Worldwide Sports News

The Shohei Ohtani Effect is minting a whole new lineup of Dodgers sponsors—and this time, the King of the Monsters is stepping up to the plate.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have landed another blockbuster partnership with one of Japan’s biggest entertainment brands, announcing a Godzilla Minus Zero Night that further showcases how Shohei Ohtani has transformed the franchise into Major League Baseball’s premier destination for Japanese business.

The Sept. 24 promotion, the Dodgers’ regular-season home finale against the San Diego Padres at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, will feature one of Japan’s most iconic cultural exports.

The first 40,000 ticketed fans entering the 7:10 p.m. game will receive an exclusive Godzilla Minus Zero bobblehead, with one giveaway item per valid ticket.

The collectible depicts Godzilla in full Dodgers gear, wearing a blue LA batting helmet and a white Dodgers jersey marked “0.0” while clenching a baseball bat between its jaws.

The monster stands atop a wrecked stadium scene surrounded by flames, with “Godzilla Minus Zero” displayed on the base.

The promotional image notes the design shown is a concept and the final product is subject to change.

Fans will also be treated to a Godzilla-themed drone show after the game, while additional in-stadium activations promoting the event will take place in the days leading up to the matchup.

The event also serves as a promotional launch for TOHO’s upcoming feature film, Godzilla Minus Zero, which opens in theaters nationwide on Nov. 6.

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Written, directed and featuring visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki, the movie is set in 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One, and follows the Shikishima family as they confront an all-new calamity.

Its predecessor won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards.

“We are pleased to partner with TOHO on Godzilla Minus Zero Night, an evening at the ballpark that should be a sure-fire hit with Dodger fans,” said Lorenzo Sciarrino, Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships, Los Angeles Dodgers. “This will be the perfect event to cap our 2026 regular season home schedule.”

Founded in 1932, TOHO is one of Japan’s leading entertainment companies, with operations spanning film production, distribution and exhibition, theater, anime and real estate.

“We are deeply honored to launch this partnership between the Los Angeles Dodgers, a monumental Major League Baseball franchise that continues to captivate fans worldwide, and Godzilla, a global icon loved for over 70 years,” said Keiji Ota, Senior Managing Executive Officer and Chief Godzilla Officer, TOHO CO., Ltd. “Both names share a powerful legacy of stepping onto the world stage, embracing relentless challenges, and fueling the passion of millions.”

Ota added that the collaboration marks another milestone in TOHO’s continued global expansion of the Godzilla brand.

“Through this partnership, Godzilla’s overwhelming presence and monumental scale will fuse with the dynamic energy of the Dodgers, delivering an exclusive, one-of-a-kind experience,” Ota further shared. “We imagine the roar of the stadium crowd echoing across the globe, capturing the very spirit of Godzilla itself.”

TOHO also promoted the event on social media, writing: “We are thrilled to announce ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Night at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Sept 24 during the Dodgers vs. Padres game!”

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The company added: “Get ready, the first 40,000 fans score an exclusive bobblehead! Plus, don’t miss an epic drone show lighting up the night sky.”

The Godzilla partnership follows another wildly successful Japanese-themed promotion earlier this season.

The Dodgers’ One Piece Night on July 2 featured a co-branded Straw Hat giveaway and an exclusive Monkey D. Luffy trading card.

The promotion sparked massive demand, with thousands of fans lining up five hours before first pitch as raw copies of the card quickly flipped online for between $600 and $900.

Those promotions are part of a much larger financial transformation driven by Ohtani’s arrival.

Industry reports indicate the Dodgers now generate at least $200 million annually in revenue tied directly to Ohtani and the club’s expanding portfolio of Japanese partnerships.

The boom has reportedly been so lucrative that the franchise effectively recouped the equivalent of Ohtani’s historic $700 million contract within his first couple of seasons through sponsorships and other business generated by the Japanese superstar.

