Boston, MA - August 31: Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela smiles after making a diving catch in the sixth inning. The Boston Red Sox played the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on August 31, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Keep those fingers crossed, but it looks like we may have dodged the worst case scenario in the Ceddanne Rafaela injury department. Ceddy spoke after the game last night and downplayed the severity of the incident, saying the he only experienced a little cramping, possibly due to dehydration. “Every time I get pulled out of the game, I’m not happy,” Rafaela said. “But hopefully it’s just something minor.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
Rafaela did undergo an MRI today, but everything must have come back clean, as he’s already back in the lineup:
Tonight’s lineup for Guardians @ Red Sox:
1. Nick Sogard 1B 2. Mickey Gasper DH 3. Adley Rutschman C 4. Wilyer Abreu RF 5 Caleb Durbin 3B 6. Ceddanne Rafaela CF 7. Jarren Duran LF 8. Trevor Story SS 9 IKF 2B
Speaking of injury scares, Aroldis Chapman returned to the mound last night for the first time in 10 days, as he’s been battling a sore lat. It took him only 12 pitches to end the game, so it looks like he’s all good. “I felt good,” said Chapman through a translator. “I was happy to be able to go out there. I felt like my pitches and my stuff were very good today, so I’m happy to be back.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
There was speculation that, with a doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow, the Sox may attempt to use their extra roster spot to get Garrett Crochet into a game before the playoffs start. That’s not going to happen, but he is going to throw another bullpen session this weekend before the team decides what to do with him. “What is he able to give you?” Chad Tracy said. “Can he give you two games? Can he give you multiple innings? Can he go back to back? All those questions have to be answered, not only for his own health, but for our team and what puts us in the best position.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
If the Sox do make it to the World Series, Sonny Gray will have played a big part in it. And, in doing so, he’ll have proved a lot of people who thought he couldn’t hack it in Boston wrong. “When I left New York in 2018, I told myself that I’m going to go back to a big market at some point in my career. Especially after learning what I learned and having the experiences that I had [in New York], I knew I could [succeed] anywhere after that. So I always told myself that I was going to [pitch again in a large market].” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Gregg Popovich coaches the San Antonio Spurs in a preseason game against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 18, 2023. (Darren Abate / Associated Press)
Gregg Popovich coached the San Antonio Spurs from 1996 to 2025, winning a league-record 1,390 regular-season games, 170 postseason games and five NBA championships.
For four of those championships and quite a few of the other victories, one of Popovich’s assistant coaches was his new wife’s ex-husband.
Popovich, 77, married Mary Barth Budenholzer on Sept. 16, the Bexar County, Texas, clerk’s office has confirmed.
Budenholzer is a 61-year-old native of Corpus Christi, according to multiple media outlets, and was once married to Mike Budenholzer, who was a Spurs assistant coach under Popovich from 1996 to 2013. He went on to become the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, winning an NBA championship with the Bucks in 2021.
The Budenholzers are said to share four children and to have divorced in 2016.
Popovich was married to Erin Popovich for four decades until her 2018 death at age 67. They have two children and multiple grandchildren.
On Nov. 2, 2024, Popovich suffered a stroke before a game at Frost Bank Center, the Spurs’ home arena. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson was named interim coach. That title became permanent on May 2, 2025, when Popovich stepped down after 29 years as San Antonio’s coach.
A member of the Spurs’ front office since 1994, Popovich currently serves as the team’s president of basketball operations. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 22: Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) reacts after fouling a ball off his leg during the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves on September 22nd, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ronald Acuña Jr. is back in the Braves lineup and ultimately missed just one game after fouling a baseball off his knee during night’s contest against the Cincinnati Reds. Acuña is batting second in the order — sandwiched between Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson — and is playing in right field, an even more encouraging sign that he is feeling better after receiving treatment on his knee the last 36 hours. Here’s hoping Ronald continues to mash baseballs the way he was before exiting Tuesday’s game.
As for the rest of Atlanta’s lineup, Baldwin is serving as the DH with Sean Murphy set to catch Tyler Mahle. Mike Yastrzemski is back in there after sitting the past few nights against left-handed starters. Austin Riley finds himself batting eighth as he continues to battle his strikeout issues.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: The sneakers worn by Max Shulga #29 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 17, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It appears that fans across the NHL do not hate the Vancouver Canucks. In a new survey conducted by HockeyStats.com's co-founder, JFresh, the Canucks did not appear a single time on a "Most Hated Teams Survey." The survey featured 3,043 votes, in which fans of each team were asked to rank their three most-hated teams in order.
