San Francisco Giants Jung Hoo Lee slugs a single in the second inning against the St Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Sep 9, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Lincoln Juarez
SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants hoped to continue to play spoiler to the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday afternoon in the final game of a three-game set. St. Louis dropped the first two games of the series plunging them to 6.0 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. For the Giants, a sweep of the Cardinals at home would’ve been their first since June 29-July 1, 2001.
A beautiful 80 degree afternoon at Oracle Park began with a 95mph called strike one to Cardinal leadoff hitter Bryan Torres who popped out to Shay Whitcomb at third for the first out of the day. The first of three quick outs to set the Cardinals down in order with the help of another great diving play by Bryce Eldridge at first base to end the inning.
Drew Gilbert leadoff the home first with a line drive up the middle and in the blink of an eye he was testing his luck for two bases. He dove in well ahead of Nathan Church’s throw for a leadoff double. Two batters later, Bryce Eldridge, who extended his on-base streak to 17 games Tuesday night, blooped a base-hit to left field to bring home Gilbert, extending his streak to 18 games. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, Jonah Cox was caught stealing to end the Giants rally in the first with a 1-0 lead.
It was the third time in as many games against the Redbirds the Giants scored in the first inning hoping for the same result from the first two games in which the Giants secured their first series win against St. Louis since sweeping a three-game set at Busch Stadium in 2023.
The one-run lead wouldn’t last as the Cardinals brought a run home on two hits in the top of the second. In the third, the Cardinals added more after an unfortunate sequence of events for Giants’ starter Blade Tidwell. In the process of having Ivan Herrera picked off between first and second base Tidwell was called for interference after running through the baseline, making contact with Herrera, allowing him to advance to second base.
Tidwell then walked Alec Burleson and gave up a 378ft homerun to Leo Bernal putting the St. Louis ahead 4-1. A situation that could’ve been two out with nobody on resulted in Tidwell being visibly frustrated on his way back to the dugout after the three-run inning.
He would only last another full inning, getting pulled in the fifth with the bases loaded from a single, hit-by-pitch, and walk with nobody out. Tidwell’s final line was 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. He was replaced by left-hander Philip Abner, making his Giants debut.
St. Louis was held to just one in the fifth thanks to Abner rolling a double-play on the first pitch he threw. They got one more in the sixth and had a 6-1 lead the rest of the way.
It was a game in which the Giants offense struggled to get anything going past the first inning thanks to Cardinals’ starter Andre Pallante giving up the lone run across 5.0 innings of work. San Francisco was shutout after the first inning until the bottom of the eighth, when Bryce Eldridge came through with his second RBI-hit of the afternoon. It knocked in two to make it a 6-3 Cardinal lead. Jonah Cox followed with a base-hit of his own driving in another run to get the Giants within two.
Edridge stood on second base with Cox at first and Jung Hoo Lee in the box with two out. Jung Hoo lined a double off the brick wall in right bringing home both Eldridge and Cox, who shared a long, celebratory hug after Cox scored. On the next pitch Shay Whitcomb, who had been great all day defensively, smacked one to centerfield also off the wall to trade places with Jung Hoo Lee. The Giants came all the way back and had a 7-6 lead.
As the Oracle Park crowd gave a standing ovation to the Giants offense at the end of the eighth inning, Trent Harris made the trek to the mound to close out a Giants comeback win. Jose Fermin leadoff the ninth with a single on the first pitch prompting the Cardinals to pinch-hit with the Homerun Derby champion, Jordan Walker. Walker rolled into 6-4-3 double-play and one pitch later Trent Harris got his first career big-league save and Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson earned his first career win courtesy of the Giants’ eighth inning comeback.
St. Louis could not avoid the sweep heading into their nine-game homestand, their final of the season, where the final three games of the Giants, Cardinals season series will be played next Monday through Wednesday. The Cardinals look to make one last run at the final National League Wild Card spot with 15 games remaining.
The Giants swept a team in 2026 in three consecutive days for the first time, they won all three games in their road series against the Atlanta Braves but the final game of that series was over two months after the first two.
Tony Vitello and his squad of young prospects will welcome the San Diego Padres to town for a three-game series beginning Friday night at 7:15pm, hoping to spoil more playoff hopes. The Padres, another team trying to overcome the Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot.
