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Game Date/Time: Sunday, September 20, 2:10 p.m. ET
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: BravesVision
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, Los Bravos
1902
Nixey Callahan threw the first no-hitter in White Sox history, as he beat the Tigers. It was just the second no-hitter in American League history.
The Sox gave him all the runs he needed by scoring three in the first inning, as the Sox won it, 3-0, in Chicago. The Tigers got one runner as far as third base, but that was it for the afternoon. Callahan walked two batters on the day; the Tigers got just one runner as far as third base.
Callahan was a two-way player for a good chunk of his career (1897-03). So at the time of this no-hitter in the 1902 season, he pitched in 35 games (0.9 WAR) and played outfield in 23 others (-0.2 WAR). By 1903, he’d shift more or less full time to … third base … and put up a 3.0 WAR season.
1905
With White Sox Spring Training having made the move from Marlin Springs, Texas to New Orleans, owner Charles Comiskey ordered a houseboat built to both house and transport the team. The South Siders trained in New Orleans for just two years (1905-06) before moving on to the more land-locked Mexico City for spring training in 1907.
The White Sox have held spring training in 25 different locations in their history, but just four over the past 68 years: Tampa and Sarasota, Fla., and Tucson and Glendale, Ariz.
1908
White Sox pitcher Frank Smith tossed his second career no-hitter, beating the Philadelphia A’s, 1-0, in Chicago. The Sox scored in the ninth inning to win the game, with the run driven in by shortstop Freddy Parent.
Smith pitched that day with the little finger of his hand being stiff and sore from trying to stop a hot shot against Cleveland in his previous start.
September 20 is the only day in franchise history where multiple no-hitters have been thrown (1902 and 1908).
Also on this day, Zeke Bonura was born, in New Orleans. The legendary character was the Texas League MVP in 1933 and burst into MLB with a 3.6 WAR for the 1934 White Sox, during which he set franchise records with 27 homers and 138 runs (27 HRs remained the White Sox rookie record for 49 years, the RBI mark for 65). Quite simply, Bonura was one of the dominant hitters of the 1930s.
1910
Rookie hurler Frank Lange had a game for the ages, winning 3-0 over the New York Highlanders. He recorded a 94 game score (tied for 22nd all-time in franchise history) that ended a White Sox run of three straight shutout wins. In the process, Lange set a rookie record of 13 strikeouts that stood alone for 83 years (Jason Bere tying Lange on Sept. 8, 1993). The righthander also helped his own cause, going 1-for-3 with two RBIs in the game.
Lange’s triumph came in the middle of a nine-game winning streak and a run of 11 of 12 for the White Sox. In fact, the terrible 1910 season was almost redeemed by its final weeks: On September 13, the club was in seventh in the AL, at 51-80, but went 17-5 to end the season in sixth, with a 68-85 overall record. A minor improvement, perhaps; but given the glorious decade to come (eight of 10 winning years), perhaps it was an appropriate finish.
1993
Lance Johnson’s two-out triple in the top of the ninth doubled Chicago’s lead from 4-2 to 6-2 and stood as the biggest play (13% WPA) of an eventual 10-2 White Sox win at California. But it also gave Johnson 14 triples on the season, retaking the MLB lead from teammate Joey Cora. Neither player would hit another triple in 1993, giving One Dog the crown.
Johnson’s triples title made him just the third player ever to lead the AL in triples for three straight years, and fourth ever to lead his league in three-baggers. He’d duplicate the effort in 1994 with an MLB-leading 14 triples, giving him four straight seasons as a leader, something that has never been done before or since. In fact, if not for missing the 1995 triples title by one (Kenny Lofton of Cleveland bested him, 13-12), Johnson would have led his league in triples for SIX straight seasons — he hit an MLB-best 21 for the New York Mets in 1996!
2005
With the White Sox struggling through eight losses in 11 games — the worst slump of what would become a rare, wire-to-wire first-place season — Joe Crede slugged a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 10th for a sayonara shot that upended second-place Cleveland, 7-6.
The White Sox had the game in hand, but rookie Bobby Jenks blew the second save of his career in the ninth, furthering the trend of the club over the past 13 days, as Cleveland shaved SIX games off of a once 9 1⁄2-game lead in the AL Central.
Chicago wasn’t out of the woods yet, as over the next few days Cleveland would trim the division lead to 1 1⁄2 games; a late kick saw the White Sox swell the lead back to its final six games, including an end-of-season sweep of the Tribe that knocked them out of the playoffs entirely. Combining the five-game winning streak to end the regular season with the 11-1 run in the playoffs, the White Sox ended 2005 winning 16 of 17 games.
The homer was Crede’s second of the contest, capping a 3-for-5, three-RBI day.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are hosting the Kansas City Royals in the season finale for a three-game set at PNC Park.
The Royals are handing the ball off to 14-year veteran Michael Wacha, who became an All-Star for just the second time in his career and for the first time since 2015 this season with the St. Louis Cardinals. This is his 31st start of the year for Kansas City.
In his last start, against the Houston Astros on September 15, he went six innings, gave up four hits and four runs, and had a 3.34 ERA in a 4-2 loss at Daikin Park. This marks Wacha’s 20th appearance against the Pirates throughout his career. In his career, he is 8-3 with a 3.59 ERA against the Bucs.
The Pirates are handing the ball off to Lake Bachar, who was the opener in Tuesday’s loss against the Milwaukee Brewers. Bachar pitched two innings, giving up three hits and one earned run in a 5-1 loss to the NL Central leader. With Bachar getting the start, the Pirates will utilize their bullpen to get them through today’s game.
With just a week left in the season, many players have a lot to prove as the organization evaluates everybody going into the offseason.
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Michael Wacha (9-9, 3.34 ERA) vs. Lake Bachar (1-4, 3.54 ERA)
BD community, this is your game thread against the Kansas City Royals. Chime off in the comments section below.
What we learned from Dave Dombrowski as pitching picture shifts, Phillies win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
QUEENS, N.Y. — The Phillies have spent most of this season trying to build a reliable bridge to Jhoan Duran.
With a week remaining in the season, that bridge is still missing pieces.
Brad Keller’s season unraveled in June before a torn UCL ended it in July. Jonathan Bowlan eventually settled into a setup role, but his results slipped over the last month before right groin tightness took him out of the bullpen.
Orion Kerkering never filled the opening as expected. His command regressed, his signature sweeper became less reliable and his struggles reached a point where the Phillies optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.
Interim manager Don Mattingly described how difficult it had become to find spots for Kerkering.
“You can’t use him in a down game,” Mattingly said. “You can, but you think in a down game you’d like to be able to say, ‘We can hold it close and maybe something good happens.’ If you’re up in that same situation, it’s uncomfortable as well.
“I felt like he kind of had lost confidence and just needed that to be able to try to right the ship.”
Kerkering will report to the Phillies’ “stay-hot” camp in the Lehigh Valley, which begins Thursday. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the right-hander needed a chance to step away from the immediate pressure of a postseason race.
“It looks like he needs a break to get away from here himself,” Dombrowski said in the dugout ahead of the Phillies’ 7-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field. “Sometimes you need to step away. Just like a hitter, sometimes you need to step away.”
The Phillies could still bring Kerkering back if an injury creates an opening on a potential postseason roster. For now, however, they need to determine how to cover the innings directly in front of them.
“We need to straighten it out,” Dombrowski said. “But there’s a lot of different ways we can straighten it out.”
The most interesting solutions might come from outside the bullpen itself.
THE BIG NEWS
Jesús Luzardo played catch Sunday for the first time since Friday, Sept. 11, when he last threw in Atlanta before being scratched from his scheduled start because of left shoulder inflammation.
He came out of it feeling good.
“Obviously, positive signs with him,” Mattingly said. “He’s felt better and better. The last couple days, his range of motion was back. There was no more stiffness. Then the doctor basically had to say, ‘Hey, start playing catch.’
“So that’s where we’re at. It’s been positive with him.”
Dombrowski offered an equally encouraging assessment.
“Very optimistic,” he said. “That’s all I can really say at this point, but very optimistic.”
There are still checkpoints ahead.
Luzardo has only taken the first step of his throwing progression. The Phillies do not yet know when he will advance to a mound, how quickly he can build back up or how much time will remain once he does.
They also have not decided what his role would be if he returns.
Starter and reliever both remain possible.
“We haven’t even sat down and discussed it,” Dombrowski said. “We basically have been focused on making the playoffs.”
That uncertainty could eventually give the Phillies another answer for their most persistent pitching problem.
Luzardo would carry more value as a starter over a longer postseason series. But if the Phillies reach a three-game Wild Card Series, they would only need three starters.
That means at least one starter would have to shift roles.
“Some of our starters are going to end up in the bullpen,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t know how it’s going to work at this point, but some of them will.
“Especially when you get to the first round, we’re going to be in a best-of-three. You only can start three guys at that point. So you’ve got two other guys that can go into the bullpen depending on what happens.”
PAINTER IN PLAY
Andrew Painter could be another one of those pitchers.
Mattingly said Sunday that the Phillies would like to get Painter some work out of the bullpen before the regular season ends if the schedule gives them an opportunity.
The rookie has started throughout his professional career, but his fastball could give the Phillies a different look in shorter bursts.
Painter struck out seven Mets on Saturday and reached 99.4 mph. He also allowed four runs on two homers, continuing an uneven rookie season in which his best stuff has often appeared alongside costly mistakes.
Dombrowski still came away impressed.
“I can’t say if it’ll play up. It was playing up pretty good yesterday,” he said. “That was about as good of stuff — it’s unfortunate he gave up four runs — but that was some pretty good stuff yesterday.
“I think his stuff would be very solid out there if we decide to go in that direction.”
The Phillies have reason to explore it.
Their relievers have combined for a major-league-worst 5.26 ERA from the fifth through seventh innings. Duran has posted a 1.76 ERA with 32 saves, but Philadelphia has repeatedly struggled to get a lead into his hands.
Mattingly has considered using one of his trusted relievers earlier to stop games from turning. The problem is what that would leave behind him.
“It makes me think about it,” Mattingly said. “But then I also think about who’s pitching the eighth or seventh to get to that part, too.
“You’ve got to get there.”
Painter could provide multiple innings. Luzardo might eventually offer the same. Nestor Cortes is building toward a possible role, while Bowlan continues working back from his groin injury.
The Phillies are searching for any combination that can keep a close game from getting away.
THE ROTATION CREATES OPTIONS
Aaron Nola’s resurgence could make that search easier.
The longest-tenured Phillie owns a 1.66 ERA over his last seven starts and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight straight.
If the Phillies can line up their rotation, Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez would likely handle the first two games of a Wild Card Series. Nola’s recent form gives them a trusted option for a possible Game 3.
That could give the Phillies more freedom with Painter and, depending on his health, Luzardo.
One or both could become a bridge to the late innings rather than waiting for a start that may never come in a short series.
Dombrowski is not ready to make those decisions yet. He wants the Phillies to clinch first, then determine how the remaining schedule allows them to align their starters.
But the strength of the rotation gives the club options its current bullpen does not.
“One of our strengths is our starting rotation, especially the top of it,” Dombrowski said. “I sure would hope that we can go into any postseason with them intact to pitch.
“But we still have to make the playoffs. That’s the most important thing.”
SÁNCHEZ PROVIDES ENCOURAGEMENT
Sánchez then offered the type of outing Sunday that makes the entire picture easier to imagine.
The left-hander entered having allowed at least four runs in three of his previous five starts. Against the Mets, he looked much closer to the pitcher who has anchored the Phillies’ rotation throughout the season.
Sánchez attacked the strike zone, worked efficiently and kept New York off balance with a much sharper changeup.
The lone damage through six innings came on a solo homer by Bo Bichette.
Sánchez finished 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs. His season ERA sits at 2.93, and he’s now beyond 200 innings and strikeouts each.
He was not happy with the interim skipper when he was taken out of the ballgame, though.
It was a needed response with Sánchez likely in line to make his final regular-season start against the Rays next weekend. That schedule could allow him to pitch Game 2 of a Wild Card Series on regular rest, with Wheeler receiving an additional day before a potential Game 1.
The Phillies gave Sánchez an early lead against Mets right-hander Jonah Tong.
Kyle Schwarber walked in the first before the Phillies filled the bases. Luis Arraez lifted a sacrifice fly and Alec Bohm followed with a run-scoring single.
Schwarber walked again in the third. Trea Turner doubled him home before Arraez added another RBI hit, extending the lead to 4-0.
The Phillies held on from there for a 4-2 win.
Their magic number is now three, putting them in position to clinch as early as Tuesday against Milwaukee.
CORTES CONTINUES BUILDING
Cortes is another name moving closer to the conversation.
The veteran left-hander threw three scoreless innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, striking out three without issuing a walk.
“He’s building,” Mattingly said Saturday. “He’s heading in the direction that it’s possible we might be able to use him.”
Cortes is eligible for the postseason and could provide length or a different look from the left side. The Phillies already have Tanner Banks built up for multiple innings, while Tim Mayza has also provided length when needed.
Bowlan’s progress could help, too. Dombrowski said the right-hander threw from approximately 90 feet Sunday and felt good afterward.
None of those options provides a simple fix on its own.
Together, they could give the Phillies enough pieces to create a bullpen that looks much different once October begins.
“Duran is still as good as anybody in the league,” Dombrowski said. “McFarlane’s been very good. Alvarado’s been throwing better. Mayza’s actually done a pretty good job on a consistent basis.
“We have to be better in the bullpen. That’s obvious. But we think we have the ability to do that.”
This felt like a game that the San Diego Padres typically have no business winning. That said, in the last week, this team has pulled off some miraculous comebacks. They did so again tonight, rallying back from a 5-1 deficit to lead by a run going into the ninth inning. Closer Mason Miller was tasked with recording five outs, and did, but not without surrendering the game-tying home run.
That set the stage for some fireworks in the 10th, with David Morgan striking out the first two batters before inducing a lineout to end the inning. With Jake Cronenworth taking third base on a wild pitch, San Diego’s top prospect, Ethan Salas, came up to the dish with one goal: put the ball in play. He did more than that, lining an 0-2 four-seamer into center field for a walk-off.
In doing so, Salas (20 years, 110 days) became the youngest player to walk off a game since Manny Machado did so in 2012 (20 years, 69 days). The Padres’ magic number falls to three after the Arizona Diamondbacks walked off the New York Yankees. They’ll go for the sweep over the Miami Marlins today, with the opportunity to take the top spot in the NL Wild Card should the Chicago Cubs lose.
Alcantara has been incredibly durable for Miami this season, pitching 206 innings with a 3.84 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Both are solid marks for the right-hander, though neither is earth-shattering. Both are a far cry from Alcantara’s past self, in which he won the NL Cy Young in 2022. His strikeout numbers are way down, with 149 this season, but he’s still managed to get outs.
The problem is that Alcantara has struggled massively lately. In his last seven appearances, the righty owns a 5.86 ERA. Much of that came when he surrendered seven runs to the New York Mets in just 4 1/3 innings pitched. Most of that damage came from Alcantara surrendering three home runs to New York. If San Diego can do the same, break out the brooms.
