Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said this season will be his last in the NHL.
He announced the news in a locker room address and a Capitals social media post on Monday morning.
“My family and I decided this summer that this will be my final year in the NHL. I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it’s the right decision,” he said on X.
“We have an unbelievable team this year,” Ovechkin told his teammates. “Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly.”
“It seems like yesterday I was here my first year, and right now it’s my 22nd year. It just goes like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
His teammates rose to their feet, hugged him and gave him a standing ovation.
Alex Ovechkin announced to his teammates this morning that this season will be his final in the NHL pic.twitter.com/wnnnkrIl5U
Ovechkin entered his 22nd season with 929 goals. He’s scored at least 24 goals in every season of his career, and more than 30 goals in 21 of 22 seasons.
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 15: Naji Marshall #13 of the Dallas Mavericks is defended by Cody Williams #5 of the Utah Jazz during the first half at American Airlines Center on January 15, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Utah Jazz have spent the last few seasons collecting young talent without ever really focusing on winning. I think that changes this year.
Utah went 22-60 last season, but this roster looks completely different. They moved up to No. 2 in the draft. They landed Darryn Peterson, added Josh Green, Jaxson Hayes, and Josh Okogie, re-signed Jusuf Nurkić, and already had Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ace Bailey, and Keyonte George in place. Peterson is obviously the biggest addition, but there is enough NBA talent here now that another sub-30-win season would be hard to understand.
Utah Jazz: Over/Under 37.5 wins
Over: -110 Under: -120 To win an NBA Championship: +12500 To win Western Conference: +6000 To win Northwest Division: +7500
The case for the over starts with Peterson. I have extremely high expectations for him immediately. Utah did not just draft another developmental prospect. They drafted one of the best shot-makers in the class and someone I think can impact winning from Day 1. Put him next to Ace Bailey, who now gets another year of development, and suddenly Utah has two legitimate young building blocks instead of just a collection of prospects.
Then there is Markkanen. Health has obviously been the issue, but when he plays, he is still exactly the kind of offensive player you want around Peterson. He can shoot, score without dominating the ball, and punish defenses that load up on a primary creator. Jaren Jackson Jr. gives them another proven frontcourt piece, and even though I don’t love Keyonte George defensively, he averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 37.1 percent from three. This roster has real scoring now.
Losing Walker Kessler hurts, but Utah at least attacked the position. Nurkić averaged 10.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists before his season ended, and Hayes gives them another athletic center who can run the floor and finish around the rim. It is not the same rim protection Kessler gave them, but I do not think the center spot ruins everything else they improved.
Thirty-eight wins is a massive jump from 22, but I honestly think Utah might have one of the biggest year-over-year improvements in basketball. Peterson, Bailey, Markkanen, and Jackson are a really compelling core if they stay healthy.
I am not ready to call them a playoff team, but they do not need to be one to hit this over.
Sunday, October 4, was my official kick off into the new season of the San Antonio Spurs.
From noon until 3pm, the organization held the second annual Gregg Popovich Coach the Coaches Clinic. Organized in part through the Positive Coach Alliance, they held a quick ice breaker before introducing Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson. Johnson spoke about the values of the program and the importance of sharing knowledge. He spoke of the inspiration behind the event, Gregg Popovich.
While Johnson was speaking, Pop was escorted onto the court by Brett Brown. Johnson thanked Pop and then asked him to share a few words.
In typical Pop fashion, he spoke little of basketball, humorously stating “to some degree, it’s all bull$h!t.” Instead, he spoke passionately about creating relationships. He shared how both Dejounte Murray and Derrick White had called him in the years since leaving San Antonio to share gratitude for what they learned during their time with the Spurs. Pop emphasized that the goal is to “sustain the culture whether you’re winning or losing.”
They started their presentations with Dr. Guy W. Nicolette, Director of Sports Medicine who set a tone regarding health and well-being as the primary goals of sports, coaching, and competition. There is a wealth of knowledge on how many young players get injured and how many burn out on sports early on due to the pressures of the modern game.
