Category: MLB

In a region where baseball is king, the long-awaited rematch of last year’s World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees is unfolding. Ohtani. Judge. Two of the game’s best, facing off once more.

But just down the 5 Freeway in Anaheim, the home of Disney, the hottest ticket in baseball this weekend belongs to a stilted pitcher, juggling infielders and a yellow-suited, top hat-wearing carnival barker.

For back-to-back nights, more than 45,000 fans packed the Big A to see the Savannah Bananas — a team born from a small-time collegiate summer team that became a tour de force that has forever changed baseball. It was one stop during the Bananas’ most audacious barnstorming effort since their baseball traveling show hit the road just a few years ago.

These tickets were only available through a lottery — reserved months in advance. And when they went on sale, all were gone in an instant. The only way in was through the resale market, where just hours before first pitch on Friday, the lowest price (fees and taxes included) for a pair of tickets on StubHub was $209.52.

Meanwhile, two lowest price StuHub tickets for the Dodgers versus Yankees game were available for $171.72.

All for the sake of “Banana Ball.”

This baseball game is a ballyhoo. One rooted in the thrills, energy and pageantry of early 20th-century carnivals, but with a 21st-century twist — the atmosphere of a TikTok reel brought to life. It’s the showmanship of Ringling Brothers Circus combined with the athletic flair of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Read more:Meet the Savannah Bananas, who've captivated fans and MLB. 'We exist to make baseball fun'

But above all, it’s a brand built on Walt Disney’s blueprint— not just to entertain, but to make the audience feel.

“When you look at all the touch points — the joy, the fun, the dancing, the celebrating — and think about all the different stages, just like Walt, we think about all the stages: from the parking lot to the plaza, to the upper deck, to the dugouts,” said Bananas owner Jesse Cole, the man in the top hat. “How do we make someone feel something?”

Instead of lounging in a cushy, air-conditioned owner’s suite, Cole is in the dugout hours before showtime — a Disney-like archetype, his energy as vibrant as his layered, all-yellow suit, braving the afternoon heat.

“Nonstop,” Cole said, describing Banana Ball in a nutshell. Refusing to sit, not wanting to lose an ounce of edge, he added, “It’s all about energy. We want to give people energy, delivering it every second, from the moment we open the gates at two o’clock until the last fan leaves at 11.”

While gates opened at 2 p.m., fans began arriving as early as 11 a.m. — clamoring for a shot at Banana-themed merchandise, many leaving the team tents with bags in both hands. In the parking lot, two young boys passed the time playing catch, gloves in hand.

As the afternoon wore on and the temperature climbed to 91 degrees, crowds trudged through the heat, some seeking refuge beneath the oversized Angels helmets at the stadium entrance, all for a chance to meet their favorite Banana Ballers. At the pregame plaza party, fans collected autographs, posed for photos and presented handmade gifts to players.

When the gates opened, the LaCaze family pointed out their 9-year-old daughter’s favorite player, David “DR” Meadows. Decked out in her signed Meadows jersey, Carrigan LaCaze ran into his arms, with glove and oversized baseball clutched tightly and began speaking with him as if they were old friends.

“I ran to DR, and we started hugging and just started talking for a while because I missed him,” Carrigan LaCaze said. “Tomorrow is actually one year on the dot since I met him.”

A Christmas road trip planned around the holidays, the family of four traveled across three states from their home in Alexandria, La., to Anaheim for two reasons: to visit Disneyland and see the Bananas. It was their second game — the family first saw the Bananas in the club’s hometown of Savannah, Ga., when Carrigan, who is battling cystic fibrosis, was granted a Make-A-Wish experience so meaningful it was a no-brainer to relive it.

“It’s great,” her father, Pierre LaCaze, said of the player interactions. “We've gotten to keep track with some of them during the course of the year. We come back, we see them again. You know they’re truly about the fans.”

The Bananas don’t sell tickets. They sell connections, moments and memories.

For Cole, meetings are a constant brainstorming session on how to keep fans engaged and interacting. That’s how he measures success. He says when the focus shifts to transactions, the game begins to lose its meaning.

“Our success is not judged by revenue,” Cole said. “It’s not judged by sales. It’s judged by the moments we create.”

But the numbers don’t lie.

The last time the Bananas came to Southern California, they played in front of 5,000 fans at LoanMart Field in Rancho Cucamonga in 2023 — a far cry from now selling out 18 major league ballparks and three football stadiums with capacities over 70,000.

Attendance has soared year after year. Last season, the Bananas drew one million fans. This year, that number is expected to double, with more than three million people on the waitlist for their ticket lottery. Every game since February has sold out and every date in June and July is as well.

Michael and Melinda Schulteis, a husband and wife from Mission Viejo, were there the last time the Bananas came to town. When they heard the team was returning, they knew they couldn’t miss it.

“The intimate atmosphere at the last event was great,” Melinda Schulteis said. “But I’m curious, because they do such a good job putting on events, what touches are they going to add to still keep it close and intimate and give us another great experience?”

Read more:What is Banana Ball? Here are the Savannah Banana rules of the game

As the Bananas’ success and reach have grown, spilling out from cozy minor league parks into stadiums not built for intimacy, the games still feel like family gatherings. Whether serenading players with stadium anthems like Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” or the waving of phone lights to Coldplay’s “Yellow,” the crowd moves in sync, no matter the tune.

While they’re a privately owned team and don’t disclose revenue figures, they’ve confirmed generating millions. Much like their box office appeal, their social media reach extends into the millions as well.

