Category: Baseball

A bozo waving a Palestinian flag ran onto the field at Yankee Stadium during Friday night’s Subway Series game — at 9:11 p.m. on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The man stormed the field during the seventh inning of the Yankees-Mets game in The Bronx, waving the flag as the crowd erupted in anger.

Some fans broke into chants of “USA! USA!” while others could be heard yelling “f–k you” at the man.

The disruption came as New York marked 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

It was not immediately clear how the man managed to get onto the field.

Fans tossed drinks at the protester, who was kicking at the security guards as they carried him off the field.

The spectacle came on a night steeped in emotion at Yankee Stadium, where the crosstown rivals had gathered to commemorate a quarter-century since the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Before the first pitch, the Yankees played a seven-minute video on the outfield scoreboard featuring members of the 2001 team reflecting on the aftermath of the attacks.

Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Paul O’Neill, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada were among the former Yankees featured in the tribute.

Country singer Lee Greenwood then performed “God Bless the USA,” drawing roaring applause — followed by chants of “USA” from the stands.

The Yankees also welcomed back members of the 2001 team, whose run to the World Series that fall unfolded as a grieving city struggled with the aftermath of the attacks.

Jeter, Posada, O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Mariano Rivera and former manager Joe Torre walked onto the field to loud applause before the game.

Two people who lost their fathers in the attacks — Brielle Saracini and her husband, Sean McGuire — threw out the ceremonial first pitches.

More coverage on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11:

• Condoleezza Rice apologizes to families for failing to prevent 9/11
• 9/11 25th anniversary live updates: JD Vance unites with Clinton, Obama, Biden, Bush at Ground Zero ceremony
• Rudy Giuliani shakes Zohran Mamdani’s hand at NYC 9/11 memorial ceremony after calling on mayor to skip
• Sept. 11 widow blasts Saudis: ‘How can it be 25 years and still we have no justice?’

Both were 10 years old when their fathers were killed on Sept. 11, 2001. The pair later met at Camp Better Days, an organization created to support children who lost parents in the attacks.

Members of the 2001 Yankees stood behind the couple near the mound as they delivered the pitches.

Mets interim manager Andy Green had described the significance of the matchup before the game.

“It’s gonna be special,” Green told reporters.

“I think obviously it takes us back 25 years and all of the emotions and uncertainty we felt that day. The pain we felt for people who lost loved ones.”

“It’s gonna be incredibly special. Major League Baseball got this one right by putting these two teams against each other on this day.”

— Additional reporting by Thomas Gamba-Ellis

Let’s go streaking! The Tigers won their first game of the series against the Rockies 6-2.

After winning their series against the Twins, the Tigers were hoping to ride that winning momentum into their weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies, having a rough season, might prove to be a good team to help bolster the Tigers in their final weeks of the regular season. They had Framber Valdez on the mound to get things started, up against Mason Adams for the Rockies.

Jake McCarthy singled to get things started for the Rockies in the top of the first. He was then eliminated in a force out off the bat of Connor Norby. Cole Carrigg singled, putting two men on, but Hunter Goodman grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the home half.

Adael Amador got a one-out walk in the top of the second, but two outs followed to leave him stranded. In the bottom of the inning, Riley Greene got a leadoff single. With one out, Max Clark walked. However, John Peck grounded into a double play to end the inning.

With two outs in the top of the third, Norby singled, but the Rox weren’t able to convert the baserunner. The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

The fourth inning was likewise a three-up, three-down affair for both teams, and I can’t say that I anticipated the biggest excitement in this game being the broadcast crew talking about the Rockies’ fun glittery belts, but here we are.

Things got a bit more interesting in the top of the fifth. Troy Johnson singled to start things off, then Jordan Beck singled, pushing Johnson to third. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Ezequiel Tovar saw Johnson head for home, but got tagged out. McCarthy singled, and once again a Rockies player headed for home, only to get tagged out by a monster throw from Zach McKinstry that managed to beat the run to home plate. Incredible.

