Category: Sports News

Entering this season, Adael Amador had played in 51 games for the Rockies since making his MLB debut on June 9, 2026. During that time, Amador yo-yoed from Triple-A Albuquerque and Colorado, putting up impressive numbers for the Isotopes, only to struggle with the Rockies.

In June, Purple Row’s Skyler Timmins even wrote about what the Rockies should do with their highly touted prospect who couldn’t seem to crack the MLB code. Skyler discussed the value of trying out Amador in the outfield in addition to second base, giving more versatility to the switch hitter. It seemed more likely than trading Amador, especially without a Rockie having locked down the starting spot at second base and the team valuing utility players.

Perhaps all Amador needed was more time to develop with the Isotopes. Still just 23 years old, Amador hit .264/.367/.428 with 21 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, and 62 RBIs while drawing more walks than strikeouts — 61 to 48 — in 94 games. A seasoned second baseman who can also play shortstop, Amador also added some time in left field to his resume.

After just 12 games, in 40 plate appearances, Amador has posted 12 hits — including three homers and two doubles — with 10 runs scored, 10 RBI, seven strikeouts and four walks. He’s hitting .333/.400/.639 with a 1.039 OPS.

It’s a night-and-day difference from his previous stints with the Rockies.

After parts of two seasons in 2024 and 2025, in 164 plate appearances, Amador combined for 26 hits, including eight doubles and one homer, scored six runs, drove in 10 runs, struck out 33 times and walked 12 times. He hit .176/.242/.250 with an OPS of .492.

In nearly every metric, Amador’s 2026 numbers reflect a completely different player.

Season	Age	WAR	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2024	21	-0.4	10	36	35	1	6	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	.171	.194	.200	.394	6
2025	22	-1.2	41	128	113	5	20	7	0	1	10	1	1	11	27	.177	.256	.265	.521	40
2026	23	0.4	12	40	35	10	12	2	0	3	10	0	0	4	7	.333	.400	.639	1.039	183

Obviously, 12 games isn’t very many in a season known for the grit required to grind out a 162-game marathon. But Amador has done better in this set of games than he has during any other time in his MLB career. After posting a strikeout rate of 21.1% in 2025, Amador has dropped it to 17.5% this season. He’s also increased his walk rate exponentially each season from 2.8% in 2024, to 8.6% last season to 10% in 2026.

Another big change is in the power. After hitting one homer in 148 at-bats in his first two seasons, Amador has connected for three in 32 at-bats this year. That includes a solo shot off New York Yankee Cam Schlittler on Tuesday.

Amador has provided much-needed depth as the Rockies have faced some infielder injuries in August and September. He was first called up on Aug. 12 when Kyle Karros went on the 7-day concussion list. Before being sent back to Albuquerque on Aug. 21, Amador went 3-for-10 with five runs scored, a double, a homer, six RBIs and three walks and five strikeouts in five games.

After a short stint back with the Isotopes, Amador was called up again thanks to MLB’s expanded September rosters. He then benefited from the opening created by Willi Castro’s left heel inflammation that put him on the 10-day IL on Sept. 2. In seven games in September, Amador has gone 9-for-26 with five runs scored, four RBIs, two homers, a double, three strikeouts and one walk. It started with a bang with a solo homer in his first game back.

The next day, Amador scored the winning run when Brett Sullivan hit a walk-off single against the Orioles.

Amador’s bat has been so effective that Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer slotted him in at DH on Thursday night in New York vs. the Yankees. He went 1-for-4 with a strikeout in the 10-3 loss.

Embodying a true “next man up” mentality, Amador has taken advantage of his opportunities. With 16 games remaining this season for the Rockies, Amador is trying to prove that 2026 represents the real Amador. In doing so, he may be auditioning for second base and utility for next season.

He’s battling Connor Norby, who’s had an impressive start with Colorado since being acquired in the Victor Vodnik trade with the Miami Marlins on Aug. 3. Norby was called up on Aug. 10 when Tyler Freeman went on the IL. As of now, they’ll be contending with Castro — who has one year remaining on his two-year, $12.8-million deal — for second base and utility jobs.

