DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18: Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on during a spring training workout at the Toronto Blue Jays' Player Development Complex on February 18, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
These 1:00 Eastern starts really mess with my day. Being in Alberta, it is an 11:00 start. I like to get a workout in, but I’m not an early riser, so getting a GameThread together and working out before 11:00 is not going to happen. On the other hand, watching an 11:00 start-time game, doing a quick recap, and then getting the workout in is getting too late in the day. I know….I have such a rough life.
Of course, the 1:00 start isn’t going to mess with my day as much as tomorrow’s 8:00 am eastern start for the Gold Medal game. That is really going to mess with my day.
There is an additional wrinkle in the works at the moment. My son had a minor fender bender, but his car is on the IL. So he’s borrowing my car, which means my wife and I are sharing a car. But we both have our own things, so there is a fair bit of logistics to work out. She is out for the day, but she’s going to drop me where I workout. They have a pub, so I can watch the game and then go for my workout and hopefully she will be done around the time I’m finished my workout. First world problems.
Anyway, today’s lineup. A lot of the regulars are playing.
Today’s Lineups
PHILLIES
BLUE JAYS
Justin Crawford – CF
Ernie Clement – 2B
Adolis Garcia – RF
Andres Gimenez – SS
Edmundo Sosa – SS
Vladimir Guerrero – 1B
Otto Kemp – LF
Alejandro Kirk – C
Bryan De La Cruz – DH
Addison Barger – RF
Rafael Marchan – C
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Dylan Moore – 2B
Daulton Varsho – DH
Christian Cairo – 3B
Davis Schneider – LF
Keaton Anthony – 1B
Nathan Lukes – CF
Bryse Wilson – RHP
Eric Lauer – LHP
John Schneider said, “Spring training, please put no stock in the batting order. We’re just trying to get certain guys the number of at-bats and kind of get out of the game early.” And of course, every spring we get complaints about the batting orders, and every spring I say, ‘Save it for the season’. We’ll have enough to complain about when real baseball starts. Right now, just enjoy.
As always, I’m really looking forward to the first game, but then by the second week, I’ll be bored with fake baseball, and bored trying to pretend that the 2 at bats I see of some prospect, or near prospects, means something.
Here is a little semi-interesting bit:
Eloy Jiménez has been spending a lot of time at first base early in camp. He’s dabbled there for a few games in the minors and, more recently, in the Dominican Winter League.
He’s taking more grounders there with Vladdy this morning at TD Ballpark. #BlueJays
In OOTP Baseball, last year’s version, I had Anthony Santander play first base all spring training, so he could play first when Vlad DHed. It was perfect. Of course, OOTP didn’t know that Anthony would be hurt most of the season.
Bill Mazeroski passed away yesterday. He was 89. He was best known for his Game Seven home run in the 1960 World Series, but for me, I knew him because of a preseason annual season preview magazine that came out before the start of each season, back before the internet. I don’t know if it is still published.
Mazeroski had a very nice 17-year career. In 2163 games, he hit .260/.299/.367 with 138 home runs, a 36.5 bWAR. He won 8 Gold Gloves, made 7 All-Star games and had MVP votes twice.
I’m going to post this early and then get to somewhere I can watch the game.
Tyrese Maxey has been the main man for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, putting up career numbers. The guard is averaging a career-high 28.9 points, and he’s also shooting an impressive 37.9% from downtown.
The Kentucky product is averaging 3.4 makes on 8.9 attempts per night, and Maxey just went 4-for-11 from deep in his first game back from the All-Star break. While that’s the first time he’s cashed the Over in triples in five appearances, there’s reason to believe Maxey will get hot from deep.
The Sixers take on the lowly New Orleans Pelicans tonight, who are allowing point guards to average 3.55 threes per game. Maxey is also shooting 40.2% from downtown on the road, averaging 3.5 makes.
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBCSP,GCSEN
Prop #2: Cade Cunningham Over 25.5 points
-105 at bet365
Cade Cunningham is the main driving force behind the Detroit Pistons’ miraculous season, and he didn’t miss a beat in his return from the All-Star festivities. Cade proceeded to drop 42 against the New York Knicks on Thursday in a huge win at Madison Square Garden.
The guard is averaging 25.7 PPG in 2025-26, and he’s cashed the Over in five of his last six outings. During that span, Cunningham has scored 30+ points three times. The 24-year-old is averaging 27.6 points on the road, and Detroit is in Chicago this evening.
He’ll cook in The Windy City.
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network-Detroit, CHSN
Prop #3: Kevin Durant Over 24.5 points
-105 at bet365
Kevin Durant is a walking bucket, and he’s lived up to expectations in his first season with the Houston Rockets. KD is averaging 26 PPG, which ranks 11th in the league. He erupted for 35 points on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets.
