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Mets Notes: Jose Siri has tough day in CF, Ryan Helsley's 'huge' performance vs. Nationals

The Mets defeated the Nationals, 12-6, in their series opener but while the score may appear lop-sided, it wasn't always. In fact, the defense of the Mets could have cost them this matchup and a chance to keep their ground in the wild-card race.

With youngster Brandon Sproat on the mound in the third inning, the right-hander was struggling. His throwing allowed the tying run to score and he had runners on first and second with no outs. Sproat, however, induced a clutch double play before allowing a double to give the Nationals the lead. Then going up against Josh Bell, Sproat threw a 1-0 sinker that Bell lined into left-center field but Jose Siri seemed to have a beat on it. Siri got to his spot on the run and reached out for the ball. The ball hit the inside of his glove and popped out, allowing another run to score. 

The very next hitter, Daylen Lile, hit a grounder into center field and Siri took a bad route to the ball, allowing it to go to the wall and Lile ended up on third with a triple and scored the fourth Nationals run of the inning. 

Siri didn't help himself at the plate either, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. The Citi Field crowd booed the first-year Met as he struck out in the fourth when the Mets tried to retake the lead.

"He didn’t have a good day, obviously," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "All I was telling him was to keep your head up. Mistakes happen, he went a long ways for that ball got there and dropped it, and then a poor route on the grounder in the gap. I know it could get hard, but not putting your head down and keep competing, that was my messaging to him. They’re going to make errors; it’s going to happen. What I don’t like is guys putting their head down, that was my messaging to him."

Sproat was a lot more forgiving of Siri's attempt in the outfield.

"Props to Siri for running after that ball," he said. "It was a long run, heck of an effort for it."

Since his return to the team on Sept. 9 after fracturing his leg back in April, Siri has only appeared in four games and is 1-for-12 with nine strikeouts over that span.

Sep 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Mets pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning at Comerica Park.
Sep 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Mets pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning at Comerica Park. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The return of Helsley?

Aside from the win, Ryan Helsley's performance on Friday was encouraging. The big trade deadline acquisition has struggled mightily since coming to Queens, but has strung together some good outings of late.

Over his last three appearances, he's allowed just one hit and one walk across three innings with one strikeout. Friday was extra impressive as he came in in a high-leverage situation. With the Mets only up 8-6 in the seventh, Mendoza called on Helsley and the veteran delivered, getting a ground out, a strikeout looking and a line out to finish the 1-2-3 frame.

"There’s a lot to like. The way the slider, below the strike zone, getting chases and swings and misses there," Mendoza said of Helsley's outing. "Tried a few times to elevate the fastball, even though he didn’t get swing and miss on the nine-hole hitter, it was effective enough with the fastball. Throwing strikes but executing when he needs to.

"I’ve been saying, we need him. This is a guy that’s proven before in this league. It’s good to see him out there in that situation, up two in the seventh in high-leverage for him to get three outs was huge." 

Raley continues to give Mets options

Speaking of the Mets' bullpen, they used six relievers, including Brooks Raley, who continues to give New York exactly what they need whenever they call upon him.

Raley got three outs, two in the fifth after Huascar Brazoban struggled and then one to start the sixth. His performance helped him pick up his second win of the season. 

"This is a guy who is coming off Tommy John surgery," Mendoza said of Raley. We’re using him for two ups, multiple innings. As early as the fifth inning, sixth, seventh, eighth. He’s a total pro. He’s very honest with us in letting us know how he’s feeling every day. To have a guy like that in that bullpen where you can shoot him anywhere is a luxury. We’re going to continue to need him, but we have to continue to take care of him as well."

Raley returned to the Mets in mid-July and has been great. He's pitched to a 2.42 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP across 25 games (22.1 IP). 

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Late Former Penguins' GM Ray Shero Honored By NHL

A significant and beloved late member of the Pittsburgh Penguins' community has received a high honor from the NHL and USA Hockey.

