Tag: mlb

A’s Fall Short 8-7 in See-Saw Thriller at Rogers Centre

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Toronto Blue Jays Daulton Varsho (5) who got injured gets tangled with Sacramento A’s third baseman Max Schuemann (12) after hitting a triple at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sat May 31, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP)

A’s Fall Short in See-Saw Thriller at Rogers Centre

By Mauricio Segura

In a game that saw no shortage of drama or fireworks, the Sacramento Athletics were narrowly edged out 8-7 by the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Saturday the loss extends the Sacramento losing streak to five games. It was a classic back-and-forth affair in which both teams showcased power and precision, but ultimately, the green and gold came up just shy of ending their losing skid.

The Athletics wasted no time making noise. In the top of the first, Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker reached base to set the stage for Tyler Soderstrom, who launched a three-run blast to center field, his 12th of the year.

It was an early statement that the A’s were in no mood to be passive spectators. Soderstrom has been one of the few bright spots in an A’s offense that, despite struggling lately, is still tied for sixth in the league in slugging percentage.

Yet, Toronto didn’t flinch. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled in the bottom of the frame and came home on Addison Barger’s fourth homer of the season. Two walks and a clutch single by Nathan Lukes later, and the Jays had turned a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead before the first inning was done.

The second inning offered a glimpse of hope for the A’s. Luis Urías worked a walk, and Denzel Clarke, playing just his seventh Major League game, crushed his first big league homer to left field, retaking the lead at 5-4. Clarke, who was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas last week, has shown promise with his speed and a .263 average in the minors. The momentum felt palpable.

Unfortunately, it would not last. The A’s have been notorious this season for surrendering long balls, and today was no different. Bo Bichette’s solo shot in the bottom of the second tied things at five, marking the 87th home run allowed by A’s pitchers this season, on pace to break the franchise record of 220.

From there, the Blue Jays kept the pressure on. George Springer went deep in the third and fifth innings, his seventh and eighth of the year, highlighting a four-homer day for Toronto. The A’s bullpen, which entered the game with a 6.10 ERA, continued to falter.

Gunnar Hoglund, making his sixth start of the season, gave up six runs over five innings, struggling with right-handed hitters once again, who are hitting .326 against him this year.

The A’s offense did its best to claw back. Brent Rooker, who had been in a mini-slump earlier in May, belted his 13th homer of the season in the ninth, bringing the A’s within a single run. Tyler Soderstrom doubled with two outs, adding to his multi-hit day. But Shea Langeliers, representing the tying run, lined out to second baseman Ernie Clement, ending the Athletics’ rally and sealing another gut-wrenching loss.

Despite the defeat, there were glimpses of the A’s youthful spark. Lawrence Butler added three hits and a stolen base, extending his streak of successful swipes to eight. Wilson, the leading rookie in Major League Baseball for batting average and RBI, collected another hit to maintain his .344 average, continuing his breakout campaign.

For the Athletics, the loss extends their current road losing streak to nine games, matching their longest in three years. They now sit at 23-36, 12 games under .500, and have dropped 15 of their last 16 contests. The green and gold will look to rookie JP Sears on Sunday to stop the bleeding and salvage the final game of the series.

But in a game marked by dazzling home runs and missed opportunities, Saturday’s thriller was another chapter in a season where the A’s have consistently found themselves one swing, or one pitch, away from victory.

The A’s and Jays close out this series on Sunday. Starting pitcher for Sacramento JP Sears (4-6 ERA 5.18) and for Toronto Kevin Gausman (5-4 ERA 3.68) first pitch 10:37 am PDT.

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.

Anemic Offense Continues to Plague Giants Losing to Marlins In 1-0 Shutout

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San Francisco Giants pitching coach JP Martinez (black hoodie) talks with starter Robbie Ray (glove in face) with catcher Sam Huff, Matt Chapman (behind Ray) and LaMonte Wade Jr (31) in the bottom of the second inning at Loan Depot Park in Miami on Sat May 31, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After winning game one of their series with the Miami Marlins (23-33) the San Francisco Giants (32-26) were looking for a win Saturday in game two assuring them of a series win but instead of getting the series win the Giants were shutout 1-0 by Marlins starter Ed Cabrera and the bullpen to tie the series at 1-1. Friday San Francisco did have 11 hits but left a lot of runners in scoring position stranded but got the win 2-0.

This is something that the Giants couldn’t clean up in Saturday’s game again no offense. They had a red-hot pitcher taking the mound in Robbie Ray who came into the game with a spotless 7-0 record but got the loss now dropping to 7-1.

The Marlins starter Edward Cabrera pitched 5.2 innings, allowed six hits, no runs, and struck out five for the win.

Temperatures were toasty Saturday much as Friday but fans were comfortable under the state-of-the-art retractable roof at loan-Depot Park.

Game recap: This game became a real pitcher’s duel. The Marlins scored a single run in the second inning. taking the early 1-0 lead. San Francisco pitcher Ray got the first two outs in the inning but went on to walk Dane Myers and Nick Fortes back to back.

Javier Sanojar singled Myers home and that would be the last run the Marlins would score going into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Going into the seventh inning there had not been a whole lot of hitting for either team although the Giants had six hits to the Marlins two. Cabrera had 5 2/3 solid innings giving up the six hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

He was relieved by Ronny Henriquez who finished off the inning for Miami. Henriquez stayed on the mound to start the seventh inning. He got the first two outs but hit Heliot Ramos and the Giants had a runner at first.

When it looked as if Jung Hoo Lee had knocked the ball out of the park, the Miami defense made a second amazing catch in the outfield robbing the Giants of a lead in the game. They had made a similar catch in the second inning that also would have made a difference in the game. Those two amazing plays by the Marlins kept this game a one-run game.

The eighth inning rolled around and San Francisco was running out of game. Chapman had been on base three times in the game but the team was still looking for their first run. Willy Adames walked and San Francisco had two runners on base with one out.

Mike Yastrzemski sacrificed and Chapman advanced to third and the Giants had runners at the corners. Tyler Fitzgerald struck out and that was the inning.

The Giants again went quietly in the ninth inning and this team continues to struggle as a whole. The series is tied and the rubber match will finish off the series Saturday. San Francisco has been unable to figure out just what is going so wrong for the team.

The good news is that we are through the month of May and the team will be looking for much more in the month of June where they have typically played well. Is this getting into their heads? There is no way of knowing but they do have some serious issues to address. After the 1-0 Marlin win, Miami will be trying to walk away with the series Sunday.

Robbie Ray had a great game despite the loss. He got into a bit of trouble in the second inning with walks and of course the one run. He finished the game pitching for seven innings which was really needed after going through seven pitchers in Friday’s game.

He gave up two hits, one run, three walks with nine strikeouts. The Giants were 0-6 with runners in scoring position and left ten runners stranded wiping out the great performance the team got from Ray. The disappointment continues with this team as they try to salvage the series in Sunday’s game.

First pitch for game three is scheduled for 10:40 AM. Hayden Birdsong (2-1 ERA 2.48) will take the mound for the Giants and the Marlins will start Ryan Weathers (1-0 ERA 1.15).

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: A’s team prez Badain says they’ve already broke ground for Vegas ballpark

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Work being done on the Athletics Las Vegas ballpark construction site at the former Tropicana Casino and Hotel includes excavation and piling foundation work on May 14, 2025 (photo by Las Vegas Review Journal)

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 According to Sacramento A’s president Marc Badain cranes will be arriving at the old Tropicana site to start construction on the Las Vegas ballpark in late June.

#2 Badain addressed the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Thu May 22 sharing work details for the construction plans. Badain also talked about the work that is already taking place as the foundation is already underway.

#3 Grading work already has taken place. Before July 1 100,000 cubic feet of dirt will be excavated. Construction crews have already doing tests on the pilings the foundation for the park. The pilings will be supporting the stadium.

#4 According to Badain Las Vegas Stadium Authority and the A’s have already broke ground at the old Tropicana site.

#5 Mortenson-McCarty is the contractor that is working on the park’s construction they will have their office compound set up and 75 percent should be on site by this coming week.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB Looking for Partnership with Women Professional Softball

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Women’s softball league under the umbrella of Major League Baseball the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (logo from Athletes Unlimited)

MLB Looking for Partnership with Women’s Professional Softball

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

You could say that Caitlin Clark started the popularity and impact, especially economic impact, of women’s professional basketball. Super talented, she increased the interest, exposure, and support for women’s sports in the country.

After her college years at the University of Iowa, she moved to the WNBA, where she played for the Indiana Fever as the team’s first-round draft pick in 2024, helping to revive the WNBA.

It is not as though the WNBA was not popular before Caitlin Clark’s arrival, but there is no doubt that since her arrival, the WNBA has become much more popular. Currently, the Indiana Fever’s star is sidelined with an injury and expected to miss a couple of weeks, maybe more.

The newest WNBA team is the Golden State Valkyries, which debuted this 2025 season. The Valkyries are the first new WNBA franchise since the Atlanta Dream joined in 2008. They’re based in San Francisco and play at the Chase Center. The NBA owns 42% of the WNBA and provides a significant annual endowment to help cover operational costs. 

There is a sort of renaissance in professional women’s sports in the United States, and Major League Baseball (MLB) is investing in the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) to replicate the success of establishing a professional softball league.

MLB is making a long-term investment, which includes media coverage on the popular MLB Network and marketing on Major League Baseball’s digital platforms. This is the first time Major League Baseball has invested in a women’s professional league.

Aiming to emulate the WNBA’s success by establishing a stable and sustainable professional softball league, MLB’s investment is a multi-year financial commitment that includes media coverage on MLB Network and marketing on MLB’s digital platforms.

This investment for MLB is a first-of-its-kind collaboration with a women’s professional sports league. This is very significant, after all, MLB is the oldest professional sports league in the United States, founded in 1876, with the National League and the American League joining later in 1901.

In 2000, the two leagues merged to form a single organization; before that, they were known as the National League and the American League. Some of us with extensive experience in baseball media recall when the NL published the Green Media book and the AL published the Red Media Guide.

For the record, there are other two women’s professional league that pay their players, aside from the WNBA. They are the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), both of which play here in the United States.

I am a strong supporter of women’s sports, and I have five ladies in my family who share my passion for sports. Congratulations to Major League Baseball, and I wish them the best of luck in this new endeavor.

“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” -Serena Williams.

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

Giants Win Game One of Series Over Marlins In 2-0 Shutout

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San Francisco Giants starter Kyle Harrison pitched five innings of shutout ball against the Miami Marlins at Loan Depot Park in Miami on Fri May 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (31-25) had 11 hits in Friday’s game beating the Miami Marlins (22-32) 2-0. They had a better offensive effort but they continue to leave a lot of runners in scoring position on base.

Camilo Doval finished off the Marlins pitching 1 1/3 innings with his mother watching her son for the first time in person. Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores each had two hits and Tyler Fitzgerald had three hits.

Game recap: Wilmer Flores continues to impress playing some very good baseball lately and he got this game going in the right direction. He singled driving Heliot Ramos home taking the early one-run lead 1-0. San Francisco’s Chapman hit a solo home run in the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead. After six innings, the Giants had eight hits while the Marlins only had a single hit. San Francisco was two for nine with runners in scoring position and so these struggles continue.

Giant’s pitcher Kyle Harrison went for five innings with only one hit, no runs three walks and five strikeouts in a pretty decent outing. He was relieved by Tristan Beck in the sixth inning who had a couple of walks but no hits and no runs.

The Marlins started the bottom of the seventh inning putting a couple of runners on base with no outs. Miami hit a double, got a walk and was threatening. The Marlins first run of the game was 90 feet away.

It would be up to relief pitcher Erik Miller to get the Giants out of the inning with runners on second and third base. Miller did not get the chance to finish the inning and was relieved by Tyler Rodgers who needed one more out to finish off the inning. Rodgers got the strike out and San Francisco was six outs away from getting this series off on the right foot.

Patrick Bailey and Chapman each had a couple of hits through eight innings and Tyler Fitzgerald had three hits. Both Flores and Chapman had RBIs. Flores and Chapman have been consistently producing at the plate lately and Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, Flores and Willie Adames all had hits.

More offense was exactly what San Francisco has been looking for. Camilo Doval took the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs. He made short work of the Marlin’s Connor Norby who flied out to end the inning and it was on to the ninth inning.

San Francisco’s Fitzgerald singled in the ninth stealing second base and with only one out the Giants had another runner in scoring position. The game went into the bottom of the ninth inning and San Francisco was three outs away from winning game one.

Doval would be looking to close out this game with his mother in the stands watching him for the first time as a pro. The pride on her face was undeniable as she watched him save this game for San Francisco. The final was 2-0 as the Giants took the first game of the series. The Giants had broken their three-game losing streak.

Game notes: After getting swept by the Detroit Tigers, the Giants traveled east for a three game series with the Marlins at Loan Depot Park in Miami. The Giants left behind the windy conditions in Detroit trading for some very toasty weather, 87 degrees at first pitch, but even warmer down on the field.

After losing to the Tigers, the Giants got back on the winning track, and got some better offensive production. They had really been struggling with not only quiet bats but leaving far too many runners in scoring position on base particularly in their last series.

