Category: MLB

While Shohei Ohtani was available to pinch hit on Thursday, his services weren’t required, as for the second game in a row, the Dodgers secured the win with someone other than the National League back-to-back MVP as its designated hitter. The plan was for some rare time off to potentially help the struggling Ohtani (hitter) find his groove once again, and it so coincided that his return was to come in the series against the Angels over Rivalry Weekend.

Enough has been said about Ohtani squaring off against his former team through the previous series between these two since Ohtani signed with the Dodgers. What’s interesting is that over the course of those games, as if the Angels fans didn’t have enough to complain about—having seen the greatest baseball player in the modern era leave their club—Ohtani has been a menace against Angels pitching, hitting five home runs in just 10 games with a 1.263 OPS, his highest against any team, albeit in a far smaller sample than most. Those five home runs are more than he has hit at Oracle Park or Petco Park, for instance.

Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith were productive in Ohtani’s absence, going three for seven with a home run. So if you want to get funny about it, one might be allowed to claim that the Dodgers superstar two-way player has big shoes to fill, but we wouldn’t go to such lengths for humor. The key is that if his track record against the Angels is anything to go by, Ohtani might be back with a vengeance—he’ll aim to help this team build some momentum after avoiding a series loss at home against the Giants by winning the final two matchups.

Friday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Angels
• Ballpark: Angel Stadium, Anaheim
• Start time: 6:38 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

1929
White Sox outfielder Art “The Great” Shires (Shires, by the way, gave himself that nickname) and manager Lena Blackburne got into a fistfight in the clubhouse over Shires choosing to wear a red felt hat during pregame warmups.

Blackburne knocked Shires out cold.

1941
In a game in New York, White Sox pitcher Eddie Smith allowed a hit to Yankee great Joe DiMaggio. It would be the first hit in DiMaggio’s record-setting, 56-game hitting streak.

Chicago won the game, 13-1.

1951
As a testament to the managerial genius of Sox skipper Paul Richards, it had been 30 years since the league saw a move like this.

In the ninth inning of a game in Boston with the White Sox winning, 7-6, relief pitcher Harry Dorish was removed in favor of Billy Pierce to face the left-handed hitting Ted Williams — only Dorish wasn’t removed from the game, he was moved to third base! Pierce retired Williams on a pop-up, then was taken out of the game to return Dorish back to the mound. Boston eventually tied the game, but the White Sox would have the last laugh, winning 9-7 in 11 innings. 

The victory marked the start of a 14-game win streak, with 11 of the wins coming on the road. By May 30, after sweeping the St. Louis Browns, the Sox record stood at 26-9.

Also on this day, pitcher Saul Rogovin came to the White Sox in a brilliant trade that helped the White Sox to their first first-division finish (fourth) in eight seasons and best record (81-73-1) in 31 years. Chicago sent Bob Cain to Detroit for Rogovin, who started 26 games, finished 17, had three shutouts and finished one, for an MLB-best 2.78 ERA and 5.0 WAR.

1954
With a 7-6, come-from-behind win over the Philadelphia Athletics at Comiskey Park, the White Sox secured the franchise’s 4,000th win. It was catcher Carl Sawatski’s single with two outs in the ninth inning that won the game. That year, the Sox went 94-60-1 … and still finished 17 games back of pennant-winning Cleveland!

1988
It is an obscure record, and one that probably will never be broken.

Outfielder Dave Gallagher was picked up over the winter by the White Sox after being released by the Mariners, and was called up to the club the day before. Playing in only his second game in a White Sox uniform, Gallagher hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to beat the Blue Jays, 6-5, at Comiskey Park. The blast came off of Toronto’s sidewinder, Mark Eichhorn. It wasn’t just Gallagher’s first MLB home run, it remains the White Sox record for fewest games played before hitting a walk-off home run.

1996
The White Sox easily handled the Brewers in Milwaukee, 20-8. The Sox scored 20 — which remains in a tie for the fifth-most runs in a single game in franchise history — yet only hit two home runs. Frank Thomas had one of them, and knocked in six runs on the night. Harold Baines and Robin Ventura both had three RBIs as well.

2006
This was not how the defending world champs were supposed to play their follow-up season, but a 7-3 win at Minnesota would mark the final day the White Sox would be alone and in first place in the AL Central.

Really, the entire 2006 season wasn’t as much about anything the White Sox did wrong — they ended up 90-72, and would have made the postseason as a wild card team under the current system — but what the Twins (96-66) and Tigers (95-67) did right. The White Sox were as many as 27 games better than .500 (56-29) as late as July 6, but the ALC was just too good in 2006.

On this day, the offense was driven by just four players who each had three hits: Scott Podsednik, Chris Widger, Joe Crede and Rob Mackowiak, providing all but one of the Chisox’s safeties on the day. Podsednik stole a base and also clocked his first home run since his walk-off in the 2005 World Series, and Widger and Crede joined him in the homer parade. Freddy García was the beneficiary of the onslaught, throwing 6 2/3 innings to improve to 6-1 on the season.

A little over a month ago, while casually scrolling social media, I was hit with the Fanatics advertisement for the Yankees “Black Out Jersey” and I found myself scrambling to see if there was breaking news that the Yankees had announced an alternate jersey. To my satisfaction I found that this was not a new jersey (pun intended) for the Yankees, but instead, not to my satisfaction, another cash grab by Fanatics.

Oh, how I assumed that the jump scare and dismay from thinking the Yankees would announce an alternate jersey was over. Then came April 22nd and The Athletic article when it came to light that “some” players were pushing for alternate jerseys.

More specifically players asked for a road alternate. Additionally, it came to light that Major League Baseball approved the Yankees” “Spring Training Navy Blues,“ if you will, for official game use prior to the 2025 season.

Most fans at this point have declared themselves in the no change camp or have allowed themselves to picture their favorite players in different ideas of a Yankees alternate jersey. Andrew Mearns ran a PSA poll back on April 22nd when the story broke.

About three-fifths of voters preferred no changes and sticking to the home pinstripes and road grays to avoid changing tradition. The poll numbers then saw about an even split on one-fifth each way liking the navy option or a yes but a different version of an alternate.

Credit where credit is due, this is not a new a new story or topic. Going all the way back to 2016, we can find an article by former editor Jason Cohen asking, “Is it time for the Yankees to change their uniforms?” and laying out several different options.

Truthfully, the Players Weekend jerseys and throwbacks from 2017-19 really sparked and fueled the debate amongst fans. Even back in 2019, my colleague Josh Diemert declared “The Yankees should ditch the road gray uniform…sometimes.”

Up until 2023, I would have considered myself in the majority of fans wanting no changes to the powerful, prideful pinstripes and by association the road grays. However, since the Yankees debuted the Starr Insurance patch on July 21st of that year, I have found my position changing. Captain Aaron Judge raised the same point.

Since that “small change,” we have seen another step from tradition each year. In 2024 the Yankees removed the white piping and border on the road grays. Then the 2025 season was the first in almost 50 years that we saw Yankees with beards. I fear the slippery slope mentioned by so many in the comments that would start if the Yankees adopted an alternate jersey has already gone full y=mx+b.

Now that we are at the crossroads of a new generations of player’s wants, and corporate greed smart business practices, I feel it is time to accept the Yankees will play in alternate jerseys 2026 or 2027. After playing in those jerseys, the organization and sponsors will see a boost in sales of said jerseys and then decide they should capitalize on additional alternate jerseys in the future.

The low-hanging option on the clothesline would be to develop a City Connect jersey for the Yankees. The only clubs missing MLB City Connect jerseys are them and the “in-between hometowns” Athletics. I assume the A’s are waiting until their first season or two in Vegas to launch their City Connect jerseys.

