Dodgers Take World Series Thanks to Yankees Miscues

 Thanks to an unfathomable New York implosion that started in the top of the fifth inning of Game 5 and carried until Alex Verdugo struck out for the final out of the night, the Dodgers edged out the Yankees 7-6 to take the World Series in five games.

For a few innings, it felt like the Yankees would be on their way to sending the series back to Los Angeles for Game 6.

Gerrit Cole looks on in frustration. Getty Images.

Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, and Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo shot in the fourth to stake New York to a 5-0 lead.

Then the bottom fell out in the top of the fifth as the Yankees fumbled it away.

Judge dropped a pop-up by Tommy Edman to get the ball rolling in the wrong direction. Then Anthony Volpe threw the ball away on an attempted play at third, allowing Kike Hernandez to reach safely.

Finally, Mookie Betts reached first base on an infield single when Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rizzo miscommunicated who would get to the first base bag. The Dodgers scored a run on the play to make it 5-1.

The floodgates opened when Freddie Freeman lined a two-run single to center, and Toscar Hernandez tied the game on a loud two-run double to center.

Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman celebrate. Getty Images.

All the runs were unearned to Cole’s line. Give credit to Cole for bouncing back. He would return to pitch nearly two full innings of shutout baseball and left with the lead when New York scratched out a run on a Stanton Sac Fly in the sixth inning.

It didn't get any better later. 

 Tommy Kanhle and Luke Weaver struggled to get out of the eighth inning, as the Dodgers grabbed the lead right back.

Kanhle loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before Will Lux hit a sac fly to drive in Kike Hernandez with the tying run.

Next Shohei Ohtani reached on catchers interference, a call that was challenged by the Yankees and upheld. After a balk was called on Weaver, Mookie Betts skied to center to drive in Edman with the winning run. 

It was as much a Yankees collapse as it was the Dodgers doing the little things to take the Series in the Bronx.

The Yankees in 2024 were a good team, but a flawed one as well. They didn’t do the fundamental things right all the time, and it showed in this World Series.

Yankees Show Little Punch, Face Dodgers Brooms in Game 4

 DODGERS 4 - YANKEE 2 

The New York Yankees have their backs up against the proverbial wall now following a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series. 

Ever since Freddie Freeman launched a grand slam into the right field bleachers at Dodgers Stadium on Friday night, the Yankees have looked totally lost as a baseball club. They can't hit; struggle in the field, and their pitching isn't up to snuff. 

Giancarlo Stanton out at the plate. Getty Images. 

By the seventh inning of Game 3 on Monday night, you could hear a pin drop at Yankee Stadium. By the eighth inning, fans were starting to hit the exits. The Yankees had nothing, and everyone knows it. 

While the Yankees had a good season this year, and got to the Fall Classic for the first time in 15 years, they aren't even close to being as good as Yankees teams of the past who have made it this far into October. 

Let's be honest the Yankees got here thanks to a soft American League slate in the postseason.  As Michael Kay pointed out on the YES Postgame, the Yankees won with their B-game against Kansas City and Cleveland. That won't work now.

Yankee Stadium was ready to explode on Monday. Derek Jeter threw out the first pitch, and fans were ready to go wild in the Bronx for the first time in a very long time. 

Then that guy, Freddie Freeman came up again, and cracked a two-run bomb off the facade of the second deck in right to give LA a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The air came out of the Yankees balloon. The fans knew it. The players played like it. 

There were also the little things like Giancarlo Stanton getting thrown out at home plate in the fourth inning on a base hit by Anthony Volpe that kept the Yankees off the board. 

Or Aaron Judge getting a little too much underneath a pitch, and sending it to shallow left when everyone, including John Sterling thought it was a homer off the end of the bat. 

Judge went 0-for-3; he's hitting .091 this postseason. Just not good enough. 

As for LA, their starting pitcher for Game 3, Walker Buehler dialed it back to 2021 when he was a Cy Young candidate, blanking the Bombers over five solid innings. The Dodgers pen did the rest. 

Sure Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer for the Yankees in the ninth, but all that did was cancel the shutout. The Yankees never really had a chance, and never really had much fight. 

Now the Bombers face the prospects of getting swept in the Fall Classic. The Yankees haven't been swept in the World Series since the Cincinnati Reds did it to them in 1976. Do the Yankees have enough fight in them to at least stave off elimination for one night, and get the ball to Gerrit Cole in Game 5? We'll find out soon. 

Jets & Giants Equals at Horrible in 2024

 If you were a betting man, and decided to put down some dough on the Giants AND Jets both being horrible this year, it would have been an ill-advised bet ... back in August. 

But, now? Well let's just say both the Jets and Giants are back in familiar territory -- at least familiar for the past decade -- both are 2-6 and buried in last place in their respective divisions. 

For the Giants this was expected. 

Daniel Jones runs from the Steelers. Getty Images. 

The Giants made a lot of bad decisions the past two years, namely re-signing quarterback Daniel Jones to a multi-year deal, and letting running back Saquon Barkley walk to the Philadelphia Eagles. We could look at Big Blue's infamous appearance on 'Hard Knocks' in the off-season, and come to the conclusion that the ship Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are running isn't exactly tight. 

Yet, owner John Mara gave both the dreaded vote of confidence last week, hinting he won't make any sudden moves during the year, or in the off-season. We'll see how he feels come January when the season ends. 

The Giants need to hit the re-set button regardless. 

As for the Jets, this was supposed to be their Super Bowl season. 

They had a healthy Aaron Rodgers, a top-5 defense, and young skill players like Garret Wilson and Breece Hall in the mix. 

Instead everything has gone snake eyes for Gang Green. 

