Of course there was reason to doubt Giancarlo Stanton's pursuit of another milestone moment. The veteran slugger began the regular season on the indefinite injured list with sharp and constant pain in both elbows that hampered him for months. His role with the Yankees was undefined -- the same could be said about his future in the league.
But if Stanton's skeptics were a main source of motivation in his lengthy recovery, he's now silenced every last one. His knack for hitting momentous home runs never disappeared, and proof came in the form of his 450th career blast on Saturday night in the Yankees' 6-1 road win over the Orioles.
The history-making three-run shot arrived in the first inning, and Stanton had to earn it. With two strikes and two outs against Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano, he took a sweeper to right field that narrowly cleared Camden Yards' elevated wall. The ball didn't travel to his tape-measure standards, but it counted all the same.
"It's pretty cool [hitting No. 450]. We like round numbers," Stanton explained to the YES Network after the win. "It's cool to see the names I'm catching and tying, going above. Most importantly, it helped us win. A lot of swings away from 500. Of course, you think about it. If you bear down, I'm capable of doing it. It's just one at a time. That's all I can do."
Stanton became the 41st player in MLB history to register 450 career homers, and the fifth-fastest player to achieve the feat (1,719 games). He's also just the sixth player to hit No. 450 in a Yankee uniform, and his current mark ranks highest among active hitters.
If joining the 500 homers club grants a player access to the Hall of Fame, a willing and able version of Stanton -- who turns 36 in November -- has the chance to earn an invite before his contract with the Yankees expires following the 2027 season. There are only 28 players in the exclusive fraternity.
In the meantime, the Yankees will bask in Stanton's success at the plate. Since his season debut in mid-June (70 games), he's slashed a laudable .268/.341/.575 with 21 homers and seven doubles across 228 at-bats. Welcomed production that the team wound up needing in bunches.
"It's so unique how [Stanton] does it, how routinely hard he hits the baseball," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told YES. "But just a really cool day for him and for us as teammates. He has so much respect from all of us... Still going in what's a Hall of Fame career. It's a big number... I feel like he's got a lot left, a lot left to go..."
After the game, the Yankees revealed that one of their younger fans -- wearing Stanton's jersey, ironically -- caught the ball and wanted nothing in return. But he and his family got to meet Stanton near the clubhouse, where they exchanged one special ball for some signed memorabilia.
On Jun. 28, something pretty special happened for Pittsburgh Penguins' forward prospect Avery Hayes.
Fresh off of signing a two-year entry level contract with the Penguins at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Hayes got to watch as his brother's name was called from the podium during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
“It’s been awesome," Travis said. "Obviously, going to Buffalo and playing with him, then got a few shifts with him [in camp] and seeing him out here, his practice habits and stuff… yeah, it’s great.”
And Travis isn't the only family member Avery got to unite with during the first weekend of training camp. The USHL Fall Classic also took place at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in the evenings following the first three days of camp - and Avery's and Travis's, brother, Eli, is competing for the Honeybaked Hockey Club out of Detroit - a team that Penguins' forward Bryan Rust used to play for and, ironically, one that has yet another Penguins' connection.
"Rutger [McGroarty's] dad, Jimmy, is the head coach of the team, which is funny," Hayes laughed. "So, it's pretty cool.
Avery and Travis attended one of Eli's games on Saturday evening, and they also got to reunite with their own father at the event.
"It’s really cool to see all of them," Avery said. "I don’t get to see them at all during the season, so it's nice."
Undrafted, Hayes initially joined the Penguins' organization when he signed a two-year AHL contract prior to the 2023-24 season. His first season was riddled with injury, but he really began to make a name for himself and the type of player he is in 2024-25.
A scrappy, effort-driven forechecking forward, he kicked off that campaign with a standout performance at the Prospects Challenge, followed by a strong training camp showing. He carried all of that momentum into the AHL regular season, when he put up 23 goals and 42 points in 60 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).
The practice habits Travis referred to - as well as his skillset - are well-known to his teammates by now, as they certainly translate to game days and in trying to stand out at training camp.
