Nov 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game seven of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The headline says it all, but the Jays have signed Max Scherzer to a one-year contract. He’ll make $3 million with ‘up to’ $10 million in incentives.
He won’t be starting the season with the Jays. I’d imagine the plan will be to get him going in May with the idea he could join the major league team in June or July (unless there is an injury or two in the rotation).
I’m not all that excited. I didn’t think he was all that terrific last year. He had a 5.19 ERA n 17 starts. In 85 innings batters hit .262/.313/.497 against him.
He made one start in the ALCS, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 earned, with a home run, 4 walks and 5 strikeouts. In the World Series he made two starts, 8.2 innings, allowing 9 hits, 4 earned, 2 homers, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.
Max is 41 now, he’ll be 42 on July 27.
I think he’s a great teammate, but I don’t know that I’d want to give him starts.
There is also a note that Jays minor league pitcher, Chay Yeager is going to have UCL surgery and is out for the season. He split last year between Vancouver and New Hampshire, with a 3.23 ERA in 42 games, 1 starts and 55.2 innings. He allowed 36 hits, 20 walks and 64 strikeouts.
Randal Grichuk signed a minor league deal with the Yankess. He hit .228/.273/.401 in 113 games last year split between the Diamondbacks and the Royals.
Oregon (11-17, 4-13 Big Ten) has won back-to-back games and three of four following a 10-game skid.
Kwame Evans Jr. had 16 points and a season-high tying four blocks and Wei Lin added 13 points for the Ducks.
Sean Stewart threw down two dunks in an 11-2 run that gave Oregon an 11-point lead with 6:24 left. Nick Boyd made jumper in the lane and John Blackwell followed with a 3 before Simpkins and Braeden Carrington traded 3-pointers to make 65-59 with 4:48 to go but the Badgers got no closer.
Blackwell led Wisconsin (19-9, 11-6) with 22 points and Boyd finished with 11 points and seven assists.
Wisconsin set the program's single-game record with 45 3-point attempts. The previous mark of 40 was set twice: against Providence on Nov. 27, and against Temple in 2001.
Lin scored nine points in a 13-2 run that gave Oregon its first lead of the game at 25-23 with 5:39 left in the first half.
Winter and Boyd each hit a 3-pointer before Rapp converted a three-point play in a 9-3 spurt that gave Wisconsin a 19-10 lead almost seven minutes into the game.
The Ducks shot 71% (17 of 24) in the second half and made 28 of 54 (52%) overall.
The Badgers committed 12 turnovers, nine in the second half, which Oregon converted into 24 points.
A loss over a Golden Knights team missing five key rotation pieces, including Mitch Marner, Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, etc, that in itself wasn't enough for the Los Angeles Kings to defeat the Golden Knights at home.
It looked like the Kings (23-20-14) had this game in the bag, leading 2-1 heading into the third period with a great ending in the second period. Instead, Los Angeles choked in devastating fashion, surrendering five goals in the third period, and lost 6-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights (28-16-14).
It was an electric 40 minutes with Artemi Panarin doing his thing in his debut and Quinton Byfield shining, then it collapsed, another reason why people shouldn't buy the Kings, who can never hold on to their leads this season.
Vegas opened the scoring at 9:01 when Pavel Dorofeyev buried the rebound off a 2-on-1 rush. A missed shot kicked off the end boards, and Dorofeyev stayed with the play, beating Anton Forbserg on the transition to make it 1-0.
Even with Vegas missing five key rotation players, the Golden Knights are still dangerous in transition.
LAK Goal - Just like they drew it up!
Panarin's pass through the slot kicks off Byfield's skate and in. Goal was deserved, actually a really good PP until the goal. 1 game, 1 point for 72! 1-1.
But the Kings' response was quick; a few minutes later, at the 5:29 mark, Quinton Byfield tied the game 1-1, finishing off a sharp sequence set up by Artemi Panarin and Brandt Clarke. Panarin's touch and presence on ice immediately stood out, drawing coverage and creating space. The puck movement was crisp and beautiful to watch as Quinton Byfield snapped home his 12th goal of the season.
