Mets Notes: A.J. Ewing impresses, Carson Benge's spring 2026 debut set

Following the Mets' 2-1 loss in their spring training opener to the Marlins on Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to the media to give insight on the game and what's to come down the line.

A.J. Ewing Impresses

The Mets are in the market for an everyday right fielder and they hope someone takes the job this spring.

One potential option is youngster A.J. Ewing.

The No. 6 prospect on Joe DeMayo's list in the Mets system made his 2026 spring debut on Saturday. Taking over for Juan Soto in the middle of the game, and playing center field, Ewing showed off a little bit of everything he can provide the Mets at the plate and in the field. 

At the plate, he went 0-for-1 with a strikeout, but pushed across the team's only run with a sacrifice fly.

In the field, Ewing made some impressive reads to run down flyballs but the biggest play was gunning down the Marlins' Colby Shade trying to advance to third base on an errant throw on a stolen base attempt at second.

"There’s a lot to like, man," Mendoza said after the game. "He looks like a hitter at the plate and the defense. Made a couple of good plays, great jumps. The reads off the bat, but just his ability to give you a really good at-bat from the left side. The speed is obviously there. I’ve been pretty encouraged by what I’ve seen so far. And today was a perfect example of that." 

Carson Benge spring 2026 debut set

Speaking of outfielders. There's no bigger hype around a Mets player than there is for Carson Benge this spring.

The lefty swinging youngster has a real shot at winning the right field job this spring and fans will get their first look at Benge's ability this spring very soon.

Mendoza confirmed after Saturday's game that Benge will be one of the notable positional players heading to Tampa to take on the Yankees in Sunday's matchup. The others are Mark Vientos and Luis Torrens.

Benge comes into camp this season after a solid 2025 in the minors. He mashed Double-A pitching, slashing .317/.407/.571 with eight home runs before getting promoted to Triple-A. There, Benge saw his production drop as he adjusted to that level of pitching. He wound up hitting .178 with an OPS of just .583. He did hit three home runs and drive in 13 runs in 24 games with Syracuse. 

In addition, Mendoza confirmed that the position player group that played in Saturday's game will be the same in Monday's game.

Working with new coaching staff 

Aside from some core players like Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso no longer with the team, the Mets had a major coaching shakeup for the 2026 season.

Saturday was the first game against another team where this cast of coaches worked together. Mendoza was asked about how it after the game, and the Mets skipper made sure to get as much work in with them as he could.

"It’s always good to start that process going," Mendoza said. "Send [pitching coach Justin] Willard out for a mound visit. The sign system that we’re going to have with the base coaches. Interactions with Kai [Correa] as the bench coach, controlling the run game with [catching coach J.P. Arencibia].  It’s always good. There’s only so much you can do with zoom calls and meetings. There was a lot of good back-and-forth today." 

Why restricted free agency could be key for Lakers this offseason

DENVER, COLORADO - JANUARY 20: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball as Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets defends during the fourth quarter at Ball Arena on January 20, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. 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 Tanner Pearson/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On paper, the Lakers are poised for a huge summer of spending. Through multiple transaction windows, the Lakers have planned for the summer of 2027 as the time when they strike big.

The problem with their plan, and one they currently have entirely predicted, is that the unrestricted free agency class is rather underwhelming. It doesn’t mean the Lakers can’t still build a contender, but it does mean the simplest path to do so won’t likely be one they can take.

What, then, will free agency look like for the Lakers this summer? Let’s dive into that and more with our mailbag this week.

OldSchoolBaller
Who are the best and most likely free agents this coming offseason?

Technically, the two biggest likely unrestricted free agents will be two Lakers in LeBron James and Austin Reaves. After that, the free agency class pretty quickly takes a nose dive.

First, let’s look at the most notable potential unrestricted free agents:

  • Isaiah Hartenstein — Team option
  • Andrew Wiggins — Player option
  • John Collins — Unrestricted
  • Norman Powell — Unrestricted
  • Lu Dort — Team option
  • Quentin Grimes — Unrestricted
  • Ayo Dosunmu — Unrestricted

This isn’t even a particularly exhaustive list or one with much thought on the Lakers’ needs, but more of an example of how few real game-changing free agents there will be.