If Amador can keep up his impressive August and September, he’ll be one step closer to proving he was worth the hype when the Rockies signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 when he was just 16.

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On the Farm

Triple-A: Reno Aces 3, Albuquerque Isotopes 2

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Isotopes struck back to tie the game in the second when Chad Stevens walked, Bryant Betancourt singled and Conner Capel hit a sacrifice fly to plate Stevens. Reno rallied back to score runs in the bottom of the third and fifth innings to go up 3-1. In the sixth, Roc Roggio hit a two-out single and moved to second when Stevens walked. Betancourt, who recorded two of Albuquerque’s five hits, followed with an RBI single to cut Reno’s lead to one. But that was the end of the would-be comeback. Eiberson Castellano suffered the loss, dropping to 4-4, after giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 3.1 relief innings.

Double-A: Somerset Patriots 3, Hartford Yard Goats 0

Little did the Yard Goats know that when Braylen Wimmer singled on a ground ball to right field to lead off the second inning, it would be their only hit for the night. The second frame seemed promising when Wimmer then stole second, but then Wimmer was picked off. Dyan Jorge then reached base on a fielding error and also stole second base, only to be stranded when Jack O’Dowd struck out. Matt Antico was hit by a pitch and stole second in the sixth, but was left there. O’Dowd drew a walk and Antico was hit by a pitch again to give Hartford two more base runners, but they were also stranded. Hartford was outhit 13-1 by the Patriots. Jackson Cox took the loss (2-4) after giving up two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in three innings.

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Quintana, Freeland pitch scoreless ball in Double-A rehab outings | MLB.com

The lefties are coming back. Jose Quintana hasn’t pitched for the Rockies since May 24, while Kyle Freeland hasn’t been on the mound for Colorado since Aug. 19. Quintana has missed most of the season with a left elbow strain, while Freeland was sidelined with cervical radiculopathy. Both played for the Yard Goats with Quintana throwing two scoreless innings and Freeland adding three more on Wednesday night. Freeland is expected to rejoin the Rockies soon, while Quintana is expected to have at least one more rehab start.

Diamond Dawgs vendor retiring after 31 Rockies seasons | Denver Westword

As long as the Rockies have played at Coors Field, which started in 1995, Joyl Watkins has been serving up hot dogs at the corner of 19th and Wynkoop. But this season will be his last as the vendor has decided to call it a career.

MLB Power Rankings Week 24: AL contender rising in mid-September | ESPN.com

The Rockies aren’t last. Thanks to a better offense, especially on the road, the Rockies have finally crawled out of the basement to No. 29.

A Vibe of Their Own: With dynamic players, the WPBL is establishing its culture in inaugural season | Kick the Concrete

With the Women’s Pro Baseball League playoffs in full swing, I just wanted to share some articles I wrote after making the trip to Springfield, Ill. to see some games in August. This one is about the swagger of the league and comes with a playlist of walk-up songs. Here’s another one on some women’s baseball history.

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Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Rays are in the midst of one of their most successful seasons. As the road trip continues at “The Trop”, we sit down exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes with a familiar face and friend, the one and only Dewayne Staats. He’s  called over 7,000 games and has been with Tampa Bay since their inception back in 1998.

Q: How much have the Rays benefited this season being pushed in their divisional race by New York? 

A: I actually think the Yankees benefit from being pushed by the Rays. Regardless of how the race ends, I really think this club has been focused on its own performance: self critical, self pushed, self accountable.  It very well may come down to the final week in the Bronx.

Q: This upcoming weekend should feature some quality baseball from both sides who each are expected to reach and play significant games in October. What do you expect this weekend?

A: Astros are a test every series they play. The Rays play the schedule one series and one game at a time. There is plenty of respect for the Astros talent, which serves as a motivation for the Rays.

Q: Are there any weaknesses on this Rays club beyond starting shortstop? 

