Yankees third baseman/ DH Josh Donaldson is in hot water.
On Saturday during the Yankees 7-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox, Donaldson got into a pair of scuffles with White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and catcher Yasmani Grandal, the later of which almost started a near brawl at home plate over what the White Sox are claiming were racist remarks by Donaldson.
Josh Donaldson. Getty Images.
To understand the feud between the two, one must look to the series the Yanks and Sox played a week ago in Chi-Town when Anderson claimed that Donaldson applied a very hard tag on him leading to a benches clearing incident.
On Saturday after the final out of the third inning was recorded, Donaldson rounded second and started chirping in the direction of Anderson. The two came face to face leading both benches to clear. No punches were thrown as both Donaldson and Anderson were pulled away from one another.
htts://twitter.com/TalkinYanks/status/1528080562476486658?s=20&t=UExHDV6e41CepuCj3By the bottom of the fifth inning, things got worse. As Donaldson strode to the plate he started jawing with White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal leading to benches to clear. Anderson had to be restrained by teammate Jose Abreu in the dugout.
After the game it was revealed by Anderson that Donaldson called him "Jackie" in reference to Jackie Robinson, and that he didn't appreciate the racial undertones of what Donaldson was saying to him.
White Sox Manager Tony LaRussa poured gas on the fire claiming that Donaldson used racial remarks in the direction of Anderson, but refused to be specific.
Donaldson later explained that he has called Anderson "Jackie" in the past, but it was only meant as a joke between the two of them. Donaldson said it was based on Anderson calling himself the next "Jackie Robinson."
MLB is said to be investigating. The question is really what else did Donaldson say to Anderson to spark such outrage? There needs to be more context to the comments. Obviously if it comes out that Donaldson used Jackie Robinson's name in a way that is racial and inappropriate, the Yankees must take swift action.
Max Scherzer will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks with an oblique strain, according to official word from the New York Mets.
Scherzer injured the oblique on Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals when he threw a pitch to Albert Pujols in the sixth inning of the Mets 11-4 victory.
Scherzer said later he felt a "zing" on the left side of his body and immediately motioned to the dugout to take him out of the game. The 37-year old pitcher minced no words when he described the situation that he wanted to get out of the game right away to prevent further injury.
However oblique's are tricky and they require at least a month, and in Scherzer's case two months. This puts a huge crimp in the Mets plans moving forward.
The Mets are already without Jacob deGrom who is healing from a shoulder injury he suffered in spring training. deGrom hasn't pitched in a year due to several arm issues. The guess is he'll be back by July, but really, who knows?
Tylor Megill, who was tasked with replacing deGrom is now out with biceps tendonitis, and his return is up in the air as well.
The Mets (25-14) are in trouble. They were off to a flying start to 2022, but with injuries stacking up, especially on the pitching front the Mets face a stiff challenge in the coming weeks. They will play 16 games on the west coast between this weekend and the first week of June. That will take them to Colorado, San Francisco, LA to play both the Dodgers and Angels, and San Diego. All of those teams (except Colorado) are playing well. All are playoff contenders.
The Mets without Scherzer and deGrom could easily see all the momentum they established in the first six weeks disappear.
When the Mets and Mariners met up for the second game of a three game series, the night began under unfavorable conditions. Rain had been sweeping through the New York Tri-State area all afternoon, and the 7:05 first pitch was delayed a whole hour and eight minutes. And throughout the contest the threat of rain, and an ever present rolling fog stood over Citi Field like a haze.
And nobody seemed to care. The fans came in droves, most of them sitting there waiting, and waiting and waiting for something big to happen. One guy even fell asleep in the arms of his wife or girlfriend, an image that was captured by SNY's cameras long enough to become a Twitter meme. Maybe he got tired of doing the wave?
And for most of the night it was struggle to sit through. Mets starter Chris Bassitt was great, but he couldn't get on the same page with catcher Pat Mazeika, whom the Mets called up to fill the void left by James McCann, who is out six weeks with a hamaet bone injury to his left hand.
Time after time, the two of them were crossed up. And time after time, somehow, someway Bassitt found a way out of danger.
In the top of the first inning alone, Bassitt hit J.P. Crawford, walked Eugenio Suarez, and walked Jessie Winker -- all with two out mind you. And as Bassitt and Mazeika met at the mound to discuss their problems agreeing on what pitch to put down, Suarez was caught leaning too far off second base and was tagged out by Jeff McNeil.
And wouldn't you know it, the original call was that Suarez was safe?! So the Mets challenged it, and won the challenge. On a hazy night with fog and rain, and an umpire talking over a loud speaker to fans about overturning a call gave the moment a football on a damp October night feel. Yep, it was that kinda night. And it was only the top of the first inning!