Second Period: Kings Capitalize
The middle frame was tighter and more physically charged.
Vegas pushed early in the second, winning the puck battles, but the Kings' talent took over the shorthanded Golden Knights.
The turning point came at 5:16 of the second period, when Vegas turned over the puck at the offensive blue line. Panarin immediately transitioned up ice, feeding Anze Kopitar, who slid a perfect pass to Adrian Kempe, finishing the play cleanly to give the Kings the 2-1 lead.
LAK Goal - Tic-Tac-GOAL!
WOW. Panarin to Kopitar to Kempe in transition, what a goal. Incredible composure from the captain to find Kempe for the goal. 2-1 Kings!
It was a textbook transition play that saw some showtime on ice, led by Panarin and the trio of Kempe and Kopitar. Panarin picked up his second assist and point of the night, continuing to show the instant chemistry he brings to the Kings.
As mentioned, the period got very physical, with Corey Perry dropping the gloves with Jeremy Lauzon after his hit on Byfield. Both teams were very into it tonight, fighting in a big divisional rivalry game.
After 40 minutes, aside from the fight that resulted in a penalty to Perry, the Kings looked to be firmly in control of this game heading into the third period, leading 2-1.
Third Period: A Five Goal Avalance
Everything slipped in the final frame. Within four minutes, the Golden Knights scored three goals to extend their lead to 4-2, with three different Golden Knights scoring despite missing five players.
Vegas is the best team in the third period this season with the best goal differential, so it was always going to be a tough task to close out this team for the Kings, but even without its key players, Los Angeles couldn't do so, and the Golden Knights showed why they're the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division.
The momentum quickly shifted as the Kings were unable to create easy shots, while the Golden Knights were the much faster, more physical team, despite being severely shorthanded on the road.
The Kings did score two more goals in the third period, with Byfield scoring his second goal of the game, his first time this season scoring two goals in a game, and Brandt Clarke keeping Los Angeles alive, cutting the deficit to 5-4, with just under a minute remaining.
But, off a turnover, the Golden Knights hit the dagger on the empty netter, to win the game 6-4 in Crypto.com Arena.
Vegas adds an empty-net goal to secure the 6-4 win over the Kings. Could argue that was the worst loss of the season.
Despite the loss, Panarin was great in his debut, finishing with two points and two assists, showing why he will quickly become a game-changer for the Kings, but it still wasn't enough to win tonight.
Vegas now leads the season series 3-1, winning the last three meetings.
For the Kings, it's a tough one to swallow, especially against a banged-up team, but all they have to do now is move on and quickly forget about this loss. Los Angeles is back at it again tomorrow night against a tough Edmonton Oilers team, who will likely have most of their guys ready as tip-off starts at 10:30 pm EST.
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Cole Perfetti scored off a rebound at 1:37 of overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.
Kyle Connor, returning to the Jets after helping the United States win the Olympics on Sunday, and Gabriel Vilardi also scored, Mark Scheifele had two assists.
Eric Comrie stopped 21 shots. Connor Hellebucyk, who backstopped the United States to the Olympic gold medal, is scheduled to join the team in Anaheim on Friday.
Drew O’Connor and Evander Kane scored for Vancouver, and Nikita Tolopilo made 25 saves.
Vancouver took a 2-1 lead just 38 seconds into the second period when Elias Pettersson won a draw in the Jets' end and Kane blasted a one-timer past Comrie.
Vilardi tied the it with less than two minutes left in second. Parked in the crease, he banged home a pass from Scheifele.
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 25: Gary Payton II #0 of the Golden State Warriors and Will Richard #3 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on February 25, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors put on quite a show on Wednesday night. Despite playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III, De’Anthony Melton, and Kristaps Porziņģis, and despite being on the road on the back end of a back-to-back, they crushed the (admittedly tanking) Memphis Grizzlies 133-112. It was a dominant performance, and the most balanced attack of the entire season.
