Category: Baseball

How nice that there was no available media coverage of the game on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I was looking forward to cocking one eye at the game. But no.

The faithful are taken for granted. Our only view is obstructed. We do not provide much in the way of profits, either short or long-term. We’re shut out of the entire process. We have no say. We have no power.

<snip rant>

The Cubs defeated the Athletics, 4-3, getting back to one game under .500. Once again the starting pitcher gave up three runs in his stint. This time it was Mike Imanaga who took the ball, while Shota rested. Grant Kipp walked a guy, and Riley Martin gave up a hit. That was all the A’s had. Chicago pitchers struck out ten Athletics.

Ian Happ solo-homered, Pedro Ramirez took one deep, and Nico singled in a run for the Cubs’ tallies, at home in Sloan Park.

Seiya Suzuki had a good game for Japan.

Right now, the Magic 8-Ball tells me that Ben Brown and Javier Assad will be in Des Moines to start the season.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Kin Leung (North Side Baseball*): Marquee’s shortcomings have put a damper on Cubs’ Spring Training. “There have been plenty of fun things happening during Cubs spring training, but we wouldn’t know since we can’t see most of it.“
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Here are the Cubs’ 4 most intriguing pitching developments. “… there are jumps in velocity, new pitches being developed and issues to iron out before the season arrives.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Colin Rea shows value by accepting role, always looking for ways to improve. “At this point, I’m just used to it,” Rea said.
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs pitcher Ben Brown ‘hell-bent’ on bouncing back from up-and-down 2025. “He allowed three runs and three hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 2 2/3 innings Friday against the Padres.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ catching corps returns, but it could look different. “Carson Kelly had one of the best offensive seasons of his career. He also caught a career-high 105 games, but that could dip this season if Miguel Amaya can stay healthy.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Now seen as one of Cubs’ biggest offensive threats, Busch looking to take next step. “He’s become a dangerous, dangerous hitter,” said the Cubs manager.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Assad, Suzuki showing out for Cubs on World Baseball Classic stage. “At some point, we’re going to need Javy’s outs. When, is probably the question.”

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. We will not wittingly publish A. I. – driven articles or clickbait, and insist on unimpeachable sources.

1942
Future White Sox MVP Dick Allen was born in Wampum, Pa.

Allen set a franchise mark with 37 home runs in his 1972 MVP year, along with 113 RBIs. His 8.6 WAR in 1972 ranks second all-time among White Sox hitters (Eddie Collins, 9.4, 1915) and 14th all-time among all White Sox players.

Perhaps most importantly of all, Allen was credited by numerous sources as saving the White Sox in Chicago, his play driving attendance when a move to Milwaukee or other cities loomed as a consistent threat.

Allen died in 2020, still short of Hall of Fame election. In the most recent Veterans Committee vote in 2021, Allen was just one vote shy of immortality.

1948
WGN announced that it would televise Chicago White Sox games for the first time during the upcoming season.

Veteran radio broadcasters Jack Brickhouse and Harry Creighton would become the first White Sox TV announcers in history. The first game WGN aired was an exhibition game against the Cubs from Wrigley Field on April 16, 1948, in the freezing cold!. The White Sox won, 4-1.

WGN televised White Sox games from 1948-67, 1981, and 1990-2019. 

1951
The White Sox held Spring Training in Pasadena, Calif. after the war. It was near Hollywood, and on this day the team had a special visitor, as actress Marilyn Monroe came calling.

Monroe was going to be the mascot for a charity game played at Gilmore Field (home of the Pacific Coast League Hollywood Stars) that Sunday. The game featured a number of All-Stars.

Monroe arrived early and took a number of publicity photos with the players, including Hank Majeski, Joe Dobson and Gus Zernial. All of the Sox players would later receive autographed pictures from her.  

The photo shoot that resulted caught the eye of a player on the other side of the country: Joe DiMaggio, who reached out to Monroe’s press agent to arrange a date after the season, as he began life as a retired player.

1961
Former White Sox player and bullpen catcher Mark Salas was born, in Montebello, Calif. The catcher, drafted in 1979 by the St. Louis Cardinals, made a major impact as a rookie, with 2.2 WAR and an eighth-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year polling as a member of the Minnesota Twins. However, Salas never played in as many as 92 games after that season, taking tours with the Yankees, Tigers, Cleveland, and in 1988, the White Sox. The catcher had a barely-positive season (0.3 WAR) backing up Carlton Fisk, but was released at the end of Spring Training 1989.

