The billionaire owner of the New York Mets apologized to fans on Monday, after the team crashed out of the 2025 MLB season without securing a spot in the playoffs, despite boasting a $340 million payroll that’s one of the league’s highest.
“I owe you an apology,” Steven Cohen, who bought the team in 2020, wrote on X on Monday. “You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part. We will do a post-mortem and figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations.”
“I know how much time and effort you have put into this team,” he added. “The result was unacceptable.”
The club’s season ended Sunday with a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, prolonging the 39-year World Series drought for the Mets.
"There are no words to describe what we’re going through," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It’s pain, frustration, you name it. We came in with a lot of expectations, and here we are going home. Not only did we fall short. We didn’t even get into October. Pissed. Sad. Frustrated. You name it."
An avalanche of big-money signings still have not translated to a World Series berth for the New York Mets, who crashed out of the MLB on Sunday without securing a spot in the playoffs (AP)
The disappointing end to the campaign comes despite a promising season where in mid-June the Mets had the best record in baseball.
“I said at one point in the year, I felt like it was the most talented team I’ve ever played on,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo told MLB.com after the loss in Miami. “And we weren’t able to make the playoffs. That’s obviously coming up short and a failure in my mind.”
However, that momentum fell apart, as the Mets suffered three different seven-game losing streaks and saw stars including Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, and Tylor Megill pick up injuries.
Mets fans are hoping major signings like the $765 million man Juan Soto can help the team end its four-decade World Series drought (AP)
While the team had the second-best offense in the National League, commentators also pointed to poor defense down the regular season stretch as a hole for the Queens-based team.
Mets fans have been eager to see Cohen’s splashy tenure at the team pay off, one that’s seen blockbuster contracts like 2021’s $341 million deal for Francisco Lindor and last year’s record-breaking $765 million bid for Juan Soto.
Personnel changes are expected at the Mets in the offseason, with first baseman Pete Alonso saying he will opt out of his deal and become a free agent, while closer Edwin Diaz says he’s considering doing the same.
There are reportedly no plans to fire Mendoza, though.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins fired manager Rocco Baldelli on Monday, ending his seven-year tenure that included three AL Central titles after a second straight disappointing season.
Minnesota announced Baldelli’s firing following a season marked by a major selloff leading up to the trade deadline after the team faltered in June and failed to mount any momentum in July. The Twins (70-92) went 19-35 after the deadline passed following the departure of 10 players off their major league roster, with only the Colorado Rockies faring worse over the final two months.
The Twins finished with the fourth-worst record in the major leagues and their worst mark since 2016, when they went 59-103 after firing longtime general manager Terry Ryan at midseason. Current team president Derek Falvey was hired to replace Ryan after that.
“Over the past seven years Rocco has been much more than our manager. He has been a trusted partner and teammate to me in leading this organization,” Falvey said in a statement. “Together we shared a deep care for the Twins, for our players and staff, and for doing everything in our power to put this club in the best position to succeed. Along the way we experienced some meaningful accomplishments, and I will always be proud of those, even as I wish we had ultimately achieved more.
“This is a difficult day because of what Rocco represents to so many people here. He led with honesty, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to our players and staff. He gave himself fully to this role and I have tremendous respect and gratitude for the way he carried himself and the way he showed up every single day.”
For the second straight year, uncertainty around Baldelli’s status hovered around the club. The Twins, who went 87-75 in 2023 to win their third AL Central title under Baldelli and their first series in the playoffs in 21 years, were in firm control of a wild-card spot down the stretch last season before tumbling out of contention with a 12-27 record over the last six weeks to land at 82-80.
Factoring that finish into their extended funk this year, the Twins are 82-119 over their last 201 games for a .408 winning percentage. That includes a 13-game winning streak they produced earlier this season.
Attendance has swooned at Target Field, with the Twins finishing with an 81-home game total of a little more than 1.7 million tickets sold, their lowest number in a non-pandemic season since 2000 when they played at the Metrodome and finished 69-93. Fans have mostly directed their disdain toward ownership, with deep frustration over cost-cutting that came after the 2023 breakthrough. The Pohlad family put the franchise up for sale last year, but decided last month to keep control and bring on two new investment groups for an infusion of cash to help pay down debt.
