Tag: mlb

SF’s Jung Hoo takes NY’s Rondon deep twice; Giants Take Series Over Yankees Winning 5-4

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San Francisco Giants Jung Hoo Lee is psyched after hitting a three run home run in the top of the sixth innings against the New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium on Sun Apr 13, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (11-4) got a series win off the New York Yankees (8-7) in game three of their series winning 5-4 now with an 11-4 season record. Jung Hoo Lee had a terrific game hitting not one but two home runs, the first a solo shot and the second a three run home run.

He has been probably the most exciting player to take the field this year along with Wilmer Flores who was great in the game two of the series. Ryan Walker closed out the game beautifully dismissing Aaron Judge for the third out in the ninth inning.

Game recap: The Yankees got a hot start scoring three runs in the first and second innings. In the first inning, Paul Goldschmidt singled Aaron Judge home for the 1-0 first inning lead. New York extended their lead in the second inning with two additional runs.

J.C. Escarra doubled Jasson Dominguez home followed by a single off the bat of Ben Rice driving Escarra home for a 3-0 Yankee lead. New York was off and running.

San Francisco had been quiet in the first three innings able to contact the Carlos Rodon pitches although those hits didn’t have a lot of mustard on them. The Yankees were handling business in the outfield.

The Giants figured him out in the fourth inning and they did not look back. The ever consistent Jung Hoo Lee hammered a solo home run to right centerfield and San Francisco was on the board 3-1.

In the sixth inning, Lee hit his second home run, again to right centerfield, but this time Christian Koss and Willy Adames were on base and San Francisco had taken the lead 4-3 after having trailed 3-0 in the early innings.

The Yankees starting pitcher Rodon was relieved after 5.2 innings. To start the sixth inning, Rodon began to falter giving up an infield single, an Adames walk, a second Lee three run home run and another walk putting Matt Chapman on base.

Mark Leiter Jr. took over on the mound getting out of the inning. Rodon got through 5.2 innings allowing three hits, four earned runs, three walks with eight strikeouts in a mixed bag.

The Giants got an insurance run in seventh inning when Yankee first baseman Goldschmidt had a fielding error and Casey Schmitt scored giving San Francisco a 5-3 lead. The Giants had only four hits so far in the game but they were walked five times but gave them a real advantage.

San Francisco threatened in the eighth but came away empty leaving runners on second and third base. Lee and Chapman both walked but the Giants couldn’t get the hit to bring them home.

Wilmer Flores struck out, Mike Yastrzemski grounded out and Schmitt struck out; it remained a two run game. The Yankee’s went on to make it interesting in the bottom of the eighth inning when Jazz Chisholm Jr hit a solo home run making it a one run game 5-4 in favor of San Francisco.

San Francisco couldn’t get anything going in the top of the ninth inning. Patrick Bailey and Christian Koss both struck out and Heliot Ramos grounded out. The Yankee had one inning left to turn this game around with Austin Wells at the plate with the possible tying run.

Ben Rice and Aaron Judge would follow him. Wells flied out and Rice grounded out to third. Judge came to the plate New York’s last hope to at least tie up this game. With the count 2-2 closer Ryan Walker finished off Judge striking him out and San Francisco had taken the series winning this game 5-4.

San Francisco pitcher Logan Webb got his second win of the season now with a 2-0 record. He went five innings allowing five hits, three earned runs and five strikeouts.

Game Notes: Sunday afternoon the Giants played the Yankees in game three of their rubber matchup.

In game one the Giants dominated New York in a rain-soaked Yankee Stadium 9-1 which was called in the sixth inning on Friday.

Saturday the Yankees leveled the series winning in dominant fashion 8-4.

Sunday both teams were looking for a win in the series. Both teams had dominant wins in their respective games and this game was a good one. The crowd looked different Sunday with the absence of rain slickers and inclement weather gear. This was a much more comfortable day for everyone in the stands and on the field with no rain in the forecast.

It is now off to Philadelphia for a four-game series that begins Monday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 3:45 PM PDT. Landen Roupp (0-1 ERA 3.60) will be on the mound for the Giants and the Phillies will send Taijuan Walker (1-0 ERA 0.00) for the first game of the series.

Ginn Shines as A’s Even Series with 3-1 Win Over Mets

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Max Muncy on Saturday at Sutter Health Park in the game against the Mets (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The A’s and Mets were back in action Saturday afternoon for the second game of a three-game series. First pitch was tossed at 1:05 PM PST under immaculate 70-degree conditions at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.

The A’s sent J.T. Ginn to the hill opposed by Mets starter David Peterson. Both pitchers threw well, but Ginn particularly shined in his five and one-third innings of work, allowing four hits, one run, and two walks while striking out six.