There were presentations by Mike Noyes, Director of Player Development, Assistant Development Coach Jimmy Barron, and Lead Assistant Coach Billy Donovan. Each utilized members of the Veterans Memorial Men’s Basketball who attended to support in demonstrations. Coaches attending represented all age groups from elementary to collegiate teams, and the staff did a wonderful job of incorporating skills and philosophies universal to players of all ages.
The entire presentation was a bout two hours, but it went by so quickly, you feel as if they are just scratching the surface at a much larger swatch of information.
There was a break for a couple of hours while the rest of the 14,000+ fans who were slowly lining up outside prepared to enter the Frost Bank Center for the annual Silver & Black Scrimmage. The teams played four 10-minute quarters with continuous clock (minus time outs and the last two minutes of each quarter).
The Silver & Black Scrimmage is a wonderful launch into the preseason. Fans can see starters, rotation guys, new draftees, and camp invitees playing in a similar way to how they scrimmage in daily practice. For the most part, it is a laid back look into the inner workings of the players and their dynamic. There is also some insight into their behind the scenes personalities.
For the second year in a row, Keldon Johnson served as MC while the draftees participated in karaoke for the crowd. Jayden Quaintance and Maliq Brown both performed Drake tunes, Ja’Kobi Gillespie sang Chris Brown, and Tarris Reed, Jr brought down the house with a rendition of the classic Bon Jovi tune “Living on a Prayer.” Keldon threw Carter Bryant into the mix and sang with him until Luke Kornet stole the mic and the spotlight. It really is obvious how much these players enjoy one another’s company. And it looks like the rooks have found their footing in an already tight-knit group.
Three more days until preseason. If the excitement when Victor Wembanyama slam dunked was any indication, this is going to be raucous season for Spurs and fans alike.
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Jack Kent Cooke stands outside an under-construction Forum in Inglewood on Nov. 7, 1967. Cooke was convinced he could make hockey work in L.A. (Harold Filan / Associated Press)
When the Kings play the Florida Panthers in the home opener of their 60th anniversary Tuesday, Alan Rothenberg expects to be watching from home.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I hate going to games. I guess I’m showing my age,” said Rothenberg, who, at 87, is more spry and active than many people who have had half as many birthdays.
What matters is that Rothenberg was at the Kings’ first home opener, a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers before 7,023 people — and 4,000 empty seats — at the Long Beach Convention Center in 1967. As vice president and general counsel for Jack Kent Cooke, the visionary owner who brought hockey to L.A., Rothenberg was responsible for selling his boss’s vision to a wary public.
Alan Rothenberg speaks during an event in Miami on Nov. 12, 2025. (Eva Marie Uzcategui / Getty Images)
Cooke, a Canadian, thought hockey would be an easy sell in Southern California. Instead he was surprised by the early apathy.
“I was told there were a quarter-million ex-Canadians in L.A.,” he said at the time. “Now I know why they left Canada. They hate hockey.”
Rothenberg, a Detroit native who grew up watching the great Red Wings teams of Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio that led Detroit to multiple Stanley Cup Final appearances, had no doubt the sport would catch on eventually. So he’s not surprised it’s thriving in L.A. six decades later.
“I guess maybe I was biased having come from ‘Hockeytown,’” he said. “I knew the popularity of the sport. People were skeptical because it was considered not to be a hot-weather sport.
“But no, it’s just a great sport. It took a little bit to get it going.”
He was right. The Kings, who had trouble giving away tickets at first, sold out 297 consecutive games at Staples Center during a span when they won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014. The franchise has played a central role in changing the geography of the NHL.
Jack Kent Cooke's wife, Barbara Jean Carnegie, with an assist from actor Lorne Greene, takes part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Forum on Dec. 31, 1967. (George Brich / Associated Press)
This season — one the Kings opened with road losses to Colorado and San José — more than a third of the league’s franchises will play in warm, sunny climates such as Anaheim, Las Vegas, Nashville and Dallas, where snow is something you see on Christmas cards, not your driveway. Six of the last seven Stanley Cup champions and 10 of the 14 finalists are based in the Sun Belt or the desert while a Canadian team hasn’t won in 33 years.
