INGLEWOOD, CA - JANUARY 3: Luka Garza #52 and Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics high five during the game against the LA Clippers on January 3, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. 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 Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
TORONTO — The Celtics will start Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta, and Luka Garza on Wednesday night when they face the Toronto Raptors.
It will be Garza’s first start of the season and Scheierman’s second. Paul George, fresh off a 36-point outing against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, is out with illness.
Celtics starters tonight:
Derrick White Baylor Scheierman Jayson Tatum Neemias Queta Luka Garza
The Celtics will start with a double-big lineup for the first time this season. Garza is averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game, while shooting a team-best 52% from three. Queta has started the last six games since coming off the bench to begin the year.
Garza, for one, is happy to get the chance to play double-big.
“It just gives me another avenue to get on the floor, especially with the bigs that we have and the depth that we have,” Garza said last week of the double-big lineup. “So for me, it’s something I’m going to commit to and buy into trying to be the most effective at that position.”
Scheierman, meanwhile, is averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, and has also been among the team’s most reliable three-point shooters, hitting 45.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
For the Raptors, RJ Barrett, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, and Ja’Kobe Walter will start. The Raptors are without both Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes.
Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics have regularly shifted starting lineups this season
On Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, Mike Conley got his first start of the season, which he later revealed to CelticsBlog was a decision made by Jayson Tatum and Derrick White.
On Sunday morning, Mazzulla walked into the Celtics’ team meeting and asked the room who should start; Jordan Walsh started in 6 of the Celtics’ first 9 games, while Hugo Gonzalez got the chance in three of them.
“He was like, ‘So who’s starting?’” Conley recalled. “He left it up to his players. And JT is like, ‘Mike, me…,’ and gave the starting lineup. I’m like, it’s real.”
In addition to Wednesday’s starters, Sam Hauser, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, Mitchell Robinson, and Conley have all gotten the opportunity to start this season.
Happy Veterans Day to those who have served and are currently serving. Thank you for your service.
There will be a slew of awards handing out tonight, to include potentially some players from the Atlanta Braves. At 7 p.m. ET the Cy Young awards will be announced. Chris Sale is a finalist for Cy Young, although he is not the favorite to win.
There is also the MLB Awards Show at 9 p.m. ET where the Hank Aaron Award, Reliever of the Year Award, Outstanding DH Award, and All-MLB teams will all be anounced.
Follow along in the comments below with your predictions on who on the Braves will be named to the All-MLB team, and how many votes Chris Sale will receive for Cy Young. It will also be interesting to see if Fuentes, eighth place in ROTY votes, gets mentioned in the Reliever of the Year conversation on the MLB show at all.
LAS VEGAS –– Amid the many scripted (and strained) puns that Scott Boras came equipped with on Wednesday at MLB’s annual General Managers’ Meetings, the sport’s most prominent player agent got his biggest laugh from reporters with a little bit of improv.
Fifteen minutes into his press conference at the Aria Resort and Casino, Boras was briefly interrupted when his cellphone unexpectedly rang.
“Just another owner,” Boras quipped, “begging to meet with Skubal.”
Scott Boras speaks at a news conference during Major League Baseball’s general manager meetings in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. AP Photo/John Locher
The line was the most succinct summation of the larger point Boras conveyed on Wednesday.
“It’s very clear that there is a dominant and strong Sku-bull market,” Boras boasted. “It’s pretty clear teams are not devoid of pursuing their championship fortunes, and they understand there’s only one Tar-ot card, no doubt.”
Indeed, Boras will have no lack of suitors when it comes to his two-time Cy Young Award-winning client. As the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported, the left-handed ace is scheduled to meet with six teams –– the Dodgers, Mets, Padres and Blue Jays among them –– at the Boras Corporation’s California headquarters next week.
“In the deep waters of talent treasure, there’s no time to come up for air,” Boras said. “So teams have filled their tanks, and they’re all clearly ready for the Skubal dive, no doubt.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in Los Angeles, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The real question at this point is how aggressively clubs will bid for the 30-year-old superstar, especially with the league pushing for a salary cap (or other stricter spending limitations) in its fraught labor negotiations with the players’ union over a new collective bargaining agreement.