Norby walked to load the bases. While the Tigers put up a mighty effort to balance out the mid-game collapse of Valdez, Carrigg reached on a fielding error by Kevin McGongile, scoring the first run of the game as Tovar came home. They did manage to get the final out of the inning at second, but the Rockies were on the board first. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Clark evened everything out again, with a solo home run.

Peck walked. McKinstry walked. And though it seemed like a good opportunity for the Tigers to pull into the lead, Javier Baez hit into a double play to end the inning.

In the top of the sixth, the Rockies went down in order. It was Colorado who dipped into their bullpen first, surprisingly, bringing in Mark Manfredi for the bottom of the inning. Gleyber Torres got a one-out walk. After a lengthy at-bat, Greene hit a triple off the centerfield wall that Carrigg just couldn’t field, and Torres scored.

The Rockies went back to their bullpen for Nick Frasso, and he immediately gave up a two-runner homer to Dillon Dingler on the first pitch.

Max Clark got a free bag after getting hit by a pitch, then stole second without hesitating. Love it. Then back-to-back wild pitches from Frasso advanced Clark to third and then easily home for another run. Peck also got the walk, because Frasso simply cannot seem to find the zone. Peck then stole second. It took an epic at-bat from McKinstry that Frasso ultimately won to end the inning, but the Tigers had extended their lead to 5-1.

Valdez’s day was done after six innings, with a final line of 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K on 90 pitches. The game started well enough for him, but that fifth inning was hard to watch. Jacob Waguespack came in from the bullpen. He got the side out in order for a nice, efficient inning. Blas Castaño came in to pitch in the home half, and he got the Tigers out in order.

Carrigg got a one-out single in the top of the eighth, but the Rockies left him stranded. There was also some debate about a super nice catch from McGonigle that saw him going into the protective netting. While the catch looked clean, it was ruled a foul, and later clarification from MLB suggested that because McGonigle “lost control of his body” in the netting, the catch was not an out, but rather a foul. This, of course, begs the question: would it have counted if there was no netting and McGonigle had landed on the fans? It would have. Just one of those slightly frustrating baseball things. In the bottom of the inning, Spencer Torkelson walked. Greene then doubled, bringing in another run.

Three outs followed, but the Tigers had extended their lead into an almost safe zone. Also, credit where credit is due, the final out from Moniak was a real thing of beauty.

Brant Hurter came out to pitch the ninth, hoping to hold the Rockies scoreless and keep the Tigers queued up for a win. Amador got a leadoff single. With two outs, Zac Veen singled with a little dribbler down the third-base line that allowed Amador to score, and couldn’t get to first in time to get Veen out. McCarthy then singled. That was all she wrote for Hurter, who was replaced by Kenley Jansen. Jansen came in clutch, got the final out, and secured the Tigers’ win.

Final: Tigers 6, Rockies 2

San Diego Padres (78-68) at San Francisco Giants (62-85), September 11, 2026, 7:15 p.m. PST

Watch: Apple TV

Location: Oracle Park – San Francisco, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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A fresh start, perhaps?

Lineups:

Kirby takes the mound tonight, hoping to be steadier than the uneven Jeffrey Springs. JP is back to leading off, and Birthday Boy Weston Wilson hits ninth. Taylor Ward is the DH tonight against the lefty Springs, and not to complain, but Arroyo would have been more fun.

News:

A fun storyline to watch tonight – Kirby has been one of the worst pitchers in the league at holding runners on base. Read Kate’s article on it here, it will surely be more (or at least as) interesting than the game tonight.

Today’s game information:

Game time: 6:40 PT

TV: Mariners TV, with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink

Radio: ESPN 710 AM with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

Zac Thornton understands the Yankees still are playing for the American League East title, so he carries a responsibility. 

“We want to be spoilers to some people’s seasons,” the Mets left-hander told The Post on Friday. “We did a little bit of that last week in Miami — that felt good to spoil some seasons — so we have got to keep it on.” 

The rookie will have an opportunity to leave his mark Saturday, when he is scheduled for his Subway Series debut. Thornton has been among the Mets’ surprises this season, emerging from obscurity in spring training to post a 3.53 ERA over 12 starts for the team. 