The roots of that revolution were first planted in that warm soil by Cooke, who died in 1997, and Rothenberg six decades ago.
“After two or three years it was catching on,” Rothenberg remembered. “The thing that I did know about hockey — and it’s still the case, historically — they did not have as broad of an audience as other sports. But much deeper. Hockey fans are just so passionate about it.”
In addition to the Long Beach Arena, the Kings played home games at the Sports Arena and the Forum that first season, averaging more than 8,000 fans a game. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Minnesota North Stars, a team that would eventually follow the sun to Dallas, where it relocated in 1993.
Cooke sold the Kings to Jerry Buss after 12 seasons and eight trips to the postseason, then Bruce McNall bought out Buss in 1988. Six months later, he traded for Wayne Gretzky. The Kings never looked back and Sportico values the team, owned by global sports and entertainment producer AEG, at $3.33 billion, fourth-highest in the 32-team league. The Kings are the only team in the top six that isn’t an “Original Six” franchise and the only team in the top 11 from a warm-weather city.
Dustin Brown celebrates following the Kings' first Stanley Cup win in June 2012. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Rothenberg would go on to become one of the most consequential sports executives in U.S. history, helping the Lakers acquire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and negotiating the trade that would eventually bring Magic Johnson to L.A., setting the foundation for the Showtime era.
He was also instrumental in helping organize the 1984 Olympics, 1994 World Cup and 1999 Women’s World Cup — three of the most successful international sporting events ever — and was president of U.S. Soccer when MLS was established. The league, with 30 teams, has since grown into the largest first-tier league in the world.
Each of those accomplishments changed the face of sports in this country. But for an old Red Wings supporter from Hockeytown, getting the Kings on the ice for the first time may still be his favorite achievement.
“In terms of fandom, that was it,” he said. “It was great.”
ELMONT, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Nico Daws #50 of the New Jersey Devils looks on during the first period against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on October 03, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
The Devils followed up the excitement of the season’s first game with a real dud on Saturday against the Islanders. New York took a 6-0 win. Sheldon Keefe: “I mean, if you could sum it up by just saying that we were playing preseason hockey against a team that was probably playing February-type hockey. They played at another level today that we haven’t seen. And, I guess you’d say we failed that stress test.” [Devils NHL]
Which players look poised to break out this season? (Seems like there’s a notable name left off this list.) [The Athletic ($)]
“Our 10-person panel of voters was tasked with grading each goalie’s true ability, regardless of situation. The panel is comprised of eight goalie coaches (current and former NHL coaches, and private coaches who work with NHLers) and two recently retired NHL goalies who have played with and against many of the goalies on the list. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to encourage honesty and participation.” [The Athletic ($)]
“In a game where we play a lot of probabilities and take some chances, this is the most we’ve seen it happen off the ice. GMs have gone on offence, and they’re just hoping for it to bounce their way. They might want to ask their coaches how they feel about playing ‘hope’ hockey.” [Sportsnet]
Condolences to the family of Lyle Odelein:
Lyle Odelein, a 16-year NHL veteran, Stanley Cup champion and the first captain in Columbus Blue Jackets history, has passed away from a heart attack. He was 58 years old. pic.twitter.com/oXvPrWuTEK
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 21: Erik Karlsson #65 of the Pittsburgh Penguins shoots and scores during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Who:Winnipeg Jets (1-0-1, 4th place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2-0-0, 1st place Metropolitan Division)
When: 7:30 p.m. eastern
How to Watch: Locally televised game on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, Sportsnet+ up in Canada, out-of-market streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: Up next for the Penguins will be two road games against division opponent, Washington on Wednesday and then Columbus on Friday, then they’ll quickly return home to meet Dallas at PPG Paints on Saturday night.
