English D.
Toeing the rubber in the series finale for the Motor City Kitties is right-hander Jackson Jobe, who will be making his third start of the season after returning from Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old looked good in his debut but got roughed up by the Chicago White Sox the last time out, coughing up six runs on nine hits (two homers) and a walk while striking out four over 3 2/3 innings to take the loss in a 9-5 defeat at Comerica Park.
Up against Jobe for the Bucs is fellow righty Paul Skenes, who has been great this season but a tick below the astronomic he set for himself during his first two years in the league. In the 24-year-old’s last four outings since his last quality start, Skenes has posted a bloated 6.52 ERA along with a very mediocre 4.22 FIP over 19 1/3 innings, allowing 20 hits (three homers) and 11 walks while striking out 18, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch, resulting in three personal losses and four for his team.
Here is a look at how the two 24-year-olds match up on paper for the rubber match of the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon.
Detroit Tigers (61-65) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (62-66)
Time (ET): 12:35 p.m. Place: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 127: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88 ERA)
Jun 7, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Felix Bautista (74) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Good morning Birdland,
Those two days where the Orioles held a playoff spot were pretty cool, huh? We will remember them fondly.
The team has dropped back to one game out of the final wild card spot after their 3-1 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night. The Rangers, Twins, Blue Jays, and Guardians all won, so it was not a good night for the O’s and their playoff hopes.
The loss falls at the feet of the offense. Coby Mayo’s solo homer in the third inning was all they could muster. Throughout the rest of the game they had just three hits and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Tough to win games with only one run.
Side note: Mayo now has a 101 wRC+ on the season. Not just against lefties, or since June 1 or whatever, no crazy splits. None of that. The guy has now been a (slightly) above average hitter on the season. That’s pretty cool. Maybe the Orioles have something on their hands after all.
Shane Baz was quite good yet again. The guy just cannot get any run support. He struck out a season high 10 over his 6.1 innings, and the three runs he allowed was slightly elevated because Josh Walker came on and allowed both inherited runners to score. It doesn’t feel like the Orioles have any pitcher in their bullpen right now that you can trust all that much. They are all prone to implosions.
The O’s will give it another try on Wednesday night with Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.11 ERA) on the mound to face Will Warren (8-6, 4.42 ERA). It’s another 6:35 first pitch.
Links
Orioles updates on Basallo, Alexander, Bautista and more | Roch Kubatko There was some positive news yesterday. We know that Samuel Basallo is getting close to a return. He has played a couple of rehab games, and Craig Albernaz said he could be back later this week. Then the team relayed that Blaze Alexander and Félix Bautista (!!!) are expected to begin rehab assignments within a week. The Alexander news is expected, but Bautista!?! The team has been optimistic there, and it’s likely that they will take things slow. But boy would it be a boost to get his arm in the bullpen sometime in September for the final couple of weeks.
Former Oriole Trey Mancini retiring after making comeback in 2026 | Roch Kubatko What a career and what a story for Trey Mancini. He came back from cancer to play baseball at a high level and win a World Series, then he came back a second time when it seemed like the league had totally moved on. The 34-year-old achieved his goal of getting back to the majors this season and should be darn proud of himself for doing so. I’m sure even bigger things await him beyond his playing career.
Brandon Young turns 28 today. The second-year pitcher has been a savior for the Orioles rotation this season, compiling a 3.52 ERA over 117.2 innings.
J.J. Hardy is 44 years old. He brought a rare combination of power and slick fielding to the shortstop position during the Orioles return to relevance from 2011 through 2017. Hardy won three Gold Gloves, went to one All-Star Game, and took home a Silver Slugger during his time in Baltimore. The O’s added him to their team Hall of Fame in 2021.
Lance Cormier turns 46. He worked out of the Orioles bullpen throughout the 2008 season.
Rocky Cherry is 47 years old. His time with the Orioles spanned two seasons from 2007 through ‘08, when he was an up-and-down reliever for the club.
Luis DeLeón is 68. The righty pitched in 11 games as a reliever for the 1987 Orioles.
Paul Mitchell turns 77. His six-year MLB career began in Baltimore, where he played in 11 games for the 1975 Birds.
The late Jim Lehew (b. 1937, d. 2016) was born on this day. A Baltimore native, Lehew played in parts of two seasons with his hometown Orioles from 1961 to ‘62.
This day in O’s history
1980 – Steve Stone becomes MLB’s first pitcher to get to 20 wins this season as the O’s beat the Angels 5-2.
2001 – The Orioles storm back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Red Sox 13-7. Jeff Conine has five hits, three different Orioles have three RBI each, and the team steals five bases off of Hideo Nomo.
2016 – The Orioles set a modern record by hitting four home runs before making their first out in their first turn at-bat. Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Mark Trumbo all go deep in the first inning to take a 5-1 lead, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Astros score five of their own runs in the second inning and go on to win 15-8.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Derek Hill takes batting practice before a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Aug. 13, 2026 at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
I think I have it figured out.
Don’t let this umpiring crew call anything down the right field line. There seems to be some kind of allergy to getting the call right the first time, even if it’s on the easier side.
