Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) throws during the first inning of a MLB baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in...
Max Scherzer is coming back for a 19th season.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner has agreed to a deal to return to the Blue Jays, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
Scherzer, 41, told The Athletic in January that he was “healthy and ready to sign at any moment if certain teams call” but was willing to wait until Opening Day to make his decision.
Max Scherzer throws during the first inning of the Blue Jays’ loss to the Yankees on Sept. 7, 2025 at the Stadium. Noah K. Murray-NY Post
The right-hander now heads back to Toronto, where he pitched last season.
Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts during the regular season, but pitched well over three starts in the postseason.
The eight-time All-Star made two more appearances in the World Series, starting Game 7. He went the first 4 1/3 frames, striking out three and holding a vaunted Dodgers lineup to just one run.
Scherzer made clear after the final game of the Fall Classic, which the Blue Jays lost in heartbreaking fashion, that he was not done pitching.
Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer walks to the dugout after being relieved during a World Series game against the Dodgers at Rogers Centre. Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima
“The only thing I can say is it’s going to take some time to give a full answer to that but there is no way that was my last pitch,” Scherzer told reporters. “That loss is so tough because you’re so close to everybody. This team had that closeness, had that camaraderie. We had that passion not only for the game but for each other.”
Toronto, in its efforts to get back to the World Series, has been active this offseason. It has added pitchers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers to bolster the rotation and bullpen.
Amed Rosario crushed his first home run this spring training, going deep on the first pitch he saw from Nationals lefty Andrew Alvarez in the bottom of the first inning.
DC comical
It might be a long season in the nation’s capital. The Nationals recorded more errors (three) than hits (one) in their 7-0 loss to the Yankees.
Their only base runner of the night was immediately erased in a double play.
Caught my eye
George Lombard Jr. turned in a dazzling night on both sides of the ball.
George Lombard Jr. hits a two-run double in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 7-0 spring training win over the Nationals on Feb. 25, 2026. Getty Images
The top prospect made what Aaron Boone called a “special” play at third base, charging a chopper down the line, barehanding it, and firing to first for the out.
He later added a two-run double that came off the bat at 108.8 mph.
Thursday’s schedule
Pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez will make his second start of the spring when the Yankees host the Braves at 1:05 p.m.
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 25: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets and Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics go up for the rebound during the game on February 25, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Boston Celtics traveled to Denver to face the Nuggets Wednesday night. Boston had been surging up the power rankings with a blistering month of February and faced off against the fourth placed Nuggets. Boston played a decent enough first half, but they could not hang with Denver in the second and eventually losing by 19 points, 103-84. Jaylen Brown had 23 points and 11 boards. Derrick White chipped in 20 points and 3 blocks for the road team.
Jaylen Brown returned to the starting lineup alongside Baylor Scheierman, White, Neemias Queta, and Sam Hauser after a night off in Phoenix last night against the Suns. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Julian Strawther, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun started for the home team. The Nuggets came into the game looking for a home win after losing to the Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
Murray scored the game’s first points on a back cut to the basket. Queta came right back down the other end for a loud tomahawk dunk to get the C’s on the board. Scheierman laced his first three-point attempt on a step-back trey over Murray.
Both teams traded buckets early in the quarter, and it was 10-10 at the 7-minute mark of the first. Vucevic entered the game alongside Queta as a double-big lineup; Hauser was first to the bench for Boston. Jaylen Brown was aggressive early and looked to attack the paint on consecutive trips down the floor. Brown led the C’s with 9 early points as Boston opened up a 16-13 lead with five minutes remaining in the first.
A Christian Braun triple saw another tied score as Ron Harper Jr. got some early minutes alongside Hugo Gonzalez, Brown, Pritchard, and Vooch. Jokic misfired on a three-pointer but backed it up inside with a twirling hook shot over Vucevic.
Boston’s ball movement was superb to start the game as the C’s swung the ball around the key to JB, who rattled home his twelfth point of the quarter on his first three-point make. Boston took a 24-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. Boston was just 3 of 11 from three in the first, shooting just 27 percent from beyond the arc. Queta had a decent quarter with 6 points in the first quarter.
