Dodgers lose Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski to injuries in game against Pirates
PITTSBURGH –– Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani left the team’s 8-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday with left knee inflammation, but is not believed to have suffered any serious injury and could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday, manager Dave Roberts said.
“Not high,” Roberts said when asked about his concern level with the four-time MVP. “Just wanted to be smart and not push it. So I feel good about him being in there tomorrow.”
While it wasn’t exactly clear when Ohtani got hurt, Roberts said he believed it happened on a stolen base attempt in the fourth inning, when Ohtani broke hard from first on a pitch that wound up being fouled off.
Around the sixth inning, Roberts said he got word from the training staff about Ohtani’s discomfort –– which was in the back of his leg around where the knee meets the hamstring.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani left the team’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday with left knee inflammation, the team announced. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
At that point, the Dodgers decided to be “proactive,” Roberts said, and remove Ohtani from the game.
When Ohtani’s spot in the batting order came up in the seventh, it was Santiago Espinal who came to the plate as a pinch-hitter.
“We’ll just kind of see how he comes in [tomorrow],” Roberts said, with the Dodgers set to travel to Chicago for the start of a three-game series against the White Sox on Friday. “He’ll get there, do his routine, play catch, push off, land on it, see how it reacts. And then obviously take swings and see how it reacts, too.”
Ohtani’s injury was the second one to force a Dodgers player from Thursday’s game, after starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski exited in the fifth following a comebacker that struck him in the leg.
The team announced that Wrobleski, who was charged with four runs in his 4 ⅔-innings start, had suffered a right hamstring contusion.
However, the left-hander also appeared to avoid anything serious, with Roberts saying he was “very, very confident” that Wrobleski would be able to start in his next turn through the rotation.
“I’ll get some treatment, get the swelling to go down and I’ll be good to go,” Wrobleski echoed. “It’s a little bruise right now, but I’ll be fine.”
The team announced that Wrobleski, who was charged with four runs in his 4 ⅔-innings start, had suffered a right hamstring contusion. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Prior to Ohtani’s departure, the two-way star was putting together another banner night.
He led off the game with a walk in the first, then lined a solo home run to right field to open the scoring in the third inning –– giving him his 13th home run of the year, and two in as many nights.
Ohtani then got a two-run rally started in the fourth with a two-out single; beginning the sequence that Roberts believes led to his injury.
With Andy Pages at the plate, Ohtani attempted his steal of second early in the at-bat. Then, after the foul ball sent him back to first, he raced all the way to third on a single Pages hit to left field.
“I haven’t talked to Shohei yet, but my assumption is it was trying to steal second base,” Roberts said. “Obviously, I think that you just gotta be smart on the bases and not take chances we don’t really need to. But if that was the cause, I don’t really know right now.”
Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) walks to the dugout after handing the ball to manager Dave Roberts (30) during the fifth inning. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
Ohtani later scored in the inning on another base hit from Freddie Freeman, able to jog across the plate without a throw coming home.
He took one more at-bat in the top of the fifth, when he drew a two-out walk and was left stranded at first.
Thursday marked the first time in more than a month that Ohtani was playing the day after a pitching start. On Wednesday, he pitched 6 ⅔ innings in a loss to the Pirates, and also had a home run in the ninth inning as a hitter. Unlike his past four trips to the mound, the Dodgers decided not to rest him the day after, a decision Roberts said earlier this week was based in part on the team having just recently had a day off on Monday.
Ohtani’s left leg is the one he lands on when he pitches, though Roberts noted “you could argue that it’s better [being] the landing leg versus the push off.”
Ohtani also has had an injury to his left knee before, undergoing surgery in September 2019 to repair a bipartite patella.
However, Roberts said Thursday’s issue was in a different spot.
“He’s the best player in the world, [so] hopefully he’s okay,” Freeman said. “I have no idea about anything. I just saw Santiago go up there. Hopefully he’s alright.”
The source of Wrobleski’s injury was much easier to pinpoint, as he took a 96.2 mph comebacker from Bryan Reynolds off his leg in the fifth inning before getting tangled with Reynolds at first while covering the base.
Wrobleski immediately bent down in discomfort, then walked off the field alongside a trainer.
“He’s fine,” Roberts said. “He’s just more frustrated with his performance tonight, and wanted to go deeper in the game.”
Indeed, in the at-bat prior to getting hurt, Wrobleski had allowed a three-run home run to Brandon Lowe. And after Reynolds came around to score later in the inning, what had once been a 5-0 Dodgers lead was trimmed to 5-4.
Alas, the team held on to secure its first series victory at PNC Park since 2021, getting a couple of insurance runs from Miguel Rojas in the seventh (on a run-scoring grounder) and the eighth (on a sacrifice fly) before Tanner Scott locked things down with a four-out save.
“It’s always good to win a series,” Roberts said.
Even better when –– they hope –– they were able to avoid two potential injury concerns to two starting pitchers, one of whom is also their most fearsome bat.