Their antics — choreographed dances, lip-synced walk-ups, backflip outfield catches — have attracted nearly 10 million followers on TikTok, almost double the combined total of the Dodgers and Angels. That viral mastery, and the parasocial bonds it fosters, is part of what makes every game feel tight-knit.

With his glove by his side, hoping to catch a foul ball for an out — one of the many offbeat rules of Banana Ball — Michael Schulties was disappointed he missed his favorite player, RobertAnthony Cruz, whom he first discovered on social media through his baseball coaching channel, better known as “Coach RAC.”

Cruz, who drew the longest meet-and-greet line, is a former minor leaguer in the Nationals’ farm system and a local — born just an hour away in Fontana. The game was a homecoming for Cruz, who joined the Bananas in 2023.

With more than 70 family members and friends in attendance — and even more social media direct messages asking for tickets — playing in big league stadiums has become a dream come true, especially for a former minor leaguer whose baseball ambitions nearly died when he never got the call to the show.

Behind all the gimmicks, wackiness and absurdity, the roster is still filled with ballplayers — many of them with unrealized MLB dreams — now finding a second life through Banana Ball. And for Cruz, it’s the happiest he’s ever been in the sport.

“I never would have imagined playing in this capacity,” Cruz said. “Banana Ball didn’t even exist when I was pursuing my dream of professional baseball. To be here, to see a sold-out crowd at a stadium that I went to growing up all the time, it's very special.”

As the team travels the nation, sold-out crowds and newfound stardom have become the norm for Cruz.

“I’m not surprised by anything anymore,” Cruz said. “If you told me that we're playing on the moon next year, I'd be like, 'All right, cool. Let me know when and where, and I'll be there' … I wouldn't be surprised if this thing continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.”

Read more:It's time for Banana Ball! The story of the Savannah Bananas

Despite their growing success, the Bananas’ brand of baseball remains polarizing — an easy target for detractors of zaniness, gatekeepers of fun and opponents of pizzazz who either don’t understand it or refuse to see its appeal.

“Anybody that criticizes this, we’re not for them,” Cole said. “There’s tradition in baseball, perfect. They’ve got Major League Baseball. … For people that want to come out and have fun, not take themselves too seriously and see something they've never seen before — and hopefully see the greatest show in sports — we built something for you.”

The formula works. And again, the numbers don’t lie.

Yes, the Savannah Bananas’ brand of baseball is far too outlandish ever to be compared to the major leagues — from flaming baseballs, rump-shaking umps and dress rehearsals. That’s the point. It all feels like something conjured from the wildest dreams of the late Bill Veeck’s imagination found a home, in a good way.

With many of the Banana Ball’s 11 rules — like an automatic strike when hitters step out of the box or ejecting bunting hitters because bunting “sucks” — are grounded in some sports-based logic, the innovations remain sacrilegious to baseball purists.

But for a fleeting moment in December, Major League Baseball and Banana Ball were almost linked.

In Banana Ball, the Golden Batter rule allows teams, once per game, to send their best hitter to the plate regardless of where they fall in the batting order.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred caused a stir when he floated a potential seismic rule by floating, making an offhand comment about the golden batter rule. Manfred later clarified it was merely “a very preliminary conversation” among members of the league’s competition committee and had not been formally discussed by the full ownership group.

A far-fetched idea, but Manfred has ushered in sweeping changes, from the widely praised pitch clock to the more contentious extra-inning “ghost runner.”

“Anything that's best for the fans, I'm all in,” Cole said of its potential. “I know Major League Baseball won't do it because of traditions, but ... we've had a lot of fun doing it.”

But MLB would be behind the Bananas, who already introduced their version of the rule last season with a typical flair and showmanship. Their spin on it is a batter summoned from the dugout wearing a James Brown-esque cape and a gleaming golden helmet — an honor that went to Joe Lytle, who came to bat in the top of the ninth for the Bananas' Anaheim opponent, the Firefighters.

Ultimately, in a game where the score isn’t the end-all, be-all — but the fun is — the Bananas beat the Firefighters 5–2.

Like any other Bananas game, the festivities took center stage. It began with the “First Peel,” a signature ceremony in which a young fan bites into a banana to declare whether it’s good or bad — setting the tone for the night.

Read more:How do the Savannah Bananas draw sold-out crowds? Five fun facts about the team

Heisman Trophy winner and USC legend Matt Leinart threw out the ceremonial first spiral (because, of course, he did). And in true fashion, Angels World Series MVP Troy Glaus made a surprise cameo as a pinch hitter.

But what was more important was the trip to Anaheim, a fitting one for Cole and Co.

The team that opened its season lip-syncing “Be Our Guest” from the Disney classic “Beauty and the Beast” — and its owner, cut from the same theatrical cloth as Disney — were celebrated a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth — Disneyland.

Greeted by fans in yellow gear, Cole’s creation — the Bananas — marched in step down Main Street U.S.A., alongside Walt’s own — Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck.

“When I walked underneath the castle and over the bridge and in front of thousands of people, they were all there for us,” Cole said. “Then I look and see Walt’s statue, holding the hand of Mickey, and I see that and I’m like, 'This is special.'”

It was a full-circle moment for Cole, who became “immersed in the magic” after his first trip to Disney World as a kid — and who now says, “In a perfect world, I’d play catch with Walt on Main Street.” Serendipity.

“For me, that was an emotional moment — to know that we have worked so hard to create something that means something to people, that they come from all over the country just for a chance to see us,” Cole added.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Shohei Ohtani was about halfway through his home-run trot when Taro Abe stood up from his second-row seat in the Vin Scully Press Box and tucked his green scorebook under his right arm.