The Post’s Greg Joyce breaks down three questions that the Yankees will need to answer with the season set to resume after the All-Star break:

When does Aaron Judge return?

Since the day they revealed that Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his first right rib, the Yankees have said that the back-to-back AL MVP is expected to return at some point this season.

But will he, and when, and in what condition?

No one can say for sure just yet, though reimaging this week should give them at least a slightly clearer picture of how much longer they will have to survive without him.

Who are the new guys?

The Yankees will get some help at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but the question is, how much?

As they begin the second half, their biggest needs are a righty-hitting catcher and at least one high-leverage bullpen arm, if not two.

Austin Wells was one of the worst hitters in the big leagues in the first half while the bullpen, despite owning the majors’ lowest ERA, could use another trustworthy reliever.

Does George Lombard Jr. debut?

Before spraining multiple fingers last month, the top shortstop prospect was picking up steam offensively at Triple-A and potentially starting to push his way into the conversation about whether he could impact the Yankees this season.

Now that he is on the way back from the injured list, can he knock the door down in the second half if José Caballero and Anthony Volpe don’t pick it up?

The Mets started their second half of the 2026 season Thursday against the Phillies in less-than-ideal conditions.

Baseball teams are used to rain, heat and even the occasional snow, but the wildfires in Canada have produced conditions in the northeast that are tough to play in. Large swaths of smoke have covered the New York City and Philadelphia areas, bringing with them poor air quality and increased heat. That's why MLB pushed up Thursday's series opener an hour to avoid the harsher conditions later in the evening.

And, as it turns out, it was the right move.

"I didn’t think it was bad until the last couple of innings. Eyes itching, burning a little bit," Brett Baty said of the conditions after the game. "[Carson] Benge said it felt like you were sitting at a campfire, just close to a campfire, which was pretty good. It's fun, but it didn't feel great playing ball with it, though."

"At the end of the game, it was a little bit more difficult, especially catching," Francisco Alvarez said through an interpreter. "It became more difficult to see at the end."

Despite the visibility issues, Baty and Alvarez hit three bombs combined in the Mets' 4-1 win over the division rival Phillies. 

But issues seeing the ball could be seen throughout the game. Fielders had trouble picking up flyballs, and even Mets interim manager Andy Green couldn't see some of them from the dugout. But while Green didn't believe the conditions affected play, he could tell it was teetering a bit at the end.

"It felt like it could have [affected the game] at any moment, especially as visibility got tougher," Green said. "Guys managed to see baseballs that I couldn’t when they went up in the air as pop-ups. Good thing we have good athletes on the field that can see things. Don’t think it ultimately did, from my perspective." 

What the smoke did affect was how long Mets starter Christian Scott felt on the mound. 

The young right-hander was breezing through five innings when Kyle Schwarber hit a two-out double -- that nearly was a home run -- that chased Scott. Scott finished his night throwing just 79 pitches through 5.2 innings. 

"Not gonna lie, towards the end of it, it was a little thick. I felt like I was breathing some metal in there," Scott said. "At the end of the day, a little spoonful of adversity never hurt anybody. Part of the game. It was fun playing out there, the stadium was packed, good atmosphere. Yea, it was fun."

The Mets have an off day Friday before they're back at it on Saturday afternoon. And while the smoke from the wildfires is hopefully out of the area by then, the weather forecast shows the Mets could be dealing with thunderstorms in the area. 

Whatever the weather brings, the Mets will face it head-on.

"In the last week, we've had a game pushed back and a game pushed up, that's fairly unique," Green said. "You just have to roll with it."

Christian Scott was asked about his thoughts on the air quality in Philadelphia tonight

"Not gonna lie, towards the end of it, it was a little thick. I felt like I was breathing some metal in there. A little spoonful of adversity never hurt anybody" pic.twitter.com/PKhJEJwKQL

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 17, 2026

Juan Soto left the New York Mets' game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning on Thursday, July 16 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Mets interim manager Andy Green spoke to the media after the game, which New York won 4-1, to explain what happened to the five-time All-Star. He said Soto "had a little bit of left calf soreness."