If the Philadelphia Flyers really do decide to trade with the Edmonton Oilers and acquire Darnell Nurse, any realistic scenario ends in a win for them, no matter what.
Social media tells a different story, but Nurse, 31, is a very serviceable and solid NHL defenseman.
Typecast as a No. 1 for the Oilers for a longtime, and given an annual $9.25 million albatross cap hit, Nurse does some things well, and other things not so well.
A fluid athlete and a nephew of Eagles legend Donovan McNabb, Nurse thrives using his legs, toughness, physicality, and skill, though his decision-making and hockey IQ have consistently held him back throughout his career.
That's a fine gamble for the Flyers, though.
In recent years, smaller defenders like Cam York and Emil Andrae have established themselves as NHL defenders, while Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen underwent career renaissances with the Flyers after some bleak years.
Plus, Jamie Drysdale and Nick Seeler, who each looked like a lost cause at this level for different reasons, found homes with the Flyers and leveled up drastically year over year.
With the amount of talent Nurse has, and with a better supporting cast at his position, there is no reason to believe he can't do the same in Philadelphia, even at his age.
The trade cost for Nurse is obviously going to be the main sticking point, both for the Flyers and for the Oilers.
On one hand, the Oilers are hoping to rid themselves of as much as Nurse's $9.25 million cap hit as they possibly can without paying an egregious price to do it.
The Flyers, too, hope to avoid paying an egregious price, whether that's monetary with the salary, or in terms of assets when it comes to paying for salary retention.
Regardless of the outcome, though, the Flyers win.
If they decide to take on Nurse's full cap hit, it will be because they received a sweetener from the Oilers that they simply could not turn down.
Something of that magnitude would assuredly come via players like Isaac Howard, Beau Akey, and Matthew Savoie, and/or a first-round pick.
And if the Flyers can convince the Oilers to retain money on Nurse's salary, they have plenty of spare assets to make it worthwhile.
Andrae, a pending RFA, would be a cheap, solid addition to Edmonton's blue line, and the Oilers may also see this as an opportunity to add mid-round draft picks to replenish their future draft capital.
The Flyers do not have fourth- or fifth-round picks this year, but they do have two third-round picks in 2027, as well as their fourth and fifth that year.
And, maybe the Oilers consider picking up the signing rights to a goalie, such as Flyers pending RFA Sam Ersson, too?
Each side has lots to offer to the other, though it, of course, comes down to finding a palatable middle ground that benefits both sides to an acceptable degree.
On paper, for the Flyers, adding a skilled, experienced veteran like Nurse comes with few downsides. It just comes down to business, at the end of the day.
There hasn’t been a better White Sox debut since Wilson Álvarez kicked off his Chicago career by throwing a no-hitter at Baltimore in 1991, so BreakingT broke out the big art guns with their newest bit of Soxwear: Welcome to the Show, Kid!
This design, even by the high BreakingT standards, is outstanding: Braden jogging home after taking in the fact that he just become the only player in MLB history to debut and hit a walk-off homer to win a game in which his team was trailing. Mix in Chase Meidroth with his come-to-papa squat and Mike Vasil ON THE WAND. I mean really, you gotta have this.
And remember, it’s not just this shirt but anything else you buy with our link, whether a Phillies mug or Dodgers sweatshirt, gives South Side Sox a commission and helps us continue to provide the best coverage we can for you.
We have also skipped posts on a number of other White Sox items produced recently by BreakingT, so if you click to buy Braden’s tee make sure to check out the other South Side-inspired items now live at the site.
Welcome to the Show, Kid, from South Side Sox and BreakingT!
You gotta admit, it’s a pretty impossibly clever design, with the moon “O” and a bit of a nod to silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune. No doubt it will make a snappy addition to your closet.
And remember, anything else you buy with our link, whether a Pirates mug or Yankees sweatshirt, gives South Side Sox a commission and helps us continue to provide the best coverage we can for you.
So go ahead a book your trip to the Mune, from South Side Sox and BreakingT!
(Every purchase you make with our link drops a few pennies in the jar here at South Side Sox, so a list of all our prior BreakingT collaborations follow, below. Yes, some of the designs are now hilariously outdated collector’s items. But most, if not all of these, should still be available, so click a link and see!)
This link takes you to this newest T-shirt, plus our entire line of White Sox wear!
While several members of the Chicago White Sox will need your votes for the July All-Star Game, fans are encouraged to punch the Robert/Jiménez ticket for a dominant South Side outfield all season long!
Whether you’re voting offense (what say, 70 homers among them?) or defense (Luis already has a Gold Glove, Eloy is … still alive), there’s no better campaign to get behind.
With everyone now aware that on his 23rd try, Minnie Miñoso was elected to the Hall of Fame. And Breaking T has commemorated the nickname that manager Paul Richards bestowed on Minnie almost immediately after his arrival on the South Side:
Celebrate the White Sox moments of your life with the entire Chicago W Collection at Breaking T, where you can peruse everything available. Or, if you want to read all my terrific catalog copy for each item, just scroll down and enjoy!
