LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Andre Iguodala poses for a photo during the NBA Legends Awards as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As the NBA appears focused on major reforms to get teams to stop tanking, the NBA Player’s Association (NBAPA) has made a proposal of their own for the league to consider. While the commissioner’s office unveiled a trio of reforms focused on the lottery, the player’s proposal included something massive: huge financial incentives. According to a report by Jake Fischer of The Steinline, the NBAPA’s proposal would allow the standings to impact each team’s share of national TV revenue.
Currently, all NBA teams evenly split national TV revenue. However, per Fischer, the NBAPA’s pitch emulates soccer’s English Premiere League, which would reward teams with an additional $10 million of revenue for each higher seed. It’s unclear whether the proposal is specific to conferences or if team would be stacked up from 1-30. Either way, entering the season expecting to tank would put potentially $50-$100 million of revenue at risk under this proposal, something that would be an extremely strong deterrent aimed at tanking owners.
The NBAPA also proposed an adjusted lottery. The proposal is similar to one of the three unveiled by the league office, expanding the lottery to 18 teams, giving the bottom 10 teams a 7% chance to move up in the draft with the remaining eight squads getting a 3.75% chance of landing the number one pick. The union is also supporting Silver in giving the commissioner more explicit powers to punish tanking teams by diminishing their lottery odds, moving their pick to the end of the lottery or the first round, or stripping them of a first-round pick all together.
It’s hard to imagine league owners ever agreeing to such a clear change to their revenue sharing, but if the league wants to actually disincentivize tanking, making losing hurt a team’s bottom line would be the easiest way to get owners to stop empowering front offices that always want to kick the can down the road.
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 20: NBA Legend, George Gervin of the NBA 75th Anniversary team takes a photo during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game as part of 2022 NBA All Star Weekend on February 20, 2022 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In strange-but-true news, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has filed to trademark the word “Iceman” for his merchandise line. If the name “Iceman” sounds familiar, it’s because San Antonio Spurs legend George Gervin has been using it for over half a century.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams recently filed four trademark applications to legally claim the "Iceman" nickname for his own clothing and merchandise line, but Spurs legend George "The Iceman" Gervin is officially fighting back. Just days after Williams submitted his… pic.twitter.com/gzacHRA3OJ
The Hall of Fame baller has taken action by filing trademark requests for “Iceman and ”Iceman 44.“ This came four days after Williams initially filed his clothing line trademark request.
There has been much discussion on social media. Young fans unaware of Gervin believe he should have trademarked the nickname by now. Meanwhile, fans of the ABA/NBA crossover star have pointed out his merits as reason enough for Williams to change his path.
In their professional careers:
Gervin — Williams — 4x Scoring Champ 12x All-Star 1x ASG MVP 9x All-NBA/ABA ABA All-Rookie
Skip Baylessn spoke out in defense of George Gervin….
I’m a Caleb Williams fan. But I was a much bigger Iceman Gervin fan, and I’m offended Caleb and Co. are trying to steal George’s all-time great nickname. I unleash on today’s Arena Gridiron 2:30 E.
Turns out both could be fighting for table scraps as former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell may have trademarked the term prior to either Williams or Gervin.
This story is ongoing and will be updated.
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Put it over the radio: New York’s Bravest and Finest will light the lamps on the ice this weekend.
The annual NYPD and FDNY hockey game — a grudge match filled with flying fists, punishing hits and high-octane play from the departments’ heroes — is a day circled on every first responder’s calendar.
“This is basically our Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final,” firefighter and goalie Nick Battaglia told The Post.
“The first two minutes of that game, everyone wants to kill each other. Nobody’s worried about the puck,” added NYPD general manager and former captain Charlie Venticinque. “If you have the puck, you’re getting tanked.”
The game sells out NHL arenas year after year, and this time at UBS Arena at 1:30 p.m. Sunday will be no different. Fans and family come ready to roar and even bring banners and signs for their kin to make it feel like the real deal.
Months on end, teammates in their mid-20s to late-40s have been doing whatever it takes to be in game, or rather fighting, shape.
They want to put on a show in the 52nd annual head-to-head meeting.
“Guys are missing work, missing overtime, missing things with their family, switching their tours around,” said newly anointed NYPD captain and defenseman George Antzoulis. “Guys are staying at work for three days straight, going from hockey back to work, sleeping in the office, sleeping in chairs, sleeping in their cars in the parking lot.”
It’s a labor of love, pride, and brotherhood, as tugging on that jersey — Antzoulis knows stepping on the ice with the “C” on his chest will be an emotional moment — represents something much larger than the individual athlete.
They’re always reminded of that in the locker room on game day.
DNY goalie Nick Battaglia says the annual game against the NYPD is “basically our Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.” Heather Khalifa for New York Post
Families of members lost in the line of duty have come in to inspire the players, as have the brass of both departments.
“You get chills,” said NYPD center and alternate captain Dan O’Donoghue, who was in Islanders rookie camp in 2010.
“Seeing the stands fill up, then you do the 9/11 remembrance, the bagpipes, and the national anthem … you try to take it all in. It goes really fast.”
Extra motivation to play through each whistle is hardly necessary — especially when the archrivals start chirping one another with cop and firefighter jokes.
When bone-crushing, open-ice hits mix in — O’Donoghue added that he’s “usually limping around the house a week or so after” — the gloves “organically” come off, said FDNY right wing Stephen Kelly.
Dan O’Donoghue of the NYPD played several AHL seasons and attended Islanders rookie camp in 2010 NYPD hockey team
“That passion runs through you. … We stand up for each other, we look out for each other,” he added, recalling a few past brawls that went viral online in the wild game for charity. “It’s just like your family at home. You’re going to defend them … whether you’re at work or on the hockey rink. That’s the fire department brotherhood.”
The temporary adversaries, many of whom grew up playing with or against one another, remember they’re all on the same team where it counts after the final buzzer.