The dizzying trade-deadline activity left Baldelli and his staff without much to work with down the stretch, though All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton was a bright spot in a breakthrough season for his health and rookie second baseman Luke Keaschall provided consistent production and a professional approach at the plate belying his inexperience.
The departures of shortstop Carlos Correa, outfielder Harrison Bader, first baseman Ty France and multi-position player Willi Castro robbed the lineup of experience and steadiness, but that was nothing like what happened to Baldelli’s bullpen.
The Twins traded their five best relievers, from closer Jhoan Duran on down, and left the final 54 games to a ragtag group that had eight blown saves in 18 opportunities during that span. The conversion rate of 44.4% ranked second-worst in the major leagues over the final two months.
Baldelli was hired before the 2019 season to replace Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, with Falvey citing his adaptivity to the data-based direction of baseball strategy and his communication skill in distilling it to coaches and players and clearly setting expectations and preferences.
Particularly in this modern age of analytics, there’s plenty of mystery about just how much impact a manager in the dugout truly has on a baseball team’s won-loss record, but the overall performance — even with the post-trade deadline roster depletion this year — and lack of life from the club lately suggested some type of staffing change would be warranted.
NHL teams chip away at their camp rosters as they try to form the 23-man rosters they’ll ice on opening night next week.
While most of the cuts so far have been AHL and ECHL regulars or unpolished prospects who had little chance of making teams in the first place, there have been a few players with pedigree who have surprisingly been demoted this early. Here are four such examples.
Devon Levi, G, Buffalo Sabres
At just 23, Devon Levi has had a whirlwind career thus far.
Since his unlikely seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers from the Jr. A CCHL, he’s gone on to backstop Team Canada to world junior silver, become a two-time NCAA goaltender of the year and one-time Hobey Baker finalist. He's even already been a member of Team Canada’s Olympic and World Championship teams.
However, he’s struggled to adapt to the NHL.
Across parts of three seasons, the Montreal native has picked up an .894 save percentage through 39 games, with performance declines in each NHL stint.
After an .872 save percentage over nine games last season, the Buffalo Sabres brought in recent Detroit Red Wings tandem goaltender Alex Lyon and ex-Avalanche and Sharks starting netminder Alexandar Georgiev to battle for the backup job behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. As such, there wasn’t really an opportunity for the still revered prospect.
Should Lyon get the axe, too, he could very well get claimed, opening up an opportunity for Levi as the team’s injury relief call-up. But as of right now, Levi is on the outside looking in.
The real question now is whether the Sabres will explore the trade market on Levi and instead put their trust in goaltending prospects Topias Leinonen, Ryerson Leenders, Samuel Meloche and Scott Ratzlaff, or if they’ll continue to try and make something of Levi.
Ivan Fedotov, G, Columbus Blue Jackets
Once heralded as a high-end goalie prospect with the Philadelphia Flyers, Ivan Fedotov has seen a fall from grace since his delayed arrival to the NHL.
The towering 6-foot-7 netminder has only amassed an .874 career save percentage over parts of two NHL seasons.
It’s not hard to see why the Gagarin Cup champion has struggled in North America. He missed the 2022-23 season participating in mandatory military service in Russia and then delayed his NHL debut by playing another campaign in the KHL with CSKA Moscow despite being contracted to the Flyers.
A move to the Columbus Blue Jackets could have been the opportunity for the now 28-year-old goaltender to start anew. But it looks like the Finland-born Russian goaltender will begin his 2025-26 campaign with the team's AHL affiliate after clearing waivers.
The Jackets have instead opted for the younger and more red-hot Jet Greaves as the backup option to Elvis Merzlikins.
Fedotov is on the back-half of a two-year deal worth $3.275 million per season.
Joshua Roy, C, Montreal Canadiens
There was a point in time where the consensus was that Joshua Roy would be the future No. 3 center for the new-era Montreal Canadiens. The two-time world junior gold medallist has done well when called up, notching 11 points in 35 games over the last two NHL seasons.
However, the 22-year-old isn’t going to start the season on the Habs' main roster, being among the recent wave of cuts.