Happy birthday to Rocky Cherry, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1951 – Wearing uniform number 1/8, forty-three-inch-tall Eddie Gaedelwalks on four pitches from Bob Cain in his only major league appearance. Bill Veeck‘s idea of playing the midget was legal at the time but is later outlawed, and other stories as well.
1931 – At Chicago, Lefty Grove (25-2) wins his 16th consecutive game, 4-2, tying the American League record set by Walter Johnson and Joe Wood in 1912. Grove holds the Sox scoreless till the 9th, while the A’s score in the second, third and eighth off Red Faber. Grove has completed all but one of the wins.
1965 – At San Francisco, Don Drysdale faces Warren Spahn in the start of a critical four-game series. Drysdale lasts longer than Spahn, allowing five runs through eleven innings and leaves with the game tied. The Dodgers win it in 15 innings, 6-5.
1968 – Bob Gibson pitches the Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Phillies. Gibson strikes out Dick Allen four times, the seventh time this season the Phils’ slugger has K’ed four times. He will strike out a career-high 161 times this season.
1974 – Reds 2B Joe Morgan drives in seven runs as Cincinnati rolls over Philadelphia, 15-2. Morgan has a grand slam and a three-run homer, then leaves after three innings when the Reds build a 14-0 lead.
1980 – Jon Matlack holds George Brett hitless, snapping his hitting streak at 30 consecutive games. Brett batted .467 during the streak and knocked in 42 runs.
2007 – Greg Maddux moves up the historical charts, as he ties Tim Keefe for ninth all-time with 349 wins. Maddux aids his cause with two hits in two at-bats.
1969 – John Hollison dies in Chicago at age 99. He was the last surviving major league pitcher to throw from a mound 50 feet from home plate. He pitched in one game in 1892.
1665 – World’s “most mysterious book,” a codex known as the Voynich manuscript, written in an unknown script, is sent by a rector of Prague University to a Jesuit scholar (now in Yale University Library and still undeciphered) in 1666.
1839 – Louis Daguerre‘s daguerreotype photographic process with complete working instructions is published “free to the world” in Paris as a gift from the French government.
1909 – “Wild” Bob Burman wins his first major auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning the Prest-O-Lite Trophy; the 100-lap, 250-mile race is completed by only three of the nine cars, and one racer and a mechanic are killed in a crash.
1934 – The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton, Ohio
1958 – NAACP Youth Council begins a sit-in at a “whites-only” lunch counter at Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
1960 – American CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers is convicted of spying by the USSR (U-2 incident) and sentenced to 3 years in prison plus 7 in a labor camp; he serves 17 months before being exchanged for a captured Soviet KGB spy.
1993 – Dow Jones Industrial Average hits record high of 3612.13.
2004 – US gymnast Carly Patterson becomes the second American woman to win the all-around gold medal and the first to win at a non-boycotted Olympic Games when she takes gold in Athens.
Today in music history:
1955 – WINS radio in New York City announces it will not play white cover versions of R&B records, opting instead to play Fats Domino‘s “Ain’t That A Shame” rather than Pat Boone’s.
1966 – The Beatles are pelted with rotten fruit and firecrackers during a concert at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee; the Ku Klux Klan demonstrates outside the show and burns records.
1979 – “My Sharona” by The Knack hits No. 1 and stays at the top for six weeks.
2008 – Interscope Records releases “The Fame,” the debut album by Lady Gaga.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 18: Jo Adell #7 of the Cleveland Guardians hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field on August 18, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians hosted the Giants last night.
The Giants have had a terrible season, and they played like it last night. Their defense screwed up countless times, including an outfielder who Raburned a throw.
But the Guardians would have beaten most opponents last night—because Jo Adell had a career night.
• Sounds like someone is a bit skeptical of “let’s have a bunch of slap hitters watch tape of Jose Ramirez and then they will all hit like Jose Ramirez”
The Pittsburgh Pirates currently sit 6.5 games back from the third Wild Card spot in the postseason, and are running out of time to steer the ship towards the playoffs. There’s still some time to get back on track, but there are three factors that will leave the Pirates on the outside looking in.
Pitching day-to-day is shaky
At the beginning of the season, the strength of the Pirates was supposed to be the starting pitching rotation. However, at this point in the season the rotation has lost its reputation and has turned into a largely average unit. Paul Skenes this late in the year is just not dependable. He has not looked like himself all year, but it has become especially clear as of late that he is not performing at his best. Mitch Keller has been shut down for the rest of the season with an injury, so Carmen Mlodzinski has stepped back into his role as a starter. Even though Mlodzinski was solid to start the year, he clearly looks over it with the Pirates and has not been at his best since returning to the starting ranks.
Also — and this isn’t particularly Jared Jones’ fault — but the Pirates are still letting him play with the training wheels on. He has the potential to be the best pitcher on the team, but management is still keeping his outings incredibly limited. Pitching in the playoffs will not matter if the Pirates cannot first get to the playoffs.
The bullpen looks revamped, but it’s still a position group with a lot of question marks. In some of these close series down the stretch, they are not dependable enough from what we’ve seen to this point to put a lot of faith in. I do think the group has looked better, but I wouldn’t be willing to wager anything just yet given their track record.
The lineup lacks consistent punch down the stretch
The Pirates’ lineup that was completely transformed for the 2026 season, completely fell apart following the All-Star break. It’s almost like the week off was the worst possible thing for the red hot Buccos. The offense has been shutout five times since returning to action, and have scored two runs or less in seven contests in the second half of the season.