A: This roster has been really interesting as and perhaps a throwback a decade or two ago.  Not just home runs and strikeouts, but a roster depending on a variety of baseball talents.  The top three or four hitters in the lineup sport extra base hit power/production. Beyond that is a ‘manufacturing’ of runs utilizing a variety of skills including speed, moving runners, being smart and aggressive.  Like most teams, overcoming injuries is always present. Athleticism and versatility has helped this team.

Q:     Finally, what would say to Houstonians who grew up with you in their living rooms back in the 70’s & 80’s calling Astros Games?

A: My years in Houston were a dream come true.  I was a Colt45/ Astro fan growing up in the Midwest listening to Gene Elston. Gene answered my letters and was a major figure in me pursuing a Major League Baseball career.  He was a very special force in my life.  My daughters were born in Houston.  We own a place there as well as Florida, and still have great family and friends there including Todd Kalas.

Twenty five years ago today, the world irrevocably changed. There was “the world before 9/11” and “the world after 9/11”. On September 10, 2001, the Minnesota Twins played their last game in that old world.

Opening up what was to be a four-game series at Detroit’s year-old Comerica Park, the Twins sent Joe Mays to the mound to oppose the Tigers’ knuckleball-ing starter Steve Sparks.

The visitors got on the board first in the top of the second inning when a Corey Koskie triple was paid off via a David Ortiz sacrifice fly. 1-0 MIN.

A similar sac from Brandon Inge tied the contest in B3, plating Damion Easley. 1-1.

In a sequence that probably would have netted some early defensive work with manager Tom Kelly the next day were the world’s trajectory not about to wobble, errors from Koskie at 3B & Cristian Guzman at SS gave DET a 2-1 lead in B5.

Fortunately, a T8 leadoff single from Luis Rivas eventually came around to score on a Koskie RBI knock. 2-2.

After Mays finished eight strong frames (4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), the Twins would complete the comeback in T9. This time it was Torii Hunter hammering a leadoff triple and trotting home on a Matthew LeCroy sac fly.

“Everyday” Eddie Guardado entered for the save and punched out both Tony Clark & Randall Simon before inducing a game-ending fly out from Shane Halter.

Your Final: Minnesota Twins 3, Detroit Tigers 2.

That night, 19,456 fans attended a baseball game. They ate hot dogs, peanuts, & Cracker Jack and guzzled soda & beer. They were treated to a tight back-and-forth sporting contest. The Twins moved to within 6 games of AL Central front-running Cleveland (spoiler alert: MN wouldn’t catch them).

The next time the Minnesota Twins baseball club assembled on a diamond was September 18, 2001—and it was a different world.

Twenty five years later, let’s remember that monumental moment in history, reflect on its significance, and hopefully learn the right lessons going forward so as not to let that particular strand of history ever repeat itself.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants are playing a home series this weekend, which means it’s time to take a look at what Oracle Park has on deck for fans.

Oddly enough, they have no events or giveaways posted for tonight’s game. That’s kind of unusual. If I missed something, please feel free to weigh in down in the comments.

However, Saturday will feature Dog Days Part 2 as the special event for the day. Fans with special event tickets will be able to bring their canine buddies to the park to partake in an on-field parade. Also, I don’t know if I’m interpreting this wrong or if this is how it’s always been done, but their website says, and I quote, “All dogs must have a ticket to enter the ballpark and sit in the designated Dog Days section.” I kind of always assumed that the dogs got in on their owners’ ticket. (Since, you know, they are dogs and completely unaware of the concept of tickets and money.)

Anyway, there will be a giveaway for Saturday’s game as well. The first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Willy Adames long sleeve jersey giveaway.

Sunday is a big one, as it is Pediatric Cancer Awareness day at the park. This requires a special event ticket as well, and those attending with said tickets will receive a beanie giveaway for both themselves and for a child who is going through cancer treatment.

Additionally, the first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a Logan Webb football jersey giveaway.

If you’re headed to a game this weekend, have fun!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants begin this weekend series against the San Diego Padres tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.

I think the Brewers are now officially close enough to clinching a postseason berth — they can do so as soon as this weekend — that we can start talking about plans for the postseason without jinxing anything.

So, who is going to pitch? What is going to be the plan? I’m going to take a look first at the starting rotation, then the bullpen.