After looking through some old ideas, and some options posted by you all on the poll, I was questioning: What if there was a way for the Yankees to create a City Connect jersey without ever playing a game in the Bronx out of those beautiful pinstripes?

Then the idea hit me. The Yankees could do a City Connect jersey and do it in the biggest brother way possible. Here is my thesis: The New York Yankees should develop a City Connect jersey that they only wear in Queens and dub them the Kings of New York edition.

Of course I have an idea for design, but we can get into that in a second. Think about having an “alternate home jersey” to “connect” your city that you only roll out a few times a year at your neighbor’s actual home — essentially a Subway Series jersey for the Yankees. The perfect pinstripes can remain forever in the Bronx as an unchanged tradition, but also gives our players what they asked for and in the big bright New York lights to boot.

OK, if you are still here and want my idea, thank you. Shoutout to possible burner account, Never Forget, who dropped a 9/11 concept and brunog39 whose rules I liked though I did not follow all of them. There have been a lot of people better at design, AI, and Photoshop than me who have given redesign a shot over the years. My idea makes one change.

Instead of being gray, make the road jerseys liberty green. No other changes. Leave the navy New York and numbers the same, just forget to take pennies out of your pocket and wash the road jerseys.

For the less color inclined, liberty green is the color that Aaron Judge started wearing on his accessories, shoes, and the like late during the 2024 season. This color is inspired by the Statue of Liberty, and her oxidized copper.

Since then, several players have started to wear it or a similar color. Cody Bellinger features it on his elbow guard and Jasson Domínguez often wears batting gloves in the color.

I know many have debated players using this color or would have strong opinions about adopting it officially … but let’s look at some pros and compromises. This would make one of the City’s most identifiable colors the Yankees’ official alternate, and further deepen the connection between the Yankees interlocking NY and NYC.

Judge and company have already given the color their stamp of approval by using and continuing to use it. Connection to the City, check. Player approval, check.

The visual appeal could be sold two ways. One, it would be very pleasing to see a wave of this color in opposing stadiums to take the City on the road as fans. The color and the navy words/numbers would also look nice over hoodies in October. Two, if you hate the idea, at least the small change in color hue could be blamed on the Mets and their low-quality cameras and light bulbs at Citi Field.

To truly keep tradition alive fans who are anti-these jerseys could pop the TV over to black and white and have the Yankees’ road grays jerseys back in just a few clicks of the button! Again, under this idea these are only worn a few times a year and only during the games at Citi Field.

Honestly, part of my idea that is more important than the jersey itself is that I think $1 of each of any potential alternate jerseys sold each year should be matched by the Yankees and donated to the City. I’m not going to get political, but using “The City’s Jersey” to make the City better for fans/non-fans alike was all I kept coming back to when trying to think of a way to truly make me want an alternate jersey.

At the end of the day, I still understand why many Yankees fans will never want to see an alternate jersey and honestly, I still have not fully convinced myself that I want one either. Tradition matters. The pinstripes matter. However, one trip to your local sporting goods store shows things are changing, and if alternate jerseys are eventually coming anyway, the Yankees might as well do it in a way that preserves the pinstripes, embraces the rivalry, and reminds the Mets who will always run baseball in New York.

The Cardinals have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, suffering losing seasons in two of those years. After losing 84 games last year, they traded away veterans Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and Sonny Gray. They now have the second-youngest lineup and fourth-youngest pitching staff, and have gotten off to a great start, winning 11 of their last 16.

Kansas City Royals (19-25) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (25-18) at Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Royals: 4.11 runs scored/game (25th in MLB), 4.57 runs allowed/game (19th)

Cardinals: 4.63 runs scored/game (9th), 4.58 runs allowed/game (20th)

By most offensive metrics, the Cardinals are nearly identical to the Royals, hitting .240/.321/.390 as a team, yet they have scored half a run more per game. JJ Wetherholt is a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, although he is hitting just .213/.327/.277 this month. Not only has he starred offensively, he is among the top players defensively, by Outs Above Average.

After years of disappointment, former first round pick Jordan Walker has turned a corner as is seventh in baseball with a 166 wRC+. Shortstop Masyn Winn is hitting .343/.400/.457 against lefties. Lefty Victor Scott II is hitting just .125 in 85 plate appearances against righties.

Michael Wacha starts the opener for the Royals. He has never lost to the team that made him a first round pick in 2012, going 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA in five career starts against the Cardinals. The Cardinals signed Dustin May last winter, and after two rough starts to begin the year, he has a 2.55 ERA over his last six starts. Opponents are hitting .302 against his 97 mph fastball, but he has a 31.4 percent whiff rate on his sweeper.

Noah Cameron has given up 20 runs in 25 innings over his last five starts. Kyle Leahy made 61 relief appearances for the Cardinals last year, with a 3.07 ERA. he tossed five shutout innings, allowing just two hits, but four walks against the Padres in his last start.

Andre Pallante had a 5.31 ERA last year in 31 starts, the fourth-highest among qualified starters. He relies a lot on a sinker/slider/curve combo that helps him net a 55.7 percent groundball rate. Vinnie Pasquantino is just 1-for-11 against him in their career matchups.

The Cardinals’ bullpen has a 4.70 ERA, fifth-worst in baseball. Riley O’Brien made a career-high 31 appearances last year at age 30, and now leads the National League with 13 saves, although he has three blown saves. He throws a hard sinking fastball that generates a 61 percent groundball rate. Kansas City native Ryne Stanek joins the Cardinals bullpen with a 98 mph fastball. JoJo Romero has a reverse split, with leftie shitting .233/.303/.433 against him.

The Cardinals have a young, hungry team with a lot to prove, and Busch Stadium is always a difficult place to play. The Cards have been surprisingly mediocre at home – they’ve split their first 20 games there – but the Royals have been a dreadful road team. The Royals will need to show they can win away from Kauffman Stadium and stop the bleeding after a dreadful sweep in Chicago.

After a positive series hosting the Cubs, the Braves hope to get off to a good start in game 1 hosting the Red Sox. Spencer Strider starts for the Braves, hoping to continue his strong start in LA. The Red Sox will counter with Connelly Early.

The Red Sox have not had a great start to the season, emphasized by them cleaning house in their coaching staff. They are sitting in last place in the AL East at 18-24, with injury and performance issues abound. They rank 16th in MLB batting fWAR and 19th in pitching, though they are tied for the lead with the Cubs in fielding. This is a series the Braves should win at home and winning the first game always makes things easier.

Strider had a rough go of it at Coors Field after looking quite good in his last couple of rehab starts. He then came out and struck out 8 batters over 6.0 scoreless innings against the Dodgers, walking only 2. His fastball looked good at 96.5 MPH and good life, with his slider working and his curveball and changeup mixed in with effectiveness. Let’s hope that the Coors experience was an altitude-induced aberration and that version of Spencer Strider we saw in LA last weekend is the new normal.

Connelly Early is a fun name, but has also been a highly-touted prospect and has been a solid major-league starter in his short career. The 24-year-old lefty has a 3.28 FIP and 3.70 xFIP over 62.0 career MLB innings, with 9.87 K/9 and 3.19 BB/9. He struck out nearly 12 batters per 9 innings in the minors, but that walk rate is about in line with his minor league number, as he is also a solid ground-ball pitcher. Early features a six-pitch mix with average velocity, but good extension and movement on everything except for his slider. He throws his lively four-seamer a third of the time, with a good changeup and sinker each making up another 20% of his pitches and the slider, a sweeper, and curveball mixed in the rest of the time. Early has the looks of a good middle-rotation starter, despite his poor contact quality allowed so far this season. The Braves’ lineup is weird against lefties right now, as it is a pretty lefty-heavy lineup without Ronald Acuna, but Drake Baldwin absolutely rakes against lefties so far in his career and Ozzie gets to bat righty, which is always a good thing.

