The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a position to add to their roster ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. This is because the Penguins have a 30-15-12 record and are second in the Metropolitan Division standings with 72 points.
One area that the Penguins should be looking to improve is the right side of their defense. When looking at trade candidate defensemen around the NHL, Nashville Predators blueliner Nick Perbix stands out as an interesting potential option.
If the Penguins acquired Perbix, he would give their bottom pairing a nice boost. Furthermore, he would provide the Penguins with another defenseman who could work on the penalty kill.
Perbix would also be more than a rental for the Penguins if acquired. This is because the right-shot defenseman is signed until the end of the 2026-27 season, where he has a $2.75 million cap hit. This adds to the 27-year-old blueliner's appeal, as he would have the potential to benefit the Penguins beyond this season.
In 55 games so far this season with the Predators, Perbix has recorded three goals, six assists, and nine points. While his offensive totals are not necessarily the highest at this point of the season, he has two 20-point seasons on his resume. With this, he could give the Penguins some offense from the point if he bounced back in Pittsburgh.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 20: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the first half of a basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on February 20, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Harden broke his thumb in Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks. Initial X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx. He will not be undergoing surgery at this time and is expected to play through the injury.
However, that won’t be happening on Friday as he’s still struggling to dribble according to head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can buy the Jarrett Allen Fro shirt HERE. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE.
“I know this morning he was struggling a little just dribbling,” Atkinson said when asked about Harden’s thumb injury before Friday’s game in Detroit. “If you have a hard time dribbling and catching [it’s tough to play]. Jarrett Allen went through it earlier in the season. We tried to bring him back. He wanted to rush, and then we had to go back and give him some time.
“I know James is different…we got to get the feedback from James. … Theres no tougher guy in the league. No one more available. No one wants to play more.”
The plan was to have Harden go through pregame warmups and see how it goes. However, he didn’t come out for pregame warmups like usual.
Even though he won’t be playing Friday, Atkinson says that he is making progress.
“It was improved from when he first did it,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t like, man it feels the same. It’s better than it was two days ago, so that’s a positive.
Harden has played seven games with the Cavs this season and is averaging 18.9 points and 8 assists on .494/.488/.867 shooting splits. On the season, he’s averaged 24.5 points and 8.1 assists in 51 games.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JANUARY 04: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks against Duncan Robinson #55 of the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Rocket Arena on January 04, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be shorthanded again. That isn’t ideal when going against the best team in the conference, the Detroit Pistons.
I’ll be in the comments throughout the game sharing my thoughts. Feel free to join in on the conversation and let your voice be heard in the comments below.
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain (AP) — Carlos Espí scored twice in the dying minutes to give Levante a 2-0 win over Alaves on Friday and a vital three points in its fight to avoid relegation from La Liga.
Espí, who came through the youth ranks at the Valencia-based club, had scored only once all season but tripled his tally with a blistering late show against an Alaves side that played the last half hour with 10 men after Víctor Parada was sent off.
Espí's deflected shot in the 88th minute put Levante ahead and he then sparked jubilant scenes with almost the last kick of the game when his assured finish rounded off a counterattack.
"This has been one of my greatest nights," the 20-year old told broadcaster DAZN. "It's incredible."
The result snapped a four-game losing streak for the home side. It remained second from bottom of La Liga but has cut the gap with the fourth bottom club to four points.
Alaves was 14th but only three points clear of the relegation zone.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Michael Toglia (48) and infielder Leo Balcazar (85) celebrate a 5-4 win against the Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Ariz. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Mike Trouts of Anaheim sent the Cincinnati Reds to their showers with a 4-3 defeat on Friday at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona. The Reds had been riding a 3-game win streak heading into this game, which did not feature Mike Trout even though I insinuated that it did with a misleading nickname in the very first words of this article.
The Good
Rhett Lowder was simply brilliant as the starter for the Reds today. He fired a trio of scoreless, hitless innings in his second outing of the spring, walking a lone Angel while fanning three. Safe to say his quest to earn the 5th spot in Cincinnati’s starting rotation is off to a pretty, pretty good start.