It’s hard not to say this every single time, but Buehler has truly been one of the most valuable pitchers that San Diego has. Apart from Michael King, no pitcher has been as valuable. They say the best ability is availability and that is what Buehler has been. He’s hurled 143 1/3 innings for the Friars to a 4.58 ERA, though that number doesn’t do him justice.
Down the stretch, Buehler has looked fantastic, pitching to a 3.09 ERA in his last seven starts. Since July 21, the veteran righty hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his appearances. He’s given up two or fewer in all but two of those 11 starts. He’ll look to continue that stretch of success against Miami’s lineup this afternoon.
San Diego’s offense has been ridiculous lately. In nine of their last 10 games, the Padres have scored six or more runs. They’ve scored seven or more in eight of those contests. It’s no longer a small sample size. The lineup has been firing on all cylinders and will look to continue that dominance into October.
Bogaerts will likely return to the lineup after his off day on Saturday night. In 14 career at-bats versus Alcantara, the veteran short owns a ridiculous .429 batting average with a 1.072 OPS. The only one on the Padres to beat that is Machado. He’s batted .600 against the Marlins’ starter with a 1.334 OPS in 15 at-bats.
With the game going into the 10th, and starter Casey Mize getting through just three innings, the Friars needed six pitchers to finish out the game. Randy Vásquez covered two frames before Bradgley Rodrigeuez, Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon, Miller and Morgan covered the final five innings.
That leaves San Diego with slim pickings for the series finale. Going solely off of who’s readily available, the Padres only have Griffin Canning, Kyle Hart and Wandy Peralta available. All three are low leverage options, meaning the Friars will be somewhat reliant on Buehler to shove this afternoon.
SP: Jonah Tong – RHP
SP: C. Sanchez – LHP
First pitch: 1:10 pm EDT
TV: WPIX
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
After a couple of bullpen-fueled losses, the Phillies will attempt to salvage a split in their series against the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon.
Cristopher Sanchez will start for the Phillies, and Phillies fans will hope he looks better than in his last two starts when he’s given up 11 runs in 11.1 innings.
The Mets will go with Jonah Tong. The rookie righthander has a 3.43 ERA in five appearances split between the rotation and bullpen.
Game time is 1:10 PM and will be televised locally by NBCSP.
Sunday notes…
Cubs lineup:
Reds lineup:
David Peterson’s last two starts were very good — just two runs allowed in 10.2 innings, with 11 strikeouts.
He also threw well against the Reds Aug. 28 at Wrigley Field, allowing two runs in five innings. Then the bullpen came in and made a mess of things, so don’t click on that boxscore link. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Peterson also faced the Reds twice this year as a member of the Mets, one start and one multi-inning relief appearance. Don’t look at those, either. Hopefully, today will be better.
Rhett Lowder was Peterson’s opponent in that Aug. 28 game. The Cubs scored three runs in five innings off him, including a home run by Michael Busch.
Since then, in three September starts Lowder has an ERA of 11.68 and a 2.108 WHIP and… bring your bats, Cubs hitters.
Here is the weather forecast for the area around Great American Ball Park.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
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Team News
Walk-off! Smith extends D-backs’ celebration after ceremony for ’01 champshttps://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/pavin-smith-hits-walk-off-home-run-in-d-backs-win-vs-yankees
Pavin Smith walks off Yankees, Diamondbacks stay in wild card racehttps://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2026/09/19/yankees-diamondbacks-updates-torey-lovullo-status/91827139007/
Diamondbacks’ Pavin Smith walks off Yankees on 2001 World Series celebration nighthttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/diamondbacks-pavin-smith-walks-off-yankees-on-2001-world-series-celebration-night
’01 champs raise trophy again — and bring out the fanboy in current D-backhttps://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/diamondbacks-hold-ceremony-for-2001-world-series-champs
2001 Diamondbacks champions to reunite at Chase Field on Saturdayhttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/2001-diamondbacks-champions-to-reunite-at-chase-field-on-saturday
D-backs Honor 2001 World Series Team With Walk-Off Win Over Yankeeshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-2001-world-series-walk-off-win-yankees
Anything Goes
This day in history:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-20
This day in baseball:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/September_20
Now, that’s one of the crazy facts that paint a horrible picture. However, babies remain “cute” and relatively hairless because they shed this hair in the womb before birth.
They are mainly built for killing prey and can open very wide to ensure their kill. Cats also cannot easily chew their food.
Peter Durand is the first person to patent the idea of preserving food in cans. He was granted a patent by King George III which later proved to be of great use.
Texas Rangers lineup for September 20, 2026 against the Toronto Blue Jays: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Spencer Miles for the Jays.
The Rangers are trying to sweep a series for the first time in almost three months, when they took four games in Toronto against these same Blue Jays. Corey Seager is back at DH, which is good news for all you Nicky Lopez fans.
The lineup:
Langford — LF
Seager — DH
Jung — 3B
Duran — SS
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Lopez — 2B
Jansen — C
Carter — CF
1:35 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -169 favorites.