Excluded from this were Trae Young (player option), James Harden (player option) and Kristaps Porzingis (unrestricted), but for various fairly obvious reasons, I don’t think the Lakers are going to be an option there.

The far more intriguing crop of players are the restricted free agents:

  • Jaden Ivey
  • Bennedict Mathurin
  • Ousmane Dieng
  • Jalen Duren
  • Mark Williams
  • Walker Kessler
  • Peyton Watson

Restricted free agency has taken on an odd form under the new CBA. Last summer, we saw how little interest teams had in signing them, leading to long standoffs between the incumbent team and the player.

The Lakers’ unique position, though, could allow them to sign at least one of these players and still be spenders in free agency elsewhere. It won’t tie up their cap space entirely to send out an offer sheet. And with so much cap room, they could put together some really big offer sheets that will make it tough for teams to match.

It wouldn’t be a surprise, then, to see the Lakers moving aggressively from the start of free agency to sign one of these players and start the clock on the incumbent teams to match the offer once the moratorium ends.


Kilgary
It’s crazy we don’t have a definitive answer for this yet. With just 28 games left in the season: Who should be in our starting lineup? We saw zero success with AR+Luka+LeBron+Rui all starting (no one quick enough to defend the POA) BUT that was with JJ’s “switch everything” defense. What if they started out in zone? JJ has been experimenting with a lot of different zone looks to wallpaper over our slow footed stars. Would we be better off with our best offensive players in the starting lineup and starting out in zone or with some defenders and starting out in our “switch everything” defense?
  • Zone starters: Austin, Luka, Rui, LeBron, Deandre
  • Switch starters: Marcus, Austin, Luka, LeBron, Deandre

While I understand the sentiment, I think there are a couple of reasons to push back.

For one, you’re telegraphing what type of defense you’re going to play based on your starting lineup and if there’s anything coaches hate to do, it’s telegraph things based on starting lineups.

There is also a bit of a misconception about the zone defense the Lakers are using. It’s not something they go to for a long string of possessions in a row because NBA offenses and players are too sophisticated and smart for that to work.

The Lakers will employ their zone defense for a couple of possessions and then go back to the man-to-man. Think of it in baseball as a pitcher having different pitches. If they keep throwing a changeup (zone defense), then eventually the batter is going to see it coming and bad things will happen.

But if he can mix in that changeup with a fastball (man-to-man) and maybe even some other stuff like a curve (blitzing the ballhandler, as they did against the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard), then they may have enough. The zone defense is part of a greater scheme defensively and one they’re going to use with about every lineup they have because they aren’t good enough defensively to just have one look.


Kilgary
Second question: is there anyone left in the buyout market who would be worth waiving Kleber for? I’ll fully acknowledge that Maxi has contributed to winning 4 games this season. But that means he didn’t really contribute (or actively hurt our chances) in his 25 other games. I personally believe the bad outweighs the good and would rather have someone else hold the 15th roster spot. We can afford another vet minimum contract starting on February 26th. I was hoping we’d have a shot at Highsmith, but he’s off the board. Is there anyone else like Matisse Thybulle or even one of our 2-way guys like Timme who is worth taking a chance on over keeping Maxi on the roster as an emergency big?

I think there’s very, very little chance they move on from Maxi Kleber before the end of the season. Barring something drastic, this is the roster for the rest of the season.

Considering the recent games Deandre Ayton has missed with a knee injury lately and Jaxson Hayes’ potential to tackle a mascot at a moment’s notice, I don’t think the Lakers are in a position to cut bait on their third-string center.

I also think there’s value in being a respected veteran teammate on the bench. The team loves Kleber and he’s answered the bell when he’s asked in some big moments. I’m not sure there’d be a great reaction internally or externally to waiving him just before the playoffs, especially with a buyout market void of any real impact players and no two-way guys worth signing to a standard deal for the playoffs.

