NEW YORK — Max Fried’s words were as sharp as the break on some of his pitches.
“It’s important to have a little bit of pride and to be able to say: `That’s not us and we’re going to prove it,’” the New York Yankees pitcher said.
After making four errors in a dismal Game 2 defeat, New York’s players and staff arrived home in a 2-0 AL Division Series deficit for the second straight year, this time against the Tampa Bay Rays. The best-of-five matchup resumes in the Bronx with Fried starting for the Yankees and Nick Martinez for the Rays.
With one more loss to Tampa Bay, the World Series title drought for Major League Baseball’s winningest team would extend to a 17th season — matching the most since Babe Ruth led New York to its first championship in 1923. New York hasn’t advanced past a higher-seeded team in a postseason series since 2020.
“This group has done a really good job all year of bouncing back through a tough game, through some tough moments in the season and handled it all very well. So that’s my expectation this time. It has to be,” said manager Aaron Boone, who spoke with players individually rather than give a rah-rah speech.
Tampa Bay could party at Yankee Stadium for the second time in two weeks, after clinching the AL East on Sept 22.
Seeking their first World Series title, the Rays are nearing an American League Championship Series against the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland. They haven’t advanced that far since 2020, when they lost in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Martinez used to sit in the Yankee Stadium bleachers when he played college ball from 2009-11 at Fordham University, located about 5 miles away.
“I imagine it’s going to be an electric crowd with their season on the line,” he said.
Teams taking 2-0 leads in best-of-five postseason series have won 83 of 93 times, according to MLB. The last comeback from an 0-2 deficit was the 2017 Yankees against Cleveland.
“There’s no taking games off,” Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca said. “Obviously taking the first two has put us in a really good spot, but it’s still the same mindset going forward.”
Errors in postseason becoming new Yankees tradition
Third baseman Ryan McMahon, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., shortstop George Lombard Jr. and catcher Austin Wells all made errors in Game 3 that led to three unearned runs in New York’s 5-2 loss.
In addition, Lombard didn’t field Chandler Simpson’s two-hopper and right fielder Spencer Jones allowed Jonathan Aranda’s liner — a ball with 65% hit probability — to fall starting the fifth, which sparked a four-run inning.
“It was just one of those things that it all kind of happened back-to-back-to back,” Lombard said.
Throwing errors by McMahon and Chisholm in the first along with a catcher’s interference call against Wells gave the Yankees their first three-error postseason inning.
“It didn’t seem like we really showed up today,” pitcher Cam Schlittler said.
Two years ago, the Yankees had two errors and a mental lapse that led to five unearned runs in a season-ending Game 5 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tampa Bay put 31 balls in play, two shy of the high for any team in a postseason game this year. The Rays were just behind Milwaukee for the top regular-season team batting average, .2585 to .2581, and led the American League in on-base percentage.
Simpson is 12th in sprint speed and DeLuca 16th among players with at least 150 competitive runs this year, according to MLB Statcast.
“Just very contact-oriented,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Just the speed getting down the line, the urgency it forces on the infielders, really good infielders — it forces them to get out of their comfort zone and make a highlight-reel play. Those are tough to make.”
Yankees’ vanishing offense
New York’s players in the third through seventh spots of the batting order went 0 for 33 with 11 strikeouts in the first two games: Luis García Jr., Jones, Lombard, Chisholm and Trent Grisham.
Aaron Judge’s absence has been glaring.
New York was fourth in runs, 13th in batting average and second in OPS through May 31, its last game before the three-time AL MVP went on the injured list due to a fractured rib.
From June 1 through the end of the season, the Yankees were 24th in runs, 29th in batting average and 27th in OPS. Judge returned for seven games from Sept. 8-16, hitting .174 with three RBIs before a calf strain.
“I’m considering a couple things but haven’t settled on anything,” Boone said of possible lineup changes.
Fried has baby on the way
Fried’s longtime girlfriend, Reni Meyer-Whalley, is due to give birth any day.
“I’ve got a really supportive family that understands that this is my job, and it’s not going to affect what happens tomorrow,” he said.
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s unusual for an NBA coach to willingly use their first timeout in the opening minute of a game.
But that’s exactly what Lakers coach JJ Redick did during his short-handed team’s 124-98 blowout loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night at Chase Center after an “insane” start to the game, as Redick put it.
It didn’t take long for Lakers head coach JJ Redick to call his first timeout. Getty Images
The Lakers started Tuesday’s against the Warriors with an offensive possession that nearly used up the entire 24-second shot clock before Sandro Mamukelashvili drove into the paint and turned the ball over, sparking a Warriors fastbreak that ended with Brandin Podziemski knocking down a 3-pointer off a second-chance opportunity.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick wanted to hold his short-handed team accountable to their standards. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
By the Lakers’ next possession, Redick had already seen enough.
After just a couple of passes after his team got the ball back, the Lakers coach got up from his seat on the team’s bence to signal for a timeout 52 seconds into the game.
“When you draw up a first play, and then give them a second play that is a play we’ve scripted for ten days, or whatever it’s been, and they don’t run either correctly, that’s unacceptable,” Redick said. “You’re not ready to play. That got us off to a poor start.”
The Lakers’ poor start spiraled into a bad first half.
