Category: Sports News

1914
The White Sox their World Tour vs. the New York Giants to final rest with a banquet in the Gold Room of the Congress Hotel. Pitcher Joe Benz had to skip the celebration — he was getting married that day! Manager Nixey Callahan also had to book out west right after the celebration — White Sox spring training had started out in Paso Robles, Calif., on February 26.

Jim Margalus provided South Side Sox coverage of this night, and the entire tour, back in 2014.

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1959
Months after exercising his right to purchase a 54% (controlling) interest in the White Sox from Dorothy Comiskey, the courts cleared the sale and officially awarded the keys to Bill Veeck. Dorothy’s brother, Chuck, had held up the sale, taking his sister and Veeck to court over his supposed right of first refusal to purchase Dorothy’s shares. Chuck — who would eventually opt to remain on the payroll as an awkward “co-GM” with Greenberg — was said to have sped off in his Cadillac as Veeck arrived at the park for the first time, on this day, after purchase.

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1963
Pete Rose made his career Spring Training debut in a game vs. the White Sox at Al Lopez Field in Tampa. Rose went 2-for-2 with a double in Cincinnati’s 1-0, 14-inning (!!) win. The second baseman entered the game in the ninth inning, doubled twice, and scored the only run of the game. He would end up the NL Rookie of the Year that season.

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1983
George Kell, briefly a White Sox third baseman, was elected to the Hall of Fame via the Special Veterans Committee.

Kell had failed to reach even 37% in any of his 15 previous ballots for the Hall, and for good reason: He is one of the weaker players by WAR (37.6) in the Hall (50.0 is just about the basement for even the biggest of Big Hall fans).

By the time Kell was dealt to the White Sox during the 1954 season, his best days were past. In fact, Kell was essentially a replacement player (0.3) during that first season in Chicago, with his batting average falling short of .300 for the first time in eight seasons. A big part of his loss in value was the fact that the White Sox moved the ace third baseman to first base for half of his games that summer. However with a return to third base, Kell bounced back with a strong 1955, hitting .312 and putting up a 2.7 WAR. During the 1956 season, almost exactly two years to the date he was acquired, the White Sox shipped Kell to Baltimore, where he ended his career in 1957.

Longtime Dodgers manager Walter Alston was elected along with Kell.

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1995
After two stints at White Sox Spring Training and a full season in Birmingham, Michael Jordan announced he was giving up baseball.

Part of the reason came as a result of his struggles with re-learning the game in his 30s. But the other, larger part (as he explained to author Bob Greene in the book Rebound, The Odyssey of Michael Jordan) was because he was being pressured by GM Ron Schueler to cross the MLBPA picket line. 

With replacement games set to start during the lockout of major-leaguers, Jordan was told that if he didn’t cross the line, he’d be banished from the main clubhouse. Jordan was furious, saying that he was promised by owner Jerry Reinsdorf he wouldn’t be forced to do that.

Jordan explained that under no circumstances would he ever cross a labor picket line regardless of sport. 

“I told them from the beginning that I didn’t want them to use me to make money in the Spring Training games,” Jordan told Greene. “We had an understanding. It was never supposed to even come up. I was disgusted that the promise wasn’t going to be honored.”

Jordan would return to the Bulls at the end of the 1994-95 season, and went on to win three more NBA championships (1996-98). 

It was another day of both positive and negative news for the Braves (which is now the norm.) On one hand, the Braves bats continued to look good in a win over the Twins while Ronald Acuna Jr. dominated for Venezuela in the WBC. However, the Braves once again received “worse case scenario” news in terms of a pitching injury. This time, it is a torn ACL that will keep Joey Wentz out for the 2026 season.

While Wentz was a depth piece and may not have even made the team to start the season, a starting staff that already was dealing with multiple signficant injuries really did not need another. As good as the offense has looked, the Braves lack of injury luck in their starting rotation is once again the biggest storyline of the Spring. And at some point, moves need to be made to insure pitching injuries do not once again put the season in doubt, and this time perhaps before it even starts.

Braves News

For the season positional previews, here is the Braves catching breakdown for the 2026 season.

Longtime Braves ace Julio Teheran announced his retirement from baseball on Monday.

MLB News

Team USA was able to get the win against a Mexico team that tried to rally late.

The Phillies and pitcher Jesus Luzardo agreed to a 5 year, $135M extension on Monday.

His name is no longer just Will Klein. It will now forever be linked with the moniker World Series Hero Will Klein.

In the marathon game that was Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, it was Klein that kept the Dodgers tied with the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave everything he had, going four innings and 72 pitches. It was the longest outing of his professional career, and Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning garnered Klein the win.

