Jimmy Butler issued a stern response to heckling Minnesota Timberwolves fans.
Speaking to reporters after the Warriors’ 99-88 win over Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday at Target Center, Butler, the former Timberwolf playing in his first game at the arena since 2021, was asked about the heckling and loud boos he received throughout the game and shared a message to his former fan base.
Welcome back Jimmy Butler. Target Center is giving him a warm welcome of boos every time he touches the ball. Wolves lead Game 1 20-18 after one quarter. pic.twitter.com/YZN7gEfiMc
“That doesn’t bother me,” Butler said. “But people do have to watch their mouth. It’s cool with the boos and all this stuff, but when you’re calling people out of their names, which I can hear …”
“What they say?” Warriors teammate Buddy Hield, who sat next to Butler at his postgame press conference, asked.
Butler: “You want me to repeat it? No, I’m not going to repeat it … That’s unnecessary. The boos, I get it, I understand. Let’s just keep it at that.”
Hield: “Yeah, watch your mouth.”
Butler: “Thanks, little bro.”
Butler only spent one-plus season (69 total games) with the Timberwolves from 2017 to 2018 before requesting a trade that sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The veteran forward’s short tenure in Minnesota was shrouded in controversy due to contract disputes and an overall dissatisfaction with the organization’s culture. So much so that Butler’s former Timberwolves teammate, Jeff Teague, declared Butler the “most hated man in Minnesota” prior to Game 1.
And based on what Butler might have heard from the crowd Tuesday night, he might not be wrong.
A Tampere native, Järventie is returning to his hometown after
spending the past four seasons in North America in the Ottawa
Senators and Edmonton
Oilers organizations.
“Really good feeling – it’s nice to be
home,” Järventie is quoted on the Tappara website. “It’s
always been a dream to play together with my brother, so this is a
great opportunity to make that dream come true.”
Roby’s younger brother Emil, 20, was a seventh-round pick of the
Pittsburgh
Penguins in 2023. The two brothers are actually products of rival
club Ilves but Emil transferred to Tappara last season, where he
split time between the club’s Liiga and top junior teams. This will
be Roby’s first tour of duty with Tappara. Due to their age
difference, this will be the first time the brothers have played
together on the same team.
Roby Järventie was chosen in the second round, 33rd overall, by
Ottawa in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He then went to North America
late in the pandemic-delayed 2021 season to play for the AHL’s
Belleville Senators, recording three points in four games.
In the summer of 2024, he
was traded to Edmonton. Järventie missed training camp after
another knee surgery but only managed to play in two AHL games with
the Bakersfield Condors in November before re-injuring his knee and
has not played since.
According to an
Ilta-Sanomat article in March, Järventie’s
rehab has been going well and he is expected to be ready for the
start of training camp in late summer with Tappara.
In addition to the Järventie brothers, Tappara has also signed
veteran defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka, who played 150 NHL games for the
Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. The club also has Calgary prospect
Eetu Tuola and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oiva Keskinen under
contract for 2025-26.
There is a fair chance Mikel Arteta’s team won’t beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. If they must lose, lose right
Is this thing … still on? After last week’s strangely enervated first-leg performance against Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium it has been tempting to get a bit ahead of things, to see Arsenal’s season as already a zombie entity, still out there walking around the place, limbs twitching, skinny hands rattling the perimeter fence, not exactly dead, but not too far from undead.
On Monday night, even, Paris police declared Wednesday’s return leg at the Parc des Princes an event “of no particular concern”, as in no great flashpoints, no obvious tension. Just don’t tell Mikel Arteta that. And not just because rumours of the death of Arsenal’s season are widely exaggerated. There is even a nightmare scenario available to the club’s supporters, a product of the deep banter-verse, where Arsenal don’t make the Champions League next season but Tottenham do. All they need to do is keep losing while others win, and while slack, stitched-together Spurs bundle through Bodø/Glimt and a beta Manchester United, thereby banking their £100m jackpot while finishing 16th in the league.
Tour de France winner in 2018 is building for a final assault on the great race before a farewell in Cardiff
“Bike racing is all I have ever known,” says Geraint Thomas of the 19-year professional career that will end this summer with one final Tour de France and a farewell appearance in the Tour of Britain.