“At the end of the day, everybody knows it’s a hockey game,” Kelly said.
The teams are now celebrities in the hockey world from their remarkable style of lambasting physical play — it gets the rowdy crowd going like an Islanders-Rangers game — as they travel across the country to face other teams and organizations.
The NYPD recently took on the Boston PD, and the FDNY typically lands in an Ontario firefighter hockey tournament, where the opposition is in a league of its own.
“Those departments, they recruit hockey players to be firemen,” firefighter forward Derek Kern said of the Canadians. “They have draft picks, they have guys that played in the NHL.”
FDNY’s high level of competition has paid off, as red hasn’t lost to blue in a decade.
They also hold a 31-18-2 all-time record against the NYPD, dating back to the first game at Madison Square Garden in 1974.
But the cops want to read ’em their rights this time around.
“We’re due. Man, we need one … it’s something I’m dying for,” Antzoulis said.
But if not, the captain is content having an unforgettable day with his brothers.
“There are 33,000 cops in the NYPD, and there are only 30 of us,” he said. “We’re the luckiest 30 in the world.”
Mar 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) hits a single during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Now that we have baseball back today, we have to talk about this whole “day off after a game” Opening Day thing. I get it. MLB is scared of opening rainouts and wants a buffer day just in case. However, I am impatient and I want games all the time. Doubleheaders even!
Mar 27, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (1) celebrates after a home run against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves began the 2026 season on a high note after Friday’s 6-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, and Michael Harris II joined in on the fun and each homered. Together, the Braves recorded 11 hits and capitalized on the Royals’ weak spots.
On the other side of the ball, leather was flashed and the pitching staff showed up big. Chris Sale earned the start, and though a bit shaky in the beginning, he finished the night allowing just three hits through six innings. He walked three and struck out six. The bullpen came to play, too, and allowed just two more hits after Sale’s exit.
The Braves go for the series win tonight at 7:15 ET.
More Braves News:
Additional television deals continue to be announced, as Fubo and DIRECTV are now carrying BravesVision.
The Gwinnett Stripers have announced their Opening Day roster, and it does not include Jhancarlos Lara.
MLB News:
Jason Heyward has announced his retirement after a 16 year career.
Mar 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts after a play during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
In his 10th game back with the Boston Celtics on Friday night, Jayson Tatum delivered his best performance of the season by dominating the second half against the Atlanta Hawks. It wasn’t particularly efficient, at least not by his standards, and afterward, he admitted the process of building himself back up has brought a mix of emotions.
Jayson Tatum’s return to basketball hasn’t been seamless, but he’s grateful for how far he’s come and for those who have been by his side.
“Playing through it,” Tatum told reporters, per CLNS Media. “I feel rusty, obviously. You can probably see in moments when it doesn’t look the same, or it looks rusty. But I think the mindset of onto the next play (helps). I’m thankful that I got teammates and the coaching staff that are patient with me in this moment as I’m trying to figure it out.”
Tatum missed five layups in Boston’s 109-102 win over Atlanta at TD Garden. He had just five points at the end of the first quarter and remained there by halftime after going scoreless in the second, missing all seven of his attempts. Five of those shots came within 13 feet of the basket, making it even tougher to watch as teammate Payton Pritchard kept the Celtics within striking distance while Tatum struggled to find his rhythm and contribute to the cause.
When dissecting the rust itself, Tatum couldn’t pinpoint anything specific.
“It’s all over the place sometimes,” Tatum explained. “I’ll be dribbling the f—ing ball, and I just mishandle it. Sometimes I still have the ball, but it’s just like, ‘Damn.’ It is frustrating. Obviously, some of the shots and layups at the rim — just kind of moving too fast a little bit. It’s frustrating to me.”
Since rejoining Boston after nearly 10 months away from basketball, Tatum has contributed. His 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals through 10 games lead all Celtics. The issue is that Tatum’s recovery didn’t end after he suited back up against the Dallas Mavericks three weeks ago. It’s ongoing, and each game is another step in the process of returning to his old form.
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 27: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 27, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
That requires a level of patience that Tatum hasn’t had to demonstrate before in his career. So every turnover, every missed layup, every jumper that doesn’t fall is difficult to take in stride at times, knowing it’s a reminder that there’s still work to do.
Tatum overcame his five-point first quarter and scoreless second against Atlanta by turning it up in the second half. He absorbed contact from C.J. McCollum after cutting to the basket and finishing the layup, converting the and-1. He then knocked down a 12-foot fadeaway jumper, helping spark a 21-point surge across the third and fourth quarters before finishing with a season-best 26 points in an impressive turnaround.
But Tatum’s scoring wasn’t what Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla felt helped Boston in the absence of Jaylen Brown.
“I saw his defensive rebounding; I thought that was the most important thing,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “I thought offensively, he got into the paint and was able to get to the free-throw line — shot 10 free throws — just continuing to chip away and give the game what it needs. He was aggressive in his drives. He missed some easy layups there, but as long as he stays aggressive, makes the right reads, and continues to rebound, he’s continuing to get better and better.”
Even if his scoring isn’t flashy, it’s just one of several ways Tatum has pitched in. He has not only rebounded as well as he did before suffering his ruptured right Achilles last May, but he’s also been an elite playmaker, setting teammates up to keep the offense active and flowing.
There’s always the pressure to immediately return to the superstar version Tatum was in his first eight seasons with the Celtics, but that will take time. For now, it helps that Boston’s coaching staff remains by his side through the ups and downs.
Mazzulla played Tatum a team-high 36:36 on Friday night, including the entire fourth quarter. It’s unclear what that will mean going forward, as Mazzulla continues to manage Tatum’s minutes based on his on-court response rather than a fixed plan.
“There isn’t a specific number,” Mazzulla clarified. “It’s more about what looks best for us, where we’re at, what we need, and we continue to go from there. He played the whole (fourth) quarter a couple of games in a row, and he’s handling it well, and we continue to assess that and go from there.”
