Category: Baseball

The enterprise of selecting the top 50 Seattle Mariners in the franchise’s history is a fun and challenging one. As such, we let our staff take a few cracks at it. Some folks leapt at it, while others are more eager to pick through the official list in the next few days when it’s revealed Saturday night. Below, we’ve got a few lists, each with variable criteria, along with some explanations and tiers from a few members of the staff, and we’ll be glad to hear your thoughts as well.

Grant:

So here’s the thing: if you’re reading this, you know that the Seattle Mariners just haven’t been that good over 50 seasons. We’ve had three different high points (1995, 2001, 2025), a few other playoff seasons, and lots of mediocrity sprinkled in.

Perhaps, then, it doesn’t surprise you that putting together a top 50 list leans on the nostalgia. There are some genuinely great players on this list; there are also some who played 3 seasons with the team or who have <= 8 WAR. We have five different batting title winners, and we have kinda mid second basemen/utility men.

My list isn’t in order outside of my top 10, and if you try this on your own, you will also find out how challenging it is once you hit #30 or so. But as you go down this list, no matter what, you’ll stumble across some players who make you smile, who lifted your spirits on summer weeknights driving home after a long shift, who drove you just a little crazy, who made you stand and applaud, who made you cry. You might find your kid’s first ever favorite player or the one who you’d bond over with your parents.

Yes, this team has been bad for much of its existence, and yes, baseball is nearly unbearable right now if you’re a Mariners fan. But as Dave Niehaus said, it fills our days and brightens our nights, and these 50 folks epitomize this team.

Welcome back, baseball. Stay forever.

Top 10

1. Ken Griffey Jr.
2. Ichiro
3. Felix Hernandez
4. Edgar Martinez
5. Randy Johnson
6. Dave Niehaus
7. Alex Rodriguez
8. Rick Rizzs
9. Julio Rodriguez
10. Lou Piniella

Honorable Mention

11. Kyle Seager

Amazing, but not known as elite for the Mariners

12. Robinson Cano
13. Edwin Diaz
14. Adrian Beltre

Close but no cigar…yet

15. Cal Raleigh
16. Logan Gilbert
17. George Kirby
18. Bryan Woo
19. Andres Muñoz
20. Jerry Dipoto

Simply, Truly Good Players

21. Mitch Haniger
22. Nelson Cruz
23. Hisashi Iwakuma
24. James Paxton
25. Marco Gonzales
26. J.P. Crawford

Early Days

27. Mark Langston
28. Alvin Davis
29. Mike Moore
30. Phil Bradley
31. Harold Reynolds
32. Floyd Bannister
33. Bruce Bochte
34. Dave Valle

2001 Immortality

35. Jamie Moyer
36. Bret Boone
37. Freddy Garcia
38. Kazuhiro Sasaki
39. Mike Cameron
40. John Olerud

1995 Immortality

41. Jay Buhner
42. Dan Wilson
43. Jeff Nelson

Nostalgia in Some Way or Another

44. Jose Lopez
45. Franklin Gutierrez
46. Mike Zunino
47. Mark McLemore
48. J.J. Putz
49. Luis Castillo
50. Diego Segui

John:

I love a list. It’s one of the delightful parts of prospect writing, gathering all the names together to consider what sets one player apart from another and whether they deserve clear demarcation. For my list, I’ve only selected players, and while I considered exclusively ruling on players I’ve seen myself, I ultimately opted to follow my heart and those I’ve read about enough to feel a connection to. I’ve broken them out in tiers that made sense to me in the moment, but they are hardly steadfast in terms of their true ordering.

The Hall of Famers

1. Ichiro Suzuki
2. Edgar Martinez
3. Félix Hernández
4. Ken Griffey Jr.
5. Randy Johnson

Seattle Royalty

6. Kyle Seager
7. Jamie Moyer
8. Jay Buhner
9. Julio Rodríguez
10. Alvin Davis

Meteoric

11. Alex Rodríguez
12. Cal Raleigh
13. Mike Cameron

Held it Down When Things Were Grim

14. Harold Reynolds
15. J.P. Crawford

Me and Félix’s Favorite Pitcher

16. Freddy Garcia

Era-Defining Stars With Warts

17. Bret Boone
18. Robinson Canó

Game 161

19. Nelson Cruz

Game 163 (sorry Mark, you were great here too but it was too easy)

