WASHINGTON — Derek Hill was down to the Phillies’ final strike.
Again.
One night after the Phillies scored eight runs with two outs in the ninth inning, Hill stepped in as a pinch-hitter against left-hander Richard Lovelady and delivered another late jolt.
Kyle Schwarber, out of the starting lineup with lower back tightness, came off the bench with two outs and worked a walk to keep the inning alive.
Then Hill took over.
He drove Lovelady’s pitch into the first row above the high wall in right field for a go-ahead two-run homer, then leaped in celebration between second and third base when he saw it had enough distance.
Unbelievable.
The Phillies acquired Hill in a trade to help against left-handed pitching, a matchup their right-handed hitters have struggled with all season.
He gave them exactly that in Philadelphia’s exciting 5-4 win on Wednesday.
It was another wild turn in a series that has already produced one of the Phillies’ most improbable wins of the season.
The Phillies had trailed early after Aaron Nola allowed solo homers in the first and second innings. Luis García Jr. took Nola deep six pitches into the game. Washington added another solo shot three pitches into the second.
But the Phillies answered in the fourth.
Brandon Marsh led off with a single. Alec Bohm reached on a fielding error after fouling a ball off his foot earlier in the at-bat and limping down the line.
Bryson Stott, coming off a three-hit game, got ahead 2-1 and turned on a low-and-in slider from Miles Mikolas. His 106.2 mph drive sailed over the head of Nationals right fielder James Wood, bringing Marsh home.
J.T. Realmuto followed with a sacrifice fly to score Bohm and tie the game.
Rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. then jumped on Mikolas’ first pitch and lined a run-scoring single through the middle, giving the Phillies their first lead.
That type of inning has become a familiar sight during the Phillies’ turnaround. During their 9-19 start, they struggled to stack baserunners. Lately, they have found ways to build innings and keep them moving.
Nola did not dominate, but he gave the Phillies five innings and two runs.
He allowed hard contact. Of the 13 balls put in play against him, 54 percent were hit at least 95 mph. His average exit velocity allowed was 95 mph.
Still, he found enough outs.
Nola struck out four hitters with his knuckle curve and another with his changeup. He threw only one slider, a pitch he has begun mixing in over his last few starts.
The four-seam fastball remains his biggest concern. It entered the night tied for the worst pitch in baseball by Statcast run value at minus-13. Opponents were hitting .406 and slugging .828 against it.
But five innings and two runs kept the Phillies in the game.
Then former Phillies prospect Curtis Mead changed it.
With a runner on in the sixth, Don Mattingly turned to Jonathan Bowlan, who had dominated right-handed hitters all season. Entering the night, righties were slashing .167/.167/.214 against him with one extra-base hit.
Bowlan left a sweeper up.
Mead sent it into the left-field seats for his second homer in three games during the series, putting Washington back in front.
For a while, it appeared that swing would hold up.
Then Schwarber came off the bench.
Then Hill got his chance.
Lovelady was making his third consecutive relief appearance. Hill entered to pinch-hit against the lefty, the precise situation the Phillies had in mind when they brought him in.
With the count down to its final strike, Hill did not miss.
His homer gave the Phillies another late-game breakthrough, one night after the club turned an 8-6 ninth-inning deficit into a 14-9 win.
May 22, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubon (14) hits an RBI single against the Washington Nationals in the tenth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The struggle has become apparent for this Atlanta Braves team, who are currently on a three-game losing streak. The name of the game is to score early and not let up…of course, pitching will have to do a pretty solid job as well to keep the San Diego Padres from finishing what they started in Tuesday night’s matchup.
Let’s take a look at these lineups for the series finale.
In today’s Baldwin-less lineup, Mauricio Dubón is leading off and playing left field with Ha-Seong Kim– who’s averaging .500 against San Diego’s JP Sears in his two total past at-bats– will be batting in the ninth hole while taking over shortstop for the night.
Jorge Mateo has returned as DH and is hoping for better production since his last three-hitless outings. As for the remainder of the lineup, well, let’s just say, they have a big advantage against San Diego’s lefty, and would be amiss not to take it.
As for the Padres, with Sears on the mound, after recently being called up from Triple-A, due to Lucas Giolito being placed on the 15-day IL (right elbow inflammation), he’s looking for the offense to hold it down, in case the Braves decide to take advantage of the 56 runs and 28 walks he’s earned so far this season in the minors.
Ty France, who has an OPS of .535 but a .176 batting average against Pérez, will be taking over first base and batting seventh in the lineup. And Manny Machado moved up to the third slot, currently averaging a .350 and 1.030 OPS against the Braves’ lefty.
The battle of the lefties, starting tonight at 8:40 p.m. EDT. The Braves are hoping to avoid a sweep, but will need to show an immediate change in the way they’ve been approaching this series if they want to see any glimpse of hope. They failed to salvage the opportunity in extra innings on Tuesday; therefore, they’ll need to play with a chip on their shoulder to turn things around.