This game is heavily dependent on which version of Spencer Strider shows up, although Early is a quality arm to face for the Braves’ offense.

Game Info

Game Time: Friday, May 15, 7:15 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA.

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

The White Sox are over .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2022. Thus, the Cubs should not underestimate them. They might not be a great team, but they are certainly improved over what they were the last couple of years.

For more on the White Sox, here’s Chrystal O’Keefe, managing editor of our SB Nation White Sox site South Side Sox.

The White Sox have had a surprising start with their young core. As I write this, they sit in second place in the American League Central, just one game back from first place. They have stayed competitive in close games and have been able to come back from behind, especially in later innings. Had you told me the White Sox were down 5-1 in the third inning just last season, I would’ve assumed the game was over. But this year, an at-bat from Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery, or Miguel Vargas can easily put them back in the game.

As far as pitching goes, the Cubs will see all right-handers this series in Sean Burke (3.68 ERA), our ace, Davis Martin (1.62 ERA), and a consistent veteran, Erick Fedde (3.77 ERA). The bullpen can be shaky, but it seems to be coming together as the season progresses.

The aforementioned home run hitters can certainly be a threat, but a few unsuspecting players can also be ones to watch, such as Chase Meidroth, Derek Hill and his clutch late-inning heroics, and rookie catcher Drew Romo.

Fun facts

The Cubs and White Sox have played the most evenly divided of all interleague matchups involving geographic rivals. The Cubs have won 77 games; the White Sox, 75. Oddly, the Cubs are 39-37 on the South Side, while each team has won 38 games at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs have dominated the Sox the past three seasons, winning 11 of 13 games, including both as the visiting team in 2023 and 2024, then two of three last year.

Today’s game will be the 603rd of all kinds between the teams. The Cubs are 283-307-12, a winning percentage of .480.

The Cubs are 2-4 vs. the Sox in the World Series and 204-228-12 in exhibition games, including 60-91-3 in the City Series from 1903-42, 25-26 in pre-season games in Chicago, 103-89-7 in pre-season games elsewhere and 16-22 in exhibition and benefit games played during the regular season.

In all games in Chicago, the Cubs are 180-218-5, .453.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Friday: Edward Cabrera, RHP (3-1, 3.88 ERA, 1.317 WHIP, 4.25 FIP) vs. Sean Burke, RHP (2-3, 3.68 ERA, 1.091 WHIP, 3.83 FIP)

Saturday: Jameson Taillon, RHP (2-2, 3.94 ERA, 1.139 WHIP, 5.67 FIP) vs. Davis Martin, RHP (5-1, 1.62 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 2.33 FIP)

Sunday: Colin Rea, RHP (4-2, 4.68 ERA, 1.417 WHIP, 4.24 FIP) vs. Erick Fedde, RHP (0-4, 3.77 ERA, 1.163 WHIP, 6.04 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Friday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, also CHSN and WCIU-Ch. 26 (Sox announcers)

Saturday: 6:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, also CHSN and WCIU-Ch. 26 (Sox announcers)

Sunday: 1:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, also CHSN and WCIU-Ch. 26 (Sox announcers)

Prediction

Well. The Cubs have won 13 of the last 15 meetings between these two teams.

But that time frame includes three 100+ loss Sox teams. They are better than that now. However, they are just 4-8 vs. teams currently over .500, and that implies the Cubs can win two of three.

So that’s my prediction. Two of three.

Up next

The Cubs return to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers beginning Monday evening.

We’ve entered into a bizarro world where a series against the Astros can be viewed as a “get right” series for the Mariners. Back in April, the four-game sweep of Houston pushed Seattle to a game under .500 and 1.5 games back in the AL West. This latest series win in Houston pushed Seattle to a game under .500 and one game back in the AL West. The M’s will have to find a way to keep this momentum going without Cal Raleigh in the lineup which makes their margin for error much thinner than it already was. 

Somehow, the Padres have been keeping the Dodgers honest in the NL West. Sure, Los Angeles has struggled a bit, especially recently, but San Diego has also been one of the luckiest teams in baseball this year. The Friars have outperformed their Pythagorean record and BaseRuns record by four games, the second largest gap in baseball behind the Rays. It hasn’t been all luck — the team’s bullpen is elite, helping them close out close games — but the lineup has been the clutchiest in baseball by a pretty wide margin.

After sweeping the Mariners in San Diego back in April, the Padres are in the driver’s seat to win the 2026 edition of the Vedder Cup. Should the Mariners manage to sweep the Padres this weekend, tying the season series, the first tiebreaker to determine the Cup winner is run differential — San Diego won that previous series by a combined seven runs. The second tiebreaker is EV (short for Exit Velocity and Eddie Vedder) – the team with the highest exit velocity recorded on a hit will win the Vedder Cup. Dominic Canzone’s 114.1 mph double currently holds the lead should that second tiebreaker come into play.

The Padres lineup was supposed to run through their quartet of stars: Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackson Merrill. Thus far, only Bogaerts has been above league average; he’s currently running a 117 wRC+, his highest mark since 2023, his first season in San Diego. The biggest mystery is what happened to Tatis’s power; he hasn’t hit a home run yet this season despite maintaining excellent contact quality on his batted balls. Maybe he’s taken his new role as a part-time second baseman too seriously, turning himself into a light-hitting middle infielder.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

From a previous series preview:

Randy Vásquez has spent the last few seasons as a reliable, innings-eating back-end starter for the Padres. Between 2023 and ‘24, he had the lowest strikeout rate among all qualified starters, though his ERA was a decent 4.27. All of a sudden, he’s throwing two ticks harder this year and he’s more than doubled his strikeout rate. The extra oomph on his pitches is obviously great, but it’s particularly helpful for Vásquez because of his seven-pitch repertoire. Discerning which of those seven pitches is heading towards the plate is a lot easier when you only have to worry about a 93 mph fastball rather than 95 mph heat. With the threat of a true, bat-missing heater in his back pocket, his entire arsenal becomes more effective because he has so many looks he can present to the batter.

With injuries ravaging their starting rotation, the Padres signed Lucas Giolito a few weeks ago with the hope that he’d be able to ramp up pretty quickly to provide some relief for the pitching staff. After four minor league starts, he’s ready to go and San Diego will be activating him for his season debut on Saturday. Giolito was a solid mid-rotation starter for Boston last year in a return to form after a few miserable years marred by injury and ineffectiveness. It wasn’t too long ago that he was the ace of the White Sox rotation, though that ceiling is probably past him. His best pitches are a tight slider and a straight changeup. Both of those secondary offerings play off his fastball to earn their deception which means the deterioration of his heater has some outsized knock-on effects on the rest of his repertoire.

From a previous series preview:

I can only assume that Walker Buehler’s 2019 and ‘21 seasons are doing a lot of heavy lifting for his reputation as he’s bounced between three different teams over the last two seasons. He put up 5.1 and 5.6 fWAR in those two campaigns but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022. He hasn’t been the same since and he was legitimately one of the worst pitchers in baseball last year. His four-seam fastball was one of the best in baseball at his peak but it’s lost a ton of its carry and just isn’t an effective pitch anymore. He’s tried to adjust by deepening his repertoire and mixing in all of his secondary pitches a lot more often. It didn’t work in Boston last year, but the Padres desperately needed starting pitchers this spring, so they’re giving Buehler another shot to see if he can figure things out.