Opponent Track: The Jets took a 3-0 lead yesterday afternoon in Detroit and were able to hold onto a 3-2 victory. Kyle Conner scored twice and old friend Stuart Skinner stopped 33 shots in the win. Winnipeg lost to Boston in OT in their first game of the season last week. After tonight the Jets return back home and have the Colorado Avalanche headed to the ’Peg for a Wednesday night game.
Season Series: The Pens get the pleasure of taking their trip to Winnipeg on February 21st to enjoy the Manitoban winter. In 2025-26, the Pens went 1-1 against the Jets – winning at home (5-4 shootout) and losing on the road.
Hidden Stat: At PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh is 21-3-0 in their last 24 matchups against the Winnipeg franchise dating back to Mar. 24, 2007.
Hidden Stat 2.0: Evgeni Malkin is just the second 40-year-old in NHL history to score in each of his team’s first two games of a season, alongside Gordie Howe (2 GP in 1968-69), per Pens PR.
Getting to know the Jets
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Cole Perfetti
Isak Rosén — Viggo Bjorck — Gabriel Vilardi
Morgan Barron — Adam Lowry — Brad Lambert
Nino Niederreiter — Vladislav Namestnikov — Alex Iafallo
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey / Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg / Neal Pionk
Mario Ferraro / Tyrel Bauer
Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Clay Stevenson
Potential scratches: Jack St. Ivany, Cole Koepke, Haydn Fleury
Suspended: Connor Hellebuyck (failure to report to team)
It’s easy to feel bad for the Jets players and fans after their best player, three-time Vezina winner and 2024-25 Hart trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck chose the nuclear option of not reporting to play and will sit out without pay until he can be traded. Hellebuyck requested a trade earlier in the year, at first privately then very publicly later on to make his stance clear that he doesn’t want to play for the Jets again, despite signing a seven-year extension in 2023.
We’ll get a first look at Bjorck, an 18-year old drafted eighth overall in June. Bjorck is one of five 2026 draftees who have stuck on an NHL roster out of training camp and still looking for his first career point.
Former Penguin Jack St. Ivany made the Jets out of camp after a summer trade had him switch organizations. St. Ivany has been a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season, falling behind 24-year old Bauer for playing time. Bauer made his NHL debut at the start of the season after spending four seasons in the AHL. Bauer might be a problem, he’s gotten into two fights in his two career NHL games. Yesterday against Detroit, Bauer threw a big hit on Detroit’s J.T Compher then dropped Keegan Kolesar in a fight.
There haven’t been any lineup changes or switches yet for the Jets. That could change today, being as Stuart Skinner played yesterday. Backup Clay Stevenson was claimed off waivers from Washington. Stevenson, 27, only has five career NHL games under his belt, though he has been one of the better goalies in the AHL over the past four seasons and is finally getting an NHL opportunity handed to him.
Kyle Conner (five points in two games) is hot, it’s only two games but Mark Scheifele (zero points so far) is not. Pretty wild considering they play on the same line. Scheifele’s probably happy to see Pittsburgh come up on the schedule, he has 23 career points (9G+14A) in 23 games historically against the Pens.
Nice to see Skinner start out pretty well. He was well-liked in Pittsburgh and moves onto a team of his choosing in free agency. Given his career highs and lows it will be interesting to see where his path takes him from here.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel – Hendrix Lapierre
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Filip Hallander
DEFENSEMEN
Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang
Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov
Potential Scratches: Ville Koivunen, Elmer Soderblom, Ilya Solovyov
IR: Ryan Graves, Justin Brazeau, Bryan Rust
The Pens were off yesterday, we’ll see how the deck might reset today at the morning skate for any changes to last game’s lineup. The team is deep enough now that someone like Koivunen who scored in the first game didn’t get a sweater for the second due to forwards returning.
The two lowest forwards for icetime from last game were Hallander and Lapierre, which might signal who the next players to rotate out could be. One might have to make way in the near future, since Bryan Rust was at practice in a regular jersey on Saturday.
