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A Philadelphia Phillies fan secured a home run ball hit by Harrison Bader and proudly placed it in the glove of his 9-year-old son Lincoln.

Moments later, the same fan removed the ball from his son's glove and gave it to a woman who claimed that it rightfully belonged to her.

Days after the now-viral incident occurred during the fourth inning of the Phillies' 9-3 win over the Marlins on Friday in Miami, Drew Feltwell explained to NBC-10 in Philadelphia that he decided in the moment to "be Dad and show him how to de-escalate the situation" — something he determined was more important than providing Lincoln with a really cool game souvenir.

"We were there to get a home run ball," said Feltwell, a Florida resident whose wife and daughter were also at the game. "So I thought I had accomplished this great thing. And putting it in his glove meant a lot. She was just so adamant and loud and yelling and persistent, and I just didn't want to deal with it anymore.

Read more:Why the Dodgers aren’t changing their slumping bullpen hierarchy yet

"There was hundreds of people just staring. And like I said, she was very, very, very close, and I'm Dad of the family, so I didn't want to do something I'd regret. And that was the choice I made, just hand the ball back and tell her go away."

Feltwell said he was the first to get to the ball after it landed in an empty seat "down a couple seats" to his right. He said he was starting to walk away with the ball when other people, including the woman who eventually confronted him, started grabbing for it.

"I guess she just thought that that was her ball, because it was in front of her," Feltwell said. "That's fine, but she was too slow."

Lincoln didn't leave the game empty-handed though. A Marlins representative visited the family at their seats and presented the boy with a bag full of souvenirs. Then a Phillies representative invited the family to meet Bader outside the team clubhouse after the game. There, the nine-year veteran who was acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline signed a bat for Lincoln and posed for pictures with the group.

Read more:Max Muncy is back, and he hopes to help cure what ails the Dodgers

Lincoln told NBC-10 that although he was unhappy to have to give away the home run ball, "I'm happy that I got to get something else."

And, he added, "it was very, very fun getting to meet Bader."

Feltwell said he holds no ill will toward the so-called Phillies Karen who ended up with the home run ball.

"I don't wish any harm to her. I would love to have that particular ball to put on the wall next to his bat, and got about 500 promises that they're going to get the ball."

Even so, he said, "I hope nobody does anything stupid to get it."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

In almost any other season, Dave Roberts might have made a different choice.

Even though Tyler Glasnow was pitching a no-hitter, Roberts would have at least considered removing the right-hander after six innings on Monday night.

Glasnow’s pitch count was already at 91.

This season is unlike any other, however. Up is down, down is up, and the Dodgers can’t rely on their bullpen.

The uncharacteristic problem required an uncharacteristic solution from Roberts, who kept Glasnow in the game.

Read more:Dodgers flirt with another no-hitter, but this time they hang on to beat Rockies

What was most important about the series-opening 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies wasn’t that Glasnow kept a no-hitter intact for another inning or that human propane tank Tanner Scott blew it by giving up a double to Ryan Ritter in the ninth.

Rather, the most promising development of the night was that Glasnow completed seven innings and threw 105 pitches.

Starts like this will be necessary for the Dodgers to overcome their most obvious weakness. Starts like this will be indispensable in their quest to repeat as champions.

For the Dodgers to have a chance to win another World Series, they will have to lean more than usual on their starting pitching.

“I do think that there’s certain times, if [the starters] give me the opportunity as far as efficiency and how their stuff is playing, to push them a little more,” Roberts said.

Roberts is already pushing them.

Two days earlier in Baltimore, Roberts granted Yoshinobu Yamamoto a chance to complete a no-hitter. Yamamoto came up short by an out.

Glasnow has completed seven innings in each of his last two starts.

“Those things are going to be good going forward,” Roberts said.

As much as Roberts continues to champion his relievers — “I believe in them,” he insisted — the reality is that the Dodgers’ bullpen ranks 19th in the majors in earned-run average entering play Tuesday. The less Roberts has to call on that group, the better.

Scott, the team’s $72-million closer, has a 4.47 ERA. Kirby Yates, another questionable offseason acquisition, is even worse at 4.71.

Blake Treinen was a postseason hero last year but he was sidelined for more than three months with a forearm sprain and has struggled with consistency since his return.

The only addition made to the bullpen at the trade deadline was Brock Stewart, who is on the injured list.

The situation could force the Dodgers to move away from the kind of bullpen-heavy game plans they have used in recent years and turn back the clock to the days when their starters accounted for an overwhelming majority of their innings.

Since the start of August, the Dodgers are second in the majors in innings pitched by their starters. Their starters have a combined ERA of 3.31 in that period, also second-best in the majors.

The Dodgers are expected to have four pitchers in their playoff rotation, and they have five legitimate candidates for those positions in Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw.

But pitching deep into a postseason game isn’t the same as pitching deep into a regular-season game. Snell and Glasnow have each started 10 playoff games. Snell didn’t complete six innings in any of them. Glasnow did it only twice.

Yamamoto crossed the sixth-inning threshold once in four postseason starts last year, as he pitched into the seventh inning against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series.

