The crazy story of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber, Paul Goldschmidt, Giancarlo Stanton & other MLB stars and the underground sandlot games no one knew about.
“We would’ve had 10,000 people there.”
For
@TheAthletic
:
Max Scherzer just stopped Albert Pujols on his way out to stretch.
“I got to get a photo with you, and this arch.”
Scherzer, a St. Louis native, said this is going on his wall someday.
Derek Alexander Scherzer was born yesterday at 5:38 pm, according to Erica Scherzer’s instagram.
It’s the couple’s third child and first son. Congrats to the Scherzer family!
Strasburg signed a 7-year, 245 mil deal after the 2019 World Series. He had nerve damage and is 100 percent disabled. Offering a gracious retirement ceremony and then trying to change the terms is something.
Just a reminder that MLB players opting out this season who aren’t high risk aren’t getting paid.
They aren’t getting service time.
And they have no idea how it will impact their careers.
Let’s save the cowards chants for a better target, huh?
NEWS: The Nationals are the first known MLB team to part ways with unvaccinated FT employees, making multiple personnel changes today, inc. a few related to those who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.
MLB announced attendance over 70 million this year which is up 9.6% from last year and the biggest year-to-year increase in the last 30 years.
Not bad for a sport I keep hearing is dying.
So you can't trust baseball's balls.
You can't trust that teams aren't cheating.
The league's drug policy needs to examined after Tyler Skaggs' passing.
And MLB wants to eliminate more than 40 Minor League teams.
Other than that, everything is fine.
Interesting text from a baseball person.
“So MLB said Bumgarner wasn’t a no-hitter because no telling what would happen with more time? Then how in the world are the Dodgers the world champions?”
When Jared Porter got hired, many, many people lauded the move for his character and integrity. Let this be a lesson. Character is not defined by who confirms trade rumors or answers your calls.
Personal news: I’ll be covering MLB as a national baseball writer for
@TheAthletic
this season.
I am excited, energized and a little terrified. Now, more the ever, different voices matter in sports.
#TheLimitDoesNotExist
People in my mentions complaining that the Mets spending spree now means smaller market teams won't be able to sign anyone.
Repeat after me: There are no poverty franchises. Just ones that act like it.
The Orioles suspended broadcaster Kevin Brown for a remark he made on the team's record against Tampa Bay the past two seasons, which was listed in the team's game notes and went with a graphic made by the team's network.
Ohtani said the chants to come to Seattle were nice but be was trying to focus on the game. Said he wasn’t as nervous as his first all star game.
Asked what player he admires and liked watching here, he said Mookie Betts.
BREAKING: Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger is under investigation by MLB following allegations of domestic violence involving the mother of his 10-month-old daughter and child abuse. Story with
@KatieJStrang
:
Maria Taylor's ballot is terrible, there's no question about that.
However: When a guy makes a mistake, he makes a mistake. When a woman makes a mistake it’s because WE DON'T KNOW SPORTS.
Developing story: Stephen Strasburg’s retirement press conference slated for Saturday has been cancelled, multiple sources say. The plan was to honor him and retire his number but the Nationals have changed course.
So, MLB did not make any counteroffers today after saying they would. And now they want a mediator to help the negotiations along.
I'm no expert, but seems like wanting to actually negotiate should be a key factor in actual negotiations.
Major acquisition about an hour before the Trade Deadline. Lifetime contract for the little man, who clocked in at 8 lb., 9 oz. Major thanks to everyone
@MDMercyMedia
. 💙💙
30-plus years of experience in a sport where hot-shot GM's in their 30s is a thing.
This isn't diversity for diversity's sake, Kim NG is OVER QUALIFIED.
Manny Machado turns 30 today. Here’s what he’s done career-wise since coming up at 19:
🔹49.1 WAR
🔹5x All-Star
🔹2x Gold Glove (Platinum Glove)
🔹Silver Slugger
🔹1,5111 hits
🔹.282/.341/.490/.831 line
🔹 263 HR
🔹1367 games played
MLB announces three players suspended for PED violations. 80 games each for:
free agent infielder Danny Santana
free agent infielder José Rondón
free agent pitcher Richard Rodríguez
Being Twitter famous is like being rich in Monopoly: fleeting and worthless.
Advice to young journalists: Do the work. Learn to report. Stop comparing yourself. Know that reputation means more than followers. Build a resume and career you can be proud of.
Mets first base coach Wayne Kirby underwent prostate cancer surgery in NY yesterday. He said it went well, he’s up walking and will return to baseball in 10 days.
Both Pete Alonso and Manny Machado held up Stand Up to Cancer signs w/ Kirby’s name during the All Star Game.
NEWS: Phillies and Mets High-A Minor league players are wearing these
#FairBall
wristbands during today’s game in Brooklyn to protest minor league wages.
It’s a collaborative, unprecedented event as minor leaguers continue to speak out against conditions.
Broadcaster Maura Sheridan reported an assault to the police & her MiLB team. Then she found her job posted online. Now out of baseball, Sheridan is telling her story.
“I never regretted saying anything... (but) in the end, it hurt me in multiple ways.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. smacked a grand slam on a 3-0 count with a big lead, leading to criticism from both managers.