The Celtics worked their way into a strong position, holding the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference since Jan. 15 and sitting four games behind the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. They earned that spot without Tatum, building an identity to withstand the production lost in his absence. Now, with him back, Boston’s chances of returning to the NBA Finals for a third time in five seasons are more legit than ever. Tatum and Brown’s 50-point combined effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday proved the Celtics aren’t just poised for a feel-good, Cinderella run — they’re back and ready to make a serious push for it all.
Tatum will be a key piece of that journey, as he was two years ago.
In the meantime, whenever Tatum needs a break from the basketball court, he looks to those closest to him as a father of two.
“I think right now, when I’m frustrated or really want to be better, just going home and my kids,” Tatum told reporters. “Now I’ve got two boys, and it just kind of puts things in perspective and helps me forget about what just happened or transpired in the game.
“I talk about it all the time: being a father is second to none. And now, having two boys and seeing their relationship develop, it was just one kid running to me when I walked in the house. Now it’s two, so that’s a cool feeling.”
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
Mar 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) reacts after making a basket during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
BOSTON — With Jaylen Brown out against the Atlanta Hawks, someone needed to step up to shoulder the offensive load for the Celtics and Payton Pritchard answered the call.
Pritchard finished with a team-high 36 points along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 13-23 from the field and 6-11 from three-point range. The biggest indicator of how much Pritchard dominated this game was that he ended as a +26 in a game the Celtics won by seven.
Pritchard was asked postgame about filling the Jaylen Brown role tonight and said nothing really changed on his end. “I don’t think my role changed,” he said. “Like any other night, just come out being aggressive, looking to make plays for my teammates or for myself, and just make the right reads.”
In 8 games without Jaylen Brown this season, Pritchard has stepped up with averages of 25.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on 48% shooting from the field and 46% shooting from three.
Payton Pritchard vs the Hawks 36 Points 7 Rebounds 4 Assists 13-23 FG 6-11 3PM pic.twitter.com/XqUtJueGiE
The Celtics offense was slow to start in this game, going down 25-9 with 3:39 left in the first quarter. Joe Mazzulla called his second timeout in a row, seemingly looking for any kind of a spark from someone. That was when Pritchard started to turn it on, scoring 7 points and assisting on another to cut the deficit to 3 points at the end of the first.
In classic Payton Pritchard fashion, he ended the quarter with an incredible buzzer beater, crossing over Dyson Daniels and finishing with a layup that kissed the banners in the TD Garden rafters before falling in.
When asked about his buzzer beater heroics, he talked about the science behind them, saying, “It’s a momentum play and the crowd feels it. Our team feels it. So I feel like it’s crucial because ending a quarter or a half and then going into the next possession you get that energy and the momentum swing.”
When asked about his situational awareness when it comes to taking these shots, Pritchard credited his high school coach for instilling it in him, saying, “I really don’t know… My high school coach, we used to do situations all the time of like end the game, and we would run through like, 8 to 10 situations every day of practice. And I just got really good at learning how to get my shot off in different ways and make a play.”
Pritchard didn’t slow down after swinging the momentum for Boston in the first quarter, riding his hot streak into the second quarter where he had 12 points on 5-7 shooting. He did a great job when it came to getting his shot off quickly and find ways to get to the basket aggressively.
Pritchard carried his impressive play into the third quarter with 13 points on 4-7 shooting. The Hawks tested out a new defensive style of not guarding Payton when he was wide open for three. This, as you could imagine, did not work out well for Atlanta.
Boston dominated the rebounding battle in this game, destroying Atlanta 52-35. Out of those rebounds, the Celtics had 13 offensive rebounds where Pritchard had 3 of them that made a huge difference in the second half. His rebounding led three different scoring plays, one a follow up basket for his own and the other two resulting in Jayson Tatum drawing fouls to shoot free throws.
Joe Mazzulla praised Pritchard’s ability to box out the defenders, calling out specifically the first one he had in the fourth quarter on Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Mazzulla said, “…the offensive rebound that he got looked like a defensive box out, but he got an offensive rebound in the foul [Tatum] drew. They were going out in transition and that could have changed the game a little bit.”
Talking about his offensive rebounds specifically, Pritchard just credited it to hard work and the want to win to win saying, “I want to win. You want to make a play and you see somebody shoot the ball, and I see it coming off the rim, I’m just fighting to try to get in, get an extra possession. Those little things like that can change the game and win a game. So, yeah, it’s just about the want and competitive spirit.”
When asked about the Celtics improvement on the boards as a whole Pritchard said it was all about “hard work, being about your work every day coming in. And, you know, trying to get better at the things that we need to improve at. That’s just a testament to the culture we built here.”
If Pritchard didn’t start for most of the season, it feels like he would be the runaway favorite for Sixth Man of the Year. Since moving to the bench on February 3rd, he has played in 22 games and has averaged 17.3 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on 47% shooting from the field and 41% shooting from three.
Pritchard’s ability to come in and just cause chaos coming off the bench is a skill that no one in the league is better than him in. We have seen him be able to take over games and be a complete three-level scorer on the offensive end while being a great on defense for his size. He is a one-of-one type of player and his ability to out-work everyone on the court is an example of how he embodies the culture of playing in Boston.
While the coaches pacing the sideline in tailored suits or quarter-zips often get the most attention in men’s college basketball, it’s the players on the court who determine who makes the Final Four and wins the national championship.
The 2025-26 season has been one of the most star-studded in recent memory in the sport, with future NBA Draft lottery picks and wildly productive college players dominating the landscape nationally.
During the 2026 NCAA Tournament, some of the sport’s brightest stars have continued to propel their teams on deep runs. Though standouts like AJ Dybantsa, Darius Acuff Jr. and Darryn Peterson are watching the tournament from home, a number of All-American and all-conference performers are still chasing their dreams of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis on the first Monday night of April.