There were just nine players available, and all nine played huge roles. So let’s grade those nine. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note:True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Wednesday’s games, league-average TS was 57.9%.
Moody didn’t particularly stand out in this game, but he played quite well. His defense was solid, and he kept the ball moving. I’d still love to see him be more aggressive attacking the glass and getting out in transition, but I’m not here to argue with strong defense and elite efficiency.
Like I just said above: I’m not here to argue with strong defense and elite efficiency! And Santos took that even a step further, scoring 17 points while only missing one shot — from the field or the charity stripe — all night long. His defense was so active, as he was disrupting passes on the perimeter, cutters in the lane, and shots in the paint. It really feels like we can see everything clicking into place for Gui … he’s turning into a high-quality role player.
Horford is already the elder statesman of the team, but that’s especially true when Curry, Green, and Butler are out. It’s incredible how much he just calms the team down on offense and on defense, and how much more in control the Dubs are when he’s on the court. He didn’t have the most efficient scoring night, but his defense and rebounding were superb.
Want a shining example of a player capable of impacting a game in many ways? Richard didn’t attempt a single shot on Tuesday; and on Wednesday, he led the team in scoring.
It was a masterclass in playing the right way. It felt like every bucket Richard scored came from either a perfectly-time cut, or beating nine other players down the court for a transition bucket. In fact, let’s just go through all his made shots, in order:
A corner three off a pass from Brandin Podziemski, where he slid into the passing lane
A corner three off a pass from Santos, where he slid into the passing lane
A layup where he dove from the top of the arc down the paint, catching a pass from Podziemski
An and-one layup where he cut from the corner, catching a pass from Malevy Leons
A step-back jumper
An uncontested transition dunk after he knocked the ball away on defense and then sprinted down the court
A transition layup after he stole the ball and beat everyone down the court
An uncontested transition layup after he — starting in the corner of the court on defense — beat everyone down the court
An uncontested transition dunk after the Warriors forced a turnover and he beat everyone down the court
If you feel off-balance, don’t worry. That’s just the earth shifting under the gravitational pull of Steve Kerr smiling the largest smile in human history. Just an impeccable game by Richard.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
Podziemski was on triple-double watch for much of the night, and while he didn’t match his absurd 15-rebound total from the last two games, he now has 38 boards over his last three contests. That’s impressive for any player, but downright absurd for one as short as Podz is. He did an awesome job running the offense, both as a scorer and as a facilitator. He’s really stepping up to the plate lately, and taking his game to a new level after an up-and-down few months.
Plus, it was his birthday! Happy birthday to the youngest Warrior!
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really see that game coming from GPII, but he was tremendous. He was a menace on the perimeter, making life miserable for an Grizzlies player who dared handle the ball. And he had a great game on offense as well … like Richard, he did an excellent job cutting and beating everyone down the court.
Obviously we could live without the turnovers, but otherwise a nearly flawless game.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Spencer was absolutely masterful running the offense in this game. He was aggressive, but composed, and set up his teammates time and time again. The Warriors had 37 assists on 49 made buckets, and Spencer was the biggest reason why. But while he collected his fair share of dimes, the biggest thing was simply the way he kept the ball moving. Sometimes he put his teammates in position to score, but oftentimes he just put them in position to make the right pass, or to drive, or to get out in transition.
He struggled with fouls and didn’t score efficiently, but he just ran the offense so well.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists, best plus/minus on the team.
Post has really started playing like a seven-footer recently. He’s stepped it up in a huge way on the glass, and defending the rim. He’s playing like someone who knows he needs to show the team that he can be a bonafide center if he wants to get minutes if and when Porziņģis gets back on the court. Just a very tough game from him … in the good sense of the word.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Leons was part of the saddest moment on the court. In the waning minutes, Bob Fitzgerald had understandably grown invested in the idea that all nine Warriors could reach double figures. Leons was stuck on nine points, but drew a foul. Unfortunately, he missed both free throws, and kept the Warriors from having a slightly historic game.