20. Mark Langston

Boron Rods in the Reactor

21. Dan Wilson
22. Logan Gilbert
23. Raúl Ibañez

Free Agents That Worked Out

24. John Olerud
25. Adrian Beltré
26. Hisashi Iwakuma

Mike Zunino

27. Mike Zunino

Pitchers I Never Saw But Made the Early Mariners Less Awful

28. Mike Moore
29. Erik Hanson

The Guys Who Were Luckier Than Kyle Lewis

30. Mitch Haniger
31. Franklin Gutierrez

Relievers Who Fuck

32. Arthur Rhodes
33. Kazuhiro Sasaki
34. Andrés Muñoz
35. J.J. Putz
36. Edwin Díaz
37. Mike Jackson

Era-Defining Starting Pitchers

38. Luis Castillo
39. James Paxton
40. Marco Gonzales

Hitters I Never Saw But Made the Early Mariners Less Awful

41. Phil Bradley
42. Tom Paciorek
43. Ken Phelps
44. Bruce Bochte

Good Vibes Iron Men

45. Eugenio Suárez
46. Dave Valle

I Am Tired Of Everyone Trying To Trade You

47. George Kirby

The First Mariner (Julio Cruz should get to be here too)

48. Ruppert Jones

Relievers I Joked About Putting On But No, They Actually Deserve It

49. Jeff Nelson
50. Tom Wilhelmsen

Kate:

This is a vibes-based list, hand-written and transported with haste to the world wide web for you all to enjoy. It leans on going through year after year and seeing the top performers in each individual season, which was an interesting exercise in seeing what had to sustain many, many years of this club.

1. Griffey
2. Ichiro
3. Edgar
4. Felix
5. Randy Johnson
6. Alvin Davis
7. A-Rod
8. Jay Buhner
9. Ruppert Jones
10. Dan Wilson
11. Nelson Cruz
12. Kyle Seager
13. Dave Henderson
14. Ken Phelps
15. Freddy Garcia
16. Hisashi Iwakuma
17. Mark Langston
18. Harold Reynolds
19. James Paxton
20. Julio
21. Cal
22. Bret Boone 
23. Jamie Moyer
24. Kaz Sasaki
25. Brandon League
26. Norm Charlton
27. Logan Gilbert
28. Mike Moore
29. Phil Bradley
30. J.P. Crawford
31. Julio Cruz
32. Robinson Canó
33. Mike Cameron
34. Franklin Gutierrez
35. Spike Owen
36. Bruce Bochte
37. Tom Wilhelmsen
38. Adrian Beltre
39. Tom Paciorek
40. Joel Pinero
41. Joey Cora
42. Scott Bankhead
43. Erik Hanson
44. Kenji Johjima
45. Mark McLemore
46. Bill Swift
47. Dave Valle
48. Henry Cotto
49. Raúl Ibañez
50. Eugenio Suárez

The San Diego Padres looked to upgrade their depleted starting rotation at Monday’s trade deadline. In the final hours, the front office acquired Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants and Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers.

However, both pitchers were less than impressive in their first start in new surroundings. Ray’s control betrayed him in last night’s 6-3 defeat. The southpaw allowed four runs on seven hits, walked five batters and struck out two in five lackluster innings.

With this loss, the Padres fall two games behind in the National League Wild Card race.

Taking the mound: Peter Lambert (HOU) vs Michael King (SD)

San Diego will turn to Michael King (6-8, 3.45 ERA) to get the team back on their winning ways in the second game of the three-game set. He has been solid all season, but King put together his best statistical month in July. 

In five starts, he went 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA. But one stat that should bring a smile to the Friar Faithful is that King went six innings in four of the five starts. His pitching repertoire is finally coming together and becoming an effective arsenal. 

King’s mix of the changeup, four-seam fastball, and sweeper has kept batters off balance during at-bats. You can tell the right-hander is pitching well when he induces ground-ball outs. King is near his normal career rate (43.3%).

If he can generate swing-and-misses or weak contact, it will be a long day for the Stros hitters.

The Astros are sending out Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.06 ERA) to secure a series victory today. The right-hander has been the one constant in an ever-changing starting rotation, as Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCuller Jr., and Tatsuya Imai were either dealt away or shuffled out of the rotation this season.