Salas spent much more than one year with the White Sox later, as a coach and scout. Immediately upon retirement, he went to work as a coach in the White Sox system. Later he served as White Sox bullpen catcher from 1996-99, and again under former teammate Ozzie Guillén starting in 2007. In-between coaching, Salas scouted for the Sox.

Salas is also one of 10 major-leaguers in history whose surname is a Palindrome.

2011
On International Women’s Day, former White Sox front office analyst Kim Ng moved from assistant GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers — the highest-ranking woman in baseball — to MLB senior vice president of baseball operations.

Ng got her start with the White Sox, hired for an internship in 1991 in what she thought would be public relations. Instead, assistant GM Dan Evans saw promise in her analytical thinking and background in the game (Ng was a University of Chicago softball player) and took her under his wing. When Evans lost out on the White Sox GM job that went to Ken Williams, Evans knew his future was outside of Chicago, and when he left for the Dodgers, Ng came with him.

Nine years after taking this executive position with MLB and after at least four failed attempts at landing a GM position, Ng was hired as the general manager of the Miami Marlins.

2019
Former White Sox catcher Mike Colbern passed away in Tempe, Ariz. He played his only 80 career games with the South Siders in 1978-79, tallying 0.1 WAR and a .627 OPS/73 OPS+. He played two full seasons for the White Sox in Triple-A after that, and wound up his career with a season in the Atlanta organization.

In retirement, Colbern became the lead plaintiff in a class action for what lawyers turned into (against Colbern’s wishes) a reverse-discrimination lawsuit against MLB demanding his health costs be paid akin to an approved plan that paid for pre-1947 Negro League players’ health bills. Although that lawsuit failed, Colbern later received $3,700 in medical payments as part of a partial restitution plan initiated by MLB.

Welcome to Pinstripe Alley’s coverage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic! We previewed Pool A, Pool B, Pool C, and Pool D in the linked articles. Since the first several days of the WBC feature a bevy of games, we’ll be recapping them in batches. Enjoy!

Pool C: Japan 8 (2-0), South Korea 6 (1-1)

Japan-South Korea is a heated rivalry as far as international baseball is concerned (and, uh, in life really), and the clash lived up to it in this year’s WBC. While Japan blasted four home runs for the game, it was a couple walks and a single that gave them the three-run inning they needed to come away with the win.

Korea got off to a hot start, with a Bo Gyeong Moon double scoring three runs to cap off a three-run top of the first. However, two homers from Seiya Suzuki, one from Shohei Ohtani, and one from Masataka Yoshida allowed Japan to storm back and take a 5-3 lead in the third. Ohtani’s Dodgers teammate Hyeseong Kim answered with a two-run shot of his own, tying things up as the game went into the late innings.

In the seventh, Japan’s Shugo Maki drew a leadoff walk, with the pinch-runner for him advancing to third on two outs. Korea’s pitching then got sloppy, as while they intentionally walked Ohtani, they also issued two unintentional ones, allowing a run to score. Yoshida brought home two more with a single. While South Korea did get one run back, that three spot in the seventh ended up being the difference in the game.

Pool A: Canada 8 (1-0), Colombia 2 (0-2)

Thanks to a homer from Cubs-turned-Marlins up-and-comer Owen Caissie in the second, Canada never trailed in this one. But they didn’t fully put it away until a four-run eighth inning.

Canada was never not in control of this game, as the Caissie homer gave them a 2-0 lead, and they later went on to take a 4-1 lead thanks to a Josh Naylor single. However, Colombia got back within two runs in the eighth thanks to a Harold Ramírez RBI double and even brought the go-ahead run to the plate later in the inning.

That was as close as they got, though. Canada went on to bat around in the bottom half of the eighth, plating four runs in the process and staving off any upset bid.

Pool D: Netherlands 4 (1-1), Nicaragua 3 (0-2)

Nicaragua got within one out of pulling off the upset, but a stunning, walk-off, three-run homer from Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies swung the pendulum in the complete opposite direction and gave the Netherlands a crucial win to keep any hopes of advancing alive.

Much of this game was a pitching duel between Nicaragua’s Erasmo Ramírez and Jaitoine Kelly and the Dutch bullpen. The Netherlands had taken a lead after Albies was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third, but Nicaragua answered when Cheslor Cuthbert drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth.