First: a quick reminder on postseason roster rules. Anyone who was either on the Brewers’ 40-man roster or their 60-day injured list as of September 1 (at 12 p.m. ET, technically) is eligible for the postseason roster. Players who were in the minor league system but not on the 40-man roster on August 31 need to be injury replacements, and they need approval from the league, but are likely also postseason eligible (for example: the Dodgers are calling up Josue De Paula from Double-A today, and presumably the league would approve him for postseason eligibility because he’s replacing Shohei Ohtani on the active roster). The Brewers haven’t added anyone since September 1 (aside from minor leaguer Ben Moore, who will not be eligible), so they don’t have to worry about this. Rosters in the postseason are 26 players, and teams can replace players who are injured within a round with approval from the commissioner’s office (though the injured player then cannot return during that round).

The Starters

The Brewers would need four starters (with caveats about bullpen games) in both the NLDS and the NLCS; the schedule is such that in both series, the first four games happen within five days. There are two guys who we will unquestionably see start games this postseason: Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. After that, things get murky.

If we’re assuming that Brandon Sproat’s adventure on Wednesday night eliminated him from any real consideration for the rest of the season (he was optioned on Thursday morning), that means that there are four healthy players currently on the Brewers who could conceivably pitch in a postseason starting rotation. Here are those players’ numbers since the trade deadline on August 3:

• Dustin May: 6 games (all starts), 23 1/3 innings, 6.17 ERA, 5.20 FIP, 21 strikeouts, 10 walks
• Robert Gasser: 6 games (all starts except one injury replacement outing when he pitched 5 1/3 innings), 29 innings, 4.34 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 29 strikeouts, 13 walks
• Shane Drohan: 6 games (five starts), 26 1/3 innings, 6.15 ERA, 5.53 FIP, 26 strikeouts, 15 walks
• Kyle Harrison: 6 games (all starts), 27 innings, 5.67 ERA, 6.91 FIP, 33 strikeouts, 13 walks

When three of the four options for your number three starter have an ERA above 5.60, that’s not ideal. Harrison in particular doesn’t look like an option right at this moment — after he returned from about a month on the injured list in early August, he allowed just four earned runs in his first four starts back. In his last two, he’s been crushed: nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Cubs on August 31 and six runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds on September 6. Even in his good outings earlier in August, he was routinely struggling with velocity and command.

The Brewers might like Drohan more as a multi-inning bullpen guy. As a starter this season, Drohan has allowed a .777 opponent OPS. His command is better. His WHIP is way better — 1.414 as a starter versus 0.975 as a reliever. He has a 4.83 ERA in 87 2/3 innings as a starter and a 1.69 ERA in 26 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Drohan has been valuable as an innings-eating starter this season, but he’s pretty clearly more effective as a reliever.

May has been an enigma as a Brewer. His first two starts were excellent: he combined for 13 innings and three runs allowed. Then he gave up seven runs in two innings against the Mariners, took a line drive off his back on the first pitch in his next outing and left early, then had two shaky outings in which he couldn’t complete five innings against the Rangers and Reds, combining for eight innings and six runs allowed between them.

At times this season, May has looked like a guy who could start in the postseason, but right now, it doesn’t look that way. He has very little experience out of the bullpen, though: he’s only got 14 appearances out of the bullpen in his entire career, and 12 of those came in 2019 and 2020, when he was a brand-new major leaguer.

The last guy here is Gasser. His overall numbers this season are mediocre; he owns a 92 ERA+ and a FIP and ERA that are exactly the same (a pedestrian 4.43). But while his numbers since the trade deadline are overall not great (even if they’re better than any of these other options), he’s trending in the right direction. Over his last three outings, Gasser has a 2.51 ERA and 3.38 FIP in 14 1/3 innings, and as we reach the end of the season, his velocity is actually going up.

Based on the data we have here, Gasser is the one who has looked the best lately. Of course, we could see some shifts in how we feel about any of these guys between now and the end of the regular season. Right now, I’d expect Misiorowski and Henderson to be the one and two guys and Gasser and May as three and four, though with extremely short leashes on the latter two.