This is a lineup that had a lot of potential, but after taking their extended layoff it might be too late for them to crawl back into playoff contention if the offense continues to lack consistency. Esmerlyn Valdez has gone cold after his hot stretch. Ryan O’Hearn is back on the IL. Bryan Reynolds looks unrecognizable in his last 30 games. For some reason, Jared Triolo is still regularly in the lineup and Henry Davis is still a liability at the plate.
Out of all the things that can get the Pirates back into playoff contention, it could be this lineup. Luckily, Oneil Cruz is back and looking like a threat again, and Konnor Griffin will also be returning. Hopefully those pieces back can help the lineup find some consistency, but the team lacks a true offensive superstar at the moment. There is potential for players to grow into those roles, but that likely won’t happen between now and the end of the regular season.
No easy series left
Part of the Pirates’ problems all season long is that they have grossly underperformed against teams that they should beat easily. That has remained true in the second half of the year. They should have easily won their recent series against the Mets, Marlins and Reds. They should win the series against Detroit, but time will tell if they can seal that series victory.
Don Kelly’s had enough. “It felt like we felt sorry for ourselves. We didn’t compete.” At least he’s admitting there’s a problem. pic.twitter.com/mDz1S1h6t1
Moving forward there are no series that the Pirates can take lightly. Following Detroit they have back to back series against playoff teams in the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. They then travel to St. Louis who they’ve struggled mightily against all year. They also have series against the Brewers and Cubs still left on the schedule as well. It’s not impossible for the Pirates to make it to the postseason if they can string together some wins, but their strength of schedule will allow very little to any breathing room. This team is going to have to play tighter than they have all year if they want to keep their dreams of Buctober alive.
Paul Skenes pitches Wednesday night at PNC Park on seven days' rest and the industry will be watching to see how he responds. He was supposed to start Sunday, but after scuffling for the last three months, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly said they wanted to give him extra rest. The Pirates and Skenes swear there is no injury or anything wrong with him, other than the normal wear and tear on a pitcher in August.
Five months after the World Baseball Classic, Team USA's hitters are fine for the most part, but the pitchers seem to be showing the effects of ramping up early.
Since April, every star on the injured list or in a slump who played in March has been Exhibit A that the WBC broke him. Team USA's roster is the easiest way to test that. Thirty guys who went through the same spring and there is very little evidence that the suggestions hold up.
But it doesn't exactly fall apart either. There's a toll on many.
Through May 12, Skenes looked like the defending Cy Young Award winner ready to contend for another. He had a 1.98 ERA through his first nine starts. Since then, it's 5.00. His four-seamer, which sat at 98.2 miles an hour, has dropped to an average of 96.8. Again, the Pirates and Skenes said he is not hurt.
But five other Team USA pitchers have been on the injured list with arm or shoulder issues.
Gabe Spier had a shoulder issue in April. Griffin Jax is on the injured list now with an elbow injury. Garrett Whitlock has twice had an elbow injury that put him on the IL. Brad Keller needed internal brace and flexor tendon repair in July and is done for the year. So is Will Vest, who had surgery on a stress fracture in his elbow.
Four other pitchers from Team USA have gone on the IL this season with injuries to a calf, a biceps, a knee and a broken leg.
In all, 15 of the 29 Team USA players have been on the injured list, including six of the 14 position players.
Even Tarik Skubal, who capped himself at one start and 55 pitches before heading back to Tigers camp, missed time to have a loose body removed from his elbow.
He's been fine since.
On the position player side, Pete Crow-Armstrong is the strong counterbalance.
He has a 30-30 season going, picking up his 30th homer Monday night as a walk-off against the White Sox. He's hitting .281 after a .247 mark last year. Kyle Schwarber leads the majors with 37 home runs. Byron Buxton, who did have a stint on the IL, has a 138 OPS+ at 32. All of them were in Miami in March, too.
Cal Raleigh is the glaring exception everybody has pointed to and his issues are real. He hit 60 homers in 2025 and finished second in the MVP voting. He's hitting .158 now with a .564 OPS, last among 165 hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. Six weeks on the IL with an oblique injury certainly did not help. Last week in the Bronx, he said his timing is just off.
Aaron Judge has missed almost three months with a fractured rib, but he can clearly dismiss any connection to the WBC. He did that diving for a catch in an April game.
Roughly 600 players went, and some of them are having bad years the way some player always do. So the sleuths looking for answers to Skenes' struggles don't have much evidence to go on. Sure, the early ramp up could have led to an early onset of fatigue, but three months is a long time to be tired.
There is no strong argument that the WBC is to blame, so Skenes and the Pirates have to keep searching.
Skenes gets the ball Wednesday night against Detroit. It's his 24th start of a season that started early in March for him. Maybe this time, the extra rest will be the answer to his struggles.
The Hens got another brilliant outing from Andrew Sears and added to a big lead all the way through this one.
Things did not start off so well. Brant Hurter was sitting 89-90 mph and couldn’t get out of the first inning, as he gave up a run and needed Nick Sandlin to clean up the inning.