On Friday, former Penguins' general manager Ray Shero - who died in April - was posthumously awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy, which recognizes outstanding service to hockey in the United States. Shero's surviving family will accept the award in his honor during the 2025 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Dec. 10. 

Shero was hired as the Penguins' GM in the summer of 2006, which directly followed Sidney Crosby's rookie season and the Penguins' disappointing finish as the second-worst team in the league. Through draft selections, savvy trade deadline moves, and a go-for-it mentality, Shero became beloved in Pittsburgh and helped lead the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 2008 and 2009 - the latter of which resulted in Pittsburgh's first Stanley Cup since 1992.

He remained with the Penguins' organization until 2014, and he moved on to the New Jersey Devils as GM in 2015 and stayed in that post until 2020. Most recently, he held an advising position with the Minnesota Wild, and he held that position until his death.

 Shero also held assistant GM positions with the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators, and he was also the assistant GM for the U.S. Olympic team at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. 

Even In Passing, Shero Leaves Legacy On Penguins OrganizationEven In Passing, Shero Leaves Legacy On Penguins OrganizationIt's hard to talk about the Sidney Crosby-era Pittsburgh Penguins without talking about former general manager Ray Shero.

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Mets' Juan Soto sets new career-high with 42nd home run this season: 'It’s pretty unbelievable what he’s doing'

Juan Soto's first year with the Mets is becoming more and more legendary by the game, and Friday saw another milestone set for the outfielder.

Soto's fourth-inning blast not only gave the Mets an 8-4 lead, but it was the 42nd long ball of his season, a new career high. It's the third-most ever by a Met in a single season, and his 21 homers at home are tied for fourth-most by a Met. 

Considering how Soto's inaugural season in Flushing started, it's impressive how far the slugger has come, to the point that he's having one of his best statistical seasons ever. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was asked after Friday's 12-6 win over Soto's former team, the Nationals, what impressed him the most about Soto.

"When you talk about the numbers, that is something special," Mendoza said. "For me, it’s just the person. It’s how consistent he has been the whole year. It was hard for him in the beginning, going through the ups and downs, tough stretches…Never panicked, the impact he has with the boys, that for me is what makes him who he is.

"Special guy, special player, man, it’s pretty unbelievable what he’s doing."

"Feels great," Soto said of reaching his new milestone. "A lot of hard work day in and day out since the offseason and to get results it’s really good for any player. It feels great that we got the win. It was good."

After the blast, Soto trotted out to left field, where the Citi Field crowd chanted and showed him love. It doesn't feel like too long ago Soto wasn't getting that reception from the home crowd, but he's flipped his season on its head and is helping the Mets push their way into the postseason.

Over his last 20 games, dating back to Aug. 29,  Soto has a .368/.462/.829 slashline with 10 home runs, three doubles, one triple, 24 RBI and 20 runs. During that span, he leads the majors in home runs, RBI, SLG, total bases (63) and OPS (1.291).

"This crowd has been unbelievable," Soto said. "The whole year they’ve been showing up, Nothing else we can ask for."

In his eighth big league season, Soto continues to push the heights of the production he can put up. After setting a career high in homers in his final season with the Padres, he eclipsed that with the Yankees a year ago, en route to finishing third in MVP voting. But in 2025, Soto continues to produce power that we haven't seen from him.

What goes into it?

"A combination of everything that he does at the plate," Mendoza explained. "His ability to control the strike zone. His bat-to-ball skills, his power, his ability to drive the ball to all fields. His ability to hit righties and lefties and on top of that, the awareness and understanding of the situation. What the pitcher is trying to do to him, it’s a complete package at the batter’s box. At this point, nothing surprises me anymore. He’s going to continue to get better, that’s pretty unbelievable."

Soto finished Friday's game going 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. His walk is the 121st of the season and is now just four shy of tying John Olerud's franchise record for a season. His 34th stolen base, another career high, are the most by a Met in a single since since Eric Young Jr. in 2013. 

With eight games to go, and just six stolen bases needed, Soto can become the first Met to go 40/40 and just the seventh player in MLB history to do it.