“He works hard and looks really shifty out there," said forward Rickard Rakell , who is in Hayes's training camp group. "He’s hard to catch. He’s a smaller guy but quick with the puck. Good with the puck. Plays with a lot of confidence.”
And that nod of confidence from the organization in the form of that two-year NHL contract this summer opened up an opportunity for Hayes to vye for an NHL roster spot. It's an opportunity he's grateful for and that he doesn't want to waste, and to go up against guys like Rakell and Bryan Rust in drills during camp is giving him a taste of what's expected at the NHL level.
“It’s awesome," Hayes said. "Those are the guys that you want to be going up against and playing with in the future. That’s the kind of standard to make it. So, they’re great players, and it really pushes me to be better.
"I also get to play with great players, too, which is awesome. You get to see how they kind of think the game and play off them. So, it’s a really cool experience. You don’t really want to get starstruck in the moment, you just want to go out there and play.”
And he's taking a thing or two from those great players.
“Just the details. I mean, they compete," Hayes said. "They’re guys that have been playing in the NHL for 10-plus years, some of them. They treat every rep like it’s a Game 7. So, I’d say that’s the biggest thing and just how fast-paced and competitive it is."
Hayes is slated to be in the lineup for Pittsburgh's first pre-season game on Monday in Montreal against the Canadiens, and he will be competing with - and against - several forwards who figure to be in contention for a final roster spot along with him, including Tristan Broz, Rafeal Harvery-Pinard, Sam Poulin, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen, and Robby Fabbri.
So what does Hayes need to do in order to separate himself? It's simple: just be himself and take things day-by-day.
"Just play my game and be myself," Hayes said. "I mean, it got me this far, so I just have to continue to play with confidence and just take it one day at a time, take it one practice at a time. Honestly, I’m not looking too far into the future. Just taking it one day at a time.”
Arch Manning passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns in his sharpest game of the season so far as No. 8 Texas cruised to a 55-0 win over Sam Houston on Saturday night.
The Gators were outgained 344-141 and quarterback D.J. Lagway completed 12 of 23 passes for only 61 yards. It was Florida’s lowest yardage since managing only 119 against Alabama on Dec. 4, 1999.
Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes and D’Angelo Ponds scooped up the punt he blocked and returned it 11 yards for a score Saturday night, leading No. 19 Indiana past No. 9 Illinois 63-10.
BALTIMORE — Giancarlo Stanton hopes his 450th home run won’t be the last milestone he celebrates before calling it a career.
“It’s a nice round number,” the New York Yankees slugger said Saturday night after hitting a three-run drive in a 6-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. “It’s cool to see the names I’m catching and tying and going above.”
Stanton hit No. 450 in his 1,719th career game. Only Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez and Harmon Killebrew were quicker to 450.
If the 35-year-old Stanton continues his slugging ways, then perhaps he will reach 500 and be recognized with a plaque in Cooperstown.
“He’s still going in what’s a Hall of Fame career,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s a big number, 450, and it came with a three-run shot in the first. I feel like he’s got a lot left, a lot more to go.”
That longball off Tomoyuki Sugano sent the Yankees on their way to an important victory. The leaders in the AL wild-card race now stand just two games behind the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays with seven games left in the regular season.
“Most important, it helped us win,” Stanton said of his opposite-field drive to right.
Stanton didn’t start the season until July 2 because of elbow injuries. Since his return, he’s hit 21 homers.
Asked to describe Stanton as a hitter, Boone replied, “The man is dangerous. A unicorn. It’s so unique how he does it, so unique how routinely hard he hits the baseball. Just a really cool day for him and us as his teammates.”
Rest assured, there will be a lot more celebrating if Stanton reaches the next milestone.
“I’m a lot of swings away from 500,” he said. “Of course you think about it, and you understand that if you bear down that I’m capable of doing it.”
And the Hall of Fame? After being told of Boone’s assessment, Stanton said: “It’s cool to hear. I’m still rolling. That’s for you guys to debate about. I just come in every day and do what I can.”
DENVER — A difficult season for Mike Trout and his Los Angeles Angels team came with a historical benchmark Saturday.