In Miami, the Mets swept three games against a team clinging to National League wild card possibilities. Hope for the Marlins had all but faded once the final game was complete. 

Thornton is familiar with at least one member of the Yankees: his minor league career largely overlapped with that of rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. 

“Every single level that I have been at, I have thrown to Lombard, so it will be fun to throw to him in the big leagues,” Thornton said. “We have had some good battles throughout the years. He’s a good hitter. He’s always getting the ball in play, so he’s a tough guy to strike out.” 

Any conversation about the Yankees lineup starts with Aaron Judge, who returned from the injured list this week. 

“A really good player, but at the end of the day hitting is hard, and I am going to go out and throw my stuff and see what guys can do with it,” Thornton said. 

The lefty wasn’t his best in his last start, when he surrendered six earned runs over five innings (including four homers) in a loss to the Giants last Saturday. It was the first time since his major league debut on May 20 that Thornton allowed more than three earned runs in a start. 

“I think I fell into a trap of trying to be too cute early on in counts, where if I pound the zone early, I won’t really be in as many hitters’ counts as I was last week,” Thornton said. “I m just trying to do my job to get my guys in good counts.” 

Thornton is anticipating the moment. 

“It will probably be the closest thing we’ll get to a playoff atmosphere this year,” Thornton said. “It’s probably really good just for my development as a pitcher, to kind of feel these crowds and see if I can rise to the occasion.” 

Having done the preview, and since I’ll also be doing the recap tonight, I don’t feel particularly obliged to go into much further detail here. 🙂 Obviously, it’s important for the team to stay within striking distance of the Padres, who are up at the other end of California this weekend, facing the Giants in San Francisco. Elsewhere, the Cubs already won, and the Phillies are currently in a rain delay, before the start of what could be a tough series for them against the Brewers on the road. We’ll be keeping an eye on both those contests over the course of the evening.

But the D-backs need to take care of their business too: getting the offense back on track is key. Over the last 17 games, Arizona has averaged barely 3 runs (55 total), with an OPS of .626 across 622 PA. While they have gone 10-7 in that stretch (despite being outscored by eight runs, 55-63), the hitters need to do better. But here’s a fact for you, despite what all the memes in the GDT might have you thinking, Arizona has actually left a below average number of runners on base this year, and 111 fewer than the Cubs to date.

As Major League Baseball marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday, the game between the Mets and Yankees had a different feel.

Taking place miles away from where the events of that day occurred, both New York teams honored those affected by the tragedy in a way only they could. Wearing hats honoring the first responders, with the field at Yankee Stadium adorned with stars and stripes, players and coaches on both sides understood what Friday's game meant.

"Major League Baseball got this one right, putting these two teams together on this day," Mets interim manager Andy Green said ahead of the Subway Series opener. 

“Certainly understand the weight of today and being the 25th anniversary. But having the two New York teams playing, having lived through being a baseball player at the time, knowing the role baseball played…feels like an honor," Yankees manager Aaron Boone expounded before first pitch. "We don’t take lightly walking out on that field tonight."

The pregame ceremony saw Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, Derek Jeter, Scott Brosius, Paul O'Neil and Mariano Rivera -- members of the 2001 Yankees -- take the field for a moment of silence and the ceremonial first pitch. There was tenor James Valenti, who sang the National Anthem and a rendition of "God Bless the USA" sung by Lee Greenwood.

“We’re both New York teams playing against each other, but the crowd felt united," Aaron Judge said after the game. "You forget about baseball, it’s more than baseball. It’s about being united as a country, as a city. I thought it was pretty special for 'God Bless America;' you saw all of us on the line. The Mets hopped the fence. We didn’t tell the guys over there, so it was special to see us both out there just united."

“The ceremony at the beginning was well done," Green said. "We honored everybody as well as possible today." 

Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Mariano Rivera & Derek Jeter are announced to the Yankee Stadium crowd for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 pic.twitter.com/UQA9W4qMfB

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

Lee Greenwood performed "God Bless the USA" at Yankee Stadium before tonight's game pic.twitter.com/9bFXRGILaE

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 11, 2026

Earlier this week, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was asked about the atmosphere he anticipates and described what he believes will be a day full of emotion.