What do you think about this unwritten rule in baseball?
🎥
@MLB
#PadresTwitter
I hope people understand how big Kim Ng RUNNING A TEAM IS. Of the four major men's sports, MLB is still very much the old boys club at the upper echelon.
Ng isn't just a female or Asian-American. She's a badass who has been qualified for this job for quite some time.
Really cool stuff: Albert Pujols covered the salaries of some of the Angels Dominican Republic staffers during the pandemic. This week, they honored him in-person with a small ceremony and plaque, sources say.
The Tampa Bay Rays have all 5 affiliates either in the playoffs or as league champions. When people say they just 'come out of nowhere' every year, it's not necessarily true. They learn to win at every level.
Ken is the 🐐. While many national reporters fear access or backlash, he was all-in on every story
@KatieJStrang
and I did w him. He cares about the truth & doing things the right way, even if it’s uncomfortable. We need more reporters like Ken. We need more people like him, too.
Cedric Mullins, who made the AL team as a reserve, said he found out he was starting Thursday and had to keep it a secret. His family is here & in the same hotel. When lineups were announced yesterday he heard a scream a few doors down: it was his mom reacting to the news.
#BREAKING
: Police said they feared a "Las Vegas style shooting" after discovering more than a dozen weapons and 1,000+ rounds of ammo at a hotel near Coors Field Friday night.
@LizGelardi
and
@TonyKovaleski
have exclusive details:
Am sickened with the amount of vile comments regarding Dave Martinez's heart and health. My dad had a few stents as a byproduct of cancer in his 20s. By 57, he needed a heart transplant. By 59, he was dead.
Take your disgusting nonsense somewhere else.
Not being able to afford a doctor’s co-pay. Begging for charity. Working 3 jobs & couch surfing. Choosing between feeding your family & going to your team’s camp.
20 current & former minor leaguers open up on brutal offseasons & a system against them:
The Orioles official account changing its photo to Robert Andino, who sent the Red Sox home “crying crocodile tears” in 2011 after taking 2 of 3 from Boston is next level trolling.
Because MLB's owners have barred players from using club facilities during the lockout (whether they are injured or not) the MLBPA has recently finalized a partnership w/ D-BAT enabling all 40-man players & any FA with at least 1 day of service to use their facilities for free.
Remember when ex Astros AGM Brandon Taubman screamed, “I’m so glad we got Osuna!” at female reporters & SI wrote it? That wasn’t a scrum. It’s also not a scrum every time you see a reporter giving you color about what a celebration or quiet clubhouse looks and sounds like.
The Nationals are doing the hard thing and burning the 2019 title team down to the studs. Almost everyone should be available.
Now, throw the moon at Juan Soto, sign the 22-year-old —a free agent in 2025— forever and build around him.
My column:
It was the Nationals who approached Strasburg about retiring and paying him the full amount of his contract, sources briefed on the matter say. The team wants to change the terms.
Developing story: Stephen Strasburg’s retirement press conference slated for Saturday has been cancelled, multiple sources say. The plan was to honor him and retire his number but the Nationals have changed course.
Even over Zoom, Nationals manager Davey Martinez's voice was off. Very emotional. You could tell he was struggling to keep it together. These are real people in real situations here. If you @ me "shut up and play" you will be blocked.
So, the Orioles are leaving Miami, a hot spot, and won't be quarantined.
The Atlanta Braves, where the Marlins may or may not have contracted COVID-19, are playing in Tampa tonight.
The Yankees are holed up in a Philly hotel.
The Marlins are also still in Philly.
Yikes.
The Nationals have also not received the PPE gear they were suppose to have, Doolittle said. This includes:
N -95 masks
gloves
Coupled with testing delays, this is not good.
NEWS: The Pasadena police department’s investigation into Trevor Bauer has been presented to the district attorney’s office. The DA will now decide whether the case will be filed or rejected.
This is such a refreshingly candid take from a pro athlete.
Zack Britton’s wife, Courtney, was a lawyer who helped support him in the minor leagues. She stopped working when they started having kids.
Scherzer said the Dodgers limiting his pitch count and trying to keep him fresh for the postseason lowered his work capacity and he thinks led to his dead arm. Said in DC he was relied on and pushed to consistently go 110 pitches every five days so more built up for ‘19 WS run
“There it is,” Scherzer told me earlier this series, pointing to Minute Maid Park’s right-field foul pole, which Howie Kendrick drilled a two-run home run off to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning of Game 7. “I love that pole.”
Unvaccinated Astros employees terminated in mid August & Nationals employees (last week) are not being paid or getting health benefits for the remainder of their contracts, sources tell me and
@Ken_Rosenthal
In both cases contracts go at least into Oct, some later.
Some Max Scherzer trade odds:
New York Mets 3/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 7/2
Milwaukee Brewers 15/4
New York Yankees 9/2
Houston Astros 5/1
Boston Red Sox 6/1
Oakland Athletics 7/1
(From Bet Online.)
Trey Mancini is wearing a
#FairBall
wristband for today’s game in support of better wages for Minor League players. The Orioles 1B is the second big leaguer to support the cause, Phillies OF Andrew McCutchen wore the wristband last Sunday.