[Posted Sunday p.m.]
*Folks, I’ve had major tech issues since last Wednesday. I won’t bore you with the details, but it hasn’t impacted the site, just what I can post from global HQ. It sucks. I hope this column goes through. No Add-on this week…, but look just in case….
Dodgers Quiz: Clayton Kershaw got his 3,000th strikeout the other night, first Dodger to do so. Name Nos. 2-5 on the all-time Dodger strikeout list. [Hint: One has the initials D.V.] Answer below.
MLB
–The Mets and Yankees began their Subway Series Friday afternoon at Citi Field and the injuries were piling up, the Yanks losing starter Clarke Schmidt to a right forearm/elbow issue that placed him on the IL, and the Mets losing key relievers Jose Butto and Dedniel Nunez to the IL, Nunez possibly needing Tommy John surgery.
Going back to Wednesday, the Mets had to play the Brewers in a day/night doubleheader due to a rainout Tuesday at Citi Field, and after a desultory loss in the first game, 7-2, out of nowhere they smoked Milwaukee phenom Jacob Misiorowski; Brandon Nimmo with a grand slam, followed by a Francisco Lindor homer, 5 earned in 3 2/3, 3 walks, Misiorowski’s ERA zooming to 3.20 in a 7-3 hugely needed win for the Metsies.
New York then followed with a scintillating 3-2 win over the Brewers Thursday, 3-2, Juan Soto with a big RBI single and Edwin Diaz cleaning up for the save (though not before a highly controversial caught stealing for Milwaukee in the top of the ninth, where Christian Yelich looked safe).
So the Mets had some momentum heading into Friday, while the Yankees had just been swept in a 4-game series up in Toronto, Schmidt exiting after three innings in what would be an 8-5 loss Thursday.
And what a game it was. The Mets, with injuries to the starting staff as well as the bullpen, had to give Justin Hagenman his first MLB start and all he did was proceed to yield home runs to the first two Yankee batters, Jasson Dominguez and Aaron Judge (No. 32).
But the Mets tied it at 2-2 in the bottom of the first on a 2-run homer by Juan Soto!
And then the Yanks had a 5-3 lead when Brett Baty homered for the Mets to cut it to 5-4, and in the bottom of the seventh, Jeff McNeil launched an absolute bomb, a 2-run homer off Yankees closer (most of the time) Luke Weaver, putting the Mets up 6-5, whereupon Reed Garrett, who had struggled since a terrific first two months, pitched two innings of scoreless relief and the Metropolitans had a terrific 6-5 win, owing in no small part to McNeil’s outstanding defensive play in the ninth.
Cincinnati was beating Philadelphia Friday, 9-6, so the Mets picked up a game to fall to just a ½ game behind the Phillies.
On to Saturday, and prior to the game, the Yankees announced it is highly likely Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery, which due to the lateness in the season means he’s out until 2027. Schmidt was doing a very solid job…4-4, 3.32 in 14 starts. In spring training, the Yanks lost Gerrit Cole to TJ surgery, but he’ll at least be back early next year, and Luis Gil to a lat strain that is keeping him out until August.
And in the bottom of the first, Brandon Nimmo hit another grand slam, off Carlos Rodon, 4-0 Metsies…what a start. Pete Alonso then broke a lengthy homerless drought with a 2-run blast to the opposite field, 7-2, Yanks cut it to 7-5, and then Alonso hit a three-run bomb to left and the Mets won it 12-6. Six straight losses for the reeling Yankees (48-41) who find themselves 3 games back of first-place Toronto, which has won seven straight.
[The Mets (52-38) still trailed the Phillies by a ½-game in the NL East after Philadelphia’s 5-1 win over Cincinnati.]
Today, however, the Yankees were sending ace Max Fried (10-2, 2.13) out to the mound and the greatly depleted Mets pitching staff was forced to go with Chris Devenski as an opener. No way they win the game.
And the Mets fell behind 5-0 early, though Devenski threw two scoreless. Aaron Judge hit No. 33.
