Latest news with #MasonMiller
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A's catcher MacIver gets go-ahead hit, throws out runner to end game in big league debut at age 28
Athletics pitcher Mason Miller points to catcher Willie MacIver after winning a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics pitcher Hogan Harris, left, and catcher Willie MacIver, right, walk to the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics catcher Willie MacIver, left, high-fives pitcher Mason Miller, right, after winning a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics catcher Willie MacIver throws the ball to the pitcher during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics pitcher Mason Miller points to catcher Willie MacIver after winning a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics pitcher Mason Miller points to catcher Willie MacIver after winning a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics pitcher Mason Miller points to catcher Willie MacIver after winning a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics pitcher Hogan Harris, left, and catcher Willie MacIver, right, walk to the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics catcher Willie MacIver, left, high-fives pitcher Mason Miller, right, after winning a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics catcher Willie MacIver throws the ball to the pitcher during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Athletics pitcher Mason Miller points to catcher Willie MacIver after winning a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, May 25, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Willie MacIver hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning of his major league debut. Minutes later, the 28-year-old catcher threw out a runner trying to steal second for the final out that ended the Athletics' 11-game losing streak. 'I woke up hoping for a Gatorade bath at the end of the game and, man, I've never felt such a good feeling with such cold water,' he said after the A's beat Philadelphia 5-4 on Sunday and stopped the Phillies' nine-game win streak. Advertisement MacIver was among five players brought up from the minors on Friday. He started Sunday in place of Shea Langeliers in the day game after a night game. 'This is part of the talk that we had in spring training, it was going to take the whole army that was in the room,' said manager Mark Kotsay, who watched the end from the clubhouse following his first ejection this season. MacIver, hitting .389 with two homers and 30 RBIs at Triple-A Las Vegas, grounded out in the second and fourth against Jesús Luzardo, then struck out in the sixth. After Trea Turner homered in the eighth off Hogan Harris for a 4-3 lead, another Friday call-ups sparked the rally. Advertisement Logan Davidson walked and scored on Lawrence Butler's triple against Matt Strahm. MacIver fouled off a fastball, then drove a cutter into center field to bring home the go-ahead run. 'I'm always upset about walks,' Strahm said. 'I just feel like I've had too many too close together.' A day after blowing a ninth-inning lead, Mason Miller allowed a two-out single in the ninth to Alec Bohm. Johan Rojas pinch ran and MacIver, who had been in the minors since 2018, threw to shortstop Jacob Wilson, who tagged the sliding Rojas on an elbow. 'I had family here, friends, teammates, ex-teammates,' MacIver said. 'It's a dream come true. I can't even put it into words.' Advertisement Rojas at 29.9 feet per second has the fifth-highest sprint speed in the majors among players with 10 or more opportunities, according to Statcast. MacIver was selected by Colorado in the ninth round of the 2018 amateur draft from the University of Washington. He played in the 2021 Futures Game with Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodríguez and Spencer Torkelson. MacIver became a minor league free agent last November and signed a minor league contract with the Athletics a month later. 'I'm so grateful for my family and for my support system,' he said. 'They've been everything to me and I obviously wouldn't be here without them and like I can't thank them enough. ... The fact that they could be here and see my first hit and how that game ended, man, it's awesome.' Advertisement Davidson started at first a day after Nick Kurtz left the game because of a left hip issue. He had two hits and two RBIs a day after a forgettable debut. Davidson entered as a pinch runner for Kurtz in the 10th inning. He was thrown out at the plate, called for obstruction and ended a 9-6 loss by striking out. 'There's a lot of confidence that I have in this kid,' Kotsay said. 'I've invested a lot of time, we've had a lot of conversations through the last two seasons about what it was going to take for him to be a big leaguer and he has not backed down from anything that I've given him and to see the reward come today and just his first start and contributing and having such an impact to the win, was awesome.' ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MacIver hits go-ahead single, throws out runner to end game as A's stop skid and Phils' win streak
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Willie MacIver had a tiebreaking single for his first big league hit in a two-run, eighth-inning rally, then capped his debut by throwing out a runner attempting to steal for the final out as the Athletics beat Philadelphia 5-4 Sunday to stop an 11-game slide and the Phillies' nine-game winning streak. A's manager Mark Kotsay and third baseman Miguel Andujar were ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire Roberto Ortiz with the score 3-3, angered over a called strike. Philadelphia's Trea Turner homered in the eighth off Hogan Harris for a 4-3 lead. Matt Strahm (1-3) issued a one-out walk in the bottom half to Logan Davidson, who hit a two-run double and singled for his first hits. He made a forgettable debut Saturday when he entered as a pinch runner in the 10th inning and was thrown out at the plate, was called for obstruction and ended a 9-6 loss by striking out. Lawrence Butler tied the score with a triple and MacIver singled to center. A day after blowing a ninth-inning lead, Mason Miller allowed a two-out single in the ninth to Alec Bohm. Johan Rojas pinch ran and MacIver, a 28-year-old catcher who had been in the minors since 2018, threw to shortstop Jacob Wilson, who tagged the sliding Rojas on an elbow. The A's had to wait for a video review to uphold the call. Tyler Ferguson (1-2) got his first win since Sept. 18. Miller, pitching for a third straight day for the first time in his big league career, got his 12th save in 14 chances. Wilson hit a 420-foot homer on Jesús Luzardo's first pitch as the A's built a 3-0 first-inning lead. Turner had three RBIs, including an RBI single in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo struck out 10 in seven innings. Key moment A day after allowing Max Kepler's tying ninth-inning homer, Miller retired him on a grounder starting the ninth before striking out Realmuto. Key stat The A's had not lost 12 straight games in a season since 1994. Up next Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez (3-0, 3.70 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Atlanta against RHP Spencer Strider (0-2, 5.79 ERA). Athletics: LHP JP Sears (4-4, 4.00 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Houston against RHP Hunter Brown (6-3, 2.04 ERA). ___ AP MLB: The Associated Press
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Athletics snap skid, end Phillies' win streak with 5-4 victory
Willie MacIver had a tiebreaking single for his first big league hit in a two-run, eighth-inning rally, then capped his debut by throwing out a runner attempting to steal for the final out as the Athletics beat Philadelphia 5-4 Sunday to stop an 11-game slide and the Phillies' nine-game winning streak. A's manager Mark Kotsay and third baseman Miguel Andujar were ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire Roberto Ortiz with the score 3-3, angered over a called strike. Philadelphia's Trea Turner homered in the eighth off Hogan Harris for a 4-3 lead. Matt Strahm (1-3) issued a one-out walk in the bottom half to Logan Davidson, who hit a two-run double and singled for his first hits. He made a forgettable debut Saturday when he entered as a pinch runner in the 10th inning and was thrown out at the plate, was called for obstruction and ended a 9-6 loss by striking out. Lawrence Butler tied the score with a triple and MacIver singled to center. A day after blowing a ninth-inning lead, Mason Miller allowed a two-out single in the ninth to Alec Bohm. Johan Rojas pinch ran and MacIver, a 28-year-old catcher who had been in the minors since 2018, threw to shortstop Jacob Wilson, who tagged the sliding Rojas on an elbow. The A's had to wait for a video review to uphold the call. Tyler Ferguson (1-2) got his first win since Sept. 18. Miller, pitching for a third straight day for the first time in his big league career, got his 12th save in 14 chances. Wilson hit a 420-foot homer on Jesús Luzardo's first pitch as the A's built a 3-0 first-inning lead. Turner had three RBIs, including an RBI single in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo struck out 10 in seven innings. Key moment A day after allowing Max Kepler's tying ninth-inning homer, Miller retired him on a grounder starting the ninth before striking out Realmuto. Key stat The A's had not lost 12 straight games in a season since 1994. Up next Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez (3-0, 3.70 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Atlanta against RHP Spencer Strider (0-2, 5.79 ERA). Athletics: LHP JP Sears (4-4, 4.00 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Houston against RHP Hunter Brown (6-3, 2.04 ERA).
Associated Press
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
MacIver hits go-ahead single, throws out runner to end game as A's stop skid and Phils' win streak
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Willie MacIver had a tiebreaking single for his first big league hit in a two-run, eighth-inning rally, then capped his debut by throwing out a runner attempting to steal for the final out as the Athletics beat Philadelphia 5-4 Sunday to stop a nine-game slide and the Phillies' 11-game winning streak. A's manager Mark Kotsay and third baseman Miguel Andujar were ejected in the seventh inning by plate umpire Roberto Ortiz with the score 3-3, angered over a called strike. Philadelphia's Trea Turner homered in the eighth off Hogan Harris for a 4-3 lead. Matt Strahm (1-3) issued a one-out walk in the bottom half to Logan Davidson, who hit a two-run double and singled for his first hits. He made a forgettable debut Saturday when he entered as a pinch runner in the 10th inning and was thrown out at the plate, was called for obstruction and ended a 9-6 loss by striking out. Lawrence Butler tied the score with a triple and MacIver singled to center. A day after blowing a ninth-inning lead, Mason Miller allowed a two-out single in the ninth to Alec Bohm. Johan Rojas pinch ran and MacIver, a 28-year-old catcher who had been in the minors since 2018, threw to shortstop Jacob Wilson, who tagged the sliding Rojas on an elbow. The A's had to wait for a video review to uphold the call. Tyler Ferguson (1-2) got his first win since Sept. 18. Miller, pitching for a third straight day for the first time in his big league career, got his 12th save in 14 chances. Wilson hit a 420-foot homer on Jesús Luzardo's first pitch as the A's built a 3-0 first-inning lead. Turner had three RBIs, including an RBI single in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo struck out 10 in seven innings. Key moment A day after allowing Max Kepler's tying ninth-inning homer, Miller retired him on a grounder starting the ninth before striking out Realmuto. Key stat The A's had not lost 12 straight games in a season since 1994. Up next Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez (3-0, 3.70 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Atlanta against RHP Spencer Strider (0-2, 5.79 ERA). Athletics: LHP JP Sears (4-4, 4.00 ERA) starts Tuesday night at Houston against RHP Hunter Brown (6-3, 2.04 ERA). ___ AP MLB:
