Category: Baseball

What we learned as Giants' home run streak continues in fiery win over Rockies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants lost the left side of their infield a few minutes into Tuesday night’s game. Even that couldn’t slow their surprising late-season charge. 

Willy Adames and Matt Chapman got ejected after the benches cleared in the first, but the infield still played a clean defensive game and Logan Webb was backed with four homers. The 7-4 win was the ninth in 10 games and allowed the Giants to keep pace with the New York Mets, who maintained their five-game lead in the wild-card race. 

Both veterans were ejected shortly after Rafael Devers got the Giants on the board with a two-run blast in the first inning. Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland took exception to how long Devers watched the ball fly, and the two started jawing. Benches cleared and Freeland, Chapman and Adames all were sent back to the clubhouses.

Rafael Devers' massive homer leads to a benches-clearing brawl at Coors Field 😲 pic.twitter.com/3difBlh3tR

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 3, 2025

While the Rockies lost their starting pitcher, the Giants got hit just as hard. But it didn’t matter. 

Casey Schmitt, one of the players to come off the bench, hit a homer and Wilmer Flores followed with his own. When the Rockies cut it to one late, Patrick Bailey responded with a two-run homer, giving the Giants their second four-homer game of the season. Both have come in the last week, which tells you what kind of heater they’re on right now. 

"I think the people in the bleachers in left are feeling left out." — Dave Flemming

Casey Schmitt obliged 🤯 pic.twitter.com/dOZNaeFGxX

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 3, 2025

Can I get an amen? 🙏 pic.twitter.com/VjX2p4d15N

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 3, 2025

Patty Barrels provides some insurance 💪 pic.twitter.com/ibYRqgQiUz

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 3, 2025

Player of the Week, Again? 

It got kind of lost in the chaos, but the homer was the 30th of the year for Devers and his 15th in 67 games with the Giants. This is Devers’ fourth 30-homer season in the big leagues, although he didn’t end the organization’s drought, which goes back to 2004. A big part of the lack of 30-homer hitters has been the ballpark, and Devers only has played about half his season in orange and black. 

Earlier Tuesday, Devers was named the co-Player of the Week in the National League, joining Kyle Schwarber, who had a four-homer game last week. His homer Tuesday was his fifth in the last seven games. 

The first-inning homer also gave the Giants at least one blast in 16 consecutive games, tying their SF-era record.

The Replacements

Schmitt had a sore elbow and initially was out of Tuesday’s lineup, but he ended up taking the field as part of an alignment the Giants never could have imagined using. With Chapman gone, they moved Devers from first to third. Dominic Smith took his spot at first, and Schmitt entered at second, pushing Christian Koss to short in place of Adames. 

Really, none of it should have been strange. Devers started more than 900 games at third in Boston and Koss is a natural shortstop, but Devers hasn’t taken grounders at third all year for either of his 2025 teams, and Koss rarely gets reps at short because Adames plays every day. 

Naturally, both got grounders in the bottom of the first, and both handled them cleanly. It was an uneventful night defensively, and the Rockies, perhaps showing why they’re in last place by a wide margin, didn’t even try to bunt on Devers and test him.

Third baseman Rafael Devers: pic.twitter.com/6ww96EiQBI

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) September 3, 2025

The Giants ended up okay on the offensive end, too. Schmitt’s 10th homer of the year ignited a three-run rally in the fifth that gave Webb a cushion.

Unusual Night

Webb is well on his way to once again leading the league in innings pitched, but he had to dig deep to even qualify for the win. He was at 82 pitches through four innings, and the Rockies opened their half of the fifth with back-to-back singles. Webb gave up a run in the frame, but got out of it with a double play. 

Webb struck out seven, getting to 194 on the season. He’s potentially one start away from reaching 200 strikeouts for the first time, which was one of his goals this year. He also moved back atop the MLB innings leaderboard, getting 1/3 of an inning ahead of Boston’s Garrett Crochet. 

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Roman Anthony scheduled for MRI after leaving game with oblique tightness originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

In early August, just before signing a massive extension with the Red Sox, rookie Roman Anthony felt his back tighten up during pregame warmups and was a late scratch for a game against the Royals. The rookie, though, only missed two games. He and the team appeared to have dodged a bullet.

But an apparently new issue resurfaced on Tuesday night, as Anthony left Boston’s game against the Cleveland Guardians early with what at first seemed to be another back issue but was later described by the team as “oblique tightness.”

After the game — which the Red Sox won, 11-7, in dramatic fashion — manager Alex Cora told the media that Anthony was “sore” and that he’s scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday.

“We will know more during the day,” Cora said, noting that Anthony said he first felt the issue pop up on a check swing before the strikeout.

Anthony noted that this oblique injury feels “worse” than the back injury that kept him out of those two games in early August, but he won’t know if he’ll need an injured list stint until the results of the MRI are examined.

Anthony, who had been 1-for-2 with an RBI single, swung and missed for strike three in the bottom of the fourth inning. He immediately reached for his lower left back and continued to do so on his walk back to the dugout.

Anthony did not take the field in the top of the fifth and was replaced in right field by Nate Eaton.

Missing Anthony for any amount of time would be a significant loss for the Red Sox, who are in the midst of battling for the AL East crown with the Blue Jays and Yankees while also holding on to a wild-card spot in the American League. Despite being a 21-year-old rookie and despite not getting called up until June, Anthony has been one of the Red Sox’ best players this season, with a .291 batting average and .861 OPS entering Tuesday. Only Alex Bregman (.864) has a better OPS.

While the Red Sox’ lineup has been fluid from top to bottom for most of the year, Anthony has solidified the leadoff spot since Cora placed him there in late July. Since the move, Anthony has batted .336, reached base at a .442 clip, and has posted a 1.012 OPS over 30 games.

The Mets made several roster moves ahead of Tuesday's game against the Detroit Tigers, including placing outfielder Tyrone Taylor on the 10-day injured list.

Taylor landed on the IL (retroactive to Aug. 30) after missing the last few days with a left hamstring strain. In a corresponding move, infielder/DH Jared Young was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

New York had hoped that Taylor would be able to avoid the IL after he first experienced tightness on Friday, but that proved not to be the case after his workout on Monday didn't provide promising results.

“We didn’t want to push it, obviously, and put him at risk,” manager Carlos Mendoza said on Tuesday. “We just decided to kinda slow this thing down and put him on the IL. Hopefully, it’s not too long.”

Since the All-Star break, Taylor is batting .245 (12-for-49) with a .654 OPS in 23 games.

Young played in 18 games early this year for the Mets, last appearing in just one game in July, right before the break in Kansas City. He has seven hits in 41 at-bats (.171) with three home runs and a double for a .637 OPS on the year. In 66 games at Syracuse, he is batting .306 with 13 doubles and 15 home runs for a .964 OPS. 

While Young is not a center fielder, after recalling Luisangel Acuña on Monday, the club has options to spell Cedric Mullins in center during Taylor's absence.

In a move to freshen up the bullpen as a pair of veteran starters have struggled to provide length in recent days, the club optioned left-hander Brandon Waddell to Triple-A and recalled right-hander Kevin Herget. 

Herget last pitched for the Mets on Thursday, delivering 2.2 innings of scoreless relief with one hit and two strikeouts against Miami. The righty dealt 2.1 innings of scoreless ball with just two hits in his first appearance with the club on July 21 after he was signed to a minor league deal following his release by the Atlanta Braves.

Waddell pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief on Sunday against the Marlins, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out four. Across 11 games (one start) for the Mets this year, the 31-year-old has pitched to a 3.45 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 22 strikeouts to 11 walks.

Willy Adames, Matt Chapman ejected after Rafael Devers homer causes Giants brawl originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Chaos erupted during the Giants’ game against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday before an out even had been recorded at Coors Field.

San Francisco slugger Rafael Devers hit his third home run in as many games in the top of the first inning — a two-run shot that was followed by an exchange of words with Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland, which then led to an all-out brawl between both teams.

Rafael Devers' massive homer leads to a benches-clearing brawl at Coors Field 😲 pic.twitter.com/3difBlh3tR

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 3, 2025

Another look at the huge Giants-Rockies brawl 😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/Sl5UEInnAH

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 3, 2025

After things had cooled down, the umpire crew engaged in a lengthy delay while they decided who would be punished for the altercation, where some slapping and shoving took place. All in all, the game paused for about 13 minutes.

Giants third baseman Matt Chapman and shortstop Willy Adames — whose birthday is Tuesday — both were ejected from the game for their part in the fight, along with Freeland. And in the end, Devers got to finish his home run trot with San Francisco up 2-0.

On defense, Devers moved from first to third, Dominic Smith came in to play first base, Casey Schmitt came in to play second and Christian Koss moved from second to shortstop.

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Two Giants prospects highlighted in Baseball America's weekly Hot Sheet ranking originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants’ farm system has had an impressive 2025 season, making the largest jump of any organization in MLB.com’s August rankings.

This past week, two Giants prospects particularly showed out to earn recognition in Baseball America’s Hot Sheet, which highlights the 20 hottest players in the minor leagues.

The hype around Marco Luciano has faded after he was a mainstay among the MLB’s top 100 prospects for several years. But the 23-year-old slugger had a huge week with Triple-A Sacramento to earn the No. 20 spot on this list.

Now primarily playing in left field, Luciano went 9-for-22 with four extra-base hits and eight runs across five games. His massive home run to center field on Sunday only went 436 feet (not 508 feet as initially listed by Statcast) for his 23rd of the season.

“With weeks like this, it’s easy to still hold out a flicker of hope for Luciano, the Giants’ former top prospect whose star has faded in recent years as he’s scuffled at Triple-A,” Baseball America’s Josh Norris wrote. “He hasn’t torn it up this year, but his last two months have provided reason for optimism. Since July 1, Luciano, who is days away from turning 24, has hit .252/.411/.585 with eight doubles, 11 home runs and nearly as many walks (34) as strikeouts (36).”

508 FEET FROM MARCO LUCIANO pic.twitter.com/bhXlOb02E8

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) August 31, 2025

At No. 9 is a new face in the Giants’ organization, outfielder Parks Harber. The 23-year-old was acquired at the MLB trade deadline when San Francisco sent Camilo Doval to the New York Yankees.

Landing Parks Harber at the deadline from the Yankees looks like a good move by the Giants so far.

The former UNC product is one of five players with underrated Statcast data worth following 🔽 https://t.co/ExG8KEoLA7pic.twitter.com/Rsay3fkn3Y

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 24, 2025

Playing with the Giants’ High-A affiliate in Eugene, Harber batted 9-for-24 with a whopping five home runs in just one week.

“Harber, acquired from the Yankees in the Camilo Doval trade, brings a power-first profile to the organization,” Jesús Cano detailed. “He launched 20 homers during his senior season at North Carolina, and that raw strength has continued to translate in pro ball. That power erupted this week with a five-homer outburst. If he can build on that momentum, Harber could become a slugging threat.”

Though Harber currently isn’t listed among the Giants’ top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, the organization will hope he can continue this momentum through the rest of the season and beyond.

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San Diego Padres pitcher Jason Adam is out for the season after he ruptured a quad tendon Monday when planting his left foot while trying to field a comebacker.

Now we know what can tilt a pennant race between two teams whose performance has been roughly even with a month to go before the playoffs.

An injury is never celebrated, but it can prompt a feeling of relief, which is probably the Dodgers' unspoken reaction.

Adam, you see, is untouchable when pitching against the Dodgers. He has never given up a run to them in 15 appearances dating back to 2019.

A 6-foot-3, right-handed reliever with a funky, short-armed delivery, Adam hasn't been scored on in six appearances against the Dodgers this season, five appearances last season — including three in the National League Division Series — two more in 2023 and two in 2019.

Dodgers hitters are seven for 51 (.137) with one double, two walks and 16 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings against Adam, who usually pitches the seventh or eighth inning, although he does have 24 career saves.

Read more:What's behind Clayton Kershaw's pitching revival in his 18th season? 'The bowl'

Adam is tough for anyone to hit, despite being particularly dominant against Los Angeles. Acquired by the Padres from the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2024 trade deadline, he is 11-4 with a 1.37 earned-run average in 92 appearances since then.

Now, though, he is sidelined until 2026, and the Padres recognize that the loss is profound.

“When that happens, you focus on the big picture, his health, what it means to the team,” Padres outfielder Gavin Sheets told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It definitely puts a dark cloud over the day for all of us.”

The Padres — like the Dodgers — have lost key players to injury. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is on the injured list with a fracture in his left foot. All-Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. pulled his right hamstring Sunday and did not play Monday.

General manager A.J. Preller fortified the roster at the trading deadline, and Adam told him after the injury Monday that he was grateful for the addition of dynamic reliever Mason Miller.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: What to do about Tanner Scott?

"I told A.J., I’m really glad he went out and got Mason," Adam told reporters. "I’m excited to cheer those guys on.

"Knowing this group, the mental toughness they have, the skill, there is everything in this clubhouse to win the World Series. You want to be a part of that.... That’s the hardest part."

The Dodgers figured they had tilted the bullpen balance in their direction when they signed Padres closer Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72-million free-agent contract during the offseason.

But Scott has been disappointing, posting a 4.44 ERA with eight blown saves for the Dodgers, including giving up a three-run home run Sunday.

Miller, meanwhile, has a 1.64 ERA in 11 appearances with the Padres. All he could think about Monday was his teammate Adam.

"Really heartbreaking.... obviously, it sucks losing him, not only for what he does on the mound but the type of person he is," Miller said.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Kyle Harrison getting called up to Red Sox, likely to debut Wednesday: Reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Though the Red Sox have thrived since trading away Rafael Devers in June, they haven’t had much to show for the deal in terms of the players they acquired making meaningful contributions in Boston.

The team is hoping that will change this week, as left-hander Kyle Harrison reportedly is due to make his Red Sox debut.

Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported Tuesday that Harrison is being called up to Boston. MassLive’s Christopher Smith added shortly thereafter that Harrison is likely to make his Red Sox debut on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians.

MLB.com’s Ian Browne further clarified that while the starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game has yet to be decided, Harrison projects to be pitching either as a starter or in relief in the series finale against the Guardians.

When rosters expanded on Monday, the Red Sox called up pitcher Zack Kelly and catcher Ali Sanchez. Kelly, who has a 5.56 ERA and 1.456 WHIP in 17 appearances for Boston this season, could be the choice to send back down to Worcester to make room for Harrison on Wednesday.

A 24-year-old lefty, Harrison does have big league experience, having made 39 appearances (35 starts) with San Francisco since 2023. He’s just 9-9 with a 4.59 ERA and 1.297 WHIP in those outings. Since joining the Red Sox organization, he’s pitched for Triple-A Worcester, going 4-2 with a 3.65 ERA and 1.561 WHIP in his 11 starts.

Walks have been an issue, with Harrison issuing 26 free passes in his 49.1 innings of work, limiting him to a 1.85 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also hasn’t been able to go too deep into games, averaging just over 4.1 innings per start.

Yet Harrison has been solid for Worcester after a shaky adjustment period, when he allowed 11 earned runs over 13 innings (7.62 ERA) in his first three starts. Since then, he’s allowed just nine earned runs over 36.1 innings (2.23 ERA) over his last nine starts.

Alex Cora and the Red Sox have been monitoring that progress, with the manager telling the media in mid-August that Harrison was part of the team’s potential solutions to issues with the rotation.

Since then, the team released veteran starter Walker Buehler and promoted top pitching prospect Payton Tolle, who electrified Fenway Park last Friday night — albeit in what turned out to be a painful loss to the Pirates.

Given his ample major league experience, Harrison does not qualify as a prospect. Nevertheless, the Red Sox are hoping for another positive injection of youth to the rotation as they continue their push toward a postseason berth.

As for the rest of the return for Devers, Jordan Hicks has a 6.38 ERA and 1.800 WHIP in 20 relief appearances. The Red Sox traded the outfielder acquired in the Devers trade (James Tibbs III) as part of the package to acquire Dustin May (1-4, 5.68 ERA in five starts), while 20-year-old Jose Bello has been pitching for Single-A Salem since being acquired.

When Harrison joins the Red Sox, he’ll do so in the midst of a heated playoff race in the AL East. Boston enters Tuesday tied with the Yankees for the top wild-card spot in the American League, while both teams also sit just 2.5 games behind Toronto in the AL East.

While facing a big-league team is never “easy,” Harrison shouldn’t have the roughest welcome back to the majors against the Guardians, who own an MLB-worst .223 team batting average and 29th-ranked .660 team OPS. Those numbers are even worse against lefties, with the team batting just .219 with a .631 against southpaws.

Before the Mets outlasted the Tigers on Monday in Detroit, Sean Manaea had another disappointing outing, allowing five runs on eight hits in just 3.2 innings.

In nine starts this season, Manaea -- who has a 5.60 ERA and 1.24 WHIP -- has pitched into the sixth inning just once. And he has failed to complete five innings in three of his last six outings.

Pitching the day before Manaea, Kodai Sengaallowed five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings against a bad Marlins team.

It's been a tale of two seasons for Senga, who has a 5.90 ERA (5.75 FIP) in 39.2 innings over nine starts since returning from his hamstring injury -- and who has been trying to get his mechanics right for quite some time.

Against the backdrop of Manaea and Senga struggling (while often putting the team behind the eight ball and taxing the bullpen) is the Mets' new six-man rotation, which also features David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and rookies Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong. 

After Senga's recent start, manager Carlos Mendoza seemed to hint that he might not make his next one. But following Monday's game, Mendoza said both Senga and Manaea remain part of the rotation.

What that means specifically is anyone's guess. Perhaps one of them will have a start skipped. Maybe one or both will be used in a piggyback situation. 

What doesn't seem to be happening is either one landing on the IL. 

Manaea, who is pitching with loose bodies in his left elbow, says he's fine. And there is seemingly nothing physical ailing Senga.

No matter how the Mets attempt to get Senga and Manaea back on the right track, though, it's time to add the flamethrowing Triple-A Syracuse right-handerBrandon Sproatto the rotation situation.

Sproat, who watched both McLean and Tong reach the majors before him (with Tong needing just two Triple-A starts before being deemed ready), made an emphatic statement in his latest start following a blip last week when he was used in relief.

While firing 7.0 shutout innings on Saturday, Sproat allowed just three hits while walking two and striking out nine.

Since making a change ahead of his start on June 28 -- basically deciding to be more aggressive and let it fly -- Sproat has a 2.44 ERA in 59.0 innings.

He's also been missing bats at a higher clip, racking up eight or more strikeouts on five occasions since then after not doing so at all over his first 15 games of the season.

There are two big questions regarding Sproat.

The first is when to possibly insert him into the rotation, while the second obviously revolves around how he'll perform in the majors.

With New York in the heat of a pennant race and facing the Tigers, Reds, and Phillies during a current 10-game road trip, there really isn't a safe landing spot to toss Sproat into the mix.

But that should not be a deterrent for a team that has watched Senga and Manaea struggle, has seen Peterson wobble a bit lately, and is smartly treading carefully with Holmes as he continues to add more innings to a season total that is already more than 70 past his prior career-high.

As far as how Sproat will fare if given the chance, there's only one way to find out.

McLean has been dominant since being called up and Tong showed moxie in his strong debut, but -- as Mendoza explained last week before Tong's debut when he was trying to smack down any Tong/McLean comparisons -- these prospects should not be compared to one another. 

In any event, it could make sense for the Mets to have Sproat start Friday's series-opener against the Reds in Cincinnati, use Tong on Saturday, have Peterson go on Sunday, and skip Senga's turn to allow him time to work on some things.

In order to fit Sproat on the 28-man roster, the Mets could conceivably choose one of Brandon Waddell or Justin Hagenman to be sent back to Triple-A.

As far as how to fit Sproat in for the remaining three weeks or so of regular season games, that might be a bit of a juggling act. But it's an act worth doing as the Mets attempt to secure a postseason berth. They cannot simply keep trotting Senga and Manaea out there every sixth day and hope for different results.

If the Mets do indeed make the playoffs, Sproat can easily be added to the roster if he's deemed to be a fit.

The first step, though, is getting Sproat to the majors. And it's a step that should be only a few days away.