Unbelievable indeed.

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Mets Prospect Roundup: Jett Williams homers, Carson Benge triples with Triple-A Syracuse

The regular season is winding down for Triple-A Syracuse, but two of the Mets' top prospects aren't squandering the few opportunities they have left to improve their standing within the organization.

There was no shortage of offense in Syracuse's 8-1 road win over Lehigh Valley on Friday night, and Jett Williams and Carson Benge inflicted the most damage. The pair of highly-touted youngsters delivered three combined extra-base hits, and drove in two runs apiece.

Benge broke the ice in the first inning with an RBI single to right, and then in the fourth, his triple to the right-center field gap bumped Syracuse's lead to 2-0. It was the 22-year-old outfielder's first Triple-A three-bagger, and seventh across three minor-league levels this season.

Williams then flaunted some pop in the sixth, crushing a two-out fastball to deep left field for a two-run shot -- his sixth homer with Syracuse. It also wasn't the only extra-base knock for the 21-year-old infielder, as he collected a triple of his own with one out in the eighth.

Call it welcomed production from Williams and Benge, who've both hit near the Mendoza Line since receiving the Triple-A promotion in mid-August. The Mets' expectations for them remain sky-high, of course -- Benge was recently named the franchise's Minor League Player of the Year.

In between Benge and Williams in Syracuse's lineup was outfielder Tyrone Taylor, recovering from an early September hamstring strain. He began his rehab assignment on a positive note, finishing 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth. He was subbed out in the bottom of the seventh.

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Todd McLellan Shares Impact of James van Riemsdyk’s Training Camp Absence

The Detroit Red Wings have nearly wrapped up Training Camp in preparation for the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season, but two key members of the team have been absent for the entirety of the proceedings. 

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who is coming off his first full NHL season and has already made himself arguably Detroit's second most valuable blue liner, is dealing with an injury that's expected to sideline him potentially until the Oct. 9 home opener. 

Secondly, newly-signed forward James van Riemsdyk has also been unable to participate. Thankfully, the reason behind van Riemsdyk's absence appears to be a happy one. 

For now, head coach Todd McLellan continues to tinker with different line combinations, even trying Elmer Söderblom on the top line with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin during scrimmage play. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

However, van Riemsdyk's absence from the ice in the early goings of Training Camp hasn't thrown a wrench into their plans. 

"It changes things for, maybe some line situations or something like that, but our lines are going to be all over the map here pretty soon," McLellan said. "We're just going to continue to try and experiment with different people in different places until we find things we like."

van Riemsdyk was the second overall pick in 2007 (Philadelphia Flyers) behind his now-current teammate Patrick Kane (Blackhawks). Ironically, they'd both battle one another just three years later in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.

He's already eclipsed the 1,000 game mark, appearing in 1,082 total regular season contests with 327 goals and 338 assists across stops with four different clubs (two separate stints with the Flyers). 

Getting a veteran like him back up to speed isn't going to be a problem for Detroit, according to McLellan. 

"When JVR gets back to camp, whether it's going to be here tomorrow, the Red & White game, or back in Detroit, we'll get him caught up on things," McLellan said. "He's a seasoned veteran, he's played multiple different systems in the League....he's a smart guy. We'll be able to catch him up to the pace of the team. I'll be his legs and his timing and all that type of stuff that'll have to come back, but it'll come." 

Todd McLellan: Red Wings' Carter Mazur Brings 'Hunt Menality' We NeedTodd McLellan: Red Wings' Carter Mazur Brings 'Hunt Menality' We NeedCarter Mazur’s long-awaited NHL debut on March 6 of last season had all the makings of a storybook night for the 2021 Detroit Red Wings draft pick.

As far as final line combinations as Opening Night approaches, McLellan cautioned fans not to read too much into them, as they're subject to change at a moment's notice. 

"We're moving people around. I think we have to give the younger players every opportunity to experience being on a line with some veterans, and see how that goes," he said. "But please don't read into the lines and good luck guessing, because I don't even know what we're doing tomorrow, yet."