Now, Klein is in a battle to join the Dodgers bullpen this season. The relief pitcher has been with four organizations in the last two years, and would very much like to continue calling L.A. his home. From Sonja Chen of MLB.com:

“I think the Dodgers just really allow you to be who you are,” Klein said. “A lot of other teams are maybe like cookie-cutter in their programs or know what they want from guys, but here … you see a lot of different kinds of pitchers, and they let you do what you’re exceptional at.”

So far this spring, he has appeared in five games, going 5.0 innings, with seven strikeouts and a 1.80 era. But per usual, the Dodgers bullpen is full of guys who can make the Opening Day roster, and Klein just hopes he is one.

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One guy who is new to the team but knows he has a spot is Kyle Tucker. He isn’t just new to the Dodgers, he’s new to parenthood. Kyle and his wife welcomed a baby boy last week.

Now Tucker is back in Dodgers camp and looking to work on his swing to be ready for the start of the season.

Unlike Freddie Freeman, Tucker does not have a set number of at bats he’d like to have to feel comfortable at the plate. Tucker had one hit in Sunday’s game against the Oakland Athletics but was out of the lineup on Monday. He is expected to be back in the lineup in Tuesday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“From what I’ve gathered of talking to him and his coaches before, he doesn’t need a lot to get ready,” Roberts said, per Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register. “It was good to see him get a hit (Sunday). … I still think we have plenty of time to get him ready to go.”

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In addition to spring training, the baseball world is enjoying the World Baseball Classic. And while two of his fellow starting pitchers went to play for their country, Glasnow decided early in the offseason that he would stay in Dodgers camp to continue to progress on the strides he made last season, per Jack Harris of The California Post.

Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior remarked that it took the coaching staff a little while to understand all there was to Glasnow’s delivery, and how best to make it work for him. From Harris:

“I think it’s taken us a couple years to kind of understand the nuances of his delivery, and really matching his feel versus the output (of what he’s doing),” Prior said. “With a lot of guys, we’re trying to get things narrowed down to one or two things that we can really hit somebody between the eyes with. But I joke with him, like, ‘Hey man, you got 50.’”

They have homed in on a few specific tweaks, and Glasnow showed out in the playoffs, both starting and coming in in relief, allowing only a 1.69 era through the playoffs. Glasnow is now looking to carry that into the 2026 season. He starts Tuesday against the Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch.

Results

• R1: Jack Morris Game 7 Shutout 1991
• R2: Kirby Puckett Game 6 Dominance 1991
• R3: First World Series championship 1987
• R4: AL Champions Metrodome welcome 1987
• R5: Game 163 wild victory 2009
• R6: Mudcat’s World Series must-win 1965
• R7: Harmon’s 500th homer 1971
• R8: Final day AL Central title 2006
• R9: Kirby Puckett’s Weekend for the Ages 1987
• R10: Breaking the Playoff Curse (TM) 2023
• R11: The Donnie & Hrbie Show 1987
• R12: Johan Santana in 17K 2007
• R13: Mauer’s Final Moment 2018
• R14: Dozier’s Comeback Capper 2015
• R15: Thome is my Homie 2010
• R16: A Killer Clout 1965
• R17: Radke-Santana-Lohse Trifecta 2004
• R18: More Kubel 2009
• R19: Span-tastic Comeback 2008

Unless or until the Minnesota Twins win another World Series—one I’m not a toddler or a kindergartener for—it is possible that September 25, 2008, will remain my Twins fandom zenith. Timing and circumstance matters a lot, and in late ‘08 I had just graduated college and reveling in the “summer after being done” (not quite realizing what the Great Recession was going to do to my immediate-future employment prospects). No, at the time all I cared about was the Twins beating the White Sox at the Metrodome—and Denard Span delivered…

The newbie: Sano-ing in Cleveland!

Jacque Jones jolts contraction outta here (2002)

• The 2001 offseason was undoubtedly the worst in Twins franchise history. After MLB Commissioner Bud Selig floated the contraction idea and Twins owner Carl Pohlad was more than willing to take the payout, it took a county judge to restore order. Jacque Jones restored between-the-white-lines order by homering in the first PA of the 2002 season! I wasn’t able to locate the audio, but Dick Bremer’s “And I hope it lands in Milwaukee!” call remains iconic.

Francisco Liriano out-duels Roger Clemens (2006)

• Francisco Liriano’s 2006 run was perhaps the greatest pitching stretch in franchise history. His signature moment that season was out-dueling Roger Clemens in Houston on June 22, 2006. With The Rocket (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) in the midst of his home-state comeback, Liriano (8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) outclassed the veteran in his own back yard. While by no means Frankie’s best single-game performance of ‘06, beating Kody’s Dad put him on the national stage.