The road to becoming a quality starting pitcher has not been easy for Lambert. He struggled with the Colorado Rockies after they drafted him in the second round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. The right-hander went 8-19 with a 6.28 ERA before the organization released him after the 2024 season. 

His return to the majors began with a season in Japan. Lambert made some adjustments to his delivery and began working from a different spot on the rubber. He has been outstanding, as lowering his arm angle has made his sinker and cutter more effective in the strike zone. 

The results increased his innings pitched, from 89.1 with the Rockies to 124.1 in Japan, and improved his strikeout numbers (111 batters in 24 starts). In 2026, Lambert has struck out 108 batters and held opposing teams to a .206 batting average in 19 starts. 

His signing may have been the best under-the-radar move this winter. 

Today’s lineup

The Mets and Carson Benge received the results of the imaging on his wrist Saturday and things look encouraging.

Although Benge isn't in the Mets' starting lineup for the second of their three-game set with the Pirates, the youngster gave an update on his status and how he's feeling.

"Everything came back positive. Should be back in there within a few days," Benge said. "Nothing too serious, thankfully."

Benge said he's still a little sore, but is feeling better than he did in Friday's series opener. And who could blame him?

In the third inning, Benge made a feet-first slide into the left field corner at PNC Park. Benge stuck his glove out and caught the ball, but jammed his wrist against the wall. Benge was hunched over for a few seconds before finishing up the half-inning. 

Benge said he knew something didn't feel right, but after about 10 seconds the pain went away and he was able to finish. But once he got back to the dugout, the adrenaline was gone and he felt the pain again. The Mets then pulled Benge from the game and the X-rays after came back negative.

"He’s in a good spot. He has a bone bruise, don’t believe it’s significant," interim manager Andy Green said Saturday. "We’re going to let him breathe today, see where he’s at tomorrow. Make determinations on how quickly we can get him back. We do believe at this point in time we’ve avoided an IL stint. That can change once he starts hitting again and feels it more, but we expect him to be in a good spot in a day or so." 

Benge was already 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI before he was pulled and has picked up his offense of late.

Over his last 15 games, Benge is slashing .328/.371/.517 with two home runs and eight RBI. 

So while he wants to be in the lineup, he understands he can still help the team in other ways.

"I always want to be in there every single day…I feel like this isn’t going to be something that’s going to take me a long time to come back from," Benge said. "Everyone plays a part, no matter who it is; if you're on the bench, just being a good teammate. Everyone feeds off each other. Being able to pick up on that is pretty big."

Carson Benge makes the catch at the wall and gets the out! 😱 pic.twitter.com/gaS5jMgp2O

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 8, 2026

Earlier today, the Mets added Gabriel Arias to the big league roster. The newest Met will wear number 25, which was most recently worn by the since-traded Brooks Raley. To make room on the roster, the club sent Eric Wagaman down to Syracuse.

The Mets claimed Arias off waivers from Cleveland on Friday after his former club designated for assignment earlier this week. The 26-year-old has appeared in parts of five seasons for the Guardians and has experience at all four infield positions, making him a versatile option for New York. In 42 games this year before being DFA’ed, he hit .244/.284/.386 with five home runs, 13 runs scored, an 84 wRC+, and 0.5 fWAR.

Wagaman has been on the big league roster since being recalled to replace Juan Soto when the team’s star was placed on the IL back on July 26. However, he has only appeared in two big league games since then, going 1-for-3 in the team’s 1-0 loss to the Braves back on July 29 and picking up a hit and a run in two at-bats in the team’s 13-6 win over the Guardians on August 6. Wagaman is hitting .190/.277/.333 with a 74 wRC+ and -0.1 fWAR in 23 games for New York this season.

Friday, the Cubs got an excellent outing from one of their new starting pitcher acquisitions, Kevin Gausman.

Today, they will hope to get another such start from Clay Holmes, who was acquired from the Mets Monday. Holmes was activated from the 60-day injured list and added to the 26-man active roster to make the start against the Royals Saturday evening.

To make room for Holmes on the active roster, Braxton Garrett was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Garrett was acquired from the Marlins in a deadline deal and had been added to the active roster Thursday, but did not appear in a game. Garrett is coming off Tommy John surgery and has not appeared in a major league game this year. The consensus is that Garrett will compete for a rotation spot in 2027.