The game then stayed tied until the eighth. There, former Yankee farmhand Jeter Downs (most famously part of the trade package that netted the Dodgers Mookie Betts) hit a two-run home run to give Nicaragua the late lead and on the verge of their first-ever WBC win. Nicaragua pitcher Angel Obando then got through the eighth and picked up two quick outs in the ninth to get them right on the brink. Things quickly got away from them, though. Ceddanne Rafaela lined a single to center, and Xander Bogaerts caught a break when his 72.2-mph grounder hit the third-base bag and bounced into left. That set the stage for Albies, who launched one over the right-center-field fence for the first* walk-off homer in WBC history.

*As it turned out, it would not be the last of this day.

Pool B: Italy 8 (1-), Brazil 0 (0-2)

It took them a little while to get going, but eventually Italy’s superior lineup got past Brazil to win their tournament opener.

Through the first five innings, there was no score as Sam Aldegheri of Italy — who finished with eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings — and Enzo Sawayama of Brazil both had pretty decent days. When Italy did finally break through, the runs then came in bunches.

Zach Dezenzo and Jac Caglianone broke the deadlock with RBI hits in the sixth. Homers from Dante Nori and a moonshot from Seattle’s Dominic Canzone then helped Italy to a four-run seventh to put Italy in full control. Brazil never really troubled them after that, as Italy pitching combined to strike out 15 on the way to a win.

There will be another roundup post coming later, breaking down the rest of the games, including Aaron Judge and Team USA. Today will also be another busy day of WBC action with seven games ahead, so here’s the skinny of what’s on tap.

Australia vs. Japan (Pool C)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Connor MacDonald vs. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano
Time: 6:00 am ET
TV: FS1
Venue: Tokyo Dome — Tokyo, Japan

Colombia vs. Cuba (Pool A)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Luis Patiño vs. RHP Denny Larrondo
Time: 12:00 pm ET
TV: FS2
Venue: Hiram Bithorn Stadium — San Juan, PR

Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic (Pool D)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Arij Fransen vs. RHP Luis Severino
Time: 12:00 pm ET
TV: FOX
Venue: LoanDepot Park — Miami, FL

Great Britain vs. Italy (Pool B)
Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. RHP Dylan DeLucia
Time: 1:00 pm ET
TV: Tubi
Venue: Daikin Park — Houston, TX

Nicaragua vs. Israel (Pool D)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Carlos Rodriguez vs. RHP Dean Kremer
Time: 7:00 pm ET
TV: Tubi
Venue: LoanDepot Park — Miami, FL

Panama vs. Canada (Pool A)
Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. RHP Jameson Taillon
Time: 7:00 pm ET
TV: FS2
Venue: Hiram Bithorn Stadium — San Juan, Puerto Rico

Brazil vs. Mexico (Pool B)
Pitching Matchup: RHP Eric Pardinho vs. RHP Taijuan Walker
Time: 8:00 pm ET
TV: FS1
Venue: Daikin Park — Houston, TX

Hello, friends.

There are now 18 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. From now through March 23 will be near-daily exhibitions where hopefully nobody will get injured and everybody will get ready to fill the role they are needed to fill this season. This afternoon, they’ll play the Blue Jays at 1:05 in a game that will air on MASN as well as on the Orioles flagship radio stations in Baltimore. Many of your electronic devices have probably already reminded you that the “spring forward” part of Daylight Savings Time happened last night, but if they haven’t, don’t show up an hour late.

With the magic of spring training, the Orioles played two games simultaneously in two different places yesterday afternoon. At home in Sarasota, one group of Orioles beat the Twins, 3-2. Heston Kjerstad hit a two-run go-ahead home run in this game, and Coby Mayo later broke a tie with an RBI double.

A second group of Orioles was on the road to play the Braves in North Port, Florida. That game ended in a 2-2 tie. Not much of interest happened in this game. Samuel Basallo was on base twice, so at least there was that. Pitching prospect Boston Bateman got some action in and allowed two solo home runs, one to Austin Riley and one to Mike Yastrzemski. That’s some tougher competition than he’s seen in A-ball up to this point. Earlier in the game, pitching prospect Luis De León struck out those same two batters.