With the Habs roster being young and in flux, there’s no doubt that with injuries, Roy will get more opportunities at the NHL level. In the meantime, he’ll have to continue working on his craft in the minors, where he had 35 points in 47 games last season.
While Aube-Kubel has never been an elite player, his pedigree speaks for itself.
He is a seven-year veteran, icing in 304 NHL games and amassing 80 points in the process, not to mention a Stanley Cup ring with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.
Despite this, he’s always seemed to struggle with maintaining a full-time roster spot in the NHL, oftentimes having AHL stints, even during the best of his seasons.
After a 16-point campaign with the Washington Capitals in 2024, the Slave Lake, Alta., native secured a one-year $1.5-million deal with the Buffalo Sabres. Since then, things have somewhat derailed.
Aube-Kubel netted just two-points with the Sabres while flip-flopping between the AHL and NHL before landing on the New York Rangers. They buried him in the minors for all but a three-game stint in late March.
The 29-year-old grabbed a league-minimum deal this off-season with the Minnesota Wild, but he already has found his way on the chopping block. The Wild placed him on waivers for assignment to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
Aube-Kubel remains a physically engaged depth player who has shown decent offensive upside. However, when he’s not in form, he’s frankly struggled to remain in teams’ good graces.
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After the Giants announced the dismissal of now-former manager Bob Melvin on Monday, plenty of eyes turned to Bruce Bochy’s future with the Texas Rangers given the open vacancy on San Francisco’s top dugout step.
After all, Bochy led the Giants to three World Series titles from that step — and it turns out, he isn’t exactly shutting down the idea of a potential reunion after he and the Rangers mutually agreed to part ways on the same day Melvin was fired.
In an exclusive conversation with John Shea of The San Francisco Standard on Monday, Bochy said he “would always have a conversation with [president of baseball operations] Buster [Posey]” about the Giants, though he’s currently “sorting everything out” after three seasons with Texas.
While Bochy’s mutual separation from the Rangers would make it seem like he’s hanging up his hat — for good, this time — his comments to Shea show he’s at least open to the idea of managing in San Francisco again, though there’s always the possibility of a different role either in the Bay or back in Texas. The Rangers said Bochy can return as an advisor, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Monday.
Posey on Monday told reporters, “We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in the playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves. That’s what the city deserves.”
While Bochy is a four-time World Series champion, it’s unclear if he would be the answer, and it’s certainly fair to say he represents the same “old-school” mindset the Giants just parted ways with. Aside from their 107-win 2021 MLB season, the Giants haven’t finished above .500 since 2016, and Bochy finished his last three seasons as San Francisco’s manager from 2017 to 2019 with a .440 winning percentage (214-272).
And, ironically enough, the 2025 Giants under Melvin’s leadership finished with the same record as Bochy’s Rangers at 81-81.
But from Day 1, Posey has said the Giants are in the memory-making business — and Bochy holds the key to some of the best memories in Bay Area sports history, a place where he loved to work.
“You know, I’d probably leave a note telling him he get the best job in baseball,” Bochy said in his final postgame Giants presser back in 2019, when asked what note he would leave for San Francisco’s incoming manager.
Oesterle, 33, split the 2024-25 season between the Boston Bruins and Predators. In 37 NHL games on the year between the two clubs, the left-shot defenseman recorded four goals, six assists, 10 points, 27 hits, and 57 blocks.
If Oesterle ends up clearing waivers, the Predators will then be able to send him down to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. However, it is fair to wonder if a team looking for a veteran depth defenseman could consider claiming Oesterle.
Oesterle spent the 2017-18 season as a member of the Blackhawks. In 55 games with the Central Division club that campaign, the Dearborn Heights, Michigan native recorded five goals, 10 assists, 15 points, 62 hits, and 97 blocks.
Oesterle's time with the Blackhawks ended during the 2018 NHL off-season when he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes. Since then, he has had stops with the Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Bruins, and Predators.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Milan
Lucic was back on the ice for the St. Louis Blues on Monday, nearly a
week after leaving practice early with a groin strain.
The
37-year-old veteran forward, in training camp on a professional
tryout, was skating on a line with Dalibor Dvorsky and Aleksanteri
Kaskimaki with no restrictions.
“He
looked really good, looked really sharp,” Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said.
“It was good to have him back out there, was making a lot of plays.