Peterson also delivered a solid outing, pitching six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, and striking out five A’s hitters. The A’s took the second game of this three game set with a 3-1 win on Saturday.

The A’s got on the board first, scoring two runs in the fourth inning to take a 2-0 lead. Tyler Soderstrom singled home Jacob Wilson for the first run and later came around to score on an RBI groundout by JJ Bleday.

The Mets responded in the top of the sixth inning when Brandon Nimmo hit a solo home run to right field, tagging Ginn for his only run allowed on the day.

Sacramento quickly answered back in the bottom of the seventh inning as Jhonny Pereda doubled home Max Muncy, extending the lead to 3-1. That score would hold up the rest of the way. 

The A’s bullpen was excellent in relief, with Justin Sterner, Tyler Ferguson, and Mason Miller combining for three and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four Mets batters.

All nine A’s starters recorded at least one hit in what could be characterized as a solid team win. With the victory, the A’s improved to 6-9, while the Mets fell to 9-5 on the young season.

Up next, the A’s and Mets will face off in the rubber game of the series Sunday at 1:05 PM PST at Sutter Health Park.

Yankees Even Series Beating Giants 8-4

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By Barbara Mason

New York Yankees first base Ben Rice celebrates with outfielder Aaron Judge after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium.IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Yankees leveled the series with the San Francisco Giants in game two winning the matchup 8-4. The Yankees took an early lead 2-0 and the game was tied going into the bottom of the fifth inning.

New York really went off scoring five runs taking a 7-2 lead. San Francisco fought back scoring a couple of runs in the sixth for a 7-4 tally but that would be it for the Giants. New York tacked on a Ben Rice solo home run for the final. The Yankees dismissed San Francisco in the top of the ninth inning striking Jung Hoo Lee and Matt Chapman out. Heliot Ramos grounded out for the final out and that was the ball game.

In the second game of the series it was the Yankees that struck first in the first inning taking a 2-0 lead. Cody Bellinger tripled with Aaron Judge on base and the Yankees were first up on the scoreboard 1-0. New York followed that up with a Paul Goldschmidt sacrifice bringing Bellinger home now leading 2-0.

Wilmer Flores put San Francisco on the board in the second inning hitting a home run to center with Heliot Ramos on base and this game was tied 2-2. New York threatened in the bottom of the second to bust this game open with the bases loaded and Aaron Judge at the plate. San Francisco pitcher Jordan Hicks was living dangerously but got out of the inning unscathed.

Both pitchers held their own through the third and fourth innings. Late in the fifth inning Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks was relieved by Randy Rodriguez. He finished allowing eight hits and seven earned runs in a rough outing. He allowed five hits in the fifth inning and a walk.

There was not a lot of action for the Giants in the top of the 5th inning but the Yankees really got something going in the bottom of the inning prompting some action in the San Francisco bullpen. Cody Bellinger got the party started hitting a single driving Ben Rice home extending the New York lead to 3-2.

Paul Goldschmidt would follow that up with a ground rule double and Judge scored for a 4-2 Yankee lead. New York was far from finished scoring three more runs before the inning was over. Cody Bellinger scored on a Antony Volpe sacrifice fly. Jasson Dominquez smacked a deep single and Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. both scored giving New York a 7-2 lead.

San Francisco had a lot of work to do going into the sixth inning. They were able to score some runs cutting the Yankee lead to 7-4. Wilmer Flores who has been terrific singled in two base runners, Willy Adames and Jung Hoo Lee.

This was Flores’s 19th RBIs; he had knocked in every San Francisco run in Saturday’s game. The Giants had finally gotten something going although it was getting late in the game. The Yankees had their first home run of the series in the bottom of the sixth inning off the bat of Ben Rice and New York had an 8-4 lead going into the seventh inning.

San Francisco left a couple of runners stranded in the seventh inning and two more runners in the eighth inning and the Giants were running out of time still trailing 4-8. Going into the ninth inning it was San Francisco’s last chance.

The Giants got a couple of runners, Mike Yastrzemski and Willy Adames on base with nobody out. Unfortunately Jung Hoo Lee struck out, Matt Chapman struck out and Heliot Ramos grounded out and that was the ball game. The Yankees had won the game 8-4 and leveled the series at one apiece.

Game notes: Saturday afternoon the Giants played the Yankees in game two under far more favorable weather conditions then they had Saturday in a six inning Giant win 9-1. The first six innings were played with a light rain falling from start to finish before the game was called with San Francisco loading the bases with two outs.

Completing enough innings to make Friday’s game official and the weather continuing to decline the decision was made to delay the game. Under overcast skies Saturday and no rain in the forecast, this game went off without a hitch. A lot of fans passed on this one due to the chilly weather, 41 degrees which felt more like 30 degrees. Saturday’s game Jordan Hicks started for San Francisco going four innings, giving up eight hits, seven runs, three walks and three strikeouts.