The White Sox indeed did make a free agent acquisition or two before the lockout, so it’s well past time to raise our glasses to the Legend himself: Leury Legend, that is.
He’s the longest-tenured current White Sox player, and when he’s done, he could well crack the list of all-time White Sox. Can you believe it? Welcome back, Leury!
To celebrate the division title for 2021, Breaking T offers two new T-shirt designs commemorating the feat:
Certainly, we hope there will be more than just a division title to enjoy over the next month or so, but we have to start somewhere!
Contrary to the cynics among you, we haven’t featured every Breaking T White Sox design here at South Side Sox, for various reasons. But I’ve never seen one more confounding than the José Abreu and Eloy Jiménez Sugar Skulls designs.
If you scroll down far enough, I think you can see the original Yasmani Grandal Breaking T piece, Yaz We Can, which I think was pretty clever and should have pulled a lot of fans in with purchases. It was definitely different, as far as Breaking T fare.
But I don’t remember it doing all that well, which was a shame. Maybe Yaz isn’t sexy. Walks aren’t, as someone on Twitter wants to tell you every day.
Yasmani really is the bad boy of the White Sox. He’ll snark you. He’ll roll his eyes. He’s not out to please anyone. He’s just gonna be a badass catcher who drops the bat after clocking one a mile, thank you very much.
In just his second game back after a season-long stint on the IL, Eloy Jiménez announced his presence in the White Sox lineup with authority, hitting a home run and providing whirling dervish defense in Tuesday’s win at K.C.
It’s great to have Eloy back with the club in any capacity, and him starring in just his second game back is extra sweet. Now you can wear that sweetness!
It was a quite a moment on Monday, seizing a win from the jaws of a doubleheader sweep. When you’re running away with a division, tension can seem manufactured, but Len Kasper gave us a classic moment that our own Joe Resis likened to A.J. Pierzynski’s walk-off against the Dodgers during the 2005 season. Listen to Len last night:
Here it is! @cleansheets24 hits a walk-off HR and @LenKasper loses his mind!
The White Sox just keep humming along, with great pick-me-ups from the most unlikely of places. Waiver-wire pickup Billy Hamilton has managed to become a core bench and spot-start piece for the club as it ascending in the AL Central, and the veteran made his defensive presence known, with authority, in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s win at Minnesota:
You don’t usually expect to have to persuade your manager to defend his own player, but here we are. And in the Tony La Russa-Yermín Mercedes kerfuffle, we (and all of the White Sox players) are Team Yermín.
So is Breaking T, who’s issuing this “I’m Yermín” wear in solidarity with the rookie sensation:
Well, perhaps you’ve been waiting for a more “authentic” Yerminator T-Shirt, something more “as seen on TV.” Well, here you have it!
Terminator vibe? Check. Super cool uniform easter egg in the shades? Check. Money actually going to the players association to benefit minimum-salaried players like Yermín himself? Check.
It’s a sharp piece, with the clever use of accent mark, complete with high socks! (If only it was a warmer night, we’d have Rodón dressed in his full Grant Park 16´´softballer mode … #JulyGoalsForLos.)
As you well know, you don’t have to go 5-for-5 in your first MLB start or start a season 8-for-8 to merit a cool Breaking T shirt. But it doesn’t hurt!
Celebrate our Yermín Spring with The Yerminator, a delightful play off of everyone’s favorite killer robot-turned-sweet hero. Hoodies, Ts, we’ve got the gear.
Perhaps because he was injured for half of his first season, or he doesn’t have a snappy nickname yet, or he’s such a grinder he doesn’t lend himself to chest-emblazoned graphics, Nick Madrigal has to date missed the cut as a T-shirt subject.
To welcome our new, colorful closer, Liam Hendriks, Breaking T has gone positively Greek with the Australian, with Hercu-Liam!
Breaking T put together four great purchase options for Hercu-Liam, from petite to husky, winter bundling to summer sunning.
And click here to view everything in Breaking T’s White Sox collection in one spot.
Individual links below should get you to other White Sox products on site, including the Classic Collection that features the Ed Farmer and Mark Buehrle T-shirts.
To welcome our newest (and top WAR) starter into the rotation, Breaking T has drawn up some Lance Lynn-wear sure to please the bearded fan on your holiday shopping list, with Lynnsanity!
The big man is in town and ready to push the rotation toward a World Series!
I first got word of this shirt just as José Abreu was homering and singling in runs during the 2020 season.
And Breaking T’s hunch became reality, as José Abreu became the first White Sox MVP since Frank Thomas and only the fourth player, after Nellie Fox, Dick Allen and Thomas to win the award.
And peruse the rest of the collection below to add to your order and combine shipping.
Clubbing homers and scoring runs like there’s no tomorrow, the Chicago White Sox Murderer’s Row of Eloy Jiménez, José Abreu, Tim Anderson and Luis Robert is the subject of a new BreakingT shirt:
Some real nice details in this one: Each players’ expression, the gangster pinstripes, and the exotic player numbers among them. Grab one at BreakingT.