The veteran has hit the Over in points in just three of his last six, but Durant is averaging 27.3 points per game on the road this season, and the Rockets head to MSG tonight to face the New York Knicks.
There’s always an added pressure playing at The Garden, and I have no doubts Durant will rise to the occasion and make this one competitive.
Cash your ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout!
Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game NBA moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your team goes up by 20+ points!
Learn more about this feature, and all of bet365's offerings, with our comprehensive bet365 review!
Sign Up Now atimg src="https://img.covers.com/betting/sportsbooks/2/bet365.svg" alt="bet365" width="100" height="28" style="vertical-align: middle;"
21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 25: Pitcher Luis Garcia #57 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 25, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the first quarterfinal matchup of the “Last Man In” free agent tournament, Jeff Hoffman squeaked by Jose Contreras by just two votes. In the second matchup, Brad Miller was victorious over Jake Arrieta.
Here are the next two quarterfinal matchups:
1.Cliff Lee, 2011
In 2011, Cliff Lee gave up three total earned runs across ten starts in the months of June and August. It must have been really depressing for opposing teams to have to get put through the ringer by Roy Halladay one night and then have to face Lee the next.
On this day in 2011 Cliff Lee would start his dominant run of August and September. In those final two months of the season Lee pitched ten games and went
— Mismatch Philadelphia (@MismatchPhilly) August 4, 2023
9. Nick Castellanos, 2022
As it turns out, there can be drawbacks to relying too much on free agency to build a team. If you need to pay a guy a lot of money to come play for you, there’s the chance that he might act like a mercenary.
Who should advance? Vote now!
2. Bryce Harper, 2019
For all the talk about whether or not Bryce Harper is still elite, his offensive performance in 2019 wasn’t all that much different than in 2025. He got off to a relatively slow start in his first season with the team, before turning it on down the stretch for a superb August and September.
Not every major leaguer’s path is the same. Luis Garcia had washed out as a prospect and was working as a barber (but apparently not a good one), when he was able to garner attention from scouts and finally reach the big leagues.
Luis García couldn't cut it as a ballplayer. Then, he couldn't cut it as a barber. Now, he's pitching high leverage innings with a World Series spot on the line — all because his NLCS opponent, the Phillies, took a chance on him a decade ago.https://t.co/XBhnOlxvWs
Former Edmonton Oilers goalie prospect Olivier Rodrigue has found a new home.
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have signed Rodrigue for the rest of the 2025-26 season.
Rodrigue's time with the Oilers came to an end this past off-season after the Pacific Division club elected not to send him a qualifying offer. From there, he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and ended up signing with Barys Astana of the KHL.
Yet, Rodrigue never made an appearance for Barys Astana, as he got injured and had his contract terminated. Now, after signing this deal with the Blackhawks, he should get into some game action with their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
The Oilers selected Rodrigue with the 62nd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The 25-year-old goaltender then went on to play 131 games over five seasons with the Oilers' AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, where he had a 61-52-15 record, a 2.92 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and two shutouts.
While Rodrigue spent plenty of time in the Oilers' system, he only played in his first two NHL regular-season games for Edmonton this past season. During them, the former Oilers prospect had a 0-1-0 record, a .862 save percentage, and a 3.10 goals-against average.
Today is the start of Cactus League play for the Dodgers, who hit the road to battle the Angels in Tempe for their first game.
For 27 of the next 29 days the Dodgers will play a televised game in Arizona. The first two games are this weekend in the afternoon, and 13 of the 18 weekday games over the next four weeks will also be played during the day.
That can create some conflicts with most people’s work schedules. If you can’t watch on SportsNet LA (or through MLBtv, from afar), six of the Arizona weekday telecasts will be simulcast on AM 570 radio, part of the 14 total radio broadcasts when the Dodgers are in Arizona.
Today’s question is how will you watch the Dodgers this spring? Do you have a second screen going while working, or are you listening to radio while multi-tasking? Or will you be able to watch the games live on your TV? Or might you go back in later to watch the game or browse the highlights?
We’re back recapping every single White Sox game, and that starts with Spring Training!
The White Sox season begins on Friday, February 20 at the Cubs and packs 33 games into 32 days. After that barrage, it’s off to the 162-game marathon, beginning up in Milwaukee, taking on the Brewers on March 26.
Check back here for regular (if not daily or multi-daily) updates to the results and broadcast schedule!
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 05: Baseball Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski waves to the crowd before throwing out the first pitch before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees at PNC Park on July 5, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Bill Mazeroski, the Hall of Fame second baseman who won eight Gold Glove awards for his steady work in the field and the hearts of countless Pittsburgh Pirates fans for his historic walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, has died at the age of 89.
Pirates owner Bob Nutting said “Maz was one of a kind, a true Pirates legend. ... His name will always be tied to the biggest home run in baseball history and the 1960 World Series championship, but I will remember him most for the person he was: humble, gracious and proud to be a Pirate.”
