Category: Baseball

Carlos Mendoza had a conversation with Mark Vientos on Sunday. 

The Mets' skipper just wanted to sit the 26-year-old slugger down amid his continued spring training struggles at the plate to remind him that he already has a place on this team.

Mendoza didn’t necessarily get the sense that Vientos needed to hear that, but he felt it was important for him.

“It’s the human-element,” he said. “They are competitors going out there, they want to see results -- I think the past couple of years he comes into camp trying to make the team, and we know he is part of this team moving forward.

“I thought it was just important for him, like we’re not looking for results here we’re just looking for quality at-bats and as long as you’re seeing the ball well and swinging it good, that’s all that matters right now.”

Vientos responded by going 0-for-4 again on Monday night. 

He is now hitless in three games since returning from a sluggish World Baseball Classic. 

While the infielder did strikeout for the sixth time this spring during his second plate appearance, he did also hit into another tough luck out before that. 

After youngster Carson Benge opened the bottom of the first with a seven-pitch walk, Vientos dug in and scorched an up and in slider from Nationals left-hander Zach Penrod for a 106.4 mph liner.

It was the eighth-hardest hit ball of the night, unfortunately it was directly at the left fielder, which has been the story of his spring to this point. 

There's no denying Vientos is struggling, but he has been hitting the ball hard, which gives Mendoza confidence he can find his way out of it.

“We’re not putting too much into results right now,” the skipper emphasized. “The biggest thing for him is just continue to see the ball well, continue to make hard contact, and continue to work hard defensively.

“He’s going to be a big player for us. He’s going to be a big bat, and we’re counting on him. I’m pretty confident that we’re going to get a really good version of Mark Vientos.”

Observations from Mets spring training on Monday.

Alvarez is all right

After being hampered by injuries early last year, Francisco Alvarez continued his solid spring with a double, impressing Carlos Mendoza with his rhythm at the plate. 

Hit or miss

Maybe Mark Vientos is saving his hits for the regular season. He’s 1-for-25 for the Mets after another hitless night.

Mendoza said he spoke with the slugger. “He’s fine,” the manager said. “I told him, ‘You’re on the team. You’re not trying to make the team. Continue to get hard contact, and work defensively. He’s gonna be a big player for us.” 

Caught my eye

Christian Scott has shown flashes of promise in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, but he struggled against Washington, allowing a homer and a double to the DH. 

Tuesday’s schedule

Sean Manaea takes the mound against the Marlins in Jupiter, Fla. at 1:10 p.m. in a spring in which the left-hander’s velocity has been down.

Welcome back to another week at BCB After Dark: the hippest hot spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and sit wit us. No matter if the weather is hot or cold out there, the vibe in here is cool. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last week I asked you what was Team USA manager Mark DeRosa’s biggest mistake in the loss to Italy in the World Baseball Classic. Forty-four percent of you said that DeRosa never should have started rookie Nolan McLean. Another 25 percent thought that starting Paul Goldschmidt over Bryce Harper was his biggest boner.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. You can skip that if you want. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Tonight we’re featuring a classic performance from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers from 1958. Lee Morgan is on trumpet, Benny Golson on saxophone, Jymie Merritt on bass and Bobby Timmons on pianto.

This is “Whisper Not.”

So the Academy Awards were last night and One Battle After Another won Best Picture. Unless you worked on the film. I’m telling you that you should not care. I’ve seen way too many arguments about it online today.

Tonight I’m continuing my series of offering my thoughts of the top ten films in the 2022 BFI Sight & Sound critics poll of the greatest film of all time. Of all such polls, this is the one that is considered the most “canonical.” Although none of them won an Oscar for Best Picture or Best Foreign Film, which ties into my previous paragraph. But even with the the BFI list, I don’t agree with all of the top ten picks in the poll and I imagine that literally no one does. We all have our own opinions and that’s fine. Like the Oscars, have fun with this but don’t take it too seriously.

My plan was to do two short pieces on each film at a time, but once again I got too involved in writing up Beau Travail that I’m going to put off Mulholland Drive until next time. In any case, it would have been a major feat for me to not go on and on about Mulholland Drive, so me writing a little too much on Beau Travail tonight is probably a good thing.

7. Beau Travail (1999). Directed by Claire Denis. Starring Denis Lavant, Michel Subor and Grégoire Colin.

Beau Travail (“Nice Work”) is director Claire Denis’ re-imagining of the Herman Melville novella Billy Budd. The setting of this psychological drama is changed from a Royal Navy ship during the French Revolutionary Wars to the modern-day French Foreign Legion in Djibouti. The entire story is told in flashback by a former Legionnaire with very little dialogue. The film is quiet, deliberate and poetic. Denis grew up in French Colonial Africa and she definitely has an eye for the continent’s beauty. 

I’ve never read Billy Budd, but I have seen the 1962 Peter Ustinov-directed film version that starred Terence Stamp, Robert Ryan and Ustinov, so I’m somewhat dangerously basing some of my thoughts on that. Denis makes some clever adjustments to the Melville story. For one, rather than focusing on the characters played by Stamp (Budd) and Ustinov (Captain Vere), Lavant plays Galoup, which is the equivalent of the Ryan role, who is the villain of the Ustinov film. So the villain of Billy Budd becomes the protagonist, although definitely not the hero, of Beau Travail. It’s an interesting switch. Certainly in the Ustinov film, we’re supposed to identify with the unfair abuse that Billy is subjected to. That’s just not that interesting to Denis. What’s more interesting are the rather inscrutable motivations of the abuser.  