That didn’t keep it from being the best game in the young player’s career. This was only his 12th career game, spread over two seasons, but it was emphatically his best. He entered the game with eight career points, then scored nine in this game alone. He entered the game with two assists and one block in his career; he matched those totals. He entered the game with one steal; he had two in this game alone. It was fun seeing him get some serious minutes for the first time, and he certainly made the most of them.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds, tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Wednesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Kristaps Porziņģis, Nate Williams
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Justin Pippen scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half to help California beat SMU 73-69 on Wednesday night.
Pippen scored six points during a 10-2 surge to give Cal a 64-58 lead with 3:43 to play. But Corey Washington scored nine consecutive points, which included two 3-pointers, and SMU regained the lead at 67-64 with 1:58 remaining.
John Camden answered with two free throws before Pippen hit a jumper and then shot 4 of 4 from the free-throw line to give the Golden Bears a 72-69 advantage with 12 seconds left. Jermaine O’Neal Jr. missed a 3-point shot for SMU on the next possession and Lee Dort added another free throw for Cal to seal it.
Pippen missed 8 of 10 3-point attempts but finished 8-of-19 shooting overall and made 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. Chris Bell made four 3s and finished with 20 points for Cal (20-8, 8-7 Atlantic Coast Conference). Camden added 14 points and Dort scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Boopie Miller and Washington scored 15 points apiece to lead SMU (19-9, 8-7). Jaron Pierre Jr. added 14 points and Samet Yigitoglu chipped in with 11.
Bell scored 15 points on three 3s and shot 6 of 8 from the floor to help Cal take a 38-33 lead into the break. Miller scored eight first-half points to pace SMU.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) throws during the first inning of a MLB baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in...
Max Scherzer is coming back for a 19th season.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner has agreed to a deal to return to the Blue Jays, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
Scherzer, 41, told The Athletic in January that he was “healthy and ready to sign at any moment if certain teams call” but was willing to wait until Opening Day to make his decision.
Max Scherzer throws during the first inning of the Blue Jays’ loss to the Yankees on Sept. 7, 2025 at the Stadium. Noah K. Murray-NY Post
The right-hander now heads back to Toronto, where he pitched last season.
Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts during the regular season, but pitched well over three starts in the postseason.
The eight-time All-Star made two more appearances in the World Series, starting Game 7. He went the first 4 1/3 frames, striking out three and holding a vaunted Dodgers lineup to just one run.
Scherzer made clear after the final game of the Fall Classic, which the Blue Jays lost in heartbreaking fashion, that he was not done pitching.
Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer walks to the dugout after being relieved during a World Series game against the Dodgers at Rogers Centre. Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima
“The only thing I can say is it’s going to take some time to give a full answer to that but there is no way that was my last pitch,” Scherzer told reporters. “That loss is so tough because you’re so close to everybody. This team had that closeness, had that camaraderie. We had that passion not only for the game but for each other.”
Toronto, in its efforts to get back to the World Series, has been active this offseason. It has added pitchers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers to bolster the rotation and bullpen.
Amed Rosario crushed his first home run this spring training, going deep on the first pitch he saw from Nationals lefty Andrew Alvarez in the bottom of the first inning.
DC comical
It might be a long season in the nation’s capital. The Nationals recorded more errors (three) than hits (one) in their 7-0 loss to the Yankees.
Their only base runner of the night was immediately erased in a double play.
Caught my eye
George Lombard Jr. turned in a dazzling night on both sides of the ball.
George Lombard Jr. hits a two-run double in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 7-0 spring training win over the Nationals on Feb. 25, 2026. Getty Images
The top prospect made what Aaron Boone called a “special” play at third base, charging a chopper down the line, barehanding it, and firing to first for the out.
He later added a two-run double that came off the bat at 108.8 mph.
Thursday’s schedule
Pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez will make his second start of the spring when the Yankees host the Braves at 1:05 p.m.