Seems like his confidence has grown throughout camp, which is a good
sign.”
Missing
a week of camp did Lucic, who hasn’t played in the NHL since Oct.
21, 2023, has
done no favors of Lucic, who is trying to earn an NHL contract, and
there’s only a week remaining before NHL opening night rosters need
to be set.
“Yes
and no. He’s got to make an impression to make the team,”
Montgomery
said.
“He understands that. Whether he plays the last three games or the
last two, we want to put himself in the best advantage so we can
evaluate him at his best.
“I
don’t want to get into those specifics, but there’s ways to
extend his time without having to sign a contract.”
Lucic
has played in just one of the preseason games, Sept. 21 against the
Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It
looked like it had been a year and a half since he played a game,”
Montgomery
said.
“But his third period was his best period, so he continued to get
better throughout the game, which is good to see. The first period,
it looked like he was struggling out there, but the third period, he
looked like he was playing hockey.”
Also, defenseman Philip Broberg, who missed practice on Saturday, was on the ice in full on Monday.
-
- -
The
Blues reduced their training camp roster by two more on Monday when
forward Matt Luff and defenseman Corey Schueneman were assigned to
Springfield of the American Hockey League after each cleared waivers.
“With
Carbonneau, I want him to gain that next-play speed and what I mean
by that is when the puck transitions from offense to defense that he
gets above it,” Montgomery
said.
“Anyone that’s been a scorer all their life, they hang and hope
for a turnover, so they’re in a better offensive position, but
they’re also aren’t as good as a defensive position, and when you
get above pucks, now you’re skating into the goalie instead of
being at the same level of the goalie, especially in the offensive
zone. So that’s kind of what we talked about. Watch McDavid, watch
MacKinnon, watch Crosby, watch these guys … Aho, watch our players
that just naturally, because when he was on the ice with our players,
he naturally was the last guy coming back into our end every time,
and that’s just next-play speed. It’s just getting used to
playing at, ‘I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do that,’ and
it just happens.
“And
then with Jiricek, both of them are elite players. Jiricek’s elite
with the puck and he’s just got to learn how to move it so he
doesn’t have to take as many hits as he does. And he’s got the
mentality of, ‘I’m going to take a hit to make the play,’ but
sometimes let the puck do the work and jump by the forechecker, and
now to get the puck back, you have more time and space.
“Both
of them are
going
to be elite, NHL power play players. We see all that, but to get into
the NHL as soon as we would like them to be, they’ve got to improve
in those areas.”
“Obviously, it’s going to be different with JT not on the floor, but in terms of how I approach things, it’s no different,” Brown said when he joined NBC Sports Boston’s live stream during Celtics Media Day on Monday.
Brown believes there’s one area of his game he’ll be able showcase more, though.
“I think my playmaking,” Brown said. “Over the last two years, I’ve been put more in that role to be a playmaker and even though the numbers haven’t really jumped off, I think I’ve improved in that area a lot. I think this year will be a great year to see that.”
Brown averaged a career-best 4.5 assists last season. It’s not a number that jumps off the page, as Brown shared. He ranked third on the team behind Tatum (6.0 assists) and Derrick White (4.8) and tied for 45th in the NBA. But it was a noticeable improvement after he averaged 3.5 assists per game over the previous four seasons.
“Hopefully I have a few triple-doubles this year, multiple assist games,” Brown said.
With Jrue Holiday traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and Tatum likely to miss at least the majority of the regular season, the Green need other guards to step up their game. Payton Pritchard and White will facilitate in their respective roles, but the Celtics would benefit from another player like Brown doing the same.
The four-time NBA All-Star had offseason knee surgery after he played through a partially torn meniscus during the 2024-25 season. The procedure has allowed Brown to tap back into his athleticism this offseason. Brown, who said he’s feeling a little lighter, is closing in on 100 percent fully healthy.
“For me, I wanna play fast,” said Brown, noting he’s had that conversation with head coach Joe Mazzulla. “I’ve been saying that for a few years now. Some of the teams we saw play in the Finals, they play fast. Indiana plays fast. OKC plays fast. More and more teams play with that pace. That’s the pace that I’ve always wanted to play at.
