SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 30: Matt Waldron #61 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Petco Park on July 30,...
Padres starter Matt Waldron could begin the season on the injured list after manager Craig Stammen said the pitcher recently sustained an “infection in his rear end.”
The San Diego skipper told reporters the 29-year-old knuckleballer actually required a procedure this week to fix the ailment — which was later clarified to be a hemorrhoid issue.
“(Waldron) had to have surgery to drain it and make it better,” Stammen said. “So he’s been in the hospital the last couple days.”
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Fortunately, Stammen said he expected the Padres pitcher to be discharged soon.
Padres pitcher Matt Waldron could begin the season on the injured list after he sustained an “infection in his rear end.” The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images
“But he’ll be out kind of week-to-week depending on how that incision heals and how he’s feeling moving around,” Stammen added.
Waldron, an 18th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, has thrown for the Padres the last three seasons, earning appearances in 36 total games.
His last and only 2025 start for San Diego came in June, when he gave up four earned runs in 4.2 innings in a loss to the Phillies.
Matt Waldron has logged 36 appearances for the Padres since the 2023 season. Getty Images
Stammen said Waldron had been showing promising signs in the early goings of spring training this month, and he was “disappointed in that regard” for the wounded right-hander.
“We’ll take care of him the best we can,” Stammen said, “set him up here for the end of spring training, get him going, and then we’ll see where that takes us as the season goes and where his rehab process goes.”
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 24: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is always good news to hear, but especially so after some recent reporting.
The Sixers released their injury report for their upcoming contest against the Miami Heat and it is relatively clean. Most notably Joel Embiid is listed as probable with right knee injury management and shin soreness after returning earlier this week against the Indiana Pacers.
The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow's game vs. Miami:
Joel Embiid – right knee injury management; right shin soreness — PROBABLE
After that return in Indy, a game in which Embiid dropped 27 points, he told the Inquirer’s Gina Mizell that he experienced what was basically a stress reaction in his right leg during his recovery process over the All-Star break. The full article from a reporter is well worth a read, but Embiid likened the feeling to an electric shock and said he had trouble walking.
Of course the team only specified “shin soreness” on every injury report, but that report being less than 100% accurate is just another Wednesday for these guys.
Having Embiid good to go will be crucial for this Eastern Conference bout at home. The Sixers are currently just 1.5 games up on the Miami Heat for that sixth and final playoff spot that avoids the Play-In tournament. Miami of course isn’t the only team they’re trying to fend off — the Sixers only a half game up on the Orlando Magic as well.
Miami’s injury report is littered with banged up rotation players, but most of them are listed as available. Tyler Herro, Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins will all play despite being listed with various ailments and Davion Mitchell is questionable with a head injury and an illness.
Marques Johnson is a hoops legend. He is a Crenshaw High School icon who helped lead the UCLA Bruins to a national championship at the end of the John Wooden era (and was the first winner of The Wooden Award), was a No. 3 pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1977 and went on to play 11 years in the NBA, was a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player who averaged 20.1 points and 7 rebounds a game for his career.
Johnson has been dunking on his birthday for 15 years, ever since, as a joke, he jumped over two Matchbox cars in a joking play off Blake Griffin's over-a-car dunk at the 2011 All-Star Game.
At 70, the long-time Bucks color analyst can still throw it down.
Remember the 1998 movie “Sliding Doors“? It represents how minor, coincidental or inconsequential actions can lead to major, life-changing consequences. The “what if …” or parallel universe phenomenon.
Well, there are sliding door moments in sports history, too, and today’s is that Michael Jordan, not Kobe Bryant, could have been the original “Black Mamba.”
According to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, back in 2003, inside a sleek conference room at Nike headquarters, executives studied a braided, black industrial sleeve called Tech Flex. It looked like a snake. It felt like a snake. Someone typed “most badass black snake” into a search bar and found their answer: the black mamba. Lightning fast. Deadly. Precise. The perfect metaphor for Jordan as he prepared to launch the Air Jordan 19 sneaker.