In April, Soto was placed on the 10-day IL after aggravating his right calf and missed 15 games. He also left a Mets' outing against the Chicago Cubs in June with back soreness. The 27-year-old sat out one game.

Green noted that Soto played in the All-Star Game earlier this week and "came through a lot of activity the last few days."

"It made sense just to get him off his feet," Green said, adding, "I think we're in a spot where he felt he could keep going, but it didn't make sense."

The Milwaukee Brewers are, for better or worse, a hard team to predict when it comes to trades and the trade deadline. President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold can get very creative at times with his deals and pull some names that almost no one was expecting.

Enter Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon.

McCullers is currently on the injured list. Gordon is a depth rotation arm still trying to find his footing in the major leagues.

Typically, buying teams — like the Brewers — target players who are established, playing well, and healthy at the deadline. Neither of these players checks all three of those boxes.

So why did the Brewers do this?

The Brewers boast the best farm system in all of baseball, so they have the prospects to go out and get any player they want. Why get someone who doesn’t check all the boxes, let alone two players who don’t?

Quite simply, the Brewers are prospect huggers. They didn’t get the best farm system in baseball by trading their prospects away; they prefer to keep them whenever possible. So if there’s a way to work a deal where they don’t have to give up a ton of prospect capital, they’ll explore that route.

As soon as I saw this trade being reported, it instantly reminded me of last year’s Shelby Miller/Jordan Montgomery trade. The Brewers wanted Miller to fortify the bullpen but didn’t want to give up any prospect capital. So they took on a salary dump in Montgomery, who was injured, to help Arizona clear some money and make them happy enough that they didn’t need a prospect in return.

In this deal, the real target for the Brewers seems to be the young left-hander Gordon. He has an option year remaining and five years of team control. That team control is of great value to the Brewers, even with their enviable pitching depth. But he’s also healthy, and he has an intriguing pitch mix and delivery that the Brewers have had success in developing before.

Gordon throws in the low-to-mid 90s with his fastball, but also possesses a high-spin slider and curveball. The Brewers and the pitching lab love high spin rates.

McCullers is the name that grabs the attention, though. McCullers, had he been acquired five years ago, would’ve been a massive get. But injuries have derailed his career, and he has not been the same since. The Brewers, in all likelihood, are hoping to get him to help eat up innings while Brandon Woodruff is on the shelf, and maybe they can make some tweaks to help him be effective enough while doing it.

The Brewers have seen their starting pitching depth take some recent hits. Woodruff recently went on the 60-day IL, Kyle Harrison was placed on the IL with forearm tightness last weekend, and Jacob Misiorowski, who has carried a heavy workload as the ace, got pushed from his last start due to fatigue and is getting extra rest coming out of the All-Star break. The team needs help to get this rotation through the final stretch. Keep in mind this is still Misiorowski’s first full season in the majors.

So the Brewers needed rotation depth and quickly. With this deal, they acquired two arms who have the ability to fill that depth and bridge the gap the rest of the way. And all it took to acquire them was taking on a little bit of cash and giving up Jadyn Fielder. Fielder holds sentimental value as the son of Brewers legend Prince Fielder. But as a prospect, he’s essentially been a DH-only in Low-A; he’s hitting .233 without a ton of pop, just three homers on the year. Fielder draws a lot of walks, yes, but it is Low-A; the pitchers will have better command as he moves up in the minors.

To get two pitchers who could potentially shore up your rotation depth in the near future, that’s a deal you make every time if you’re Matt Arnold. McCullers is on the verge of returning from a rehab assignment. That does give me pause and flashbacks to 2022 when the Brewers traded for an injured Trevor Rosenthal — who was allegedly close to returning from an injury and then got hurt and never pitched again — and gave up future All-Star Tristan Peters. But McCullers is at least already making rehab starts and could join the rotation as soon as the Mets series, potentially.