San Francisco who got the shutout 2-0 got a quality start from Kyle Harrison who pitched five innings and allowed only one hit for the win. Harrison struck out five batters and walked three. Miami starter Cal Quantrill went five innings, allowing eight hits and two runs on Friday.

San Francisco finished the game with 11 hits. The Giants flooded the mound with pitchers going through seven in this game. They continue to leave runners in scoring positions but they managed a win in this opening game of the series.

They will be looking to carry this improved offense into game two and assure a series win Saturday. San Francisco will start Robbie Ray who has been lights out with a 2.56 ERA, 7-0 win/loss record looking to add another win. Edward Cabrera will take the mound for Miami who has a 1-1 win/loss record and a 4.73 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 1:10 PM PDT.

The Blue Jays Fly Away with an 11-7 Win over A’s

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Toronto Blue Jays Ernie Clement (22) dives into home plate safely as Sacramento A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (23) is too late with the tag in the bottom of the second inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Fri May 30, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics’ struggles continued Friday night at Rogers Centre as they fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 11-7 in a game marked by early power and persistent Toronto offense. Tyler Soderstrom provided the first jolt for the green and gold with a towering solo home run in the second inning, his 11th of the season, to open the scoring.

But Toronto immediately answered, tying it in the bottom of the frame and taking the lead for good in the second inning. Jeffrey Springs, who entered the game with a 3.97 ERA, was tagged for six runs in three innings.

Ernie Clement doubled and later homered, while Myles Straw contributed a run-scoring double that gave the Blue Jays the edge. Springs issued multiple walks, adding to a tough night for an A’s staff that had already posted the second highest ERA in the majors this season.

The Athletics’ bullpen, which came in with a 6.07 ERA, couldn’t contain the Blue Jays’ offense either. In the fifth inning, George Springer delivered an RBI single and Alejandro Kirk followed with a two-run single to push Toronto’s advantage to 9-5. A’s pitchers combined for nine walks on the night, consistently putting pressure on the defense.

Shea Langeliers briefly cut into the deficit with a solo home run in the fourth, his tenth of the year, while Brent Rooker added a two-run double in the fifth. Lawrence Butler extended his hitting streak in the ninth with an RBI double that scored Denzel Clarke, who had singled moments earlier. Miguel Andujar also doubled and came around to score in the ninth, highlighting a late rally that ultimately fell short.

Jacob Wilson, who has been one of the bright spots for the A’s this season, delivered an RBI single in the third that plated Butler. Wilson, batting over .340 in May, continued to show his potential as a key contributor for the green and gold. Despite these efforts, the Athletics never managed to hold a lead at any point in the game.

The defeat dropped the Athletics to 23-35, now 11 games under .500. They have lost 15 of their last 17 games and are 3-18 over their last 21 contests. In addition, they’ve allowed 50 home runs in May alone, the most in the majors. Friday’s game also extended the A’s streak to 11 straight games allowing at least one home run, with Clement and Barger both going deep for Toronto.

The A’s will look to snap their eight-game road losing streak Saturday as RHP Gunnar Hoglund (1-2 ERA 5.13) takes the mound in search of his second win of the season. With a team ERA that ranks second highest in the majors and a bullpen that has struggled to hold leads, Hoglund will need to set the tone early to give the Athletics a chance. The Blue Jays will counter with RHP Braydon Fisher (1-0 ERA 0.00) first pitch 12:07pm PDT.

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.

MLB The Show podcast Michael Duca Fri May 30, 2025: Trout expected back in line up tonight for Angels; Braves Sale strikes out 2,500th batter; plus more news

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Mike Trout (right) talks with batting coach Johnny Washington (left) in the Los Angeles Angels dugout before their game against the Seattle Mariners on Wed April 30, 2025 at T Mobile Field in Seattle. Trout is expected back in the line up for Fri May 30, 2025 game against the Cleveland Guardians after suffering a left knee injury. (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Michael Duca Fri May 30, 2025:

#1 The Los Angeles Angels are expected to activate outfielder Mike Trout Friday night before their game against the Cleveland Guardians. The Angels have optioned Matthew Lugo to Triple-A Salt Lake City on Thursday. Trout suffered left knee soreness on April 30th and had to leave the game against the Seattle Mariners in the fourth inning. Trout last season had to have two surgeries on the knee due to a meniscus tear.

#2 What a great career for Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale who is the fastest pitcher to strikeout 2,500 batters. Sale pitched six inning of shutout ball against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday in a 9-3 win in the night cap of a doubleheader which which the Phillies won the front game 5-4. In the sixth inning of the second game Sale struck out Edmundo Sosa in the sixth inning it was Sale’s eighth strikeout of the game to reach the 2,500 career strikeouts mark. Sale joins three other active pitchers to have achieved the record, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

#3 The Seattle Mariners shortstop JP Crawford was livid over a third strike call by umpire Andy Fletcher on Thursday night on a pitch that Crawford argued was outside. Fletcher didn’t waste anytime into the argument and tossed Crawford from the game. With runners at the corners in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals with a 2-0 lead. Nats pitcher MacKenzie Gore threw a pitch to Crawford that the pitch chart showed was outside. You could hear Crawford on the crowd mic yelling “That’s not a strike man” to which the argument was too close for comfort and manager Dan Wilson had to come out and restrain Crawford.

#3 Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper was out of Thursday’s first game of a doubleheader versus the Atlanta Braves and was also not in the starting line up in the second game. This after being hit in the elbow with a pitch on Tuesday. Harper took a 95.3 fastball in the elbow from Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider. Harper had suffered swelling and pain.

#4 The Sacramento A’s continue to struggle losing their 14 out 15th game on Thursday night against the Toronto Blue Jays 12-0 at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Jays cut through the A’s pitching like butter with four home runs and a eight run second inning. The first two pitchers for the A’s were lit up. Starter Jacob Lopez in 1.2 innings of work allowed six hits and seven earned runs. A’s reliever Anthony Maldonado pitched an inning allowing four hits and four earned runs. Question how will manager Mark Kotsay stop the bleeding?

#5 The San Francisco Giants Kyle Harrison (0-1 ERA 3.86) gets the start again against the Miami Marlins on Friday night in Miami. Harrison in his last game pitched four innings allowing five hits and two earned runs. Giants have lost six of their last ten games. How do you see Harrison Friday night against the Marlins to open the series?

Join Michael Duca for the MLB The Show podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Fail to Cage Blue Jays 12-0 at Rogers Centre to open series

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Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr (27) slugs a two run home run in the bottom of the second inning against the Sacramento A’s at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Thu May 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

It was a night to forget for the green and gold at Rogers Centre, where the Sacramento Athletics were steamrolled 12-0 by the Toronto Blue Jays in a one-sided affair that started badly and only got worse. This marks the third straight loss for the A’s and their 14th defeat in the last 15 games, during which they’ve been outscored by a staggering 117 to 44.

Things unraveled in the second inning, when the Blue Jays erupted for eight runs off A’s starter Jacob Lopez, who was chased from the game after recording just five outs. Toronto’s Ernie Clement ignited the rally with a three-run homer to left center.

It was his second of the season and only the beginning of what would be a career night. After a pair of singles and another walk, Bo Bichette delivered an RBI double before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a towering two-run shot, his eighth home run of the year, to make it 6-0.

Lopez was replaced by Anthony Maldonado, but the floodgates remained open. Clement returned to the plate and ripped a two-run double, finishing the inning with five RBIs.

Clement’s five-RBI frame tied a Blue Jays franchise record. Only Edwin Encarnacion had ever driven in five runs in a single inning before, doing so in 2014. For Clement, a 28-year-old journeyman with just eight RBIs all season entering the game, it was a career-defining performance.

But the damage didn’t stop there. In the third, Bichette and Springer went back-to-back with solo home runs to left field. That ballooned the lead to 11-0 and cemented what had become a highlight reel for Toronto’s top hitters. Bichette’s blast was his sixth of the year. Springer, who also singled and scored earlier, added his sixth as well.

The A’s offense, meanwhile, never got going. They struck out 14 times and were held to just four hits, two of which came after the game was already well out of reach. Lawrence Butler recorded a single and a walk, and Brent Rooker hit his tenth double of the season, but the A’s never advanced a runner past second base.

Their best chance came in the sixth, when Luis Urías and Logan Davidson reached base with no outs, only for Butler to strike out and the rally to fizzle with a lineout and forceout.

Toronto starter José Berríos dominated from the outset, allowing just two hits across six shutout innings while striking out nine. He improved to 5-4 on the season with a 2.78 ERA. The Blue Jays bullpen combined to retire nine of the final eleven batters.

The Athletics’ pitching struggles were on full display. Lopez was tagged for seven earned runs, while Maldonado allowed four more in his brief appearance. Sean Newcomb and Hogan Harris provided some length out of the bullpen, but by then the damage was irreparable.

The Blue Jays tacked on their final run in the seventh with a sacrifice fly from Alejandro Kirk, scoring Addison Barger, who had reached with a single and moved over on Ali Sánchez’s double. Even Toronto’s substitutions kept producing, highlighting the depth gap between these two clubs.

The Athletics will attempt to regroup and stop the bleeding when the series continues Friday. A’s Left-hander Jeffrey Springs (5-3 ERA 3.97) is slated to start for the green and gold, looking for his sixth win of the season. He’ll be opposed by former A’s pitcher and Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt, who brings a 4-3 record into the matchup with a 3.38 ERA.

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.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB- Latino Narrative Dominating 

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Minnie Minoso painting by Graig Kreindler. This is a painting of Minoso getting ready for a game with the Chicago White Sox in 1951 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (Graig Kreindler X photo)

MLB: Latino Narrative Dominating

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

When I first began covering Major League Baseball in the mid-1970s, Latino players made up between 10 and 13% of all players; today, the number is at least 30% and growing. Although the most famous player today, Shohei Ohtani, was born in Japan, Latin culture is ever-present in the game of baseball. Demographics have changed dramatically since the 1970s, and today the total Hispanic population in the U.S. is estimated to be 65.2 million, according to Pew Research Center.

Of all the countries in the world with the most significant number of Spanish-speaking people, the United States of America ranks second, with Mexico having 132 million. One of my long-time friends is Octavio “Cookie” Rojas, who played 16 seasons in the major leagues. Octavio has done it all. Octavio “Cookie” Rojas Rivas (born March 6, 1939) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball player, coach, manager, scout, and radio and television commentator.

He went to La Luz School in Havana (although a few years before me).I also attended that same school. He became a professional player in the old Cuban Winter League with the Leones del Habana. I remember him playing second base, and I recall a television show about baseball on Cuban television that he hosted.

It was Octavio, when he was a scout, that sat with me during a broadcast back in the 80’s, that told me, “En 30 años seremos cerca de la mitad Latinos jugando aqui” trans- “In 30 years, half of all the players playing here, will be Latinos”. He wasn’t far from predicting the truth.

In 2011, the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame inducted Octavio”Cookie” Rojas into their Hall of Fame. The museum has been a traveling museum for 26 years, founded as a non-profit in San Francisco, California.

Rojas also played in Venezuela, after Cuba, and of course made his name in the major leagues. We at the HHBM are very proud to have him among other Latino Legends who led the way for us today and made baseball one of the most popular Latino sports in the United States.

Note: I recall when Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso was playing in Cuba with the Mariano Tigers. He became the first Cuban-born player to earn a salary of $25,000 in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox. In the 1950s, that was a substantial amount of money in baseball.

Recently Dominican-born Juan Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets in December 2024. This contract makes it the largest in the history of professional sports. It also includes a $75 million signing bonus and an average annual salary of $51 million. The most significant contract ever in baseball went to a Latino player.

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.

 https://goaquaadventure.com

 @Central Park Fremont – Fremont CA

Athletics podcast Jeremiah Salmomson Thu May 29, 2025: Jacob’s ladder to success; A’s open four game series in Toronto

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Sacramento A’s Jacob Wilson circles the bases after hitting a fifth inning home run against the Houston Astros on Wed May 28, 2025 at Daikin Park in Houston (AP News photo)

Athletics podcast Jeremiah Salmonson Thu May 29, 2025:

#1 Jeremiah, Once again the Sacramento A’s fell in the late innings losing Wednesday to the Houston Astros 5-3 at Daikin Park in Houston. The loss was the A’s 13th out of their last 14 games.

#2 The got another strong performance from their starter Luis Severino pitching six innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, two walks and four strikeouts.

#3 A’s reliever Justin Sterner pitched 2.3 innings, three hits, one earned run, and two unearned runs, walked a batter in the bottom of the seventh inning that allowed the Astros to come back and take the lead.

#4 Despite the loss the A’s rookie Jacob Wilson had an offensive day in third inning doubled in Luis Urias, Wilson later scored on Brent Rooker’s RBi double. Wilson in the fifth hit his seventh home run a solo shot that gave the A’s a 3-2 lead.

#5 The A’s are in Toronto Thursday night to face the Blue Jays the A’s will be starting LHP Jacob Lopez (0-2, 2.57 ERA) for the Toronto Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios (1-2, ERA 4.22). The Jays are playing .500 ball in their last ten games going 5-5.

Jeremiah Salmonson does the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioserivce.com