“Let’s go,” Abe said in Japanese.

Abe, a writer for Japan’s Chunichi Sports newspaper, was followed into the concourse of Dodger Stadium’s suite level by four other reporters from his country. They were on a mission: Find the person who caught Ohtani’s home-run ball.

There was nothing special about this blast, which was Ohtani’s second on Friday in an eventual 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees. The homer was Ohtani’s 22nd of the season and reduced the Dodgers’ deficit at the time from three to two.

“We have to do this every time,” Abe said.

This practice started a couple of years ago, when Ohtani was still playing for the Angels. The appetite for Ohtani content was insatiable in Japan, but the two-way player started speaking to reporters only after games in which he pitched. Naoyuki Yanagihara of Sports Nippon and Masaya Kotani of Full Count figured out a solution for their problem: They started interviewing the fans who caught his home-run balls.

Read more:Hernández: 'I have no words for it.' Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani inspires awe and confidence

The feature was received well by their readers and gradually spread to other publications. Now, besides the homers that land in bullpens or any other place inaccessible to fans, a group of Japanese reporters will be there to interview the person who snagged the prized souvenir.

Neither Yanagihara nor Kotani was on this particular journey into the right-field pavilion, as Yanagihara was temporarily back in Japan and Kotani remained in the press box. Both of their publications were represented by other reporters. I was there too.

One of the reporters, Michi Murayama of Sports Hochi, looked at me curiously.

“You’re coming?” she asked.

Abe joked: “He’s coming to write how ridiculous the Japanese media is.”

As we walked down a carpeted hallway by the suites down the first-base line, Abe turned around and asked if anyone had seen who caught the ball.

No one had.

Before departing from the press box, reporters usually study replays of the homer to find identifying features of the ballhawk. But in this case, the scramble for the ball was obscured by a short barrier that divided a television cameraman from the crowd.

Abe led the pack out of an exit near the Stadium Club. When we re-entered the ballpark at the loge level, we heard a familiar chant: “Fre-ddie! Fre-ddie!”

The reporters stopped to watch the game from behind the last row of seats. Freeman doubled in a run to reduce the Dodgers’ deficit to one, and pandemonium ensued. A young woman clutching a beer danced. Strangers exchanged high-fives. Others performed the Freddie Dance.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone removed Max Fried from the game, and called Jonathan Loáisiga from the bullpen. It was time for us to move on.

Seniority heavily influences professional and personal interactions in Japanese culture, which was why when we reached the top of the right-field pavilion, the two-most-junior reporters were told to find the ball-catching fan and return with him. Iori Kobayashi of Sports Nippon, 25, and Akihiro Ueno of Full Count, 27, accepted their fates without question.

However, the veteran Murayama noticed they weren’t making any progress, and soon she was in the middle of the pavilion with them. She came back soon after to tell us we were in the wrong place.

“We have to go down to the Home Run Seats,” she said, referring to seats directly behind the right-field wall that are in a separate section as the rest of the pavilion.

The ushers there were helpful, describing how the ball struck the portable plastic wall behind the cameraman, rolled under the barrier, and was taken by a boy in a gray jersey. Murayama found the boy and said he would speak to the group when the inning was over.

“They usually come after the inning because they want to watch the game too,” Abe said.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani homers twice and Dodgers pull off another comeback against Yankees

While we waited, Eriko Takehama of Sankei Sports approached Abe and showed him a picture of a fan holding up a piece of the plastic wall that was struck by Ohtani’s homer. The piece had broken off, and the fan told Takehama that he was taking it home.

“Do you want to talk to him?” Takehama asked Abe. “He said he caught a ball three years ago.”

Abe declined.

While watching Max Muncy taking first base on an intentional walk, Abe said, “Everyone has a story. You ask them where they live, where they work and there’s usually something interesting. We’re writing human-interest stories with Ohtani as a cover.”

This story would be about a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Monrovia named Fisher Luginvuhl. With his mother standing nearby, the Little League catcher gushed, “It’s like the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

The reporters circled the boy and photographed him holding up the ball. They exchanged numbers with Luginvuhl’s father so they could send him links to the stories they produced.

While the reporters worked together to locate Luginvuhl, they were also in competition with each other to post the story first. Murayama wrote hers on her phone as she walked. Ueno sent audio of the six-minute interview to the Full Count offices in Japan, where the recording was transcribed by an English-speaking reporter, who then used the quotes to write a story.

Walking to the right-field pavilion and back was exhausting. I mentioned this to Abe, and he reminded me, “This was my second time doing this today.”

Abe wrote 13 stories on Friday night, 10 of them about Ohtani, including two on fans who caught his homers.

Just as we returned to the press box, the next hitter was announced over the public-address system: “Shohei Ohtani!”

Abe laughed and braced for another long walk.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It was a statement, a reminder and a warning all wrapped into one.

The Dodgers might not have been playing their best baseball entering this weekend’s World Series rematch against the New York Yankees.

But in a ceaseless offensive onslaught in the opening two innings on Saturday, things seemed to suddenly, profoundly and perhaps permanently change.

The Dodgers didn’t just beat the Yankees in a nationally televised late-afternoon contest to clinch a weekend series win at Dodger Stadium. They executed a slaughter in broad daylight. Four runs scored in the first inning. Six more came around in the second. And by the end, their 18-2 victory did more than set up the chance for a sweep in Sunday’s series finale.