Whether other teams are willing to go to such lengths, however, could be the biggest determinant in the Dodgers’ chances of re-signing their marquee trade deadline acquisition from this past season.
“I know he enjoyed his time here and we loved having him,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday. “So I think that’s certainly helpful as far as those conversations go.”
But the club is also wary of adding another long-term mega-contract to their already bloated future payroll picture. While all options remain open, their preference is believed to be for a shorter-term, higher annual-average-value structure –– similar to the deal they struck with last year’s top free agent, Kyle Tucker.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts posed with Kyle Tucker after his contract signing last offseason. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Boras declined to comment when asked if Skubal would be receptive to such an offer.
“I don’t discuss contract negotiations with anything but the teams,” he said.
Still, it’s unlikely Skubal would settle for such an agreement if other bidders come in with the kind of offers he has been projected to receive.
Whether or not that happens before the lockout –– which, as of now, is when Skubal is expected to try and sign by –– is where the true intrigue lies for both him and the Dodgers.
The Mets have the resources to swing such a deal, thanks to deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen. But they have also typically been averse to long-term commitments for pitchers in their 30s, and will likely be trying to sign multiple impact starters this winter to restock their thin rotation.
The Blue Jays and Padres have not been afraid of expensive splash moves in recent years. But as a result, they are already spending at historic levels relative to their franchises’ histories, leaving their willingness to add another significant contract to their books unclear.
The spectre of a potential salary cap, meanwhile, could give any of them added pause until the new CBA rules are clear.
Los Angeles Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten, left, chats with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
It all explains why the Dodgers are content to monitor how Skubal’s market develops over the next couple weeks, before deciding if they are willing to step out of their own comfort zone in their efforts to re-sign him.
They know the benefits that would come with bringing Skubal back, and keeping him atop a stacked rotation that also features Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.
But they are also conscious of the risks they could incur with a longer-term deal, especially given Skubal’s history of three elbow procedures (including an arthroscopic surgery this past season to remove loose bodies from his arm, a flexor tendon operation in 2022, and Tommy John in 2017).
Thus, if any team blows Skubal away with a massive offer, it’s unlikely (though not impossible) the Dodgers would decide to match it.
Until that happens, however, the club will be lying in wait, ready to pounce if his market doesn’t develop quite as strongly as anticipated.
Scott Boras speaks at a news conference during Major League Baseball's general manager meetings Wednesday in Las Vegas. (John Locher / Associated Press)
The Dodgers’ early offseason to-do list includes a meeting with top free agent Tarik Skubal, the two-time Cy Young winner who they acquired at the trade deadline this year.
Other than the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series exit, the three-month fling was as happy of a partnership as either side could have hoped.
Skubal jelled with the group immediately, becoming especially close friends with fellow lefty Blake Snell, who promised that he’d worked to recruit Skubal back this offseason. And after posting a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts, Skubal, the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter in both playoff series, limited postseason opponents to a total of three runs.
“I know that he enjoyed his time here, we loved having him, so I think that’s certainly helpful as far as these conversations go,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday at General Managers meetings. “And outside of that, he’s earned the right to be in this position and figure out what’s best for him and his family.”
That position, while it guarantees him a highly lucrative contract, is complicated by the impending lockout. Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, when asked during his media availability Wednesday whether he’d consider a shorter deal with a higher average annual value, said he wouldn’t discuss contract negotiations. But creativity around the structure of a deal could help counter teams’ anxieties over a possible salary cap in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
It’s clear already that CBA uncertainty won’t fully freeze the market in November. But executives and agents alike have expressed skepticism that the expected lockout will inspire the same kind of spending flurry that arose in 2021, the end of the last CBA cycle.
Boras, however, argued against the notion that salary cap talk could put a damper on the superstar market before Dec. 1, when the lockout is expected to go into effect.