The three-time American League most valuable player and 11-time all-star hit his 400th career home run in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies.
The 485-foot solo shot to left center field off a 98-mph sinker from Rockies reliever Jaden Hill extended the Angels’ lead to 3-0 as the club tries to snap an eight-game losing streak.
The homer was the 10th-longest in famously hitter-friendly Coors Field history since the advent of Statcast in 2015.
He became the 59th player in MLB history with at least 400 home runs and the third player to reach the mark while in an Angels uniform, joining Dave Winfield and Vladimir Guerrero.
He reached 1,000 career RBIs in July with home run No. 397.
Trout, a career .294 hitter, is batting just .229 this season, though his 22 homers and 59 RBIs are his most in three years after he endured injury shortened seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Entering Saturday’s matchup, Trout had just one home run in his previous 36 games.
Apr 1, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) follows the puck in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Marc DesRosiers/Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin revealed Friday that his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, needed a lifesaving heart transplant over the summer.
In a message Dahlin and Matovac posted on the Sabres website on Friday, the defenseman outlined how his fiancée felt sick for several days during a vacation in France before her heart failed. He wrote that Matovac required CPR on “multiple occasions and up to a couple of hours at a time,” and then spent weeks on life support before receiving a new heart.
Dahlin said Matovac is “on the path to a full recovery” and is rehabilitating in Sweden before she can be cleared to travel and join him in Buffalo.
“Without her receiving lifesaving CPR, the result would have been unimaginable. It is hard to even think about the worst-case scenario,” wrote Dahlin, who is in Buffalo for training camp, which opened Thursday.
“We want to spotlight the importance of CPR treatment, CPR training, organ donation and heart-related issues that impact so many people and families around the world,” the message said. “We cannot say thank you enough to all organ donors, and are appreciative beyond words for the new life that organ donation has provided to Carolina.”
The two credited doctors and staff at several hospitals in France and Sweden where Matovac was treated, as well as the Hogsbo Rehabilitation Center in Sweden.
Dahlin also expressed gratitude to the NHL and NHL Players’ Association, the Sabres and his agent, Craig Oster, for their support. He thanked NHLPA physician Scott Delaney for overseeing plans on Matovac’s medical treatment and offering comfort to relatives of the couple.
The 25-year-old Dahlin is entering his eighth NHL season after being selected first overall by Buffalo in the 2018 draft. The Swede has topped 50 points in each of his past four seasons and was selected to represent his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
”(Matovac) has demonstrated an incredible determination, spirit, positivity and resilience that I am in awe of,” Dahlin wrote.
“This has undoubtedly been the most challenging chapter of our lives. However it is something that we have learned so much from,” he added. “We hope that we can all reflect on how fortunate we are to have the people and experiences that we share together every single day.”
Can Bowman Build A Winner? - October 8, 1993 - Volume 47, Issue 04 - Keith Gave
Call it Great Expectations, The Sequel.
Only this time, the Detroit Red Wings have hired the best in the business to author a happier ending. Frustrated by futile efforts in the playoffs that have cost them millions in gate receipts over the past two springs, owners Mike and Marian Ilitch spent nearly $2 million to bring coach Scotty Bowman to Detroit for at least two seasons.
But despite the impressive rebuilding effort general manager Bryan Murray has orchestrated over the past three years, Bowman has his work cut out for him in 1993-94.
Like last season, the Wings begin the season with a deeply talented lineup that ranks them the best team in the west, ready again to challenge the Pittsburgh Penguins or whoever in the Stanley Cup-a trophy that has eluded them since 1955.
There is pressure, from team ownership to the legion of devoted fans running out of patience. Unlike last year, however, this team begins the season with more questions about its preparedness to win it all, than answers. Notable among them:
□ How does this team replace its leader, Gerard Gallant, the most respected player in the dressing room?
□ Is Tim Cheveldae the goaltender to lead Detroit all the way?
□ Is the defense as set as it appears?
□ Will Keith Primeau finally emerge as an assertive, consistent force in the Wings’ lineup?
□ Will this team, despite all its talent, measure up to Bowman’s lofty standards?