Rodgers looks old and beaten; he struggles to make plays on the field, and the owner acquiesces to his every demand. Many believe Rodgers is the reason why Robert Saleh was abruptly fired after the Jets trip to London in Week 5. He is also believed to be the reason why the Jets decided to take on all of Devante Adams expensive contract from the Raiders. 

Bottom line nothing is working for the Jets. 

Since firing Saleh, the Jets are 0-3, and look worse each and every week as they coast through a five game losing streak. 

They play host to the Texans on Thursday, and play Arizona 10 days after that. In short, Lord knows when the Jets will win a game again this season. It's that bad. 

So as the baseball season comes to an end, we are left with the ruins of football, and it ain't looking good. 

Freddie Freeman Has Kirk Gibson Moment as Dodgers Stun Yanks

 There is a line in the movie "Moneyball" where Brad Pitt says, "How can you not be romantic about baseball?" 

Well on Friday night in Los Angeles, in a city known for Hollywood endings, Freddie Freeman not only won a World Series game for the Dodgers, he channeled the legend of Kirk Gibson from the 1988 World Series. 

It was at the end of that Game 1 of the '88 Fall Classic that Gibby cracked a three-run homer to win it for the Dodgers over the Oakland A's.  

Freddie Freeman celebrates his Grand Slam. Getty Images.

Ironically, Gibson was hobbled by a bad hamstring, and his at bat was a pinch hit. 

Likewise, Freeman -- a veteran player and borderline Hall of Famer, was also hobbled by a lower leg injury, his ankle. 

Both hitters are left handed. 

And the home run that Gibson hit 36-years ago, and the Grand Slam that Freeman hit on Friday night, both wound up in nearly the same location in the right field bleachers. 

Talk about symmetry. 

Baseball is wild cat. 

 

For the Yankees this game will live in infamy, especially if they fail to come back and win this series. 

Fans will point out, and they already are pointing out that Manager Aaron Boone took a huge risk bringing in a rusty Nestor Cortes into the tenth inning with the Yankees up 3-2, and needing only two outs. Cortes has been sidelined since September 18. Why bring him in this spot? It made no sense. 

Not to mention, it appeared in the top of the ninth that the Yanks may have been robbed a potential Gleyber Torres homer when video review showed that a fan had reached over the wall, caught it and pulled the ball back into the crowd. 

The home run was reversed, and Torres was awarded a double. The Yankees didn't score in the inning. 

Still the Yankees had their moment.

- Giancarlo Stanton's two-run bomb still hasn't returned to orbit. The blast gave the Yanks a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning. 

- Jazz Chisholm used his legs to help manufacture the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth to give the Yankees a brief 3-2 lead. 

- Gerrit Cole was dominant over six stellar innings of work. Should the Yankees have left him in at 88 pitches? 

- And don't forget Alex Verdugo's Jeter-esque play on a Shohei Ohtani pop up into foul territory in the bottom of the tenth. 

The Yankees find their backs to the wall in Game 2. Yoshinubo Yamamoto goes for LA, while Carlos Rodon will toe the rubber for the Yankees.

Mets Magical Season Ends in Game 6 of NLCS

 The 2024 New York Mets season came to an end Sunday night in Los Angeles. Their storybook season didn't have the Hollywood ending many Mets fans would have hoped for, but it didn't diminish what they had accomplished.

The Dodgers won Game 6 of the NLCS 10-5, punching their ticket to the 2024 World Series where they will face the Mets crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees in what should be an epic clash of titans.

Still the when the dust settles on this defeat for the Amazin's, New York Mets fans should be left with nothing but good feelings.

Francisco Lindor Looks on. Getty Images.

This was a team many picked to finish dead last in the National League East. The belief was that with a new manager, a new President of Baseball Operations, and many free agents to be, the 2024 season would be a transition year.

 Instead, after a woeful 0-5 start, and, at one point, finding themselves 11-games under .500 in May, the Mets turned out one of the best seasons in their history.

From June 1 onward, the New York Mets had the best record in baseball.

When the turnaround started will always be up for debate. Maybe it started when former Met reliever Jorge Lopez threw his glove into the stands following a loss to the Dodgers in May, and proceeded to garble in the postgame that the Mets were the "worst" team he'd been on.

Or perhaps it started when Francisco Lindor held a players only meeting following the Lopez meltdown.

Don't forget the London Series when the Mets came back to beat the Phillies in the final game of that series, which kicked off a wave of momentum.

Or maybe it started when a giant purple McDonalds character named Grimace threw a first pitch before a Mets game in early June, and became a culture icon for Mets fans the world over.

 Whatever it was, it worked.

The Mets clubhouse became a galvanized unit. Players started playing not just as individuals but as teammates. One could see the infectious nature of the Mets clubhouse when back-up infielder Jose Iglesias introduced us all to the "OMG" song.

It carried from there. We saw Lindor's bid at the MVP; Mark Vientos is a star in the making; Starling Marte comeback to be a major contributor; Jesse Winker was acquired at the deadline and added a jolt; Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo's bats came to life again, and a starting rotation gelled into a solid unit as Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and David Peterson all rounded into form.

Slowly but surely the Mets rose like a Phoenix in the standings, and got themselves into contention by August.

 We saw the heroic comebacks night in and night out, culminating in the heart-pounding season finale in Atlanta where Lindor hit a grand slam to put the Mets in front of the Braves, sending the Amazin's to the postseason.

Then we saw Pete Alonso quiet all the doubters when he smashed a three-run bomb in an elimination game in Milwaukee in the Wild Card round.

If things couldn't get any better for Mets fans, it did a few days later when the Mets knocked the Phillies out of the playoffs in the Division series.