Following the final day of Training Camp in Traverse City, the club will travel to Grand Rapids for the annual Red & White Game, which was moved to Van Andel Arena for the first time, on Sept. 22.

They'll follow this up with the opening pre-season game against the Chicago Blackhawks the following night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. 

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Juan Soto's home run caps six-run inning as Mets defeat Nationals, 12-6

Juan Soto set a new career high for homers in a season as the Mets took advantage of mistakes to defeat the Nationals, 12-6, at Citi Field on Friday night.

Soto went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two walks and a stolen base as the Mets have won four of their last five games.

Here are the takeaways...

-Brandon Sproat dominated the Nats over the first two innings, striking out three, but it started to unravel a bit in the third inning due to to bad fundies. After a leadoff walk, Jorge Alfaro hit a dribbler down the third base line that Sproat came off the mound to field, and the young right-hander probably should have held it, but tried to get the out at first and instead threw it into the outfield. Paul DeJong scampered all the way home as the Mets' fielders took a while to get the ball in. After a walk, Sproat got James Wood to hit into a much-needed double play to record the first two outs of the inning. Sproat was one strike away from getting out of the inning, but CJ Abrams' double put the Nats up 2-1. Josh Bell followed with a liner to left-center field that Jose Siri had a beat on, but the ball bounced out of his glove and Abrams came around to score on the double. Daylen Lile then hit it toward Siri in shallow center but he took a bad route on it and the ball skipped past him all the way to the wall as the fourth run of the inning for Washington scored on the triple.

Sproat bounced back, striking out two in a 1-2-3 fourth, but that was the end of the line for the youngster. Sproat tossed 71 pitches (42 strikes) in four innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

-As for the Mets' offense, Pete Alonso was the catalyst for the team's first two runs. In the first, the slugger hit a bloop single down the right field line. Francisco Lindor, who hit a leadoff single, went first to third and came home on an error by right fielder Dylan Crews. In the third, Alonso hit a two-out single to drive in Lindor, who walked with two outs and advanced to third on a Soto single.

The Mets would get squared at 4-4 in the fourth thanks to back-to-back singles by Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte to lead off the inning, followed by a two-run double from Francisco Alvarez. After a Brett Baty HBP and Siri struck out, Lindor picked up his second hit of the game to drive in Alvarez as he and Baty moved up base on Woods' error in left field, allowing the ball to trickle under his glove. Soto capped off the six-run inning with a three-run shot to put the Mets up 8-4. The ball went out 107 mph off the bat, 419 feet to dead center for his 42nd blast of the year, a new career high. 

-Huascar Brazoban was the first arm out of the bullpen in relief of Sproat and he didn't have it. A leadoff single, then a one-out, two-run shot from Abrams cut the Mets' lead to 8-6 and Brazoban's night. After Brazoban, the Mets' bullpen was nails. The combination of Brooks Raley, Ryne Stanek, Ryan Helsley (yes, Helsley) and Tyler Rogers locked down the Nationals lineup before Chris Devenski, with a six-run lead, was asked to preserve the win. After allowing two one-out hits, Devenski struck out the last two batters he faced.

Here's how the Mets bullpen fared on Friday:

  • Brazoban: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 K
  • Raley: 1.0 IP
  • Stanek: 0.2 IP, 1 K
  • Helsley: 1.0 IP, 1 K
  • Rogers: 1.0 IP
  • Devenski: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 K

-With the Mets only up 8-6, the team scratched across a crucial insurance run in the seventh. Jeff McNeil hit a leadoff single (pinch-hitting for Mark Vientos) before Luisangel Acuña pinch-ran and stole second. Nimmo moved Acuña to third on a groundball and Marte tacked on the run with a groundout of his own.

Acuña then walked on four pitches with the bases loaded in the eighth with two outs to push across the 10th run of the evening for the Mets. Nimmo followed with a two-run single to put the game out of hand.

