Category: Sports News

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers will have a familiar face and voice on the field before Saturday’s opener of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium, as Keith Williams Jr. is slated to sing the national anthem before Game 1 against the Atlanta Braves.

It’s the 14th postseason national anthem at Dodger Stadium dating back to 2016 for Williams, who also sang before Game 1 of the 2025 wild card round and for Game 3 of the 2025 NLCS. Williams also performed the national anthem before opening day this regular season on March 26.

Saxophonist Mike Phillips will perform the national anthem ahead of Game 2 on Sunday evening.

For other pregame ceremonies, Adrián González will throw out the first pitch before Game 1 and Reggie Smith will do the honors before Game 2. Both will also say “It’s time for Dodger baseball” ahead of their games.

González played in four NL Division Series with the Dodgers (2013-16), and hit .260/.299/.438 with four home runs and 14 RBI in 18 games. Smith played in one NLDS with the Dodgers, after the strike-shortened 1981 season, and had one hit in two at-bats plus a sacrifice fly and two RBI in three games against the Houston Astros. Smith was inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball in August.

If the NLDS goes the distance, the Dodgers will have Manny Mota and José Mota involved in the ceremonial first pitch before Game 5 next Friday, October 9, with Amber Blue singing the anthem.

As the instructional leagues wrap up and the MLB moves closer to the World Series, it’s time to turn our attention to the next event on the minor league calendar: the Arizona Fall League.

According to the AFL website, “The roots of the Arizona Fall League go back three decades, when the Major Leagues wanted to create an easily accessed offseason league. With the Arizona Fall League, managers, coaches, scouts and league officials can be under direct guidance of league and club personnel in league-affiliated ballparks and premier training facilities. The AFL is designed to serve as the ‘finishing school’ of the minor leagues for players, coaches, umpires and aspiring employees.”

Prospects from all 30 teams are split up into six “super teams” across the Phoenix metro area and play games from October 3-November 14. You can see the full schedule here.

The Colorado Rockies will be represented by eight prospects and two pitching coaches this season, alongside prospects and coaches from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals and New York Yankees.

Here is a preview of each player, as well as comments from Rockies director of player development Chris Forbes.

LHP Konner Eaton

Eaton (No. 28 PuRP) was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of George Mason University. The left-hander made nine appearances out of the bullpen during his first season — eight in Low-A Fresno and one in High-A Spokane. He returned to Spokane in 2025, starting 23 games and posting a 5-8 record with a 3.56 ERA. Eaton was promoted to Double-A Hartford, where he made four starts and posted a 1-1 record with a 5.30 ERA.

He repeated in Hartford in 2026, making 23 starts once again and posting a 5-3 record with a 4.46 ERA.

“There’s a command plan for him,” Forbes said. “We need just a little bit more time with him.”

LHP Stu Flesland III

Stu Flesland III was drafted in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Washington. He’s rocketed up the system, making appearances in Spokane, Hartford and Albuquerque this year. He started the year by repeating in Spokane, but was promoted after five appearances (one start) where he posted a 2-1 record and 3.63 ERA. Flesland made 18 appearances for the Yard Goats (12 starts) and posted a 5-1 record and 1.88 ERA before a late-season, four-inning cameo with the Isotopes. On August 10, he was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

Across all three levels in 2026, Flesland posted a 7-2 record, a 2.85 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

“They’ve got this velocity thing they’re trying to do with him,” Forbes said of Flesland’s AFL plan, “and they’re going to do that and then try to get him to try it in a game.”

RHP Hunter Mann

Hunter Mann was drafted in a few rounds after Flesland in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Tennessee Tech. Forbes described him as a player “who’s emerged this year as a two-plus guy.”

Mann was promoted to Low-A Fresno halfway through the 2024 season, and then spent all of 2025 at High-A Spokane. In 38 appearances in 2025, Mann posted a 6.61 ERA and 1.71 WHIP across 49 innings. He began 2026 back in Spokane, but was promoted to Hartford towards the end of the season.

In 31 appearances in Spokane, he posted a 4.06 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 57.2 innings. While in Hartford, Mann made 10 appearances with a 5.54 ERA and 1.46 WHIP.

LHP Sean Sullivan

Sean Sullivan (No. 21 PuRP) made his MLB debut in 2026, three years after being drafted 46th overall in the 2023 . The Wake Forest product made five starts in the bigs, earning an 0-3 record and 8.87 ERA. In Albuquerque, Sullivan only made 14 starts after spending two separate stints on the injured list.

“He missed quite a few starts, so I think we’re hoping to get his innings up, and I’m hoping this ends up being a blessing in the sense that once we got him down here, as were kind of letting that calm down, he was able to kind of get to, ‘OK, we’re going to focus on strength. Let’s get the strength back up,’” Forbes said.