Also, by setting Beau Travail in the modern day also takes the death penalty off the table, so Denis had to come up with a creative way to work that in anyways.

Galoup is our narrator, who tells us of his time in the French Foreign Legion in Djibouti. He has a local girlfriend, whom he goes dancing with at the clubs. He loves his service in the Legion and admires his commanding officer Forestier (Subor). His entire concept of his own self is tied up in his image of himself as a Legionnaire. He loves the self-discipline and order that comes with being in the Legion.

Galoup’s world is shook when a new recruit, Gilles Sentain (Colin), joins the unit. Galoup instantly takes a strong dislike to Sentain. Galoup believes that Sentain is a malignant force in the unit and in particular, he dislikes the interest that Forestier is taking in him. To be clear, Sentain has given Galoup no particular reason to hate him. He’s been nothing but a quiet soldier who does his job. This is something carried over from Billy Budd, or at least the Ustinov film version. (Reading a summary of the novella, Melville posits that Claggart envies Billy’s good looks.) Galoup warns Forestier of the malign force that he believes Sentain represents, but his warnings are ignored by Forestier because there is nothing behind them. Eventually, there’s a confrontation between the two men which changes the lives of both of them.

There isn’t much dialogue in Beau Travail and the story is pushed along by Galoup talking about his memories after he returned to France. Denis luxuriates in the beauty of the East African desert and honestly, the men. If you’re the type who enjoys a film featuring lots of buff, shirtless men sweating while working and exercising in the hot African sun, this is the movie for you. There’s a definite homosexual subtext to the entire film, but it never bubbles to the surface. Maybe sexual attraction is the reason that Galoup hates Sentain so much, but we’re given no reason to think either one is gay and Galoup did have a native girlfriend whom he clearly misses after he returned to France.

In fact, much of what makes Beau Travail a good film is how much is left unsaid. Denis lets the images of the men, the desert and the battle between the two do most of the talking. It’s a beautiful and wistful series of images that tell a compelling tale.

Would I put it in my top ten? Here’s where the film loses me. Were I Siskel or Ebert back in the nineties and asked my opinion of Beau Travail, I’d give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. But as one of the ten greatest films of all time? No way. Denis was the assistant director on director Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire (she was the one to brilliantly suggest Peter Falk for the film) and I think Wings of Desire is the clearly better film. That film is a candidate for my list of the greatest ten films of all time. I could probably name close to a hundred films that I would vote for before I’d consider Beau Travail. So while I agree that the film should be acclaimed and that it should be somewhere in the BFI Sight & Sound Top 250, I think number seven is way too high. But you shouldn’t take that as criticism. You should still watch it.

Here’s a trailer from the 4K restoration of Beau Travail.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Ben Brown has a new sinker. (Baseball Prospectus sub. req. although if you subscribe to Apple News, it’s also here.) Ben Brown is looking very impressive in Spring Training with is new sinker.

We’ve heard this story before. Brown was a very promising pitching prospect that the Cubs got from the Phillies in 2022 for David Robertson. He made his major league debut in 2024 and between that year and last year, he’s been bouncing between the starting rotation and the bullpen. He’s been quite poor (5.26 ERA) over the course of his career as a starter. He’s been just “below average” as a reliever in his career with a 4.79 ERA.

Brown has struggled in his career despite some nasty stuff, an excellent strikeout rate and solid control. In that Baseball Prospectus article, Maddie Landis argues that Brown’s problem is that he’s been a two-pitch pitcher. Despite his fastball being around 96 miles per hour, it’s very hittable because, among other reasons, he catches too much of the plate with it too often. His knuckle-curve should be elite, but she argues that with only two real pitches, it’s too predictable. When major league hitters can guess what you’re throwing, even elite stuff is hittable.

Should this sinker turn out to be a real weapon for Brown, Landis argues that Brown has number-two starter upside. With a good third pitch, hitters will no longer be able to guess on the other two pitches and be right at least half the time. (Brown also has a changeup, but he rarely throws it because it’s not very good.)

The problem with Brown starting this year is that the Cubs already have a full starting rotation. Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, Shōta Imanaga and Jameson Taillon are already written down as the rotation to start the season. Justin Steele looks to be ready to go by Memorial Day.

So Brown will almost certainly start the season in the bullpen. But will he stay there? Pitchers get hurt. Also, Jameson Taillon hasn’t looked great in Spring Training. Nor was he great in the World Baseball Classic for Canada. We’ve talked about Imanaga’s struggles at the end of last season. If either one of them continue to struggle and Brown is pitching well out of the bullpen, then the Cubs will have to consider making a move to put Brown in the rotation.

Of course, this all assumes that Brown’s is as successful against regular season hitters as it is against the ones in Spring Training. It also assumes that Brown can go deep into games and throw 90 to 100 pitches every fifth day instead of 15-20 two or three times a week.