Overall, the Canucks ranked pretty low on the most-hated team list. They received 0% of the first-place votes, 2% of the second-place votes and 2% of the third-place votes. In the end, Vancouver finished 23rd amongst the 32 NHL teams.
JFresh also released a list called "I Don't Think About You At All". The list ranked the most one-sided hatred in the fan vote. The Canucks and Oilers ended up on the list, as 61% of Vancouver fans said they hate Edmonton, while only 14% of Oilers fans feel the same way about the Canucks.
Vancouver and Edmonton will have plenty of time to renew their rivalry as the Pacific Division foes battle three times in the next week. The first game is a pre-season matchup followed by a home-and-home series to kick off the regular season. Puck drop for Thursday's pre-season battle is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT at Rogers Arena.
Jan 17, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Liam Ohgren (92) checks Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 10: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks walks off the court after the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. 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 Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Ah, training camp. Finally back into the swing of things with basketball. It really is a lot more peaceful as defending champions, isn’t it?
Let’s see what’s going on as Media Day nea-
Reporting for NBA Today — extension negotiations have stagnated between the reigning champion Knicks and All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns: pic.twitter.com/JbeNpz9TJP
Ah, I guess we were overdue for something negative.
Karl-Anthony Towns is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. It’s been assumed, especially after a championship, that Towns and the Knicks were going to be tied at the hip going forward, but the complicated mechanisms of the salary cap and second apron will of course serve as a boogeyman for roster building.
Now, what Shams has reported seems to be a bit dramatic based on what several Knicks reporters have said about the situation, but the consensus seems to be that the two sides are not nearing any sort of agreement as of yet.
As we know, Towns is eligible for a four-year, $276 million extension, but he will not receive that figure. It’s nothing personal, he could absolutely argue he’s worth it considering guys like De’Aaron Fox and Trae Young make north of $200 million, it’s just not practical for roster construction.
With James Dolan seemingly adamant about not exceeding the second apron, this negotiation will be walking a tightrope. The Knicks undoubtedly want to chop down the $61 million that Towns is currently due on a player option in 2026-27 because that figure would make things extremely awkward next offseason.
By current projections, the Knicks have $221.3 million on the books in 2027-28 if we assume KAT opts into his player option, they pick up Josh Hart and Tyler Kolek’s team options, and decline Pacome Dadiet’s. That would put the team $12.5 million beneath the second apron with five mandatory roster spots to fill. There is a way to do that; it would just ensure that Deuce McBride walks, and the team can’t use anything other than a vet min.
Cutting that number to, say, $50 million (Ian Begley suggests that’s on the table) for a new extension would give them $23.5 million in space beneath the apron, giving the team significantly more flexibility. Anything lower? They’d feasibly be able to give McBride a market-value extension.
So you can see what the vision is for Leon Rose and company to keep this contention window open, but Towns is going to have to play ball.
From his vantage point, why should he play ball? He’s an NBA champion, was arguably the most important piece of the team’s 13-game playoff winning streak, and played exceptional defense on Victor Wembanyama. Why should he have to be cut the same checks as Trae Young and De’Aaron Fox, two guys who’ve shown they can’t be winning players?
Jalen Brunson taking his pay cut may have opened an organizational Pandora’s Box, expecting everyone to take less, but it has nothing to do with him or the team, it has everything to do with the aprons.
It’s simple. The only way to have a sustainable winner in this CBA is to have a plethora of draft capital and high draft picks, or have guys take pay cuts. Option 1 closed as soon as Brunson got to New York and ended any potential tank talk, so there’s only one option.
If the two sides can’t hash anything out by October, it’s not the end of the world. They can agree to terms at any time; there’s no deadline like there is for rookie-scale extensions, but you get concerned because in-season extensions for All-Stars are rare. If we get to Opening Night with no deal, this might just bleed into next summer, something that you want to avoid.
Next summer, Towns has a player option. Now, many times when a player has the option to opt into a huge salary like that, they take it, but there’s a chance he doesn’t. After all, he could sign a deal of up to $264 million across four years in free agency next summer with someone else, or could even get as much as a baffling five-year, $357.3 million supermax in a sign-and-trade or extremely late extension. That’s a lot of cash, all of which the Knicks can’t feasibly match.