Starters for Friday for San Diego LHP Robbie Ray (11-8 ERA 3.38) for San Francisco RHP Anthony Molina (3-0 ERA 2.79) first pitch 7:15pm PDT.
WEST SACRAMENTO–With the mercury close to 100 degrees throughout the duration of today’s series ending showdown, Henry Bolte needed one swing to give the Athletics a lead, and a five-man pitching relay made sure it held. Bolte launched a solo homer to left-center in the third inning, Tommy White scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, and the A’s shut out Toronto 2-0 to take two of three in the series.
Brady Basso set the tone with four scoreless innings in his sixth start of the season. The left-hander allowed three hits, walked two and struck out four, repeatedly escaping before Toronto could cash in. His biggest jam surfaced in the fourth, when Alejandro Kirk singled and Ernie Clement later moved him to third with two outs. Basso ended the threat by striking out Brandon Valenzuela, preserving a scoreless game and handing the offense a chance to move first. Basso had worked as both an opener and reliever throughout the season, making this another short-start assignment rather than a traditional turn through the rotation.
Bolte did exactly that in the bottom of the third. Facing Michael Lorenzen, the 22-year-old drove a fly ball over the wall in left-center for his 10th home run of the season. The blast continued a September surge that had already seen Bolte bat .367 with three homers, six RBI, eight walks and five stolen bases through his first eight games of the month. He also began the day with 19 steals, the most by an A’s player age 22 or younger since Rickey Henderson stole 56 in 1981.
The Athletics added their second run without needing another extra-base hit. White singled to right in the fourth and Max Muncy followed with a single to left, moving White to third. Lorenzen then bounced a wild pitch that brought White home and moved Muncy to second. Donovan Walton sent a fly ball to right that pushed Muncy to third, but Toronto kept the margin at 2-0.
That small cushion turned into a bullpen assignment, and Scott Blewett handled the most dangerous part of it. Brett Bateman doubled with one out in the fifth, and pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes followed with an infield single that put runners at the corners. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then hit a grounder back to Blewett, who started a 1-4-3 double play with Walton and White to end the inning. In the sixth, Kirk drew a leadoff walk before Kazuma Okamoto bounced into another double play, this one started by Zack Gelof at third.
Luis Medina took the seventh and struck out Valenzuela and pinch-hitter Josh Smith after retiring Clement on a ground ball. Hogan Harris followed with a perfect eighth, getting Bateman, George Springer and Guerrero in order. Elvis Alvarado finished the ninth, striking out Kirk and Okamoto before Andrés Giménez singled. Clement then flied out to right, ending Toronto’s final chance.
The A’s offense produced only four hits, with Muncy collecting two of them, but it was enough because Toronto never crossed the plate. That made the result even more striking considering the Athletics had batted only .167 through their first five games against the Blue Jays this season. They finished the season series 2-4 against Toronto, but both victories were in this three-game set.
The pitching performance also extended a better stretch for an Athletics bullpen that had allowed one earned run or fewer in 14 of its previous 19 games. Blewett, Medina, Harris and Alvarado combined for five scoreless innings after Basso’s four, giving the A’s nine consecutive scoreless innings against a Toronto lineup that had scored four times the previous game.
After Thursday’s off day, the A’s turn to Jeffrey Springs (4-13, 6.02 ERA, 104 K) against Seattle, which is expected to counter with George Kirby (9-11, 4.18 ERA, 133 K), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Pacific.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Oakland Ballers rallied for ten runs against the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds in the top of the second inning for a 16-10 win on Sun Sep 6, 2026 (Oakland Ballers photo)
Wed Sep 9, 2026
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–Walter Huston sang “Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December, but the days grow short when you reach September.” Or as Lawrence Berra told us more prosaicly, “It gets late early this time of the year.”
But sometimes, as happened the bottom of the eighth on the first of the month, when the Freebirds of Yuba-Sutter turned a 7-3 Baller lead into a 10-7 Freeboard triumph, it seemed as though a half inning would last forever. Even the following day, when the 10-7 game went Oakland’s way, their hosts managed to make the home half of the sixth last what felt like an eternity as they they fit all their runs into that slowly stretched out frame.