The Mets would eventually scratch out a run in the bottom of the first inning when Francisco Lindor lined a single up the middle with nobody covering second base to drive in Starling Marte, who had tripled in the at-bat prior to Lindor's hit. 1-0 Mets.
It stayed that way until the third inning as the Mets struggled to mount much offense against New York native George Kirby, who had his own legion of supporters in the stands. Talk about adding another element to this wild night.
Kirby, who grew up a Yankees fan and attended high school in Rye, New York pitched well against the Mets. His parents, friends and relatives were all in the stands cheering him on -- and it was audible even on television. Kirby pitched well enough. He held the Mets to three runs, and left after four innings and 89 pitches.
The Mets were able to tack on against Kirby in that aforementioned third inning on a pair of sac fly's by Lindor and Jeff McNeil. In fact McNeil's sac fly that drove in Marte to make it 3-0 will probably be best remembered for Steven Souza Jr.'s incredible back to home plate catch against a chain-link fence in right.
Guess, he saw enough highlights of Willie Mays on what to do in the outfield, and enough of Aaron Roward replays of what not to do when approaching the wall?
So the Mets are up 3-0, and eventually up 4-0 on Pete Alonso's RBI double in the fifth. Ball game over, right? Wrong!
The issues between Bassitt and Mazeika continued into the sixth inning. They just couldn't get on the same page. Bassitt hit Suarez and walked Winker ... again! As Bassitt kept shaking off Mazeika, and Buck Schowalter was becoming more visible irritable with every pitch, Bassitt somehow struck out Julio Rodriguez swinging, and struckout Mike Ford looking to give himself an opportunity to pull a Houdini Act and get out of the inning.
Pitch number 108 said otherwise as Steven Souza blooped a single to left to drive in a run to chase a perturbed Bassitt from the mound with the Mets leading 4-1.
If getting consistently crossed up didn't annoy Bassitt enough, he couldn't have liked what he saw in the top of the seventh. Seth Lugo gave up base hits to Crawford and Suarez, forcing Showalter to remove him from the game in favor of Chasen Shreve, a lefty to face the left-handed Winker.
Shreve proceeded to fall behind 3-1 before serving up a meatball that Winker smashed into the upper deck at Citi Field for a three-run homer, tying the game at four. Winker, a former Cincinnati Red, who has enjoyed taunting Mets fans in the past waved at fans as he made his way back to the third base dugout.
But as is the case with baseball it can be the great redeemer when you least expect it. In the bottom of the seventh of a tied game, Mazeika -- the same guy who couldn't get Chris Bassitt to agree on any pitch seemingly all night, took the first pitch he saw from Andres Munoz and deposited it into the right field bleachers for a solo home run.
Just like that it was Mets 5 - Mariners 4.
After Adam Ottavino delivered a nice bounce back effort for himself with a 1-2-3 eighth inning, Edwin Diaz -- the former Seattle Mariners closer, traded to the Mets back in 2018 for Jared Kelenec, came into the ball game. There had to be some butterflies for Diaz. As the fog grew thicker at Citi Field and rain steadier, Diaz blanked his old team by striking out the side in the ninth, including getting Winker to swing and miss on a 100 mph four-seam fastball, the eighth pitch of the at bat.
Diaz pumped his fist. The Mets won one of their most wild games of the season.
The Yankees couldn't remain unbeatable forever, right? For the first time in well over a week, the Yankees lost a baseball game. Their MLB-best record drops to 24-9 on the year. Impressive for a team that started out the gate slowly at 7-6; New York is now 17-3 since then.
For the first time in seemingly days, if not weeks, the Yankees offense went into a collective shell. They were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and the home run ball that has propelled them through this run wasn't there on Saturday.
Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton combined for five hits on the night, with Stanton collecting three of them, but none left the ballpark. Stanton did have a single that drove in Aaron Judge with the Yankees first run of the night in the eighth inning, but that was about it.
Give the White Sox credit, especially starter Dallas Keuchel credit. Keuchel is no stranger to frustrating Yankees hitters, and he did just that on Saturday, holding them to just four hits over five innings of work.
On the flip side, it was the Luis Robert show for Chicago. The slugging center fielder had an impact throughout the game on Saturday.
Robert drove in the first run of the day on a single, scoring Tim Anderson in the first inning to make it 1-0. Then Yan Moncada drilled a homer to center off Yankees' starter Jordan Montgomery to make it 2-0.
The Yankees would rally to tie, but Robert walked it off for Chicago against closer Aroldis Chapman, who has struggled in his last couple outings.