Among that distinguished group, who are the best players competing in the Elite Eight?
Here are the top eight players in the Elite Eight, with one player from each of the remaining eight squads:
Best players to watch in the Elite Eight
Players listed in alphabetical order
Cameron Boozer, Duke
The likely national player of the year has been everything the Blue Devils could have hoped for this season, averaging 22.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game to make him one of just 14 Division I players averaging a double-double this season. The 6-foot-9 freshman, the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, has kept up his outrageous production in the tournament, with a double-double in each of Duke’s first three wins, including 22 points and 10 rebounds in a narrow Sweet 16 win over St. John’s. He’s a projected top-three pick in the NBA Draft for a reason.
Brayden Burries, Arizona
Burries is one of several top-10 recruits from the 2025 class who have enjoyed stellar freshman seasons. On what might be the most well-rounded team in the country, Burries is the leading scorer at 16.2 points per game and has been efficient getting there, shooting 50.2% from the field and 39.5% from 3-point range. Though teammate Jaden Bradley earned Big 12 player of the year honors, Burries has been the Wildcats’ best player in the tournament thus far, averaging 19 points per game and shooting 64.3% (including 75% from 3).
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee
He's not the best NBA prospect on his team (that would be star freshman forward Nate Ament), but no player has been more indispensable to the Volunteers than Gillespie, who entered the Sweet 16 averaging a team-high 18.4 points, 5.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game. The Maryland transfer has been a steady, consistent presence for a team that has struggled to score at various points during the season.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
It wasn’t an accident that Kaufman-Renn was in position to score the winning basket in Purdue’s biggest win this season. The Sellersburg, Indiana native, the rare college player who’s in his fourth season with the program where he started his career, has come through in a big way during the Boilermakers’ run to the Elite Eight, averaging 21.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 63.6% from the field. Teammate Braden Smith, the Division I career assists leader, has had the better career and better season, but Kaufman-Renn has been Purdue’s best player so far in the tournament.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Lendeborg was one of the best players outside the five power conferences last season, averaging a double-double for a 24-win UAB team. This season, he’s proven to be just as effective in arguably the best conference in the sport while being the star for a team that spent several weeks this season ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The 6-foot-9 consensus first-team All-American is averaging 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and in the NCAA tournament, he’s been on fire, making 19 of his 30 shots (63.3%) and eight of his 13 3s (61.5%).
Tarris Reed Jr., UConn
Dan Hurley's team is remarkably balanced, with five players averaging between 10.6 and 14.2 points per game for a squad that's aiming to win its third national championship in the past four years. At the top of that group is Reed, a 6-foot-11 senior center who entered the Huskies' Sweet 16 win against Michigan State leading the team in scoring (14.2 points per game), rebounding (8.9 per game) and blocks (two per game). The Michigan transfer has followed up a strong regular season with an even better NCAA tournament, averaging 20.3 points and 15 rebounds per game. That run included one of the most ridiculous performances of the tournament, with 31 points and 27 rebounds in a first-round win over Furman.
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
While Ben McCollum’s coaching acumen helped him rise from Division II head coach to Iowa’s first Elite Eight since 1987 in just two years, Stirtz’s on-court contributions didn’t hurt. The Hawkeyes guard has been with McCollum every step of the way the past four years, following the coach from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa, where he’s averaging a team-high 19.7 points and 4.4 assists per game this season. He’s carried the Hawkeyes offensively, as he’s the only Iowa player averaging more than 10.4 points per game.
Keaton Wagler, Illinois
In a star-studded freshman class, Wagler has been perhaps the most unexpected star. He was the No. 261 recruit nationally in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, but has been one of the best guards in the sport this season, averaging 17.7 points per game and shooting 41.1% from 3. He’s been the centerpiece for a dynamic Illinois team that’s No. 2 in adjusted offensive efficiency this season, according to KenPom.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees greets his teammates during player introductions prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It would’ve been hard for the Yankees to script a better first two games of their 2026 campaign. Sure, they probably wouldn’t have written in four strikeouts from their captain on Opening Day, but otherwise, things have been stellar, with Aaron Judge busting out with his first home run yesterday in another shutout win. Two games mean little when they’re followed by 160 more, but these two games do show what the glass-half-full case looks like for New York; a carbon copy of last year’s league-leading lineup and elite starting pitching lead to excellence.
On the site today, say hello to the minor league season with our first Baby Bomber Recap, as the RailRiders cruised in their first game. Also, Sam will deliver today’s Rivalry Roundup, while Matt’s entry in our Yankee Birthday series celebrates Vic Raschi, who had a great turn with the Yankees during their midcentury dynasty years.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at San Francisco Giants
Time: 7:15 p.m. EST
Video: FOX
Venue: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Questions/Prompts:
1. It’s just one start, of course, but are you letting your imagination run wild after seeing how Cam Schlittler looked in his season debut yesterday?
2. Have any performances from players on other teams particularly caught your eye two days in?
PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 11: Roope Hintz #24 of the Dallas Stars skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 11, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Dallas Stars (43-18-11, 97 points, 2nd place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (36-20-16, 88 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)
When: 5:00 p.m. eastern
How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and Victory+, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins have a back-to-back coming up that will have a major impact on the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Pens take on the New York Islanders on the road on Monday before matching up with the Detroit Red Wings at home on Tuesday.
Opponent Track: The Stars have hit a recent skid, going 1-4-1 in their last six games (coming on the heels of going 8-0-1 in the first nine games out of the Olympic break). When Dallas is good, they’re very good but that hasn’t been the case recently having lost four-straight games (0-3-1) with losses to Minnesota, Vegas, New Jersey and most recently a 2-1 regulation defeat to the Islanders on Thursday night. Between the Stars’ slide, combined with Colorado’s recent four-game winning streak, it looks like Dallas is heading towards the ‘first round matchup of doom’ this year in the Central Division against Minnesota in what could feature two 105+ point teams squaring off.