The Big Picture:

It’s “regional” rivalry weekend across baseball which means the two Texas teams are playing each other and the A’s are rekindling their Bay Area rivalry with San Francisco in Sacramento.

The Red Sox have returned to the Dead Ball era.

“Sell the team” chants have taken over NESN.

Alex Cora was fired at 10-17. Chad Tracy is at 8-8. Craig Breslow is probably fielding calls about Aroldis Chapman, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Garrett Whitlock…guys who can help winning clubs right now. And Boston travels to face the only team with 30 wins. Baseball being what it is, they could sweep, of course. But this is going to be a tough series. The pitching matchups might favor Atlanta despite the Red Sox having good pitchers too. Chris Sale won’t be pitching so at least one of their aces misses the weekend series.

Connelly Early takes the ball Friday night against Spencer Strider. Early is coming off an excellent outing against Tampa Bay, 7.0 scoreless innings in their lone win in three games against the AL East leader. Strider began the year on the IL and, after being knocked around in Colorado for 3.1 inning,s shut down the Dodgers for 6.0. Maybe he’ll be rusty again. Kinda of an even-odd thing. One hit, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts even during an Ohtani slump is nothing to sneeze at.

Payton Tolle, aka Mass Pike, has made three starts on at least five days rest and one start on four days rest. Those three have included two gems and one kinda OK start. In the one on four days he wasn’t as sharp and issued four walks. Hopefully the Braves are a good matchup for him. They are actually the 23rd ranked offense in walks but 24th in strikeouts. So maybe this will be a defense-heavy workload. Durbin to the rescue? Bryce Elder is a righty who strikes people out but not at the elite level. He has 53 Ks in 54.2 innings but struck out 8 and 9 batters, respectively, in his last two starts. He does have 20 walks over that time which is…fine. He only averages 87 pitches per outing so if they work a few deep counts (I know, I know) maybe they can hold him under the 6.0 inning mark. He has reverse splits and this year righties are hitting .268/.297/.310 with lefties at an insane .130/.246/.236. Basically every lefty becomes Caleb Durbin. Not great for Tracy’s matchups.

Brayan Bello just pitched on Tuesday. He could be the TBD after an opener again. That’s four days rest. Jake Bennett can’t be recalled yet. The opener is working out for him. Whatever is causing him issues at the start of the game just doesn’t seem to be there. With 6.1 and 7.0 innings and 1 run allowed each time the Red Sox should keep the arrangement going as long as they can. Grant Holmes is the weak link of the series. Not that it matters when a guy with an ERA of nearly seven can shut down the lineup and given Wednesday. He’s a righty with essentially even splits. He’s given up an OPS of .680 to same-sided hitters and .678 to lefties. He hasn’t made it into the fifth in three of his last five starts.

Ronald Acuña Jr. has been on the IL. With any luck they’ll miss him.

Drake Baldwin is having a tremendous season with 11 homers and 37 runs scored (leading the league) while slashing .295/.378/.520.

Matt Olsen has 14 homers and 15 doubles.

Old friend Dom Smith is hitting .358/.386/.543 in limited playing time.

Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Michale Harris II…basically the entire lineup is dangerous. Must be nice.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday, May 15: Connelly Early (3.16 ERA / 4.35 FIP) vs. Spencer Strider (2.89 ERA / 3.75 FIP)

Saturday, May 16: Payton Tolle (2.78 ERA / 2.80 FIP) vs. Bryce Elder (1.81 ERA / 3.09 FIP)

Sunday, May 17: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Grant Holmes (4.35 ERA / 5.19 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Friday, May 15: 7:15 PM ET on NESN

Saturday, May 16: 7:15 PM ET on NESN

Sunday, May 17: 1:35 PM ET on NESN

In the meantime, imagine Craig Breslow slowly turning into a Batman villain…

Much of the Astros issues tie back to Crane’s decisions (or lack thereof). Is he willing to step up and fix them, or is he willing to eat his words?

“I made a statement the other day that as long as I’m here the window’s open. So I’ve got to live up to that.” Those are the words of Astros owner Jim Crane, as said to PaperCity Magazine’s Chris Baldwin back in February 2024.

Crane takes his belief that the “window is always open” very seriously. He is competitive, he wants to win. He’s also a very intelligent, very shrewd businessman, and he isn’t blind to what is going on with his franchise right now.

After dropping 3 of 4 at home to the Seattle Mariners, the Astros find themselves in a very tenuous position. They are now 11 games under .500 as we approach Memorial Day. Memorial Day is the unofficial quarter marker of the season, and the time when records start to matter. Being 10 games under .500 at Memorial Day is Red Alert.

There has been no end in sight for the litany of injuries this team continues to suffer from. With 14 players currently on the IL, the Astros’ depth has been seriously tested yet again, and with suboptimal results. For a team that entered the season without SPs Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski, and Brandon Walter, it then lost Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and for a time Tatsuya Imai (more on him shortly).

The depth the team built in the offseason with starting pitching has been ripped through. Ryan Weiss, brought over from the KBO after several successful seasons there, has flopped. Jason Alexander, who pitched well for the team last season after they grabbed him off waivers, has also flopped. Colton Gordon, who pitched 86 sometimes good/sometimes not so good innings for Houston last season, has flopped as well.

Nate Pearson, signed in the offseason recovering from surgery with the idea he could get an opportunity to start, has already been converted to a reliever in the minors while rehabbing. Kai-Wei Teng, who succeeded as a reliever for Houston thus far, is being tried as a starter and the results have not been as strong. Cody Bolton has spot started and worked as a multi-inning reliever with middling results (4.76 ERA), and those middling results are among the most positive the team has received from is depth so far.

Crane did not want to risk exceeding the tax line in the offseason, so GM Dana Brown was forced to work in the margins. So far, those decisions have mostly failed.

The biggest moves the team made in the offseason were the trade for SP Mike Burrows and the signing of free agent Tatsuya Imai.

Burrows is a young pitcher who only had one season of MLB experience and showed some promise. He was tremendous all spring. As soon as the regular season began, he suddenly became homer prone with an inability to finish off batters. Burrows currently has allowed the most hits in the league (60 in 50.1 IP) and his HR/9 rate has increased from 1.2 last season to 1.8 this season. He has allowed 10 HR in 50.1 IP this season after allowing 13 in 96 IP last season. His walk rate from last season is about the same, but his K/9 rate is down almost a full strikeout from last year (9.1 in 2025 to 8.2 this season).

Tatsuya Imai was the top pitcher coming from Japan this season and one of the top pitchers on the free agent market. A surprisingly soft market for Japanese players allowed the Astros to swoop in and get him at a significant discount. Imai has tremendous stuff, and was a highly accomplished pitcher in Japan.

Imai dominated all spring, but like Burrows, once the regular season started, something went haywire.

Imai looked strong in the first 2 innings of his first start of the season, then experienced Steve Blass syndrome (can’t find the strike zone) in the 3rd inning against the Angels, walking a pair of guys while giving up 3 hits and had to be lifted. He was strong in his second start, and threw 5.2 scoreless with 9K. In his third start, he recorded only one out and walked 4 of the 7 batters he faced. He went on the IL with ‘arm fatigue’ afterwards.

Imai struggled to find the strike zone while rehabbing in the minors, but was called up anyway despite clearly not being ready because the Astros are desperate for starters. Imai was put in a bad spot, and predictably failed as he allowed 6 ER in 4 innings, with 5 hits, 3 walks and 2 home runs allowed. Despite having an arsenal with 5 pitches, he chose to only throw 2 of them, his fastball and his slider. The slider is what often did him in.