So do you think Brown will be more of a reliever or a starter in 2026? I asked in what role will he throw the most innings, because it’s hard to compare appearances as a reliever to appearances as a starter.

Thanks so very much for stopping by. We hope you’ve enjoyed yourself. Please get home safely. We want you to stop by again. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.

Francisco Alvarez continued his strong spring on Monday night. 

After youngster Carson Benge led off the bottom of the first with a walk, the slugger quickly drove him in, lining an RBI double down the left-field line for the Mets’ first run of the game. 

Alvarez walked on five-pitches two innings later, then struck out swinging in the bottom of the fifth, and flew out in the seventh to end his night 1-for-3.

Reaching two more times in the loss, though, the right-hitting backstop is now up to a stellar .381 average, .440 on-base percentage, and 1.017 OPS through 21 spring games.

He’s also driven in four runs, and half of his hits have gone for extra-bases. 

With Opening Day drawing closer and closer, Carlos Mendoza think he’s in a really good position. 

“I like the rhythm at the plate,” the skipper said. “When he’s on time for the fastball he’s a dangerous hitter. There’s been some really good takes, and overall physically he feels good -- that’s where it starts, with him being healthy -- so I like where he’s at offensively, and we have to keep it that way.”

This version of Alvarez is the one that the Mets saw when the former top prospect made his return from the minors down the stretch last season. 

He hit .276 with 18 XBH’s, 21 RBI, and a .921 OPS during the second-half. 

The 23-year-old keeping himself healthy and carrying over that form would be a huge boost for New York’s revamped lineup heading into the regular season. 

PORT ST. LUCIE — Cristian Pache started in center field against the Nationals on Monday at Clover Park, but his future seems destined for Triple-A Syracuse, where the Mets hope to unlock some tools on offense, as Pache has already proven himself as a stellar defensive outfielder. 

His prowess in center is no surprise, considering his history. 

Pache, 27, signed with the Braves out of the Dominican Republic in 2015 and went on to wear No. 25 in the majors with Atlanta in 2021. 

The decision to wear that number was easy for Pache — who spent all of last season with Arizona’s Triple-A Reno affiliate. 

“When I was young, my dad was a big fan of Atlanta and used to have me watch a lot of Andruw Jones videos,” Pache said recently through an interpreter. “From a defensive standpoint, I took after him.” 

As far as models go, that was a pretty good choice, as Jones is headed to Cooperstown largely because of how well he played center over a 17-year major league career spent mostly with the Braves. 

After signing with the Braves and coming up through the minor league system, Pache got to work with Jones, who was an instructor with Atlanta following his playing career that ended with the Yankees in 2012.

Jones will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. 

“After I met him, we had a good relationship, so I figured I’d wear his number,” Pache said. 

“In my first spring with the Braves, he was there and gave me advice and told me how to work on skills and tricks to help improve my ability on defense.” 

He signed a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp in December and has so far looked good with his new team. 

Pache entered Monday 11-for-25 with three extra-base hits in 11 Grapefruit League games, as the Mets remain hopeful he has the tools to become a player in the majors. 

With Juan Soto in left field, Luis Robert Jr. in center and Carson Benge potentially the future in right, there might not be room for Pache in Queens. 

But he’s still managed to impress. 

“He’s an elite defender,” Carlos Mendoza said. “Offensively, we’ve seen him hit the ball hard up the middle and run the bases. There are a lot of tools there. It’s good to see him getting results.”

In a see saw game on Monday night at Clover Park, the Mets fell 12-6 to the Nationals thanks to Washington’s six-run eruption in the ninth inning. It was the Mets’ ninth loss of the spring to go along with their 11 wins and one tie. The Mets return to action tomorrow afternoon as they travel to Jupiter to face the Marlins. Sean Manaea will take the ball in that game as he looks to secure his spot in the team’s rotations ahead of Opening Day.

• David Peterson started for New York and had an uneven outing. He allowed two runs in the first and two runs in the fourth. He was charged with four earned runs on five hits, with two walks and two strikeouts over four innings.
• The Mets got a pair back in the bottom half of the frame against Zach Penrod. Carson Benge led off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Francisco Alvarez drove Benge home on a double down the left field line, and then came around to score on a Ronny Mauricio two-out double.
• Cristian Pache launched a solo home run in the second to give New York their first lead of the night. The Mets extended their lead in the third, as Mauricio singled home Jared Young.
• Washington’s Riley Adams singled home two runs in the top of the fourth to knot the game up at four apiece.
• After Peterson’s outing was complete, Devin Williams took the ball and hurled a scoreless fifth inning. The Mets’ closer struck out one and walked one as he lowered his ERA on the spring to 1.80
• Cristian Scott came in and pitched three-plus innings for New York, allowing three earned runs on five hits. Scott struck out four and did not walk a batter.
• Washington went ahead in the sixth when CJ Abrams led off with a triple and came around to score on a wild pitch. They added a run in the seventh on a James Woods leadoff home run.
• The Mets pulled even on a Christian Arroyo two-run home run in the eighth, his first of the spring for the Mets.
• The wheels came off for New York in the ninth inning, ultimately leading to their demise in this one. Woods doubled off Scott to lead off the inning, which ended the right-hander’s night. Douglas Orellana came in to try and hold the Nationals off the scoreboard, but he immediately allowed a double to Joey Weimer, which brought the pinch runner Luis Arias home. Later in the inning, Orellana threw a wild pitch, which brought home the eighth Washington run. Viandel Pena drove home two runs with a single past the third base bag, and another run came home on a Murphy Stehly run-scoring single.
• That spelled the end of the night for Orellana, who could not escape the ninth inning. Gregori Louis came in and allowed another run-scoring hit, which made it six runs in the inning for Washington as they batted around. He recovered to retire Luis Arias for the final out of the nightmarish ninth.
• Benge had another great night, going 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. He raised his spring average to .406 and his OPS to .972.
• Alvarez and Mauricio each had good nights for New York. Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and a one driven in, while Mauricio had two hits in four at-bats while driving in two of New York’s six runs.
• Pache also had a two-hit night, with a double to go along with his home run.
• On the flip side, Mark Vientos had another brutal showing, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. His average has now fallen to .040 on the spring, which isn’t counting his tough stint with Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