 So while the Amazin's did ultimately fall to the Dodgers in six games, they gave their fans and New York more than anyone could have asked for. They hung tough, fought tooth and nail for each other every night, and redefined what team is all about.

Onward to 2025. 

Jets Humiliated in Pittsburgh Beatdown

 STEELERS 37 - JETS 15 

The New York Jets season is starting to slip away, if it didn't totally slip away on Sunday night in Pittsburgh, as Gang Green was totally outclassed by the Steelers 30-15. New York now drops to abysmal 2-5 record, the same record as their MetLife Stadium co-tenants the New York Giants. 

The difference between the two being, there were very little expectations for Big Blue coming into the year. Many had the Jets pegged for the playoffs, if not the Super Bowl this year. 

That's all out the window now. 

With the Pittsburgh Steelers offense reeling, and Russell Wilson looking as rusty as ever, the Jets built a 15-6 lead in the second quarter, and quickly squandered that lead on mistakes and turnovers. 

In fact, just the fact that the Jets even had that nine-point lead was a miracle in of itself. Aaron Rodgers hit tight end Tyler Conklin for a one-yard touchdown that almost was nulified by the Jets themselves, when Interim Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich tried, but screwed up throwing a challenge flag onto the field for the play before when it appeared that Breece Hall got into the end zone. 

Fortunately for New York, nobody saw the flag, and the Rodgers touchdown pass stood. Then on top of that the Steelers were called for leverage on the extra point, allowing the Jets to go for two, which they converted on a Rodgers pass to Garret Wilson. 

That was the highlight of the Jets night. 

After that, Rodgers was picked off by Beanie Bishop on a pass down the middle, intended for Garret Wilson. Four plays later, Russell Wilson got the Steelers into the end zone on a toss to George Pickens to cut the Jets lead to 15-13. 

After the Steelers used their opening possession to scratch out a field goal to take a slim one-point lead, the Jets gave the game up when Rodgers was picked off by Bishop again, when his pass to Garret Wilson bounced off the receivers chest and into the hands of the Pittsburgh safety. 

Bishop rumbled 41-yards to the Jets one, allowing Russell Wilson to score from the one to give Pittsburgh a 23-15 lead. 

That was the game. Sure the Jets had a field attempt blocked as well when they tried to cut it to five points, but it didn't matter. The game was over. 

The accountability, leadership, you name it is not there on this team. 

The Jets sit at 2-5 with a team full of talent, but they are not a team the definition of the term. They are a collection of good players, and players who were once great at different points in their careers. 

Davante Adams? So much for his impact. three catches for 30 yards. 

It's just not going to cut it. 

Juan Soto's Blast Sends Yankees Back to Fall Classic for First Time Since '09

 Juan Soto is gonna make a lot of money this off-season. 

And we mean a lot of money. 

The free agent outfielder-to-be, who is already expected to break records on his next contract, probably blew all future offers out of the water when he launched a three-run homer to right-center in the top of the 10th inning to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead, and ultimately send New York back to the World Series for the fist time in 15-years.

Juan Soto homers.Getty Images.

 

It all went down perfectly for New York in that 10th inning. A walk to Austin Wells started the inning. Another error by Guardians short stop Bryan Rocchio followed, setting up Soto with two men on and two out.

After fouling off four straight pitches, Soto got a pitch he liked and crushed it. You knew it was gone as soon as center fielder Lane Thomas started back-peddling for the wall.

When the ball went over, Soto stopped looked back toward the dugout and screamed, before rounding the bases.

The ALCS was over. The Yankees were back in the Fall Classic.

 

Soto's blast sent a shiver through Yankees fans everywhere. Most posted to social media that it was time for the Yankees to anti-up and pay Soto. 

Even Jazz Chisholm joined the chorus screaming "Pay my man" during an interview on the YES Network. 

Some think Soto could make upwards of $600 million on a new deal. Could that jump up to $700? $800 million? It could. 

On a side note, let us not forget Giancarlo Stanton who was named the ALCS MVP. Stanton deserved it; he smacked three homers in the Series, including the game tying home run on Saturday in Game 5. 

The Yankees will now await the winner of the Mets-Dodgers NLCS. Should the Mets stage a miraculous comeback and win the pennant, the World Series begins next Friday, October 25 at Yankee Stadium.

Should the Dodgers win, Game 1 will be in Los Angeles.

Yankees Survive, Take 3-1 ALCS Lead Over Cleveland

 YANKEES 8 - GUARDIANS 6 

The Yankees don't like to make things easy do they? 

The Bronx Bombers survived Game 4 in Cleveland, winning by the count of 8-6 as the Guardians once again staged a late inning comeback that had to give Yankees fans in the Bronx palpitations. 

Giancarlo Stanton, Getty Images

 

The Yankees held a 6-2 lead thanks in major part to another monstrous home run by Giancarlo Stanton in the top of the sixth inning. It looked like New York would be on cruise control until the bottom of the seventh inning when things went sideways. 

RBI doubles by Jose Ramirez, and Josh Naylor brought the Guardians to within a run at 6-5. Then in the eighth inning, David Fry, who broke Yankee hearts with the game winning homer in extras in Game 4, tied Game 5 by reaching on an infield single to plate Bo Naylor with the tying run. 

The Yankees bullpen which had been so good this postseason was charged with four runs, including Mark Leiter who wound up getting the win on Friday night. 

Fortunately for the Yankees, the Guardians remain sloppy with the baseball. Another fielding error by Cleveland short stop Bryan Rocchio allowed Jon Berti to score the go-ahead run. Finally Gleyber Torres put the game away with an RBI single to center, scoring Anthony Volpe to make it 8-6. 

Tommy Kahnle got the save, working around a hit and a walk in the bottom of the ninth to clinch it. 

