Category: MLB

MIAMI — They sat in the clubhouse late Tuesday evening still numb, with several stars so distraught that tears streamed down their faces.

Team USA spent only two weeks together, but they bonded quickly in Arizona, hung out for 10 days in Houston, and by the time they reached Miami, it felt like they’ve been teammates their entire careers.

This is why it stung so badly, losing 3-2 to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic title game. Several players were so angry that when they were given their silver medals on the field, they yanked them off their neck before even getting back to the locker room at loanDepot Park.

“It hurts, it really hurts," said USA designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who struck out three times. “I always say you expect to win a baseball game when you walk out of the room, and to not have that to have that happen? It hurts.

“But give credit to Venezuela."

The USA players conceded afterwards that as badly as they wanted to win, they didn’t deserve to.

They produced just three hits against six different Venezuelan pitchers night.

They scored just four runs in the last 21 innings of the tournament.

They didn’t even have a single runner in scoring position for the last 14 innings.

Sure, it’s not like the grief of losing the final game of a World Series or postseason game, saying good-bye to your teammates that you’ve been with for six months and won’t see again until spring training. But it’s pretty damn close. Pitchers like Matthew Boyd of the Chicago Cubs, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Clay Holmes even left their spring-training camps to return to the USA team, wanting to be together one final time.

“Obviously, disappointment," said USA captain Aaron Judge, who thanked his teammates in a clubhouse speech. “You know, hats off to Venezuela for going out there, doing their thing, playing a great, clean ball game, and coming away with the win. But obviously you're disappointed.

“We came here, all of us put on this uniform, signed up to go out there and get a gold medal, and we fell short of that."

Fans have been wondering, with bated breath and bitten nails, whether Jacob Lopez is fully healthy following his season-ending IL stint from the dreaded “forearm tightness”. Turns out fans weren’t the only one expelling bricks though orifices.

I sat down with Lopez on Monday, March 16th, for what turned out to be an abbreviated interview because after 5 minutes I could see him looking out at the field anxiously even though he never said he needed to go. Clearly he did and so I did a shorter interview than usual — but still was able to cover the key topics that had made him one of my requested targets this spring.

Nico: So first of all, you’re coming off a great outing on Saturday. You’ve been through injuries and rehabs before, and then you had a scare at the end of last year, or maybe more than a scare, because you were on the IL. But can you talk a bit first about what happened at the end of last year, what it felt like, how it felt compared to what you had been through before (TJS)?

Lopez: Yeah, it was pretty scary that day in Seattle, because I felt a little bit of tightness in the bullpen, but I didn’t think much of it because you know, later in the year you feel a lot of things. But I think once I started doing arm care after my outing, I really flared up and I was like, “Oh no, this feels worse than when I did have TJ” and it was, it was in that scary spot, you know? So I was just thinking all the worst things, but luckily it ended up just being like some kind of soft tissue thing where my ulnar nerve used to be before they moved it back in 2021. So it ended up being something that could heal on its own. So that’s what it did this off season and I feel pretty good.

Nico: I feel like pitchers have this constant difficult decision to make where they do feel something — they feel soreness, they feel tightness, they feel something that’s kind of like pain or that reminds them of an injury that was serious. And then they have to decide, do I go out and throw anyway? Do I say something? What do I do? So can you kind of walk us through that experience as a pitcher trying to figure out like what to make of something?

Lopez: Yeah, I think once I went through the TJ process, I really learned what’s actual pain and what is something that you can kind of toughen out and push through. So for me personally, there’s probably only three or four starts last year where I felt 100%, probably June through July, my whole, I don’t know, I had some upper back problems that wouldn’t go away. And I think adrenaline helps take over, but in between starts, it’s like, “All right, what can we do every day in the training room and the strength room to really figure it out and get back out there in five days?” So I think that’s the most important thing for the starting pitcher.

Nico: Now, that outing in Seattle, fans are watching, and you’ve had such a great year. And obviously, you’re having a rough outing. What are you feeling out on the mound? Do you think you should have gone out there?

Lopez: Yeah, there is no doubt. If you tell the coaches you’re good, you’ve got to be fully confident. And it’s one of those things like, I can’t just stop in the middle of the first inning or something and leave the rest of my team out to dry. So no, when I’m out there I don’t think anything. I just believe in the full confidence and compete as best as I can.

Nico: There was a moment in Saturday’s start where you threw a pitch, you thought it was a strike. It was called a ball and you challenged and I saw you walk off to the back of the mound and the way that you got into it and you kind of let out a grunt I thought “Oh no he’s hurt,” you know, but it was all over a ball-strike call and it was a called third strike so it sounds to me like even in a spring training game the competitive juices are really flowing.