No Way, Jose! (2024)

• On July 3, 2024, Jose Miranda singled in the eighth inning of a blowout loss to the Tigers. Ho hum. But then, something inexplicable happened: Miranda reached base the next twelve consecutive at-bats—13 if you count a HBP mixed in! In a sport where 0-fer slumps can sometimes last weeks, Jose managed to find his way on base—without the benefit of a BB—a baker’s dozen worth of times in a row.

Chili for 3 (1991)

• In the late-80s and early-90s, the Oakland Athletics controlled the AL West. The Twins looked to change that on August 16, 1991. Only a few games up on the A’s, MN found themselves down 4-2 in B9 against dominant closer Dennis Eckersley. Chili Davis led off and smacked a ball to RF, where chaos ensued: Jose Canseco played the sphere like a malfunctioning pinball machine, a fan hurled a roll of toilet paper onto the field, and Chili chugged into third base. A few batters later, the Twins tied the game, won it in extra innings, and never were less than 4 GA of the Bash Brothers the rest of the way to the pennant.

Sano Slams the Division Door (2019)

• The 2019 season was a magical one for the Twins. But somewhat forgotten in the 100+ wins & Bomba Squad of it all was Cleveland being a persistent pest all summer long. On September 14, Miguel Sano swatted them away on their own grounds. After taking the first game of a rain-induced doubleheader, the Twins & Guardians found themselves tied 5-5 in the 8th inning of game two. That is, until—with the bases juiced—Sano launched a sphere so far that not even the high walls of Progressive Field could contain it! My Mom and I were present on the shores of Lake Erie to see the Twins finally commandeer the Central crown.

Tyler O’Neill’s debut season in Baltimore was a disaster. The 30-year-old was placed on the IL three times for three different ailments. He had neck inflammation in April, a left shoulder impingement in May, and right wrist inflammation in August. That limited him to just 54 games and a .684 OPS. One season into his three-year, $49.5 million deal, it’s was looking like a bad investment by the Orioles front office.

But the team won’t be ready to move on after one poor campaign. O’Neill is back and expected to play a major role on a team looking for an offensive rebound. He has the potential to be a significant factor in whether or not that happens. The reason the Orioles were willing to pay him so much going into 2025 was his impressive showing with the Red Sox, where he had an .847 OPS with 31 home runs in just 113 games during the 2024 season.

Here’s the Orioles’ current outfield picture: Taylor Ward was brought in to start everyday in left field and provide reliable pop. Colton Cowser is penciled in as the center fielder day in and day out. O’Neill is expected to share right field with Dylan Beavers and likely get some at-bats as the team’s DH as well. Leody Taveras is looking like the “fourth outfielder” that can backup everywhere, but particularly in center. Heston Kjerstad is lurking in the background, likely bound for Norfolk to begin the year, where he can prove if he is past the health struggles he dealt with last summer.

O’Neill’s path to “everyday” at-bats is a bit muddier than it was a year ago, when he came in as the highly-paid key addition. There’s pressure on this team to win a lot of games and make a playoff run. If that includes O’Neill as the right fielder most days, then that is where he will be. If it means taking him out of the lineup more frequently to keep him fresh, then so be it.

Here is what two prominent projection systems expect for O’Neill in 2026:

• ZiPS: 349 PA, .238/.321/.456, 18 HR, 13 2B, 49 RBI
• BRef: 352 PA, .230/.316/.447, 17 HR, 14 2B, 41 RBI

The two projections are nearly identical. The 350-ish plate appearances they expect is particularly noteworthy. That would peg O’Neill at playing in 90 or so games. Looking at his career numbers, that feels like a fair estimate, basically baking in an IL stint or two.

More importantly, they do expect O’Neill to bounceback at the plate and produce right around his career average numbers (.242/.320/.463). That would be an acceptable outcome from the Orioles’ perspective. Getting around 20 home runs and a .770 OPS from a part-time outfielder probably means the offensive overall has taken a nice step forward.

And although the sample size for 2025 is small, there is evidence that O’Neill played better than his topline numbers suggest. According to Baseball Savant, his expected slugging percentage was .523, and his expected wOBA was .360. Both numbers would have been in the top 20% of MLB if he qualified. So maybe we aren’t too far away from an O’Neill breakout in Baltimore.

What do you think of these projections? Do you think O’Neill will stay healthy enough to make an impact in 2026? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Good morning, baseball fans!

I’m back from a few days off for my birthday, so let’s take a look at what the San Francisco Giants have on deck for this week.

Tuesday

The Giants will head to Goodyear Ballpark to take on the Cleveland Guardians at 1:05 p.m. PDT. Audio coverage will be available through the MLB Gameday app.