Kershaw’s last six-inning start in the playoffs was in 2020. Ohtani has never pitched in the playoffs, and the most he has pitched this season is five innings.

The pitching staff’s composition could lead to hard decisions for Roberts in October.

Yamamoto, Snell and Glasnow have each averaged 4 ⅔ innings in their postseason starts. If, say, Snell runs into trouble in the fifth inning of a playoff game, what should Roberts do? Could he trust this particular group of relievers to cover the last four-plus innings of a game? Would Snell be the more reliable option to record the final outs of the inning? Or would either choice lead to disaster?

There’s potential for irony. The manager previously second-guessed for removing starting pitchers too early could now come under scrutiny for leaving them in too long.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

With 18 games remaining in the regular season, the Mets are looking to hold off a handful of teams for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of play on Sept. 9...

Mets: 76-68, 3.0 games up on Giants for third Wild Card

Next up: @ Phillies, Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. on SNY (Sean Manaea vs. Ranger Suarez)
Latest result: 1-0 loss to Phillies on Monday
Remaining schedule: 3 @ PHI, 3 vs. TEX, 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. WSH, 3 @ CHC, 3 @ MIA
Odds to make playoffs: 92.3 percent
*Mets hold tiebreaker over Giants by virtue of winning the season series

Giants: 73-71, 3.0 games back of Mets 

Next up: vs. Diamondbacks, Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. Robbie Ray vs. Zac Gallen)
Latest result: 11-5 win over D-backs on Monday
Remaining schedule: 2 vs. ARI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ ARI, 4 @ LAD, 3 vs. STL, 3 vs. COL
Odds to make playoffs: 4.6 percent

Reds: 72-72, 4.0 games back of Mets 

Next up: @ Padres, Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. (Zack Littell vs. Michael King)
Latest result: 4-3 loss to Padres on Monday
Remaining schedule: 2 @ SD, 3 @ ATH, 3 @ STL, 4 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PIT, 3 @ MIL
Odds to make playoffs: 2.8 percent

Diamondbacks: 72-73, 4.5 games back of Mets

Next up: @ Giants, Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. (Zac Gallen vs. Robbie Ray)
Latest result: 11-5 loss to Giants on Monday
Remaining schedule: 2 @ SF, 3 @ MIN, 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. PHI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SD
Odds to make playoffs: 1.2 percent

Cardinals: 72-73, 4.5 games back of Mets

Next up: @ SEA, Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. (Matthew Liberatore vs. George Kirby)
Latest result: 4-2 loss to Mariners on Monday
Remaining schedule: 2 @ SEA, 3 @ MIL, 3 vs. CIN, 3 vs. MIL, 3 @ SF, 3 @ CHC
Odds to make playoffs: 0.8 percent

The Mets continue a four-game series against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

• Juan Soto is hitting .306/.461/.694 with 13 home runs, 30 RBI, 32 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases in 141 plate appearances over his last 30 games dating back to Aug. 6
• Francisco Lindor has been on fire for about a month, hitting .375/.468/.615 with five homers, 10 doubles, and 10 stolen bases in 124 plate appearances over 26 games going back to Aug. 12
• Sean Manaea struggled badly in his last start, allowing five runs on eight hits (including two home runs) in 3.2 innings against the Tigers in Detroit on Sept. 1

What channel is SNY?

Check your TV or streaming provider's website or channel finder to find your local listings.

How can I stream the game?

The new way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv. Streaming on the SNY App has been discontinued.

In order to stream games in SNY’s regional territory, you will need to have SNY as part of your TV package (cable or streaming), or you can now purchase an in-market SNY subscription package. Both ways will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone. 

How can I watch the game on my computer via MLB? 

To get started on your computer, click here and then follow these steps: 

• Log in using your provider credentials. If you are unsure of your provider credentials, please contact your provider. 

• Link your provider credentials with a new or existing MLB.com account. 

• Log in using your MLB.com credentials to watch Mets games on SNY. 

• Select the SNY Mets game you wish to view from the Multimedia Center. 

How can I watch the game on the MLB App? 

MLB App access is included for FREE with SNY. To access SNY on your favorite supported Apple or Android mobile device, please follow the steps below.  

• Download the free MLB App.

• Open “MLB” and tap on “Subscriber Login” for Apple Devices or “Sign in with MLB.com” for Android Devices. 

• Type in your MLB.com credentials and tap “Log In.”  

• To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available.  

For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here.

Get to know Connelly Early: Red Sox pitching prospect set to make MLB debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The youth movement in Boston has another early addition.

The Boston Red Sox are expected to promote left-handed pitching prospect Connelly Early from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports. Early will start in Tuesday’s game against the Athletics in Sacramento, while right-hander Dustin May will go on the injured list in a corresponding move, per Rosenthal.

Early’s expected promotion comes less than two weeks after the Red Sox called up another lefty prospect, Payton Tolle, who already has made two starts for Boston.

So, what’s the skinny on Early, and why are the Red Sox promoting him now? Here’s what you need to know about the 23-year-old southpaw.