Lopez: Oh, no, I mean, yeah I’m just a really competitive guy. I mean, when I was younger, I was way more emotional, so hopefully it doesn’t show too much. That Shea challenge nailed it for the strikeout, so that was huge. I think it’s kind of fun. I loved it in AAA, the ABS, so it just helps keep the game smooth. But yeah, I’m an emotional guy, so I try to be as professional as I can out there. You know, my first live ABs this spring training, over at Fitch on the backfield felt the same as my MLB debut. So I guess that’s a good thing. I get a bunch of butterflies, so I just kind of learned how to control those.

Nico: So I guess the question that’s probably on every fan’s mind right now is how you’re feeling physically and where you are in terms of injury and health at this very moment going forward.

Lopez: Yeah, I just feel 100 % and I felt like that really the whole off season. So yeah, I feel really confident to help this team. We have some pretty high goals and we’re gonna do our best as a team to fulfill those goals.

Nico: Now, you have an unusual motion. You know, you have a very deceptive delivery. {Here Jacob starts looking antsy and keeps monitoring the field} Can you just talk about that and then I’ll let you go. How did you develop that?

Lopez: I just, that’s how I’ve always thrown. It was worse in college and stuff, then my pitching coach in college is really the first person to really help control that. But no, I haven’t really worked ever, even in pro ball with pitching coaches, too much with my mechanics. Which has been a good thing to be as natural as I can.

And with that Lopez, who was apparently due on the field with a pre-game group, exhaled and sprinted out to the infield even quicker than his best fastball.

Next up: Pitching coach Scott Emerson discusses the “kick change,” Jack Perkins’ role, and how he feels about Trainman (well, maybe only 2 of those 3)…

It was a tough night offensively for Team USA in Tuesday night's World Baseball Classic Championship game.

Going up against Venezuela, the high-powered USA lineup just did not show up in their 3-2 loss, and that includes Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Judge, who was captain of this iteration of Team USA, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. However, it was not just Judge's results that were disappointing for Team USA, but the timing.

In the first, Judge struck out looking on a questionable third-strike call to end the inning. He struck out swinging in his second at-bat with the bases empty and Team USA down 1-0. 

Judge's third at-bat saw the two-time AL MVP come up as the tying run. Team USA was down 2-0 and they had a runner on first base with two outs. Judge grounded out to third base to end the inning. 

"Surprised because of the names on the back," Team USA manager Mark DeRosa answered when asked if he was surprised by his team's lack of offense. "Not surprised because where they’re at at spring training... That’s my answer. I don’t really have a rhyme or reason as to why. You’re either hot or not in a seven-game blast like this."

“They made their pitches, worked the corners on both sides. When we did get a pitch we either popped it up or hit it on the ground. Stuff like that can’t happen," Judge said. "When you get a pitch to hit, you have to be able to drive. Even if you get one pitch in a game, you got to do something with it. They executed their pitches and their gameplan. And we just couldn’t get rolling offensively."

Aaron Judge on facing Venezuela:

"When we did get a pitch we either popped it up or hit it on the ground. Stuff like that can't happen. When you get a pitch to hit, you gotta be able to drive it" pic.twitter.com/7CDVFKoEzJ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 18, 2026

Judge wasn't the only superstar who had a bad offensive night. Venezuela starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed just two baserunners (one hit and one walk) in his 4.1 innings pitched, and Team USA never had a runner get into scoring position once. Even when Bryce Harper tied the game in the eighth with a two-run bomb, it was with a runner on first base.

After the homer, Judge came up for his fourth at-bat as the potential go-ahead run. Judge was called out on strikes to end the eighth, in what would be his final AB.

"Pitching wins championships," Harper said of the lack of offense. "Roddy threw the ball great tonight, kept everyone off balance. I was happy when they took him out of the game…sometimes that’s going to happen, that’s part of the game, that’s part of baseball. Pitching wins, they had timely hitting tonight and they made things happen."

In total, Team USA had three hits and Harper had two of them. The other came from Brice Turang in the third inning.

Three of Team USA's top four batters (Bobby Witt Jr., Judge and Kyle Schwarber) combined to go 0-for-10 with two walks and six strikeouts. DeRosa credited Venezuela's pitching for keeping Team USA's bats at bay, but the manager said his team's lack of baserunners just allowed Venezuela to keep the momentum for most of the game.

"We didn’t put any pressure on them offensively," DeRosa said of the game. "There was a passed ball there early, they got a sac fly, grabbed the lead and keep the fans involved. It wasn’t a mistake on our end. We just never put any pressure on them."

The Mariners played their first split-squad game of the spring this season now that they finally have enough players back from the WBC and split the games, losing at home against the Padres and winning on the road against the Rockies.

Home game: San Diego 9, Mariners 6

It wasn’t as bad as the 27-6 blowout from the other week but San Diego’s offense once again ran roughshod over the Mariners pitching. The Rad Dads dinged Luis Castillo for two solo homers and a boatload of hard contact – although he only surrendered runs on the two solo shots. The rest of the pitchers didn’t fare well, either: Andrés Muñoz gave up a solo homer to new Padre Nick Castellanos [scans headlines urgently] plus another run; Gunner Mayer, a pitcher I hadn’t heard of before today, gave up two homers and three runs in just a third of an inning; and José Ferrer, despite striking out the side, also gave up a two-run homer to the Padres’ second-string catcher. The best pitching performance of the day was turned in by Casey Legumina, who pitched two perfect innings behind Castillo.