-Siri, getting the start at CF against the southpaw with Tyrone Taylor on a rehab assignment, not only made two misplays in the outfield but also went hitless (0-3, 2K). His strikeout in the fourth as the Mets were making their comeback had Citi Field booing. 

Game MVP: Francisco Lindor

Lindor went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. His aggressiveness on the basepaths got the scoring going for the Mets and he was in the mix for all of the Mets' rallies. 

Highlights

What's next

The Mets and Nationals continue their weekend series with a Saturday afternoon game. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m.

Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.19 ERA) looks to continue his dominance since being called up, while the Nationals will send Cade Cavalli (3-1, 4.76 ERA) to the mound.

 

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Yankees struggle to muster enough offense in 4-2 loss to Orioles

The Yankees were unable to narrow the gap in the AL East standings on Friday night, as they fell to the last place Orioles, 4-2, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Orioles starter Trevor Rogers entered Friday with a stellar 1.43 ERA through 16 starts this season, and it didn't take long to realize that the Yankees weren't picking up his stuff with ease. The left-hander retired the first eight batters faced, and while the Yankees managed to reach base three times on two walks and one hit-by-pitch through five innings, they failed to register a hit or orchestrate a rally. Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe came close to inflicting damage, but their 400-foot flyouts landed just short of the wall. Rogers logged seven strikeouts during this five-inning stretch.

-- All that the Yankees could ask from Will Warren was some quality length, and much to their delight, the rookie right-hander delivered it. He lowered a bloated first-inning ERA by retiring the Orioles in order with a pair of strikeouts, and while he served up a leadoff solo home run to Ryan Mountcastle in the second inning, he limited mistakes from there and sent down 12 of the next 15 batters with four punchouts. After five, the Yankees trailed, 1-0.

-- The Yankees' luck against Rogers slightly turned in the sixth, as Austin Wells broke up the no-hitter with a single to center. But the leadoff knock was all for naught, as Orioles outfielder Dylan Beavers crushed any chance of a momentum shift by robbing Paul Goldschmidt of a two-run homer (or extra bases) and Aaron Judge of a single. The first web gem required a decent leap at the left-center field wall, while the latter demanded a head-first slide and snowcone catch. Rogers then induced a groundout of Cody Bellinger to complete the inning at 106 total pitches. 

-- The Yankees' missed opportunities at the plate came back to bite Warren shortly thereafter. He allowed the leadoff man, Jordan Westburg, to reach first on a fielding error, and then one pitch later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. botched a shovel throw to first on a grounder that went past Goldschmidt and put a pair of Orioles in scoring position. Warren's night didn't last much longer -- a sac fly extended Baltimore's lead to 2-0, and he then walked Beavers on four pitches. Fernando Cruz took over with one out, allowing a walk and an RBI groundout before escaping the jam. Still, a decent outing from Warren.

-- Chisholm made up for his defensive blunder in the seventh. With two outs and a runner on first, he cut the Yankees' deficit back to one with a timely two-run homer to right. The 388-foot blast was also memorable, as Chisholm became just the third player in franchise history to produce a campaign with 30 homers and 30 stolen bases. The other two members of the exclusive club? Bobby Bonds (1975) and Alfonso Soriano (2002, 2003).

-- Cruz returned for the seventh, striking out the leadoff hitter, but further work wasn't requested. Tim Hill entered with one out, and the lefty-on-lefty strategy backfired. While the veteran southpaw induced a grounder for the second out, he gave up a single to Westburg and then a double to Gunnar Henderson that bumped the Orioles' lead to 4-2. Camilo Doval was tasked with logging the third out, and he did just that by getting Mountcastle to fly out. 

-- The Yankees were given a crack at a late-inning rally, as a one-out, pinch-hit walk from Ben Rice, a bloop single from Judge, and a soft groundout from Bellinger set Stanton up with the tying run at second. But the moment didn't overwhelm Orioles reliever Rico Garcia, who managed to induce an inning-ending groundout to third. The ninth inning belonged to Keegan Akin, who needed only nine pitches to record his eighth save this season.