The risk that you take is that a team with cap space next offseason can just try to scoop up Towns next offseason, but how much of a risk is that? After all, stars rarely change teams in free agency anymore. Who even has cap space?
That’s more teams with room than usual, but $50 million gets you a lot less than it used to. As of right now, only the Nets have true max salary space, with the Bulls and Clippers close behind. None of those teams are competitive, so signing there indicates you just want a bag and don’t want to win. I know KAT loves New York, but I don’t think he loves Brooklyn that much.
Obviously, a sign-and-trade would be the most likely thing to happen if the relationship deteriorates that much, but things just shouldn’t go there. A big reason why this Knicks team succeeded was because of the good vibes that persisted in a team that always believed in each other. Ego is the downfall of every good team, and the Knicks can’t afford that.
That’s the bigger risk of letting this bleed out than the risk of losing Towns. I’d be utterly stunned if an extension wasn’t eventually agreed to, whether today, tomorrow, or in June 2027, both sides need it.
Towns deserves to be a Knick for the rest of his career and see his No. 32 lifted into the rafters, but the two sides are going to have to find a middle ground. There are non-negotiables here, both with Towns getting a max and the Knicks getting him to take a ridiculous pay cut.
The staring contest will continue, but someone has to blink. Neither side can afford eye drops.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 18: Brock Rodden #90 of the Seattle Mariners prepares for the pitch in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The final series of the season for the Seattle Mariners will be without one of their rookie utilitymen. INF Brock Rodden was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 23rd, with left patella tendon inflammation. Correspondingly, Seattle activated INF Leo Rivas to fill the role for the final weekend of the regular season.
The move concludes what’s been a difficult debut for Rodden. After a spark of hot initial play on Seattle’s brutal August road trip, the diminutive switch-hitter cooled at the plate and struggled to compensate defensively. Despite impressive power in the minors, Rodden didn’t manage to get the barrel to the ball consistently in Seattle. His year concluded with a .197/.306/.279 line, a 77 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR in 72 plate appearances and 30 games. Good plate discipline and switch-hitting helped him run a healthy walk rate, but he’ll enter his age 27 season in 2027 trying to find better timing against big league arms.
Much of what’s been said of Rodden could apply to the 28 year old Rivas in 2026. A good showing in Seattle a season ago did not translate forward, with the M’s sorely needing depth he struggled to provide early in the year. Losing favor to several debuting youngsters, Rivas was more competent in his return to the bigs back in August, but will likely receive sporadic play at most in the final few games of the regular season.
Finally playing their first home game of the 2026 preseason, the Philadelphia Flyers will debut many of their NHL regulars, as well as a few prospects pushing for a roster spot, in a rematch against the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday night.
Rookie forwards Jett Luchanko and Cole Knuble will be playing in their third preseason game, while Helge Grans interestingly gets another chance to prove himself with fellow prospects David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk sitting out on Thursday night.
In the wake of Dan Vladar's injury, Joseph Woll will get the full game against the Bruins, with Aleksei Kolosov backing him up once again.
A chance at revenge, of course, after a 5-1 beating at the hands of the Bruins on Tuesday.
Also of note, Nikita Grebenkin makes his preseason debut after recovering from a lingering upper-body injury that ended his season and held him out at the start of training camp. With Denver Barkey out injured, this is a prime opportunity for Grebenkin to re-establish himself as a lineup staple for the Flyers with his size and agitating style of play.
Flyers lines vs. Bruins
Porter Martone - Trevor Zegras - Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster - Christian Dvorak - Matvei Michkov
The Bruins will be trotting out a mostly AHL-centric lineup, sprinkling in a few NHLers, most notably top prospect James Hagens, star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, and Mikey Eyssimont and Henri Jokiharju.
For the Flyers, it's a good opportunity for their more established players to begin adjusting to a real game setting with less than a week to go before the start of the regular season, which will open on a back-to-back against Pittsburgh and New Jersey, respectively.
It seems unlikely that any roster battles will be won or lost during this particular contest, though Barkey's injury does open the door for players like Luchanko, Grebenkin, and Knuble, especially if he'll have to miss any time heading into the regular season.
Player to Watch
Jett Luchanko has quietly enjoyed a strong preseason and training camp to date, and as I wrote in our most recent Flyers depth chart, he has been proving that he can support more talented players with his style of play down the middle.