This isn’t like last season when Jordan Goodwin was securely in the rotation as the season ended. Drew Timme had a moment, as has Nick Smith Jr., but neither guy is worth cutting Kleber for.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle: Premier League – as it happened

City closed the gap on Arsenal at the top thanks to two first-half goals from Nico O’Reilly

Newcastle get the ball rolling! “No-one actually believes we’ll win this game, do they?” sighs Toon fan Chris Paraskevas. “I mean the last time we won at the Etihad, the goal-scorers were Moussa Sissoko (now ruining his reputation at Panathinaikos with Rafa Benitez) and Ryan Taylor.”

The teams are out. Manchester City, in sky blue, are given a guard of honour by members of their 1976 League Cup winning side. The 50th anniversary of that victory, over Newcastle, comes up next week. The Toon in third-choice blue. As for the weather, Bert Challenor, the talent scout from Comedians by Trevor Griffiths, says it best: “I’ll never understand why they don’t run boats to Manchester.” We’ll be off in a minute.

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Mills scores 21 to lead Maryland to 64-60 win over Washington

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Andre Mills scored 21 points to lead Maryland to a 64-60 win over Washington on Saturday.

Mills was only 7 of 18 from the floor, but 3 of 6 from behind the arc with five assists. He was coming off a career-high 39 points against Northwestern on Wednesday and scored 10 of the Terrapins' final 13 points over the last 6:24 of the game.

Solomon Washington’s 11-point, 14-rebound double-double buoyed the Terrapins (11-16, 4-12 Big Ten), while Elijah Saunders had 12 points and five rebounds.

Maryland held a 34-32 lead at halftime, flipping a game-high eight-point deficit into a lead with a 9-0 run starting at the 14:07 mark. They closed the game with a 13-6 run to retake and hold onto the lead.

The Terrapins had advantages in rebounding and on second-chance points, with 36-23 and 16-2 margins, respectively. While the Huskies shot 46 percent from the field (24-for-52) to 40 percent (23-for-57) for the Terrapins, the Terrapins made five more 3-pointers, and shot 43 percent behind the arc.

Zoom Diallo scored 19 points on 8 of 13 from the field to go with five assists for the Huskies (13-14, 5-11). Hannes Steinbach had 14 points and Wesley Yates III added 12.

Up next

Washington will continue its trip to the East Coast with a visit to Rutgers on Tuesday.

Maryland will face No. 9 Nebraska on the road on Wednesday.

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start again for Dodgers before World Baseball Classic

Feb 21, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had one very good inning and one bumpy frame in his 2026 spring training debut on Saturday against the Angels in Tempe. But the news from the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener is that Yamamoto will make one more start in Arizona before leaving to join Team Japan in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

Yamamoto is slated to pitch for Japan for a second straight WBC, with camp opening in Tokyo next weekend. The Dodgers right-hander told reporters after his start on Saturday that he’ll pitch once more for the Dodgers before departing for Japan.

Friday, February 27 has the Dodgers in Scottsdale to play the San Francisco Giants.

As for the game on Saturday in Tempe against the Angels, it was a tale of two innings for Yamamoto.

After a perfect first inning with two strikeouts, the Dodgers scored six runs in the top of the second. Yamamoto was less sharp in the bottom of the second, giving up a double and two singles. Including an error by Teoscar Hernández in left, two runs were charged to Yamamoto’s ledger, one earned. Yamamoto was pulled with two outs in the frame, at 30 total pitches on his day, right in the expected range.

Given that Yamamoto was first out of the gate for the Dodgers, and with opening day not until March 26, there’s room for him to make at least five starts this spring, counting his work in the World Baseball Classic, to build up toward the regular season.

Atwell, Anderson lead No. 13 Texas Tech in 1st game without Toppin to a 100-72 win over K-State

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Donovan Atwell had 26 points with six 3-pointers, Christian Anderson scored 21 and No. 13 Texas Tech beat Kansas State 100-72 on Saturday in the first game for the Red Raiders since standout post JT Toppin's season-ending knee injury.

Texas Tech (20-7, 10-4 Big 12) maintained a double-digit lead after making nine consecutive shots, including three 3s in a row by Atwell, during a 26-10 run in just under seven minutes for a 40-20 lead with 6:20 left in the first half.