He also shed light on the Rockies’ plans for Sullivan in the Fall League.

“He’s one of those guys that, during the year, just has trouble maintaining weight. He can come in at 205 (pounds), and now he’s pitching at 187 or something at some point. So you’re hoping with him that he’s able to get some innings back in and get some feel back, and then ultimately make a better decision on how does he play in next year’s club. Does he come out of the bullpen as a length guy? Is he doing a spot start? I don’t know. But that’s the plan with Sean. I’m just looking at five healthy starts and going into the offseason feeling really good about it.”

RHP Fidel Ulloa

Fidel Ulloa was drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 Draft out of LSU. He started immediately in Fresno where he posted a 4.50 ERA across 11 appearances (12 innings). In 2025, he split time between Fresno and Spokane (with a brief rehab stint in the ACL after an injury in June). Across all levels, Ulloa posted a 1.46 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 41 appearances.

“It’s a good reward for a kid that’s been pretty steady,” said Forbes.

C Jack O’Dowd

Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP) was signed as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2026 season, and took the Rockies farm system by storm. The former Texas Longhorn started in Fresno, but was promoted after slashing .345/.385/.702 with seven home runs in 22 games. In Spokane, he kept going, slashing .359/.451/.664 with nine home runs in 34 games. O’Dowd finished the season in Hartford, where he hit a cool .254/.333/.434 with seven home runs in 51 games.

“They needed another catcher,” Forbes said, “and it was great to be able to give [Cole] Messina a blow and reward Jack O’Dowd, and then also play some first and then be able to hit a little bit more.”

INF Andy Perez

Andy Perez (No. 25 PuRP) was signed by the Rockies during the 2021 International Signing Period. He spent two years in the Dominical Summer League before making his stateside debut in 2023. In 119 games in 2023, Perez hit .245/.280/.316 with 24 extra-base hits. He repeated Fresno to start 2024, and was promoted right at the end for 16 games in Spokane. Jump ahead to 2026, and Perez hit .285/.321/.403 with 41 extra-base hits across 128 games in Double-A Hartford.

“Andy Perez is a guy that I don’t think people talk about near enough,” Forbes said. “He’s got a real shot at this thing, and he’s Cuban, so I can’t just send him to the Dominican to play in winter ball. So I think it’s an opportunity for him and his wife to just be steady and safe. Plus he’s a really good player.”

OF Jared Thomas

Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP) was one of the headlining prospects of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Texas. He absolutely tore through Spokane in 2025, hitting .330/.427/.495 in 73 games. He also had 25 extra-base hits (11 homers) and 22 stolen bases. He cooled off a little in Hartford, but still had a good enough season to be selected to last year’s Fall League.

However, it turned out he was playing through a hamate injury that set him back six months. Thomas didn’t play in 2026 until July 6th — five days after his 23rd birthday. He played just 32 games in 2026, which led to him getting a repeat call to the desert.

“Jared Thomas needs the at-bats desperately,” Forbes said, “and I know it’s kind of a relapse back into that league, but we just asked him, ‘Do you want to go to Puerto Rico? Do you want to go to the DR or Mexico? Or do you want to stay here?’ Because he really wants to lock in with our strength coaches, too, and we’re hosting on our side, so I think that’s huge.”

Closing Thoughts

AFL games start tomorrow! Which Rockies prospect are you most excited to watch? Are there any other prospects from other teams you’re excited to watch?

Let us know in the comments!

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

Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

The idiot that said, “Harper is coming” asks:Was that fun or what? Share some of your feelings about the absolute destruction of the Boston Red Sox in historic fashion.

The Wild Card Series ended up being a rout, and while I definitely favored the Yankees over the Red Sox I wouldn’t have guessed the final tally would see New York put up 18 runs to Boston’s two. The games were definitely tense for a good bit before they became stomps, as Boston’s starters were doing well to keep pace with the Yankees’ until they were both pulled to disastrous effects. I think that the gap in managerial experience in this series was abundant, as now-no-longer-interim manager Chad Tracy didn’t have much of a feel for when he should’ve trusted his starters. The more egregious case was Sonny Gray, who was only at 70 pitches and as he stated his own case in the post-game was an extremely effective pitcher going through the order a third time, whereas Payton Tolle was at least a little deeper into his pitch count. Meanwhile, Boone and company were ahead of the game in constructing their Wild Card Series roster and the Yankee skipper got to pull out all the stops in playing to his matchups with great success. I imagine the ALDS roster will be a little more balanced in the number of pitchers versus position players making Boone’s choices in this regard a little more difficult to make going forward, but this team has had to make the most of their platoons throughout the year and I think that can be a real strength for them now in the Postseason.