“Much like 2021, there’s a clear intent on a group of players, and we have no reservations by any teams that they’re going to operate within their abilities and freedoms because they want they don’t want to lose to their competitors,” Boras told reporters. “They want the market to be what it is for them, and they’re utilizing their rights to compete. I think they’re very concerned about losing the opportunity to sign select, key players, and they’re pursuing it aggressively.”
The Dodgers are among the teams planning to meet with Skubal, a group that reportedly includes the Mets, Padres and others.
The Dodgers certainly have a track record of splashy offseason deals with eye-popping numbers. Look no further than last offseason, when they broke records with their signings of closer Edwin Díaz (three years, $69 million, highest AAV for a relief pitcher) and right fielder Kyle Tucker (four years, $240 million, highest present-day AAV).
Even the Dodgers’ trade-deadline acquisition of Skubal appeared to be superfluous at the time. Once two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani’s health forced him to give up on pitching for the rest of the season, however, Skubal’s addition maintained the Dodgers rotation’s status as one of the most talented in MLB history.
They were not, however, among the most aggressive teams before the last lockout. And their approach to Skubal’s free agency will hinge, in part, on how they evaluate their starting pitching needs.
That picture isn’t clear, either.
“We’ve talked about the different paths that you can go down, and what does that look like,” Gomes said. “Do you need it? I don’t know. Do you want it? Maybe. You may not know that you need it until it’s too late. So I think it’s balancing all of this, as different scenarios play out. … The floor right now is really high. We do have a good amount of depth in our pitching. So now it’s just taking into account, what makes sense for us based on different avenues of how things shake out.”
As the Dodgers project out the potential of their rotation, they can reasonably expect improvement from some of their younger pitchers. They were pleased with the step forward that right-hander Roki Sasaki took this year.
“Expect him to take another big step forward,” Gomes said, “and really become the front-line-type guy that he knows that he can be and we know he can be.”
Regardless of lefty Justin Wrobleski’s second-half regression, he earned his first All-Star nod with a dominant first half. Though right-hander Emmet Sheehan had an up-and-down season, the Dodgers continue to believe in his upside. And they expect Gavin Stone, who last pitched in the majors in 2024, to be part of the equation, after a long road back from shoulder surgery.
They still have the star power of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a two-time All-Star and 2025 World Series MVP, Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, and Tyler Glasnow.
Ohtani’s return to the mound, however, raises the most questions. The Dodgers expect him to return to two-way duties, that much is clear. But they have yet to lay out a plan for how to keep him healthy for the season while doing so.
“I think it’s just making sure that we are taking all of the information into account and trying to set up a system that allows him to pitch and be successful and be healthy towards the end,” Gomes said. “Because we know how dominant he can be on the mound.”
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 7: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks looks to pass the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 7, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The rising Knicks (6–4) host the falling Cleveland Cavaliers (5–6) tonight in New York City. They clashed last week in Cleveland, when the Knicks rode two dominant middle quarters to victory, despite late efforts by Donovan Mitchell. Hat’s off to Spida for averaging 22.8 points and 5.5 assists per game while carrying an old bearded man on his back. Mitchell must think he’s in a Samuel Beckett play. His team has dropped five of their last seven and will once again be without the services of Sam Merrill. New York is likely to regain Josh Hart, after missing games with a sore ankle and illness.
Tip off is at 7 PM EST on ESPN. This is your game thread. This is Fear the Sword. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Behave, you fantastic fans. And go Knicks!
Ukrainian wins 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 after eight-minute timeout
Andreeva beats Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0 to top Group B
Elina Svitolina staged a remarkable comeback to beat Karolina Muchova and remain in the hunt for the WTA Finals title.
The Ukrainian looked to be on her way out of Indian Wells when she was a set down and required an eight-minute medical timeout. But she recovered to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 and stay in with a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
The Buffalo Sabres are having an okay start to the season, as they have an 8-6-3 record and are sixth in the Atlantic Division.
Yet, with the Atlantic Division being so competitive, the Sabres should be looking to add to their roster through the trade market. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Washington Capitals forward Ivan Miroshnichenko is standing out as an intriguing potential target to consider.