“Our personnel hasn’t always been able to suit that, but I think we’ll be able to play a little faster this year, so I’m excited about that,” Brown said.
If Brown can transition into an improved playmaker and facilitator, there will be plenty of excitement to go around.
Omaha police ordered boxing world champion Terence Crawford out of his vehicle at gunpoint during a traffic stop for reckless driving early on Sunday, hours after his hometown held a parade to celebrate his recent victory over Canelo Álvarez.
A video circulating on social media showed a portion of the traffic stop. Police chief Todd Schmaderer ordered an internal affairs investigation, a move Omaha’s mayor, John Ewing, said he supported.
For the first time since 2020, the Chicago Cubs are back in the playoffs. They will host the San Diego Padres in a Wild Card series beginning Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs (92-70) had lost six of their last seven until getting their house in order with a weekend, three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to close out the regular season. The Padres (90-72) threatened to dethrone the Dodgers for much of the season in the National League West but wound up falling just short. San Diego closed the regular season strong winning seven of their last eight games.
Nick Pivetta (13-5, 2.87 ERA) will take the ball in the series opener for San Diego. The veteran made an impressive 31 starts this season but struggled in his final two starts allowing six runs over 10.1 innings...but the Padres won both of those two starts. The Cubs have not announced their starter for Game 1. Cade Horton would have gotten the nod, but a broken rib has forced him the injured list.
While we wait for the Cubs' announcement as to the starter for Game 1, lets take a deeper dive into this game and see if we can find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Padres at Cubs
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 3:08PM EST
Site: Wrigley Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: ABC
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Padres at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: San Diego Padres (-105), Chicago Cubs (-115)
Spread: Padres -1.5 (+166)
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for San Diego at Chicago
Pitching matchup for September 30, 2025:
Padres: Nick Pivetta (13-5, 2.87 ERA) The right hander has struck out at least five opposing hitters in 9 of his last 10 starts
Cubs: TBD
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Cubs
The Cubs are on a 3-game winning streak
The Over is 13-6-1 for the Cubs' last 10 home games and the Padres' last 10 on the road combined
The Padres have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 4.23 units
Manny Machado enjoyed another banner season in San Diego hitting .275 with 37 HRs and 95 RBIs
Machado has hit at least 27 HRs in 6 of 7 seasons in San Diego
Kyle Tucker is just 1-11 (.089) since returning from injury (calf)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s game between the Padres and the Cubs
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Padres and the Cubs:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Diego Padres on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Diego Padres at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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Blake Snell has posted a 2.41 ERA over his nine second-half starts for the Dodgers while cutting down on walks and wasted pitches, allowing him to get deeper into games. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Blake Snell did not sound bitter. Somehow, he was not wracked with regret.
Rather, when asked at his introductory Dodgers press conference this past offseason about the most infamous moment of his career, he took a brief moment to think. Then, unexpectedly, he expressed gratitude instead.
Five years ago, Snell was pitching the game of his life in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series. With his Tampa Bay Rays facing elimination against the Dodgers, he had answered the bell with five one-hit, nine-strikeout, virtually flawless Fall Classic innings.
What happened next remains controversial to this day. Snell gave up a one-out single in the sixth inning to Austin Barnes. Rays manager Kevin Cash came to the mound with a stunningly quick hook. The Dodgers went on to mount a rally against the Tampa Bay bullpen, snapping a three-decade title drought while the left-handed ace watched on from the bench. And in the aftermath, the second-guessing of the decision was as immediate as it was decisive.
Almost everyone else in the baseball world thought Snell should have stayed in.
Over time, however, the pitcher himself came to view it as a valuable lesson.
“It was a moment in my life that I’m very appreciative of,” Snell said this winter, donning a Dodger blue jersey for the first time after signing with the club for $182 million as a free agent.
“If I wanted to stay out there longer, I should have done a better job before that game to make that decision easier on Kevin. It's ultimately up to me to be a better pitcher there in that moment.”
Five years later, he’s about to get his chance for postseason redemption.
Snell’s debut season in Los Angeles did not go as planned this year. He made two underwhelming starts at the beginning of the campaign while quietly battling shoulder soreness. He spent the next four months sidelined on the injured list, returning in time to make only nine more starts down the stretch.