The Cubs’ 40-man roster is now full, and as always, we await developments.

How bad are the Los Angeles Dodgers right now? Let us count the ways.

Los Angeles has now dropped seven consecutive games, which coincides with the team making a huge acquisition in pitcher supreme Tarik Skubal.

This streak is the longest since the team dropped seven in a row back in July 2025. As a reminder, the Blue Crew lost 11 consecutive games in September 2017. But there is no way this iteration of the team can slide so far, right?

With so much promise on the mound and stars in the lineup, the Dodgers look perfectly inoculated from such a slump. But let's diagnose the issues from least troublesome to most glaring.

Dodgers slump: Panic time for Dodgers? Losing streak reaches 7 after Edwin Diaz blows save

Texas Rangers lineup for August 8, 2026 against the Baltimore Orioles: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Kyle Bradish for the O’s.

Texas will try to make it four games in a row and get back above .500 against the Orioles this evening.

The lineup:

Pederson — DH

Langford — LF

Seager — SS

Nimmo — RF

Duran — 3B

Carter — CF

Burger — 1B

Wynns — C

Lopez — 2B

6:15 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -145 favorites.

The Texas Rangers have activated pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the paternity list, the team announced today. To make room for Gore on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned relief pitcher Ben Peoples to AAA Round Rock.

Today was the deadline for Gore to be reinstated from the paternity list, so the only question was in regards to who would be bumped to make room for him. Peoples ends up the odd man out, due in large part, I imagine, to the fact he can be optioned.

Peoples has appeared in 12 games since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for A ball catcher Ben Hartl. In 12.1 innings he’s put up an impressive 2.19 ERA, though with a 6.25 FIP and 3.82 xERA. He has done a very good job avoiding walks, but he has just 6 Ks on the year, resulting in a 12.2% K rate, which is way below average. He’s also allowed three home runs this season.

I am sure that there will be complaints that the Rangers should have designated Cole Winn, who is out of options, for assignment. However, sending Peoples down allows the Rangers to keep both players in the organization for the time being, which is not insignificant, given the depth issues the Rangers have been dealing with in regards to their pitching staff.

Perhaps it’s appropriate that such a fiery and tumultuous personality as Ozzie Guillén will have his No. 13 jersey retired by the White Sox on the heels of Chicago’s first four-game losing streak of the season.

You almost have to wonder whether Ozzie will ask to speak to the team before he hits the field for his honor, because he’s not being immortalized by the White Sox today for his hitting or even his stellar defense, but his leadership and inspiration.

Because tonight is a Fox national broadcast, CHSN is throwing its full weight into honoring its pre- and postgame analyst. Kicking off at 3:30 p.m. CT is Honoring Ozzie, followed by Ozzie the Legend at 4:30 p.m and the retirement ceremony at 5:30 p.m.

Ashley Sanders will be writing up tonight’s game, but also providing coverage of Ozzie’s big day.

As someone who followed Ozzie as a player and covered him as a beat writer, allow me to share some memories. (All of you are encouraged to do the same, in the comments below.)

When Ozzie was acquired by the White Sox prior to the 1985 season, those of you who were around recall it was quite the controversial trade: Giving up a pitcher one year removed from the Cy Young, and a workhorse at that, for a scrawny, unknown shortstop who’d yet to sniff the bigs. But my enduring memory, as a young baseball player just entering his high school career, was my father highlighting a Tribune feature about Ozzie before he ever set foot on the field for the White Sox. The original may be lost, but here’s a microfilm version:

My dad became a White Sox fan because he chose Chico Carrasquel as his first baseball hero. (Carrasquel, of course, would become the first of a “Venezuelan connection” of shortstops on the South Side.) So perhaps seeing this young shortstop from the same country as Chico and Luis Aparicio stirred something in him, because he highlighted all of Ozzie’s quotes about the passion he has for the game. The effort my dad made, and Ozzie’s own words in the story, did inspire me, and I think I was a better player as a result.

Many years later, I wrote a book about Ozzie, after the 2005 title season. He was kind enough to contribute an introduction, although later in the process he asked me to hold it back. Given all the requests that were flooding his desk, he didn’t want to play favorites, certainly not to a relative unknown in the baseball writing world.

But I got to know Ozzie more as a person by covering him as part of the relentless march of the baseball season, where you are together with the players and even more so the manager for upwards of eight months of the year. For a man who was “the show” at all times, the leader of the White Sox despite no longer stepping between the lines, he had depth and caring. His surprising embrace and encouragement at the open of the Winter Meetings after the 2010 season I will never forget. His consideration of the work I was charged with doing on the beat (juggling quite a bit more than mere pregame notebooks and postgame recaps so common among my peers) was obvious. And his departure at the end of 2011, painful and still today a struggle to understand, was capped by an honest embrace, a promise to stay in touch, and an small exchange of gifts.

I have been lucky to engage with hundreds of athletes and coaches across baseball, basketball and hockey, among them a great many of my heroes. It’s fair to say that none of them impacted me professionally and connected with me personally more than Ozzie.

It is wonderful that Ozzie, with a nomadic personality but a heart that is all White Sox, receives this honor today.

As for the main feature tonight, Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal will be in uniform on the South Side after getting the call from Charlotte late after Friday night’s game, with Noah Schultz and David Sandlin the corresponding demotions. To make room on the 40-player roster (Smith needed to be added), the White Sox designated Triple-A reliever and fourth piece of the Garrett Crochet trade Wikelman González for assignment.

Charged with snapping the season-long four-game losing streak will be Anthony Kay, and he’s got a mother of a matchup facing Cleveland’s Gavin Williams:

Here’s the lineup that the White Sox will roll out against Williams:

Here’s Cleveland, who cares, as a team they suck, they lost three straight at home against the Mets! (And yes, what does that make the White Sox, after the Guards manhandled them, but ease up, it’s Ozzie Day lemme rant.)

It’s a Fox national game tonight, so coverage there begins with a 6 p.m. CT pregame, followed by a first pitch at 6:15. ESPN 1000 AM has the radio broadcast, as usual.

This has to be the latest I’ve been at T-Mobile Park in years, if not ever. It’s 11 pm, and I’m in my Yes We Canó t-shirt circa 2015, and people around me are cheering Stefen Romero.

It isn’t heaven, nor is it hell. Baby, it’s the Mariners Alumni Home Run Derby.

The whole thing is a fever dream, fueled by the fact they have yet to close the drink stands and DJ Pleno AKA Julio Rodríguez out in the ‘Pen. Many people, like me, have taken tonight as an opportunity to dig deep into their closets; I spot a Furbush jersey, a rogue Zunino, a DMo, multiple Ichiros and Randy Johnsons and Dave Valle himself, weaving lackadaisically through the concourse in the 4th inning. Between the 2-1 lackluster offense loss to the Rays and all these throwback tributes, it might as well be the early 2010s. Credit to the crowd, though, who seemed to almost universally hang around for the pomp and circumstance of the derby.

And say what you will about the Mariners on-field production, but they’ve always known how to put on a show. No expense was spared on pyrotechnics, with every homer getting the full home run treatment, alongside newly-installed flashing lights attached to all the walkway railings. The crowd roared increasingly loud for each contestant, coach and, of course, the commissioner (because obviously every derby needs a commissioner). My only quibble? No opportunity to stand and holler my head off for Nelson Cruz, one of said coaches. To call the assortment a who’s who of Mariners legends would do some a disservice, but it was definitely Some Guys of Remembering fame – Bucky Jacobsen, Stefen Romero, RyOn Healy, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Austin Nola – alongside legends like Mike Cameron and Ichiro.

The Derby itself was well-structured. Jacobsen was one of three pentagenarian participants, whose pro career was derailed by injury two decades ago. The one-time Banner Bank advertiser made good, scraping past the left field wall twice. It set the tone in the crowd and on the field, a combination of anxiety and relief coursing through the light-hearted nature. The fear of seeing true embarrassment from any of the participants was quelled one-by-one, with different standards for each hitter. For Jacobsen, a homer was enough, but he managed three big flies including an additional in the “Jackpot Round” where each homer was worth double.

For Nola, Healy, and Romero there were actual expectations. Nola was a big leaguer a season ago, and opted to coach the M’s bullpen instead of taking a minor league deal this spring. His swing looked much the same as it did nearly a decade ago in Seattle, lashing tasteful line drives over the fence with just enough pop to advance to the final round. Healy played in Korea in 2021 and was the youngest participant at 34, but was undermined in one of the night’s great surprises. Seeking an edge against a southpaw, the crowd erupted in delight as James Paxton trotted in to throw BP for what was quite clearly the first time in his life. Dealing in jeans, The Big Maple managed to generate a full whiff from Healy to the good-natured Oregonian’s chagrin. For his part, Romero was still a good hitter in the Mexican League in 2023, and is younger than current Triple-A Tacoma starter Casey Lawrence. As DJ Pleno grooved in The Pen, an increasingly giddy crowd delighted in big flies from the less-star-studded swingers. Sprinkled in was Crocodile Hunter cosplayer Ryan Rowland-Smith, who hammed it up to the extreme, tackling a stuffed crocodile on his way out and bat flipping two buzzer-beating homers to the glee of all attendees and his fellow broadcasters. He echoed the refrain so many of the contestants light-heartedly echoed: the joy of being able to do this in front of their families, including for many their children who’d been too young to see their playing careers. Mike Cameron has quite a different experience, having been able to watch his own son Daz reach MLB himself, but the 53 year old good-naturedly came up short.

The stage was set for the man everyone had stuck around to see, and Ichiro did not disappoint. Clubbing homers into the right field seats with the crowd willing every ball deeper, Ichiro came up just a single point short of advancing. And yet, even as many streamed to the exits while the final fly ball fell short, most stayed. The moment had earned itself. So often, Seattle has been denigrated rightly for drawing on nostalgia to a cloying, cynical degree. Empty rehashings of the magic of 1995 until the sweetness wears off like a cheap stick of gum. But silly as it felt, disappointing even, with a final between two role players from eras not likely to make many highlight reels, this event exceeded expectations. Bread and circuses get a bad rap, but this was at least bread, and folks, you can eat bread. With his back against the wall at a barrage of big flies by Nola, Stefen Romero ripped off homer after homer, building a crescendo of joy at something new from something old. No time taken, no bonus round needed, the former Oregon State Beaver elated his Portland-area youth team as they blasted through their bed-times to watch their coach take home the title.

As they presented Romero with his trophy, even I, who had held a grudge due to once being chastised by him on Twitter for saying he was bad, couldn’t help but cheer. It was a perfect distillation of what has always drawn me to the ballpark, regardless of the team’s record; the camaraderie and community of baseball.

Was it a perfect Home Run Derby? No, but it was a perfect(ly) Mariners night.

The 2026 Red Sox are now just the tenth team in MLB history to win 27 out of 30 games, and the first team in MLB history to have done so after being 10 or more games under .500 at the start of that 30-game stretch. This is unprecedented, unbelievable and… unterrible.

Can they keep it going tonight? The seemingly unstoppable Jake Bennett takes the mound against Gage Jump, whose name is much better than his stat line: 4.59 ERA, 66.2 IP, 73 K, 31 BB, 7 HR. Unfortunately, he got the better out of the Sox out on the West Coast, throwing six shutout innings in the only game the A’s would take from the Sox. Jarren Duran and Masatka Yoshida both take the bench against the lefty, with Jahmai Jones leading off at DH and Eli White making his first Red Sox start.

First Pitch: 4:10 PM

TV: NESN

Former All-Star pitcher Tommy John, whose innovative elbow surgery from more than 50 years ago has helped thousands of pitchers prolong their careers, sent an emotional message to the New York Yankees on Old-Timers' Day on Saturday, thanking the organization and the fans while acknowledging his failing health.

John, 83, who has battled bladder cancer and other ailments in recent years, reached out and expressed his gratitude to late Dr. Frank Jobe, late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Yankees fans.

"I want to thank the Yankees organization & the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends & fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career."

He concluded the message saying, "The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & said, 'Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.

"I’ve never forgotten those words. Thank you & God Bless."

On this 78th Old-Timers’ Day, Tommy John shares a message to his fans, former teammates, and the Yankees organization as he battles health issues from his home in Bradenton, Florida. pic.twitter.com/3lKUWHoaw0

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 8, 2026

John, a 288-game winner over a 26-year career, became synonymous with baseball elbow injuries when he underwent surgery performed by Dr. Jobe on Sept. 25, 1974, removing a tendon from John’s wrist, drilling four holes in the ulna and humerus bones of his left elbow, grafting the tendons together, and holding them in place with anchors.