Meanwhile, Blake Dunn swatted a solo homer, Jose Trevino had a pair of hits and a ribbie, and Rece Hinds tripled, walked, and scored while playing CF on the afternoon. In a similarly positive vein, JJ Bleday continued his hot-hitting start to Cactus League play with another 2 for 3 day (with a run scored).
The Bad
Sal Stewart was actually retired twice on the day, which is bad for him. Just one hit, Sal? That’s all ya had in ya today, superstar?!
I’ve really got to find a better format for these spring recaps.
The Ugly
It was not the finest day for Julian Aguiar in his quest to earn a spot on the team’s pitching staff. Taking over for Lowder in the Top of the 4th, he was tagged for a homer by Logan O’Hoppe of the 2-run variety, and Aguiar eventually yielded 3 ER on 4 H in his 2.0 IP of work.
He didn’t walk anybody, which is a good thing.
Yunior Marte surrendered the other run on the day.
What’s Next
You aren’t going to believe this, but Saturday will feature Cincinnati Reds baseball that’s watchable on your screens!
The Reds will head to American Family Fields of Phoenix to face off against the Milwaukee Brewers, and it’s dawning on me that place was way cooler when it was just called ‘Maryvale.’ Anyway, it’s a 3:05 PM ET start time and MLB.tv and Reds.tv (if you’re in-market) will have the stream with the Reds broadcast. If you’re into the Brewers version of calling baseball games, their own broadcast will be viewable via MLB.tv (or Brewers.tv if you happen to be a Reds fan in the Milwaukee region).
Hunter Greene will toe the rubber for Cincinnati, and given who sat out today – Elly De La Cruz & Co. – I’d expect a pretty loaded lineup from the Reds side tomorrow. Rob Zastryzny, a lefty, will start for the Beers though, so Terry Francona could get experimental with his lineup again tomorrow the same way he did today against lefty Brent Suter to start.
Chase Meidroth sparkplugged his way on base in three different ways in Phoenix today. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The White Sox gave us two games today, with the 100 or so players eligible for the games today split in half. Given that Gameday and radio was the best we could tune into for two simultaneous games, let’s just bullet-point some game performances, and let our game polls tell the rest of the story.
In the interest of good news before bad news, the White Sox won at Camelback against the Rangers, 3-1. Erick Fedde started and pretty well thrived, tossing 29 pitches over two scoreless innings, with two Ks and a walk. Mike Vasil was the third pitcher up, and qualifies as the “bulk” arm of the game with three innings and one earned. There is almost no way Vasil isn’t being considered as a swingman or fifth-starter contender based on this outing, which just eight games in is the longest of this Cactus League for the Sox. Brandon Eisert continued his run at the closer role (jk) with his third scoreless outing and fifth and sixth Ks of the spring.
On the hitting side, just enough got done for the win. Miguel Vargas led off and pocketed two hits, including a double. All three White Sox runs were bunched in the fifth, courtesy of a two-run bomb from LaMonte Wade Jr. and some run manufacturing from Sam Antonacci and Darren Baker.
Want to see Lamonte’s home run? Well sorry, it’s MLB Spring Training, you can’t. But if you stare deeply enough into the black perhaps you can hallucinate the footage:
Over in Phoenix facing the Brewers, things were not so sweet, as the White Sox fell, 5-2. Three Arms of the Future threw, none of them to great effect. Sean Burke started but surrendered two earned over three innings (OK, Vasil, you’re not special, everyone’s throwing three now). Tanner McDougal, who once again lit up the radar gun in touching 100 mph but throwing that heat straight into bats for loud contact, did same. Noah Schultz came on to finish things off with two innings, and may well have had the best outing of all, but three singles in the seventh (one on the infield, two sharp slaps through it) touched the giant for an earned run.
Was it disastrous for the arms? Not at all. But these three need to develop some better movement or sequencing into March.
Outside of Hitting Machine Edgar Quero (2-for-3, 2B, both RBIs), there was not much offensively to write home about.
