Archive for Teams

I’ve written a lot of playoff series previews over the years. You can go about them in a number of ways. Highlight some key players from each team, perhaps, or touch on one particularly interesting matchup. If you’re feeling frisky, series previews can tell a narrative story, or even get experimental and weird. But one thing I don’t think I’ve ever tried before is looking at the series through the lens of failure.

That sounds negative, defeatist, not in keeping with the kind of escapism we come to baseball for. But that’s only if you don’t think about it too long – because one team’s failure is another team’s success. If the Padres get eliminated, the Brewers don’t, and vice versa. It’s a zero-sum game. So let’s figure out how things could go wrong for the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers, and use that to shine a light on what each team will be trying to do to the other as they square off in the NLDS.

How the Brewers Might Fail
Milwaukee has the best starter in baseball in Jacob Misiorowski, and by virtue of earning a first-round bye, they’ll deploy him on full rest to open the series. That means he’ll also be available to pitch on five days’ rest in a potential Game 5. It’s a huge advantage right from the jump; Milwaukee’s ace is better than San Diego’s ace, Michael King, and King won’t appear until Game 2 of this series.

But when a single starter is a major reason for one team’s advantage, failure is always just around the corner. Misiorowski gets my vote for the best pitcher in baseball right now, and he’s going to win the NL Cy Young in a landslide. But even as he cruised to a 1.80 ERA, he was hardly perfect. He got tagged for five runs twice this year, and for three runs five more times. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the strong side of the bracket. This ain’t no Guardians-White Sox. They may not have been sanctified by the Bishop of Rome, but we’ve got a matchup between the Rays and the Yankees, the two best teams in the American League. Or, at least, the teams with the two best records. The Rays won 98 games, which gave them the best record in the American League by a whopping five-game margin. With 93 wins, the Yankees were the only team within 11 wins of the Rays! But according to both their BaseRuns and Pythagorean records, the Rays played above their heads and the Yankees are the better team.

The Rays won the season series, 7-6, but four of those 13 games took place very recently. In the penultimate series of the regular season, the Yankees took three of four from the Rays in the Bronx. Somehow, this is just the second time the Rays and Yankees have ever faced off in the playoffs. Tampa Bay beat New York, 3-2, in the 2020 ALDS. Gerrit Cole went 1-0 in two starts in the series, and Giancarlo Stanton batted .316 with four home runs. Aaron Judge knocked two homers of his own, but batted just .143. Yankees reliever Ryan Yarbrough pitched pretty well too, but he did so for the Rays. Anyway, that was six years ago in a season that just barely happened. So much for history.

In years past, we’ve hashed out and rehashed the great debate: Would you rather have a bye and risk the rust, or would you rather come off a series win, triumphant but unrested? This conversation has always been at least a little bit silly because it’s always better to take the bye; no one has ever lost a bye. Still, this year, it’s different. The Rays will be coming off five full days of rest. They could be rusty. But the Yankees won’t be tired. They got three days off before the Wild Card series, and they finished stomping a mudhole in the Red Sox on Wednesday night, giving them two full days off to recover. The entire bullpen is rested. Presumptive (read: 100% certain) AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler won’t pitch Game 1, but he’ll be on regular rest for Game 2 and a potential series-deciding Game 5. The offense that everyone was worried about just put up back-to-back nine-spots. Momentum may be a construct, but you’d still rather have it on your side, right? Read the rest of this entry »

Cade Smith is one of the game’s most dominant closers. Since debuting with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, the 27-year-old right-hander from Abbotsford, British Columbia boasts a 2.26 ERA, a 1.84 FIP, and a 35.5% strikeout rate over 219 appearances comprising 233 innings. Moreover, he enters October on the heels of his best season to date. Not only did Smith forge a 1.95 ERA over 74 frames, his 41 saves tied him with Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker for the most in the majors.

His development is a testament to his raw talent and work ethic, but also to the Guardians’ highly regarded pitching program. When Smith signed with Cleveland as an amateur free agent in 2020 following the pandemic-truncated five-round draft, he barely resembled the pitcher he is today. The University of Hawaii product now features a 97.5-mph heater that ranked in the 91st percentile for velocity this year, a devastating bat-missing splitter, and a sweeper that elicited a .133 xBA.