The Relievers

A big part of the reason why the Brewers can afford to be aggressive with their somewhat shaky back end of the rotation in the postseason is that they’ve got a lot of options, particularly amongst pitchers who could go more than an inning. As we saw during last year’s postseason, this type of reliever is critical in the way the game is played these days.

If we assume that Miz, Henderson, Gasser, and May all make the postseason roster, that leaves nine more openings for pitchers. Here’s who we’ve got as options:

• Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe are obvious no-brainers at the back of the bullpen.
• Aaron Ashby is also a no-brainer, and DL Hall has pitched well enough lately that he’s also moved into the “no-brainer” category. Both players could pitch two innings if you needed them to.
• Antonio Senzatela’s numbers haven’t been great since he came to the Brewers, but he seems certain to have a role in this bullpen in the postseason; if nothing else, he’s an extreme groundball pitcher who could be used in a spot where you really need a double play.
• JoJo Romero has only pitched five times for the Brewers, but he’s a veteran, and he’s been fine. I wouldn’t categorize him as “high-leverage,” but I think he’s got a spot.
• Chad Patrick was excellent out of the bullpen last postseason. He hasn’t been great this season, but he’s been fine, and I think he’s certain to be included.

That’s seven, and then we have to address the two guys who were chopped from the rotation. Drohan is almost certainly going to be in the bullpen if he’s not in the rotation. That leaves a question mark for Harrison. He could probably play a role out of the bullpen, but I think we need to see what happens with him between now and the end of the season — I could see him pitching well in a couple more starts and getting him back into the rotation conversation, or I could see him ending up on the injured list. Those two things seem about equally likely to me.

If it’s not Harrison, then we’ll have some question marks. Bryse Wilson is on the injured list, but even if he were healthy, ideally you don’t want to have a mop-up guy on your postseason roster. Grant Anderson has been part of the squad all year, but he’s on the injured list currently and hasn’t looked good lately. We’re likely to see a few options from Triple-A Nashville get cycled through between now and the end of the season, particularly in the wake of Sproat’s demotion on Thursday. Potential options could be a starter type, like Coleman Crow, Garrett Stallings, or Colton Gordon, who are all already on the 40-man roster, or a reliever. Potential options there:

• Why not Jared Koenig? Koenig is also on the 40-man roster already, and he’s been good for the Sounds, to the tune of a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings. But his velocity is still way down — his fastball has averaged just 92.8 mph in the minors this season, compared to 95.9 mph last season. Not a lot of faith that this would go well.
• Blake Holub, who has a 2.13 ERA in 50 2/3 innings out of the Nashville bullpen this season. He throws in the mid-90s and has some Brewers-y traits.
• Cameron Wagoner started the season at Double-A Biloxi and earned a promotion after he had a 2.03 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. He’s been good at Triple-A, too: just one run allowed in 10 outings that cover 11 1/3 innings, though his peripherals have taken a bit of a step back. Wagoner can reach the upper 90s, and he’s good at limiting walks, which is certainly a plus.
• There could be a surprise, like Rob Zastryzny, who has been hurt all year but is currently on a rehab assignment with the Sounds.

If Holub or Wagoner were to be the option, the Brewers would have to get permission from the league (at least as far as I understand the rule) to include them on the postseason roster, since they weren’t on the 40-man on September 1. Zastryzny would require a 40-man slot — and I believe they could just leave him on the 60-day IL until the end of the season if they choose not to activate him, because he didn’t start his rehab assignment until there were fewer than 30 days (the maximum allowed for a rehab assignment) remaining in the season.

Guesses

This will probably change before the end of the season, whether that’s because some pitcher who has been poor shows us something or because someone gets hurt. But here’s my best mid-September guess at what the postseason pitching staff will look like:

Starters (4): Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, Dustin May

High-Leverage Relievers (4): Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall

Middle Relievers (2): Antonio Senzatela, JoJo Romero

Long Relievers (3): Shane Drohan, Chad Patrick, Kyle Harrison

I’d also expect the hooks to be exceptionally quick for Gasser and May, with those games looking almost like bullpen games, just with a starting pitcher at the beginning. I’m thinking three-ish innings for each.