"Ever since 9/11, New York got even stronger," Lindor said at the time. "Everyone comes together. Before the game, it doesn't matter if it's Yankees or Mets, and it feels really good. Once the game starts, it becomes Yankees vs. Mets. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a special day for a lot of people. Hopefully we put a smile on people’s faces, put on a great show and remember the ones that fought for everybody and the ones that lost their lives that day."

That emotion was felt by the players during the pregame ceremony and during the game, with the crowd playing a huge part in it.

“It’s a special day. Today felt like bigger than the game and bigger than yourself," Cody Bellinger said. "It was a fun atmosphere...just nice to go and play the game and give them something to cheer about."

"It’s an emotional day," Ben Rice said of the game. "Happy we were able to provide some positivity on such a tough day."

“It felt special. The energy in the crowd was special. It felt like what you want a ballgame to feel like," Boone said of the crowd. "A lot of people were here having a great time on what, for many, is a difficult day." 

Texas Rangers @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Friday, September 11, 2026, 8:40 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

Chase Field

LHP MacKenzie Gore vs. RHP Merrill Kelly

Go Rangers!

After a day off at home in Sacramento the A’s should be rested up and ready for another series win. Spoiler hats on people. Our division rivals, the Seattle Mariners, are fighting to remain relevant in the playoff race but are seeing their hopes fade fast. They sit in third place in the AL West six games back of the first-place Astros. And in the Wild Card race it’s not much better as they’re 5 1/2 games back of the third and final playoff spot with five teams ahead of them. A sweep at the hands of the A’s would all but end their season. That sounds like some good motivation for the cobbled together home team.

The A’s will have veteran Jeffrey Springs getting the start in this one. His overall year with the Athletics has left a lot to be desired and both he and the team will go their separate directions this offseason. Still, it’d be nice to see his tenure end on a high note. He’s coming off one of his best starts of the season his last time out when he tossed seven shutout frames in Seattle against these very same Mariners. The left-hander only allowed two hits and twqo walks and will be hoping for more of the same tonight against a division rival. He’s in Sutter Health Park though, and the flyball pitcher has made it known his disdain for the Athletics’ temporary home. If he can keep the ball in the park he’ll be fine.

Here’s the Athletics’ starting lineup for the series opener tonight:

The typical top half of the lineup with Bolte leading things off followed by McNeil, Gelof and Butler. The hot-hitting Max Muncy rises to fifth in the order and he’ll DH in this one. Veteran journeyman Donovan Walton backs sixth and is manning shortstop while rookie Tommy White is in the lineup playing first base. Carlos Cortes will handle left field while Jonah Heim is batting ninth and catching Springs in this one.

Seattle will be countering Springs with right-hander George Kirby. Kirby has been steady if unspectacular for the Mariners all season long, making 27 starts and not missing a turn through the rotation. Sure, his 4.18 ERA isn’t all that impressive but he’s been a valuable member of their starting rotation. He’ll be looking for some revenge tonight against the A’s after taking the loss last time out. That’ll be a tough task for Kirby as he’s struggled mightily on the road this season.

And the Mariners’ batting order this evening looks like this:

Do I hear two in a row? Sounds like a great way to start our weekend A’s fans. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a weekend homestand against the Chicago White Sox Friday night as Matthew Liberatore will get the start for St. Louis while the White Sox will send Anthony Kay to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.

1. José Fermín (R) 3B
2. Iván Herrera (R) DH
3. Jordan Walker (R) RF
4. Alec Burleson (L) 1B
5. Joshua Báez (R) LF
6. Leo Bernal (S) C
7. Thomas Saggese (R) 2B
8. Masyn Winn (R) SS
9. Nathan Church (L) CF

With football season now underway, you’re getting a football-themed game thread. If you don’t like football, suck it up, you can deal with it for one day. Let’s be honest, even a football themed game thread is more entertaining than whatever the heck the White Sox are doing.