A lot has changed over the years.

“When Cade entered the organization he was a low-90s pitcher with no secondary stuff,” explained Guardians bullpen coach Caleb Longshore, who previously tutored Smith as both a minor league pitching coach and coordinator. “We identified some things in his delivery that he has leaned into over the years, and we’ve seen a steady year-over-year increase in velocity. He started working on the splitter in 2023, in [Double-A] Akron, when [now big league assistant pitching coach] Brad Goldberg was there.”

Smith’s relationship with Longshore and Goldberg was a point of interest when I spoke with him in the final week of the regular season. Read the rest of this entry »

Direct links to applications (please see job details below):

2027 Baseball Development Fellow
2027 Minor League Affiliate Fellow

2027 Baseball Development Fellow

Location: St. Louis, MO

Job Summary:

The St. Louis Cardinals are seeking candidates for a Baseball Development Fellow position for the 2027 calendar year. The goal of the Baseball Development department is to automate processes and synthesize data to make baseball decisions easier and more accurate. The Fellow will work on projects at the direction of Baseball Development senior leadership. At the end of the Fellowship, the Cardinals and the Fellow will jointly determine whether there is an appropriate opportunity for continued employment within the Cardinals’ Baseball Operations department. Although a January 2027 start is preferred, the starting date of the position is flexible based on candidate availability or expected graduation date.

Job Duties:

• Assist Baseball Development with data collection, data entry, and data quality tasks to support analysis.
• Communicate effectively with Baseball Development staff and complete ad-hoc requests as needed.
• Conduct independent analytical or technical projects under the guidance of Baseball Development staff.
• Must be able to travel domestically.

Education/Experience Required:

• Current college senior or recent postgraduate with coursework or experience in a quantitative field, such as statistics, mathematics, engineering, or economics.
• Strong interest in and understanding of baseball and baseball-specific data, plus knowledge of current baseball research and strategy.
• Proven ability to learn new programming languages as needed.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Suite.
• Ability to work weekdays, nights, weekends, and holidays as dictated by the baseball schedule.

Education/Experience Preferred:

• Practical experience in SQL and an understanding of database design principles.
• Practical experience handling large data with statistical software (e.g., R, Python).
• Experience with advanced statistical modeling, application development, or software engineering.
• Prior experience playing or working in baseball or softball.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

2027 Minor League Affiliate Fellow

Location: St. Louis, MO

Job Summary:

The St. Louis Cardinals are currently seeking candidates for Minor League Affiliate Fellowship positions. The position is embedded across our affiliates, with each Fellow managing all aspects of video, technology, and data capture at their assigned location while supporting the day-to-day needs of the coaching staff and other Player Development staff. The data and video collected through these technologies are used throughout the organization to provide feedback to players, support staff decision-making, and aid in player development.

This role will work directly with the Baseball Technology, Baseball Development, and Player Development departments while serving as an important connection between the affiliate and the larger organization. Fellows will be expected to take ownership of all baseball technology needs at their affiliate.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate a strong work ethic, technical aptitude, attention to detail, effective communication skills, and a passion for pursuing a career in Baseball Operations. Candidates should be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, troubleshooting problems as they arise, and prioritizing responsibilities based on staff needs and organizational impact.

This is a seasonal role for the 2027 season but may lead to a second-year associate position with the goal of continued development and potential future full-time opportunities within Baseball Operations. Throughout the season, Fellows will gain exposure to multiple areas of Baseball Operations, with opportunities to grow, learn, and continue developing their technical, baseball, and professional skill sets.

Job duties:

• Manage baseball technology and video capture at the affiliate (e.g., Portable TrackMan, Blast Motion, Edgertronic camera, Panasonic camcorders, etc.).
• Support daily field and indoor pre-game activities.
• During games, depending on staff needs:
  • Manage in-game technology and video capture from the dugout.
  • Set up video camcorders for game recording.
  • Troubleshoot technology issues as they arise while minimizing disruption to staff and players.
• Ensure data and video collected throughout the day are properly stored, cleaned, synced, and available for ingestion.
• Assist with advance scouting needs at the affiliate.
• Serve as a conduit between the affiliate and the larger organization, relaying questions, issues, and requests.
• Maintain frequent communication with the Personnel Coordinator regarding technical issues and requests.
• Attend Spring Training and offseason camps and travel with the assigned minor league team throughout the season.

