PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 01: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In those 18 games, Ohtani is hitting .415/.506/.723 with 11 extra-base hits. That includes a ringing double to left center field that bounced off the warning track on Monday night.
This wasn’t necessarily a near home run — Baseball Savant says the 102.8-mph drive hit 375 feet with a 22-degree launch angle would have been a home run only in Wrigley Field among the 30 MLB parks — but it was a sign that Ohtani is locked in at the plate. Orel Hershiser commented on it on the SportsNet LA broadcast, and manager Dave Roberts likes to say Ohtani is at his best when he’s using all parts of the field.
Ohtani has 10 home runs through the Dodgers’ first 60 games, which puts him on pace for 27 home runs this year. It’s hard to be disappointed in a hitter with a 153 wRC+ — even before considering that player is alsoone of the best pitchers in baseball — but Ohtani’s first two seasons with the Dodgers broke the scale for proper calibration. That’s what happens when you set a franchise home run record in each of your first two seasons, hitting 54 home runs in 2024 and 55 in 2025.
Ohtani hit six home runs in March/April, and four in May. Those are his two lowest home run months with the Dodgers, with April tied with July 2024 as his previous home run nadir in Los Angeles. In every other month with the Dodgers, Ohtani hit between seven and 15 home runs.
In his career, June is Ohtani’s best power month, with 62 home runs and a .723 slugging percentage in 163 career games during the month.
Ohtani career splits
March/April: 43 HR (one per 18.3 PA), .559 SLG
May: 53 HR (one per 16.1 PA), .546 SLG
June: 62 HR (one per 11.3 PA), .723 SLG
July: 46 HR (one per 15.6 PA), .543 SLG
August: 47 HR (one per 18.2 PA), .537 SLG
September: 39 HR (one per 17.4 PA), .582 SLG
Whether you think Ohtani has another June to remember brings us to today’s question: How many home runs with Shohei Ohtani hit this June? He hit 12 home runs in June 2024, and seven in June 2025, for reference.
Brendon McCullum backs quick bowler to bring ‘noise’
Gus Atkinson could play if conditions less hot at Lord’s
England have announced a slimmed-down squad of 12 for the first match of the summer, against New Zealand at Lord’s starting on Thursday, postponing until the last minute a decision over whether to reward the “full noise” approach of Hampshire’s Sonny Baker with a Test debut.
The approach mirrors that at the first Ashes Test last November, when England announced a 12-man squad that featured both Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir before opting in the end for Wood’s extra pace. On this occasion Bashir will play, having been preferred to Rehan Ahmed as the team’s frontline spinner, while Jacob Bethell is fit after a finger injury and also able to bowl if required.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 01: Frederik Andersen #31 of the Carolina Hurricanes speaks to the media during Media Day ahead of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 01, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
And so it begins….
Game day has finally arrived and the Las Vegas Golden Knights are in town to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for game one of the Stanley Cup Final.
After an expansive “Media Day” yesterday, there are tons of interviews and articles to go through. I won’t even try to list them all but you can check with your normal sources.
There is one narrative I would like to discuss here though. “The Hurricanes had an easier path to the Final than Las Vegas did”.
First of all, when you have the best regular season record in the East, you should have an easier path. You have done it the old fashioned way, “you’ve earned it!“ But let’s take a look at each team’s opponents.
Carolina beat the Ottawa Senators, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sens finished with 99 points, the Flyers 98, and the Habs with 106 for a total of 303 regular season points earned.
Vegas defeated Utah, 92 points, Anaheim, 92 points, and the Avs 121 points, (though the Avs were without the 100% use of some of their best players). The total of these regular season points is 305 points.
There does not seem to be much difference in these totals, so that narrative should be put aside.
Bottom line, things will be settled on the ice.
The Hurricanes are on one of their best runs ever. Not only are they 12-1 in the playoffs, they had a 7-1-1 record at the end of the season giving them a 19-2-1 record in their last 22 games.
The Canes have not changed their lines throughout the postseason, (except for a few midgame tweaks). Most recently, they once again skated:
Jarvis – Aho- Svechnikov
Hall – Stankoven – Blake
Martinook – Staal- Ehlers
Carrier – Jankowski – Robinson
Miller – Walker
Slavin – Chatfield
Nikishin – Gostisbehere
Andersen
The knock that many experts put on the Hurricanes is that they do not have a true “superstar”. They have several good players though!
The Knights are not lacking for superstars.
Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel are bonafide with Mark Stone not far behind. They also have some dangerous complimentary players such as Ivan Barbeshev, Pavel Dorofeyev, and William Karlsson.
According to the Daily Faceoff, their lines should look like the following:
There are some tough matchups here, no arguing about that. It will be an interesting series.
A lot will come down to Carolina goalie, Frederik Andersen.
The Hurricanes have announced that they will have watch parties outside the arena for those unable to get tickets as well as watch parties inside the arena for away games.
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‘CANES TO HOST STANLEY CUP FINAL WATCH PARTIES
Tickets to attend road game watch parties at Lenovo Center are $10
RALEIGH, NC – Brian Fork, Chief Executive Officer of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team will host Hurricanes Watch Parties at Lenovo Center for Games 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 during the Stanley Cup Final.
For home games, the team will set up screens on the South Plaza of Lenovo Center for fans who don’t have tickets to the game. The Watch Party for Game 1 will feature a pregame concert from Brothers Osborne at 5:30 p.m. Food and beverage options will be available for purchase on-site and restrooms will be present. Outside food and beverages, chairs, weapons and illegal substances are not permitted. No ticket is required for the Hurricanes Watch party, but fans wishing to park on-site must pay to do so at this link. In addition to the Lenovo Center event, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and the City of Raleigh are hosting Official Carolina Hurricanes Watch Parties at Moore Square.
Hurricanes Watch Parties for away games will allow fans to watch Games 3, 4 and 6 on the videoboard inside Lenovo Center. Selected discounted concession items will be available for purchase. Tickets to the away game Hurricanes Watch Parties are $10, with all proceeds benefiting the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation. Tickets can be purchased by the general public starting at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and Season Ticket Members are eligible for a presale at 1:00 p.m. Parking for Hurricanes Watch Parties will be free for away games. The Game 3 watch party is presented by Moxie Pest Control.