The Mets were defeated by the Washington Nationals 12-6 on Monday night at Clover Park.

Here are some takeaways...

- Carson Benge continues to solidify his case for the Mets' Opening Day RF spot. The youngster reached safely in all four of his plate appearances on the night -- walking in the first, lining an opposite-field double in the second, walking again in the fourth, then lacing a 107.6 mph single in the seventh. 

Benge is riding a six-game hitting streak, helping bring his average to .406 on the spring. 

- It was a good night for two of the regulars in the Mets' starting lineup, as well. Francisco Alvarez reached twice with a first inning RBI double and a five-pitch walk in the third, and Ronny Mauricio laced a pair of opposite-field run scoring knocks, both of which came from the right-side against left-handed pitchers. 

Mauricio is now hitting .313 on the spring, and Alvarez is up to a 1.107 OPS. 

- Cristian Pache also continued his strong spring at the plate, reaching twice including a solo homer. The 27-year-old hasn't found much success to this point in his big-league career, but he'd give the Mets quality depth if he can continue this offensive surge to begin the season in Syracuse. 

Pache, a career .181 hitter, is hitting .464 with a 1.302 OPS on the spring. 

- Mark Vientos, on the other hand, continues to struggle and run into some tough luck offensively. He laced a 106.4 mph lineout right at the left fielder in the bottom of the first, broke his bat and softly lined out to third in the third, flew out to the warning track in the fourth, and struck out with a man on in the seventh. 

The slugger remains hitless since returning from the WBC, and is hitting just .040 in camp. 

- David Peterson endured a bit of an up-and-down outing. Washington made him pay in the first, turning two walks and two hits into a pair of runs, before he settled into a groove. The left-hander retired the next nine hitters he faced before the Nats turned three fourth-inning singles into two more two-out runs. 

Peterson's spring ERA is now 5.63 after allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over four innings. 

- Devin Williams continues to look in mid-season form. The Mets' new closer worked around a leadoff walk and stolen base in the top of the fifth, striking out one, as he put together his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance since allowing a homer on his very first pitch he threw this spring.

Williams has now struck out six and is down to a 1.80 ERA in Grapefruit League play.

- Christian Scott was hit around a bit in his third outing back. The righty gave up a triple to the first batter he faced in the sixth before allowing him to score on a wild pitch. James Wood then jumped him for a homer leading off the seventh. Wood would lace a leadoff double in the ninth to end Scott's night. 

Scott gave up three runs on five hits and struck out five while stretching out to 56 pitches. 

- Infielder Christian Arroyo evened things up with his first homer of the spring in the bottom of the eighth, before Washington regained command with six runs against Douglas Orellana in the top of the ninth.

Highlights

Francisco Alvarez with the double to drive in Carson Benge! pic.twitter.com/h6ufDMGp06

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 16, 2026

Ronny Mauricio with a double of his own! pic.twitter.com/qjX8ju7TGq

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 16, 2026

Cristian Pache hits his second home run of the spring! pic.twitter.com/kEyEYBVq7V

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 16, 2026

Carson Benge lines one the other way for a double pic.twitter.com/z91Kdxuko1

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 16, 2026

Ronny Mauricio gets his second hit and RBI of the day pic.twitter.com/UMxbuxdVWB

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 16, 2026

Carson Benge with his second hit of the night! pic.twitter.com/b1T7V2w8As

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 17, 2026

What's next

Sean Manaea gets the St. Patrick's Day start, as the Mets head to Jupiter to take on the Miami Marlins at 1:10 p.m.

Jose’s shoulder is ok, that’s all that matters. Here’s today’s lineup:

Halpin LF

Martinez CF

Manzardo DH

Hedges C

Kayfus 1B

Jones RF

Brito 2B

Kieboom 3B

Tolentino SS

The Athletics put forth arguably their best pitching performance yet this spring, shutting out the Los Angeles Angels 3-0. This afternoon marked the first time the team kept its opponent off the scoreboard in this year’s Cactus League.