Game MVP: Trevor Rogers

Rogers kept the Yankees off balance for much of the night, and while he needed a season-high 106 pitches to complete six innings, he gave the home crowd a shutout performance worthy of cheers.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees (86-68) will continue their four-game set in Baltimore on Saturday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

LHP Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.11 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (10-8, 4.39 ERA).

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Flyers Training Camp: Healthy Jett Luchanko Focused on the Present

(Photo: Perry Nelson, Imagn Images)

With an uncertain future ahead, top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko is keeping everything in perspective in front of him during training camp.

Luchanko, 19, will be forced to either make the NHL outright this season, as he did on John Tortorella's iteration of the Flyers last year, or return to the OHL with the lowly Guelph Storm.

But, having gone through it all already, and knowing what to expect in regards to his future one way or another, the 2024 first-round pick isn't spending all that much time considering what's ahead of him.

"Just a lot of the same as last year. Just come to the rink everyday and work hard," Luchanko said of his current approach Friday. "No matter what, it's never going to be easy to make a team like this, so, kind of just take it day by day."

Flyers Training Camp 2025: Top 3 Roster Battles to WatchFlyers Training Camp 2025: Top 3 Roster Battles to WatchThe Philadelphia Flyers are looking to ratchet up the competition for NHL roster spots this year, and that starts with the beginning of training camp on Thursday.

The 19-year-old had an interesting 2024-25 campaign, playing games for the Flyers, Canada U20s at the World Junior Championships, the Storm as their captain, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, including seven Calder Cup playoff games.

Then, heading into development camp and even the recent rookie camp, Luchanko spent time nursing a nagging groin injury.

And, unfortunately for Luchanko and the Flyers, he won't be back in the AHL until the spring, just as last year, due to league rules.

Suffice to say, a lot can and will change during life as a top NHL prospect.

But, Luchanko's ability to keep perspective and stay grounded is impressive and says a lot about his mentality as a player and as a person. That's undoubtedly part of the reason why the Flyers believe in him as much as they do.

A player who's already made an NHL team out of camp and played regular season games, Luchanko anticipates having to earn every minute of ice time, even as he's paired with Owen Tippett and Alexis Gendron in the early goings of training camp.

Flyers Training Camp Day 1: Big Opportunities AplentyFlyers Training Camp Day 1: Big Opportunities AplentyThe vibes are high as the Philadelphia Flyers kicked off their 2025 training camp Thursday, and for good reason. The atmosphere seems to be totally different.

The Flyers are committed to giving all their young guys a fair chance in beneficial circumstances, which, of course, extends beyond Luchanko, but he's only worried about himself and his game.

Not about competition, not about roster spots, and not about doing a repeat of last year.

Those all exist in the grand scheme of things, but the mature head on Luchanko's shoulders will take him to where he needs to go, starting with training camp this week.

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“Everyone Wants To Play In The NHL And That’s What I Want”: Canucks Defenceman Elias Pettersson Discusses Goals For 2025–26 Season

The 2024-25 season was a rough one for the Vancouver Canucks, but there were still a few bright spots by the end of it. One of these was the remarkable rookie effort from defenceman Elias Pettersson. 

The 21-year-old, who started his first North American season last year with the Abbotsford Canucks, made his NHL debut on January 25 against the Washington Capitals and stuck in Vancouver’s lineup virtually since then. Calm, cool, and collected, the defender demonstrated a confident tenacity not often seen in players his age. Because of this, he’s the current favourite to make Vancouver’s third-pairing on opening night. 

“Everyone wants to play in the NHL, and that’s what I want,” he told The Hockey News after the second day of the Canucks’ Training Camp on Friday. “I think it's just great for the competition, for the practices, for the games.”

Last season was full of memorable moments for the younger Pettersson, who was also named to the AHL All-Star Challenge as a rookie, though he didn’t end up playing due to already being in Vancouver’s lineup for another game. He also scored his first NHL goal on April 5 against the Anaheim Ducks, and got in his first NHL fight on April 11 against Logan O’Connor of the Colorado Avalanche. Still, the defenceman insists that the biggest moments of that season were the first he’d ever experienced — his debuts. 