Lefty Andrew Sears took over in the second and no-hit the Cubs for five innings, striking out seven against two walks. That’s a bit fitting, as Sears looks ready for a call-up to something like Hurter’s role with the Tigers. Sears got a whopping 16 whiffs in this one, 10 off his mid-90’s sinker, and racked up some whiffs with his high-80’s changeup as well. Sears typically has a good sinker-slider combo, so seeing growth from the changeup is excellent news. He might make a candidate for the rotation in 2027 as well and if the Tigers lose anyone else, Sears is probably the first number you’re going to call.
Here’s every called strike and whiff from Andrew Sears’ 5 no-hit innings tonight: pic.twitter.com/74hsdeKceo
As Sears silenced the Cubs, the Hens offense started clicking. Chris Meyers was promoted out of his rehab assignment up to Toledo for this one, and he doubled in his first at-bat. Andrew Navigato singled him to third and then stole second base. Bennett Lee stepped to the dish after Cal Stevenson struck out, and crushed a three-run shot for his first Triple-A homer.
In the bottom of the third, Max Anderson singled and Josue Briceño walked. Meyers singled in Anderson, and Navigato doubled in Briceño for a 5-1 lead.
Right-hander Hayden Minton, who we had ranked 33rd in the system prior to the season, has started to find the mid-90’s velocity we were hoping for on his low arm slot, running sinker, to pair with his solid curveball and cutter. The Tigers promoted him to Triple-A on Tuesday, moving him to a relief role, at least for now, and this is the way. They’ll need a lot more of this to start building good homegrown bullpens rather than paying through the nose for veteran relievers. Minton doesn’t really profile as the guy, but now that he can focus on short outings, we’ll see if they can squeeze a bit more out of the stuff.
Here’s Hayden Minton’s Triple-A debut. He hit a batter and walked a batter, but he also struck out two in a scoreless inning. Fastball topped out at 95.5 MPH. pic.twitter.com/HrV6OIYDmX
Things were quiet through the middle innings until Max Burt led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot. Tyler Mattison surrendered a run in the top of the eighth, but in the bottom half the Hens poured it on.
Justice Bigbie led off with a walk and moved to second on a groundout from Meyers. Navigato singled and Stevenson walked to load the bases. Lee was plunked to force in a run, and Jace Jung followed with a two-run double to make it 9-2.
Beau Brieske struck out two in the top of the ninth sitting 95-97 with his heater.
Navigato: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, SB
Meyers: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B
Briceno: 0-3, R, BB
Sears (W, 1-0): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 7 K
Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6, Erie SeaWolves 5 (F/11)(box)
Zyhir Hope had a huge game, but after tying this one up in the ninth and again in the bottom of the tenth, the SeaWolves couldn’t get it done in the 11th.
Hope doubled in the bottom of the first but was stranded.
Joe Miller got into some trouble in the top of the second, and a passed ball charged to Thayron Liranzo scored the game’s first run. The SeaWolves threatened in the second but failed to score. Finally in the bottom of the third, Woody Hadeen walked and rode home on a blast to right field from Hope. 2-1 SeaWolves.
Zyhir Hope crushes a 2-run homer to right to put the SeaWolves up 2-1. It’s his 2nd home run with Erie, and his 25th overall this season. @ZachSurdenik calls it. pic.twitter.com/QYnI9B0qoG
Unfortunately, Miller crumbled in the top of the fourth, allowing three runs. So it was 4-2 Fisher Cats until the bottom of the eighth. Hope led off with a single and took third on a Liranzo single. He then scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-3. Andrew Jenkins walked, but Izaac Pacheco struck out.
Tanner Kohlhepp took over in the top of the ninth and kept the Fisher Cats off the board despite a pair of singles. In the bottom half, Seth Stephenson was hit by a pitch and stole second as Hadeen struck out. Peyton Graham was snakebit in this one, and for the second time hammered a ball right to an outfielder in this one. Hope sprang eternal as he singled in Stephenson to tie the game and send it to extras.
Kohlhepp allowed the runner on second to score in the top of the 10th, but no more. In the bottom half, Jenkins singled in Liranzo from second to tie things up, and then stole second base. With three chances for a game winning knock, the SeaWolves went in order, and that was kind of the ballgame.
Yosber Sanchez gave up a run in the top of the 11th, and Stephenson, Hadeen and Graham all made outs to end it.
Hope: 4-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, K
Jenkins: 1-4, RBI, BB, SB
Exposito: 2-5, 2B, K
Miller: 4.2 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m ET start on Wednesday. The SeaWolves still hold a 4.5 game lead in the Southwest division with a 31-15 second half record.
South Bend Cubs 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box)
A two-run shot late in Rayner Castillo’s outing spoiled it, but it mattered little as the Whitecaps got one-hit in this one.
The Whitecaps had trouble with starter Jostin Florentino, and their only hit came with one out in the first, and it was another monster shot to straightaway center field off the bat of Bryce Rainer. The talented shortstop has now homered in four straight contests, tying a Whitecaps record, according to Dan Hasty.