Season Series: Back before the Penguins exorcised their shootout demons, they lost a 3-2 shootout decision against the Stars on Dec. 7 thanks to a Mikko Rantanen shootout goal against Tristan Jarry.
Hidden Stat: The Stars clinched a playoff spot on Sunday, which marked the franchise’s fewest games to earn a playoff spot (70) since the team did it in 63 games during their 1998-99 Stanley Cup season (h/t NHL Stats).
Hidden Stat 2.0: Home ice hasn’t been that friendly to the Penguins, who have only won 16 out of the 35 games at PPG Paints Arena (with another “home” win in the standings counted in a victory in Sweden when the Pens were designated as the home team). Overall the Pens are just 16-11-8 this season in their true home arena.
Rantanen is nearing a return from injury, he participated in Thursday’s morning skate ahead of the NYI game (though he didn’t play). As of 12 days ago Rantanen was said to be 10-14 days away, so he’s right in the window for a possible return to action for today’s game.
Mikko Rantanen is still more than 10 days to two weeks away from any possible return.
He will not go on the road with the team this week.
Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa are further away from consideration.
The Stars will be without Tyler Seguin for the rest of the season and the playoffs after placing him on LTIR in February amid his recovery from a torn ACL. They’ll still hope to get Hintz and Faksa back in time for the postseason, in addition to the impending return of Rantanen.
Former Penguin Michael Bunting was one of the Stars’ additions at the trade deadline alongside defenseman Tyler Myers. Bunting has since slotted in on Dallas’ second line alongside Matt Duchene.
Dallas could soon have two brothers on the same team for the first time since Jamie and Jordie Benn. The Stars recently signed Dylan Hryckowian, brother and former college teammate of third-line center Justin Hryckowian, to an entry-level contract.
Stars going dim
Generating offense has been an issue for Dallas during their current losing streak. They’re currently without two of their top-five point producers and stretching others into bigger roles has had an effect on output lately.
During the past 5 games, Dallas has scored 1 goal 1 goal 2 goals 4 goals 1 goal
The loss of Rantanen and Hintz is now a major issue. It's not just the loss of the two forwards but also the effect it has on special teams and depth scoring.
Wyatt Johnston has recorded career highs in both goals and points while centering Jason Robertson, who is enjoying his fourth straight 80-point season in Dallas.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, although he’s been strong as of late. The Stars are playing the Philadelphia Flyers on the road tomorrow, so they’ll have to decide whether Oettinger or former Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith will be getting the start in Pittsburgh tonight.
DeSmith, by the way, has only played against Pittsburgh once in his career. That happened last year as a member of the Stars, where he stopped 35 of 39 shots but picked up the loss. Oettinger has a lot of career success against the Pens, boasting a 6-1-0 record with a .942 save% and 1.71 GAA.
The Stars have been running one of the most formidable power plays in the NHL this season, although their top unit has recently taken a hit with the injury absence of Mikko Rantanen.
Dallas has had some injury issues but they haven’t played many different players, just 27 skaters have dressed this season. By comparison, the Penguins have dressed 38 different skaters so far this season.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby* – Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Anthony Mantha
Ville Koivunen – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau
Elmer Soderblom – Connor Dewar – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton
Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner
Potential Scratches: Ilya Solovyov, Blake Lizotte (injured), Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Evgeni Malkin (injured)
IR: Filip Hallander, Jack St. Ivany
The Pens canceled a practice yesterday, so we’ll have to wait and see for this morning on any updates on the status of Crosby. If Crosby can’t play, it’s possible that Joona Koppanen will be in the lineup as a bottom-six center. The team could also opt to shift Rickard Rakell or Noel Acciari to center for the day and insert a winger like Avery Hayes into the lineup. Depending on Crosby’s status it could be a very fluid situation with a couple different options on how they want to go about patching a lineup together.
We’ll also await word on Evgeni Malkin, officially day-to-day with an undisclosed injury (believed to be in the finger/hand area). Malkin did not even travel with the team to Ottawa for Thursday’s game which might not bode well for his availability just a couple days later.
Bryan Rust is currently in the midst of a career-long nine-game point streak (5G-8A) and has points in 14 of his last 15 games played (7G-12A) dating back to Feb. 28th, per Pens PR. Rust’s streak is the second longest active one in the league behind Boston’s David Pastranak (11).
Sam Girard is set to play in career game No. 600 today. Not bad for a guy who won’t turn 28 until May.
Whether or not the goalie rotation continues will be interesting as well, Skinner has been performing much better than Silovs lately — but the team has other considerations in mind with a massive set of games on Monday/Tuesday against NYI and Detroit. They may want to keep Skinner fresh and in rhythm for that Monday game by not leaning too hard on him today, which would make Monday his third game in five days. They may also not want Silovs to have his next action come on Tuesday and have him go a full week between starts by skipping him today. Lots to weigh and consider for that decision on who plays in goal today for the Pens with more variables in mind than simply this one game.
Erik Karlsson is deep into Paul Coffey territory for points in a single month — always a great sign for any defender. Across the NHL this month, only Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (26) has more points than Karlsson with his 21.
The Islanders’ up-down, up-down form hopefully does not continue today when they host the Panthers for a 1 p.m. matinee in Elmont.
Florida split two games at home (lost to the Wild, beat the Kraken) after finishing a road trip with a 4-1 loss in Calgary. Yes, they are last-except-for-the-Rangers in the East, but the Cup champs are not pushovers and have not thrown in the towel, going 5-5 over their last 10 (just a game worse than the Islanders, by the way).
After squeaking by the Stars on Thursday, if the Islanders can pull off another win chances are it will be by one goal, which is how they’ve gotten 27 of their wins thus far this season.