“Always the debuts,” he said. “Debut in Abbotsford, debut up in Vancouver. A debut, you never forget those moments.” 

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Vancouver’s off-season lasted a bit longer than the team would have wanted it to, with their final game being played on April 16. During the summer, Pettersson took the opportunity to learn from current NHLers such as Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund. 

“He helped me, battling with him on one-on-ones — so hard — but I think it’s so good for me to play against such great players during the off-season.” 

Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Player Preview: Elias Pettersson (D) Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Player Preview: Elias Pettersson (D) Welcome to The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site’s player preview series for the 2025–26 season. In these articles, we’ll preview the players who are expected to play for the Canucks in the 2025–26 season. Today, we’ll be looking at how rookie defenceman Elias Pettersson could perform in 2025–26. 

The 2025-26 season will be quite different from last year, with one main change in the team being their coaching staff. Former assistant Adam Foote is now the head coach, and appears to be approaching things differently than former bench boss Rick Tocchet. The team appears more aggressive under he and new assistant coaches Kevin Dean, Brett McLean, and Scott Young. Pettersson worked with Foote last season, and will continue to learn under him now despite the coach having a different role. 

“I learned so much. I’m still learning,” he explained. “Always some advice every practice, every game. Just really good for myself and for the team.”

Pettersson has learned lots, and will continue to learn even more, as he prepares to embark on what could possibly his first full NHL season. 

Mar 11, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson (25) skates against the Montreal Canadiens in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Phillies execute piggyback plan to defeat Diamondbacks 8-2

Phillies execute piggyback plan to defeat Diamondbacks 8-2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX – The big picture for the Phillies as they wind down this regular season is to make sure a first-round bye is secured by either being the first or second seed in the National League.

The smaller one is for manager Rob Thomson to tweak and shuffle and have his players in just the right frame of mind heading into the postseason.

Friday night at Chase Field, the Phillies checked both those boxes with an 8-2 thumping of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the Milwaukee Brewers losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies are now two games back in their quest for that No. 1 seed. The Phillies have now won 12 of their past 16 games and improved to 92-62 on the season.

Thomson designed for Friday to be a pitchers’ piggyback game with Taijuan Walker getting the start and Walker Buehler scheduled to replace him during a clean inning. If he could have gotten eight innings or so out of the duo, the manager deemed before the game that it would be ideal. He pretty much got it.

After giving up two runs in the first, Walker didn’t allow another during his four innings before giving way to Buehler, who was nothing short of terrific in his 3 2/3 innings of work.

Buehler, whose fastball got as high as 96 MPH and hovered around 94 during his stint, was in complete control during most of his 60-pitch outing. He did load the bases in the eighth on a single and two walks, but Tanner Banks came in and got pinch-hitter Jordan Lawlor to pop out to short to end the threat. For the night, Buehler allowed two hits, two walks and struck out three.

The Phillies got their first run on the board in the second when Brandon Marsh got a one-out single and scored on a double to right-center by Alec Bohm, who was making his first start since September 7th after coming off the IL earlier in the day.

A two-out home run to left by Harrison Bader in the fifth tied the game before the Phillies took the lead in the sixth inning.

Marsh led off with a single and stole second with two outs. Weston Wilson then brought him home with a single to left for a 3-2 lead.

Marsh had a chance to do more damage in the seventh when he came up with the bases loaded and two outs. But lefthander Philip Abner, making his major league debut, got Marsh looking with a fastball. It really didn’t matter, though, as the Phillies combined to score five more times in the eighth and ninth.

Nick Castellanos, who put on a home run hitting show in batting practice before the game, drilled a two-run shot to left off Jake Woodford in the eighth for a 5-2 lead. Castellanos entered the game in the sixth when he pinch-hit for Max Kepler against lefthander Jalen Beeks. He stayed in the game and provided those huge insurance runs for the Phillies.