Miroshnichenko has had trouble breaking out at the NHL level, but a change of scenery could be what helps him change that. The 2022 first-round pick has good potential and skill, so he would be a fascinating player for a Sabres club that needs more offense to take a gamble on.
In three games this season with the Capitals, Miroshnichenko has scored one goal. This is after he had two goals and three points in 13 games this past season for the Capitals. While he has not taken off offensively yet, perhaps getting a fresh start on a team like the Sabres would help him do so.
Ultimately, with the Sabres being a team focused on both the present and the future, they would be wise to consider targeting the 22-year-old. It will be interesting to see if they do just that from here.
Four Phillies finished among the top three for major National League awards this week, and one came home with a trophy.
Zack Wheeler was named MLB’s NL Comeback Player of the Year on Wednesday, while Cristopher Sánchez and Jhoan Duran finished second in BBWAA voting for the Cy Young and Reliever of the Year awards. Jesús Luzardo placed fifth in the Cy Young race.
Sánchez was also named to the All-MLB First Team, while Luzardo earned Second Team honors.
Don Mattingly finished third for NL Manager of the Year when those results were announced Tuesday.
Wheeler’s honor completed a sweep of the two comeback awards. He was previously voted NL Comeback Player by his peers as part of the MLBPA’s Players Choice Awards. MLB’s separate award is determined by a vote of the league’s 30 MLB.com club beat reporters.
Wheeler’s 2025 season ended in August after doctors discovered a blood clot near his right shoulder. He underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery the following month, a procedure that required the removal of his first rib.
The 36-year-old returned to the Phillies’ rotation April 25 and went 14-5 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 193 strikeouts over 162 innings. He made 28 starts and averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Wheeler joins Brad Lidge, who received the honor in 2008, as the second Phillies player to win MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
Sánchez came significantly closer to winning the first Cy Young of his career than his lack of first-place votes would suggest.
Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski received all 30 first-place votes. Sánchez accumulated 99 points to finish one ahead of Atlanta’s Chris Sale for second. He appeared on every ballot, receiving 17 second-place votes, six thirds, six fourths and one fifth.
Sánchez went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 231 strikeouts over 207 innings. He led the majors in wins and Baseball-Reference WAR, becoming the fifth pitcher in Cy Young history to finish as the runner-up in consecutive seasons.
He received all 30 second-place votes behind Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes last year.
The Phillies have now had a pitcher finish second in NL Cy Young voting six times. Jim Bunning was the runner-up in 1967, followed by Roy Halladay in 2011, Wheeler in 2021 and 2024, and Sánchez in each of the last two seasons.
Philadelphia has produced the runner-up in three consecutive years and four of the last six. Halladay remains the franchise’s most recent winner, taking the award unanimously in 2010.
Luzardo gave the Phillies two pitchers among the top five.
The left-hander finished fifth with 34 points after going 14-5 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a career-high 221 strikeouts over 179⅔ innings. Luzardo placed seventh in 2025, making this his first top-five Cy Young finish.
Duran was the runner-up to Padres closer Mason Miller for the BBWAA’s inaugural NL Reliever of the Year award.
Miller was the unanimous winner, receiving all 30 first-place votes. Duran collected 24 second-place votes, four thirds and one fourth for 110 points.
In his first full season with the Phillies, Duran posted a 1.82 ERA and converted 33 of 35 save opportunities. He struck out 84 batters over 59⅓ innings and finished with a 0.99 WHIP.
Mattingly received one first-place vote, three second-place votes and 11 thirds in the Manager of the Year race. His 25 points placed him behind Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy and Atlanta’s Walt Weiss.
Murphy won the award for the third consecutive year.
Mattingly took over a Phillies team that was 9-19 and had lost 10 straight games. Philadelphia went 79-55 under him, reaching the postseason on the final day of the regular season. Mattingly previously won NL Manager of the Year with Miami in 2020.
Two young flamethrowers are being honored for their dominant seasons.
Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees and Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers were unanimously named the AL and NL Cy Young award winners on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Schlittler and 24-year-old Misiorowski took their respective leagues by storm in 2026, both posting an ERA under 2.00 in their first full MLB seasons.
Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays and Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians were second and third, respectively, in the AL voting. Christopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies finished second in the NL behind Misiorowski, who received all 30 first-place votes, and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves finished third.
With ace Gerrit Cole out for part of the season, Schlittler stepped in for the Yankees and became their clear No. 1 starter. He went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts over 33 starts, leading the AL in ERA.
Schlittler’s dominance carried over to AL Wild Card Round, where he shut down the Boston Red Sox in 6.1 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. He wasn’t as sharp against the eventual AL champion Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, taking the loss in Game 2 of the Yankees’ three-game sweep.
Schlitter is the seventh Yankee to win the Cy Young, joining Bob Turley (1958), Whitey Ford (1961), Sparky Lyle (1977), Ron Guidry (1978), Roger Clemens (2001) and Cole (2023).
Misiorowski, meanwhile, was the story of the season with his velocity. He was the first player in MLB history to throw at least 1,000 pitches above 100 mph in a season — something no team had ever done before. Misiorowski recorded the third-fastest pitch in MLB history in June at 105.5 mph, and he set the World Series record at 103.5 mph in Game 1.
In the regular season, Misiorowski had a 16-5 record and MLB-best 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts over 30 starts. He also topped MLB in the advanced stats of ERA+, WHIP and FIP. In four postseason starts for the World Series champions, Misiorowski went 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
Misiorowski joins Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vuckovich (1982) and Corbin Burnes (2021) as the fourth Brewer to win the award.
Steph Curry sounds off in social media video aimed at Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young
As any husband would be, Stephen Curry is very supportive of his wife, Ayesha.
She recently co-starred in a new holiday romantic comedy Roku movie titled "Second Chance Holiday," her first on-screen role in a film.
The rom-com was released on Nov. 5. Many have shared their thoughts, including podcast hosts and former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young, and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho on the "We Said What We Said" podcast.
Arenas, particularly, went as far as calling Ayesha a “blemish” for the Warriors guard and compared her to Savannah James, LeBron James’ wife.
“We don’t want to hear you,” Arenas said. “We just wanna know you’re there.”
Curry has been her champion through and through, and has since responded to people critical of his marriage in a social media video directed at Arenas, Young, and anyone who has something to say about his wife and their marriage.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of noise and usually the noise doesn’t bother me, doesn’t bother Ayesha,” Curry said in a video posted to Instagram. “But this one in particular, when you’re trying to step on the accomplishment of my wife and obviously leading podcast tapings and topics and giving opinions on somebody else’s wife. Nick (Young), Gil (Gilbert Arenas), Emmanuel (Acho) and anybody else who feels the need to want to have to jump in and give an opinion on something you don’t really know about, something that kind of speaks to a bigger conversation on how you view women in this world what they’re allowed and what they’re not allowed to do. Even the ignorants behind how acting works. Obviously, I tried to laugh this one off but something needs to be said.”
He asked for positivity instead.
“Anytime Ayesha Curry shows up in your headline, I kindly suggest that you give … congratulations and maybe, just maybe the apology can be as loud as yall leading yall show with this topic.”
The Vegas Golden Knights return home after an Eastern Conference road trip where they won three in a row and picked up seven of eight points. They’ll look to continue their winning ways at home as they begin a five-game homestand against the Utah Mammoth.
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:38 p.m. PST.
The Golden Knights last played on Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres were the better team early, but Adin Hill kept the game tied 0-0 after the first period. In the second, Mitch Marner broke the ice shorthanded, and Jack Eichel scored the eventual game-winner; after Buffalo struck in the third, Hertl scored a pair of goals to secure a 4-1 victory for the Golden Knights.
This will be the final game of a six-game road trip for the Mammoth, who last played on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. They chased the game all night and gave up a late third-period goal, leading to a 4-2 loss.
Carter Hart was the first goaltender off the ice, and he’ll start in net for the Golden Knights. Hart has a 5-3-2 record and an average save percentage of .900 in 10 games played this season.
Sebastian Cossa is projected to start in net for the Mammoth. Cossa has a 4-1-1 record and an average save percentage of .871 in seven games played this season.