Sunday will be the rubber match with San Francisco’s Logan Webb taking the mound with a 1-0 record and an 1.89 ERA. The Yankees will start Carlos Rodon who has a 1-2 win/loss record ERA 5.19. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 10:35 AM.

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: Las Vegas Stadium Authority confident A’s will break ground mid June

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Athletics President Marc Badain (left), Las Vegas Aviators President Don Logan (center) and A’s executive Sandy Dean (right) meet members of Laborers Union Local 872 at the Clark County Commissioner meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Mick Akers/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO and president chairman and Las Vegas Stadium Authority chairman Steve Hill said he was confident that the A’s will break ground at the Tropicana site by mid June.

#2 The A’s are counting on following the same steps that the Las Vegas Raiders took to get their ground breaking underway with zoning and land use permits all lined up and on a scheduled timeline to see shovels in the ground by mid June.

#3 The timeline the Raiders had was 68 days between Clark County approvals and when the Raiders started work on their current stadium Allegiant Stadium worth $2 billion. The A’s whose park would sit on nine acres at the Tropicana location will rest on 35 acres could follow through on the permits and be ready for construction by June.

#4 Hill said as of now there is a good amount of work being done at the Tropicana site. Contractors are clearing the rubble from the implosion of both Tropicana towers from last year.

#5 Hill said that the rubble is being cleared out and that material would be recycled and used for material would be used to build the A’s ballpark.

Daniel Dullum does the A’s Relocation podcasts each weekend at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s fall just short in 7-6 loss to Mets

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Sacramento A’s pitcher Mitch Spence (28) delivers a fifth inning pitch to the New York Mets at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Fri Apr 11, 2025 (AP News photo)

Friday, April 11, 2025

Sutter Health Park

New York Mets 7 (9-4)

Sacramento Athletics 6 (5-9)

Win: Griffin Canning (1-1)

Loss: JP Sears (1-2)

Save: Edwin Diaz (3)

Time: 3:21

Attendance: 9,632

By Stephen Ruderman

WEST SACRAMENTO–The A’s put up an impressive fight, but fell just short in a 7-6 loss to the New York Mets to open this three-game series at Sutter Health Park.

It was another beautiful night for baseball at the A’s rental home here in West Sacramento. The clouds illuminated a beautiful sunset on a 73-degree evening on the shores of the Sacramento River.

The A’s were looking for their second win in Sacramento, and they would face another strong team in the New York Mets. Like the Padres, the Mets had a large contingency of fans in attendance in their trip to valley.

The left-hander, JP Sears, would take the ball for Sacramento, as he would try to set the tone in this series. Sears got off to a good start by pitching a scoreless top of the first inning.

However, Brandon Nimmo led off the top of the second with a home run to right-center field. Later in the inning, back-to-back doubles by Luisangel Acuna and Luis Torrens plated another run to make it 2-0.

Mets’ starter Griffin Canning began his night with a 1-2-3 bottom of the first. The A’s then got on the board in the bottom of the second on a two-out base-hit the other way to right off the bat of Miguel Andujar.

Sears was in trouble again in the top of the third, but got out of it thanks to a nice sliding catch by right-fielder Lawrence Butler next to the side wall in foul territory. Canning, too, survived a jam in the bottom of the third. Brent Rooker tripled with one out, but he was cut down at the plate on a ground ball off the bat of Tyler Soderstrom.

Sears was back in trouble in the top of the fourth, as the Mets got a runner to second with nobody out. However, like the inning before, Sears was able to get out of it unscathed.

Unfortunately for Sears, he would not be able to work out of another jam in the top of the fifth. Juan Soto singled to lead off the inning, and Pete Alonso knocked him in with a double to left-center to make it 3-1. That did it for Sears, as Mark Kotsay made the move for Mitch Spence. Spence got out of the inning without any further damage to keep it a 3-1 game.

Sears threw 101 pitches over just four-plus innings, as he gave up three runs and six hits. Sears only walked one, and he struck out seven.

Meanwhile, Canning threw a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth, and he survived a jam in the bottom of the fifth.

Spence was back out for the top of the sixth, and the Mets would open it up. Jose Siri walked with one out, and Francisco Lindor reached on an error by second-baseman Max Muncy. Juan Soto then walked to load the bases for Pete Alonso, who knocked Siri in with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 4-1.

Up came the longtime veteran and former A, Starling Marte. Marte hit a double over the head of center-fielder JJ Bleday and off the bottom of the wall in straightaway center, and Lindor and Soto sored to make it 6-1.

However, the A’s bounced right back in the bottom of the sixth. Shea Langerliers doubled to lead off the inning, and Wilson knocked him in with a one-out base-hit off the end of the bat to right-center to make it 6-2. The throw home from right-fielder Juan Soto allowed Wilson to move up to second.