Islanders News
Five dudes who are key to the Isles’ playoff push. [Newsday]
Here’s how they lined up at Friday’s practice. [Isles]
The Isles ground out a win vs. the Stars, they’ll need that again this afternoon. [Post]
The Skinny: “Schaefer has 22 goals, tying Barry Beck (22) for the second-highest total in a season. His next goal will tie Brian Leetch’s NHL record.” [Isles]
It was team photo day, and the behind-the-scenes shots are all cute ‘n stuff. Kyle Palmieri and Alex Romanov sightings, plus Matt Martin in a suit and Matthew Schaefer hamming it up. [Isles]
Elsewhere
Just two games last night but the Red Wings won in Buffalo, in regulation, earning a valuable two points from one of their two games in hand.
HOUSTON — Rebounding has always come naturally to David Mirkovic. Before he committed to play college basketball at Illinois, the 6-foot-9 forward from Montenegro played two seasons of professional basketball in the Adriatic Basketball Association League, where he averaged 6.4 rebounds per game during the 2024-25 season.
When the ball bounced off the rim or backboard, Mirkovic corralled it, simple as that.
That changed when he got to Illinois last summer.
“It’s much different,” Mirkovic said. “(In Montenegro), I didn’t have coaches that tell me and remind me every day all day to crash the boards or get some of the defensive rebounds. But since I’m playing basketball, every time I was the best rebounder on my team. I would say just naturally, I had that feel for rebounds. So when that combines with the coach that’s put that much emphasis on rebounding, it’s just getting better.”
Mirkovic is now the top rebounder on an Illinois team that is riding a rebounding wave into Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game against Iowa.
This season, the Illini are ranked 10th in rebounds per game (41.1) and seventh in rebounding margin (10.1). It’s not a new strength; Illinois has been a top-10 rebounding team in the country in each of the last three seasons.
“I think the secret sauce is just, it’s something you emphasize every single day,” said Illinois assistant coach Tyler Underwood.
Underwood’s father, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood, was Kansas State’s director of operations during the 2006-07 season under head coach Bob Huggins, who is famous for his aggressive rebounding schemes. That left an imprint on Underwood, and in nine seasons at Illinois he’s made rebounding a pillar of his program.
The Illini track individual players’ “go rates” – what percentage of the time they crash the offensive glass – in practices and games. At halftime, coaches check "go rates" and remind players who are falling short to fulfill their offensive rebounding obligations. The message is clear: If you don’t go, your playing time stops.
The Illini are receiving key contributions on the boards from a pair of freshmen, Mirkovic and guard Keaton Wagler.
Through three NCAA Tournament games, Mirkovic is averaging a team-high 10.7 rebounds to go with 13.7 points. Wagler, the team's top scorer averaging 17.7 points, is right behind him averaging 8.0 rebounds.
In the Illini’s Sweet 16 win over Houston, Mirkovic broke the Illinois freshman total rebounding record set by Kofi Cockburn six seasons ago, while Wagler pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds. They became the first pair of freshman teammates to each have a double-double in the same NCAA Tournament game since freshmen became fully eligible in 1972-73.
“His frame doesn’t scream 12 rebounds, but his toughness does,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said of Wagler.
Prior to Thursday’s game, Brad Underwood told Illini players that they would need a massive effort on the glass to win, especially from the guards. Wagler answered the call.
“He's a great listener,” Brad Underwood said. “We knew that (Chris) Cenac and (Joseph) Tugler, they back tap a lot of balls. They're elite at it. So our bigs were going to have to hit bodies, but our guards were going to have to come clean it up. So we needed a big, big rebounding game from our guards. I thought Keaton just takes everything to heart. He's had some big rebounding games this year, but to do this in this moment – you guys got to understand what a joy it is to coach him, and he doesn't worry about needing to score points.”
While Illinois’ bigs engage in physical battles under the basket to grab rebounds off the rim and box out their defenders, Wagler and the other guards stay alert and track down longer rebounds.
Tyler Underwood said that the Illini chart their misses and find that most occur on shots from the left corner of the court. When they miss from the left, the ball tends to carom to the right side of the basket, so Illinois tells players to flood “opposite and inside” to be in prime rebounding position.
Illinois typically has four players crash the boards after shots on offensive possessions, but last season the team slightly altered its rebounding philosophy. Instead of either the point guard or the shooting guard always being the player responsible for getting back on defense after a shot, the Illini decided that on 3-point shots, the shooter is the one who gets back – regardless of what position he plays.
That nuance has helped Illinois take advantage of their “twin towers,” brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic, two 7-footers who each attempt more than half of their shots behind the 3-point line.
“With our pick-and-pop bigs, they end up shooting a lot of 3s, so that draws opponents’ bigs away from the rim, which puts them in uncomfortable sports, which allows guards to rebound,” Tyler Underwood said. “And our bigs end up being back in transition a lot, which is good because they’re our 7-footers.”
The strategy only works if players like Mirkovic and Wagler pick up the slack on the boards.
“I think rebounding, there’s an element of feel to it, an element of timing, an element of tracking the ball while it’s in the air,” Tyler Underwood said. “Both of those guys excel in that area because they have such a good feel for the game. And then they’re very disciplined and they put their teammates first. They’re willing to make winning plays.”
Both freshmen are do-it-all players who have developed a close relationship with each other on and off the court.
On the surface, the idea of a 6-foot-9 former professional player from Montenegro forming a bond with a skinny guard from Shawnee, Kansas, calls to mind videos of unlikely animal friendships. But the pair’s chemistry has blossomed through a mutual appreciation for hard work and competition, be it playing the “NBA 2K” video game or working out on the court.
“We have some similarities in our personality, like we are both Gen Z, I would say,” Mirkovic said. “The second thing, we had a lot of similarities, basketball-wise. Like we are pretty similar players despite different positions. … I would say our understanding and IQ of basketball and our unselfishness and skill level, that makes us unstoppable.”