For the last 2 ½ weeks the White Sox have been taking the metaphorical knee at the end of the game. Unfortunately for them, there’s about five minutes left in the fourth quarter and they’re only up a point. Luckily, the rest of the AL Central is deciding to punt the ball back to them on first down, for some unknown reason. I don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that the Guardians share the same city as the Cleveland Browns, but I can’t say for sure.

No matter how you spin it, the White Sox are bad again. They don’t have an offense, they don’t have a defense, and I have no hope anymore. I started planning the possible attendance of a home playoff game in my head and now they might very well not make the playoffs, so this may in fact be all my fault.

Nevertheless, the White Sox have an important game Friday night against … the St. Louis Cardinals? Great job, MLB, for inserting interleague games during the most crucial part in the season.

Either way, the schedule is already set and the South Siders are in St. Louis to try to collect a win for the first time since Sunday thanks to a sweep at the hands of the … Pittsburgh Pirates? Seriously, what decade is it?

Either way, let’s get into the game tonight. On the hill for the Cardinals is Matthew Liberatore. I like Liberatore, and I think he’s better than his record. As a former resident of Milwaukee and an attendee of many Brewers games, I can tell you that he’s caused the Brew Crew some issues in the past. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who you’re cheering for, Liberatore is incredibly inconsistent.

He posted a 3-2 record with an ERA less than four in the month of May, with four of those six starts coming against the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. He immediately followed it up with an ERA of more than eight in the month of June. He’s been up and down ever since and most recently gave up five runs in just over four innings to the Colorado Rockies. The game did come on the road, but come on, the Rockies?

As for the White Sox, they’re throwing out Anthony Kay again. I would say “every kiss begins with K(ay),” but last time out he looked more like the kiss of death. He allowed five runs in just over four innings against the Minnesota Twins. Oddly enough, the stat line was pretty close to the stinker that Liberatore put up, so this may actually be a pretty fair fight.

Outside of a bad first month of the season, Kay has been solid for the White Sox, and they could really use him tonight. For as bad as this divisional “race” has gone as of late, there are just 16 games left. Any win at this point does wonders for Chicago, even if the Cleveland Guardians pull a rabbit out of a hat at the end of the game again. Here’s to hoping Cleveland’s baseball team starts to take after their football team and lays an egg during the month of September. Then again, the White Sox are from Chicago so … you can connect the dots.

Here is the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox:

Here is the starting lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals:

First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!

The Dodgers and Miami Marlins continue their weekend series with an afternoon game on Saturday at loanDepot Park, a 4:10 p.m. start time locally and 1:10 p.m. back in Los Angeles.

Tyler Glasnow takes the ball for Los Angeles, making his fourth start since returning from the injured list.

Right-hander Tyler Phillips starts for the Marlins. He started the season in the bullpen but since joining the rotation has a 4.23 ERA and 4.91 xERA in 17 starts. He’s lasted exactly five innings even times, and pitched deeper into the game three times — six innings on June 22, 7 1/3 frames on June 28, and 5 1/3 innings on August 13.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Marlins
• Ballpark: loanDepot Park, Miami
• Start time: 1:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Cincinnati Reds are in Milwaukee on Friday where they’ll begin a three-game weekend series at American Family Field against the Brewers.

Andrew Abbott (6-10, 4.43 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 152.1 IP) gets the starting nod for the Reds in the opener opposite Brewers starter Dustin May (6-9, 4.69 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 132.1 IP).

First pitch is set for 7:45 PM ET.

Lineups for both clubs listed below!

Takeaways as Phillies' bullpen, baserunning fail them again originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ATLANTA — The Phillies have found different ways to lose lately. Too many outs on the bases. Too many late leads slipping away. Too many chances to finish games that they haven’t finished.

Friday had all of it.

The Phillies led three different times from the ninth inning on, got go-ahead hits from Justin Crawford and Luis Arraez in extras and still walked off the field with a 6-5 loss to the Braves in 11 innings. The bullpen let them down again. So did the fundamentals.

And after another night where they had chances to put a game away and couldn’t, the Phillies are now five games back in the division.

What did we see from our end?

THE FUNDAMENTALS, AGAIN

The Phillies have spent the last week giving away outs and bases at exactly the wrong time. Friday brought another one.