Mazeroski died Friday, the Pirates said. No cause of death was given.
‘Defensive wizard’
Elected to the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 2001, he was, by some measures, no superstar. Mazeroski had the lowest batting average, on-base percentage and stolen base total of any second baseman in Cooperstown. He hit just .260 lifetime, with 138 homers and 27 stolen bases in 17 years, and had an on-base percentage of .299. He never batted .300, never approached 100 runs batted or 100 runs scored and only once finished in the top 10 for Most Valuable Player.
His best qualities were both tangible and beyond the box score. His Hall of Fame plaque praises him as a “defensive wizard” with “hard-nosed hustle” and a “quiet work ethic.” A 10-time All-Star, he turned a major league record 1,706 double plays, earning the nickname “No Hands” for how quickly he fielded grounders and relayed them. He led the National League nine times in assists for second basemen and has been cited by statistician Bill James as the game’s greatest defensive player at his position — by far.
“I think defense belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Mazeroski said, defensively, during his Hall of Fame induction speech. “Defense deserves as much credit as pitching and I’m proud to be going in as a defensive player.”
A home run for the ages
Mazeroski’s signature moment took place in the batter’s box, as the square-jawed, tobacco-chewing Mazeroski, a coal miner’s son from West Virginia, lived out the dream of so many kids who thought of playing professional ball.
The Pirates had not reached the World Series since 1927, when they were swept by the New York Yankees, and again faced the Yankees in 1960. While New York was led by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, Pittsburgh had few prominent names beyond a young Roberto Clemente. They relied on hitters ranging from shortstop Dick Groat to outfielder Bob Skinner, and the starting pitchers Vernon Law and Bob Friend. Mazeroski, who turned 24 that September, finished the season with a .273 average and usually batted eighth.
The series told one story in the runs column and another in wins and losses. The Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27, and 38-3 in the three games they won. Mazeroski’s counterpart on New York, Bobby Richardson, drove in a record 12 runs and was named the series’ MVP — even though he was on the losing team. Whitey Ford shut out the Pirates twice, on his way to a then-record 33 2/3 straight scoreless World Series innings for the Yankees ace.
The Pirates’ first three wins weren’t nearly so spectacular, but they were wins — and Mazeroski helped. He hit a 2-run homer in the fourth inning off the Yankees’ Jim Coates in Game 1, a 6-4 Pirate victory, and a 2-run double in the second inning off Art Ditmar in Game 5, a 5-2 Pittsburgh win. In Game 7, he saved his big hit for the end.
Some 36,000 fans at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, and many more tuning in on radio and television, agonized through one of the Fall Classic’s wildest and most emotional conclusions. The lead changed back and forth as Pittsburgh scored the game’s first four runs, only to fall behind as the Yankees rallied in the middle innings and went ahead 7-4 in the top of the eighth. Pittsburgh retook the lead with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, helped in part by a seeming double-play grounder that took a bad hop and struck Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat. But the Yankees came right back and tied the score at 9 in the top of the ninth.
The bottom of the ninth has been relived, not always by choice, by the two teams and by generations of fans. The New York pitcher was Ralph Terry, a right hander whom manager Casey Stengel had brought in during the previous inning and would later acknowledge that he had a tired arm. The right-handed hitting Mazeroski, who had grounded into a double play in his previous appearance, was up first.
Terry started with a fastball, called high for a ball. After conferring briefly with catcher Johnny Blanchard, who reminded him to keep his pitches down, he threw what Mazeroski would call a slider that didn’t slide. Mazeroski got under it and belted it to left, the ball rising and rising as it cleared the high, ivy-covered brick wall, with Yankees left fielder Yogi Berra circling under it, then turning away in defeat. The whole city seemed to erupt, as if all had swung the bat with him, as if he were every underdog who longed to beat the hated Yankees. Mazeroski dashed around the bases, grinning and waving his cap, joined by celebrants from the stands who had rushed onto the field and followed him to home plate, where his teammates embraced him.
“I was just looking to get on base,″ he told The New York Times in 1985. ″Nothing fancy, just looking for a fastball until he got a strike on me. I thought it would be off the wall, and I wanted to make third if the ball ricocheted away from Berra. But when I got around first and was digging for second, I saw the umpire waving circles above his head and I knew it was over.”
It was the first time a World Series had ended on a homer, leading to enduring waves of celebration and despair. Pirates followers memorized the date, Saturday, Oct. 13, 1960, and the local time of Mazeroski’s hit, 3:36 p.m. Forbes Field was torn down in the 1970s, but a decade later fans began gathering every Oct. 13 at the park’s lone remnant, the center field wall, and listened to the original broadcast.