Wagler said, “My first impression of him is that he’s a goofy guy who likes to mess around, but then in practices, he’s super competitive. He hates losing drills, no matter what it is. I knew we were gonna get along after that because I’m competitive. I don’t like to lose.”
They’ve both learned to embrace the Illini’s rebounding ethos, too. Wagler said he and Mirkovic have gained confidence from watching each other succeed.
“I think we both learned that you don’t have to be the most athletic or fastest person on the court,” Wagler said. “You can play at your own pace and still be as good as anyone. We both do the right things and we both want to win. Doesn’t matter if we score however many points, you know – if we got to go in and pass, get assists, get rebounds, we’ll do that.”
As the dreaded popup rises in a youth baseball game, coaches on the bench and parents in the bleachers tense as the world turns into a slow-motion movie reel.
Who’s gonna get it?
Even big leaguers sometimes hate popups. Just before Carl Yastrzemski hit the one that would end Boston’s American League East pursuit in a famous winner-take-all playoff game in 1978, Graig Nettles, the Yankees’ third baseman, said to himself: “Don’t hit a popup to me.”
But Nettles, one of the best fielding third baseman of all time, camped under it and caught it. Overcoming popups are essential to success in baseball and in reality away from the field.
I would argue most parents don’t often think about these lessons when we watch our kids play. We want them to succeed from the earliest ages.
“Considering the pyramid of ascension in baseball, kids are not gonna be playing major league ball, and many of the kids are not gonna be playing college ball,” says Rotbart, a pediatrician and parenting author who coached his two now-grown sons at baseball, tells USA TODAY Sports. “And if they do it, it will be club ball. So I think that parents have fantasies about their child, if he doesn't make that catch, if he doesn't get the hit with the bases loaded, nobody is gonna sign him.
“He's not going to be drafted anyway.”
While chasing the long odds, have you ever thought about how baseball and softball imitate finding success in life? Rotbart and Davidoff, a veteran sportswriter, have teamed to explore that question.
We spoke with them and picked out 10 tips for parents about how they can apply lessons from baseball for sports and life success.
1. Step into the box: Being comfortable and confident is being successful
The book is about 15 years in the making, after Rotbart coached his two sons (now 34 and 38) through high school, taking meticulous notes that became a manuscript. He connected with Davidoff, who covered Major League Baseball for 30 years for a few New York City-area papers to bring it more legitimacy, to connect it more to the big leagues.
Rotbart was exercising the lesson in Chapter 9 ("The Batter’s Box") and finding his comfort zone. In this instance, Davidoff tied the familiar moment to Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, who liked to chat with fans in the on-deck circle, which made him feel at home as he calmly walked to the plate.
When he stepped into the box, it was his time to be confident in his preparation, focus in and take charge.
“You are the right person, at the right time,” the authors right in the book. “Believe you can face any challenge, any time, and want to face that challenge. You are in the in the batter’s box, right where you belong.
When you step into the box and aren’t successful, though, a matter of inches – up or back, inside or out – can help you get on track.
“You can change your faith oftentimes without making dramatic changes in your life, but even making incremental changes,” Rotbart says.
2. Remember to tag up: Pause and control your anger
Now you’ve made it to one of the bases. If the batter hits a fly ball that is caught, you can’t advance to another without “tagging up.” When the ball leaves the bat, though, your impulse is to run.
But that little pause – that tag up – prevents us from harm and embarrassment. Outside the field, it’s a form of anger management.
How many times have you received an email or text from someone that enrages you? If you respond right away, your reply might be nasty. But if you pause and take a break, your action is more measured and thoughtful.
“There's so much impulsivity in young athletes,” Rotbart says. “They see it in role models. They watch it on TV, the impulsive reaction to umpires, to coaches, to fans. And we have to teach kids to tag up.”
3. Life is a fielder's choice: Decide what is most important
We are told as baseball players to think about what we’re going to do with the ball if it’s hit to us in the field. If runners are on base, we must make a choice.
If our team has a big lead in the game, we get the easiest force play. But if it’s a close game, we might throw across the diamond to third base to get the lead runner.
“It's urgent for you to protect that slim lead and then you translate that over to school,” Davidoff says. “Let's say you're acing chemistry, you're up four runs in chemistry. So, OK, you have homework in five subjects tonight, don't worry about (chemistry) too much. But now you’ve got a “C” in chemistry, you’re only up one run. You need to get that lead runner. You need to turn the double play. You need to really step on the gas with your chemistry and make sure you nail it.”
4. Include everyone: Pinch-hitters and pinch-runners are crucial to the team
We can learn to throw ourselves into whatever role we are given.
“There are players who are not starters, and there are players who may not even be position players by their talent level,” Rotbart says. “But they have other skills that they can bring. They may be a fast runner. They may be able to hit, but not be able to field. And pinch-hitters and pinch-runners teach kids that we should be inclusive and not clickish, that we should want everyone on a team, everyone in our friendship circle, everyone in our class, to be included in activities, becauseeveryone has something different to contribute.”
Even if you're assigned a less prominent or less prestigious assignment on the team, or on the student council, or at the school newspaper, or in a Woody Allen movie with one line, make the best of it:
Go out there and make the catch that nobody expects you to make.
“When the expectations are low, that's when you have the best opportunity to shine,” Rotbart says.
5. If you get yourself into a pickle, you can give yourself up for the greater good
I had a player on one of my Little League teams who was fast and could keep himself caught in a “pickle” between first and second bases long enough for a runner from third base to break for home and score.
The longer a pickle in baseball lasts, the more humorous it gets, and we wonder if the runner who made the “mistake” will still reach a base safely.
“Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't work out, but the analogy in the book is that when you are untruthful, when you say things that are not true, you get yourself in a pickle, and that's when you're lying, and you lose trust,” Rotbart says. “Sometimes you get away with it. Sometimes you advance to the next base. But oftentimes, you get thrown out, and being untruthful, lying is the most common cause for (a) real-life pickle.”