Up came Andujar, who hit one out to left, and just like that the A’s got all three runs back to make it 6-4. That also did it for Canning.

Reed Garrett came in for Metropolitans, and the A’s loaded the bases against him with two outs. Soderstrom then came up and hit a bullet to right, which got this crowd going, but it was right to Juan Soto, and that ended the inning.

Jose Leclerc came in for Oakland and threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh. Leclerc was an out away from another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth, but Pete Alonso hit a line-drive home run down the line in left to make it 7-4.

Ryne Stanek and A.J. Minter pitched 1-2-3 innings in the bottom of the seventh and eighth respectively for the Mets. Jason Alexander then threw a scoreless top of the ninth for the A’s.

The Mets brought in their electric closer, Edwin Diaz, to try and get the save in the bottom of the ninth. Diaz has struggled at the start of the season, and those struggles would carry into this one.

Lawrence Butler walked on four pitches to start the inning and advanced to second on defensive indifference. Soderstrom then walked on a wild pitch, and Butler went to third. Langeliers then lined a double down the left field line, which scored Butler to make it 7-5.

Bleday got Soderstrom home with a sacrifice fly to left-center to make it a one-run game at 7-6. The A’s had the tying run in Max Schueman, who had come in to pinch-run for Langeliers, at second. However, Wilson grounded out to second, and the A’s fell just short.

Griffin Canning got the win; JP Sears took the loss; and Edwin Diaz picked up his third save of the young season.

The A’s fall to 5-9 and last place in the American League West.

The A’s will look to bounce back against the Mets’ left-hander, David Peterson (1-0, 2.53 ERA) Saturday afternoon. The A’s have yet to announce their starter. First pitch will be at 1:05 p.m.

Giants Beat Yankees in a Rain-Soaked Yankee Stadium 9-1

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San Francisco Giants Jung Hoo Lee runs the bases after connecting for a three run home run in the top of the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Fri Apr 11, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (10-3) beat the New York Yankee’s (7-6) at Yankee Stadium in six innings 9-1 Friday night. It was a rain-soaked windy day that started off with a San Francisco 5-0 lead in the first inning. Less than 5,000 fans remained when the umpires delayed the game with San Francisco loading the bases with two outs. Jung Hoo Lee had the only home run of the game, a three run homer.

Game recap: The stoppage did not delay the Giants offense in any way; the rain did not dampen their spirts, in fact they made quite an opening statement scoring five runs in the first inning.

Jung Hoo Lee got the inning going hitting a three-run home run with Mike Yastrzemski and Willy Adames onboard giving San Francisco an early 3-0 lead. It was a great start for the Giants who added a couple more runs before the inning came to an end.

LaMonte Wade Jr. doubled Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman home and San Francisco could not have asked for a better start leading 5-0 after one inning. The Yankees did not fare well at all in their first at bat. Aaron Judge walked but Giant’ starting pitcher Robbie Ray struck out Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt in a nice first inning for Ray.

The Yankees got a little something going in the second inning off a Austin Wells double driving Anthony Volpe home. The Wells hit came within a whisper of being a home run but was deemed in play after hitting the top of the wall and bouncing in.

Ray had walked two runners in the second; Volpe walked, went on to steal second base and score and Peraza also walked. With two outs, Ray was looking to get out of the inning and he did just that with the Giants taking a 5-1 lead into the third inning.

The Yankees threatened again in the third inning with two runners on base but came away empty. San Francisco had been unable to do further damage since the very productive first inning. Going into the fourth inning, the Giants had five hits, the Yankees two hits.

Neither team was able to do any damage in the fourth inning playing in a virtually empty stadium due to the inclement conditions with not only a steady rain but also some pretty gusty winds that was playing havoc with the ball.

Matt Chapman walked in the fifth inning, his third walk of the game, as did Jung Hoo Lee and San Francisco had two runners on base with one out. The Yankees had already gone through three pitchers in the game and there was action going on in the bullpen as Tim Hill relieved Ian Hamilton in the fifth.

Hill walked another runner Wade Jr. and the Giants had the bases loaded. They brought in three runs to extend their lead 8-1. All three Giants who had walked crossed home plate and the Yankees were really struggling on the mound.

Wilmer Flores grounded out to the pitcher and Lee scored followed by a wild pitch that allowed Matt Chapman to score. Finishing off the top of the fifth inning a Patrick Bailey double brought in another run and the Giants were cruising. San Francisco’s starting pitcher Robbie Ray was relieved by Spencer Bivens in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Ray had a good game allowing two hits through four innings with seven strikeouts and one earned run. He walked four Yankees. Through those four innings Ray had thrown 98 pitches.