When the season ended with Sunday’s kaleidoscopic win over the Firebirds, time seemed to have expanded and contracted like an accordion that sometimes plays beautiful music and at others emits flatulent noises.
Let’s take a brief glance at each of the week’s games and then begin to see if we can make heads or tails out of them. Then we can begin to endulge in the post mortems, predictions, and other entertainments of the hot stove league.
This game contained the eighth inning from hell, when the Ballers blew a 7-4 lead. Tyler Bates took over mound duties for Jame Pazdera, who had allowed two runs in his three innings in relief of Christian Díaz before yielding a lead off single to Issac Núñez. Bates walked Cam Yuran. Then Núñez pilferred third and scored on Zab Roos’s single that moved Yuran into scoring position. What followed seemed almost inevitable: a passed ball, a two RBI double by Cooper Hext, a walk, another stolen base, a sac fly, and a shower for Bates. Nathan Darden came in to pitch, and the onslaught continued with a stolen base, an error by Brandon O’Sullivan at short, and a single by Josh Duarte that brought in two more Freebird runs. Darden had time to unleash a wild pitch before he fanned Núñez to retire the side.
The tables were turned in this game, with Oakland coming out on top in another 10-7 slugfest . David Thomas allowed a mere two hits in five innings of shutout ball. Brady Chåvez also surrendered two hits, but he did it in just a third of an inning, during which he managed to cough up half a dozen runs, all of them earned. Brock Mayer, who allowed an unearned run in his 3-2/3 innings on the mound, earned the win.
9/3:
There was no winning or losing pitcher. Yuba-Sutter won in second round of KO inning. (Round 1: Oak: Tristan Moore [0]. Y-S: Cooper Hext [0]. Round 2: Oak: Jeter Ybarra [0]. Y-S: Andrew Kirchner [1])
Time: 2:47 Attendance: 356. (10-15 minute rain delay in top of 1st)
In another topsy-turvy set-to, Ren Abe Arias pitched a complete game, which in the PBL means nine innings rather than pitching from the beginning to the end of the contest. The Japanese-Mexican right handed ace got a no decision, and the B’s suffered a loss when neither Tristan Moore nor Jeter Ybarra for Oakland nor Cooper Hext for Yuba-Sutter could hit a fair ball out of Bryant Field in two minutes or five swings, Andrew Kirchner got the one “home run” he needed to give the Freebirds credit for a win.
Abe Arias was superb, not allowing a baserunner in the four opening frames. Kirchner made a frame of his own; before he closed the scoring with his fatal blow in the Shootout in the KO Corral, he had broken the tie and the perfecto with with a homer to right in the fifth, closing Oakland’s lead from 2-0 to 2-1. The Freebirds went up, 3-2 in the sixth on three singles, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. Walks to Santos, Sanford, and Johnstone and sac fly from Ybarra enabled the B’s retied the game, setting up the carnival side show.
9/4:
Pitching coach Jim Dedrick was manager for a day, replacing Aaron Miles this Friday evening. Miles served as first base coach. It’s unclear if this move has any long term significance.
Winning pitcher: James Pazdera (1-0) Losing pitcher: Eric Vasser (1-1) Save: Nathan Darden (1)
Time: 3:39 Attendance: 1,076
This was the game in which Ybarra drove in his 107th run of the season, making him the team’s all time (i.e., three year) leader in that category. It also was Pandora’s first win as a proand Darden’s first save as a Baller.
9/5:
Winning pitcher: Riley Egloff (6-6) Losing pitcher: Hunter Day (0-6) Save: Rane Pfeifer (3) Time: 2:15 Attendance: 809
Hunter Day pitched seven excellent innings and left trailing, 2-1, He threw 101 pitches, and both runs were earned. He gave up five hits and three walks. Julio Rosario wasn’t as ineffective as he often is, but the home run he surrendered to Zach Chamizo after retiring the first two batters he faced, put this uncharacteristic low scoring game effectively out of reach,
Last day of the season games are notorious for their eccentricities. I’m thinking of Bert Campaneris playing a new position each inning in 1965 and Babe Ruth pitching in 1930 and 1933. Managers of teams headed for the post season used to give their usual batters an extra day of rest by letting pitchers play on the bases or in the outfield. In this season’s Baller finale, Noah Blythe, the position player who frequently gave the bullpen a rest by tossing the last inning or so of blowout losses, started for the Ballers. He moved to right in the second frame but returned to the mound with two down in the bottom of the ninth to the bookend his day. James Pazdera, who was pitching when Blythe took over, caught the last out, Kyle Carlson’s fly to right, the position Blythe had just vacated.
A weak bullpen was a frequent problem for Oakland all season long. Today, Brock Mayer was an exception. Although he yielded a half a dozen runs in his six innings on the bump, only one was earned. He still closed out the season with an ERA of 6.41.
What follows is compilation of thoughts I’ve had about where the Ballers stand and what they stand for. It doesn’t pretend to be definitive or complete. I’d welcome comments, disagreements, and corrections, but mainly clarifications. My judgements may seem harsh, but they are tentative. When I categorize statements as ambiguous, it’s because the situation they refer to is complicated; I’m not implying that the person or organization involved is being duplicitous, although we never can rule out that possibility.
Even before the season began there were signs of trouble. Lou Helmig had left Oakland and taken his .884 OPS with him.. BTW, the first baseman’s father had managed Team Germany in the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifying Round. That team came within a hare’s breath of defeating eventual runner up Nicaragua. One time Oakland Athletic Bruce Maxwell was one of Helmig Sr,’s charges in the 10 inning battle that eliminated the Germans. Gone, too, was Michael O’Hara, whose marvelous catch, crashing into the left field wall in the ninth inning of game four was instrumental in the B’s comeback win in finals. Oakland was overwhelmed, 13-1 in marked contrast to their respectable 5-2 defeat in ‘25.
The season started off in sub mediocre fashion, but the defending league champions started to get their act together in the last week of the first half. The loss of Tremayne Cobb to a leg injury contributed to the Bs’ nose dive at the start of the second half, in which they lost all of the first seven games. That the team finished the half with a winning percentage of .500 was a hopeful sign for 2027, but no more to be counted on than a one run lead in the first inning of any PBL game. The Ballers announced that the seemingly inexplicable trade of Player of the Week Jake Allgeyer to Mahoning Valley Scrappers on August 10 was made to enable him to be near his family. This raises the possibility that Allgeyer’s need was temporary and that he would be his own player to be named later. Joey Winters, who replaced Allgeyer on the roster, bolstered the team in its end of the season run. So perhaps what that complex story may end up with a happy ending. Jeter Ybarra had first impressed Ballers management with his swing; they didn’t think of him as a power hitter. He surprised a lot of people by able to both hit and hit for power, although his home run total stagnated after he hit his 33rd of the season. Still, the erstwhile first baseman, who moved to third when Winters took over at first, kept right on hitting. Ybarra finished the 2026 season with a new Oakland Ballers single-season record of 110 RBIs. During the home stretch, he surpassed the previous franchise mark previously held by Christian Almanza (105 ) and capped it off with a 3-for-5 performance and his 34th home run in the season finale. He ended up setting new records for a single season in batting average (.356), hits (144), and doubles (32). Of course, you have to remember that the team is only three seasons old.
Ren Abe Aris and Hunter Day are among the best of the pitchers in the league. If Oakland can retain their services for 2027, the team could be a serious contender to regain the crown it lost this year.
Much of the Ballers’ revenue is derived from the merchandise it sells. Indeed, in many ways it’s the Oaklandish company team. That doesn’t invalidate their claim to be a community team. Oaklandish doesn’t sell only a variety of merch, as it’s called these days; it also sells Oakland and provides jobs for people who live there. In many ways it resembles Sid Bercovich’s family furniture company, the sponsor of several youth teams that played most of their home games at 20th and Wood for decades. It was good publicity for the store, provided training and guidance for the youngsters, and was a source of pride to the community. Some of baseball’s greatest players of the middle to late twentieth century major leagues were nurtured by that experience. They include National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Frank Robinson, Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, Willie Stargell, and Randy Johnson.
Other big leaguers who played for Bercovich sponsored teams are Curt Flood, who in spite of Barbara Lee’s proclamation on Curt Flood Day in 2026 that called him an Oakland native. was born in Houston, Vada Pinson, Dave Stewart, Bill Rigney, Jackie Jensen, Don Wakamatsu, Kevin Maas, Tommy Harper, and Charlie Beamon.