Well the Braves have not formally won the NL East yet, but it seems a foregone conclusion, with a magic number of 1. With that being the case, it seems that Walt Weiss is already starting to give some days off, particularly on a getaway day in Houston with a series win in hand. Austin Riley is getting the day off, with Mauricio Dubon playing third, and Ronald Acuna is getting the day to DH with Brewer Hicklen starting in right field. Mike Yastrzemski gets the start in left field, while Drake Baldwin catches over Murphy.
UPDATE: Houston’s lineup has been released and can be viewed below.
Game Date/Time: Sunday, September 20, 2:10 p.m. ET
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: BravesVision
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, Los Bravos
With rain in the forecast for the next several hours in New York City, the Mets have officially postponed the retirement ceremony for Howie Rose until opening weekend of the 2027 season. The team will attempt to get their series finale with the Phillies in today, though, and will still give away their Howie-inspired promotional notebook and scorecard to the first 15,000 fans in attendance.
The Mets also provided the following information for fans who have tickets to the game this afternoon:
Acknowledging that anticipated programming has shifted, fans currently holding a paid ticket for Sunday’s contest will receive a digital ticket voucher for a ticket comparable in price and location to a 2027 April-May home game at Citi Field (exclusions apply*), subject to availability. Fans can redeem and access digital vouchers in their My Mets Tickets account (accessed by clicking the Vouchers tab) beginning when 2027 single game tickets go on sale to the public.
If the Mets and Phillies do end up playing today, it would represent Rose’s final broadcast. If the game is postponed and made up tomorrow, he wouldn’t be in the booth given that the makeup game would fall on Yom Kippur. That would make his call of the Mets’ win over the Phillies yesterday the final one of his career, but here’s hoping he gets to call one more game at some point later today.
Although a familiar name to scholars of Yankees history (for lack of a better term), Tom Tresh did not have a long big-league career due to injuries and treatment of the time. Nonetheless, he was among the Bombers’ finest players of the 1960s and one of the last gasps of greatness from their vaunted farm system. As the team around him declined, Tresh continued to perform at a high level at multiple positions, making him a fan favorite and a valued final connection to those terrific teams of old.
Thomas Michael Tresh
Born: September 20, 1938 (Detroit, MI)
Died: October 14, 2008 (Venice, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 1961-69
September 1938 was a big month for the Tresh family, as patriarch Mike made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox on September 4th, and son Tom was born on September 20th. Mike Tresh spent 11 years catching for the South Siders, playing in over 1,000 games in the majors until ending his career in 1949 with Cleveland. He was named an All-Star by the Associated Press in 1945, the only year of the 20th century in which the Midsummer Classic wasn’t held (after the creation of the All-Star Game in 1933).
Tom Tresh spent some time living with his parents in an apartment in Chicago, but he went to school in Michigan, as his father’s career was over by then. At Allen Park High School in Detroit, he lettered in baseball, football, and basketball, and he later went to Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. His father’s prestigious job allowed him to gain some first-hand perspective on how clubhouses operated and what big-league living was like. He was even allowed to become a bat boy when his father briefly managed at Daytona Beach and Wausau, Wisconsin in 1951 and 1952, respectively.
MLB teams knew just how talented the younger Tresh was, and they kept a close scouting eye on him growing up. Mike and Doris Tresh wanted their son to go to college, but after a year at shortstop in Central Michigan, Tresh felt that he could not turn down a $30,000 offer from the New York Yankees. It was a lot of money for the time, the Yankees were baseball’s marquee team, and like many boys in the ’50s, Mickey Mantle was his idol. He recalled going to Tiger Stadium when the Yankees came to town and watching him intently from the upper deck in center field. Mike had even taught Tom how to switch-hit like Mantle.
Ultimately, Tresh was able to convince his parents to let him sign with the Yankees at age 19, assuring them that he would go back and finish his degree. He was on his way to joining his hero at Yankee Stadium.
Tresh was quick to impress in his first exposure to pro ball in 1958, as he hit .316/.435/.445 for the St. Petersburg Saints in 126 games of Class D ball. His pace slowed down upon a late-season promotion to the Double-A New Orleans Pelicans (no, not them), where the average player was seven years his senior.
It was around this time that Tresh met his idol for the first time, down in spring training. It was recalled in Jane Leavy’s book on Mantle, The Last Boy:
The first time he saw Mantle up close, Tresh was in an elevator during rookie camp in St. Pete–the doors opened and there he was. Though they stood eye to eye, Mantle seemed a thousand steps higher–a feeling Tresh never got over. “I never could see him as just one step higher than I was.”
After batting .246/.363/.415 in 133 games with the Binghamton Triplets in A-ball in 1960, the Yankees tested him at the minors’ highest level. There was no pressure to promote the young prospect, as the big-league club was in the midst of one of their greatest seasons in history, a 109-win romp to the World Series powered by Mantle and Roger Maris. Tresh had a superb year in his own right, hitting .315/.380/.428 in 141 games at shortstop with Richmond and taking home International League MVP honors.