A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs put together his best performance and now seems ready for the season to start. He threw 84 pitches over 4 2/3 scoreless innings, only allowing three hits while striking out four. Springs found himself in trouble early as the Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning on two hits and a walk. He escaped that jam by getting Angels’ catcher Logan O’Hoppe to fly out to left. Following that early scare, it was mostly smooth sailing for Springs until he was removed for reliever Nick Anderson after allowing Mike Trout’s fourth double of the spring with two outs in the fifth inning.

Returning to the first inning, buoyed by the Angels leaving the bases loaded, the A’s offense struck first against Los Angeles pitcher George Klassen. Following Nick Kurtz getting hit by a pitch and a Shea Langeliers single, Tyler Soderstrom grounded into a double play, which nearly killed the rally. Fortunately, Brent Rooker hit a two-out RBI single to score Kurtz who had moved to third base on the previous play. Rooker stole second base and then scored on Jacob Wilson’s single to right field.

Klassen and the three Angels relievers did a good job of subduing what was a red-hot A’s offense. The A’s finished the game with only four hits. Their only other run came courtesy of Max Muncy’s fourth Cactus League home run, a solo shot to right field in the fourth inning.

Out of all of the team’s candidates to play third base, Muncy seems to have the most offensive upside and has been getting the most playing time at the position, which suggests he will likely start there Opening Day in Toronto. Muncy has the offensive ability to further strengthen an already stellar lineup, although he will hopefully not make too many crippling defensive errors if given the chance to play third base daily.

With the team up 3-0, it was down to the A’s relievers to protect their team’s slim lead. Right-handers Nick Anderson, Mark Leiter Jr., Michael Kelly and A.J. Causey did their job and more, combining to keep the Angels from inching closer.

Anderson, who curiously was not reassigned alongside fellow non-roster invitees Wander Suero and Nick Hernandez, got the last out of the fifth inning and then worked around allowing a leadoff double the next inning. Free-agent acquisition Leiter Jr. will likely pitch in many high-stress, late-game moments this season for the A’s. This afternoon, he worked his way out of a first-and-third, one-out situation in the seventh inning, striking out Mike Trout for the second out and then getting the next Angels hitter to ground out to end the inning.

Kelly also worked out of trouble the next inning and then Causey, who has a shot to make his MLB debut this year, slammed the door in the ninth, collecting his first save in an A’s uniform.

All spring, the A’s have been winning games by simply outscoring their opponents, so today it was nice to see the team win thanks to strong pitching and defense. Speaking of defense, Zack Gelof caught every ball hit his way in right field. If anyone was at the game, how does he look in the outfield and is it a realistic possibility to see him out there in the regular season? Share in the comment section below.

Here’s how the box score looked today:

The Athletics will try to make it two wins in a row tomorrow as they travel to Glendale, Arizona to play the Chicago White Sox. Luis Morales will start for the A’s, looking to build on his solid performance in his last outing and cement his spot as one of the A’s five starting pitchers in their season-opening rotation. At the moment, the White Sox have yet to list their scheduled starter for that Cactus League matchup between two teams looking to take a step forward this season.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Monday was officially named the opening day starter for the Dodgers, with the right-hander set to take the mound on Thursday, March 26 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.

That puts Yamamoto in rare air, considering he also threw the last pitch for the Dodgers in 2025, getting the final eight outs in Game 7 of the World Series, the day afterthrowing 96 pitches in six innings in Game 6. In case you forgot how that ended, Yamamoto won Game 6 and Game 7, and the Dodgers won a second straight World Series, with the star Japanese right-hander at the center of it all.

Yamamoto next week will join Sandy Koufax as the only Dodgers pitchers to close out a World Series championship, then throw the first pitch of the next season. Koufax beat the New York Yankees in 1963 to win World Series MVP, just like Yamamoto last year.

In 1964 he started the Dodgers’ first game, also at Dodger Stadium, this time a shutout to beat the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the only opening day start of Koufax’s illustrious career.

While Koufax and soon Yamamoto are the only Dodgers to follow the last pitch of a championship and the first pitch of the next season, eight others in modern franchise history threw the Dodgers’ final pitch of one season and the first pitch of the next.

Others in the Fall Classic

Brooklyn lost the best-of-nine World Series five games to two in 1916, their first trip to the Fall Classic. Wheezer Dell pitched a scoreless inning to conclude the Dodgers’ pitching in that series, then started on opening day in 1917 against the Phillies, allowing six runs in five innings in a loss.

Carl Erskine pitched the final two innings of Game 7 of the 1952 World Series in scoreless fashion, in a game the Dodgers lost 4-2 to the rival New York Yankees. Then he started opening day in 1953 against the Pirates at Ebbets Field. That didn’t go as well for Erskine, who allowed four runs in three innings. But Brooklyn rallied for an 8-5 win.

One regular season into another

Right-hander Cy Barger pitched three of his seven major league seasons for Brooklyn, and closed out the 1910 season with a complete-game loss against the Boston Braves. He followed that up with the opening day start in 1911, and lost another one-run game to the Braves, this time on the road.