With one out in the bottom of the nith, Chapman gave up a single to Tim Anderson and lost Moncada to a walk. That set the stage for Robert, who worked the count to 3-1 before lining a single deep enough to drive in Anderson around second with the game winning run.
Just like that the Yankees lose.
New York will send Nestor Cortes to the mound on Sunday, as he tries to duplicate his near no-no from last week.
The 2022 NFL Schedule was released Thursday night, and the NFL (as usual) did no favors for the local teams here in the Tri-State area. The Jets and Giants both face stiff tests this upcoming season. Check out this week's vlog!
Will anything cool down the Yankees? Right now the answer is no. The Yankees remained red hot on Thursday night, pounding the Chicago White Sox in a 15-7 thrashing at US Cellar Field in Chicago.
Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson all led the way for the Bombers with huge offensive nights in the victory. Judge went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in the victory; Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, while Stanton had the best night of them all going 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI.
In fact three of the four top home run hitters in baseball are in pinstripes with Aaron Judge leading the way with 11 bombs, with Stanton and Anthony Rizzo both tied for third in the league with nine homers. Stanton's six RBI's gave him 28 on the season, tying him with the Mets' Pete Alonso for the league lead.
Stanton's two-run homer in the top of the first inning set the tone for the evening. The White Sox would find a way to scratch out three runs against Yankees starter Luis Gil, but New York quickly tied it in the top of the third inning on a RBI triple by Rizzo.
Stanton followed with another two-run bomb to put the Yankees up 5-3. Judge would hit his home run in the seventh to put the Yankees up 7-4.
The Yankees pen couldn't hold it however. A three-run bomb by Chicago's Juan Moncado tied the game at seven, forcing New York to work some late inning magic.
In the eighth inning with runners in scoring position, Judge hit a slow roller to short stop which he beat out on the throw to first. Scoring initially on the play was Marwin Gonzalez. Right behind him was Gleyber Torres who caught the White Sox sleeping on the late throw by first baseman Jose Abreu to put the Bombers up 9-7.
Stanton would follow with a RBI single to drive in Judge. Donaldson put the capper on the night when he launched a three-run homer into the night sky to put the Yanks up 14-7.
The win moves the Yankees to a MLB best 23-8 on the season.
Taijuan Walker was dealing on the mound, and Matt Canha was grooving with the bat as the Mets won their 9th series this season in a series clinching victory over the Washington Nationals 4-1 at Nationals Park, Thursday afternoon.
Getty Images.
Walker, whose first three starts of this season have all come against the Philadelphia Phillies, enjoyed himself against the last place Nationals, shutting them down over seven innings of three-hit ball. In so doing, Walker earned his first victory of the season, and lowered his ERA from 4.91 to 3.00.
Meanwhile Mets outfielder Matt Canha had easily one of his best days since joining the Mets. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
"We have a hitter of the day. We give the award out when we come in," Canha said. "Today it was me, and then, what's cool about this team is, I feel like, I'm pretty sure all our hitters have won the award at some point this year. ... Someone always is the hero, and that's been the coolest part of this year."
Canha's two-run single scored Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo to give the Mets a first inning 2-0 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. Canha would later score on a Tomas Nido base hit in the fourth inning to make it 3-0.
The former Oakland A capped off his huge afternoon with a solo home run in the top of the ninth to make it 4-0 ballgame.
Juan Soto would get a run back for the Nationals with a solo shot of his own off closer Edwin Diaz, who struck out a pair, but didn't get a save since he entered the ball game with a four-run lead.
The Mets (22-11) head home to face the Seattle Mariners at Citi Field this weekend. It is the first time the Mariners have ever played at Citi Field since it opened in 2009. The last time the Mets hosted the Mariners in Queens, the series was played at Shea Stadium in 2008. The two interleague opponents haven't faced one another since 2017. It will be the first time Diaz, the former Mariners closer acquired in a trade with Robinson Cano for Jared Kelenic back in 2018, will face his old team.
The leaks are flowing on the 2022 NFL schedule and here is what we know so far.
The New York Giants entire 2022 schedule was leaked by PIX11. Big Blue will open the season at Tennessee against the Titans. This will be a very stiff test for the Giants right out of the gate.
The Titans are coming off a disappointing finish to the 2021 season which ended in the divisional playoffs against Cincinnati. The Titans feature one of the most dynamic running backs in the sport in Derrick Henry. The only thing going for the Giants is that A.J. Brown is out of town, but the Titans are still one of the best teams in the AFC, let alone the NFL.
This has ugly start to the Brian Daboll era written all over it.
The Giants home opener will be against Carolina on September 19. They will then host Dallas on Monday Night Football in Week 3 on September 26.
After a trip to London October 9 to face the Packers, (Green Bay's home game), the Giants will face the Baltimore Ravens the following week. Talk about going from the frying pan to the fire.