I’m least confident about the Gasser/May/Harrison situation. Harrison and May in their last couple of outings have looked essentially unusable in a postseason situation, but it seems likely that at least one of them will need to make a start or two for the Brewers this postseason. That’s the biggest spot to keep an eye on for me.

If one or both looks unplayable, then my attention turns to the likely revolving door of relievers (in the Sproat roster spot) that we’re likely to see over the next couple of weeks. Might one of those guys be able to make a big postseason impact?

What do you think?

Ever wonder how a sportswriter can end up with 50 pairs of new underwear and two overstuffed suitcases on a short scheduled reporting trip?

I traveled to San Diego in September 2001 to interview and write about Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame career coming to an end weeks later.

It was early Tuesday morning, Sept., 11, when the phone rang in my hotel room at the Mission Valley Marriott near Qualcomm Stadium. I groggily reached for the phone, answered, and it was a friend from Atlanta.

“Did you hear what happened in New York?" she breathlessly said. “A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center."

OK, I figured someone accidentally crashed their private plane, thanked her for the call, and went back to sleep.

The phone rang 15 minutes later.

A second plane crashed, into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

This time, I stayed awake, glued to the TV set like the rest of America.

Commissioner Bud Selig postponed all 15 games that day, extended the postponements until Friday, and then again for three more days until Sept. 17. It was the longest regular-season stoppage, outside of a players’ strike, since World War I shortened the final month of the 1918 season.

Sitting in my hotel room that morning, unable to take my eyes off the TV, I was contemplating what to do next when the phone rang.

It was Gwynn.

He knew I had traveled into town to do a cover story on him for “Baseball Weekly” and we were set to talk at the ballpark.

He asked how I was doing, if I needed anything, and whether I still wanted to do the story.

I assured him I still did, so he invited me to come by his house in suburban Poway, and we’d have lunch.

I pulled up in my rental car the next day, and Gwynn greeted me at the door with blue shorts, a gray shirt, and an orange cap. He plopped down on the recliner in his living room. And we talked.

And talked. And talked. And talked.

We talked for hours. There was no better interview in baseball than Gwynn. There may never have been a better person, either. He was an absolute joy to cover. If you wanted to talk about baseball, Gwynn was there to talk as long as you desired.

You could be a pimple-faced kid from a local high school, or a grizzled veteran from “60 Minutes,’’ and Gwynn would treat each reporter with identical respect. It didn’t matter how big your newspaper’s circulation was, or whether you were local or national, Gwynn would provide the same access.

He was everyone’s favorite.

This day, with the living room TV showing the heartbreaking devastation in New York, Gwynn had all the time in the world.

“It’s just unbelievable what happened,” Gwynn was saying. “You see it over and over, and still can’t believe it. Life as we knew it before, is over. Life is going to change. And now that it’s going to change, you want to be in a little more control in your life."

Gwynn, who for years talked about wanting a level playing field, felt helpless at times during his own career. He was disgusted by the rampant use of steroids and amphetamines in the game when everyone else was afraid to address the subject. He was constantly at war with agents and officials who ridiculed him for signing hometown discounts to stay in San Diego. He didn’t care what you thought. This was who he was.

But Gwynn was absolutely right.

The world did change overnight.

Security heightened at the airports. Friends and family could no longer escort you to the gate or await your arrival when you got off the plane. Metal detectors were installed at ballparks and bomb-sniffing dogs became regulars in the clubhouse. Teams hired security agents.

Meanwhile, with no flights available and stranded in San Diego, my cover story: “Mr. Padre: Sweet-Swinging Tony Gwynn closes out a Hall of Fame career’’ was written that week. When flights resumed once again, it was up to the my editors to determine the next move.

Go home or cover the biggest story in baseball?

Barry Bonds home run chase

The San Francisco Giants were resuming their season, and Barry Bonds was sitting with 63 homers. The editors suggested staying in California for an extra week. Why not catch the Giants in San Francisco for their three-game series against the Houston Astros, follow the Giants back to San Diego, and then go home?