As a reward of sorts, Tresh was tabbed for his MLB debut as a September call-up in ’61. With another Rookie of the Year-turned-regular in Tony Kubek at shortstop ahead of him, it was hard to find time. Tresh did make it into nine games though, debuting on September 3rd as a pinch-runner and taking his first at-bat on September 16th in his hometown at Tiger Stadium. Tresh notched his first big-league hit in the first game of a doubleheader on September 26th against the Orioles. The huge story that day was Maris tying Babe Ruth with his 60th homer of the season, but Tresh played his part as well, singling to right field off Jack Fisher in the middle of a rally that put the Yankees in front.
Tresh was only technically part of a championship team in ‘61, but the next year, he truly earned his ring. An opportunity arose, as Kubek was recalled to the U.S. Army Reserve. Manager Ralph Houk entrusted the starting role at shortstop to Tresh over fellow infielder Phil Linz. It was the right call, as Tresh went on to an All-Star rookie campaign. He capably fielded the position in Kubek’s absence while hitting well from both sides of the plate. Tresh racked up 20 homers and a .286/.359/.441 triple slash, good for a 119 wRC+, Rookie of the Year honors, and even a 12th-place finish for MVP.
There was the potential for an awkward situation to arise when Kubek returned from the service in August, and Houk tasked Tresh with playing alongside Mantle in left field. In 573 minor-league games, Tresh had never manned the outfield, but he handled it with aplomb. Having previously made that same transition, Mantle even gave Tresh his glove, choosing to befriend and praise his potential future replacement rather than ignoring him, as Joe DiMaggio did to Mantle. Tresh knew Mantle had his flaws, but he loved him anyway and eventually nicknamed his son “Mickey” for him in 1964. (“What the fuck did you do that for?” Mantle later asked. He knew he was no idol.)
The Yankees won the pennant and played the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. Tresh had only just turned 24 and yet he didn’t appear to be fazed at all. He hit .321/.345/.464 in the seven-game series, leading the Yankees in hits and average. It wasn’t garbage time participation either, as his three-run homer in the eighth off Jack Sanford gave the Yankees a Game 5 victory,
Mike Tresh was in the stands at Yankee Stadium when Tresh hit that homer to win Game 5, crying tears of joy. His son had definitely made it.
A terrific one-handed catch by Tresh on a seventh-inning Willie Mays drive in Game 7 likely saved a run with the red-hot Willie McCovey on deck. The Yankees edged the Giants 1-0 to bring home their 20th championship.
Rather than suffering a sophomore slump in ’63, Tresh had an outstanding year. He was on fire, hitting .269/.371/.487 with 25 dingers and a career-best 141 wRC+. Tresh was an All-Star for the second year in a row and again earned down-ballot MVP votes as the Yankees ran away with the AL pennant thanks to 104 victories. Tresh spent the year in the outfield and even manned center while Mantle missed a few months due to injury. Unfortunately, they had no answer for the overwhelming Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff in the World Series. Tresh managed to take the seemingly untouchable Sandy Koufax deep late in Game 1, but like most of his team, he was otherwise quiet. They swept the Yankees away.
Houk moved up to the front office in 1964 and the popular Yogi Berra took over in the dugout. The Yankees won their fifth straight pennant, but it was as tough a climb to the top as the team of that era ever endured. They battled injuries and ineffectiveness from several positions, including Kubek at shortstop. Tresh remained a solid player, though he also saw his numbers slip. The Yankees faced a tough competitor in the Cardinals, and it was a tight seven-game series. Tresh slugged .636 and homered twice, including a game-tying blast off World Series MVP Bob Gibson in the ninth inning of Game 5.
It wasn’t enough, as the Cardinals prevailed and Berra was stunningly fired.
The Yankees pulled off a classic “if you can’t beat him, sign him” move for ‘65 by hiring Johnny Keane, who just beat them in the World Series. Kubek played poorly at shortstop and missed a lot of time, but Keane kept Tresh in the outfield, alternating him between relieving Mantle in center and playing left (there was even some right mixed in). To some extent, it paid off, as Tresh finished in the top 10 for AL MVP, won a Gold Glove, and showed no sign of ill-effect at the plate with a 136 wRC+. To another extent, it didn’t, as the team around him was not good; the Yankees fell below .500 for the first time in 40 years.
Despite the increasing effects of a pitching-heavy era, Tresh pulled off a career-high in home runs in ‘66, smacking 27 dingers in 151 games. That was one of the few highlights for the Yankees though, who were abysmal and dropped all the way to last place. Keane was fired and replaced by Houk in May, who moved Tresh to third base since he wanted to give a young Roy White time in the outfield. Tresh ended up splitting time between left and the hot corner. The Yankees appreciated his athleticism and Zobristian ability to handle basically any position, but it still mystified Tresh to a certain degree:
“I win Rookie of the Year as a shortstop and they move me to the outfield. Then I win a Gold Glove Award there in 1965 and they move me to third. I couldn’t figure out what position I was supposed to prove I could play.“
Although Tresh was only 28 entering the 1967 campaign, the second game of spring training was the beginning of the end. He popped his right knee while firing a throw across his body from left field to the cutoff man. Tresh was in serious pain and could barely walk; it was later revealed to be torn cartilage. Inexplicably, the Yankees told him that he should try to play on it rather than undergo surgery.