Read more:Hernández: 'I have no words for it.' Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani inspires awe and confidence

It sent a shot across the bow to the rest of the baseball world, signifying that for all of the Dodgers’ shortcomings of late, they might finally be clicking into top gear.

“We've sort of been playing middling baseball for a while now,” manager Dave Roberts said. “So maybe it took a club like the Yankees to get us to, you know, reset and step our game up. And we've done that for these last couple nights.”

Granted, the Dodgers hadn't exactly been struggling to hit. Entering Saturday, they were second in the majors in runs scored, second in OPS and first in batting average. They had been getting monster production from Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith. And, largely on the strength of their lineup, they were leading the National League West, still on a near 100-win pace in their pursuit of a second consecutive World Series title.

Still, over much of the last month, it had felt as if something was missing.

The team’s injury-ravaged pitching staff had put a strain on their recent play, leading to an 11-12 slide entering this weekend’s marquee Yankees matchup.

And their offense was picking up only so much of the slack, weighed down by early slumps from Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Michael Conforto, as well as inconsistent performances from other bottom-half hitters.

“The last couple weeks have certainly been a grind, with all the stuff we've been going through,” Roberts said. 

It led to a malaise epitomized by a lack of signature moments. Not since knocking off the Detroit Tigers at the start of the regular season had the Dodgers won a series against a legitimate title contender. They were just 10-9 overall against opponents with winning records.

Roberts downplayed that notion Friday.

“We know that we have a good ballclub, and I don't think that us not winning series against X amount of teams with winning records is an indictment on our ballclub,” he said. “I don't think we're thinking too much about that.”

Then again, with the Yankees coming to town as winners of 16 of their previous 20 games, this still felt like something of a litmus test — even if Betts was out with a fractured toe and the pitching staff remained far less than full strength.

Read more:Mookie Betts dealing with fractured toe, won't start against Yankees this weekend

“We try to win each and every game, of course,” Ohtani said in Japanese on Friday night, “but I think it’s a special atmosphere.”

Two games in, it has produced a couple of special results.

After coming from behind to steal Friday night’s opener, the Dodgers (36-22) wasted no time Saturday putting their foot firmly on the Yankees’ neck.

In the bottom of the first, Ohtani, Freeman, Smith and Muncy all singled within the first five at-bats against rookie Yankees starter Will Warren, scoring two runs. Conforto later added a sacrifice fly, before Tommy Edman hit a hard ground ball that got past third baseman (and former Dodgers farmhand) Jorbit Vivas for a run-scoring double, punctuating an inning in which the Dodgers batted around.

In the second, the Dodgers sent all nine batters to the plate again. After walks from Hernández and Freeman, Muncy hit a three-run homer to right, chasing Warren from the game with his 200th career long ball. Edman doubled home another run with two outs. Then Hyeseong Kim got the Dodgers to double digits, hitting his second home run of the season.

By the time the Yankees (35-22) recorded their first hit on Austin Wells’ leadoff single in the third, it was already 10-0.

“You could say it was a statement,” Muncy said. “For us to do it without Mookie also, I think that’s huge for everyone trying to pick up the slack in the lineup. It’s just a really good day offensively all around. Even last night was a really good night offensively for us. So, just having several good games in a row, it’s big for the boys.”

As starting pitcher Landon Knack cruised through six strong innings with the big lead — he gave up his lone run on a fourth-inning solo blast from Aaron Judge, his first of two long balls on the day — the Dodgers kept adding on.

In the fifth, Freeman plated a run with his 525th career double, tying Willie Mays and Ted Williams for 46th most all-time.

Then, Muncy went deep again, continuing his recent surge by belting another three-run homer high off the right-field foul pole, tying a career-high with seven RBIs on the day.

Over his last 19 games, Muncy is now batting .300 with five home runs, 24 RBIs and a .991 OPS.

“Just trying to build on the positives,” he said. “The last several weeks I thought have been really good for me, and today was a very good game. Try to build on it, keep the momentum moving forward.”

Muncy isn’t the only Dodgers hitter heating up. Edman snapped a recent cold streak with three hits. Kim also had four hits, plus two stellar defensive plays: doubling off a runner at second base with a diving effort from shortstop in the third inning, then throwing out Judge at second with a perfect throw from deep center after shifting to the outfield. Andy Pages maintained his strong form with a solo home run in the seventh. Dalton Rushing hit his first career home run in the eighth.

“It's contagious,” Roberts said. “People talk about [how] hitting is contagious and winning, losing, all that stuff. And there's just guys that want to get up to bat. I'm sure they feel it. It's just that adrenaline, that emotion in the dugout.”

The Dodgers’ biggest stars, meanwhile, have continued to dominate.

Ohtani, coming off his second live batting practice as a pitcher before the game (he threw 29 pitches over two simulated innings), had two hits, moving his OPS to 1.062.

In the National League, only Freeman has a better mark in that category, finishing Saturday at 1.078 (to go along with his NL-leading .374 batting average) after his own two-hit showing.

Couple all that with the impending returns of pitchers such as Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen — all of whom could be back within the next month or two, and in some cases sooner — and the Dodgers are starting to look more like the juggernaut they were supposed to be all along.

“It's certainly sweet to win any game [by an 18-2 score],” Roberts said. “But to beat those guys, it's always good. It always feels good to beat the Yankees. You know, they're the class of the American League right now. And anytime you can beat those guys, you feel good.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Despite Aaron Judge's two home runs, the Yankees' pitching staff just didn't have it, falling to the Dodgers, 18-2, on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

The Yankees had just seven hits on the day, with Judge providing three of them.