The White Sox drop to 5-4 overall and head to Goodyear to face off against Cleveland tomorrow. It’s a CHSN and WMVP game, with Shane Smith starting the game.
Feb 27, 2026; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) scores run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
All good things must eventually end, and that includes the Dodgers winning streak to open the spring as the San Francisco Giants took Friday’s contest 12-4.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his final spring tune-up before playing for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic. Yamamoto gave up a pair of runs, including a leadoff home run to Willy Adames, but he managed to toss three full innings on 52 pitches (37 for strikes), striking out four and not allowing a walk.
Once Yamamoto’s day was done, the bullpen was unable to keep the game anywhere near close. Ryder Ryan allowed the Giants to take the lead in the fourth inning, while both Luke Fox and Christian Romero were charged with four earned runs, with the latter allowing a grand slam to Victor Bericoto to put the game completely out of reach.
Both relievers involved in the Hunter Feduccia deal last summer, Paul Gervase and Adam Serwinowski, tossed scoreless innings in the bottom of the seventh and eighth inning respectively while each striking out a pair of hitters.
Outfielder Zach Ehrhard was one of the lone bright spots for the Dodgers offense on Friday, smacking a pair of doubles. James Tibbs III brought home the Dodgers’ first run with an RBI triple in the second inning and Santiago Espinal roped an RBI single in the third inning. Chris Newell hit the only home run of the game for the Dodgers, smacking a two-run home run against lefty Nick Zwack in the top of the ninth inning.
The Dodgers are still averaging 7.86 runs per game this spring despite the lack of offense on Friday, and their 53 total runs rank second in cactus league play behind the Colorado Rockies.
UP NEXT
The Dodgers have a pair of split squad games on Saturday, as they are on the road against the Texas Rangers and host the Chicago Cubs (12:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Jackson Ferris faces Jack Leiter at Surprise Stadium, while Justin Wrobleski faces Colin Rea at Camelback Ranch.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
If you’re the Colorado Avalanche, you’re probably exhaling.
If you’re the Pittsburgh Penguins, you might be staring at the trade paperwork wondering whether you just got fleeced.
A Trade That Turned Fast
Sam Girard — moved just two days ago from Colorado to Pittsburgh in exchange for defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Entry Draft — lasted exactly one game in black and gold before being sidelined with what the Penguins are calling a lower-body injury.
Girard speaks with DK Pittsburgh Sports upon his arrival in Pittsburgh.
It’s a brutal twist for a team that believed it had just solidified its blue line.
Defenseman Sam Girard will not practice today as he is undergoing evaluation for a lower-body injury. pic.twitter.com/2POc7nU9go
Girard did not practice with Pittsburgh on Friday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, as the team announced he is being evaluated. Head coach Dan Muse said Girard will travel with the club to New York ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup against the Rangers but did not provide additional details.
The uncertainty is what stings most. There’s no timeline. No clarity. Just another pause.
Girard skated on the left side alongside veteran defenseman Kris Letang in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
In his Penguins debut, he logged 17:53 of ice time, finishing with one shot on goal and four blocked shots. It wasn’t flashy, but it was steady — the kind of transitional, puck-moving presence Pittsburgh hoped would complement Letang and stabilize the top four.
For as impactful as Girard has been over the years with the Avalanche, availability has consistently been the underlying concern.
He has played all 82 regular-season games just once in his career, during the 2018-19 season in Colorado. This season alone, this marks the third time he has been sidelined by injury.
That pattern isn’t lost on either organization.
Girard was a regular at Colorado’s optional offseason skates before suddenly disappearing from the ice. He later resurfaced at an injured skate with what was reported as a lower-body issue.
He recovered in time to start the regular season opener on Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings, but lasted just two games before suffering an upper-body injury that landed him on injured reserve and forced him to miss 15 games.
Now, one game into his Penguins tenure, he finds himself in limbo once again.
For Colorado, the timing of the trade may feel increasingly fortunate. For Pittsburgh, the gamble is already being tested.
This appears to be yet another victory for the "Trust CMac" crew.
The NHL trade deadline is exactly one week away, and every team has its short list of players that they're either looking to move out or a trade target.