With Luis Robert not only staking his claim on AL Rookie of the Year but MVP, it makes sense that BreakingT is working overtime to present the best Panterawear out there.
Dig this supercool 1983 nod, which you can order here.
Looking for Luis Robert to assume his La Pantera form? BreakingT has you covered. Order here and celebrate the future MVP!
I’m digging the silhouette.
The 19th no-hitter in White Sox history is in the books, by none other than ace Lucas Giolito. So it’s time to celebrate the Gio No-No! It’s a quick, and slick, commemoration of an incredible, 101-pitch masterpiece, dated and suitable for a Gio auto!
Snag one here, and take a look at numerous other wonderful Breaking T offerings below.
So, it was bound to happen, but BreakingT is first on the scene to promote the latest dance party sweeping Soxdom: DANCING FOR DUBS
Featuring the boogie-down duo of Zack Collins and Danny Mendick, the T-shirt and/or hoodie is available in all sizes, so take a look now.
Running on speed and power, folded into the Change the Game platform, we’re now making these sweet Ts available so you can elect them to a six-year term lasting until 2026.
He’s only the hottest rookie — nay, the hottest player — in baseball heading into 2020.
So, BreakingT was watching ESPN on Sunday and said, “hey, that’s right, Tim Anderson speaks the truth: the preeminent sports network in America is sleeping on the White Sox again.”
All shapes and sizes are available, in T-shirt or hoodie.
Stay tuned for some excellent new merch dropping on Friday as well.
How about pairing it with the original classic?
Our best seller, the incomparable Tim Anderson neck-bow of STICK TALK!
BreakingT has a bunch of terrific ideas they’ve collaborated with us on for their newest designs in conjunction with the MLB Players Alumni Association. This one is, simply, Mister Perfect, commemorating Mark Buehrle’s perfect game in 2009:
The first White Sox product from BreakingT’s Classic Collection was a beautiful tribute to our Ed Farmer:
Order it here. When you click on our link to buy, we will donate a portion of the proceeds we see from these shirt sales in Farmer’s name to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Foundation (support.pkdcure.org).
New Yorker and diehard Knicks fan Tyler Adams says he’s drawing inspiration from his hometown team – and his U.S. National Team could follow in their footsteps as a World Cup underdog.
“That’s what I love about being from New York is the character, the personality,” Adams said when asked by the Post about the Knicks. “So as a kid from New York – obviously not the city, but just in general – I feel like you always have your back up against the wall. That’s just about proving people wrong.”
United States Men’s National Team’s Christian Pulisic (10) reacts during an international friendly match against Germany in Chicago, Illinois, United States, on June 6, 2026. Anadolu via Getty Images
The Knicks were a longshot, with no NBA champion in the last 40 years holding longer title odds at the start of the playoffs.
Team USA will be World Cup longshots themselves when they kick off Friday against Paraguay at So-Fi Stadium. Asked if they can follow the Knicks’ blueprint, Adams said “I don’t know; hopefully. Hopefully we can do something special.”
What the Knicks did went beyond special, to unprecedented. They pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, overturning a 29-point deficit to win Game 4 at the Garden on Wednesday night.
Members of the U.S. National Team watched the game on TV, and in a video of them celebrating after OG Anunoby’s miraculous tipin, Adams – who is from Wappinger and came up through the New York Red Bulls organization – can be seen clambering on top of a couch multiple times in barely-recalled euphoria.
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) is greeted by New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) after he tips in the ball with seconds left for the game winning shot during the fourth quarter. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
“I don’t even remember I blacked out, I’m not gonna lie,” said Adams.
“I’m not gonna lie; after the first first half I turned it off, because I was like ‘maybe it’s me that’s watching that. They’re just not playing well.’ I feel like every time I turn it off, they start to win. And I told everyone if they get it within ten points, anything can happen. And yeah, I wasn’t expecting that man. It was crazy.”
So would a deep U.S. run, having only won three games total in the last five World Cups combined. But Adams said if the underdog Knicks can mount a historic comeback with a miraculous game-winner – and stand one victory away from a title – then Team USA can take inspiration.
Even if some are Knicks haters.
“It’s pretty captivating. I think them being the underdog coming out of the East and doing something special as they’re doing right now, I take inspiration to it. But I’m a New York Knick fan. Not everyone’s a New York Knicks fan,” said Adams.
“Brenden Aaronson; the worst. He’s a Sixers fan, he can’t say anything. Haji Wright, big hater right now. But I love all that energy. It’s good.”
Just as Shohei Ohtani was rounding into peak form on both sides of the ball, the Los Angeles Dodgers' global superstar was felled by an unforeseen ailment: Left knee inflammation.
Ohtani was removed for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning of the Dodgers' Thursday, June 11 game at Pittsburgh, four innings after hitting his fifth home run in 13 games.