Bryce Rainer with a monster blast to dead center. It’s his 14th home run of the year, and his 4th straight game with a bomb. pic.twitter.com/DV5j1MTHBm
Castillo allowed a solo home run in the bottom of the second, but otherwise he was cruising, racking up a whopping nine strikeouts on the outing, a personal best. Unfortunately, they stretched things a bit too far, and the 22-year-old right-hander gave up a leadoff walk in the sixth, struck out the next hitter, and then surrendered a two-run shot to Josiah Hartshorn which kind of spoiled Castillo’s night. Still, we’ve been looking for him to get that easy 94-95 t97 mph sinker back and improve his breaking stuff and things are coming around after a rough season for him.
Preston Howey gave up a pair of runs in the eighth to complete the scoring.
Rainer: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, 2 K
Ankeney: 0-2, 2 BB
Castillo (L, 2-9): 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 9 K
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps second half lead in the East division is just one game over Great Lakes. They’ll get back at it with a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.
The Flying Tigers athletic young squad played excellent defense and pounded out 14 hits in this one while drawing eight walks to crush St. Lucie.
Caleb Leys got the start, and while he still isn’t missing many bats, he was effective for 3.2 innings of one-run ball. By then the Flygers were working with a nice lead.
Jude Warwick led off the top of the second with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Maddox Molony lined an RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead.
In the third, Angel De Los Santos dumped a pop-up in for a speed double with one out. Nick Dumesnil struck out, but Jesus Pinto singled in the run. In the fourth, Anibal Salas singled with one out, and Brady Ballinger doubled him to third. Ballinger and Molony did a nice job repping the 2026 draft class in this one. Jordan Yost grounded one to second and then cut down Salas at the plate, but Yost stole second and Ballinger scored as the throw was wide of second base.
Congratulations to Brady Ballinger on his first professional hit, a 375-foot double that the St. Lucie announcers thought was a home run… pic.twitter.com/BBV2nBv7SQ
So it was 3-0 at that point. Leys allowed a run in the top of the fourth, but in the bottom half the Flying Tigers kept pouring it on. Dumesnil led off with a single and Pinto challenged a strike call correctly and walked. Warwick grounded out but advanced both runners. Molony then fought off a pitch into right field for a two-run single. 5-1.
Dumesnil challenged a strike call correctly in the top of the seventh and led off with a walk. He promptly swiped second and scored on a Pinto single. Pinto took second on a wild pitch and Warwick and Molony walked to load the bases. Salas struck out, but Ballinger walked to force in a run and Yost lifted a sac fly to make it 8-1. Michael Oliveto singled in Molony, and De Los Santos lined a single to left to make it 10-1.
Leonardo Rossell and Bryce Alewine were both a little wild in relief but gave the Flygers two scoreless apiece.
De Los Santos: 3-6, R, RBI, 2B, K
PInto: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB
Molony: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, BB, SB
Ballinger: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, BB
Oliveto: 2-4, RBI, 2BB
Leys: 3.2 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:10 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 18: Trent Grisham #12 of the New York Yankees celebrates with teammate Ben Rice #22 after hitting a home run in the third inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It was a day that ended in “y”, so the Yankees played a close game last night. It’s all nail-biters all the way down, but as long as they can score just enough to make their stellar pitching stand up, it’s a good enough formula. The Yankees prevailed in their series opener with the Orioles last night 3-1, and they’ll send Will Warren to the mound tonight with a chance to cinch a series victory and put together a three-game winning streak.
On the site today, Peter will recap a busy Tuesday night of action in the Rivalry Roundup, and he’ll also analyze Ben Rice’s huge home run against the Blue Jays over the weekend. Later, John has the latest entry in the Yankees Birthday series, which features one Bobby Richardson, a hugely clutch Yankee.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Time: 6:35 p.m. EST
TV: Amazon Prime Video, MASN, MLB Network
Venue: Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Questions/Prompts:
1. How confident are you that Carlos Rodón will be able to close out the season with the same level of production he showed early in the year?
2. Five division leaders (the Astros in the AL West are the exception) has a lead of at least four games right now. Which of those five teams is most likely to lose their grip in the division?
That's because Little League World Series games usually consist of six regulation innings. But there are a few circumstances why a game might end early. This means every pitch, hit and defensive play carries weight because momentum can change instantly and a game can end early or get extended.
During the Little League World Series, there will be plenty of drama as teams navigate the rules to perform at a high level with the games airing on the ESPN Networks and ABC. As you watch the Little League World Series unfold, here are some basic rules every fan should understand.
The "Run Rule" is the rule Little League uses to shorten baseball games when the run differential gets too large to continue. It is often mistakenly called the "mercy rule" by fans, but you'll hear the TV broadcasters refer to its proper name as the "Run Rule." A Little League World Series game can end before the sixth inning in the tournament, as the "15-Run Rule" and the "10-Run Rule" are observed.
The 15-Run Rule: If a team has a lead of 15 runs or more after three complete innings (or two and one-half innings if the home team is ahead), the manager of the team with fewer runs must concede the victory.
The 10-Run Rule: If a team has a lead of 10 runs or more after four complete innings (or three and one-half innings if the home team is ahead), the game is officially ended and the trailing manager concedes.
How many video replay challenges do teams get in the Little League World Series?
Team managers get up to two unsuccessful video replay challenges during a regulation six-inning game in the Little League World Series. Also, managers are granted one additional video replay challenge specifically for use during extra innings, regardless of whether they used their challenge allocation during regulation play.