At this point, it seems more likely that Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland will position his team as a buyer at the deadline, based on previous comments, the acquisition of superstar Artemi Panarin, and the fact that this is captain Anze Kopitar's final season.
It shouldn't be a shock to see Foegele on the trade board, considering Holland did hint at moving the 29-year-old not long after his trade for Panarin.
"Warren Foegele had a great year last year," the Kings GM said earlier in the month. "He's been out of the lineup for the last couple of games… got to work the phones here."
Who knows if Kevin Fiala's leg injury from the Olympics, which ruled him out for the remainder of the regular season, will change Holland's thought process and where he stands with
Foegele has played 45 games out of the Kings' total of 58 contests. He missed a few games with injuries, but has also been a healthy scratch for several outings, too.
When he has been in the lineup, Foegele hasn't been nearly as effective this season as he was last year. He has seven goals, nine points and has a minus-five plus-minus rating while averaging 14:45 of ice time.
Warren Foegele (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
In comparison, last season was the best of his NHL career. Foegele scored 24 goals, 46 points and averaged the most ice time in his career at 16:10 per game. In fact, he led the Kings' roster in the plus-minus department with a plus-36 rating.
In The Athletic's article, Johnston touched on the massive difference between these past two seasons for Foegele.
"The best season of Foegele’s career has been followed by one of the worst," his player description said.
Foegele was described as a player "with speed and is an effective forechecker who helps keep plays alive in the offensive zone," the article read. "He’s got a great shot and the percentages haven’t been in his favor — hinting at a bounce-back to come. The puck tends to be moving in the right direction when he’s on the ice."
The left winger carries a $3.5 million salary cap hit for one more season after this campaign. He was signed to a three-year contract ahead of 2024-25. Foegele is in the midst of his second year in Los Angeles.
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PARMA, Italy (AP) — Gaetano Oristanio came on at halftime and scored a late equalizer for Parma against Cagliari in a hard-fought 1-1 home draw in Serie A on Friday.
Oristiano’s goal seven minutes from time earned Parma a point but its poor home form continued. It has won only two of its last 12 home games and has not won two in a row at Stadio Ennio Tardini since January 2020.
Still, it has taken 10 points from its last 12 and moves into 11th place, a point behind Lazio and a point ahead of Udinese.
Michael Folorunsho put Cagliari ahead 18 minutes into the second half with a stunning 30-meter strike.
The midfielder on loan from Napoli missed the last 10 games through injury and was introduced just after the hour mark. Two minutes later, he spied Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi off his line and his dipping shot from near the right touchline flew over Corvi’s head and into the far corner of the net.
The goal was Cagliari’s first since January but leaves it without a win in four games. It sits in 13th spot, six points above the relegation zone.
Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen reacts after closing out Game 1 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Much has been made of the Dodgers’ exorbitant spending, magnified by a pair of World Series titles for the franchise, as Major League Baseball enters the final year of the current collective bargaining agreement.
The Dodgers open 2026 with a record $381 million payroll, while having over $1 billion in deferrals. As if signing Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández and Blake Snell, and extending Tyler Glasnow and Will Smith weren’t enough, the club once again opened up its wallet this winter, spending a combined $309 million on four-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and three-time reliever of the year Edwin Díaz.
Relief pitcher Blake Treinen, one of the longest-tenured players on the Dodgers heading into his seventh season with the team, did not mince words when asked about how outsiders view the organization.
“Perception is built from the media and maybe owners that don’t like what the Dodgers are doing because they would have to do something similar,” Treinen said earlier this week. “And I say to that, ‘Maybe you’re in the wrong business.'”
Treinen thinks more teams should spend the way that the Dodgers do.
“Is it a bad thing that the people who pay our checks and our salaries want a winning product?” Treinen said. “If you’re going to complain about a team willing to do what it takes to win, then I think you’re in the wrong business. And, if you win, to say that you lose money by winning is a wild statement, so I think the perception is more or less if you don’t like what the Dodgers are doing, either take a look in the mirror or look at the people who aren’t putting a product on the field.”