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Game Time: 8 P.M.
Television: ABC; SN, CBC, TVAS
Radio: 99.9 The Fan with Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy
Game odds according to FanDuel: Canes -154, Knights +128
It will be a quiet opening night at the NHL Draft for the Detroit Red Wings, sitting without a first-round selection after shipping that pick to San Jose as part of the trade deadline deal that brought offensive defenseman Justin Faulk to Detroit.
The 18-year-old defender spent the 2025-26 season with his hometown Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and put together an impressive campaign, posting seven goals and 44 assists for 51 points with a plus-five rating across 67 games.
Scouts consistently point to his skating as his defining attribute, calling him one of the best movers in the entire draft class. At six feet two and 181 pounds, he already carries a frame that projects well at the next level.
Next season, Macbeath will take his game to the NCAA with a commitment to the University of Denver, one of the premier programs in all of college hockey. Denver has won three national championships over the last five years, and the program recruits with the same scrutiny an NHL team applies to its draft board.
The selection speaks for itself as a testament to how highly regarded Macbeath is across the hockey world, and Denver gives him the ideal stage to sharpen his game before making the jump to the professional ranks. His draft rankings reflect that same range of opinion, sitting as high as 29th overall on TSN's Craig Button's board and as low as 65th on Elite Prospects.
The number that matters most for Detroit, though, is the consolidated Elite Prospects ranking of 46th, which lands almost exactly on their pick at 47th overall. Should Macbeath slip even slightly on draft night, the Red Wings could be perfectly positioned to add him.
Macbeath would enter a pipeline that already includes Axel Sandin-Pellikka, a player with a similarly skilled and mobile profile and would also give him an opportunity to learn from NHL offensive defenseman in Justin Faulk directly, who has shown what top end production from the blueline looks like over his 16 NHL seasons.
Adding another offensively gifted blueliner of Macbeath's caliber at 47th overall would go a long way toward making that trade feel even more worthwhile in the long run.
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RALEIGH, N.C. — Speaking on the eve of the Stanley Cup Final, goaltender Carter Hart said he has learned and grown a lot since signing with the Vegas Golden Knights after he and four other players were reinstated by the NHL following their acquittals in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case.
Hart is in the spotlight now in large part because he is the only one of the five players to sign a contract in the league. He addressed the situation after joining the Golden Knights in October but has spoken only about hockey since.
He was asked on Cup Final media day about comments he made in the fall and how he has learned and grown since then.
“I’ve been able to meet a lot of good people in the community,” Hart said. “I think the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation has done a really good job of making it easy for me to integrate into the community and meet a lot of cool people. Just really fortunate to be here in Vegas. It’s a great culture of people. Like I said, I’ve met a lot of cool people and just very fortunate to be here in Las Vegas and with this group.”
Hart’s session was ended after his answer. General manager Kelly McCrimmon, who chose to sign Hart to a two-year, $4 million contract, was asked about the thought process and took issue with the notion that the 27-year-old goalie came with baggage.
“We went through a lengthy process of due diligence with Carter,” McCrimmon said. “Carter is a really good person. He’s ingrained himself in our community. He’s a player that I’ve known a long time, long prior to him becoming an NHL player. Playing very well. Obviously a big part of how our team is at this point that we’re at today, and he’s fit in seamlessly with his teammates.”
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes opened the NHL playoffs with a shutout and just kept smothering opponents, swarming in absolute refusal to yield time or space to puck handlers.
The Vegas Golden Knights simply got better with each round until locking up the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in a shocking sweep of a team that romped through the regular season.
Now they turn their lockdown sights on each other for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.
“It’s the Stanley Cup Final, it’s going to be a defense-first game,” Vegas defenseman Dylan Coghlan said. “If you don’t have that mentality, then it’s not going to go in your favor.”
The best-of-seven series, which opens at Carolina, pairs an Eastern Conference champion that finished second in the regular season behind Colorado against a Western Conference champion that elevated its game the longer the playoffs wore on.
Sure, offense captures fan imagination with plays like Vegas’ Mitch Marner scoring on a between-the-legs breakaway goal against Anaheim or the net-finding heat coming off Carolina’s Logan Stankoven-centered second line featuring Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake line since the playoffs started in April.
But these are teams that take just as much joy in grinding opposing offenses into the ice, whether its pressuring relentlessly to win puck battles along the boards or selling out in a desperate attempt to block shots. Goaltenders Frederik Andersen of Carolina and Carter Hart of Vegas have been steady in net, helped by the supreme efforts going on in front of them.
Vegas has allowed just 10 goals in its last six games as it chases a second championship in four seasons. The Hurricanes have given up two or fewer goals in 12 of 13 playoff games, back in the final for the first time since winning it in 2006.
“I think we’re just kind of all on the same page right now,” Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker said. “It’s a team effort to be so solid defensively. We’re definitely aggressive, but it’s full five-man effort.”
The Golden Knights took off after the late-season firing of Bruce Cassidy to hire John Tortorella as coach, but there also were March trade moves to add forwards Cole Smith and Nic Dowd to bolster the fourth line by getting bigger and stronger while also helping the penalty kill. They battled through six-game series against both Utah and Anaheim before taking on the Avs, led by high-end skill in Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas.
The Avalanche led the NHL by averaging 3.63 goals per game in the regular season. But the Golden Knights gave up nothing easy and never let the high-flying Avs find a sweet-skating groove. The Avs managed just seven goals in four games.
“I just think as a five-man unit, when you’re playing MacKinnon and Necas, some really high-skilled players, it can’t be 1-on-1 situations, it’s not one guy to get it done,” Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore said. “It’s making sure guys are back, making sure you’re playing the right way.”
The Hurricanes are 12-1 in the playoffs, sweeping both Ottawa and Philadelphia while allowing just five goals in each of those two rounds. Then came a 6-2 loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the East final, a result that in hindsight turned out to be a blip for a team coming off the longest between-rounds playoff break in more than a century.