While it is still unlikely he makes the team out of camp for a third straight year, the one thing I had hoped to see from the 2024 first-round pick was to just make it a difficult decision for the Flyers.
That he has, as he gets ready to skate in his third consecutive preseason game, with just one left to go on Saturday.
The Maple Leafs trimmed training camp again Thursday, putting the roster on a more recognizable NHL path five days before opening night.
The club announced a second wave of cuts after Wednesday’s first reduction. Eight players were placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Toronto Marlies: forwards Brendan Brisson, Vinni Lettieri, Steven Lorentz, Michael Pezzetta, Henrik Rybinski and Ryan Tverberg, plus defencemen Philippe Myers and Marshall Rifai.
Ten more were sent directly to the Marlies: goaltenders Artur Akhtyamov, Ken Appleby and Samuel Hlavaj, forwards Luke Haymes, Miroslav Holinka, Jacob Quillan and Landon Sim, and defencemen Noah Chadwick, Ben Danford and Blake Smith.
Prospect Tinus Luc Koblar was returned to Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League.
Those moves follow Wednesday’s batch, when Toronto placed Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis on waivers, reassigned Vinny Borgesi, Brandon Buhr, Hayes Hundley and Borya Valis to the Marlies, sent 14 others to Marlies camp, assigned four to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, and returned Alexander Bilecki (Kitchener), Tyler Hopkins (Guelph) and Harry Nansi (Owen Sound) to junior.
The following players have been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies:
Artur Akhtyamov Ken Appleby Noah Chadwick Ben Danford Luke Haymes Samuel Hlavaj Miroslav Holinka Jacob Quillan Landon Sim Blake Smith
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Yankees relief pitcher Clarke Schmidt delivers during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Cross Clarke Schmidt off the list of potential bullpen options for the Yankees, at least for the early part of the playoffs.
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL Thursday with right bicep neuritis. The move is retroactive to Monday.
Schmidt came back from last year’s Tommy John surgery, but appeared in just one game.
Yankees relief pitcher Clarke Schmidt delivers during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. AP Photo/Abbie Parr
The Yankees had hoped he’d be a valuable arm in the postseason as a reliever, along with lefty Ryan Weathers.
Weathers (left forearm flexor) could still make it back. He’s expected to throw live Friday.
Without Schmidt, the Yankees will have to look elsewhere to fill out their playoff bullpen.
Aaron Boone said Wednesday that hard-throwing righty Carlos Lagrange is “in the conversation for something,” even though he hasn’t pitched in the majors. He’s coming back from a sprained right shoulder.
To take Schmidt’s spot on the roster, right-hander Bradley Hanner was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yankees in all likelihood will face the Red Sox starting Tuesday in The Bronx in a best-of-three series.
The Yankees will be operating without Clarke Schmidt again.
New York placed Schmidt back on the IL with right bicep neuritis before Thursday's game.
Because of the IL stint, the right-hander will not be a bullpen option for the Yanks for at least the upcoming Wild Card series.
Schmidt had been warming up to enter Sunday afternoon's series finale against the Diamondbacks when he first started experiencing bicep soreness.
He underwent testing earlier this week, and the team felt he was in a "pretty good spot."
The 30-year-old was set to play catch at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday to determine his availability, but he was unable to do so and now officially lands back on the IL.
Schmidt made just one big league appearance in his return from Tommy John surgery, striking out two of the four batters he faced last Wednesday against the Twins.
In his place, Bradley Hanner has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
New York Yankees pitcher Camilo Doval (75) looks on while a bug flies by his head during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium, Aug 13, 2025, Bronx, New York, USA. Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The San Francisco Giants won their trade with the New York Yankees from last year’s deadline when they sent Camilo Doval to the Bronx in exchange for Jesus Rodriguez, Parks Harber, Trystan Vrieling, and Carlos De La Rosa. Well done, Agent Doval. And welcome home.
The Giants claimed Camilo Doval. A truly incredible way to set the MLB record for players used this year.
Yes, I’m aware that Doval was with the Pirates when the Giants claimed him, but the photo tool didn’t show me any pictures of him as a Pirate even though he pitched better for them than in New York (3.79 ERA / 3.73 FIP in 19 IP). His Yankees career was… not good. A 4.82 ERA / 4.10 FIP in 18.2 innings last season and a 4.54 ERA / 4.61 FIP in 39.2 innings this year. Walks and hits continue to be a problem for him — he’s still the warts and all pitcher we and the team grew frustrated with — but he’s still got that 98+ velocity and the slider is still fantastic.