The Mariners offense made a steady effort, holding a slender 4-2 lead through the sixth thanks to Legumina’s effort, with the runs coming on this Luke Raley opposite field shot:

And this Colt Emerson homer, his second of the spring:

Emerson was also involved in the Mariners’ go-ahead score in the fifth; he made a gutsy challenge on a called strike three and instead got it called a ball for a walk. Luis Suisbel then doubled, and Brendan Donovan sacrificed him home to give the Mariners the go-ahead run.

Another young player helped the Mariners pad their lead in the sixth, with Cole Young continuing his strong spring with an RBI single scoring Luke Raley, who had singled and moved to second on a wild pitch.

San Diego opened up the scoring after that, beating up on the Mariners bullpen, but the young kids did claw back another pair of runs late, with Felnin Celesten coming through with a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh and Austin St. Laurent adding one last run in the ninth on an RBI single scoring Colt Emerson, who had doubled for his second hit of the day in a nine-inning effort.

Away Game: Mariners 10, Rockies 6

Cooper Criswell turned in a solid effort, albeit with some loud contact: a 114 mph EV single in the first, and back-to-back 100 mph+ EV doubles in the second that led to two runs for Colorado, tying the game after the Mariners had struck first. He wasn’t especially efficient, needing 61 pitches to clear his three innings of work and giving up five hits, but he also struck out five, working out of jams by enscorcelling the Rockies with a beautiful changeup and a devilish cutter. The loud contact is worrisome, but Criswell has enough craft in his arsenal to be able to survive a lineup at least once through.

Meanwhile, the Mariners “B” offense went to work on the Rockies tandem of Ryan Feltner and Chase Dollander, who are fighting it out for the fifth rotation spot like George Kirby and Matt Brash back in 2022, but like, badly. The Mariners hitters tagged Feltner for three runs over 3.1 innings, taking advantage of some poor command – four walks – and then beat up on Dollander for another five runs over 3.2 innings, again taking advantage of three walks, although Dollander struck out four. The big blows came off Dollander in the sixth, who gave up three doubles in a row to Rhylan Thomas, Connor Joe, and Carson Taylor, giving the Mariners an 8-5 lead

The Mariners got another pair of runs in the top of the ninth on a homer by prospect Colin Davis, scoring J.T. Arruda, who I am embarrassed to say I’ve never heard of before today. So we’re at that point of spring training. That would give the Mariners a 10-6 lead they would not relinquish, securing a split in today’s split-squad action.

With the news that Joe Musgrove will start the season on the injured list, the San Diego Padres now have two rotation spots available instead of just one. 

Germán Márquez was lined up to take the fifth spot due to his big-league contract, but now there’s room for one more. One name has continued to come up this spring for San Diego: Walker Buehler

An inconsistent career

The Los Angeles Dodgers mainstay has struggled since having the best year of his career in 2021, with a 4.83 ERA from 2022-25. But in ‘21 he dominated the league with a 2.47 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.

Toward the end of the ‘22 season, Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery and was out for the entire 2023 season. Since then, he has been largely ineffective outside of a dominant postseason run in ‘24.

In 2025, Buehler put up a 5.45 ERA while on a prove-it deal with the Boston Red Sox to bolster their rotation depth. Suffice it to say, he did not prove it. He was released by the club in August before being picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Through three games in Philly, Buehler dominated. It’s obviously a small sample size, but a 0.66 ERA down the stretch is nothing to sneeze at. It pointed to a possible return to the success that had eluded him the last few years.

Fighting for rotation spots in San Diego

The Padres’ rotation has been a thing of immense scrutiny this offseason. With Musgrove now out of the group due to injury, there are two spots remaining behind Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Randy Vásquez. 

Buehler has been fighting for his life in Cactus League play. He was signed by the Friars to a minor-league contract with an invite to Spring Training. Since joining the club, he’s put up a 3.09 ERA in 11 ⅔ innings. 

Monday’s dominant outing

Prior to Monday, Buehler had a 5.40 ERA this spring. He’s made two solid starts but nothing awe-inspiring, giving up four runs in 6 ⅔ innings. 

But against the San Francisco Giants, Buehler dominated. Pitching five full innings in a spring game and striking out seven, he allowed only three hits and two walks without allowing a run.

The even greater thing of note was his pitch count. Buehler only threw 77 pitches through five innings, meaning he could have likely gone deeper if this were a regular season game. But this has been a winning formula for San Diego: starter goes six innings, relievers pick up one apiece to close it out. 