Anderson, who also had nine assists, scored 16 of his points after halftime, when LeJuan Watts had 13 of his 19.

The Red Raiders reached 20 wins for the third season in a row. The school record is four, with coach Bob Knight from 2001-02 to 2004-05.

PJ Haggerty had 17 points and Nate Johnson 15 points for Kansas State (11-16, 2-12), which was playing its second game since a coaching change. The Wildcats beat Baylor 90-74 at home Tuesday, two days after coach Jerome Tang was fired.

The Wildcats led only twice at Tech, when Johnson made their first two shots of the game, a 3 and then a jumper that made it 5-3.

Toppin, the preseason AP All-America selection, averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds a game while having 16 double-doubles before tearing the ACL in his right knee in a 72-67 loss at Arizona State on Tuesday night. He sat at the end of the Tech bench Saturday.

Sophomore forward Luke Bamgboye, a 6-foot-11 transfer from VCU, made his fifth start for the Red Raiders, his first since Dec. 7. He scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting while also having six rebounds and three blocked shots in 21 minutes.

Up next

Kansas State visits Colorado on Wednesday night.

Texas Tech hosts Cincinnati on Tuesday night.

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Hartel, Biel score as St. Louis, Charlotte draw 1-1 in opener

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcel Hartel scored in the 60th minute and Pep Biel equalized in the 73rd as St. Louis City SC and Charlotte FC opened the MLS season with a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

St. Louis controlled much of the match, finishing with a 22-9 advantage in shots and an 11-3 edge in shots on goal. Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina made 10 saves.

The teams played to a scoreless first half, with Charlotte generating limited attacking pressure while St. Louis created the better chances. CITY SC made its first substitution of the season early in the second half, bringing on Brendan McSorley.

St. Louis broke through in the 60th minute when Hartel finished from the left side of the box after a well-timed pass from Simon Becher opened space in front of the goal.

Charlotte answered 13 minutes later as Wilfried Zaha delivered a through ball that found Biel making a run into the box, and the midfielder finished to level the match.

St. Louis pushed for a winner late, generating several chances in stoppage time, but Kahlina preserved the draw with multiple close-range saves.

CITY SC finished with a 1.9-0.6 advantage in expected goals and a 6-1 edge in corner kicks, but settled for a point. St. Louis remains unbeaten in its four MLS season-opening matches.

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Observations after Sixers slide to 4th straight loss, fall to lowly Pelicans

Observations after Sixers slide to 4th straight loss, fall to lowly Pelicans  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers slid to a season-worst fourth straight loss Saturday night in New Orleans.

They fell to a 126-11 defeat, dropping to 30-26 overall. The Pelicans improved to 16-42. 

Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. posted 25.

New Orleans had three 20-point scorers in Jordan Poole (23 points), Zion Williamson (21) and Saddiq Bey (20).

Joel Embiid (right shin soreness and right knee injury management) missed his fourth consecutive game. The Pelicans’ injured players included Trey Murphy III and Yves Missi. 

The Sixers will visit the Timberwolves on Sunday night. Here are observations on their dismal loss to the Pelicans:

Sixers determined to draw fouls 

Two of Embiid’s many backups over the years started Saturday night. Andre Drummond matched up with very rarely used 37-year-old big man DeAndre Jordan. 

Both the Pelicans and Sixers began 0 for 4 from the floor. The Sixers at least managed to draw plenty of free throws. Their role players did a good job early of driving hard, consistently reaching the paint and putting pressure on the Pelicans’ lowly defense.

Maxey was the last Sixers starter on the scoreboard. He missed his first five field goals and dealt with customary extra attention on another Embiid-less night.

New Orleans native Oubre made the first field goal of the game, a long-range jumper that gave the Sixers an 8-0 edge. 

Not a beautiful ball game

Quentin Grimes had another nice start. 

Coming off of a 14-point outing Thursday in the Sixers’ loss to the Hawks, Grimes knocked down two three-pointers and scored nine points in the first quarter. 

The Sixers trimmed their rotation down to nine players in the first half, removing Trendon Watford. Justin Edwards joined the mix in the third quarter.