The Warriors jumped out a 45-31 lead at the end of the opening quarter, and led 81-53 entering halftime.
“The way we started that game was insane,” Redick said. “I don’t know the reasons why, because this group has been awesome for the two months I’ve been around them. The first half was unacceptable.”
JJ Redick thought the Lakers had an “insane” start to the loss to the Warriors. Getty Images
Redick made sure his players knew his feeling during halftime.
“I feel like being out there already, we kind of already know that we had to get in under control,” Adou Thiero said. “So coming in and being able to talk about it at halftime, JJ came in and he just let us know straight forward what it was.”
The Lakers’ early struggles against the Warriors happened while Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Collin Sexton were all on the bench in street clothes.
“I told them at halftime: I’ve had a handful of these games as a coach where you’re missing star players and a lot of your depth – and I still expect to win,” Redick said. “I expect us to play to our standards, and that first half did not meet my expectations; and I let them know that. Austin and I joked because I’ve gone in there before and said ‘I’m not going to raise my voice’, and by the end of it I’m yelling. I regulated, but you can still hold them accountable, and I do think they responded.”
The Lakers outscored the Warriors 45-43 during the second half, but the damage was already done from the dreadful start.
JJ Redick said the way the Lakers started the game against the Warriors was "insane" and that their first half was "unacceptable".
JJ: Redick: "They responded. When you draw up a first play, and then give them a second play that is a play we've scripted for ten days, or whatever… https://t.co/CilCYAkQIypic.twitter.com/KdaPp7a6zj
LOS ANGELES — Jeff Hamilton has become a household name for his luxurious leather jackets. He has been a part of sports history by crafting several iconic pieces, including the jacket that Kobe Bryant wore in the locker room after winning the 2001 NBA Finals. In his booth at the 10th anniversary of ComplexCon on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the designer displayed a sparkly jacket paying tribute to that moment.
Hamilton discussed how being a part of the inaugural ComplexCon in 2016 helped boost his confidence after a stint away from his work.
"When I came to the first ComplexCon in Long Beach and first and second and third, I really got really inspired," he reflected in a conversation with USA TODAY Sports while wearing a colorful jacket from his collaboration with Supreme. "It had a lot to do with me to come back out of retirement. Because I really, that's the first time that I saw where you're in direct contact with the actual culture makers and the shape makers and the public and that resonated.
"And when I walked through the aisles, people knew who I was and it was very flattering. Not from an ego standpoint, to know that I had over the years created some kind of impact that whatever I did for me, because I was passionate, not from a business standpoint, resonated with the ultimate fan."
Hamilton also shared some insight into the current state of athlete fashion, pointing out LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jordan Clarkson as sartorial leaders.
"All the guys dress very well," he said. "… At this stage, they have stylists and they have great taste, but also they have unlimited budgets."
While he declined to pick a favorite fashionable athlete, Hamilton's choice for favorite designer was easy.
"My GOAT is Ralph Lauren," he said. "That I can answer unequivocally because those are the things that I still look up to that I admire that he's able to have for a lifetime."
In the shadows of their crosstown rival Knicks, the Nets are looking to improve on their 20-win season last year.
One of the main pieces in their rebuild is 2025 No. 8 overall pick Egor Dëmin, who showed promising flashes during his rookie year and even more signs of growth during the Summer League.
Dëmin picked up where he left off in Las Vegas on Tuesday night during Brooklyn's first preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets (124-90 win), scoring six points (2-for-3 from three) with five assists in a limited 18 minutes of action. After the win, Dëmin expressed confidence in his development and believes he's ready to take the next step in his career.
"Yeah, my goal is to translate not just a part of what I did in Summer League, but even more, right?" Dëmin told the New York Post's Brian Lewis. "Obviously I had some more time after Summer League, and I kept working on that stuff. And I think I’m even better right now than I was in Summer League."
The BYU product averaged 21.0 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in three Summer League games and 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the California Classic (two games). By comparison, Dëmin averaged just 10.3 points across 52 games during his rookie season.
Head coach Jordi Fernández said he liked what he saw from the 20-year-old on Tuesday night, noting his improved strength and comfortability on the court.
"Yeah, you see him with five assists in the first group; so he leads that group in assists, which is great," Fernández said. "Egor was good. I want him aggressive to shoot or to touch the paint, and he’s done it the whole summer. He’s worked at it, he’s stronger, and now he’s very comfortable getting there. So, it’s great. He’s got to keep doing it, got to keep finding his teammates or getting good shots."
Teammate Michael Porter Jr. added after the preseason win that he believes Dëmin can "make a humungous jump" in his sophomore season.
"I’m excited to play with Egor," Porter said. "He’s a phenomenal shooter and scorer, but also a great passer. So he can do a lot of things on the court, rebound, push the break, shoot the ball. And now that he’s getting in the paint and finishing around the rim, he’ll make a humongous jump."
When asked about his goals for the 2026-27 season, Dëmin is focused on winning.
"To win as many games as possible," Dëmin said. "Our process is oriented now on getting there each day, at least a little bit, but getting there, no matter whether it’s a game day, practice day, or an update."
Brooklyn gets its first chance at that goal when the team opens the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 21 against the Hornets.
With the Phillies scrambling to figure out who their next manager will be, general manager Dave Dombrowski must now pull together a short list of candidates to lead the franchise.
The obvious top candidate is Don Mattingly, who led the Phillies to a playoff berth and a strong 79-55 record despite taking over a team that was 9-19. The Post’s Jon Heyman reported the club could keep their interim manager for 2027 after initially appearing like that would not be the case.
“I think I would like to do it,” Mattingly said during the summer as the Phillies were piling up wins and competing for first place.
Dave Dombrowski, President of Baseball Operations for the Philadelphia Phillies, has a big decision to make. Getty Images
So we know Mattingly will likely take it if Dombrowski offers him the gig, but whether that happens is another question entirely.
“I think Alex Cora is one of the finest managers in the game of baseball,” Dombrowski told reporters in April. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Hall of Fame managers like Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. … If Alex Cora decides he’s managing, he has a chance to be in that same category. That’s how good he is.”
Mattingly was Dombrowksi’s second choice in Philadelphia in April, though, and he may be that again, though outside options are rather thin.
Don Mattingly has said that he wants to remain the Phillies manager. Mike Zarrilli/UPI/Shutterstock
Other potential hires could include Rocco Baldelli, Brad Ausmus and David Ross.
There’s no obvious link between Baldelli and Dombrowski, but he’s arguably the most credentialed of managers available. Baldelli is the third-winningest manager in Twins history, going 527-505 (.511), and won Manager of the Year in his first year after he went 101-61 in 2019.
Dombrowski could also look at Ausmus — the Yankees’ bench coach since 2024 — who has a close relationship with Dombrowski dating back to Detroit in 2013.
Former Red Sox manager Alex Cora is seen during wild card practice at Yankee Stadium before a Wild Card game against the New York Yankees in the Bronx, New York, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
Ausmus won 90 games in his first year with the Tigers before things cratered.
It was previously reported that Mattingly would be “gracefully dismissed” by the Phillies if they could hire Cora, though it now appears that Donnie Baseball might have a chance to stick around with the team longer than anticipated.
How close are the two sides to making a deal? The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported Wednesday an update on the situation.
“As far as I can tell, though, the Bruins haven’t been close in talks with his camp over the past three months on what an extension should look like,” LeBrun wrote. “I think they had some sticker shock in June when they heard what the player might be looking for. But as the summer has gone on and salaries skyrocketed around the league, I bet that number doesn’t seem as high.
“The sides have kept the dialogue going, which is good. So there’s still a chance the Bruins eventually extend Zacha. But in the meantime, teams are naturally calling about him. So few centers ever become available.”
Zacha tallied career highs of 30 goals and 65 points last season. He has yet to tally a single point through four games this season, but assuming his production doesn’t take a nosedive, he should have plenty of value around the league if the Bruins get to a point where a trade makes the most sense.
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Pavel Zacha is in the final year of his current contract.
The Bruins need his offense. They don’t have a ton of quality goal scorers, and he’s a good bet to score 20-plus times each season if healthy. The Bruins also aren’t super deep at center. Elias Lindholm has been a massive disappointment since signing in free agency back in the summer of 2024. Fraser Minten has a lot of potential, but he’s not a traditional top-six center at this stage of his career. James Hagens could be a top-six center in a few years, but he’s still a rookie with fewer than 10 games of NHL experience.
Zacha will be 30 when his next contract begins. Giving a long-term deal and/or more than $10 million per season to a player 30-plus years old carries plenty of risk. LeBrun also noted, “I think the Bruins are worried about a long-term commitment and how it will age — perhaps sensitive to living with the Elias Lindholm contract already.”
If the Bruins haven’t worked out an extension by the time the March 1 trade deadline rolls around, and they’re not close to a playoff spot, then a trade would make the most sense. The real dilemma would be if the Bruins are in a playoff spot, or close to one, at the trade deadline and there’s no extension.
The Bruins cannot afford to let Zacha walk for nothing. Extend him or trade him. Those are the only options that make sense for the team.
There were plenty of eyes on the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night in Buffalo.
More than 20 scouts and NHL personnel were listed in the press box for the Wild's 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
Among the names in attendance was one that should catch the attention of Wild fans: Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager Kris Draper.
Considering everything that surrounded Dylan Larkin and the Wild this offseason, Draper's presence is at least noteworthy.
Larkin requested a trade from Detroit following last season, something then-Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman publicly confirmed in June. Larkin, who owns a full no-trade clause, provided Detroit with a short list of teams he would be willing to join, with Minnesota reportedly among his preferred destinations.
The Wild and Red Wings were subsequently linked in trade discussions throughout the offseason, but nothing ultimately materialized.
That makes Draper's presence in Buffalo interesting and particularly interesting on a night when Danila Yurov scored his first goal of the season.
Yurov has been one of the young Wild players whose name has surfaced in speculation surrounding what Minnesota could potentially offer Detroit in a deal for Larkin.
The 22-year-old center is one of Minnesota's most valuable young assets and would make sense as a player Detroit would have interest in if trade conversations were ever revived.
With Draper watching from the press box Tuesday, Yurov gave him a pretty good look.
The former first-round pick opened the scoring at 13:53 of the second period on the power play. Jared Spurgeon found Yurov in the right circle, where he ripped a one-timer past Sabres goaltender Colten Ellis for his first goal of the season.
"I think Yurov and Shabanov are two guys that we need to step up and play well for us," Wild coach John Hynes said after the game. "I think they have."
Yurov finished the night with the goal, two shots and 14:21 of ice time. Minnesota eventually built a 2-0 lead before Buffalo scored twice in the third period and won 3-2 in overtime on Owen Power's goal with 37.4 seconds remaining.
Draper's attendance certainly doesn't mean the Red Wings were specifically scouting Yurov, nor does it mean trade talks between Minnesota and Detroit have restarted.
NHL teams routinely have scouts and executives attend games throughout the league, and Detroit was just one of many organizations represented Tuesday.
Larkin's trade request has not simply disappeared. He reported to Red Wings training camp in September, but said conversations about his future would continue once Detroit's new leadership was in place. He has five years remaining on his contract at an $8.7 million cap hit.
Minnesota was also reportedly one of the destinations Larkin was willing to waive his no-trade clause to join.
So when a high-ranking Red Wings executive shows up to a Wild game, and one of Minnesota's most intriguing young trade assets happens to score, it's difficult not to take notice.
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A Dodgers fan wearing a Yoshinobu Yamamoto jersey caught a foul ball during Tuesday night’s game. A spectator seated nearby was taking a video of his excited reaction then said, “Give it to the kid! Give it to the kid!”
The fan then looked at the camera, shrugged, and said, “I’m sorry, I can’t! I’m not giving it to the kid! I feel bad, but I’m not giving it to the kid!”
A Los Angeles Dodgers fan refusing to give a ball he caught at the NLDS to a little kid. (TikTok/@the_hammyshow).A child wearing an Atlanta Braves jersey who was trying to receive a ball from a Los Angeles Dodgers fan at the NLDS. (TikTok/@the_hammyshow).
The video then panned to the kid in question, who was wearing a Braves jersey and had a disappointed look on his face.
The camera then panned back to the Dodgers fan, who was gloating over his ball then posed for a photo with it.
The video has gone viral, with one X user who reposted it getting over 2.6 million views on about 12 hours. The original TikTok video also has nearly a million views.
It has sparked a debate about whether adult fans are obliged to give little kids balls that they catch at baseball games. Some believe an adult fan who caught a ball fair and square should not be shamed if they want to keep it, while others feel like an adult fan should be entitled to give their catch away to a fan.
This Dodgers fan was clearly in the former group.
Fans, from left, Ethan Cho, Victor Rivas and Charlie Kahanlarian gather before Game 1 of the NLDS, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
SAN DIEGO — Mason Miller probably will want to come up with something a little better than cigars for his San Diego Padres teammates when he returns to the club as a first-time father.
Not only did the Padres cover splendidly for their top reliever in their gritty playoff victory in Game 3, they kept San Diego’s season going likely long enough for Miller to pitch again.
The Padres announced their All-Star closer was on the paternity list and would miss Game 3 of the NL Division Series only about 45 minutes before they faced the Milwaukee Brewers with their season on the line. San Diego did not announce that setup man Adrian Morejon also was unavailable because of discomfort in his shoulder.
The Padres had to face the MLB-best Brewers without the top two relievers in their vaunted bullpen — but that didn’t deter a team that fought through a midseason malaise and streaked into the postseason with a sensational September.
“It was a chance for the other guys to pick those two up,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “We relied on them and got a lot of wins because they pitched so well this season. All the other guys stepped up and did their job today.”
After starter Nick Pivetta faltered in the fifth, three relievers fought to get eight outs against the Brewers’ relentless lineup before Game 2 starter Michael King took care of the final two innings in a 4-3 victory for his first save since 2023.
After the Padres survived this desperate day, pitching coach Ruben Niebla said they expect Miller to return to the team for Game 4. King said Morejon also could be available.
San Diego’s bullpen was taxed in Game 3 but held on thanks to King, who stepped up on one day of rest and delivered. He yielded a base hit in the eighth and then two walks in the ninth before Christian Yelich smacked a 107 mph line drive up the middle. But veteran shortstop Xander Bogaerts stopped it on a short hop and turned a game-ending double play, finishing King’s emergency outing at 40 pitches.
“I know that I have bullets in my arm that I don’t want to save,” King said. “I felt like it needed to be the right time. I think that it all aligned with Mason going on paternity. Even if he was available, I was still going to be up and ready to go in whatever situation that presented itself. If you’re in an elimination game, you want everybody to be all in on it, and I feel like not just me included, we have a bunch of dogs down there that are all in.”
King pitched seven innings a week ago against the Chicago Cubs and five more on Sunday against the Brewers, throwing 169 total pitches. But he was ready for more immediately after leaving the mound in Milwaukee.
“He said it as soon as he came out of the game the other day: ‘I’m going to be ready for Game 3 and 4,’” Padres slugger Manny Machado said. “I kind of told him, ‘Why? Get ready for Game 5.’ But he wanted the ball, man. He definitely showed up today for us and closed it out. It wasn’t easy. They’re a hard ballclub over there. They didn’t make it easy for us.”
Miller was one of the best closers in the majors this season. With a fastball that regularly touches 104 mph, he converted 38 of his 41 save opportunities and went 5-2 with a 0.90 WHIP and 129 strikeouts over 70 innings.
But the right-hander also blew a save in the ninth inning of the Padres’ 4-3 loss in Milwaukee, putting San Diego in an 0-2 hole in the best-of-five series. While attempting to finish a two-inning save, Miller issued three walks before Jackson Chourio delivered a two-out, two-strike, two-run single to win it on Miller’s 40th pitch.
FORT MYERS, FL - MARCH 3: Former Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz reacts with Kiké Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox during a Spring Training team workout on March 3, 2023 at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning! Kiké Hernandez hit a home run in the postseason last night, which is a thing that Kiké Hernandez likes to do. But this one was particularly notable, as it was his 17th career postseason homer, tying him with David Ortiz on the all-time list.
I don’t love that Kiké may knock Big Papi down a slot. But now that he has, I’m hoping he can pop off another couple of homers before the Dodgers run is over. And I’ll say the same about Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and even Giancarlo Stanton. Why? Because they are all exactly 2 homers behind Derek Jeter on the all-time list, with Kiké 3 behind.
I once got into an argument with a fan at Yankee Stadium who was adamant that Derek Jeter was the greatest postseason player in baseball history. But, in making his argument, this fan revealed that had no idea that Jeter had played in far more postseason games than any other player in history owing to the fact that, for most of baseball’s history, the World Series was the only playoff round there was (Yankee fans, they’re not always the best and brightest). The fact that the ever-expanding postseason has warped the record books to such an extent that it does in fact look like Jeter and Bernie Williams are the undisputed gods of the sport has always bothered me and I demand an end to it right this second!
So, aside from rooting for the Padres, I am now fully invested in one thing this October: seeing massive dongs from Kiké, Freddie, Max, and even Giancarlo (let’s face it: many Yankee fans would actually be pissed if he ends up passing Jeter).
Use this space to talk about postseason records and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.
The Philadelphia Flyers have made their first roster move since signing veteran winger Michael Bunting on Tuesday, sending Alex Bump down to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms to clear a roster spot and a place in the lineup.
The move doesn't exactly come as a surprise by the Flyers, as Bump, 22, had just four shots on goal in three games this season, and was benched in Game 2 against New Jersey, finishing with just 8:18 of ice time.
Bump was a healthy scratch for the Flyers for Monday's 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet opting to dress the now-healthy Denver Barkey instead.
With Barkey healthy for the first time since the early stages of training camp and Bunting now in the fold, the Flyers have decided that, rather than having Bump waste away in the press box, the promising young forward will instead get game time and reps down in the AHL with the Phantoms.
Presumably, Bump will immediately assume a top-line role with the Flyers' farm team, reuniting with good buddy Cole Knuble, who enjoyed a fantastic training camp, and top center prospect Jett Luchanko.
The 22-year-old winger scored five goals, four assists, and nine points in 17 games with the Flyers last season, and added two goals in six playoff appearances.
The NHL can be unpredictable, as has been established amid the Flyers' woeful 0-2-2 start, and there is a very real possibility it may not be long before Bump finds himself in the NHL again.
An underwhelming training camp and preseason slate didn't work in his favor, and the dire state of the Flyers as currently constructed left them in a difficult position.
For now, Bump returns to the AHL with the Phantoms, for whom he scored 11 goals, 15 assists, and 26 points in 36 games last season before earning his promotion to the NHL ranks with the Flyers.
\n\n\n\tATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 06: Los Angeles pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) gets high-fives in the dugout during the NLDS game 3 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves on October 6th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images\t\n\n
Yamamoto allowed only one run in the win, and got through seven innings on 98 pitches. On the season, Yamamoto has allowed zero or one run in 15 of his 29 starts.
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“Wow, what a performance,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Atlanta. “He just has a way to just make pitches, calm his heartbeat. And I think he made two mistakes all night — the first pitch to [Matt] Olson; Lane Thomas, that cutter that just didn’t get there. But outside of that he was awesome.”
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Yamamoto has started 10 times for the Dodgers in the postseason, plus one relief appearance. That’s 11 total appearances, and the Dodgers have won 10 times. Yamamoto himself is 8-1 in the postseason with a stingy 2.14 ERA. His last five postseason outings, dating back to last year’s NLCS, are wins.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the only pitcher in MLB history to earn the win in 5 straight postseason appearances while not allowing more than 1 run or 1 walk in any of them.
“Everything I read about him was true, and everything they told us about him also was true,” Yankees star Mickey Mantle said of Koufax to the Associated Press. “What a pitcher!”
Koufax had three double-digit strikeout games in the World Series, with his other two a pair of games with exactly 10 strikeouts over a span of only four days in 1965, pitching shutouts in Games 5 and 7 to beat the Minnesota Twins.
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Prior to Yamamoto, the last Dodgers pitcher with 10 strikeouts in a postseason game was Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS, when Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 Brewers while also hitting three home runs en route to winning NLCS MVP.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 29: Cade Cavalli #24 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on August 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ever since Max Scherzer left the team at the trade deadline in 2021, Nationals fans have been waiting for an ace to emerge. For years, we were holding out hope that MacKenzie Gore would be that guy. He showed great things early in seasons but would inevitably fall apart. Once he was traded, it was on to the next guy in the hunt for an ace.
Heading into this season, our hopes hinged on Cade Cavalli, a 27 year old who had only made 11 career starts. Despite his inexperience, Cavalli was named the Opening Day starter due to his high potential. This season, Cavalli rewarded the team’s faith and emerged as a true front of the rotation arm.
Talent has never been the issue for Cavalli. He was drafted in the first round in 2020 out of Oklahoma due to his electric arm talent. Cavalli established himself as a top prospect and made his debut at the end of the 2022 season. However, that is where the trouble began.
During Spring Training of 2023, Cavalli had to undergo Tommy John Surgery. He missed all of that season and only threw 8.1 innings in 2024 due to a litany of setbacks. After struggling in AAA to begin 2025, Cavalli looked like damaged goods.
However, he ended his season on a positive note, making 10 solid starts in the big leagues. His 4.25 ERA and 1.48 WHIP was not anything special, but he was averaging 97 MPH with a nasty curveball. Even if the results were not there, you could see the vision.
During Spring Training, it became very clear that the new regime was tantalized by Cavalli’s potential. Blake Butera talked about how special he could be and he quickly was named the Opening Day starter.
It is easy to forget now, but for the first three months of the season, Cavalli was fine but not elite. After his June 25th start, Cavalli had a 4.00 ERA and was averaging under 5 innings per start. He was not having a bad season by any means, but he was far from elite.
The turning point came during his June 30th start against the Red Sox. Of course, that was the infamous ‘sit down boy’ game. In that contest, Cavalli struck out 13 hitters, allowed just 1 hit and got 25 whiffs. He looked like a dominant force at Fenway Park that night.
His role in starting that brawl put him in hot water, but the way Cavalli handled that was impressive. He seemed genuinely remorseful and handled the aftermath of that situation as well as he could have. It also did not stop him from going forward with his season.
In his last 15 starts of the season, Cavalli went 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA, striking out 111 hitters in 86.1 innings. He made the leap from solid big league starter to staff ace. As the season went on, you could just see that confidence growing each time he took the ball. Cavalli performed like an ace on the field, but also carried himself like one.
His nasty stuff and leadership were rewarded with an extension at the end of the season. The Nats and Cavalli agreed to a 4-year deal which has a club option for a 5th season. After all the injury set-backs Cavalli has faced, that had to be an awesome moment for him. It was also great to see the team lock up a rising star.
THIS ONE’S FOR D.C.
Cade Cavalli has agreed to a 4-year contract extension through the 2030 season with a club option for 2031. pic.twitter.com/mZiTaR92of
We have talked a lot about his story and rise to prominence, but now I want to dive into the data. For the season, Cavalli finished with a 3.02 ERA and an even 200 strikeouts in 169.2 innings of work.
His underlying numbers were also stellar, with a 3.25 FIP, a 3.67 xERA and a 3.13 xFIP. From a value perspective, Cavalli had 3.9 fWAR and 3.7 bWAR. The strikeout and walk numbers were also phenomenal. Cavalli struck out 28.3% of hitters while only walking batters at a 6.8% clip.
When you look at his pitch mix, Cavalli made a couple big changes. The first one was adding a sweeper to go with his already fantastic curveball. His sweeper gave Cavalli a new weapon, particularly against right handed hitters, who he struggled with in 2025. Cavalli’s sweeper is a hard one, averaging over 86 MPH. It also had much more drop than your average sweeper because he throws it similarly to his curve.
The hard sweeper is a pitch that has been really successful for big name starters this year, and Cavalli is part of that trend. Gavin Williams and Jesus Luzardo are a couple other high end arms with high velocity sweepers. Batters hit just .115 with a 37% whiff rate against the Cavalli sweeper.
One change that coincided with Cavalli’s quantum leap was an increase in cutter usage. The cutter was a pitch Cavalli had thrown in the past, but he did not use it much in the beginning of the season. However, he started throwing it more starting in that Red Sox start. He threw it about 12% of the time from July onwards.
The cutter on its own is nothing special, but it mixed well with his other pitches. It also gave him an offering he could consistently throw in the zone. With these new weapons, Cavalli had all the answers.
Those new weapons are cool to talk about, but another big part of his rise was an improvement in command. In the second half of the season, Cavalli walked less than 6% of hitters and was executing at an extremely high level. It felt like he could put pitches wherever he wanted.
When I watch the playoffs this year, I am confident that Cavalli can thrive in that environment. He has the stuff, command and moxy to succeed against the best hitters. We saw that in his biggest matchups this year. When the lights got bright, Cavalli was at his best.
With that extension, we now know that Cavalli will be a National long term. That is great news because he pitched like an ace down the stretch. If that is what he looks like moving forward, Cade Cavalli could challenge for Cy Young’s. It is so great to finally have a horse at the front of the rotation.
Minor League Baseball: View of Hudson Valley Renegades players warming up in outfield before game vs Brooklyn Cyclones at Maimonides Park. Brooklyn, NY 5/18/2021 CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X163621 TK1)
First Half Record: 25-40 (6/6 South Atlantic League North)
Second Half Record: 32-34 (4/6 South Atlantic League North)
The 2025 season was a magical year for the Brooklyn Cyclones. The team dominated the first half of the South Atlantic League season, earning a playoff berth, and for first time since 2019, a championship trophy was hoisted over Coney Island.
The Brooklyn Cyclones team that Eduardo Núñez had in 2026 was a very different team than the squad Gilbert Gomez had in 2025, and it showed. A general sense of malaise permeated throughout the entire Mets minor league system, but no team was worse than the Brooklyn Cyclones, who went 25-40 in the first half and were the second-worse team in the South Atlantic League.
The team perked up a bit in the second half, going 4-0 in June, 10-13 in July, and 15-11 in August. At the beginning of September, Brooklyn found themselves six games behind in the standings, playing a seven-game series (a game from July was being resumed) against the first-place Frederick Keys. While an extreme long shot, a sweep of the series would have rocketed the Cyclones up in the standings, potentially into first place depending on how the rest of the South Atlantic League North did that week. Their final series of the 2026 season unfortunately did not go the way the team and its fans were hoping, as Brooklyn kicked things off by dropped both games of the series opening double-header to immediately have their playoff hopes dashed, and then lost it to fall a game below .500 not just in the second half, but on the season. With the series loss, Brooklyn ended both the first and second halves of their season below .500, the first time for them to do that since the South Atlantic League moved to a split-season format in 2022.
John Bay, whose father played football at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, was a three-sport all-state player at Shattuck High School in Shattuck, Oklahoma, but when he began his collegiate career at OSU, he quickly found out that he was a big fish in a small pond. Competing for playing time thanks to the havoc that COVID-19 played on the college baseball season and decisions that were later made to attempt to do right by the players who missed the season, Bay ended up redshirting in his freshman season in 2021. He played in the Appalachian League that summer and hit .229/.381/.473 in 51 games, leading the league with 10 home runs. That was enough to get him a little playing time in 2022, and the outfielder appeared in 26 games, accruing 34 at-bats and hitting .324/.415/.500.
That summer, he was recruited by former Cowboys assistant coach Roland Fanning, who left OSU for Austin Peay University after the season ended. Bay played for the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League that summer and entered the transfer portal, transferring to Austin Peay. He missed roughly a month at the beginning of the season due to a hamate injury but ended up appearing in 26 games for the Governors, hitting .225/.343/.528 with 8 home runs. In 2024, his redshirt junior season, he had a breakout season, hitting .365/.471/.817 in 55 games with 24 home runs. He followed that up with a strong stint in the Cape Cod Baseball League, hitting .254/.393/.507 with 4 homers in 23 games for the Chatham Anglers, but the 2024 MLB Draft came and went without the 23-year-old Bay’s name being called.
Bay finished up his collegiate career in 2025 hitting .360/.507/.769 in 59 games with 22 more home runs, giving him a cumulative .338/.463/.732 batting line with OSU and Austin Peay with 42 doubles, 6 triples, 55 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 99 walks, and 166 strikeouts in 166 total games. Once again, the draft came and went and Bay did not hear his name. He had numerous independent league offers on the table, but no major league offers were extended until the Mets called; Bay agreed immediately.
The 24-year-old outfielder was assigned to the Low-A St. Lucie Mets and he hit the ground running, hitting .333/.464/.593 in his 17 games there, logging 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and drawing 9 walks to 21 strikeouts. He was promoted to High-A Brooklyn at the end of the season and hit .103/.333/.207 in 10 games for the eventual South Atlantic League champions. A few weeks after the season ended, he was selected to replace the injured D’Andre Smith in the Arizona Fall League and went 1-10 in the 3 games he appeared in drawing two walks and striking out 5 times. He remained in Brooklyn to begin the 2026 season and continued showing his trademark power even in a ballpark that dampens offense, appearing in 77 games and hitting .232/.360/.458 with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 13 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and drawing 35 walks to 88 strikeouts. In late July, he was promoted to Double-A Binghamton and appeared in 39 more games for them, hitting 252/.363/.366 with 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 20 walks to 48 strikeouts.
The 6’1”, 220-pound Bay stands square at the plate, holding his hands high at the eyes, wrapping his bat behind his head angled at 2:30, almost perpendicular to the ground. He swings with a slight leg kick, and has a quick, long-levered stroke. He has above-average power when he can get extended and pull the ball in the air. He has enough barrel control and makes decent enough swing decisions that he is not a one-dimensional stomp-and-lift hitter and does use the rest of the field. While his swing-and-miss rate is high and his strikeout rate concerningly high, his overall contacts numbers have been about average, and he has shown the ability to draw a high number of walks.
Bay is athletic and is a solid defender. The majority of his playing time in the outfield has come in center, with a bit less time in right field and a bit less time still in left. The 25-year-old does not have an explosive first-step, but is speedy, reaching his running gait quickly. His arm is a bit stronger than what is expected of most centerfielders, but is fringe-average or so for right field.
A native of Havana, Cuba, Daviel Hurtado left the island nation and took up residency in the Dominican Republic in 2022. Having played on the U-12 and U-15 Cuban National Baseball Teams, the left-hander drummed up some interest but elected to wait to for the 2023-2024 international signing period to begin instead of signing with a club immediately in order to better showcase his talents and maximize his potential contract. On January 15 2023, when the signing period began, he came to terms with the Mets and was given a $640,000 signing bonus. He was assigned to the Dominican Summer League for the 2023 season, but did not actually pitch, as Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound all season.
