Latest news with #AmericanLeagueMVPs
NBC Sports
29-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Yankees have a busload of momentum heading into World Series rematch against Dodgers
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will have a good head of steam as they bus 30 miles up the 5 Freeway for their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York's 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels gave the AL East leaders 16 wins in 20 games. Clarke Schmidt continued a six-week stretch of superb starting pitching with six shutout innings, and Anthony Volpe drove in the only run with a first-inning sacrifice fly as the Yankees (35-20) completed a three-game sweep and sent the Angels (25-30) to their fifth straight loss. A Yankees rotation that lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending elbow surgery and has two other starters — Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman — on the injured list has a major league-best 2.54 ERA over the last 40 games and has limited opponents to one run or less in 22 of those starts. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run and two hits in six innings of a 5-1 win over the Angels, left-hander Carlos Rodon gave up five hits in seven scoreless innings of a 3-2 win, and Schmidt, a right-hander, gave up four hits in his six shutout innings. Left-hander Max Fried, who is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts, will pitch the series opener against the Dodgers, and right-hander Will Warren, who is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts, is scheduled to pitch the second game. 'They've given us a chance to win every single night,' said Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who notched his second save with a scoreless ninth inning. 'Each guy is going out there and doing it a little different way, putting their own spin on it, which is great for us, because it gives them a different look for six or seven innings, and we get to do our thing with a different look for the last couple innings. You're only as good as your starting pitching, generally, and they've been great.' The NL West-leading Dodgers (34-22) have three frontline starters — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — and four high-leverage relievers — Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates — on the injured list. But they still have plenty of star power, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who have combined to win five MVP awards, plus Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith at the top of their lineup. 'Yeah, it will feel big,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the matchup. 'Now, we won't go in treating it any differently, but we played the Subway Series (against the New York Mets) last week, and there was a lot of hype for that. I think these are good things for our guys to play in and experience.' The series will feature two of the best players in baseball in Judge and Ohtani, both coming off an MVP season. Judge, who has won two American League MVPs, leads the AL in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.227) and hits (81) — numbers that prompted the Angels to intentionally walk Judge twice in the first two innings. He is tied for third in the majors in home runs (18) and ranks fourth in RBIs (47). Ohtani, who has won three MVPs — his first two with the Angels in 2021 and 2023 — leads the major leagues with 20 homers and 59 runs and ranks third in OPS (1.042). He produced baseball's first 50-50 season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 2024. The two-way star, who has a 38-19 record and 3.01 ERA in 86 starts over five seasons but did not pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2024, is also on track to return to the mound sometime after the All-Star break. 'I think Judge has been the best hitter in the sport now for a number of years, but what Shohei does with his speed and, when he's healthy, being an ace on the mound, and his ability to swing the bat … we haven't seen that,' Boone said. 'Ohtani, when you add in the pitching element, is just so unique, like nothing we've ever seen in this game.' Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, hit four homers, including a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1, and drove in 12 runs to earn World Series MVP honors last October. Freeman's two-run single also keyed a five-run rally in the fifth inning that helped the Dodgers overcome a 5-0 deficit in their series-clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees held Ohtani to two hits in 19 at-bats (.105) and no RBIs in the World Series, but he played the final three games with a dislocated left shoulder that was surgically repaired after the season. 'You have to execute (pitches) at a high level against him, or we're backing up bases or getting a new ball,' Boone said. 'We did a pretty good job against him in the World Series last year, but he's also hit some big homers against us.' The Yankees will have a Dodgers nemesis that they didn't have last October in veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal last winter and is batting .347 with an .899 OPS, five homers and 27 RBIs in his first 55 games with the Yankees. A former Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Goldschmidt has a .283 average, .872 OPS, 35 homers and 109 RBIs in 163 career games against the Dodgers and a .308 average, .928 OPS, 19 homers and 50 RBIs in 77 games in Dodger Stadium. 'I would say he's more than an X-factor,' Boone said of Goldschmidt, who led off the last game with a double and scored on Volpe's sacrifice fly. 'He's one of our dudes.'