Jabari Walker logged 17 minutes and had nine points and six rebounds. Walker and Adem Bona each had solid defensive possessions on Williamson, although New Orleans’ star forward got rolling early in the second quarter and the Pelicans briefly went ahead. 

The second quarter was a physical, foul-heavy, not especially pretty frame. The Sixers ultimately won it, thanks in part to efficient scoring from Oubre and VJ Edgecombe. Oubre closed the second quarter with a buzzer-beating three and the Sixers held an eight-point halftime lead. 

Hard to exaggerate third-quarter woes  

The Pelicans made a 10-0 run early in the third quarter capped by a Bey triple.

The Sixers played very poorly late in the third with Maxey on the sidelines, too. Bona fouled Karlo Matkovic beyond the arc and he made all three of his free throws to put New Orleans up 97-89.

While the Pelicans had a far better three-point shooting night than usual (50 percent), the Sixers conceded too many easy points and cheap fouls. Even with a 27-11 advantage in points off turnovers, the Sixers couldn’t avoid a terrible loss.

There’s a strong chance the Sixers end the season as the NBA’s worst third-quarter team. Entering Saturday, their minus-17.5 net rating in third quarters was last in the league. The Jazz ranked 29th at minus-10.1.

For a team that’s otherwise been above-average, it’s baffling and inexcusable that the Sixers have been so bad in one quarter for so long.

The Sixers didn’t flip a switch once the fourth quarter started. Poole went on a scoring spree and the Pelicans’ lead ballooned over 20 points.

Unless the Sixers play a much higher-quality game Sunday against the 35-22 Timberwolves, they’ll be staring at a five-game skid.

The Atlantic 10 issues reprimands, fines following scuffle between No. 18 Saint Louis and VCU

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Atlantic 10 has issued reprimands and fined both No. 18 Saint Louis and VCU for violating the conference's sportsmanship policy following a scuffle between the two teams near the end of a basketball game on Friday night.

The conference said in a statement that it would not issue suspensions and praised game officials for handling the situation in “exemplary fashion.”

The A-10 did not disclose the amount of the fines, but said they would be according to conference policy.

“This was an unfortunate end to a great college basketball game between two of the best teams in the nation," the statement said. "The A-10 considers the matter closed and looks forward to the remainder of the regular season and the Atlantic 10 Championship in Pittsburgh in March.”

Saint Louis won the game 88-75, but before the final horn, there was plenty of action.

The coaches from Saint Louis and VCU were preparing to shake hands when the benches cleared with 1.1 seconds left. With the victory, Saint Louis (25-2, 13-1 Atlantic 10) prevented VCU (21-7, 12-3) from taking over first place.

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Judge’s two home runs kick off big spring win

This was a much more interesting, and entertaining, baseball game than yesterday’s Grapefruit League kickoff. The Yankees saw one of their top pitching prospects strut his stuff, the top position player prospect hit a bomb, and the Captain look awfully locked in in during his first taste of spring ball. A proper thumping came in the eighth inning, where a bunch of Yankee farmhands all got their A-swings off at once. Overall, New York brushed the Detroit Tigers aside on Saturday afternoon, with 20-3 your final score.

From a stuff perspective, it’s easy to see why people are so excited about Curtis Lagrange. He deals easy 99 with repeatable mechanics, with a changeup and slider that both look big-league ready when they’re really working. He notched a 50-percent whiff rate with the change, but interestingly flipped his main secondary offering. Twenty-six percent of his pitches were changeups the first time through, and 19 percent sliders, only to up slider usage to 32 percent the second time. I feel like the Yankees want more data on the secondary stuff and that will be a conscious approach the rest of Lagrange’s spring.

If there’s one thing for Lagrange to work on, it’s command in the zone, not surprising for a player who ended last year in Double-A. He was hit hard more than once, giving up a pair of singles in the first at more than 100 mph exit velo, a bomb of a home run to Corey Julks that came on a hanging changeup, and another long fly ball to the track off the bat of old friend Gleyber Torres. The stuff was very impressive, and now the next step is sanding down some of those rough edges in the zone.