Now don’t immediately go and say that he’s going to dominate every single game. He is far from the pitcher he was in 2021. But he’s beginning to lean into the stuff he now has after his fastball lost velocity. That has given him some new ways to get outs during Cactus League. 

How will it translate to real games?

If anything, Buehler has earned the starter spot head-and-shoulders above Márquez, who has struggled to a 9.26 ERA this spring. But with room in the pitching staff for both now, they’ll each get an opportunity to prove themselves for the big-league club.

If Buehler can continue to build on what he showed against San Francisco, it would go a long way to anchoring a shaky Padres rotation. The pitcher has long struggled with pain in his throwing arm but has said that it disappeared this offseason. 

It’ll be exciting to see what this new form of Buehler looks like in San Diego, and what he can do to add to the Friars’ World Series aspirations.

Venezuela's Daniel Palencia stood on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning and blew a 99.7 mph pitch past USA outfielder Roman Anthony, who whiffed for strike three to seal a 3-2 championship win for Venezuela. Palencia turned to face his teammates, threw his glove in the air and screamed as he stretched his arms out to the sky.

For the first time in the World Baseball Classic's 20-year history, "La Vinotinto" were crowned champions.

Tears streamed down the faces of several players as the celebration ensued.

"This team is awesome," Eugenio Suárez said to Ken Rosenthal on the field. "We're a family here. That's why we play with passion, with love, because we feel this jersey, we feel our country in front of us. That's why this is a lot for us as people, as players, as human beings and as Venezuelans. Now, we are champions."

¡HISTORIA PARA VENEZUELA! 🇻🇪

CAMPEONES DEL WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POR PRIMERA VEZ. pic.twitter.com/WqKZ6ZqseW

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

Kansas City Royals breakout star Maikel García was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic after he hit .385 over the tournament with a home run and seven RBIs. He drove in the first run of the final on Tuesday on a sac fly that scored Salvador Perez.

Watch Venezuela's championship celebration from multiple angles below:

¿QUÉ MEJOR FORMA DE CERRAR QUE CON UNOS TAMBORES DE CAMPEÓN? pic.twitter.com/lXMpFi5APG

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

¡El Capitán Salvy! ¡CAMPEÓN! pic.twitter.com/z3308LWby0

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

¡HISTORIA PARA VENEZUELA! 🇻🇪

CAMPEONES DEL WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POR PRIMERA VEZ. pic.twitter.com/WqKZ6ZqseW

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

Hug me, brother!

William and Willson Contreras embrace as #WorldBaseballClassic champions ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Pdt45xdHAp

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026

Eugenio Suárez: “Este equipo es increíble. ¡Somos una familia! Por eso jugamos con pasión, con amor, porque sentimos la camiseta, sentimos a nuestro país apoyándonos, por eso esto es tan importante para nosotros como personas, como jugadores, como seres humanos y como… pic.twitter.com/mwKUh89aqE

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

Tastes like victory 🥇#WorldBaseballClassicpic.twitter.com/DNEnp99mL4

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026

¡Campeones! pic.twitter.com/Crgs362JfG

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venezuela WBC celebrations: World Baseball Classic championship 2026

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani isn’t just the best baseball player in the world. He’s also the driving force behind why Japanese fans are watching Major League Baseball.

In a country where baseball already pulses through the culture like oxygen, Ohtani has turned passion into obsession. According to a YouGov Sport survey, nearly 8 in 10 Japanese fans now say he’s one of their favorite MLB players, and more importantly, 79 percent admit he’s the reason their interest in Major League Baseball has grown. 

Ohtani’s current team, the Dodgers, have now become Japan’s team. A commanding 59 percent of the nation said the Dodgers are their favorite MLB team. That’s no coincidence. Ohtani, alongside countrymen Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, has turned Dodger Stadium into a second home for millions of fans watching from across the Pacific. 

When the Dodgers reached the 2025 World Series, more than half of Japanese sports fans tuned in—and 86 percent of them weren’t just watching. They were emotionally invested. 

This is the rarest kind of athlete, the kind who doesn’t just dominate a sport but redefines its geography. Ohtani hasn’t simply bridged Japan and America—he’s collapsed the distance between them. Every home run, every splitter, every moment under the lights pulls two baseball worlds closer together.

The Roki Sasaki experiment continued on Tuesday night, with a loss of command coming to be expected from the Dodgers right-hander despite this game taking place in Surprise. Sasaki got through parts of five innings in a 10-4 Kansas City Royals.

Sasaki’s first time through the Royals’ batting order was a pleasant stroll, with three strikeouts with only a double and walk allowed. But then he walked three straight batters in the third inning to load the bases with one out. Manager Dave Roberts removed him from the game to prevent a taxing inning, with the intent of bringing him back in to begin the next frame, which is allowed during spring.

Nick Robertson got the final two outs of the fourth inning, stranding all three of Sasaki’s runners.