What can be challenged by video replay in the Little League World Series?
According to Little League International Tournament Play Guidelines, managers can challenge objective plays such as safe/out calls at a base, force plays, tag plays, catcher interference and whether a ball was caught cleanly. Subjective calls like balls and strikes or check swings cannot be challenged.
What does 'continuous batting order' mean?
The continuous batting order (CBO) in the Little League Baseball World Series is a tournament mandate where every eligible player on a team’s roster must be placed in the batting order to hit sequentially throughout the entire game. It replaced traditional 9-player baseball/softball lineups for all World Series divisions below the Senior Division level.
When is a Little League baseball game considered official?
According to Rule 4.10(c) of the Official Little League Rulebook, a game is considered legally official if it is stopped early (due to weather, darkness, or curfew) after four full innings have been completed. If the home team is ahead, the game becomes official after three and a half innings.
What is a suspended game mean in Little League baseball?
If an umpire halts a game before reaching the exact thresholds described in Rule 4.10(c) of the Official Little League Rulebook, the game is declared a suspended game.It does not start over from scratch; instead, the rulebook requires the game to be resumed at a later date from the exact point of interruption, with all statistics, pitches and lineups remaining intact.
How can a game end early in the Little League World Series?
A Little League World Series game can end before the sixth inning under what Little League calls the “Run Rule." If, after three innings (or two-and-a-half if the home team is winning), one team is winning by 15 runs or more, the game will end. If, after four innings (or three-and-a-half if the home team is winning), one team is winning by 10 runs or more, the game will also end early.
How many innings are in a Little League World Series game?
A game becomes a standard regulation game when six full innings have been played, and the visiting team has completed its half of the sixth inning. If the home team is ahead, the game ends exactly when they secure the lead in the bottom of the sixth or after five and a half innings.
Is there extra innings in the Little League World Series?
Yes. If a regulation Little League baseball game is still tied after six innings, the game proceeds to a seventh inning and beyond until there is a winner. According to Little League, the tiebreaker will begin immediately in the seventh inning by placing the player who is scheduled to bat last in that respective half inning on second base to begin each extra inning.
How many innings can a Little League Baseball player throw in a game?
Little League Baseball doesn’t have a strict per-game pitching innings limit. However, Little League does monitor how many pitches a player can throw in a game and there are corresponding days of rest tied to how many pitches a player throws in each game. The maximum number of pitches a player can throw in a Little League World Series game is 85. However, a pitcher can go over the 85-pitch threshold to finish an at-bat that started under 85 pitches, but that batter would be the last one before the pitcher must be removed from the mound.
Here's what the corresponding days of rest would look like depending on how many pitchers were thrown
Number of pitches thrown
Corresponding days of rest needed
1-20
0 days
21-35
1 day
36-50
2 days
51-65
3 days
66+
4 days
What is the format of the Little League World Series?
A total of 20 teams compete in Williamsport, Pennsylvania each year.
Those teams compete in identical brackets − one for the United States teams and one for the International teams − in a modified double-elimination format until those teams reach the United State championship game and the International championship game.
The final two teams in each bracket play a single-elimination game to advance to the World Series, meaning even an undefeated team can be eliminated with one loss at that juncture of the tournament. Finally, the U.S. and International champions meet in a winner-take-all game for the world championship title.
How many players can a manager carry on a Little League World Series roster?
The minimum number of players on Little League World Series tournament roster is 12 and the maximum is 14.
What age are the players in the Little League World Series?
Baseball players must be ages 10-12 to participate in the Little League World Series.
What is a courtesy runner in Little League Baseball?
A courtesy runner is used strictly for the pitcher or catcher of record. That courtesy runner can enter only when there are exactly two outs in the half-inning. Also, the courtesy runner is in the continuous batting lineup and must be the player who made the last official out.
Sherlon Christie is a USA TODAY Sports senior trending editor and an expert on Little League Baseball and Little League Softball. You can reach him by email at schristie@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @sherlonchristie, on Bluesky at @sherlonchristie.bsky.social.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 07: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees takes the sign from the catcher during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, August 7, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
CBS Sports | Mike Axisa: The Yankees suffered another hit when they had to place pitcher Max Fried on the injured list on Monday. Between Carlos Rodón returning and other aspects of the team stepping up, here’s how the Yankees will have to do to withstand the injury to Fried.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: That being said, the Yankees are fairly optimistic that Fried will only miss the minimum amount of time with his current injury. The MRIs that Fried underwent came back good and he’s already resumed throwing. “We just kind of collectively decided it’s probably best to make sure we get this calmed down and hopefully keep it a smaller issue,” Aaron Boone said.
The Athletic | Sam Blum: When the Yankees moved into their current digs in 2009, the site of the old Yankee Stadium was converted into a park that would serve the local community. However years later, Macombs Dam Park has fallen into a state of disrepair. The team made financial and other contributions to the park’s opening, but people have become jaded at their — and the city’s — lack of care put into the park.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: We recently got the news that former Yankee pitcher Tommy John passed away over the weekend at the age of 83. Here several of his famous former Yankee teammates give their remembrances, with one common theme: they think he should be in the Hall of Fame.