The Yankees can take a deep sigh of relief, they now lead the ALCS three-games to-one. All New York needs is one more win to advance to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Mets Awaken, Blast Dodgers Force Game 6

METS 12 - DODGERS 6 

The New York Mets are alive, and they still have a shot in this NLCS. After back-to-back blowout losses to the Dodgers in Games 3 and 4, the Mets jumped all over LA in Game 5, winning 12-6 to keep the dream alive for at least one more day. 

If there is one thing this 2024 New York Mets team has taught us all season: they never give up. 

They didn't give up when they got off to an 0-5 start to the season. 

They didn't give up when they were 11-games under .500 in May. 

Pete Alonso celebrates. Getty Images

They didn't give up in Atlanta on the last day of the season to get into the postseason.

They didn't give up when the Brewers had them on elimination's door in Game 3 of the Wild Card round.

And they didn't give up in Game of the NLCS while facing elimination at home. 

The Mets tattooed Dodgers starting pitcher Jake Flahtery, who dominated them in Game 1. On Friday night, the Mets returned the favor, knocking him out after three innings, where he was charged with eight runs on eight hits. 

Pete Alonso, a free agent to be this coming winter, had himself a night going 2-for-3 with four runs scored and three RBI. His three-run bomb in the bottom of the first inning set the tone for the rest of the evening for the Mets as Citi Field became Party Citi yet again. 

Alonso's homer proved to be infectious as the rest of the Mets lineup got involved in big ways. Starling Marte, Francisco Alvarez, Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker all had multi-hit games in the victory. 

Marte had the biggest night of all, going 4-for-5 with three doubles, and three RBI. Marte's third inning double brought home both Alonso and Winker to make it 5-1. He later added an RBI single in the eight inning to cap off the scoring for the Amazin's. 

 

Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker both got into the action with RBI triples to help the Mets build a 10-2 lead.

Unfortunately for New York, the Dodgers wouldn't go away. Home runs by Andy Pages and Mookie Betts pulled LA to within four runs, at 10-6. But the Mets bullpen stood firm. 

Ryne Staneck gave the Mets 2.1 quality innings out of the pen, allowing only a run while striking out four batters. 

He set the stage for Edwin Diaz who was brilliant in two innings of relief to secure the Mets victory in a non-save situation. 

The win assures that the Mets will play a Game 6 in Los Angeles on Sunday night. The Mets will have a pitching advantage with Sean Manaea getting the ball on short rest against the Dodgers bullpen. 

Mets Not in Dodgers Class as LA Dominates Game 3 of NLCS

 The New York Mets are really up against the proverbial wall now. Yes, Game 3 was only one of potentially seven games in the 2024 NLCS, but the LA Dodgers came to Citi Field and made a huge statement that the National League, and likely this series is there's for the taking.

When Kike Hernandez crushed a Reed Garrett pitch, and deposited it over left-center field wall to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, you knew Game 3 was all but over.

Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy then put the series itself in question when they launched pitches to the moon. Ohtani's homer skied the top of the right field foul pole, and Muncy's homer landed in the second row of the upper deck. Just like that the scoreboard read Dodgers 8 - Mets 0.

Mets owner Steve Cohen once said when he purchased the team that he wants the Mets to one day emulate the Dodgers and their current run of success. It's clear that the Amazin's have a long way to go to catch them. 

For the second time in this series, LA blanked the Mets, who outside of home runs by Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos, have done very little with the bats.

The Mets had only four hits on Wednesday, and left eight men on base. In the three games the Mets are 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position, and have stranded 23 men on base.

Shohei Ohtani homers. Getty Images. 

Pete Alonso is 1-for-11; Brandon Nimmo is 1-for-10, and Francisco Alvarez is 1-for-9 in this series. That's a lot of missing offense from key contributors.

Worse off is the pitching. The Mets walked seven batters on Wednesday. Four of those walks were issued by starter Luis Severino who only lasted 4.2 innings. Tylor Megill got lit up, allowing the two late inning bombs and walking three.

The Mets will start Jose Quintana, who has been both good and bad at times this year. He's has been great lately in the postseason, and the Mets need him to continue that tonight. But one thing is clear the Dodgers have all the momentum pointing in their direction.

There is a reason why the Dodgers won 98 games this year, and were pound for pound the most consistent team in baseball all year. If the Mets aren't careful, LA could be celebrating their fourth trip to the World Series in the last eight seasons on the grounds of Citi Field come Friday.

The goal for the Mets right now is survival, and to prevent an LA celebration at Citi Field. Win a game, and force this series back to LA.  

Judge Awakens as Yanks Bomb Guardians in Game 2

 The New York Yankees are closing in on their first World Series appearance in 15 years. And they can thank slugger Aaron Judge, who has finally shaken off the cobwebs of his October swoon, crushing a two-run homer in the Yankees 6-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium.

Through two games of this American League Championship Series, it has been a total mismatch. While the Yankees haven't been clicking on all cylinders, they are doing just enough to beat a Cleveland team that can't get out of its own way.

Aaron Judge watches it go. Getty Images. 

No better example than in the bottom of the first inning of Game 2 when Cleveland's Bryan Rocchio dropped a pop up by Judge, allowing Gleyber Torres to score the games first run.

 Finally in the bottom of the seventh inning, Judge ripped the proverbial roof of the 'House that Jeter Built' when he crushed a two-run bomb to Monument Park in dead center to make it 6-2.

On the hill, Gerrit Cole did just enough to help win the game for the Yanks. As has been the case for much of the season for Cole since coming off the I.L., he struggled with control, but was still effective enough. He held the Guardians to a pair of runs on six hits, while walking four and striking out four. He lasted only 4.1 innings.

The Yankees bullpen on the other hand, continues to be very effective. Clay Holmes got the victory as he continues to succeed in his new role. Tim Hill and Tommy Kahnle were excellent in the seventh and eighth innings, and Luke Weaver, despite giving up a run, closed the door on Cleveland. 

NEXT: 

The Bombers hit the road for Cleveland with Game 3 set for Thursday night. Clarke Schmidt is expected to get the ball for the Yankees, against Matthew Boyd. First pitch is at 5:08.

Jets acquire Davante Adams After Monday Night Disaster

 The New York Jets landed star wide receiver Davante Adams in a blockbuster trade with the Las Vegas Raiders in the early morning hours, Tuesday, less than 12 hours following a disheartening 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

The move reunites Adams with his favorite quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers vs. Bills. Getty Images. 

The pending Adams-Rodgers reunion has been the worst kept secret in the NFL for some time. The Jets tried to make a move for Adams last season, but the Raiders balked on a trade. The talks between the two fledging franchises heated up again this summer, and started boiling as the trade deadline neared.

According to reports, the Jets surrendered a third round pick, which could become a second rounder. Meanwhile Gang Green will assume all of Adams contract, which is no bargain. Adams is due $11 million the rest of this season, and over $36 million in each of the next two seasons. 

One would think that a reworking of the contract, or some form of out in the contract has to be included. There is no way the Jets, and whomever the GM is in 2025 whether it's Joe Douglas or someone else, will want that on the cap. 

Talent wise, yes, Adams adds something to the Jets. Even at age 32, he is still considered one of the best wide receivers in the game. And he enjoyed his best seasons with Rodgers when the two were in Green Bay. 

Meanwhile, the trade could spell the end of receiver Mike Williams, who was once again on the wrong end of a late game pass by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In his post game news conference, Rodgers threw Williams under the bus when he explained that the receiver ran the wrong route. 

Rodgers was picked off on the final play when Williams tried to come back to the ball and slipped. It marked the second straight game where Rodgers targeted Williams only to have the pass picked off.

Haason Reddick

The Haason Reddick situation took another strange twist on Tuesday, when Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Jets had granted Reddick and his new representation the ability to seek a trade. 

Reddick was dropped by CAA, his previous agency because of the ongoing holdout. Reddick in turn linked up with Drew Rosenhaus in recent days. Rosenhaus' camp initially put word out that Reddick was looking forward to staying a Jet for "years to come." 

We shall see where this goes. Reddick is the only holdout remaining and we are a third of the way through the season. He's been a holdout since last April. 

Soto & Stanton Power Yankees Past Listless Guardians

 The New York Yankees continue their domination of teams from the American League Central this postseason. The latest victim: The Cleveland Guardians. 

As Derek Jeter admitted during the MLB on FOX pregame show on Sunday, the Yanks have the easiest route to the World Series they have seen in the two-plus decades of playoff excellence since the late 90s.

 The Yankees dominated the Guardians 5-2 on Monday with Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton both going yard on balls that were no doubters when they left the bat. 

Juan Soto - Getty Images. 

With Aaron Judge still struggling this postseason, batting only .133 in five games, the Yanks needed someone to step up, and they have gotten just that from their other two sluggers in Soto who is batting .353 this postseason, and Stanton, who is sizzling at .368. 

It really has been a two-man show for the Bombers at this point. And so far it's working. 

It also helps that the Yankees are finally getting the most out of their starting pitchers, and at the right time too. 

After getting roughed up by the Kansas City Royals in Game 2 of the Division Series, Carlos Rodon was masterful in Game One of the ALCS. He struck out nine batters and held the Guardians to one run on three hits. The bullpen was again solid, as Luke Weaver tossed his sixth shutout inning this postseason to earn his fourth save of the playoffs. 

At 1-0, all feels good for the Yankees. They have their ace, Gerrit Cole on the hill for Game 2. If the Yankees take care of business on Tuesday, this series could be over very quickly. 

Vientos Powers Mets Past Dodgers to Even Up NLCS

 The New York Mets evened up the National League Championship Series with a resounding 7-3 victory on Monday afternoon, as Mark Vientos proved to be the star of the show thanks to his grand slam home run.

Vientos launched the homer in the second inning as the Mets jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, one night after getting plastered by the Dodgers in Game 1.

The 24-year old infielder has been terrific in the postseason, batting .378 with three homers and 11 RBI. More importantly Vientos has been clutch in big spots.

Mark Vientos - Getty Images. 

Meanwhile, the Mets didn't make things easy on themselves the rest of the night. After a strong start, Sean Manaea left in the sixth inning as the Dodgers rallied to plate a pair of runs to cut the Met lead in half at 6-3.

Still give the Mets bullpen a ton of credit. Phil Maton, Ryan Staneck and Edwin Diaz all worked out of trouble on Monday. Diaz bailed out Staneck in the eighth when he got Kike Hernandez to fly out to right with a pair of runners aboard.

Then in the ninth inning, after surrendering a lead-off walk to Shoehi Ohtani, Diaz struck out the next three batters to face him, including Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to end it.

The NLCS shifts back to New York for three games beginning on Wednesday night in Game 3. The Mets will likely start Luis Severino in the contest against LA's Walker Buehler. First pitch Wednesday is at 8:08 p.m.

Mets & Senga Fall Flat in NLCS Opener, Blanked 9-0

 DODGERS 9 - METS 0 (LA Leads Series 1-0) 

The New York Mets didn't get off the mat Sunday night in Los Angeles, falling behind early as Kodi Senga imploded, and the offense was held in check in a disappointing 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers out at Dodgers Stadium in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. 