It was a disaster. Through some miracle, Tresh kept his numbers above league-average with a 106 wRC+, but his OPS dipped below .700 and he was a shadow of the defender he once was in left field. Tresh later recalled that his knee “gave out five more times” that year, undoubtedly affecting his future. He had surgery to repair the damage in the offseason (why he wasn’t simply shut down on a 90-loss team is a mystery), but the damage was done. Tresh was mostly a hobbling shortstop in ‘68 and his play only worsened in ‘69.
By then, the only other position players aside from Tresh remaining from the Yankees’ early ’60s glory were Joe Pepitone and catcher Jake Gibbs. Mantle, Maris, Berra, Kubek, Elston Howard, and Bobby Richardson were all gone. Tresh was miserable. The team was middling at best, and he could barely hit, let alone play shortstop. So he asked if the Yankees would trade him to the Tigers, where he could at least be close to home, not to mention play for the defending World Series champions. The Yankees acquiesced, and Tresh was dealt to Detroit on June 14th. The very next person to wear number 15 for the Yankees was a worthy heir: Thurman Munson.
Tresh remained primarily a shortstop and appeared in 94 games for the Tigers, batting .224/.305/.387 with 13 homers, a .692 OPS that was amusingly still good for a 92 wRC+ in the league-wide offensive malaise. While Detroit was a better team, there was still no competing with the 109-win juggernaut Orioles, who ran away with the AL East in the first year of divisional play.
Tresh had gone through another surgery on his knee in hopes of playing again in 1970. However, the Tigers told him that he would need to rehab in the minors, and Tresh had no intention of living that kind of life again, particularly with a wife and four kids at home. So Tom Tresh retired having played just eight games after his 31st birthday. His story was a warning sign about the dangers of dismissing injuries, but he had no regrets.
Even though Tresh was so talented before his injury that the Red Sox briefly considered a swap of him for Carl Yastrzemski, one can’t blame Tresh for his overall happiness about his career. He was a beloved teammate, a World Series champion, an All-Star, and an MVP candidate for baseball’s greatest franchise. At the time of his retirement, he was even in the Yankees’ all-time top 20 in homers at 140 (the recent offensive spike pushed him back to a tie for 34th as of 2026). Tresh had a fine life post-retirement too, as he did fulfill that college promise to his parents, even after his father’s passing in 1966.
Tresh earned his degree in physical education from Central Michigan in 1969, where he later served as an assistant baseball coach for 15 years and helped innovate a training tool for sliding and diving called the Slide-Rite. His son Mickey inherited the baseball gene, playing at Miami University of Ohio before going through four years in the minors as well with New York and Detroit. The younger Tresh even got a glimpse of the ascendance of one of the great successors to Tresh and Mantle in center: his 1988 Prince William Yankees teammate, 19-year-old Bernie Williams.
The bond between the Mantles and Treshes remained strong—the two Yankees were at a card show in Nashville when Mickey Tresh called to inform his father that he just had a boy of his own, who he named Tommy. Mantle celebrated with Tresh by ordering a $150 bottle of Dom Perignon, raising a toast to the lad, and later writing “Happy birthday Tommy, we had one for you. Mickey Mantle.” on the bottle.
That bottle could have sold for something valuable, as the glove Mantle gave to Tresh in 1962 was enough by itself to put a down payment on a cottage. Tom Tresh never sold it though; it meant too much to him, and he grieved as much as any of his teammates on the day Mantle passed away from liver cancer in 1995. Thirteen years later, Tresh suddenly left the world as well, as he died of a heart attack on October 14, 2008, not even a month after turning 70.
At least Tresh got to see the old Yankee Stadium one last time before it closed for good, as he was in attendance at the final Old-Timers’ Day. As always, the crowd gave him an ovation before he stepped to foul line one last time. Number 15 will always mean Thurman Munson, but it will also always be connected to Tommy Tresh, another fantastic Yankee.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
The Oklahoma City Comets allowed seven runs in the sixth inning, breaking a tie in stunning fashion in a road loss to the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres).
Oklahoma City was first on the board with five runs in the third inning, including a three-run home run by James Tibbs III, who was designated to hit and did just that on Saturday.
Tibbs this season was already the first player in the Pacific Coast League with at least 100 runs, 100 RBI, and 100 walks since Greg Brock, Dodgers first base prospect for Albuquerque in 1982. This home run on Saturday was Tibbs’ 30th of the season, second-most in the PCL.
Ryan Fitzgerald, playing third base on Saturday, had three hits and drove in his 101st run of the season. His 171 hits are the most by an Oklahoma City player in the team’s Bricktown rra (since 1998).
Shortstop Noah Miller started the scoring with a two-run home run in the third inning, his second start in a row with a home run.
Mike Sirota, yet another Dodgers minor league outfielder ranked among the top 100 prospects in baseball, started the season in High-A Great Lakes, was promoted to Tulsa in May and put up a stunning .450 on-base percentage in Double-A. With the Drillers season over he was promoted to Oklahoma City on Friday and played in his first Triple-A game on Saturday, and batted third, playing right field.