After five innings the Yankees had walked seven runners opening the sixth inning with yet another four walks and San Francisco had the bases loaded again with no outs. Mike Yastrzemski scored and the tally was a 9-1 lead for the Giants.

When that run scored the tarps came out as the rain began to pickup and the players left the dugouts. Going through the five plus innings, this game was official should it be called. After deliberation the game was indeed called with San Francisco winning 9-1 in six innings.

The Giants had 12 runners on base in the game with Jung Hoo Lee hitting the only home run of the game driving in three runs for the early 3-0 lead in the first inning. San Francisco really capitalized on the 11 walks from the Yankees, with Matt Chapman walking three times. LaMonte Wade Jr. had three RBIs.

Game notes: The Giants rolled into New York taking on the Yankees’s Friday night for a three-game series. There was a slight delay as the threat of rain made good but the game finally got underway after a brief stoppage, a 26 minute set back.

A light rain continued as fans scrambled for shelter as this game attempted to plod through at least five innings. San Francisco came into this game after losing two out of three in a series to the Cincinnati Reds in San Francisco. The Yankees also lost their last series to the Detroit Tigers.

Saturday the second game of the series has a forecast of even more rain than Friday although later in the day and not at game time. Hopefully that forecast will hold up and game two will go off without a hitch. Jordan Hicks (1-0) will take the mound for game two of the series with a 2.38 ERA. The Yankees will start Will Warren (0-0 ERA 6.00) looking for a better start in Saturday’s game.

Utah HC Concludes Inaugural Season Home Schedule With 4-3 Shootout Loss To Nashville

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Utah Hockey Fans show their appreciation on the final home game of the 2024-25 first season for the franchise as they played the Nashville Predators (Utah Hockey Club X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Dylan Guenther scored the new franchise’s first and final home goals this season, but Utah falls to the Nashville Predators 4-3 in a shootout.

The Minnesota Wild ended Utah Hockey Club’s Wild Card pursuit on Wednesday night when they defeated the San Jose Sharks in Minneapolis. On Thursday, Utah HC returned to the Delta Center ice following their franchise record 7-1 thrashing of the Seattle Kraken two nights earlier to wrap up their 2024-2025 inaugural season home schedule against the Nashville Predators. It was exactly one year ago that Phoenix Coyotes players were informed that they were moving to Utah.

The first period turned into a battle of defenses as Nashville netminder Juuse Saros turned away 11 Utah shots while Karel Vejmelka, making his 22nd consecutive start in goal, turned away all five shots from the Predators.

Utah forward Nick Bjugstad kicked off the scoring at 4:49 of the second period with a steep angle snap shot which found the hole between the left shoulder of Saros and the upper corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season, assisted by Alexander Kerfoot.

At 13:54, Jack McBain hit the center of the crossbar with a shot which rebounded to Josh Doan in front of the net who wristed it past Saros for his sixth goal of the season to make it 2-0 Utah. With 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the frame, Logan Cooley was whistled for tripping against Zachary L’Heureux. On the power play, Nashville defenseman Nick Blankenburg cut Utah’s lead in half with his 4th goal of the season, assisted by Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly.

The Predators began the third period on the power play again thanks to a Sean Durzi hooking penalty committed against Filip Forsberg with less than a second remaining in the previous period. At 1:19, Forsberg cashed in the man-advantage with his 31st goal of the season, assisted by Brady Skjei and Steven Stamkos, tying the score at 2-2. Two minutes later the Delta Center crowd was stunned as Ryan O’Reilly gave Nashville their first lead of the night with his 19th goal, assisted by Michael Bunting. That lead would last less than three minutes as Dylan Guenther knocked a rebound on a shot from Logan Cooley into a wide open net for his 27th of the season with the additional assist to captain Clayton Keller. The two goaltenders locked things down for the rest of regulation and the overtime period.

The final home game of the inaugural season would go all the way to a shootout. Juuse Saros was perfect in shutting down Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, and Dylan Guenther. Karel Vejmelka was able to stop Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos, but surrendered the final shot to Filip Forsberg on a backhand to give Nashville the shootout win. Utah went 3-1-1 in their final homestand, finishing the regular season with a 18-15-8 home record. Guenther ended up recording the franchise’s first goal on opening night against the Chicago Blackhawks, and scored the team’s final home goal of the season on Thursday night, which also happened to be the sniper’s 22nd birthday.

At the conclusion of the game, all of the Utah players came out on the ice to acknowledge fans, and a number of awards were presented. Barrett Hayton received the “All-In” award which was voted by the fans. Alexander Kerfoot received the “Community Obsessed” award for his involvement in the community. The “Three Stars” award was given to Dylan Guenther for having been selected as one of the Three Stars 16 times this season, including nine First Star recognitions. Captain Clayton Keller received the “Leading Scorer” award, having scored 27 goals and 58 assists for 85 total points in 78 games. Finally, the “Team MVP” was awarded to netminder Karel Vejmelka, whose 22 consecutive starts is the most in the NHL since Darcy Kuemper of the Arizona Coyotes started 22 six years ago. He has gone 12-6-4 during the streak. Team owner Ryan Smith thanked the fans for their support throughout the year, and told everyone that this was just the beginning.

In the locker room Vejmelka talked about what winning MVP means to him. “It’s a great feeling, especially (the) first year. But I would say it’s a team trophy and a team award. I couldn’t get a trophy without the guys, without (my) teammates. They’re a big part of it and I really appreciate it.” Utah’s fans have serenaded Vejmelka with chants of VEG-GIE and recently began throwing broccoli onto the ice to acknowledge his play. When asked about it, Vejmelka responded, “Yeah, it’s getting crazy. I like to see that, and I can’t wait to see that again next season. It’s a really cool feeling, especially on the ice, and I really feel that support. So like I said, I really appreciate it.” With regard to his mental and physical preparation during his streak, he added, “It’s about consistency and just playing the right way. I don’t want to really complicate things, I just want to play simple, and just enjoy the game as well. It’s a big part of it, and it’s still the game. It was a really great feeling to be (on the) hunt and play for something, (and not) just play the last couple of games for nothing. It’s a good feeling for next season, and hopefully we’re going to be even better.”

Utah captain Clayton Keller talked about the fan reaction to the award ceremony. “It was awesome. It’s been a whirlwind since the end of last season, from top to bottom. Ryan and Ashley (Smith), Chris Armstrong, all the sacrifices that they made to make this transition easy, (and) giving us every source. The fans as well; since day one, you could tell the excitement. We’re super hungry for next year, and this is just the beginning. There’s lots to look forward to.” What was it like playing in front of the home crowd for the last time this season? “Just a special moment. First season here in NHL history. Sometimes it’s crazy to think about that, how quickly it happened and how great of a move it’s been. So just super thankful. So many people gave us a great position to be successful and I couldn’t be more excited for next year.” With regard to Vejmelka’s MVP, Keller added, “Well deserved. He’s been unbelievable. I don’t know how many starts in a row that is, but he’s been unbelievable all year long, making saves when we needed it, giving us lots of confidence. Great teammate, great guy. Signed a nice deal and you couldn’t ask for a better guy and goalie as well. Super excited to have him locked up for a long time and like I said, well deserved.”

Head coach André Tourigny began his media session talking about the final home game in Utah’s inaugural season. “It was special for us. It was the team’s first year and there were a lot of emotions. There were a lot of connections with the crowd and the way they supported us, we wanted to play for them and play in front of them. It’s just tough right now to comprehend that there’s no more this year. We’re addicted now. We’re looking forward to the next one, but we’ll have to wait a little bit.” When asked how players around the league might perceive Utah as a desirable destination for free agents, Bear responded, “You do things right or everybody will know. Here, we do things right and the players are happy. The way the people of Utah, not just our fans, have been with our players off the ice and on the ice and the pour of love and all, everything’s been so positive. I think that word will go around and go into the NHL player community, and that will help our recruiting. No doubt about it.” When asked about the player awards, Tourigny said, “A coach is like a father and you want everybody to be recognized. Those five players have been recognized and they all deserve it, no doubt about it. But there’s a lot of guys, unsung heroes, on our team that I would have loved to see them be rewarded as well. I understand we need to have limits, but I think there are a lot of guys who put their heart into the job this year, and they helped us make this year a special year.”

Utah now hits the road for the final three games of the season against Dallas, Nashville, and St. Louis. The next time fans pour into Delta Center for hockey, their team will have a new identity, whether Mammoth, Outlaws, or a surprise announcement. Stay tuned.

San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips: It’s off to the Big Apple as SF opens 3 game set with Yankees

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Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will host the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium in New York on Fri Arp 11, 2025 to open a three game series (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 San Francisco Giant Mike Yastrzemski’s two run home run in the bottom of the tenth inning got the Giants a 8-6 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park on Wednesday afternoon.

#2 The Giants Jung Hoo Lee got three hits which included a triple and a double. Lee’s hitting also help pace the Giants down from five runs to comeback for the win.

#3 The Giants Wilmer Flores jumped into the act as well with three hits and a home run. Flores has been clutch so far in this early part of the season.

#4 Morris, big win for San Francisco as they avoided getting swept in the series.

#5 The Giants open a three game series at Yankee Stadium in New York on Friday night. Look out for those scary torpedo bats. San Francisco will be starting Robbie Ray (2-0, ERA 3.18) for the New York Yankees Davis Martin (0-1 ERA 5.73) for a 4:05pm PDT first pitch. Giants and Yankees Morris will be it one of those classic match ups.

Join Morris Phillips for the San Francisco Giants podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Padres Take Series from A’s in 2-1 Finale Win

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A’s take on the Padres on Wednesday afternoon in West Sacramento (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — Sutter Health Park in Sacramento hosted the rubber game between the A’s and the Padres on Wednesday afternoon. The Padres had taken the first game of the series on Monday, while the A’s responded with a 10-4 victory on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s matchup featured Osvaldo Bido on the mound for the A’s, facing Randy Vasquez for the Padres. Both pitchers delivered strong performances, but the A’s offense struggled significantly, managing only two hits and ultimately losing the series finale, 2-1.

The A’s got on the scoreboard first in the second inning when Luis Urias hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Shea Langeliers. Initially, Langeliers was ruled out at the plate, but after a quick review, the call was overturned, awarding the A’s the early 1-0 lead.

San Diego responded swiftly in the third inning, as Oscar Gonzales drove in Xander Bogaerts on a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 1-1. The Padres scored again in the fifth inning with another sac-fly, this time by Gavin Sheets, bringing in Bogaerts once more. That 2-1 lead would stand for the remainder of the game, as the Padres’ pitching silenced the A’s bats.

Despite the loss, Bido pitched reasonably well for Sacramento, throwing five innings and allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out five. Although the nine hits appear problematic, many resulted from soft contact that found gaps in the defense. On the Padres’ side, Randy Vasquez was effective over five innings, giving up just one run on a single hit with three walks and one strikeout.

Offensively, the A’s struggled throughout, producing just two hits and one run in the entire game. They’ll have a chance to regroup with an off day on Thursday before facing the New York Mets at Sutter Health Park on Friday night at 7:05 PM PST. Mets starting pitcher RHP Griffin Canning (0-1 ERA 2.79) for the A’s JP Sears 1-1 ERA 3.46.

With this loss, the A’s fell to 5-8 on the year, while the Padres improved their early-season record to 10-3.

Note: Jacob Wilson continued his impressive start to the 2025 season, recording another hit on Wednesday and extending his hitting streak to 13 games.

Yaz walks it off, as Giants overcome their 2025 kryptonite with thrilling 8-6 comeback win over Reds

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San Francisco Giant Casey Schmitt (10) gives teammate Mike Yastrzemski (left) the Gatorade shower after Yastrzemski’s walk off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Apr 9, 2025 (San Francisco Giants X photo)

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Oracle Park

Cincinnati Reds 6 (5-8)

San Francisco Giants 8 (9-3)

Win: Erik Miller (1-0)

Loss: Emilio Pagan (0-1)

Time: 2:41

Attendance: 35,186

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants avoided the sweep with a thrilling come-from-behind win, as they came back from down 6-1 to beat the Reds 8-6 on a 10th-inning walk-off home run by Mike Yastrzemski

The Reds have seemed to be the Giants’ kryptonite early this season. They shut out the Giants in the first two games of this series, and they have been responsible for all three of the Giants’ losses so far this season.’

Wednesday, the Giants not only needed a win to avoid the sweep, but they needed a win to avoid having a three-game snide going into what is going to be a tough road trip through New York and Philadelphia.

Justin Verlander made his third start of the season, and he was hoping to fare better than he did in his last start in the home opener against the Mariners on Friday, in which he only lated two and a third innings.

We got vintage Verlander over the first two innings, as he retired the first six men he faced, and struck out the side in the top of the second inning. He struck out four in total over the first two innings

However, in the top of the third, it was a different story. After getting Spencer Steer to pop out to second for the first out of the inning, things got rough for Verlander. It started with a walk to Jake Fraley, who was the first base-runner for either team. Former Giant Austin Wynn then singled to left field to put runners on first and second with one out for the top of the Reds’ lineup.

TJ Friedl came up and hit a double off the bricks in right, which knocked in Fraley for the first run of the game, and got Wynns over to third. Santiago Espinal reached on a swinging bunt to third, and that brought up the Reds’ exciting young phenom, Elly De La Cruz.

Of course De La Cruz had to do damage, as he hit a chopper over LaMonte Wade Jr. at first down the right field line for a two-bagger, and that scored a pair to make it 3-0. Former Dodger Gavin Lux then hit a ground ball off the glove of the diving second-baseman, Tyler Fitzgerald, who along with the rest of the infield was playing in, and another two runs scored to make it 5-0.

Reds’ starter Nick Martinez also set down the first six hitters he faced. The Giants finally got in the hit column with a two-out double by Fitzgerald in the bottom of the third, but Wade grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Giants finally got on the board for the first time in this series in the bottom of the fourth. Willy Adames drew a lead-off walk, and Jung Hoo Lee brought him in with a triple down the right field line to make it 5-1. The Giants had a golden opportunity to get right back into this game, but Lee was thrown out at the plate on a ground ball off the bat of Heliot Ramos, and they had to settle for just the run.