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 25: Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Denver Nuggets on February 25, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Derrick White drained two consecutive times down the court for Boston to start the second quarter. The hometown White, was actively involved in all the plays with dimes and scores as Jaylen Brown got a seat on the bench to start the 2nd quarter. White rattled off 8 quick points to start the second quarter as Boston took an early 8-point lead, 36-28.
Denver had several offensive rebounds to get extra possessions, but the Nuggets cut the lead back to just 2 points. Jaylen Brown returned to action at the seven minute mark after a TV timeout. White laced his third triple of the quarter in front of his parents as the C’s kept the pressure on Denver.
Denver hit the lead at the 5 minute mark of the second, 40-39, Jokic was fouled on a deep two pointer but couldn’t convert either of his two free throw attempts. Jaylen Brown scored his first points of the second quarter with a mid range fade away with 2 minutes to go in the half. The pace of play had slowed right down to a crawl midway through the second quarter as both teams struggled to convert at either end.
Vucevic missed a straight on deep three-pointer, Derrick White slipped into the lane and grabbed the offensive board and converted an easy stick back for his fifteenth point of the game. White drained his fourth three of the game just before the half time break, Boston up by one point, 48-47, thanks to Derrick White’s hot 2nd quarter performance.
Brown came out pumped up at the start of the second half, immediately going to the low block and bodied up Strawther as he went through the defenders chest. Brown ran the court the next play and attacked the rim drawing another foul, this time on Cam Johnson. Scheierman converted his second triple from the deep wing as Boston took a quick four-point lead in the third quarter.
Denver got into early foul trouble to start the second half, both teams continued to struggle shooting the ball, Boston was 40 percent compare to Denver, at just 35 percent. Jokic was settling for three-pointers all night and the big man was 2-10 from deep at the six minute mark of the third. Boston went scoreless for 2 minutes, as they watched Jokic hit 5 straight points to take give the home team a 64-61 lead.
Brown had a brilliant chase down block on Simpson, JB ran the court and fed Vucevic for the alley oop tip in. Brown kept the pressure on the Nuggets wings drilling a two-pointer on a step back jumper and then drawing a foul on Braun who hit Brown from behind. Tim Hardaway Jr gave the Nugs some energy from the bench in the third, hitting a pair of shots, Denver up 70-67.
Boston started to show fatigue during the third, on the second night of a back-to-back, Denver’s hustle wearing down the road team at altitude. The Nuggets ended the quarter up by 10 points, 77-67, their largest lead of the game, with 12 minutes of regulation to play.
Denver went on a 15-0 run which pretty much sealed it. Scheierman stepped out of court and later had a three-pointer overruled. Boston’s attempted clean sweep of the West Coast ended as they went down by a wide margin managing to shoot a paltry 33% from the field, and recorded 11 turnovers on the night. Danilo Banton and Luka Garza got some run in the final 5 minutes of play as Coach Mazzulla waved the white flag and got White and Brown out of the game for good.
Boston would drop just their second game of February and now return home to face the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, 7:30 pm EST.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 15: Randal Grichuk #15 of the Toronto Blue Jays follows through on his third inning home run against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 15, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: The previous edition of the Yankees news roundup noted that the Yankees were still considering adding a platoon bat. Well they may have found one in a player who has surfaced in various Yankees rumors for a few years now: Randal Grichuk. Formerly a pesky division rival with the Blue Jays from 2018-21, Grichuk had a penchant for making his pop count in New York, as he has 18 career homers in 63 games against the Yankees. Grichuk had a 139 OPS+ in 279 PA for the D-backs in 2024 and blistered lefties to the tune of a .941 OPS from 2022-24 but dipped this past year with Arizona and Kansas City, so at age-34, he had to settle for a non-roster invitation from the Yankees. Still, while Grichuk might not be a lock for the Opening Day roster, this may be just another sign that Jasson Domínguez is heading to Triple-A to start 2026.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Entering play on Wednesday, the Yankees have gone 6-for-7 in ABS challenges in Grapefruit League action. The lone loss came on Austin Wells challenging behind the plate, but challenges from the hitters have been well-timed and correct. The club has long preached hitters’ knowledge and control of the strike zone, and that seems to be paying off in the big-leaguers’ first taste of the review process. The team is still dialing in how it’ll implement their own challenge strategy once the games count for real, but for now, they might just be best off to keep doing what they’re doing.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: My least-in-demand party trick will require an update, as the Yankees announced that CC Sabathia’s No. 52 will be retired, with a plaque ceremony taking place pregame on September 26, 2026. Monument Park isn’t just a collection of Yankee greats, but a who’s who of some of the most dominant players to ever put a baseball jersey on, and it’ll be great to see the former ace take his rightful place in Yankee history. For more on CC, check out Matt’s breaking news story from last night.
New York Post | Greg Joyce: Will Warren is going to be called upon to start the season strong, as the Yankees wait for a couple of their bigger arms to recover from injury. While he wasn’t exactly bad in 2025, bouts of inconsistency especially against left-handed batters plagued the righty, and lowering that platoon tax is a major focus of Warren’s time in camp. Fortunately, Warren seems to have been taken under the wing of Clarke Schmidt, who was in a similar position to Will two years ago and if it weren’t for Tommy John surgery, would have made that jump from touch-and-go hurler to respectable rotation piece.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: One of the recurring themes of Yankee spring is that because the team inks so many players to major deals — deals that command a roster spot of their own virtue — there are plenty of “bubble” players who have to prove themselves in camp. Jasson Domínguez is likely to be one of those hard-luck losers, with a stacked outfield and frankly a need to polish up some defense and hitting from the right side, perfect for a Triple-A assignment. The bullpen picture is also muddy so far, with newbie Angel Chivilli and last year’s pickup Brent Headrick both in competition for the last MLB roster slot.
The Denver Nuggets ruled guard Jamal Murray out for the rest of their game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Murray was on the team's injury report before the game, dealing with "right hamstring tightness," but he was deemed available to play. And that's not what took him out of the game.
Murray shot just 1-of-3 from the field for two points in 8 minutes of play. He was 0-for-2 from the 3-point line.
Here's what happened to Murray:
Why was Jamal Murray ruled out?
Murray was ruled out during the game against the Celtics due to an illness, the team announced on X. He was initially deemed questionable to return before being ruled out.
Despite getting almost nothing from one of their stars, the Nuggets won 103-84.
"He looked awful," Nuggets coach David Adelman said of Murray, per the Denver Gazette's Vinny Benedetto. "They gave him all the medication. It did not help. ... All kinds of bodily things were happening."
Jamal Murray career stats
Murray has averaged 18.6 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game in 589 games played. He has averaged 25.5 points, 7.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds this season. The guard was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Max Mackinnon scored a season-high 34 points, including 11 in the second overtime period, and LSU rallied to defeat Mississippi 106-99 on Wednesday night.
LSU (15-13, 3-12 SEC) snapped a five-game losing streak and Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12) has lost 10 in a row.
A three-point play by Mackinnon with just under four minutes left in the second overtime gave LSU a 95-92 lead, the Tigers' first lead since it was 41-40 in the final minute of the first half. With LSU leading by one point, Mackinnon made a driving layup with 1:30 remaining to start a personal 6-0 run that sealed the win for the Tigers.
Michael Nowoko scored 18 points, Pablo Tamba 15, Rashad King 13 off the bench and Robert Miller III 12 for LSU. Jalen Reece had 11 points and 10 assists.
Ilias Kamardine had 26 points and 10 assists for Ole Miss. Malik Dia scored 20, AJ Storr 19 and Eduardo Klafke 16.
Ole Miss led throughout the second half and the lead was 78-71 with 5 1/2 minutes left. Nowoko scored six points for LSU in a 9-2 run that tied the score with 1:38 remaining.