Fox Sports
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Yankees have a busload of momentum heading into World Series rematch against Dodgers
Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will have a good head of steam as they bus 30 miles up the 5 Freeway for their World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend. New York's 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night gave the AL East leaders 16 wins in 20 games. Clarke Schmidt continued a six-week stretch of superb starting pitching with six shutout innings, and Anthony Volpe drove in the only run with a first-inning sacrifice fly as the Yankees (35-20) completed a three-game sweep and sent the Angels (25-30) to their fifth straight loss. A Yankees rotation that lost ace Gerrit Cole to season-ending elbow surgery and has two other starters — Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman — on the injured list has a major league-best 2.54 ERA over the last 40 games and has limited opponents to one run or less in 22 of those starts. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run and two hits in six innings of Monday night's 5-1 win over the Angels, left-hander Carlos Rodon gave up five hits in seven scoreless innings of Tuesday's 3-2 win, and Schmidt, a right-hander, gave up four hits in his six shutout innings Wednesday night. Left-hander Max Fried, who is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 11 starts, will pitch Friday night's series opener against the Dodgers, and right-hander Will Warren, who is 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts, is scheduled to pitch Saturday. 'They've given us a chance to win every single night,' said Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who notched his second save with a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday night. 'Each guy is going out there and doing it a little different way, putting their own spin on it, which is great for us, because it gives them a different look for six or seven innings, and we get to do our thing with a different look for the last couple innings. You're only as good as your starting pitching, generally, and they've been great.' The NL West-leading Dodgers (34-22) have three frontline starters — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — and four high-leverage relievers — Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates — on the injured list. But they still have plenty of star power, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who have combined to win five MVP awards, plus Teoscar Hernandez and Will Smith at the top of their lineup. 'Yeah, it will feel big,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the matchup. 'Now, we won't go in treating it any differently, but we played the Subway Series (against the New York Mets) last week, and there was a lot of hype for that. I think these are good things for our guys to play in and experience.' The series will feature two of the best players in baseball in Judge and Ohtani, both coming off an MVP season. Judge, who has won two American League MVPs, leads the AL in batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.488), slugging percentage (.739), OPS (1.227) and hits (81). He is tied for third in the majors in home runs (18) and ranks fourth in RBIs (47). Ohtani, who has won three MVPs — his first two with the Angels in 2021 and 2023 — leads the major leagues with 20 homers and 59 runs and ranks third in OPS (1.042). He produced baseball's first 50-50 season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 2024. The two-way star, who has a 38-19 record and 3.01 ERA in 86 starts over five seasons but did not pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2024, is also on track to return to the mound sometime after the All-Star break. 'I think Judge has been the best hitter in the sport now for a number of years, but what Shohei does with his speed and, when he's healthy, being an ace on the mound, and his ability to swing the bat … we haven't seen that,' Boone said. 'Ohtani, when you add in the pitching element, is just so unique, like nothing we've ever seen in this game.' Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, hit four homers, including a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1, and drove in 12 runs to earn World Series MVP honors last October. Freeman's two-run single also keyed a five-run rally in the fifth inning that helped the Dodgers overcome a 5-0 deficit in their series-clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers held Ohtani to two hits in 19 at-bats (.105) and no RBIs in the World Series, but he played the final three games with a dislocated left shoulder that was surgically repaired after the season. 'You have to execute (pitches) at a high level against him, or we're backing up bases or getting a new ball,' Boone said. 'We did a pretty good job against him in the World Series last year, but he's also hit some big homers against us.' The Yankees will have a Dodgers nemesis that they didn't have last October in veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million deal last winter and is batting .347 with an .899 OPS, five homers and 27 RBIs in his first 55 games with the Yankees. A former Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Goldschmidt has a .283 average, .872 OPS, 35 homers and 109 RBIs in 163 career games against the Dodgers and a .308 average, .928 OPS, 19 homers and 50 RBIs in 77 games in Dodger Stadium. 'I would say he's more than an X-factor,' Boone said of Goldschmidt, who led off Wednesday night's game with a double and scored on Volpe's sacrifice fly. 'He's one of our dudes.' ___ AP MLB: recommended
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Team insider: Aaron Judge knows postseason failures block path to Yankees greatness
Is Aaron Judge an all-time New York Yankees great? Despite winning two American League MVPs, earning six All-Star selections, and setting the AL's all-time home run record with 62 in 2022, Judge doesn't believe he belongs in that pantheon — and it's because of his lack of postseason success. While Judge plays like Superman during the regular season, it's a completely different story in October. In 58 postseason games, he's slashing just .205/.318/.415, with 86 strikeouts to 16 home runs. Advertisement During New York's run to the World Series last year, he hit .154 in the ALDS, .167 in the ALCS and .222 in the World Series, with 21 total strikeouts in 14 games. It's a far cry from what legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson and Derek Jeter accomplished in bringing 27 championships to the franchise. Because of his lackluster postseason numbers, Judge doesn't believe he belongs on Yankees Mount Rushmore, according to NJ Advanced Media Yankees insider Randy Miller. 'He knows the great Yankees all won World Series,' notes Miller. 'He doesn't think he belongs in that status yet.' Advertisement Miller states that Judge uses his October failures as motivation to prove doubters wrong. 'The criticism of his postseason numbers eats at him. That's his extra motivation,' says Miller. Miller adds that Judge will eventually have his October moment. 'I just can't imagine Judge not having a postseason one day where he just goes off.' With Judge's spectacular start to the season, he's on track to capture his third MVP award. But it won't mean as much as holding that World Series trophy high above his head in October.