Dazzy Vance is the other Hall of Famer in this group along with Koufax, and just as Koufax won NL MVP in 1963, so did Vance in 1924 after leading the league in wins (28) and strikeouts (262). Vance on the last day of the 1924 season pitched his 30th complete game of the year in beating the Braves at Ebbets Field. Then in 1925, Vance beat the Philadelphia Phillies on opening day with another complete game.

Jesse Petty ended the 1926 season with a complete-game win over the Chicago Cubs, and started 1927 with an opening-day win in Boston.

Leftt-hander Watson Clarkbeat the Phillies to end the 1928 season, then started on opening day in 1929 in Boston. Clark lasted only three innings and allowed five runs, in a wild game Brooklyn lost 13-12.

Hall of Famer Don Drysdale pitched the final two innings in relief to beat the Cubs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, closing out the 1960 season. Drysdale struck out two in that game to give him a major-league-leading 246 strikeouts on the season, at the time the fourth-most strikeouts in modern National League history.

Then Drysdale beat the Phillies in the same stadium with seven strong innings to open the 1961 campaign. That was the fourth consecutive opening day start for the then-24-year-old Drysdale, who would start seven opening days in his career.

Nobody knew it at the time, but Ramón Mártinezshutting out the Cincinnati Reds on August 11, 1994 was the Dodgers’ final game of the season. Before this start, Mártinez was briefly back home in Glendale for the birth of his daughter.

“They were saying to me, ‘Have another kid,” Martínez said, laughing, to Maryanne Hudson of the Los Angeles Times.

The players’ strike began the next day, and labor strife escalated enough to cancel the World Series that year as well as lop one-ninth of the 1995 schedule as well. Once an accord between players and owners was finally reached and a shortened-spring training got folks ready, Martínez pitched six strong innings to beat the Florida Marlins in Miami in the Dodgers’ first game.

A day after flirting with perfection, the Giants were perfectly inept at capitalizing on scoring opportunities.

In their 3-1 loss against the San Diego Padres, San Francisco bats went hitless in a baker’s dozen worth of at-bats, including three duds in the 9th inning after Osleivis Basabe’s lead-off triple. Tyler Fitzgerald’s sacrifice fly in the 7th accounted for the Giants’ solitary run, so “perfectly inept” isn’t exactly right — just near-perfect once again.

While it was a team effort in this regard, Luis Matos, a sub for Jung Hoo Lee in right in the 7th inning, particularly struggled. His two at-bats of the day each came with a runner in scoring position. With a man on first and second and one-out, he chased after an inside cutter and popped it up to short. In the 9th, he was called out on strikes on the sixth pitch of the at-bat: a four-seam fastball in the corner pocket that froze him completely. He had fouled off three previous pitches out of the zone to put him in the two-strike hole. 

The spring slump continues for Matos and based on some of the swing decisions today, his eagerness to swing his way out of it is doing more harm than good.

All three of San Diego’s runs came against reliever Spencer Bivens in the 6th inning. Chalk this unseemly frame up to a 50/50 mix of tough-luck and self-inflicted trouble. The Padres peppered three singles off Bivens, two of them grounders finding holes, and two of them probably corralled by second baseman Casey Schmitt on a better day.  What made those tough breaks hurt was the traffic supplied by Bivens by way of a walk, a hit batter, and a wild pitch. It also didn’t help that he didn’t properly back-up the catcher on Christian Koss’s overthrow home on Miguel Andujar’s sacrifice fly. The error was attributed to center fielder Koss, but if Bivens was positioned better, the runner on first would’ve been prevented from advancing into scoring position on the play.  

But it wasn’t all bad! 

Tyler Mahle went toe-to-toe with Padres starter Walker Buehler and Tyler Mahle through the early innings. Buehler scattered 3 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings pitched while bailing himself out of trouble by way of 7 strikeouts. Mahle had started the day with an unblemished ERA but struggled with command, having walked 7 batters against 6 strikeouts over his previous 6 innings of work. Over four innings against San Diego, Mahle doubled his K-total while allowing just one baserunner and preserving his scoreless Spring. 

While the typical 1-2 punch of his four-seam and splitter were present today (accounting for 4 of his 6 strikeouts), Mahle evened out his mix on the day to focus on his slider. 

Historically the offering has probably been his worst pitch. It’s an underwhelming specimen in regards to movement. The pitch is a little sluggish for a slider, nor does its glove-side run distinguish itself from his cutter, and only by virtue of being a couple of beats slower on the radar gun does the offering get more of vertical lilt. 

Mahle tossed 13 of these sliders, about a quarter of his overall pitches, and most were offered to right-handed batters. Two of his six K’s came on the pitch. He threw four consecutive sliders in the 1st inning, and all of them were elevated in the upper-third of the zone or higher. While this feels like a location mistake for this pitch-type, because Mahle is such a north-south thrower, he seems to be able to get away with spotting his breaking ball at the belt. Xander Bogaerts, who spun around one on the 8th pitch of his at-bat in the 1st, was clearly timed-up for the fastball and thought he got one reading the ball out of Mahle’s hands. In their next match-up, Mahle served up a 2-1 slider (his last of the afternoon) to a similar spot that Bogaerts somewhat mis-hit, directing the pitch into the ground but striking it hard enough to coax a fielding error from shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald. 