Although his final numbers were strong (a 2.35 ERA, 72 strikeouts in 61 ⅓ innings, and Dodger wins in seven of the 11 games he did pitch), his injury left his overall impact limited.
To Snell and the team, though, none of that matters now. Their union was always rooted in postseason success. And on Tuesday night, when the Dodgers open a best-of-three wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds, it is Snell who is expected to take the bump for Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.
“That’s why I came here,” Snell said amid the Dodgers’ division-clinching clubhouse celebration last week. “Get to the postseason, and see how good I can be.”
It’s an opportunity that’s been half-a-decade in the making.
Ever since breaking into the majors in 2016, and winning his first Cy Young Award with an immaculate 21-win, 1.89-ERA season two years later, Snell’s raw talent has never been in question. No starting pitcher in the history of the sport (minimum 1,000 career innings) has averaged more strikeouts per nine innings than his 11.2 mark. Even in the game’s modern era, few have possessed such a wicked arsenal, with Snell’s slider and curveball alone boasting a whopping career whiff rate of roughly 50%.
What Snell hasn’t done, however, is prove himself to be a workhorse. He has never had a 200-inning season. He has never gone six full frames in any of his 10 playoff starts. Through the years, he has been dogged by high walk rates and inefficient outings and a tendency to simply waste too many pitches. When Cash came to the mound in that sixth inning of the 2020 World Series, it only reinforced his five-and-dive reputation.
That’s why, when Snell looks back on that moment now, he views it through a lens of valuable perspective.
“I just learned, the manager’s job is to do whatever he thinks is gonna help the team win, and my job is to make him believe I’m the best option for us to win,” Snell said this past weekend, when asked about that ignominious Game 6 again. “And I didn’t do a good job of that, because he took me out.”
Thus, Snell has been on a different mission over the five years since. He not only wants to get back to the World Series and win his first championship. But he wants to do so as a bona fide October ace, the kind of anchor of a pitching staff that can get deeper into outings.
“[The playoffs are] where you want to see: What kind of player are you? How do you handle pressure situations? When everything is on the line,” Snell said. “That’s why I like it. It really allows you to understand who you are as a pitcher, where you’re at, and where you need to grow … How to find advantages to push yourself deeper in the game.”
The last time Snell pitched in the playoffs, such goals remained a work in progress. As a member of the San Diego Padres in 2022, he amassed just 13 ⅔ innings over three postseason starts, recording a 4.61 ERA while walking nine total batters.
Over the three seasons since then, however, he feels he has made more tangible strides. In 2023, he won another Cy Young by going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA, averaging close to six innings per start despite a major-league-leading 99 walks. Last year might have been even more transformational, even as he battled injuries with the San Francisco Giants.
During his lone season in the Bay, Snell picked the brain of Giants ace Logan Webb, who has led the National League in innings pitched over each of the past three seasons. Their talks centered on the value of short at-bats, the importance of “dominating the inside part of the plate,” and the significance of executing competitive misses on throws around the edge of the zone.
“That was probably one of my biggest years of growth and development, in the sense of how to go deeper into games,” Snell said.
The results certainly backed that up, with Snell rebounding from an injury-plagued first half to post a 1.23 ERA over his final 14 starts. In an early August trip to Cincinnati (his last time facing the Reds ahead of this week’s playoff series), he threw his first career no-hitter on just 114 pitches.
“That no-hitter was insane,” said current Dodgers outfielder and former Giants teammate Michael Conforto, who like Snell went from San Francisco to Los Angeles as a free agent last offseason. “He just had everything working. He was hitting every corner. He knew exactly where he wanted to put it, and he put it there every time.
“That’s the kind of performance he’s capable of every time he goes out,” Conforto added. “It’s just a very, very tough at-bat. Especially when he’s throwing strikes.”
This year, Snell’s evolution has continued around the Dodgers — where manager Dave Roberts has lauded him as a “next-level thinker” for the way he can read opponents’ swings, figure out their tendencies in the batter’s box, and adapt his plan of attack to what he feels a given matchup requires.
Since returning from his early-season shoulder injury, Snell has increasingly tapped into top form. He has cut down on walks and wasted pitches. He has posted a 2.41 ERA over his nine second-half starts. His last three outings in particular: 19 innings, one run, 28 strikeouts and only five free passes.