The Washington Wizards Michael Jordan (L) of the East Squad of the NBA All-Stars brings the ball upcourt against Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of the 52nd annual NBA All-Star game. REUTERS
There was just one problem that nobody knew about.
Jordan was afraid of snakes.
Not mildly uncomfortable. Not uneasy. Terrified. The kind of phobia that makes a competitor who never blinked in the Finals suddenly shift in his chair during a marketing pitch. He allowed one print ad — a black mamba coiled around the $165 sneaker in ESPN The Magazine — and then he shut it down. Reconcept. Move on. Kill it before it kills the brand.
In the March 13, 2004, issue of ESPN The Magazine, a two-page spread featured the full ad — the Air Jordan 19, wrapped by a black mamba snake.
And so the “Black Mamba” slithered into the archives of history, but only briefly before it was reborn.
A year later, fate intervened in the dark glow of a television screen. “Kill Bill Vol. 2” flickered across the room as Bryant watched Darryl Hannah’s assassin introduce a venomous serpent as “Death Incarnate.”
Bryant, drowning in scandal, scrutiny and a Colorado courtroom, needed armor. He needed separation from the noise. He created the Black Mamba — not as a sneaker pitch but as a survival mechanism.
Nike insiders insist Bryant never knew the moniker was once floated for Jordan. Different silos. Different eras. A coincidence so bizarre it feels scripted.
But imagine if Jordan had embraced it.
Imagine “Mamba Day” belonging to No. 23. Imagine sneakers textured in snakeskin before Bryant ever held one for that iconic SLAM cover.
The first image of Bryant with the black mamba snake appeared on the cover of SLAM Magazine in the summer of 2006.
Imagine “Mamba Mentality” attached to the man already nicknamed “Air Jordan.”
It wouldn’t have worked.
Jordan was a predator, yes — but he was myth built on flight, not venom. He soared. Jordan’s other nickname, “His Airness,” was apropos.
Kobe Bryant was different. Yes, he studied Jordan on VHS tapes as a kid. Yes, he also could jump high and dunk with the best of them — just ask Dwight Howard. But when Kobe was in kill mode, he struck. Just like a deadly snake.
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A long break didn’t help the Flyers a whole lot Wednesday night.
After a 19-day layoff because of the Olympics, the Flyers fell to the Capitals, 3-1, at Capital One Arena.
Noah Cates scored the team’s lone goal.
The Flyers (25-21-11) had a chance to tie the game with 48.4 seconds left when they emptied their net for a two-man advantage on a power play, but Washington converted at shorthanded.
Rick Tocchet’s club has dropped 13 of its last 16 games (3-9-4), a stretch in which it has scored just 2.44 goals per game.
The Flyers are 1-1-0 in their four-game regular-season series with the Capitals (30-23-7).
• Dan Vladar surrendered two or fewer goals for the 21st time in 33 starts this season.
He converted 26 saves on 28 shots, but the effort went wasted.
Rasmus Sandin opened the scoring with 6:08 minutes left in the second period, handing the Flyers their 38th 1-0 deficit.
Cates responded with a deflection just 29 seconds into the third period.
Washington, though, scored its game-winner with 5:52 minutes to go on a Trevor van Riemsdyk marker. The Flyers didn’t seem to have a good line change, leaving Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen to defend an odd-man rush.
Capitals netminder Logan Thompson stopped 23 of the Flyers’ 24 shots. He faced only six in the third period.
• The Flyers failed to take advantage of the third-place Islanders being idle.
They’re eight points back of New York in the Metropolitan Division race with 25 games to go. They entered Wednesday with a 12.4 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to Hockey-Reference.com’s probabilities report.
“It’s something that is obtainable and our guys believe in,” assistant coach Todd Reirden said a week ago. “If we can get back to playing the way we were playing in the beginning of the season, I think we give ourselves a really good chance.”
• Emil Andrae went into the break having sat out the Flyers’ last five games. The 24-year-old defenseman remained a healthy scratch Wednesday night.
Tocchet and Reirden have been rolling with Noah Juulsen for his righty shot and penalty kill responsibilities.
“Emil has had a really good year,” Reirden said last Thursday. “I mean, he has already passed his career numbers. In terms of where his path is for this year and in terms of how we’re using him game by game, sometimes it’s situational, sometimes it’s handedness.
“He’s doing everything he can to get himself in a situation where he’s fighting to be in that lineup every night. We’ll continue to go through that discussion. … This is a player that has definitely improved and continues to improve. Being able to just keep that level of consistency for us is important.”
• The Flyers are right back at it Thursday when they visit the Rangers (8 p.m. ET/ESPN).
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had an opportunity to clarify his comments about Los Angeles Dodgers fans that appeared in an article inside Chicago Magazine recently.
Instead, he added gasoline to the fire.
The 23-year-old All-Star, who grew up in the shadow of Los Angeles Dodgers blue, doubled down this week on his criticism of Dodgers fans. He told Foul Territory that he remembers “nasty stuff” in the stands as a kid, invoking the brutal 2011 beating of Bryan Stow as something that stuck with him. He insisted his comments weren’t about the players or the organization — only the fanbase.
“I grew up going to Dodgers games when they weren’t always good. Their fans go in phases. Putting the Giants fan in the coma stuck with me as a kid. Sitting in the stands, nasty stuff goes on. I didn’t always experience that at other ballparks,” he said in the interview.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong clarified his comments about Los Angeles Dodgers fans recently. Getty Images
Pete Crow-Armstrong says his comments about Dodgers fans have nothing to do with the players.
"They [the fans] go in phases. I remember putting the Giants fan in a coma. That stuck with me as a kid. Just little things, sitting in the stands, nasty stuff goes on." pic.twitter.com/0qWe1LkghE
But here’s the problem: that’s not the song he was singing before.
Crow-Armstrong’s original critique was that Dodgers fans don’t “give a s—,” that they show up to take photos rather than understand the game.
Now the argument has shifted from passion and baseball IQ to violence and ugliness. Those are two very different accusations. One is about engagement. The other is about morality.
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Dodgers fans fired back quickly, pointing to record attendance, division titles, and October thunder. They also reminded Cubs loyalists of their own scars — hello, Steve Bartman.
Crow-Armstrong’s original critique was that Dodgers fans don’t “give a s—,” that they show up to take photos. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Every fanbase has its demons. Every stadium has its shadows. But when you grow up near Dodger Stadium and choose to keep swinging at its people, you better be ready for the fastball back at your face.
Good thing Crow-Armstrong has crushed a few of those into the pavilion before. He’ll hear about it again in when the Cubs come to Chavez ravine in late April.
Miami Heat legend and basketball Hall of Famer Chris Bosh didn't go into specifics but said he received a medical scare, to the point where he woke up covered in his own blood, in a recent social media post.
Bosh, an 11-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion, posted a video of himself to Instagram where he was sitting inside of his car, explaining his recent episode in vague detail because he could not recall what happened.
"It was crazy. It was fast. It was instant. There was no warning. I didn’t have any time to prepare for it,” Bosh said during an Instagram post.
"I was getting ready to go on a date with my wife and the next thing you know, I was, I was on the ground," Bosh said. "I won’t get into specifics, but you can kind of see I’m still recovering. I’m not gonna try to hide that one in case I look different.”
Feb 25, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Pirates fans saw their first glimpse of the 2025 National League Cy Young winner on Wednesday afternoon.
Paul Skenes took the mound for the first time in 2026 against the Atlanta Braves in North Port, Florida.
It’s the only game Skenes is scheduled to pitch for the Pirates before joining Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Facing a Braves order with regulars like Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Michael Harris, and Ozzie Albies in the lineup, Skenes totaled 2.1 innings of work.
Skenes allowed four walks, including back-to-back free passes to Olson and Jurickson Profar in the first frame. He responded by striking out Riley to end the inning.
Skenes worked around two walks in the second inning and stranded a runner on third by inducing an Acuña pop-up to prevent any runs from crossing the plate.
Drake Baldwin led off the third with a triple in the books, but it was misplayed by Oneil Cruz in right-center field. Cruz overran the ball and didn’t track it well enough, but it wasn’t ruled an error. Skenes followed it up by striking out Olson in his final at-bat of the day.
Skenes was replaced by Jarod Bayless, who allowed a two-run homer to Riley to account for Skenes’ lone earned run.
He threw 53 pitches, 27 for strikes, and faced 12 hitters in his first appearance since September 24. Atlanta received strong pitching throughout the game and claimed a 3-1 victory over the Buccos.
The Pirates provided early run support for Skenes. Oneil Cruz led off with an opposite-field base hit, stole second base, and scored on an RBI base hit by Ryan O’Hearn.
While it was a tad concerning to see Skenes walk four hitters, he did work his way out of jams. Oh, and it’s (check notes) February 25.
Skenes won his first Cy Young after leading baseball in ERA (1.97) and fourth in strikeouts (216) and WHIP (0.95) in 187.2 innings.
He is set to start two games for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Team USA is looking to avenge its 3-2 championship loss to Japan and Shohei Ohtani in 2023. The Americans have only won the WBC one time (2017) in five total tournaments, beginning in 2006.
The WBC takes place from March 5 to March 17, leading into Opening Day between the Pirates and Mets in New York on March 26.
PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 24: The sneakers worn by Ron Harper Jr. #13 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Phoenix Suns on February 24, 2026 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Joel Armia, Drew Doughty, Adrian Kempe, and Darcy Kuemper have all returned to the Kings organization as they get set to host the Vegas Golden Knights. Joel Armia returned with a Bronze medal, and Drew Doughty and Darcy Kuemper returned with a Silver Medal. Before the Olympic break, the Kings traded for Artemi Panarin, but because of the timing of the trade, he did not play any games for the Kings before the break. For the first time, we will see him today.
Kings Projected Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight:
Quinton Byfield - Anze Kopitar - Trevor Moore
Artemi Panarin - Alex Laferriere - Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele - Alex Turcotte - Andrei Kuzmenko
Joel Armia - Samuel Helenius - Corey Perry
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
Anton Forsberg
Darcy Kuemper
Golden Knights projected Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Golden Knights tonight:
Ivan Barbashev - Tomas Hertl - Keegan Kolesar
Reilly Smith - Tanner Laczynski - Pavel Dorofeyev
Brandon Saad - Colton Sissons - Alexander Holtz
Cole Reinhardt - Kai Uchacz - Braeden Bowman
Jeremy Lauzon - Rasmus Andersson
Brayden McNabb - Dylan Coghlan
Ben Hutton - Kaedan Korczak
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Injuries and Line Changes
With the Kings having all their players who went to the Olympics return to the lineup, they have the advantage because Vegas is missing 5 of its best players. Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Shea Theodore, Mark Stone, and Mitch Marner are all scratched for tonight's game. The Kings have scratched Jeff Malott, Jacob Moverare, Taylor Ward and will be without Kevin Fiala after he was injured in the Olympics.
Key Factors
With the Golden Knights missing 5 of their top players, the Kings need to take advantage and get a game closer to a playoff spot. The Kings are currently 3 points back of the Anaheim Ducks for the final wildcard spot. With a win tonight, they would be within 1 point of a playoff spot. The Kings' second line will be the one to watch, as they could have a potential dynamic duo in Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin.
Overall, this game is incredibly important for the Kings, as they can come out of the break strong with a massive win over a divisional opponent. Artemi Panarin makes his debut tonight as well, and Kings and Hockey fans are looking to see what impact he makes in his first game.
Nov 17, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) looks to pass beside Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a packed portion of their schedule, playing their fifth game in seven nights on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. There’s a good chance we see them strategically rest a few players tonight. Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell have already been ruled out (Mobley with the calf, Mitchell with a groin strain).
James Harden is also listed as questionable after suffering a fracture in his right thumb last night versus the New York Knicks. It’s impossible to know with this stuff — but it appears Harden’s injury was a best-case scenario and he shouldn’t miss much time. Of course, take that with a grain of salt.
Cleveland is getting a slight relief in their opponent tonight. After facing the Knicks yesterday and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks should seem easier. That’s partly why the Cavs are resting a few of their key players. They might not even need them tonight.
With that said, it’s important to never overlook an opponent. The Bucks may be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they still have NBA players on their roster who can burn you.
Former Cavalier Kevin Porter Jr. is playing quality basketball recently, scoring 32 points in his last game against the Miami Heat. Bobby Portis is a bucket, as well. He’ll be someone to watch for in this matchup.
Cavs injury report: Evan Mobley – OUT (calf), Donovan Mitchell – OUT (groin), James Harden – QUESTIONABLE (hand), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Tristan Enaruma – OUT (G League), Riley Minix – OUT (G League), Darius Brown – OUT (G League)
Bucks injury report: Giannis Antetounmpo – OUT (calf), Taurean Prince – OUT (neck), Alex Antetokunmpo – OUT (G League)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: Dennis Schroder, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson Jarrett Allen
Bucks expected starting lineup: Kevin Porter Jr, Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner
Nov 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) gets out of the way as center Evan Mobley (4) grabs a rebound during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers had one of their best wins of the season as they held the New York Knicks to under 100 points on Tuesday. Many of the players who contributed to that win won’t be available for their game the following evening against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In total, Cleveland will be without at least two starters from yesterday’s win and could be down three. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley will both be held out of Wednesday’s game.
Mitchell is listed as being out with a right groin strain. Mobley is out due to maintenance from the left calf injury that kept him out for several weeks starting at the end of January.
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The Cavs might also be without the services of James Harden. The team announced that he suffered a broken right thumb during the win over the Knicks, but might not miss any time. He’s officially listed as questionable for the game.
Additionally, the Cavs will also be without Max Strus (foot), who’s yet to play this season. Their three two-way players — Darius Brown, Tristan Enaruna, and Riley Minix — are also unavailable.
If Harden isn’t able to go, the Cavs could be left with a projected starting lineup of Dennis Schroder, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, and Jarrett Allen.
The Bucks will still be without the services of Giannis Antetokounmpo who will be missing this game with a calf strain. Taurean Prince (neck surgery) and Alex Antetokounmpo (G League) will also be held out of this game.
VENICE, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves runs out a single during the sixth inning of a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at CoolToday Park on March 11, 2025 in Venice, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Braves and Pirates tangled in Grapefruit League action on Wednesday afternoon, and the Braves came away victorious by a 3-1 score, taking advantage of rusty-ish Paul Skenes in the process.
Let’s get the key performances out of the way first.
Bryce Elder was, well, Bryce Elder. Especially the kind of Bryce Elder he appears to be when successful. He struck out three in two innings, walked none, and kept the ball on the lower side of the launch angle spectrum. As a result, the Pirates scratched across a run as a result of a couple of hard-hit singles sandwiching a steal, but there wasn’t much else going on.
Austin Riley unloaded his first Spring Training homer, a gargantuan 419-foot shot off the batters’ eye in center. Earlier in the same plate appearance, he had obliterated another high fastball, but pulled that one just foul. He kept this one (way more) fair.
Riley’s homer actually capped the scoring, as Drake Baldwin led off that frame with a weird triple on a less-routine-than-it-should-have-been fly ball to center, and scored on a Jurickson Profar soft liner down the right-field line. Riley drove Profar in with his moonshot.
Beyond that, the Braves had some fun making Paul Skenes, making his Spring Training 2026 debut, somewhat uncomfortable. They drew four walks against Skenes, who completed 2 1/3 innings — while successfully challenging four of Skenes’ called strikes. (In this game, the Braves went 6-for-6 in successful challenges, while the Pirates whiffed on both of theirs.) They didn’t get more than three runs, though, despite the early walks because Skenes carved up Riley in the first with two on and two out, while Mauricio Dubon and Ronald Acuña Jr. couldn’t get a key hit with two on in the second. (Dubon actually had a hard grounder, but Acuña just popped out. Acuña also later hit into a double play ball by hitting a grounder right at an infielder.)
Other than that, very little happened. The Braves used seven different pitchers in relief of Elder:
Tyler Kinley: 1/1 K/BB
Dylan Lee, 1/1 K/BB
Dylan Dodd, 2/1 K/BB in 1 2/3 IP
Tyler LaPorte, who struck out the only batter he faced
Hayden Harris, 2/0 K/BB
James Karinchak, 2/1 K/BB
Javy Guerra, on a redemptive note from his prior horrid outing, 1/0 K/BB
Basically, it was a breezy day at the park. The Braves had a collective 9/6 K/BB ratio offensively, while the Pirates were eaten up to the tune of 13/4 by Braves pitching. The Pirates got a runner on in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but a routine flyout ended the game.
Marcell Ozuna went 0-for-2 with a walk (against Dylan Dodd) in his first uniformed game against his erstwhile mates.
The Braves will now head to Tampa to play the Yankees tomorrow afternoon.
PEORIA, Ariz. — Cal Raleigh has already gone deep this spring, yet the switch-hitting Seattle Mariners catcher isn’t focused on trying to hit 60 home runs again this season.
Raleigh, who had an MLB-leading 60 homers last year, hit a 427-foot homer against the Chicago White Sox in an exhibition game Tuesday. His first spring homer came in his third game.
“I think the elephant in the room is 60 home runs. That’s not something I’m setting out to do,” Raleigh told Seattle Sports this week. “To me, I’m just trying to be as consistent as possible, trying to do what I did last year.”
His 60 homers last season were the most for a player who was primarily a catcher, having started 119 games behind the plate and another 38 at designated hitter. The 29-year-old Raleigh, nicknamed “Big Dumper,” also had a career-high 125 RBIs and finished second in the American League MVP voting behind New York Yankees slugger and third-time winner Aaron Judge.
Judge and Raleigh are both set to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which begins pool play next week. Judge set the AL record with 62 home runs in 2022.
There are among only seven players with a 60-homer season, and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are the only ones to do so in consecutive seasons (1998 and 1999). McGwire and Sosa are the only players with multiple 60-homer seasons, and Sosa had a third in 2001.
NORTH PORT, Fla. — National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes lost four strikes to challenges in his first spring training start.
Skenes struck out four and walked four over 2 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, who were 4 for 4 against the right-hander on challenges to get called strikes overturned to balls.
The 53-pitch outing is expected to be the only one for Skenes before he joins the U.S. for the World Baseball Classic. He allowed one hit and one run while facing 12 batters. He is going into his third season with the Pirates.
Skenes threw 27 pitches for strikes, along with four other pitches initially called strikes by home plate umpire Chris Segal that Braves hitters challenged through the automated ball-strike system — the so-called robot umpires.
Three of those challenges came on consecutive batters in the first inning.
Matt Olson challenged an 82.3 mph curveball that was called a strike, and had a smile on his face when replay showed indeed that the 1-1 pitch was just off the plate. He went on to draw a walk.
Jurickson Profar then challenged a 98.3 mph fastball for a strike on the first pitch he faced, and it was overturned to a 1-0 count before he also walked. Austin Riley sought a replay when a 99 mph pitch on an 0-2 count was called a strike, but was above the zone, though on the next pitch he struck out swinging on a 98.5 mph fastball just below that.
In the Braves second, Ronald Acuña asked for a review and got a ball on a 97.6 mph fastball off the plate that had been called a strike.
While the overturned strike thrown to Riley was the fastest of the day by Skenes, he was consistently in the upper-90s throughout his outing.