Within the next week, we’ll see more and more of the players who are obviously not going to make the MLB roster getting sent over to the minor league camp and there won’t be as many opportunities to see them in the major league spring games. The expected big league regulars will be playing more and more of the innings as the regular season gets closer. We’re not quite there yet, especially with there still being World Baseball Classic absences.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

“I want the fire”: Wells ready for pressure of the ‘pen (Orioles.com)
With Andrew Kittredge out, there’s a late inning waiting for Wells if he can lay claim to it.

Grant Wolfram, a spring standout, building case to be in bullpen (The Baltimore Sun)
I don’t know how much having a 0.00 ERA through four games matters, but Wolfram has got one.

Updating Holliday’s advancements in recovery from hamate bone surgery (School of Roch)
Yesterday’s development is that Holliday has progressed to swinging off a tee, with BP “within the next week or so.” They still haven’t put a timetable on his return. I’m sticking with my guess of Holliday missing a month.

Orioles option Brandon Young to minor league camp (Baltimore Baseball)
As manager Craig Albernaz said, “There is no pathway for him to break with us for Opening Day,” so the team wanted to get him over to the minor league side to build up his innings there. 67 players are still on the camp roster after this lone cut.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2001, the Orioles announced that Albert Belle was no longer able to perform as an MLB player due to his degenerative right hip condition.

There are several former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2011 pitcher Mark Worrell, 2009 pitcher Chris Lambert, 2009 utility man Ryan Freel, 2002 infielder Mike Moriarty, and 1960-62 infielder Marv Breeding.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: composer Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714), Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841), baseball Hall of Famers Dick Allen (1942) and Jim Rice (1953), sports broadcaster Kenny Smith (1965), and actor James Van Der Beek (1977).

On this day in history…

In 1801, during the War of the Second Coalition (against Napoleon), the British successfully landed an expeditionary force in Egypt with a victory in the Battle of Abukir. Within six months, the French who had invaded the territory surrendered.

In 1917, protests made on International Women’s Day in Petrograd, Russia launched the February Revolution that, over the next eight days, overthrew the monarchy. If you’re wondering why the February Revolution happened in March, it’s because Russia at this time was still using the Julian calendar so for them it was February 23.

In 1979, electronics company Philips made the first demonstration of the compact disc.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a random book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question in this space each time it’s my turn until I run out of questions or forget. Though the book gives multiple choice answers, I’m not giving you those because that would be too easy. Here’s today’s question:

The team’s combined no-hitter in 1991 against the Athletics saw three relievers pitch: Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson. Who was the starting pitcher in this game?

If you are answering the question early in the day, please be considerate of those coming later and place your answer in spoiler text in the comments. Thank you!

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 8. Have a safe Sunday.

The Dodgers have their first off day of the spring this week, with no game on the docket for Wednesday. It’s one of two off days on their Cactus League schedule, along with Thursday, March 19. Also this week, pool play concludes in the World Baseball Classic, which moves into elimination games next weekend.

Korea, at 1-2 in Pool C, needs a win over Australia on Monday and some help to stay alive in the tournament. If Japan advances out of Pool C as expected, expect Yoshinobu Yamamoto to pitch in the quarterfinals on Friday or Saturday.

Daylight saving time starts on Sunday, so Arizona will be on the same clock as those of us in and around Los Angeles now. Here is the schedule for the week ahead (all times PT):

Sunday, March 8

WBC: Japan vs. Australia, 3 a.m. (FS1)
Dodgers at A’s, 1:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA)

Monday, March 9

WBC: Korea vs. Australia, 3 a.m. (FS1)
Dodgers at Brewers, 1:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)
WBC: Puerto Rico vs. Cuba, 4 p.m. (FS1)
WBC: United States vs. Mexico, 5 p.m. (Fox)

Tuesday, March 10

Dodgers vs. D-backs, 1:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA, AM 570)
WBC: Puerto Rico vs. Canada, 4 p.m. (Tubi)
WBC: United States vs. Italy, 6 p.m. (FS1)

Wednesday, March 11

Off day

Thursday, March 12

Dodgers vs. Reds, 6:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA)

Friday, March 13

WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 3:30 p.m. (FS2)
Dodgers at Mariners, 6:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA)
WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 5 p.m. (Fox)

Saturday, March 14

WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 3 p.m. (FS1)
Dodgers “at” White Sox, 1:05 p.m. (SportsNet LA, AM 570)
WBC: Quarterfinal matchup, 6 p.m. (Fox)

The Yankees have spent a lot of time talking about their pitching this spring, Brian Cashman making a point to praise the high upside arms the team will have at their disposal throughout the season. To be sure, the thought of Gerrit Cole arriving midseason to reinforce a rotation that should already include Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Cam Schlittler is tantalizing, not to mention the potential on offer from new addition Ryan Weathers and prospects Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez.