But the Mets clawed their way back to 5-4 after six, Fried out after five innings, three earned. The Yanks added one in the top of the seventh, and then in the bottom of the inning, Francisco Lindor led off with a HBP, and Juan Soto lined a sure single to left…until Cody Bellinger made a terrific shoestring catch and in one motion fired a strike to first base to double off Lindor. Forget all the grabs we’ve seen in MLB this season, robbing hitters of a home run, this was the best play of the year…period. God, I wanted the Mets to sign this guy in the offseason…he would have been playing centerfield in place of Tyrone Taylor, for starters. [Taylor in a 2 for 41 horrendous slump.]
The Mets then lost it 6-4, the Yanks snapping their losing streak. Fried with win No. 11.
For their part, the Phillies beat the Reds again, 3-1, behind the great Zack Wheeler’s complete game one-hitter, 12 strikeouts, no walks, the only hit a home run in the fifth by Austin Hays. Wheeler is now 9-3, 2.17.
—Friday, in Los Angeles, the Astros (53-35) took it to the Dodgers (56-33) 18-1! The worst loss ever for L.A. at Dodger Stadium (1962) and you have to go all the way back to the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers for a worse home loss. [Dodger reliever Noah Davis yielded 10 earned in 1 1/3.]
Saturday, Houston’s Framber Valdez won his tenth (10-4, 2.90) as the Astros beat the Dodgers again, 6-4, Shohei Ohtani with two scoreless innings, 31 pitches, as he slowly works his way back on the mound to where he can go 5-6 innings.
For L.A., prior to the weekend, they announced Max Muncy will be out six weeks with a bone bruise to his left knee, suffered on a collision as a runner attempted to steal third and went right into Muncy’s knee. He’s lucky it wasn’t worse…it sure looked like it could watching the play. Muncy’s having another classic Muncy season, 13 homers, 55 RBIs. But he only played 73 games last season.
—Friday, in a 6-0 win over the Pirates, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh slammed home runs No. 34 and 35. The ‘Big Dumper’ is threatening Barry Bonds’ record of 39 home runs before the All-Star break, with a week’s worth of games left before then.
Saturday, the Mariners (47-42) shut out the Pirates (38-52) again, 1-0, as Pittsburgh walked Raleigh three times.
–Also Friday, the Cubs whipped the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, 11-3, as Chicago hit a franchise record 8 home runs (3 by Michael Busch and 2 for Pete Crow-Armstrong). I was just surprised this was a franchise record. I would have thought for sure that the Cubbies would have achieved this before given Wrigley and how it can play when the wind is blowing out.
–The Tigers (56-34) beat the Guardians in Cleveland Saturday night, 1-0, behind Casey Mize, sending the Guardians (40-47) to their ninth straight loss! Yikes.
And Detroit won again this afternoon, 7-2 in ten innings. Tarik Skubal threw seven scoreless for the Tigers, ERA down to 2.02, but it was 1-1 after nine, and then Detroit scored six in the top of the tenth.
–We note the passing of former White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks, who died at the age of 44 from a rare form of stomach cancer.
Jenks only pitched from 2005-2011, his first six seasons with the ChiSox, but what an impact he had out of the bullpen, 173 saves, including two in Chicago’s four-game sweep of the Astros in 2005 for their first World Series title in 88 years.
Jenks threw the final pitch of Game 4 in the series.
“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family,” team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement.
“None of us will ever forget all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago.”
After a final season in Boston, Jenks was forced to retire at the age of 30 because of bone spurs on his spine that hampered nearby nerves and tendons.
NBA
–The Knicks are hiring former Cleveland and Sacramento coach Mike Brown to be their new head coach. As awful as New York’s process has been to replace Tom Thibodeau, this isn’t a bad choice. Brown certainly has had success, with four 50-win seasons in Cleveland (two at 60+) and two solid years in Sacramento before he was let go there. Granted, the 55-year-old Brown had LeBron at Cleveland, but you still gotta win the games.
New York also added a big man for the rotation, Guerschon Yabusele, 29, who revived his career in the 2024 Olympics for France and then last season with the Sixers, finishing with averages of 11 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 38% on treys.
This is exactly what I wanted, a true power forward at 6-9 with heft.
–The Lakers are signing talented big man Deandre Ayton to a two-year, $16.6 million deal. The 26-year-old 7-footer has averaged a double-double in every one of his seven NBA seasons since the Suns picked him first overall in 2018 – the same draft his new teammate Luka Doncic went third.
He’s not the most physical or aggressive player, and his effort on defense is spotty, but LeBron, and Doncic, should like the move.
–Oklahoma City and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agreed to a four-year, $285 million extension. The annual average of $71.25 million per season is the highest in NBA history and runs through the 2030-31 season.
The 26-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander had a season for the ages, including a streak in which he scored 20 or more points in 72 consecutive games. He also averaged five rebounds and a career-high 6.4 assists.
He was both regular-season and Finals MVP, while leading the league in scoring, becoming only the fourth player to achieve those feats, joining the ranks of Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem.
Golf Balls
–With most of the big names in golf skipping this week’s John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, it was a chance for others to pick up valuable FedEx Cup points and at the end of three rounds….
Davis Thompson -15
Max Homa -14
David Lipsky -14
Emiliano Grillo -14
Brian Campbell -14
Thompson is the defending champion, his only PGA Tour victory. Homa, a 6-time winner, but not since the Farmers Insurance Open in 2023, has been struggling mightily this year, zero top tens in 16 events coming into this week. [He’s also been kind of a jerk.]
And as we advanced, it was Campbell and Grillo in at -18, Lipsky playing 18 also at -18, but he drilled his drive way left.
Lipsky great approach but misses his par putt. It’s Campbell (1 win) and Grillo (2 career wins) and I’m moving on….
Rickie Fowler, with a T19, moved from 72 in the FedEx Cup standings to 69! Yippee.
Wimbledon
–Play started last Monday and by end of Tuesday, Coco Gauff, seeded No. 2, had fallen to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, ranked No. 42. Gauff was the fourth woman in the top 10 rankings to lose in the first round, joining Jessica Pegula, Qinwen Zheng, and Paula Badosa.
This year’s Wimbledon marks the first time since 1968 that two of the top three seeds were eliminated in the first round, with No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretta shocked 3-seed Pegula.
And No. 3 Alexander Zverez lost his opener.
Well, we move on and 5 Taylor Fritz is into the quarterfinals, along with 2 Carlos Alcaraz.
No. 1 Jannik Sinner, 6 Novak Djokovic and 10 Ben Shelton are in action Monday in the Round of 16.
Stuff
–The sports world was shaken with the death of 28-year-old Liverpool and Portugal international footballer Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in Spain, along with his brother. Police said that the Lamborghini he was traveling in with his brother Andre Silva suffered a tire blowout while overtaking another car, crashed off the road and caught fire, killing both. Diogo had just married his partner less than two weeks ago, the pair sharing pictures of their wedding day, along with their three children, on social media. He had also just won a Premier League title with Liverpool. He was on top of the world. So sad.
–The USMNT is playing Mexico for the final of the Gold Cup Sunday evening in Houston, the U.S. men having defeated Guatemala in a semifinal, 2-1, with rising star Diego Luna scoring a pair of first-half goals. Luna is just 21 and plays for FC Baltika Kaliningrad in Russia.
—Lando Norris won his hometown British Grand Prix today at rainy Silverstone, his fourth win of the season as he inched closer to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the standings, who finished second.
But we had a cool story as Nico Hulkenberg, in his 239th race, driving for Sauber, picked up his first podium!
–Hockey Hall of Famer Alex Delvecchio died Tuesday, his longtime team the Red Wings announced. He was 93.
Delvecchio was a 3-time Stanley Cup champion and spent 24 years in the NHL as one of the game’s best centers while playing alongside legend Gordie Howe. Outside of Howe, no player in team history may encompass playing for Detroit more than Alex.
Delvecchio played from 1951-74, recording 456 goals and 825 assists.
–Congratulations to the great Joey Chestnut. He made a triumphant return to the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, NY, scarfing down 70 ½ hot dogs and buns in ten minutes…with second place Patrick Bertoletti way back at 46 ½.
It was Joey Jaws’ 17th Mustard Belt.
Miki Sudo won her 11th title on the women’s side, 33 HDBs.
I watch this every year namely to see promoter George Shea, one of the funniest men on the planet. In describing one contestant, Shea said, “You must describe the dark by what is darker still….”
—An elephant in Zambia killed two “elderly” female tourists at a national park. The women (one from the UK, the other from New Zealand) were on a walking safari when a female elephant that was with a calf charged them. Safari guides shot and wounded the elephant but were unable to prevent the attack and both women died at the scene.
Last year, two Americans died in separate incidents when attacked by elephants.
–A major Good Guy nod for country music star Keith Urban, who was performing at a concert, when standing in the front row was a blind girl, who was with her mother and sister, and she was holding a sign that read something to the effect, “I can’t see you, but I can hear you.”
Urban saw the sign, reached out and touched her, and put his head to her head, as I saw on NBC News Thursday. Needless to say, incredibly touching. A great moment, and Keith Urban wins more fans. I always was one…having seen him years ago at a concert in Milwaukee. I also always thought he is one of the greatest pure guitar players in the world. Underrated in that regard.
–I have to admit, I watched the Macy’s Day Fireworks show, the leadup to the actual fireworks, and I thought the set by Lenny Kravitz was terrific.
Top 3 songs for the week July 8, 1967: #1 “Windy” (The Association…loved this one…) #2 “Little Bit O’ Soul” (The Music Explosion) #3 “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (Frankie Valli… “The Deer Hunter”…only one of the top 3 or 4 movies all time…)…and…#4 “San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)” (Scott McKenzie…another terrific tune…) #5 “Don’t Sleep In The Subway” (Petula Clark…ditto…) #6 “Come On Down To My Boat” (Every Mother’s Son) #7 “Up–Up And Away” (The 5th Dimension) #8 “Let’s Live For Today” (The Grass Roots) #9 “Groovin’” (The Young Rascals…awesome…) #10 “The Tracks Of My Tears” (Johnny Rivers…A week…)
Dodgers Quiz Answer: Top five all-time in strikeouts….
Kershaw 3,000
Don Sutton 2,696
Don Drysdale 2,486
Sandy Koufax 2,396
Dazzy Vance 1,918
Hall of Famer Vance is fascinating. He finished his overall career 197-140…190-131 for Brooklyn, who he played for from 1922-1932. He was the 1924 MVP, winning pitching’s Triple Crown, 28-6, 2.16, 262 strikeouts. He was a 3X ERA champ.
Born in Orient, IA (I’ve been to the state many times; don’t recall passing through here), what’s amazing about Dazzy’s career is that he didn’t get his first real shot until he was 31! So I just have to relate a passage from “The Biographical Encyclopedia of Baseball” (from the editors of Total Baseball…one of the great books of all time, seriously…if you can find a copy, get it…).
After a cup of coffee with the Yankees in 1915:
“The next spring (1916), Vance developed an inflamed elbow; the glands that secreted liquid to lubricate the joint had dried up. A doctor said that the injury would take five years to heal completely.
“Vance returned to the minor leagues and pitched for a number of teams, including Columbus, Toledo, Memphis, Rochester, Sacramento, and New Orleans. The Yankees brought him back for a two-game trial in 1918, but he was shelled. He pitched sparingly, trying to nurse his elbow back to health. As his condition slowly improved, Vance cautiously increased his playing time. He learned to control his pitches and developed a curve. His fastball didn’t really return until 1921, five years after he hurt his arm – right on schedule.”
I love this story. Long, long before MRIs, and Tommy John surgery, you had a few basically country doctors who knew a whole lot. I mean this is 1916!
Well, Vance was fortunate, because the Dodgers manager back then was Wilbert Robinson, “Uncle Robbie,” who was known for his “enormous patience, especially with washed-up pitchers.” Dazzy Vance would turn out to be Robinson’s most successful reclamation project.
No Add-on Tuesday…I gotta spend my time correcting my computer issues.
Next Bar Chat, Sunday.