The Giants visit Jacksonville and Seattle in Weeks 7 and 8, which could either be a good thing or a bad thing. The Jaguars are in the midst of their rebuild, while the Seahawks are beginning their rebuild.
The Giants will play five divisional games in the final seven weeks of the season, including visiting Dallas on Thanksgiving Day at 4:30.
The Giants finish the season at Philadelphia.
As for the Jets, they will open the season at MetLife Stadium Saturday afternoon against Baltimore. This will be a very tough test for the Jets revamped defense. After adding Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson in the draft, the rookies will have to deal with Lamar Jackson running around all over the place. Like the Giants, Week 1 could be a nightmare for the Jets.
Up to this point, we also know the Jets will face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Week 6. A trip to Miami in Week 7, and will host the Dolphins the final week of the season in Week 18. The Jets will also host the Chicago Bears in Week 12 on November 27.
The Jets will also host the Jaguars in their only primetime game on December 22 on Amazon. We will see if that game gets shared on a local network in New York. If not, and its Amazon exclusive, expect fans to riot.
It looked like the game was over. The New York Mets trailed the Philadelphia Phillies 7-1 heading into the ninth inning. After a dismal display the day before against Atlanta in a 9-1 loss, it looked like the wheels were coming off New York's Amazing start.
But then a miracle happened. The Mets scored seven runs in the top of the ninth inning; four of those runs came with two out.
"I'm an optimist, I just keep going until they blow the whistle," Brandon Nimmo said afterwards. "You just never give up. The stats can say all they want. They can say it can't be done. But that's why you play the game.
"These guys, they don't give up. With that mentality, anything is possible."
Anything definitely is possible for the 2022 New York Mets.
And it all innocently started with Starling Marte beating out a grounder to third for an infield single. The next batter, Franisco Lindor put the ball into the right field seats for a two-run homer, and just like that it was 7-3.
Pete Alonso doubled on the second pitch he saw. Two batters later, Jeff McNeil rifled a single to right to advance Alonso to third.
With Corey Knebel now in the game for Philadelphia, Matt Canha lined a comebacker to the mound that Knebel mishandled, allowing everyone to reach safely, including -- and most importantly -- Alonso with the run to cut the deficit to 7-4.
After Dom Smith struck out swinging, the Mets were down to their last out, needing three runs to tie the game.
J.D. Davis worked the count to 2-0 before lining a double down the left field line to bring in McNeil and Travis Jankowski (pinch running for Canha) to tie the game at seven. Finally, Marte was at it again, crushing a pitch off the center field wall to drive in Davis with the go-ahead run.
The Mets bench exploded with excitement as the tying and go-ahead runs came in to score.
Edwin Diaz came in a cleaned the decks in the bottom of the ninth, working a 1-2-3 inning to notch his sixth save of the year, and perhaps one of the greatest comebacks in Mets history.
His second stint in New York ended the way it began: ignominiously. Robinson Cano's brief, odd career with the New York Mets came to an end Monday when the team designated him for assignment. Should the 39-year old clear waivers, he will be a free agent.
He is still leaving a rich man, one that is due $44.7 million on the remainder of his mega $240 million, 10-year deal he signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2013.
His release by the Mets ends a bizarre tenure in New York that began with little fanfare when he, along with closer Edwin Diaz were dealt from Seattle to New York for prospect Jarred Kelenic. The move, made by then-General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen was panned by the fans and media alike when it was made in 2018, and for the better part of the last four years, it is still an infamous deal.
While Diaz has become a much better reliever than the one the Mets acquired in 2019 when he couldn't nail down saves, the fact is the Mets gave up Kelenic, who at 22-years old is still considered a young, budding talent in Seattle. While Kelenic's hitting numbers look pedestrian, a .175 career hitter, he does have 16 home runs and 51 RBI in his brief 114 games of Major League action.
As for Cano, he never caught on with the Mets. A shell of the player he once was with the Yankees, Cano hit only .195 in 12 games this season with a homer and three RBI. He missed all of last season due to suspension from steroid use.
In three seasons with the Mets, Cano played in only 168 games, hit .269 with 24 home runs and 72 RBI. It wasn't enough. And with the likes of Dom Smith and Jeff McNeil outplaying Cano both at second and in the DH spot, there was no room for him.
Decisions like this are never easy for a ball club. Even though he struggled at the plate, Cano was still reportedly seen as a valuable clubhouse presence. The players liked having his veteran leadership around.
"He's been around for so long in this game and he's an icon here in New York," Mets utility man J.D. Davis said. "He's been a centerpiece in this clubhouse, been a leader. To lose him, it definitely takes a little bit of wind out of our sails."
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