But perhaps we should be spending more time talking about offense. It was on offense, after all, that the Yankees shined in 2025, running a 119 wRC+ that was by far the best in baseball. Their 118 wRC+ in 2024 also led MLB, albeit by a lesser margin. Judge’s production is incomparable, but he’s been backed up by enough depth in recent years to put the offense into elite territory.

Yet the Yankees aren’t alone even in their own division in terms of offense, with particularly strong outfits in a few spots in the AL East. So let’s keep it simple: who’s got the best lineup in the division?

The Yankees are the incumbents, having paced the league last year and continuing to employ the greatest hitter of his generation. But will one of their rivals surpass them? At first blush, the Blue Jays seem like the strongest contenders. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and George Springer lead the way, backed up by a few group breakout players, a group that cut the Yankees pitching to death in the ALDS in 2025.

That said, the Orioles could be a dark horse. The O’s disappointed last year, but they made some serious power additions in the form of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, deepening a lineup that already included loads of talented young players, led by Gunnar Henderson. Baltimore would need bounce back seasons from Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday, among others, but this Orioles offense has the talent to be very, very good. The last two offenses here, in Boston and Tampa, probably don’t have quite the horses to get into this conversation, though the Red Sox could surprise. Roman Anthony is already a star, and Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, and Jarren Duran round out a formidable top quartet of hitters.

What do you think? Is the best lineup in the division still in New York? Or will they be outstripped by the batters in Baltimore, Toronto, or elsewhere?

The WBC is roaring along, so this morning Matt and Peter will get you caught up on the latest action. We also have a fascinating figure for our Yankees Birthday series in Jim Bouton, while John takes a look at the Rangers as part of our 2026 MLB Preview, and also provides this week’s runaround Yankees social media.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees at New York Mets

Time: 1:10 p.m. EST

Video: WPIX, MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Venue: Clover Field, Port St. Lucie, FL

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — There was a time when the Yankees might have envisioned a 2026 Yankee season with Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones both starting in the outfield, with Aaron Judge in right.

The reality, though, is that both young players have significantly more to prove before they get starting jobs in the majors, which is part of the reason why Trent Grisham received a qualifying offer this offseason and the Yankees signed Cody Bellinger to a new deal.

And to make matters worse for the young duo, they even brought in Randal Grichuk for a bench spot to add some right-handed depth to the roster.

But in Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, Domínguez was in left and Jones in center, as the Yankees look at the two talented prospects who are almost certainly ticketed for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Domínguez was first unable to outperform Alex Verdugo in 2024 and then Grisham last year, as Grisham emerged as an offensive force.

And Jones has shown flashes of phenomenal power in the minors, but not the consistency to warrant a call-up to The Bronx.

Still, they have time to make an impression on the organization — and Aaron Boone — especially this weekend with an inexperienced lineup because of back-to-back games on the opposite side of the state and other players absent due to the WBC.

Boone said Saturday there have been encouraging signs from both Domínguez and Jones.

Of Jones, the manager said, “He’s done a nice job. He’s worked really hard this winter to make adjustments to try to hone his craft and had pretty good results here the first few weeks of games.”

He had a hard-hit single and stole second in the second inning Saturday.

Still, the 6-foot-7 Jones is coming off a season in which he whiffed 179 times in 506 plate appearances, an issue the Yankees remain hopeful will dissipate with more experience.

“Those are the challenges of being a big guy,’’ Boone said. “It’s a hard thing to figure out, but if you can do it, [that size is] a massive advantage.”

Judge is the best example of that, clearly. He turned 25 the year he set the rookie home run record in 2017.

Jones, the team’s first-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2022, turns 25 in May.

“You’ve just got to figure out your mechanics,’’ Boone said of super-sized players. “It’s a challenging thing to do when you’re really big, but once you do, you have an advantage.”

That’s not what’s kept Domínguez back.