The Dodgers held a 6-4 lead and two runners were on when Ohtani was lifted for pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal. After homering in the third, he drew a two-out walk in the fifth, but did not need to run the bases as Andy Pages struck out to end the inning.
Ohtani, who turns 32 July 5, had recently returned to two-way duty on nights he pitches after manager Dave Roberts aimed to lighten his load just a bit this season. Ohtani pitched 6⅔ innings, giving up three earned runs, a night earlier and has a 1.06 ERA.
Ohtani has been virtually healthy since injuring his left shoulder in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series. He underwent off-season shoulder surgery and was already prepared to slowly ramp up to pitching duty in 2025 thanks to recovery from a second Tommy John surgery. He took on a full-time starter's load by the second half of the 2025 season while playing in 158 games in the Dodgers' repeat run, starting Game 7 of the World Series on the mound.
This season, he started slowly in the power department but now has 13 homers in 63 games, a .305 batting average and .940 OPS.
Some good news for the Dodgers: manager Dave Roberts said his level of concern about Ohtani's injury was "not high."
Roberts said that Ohtani was bothered "behind the knee; little hamstring," and that the team "just wanted to be smart and not push it."
The Dodgers' bench boss "feels good about" Ohtani being in the lineup Friday but added the team will just keep things monitored and see how Ohtani feels after traveling to Chicago.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits a single in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. (Justin Berl / Getty Images)
The Dodgers couldn’t have asked for better timing, as Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff spot came back around.
In a game the Dodgers would go on to win 8-6 over the Pirates, they were clinging to a two-run lead in the top of the seventh inning against the Pirates on Thursday. With one out and runners on first and second, the Dodgers superstar, who had already reached base four times, was due up.
Instead, Santiago Espinal stepped up to the plate as a pinch-hitter.
Ohtani left the game with inflammation in his left knee, the Dodgers announced.
“Just wanted to be smart and not push it,” manager Dave Roberts said. “So I feel good about him being in there [Friday]. But obviously with the travel [to Chicago Thursday night], we’ll just kind of see how he comes in.”
Roberts described the injury as “discomfort” at the back of Ohtani’s knee, around where the hamstring attaches. Though Ohtani underwent surgery on the same knee in 2019, that was to address bipartite patella, on the other side of the knee.
It was not clear exactly how Ohtani hurt his knee Thursday. Ohtani was not available after the game to provide his account.
Roberts speculated that it likely happened when Ohtani took off to steal second in the fourth inning, before a foul ball sent him back.
“Didn’t hear about it last night,” Roberts said. “Didn’t hear about it today until about the sixth.”
Before leaving, Ohtani hit a solo home run — his second homer in as many games — a single and drew two walks.
It was an impressive performance, coming a day after he took on two-way duties. On the mound Wednesday, he allowed three earned runs in 6⅔ innings.
He’s been on an offensive tear. He entered Thursday with a .400 batting average and 1.207 OPS in his last 25 games — dating back to May 12, the day before manager Dave Roberts gave him two consecutive days off from hitting.
“[Friday], he’ll get there, do his routine, play catch, push off, land on it, see how it reacts,” Roberts said. “And then obviously take swings and see how it reacts too.”
Ohtani was one of two members of the Dodgers starting rotation who left the game injured.
Earlier in the game Thursday, Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski exited with a bruised right hamstring. But Roberts and Wroblkeski both said they don’t expect it to impact his next start.
The fifth inning had already begun to spiral on him. After throwing four scoreless innings, he surrendered two solo home runs to Rafael Flores Jr. (the first of his major-league career) and Brandon Lowe.
Wrobleski was already racing toward first base. But after turning to catch the throw, he missed the base and stumbled backward into Reynolds, who tripped over Wrobleski’s extended left foot.
“Thankfully he kind of got out of the way enough that we barely touched each other,” Wrobleski said. “He’s okay. I’m okay. So all’s good there.”
Wrobleski limped away, finally able to react to the pain where the ball hit him. An athletic trainer followed him, circling back to the mound. But as he was setting up to throw a warm-up pitch, Roberts came out to make a pitching change.
Wrobleski was charged with four runs in 4 ⅔ innings. He gave up six hits and a pair of walks.
“Just one of those outings where I didn’t feel I threw it that great,” Wrobleski said. “It happens. That’s part of the game. That’s what keeps you coming back. I didn’t feel I had the command I usually have, especially early in counts and I think it cost me.”
The Dodgers bullpen bent but did not break, with the help of late-inning insurance runs from the offense. Right-hander Tanner Scott recorded the final four outs, striking out the side in the ninth.
With the win, the Dodgers secured a series victory at PNC Park for the first time since 2021.
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal scored again Thursday night in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, extending his goals streak that has put the 37-year-old center among some of the best players in NHL history.
“It’s a good time to get hot," Staal said. "I want to contribute any way I can. The puck’s been going in for me lately, and it’s good timing and (I try) to still contribute in all the other aspects that I can do.”