While some teams may trade away several of their top prospects to get starting pitching depth at the trade deadline, the Brewers were able to acquire two starters, with profiles they have a strong history of working well with, all for the price of a prospect that wasn’t even sniffing their top 50 list in the organization.

Is there extra risk with that? Absolutely. The likelihood that McCullers or Gordon will perform as well as someone like Tarik Skubal down the stretch is pretty slim. However, there’s also no guarantee someone like Skubal will get you to a World Series anyway.

The Brewers saw last year how quickly rotation depth can be depleted heading into the playoffs. They know how important it is to have it if they’re going to get past the Dodgers. Adding two more arms will help ensure as much as possible that they have enough depth for it. Now the question becomes, how much more will they acquire before the deadline is up?

The 96th Midsummer Classic has officially come and gone with the second half of the 2026 MLB season resuming in full swing tomorrow. With all the pomp and circumstance of the star-spangled festivities in Philadelphia, it felt like the Colorado Rockies’ sole representative was swept into the background. In fact, if you only followed the national coverage, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t know he was there at all.

Hunter Goodman was mentioned just once on the Fox broadcast with John Smoltz and Joe Davis. In the bottom of the eighth inning he was introduced by last name only as he laced a sharp broken-bat line drive to shortstop (after they called him by someone else’s name first). However, Hunter Goodman had entered behind the plate in the top of the seventh inning to catch for Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski.

Donning his catcher’s gear, he officially cemented himself as the Rockies’ All-Star while also joining a very exclusive list that features many of a Rockies fans’ favorite names: the multiple-time All-Star.

The 34-season history of the Rockies is strewn with single-season All-Star representatives. All-Star MVP Elias Díaz in 2023. Jeffrey Hammonds and Jeff Cirillo in 2000. Ellis Burks in 1996. (A whole different story is that somehow the oft-forgotten Blake Street Bomber was only a two-time All-Star despite putting up nearly 50 wins above replacement in his career).

Goodman–with his back-to-back All-Star seasons–completes a full infield of players who represented the Rockies twice in the All-Star game.

• 1B Andrés Galarraga: 1993, 1997
• 2B DJ LeMahieu: 2015, 2017
• SS Trevor Story: 2018, 2019
• 3B Vinny Castilla: 1995, 1998

Interestingly, exactly three Rockies players have been to the All-Star game three times in Rockies purple: outfielders Matt Holliday (2006-2008) and Carlos González (2012, 2013, 2016), and closer Brian Fuentes (2005-2007).

Above them all is the four-or-more-time All-Star club. This group is a veritable who’s who of Rockies history made up of the heads on the team’s Mount Rushmore, members of the Blake Street Bombers, two Hall of Famers, and another who is likely destined to join Cooperstown.

• OF Charlie Blackmon: 2014, 2017-2019 (4x)
• OF Dante Bichette: 1994-1996, 1998 (4x)
• OF Larry Walker 1997-1999, 2001 (4x)
• SS Troy Tulowitzki: 2010, 2011, 2013-2015 (5x)
• 3B Nolan Arenado: 2015-2019 (5x)
• 1B Todd Helton: 2000-2004 (5x)

If the Rockies retain the services of Hunter Goodman–and he continues to perform like he has over his first two seasons as a starter–how far up the ladder do you think he will climb? What other Rockies, current or future, do you think have what it takes to be multiple-time All-Stars? Let us know in the comments!

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The Mets, fresh off the All Star break and playing a game shrouded in an orangey haze thanks to the horrific wildfires in Canada, played a rather complete game to win their first game of the second half.