Munetaka Murakami crushed his 29th home run of the season to tie the game in the third. | (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
There’s something about the Chicago Cubs (73-53) and rain delays, isn’t there? After waiting out the weather for nearly an hour-and-a-half, the White Sox (65-59) folded against their North Side rivals, getting walked off on back-to-back nights, 4-3.
Up until tonight, Bryan Hudson had just a 1.29 ERA across six opener starts and had allowed only two home runs in all 54 appearances this season (51 2/3 innings). While watching the events unfold in the first inning, I felt like I was having déjà vu as Pete Crow-Armstrong mashed a leadoff home run for the second straight game, giving the North Siders an early lead, 1-0. The main difference from last night was that it wasn’t Seiya Suzuki who tossed the second dagger, but Michael Busch, who blasted the second solo shot of the inning to make it 2-0. Despite the chaos of the inning, Hudson got out of it without any further damage, though his ERA jumped from 1.29 to 3.42.
On the other side of the ball, Kevin Gausman began his outing with a pair of walks to Sam Antonacci and Munetaka Murakami, immediately putting pressure on him even with the two-run lead. Sadly, the White Sox couldn’t capitalize on the scoring threat: Miguel Vargas grounded into a double play, and Andrew Benintendi struck out to end the inning.
While he was able to work out of the jam in the first, Gausman could not maintain the Cubs’ lead for much longer. The South Siders were able to snag a run back in the top of the second after Chase Meidroth sparked a two-out rally with a single. Tristan Peters followed with another base hit, and Drew Romo made it three in a row, driving in Meidroth to cut the Cubs’ lead to 2-1. Sure, Romo’s batting average is still frightening, sitting at a cool .139, but he’s slashing .190/.227/.476 with a .702 OPS, two home runs and five RBIs in his last seven games. We will always take what we can get.
Once the Good Guys had seen Gausman the first time through the order, they continued to work him deep into counts. After his first at-bat, it felt likely that the North Siders weren’t going to give Murakami anything good to hit. Still, the lefty power hitter worked a full count before blasting his 29th home run of the season to lead off the third inning, making a dent in the Wrigley Field jumbotron in left and tying the game, 2-2.
The Good Guys carried their offensive momentum into the fourth, and Colson Montgomery kicked the inning off with a two-bagger into the right-field corner. Colson has seemingly been seeing the ball a lot better over the last week or so and continues to sprinkle in some hits to get back into his groove. Meidroth wasn’t able to move Colson over on his ground out, but Peters backed him up with his second hit of the day, driving Colson in with an RBI double to give the White Sox a 3-2 lead.
With two outs, the lineup flipped back to the top, but Gausman took a minute to stretch and work out what appeared to be a cramp in his glove hand. After being checked by the trainer and tossing a few pitches, he opted to remain in the game, ultimately winning the matchup against Antonacci, who struck out on a pitch in the dirt to strand Peters on second.
Gausman was still having trouble with his hand in the fifth, and though he struck out Murakami, he left the game after Miguel Vargas reached on an infield single. This put the North Siders in a tough spot without anyone warming up in their bullpen, but Craig Counsell turned to righthander Javier Assad to jump in on short notice. Proper warm-up or not, Assad shut the South Siders down for three straight innings, allowing just two hits while striking out two.
Once Hudson had left the game, Erick Fedde allowed a pair of hits and a walk to load the bases but recovered to escape the jam without allowing a run. Following the second, Fedde was lights out and racked up three consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the third, fourth and fifth to hold on to the lead and keep the Cubs scoreless. The Sox righty took a stab at the sixth, putting two runners on but recording two outs before Will Venable called on Huascar Brazobán to face Ian Happ. Brazobán got Happ to fly out to end the inning.
Hats off to Fedde for a phenomenal outing, as he took over without surrendering a single run to the Cubs while eating a bunch of innings in the process. He had the Good Guys in a great position to win the game, but Brazobán had a rough outing in the eighth. The righty walked the first two batters he faced and forced Venable to go to Grant Taylor earlier than anticipated. Taylor looked sharp against the first two batters, striking out both PCA and Suzuki for two huge outs. He got within one strike of escaping the inning before losing a full-count battle to Alex Bregman, who tied the game at 3-3 with a single to left.
And just like that, the déjà vu was back as the Cubs tied it late once again, with the Sox handing over another lead. The run ended up being charged to Brazobán, and Taylor was charged with his fifth blown save of the season. In the next at-bat, it looked as if Busch blasted a base hit up the middle to take the lead, but Meidroth went into a full-extension dive to make an outstanding play to save the game for the moment.
The White Sox were down to their last couple of chances at the plate, with the heart of the order due up in the eighth. Andrew Benintendi couldn’t pull the clutch card tonight and struck out for the first out of the inning. Braden Montgomery then launched a towering fly ball that ended up being caught against the left-center wall, just a few feet shy of a go-ahead home run. Colson ripped a two-out double thanks to a weird defensive attempt by Busch at first, but Meidroth grounded out softly to third, and that was that.
Just as Taylor was about to stroll out for the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs grounds crew pulled out the tarp in anticipation of a storm rolling through northern Chicagoland into the city. In their defense, it did start to rain about 10-15 minutes later, but maybe they worked a masterclass to keep Taylor off the mound a second time. I guess we’ll never know.