Golden Knights Lines
Trevor Connelly — Jack Eichel — Mark Stone
Brett Howden — William Karlsson — Mitch Marner
Ivan Barbashev — Tomáš Hertl — Victor Olofsson
Marc Gatcomb — Nic Dowd — Braeden Bowman
Defense
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Jeremy Lauzon — Rasmus Andersson
Parker Wotherspoon — Dylan Coghlan
Goaltenders: Carter Hart / Adin Hill
Projected Mammoth Lines
Anders Lee — Barrett Hayton — Clayton Keller
Logan Cooley — Vincent Trocheck — Lawson Crouse
Jack McBain — Nick Schmaltz — Dylan Guenther
Michael Carcone — Kevin Stenlund — Liam O’Brien
Defense
Mikhail Sergachev — Mackenzie Weegar
Dmitri Simashev — Andrew Peeke
Artem Duda — Nick DeSminome
Goaltenders: Sebastian Cossa / Karel Vejmelka
Special Teams
VGK power play: 26.3%, 9th
VGK penalty kill: 76.5%, 19th
Mammoth power play: 37.1%, 2nd
Mammoth penalty kill: 69.6%, 27th
Game Notes
Last year, the Golden Knights lost two of three games against the Mammoth during the regular season, finishing 1-2-0. They are 3-3-0 against Utah all time in the regular season.
The Golden Knights and the Mammoth matched up in the first round of the playoffs, and Vegas won the series in six games.
Jack Eichel leads the Golden Knights in scoring this season with 24 points in 19 games. Eichel has two goals and six points in six career regular-season games against the Mammoth.
Clayton Keller leads the Mammoth in scoring this season with 24 points in 18 games. Keller has 10 goals and 26 points in 34 career regular-season games against the Golden Knights.
This will be Carter Hart’s first career regular-season game against the Mammoth.
This will be Sebastian Cossa’s first career game against the Golden Knights.
We’re on Milestone Watch! Brayden McNabb is one point away from 200 career points.
Milestone alert! Shea Theodore skated in his 600th game as a Golden Knight on Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres.
Milestone alert! On Sunday against Buffalo, Mitch Marner recorded his 100th point as a Golden Knight, becoming the fastest player to do so in just 98 games.
The Golden Knights are 6-3-0 at home this season; the Mammoth are 6-5-1 on the road.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins made his official return to the team on Wednesday. He still doesn't officially have a number.
Has he spoken to rookie safety Jakobe Thomas, who currently wears No. 8?
"I need to circle back with him," Cousins told reporters. "Haven't gotten there. So we'll have a conversation and I think Mike Parsons will help us, too, in the equipment room. But, yeah, I've got to talk to Jakobe for sure."
When the issue came up again later, Cousins laughed — while also making his intentions clear: "I'm confident that Jakobe and I can have a healthy and mature conversation and figure this out."
It's hard to imagine Thomas standing in Cousins's way. There are too many Vikings fans who still have No. 8 jerseys that will become moot if Cousins isn't wearing it.
However it goes, it would be a shock if Cousins isn't wearing No. 8 on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
LAS VEGAS — There is probably one arm in the Giants’ organization with the trust and the track record to handle the ninth inning. Buster Posey doesn’t want him closing games.
If not Randy Rodriguez, the flame-throwing 2025 All-Star who missed this past season rehabbing from elbow surgery, then who could wind up closing games for the Giants?
Randy Rodriguez (73) of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Getty Images
“In a perfect world,” Posey said, their ninth-inning man will come from outside the organization.
That would allow the Giants to ease Rodriguez into his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He posted a 1.78 ERA in 50 appearances in 2025, including 15 games he finished, but was shut down in August and had his ulnar collateral ligament surgically repaired in September.
Posey said he expects Rodriguez to be ready for Opening Day, even if it’s in a reduced role. The Giants are scheduled to open their season about 18 months after Rodriguez’s operation, but the looming lockout could give him even more time to ramp up.