Rafael Devers, Phillies' Kyle Schwarber earn co-NL Player of the Week honors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Rafael Devers earned his first accolade in a Giants uniform.

San Francisco’s slugging first baseman was named the National League Co-Player of the Week with Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber, MLB announced Tuesday.

Kyle Schwarber and Rafael Devers are your NL Co-Players of the Week presented by @Chevrolet! pic.twitter.com/uDdhL8aoK7

— MLB (@MLB) September 2, 2025

Devers, over his last seven games, batted .481/.563/1.000 with four home runs, 11 RBI and five walks. Schwarber, over his last seven games, batted .207/.281/.690 with four home runs, nine RBI and three walks.

While those seven-game numbers certainly are lopsided in Devers’ favor, Schwarber had a historic day at the plate in Philadelphia’s 19-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, blasting four home runs and driving in nine runs in one game.

If it were not for that one game, though, there is no question who would win the award outright.

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The Mets continue a three-game series against the Tigers in Detroit on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. on SNY.

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

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Mets Notes

• Juan Soto is hitting .294/.460/.706 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, 27 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 113 plate appearances over his last 24 games dating back to Aug. 6
• Ryne Stanekhas tossed three consecutive scoreless outings 
• Nolan McLean has a 0.89 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in 20.1 innings over his first three big league starts

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For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here.

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Monday, in case you missed it...

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• Juan Soto smacked a grand slam and two-run triple as the Mets beat the Tigers, 10-8
• Soto is putting the Mets on his back when they need it the most
• Carlos Mendozawas encouraged by Ryan Helsley's brief outing on Monday
• Following the latest rough outings from Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga, Mendoza said they remain part of the starting rotation
• Francisco Alvarezwill play on Tuesday and Wednesday for Triple-A Syracuse, and could be activated ahead of the Mets' weekend series against the Reds in Cincinnati
• Tyrone Tayloris dealing with hamstring tightness
• With active rosters expanding from 26 to 28, the Mets promoted Luisangel Acuña and Justin Hagenmanfrom Syracuse

Eric Yavarone knew where the question was going, before it was even fully asked.

When stopped by a reporter near the dugout recently, in the midst of hauling an assortment of training equipment back to the clubhouse at the end of a Dodgers pregame workout, the team’s athletic development coordinator began to be queried on the evolution of Clayton Kershaw’s training routine — and how, at age 37, it has helped the future Hall of Famer manufacture a renaissance performance in his 18th MLB season.

With a laugh, Yavarone quickly interjected.

“The bowl?” he asked.

Yes.

Read more:Will Smith's walk-off home run rescues Dodgers from the clutches of an Arizona sweep

The bowl.

For the uninitiated, the “bowl” is essentially a player’s hip/pelvis/lower-back area. It is not an official medical term. You won’t find it in any anatomy or biology textbooks. Yavarone can’t even remember exactly when, or how, he first coined the phrase.

But when it came to working with Kershaw, the idea of the “bowl” helped trigger a profound physical breakthrough.

For a player long reluctant to changing his old vigorous training routine, it provided a different way to think about maintaining his body.

“The bowl is like your hip, this stuff right here,” Kershaw said recently, while circling his hands around his hips and midsection. “[The training staff told me], ‘Your bowl doesn’t move the way it should.’ And they were like, ‘Hey, we can fix that.’”

After years of back problems, then surgeries the last two offseasons on his shoulder, foot and knee, Kershaw has produced a resurgent 2025 season — thanks in no small part to how well his “bowl” is now moving.

He might not throw as hard as he once did, barely hitting 90 mph with his fastball even on his best days. He doesn’t overpower opponents the way he could in his prime, relying more on consistent command, pitch sequencing and veteran guile to post a 9-2 record and 3.06 ERA in 17 starts this year.

What is different now, however, is how much better his body feels on a daily basis, and how open he has become to new ways of maintaining it.

“I’ve changed a lot over the years, and our guys have really helped me see what I need to work on and get better at,” Kershaw said at this year’s All-Star Game, when he was the most senior selection to the Midsummer Classic. “My hips and my back have never felt better … That’s a credit to our guys. They’ve really helped me with that.”