The switch-hitter has not blossomed from the right side yet — which helped lead to the Grichuk signing — and remains a work in progress in the outfield.

After Boone criticized some of his decision-making in the outfield Saturday, Domínguez threw out Washington’s José Tena, who was trying to stretch a single into a double in the third.

That’s not enough to unseat any of the starters — or Giancarlo Stanton at DH — but Boone said the situation hasn’t impacted Domínguez’s work.

“One of the things I appreciate about Jasson is how consistent a person he is,’’ Boone said. “He’s the same all the time. He has a good way about him. I’m not surprised, but I also think he continues to be a better pro. He’s done a good job.”

HOUSTON — For the first four innings of Saturday’s World Baseball Classic game, Team USA struggled to consistently generate offense while trailing Great Britain 1-0. It looked like an upset was brewing, until an unlikely hero stepped up.

The catalyst was infielder Ernie Clement, one of just two players in Saturday’s USA starting lineup who has never been named an MLB All-Star. At the plate with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Clement connected on a two-strike pitch and put it into play. Great Britain third baseman Ivan Johnson overthrew first base. Clement hustled and was safe at first, cracking the door open just wide enough for the Americans to start a rally.

Clement moved to third base on a Pete Crow-Armstrong double, then scored the USA’s tying run with gutsy baserunning when he slid home on a wild pitch. The door blasted off its hinges.  

The USA scored five runs that inning, grabbing a lead it never relinquished in a 9-1 win against Great Britain at Daikin Park.

“To have that little spark – it started with Ernie there, a big hustle play to get to first base,” said Kyle Schwarber, who hit the USA’s go-ahead home run.  

Clement, the Toronto Blue Jays utility man, scored three runs and hit 1-for-3 in the win. He took five plate appearances, saw 18 pitches and reached base four times courtesy of an error, a single, and two walks.

Will Smith played a part in the United States’ 9-1 win over Great Britain Saturday night to improve to 2-0 in Pool B in the World Baseball Classic. But he was also on the wrong end of a couple of nice defensive plays that prevented an even bigger night for the Dodgers catcher.

Smith walked twice and threw out a baserunner trying to steal second base against Great Britain. But he was also robbed of a solo home run in the second inning, when former teammate Trayce Thompson made a leaping catch over the right field wall to bring it back.

Smith also tattooed a ball 104.1 mph in the sixth inning with the bases loaded, but left fielder Kristian Robinson tracked it down in the gap, making Smith settle for a sacrifice fly instead of extra bases. Smith had another hard-hit flyout to Thompson in the eighth inning.

Old friend Hyun-jin Ryu, two and a half weeks shy of his 39th birthday, was back on the mound for Korea for the first time in the World Baseball Classic since 2009. The former Dodgers left-hander allowed a solo home run in the second inning and worked around two singles and two steals to get through three innings with just the one run allowed with three strikeouts against Chinese Taipei.

In a back-and-forth contest in which no team ever lead by more than one run, Chinese Taipei scored in the 10th inning to outlast Korea 5-4.

Ryu, who returned to the KBO the last two years after pitching over a decade in MLB, talked with Michael Clair at MLB.com about his history in international play, including winning an Olympic gold medal in 2008 and finishing as the runner-up in the 2009 WBC:

“As a young guy back then, I remember a lot of good veterans were there for me. So, I try to do the same thing. We have a much younger pitching staff compared to years ago with the national team. I just try to be there. I think one thing I want to do for them is not only care about my baseball here now, but try to think for the young kids, so they can grow. Just being there really, but I’m also getting a lot of energy and things to learn from those young kids, as well.”

Hyeseong Kim walked in the eighth inning and scored the tying run from first base on a double.

With the tying run on third base and one out in the 10th, Kim laid down a squeeze bunt but the runner was out at home. Kim stole second to get into scoring position, but he was stranded to end the game.

After throwing a scoreless inning on Friday, Edwin Díaz did not pitch for Puerto Rico on Saturday. Puerto Rico erased deficits in the ninth and 10th innings to stun Panama and improve to 2-0 in the tournament. Daniel Hernaiz delivered the walk-off blast for Puerto Rico in front of his home fans with one of the most joyous celebrations you’ll ever see on a baseball field.

It was the second walk-off home run of the day in the WBC, with Ozzie Albies delivering the game-winning blast for Netherlands earlier Saturday to beat Nicaragua. Those are the first two walk-off home runs in World Baseball Classic history.