It became one of the most innovative and influential surgeries in the history of sports medicine, performed on more than 3,000 pitchers.

It is now referred to simply as "Tommy John surgery."

"It’s amazing how many careers that surgery has saved," John told USA TODAY Sports two years ago. "It was just an experimental surgery. I would have tried many things to come back and pitch. I told Dr. Jobe, do whatever you can to fix it. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, hey, we gave it our best.

"Thank God it worked. It was such a blessing. The only thing I hate is that 50 years later, it’s needed more than ever, and that’s sad. You would think with modern training and techniques, pitchers wouldn’t need that surgery as much."

John went on to pitch for another 14 years while winning 164 more games.

He has frequently been asked why the surgery was named after him and not Dr. Jobe himself.

"I asked Frank about that," John said. "He was such a humble guy, but he told me that he was tired of saying 'ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery with the palmaris longus tendon.' It was easier for him to say, 'Oh, the surgery I performed on Tommy John.'

"It quickly just became, 'Tommy John surgery.'"

It soon became the surgery heard ‘round the baseball world.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy John says goodbye: Baseball icon shares emotional message on Yankees Old-Timers' Day

Old-Timers’ Day in The Bronx took on an unexpected somber tone when Tommy John released a statement through the Yankees in which he said “goodbye to everyone” as he battles health issues. 

“I want to thank the Yankees organization [and] the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends [and] fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.” 

The former Yankee — best known for being the first to undergo the elbow surgery that now bears his name — was remembered fondly by his former teammates Saturday at the Stadium. 

“He had almost 300 wins, on top of everything else he did,’’ Ron Guidry said. “It was great having him on the team. He was so knowledgeable. When we were together, we were pretty much 1-2 on the staff and having him around gave me great comfort. He could talk and it was nice to have him around because he would answer any question you had and he did so much in the game.” 

John had been an All-Star with the White Sox and was a standout with the Dodgers by the time he injured his UCL in 1974. 

At the time, that was seen as a likely career-ending injury, but Dodgers team physician Dr. Frank Jobe performed the procedure on John, then 31, in which the lefty’s elbow ligament was replaced. 

John missed the entire 1975 season, but returned a year later and pitched 14 seasons with the reconstructed elbow. 

In his statement, John also credited Jobe, who “saved my arm [and] made it possible for me to continue pitching. That surgery has gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today.” 

Of John’s 288 career victories — the highest total of anyone not in the Hall of Fame aside from scandal-scarred Roger Clemens — 164 came after his surgery. 

He signed with the Yankees for the first time prior to the 1979 season and was there until he was traded to the Angels midway through the 1982 season. 

John won more than 20 games in each of his first two years in The Bronx and returned in 1986. He remained with the Yankees through the rest of his major league career, which ended in 1989. 

John started 700 games in his career, the eighth most of all time, and his 4,710 ¹/₃ innings pitched are 19th on the all-time list. 

Rick Cerone played with — and caught — John and called him “a great competitor.’’ 

“He got better with age,’’ Cerone said. “That ball kept sinking and sinking.” 

Cerone also recalled John’s managing days, as John managed the Staten Island Yankees in 2004, as well as two seasons in the independent Atlantic League with Bridgeport. John also spent time as a broadcaster with the Yankees. 

“Tommy was tough to compete against and a terrific teammate,’’ Willie Randolph said. “We were just talking about him today. It’s shocking to hear he’s struggling and I’m praying for him.” 

The native of Terre Haute, Ind., also pitched for Cleveland, the Angels and A’s and finished second in the National League Cy Young vote in 1977 with the Dodgers, behind Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton, and in 1979 with the Yankees, trailing only Baltimore’s Mike Flanagan. 

John, in 2024, revealed he had bladder cancer, but it’s unclear if that is what he is dealing with now.

The Athletics have lost nine straight after getting blown out 13-1 by the Boston Red Sox in last night’s series opener. At 45-71, the A’s are tied for the worst record in the league. It wasn’t long ago that the team was sitting at .500, highlighting just how swift and extreme this collapse has been.

This afternoon, the A’s will look to stop the bleeding and avoid dropping their 10th in a row. Left-hander Gage Jump will get the start for the Green and Gold. The 23-year-old enters his 14th start of the season with a 4-7 record, a 4.59 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP and 73 strikeouts across 66 2/3 innings pitched.