He’s under team control for 2027 in what will be his final trip through arbitration and, well, cynically, I guess the Giants will be spending money on a reliever with 9th inning experience. It’ll just be Camilo Doval… who has 107 saves as a Giant (7th all-time). And it will be for significantly less than what they’d have to spend for a closer or quasi-closer on the open market.
This is just funny. It’s also the sort of things fans wish for all the time — the trade away and then return to us move — but rarely happens. The Giants have had so much turnover even in the time he’s been gone that it’s not a given they know him well enough to “fix” him, but gosh, for a team that values nostalgia above all else, this is sort of perfect.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on September 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Summary
Paul Skenes and a host of Pirate relievers shut down the Cardinals, holding them to only a solo HR by Alec Burleson. A likewise effective Cardinal starter-follower combination matched Skenes when Leahy and Hjerpe combined to give up one run. Consistent with the theme of the season, bullpen hijinks allowed the Pirates to capture the winning running without benefit of a hit.
Pre-game Notes
Leahy is the opener, to be followed by Hjerpe.
Skenes for the Pirates. Lots of hype around the narrative he’s not as good, but still a 4+ fWAR pitcher. Cardinals could use one of those.
Springfield closed out their season last night with a loss in the AA Texas League Championship finals.
Memphis continues their season for one more game with a lopsided win last night in the AAA International League Championship finals.
Let’s see. Day game. Check. Getaway day. Check. Eliminated. Check. I’m thinking quicker game with lots of swings today. A team has to grind against Skenes, so I think the scenario plays his way.
Today may be a new normal line-up. With the exception of Torres in LF and perhaps Saggese at 3B, this could be a form of line-up we see next year.
The first inning
Burleson gets the Cardinals off to an early lead with a long, solo HR (104.6 mph). Walker K’s on a well off the plate sweeper, notable only because this has been happening a lot lately (again). Contributor BigJawnMize likes to observe that AA is the level where hitters learn not to swing at outside sliders and sweepers. Seemed like he had muted that tendency, but it is disquieting to see this re-appear. The Pirates quickly respond, accumulating a double and two singles to net a run to tie the game at 1-1.
The middle innings
The game remained tied at 1-1 for much of the rest of the afternoon. Leahy departed after two innings and 3 K’s. Hjerpe followed with 3.1 shutout innings with 3 K’s. Three hits and three walks added traffic to his innings, but he worked around that well. Graceffo finished the sixth with a K. Mautz got through the seventh without drama.
Skenes pitched into the seventh, leaving only after accumulating his 200th K of the season (and eighth of the game). A line of Pirate relievers (Ramirez, Soto, Weaver, Montgomery) continued Skenes’ mastery.
The decisive and bitter end
Stanek relieves in the eighth. A quick flyball portends, but a walk quickly follows. A following wild pitch (which seems to be a Cardinal reliever specialty) combined with an ill-advised and poor throw puts the runner on third where he scored an unearned run moments later on a SacFly by Horowitz. Yet another walk continues the inning. But a ground out ends the inning with the Pirates leading 2-1.
Montgomery comes in to close the game out. He strikes out the side. Pirates win 2-1.
The eighth inning reminds me of a comment Oli made this spring about their margin for error being slim…that they needed to be really good at not missing opportunities or shooting themselves in the foot. Realistically, they will need more talent to give them more margin for errors and mistakes that naturally occur in this game. In the meantime, when it comes to cleaning up their play, it’s not clear to me that they’ve improved over the season.
Post-game notes
Cardinals on to Milwaukee for the last series of the season. I’ve always thought it would feel odd to finish the season on the road, but in reality, most of the players are on the road the whole six months. Tomorrow, they get to go home, wherever home is.
For what it is worth, it appears that the Cubs will have something to play for this weekend. They have still not clinched, which suggests that Cub fans have likely clenched. Their inconsistency appears to be rearing its ugly head at a bad time (for them).
Organizational meetings and off-season planning sessions begin in earnest soon.
Been lots of comments that the Cardinals need to acquire a TOR pitcher. Can’t disagree, but I keep coming back to … what exactly constitutes a TOR pitcher? Been considering an article on that, with a data deep dive. In comments, tell me what kind of stats you expect to see with a pitcher who is TOR.