That belt-high slider should’ve been a souvenir for a fan sitting on the hill beyond left field. Instead a bad pitch in a bad location got drilled into the ground. A veteran hitter like Bogaerts still couldn’t square it up because Mahle mixed it in so well. He knows his stuff and knows how to squeeze the most out of each offering — this is the benefit of signing veteran arms. You can bet when those two meet in the regular season, that slider is going to be top of Bogaert’s mind. Mahle, in the middle of March, was pitching for outs in June.

The Dodgers made a few more roster cuts after Monday’s marathon loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, sending eight players to the minor league side of camp at Camelback Ranch.

Outfielder Michael Siani and reliever Paul Gervase are on the 40-man roster, so they were optioned to the minors.

Non-roster invitees Zach Ehrhard, James Tibbs III, Noah Miller, Zyhir Hope, Cole Irvin, and Ryder Ryan were reassigned to minor league camp.

Hope is the consensus top-100 prospect who remained the longest in camp, and through Monday leads the Dodgers with 22 games played this spring, though he hit just .179/.238/.231 with two doubles in 42 plate appearances.

Ehrhard and Tibbs, both acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Dustin May last July, each impressed this spring, and among Dodgers outfield prospects are older and closer to the majors than the rest, likely ticketed for Triple-A this season. Ehrhard hit .327/.389/.551 with five doubles and three triples in 20 games, while Tibbs hit .326/.392/.651 with three home runs, three doubles, and a triple in his 20 games.

With Irvin and Ryder Ryan sent down, the only two non-roster pitchers remaining in big league camp are right-hander Chris Campos and left-hander Antoine Kelly.

With these moves, the Dodgers have 43 players remaining in big league camp, including 23 pitchers and 20 position players.

PORT ST. LUCIE — One spot remains, as the Mets look for the last arm to complete their bullpen. 

Huascar Brazobán will be part of that Opening Day bullpen, manager Carlos Mendoza revealed Monday, leaving only one available spot for a reliever. 

Of course, it takes only a sore arm for the equation to suddenly change, but the Mets have Brazobán, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Tobias Myers and Luis García for six of the seven jobs.

The Mets would normally have eight relievers, but their plan to carry six starting pitchers subtracts from the bullpen. 

And Mendoza doesn’t expect resolution on the final reliever until after the Mets break camp next Monday. 

“Since I have been in this level, as a coach, bench coach or manager, that last part of the bullpen is usually not [decided] until hours before Opening Day because there’s so much that can happen,” Mendoza said. “We’re still a long way from having that conversation.” 

Among the possibilities is a reliever from another camp will become available before Opening Day. But the Mets’ primary internal options for the final spot appear to be possible future Hall of Famer Craig Kimbrel and lefty Bryan Hudson, who was acquired in a trade with the White Sox at the start of camp. 

Brazobán’s inclusion on the roster gives the Mets an option capable of pitching beyond one inning — Myers, who has stretched out in camp as a starter also fits the description. 

Brazobán pitched 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings with three strikeouts for the Dominican Republic on Sunday against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Overall, the right-hander retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced in the tournament. 

“I don’t know that we’re looking at results, even though it’s a pretty competitive environment, facing some of the best hitters in the world on that stage,” Mendoza said. “It was good to see him throw the ball the way he did. Not surprising. 

“I think the biggest thing we were looking at was the buildup. Making sure the one plus that he ended up doing, close to 30 pitches. So, the fact that fortunately they lost and we’re going to get him back, but he’s coming back in a pretty good spot as far as buildup and us being comfortable using him for one plus when we need it.” 

Brazobán, who has a minor league option remaining, pitched to a 3.57 ERA in 52 appearances for the Mets last season. 

How the Mets fill the final bullpen spot could be dependent on whether the team decides a second lefty is necessary.

Brooks Raley is the primary lefty to start the season and with A.J. Minter rehabbing until May from surgery to repair a torn lat, Hudson could be in position to claim the opening. Hudson struggled last season after thriving for the Brewers in 2024. 

“I like the velo there, it seems to be back,” Mendoza said. “That is something he kind of got away with last year. I like the breaking ball.” 

Kimbrel, 37, has pitched to a 2.25 ERA in four appearances this spring, but has struggled with control — he’s walked four and hit two batters in four innings of work. 

“I guess it really depends on how I look the next week,” Kimbrel said of his chances. “I have got three outings until we get out of here, so just kind of turn it up and get ready for the season.” 

Kimbrel, who arrived in a minor league deal — he will receive $2.5 million if he makes the major league roster — acknowledged there have been positives and negatives this spring in his attempt to extend a 16-year career in which he’s amassed 440 saves. 

“The positive is I have been able to work out of some of the stuff that I have gotten into,” Kimbrel said. “The negatives are I have walked some guys, hit some guys. The guys I have hit have been pitches I have been working on, but just making steps and hopefully I can put that pitch [a cutter] into my arsenal and be more effective.”

Box Score

Yesterday, the Brewers’ offense was almost held completely in check. Today, they let out all of the offense that they’ve been holding back. Three big innings by the Brewers’ offense made up all of the offense in this one, as the Brewers defeated the Dodgers 24-9.