Jun 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron (65) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
The offense is killing it right now despite losing the best three hitters from last season for varying lengths of time. In June it is the young guys carrying the load. Jac Caglianone’s wRC+ this month is 232! Carter Jensen is at 122. It has been fun to watch. If only this had started in April or May this year might have turned into something. They have won six of nine and gotten back to 12 games below five hundred. Today they can lock in a series win against a Tampa Bay team that has been one of the best in the American League.
Today it will be Noah Cameron and Griffin Jax facing off. Cameron is coming off of two consecutive sub-par starts where he has given up 15 hits in 9 1/3 innings. Overall, his strike out and walk rates are better than last season, but the results have not been as good or consistent. Jax has a tidy 3.67 ERA on the season but peripherals that say he cannot keep that. Hopefully today is a mean reversion day for him and the Royals can keep the wins a coming.
Bobby Witt Jr. is out again. That is the fifth consecutive day and there was a day off too. Maybe 10-day IL makes some sense at this point?
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 17: Pitcher Braxton Ashcraft #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates fields the ball and throws to first base to get the out of Henry Bolte #33 of the Athletics in the bottom of the third inning at Sutter Health Park on June 17, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for revenge after a tough 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners last night at PNC Park.
The Pirates held a 2-1 lead going into the seventh inning, but a pair of runs surrendered by Mitch Keller off of a home run from Cole Young did the Buccos in.
Tonight, the Pirates will hand the ball to Braxton Ashcraft, who is continuing to build off of an impressive season. Ashcroft is fresh off a win in his last start against the Athletics on June 17. He pitched six innings, giving up just one earned run while striking out seven batters in a 12-4 victory. The Pirates are 9-6 in games where Ashcraft starts, which is a good sign going into their game against the Mariners.
On the flip side, Bryan Woo is starting for the Mariners. In his last start on June 18 against the Baltimore Orioles, he pitched seven innings, giving up no earned runs and striking out nine in a 3-0 victory. Woo has gone five or more innings in each of his last four starts, suggesting that he could be in for the long haul once again.
Woo might not be playing at the All-Star level he was at a year ago, but he provides a tough matchup for the Pirates tonight.
Per Baseball Reference, the two best starting pitchers (and two of the three most valuable overall members) on the Milwaukee Brewers are ace Jacob Misiorowski and lefty Kyle Harrison. The Cincinnati Reds managed to dodge facing either one of them during this series in Great American Ball Park, yet here they are on the cusp of being swept (again) by their division rivals.
(Are they even still rivals at this juncture?)
A loss this evening would sink Cincinnati to 5 games under .500 for the first time all season. They’re already sporting a comically awful 2-15 record against NL Central opponents this season. And unlike recent series, they can’t even hand the ball to ace Chase Burns in the final game of a series to help them salvage it.
Instead, they’ll hand it to Rhett Lowder, who yielded a pair of homers and 4 ER in 5.1 IP his last time out against the New York Yankees. The Reds, if they’re to go anywhere this season, simply must get more out of their 2023 1st round pick tonight and going forward.
Milwaukee will send swingman Shane Drohan to the mound to start tonight. He has alternated between the bullpen and starting rotation often this year, though each of his most recent four appearances have come as a starter. He’s a lefty, too, so manager Terry Francona has stacked his lineup accordingly to begin (including with Dane Myers, of all folks, batting in the #3 spot in the order).
First pitch is slated for 7:10 PM ET. Here’s how the Reds will line up to start:
If there is any good Reds news at the moment, it’s that they didn’t immediately make a roster move to place Nick Lodolo on the IL after his pitching wrist was hit by a 107 mph comebacker last night. Hopefully that’s an indication that they think he’ll emerge from that scary incident mostly OK, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll need to have a start pushed back, or not.
Anyway, go win a baseball game, Reds. It would really make a lot of very, very disappointed people happy for a few minutes.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Jake Burger #21 of the Texas Rangers catches fly ball hit by Esteury Ruiz #3 of the Miami Marlins in the eight inning at loanDepot park on June 24, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Saul Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Marlins 4, Rangers 2
The Rangers did not win the series in Miami.
They did not win the series in Miami despite some excellent work from Jacob deGrom.
Jacob deGrom ended up taking the loss in the game due to allowing a pair of runs and leaving the game with the team down 2-1. Its unfortunate, because he pitched really, really well.
deGrom is not vintage deGrom. He’s not “best pitcher in baseball” Jacob deGrom any more. But he’s still awfully damn good.
Like Kumar Rocker on Monday, deGrom threw the slider for about half of his pitches. And like Rocker, he missed a bunch of bats with it, generating swings and misses on 12 of the 25 sliders that the Marlins swung at, out of 45 sliders total.
Unlike Rocker, deGrom has a fastball and a changeup that can also miss bats. He got whiffs on 9 of 15 swings on his fastball and 3 of the 5 swings the Marlins attempted on his changeup.
In all, that’s 24 swings and misses, tied for the 6th most in MLB this season. He racked up 8 strikeouts in all.
Unfortunately, deGrom also issued a pair of walks in the game. One of them, a leadoff walk to Otto Lopez to start the fourth, came around to score on a two out Griffin Conine double. The other, which came with no one out in the fifth, put Owen Caissie, who had a leadoff single to start the inning, at second. Caissie came around to score on a Xavier Edwards one out single after a sac bunt.