Wednesday

The Giants will head to Surprise, AZ to take on the Kansas City Royals at 1:05 p.m. PDT. Audio coverage will be available through the MLB Gameday app.

Thursday

The Giants will return to Scottsdale to take on the Chicago White Sox at 6:05 p.m. PDT. Mark this one on your calendars, as the game will have a television broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Friday

Friday will be a split squad day against the Cincinnati Reds.

The road team will head back to Goodyear Ballpark to take on the Reds’ home team at 6:05 p.m. PDT. As of right now, there is no listing for radio or television coverage.

The home team will take on the Reds’ travel squad at 4:05 p.m. PDT. There are no listings for this game either. I would presume one of them, at least, will be on KNBR.

Saturday

The Giants will host the Arizona Diamondbacks at 1:05 p.m. PDT. This game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area, as well as MLB Network for out-of-market fans. Radio coverage will be available on KNBR.

Sunday

The Giants will wrap up the week with a home game against the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:05 p.m. PDT. Radio coverage will be available on KNBR.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Just how high will Cubs aim in pursuit of World Series title? “The Dodgers don’t listen to the narrative that the playoffs are a crapshoot.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Is the key to Shota Imanaga’s 2026 success really as simple as getting his velocity back? “Beyond the velocity, the pitch just wasn’t as effective as it was in his first season.”
• Mark Gonzales (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs reliever Porter Hodge will begin season on injured list with flexor tendon strain. “Flexor tendon strains can be a precursor to Tommy John surgery, although Craig Counsell said neither the injuries to Hodge nor Jordan Wicks (radial nerve irritation in left arm) are long term.” More from Reuters*.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Chicago Cubs camp notes: Scott Kingery looks to reestablish himself — and Justin Dean eager for big-league role. “… Kingery isn’t dwelling on the past.”
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball*): ABS will force Seiya Suzuki into a new set of adjustments. “Patient hitters will be disproportionately affected by the switch to the ABS challenge system in Major League Baseball this season.”

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. 

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

We’re back with another Brewers Reacts Survey with Opening Day now right around the corner! After asking about the last position player to make the roster last week, we’re discussing an Opening Day starter today.

With Freddy Peralta now with the New York Mets, the Brewers will have a new Opening Day arm for the first time since 2023, when Corbin Burnes got the start. Brandon Woodruff seems like the obvious choice, but his status is currently “up in the air” as he ramps up in his first healthy spring since that 2023 season.

So if Woodruff can’t go, who will it be? There are plenty of options.

Quinn Priester would be a contender, but he’s expected to miss the start of the season with right wrist discomfort. Logan Henderson, who missed a chunk of last season with a flexor strain, is also reportedly battling elbow soreness. That all but eliminates those two.

Jacob Misiorowski seems like the other “obvious choice,” as he has ace-type stuff when he’s on. But after a hot start that netted him an All-Star selection, he struggled a bit down the stretch, finishing with a 4.36 ERA and 3.62 FIP despite 87 strikeouts in just 66 innings.

Chad Patrick is another sophomore coming off a decent rookie season, as he joined the rotation early in the year after a myriad of injuries plagued Milwaukee’s pitching staff. He finished the year with 27 appearances (23 starts), totaling 119 2/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 127 strikeouts. He was also a solid relief piece in the postseason, totaling nine innings with two runs allowed and 11 strikeouts.

Other potential options include Aaron Ashby (who has been stretched a bit this spring), Robert Gasser, DL Hall, and Kyle Harrison. There are a few other young options beyond them that are unlikely to start, but I’ll still throw some more names out there — Shane Drohan, Carlos Rodriguez, and Brandon Sproat.

Who do you think will be the Brewers’ Opening Day starter? Will Woodruff be ready? Or will it be somebody else? Weigh in on our poll below, and stay tuned for results later in the week!

Max Scherzer seems like a cool dude. Maybe he’d like to pitch out of the bullpen? Huh, huh??

Phillies News:

• A fun story from the outstanding Alex Coffey, Jesus Luzardo has found a mentor in Max Scherzer($$)
• A look at projections for Justin Crawford for 2026
• Injury updates on Zack Wheeler, Aidan Miller and Orion Kerkering
• Jonathan Bowlan talking about living up to his father’s perfect game
• Talking ABS and trusting JT Realmuto
• Make or Break Year for Alec Bohm
• ICYMI, Ethan smacks some sense into the fanbase against the idea of Garrett Stubbs as the 26th roster guy

MLB News:

• Mock Draft season is upon us, see SI’s draft
• Giants signed Joey Lucchesi to a minor league deal
• CBS already putting out a trade deadline preview, because sure why not
• What shall the Braves ever do without Jurickson Profar (probably what they did for half of last season)