One of the pleasant surprises for the Detroit Red Wings during the 2025-26 NHL season was the emergence of rookie forward Emmitt Finnie. After earning a roster spot with a strong Training Camp, Finnie went on to appear in all 82 regular-season games.
He was one of three Red Wings rookies to make the final roster out of last year’s Training Camp and preseason, joining Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Axel Sandin-Pellikka. However, Finnie was the only one of the three to remain with the NHL club for the entire season.
He finished the season with 13 goals and 17 assists, while spending a significant amount of time on Detroit’s top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
Finnie should enter his sophomore season with increased confidence after gaining a full year of NHL experience under his belt.
"I think my confidence is high right now," Finnie said. "Obviously, I had some success last season, and it was nice to carry that into the offseason."
Showing the maturity of a seasoned veteran, Finnie acknowledged that there are still areas of his game he wants to improve, including his work on the backcheck.
"I really wanted to improve my game; I was trying to focus on lots of areas - winning battles low, just working on all areas of my game," he said. "And defensively, I want to be sharper."
Finnie, whom the Red Wings selected in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, recorded 30 points during his rookie season.
Although he isn't entering this season with a specific points target in mind, Finnie believes the production will follow if he continues to, as he put it, play the right way.
"I just take it as it comes," he said of his point totals. "Obviously, you want to produce, and for me, it's putting myself in the right position to score goals and making plays where I can get assists.
If I just keep playing the right way, they'll come."
During this fall's Training Camp, head coach Todd McLellan repeatedly voiced the need for the Red Wings to be harder to play against.
Not only does Finnie provide an offensive touch, but he also repeatedly demonstrated that he's not afraid of physical confrontation and getting into the dirty areas of the ice.
"I think he wants our whole team to play hard, and it's an area of my game I like to play," Finnie said of his physicality. "I like to finish my checks and be hard on the forecheck, and I feel like that's when I play my best, when I do that. I'm gonna continue to do that."
Noting his offensive touch and junkyard dog mentality on the ice, McLellan believes that Finnie is in an even more advantageous position entering his second NHL campaign.
"Last year, he provided a lot of that," he said. "He finished his checks and was competitive with his speed; we want that and more from him this year. I see him more confident, stronger, and feeling good about his game."
Finnie and the Red Wings open the regular season on Oct. 2 at Little Caesars Arena against the visiting New York Rangers.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 25: Clint Frazier #77 of the New York Yankees reacts against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Yankee Stadium on May 25, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It began as a joke. Clint Frazier was commenting on his frequent shuttling between the New York Yankees and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that he proclaimed himself a “RailRider for Life.”
Funny thing, though. The moniker stuck, and Frazier still embraces it to this day.
“I think it started around the time I got optioned to the minor leagues in 2019,” Frazier said. “I was doing relatively well at the big-league level. When I came down here, there was something in the media about September roster expansion and the Yankees were kind of vague on whether I was going to be coming back. I remember parking in a parking garage and seeing this sign that said ‘Scranton Life,’ and I was like, ‘Dude, I don’t want to be a Yankee. I want to be a RailRider for Life.’ It was a facetious comment and I ended up running with it because it was kind of funny. People obviously took notice to it because I put it on my Twitter bio and it’s been there for like 10 years.”
With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rebranding for next season, the team brought Frazier back for what proved to be the final game as the RailRiders on Saturday night at PNC Field in northeastern Pennsylvania. He signed autographs for fans, posed for pictures and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
i’m soooooo back ! saturday i’ll be back in scranton — railriders for life ! https://t.co/ALTht0RT10
Frazier admitted he was a little surprised and a bit disappointed when he heard that the team was retiring the RailRiders nickname.
“I’m not a part of the Yankees anymore, and I’m not here in Scranton,” Frazier said. “So if they want to rebrand or it’s something the fans want, you give it to them. But other than that, I was kind of like, ‘Damn, I guess I won’t be a RailRider anymore. I’ll be whatever they are, but I’ll still be a RailRider at heart.”
Drafted fifth overall by Cleveland in 2013, Frazier joined the Yankees organization on July 31, 2016, in a trade along with Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller, and J.P. Feyereisen for reliever Andrew Miller. He was assigned to the RailRiders and helped them win the International League Governors’ Cup title, then capture the Triple-A National Championship with a 3-1 win over the Pacific Coast League champion El Paso Chihuahuas.