That Edwards single was the only hit with a runner in scoring position today. The Rangers were 0 for 1 with runners in scoring position, the Marlins were 1 for 5.
deGrom allowed just four hits in the game — three singles and the Conine double. They came at inopportune times, though, and with a Ranger lineup that, well, only had one at bat with runners in scoring position all game, deGrom needed to be close to perfect for the Rangers to win.
Cole Winn gave up a two run homer in the eighth to turn a one run game into a three run game, which ended up being all the more lamentable when the Rangers scored in the top of the ninth.
Winn’s ERA is now up to 6.38 on the season.
Last year, Winn’s 1.51 ERA was belied by his 4.19 xERA and 3.90 FIP. He’s doing the opposite this year, with a 4.35 FIP and an xERA that won’t be updated until tomorrow, but is, I’m pretty sure, less than 6.38.
Still, the real problem was the lack of offense. The Rangers scored twice, on a Wyatt Langford solo homer and Joc Pederson’s solo shot in the ninth off of Pete Fairbanks. That Pederson shot makes you want to metaphorically shake your fist at Winn for allowing the two runs in the eighth, but then, maybe Fairbanks doesn’t challenge Pederson if its just a one run game, pitches him more cautiously.
The Rangers got just four other hits in the game, all singles, one of them by Wyatt Langford. They drew no walks. They also sent four batters more than the minimum to the plate because Nick Lopez, who had one of the hits, was caught stealing, and Ezequiel Duran, who hit into a fielder’s choice after a Jake Burger infield single, got picked off first to end the inning.
Langford did successfully steal a base, and that’s good and all, but Meat Loaf’s song wasn’t called “One Out Of Three Ain’t Bad.”
There was some bad luck for the Rangers on balls in play. Brandon Nimmo had a couple of blasts that qualified as “barrels” by the Statcast measure, each of which went 390+ feet, but both of which were caught. Justin Foscue, pinch hitting for Lopez to start the sixth, crushed a line drive off of former Ranger John King that, a little to the left or right, could have been a double, but instead was caught for an out by former Ranger Heriberto Hernandez.
But even taking that into account, the bats let the team down on Wednesday.
Maybe the much awaited return of Corey Seager, expected to be in the opener against Toronto on Thursday, will provide a shot in the arm.
Jacob deGrom topped out at 98.9 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.4 mph. Tyler Alexander hit 92.1 mph with the one fastball he threw. Cole Winn touched 95.9 mph with his fastball. Robby Ahlstrom’s sinker maxed out at 93.4 mph.
Wyatt Langford’s homer was 106.5 mph off the bat, and he had a 100.5 mph single. Justin Foscue had a 105.8 mph fly out. Joc Pederson had a 103.9 mph ground out and a 102.0 mph home run. Brandon Nimmo had a 103.8 mph fly out (that would have been a homer in 10 of 30 major league parks) and a 100.5 mph fly out.
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros and Blue Jays will play the rubber match of this 3-game series tonight at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
RHP Mike Burrows (3-8) will make the start for the Astros vs. Jays RHP Trey Yesavage (3-3).
Both of tonight’s starters are facing their opponent for the 1st time in their young careers.
ROAD TRIPPIN: Tonight is the 3rd game of a 7-game road trip for the Astros, during which they will visit TOR (3G) and DET (4G), respectively.
Road Success: The Astros are 11-7 in their last 3 road trips combined.
They have posted a 17-13 record on the road since going 1-9 on their 1st road trip of the 2026 season.
Road Raking: The Astros are 1st in the AL in road batting avg. at .253.
They also rank 2nd in road HR (56), SLG (.422) and OPS (.748) and 3rd in road OBP (.337).
ASTROS-BLUE JAYS: The Astros were 4-2 vs. TOR in 2025 (3-0 at home, 1-2 at TOR).
After tonight’s game, the two clubs will next meet for a 3-game series, Aug. 3-5 at Daikin Park.
Recent Success: The Astros have won 7 of 10 and 9 of their last 13 vs. TOR.
ABOUT BURROWS: RHP Mike Burrows will make his club-leading 15th start of the season tonight and the 1st of his career vs. TOR.
Tonight will be his 1st start since June 13 at KC.
Following that start, he made 1 relief appearance, which was on June 19 vs. CLE, hurling a scoreless 9th inning in the Astros 9-3 win (threw 7 pitches, all strikes).
Burrows was acquired by the Astros from the Pirates this off-season as part of a three-team, six-player trade in which the Astros sent OF Jacob Melton and minor league RHP Anderson Brito to the Rays, while the Rays sent IF Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum and LHP Mason Montgomery to the Pirates.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP: The Astros came out on top of a see-saw battle with the Blue Jays yesterday, winning 9-7 in 11 innings.
Joey Loperfido delivered the big blow vs. his former club with a 3-run HR in the top of the 11th to break a 6-6 tie.
RHP Logan VanWey hurled the final 2.0 innings of the game to earn his 1st ML victory (2.0 IP, 1 R,0 ER).