The Mets and manager Carlos Mendoza rolled the dice on starting Senga for the second time this postseason, and only the second time since coming off the I.L. where he spent the entire second half of the year recovering from a hamstring tear. The decision to pitch him proved fatal in Game 1. 

Senga didn't have it. 

Getty Images.

After getting fellow countryman, Shohei Ohtani to ground out for the first out, Senga lost control of the strike zone. He walked the next three batters to face him, and got lucky as Will Smith's fly ball to center wasn't deep enough for Mookie Betts to score on a sac fly. 

Still the Dodgers made Senga pay moments later when veteran Max Muncy lined a two-run single to right-center, scoring Betts and Freddie Freeman to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. 

They would never look back. 

When Senga was finally removed in the bottom of the second inning, he left charged with three runs and four walks in an inning and a third. The gamble didn't pay off the way it did in Game of the NLDS against Philadelphia. 

After Reed Garret worked his way through trouble over the next inning and a third, David Peterson got lit up in the fourth inning, as the Dodgers broke the game wide open in a three-run rally to make it 6-0. 

The game at this point was virtually over. 

The Mets' bats were silent all night, as Dodgers righty Jake Flaherty was brilliant. He held the Mets to just two hits over seven innings of shutout baseball. In fact he carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He was that on-point for the Dodgers, that it became evident that it wouldn't have mattered who started on the hill for the Mets, they couldn't touch Flaherty. 

The Mets face a must-win Game 2 on Monday afternoon. Sean Manaea who many fans wanted to see start Game 1, will get the ball for the Amazin's. The Dodgers are likely going with a bullpen game themselves. 

If the Mets can get Game 2 and leave LA at 1-1, Mets fans will feel a lot better about their chances to comeback in this series. 

NOTE: While losing Game 1 is never fatal, it certainly helps to win it. More times than not the winner of Game 1 of a playoff series sees their chances of winning a series only increase. However when the Mets are involved in an NLCS, that's a different proposition. Of their previous eight appearances in the League Championship Series, the winner of Game 1 has only won half of those series. So, I guess that means there's always a chance.

Stanton Lifts Yankees Past Royals to Inch Closer to ALCS

The New York Yankees are one step closer to returning to the American League Championship Series, and they can thank Giancarlo Stanton for all of it.

The veteran slugger went off on the Royals, knocking three hits, including a solo home run in the eighth inning that proved to be the game winner in a nail-biting 3-2 victory in Game 3 of the ALDS in Kansas City. 

The Yankees haven't made it easy on themselves or their fans in this series. Every game has been close, and both victories have each been decided by a single run. 

Giancarlo Stanton celebrates with Anthony Volpe Getty Images.

 

New York built a 2-0 lead thanks to a RBI double by Stanton in the top of the fourth inning, and a sac fly by Juan Soto in the top of the fifth, but Clark Schmidt just couldn't handle a little prosperity. 

Schmidt coughed up the lead, surrendering a pair of runs to the Royals in the bottom half of the fifth inning on RBIs hits by Kyle Isbel and Michael Massey. 

The score remained tied at two until Stanton's heroics in the eighth inning. 

The Yankees did have chances earlier however. They had two on for Orlando Cabreara in the sixth, but he lined out. And then in the seventh inning, a slumping Aaron Judge struck out on a check swing with a pair on.

It hasn't been an easy series for the Yankees. We knew the Royals could pitch, but this has been a harder series than many anticipated. 

Still the Yankees just need one win on Thursday to wrap it up and head to the ALCS to meet either Detroit or Cleveland. Gerrit Cole gets the ball in Game 4.

Mets Eliminate Phillies, Advance to NLCS

 

The New York Mets are heading back to the NLCS for the first since 2015, following a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the League Division Series out at Citi Field on Wednesday night.

As he has all season, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor played the role of the hero, crushing a grand slam home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to propel the Mets back to the League Championship, while bringing down the house in the process.

The Mets had struggled the entire night with the bases loaded, leaving ducks on the pond in both the first and second innings, respectively.

Francisco Lindor. Getty Images

When Lindor connected on a fastball from Jeff Hoffman, Citi Field rose in anticipation, then erupted into a deafening and dazzling display of euphoria as Lindor rounded first base after sending the ball over the right-center field wall. 

It was easily the loudest Citi Field has been all season, and that is saying a lot, because this Mets team has been an amazing story of resilience all year long, especially since the month of June when this 2024 season turned around.  

 

David Peterson, normally the Mets fifth starter, was brilliant in 2.1 innings of relief, holding the Phillies to a pair of hits. That set the stage of Edwin Diaz, who worked around a pair of walks to lock down the save and send the Mets to the Southern California for the opening of the NLCS.

Not only did New York clinch it's first trip to the NLCS in nine years, it was the Mets first playoff series victory at Citi Field since the building opened back in 2009. It was also the first playoff series victory for the Mets at home since the 2000 NLCS.

It's fair to say it's been a long time coming. For the Mets and their fans, the 2024 season has been nothing short of spectacular. Now they get a shot a trying to make the improbable a reality with bigger dreams and goals still in front of them.

 

Robert Saleh Fired in Early Tuesday Stunner

 Robert Saleh's tenure as Head Coach of the New York Jets is over, and it stunned everyone. Yes, the Jets are 2-3, their season hangs in the balance heading into Monday's match-up with the Buffalo Bills, but nobody, and I mean nobody expected owner Woody Johnson to pull the trigger now, in-season, with 12 games left. 

But, as Johnson said publicly Tuesday, he feels this is the best roster of talent he has had in his 25-years as owner. 