Ole Miss went back ahead on an alley-oop dunk by Corey Chest but he missed the and-one free throw. LSU tied it with 15 seconds left on a pair of free throws by King and the game went to overtime.
LSU never led in the first overtime period but there were three ties, the last when the Tigers' Tamba converted a layup with 36 seconds remaining.
Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia will be forever honored among the New York Yankees' legends.
The team announced on Wednesday, Feb. 25, that it will retire Sabathia's No. 52 in September.
Sabathia will become the 25th player to have his number retired at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have the most retired numbers in the league.
"From the first number that hung in my locker to 52 forever hanging in Monument Park - this HOF journey has come full circle,” Sabathia wrote in a post on X. “To have my number retired by the New York Yankees this year is one of the greatest honors of my life. The LegaCCy continues.”
Sabathia spent 11 of his 19 seasons in New York, retiring in pinstripes after starting 22 of the 23 games he played in during the 2019 season. He finished with a 251-161 overall record and a 3.74 ERA. He started 560 of the 561 games he played in.
He produced 3,093 strikeouts in 3,577.1 innings pitched. He won the World Series in 2009, his first season with New York. He was named as a first-ballot inductee for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.
List of retired Yankees numbers
No. 1: Billy Martin
No. 2: Derek Jeter
No. 3: Babe Ruth
No. 4: Lou Gehrig
No. 5: Joe DiMaggio
No. 6: Joe Torre
No. 7: Mickey Mantle
No. 8: Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey
No. 9: Roger Maris
No. 10: Phil Rizzuto
No. 15: Thurman Munson
No. 16: Whitey Ford
No. 20: Jorge Posada
No. 21: Paul O'Neill
No. 23: Don Mattingly
No. 32: Elston Howard
No. 37: Casey Stengel
No. 42: Mariano Rivera and Jackie Robinson (league-wide)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, 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 GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
According to Tony Jones, Adam Silver is sending independent doctors to verify the injury to Lauri Markkanen.
One thing I’m hearing about Lauri Markkanen’s scheduled MRI: The league is sending independent doctors to verify.
This news comes on the heels of those independent doctors visiting the Indiana Pacers and pressuring them to medicate an injured player to play.
The league asking if the Pacers would consider medicating Aaron Nesmith so that he could play in the game that they were fined for sitting out players seems like a massive overreach. Absurd. https://t.co/2MlvhjWLTN
What’s clear from this whole situation is that Adam Silver is not interested in what’s best for the players, the teams, or the fans. It’s solely the bottom line. If he really cared about the players’ and the league’s health, he’d lower the number of games to reduce injuries and make the games more meaningful. Instead, Silver is constantly looking to add games and tournaments to solve every problem.
What exactly happens here if Silver’s doctors disagree? Are they going to force the Jazz to play Markkanen? What happens if Markkanen has a serious injury like the one that happened to Vince Williams Jr.? Would that be a good thing? Utah should disregard anything these doctors say. The credibility is already gone, based on what we’ve seen in Indiana. Utah should do what’s best for Utah, something that Adam Silver has not considered even once.
This whole situation has proven Silver to be completely out of touch with the fans and what they actually want. Every all-star break, Silver presents some idiotic new tech feature like this one, where you can change a jersey number if your team trades a player.
You’ll be surprised that this feature didn’t take. Turns out, fans of teams stay fans of their team even if they trade away their favorite player. Embarrassing.
And this year, Silver introduced some AI integration to make things more hyper-personalized. Great, now we lose the entire communal feeling we get with sports. Why even go to games, right?
Adam Silver: "There's no doubt that AI will have the same impact on sports… how we're going to be able to [hyper-personalize] our telecasts… We're about to witness probably the most significant change, certainly in my lifetime, in how sports are presented." 🏀📺🎙️ #NBApic.twitter.com/ZS6ZZjvidv
This is just more evidence of a commissioner who is not familiar with even the basic elements of what makes sports great. Fans want hope that maybe one day they can win a championship. A fanbase like the Utah Jazz has to do things differently than the larger markets in the league, the ones that Adam Silver is biased towards. Utah will only improve, and any bad team for that matter, by getting top-tier talent in the draft. If Lauri Markkanen has as much as a sniffle, the Jazz should rest him. If they lose this pick this season, it would be an absolute disaster, but maybe that’s what Adam Silver wants. The Jazz staying bad is better in his mind because it’s one more small market for the large markets to beat up one year after year.
So, ignore those doctors, Danny, Ryan, and Austin. They don’t have the team’s best interest at heart.
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves poses for a photo during Spring Training photo day at CoolToday Park on February 20, 2026 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite the woes for rotation depth early this offseason, there is quietly a lot of competition for the back of the bullpen. Tyler Kinley, Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, Hayden Harris, and James Karinchak all had strong outings out of the bullpen Wednesday, with Harris and Karinchak looking especially impressive. The Braves have four bullpen locks or near locks with Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee. If they choose to run with a 6-man rotation to start the season, they would only have 3 spots left in the bullpen. Joel Payamps seems a likely member of the bullpen, while Hayden Harris, Daysbel Hernandez, James Karinchak, Ian Hamilton, Jose Suarez, Joey Wentz, and potentially even Jhancarlos Lara are real options for the bullpen. Harris, Hernandez, Dodd and Lara all have options, so they could very easily find themselves in AAA, though Dodd especially and to a lesser extent Harris and Hernandez may have real claims to a top 7-8 option on the 40-man. Hamilton and Karinchak are on minor league or split contracts, which sometimes include options for veterans to opt out if they don’t make the active roster, so they may be effectively out of options. Meanwhile, Wentz and Jose Suarez are out of minor league options.
I would personally not be particularly inclined to keep Jose Suarez, as he seems like a very replacement level pitcher, but this front office does often opt to preserve depth over picking the best guys for Opening Day. I am intrigued by Karinchak if he can look anything like his old dominant self. Hamilton has been good in the past, but we need to see which version of himself he looks like. Wentz could make sense as the de facto 6th member of the rotation who could easily convert to a solid lefty reliever with some stamina for multiple innings as needed. It will be a fascinating battle to watch over the next month.
Braves News
Austin Riley went yard, as Baldwin and Profar collected extra-base hits against Paul Skenes and bullpen competitors shined in a 3-1 Spring Training win.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Isaiah Johnson scored 18 points, and Colorado scored the last six points to beat Kansas State 79-70 on Wednesday night.
P.J. Haggerty and Andrej Kostic each scored four points in an 8-0 surge to pull Kansas State to 73-70 with 2:13 to play, but Colorado shot 6 of 8 from the free-throw line to seal it. The Wildcats were down 22 points with about 13 minutes remaining.
Johnson shot 5 of 11 from the floor and had nine rebounds and seven assists for Colorado (16-12, 6-9 Big 12). Ian Inman made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for the Buffaloes. Barrington Hargress added 15 points, Sebastian Rancik scored 13 and Bangot Dak had 10.
Haggerty scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with four assists to lead K-State (11-17, 2-13). Kostic and Nate Johnson added 10 points apiece. The Wildcats have lost eight of their last nine games.
Colorado took the lead for good about eight minutes in and led 37-18 with 3:45 left before halftime. K-State closed on a 15-5 run to cut the deficit to 42-33 at the break. Hargress scored 10 points and Inman made three 3s for the Buffaloes in the half. Haggerty scored 11 first-half points and grabbed six rebounds to pace K-State.
The Wildcats pulled within five early in the second half, but the Buffaloes answered with a 17-0 run for a 59-37 lead.
Up next
Kansas State hosts TCU on Saturday.
Colorado is on the road Saturday against fifth-ranked Houston.
Feb 25, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts after a turnover during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
When the Houston Rockets took a 77-50 lead into the half against the Sacramento kings on Wednesday night, anyone who thought to themselves, “It’s over.” hasn’t watched Rockets basketball this season. Undoubtedly, you yourself may have has some reservations about switching over to your favorite Netflix show and calling it a night. Those reservations were briefly justified when the Kings started the second half on a 13-2 run, prompting Ime Udoka to call a time out, just few minutes into the quarter.