A look at Staal's series:
6,202
Days between goals in the final from 2009 with Pittsburgh until Staal scored in Game 1, breaking brother Eric's record of 6,198 from ‘06 to ’23.
6
Goals by Staal in the series, one shy of tying the modern-day record for the most by a player in the final.
3
Captains to score six or more goals in a final before Staal: Wayne Gretzky for Edmonton in 1985, Frank Foyston for Seattle in 1920 and Newsy Lalonde for Montreal in 1919.
2
Players in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise history to score a goal in the final at age 37 or older before Staal: 39-year-old Ron Francis in 2002 and 38-year-old Mark Recchi in '06.
1
Player older than Staal to score in each of the first two games of the final: Larry Robinson with Montreal in 1989.
0
Players older than Staal to score in each of the first three games of the final. Brad Marchand last year with Florida was the only one to do so after turning 37.
1992
Was the last time a player scored five-plus goals in the first four games of a final before Staal: Mario Lemieux when Pittsburgh went back to back.
1982
Was the last time a player scored in each of the first four games of the final before Staal: Mike Bossy when the New York Islanders won the third of four championships in a row. Only two others did before that: Minnesota's Steve Payne in 1981 and Boston's Johnny Buczyk in 1970.
1973
Was the last time a player scored in five consecutive games in the final before Staal: Yvan Cournoyer in 1973 with Montreal.
1956
Was the last time a player scored in the first five games of the final before Staal: Jean Beliveau in 1956 with Montreal. Canadiens teammate Maurice Richard in 1951 and Cyclone Taylor of the Vancouver Millionaires in 1918 are the only other players to score in Games 1-5.
TORONTO — Welcome back to the Yankees’ house of horrors.
For the first time since Game 2 of the ALDS last October, the Yankees will return to Rogers Centre on Friday night, hoping to exorcise the demons that followed them across nine games there last year and ultimately sunk their season.
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The Yankees have already seen the Blue Jays this year, splitting a four-game series with them last month in The Bronx, and lead them by nine games in the division (while remaining in a virtual tie with the Rays for first place).
And while there is nothing the Yankees can do this weekend that would completely erase the stench of what happened to them last year in Canada, they at least have a chance to not give the Blue Jays any life, like they did a season ago.
“Playing in Toronto obviously can be a different animal,” Carlos Rodón said after the Yankees finished off a sweep of the Guardians on Wednesday. “It’s a fun place to play, but they play well there. We’re excited to go in and give it our best go.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after the final out of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2025 ALDS. Jason Szenes / New York Post
When the Yankees arrived north of the border for the first time last season, on June 30, they led the AL East by 1 1/2 games. By the time they got through customs on their way back to New York, after getting swept in four games, they had lost the division lead and never got it back the rest of the season, with the series proving to be a turning point in the Blue Jays’ season instead.
In seven regular-season games at Rogers Centre last season — two series within just over three weeks during their worst stretch of the season — the Yankees went 1-6. They were outscored 52-33 and committed 11 errors in seven games (compared to 83 in their other 152 games of the regular season).
Then in the ALDS, with the Blue Jays having earned home-field advantage after winning the regular-season series 8-5, they boat-raced the Yankees in Games 1 and 2 at Rogers Centre by a combined score of 23-8, helping make sure there would not be a Game 5 back in Toronto.
“I’m just playing baseball and trying to win and get to the playoffs right now, so I wasn’t really thinking about that,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said Wednesday. “But yeah, after they took us out last year, everybody has a little thing on their mind, just like the Dodgers when we lost in the World Series [in 2024]. We were coming back and that was the main thing: we got to go to the World Series again and beat the Dodgers. Then we lost to the Blue Jays. Now we got to beat the Blue Jays if they’re beating us.”
Both teams are different than the last time they saw each other at Rogers Centre.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and Ben Rice walk off the field after the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 13-7 in Game 2 of the ALDS. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
For one, the Yankees are playing without Aaron Judge, though they have shown during their four-game winning streak that they still have plenty of ways to survive without him. One of those is on the back of their strong rotation, with Ryan Weathers, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren scheduled to start the three games this weekend.
The Yankees’ pitching staff had a 6.95 ERA across the seven regular-season games at Rogers Centre last season, with the contact-heavy Blue Jays hitting .291 with a .872 OPS against them on their home turf.
The Yankees’ defense was not much help, though, playing a key role in the two calamitous series there, including coinciding with Anthony Volpe’s brutal defensive slump (he had three of their 11 errors).
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have been beat up this season and are still trying to find their footing from a World Series hangover.
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Yankee killers Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger are among those on the injured list — though Kirk could be activated on Friday, and Ernie Clement remains healthy and capable of giving them nightmares — while their big offseason signing, Dylan Cease, just got off of it on Tuesday, meaning he is not lined up to pitch in this series.
“I don’t know where they’re at in the standings right now [third],” Rodón said, “but barring that, they’re still a great club.”
Jun 11, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; A tarp covers the infield during a rain delay before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Kamil Krzaczynski/Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves’ game against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night was postponed because of rain and thunderstorms.