In the fourth inning, Sasaki struck out a pair, but also allowed a single and a two-run home run. Then he ran a 3-0 count to Jonathan India, slipping on the delivery on one of the pitches, enough to warrant a mound visit from Roberts and a team trainer. Sasaki stayed in and induced an inning-ending groundout that he ran to first base himself, a rare 1u on the scorecard.

Sasaki was also allowed to start the fifth inning, but was pulled when his 71st pitch of the game was smacked by Starling Marte for a leadoff double off the wall. Sasaki is officially credited with 3 1/3 innings though he pitched in parts of five innings, with three runs allowed. He struck out five but walked four, throwing nearly as many balls (33) as strikes (38).

In three Cactus League games this spring, Sasaki has thrown 76 balls and 76 strikes in his 6 2/3 innings, with nine walks and 10 strikeouts.

Notes

• Jack Suwinski has played in two games this spring for the Dodgers, all over the last three days, and he homered in each one. His ninth-inning shot on Tuesday cleared Surprise Stadium, and gave the Dodgers the lead for good in what became a six-run inning.
• Dalton Rushing had an impressive opposite-field home run down the left field line on Tuesday, and caught seven innings before departing.
• Hyeseong Kim played the entire game, playing eight innings at shortstop before finishing up in center field in the ninth. He singled, got hit by a pitch, stole a base, and scored two runs in his third game back from the World Baseball Classic.

Up next

For the first time in a game in 2026, we get to see Shohei Ohtani on the mound on Wednesday afternoon against the Giants (1:05 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network).

Mets rookie Nolan McLean took the mound for Team USA and against Venezuela in the 2026 World Baseball Classic championship on Tuesday night, and gave his team a chance.

It was an inauspicious start for the youngster, as he threw a 98 mph first-pitch fastball to Ronald Acuña Jr., and the former NL MVP laced the pitch up the middle for a leadoff hit. McLean would bounce back, though, getting Maikel Garcia to ground into a double play, erasing Acuña. Luis Arraez then followed up by flying out to center.

McLean's second inning started off great, with the young right-hander striking out Eugenio Suarez and Gleyber Torres.Ezequiel Tovar dumped an opposite-field single before Wilyer Abreu popped out to shortstop to get through two scoreless innings. 

Salvador Perez led off the top of the third with a single, but McLean struck out Jackson Chourio before walking Acuña with one out. The righty shanked a curveball that got past catcher Will Smith, allowing the runners to advance. 

Garcia capitalized by bringing home Perez with a sac fly, but that was the only damage in the inning as McLean induced an inning-ending Arraez groundout. 

Unfortunately for Team USA, that run mattered a lot as the offense just could not get going in the early going. Team Venezuela's starter, Eduardo Rodriguez, allowed just one hit and one walk in his 4.1 innings pitched as he blanked the high-powered US team.

"Nolan McLean pitched his tail off," Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said after the game. "We were not prepared for him to go five. We were thinking he’d give us three, he give us four and we would go right to the bullpen and see where the game is at. That’s a testament to him. He had unbelievable stuff tonight. He matched Eddie."

McLean's fourth inning of work was an easy 1-2-3 while throwing only 51 pitches. 

Abreu, who had arguably Venezuela's biggest home run earlier in the WBC, took McLean deep on a 0-1 fastball that he launched 414 feet over the centerfield wall. That leadoff homer gave Venezuela a 2-0 lead. 

"I could've executed a little bit better," McLean said. "But he's a really good player at the same time. I would love to go back and make a different pitch, obviously."

McLean got the next two batters out before he was pulled after pitching 4.2 innings (63 pitches/44 strikes), allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four.

After the game, McLean was asked about this game and rated it a seven out of 10, but was generally pleased with it.

"I felt good out there. Proud of the way I competed," McLean said of his outing. "Stuff felt great, filling up the zone, tried to control everything I could."

And although Bryce Harper's two-run shot in the eighth tied the game at 2-2, Venezuela would get the go-ahead run in the ninth to capture their first WBC Championship with a 3-2 win.

But without McLean's start, the game could have gotten away from Team USA.

"Whenever you go down two-nothing, it's tough, but I thought Mac threw the ball great," Harper said of McLean. "He’s a special talent; he’s going to be a special talent for a long time. We got a lot of great young guys in there who are going to play again on this team. Baseball’s in a really good spot." 

Nolan McLean is fired up after inducing a big double play in the first

(via @WBCBaseball) pic.twitter.com/EZ8UvqG4QL

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 18, 2026

Nolan McLean strikes out Eugenio Suarez and Gleyber Torres in the second!

(via @WBCBaseball) pic.twitter.com/BsIirOhgtU

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 18, 2026

Nolan McLean's fourth strikeout of the evening

(via @WBCBaseball) pic.twitter.com/mawEy57gRG

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 18, 2026

New York Post | Joel Sherman: ($) Gerrit Cole will return to the field Wednesday, starting a spring training game against the Red Sox. The Yankees’ ace is scheduled to pitch one inning, marking his first appearance since spring training of last year, when he sustained a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery. While this development is encouraging, Cole will still begin the year on the IL as he continues to build himself up to full strength, with late April his earliest plausible return window.

MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: There’s encouraging news on New York’s other injured frontline starter as well. Carlos Rodón is expected to return “at some point in April,” Aaron Boone told the press Tuesday, confirming that the left-hander is still on the same schedule outlined at the start of spring. Boone did not rule out Rodón making a spring training appearance as well, though none are currently scheduled.

Boone also confirmed he would be comfortable with playing third baseman Ryan McMahon at shortstop, a development that has ramifications for several players hoping to make the team. With Anthony Volpe starting the season on the IL, McMahon’s ability to serve as a fill-in for starter Jose Caballero would allow the team to carry Randal Grichuk, a right-handed outfielder who fills an area of need, instead of utilityman Max Schuemann or one of the team’s non-roster invitee shortstops.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) A story about the conspicuous lack of stories coming out of Yankees’ spring training camp. Luis Gil, the team’s projected fifth starter, struggling and Cam Schlittler dealing with minor back and lat discomfort have been the closest thing to drama permeating George M. Steinbrenner Field. Jasson Domínguez, the heralded former top prospect who played in 123 games last season, is slated to start the season at Triple-A, but he’s handled the demotion with aplomb, skirting a potential pain point. This type of calm is “very unique for spring,“ said Giancarlo Stanton.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: The Yankees reassigned non-roster invitee Bradley Hanner to minor-league camp Tuesday morning as the team continues to whittle down its roster. The right-hander had a 9.00 ERA in five appearances in big-league camp after signing a minor-league deal with the Yankees on the heels of a middling campaign last year with the Rockies’ Triple-A team. With this move, New York now needs to clear 20 more roster spots to get down to 26 for Opening Day.

JUPITER, Fla. — Sean Manaea tossed four no-hit innings against the Marlins on Tuesday.

Still, the number that many observers paid attention to was the speed of his four-seam fastball, which remained in the 86-88 mph range, down about 3 mph from a year ago.

“It’s low, but I feel good,” the lefty said after his outing in a 5-5 tie at Roger Dean Stadium. “I’m not concerned about it whatsoever. I’ll get to Citi Field, get the adrenaline going and it will shoot back up.”

Perhaps, but there’s no guarantee of that happening for the 34-year-old who went through a miserable, injury-plagued 2025.

And if his fastball doesn’t get to the 90s, Manaea said he is confident he can get batters out.

“I’ve pitched with 86-87 [mph],’’ Manaea said. “I don’t want to be there, but I still think I’m effective. I’ll fill up the strike zone and mix and match.”

He also believes the cutter he’s working on could help offset a potential loss of velocity.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

But with the regular season quickly approaching, a tick up in velocity would be positive and Carlos Mendoza said he’s not sure that will happen.

“We don’t know,’’ the manager said. “I would say yes, especially with what he went through [physically] last year. It might take some time.”

Mendoza remained pleased that Manaea was able to get swings and misses without his best fastball and that the cutter was effective.

But both he and Manaea would like to see some low-90s on the scoreboard.

“I think it’s in there,’’ Mendoza said. “I think the velo will come.”

Carson Benge’s hot spring has put him in a spot to win a job out of spring training and now MJ Melendez is off to minor league camp.

Melendez, signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, got off to a hot start in Mets camp, but the outfielder’s lack of playing time once he left to play for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC likely ended his chances of making the Opening Day roster.

Mendoza said Tuesday after Melendez was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse — along with right-hander Christian Scott — that the outfielder needed to get more reps at the plate.

“He’s got to get at-bats,’’ the manager said of Melendez, who went 4-for-11 with two homers with the Mets, but then got just six plate appearances in the WBC before Puerto Rico was eliminated.

In Tuesday’s game against the Marlins, Tyrone Taylor got the start in left, with Luis Robert Jr. in center and Brett Baty in right.

Both Benge and Mike Tauchman, another left-handed hitter, have impressed this spring.

Scott was optioned after a fairly encouraging spring, as the 26-year-old right-hander is coming back from 2024 Tommy John surgery.

“He came in in a really good spot,’’ Mendoza said. “He worked hard in his rehab process, especially after getting a taste [of the majors] in 2024.”

He will serve as more rotation depth for the Mets, who have six viable starting pitchers with Opening Day little more than a week away.

In other roster moves Tuesday, right-handers Adbert Alzolay, Nick Burdi and Daniel Duarte and infielders Christian Arroyo and Jose Rojas were reassigned to minor league camp.

Even the avid baseball fan would have acknowledged that were Venezuela to win the World Baseball Classic, Ronald Acuña Jr. would likely be the MVP. 

Maikel Garcia made sure to keep it in the family. 

He's almost better-known as the cousin of the great Atlanta Braves outfielder, but in leading Venezuela to its first World Baseball Classic championship, Garcia forged his own road to stardom. 