The sole game on Major League Baseball’s docket, Christian Scott toed the rubber against Aaron Nola, and the recently announced as untouchable Scott out dueled the veteran. Scott was excellent, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings, striking out seven and surrendering just three hits, all without walking a batter. He got into trouble in the sixth inning, hence why he did not end up with a quality start, as he surrendered a two out double to Kyle Schwarber (that was very close to being a home run). He was relieved by Brooks Raley, who got Bryce Harper to end the threat.

The Mets offense was largely predicated on the long ball. Francisco Alvarez opened the scoring in the third with a solo homer, Brett Baty hit a solo homer in the seventh to make it 2-0, and Alvarez hit his second solo shot of the game to go back to back, and make it 3-0. Overall, they got to Aaron Nola that way, as all three runs he surrendered were solo shots.

The Mets bullpen was mostly flawless, with Raley and Huascar Brazobán putting up zeros in their outings. The only run of the game came on an eighth inning solo home run by Trea Turner off of Luke Weaver, of all people. That run snapped a rather impressive streak for Weaver, who went the previous 27 2/3 innings without allowing a run. Weaver will likely be one of the best relievers on the trade market as we inch towards the deadline, and the Mets season is as over as a season can possibly be by July 16th.

The Mets got that run back in the top of the ninth, when A.J. Ewing hit an opposite field double that chased home Jared Young. Ewing continues to be one of the bright spots for the 2026 Mets, as the young center fielder is hitting .274/.347/.438 (121 wRC+) across his first 58 games as a Major Leaguer. If we do not get much out of the 2026 Mets, we get a long term outfield solution of Juan Soto, A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, which is a strong foundation to build on.

Speaking of Soto, he had a whirlwind game. On one hand, he went 1-1 with three walks, as his MVP level season continues (.292/.412/.563, 166 wRC+). However, he left the game in the eighth inning with what was described as left calf soreness, though the Mets still expect him to play this weekend.

While the Mets are mostly playing out the string for the rest of the season, seeing quality performances from foundational players such as Scott, Ewing and Soto is still something to enjoy for the rest of the campaign.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Christian Scott, +33% WPA
Big Mets loser: Bo Bichette, -17% WPA
Mets pitchers: +51% WPA
Mets hitters: -1% WPA (I was surprised by this but they did leave seven men on base and go 0-6 with RISP)
Teh aw3s0mest play: Brett Baty’s solo home run, +12.3% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Bryce Harper’s double, -5.4% WPA

Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey has recently been featured in headlines for the team’s poor performance as well as the organization’s Pride Night scandal.

But as buzz surrounding both has seemingly died down lately, Posey has taken another hit.

On the “Murph & Markus” show on KNBR, Posey conducted what was seemingly a routine 25-minute interview — until it wasn’t.

The following segment of the morning show featured KNBR’s Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher discussing Posey’s responses regarding the MLB draft and the Giants’ selections.

Then, a KNBR producer could be heard testing the microphone.

He said “talk” several times before adding: “Yeah, I hear ya, I gotcha. I gotcha 100%.”

The producer then unknowingly gave his honest opinion on Posey.

“Posey sucks, man,” he said.

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Neither Murphy nor Markus visibly reacted to the hot mic moment, but a caller on the next segment of the show referred to the incident. The show’s hosts attempted to glaze over it but concluded by saying they would investigate behind the scenes.

The YouTube broadcast of the show has since been deleted.

The Giants’ disastrous season has been a frequent topic of conversation as the team stood at 41-55 before the All-Star break, ranking 24th in runs per game and 22nd in ERA.

While the nightmarish year doesn’t boil down to one person, Posey has been the face of much criticism. The latest incident doesn’t bode well for the public perception of the Giants executive, but it’s evidently a reflection of the fan base’s feelings toward the team’s performance in 2026.

The St. Louis Cardinals released their 2027 schedule today and it starts with a long road trip, but ends with opportunities.