As for the damage they did once they got to that Boston bullpen… my goodness. It felt like an entire summer’s worth of frustration unleashed into near-perfect execution. We’ll get into the specifics of their turnaround in a minute, but a Ben Rice masterpiece followed by a team-wide throttling was absolutely thrilling to watch. Everybody got involved, from the most downtrodden names in the middle of the year to the stars they were counting on, and it felt like a resounding answer to the question looming over everyone’s head about how far this team could go if Aaron Judge isn’t going to be available.

The absolute cherry on top of this performance was watching the pitching staff pour it on as the tide started to turn in the Yankees’ favor. Cam Schlittler continues to haunt the Red Sox, turning in another fantastic outing and showing that he’s got plenty in the tank should the team need it, tossing 117 pitches in a 10 strikeout performance going 6.1 strong without a single run allowed. When the Yankees saw Luis Severino break out in 2017 and lead into 2018, I thought I wouldn’t witness a homegrown Yankee pitcher deal like that for a long time, but Schlittler has managed to go above and beyond even the best of Sevy’s reign. He’s the full-fledged ace of the best staff this franchise has formed in decades, and even though there are some incredibly strong teams in the field having a staff like that gives me the confidence that the Yankees could truly go out and compete with anyone. Max Fried’s efforts can’t be ignored, as he’s been an underrated Red Sox killer now in his career as well. His outing wasn’t as flashy as Schlittler’s, but he was extremely effective in preventing the Sox from ever getting a rally going and served as an elite 1B to Schlittler’s 1A. Their efforts combined with the later run support also made it a light series for the bullpen, who will now be nice and rested heading into St. Pete with all hands on deck. They truly couldn’t have drawn this series up any better, and now it’s onto the real test against the Rays.

BetweenThePinstripes asks:The Yankee offense has picked up the pace for well over a month now. What do you attribute this uptick to?

There’s a number of names in the lineup that have quietly turned in significantly better performances in the second half of the season that led them to where they could demolish Boston like they did. It starts with the bottom of the order, which was an absolute black hole for the Yankees for a good stretch. Austin Wells’ job security was hanging on by a thread, his excellent management of the pitching staff from behind the plate being his only saving grace as he couldn’t string together a pair of hits for his life. His 41 wRC+ through the first half of the season was truly dreadful, but he was also dealing with a cervical headache issue that eventually saw him hit the IL in early June. Ever since he returned he’s been a different man at the plate, and over the second half the numbers agree: he posted a 124 wRC+ to close out the year.

Wells has been the biggest turnaround, but it doesn’t stop there. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a much-maligned season, but he found his groove in August and rode that into September, posting a 122 wRC+ in the final month. Jazz’s slow start was mostly fueled by a complete lack of power, but his dip in the summer was the product of him losing the strike zone completely, walking at just a 7.1 percent rate compared to a 38.1 percent strikeout rate in July. With that smoothed out, he’s once again a solid contributor down in the lineup, and then you throw in Spencer Jones finding himself after a couple of stints with the Major League team. Jones ran a trial by fire in his first couple of stays, getting called up as the team couldn’t keep a set of three outfielders healthy for any extended period of time. His strikeout rates may still be a bit gruesome, but they’re nowhere near the stratospheric 41.5 percent Jones was striking out at in the first half, and he’s displayed a surprising burst of speed to go along with his prodigious power. His strikeout converted into a free base was a crucial turning point in Game 2 of the ALWCS, and he’s provided some flexibility now as they work Trent Grisham back into the fold.

Of course, the table setters for this offense still have to make their mark, and the Yankees’ top two hitters are entering this Postseason at their hottest points in months. Cody Bellinger’s season was rapidly declining from an elite May into a downright bad summer, but after a stay on the IL he’s back to looking like his old self at just the right time. Ben Rice struggled for a good portion of this season after the weight of being The Guy in the lineup was thrust upon him with Judge’s injury, but after the Captain’s return became only a brief cameo it was imperative that he could be the big threat in a playoff game and he proved that he’s up to the task with a godly 195 wRC+ in September before going ballistic in Game 1. With just a little bit of protection around him Rice can be a nightmare for opposing pitchers, and now that the rest of the ensemble has gotten their act together he might just have a very special run in him.

All in all, the season stat lines on the Yankees’ offense may not wow you but they’ve got a significant portion of their lineup peaking exactly when you want them to. Would I have liked to see some of them be more consistent throughout the year considering their talent on paper and the fact that their lethargic offense was what held them back from running down the Rays for the division? Sure, but the season is defined by what you do in October and I can easily forgive the frustrations of the summer if it’s met with champagne bottles popping throughout the fall.