Garcia led the WBC with 10 hits in seven games and they came in almost every form: A home run, a bunt single and a pair of doubles as he drove in seven runs and stole three bases – absolute kerosene in Venezuela’s No. 2 hole between Acuña and three-time batting champion Luis Arráez.

This World Baseball Classic, the moment never looked too great for Team Venezuela. They stared down an early deficit against defending champions Japan, then caught fire to overtake them and reach the semifinals. When the upstart Team Italy gave them a scare, they once again punched back, riding a seventh-inning rally to punch their ticket to their very first WBC final. On Tuesday night, against a hungry Team USA, Venezuela’s offense struck quickly and Eduardo Rodriguez set the tone with a terrific start on the mound. Even when Bryce Harper’s late home run tied the score, they responded immediately with a rally of their own to jump back on top. In the end, Eugenio Suárez’s go-ahead double in the top of the ninth was the crowning moment for Venezuela, who celebrated their first ever World Baseball Classic championship at loanDepot park in Miami.

Both starting pitchers came out of the gate hot. Nolan McLean induced a double play from speedster Maikel Garcia and retired the side on five pitches in the top of the first, then Rodriguez wasted little time sending the U.S. packing in the home half. The next time Garcia saw McLean though, there were two runners in scoring position in the third. The Royals third baseman and soon-to-be WBC MVP (.970 OPS with a WBC-leading 10 hits) hammered a ball to Byron Buxton in left center field, but it was plenty deep enough to score the game’s first run for Venezuela.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez continued to hum. The 32-year old southpaw cruised through 4.1 innings, scattering two baserunners while striking out four. He combined with Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo to limit the star-spangled American lineup to one hit in the first five full frames. E-Rod has had his share of struggles the past few seasons, but he was in vintage form in what must have ranked as the biggest game of his life.

In the top of the fifth, Venezuela exploited McLean’s biggest weakness: the home run ball. Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu, whose go-ahead home run against Japan gave Venezuela the chance to make it to this game, punished a middle-middle fastball from McLean to the deepest part of loanDepot park and extended the lead to 2-0.

Venezuela manager Omar López was able to turn things over to his bullpen, a unit which carried the day in the quarterfinal against Japan and especially in the semifinal against Italy. Giants righty José Buttó pitched around a Harper two-out single, then Angel Zerpa and Andrés Machado combined for a scoreless seventh.

Meanwhile, the American bullpen matched Venezuela’s stride for stride. Brad Keller took over for McLean with two outs in the fifth and passed the baton to Will Vest after collecting four quick outs. Vest posted a scoreless seventh, then Griffin Jax a spotless eighth. Much like the semifinals, this game would come down to the late innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, Team USA got a runner aboard with two outs for the third straight inning—this time on a walk from Bobby Witt Jr. As any baseball fan knows, you can only allow two-out baserunners so many times before a team makes you pay. Indeed, Bryce Harper only needed one swing to make Machado pay dearly for the free pass. He clobbered Machado’s 1-0 center-cut changeup over the center field wall for a dramatic game-tying home run.

From there, it could have been so easy to crumble, but Machado rebounded to strike out Aaron Judge to end the inning. It was a tough night for the captain, as he went 0-for-4 with a hat trick of K’s. Having been four outs away from victory, Venezuela needed to muster a quick reply—and did they ever.

It started with what else but a leadoff walk. Boston’s Garrett Whitlock lost Luis Arraez to a base-on-balls; López sent in Marlins speedster Javier Sanoja to pinch-run. Sanoja immediately put the rally on the line by taking off for second, and beat Brice Turang’s tag by a shoestring. The call upheld on review, giving Venezuela a critical runner in scoring position.

Enter Eugenio Suárez. The veteran slugger worked Whitlock to a full count before slashing the payoff offering to the left-center gap. Pete Crow-Armstrong could only reach it on the first bounce—Sanoja motored home to put Venezuela back on top. Tyler Rogers entered to put out the fire, but Team USA was once again compelled to come from behind.

Venezuelan closer Daniel Palencia entered with no margin for error to close out the World Baseball Classic. He gave them no quarter. First, he struck out Kyle Schwarber. Then, he induced a harmless popup from pinch-hitter Gunnar Henderson to Garcia at third. Finally, Palencia got Roman Anthony to swing through a fastball and give his country their first World Baseball Classic crown.

After having to rally from behind in the previous two rounds to reach their first ever title game, Venezuela was able to snag the initiative, bounce back from the late Harper homer, and again rely on their bullpen to finish the job. In the postgame, They got their revenge on America in the process—in 2023, Team USA rallied from behind to stun them on the back of a Trea Turner grand slam, but this time, they could not find the go-ahead hit.

As for why this theoretical best US lineup ever constructed never fully jelled, well, it’s impossible to say. But not for nothing, the hitting coach for this group is a guy who should be familiar to Yankee fans.