While many of his peers are relishing a Tadej Pogacar-free Giro d’Italia that starts on Friday, the 2018 Tour winner has opted against three weeks in Italy, favouring one last ride in July’s French hothouse.
May 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler (10) goes to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the fourth quarter during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
It felt like 2018 in Minnesota Tuesday night, and that's not a good thing. That fall, as Jimmy Butler was trying to force a trade out of Minnesota, he walked into one legendary practice, grabbed four end-of-the-bench players and led them in a scrimmage against the starters, talking smack the entire time and leading the scrubs to a win.
That Minnesota nightmare returned on Tuesday. On a night Stephen Curry left the game in the second quarter with a strained hamstring, Jimmy Butler led an undermanned Warriors team with 20 points, 11 rebounds (four offensive) and eight assists. Curry or no Curry the Warriors played strong defense, got timely shooting such as Draymond Green knocking down four 3-pointers, pushed their lead out to 23 at one point, and then held on at the end to pick up the 99-88 victory.
Buddy, Jimmy, and Draymond step up to secure the Game 1 road win @buddyhield: 24 PTS, 5 3PM, 8 REB@JimmyButler: 20 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL@Money23Green: 18 PTS, 4 3PM, 8 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL
Golden State now leads the series 1-0, with Game 2 on Thursday in Minnesota.
There are two key takeaways from this game.
One is whether Curry will be available Thursday night, or at any point for the rest of the series. Curry will get an MRI on Wednesday to determine the severity of the hamstring strain, but he was seen by reporters limping as he left the arena.
Steph went to the Warriors' locker room with an apparent hamstring injury
The concern for the Warriors is that even if this is a "mild" Grade 1 strain, Curry could miss most of this series.
Severity of the strain will ultimately dictate how much time Steph Curry potentially misses. Average time lost for confirmed G1 strain is ~10 days. That jumps to ~31 days for G2 strains. Time lost for nondescript strains is ~12 days.
The other takeaway is that Anthony Edwards came out flat, shooting 0-of-10 to open the game, scoring just one point in the first half, and the rest of the Timberwolves followed his lead. Anthony and his teammates seemed thrown off by the zone defense Steve Kerr threw at them for chunks of the night. Here is what Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
"It starts with Anthony. He struggled early and the light went out... You're the leader of the team. You have to come out and set the tone."
"People are going to try to blame whatever, blame whoever," Edwards said, via the Associated Press. "They can blame me. I just didn't play good enough."
Minnestoa started to put it together in the fourth quarter and got the Warriors' lead down to single digits, but Buddy Hield and the Warriors hit enough key shots late to hold on. Hield finished with 24 points and had five made 3-pointers.
Minnesota shot below 40% as a team, and while Edwards came back to lead the team in scoring with 23 he shot just 9-of-22. Julius Randle was 4-of-11 on his way to 18 points, and Naz Reid added 19 off the bench.
Expect a different Timberwolves team in Game 2, if not they will be in a hole that may be too deep to climb out of.
The Mets got off to a good start in Arizona with a win on Monday, and they looked to David Peterson to continue their winning ways in the desert.
However, the southpaw, despite pitching three hitless innings to start, just couldn't execute enough to keep the Diamondbacks down.
"Kind of a mixed bag," Peterson said of his start. "Felt good with my stuff. Poor execution on a few pitches and too many free bases with no one on."
Peterson threw a season-high 104 pitches and got through six innings. But his four free passes hurt him as Arizona took advantage and put up four runs on the left-hander. But the big blow came in the sixth when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. jumped on a first-pitch fastball that was middle-middle for a two-run shot that gave the Diamondbacks, and Zac Gallen, more than enough to complete the 5-1 win.
"[Peterson's start] was better than the number," manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "He used all his pitches, the fastball was good, the changeup, slider, but a play here and there, one pitch to Gurriel, but I thought it was good."
Peterson's outing on Tuesday dropped his record to 2-2 and raised his ERA to 3.52 through his first seven starts of the 2025 season.
Mets' recent tough stretch
After getting out to a hot start, the Mets have hit a bit of a skid in recent weeks.
They are 4-8 over their last 12 games, and are 0-2-1 in series in that span -- with Wednesday's rubber game deciding this upcoming series. While the Mets still sit atop the NL East with a 23-14 record, but this recent stretch has not produced as many wins as the team would like. Despite that, the Mets are still confident in this group and that they will turn things around soon.
"It’s never going to be easy. That’s what makes the big leagues the big leagues," Mendoza said of the stretch. "You’re going to go through stretches where you got to find a way, you got to fight. You’re going to go through some ups and downs. Overall, we’ve been there in every game. The guys continue to compete, and that’s what you want.
"Obviously, you want to come out on top, and we will. Nothing too concerned there."
Peterson added, "You’re going to go through some ups and downs. We’ve played some tough games, we’ve been battling every single game for nine innings. You win some, you lose some. The good thing about this team is everybody is able to take what happens today and flush it and come back tomorrow ready to compete and ready to win a ballgame."
"Zac [Gallen] pitched well, he was able to get out of that jam with just one run. Other than that, he pitched pretty well. Sometimes you have to tip your hat to them," Brandon Nimmo said of the offense. "We’ll come back tomorrow ready to go. Sometimes that happens. He pitched very well. We’re going to come back at it tomorrow and try to win a ballgame."
The Mets will look to win their first series since sweeping the Phillies at home in late April, on Wednesday afternoon.
Juan Soto makes history
Soto had a typical Soto statline against Arizona on Tuesday. Although he went hitless, he walked twice, including in that third inning that loaded the bases with two outs.
But those two walks helped the first-year Met make history. With his 798 walks, Soto now has the most walks by a hitter before they turn 27, passing Mickey Mantle (797).
"Pretty impressive and when you’re talking about those names and he’s only 26 and he’s already in that category, that’s elite," Mendoza said of the accomplishment. "It’s not easy to do, that’s what makes him a special hitter. His ability to control the strikezone and he seems to continue to get better at it. He’s not afraid to take his walks. If they’re afraid to pitch to him, he’ll take his base. Pretty big accomplishment there."
In the fourth inning, Nimmo chased down a double down the left field line hit by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The ball caromed off the corner and Nimmo seemingly tweaked his knee changing directions. Manager Carlos Mendoza and the club trainer went out to Nimmo, who stretched and massaged his knee and jogged a few feet. Nimmo convinced his manager to let him stay in, and the outfielder finished the entire game.
“I don’t know if the spike got stuck there with the turf, and Nimmo hyperextended the knee there. We’re going to have the doctor take a look at him," Mendoza said after the game. "He was able to manage. He was stable and played through it, obviously, finished the game... As of right now, I’m not too concerned, but let’s see what the doctor says."
The knee Nimmo tweaked was his left, not the right knee he injured during spring training. That's a plus, but Nimmo looked compromised in left field shortly after the injury scare. He was cautious running down balls, and looked in pain when slowing down to catch fly balls. But in his final at-bat, he looked in good spirits, smiling and talking with the home plate umpire.
"He’s smart, he knows himself better than anybody," Mendoza said of Nimmo. "He’s not going to risk it. The trainer checked him, and he finished the game."
“[Knee is] good, for the most part. I think we dodged a bullet, that’s great," Nimmo said after the game. "Felt it hyperextend when I went over to get the ball and was fortunate to get off of it pretty quickly and prevent more damage from being done.
"We’ll see how it is in the next 12 hours or so. I expect to be good to go to play."
Nimmo said his footing as he tried to figure out how the ball was going to carom off the wall caused him to feel like he double-bounced on a trampoline. But the veteran outfielder was evaluated by the team doctor, and the conclusion is that his knee feels stable.
"[The doctor] just said, watching the replay and looking at the knee, we dodged a bullet," Nimmo said. "Could have been much worse. We’re going to take it as a good thing. Dodged something that could have been a lot worse."
The Mets finish their three-game series with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon.
Brandon Nimmo is remaining in the game after appearing to tweak something in his leg while fielding a ball off the wall pic.twitter.com/kScaTArXo3
A few days after they’d been trounced by an All-Indigenous team in February, Fremantle’s president addressed the faithful at Crown Perth. “This morning’s event is not just another routine AFL season launch,” Chris Sutherland said. “I think we are as ready as we’ve ever been to chase that cup. We definitely feel like the foundation is sound and we certainly think we’ve got nearly all the pieces in place. May the season be filled with moments of courage, connection and success. I’ve kept this speech very short because I’m actually done with talking. It’s time for action.”
The speech was short, but the message was clear – we’re ready, no more excuses, no more loser’s limp. It echoed thoughts of the CEO, the coach, the players and the wider commentariat. They were confident they had the right coach, the right list, the right age profile, and the right recruits.
The Mets' lineup was flummoxed by Zac Gallen again, picking up just four hits in their 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Mets' patience got them on the board in the third inning. After an inning-ending double play was overturned, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso worked long at-bats and walked to push across a run off of Gallen.
Gallen, who allowed just two hits and struck out eight Mets last week at Citi Field, settled down after the third. He retired 11 straight Mets after walking the three straight that pushed across a run. He pitched seven innings on a season-high 101 pitches (64 strikes), allowing the one run on two hits, three walks, and striking out six.
The only knocks Gallen allowed were a third-inning single from Francisco Alvarez and a Mark Vientos single in the seventh.
-David Peterson was cruising, getting through the first three innings without allowing a hit, before Randal Grichuk doubled on a ball that went through Vientos' legs. A walk and a passed ball later, the Diamondbacks got on the board after a Josh Naylor fielder's choice. Lindor then made a great stop to get Geraldo Perdomo out at first, but Naylor scored on the play.
The southpaw had trouble locating his pitches, pitching from behind in the count more often than in his previous outings. It came back to bite him in the sixth after walking Naylor, Peterson -- trying to get ahead in the count -- threw a 90 mph fastball over the heart of the plate and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. deposited it 383 feet over the left field wall (108.5 mph off the bat). It was only the third home run Peterson has allowed this season -- the first two coming on his first start of the season.
Peterson had moments of dominance, but ran out of gas by the end. He pitched six innings on a season-high 104 pitches (69 strikes), allowing four runs on five hits, and four walks while striking out six. It wasn't a bad outing, but his mistake to Gurriel sunk the Mets.
-Jose Butto pitched the seventh and allowed an unearned run thanks to a Tyrone Taylor error. Errors and defensive miscues led to three of Arizona's five runs. The right-hander finished the eighth, giving the Mets bullpen a reprieve with his two innings of work.
-The Mets offense did threaten in the ninth, getting two runners on with one out on a walk and a Starling Marte bloop single, but Brandon Nimmo lined out and Vientos popped out to end the game.
-Nimmo seemingly tweaked his knee playing a double down the left field line in the fourth inning. Trainers came out to help him, but Nimmo talked his way to staying in the game. He finished 0-for-4. He's now hitless in his last 14 at-bats.
Alvarez was the only one who could solve D-backs pitching, going 2-for-3, the only Met with a multi-hit game on Tuesday. Alonso, who entered the game with an NL-leading .349 average, went 0-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and three strikeouts. He did extend his on-base streak to 18 games, but his average dipped to .341.
Game MVP: Zac Gallen
Gurriel had himself a game, but Gallen gave the Diamondbacks exactly what they needed after Monday's loss. Gallen has now dominated the Mets this season, allowing just two runs on four hits in 13 innings across two starts.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 6: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Round Two Game One of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2025 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
NBAE via Getty Images
Stephen Curry walked off the court midway through the first quarter of Game 1 of the Warriors series against the Timberwolves and was soon ruled out for the remainder of the night with a strained hamstring.
Steph went to the Warriors' locker room with an apparent hamstring injury
It's a potentially devastating injury that could change the course of this series (although the Warriors have held on through three quarters of Game 1 because of their strong defense and a rough offensive night from Minnesota). Even a Grade 1 hamstring strain means a player misses at least a week, and usually more like 10 days, to recover. That's a lot of time off in a series where the games come every other day.
Severity of the strain will ultimately dictate how much time Steph Curry potentially misses. Average time lost for confirmed G1 strain is ~10 days. That jumps to ~31 days for G2 strains. Time lost for nondescript strains is ~12 days.
Curry appeared to injure the hamstring making a sharp change of direction while defending Mike Conley. He was grabbing at his hamstring for a minute while continuing to play, then when he came out went straight to the locker room.
May 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (center) celebrates the game-winning three-point basket with forward Aaron Nesmith (23) and center Myles Turner (33) after game two of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
David Richard-Imagn Images
Donovan Mitchell understood the assignment. With Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (ankle) and De'Andre Hunter (thumb) all out for Game 2 Tuesday night, and the Cavaliers down 0-1 and desperately needing a win, it all fell to Mitchell — and he dropped 48 points. Behind Mitchell, the Cavaliers led by as many as 20 a couple of times, including midway through the third quarter.
However, scoring is only half the game.
Cleveland could not get a stop when it mattered, giving up 36 points in the fourth quarter. Despite that, the Cavaliers led by seven with 48 seconds left — and gave up an 8-0 run, capped off by Tyrese Haliburton getting the offensive rebound on his own missed free throw, stepping back and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer.
Indiana comes all the way back to get the win on the road, 120-119, and now leads the series 2-0 heading home. The Pacers are in total control of this series, especially if the Cavaliers can't get healthy fast.
This win had echoes of the Pacers' comeback and win in Game 5 to close out the Bucks.
"Obviously, we got lucky. Ty hit another amazing shot to win the game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "You don't see this very often, let alone twice in one week. Tyrese, he came through again. We're very fortunate."
The Pacers came out of the locker room lacking the defensive pressure or urgency seen in Game 1, and that had Mitchell and the Cavaliers racing out to a 32-15 lead after one quarter. Indiana also could not buy a bucket.
Bennedict Mathurin's play in the second half helped the tide for the Pacers, as he scored 19 points off the bench for Indiana. For the game Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith led the way with 23 points each, while Haliburton finished with 19 points and nine assists.
As much as the Pacers played great late, the Cavaliers faded.
"I feel like we outplayed them for the majority of the game and then towards the end we had our mental lapses. They capitalize on every single mistake that we made," said Jarrett Allen, who had an impressive game with Mobley out playing elite defense, scoring a 22 with 12 rebounds.
By the end, Mitchell looked worn down from carrying the offensive load and shot 2-of-6 in the fourth quarter (but got to the line for eight free throws. With no other point guard to turn to, the Cavaliers had trouble getting the ball over the half-court line or inbounding it against the Pacers' pressure. In the face of Indy's defense, Cavaliers not named Donovan shot 3-of-12 in the fourth quarter. Through two games in this series, Ty Jerome is 1-of-14 — Cleveland needs better from all its guys.
However, what they really need is for Garland and Mobley to be healthy by Game 3, or this series will be all but over.
Welcome to The Hockey News Playoff Frenzy Live, streaming nightly during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.
After the big game of the night, our experts go live to react to the match that was, break down the key moments and storylines and read your opinions.
On tonight's show, Katie Gaus, Michael Augello and Ryan Henkel react to the Carolina Hurricanes beating the Washington Capitals 2-1 in overtime to take a 1-0 series lead.
The Marlins' Agustín Ramírez pours ice water on Jesús Sánchez after the right fielder hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning. (Marta Lavandier / Associated Press)
Most of Tuesday’s game went according to plan for the Dodgers.
Tony Gonsolin produced a solid five-inning outing in his second start back from Tommy John surgery, giving up just two runs.
Shohei Ohtani posted another monster stat line at LoanDepot Park, hitting a tying, second-deck home run in the sixth and a tying double in the seventh in what he calls "one of my favorite stadiums” to play in.
Late in a 5-4 walk-off loss to the Miami Marlins, however, one of the Dodgers’ few early-season concerns finally caught up with them.
The team’s bullpen, quite simply, has been overworked through the first month-plus of the year, leading the majors by a wide margin with 157 innings pitched. And in a game that hung in the balance until the very end, the toll of that strain was unmistakably evident, with manager Dave Roberts turning to two of his lowest-leverage relievers in two of the night’s most critical sequences.
Trying to protect a one-run lead in the sixth, Roberts summoned right-hander Luis García — who promptly gave up two runs that put the Marlins ahead.
With the score tied in the bottom of the 10th inning, Roberts turned to recent waiver claim JP Feyereisen — who yielded a bases-loaded walk-off single to Jesús Sánchez.
“We had a few guys that were down, and so that's kind of the cost of it,” said Roberts, who has warned of the danger of the unit’s rising usage over the last several weeks.
“Absolutely not [do] we want to lead the league in bullpen innings."
The Dodgers’ bullpen workload hasn’t gotten out of control by design. Injuries to the starting rotation have thrown a wrench into their early-season pitching plans. A lack of consistent length from those who have pitched (the Dodgers are dead last in innings from starting pitchers) hasn’t helped either.
Nonetheless, it has forced their most trusted arms to accrue significant mileage to this point. Kirby Yates and Alex Vesia are tied for the major league lead with 19 outings. Tanner Scott (18) and Anthony Banda (17) are right behind them. Evan Phillips entered the night having pitched in seven of the 14 games the team had played since his late April return from the injured list. And Blake Treinen appeared in eight of their opening 17 contests before going down last month with a forearm injury, currently residing on the injured list alongside another big name in Michael Kopech (who has been sidelined all season by a shoulder problem).
In the interest of having those arms available for the stretch of the season, many of them have been “redlined” now, as Roberts termed it, to try and keep their inning counts under some semblance of control. On Tuesday, it was Yates and Phillips who were both evidently unavailable, each having pitched full innings the night before.
Thus, even with the Dodgers (24-12) holding just a 3-2 lead at the start of the sixth, Roberts had to look elsewhere and called upon García, a right-hander signed this offseason to a minor-league contract before making the club coming out of spring training.
Granted, García had been decent while handling his own robust workload this season, the 13-year veteran entering the game with a 3.78 ERA over 17 outings.
But on Tuesday, his execution finally faltered. Designated hitter Agustin Ramírez led off with a first-pitch double. Connor Norby doubled him home on a two-strike line drive to left field that just evaded a leaping effort from Michael Conforto. Matt Mervis singled on a hanging slider. Just like that, the Marlins had a 4-3 lead.
But after Vesia, Banda and Scott posted zeroes to get the game to extras — Banda’s outing required a bases-loaded 5-2-3 double-play to end the eighth — Roberts was forced into another unappealing pitching decision in the bottom of the 10th.
Claimed off waivers last week from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Feyereisen entered to begin his second stint as a Dodger. In 10 outings with the team last year, he posted an 8.18 ERA.
Roberts tried to get creative, intentionally walking the leadoff man before setting up a five-man infield when a line-drive single loaded the bases.
But Sánchez blasted the second pitch he saw right through the defense, ending the game in walk-off fashion.
The Dodgers’ fears about their mounting bullpen workload had been finally realized.
They bore the inevitable cost that comes with trying to manage it.
The Yankees' offense turned a corner when they exploded for the best inning of their 2025 season with a 10-run frame in Tuesday's 12-3 win over the San Diego Padres to snap a three-game skid.
Takeaways
New York's bats needed a jolt and got one in the seventh inning, turning a 3-2 deficit into a nine-run lead. The Yankees' younger players -- Austin Wells (five), Ben Rice (two) and Anthony Volpe (one), among others -- notably led the charge with a combined eight RBI in the frame. Not to be overlooked, Jasson Dominguez's leadoff double sparked the frame and Trent Grisham's bases-loaded walk with one out were key moments in the inning. New York needs more production in general beyond Aaron Judge, and it not only got that but did so from its youth movement.
The seventh changed the narrative of what was a tight game, but Judge's earlier home run to get the Yankees on the board is worth noting. Judge tied the MLB lead with his 12th long ball of the early season when he homered off former Yankee Michael King on a 2-2 count in the fourth inning. The solo shot gave New York life before the eventual outburst, a move that should be expected from the captain as he builds on his MVP start to 2025 while slashing .412/.503/.772 through 36 games.
On both sides, the seventh inning was a jaw-dropping one. The Padres' bullpen allowed 10 runs in the frame after yielding only 26 over the previous 128.2 IP. Meanwhile, the Yankees' 10 runs scored in an inning are the most since July 28, 2015, when they totaled 11 in the second of a 21-5 win at the Texas Rangers.
It should be noted that Clarke Schmidt's start was solid. The right-hander gave the Yankees a chance to win in his fourth start of the season as he scattered two runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking one over six innings. Schmidt (4.79 ERA) threw 53 strikes on 85 pitches.
Who's the MVP?
Wells, who tied the game on a seventh-inning single through the right side with none out and delivered the exclamation point later in the frame when he launched his two-out grand slam off former Yankee Wandy Peralta.
Ace southpaw Max Fried (6-0, 1.01 ERA) takes the mound Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. as the Yankees (20-16) and Padres (23-12) play the rubber match. Right-hander Dylan Cease (1-2, 5.61 ERA) gets the ball for San Diego.