Here are the takeaways...

-It was a first inning to forget for Will Warren and the Yankees. The young right-hander had to throw 39 pitches in the first frame, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks. It was a death by a thousand paper cuts for Warren as the Dodgers hit single after single to keep pushing runs across. Warren struck out Shohei Ohtani with two outs and the bases loaded to get out of the inning and save his outing.

But Warren's start wouldn't last much longer. After two walks to lead off the second and a grounder, Max Muncy knocked Warren out of the game with a three-run shot to put the Dodgers up 7-0. It's Muncy's 200th career homer and the Dodgers' 13th unanswered run dating back to Friday's comeback win. Warren finished throwing 57 pitches (29 strikes) across 1.1 innings. He allowed seven runs on six hits, four walks, while striking out two. It's the most runs allowed by Warren this season, and the first time he's allowed more than three runs since April 28. The outing raised Warren's ERA from 4.09 to 5.19.

-The Yankees bullpen did not fare much better against the Dodgers. The combination of Brent Headrick, Ian Hamilton, Mark Leiter Jr., Yerry De los Santos, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver -- yes, the top relievers in the pen -- and position player Pablo Reyes were tasked with getting the final 20 outs. Headrick allowed three runs in his 0.2 innings while Leiter Jr. gave up four runs in his 0.2 innings of work. Weaver allowed a solo shot to Andy Pages in the seventh before Reyes allowed three in his inning of work.

-Tommy Edman doubled to drive in a run and then Hyeseong Kim homered to put the Dodgers up 10-0 after two. Muncy launched his second three-run shot of the day in the fifth to put LA up 14-1.

-On the offensive side, the Yankees didn't have much to hand their hats on. Judge blasted his 20th homer in the fourth, the second in as many games, to put the Yankees on the board. But other than that, the Yanks could not figure out Landon Knack who allowed just one run on five hits and three walks in six innings while striking out six. Judge would get a hold of another one in the eighth, his 21st longball of the year, this one going 425 feet.

Game MVP: Max Muncy

The utility infielder had himself a day, going 3-for-5 with his two homers and driving in seven runs.

Highlights

Number 20 for Aaron Judge!

(via @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/pkhiAXHCmJ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 1, 2025

Aaron Judge's second home run of the night and 21st of the season!

(via @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/jgiemOFc6H

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 1, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Dodgers complete their three-game set on Sunday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.

Ryan Yarbrough (2-0, 3.06 ERA) will be on the mound as the Yanks take on Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-3, 1.97 ERA)

Brett Baty is starting to become a dangerous hitter in the Mets' lineup, and Saturday was just another notch in the young infielder's belt this season.

With the bases loaded and one out in the first inning, Baty -- hitting in the No. 5 hole -- stepped up to the plate. Pete Alonso came up empty with the bases loaded by striking out, and the Rockies were one pitch away from getting out of the early jam. But this is a different Baty, a more confident hitter.

After swinging through a fastball for a foul and taking a curveball for a ball, he stayed back on another Antonio Senzatela curve and lofted it to left-center field. Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle ran toward the wall but the ball kept traveling, and it ultimately hit the top of the padding and away from him.

Baty had cleared the bases with a triple to put the Mets ahead 3-1, en route to an eventual 8-2 win against Colorado.

"I thought I hit it pretty hard, but it looked like [Doyle] had a beat on it," Baty said after the game. "I thought, at least I’ll get one run in. It ended up hitting the wall. It was huge."

Baty said he was looking heater but wanted to just hit any ball hard that was over the plate, and he did. The ball went 398 feet, just a couple of feet from a grand slam. But more impressively, it was hit 104.1 mph off the bat.

"I like the aggressiveness," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Baty's at-bat. "First pitch went out there and swung through a fastball and he kept attacking. Put a really good swing on it and went left-center. Starts with the aggressiveness in the strikezone and he continues to do that."

BRETT BATY CLEARS THE BASES WITH A THREE-RUN TRIPLE! pic.twitter.com/1kyshmCsh8

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

With the Mets' issues with runners in scoring position well-documented and the team trailing 1-0 before coming to the plate, Baty's bases-clearing triple came at the best time for everyone, especially starter Kodai Senga.

Once Senga got the lead, the right-hander dominated, retiring 17 straight Rockies and pitching into the seventh inning. Baty, the catalyst for the Mets' offense on Saturday, said he believes it helped Senga get into rhythm.

"Four runs in the first is always big and I think it gave Kodai the confidence to just go out there and pump strikes and let his stuff play," he said.

Mendoza went a step further and called Baty's hit a tone-setter.

"[Baty] came through right away with the bases loaded to set the tone with a bases-clearing triple there," Mendoza said. "Not only offensively but defensively. Made a couple of plays, the line drive right at him, but the slow roller was really good the way he charged it, got rid of it.

"Pretty good play by Pete with the good footwork, with the stretch and the pick. But Brett, the defense, the at-bats, the conviction. Confident player. He’s hitting fifth today, first inning gets an opportunity and comes through."

Baty's second triple of the season rewarded his manager for moving him up in the lineup. And although it was his only hit on Saturday, it was obviously a big one, and another example of the young hitter's maturation in the majors. His hit was his fifth RBI to put the Mets in the lead this season, tied for the fourth-most on the team. He recorded 16 RBI over 21 games in May.

In 16 starts since being recalled from Triple-A on May 5, Baty is slashing .304/.350/.625 with 10 runs, one double, one triple, five homers and a .975 OPS.