The good news was that there were still five innings of baseball left, and the Giants have had a propensity for coming back here in the early part of the season.

Meanwhile, Verlander settled back down and threw two more 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth. The Reds would get one more run off Verlander in the top of the sixth, though it came on a walk to Wynns issued by Lou Trivino, who had just come into the game for Verlander.

Despite giving up six runs over five and two thirds innings, Verlander was fairly strong. If you take out the ugly top of the third, he was frankly dominant. Nothing said that more than his nine strikeouts, and no one believed it more than his skipper, Bob Melvin.

“[Verlander was] incredibly unlucky,” said Melvin. “His stuff was good the whole game today. I don’t think there was one ball hit [other than] Frito’s ball. To be able to finish the inning was huge.”

It was only a matter of time before the Giants would stage a rally to get back into the game. Even when they were shut out in the first two games of this series, they never gave up and kept hitting the ball hard.

That rally would come in the bottom of the sixth. Lee singled to right to lead off the inning. Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos both struck out, but Mike Yastrzemski lined a double to right to move Lee over to third. A wild pitch from Martinez made it 6-2, and then Wilmer Flores lined a base hit the other way to right to make it 6-3 and put the Giants right back in the game.

Left-hander Taylor Rogers was summoned by Reds Manager Terry Francona to try and put out the fire. Rogers was greeted by his former battery mate, Patrick Bailey, who lined a triple to right to make it 6-4. Tyler Fitzgerald then lined an opposite-field base-hit to right to make it 6-5.

Randy Rodriguez held down the fort with a scoreless top of the seventh, and then the Giants wasted a leadoff double by Lee in the bottom of the seventh. By the way, for those of you keeping track, that was the third leg of the cycle for Lee. The only leg missing was the home run.

The other Rogers twin, Tyler, struck out the side in a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Giants. The first man to strike out in the inning was Will Benson, who took home the golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout in his 2025 debut.

Wilmer Flores then stepped in against Tony Santillan to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and on the very first pitch, Flores tied the game with a home run down the left field line. It was Wilmer’s fifth home run of the year, and he now has more home runs just two weeks into this season than he had all of last season.

Melvin brought in his closer, Ryan Walker, who threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth. Ian Gibaut did the same for Cincinnati in the bottom of the ninth, and we were going to extras for some Manfred Ball.

Erik Miller survived the ghost runner in the top of the tenth, and the Giants looked to win the game against Emilio Pagan in the bottom of the tenth. Heliot Ramos moved Chapman, who was the Giants’ ghost runner to third, and that brought up Mike Yastrzemski.

It turns out the Giants would not even need the ghost runner, as Yastrzemski launched the first pitch he saw into McCovey Cove to win it, and the Comeback Kids did it again. For Yastrzemski, it was his fifth-career walk-off home run, and his third into the water.

The Giants are now 9-3, and they got the massive win they needed going into what is going to be a tough three-city road trip through the Bronx, Philadelphia and Anaheim.

“It’s amazing, [and] about as much as I’ve ever had on the baseball field right now,” said Yastrzemski. “[It’s] an unbelievable group. Even when things got tough the last two days where we didn’t score any runs, we’re still here having fun. We’re smiling, we’re not letting [the losses] affect us, and I think that these are learning curves even for veteran guys. You see how hard it is to win a big league game, and we need to enjoy it every time we do.”

Erik Miller got the win, and Emilio Pagan took the loss.

The Giants have gotten off to this 9-3 start against three solid teams, and they will now be tested against two powerhouses in the Yankees and Phillies in their ballparks. This weekend will be a battle of old school baseball and new age analytics, as the Giants and their pitching staff will be up against Jazz Chisholm, Anthony Volpe, Giancarlo Stanton and the other Yankees using the abomination known as the torpedo bat.

The Giants will begin the road trip on Friday night at Yankee Stadium with left-hander Robby Ray (2-0, 3.18 ERA) on the mound. Opposing Ray for the Yankees will be Marcus Stroman (0-0, 7.27 ERA). First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. in the Bronx, and 4:05 p.m PDT in San Francisco.

Giants News and Notes:

Yastrzemski walk-off was the 106th splash hit in the history of Oracle Park, and the fifth walk-off splash hit.

Barry Bonds hit the first off of left-hander Ray King of the Braves at then-Pacific Bell Park on Aug. 19, 2003. Brandon Crawford did so against the Rockies on April 13, 2014, and Yastrzemski hit his other two, both against the Padres, on July 29, 2020 and June 19, 2023.