You can do well by doing good.
Another source of confusion is the tendency of articles on the PBL and Ballers web sites to conflate the Pioneer Baseball League, founded in 2022 and the Pioneer League, founded in 1939. No one would conflate the American Association—which, like the PBLA, is an MLB partner league; Lou Helmig played for its Fargo-Moorehead franchise this year)—with the highest ranking (aside from the special status briefly accorded the PCL) in the minor leagues from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997, or with the major league American Association, sometimes fondly and sometimes reprovingly nicknamed The Beer and Whisky League. Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first openly Black major league player, earned that distinction in 1884 with the Toledo Blue Stockings of that American Association.
Moses Fleetwood Walker (Photo: Wikipedia)
During the season, I frequently complained about the scoreboard and PA system’s failure to provide information in a timely fashion, as when pitching and position changes went unannounced for innings at a time. It’s hard to receive and give that sort of data when you’re attending to other tasks, and the Ballers’ staff is extremely multi-tasked; there’s bound to be slippage. Helping users of the team’s complex web site takes a lot of time away from workers charged with other duties. Ballers broadcasts on their youtube channel spend an inordinate amount of time soliciting and responding to comments on their chatbox; so much time attention that the on field action seems like a brief distraction to the chattering. I understand that the chatbox helps build a community and a sense of belonging, but I believe that the balance between reporting a ball game and discussing the strangest pet you’ve ever heard of needs some readjustment.
The Ballers have renamed their overworked, excessively multi tasked staffers “associates.” They are workers, and to call them “associates” creates the sort of confusion that blurs the difference between owners, investors, and stockholders. The Certificate of Fan Ownership says it “is given to fan investors….,” but only stockholders really own the team. It reminds me of when I worked for the welfare department and the state decided to call the people we served “customers” instead of “clients,” because the latter was demeaning. I’d like to see how the people who hire lawyers would react to being called “customers.”
The absence of real toilets at Raimondi remains a problem. Investors were told just before the season began that there were inspection problems that would delay the replacement of the malodorous otherwise unsavory portapotties. On September 29, team president Yeshaya Goldfarb frankly described the problem as financial. The two reasons for the delay aren’t mutually exclusive, but they are an indication of how unsettled puzzling the state of the Ballers can be.
I pause In these confused initial post season broodings to gaze into my crystal ball. From what I see there, I’d say the outlook for the Ballers in the next twelve months is cloudy. Let’s hope that one of those clouds is Cloud Nine.
Stanford Cardinal quarterback Davis Warren (8) drops back to pass against the Miami Hurricane at Stanford Stadium Sat Sep 5, 2026 (Stanford Cardinal photo)
Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson:
#1 Can Stanford quarterback Davis Warren lead the Cardinal offense to a strong performance against Duke?
#2 How much of an impact can wide receiver Caden High make for Stanford’s offense in the matchup?
#3 Can Stanford tight end Benji Blackburn provide a big-play threat against the Blue Devils?
#4 Will wide receiver Jordan Onovughe and the Stanford passing attack be able to exploit Duke’s secondary?
#5 Which Stanford player will emerge as the Cardinal’s most influential performer against Duke?
San Francisco Giants (#50) Christian Koss hit his fourth home run this season against the St. Louis Cardinals in an MLB game on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo credit to Jae Choi)
By Michael Villanueva
SAN FRANCISCO – Tuesday morning, the San Francisco Giants learned the door to their postseason had closed. Due to tiebreaker procedures, the Giants are eliminated from the playoffs for the fifth straight year. So Tuesday evening, the Giants’ mentality was now just to have fun and win ball games. The Giants are in game two of three, hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. In Game 2 tonight at Oracle Park, the Giants (61-85) would get the win over the Cardinals (72-74), 2-1, and win this home series.
The Giants’ starting and winning pitcher of the game, Landen Roupp, would allow 2 hits, 0 runs, 4 BB, and 2 strikeouts in this game. This is also Roupp’s ninth win as a starter for San Francisco. St. Louis pitcher Quinn Mathews received his third loss as the starting pitcher for the Cardinals. Mathews would allow 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 ER, 4 strikeouts, and 2 homeruns.