Udoka has seen what we have all seen before. A tale of two halves. To his credit, he pressed the right buttons and kept with the right combination of players that kept the offense from suddenly becoming stagnant. Alperen Sengun (26-point triple-double), Kevin Durant (21 points on 62 percent shooting), and Reed Sheppard (28 points on 43 percent from the three-point line) really powered the Rockets offensively, along with a much welcomed showing from Josh Okogie who shot an efficient 5-of-7 from the field, of which three of those shots were from behind the arc.
With Amen Thompson out with an apparent quad injury, Aaron Holiday got some run and not only shot well but gave the Rockets another ball handler that was able to help keep the ball movement crisp. Jabari Smith had 12 points on 6-of-12 from the field and even “Uncle Jeff” Green got some run in this game chipping in 5 points. It was a complete team victory over a bad Sacramento Kings team. However, given some of the issues the Rockets have had in these types of games, including against these very Kings, this win is not something to shake a stick at. In fact, Rockets fans hope it’s a sign that this team is on track to no longer struggle to win these types of games against lesser opponents.
If the Rockets are going to achieve what we all hope they are going to achieve, then these types of games need to be automatic. It’s especially helpful that the main rotation was able to rest in the fourth quarter headed into the second game of a back-to-back, this time on the road in Orlando. Getting a home win is also a welcome sight as the Rockets had lost four of the last 7 home games. In the end, a win is a win, and the Rockets need to start stacking as many of those as possible, so tonight Rockets fans can go home happy.
Randal Grichuk #15 of the Kansas City Royals swings against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on August 1, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
TAMPA — The Yankees are adding a veteran right-handed bat to their bench competition this spring.
The club is signing outfielder Randal Grichuk to a minor league deal that includes an invite to big league camp, a source confirmed Wednesday night.
Grichuk, 34, will try to prove he can fill a need for the Yankees as a righty bat off the bench that can play left field against left-handers (when Cody Bellinger would move over to center).
Randal Grichuk of the Kansas City Royals swings against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on August 1, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Getty Images
Before adding Grichuk, the Yankees’ options beyond their projected starting outfield included Jasson Domínguez (a switch-hitter who is stronger from the left side), Spencer Jones (a lefty bat) and fellow non-roster invites Seth Brown and Yanquiel Fernandez — two more left-handed hitters.
Across 12 seasons in the big leagues, Grichuk has hit .268 with a .819 OPS against lefties.
He had a dip in production last season with the Diamondbacks and Royals, when he hit .227 with a .703 OPS against lefties, though that still included a .430 slugging percentage.
In 2024 with the Diamondbacks, he hit .319 with a .913 OPS against lefties.
Feb 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Looking for their 10th straight win for the first time in ten years, the Spurs continued their tour of Eastern Conference playoff teams, this time across the border against the Toronto Raptors. It wasn’t a pretty game, but despite more offensive struggles from Victor Wembanyama and some terrible free throw shooting making life harder than it had to be, the Spurs found a way, rallying back from 15 down late in the third thanks to some hot three-point shooting and clutch defensive play.
The Spurs scored the first six points and got out to a 9-2 lead, but similar to two nights ago in Detroit, things suddenly slowed down while they struggled with 5 turnovers, and the Raptors kept chipping away at the lead, closing the quarter on a 12-6 run to get within a point, 30-29. The main reason the Spurs were still ahead was, fortunately for them, Devin Vassell was also still in Detroit form with 8 points on 2-2 from three, and Dylan Harper came in hot off the bench for 9 points in the first quarter.
The Spurs seemed to wake up to start the second, with a Wemby block leading to a Harper fast break dunk, followed by a De’Aaron Fox three to force a quick Raptors timeout, but it was short lived. Wemby continued to struggle on the offensive end, and Toronto responded with a 7-0 run to take their first lead at 36-35. It stretched to a 10-0 run after a Spurs timeout, after they gave up a three by turning it over in the backcourt. The Spurs again briefly regrouped, regaining the lead and stretching it to five thanks to more offensive heroics from Vassell and Harper, but Wemby just couldn’t get involved on offense, and the Raptors closed on an 8-2 run to take a 57-55 lead into halftime.