Bryce Harper doubled to open the ninth with the Phillies still holding a one-run lead. Alec Bohm followed with a ground ball to the left side. Harper broke toward third, then stopped. He wound up caught in no man’s land between second and third and was tagged out.

Instead of having a runner in scoring position with one out and a chance to add insurance, the Phillies handed Atlanta an out.

It’s become too familiar lately. The Phillies have had baserunning mistakes pile up over the last week, part of a stretch in which their fundamentals have slipped as the games have only become more important.

Against a team chasing you in the standings, with a bullpen that has been shaky lately, those extra 90 feet and extra outs matter. They mattered Friday.

THREE CHANCES, NONE FINISHED

Jonathan Bowlan entered the ninth trying to protect the lead. He couldn’t.

Bowlan allowed the tying run, marking the fifth time in his last six outings that he has surrendered a run.

Then came extras.

Justin Crawford came off the bench in the 10th and attacked the first pitch he saw, ripping a go-ahead single to put the Phillies back in front, 4-3. Crawford entered the night batting .348 with runners in scoring position this season.

Another big spot. Another big swing from the rookie. And another lead the bullpen couldn’t hold.

Chase Shugart allowed the automatic runner to score in the bottom half, sending the game to the 11th.

The Phillies went back ahead again. Luis Arraez went the other way for an RBI single after Harper singled, Bryson Stott walked and Crawford grounded out.

A 5-4 lead. One more chance.

Shugart returned for the bottom of the 11th and recorded one out before Don Mattingly went to Brooks Raley. Raley got the second.

Then Ha-Seong Kim, batting .126, shot a two-out single through the left side to tie it. Drake Baldwin followed with a walk-off double.

Three different Phillies leads disappeared from the ninth inning on.

That’s the part that will stick. The bullpen has struggled lately to keep games where they belong. Friday was another one.

VINTAGE NOLA REMAINS

Aaron Nola did his part.

He gave the Phillies 6 1/3 innings of two-run baseball against a Braves lineup seeing him again just eight days after his best start of the season.

The familiarity didn’t hurt him.

Nola pitched to contact, leaned less on his four-seamer and turned more to his changeup, a pitch that has become increasingly effective for him.

Matt Olson’s first-inning homer hugged the foul pole. Austin Riley’s seventh-inning shot came on a sinker below the zone that he reached down and drove out.

Neither changed what Nola was able to do overall.

For the second straight start, he generated a chase rate of at least 45 percent. Both came against the Braves.

They’re the only two starts this season in which he’s reached that mark and the first time in his career he’s done it in consecutive outings.

BREAK THE DAM

The Phillies finally did some damage against Chris Sale.

Entering Friday, Sale had allowed three earned runs over 19 innings in three starts against Philadelphia this season. The Phillies matched that total in one inning.

With two outs in the second, Edmundo Sosa singled, Bryan De La Cruz worked a seven-pitch walk and J.T. Realmuto was hit by a pitch. Derek Hill followed by lining a three-run double into the left-center field gap.

It gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead and was the biggest swing they had produced against Sale all season.

It also continued a trend from their right-handed bench bats. Since Hill was acquired on June 11, Hill, Sosa and De La Cruz are batting .329/.368/.576 with runners in scoring position, with 11 extra-base hits and 50 RBI over 97 plate appearances.

The Phillies badly needed more production from that side after struggling so much against left-handed pitching early in the season. They got it Friday.

It just wasn’t enough.

The same issues that followed them through the homestand followed them to Atlanta. And after another game they had multiple chances to finish, the Phillies are now five games back in the division.

Logan Gilbert’s incredible play at the plate in yesterday’s Mariners win wasn’t just a clutch moment in the game; it also underscored a fun little storyline this season, where Gilbert has gone from the worst Mariners pitcher at controlling the running game to the…[checks notes, checks them again]…best? That’s right, after being one of the worst Mariners pitchers by Statcast’s Net Bases Prevented (which sums how many bases a pitcher prevents runners from advancing with outs created on the basepaths), this year Gilbert is the best of the starting staff.