Could today be the start for Murashov? Given the schedule it could be coming up soon and a home game against a team that isn’t expected to be a powerhouse (and is also on the back half of a back-to-back) sure sounds like a great spot to start a season for a young goalie.
Offense from the defense
The blueline has been making an impact on the scoreboard early on in the season for the Penguins.
1921 – New York is host to the first one-city World Series since 1906 and the Polo Grounds is the site for all nine games. Carl Mays of the Yankees needs 86 pitches to set the Giants down on five hits, four of them by Frankie Frisch, as Babe Ruth drives in the first run of the Series in the opening inning of the 3-0 Yankees win.
1954 – Oscar Charleston, one of the greatest players in the history of the Negro Leagues, dies in Philadelphia, days after he had fallen down a flight of stairs. He was 57 years old.
2003 – Chicago Cubs win their first MLB postseason series since the 1908 World Series with a 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the NLDS at Turner Field
1274 – Around 1,000 soldiers of the Mongol army land on the Japanese island of Tsushima in the first attack of Kublai Khan‘s Mongol invasion of Japan.
1892 – The Dalton Gang ends in a shootout in Coffeyville, Kansas, during a bank holdup; four members are killed, and a fifth is captured.
1947 – Harry Truman delivers the first presidential address televised from the White House.
1969 – TV sketch comedy series “Monty Python‘s Flying Circus” premieres on BBC1.
1973 – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the 7th studio album by Elton John, is released.
1975 – Austrian Niki Lauda wins the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen to claim his first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship, winning by 19.5 points over Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a single in the first inning during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park on September 27, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Crazy what happens when the roof is open, huh Milwaukee? Still, I’ve never seen anything like Ty France’s long out on Saturday night in a playoff game. It’s why baseball playoffs are the best.
Sep 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jordan Westburg (11) throws to first base in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The MLB postseason rolls on, and yesterday brought two quality games in the NL Division Series. The Brewers and Padres played an absolute thriller, one that ended on Jackson Chourio’s dramatic two-run, two-out, two-strike walkoff single off of the unhittable San Diego closer Mason Miller, putting Milwaukee one win away from a sweep. And in Los Angeles, the Braves clapped back against the Dodgers with a 3-2 victory — with their bullpen game defeating Blake Snell — to even the series at one. The NL teams have a travel day today while the two AL Division Series are back in action.
In the meantime, it’s never too early to start thinking about what the Orioles’ roster will look like in 2027, whenever the season may begin. MLB Trade Rumors’ Charlie Wright wrote about Jordan Westburg’s expected return and what it might mean for the Orioles’ crowded infield picture. In the absence of Westburg, the Orioles’ regular third baseman in 2025, the O’s filled the hot corner this season with the trio of Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who happened to be three of the Orioles’ best hitters. All remain under team control for years to come.
Wright also suggests that the O’s could plug in Westburg at second base, a position he’s played 120 times in his career, as a way to ease him back into action. The Orioles’ current starter at the keystone position is Jackson Holliday, who struggled after suffering a hamate injury in spring training.
That makes five players for two positions. All of them have some warts, though. Mayo’s bat belongs in the lineup but he isn’t really a quality defender. Alexander had a scorching bat in part-time duty but could be overexposed as a regular. Encarnacion-Strand is just a few months removed from being waived by the Reds and can’t be considered a sure thing. And it’s unclear how quickly Westburg will be able to round back into form after missing the entire 2026 season.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Orioles aim to alleviate the logjam, if they try to do so at all. Would they consider optioning Holliday to the minors for the first time since 2024? Will they put Westburg on the IL at the start of the season to give him a little extra time to recover? Or, as Wright suggests, could the O’s try to swing a trade involving one or more of their infielders?
Me, I say just keep them all, unless you get an overwhelming trade offer. These things tend to have a way of sorting themselves out. Last year before spring training, O’s fans thought there was no possible place on the team for Mayo, with Pete Alonso and Ryan Mountcastle blocking him at 1B/DH and Westburg at 3B. And look what happened. Westburg and Mountcastle both suffered injuries that cost them most or all of the season, and Mayo ended up playing 132 games. It’s always nice to have extra depth.
What do you think, Camden Chatters? What should the Orioles’ infield — especially the second and third base situations — look like in 2027?
If it weren’t already obvious by the fact that he played zero games behind the plate in 2026, Ike Irish is no longer a catcher. That’s probably a good thing, considering that he openly hated catching.
The newly acquired outfield prospect hasn’t taken long to Endd-ear himself to Orioles fans. (I’ll show myself out.)
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! The only player in Orioles history born on Oct. 5 is the late right-hander Terry Mathews (b. 1964, d. 2012).
On this date in 1986, Hall of Fame Orioles skipper Earl Weaver managed the final game of his 17-year career, which included 2,541 regular season games, 46 postseason games, and 96 ejections. Weaver, who had retaken the reins of the Orioles in 1985 after initially retiring in 1982, took a loss in his finale, 6-3 to the Tigers. That finished a 73-89 season, which remarkably was the only losing season of Earl’s career.
The Orioles have played 11 postseason games on this date, going an incredible 9-2 in those games. Among the highlights:
In 1966, the O’s opened their first-ever World Series with a 5-2 win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Hall of Famers Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson set the tone for the series with back-to-back homers in the top of the first against fellow Hall of Famer Don Drysdale, taking an early lead that the O’s never relinquished. Moe Drabowsky turned in a brilliant appearance in long relief, working the final 6.2 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts.
In 1969, the Orioles won Game 2 of the ALCS with their second straight extra-inning, walkoff win against the Twins. Dave McNally pitched a masterpiece, tossing an 11-inning shutout with 11 strikeouts. The Twins’ Dave Boswell was very nearly McNally’s equal, carrying a shutout of his own into the bottom of the 11th, but a walk, a sac bunt, and a pinch-hit RBI single by Curt Motton led the Orioles to a 1-0 victory.
In both 1970 and 1971 on this date, the O’s finished off a three-game ALCS sweep, beating the Twins in the former and the Athletics in the latter. In both cases, it was Hall of Famer Jim Palmer who led the Orioles to victory with a complete game. In the 1970 game, he dominated the Twins with 12 strikeouts and gave up only one run in a 6-1 decision, and in the ’71 contest he held the A’s to three runs in a 5-3 Orioles win.
In both 1996 and 1997, the Orioles finished off the Division Series with a Game 4 victory to advance to the ALCS. In ’96, they outlasted Cleveland in a 4-3, 12-inning thriller at Jacobs Field. Roberto Alomar played the hero, first tying the game with two outs in the ninth on an RBI single, then winning it with a leadoff homer in the top of the 12th. And in ’97, in an epic pitcher’s duel between Hall of Famers Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson, Moose came out on top with seven innings of one-run ball. O’s manager Davey Johnson riskily countered the Big Unit by benching top hitters like Alomar and Rafael Palmeiro in favor of little-used righties, and it worked when utility infielder Jeff Reboulet powered a homer en route to a 3-1 Orioles win.
In 2012, the Orioles won the first-ever AL Wild Card Game in Texas, stunning the Rangers with a 5-1 victory. Journeyman lefty Joe Saunders, who historically had always struggled in Texas, memorably outdueled Rangers ace Yu Darvish by holding Texas to one run in 5.2 innings. Darren O’Day, Brian Matusz, and Jim Johnson followed with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. Nate McLouth and J.J. Hardy sparked the O’s lineup by combining for three hits and three RBIs atop the order.
And in 2014, the O’s sealed a three-game sweep of the Tigers in the Division Series, eking out a 2-1 win in Detroit. For the third consecutive game, the Orioles defeated a former Cy Young winner, besting David Price after doing the same to Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Nelson Cruz’s two-run homer in the sixth provided all the offense the O’s needed, backing 6.1 scoreless innings from Bud Norris. Closer Zack Britton kept the tying and winning runs stranded on base in the ninth by inducing a series-ending double play.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 03: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees speaks to the media prior to Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s becoming very easy to treat Cam Schlittler as a superhero, the old school television programs that end with the protagonist once again disposing of the villain, with everything present on screen except the ads for cereal are replaced by ones for so-called prediction markets that are rotting the brains of 30 percent of the male population. Throw whatever obstacle at him you want — playoff start, the hated rival, a lineup that refuses to score — and he’ll overcome it. I am at least slightly convinced the Yankees scoring nine runs last Tuesday had something to do with Cam.