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 25: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets and Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics go up for the rebound during the game on February 25, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Boston Celtics traveled to Denver to face the Nuggets Wednesday night. Boston had been surging up the power rankings with a blistering month of February and faced off against the fourth placed Nuggets. Boston played a decent enough first half, but they could not hang with Denver in the second and eventually losing by 19 points, 103-84. Jaylen Brown had 23 points and 11 boards. Derrick White chipped in 20 points and 3 blocks for the road team.
Jaylen Brown returned to the starting lineup alongside Baylor Scheierman, White, Neemias Queta, and Sam Hauser after a night off in Phoenix last night against the Suns. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Julian Strawther, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun started for the home team. The Nuggets came into the game looking for a home win after losing to the Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
Murray scored the game’s first points on a back cut to the basket. Queta came right back down the other end for a loud tomahawk dunk to get the C’s on the board. Scheierman laced his first three-point attempt on a step-back trey over Murray.
Both teams traded buckets early in the quarter, and it was 10-10 at the 7-minute mark of the first. Vucevic entered the game alongside Queta as a double-big lineup; Hauser was first to the bench for Boston. Jaylen Brown was aggressive early and looked to attack the paint on consecutive trips down the floor. Brown led the C’s with 9 early points as Boston opened up a 16-13 lead with five minutes remaining in the first.
A Christian Braun triple saw another tied score as Ron Harper Jr. got some early minutes alongside Hugo Gonzalez, Brown, Pritchard, and Vooch. Jokic misfired on a three-pointer but backed it up inside with a twirling hook shot over Vucevic.
Boston’s ball movement was superb to start the game as the C’s swung the ball around the key to JB, who rattled home his twelfth point of the quarter on his first three-point make. Boston took a 24-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. Boston was just 3 of 11 from three in the first, shooting just 27 percent from beyond the arc. Queta had a decent quarter with 6 points in the first quarter.
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 25: Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Denver Nuggets on February 25, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Derrick White drained two consecutive times down the court for Boston to start the second quarter. The hometown White, was actively involved in all the plays with dimes and scores as Jaylen Brown got a seat on the bench to start the 2nd quarter. White rattled off 8 quick points to start the second quarter as Boston took an early 8-point lead, 36-28.
Denver had several offensive rebounds to get extra possessions, but the Nuggets cut the lead back to just 2 points. Jaylen Brown returned to action at the seven minute mark after a TV timeout. White laced his third triple of the quarter in front of his parents as the C’s kept the pressure on Denver.
Denver hit the lead at the 5 minute mark of the second, 40-39, Jokic was fouled on a deep two pointer but couldn’t convert either of his two free throw attempts. Jaylen Brown scored his first points of the second quarter with a mid range fade away with 2 minutes to go in the half. The pace of play had slowed right down to a crawl midway through the second quarter as both teams struggled to convert at either end.
Vucevic missed a straight on deep three-pointer, Derrick White slipped into the lane and grabbed the offensive board and converted an easy stick back for his fifteenth point of the game. White drained his fourth three of the game just before the half time break, Boston up by one point, 48-47, thanks to Derrick White’s hot 2nd quarter performance.
Brown came out pumped up at the start of the second half, immediately going to the low block and bodied up Strawther as he went through the defenders chest. Brown ran the court the next play and attacked the rim drawing another foul, this time on Cam Johnson. Scheierman converted his second triple from the deep wing as Boston took a quick four-point lead in the third quarter.
Denver got into early foul trouble to start the second half, both teams continued to struggle shooting the ball, Boston was 40 percent compare to Denver, at just 35 percent. Jokic was settling for three-pointers all night and the big man was 2-10 from deep at the six minute mark of the third. Boston went scoreless for 2 minutes, as they watched Jokic hit 5 straight points to take give the home team a 64-61 lead.
Brown had a brilliant chase down block on Simpson, JB ran the court and fed Vucevic for the alley oop tip in. Brown kept the pressure on the Nuggets wings drilling a two-pointer on a step back jumper and then drawing a foul on Braun who hit Brown from behind. Tim Hardaway Jr gave the Nugs some energy from the bench in the third, hitting a pair of shots, Denver up 70-67.
Boston started to show fatigue during the third, on the second night of a back-to-back, Denver’s hustle wearing down the road team at altitude. The Nuggets ended the quarter up by 10 points, 77-67, their largest lead of the game, with 12 minutes of regulation to play.
Denver went on a 15-0 run which pretty much sealed it. Scheierman stepped out of court and later had a three-pointer overruled. Boston’s attempted clean sweep of the West Coast ended as they went down by a wide margin managing to shoot a paltry 33% from the field, and recorded 11 turnovers on the night. Danilo Banton and Luka Garza got some run in the final 5 minutes of play as Coach Mazzulla waved the white flag and got White and Brown out of the game for good.
Boston would drop just their second game of February and now return home to face the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, 7:30 pm EST.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 15: Randal Grichuk #15 of the Toronto Blue Jays follows through on his third inning home run against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 15, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: The previous edition of the Yankees news roundup noted that the Yankees were still considering adding a platoon bat. Well they may have found one in a player who has surfaced in various Yankees rumors for a few years now: Randal Grichuk. Formerly a pesky division rival with the Blue Jays from 2018-21, Grichuk had a penchant for making his pop count in New York, as he has 18 career homers in 63 games against the Yankees. Grichuk had a 139 OPS+ in 279 PA for the D-backs in 2024 and blistered lefties to the tune of a .941 OPS from 2022-24 but dipped this past year with Arizona and Kansas City, so at age-34, he had to settle for a non-roster invitation from the Yankees. Still, while Grichuk might not be a lock for the Opening Day roster, this may be just another sign that Jasson Domínguez is heading to Triple-A to start 2026.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Entering play on Wednesday, the Yankees have gone 6-for-7 in ABS challenges in Grapefruit League action. The lone loss came on Austin Wells challenging behind the plate, but challenges from the hitters have been well-timed and correct. The club has long preached hitters’ knowledge and control of the strike zone, and that seems to be paying off in the big-leaguers’ first taste of the review process. The team is still dialing in how it’ll implement their own challenge strategy once the games count for real, but for now, they might just be best off to keep doing what they’re doing.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: My least-in-demand party trick will require an update, as the Yankees announced that CC Sabathia’s No. 52 will be retired, with a plaque ceremony taking place pregame on September 26, 2026. Monument Park isn’t just a collection of Yankee greats, but a who’s who of some of the most dominant players to ever put a baseball jersey on, and it’ll be great to see the former ace take his rightful place in Yankee history. For more on CC, check out Matt’s breaking news story from last night.
New York Post | Greg Joyce: Will Warren is going to be called upon to start the season strong, as the Yankees wait for a couple of their bigger arms to recover from injury. While he wasn’t exactly bad in 2025, bouts of inconsistency especially against left-handed batters plagued the righty, and lowering that platoon tax is a major focus of Warren’s time in camp. Fortunately, Warren seems to have been taken under the wing of Clarke Schmidt, who was in a similar position to Will two years ago and if it weren’t for Tommy John surgery, would have made that jump from touch-and-go hurler to respectable rotation piece.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: One of the recurring themes of Yankee spring is that because the team inks so many players to major deals — deals that command a roster spot of their own virtue — there are plenty of “bubble” players who have to prove themselves in camp. Jasson Domínguez is likely to be one of those hard-luck losers, with a stacked outfield and frankly a need to polish up some defense and hitting from the right side, perfect for a Triple-A assignment. The bullpen picture is also muddy so far, with newbie Angel Chivilli and last year’s pickup Brent Headrick both in competition for the last MLB roster slot.
The Denver Nuggets ruled guard Jamal Murray out for the rest of their game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Murray was on the team's injury report before the game, dealing with "right hamstring tightness," but he was deemed available to play. And that's not what took him out of the game.
Murray shot just 1-of-3 from the field for two points in 8 minutes of play. He was 0-for-2 from the 3-point line.