It was rescheduled for Aug. 20, which had been a mutual off day for the teams.
The Braves dropped the first two games in the three-game series. The NL East leaders left 10 runners on base during Wednesday night’s 2-1 loss to the White Sox.
Atlanta has lost three in a row just once this season, from April 4-6. The Braves and White Sox are the only teams in the majors that haven’t recorded a four-game losing streak this year.
Martín Pérez pitches for Atlanta on Friday night when it begins a three-game set at the New York Mets. Spencer Strider goes on Saturday at Citi Field, and Bryce Elder starts for the Braves on Sunday.
Chicago hosts Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Anthony Kay starts the opener of the weekend series for the White Sox, followed by Sean Burke and Erick Fedde.
The AL Central-leading White Sox are 10-5 in their last 15 games. They are 36-31 overall after they had a 23-44 record after 67 games in 2025.
Before the game was postponed, the White Sox traded veteran outfielder Derek Hill to the Philadelphia Phillies. They also activated outfielder Everson Pereira from the 10-day injured list.
xJun 11, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits a single during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Jay Biggerstaff/Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Corey Seager homered and singled to lead the Texas Rangers to a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
The Rangers took two of three from the Royals and have won nine of 12 games and four straight series to reach .500 — at 34-34 — for the first time since May 1.
Texas jumped ahead 2-0 on Brandon Nimmo’s RBI double in the first inning and Elias Díaz’s squeeze bunt single in the second.
Leading off the third, Seager hit his ninth home run into the right field bullpen off Royals starter Michael Wacha.
Kansas City loaded the bases to open the fourth against Kumar Rocker and scored a pair of runs on a double-play grounder and Kameron Misner’s RBI single, his first hit with the Royals.
Rocker left with two outs in the fifth after allowing two runs and five hits. Jacob Latz (2-1), the last of three Texas relievers, struck out three in two hitless innings.
Evan Carter’s RBI single in the sixth capped the scoring.
Joc Pederson remained out of the Rangers’ lineup after leaving Wednesday’s game with left hip discomfort.
Wacha (4-5) allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Kansas City has lost six straight games in which Wacha has started by a combined 10 runs. He has received three or fewer runs of support in each start.
Jac Caglianone had two of Kansas City’s six hits. He has reached base safely in 22 of 36 plate appearances in nine June games.
The Royals grounded into three double plays.
Due to the threat of inclement weather, the game’s start was delayed more than two hours.
Up next
Rangers: RHP Jack Leiter (3-5, 4.69 ERA) opposes Red Sox RHP Sonny Gray (7-1, 3.20) on Friday in Boston.
Royals: RHP Luinder Avila (1-2, 4.02) faces Houston Astros RHP Tatsuya Imai (3-3, 5.24) on Friday at home.
The monsoons sweeping the Chicagoland area forced the cancellation of Thursday’s finale between Chicago and Atlanta. The storms were foreboding enough — with winds rippling the on-field tarp — to quickly dash hopes of a very late game start, which would have been the most convenient option given Atlanta is not scheduled to return to Comiskey Park until 2028.
However, the timing for the makeup game on August 20 is pretty miraculous. The White Sox return home to host a series with the New York Mets on August 21, making the trek from … the North Side … where they finish up the second Crosstown series on August 19. The Braves are in the area as well, having wrapped a series at Minnesota on August 19 and beginning their next in Milwaukee on the 21st.
The game, as such a one-game series, will be treated as a getaway game and thus will see first pitch thrown at 1:10 p.m.
Who knows, perhaps by the time Atlanta returns in two months, the White Sox will be looking down the standings at them, instead of vice-versa.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 10: A general view of the interior of Rate Field with the tarp covering the infield while it's raining prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on June 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welp! The Atlanta Braves will just have to lick their wounds and move on instead of trying to take a chance at potentially salvaging this series in Chicago against the White Sox. Both teams were fortunate enough to play through a window on Wednesday night but they won’t be so lucky here on Thursday night, as the decision has been made to just call it and move the game to August 20.
Considering what the current injury situation for the Braves is looking like and how the bullpen is currently being handled, it might end up being a good thing that this ended up being a weather-induced off-day. With that being said, this is going to make for a very, very interesting road trip later on.
That road trip through the midwest will certainly be a tricky one, as the Braves will have to play three games in Minnesota, drop down in Chicago to finish this series and then get the wheels up immediately afterwards for a quick flight to Milwaukee for two games before traveling out to Williamsport, PA for the Little League Classic that’ll finish off that Brewers series. Fortunately they’ll have the Monday off after that insane week of travel but they’ll have the Dodgers waiting for them once they’re back in action at Truist Park. Phew!
Atlanta will have to cross that bridge when they get to it. For now, the Braves will now get on a plane to New York to take on the Mets for three games. First pitch on Friday night is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET on Apple TV. Let’s see what happens then!