The most important development has been his relationship with Roberts, who left Snell in the game after late-inning mound visits in each of his last two starts, and watched him escape high-leverage jams.
Those moments could be invaluable as the Dodgers enter the playoffs, giving Roberts a level of confidence to push his likely Game 1 starter and cover for what has been an unreliable bullpen.
“He understands his role on this ballclub,” Roberts said. “When you put a starter in a position where they know they have to go deeper, you’ve got to just naturally be more effecient.”
It’s a skill Snell has been honing ever since that fateful October night five years ago. Starting Tuesday night, it’s about to be tested again.
One of the most common frustrations for Ottawa Senators fans in recent seasons has been the inability to watch certain games on TV. You might settle in for a game, knowing you’re a TSN subscriber living in the Ottawa viewing region, only to see the dreaded message: The scheduled program is not available in your region. In other words, the Ottawa program you're paying for in Ottawa is not available to you in Ottawa.
The problem has already resurfaced this year, most recently during Tuesday night’s preseason game in Toronto. Ian Mendes, the Senators’ vice president of communications, addressed the issue in his website column on Monday.
The root of the problem, Mendes explained, comes from how internet providers register IP addresses. Some Ottawa residents are being mistakenly identified as living elsewhere in Ontario.
"Your internet cable provider thinks you’re trying to watch a TSN 5 game from out-of-market, even though you live within a stone’s throw of Canadian Tire Centre," Mendes wrote. "If you try and stream the game on your phone – using regular data – you’ll be fine because it will register that your device is in Ottawa. But try watching the game off Wi-Fi on that same phone and boom, you’re back to the same problem. It might think you’re in Kitchener."
Mendes said some fans have been able to work around the issue by contacting their internet service provider and asking them to ‘whitelist’ their IP address, or to watch the game using your cable provider’s app on your phone using data – and stream to your television."
That latter workaround, of course, only makes sense for fans with unlimited data plans.
No English Radio or TV in Quebec City on Sunday
Broadcast challenges also popped up during Sunday’s preseason Senators game in Quebec City, where fans had no access to English TV or radio coverage. With TSN’s Sunday lineup packed with big events — the Ryder Cup, NFL football, and baseball pennant races — the Senators’ preseason tilt against the New Jersey Devils’ split squad didn’t quite make the cut.
So that's what happened with the English TV coverage.
As for radio, because neither team had an English TV crew on site, TSN 1200’s radio broadcasters — who no longer travel for road games — had no easy access to a video feed to call the game back home in Ottawa.
That left the Senators and the station trying to set up their own video feed, a plan that never came together.
"We faced a lot of glitches. Our on-site team and the technical team back at TSN 1200 probably spent the better part of six hours trying to figure out a solution on Sunday. Without getting into all the boring technical stuff, I will simply say we could not provide TSN 1200 with a feed they felt comfortable with having Dean and Gord call the game from back in Ottawa."
More potential trouble ahead Thursday in St. Louis
And the broadcast problems this week may not be over. On Thursday, the Senators play the Blues in St. Louis — and that game also isn’t being broadcast by TSN or any TV network. And in Ottawa, no video feed also means no English radio feed. But they're on it. So please do not adjust your set.
"We’ll try and find a solution that works, but please know we’re trying our best behind the scenes on this stuff," Mendes said.
With the Enterprise Center being a full NHL arena equipped with proven broadcast technology, maybe there’s hope that the hookup will be smoother than it was on Sunday.
If they can set up a clean video feed, fans could get an English radio call on TSN 1200 and possibly simulcast with video on the Senators’ website, which would suit most fans just fine.
The Florida Panthers' “2025 Stanley Cup Championship Film,” which celebrates their repeat win, will premiere exclusively on ESPN on Thursday, Oct. 2 and Friday, Oct. 3.
The one-hour film debuts Oct. 2 on ESPN+ and Oct. 3 on ESPN2, and additional airings will include Sportsnet and Prime Video in Canada. The NHL’s YouTube channel will display the film in the coming weeks.
The film will allow Panthers fans and NHL fans to relive the Panthers' glory as they went on to win their second Stanley Cup.