Brett Baty and Pete Alonso combine for a beautiful play! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9ibt1eUOca

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

The Mets weren't lucky enough to have a fully healthy and reliable Kodai Senga at their disposal last October, but enough of that old and tired news. What matters is they have a valuable version of him now, and his dominance on the mound deserves league-wide recognition.

Senga wrapped up his laudable May slate with yet another gem, completing 6.1 innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts in the Mets' 8-2 beatdown of the lowly Rockies on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field. Check the leaderboard -- he owns an NL-best 1.60 ERA through 11 starts.

While he added to his list of first-inning mistakes this season, allowing a home run to the game's second batter, it didn't take long for Senga to settle in and find a groove. He proceeded to retire 17 straight batters, and ultimately walked off the field to a standing ovation midway through the seventh.

"Ideally, I'd like to get through without giving up any runs," Senga said after the win, via his interpreter. "I don't really think about my stats. A lot more games left in the season. In terms of my innings, give it a few days and I'm no longer on the leaderboard anymore. We have a lot more left to do, and I want to finish my outings on a strong note, unlike today. So, we have a lot of work to do."

With an average salary of $15 million, Senga isn't being paid like one of MLB's elite pitchers. But there's no disputing the ace-level production the right-hander has offered. He matched his stellar April (1.26 ERA) by delivering an excellent May (1.89), and he's now allowed three runs or fewer in 28 consecutive starts.

If the league isn't ready to give Senga worthy praise, at least his rotation mates are. Upon entering the dugout in the seventh, he was swarmed by the Mets' starting pitchers and Francisco Lindor. They huddled around Senga and jumped in celebration of his second-longest start of the season.

"The forkball, that was a pitch he had right away," Mendoza said postgame. "They kept swinging at it and he kept going. And then he made the fastball look 98-99 mph when it was 95-96 with how much he was throwing [the fork]. The cutter was good, the sweeper, all of his pitches. He attacked, got ahead, got some chases. He was solid today."

It's still too early to declare which aces will start this summer's All-Star Game in Atlanta, but the short list of candidates undoubtedly includes Senga. He's held opposing hitters to a .203 average, which ranks seventh best in the NL. It's also worth mentioning his career regular-season ERA now sits at 2.62.

Senga can only hope June treats him as well as springtime did -- he's lined up to face the vaunted Dodgers next week. Perhaps there's some added motivation to step up in Los Angeles, as he allowed six runs across three uninspiring innings during two NLCS meetings at Chavez Ravine last fall.

A standing ovation for Kodai Senga as he leaves the mound 👏 pic.twitter.com/VAoeyNpWh4

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

The Mets' offense hit three home runs and Kodai Senga struck out seven, pitching into the seventh to beat the Rockies, 8-2, on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.

Every starter had at least one hit in the game while Mets pitchers allowed just three hits.

Here are the takeaways...

-It was an odd start for Senga. After striking out Jordan Beck on a pitch-clock violation to start the game, Ezequiel Tovar lofted a ghostfork over the left field wall to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. It's just the third home run Senga has allowed this season, all coming in the first inning. It's just the second homer allowed on the ghostfork in Senga's career. Senga bounced back to strike out Hunter Goodman and Ryan McMahon to end the first.

-The Mets offense would get the run back, and then some. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo led off with back-to-back singles, and starter Antonio Senzatela walked Juan Soto to load the bases. Pete Alonso struck out swinging but Brett Baty picked him up with a bases-clearing triple. Tyrone Taylor singled to put the Mets up 4-1.

The longball would be kind to the Mets in the fourth with Nimmo driving a two-run shot, and Soto followed with an opposite-field blast to put the Mets up 7-1. It's the first time this season the Mets hit back-to-back homers. It's Soto's first home run since May 9. The 66 at-bats between homers was the second-longest drought of his career.

Jeff McNeil will get in on the fun in the eighth with a solo shot to push the Mets' lead to 8-2.

-Senga would settle in, retiring 17 straight batters at one point. But he started to tire in the seventh, walking Tovar to lead off and pitching out of the stretch for the first time. Goodman hit a bullet to third, but Baty snagged it for the first out. McMahon walked and after a mound visit, Thairo Estrada hit a single through the left side to push across the Rockies' second run.

Mendoza pulled his starter and brought in Jose Butto. Butto got the last two outs of the inning to put an end to the threat and Senga's day.

The right-hander threw 92 pitches (55 strikes) across 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. Senga has now pitched 28 straight starts allowing three runs or fewer.

The combination of Butto and recently-recalled Chris Devenski combined to get the final eight outs, allowing just two walks and one hit.

-A day after Lindor hit two homers, he reached base four more times on Saturday. He went 2-for-3 with two walks. Soto had just the one hit, but reached base twice

Game MVP: Kodai Senga

While the offense had its best offensive day in a while, Senga continued his dominance in 2025.

Highlights

BRETT BATY CLEARS THE BASES WITH A THREE-RUN TRIPLE! pic.twitter.com/1kyshmCsh8

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

Tyrone Taylor brings home Brett Baty!

A four-run first inning for the Mets! pic.twitter.com/t7E1YSurcW

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

Five strikeouts in the first two innings for Kodai Senga 💪 pic.twitter.com/GpMzTHz5Ln

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

Brett Baty and Pete Alonso combine for a beautiful play! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9ibt1eUOca

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

IT'S OUTTA HERE!