The Raptors immediately got a three-point play to open the third quarter before Wemby finally got his first field goal of the game on an alley-oop dunk from Champagnie, who then hit a three to ties things back up. Lots of whistles had both teams in the bonus early, although Wemby, who couldn’t buy a call against former Spur Jacob Poeltl, was getting agitated and subbed out earlier than usual, likely to cool off. With him out and Luke Kornet seemingly a step slow after suffering a leg contusion in Detroit, the offense opened up for the Raptors, who continued to stretch out the lead in transition and from three. On offense, the Spurs were settling for threes and mostly missing, but a big one from Stephon Castle cut into a 15-point Raptors lead, and the Spurs found themselves down 78-90 with 12 minutes to go.
Matt Bonner, who is now a studio analyst for the Raptors but joined the Spurs broadcast for this game, mentioned Toronto’s biggest weakness is something Spurs fans can relate to: forgetting what got them there and getting stagnant in the fourth quarter. He was proven prophetic, as the Spurs opened the quarter on a 15-2 run to regain the lead, including threes from Castle, Vassell and Harrison Barnes, and a calmed-down Wemby’s presence on defense had the Raptors reeling. What they did have was the whistle in their favor and were already in the bonus less than five minutes in, which they used to stay close. More huge threes from Champagnie and Wemby got the Spurs ahead 106-100 with under 4 minutes to go, but poor offensive decisions after a timeout let the Raptors get back within two.
Free throws were a problem all night, with the Spurs hitting just 13-23 compared to 23-27 for the Raptors, and it reared it’s ugly head in the waning seconds of the game. Harper had a chance to get them up by 4 with 16 seconds left but missed both free throws. Fortunately, he got his own rebound, and Fox hit 1-2 to get the Spurs up 109-106 with 10 seconds left. Immanuel Quickley then hit 1-2 FT’s, and after a timeout, Wemby hit 1-2 with 8.7 seconds left. That meant the Raptors still had a chance, but Brandon Ingram’s three-point attempt went off the side of the backboard, and the Spurs were able to get the rebound and heave it down court as time expired, securing their ugly (but beautiful) 10th straight win for the first time since 2016.
Game notes
Right after receiving a ton of praise on this site for the way he handled not being the center of attention on offense in Detroit, Wemby was back to trying to do too much when things weren’t going right in the first half. He forced what few bad shots he could find, going 0-4, plus he had a couple of turnovers when he tried to dribble into the Raptors defense. Then, he got subbed out earlier than usual in the second half after Poeltl got under his skin with holding, tripping and driving right into him. After some time to mentally cool off, Wemby was better (but not great) in the fourth quarter. His defense was there all night with 5 blocks and was why he was as team-high +19 on the court, but it was another bad night on offense with just 12 points on 3-12 shooting (although he had those four huge points in crunch time).
A big part of the team’s free throws woes were courtesy of Fox (2-8) and Harper (0-2). While the rest of the team combined to hit 10-12, including 3-4 from Castle, it continues to be an issue particularly for the guards. They survived tonight despite shooting just 2-6 in crunch time (including Wemby’s 1-2), but overall the team is going to have to be better at the line. Once the playoffs hit, free throws will become harder to come by, and they’ll have to take advantage of whatever free points they can get.
Despite a couple of blunders late, Harper was awesome on both ends tonight with 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. His performance off the bench was especially important with Keldon Johnson only playing 14 minutes after suffering a shoulder stinger. One great moment of maturity came late when Ingram tried to pump fake him three times to draw a foul, but he didn’t bite. Overall, Harper and Vassell (21 points on 5-6 from three) were the only two players who were steady on offense all night, and the Spurs desperately needed that.
The win, combined with the skeleton Thunder losing in Detroit tonight, now has the Spurs just one game back in the loss column from the top seed in the West. They need to keep this tank rolling while OKC is injured and secure home court advantage.