San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers was named one of MLB Players of the Week. Devers batted .385 with six home runs, 13 RBI’s, and a 1.669 OPS from August 31st to September 6th. This is now his fifth career award and second straight for the Giants.
This game really off in San Francisco’s direction from early homers from Eldridge and Christian Koss. With one more win in tomorrow’s afternoon game, they can have the chance to sweep the Cardinals in this homestands. In the bottom of the first inning, Giants Bryce Eldridge would get the game started with his sixteenth homer of the season. Eldridge sent that ball to the left outfield and got the ballpark rocking early.
The Cardinals would have no response on their offensive side. So Giants Christian Koss decided to join in on the home run fun. In the bottom of the second inning, Koss would drill his third home run in the past four games. These two homers from Eldridge and Koss would be enough to give the Giants the lead and ultimately win this game.
St. Louis was able to find themselves in scoring positions. However, with smart pitching from Roupp and the Giants defense holding up. They were able to prevent the Cardinals from converting any runs. Especially by placing the ball low on his sinkers, forcing the Cardinals’ hitters to ground out.
It wouldn’t be until the top of the ninth inning that the game would see a drastic change. The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t gonna let up that easy against the Giants. With two outs, it was now or never to make a move. Cardinals Nathan Church would be able to get a single. On the next batter, Church would steal to second base on the first pitch. Leading up his teammate Bryan Torres to get a single, and bringing in Church to score.
With the score now being 2-1, but with two outs for the Cardinals. The Giants would just need one more stop to call the ballgame. So next batter, Cardinals Ivan Herrera would get grounded out, and that would conclude the ball game. With the Giants finding out this morning, there will be no playoffs. The team was all smiles after getting this Tuesday night win.
The San Francisco Giants won’t get a lot of rest as the team has to come back tomorrow afternoon to finish off this homestand with the Cardinals. Tomorrow’s win will give the Giants a sweep of the Cardinals. San Francisco will send out RHP Blade Tidwell (0-2), and St. Louis will go with RHP Andre Pallante (12-6). The game will be broadcast live on MLB.TV with first pitch at 12:45 p.m.
Windows of the World Restaurant in the World Trade Center New York City as it looked well before 911. (photos from Reddit)
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
From My Notebook” September 11, 2001 – An incredible day in America and Baseball
By Amaury Pi-González
This September 11, we remember a unique event in world history; it has been 25 years since it took place, and nobody, especially in the United States, can forget it. Unlike the surprise1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, which was on a U.S.Navy base and precipitated WWII, 9-11 was an attack on civilians thousands of people working in offices, thousands died.
In baseball, the entire schedule of 15 games was postponed following the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C.and Pennsylvania. For most people in the United States, this day is engraved in their memory forever. I was getting ready at home to broadcast the San Francisco Giants baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Pac Bell Park ( today Oracle Park) more on that below.
The suspension was later extended to a six-day shutdown. Many thought there would be more attacks; those were terrifying days for this country and for the whole world, as some commentators even called it the beginning of WW III.
My Personal connection to WTC: The epicenter of the attack was the Wall Street section of New York City. I was honorably discharged from the US Army. and living in New York, working at Scheinman, Hochstin & Trotta, a stock brokerage firm on lower Broadway, doing clerical work for the OTC (Over-the-Counter) stocks department. I was good with numbers.
This was within walking distance of the Twin Towers. I saw the second tower under construction by Cortland Street; it was in 1969, as I remember, about a year before the building was completed. On many occasions, I walked right in front of that under-construction area with my friends from the office, going to lunch in that very busy part of Lower Manhattan.
I remember I used to stop to look through the little windows in the wooden fence, and there was a lot of water at the bottom that they were draining, which was normal since it was so close to the Hudson River. My niece was living in NYC working and going to school. On that morning she saw one of the buildings collapse from her apartment and later she found out some friends of her had perished on that day.