Treinen went on to say that teams don’t necessarily need to be lavish spenders in order to compete, pointing to how the Milwaukee Brewers posted baseball's best record a season ago, with the 22nd-highest payroll. The Brewers bested the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central by five games, despite having a payroll nearly $100 million lower than their rival, and reached the National League Championship Series.
“You don’t always have to spend money to be great, look at the Brewers,” Treinen said. “But to say that you can’t compete — like they did — is a wild thing, because [they had] the best record in baseball last year. Draft and development is a big deal, a lot of teams have leaned into it. So, if you either invest heavily in one or the other, and the Dodgers have done a great job of doing both and that’s why players sign here. If you don’t like it, then maybe find a new business model.”
How the Dodgers operate has garnered some praise — the Padres' Manny Machado and the Phillies' Bryce Harper weighed in on the subject early in spring training — but the front office wasn't really seeking it out.
“We’re not looking externally for validation,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said earlier this month at Camelback Ranch. “The validation is winning championships and putting out as good a team as we can each and every year, and all we’re trying to do is get a little bit better each and every season, with the goal of winning championships. [Our] coaching staff, our players I think view it as that. Good, bad or indifferent, the external stuff is something we can’t worry about.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, speaking at Cactus League media day earlier this month, said the fixation on the money spent makes people miss the things they do well.
“It does get lost, the things that we do well,” Roberts said. “Scouting and player development, I think we do as well as anybody in baseball … to get superstars to play well every night, to put out a good product every single night, I think we do a good job at that.”
“That’s why the biggest conversation should be that instead of a payroll question,” Roberts added. “Why are we good for baseball? Because our players play the game the right way."
Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes final start before WBC
Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
Six days after Roberts mistakenly wished his ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto luck in the World Baseball Classic, the reigning World Series MVP took the mound one last time before departing for Team Japan against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Friday.
Yamamoto threw 52 pitches while completing three innings, giving up five hits and two runs — including a solo home run in the first — while striking out four.
"Overall, I was feeling good physically," Yamamoto said via interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda after his outing. "Early on, my command was a little off in the first inning. But once I got into the second inning, the feel came back."
Roberts said the Dodgers are on the same page as Team Japan is regarding Yamamoto’s workload in the WBC.
“Yoshinobu knows when he’s going to pitch for Team Japan,” Roberts said before Friday's game. “And we’re aligned as far as our organization, our pitching guys, he’s comfortable with it.”
WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) — João Gomes scored his first Premier League goal of the season and Rodrigo Gomes added a second in stoppage time to give bottom club Wolverhampton a shock 2-0 win over high-flying Aston Villa on Friday.
It was only the second win in the league for a club that remains six points adrift at the bottom of the table and is almost certain to be relegated.
However, there was no hiding the joy felt by the home players and fans who were ecstatic at beating their Midlands rival.
“You have to be pretty good to get a result like that against them,” coach Rob Edwards said.
“I’m really proud. Nights like this is why I came here. To connect with the supporters like that. I know we are in a difficult position but I love football. I love it on nights like that."
The result was a bitter blow to Villa’s Champions League aspirations and a slap in the face for coach Unai Emery, who was bidding to record his 100th victory in charge of the Birmingham club.
“Now is the moment to be together and understand how the season is going," Emery said. "We need to understand the moment we are in. We were already recovering because we drew two and won one but today we didn’t get the result we needed. It is still in our hands to reach the ambitions in the top positions.”
Both sides struggled in a dour first half but Wolves seized the initiative 16 minutes into the second period when Gomes gave it a surprise lead.
Adam Armstrong deftly cushioned a long pass right into the path of the onrushing Gomes and his superbly struck shot gave Emiliano Martínez no chance.
Villa pushed forward as the game went on and it was caught out in stoppage time when Wolves doubled its lead on the break, Rodrigo Gomes doing the damage.
Villa has won only one of its last five league games. The result leaves it 10 points behind leader Arsenal and five behind second-placed Manchester City, having played a game more than both.