Experience/Education Required:

• Familiarity with and/or willingness to learn technologies such as Blast Motion, TrackMan, and video integration.
• Proficient with computers, iPads, and other electronics, with familiarity with basic technology troubleshooting steps.
• Demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in Baseball Operations.
• Familiarity with modern baseball metrics and player development concepts.
• Postgraduate, college senior, or recent graduate available to start work onsite in Jupiter, FL prior to Spring Training.
• Previous baseball experience and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a team setting.
• Ability to remain composed and flexible when dealing with equipment issues, schedule changes, and other unexpected circumstances.
• Ability to work weekdays, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Spanish fluency is a plus.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Direct link to application (please see job details below):

2027 Baseball Technology Fellowship

2027 Baseball Technology Fellowship

Location: Goodyear, Arizona, United States

Primary Purpose:
The Cleveland Guardians Fellowship program is designed to accelerate the pace of development and impact for people interested in working for our organization. Fellowship roles are focused on solving complex challenges, which involve developing innovative approaches, tools, and techniques to meaningfully drive the organization forward. Fellows will contribute to work across multiple departments and will be encouraged to use a suite of internal and proprietary resources.

We are seeking Fellows to join our Baseball Technology department. Each Fellow will work full-time with one of our minor league affiliates (Columbus, Akron, Lake County, Hill City, and Arizona Complex) and report to the Baseball Technology, Player Development, and Baseball Operations departments. Fellows will be expected to manage the collection of multiple data streams and operate as a resource for both coaches and players. This position will include travel to away games.

This Fellowship combines hands-on technology operations, video and data collection, real-time troubleshooting, staff support, and baseball analysis. The strongest candidates will be curious, creative, and open-minded, with a willingness to execute essential daily processes, respond to unexpected challenges, communicate clearly, and build strong relationships across a collaborative environment. They will also have opportunities to explore new ideas, present complex topics to a wide range of audiences, and take initiative on research that advances the Guardians’ organizational procedures and philosophies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Baseball Technology:

• Oversee operations of bat/ball/player tracking systems and emerging sports science technologies.
• Manage pre-game, in-game, and post-game video processes.
• Assist with the interpretation & distribution of the data and video collected.
• Assist the Information Systems team with Baseball Technology related troubleshooting and support.

Coaching Staff Support:

• Support affiliate coaching staff with Advance Scouting Process.
• Assist affiliate staff with assorted administrative tasks (i.e. daily scheduling, team travel, player housing).
• Assist Minor League field staff with pre-game activities.

Baseball Development and Analysis:

• Collaborate with coaching staff, Player Development, and Baseball Operations to monitor player goals and player progress.
• Perform ad hoc research and analysis, both at the request of staff and independently.
• Communicate findings and insights to Minor League Coaches, Players, and Player Development and Baseball Operations Departments.

Requirements:
The Cleveland Guardians are committed to developing and maintaining an environment that embraces all forms of diversity to enrich our core values, enhance our competitive position, strengthen our impact within our community, and foster a greater sense of belonging for our employees.

In this spirit, we know studies have shown that people from historically underserved groups – including women and people of color – are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and understand that candidate may bring certain skills and experiences to the role that are not listed above, but that would add tremendous value to our organization. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our qualifications described.

• Bachelor’s degree or Prior Professional Experience.
• Demonstrated passion for at least one of baseball technology, scouting, baseball analytics, sports science, hitting or pitching analysis and/or biomechanics, strength and conditioning, motor learning, or other baseball/softball related field.

Skills:

• Organization: Ability to create, maintain and execute a schedule effectively.
• Work Ethic: A relentless drive to collect more and better information.
• Passion: Demonstrate a clear passion for the game, teammates, the organization, and learning.
• Resourcefulness: Identify available resources to solve problems and better understand organizational philosophies.
• Strategic Thinking: Employ a problem-solving mindset focused on long term impact.
• Time Management: Ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaboration: Partner with staff and players. Exhibit excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Adaptability: Remain effective when schedules, priorities, technology, or staff needs change unexpectedly.