He wound up playing 213 games with the RailRiders between 2016-19 and batted .263 (213-for-811) with 55 doubles, nine triples, 33 home runs, and 96 RBIs. Looking back, he enjoyed his time in Scranton.
“This is a really good environment for a minor league facility,” Frazier said. “The revamped clubhouse, it looks a lot different now than it did then. I think it’s good for guys to be in an atmosphere like this because you have to go through Scranton to get to New York. They’ve done a really good job making this place feel like a major league clubhouse. The fans show up, the stadium is great. I don’t really have anything bad to say other than I lived above a funeral home all year my first go-round. That’s the one thing I remember the most.”
On July 1, 2017, Frazier made his MLB debut with the Yankees in Houston. After striking out in his first at-bat, he doubled in his second at-bat off Astros pitcher Francis Martes, leading off the top of the sixth inning for his first major league hit. In his next at-bat, leading off the top of the seventh, he hit his first home run off Tony Sipp.
“I think it’s really cool to be able to say my first moment in the big leagues, I was able to capitalize by hitting a home run and contributing to the game,” Frazier said. “I don’t know how I could really top that feeling. If you saw where I was from, to make it to the major leagues from Loganville, Georgia, to be with the New York Yankees and to homer in my debut. I was so young and so desensitized to what was actually happening. To look back on it from where I am now, the home run in my debut has to be the best thing I went through. It was awesome.”
Seven days later at Yankee Stadium, he hit his first walk0ff home run — a three-run blast off Corey Knebel of the Milwaukee Brewers to give the Yankees a 5-3 win. He was the second Yankee with nine extra base hits before his 15th game. The first? Joe DiMaggio.
Things took a turn, however, in February 2018. During spring training, he crashed head-first into an outfield wall and suffered a severe concussion. Then, in September 2020, he suffered a second concussion, again colliding with an outfield wall. This time, he kept it secret for fear of losing his roster spot. The lingering effects from both concussions impacted his career.
“That was a really tough time to go through,” Frazier said. “It was a very scary injury to have. It’s not like any other one, like getting Tommy John (surgery) or a sprained ankle. You know the exact time frame it’s going to take to fix it. A lot of the unknown is what I went through. I was pretty symptomatic in terms of having a lot of trouble being able to track pitches. I would get extremely dizzy or feel nauseous every single day. That was a really tough time to go through because physically I was fine. It was cognitively something that was affecting my ability to live my life and, even more so, play the game I played my entire life.
“As I sit here today, I feel significantly better. Time was the only thing that was going to heal the stuff I was going through. Unfortunately, in a baseball season or offseason, you don’t have a lot of time to be able to go through those certain things. I rushed sometimes to get back on the field. I was going with what my gut was telling me was the right thing to do. I’m just glad that, sitting here today, I’m not really hampered the way that I was when I was going through those issues.”
After five seasons with the Yankees (2017-21), Frazier was released. He played one season with the Chicago Cubs in 2022. Following a brief stint in the Texas Rangers organization, he played one season with the Chicago White Sox in 2023. He then spent 44 games in 2024 with the Charleston Dirty Birds of the independent Atlantic League before retiring in July. His seven-year major league totals read 29 home runs and 101 RBIs in 280 games with a .235 batting average (190 for 810), 45 doubles, and six triples.
Even though his career was cut short by the concussions, Frazier doesn’t think “What if?” and holds no bitterness on how it ended.
“In the moment I might think to myself, ‘I wish I didn’t run into that wall,’ but I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it,“ Frazier said. ”I certainly have moments. But I played baseball, and it always was about the next at-bat. So I get over things pretty quickly. I don’t know if it’s healthy or not, but it’s something I’ve learned about myself once I got out of playing. I don’t really spend a lot of time thinking about the past. I get over it pretty quickly.”
As for the next phase of his life, Frazier doesn’t have any aspirations to coach in baseball. He might do some broadcasting. But he said he has been offered a deal to potentially play professional pickleball.
“It’s a crazy thing to say, but dude, it’s so much fun! And they pay well. It’s some high-level stuff,” Frazier said. “I get very passionate about it because so much of what I’ve done in my baseball career translates so well to how that sport is played. I kind of feel like I have a little bit of a head start in terms of picking up on the way the new sport would be. The next time you see me, I could be in that world.”
No matter what he does, Frazier will always be a “RailRider for Life.”