The first 6 games for the 2026 MLB campaign starts with the Cardinals on the road to play the Reds for the first game of a 3-game series in Cincinnati on Thursday, March 25, 2027 followed by 3 games at Wrigley Field against the dastardly Cubs. The first homestand at Busch Stadium is April 1 as the cross-state rivals the Royals come to town.

There are two separate nine-game homestands. The first starts in the second half of April starting on the 19th through the 28th against the Twins followed by the Blue Jays and Braves. The other nine-game homestand is in September from the 3rd through the 12th as the Giants, Padres and Rangers.

Interleague matchups in 2027 will see the Cardinals doing battle with the Royals, Twins, Blue Jays, Athletics, Tigers, Yankees, Angels and the Astros. The Yankees series will be at Busch Stadium the weekend of July 9 through July 11.

The end of next season could have some interesting storylines assuming that the Cardinals are competitive next year as there’s a big road series in Milwaukee at the end of August. The Brewers will then come to St. Louis September 20-22 for what could be a division-deciding series. St. Louis also has NL Central matchups against the Reds in September and 6 games against the Pirates the last two weeks of next season.

The elephant in the room when looking at any MLB schedule for 2027 is the question of how the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations will impact it. Let’s hope for the sake of the sport that both sides can figure out the best way to move forward without delaying or eliminating what looks to be a compelling 2027 season.

It’s important to remember who is playing who and what these games always mean. It’s the Phillies and Mets, so clean baseball, good decision-making, and even normal weather conditions are not guaranteed.

The air quality was so bad they moved the game up an hour, and probably should’ve just delayed it to tomorrow with both teams having the off day. Trea Turner botched a routine groundball, Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette botched Kyle Schwarber’s bad baserunning blunder, and Don Mattingly left multiple pitchers in for way too long. Even if there wasn’t a prototypical Mets’ing on display, this is what to expect when these two teams play each other.

While the Phillies offense was struggling to figure out Christian Scott the first time through the order, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez was able to capitalize on one of Aaron Nola’s few mistakes, smoking a hanging slider to dead-center field to break the scoreless tie.

The fifth inning rolled around with Nola displaying new adjustments to his pitch mix, he is emphasizing the changeup more, throwing 21 of them over his 97 pitch effort. He worked plenty of curveballs for called strikes early in counts and chase on strikeouts and the changeup kept the seven left-handed or switch-hitting Mets off the fastball.

When Nola has the feel for both, there is still a good pitcher in there, even when he runs into trouble.

The fifth inning against the bottom of the Mets order looked like a mess, Jared Young walked on six pitches followed by a Brett Baty single to center field. After two straight pitches out of the zone to Alvarez, he threw a pretty good sinker that was on the strike-zone line but JT Realmuto didn’t challenge, Alvarez walked to load the bases.

With the top of the order coming up for New York, it looked like the time Nola hits a disaster that spirals the outing. AJ Ewing took a breaking ball down and got a changeup to hit but fortunately, it was off the end of his bat and a routine lineout double play to keep anyone from scoring.

After an intentional walk to Juan Soto, Nola is able to handle Bo Bichette with a weak flyball on a down-and-away curveball to end the threat.

But Christian Scott spoils the potential Phillies momentum by retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts in the bottom half of the fifth and cruised until Kyle Schwarber stepped up in the sixth.

Schwarber launched a hanging curveball right off the metal railing, back into play that was reviewed and ruled a double based on the rules of the ballpark. Weirdly, this is the second time that exact thing has happened on an ESPN broadcast between the Phillies and Mets, if anyone remembers when Rhys Hoskins did the exact same thing back in 2021.

That was it for Scott as interim manager Andy Green went to his bullpen for Brooks Raley. After a four-pitch walk to Bryce Harper, Raley got Brandon Marsh looking silly on a down-and-away sweeper to keep the score at 1-0.

With Green pulling his pitcher at the proper time, maybe a batter too late, Mattingly kept Aaron Nola in the ball game after six innings of one-run ball against the bottom of the Mets order, even though they had three days off, and an off-day tomorrow.

It backfired in the worst possible way. Brett Baty took a high fastball to the seats in right field and then Alvarez took a sinker barely over the fence in left that made the game 3-0. After a really encouraging six innings with six strikeouts, he gave up back-to-back home runs to leave on.

Skipping to the eighth, Trea Turner turned on a Luke Weaver fastball to make it 3-1 and the Phillies might still be in it with Devin Williams closing the ninth.

After pitching a clean top of the eighth, Seth Johnson is sent back out for the ninth despite there being a full bullpen. He walked Jared Young, who later scored on an AJ Ewing double to make it 4-1. Williams then retired the Phillies for a weird 4-1 loss.

Citizens Bank Park has been through a lot with the Futures Game, the home run derby, the All-Star Game (that took way too long), and the other All-Star Game events. But nothing is more exhausting than a Phillies-Mets series. The Bank could use a day off too.

The Detroit Tigers have reportedly come to terms with their first five draft picks in the 2026 amateur draft, as well as few select other picks so far. We’ve been waiting for numbers to be announced so we can begin to get an idea how many of their prep and JUCO picks they might actually be able to land. On Thursday evening, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline announced the first and biggest number on their board. First round selection, right-handed starting pitcher Cameron Flukey has signed with the Tigers for a reported $3.8 million, which is roughly $282,000 under slot for the 22nd overall pick.

The big right-hander out of Coastal Carolina has an overpowering mid to high 90’s fourseam fastball that misses bats, as does his sharp 12-6 curveball in the high 70’s. He also has a good track record of locating both pitches for strikes. Development of his slider and offspeed pitch, along with refining his command a little further, will be keys to turning Flukey into the frontline starter he has the potential to become.

So the Tigers saved $282,000 here, and this is the plan. Hopefully they can trim a hundred thousand here and there from college draft picks’ slot bonuses, while landing a lot of their later college picks further on in the draft for around the league minimum. The savings would then be used to lock up their prep and JUCO picks, who have the option to honor their four-year college commitments should they not get an offer they’ll accept from the Tigers.

The strategy usually results in a few players going back to school, but by locking up as much teenaged talent as possible the Tigers hope to get future first round talents before they get that far and become much more expensive to sign. So far, leaning into that strategy hasn’t done a whole lot for the farm system, but it takes a lot more time to really know how prep players will play out. At the same time, this strategy continues to become tougher as colleges can now offer NIL dollars to their recruits to try and convince them to pass on their draft offers and hope to improve and raise their draft stock signficantly in time for their junior seasons of college, when most top college talent is drafted and signed.

The Tigers entered this draft with $9,165,100 in total bonus pool. Prior to round 11, all money paid as a bonus to draftees counts against that total bonus pool. Beyond the 10th round, teams can pay a player up to $150,000 without it counting against their bonus pools. That $150,000 threshold is often referred to as the minimum bonus, although teams can pay less. The Tigers have done pretty well finding athletic, undervalued college players later in the draft for close to that minimum number in recent years.

The Tigers do have a number of prep and JUCO picks they’ll have to try and find enough money to sign. 8th rounder, 3rd baseman Robert Omidi, a left-handed hitter out of St. Martin Secondary School in Ontario, Canada is the first example. 11th rounder, left-handed hitting first baseman Will Adams, a high schooler out of Hoover HS in Alabama is another one, and Adams has reportedly signed as well, though no number has been reported. He has one of the more raved about swings and overall hit tools in the prep ranks, with developing power that should get to plus or better as he fills out. Those two will be priorites and command well above slot bonuses.

Other picks who have reportedly signed, but not had their bonus number reported include competitive balance round B selection RHP Evan Dempsey, RHP Declan Dahl, the Tigers fifth rounder, and 9th round pick RHP Kenneth “KJ” Ward. Fourth round pick, prep SS Dominic Pellegrin and eight round prep selection 3B Robert Omidi have reportedly agreed to sign, but those haven’t been made official.

JUCO center fielder Tyler West, who has a commitment to transfer to Texas A&M, will be a crucial one to watch. Prep right-hander Dustin Dunwoody, selected in the 15th round out of Royal HS in California, is another big one to land, and he holds a commitment to USC. RHP Jack Byers, from Artesia HS in New Mexico, has a commitment to the University of Arizona. 20th round selection, right-hander Will Zielinksi from Vauxhall HS in Alberta, Canada, rounds out the list of players that will be the trickest for the Tigers to land.

One more relevant rule is that the Tigers could go 5% over their bonus pool, about $450,000, and the penalty would be a 75% tax on the overage. That’s pretty minor, as the Tigers have previously had significantly higher bonus pools the past three drafts and thus spent more money overall anyway. If they go any further, the penalities could included forfeiting future draft picks. No one has tested that limit before, and the Tigers won’t be the first, but spending the extra $450,000 makes plenty of sense and should help them to get most of their tougher signings locked up. Presumably one or two will slip through the cracks as usual.

PHILADELPHIA — Maybe it’s a sign of the apocalypse. 

No, not the smoke-filled swath covering much of the East Coast on Thursday; that was expected. 

Instead, it was the Mets opening the second half of their season with a 4-1 win over the Phillies. 

Powered by solo homers from Francisco Alvarez — who had two — and Brett Baty, as well as a strong start by Christian Scott, the reeling Mets avoided falling 18 games under .500 for the first time this year. 

After the start of the game was moved up an hour due to air quality concerns caused by Canadian wildfires — which forced both teams to shorten their pregame routines after their truncated All-Star break — the Mets played an unusually solid game. 

“I’m not gonna lie: Towards the end, it got a little thick,” Scott said of playing through the smoke. “It felt like breathing in some metal. … A little spoonful of adversity never hurt anybody.” 

The Mets have downed plenty of adversity this season, and there’s little chance of a turnaround, especially as they’re expected to sell at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. 

They also have the toughest schedule the rest of the season and start the second half visiting second-place division rival Philadelphia and NL Central leader Milwaukee before hosting the NL West-leading Dodgers and NL East-topping Braves. 

But they can try to avoid being blown away by what’s ahead of them over the final two-plus months of the season. 

“We’re well aware we’re staring down one of the hardest schedules in baseball for the second half,’’ interim manager Andy Green said. “We should relish that, like that and rise up and meet that. I don’t think there’s another attitude to take.” 

It’s performances like what they got from Alvarez and Baty at the bottom of the lineup and a promising young starting pitcher like Scott that could boost them. 

On Thursday, as the Philadelphia skyline slowly disappeared in the distance due to the worsening conditions, the Mets took the lead in the top of the third on Alvarez’s first homer of the night, a one-out shot to dead center. 

Baty added his fifth of the year, leading off against Aaron Nola in the seventh. 

Alvarez followed in the next at-bat with his second of the game to end Nola’s night. 

On the other side, Scott retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced before Bryce Harper doubled down the right field line with one out in the bottom of the fourth. 

Brooks Raley replaced Scott after just 79 pitches to face Harper. 

Harper reached on a four-pitch walk, but Raley got Marsh swinging to end the threat. 

The Phillies got to Luke Weaver with two outs in the eighth as Trea Turner took him deep to make it 3-1. It snapped Weaver’s 27-inning streak without allowing a home run. 

The Mets got the run back when A.J. Ewing doubled in Jared Young in the ninth to finish off a strange afternoon and evening. 

“I didn’t think it was bad till the last couple innings,” Baty said. “My eyes were burning and itching a little bit. [Carson] Benge said it felt like you were sitting by a campfire. … It was fun … but it didn’t feel great playing ball with it.” 

The results, though, were pretty good for a change.