While we’re talking about prospects, have you heard of Spencer Jones?

Perhaps nobody in the entire Yankee system needs to impress in camp the way Jones does. The outfield at the MLB level is crowded, but the 24 year old is kind of in a make-or-break season. To start spring with a home run that loud is a really good sign, and hopefully Jones can keep it up. With Aaron Judge 10 days away from joining Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, there should be plenty of spring reps for Spencer to show off.

Oh, speaking of Aaron Judge:

On an intellectual level, I don’t care at all about Judge’s spring. I want him to be completely healthy for Opening Day, at which point I fully expect him to be at worst one of the three best players in the game. But then I watch him hit a bomb to deep center field and I start to drool a little bit and hope that Aaron Boone lets Judge face some kid getting his first taste of camp.

Oh, and then the Captain came up again in the fourth:

Spring stats don’t matter but he is likely the finest hitter you’ll ever see.

The Tigers clawed a run back in the seventh, with Yankee reliever Drake Fellows loading the bases on two walks and an infield single. A passed ball clunked off catcher Payton Henry’s glove, allowing the third Detroit run of the game. Fortunately, a man named Tyler Hardman got the run back:

Now up 13-3, Tigers manager AJ Hinch opted to bring Woo-Suk Go into the game, and immediately paid for the decision. Rodrick Arias, himself trying to recover some prospect sheen, promptly told a 93-mph fastball to go away:

Another three-run home run came off the bat of Jackson Castillo, pushing the Yanks to a nice, even 20.

George Lombard Jr. looked solid at shortstop and worked two walks, the latter coming with the bases loaded and driving in a run, to round up a pretty good day for the org’s top prospects. The Yankees will welcome the crosstown — at least, normally crosstown — Mets to Steinbrenner Field tomorrow afternoon in more Grapefruit League play, with Luis Gil getting his first start of the spring.

Box Score

Former NHL great Jaromir Jagr talks about retirement in his 38th professional season

PRAGUE — The storied hockey career of Jaromir Jagr might be coming to an end.

Currently in his 38th professional season, with his hometown Kladno Knights in the Czech league, the former NHL great strongly suggested that fans might not get to see him on the ice any more.

“Probably not,” Jagr said in an interview published late Friday on his Instagram account. “It would have to be a miracle. God would have to come, enter me and make me 15 years younger.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if Jagr will play again this season. The winger, who turned 54 on Feb. 15, has played just six games in the league for Kladno this season. His last game so far was on Dec. 21.

Jagr, who represented his country at five Olympics and led the Czechs to gold in Nagano in 1998, said he spent the last 10 days watching the Milan Cortina Games on television.

“I do nothing else but eat and watch TV,” he said. This is the first Olympics with NHL players in a dozen years and Jagr appreciated that.

“It’s the best tournament in the last 10-15 years, certainly because of the presence of NHL players,” he said. “The games are great.”

But besides following hockey, short-track speed skating and figure skating, Jagr said he is trying to keep fit after recently gaining some 4-5 kilograms (9-11 pounds).

“It’s really about discipline,” Jagr said. “The worst thing is when you don’t have to. Sometimes, it’s better when you have to. When you don’t have to, forcing yourself is the hardest thing,” he said.

“I keep myself going. I try, I don’t train to be ready to play, but I try to go skating every day if I have time.”

Jagr made his debut for Kladno at age 16 and returned to the club in 2018 when the Calgary Flames released him. Jagr remains second on the NHL’s all-time points list behind Wayne Gretzky. Jagr won the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his first two NHL seasons.

Until early last year, Jagr served in dual roles as Kladno player and owner, splitting his time between chasing sponsors and dealing with administrative duties and ice time.

He sold a majority stake in Kladno last January in a season he had previously suggested would be his last but wasn’t.

This season, if still playing, he has a chance to make the playoffs with Kladno for the first time.

Washington Nationals win both games in their return to action

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals poses for a photo during the Washington Nationals Photo Day at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 20, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Baseball is back and the Washington Nationals have come out on top not once, but twice. The team had a split squad double header today, where half the group went to Jupiter to face the Cardinals, while the rest of the team stayed in West Palm Beach to play the Astros. Both teams won, with the Nats edging the Astros 2-1 and beating the Cardinals 6-2.