Now, the MLB season awaits. It’s always sad when the WBC wraps up, but the 2026 Classic was another terrific tournament, providing thrills the whole way through. At last, Aaron Judge will go from being Team USA captain back to New York Yankees captain, and a consequential season in pinstripes awaits. Of course, we at Pinstripe Alley will be with you for every out, run, and win.

Congratulations to Team Venezuela!

Box Score

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz believes he has a way to make the World Baseball Classic even better. 

Smoltz appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Tuesday and was asked how MLB could up the ante with the international baseball tournament. 

“I think you make it bigger when you do it in the middle of the season and shut it down for a week,” Smoltz opined. “I’ve been saying that for years. I think it’s the perfect spot to showcase the international talent, you would have everybody wearing that uniform, they’d be in midseason form, there would be no restrictions, you truly get to see the Goliath against the Goliath without them coming out and throwing a million arms.”

"I think you make it bigger when you do it in the middle of the season and shut it down for a week."

– John Smoltz on how to make the WBC bigger. pic.twitter.com/ZMhCRDRy5s

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 17, 2026

This year’s World Baseball Classic has been incredibly successful for the sport, with Tuesday’s championship, won 3-2 by Venezuela over Team USA, expected to shatter viewership records. 

While Smoltz acknowledged it likely wouldn’t ever happen, he pointed to the success of the Four Nations Face-Off the NHL put on in 2025 instead of an All-Star Game. 

“This tournament has accomplished its goals,” Smoltz said about the WBC. “Team Italy, baseball’s gonna be thought of differently there. You’ve got other countries that are bringing baseball to the forefront when other sports were really kinda marquee and king. That has worked. Is it the perfect timing? No.”

He said he passed along his idea to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and said he would be OK with the idea of doing a World vs. USA format to replace the MLB All-Star Game. 

“If you shut the game down for a week and give everybody the break they need, you could do so many things to promote within that week and own that week,” Smoltz said.

While Smoltz’s ideas are interesting, it would be a tough sell for MLB to hold the event in the middle of a season. 

And while the eight-time All-Star made a fair point in the tough job Team USA manager Mark DeRosa has, having to run decisions by players’ MLB managers first, that likely wouldn’t go away during some sort of in-season international tournament.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Somewhat quietly, Will Warren is nearing the end of a strong spring.

If he can carry over that success into the regular season, it probably will not stay as quiet.

In his penultimate start of the Grapefruit League schedule, Warren looked sharp again, giving up one run over four-plus innings while striking out four to lower his ERA to 1.77 through five starts.

“Will’s kind of the non-talked-about guy, I feel like, in our rotation,” manager Aaron Boone said before the 3-2 win over the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. “He looks great. Obviously he threw the ball well for us last year, but it feels like another notch to me.”

Each of the last two springs, at this point on the calendar, Warren still did not know whether he was going to be starting the season in the big league rotation.

And while his spot this year is secured at least to start the season, coming off a 33-start year in 2025, Warren has kept the same approach like he is fighting for a job while making adjustments to get better.

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That has included moving to the third-base side of the rubber, which has given him better angles to attack both righties and lefties, and starting to use the PitchCom on his belt to call some pitches.

“Sometimes I want to make sure that I get a pitch thrown in that count without hesitation, especially with the [pitch] clock, so I’ll call it,” said Warren, who plans to use it in the regular season as well. “Sometimes I send in two [pitch calls], J.C. [Escarra] gives me one back and sometimes I just let him do his thing because I trust him back there.”

The end goal is to have confidence and conviction in what he is throwing, which Warren indicated is the biggest difference for him now versus the end of last season.

“Just going up there and throwing my stuff over the plate,” he said. “This whole spring, [the goal has been] being as efficient as possible. Max Fried’s made a great career out of that and he’s going to keep doing it. So trying to pitch like that.”

Though Gerrit Cole is set to make his spring debut Wednesday, Carlos Rodón will not appear in a Grapefruit League game before the Yankees break camp.

The left-hander, returning from October elbow surgery to shave down a bone spur and remove loose bodies, is scheduled to throw another live batting practice Thursday — while Fried and Ryan Weathers start the two split-squad games that day — building up to two innings and 35 pitches.

But by the time he pitches again in five days, the Yankees will be in Arizona playing a final exhibition against the Cubs before Opening Day.

Still, Rodón remains on track to only miss a few weeks if everything goes well.

“I would expect him back at some point in April,” Boone said.

Boone did not want to touch whether David Bednar would be available to pitch for Team USA in Tuesday’s WBC final, but it did not sound as if that would be the case.

The Yankees closer would have been pitching for the third time in five days, and had already racked up some high-stress innings with 68 pitches across three outings from March 10-15, all of which Boone acknowledged.

Yerry De los Santos has not pitched in 10 days as he tended to a family situation, but he returned to camp Tuesday. … The Yankees reassigned RHP Bradley Hanner to minor league camp. They now have 49 players left in big league camp.