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Once upon a time, Kershaw adhered to a strict routine in the weight room. It revolved around rudimentary weightlifting; first and foremost, sets of back squats the day after he took the mound. It was predicated on high intensity, unwavering regimentation and, above all else, strenuously heavy reps.

“You always lift heavy,” Kershaw said, recounting his longtime approach to off-the-field training. “You always put weight on your back. You always move it, no matter how you feel.”

In his prime, that system served Kershaw well. It helped build his internal “engine,” in the words of Brandon McDaniel, the club’s former head strength coach and current major-league development integration coach. It honed the lower body and core strength that drove his powerful delivery — a behind-the-scenes bedrock in his rise to becoming a three-time Cy Young Award winner and generationally dominant left-handed star.

“Back-squatting gives you a certain feel,” McDaniel said. “It makes you feel your butt, it makes you feel your core, it makes you feel like you can push on the ground and do a lot of really good things.”

Read more:Mistake-prone Dodgers fail Tyler Glasnow in loss to Arizona: 'We beat ourselves'

But as Kershaw got older, his routine also came with increasingly damaging physical side effects.

He admittedly lacked great form at the squat rack, which put his back under constant stress. And when he’d pitch, all the force his internal strength created would be absorbed by the same part of the body. Without knowing it, he was suffering from a bad “bowl” that was compounded by his annually heavy innings workload. Eventually, the toll of it all caught up with him.

“That’s one of my biggest regrets in life,” Kershaw told author Andy McCullough in his biography, "The Last of His Kind," “that I back-squatted for as long as I did.”

Starting in 2016, Kershaw’s back issues began keeping him off the mound.

That season, he missed more than two months with a herniated disc, one that nearly required a major back surgery. Over the next six years, he endured five more injured list stints for back-related ailments.

Even when he was “healthy” over that span, Kershaw would often wake up in the morning with a stiff back or aching hips. Pushing through the persistent pain only caused him more mental exhaustion.

“When you don’t feel good, that’s all you think about,” Kershaw said. “That type of mental energy — like, ‘Oh gosh, am I gonna feel good?’ — it’s not conducive to pitching well.”

Over the years, Dodgers trainers had tried to help Kershaw adapt. When he was still strength coach, McDaniel preached the importance of supplementary traits, such as hip mobility and core stabilization.

“Kersh has always been open to the next thing or the new thing,” McDaniel said.

Changes, however, came slowly. Alter his routine too much, Kershaw worried, and his pitching might suffer.

“I was just stubborn,” Kershaw said. “It was just the routine of it.”

This is where the “bowl” comes in.

After re-signing with the Dodgers following MLB’s 2022 lockout, Kershaw reported to Dodgers camp as an “open book” to training staff, current major league strength coach Travis Smith recalled.

Yavarone remembered one conversation with Kershaw specifically.

“People have told me to do this before,” the pitcher told him. “So I probably need to.”

Thus, the Dodgers staff brainstormed ways to get their message across, and have the steadfast Kershaw to buy-in to their suggested changes.

From that process, Yavarone came up with the “bowl” as an analogy — providing Kershaw a more tangible way to understand how all the smaller muscles in his midsection interacted, and how a more holistic training program could pay dividends to his health and his pitching.

“It was giving him more of the ‘why,’ showing him the anatomy part of it,” Yavarone said. “I think with him, if he feels you believe in what you want him to do, if you’re convicted when you tell him what you got for him, I think he likes that.”

The first modifications were small, right down to new breathing patterns for Kershaw to try during his core work.

“He would get a little frustrated in the beginning, trying to figure out how to do it,” Yavarone said with a laugh. “But even if he gets frustrated, or can’t figure it out at first, he’s like, ‘It’s all right. Let’s come back the next day and do it.’”

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As the days started stacking up, so did the new techniques that the Dodgers’ staff introduced.

Kershaw would still lift heavy, and push the intensity in his gym work. But now, it was paired with other tactics too: Isometric holds in the middle of reps, as a more static way to build muscle strength. Mobility drills between his most strenuous exercises, which increased his core stability and the range of motion in his hips. They even incorporated alternative training equipment into his workouts, using water-bags and 3D straps as less taxing complements for barbells and heavy weights.

“I think with injury comes wisdom,” Smith said. “He’s able to see, ‘Man, I continue to get injured. What is it that I can do differently?’”

Slowly but surely, Kershaw's back started feeling looser. His hips started feeling freer. And his “bowl,” Yavarone now proudly declares, is moving the way they long envisioned.

“You don’t have to go in [the weight room] and kill yourself, but you gotta go in there and reposition your body in a way that you feel good the next day,” Kershaw explained. “I don’t know what the answer is, but our guys do. And I just listen to them.”

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It took a while for Kershaw to reap the benefits of such changes.

Just as his back began to improve, he suffered a shoulder injury in the second half of the 2023 season that led to his first-ever surgery that winter. After spending the first half of 2024 rehabbing from that, he returned for seven starts last year before again being shelved by a long bothersome toe injury, leading to another offseason procedure.

At either point, he could have called it a career, and not subjected himself to the long road of getting back in pitching shape.

But all along, he felt he still had something in the tank. Which is why, as soon as he could this winter, he was back in the gym at a training center near his home in Dallas, doubling down on the workout alterations that, like the Dodgers, his personal offseason trainers had also been urging him to make.

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“He’s done a great job of allowing us to, not forcefully push him into that, but say, ‘Dude, you don’t have to squat. You don’t have to deadlift all this weight. You don’t have to do these things,’” said Jason Kharman, who has worked with Kershaw since 2017 as the co-founder of Corpus Performance in Dallas. “As he got older, he just realized, ‘Yeah, I don’t need to do this heavy stuff anymore. I know how to pitch. I know how to handle everything on the mound. I just need to be healthy.’ And you see that this year.”

That doesn’t mean the quality of Kershaw’s stuff on the bump is back where he wants it. In the wake of his shoulder, foot and knee surgeries, syncing up his mechanics has been more of a challenge.

“I used to be able to just throw a ball perfectly every time, and not even think about it. Just perfect backspin. Just roll out of bed and do that,” Kershaw said. “Now, I’m kind of searching for that a little bit. I can still do it. It’s just not as consistent. So it takes a lot more focus to throw a baseball.”

But now, that focus isn’t being sidetracked by worries about his body, or limitations to his “bowl.”

On multiple occasions this season, he has noted how fresh he physically feels.

“You can tell, when he's more approachable, when he's not as edgy, he's in a better spot physically,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously, when he pitches, he has that edge still. But yeah, I haven't heard boo about anything as far as any physical kind of thing, outside of just the grind of the season.”

The grind, of course, is what Kershaw enjoys most. And this season, he has gotten better the more he has pitched.

In August, he posted a 5-0 record with a 1.88 ERA that ranked third among National League starters for the month. In his last start, a five-inning, one-run victory over the Cincinnati Reds last week, he recorded his second-most strikeouts this season (six) even after moving up in the team’s rotation to pitch on four days’ rest (something he has done three times this year, more than any other Dodgers starter).

“I’m in awe, to be honest,” McDaniel said. “Every time he gets done, I just want to walk up and thank him. I know he would find that extremely odd. But I’m extremely grateful and blessed just to get to watch him. And I know all of our guys feel the same way.”

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Amid it all, Kershaw and Yavarone have also struck up an inside joke. Whenever they’re together on the field or in the gym, Kershaw will often inquire about the “bowl” of other players.

“He’ll be like, ‘How’s this guy’s bowl? How’s that guy’s bowl?’” Yavarone said with a chuckle. “Or if he sees any of us doing some hip mobility stuff, or some core breathing stuff [with someone else], he’ll be like, ‘Bad bowl?’ It’s kinda created a little bit of its own thing.”

It’s yet another small reflection of Kershaw’s newfound perspective on training, physical maintenance and how — even deep into his 30s — he has changed his once-staunch outlook on how to care for his body.

“It takes the right kind of people to get through to me, because I’m stubborn, and I’ve done it — or did it — one way for a long time,” Kershaw said. “But the group that we have here is special … They know how to get through to you. They know how to talk. They’re just smart, and they’re good at what they do. So it gives me buy-in, because they’re so bought in.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.