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Zack Wheeler extends scoreless streak on minor-league mound that felt ‘like cement'
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Everything about this place is a novelty for fans. Spectators are closer to big-league action in a city that has never hosted Major League Baseball. Lush trees dot a grass berm beyond right field, where fans claimed precious space Friday night with their lawn chairs. The visiting players must enter the stadium from a door in center field; it's a throwback to a time when baseball was simpler. Advertisement But this is 2025, and baseball is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Some teams have invested more into this season than others. Zack Wheeler is making $42 million this season; he's the highest-paid pitcher in the entire sport. And, when he stepped onto a minor-league field for the second time this month, he knew. 'The mound was terrible, so that was really it,' Wheeler said after a 4-3 Phillies win. 'Honestly, I felt great today. And that's why I was frustrated, because I felt great, and the mound was bad.' This is how good the Phillies have it right now. They have won eight straight games for the first time since June 1-11, 2022 — Rob Thomson's first week as interim manager. Wheeler extended his scoreless streak to 22 2/3 innings, his longest since 2018. The Phillies scored three runs off high-powered A's closer Mason Miller; they needed every single one because Jordan Romano looked rather uncomfortable on the mound while allowing three runs. They were not at their best. They still won again. They own the best record in the majors. Kept the streak alive#RingTheBell — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 24, 2025 'Sometimes we slug it out,' shortstop Trea Turner said. 'Sometimes we win games like this. Really, our pitching has just kept us in so many games. Then the offense is just finding a way to score runs. Sometimes it's early, sometimes it's late. Just playing team baseball.' But maybe it's not wise to play big-league games in minor-league ballparks. 'Probably not the best idea,' Wheeler said, 'but sometimes I guess you have to.' Wheeler is not the only pitcher who has complained about the mound quality. Luis Severino, Sacramento's prized offseason addition, has a 0.72 ERA in four road starts and a 6.20 ERA at Sutter Health Park. Severino recently threw a between-starts side session not from the bullpen mound but instead on the main stadium mound in a quest to find his footing. Advertisement Other Phillies pitchers agreed with Wheeler's assessment. Romano, in particular, appeared to be slipping whenever he threw a pitch. His fastball velocity dipped, and he could not throw strikes. The Phillies summoned lefty Tanner Banks with the tying run on first base. He struck out Lawrence Butler for the game's final out. Wheeler, like most pitchers, tries to dig a dent into the dirt in front of the rubber with his spikes at the beginning of the game. The clay didn't budge. So Wheeler could not nestle his plant foot where he wanted. That forced him to pitch without the typical lower-body torque he uses. 'It was like cement right in front of the rubber,' Wheeler said. 'So I was just trying to break it up, and once you kind of did break it up, there's little bumps in it. It probably doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're used to pitching on similar mounds throughout the league, just that little difference kind of messes with you. I really couldn't get into the dirt to drive. So I was throwing all arm tonight. It was a little different. I just had to make little adjustments out there as I went.' Wheeler has a 2.42 ERA this season. He dominated a young Sacramento lineup while leaning heavier on his fastballs than normal. Wheeler fired 76 fastballs, tied for the fourth-most he's used in any start while with the Phillies. He allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings. He ran out of gas in the seventh, walking the final two hitters he faced. But Orion Kerkering, for the second straight day, extinguished a dicey situation. Wheeler still posted zeroes even in an a less-than-ideal environment. Zack Wheeler has thrown 22+ consecutive scoreless innings — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 24, 2025 'The best pitchers in baseball have a good fastball,' Turner said. 'And you can throw it anytime, even when you're not feeling your best. You can throw it in the zone and get swings and misses. Get weak contact. With the four-seam, two-seam combination, it's just hard to find the middle of the ball a lot. And he knows what he's doing. Even when he misses bad, at least it's to the right side. It's not over the plate. A veteran. He just knows how to pitch and battle even when he isn't at his best.' Advertisement Wheeler said he just followed J.T. Realmuto's plan from behind the plate. The fastball, Wheeler said, is something he can always trust. Even throwing 'all arm,' Wheeler's four-seamer averaged 96.6 mph — higher than his season average. He continues to pace a rotation that has powered the Phillies. During the eight-game winning streak, their starters have a 1.82 ERA. 'I'm really pleased with it,' Thomson said. 'I want to knock on wood every time I say our rotation's going good because you've got to keep them healthy.' Wheeler might have trouble staying healthy if he called Sacramento home. The A's plan to be here for three years; Wheeler would be in the final year of his $126 million contract whenever the Phillies return. He has said he plans to quit pitching after the 2027 season. Maybe he'll have one more chance to grace the mound at Sutter Health Park. One hour and 15 minutes after the final out, three grounds crew members were still working on the mound. Everyone is trying to make this unusual situation, one Major League Baseball greenlighted, tenable. Baseball, so they say, is like life. Sometimes it rains. Sometimes the mound feels like cement. 'You just,' Wheeler said, 'have to figure it out.' (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