And that was enough impetus for him to make the move to fire Saleh in the early morning Tuesday. In fact, according to reports, Saleh arrived for work as he would normally and found out of the Johnson's decision shortly there after. 

Johnson only consulted with General Manager Joe Douglas, even though his mind was already made up, and according to reports, Aaron Rodgers was not an influence, directly. 

If you want to believe that. 

There were also reports Tuesday that Saleh was considering demoting Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett from play-calling duties in favor of Todd Downing, but he never got the chance to do it as Johnson came down with the edict. 

 

Was Aaron Rodgers involved? Who knows. But it is ironic that Johnson made the move on Saleh amid the Hackett report. Hackett is close with Rodgers. Make your own guess. Rodgers was also blamed for Mike McCarthy's dismissal in Green Bay back in 2018. This is nothing new. 

While Saleh's firing appeared inevitable, it wasn't like all the blame was on him, even if he was the head coach. The offense is broken. It needs to be fixed, and the Jets are piolted by a 40-year old quarterback who is both hurt and irritable. Not a good combo. 

It will be fascinating to see how Jeff Ulbrich handles this situation. If he can get the Jets to the playoffs, then he would have earned the head coaching job. If not, the Jets will need a complete house cleaning come January. 

 

Giants Special Teams Perserve Win in Seattle

 Hey Giants fans, you got a season after all!! 

The New York Giants are not toast just yet, as Big Blue showed true grit in a 29-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks late Sunday afternoon to improve to 2-3 on the year. 

 

Daniel Jones was exceptional, throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants never trailed again after an early first quarter deficit. 

Jones' first touchdown went to Wan'Dale Robinson to tie the game at seven with 9:09 to go in the second quarter. His 30-yard pass to Darius Slayton put Big Blue out in front 17-10 early in the third quarter. The Giants would never look back, building their lead to as much as 10-points. 

Perhaps the coup de gras came with 55 seconds to go in the game when the Giants blocked an attempted field goal by Seattle that would have tied the game. Instead the ball bounced into the hands of Giants linebacker Bryce Ford Wheaton, who ran coast to coast for a touchdown to give the Giants a thrilling 29-20 win. 

Castellanos Leads Phils Past Mets, Knots Series at One

PHILLIES 7 - METS 6 

When the chips are down, Nick Castellanos almost always seems to be in the middle of good things for the Philadelphia Phillies, and he was again on Sunday night, leading Philly to 6-4 win over the Mets at Citizen's Bank Park in Game 2 of the NLDS. 

Nick Castellanos and the Phillies celebrate. Getty Images.

 

The series is now knotted at a game a piece, as it heads back to Citi Field on Tuesday. 

The Phillies' veteran outfielder was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI. His solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning tied the proceedings at three. And finally when the Phillies needed it with two men aboard, he delivered a sharp single into the left field corner to plate the winning run. 

After the celebration, Castellanos walked up to his son who was sitting behind home plate to celebrate with him.

All of sudden we got a new series. 

For the Mets, it was a humbling loss, but this has been a team that has defied the odds so many times this year, and especially over the last week. On Sunday, New York turned to Mark Vientos as its hero. He launched a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. 

Later in the top of the ninth, with New York trailing 6-4, Vientos did it again, getting just enough of Matt Strahm's fastball to get it over the wall, tying the game at six. 

The two Vientos homers were part of a four-homer barage by the Mets as Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso went deep. 

Unfortunately for New York the bullpen just couldn't get the job done, as Edwin Diaz gave up three runs, and Tylor Megill gave up the game winner. 

It should be an incredible atmosphere at Citi Field on Tuesday when the series shifts for Game 3.

Jets Fall Flat Against Darnold's Vikes in London

 VIKINGS 23 - JETS 17 

The New York Jets season FEELS like it's on life support. And I stress the word 'feels' mainly because their upcoming Week 6 opponent the Buffalo Bills are mired in a two-game losing streak themselves. But when those two teams meet up at MetLife Stadium, the loser will feel like their season is done.

For the Jets, Sunday morning's 23-17 loss to Sam Darnold and the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings was horrible. The Jets looked stuck with a case of jetlag for three whole quarters as they once again failed to muster much offense at all as Minnesota held onto a 17-10 lead. 

Aaron Rodgers after a 23-17 loss to Vikings. Getty Images

 

Even though it was a seven point game at that point, it felt like a 30-point deficit.  Before waking up late in the fourth quarter, the Jets mustered only 168-yards of offense and 11 first downs. 

Breece Hall was non-existent ... AGAIN. 

And Aaron Rodgers was having easily his worst game in a green and white uniform with two early interceptions, including a pick-six by Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who stepped in front of a Rodgers pass, picked it off, and dashed down the sideline for a 63-yard touchdown to the euphoric cheers from a Vikings-heavy crowd in London, England. 

The pick-six put the Jets in an early 10-0 hole, and before they could blink ex-Jets quarterback Sam Darnold engineered Minnesota on a crisp eight-play, 74-yard scoring drive that ended in a C.J. Ham touchdown that made it 17-0.

It was a up hill battle the rest of the way. 

Let us not forget that Rodgers rolled up on that bad leg that he re-injured last week against Denver when he was brought down hard on third and ten at the Jets own 14-yard line with 6:10 to go in the third quarter. Rodgers lay on the ground for a minute, before getting escorted off the field by the Jets medical team, noticeably limping. 

Rodgers later told reporters it was an ankle sprain. 

And of course in Aaron Rodgers fashion, he almost brought the Jets back. He was pitch-point accurate in guiding New York in the four minute offense mid-way through the fourth quarter to get a score on a slant to Garret Wilson to cut the Vikings lead to 20-17. 