Her parents visited NYC that Thanksgiving and were taken by the amount of memorials, the dust and the damage that existed. A few years before the attack, In 1998 yours truly and Jaime Jarrin were broadcasting the World Series between the Yankees and the Mets for LBC (Latino Broadcast Network/Caracol) after a game Jarrín asked me, (since I used to live in NY and knew the area) if we could go to the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center, the famous “Windows on the World” but as we arrived at the lobby at street level, they told us it was closed because it was very foggy and there was no visibility; so never experienced Windows on the World, and never will, because those buildings are gone.
Now as I remember that as an irony, “closed because it was very foggy and no visibility”, when the day of the terrorist attack all reports pointed to a clear sunny day in the island of Manhattan. Back to September 11, 2001,at my house in Fremont, California, my wife Gail and I watched in horror on television what happened as the buildings totally collapsed after the planes had flown into the WTC.
Gail was getting ready to leave for work. We watched people jumping to their deaths. I cried and we both couldn’t believe what we were seeing. I am sure you experienced the same effect if you are old enough to remember that event a quarter of a century ago.
For me, born in Cuba and living as a young kid during the Cuban Missile Crisis, at the edge of a nuclear apocalypse, the 911 attacks brought me very bad memories of those years.A nightmare.
2001 was a memorable and unforgettable year. Broadcasting the Giants at a Baseball Park just one year old. The Manager was Dusty Baker, and the team ended with a 90-72 record, good for second place.
Quote: “The New York in your hats represents more than just the Yankees. It represents the city of New York.” Joe Torre, NY Yankees Manager.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
New York Yankees Aaron Judge will return to action Tuesday night after suffering a rib injury and going on the IL on May 31, 2026. (AP News photo)
That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:
#1 New York Yankees Aaron Judge a three time MVP will return after being on the injured list since May 31st from a rib injury. Judge 34, made a diving catch in late April and played hurt but had to be taken out of the line up makes his first return Tuesday night.
#2 Los Angeles Dodgers two way player Shohei Ohtani after missing four days returned to the line up on Monday night after suffering from neck and arm injuries. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says that Ohtani is not day to day but will take a look how he comes out of Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. Ohtani was the DH and walked once in three plate appearances.
#3 Milwaukee Brewers rookie outifelder Luis Lara has made a number of defensive plays in the last two months since arriving in the show. Lara 5 foot 7 made a leaping catch on Chicago Cubs Pedro Ramirez’s line drive that would have cleared the center-right field fence.
#4 Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo who never pitched a ninth inning of his first 149 starts got the job done throwing a 1-0 shutout. Luzardo struck out 12 batters and allowed two hits. Blanking the Atlanta Braves. You got to work with Luzardo during his Oakland A’s days and he never really got to pitch in the late innings due to the pitch count but there he was Monday night putting away the Braves.
#5 Amaury, Talk about Peter Crow Armstrong he’s been getting around on the baseball hitting his 41st home run putting him second in home runs behind the Philadelphia Phillies Kyle Schwarber who leads the Majors with 43.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy can he lead the charge against the Los Angeles Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground Stadium in Melbourne Australia on Thu Sep 10, 2026 at 5:35pm P/ (AP file photo)
San Francisco 49ers podcast David Zizmor:
#1 Can Brock Purdy lead the 49ers offense to a win over the Rams in the season opener?
#2 How effective will Christian McCaffrey be against the Rams’ defense?
#3 Will Nick Bosa make a major impact in his return from his ACL injury?
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins will be the starting quarterback against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 13, 2026 (AP News photo)
Las Vegas Raiders podcast Rich Perez:
#1 Can Kirk Cousins get the Raiders’ offense off to a fast start against a revamped Miami defense?
#2 How much of a factor will Ashton Jeanty be in the Raiders’ run game, and can Miami keep the second-year back from controlling the tempo?
#3 Can Maxx Crosby create enough pressure on Miami’s quarterback to make the Dolphins uncomfortable in the pocket?
#4 Will Brock Bowers emerge as the matchup nightmare the Raiders need, particularly against Miami’s linebackers and safeties?
#5 Which Raiders playmaker will make the biggest difference — Tre Tucker, Tyler Lockett, or Jack Bech — against a Dolphins secondary looking to start the season strong?
Photo: San Francisco Giants’ Bryce Eldridge hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
By Vince Cestone
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants nearly suffered another loss to a bullpen meltdown, but they survived on a clutch Bryce Eldridge hit in the 10th and a Shay Whitcomb infield hit in the 11th to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 in extra innings.
