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National Post
13 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
New guy Will Robertson comes to Toronto from the land of a Blue Jays legend
The journey to the big leagues was not a simple or particularly swift one for Blue Jays outfielder Will Robertson. Article content Along the way, there were twists and turns through 491 minor-league games spread over parts of six seasons and five different Toronto farm teams before finally getting called to the Show earlier this month. Article content Article content The trip from his home in tiny Loose Creek, Mo., to a brush with Blue Jays greatness, though? It couldn't have been easier. Article content If roots account for anything, the humble, personable Robertson is both in good shape and good company with the Jays. Article content Less than 10 minutes from Loose Creek, a tiny town of 300 (give or take) where Robertson grew up on a cattle farm, is Taos, an equally small burg better known as the home of Tom Henke, a World Series champ with the Jays and the franchise's all-time saves leader. Article content And yes, the connection wasn't lost on the 27-year-old Robertson nor the 67-year-old Henke. Article content Article content 'He's a great guy, whose down to earth, does a ton for the community and loves mid Missouri,' Robertson said of Henke, who has been a quiet but steady influence on his career. 'I always see him around and he's always asked how things are going. Article content 'He's a good role model and good support to have.' Article content Henke was well known to the family in an area Robertson describes as having 'more cattle than people, for sure.' Article content But the connection with the Terminator — as Henke was known by fans through his lethal run as Jays closer from 1985-1992 — became stronger after Toronto selected Robertson in the eighth round of the 2019 MLB draft. Article content Article content There was advice and support along the way, an organic connection given their shared roots on the baseball diamond and off. Article content Article content 'He just talked to me about how cool it was to get to the big leagues this year and to make the journey my own,' Robertson said. 'He said everybody does it on their own time and for told me to make the best of it.' Article content It has just been a week, but Robertson is soaking up all of his fledgling Jays experience since being called up by the team on June 11 to provide some outfield depth. The dream never died for Robertson, a strapping 6-foot-1 215-pounder who hits from the left side, even after such an at-times arduous trek up the farm system ladder. Article content 'It's been fun to reflect a bit and and get a chance to be here with the guys you've been able to come up with and be around them here in the big leagues,' Robertson said during a quiet moment in the Jays dugout this week. 'There was the shock of getting called up and that whole emotion. But then I think you then go to, how do you contribute to the team? How do you help the team win?
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Disgraced Trevor Bauer outed as one of the worst pitchers in Japan... despite begging for MLB return
Trevor Bauer's pitching struggles in Japan have been laid bare amid his desperate pleas to be given another chance in Major League Baseball. Bauer was blackballed by MLB after multiple allegations of sexual assault were made against the now-34-year-old, and he has not pitched in America since 2021. In the years since, he has continuously talked up a return to the big leagues, but those chances have now been dealt another blow after his stats from Japan were revealed. This season he is pitching for the Yokohama DeNa BayStars, but he has the fifth worst ERA in the entirety of the Japanese league, and the single worst in the Central League. It now appears that retirement is more likely than him being given another shot in Major League Baseball, despite his bold claims back in January that he is a 'top 10 pitcher on the planet.' In a bold tweet, he wrote: 'I'm the second most popular player and the most knowledgeable pitcher on the planet. 'I'm also a top 10 pitcher on the planet and willing to play for $0. That's minimum $50m value per year that you'd get for $0, 'But, someone very obviously lied about me one time, so I can't go back to work. The absurdity of this situation is off the charts.' Bauer has previously claimed that teams are colluding to keep him out of baseball since multiple allegations of sexual assault came to light - beginning in 2021. The pitcher has always denied the allegations. In 2022, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office decided to not file criminal charges against Bauer over allegations made by his first accuser. After that decision, Bauer and his accuser sued each other. In 2023, they settled both suits without admission of wrongdoing or exchanging money. Three other women have accused Bauer of sexual assault. One of those women was later charged with defrauding the pitcher. Bauer has had a tough time finding consistent work since his last pitch in MLB. He pitched in Japan in 2023 for the Yokahama DeNA BayStars. Last year, he pitched down in Mexico before returning to the BayStars for 2025. He maintains that it's 'an MLB decision' if he signs with an team in the majors again. However, when contacted by last year, an MLB spokesperson said: 'Trevor Bauer served the entirety of his discipline and is an unrestricted free agent available to sign a contract with any team.'
New York Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
After death threats, Lance McCullers Jr. returns with ‘step in the right direction'
ARLINGTON, Texas — Patience precipitates progress, a truth the Houston Astros are attempting to prove. Lance McCullers Jr. is on a path few pitchers have traveled, trying a midseason comeback after a 915-day absence. Instant success seems impossible. Implosions are almost expected. When McCullers authored one last week, support surged in. From a manager who pounded a table and pleaded for tolerance amid death threats aimed at his pitcher. From teammates who showered one of the franchise's longest-tenured players with whatever he needed to endure another day. Advertisement 'I hope one day I'm able to repay the favor (of) what these guys in here have meant to me over the last couple years and over this last week,' McCullers said. Faith and prayer propelled McCullers through one of the more trying weeks of his career. Collecting just one out during last Saturday's start against the Cincinnati Reds provoked threats on the lives of McCullers and his children. On Friday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department had no further update other than to acknowledge the investigation into the threats against McCullers remains ongoing. McCullers declined further comment but did say 'they're on it' and 'these things aren't taken lightly.' 'For me, there's no other way through it than through it,' McCullers said. 'You show up the next day. Weeks like this week are the ones you have to work the hardest. You have to rededicate, try to figure out what went wrong and try to keep pushing through. You sulk on it too long and you're just going to be in a pissy mood and be a bad teammate. You try to just put it behind you, move forward to better days.' One occurred Friday evening at Globe Life Field. McCullers contributed to a needed victory in a crucial series while showing tangible signs of progress in his return from flexor tendon surgery. Throwing four innings is hardly cause for celebration, but for McCullers, it represented a meaningful measure during this daunting journey. 'I thought it was a big step in the right direction for me,' McCullers said after Houston's 6-3 win against the Texas Rangers. 'I felt like I was seeing the game. I felt like I was clear on my approach to the hitters, felt like I was attacking the hitters the way we were planning to. Thought (catcher Victor Caratini) did a good job with the pitch calling. Of course, you want to go more than four innings, but I think we're on our way.' Advertisement McCullers yielded two unearned runs and stranded three runners in scoring position. He struck out two, walked a batter and plunked another. Texas totaled four hits against him but averaged just an 89 mph exit velocity on the 15 balls it put in play. Of the 38 swings it took, just seven were whiffs. McCullers threw seven different pitches — even showcasing the four-seam fastball he seldom uses — while trying to analyze how his arsenal plays after such a prolonged absence. He spun some rare sliders to left-handed hitters in the first inning but became too predictable with them as the game progressed. Some right-on-right changeups also appeared in an effort to get quicker outs. McCullers manipulated his sinker, too, throwing some backdoor two-seamers after not showing any of them in his first two outings. 'He's figuring out his identity,' manager Joe Espada said. 'He knows the weapons he has. He's trying to get a feel for what pitches work for him in different counts. … All that stuff is going to take some time. But I thought today, the job he did against this lineup, was a solid job.' Command that eluded McCullers across his first two appearances started to creep back toward normal. He threw 53 of his 83 pitches for strikes, a 63.8 percent clip higher than what he posted during his last full major-league season. Twelve of the 19 Rangers he faced either saw a first-pitch strike or fell into a 1-2 count. 'I'm starting to feel comfortable,' McCullers said. 'Starting to feel that I'm able to attack multiple parts of the zone when I attack these guys.' Efficiency still eluded McCullers, but he's never been a pitcher praised for low pitch counts. He issued a major-league-leading 76 walks while averaging 4.07 pitches per plate appearance during his last full season in 2021. The major-league average is 3.88 pitches per plate appearance. Advertisement McCullers required 68 pitches to procure his first nine outs Friday. The Rangers fouled off 16 pitches, prolonging plate appearances that McCullers must find ways to curtail. Harnessing his put-away pitches is the most obvious means — and the next step in McCullers' evolution. Of the 16 pitches Texas spoiled foul on Friday, 10 were either sliders or changeups. Joc Pederson fought off three of them in a third-inning at-bat before failing to stop on a check swing against a wild sinker that flew into the other batter's box. Pederson's nine-pitch punchout personified the plight McCullers is facing. That Adolis García followed by rolling over a first-pitch sinker for a groundout demonstrated how close he is creeping toward closing it. Procuring 12 outs preserved a bullpen McCullers put in an awful position last weekend against the Reds. Five teammates totaled five innings of one-run relief Friday, allowing the Astros to author a six-run seventh inning and secure a game McCullers kept close. Espada pulled McCullers after four innings to 'build something positive for his next outing.' If not for a defensive gaffe during the second inning, McCullers might've completed five frames for the first time since Oct. 3, 2022. Instead, McCullers and shortstop Jeremy Peña teamed to botch a tailor-made double play from Evan Carter that could've concluded the frame after 10 pitches. McCullers fielded Carter's comebacker but uncorked a relay throw that resembled his sinker, tailing down toward the bag and away from Peña's chest-high target. A Gold Glove shortstop still must catch it. Peña whiffed entirely. 'I said, 'My bad,' to Jeremy. He said his bad to me,' McCullers said. 'This is one of those plays where we both wish we could've done a little bit better.' The error extended the inning that derailed McCullers' outing. He threw 17 extra pitches he shouldn't have. Jonah Heim and Josh Smith both struck singles in at-bats that never should've occurred. Heim's sent home the only two runs on McCullers' line. 'All things considered,' McCullers said, 'I'm on the right path.'
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Yankees left shaken as Oswaldo Cabrera taken off field in ambulance
Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera was taken off the field in an ambulance after he injured his left ankle in the ninth inning of New York's 11-5 victory over Seattle on Monday night. Cabrera was hurt on an awkward slide when he reached back for the plate and scored the Yankees' final run on Aaron Judge's sacrifice fly. Cabrera, a 26-year-old native of Venezuela, writhed on the ground and stayed down for several minutes while being attended to by medical staff. Cabrera was then taken to a local hospital with team athletic trainer Tim Lentych 'I think everyone understands it was a pretty serious situation,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 'So, just praying for our guy tonight and hoping for the best. Trust that he's in good hands as he goes through the night here.' Judge paid tribute to Cabrera's attitude after the injury. 'Right before he got carted off, he just called me over and said, 'Hey, did I score?'' Judge said. 'So, just kind of shows you what type of guy he is. Something like that happens and the one thing on his mind for all the pain and everything is, 'Did I score?'' Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham wiped away a tear as he spoke about Cabrera. 'Oswaldo's the best of us,' Grisham told the YES Network. 'He shows up every day with the right attitude, plays the game hard, he's the best person off the field. We just love him.' Cabrera is in his fourth MLB season and has become a regular in the Yankees' lineup. He is hitting .243 this season with one home run and 12 RBIs. 'He cares for everybody in this room. He loves being a Yankee,' Judge said. 'He wears his jersey with pride. This is a tough one, especially a guy that's grinded his whole life and finally got an opportunity to be our everyday guy and been excelling at it.'