Preferred Experience:
While we are looking for a variety of diverse skill sets for this role, we know that past Fellows who have thrived in this role possessed certain skills that are best aligned to the game of baseball. If you have demonstrated experience with any of the following, you may be better positioned to thrive in this role.

• Conversational Spanish or better a plus.
• Experience with video editing software a plus.
• Experience with SQL and statistical software (i.e. R, Python, Stata, SAS) a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Working knowledge of advanced baseball statistics and publicly available research.

Standard Requirements:

• Represents the Cleveland Guardians in a positive fashion to all business partners and the general public.
• Reads, speaks, comprehends, and communicates English effectively in all communications.

• Ability to develop and maintain successful working relationships with members in all departments of the organization.
• Ability to act according to the organizational values and service excellence at all times.
• Ability to work with diverse populations and have a demonstrated commitment to social justice.
• Ability to walk, sit or stand for an entire shift.
• Ability to work extended days and hours, including holidays and weekends.
• Ability to move throughout all areas and levels of the Ballpark.
• Ability to work in a diverse and changing environment.
• Occasional physical activity such as lifting and carrying boxes up to 25 lbs.

About Us:
In Baseball Technology, our shared goal is to identify and develop diverse players and front office teammates who contribute to our mission. By working together effectively and collaboratively, we create a family atmosphere that supports learning as we strive for excellence in everything we do. We believe that we will achieve our goals by making evidence-based decisions and creating environments that support our people and empower them to learn.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Cleveland Guardians.

On April 12, 1862, a group of 24 Union spies — most of them volunteer soldiers, led by civilian James Andrews — commandeered a locomotive in Big Shanty, Georgia, and headed north. Their goal was to rendezvous with Union forces in Chattanooga, destroying rail and telegraph lines as they went. Andrews and his men ran out of fuel less than 18 miles from their destination; all of the raiders were captured and eight, including Andrews, were executed.

Some 164 years later and 15 miles southeast, another group of 20-odd belligerents from up north attempted a heist of their own. The Phillies had just stolen Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Braves, and a repeat performance would win them the series.

They fared little better than the Andrews Raiders. Michael Harris II put Atlanta ahead with a three-run first-inning home run, and Ray Kerr turned in an improbably spectacular spot start that kept the Braves on top the rest of the way for an eventual 6-2 win. None of Don Mattingly’s men were hanged, at least not yet. We’ll see what kind of a reception they get back home. Read the rest of this entry »

Direct links to applications (please see job details below):

Analyst, Major League Pitching – Research & Development
Analyst, Player Development – Research & Development

Analyst, Major League Pitching – Research & Development

Location: Kauffman Stadium, One Royal Way, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America

Job Summary: The Kansas City Royals are seeking a highly motivated and creative analyst to join the organization. Working under the direction of the Director of Research & Development, Christine Harris, the analyst will be fully integrated into the Major League clubhouse to provide resources, answers, and ideas to the Major League Pitching group. The successful candidate will combine analytical expertise and clear communication skills to translate baseball data into insights that give The Royals an edge when our pitchers step onto the mound.

Responsibilities & Duties:

• Be a critical thinker to improve resources for pitching development and game planning strategies
• Build reports to deliver digestible insights to coaches and players
• Effectively communicate data with Major League coaches, staff, and players
• Perform ad-hoc data analysis to answer questions that help inform pitching decisions
• Maintain our processes and pipeline to deliver pitching reports and the related data daily

Requirements:

• Record of published baseball research and or a portfolio of technical projects in any domain
• Strong proficiency with SQL and R to query and analyze data from large data sets
• Interpersonal and communication skills to seamlessly interact with front office, analysts, coaches, players, and other Baseball Operations personnel
• Familiarity with modern pitching evaluation and pitching development metrics

Preferred Qualifications:

• Software engineering background with the ability to design and build systems programmatically
• Experience building models with large data sets to answer research questions
• Experience as a player, coach, or staff member in a high level sports environment
• Proficiency with HTML and CSS to create and maintain interactive reports or PDFs
• 4-year degree or equivalent experience in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or related quantitative field

Position Details

• This position requires full-time travel with the Major League team during Spring Training, regular season, and Postseason
• Relocation to Kansas City is required in-season. However, there is no requirement to relocate full time.
• If you relocate full time, you will receive a one-time moving stipend
• If you maintain permanent residency outside of Kansas City, you will receive a monthly living stipend in-season
• Travel to Arizona for Major League Spring Training is required
• Minimal Travel Required in season

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift items weighing as much as 15 pounds
• Must be able to work in a seated position for majority of workday
• Must be able to be productive utilizing a computer keyboard and telephone
• Must be able to be productive in a work environment where the noise level can be high at times
• Must be comfortable walking to navigate the facility to access the office, concourse, etc.
• Must be able to work extended hours and/or weekends as required by deadlines and event scheduling

The physical demands described here are representative of those that may be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

This role is a Full-Time, Exempt opportunity that is eligible for Company Benefits, 401K, and PTO. This role is expected to have a standard 40-hour work week.
We also afford equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability. For this reason, the Kansas City Royals will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant consistent with its legal obligations to do so, including reasonable accommodations applicable local, state and / or federal law. As part of its commitment to make reasonable accommodations, the Club also wishes to participate in a timely, good faith, interactive process with a disabled applicant to determine effective reasonable accommodations, if any, which can be made in response to a request for accommodations. Applicants are invited to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made to assist them to perform the essential functions of the position they seek. Any applicant who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions please inquire with Human Resources by email at humanresources@royals.com.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

To Apply

To apply, please follow this link.

Analyst, Player Development – Research & Development

Location: Kauffman Stadium, One Royal Way, Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America

Job Summary: The Kansas City Royals are seeking a highly motivated and creative analyst to join the organization. Working under the direction of the Director of Research & Development, Christine Harris, the analyst will be fully integrated into the Minor League Player Development system to strengthen the resources used to maximize player performance. The successful candidate will combine analytical expertise and clear communication skills to translate baseball data into insights that give The Royals an edge when it comes to developing the best baseball talent in the game.

Responsibilities & Duties:

• Oversee and run the Player Development pipeline that delivers data and reports to the organization on a daily basis
• Be a critical thinker to improve resources for player development strategies
• Build reports to deliver digestible insights to coaches and players
• Effectively communicate data with Minor League coaches, staff, and players
• Perform ad-hoc data analysis to answer questions that help inform player development decisions

Requirements:

• Record of published baseball research and or a portfolio of technical projects in any domain
• Strong proficiency with SQL and R to query and analyze data from large data sets
• Interpersonal and communication skills to seamlessly interact with front office, analysts, coaches, players, and other Baseball Operations personnel
• Familiarity with modern player evaluation and player development metrics

Preferred Qualifications:

• Software engineering background with the ability to design and build systems programmatically
• Experience building models with large data sets to answer research questions
• Experience as a player, coach, or staff member in a high level sports environment
• Familiarity with the landscape of Minor League Baseball and its teams and players
• Proficiency with HTML and CSS to create and maintain interactive reports or PDFs
• 4-year degree or equivalent experience in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or related quantitative field

Position Details

• Relocation to Kansas City is strongly preferred but not required
• Travel to Arizona for Minor League Spring Training is required
• Potential for trips to Minor League Affiliates throughout the season

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift items weighing as much as 15 pounds
• Must be able to work in a seated position for majority of workday
• Must be able to be productive utilizing a computer keyboard and telephone
• Must be able to be productive in a work environment where the noise level can be high at times
• Must be comfortable walking to navigate the facility to access the office, concourse, etc.
• Must be able to work extended hours and/or weekends as required by deadlines and event scheduling

The physical demands described here are representative of those that may be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

This role is a Full-Time, Exempt opportunity that is eligible for Company Benefits, 401K, and PTO. This role is expected to have a standard 40-hour work week.
We also afford equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability. For this reason, the Kansas City Royals will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant consistent with its legal obligations to do so, including reasonable accommodations applicable local, state and / or federal law. As part of its commitment to make reasonable accommodations, the Club also wishes to participate in a timely, good faith, interactive process with a disabled applicant to determine effective reasonable accommodations, if any, which can be made in response to a request for accommodations. Applicants are invited to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made to assist them to perform the essential functions of the position they seek. Any applicant who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions please inquire with Human Resources by email at humanresources@royals.com.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

To Apply

To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Kansas City Royals.

When is an injury so bad that it requires time off? That depends on all sorts factors. How badly does it hurt? How badly does the team need that player’s production, and how much would playing through it inhibit that production? Would playing through it keep it from healing, exacerbate it, or lead to other injuries? How big is the drop-off between the injured player and whoever would be taking their place?

When is the right time to return from an injury? At any given time in the spring, summer, and fall, we can point to a dozen players whose performance is suffering as they return from an IL stint. Should they have spent more time on the shelf? Nobody knows this for sure, least of all those of us who are watching from the outside. Players see their performance drop off when they return from injuries all the time. Sometimes they returned too early, but sometimes no amount of rest or recuperation would have allowed them to avoid it. Maybe it’s just the unavoidable cost of catching back up to game speed.

Late on the evening of September 25, after the Orioles’ disappointing 2026 season had come to its abrupt, merciful end, Gunnar Henderson revealed to reporters that he’d spent half of it playing through a right wrist injury. “He declined to share the exact details,” wrote The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka, “but said he will not require any surgery.” Even without details, we can draw some obvious inferences. The injury was severe enough to linger for at least three months. That Henderson mentioned it at all indicates that the injury was significant enough to impair his performance, a notion supported by the fact that manager Craig Albernaz “said there were daily check-ins to assess his availability.” Read the rest of this entry »

On Wednesday night, the San Diego Padres eliminated the Chicago Cubs from the playoffs with a 4-1 win. A sold-out, frenzied crowd watched the Friars get to Kevin Gausman early, scoring two runs in the second after a double from Ty France, singles from Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts, and a sacrifice fly from Ethan Salas. A two-run homer from pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets in the fourth put San Diego up by three, and from there, the Cubs barely threatened. It was just the latest big moment in a summer full of them for the Padres: A team that saw its playoff odds drop to 7% in late July will now head to Milwaukee for the NLDS.

When you think about this generation of the San Diego Padres, a number of descriptors may spring to mind. “Exciting” works, for all the stars they’ve rostered and playoff runs they’ve made. “Unpredictable” captures the spirit of a front office bold enough to empty the farm year after year, postseason probability be damned. “Competitive” — you heard all those F-bombs during the game last night, yes? — applies, as might “brash,” particularly if you’re from Los Angeles or Phoenix.

But watching this game, I kept thinking about how poised they looked. It’s an unfamiliar feeling watching this group: Fernando Tatis Jr. is many wonderful things, but there’s very little mellow to him or the team he headlines. In an emotional game, though, which is exactly how they looked, and nobody epitomized that more than San Diego’s young catcher. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK — Lefty? Righty? The platoon-heavy Yankees will beat your frontline starter regardless of handedness, and their frontline starter will shut your offense down. That was the case, at least, in this year’s Wild Card Series between the Yankees and the Red Sox. After fireballing righty Cam Schlittler overwhelmed Boston in Tuesday night’s opener, lefty Max Fried stifled the Sox for six innings on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a lineup stacked with eight lefty hitters — and again, no Aaron Judge — pressed Red Sox manager Chad Tracy to pull starter Sonny Gray after just 70 pitches, trailing 1-0. As on Tuesday night, the Yankees broke the game open against Boston’s lefty relievers. New York cruised to a 9-2 victory and a series sweep.

As he did in Game 1 of the 2025 Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, Fried pitched brilliantly. He held Boston scoreless through the first five innings on just two hits before allowing a solo home run to Willson Contreras with two outs in the sixth. It wasn’t just Boston’s first home run of the series, it was the team’s first run in a playoff game since the sixth inning of Game 2 of last year’s series, a span of 26 2/3 innings. Fried struck out six while walking one; though he got just nine whiffs (18.8%) and a 23.5% called strike and whiff rate, he allowed just three hard-hit balls and an average exit velocity of 85.3 mph. He threw 98 pitches, and when the Yankees broke through for six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, it was an easy call for manager Aaron Boone to go to his bullpen. Read the rest of this entry »