The game started with the Dodgers’ offense in high gear. Chad Patrick escaped the first inning with just a single allowed. He faltered a bit in the second, giving up two singles and a walk as the Dodgers scored a run. In the third, he struggled a lot. After allowing back-to-back walks to start the inning, Teoscar Hernández hit a three-run home run to center field that put the Dodgers up 4-0. After another walk, the Brewers brought in Patricio Aquino from the bullpen. He allowed a fourth walk in the inning, and two batters later Eliezer Alfonzo doubled to bring them both in. It was a five-run inning for the Dodgers, who were up 6-0. Patrick came back in for the fourth inning and allowed a solo home run to Max Muncy. That was it for Patrick, who finished his day with 3 1/3 innings pitched, six runs, five hits, and four walks. He also struck out two.

As for the Brewers offense, Tyler Glasnow kept them in check for the first four innings. All he allowed in those innings was a Luis Rengifo single to lead off the game. In the fifth inning, they finally broke through. Joey Ortiz led the inning off with a walk, and Brandon Lockridge singled behind him to put runners at the corners. The first run came from Jett Williams, who singled and put the Brewers on the board.

That was just the start of the inning. Williams stole second with Brock Wilken at the plate, but Wilken struck out. Glasnow’s day ended there and Jerming Rosario entered the game. He would not record an out. Luis Lara singled to bring in Lockridge and Williams, and Lara reached second on a fielding error. Rengifo followed that up with another single to put runners at the corners, then Andrew Vaughn was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two more singles, this time from Tyler Black and Gary Sánchez, closed the gap to 7-6.

The Dodgers brought in Blake Treinen with two runners on base and one out. He promptly hit Ortiz with a pitch to load the bases once again. Lockridge then put the Brewers up with a grand slam, a 103.1 mph shot out to center field that gave them a 10-7 lead.

Meanwhile, the Brewers’ bullpen entered the game and mostly shut down the Dodgers for the next two innings. Trevor Megill struck out all three batters he faced in a scoreless fifth inning. Tyler Koenig allowed a leadoff single, then struck out three more Dodgers in a scoreless sixth.

In the seventh, the Brewers’ offense surged once again. Singles by Ortiz and Lockridge led off the inning, and a Williams walk loaded the bases. Pinch-runners Brady Ebel and Ethan Murray replaced Ortiz and Williams as Cooper Pratt came to the plate. Pratt hit an easy ground ball to second, but shortstop Noah Miller missed the throw and everyone was safe. That scored Ebel and increased the Brewers’ lead to 11-7. Lara added on another run with an RBI single. Back-to-back walks by Luke Adams and Mike Boeve increased the lead to 14-7.

Black hit a sacrifice fly out to left field for what should have been an easy out, but Zyhir Hope missed it and the bases cleared, with Black making it all the way to third base. He would score on a Ramón Rodríguez groundout, the Brewers’ first out of the seventh inning after they had scored eight runs. They would add on a ninth run in the next at-bat as Ebel hit a solo home run.

The bullpen did give the Dodgers a couple runs back in the next two innings. Grant Anderson walked the first two batters he saw, and a fly out and sacrifice fly brought in a run for the Dodgers. Anderson finished the inning with no other damage, but also did not record a strikeout. Jack Seppings came in for the eighth inning but struggled. He walked two batters with a strikeout in-between, then allowed an RBI single to Hope that made it a 19-9 game. Will Childers finished the eighth with two strikeouts.

The Brewers’ offense came back for one more encore in the ninth inning, with Lucas Wepf pitching for the Dodgers. All five Brewers that faced him reached base. Ebel led off with a walk, and back-to-back singles by Josiah Ragsdale and Murray loaded the bases. Pratt walked to bring in the Brewers’ 20th run of the game. Braylon Payne also walked to make it a 21-9 game. The Dodgers switched to Robby Porco, who walked Luke Adams — the third straight walk from the Brewers and fourth in the inning. It took Porco eight pitches before he finally threw a strike. On the ninth pitch, Boeve singled to bring in another run. The Dodgers finally recorded two outs when Eddys Leonard hit into a double play, but that scored Payne. After Rodríguez was hit by a pitch, Ebel struck out swinging to end the inning. It was a five-run inning for the Brewers, and the score after that was 24-9.

Joe Corbett took the ninth for the Brewers, and a calm 1-2-3 inning finally brought the game to an end. It was a three hour, 54 minute spring training game with a combined 33 runs, 24 hits, 22 walks, three errors, and two hit batters.

The Brewers’ offense had 24 of those runs, 16 hits, and 12 walks. They were also well-distributed throughout the lineup. Lockridge led the offense with a 3-for-5 day with four RBI and three runs scored. Rengifo, Williams, and Lara each had two hits. Adams didn’t record a hit but walked in all three of his plate appearances. Tyler Black had only one hit but his sacrifice fly brought in three runs. Lara also had three RBI, and Pratt added two of his own.

After that barrage of offense, the Brewers get a day to rest before returning to action with a split-squad day on Wednesday. One squad to travel to face the Mariners, while the other will remain home and host the Angels. The road game against the Mariners will be on Brewers.TV, and the home game will be available on the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch in both games is set for 3:10 p.m.