The Astros trailed, 6-4, after 8.0 innings but rallied for 2 runs in the top of the 9th to stay alive.
A sac fly by Cam Smith in that 9th tied it at 6-6.
The game included plenty of offense, including home runs in 3 consecutive AB’s in the 4th inning by Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith and Taylor Trammell.
The Astros tallied 15 hits overall with 4 HR and 2 doubles.
THREE TIMES A CHARM!: Yesterday’s game marked the 8th time in franchise history that the Astros have homered in 3 consecutive plate appearances.
The last time was in a 4-3 win vs. TEX on July 19, 2019.
Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez went back-to-back-to-back in the 3rd inning of that game, all vs. LHP Mike Minor.
CLOSE CALLS: The Astros are 15-10 in 2-run games, 8-4 in 1-run games and 4-4 in extra innings.
THE SLOW TURNAROUND: Over the last month(May 21-June 23), the Astros are 18-12 (.600), which is the 2nd-best record in the AL in that span.
RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 5 of 7 and 7 of their last 11 games.
HISTORIC HOMERS: Per Elias, Yordan Alvarez’ 25 HR are tied for the 3rd-most in franchise history through the club’s 1st 81 games.
The record for HR through the club’s 1st 81 games is 27, set by Lance Berkman in 2002.
Most HR thru 81 Team Games 27 – L. Berkman, 2002 26 – J. Bagwell, 1994 & 1999 25 – Yordan Alvarez, 2026
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid 1st half to his season, currently leading all of baseball with a 1.076 OPS.
Additionally, he leads the AL in batting avg. (.325), SLG (.640), OBP (.436) and TB (185), is T-1st in HR (25) and T-2nd in RBI (56).
Alvarez, who was the AL Player of the Month for May, is hitting .397 (29×73) in June with 5 HR and 17 RBI with a 1.152 OPS (.494 OBP/.658 SLG).
ALL-STAR VOTING: Yordan Alvarez leads all AL DH’s in All-Star voting, per MLB’s update yesterday.
His 1,974,459 votes rank 2nd in the AL and 3rd overall in the Majors.
ROCKIN AT ROGERS: In his last 16 games at Rogers Centre, Yordan Alvarez has 7 HR and 16 RBI and is hitting .389 (21×54) in that span with an .852 SLG and a 1.359 OPS.
PEN PALS: Since May 15, the Astros bullpen has been one of the best in the AL, posting a 2.82 clip (41ER/131IP) in that span…the Astros are 21-15 since May 15.
OKERT’S 0’S: LHP Steven Okert has not allowed a run in his last 16.0 innings, which is the longest scoreless streak by an Astros hurler this season.
His streak, which spans 13 apps., is the longest cons. inning scoreless streak since RHP AJ Blubaugh recorded 22.1 cons. scoreless innings from Aug. 23, 2025-March 26, 2026.
HADERADE: In his 9 appearances since coming of the IL on June 3, opponents are just 2×29 off LHP Josh Hader.
Hader has posted a 1.00 ERA (1ER/9IP) and is 5-for-5 in save opportunities (.069 opp. avg., .033 WHIP).
THE LAMMA!: RHP Peter Lambert’s 4 wins since May 24 are tied for tops in the AL in that span.
In his 6 starts in the time frame, he is 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA (Astros are 5-1 in those starts)
TAPPING FOR SUCCESS: Astros batters have won an MLB-best 56 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (60%).
Isaac Paredes (9-for-9) has the most successful challenges in the Majors without losing one.
Jose Altuve has been successful on 14-of-19 challenges (74%), ranking 2nd in the Majors in successful challenges.
ROSTER MOVE: Effective today, the Astros have recalled LHP Colton Gordon from Triple A Sugar Land.
RHP Logan VanWey was optioned to Triple A Sugar Land following yesterday’s game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, June 24, 6:07 p.m. CT
Location: Rodgers Centre, Toronto, ON
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
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Baseball’s best rivalry is back on.
Starting Thursday, June 25, Cody Bellinger’s New York Yankees will visit Willson Contreras’ Boston Red Sox for a four-game series at Beantown’s historic Fenway Park.
If you’d like to see the longtime adversaries duke it out on the diamond live, last-minute tickets are still available for all four contests in the City of Notions.
At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on seats for any one game was $79 including fees on SeatGeek.
The other three showdowns have seats starting anywhere from $82 to $118 including fees.
Make sure to use promo code NYPOST10 for $10 off purchases over $250 at checkout (Editor’s Note: this discount is only valid for users’ first purchase on SeatGeek).
In their last two-game series at Yankee Stadium — they were supposed to play three but the June 6 game was postponed due to rain — the Pinstripes and BoSox split their pair of Bronx battles.
Contreras homered and drove in three runs while Sonny Gray twirled 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball to lead Boston on June 5. Then, two days later, New York got their revenge with a defiant 6-1 victory behind impressive efforts from Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm who both went yard.
And, now, let’s zoom out for a second.
Outside of the day-to-day of the 2026 regular season, going to a Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park is an essential, potentially magical bucket list item for any baseball fan.