The club’s top pitching prospect got off to a strong start, showcasing his tantalizing stuff during a dominant stretch to begin his major league career. However, Jump has struggled recently, perhaps running into a rookie wall as opposing teams have figured out how to attack the southpaw.

In Jump’s last outing against the Detroit Tigers, he took the loss after allowing six runs on four hits and six walks over just 3 2/3 innings. The start before that, he dominated these Red Sox hitters in Sacramento, striking out seven over six scoreless innings.

If the Athletics want to win a baseball game, they will need Jump to replicate that performance at Fenway Park, although the Red Sox will have a better idea of what to expect from the left-hander. A quality start would go a long way, especially after right-hander Jack Perkins’ short and poor start yesterday forced the team to ask more out of its struggling bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, the A’s shook things up down there.

Hayden Juenger returns to Triple-A after allowing four runs on five hits in the fourth inning of the series opener. Fellow right-handed reliever Yunior Tur takes his spot in the bullpen, looking to make the most of his second chance in the big leagues. It can only go up from here for Tur, who allowed 14 runs in his first two major league appearances a couple of weeks ago.

Here’s the Athletics’ lineup for this contest:

The Athletics will need more offense today, as keeping the Red Sox off the scoreboard will be a tall task for the pitching staff. For the third consecutive day, both of the team’s catchers are in the lineup, with Brian Serven taking over behind the plate.

Center fielder Henry Bolte’s speed and shortstop Jacob Wilson’s contact ability give the A’s a dynamic duo atop the lineup, but they have to actually get on base to make an impact. Meanwhile, will Lawrence Butler and Max Muncy continue being automatic outs, or will the two hitters finally make a positive impact for the team?

For the second straight day, A’s hitters will face a talented, young Red Sox left-hander whose stellar performance has been a significant factor in the team’s success. Jake Bennett enters his 13th start of the season with a 7-4 record, a 2.90 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 50 strikeouts over 71 1/3 innings pitched.

Bennett opposed Jump when these two teams squared off at the A’s home ballpark. In that game, the lone A’s win of the four-game series, the Red Sox left-hander took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings. This afternoon, Bennett will look to replicate the performance of his teammate Payton Tolle, who struck out 14 over six innings last night, while the A’s will look to beat him once again.

And Boston’s starting nine:

It is time to put an end to this misery and halt the Red Sox’s dream run. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

National – FS1

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

Set the clock back seven or eight years and this is the premier game of the weekend. Neither Gerrit Cole nor Chris Sale are fully the Cy Youngs they used to be, and yet they’re both still quite good in 2026. After a nailbiter of a win yesterday, Cole will look to give the Yankees another victory today, albeit one that doesn’t raise our collective blood pressure in the same way.

Let’s start with Sale, who is 37 with a 2.08 ERA and has been worth four wins already this season. The 15-year vet should be familiar to Yankee fans after stints with the White Sox and Red Sox, and indeed that back-foot slider to right-handed hitters is as good as it ever was. This is a tough assignment for MLB teams at the best of times, and the Yankee lineup isn’t much to brag about now. Scratching a run or two across against Sale is particularly important today.

Cole, meanwhile, has bounced back nicely after a few shaky starts in June. His last three outings, against the Pirates and both Chicago teams, have seen him post a 1.93 ERA and 2.82 FIP, and while we can’t necessarily expect that kind of pitching full time from the veteran, one more start along those lines would certainly be appreciated. A big part of Cole’s game was always controlling home runs — he fills the zone with so many pitches that fly balls are inevitable, but keeping those fly balls in play largely determines how his start will go. If he can avoid some of the thump in Atlanta’s lineup, he should be a good match against someone like Sale.

I was a little surprised to see Ben Rice in the lineup; I thought today would be a great excuse to give him what seems to be a much needed day off. Instead, he’s at DH, with the club rolling out their lefty specialist lineup of Paul Goldschmidt at first, Amed Rosario at third, and rookie George Lombard Jr. all the way up to sixth in the order.

It’s Old-Timers’ Day and the festivities are in full swing, coverage is on YES.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium—Bronx, NY

First pitch: 3:05pm Eastern

TV broadcast: YES, BravesVision

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

Online stream: MLB.tv

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