Tonight he once again faces his toughest test of the year, tasked with preventing the Rays from taking what would be a strangling 2-0 lead in the ALDS. If there was one pitcher on planet Earth, with full respect to Jacob Misiorowski, that I would trust to lead my team away from that fate, it would be Cam Schlittler.
The what is one thing, and that’s discussed above. The how and why are different questions.
Cam’s disposal of the Red Sox last week was a particularly notable one, as the righty drastically changed his approach to pitching. If you’re standing in the box against Cam, there’s about a 90 percent chance he throws you some kind of fastball, and your job is to figure out, in the 0.4 seconds it takes for that pitch to reach the plate, whether it has rise, cut, or run. That approach has put Cam in the pole position for the AL Cy Young Award, just throw F*** You fastballs all around the strike zone and good things will happen.
Except, against the Red Sox, something changed:
You still get a lot of the No. 1, Cam will never abandon the four-seamer that’s made him one of the three or so best pitchers in the world. He caught the Sox completely flat footed with his curveball though, after the club reportedly spent the entire final regular season in Tampa working off his heaters on Tropicana Field’s Trejekt machine.
It’s hard to tell what’s funnier, that Cam got a 50 percent (!) whiff rate on the bender that night, or that while he edged out eight whiffs he got another six called for strikes. Boston doesn’t have the best lineup in baseball, but they’re still MLB players, and they were bamboozled by the change in gameplan.
And we’ve seen this with Cam before — what makes me so supremely confident in him, and what drives my desire for the Yankees to work out an extension with him the moment labor strife in the sport is resolved is that ability to tweak in-between starts. He gave up four home runs against the Tigers on June 30th, and then just six in the 15 starts and 89.2 innings he threw to close the year. He walked five against the Red Sox on August 28th, a start that could have made us otherwise nervous given his dominance of his hometown team. After that he made five starts to finish up his Cy Young campaign, 30 innings of work, and walked just seven combined.
Then of course facing a Boston team so geared up for velo on Tuesday, Cam quite literally bent the gameplan and pitched the game of his life, again. Mike Trout used to do this, at the height of his powers he would look at a part of his game that wasn’t A+ and just decide to make it A+. Mike Trout is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, maybe the best five-tool talent I have ever seen for an extended period of his career, and I am not quite ready to say that Cam Schlittler is at that level, but damn if he isn’t trying.
But he doesn’t face Boston tonight, he faces Tampa Bay. Instead of the league’s 17th best offense, it’s the sixth best. The Red Sox struck out 21.7 percent of the time, below league average to be clear but three full points higher than Tampa’s K-rate. They do have one thing in common though.
Boston was the worst team in baseball facing curveballs, -7 runs against the pitch. Tampa Bay is the second-worst, -5.7. Now we get into game theory, and perhaps paralysis by analysis. If I know how bad Tampa is against curves, and Tampa just watched the Red Sox get led around Yankee Stadium on a leash made of breaking balls, the Rays have to be gameplanning against a repeat, curve-heavy performance.
Cam’s made three starts against the Rays this year, and has actually underperformed to his own baseline, posting a gaudy 2.81 ERA in 16 innings. He has also struck out seven Rays for every one he walked so, maybe the gameplan is just “do that again.” Then again, he owns the lowest ERA of any pitcher ever against the Red Sox, and became a completely different man when taking them down Tuesday. Maybe we get F*** You Fastball Cam, maybe we get Schlittler on a bender, maybe there’s something else he’s cooking up. The joy of watching Cam Schlittler over the last year and a half has been witnessing the evolution of an ace, and the next chapter comes tonight.