“My first experience at Fenway was an excellent one…because the ballpark is magnificent to watch a ballgame in,” Pinstripe Alley reported after seeing the rivals live in August 2023.
They added “the sun setting behind the third-base side looked like it could have been from a painting, and even though the Boston fans around us may have been annoyed that the Yankees were winning and we were happy, they were game to partake in the rivalry repartee as well. Being around people who enjoyed baseball just as much as we do enhanced the experience.”
We’ll see ya on Jersey Street.
For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about seeing the Yankees and Red Sox at Fenway Park below.
How much are the cheapest tickets to see the Yankees vs. Red Sox at Fenway Park?
A complete breakdown of all the best prices on tickets for the Yankees and Red Sox four games at Fenway Park are listed here:
Yankees vs. Red Sox Fenway dates
Ticket prices start at
Thursday, June 25 7:10 p.m.
$90(including fees)
Friday, June 26 7:10 p.m.
$79(including fees)
Saturday, June 27 1:10 p.m.
$118(including fees)
Sunday, June 28 7:20 p.m.
$82(including fees)
Yankees 2026 home game tickets
At the moment, Aaron Boone’s Yankees are sitting at 47-31, three games up on the scrappy Tampa Bay Rays in the competitive AL East.
And, while that’s certainly exciting, we’re most jazzed about all the amazing giveaways the team has planned for the rest of the year.
To make sure you’re fully up to speed on which games include special trinkets with your tickets (and Old-Timer’s Day!), here are all the remaining 2026 Yankees giveaways and special dates.
Yankees 2026 giveaways
Twins vs. YankeesFriday, July 3 Fireworks Night
Twins vs. YankeesSaturday, July 4 Yankees 4th of July Cap Day
Pirates vs. YankeesMonday, July 20 Yankees T-Shirt Night
Braves vs. YankeesSaturday, Aug. 8 Old-Timers’ Day
Blue Jays vs. YankeesFriday, Aug. 21 Cody Bellinger Bobblehead Night
Blue Jays vs. YankeesSaturday, Aug. 22 Hello Kitty Yankees Bobblehead Day
Astros vs. YankeesThursday, Aug. 27 George Costanza Calzone Bobblehead Night
Orioles vs. YankeesFriday, Sept. 25 Josh Hart Yankees Bobblehead Night
Orioles vs. YankeesSaturday, Sept. 26 CC Sabathia Night
Note: Most freebies will be given to the first 18,000 fans. There are exceptions so make sure to arrive at the ballpark early.
Prefer a home game without giveaways? You can find the Yankees’ complete 2026 schedule here.
Huge 2026 concerts
Hoping to catch a concert or three this year, too?
If the answer is a resounding yes, here are just a few you won’t want to miss these next few months.
• RUSH
• Bon Jovi
• Phish
• Gorillaz
• Wu-Tang Clan
Plus, JAŸ-Z has three concerts at Yankee Stadium from July 10-12 celebrating the anniversaries of his landmark albums “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Blueprint.” We’re already counting down the days.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
The former San Francisco Giants player has gone crazy online in a lengthy homophobic rant against his ex-team’s Pride Night debacle. Getty ImagesHe didn’t pull any punches when it came to his thoughts on general manager Buster Posey’s befuddled response. Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
“I can pretty much guarantee you I know exactly what Buster wants to say about having to answer irrelevant non-Baseball questions that pertain to the sexual preference within the LGBTQ fudge packing community,” Huff began.
“You know how I know what he wants to say? Because it’s exactly what I, & most every single player, coach, & front office executive who were part of the @SFGiants World Series dynasty teams that brought the city 3 World Series titles in 5 years would say. And say confidently into the camera…..” he added.
“I’m not wearing this gay bulls–t. Queers don’t watch Baseball anyway. They watch The View, enjoy therapy, & fudge packing sessions. And anyone inside the LGBTQ community, or those who support them don’t like what I just said, then I say to you…. Go f–k yourselves, & eat a d–k. And I mean that in the most literal sense,” he said.
Huff, who played first base for the Giants from 2010 to 2012, and was part of their World Series winning team in 2010 and 2012, is known for his controversial statements online.
This caused a major backlash from media and politicians alike. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley demanded answers from Manfred and Vice President JD Vance publicly condemned the league.
In response to Hawley, Manfred said the Giants failed to clearly tell players they could wear standard hats instead of Pride caps. The Giants then issued a statement supporting the LGBTQ+ community while also respecting personal beliefs.
Days later, the DOJ referred the matter to the EEOC for a potential religious discrimination review, while LGBTQ+ advocates protested outside Oracle Park over the players’ actions and the team’s response.
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For the first time since April 22, Francisco Lindor will be in the Mets' lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said before the first game that the Mets "anticipate him being active for tonight's game" following his stint on the injured list as he recovered from a calf strain, and he confirmed after the 10-3 loss that Lindor will indeed start.
In 24 games this season, Lindor owns a .226/.314/.355 slash line with two home runs, five RBI, and 14 runs scored.