Hamilton Spectator
25-04-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
The Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for 14 more years. Do massive contracts for first basemen age well?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s massive 14-year, $500 million (U.S.) contract extension will take the 26-year-old Blue Jays slugger into his age 40 season, when few MLB players remain productive. There's no reason to panic — yet — but Toronto's newly minted $500-million man has been rather ordinary through the first 24 games of the season, There's no reason to panic — yet — but Toronto's newly minted $500-million man has been rather ordinary through the first 24 games of the season, Front offices have paid the price for handing out hefty extensions, often locking down the elite players' prime years by overpaying for the back ends of their careers. Here's a look at the richest contracts given to first basemen and how they panned out. 2011: 10 years, $240 million, L.A. Angels Despite Pujols's status as a near-lock Hall of Famer, his production during his 10-year, $240 million contract at least slightly tarnishes his legacy. After a dozen video game-like seasons in St. Louis, Pujols headed to the Angels in 2011 as a 32-year-old who already had three MVP seasons and won six Silver Slugger Awards. His first seasons in Los Angeles were by no means bad, but nothing compared to his past mastery. St. Louis (2001-11): .328/.420/.617 (1.037 OPS), 445 homers, or one HR every roughly 17 plate appearances. Los Angeles (2012-16): .266/.325/.474 (.799 OPS), 146 HR, or one every roughly 21 PAs. Los Angeles (2017-20): .242/.291/.406 (.697 OPS), 71 HR, or one every roughly 26 PAs. He was designated for assignment early on in the contract's last season, with $30 million still remaining. 2014: Eight years, $248 million, Detroit After a four-year run in which he hit 156 home runs, had a sterling .337 batting average, earned two American League MVPs and became the first player since 1967 to win the Triple Crown, the Tigers inked Cabrera to a massive extension to carry him through his age 40 season. While the gamble can't completely be considered a failure — Cabrera was worth nearly five wins above replacement in each of the extension's first two seasons and won two Silver Slugger Awards — his value quickly plummeted; by 2020, he was practically a league-average hitter and, save for a burst of productivity that earned him a spot in the All-Star Game in 2022, faded away before retiring at the end of the 2023 season. 2012: Nine years, $214 million, Detroit Fielder's mammoth contract was ultimately truncated by neck problems that forced him to stop playing in 2016 while with the Rangers. The contract came come off the heels of Fielder's exceptional final season with the Brewers in 2011 in which he played all 162 games and drove in 120 runs, before he left for Detroit. He only managed to appear in 613 games in the five seasons that followed, but slashed a worthy .283/.369/.453. He also did play all 162 games in his first two seasons with the Tigers before the neck injury slowed him down. 2012: 10 years, $225 million, Cincinnati The Toronto native (and future Blue Jay) was coming off a 6.6 WAR season with the Reds when he signed what was, at the time, the largest contract for a Canadian-born player. His productivity wavered over the course of the decade-long deal, but Votto still managed to put up some impressive seasons in 2013 and 2017, garnering four all-star selections and hitting 237 home runs in more than 1,400 games during the lifespan of the deal. In his final season in Cincinnati, however, he hit for a .202 average and logged just 242 plate appearances while he dealt with injuries and the Reds declined his $20 million option for 2024. He then signed a minor-league contract in Toronto , but never appeared in a big-league game for his hometown team after suffering a sprained ankle in spring training and eventually retired.