Here's what happened to Murray:
Why was Jamal Murray ruled out?
Murray was ruled out during the game against the Celtics due to an illness, the team announced on X. He was initially deemed questionable to return before being ruled out.
Despite getting almost nothing from one of their stars, the Nuggets won 103-84.
"He looked awful," Nuggets coach David Adelman said of Murray, per the Denver Gazette's Vinny Benedetto. "They gave him all the medication. It did not help. ... All kinds of bodily things were happening."
Jamal Murray career stats
Murray has averaged 18.6 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game in 589 games played. He has averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds this season. The guard was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Max Mackinnon scored a season-high 34 points, including 11 in the second overtime period, and LSU rallied to defeat Mississippi 106-99 on Wednesday night.
LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC) snapped a five-game losing streak and Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12) has lost 10 in a row.
A three-point play by Mackinnon with just under four minutes left in the second overtime gave LSU a 95-92 lead, the Tigers' first lead since it was 41-40 in the final minute of the first half. With LSU leading by one point, Mackinnon made a driving layup with 1:30 remaining to start a personal 6-0 run that sealed the win for the Tigers.
Michael Nowoko scored 18 points, Pablo Tamba 15, Rashad King 13 off the bench and Robert Miller III 12 for LSU. Jalen Reece had 11 points and 10 assists.
Ilias Kamardine had 26 points and 10 assists for Ole Miss. Malik Dia scored 20, AJ Storr 19 and Eduardo Klafke 16.
Ole Miss led throughout the second half and the lead was 78-71 with 5 1/2 minutes left. Nowoko scored six points for LSU in a 9-2 run that tied the score with 1:38 remaining.
Ole Miss went back ahead on an alley-oop dunk by Corey Chest but he missed the and-one free throw. LSU tied it with 15 seconds left on a pair of free throws by King and the game went to overtime.
LSU never led in the first overtime period but there were three ties, the last when the Tigers' Tamba converted a layup with 36 seconds remaining.
Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia will be forever honored among the New York Yankees' legends.
The team announced on Wednesday, Feb. 25, that it will retire Sabathia's No. 52 in September.
Sabathia will become the 25th player to have his number retired at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have the most retired numbers in the league.
"From the first number that hung in my locker to 52 forever hanging in Monument Park - this HOF journey has come full circle,” Sabathia wrote in a post on X. “To have my number retired by the New York Yankees this year is one of the greatest honors of my life. The LegaCCy continues.”
Sabathia spent 11 of his 19 seasons in New York, retiring in pinstripes after starting 22 of the 23 games he played in during the 2019 season. He finished with a 251-161 overall record and a 3.74 ERA. He started 560 of the 561 games he played in.
He produced 3,093 strikeouts in 3,577.1 innings pitched. He won the World Series in 2009, his first season with New York. He was named as a first-ballot inductee for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.
List of retired Yankees numbers
No. 1: Billy Martin
No. 2: Derek Jeter
No. 3: Babe Ruth
No. 4: Lou Gehrig
No. 5: Joe DiMaggio
No. 6: Joe Torre
No. 7: Mickey Mantle
No. 8: Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey
No. 9: Roger Maris
No. 10: Phil Rizzuto
No. 15: Thurman Munson
No. 16: Whitey Ford
No. 20: Jorge Posada
No. 21: Paul O'Neill
No. 23: Don Mattingly
No. 32: Elston Howard
No. 37: Casey Stengel
No. 42: Mariano Rivera and Jackie Robinson (league-wide)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
According to Tony Jones, Adam Silver is sending independent doctors to verify the injury to Lauri Markkanen.
One thing I’m hearing about Lauri Markkanen’s scheduled MRI: The league is sending independent doctors to verify.
This news comes on the heels of those independent doctors visiting the Indiana Pacers and pressuring them to medicate an injured player to play.