It was a positive return for Bohm, who saw eight pitches before delivering his RBI double the opposite way to open the scoring for Philadelphia. He also made a spectacular play at third in the fourth, diving towards the line to get a ground ball by Tim Tawa. He reached base in the eighth on an error by third baseman Blaze Alexander and scored ahead of Castellanos on his homer and drove in a pair in the ninth with a bases-loaded single to center. Castellanos then drove in his third run of the game with a single to center to drive in Marsh and the route was complete.

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Giants fail in bid to spoil Kershaw Night as postseason hopes continue dwindling

Giants fail in bid to spoil Kershaw Night as postseason hopes continue dwindling originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LOS ANGELES — At 9:53 p.m. last Friday, Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off grand slam off Tanner Scott to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park. The Giants crept closer in the NL Wild Card race that night, and given how ridiculous the moment was, it wasn’t hard to picture them rolling all the way through September. 

At 9:57 p.m. exactly a week later, Matt Chapman popped up a slider from Scott, clinching a 6-3 loss on a night that started with some promise. The Giants lost for the sixth time in seven games since the Bailey slam, and while they’re trying to avoid the math, the situation is bleak.

The late July/early August Giants returned at the worst possible time. Their dreams of an unlikely postseason run could be officially extinguished as early as Sunday afternoon, and the final week might be spent simply trying to finish above .500. Even that might be a stretch, given that they’re 76-78 and have two more games left at Dodger Stadium this weekend.

After the Bailey slam, manager Bob Melvin noted it has been a season of extremes. He smiled and said he hoped the Giants would ride the positive vibes as long as possible. Instead, they have found themselves on the other side. 

The 2025 Giants might finish right around .500, but they don’t necessarily embrace the middle. When they win, they do so with walk-offs and offensive explosions. When they lose, well, the lows are pretty low. 

The latest loss came when Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts went back-to-back, erasing a deficit and knocking Robbie Ray out of the game after a strong start to his night. Ray had outdueled Clayton Kershaw in the other lefty’s final start at Dodger Stadium, but the Dodgers quickly caught up after Kershaw was pulled in the fifth and showered with multiple standing ovations. 

Ray has had some success against Ohtani, and his fastball has been firm in September even as he has struggled overall. He threw five of them at Ohtani in the fifth, the final one coming in at 95.5 mph and sticking to the corner. Ohtani casually flipped it into the seats. 

“It was almost like he was trying to foul it off, and he hit it out to left several rows deep,” Melvin said. 

Ray said he thought it was a good pitch. Ohtani just put a good swing on it. 

“If it’s not down the line, it’s probably not a homer,” Ray said. “But he caught it deep enough to where he was able to get it over the wall.”

This is what the Giants will be up against for the rest of the decade, but the last time they were at Dodger Stadium, they tried to cut into the deficit. At the end of a trip in June, Buster Posey acquired Rafael Devers, who helped the team get back in the race in early September. 

Devers, however, is still looking for a signature moment in orange and black, and he has struggled when the Giants needed him most. Since the win last Friday, Devers is 2-for-27 with 11 strikeouts. Four of them came Friday night, including one with two runners on in the ninth. 

The stars have slumped over the past week, and given their lack of pitching depth, that has left the Giants with little hope. They weren’t even able to spoil Kershaw’s goodbye outing, despite a strong start. 

Heliot Ramos was intent on being aggressive, and he nearly homered on Kershaw’s first pitch. Later in the at-bat, he smoked a ball 431 feet into the seats in left-center. 

“The plan was to be aggressive and try to attack,” Ramos said. “We know the position we’re in. I was trying to attack.”

It was the right mentality, but the rest of the lineup would manage just one more run off Kershaw, who soaked in every moment. Long after the final out, which clinched a postseason spot for the Dodgers, he came back out to the mound to wave at fans and take pictures with his large family. 

A couple hundred feet away, the Giants got dressed in a quiet clubhouse. Ramos said the goal was still to pile up as many wins as possible over the next week and see what happens. Ray said the team is still taking things one day at a time. 

They are running out of days, though. That’s what happens when you waste an entire week in September. 

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