Latest news with #DerekLaw
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Paul DeJong taking batting practice as he recovers from getting hit in the face by a pitch
NEW YORK — Washington Nationals infielder Paul DeJong, sidelined since his nose was broken by a pitch in mid-April, is taking batting practice and could soon start a minor league rehab assignment. DeJong took BP on Wednesday with a face protector flap and hit against right-hander Derek Law in a simulated game — and will do so again in a few days, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Paul DeJong taking batting practice as he recovers from getting hit in the face by a pitch
NEW YORK (AP) — Washington Nationals infielder Paul DeJong, sidelined since his nose was broken by a pitch in mid-April, is taking batting practice and could soon start a minor league rehab assignment. DeJong took BP on Wednesday with a face protector flap and hit against right-hander Derek Law in a simulated game — and will do so again in a few days, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. 'If everything goes well, he's pretty close,' Martinez said. 'He's itching to go back and play. I know he's got to go back to see the doctor one more time and then after that hopefully we can get him out.' DeJong was hit by a 92.7 mph pitch from Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller on April 15, fracturing his nose, orbital and orbital floor. The 31-year-old had surgery six days later. Law has been sidelined since spring training with right forearm inflammation. The 34-year-old right-hander threw 25 pitches, reaching 93 mph, and mixed in sliders and changeups. ___ AP MLB:
Toronto Sun
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
How a video game glitch spawned baseball's most unlikely fan club
Published May 13, 2025 • Last updated 12 minutes ago • 5 minute read Washington Nationals reliever Derek Law meets his fan club. Courtesy of Trent Woods It is easy for a middle reliever to fall into anonymity. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A demotion is almost always closer than an all-star nod. Jersey numbers are often closer to 100 than 1. Postgame interview questions more frequently focus on the mistakes that cost their team a game, not the shutdown innings that helped lock down a win. After eight years in the majors, Washington Nationals right-hander Derek Law is accustomed to the obscurity of life on the outside. Fine with it. Jovial, even. The 34-year-old with a big smile estimates that once a year – no, once every two years – he will see someone wearing a jersey with his name and number in the stands. So imagine his surprise Sunday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, where he spotted three teenagers, all repping his jersey. And imagine the three teenagers' surprise when he embraced them with open arms. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I was like, 'What's going on?'' Law said. 'I think about [meeting him] every three seconds, and it still puts a smile on my face every time,' Trent Woods said. Here was the meeting of the Derek Law fan club. Present: three 18-year-olds from Louisville, twins Trent and Trey Woods and their friend Kooper Dean. Plus the man himself, who wandered over from the visiting dugout on a spring afternoon. The teens were so euphoric that they jumped in delight. Law, in Nationals red, was so charmed, he held his cap over his heart. Washington Nationals reliever Derek Law meets his fan club. Courtesy of Trent Woods What brought all this about – the jerseys, the scene, the joy? It started with a glitch in a video game. In the 'Diamond Dynasty' mode of video game series MLB: The Show, gamers compete against each other with teams composed of baseball cards. The better the player, the better the rating. The better the rating, the better they are in the video game, generally speaking. For real-life MLB players, though, the game's creators concocted a special twist, called 'Real 99s.' It scrapped the rating system and gave the player a 99 rating for his own card. In simple terms, it meant real MLB players could play with a juggernaut version of themselves. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But a glitch in last year's version of the game meant anyone could get a 'Real 99' card on their team. The three teenagers scrolled and scrolled, looking to exploit the bug, until they landed on a random player with the 'Real 99' rating. It was Law. They threw an immaculate inning with him and figured, heck, might as well become fans. This is something Law, who played MLB: The Show when he was younger, could relate to. He remembers what it was like to love an unheralded player in real life simply because he dominated with them in the video game. Through video game Derek Law, the trio attached themselves to a real-life happy-go-lucky presence in Washington's bullpen. But they also just so happened to pick quite a character, too. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Law is the only reliever who has semi-reliably used the team's popular bullpen cart since the start of 2024. He runs out to the song 'High Hopes,' by Panic! at the Disco, because it was the soundtrack to a Sonic compilation video that his kids liked. TV cameras have captured him placing gummy bears on the dugout railing for good luck. And he never, ever, ever wants to stop pitching – a trait that made him the most valuable arm in Manager Dave Martinez's bullpen last year. That came with a price: Law hasn't appeared under the ballpark lights at all in 2025; he dealt with 'general soreness' in spring training and, by late March, had decided he wouldn't be ready for Opening Day. But that same month, back in Kentucky, a plan began to take shape. The three teens bought tickets to Washington's May 3 game against the Cincinnati Reds with seats next to the bullpen. At the ballpark, they typed out messages in big letters on their phones, asking Nationals relievers to grab Law. Bullpen coach Ricky Bones threw some signed baseballs their way, but the group was otherwise out of luck. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Law wasn't on the injured list with forearm inflammation when they bought the tickets. And they weren't privy to his game day habits and rituals, which on this night kept him out of the bullpen. 'If we're winning, then I usually stay in the dugout,' Law said. And so another plan hatched. The Woods twins and Dean learned where Washington's team bus would depart. After the game, an 11-6 Washington win, they waited outside for an hour. They never saw the Nationals board. Law didn't see them, either, until he was already on the bus. But as the bus started to drive away, they ran after it, arms waving. Law laughed. And then, 45 minutes later, he checked his DMs. One of the teens had reached out and told Law they had just missed him. A stunned Law pressed them to come to Sunday's game. They didn't have tickets. He sent them over – Section 112, about 26 rows back. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I started screaming and crying,' Trent Woods said over Zoom a few days later. The Woods twins called off work at Papa Johns, telling their boss they had somewhere important to be, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 'They didn't understand it then,' Trey Woods said. 'I think they kind of understand it a little now.' They left their homes in Louisville for the second day in a row and drove two hours to Great American Ball Park. Upon entering, they made a beeline for the dugout. Right-hander Cole Henry noticed the three teens and headed back into the clubhouse. Pitching coach Jim Hickey wandered over, clearly amused, grinned and took a photo. Trey Woods, Kooper Dean and Trent Woods in thier Derek Law jerseys. MUST CREDIT: Courtesy of Trent Woods Courtesy of Trent Woods And then, euphoria. Law walked out of the dugout, and the trio just about lost their minds. Law removed his cap once he saw them and placed it over his heart as a sign of respect. First, he addressed the elephant in the room – one of the Woods twins, Trent, was sporting a bootleg Nationals cherry blossom jersey with No. 56 on the back. That is close but not quite right. Law wears No. 58. Law just went with it, though, and added a No. 56 at the end of his autograph. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He spent about five minutes chatting with them and signing everything they owned – their jerseys, their caps, a couple of baseballs and a Teddy Roosevelt Funko Pop. All the while, he heard their road to fandom. He was humbled. They were starstruck. He admitted it made him a little emotional – he didn't expect fans to think of him in such a manner. 'For me, it's probably just – he's an MLB player. It's so not natural for them to interact with fans that much,' Dean said. 'But he was totally cool. It was just so awesome.' 'I've never met a famous person before,' Trent Woods said, 'and the fact that he's my first one is just awesome.' As for Law: 'I think it was just cool because I could relate to it. I love that.' Toronto Maple Leafs Canada Editorials Toronto & GTA Toronto Maple Leafs
Washington Post
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Nationals reliever Derek Law says he won't be ready for Opening Day
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Derek Law never wants to stop pitching. He tossed 90 innings out of the Washington Nationals bullpen last year, and was on pace to break the franchise's single-season relief innings record if not for a stint on the injured list in August. Law dealt with right elbow flexor strain with ulnar nerve irritation at the time, which lingered over the winter and led to a late start at spring training. He felt more sore than usual as he tried to ramp up, particularly the day after he would pitch in a game or a do a bullpen session. This means Law will not be ready for Opening Day this coming Thursday, he said. 'Just hasn't really got there recovery-wise where I would like to,' Law said Saturday morning. 'So obviously if I can't do that right now to the best of my abilities, then I don't really want to start a season like that and potentially be on and off all season.' Law described the feeling as 'general soreness,' though he doesn't have a diagnosis yet. Law assumed he will head to the 15-day injured list; the team has not yet made an official decision. He figures he won't need all 15 days to recover, but he will have to stay on the list regardless. He said he might have been able to pitch through it, but didn't want to aggravate anything. He isn't too concerned. 'I was bummed originally, just because the whole Opening Day thing is super special,' Law said. 'It's hard to make a team and get on it. I've been on both sides of that. It's super special. But also, you have to look at the bigger picture. If I'm not available in September and August when we're in the hunt, then what's it for?' This means that, outside of Law, there are four locks to make the bullpen out of camp (Kyle Finnegan, Jorge López, Jose A. Ferrer, Lucas Sims). Before Saturday's game, the team also added left-hander Colin Poche to the 40-man roster. This all but locks Poche into making the Opening Day roster as well. Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said he would ideally like to have two relievers who could throw multiple innings on the roster. If Law is out, that would likely leave three spots left. All four relievers fighting for those spots — right-handers Orlando Ribalta, Eduardo Salazar, Brad Lord and Jackson Rutledge — have shown they can handle pitching multiple innings this spring.