Play of the Game
It may have been overshadowed by the missed free throws afterwards, but otherwise Fox was Mr. Clutch once again, including this huge bailout shot over the backboard with just over a minute to go.
MILWAUKEE, WI - FEBRUARY 25: Dennis Schroder #8 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots a free throw during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 25, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cavs have suffered their first loss when Jarrett Allen scores 20 or more points; they’re now 1-10. Allen was fantastic offensively, pouring in 27 points on 10-15 shooting.
This is also the first time the Cavs have lost when Allen takes 10 or more shots; they’re now 1-14 when he does so. Allen was understandably featured early and often. He made the most of his opportunities and nearly sent the game to overtime, but his would-be game-tying hook shot came a fraction of a second after the final buzzer.
The Bucks took 49% of their shots from three (92nd percentile). This translated to 45 outside attempts.
Milwaukee canned 42.2% of their triples (85th percentile). The Cavs, once again, dared their opponent to beat them from deep. The Bucks did so in a way the New York Knicks couldn’t the night before.
Unlike against the Knicks, the Bucks converted 89.5% of their shots at the rim (97th percentile). Cleveland did a good job of limiting the Bucks’ ability to get to the basket. Only 23% of their shots came there (17th percentile). However, you can’t build your entire defense around giving up three-point shots to protect the rim while also not protecting the rim. The Bucks were able to have their cake and eat it too.
Milwaukee did all of its damage in the half-court, with a 123.8 half-court offensive rating (97th percentile). The Cavs didn’t give them many opportunities in transition, but that doesn’t matter when the other team is executing that well in the half-court.
Cleveland shot poorly from three, going 12-40 (30%, 23rd percentile). There were guys out of the lineup, but this team is still built around outscoring its opponent. Shooting this poorly from deep isn’t going to cut it most nights, especially when your best three-point shooters — Sam Merrill (2-8) and Jaylon Tyson (1-6) — aren’t able to get anything to fall.
Overall, the Bucks had 21 more points from beyond the arc. It’s a make-or-miss league.
The Cavs outscored Milwaukee 25-6 in second-chance points. Winning this handily allowed the Cleveland to stay in this game despite not executing to the level Milwaukee did offensively.
Dean Wade led the Cavs in plus/minus (+9) for the second game in a row. That said, he struggled offensively, going 0-4 from the field to finish with no points. He was a non-factor on that end.
Dennis Schroder provided 26 points on 8-14 shooting. He did a great job of stepping into the starting point guard role. His scoring and playmaking kept the offense on schedule, which is all you want on a night you’re down this much firepower.
The Cavs went 20-27 from the free-throw line, while the Bucks went 3-5. It once again felt like the Cavaliers were on the wrong end of some crucial calls, but the free-throw disparity paints a much different picture.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Bennett Stirtz had 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Alvaro Folgueiras made 8 of 10 from the field and had a season-high 20 points and five assists, and Iowa beat Ohio State 74-57 on Wednesday night.
Cam Manyawu had 12 points and seven rebounds for Iowa (20-8, 10-7 Big Ten) and Tavion Banks scored 10 points.
The Hawkeyes shot 57% (27 of 47) from the field, 5 of 18 (28%) from 3-point range, and made 15 of 17 from the free-throw line.
Amare Bynum made back-to-back 3-pointers to give Ohio State a 14-2 lead, but Folgueiras answered with a three-point play and, after Devin Royal made a free throw, the Hawkeyes scored 18 consecutive points — eight by Stirtz — to start a 28-3 run. The Buckeyes missed nine consecutive field-goal attempts and committed five turnovers during their scoring drought of eight-plus minutes.
Devin Royal led Ohio State (17-11, 9-8) with 16 points and John Mobley Jr. scored 15. Bruce Thornton added 10 points.
Ohio State scores seven of the first 10 second-half points to trim its deficit to 10 points, but the Buckeyes got no closer.
Iowa was plus-11 (15-4) in points off turnovers and outscored the Buckeyes 44-18 in the paint.