Produced by NHL Productions, the film unveils the emotional roller coaster, major in-season acquisitions and thrilling on-ice competition on the Panthers’ journey to becoming the seventh team in NHL history to win consecutive titles. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice gets the star treatment as he leads his team through the drama and intensity of a second straight Stanley Cup Final series against the Edmonton Oilers. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, mic’d up moments throughout the rivalry and sit-down interviews with powerhouse players Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, Sam Reinhart and more, the show gives fans a firsthand look at the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions.
The Panthers embark on chasing the coveted third consecutive Stanley Cup this season, with their regular season set to begin on Oct. 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Panthers will start the season without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, their top two forwards, which makes the challenge of repeating much harder.
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey will search for a fresh managerial voice to guide the San Francisco Giants, someone with an “obsessive” work ethic and attention to detail.
Manager Bob Melvin was fired after the club missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
Posey, San Francisco’s President of Baseball Operations, announced the decision. He had shown his confidence in Melvin by exercising the veteran manager’s contract option for the 2026 season on July 1.
“Just looking to find a different voice that can take us in a different direction,” Posey said.
Melvin said after a 4-0 victory against Colorado to conclude his second season that he had received no assurances about managing in 2026.
“It is what it is,” he said, “we’ll see what the next day brings.”
The Giants finished 81-81 for one more victory than in Melvin’s first year. They haven’t reached the postseason since winning the NL West with a franchise-record 107 victories to edge the rival Dodgers by one game in 2021 under then-skipper Gabe Kapler.
Now, another change.
“It’s definitely not ideal but unfortunately we talked about it a lot what the standards are for the Giants and we have high standards,” Posey said. “And I hold myself to those same standards. I understand fully the position that I’m in now. My job and the team’s success is evaluated accordingly as well. You without a doubt hope that there can be consistency in these leadership positions. We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves, that’s what the city deserves.”
As Posey begins finalizing his list of candidates, one familiar name has come up as a possibility: the catcher’s former manager, Bruce Bochy. He has wrapped up his three-year contract with Texas but Posey noted, “I don’t know what his status is yet so I can’t speak on that.”
The 70-year-old Bochy managed the Giants for 13 seasons from 2007-2019, a run that featured every-other-year World Series titles in 2010, ‘12 and ’14.
Posey said there’s no timetable for making a hire — “I want to make sure we get it right” — nor suggested whether he would seek someone with prior managerial experience.
Players offered support for Melvin as the season ended.
“You know how I feel about BoMel, I loved him. He’s been my manager for I guess seven years,” said third baseman Matt Chapman, who also played for Melvin with Oakland. “I feel extremely grateful that I get to play for him and he’s the same guy every day. He’s been steady for us, he’s always honest with the players, he has our back. He’s done the best with what we’ve given him. The players, a lot of us didn’t play to probably our capabilities.”
The 63-year-old Melvin left the San Diego Padres to return home to the Bay Area and manage the Giants last year for the job he always dreamed of doing as a former catcher with the organization. This is his 22nd year as a major league manager.
Melvin has a 1,678-1,588 career regular-season managerial record. A three-time Manager of the Year who has won the award in both leagues, he has eight postseason appearances while guiding Arizona, Seattle, Oakland, San Diego and the Giants.
San Francisco finished 80-82 in Melvin’s first season last year after he replaced Kapler, who was fired with three days remaining in the 2023 season.
Melvin is a native of nearby Palo Alto, California. He attended the University of California-Berkeley and played for his hometown Giants from 1986-88.
This has been his dream job, one he thought about in each visit to Oracle Park as a visiting manager.
“It wasn’t enjoyable. I knew how much this job meant to Bob,” Posey said of their conversation.
The players certainly realized their skipper’s passion for being in a place that means so much to him.
While several Giants — including All-Star Logan Webb — said they don’t expect Posey to be satisfied with this disappointing year, that didn’t necessarily mean they expected a managerial change.
“He’s done a great job,” Webb said after his start. “I know I said some things last time that I think got misconstrued. It had nothing to do with BoMel. He’s amazing at what he does. I think at the end of the day, it comes down to us being able to play better as players, and I think everyone in here will say the exact same thing. BoMel’s a great leader of men. It’s been amazing. I think BoMel is great.”