It was an impressive start to the Paul Toboni and Blake Butera era. The pitching was mostly solid and the boys were able to get enough timely hits to get the job done. There are still things to clean up, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but they were good enough to win today. Also, these mistakes are only natural in the first games of Spring Training.

The Astros game was the one that was televised, so I was following that much more closely. It was a hotly contested game, where the Nats were let off the hook a few times by the Astros inability to hit with runners in scoring position. While there were some defensive miscues, there was also some brilliance. In the top of the 1st inning, prospect Andrew Pinckney made an outstanding throw to gun down a runner.

We were able to see the whole package with Pinckney today. As we saw, Pinckney’s arm is a major asset. Baseball America gave his arm a rare 80 grade. They noted that out of the 22 Triple-A outfield throws that were at least 100 mph, Pinckney made 8 of them. After seeing the rocket he unleashed today, that is easy to believe.

His skillset at the plate was also on display. In his first at bat, Pinckney looked overmatched and struck out. Those ugly strikeouts will always be a part of his game, it is all about limiting them. However, in his second plate appearance, he hit a 114 MPH rocket for a double in the gap. Pinckney has a 4th outfielder skillset. He has big power, elite speed, good defense and an elite arm, but has whiff concerns. 

Speaking of elite power, we saw that from Jorgelys Mota this afternoon. His home run gave the Nats a lead they never relinquished. The 20 year old got all of that ball as well, hitting it 434 feet and 115 MPH. Power has never been an issue for Mota, his big concerns come from his hit tool and propensity to chase. Maybe the new development team can unlock his potential and help him get to the next level.

Mota has not fully broken out yet, and has holes in his game, but Baseball America still has him as the Nats 25th ranked prospect. He showed why he was put on the top 30 with his monster blast today. Mota is an intimidating presence in the box and is likely to start this season at High-A.

While the young guys were the story, another player who looked good was CJ Abrams. He went 1 for 2 with a walk today. His hit was a double he ripped down the line. Abrams looked very composed in the box and was seeing pitches well. His bases loaded walk also drove in a run. 

On the mound, it was a mixed bag. While the Nats only allowed one run, they did walk 11 batters. However, I thought PJ Poulin and Paxton Schultz looked sharp. Jake Eder also had his moments, but was inconsistent.

The winning pitcher Seth Shuman got bailed out by his defense right away. Minor league free agent signing Leandro Pineda robbed a home run with a fantastic catch. I can’t say I had heard of him until today, but it was a good way to make a first impression.

Holden Powell survived three walks to close the door, and the Nats got their 2-1 win. It was not their only curly W of the day though. Over in Jupiter, the Nats defeated the Cardinals 6-2.

Maxwell Romero’s three run homer was the decider in that one. Harry Ford also had a solid first game in the organization, with a walk and an RBI base hit. The other piece of the Jose A. Ferrer package Isaac Lyon also fired two scoreless innings. Marquis Grissom Jr. was also sharp in his two innings of work.

Overall, you can’t ask for a much better first day of Spring Training contests. The Nats got two wins and some of the young guys impressed. Hopefully the Nats can build on that and have a strong spring. Who knows, maybe they can surprise people this season, you never know. The boys are back in action tomorrow at 1:10 against the Marlins.

The saga begins: Blue Jays 3, Phillies 0

Feb 21, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford (80) doubles during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

135 days since they were eliminated by the once and future World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the beta version of the 2026 Philadelphia Phillies took the field for the first time in a 3-0 Spring Training-opening loss to the 2025 World Series runner-up Toronto Blue Jays.

Aside from a couple costly pitches from some borderline bullpen contributors and an overall weak showing at the plate, there were some positive takeaways in addition to the obvious “nobody got hurt” that goes for every Spring Training exhibition.