After the healing and rehabbing process came to an end, he finally made his professional debut in May 2024 with the FCL Mets. He remained with them for the entire 2024 season and appeared in 8 games, all starts, posting a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 innings, with 15 hits allowed,10 walks, and 23 punch outs. The organization had him remain in the FCL when the 2025 season began but they quickly promoted him to Low-A St. Lucie after he began the year allowing just a single earned run in 19.0 innings, allowing 8 hits, walking 5, and striking out 25. With the St. Lucie Mets, he appeared in 13 games, making 7 starts, and posted a 2.70 ERA in 46.2 innings, allowing 45 hits, walking 19, and striking out 50.
The 21-year-old began the season with St. Lucie but was promoted to High-A Brooklyn after four starts. With the Cyclones, he appeared in 17 games and made 15 starts, posting a 2.69 ERA in 77.0 innings, allowing 52 hits, walking 26, and striking out 74. Altogether combined, the southpaw posted a 2.93 ERA on the season, allowing 62 hits, walking 27, and striking out 89 in 86.0 innings.
The 6’1”, 165-pound southpaw is well proportioned and lean. He throws from a high-three-quarter arm slot with loose, whippy arm that utilizes a long arm action through the back. He throws from the far first base side of the rubber, further amplifying the difficult angle that his pitches attack batters from. The southpaw has a repertoire that includes a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup.
His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s, sitting in the low-90s and topping out comfortably at 95 MPH. The pitch has about 15 inches of induced vertical break and features above-average run thanks to its spin efficiency and the left-hander’s slingy delivery, so much so that it often gets characterized as a sinker. The pitch doesn’t really miss too many bats, nor do hitters have problems dealing with it and putting it in play with authority.
The southpaw’s curveball sits in the mid-70s-to-low-80s, featuring 55 inches of vertical drop and 5-10 inches of horizontal movement, making it a loopy, slurvy 11-5 bender. His slider sits in the mid-to-high-80s, featuring 35 inches of vertical drop and 3-5 inches of horizontal movement, giving the pitch hop. The two breaking balls tunnel well with each other, the slower curveball featuring more overall movement and the faster slider featuring less.
Infrequently, Hurtado throws a changeup. The left-hander has been more effective against right-handed batters than fellow lefties over the course of his career, but he has been effective enough against left-handed batters and as such has not really needed to develop a pitch to neutralize them.
While none of his pitches individual grade out as much better than average, with his fastball a decidedly below-average pitch, his total ability plays up thanks to his ability to tunnel his pitches and his ability to command everything pinpoint control. Hurtado is at his best when he is nipping the zone for strikes and then expanding it for strikeouts or weak contact with his breaking pitches. The southpaw was able to limit damage to an extreme degree in 2026, posting a 23.4% line drive rate, 54.6% groundball rate, and 22.0% flyball rate, with a 10.4% HR/FB rate. The Cuban left-hander does not have much of a resume, but his damage-prevention abilities might not simply be a product of Maimonides Park, as he a similarly favorable 23.5% line drive rate, 43.6% groundball rate, and 32.9% flyball rate with a 6.1% HR/FB rate in his 65.2 innings in the complex and St. Lucie in 2025.
The Islanders drafted Dravecky, 18, in the fifth-round of the 2026 NHL Draft with the 141st overall pick.
The Czech defender's been off to a hot start with the Guelph Storm, posting one goal and four points in four games for the Storm. His skating is one area that already looks better than it did in his draft year.
Dravecky posted nine goals and 28 points in 58 games last season while with an elite Brampton Bulldogs team, as well as three assists in 11 playoff games.
He's also posted 7 points in 4 games with the Czech u20 team this year, building off his World Juniors appearances for the Czech junior team.
At the time of the draft, people felt the Islanders landed incredible value with his work ethic and potential upside.
Hamilton Hammers Head Coach Jay McKee, who coached against Dravecky last season, in that camp. Then, rookie camp started, and Dravecky blew the doors down. He excelled in all situations, and even had a strong showing with his one NHL preseason game.
"With Vlad being a late pick, for me, it was one of the steals of the draft for sure at that pick," McKee said during Rookie Camp.
McKee continued with effusive praise for the right-shot defenseman.
"Vlad is a very highly skilled, offensive-minded defenseman. Just saying, he's one of the best practice players I've ever coached or even played with," McKee said. "He's intense. He does everything with a purpose. Snaps his passes. He's got an active stick. He's a very, very talented player. You know, like all of them [the prospects]. There's areas of improvement, but his potential and his upside is very high."
The Islanders could use the depth in the prospect pool, especially for the right side of their defense.
The hope is that Dravecky, along with fellow 2026 draftee Lincoln Kuehne and Hamilton youngster Ryan Healey, can fill those gaps.
The Islanders have some time, but continued development is paramount for success. Kuehne will spend this year with Arizona State. Healey, meanwhile, gets his first taste of professional hockey.
Dravecky will spend this year in the OHL with the Guelph Storm and look to build on that incredible first impression next season.
Dravecky turns 19 in December, and its unclear what his developmental path will be following this season in the OHL.
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