Rodriguez took a major step in his recovery last month, appearing in three Arizona Fall League games in his first time facing batters in game action since before the surgery. His velocity touched 98 mph, but the Giants shut him down after experiencing some elbow pain.
Posey said the team was “just being careful … just being cautious.”
Still, he wasn’t comfortable penciling in Rodriguez as their Opening Day closer just yet.
“Really [to] be able to monitor his workload the best we can as he continues to get back to where he was before the injury,” Posey said. “But things can change.”
Camilo Doval, who saved 107 games for the Giants from 2021 until he was traded to the Yankees in 2025, is back in the organization after being designated for assignment by the Pirates in September, but he is projected to make $6.6 million in salary arbitration.
Camilo Doval of the San Francisco Giants pitches during a game against Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. Getty Images
Posey’s desire to bring in an external candidate — or two — to take down the highest-leverage innings in San Francisco’s bullpen may be a hard square to circle with his stated reticence to part with the draft pick compensation. Arguably the top two relief options on the free agent market, David Bednar and Adrian Morejon, both received qualifying offers.
Further down the big board of available arms, though, there are still plenty of free agents with experience in the ninth inning. Raisel Iglesias (287 career saves), Jordan Romano (128), Pete Fairbanks (109), Emilio Pagan (90), Gregory Soto (72), Jose Alvarado (53) and Evan Phillips (47) are all known commodities and closed games within the past year or two.
The Giants went most of last season under manager Tony Vitello with a closer-by-committee approach. Their 5.74 ERA in the ninth inning ranked 28th of 30 teams.
“I do think that some of these arms that were kind of thrust into situations that they were probably not quite ready for,” Posey said, “hopefully we can push them down a little bit and just lengthen the ‘pen and be in a better place to use some of those guys that were throwing later innings.
“Maybe now they’re pitching the fifth, sixth, seventh innings instead of seventh, eighth and ninth.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jacob Young agreed to terms on a long-term contract with the Washington Nationals, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni announced Wednesday.
It’s a four-year deal through the 2030 season with a club option for 2031 for the defense-first outfielder whose hitting appears to be improving.
“Already one of the top defenders in Major League Baseball, we all saw the significant step forward Jacob took offensively in 2026 and we anticipate continued development in the years to come,” Toboni said in a statement. “He is a tremendous representative of the organization and we are excited to have him in the fold for the next several years.”
Young, who turned 27 in late July, set a career high with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs this year while batting .252. He entered the season with five home runs in 1,006 plate appearances in the majors.
He finished third among NL center fielders in outs above average and runs prevented. He was a Gold Glove Award finalist in 2024 and ’25.
The contract comes weeks before owners are expected to lock out players when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, putting next season in jeopardy.
There’s a little unfinished business between Utah and Vegas.
The Mammoth return to T-Mobile Arena Wednesday night for the first time since their six-game playoff series against the Golden Knights, and fans won’t have to look far for a reason to be excited about this matchup.
Utah (10-7-1) faces Vegas (12-5-2) at 7:30 p.m. MT. Three of the six playoff games last season were decided by a single goal, so these teams are no strangers to close, hard-fought hockey.
The Mammoth are coming off a 4-2 loss to Ottawa, with captain Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton scoring. Logan Cooley leads Utah with 11 goals, while Keller has been the team’s biggest playmaker with 24 points.
Vegas has been a tough team to crack this season, allowing the fifth-fewest goals per game in the NHL. The Golden Knights are also coming off a 4-1 win over Buffalo, where Tomas Hertl scored twice.
Utah knows it will have to work for its chances. Getting bodies in front of the net, winning battles down low and avoiding costly turnovers will be important against a Vegas team that is dangerous in transition.
The Mammoth do have one major strength to lean on: their power play. Utah ranks second in the NHL at 37.1%, while Vegas sits ninth at 26.3%.
Wednesday also marks the final game of Utah’s six-game road trip. The Mammoth return home Thursday to begin a five-game homestand, starting with the St. Louis Blues.
The teams will meet twice more this season, with another matchup in Vegas on Dec. 3 before closing out the series April 3 in Utah.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT. The game will air on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