Perhaps the Astros could have made other decisions with their pitching, but the budget didn’t allow it. Despite Framber Valdez’ need for a personal therapist at times, he is still a top pitcher and workhorse who has pitched among the most innings in baseball the last 4 seasons. Considering the contract he eventually settled for, it seemed like a player the Astros could have re-signed if they wanted to. Maybe he had worn out his welcome in Houston, but for a team that for the past 2 seasons has been decimated by pitching injuries, he was going to be a difficult person to replace. Clearly, they have been unable to fill that void as well.

In the bullpen, Josh Hader had a setback after being shut down in August last season, and still has not returned. Of course, the team acted as if his return to start the season was a guarantee all offseason, and then his timeline suddenly started getting pushed back further and further. Hader is now expected to return approximately May 24. When it comes to a closer you have a $95M investment in, it is wise to be careful with his rehab. It also would have been wise to make better contingency plans.

Bryan Abreu, expected to fill his role as closer while Hader rehabbed, had a sudden loss of velocity and command, and started the year terribly. He was eventually removed from the closer role and put in lesser leverage situations to regain his form and confidence. While his velocity is still not where it should be from a total velocity or consistency standpoint, he has been improved in his performances of late. That said, he still doesn’t look like the Abreu who has been among the most dominant relievers in baseball the last 4 seasons.

Bennett Sousa, who assumed the mantle of the 8th inning setup man last season when Hader went down before he also went down with elbow inflammation, missed the start of the season rehabbing from an oblique strain and is now back on the IL after 5 appearances with elbow inflammation.

Steven Okert and Bryan King, both coming off career seasons, have not been as effective as last season. Their bullpen has been the worst in MLB this season.

Crane is well aware that the Golden Era of Astros baseball was rooted in pitching and run prevention. The Astros have the worst pitching in all of baseball right now, they lack the ability to fix it from within, and they have not shown that they can stay afloat until they get some of their horses like Brown and Javier back from injury.

The time for this team to act is now, before the hole they dig is too big to escape. Even in a weak division, they are burning runway in a hurry. At least one Wild Card team is likely to have a better record than the AL West division winner, possibly more. While the standings say the Astros aren’t so far back they can’t make it up, being the team that surrenders the most walks and most runs is certainly says the road will be too difficult to hoe.

Jim Crane now finds himself at a crossroads. He has chosen to have lame ducks at both manager and GM. While there is no indication that Joe Espada has lost the clubhouse or that players are tuning him out, there is also no way of knowing if Dana Brown truly has the authority to make the moves necessary to try to get this team turned around.

With an important amateur draft coming up for Houston in which they have 8 picks in the first 6 rounds, including picks 17 and 28 overall, the Astros have a chance to add some quality talent to their rebuilding farm system. Right now, 5 of Houston’s top 8 prospects are in A ball or lower. Their only two Top 100 prospects are both at Fayetteville, and both very young (Kevin Alvarez is 18, Xavier Neyens is 19).

A ‘rebuild from within’ for this team is essentially 3 seasons away at a minimum, and since Crane has stated he isn’t about a rebuild, it certainly seems something is going to be done. The question is what and in what direction?

Would Crane bite the bullet on this season, trade off veterans with 1-2 years left on expensive deals (Walker, Hader) and players the team is unlikely to be willing to re-sign to expensive, long-term deals (Pena) to shed payroll, get prospects, and re-tool in the offseason with a different group and make another run immediately?

Would the window that is always open simply be repaired? Would it be under construction for multiple seasons?

That one year vs multiple years situation is the key to the Astros doing the absolutely unthinkable, and that is trading Yordan Alvarez.

Trading the super-elite star player rarely works in baseball, because the prospects you get back – even if they pan out – very rarely pan out to be the same quality of player who is a total game changer. Boston tried this with both Mookie Betts and Rafael Devers and they are in last place in the AL East with a team that cannot hit. The Nationals did this with Juan Soto and despite 3 of the prospects they received panning out, are still under .500 and traded one of those players away already (Mackenzie Gore).

The Astros made a smart play in trading Kyle Tucker, who they knew they couldn’t re-sign. They got back a solid player in Isaac Paredes who has become a fan favorite. Hayden Wesneski has spent most of his time on IL. Cam Smith was the big prospect who they got in return, but they have pushed him too fast because they didn’t have another option for RF and his development has stalled.

In a smarter timeline, Cam Smith would have played last season at Triple A and then been promoted at some point this season. We aren’t in that timeline.

Crane is a very proud man. He does not take losing well, and he doesn’t take it lightly. However it isn’t a stretch to say that his decisions of payroll restriction on a team that has printed money for a decade and leaving his GM out to dry again (see Click, James) have led to what is mostly an untenable situation with his baseball team.

He can empower Dana Brown to make the moves that need to be made to improve the team (which could mean parting with a player like Walker, Paredes or Pena), though it’s usually hard to trade this early. He could give Brown the green light to cut some dead weight and bring up a player like Alimber Santa who is pitching very well in the pen for Sugar Land but isn’t on the 40-man roster yet.

He could give Dana Brown the direction to demote players who are badly underperforming, like Cam Smith, and give other players (Zach Cole, Zach Dezenzo, Shay Whitcomb; Joey Loperfido when he returns from IL) a regular opportunity while letting Cam rediscover his swing in the minors. This seems to me like a simple, logical decision, but may be one Crane has to force.

Crane is not afraid to assert himself, nor is he afraid to insert himself into the day-to-day operations of the team (see Verlander, Justin; Greinke, Zack; Abreu, Jose; Montero, Rafael) for better or worse. Crane is not afraid of “the bucks stops here”, and it is something that made him the best sports franchise owner in the history of this city.

Yet here the Astros are, 45 games into a 162 game season but already 11 games under .500 and with a pitching staff both decimated by injuries and in disaster mode, needing answers and direction. There seems to be only one person who can give it to them.

He is also the person who writes the checks.

If Crane wants to stand on his word of “the window is always open”, he is going to be the one who needs to roll his sleeves up and make it work. He has done it before.

It’s decision time. Which way will Crane go? We probably find out very soon.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Round one of the Subway Series gets going this evening, with the New York Yankees facing the New York Mets at Citi Field.

We've backed the best pitcher in baseball on the mound without much of a second thought this season, and tonight's series opener will be no different.

Read all about it in my Yankees vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks for Friday, May 15.

Who will win Yankees vs Mets tonight: Yankees moneyline (-150)

It's Cam Schlittler day for the New York Yankees, and I'm backing them confidently up to -170.

The New York Metschase rate is nearly 32%, well above the league average. That should play directly into Schlittler's strengths as he enters this game with one of the highest chase-inducing rates in the league.

On the other side is Clay Holmes, facing the Yankees since the first time after leaving them this past offseason.

While it's not exactly quantifiable, the Yankees' familiarity with him matters. From a more tangible perspective, his groundball-dependent profile should struggle against a lineup that leads the MLB in barrel rate at 11.7%.

COVERS INTEL: Despite the names in the lineup, the New York Mets rank just 19th in hard-hit rate.

Yankees vs Mets Over/Under pick: Under 7 (+100)

I am fairly close to market here, but lean towards under 7 with a projection of 6.8 runs. 

A short-handed Mets lineup is going to really struggle to generate offense against Schlittler for most of the same reasons listed above. Schlittler doesn't give free passes, so you have to get contact against him.

I'm simply unsure how the Mets get much. While I think the top-heavy portion of the Yankees gets after Holmes (especially the second time around), his heavy groundball-inducing profile will have plenty of success against the bottom of the lineup. 

Yankees vs Mets odds

• Moneyline: Yankees -150 | Mets +135
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+118) | Mets +1.5 (-145)
• Over/Under: Over 7 (-110) | Under 7 (-110)

Yankees vs Mets trend

The New York Yankees have covered the Run Line in 16 of their last 25 games (+9.80 Units / 37% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Mets.

How to watch Yankees vs Mets and game info

Yankees vs Mets latest injuries

Yankees vs Mets weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Nolan Gorman has been a long term project in the Cardinals franchise with some obvious upside. The obvious upside, of course, is the fact that when he makes good contact you could build a statue of his pose and the homerun. If you put a Gorman bomb up against a sunset, you might actually watch the Gorman bomb. Fans that have watched for any amount of time know that those statue-esque shots have not been coming often enough in the last few years.

The calendar has ticked by into mid-May and Gorman is running an 89 wRC+. He’s been more valuable than one might think because of a pleasant development on defense. There are games, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, that he looks like he may be hanging out with the ghost of Nolan Arenado at third base to guide him. He’s currently in the 84th percentile in defensive value for all big leaguers. And, while defensive stats can notoriously flutter during a season, the eye test tells you he’s clearly on a different plane this season.

The purpose of this article is not to suggest that Nolan Gorman is a disaster. He’s not. He’s accumulated 0.4 fWAR thus far. While that’s not what anyone hoped for his value coming into the season, he’d end up at a passable 1.6 fWAR for the season at this pace. That’s playable, if disappointing. The bigger question comes if he remains Nolan Gorman, defensive specialist at the end of the year. The offensive rebuild clearly has four building blocks of varying degrees in Walker, Herrera, Wetherholt, and Burleson. Winn has been fairly good as well and his defense at short is going to keep him around for a while at a minimum.

Can you run a below average offensive third baseman long term if your goal is to compete for titles? The answer obviously comes with a multiplicity of variables around Gorman, but it’s not a strong case. So, what’s Gorman been doing this year to be stuck at his 89 wRC+? It’s a tale as old as time (well, as old as Gorman’s career anyway).

In short, Gorman is whiffing too much, but not providing enough power to offset his swing and miss game. He’s striking out 28.8% of the time, which is actually down a hair so far from his career high of 33.8% of the time last season. Can you be successful striking out at this rate? Well, let me introduce you to a gentleman named Jordan Walker who is striking out 28.4% of the time this season. So, the obvious answer is yes you can be successful, but you have to capitalize on your power at a healthy rate.

This is the perplexing part of Gorman’s game. The foundation for power is there. Statcast has him in the 94th percentile for Launch Angle Sweet Spot. Essentially, he’s launching the ball at an angle that should be doing damage. This stat tends not to be very predictive, but Statcast has tracked him at the very top of baseball in this metric his entire career. In other words, his swing shape produces the right angle of contact for big damage.

So if the K% isn’t great but also doesn’t prohibit him from being valuable offensively and his swing shape is producing the right kind of contact, where’s the hangup? He’s pulling the ball more than ever, hitting line drives and flyballs at career norms, so many of the normal sources aren’t much different than his career averages. What is different is how he’s currently handling changeups. The league has an obvious attack pattern and is exploiting it to the max.

Nolan Gorman is facing changeups over 20% of the time. That’s double his career averages, and has a ghastly -5.2 run value on them according to Fangraphs. For all his Launch Angle Sweet Spot brilliance, Gorman is only squaring up pitches in the 15th percentile and producing slightly below league average exit velos. The Cardinals have vastly limited his at bats against lefties this year, but righties are getting ahead of him and finishing him off with changeups that he’s just not handling well. 

The Faustian bargain with players like Gorman is that their whiffs will be offset by prodigious damage on pitches they do handle (see Jordan Walker again). At this moment, Gorman is not holding up his end of that bargain and pitchers have found a weakness that they are currently maxing out in their pursuit of securing outs from Nolan Gorman.

Because whiffs will always be his chokepoint on offense, Gorman is already operating with a ceiling on his capability. This is not new. To put a fine point on the end of this article though, how much longer will the Cardinals stick with him at these production rates? He’s accrued over 2000 PA at the MLB level and is 1% below league average at a 99 wRC+. This is, once again, not a crisis point, and there’s no one at his position that is beating down the door to St. Louis (can Blaze Jordan be credible over there??). So, they’re unlikely to make a move in the immediate future.

But, Gorman has done nothing to disabuse the notion that he’s not a core piece going forward. He has time to adjust this season, but I think it’s fair to ask at this point if he’s capable of adjusting to the level that the Cardinals need him to adjust. Hitting is extremely difficult, but if Nolan Gorman is going to stick around, he needs to start handling changeups better.

So, let’s hear it. What do the Cardinals do if Gorman continues producing offensively at this rate for the rest of the year? Thanks for reading! 

I always like to start previews with my favorite prospect. That’s often someone the Phillies have no chance at, but not this year. A reclassicification of draft eligibility made this year’s mystery box my favorite, most intriguing option. Grindlinger is a left handed Outfielder and Pitcher and is a potential 1st/2nd rounder in both roles. He also has a perfect name for Philly, who would certainly love someone to grind it out in either role for a decade or more. The catch is Grindlinger will be one of the youngest players to be drafted in league history as he’s currently 17 years old as of April 16th. He’s already 6’3” and 185lbs and at barely 17 there’s a chance a little more growth may be coming. He’s committed to University of Tennessee for College. He reclassified to the 2026 draft in mid-February, so I don’t get the sense he plans on sticking to that commitment barring a drop in draft stock

The draft stock is tough to gauge, as Baseball America mocked him to the Phillies in their first mock draft and didn’t have him at all in their second and in their third mock, they have him going 20th. He was the #3 prep prospect in the 2027 class, so it’s reasonable he’d still be a first rounder here. Teams also seem to be flip-flopping a bit on what role he’s better in. At first it was solidly pitching, but consensus seems to have moved to hitting. I’ll write up both here.

I’ll start with Pitching, since that seems to have taken a bit of a backseat in his profile, I’ll give more of a Cliff Notes version. This is still a very viable path for him in the pros though. As a Pitcher, he already has an Above-Average Fastball that sits mid-90’s and he can get up to 96 to go along with a low 80’s Slider and Changeup. Both could end up Above-Average or better. Grindlinger throws from a 3/4 slot and the 4-seamer shows good carry and arm side tail. He has a good track record of throwing all 3 for strikes, though like all Prep Pitchers all 3 pitches need some work on consistency and command. The ceiling is probably #2 Starter.

As a hitter the hype train has really gotten rolling for Grindlinger. To be honest, I get it for the potential, but there are also some warning signs that I think will limit how high he can go in the draft. Everything is projection at this point. While that’s true for all prep players, it’s especially so here. He’s well beyond his years at the plate showing patience and elite contact rates in and out of the zone. He simply doesn’t swing at things he can’t put in play. This sounds great, but he’s also facing fellow prep arms with a mixed bag of secondaries. Part of the concern stems from his bat speed being below average, the other part comes from him having a flat bat path and a likely trade off trading contact for power in pro ball. He already manages average power, but he’s likely destined for Right Field as a pro where his 55 grade speed and plus arm can best play up, and teams want to get above-average or better power out of that position ideally. There’s a little Bryson Stott to that hitting profile, though here you’d also be projecting additional muscle adding to his bat speed some and to his power overall.

Every draft pick is a risk and projection, but what I like about Grindlinger is you can see 2 development paths to value as a top of the rotation lefty Starter and as probably more of a 5-6 hole hitter with solid defensive potential. Plenty of guys have failed at both those roles, but having that backup plan, especially if he lasts all the way into the comp picks is plenty valuable.