Sunday WBC schedule

• 3 a.m. PT: Japan vs. Australia (FS1)
• 9 a.m.: Dominican Republic vs. Netherlands (Fox)
• 9 a.m.: Cuba vs. Colombia (FS2)
• 10 a.m.: Italy vs. Great Britain (Tubi)
• 4 p.m.: Israel vs. Nicauragua (Tubi)
• 4 p.m.: Canada vs. Panama (FS2)
• 5 p.m.: Mexico vs. Brazil (FS1)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — George Lombard Jr. has looked the part of a major league infielder pretty much wherever the Yankees have played him.

Aaron Boone put the 20-year-old at shortstop Saturday in a 3-0 loss to the Nationals and said he planned on starting him at third base Sunday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie.

The part that needs more development is Lombard’s offense, although he has given the Yankees reason to believe that’s not far away with his home run against Boston’s Garrett Crochet earlier in the spring.

Boone also said he thought Lombard might have had another one Friday against Tampa Bay lefty Ian Seymour if the wind hadn’t knocked it down.

On Saturday, he walked in the first before being picked off to end the inning.

Despite making an error at short against Washington, what continues to wow the team — and opposing scouts — is his glove work.

“He’s mature, he’s a pro, he’s physical [and] he’s prepared,’’ Boone said. “He’s played really well. He’s swung the bat well, but also played phenomenal defense wherever.”

Despite that ability to play numerous infield positions, Boone said it’s clear where Lombard’s future is.

Asked about showing his versatility, Boone said, “I don’t know how important it is because he can really play short.”

Still, it’s a nice luxury to have and Lombard excels at the other spots, as well.

“The fact he plays the other ones with the ease with which he does, that’s what’s impressive to me,” Boone said. “Wherever I put him — even going back to last spring — he makes a play every time that you’re like, ‘Dang, not a lot of people make that play, even if they’re familiar with the position.’ He’s pretty special on the defensive side.”

And his bat is developing.

“He’s just impressive physically,’’ Boone said. “As a young man, he keeps filling out and you notice another level every year.. He gives you a really good at-bat, knows the zone and is very disciplined and focused. The last thing for him is to continue to develop the hit tool to finish off the player.”

Jake Bird has looked like a different pitcher this spring compared to what the Yankees saw after they acquired him from the Rockies at the trade deadline last season — at least until Saturday, when he gave up a pair of runs and retired just two batters.

The right-hander had a rough introduction to the Yankees last season, allowing multiple runs in two of his three outings following the trade before being sent to the minors.

He had also been shaky in his final month with the Rockies and wasn’t much better with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Boone said Bird might have been impacted by a heavy workload prior to the trade, as he appeared in 45 of Colorado’s first 106 games before the Yankees picked him up and “hit a little bit of a wall physically.”

Now, Boone said Bird is “one of the guys very much in the mix” for a spot in the bullpen.

“We got him last year for a reason,’’ Boone said. “He’s had a good bit of success at this level. He had a really good winter and shown well [here].”

Didier Fuentes looked absolutely dominant on Saturday, drawing 7 whiffs on just 25 pitches and pumping up to 99 MPH with his fastball. He did so, however, throwing only two pitches and throwing his four-seamer 80% of the time. It will be interesting to see what additional pitches he adds to his arsenal this season, if any. It’s difficult, as we know, to succeed as a starter with only two pitches. Fuentes looked nasty though and looked the part of an absolute weapon who could handle up to one time through the order, but I would be skeptical of his success seeing hitters multiple times with that pitch mix, even if the fastball is looking like it did today.

Braves News

Ozzie Albies had an epic left-handed three-run walk-off home run against Nicaragua in the WBC for team Netherlands, down 3-1 in the 9th with 2 outs.

Didier Fuentes, James Karinchak, Austin Riley, and Mike Yastrzemski, among others had good days against the Orioles on Saturday.

MLB News

The Tigers did not even attempt to extend ace Tarik Skubal this offseason, as he is set to test free agency after this season.

Team USA defeated Team Great Britain in the WBC.

Observations from Mets spring training Saturday:

Going Baty

Brett Baty, who started at first base, went 2-for-3 in the Mets’ 3-2 exhibition victory over the Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla.

Baty owns a 1.125 OPS this spring and has appeared comfortable at first base in his transition to the position.