The league asking if the Pacers would consider medicating Aaron Nesmith so that he could play in the game that they were fined for sitting out players seems like a massive overreach. Absurd. https://t.co/2MlvhjWLTN
What’s clear from this whole situation is that Adam Silver is not interested in what’s best for the players, the teams, or the fans. It’s solely the bottom line. If he really cared about the players’ and the league’s health, he’d lower the number of games to reduce injuries and make the games more meaningful. Instead, Silver is constantly looking to add games and tournaments to solve every problem.
What exactly happens here if Silver’s doctors disagree? Are they going to force the Jazz to play Markkanen? What happens if Markkanen has a serious injury like the one that happened to Vince Williams Jr.? Would that be a good thing? Utah should disregard anything these doctors say. The credibility is already gone, based on what we’ve seen in Indiana. Utah should do what’s best for Utah, something that Adam Silver has not considered even once.
This whole situation has proven Silver to be completely out of touch with the fans and what they actually want. Every all-star break, Silver presents some idiotic new tech feature like this one, where you can change a jersey number if your team trades a player.
You’ll be surprised that this feature didn’t take. Turns out, fans of teams stay fans of their team even if they trade away their favorite player. Embarrassing.
And this year, Silver introduced some AI integration to make things more hyper-personalized. Great, now we lose the entire communal feeling we get with sports. Why even go to games, right?
Adam Silver: "There's no doubt that AI will have the same impact on sports… how we're going to be able to [hyper-personalize] our telecasts… We're about to witness probably the most significant change, certainly in my lifetime, in how sports are presented." 🏀📺🎙️ #NBApic.twitter.com/ZS6ZZjvidv
This is just more evidence of a commissioner who is not familiar with even the basic elements of what makes sports great. Fans want hope that maybe one day they can win a championship. A fanbase like the Utah Jazz has to do things differently than the larger markets in the league, the ones that Adam Silver is biased towards. Utah will only improve, and any bad team for that matter, by getting top-tier talent in the draft. If Lauri Markkanen has as much as a sniffle, the Jazz should rest him. If they lose this pick this season, it would be an absolute disaster, but maybe that’s what Adam Silver wants. The Jazz staying bad is better in his mind because it’s one more small market for the large markets to beat up one year after year.
So, ignore those doctors, Danny, Ryan, and Austin. They don’t have the team’s best interest at heart.
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves poses for a photo during Spring Training photo day at CoolToday Park on February 20, 2026 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite the woes for rotation depth early this offseason, there is quietly a lot of competition for the back of the bullpen. Tyler Kinley, Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, Hayden Harris, and James Karinchak all had strong outings out of the bullpen Wednesday, with Harris and Karinchak looking especially impressive. The Braves have four bullpen locks or near locks with Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee. If they choose to run with a 6-man rotation to start the season, they would only have 3 spots left in the bullpen. Joel Payamps seems a likely member of the bullpen, while Hayden Harris, Daysbel Hernandez, James Karinchak, Ian Hamilton, Jose Suarez, Joey Wentz, and potentially even Jhancarlos Lara are real options for the bullpen. Harris, Hernandez, Dodd and Lara all have options, so they could very easily find themselves in AAA, though Dodd especially and to a lesser extent Harris and Hernandez may have real claims to a top 7-8 option on the 40-man. Hamilton and Karinchak are on minor league or split contracts, which sometimes include options for veterans to opt out if they don’t make the active roster, so they may be effectively out of options. Meanwhile, Wentz and Jose Suarez are out of minor league options.
I would personally not be particularly inclined to keep Jose Suarez, as he seems like a very replacement level pitcher, but this front office does often opt to preserve depth over picking the best guys for Opening Day. I am intrigued by Karinchak if he can look anything like his old dominant self. Hamilton has been good in the past, but we need to see which version of himself he looks like. Wentz could make sense as the de facto 6th member of the rotation who could easily convert to a solid lefty reliever with some stamina for multiple innings as needed. It will be a fascinating battle to watch over the next month.
Braves News
Austin Riley went yard, as Baldwin and Profar collected extra-base hits against Paul Skenes and bullpen competitors shined in a 3-1 Spring Training win.