The lesson I like about the pickle is sacrificing yourself. As we know, even with two outs, that run from third base counts if it scores before the player is tagged out.
6. Mound meetings work: Take time to accept advice, or to just catch your breath
Davidoff remembers covering the Yankees’ first interleague visit to play the Colorado Rockies in 2002, and Roger Clemens was having a rough first inning.
He watched third baseman Robin Ventura walk over and chat with Clemens for a few seconds. Davidoff asked Ventura the next day what he had said to the starting pitcher.
“Nothing,” the third baseman told him, “just an excuse to let him exhale and take a deep breath.”
We all need it. Clemens got out of the first inning allowing only one run.
The same concept can apply as a youth coach when you call a timeout as a youth coach or gather your young player on the mound. They often respond by playing better. Sometimes, it’s as simple as you telling them, “I believe in you.”
7. Clean up your messes, and take pride in your spaces
Yoshinobu Yamamoto came to the Los Angeles Dodgers for $325 million in 2023. We know he helped lead Los Angeles to the World Series the last two seasons.
But did you know last October, after he pitched a complete game to even the World Series 1-1 in Toronto, he remained in the dugout and cleaned up trash teammates had left behind?
“Do not leave today's mess for tomorrow,” Rotbart said. “You clean up the dugout, you sweep the field, just like Yoshi Yamamoto did. That's protecting your tomorrow by taking care of your mess today.”
Someone may be playing on the field after you, or an opponent may have hosted you at their home park. You are showing them respect – win or lose – but also showing everyone a piece of who you are.
“Your personal spaces are part of you, signs on the outside of who you are on the inside, like the clothes you wear and how you brush your hair,” the authors write.
8. Stretch for the ball, but know when to pull off the base
Sometimes we want to make a spectacular play by diving for a ball in the outfield, or stretching far in front of us to catch a ball if we’re playing first base.
But what happens if we can’t get to the ball? We miss it, and it rolls to the outfield wall, allowing three runners to score. We don’t reach it and it skips past us at first base and the baserunner to get to second base in a tie game.
Sometimes, we need to slow up and let the ball drop to prevent further damage, or take our foot off the bag to stop the ball from going to the fence. Rotbart has used such analogies when speaking to patients as a pediatrician.
“A clinical example that I have (is) where a parent and an adolescent came into the clinic, and the mom was complaining that her son was doing too much of what his friends, what his cohort was asking him to do,” he says, “and that he would do anything to maintain friendship but he was going too far, doing things he shouldn’t be doing.”
9. Believe in yourself, and don't listen to the chatter
I hear it every time my sons play a high school game. Teams are yelling at each other from the dugout, or fans are yelling from the stands, to try and throw players off their games.
It’s not easy to block out the noise.
“There will always be those who feel better when they’re embarrassing others,” Davidoff and Rotbart write. “In baseball, the best teams and the best players don’t taunt.”
The authors analogize chatter in the book to be like gossip: Saying things that are potentially hurtful, disruptive and distracting or even dangerous (in the case of fly balls).
Chatter might seem helpful in the moment but if a potential coach sees you doing it – in person or on social media – he or she might stop recruiting you.
10. Learn to catch the popup: Take charge and follow through
When the ball is up in the air, we’re waiting for someone on the field to take charge. Maybe it’s the kid who’s under it, but often it’s the one who’s most confident in catching it. Go ahead, call for it.
“Someone has to take responsibility,” Rotbart says. “Someone has to be accountable, and suddenly, the pop fly became a lesson in taking responsibility, following through.”
He thought about it, after watching some of the 700 to 800 kids who came through his baseball program crash into each other on the pitcher’s mound going after a popup. Rotbart reached for his notebook, and the seed of a book was born.
“Double-check everything you do with others to make sure you know who is doing what,” he and Davidoff would craft into lesson No. 48. “If you’re the one ‘calling’ for the ball, make sure others hear you; if someone else is calling for it, make sure you hear them. Messages you send can get lost and so can messages people send to you.
“When it’s important your message – or assignment or project – gets where it’s going and gets seen or heard, follow through and make sure it got there. Otherwise, you’ve dropped the ball.”
Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His Coach Steve column is posted weekly.For his past columns, click here.
Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him at sborelli@usatoday.com
TAMPA, FL - MARCH 11: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 11, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
SNY | Phillip Martínez The Yankees are now 2-0 in the 2026 campaign after taking the second game of their three-game set vs. the San Francisco Giants. The 3-0 final score meant that they have now pitched two consecutive shutouts in the Bay Area, led by Max Fried on Wednesday and Cam Schlittler on Friday.
Schlittler, limited to 68 pitches after the minor back/lat scare he suffered in spring training, blanked San Francisco for 5.1 innings, surrendering just a hit and no walks while striking out eight.
MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams The Yankees took a minor-league flier on right-hander Luis García, who won the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros, on a two-year deal. He is currently rehabbing from a second Tommy John surgery performed in the fall of 2025. He returned from the first procedure and was only able to make two starts, in which he had a 3.52 ERA.
The Yankees are probably aiming for García, who has a 3.60 career ERA and is 29, to return at some point in the 2027 campaign.
NJ Advance Media | Randy Miller Facing left-hander Robbie Ray, Yankees manager Aaron Boone sent the three right-handed hitters and lefty-killers from his bench to the field on Friday: Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, and Randal Grichuk. Ben Rice, Ryan McMahon, and Trent Grisham were benched.
Boone, however, didn’t commit to this arrangement against all southpaws and clarified that Rice and Grisham, in particular, will be in the lineup sometimes against pitchers of their same hand.
“Not necessarily,” Boone said. “Ben’s gonna play against some lefties. Grish, too. A lot of it has to do with the first three series, first nine games, this is probably the only lefty we’re gonna see, and we certainly want to get those guys in.
“And obviously they bring a lot to the table against left-handed pitching. So I’m excited to see them get their feet wet and get going.”