Flat footed

Ronny Mauricio was picked off first base in the fifth inning.

Caught my eye

David Wright is scheduled to begin a stint in camp Sunday as a Mets guest instructor.

Darryl Strawberry and John Franco are among the other former Mets who have appeared this spring.

Sunday’s schedule

Freddy Peralta is the scheduled starter against the Yankees at Clover Park.

New York Post | Mark Sánchez: After yet another bullpen session on Saturday, Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón got some good news. He is set to face hitters next week, for the first time since going under the knife to remove loose bodies from his elbow in the offseason. Rodón is healthy, but the Bombers have been slow with his ramp-up process in order to avoid any setbacks. He said his range of movement improved considerably, so he is still ‘trying to figure out how everything moves again and just find the [pitch] shapes.’

SNY | Philip Martinez: Right-hander Will Warren extended his spring dominance on Saturday night vs. the Washington Nationals, pitching four quality frames in which he surrendered just one unearned run, lowering his Grapefruit League ERA to an impressive 0.87. He allowed two hits and walked a pair, striking out three. The talented but inconsistent hurler stretched out to 50 pitches and looks ready for the start of the season. He has a chance to prove he can improve his command and take the next step.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: On Friday, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole completed his third live batting practice session of the spring, and it went as well as you can expect. He completed two innings, threw 30 pitches, and reached 97.5 mph with his heater. He also included some breaking balls and looked excellent, just like he has all spring. “It actually felt good,” Cole said. “The second inning felt really good.” The team and the pitcher are both taking things really slow because he didn’t pitch at all last season, but it’s hard not to feel excitement at the prospect of a healthy Cole dominating in October.

Aaron Judge might have to write out a check for this one.

During the sixth inning of Team USA’s 9-1 blowout win over Great Britain on Saturday in Group B pool play, Judge hit a laser directly into the left field wall, breaking the scoreboard at Daikin Park in Houston.

The ball, which ended up resulting in an RBI single for Judge, wound up destroying a panel on the left-field scoreboard at a scorching 109.6 mph off of the bat.

The scoreboard didn't stand a chance on this Aaron Judge line drive pic.twitter.com/tOof8zPRD3

— MLB (@MLB) March 8, 2026

Judge’s hit also came during a three-run sixth inning for Team USA, which saw them break the game open against Great Britain.

Team USA was held scoreless for the first four innings, with Great Britain jumping out to an early lead after outfielder Nate Eaton homered off of Tarik Skubal on the first pitch of the game. Trayce Thompson also robbed Will Smith of a homer in the second inning, but the Americans rolled after that.

After their victory against Brazil on Friday, Team USA improved to 2-0 in pool play, with the team set to face Mexico next on Monday.

The U.S. went all out with its roster for this year’s tournament following a devastating loss to Japan in the finals back in 2023.

Manager Mark DeRosa assembled a star-studded U.S. squad this time around, and was dead set on landing Judge, previously detailing on “The Show with Joel Sherman & Jon Heyman” last month how he got the three-time American League MVP to come aboard.

DeRosa said he was able to recruit Judge through former Yankee great — and current Team USA pitching coach — Andy Pettitte, who said that the seven-time All-Star wanted to play for the U.S.

“I just said, ‘Hey Aaron, I’m not going to bug you throughout the year. … I talked to Andy Pettitte, I’d love for you to be obviously the captain of Team USA and kind of start with you and filter everything around you as the pillar of this thing,’” DeRosa said was his pitch to Judge. 

“He called me back within 48 hours and was like, ‘I’m in, I want to do it.’ … I started it in April, I just started slow-playing and trying to make pitches. I was building a Dream Team at night in my apartment on paper. Trying to make lineups out and pitching staffs. I was just slowly cold-calling people and seeing where their heads were at” 

This evening in the Colorado Rockies first night game of 2026, they headed home with a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For game highlights, click here.

Postgame video of manager Warren Schaeffer was not available, but here’s starting pitcher Zach Agnos:

Sean Sullivan commented on his performance:

And here’s Brenton Doyle on being back in the lineup:

Please enjoy another Doyle defensive gem:

And this very smooth play by Jake McCarthy:

Tomorrow, the Rockies will welcome the Cleveland Guardians to Salt River Fields at 2:10 pm. (Don’t forget the time change.)

See you then.

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