One of the team’s biggest question marks heading into the season is whether Justin Crawford is ready to not only make the leap to the majors but to be a starting centerfielder and lineup contributor on a roster with playoff aspirations. The left-handed hitting Crawford led off the game against Blue Jays’ lefty, Eric Lauer, with an encouraging six-pitch at-bat that resulted in a hard-hit fly ball double to left-center. A pitch earlier, Crawford also hit a fly ball down the right field line that ended up just foul but had home run distance.

Crawford got his second hit of the spring in the fifth inning, a two-out line single up the middle, and displayed his speed in the field by running in to snag a hard liner off the bat of Vlad Guerrero, Jr. to end the third inning.

The only blemish on Crawford’s day was his pitch clock violation strikeout in the top of the third, but even that came at the end of a five-pitch at bat.

Most of the team’s major offensive contributors were held out of today’s game and the ones the weren’t didn’t have much to write home about in their first spring action. Adolis Garcia, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp and Rafael Marchan each got three plate appearances in, going a collective 0 for 10 with a walk each from Sosa and Kemp.

Non-roster invitee, Bryse Wilson, got the start on the mound and faced what appears will be Toronto’s entire opening day lineup. Wilson went two scoreless innings, albeit with three hits and a walk allowed and benefitted from a pair of double plays. The 28 year old Wilson has 163 major league appearances, 57 of which were starts, so he could be getting a look as a spot starter/long reliever at the end of the bullpen.

Zach McCambley pitched a scoreless third inning and allowed one walk with a strikeout. McCambley is a 26 year old right-handed reliever who the Phillies selected in the Rule 5 Draft, so he will need to make quite the impression to break camp with the team and must stay on the roster all season or be forfeit back to the Marlins.

Max Lazar pitched a scoreless fourth before Seth Johnson came on in the fifth and surrendered the first run of the afternoon, a solo shot to Daulton Varsho. Nolan Hoffman pitched the sixth, allowing four hits including a two-run homer by Sean Keys, though he did record three strikeouts.

After wholesale substitutions in the sixth inning, second baseman, Liover Peguero drew a leadoff walk and left fielder, Pedro Leon, reached on a fielders choice, getting all the way around to third via a steal and a wild pitch. Leon would fail to make it home as Carson DeMartini struck out to end the frame. DeMartini also collected an error in the previous frame on a dropped foul ball, though it didn’t end up costing his team any runs. Leon reached base again in the bottom of the ninth and took second courtesy of defensive indifference.

Andrew Walling pitched a one-hit bottom of the seventh, allowing a leadoff single to Rafael Lantigua, who was with the Phillies last spring and spent the 2025 season in Lehigh Valley. Walling is one of the few left-handed options currently in the organization, along with Kyle Backhus, Tim Mayza or Genesis Cabrera, that the Phillies could turn to if something were to happen to Jose Alvarado or Tanner Banks.

Catcher, Paul McIntosh, led off the top of the eighth inning with a double. McIntosh is likely battling it out with veterans Rene Pinto and Mark Kolozsvary for a spot in the Iron Pigs’ catching tandem alongside Garrett Stubbs.

Andrew Baker pitched the bottom of the eighth, allowing back-to-back two-out walks before getting a little luck from the wind that kept a deep fly ball in the park which was snared by center fielder, Dante Nori, at the warning track. Baker fell off the Phillies’ Top 30 Prospects list this season but projects to end up in Reading or Lehigh Valley to begin the season. Nori (Phillies #13 ranked prospect according to FanGraphs) will play for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic and is projected to start in centerfield for the Reading Phils to begin the season.

A couple of free agent bench candidates also saw some action as Dylan Moore started at second base and Bryan De La Cruz was the designated hitter. Moore was hitless in two ABs while De La Cruz got a single in the second inning.

Look for more members of the 26 man roster to make their debut in Clearwater tomorrow as the Phils host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:05pm.

Carlos Alcaraz wraps up Qatar Open title in just 50 minutes to maintain unbeaten start to 2026

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz raced to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Arthur Fils to win the final of the Qatar Open in just 50 minutes on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Spanish star extended his winning streak to 12 matches in 2026, 20 days after he became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open — that’s winning all four of the tennis majors.

“It’s been a really strong start to the year,” Alcaraz said.

Winning the title in Doha brought his tally to 26 tour-level titles.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis