NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 02: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks is defended by Jalen Smith #25 of the Chicago Bulls during the first half of the game at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Knicks will not go 0-82. After a surprisingly ugly 0-3 start to the season, the defending champions came away with an emphatic 14-point win against a short-handed Pistons that gave them fits all last season. But less than 24 hours later, the Knicks have a chance to start their first win streak of the season. And they’ll attempt to do so in what should be the easiest game of the season.
Lost in the talk surrounding the Knicks’ slow start has been the fact that the start to their road to a repeat has been filled with some really tough tests. The new-look 76ers have four All-Star players, the revamped Celtics look dangerous once again, and the Magic, despite being without Paolo Banchero, have always put up good fights against the Knicks. But tonight, New York finally gets to go up against a team that doesn’t enter the season with aspirations of a deep postseason run.
The 1-3 Bulls enter Wednesday night with a league-worst minus-18.3 net rating. While they did beat the Bucks, another very bad team, two of their three losses have been by 35+ points. It’s been ugly. Rookie forward Caleb Wilson has given Chicago fans something to cheer for, though. He’s averaging 18.5PPG on 41.9% shooting from the field despite going just 5-for-28 from three so far. Other than that, though, it’s been rather bleak.
The offense is close to nonexistent. Normal Powell is the only other Bull to average more than 14PPG. They have multiple rotation players shooting under 40% from the field. And their defense is arguably worse, giving up over 130 points in three of their four games. They are a young team lacking any real star power outside of the aforementioned Wilson. They lack a real identity. And overall, they just look like a team that will remain one of the worst in the league for the entirety of the season, if not longer.
Luckily, the same cannot be said about the Knicks. While their start left a lot to be desired, the Knicks have shown signs of turning the corner. Jalen Brunson has still struggled from the floor. Karl-Anthony Towns still has silly fouls. Miles McBride’s role and minutes seem to be in flux. And you never really know what you’ll get from the Andre Drummond minutes. But as we all know, there’s a really good basketball team in there somewhere. While they’ve yet to put together 48 full minutes of high-quality two-way basketball, the tide seems to be turning.
Towns has been an unstoppable force when on the court. Anunoby has found new ways to contribute offensively, including getting to the free-throw line more and being a bit more of a playmaker. Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet finally woke up last night. And when the Knicks get the good Drummond, he looks good, and sometimes even great.
The offense still looks a bit wonky at times, but they’ve for the most part just been missing shots they usually make. The quality of looks they are generating has been solid. And defensively, we’ve seen plenty of glimpses of the defense we saw from them last postseason.
Josh Hart has spent much of the early portions of the season very active on that end of the floor. Bridges played Cade Cunningham much more physically after the first quarter last night. And as a team, their activity level has been solid, albeit not being consistent.
The Knicks should win this game. And they should do so easily. It’s difficult to predict which version of the Knicks we’ll get. Will Brunson regain his touch? What kind of game will Bridges have? Can Towns continue to be the dominant force he’s been? Is Anunoby’s shot going to come back? Are the Knicks ready to fully turn the corner? We don’t know. And truthfully, with all due respect to the Knicks, it shouldn’t matter. The Knicks have way more talent and, even on their worst nights, should have enough to beat the Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back. Hopefully, though, they can not only come away with a win but do so in dominant fashion. Don’t play with your food, take care of business, get your guys back on track, and let the bench get extended minutes.
Game Details
Who: New York Knicks (1-3) at Chicago Bulls (1-3) Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026 Time: 8 PM ET Place: United Center, Chicago, IL TV: MSG Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 10: Retired Yankee and Congressional candidate Mark Teixeira speaks with members of the Republican team ahead of the Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, United States, on June 10, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
Morning, all!
Defector has an article up about former Ranger Mark Teixiera, who is expected to be elected to Congress next month.
The Tampa Bay Rays somehow pulled off a walkoff to stave off a World Series sweep by the Brwers.
The Rays are only the fifth team in MLB history to force a game 5 after being down 0-3 in a World Series. None of the previous teams that have accomplished that feat have forced a game 6, much less won the title.
Rugby Football League set to ratify elevation imminently
Partnership with NRL not expected now till 2028
London Broncos have agreed to a condition from the existing 14 Super League clubs that they must relinquish any rights to around £1.3m in central distribution funding if they are to enter the competition in 2027, with the Rugby Football League expected to ratify their elevation imminently.
A partnership between Super League and Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL), which would mean the latter taking administrative control of the English game and injecting tens of millions of pounds of much-needed financial support, is now not expected to begin until 2028. Despite that, the expansion of Super League to 15 teams to include London has moved a step closer.
Zack Wheeler’s return to the mound was one of the Phillies’ biggest success stories of 2026. Now, he’s being recognized by the players who witnessed it firsthand.
The Major League Baseball Players Association announced Wednesday that Wheeler was voted the National League Comeback Player of the Year as part of its annual Players Choice Awards.
The 36-year-old right-hander received the honor after returning from venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which required surgery to remove a rib after doctors discovered a blood clot near his right shoulder in August 2025.
Wheeler made his season debut April 25 and returned to form, posting a 14-5 record with a 3.00 ERA and 193 strikeouts across 162 innings in 28 starts.
In a video released by the MLBPA announcing the award, several pitchers around the league praised Wheeler’s ability to overcome an injury that initially raised questions about his future.
Resilience is an understatement. 🙏 Congratulations Zack Wheeler on being recognized as the 2026 Players Choice Awards NL Comeback Player!@Philliespic.twitter.com/v3bAOPCUY6
“He’s a special player. He’s had a tremendous career,” Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler said. “You see the injuries can be, you know, a setback and then rehab can be a tough process. I was very impressed.”
Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt recalled his initial reaction to Wheeler’s diagnosis, believing the injury could potentially bring his career to an abrupt end.
“What I thought at the time was like he doesn’t deserve to go out like this,” Bassitt said. “He deserves to have a path where he can choose when he’s done.”
Wheeler also offered a glimpse into the uncertainty of his recovery, detailing the multiple procedures required to restore proper blood flow.
“This is one of these surgeries that, you know, just isn’t really that common,” Wheeler said. “So a lot of uncertainty around it. At the same time, you got to keep a positive mindset.”
That mindset helped Wheeler return to the level of performance his peers had grown accustomed to seeing.
And for a pitcher who has spent more than a decade competing against some of baseball’s best, the recognition carried particular significance.
“I always thought when we vote on these every year that this would be one of the cool awards to win,” Wheeler said. “The ones that the players vote on is the guys that you’re competing against, playing with, guys who know what it takes to be good day in and day out.”
Wheeler could soon add another honor to his résumé.
He is also a leading candidate for MLB’s separate NL Comeback Player of the Year Award, which will be announced Nov. 11. Unlike the Players Choice Awards, which are voted on by major league players, MLB’s honor is determined by a vote of the 30 MLB.com club beat reporters.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 11: A general view outside American Family Field prior to Game One of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Aaron Gash/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
With the Milwaukee Brewers still looking to wrap up the World Series after the Rays eked out an extra-innings win in Game 4, fans will once again have the opportunity to attend a watch party at American Family Field in a potential clinching Game 5 tonight.
The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT tonight, and the parking lots will open at 4:30 p.m. with ballpark gates opening at 5 p.m. Tickets for Brewers season seat members go on sale this morning at 10 a.m. and the general public at 12 p.m. at brewers.com/postseason.
Tickets cost $15 each, and fans may purchase up to six tickets per person. Parking is $15 in preferred lots and $10 in general parking.
Fans can also enjoy access to select food and beverage locations, interactive fan activities, mascots, Brewers entertainment, and shopping at the team stores.
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 27: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the game-winning shot against the Brooklyn Nets on October 27, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
I had already typed “Celtics win” into my notes when Mikel Brown Jr. made me a liar.
Mitchell Robinson had missed two free throws with four seconds left and Boston ahead by three. Fans had already begun filing toward the exits. Across press row, laptop screens flipped from live notes to the opening paragraphs of stories explaining how the Celtics had survived the second night of their first back-to-back.
I closed mine. Rookie mistake.
Brown Jr. caught the inbound pass, took one dribble and buried a three with 0.2 seconds left. Everybody who had already reached the concourse was about to experience the most confusing elevator ride of their lives.
I reopened the document.
“Not a Celtics win yet,” I added, while privately wondering whether I had caused all of this by getting ahead of myself.
This was supposed to be my first ordinary night covering the Celtics.
Last year, my first three games with a credential spoiled me beyond repair. I saw Jayson Tatum return from a torn Achilles on the same night Cooper Flagg played his first NBA game in Boston. Then came Games 5 and 7 against Philadelphia, playoff nights that carried a nervous current from the empty arena before the game through the final buzzer and beyond.
Tuesday was different. It was Game 4 of 82 against a winless Brooklyn team on the second night of a back-to-back in late October.
I had wondered what covering the Celtics would look like without the obvious stakes. What fills the hours before tip when nobody is returning from a devastating injury and the season isn’t hanging in the balance? Does the Garden still feel magical when it’s just another game?
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 23: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics addresses fans before the Celtics Home Opener against the New York Knicks at TD Garden on October 23, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before the Garden becomes the Garden
There are two versions of TD Garden on game day.
The first belongs to employees, players, media members and a handful of children who are trying really hard not to freak out while Jayson Tatum shoots jumpers 15 feet away from them.
The second begins when the lights go down and more than 19,000 people who spent the day living entirely separate lives suddenly agree on one very simple thing: they want the Celtics to win.
If overtime gives them five extra minutes to want it? Even better.
Getting to be part of the first version still feels wildly unbelievable to me.
On Tuesday night, I picked up my media credential without an issue, which was an encouraging start. Then I left my backpack on while walking through the metal detector. My credential wouldn’t scan at the next checkpoint. After an employee helped me through, I entered an elevator and missed my floor because I was too busy trying to look like someone who knew where he was going.
I had started hot. The backpack, scanner and elevator cooled me off quickly. The elevator continued toward the balcony. I got off when it felt socially acceptable, then hurried back downstairs.
Only after getting down to the court did I allow myself to breathe and look around.
Mike Conley was greeting his children near the court, performing a different handshake with each of them. Sam Hauser picked up his son and held him in front of Derrick White as if a toddler might help provide the resistance Brooklyn would be looking for later that night.
White shot over him anyway.
Luka Garza’s father sat courtside saying hello to players coming and going. Josh Minott caught up with former Celtics teammates before the game, carrying the unmistakable energy of someone visiting coworkers after changing jobs. Everyone looked genuinely happy to see him. Nobody asked him to cover a shift.
I also met Ben Vallis and Jake Issenberg from First to the Floor, who had traveled from Australia to watch the Celtics up close and in person. Before the game, the three of us somehow ended up discussing the American dap, a social interaction with roughly 35 possible endings and no agreed-upon rules.
Ben and Jake explained that Australia’s version is more standardized. In the United States, some people go palm-first, cupping your hand and looking for that clean pop. Others lead with their fingers, which begins a brief dance where both sets of fingers creep toward each other and attempt to bridge into Part 2. Then there are the people who clasp your hand and pull you in for a hug without warning. How are you supposed to know who wants what?!
I know this seems like a random anecdote, but please remember this. It will matter later.
Twelve minutes before tip, the Garden remained strangely empty, perhaps a product of it being an ordinary night. A child held up a sign reading “MY FIRST CELTICS GAME” just before the lights went down. A few more minutes passed and the building started filling in around her.
I thought about all the times I had been the person waiting for that moment from the other side. For most of my life, the Garden began when I reached my seat. I never considered the hours before it, when the players are shooting in near silence and the people who make the whole production work are quietly getting everything into place.
On this ordinary Tuesday, I could watch the Garden become itself.
Pregame, Mazzulla said escaping Chicago healthy and keeping everyone at 27 minutes or fewer gave him flexibility. González’s first-quarter minutes Monday didn’t guarantee him the same opportunity Tuesday.
“There’s no first-quarter limitations, so to speak,” Mazzulla said. “It could look completely different today.”
It did.
At times, the Celtics looked like a team playing for the second consecutive night. Their reads were late, shots caught the front rim and Brooklyn kept making difficult baskets.
Nolan Traore scored nine first-quarter points, prompting a quick apology from the Celtics writer who had asked before the game who he was (it wasn’t Ben or Jake). Mazzulla searched for energy, giving early opportunities to González, Scheierman and Garza. A brief confrontation involving Robinson woke the crowd up more than Boston’s offense had.
Brooklyn led 61-56 at halftime. The Celtics had shot 2-for-16 from three, committed 10 turnovers and allowed 30 points in the paint.
The back-to-back had given Mazzulla information. Now Boston had to do something with it.
Give the game what it needs
Mazzulla has talked often about giving the game what it needs. It can sound philosophical until you watch a team spend an entire half trying to solve a very practical problem.
Sometimes the game needs shooting. Sometimes it needs size. Sometimes it needs somebody to dive onto the floor before everyone else decides they should do the same.
On Tuesday, Boston needed several things at once.
The first was Tatum getting downhill.
His outside shot wasn’t carrying the offense, so he stopped asking it to. Instead, he kept attacking, drawing contact and putting Brooklyn’s defense under pressure. The free-throw line became Boston’s most reliable source of offense.
Tatum finished with a career-high 18 made free throws on 22 attempts, part of a 40-point night that never felt as simple as the number suggests.
“He was just giving the game exactly what it needed,” Mazzulla said. “He stayed in the present moment, and we got to see his greatness.”
Being present has become important to Tatum. Before tearing his Achilles, he believed the championship Celtics had a long runway together. The injury changed that.
“I never took the game for granted,” Tatum said. “Maybe I took tomorrow for granted.”
On Tuesday, he accepted what the game offered. His jumper came and went, but Brooklyn couldn’t keep him away from the rim, so he kept returning there.
The Celtics also needed effort from somewhere other than their best player.
Hauser helped change the temperature. He threw himself onto the floor to save a possession, then hit one of Boston’s eight third-quarter threes. Tatum gave the Celtics their first lead, and another Hauser three sent them into the fourth ahead 86-82. The crowd had been waiting for a reason to join the game, and a few floor burns gave it one.
After shooting 2-16 from three in the first half, the Celtics came alive in the third quarter
8-15 from deep in the third to go along with infectious hustle
This was the answer to one of my questions coming into the night.
A playoff crowd arrives prepared. It carries the stakes through the doors. A Tuesday crowd sometimes needs the game to introduce itself first.
Once it did, the Garden sounded familiar.
Mazzulla had also been waiting to see how his team would respond to its first prolonged stretch of lousy basketball.
“That’s kind of the first time this year where we weren’t playing well,” he said. “I wanted to see how we stick together. I wanted to see how we connect with each other, how we adapt to that.”
Mazzulla said before the game that everyone needed to remain ready because the group could change from one night to the next. Hauser and Garza made that point for him.
Garza’s most important stint began with 6:40 left in the third and Boston trailing by seven. He remained on the floor as the Celtics closed the quarter on a 16-5 run, then returned with 3:02 left in overtime. His two points and four rebounds were modest, but Boston outscored Brooklyn by 17 during his minutes. On a night when Mazzulla promised the rotation could change, Garza gave him a reason to keep coming back.
Boston survived the non-Tatum minutes, which mattered because he eventually played 42:20 on the second night of a back-to-back. Mazzulla said the staff plans for nights like this by building rest into the rotation and trusting everyone else to protect it.
For Tatum, the workload represented something more.
“I worked really, really, really, really hard to come back a certain type of player,” he said. “To be reliable like I was before I got injured.”
He briefly left in the fourth after feeling a stinger, realized he was fine and returned. Last spring, Tatum admitted, something like that might have occupied his thoughts. Now he can cut, drive and change direction without constantly monitoring his body.
“Something in my mind clicks,” he said. “Like, ‘Oh, that feeling is really starting to feel like pre-injury.’”
He gets excited about those moments whether the shot goes in or not. Brooklyn gave him plenty of opportunities to test that progress.
Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr. played like somebody had spent every available 2K attribute point on shooting. He finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, punishing Boston whenever it gave him room. Julius Randle added 24 points. The Nets never seemed interested in fulfilling their assigned role as the tired team’s cooperative second-night opponent.
Mazzulla continued adjusting. Queta replaced Robinson, fouled out and forced Robinson back into the game. Tatum briefly went to the bench before returning. White cut through Brooklyn’s defense for an and-one dunk that shook the building.
Boston appeared to have survived everything when Robinson went to the line late in regulation.
Ben, Jake and I began moving toward the elevator. From where we stood, the game was over. Robinson only needed to make one free throw, or Boston needed to defend one possession with almost no time remaining.
He missed both.
Brown Jr. tied the game.
The elevator would have to wait.
The night that refused to end
Overtime had a strange energy.
A noticeable portion of the crowd had already left, convinced of the same thing I had been confident enough to type into my notes. The building sounded thinner, but the people who remained seemed to understand that they had some extra work to do. There were fewer voices, and each one was trying to cover for somebody already planning which bar to hit downtown.
The Celtics had fewer options, too. Queta was gone. Robinson looked exhausted. Mazzulla returned to Garza, trusting the player who had spent the night running, rebounding and volunteering his body for all the unpleasant assignments.
The game could have ended several more times.
With 6.1 seconds left and Brooklyn ahead by one, Brown Jr. missed at the rim and the ball went out of bounds off the Nets. The initial ruling gave Boston possession and a chance to win the game.
Brooklyn challenged. The review found a loose-ball foul on Garza, giving the Nets the ball back beneath their own basket. At that point, Brooklyn didn’t need another shot. The Nets could inbound the ball, wait for Boston to foul and potentially make two free throws. The Celtics would likely be left trying to force a second overtime with a three.
Instead, Brown Jr. caught the inbound pass and attempted a contested layup over George.
He missed.
The same rookie who had extended the game at the end of regulation had just given Boston another chance to end it. George secured the rebound, and Mazzulla called timeout with 2.3 seconds remaining.
It seemed there would be no second overtime. Boston’s next shot would either win the game or send everyone home wondering why a Tuesday night against Brooklyn had hurt this much.
There are moments when analysis becomes a slightly ridiculous pursuit. Everybody knows where the ball is going. The coaches know, the defense knows and the thousands of people standing around the court know.
The interesting part is everything that still has to happen after that.
Brooklyn knew where the ball was going. The plan was to keep Noah Clowney, its bigger defender, attached to Tatum and avoid switching. Brown Jr. switched anyway.
Tatum created separation from the rookie, took two quick dribbles to his left and rose from 17 feet as Keon Ellis came over to contest. For an instant, the entire night hung there.
The Garden erupted. Ben, Jake and I exchanged three consecutive daps without a single thumb-related incident. I was in too much of a euphoric state to confirm whether our technique was perfect or not, but under the circumstances, it didn’t really matter.
Tatum’s teammates mobbed him near the baseline. He had hit plenty of game-winners before, but this was his first since tearing his Achilles.
“It was a hell of a feeling,” Tatum said. “Just kind of getting back to doing things that I used to do before I was injured, sharing that with my teammates on the court, seeing how excited they were for me.”
Tatum finished with 40 points and eight assists. He carried the offense through its ugliest stretches, trusted teammates while they searched for their footing and ended the game himself when there was no time left for anything more complicated.
In short, he gave the game what it needed.
So did Hauser when the Celtics needed someone to throw himself onto the floor. Garza did it when the rotation required another big man. Scheierman did it by doing Baylor things. George did it while Tatum rested.
The crowd eventually did it, too.
The other side of the rope
I had arrived hoping to understand the ordinary work of an NBA season.
The media side has its own rhythm. Get through the entrance. Find the correct elevator. Watch warmups. Write down anything that might matter. Delete half of it. Try to understand the other half before somebody hits a three with 0.2 seconds left and ruins the story you thought you were writing.
For most of my life, I wondered what it would feel like to be down there. To report on the Celtics instead of simply cheering for them. To sit on the other side of the rope and try to bring readers closer to everything happening beyond it.
The funny part is that the other side doesn’t make the game feel smaller or more clinical. If anything, proximity keeps revealing more reasons to care.
You notice the handshake Conley shares with one of his children. You see Tatum pause his own special night to help a teammate do better on the next play. You hear the building slowly realize it has wandered into a great game.
Then you stay late enough to watch Tatum win it.
Mazzulla said the experience was valuable because it showed the Celtics who they are and what they still need to work on. That’s probably the healthiest way to view Game 4 of 82. Boston shouldn’t have needed overtime to beat Brooklyn. They missed too many shots, surrendered too many offensive rebounds and mishandled a situation that should have ended the game in regulation.
Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics still have to stuff to get better at after the OT win:
“In film tomorrow, we just have to treat it like a loss. You can't treat it like a win.” pic.twitter.com/7eJlxgEvKe
They also stayed connected when very little was working. Those truths can share the same night. Mazzulla certainly intends to make the Celtics sit through both of them when they watch the film.
Maybe my mistake was separating games into the important ones and the ordinary ones before they happened.
Tatum said his injury made him wonder whether he once took tomorrow for granted. Tuesday began as one of those tomorrows. Game 4. A winless opponent. The second night of a back-to-back in October. Five quarters later, he was standing near the baseline while his teammates celebrated a shot he once spent months wondering whether his body would allow him to make again.
On the train home, I looked down and realized I was still wearing my credential. I had made it through the wrong elevator, two missed Robinson free throws, a surprise overtime and my first ordinary regular-season assignment.
The credential probably could have gone back into my bag at that point.
UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 11: Isaiah Drake #4 of the Glendale Desert Dogs bats during the game between the Desert Dogs and the Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, October 11, 2026 in Surprise, AZ United States. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
(6-13) Glendale Desert Dogs 1, (10-9) Salt River Rafters
Tate Southisene, SS: 0-3, .863 OPS
Isaiah Drake, LF: 1-3, 2B, .532 OPS
Logan Samuels, RP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 3.00 ERA
Owen Hackman, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1.00 ERA
The offenses on both sides were sluggish as good pitching ruled the day, but even with that two Braves prospects had a decent showing at the plate. Tate Southisene did go hitless, but with a solid flyout and two other batted balls over 100 mph on his register for the game it’s hard to say he had a terrible day out there. He wasn’t able to square one up and add to his breakout performance for Glendale, but as long as the hard contact is there the performance will keep pace. Southisene has looked terrific with his swing decisions and ability to cover the strike zone, and there is little from this fall that you could point to as a negative. Isaiah Drake has not put in the same level of performance this fall, but finally broke through in this game with a double on a bouncer that snuck into left field for his first extra base hit of the fall and the only from a Desert Dog this game. It was one of two hits for the team in the game, though Drake’s only involvement in Glendale’s run-scoring second was grounding into an inning-ending double play during which the go-ahead and eventual winning run scored. Drake has done a good job of making contact so far this fall, but it’s the ability to consistently get to hard contact that has been the problem. A shutout pitching performance from Glendale ruled the day, and two Braves relievers contributed mightily to that effort. Logan Samuels came in with a runner on second base in the sixth inning and retired the first batter he faced to strand the runner and maintain the lead. He then added a scoreless frame in the seventh inning with only a hit batter to mar the day. Owen Hackman continued his strong work this fall with a scoreless save. He did allow a one-out single, but bounced back with a strikeout in a huge spot and got a weak ground ball to end the game. Hackman has done a great job of commanding the strike zone this fall, though he has carried over his struggles with finding consistent swing-and-miss with his secondaries.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 31: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets celebrates after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 31, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
About a week or so ago (right around the second anniversary of this moment), I was bombarded online with videos of Mark Vientos’s first inning solo home run off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 4 of the 2024 National League Championship Series (a moment I remember far too well, as I was in attendance for the game). I was skeptical of Vientos up until this point in his career, but his 2024 regular season, combined with his exceptional postseason performance, made me eat my words and admit to myself that he was a future star for the Mets. Vientos is, after all, one of only five players to homer off Yamamoto in the postseason, joining a group that includes Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Kyle Schwarber, and Jackson Churio—a truly star-studded list. Now, that home run and his terrific 2024 season only serve as a reminder of what he could have been, and how far his star has fallen.
For the second straight season, Vientos failed to perform to the standards that he set during his breakout 2024 campaign, when he slugged a career-best 27 homers, posted a career-best 131 wRC+ and 2.8 fWAR, and followed that with five home runs, 14 runs batted in, and a 176 wRC+ in 13 postseason games. As a reminder, his numbers did dip precipitously in 2025, as he finished the year with a 96 wRC+ and 0.3 fWAR in 121 games. He also managed just 17 home runs and saw his OPS dip from a career-best .837 in 2024 to .702 in 2025. Despite the decline, there was some hope that maybe 2025 was the outlier, and not 2024.
Heading into 2026, Vientos was not a lock to earn an everyday spot in the lineup, especially with some new additions threatening his playing time. He began the year as a right-handed platoon designated hitter, mostly seeing time against left-handed pitching, but injuries to Jorge Polanco opened the door for Vientos to snag some reps at first base, perhaps opening the door for more playing time. When he did see the field, he spent most of the time at first base, logging just over 519 innings at the position, but his -3 DRS proved that Vientos was not the long-term solution for first base.
That brings us back to Vientos’ bat, which is what he’s here for. As mentioned, he got plenty of chances to DH, and he failed to hit when his name was written on the lineup card. He actually started off the year red-hot, picking up hits in ten of his first 21 at-bats, which included three straight multi-hit efforts in San Francisco on April 3-5. At that point, he was hitting .476/.522/.714 and looked to, perhaps, be on his way to a bounce-back season.
Not so fast! Lest you think this was a precursor for things to come, it was not meant to be, as he went hitless over his next 23 at-bats to plunge his slash line to .227/.255/.341. Carlos Mendoza continued to give the 26-year-old playing time to try and get him out of his funk, but he ended April on an 8-for-32 stretch after snapping that long hitless drought. He also demonstrated an alarming power outage, as he ended April with just two home runs and three doubles, and for someone who was in there to slug homers and drive in runs, this was not what you wanted to see. He broke out from that funk a bit in May, putting together his lone multi-home run effort on May 3 against the Angels and picking up five home runs and six doubles in the month. Despite that, he still ended the month hitting .225/.260/.390 on the year.
His playing time further diminished, and he recorded just seven hits across 48 at-bats in June. He was relegated to late-game pinch hitting opportunities against left-handed pitchers, and with good reason. While his overall numbers were not good across the board, they were downright putrid against right-handers. He finished the year with a 48 wRC+ and a .182/.229/.309 slash line in 159 at-bats against righties. Comparatively, he posted a much more respectable 119 wRC+ with a .252/.296/.513 slash line in 115 at-bats against south paws. While those numbers will hardly put him on the road to Cooperstown, they are, at the very least, playable. He also struck out a ton against righties, picking up 44 Ks against them against 27 Ks against lefties. That, understandably was why Mendoza, and eventually Andy Green, played him the way they did.
Misfortune befell Vientos when he got struck by a pitch on July 9 that resulted in a fractured hand and a lengthy Injured List stint. He would not return until August 31, with the Mets’ season well over. He recorded 37 at-bats over the final few weeks of the year and contributed eight hits, including one homer, which failed to impress. In all, he concluded 2026 with 13 home runs, 41 runs batted in, a 78 wRC+, a .652 OPS, and -1.1 fWAR in 87 games.
As a result, Vientos may very well may have played himself off the Mets’ roster. While he is still under team control, he really is a man without a role in New York. He doesn’t hit well enough to serve as Designated Hitter, and it’s hard to roster someone solely to DH or pinch hit against left-handed pitching. His defense at first and third are mediocre, to put it kindly, and he really is just eating a valuable spot on the 26-man roster. He has three more years of team control and is entering his first year of arbitration this winter. He is probably a good “Change of Scenery” candidate, and the promise of his bat is probably enough to entice a team to give him a shot. It’s very likely this is exactly how the front offices approaches the Mark Vientos Problem this winter.
It really is a shame, because Vientos was one of the many great stories from the 2024 season. A kid from Connecticut who grew up a Mets fan putting it all together and having himself a terrific postseason…what could be a better sell? It was the perfect set up for what could have been a long, productive career in orange and blue. That story looks like it may not play out that way in the end, and it looks like Vientos will either not play a significant role in New York going forward, or will find himself suitinwg up elsewhere in 2027.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 27: Ben Williamson #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays is doused in Gatorade by Ryan Vilade #26 after hitting a walk-off one-run single in the 12th inning to win Game Four of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning everyone!
We sure witnessed a wild World Series game last night. Let’s get to all of that and more in today’s batch of links.
MLB Postseason scores…
Former Mariner Ben Williamson became a postseason hero with his walk-off 12th inning hit against the Brewers to keep the Rays alive in a 4-3 win. Milwaukee will get another chance to clinch the series in Game 5 tonight.
In Mariners news…
In case you missed it, it appears that former Astros manager Joe Espada and Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler are finalists for the Mariners’ managerial opening. They hope to make a final decision by the end of the month.
This is super interesting to keep in mind as we prepare for a long winter with lots of projecting for the 2027 season ahead of us.
Anders’ pick…
Over at The Stranger, friend of the site Matthew Roberson wrote about the weird AI obsession that Seahawks Vice Chair (and son of the owner) Neal Khosla has.
5 Apr 1999: Pitcher Kevin Appier #17 of the Kansas City Royals winds back to throw the ball during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Red Sox defeated the Royals 5-3Mandatory Credit: Tim Umphrey /Allsport | Getty Images
TThe Royals have employed several underrated players in their history, but in my opinion, none have been as overlooked on a national level as Kevin Appier. The Royals drafted the California native with the ninth pick of the first round of the 1987 draft. The ’87 draft had some players. Ken Griffey Jr. went number one. Jack McDowell (we’ll talk about him later) went with the fifth pick. Craig Biggio and Albert Belle went later in the first and second rounds, respectively. Other notables were Travis Fryman, Reggie Sanders, and Steve Finley. The Royals picked up Jeff Conine in the 58th round. The draft is a crazy crapshoot.
Appier quickly made his way through the Royals’ minor league system and made his major league debut on June 4, 1989, at the age of 21. He bounced between Omaha and Kansas City for parts of two seasons before becoming a mainstay in the Royals’ rotation.
Appier was listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, though he looked bigger. He had a distinctive motion, reminiscent of Bob Feller and Goose Gossage, two other guys who could bring the heat. During his windup, Appier would drop his right arm low, with his left shoulder high, then violently deliver the pitch. He had an excellent fastball, especially in his younger years, complemented by a terrific slider and forkball. Batters had to work to get a hit off Appier.
Appier had a nice rookie season and ended up winning the Rookie Pitcher of the Year award. He should have won the Rookie of the Year award, but ended up in third, behind Sandy Alomar and Kevin Maas. This wouldn’t be the last time Appier got screwed over by the voters.
His best season would have been 1993, when he posted an 18-8 record. He made 34 starts that summer and threw almost 239 innings while posting an ERA of 2.56 to go along with five complete games. It was good for a 9.3 bWAR season, which was tops in the American League by a wide margin.
Jack McDowell (remember him?) won the American League Cy Young Award with his 22-10 record and 3.37 ERA. Randy Johnson, with a 19-8 record, 308 strikeouts, and a 3.24 ERA, took second. Appier, in one of the most criminal oversights in recent history, took third.
Unfortunately, WAR was not around at the time to illustrate just how badly the voters mangled the Cy Young voting.
The MVP race was nearly as bad. Frank Thomas won the award thanks to gaudy home run and RBI numbers. Appier finished way down the ballot, at No. 24, unbelievably behind two teammates: Jeff Montgomery at No. 13 and Greg Gagne at No. 22!
Look, I understand that bWAR is not a perfect measurement, but one thing it has done is illustrate just how badly award voters have done in past years.
Speaking of statistical measurements, one that I’ve always thought was pretty solid was pitching game score. In Appier’s 16-year career, he had 23 games in which his game score was 80 or better. Of those 23 games, his win-loss record was 16-7.
Do you know how hard it is for a team to lose a game when the pitcher throws an 80 or better game? It’s almost impossible, but the Royals somehow found a way to do it! All seven of those losses came by one run. Six of them came by the score of 1-0.
This illustrates a second point. Appier had the misfortune of playing for some absolutely horrible Royals teams. Because of this, he made only one All-Star team, in 1995.
Think about that for a moment. The guy was one of the top three or four pitchers in baseball over the decade of the 1990s and made only one All-Star team!
It’s also important to remember that the ’90s were a decade of offensive firepower. Steroids. Juiced baseballs. You name it, the ’90s had it.
During his career, Appier threw two two-hitters and two one-hitters. When he was on, he was a threat to throw a no-hitter any time he took the mound.
On July 7, 1990, in a game at Tiger Stadium, Appier gave up a clean leadoff single to Lou Whitaker. That was it. He did walk four Tigers to go along with six strikeouts. The Royals won that game, 4-0. The walks kept the game score at just 87.
He was even better on July 27, 1993, in a game against the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium. On that hot evening, Appier held Texas hitless until the seventh inning, when alleged juicer Rafael Palmeiro somehow pulled a low-and-away slider over the right-field wall.
Appier walked only one and struck out 11, going the distance in the 1-0 loss. The game scored 91. The Royals collected nine hits off Kenny Rogers that night, including three by Gary Gaetti, but went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and, in the most Royal fashion, somehow couldn’t plate a single measly run.
His highest game score came on September 15, 1995, in a homecoming game at Anaheim, when Appier struck out 13 Angels while walking only one as part of a three-hit complete game. That masterpiece scored a 93. The Royals won that game, 5-0. Joe Vitiello (remember him?) stroked a home run.
Appier missed almost all of the 1998 season with a torn labrum. When he realized the Royals were not serious about winning, he requested a trade and was obliged. In July 1999, the Royals sent him to former rival Oakland for Jeff D’Amico, Brad Rigby, and Blake Stein. Not a memorable trade on the Royals’ behalf for an organizational legend.
Appier was 31 at the time and, following surgery, was heading into the tail end of his career, but he could still summon the magic. He pitched two seasons in Oakland, followed by one in New York with the Mets and two more with Anaheim, before returning home for one last injury-plagued stint with the Royals.
Appier made the postseason twice, once with Oakland in 2000 and again with Anaheim in 2002. He picked up a ring that year as the Angels bested the Giants in the World Series.
Over his career, Appier finished with a record of 169-137 and almost 2,600 innings of work. He recorded 1,994 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.74. That was good for almost 55 bWAR. His name still dots the Royals’ top 10 single-season and career pitching record books.
He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2011. He made seven Opening Day starts in his 13 years with the club and was their Pitcher of the Year on three occasions.
I’ve always felt like Royals fans appreciated Appier, then and now. It’s a shame he wasn’t given his due on a national stage because, during his peak, he was one of the very best in the game.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — All-Star slugger Junior Caminero injured his left foot during the Tampa Bay Rays’ late rally in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday night but said he’ll play Wednesday in Game 5.
Caminero began limping after reaching on a throwing error by third baseman Joey Ortiz leading off the 12th inning, the start of a dramatic comeback for a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that kept the Rays’ season alive. Caminero ran first-to-third on Liam Hicks’ single before being replaced by pinch-runner Cedric Mullins.
Caminero didn’t reveal the extent of his injury but said it didn’t matter with Tampa Bay on the brink of elimination.
“If my foot is broken,” Caminero said, “I’ll play tomorrow.”
The 23-year-old Caminero had 42 home runs and 101 RBIs while playing all 162 games during the regular season. He has just one homer and five RBIs in 13 games this postseason.
The Rays are hitting .195 with a single home run in the World Series. Manager Kevin Cash believes his team needs its best hitter in the lineup to keep its season going.
“He’ll play tomorrow on one leg,” Cash said. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Jordan Binnington has long been the subject of NHL trade rumors, and as he approaches the end of his contract, the discussions will only grow louder.
The Athletic's Chris Johnston released his trade board, expanding the list to 20 players. The second version of his trade board features St. Louis Blues goaltender Binnington, who landed in the eighth spot.
Things have changed quite considerably for Binnington and the Blues. Joel Hofer has emerged as the No. 1 netminder and is excelling in his role. He's played in all but four games this season, posting a .917 save percentage and winning four of his eight starts.
As for Binnington, he's won one of his four appearances and has posted a .845 SP and a 4.11 goals-against average.
Several factors now suggest the Blues should be eager to move on from him.
To begin, his play does not warrant a role with the Blues, whether it's as a starter, tandem, or backup. His contract is expiring, and the Blues should have no interest in bringing him back unless his play improves significantly; based on the last two seasons, he may be far gone from that level.
Another reason is the change in the goaltender trade market. Connor Hellebuyck was the big fish, and now that he is off to the New Jersey Devils, it leaves several teams inclined to improve their goaltending position with limited options.
Binnington is one of those options. In fact, Binnington is the only goaltender to appear in Johnston's top 20.
"With Hellebuyck off the market, Binnington is the most intriguing name for teams looking to add an experienced goaltender," said Johnston. "There are some warning signs with his play over the past year or two, but his long-term track record remains a source of comfort. Binnington has often delivered his best performances in circumstances where the lights are brightest. Just getting playing time has become a challenge for him with the Blues, where Joel Hofer has taken control of the No. 1 job. Binnington is a pending UFA with a 10-team no-trade list."
The Blues hope to compete for a playoff spot, and as it stands, they are four points behind the third playoff spot in the Central Division and two points behind the second wild-card spot.
Binnington is unlikely to factor into their playoff chances, and the Blues would likely be better off shedding an expiring contract by acquiring assets. With a $6 million salary, the Blues could retain salary in a deal if needed.
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“Just being out here, being so grateful to be playing baseball again, feeling healthy while you’re playing,” he said during a recent interview on The Phillies Show podcast. “It’s definitely given me a new love for the game.”
Miller, a 22-year-old shortstop/third baseman, remains one of the Phillies’ top prospects even though he missed most of the 2026 season with a stubborn lower back issue that kept him from playing until September.
He helped Double A Reading rally to win the Eastern League Championship and has now moved on to the Arizona Fall League, where he was hitting .300 with a .571 on-base percentage and a .467 slugging percentage in his first 10 games for the Surprise Saguaros. The league runs through Nov. 11.
“Just playing baseball again, it’s been so much fun,” he said. “I think I took it for granted, honestly, my whole career so far. To have it taken away from me for a long time and getting back and having that itch again and that love and fire for the game. There’s nothing like it.”
Miller had a strong season, registering an .825 OPS with 14 homers, 42 RBIs and 59 stolen bases in 116 games at Double Reading and Triple A Lehigh Valley in 2025. There was a lot of talk that he could challenge for a spot on the big-league roster sometime in 2026. Then spring training arrived. A lower back issue that had bothered him on occasion over the years popped up again in spring training. From February through the summer, he had the Phillies’ medical staff searched for answers.
In June, the young player had a procedure called a radiofrequency ablation of the facet joints in his lower spine. “Basically, they find the pain and burn the nerve,” he said. Results from the procedure were only so-so. Miller found the pain relief he was looking for when he and team athletic trainers visited the TB12 Performance and Recovery Center in Tampa. The facility is co-owned by former NFL great Tom Brady. It specializes in optimizing recovery and eliminating pain through massage and other techniques that work on soft tissue.
Along with the folks at TB12 and Justin Ahrens of the Phillies’ athletic training staff, Miller has come up with an hour-long daily routine that keeps him on the field – pain free. The routine includes some yoga and jiu-jitsu techniques, some stretching and massage ball work.
“It’s all about keeping those joints lubed up,” he said with a laugh. “We’re at a point now where I feel 100 percent. I told my trainer the other day, it’s not even a thought anymore. When I wake up, it used to be how’s my back feeling, can I bend over and touch my toes? Now, I can swing a bat right out of bed, which is great.”
Miller expects to continue his back-maintenance routine throughout his career. Cole Hamels had to do that, as well. Like Miller, he had a lower back issue as a young minor-leaguer. He found a back-specific strength and conditioning program that helped him pitch until he was 36 and win 163 games.
“Back pain is no joke,” Miller said. “I have a checklist that I do before I even hit in the cage. I’ll probably do it the rest of my career. It just makes you feel great in general.”
Miller and Hamels have more in common than just overcoming back issues. Both dropped in their respective drafts, allowing the Phillies to swoop in and get them. Hamels fractured his pitching arm between his sophomore and junior year in high school. Many teams backed off him over health concerns, but the Phillies did their homework and nabbed him with the 17th overall pick in 2002.
Miller was projected to be a Top 10 pick in 2023 before he fractured the hamate bone in his left hand in the first at-bat of his senior season in high school. He did not play a game after that. Some teams moved on, but the Phils liked what they’d seen enough in previous seasons and summers to select him 27th overall.
“I’m glad I ended up here,” he said before the 2025 season.
Though he missed much development time in 2026, Miller believes he can make the jump to Philadelphia in 2027. It is an opinion shared and vocalized by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
“We think we’ve got a really, really good player,” Dombrowski said earlier this month at his end-of-season news conference. “You see all the young players who jumped into playing this year. Aidan Miller, when he’s healthy, is as good as any.”
With an aging core roster and a huge payroll, the Phillies desperately need to inject some cost-effective, productive youth into their mix. Miller plays two positions where there could be openings in 2027 as third baseman Alec Bohm is likely to move on in free agency and shortstop Trea Turner could be subject to a position change.
Miller’s style of hitting would seem to fit the Phillies well. On a team that lacks overall plate selectivity, he has it. In Arizona, he has walked 18 times and struck out just 10.
“I’m a pretty picky hitter,” he said. “My approach is to try to hit a line drive to center field. I like to work at-bats and hit something hard.”
During his long summer rehabbing his back injury, Miller didn’t pay much attention to what was going on in Philadelphia.
“There was a point when I was hurt that I wanted no part of watching baseball,” he said. “I’d do my rehab, go home and go fishing. I wanted to take my mind off baseball and not pay attention. I wasn’t on the field and I didn’t want to go through it with my mind.”
Now he’s back on the field, smiling and succeeding.
Adin Hill gave the Vegas Golden Knights the kind of performance they needed on Tuesday night, stepping into the starting role and helping the team get back in the win column with a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators at T-Mobile Arena.
Hill made 25 saves in a solid outing after Carter Hart suffered an apparent injury during the morning skate. Hart was reportedly seen limping, raising concerns about a possible lower-body issue. With Hart unable to go, Vegas brought up goaltender Cameron Whitehead from Henderson to serve as Hill’s backup.
Ottawa had its chances throughout the night, yet Vegas got the saves it needed when the game was still close. That proved especially important in the third period, when the Senators were looking to build on an early power play strike.
The win also snapped a three-game skid for Vegas, which had been searching for a way to get things back on track.
Things started slowly for both teams before Braeden Bowman finally broke through late in the second period. He cleaned up a loose puck near the crease after Ivan Barbashev’s attempt created an opportunity, giving the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.
Ottawa fired right back. Shane Pinto tied the game just 34 seconds into the third period, taking advantage of a power play to beat Hill on a rush down the middle.
That set the stage for Raphael Lavoie to become the hero of the game.
The forward, who was originally not expected to play, made the most of his unexpected opportunity, putting Vegas ahead at 8:01 of the third period by collecting the rebound of Ville Heinola’s shot during a 3-on-2 rush. It was Lavoie’s first NHL goal in his 27th career game, making the moment even sweeter.
Vegas protected the lead from there, with William Karlsson scoring into an empty net at the 18-minute mark. Jack Eichel added another empty-netter with seven seconds remaining to finish off the 4-1 win.
It wasn’t a dominant performance from start to finish, but the Golden Knights got the job done. Hill delivered when called upon, Lavoie came through with a memorable first NHL goal, and Vegas finally had something positive to build on after a rough stretch.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: John Schreiber #56 and Austin Wells #28 of the New York Yankees celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox in game one of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Since the abolition of the post-deadline waiver trades, a new trend has arisen around the majors. After the Trade Deadline, if some teams are headed towards missing the playoffs, they will opt to put a player with an expiring contract on waivers, seemingly mainly just to get the last couple months of their contract off the books. The Yankees themselves did that with Harrison Bader in the doomed 2023 season.
This past season, the Yankees ended up being the beneficiary of one of those moves, as they picked up reliever John Schreiber for nothing. Schreiber was having a pretty solid season already, and he put in a good couple months for the 2026 Yankees.
Schreiber is an eight-year major league veteran, who had been playing for the Royals for the last three seasons. Other than arguably his 2022 with the Red Sox, he’s never been an especially dominant reliever, but with a career 120 ERA+, he’s been a pretty good one.
Prior to going on waivers, he had been solid but not spectacular in 2026. His 3.65 ERA with the Royals graded out to an above average 116 ERA+, however there was one glaring issue. Schreiber was walking a good amount of people. In Kansas City, he had issued 22 walks in 49.1 innings. That was a major reason why his FIP ended up so out of whack from his ERA. That’s also why FanGraphs WAR rates him in the negatives for 2026 but he put up a totally respectable reliever WAR number according to Baseball Reference.
However as a team, the Royals weren’t particularly going anywhere. On August 29th, the team opted to put him and the rest of his expiring $3.75 million contract on waivers. (They were definitely out of it at the Trade Deadline too, so why they wouldn’t flip Schreiber for just anything seems short-sighted to me, but I don’t make the big bucks.) Luckily for the Yankees, he ended up making it through to them and they claimed and acquired Schreiber on the 31st.
In addition to generally just being a solid reliever having a fine season, Schreiber also had one big thing going for him: he is very good against right-handed hitters. For his career, he allows a .587 OPS against righties and .439 in 2026 in particular. The Yankees’ bullpen was already pretty solid in general, but that aspect added another dimension.
Adding him so late in the season, the Yankees only used Schreiber in 11 games, but it’s hard to have any complaints with what he did. He allowed just two earned runs in 11 innings and dropped his walk rate as well. We felt compelled to give him an incomplete grade as he wasn’t around for that long, but if you had to pin me down, I’d personally go B+.
As for the future, Schreiber is now a free agent. While bringing him back wouldn’t cost that much exactly, there will probably be plenty of suitors, considering how good he’s been against righties over the years. That being said, if the Yankees wanted to, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him get another season working with Matt Blake.
See more of the Yankees Roster Report Card series here.