Two young Pirates pitchers closed out the season better than anyone in the National League.

Jared Jones and Mason Montgomery entered the season on different paths, but ended with the same recognition.

Jones was awarded National League Pitcher of the Month for September earlier this week. Montgomery earned NL Reliever of the Month after a dominant stretch as Pirates closer. 

In five starts, Jones delivered a 3-0 record with a 0.93 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 29 innings. Jones only allowed three earned runs and opponents hit .133 off the 25-year-old righty.

He recovered well from internal brace surgery to post the best month of his career. 

Montgomery further solidified himself as the Pirates’ closer of the future with an impressive close to the season.

The flamethrowing righty recorded 16 strikeouts in 13 games. Montgomery earned a 2.08 ERA, allowing three runs in one outing against the Tigers on September 26 but not allowing any runs in his other 12.1 innings pitched. 

Pittsburgh won 11 games with Montgomery earning the save. Opponents hit .174 off him in September and it equated to a 0.92 WHIP. 

The 26-year-old finished with a 2.88 ERA in 68.2 innings during his first season with the Pirates. Montgomery struck out 105 batters, a rarity for relievers to exceed 100 strikeouts in the modern game. 

Jones and Montgomery will be anchors of the Pirates’ rotation and bullpen in 2027. Ben Cherington and Don Kelly’s coaching staff are likely to return.

Pittsburgh finished the season 82-80 for its first winning campaign since 2018. 

Ten years ago today, we said goodbye to Vin Scully, who gave his swan song at what was then known as AT&T Park. From children’s letters to reflecting on the lodestar of our fandom who was always going to leave, but the magnitude of that loss would not be truly felt until much later, we remember here at True Blue LA.

There will be far grander farewells and remembrances from those on the scene that day. I will happily defer to those folks who worked with, loved, and knew Scully for those. As for me, back then, I wasn’t a writer or even a lawyer yet.

Ten Years Ago

I will always remember this game, because thanks to user Scully’s Tie, it was my first visit to the Giants’ home ballpark ever. I am not one for carrying signs, but Scully’s group had one, and I played along, back in the days when I would wear khaki pants to the ballpark.

I am not sure what I was expecting. As we have previously covered, Oracle Park, as it is now known, is pretty good. Part of Scully’s call was simulcast on both home and away feeds, as well as ESPN. The Giants dedicated a plaque in the visiting broadcasting booth.

The Giants also handed out dual-sided cheer cards before the game, with the contents of the plaque on one side and a message thanking Vin on the other. I made a point to save multiples of the card for later. They have been framed in my apartment for going on ten years now.

For those of us at the ballpark, we had to wait a bit to hear Scully’s final send-off, which still manages to bring a tear to my eye every time I hear it.

The game itself was nothing special. LA lost 7-1, as Kenta Maeda was figuratively slapped around early and often.

Needless to say, there is an interesting bit of symmetry with the recent retirement of longtime Giants’ announcer Mike Krukow, as the Dodgers won an otherwise forgettable game that will fade into history.

Ten Years Later

It is impossible to replace a legend, so you do what you can. Joe Davis has charted his own course with Orel Hershiser over this past decade. The initial anecdote that Davis inadvertently screened Scully twice upon getting the Dodgers’ job is a story worth listening to.

While it is tempting to try and use artificial intelligence to graft Scully’s voice onto the highlights of this era, while well-meaning, it misses the point and arguably lessens Scully’s legacy. If nothing else, one can honor the past while not being beholden to it. If the Dodgers have done anything right in this past decade, apart from signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it’s embracing this mindset in their broadcasting team.

Each era should have its own soundtrack, its own voice. Scully was not one for ego or monument. At some point, one must turn the page to this new era, which has lasted for ten years now.

Yes, Scully was a legend and an institution. Cracking wise with Stephen Nelson and Dontrelle Willis by definition cannot measure up, but in that same vein, it doesn’t have to. Time marches on, and the way we consume baseball has changed accordingly.

Scully enjoyed his retirement with his family for six years, popping up on occasion, most notably Game 2 of the 2017 World Series, as the age and era moved on.

On August 2, 2022, while the Dodgers were playing the Giants at Oracle Park, Scully passed away at the age of 94. Tributes poured in, as the baseball world joined Dodger fans in both grief and honoring Scully’s memory. While a lot has changed in baseball and in our lives in these past ten years, I often go back to the words from Scully’s Swan Song when I need hope and encouragement.

“Don’t be sad that it’s over,” he said. “Smile because it happened.”

Here’s to ten years gone, Mr. Scully, wherever you may be.