After a 1-hour, 28-minute rain delay, Trevor Richards came in to replace Taylor in the bottom of the eighth. Given the situation, things felt more intense and dicey than they actually were, but he induced three straight fly outs to shut the Cubs down, handing the game back to the offense for the ninth frame. Naturally, they couldn’t scrape any runs across, so the North Siders went into the bottom of the ninth with a tie game and PCA due up third. The South Siders even tried to conjure up some more magic with Randal Grichuk, but it wasn’t in the cards tonight. Antonacci drew his second walk of the night, which brought up Murakami in a prime spot, but he grounded out softly on a ball back to the pitcher, and to the bottom of the ninth we went.
Richards returned in the bottom of the ninth, and while he couldn’t control his changeup whatsoever, the fastball seemed to be working well enough. Carson Kelly led off the inning with a double into the left-field corner, putting the winning run in scoring position. Richards recovered to catch Michael Conforto looking for the first out. In a near-repeat of last night, Will Venable made the decision not to pitch to PCA, putting him on first with an intentional walk and creating a force play with Suzuki coming up.
Seiya popped the ball up into foul territory on the first-base side, and Murakami made a clutch sliding catch, barely getting his glove under the ball but somehow managing to hang on to it. With two outs and Bregman at the plate, things didn’t feel great considering he’d already driven in the game-tying run in the seventh. It’s a shame that things didn’t end differently, but Bregman ripped the first pitch he saw up the middle to score Kelly and give the Cubs a 4-3 walk-off win.
Back-to-back walk-off losses to the Cubs certainly sting, especially when the Good Guys outhit them 10-8. Both teams struggled with runners in scoring position — the White Sox went 2-for-11 while the Cubs went 2-for-12 — but the South Siders also grounded into two double plays, killing any momentum they might have had. The pitching staff did a great job after the first frame but ultimately couldn’t hold on to the lead against a tough Cubs lineup.
If you stayed awake for that one, I’m sorry, but at least we were in this together. The Good Guys have one more chance to avoid the sweep at Wrigley tomorrow but have yet to name a starter for the series finale. A good night’s sleep might not fully wash away the last two losses, but the White Sox will need to wake up ready to fight back and end this year’s Classic on a high note.
MILWAUKEE — The long ball hasn’t been the Milwaukee Brewers’ strength this season, but the team with the best record in the majors put its power on full display on Tuesday night in a record-matching 22-0 rout of the Seattle Mariners.
The Brewers equaled baseball’s modern-era record for the biggest shutout with a power surge that included three-run homers from Christian Yelich, David Hamilton and Luis Lara and a two-run shot by Jake Bauers.
The Brewers have 117 home runs this season, the fewest in baseball, but as was pointed out by Seattle manager Dan Wilson, they have multiple players with the ability to go deep.
“They’ll put bunts down and put pressure on the bases and steal bags,” Wilson said before the game. “They also have the ability to hit the home run. You kind of have to prepare for all areas of the game.”
The Brewers also generated offense doing what they do best, pulling off a double steal in a five-run fifth inning that helped break open a tight game.
The 78-48 Brewers matched a franchise record for runs in a game, tying the 22 runs they scored at the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 28, 1992. The Brewers also had a season-high 22 hits.
“It’s one game but a pretty darn good performance,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I’d like to order that every night.”
The only other 22-0 victories since 1901 were by Pittsburgh over the host Chicago Cubs on Sept. 16, 1975 and by Cleveland at the New York Yankees on Aug. 31, 2004.
Yelich connected for his ninth homer of the season, a three-run shot off Bryce Miller in the fifth. The Brewers tacked on five more runs in the sixth.
“It’s kind of crazy. It happened fast,” Yelich said. “It’s always fun to be on this side.”
Bauers smiled as he struggled to find words to describe the Brewers offensive outburst.
“I’ve got nothing for you on that one,” Bauers said. “It was just good performance all around. Just good at-bats all night up and down the lineup.”
Bauers hit his team-leading 22nd home run of the season in the sixth inning and he’s now reached base safely in 20 consecutive games.
The Brewers tagged Mariners infielder Leo Rivas, who came on to pitch in the eighth, for nine runs, which included a three-run home run from 21-year-old rookie Lara, his first career homer.
Lara took some good-natured ribbing about whether the homer counted since he hit it off a position player, but he was in a celebratory mood.
“For me, it all counts,” Lara said through an interpreter. “But I understand that it may not be common to get your first (home run) against a position player.”
Bauers and Yelich backed their young teammate.
“It’s a hard game. Every bloop single, dribbler single, home run off a position player, they all count,” he said.
Yelich urged Lara to embrace the moment.
“The first career homer is always cool,” he said. “Anytime you get to jog around the bases in a major league game is always special. It was cool for him to get his first one and smile and laugh about it.”
The Brewers also used a position player on the mound, veteran catcher/first baseman Gary Sanchez, with a much different result. Sanchez pitched a scoreless ninth with many in the announced crowd of 36,870 standing and cheering.
It was the third career pitching appearance for Sanchez and second this season. He has tossed two scoreless innings in the pair of outings the season.
“He did great. He was a showman as always,” Bauers said. “The crowd was involved. They loved it. He loved it. We loved it. But I still think he’s a better catcher than a pitcher.”