That performance left coach Rod Brind’Amour befuddled with Carolina’s aggressive-forechecking style repeatedly surrendering clean breakouts and multiple breakaways with the Canadiens skating unchecked through the neutral zone. Brind’Amour didn’t have the team practice the next day, opting instead to go over the film of all those breakdowns.
Carolina responded by allowing five goals in the four consecutive wins that followed — the last two coming by a 10-1 combined score.
“It was just understanding where our lapses were and obviously video doesn’t lie,” Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “Sometimes you can really nitpick stuff on video, but it was pretty obvious what our lapses were in that game. So really it was just making sure we were staying above the puck, making sure that we were forechecking the right way.
“Everyone has their own job to do while they’re out there, but we work as a five-man unit, so making sure you’re doing your job. And that’s what I think you saw moving forward.”
When it came to the Buffalo Sabres, Pronman predicted that the Atlantic Division club would select right winger Casey Mutryn with the 25th overall pick of the draft.
Mutryn would certainly be an interesting prospect for the Sabres to add to their system. The Norwell, Massachusetts native has the potential to become an impactful power forward at the NHL level, so it would be understandable if Buffalo had him on their radar at this year's draft.
Mutryn appeared in 62 games this season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he posted 18 goals, 28 assists, 46 points, and 89 penalty minutes. With numbers like these, the 6-foot-3 winger has shown promise.
If the Sabres selected Mutryn, he would likely need a few years of development before making the jump to the NHL. While this is the case, he would still be a nice addition to the Sabres' prospect pool as they enter their Stanley Cup window.
It will be interesting to see if the Sabres end up taking Mutryn with their first-round pick, but the fit looks good on paper.
Jalen Brunson’s popularity among New Yorkers is soaring into Billy Joel and Spider-Man territory as he leads the New York Knicks into battle against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals tonight.
The hopes of Big Apple basketball fans rest with the explosive guard, and my Knicks vs. Spurs predictions for Game 1 call for Brunson to do damage from deep.
My NBA picks like him to knock down at least three triples on Wednesday, June 3.
Don't miss tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
UPDATE: Added a prediction for who will win tonight!
Knicks vs Spurs Game 1 prediction
Who will win Knicks vs Spurs Game 1?
Knicks: The Knicks saw the bad side of extended rest in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and needed a historic comeback to avoid a loss. New York will be much more cautious of that layoff in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. I like the Knicks’ defensive rotation against Wembanyama and believe New York’s ability to hit from outside will expose the Spurs’ soft perimeter defense in a way the shorthanded Thunder couldn’t. Add in a possible letdown spot from San Antonio after Game 7 with OKC, and I like New York’s chances to steal the opener in Texas.
Knicks vs Spurs best bet: Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 made threes (+135)
Where an attacking SGA would avoid the arc like an ex-girlfriend, Brunson is a pull-up threat the second he crosses half.
With Victor Wembanyama lurking in the key, the Knicks need to stretch a Spurs defense that doesn’t have much length beyond Wemby. That means smaller defenders and cleaner looks for Brunson.
Projections lean toward a trio of triples from Brunson with an underdog game script giving Over 2.5 threes a shot in the arm at plus-money.
COVERS INTEL: San Antonio didn’t have a defender within at least four feet on 93% of OKC’s 3-point attempts in the WCF. Brunson laps up those looks and went a collective 10 for 24 from distance in three meetings with the Spurs this season.
Knicks vs Spurs Game 1 same-game parlay
“Rest vs. Rust” is on everyone’s mind but New York’s extended break has the Knicks at nearly 100% health (save for Mitchell Robinson’s pinkie). That means OG Anunoby is recovered from a hamstring injury and leads the charge in frustrating Victor Wembanyama. New York has better defensive options than the Spurs, which makes them a dangerous Three-and-D foe.
I like the Knicks to keep it closer than bookies expect.
Jalen Brunson’s 3-point attempts prop sits at 6.5 O/U for Game 1, but if San Antonio plays the perimeter as passive as it did versus the Thunder, Brunson will make the most of that space.
He’s had to deal with longer defenders closing out in the first three rounds, but San Antonio doesn’t have that same size in the backcourt. Brunson’s projections and game script, with New York playing from behind, all give life to three or more makes from long range.
Karl-Anthony Towns has thrived as a “point forward” for New York in the playoffs, doubling his assist output from the regular season to almost six dimes per game.
With Wembanyama defending Josh Hart, in order to stay close to the key, KAT will get picked up by much smaller forwards. That creates space for cuts and screens underneath and the taller Towns can pass over the top to those waiting hands.
He can also drive from the top of the key or post up smaller defenders, collapsing the Spurs defense and kicking out to open shooters.
His Game 1 models aren’t as bullish on his assists (3.5), but KAT has recorded five or more dimes in nine of his last 11 playoff games. This matchup with San Antonio allows him to exploit his size edge as a passer again, something he didn't have against the bigger Cavaliers.
Knicks vs Spurs SGP
Knicks +4.5
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 threes
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 4.5 assists
Our "from downtown" SGP: City slicker
The Spurs may be ripe for a letdown spot after an emotional Game 7 win in the Western Conference Finals.
The Knicks have had 10 days to rest and scheme for slowing down San Antonio. If the regular season is any indicator — and it was for the Spurs vs. OKC — New York has gotten the better of their Finals foe in two of their three meetings.
Brunson anchors that opening victory by knocking down open threes, taking in a trio of rebounds, and swiping at least one steal from a San Antonio backcourt that’s been sloppy at times in the playoffs.
Knicks vs Spurs SGP
Knicks moneyline
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 threes
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 rebounds
Jalen Brunson Over 0.5 steals
Knicks vs Spurs odds for Game 1
Spread: Knicks +4.5 | Spurs -4.5
Moneyline: Knicks +155 | Spurs -185
Over/Under: Over 218.5 | Under 218.5
Knicks vs Spurs betting trend to know
The Knicks are 31-11 SU when Jalen Brunson makes three or more 3-pointers. Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Knicks.
How to watch Knicks vs Spurs Game 1
Location
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Date
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Knicks vs Spurs latest injuries
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Gene Michael (1938 - 2017), the New York Yankees'coach, pictured February 24th 1981. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the more challenging problems in professional sports is that of determining who will make a proper coach or manager. Some of those who are the greatest to play the game aren’t good coaches, and some who are below average just so turn out to be constructors or leaders of the best teams to ever grace a diamond, field, or other playing surfaces.
While Gene Michael didn’t finish his playing career with anything close to Hall of Fame numbers, “Stick” is known as a constructor of not just the best MLB team to play a full season (record-wise), but the creator of arguably the greatest dynasty in baseball history.
Born in Ohio just outside of Akron, Michael stayed local through his upbringing, playing baseball throughout his childhood and attending school at Akron East High School, where he also played basketball. In fact, he excelled so much in both sports that he played both when he attended Kent State University in his college days, receiving a scholarship from the same school where future teammate Thurman Munson would star in a few years. While playing for the Golden Flashes, he was selected as their outstanding sophomore basketball player in 1958 when he led the team in scoring and field goal percentage. And while he did play one season of professional basketball in 1966-67 with the Columbus Comets of North American Basketball League, baseball was the route he chose for his future.
Michael’s best season on the college hardwood coincided with an excellent season on the diamond, and because of his work on the field, the Pittsburgh Pirates took an interest in the 6-foot-3 athlete. After being invited to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh to tryout in front of Pirates general manager Joe L. Brown, manager Danny Murtaugh, and coach/Hall of Famer George Sisler, Michael showcased his defensive skills in the middle infield and enough of what he could do at the plate to warrant a contract offer that brought in a $25,000 signing bonus as well.
After signing the contract early in September of 1958, Michael began what would be an eight-year journey through the minor leagues. He played two seasons with the Grand Forks Chiefs of the Northern League, three games with the Savannah Pirates in Single-A, the Class-D Hobbs Pirates, the Class-B and Class-A Kinston Eagles, and the three seasons with the Triple-A Columbus Jets of the International League.
Following his long stint in the minors, Michael finally made his debut as a pinch-hitter in 1966 with the Pirates against the Chicago Cubs, and that trend continued through his first season. In 30 games played, Michael had 33 at-bats and had only five hits with zero walks for a batting average and on-base percentage of .152 each. He then requested a trade from the Pirates, which was granted despite concerns that Pittsburgh wouldn’t get anything worth much value in the trade, the Pirates sending him to the Dodgers in December of ‘66.
And while Michael received more playing time in Los Angeles, he was benched for a significant period of time, which made him unhappy. In 98 games, the 29-year-old batted .202 and finished with an OPS under .500 for an OPS+ of 41. Following his one season with the Dodgers, the Yankees purchased his contract, and he would call New York home for the next seven seasons.
Michael’s seven seasons with the Yankees were uneventful at the plate, with an average of a 72 OPS+ through the course of them. His best OPS+ came in 1969, when he posted a 101 OPS+, along with a slashline of .272/.341/.364 and a career-high 2.5 bWAR. His career high in RBI’s in 1973 came at 35 years old. However, considering his age (36) and his overall production at the plate (an 81 OPS as a backup first baseman and shortstop) under new owner George Steinbrenner, a person who Michael became very familiar with following his playing days, the Yankees gave him an unconditional release, granting him the opportunity to be signed as a backup for the Tigers. Michael played 56 games at age-37 there before eventually hanging up the spikes.
It wasn’t long after his retirement that the Yankees picked up Michael. Hired initially as a coach and instructor, he bounced around many different staff positions, including scout, manager, vice president, and general manager as well. Stick did it all in the Bronx.
Michael was a rising star in the organization after managing the Triple-A team to a title in 1979. Steinbrenner named him GM of the 1980 club, which saw Dick Howser lead the Yanks to 103 wins and a division title. Following an ALCS sweep at the hands of the Royals though, Howser refused to fire coaches who Steinbrenner wanted to let go, so he left his post. Rather than picking a new skipper, the Boss simply told Michael that the job was his for 1981, no small feat given the expectations and the addition of star free-agent Dave Winfield.
The 1981 campaign was full of ups and downs, as the player’s strike lasted for over a month from June 12th to July 31st, and Steinbrenner continued to interfere with the day-to-day decisions of the team. That would’ve frustrated Michael regardless, but he had also already clinched a playoff spot by virtue of the Yankees leading the AL East at the beginning of the strike. Michael stood his ground, challenging Steinbrenner in September to fire him. He did, and instead of Michael, it was Bob Lemon managing the team to an AL pennant and World Series defeat at the hands of the Dodgers.
In 1982, Steinbrenner’s managerial carousel continued, canning Lemon after a 6-8 start and re-hiring Michael. The “Bronx Burners” that the Boss promoted flopped, and though Michael still had them over .500 under his watch, he was dismissed as well near the beginning of August in favor of Clyde King. Stick had publicly criticized Steinbrenner and his interference with the team, once again showing his mettle. This was not a man who was ever going to be intimated by the owner’s tactics. Michael’s final record as manager during his separate stints in 1981 and ’82 was 92-76.
After coaching on Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, and Lou Piniella’s staffs from 1984-86, another team gave Michael a shot as skipper. Hired as the Cubs’ manager, he went 114-124 from 1986-87 before being let go. The Yankees made sure he wasn’t unemployed for long, as he rejoined the organization as a scout.
When Steinbrenner was on the verge of being suspended from baseball in 1990, he picked Michael to lead the time once more as GM — and an especially powerful one since his owner would be mostly unable to overrule him from the sidelines. That’s when Stick began constructing the roster that made the late ’90s excellent for Yankees fans around the nation. And he did that not just by scouting and drafting extremely well, but he did it with his approach to building a roster, as Buster Olney says in his piece titled “Gene ‘Stick’ Michael’s stubbornness was the heart of Yankees’ Core Four”. More than a decade before “Moneyball” highlighted the Oakland A’s focus on on-base percentage, Michael rebuilt the Yankees by emphasizing OBP and acquiring left-handed power hitters to take advantage of Yankee Stadium’s dimensions.“
Michael approached his building of his Yankees teams with an analytical mind, just as he approached his coaching and scouting careers. He would take physical notes on players and games as a manager, and he used that in every aspect of his baseball life. He also found a good partner-in-crime on the field in manager Buck Showalter, who he hired at age-35 in 1992 and worked with closely to get the Yankees back on track.
While Michael found the Core Four via the draft and amateur free agency, he also made trades for capable, hard-nosed players like Paul O’Neill and David Cone, signed productive veterans like Jimmy Key and Wade Boggs, and—arguably biggest of all—he outright refused to trade Bernie Williams early in the center fielder’s career. Steinbrenner was reinstated in 1993, and he often pushed for Michael to trade Bernie due to the up-and-comer’s occasionally slow development at the plate and in the field. In fact, according to Olney and a Forbes article, Michael made calls to teams, didn’t talk about Williams at all, and then went to Steinbrenner saying no one made an offer for him.
Michael’s Yankees were the best team in the American League in 1994, when a strike again interfered with his promising team’s momentum. The World Series was cancelled, and the Yankees had to make a furious run in September the following year to at last snap their 14-year playoff drought.
Michael’s general managing career with the Yankees came to an end in the wake of the heartbreaking 1995 ALDS loss to Seattle, as he was burned out by years of butting heads with Steinbrenner. He stayed on with the organization but stuck with his roots and led big-league scouting as director and vice president. So, he was not the GM for the dynasty years, but those who followed the team knew he was largely responsible for assembling the core that would lead the Yankees back to glory. Longtime GM Brian Cashman—an assistant general manager under Michael—has always credited Michael as his mentor and someone whose philosophies he still values. As Michael reached his later years, he was named vice president and a senior advisor, a role he would fill until his death at the age of 79 in 2017. Whenever he had a tip on anything during that time, the Yankees all knew to listen. Few have ever understood the subtleties of this game as well as Stick.
Michael was known as an impressive athlete during his playing days. He had the chance to go pro in either baseball or basketball. Stick recalled later in his life that sometimes he wished he went the basketball route. But baseball was his calling, and while his playing days were not as fruitful as his days behind the scenes, he still left a lasting legacy on the game, constructing a dynasty and shaping the way the baseball teams scout and manage their rosters. If we’re being frank, that near-lifetime of service and longstanding impact on a truly outstanding era of Yankees baseball is a legacy worthy of Monument Park.
Happy birthday, Stick. You were one of a kind.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Yankees manager Aaron Boone just had finished a successful road series but still felt a bit exasperated after New York took two of three games against the Athletics in the minor league stadium that torments pitchers and fielders alike.
“I didn’t play in the PCL. But I feel like I’ve experienced it a couple times here when it gets hot like this,” Boone said following a 13-8 win against the A’s. “You’re never feeling safe. ... Just glad to escape here and get on the bird. It’s a challenging place to play. You have to figure it out.”
Less than halfway through their second season at their temporary home at Sutter Health Park in the Sacramento area, the A’s still are trying to deal with the challenges of a ballpark that inflates offensive numbers.
The heat and jet stream can turn what might seem like normal fly balls into home runs. The high sky and unpredictable winds make catching fly balls an adventure. It combines to make the ballpark one of the friendliest in the league for hitters and has appeared to have taken a toll on the A’s pitchers.
The A’s went 1-5 on their most recent homestand, allowing 47 runs against Seattle and New York — including 13 in one inning against New York — in what has become a pattern in the team’s waystation before moving to Las Vegas.
The A’s have shown promise this season and have spent plenty of time in first place in the AL West before this recent slump. They rank 10th best in the majors with a 17-14 mark on the road, while their 11-17 record at home is the second worst.
Pitching is the major reason why.
The A’s are allowing 3.01 more runs per game at home than on the road. That would be the biggest discrepancy ever for a full season in the majors, according to Sportradar, beating the previous mark of 2.82 by the Phillies in 1923 and even topping any season played in the mile-high altitude in Denver.
“You watch games here,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said when asked about the challenge of pitching at the A’s ballpark. “You got to keep the ball down the zone and get the ball on the ground. We’ve paid for our mistakes probably more than what we’ve paid for mistakes on the road. That being said, we’ve got to play better defense at home. … That’s a combination of what it takes to pitch better. It’s also to play better.”
While the A’s try to downplay the impact knowing they can’t change it, the evidence is stark. The ease with how the ball carries takes a toll on pitchers, who can become reluctant to challenge hitters.
The A’s have walked batters at the second-highest rate in the majors at home, compared to 18th highest on the road. The A’s walked 16 batters in the three-game series against the Yankees, including four with the bases loaded.
“We’re not going to overfocus on home-road splits right now but obviously we’re well aware that we haven’t played well in this ballpark,” Kotsay said.
But the pitchers say they try to do their best to avoid letting it play with their heads.
“You can try and pitch to it, and if you do that, it might work one time, but you might also do something that you don’t want to do, or try and do something you’re not good at,” A’s starter Aaron Civale said. “Sometimes the wind’s blowing out here, sometimes the wind is blowing out in another stadium or different place. So there’s factors everywhere, rain, weather, cold, hot. It’s all conditions that we can’t control. Unless you have a roof over your head, then surely there’s nothing you can do about it.”
While the A’s pitchers have been hurt more by the environment than their counterparts, the conditions are a challenge for everyone. Yankees starter Ryan Weathers had the kind of stuff that should have produced a strong outing.
Weathers had 10 strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings and generated swings and misses on more than 40% of swings for just the third time in his career. But three home runs — including two on what he considered to be good pitches — proved costly in a 6-4 loss.
But he said he couldn’t change his approach even knowing the risks of any flyball.
“I did my time in the PCL, so I know how these parks work,” he said. “But obviously, that can’t go into your decision-making, can’t go into your pitching.”
MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 04: Ethan Petry #28 of the Scottsdale Scorpions bats during the game between the Scottsdale Scorpions and the Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
With the success of the big league club, we have not talked a ton about the farm system lately. Having things to be happy about at the big league level is always a good thing, but I wanted to shine a light on three prospects who absolutely crushed the ball in May. Abimelec Ortiz, Ethan Petry and Devin Fitz-Gerald all showed their impressive combination of hitting ability and power this month.
The first player I want to discuss is Ethan Petry. In previous years, I feel like we would be talking way more about Petry. The slugger has put up massive numbers in Wilmington, which is a tough place to hit. However, he has been overshadowed by some other prospects with more well rounded skillsets.
Despite being a bat first prospect, Petry is still someone we need to pay attention to. He is hitting .310 with a .962 OPS and 9 home runs in 38 games this season. Interestingly, Petry posted nearly identical OPS numbers in April and May, with a .960 OPS in April and a .961 mark in May. However, he went about it in very different ways. In April, he relied on getting on base, while this month, he has been a true slugger. I prefer the slugger version of Petry.
In April, he only hit 3 homers, but that number doubled to 6 in May. Power will be the carrying tool for Petry, so I prefer him getting to his numbers with home runs and impact, rather than BABIP luck and walks. He has shown power to all fields, and has also been more than a power hitter, as you can see with his batting average.
Ethan Petry was a dawg this week vs Winston-Salem.
Today’s homerun he worked a 5-pitch at-bat and then crushed it to left-center field.
Overall, he’s hitting to a .310 AVG with 9 homeruns, collecting 32 RBI’s and has a .983 OPS.
— Nationals Advisory (@nats_advisory) May 18, 2026
The second round pick from South Carolina has split time between the outfield and first base. Most project him to be a first baseman long term, but Keith Law has mentioned that Petry has been better than expected as a defensive outfielder. Law had Petry as one of his honorable mentions for his top 50 prospect list, which shows how much his stock has risen. We knew Petry had power, but I am most impressed with how the rest of his game is rounding out.
Petry’s teammate Devin Fitz-Gerald is not known as a power hitter, but has been hitting a ton of home runs this year. Fitz-Gerald is one of those bats who is a contact hitter, who also happens to have power. His exit velocities don’t pop off the page like Petry’s, but he has a knack for pulling the ball in the air.
At 5’10 185 pounds, Fitz-Gerald does not look like a power hitter, but already has 12 homers on the season, including 9 in May. There was a stretch in the middle of the month where it felt like DFG was hitting a homer every game. From May 5th to May 16th, Fitz-Gerald hit 8 homers.
Devin Fitz-Gerald with his 11th bomb of the year and his 5th of the week. Let’s get nuts; this is a top 20 prospect in the sport pic.twitter.com/RD94I1s3eA
That crazy run helped him become a consensus top 100 prospect across the industry. I think Fitz-Gerald’s stock will get even higher as he gets closer to the majors. The bat is special, and it will carry him to the big leagues. He projects as a second baseman with the ability to hit for average and power.
Fitz-Gerald has been compared to Kevin McGonigle on multiple occasions, and it is hard to not see the similarities. Both are smaller guys with a natural ability to hit. McGonigle is slightly more contact oriented, while Fitz-Gerald may have more power. However, they have similar body types and approaches at the plate.
The last player to discuss here has been doing his damage recently. Abimelec Ortiz’s insane finish to the month has been a joy to watch. In May, Ortiz hit .313 with a 1.132 OPS and 9 homers. This past week, he hit 3 homers and almost hit .500 to earn himself International League player of the week honors.
Congratulations to Abimelec Ortiz on being named International League Player of the Week! 🏆🔥
In April, Ortiz showed a strong approach, and took plenty of walks. However, the big slugger only hit 1 homer. This month he has been more aggressive, and it has led to a power frenzy. From May 20th to May 27th, Ortiz hit 7 homers in 6 games. Like Petry and Fitz-Gerald, Ortiz is not just a home run or strike out player.
This season, Ortiz’s strikeout rate is below 20%. He also does a nice job pulling the ball in the air as well. That is why I think Ortiz will need less of an adaptation period to the MLB compared to his teammate Yohandy Morales, whose raw numbers are slightly better.
The Nats farm is in such a great spot, especially offensively. They have added so much offensive talent in the past 12 months. None of the guys I wrote about today were in the organization a year ago. Petry was selected in the draft, while Ortiz and Fitz-Gerald came over in the MacKenzie Gore trade.
Now, they are part of a loaded position player group. Between those three, Eli Willits, Ronny Cruz, Seaver King, Coy James and more, the Nats farm has incredible hitting depth. The Nats lineup is already elite, but they have more talent coming through the system. This Nationals offense should be electric for years to come.
NEWTON, Mass. — Hall of Famer David Ortiz said Boston Red Sox owner John Henry is concerned about the direction of his last-place team.
Speaking at his celebrity golf tournament — the “David Ortiz Soiree of Hearts” — the former Red Sox great said he’s talked to Henry recently about the club’s struggles.
“He’s worried. We had a conversation. I can see. I’ve known John a long time, him and the whole team — him and (chairman) Tom Werner, the whole group, they’re working on figuring things out to get this ride better,” Ortiz said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Boston is 25-33, trailing the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays by 12 games.
“He knows the direction of this team and he’s worried about the team’s situation more than what people think he is,” he said.
The 76-year-old Henry, along with his partners, bought the club in 2002. He’s had limited interviews the past few years and hasn’t been part of a team news conference since the club traded star Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
Ortiz said it’s hard for fans to understand that Henry still cares about the team’s direction because of his public demeanor.
“The thing is, that you see John, and John is someone that he manages his emotions really well,” he said. “He’s very professional at everything he does. Sometimes, for people, it’s hard for them to understand that part of (him), but he’s worried.”
The 50-year-old Ortiz, who retired following the 2016 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, said Henry wants the club to return to its success from 2004 to 2018 when it captured four World Series titles.
“I sat down to talk to John, and he wants to figure it out. He wants to have the formula to go back to the old days,” he said. “It’s not like he just gives up. Sometimes people don’t understand that the way that this game goes, that it’s hard to stay up there.”
Henry also owns English soccer team Liverpool, which fired its manager, Arne Slot.
The Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches in April.
Recently, a small plane flew over Fenway Park towing a banner imploring ownership to sell the team.
Asked if Henry was worried about the fans, too, Ortiz said the owner thinks about everything.
“When you worry, you worry about everything in general. You worry about the team, you worry about the fans and you worry about how everything is moving around,” he said. “I tell you, the boss is, he’s working, he’s working. He’s working on putting the pieces that moving forward things get better around here.”
Ortiz’s golf tourney supports the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, which has provided lifesaving heart surgeries for more than 1,900 children in New England and his native country, the Dominican Republic, and nearly helped 19,000 with cardiac care.
Hall of Famer and former Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera was among the celebrities on hand.
Despite the San Antonio Spurs dethroning the reigning league champions and looking like the team to beat heading into the best-of-seven NBA Finals, bettors are finding plenty of value with the underdog New York Knicks.
Key Takeaways
FanDuel and DraftKings both reported that more than 60% of the money is on underdog New York to win the NBA title.
Caesars has taken more Knicks tickets, but the handle is leaning toward the favored Spurs.
Several big bets with large payouts were made at opportune times.
Three U.S. sportsbooks told Covers this week that the Eastern Conference champs are taking more action than the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs to win the series at around 2-to-1 odds before Wednesday’s Game 1.
“Early action has seen this series pretty evenly bet to this point,” David Lieberman, Caesars Sportsbook’s pro basketball lead, said. “As far as tickets, there are more on the Knicks so far by about 2:1, while the Spurs have taken slightly more money.”
FanDuel reported that the Knicks, who are currently +162 in the NBA Finals odds, are getting 56% of the bets and 65% of the handle. DraftKings said 63% of the money is backing New York, leaving the Spurs with 37% of the handle.
Bigger liability
Since the NBA championship market opened last summer, BetMGM has seen the Knicks take 14.1% of the total wagers, with San Antonio second at 12.2%. However, the Spurs, who took a smaller percentage of the money, are a bigger threat to the operator.
“The Spurs have the best player and the better overall team, making them clear favorites in the NBA Finals,” BetMGM sports trader Anthony Parenti said. “The sportsbook will be cheering for the Knicks as San Antonio is the biggest remaining liability on the futures book.”
The Spurs are a 4.5-point favorite at home in Game 1, and DraftKings reported early Wednesday that 55% of the handle and 54% of the bets have come in on the underdog Knicks to cover the spread.
Operator
Spurs’ series odds
Knicks’ series odds
FanDuel
-194
+162
DraftKings
-205
+170
BetMGM
-210
+170
Caesars
-195
+165
Spurs’ odds to get here
The Spurs started with the longer championship odds, opening at +2,500 in BetMGM’s odds last summer and ballooning to +6,600 when the season began with Wembanyama dealing with a calf issue.
By Christmas, San Antonio’s odds shortened to +2,200 and then down to +1,200 a week later. After winning 62 regular-season games and claiming the second seed in the Western Conference, the Spurs entered the playoffs at +450 to win it all at BetMGM. San Antonio was still +300 before they shocked the +140 favorite to win it all before the playoffs began in the conference finals in seven games.
Knicks’ odds to get here
New York opened with much lighter +700 odds to win the NBA title, but the Knicks lengthened to around +1,000 when the season began. Their odds spiked as high as +2,000 late in the regular season, when they won 53 games to take the third seed in the East.
New York’s chances grew dimmer when it was tied 2-2 in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. Still, the Knicks enter the final series winning 12 consecutive games over the Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, going from +900 at the start of the second round to win it all to under +200 heading into the final series.
Big payouts
Caesars reported multiple futures wagers that could result in significant payouts. A Kentucky bettor placed a $5,000 bet at the beginning of the regular season on the Spurs when they were +2,500 for a potential $125,000 win. A New York customer is looking to cash in for $120K on a $10K bet placed in February on the Spurs at +1,200.
A bettor in New Jersey found great value on the Knicks in April, getting $5K down to win $100K. A Colorado customer foresaw this exact matchup in October, betting $500 on a Knicks over Spurs final that would pay $95K. In February, a New York bettor took the Knicks over the Spurs for $1,000 with odds of +10,000, while a Caesars customer in Massachusetts did the same in early May, which would produce a $90K win on a $2K bet.
BetMGM said it took a $50,000 wager on the Spurs at +650 and a $22,000 futures bet on the Knicks at +2,200.
A bettor at @BetMGM wagered $20,000 on @nyknicks +2200 to win the NBA Championship
The top talents in the series are unsurprisingly getting the most betting action for NBA Finals MVP odds at multiple sportsbooks.
Wembanyama, who started the playoffs at +600 to win the award, is now -190 at BetMGM, while New York star guard Jalen Brunson has gone from +2,800 to +200 to take home series MVP.
Brunson is BetMGM’s biggest liability in the futures market with 16.5% of the tickets, with Wembanyama second at 14.4%. DraftKings said the Spurs’ second-year center is the most-bet player by handle. Brunson is second, with Karl-Anthony Towns third.
The Knicks’ center is getting the third-most tickets at BetMGM. Caesars said it has seen significant interest in Knicks forward OG Anunoby (+3,500) and Spurs guard Dylan Harper (+15,000).
The excitement of the day was seeing Cooper Ingle playing left field for the first time in a professional game. Ingle homered, going 1 for 5 and not embarrassing himself in the field. CJ Kayfus went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Bo Naylor went 2 for 4 with a double. Logan Allen pitched poorly again, and Andrew Walters gave up a hit and a walk but struck out two in a scoreless inning. Ralphy Velazquez struck out three times, darn.
Jaison Chourio and Zack Cozart both went 2 for 4, Chourio hitting a double and Cozart a homer. Justin Campbell had the worst start of his young career giving up five walks and four runs… but still struck out five.
That wraps up a productive May for Ryan Clifford. In 23 games, the slugger hit .233/.308/.534, adding 5 more doubles, 1 triple, and 8 homers to his ledger for the year. In total, he is now hitting .229/.307/.483 with 10 doubles, 1 triple, 13 homers, 4 stolen bases in 6 attempts, and 24 walks to 78 strikeouts.
Clifford has a solidly above-average 10.5% BB% at present, somewhat balancing his Brobdingnagian 34.2 K% rate, but even that is not enough to make him an above offensive contributor in the International League; believe it or not, Clifford has a 96 wRC+ with two months in the book. In 34 games last season, he was able to maintain a 15.5% BB% and 24.6% K%, which helped him produce a 102 wRC+ in Syracuse last season; Clifford is going to need to bump his walk rate up a bit while optimally shaving that strikeout rate a bit.
One way to do that would be swinging at fewer pitches out of the zone (revolutionary, I know!) Last season, Clifford had a 22.9% O-Swing rate and 43.3% O-Contact rate; this season, he has a 29.3% O-Swing rate and 53.3% O-Contact rate.
In a lot of cases, chasing pitches out of the zone is not necessarily a bad thing; if a pitch is drivable, it’s drivable, whether or not it’s in the strike zone or not. In Clifford’s case, it hasn’t been. Excluding clear waste pitches and mistakes that are nowhere close to the zone, nearly 64% of the pitches that he has seen during official plate appearances have been outside the zone, either in the shadow of the zone or in the chase zone. In total, he is hitting .178/.301/.381 against pitches outside of the zone with a 37.9% whiff rate, .194/.271/.441 against pitches in the shadow of the zone with a 33.3% whiff rate, and .120/.389/.160 in the chase zone with a 54.5% whiff rate.
He has done some damage against pitches in the shadow of the zone, hammering 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 6 home runs, but in the chase zone, all he has to show for his troubles is a measly double. Clifford needs to tighten up his internal visualization of the zone and just ignore pitches with trajectories past a certain point, whether or not they look like they are within his plate coverage ability (easy for me to say, of course!). Taking more pitches out of the zone will not only increase his walk rate over time, but will also force pitches to throw more pitches in the zone, giving him a better opportunity to put them in play with authority.
Also, a weird tidbit I noticed: Clifford is hitting .280/.354/.600 in 113 plate appearances at home, but .178/.261/.366 in 110 plate appearances on the road. Nobody else among the everyday Syracuse starting lineup had home/road splits as pronounced as that; Jackson Cluff came the closest with a .250-point OPS differential in favor of playing at home, but that still pales in comparison to Clifford’ .375-point differential.
I don’t like leaving my house either, I completely get it, but that said, I don’t know what up with that.
Jose Chirinos
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (Single-A)
Of Chirinos’ nine strikeouts, two-thirds were swinging; In the bottom of the first, he struck out Sammy Stafura swinging on a curveball middle-away and then got Edgleen Perez looking on a sinker down-and-away. In the third, he struck out Josh Tate swinging with a slider almost middle-middle that he got away with. In the fourth, he struck out Eddie King Jr. with a cutter down-and-away and then struck out Luke Scherrer swinging with a sinker middle-and-low. In the fifth, Chirino struck out the side, first getting Richard Ramirez swinging on a curveball middle-and-low, then getting Dylan Palmer looking on a sinker up-and-away, and then Eddie Rynders on a sinker down-and-in. Finally, his last strikeout of the evening came in the sixth, when he got Jaden Kim to strike out on a foul tip on a changeup down-and-away.
Last season, the right-hander threw 56.1 innings with St. Lucie over 15 games, starting 10 of them, and posted a 3.20 ERA with 40 hits allowed, 30 walks, and 51 strikeouts. We are getting close to Chirinos matching the amount of innings he has pitched, with 42.0 innings this season over the course of 9 games, 7 of which have been starts. The right-hander is showing some real improvements in virtually every facet of his game as compared to last season’s innings in St. Lucie. His ERA is nearly a full run lower, his xERA is roughly 0.50 points lower, and his FIP and xFIP are both a full run lower. His strikeout rate, 28.4%, is up from 20.6%. His walk rate, 5.9%, is down from 12.1%.
The only point of trouble currently would be the fact that his flyball rate is up slightly, 39.2% from 34.4%, and he is giving up more home runs as a result- Chirinos currently has allowed 3 longballs, up from 1 not just with St. Lucie but in his 71.2 innings total with St. Lucie and the FCL Mets. Those three homers- a Jacob Friend homer to right center on a pitch down-and-away, a Johnathan Mejia homer to left on a change-up right down Broadway, and an Abranham Ramirez homer to right-center on a cutter down and in- don’t show any specific trends, like all being from breaking balls down-and-in that were pulled or fastballs up-and-away that were poked away, and as such, I don’t think the spike is of any real concern; allowing a single home run in 71.2 innings is more of an outlier, if you ask me.
By far, his slider has been his best pitch so far this season; throwing it 18.7% of the time so far this season, batters are hitting .174 /.208 /.217 against it with a 46.3% whiff rate. By comparison, they are hitting .233/.303/.267 against his sinker with a 26.2% whiff rate, .243 /.268 /.351 against his cutter with a 20% whiff rate, .280 /.357/.480 against his changeup with a 23.9% whiff rate, and .000/.000/.000 against his curveball in extremely limited usage with a 55.6% whiff rate. Over the last month, the pitch has averaged roughly 80 MPH, with above-average vertical drop and very little horizontal movement thanks to its lower velocity band and a spin rate hovering around 2000 RPM.
The last tall, lanky pitcher the Mets developed who had a head full of hair, wore 48, and threw a slider that struck a lot of batters out worked out pretty well. Jose Chirinos is almost half as old as that guy, but if Jose Chirinos developed half as good as that guy, I’d say that would be a pretty remarkable outcome.
COVERS INTEL: San Antonio didn’t have a defender within at 