Made sense. I watched Bonds hit his 64th homer in the series finale against the Astros, but then he went homerless in his first two games in San Diego. I was set to fly home the next day, but in that final game of the series, Bonds hit two more homers for 66.

Now, Bonds needed just four more homers in the final 12 games to tie Mark McGwire for the single-season record of 70, set just three years earlier in 1998 during the great home-run race with Sammy Sosa.

“Uh, you mind staying on the Bonds watch?," my editor asked.

I covered the final 18 games of the Giants’ season, going to San Francisco, back to San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and back to San Francisco. I watched Bonds tie McGwire’s record in his final at-bat in Game 159 in Houston. And then break it the next day with two homers off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chan Ho Park for 71 and 72, sending the home sellout crowd of 41,730 into hysterics.

Bonds added one more homer for posterity off Dodgers starter Dennis Springer in the season finale, capping one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history, and his fourth MVP award. Bonds hit .328 with 73 homers, 137 RBI, a league-leading .515 on-base percentage, league-leading .863 slugging percentage, league-leading 1.379 OPS and league-leading 259 walks.

It was a season for the ages.

Bonds would go onto win four MVPs in a row, and break Henry Aaron’s all-time home run record in 2007 with myself and a horde of reporters covering the home run chase for nearly a month.

Gwynn, meanwhile, spent the final day of his career in San Diego in 2001 pinch-hitting against the Colorado Rockies in front of a sellout crowd of 60,103. He batted .324, his 19th consecutive season hitting at least .300.

Six years later, Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were inducted together into the Hall of Fame, drawing the largest crowd in Cooperstown history that still stands today.

2001 World Series among the best ever

Now, with the 2001 regular season coming to an end after Bonds’ record-breaking performance, it was time for the postseason, which was pushed back a week because of the terrorist attacks. It was off to Arizona and St. Louis to cover the National League Division Series. Next, Atlanta and Arizona in the NLCS. Then, the World Series between the Diamondbacks and New York Yankees.

It will be remembered as one of the greatest World Series in history, featuring President George W. Bush throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 at Yankee Stadium as the sellout crowd emotionally burst into cheers and tears - followed by three dramatic Yankees wins.

It ended on the night of Nov 4, the latest World Series Game in history, with the Diamondbacks coming back from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth inning of Game 7 with outfielder Luis Gonzalez hitting a walk-off single off future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.

Arizona 3, New York 2.

Future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, who came onto relief to win Game 7 after pitching seven innings and winning Game 6, was the co-World Series MVP along with Curt Schilling, who yielded a 1.69 ERA in three starts.

It was the first and only Diamondbacks’ World Series championship.

And it was the end of the Yankees’ dynasty, after winning four World Series titles and five pennants since 1996.

Finally, after 56 consecutive days on the road, I was going home, taking along perhaps the most underwear ever stuffed in suitcases.

Why so much underwear?

Hey, you know how much hotels charge to do laundry? It was not only more convenient, but also cheaper to simply buy all new clothes.

So, I kept buying and buying, two, three packs at a time. Before I knew it, I had an entire suitcase full, hoping some poor soul at airport security (soon-to-be TSA) didn’t actually have to open the bag when I landed in Minneapolis.

The season was over, and after 40 years covering baseball, one that I’ll never forget.

And, you know what, Gwynn was right.

Life did completely change.

We’ll be reminded of it once again Friday when the Mets and Yankees play at Yankee Stadium on the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

I just wish Gwynn were still alive to reminisce about the memories from a quarter-century ago on how the sport of baseball helped heal a nation – and how his kindness and compassion helped a stranded visitor in his hometown.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 9/11 with Tony Gwynn began reporter’s road trip through MLB history

On this edition of the Pirates Prospect Update series, we take a look at catcher Axiel Plaz, who has been enjoying a nice season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Plaz as an international free-agent in the winter of 2022, and since then the Dominican catcher has risen the ranks to being one of the best prospects in Pittsburgh’s system. In his first season of professional baseball he was named to the All-Star team for the Dominican Summer League after hitting .382 with a 1.206 OPS.