□ Can the NHL’s best offense last season play enough defense to satisfy the coach?
Though much will be made in training camp of young players challenging veterans for jobs up front, the real competition is for the top positions. Which is why Primeau’s progress will be monitored carefully by the Detroit management.
He prefers to play center, his natural position, and the Wings have him penciled in as the No. 3 pivot behind Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov. With both expected to play upwards of 25 minutes a game, that doesn’t leave much time for Primeau and precious little for a fourth center.
This suggests Primeau will remain flexible. He began showing an inclination towards playing the wing on Fedorov’s left flank down the stretch last season and he could wind up there again.
But who plays on Yzerman’s left side after Gallant left as a free agent for a better offer from the Tampa Bay Lightning?
The Wings hope Bob Probert can turn his game around and fill that spot. But they hoped that last year, when he slipped to 14 goals and 43 points with a team-leading 292 penalty minutes.
Dallas Drake was the team’s top-scoring left winger with 18 goals and 44 points and played with the kind of aggressiveness that most coaches appreciate. He could see time with Yzerman and Dino Ciccarelli.
But if the Wings were to acquire Steve Larmer from the Chicago Blackhawks, or someone like him, that would enable them to try Ray Sheppard on his off wing.
The defense appears set, but Murray still sees a hole to fill.
He covets a big defenseman that he has been seeking for two seasons. Until then, the Wings enter the season with the defense they ended with last spring. The pairings: Paul Coffey and Nicklas Lidstrom; Steve Chiasson and Vladimir Konstantinov; and Mark Howe and Yves Racine.
Detroit’s goaltending isn’t nearly the concern to Bowman as it is to fans and others around the NHL. Cheveldae, the workhorse who ranked among NHL leaders in games and victories the past three seasons, has achieved a lot at 25, though he didn’t come through when it counted most.
Bowman compares Cheveldae to Pittsburgh’s Tom Barrasso, among others, who had to overcome adversity early in their careers before achieving success. But the coach also adheres to a strict commitment to team defense that should help the goalies.
Bowman said he feels pressure to win not only from the team’s generous owners, but wherever he goes around Detroit.
“There’s something about wearing the jersey of some teams. Detroit is a very vibrant hockey city,” he said.
One with high expectations and desperate for a happy ending.
The St. Louis Blues
opened the preseason with a 2-1
shootout loss against the Dallas
Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday.
The
Blues were 0-for-3 in the shootout (Dalibor
Dvorsky, Justin Carbonneau, Dylan Holloway),
and Sam Steel’s only goal in the first round proved to be the
difference. Carbonneau’s power-play goal was the only goal for the
Blues.
Here
are some observations from the game:
*
Binnington looked strong – Not that it’s any surprise, but Jordan
Binnington looked like he was in mid-season form.
His
save on Steel pushing from his right to left on a backdoor play in
the first period was the best save of his 19 after facing 20 shots
through two periods.
He
only allowed a Mavrik Bourque goal at 14:33 of the second period off
a one-time slap shot from the left point and rebound in front.
His
puck-handling was smooth, a strength of Blues goalies transitioning
pucks to the defensemen for smoother zone exits. A good sign.
Colten
Ellis, who took over for Binnington in the third, made a tremendous
save on Adam Hryckowian with just over three minutes remaining to
keep the game 1-1.
*
Carbonneau didn’t look out of place – Besides the power-play goal
the 2025 first-round puck scored, the 18-year-old had some
particularly good shifts in the first period with linemates Dylan
Holloway and Dalibor Dvorsky, making a couple subtle plays off the
walls enabling Holloway to get some strong looks at the goal.
It’ll
be interesting to ask, but his goal looked like a combination
look-off from the left circle after taking a point pass from Logan
Mailloux 50 seconds into the second period to feeding Aleksanteri
Kaskimaki, who was positioned at the left side of the post.
This
kid has such a good shot that should only get better and more
assertive as he matures and gets the reps at this level, but I was
impressed with some of the puck-making decisions he made.
*
Walker/Toropchenko still got it – Nathan Walker, who just signed a
two-year extension on Thursday, and Alexey Toropchenko will – and
should be – a staple on the Blues’ fourth line this season and
they exhibited some of those traits in this game with good, strong
sticks, breaking plays up, killing plays and at the end of the first
period, drawing a penalty with an extended zone time shift.
Walker
showed why again he is a fan favorite, getting into a scrap just 4:21
into the game with Hryckowian.
That
line, along with 2022 third-round pick Kaskimaki, handled itself well
in the small areas of the ice.
Kaskimaki did have one hiccup on an ill-advised play in overtime that was picked off in the middle of the ice on an outlet that led to Carbonneau's penalty. He will be seeing that one in video.
*
Mailloux looked sharp – What I like about Mailloux is his
no-hesitation putting pucks to the net from the point, and being
precise. He did a solid job in that area on Saturday.
But
what stood out for the 22-year-old was such a strong, defensive play
he made in overtime when the Blues were killing a penalty, with
Carbonneau in the box for tripping, killing a play that ended with
the Stars only getting one shot during a 4-on-3, and that defensive
stick was a large reason why the Blues were able to kill it off.
It
shows the confidence the coaching staff has in putting the defenseman
in those situations to see what he can do, and it was truly a moment
that will be shown to him through video on what to do correctly, and
do well.
Mailloux,
who was second behind Philip Broberg (26:15) in time on ice at 25:29,
didn’t have any shots on goal, but his willingness to get pucks
there, whether they get knocked down or not creating rebounds, should
be a benefit for the forwards when he’s on the ice to get to the
front of the net.
* Broberg, Holloway were strong– Holloway made his return to the lineup for the first time since tearing the abductor muscle off his hip on April 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins playing with Carbonneau and Dvorsky, finishing with a forward-high 22:09 of ice time and one shot on goal.
Broberg looked like he's taken his game to the next level. He looked smooth, assertive and was a great complement on a pair with Mailloux, leading the Blues with a team-high four shots on goal, including a couple of poised plays to the backhand in the middle of the ice. A strong showing.
*
Some of the young guys looked the part – There were plenty of young
players in this game, and there will be teaching moments off of it
for the coaching staff, and the second period was a strong example of
the Blues playing too much in their end, getting hemmed in and not
making smarter decisions with the puck.
The
Stars outshot the Blues 12-4 in the second and 13-4 in the third
(34-15 for the game) in large part to the Blues not being able to
manage pucks well enough at times and another reason was not being
good enough on face-offs. The Blues won just 15 of 46 on the dot and
were chasing the puck a lot as a result.
Angels outfielder Mike Trout takes the field before the team's home opener against the Cleveland Guardians on April 4. Trout hit his 400th career home run Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)
Mike Trout introduced himself to Angels fans at the 2010 Futures Game. In his first performance at Angel Stadium, his magic was on display: beating out an infield single, turning a routine single into a double on sheer hustle, forcing two errors with his speed on ground balls that could have been scored as hits.
He was not selected the most valuable player of the game. Fifteen years later, does he remember who was?
He thought about it for a second. Then his eyes lit up.
“Hank Conger,” Trout said.
The Angels had drafted both in the first round: Conger, a catcher, in 2006; Trout, an outfielder, in 2009. Before the 2010 season, Baseball America ranked Conger as the 84th-best prospect in baseball, Trout as the 85th.
Of the 29 position players in the 2010 Futures Game, Trout is the only one still playing. Conger, now a coach for the Minnesota Twins, last played in the major leagues nine years ago.
In 2012, when he and Trout each started the season at triple-A Salt Lake, Conger realized there were top prospects, and then there was Trout.
Trout was 20. He played 20 games, batted .403, and the Angels summoned him to the major leagues for good.
“He goes off, gets called up, misses almost a month,” Conger said, “and still becomes the rookie of the year.”
That vote was unanimous. Trout also finished a close second for American League MVP to Miguel Cabrera, who won the Triple Crown. He went on to win three MVP awards — only Barry Bonds has won more — and finish in the top five in MVP voting every year for nine consecutive years.
On Saturday night in a 3-0 win over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, Trout hit his 400th home run, a milestone the oft-laconic Trout readily put into perspective.
“Definitely one to sit on, just to look back and reflect how quick it’s gone,” he said last month. “It seems like yesterday I just got drafted. Now I have two kids, and I’ve been here 14 years.”
Trout is 34, deep into the second half of his major league days. The mere mention of his name commonly triggers twin laments from fans: how injuries have hampered his career, and how the Angels have hampered his career.
In the first nine seasons of his career, the Angels put Trout on the injured list twice. In the five seasons since, this one included, the Angels put Trout on the injured list six times. He has not played 130 games in a season since 2019.
“Is this our modern-day version of Mickey Mantle?” asked Tim Salmon, who ranks second on the Angels’ all-time home run list at 299. “They talk about Mickey Mantle: if he didn’t blow out his knee, what could he have been? Are we going to look back on Trout’s career and say the same things?
“He’s obviously a Hall of Famer in so many ways already, but will he get the typical benchmarks? Will he be in that category like (former Angels teammate Albert) Pujols? He could have been.”
If Trout had played as often since the pandemic as he did before it, he already would have topped 500 home runs.
He still hits for power. He still gets on base, tied for third in the AL in walks. He hits the ball hard, when he hits it.
However, of the 144 major leaguers with enough at-bats to qualify for a batting title, Trout has struck out the second-most (.320 strikeout percentage). After hitting his 398th home run on Aug. 7, he did not hit his 399th until Sept. 11.
(Photo illustration by Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)
With 400 home runs, Trout ranks among the top 60 all-time. Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs projects Trout will finish his career with 503 home runs. That would get Trout into the top 30.
With good health, Trout might well have gotten to 600. That could have put him into the top 10, ahead of Frank Robinson, looking up at the likes of Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays.
“I’ve always told myself everything happens for a reason,” Trout said. “I did everything I could to be on the field.
“If I look back, I can say, ‘It sucks I’ve been banged up,’ but I’m here now, and I’ve still got a lot of time left to enjoy.”
The first two names former Angels manager Joe Maddon dropped in a comparison with Trout: Bonds and Griffey.
“He’s just among the best athletes ever to play the game,” Maddon said. “He has strength and speed and agility and everything.
“If you’re going to scout the perfect player, it would be Mike Trout.”
Bonds did not win a World Series; the Angels denied him. Griffey did not play in a World Series.
No one denies their greatness. No one should discount Trout’s, no matter how interrupted his half-decade has been. He was the dominant player of the previous decade, all of it.
“He was the best player in the game for, what, eight, nine, 10 years?” Dodgers Hall-of-Famer-in-waiting Clayton Kershaw said. “We’re not just talking about being an all-star. It was unanimous.
“If you ever asked anybody who the best player was, they’d say Trout. It’s like right now with Shohei (Ohtani) or (Aaron) Judge. It’s pretty obvious that Trout was the best player back then, and it’s not like he’s bad right now.”
Angels star Mike Trout hits his 400th career home run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday night. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
“Player marketing requires one thing for sure: the player,” Manfred said.
The Angels shot back with a scathing public rebuke of the commissioner and a hearty endorsement of Trout — crafted in part by owner Arte Moreno — that ended thusly: “We applaud him for prioritizing his personal values over commercial self-promotion. That is rare in today’s society and stands out as much as his extraordinary talent.”
The adult in the room was Trout, who followed the Angels’ statement with his own. It ended this way: "Everything is cool between the Commissioner and myself. End of story. I am ready to just play some baseball!”
The first two questions Conger always gets: You played with the Angels? What’s Mike Trout like?
Conger might not tell them about the group texts with long-ago teammates in which Trout still participates, or the random videos Trout sends, like the one of Conger breaking his bat and popping up. He will tell them about the one player that, even on a team with Pujols and Torii Hunter, got inundated with requests to go somewhere or meet someone or sign something.
“Seeing him do almost everything like that, with a smile and really making an effort, was the most impressive thing for me to see as a person,” Conger said.
“You hear the saying, ‘Don’t meet your heroes.’ He’s the complete opposite. I know he’s not outspoken or super flashy so people are like, ‘We need him to be more marketable.’ But, in this day and age, he is the role model citizen of what everybody should strive for in Major League Baseball.”
Joe Maddon, left, who was Mike Trout's manager from 2020-22, said, "If you're going to scout the perfect player, it would be Mike Trout." (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
The private group chats with teammates past and present are what Trout is about, not commercial shoots or talk shows, not podcasts or YouTube channels. He’d rather be cheering on his Philadelphia Eagles.
“The story is, honestly, that he is who he is based on where he came from,” Maddon said. “He’s not been infiltrated by social media and any other new-age, new-wave method of expressing yourself.”
Trout came from Millville, N.J., a blue-collar town of not even 30,000 people, some 40 miles south of Philadelphia. His high school could have retired his uniform number, except that Trout returns to the school every year to present a jersey with his number — 1, of course — to the new team captain.
Salmon has spent his adult life around the Angels, as a player and broadcaster. Fans often press him for the scoop on Trout, he said, with some version of this line: “You guys share the same fishy last name, and he’s Mr. Angel just like you.”
Salmon would be a logical guy to ask. He chose “friendly” and “cordial” as adjectives to describe his relationship with Trout.
“Everybody expects me to know him,” Salmon said, “and I don’t, really.”
Said Kershaw: “I’ve always appreciated the way he goes about the game. There’s not a lot of flash. It’s just good baseball.”
The Angels have not played good baseball. Trout has played three postseason games, all 11 years ago, and the Angels lost them all. The Angels had Trout and Ohtani together on the roster for six years and never once managed a winning record.
That has led to a long, loud and frankly tiresome chorus of well-meaning fans across America crying to liberate Trout, so a great player could take the postseason stage. Come home and play for the Phillies! How about the Yankees? Demand a trade, at least!
“He’s never made a stink in a headline about being disgruntled,” Conger said.
“He’s never going to walk into Arte’s office and say, ‘Listen, we need to do better, what’s going on?’ ” Maddon said. “He wants to win, but he’s never going to influence or persuade anybody who is in charge, because that person is in charge, and his job is to be Mike Trout, the player.”
Even if Trout ever did ask to be traded, at this point Moreno might have to throw in $100 million or so to induce another team to assume the contract, and Moreno isn’t about to pay Trout to play elsewhere when the home fans still love him. And, really, should we not celebrate a star who honors his commitment rather than lobbies to escape it?
Trout has expressed measured frustration over the Angels’ poor performance, but loyalty is his north star. The Angels have treated him well, and he has returned the favor.
One year, the Angels gave every kid at their game a Trout T-shirt — every Sunday, all summer long.
Hank Conger, right, now a coach with the Minnesota Twins, played in the same Futures Game as Mike Trout in 2010 and last played in the majors in 2016. (Matt Krohn / Associated Press)
He, not Salmon, is Mr. Angel now. I asked what being an Angel means to him.
“There’s a lot of teams that had a chance to get me, and a lot of teams passed on me,” Trout said. That draft was 16 years ago, and still it was the first thing he mentioned in his answer.
“The Angels took a chance on a kid from a little town in southern New Jersey. I enjoy putting the uniform on. I don’t take it for granted.
“They trusted me when they offered the deal — two of them.”
Trout twice passed up free agency to stay with the Angels. In 2014, three years before he could try free agency, the Angels guaranteed him $144.5 million. In 2019, two years before he could try free agency, they tore up the final years of the first big deal and guaranteed him a then-record $426.5 million through 2030.
Moreno celebrated that deal with more of a pep rally than a news conference, in front of a giddy gathering of fans, with Trout and his wife on a dais beneath an enormous red banner that said “LOYALTY,” with a halo adorning the A.
Tony Gwynn never won a World Series, but no one discounts his greatness, or his loyalty to the Padres. His statue, with the inscription “Mr. Padre,” looms beyond right field at Petco Park.
To the loyal and long-suffering fans of Orange County, Trout is their Gwynn.
The Angels have put up two statues at Angel Stadium: one in honor of founding owner Gene Autry, the other in memory of Michelle Carew, the daughter of Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who lost her life to leukemia at 18.
Trout has five years left on his contract. Even so: The first player in the history of a 65-year-old franchise to earn a ballpark statue is Mike Trout.
Times staff writer Jack Harris contributed to this column.
The Yankees wasted no time generating offense on Saturday night, as a three-run rally in the first inning was ample damage to defeat the division-rival Orioles, 6-1, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
While the magic number to clinch a postseason berth is now down to five, the chase for a division crown hasn't ended just yet. The Blue Jays fell to the Royals on Saturday, narrowing their first-place lead over the Yankees in the AL East standings to a mere two games. Two back with seven to go.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Giancarlo Stanton's hopes of producing the 450th home run of his career were spoiled on Friday, as his deep flyout in the second inning landed a few feet shy of the left field wall. But the veteran slugger summoned just enough muscle to achieve the milestone in his first at-bat on Saturday, connecting on a two-out sweeper from Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano that traveled just over the elevated wall in right for a three-run shot. The Yankees' first-inning rally was sparked by a pair of two-out singles from Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger.
-- Stanton became the 41st player in MLB history to register 450 career homers, and the fifth-fastest player to accomplish the feat (1,719 games). If the 500-homer mark still separates Hall of Fame contenders from pretenders, there's a chance that a healthy Stanton flirts with a legitimate pursuit over the next few seasons. Again, call it a chance. The historic blast was No. 21 on the year for Stanton, who's now hitting a respectable .269 with a .920 OPS.
-- Stanton's behemoth teammate showed off his esteemed power two innings later. Facing a full count, Judge won an eight-pitch leadoff matchup with Sugano by demolishing a sweeper down the right-field line for a leadoff solo homer. The 370-foot blast was No. 49 for the Yankees' captain, and he's now one homer shy of producing the fourth 50-homer season of his career. The Orioles trailed 4-0 after three, and didn't allow Sugano to return for a fourth inning of work. The Yankees roughed the right-hander up -- he threw a whopping 87 pitches and allowed six hits and one walk.
-- Carlos Rodón reached 87 pitches, too... but not until recording one out in the seventh inning. The Yankees' southpaw resembled an ace, lowering his season ERA from 3.11 to 3.04 with seven stellar frames of one-run ball. He retired 10 straight at one point, struck out eight for the first time since Aug. 1, and logged 18 first-pitch strikes to 26 total batters. Rodón's lone blemish came in the seventh, when he allowed an RBI double to Coby Mayo that cut the Yankees' lead to 6-1. The sharp performance was acknowledged by his teammates in the dugout -- he now has a career-high 17 wins.
-- Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham provided Rodón with more breathing room during the fifth and sixth innings by collecting RBI singles against Orioles relievers Jose Castillo and Yennier Cano. The eighth inning belonged to Luke Weaver, aiming to regain further confidence after an ugly relief appearance on Monday. Much to the Yankees' delight, the veteran right-hander looked sharp for a second straight game, inducing a pair of swinging strikeouts (Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg) on 15 pitches. David Bednar took over the ninth, and needed just six pitches to retire the side.
Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton
Stanton's momentous three-run homer in the first inning was all that the Yankees needed. The next name to chase on MLB's all-time homers list? Carl Yastrzemski (452).
HOUSTON — Seattle’s Cal Raleigh hit his 57th home run of the season Saturday night against the Houston Astros to pass Ken Griffey Jr. for the single-season franchise record.
The Mariners led 2-0 in the third inning when Raleigh smacked a 95.5 mph sinker from lefty Framber Valdez into the bullpen in right-center field to make it 3-0 and pass the mark Griffey reached in both 1997 and 1998.
Raleigh lifted his right arm in celebration as he rounded second base and raised the trident the Mariners use for their home run celebration skyward after J.P. Crawford handed it to him just before he entered the dugout.
Raleigh, who leads the majors in home runs, has already surpassed Mickey Mantle’s MLB record for home runs by a switch-hitter of 54 that had stood since 1961. He’s also set the MLB record for homers by a catcher this season, eclipsing the 48 Salvador Perez hit in 2021.