"We missed him, obviously," Mendoza said. "His presence in the lineup everyday, on and off the field, how much he connects with guys in that locker room, the defense the bat -- he's been missed, obviously. We need him."
With Lindor returning as the starting shortstop, Bo Bichette will slide over back over to third base, but the Mets will need to take things slow with Lindor, likely giving him a day off on Thursday.
"There are going to be some off days here. If he plays today, he's probably going to be down tomorrow," Mendoza said. "... We'll see where we're at, but there are definitely going to be some off days here in the early going as we continue to build him up."
This game looked tough due to the Mets young ace Nolan McLean starting. And in fact, it did not start out that way, with the Mets taking a 3-0 fourth-inning lead with two homers off Javier Assad.
But these are the suddenly offensively surging Cubs, and they hit three home runs and won the opener of the split doubleheader against the Mets, 10-3. Dansby Swanson led the home-run barrage with a pair, including a grand slam. It was the Cubs’ eighth win in their last 11 games.
Assad matched McLean with zeroes over the first three innings, though Assad got himself in trouble with a couple of walks in the second. He got out of that with a double play and then a strikeout of former Cub Jared Young [VIDEO].
The Mets got on the board against Assad in the bottom of the fourth. After a single by Bo Bichette, Young homered, followed by a long ball from Francisco Alvarez to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.
Michael Busch’s fifth-inning home run was the Cubs’ 93rd of the year but 12th that tied the score.
It was just the fourth of those with a runner on base. Seiya Suzuki and Michael Conforto homered with two aboard, at home vs. the Reds and at the White Sox, respectively. Pete Crow-Armstrong did it with one on at home vs. the Reds. All came between May 4 and 17.
The last four had been with the bases empty.
Busch’s today was his third game-tying shot, matching PCA for the most. Alex Bregman and Ian Happ have hit two. The three-run blasts were the only ones by Conforto and Suzuki.
The Cubs have hit 25 go-ahead homers.
Assad finished five innings, allowing five hits and three runs. Really, the only mistakes he made were the home-run balls.
More on Assad’s outing from John:
Javier Assad’s start was the first by a Cub since 1901 of exactly 5.0 innings in which the pitcher gave up three runs on five hits, walked two and struck out five.
Ferguson Jenkins had two games with all the criteria except the two walks. They came a little more than three months apart, May 20 and Aug 23, 1983, both at home vs. the Reds, and he walked none in both.
Sixteen Cubs had starts with all the criteria but not five strikeouts. The most recent was by Edwin Jackson, at home vs. the Pirates, on June 20, 2014. He struck out eight, most in any of the 16 starts. Chris Volstead, with six on April 9, 2012, vs. the Brewers, was the only other one with more than four.
The Cubs then took the lead in the top of the sixth. With one out, Nico Hoerner doubled (good to see him hitting again!). One out later, Miguel Amaya singled, with Nico stopping at third.
Ryan Rolison threw a scoreless sixth and Caleb Thielbar, who has scuffled lately, threw a scoreless seventh.
Then Swanson and the Cubs put the game away in the eighth. Ian Happ and Hoerner led off the inning with walks. Pedro Alvarez laid down a successful sac bunt, moving the runners to second and third. Then Miguel Amaya was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
For Swanson, this was the second seven-RBI game of his career and first as a Cub. More on Swanson’s slam from John:
Dansby Swanson’s grand slam was the fourth of his career and second as a Cub. The first was Aug. 26, 2024, at Pittsburgh.
It was the Cubs’ fourth this season and third in two weeks, after Seiya Suzuki on June 11 at Colorado and Carson Kelly on June 19 at home vs. the Blue Jays.
The Cubs hit five last year. Swanson’s was the last of six in 2024.
They have hit 365 in the regular season since 1876 and 341 since 1901. Swanson’s was No. 155 on the road. They have been hit by 213 different players.
As noted on the Marquee broadcast, Swanson is the third Cub to have a three-run homer and grand slam in the same game. The others: Kyle Schwarber on July 28, 2019 against the Brewers and Derrek Lee on July 2, 2009, also against the Brewers. Perhaps this is a good sign for the upcoming Brewers series.
Through the game of last Tuesday against the Rockies, Swanson was batting .175/.281/.306. Over his last five games since then: .444/.500/1.222 (8-for-18) with two doubles, four home runs, 14 (!) RBI and just two strikeouts. He’s raised his season BA to .194 and his season OPS to .670 over that five-game span. Here’s hoping that hot streak continues.
Tyler Ferguson, who was called up as the 27th man for the doubleheader, finished up with two scoreless innings.
As you know, the injury to Ben Brown is yet another blow to a starting rotation that’s had almost nothing but injuries this year. They’ll have to scramble to find starting pitchers after Thursday (when Matthew Boyd returns from an IL stint) and Friday (when Colin Rea should go against the Brewers). But if the offense keeps clicking like this… maybe the Cubs can keep winning even while trying to cobble together a rotation.
The Cubs are now five games over .500 for the first time since May 30, meaning they’re 10-10 since then. Not great, but much better than they were in the 20 games previous to that (5-15). Things are trending in the right direction.
The rest of this post contains the particulars for the second game of today’s doubleheader. At the time of this recap lineups were not available for the nightcap, so please check BCB social media for the lineups. Here’s the pitching matchup and other info.
Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Sean Manaea, LHP
Shōta Imanaga’s tale of three seasons in one:
Phase 1, first nine starts: 54.1 IP, 2.32 ERA, 0.906 WHIP, 2.82 FIP, five HR Phase 2: next four starts: 21.2 IP, 10.80 ERA, 1.521 WHIP, 10.16 FIP, 12 HR Phase 3: next two starts: 10.2 IP, 0.84 ERA, 0.938 WHIP, 2.06 FIP, no HR
So which is the real Imanaga? Yes, the last two starts were against the awful Rockies, but Colorado does have some decent hitters and Shōta got out of Coors Field without allowing a home run.
So, ¯_(ツ)_/¯.
Imanaga’s last start vs. the Mets was Sept. 25, 2025 at Wrigley Field and trust me, you do not want to look at that boxscore link. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Imanaga has pitched against the Mets three times and one of those three was a seven-inning scoreless outing at Citi Field in 2024. Given his career ERA of 10.34 in those three starts, you can guess how awful the other one was.
Hopefully, Imanaga will channel that 2024 start today.
Sean Manaea has been mostly a reliever for the Mets this year until he was moved into the rotation replacing David Peterson, because Peterson had been mostly awful.
Manaea’s two starts have been pretty good — four earned runs in 11.1 innings and only one home run allowed in two games against pretty good hitting teams (Braves and Phillies).
He threw four innings against the Cubs April 17 at Wrigley Field, entering when the Cubs were ahead 7-3. By the time he was done the Cubs led 12-4 and, among other things, he had served up a two-run homer to Ian Happ.
Please visit our SB Nation Mets site Amazin’ Avenue. If you do go there to interact with Mes fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
George Lombard Jr. of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders reacts during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Hard to believe, but the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have reached the midpoint of their season.
The New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate wrapped up first-half play in the International League with a record of 37-37. That was good for 12th in the 20-team standings, 9.5 games behind the first-half champion Memphis Redbirds (47-28). The RailRiders began second-half play Tuesday with a six-game series in Indianapolis.
There were plenty of highlights during the first half. the biggest came June 5th at NBT Bank Stadium in New York when Brendan Beck and Carson Coleman combined to no-hit the Syracuse Mets, 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise history and the third done in nine innings; the other four were seven-inning games.
Beck certainly is making a case as a contender for International League Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander, who is the Yankees’ No. 21 prospect, is tied for the league lead in wins with seven with Trenton Denholm of the Columbus Clippers and Memphis Redbirds reliever Luis Gastelum. He tops the league in ERA at 3.22; innings pitched with 81.0; and strikeouts with 86. He is second in WHIP at 1.04 and opponents’ batting average at .197. Twice during the first half, Beck was named the IL’s Pitcher of the Week: May 11-17 and June 1-8.
Another highlight came May 16th when Gerrit Cole made his final rehab start in his return from reconstructive elbow surgery in March 2025. Facing the Syracuse Mets, he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed one run on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches, 56 for strikes, and topped out with a four-seam fastball at 99.6 mph.
On April 29th, George Lombard Jr., the No. 1 prospect in the Yankees organization, was promoted to the RailRiders from Double-A Somerset. In his first month, Lombard struggled some batting just .192 (20-for-104) in 27 games in the month of May with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
June has been a different story, however. He has hit safely in 11 of 14 games so far during the month, including his last nine, and is batting .306 (15 for 49) with seven doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. Unfortunately, he was placed on the injured list June 18 when sprained two fingers on his left hand during a game in Columbus when he had to reach into a sliding runner to field a throw on a stolen base attempt.
Several RailRiders were ranked among the league leaders at the midway point.
Right-hander Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect, ranks second in strikeouts (80), third in opponents’ batting average (.210), fourth in WHIP (1.29) and fifth in ERA (3.96). Lagrange is being converted from a starting pitcher to a reliever.
Relief pitcher Yovanny Cruz is tied for fourth in the league in wins with five out of the bullpen. He also has two saves.
Yanquiel Fernández is tied for seventh in home runs with 16 and tied for 13th in RBIs with 46. He is batting .253 (59-for-233) in 59 games and was the International League Player of the Week for May 18-24. With Fernández leading the way, the RailRiders hit 101 home runs in the first half to rank fifth in the league.
Despite currently being in the major leagues with the Yankees, Spencer Jones is eighth in the league with 48 RBIs. Oswaldo Cabrera leads the RailRiders with 68 hits, which is 16th in the league. In June, he has hit safely in 15 of 17 games and is batting .388 (26 for 67) and three doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs. Overall, he is hitting .266 (68 for 256) in 67 games with 10 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 33 RBIs.
Jonathan Ornelas ranks ninth in the league in batting average at .311 (60 for 193) with 11 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs in 59 games.
Duke Ellis is second in stolen bases with 30, trailing only Braiden Ward of the Worcester Red Sox, who has 32.