Since the arrival of interleague play in 1997, there have been nearly a regular season’s worth of regular season games played between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. These 152 games have included some of the many feats and oddities you’d expect from a season’s worth of play, from three-homer games to wacky walk-offs to proper routs. They’ve also seen certain players distinguish themselves from the pack, whether for specific in-game accomplishments or cumulative totals.

As another edition of the Subway Series is set to begin—this time featuring a whole new cast of Mets ready to make their mark on the crosstown rivalry—it seems a fitting moment to check in on the state of the series’ record book, from all-time leaders to single-game leaders to Statcast superlatives. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather a sampling of some of the standout highlights. So let’s hop on board, stand clear of the closing doors, and take a brief ride through 29 seasons of Subway Series baseball…

Most Hits, GAME
Brett Gardner (5) – June 26, 2009

Rookie Brett Gardner gave Citi Field a rude introduction to the Subway Series. The 25-year-old hit leadoff, going 5-for-6 with three singles, a double, and a late homer off Elmer Dessens in the veteran right-hander’s second game as a Met. Pesky as ever, all three of Gardner’s singles came on softly-hit flairs which found grass just beyond the infield, while his homer barely cleared the fence in the right-field corner. The Mets’ only offense in the 9-1 loss came courtesy of Gary Sheffield’s 508th (and penultimate) career home run.

Most Home Runs, GAME
Francisco Lindor (3) – September 12, 2021

The only three-homer game in Subway Series history belongs to Francisco Lindor, who accomplished the feat in the midst of a relatively underwhelming first season in Flushing. Lindor carried a .222 average and .696 OPS into the night, but all that seemed to disappear as he hit a trio of clutch homers (two of them putting the Mets in the lead) during an emotional subway series on the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Lindor got his first curtain call, his first of many iconic Mets moments, and his only career three-homer game to date.

Most RBI, GAME
Carlos Delgado (9) – June 27, 2008

Forget Subway Series records — Carlos Delgado’s nine-RBI effort in the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium tied a Mets franchise record. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, he tallied all his RBI in just four innings. In the top of the fifth, he laced a two-run single. In the sixth, he crushed a grand slam to the back of the bleachers in right-center field. In the eighth, he punctuated the performance with a three-run homer off future Met LaTroy Hawkins.

Most Strikeouts, GAME
Jacob deGrom (12) – August 13, 2018 / Dillon Gee (12) – May 30, 2013

Both of these 12-strikeout performances came on the road at Yankee Stadium, and contrary to what you might guess, Gee’s outing was actually far more dominant than deGrom’s. The 2018 Cy Young Award winner allowed three runs (two of them earned) on five hits and two walks in 6.2 innings of work, while Gee went 7.1 innings and allowed just one run on a solo shot from Robinson Canó.

Gee has another entry on the Subway Series leaderboard, as his start on July 2, 2011 is tied with Tylor Megill’s on September 10, 2021 for most whiffs (18) by a Met, but Masahiro Tanaka has them both beat with 22 on May 14, 2014. The day after that Tanaka masterpiece, the Yankees were set to face Gee’s spot in the Mets’ rotation, but the right-hander went down with a lat strain. The Yankees instead faced a 26-year-old making his MLB debut named…Jacob deGrom. In classic deGrom fashion, he ended up on the short end of a 1-0 pitchers’ duel. It was the first 1-0 finale in Subway Series history, and the only one to date.

Most Hits, CAREER
1. Derek Jeter (131)
2. Alex Rodriguez (65)
3. David Wright (62)
4. Robinson Canó (61)
5. Brett Gardner/José Reyes (53)

Jeter laps the field here. Literally. His 131 Subway Series hits are more than double any other player’s total, accumulated over 88 games played (which also rank first). A-Rod, Wright, and Canó are neck-and-neck in the battle for second place, with 7 of Canó’s 61 hits coming in a Mets uniform. But just as predictable as Jeter’s ranking atop this leaderboard was Wright’s ranking atop the Mets’ side. The 12th of his 62 hits, a soaring single to straightaway center off Mariano Rivera, represented one of the most memorable walk-offs in franchise history,

Most Home Runs, CAREER
1. Aaron Judge (14)
2. Derek Jeter/Alex Rodriguez (13)
3. Jorge Posada (12)
4. Pete Alonso/Robinson Canó/Curtis Granderson/Mark Teixeira (11)

Judge’s solo homer off Justin Hagenman on July 3 last season moved him into a tie with Jeter and A-Rod, and his two-run homer off Brandon Waddell two days later made him the Subway Series’ new home run king. Alonso was climbing up the leaderboard at a breakneck pace, clubbing 11 homers in 32 games against the Bombers. This likely would have been a two-man race for years to come if Alonso had returned to the Mets, but instead he has taken his Yankee-killing talents to Baltimore, picking up right where he left off with a pair of homers in his first series back in the Bronx earlier this month. That leaves Judge to continue adding to his total relatively unthreatened. Canó and Granderson, meanwhile, sneak into the leaderboard with help from stints on both side of the rivalry.

Most Stolen Bases, CAREER
1. Derek Jeter (19)
2. José Reyes (14)
3. Roger Cedeño/Alfonso Soriano (9)
5. David Wright (8)

This is a Roger Cedeño stat. Jeter, Reyes, and Wright all had over 200 Subway Series plate appearances to climb their way onto this leaderboard. Soriano had 99. Cedeño had 71. In 17 Subway Series games, Cedeño slashed .323/.371/.492. Five of his nine stolen bases came during 1999 (a season in which he swiped 66 bags for the Mets) and one of those five was a steal of home. The other four came in his second stint in New York from ’02-’03. Still, the accumulators win out, with Jeter and Reyes unsurprisingly leading the pack.

Most Saves, CAREER
1. Mariano Rivera (20)
2. Armando Benítez/Edwin Díaz/Billy Wagner (5)
5. Aroldis Chapman/Francisco Rodríguez (4)

Behind Rivera, who accounts for over 25% of saves recorded for either side in Subway Series history, a trio of Mets closers are tied for second place despite varying degrees of effectiveness. Wagner pitched to a 4.66 ERA in 9.2 IP, Benítez maintained a respectable 3.00 ERA in 15 IP, and Díaz was absolutely dominant, posting an 0.96 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 9.1 IP. A pair of fireballers in Chapman and Rodríguez are tied at fifth. The players with the most likely chance to enter the leaderboard this season are ex-Yankees Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, each of whom picked up a Subway Series save against the Mets last season.

Longest-projected Home Run (Statcast era/since 2015)
1. Aaron Judge (457 ft) – August 16, 2017
2. Aaron Judge (453 ft) – August 23, 2022 / Gary Sánchez (453 ft) – August 30, 2020
4. Giancarlo Stanton (443 ft) – September 12, 2021 / Juan Soto (443 ft) – July 24, 2024
6. Francisco Lindor (436 ft) – September 12, 2021

Judge’s mammoth 457-foot blast off Robert Gsellman on August 16, 2017 landed in the third deck in left field, and landed him a share of the tenth spot on the list of longest homers hit at Citi Field (his teammate Stanton has the No. 2 entry on that list). Lindor’s second homer in his three-homer game sits at sixth as the highest Mets entry on this leaderboard, one of two dingers included from that game along with Stanton’s game-tying shot a half inning later. Judge and Sánchez split second place, each with a homer well up the left-center-field bleachers at Yankee Stadium (though for Sánchez’s homer, a go-ahead grand slam off Drew Smith in August 2020, the bleachers were eerily empty). Soto, meanwhile, ranks with a moonshot to Monument Park off future teammate Sean Manaea.

Fastest Pitch (Pitch-tracking era/since 2008)
1. Aroldis Chapman (102.7 mph) – August 15, 2017
2. Aroldis Chapman (101.9 mph) – June 9, 2018
3. Aroldis Chapman (101.6 mph) – June 9, 2018
4. Aroldis Chapman (101.5 mph) – June 9, 2018
5. Aroldis Chapman (101.3 mph) – June 9, 2018
6. Bobby Parnell (101.1 mph) – July 1, 2011

The five fastest pitches all belong to Chapman, with four of those coming in one inning to a trio of 2018 Mets including José Reyes, José Bautista, and Devin Mesoraco. But the single fastest pitch he threw in a Subway Series game resulted in a game-ending grounder off the bat of Juan Lagares ten months earlier. The sixth-fastest (and top ranked by a Met) belongs to Bobby Parnell, who recorded what’s listed as a 101.1 mph fastball to strike out Nick Swisher and end the top of the eighth inning in a Mets loss.

Biggest Wins
1.Yankees 15, Mets 0 – June 14, 2009
2. Mets 12, Yankees 2 – June 26, 2024 / Mets 12, Yankees 2 – June 9, 2000

June 14, 2009 was not Johan Santana’s day. The left-hander entered the start with a 2.39 ERA and exited with a 3.29 ERA after allowing nine runs in three innings of work. The Yankees didn’t stop there, racking up four more runs off Brian Stokes and getting another pair off Jon Switzer, marking the third-to-last outing of the latter’s career. Jeter went 4-for-4, while Hideki Matsui and Robinson Canó both went deep. Somehow, it was not the Mets’ most deflating loss of the series, as two days earlier an infamous pop-up popped in and out of the glove of Luis Castillo. But the Mets have more Subway Series wins by a 10+ margin, with 12-2 victories in 2000 and 2024. Each featured a trio of homers — the first from Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Derek Bell, and the second from Francisco Alvarez, Tyrone Taylor, and Harrison Bader. The first game also came in an Al Leiter/Roger Clemens pitchers’ duel which turned out one-sided.

Longest/Shortest Games
Longest: Yankees 4, Mets 2 (f/10) (4 hours, 36 minutes) – June 14, 2002
Shortest: Yankees 4, Mets 2 (f/7) (2 hours, 14 minutes) – July 4, 2021

There’s a cruel irony in the fact that the longest and shortest games in Subway Series history — two polar opposite games in some respects — ended up with the exact same result. The ’02 marathon’s length was no doubt aided by Mets starter Steve Trachsel, often referred to as “The Human Rain Delay” for his slow pitching pace. The Mets led 2-0 at Shea Stadium by virtue of a walk and passed ball in the third inning, but the Yankees clawed back with an RBI single from Bernie Williams in the eighth and another by Derek Jeter in the ninth to tie it. A homer from then-Yankee Robin Ventura in the top of the tenth was the deciding factor. The ’21 sprint was aided by the short-lived seven-inning-doubleheader rule, allowing the low-offense contest (the two teams combined for seven total hits in seven innings) to conclude abruptly when the seventh-inning stretch would normally occur.

Walk-Off Wins
Mets: 10 (Luis López, Matt Franco, Shane Spencer, David Wright, Jason Bay, Lucas Duda, Amed Rosario*, Pete Alonso*, Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo)
Yankees: 5 (Tino Martinez, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Russell Martin*, Gio Urshela)
* = walk-off home run

If there’s one area of the Subway Series where the Mets have properly outdone the Yankees, it’s walk-offs. The Mets have twice as many walk-off victories as the Bronx Bombers, with the total reaching double digits as of Brandon Nimmo’s double off Nick Ramirez in June 2023.

But I close the journey through Subway Series records with this stat not only for its uplifting Mets slant, but also because there is one related feat still up for grabs: no player has racked up multiple Subway Series walk-offs.

This season, there’s a prime candidate in Amed Rosario, who oddly enough already has a walk-off at Yankee Stadium against the Yankees during a chaotic covid scheduling snafu. Has anyone ever had a walk-off hit for and against the same team in the same stadium? Some cities’ teams shared ballparks back in the early 20th century, but those teams were divided by league in a time before interleague play. It would come at the cost of a Mets win, but if Rosario pulled it off, he could earn himself a distinction in baseball history as well as Subway Series history.

Marcell Ozuna is a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a fact that surprised me. The past two years, the Pirates largely used Andrew McCutchen as their designated hitter/spot outfielder, but they apparently grew tired of Cutch’s farewell tour and decided to bring in Ozuna instead. It was clear that would be a downgrade in character, but it has also been a downgrade in performance as well. (Not that McCutchen is tearing it up in Texas.)

After two straight seasons with an OPS over .900, Ozuna’s numbers decreased with the Braves in 2025. Entering his age 35 season, the Braves gambled that Ozuna would continue to decline, and based on early returns, they may have been correct. (I really don’t like it when the Braves make correct decisions.)

With the Pirates off to a good start to the season, there’s already calls to cut bait with Ozuna, and call up prospect Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia.

There’s every chance that Garcia is going to be terribly overhyped because of his name. (This relates to my theory that we’d feel differently about Orion Kerkering if he didn’t have an exotic name) But promising seasons like this one are few and far in between for the Pirates. Considering every day brings Paul Skenes one day closer to becoming an ex-Pirate, the team may not feel they can waste a chance at the playoffs hoping that Ozuna can turn things around.

Trivia

Last week’s answer: On August 23, 1993, the Rockies earned their second ever win in Philadelphia thanks in part to a home run by Charlie Hayes. WC Phil was correct.

This week’s question: Who is the Phillies’ franchise leader in home runs hit at PNC Park?

A matchup of aces – Disadvantage: Phillies?

On Sunday, we’re scheduled to get a great pitching matchup as Zack Wheeler is due to go against Paul Skenes. However, Wheeler wasn’t at his best when going head-to-head against other top pitchers last season.

• April 8 vs. Chris Sale: 5.1 IP/ 5 ER
• May 29 vs. Sale: 5.1 IP/6 ER
• July 12 vs. Yu Darvish: 6 IP/4 ER
• August 2 vs. Tarik Skubal: 6 IP/3ER

That was probably a fluke more than anything, since Wheeler has pitched in plenty of important games over the years, and come up big more often than not. But it would be nice if he could come close to what Mick Abel did last year when he pitched six shutout innings in opposition to Skenes, allowing the Phillies to eke out a 1-0 win.

Additional thought about the series

Despite the Pirates rarely fielding good teams, the Phillies have had quite a bit of trouble winning games at PNC Park recently. The Phillies have lost their last three series in Pittsburgh, including last year when they were swept in a three-game series in June.

They may not find victory any easier to come by this season, since this appears to be the most talented Pirates squad since their last playoff appearance in 2015. Thanks in part to some new arrivals, the Pirates rank fifth in the majors in runs scored. Prodigy shortstop Konnor Griffin has looked the part in the early going; free agent imports Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn have added much needed power to the lineup. And while he may be a disaster in the field, Oneil Cruz is dangerous in the leadoff spot.

The Pirates’ starters have also been good with veteran Mitch Keller and second year man Braxton Ashcroft forming a strong top of the rotation along with Skenes. But the bullpen is a different story. Closer Dennis Santana appears to have been demoted with former Phillie Gregory Soto getting the bulk of save opportunities now. Soto is off to a good start, but we all know he is good for a meltdown appearance every so often.

The Phillies’ key to victory may be keeping the game close in the early going and then striking in the later innings. (Though I certainly wouldn’t mind it if they scored a bunch of early runs either.)