What has plagued Plaz has been inconsistent play due to injuries. 2024 saw the 21-year-old catcher limited to just 84 games after suffering numerous injuries. Then in 2025 Plaz was out of action with a broken finger and only appeared 66 games as a result.

The proof is in the pudding when Plaz is healthy however, as he continues to emerge as a strong player at the plate. During his time in Bradenton he ranked near the top in categories like exit velocity, barrel and hard hit percentages. His power continues to develop, but he is capable of hitting to all fields and has changed his approach at the plate which has resulted in far less swing and miss strikeouts.

Axiel Plaz is the @MiLB South Atlantic League Player of the Week‼️ pic.twitter.com/12mnk3U8za

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) September 7, 2026

Now in 2026, Plaz has played the most games to this point in his professional career, currently at 94 with Greensboro. At the plate this year Plaza has knocked in 18 home runs along with 74 RBIs. This season he’s slashing .305/.389/.513 with a .902 OPS. He was also just awardSouth Atlantic League Player of the Week honors.

Plaz has an overall prospect rating of 50, with his defense needing some work if he wants to be a big league catcher one day. His arm is plenty strong, and he’s proven that he’s capable of making hard throws from behind the plate. His defense is subpar though as his receiving has lacked consistency. That being said the Pirates are seemingly still looking for their catcher of the future so there’s ample opportunity for Plaz to move up the ranks and continue to improve in the minor leagues.

Axiel Plaz is the seventh ranked prospect in the Pirates’ system.

ESPN | Associated Press: The Yankees recalled Anthony Volpe Thursday in a corresponding move as Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit the IL. The promotion was anticipated after Chisholm left Tuesday’s game with what was later diagnosed as a sprained right thumb. After he was displaced from his starting job at shortstop, Volpe went on a heater at Triple-A and was recently named the International League’s Player of the Week after going 11-for-21 with three homers from September 1-6 while bouncing between shortstop, second, and third. He projects to split time with José Caballero at the keystone in the absence of Chisholm, who has said he expects to return on September 22. Volpe’s return couldn’t have gone better, the newly minted second baseman going 3-for-4 with a grand slam on his first day back.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: ($) Will Warren’s start on Wednesday, in which he allowed one run across six innings of work, may strengthen his case for a playoff role. The right-hander, who has a 2.22 ERA over his last five outings, ranks behind some of his more experienced rotation mates but could end up a valuable bullpen piece in October. “He can serve a lot of roles potentially,” said his manager, Aaron Boone. “He’s been incredibly durable, but he’s got weapons, and I do like the tick up in his stuff, which seems to be there the last three, four times out.” As Boone alluded to, Wednesday’s start was Warren’s third straight in which his velocity increased.

NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: David Bednar got a ringing endorsement from an authoritative source on Tuesday. No less than Mariano Rivera praised the Yankees closer while watching him pitch, saying “David reminds me of myself. The thing I love about David is that he goes after hitters, which is what I always tried to do. He doesn’t mess around. And he has the ability to put things behind him – good or bad – and move forward.” When informed of the Hall of Famer’s compliment, Bednar was reportedly moved. “Wow, that’s really great to hear,” he said. “Coming from someone like Mariano, that’s amazing.”

Hudson Valley Renegades | Joe Vasile: Luis Serna just wrapped up an exemplary season for the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades. The 22-year-old, ranked as the Yankees’ 18th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, led the South Atlantic League in several pitching categories, including ERA (4.32), strikeouts (140), opponent’s average (.224), and WHIP (1.19). (An important caveat — only four pitchers in the league threw enough innings to qualify for the rate stats.) The 140 punchouts also set a Renegades record, surpassing the 138 Drew Thorpe recorded in 2023. “He had a career season for himself without a question,” said Renegades pitching coach Ryan Mossman. “He was throwing more strikes with his fastball and improved his slider quite a bit. [Some changes to his arsenal] made him able to better gameplan for lineups and go out there and execute and dominate the way he did this year.”