Jonathan Aranda's solo homer was the game's only run and Rays starter Drew Rasmussen took a no-hitter into the eighth inning as Tampa Bay took the all-important Game 1 on Saturday.
Likely AL Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler takes the mound for the Yankees in Game 2 coming off his scoreless outing with 10 strikeouts in the first game of the AL wild card series against the Boston Red Sox, the second year in a row he dominated the rivals in the postseason. Freddy Peralta starts for the Rays in Game 2 after going 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA following a trade deadline deal with the Mets.
Yankees players were able to spend the off day working out at the team's spring training facility in Tampa and manager Aaron Boone didn't have any updates on the status of MVP Aaron Judge, who was left off the ALDS roster as he continues making his way back from injuries.
How to watch Yankees vs Rays: TV channel, streaming
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The Dallas Stars haven't had much go their way to start the season, and they're doing it without one of their most familiar names.
Dallas opened with a 4-0 home loss to the St. Louis Blues before falling 2-1 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday. They're 0-2, and Matt Duchene hasn't been available for either game.
The former Colorado Avalanche forward is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered during training camp. He'll miss at least 10 games.
For Colorado, Duchene's situation is worth keeping an eye on.
He was the No. 3 overall pick by the Avalanche in 2009 and spent parts of nine seasons with the organization. By the time Colorado traded him to Ottawa in 2017, Duchene had appeared in more than 587 games for the franchise.
He's obviously a different player now.
Duchene turns 36 in January, but he showed he could still produce at a high level during the 2024-25 season. He played all 82 games for Dallas and led the Stars with 30 goals and 52 assists for 82 points.
That was the third 30-goal season of his career.
Last year was much tougher.
Duchene missed 25 games after suffering a vestibular concussion on a hard hit from Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton. He later described it as the hardest injury he'd had to recover from.
He still managed 45 points in 57 games after returning, scoring 16 goals with 29 assists.
Now he's dealing with another setback.
The lower-body issue surfaced during training camp. Dallas tried to manage it, but Duchene eventually suffered a setback and landed on LTIR.
The earliest he can return is Oct. 25 against the New York Islanders, which would be Dallas' 11th game. That's only the first date he's eligible to return, though, not a guarantee that he'll be ready.
The Stars could use him. They've scored just one goal through their first two games, and they're already looking for more offense.
Duchene has bounced around since leaving Colorado, playing for Ottawa, Columbus and Nashville before eventually landing in Dallas.
But his Avalanche years remain a significant part of his career. He was a third-overall pick, played nearly 600 games in Colorado and became one of the most recognizable players on the team during his time there.
Now, at 35, he's facing another stretch on the sidelines.
After missing significant time last season, that's not exactly the start Duchene or Dallas wanted.
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 4: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets prepares to shoot a free throw during the game against the Utah Jazz during the NBA preseason on October 4, 2026 at CU Events Center, Boulder, 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 Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Denver Nugget star Nikola Jokic often gets compared to Larry Bird, which is only partly fair. The funny part is, when people talk about Bird, they often suggest that he would be too slow to play in today’s NBA, but Jokic is far slower than Bird ever was, and he’s doing just fine.
The primary reason they are compared is because both have phenomenal vision and passing skills. Bird had an ability to pass to people when his back was turned. Somehow, he always knew where everyone was on the court at all times.
Jokic has some of that too, as we see here: He’s in the corner near the bench, half-turned, when he whips a behind-the-back pass through the defense to former UNC player Cameron Johnson, who is alone deep in the opposite corner. Caught completely off-guard: Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic, and Svi Mykhailiuk.
In our opinion, this is the rare play that Bird could not have made. Why?
Because to move a ball that far, that fast, behind your back, takes a lot more strength than Bird had. But if you’d told Bird that, the basketball sociopath would have just told you that he didn’t need to do that because he had plenty of other options. Then he would have told you what he was going to do to you, and then done it, and taunted you afterwards because you couldn’t even stop what you knew was coming.