Finally he had the Jets right on the doorstep of a miracle win. With the Jets at the Vikings' 26-yard line with less than a minute to go he missed on two straight passes, before tossing his third, and game-killing interception to Stephan Gillmore that ended the game. 

The Jets limp home 2-3. The fans anger over the Jets inability manufacture victories is not going to quiet the calls for head coach Robert Saleh to be fired.  The pressure is only get ramped up now on the entire team. 

LONDON

From a personal standpoint, this was my first trip ever to London, England. What a week it was. When the Jets schedule came out last May, and their trip was confirmed, it was a no-brainer to go for it. Give the NFL and their partners On Location credit, they know how to put forward a great product and vacation. 

They offered two packages, the Ted Lasso package, which as one can imagine is a tour of various soccer stadium. The other package was a tour of the historic sites in the U.K. like Westminster Abby and Windsor castle.  

Well, this was a no-brainier to me as well. If you enjoy history, have been exposed to shows like Netflix's The Crown, and just generally follow International news, and the U.K. has had lot of news in recent years, hitting the historic sites is an absolute must. 

Windsor Castle - Michael Cohen

Beyond that,  The whole city is beyond incredible; a friendly environment, with nice people.  England was great. 

The fan interaction on Sunday was off the charts. 

Imagine a football stadium in the middle of a suburban neighborhood (Green Bay we are looking at you). Tottenham Stadium is absolutely a terrific location for the NFL's brand of football, and this will only get bigger and better here in the U.K. If you haven't been, I definitely recommend.

Pete Alonso Slams Door on Brewers & Doubters with Heroic Blast

 For the second time in a week the New York Mets have given their fans a game that will never soon be forgotten. And this time it was none other than Pete Alonso who delivered the heroics when he crushed a three-run homer in the Mets stunning, thrilling 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series. 

Alonso who was 0-for-3 in the game, and had struggled throughout the entire series in Milwaukee faced arguably the biggest at bat of his career, and passed the test with flying colors.

 

Pete Alonso Celebrates his Home Run in Game 3. Getty Images

He silenced the entire crowd in Milwaukee, and sent Mets fans across the country into an absolute tizzy. 

There was a watch party at Citi Field. The videos that have suffered through X and Instagram are beyond epic. 

Mets play-by-play man Howie Rose, who called the historic homer, heard it played back over the loudspeaker on the Mets plane, in a wonderful moment as Rose got out of his seat to high five Mets players, including Alonso before take-off. 

One has to feel good for Alonso. The pressure on him this year has been immense, considering he is a pending free agent, and up until his Game 3 home run vs. Milwaukee, Alonso was having what many considered a down year. 

He hit only .240 with 34 home runs and 88 RBI. Not bad in the run production department, but also not up to Alonso's standards from earlier in his career. 

His home run not only gets many Mets fans who were criticizing his play of late off his back, it makes it a certainty that to keep him around, the Mets are going to have to pay up. And you know what? He's worth every penny.

When the Mets closed the game out, the team broke into rapid celebration. For the second time this week, the Mets cheated elimination and found a way. 

It says a lot about a baseball team that goes eight innings unable to get a hit, suddenly finds a way to get the job done when it appears that all is lost. 

That has been the formula for the Mets all season. They have found ways to win games nobody saw them winning. They're as galvanized as any team still playing in the postseason right now. 

Now New York will turn its attention to a team it knows all too well in the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, which begins Saturday at 4 p.m.   Kodi Senga who has been out virtually all season with various injuries will get the start in a stunning move by manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday afternoon. Senga pitched in only one game this year back in July, before leaving with a calf injury. 

Before the calf injury, Senga missed the first half of the year due to a shoulder injury he suffered in spring training. 

When he was truly healthy in 2023, Senga was the Mets best starter with a 2.98 ERA and a win-loss record of 12-7. 

While this decision on its surface is a big risk, with the way things have been going so well for the Mets of late, don't put anything past them at this rate.

 

Mets Dominate Brewers in Game 1 of Wild Card Round

 

OMG!! The New York Mets keep rolling right along. About 24 hours after celebrating a dizzying, thrilling playoff clincher down in Atlanta the day before, the Mets kept pedal to the metal on Tuesday with an 8-4 thumping of the Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of the NL Wild Card round.

Any thoughts of a hangover were quickly dissipated when the Mets erased a two-run deficit in the top of the second inning, Tuesday, platting three-runs to take a 3-2 lead. 

Francisco Lindor and Jose Iglesias - Getty Images.

 

Former Brewer Jesse Winker turned the game on its head when he stayed on a fastball out of the over plate and laced it down the right field line, scoring both Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso to tie the proceedings at two.

The moment also led to a bizarre altercation between Winker and Milwaukee's Willy Adames, where the two were yelling back and forth at each other.

Regardless, Winker would eventually come in on a sac fly by Starling Marte to give the Mets the lead.

After Milwaukee regained the lead in the bottom half of the fourth inning, the Mets exploded for five runs in the top of the fifth inning. Jose Iglesias tied it on a RBI single, scoring Tyronne Taylor.

But the back-breakers came on a pair of two-run singles, one from Mark Vientos, the other by J.D. Martinez to blow the game open.

The Mets would never trail again.

Luis Severino, despite the early hiccups, settled in to toss six innings of four run ball (three earned) to get the victory.

The Mets also succeeded in resting their bullpen as Jose Butto and Ryne Staneck blanked the Brew Crew over the final three innings to seal the deal.

GAME 2 PREVIEW
The Mets have a shot to end the series on Wednesday night with a win in Game 2. Sean Manaea will get the ball against Frankie Montas. According to ESPN, which broadcast the game, teams that win Game 1 of the Wild Card series have advanced to the next round 88 percent of the time (14 of 16).