The Knicks are one game away from winning their first NBA championship in 53 years after their instant classic comeback win against the Spurs on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
While all of the World’s Most Famous Arena was rocking after OG Abunoby’s heroic tip-in during the final seconds, nobody was probably more relieved than star guard Jalen Brunson’s wife, Ali Marks Brunson.
Ali seems to believe she has a hand in her husband making his shots, which she conveyed during a conversation with Josh Hart’s wife, Shannon, as part of an Instagram video posted on Thursday.
The two Knicks teammates and Villanova alums notably have a podcast together, “Roommates Show.”
At one point in their discussion about their NBA Finals experience, Shannon said: “I feel like every time [Hart] misses, I’m looking at him. So I’m looking at him until the ball is released from his hands, and then I see if it goes in.”
Jalen Brunson taking a free throw for the Knicks. NBAE via Getty Images
Ali replied: “I try to match my breath up to [Brunson’s] breath… And then, when he shoots, I go—” before mimicking a shooting motion with her hand.
She then added, “Every time I do it, it goes in. And sometimes, I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m not gonna do it this time.’ And he misses!”
New York was down by a staggering 29 points at one point during the second half of Game 4, but managed to claw their way back to the point where they had a lead late in the fourth quarter.
Jalen and Ali Brunson. Getty Images
The game looked like it would come down to a missed 3-pointer from Brunson before Anunoby produced a miraculous tip-in off Brunson’s miss that led to a 107-106 win and a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
Whether or not Ali did the shooting motion on that play didn’t matter as Anunoby came to the rescue.
The Knicks will have a chance to close out the series on Saturday night in San Antonio.
The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star and “Seinfeld” co-creator sounded like every other Knicks fan as he talked to The Post’s Mike Vaccaro on Thursday, still trying to process what he saw in the second half as the Knicks mounted a historic comeback against the Spurs to go up 3-1 in the series.
“It was hard for me to believe that I — and I would italicize the ‘I’ if I knew how — that I could witness that,” David said. “I’m supposed to miss games and moments like that. That’s what I was thinking.”
OG Anunoby’s tip-in gave the Knicks a miracle win in NBA Finals Game 4. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The actor and writer was still in shock Thursday, telling The Post that “Jack Buck’s words were exactly what I was saying,” referring to the famous call on CBS radio of Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson’s iconic walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
Larry David sat courtside for the Knicks’ improbable win. Getty ImagesLarry David during NBA Finals Game 3. NBAE via Getty Images
Anunoby and the Knicks had close to a walk-off moment on Wednesday night when he inbounded the ball to Jalen Brunson with mere seconds on the clock and then made his way down the lane to reach the ball after a missed 3-point attempt, tipping the ball in for the game-winning bucket.
The victory puts the Knicks on the verge of their first NBA title since 1973.
“I’ve never felt the energy in a crowd at Madison Square [Garden],” McEnroy said on “NBA Today” Thursday. “We used to play a big tennis event there [the season-ending Masters], and nothing’s ever come close to that.
New York Mets pitcher Devin Williams (38) pitches in the ninth inning when the New York Mets played the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday, June 11, 2026 at Citi Field in Queens, NY.
The Mets bullpen, like it has often been this season, was their brightest spot and savior Thursday afternoon.
After Christian Scott allowed four runs to the Cardinals in 4 ²/₃ innings, including three home runs, New York’s relievers allowed just one hit the rest of the way, helping secure a 5-4 win to avoid a sweep.
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A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams combined to throw 3 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in relief of Scott. Scott gave a glowing review postgame.
“It seems like any position they’re put in, they’re able to overcome and adapt to it,” he said. “I know [Weaver] is on another level right now. … Yeah, these guys have just been unbelievable out there for us.”
Weaver has been particularly effective of late. He hasn’t given up a run since April 30 after a somewhat up-and-down start to his first season in Queens.
“We’re hungry to win. … It’s not always perfect, but we rely on each other, we pick each other up when need be and called on and give each other hugs inside the clubhouse and things you don’t see that just say thank you very much, man, for picking me up,” Weaver said.
Devin Williams picked up his ninth save in the Mets’ 5-4 win over the Cardinals on June 11, 2026 at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“Just continue to focus on the positives and then just learn from the negatives.”
The bullpen kept the Mets in a close game and allowed Juan Soto to break the 4-4 tie in the seventh inning with his 14th home run of the season.
Luke Weaver (30) pitches in the eighth inning of the Mets’ loss to the Mariners on June 3, 2026 in Seattle. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
“If I’m playing ‘MLB: The Show’ and creating a player, I don’t waste my time trying to create one. I just pick Juan Soto,” Weaver quipped.
Soto gave the love right back to the relievers.
“They’re nasty. We have one of the best bullpens, if not the best one,” he said.
Soto’s not wrong. The Mets are still within the top 10 in bullpen ERA, which remains a highlight despite the team’s struggles elsewhere.
“It’s a little frustrating that we can’t always come through for them,” Soto said, “but they’re always right there backing us up.”
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