Its next two matches are against the clubs immediately below it in the table, Chelsea and Manchester United.
“We need to keep playing how we are," Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers said. "We are in third for a reason, we need to not forget that. The run lately hasn’t been the same, sometimes you have to come back down to earth as you are playing good teams which you could win or lose. That is the Premier League. We need to stay focused and get back to what we know.
“We didn’t do anywhere near enough to create chances and score goals. “We controlled the game so it isn’t all doom and gloom. They took their chances and we didn’t create enough.”
PEORIA, Ariz. — Padres reliever Yuki Matsui’s will not pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic and the left-hander’s status for San Diego’s season opener in a month also is unclear because of a left groin strain.
Matsui was still throwing off flat ground Thursday, a week after cutting short a batting practice session because of the groin.
“Right now, I’m just continuing the throwing progression, getting intensities and distances of (playing) catch back up,” Matsui told reporters through a translator. “Once it’s good enough, then I’ll start throwing off the mound. But as to when, we don’t know yet.”
The 30-year-old Matsui, who is 7-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 125 appearances in two seasons since signing a five-year, $28 million with the Padres, also said he wasn’t sure yet about opening day. San Diego’s opener is March 26 at home against Detroit.
Defending WBC champion Japan opens against Taiwan on March 6 at the Tokyo Dome. Matsui was replaced on Japan’s roster by left-hander Yumeto Kanemaru of the Chunichi Dragons.
“I was looking forward to playing with them,” Matsui said. “I think the Tokyo games, because of the time differences, I don’t think I can watch in real time. But I believe they’re going to make it to the round in Miami. And I think that’s when I’ll be able to watch live, and cheer for them.”
Before the 5-foot-8 Matsui joined the Padres, he had a 2.40 career ERA, 236 saves and a 1.11 WHIP over 10 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was the youngest pitcher in the Japanese major leagues to reach 200 saves,. He made his Japanese big league debut at age 18 in 2014 and became a five-time All-Star for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, leading the Pacific League in saves in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Home plate umpire Bruce Froemming gestures for a strike on a Detroit Tigers batter during the second inning of play against The Los Angeles Dodgers at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach on Friday March 10, 2006.
ERIC HASERT/TCPALM/ERIC HASERT/TCPALM / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Bruce Froemming, a major league umpire for 37 consecutive years who worked the third-most games in big league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday, his son said. He was 86.
Froemming fell just after midnight Tuesday and hit his head on the hardwood floor at his home in Mequon, Wisconsin, and was taken to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee, according to Froemming’s son, Steven.
He had brain bleeding that medical personnel could not stop because Froemming was on blood thinners, leading to his death.
Froemming was a semipro baseball player and started his umpiring career in the minor leagues in 1958 at age 18. He worked his way up and joined the National League staff in 1971. He shifted to the unified major league staff in 2000 and retired in 2007 having worked 5,163 games, second at the time to Bill Klem’s 5,373. They were both surpassed by Joe West, who worked 5,460 games before retiring in 2021.
Froemming started his umpiring career at a minor league game in Waterloo, Iowa.
“I thought I was in heaven — on the ballfield, professional athletes, I was starting my professional career,” he told The Associated Press days before his retirement. “But never did you dream at the time, ever even think of going to a big league ballpark, because you had so far to go through the minor leagues to even get a chance.”
He concluded that being a good umpire required “probably being patient with yourself. ... You’re going to make mistakes early on.”
Among the most famous of the no-hitters he worked was on Sept. 2, 1972. Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs retired his first 26 batters and went to a 1-2 count on pinch-hitter Larry Stahl before walking him. Pappas then retired Garry Jestadt on a popup.
Froemming was behind the plate for three other no-hitters, by Ed Halicki (1975), Nolan Ryan (1981) and José Jiménez (1999). He worked five World Series.
When he retired, Froemming became a special assistant to MLB’s vice president on umpiring,
He is survived by his wife, the former Rosemarie Loch, whom he married in 1957; two sons, Steven and Kevin; sister Cathy Seizer; half-brother Johnny Froemming; and two grandchildren.