Last season, the RailRiders won 17 of the first 20 games in the second half on their way to the second-half title and a berth in the International League Championship Series. They’re hoping that can happen again this season.
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 09: Justin Lawrence #31 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Izzy Rincon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Clearly, Paul Toboni and the front office knew that they needed to shake up the bullpen in some way. It started with demoting Paxton Schultz for Carson Palmquist. Now, the Nats claimed veteran righty Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Twins. Lawrence has had a rough year, but has been successful in the past and has good stuff.
The Nationals have claimed RHP Justin Lawrence off outright waivers from the Minnesota Twins and have designated RHP Jhancarlos Lara for assignment.
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) June 24, 2026
When you look at Lawrence’s stuff, it is easy to see the appeal. He averages 95.5 MPH on his fastball which comes from a side arm delivery. Having a sidearmer who throws in the mid to upper 90’s is really unique. Lawrence also has a sweeper that has a ton of break. Hitters are whiffing over 45% of the time against that sweeper.
If you look at Lawrence’s 2026 numbers, this move is a bit baffling. The right hander has an ERA over 8 and a FIP over 7. Walks and home runs have been huge issues for the righty this season. Despite his putrid performance this season, clearly the front office sees something in him.
He throws hard from a sidearm slot, gets strikeouts and was good last year… Don't look at the other numbers https://t.co/3vYrKJxFtv
Lawrence also has some success in his past. Back in 2023, he posted a 3.72 ERA in 69 outings in the Rockies bullpen. A 3.72 ERA is normally not anything special for a reliever, but that is a really good number in Coors Field. His ERA+ that year was 134, meaning he was 34% better than the league average pitcher when you account for the home field.
When he got out of Coors Field, Lawrence was outstanding when he pitched in 2025. He only appeared in 17 games due to injuries, but his ERA in 2025 was 0.51 in 17.2 innings. However, after a rough start for the Pirates this year, he was DFA’d. The 31 year old was picked up by the Twins, but things only got worse for him in Minnesota, allowing 12 runs in 6 innings.
For a Nats bullpen that desperately needs stuff, Lawrence can provide that. Even this season, he is striking out over 25% of hitters. When he is in the zone, Lawrence can be nasty. However, throwing strikes and missing barrels has been a problem this year.
I wonder what kind of tweaks the Nats will try and make with Lawrence. Maybe they see something mechanically that could help him find the zone more. His side arm delivery is probably tough to repeat when things aren’t going well. The Nats could also up his sweeper usage. Last year, he threw the pitch 50% of the time, but that number is down to 41% this year. The issue is, it is tougher to spam sweepers when you are constantly behind in the count.
Lawrence is out of options, so he will be joining the big league club right away. I would assume he will arrive tomorrow. This is another low risk flier from Toboni, but if Lawrence continues to be as wild as he has been, this experiment could be short lived. Hopefully the Nats can get Lawrence back to his best because his ceiling is high.
NEW YORK — Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera were placed on the injured list, delivering two more blows for the pitching-depleted Chicago Cubs.
Cabrera was expected to get imaging after straining his left hamstring/adductor stretching for a throw at first base during a 9-6 win over the New York Mets.
Brown has a neck strain. He is 4-2 with one save and a 1.85 ERA for the Cubs, including 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA in eight starts since joining the banged-up rotation May 8.
The Cubs have six starters sidelined, though opening day starter Matthew Boyd (left meniscus) is scheduled to come off the injured list and start in Brown’s spot.
“We’re getting a guy that pitched opening day back for us, so that’s a big deal,” Craig Counsell said. “Those are important players to get healthy and get in your rotation.”
Jameson Taillon (strained left hamstring) is on the 15-day injured list. Counsell said the 34-year-old is progressing well and could throw off a mound soon.
Cade Horton is out for the year after having Tommy John surgery, while Justin Steele is on the 60-day IL recovering from his 2025 Tommy John surgery and a left flexor strain. General manager Jed Hoyer said Steele likely won’t return to the rotation this year.
Prior to their game against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night, the Yankees placed Ryan McMahon on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to June 22) with throat infection.
In a corresponding move, the team recalled utility man Oswaldo Cabrera from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Wednesday's game will be Cabrera's first in the major leagues since he suffered a season-ending left ankle fracture on May 12, 2025.
Working his way back to the bigs, Cabrera was optioned to Triple-A at the end of spring training and has played 68 games with the RailRiders this season, hitting .271 with seven home runs, 10 doubles, and 35 RBI. Although, the switch-hitter has been on fire as of late -- hitting .331 with an .858 OPS over his last 45 games in the minors.
He will likely take over McMahon's spot at third base for the time being, having played a majority of his minor league games at the position (30). If manager Aaron Boone opts to use him in a different spot, it shouldn't be much of a problem as Cabrera has also seen action at first base, second base, shortstop (13 games), left field, and right field this season.
McMahon last played on June 21 and had been struggling at the plate, hitting just .176 with a home run and two RBI over his last seven games. Overall, he's hitting .210 with eight home runs, four doubles, and 23 RBI over 69 games.