Brandon Nimmo's ninth home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/S4AHy8WRCd

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

JUAN SOTO AND BRANDON NIMMO GO DEEP ON BACK-TO-BACK PITCHES! pic.twitter.com/a5ctlIuxlB

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

Tyrone Taylor makes a LONG run for the out! 🏃 pic.twitter.com/SEcBWiF3nL

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

José Buttó gets out of trouble in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/rxESRYDAFd

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

Jeff McNeil leaves the yard! pic.twitter.com/H4OAa13sjB

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 31, 2025

What's next

The Mets complete their series with the Rockies on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. on SNY.

Clay Holmes (5-3, 2.98 ERA) will take the mound and go up against LHP Carson Palmquist (0-3, 8.78 ERA).

How long it will take for Ronny Mauricio to be recalled to the big leagues is now a daily conversation among Mets fans.

With the offense not firing on all cylinders and Mauricio playing very well in Triple-A, the powers that be in Flushing have consistently been bombarded with questions about the young prospect’s future, and it’s easy to see why.

In seven games since returning to Triple-A Syracuse after a rehab assignment, Mauricio is batting .560 with three home runs and an OPS of 1.546. It’s a small sample size, but it’s enough to get the buzz around the Mets prospect to become louder and louder.

So when manager Carlos Mendoza was asked about the reports he’s getting about Mauricio prior to Saturday’s game against the Rockies, the second-year skipper tempered expectations but was honest in what he’s heard.

“We’re watching. The reports are really good, actually. Not so much about the results, just how he’s moving,” he said. “The way he’s running around the bases, moving in the infield, first step, going after baseballs, recovering well and we’ve seen the results from the offensive side where he’s impacting the baseball from both sides of the plate. Good player, we will continue to watch him.”

There are a few factors holding Mauricio back in Triple-A. First and foremost being his health. Mauricio is on the road back from multiple knee surgeries following the 2023 season and the organization wants him to get back into playing shape, which means playing as many games in the minors as possible.

President of baseball operations David Stearns said on Friday that Mauricio’s health is their No.1 priority.

Mauricio hadn’t played back-to-back games with Syracuse until this past Wednesday-Thursday, so the reports about his fielding and recovery are very positive signs.

The other roadblock is the Mets’ current roster. Mauricio has started at second and third base in Syracuse, spots being held by the combination of Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña.

Acuña and Baty are the only two of that quartet with minor league options remaining, but both are currently vital to the team's success of late. Baty swinging a hot bat and playing great defense, while Acuña's speed and defense as a bench player gives Mendoza some much-needed flexibility.

With that logjam, the Mets want Mauricio to continue to play the field and get at-bats as often as possible and the only way to do that is by playing in the minors, for now. But, as Mendoza put it Saturday, there’s going to be a time when decisions will have to be made.

"Right now, we want him to continue to get everyday reps,” he said. “Pretty sure we're going to get to a point where he's going to force us here, but in the meantime, just let him play."

Carlos Mendoza says he and the Mets have gotten "really good" reports on Ronny Mauricio:

"Right now, we want him to continue to get everyday reps. Pretty sure we're going to get to a point where he's going to force us here, but in the meantime, just let him play." pic.twitter.com/GmRxXT3giA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 31, 2025

Luzardo allows a month's worth of runs, Hoskins goes off, Phils drop 3rd straight originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jesus Luzardo’s 12th start as a Phillie wasn’t just his first dud, it was the worst outing of his career, a 17-7 loss to the Brewers that had Rhys Hoskins’ fingerprints all over it.

Luzardo entered the day with the lowest home run rate in the National League and had not allowed more than three runs as a Phillie. Four batters into the game, the Brewers changed that with two singles and a walk before Hoskins extended his arms to blast a 97 mph fastball over the wall for a three-run bomb.

“Again starting off early putting us down in a hole, frustrating that it’s back-to-back starts,” Luzardo said. “Then kind of unraveled in the fourth. Just not being able to get back on track and give length to the team put the bullpen in a bad position and us in a hole.”

The fourth inning was the Phillies’ ugliest of 2025 and included the first ejection of the season for manager Rob Thomson. It began with a ball bouncing out of Nick Castellanos’ glove in right-center for a leadoff double. It was centerfielder Brandon Marsh’s ball but Marsh pulled off it late despite not being called off by Castellanos.

“Marsh needs to call Casty off there,” Thomson said. “(Castellanos) did not call the ball. Marsh has to keep going, call the ball and call him off because he has priority.”

The next batter, Caleb Durbin, hit a dribbler to the right of the mound and Luzardo threw it low past first baseman Alec Bohm, an error that allowed a runner to come around to score. Then came back-to-back walks, consecutive singles and another three-run homer from Hoskins, whose six RBI matched his most in any game.

Luzardo allowed a career-high 12 runs on 12 hits and his ERA rose from 2.15 to 3.58 — from second-best in the majors to 23rd. No Phillies starter has given up more runs in a game since Al Jurisich in 1947.

“When he didn’t execute, they hit the ball hard. When he did execute, the ball seemed to find a hole,” Thomson said. “You’re thinking the way he grinds, the way he battles and competes, that he’s gonna get out of it. And also want to save the bullpen.

“Statistics matter. You want your guys to have great years but at some points too, you’ve got to battle through things and do it for your teammates.”

The Phils have lost three in a row and dropped the series to the Brewers after ripping off 11 wins in 12 games. Their only other series loss since April 25 was in mid-May to the Cardinals.

Thomson’s ejection came after Luzardo appeared to pick Sal Frelick off of first base in the fourth. Following the initial call, third-base umpire Derek Thomas motioned that Luzardo balked and Frelick was awarded second base. Thomson ran out to argue, and beyond the balk itself, he and Luzardo took issue with it being called by the third-base umpire, not the home-plate or first-base umpires who have better vantage points of a lefty’s pick-off move.

“The third-base umpire’s explanation to me was that at the top of his leg lift, he stopped,” Thomson said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that. My question was why didn’t the umpire at first base call it?”

Luzardo was peeved because it’s something he’s done for six years.

“That’s what I told him, that was my frustration, that I’ve done this since 2019 and never been called for a balk on it,” he said. “I think they did a great job of not throwing me out. In the heat of the moment, I was probably a little hot-headed. I just wanted an explanation as to what was the balk. I felt I gained ground even as I fell toward the plate, always kept my body moving even though it was slow. 

“Basically, I got couple of different answers, saying that I stopped at the top of my delivery, which I didn’t. And the call coming from third base is what frustrated me the most. If it was the first-base umpire, I’d understand it a little more. But it is what it is. Not everyone’s perfect. But I think that frustration kind of caused me to unravel a little bit more as opposed to step back, cool myself and get back to it.”

Regression was going to hit Luzardo at some point. He began the day averaging more than 6.0 innings per start, by far a career-high. His most 100-pitch outings in any season is five and he’d done that in five of his last six starts entering the weekend. The Phillies have pushed him, and until Saturday, he’d passed every test.

They know they must strike a balance rest-of-season between riding Luzardo when he’s effective and preserving his arm for October when it matters most. There are ways to do it — dialing him back by an inning, skipping a start at some point, going to a six-man rotation when Andrew Painter is ready.

The Phillies turn to Ranger Suarez on Sunday looking to avoid being swept at home for the first time since last July 29-31 vs. the Yankees. Suarez has pitched four straight gems, three of them scoreless starts of at least six innings. They’ll need another.

“I told Zeus as soon as he steps off the mound, this one’s over,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “Same thing as a team. It’s obviously an embarrassing loss, you never want to lose like that. We’ve just got to flush it and move on to tomorrow.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave some updates on the team ahead of Saturday's game against the Colorado Rockies...

---

Paul Blackburn to start Monday vs. Dodgers

The veteran right-hander will come off the injured list and make his season debut on Monday in Los Angeles, Mendoza told reporters. Blackburn will join a six-man starting rotation and the rest will follow after him.

"Yeah, it's gonna be Game 1 versus LA, Blackburn will pitch on Monday and then everybody will fall in line," Mendoza said.

Blackburn went 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA over seven minor league games during his rehab assignment, including a 2-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 20.0 innings with Triple-A Syracuse.

Mendoza isn't concerned over Blackburn making his season debut against a strong Dodgers lineup, crediting his MLB experience.

"Not really because he's been in this league for a long time now," Mendoza said. "He knows what it takes. This is not a situation where you're calling up a rookie or a guy that's been up and down. He's been in this league for quite a bit now and has had some success. He knows what's at stake. He knows he's going to be facing a good lineup. And he's ready.

"He feels good, feels healthy, he's throwing the ball well. As far as the competition and all that, he's been there before."

Blackburn pitched in five games for New York in 2024 after coming over from the Athletics, going 1-2 with a 5.18 ERA. He owns a 22-28 record with a 4.85 ERA across 85 games over his eight big league seasons.

What's next for Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas?

Manaea (right oblique strain) threw a live bullpen session on Thursday that "went well," and he'll throw another on Monday.

"It'll be an up-and-down live BP," Mendoza said. "Last time, which was one time up, he threw almost 20 pitches. Now he's gonna go where he goes two innings, basically, facing batters."

Mendoza added that the left-hander could throw another live BP before a rehab start.

As for Montas (right lat strain), Mendoza said that the team is looking for him to pitch another rehab game on Tuesday, depending on the weather.

Montas showed improvement in his second rehab start on Thursday night for High-A Brooklyn, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out three over 3.0 IP. He threw 49 pitches with 28 for strikes.

Mark Vientos 'going through it'

It's been a tough second full season in the bigs for Vientos, who's hitting just .231 with six home runs, seven doubles, and 21 RBI over 51 games. Many expected him to take another huge step forward following his 27-homer season in 2024, but that hasn't been the case.

"I feel like he's going through it," Mendoza said. "There will be stretches where he's hitting the ball hard consistently, but there's also stretches where he chases. Maybe a little bit in between at times. That's part of the grind, part of the 162. Second year in the big leagues, where people are adjusting to him and he's got to continue to make adjustments.

"He's working hard, he's watching film, he's talking to the hitting coaches, he's doing extra work. He's got to keep going."

Vientos has turned things around slightly after a poor April (.225 batting average) with a .256 batting mark in May, but his inconsistent performance has opened the door for others. The 25-year-old is not in the lineup Saturday as Brett Baty gets the start at third base and Jared Young at DH. Mendoza was then asked about balancing reps for Vientos to help him break out of the slump.

"When you got 13 guys, you feel good about your chances," Mendoza said. "It makes it a challenge, but there's a balance. Trying to use everyone as much as possible, keep everyone fresh. But in the case of Mark, he's getting playing time. Yes, maybe he plays one day, sits the other, but he plays three, sits one -- he's still active.

"I'm not worried about that at all, that's part of establishing yourself here at the big league level. Everybody goes through it. And he's going through it right now where he's got to learn where it's like, 'Hey man, you're probably gonna play a couple games and then sit one.' Every one of them is going through it I guess. Again, we got 13 really good players."