Sirota on Saturday doubled after he walked three times, giving him 100 on the season between the three levels. After the second walk, in the fifth inning, Sirota scored his 100th run of the season. He has played 107 games.
Sirota is the seventh Dodgers minor leaguer to score 100 runs this season, along with Zach Ehrhard (118 runs with Oklahoma City), Tibbs (109), Eduardo Quintero (108 runs for Great Lakes and Tulsa), Josue De Paula (106 runs with Tulsa, not counting his six runs so far with the Dodgers), Midwest League MVP Charles Davalan (103), and Mairo Martinus (103 with Ontario and Great Lakes).
Tibbs (108) and Sirota (100) are the only Dodgers minor leaguers with triple-digit walks this season.
With one day to go in the regular season, Sirota’s overall .463 OBP in 497 plate appearances is third-highest in the minor leagues among batters with at least 300 PA.
11:05 a.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Ryder Ryan) at El Paso (Ian Koenig)
It’s official. In the historic rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers (or Bridegrooms, or Superbas, or Dodgers, or Robins, or back to the Dodgers again), spanning a continent, two cities, nearly 140 years, the Dodgers are back ahead: 1,293 wins to the Giants’ 1,292.
After building a sizable lead during the New York era, the Giants have seen their lead dwindle over the decades in California. This most recent era has obviously been lopsided towards LA, and it’s possible, after ending the 2025 season in a dead-lock (1287 – 1287), that 2026 could be the first season since 1895 to end with the Dodgers leading in overall head-to-head wins.
So, if we’re leaning into the dramatics of this clash, was Saturday’s 10-4 loss the 21st century hinge-point? The moment in which the balance shifts, with our Giants stuck on history’s down-slope, increasingly left in the dust, huffing and puffing after a vanishing point on the horizon that is the Dodger machine?
For LA fans, this interpretation is not only attractive, it just makes sense. This era of 13 division titles, back-to-back championships, a roster stuffed with future Hall of Famers certainly feels like a pinnacle, the culmination of a century-long project. How could you not believe that history has a direction? And if that truly is the case for us Giants fans, it’s somewhat laughable that after all these years, our beloved club’s final fingernails, desperately holding onto rivalry relevance, was made, quite unsuccessfully, by a 24-year old scrap reliever, Philip Abner.
Yup, the man who’s name you learned on Friday when he was shelled for four home runs in the 8th inning of Friday’s loss was somewhat surprisingly called on to take the mound again in another fraught scenario. And just as he did in Friday’s loss, a ballgame became a bust when Abner was introduced to it.
With two outs in the bottom of the 5th, the Giants and Dodgers were knotted at four runs a piece. The San Francisco offense had done their part against Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Victor Bericoto, in his return from the IL, reached base three times against the lefty. His 2-run homer — a no-doubter to dead center — lifted the Giants back into the game in the 3rd. He led off the 5th with an opposite field double and knotted the game back up at four runs apiece on Jung Hoo Lee’s double.
San Francisco had kept pace with a Dodgers offense, led by a 4-for-4 night by Mookie Betts, into the 5th. LA had scored in each one of their frames against starter Yunior Marte, but that pattern looked primed to end after Max Muncy grounded into a double play. The young right-hander had the bases-empty and two outs in the 5th, but couldn’t find a way to get the third. Teoscar Hernandez kept the inning going with an opposite field single. Marte walked Kyle Tucker next, and with his pitch count nearing triple-digits, Tony Vitello decided to go to his bullpen.
There was certainly an argument for pulling Marte at that point. Command of the zone was clearly waning. Bagging that third out and closing out a frame had been a challenge all evening. When more grit and a finer touch on his pitches was needed, Marte acquiesced to his opponents.
With two outs and Betts on third, Marte served up a 2-strike fastball right over the heart of the plate for Muncy to rip for an RBI double. Another fastball was served up to Betts with two outs and two runners on in the 2nd. He again allowed number-9 hitter Alex Freeland reach base with two outs in the 4th before hanging a slider to Betts, who doubled the runner home from first.
Marte’s night was certainly done, but it was a bit surprising that Vitello went to Abner to help close out the inning. Abner was really the only southpaw available, and Vitello wanted the left-on-left advantage against Josue De Paula, so much so that he played deaf to the echoes of those home runs still bouncing around Chavez Ravine.
The first pitch Abner — a spiked curveball — allowed both runners to advance. Down early in the count, he couldn’t get De Paula to chase after elevated fastballs. Five pitches into his outing, the bases were loaded. Five more pitches, and the tie was broken. Behind in the count, Tommy Edman got another fastball and dropped it into shallow left for a two-run single. A pitch later Miguel Rojas punched in one more run and would’ve brought in another if not for Turner Hill’s perfect assist throw to the plate.
LA went 7-for-18 with runners in scoring position (compared to SF’s 2-for-12), logging six two-out RBIs. The three runs scored on Abner’s watch (two attributed to Marte, and one unearned for the lefty for some ticky-tack reason) proved to be the burst of energy needed for the Dodgers to edge out in front and never look back.
The question is, now with the head-to-head rivalry record in their favor, will they ever look back?