It’s understandable if you would have guessed Gilbert to be the worst, not the best – he and Bryce Miller (who was the worst starter last year at controlling the running game) have not only the slowest pitching pace on the team, but in the big leagues in general. Gilbert’s pitch tempo of 18.6 seconds ranks in the bottom 6% of MLB, as does Miller’s, and pitchers who are slower to the plate tend to leave themselves more susceptible to the running game. But Gilbert has made a concerted effort to improve in that area, and it’s paying dividends, even as he himself admits he’ll never be master of the pickoff.

The starter who is actually the worst at controlling the running game might surprise you, though – or maybe not, if you’ve been watching the 2026 Seattle Mariners closely. George Kirby’s -5 Net Bases Prevented ranks not only worst on the staff, but bottom 5% in MLB.

Despite being one of the quicker Mariners starters to the plate, Kirby has historically been one of the worst on staff at controlling the running game. This wasn’t an issue for the 2023-24 iterations of Kirby, who steadfastly refused to issue free passes, or even 2025 Kirby, who walked more hitters but also posted a career-high strikeout percentage of 26% after coming back from an early-season shoulder injury. But the 2026 version of George Kirby is striking out the lowest percentage of hitters in his career, under 20%, while also walking the same number of hitters as his 2025 self – still well below MLB average, but not the utterly miserly raters of his 2023-4 selves. That’s led to an increase of bodies on the basepaths, and when runners reach base, they take advantage.

In Kirby’s last start against the A’s, with the A’s ahead 2-0, Zack Gelof led off the fourth inning with a single. Kirby was able to retire Lawrence Butler on a flyout, but during Butler’s at-bat, Gelof stole second, which set up a two-out RBI for the A’s when Max Muncy singled, costing the Mariners a run. The A’s were able to get another run in that inning thanks to a passed ball on catcher Cal Raleigh, and all of a sudden the A’s had doubled up their lead, putting the Mariners in a hole they wouldn’t be able to overcome.

For a team that’s scuffled to find offense, gifting opposing teams runs on preventable things like walks and stolen bases has been deleterious, to say the least. (The Mets’ double steal against Kirby in a 7-1 loss on June 3 felt like a particularly brutal humiliation ritual and, looking back, felt like one of the signs this team wasn’t headed to the post-season.) But the final score doesn’t always reflect how pivotal some of these steals can be. Looking at the Padres’ decisive 8-3 win over the Mariners back on May 17th, it’s hard to remember that was a close game up until a nightmarish sixth inning. But in the fifth inning, the Padres were able to double up their lead essentially for free when Xander Bogaerts led off with a walk, then swiped second and third consecutively and scored on a Ty France single.

As the broadcast team points out here, part of what makes Kirby so susceptible to the stolen base, despite his quicker pitch tempo, is his large leg kick. Because of his delivery, there’s probably a ceiling to how well Kirby will be able to control the running game, which is hopefully offset by his pace to the plate and ability to limit free passes – both of which are controllables that Kirby could do a better job of controlling. One other aspect that Kirby could control, though, is his mentality on the mound.

Kirby has spoken extensively this year about working on the mental side of his game to be more comfortable with contact and let go of outcomes once runners reach base. In the past, says Kirby, he’s lost focus being frustrated about executing a pitch and yet allowing a hit on what he considers a well-executed pitch. This year, he’s been working on redirecting his focus instead to the hitter in the box and continuing to execute and hopefully cap the damage at the plate.

“That’s a big thing for me,” Kirby said back in April after a particularly good start against the Astros. “Once that guy gets on base, you can’t do anything about it anymore. You just have to lock in a go back to thinking about the competition between you and the hitter. They got on, doesn’t matter, just go attack the next guy. I think that really helps flush all the negative energy after a couple hits.”

It’s a delicate balance – keeping the focus on the at-bat but not forgetting about the runner entirely. But it’s not entirely correct that a pitcher can’t do anything about a hitter who reached base, because they can matter. For the famously-intense “Furious George”, managing the mental side of the game has always been one of his challenges. But it’s a balance he’s going to have to navigate, because giving up free runs is something to really be furious about.