Meanwhile, Mantle would sob on the plane ride home in 1960, insisting the better team had lost. Ford would for years remain angry at Stengel — fired five days after the Series — for using him in Games 3 and 6 and making him unavailable to start a third time. The late singer Bing Crosby, a former co-owner of the Pirates, was so afraid he’d jinx his team that he listened to the game with friends across the Atlantic Ocean, in Paris.
“We were in this beautiful apartment, listening on shortwave, and when it got close Bing opened a bottle of Scotch and was tapping it against the mantel,” his widow, Kathryn Crosby, told the Times in 2010. “When Mazeroski hit the home run, he tapped it hard; the Scotch flew into the fireplace and started a conflagration.”
A team player
Mazeroski was a Pirate for his entire time in the majors and was a team man off the field. His wife, Milene Nicholson, was a front office employee whom he met through Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh. They were married in 1958, had two sons and remained together until her death in 2024.
William Stanley Mazeroski was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, during the Great Depression, grew up in eastern Ohio, and lived for a time in a one-room house without electricity or indoor plumbing. His father, Louis Mazeroski, had hoped himself to be a ballplayer and encouraged his son’s love for sports, even practicing with him by having his son field tennis balls thrown against a brick wall.
Although a star in basketball and football, he favored baseball and was good enough to be drafted by the Pirates at age 17 in 1954. Mazeroski was a shortstop for a team with numerous prospects at that position, and had switched to second by his rookie year, 1956. Even as a part-time player at the end of his career, he was a leader and steady presence on the 1971 team that featured Clemente and Willie Stargell and defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.
After his final season, 1972, Mazeroski coached briefly for the Pirates and the Seattle Mariners and was an infield instructor for Pittsburgh during spring training. In 1987, the Pirates retired his uniform, No. 9. The 50th anniversary of his Game 7 heroics was marked in 2010 by the unveiling — on Bill Mazeroski Way — of a 14-foot, 2,000-pound statue of one of Pittsburgh’s greats, rounding the bases, on top of the world.
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have signed goaltender Olivier Rodrigue to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
The Blackhawks signing Rodrigue comes after Rockford IceHogs goalie Stanislav Berezhnoy was suspended for 20 games. Now, Rodrigue will provide the IceHogs with more goalie depth during this final stretch of the year.
Rodrigue started this season with Barys Astana but never appeared in a game for the KHL club due to injury before being released. Now, after landing this deal with the Blackhawks, the 25-year-old will be getting his campaign started. by the
Rodrigue was selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the 62nd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In two games with the Oilers during this past season, he had a 0-1-0 record and a .862 save percentage.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 17: (ALTERNATE CROP) Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Texas Rangers poses for a portrait during photo day at Surprise Stadium on February 17, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, LSB.
The Texas Rangers played a baseball game yesterday. (: And lost. ):
Jeff Wilson has some highlights from the Rangers’ spring training opener against the Royals.
Nathan Eovaldi’s results were shaky but he felt good after his first start of 2026.
Wilson also offers up a piece on what to expect as the Rangers start up a month’s worth of spring training exhibitions.
Elsewhere Evan Grant asks who has the longest leash between struggling hitters Joc Pederson, Jake Burger and Josh Jung.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski is one of several promising youngsters in the Original Six club's system. The Blackhawks are hoping that the 2022 seventh-overall pick will become a big part of their blueline in the future, as he has good upside and skill.
With Wyatt Kaiser out due to injury, Korchinski was recently called up to the Blackhawks' roster with Sam Rinzel from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. With this, Korchinski now has a big opportunity to show the Blackhawks what he can do with the NHL club.
Korchinski has only played in two games this season with Chicago, where he has recorded one assist and a minus-2 rating. This was after he had one goal and one assist in just 16 games for Chicago in 2024-25. With this, he has not seen a ton of time on the Blackhawks' roster after playing in 76 games with Chicago during his rookie year in 2023-24.
If Korchinski stands out during this latest chance on the NHL roster, it undoubtedly should help his chances of sticking around on the Blackhawks' roster. As a result, there is no question that the left-shot defenseman has an exciting opportunity in front of him, and it will be fascinating to see what he can do with it from here.
In 45 games this season with the IceHogs, Korchinski has recorded two goals, 21 assists, and 23 points.
Feb 20, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) is fouled by Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Hawks returned to State Farm Arena to begin a significant stretch of home games but fell to a disappointing 128-97 defeat to the Miami Heat on Friday night. Onyeka Okongwu led the scoring with 22 points, with CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 20 points. For the Heat, Tyler Herro played his first game since mid-January, scoring 24 points. Bam Adebayo added 17 points as seven Miami players hit double-figure scoring efforts.
The Hawks were in a rest-disadvantaged situation heading into this contest. Having been on the road and captured an impressive win in Philadelphia on Thursday night, they would have returned late to Atlanta that night, while the Heat were already waiting for the Hawks. This was Miami’s first game after the break, and they opened the game like a team who were playing with a rest advantage, running out to an 11-3 start before quickly establishing a double-digit lead in the first quarter.
The Hawks missed a number of shots that could have easily swung the other way (such as three-point attempts from Zaccharie Risacher and Okongwu), but what was a common theme throughout the night was Atlanta’s poor defense in the paint, where Miami scored 72 points.
A few instances from the first quarter: Adebayo is easily able to beat Okongwu on the drive and beats him to the rim:
As if often the case this season, if Okongwu is forced to rotate or step up, it leaves a gaping hole at the rim where teams can exploit the Hawks’ lack of size at the rim. Risacher is easily beaten on the perimeter, forcing Okongwu to step up, which allows Norman Powell to toss a lob to Kel’el Ware, who is easily able to finish with Okongwu out of the picture:
Really, really poor from Risacher here to put the Hawks in a vulnerable position. I have no idea what resistance he thinks this is, but Powell just gets by him as if he wasn’t there (which he may as well have not been on this possession).
A poor defensive sequence from the normally positive Alexander-Walker, who falls behind too easily on the give-and-go exchange from Herro and Kasparas Jakučionis. Herro easily getting by as Alexander-Walker gets caught trying to reach in, and Herro recognizes the opportunity to get ahead of Alexander-Walker, who tries a desperate slap-down to try and salvage the possession as Herro hits the runner:
The Hawks fell behind by 15 points in the early stages of the second quarter before the Hawks were ignited by an 11-point McCollum quarter that saw the Hawks actually tie this game. McCollum hit three three-pointers, as the Hawks hit seven threes in the second quarter alone to reign in the Heat. However, a disappointing end to the quarter saw the Hawks fall behind by six points heading into the locker room as Adebayo gets the better of Okongwu again at the rim for the basket:
The third quarter played out similarly to the first quarter: the Hawks missing shots while offering little resistance to prevent Miami from scoring. This play just over two minutes into the second half sums it up, as Davion Mitchell strolls by Jalen Johnson for the score at the rim, leading to a timeout:
This was only the Heat’s second basket of the quarter, but after a poor, off-balance shot by Okongwu in the lane followed by…I don’t even know how to kindly describe Jalen Johnson’s defense/effort on that possession. The Hawks are on the second night of a back-to-back, but you cannot use that excuse for that type of defense coming out after halftime in a game/against a team the Hawks actually need to win more than others.
This is a team the Hawks are competing with for a play-in spot, and that kind of defense from Johnson — the team’s leading player — is absolutely unacceptable, especially from a player who is more than capable of being an excellent defender. However, since his growth in offensive responsibilities/capabilities, his on-ball defense has taken an absolute nosedive, and that play really sums up the drop-off.
The Heat re-established their double-digit lead, and while a quick run brought that back down to six points, the Heat didn’t take long to push their lead back out to double digits. The Hawks continued to struggle offensively, shooting 9-of-27 from the field, including 1-of-7 from Johnson in the third quarter alone.
The Hawks tried to go to McCollum in hopes of another spark, and while he did score seven points in the third, it was not enough for the Hawks as the Heat eased their way into the fourth with a double-digit lead. The same recipe repeated in the fourth quarter as the Hawks offered little resistance in the paint.
Another example shown in this play, as Risacher gets drawn to the middle and loses sight of Jaime Jaquez Jr., who makes the cut behind Risacher and finishes at the rim:
In the end, the Heat shot 68% around the rim, making a total of 34 made baskets around the rim, which is a lot of baskets to concede at the rim:
The Heat eased away from the Hawks, and the game became a rout, a 128-97 loss at home as the chants of ‘Let’s go Heat’ sounded at State Farm Arena. A disappointing return to State Farm Arena after the All-Star break.
In contrast, the Hawks shot 45% around the rim (well below the 60% league average number), and Hawks head coach Quin Snyder was left to reflect on the Hawks’ percentage at the rim, including keeping the Hawks’ awareness on drives and creating better shots and the process of players continuing to learn with the Hawks’ preferred tendencies offensively.
“We talk a lot about having your eyes out,” said Snyder postgame. “Whatever those shots are, not all shots at the rim are created equal, and there’s times when we’re in a crowd, or we’re trying to finish over somebody, we need to make better decisions in that area. We need each other on offense, and the possessions where that happens, you can feel them. We can generate better shots. When we’re not doing that, that’s not our strength, and it’s going to show with our shot quality. That’s something that we just need to internalize, there’s no shame in that. But we have to generate offense together, whether that means running or movement, passing, and that’s gonna be key for us. We’re at a point now where there’s some guys that are learning that, guys are learning new roles. The end game is the same: that’s what it needs to look like. When you see that, there’s some really good possessions where we get good looks and good things happen and then when we’re not that connected, the result isn’t good enough to win a game.”
Jalen Johnson, similarly, highlighted that when the Hawks are at their best when they execute their gameplan, and admitted the Hawks did not do this last night.
“I think when we’re consistent with the game plan and we come out executing the gameplan, that’s when we’re at our best,” said Johnson. “I don’t think we did a good job of executing the gameplan tonight.”
Snyder alluded to the Hawks’ lack of defensive consistency when the ball wasn’t falling for them on the offensive end, when Snyder wasn’t unhappy with how the Hawks were playing.
“In the first quarter we started out, and even though we weren’t scoring, we had a hard time seeing the ball go in,” said Snyder. “I didn’t think we were playing poorly, offensively. We hung in there with our defense, and there’s a point when the toughness that’s required to kind of keep your focus and continue to sustain defensively when you’re not getting… It’s different, missing shots is different than not getting quality possessions. When you don’t get quality possessions, it becomes much harder to defend, and we teetered with that for a while, and then it slipped. Suddenly, it went from six, eight, ten, and bubbled up to high double digits.”
If by ‘hung in with our defense’ he means give up 70+ points in the paint, allow 34 baskets around the rim, many of them with ease, then, sure, you could say the Hawks hung in there. I’d argue that were it not for the second quarter, and that run where Alexander-Walker and McCollum were hitting shots and brought the Hawks to tie the game, this game would’ve been close to a 40-point blowout. On the balance of the first, third, and fourth quarters, this margin of victory I think reflects the game as a whole. The second quarter was, ultimately, the outlier.
“I think the first quarter, we were kind of getting our sea legs back,” said McCollum. “We didn’t get out and run, didn’t get stops, a little sluggish. Second quarter, we got out and ran, Corey got a dunk, got a transition three, got some rim pressure, got some kick out threes from eyes-out. I think that was the difference. We got a little bit of defensive momentum, obviously 29 points in the first, 28 in the second, so got a couple more stops and tried to prevent second chance opportunities. We tried to ride the wave of momentum but couldn’t sustain it.”
McCollum, generally, held a more realistic assessment of the Hawks’ shortcoming last night.
“Defensively, I think we could have been better with our communication, could have been better in pick-and-rolls,” said McCollum. “I think they went to zone to start that fourth quarter, I think that changed the game and they took advantage of some turnovers, some missed shots … and I don’t think we did enough to win. Herro got off, he got too much freedom, too much space in his pick-and-rolls, too much space in his pull-ups. We’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball in. I think a lot of guys hurt us tonight, and I think we didn’t deserve to win this game.”
In a question alluding to the back-to-back situation the Hawks found themselves in, McCollum maintained that despite a lack of rest, the Heat were able to impose themselves easily in this game to take a deserved victory.
“I would like to go to sleep before 3 A.M. last night, but they beat us, it is what it is,” said McCollum. “They came out, they played better than us. They got off to a good start; it was up 8-0. They executed better than us, they got points in transition, they got threes, they got rim pressure, they did whatever they wanted tonight. So back-to-back or not, they did enough to win, we didn’t do enough to win.”
Individually, there were some solid offensive games from Okongwu (22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, and 4-of-5 from three), Alexander-Walker (20 points on 8-of-18 shooting), and McCollum (20 points on 8-of-16 from the field). However, struggles from Dyson Daniels (four points on 2-of-7 shooting), and Zaccharie Risacher had a particularly rough game on both sides of the ball (and shot 1-of-8 from the field) which was far from ideal. However, Jalen Johnson shot a woeful 6-of-22 from the field, attempting often to get inside and draw contact and fouls/free throws, but didn’t receive a lot of the calls he wanted.
While Johnson registered a triple-double (16 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists), he was very much aware of his poor game.
“I don’t really care for no triple-double, I played terrible tonight,” said Johnson. “I just got to be better, and I just got to be better for my teammates, but we have another chance on Sunday to regroup and hopefully string together some wins. We’re home for quite, quite a long stretch, so, the chances are right in front of us. We just got to go out there and get it.”
Johnson registered just two free throw attempts in this game, a stark contrast to the 16 attempts he took against the Sixers on Thursday night.
“Those are two physical teams,” said Johnson when asked about the free throw disparity. “So last night it was just, it’s kind of different with the whistle. Tonight I just try to keep that same mentality and trying to be aggressive. I didn’t draw as many fouls as I would like and get some easy ones going early … this is something you got to adjust to and more importantly, just continue to play through. They’re going to see what they see and they’re human too and they make mistakes. I just got to continue to play through all that.”
Johnson didn’t have a great offensive game, obviously, and while he took some tough shots in traffic, nights like this can happen. While the offense for the Hawks obviously not great (shooting 38% from the field), the defense was of greater concern as they conceded 128 points on 52% shooting. Not to beat a dead horse, it’s the defensive side of the ball you want to see more from Johnson, and where’s so much more capable than he has shown. Johnson’s offense will be fine, and while I think a triple-double isn’t reflective of a good game but instead says a lot to say how impactful he can be despite playing poorly offensively.
All in all, a tough loss for the Hawks. On paper, probably not an unexpected loss on the second night of a back-to-back, but when you watch it unfold, I think it becomes a lot more disappointing.
The defensive effort was really poor and was difficult to watch at times. Miami is good at driving the ball and getting out in transition — a nightmare if, for example, the opposition is shooting poorly, like the Hawks did last night — but against a team that the Hawks are actually looking to compete with and jostle for seeding, the urgency required was absent. It’s one thing to compete and come up short, but the lack of urgency was of greater concern.
The Heat now lead the season-series 2-1, with the last matchup coming on the last day of the regular season. The Hawks, however, may not get close enough for that matter after that loss, now 3.5 games adrift of the Heat for the 8-seed. Not impossible to turnaround, but certainly a challenge.
Good news for the Hawks (27-31), however, is that they’ve got plenty of home games that aren’t back-to-backs, and beginning with the Brooklyn Nets (15-40) at State Farm Arena on Sunday afternoon. A good opportunity for a bounce back at the very least for the hosts.
1990: Oscar Azocar of the New York Yankees in action. | Getty Images
Over 22,000 players have played Major League Baseball. A small fraction of those players are remembered for their on-field accomplishments. An even smaller subset are remembered for their personalities and the joy they brought to the game. Oscar Azócar was one of those special people.
Oscar Azócar Born: February 21, 1965 (Soro, Venezuela) Died: June 14, 2010 (Valencia, Venezuela) Yankees Tenure: 1990
Azócar was scouted by the Yankees out of Venezuela as a pitcher. He fared reasonably well in this role, posting a 3.31 ERA in 171.1 innings, but these were mostly spent in the lower levels of the minors, where the southpaw never showcased the stuff to turn himself into a viable prospect. But, in 1987, during his first season as manager of the Low-A Fort Lauderdale Yankees, a 30-year-old Buck Showalter saw enough out of the young hurler as he took batting practice that the future Yankees skipper engineered a positional switch, moving Azócar to the outfield. He hit .359 in 195 plate appearances that year, rewarding Showalter’s confidence in his ability to swing the bat.
Azócar then began a precipitous climb to the bigs. He was added to Yankees’ 40-man roster on November 8, 1988, alongside more recognizable names including Kevin Maas, Hensley Meulens, and a fellow young outfielder named Bernie Williams. Azócar got his first taste of Yankees glitz the following season when he was a teammate of Deion Sanders at Double-A Albany-Colonie while the two-sport athlete was working his way up to the Yankees. “He brought me a hat,”’ Azócar said while showcasing a Falcons cap before adding, presciently, of the future Pro Football Hall of Famer, “I think he wants to play football, though.”
After hitting .292 in 504 at-bats at Triple-A in ‘89 and ‘90, Azócar got called up in July 1990 to replace Mel Hall, who’d landed on the shelf after pulling a muscle in his thigh. He joined a Yankees team that was floundering, sitting at 31-54 in the standings. On the day the team elevated Azócar, manager Stump Merrill candidly told the press of his team’s woes: “It can’t get any worse.”
It was into this subdued environment that Azócar arrived and, in the context of a near-hopeless team, briefly looked like a savior. The 25-year-old recorded a hit off Royals pitcher Steve Farr in his first at-bat, homered twice in his first week, and, at the end of July, was hitting .386 with a 1.053 OPS in 15 games.
Alongside Maas and Jim Leyritz, Azócar gave hope that a youth movement was taking hold in the Bronx. “They’re going out and playing, and it’s contagious,“ Merrill said. “They don’t quit.” Future captain Mattingly said the trio, along with Sanders, boasted “some serious talent.” Merrill was particularly effusive in his praise of Azócar. “The reason Oscar hits for average is that he doesn’t walk and doesn’t strike out,” the Yankee manager said. “The reason he hits for average is that he uses the whole field, from line to line.” For his part, the rookie was blasé about his first brush with MLB competition. “There’s no difference,” Azócar said. “In the minor leagues, there’s tough pitching, too, just like here. There’s absolutely no difference. The only difference is the people in the stands.”
In his debut, Azócar quickly demonstrated an aggressiveness and verve that both won him praise and limited his ceiling. With “going all the way,” as his mantra, the outfielder played the game at a breakneck pace, both running hard on every play and swinging at nearly every pitch. When asked by his teammates why he ran in from left field at full speed to back up third on routine plays, Azócar offered a simple and earnest reply: “because that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Despite earning a starting role and, amidst a thin Yankees roster, a shot to stick, Azócar trailed off, hitting below the Mendoza line after his dynamic July and eventually finding his way to the bench. The free-swinger would end the year with an unviable .257 on-base percentage, signaling his limits as a legitimate prospect.
Still, after his extended action the year prior, Topps made a 1991 Yankees card for the Azócar. It would prove an enduring showcase for his childlike love for the game of baseball, showcasing the outfielder balancing a baseball between two bats with a wry smile on his face.
Oscar Azocar? Debatable that he maybe doesn't fit as he did get a chance, but kind of played himself out of the bigs. On the other hand, he hit .386 in his first month in '90, and 12 year old me thought he was going to the HOF pic.twitter.com/GPEMPKBvUx
— Long time listener 🍁 (@Trammell87MVP) July 26, 2024
Despite making it onto a 1991 Yankees baseball card, Azócar wouldn’t stick in the pinstripes that year. He was designated for assignment during the offseason when New York signed Farr, the pitcher against whom Azócar had gotten his first hit, as a free agent. On December 3, 1990, he was traded to the Padres for a player to be named later who became Mike Humphreys, an outfielder who saw limited action during three seasons in the Bronx.
Azócar spent two years in San Diego. He appeared mostly as a pinch-hitter, batting .204 with a .479 OPS. It would be his final MLB action. On the way out, though, he made time to pose for one more iconic Topps baseball card. In this one, he holds his bat tight to his head with an eyes-closed, playful smile upon his face.
After his time in the US, Azócar took his enthusiastic brand of baseball to the Mexican League, where he’d spend eight seasons. As late as 2000, at the age of 35 and eight years removed from his last season with the Padres, he hit .377 with the Guerreros de Oaxaca, finishing third in the batting title race behind fellow MLB castoffs Ivan Cruz and Warren Newson.
Azócar died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2010 at just 45 years old. He would be 61 today. Despite his brief tenure in the majors, he is remembered for the joy and enthusiasm he brought to the game he loved so dearly.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: Mitch Garver #18 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after striking out against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning in game five of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good day everyone! It’s Saturday, and we’ve got some news from around the league to share with you.
In Mariners news…
Cal Raleigh played a major role in Mitch Garver’s return to the team.
Mitch Garver is in camp and ready to go. Said Cal encouraged him to give the Mariners a call and the deal was done within 24 hours.
Davy Andrews at Fangraphs provided his analysis of the Mariners’ re-signing of Garver, in which he tries to figure out what happened to the catcher’s once-incredible bat.
Though Jen Pawol will serve as an umpire throughout spring training for the third straight season, she did not get a permanent umpiring job for the regular season.
Bradford William Davis reports that Orioles owner David Rubenstein set himself up to profit from Donald Trump’s mass immigrant deportations.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Luinder Avila #58 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park on September 28, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“A lot of guys have tough years,” he said, “and you just keep fighting and you learn something from it. You learn from it, you move on and you kind of leave the result in the past.”
Massey is excited for a fresh start at spring training in Arizona, where the Royals played the Texas Rangers in their Cactus League opener on Friday. The Royals will utilize him in more of a hybrid role this season because of how their roster is constructed. It’s expected he will see time at second base and keep working in the outfield, as well.
“He looks great physically,” Quatraro said. “His demeanor has been tremendous. He’s healthy and he’s throwing the ball with great extension and great carry.
“I think in fairness to Bailey, he came over and he was in a tough spot. He was banged up a little bit and we probably saw him at his worst. I think to his credit, the way he’s put that behind him and moved forward throughout the offseason has been tremendous.”
Theoretically, going with a five-man rotation for a full year gives two guys 34 starts and three guys 33. Going with a six-man rotation all year gives everyone 27 starts. Six or seven starts coming off the arm could be the difference between freshness for the playoffs or not. But one thing that I think you have to keep in mind with that six-man rotation is that you do have a deficiency now in the bullpen, so I think the extra rest will have to be used to give starting pitchers a bit of a longer leash. Again, I don’t have the biometrics or anything so I’m just talking here, but if you’re counting on 15-18 outs every night, I think that needs to be bumped up to 18-21.
Matt Quatraro thinks Luinder Avila could be an ace someday.
Asked Q if he sees Luinder Avila as a starter or a reliever:
“Shoot, I see him as a front-of-the-rotation starter down the road.” #Royals
However, Quatraro’s assessment has me reconsidering. Having Avila in the rotation was always a possibility, but “front of the rotation?” Whoa. In order to make that happen, he’s going to have to refine and rely on that changeup a little more. That would give him another weapon against left-handed hitters. If Avila starts attacking hitters with three pitches—curve, four-seam, sinker against righties and curve, four-seam, change versus lefties—that changes the calculus in determining his future role on the big league club. If I were to tell you something to watch this spring, it would be Avila’s pitch mix. Let’s see if he throws the change with more frequency. Could he even add another pitch to the mix? He’s talented enough to pull something new out of the bag.