Connelly Early’s bio and stats

• Age: 23
• Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 195 pounds
• College: University of Virginia
• Drafted: Fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft (151 overall)
• 2025 stats at Double-A Portland (15 games, 12 starts): 7-2 record, 71.2 IP, 2.51 ERA, 1.130 WHIP, 11 BB, 36 SO
• 2025 stats at Triple-A Worcester (six games, six starts): 3-1 record, 28.2 IP, 2.83 ERA, 1.047 WHIP, 29 BB, 52 SO

Early began the 2025 season at Double-A Portland and pitched very well for the Sea Dogs with a 2.51 ERA through 15 appearances. He earned the call-up to Triple-A Worcester at the beginning of August and continued his success with the WooSox, allowing two runs or fewer in five of his six starts.

The Virginia product is the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s system, per MLB Pipeline, and the Red Sox’ fourth-ranked pitching prospect behind Tolle, 2025 draft pick Kyson Witherspoon and 22-year-old left-hander Brandon Clarke.

Connelly Early’s scouting report

Early has a fastball that tops out at 96 mph, but his best pitch is his changeup, which MLB Pipeline describes as “lively.”

“Early can’t overpower hitters but has the feel to provide consistent strikes without catching too much of the plate,” MLB Pipeline wrote in its scouting report of Early. “He throws his fastball just one third of the time, just enough to keep hitters honest and set up his secondary pitches, and his heater may need more velocity or life at higher levels.”

Early has excelled at every level of the minors so far and has managed to keep the ball in the park, with just five home runs allowed over 100.1 innings of work this season.

Why are the Red Sox promoting Early now?

Early had a projected big-league ETA of 2026, but the Red Sox are hurting for arms at the moment. Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, Tanner Houck and Patrick Sandoval are all out for the year, while May will join Richard Fitts and Cooper Criswell on the injured list as well.

So, outside of Boston’s “big three” of Garrett Crochet, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello, manager Alex Cora doesn’t have much pitching depth to work with, to the point where he resorted to a “bullpen game” last Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians.

It is a bit curious that the Red Sox have yet to promote Kyle Harrison, the 24-year-old lefty acquired in the Rafael Devers trade who has actual MLB experience. But considering Tolle and now Early have been called up ahead of him, it appears the team believes Harrison has more room for improvement before making his Red Sox big-league debut.

Early will take the mound against A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs in Sacramento on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 10:10 p.m. ET.

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Monday, in case you missed it...

• Nolan McLeangave the Mets 5.1 innings of one-run ball despite ripping off a fingernail in the middle of his start, but New York's offense was non-existent in a 1-0 loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia
• With the loss, the Mets are now just 3.0 games up on the Giants for the third Wild Card spot in the NL. New York holds the tiebreaker over San Francisco 
• Carlos Mendozareacted to the Mets' inconsistent play
• Cedric Mullinsis struggling at the plate and trying to find answers
• Kodai Sengais likely to make his first Triple-A start in the coming days
• Tylor Megill's season is likely over with him being shut down due to tightness
• Luis Torrenswas placed on the IL due to a forearm contusion
• WATCH: McLean and Mullins reacted to Monday's loss

Athletics' Jacob Wilson has Tony Gwynn-like numbers through first 137 MLB games originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The start of Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson’s MLB career may be the best that baseball has seen in over 40 years. 

Through 137 career games played, the 23-year-old rookie has recorded similar numbers to Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who is considered one of the best hitters in baseball history. 

Wilson has posted a .304 batting average, .349 on-base percentage and a .423 slugging percentage in 562 plate appearances through his first 137 career games, all marks greater than the late San Diego Padres legend. 

The rookie shortstop’s low strikeout total is also comparable to the numbers Gwynn posted at the start of his career. Wilson has just 44 strikeouts compared to Gwynn’s 37 in the same number of games played to start their careers (7.8 percent and 6.9 percent of plate appearances, respectively).

This season, Wilson has posted a 7.4 percent strikeout rate, the third best in Major League Baseball among qualified batters behind Luis Arraez (2.8 percent) and Nico Hoerner (7.0 percent). 

Wilson is also in the hunt for the 2025 batting title. Entering Tuesday, he has the second-best batting average (.315) behind Aaron Judge (.321). 

He has led all rookies in batting average since April. The next-closest rookie is his teammate Nick Kurtz, who enters Tuesday with a .301 batting average. 

While Wilson battles for the batting title with Judge, he is also in a battle with Kurtz for the AL Rookie of the Year award, which Kurtz is heavily favored for after the first baseman’s emergence in the first half of the season. 

Only eight pairs of teammates have finished first and second in Rookie of the Year voting. In 2022, Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves finished first and second, respectively, for NL Rookie of the Year. The 1984 Seattle Mariners duo of Alvin Davis and Mark Langston was the last pair to achieve the feat in the American League. 

The A’s have not had a Rookie of the Year award winner since Andrew Bailey in 2009. The last position player to win it for the franchise was Bobby Crosby in 2004, who now serves as the team’s first base coach.