With the Giants up 3-2 in the ninth inning, manager Tony Vitello went to Dylan Smith for a two-inning save, but just like it did against the Cincinnati Reds in the third game of the series, his outing went south but to a lesser extent. The Giants didn’t blow a 9-3 lead this time, but the Cardinals were able to even the score. After Joshua Baez started the inning with an infield hit, shortstop Thomas Saggese singled. The next batter Nathan Church tried to bunt but popped out. With the runners staying put, Bryan Torres then walked, setting it up for pinch hitter Jose Fermin, who hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three. Smith retired the next batter Alec Burleson on a flyout to send the game to extra innings.
Before all the craziness, it looked good for the Giants. Ace Logan Webb was on the hill for the Giants, and he did a great job, pitching six innings of one-run ball. He struck out eight batters, gave up three hits, and walked only two batters. Webb looked like he was going to get the win, until the bullpen meltdown happened a few innings later.
Before then, the Giants started the scoring in the very first inning. Left fielder Turner Hill led off the bottom of the first with a walk. The following batter Rafael Devers doubled him in to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. The next three batters were retired in order by Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy.
The Giants added on in the third inning, with the help of the Cardinals defense. After Christian Koss singled on a comebacker to the pitcher who seemed to have mishandled the ball but still was deemed a hit, McGreevy airmailed the ball to first over the head of Burleson, allowing Koss to get to second. The next batter Hill grounded out to first, advancing Koss to third. The hot-hitting Devers then walked. That set it up for Eldridge, who hit a sacrifice fly to center field to increase the Giants’ lead to 2-0.
The Giants tacked on a third run in the fifth inning on back-to-back doubles from Devers and Eldridge. Both collected two hits in the game.
But then the Cardinals came roaring back. In the top of the sixth inning, the Cardinals got on the board with a two-out, solo home run by Burleson off Webb. That made the score 3-1 and the comeback was on.
St. Louis scored again in the seventh inning after a leadoff walk by Nolan Gorman. After the relief pitcher Trent Harris struck out the next two batters, Nathan Church doubled in Gorman, who advanced to second earlier in the inning on a passed ball, to cut the Giants’ lead to 3-2. This set up the ninth-inning comeback by the Cardinals.
After the Giants left the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth, the Cardinals brought in their ghost runner in the 10th. Right fielder Jordan Walker grounded out to start the inning, advancing the ghost runner Burleson to third. The next batter Leo Bernal hit a bloop single to right, just in front of Jung Hoo Lee, to give St. Louis a 4-3 lead.
But the Giants answered right back in the bottom of the 10th. With Hill as the ghost runner at second for San Francisco, the Cardinals intentionally walked Devers when the count got to 3-1. The next hitter Eldridge promptly singled to center, brining Hill home to tie the score at four. Later in the inning, the Giants had the bases loaded and one out, but Drew Gilbert grounded into an unusual 2-1 double play that ended the rally for the Giants. The catcher Bernal picked up the little tapper that landed right in front of home plate, stepped on home, and then threw to first to end the threat. The Cardinals had survived and went to the 11th with the game still tied.
After Giants reliever Jason Foley held St. Louis scoreless in the top of the 11th, San Francisco went to work in their half of the inning. Drew Cavanaugh, who came into the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth, led off the inning with a sacrifice bunt, advancing the ghost runner Nate Furman to third. That left it up to the third baseman Whitcomb, who punched a high chopper over the head of the shortstop Saggese, bringing in the winning run as the Giants walked off the Cardinals 5-4.
For the Cardinals, the starting pitcher McGreevy went 6 2/3 innings, giving up six hits, three runs, and two walks. He struck out four batters.
Nearly 26,000 fans showed up at Oracle Park on Labor Day Monday, an unusually small crowd on a holiday. But the ones that showed up saw a great game, as the Giants’ grit displayed on Monday night bodes well for 2027.
Up next, the Giants will try to make it two in a row against the Cardinals on Tuesday night. The Giants’ Landen Roupp (8-13, 4.17 ERA) will take on the Cardinals’ Quinn Matthews (1-2, 4.38 ERA). Game time is at 6:45 p.m. at Oracle Park.
